Open Reckless Charcoal

[Einar Haines]

Einar had taken up much of the horned serpent table in the dining hall. It wasn't something he'd meant to do, having startled out with just one small scrap of paper and one piece of charcoal, and stretched out to now, when his hands were dirtied with it, the papers were messily scribbled upon and there just seemed to be a pass of them. It was barely morning, the light had been slowly growing in the hall, and Einar had been sat for hours. His mind was totally focused on the sketches. Einar was sketching with a sheer ferocity that he had gone straight through the page on several occasions. Einar wasn't aware really of his surrounds, his eyes just kept adjusting to the changing light without much of a reaction from him, it wouldn't matter that had a teacher spotted him he'd certainly been in trouble over curfew - maybe they had seen and just not cared or they knew. Einar didn't want that pity but he was happy to take advantage of it. He was hunched over the papers, the occasional charcoal smudge transferred from fingers to face, a look of concentration on his features. There was little that would break him out of how he currently felt. It didn't matter that he eventually had classes, his mind too focused on this task would be difficult to break out of and do anything else. ​

 

[Eli Carter]

Eli had been wondering about the Quidditch tryouts ever since they had happened. Both wondering if he would make the team, and if he had made the right choice in trying to join the team. It would be fun to play, but he didn't relish the idea of having to work together with some of the people on the team. For some reason, most of them had been in his year, and he already tried his best to avoid them normally. That would definitely be tricky if they were all supposed to work together. The boy was up early, as usual, and had been considering taking a walk outside. But as he passed the dining hall, he stopped and looked in. He had thought he heard a noise, and soon spotted a random kid sitting at the Horned Serpent table. He recognized him vaguely, also from the tryouts, and he saw the boy had made a mess of the whole table. Eli frowned and approached, crossing his arms. "What are you doing?" He asked, looking at the paper and charcoal all over the table. It was clear he had been here for a while.

 

[Einar Haines]

Einar’s focus remained solely on the page, his mind remained on the nightmare which had awoken him, though the drawing was a welcome distraction, keeping his mind from spiralling into them too heavily. Einar’s knees bounced under the table, but it didn’t seem like Einar was really aware of the fact he was doing it. Certainly not aware enough to make any attempt to stop. It didn’t matter, he was focusing on the drawing in front of him. He was focused on it, but as the time passed, he knew he was slowly moving out of the focus of distraction and more to just drawing. It was slow, and he certainly didn’t have enough awareness of what was around him. The people coming in to the room. So, the voice that spoke above him, didn’t startle him out of his drawing, though it seemed to take a moment for Einar to first register that something had been said and then for his mind to process what had been said. He mind seemed to pause slightly, and Einar just shook his head lightly, his gaze moving to his hands apparently noticing the charcoal dirt on them before he looked up at the voice. ​

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Einar frowned a little at the older boy, trying to figure out why he might’ve talked to him. They didn’t know each other, but he thought he remembered seeing him at the try-outs. Now, Einar could feel his leg bouncing under the table. ”I’m drawing,” he replied with a slightly confused tone, was it not clear. The serpent’s gaze moved back down at his work and could see why someone might’ve approached him to ask about it. There were some sketches, but it was a lot of chaos. ”Do you need the space?” Einar asked, confusion filtering out of his tone, a harsh and cold tone replacing it, he looked poignantly up at the other empty spaces at the table, he didn’t know why this boy had approached him, couldn’t assume why, but if it was to sit with him when there were plenty of other seats he wouldn’t be all too pleased. ​

 

[Eli Carter]

Eli's frown deepened at the boy's strange reaction. It was almost like he was getting out of a trance or something. It was definitely weird. "I can see that. But why?" He asked, his voice clearly sounding annoyed. He looked at the drawings the boy had made, they mostly looked like scribbles and smudges to him. "I don't, but I could have." He said, crossing his arms. "It's rude to take up so much room." He added, though he was vaguely aware he was mostly annoyed for the sake of being annoyed now. "How long have you been here?" He asked suspiciously.

 

[Einar Haines]

Einar frowned at the older boy, ”Why do you care,” came his quick response, if the boy could clearly see what he was doing why ask, and certainly why then bring up the question of why he was doing it. So much more so than the what. He began pulling some of the scraps of paper towards him, cleaning up the table, giving more space and he couldn’t help but roll his eyes, ”If someone had needed it, I would’ve tidied, like I’m doing now,” he knew he wasn’t exactly being nice to the other boy, he was taking up space and had the hall been more full he probably wouldn’t have even asked before just tidying up his things. Einar’s gaze moved between the different drawings, he had two piles, ones to get rid of and ones to keep. The get rid of pile was much larger than the keep but he couldn’t help if the paper was thin and his drawings tore through them. He would’ve thought the boy would leave him alone, but he wasn’t, given that he continued speaking, ”I don’t know, what time is it now?” Einar replied, half curious and very clearly wondering why this boy cared. He had been awake awhile, he’d been in the hall a while, he had seen the time when he’d left the dorm but hadn’t seen one since. He stretched his legs out under him, his body was stiff, he knew it wouldn’t be good for him to be at a table for so long.​

 

[Eli Carter]

Eli shrugged. "I don't." He claimed when the boy asked why he cared. "But it's weird." He added, looking at the art with a raised eyebrow. "What are you even making?" He asked, unable to help himself. He was normally not this interested in other people's lives, but this was undoubtedly strange. He wondered if this was something to alert a professor about, though his potential teammate would not appreciate that he was sure. He scoffed at the boy's question. "Morning." Was all he said. Did he look like a walking clock? He sighed. "If a professor sees you've been up all night, or whatever this is, you'll be in trouble. You know that, right?" He couldn't remember now if this kid was a first or a second year. Did he think he could just do whatever he wanted?

 

[AJ Ari]

AJ typically stuck to eating at the Thunderbird table, though some of his housemates tended to be a bit excitable and it was distracting. Today though, AJ was going to try taking a risk. After throwing himself into Quidditch try-ours, AJ was having a bit of fun with his new impulsive persona this year. Spotting two other students he'd seen at try-outs, especially one of the other potential beaters, AJ edged over, wondering if he should wave or clear his throat to make himself known. If he did manage to make the team, it'd be way more fun to actually know some of the players. "Hey Quidditch buddies, what's going on," He settled on, swinging his arms a bit if only for something to do with them. AJ almost immediately regretted speaking though after noticing the current conversation seemed a bit tense. He knew Eli was in his year, but he'd always been a touch too scared to disturb him, he tended to look pretty serious, and the younger student was getting the full brunt of that expression now. "Didn't take you for an uh, art critic.. Eli.." AJ commented, noting the sketches the other student was collecting up from the table.

 

[Einar Haines]

Einar was a little confused as to why this boy was asking him about why he was drawing like he was when he didn’t even care why. Only calling it weird. Einar couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the statement. This boy could understand looked at his own drawings why someone might be quite confused about or think it weird. But in Einar’s mind there was no need to actually say as much. He couldn’t and wouldn’t explain that his mind got so busy at times, that he just drew to clear it. He looked around the room and tried to discern a better time than just morning. ”Well, I got here this morning, so I guess it hasn’t been that long,” Einar retorted, but he knew he likely looked tired, since he did feel it. ”Wow, okay professor, I pinky promise you I won’t break curfew again.” Einar said mockingly as another older student he recognised from the quidditch try-outs walked over. He didn’t want to talk to these people even, if they were to end up on a team together, the first boy had just come over to bother him for no reason and now a second one too - maybe the try-outs had been a bad idea, even if he knew it would've pleased his mother to see him get involved. He didn’t even know what to say to the other boy but let out a half chuckle when this new boy called the other, Eli an art critic. Einar decided that this wasn’t worth his time and just turned back to his drawings, taking a most unused page and the charcoal sticks and beginning to lightly, once again sketch on the page. These two boys could have whatever discussion they needed to. Einar didn’t want to be involved. ​

 

[Eli Carter]

Eli looked to the side as someone else moved closer, frowning as he spotted who it was. One of the other kids who had tried out for beater on the team, AJ. He remembered him from his classes, but had no real interest in him. "I'm not your Quidditch buddy." He said coldly. "And this isn't art." He added, gesturing to the paper on the table. Eli rolled his eyes and snapped at the younger boy. "I don't care about curfew, but this is just useless, and frankly, kind of crazy." He said, gesturing to the art. "You're just scribbling."

 

[AJ Ari]

After Eli's response, AJ definitely regretted speaking, wondering if it was too late to bail at leave the younger student to his fate. He seemed like he was handling Eli a lot better than AJ would anyway. "Self-expression's good though, right?" He offered nervously, trying to ease the tension still. It was probably a lost cause. Eli already made it pretty clear that he wasn't interested in being AJ's 'buddy' already, but AJ had hoped maybe he could make some friends on the Quidditch team and if they all got in it'd be bad for moral if they hated each other. He picked up one the pages, turning it right-side up to inspect it. At least he hoped it was right-side up. He wasn't sure what the picture was of, it had a lot of dark lines and shapes and had certainly been drawn with fierce intent, that much was clear. Maybe the younger boy should have tried out for beater instead, it seemed like he might have some frustrations to work out. "It's uh- Interesting?" He offered meekly.

 

[Einar Haines]

Einar had hoped that the conversation would move away from both him physically and about him. Though no such luck to be had, after all, it wasn’t like he’d ever been particularly lucky, why would something like that happen now. Einar stopped his drawing and let himself glare easily at the first boy who’d joined him, Eli. ”Then why are you still here, bothering me about it?” he asked, not moving his gaze from him, his tone was harsher than before, a building anger present in the tone. It had been fun for a little while, but Einar just wanted to be left alone, and he didn’t want his possible teammates to bother him, or think that they’d be friends or even just friendly. Einar only glanced as the other boy, - AJ or something took one of his drawings, he had the decency to not call them what even Einar knew them to be. It wasn’t like he was ever in a good frame of mind when he’d had a nightmare, so of course his drawings were him just trying to focus. Of course a lot of them were just black scribbles. ”Thanks AJ,” he made a point of saying, while not even looking towards the boy, instead just to Eli, even if he didn’t mean it and even if AJ had really been reaching. ”Can we all be done with this now, whatever this is?” Einar said, he just wanted to be left in peace. ​

 

[Eli Carter]

Eli rolled his eyes when AJ tried to explain away the crazy scribbles as self-expression. "I wouldn't call this good in any sense of the word." He grumbled. But it was clear that he wasn't going to really change anything here, and he was honestly regretting even approaching. If the younger kid wanted to be weird, maybe he should just let him be. He snorted as the other boy tried to say it was interesting. "If a toddler did it, maybe." He muttered under his breath. "Whatever." He added as the younger boy asked if they could be done with this. "Just try to keep the weirdness private, where we don't have to see it." He grumbled as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. Then he walked away from the other two, feeling annoyed.