Studying - Not Really

[Elysia Katsaros-Styx]

Elysia Styx brought her younger brother up to the library since he would need to know where it was at. However, she was meeting someone else here. Lestat was busy with his girlfriend, but Elysia could not keep up with who it was. Elysia sighed, really hating the feelings she was having for Zared when she was supposed to hate him for some reason. Elysia settled down at a table, and opened her scroll of parchment before she started to write in her delicate handwriting. Elysia heard someone pull a chair back and sit down across from her, but her eyes met with her younger brother's. "Viktor, can't you do something else? I'm meeting someone." Viktor said nothing, which made Elysia groan. Her brother could be creepy at times, and even now, she felt that there was something off about him. Viktor reminded her of Legion, which was definitely not a good sign, though her father must be proud.

Hearing someone else, Elysia looked up to eventually see Zared. She didn't know how to explain why she was accompanied by her brother. One that Zared had yet to meet. Elysia gestured to an open seat next to her. "Sit, Zared." She was used to being at home and ordering people to get what she wanted. She did not want much, but she figured that this could be their spot, if there wasn't an annoying first year staring. Sometimes, she wished that Viktor would find someone else to bother. Then again, she did wonder if Viktor knew why she had come here. There was no doubt in her mind that he might have suspected something.​

 

[Zared Katsaros-Styx]

Zared had planned to meet up with Elysia earlier in the week through hushed tones and tiny whispers. He was looking forward to meeting up with her, mostly because he enjoyed all of the time he spent with her, it was always good, despite the fact she could be a little cold towards him. He was still unsure of the extent of his feelings towards them, but he definitely wasn't willing to talk about it and he was pretty satisfied for now with the arrangement that they had going between them. They would just sit in the relative silence and enjoy the other person's company. The teen gathered the few bits of homework that he could complete in his time with her and headed to the library. It was good to have her as a sort of friend, largely since his best friend was too busy with his girlfriend to spend any time with him at all. It was frustrating to him, mostly because he enjoyed spending time with him and suddenly that boy didn't have the time for him.

The slytherin found her in the libray and was surprised to see someone else sitting with Elysia, the boy was a little weird, and Zared narrowed his eyes at him before at the indication of Elysia to sit down he did so. Zared glanced between them as he took out his homework and placed it in front of him, he gave a small smile to Elysia and then continued to look at the other boy with narrowed eyes. He decided to ignore the other boy and just focus on working in silence on the homework that he had. The boy was definitely weirded out by the boy and was sure that it was probably someone from Elysia's family, and that explained so much of it.
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[Elysia Katsaros-Styx]

Elysia gave the smallest smiles as Zared listened to her and sat down. However, she did notice that Viktor's stare subtly turned to a glare. Oh no. Elysia placed her hand over her.face before she sighed, "This is my younger brother, Viktor. He was sorted into my house and wanted to come to the library. Now, I guess he won't leave us alone" Elysia looked a little apologetic before looking over the homework. She didn't really want to do homework right now, not with Viktor watching. Honestly, she didn't know how much they would get done with a pair of judging eyes leering by. Elysia started doing a little bit of her homework, frowning a fair bit because of Viktor. There was only one person he would listen to as far as she was aware, and her father was not here. Elysia motioned toward his homework to see if Zared was struggling or not. Out of the twins, Elysia was the smarter one, clearly. She just prayed that Zared was smarter than he looked. Not that he looked dumb or something. She did admire the way he looked. So serious. Elysia paused her thinking on that to switch it to homework mode. Boy, was that hard.
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[Zared Katsaros-Styx]

The introduction to the staring boy felt a little odd, and he glanced at Elysia's apologetic smile which he returned slightly before it fell away and he gazed back the other boy, he wouldn't stop staring he didn't say anything. Was that what people regarded him like? Was he just like this boy? Sitting silently never really saying anything. Zared didn't liked talking to people so he usually opted to stay rather silent, but he'd never really been on the other side. Zared didn't stare at people as much as this boy did, surely he did, but now Zared wasn't even sure. Zared continued to stare at Viktor for a few more moments before he broke eye contact and looked away from him and down at the homework he had. Zared couldn't concentrate all that well because he could just feel the boy's eyes on him. But he did his best, filling in the homework, writing out the essay he needed to, or bits of it, not really sure he was getting it right because his concentration was just in the wrong place. Eventually he turned to Elysia, "Should I leave?" he asked her quiet, his voice a little rough from its constant disuse, clearly referring to the fact that the girl's brother clearly didn't want him there, which was so odd, Zared was pureblood after all, maybe he wasn't from an established family like they both were, but his was a certain respectable.
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[Elysia Katsaros-Styx]

Elysia felt a ping of guilt when Zared asked if he should leave. No. She didn't want him to leave. She wanted Viktor to leave. Sighing, Elysia shook her head in response. She turned to her brother and said with a stern tone that was nearly frightening, "He is a damn pure-blood. You are not my babysitter, and unless you want to be carried out of here in a matchbox, I suggest you leave!" Elysia was ready to rip her brother a new one. Viktor finally seemed satisfied before getting up and leaving toward the back of the library. Elysia placed her hand over her forehead, as she felt more frustrated than ever. All she wanted was some time alone with Zared. Was that too much to ask? The fact that she threatened her brother because Zared asked if he should leave made her question her true priorities. Yeah, she liked him. She couldn't deny it anymore. Elysia scooted a little closer to Zared to see what he was writing down to ensure that he was getting the answers correct. Elysia looked over the handwriting and she pointed out, "You are doing well. Same answers as me." Elysia showed him her homework, and her neat penmanship. The ink was mostly dry already, since she spent most of the time just glowering at her youngest brother. Elysia moved her silvery green eyes to look at Zared, to see his reaction.​

 

[Zared Katsaros-Styx]

Zared was somewhat glad she didn't want him to leave and it was only then that the boy actually did leave. It had taken saying his blood status and a threat but Zared could actually visibly feel himself relax because of it. His gaze didn't shift away from the boy until he was sure he could no longer see him. It was then he turned his attention back to Elysia, and the homework they were both respectively working on. He was sure his work wasn't too bad, given that his concentration had somewhat been taken away, but it seemed alright, and Elysia had the same answers and he swore down that she was smarter than him. Zared scoffed a little however at her statement, he might have been distracted but he wasn't dumb. But at the opportunity he looked at her work and nodded, there was the smallest of smiles upon his face as the answers were very similar, he looked up at her, and stared for a moment at her face, gazing at her eyes, before he just remembered how her brother had been staring and how little he wanted to be like that. The slytherin just looked back at his work, "Continue?" he said, motioning to the work and making to grab his quill and get back to working, he didn't want to talk about this girl's brother, and the thing he wanted to ask of her, seemed like it should definitely wait.
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[Elysia Katsaros-Styx]

Elysia frowned a bit when Zared turned from her gaze. Did her brother freak him out or something, or was it her? Elysia sighed, before turning back to her work and nodding while clearing her throat to get back to work. While she was writing down answers, her mind wondered. The smile that was on his lips. It was inviting. Elysia moved her dark brown hair out of her face and couldn't get that out of her head. She really did care about Zared, and somewhat regretted slapping him when he kissed her last year. "Zared..." Elysia started, unable to concentrate. She wanted to apologize for being so mean to him for the past several years. It was frustrating, because she always wrote down her feelings instead of saying them, since emotions often blinded people. And she felt that way now. She was blinded. "I... I can't concentrate." At least she was being honest. She couldn't concentrate because of how conflicted she was. Elysia bit her lip for a moment, staring anywhere but at the Slytherin next to her. Her quill twirled in her fingers, showing that she was a little less calm than normal. "What's going on? I know something is. I can feel it." Elysia could not figure it out. Did she want to apologize, or was it something she sensed from her brother's best friend? "Is Lestat leaving you behind, and that's why you are willing to study with me?" Lestat was spending a lot of time with the ladies nowadays, one of which was her best friend. Elysia was not happy about that. It was almost as if she were being left behind.​

 

[Zared Katsaros-Styx]

The way that Viktor had been acting was really throwing Zared through a loop, considering himself and considering who he was choosing to be. Zared had always been quiet, he just hadn't had anything to say so always chose to not say anything, but this had gotten to the point where he rarely said anything, there was rarely anything that really needed to be said. He wasn't like pointless ravenclaws spouting facts, or like gryffindor chanting about this or another thing. Zared felt somewhat warmed that Elysia had gotten her brother away, choosing to study with him rather than someone else, their relationship, or well, friendship had been icy, perhaps it had something to do with his silence. Zared just couldn't express himself well, and he wanted nothing more than to be able to put into words how he felt about Elysia.

The slytherin was a little surprised when she called his name, and he looked up at her, a small smile on his face, though it merged into concern when she too said she was having trouble concentrating. Zared just kept a listening to her, and wasn't sure how to reply, there wasn't really anything going on. There was in a way, but he was surprised that she'd picked up on it, although she had always been pretty good at reading him. When she finished he just shrugged a little unsure what to say, he was willing to study with her because he liked her company and the fact that Lestat was busy with someone, he wanted to spend his spare with someone he liked, which was her. However, mostly he just actually liked spending time with her when they weren't fighting. It was nice, "I...," he started unsure what to say, "I like you," Zared told her simply unsure whether it would necessary to expand on that, "We're friends?" he then added before motioning to the table of their studies, sharing this time together surely indicated they'd moved into being maybe friends?
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[Elysia Katsaros-Styx]

Elysia continued to wonder what was going on, and waited for Zared's answer. She figured that it would have been because he wanted the company of a pure-blood. And he wanted the company of his best friend's sister. Something like that, which wouldn't have really mattered to her. Her company was better than a lot of the inferior ones around here. That much she could relate to. But, was it about her, or her blood status? Zared started to speak, and Elysia narrowed her eyes slightly on his three words, once they were put together. Sure, it was something that she no doubted wanted to hear, but in what way? Then he motioned toward the studies and said that they were friends, sounding a little questionable. Elysia sighed, successfully hiding her frown though no idea why she would have needed to frown to begin with. "I could place you in that category. It isn't like I haven't kissed all my friends before." Although when said like that, it seemed like it didn't mean much. Elysia glanced away from Zared's face for a moment, before she uttered, "Speaking of. I guess I should apologize for smacking you." Elysia glanced back at Zared for a moment, thinking that while he did deserve it on some level, it was still a little rude. She could have taken other measures, or just left it at that. Her venting her own frustration on him wasn't fair for him. Elysia shrugged her shoulders lightly, knowing that studying and homework was definitely not on her mind right now. She placed her arm on the table, and leaned her head against it, facing the Slytherin boy.​

 

[Zared Katsaros-Styx]

Zared couldn't help the little smile which graced his usually neutral features when she said she could call him a friend. It was nice to think that maybe he wasn't wrong about trying to make good with her. Of course she was still weird to him, it was still strange to spend time with her, in a manner where she wasn't annoyed at hime for something. Zared was surprised when she continued and apologised to him for hitting him. Zared was surprised mostly because he had never expected the apology but also because he had long put it out of his mind, he had been in the wrong, he'd gotten the wrong signals from her, kissed her without permission, she had been in the right to hit him for it. He motioned with his hand for her to forget it, looking at her with a little hint of a smile in his eyes, "Should've asked first," he told her, admitting his own fault first before looking down at his homework. He wondered if she was apologising because if he asked again this time she might've said yes, she might've agreed to the kiss. That gave him a little bravery and he cleared his throat, "Do you want to go the Yuleball with me?" he asked, getting the whole sentence out, speaking softly and carefully, a little afraid that he'd once again read the situation wrong and she wouldn't be interested in that, perhaps he should add as friends, that might encourage her to go with him, but he didn't want to necessarily go as friends. He wasn't sure what he felt for her, but he didn't want to just be friends, though being her friend was quite interesting.
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[Elysia Katsaros-Styx]

"Should've asked first." Those words repeated in the Ravenclaw's mind, as she thought about the situation. If he had asked, would she have allowed it? Considering her emotional state at the time, she would have likely said to go to hell. Elysia did think that it would be sweet if someone did ask for consent rather than be spontanous. She could not handle things if she did not see them coming at first. However, if she had not been mad, would she still say no? If he had asked her just then, would Elysia have said yes? She thought about this a lot, but couldn't come up with an answer. Part of her screamed yes, and the other part screamed no. It was all very confusing. Elysia's eyes widened when Zared suddenly asked her to the Yule Ball. They just confirmed their friendship, so did he want to go as friends? "Zared, my answer is going to have to be..." Elysia paused, while her mind told her to say the three letter word, what came out was different, "no." Great. She did the opposite of what her heart wanted. Logic seemed to overrule her in this case. "Look. We can hang out there, the whole time, but I don't want to have a date. I don't even know what I feel right now, and for the slim possibility that you wanted to go as more than friends and I didn't, that would be unneeded drama." Elysia decided to say one more thing, "I will say no to any and all other requests, before you even assume something else. And if you ask any of my other relatives, I might have to slap you again." That didn't really make her feel better, but perhaps a part of her was still bitter over him choosing Estelle. Even if they were just friends. Estelle was known to have crushes on any pure-blood male that crossed her path. Zared was no different.
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[Zared Katsaros-Styx]

Zared had to admit he was more than a little disappointed by her response, he thought he'd been right, that she did like him that she would want to spend the time with him at the ball, but clearly he had been wrong about it. The boy sighed a little and shook his head, he would probably agree to hang out with her, he would probably try and speak to her during it, and if she was being honest he could spend time with her during all of it, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad, but the slytherin couldn't understand why he kept misreading the signals she was sending out. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head, of course he wasn't going to ask out any of her family, clearly that wasn't the right. He hardly wanted to get slapped again. The teen just nodded his head, "Right, okay," he seemed to agree quietly. The boy then just began to pack up his things, placing the books and homework haphazardly into his bag, "Gotta...meet..Lestat," he lied, he wanted to continue to study with her, but he felt like he'd embarrassed himself enough in front of her, and maybe it was time for him to leave. To go do something else where she wasn't there for a little while. Just allow himself to hide his face for a while and pretend like no one else in the world existed.
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[Elysia Katsaros-Styx]

Elysia's silvery green eyes widened as Zared said that he needed to meet Lestat, as he packed his stuff. As soon as she left, Elysia pondered over her words, before closing her eyes and knowing that she had said the wrong thing. For him to react like that suddenly, did he like her more than a friend? Was he unable to take rejection? What was his deal? Elysia pounded the table with her fist, knowing that she just made a mistake. How could she be so stupid? Her? A Ravenclaw no less. Elysia ran her fingers through her hair, rushing to get her homework completely. Something to get her mind off of the mistake she made. Yet, that face, the face of the Slytherin, would not leave her mind. Elysia had made a mistake, and she didn't know how to fix it. Her only saving grace would be if he did go to the dance, so that she could actually meet him there. If not, then there was nothing that could prove her words, her promise to stay with him that night, but refused to be his date. Not until she knew for certain.

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Fin​

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