Closed Sun Doesn't Always Shine

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire had hoped coming out to the Gardens would cheer her up. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. A soft breeze ruffled her hair. But she still felt miserable. She sat in the shade of one of the trees, tucked in against the trunk. There was a bench nearby, but she was less noticable here. She had her head buried in her arms. Maybe if she pretended long enough everything would be okay.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

It had been a while since Monty had gone walking in the gardens simply to avoid social interaction, yet here he was. Walking. Avoiding. It wasn't just Hezekiah; he was afraid to see anyone. Teachers, students, house elves - he was convinced they were all silently judging him about one thing or another. The way he dressed. How he spoke. His style of teaching. Who he spent time with. But the truth was that none of them were judging him as much as he judged himself.

How on earth he was supposed to wrap his head around his romantic revelations with all this clutter in the way, he had no idea.

Spotting a figure sat against the trunk of a tree, Monty stopped. From her posture he could deduce that she was upset, though whether it was the sort of upset that wanted approaching or the sort of upset that wanted leaving alone was harder to tell. He decided to go over and find out. What was the worst that could happen?

"Hello," he said, wondering if it was who he thought it was. "Everything all right?"

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire looked up to see Professor Pendleton, her eyes dull. "Oh. Hi Professor." She turned her head away. How was it he always found her? Him and Arvel. She needed better hiding places, apparently. "Everything's fine. Thanks." She told him softly. It was a lie, but it was one she'd repeat until it wasn't anymore.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Sapphire. She had been through a huge upheaval lately, Monty knew. And she wasn't fooling anybody with a face like that. "Mind if I sit, then?" he asked, thinking he could do with a rest anyway. These days he felt each one of his fifty years individually in different muscles and joints, most of them in his knees and his back.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapph shrugged as Professor Pendleton asked to sit. "Go ahead," she told him. He was one of the only Professors she liked. He was also one of the only ones that seemed to really see her. She just hopped whatever had him strolling the gardens was enough to keep his attention away from her. She wasn't sure she could talk very much without crying.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty lowered himself onto the grass. Sitting on the ground wasn't as comfortable as it had once been, but he thought he'd be all right for a little while. He sat quietly for a minute, reflecting on life. He had sat under a tree with Ermolai once. Monty had told him everything. The whole truth. Was that what had pushed him away?

He couldn't bear to lose anyone else.

"I might understand, you know," he said at last. "If you want to talk to me." Admittedly he had never walked in Sapphire's shoes, but he came from a broken family; he knew something of her grief, even if it was a different brand. "But you don't have to. I can leave you alone."

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire shut her eyes, drawing comfort from the warmth of the Professor nearby. Maybe she was just lonely. Who could blame her? She had started to calm down a little, even debating telling him what was going on, when he offered to leave him alone. "No!" She cried out involuntarily, her hand shooting out and grabbing his sleeve. She froze, blinking, a blush rushing to cover her cheeks. "Uh, I- that is, heh," She quickly let go and scooted away, furious with herself. What in the world was that? She cleared her throat. "Uh... you can if you want." She managed after a moment. "It doesn't matter anyway. It's nothing- it can't be something, so it's alright." She gave him her best tremulous smile before turning her head away again. That was embarrassing. He would probably just leave her here now. The thought depressed her, but it was what she deserved.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty pulled his arm back in surprise. "Er," he said. "No, I'll - I'll stay. For a few minutes." He didn't quite understand what Sapphire was saying, but he could see it wasn't the right time to press her on it. "Well, you know my office door is always open," he reminded her, immediately wondering if that was the right thing to do. Sapphire was unpredictable; he could never be sure how literally she would take him. He looked out across the garden thoughtfully. "Why don't you go and find one of your friends, hm? Where's Kira, or Mervyn? I'm sure they wouldn't want you sitting all alone like this."

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire couldn't deny the relief when he said he wouldn't leave just yet. She couldn't admit it out loud, though. She didn't want him thinking she needed him or anything. That would be bad. She shrugged as he said his door was always open. She wouldn't bother him with something so stupid. She was fine. Really. At least... until he brought up Mervyn. She let out a choked laugh. "R-right, ah, Kira is studyin. Wouldn't want to interfere." She pulled her knees closer to her chest. "A-and... And Mervyn won't care. He doesn't care." She shook her head. "He... made that perfectly clear." She nearly added just before I punched him but it was probably best not to tell a Professor she punched a prefect in the face. No matter how justified.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty startled. Why was Sapphire laughing at his suggestion? Was it stupid? He started to blush, until he realised it had nothing to do with him. Then he blushed anyway, because he'd accidentally stuck his foot in it. "Oh. Oh, I'm sorry," he said. Young love. He'd always said he knew nothing of it, but on reflection he supposed he did. He wouldn't have recommended it to anybody. It always seemed to end in heartache. Then again, how could you grow without making a few mistakes? "I'm sure you're much more important to Kira than her books," he added after a moment, feeling slightly awkward.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire shook her head at his suggestion. "It doesn't matter enough to bother her," She spat, jolting to her feet but not really able to leave yet. "I don't believe in, in happy endings, or fairy tales, or-" She stopped herself from saying the word, beginning to pace. She ran both hands through her hair, frustration building. "I knew this would happen," She chided herself, "I knew I wasn't good, just bad luck," She growled a bit, "Of course he- why wouldn't- gah!" She lashed out in anger, punching the trunk of the tree. There was a distinct crack, though she couldn't tell if it had been tree bark or her hand. She shook her hand, ignoring that she'd scraped her knuckles. She looked down, hair covering her eyes. "I can't- I don't feel anything." She reminded herself. It was almost like she'd forgotten the professor was there. "Just... get some sleep and it will go away," She reprimanded herself firmly, rubbing her hand a bit.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty remained sitting as Sapphire got to her feet and began to pace, talking to herself. It was distressing to watch, and for a moment he had no idea what to do. Then her fist struck the tree. "Sapphire!" There was a click of knee joints as he climbed to his feet as hastily as his age would let him. "Please, don't do that. You've hurt yourself. Look, why don't we go to the hospital wing? You're clearly very upset. Or at least, I don't know, you might go for a walk, try to clear your head a little. Oh, no, you were probably doing that before I arrived, weren't you? I'm terribly sorry, I am, but... really, lashing out at trees isn't going to make you feel better. Well, not for long. And the tree probably doesn't appreciate it hugely, either."

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire jumped, startled when Professor Pendleton got to his feet. She looked down at her hand. Oh, she was bleeding. Look at that. She walked back over to her bag. "It- it's fine. I'm fine." She reassured him. She fiddled around in her bag a moment before pulling out some gauze. "Nothing is wrong," She told him. "Thank you for worrying... but there's nothing to worry about." She wrapped her hand quickly before standing and slinging her bag over her shoulder. She sighed. Maybe a nap would help her feel better.