The Little Things

[Marcus Karlson]

The sun slowly moved down from it's central position that it held in the sky during the day. Classes had finished a few minutes ago and Marcus had reached his bed. He followed the same routine each day, before dinner came along, he moved back up to his bed where he always placed the newest letters from his sister in Beauxbatons. Writing letters with his sister had always helped him, she was far away from family just like himself and it just permitted for both of them to find peace. To share their struggles or part of them with one another, share the home sickness that usually installed itself throughout the year. Marcus read the letter, carefully taking each word and sentence into proper context. As he came to the last word of the letter, Marcus settled the letter down to the side of his bed before letting a sight out. He missed his family and the worst part of it all, was that he knew they weren't that far away. It wasn't like if they lived half the world away.

He stood up from his bed before moving towards the halls. Dinner was probably already ready at the time it was now and he could already imagine students rushing towards the food odour. Students were moving all around the halls heading towards the smell of food. The crowd of students kept growing and with the space going down, Marcus took a step to the side before setting his back on the wall. He wasn't actually that hungry, so he was able to stay on the side for a few minutes to let the majority of the crowd go by. It would also be easier to find his friends once everyone was sitting and eating. Marcus eyes surveyed the crowd in front of him. There were two kind of students, those who had smiles on their face and who discussed with their friends and then there were those who didn't talk and had straight faces. Student life wasn't the most exciting thing, even if they were in a school with magic, that didn't make classes that more interesting, being away from their families wasn't always easy on everyone either. His eyes stared at a girl in the crowd. When he felt that her eyes were on him also, he offered her a smile and a quick gesture of his left hand as to wave a small hello, it was a sign of respect to smile at the people you encountered during the day and it wasn't the most demanding gesture one could do. The results and emotions it could bring to some people was great, when someone was down being smiled to always lightened up your mood somehow or at least for Marcus it did.

 

[Moriah Knight]

Moriah was glad Durmstrang had a variety of choices when it came to dinner, everyone got to have what they wanted to have and not all be forced to eat the same food. Of course for the girl all the choices she made were the same, didn't matter the date. At the begining of the year she got into the habit of eating the same meal for dinner and it never changed. It was always a small meal as lunch was the biggest meal for her everyday. Settling down at a table she began to eat her meal half wondering where her boyfriend and friends were and the other half not really caring so much. They had their own lives as did she, she enjoyed the time she had with them and missed them when apart but she didn't hold any power to keep them with her.

Glancing around she noticed another student staring at her, her head continued to move as if she was still looking around at everyone but she managed to keep the boy in her vision to see if he'd look away but he didn't. As a sixth year she didn't know everything about everyone and he was including in that. She figured he was younger, not her in year or else she would know him. He smiled and waved and she wondered if he was looking for a place to be seeing as he wasn't looking around for friends to be with. She placed a light smile on her face and nodded back to the boy having her knife and fork already in her hands.

 

[Marcus Karlson]

Marcus carefully placed his fork on the side of his dish as he kept looking towards the girl he had just smiled and waved too, awaiting some form of reply to his greeting. A hypocrite he’d be if he smiled and waved at a random person with no intentions of looking for a response. He preferred to wait for a response that would never come then to not pay attention for a response that might come. He wasn’t dreaming of meeting the girl, he didn’t know an inch about her; she was just another student at Durmstrang with a story of her own. She was a student with a personality, a background and a life that was hers and unique to her in whatever way possible. Was Marcus interested in knowing more about those details? Not exactly but considering he had been sitting alone at the table while the crowd of people around him had the opportunity to have the company of their friends while eating; Marcus didn’t find any action that could be considered offensive or wrong with giving a small sign of greetings to another person who was just like him, alone at their table, eating at their own rhythms.

His smile crouched back across his face as he saw the girl smile and nod in return. Marcus picked up his fork and took another piece of the food in his plate before looking back at the girl. He was lost in his thoughts, in an internal debate on what step to do next. Was Marcus going to just let it end there? A simple greeting gesture from both of them and now they would move on with their lives at Durmstrang? After a few seconds of looking at both sides of the argument, Marcus stood up before picking his plate up and moving towards the table where the girl sat. He placed his plate down on the opposite end of the table to the girl before taking a seat. "Hello, do you mind if I sit here for the time being? Dinner alone is rarely what I consider fun for me but I can understand if you prefer I leave you alone.” Marcus stared at the girl’s eyes as he awaited an answer. His hands placed on his knees waiting to see if he was about to move again or settle down at the table for good.

 

[Moriah Knight]

Moriah sighed as she noticed a few of her friends get their food and then move outside of the eating hall to eat on the run. It seemed to be thing with the older students who needed to study for tests. Being a sixth year she didn't have to worry about such things but most of her friends were in the year above her. It was a shame for year, because after this summer they wouldn't be coming back and she'd be left in the school alone, much like how she was now. Glancing around the room she noticed the strange boy from before coming closer with his plate and her adverted her eyes so she wouldn't be caught looking. She didn't really know anything about him which worried her, he could be a nice person or could be one of the weirdos that is in the school. And considering he is coming up to her, a complete stranger she was figuring it was the latter.

Turning her face to him as he asked to sit down she numbly nodded her eyes giving him a once over. He looked pretty normal, but different having slightly longer hair then most guys. "Of course, as long as you aren't one of those strange kids who have issues and might ruin my reputation by sitting here," she told to him her face serious and straight. However after a few seconds a smile broke through on her face, "I'm kidding." Her head shook from laughter as her hands gestured that it was fine for him to be at the table. Moriah was a party girl, she didn't mind who was there as long as they could offer a fun time.

 

[Marcus Karlson]

Marcus sat at the table waiting on the girls reply, hoping deep down that it would be a positive response. Not that Marcus wasn’t able to be told no, it wasn’t the actual fact of being said no that disturbed him, it was the feeling that came after and the awkwardness that it would lead to as Marcus would have to return to another table after merely arriving at this table. The girl finally spoke after a few seconds which had appeared as minutes, though her first answer hadn’t relieved him. The girl’s words truly didn’t help him, what did she actually consider one of the strange students around here? Marcus didn’t personally consider him strange even if he was often seen a bit strange to be so tight on certain values and ideologies but that wasn’t exactly strange or was it? His face probably had given off the impression that he was unsure of how to react to her statement as she spoke once more. Her last words enlightened the situation as Marcus let out a small laugh before picking up his fork and knife to resume his dinner. “Was rather scared there, unsure what is one of the strange students for you” He let out a smile as he took a small portion of his dinner. Marcus kept his mouth close and slowly chewed on his food as he watched the girl before taking a quick glance around. He couldn’t make out anyone he personally knew.

Marcus was far from being the most popular student around. Often leaving to himself, his social part of his personality was usually satisfied by the letters to his sister. Never had he found an actual usage to having a good friend to tell all his stories to when he had his sister. Marcus slowly placed his utensils down before taking the glass in front of him with his right hand and taking a quick sip from it. “Actual presentations would be a good idea. I am Marcus and hopefully by the end of dinner, I won’t be one of those you classify as weird.” Once more Marcus gave a small smile at the girl before concentrating back on his dinner plate.

 

[Moriah Knight]

Moriah's smile faded from her face as her eyes locked onto the table that her friends were crowding around, her boyfriend at the head of it. Of course she needed to stop refering to him as her boyfriend, considering he broke it off a few days ago after a couple of years. She hadn't really been heartbroken, afterall she was a party girl and could get almost any guy she wanted but now she realized she wasn't in the mood to party. Her friends were all going after the newly single guy despite the rule not to date your friend's exes. "You're fine, I think. But don't trust me, I'm not a good judge of character," she said glancing at the guy before looking back at her meal.

Moriah nodded to what he was saying and knew she had to be the one to start things between them, but after her newly found realization that her friends didn't really want to be her friend but rather ude her to get to her boy- ex-boyfriend, her heart hurt to much to do much speaking. "Well, it's nice to meet you Marcus, I'm Moriah," she said answering him.

 

[Marcus Karlson]

The atmosphere at the table seemed to change as the girl looked away from the table at something behind Marcus. He didn’t want to turn around in fear that he’d fall in a staring match with another person. After all, he’d look out of place and weird. He looked down at his plate before taking another bite waiting on the awkward feeling to pass. Her words spoken definitely didn’t help the mood as they didn’t seem to hold any confidence. The choice of words weren’t ones used by someone who was confident in themselves but yet again maybe he was just making too much out of nothing. He continued to eat his meal as she presented herself.

“Well nice to meet you, Moriah and you can be confident when you judge my character, I am definitely not some freaky weird person per say. I might have some crazy ideas but I won’t act in a way that will tarnish your reputation or anything.” Marcus smiled as he look at Moriah, hoping he’d be able to make something more positive and less awkward out of the atmosphere that was at the table at the moment. Marcus finally gave a small glance over his shoulder trying to see what Moriah had been looking at a few seconds ago but nothing seemed out of place. Groups of students eating and discussing in the dining hall was nothing unusual as he turned his head back towards Moriah.

 

[Moriah Knight]

Moriah watched as the younger student glanced back towards the other tables after he spoke most likely wondering what she could have been looking at. But nothing would seem to be stirring over in that direction to him, but for her she could see multiple things going on that she rather not witness, such as her ex finding two new girlfriends within moments of each other. Of course neither girl knew about the other but Moriah did, and she'd put a stop to the boy's evil ways once her own heart was healed. So far though she was still waiting for that to happen.

"Well that is what you want me to think, but the human mind is deep you could be planning the end of the world in your head for all I know and yet still seem not wacky," she said shrugging her shoulders towards to boy before eating a few bites off her plate. It was nice to have someone to talk too, now that she was basically alone at the school, and now she was just joking with the boy but she sounded sincer enough that he may not realize it.