The only quite place

[Ai Adlam]

Ai was in the shadows of the quiddich stands. Though it was cold it was still slightly to bright for Ai to out in the light. Here she had set up shop with a couple of books, note books pens and pencils. She could stay here now that the game was over. The teams would be having parties for there victories or lamenting there faller. Ai could not care less about it. The pitch was deserted now. The quite was something she relished more than anything. If this kept going on she would start being refured to as the Sovren of Silence.

The thought sort of made Ai think about wanting to giggle. Instead she pulled the many black blankets she had around her closer to her and poured over yet another book she had gotten a hold of. Her icy blue eyes scanned the page as if to absorb every last word that was printed on the page. This was where she was most comfortable. Outside the pages where where people in pain, people who where risking getting hurt. Here within the books Ai was safe from everything even feeling.

 

[Vladimir Volkov]

"He-llo, Ai ~" The cheerful voice called from above her.

Perched upon the edge of the stands, smiling ruefully at the girl below huddled in blankets, he held up his hand and gave her a cheery wave. Vladimir Dragonski grabbed hold of the edge, and with a grunt, hopped down to join her. "Innit it a bit odd thatcha out here all alone?" He asked, beaming at her as if his life's purpose was to speak with her. He chuckled as he looked over her little store; "Enterprising merchant?" He questioned, cocking his head to the side inqusitively.

 

[Ai Adlam]

How that voice found the tiny girl within her huddle of black fur blankets she didn't know but it was there. The voice that had screamed in her ear while up in Ravenclaw tower even though he was so far away. "I perfur to be alone Dragonski. Always have." She said as she looked up over the edge of her book. She instantly had to look back down. That smile again. That infernal smile that made Ai think of the summer sunshine her skin was too pail weak to go out in. "I read and write. I make few mistakes that can be erased by pencil and the rest goes in permanently in pen. Even that is not meant to last forever though dip ink written pages in water and the ink is destroyed along with your work." She said keeping her cold, cold eyes with in the pages of her book so as not to melt with on a count of that blazing smile.

 

[Vladimir Volkov]

The Russian Boy tilted his head; "Yeah?" He asked, slightly bemused by her words that seemed to insist on isolation. He rubbed his hands together to keep warm as he strode up to her, and then put two fingers to her book, and tilted it down slightly, staring down at the words. Vladimir Dragonski grinned at her, chuckling as she seemed to want to shun him. "M' not that repulsive, am I?" He asked anxiously as he stepped away from her to prevent her form getting a heartattack at his close proximity or something. He gazed into her cold eyes without restrain, the warmth and friendliness of his own gaze seemed to smile for itself.

"I jus' got back off the podium..." He pointed at the Commentator's podium. "An' I wasn't expectin' to see anyone here after the game endid'; ken' I join ya?"

 

[Ai Adlam]

Ai backed way herself but keeping her arctic gaze locked on Vladimir. She took out one of the less thick furs and handed out to Vlad. "If if pleases you." She said as if to snub him. Maybe then he would get the message. "You are... Bright, much to bright." She said honestly. That's what she thought of him. As a bright and very shiny being that didn't belong in the company of someone so empty and emotionless. The ice held true against the warmth that was Dragonski though. Ai had been turned into permafrost long ago and it would take much more than a brighter than usual being to melt her. "I know I heard you. Either you are very loud or that microphone works to well." She said blocking her ears at the very memory of what had gone on here earlier.

 

[Vladimir Volkov]

Vladimir didn't looked affected by her reaction, only nearly yelling out, "You heard?! Awesum'! How was it? You know I really didn't think I did that introduction correctly, and Ernest kept..." The Gryffindor boy started to rant on and on as he made wild gestures in the air and walked around and around her while describing the whole thing for a good five to six minutes. "And there was that part ... I think the Hufflepuffs really should have-" He paused in mid-rant as he spotted the fur coat she offered him. An even wider - if it was possible - smile spread across his face, enough to blind a Dementor. "Really? F' me? Thanks!" He grinned at her cheerfully as he sat down next to her and held out his hand to take the fur coat, brushing her hand while she was at it.

Noticing something, he took the fur coat with the other hand, but kept his hold on her own hand. "It's cold." He stated matter-of-factly, concern showing in his voice. "Have ya' been out here long?"

 

[Ai Adlam]

Ai was nearly sent back into the lower point of the bleachers by the cry. How could she not have heard? The entire country heard, Vlad was loud, much to loud and much to bright. Ai lowered her head into the furs that she had cocooned herself in earlier so that her only her eyes would be seen. Her eyes showed how uninterested in the whole thing she had been though. Ai merely looked up from her soft and fluffy shelter, not even seeming to register what he was saying until his hand made contact with her's. She flinched and made to yank her hand way but he kept it in his. "My skin is always cold. I've only been here for a few minutes." She said lied easily. It was better to lie about things like this. No one was genuinely worried about anyone. It was all just a face that was shown to the world so that people could say that they actually cared for one another when they really only cared for themselves.

 

[Vladimir Volkov]

"M' skin's always cold too." Vladimir remarked; "In Russia, tha' is. All season-round cold." The boy appeared to see through her lie as she tired to yank her hand away from him; smiling quietly, he donned the light fur coat she had offered and beamed at her again. "Thanks." He said, in a muffled voice, his face nearly half-obscured by the furs. Shrugging as she looked like she didn't welcome his company, he cupped both his hands around hers, and then rubbed them together so they started to feel warm again. "Even is skin alweys' cold, der's a way t' make 'er warm." Vladimir was saying as he massaged her hands, assailing them with comforting warmth and heat. "Why arentcha' at d' castle?"

 

[Ai Adlam]

Ai watched as both her hands where now encased in Vlad's. She wondered if he could even feel them. Like the rest of her they where small. "I don't like noise, I don't like crowds, I don't like people." She said her voice also muffled by the blankets of black fur that she was surrounded by. It made her sun deprived paper white skin all the more prominent. The only person that Ai knew that was whiter than her was Aleyha. For a moment she wondered what her Slytherin friend was doing. She watched Vlad's hands move for a bit. Her hands did feel a bit warmer but that was maybe because all though Dragonski said that his skin was always cold too he felt very warm. It only served to prove Ai's assumption that Vlad was a creature of light and warmth. Ai was sure that she would cool as soon as she was allowed to pull her hands back to herself. It was Ai's reputation that winter followed her where ever she went so it was only natural that her physical body would always be cold too. "Why arn't you in the castle?" She asked her hard eyes finally going back to Dragonski's face. "I would assume that Gryffendor would be in three days victory after their second win." She said in the same flat monotone she always used.

 

[Vladimir Volkov]

"Tru', I kud' be in tha' castle." Vladimir paused, and then smiled at her mischievously. "But if tha' is as true as you sed', then if I miss t'day, I'd have two more days." He leaned against the stands, directly beside where Ai sat, ignoring her discomfort at their close proximity. "Anyways." He remarked, "I'd be leavin' ya' alone if I wen' there. And thats summat' I wont' do readily, now issit?" He hummed to himself as he breathed out the chilly air and made himself comfortable where he was. "Oh an' 'fore you ask me why I do dis', it's cos I care." The boy stated matter-of-factly.

 

[Ai Adlam]

Ai seemed to harden even further when he said that he cared. "For me? Why would even think about caring for me? You barely know me, I insulted you a long with one of my friends." She said looking up at the Gryffendor for truth. She had also bashed him behind his back to her friends who thought as little about the loud, sunny boy as she did. "Never mind this is one piece of information I can do with out thank you very much. You needn't worry about me Dragonski I do in fact have friends and I could look them up whenever I wanted I just don't feel like it right now. Go, party with the other lions I'll be fine right here." She said in the matter-of-factly tone he had taken with her the only difference was that Ai had a talent of making it seem like she was using it like an insult. She eyed him for a bit the shook her head. Ai lifted up her book once more then reached over for one of her pens and started to copy down symbols that she knew she would need later on.

 

[Vladimir Volkov]

The Russian boy seemed to be unperturbed, and continued to chuckle even as she seemed to insult him heatedly. "Da' word 'carin' has nary a use, Ai." Vladimir said as he grinned, rubbing his hands together and not budging from the spot even after all that. "I ne'er said ya' didn't have friends, nor did I say tha' I knew you too well." He held up a finger, smiling at her ruefully. "Wha' I meant was, I'd like to get to know you, and hence I'd care to do so." The smile cracked into an even larger one that was capable of dazzling teachers into blinking rapidly. "Party ken' wait, innit? I actually like hangin' out witcha."

 

[Ai Adlam]

Ai rolled her eyes though what he was saying caught her attention. Why would he want to know her? There wasn't much to know about her that she wanted to tell really. She had told only one person about her life at home and that person she never saw again. Not that Izzy would want to know her after the reputation she had built for herself. She liked herself as the crule eyed girl who would insult any person that rubbed her the wrong way which was nearly everyone. Izzy and Immi where two people she was not sorry to lose. Ai looked up to sort of glare at Vlad for his stupidity when she caught sight of that smile.

Ai dove under her dark blankets to block it out taking her Alchemy book with her. "It's much to bright out there after all. I don't normally go out door but they was cloudy enough that I could go out but now I see it is much to bright still I may have to wait until winter starts." She said, her voice was muffled by the thick fur blankets further so that her voice though still pretty harsh seemed to have a softer edge to it. That boy was going kill her. She would melt into nothingness because of the blasted smile she knew it.

 

[Vladimir Volkov]

"Mebbe' y' need t' adapt." The Russian boy said with a grin - as if he never did stop grinning. Casting his eyes to the skies, Vladimir drummed his fingers against the flimsy wall he was leaning on. "If y' like the dark and can't stand d' light, why don't you think the opposite? Think of d'ose who fear the dark and revel in d' light, and try to step in their shoes." He turned to face her half-buried features in the fur cloak. "One foot in d'eir shoes, one foot in yours." As if he had a similar experience, the boy grinned and reached over to ruffle her hair, only to ruffle something akin to fur on the coats. "Adapt, Ai, Adapt."

 

[Ai Adlam]

Ai's hair had always been silk but she had never let anyone close enough to touch it. Not that Dragonski touched very much of it. Most of his hand was on the blanket but she could feel his hand on a single strand. Adapt. An interesting concept, As Ai started to think about considering it a voice harsher than her own came to mind. Reached girl! You were born as two but you will die alone! Ai closed as she remembered the pain that came afterwords. Reached girl, worthless girl, useless girl.

Ai had come here to prove she was none of that but she had expected that her brother as weak and brittle as her but not as closed. No she could not change, she could not mold herself to this place. Her brother had tried to make her adapt, to save her from the dark and he died. Ai froze before she could even consider letting something go. "Imposable." Was all she said. Vlad would die too if he stayed around her. If not physically, emotionally so for Ai's heart was like a black hole by now which swallowed everything that would even try to drag Ai out of herself. "Imposable, I belong in the dark. I should have even come out I was just looking for quiet." She said then slipped from Vladimir's presence so she could start putting everything away.

 

[Vladimir Volkov]

Vladimir Dragonski showed emotions, but he looked to be in deep thought as a fickle smile flashed upon his lips. "Mebbe' y' need an introduction to d' warmth?" He was outgoing, to the point of being overly outgoing, if that was possible. He wasn't deterred nor discouraged by anything since his arrival, and so he reached out to her half-buried face in the warm fur coat and allowed his warm, comforting hand to brush against her chin, as if he was flinching at feeling something left so cold. "Quiet." He murmured, canting his head to the side inquisitively, "Yer' lookin' for quiet?"

He held his hand up to her chin again, this time brushing against it slightly as he caressed it, his intense eyes fixed upon hers. "Kisses are quiet." He said to her softly, tilting his head to the other side with a chuckle.

 

[Ai Adlam]

Ai had flinched along with Vladimir when he first touched her. No one had ever gotten this close that had not been born along side her. Kai, beloved Kai who had given in to their sickness before her, could draw out a side of her she did even know she had. This boy was starting to develop that ability. Thing was she barely knew him. Vladimir to her was the voice that forever screamed in her ear wherever there was a Quidditch game. So much so that she didn't need to be in the stands to know what was going on. If she wanted to know what was going on all she had to do was listen by the window.

He touched her again though. She thought that the coolness of her skin and nature would have been enough to keep Vladimir at bay but his hand was on her chin again. Unlike when he touched her hand the warmth spread. Something flashed within the clear blue ice. Then Ai fell back (for she had been on her knees just then picking up everything that was scattered on the ground) and landed on her hands. The cool earth bought her back to into herself with her eyes wide. "What was that all about?" She asked the monotone braking only slightly. Ai had knew about kissing but she had never considered doing something like it before. She was scanning Vlad right now with such intensity that one could almost hear the prossers from the computer in her head going at full speed. Something like this did not compute at all.

 

[Vladimir Volkov]

"Nothin'." The Russian mused with a light-hearted chuckle as he rubbed his hands together for warmth, "Sumtimes' ya' hafta' try out the new stuff if ya' wanna live life." He paused for a moment, and then grinned at Ai. "To the fullest." Apparently stretching, Vladimir held both of his hands out to either side, and his arms then swooped around Ai's neck and pulled her up from the ground to face him, as well as clutching her in a warm hug. "The cold only seems likka' sanctuary cos' y' get used to the chill." The boy murmured as he held nudged his forehead against hers. "How does it feel to be warm, aye?"

 

[Ai Adlam]

Ai wondered how to word it for a bit. There had been warmth while her brother was still alive but not this kind of warmth. "It's new. Much too new. Much too confusing." She said as she sliped ther slender arms though Vlad's and placed them on his shoulder fully intending on pushing him away if she could. Ai looked and was on a health point of view weak and brittle but she could pull out straingth when she needed it. He nugged her forehead and Ai froze again this time only phisicly. Her clear blue eyes where not melted all the way there seemed to be a litte life starting to move behind the frozen film. "I don't like to be confused for too long." She added as if that would be enough for him to let her go.

 

[Vladimir Volkov]

"Den' I'll makkit a quickie." The boy grinned, and then leaned forward and kissed her on the lips softly. Pulling away shortly after the brisk contact, he chuckled as he got up, taking off the fur coat she had given him and slipping it over he head. "Keep warm, and get back t' the Raven dorms soon, aye?" He slid a hand through his hair as he started to run towards the castle gates. "Seeya!" Grinning from ear to ear as he turned away from her, he threw his hand up in a careless farewell as he disappeared into the castle.

 

[Ai Adlam]

Ai put her hands on her lips. She had just been kissed. She wasn't sure what she felt for Vladimire Dragonski. She was eleven and had never been kissed before. She had read faerie storied about things like this but that's what she thought they where stories. How was a real person sopped to react to someone kissing them? Ai had no clue what was meant to happen after something like this. Ai decided to drop it for now as she picked up her book and started to copy the symbols again. Later she would analyze what just happened with the boy who was too loud and much to bright.