Trying to play the guitar

[Casper Huberta]

Casper entered the Student Lounge with his guitar. How many days had it been since he last played it? A long time ago. He was sure of it. And he had always thought that the guitar would be the most important thing in his life. Well, so much for his things. Children always change their favorites. And Casper wasn't really exempted from that, despite his almost mature personality.

He chose to sat down at the far end of the room, where there were no students. Casper raised his eyebrow, realizing how he's being such a loner. It wasn't his style, really. He was the socializing type. But with his unsure talent in playing the guitar right now, Casper wouldn't risk looking like a loser to the other students. Leaning down a little so that he could get a better position, he started plucking the strings, making a rather melancholic song.

Such a familiar song. Despite playing it now, Casper can't really remember where he learned to play it. It's just the memory of the song itself now. Was it from his father? His father, who had always abandoned him and his sisters. His father, whom he used to love so much.

A wrong note. Casper stopped, staring hard at the string where he's supposed to pluck before the mistake came. Why was he playing this song, anyway? He's not supposed to. He abandoned the guitar a long time ago. Why did he decide to get it? Casper wasn't sure anymore.

 

[Sureya Eidos]

Sureya Eidos had just spent her morning attempting to escape from the unwanted attentions and advances of some of the second and third year boys. She had attended class without much mishap able to simply ignore the constant smiles from the boys there but it was when she had gone to the library that all chaos had broken loose much to the disappointment of the librarians. Four boys had been adamant that they had wanted to assist her in getting whatever books she required for her studying, no amount of dissuading them seemed to work. They wanted to be of service to her and though she had been tempted for a moment to order them to fetch and carry for her like slaves, Sureya was not of that nature and would not abuse the control she seemed to have over boys.

Granted at times it seemed like completely lack of control and it was tiresome but it was happening less and less to those boys who were with her the most. She had befriended a few boys now and after a few short weeks her part veela-ness seemed to have worn thinner and thinner with them as if constant contact with her diluted the effects. This thrilled her no end and she could not wait to share the information with anyone who would listen to her. After leaving the library she had gone to the gardens only to be overcome by a fifth year willing to risk detention and all sorts of punishment by picking the beautiful flowers from the garden and giving them to her. She had blushed no end and had begged him to stop. As much as Sureya adored flowers, she much preferred them to see how their short lives in the soil where they belonged instead of stuck in a vase somewhere.

Eventually she had returned to the castle and decided on her way to her house to go further and check out the student lounge that so many were talking about. On her way in of course another boy beamed at her brightly and asked if he could get her anything, do anything for her, be anything for her. Sureya shook her head and kept walking inside hurriedly. It was only when she paused for a moment to catch her breath did she see a boy who shared one of her classes with her playing the guitar. The tune was so sad that Sureya found herself moving closer and closer as if by a magnet. Why would anyone so young be playing anything so heart wrenching? She slowly sat in the chair opposite him, staring at his fingers caressing the strings of the guitar as her eyes filled with tears. It was so beautiful and yet so melancholy she could not help her reaction.

 

[Casper Huberta]

Casper completely stopped playing the guitar when he saw a pretty girl just the opposite side of his chair. Casper thought she was really pretty, almost unnatural. Enchanting. He could only guess that the girl was part veela or something. Thank goodness Casper was not really affected by those kind of people. His father described Casper as 'almost immune to them.' There are some guys who are like that even outside the school. It wasn't that weird. But Casper can't really deny that this girl in front of him was pretty. The girl was naturally beautiful. Casper was naturally frank.

"You're pretty." he told her, smiling. If Hayley Huberta was here, she would have hit Casper's shoulder and scolded him about being frank. But she was not here. Casper was free. Before he could say anything more about the girl's looks, he realized that there were teras on her eyes. Casper stood up, leaving his guitar on the chair, and walked closer to the girl. "Are you--" he shook his head, thinking that asking the girl if she was alright was stupid. "I'm sorry."

If what Casper's teacher said about him being brainless was true, this was the time Casper really agreed to her. Saying sorry to a crying girl who he never really met was brainless. There was a certain tone the teacher used when she said Casper was brainless. It was like saying: "You are brainLESSSSS", with the sharp 's' sound. And he could imagine it now as though his teacher was in front of him again.

 

[Sureya Eidos]

Sureya would usually cringe at a compliment given by a boy because she was so used to them and many of them meant nothing, only said because the boy was so obviously under the effects of her veela blood. Yet now she smiled at the boy, as if his straight forward abrupt way of saying it amused her. Usually a good judge of character she considered this boy to be alright. He stood and came towards her about to ask her something but apologizing instead. Sureya frowned at first wondering what happened but then as her pale slender hand wiped her cheek it cleansed away a tear that had escaped.

As if realization dawned she smiled up at the boy shaking her head.
"oh please don't be sorry, I should be. Your music was so beautiful and ... enchanting and haunting. I don't usually react to music but then again I've never heard anything so sad before" she told him honestly, her own manner of frankness escaping too.
"I'm Sureya, I think I've seen you in one of our classes" she told him hoping he would sit down again so they could talk.