Closed up the ante

[Rose Edogawa]

Approval ID #122472​

Her History of Magic textbook was open, but she wasn't actually reading it. Instead, she was staring out the window at the open sky. The weather looked lovely for flying, but she was too busy waiting to hear whether or not she'd made the quidditch team to bother thinking about anything else. It was nerve-wracking and all she really had to show for it was that she'd ducked inside almost immediately after tryouts ended because she had felt her body starting to shake in the crowd. She buried her hands into her lap, trying to get them to stop shaking as she watched the clouds. Usually it helped, but she'd been finding it less and less helpful over the last few months. She was an excellent flyer and she knew that, and she was great at Quidditch, if they didn't put her on the team she knew it wasn't because of her lack of skill, though he ability to hold down a conversation, or approach anyone might be what impacts her the most. She took a couple of calming breaths before digging out one of her potions and sitting it on the table. She didn't want to have to use it, but if she couldn't get her panic under control, that was going to be her only solution. She could feel her vision starting to swim. "Dammit," she grit her teeth and pulled the stopper off of the vial before quickly forcing it down her throat.​

 

[Amory Raven]

Amory entered the Student Lounge with no plans in particular, he just wanted somewhere other than the common room or his dormitory to spend time in. He stepped in and scanned the space, looking for a place to settle in. His eyes landed on the girl he had noticed during lessons. He was pretty sure her name was Rose, by pretty sure he knew it for a fact the same as he knew she had siblings. Quite a few of them actually. A small smile settled on his lips and Amory tucked his hands in the pockets of his trousers, slowly walking towards the girl. The closer he got the more he noticed that she was sort of in her own world. Staring out the window as though she could see something among the clouds, interesting. There was a vial of something in her hands and she was muttering something to herself as Amory approached. "This free?" He asked, gesturing to the seat next to her. There was something going on but he wasn't one to pry, not for now at least.

 

[Rose Edogawa]

She could still feel her head swimming, but the potion slowly began to take effect, so she quickly put it back into the pockets of her robes. She looked up when she heard a person approach, unused to people coming to her. She was sort of invisible, she thought, because even her roommates tended to forget she was around most of the time. So it was a bit of a surprise to her when someone did now. She shrugged, getting a proper look at him. Amory? Something like that, with a familiar last name. What was it? Raven? Like Jeremiah? "It's free." She said, smiling lightly at him. Had he seen her earlier? She hoped not, she was never sure when it was going to happen, but, sometimes it just did. "Amory, right?" She wondered what his family was like, because she'd never seen him on the Raven family tree that she was aware of. Had she? She would have to ask the twins. Surely someone would have mentioned there was a Raven at school. Her dad would have probably told her to stay away. That thought made her laugh slightly, he'd be so upset if he saw her right now.​

 

[Amory Raven]

Amory took the seat returning the girls smile. "Yeah Amory, you were Rose right?" Obviously he remembered her name, like he remembered most of the names he had heard in or out of lessons, but it was still polite to make sure. Would be quite embarrassing if he started to call someone by the wrong name after all. "What were you reading?" He asked taking a curious peek at the book seated in front of the Gryffindor, Amory had a feeling Rose wasn't tookeen on discussing about the situation she had just been in, so he didn't press. It was quite fitting that she was Gryffindor though, after all one of the houses main colours was red.

 

[Rose Edogawa]

"Still am," she said, laughing lightly to herself. She was sure Touchan would have liked that one, he was full of dad jokes lately to the point she didn't want to be in the same room with him, only she couldn't really escape him because he was her dad and he could always find her if he really wanted to, she supposed. She pulled the cover of the book closed and placed at it, "something for history, about someone named Madam Mim... or something," she said, pushing the book away. She wasn't sure why she was reading it anyway, to be honest, since she hated the subject and it hated her right back if her D grade was anything to go by, after all, she'd barely attended the class, so she wasn't surprised by how bad her grades were for it. She really just didn't want to do it if she was honest, it seemed like such a dull class. "Were you looking for a book?" She wasn't quite sure what had made him approach her, and she wasn't used to it, so... saying she was a little weary of it would have been an understatement.​

 

[Amory Raven]

Amory found himself surprised when the tiniest of smiles tugged at the corners of his mouth at her joke, if you could call it that. She certainly seemed to find it funny, which in a way was cute he supposed. "Ah, yes History. Quite an interesting subject, yeah?" Amory found it interesting at the very least, but he had an inkling the girl wasn't returning such feeling. The push of the book sealed the deal, not her favourite then, he made a mental note. The question sort of caught him off guard, right what was he here for again? Should figure out some kind of a plausible explanation why he just so happened to approach her so he didn't seem creepy, right? The Slytherin could understand the wariness in her tone, if someone randomly approached him in a room full of empty seats he'd probably be wary too. "Ah no, just looking for somewhere to escape my dorm mate I suppose." It wasn't an outright lie, no, but it wasn't the truth either. "You looked like you could use company I suppose." He eventually admitted with a shrug, he wasn't quite sure himself what had compelled him to approach her exactly so that was the closest to the full truth either of them would get.

"So, if History isn't your favourite, tell me what is?" Amory asked leaning his elbow on the table and placing his head to res on the hand as he studied the girl. Surely she'd have a favourite subject? Everyone had one that they liked over the others, though the way she was looking out of the window at the skies he was willing to bet hers was flying.

 

[Rose Edogawa]

Rose decided it was best her feelings on history remain firmly inside her head. She didn't want to cause a scene if this boy decided he was going to try and convince her to change her mind on a class she very thoroughly disliked, and so she didn't comment on her thoughts about it. It was up to him if he was going to question her on them, though she hoped he wouldn't because she was, for the most part, enjoying the conversation, even if she wasn't a great fan of suddenly having attention on her, even if only from one person. "Your dorm mate? Mine mostly don't know I'm there half of the time, but... well, one girl kind of takes up a lot of space, so... she's hard to compete with." Rose didn't dislike Tori, or Esme, or Keira, she just found them... difficult. She knew more about them, probably, than they knew about her because she always seemed to get caught up in whatever they had going on, even if they never seemed to notice her in the common room, or in the dorm even. She was usually gone when they were awake, and didn't return until they came back, to be fair. "Thank you, I probably can." She didn't say she didn't have any friends, because that seemed really sad to admit to anyone, least of all a boy she hardly knew. "I like... flying. I don't have a class I like, I would prefer not to do any of them. I don't... I'm a doer, not a thinker."​

 

[Amory Raven]

Amory took that as his cue to shut up about History, it wasn't everyone's piece of cake and he had no particular need to make her talk about something she didn't like. Especially not when he surprisingly found himself enjoying her company, which was happening alarmingly lot. He had kind of accepted he'd go through Hogwarts like he had most of his life, alone and with only one intention to prove himself. Somehow though, the students around him such as his insufferable dorm mate Lumos. Well he wasn't all that bad, Amory was just being dramatic for the extra effect. "Ah you must be rooming with Tori, she's quite something yeah?" She was nice enough he thought, but she surely was someone you'd remember, not in a bad way he didn't think at least. Amory let a little smile grace his features at Roses admission of the company part, glad that his company was somehow now formally accepted. "Yeah? I saw you looking at the clouds. I found flying quite well, I grew up knowing nothing about magic so you could say it was quite the shock when I was told you could actually fly on a broom. It was enjoyable sure, after the first few times, wouldn't call myself a natural at it though." He had been decent, but definitely not the best and it was best to leave it at that. "Though I in a way enjoy both aspects, doing and thinking I suppose so I don't mind either or." He liked learning the whys and hows behind things, but he also enjoyed doing them if that made any sense. "Shame we don't have flying this year, right?" At least he had understood it so that it was only for first years the lesson.

 

[Rose Edogawa]

Rose crossed her arms loosely, tilting her head as she listened to Amory, "yeah she's... something," she replied, the emphasis quite obvious. "Not in a bad way, I don't dislike Tori of course," she had no way of knowing if this boy was Tori's friend or not and she wasn't about to just go around bad mouthing someone's friend. Not that she's really badmouthing her or anything, but she does feel like she needs to put that out there. She wasn't friends with Tori, but she did share a dorm with her and was privy to most of the girls apparently private conversations since she really didn't know how to whisper to save her life if Rose was honest. She brushed a strand of hair from her face, glancing sideways. "Flying’s alright, I guess. I mean, it's better than sitting in a classroom and staring at dusty old books all day. But you actually like the thinking part too?" She gave him a mock-horrified look, though it was clearly teasing. "I don't know how you do it. One minute of theory and I’m already trying to find an excuse to get out of there."

Her expression softened, thoughtful this time. "But yeah, no flying this year is kind of a bummer. It was fun, y’know? Not that I’d call myself a natural either, but still... you’re up there, wind in your hair, no one yelling at you to ‘focus’ or ‘sit still.’" She made air quotes, rolling her eyes dramatically before flashing him a grin. "It’s like... freedom. I miss that." She paused, then added, "So, wait - you grew up without knowing about magic? That must’ve been... weird. What was it like?" Perhaps that explained his name?​

 

[Amory Raven]

Amory watched the girl clearly feeling the need to defend herself that she didn't dislike Tori, not that he had suspected she did. He just gave her a nod and a smile before leaning back a little, focusing his eyes on the clouds as she did just before. Amory listened to Rose in quiet intrigue, clinging to every word she spoke, if only for the reason this felt like a rare occurrence. He hadn't seen her talking to that many people other than her siblings every now and then, even that seemed quite minimal if he was being honest. Not that he had any experience on it himself. "Yeah I like the thinking part, gives your brain something to focus on, you know? Trying to solve a problem or thinking about the theory behind something will take your mind off of other things." Though lately Amory had found himself liking the world around him more and more, so now the thinking part was even more fun because it wasn't to distract but to simply engage his brain in some activity of it's own.

The Slytherin did not miss the slight playfulness creeping into her tone and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't glad of it. Or that he didn't thoroughly and wholeheartedly enjoy this side of the seemingly quiet Rose. Only the mention of his upbringing brought the boy back from his state of glee. Yeah there was that piece of information he had let slip lose, not that it was a secret he just hadn't realized how willing he was to share parts of himself with others lately, first his dorm mate now her. It was surprising to say the least. "Yeah I grew up in Dublin, Ireland at a orphanage at first then a group home. It was less than glamorous but could have been worse. All of this magic is quite new and cool I guess, everyday I learn something new other than what the lessons teach us obviously." Feeling the need to add the last bit when he realized how ironic the statement was given they were in fact at school. "Sometimes I do think whether my parents were magical or not, you know? It could be interesting to learn where I came from and why I ended up where I did, but perhaps I'll do some research as I grow older." He had planned on it for years, but with all that he was learning about himself the need to know more about his past grew too.

 

[Rose Edogawa]

Rose tilted her head slightly, narrowing her eyes at Amory as if assessing him. The playfulness in her tone from before lingered, but she words carried an edge of thoughtfulness too. “Well, you’re not wrong about keeping your brain busy. Merlin knows I’d lose my mind if I didn’t have something to obsess over. That’s why I like... uh... well, not studying exactly, but figuring out things I care about.” She gave a small shrug then, brushing a strand of her hair out of her face. As he mentioned growing up in Dublin and his curiosity about his parents, Rose's expression softened a fraction, though she quickly masked it with a grin. “Dublin, huh? Never been, but I’ve heard it’s nice... in a gloomy, lots-of-rain sort of way. And magic being new to you? That’s got to be wild. I mean, I grew up with it all around me, so I can’t imagine what it’s like suddenly being thrown into the deep end.” Her voice shifted, a hint of teasing slipping in. “Bet it feels a bit like being handed a broomstick and told to fly without knowing which end is up.”

She paused, tapping her fingers against her knee. “As for your parents... I mean, that’s got to be weird, not knowing, but also kind of exciting? Like a mystery to solve. I think I’d go mad not knowing, though. The not-knowing part would drive me up the wall. But hey, maybe there’s a good story there, right? Some grand reason you ended up here and not somewhere else. Who knows? Maybe you’re secretly a prince or something,” she was really intrigued now, about his name, and she was going to have to send a note to cousin Misa or Feli, she wanted to know if there was any chance at all if he was related to Uncle Miah. “Honestly, I think figuring out who you are is more important than where you came from. But if you do figure it out, let me know if you uncover something scandalous. I live for drama.” Her grin widened mischievously.​

 

[Amory Raven]

Amory watched the thoughtfulness make an appearance in Rose's expression and for a split moment he had to fight the urge to inch closer to maybe take a better look, but that would have been creepy. The Slytherin made a mental note to ask more about flying, fully play into his muggle upbringing and pretend he still knew absolutely nothing about it, just to see her truly talk about something she loved. "See you get it, it's good to sometimes focus on something like that, so what other things besides flying do you obsess over?" He genuinely wanted to know what else she liked, other than flying.

"Oh yeah, it is a tad gloomy at times but I do enjoy it. I don't really like warm weather to be honest, to an extent sure but I like everything in balance so rain every now and then and sun here and there, maybe some snow once in a while. That sort of thing you know." Besides if it was sunny all the time everything would just dry and die of the heat. "Yeah, you have no idea. When I saw that owl flying to me I thought it was the apocalypse or something. Might have tried to run away from it but the bird gave chase. Most terrifying moments of my life, thinking I was bound to die by an owl and then the letter telling me I was accepted to a magical school? Yeah I down right thought I had finally lost it." Amory joked along easily, there was a hint of truth in those words but it hadn't been that dramatic.

The Slytherin tensed up slightly at the mention of his parents or lack there of, it was still odd to him that he had willingly disclosed these things not to just one person but three so far, it was odd but not necessarily in a bad way. "Well I mean sometimes it down right annoys me and I am this close," he made a show of a small less than an inch big gap with his fingers, "to just breaking havoc anywhere and everywhere until someone knows something, but really I hope time will tell and I'll find answers to some questions. If not tomorrow, then perhaps in a year or ten, but one day I am bound to figure it out." Amory wouldn't stop looking for answers until he did. He gave a light chuckle at the prince comment, finding it an absurd scenario. "Yeah? Tell me would it make you like me more if I were a prince?" He fed into the joke, with a spark of challenge lighting in his eyes. In a way he was really hoping she'd say no, because that meant it wasn't downright impossible to make her like him more, he hoped she liked him at least a tad bit by now. Surely she'd walked away if not by now. "Yup, that's the plan. Figuring out who I am beyond just Amory who has no idea who his family is or why he didn't grow up with them. Learning all those spells and flying on a broom are a nice plus though and of course the friends I make along the way." In a way it had felt like a fresh start, a new chance at life when he had gotten that acceptance letter. Suddenly he was free of the shackles he had not realized were keeping him down in his old life, he could finally truly explore who he was and what he was capable of, magically and generally speaking. The fact that he was far from Dublin was a win too.

 

[Rose Edogawa]

Rose took a shaky breath, trying to centre herself. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest, not in defiance but as if she were holding herself together. She glanced at Amory, her lips pressed into a thin line, before forcing a small smile to mask the growing storm inside her. "Obsess over?" she asked, her voice quieter than usual. She tapped her fingers against her arm, the rhythm quick, uneven. "Flying, yeah. That’s a big one. It’s... freeing, you know? Like for a moment, everything else fades away. You’re just... there, in the air, nothing holding you back." Her words came out rushed, like she was trying to fill the silence before her thoughts spiraled further. "Beyond that? I'm not sure. I guess you could say I get pretty wrapped up in drama. Not like real drama - heaven forbid I actually deal with serious stuff - but you know, the fun kind. Quidditch rivalries, house gossip, who's secretly dating who… That kind of thing. Keeps life interesting."

When he mentioned the weather, she nodded quickly, latching onto a topic that wasn't drama or gossip. "Yeah, balance is good," she said, her voice a little breathless. "Too much sun and... yeah, things would dry up. Snow is nice too. I mean, when it’s not... too much." She trailed off, her gaze darting around like she was searching for something to anchor herself. The owl story pulled a short, nervous laugh from her. "Running from an owl? That’s... that’s hilarious," she said, though her laugh didn’t quite reach her eyes. "At least it wasn’t some kind of... giant bird or something." She forced another laugh, but it came out shaky, and she quickly pressed her lips together. When Amory started talking about his family, Rose focused on his words, using them as a distraction. "You’ll figure it out," she said, her tone earnest but a little strained. "You’re... determined, and that’s what matters. Sometimes answers take time, but they come eventually." She nodded as if trying to convince herself of the same thing.

The prince comment made her smirk faintly, though her usual sarcasm felt dulled. "Oh, sure," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "If you were a prince, I’d totally... throw myself at your feet or whatever. But... I think you’re fine as you are. No crown needed." She swallowed hard, her fingers digging into her arms. "You’re right about making your own story, though," she added quickly, her words tumbling out in a rush. "That’s... important. Making something out of the chance you’ve got." She looked down, biting her lip as she tried to even out her breathing, her mind racing to keep the panic at bay.​

 

[Amory Raven]

Amory watched as Rose's demeanor changed completely, had he known his question would elicit such response he'd kept his mouth shut but there was no going back. Instead the Slytherin focused on her words, giving them his full attention so he didn't miss anything and seem like he hadn't paid attention to her telling him something important about herself. "Oh, I do love me some gossip," Amory quipped in hoping to somehow ease her back into the situation. "You know my roomie, Lumos, the other night he was levitating a ball above his face when it fell and I said it'd been a shame if it fell on a prettier face, well note to self he doesn't like when his beauty isn't validated, which well fair. Not much of a gossip but it's something, we did have a good conversation afterwards though." He apologized mentally for throwing his roommate under the bus like this, but he was sure the blond could handle it if he found out.

Rose still seemed a little out of depth so Amory gave her a softer look, one he had never given anyone, never felt the need to. "Rose, it's alright you are fine. Just take a deep breath and imagine feeling the wind on your face, pretend i am not here if it makes it better?" He had no idea how to help anyone who was clearly at the brink of an existential crisis and panicking, but he tried and that had to count for something right? "I don't know Rose, you try having a drone chasing you and not leave you alone. It was sort of terrifying I am glad nobody was around to film it." He joked, at this point willing to make jokes on his own expense to get her thoughts off of whatever was happening inside her head right now. "I think the bird they sent me has been fed a bit too much, poor lad was out of shape and looked quite frankly bigger than any owl I have seen before. Way to stay discreet I suppose." The sarcasm at the latter part in his voice couldn't have been clearer. He gave a nod, agreeing on the determination. He sure had that part down.

Amory could have thanked whatever deities existed when that small smirk made its way to the Gryffindor's pale face, it wasn't the one from before but it was a start. "Yeah? Maybe I'll find a way to con a royal family into thinking I am their long lost son next in line for the throne then.. Or maybe I'll just stay as myself, who knows." He gave her a boyish grin full of mischief. "Yeah, making life your own isn't such a bad idea really." He replied still slightly grinning at her, for reasons he'd rather not think too hard on.