Closed Watching the Water

[Elodie Wynshaw]

Elodie was humming softly, laying on a blanket she'd brought with her and just watching the wind rippling over the lake. It was a nice day, the sun just warm enough without being too hot. She was laid out on her belly, her feet in the air behind her. Her chin rested on her folded hands and she was just enjoying herself. She'd heard that there was an eel in the lake- maybe if she was lucky, she could get a glimpse of it. She tried not to shut her eyes, even if the peace was generally trying to lull her into a nice nap.

 

[Oskar Strom]

Oskar was starting to find he really enjoyed the lake. For better or worse it was one of the only places that almost reminded him of home. Any place the felt connected to nature calmed him a bit, and the quiet compared to the rest of the castle helped too. He walked around the lake humming to himself. After getting caught talking to himself before he kept the stories he would usually recite in his head this time. He paused and picked up a rock. He had seen people skip rocks before but he didn't really know how to do it. So he tried to mimic the movements he saw before and threw the rock into the water. Something he had done must have been wrong because it made a loud plop as it landed. He was pretty sure he was alone but he looked over both shoulders to make sure. Much to his dismay, he wasn't alone and saw a girl who looked like she might be sleeping. "Sorry about that." he muttered.

 

[Elodie Wynshaw]

Despite her best efforts, Elodie had dozed off a little bit anyways. At least she had, until a sound she didn't recognize woke her up. She stretched, yawning, and rolled a bit, giving the boy that spoke to her a sleepy smile. "No, that's alright," She murmured, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her skin as she lounged there. She felt like her hair was perhaps a bit messy, but she ignored that, too. "I didn't mean to fall asleep. I should thank you, really," She chuckled.

 

[Oskar Strom]

Oskar had silently hoped that maybe she would sleep through his awkward failure but that didn't seem to be the case. He winced as she seemed to wake up and look at him. In his head he thought about stories of sleeping dragons or trolls and for a moment he considered running or trying to hide. But she wasn't some creature that would eat him, she was just a girl. At least she didn't seem angry and he nodded in her direction. But he was caught off guard when she thanked him. "Sure." he said slowly. "I guess it isn't the most comfortable place to sleep." he added, half attempting a joke.

 

[Elodie Wynshaw]

Elodie chuckled, rolling onto her back and stretching. "Mm... Don't knock it until you try it," She countered, relaxing against the grass and just lounging in the sunlight. "I feel like a cat, the warmth right here is just phenomenal." She sighed, letting herself linger for several more moments before forcing herself to sit up. "I'm Elodie, by the way."

 

[Oskar Strom]

Oskar felt him crack a smile when she countered his point. He let out a dry laugh and looked at the ground again and kicked at a few rocks with the toe of his shoe that had seen better days. He was about to say something dumb about her not looking like a cat but by the time he looked back to her, she was standing and only a few feet away from him. He blinked. "Oh, I'm Oskar." he said and held out his hand. He was sure his hand was embarrassingly sweaty but he wanted to seem polite, like a gentleman, or something.

 

[Elodie Wynshaw]

Elodie smiled and shook his hand, before stepping back and motioning for him to join her. "Do you want to sit with me for a bit?" She asked. "What were you down here for?" She asked, thinking it was as good a time as any to make new friends. He certainly seemed nice enough. She gave him an easy smile, willing to adjust her plans based on what he wanted to do.

 

[Oskar Strom]

Oskar was relieved when Elodie didn't immediately pull her hand away so apparently his hand wasn't as gross as he feared. But when she asked if he wanted to join her he suddenly felt nervous. Well, he always felt nervous but it was like it got turned up to another level. He didn't want to feel trapped. Not that sitting and talking to a classmate was a trap but he couldn't shake the feeling. Oskar took a deep breath and tried to remember that not everyone was out to get him. "Sure." he blurted out before he could work himself up again. He shrugged at her other question. "I like the lake. Reminds me of home." he said simply as he sat down awkwardly.

 

[Elodie Wynshaw]

Elodie smiled as he joined her, listening to his answers and letting her gaze move back over the water. "That's really cool, where are you from?" She asked. "I feel most at home in the library," She answered, "or in my common room. They're just... that right amount of cozy." She sighed softly. "Though I miss home all the more, it's kinda bittersweet." She laughed, looking to him with a smile. "Do you ever get homesick?"

 

[Oskar Strom]

Oskar was picking bits of dirt off his hands when Elodie asked where he was from. "Oh, uh. I grew up in Sweden." he answered simply. He had mentioned his old school somewhat frequently but he wasn't sure if he ever really talked about his home country much. He nodded along as she spoke about where she felt most at home. He wasn't sure what to say, he couldn't exactly relate to her experience of a cozy home or common room. His childhood home wasn't that different than the chilly Slytherin house. So maybe he could relate after all. He blinked when she asked him a direct question. Did he feel homesick? "Sometimes." he said with a shrug. "Although, I'm not sure what I miss about it." he admitted. "My mom and I moved before I started school here. So I haven't been back."

 

[Elodie Wynshaw]

Elodie nodded along, thinking it was pretty cool that Oskar was from Sweden. She smiled softly at his words. "Oh, I understand that," She offered softly. "I moved not too awfully long before starting school, but I moved somewhere better, so I just miss that now that I'm away. I wish we could go home on weekends sometimes." She admitted, twirling a bit of hair around her fingers. "Is there something nice you like about where you live now?" She asked, hoping he could find a bright side to it all.

 

[Oskar Strom]

Oskar listened but he wasn't sure why she was telling him all of this. He was a stranger. Maybe it was just pleasant conversation but maybe it was something more? Maybe she had a motive he just couldn't figure out. He shifted uncomfortably but froze when she asked him a question again, and again he drew a blank. "Um, I'm not sure. I haven't been there very much with school and all." he began but tried to relax and be a bit more honest. She didn't seem like the plotting type but he had been wrong before. "It's.....calmer with just me and my mom." he tried to explain. He missed his father sometimes, and wondered constantly what he would think of him now at this new school. Would he be proud? Oskar wasn't sure. He didn't have a lot going for him, not that he had much at his old school either.

 

[Elodie Wynshaw]

Elodie listened to Oskar talk, nodding a bit. "I can understand that," She offered. "It's hard to explain, it's just... more settled," She bit her lip, thinking of her room in the loft at Byrons place. She smiled a bit, thinking of her adopted dad and the sweet giant of a dog Hephestaus. She hummed, tucking her hair back. "Are you liking it here at school?" She asked, turning to look at him instead.