What's So Forbidden About Some Dumb Forest?

Aspen ignored the banter between the students, well not ignored as such just didnt pay much attention to it and didnt inteript. it was sort if funny him asking if she had nay romantic bone and her flirting right back. instead she waited until they decided to see the clearing. "follow me, and watch out for branches" she said making her way into the thicket she hoped they were far enough behind her so at they wouldnt be hit by the branches and plants she had to puss asside as she passed.
it was about a minute later when she emerged in the clearing. it was rather large and a sort of oval shape. above the trees had formed a cover but the y were a lot thinner and the sky could be seen. the floor was a patchy grass mixed with leaf litter and a few rocks, a few wild flowers also were sprouted here and there. but the most obvious thing was a stream going straight through the centre of the clearing, it split in two to navigate around one particuallaly large rock before merging back in to one on the other side. she looked at the children "what do you think?" she asked. she had used this place as her camp a few time but not at the moment, right now her camp was a little deeper and in an area that ad a lot horse chestnut trees which meant a lot of food growing.
 
Albie was kinda stunned. Is she...flirting with me? He wasn't a stranger to flirting - he'd done it before, after all - but Una was kind of the last person he expected to be a flirt. She was pretty cute when she smiled, though. Not that he'd admit that out loud. She was his teammate and friend. Heck, Albie'd barely notice her as a girl if it weren't for moments like those. He didn't have anything to say in response, so he smiled, winked, and gently gave her a friendly punch on the arm, not to knock her over or anything, more a sign of affection.

They reached the clearing with a little difficulty, and Albie gave a low, impressed whistle, as he looked around. "Woah," he breathed, taking it all in. "That's pretty damn nice," he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets as he looked up at the sky, a gentle smile illuminating his face.
 
Myuna was amused when Albie seemed confused with her which was exactly what she had been hoping for, she laughed as he punched her lightly letting out a snort. great thankfully the centaur spoke up then and lead them into the thicket. she kept a few paces behind the others so as to stay out of the way of the branched whipping back. she was the last to reach the clearing, and was surprised by how it was. "this is awesome" she said. it seemed totally different from the previous part of the forest.
she went over to the stream and paddles out to the rock. not caring about getting her shoes wet. she looked at the other two. "thanks aspen" she said before flicking some water at them both. not much, and she wasn't sure if it would reach them.
 
aspen watched the two tease each other. maybe there was something going on between them after all, maybe they just didn't know. she smile to herself and very lightly shook her head in a nearly unnoticeable way. once in the clearing she looked at the children's reaction it was something she hadn't seen in a while. reminded her that she to was hardly more than a foal, herself though she had been behaving like an adult for years now as she hadn't had much choice. she went into the stream and facing away from the girl kicked a big splash of water towards her. she turned around laughing to see what the damage she had done.
 
Albie felt the water hit him - he'd been looking up at the sky and hadn't been paying much attention - and narrowed his eyes at his two companions, before his mouth twisted in to a smirk. "Oh, that's how you ladies are going to play it, hey?" He didn't care so much about his shoes, and so he stepped in to the stream, an innocent look on his face as he assessed the situation. Aspen looked like the more dangerous foe in this water fight, but he knew better than to underestimate Una.

"Well, I can't hit a girl, but water's a different matter, right?" Quickly, he kicked towards Aspen with one foot, towards Una with the other, and stumbled as he went to kick again, very nearly falling over. Luckily, he managed to get himself upright before he made a huge fool of himself...but then he fell over anyway, landing on his backside in the water. Groaning, he paused for a moment, before awkwardly struggling to get back up.
 
Myuna was not expecting the centaur to come and fight back, she seemed to, she wasnt sure, noble? for such a frivolous waste of time. so when a huge wave hit her she was surprised. dripping wet she laughed and leaving her rock standing ankle deep in the water splashed aspen as best as she could though the creatures long legs and strong body certainly gave her the advantage. she didnt mind.. she had spent what felt like half her cildhood in water. a little more was just fun.
then a splash came from the other direction as albie joind in. "hit a girl and she will hit you right back you know" she said. and she would that was how she would. she looked around as the water sprayed her. just in time to see him wobble "don' f.." she shouted but it was too late. with another splash he fell into the water. "Ha" she laughed before it was followed by a cackling of laughter. watching him struggle up was just rediculous. when a few moments later she thought he had struggled enough she cautiously went over to him and offered her hand in aid. when he was almost up but she could feel that he was still using her support for balance she let go and watched him fall back into the water. chuckling again she didn't realise that her own balance was moving until she couldn't stop it and she ended up in the water herself next to him. glad that it was deep enough and the bottom soft enough for them not to be properly injured. just a bit muddy. she looked at him and mock scowled trying to hide the laughter wanting to come from her.
 
Aspen felt somehow free again whilst having this water fight. she knew she was free in many ways but not free to act like a foal again, she hadnt been free for that since she was twelve or there abouts. she had had to grow up quick after she had been kicked out from her own heard. a moment later there was a huge craching splash and the boy fell in. she stopped trying not to show the smile that was playing on the edge of her mouth. "are you okay?" she asked her voice sounding strained. she was about to offer a hand in help when the una girl was there hauling him up. she didnt realise what was about to happen until it did when the girl droped him and then wobbled dangerously. she almost willed her o fall herself for laughing as her friend had fallen. She did.
aspen looked at them both sodden in the stream "if only i had a camera" she said most centaurs didn't know what a camera was but aspen was one of the few who loved human things, besides her sister had one and taken a few photos of them both in the forest before she had left. she trotted over to the two of them not trying to reduce the splashing. "come on you two don't want to be sitting there like a couple of morons the hinkypunks confused" she said offering them each a hand to pull them up.
 
Albie would've cursed and sworn about falling over and looking like a real moron - in fact, he was about to open his mouth to do so when Una offered him her hand. He abruptly closed his mouth, giving a groan of thanks, before stumbling to his feet...only to drop again when she let him go. Albie growled in frustration, but that growl changed in to a laugh when Una fell in to the water beside him. Well, at least he didn't look like an idiot alone now.

"Coming swimming with me, then?" he laughed, hiding his embarassment by splashing her with water. "Don't make that face," he added, with a smirk. "C'mon, give us a smile," he added, half expecting her to punch him in the face - luckily, he was saved by Aspen, who offered them a hand. Although he didn't know her very well, he expected she wouldn't be the type to let him fall back in to the water. "Thanks," he spluttered, water dripping off his hair and on to his face and shoulders.

"Well...that certainly was refreshing."
 
it was wet in the stream thankfully it wasn't too cold. "if you wanted to swim in the first place you could have said we could have gone in the lake, it's a little easier in slightly more than half a foot of water" she said before spluttering when she got a face full of water. "hey" she said in a slightly annoyed tone when said not to pull that face and to smile she reached across and pushed him hoping to knock him further over. before she finally broke and laughed. albe was one of the few people she had met so far in the castle that she had fun being around. her dorm mate was okay, but se could tell she was a little into the rules, she was a prefect. the rules were one thing una didn' like.
the centaur came over and offered them both a hand up. she took it and was soon on her feet. "thanks" she said taking her wand out and pointing it at albe. a mischievous look crossed her face before she cast the hot air charm in order to dry him off as he did look sopping wet. "refreshing is one word for it." she said slowly walking around them. "so what do centaurs do?" she asked aspen. she could pretty blunt at times.
 
aspen helped both of the children up "tha't okay" she said as they thanked her. A moment later the girl had her wand out. she took a nervous step back, it wasn that she was threatened she just wasnt sure what una was going to do. it was a centaur thing. she knowe that magic wasnt evil because of rowan however that still didnt counterbalence te the childhood of fearing it. thnkfully it was aimed at the boy and she could feel the warmth though she wsnt sure exactly what she was doing. "you know. iy isnt a good idea to use that around centaurs. you are lucky that i am used to magic, many would attack you at the sight of a wand" she advised her. "you re both okay, and not hurt at all?" she asked hoping there wasnt any need for first aid, as although she was okay, and had managed to help thraex when he had been shot she wan't that confident in her abilities. her normal view was try not to get injured in the first place.
she thought for a moment after unas question. it was odd, she hadn't really thought about it before. "I guess mainly we hunt, and gather food. those still in their clan have a lot more social stuff, but for nomads like myself, i think it is mainly keeping alive." she said. there was also the traditions, the making of tools, the moving of camp, and telling of stories but they all fitted into the staying alive.
 
"Yeah, but there's a giant squid in the lake, or something. Actually, that would be pretty cool to work out if it was real. Let's go swimming in the lake sometime." Albie stated, cheerfully, despite being entirely waterlogged and rather embarassed by the previous turn of events. Way to look like a loser, he thought, bitterly. He was then stunned by the gust of hot air that hit him, courtesy of Una. He blinked a few times, looking incredibly confused, before grinning. "Awww, you do care!" he said, chuckling and holding a hand over his heart, before giving a more genuine smile. "Really, though, thanks."

"I'm good," he added, looking at Aspen with a slight nod of his head. He had kept his wand at hand for light, but after hearing what Aspen said, Albie made sure to put his wand back in his pocket. He didn't know that centaurs disliked magic, but now he did, and it was an interesting piece of knowledge to attain. "Do you like living in the forest?" he asked, in a softer and more concerned type of voice. He wondered what sort of threats faced the centaurs in the forest, too, but he knew it would be rude to ask.
 
at the mention of the squid myuna nodded. "my dorm mate told me that I haven't seen it yet though" she said she was sure she would see it some time as she spent enough time in and around the water. "I go for a swim there every week, though it was a little cold in winter" she said it was refreshing and freezing, the cold giving her cramp in her foot even though she had been wearing her wetsuit. she nodded when Albie said that she cared. "yep, but only a little" she said. which wasn't actually true. he was the first person she had found at the castle who she really got along well with. so yes she did care about him.
the centaur asked if they were okay. "Im okay thanks" she said. the water had been deep enough to break her fall and there hadn't been anything sharp on the bottom. besides she had far worse falls into water whilst surfing and onto the ground whilst skating. "sorry" she said about to put her wand away but by the look on the centaurs face she guessed that this one was an exception. "is it okay with you aspen?" she asked instead. then she listened as albie asked if she liked the forest and listened for the reply.
 
aspen listened asthe students talked about the lake. she wanted to be able to walk around it some day but she knew it was a wish that she would most likely never be able to acheive. she wanted to see the rest of the castle grounds, to be able to maybe even vsit the castle, she had heard a lot about it but never seen more than the oustise. "what's a giant squid?" she asked. unsure as to what they were.
the boy put his wand away. "I quite like macig myself, thats why i live by the school" she said she could have gone anywhere in the world, and she could have left and gone to live with her sister in australia but she had decided to stay t the school as she liked the students and magic. the boy ked if she liked living in the forest "yes i do, I have only ever lived in forests" she looked breifly around the place sometimes i do wish i could visit other places" she said. he last student ho had been in had brought and shown her photos of different places, in europe and new zealand. she liked her home but sometimes she just wanted to feel the sun that wasn't dappled by branches and feel a steady breeze, it wasn't much and she knew she was a bit stupid for wanting it when she was to be brutally honest lucky to be alive when she was kicked out of her family and having to live alone when she was still a foal.
 
Albie grinned broadly at Una, despite still looking like a mess. "It's okay, the ladies can't resist me, I'm just so lovable." Unable to keep up that facade for long, however, he nearly choked as he doubled up laughing at himself. Straightening up, Albie took a deep breath and wiped a tear from his eyes. "Ah, sorry." He was like that. Quick to swap between moods. He could be furious one minute and ecstatic the next. After all that had happened at his old school, after all, he'd taught himself that the easiest way to deal with things were to make jokes and have a laugh - at his own expense, more often than not. Much better than the alternative.

"A giant squid is like this giant...sea animal, it's kinda weird, like a big white thing with tentacles. I think. I've never seen one," he admitted. Listening to what Aspen had to say, Albie felt a pang of sympathy for her. It must be hard, he thought, to be stuck in one type of place and not see the world. Albie had never left South Africa until recently, and he was determined that when he finished up at Hogwarts, he'd go see the world for himself. "Aspen, we're gonna find a way to help you visit other places," Albie stated, with a nod. He wasn't sure it was possible, and it was a rather impulsive statement to make, but the centaur girl had been nothing but kind to them since they'd intruded on her territory.
 
Una laughed at albie as he said he was irresistible. "well then. mr ir'sistable. hows abou' coming to the ball wit' me" she said. more of a statement than actually asking him. though she wasn't going to mess up this time as much as halloween when it came to dressing right. she was a bit of a rebel but she didn't like being laughed at. she would send an owl to her grandma the next day asking for a dress. if there was one thing she did like about her gran it was as soon as she mentioned anything to do with fashion or anything girly she was keen as ever. and a ball would probably make her have a heart attack. then go and but fifty dresses. she would just be careful or she would end up in something that looked like it came of a kids show.
when the centaur asked her what squid was her jaw dropped in shock. squid. you don't know what squid is? she asked in astonishment. "It's a sea creature. rather rubbery to look at. and squirts ink when scared. it has a sort of long head and tentacles" she said. "but the best thing about it is that it tastes good. I will try and send you some calimari next time i go to the kitchens" she said. she wasn't allowed to eat fish so she made up for it with calamari, crab, prawns and other non fish seafood.
 
Aspen knew there was something going on between the two. before una asked Albe to the yule ball. she knew what that was. Briar had explained it to her. it did sound really good though she knew her sister had not liked having to wear a dress, and not the dress that she had been made to wear.
as the two tried to describe a squid to her all she could think of was a wet rubbery acromantula though she was pretty sure that wasn't right. when the girl offered to get her some calamari she was puzzled. "what's calamari?" she asked she had never eaten sea food other than the odd fish that made its way up the river in the forests of home. she was surprised when Albie said he would try and enable her to leave. "thank you for the offer. but I'm going to have to say no. I am not from around here. so i guess i can leave when i want. but if i go i won't be able to return, and i like living by the school. as i like talking to the students" she said. she really did the students though the professors it depended on which one.
 
Albie had to double take when Una made that statement about the ball. In all honesty, he hadn't even thought about the ball until now - he knew it was a thing, but he hadn't paid it much thought since he'd been busy with classwork. His momentary confusion subsided, though, and instead he gave her a wide grin. "I'd love to," he replied, earnestly. He'd have to actually get something to wear for it, now, but he supposed it would be good to have some formal attire on hand.

He nodded when Aspen said no to him - he probably shouldn't have asked, it was likely rude and disrespectful of him, and he felt bad about it. "That's understandable," he said, simply. "Sorry."

He looked at his watch and his eyes widened - they'd been out for a long time and they were most likely going to get busted heading back to the school. Ah well, he thought to himself. Totally worth it.
 
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