Selfless Courage? Foolhardy Recklessness

[Jason Cruz]

It had become as it was in his prior years at Hogwarts. He walked the halls. He attended classes. He ate in the great hall. And no one noticed. To his fellow students he was just that, a fellow student. He didn't draw attention, didn't catch anyone's notice. No one had asked him why he hadn't been at the Christmas ball. No one had asked him why he hadn't been at the Halloween ball either for that matter. But he didn't expect anyone to. Why would they? They didn't know him. Everyone who would have asked, who would have cared, was gone. Their parents had taken them out of the school, they had gone off to study abroad, or in one particular case that Jason knew of, they had simply died. To everyone who was left at the school, Jason was invisible.

He knew it wasn't a good idea as soon as it crossed his mind. He'd been told expressly not to do it by Alessandro, someone who seemed to know just how dangerous it was. Jason was a smart kid, if somewhat socially inept. He generally knew better than to follow bad ideas. This one however intrigued him. Part of it was stupid. Well, ok, all of it was stupid. Part of the stupidity was somewhat suicidal. Jason couldn't stand not being close to anybody now that he'd experienced it, and yet with his skewed belief that he was somehow responsible for the various disappearances that had occurred over the last term, he wasn't willing to draw close to anyone new, thinking that would only endanger them.

Equally idiotic was Jason's belief that he was shaming the Gryffindor name. He'd worn it for nearly four years and hadn't done anything that he thought of as terribly brave. Heading alone into the Forbidden Forest at dusk had to qualify, right? It may also gain him some notoriety around the school, and this was a very good thing in his eyes. If he could become even slightly famous, could maintain shallow friendships, then he could pretend he was close to some people without putting them in danger of vanishing. Seemed the perfect plan, whatever happened.

The young Gryffindor had been pacing just outside the forest for several minutes, waiting for the sun to fully vanish below the horizon. When the great golden orb was finally out of sight, the sky quickly darkening, Jason took a deep breath and headed into the deeper darkness of the trees.

Expecto Patronum. Expecto Patronum. Expecto Patronum. Expecto . . .

[Dark Phoenix]

Gliding through the forest on seemingly nothing but wings, her cloak rustled a few leaves as it passed over them; that was the only sound made as she walked. Her eyes and ears alert for the slightest of movements and sounds, she picked up the rustlings and quick scurryings of small forest creatures several times and chose to leave them be. She had more important things to attend to this night.

The sun had set not even an hour ago and barely under forty-five minutes ago a minion had approached her hurriedly, expressing that apparently a student was wandering around alone within the Forbidden Forest. It had sounded almost too good to be true, but she couldn’t pass up such an opportunity when her numbers of wizarding allies were dwindling so precariously. She had dementors, shadows and wraiths a-plenty, but when such a ripe young student chose to wander willingly into the darkness of the trees it was too precious of a chance to let anyone else handle. No, this could not be ruined, and they would probably only have one chance at it.

Knowing she was approaching the tree line, she stopped for a moment to peer around; if the boy had entered just after sunset, and he had travelled at a relatively cautious pace, he should be around-about in line with her. That was a vague estimate, but with all the activity in the forest she wouldn’t be able to find the exact location of the student so it was the best she had. Drawing her wand at the slightest of sounds, she turned on her heel and caught a shadow heading her way through the trees. Narrowing her eyes, she widened them back to a normal size when she realised it was most probably the same one who had informed her of Jason’s progress into the forest; the same one she had sent back to track him.

As it brought forth news of his whereabouts, she immediately changed her course of direction back to where the shadow had emerged from; a new, tense kind of excitement speeding her forwards. As the shadow leading her slowed, stopped and finally pointed through the trees, she nodded in a pleased manner to it and waved a hand, effectively dismissing the being. As it slid off into the darkness, she approached with extreme caution, unwilling for the boy to be aware of her before she planned. The intense orbs that adorned her face searched through the steadily darkening forest and found the exact target they were searching for.

A slow smile creeping onto her ghostly features, she aimed her wand precisely for the travelling boy before reconsidering. She needed to tread carefully… Very carefully. Either she could Imperius the boy and keep him under control that way, but that would risk the more perceptive members of the staff and student body realising what was going on. The other option was to manipulate him; something she much preferred. The boy appeared young, perhaps too young to be close to the lightfighters but she had no guarantee of that. For all she knew, the student could be best friends with D’rorah Philosophy herself. She would try to keep his personality and actions in tact… But if he strayed from his normal patterns she would need to install a more-than-decent excuse in him.

Thinking for a moment or two as she trailed silently after the boy, she kept her eyes peeled as her mind whirred away, setting everything into place. Finally satisfied with her decision, she left no room for self-doubt and circled around to the side of the young Gryffindor. Finding no need to take another form, she approached the small clearing in which he was entering with the same silence as ever. Coming through into plain sight, as much as was possible at nightfall, in any case, she held a thoughtful expression upon her face. “What brings you out into the forest all alone at night?” she questioned in a quiet voice, her tone implying a simple curiosity. “There are dangerous things in here, you could get hurt,” she added lightly.

Not advancing any further toward him, unwilling to make him any edgier than he might already be with such an unexpected encounter, she waited patiently for a response. There was of course a possibility that he had come here in search of her; anyone up at the school might believe that taking a stroll into the Forbidden Forest might be their best chance at contacting and joining her forces. She could not, however, be at all sure of that, and remained resolutely standing where she was, her posture and the position of her body indicating she was at ease and yet not overly so; merely comfortable in the unusual surroundings.

[Jason Cruz]

The sky was darkening rapidly, but Jason couldn't tell. As soon as he'd gone more than a few steps into the woods everything had become exceedingly dark. Worrying that he would trip and break his nose on a root before he had a chance to prove himself, he illuminated the tip of his wand with the simple lumos spell, allowing him to see his immediate surroundings at least. He did his best to walk in a straight line so he'd be able to find his way back out, but it was hopeless. After only a dozen meters everything looked the same to his untrained, inexperienced eyes.

There were lots of noises from every direction, but most seemed very subdued. Whether they were actually quiet noises or were simply muffled by the dense forest, Jason couldn't tell. The loudest noises to him were his own footsteps, each one seeming to snap a single twig. Some inexplicable feeling of being watched washed over him and he began to feel very vulnerable. He considered putting out his light, but not being able to see himself would hardly be helpful regardless of how well it hid him. Looking around himself quickly, Jason saw nothing but the trees and shrubs, but it was very dark and the light from his wand didn't seem to extend as far as it should. Why was the dark so . . . dark?

Jason stumbled on, growing more and more concerned with each passing second, and he'd completely lost track of how many of those had gone by. He had no idea where he was, no idea where he was going. If he stayed still he'd never get out but if he kept moving he'd have a chance, right? That was his logic at least, the logic of a scared, naive, fifteen year old. Up ahead he thought he saw some light and made his way for it. He did finally douse the light from his wand as he realized it was a small open clearing he was about to enter, the silver moonlight seeming almost bright after the darkness of the forest.

Stopping just as he entered the tiny meadow, Jason put both hands on his knees and took several deep breaths. What was he going to do? He had no notion of how to get back to the school. As far as he could tell he hadn't even encountered anything and he was already hopelessly lost and terrified. Suddenly there was a voice to his side and he reacted immediately, spinning to face the speaker and pointing his wand, his eyes going wide.

"EXPECTO PAT . . . ronum?"

Pausing before he'd finished the incantation, Jason dropped his wand back to his side, a tiny wisp of silver mist leaking out as he confusedly finished the spell. This was no dementoresque Shadow, not at all what he'd expected. It was just a woman, and yet not just a woman. She was elegantly dressed in immaculate robes and seemed perfectly groomed and darkly beautiful, almost unbelievably so. Jason hadn't caught the words she had spoken and now simply stared, his jaw hanging wide open. Eventually he found his voice. looking around him in total confusion.

"Where . . . how . . . Who are you?"

[Dark Phoenix]

Her eyes surveying the boy before her, the wand pointed directly at her seemingly unprotected chest, she smiled lightly as he finished his once loud incantation with a small questioning tone; almost as if she were tolerating the excited musings of a child. She was pleased to see the wand drop back to his side, useless now against her own quick reflexes. Keeping the same smile evident on her features as he questioned her in a confused tone, her features brightened slightly while her eyes portrayed a serious intent; a determined look that could often be found upon Dark Phoenix’s face.

“My name doesn’t matter so much as what I can offer you… For instance, there must be some reason for you to be out here all alone at dusk?” she evaded quietly, her tone seeming to be leaning on the polite border of concern. His reasoning for being in the Forbidden Forest with no discernable path back to the castle must be either completely foolish or… Well, no, any path that took him toward this point in his life must be foolish. “Why are you here?” she intoned again, genuinely curious and also quite pleased at whatever reason he might have.

Whether he’d had a fight with someone and wandered here in the blind anguish or anger that formed the aftermath, had wanted to prove himself and his bravery to his classmates, or simply gotten confused somehow, she had no idea. Any excuse or reasoning associated with such a decision could make no sense to her; unless he had indeed wandered quite willingly, seeking her out to join her forces. She would reserve such hopes, however; they could impede upon nicely laid plans when it was least expected.

Sensing a few servants lingering nearby, she willed some of them closer – close enough for even the stupidest of students to sense that something was watching them; that something was wrong. Looking around sharply, she turned back to Jason a moment later, her face intent. “You’re in danger here, come,” she said as if she were merely feigning the calm she produced for his sake, and his sake alone. For the entire world to see, the world that could not see her thoughts or emotions, she was a concerned member of society, a rather mysterious society, that was simply intent on protecting the boy before her for some reason or another. And that was exactly how she intended for it to stay.

[Jason Cruz]

What a curious thing to say. Jason cocked his head to one side and looked only more confused as she dodged around his question and posed her own. Why had he actually entered the woods? There wasn't really a simple answer to that. The reasons had been multiple and a little convoluted, and now that the question was presented he had to take a moment to consider all the thoughts that had led him here. He wasn't sure he'd be able to say. He also wasn't sure he wanted to divulge such information to a strange woman in the Forbidden Forest.

Now now, don't be rude.

Several moments passed as he tried to come up with what could be called a sufficient answer. His face screwed up slightly, and then relaxed as he sighed, his eyes falling to the forest floor.

"I guess . . . I'm just looking for answers. Or maybe solutions is a better word. There are problems with Hogwarts and problems with me and I don't know what to do about either."

He almost expected her to roll her eyes at him and condescendingly infrom him that all fifteen year olds feel they have terrible problems and for some reason believe they can change the world in a weekend. Before he had the chance to measure he response against his expectation however, he grew colder. It was late winter after all so of course it was cold, but the chill seemed to suddenly penetrate his very being. Shivering, Jason looked about in alarm, sensing something was amiss. Didn't dementors have some kind of aura that lowered the temperature? His alarm rising, Jason began fervently stabbing his wand toward random patches of shadow all about the edges of the clearing. Fear-widened eyes fell upon Dark Phoenix as she spoke and Jason almost unconsciously took several steps toward her. He paused as soon as he realized what he was doing, his face clearly showing his indecision.

You're so paranoid! Would you rather stay here with these dementors or shadows or whatever they are? She's offering help; you'd be a fool to refuse.

Still looking a little wary, Jason approached the ravishing woman, his eyes continually darting about the darkness. As he drew close however he seemed to relax, his eyes finally resting only on her. His wand was slipped back into his rear pocket. She seemed calm, so clearly she knew she could handle a pack of dementors. She must be powerful, and to use that power to defend a helpless stranger . . . She was clearly an angel if Jason had ever seen one.

"Where are we going?"

[Dark Phoenix]

Assessing him with glorious eyes and a faint, genuine smile playing at her lips, she waited for his response, anticipating the continued conversation. Her eyes widening slightly in an understanding kind of sympathy as he finally answered, Phoenix produced two small, calculated nods. Noticing the young Gryffindor look around in alarm, she denied her slight smirk of triumph that threatened and instead made her eyes wider in a feigned concern. Though, she supposed, perhaps it was not entirely feigned; she did want this boy as an ally.

Jason was almost ideal for her purposes – in a decent house, for once not a Slytherin or Ravenclaw aligned ally, and almost young enough to elude suspicion. He was also not an idiot, she could tell, and didn’t seem the popular type in whom a slight change of personality or routine would be easily noticed by those around them. He was not someone who would stand out in class for answering questions or performing tasks correctly, which was another good thing, but he was quiet and unassuming enough to perhaps gain friends should she wish it of him.

Noticing the jabbing movements of his wand, and the fearful eyes that were cast upon herself, a comforting smile emerged and softened as he stepped toward her. As he looked slightly unsure still, she was quite impressed that he felt comfortable enough to replace his wand into his pocket, and she put one arm around his shoulders briefly in a friendly kind of embrace. “It’s alright, you’ll be safe, but we need to get away from here as soon as possible,” she said in a quiet, soothing voice. As he questioned her, she released her arm from around him and turned to begin walking away from both the clearing and the castle. “I have a cabin nearby,” she explained simply, holding her wand lit and aloft.

[Jason Cruz]

As his mysterious savior put her arm around him, Jason grew nervous again. People made him uncomfortable. People he didn't know made him more uncomfortable. Women were even worse, and attractive women usually had him stumbling over both his feet and his words. In an effort to not trip or otherwise cause some embarrassing catastrophe, Jason froze up when she touched him. Hoping she didn't notice, as his shyness was a cause for embarrassment in itself, Jason more or less relaxed again once she released him and began walking away.

He fell dutifully into step behind her, eyes on the forest floor. It was how Jason commonly walked, watching his feet. He simply nodded as she mentioned her cabin, accepting it without question as he thought of everything Alessandro had told him of the forest and what lurked there. He remembered the older boy had mentioned Shadows and a Shadow Mage. What had he said about the Mage? "She . . . is a particularly hateful being . . ." Jason looked up at the back of his companion as she led on, wondering. But no, she had saved him, had comforted him, and was now leading him to safety. Surely that was not consistent with the actions of a "particularly hateful being." It did bring a question to his mind though, one that he felt should have become apparent earlier.

"Uhm . . . why do you have a cabin in the Forbidden Forest? That seems . . . odd."

He continued following, not really concerned. He simply didn't understand and sought enlightenment.

[Dark Phoenix]

Moving through the expansive underbrush louder than she normally would, but at a normal sort of tone for any common person silly enough to actually venture into her, she ensured that everything was kept at bay, only occasionally having a Shadow or Dementor pass behind them, as if stalking their movements. Glad that the boy was fairly easy to make complacent, she used her ever-useful wit to weave her way around the boy’s otherwise awkward question. Perhaps he might not be the brightest star as he asked such a blatantly good question and didn’t bother to demand a response before following a complete stranger who knows where, but she supposed anyone could be useful in their own way.

“I was cast out of normal wizarding life by evils that sought to destroy me,” she said quietly, her tone implying a long sadness that she by no means held. “I was framed for crimes I did not commit, and consequently sought by the Ministry… This is one of the few places they won’t venture to find me, and still somewhere I can be close to the wizarding world I love,” she continued in a quiet tone, the word ‘love’ as foreign to her as anything that implies such positive emotion. “I have friends in these woods that help to protect me from the greater beasts that dwell here; that are protecting us as I speak from the chill of the Dementors and worse.”

After walking for a while more, perhaps twenty or thirty minutes, a small clearing came into view, still bigger than any of the others they had passed by. “Ah… Here we are. Home sweet home,” she said happily, turning her head back to smile at him as she slowed her step. “You look freezing, come in by the fire and warm up a bit,” she offered, the orange flicker of firelight clearly evident through one of the forward-facing windows ahead.

Her footsteps quieter now on the bare ground, she pulled open the wooden door to the cabin and revealed a homey-looking little place, suitable for one but accommodating enough for two. A bed was set into the far corner, small with a home made quilt adorning the top of the soft sheets. In the corner on the door side of the little house was a small kitchen area; a bench, pots hanging from the roof. The fireplace lay in the middle of the left-hand wall, a comfortable couch and a couple of chairs set before it and basking in the warmth.

As she turned properly to him, shrugging off the overcoat she was wearing, she gave a modest smile and spoke, hanging the coat on the nearby coat rack. “It’s not much… But it’s home. Would you like some tea?” she asked politely, moving across to the designated corner and checking the level of the water before lighting the element with a tap of her wand and setting the kettle onto the stove top. “Have a seat, have a seat,” she said in a friendly tone, a smile coming with it.

[Jason Cruz]

"Oh."

It was all Jason could conjure up as a reply, hearing the sorrow in his savior's voice. Her answer led his mind to many other questions, questions of clarification mostly. What crimes had she been framed for, and why? Had the Forbidden Forest really been her best option for sanctuary? What friends of hers could possibly keep dementors at bay? Couldn't only a patronus really do that? Come to think of it, how was she keeping them back? This and more swam in Jason's thoughts as they walked on, but he kept silent. His naivety kept him from seriously suspecting any deception, and given that she had saved him, it seemed very poor manners to subsequently grill her on all the information concerning her clearly painful past.

He smiled a little shyly and nodded when she invited him in, though he didn't pay much attention to his surroundings. Her words about his temperature reminded him of stories his mother had read him when he was very young. In one, a boy was lost in a cold wood when he was happened upon by a beautiful woman who took him into her sledge and gave him sweet, warm things to eat and drink, being ever so friendly to him and inviting him to come to her home, along with his brother and two sisters. In the end she turned out to be an evil witch trying to destroy the boy and everything he loved. Jason couldn't help but note the similarities between that situation and this, though he of course was oblivious to just how closely matched the two were.

Yes, good plan. Base your life on fairy tales. This is the real world, smart one.

Jason shook his head and chuckled very softly, feeling silly for his fears. He was not, after all, in a children's book. And besides, in that book the witch had lived in a huge, elaborate castle and fancied herself a queen. This was a very humble abode, cozy as it may be, surely not the kind of place a manipulative megalomaniac would live. Again he smiled and nodded at the prospect of hot tea. He had come to adore tea since he'd moved to England.

"Yes, please. You have a lovely home Miss . . . I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. I'm Jason. Thank you for rescuing me. I really don't know what I would've done if you hadn't happened along. So . . . what are your friends? I mean, I've heard stories about the woods obviously, but I don't really know much I guess. Had no idea you were in here."

Jason moved closer to the fireplace for warmth and sat, a little awkwardly, in one of the chairs. He was doing remarkably well, all things considered. Jason didn't do well with crowds, but he was typically even worse one on one. He was surprised he was able to speak at all given her level of beauty, but somehow he just felt more relaxed around her. It was a wonderful feeling for the boy who was always on edge around people.

[Dark Phoenix]

((Ooc: Sorry about the wait, I got spontaneously dragged down south for a small vacation and haven’t had any internet access for the past week or so.))


Slightly glad that Jason didn’t pursue the topic, although it wouldn’t have mattered too much with what she considered her own superior skills of deception, she failed to reminisce on the quiet truth her words had held. Her mind stoically avoided the events of her far distant past and almost believed that the sadness in her words had been a lie; it had been so long since she had really felt anything other than hatred, displeasure or annoyance that her entirety barely registered any other emotion as being truthful.

Had she known the thoughts swimming through his mind, she might have even chuckled – something entirely unheard of for someone as cold and calculating as Dark Phoenix. The unusually strange similarities between the fantasy and the reality, however, could make anyone laugh if they were in the right position. As he shook his head slightly and produced his own small laugh, she smiled tolerantly, her eyes creasing at the sides and a fake warmth travelling up to them.

Nodding once as he responded positively to her offer of tea, she set about making it for him, not bothering to use magic but rather doing it the old fashioned way. Due to the lack of electrical appliances in the small cottage, and their complete inability to function in a magical area anyway, it wasn’t too long before she heard the kettle behind her boiling. Producing two mugs from beneath the sink, she filled them both nearly to the brim before adding two plain tea bags. “Milk or sugar?” she questioned with a smile, adding the appropriate requests or lack thereof before moving over to the couch and taking a seat.

Offering his own mug, which she had prepared well in view of him, she took a sip of her own and cradled it within her hands. Her cold fingers never really altered in temperature, for some reason. Bad circulation was one potential reason – the other was slightly more elusive and slightly less reasonable, but a reason nevertheless. After going so long without really feeling any kind of warmth inside, she had stopped feeling it on a superficial level, too. She had missed it, at first, but now she was so used to it not being there that she didn’t even notice, nor realise that the young Gryffindor’s hands would react very differently.

“My name is Sian,” she offered lightly, the name she usually went by when not wanting to be identified so easily as Dark Phoenix or the Shadow Mage. She had, over the centuries, quite often found it a useful way to keep track of any name given, by stealing that of her mother and adorning it herself. Long ago had she forgotten the original concept behind using that name; not only was it taken from her kin, but the very meaning defied everything for which she aimed – God’s gift. Her beginning novelty of using it when convenient had long faded into habit, just like so many things that had started so fresh upon her conversion into Dark Phoenix.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jason, if not only fortunate,” she added with a smile. “I don’t often have the pleasure of company.” Seeming to shake off his thanks with the ideal that it was she who was thankful, her expression grew slightly more serious, ever so slightly, with his next question. “A lot goes on in these woods that no wizard or witch outside of them understands or realises. My friends… they accepted me when I moved here, and we grew together. We help each other out in our own ways; it’s quite a good situation. They’re misunderstood by most of wizarding kind, just like Thestrals.” She hoped to relate to something he had most likely heard of – with a herd in this very forest and a Care of Magical Creatures professor up at the school, she had been told by Gat that he’d learned of them through the school and understood that a large proportion of the student body had done so, too. “I don’t really know what they’re called, though,” she admitted, showing no embarrassment about this fact.

“I suppose your teachers at the school were either on the side of those against me when I was cast out, or else haven’t heard of me. I mostly keep to myself in here; it’s better that way.” Her voice trailed off somewhat regretfully. As if needing to change tack for the sake of preventing bad memories from overcoming her, she raised her head and viewed him with a brief, albeit it quite happy, smile. “So what are the problems that were bad enough to send you into this forest in the middle of the night on your own?” she questioned, both appearing and sounding slightly concerned about this fact.

[Jason Cruz]

"Just a little sugar please."

Milk in tea was something Jason had never gotten used to, having been raised in America until more recent years. He gladly accepted the mug but soon set it down on the floor, the hot liquid quickly placing the container at a temperature too high for him to comfortably hold despite how cold his hands were. He did notice that Sian seemed not to mind the heat. Perhaps she had been out longer than he had and had grown more numb, or more likely she had simply grown accustomed to the heat since she'd no doubt made herself countless cups of tea in this place.

After a few brief moments he picked the cup up again and held it more a like span of seconds, then set it back down. This process was repeated several times as she explained her friends in a way he could comprehend. It was doing wonders for his hands, warming them in a comforting way, but it was simply too hot for him to hold for any length of time. Almost predictably, he simply nodded along with her explanation. A small light of understanding coming to his eyes at the mention of thestrals.

Shifting uncomfortably when she inquired once more into his reasons for being out in the forbidden forest, Jason felt quite foolish once more for the ridiculousness of his vague suspicions. Struggling to find the words, he launched into one of the long winded, halting explanations that he would have been known for at the school if there were any still there who had experienced them.

"Well . . . it's silly, but I . . . that is I seem to make people disappear. I mean not intentionally. I mean I'd never try and hurt someone. I don't think so anyway. Not consciously at least. I mean I'm not actively trying to make them disappear. It just happens to anybody that I get to know. It's always happening. I'm worried that just by being here I'm going to make something happen to you as well. I knew this girl Leilani, and not two weeks after we met and hit it off her parents pulled her from the school. That I figured to just be rotten luck, but then I met this boy Alessandro. He helped me with my patronus and is actually the one who warned me about bad things in the forest, and then his parents pulled him out too. He eventually came back but . . . he didn't seem to recognize me. And I met a couple of friends who were also Gryffindors, Tori and Mallan. Soon after Tori got pulled back to America by her parents, and Mallan . . . well I actually have no idea what happened to Mallan. I haven't seen him for a long time. There was another girl, Vivian. She disappeared without a trace too. And then there was Wysteria. She was nice. I mean, sort of. She wasn't mean. But then she went to visit her family in Romania and . . . and I don't know what happened but she never came back. She died. I don't know how."

He paused briefly, picking up his mug once more and hanging onto it this time.

"So I guess I'm cursed or something. Things happen to people around me. Bad things. And I'm left alone. So . . . I guess my excuse for being out in the woods was that I wanted to prove that I was really a brave Gryffindor, but that wasn't really why. I knew that if I stayed at Hogwarts I'd make more people disappear, or I'd just have to avoid everybody. Either way, it seems like fate has dictated I have to be alone. You don't know what . . . well, no, I guess you do. That seemed the worst kind of life to me and . . . and I thought it might be better to let something eat me. Or something. I dunno. I think maybe I had better leave before I make the wizards who cast you out find you and take you away or something."

His voice had been far from steady throughout his discourse and the mug in his hands had begun to shake before long. All in all the boy looked even less comfortable now than he ever had.

[Dark Phoenix]

Adding the appropriate request to his tea, he handed it to him with a soft smile. As Jason set it onto the floor, she moved gracefully over to him, taking a seat nearby and ensuring that it wouldn't be too close for comfort. Waiting for his reply and making no move to rush him, she looked forward to his explanation. Not that teenage angst made her the happiest person in the world, but it would simply give her a chance to comfort him; to gain some more trust and build their relationship.

Resisting the temptation to raise an eyebrow slightly as she felt it might make him slightly more wary, she frowned in a concerned manner, appearing thoughtful at his words. She was nevertheless pleased to hear that this war, the danger to the school, was pulling people out and resulting in insecure little children feeling vulnerable and blaming themselves. Of course, Jason seemed to have his own unique take on things; why were things always the fault of a teenager? She really couldn't stand their self-involvement at times.

The young Gryffindor appeared to have some sort of speech problem that caused him to ramble. Perhaps he was just nervous, or upset, perhaps this was just how he normally explained things. Phoenix hoped against hope that it was not the latter. Then again, most students from the school would be a welcome change from Gat. He had walked around arrogantly, his head high and his mind growing beyond the boundaries of where she liked to keep it. He had gotten too far ahead of himself, and she had let him, her disinterest and annoyance leading to the loss of a valuable ally; an Elemental Master on her side had indeed been useful, if only to expose one more Shadow Warrior to the torments of the war without having her Master to ground her.

Vaguely interested and only really paying attention so that she could perhaps offer some advice, her ears perked up slightly when he mentioned Alessandro. Surely she meant the Master of Fire, how many Alessandro's could there be in that infernal school? Noting that the boy had changed after he had returned, she prevented a tempting smile from rising onto her features. It was indeed Darko that Jason spoke of... And Wysteria! The others were all largely irrelevant to her, but Edwin was certainly not. 'Visit her family in Romania' was an interesting term indeed, and she was determined to look into things a bit more. The small lines around her eyes tightened imperceptibly as he continued... Wysteria was dead. She supposed it was good... It would take the Lightfighters time to find the next to replace the Warrior.

Seeing the mug in his hands wavering slightly, and hearing the tone of his voice, she looked at him in a concerned manner. "I'm sure you're not cursed, Jason," she said quietly, her voice melodic and soothing. "A lot of bad things are happening lately, and none of them are your fault. Fate isn't so cruel as to have anyone remain alone without choice, you've simply had bad luck." At the suggestion that he leave, just to protect her, she smiled softly; a smile that spoke volumes of understanding. "However... I can safely say that I know exactly how you feel. Having so many people around you disappear is far from easy." Then again, when she was the one causing this sudden vanishing of people, the situation had been slightly different. For obvious reasons, she left out that tiny fact.

"Jason," she said quietly, her eyes searching his. "Dying solves nothing, you simply remain in the misery and downfall of the situation when you left. It's only through living that you can mend what needs it... That you can make things better. There is always a better alternative to dying," she finished lightly, a small smile tilting the edges of her lips up.