Not a care in the world. [//Tasha]

[iansnyder]

Ian was known throughout the castle as a heart-breaker, a smart one at that. Although he barely showed up for any of his courses, he managed to pass them with flying colors. He wasn't sure what was to blame; his parents freeing him of all negative energy or the many books he had read over the summer. Ian really doubted his parents being hippies had anything to do with it, and so it came down to his ability to memorize large amounts of information in a short period of time.

He was almost like a human textbook in that sense, and he couldn't explain why it was so. But hey, he wasn't going to complain about it, that was for certain. They couldn't really fail him for missing so much class time when he was indeed an O (outstanding) student, could they? He surely hoped not. Ian wouldn't know what to do if he had to waste another year parading around this place.

It always bothered him that everything they learned at Hogwarts was of magical value. Seriously, once you get out into the real world, how is flying a broomstick going to help you become a better and more successful person? There are professional Quidditch tournaments to participate it, but not everyone is going to get a spot on the team. Then there are spells, none of which could help you further your career outside of Hogwarts. He sometimes wondered if the professors expected them all to be Ministry employees or guards of some sort.

If you're going to run a tea shop, how is memorizing spells going to help you? It'll just help prove to the world that you're too lazy to run your own teashop. Tea that stirs itself? Give me a break. They'd all end up too fat to function.

Ian planned to spend the day outside of the castle all by himself. Sometimes it felt better that way, besides, that Ashley chick back in the common room was beginning to give him the creeps. Perhaps he would take a nice long walk through The Forbidden Forest. It was the only time he could get any peace and quiet around here, even if it was a bit risky. Yeah, that's it. He'd- What in Merlin's name.. Ian's focused in on a pretty blonde girl, and she seemed to be in an awful lot of pain. Now, he had a choice to make. Help her out and risk her starting some long, dull conversation like every other girl he knew, or go straight to the forest without passing go or collecting $200. Hmmm. Ah heck, it's not like he cared. Not at the moment anyway.

Ian began to make his way into the forest, acting as though he had all the time in the world. He really had nothing better to do and his lack of sleep was beginning to get to him. With a very distinct yawn he continued on his way, black boots pushing through the mess of leaves that were scattered amongst the path. Ian stopped right outside of the forest, reaching into his pocket and digging for buried treasure. Or his pocket watch, either one.

"I know I left it somewhere in here..," he growled beneath his breath, his opposite fist clenching in anger. "What the f**k," he added, closing his eyes for a moment.

[tasha]

Tasha was doing anything but behaving like a good little girl recently. Each time she questioned her book about something too difficult she was told to go for a walk or something. Then of course she would follow up her question with where or something and another answer would be just as negative. Each time she had a serious thought she ended up taking an illegal walk into the night, or into a place that was off limits. On this particular occasion she happened to be told to walk through The Forbidden Forest, and she had naturally taken the advice unconditionally. It was a common occurrence sense the day her book was changed that she do things she'd be better off not doing. Yet, due to her nature she suspected nothing and went along with the words of her trusted guide. The brisk touch of the wintery breeze splashed against her as she strode bouncily across the grounds.

Just after descending the stairs of the castle and meeting her heel to the hardened ground of the cold season Tasha saw someone making the trek across the way. Tasha wasn't so sure if he was going the same way as she was but she felt a slight curiosity as to who exactly he was. Her small stature was caught by the wind that riled up suddenly and she took a step to the side from her stationary position. The whole of her red curls were flawlessly swaying in the wind as she held the miniature black top hat to her head. The red and black ribbons on the side whipping about in the small burst of wind that wrapped Tasha in the winter air. The light gust passed and the long red curls of her head settled and stilled. With the same shinning smile she presented the world at all times Tasha made her way toward the trees. It wasn't too hard to notice that she happened to be taking the same route as the boy before her and she wondered if he was out on a thinking stroll too. The fact that she wasn't alone in her unwise trespasses was strangely reassuring.

As Tasha passed into the shaded area beneath the canopy of The Forbidden Forest she lost sight of the stranger for a moment. The forest was truly a marvelous place in the eyes of the odd little doll and the shadows beneath the trees were oddly soothing. Where most would find the place creepy or odd, it was actually a nice place to relax once you got over the dark haunting feeling. Tasha hadn't really been much affected by the ominous feeling of being in the forest, it was due to her cheery disposition if anything. Her eyes gleamed with the delight she took at each strange sound and every creak of the wood. Her over-robes fluttered lightly in the barely noticed breeze that swept through the trees on the forest's edge. Her flame colored hair swished about and the dress she wore beneath the robes of her house showed slightly every now and then. She allowed herself to again be frozen at the sight of something, but this time it was the forest itself. The swaying branches above head, the few flurries of snow that invaded the still air beneath the trees, all this caught her radiant blue eyes.

Tasha started to move again and was alerted to the presence of another person by the sound of rustled leaves. Tasha looked down at her own feet for the moment and saw the mess of scattered leaves that lay fallen on the ground. The trees protected The Forbidden Forest from the intrusion of the white crystals, and as such the ground was hard with piles of leaves and scattered groups of the like. Tasha looked up again and searched for the cause of the sound, already having no recollection of the person she'd followed into the trees. She made her way after the sound made by something she figured larger then herself and saw the outline of a person. Her suspicions of whatever it was being larger had been based on the fact that she made barely a single leaf shift from it's resting place as she skipped on by. The small bit of deductive brilliance was proven correct as she stepped nearer the cursing stranger she'd forgotten in her moments of wonder. Without an ounce of worry she pranced along and stopped beside him and tugged once on his robes in case she wasn't yet noticed. He seemed to have been searching himself for something, though it wasn't quite so relevant to the young girl.

"Hello there. You're not supposed t be traveling freely about the Forbidden Forest you know..."

Tasha let her hand fall back to her side having likely gotten his attention already and smiled up at him. Her words were said with the same natural buoyancy that all of her words held, and not as much sarcasm as one would expect from such a phrase. With her other hand she held a lovely black parasol with red fringes. The parasol was twirling over her shoulder, the canopy open just behind her and tilted slightly as was her head. Tasha was looking at him with the common tick of inquiry that she was so cute doing. Her head tiled to the side in a noticeable angle that seemed sweetly innocent, but she quickly straightened back to her normal stance waiting for an answer from the stranger. She twirled the parasol still and looked down, brushing a bit of dust away from her robes before returning her gaze to the target of her inquisition.

[iansnyder]

As soon as his eyes fluttered open he pulled a gold pocket watch from his trousers, picking it up to admire the big and little hands of the circular ornament. The sun would be setting soon and the creatures of the night had better things to do than welcoming him with open arms.

The Forbidden Forest was a dangerous place, this he knew, but within the rustling leaves and unclaimed creatures was something bigger than the school itself. A place of peace, his own resting place. Ian came here so much that those that dwelled there had began ignoring his presence all together, which was perfectly fine by him.

Gleeful girls with their caked on makeup and flammable hair.. It was all a joke to him. It was as if the opposite sex was trying to play some kind of dirty trick on him. One that would change his interpretation of their physical features by the process of hiding beneath a mask. Ian didn't find himself too attractive, but never would he go to such preposterous levels to change that.

Here all was silently. Silent but eery. You could gather your thoughts together with a sense of unknowing and a constant perception of something lurking behind each shadowy corner. There were two things that could occur in such a place; You could lose your mind or enhance it. He was rather keen to the second.

His pocket watch slipped back into his trousers and on he went, off to find that swamp. His swamp. His journey was set short as he heard a little voice from behind, his eyes having to move quite a ways down just to meet eye contact. After all, he was 6'1.

A grin spread across his pale lips, stifling a laugh which regarded her choice in clothing. "Hm.. Well, I'll keep that in mind than." He was about to turn on his heels when it occurred to him; Why was a little girl that was easily half his size wandering about The Forbidden Forest alone?

"What about you, Sherlock? Fancy getting killed in this place?"

[tasha]

The boy apparently found the place a calm and cool environment and that was not all to disagreeable in Tasha's opinion. Her mind followed the same path as her eyes at this particular moment and she gazed on the watch he produced from his pocket. He wasn't so bad looking a guy, even though the whole bit about looking so far up was a bit awkward. Tasha was around two feet shorter then the guy she'd walked up to, and was not in the least a tall figure. Her small body compared to his larger one was a great contrast that any would notice from afar. The little girl saw that her speech was likely unexpected, as was her size. The tall Slytherin looked down at her and seemed to find her amusing. The look had thoroughly insulted her, she was a bit sensitive about her form of dress, and his look of ridicule was met with her glare of indignation. Tasha wasn't very rude, nor was she easily set off, but she worked hard to put her clothes together. Sometimes materials were hard to come by, and she did her best to dye and stitch together her artistic clothing.

Tasha's eyes still glimmered brightly and her face was as light as ever, no other emotion showing or apparent but her sunny bright disposition. Her reaction to his words was no different. The only emotion Tasha showed normally was glee and excitement, or maybe interest, but nothing more. Tasha's annoyance and indignation were stifled in her heart, though, it was a dangerous thing to hold in years of verbal abuse and negative emotions. Tasha wasn't a volatile girl, but looks like that only added to her ticking time bomb of annoyances and indignant angers. Though, it was only made worse when he seemed to be swatting her comment away. It was at least to his credit that he turned to inquire as to what she was doing out here herself. Tasha could have responded in many ways but she decided on the most simple. She pointed up at him with the same glowing smile and spoke with her most sweet and innocent tone.

"I'm Tasha Tessa Thomas. Nice to meet you. Your Hair is greasy looking and your face is pasty.. you should really do something about that."

Tasha's first little sign of a hidden animosity for any other should popped out in her comment. Though, she was not aware of her changing, Tasha recent experiences, added to the guidance of her book were leading her into a new self. Her words didn't match with her expression or tone very much at all. There was no measure of haughtiness or negative emotion in her voice. She spoke sweetly as if merely addressing him as any normal person would. Her insults were in no way as bad as another may be, but it was the feeling that her every word was simply fact that made them a bit more harsh.

"I'm sure you're fine out here, after all, it's not like any of the sweet little creature out here would approach a thing like you."

She smiled wide and dropped her hand to her side once more. "You could give me your name if you want.. though I'm sure it's very irrelevant seeing as how you snarl at a lady before introducing yourself."

She shook her head and muttered.."Such a dog of a pasty faced man this is."

[iansnyder]

It wasn't until his two blue orbs focused in on her expression that he was able to interpret her feelings. She was so obviously insulted by his stifle of a laugh, which he hadn't expected in the least. Usually a girl of her size would become threatened by the mere size of someone such as himself, but her rude retorts spoke otherwise. You couldn't blame him though, Tasha was quite the sight. Black and red in the middle of The Forbidden Forest? She looked like a doll in her little ensemble, which strangely blended in with the eery atmosphere of the forest.

His own words had seemed to make matters far worse. Ian hadn't been aware of the fact that she actually wanted him to take her advice and run out of the forest screaming. It wasn't in his style, besides, he had a lot on his mind. So much for a time of relaxation.

Your hair is greasy looking and your face is pasty. Oh, for shame. "Yeah, I know." His replies were as nonchalant as could be, brushing it off like nothing had been said. It's not like he found himself attractive either, it was others that thought differently.

"Your probably right. I've been out here a million times, they must be afraid of my greasy hair and pasty skin. That's got to be it. Thanks for the advice doll-face."

Ian was filled with such utter amusement, watching this little girl try to hold something against him. Usually he'd be firing right back, but not someone of her stature. He'd allow her to take over the role of the tough girl, mostly because her words weren't as hurtful as they seemed.

"Ian, Ian Snyder," he introduced with raised eyebrows, his tongue running across his lips. "You a first year or something?"

[tasha]

Tasha was far out of her element and in no way allowed herself to be so rude on a normal basis, though she had to admit it felt a little good. Her words stung something in her, probably more then it stung the one they were directed at. She wasn't altogether what to make of that strange feeling but she was quick to discard it with the same speed he swiped away her attempted insults. For the most part he was a bit too uncaring to be interesting, but at least he was funny. The doll face comment was surely enough to make her happy, and she felt the annoyance bubbling beneath her calm exterior fade away. Her slight moment of indignation was hopefully unnoticed, it would fade her smiling bright image. No matter if she didn't notice it, that look was a much enjoyed part of her personality. She had managed to stifle the obvious feeling of annoyance easily and submerge it in her normal smile, but that meant nothing if he'd seen it in the start. In any case she found it hard to be mad at someone who agreed with everything you said. I was like fighting a doll, a reference that actually made her giggle as she realized how doll-like she was herself.

It was indeed true that the girl looked like a life-sized porcelain doll, and that fact was more or less the look Tasha desired. A doll had beauty that never faded until broken or mistreated, and Tasha could fare through the harsh storms of other peoples wills. Tasha liked being like a doll, she'd never owned one, and had an admiration of them for a while now. His self introduction was just as offhanded as the rest of his actions and for some reason it stripped Tasha of all of her hostility. The little girl simply looked up at him and tilted her head to the side in a sweet little way as a sign of inquiry and curiosity in something. The intricate parasol that she carried twirling between her rolling fingers as she thought of how to respond to this stranger. She wasn't very skilled at insults, it was apparent that he had nothing on this guy anyway. Her attempts yo anger him or insult him failed and Tasha wasn't all too annoyed anymore so instead she sighed through her smile.

"Nice to meet you and thanks for the complement. You're a nice dog when you try. I've heard your name few times... alway from adoring girls and disgruntled guys. Never seen you before though.. I guess we can agree that they're making an unnecessary fuss then?"

She didn't mean any insult at all this time, but was merely speaking her version of the truth. He was rumored to be a bit of a dog in any case. He was the resident playboy and it was well-known. The rumor has it he'd been at it for years and he'd been stealing hearts from her dorm as well. It wasn't uncommon to hear of a guy like that, even if you are a first year. Tasha was of course a bit dishonest in saying he wasn't cute, though he could use a fix up in her opinion. It was likely that the whole playboy reputation was fogging up her image or him, or she really disliked the look that'd gotten him his fan base. Tasha herself was never interested in anyone under five feet nine inches, and Ian wasn't too ugly in her opinion. Though, her initial image had gone from bothersome to bothersome and annoying. Ian seemed to be the perfect playboy, and he was a Slytherin, he was most likely up to no good.

"I'd rather not tell the resident playboy anything about myself really, it's not all that wise. My friends tell me that you're no good and that you steal money from old ladies by making them put you in their wills."

[iansnyder]

He couldn't help but grin at her apparent changes in her expression over such a short period of time. Ian had to admit, she was kind of cute in a little kid sort of way. The dress made her look a bit younger in his opinion, although it looked like something an older girl would wear. The intricate details and the arrangement as a whole was somewhat over-powering in comparison to her little body. He believed this to be the reason that he found such amusement in it. Her size. Yes, that had to be it.

He had to give her some credit though. Over half of the girls in her age group were dressed in t-shirts with little kittens or cartoons so cheesy that they could easily cause him to hurl. There were usually two types of girls around her age; the ones that don't do enough, and the ones that do too much. Caking on makeup and wearing belly shirts is a bit much, where as never washing your hair and wearing it up everyday is just as bad. She had actually taken the time to get something that actually matched together and she obviously took good care of herself. Plus, she was pretty damn amusing.

"A nice dog?," he said through a clearly noticeable laugh, his grin widening. I guess we can agree that they're making an unnecessary fuss then? "Yes, yes," he said quickly, in utter amusement. "Completely unnecessary," he added, running his fingers back through his hair.
Her next statement had taken him aback quite a bit. Resident playboy? Sure he had his times, but these rumors were getting out of hand. Most of the time all Ian did was flirt, but people tend to get some crazy back story which they take completely out of context the second they hear about it. He wasn't exactly a virgin, but he wasn't a man-sleeper either. "Listen sweetheart, I'm no playboy. I'm a pretty ni-," he stopped himself mid sentence, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Stealing from old ladies? That's it, the gossip committee had gone to the dogs.
"I've never stolen from an old lady in my entire life, scout's honor," he raised his right hand, still rather confused by this accusation. "All the rumors are bullshit."

[tasha]

Her smile seemed to take on an audible charm that screamed her amusement. It seemed that he wasn't all together as bad as she'd heard. Her friends however were her more trusted individuals and that would mean he was at an arms length. She wasn't looking at this with anything more then the sight of a sweet little girl being careful of her surroundings. Though, her care was seemingly thin as she was out in The Forbidden Forest with a total stranger who had recently threatened her death. It seemed that Tasha would never escape her own naive nature, though it was possible to overcome in time and training. Her eyes wondered along his features in an attempt to tell his truth from his lie. Her gaze seemed like a more interested and maybe adoring look then that of skepticism. His responses were all as charming as the last, and it was in no small way diminished by the way he carried himself. His slightest gestures made his claim against his playboy name into shameless prattle. Tasha was only seeing it as such because of her previous warnings, and would otherwise have been blatantly unaware of his motions.

"Like you were a scout... I guess that means you didn't bite the heads off of the bats in the dungeons then either?"

Her eyes glimmered in a giggle she held back as best she could. The rumors that passed through the girls dormitories were not always flattering, if even sensible. tasha was a member of that society and so any gossip that strafed into the halls made way to her ears. It was a sort of thing that made a big castle seem so small. A rumor made behind you would beat you to your destination and consume you before you knew it existed, and the amount of juicy little tales about this guy were no different. As obviously untrue as a few were any cute boy was on the list of constant ridicule. The unbiased skepticism of the female body was a curse that would plague any above average boy until time ended and the world crashed into a pool of slime.

"Well, in any case... why rare you out here Mr. Snyder.? Certainty a bat eater would be in these woods, but is that he only reason you came out here?"

Her formality and tone were as always impeccable, but it was her words that made the jest. Tasha had a way of simple rattling off the most insulting things without a care and even saying some very sweet things in the same manner. To her she was merely asking honest questions.

[iansnyder]

Ian never quite understand what others thought about him, especially when he was wasn't around. Stealing from old ladies, being a..playboy? Preposterous little tales, that's all they would ever be. Everyone seemed to find such entertainment in talking about him, perhaps because he wouldn't talk to many of them to begin with. Mysterious things or people such as himself conjure rumors, it was a proven fact. This little girl was already looking at him like he was some kind of a monster and he hadn't even spoken to her before. It hurt, he had to admit, but it was something he could easily ignore. What amused him the most was the fact that this little gossip club was part of the group that praised him so highly. They'd talk him up one minute and bash him the next.

He burst into laughter at what she said next, no matter how hard he had tried to hold back. "No, that one's true," he said through laughter, staring down at her. "In fact, I was just looking for my dinner. Here batty batty!," he looked up, pretend to search for a flock of bats. "Seriously though, do I really look like I eat bats? That's...disgusting."

Ian gave her a shake of his head and a heavy sigh, sliding his hands into his pockets. It was growing cold now that the sun had set and creatures of the night were likely to ruin their night. It was nothing he couldn't handle however, I mean, he had been out here more than a hundred times since his first year at Hogwarts.

"Yep. Just gettin' my fill is all," he rolled his eyes, taking one hand out of his pocket to flip some hair from his face. "Nah. I just came out here to..uh..to think. The forest has got to be the quietest place in this whole damn school. What about you, dollface? Just want to get eaten is all?"

[tasha]

"I'm here to settle my curiosity. You're a nosy guy aren't you? I thought men were supposed to be a bit less talkative. You sure you're the castle playboy? Maybe I got my names mixed up..."

Tasha was a bit vague in her response, even without meaning to be she was attempting to divert attention to her purpose. Already she was acting a lot different then her normal actions. She was a bit less recklessly honest then before, and instead simply honest. She hadn't lied, but instead of giving out detail as she would normally she was more vague then usual. Tasha was sure to fall into the hands of the darker side of the fight. Though, she was slowly getting there. She now kept her gaze planted on her escort, or at least, that's what he was to her at this point.

"You should make sure nothing comes to get me Mr. Snyder, since you're so concerned. That way you can have someone to vouch for you to be a bat eating gentleman instead of a pasty faced bat eating playboy. It's a good bit better don't you think."

Tasha smiled and looked up at the night sky streaking past the canopy. The trees had an ominous shadow under the, now that the sun had nearly set. There was a certain peace in the dark that Tasha loved. It wasn't as scary to her as many said it was, the forest was an interesting place, and even more so after the sun set. There was little that would scare the little girl, and she felt she was always under the protection of another no matter what she did. It was a calming feeling she'd had nearly all her life, and even without that she had her book to help her through everything.