Kerridon Paradox
Ravenclaw
[blue]6th Year Ravenclaw[/blue]
One loss locked me in the heart of misery... but you had the key to set me free
Posts: 317
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Post by Kerridon Paradox on May 19, 2009 7:32:28 GMT -5
Having passed D’rorah in the corridor yesterday looking in quite a state and being supported by the Shadow Warrior of Water, Caitlin, Kerridon had had quite a bit of difficulty resisting swooping down on the Hufflepuff and demanding to know what had happened. Unfortunately that would certainly ruin any semblance of having little to do with D’rorah and so he had been forced to just keep walking and dismiss thoughts of it in case everyone came across his worrying thoughts.
So he had left it purposely at the back of his mind, but today had woken up particularly early with an intention to find out what exactly had happened to her a few days ago. He had left it a few days in case she was in the hospital wing for a little longer than she would wish to be, but now was certain she would be back to her normal routine, which he had taken note of since they had come back to Hogwarts from Paradox Hall. Yesterday afternoon he had left the grounds for a little while to collect the book that Monsieur Girard had been restoring and that was now stored safely in his bag. The burnt sections had obviously not been replaced, but instead the paper looked as good as new with just a few gaps around the edges of paragraphs where words were missing.
Pacing up and down the sixth floor several times, he entered the Room of Requirement as soon as it appeared and sat himself down on one of the chairs around the circular table bearing a symbol he recognised as fire. He could not enter the Elemental Room of Wind without D’rorah or her Elemental Master, so waited for her to turn up so he could demand an explanation as to who had beaten her so badly. He placed the mended document on the table after taking it out of his bag.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on May 19, 2009 12:57:55 GMT -5
D'rorah rose at her customarily early hour, intent on beginning her day. Her sleep had been troubled, but not as severely as she had become accustomed to of late. At any rate, she was doing her best to fulfill her promise to Kerridon, attending carefully to both sleep and food with regularity. Already, she looked improved for it. Her cheeks looked less hollow and the shadows under her eyes had receded slightly... though it was difficult to notice the change in the eye that was still swollen and blackened from her encounter with Dylan. She had a way to go before she would look completely recovered, but she was making visible strides in that direction. It was quiet as she showered and dressed. She re-wrapped the bandages around her torso before carefully pinning up her hair and fastening the buttons that rose to her throat and then the ones that snaked down her arms, securing her sleeves from forearm to wrist. She touched her swollen jaw as she contemplated her reflection in the mirror before exiting the washroom. She deposited her laundry in her dormitory and then turned to head out.
The first stop was the kitchen. She gathered a bagel and an apple, declining any offers of spreadables for the bagel as she backed out of the kitchen. The elves at Hogwarts were accomodating... sometimes a bit too accomodating. Breakfast secured, she tucked them away into the bag on her shoulder and headed. Breakfast would come after training, but it was much easier to gather it now, rather than face the throng of students in the Great Hall later. Her swords were carefully concealed beneath her robes, gently tapping at the sides of her calves occasionally as she ascended the stairs. She had retrieved them the morning after having been released from the infirmary, unwilling to leave them behind any longer than she absolutely had to.
It was eerily quiet as she opened the door to the Room of Requirement, and Kerridon's unexpected presence at the table as she closed the door caused her to stop short, a slight gasp of surprise being heard. [blue]"You startled me,"[/blue] she accused as she exhaled slowly in relief. Perhaps she was still a bit edgy after having been similarly surprised by Dylan's presence a few mornings previous. She noticed the text on the table almost immediately and moved toward it and Kerridon, happy that the two desires coincided. She offered him a smile. [blue]"I did not hope that I might see you so soon, Mister Paradox."[/blue] She suspected he would be here to enquire as to her state when she had passed him in the hall the other day, but didn't want to assume such. She was almost certain his reaction would be negative... and even after all he had done to her, she really didn't much want to see Dylan harmed. The fact still remained that he was a necessary component of their group... just as the fact still remained that she had yet to dispel her instinct to be protective of him.
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Kerridon Paradox
Ravenclaw
[blue]6th Year Ravenclaw[/blue]
One loss locked me in the heart of misery... but you had the key to set me free
Posts: 317
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Post by Kerridon Paradox on May 20, 2009 9:34:51 GMT -5
Kerridon didn't have to wait long for D'rorah to arrive, but he immediately stood as the door opened in case it wasn't her. He had an excuse ready if it wasn't; he had wanted to return a document to her and knew she came here for training. The other lightfighters knew he was on their side and that it needed to be kept a secret, so it was entirely plausible. It would be very unlucky if it turned out to be Dylan who entered, but that could not be helped if it was. Fortunately, it was indeed D'rorah who entered, on her usual schedule.
He noted that she did look a little healthier than she had previously – apparently she was keeping to her promise about eating and sleeping more. However, the swollen jaw and black eye severely detracted from the image of recovery, although it was at least an improvement on how she looked a few days ago when Caitlin had been supporting her. He did not return her smile and instead had to resist scowling at the injuries on her face.
Leaving the book on the table for now, he stood and walked over to her and brought a hand up to gently touch the side of her face, tracing around the swelling in her jaw, a hint of a frown coming onto his face despite his attempts to suppress it. He avoided the actual swelling, not wanting to cause her any more pain. [blue]"Who did this?"[/blue] he demanded in a quiet voice, not believing for a second that she had fallen down the stairs, as the rumours going around were saying. She was more aware of her surroundings than to do something like that, which meant that the only thing that could have caused these injuries was someone at the school.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on May 20, 2009 13:58:51 GMT -5
Not receiving a smile in return, D'rorah knew that could only mean that Kerridon was indeed here to ask about the spectacle he had seen of her the other day as Caitlin helped her to the infirmary. Her eyes followed him as he rose from his seat and walked over to her. His frown as he traced a hand at the edge of her jaw spoke volumes of just how upset he was at the moment. Of course Kerridon would have known better than to think she had fallen down the stairs... perhaps he might have believed she had been pushed, but falling of her own accord wasn't something he would expect from her.
Her eyes met his as he quietly demanded to know who had hurt her. She had suspected this was coming. Why was it that she suddenly felt more wronged by the attack the other morning now that she stood under his gaze than she had directly after it had happened? She had been injured many times in her life, but it was true that, barring the night her parents had been killed, she had never been so abused in her life. [blue]"We are in the middle of a war, Kerridon. Surely you cannot expect that our time together will pass without my sustaining injury?"[/blue]
Why was she stalling? She was usually so direct, but as she stood there under his watching eyes some part of her felt ashamed of this particular incident. She had been caught completely unaware. She had acted weakly, allowing Dylan to savagely beat her all because she had not wanted to hurt him. Her eyes drifted downward as she forced herself to answer his question. She wasn't being fair, drawing this out. No doubt it had taken every ounce of self restraint Kerridon possessed to wait this long to approach her to find out what had happened and now she was delaying him even further with something as trite as a statement that he should expect her to be injured in war. Now she was nearly as ashamed of the answer she had given as she was of what had happened to her.
Her eyes cast downward, she finally gave him the answer he had been looking for. [blue]"It was Dylan Cooper."[/blue] She waited for the inevitable backlash. It had been Dylan's abuse in front of the entire Ravenclaw common room that had brought her and Kerridon together... and now, to have so soon after already suffered again at his hands, she could only imagine that he would be angry.
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Kerridon Paradox
Ravenclaw
[blue]6th Year Ravenclaw[/blue]
One loss locked me in the heart of misery... but you had the key to set me free
Posts: 317
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Post by Kerridon Paradox on May 20, 2009 16:42:21 GMT -5
Over the past few days, Kerridon had gone through several scenarios of what might have happened to cause D'rorah to end up in such a state and he went through them again as his hand whispered across her skin. The idea of her actually falling he had dismissed almost immediately, along with the idea of being pushed – she seemed much too aware of her surroundings for that, as well. The other main conclusion he had come to was that she had been attacked for some reason. By an animal seemed unlikely, since she had been coming from the wrong direction when he saw her to have come from the school grounds. Which left being attacked by someone at the school... yet someone who had not sought to kill her, it seemed, just injure her – either that, or D'rorah had actually won the fight. But if that was the case, then there should be another damaged person walking around the school, and he had not seen any sign of it so far.
His frown increased at her non-answer – minimally, but still enough for there to be a visible change on his face. Although the hand on her face was light, the rest of his body was tense and he did not even bother to answer the query she directed at him in return. To be honest, he hadn't realised he would be quite so upset by her being injured, and had not really thought about the possibility beforehand, even though he knew it was more a probability than a possibility.
[blue]"Answer the question,"[/blue] he snapped as she paused, a little harsher than he had intended. It was not like D'rorah to stall, which made him more concerned about the answer than he had been before. Did she not want to admit that she had been bested in a fight by someone who she had previously considered weaker than her? The thought that she might be protecting her attacker did not occur to him.
Finally, she acceded and did answer. Unfortunately, gaining the answer to his question did not help in the slightest and before he really knew what he was doing, Kerridon had pulled his hand away from her swollen face and had turned to walk around her, heading for the door with the intention of finding Dylan Cooper as soon as possible. Dark Phoenix would be most pleased at hearing of the death of an Elemental Master, he was sure – that would certainly count as a visible, successful result from his relationship with D'rorah that would mean they would not need to keep it a secret, if he said he had gained the knowledge from a conversation with her.
He had only taken a few steps before stopping, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to calm himself somewhat. His brain had kicked in and he knew that he could not kill the boy, for several reasons. One, the loss of a known Elemental Master would be very bad for the lightfighters, whose side he was now supposed to be on. Two, despite having been attacked both verbally and physically by Dylan, he doubted that D'rorah would be too pleased to hear of his death; especially by his hand. Kerridon very rarely became truly angry, but this was certainly one of those times. His rage had been abated after Taisy's death due to the sheer grief that overpowered it, but this time there was no misery to distract him. [blue]"How?"[/blue] he asked shortly, voice coming out sharp again and still with his back to D'rorah and facing the door. It would be oh so easy to find the boy... maybe make him watch Amy, that new girlfriend of his, suffer first, before moving on to him.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on May 20, 2009 18:49:17 GMT -5
Already feeling her shame growing, D'rorah winced as though physically slapped when Kerridon ordered her to answer the question. She knew he would be frustrated with her, and she could certainly understand why... though that didn't lessen the impact of his tone of voice any. As she finally gave him the answer he had demanded, she felt as though a piece of her was ripped away as Kerridon pulled with hand away from her face and turned to walk around her.
He was angry. The problem was that she could not be certain whom he was angry with. Almost certainly he was angry with Dylan. For some reason, D'rorah thought it was equally likely he was angry with her as well. She couldn't have articulated a clear reason as to why, except that she felt at fault for allowing herself to have been bested by her own sentimentality. She turned to follow Kerridon, but he stopped himself after a few steps. She could only imagine what he was thinking, what he intended to do. Like D'rorah, Kerridon could be a very dangerous person if he so chose.
His short bark of "how" was like another physical blow. Had she somehow become unworthy of him now? She stared at his back for a moment, knowing he would only grow more irritated the longer she took to answer. [blue]"It is my fault... I was caught unaware after I finished my training that morning. He was in this anteroom. I did not think him a danger."[/blue] She took a deep breath, composing herself. Now she was upset not only by the fact that she had allowed herself to be physically bested by an inferior fighter, but also by the fact that she was certain Kerridon was angry with her. She reached out a tentative hand and placed it lightly on his shoulder. [blue]"Please Kerridon... do not leave me..."[/blue]
She had been so elated to see him again. It had been difficult to restrain herself from thinking of him since they had returned from Paradox Hall. She had seen him around school, and it had been difficult not to be able to even glance at him. She had wanted him by her side when she was in the infirmary, but hadn't even been able to dwell on the desire because she never knew who might notice it. Now all she felt was miserable and ashamed as she hoped that this hadn't somehow damaged her newly-begun relationship with Kerridon.
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Kerridon Paradox
Ravenclaw
[blue]6th Year Ravenclaw[/blue]
One loss locked me in the heart of misery... but you had the key to set me free
Posts: 317
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Post by Kerridon Paradox on May 21, 2009 11:04:26 GMT -5
Kerridon tried to soften his expression a little when he saw D'rorah wince at his barked order. He didn't want to hurt her any more than she already was, but his efforts mostly failed; the anger at Dylan overpowering his desire to comfort D'rorah. In fact, the effort really only deepened his scowl although he did at least manage to keep the hand on her face soft.
He waited, impatient again as D'rorah paused before answering his second question. However, the answer she gave again was not particularly pleasing. She thought it was her fault, because she had been caught unaware? His frown stayed in place, but was now more an expression of confusion than anger. He heard her taking a deep breath as he began to calm himself, pushing away the anger both so that he would be able to resist attacking Dylan the next time he came across the boy, but mainly so that he could put his mind to D'rorah instead.
Not expecting her to reach out, he tensed a little automatically when she placed her hand on his shoulder, then forced himself to relax. It was Dylan he was angry with, not her... and just because he couldn't inflict his anger on Dylan, that didn't mean that D'rorah should have to bear the brunt of it. She had already suffered enough because of that boy... he wasn't about to make it worse. It was her last sentence that helped defuse the last of his fury so that there was only a little bubble left, which quickly got buried away so he couldn't access it.
He sighed for a moment, then turned, bringing his own hand up to catch the one she had placed on his shoulder so it would not fall down to her side again. [blue]"I am sorry... I will not leave,"[/blue] he reassured her, his other arm wrapping around her. [blue]"It is not your fault... the blame very obviously lies with Mister Cooper."[/blue] He tried not to allow his face to twist too much at the boy's name, but didn't altogether succeed. He regarded the injuries on her face again, wanting to heal them but knowing that with the amount of injuries she had worn the other day that her body would not be too happy with any more healing spells right now.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on May 21, 2009 11:55:55 GMT -5
She worried when he tensed as her hand came to rest upon his shoulder. But that tension was quickly gone, forced away for her benefit. It seemed Dylan kept taking from her, even after she had firmly made up her mind to move on. She released a breath she had not been aware she was holding when he turned to face her, catching the hand that had rested upon his shoulder. She stepped into his embrace as he shifted the blame from her to Dylan, feeling the hilts of her swords pressed against her waist beneath her robes. [blue]"At any rate, it is not a mistake I will make again,"[/blue] she murmured.
[blue]"The habit of protecting a person is more difficult to abandon than one might imagine."[/blue] It seemed that the theme of late was her allowing Dylan to somehow make a spectacle of her. To Kerridon's credit, he did not find reason to question whether she might have hesitated to defend herself because she still had some sort of romantic feelings for Dylan. He was smart enough to know better than that. [blue]"I have Miss Collins to thank for my survival. Her timely arrival halted the attack. And her assistance in making it to the infirmary quickly prevented the injuries from progressing any further than they might have."[/blue]
She left out details. There was no reason to torture Kerridon with her broken jaw or the internal bleeding. It was bad enough that he could see physical evidence in her remaining bruises and swelling. No reason to cajole his anger into a greater state... once again it seemed that Dylan's safety rested somewhat in her hands. Luckily, Kerridon was not one to act impulsively or to give in to blind rage or emotion. He had realized without her needing to convince him that Dylan was an essential part of their group, no matter what his crimes might be. She didn't want to pull away. Now that she could allow herself to even think of Kerridon, she realized how profoundly she had missed him. Not that she hadn't realized it before, but she hadn't allowed herself to be conscious of the realization. It was difficult to miss someone when one weren't even free to miss them within the sanctity of one's own mind. And so, she contented herself now with gazing into his eyes, indulging herself in the moment.
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Kerridon Paradox
Ravenclaw
[blue]6th Year Ravenclaw[/blue]
One loss locked me in the heart of misery... but you had the key to set me free
Posts: 317
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Post by Kerridon Paradox on May 22, 2009 17:58:23 GMT -5
Fortunately it appeared that his earlier bout of uncustomary anger had not affected D'rorah too badly because she did step into his embrace, and he tightened his arm around her slightly as he felt it. He could relate to her comment about protection, knowing that still he found it difficult at times to remember his change in loyalties... the idea of her still wanting to protect Dylan, however, after all he'd done to her, was a little harder to understand. He didn't question it though, knowing that neither of them wished to discuss that topic, and instead made a mental note about Caitlin having helped D'rorah in the back of his mind.
One word did catch his attention though that he thought did need inquiring about. [blue]"Survival?"[/blue] His voice had a little catch to it again and his expression was tight as he suppressed the anger at Dylan again. Obviously the boy had not been prepared to stop until the Hufflepuff had intruded, and he was attempting not to imagine how the fight might have played out if she had not arrived due to worry about completely losing his temper. It really didn't happen often, but Dylan was certainly testing it.
As he returned her gaze his expression softened a little, his hand releasing hers and moving to her wrist then up her arm, finally resting on her neck like it had done multiple times during their time at Paradox Hall. Again he examined the injuries visible on her face, frowning a little when he realised he could feel bandages underneath her robes where his arm was wrapped around her. [blue]"How are you recovering?"[/blue] he asked, concern in his voice as his eyes left the swollen skin and returned to look straight into hers.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on May 22, 2009 18:50:09 GMT -5
"Survival." That had been a poor choice of words on her part. And, of course, Kerridon's keen mind caught it immediately and questioned it. She hardly suspected that such a slip would pass unnoticed. After all, his intelligence had been one of the things to catch her attention immediately upon first meeting him. She could hear the catch in his voice and could see the tightness of his expression. She didn't elaborate on the word. It had said enough, and she could tell he was having a difficult enough time holding back his anger at Dylan.
He allowed his face to be so expressive while they were alone together. At least, she could see the emotions written on it. Perhaps others would not have noticed... perhaps she noticed the slight changes only because she was so used to hiding her own emotions from others. She felt his fingers trip over the slight edge of the bandages around her torso, tactile beneath her robes and saw him frown as he realized what it was. [blue]"I am doing very well,"[/blue] she replied with a smile. [blue]"There injuries were purely non-magical, and easily enough healed."[/blue] She smiled and moved a hand to rest at the line of his jaw. [blue]"I have missed you. Please, let us not waste our short time together worrying about injuries and Dylan Cooper."[/blue] She frowned as she spoke his name, but forced the expression away as she moved her eyes again to gaze intently into Kerridon's.
[blue]"Do not look at me as though I am broken."[/blue] The words were whispered as she tilted her face slightly up to meet his own and brought her lips to his. The hand that had rested at his jaw back and around to rest at the nape of his neck. Her fingers twined themselves in his hair. She pulled back and gave him a teasing smirk. [blue]"Care to spar with me, Mister Paradox? I would be most interested to see who would emerge victorious."[/blue]
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Post by Dylan Cooper on May 23, 2009 2:38:50 GMT -5
Waking early, as per usual, Dylan's mind was on anything but the attack he had delivered to D'rorah a few days previously. In fact, he hadn't dwelled on it at all, or even thought about it, since leaving that room. It was almost like it hadn't happened or was of so little consequence that his mind didn't bother to pick up and focus on it, like something as everyday as a passing breeze or the twitter of a bird. He dressed quickly, having showered the previous night, and pulled on a pair of comfortable black pants that he usually used for training, a black tank top, and his sneakers. As an added thought, he also threw on a black, open jacket and put his wand into it. For the past five minutes as he had lain in bed and dressed, a headache had been steadily growing, and he took a quick drink from the flask standing neatly on his bedside table. Thinking it would be in his best interests, he placed that, too, into a jacket pocket.
His typical morning hunger surfaced quickly as he made his way down the steps and through the early morning quiet of the common room. The rubbish no doubt left over from last night had been cleared, the fire had been put out, and nothing stirred except the fifth year now headed to the door and a seventh year scribbling something on a table nearby and looking sleepy-eyed. He left promptly, having no reason or desire to linger in the circular tower room, and proceeded down the floors toward the main foyer. It was perhaps not too early for breakfast to have been started, but he did not go to the Great Hall today. Instead, he headed down the small set of stone steps leading down to the kitchens and Hufflepuff commons. If he wanted to get some training in before he started all of the work he had to do today, it would be more convenient to have his breakfast to go. He was definitely caught up with all of the homework that had been set while he'd been absent, but that didn't mean his work was over; there was still a small piece due for Transfiguration and now that he was caught up, he wanted to stay that way. Not only that, but he wanted to get ahead, in case anything similar happened again. His workload since he had returned had been more than ridiculous, if not understandable, and he was keen to avoid it should anything arise.
Grabbing a few things edible while moving from the obliging elves who were still busy with breakfast, he departed the spacious kitchens quickly and headed back the way he had come. Ascending the many staircases, one of which decided to be funny and not move the way he wanted for a whole minute, he finally passed his common room and continued up, soon reaching the intended seventh floor. He did the usual required three passes of the seemingly plain stretch of wall and saw the door emerge. Crossing the hall, he pulled it open quietly, fighting to stifle a yawn but knowing it was no use. As he entered, he realised he was not the only one to have intended training this morning.
Noting exactly who it was that had chosen to occupy the room today, his eyes narrowed slightly. Annoyingly, D'rorah seemed largely fine apart from the obvious bruising to her face. He supposed magic could have cleaned her up quite effectively after Caitlin had intervened; the plan had been that he would not have stopped, of course, so she wouldn't have had the opportunity to find a healer. She was standing awfully close to someone else, someone with their back to Dylan, and as she spoke quietly, whispering something he could not hear, she leaned in and offered a kiss that was not denied. His eyes narrowing considerably, Dylan tried to gauge exactly who the other lips might belong to. He could only discern the shape of someone that was perhaps Kerridon, though he didn't really talk to him enough to know for sure. The hair seemed right, though, and the figure. Still, there were a lot of members of the student body that he didn't know, and this might very well be one of them. Noticing her hand trail and twine into his hair, he recalled with a disgusted grimace that she had once done that to him many a time. As she pulled away from the kiss, her words this time reached his ears. "I dare say I would best you once again, D'rorah," he said quietly, referring of course to her last, light comment. Her words had also identified the boy with her to indeed be Kerridon Paradox, another Ravenclaw.
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Kerridon Paradox
Ravenclaw
[blue]6th Year Ravenclaw[/blue]
One loss locked me in the heart of misery... but you had the key to set me free
Posts: 317
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Post by Kerridon Paradox on May 23, 2009 15:17:50 GMT -5
Kerridon wasn't purposely allowing his face to show more expression than usual, but while around D'rorah he felt a little more relaxed than usual and without as much need to hide what he was thinking or feeling. Of course, to most other people there was little change either way, but certain ones might be able to recognise the changes... Dark Phoenix, for one, although he was usually very guarded around her. Taisy had also been very good at interpreting whatever minimal changes crossed his face.
Her words made him feel a little guilty at his reaction to her injuries and he made an effort to loosen the tension in his body that had been caused by news of Dylan's attack. At least he had not reverted to magic to cause injuries that could have been significantly worse. Personally, he had normally kept to magic when torturing or attacking because of the heightened chances of it doing exactly what you wanted, whereas punching someone could do anything from graze someone's cheek to breaking a bone or knocking someone unconscious. [blue]"I apologise,"[/blue] he told her quietly, responding to her kiss a moment later, the hand curved around her neck tightening its hold slightly.
It was as much a disappointment when she pulled away this time as when she had done so or he had forced himself to do before when they had been at Paradox Hall. When she mentioned sparring in a teasing voice though, he hesitated, thoughts immediately going back to numerous times when he had been forced to spar with Taisy and had ended up hurting her badly. When he did enter a fight it rarely mattered who it was against; he simply intended to win, via whatever methods were needed to ensure this. It was something both parents had instilled in him and was exceedingly difficult to overcome. He had always managed to resist certain darker spells while fighting her, but that didn't mean the spells he did use where by any means harmless. On one occasion he had been so involved he had not even realised he had broken his sister's arm until after she had admitted defeat. And then his father had not allowed him to heal it, saying that it would be a lesson to Taisy not to hold back when fighting.
However, he was saved from having to answer by a voice sounding behind him. Years of instinct telling him that surprises were dangerous, especially those which he had his back to, jumped in and he spun quickly, arms retracting from around D'rorah and one hand pointing out towards the figure standing by the doorway, a wordless expelliarmus already flying through the air. That was one he had made sure to get right without words. Although some opponents could possess the same wandless magic he did, a general disarming spell was generally a good way to prevent any magical attacks. A moment later he recognised who the boy was but made no effort whatsoever to divert the spell. He did stiffen though, forcing the remaining bubble of anger he had suppressed earlier to stay as it was; buried. The slight degree of expressiveness he had been showing before now disappeared, replaced by tight and emotionless neutrality.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on May 23, 2009 17:03:36 GMT -5
D'rorah detected a flash of emotion cross Kerridon's face as she suggested sparring. Obviously, that wouldn't be happening. She supposed she could understand that. After all, she did stand before him now bearing the remnants of a conflict nearly lost. She didn't know enough about his past to know that he had been forced to spar with Taisy or the emotional turmoil that caused the expression to flicker across his features. But she did know it wasn't something she would suggest again. And then, as though speaking his name to banish him from the conversation had actually conjured his presence, she heard Dylan's voice respond.
She gasped as Kerridon stepped away and spun around. Even as Kerridon had aimed an Expelliarmus at Dylan, her swords were in her hands. She wouldn't again be caught unaware by him. She had no illusion that Kerridon's presence would deter him from attacking her once again. [blue]"I would hardly call an unfair and unprovoked attack being bested, Mister Cooper,"[/blue] she responded coolly. She cursed that she and Kerridon hadn't made their way into the Elemental Wind Room. But then, perhaps Dylan would have simply waited for her to emerge as he had before.
She advanced slowly. She was prepared this time for whatever attack he might send her way. He wouldn't get the first blow in. [blue]"You can leave me in peace, Dylan Cooper. Unlike our previous encounter, I have no compunction about causing you tremendous pain this time."[/blue] She realized as she spoke that she meant the words. [blue]"I do not know what you did last time to increase your physical strength, but it will not surprise me again."[/blue] D'rorah's eyes were dark as she faced Dylan, swords drawn. She had stepped forward so that she was closer to him than Kerridon was. This time, if he attacked, she would win... she had been hurt enough by him, had endured enough humiliation and shame and pain. She now felt as betrayed by Dylan as he had claimed to feel by her upon his return.
Her face, far from emotionless, burned with a quiet rage as darkness swirled in her eyes. Dylan knew she was expert with her blades and he would be foolish to attack. In fact, she pushed even her rage back a moment later. There would be no foolish sentimentality to get in her way this time. There would be no possibility that Dylan would again bring her so near death. She stood there, as imposing as any Shadow Warrior would be when facing Dark Phoenix herself.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on May 24, 2009 20:30:18 GMT -5
He felt the wand inside his pocket tug at him a little. Looking down briefly, he raised an eyebrow in slight confusion before returning his gaze to the other two. He was slightly off guard by how quickly and suddenly Kerridon had turned to face him, his hand now directed straight at him, and he recalled that this was not the first time something magical had happened around Kerridon that had not needed any wands to be used. Only a week or so ago he had been hit hard in the head and fallen to the ground, only to have flames burst out of the grate right beside him. Kerridon had been leaving at the time, but he had also been chasing after a more than slightly distraught D'rorah, and it got Dylan to thinking.
Not particularly liking the other Ravenclaw boy at this point, Dylan nevertheless grinned at what was unmistakeably a gasp emitted from D'rorah, and her swords were drawn. "Unfair, hardly. You're known for your prowess in battle, are you not Miss Philosophy?" he commented lightly. He failed to recall that he had called her by that title various times in the past, and none of which were in the disliking tone he used presently. As she advanced on him, he almost laughed, finding the scenario funny rather than threatening. Her words did in fact cause a small laugh to be emitted through his lips. "Strangely enough, my world doesn't revolve around you. I happened to be here to train, but wiggle your swords around menacingly if you will," he responded, giving a small snort of derision.
Doing something both terribly brave and perhaps stupid, he turned his back to her and began moving toward the room of Earth. He knew she would not attack while his back was turned, especially if he was, at present, doing no harm to her and walking away from the fight she perhaps offered. He could only assume she did not want to fight, but rather just defend herself and make a big show of how vulnerable she thought she no longer was. The simple fact was, two against one were not good odds, no matter how high his adrenaline shot and how much stronger it made him; he also rather doubted that if he were to attack D'rorah, Kerridon would happily stay out of the confrontation. He was angry at the very existance of D'rorah Philosophy at this point in time, but he was far from stupid. Not only were there two of them, but she was still armed with swords that she was very proficient with, and was certainly angrier and less pathetic than the last time he had met her in this room. No, this fight would wait.
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Kerridon Paradox
Ravenclaw
[blue]6th Year Ravenclaw[/blue]
One loss locked me in the heart of misery... but you had the key to set me free
Posts: 317
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Post by Kerridon Paradox on May 25, 2009 8:46:54 GMT -5
Kerridon heard the sound of D'rorah removing swords from their sheaths and stepped slightly to the side so that he would not be in her way. Unfortunately it seemed that Dylan wasn't holding his wand so could not be disarmed, but he stayed alert for any sign that he might be about to draw it. He had been able to locate it by seeing the material of Dylan's pocket being pulled towards him. Normally in a fight he would not reveal his wandless magic at the start, but it would take too long during a surprise attack to draw his wand and so he had gotten into the habit of using wandless magic if surprised.
It occurred to him as he lowered his hand that they were not doing so well at keeping this secret... Dylan's death might yet need to be used as evidence for Dark Phoenix that his relationship with D'rorah would be useful. Not only did Bryan probably know by now, but they had not relocated to the Elemental Room of Wind where only he would be able to come across them.
Instead they now had the problem of Dylan knowing about them, and there seemed little guarantee that he would keep it secret. It depended which he valued more; D'rorah's grief and pain or the lightfighters' cause. D'rorah would be able to find that out if she ventured into his mind, but he wasn't convinced she would be willing to invade the boy's mind. Kerridon had no such qualms, but unfortunately he did not possess the same ability with telepathy as her. He glanced at D'rorah to see her reaction as Dylan began turning away from them and heading towards the door with the symbol of earth engraved on it. He was not planning on letting Dylan escape with this new knowledge without some reassurance that it would not travel further, but if D'rorah was willing to let her go then it might be a good idea to let it wait – at least until his anger had settled a little more and was less likely to rear its head.
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