Susan Matthews
Gryffindor
[red]5th Year Gryffindor[/red] Shadow Warrior of Earth
goddess, nymph, divine.
Posts: 505
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Post by Susan Matthews on Jun 10, 2009 20:29:40 GMT -5
Accidents happen. However cliché, that was the way it usually went.
A quick slip.
Extreme pain.
Red.
Purple.
Flesh.
It is amazing how quickly bruises appear on small pale hands.
She hadn’t known that when she’d entered her Transfiguration class that day that she would soon be leaving for the hospital wing. Changing pillows to rocks hadn’t seemed too difficult in the demonstrations. It was before Susan had even picked up her wand. She had leaned over the desk, finishing her notes on the day’s lesson before each student would have to try it themselves. The pillows were passed out and Susan held her parchment out in front of her, rereading the notes before attempting it herself. The student to her left, unfortunately chose not reread the notes as she had. In one quick movement, his wand had slipped, transfiguring the chandelier directly above them into a large block of cement. A block which soon snapped from the weak chain that had attached it to the ceiling. The heavy rock fell directly on to Susan’s desk with a large thud, crushing her hands.
Though she didn’t remember directly, she had been told the concrete was removed and she was carried to the hospital wing where the resident healer began working straightaway to fix Susan hands. More than a simple cast would be needed to fix these broken bones. Her parents had been notified at once and arrangements had been made for her to travel home after the mending of her bones. Extreme pain followed through the week. The aid of magic was only able to act as a catalyst, speeding the process of healing that would occur regardless of her status as a witch. Most times she couldn’t even look at her hands, but eventually she finally was able to bring herself to look at the swollen purple and green skin, marked with scabbed cuts.
Even after the healing was done, it was obvious she wouldn’t be able to use her hands like she used to. Susan soon found she could barely zip a zipper on her own, let alone clench her fists and hold a wand. How was she to be any help to the lightfighters in her condition? It nearly brought Susan to tears to consider what she thought to be inevitable. She assumed she had no choice. It had been rumored that a Shadow Warrior could be relieved of their duties in the war. As soon as she was allowed, Susan had confronted Caitlin, who had been doing some research of her own recently. Without too much serious thought, it hadn’t taken long for them to figure out the process and to go through with it.
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How did she feel? That was a good question. Initially she had only sobbed dryly once or twice in reflex, but no tears came. As her Shadow Warrior abilities were lifted so was a weight as she felt strangely free and light and even a little empty. Her potential had been removed and place upon another. She had breathed slowly with her mouth left awkwardly open, trying to collect her thoughts and to assess the way she was feeling. The way she had felt before was still fresh in her mind. The stress had been building throughout the year and at last it seemed she had cracked. Susan wasn’t usually one to give up. Quitters never win and winners never quit, she had preached. And yet here she was; Susan had quit. Her mind was still a little hazy from the removal process but the constant tingle in her hands remained, reminding her of her reasons.
Susan blinked and slowly closed her lips, trying to wet them with her tongue that had grown thick. It had all happened so fast and now she was free, she hadn’t even discussed it with Dylan clearly. The exhaustion from the complicated procedure was unbelievable, and she couldn’t quite place why. She hunched slightly in some unfelt pain. It wasn’t pain per say, just void. Her insides ached in the absence. She cradled her hands carefully, closing her eyes, slowly coming across the realization that she was normal: completely and utterly insignificant. She looked at Caitlin, saying nothing, a silent thanks expressed in her eyes.
Later in the day Susan would have to leave. Her things had been packed for her and carried though the means of a locomotive charm performed for her. Feeling utterly helpless, Susan spoke to few before she left the castle that afternoon. Once in town, a cab had taken her to the airport where she was assisted from there. It had started raining long before she reached the airport, not enough to interfere with the flight, but enough to dampen anyone’s mood. Closing her eyes and resting her forehead against the cold plane window, Susan couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d made a mistake.
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A couple weeks at home and Susan’s parents at last allowed her to return. Though they realized Susan’s condition wasn’t going to improve quickly anytime soon, they could see that it would be better for her to remain at Hogwarts, and continue her studies, even if she was handicapped, not that Susan cared either way at this point. Traveling back by floo with the aid of a magical neighbor sped the trip back to school immensely. She received permission from the headmistress to head directly to the Gryffindor Common Room, where she swiftly arrived with her things. The Common Room was empty at the hour, classes were already in session and she was left alone. Susan stepped cautiously out of the green glowing flames and kicked her small bag out as well. She stood in the middle of the room for a moment, unable to move her bag alone. Susan stood with her hands limp at her sides, not quite sure what to do with herself.
With a little effort she was able to climb through the portrait hole and into the hallway. It may have been considered skipping, not to go directly to class, but she couldn’t be blamed for not wanting to go. She soon found herself outside as always, this time in the gardens. She sat atop a stone bench, remembering each familiar piece of earth, yet unable to connect to it as she once was able to. It was still refreshing, but the feeling was muted, she had lost a sense, an identity, a piece of herself and she frowned with this realization. And for the first time since her hands had been crushed, she cried.
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Post by Ethan Lacroix on Jun 11, 2009 11:36:22 GMT -5
Ethan was a Prefect. It had been about a week since he'd received the appointment from Headmistress LaPoint, and he was eager to use it. Not for the special assignment she'd given him; reporting students made him feel a bit uncomfortable, like he was an inquisitor or something. Still, it was still up to his own discretion, so while he kept his eyes out, he planned on investigating on his own a bit before reporting anything. No, what he was looking forward to was what he was doing now. He had a free period at the moment and so was patrolling. Mostly it was just to keep the younger students in line with a gentle but firm hand, sending them along to class should they be dawdling or anything. He planned on very rarely handing out detentions or removing house points, reserving such measures for repeat offenders who seemed intent on disrupting the harmony of the place.
Having walked the halls of the bottom two floors, he felt fairly content there was nothing sinister occurring there. Heading outside, Ethan paused and smiled as the sunlight fell upon his face. They were nearing the end of spring, and he adored the pleasant weather than usually accompanied such a change. Blowing a contented sigh, he headed over to the gardens, the general direction in which he'd happened upon D'rorah those days before. That had been a good, if somewhat puzzling, encounter. She was likely either in class or in the library now though, so he didn't expect to see her again. In truth he didn't really expect to see anyone out there. He was quite surprised when he came around a hedge to find a girl sitting alone. He opened his mouth to encourage her to get to class, but stopped and stared for a moment, mouth hanging open.
In his mind Ethan went back several weeks. He'd been in Transfiguration, which already meant it wasn't a good memory. While not as horrid as he was at Potions, he'd never seemed to get the hang of Transfig. He'd been just about memorizing the notes word for word, hesitant to reach for his wand when the boy next to him murmured an "oops." Glancing up, Ethan froze in horror as he saw the block falling. He felt like it was happening in slow motion, yet he couldn't do anything. The stone crashed into the desk and stayed there atop it, a testament to the sound construction of the heavy wooden furniture. Still, while it had stood up admirably to the assault, he knew the delicate, pale hands that had been caught in the crossfire could not have possibly fared as well.
He didn't know the girl at that desk. Some Gryffindor he'd never spoken with. She didn't even scream, merely staring. The shock had hit her immediately. In an instant the professor had the block removed, and Ethan was already clambering over the desk between himself and the victimized girl. Scooping her mostly limp form up into his arms, he shouted over his shoulder "Hospital wing!" and was out the door, running as fast as he could, which was slower than he'd like being that he wasn't exceedingly strong and only marginally bigger than the girl herself. Still, adrenaline did wonders and he got her there with respectable expediency. He'd been forced to leave her there as the school nurse went to work.
Though he'd visited several times over the next week, she'd always been sleep and so he sat there quietly until his next class and then headed on his way. Then one day she wasn't there. She'd been taken home he was told. No one seemed to know if she was ever coming back. And now here she was, sitting alone and crying. Approaching tentatively, Ethan softly spoke her name as if it were a question. "Susan?" He'd learned who she was after the incident, asking around and listening to the gossip that always circulated. She likely remembered none of it. She'd not seemed cognizant of anything after the stone had fallen. That was probably for the best.
Pausing a few feet from her, Ethan looked almost as if he were about to burst into tears himself as he regarded her pitiable form.
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Susan Matthews
Gryffindor
[red]5th Year Gryffindor[/red] Shadow Warrior of Earth
goddess, nymph, divine.
Posts: 505
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Post by Susan Matthews on Jun 11, 2009 13:53:34 GMT -5
Sitting alone on her bench, Susan hadn’t expected to see anyone. Although the weather was nice, Susan wasn’t enjoying it. The tears fell slowly at first, just one at a time. It wasn’t long however, until it became a steady stream. She had been holding it in for so long, she couldn’t see any point in trying to disregard this suppressed emotion of distress. She didn’t like the way it made her mouth sticky, or her face salty, or her vision blurred. She let herself cry; partly hoping that it would make her feel better eventually. Considering the time of day, Susan hadn’t thought of anyone traveling through the gardens. She hadn’t considered what she might do if someone where to come along.
She didn’t even notice the boy in front of her until she heard the sound of her name. She sobbed loudly in surprise and leaned forward, wiping her wet cheeks on the elbow of her sleeve. She swallowed roughly, at last looking up at the boy with some embarrassment. Crying alone was hardly anyway she wanted to look when meeting new people. Though she had no mirror, it was evident that her eyes were bloodshot and her lips swollen, not to mention she had yet to change back into her school uniform. Her sweats were wrinkled and her scoop neck shirt was splattered with the dark stains of he tears. She blinked several times, forcing herself to stop the flow of tears. Still impeded with bleary vision, Susan failed to recognize the boy.
It only puzzled her for a moment that he seemed to know her name. Then she remembered that people talk. He seemed close to her in age as well, although his clothes were marked with Hufflepuff colors, it was evident that they may have met at one time or another. Her unconscious seemed to have taken up the ability to repress memories; it wasn’t unlikely that she’d met this boy previously. In response, she only nodded, affirming that was her name. She didn’t quite trust her voice yet. Frowning to her self, she noticed at last the expression on the boy’s face, realizing it was sad as well, almost a reflection of her own. She hated pity. It wasn’t what she wanted. But his soothing face did make her feel a little better. It was nice to know that people cared. Sniffling again, she shifted slightly, leaving room for the boy to sit down too if he wanted. Although she felt she didn’t know him, his presence was familiar and comforting all the same.
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Post by Ethan Lacroix on Jun 11, 2009 17:15:49 GMT -5
He wasn't sure what to do. Obviously he wanted to comfort her. Ethan wanted to rush to her side and put his arms around her and tell her it would all be alright and have her believe him. But he didn't. He couldn't. They didn't really even know each other and he didn't know whether she wanted comfort or solitude. It was so hard to decipher sometimes what would actually make a person feel better. And while, with his nearly limitless optimism, he did believe it would all be alright in a universal sense, he didn't know at all what the future had in store for the girl before him. The way she shifted to the side told him at least that his company wasn't unwelcome.
Walking slowly over to her, he sank down onto the cool bench. Slouching down, he stared at his hands for a moment, pressing his palms together just between his knees with his elbows resting on his thighs. Turning his head to look at her, he inhaled deeply through his nose in preparation to speak, but found that his breath was accompanied by its own sniffling noise. Apparently his body was already reacting as if he were crying, though no tears had actually escaped his eyes. "How-."
Ethan stopped there, his voice breaking. He'd been about to ask how she was feeling, but the ridiculousness of his voice gave him pause, and as he realized the ridiculousness of the question, he refrained from continuing it. Instead he lightly cleared his throat and offered a simple, "It's good to have you back. People have been worried." He thought to ask how much she remembered, but decided he wouldn't push her into reliving the event if she wanted to think about something else. In fact he felt he didn't really need to engage her in conversation at all. He would just be there with, doing his best to share some of the weight of her anguish. After mentioning, "I'm Ethan." quietly, he fell silent.
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Susan Matthews
Gryffindor
[red]5th Year Gryffindor[/red] Shadow Warrior of Earth
goddess, nymph, divine.
Posts: 505
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Post by Susan Matthews on Jun 11, 2009 21:36:20 GMT -5
Susan watched with no expression as the boy sat next to her, as she had silently indicated. She blinked, watching with slight envy as he pressed his hands together. “How—“ she heard him utter. She knew it was coming. –are you feeling? She finished in her thoughts. It was a common question to ask. Most normal conversations began with a friendly “hello” and followed with an equally friendly “and how are you?” She sobbed again, wishing she could reply with a simple “fine.” She longed for a normal conversation, thinking of how she was really feeling right now. The pain certainly wasn’t chronic, but she was far from emotionally stable. Depression as she had never felt it plagued her the past week, hopelessness consuming her. Susan felt terrible although she didn’t say so.
“It’s good to have you back,” the boy said next. Susan’s frown remained intact. It was odd to think she’d been gone. Of course she’d left school and missed classes, but the time lapsed with some different viscosity. Everything had moved so slowly, occurring at ridiculously slow speeds, and yet it seemed only yesterday she was reading her notes in transfiguration when… And that was as far as her memory went. Sure she’d been able to confabulate the memories with the stories the nurse had told her, but it was still a dream-like recollection, as if seen through dirty water.
“People have been worried,” Susan heard him say. People. An array of her close friends flashed in her mind, none of them she had seen recently. She had only seen Caitlin briefly before she left for home. The memory of their last encounter sent another rush of tears that took more effort to halt. The numbing of her abilities was a strange sensation that would certainly take some getting used to. Were they even her friends still? she wondered, had they only remained on close terms because of the convenience of working together. It was distressing to realize that she had few friends outside of her lightfighter circle. A circle she was no longer a part of. She wondered briefly if she’d been replaced yet and almost laughed at herself, figuring the transferal must have instantaneous.
She didn’t care to think of it now. She let her wandering eyes return to the boy next to her in time to hear him give his name at last. “Ethan,” she repeated, speaking for the first time. Her voice cracked once and she quietly cleared her throat. “We’ve had classes together?” she guessed, working her way to a specific topic. “Were you—“ she broke off, taking a deep breath, “Were you there?” she asked, looking back to her hands in her lap. Humoring herself, Susan gently flexed her fingers, finding she couldn’t hold the common position for more than a few seconds. Soon she gave up, resting her limp hands in her lap, laughing bitterly at how pitiful she’d become recently. "God, look at me," she whispered, shaking her head.
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Post by Ethan Lacroix on Jun 12, 2009 0:11:17 GMT -5
It seemed everything he said evoked a new burst of sobs or tears. Or both. Obviously this made Ethan's already forlorn expression sadden further, but he constantly reminded himself that it wasn't about him. Obviously what mattered was her pain, but it went deeper than that. This was her life. Neither her pain nor her healing, physical or emotional, was his responsibility or his fault. He'd not been the cause of her tears and in the end he couldn't be what really stopped them. That was all on her. That knowledge freed him to simply act as he thought best. Of course a few seconds later, as a fresh stream poured down her cheeks, he nearly forgot again and had to fight back a prideful sense of failure. It was usually a continuous cycle.
Meeting her gaze only in short glances, Ethan nodded as she repeated his name, then shifted his eyes back to the grass at his feet. Though her own cracking voice brought him some minor amusement since his own had just done the same, it brought no smile. He looked up again and gave a second small nod in confirmation that they'd shared classes. He wasn't much surprised that she didn't really recognize him. They had never spoken after all, and he tended to not draw attention to himself in class. Again his eyes fell back to the grass.
At last his shifting vision settled on her at her final question, and once more he simply nodded, understanding that was a difficult topic for her. Ironically, now that he was looking steadily at her, her own gaze dropped once more. The motion in her fingers had his eyes down there for a moment, but he quickly brought them back up to her face, in time to see and hear her mutter of self pity. Of course the obvious joking response of "I'm not God," sounded in his head, but Ethan wasn't nearly heartless enough to vocalize it. Instead he answered in a calm voice that barely surpassed a whisper.
"I am." He left it at that for a moment before adding "Would you like to know what I see?"
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Susan Matthews
Gryffindor
[red]5th Year Gryffindor[/red] Shadow Warrior of Earth
goddess, nymph, divine.
Posts: 505
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Post by Susan Matthews on Jun 12, 2009 22:39:44 GMT -5
Ethan’s next words startled her. Susan hadn’t been speaking to Ethan when she’d uttered the last phrase. She hadn’t actually directed the command to anyone at all, and mostly hadn’t expected anyone to respond. Susan had thought of herself as she said the words. When she had looked in the mirror this morning she saw a sad, frumpy girl. Someone unable to brush her own hair, tie her own shoelaces, or zip up her own jacket. She saw tear-stained cheeks and blotchy skin. She had seen a stranger staring back through the alternative land of the looking glass.
Even now, looking down, she figured it couldn’t be much different than what her mirror at home had shown her. If the way she felt on the inside was any reflection to her outward appearance, it was true that she was weak and sad and empty. Even the gardens in which they both sat couldn’t warm her heart as it used to. The small energy burst she used to receive by simply stepping outdoors no longer existed.
But what Ethan saw was something Susan hadn’t considered. Impressions had always been some sort of big deal to Susan before. A glimpse of her old self returned as she gently pushed her hair out of her face with the back of her hand. She was suddenly very aware that the boy next to her was genuinely looking at her. If she’d been able to, she might have tugged on the ends of her hair, a former nervous tick. Instead she resorted to chewing her lower lip, a slightly more detrimental habit. Curiosity led her to look up, finding Ethan’s eyes. “Tell me,” she said
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Post by Ethan Lacroix on Jun 13, 2009 9:31:31 GMT -5
Ethan's gaze didn't waver as Susan moved her hair to look at him, glanced down, and then met his eyes again. HE caught of course the lower lip chewing, and figured it a clear sign that she was nervous. But he had her attention, which was what he'd hoped for. As Ethan's thoughts had just told him, he couldn't fix her grief. He couldn't make her feel better. But he was damn well going to try.
A small, assured (and hopefully reassuring) smile found his lips as he acquiesced. "I see the same lovely young woman who I've seen for nearly five years now. Her life has taken a turn for the more tragic, and I see her now through a veil of grief and pain, but she's still there. Her quiet, unassuming strength and courage are still there. Somehow, despite the veil, her qualities are easier to see now, now that she needs them most." He finished with a tiny nod, as if the whole time he'd been talking to himself and was now agreeing that what he'd said was correct.
Looking briefly up at the sky, Ethan watched the clouds drift about, partially obscuring the sun at times. But it was still there, its light still shone through. He nodded lightly again and looked back to Susan, adding, "And I hope she knows that if she ever needs anyone to talk to, or simply to sit with, there are those more than willing. She is never alone, unless she chooses to be." His smile widened by a small degree, hoping he could offer her some measure of comfort.
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Susan Matthews
Gryffindor
[red]5th Year Gryffindor[/red] Shadow Warrior of Earth
goddess, nymph, divine.
Posts: 505
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Post by Susan Matthews on Jun 15, 2009 21:53:34 GMT -5
Susan listened, still unsmiling, as Ethan proceeded to describe her. He spoke in third person, as if she were not there at all. However, unlike the gossip that usually was saved for when people weren’t listening, Ethan spoke only kind things to Susan about herself. Some retained the habit of hearing and not listening as another spoke. Susan, who also tended to fall victim to this habit, found herself rapt to Ethan’s every word.
The first traces of a smile touched her lips at the sound of the word “lovely.” There was something so grown up about the word. It was charming and mature and exquisite all at once, words Susan had never fathomed would describe herself. She soon busied herself again, biting her lip, as Ethan mentioned it’s been five years. Five years and she had failed to speak to this boy until today. It felt good to know that there were people out there who cared like this.
As he continued his feel good speech, Susan glanced down only once at the mention of grief, and for the rest of the time, she bravely met Ethan’s eyes and ceased chewing her lips. She felt her self-esteem grow slightly as Ethan sat nodding to himself as he came to a close. She watched, distracted for the first time in a long time from her recent troubles. She followed his upward glance in time to see the sun come suddenly out of the scattered cloud cover. The warmth gently reached her face, allowing Susan to momentarily close her eyes and pretend that it made her feel differently.
Just when she thought he was finished, Ethan began again, keeping his third person. She opened her eyes and returned her gaze to next to her. It seemed almost as if he were telling her message to be relayed to Susan at a later time. He said that there were people who were willing to listen and to comfort her, and though on some level of her consciousness, she knew this, it was definitely worth it to hear the confirmation.
She noticed when his smile grew slightly, and as infectious as it was, Susan couldn’t help but mimic him to a smaller extent. “Thank you,” she told him sincerely with a voice clearer than the one she’d held previously. “You’re a great guy, Ethan,” she said faltering only in her gaze. “And I’m glad you came along today,” she continued, remembering his mention of being alone, not wanting in the least to be so, she’d had enough in the past weeks. She wanted to get back to normalcy. It was evident that nothing could ever be exactly the same, she was still willing to put up an effort.
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Post by Ethan Lacroix on Jun 16, 2009 14:15:21 GMT -5
Despite the somewhat intimate setting and the fact that he hardly knew the girl beside him, Ethan had maintained eye contact as long as she'd let him, other than to look away briefly at the sun. He did somewhat know her, simply because they'd shared more than a few classes over the years and he'd observed her attitudes and interactions the way he did with most, getting some feel for her general personality. They'd never spoken however so he certainly wasn't going to claim to really know her. The reason he could maintain a calm confidence was simply that he wasn't thinking of his own feelings and fears. When in a one on one setting Ethan could focus solely on what he could do for whoever he was with and thus set aside his otherwise reserved and even shy nature.
His grin widened further as a smaller one found Susan and she thanked him. Never sure where the line between modest and self deprecating lay, he lifted one shoulder in a crooked shrug and uttered a quiet "Thanks," when she proclaimed him a great guy. Grin blossoming into a chuckle, Ethan gave the silver badge pinned to his chest a little flick in response to her appreciation. "All part of the service ma'am." His tone was overly formal, hopefully conveying his joking intent. He didn't really consider his Prefect status as having anything to do with why he stopped to offer aid when he could. He'd hoped the position would make it easier to do so however and present him with more opportunities. So far it seemed to be working. He'd not likely have wandered out here had he not been patrolling.
Of course he'd been patrolling for students who were cutting, and it occurred to him that he may have found one. Still, Ethan was a "spirit of the law" kind of guy, and he saw the rules as existing for the sole purpose of protecting the students. Letting Susan sit here and converse was not likely going to do her any damage, whereas forcing her along to class just might. Thus he was content to stay and not even mention her suspected violation. Shifting to his left to face her, he brought his left leg up onto the bench as if he were going to cross his legs, but instead let the right one continue to hang over the edge, his left foot sliding under his right knee. Keeping the subject away from what he knew would cause tension and seeing this as good a time as any to get to know her, he shifted to a totally unrelated topic. "You're from America originally, yeah? What part?"
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Jun 17, 2009 9:33:53 GMT -5
D'rorah had taken to studying in the gardens of late. The library felt like there were too many people around. She heard whispers, saw eyes watching her... it seemed the jilted Ravenclaw prefect was a much more interesting topic of study than whatever homework the other students were receiving in their classes. So, she gathered her things and headed out in the direction of the gardens.
A stop was made first at the kitchens where she procured a quick breakfast that was packed into her satchel. After all, she had promised Kerridon she would do a better job of eating properly. So far, she was managing reasonably well on that front. A few rushed goodbyes later, she found herself heading up and out into the sunshine. Her eyes narrowed against the light, the brightness painful after being so close to the Shadows before. But perhaps that was a good thing. Exposure to light could only make that light more comfortable, right?
She allowed the door to fall shut behind her, not expecting anyone to be out on the grounds at this time of day. After all, most of the students would be in classes. D'rorah had found herself largely left to her own devices here. She went to classes, but found that mixing together different age levels meant she typically learned more on her own. And so, she supplemented her studies with private ones.
She was on her way to a corner of the gardens that seemed rarely disturbed. She wanted to be left in peace to study today. The coming and going and loss of Lightfighters was making preparing for confrontation a more and more harrowing prospect. As though summoned by the thought of having recently lost another ally, D'rorah happened upon Susan and Ethan in the garden.
[blue]"I had not realized you had returned to Hogwarts so soon, Susan,"[/blue] she remarked as she came upon them. She felt for the girl, having some idea of how she would have felt after giving up her Shadow Warrior abilities... and to have the physical injury on top of it would have been a monumental burden to bear. [blue]"Are you feeling any better?"[/blue] she asked. [blue]"Good to see you again as well, Mister Lacroix,"[/blue] she added, her voice sounding markedly more formal and slightly clipped as she addressed him.
Somehow she wanted to convey that Susan was not simply forgotten now that she had given up her abilities. D'rorah knew the choice had been difficult... and she knew what it felt like to lose connection with an Elemental Master. It was lonely, isolating... and mixed with everything else, she knew it was likely overwhelming. [blue]"We had all been hoping for your safe return,"[/blue] she added, thinking it might subtly convey that Susan had in fact been missed by the other Lightfighters--and D'rorah--as well.
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Susan Matthews
Gryffindor
[red]5th Year Gryffindor[/red] Shadow Warrior of Earth
goddess, nymph, divine.
Posts: 505
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Post by Susan Matthews on Jun 29, 2009 23:24:02 GMT -5
At his small joke, Susan was able to laugh quietly. It seemed strange to be able to laugh and to smile when it all seemed impossible before today. She could hear from his accent that he was obviously not British as so many of the other students at Hogwarts were. Ethan seemed to catch the same idea from the way she spoke too as he asked which part of the States she was from. Susan’s posture stiffened some as she was reminded of where she had come from earlier in the day. “Southeast,” she smiled reminiscently. “Grew up by the beach,” she added, remembering the almost weekly trips to the sandy beaches and different lighthouses on every vacation.
She was about to return the question, no curious as to where Ethan was from. Before she could ask, however, she was distracted by the sound of another person approaching. Susan had been surprised to see that it was D’rorah walking through the gardens. Although she didn’t usually spend much time with D’rorah, it was well known that the Ravenclaw usually chose to spend most of her time in the library. To see her now in the gardens was pleasantly surprising, and despite the terms on which they were due to speak, Susan was glad to see her.
In response to her initial greeting, Susan only nodded, still not sure if she was quite ready to be back. Of course she had to ask how she was feeling. And now Susan had to respond. “Better,” she responded with a glance at Ethan. Truthfully, the essential healing of her bones had taken place quite smoothly, albeit painful. Her hands were only very weak. The main issue had been her depression, and even Ethan was beginning to help with that. Susan found the more she didn’t think about her hands, the more at peace her mind became.
The “we” in her next statement seemed to encompass their entire group, the lightfighters, without actually saying so. While making her feel slightly better, the statement also reminded her of the others she wished to speak to now that she had returned, Dylan primarily. He had only just returned himself when Susan was forced to leave. Looking to D’rorah, knowing only of their relationship as she had left, she proceeded to ask of Dylan’s whereabouts.
“Dylan?” she inquired, wondering if he was around, or enjoying a free period as well. Now that she was able to think clearly about anyone other than herself, she understood the removal of he powers as a very selfish act. Considering how she, herself, had felt, Susan found it inconceivable to imagine how Dylan must be feeling without her. “I haven’t spoken with him since before…” she let her words trail off, glancing down toward her hands, but remembering a different experience entirely.
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