Skivving [D'rorah]

[Sam Kelley]

Time had seemed to move so quickly since Sam had returned to Hogwarts with his siblings and cousins after the winter holiday. Even more rapid had been the recent weeks during which he had learned the truth of his brothers allegiance to the Order of Light, strong-armed his own way into the organization, and then learned that the Light had chosen him as the new Elemental Master of Water. It was nearly a week earlier that the revelation happened in this very spot near the Hogwarts lake. Just thinking back on it now was overwhelming to say the least and it was this very feeling that had drawn the younger of the two Kelley brothers outside of the castle on this day and the two before it.

Sam had managed to attend classes for a few days following the life altering event of his mind merging with another, but as those days passed things continued to weigh on his mind, questions mainly. He had rushed back into the normal aspects of Hogwarts life without taking the time to adequately decompress from the event or consider all of it’s implications. The Gryffindor didn’t feel regret or wish the spark hadn’t chosen him, in fact he was honored, but it was still a lot to come to terms with. After all, it wasn’t a common occurrence for someone to learn that they had the power and potential to be the absolute master over the most devastating force on earth. How exactly was one supposed to wrap their head around something like that? Would he accidentally cause a tsunami or something at a moment of high stress? Sam wasn’t one to be intimidated easily, but even his brash and brazen mind could realize that this was much bigger than him.

Just as he always did after his runs, he came to his regular spot at the waters edge to relax and clear his mind. The had the ability to bring peace to the boy in even the worst of times. He had often wondered why it soothed him so, but such questions now seemed silly when he considered the recent events. It soothed him because he shared its very essence. The companion that joined him peacefully here at times, now his Shadow Warrior, was nowhere to be seen this day. In fact, it was her asking for some time to process the recent events that had spurred Sam to this skivving of class to take some time of his own. Caitlin was still near, he could sense her presence, but he left the link between them silent as she had asked. He was not insulted by the request, certainly he could benefit from this time as well. The Hufflepuff girl was curious topic within his mind at this point. He had felt a connection with her, something that he had attributed to a boyish crush, but now he wondered if that were at all that case. Was he just reacting to the closeness of unknowingly sensing his Shadow Warrior?

Sam shook the various thoughts from his mind as he let out a deep breath and took in another. His eyes peered out across the gently rippling surface of the lake from behind the dark lenses of his sunglasses. It was just as he remembered it before his bonding, but now there was more to the body of water. It was as if he could not only see it, but now sense it. He understood the cause of each bubble, eddy, and ripple along the smooth surface of the water. Earlier he had even toyed with some of his we found power and sent a few light waves across the normally peaceful lake.

So focused on the water before him, Sam failed detect the small sound of flapping avian wings before they tapered into nearby footsteps. He knew the identity of his visitor before she made herself visible or said a word, but still he sat motionless upon the grass, already assuming that this wasn’t going to be a friendly visit.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

Though she would be hard-pressed to admit such a thing to anyone else, D'rorah had missed her training partner. She was perfectly capable of pushing herself quite to her limits, but it always seemed more rewarding when there was a bit of competition. The time passed more quickly when someone else was around. She had become nearly religious in her schedule in an attempt to ensure she fulfilled her promise to Kerridon of making sure she ate and slept properly. It had been difficult to force herself to pay closer attention to such things, but she could certainly tell that she felt better overall with sleep when she could manage it and regular meals. Though her robes were still slightly loose, they were not sagging from her frame as they had come to during the earlier part of the spring, and she had regained a large amount of the muscle mass lost during the same time.

She had felt a certain disruption in that schedule with Sam's absence. She had dismissed it for the first couple of days, knowing he was likely processing everything that had happened in the past few days. She had also moved on from being thoroughly crisped when he had unknowingly attacked her with his Patronus while she was in Shadow Form. The burns had healed mostly overnight, except for a raw patch on her back that had been a bit difficult to reach with the ointment. But then, a few days later, he had seen fit to hex her in class and send her crashing to the floor. Though she hadn't done anything at the time, it had irritated her fairly thoroughly.

Finally, unwilling to wait out his absence any longer, D'rorah set out this day to find the absent Elemental Master of Water. It hadn't been too difficult to think of places to search for him... she knew the library would be out, for one. A mental scan of the school had left her fairly certain that he was not within its walls. She bundled up and ventured to the Astronomy Tower, making sure no one else was around to witness as she transformed to her animagus form of a sparrow and flew out the high window of the tower. It didn't take much common sense to head for the largest body of water around and wing her way to the lake. And it didn't even take a full circling of the lake to find the person she sought.

Transforming as she landed, she walked up to him without making any attempt to camouflage her steps. She nudged his leg with the toe of her boot, arching an eyebrow as she regarded the way he gazed out over the water. [blue]"Ah, you have somehow managed to still be alive,"[/blue] she began dryly, [blue]"I suppose that is a fortunate state of events."[/blue] She took a seat next to him, her back straight and legs crossed as she looked out over the water. [blue]"Am I to assume you have somehow determined you are now above training? Should I send you for a Master's examination with my Master?"[/blue] she quipped, the sarcasm clear in her voice. [blue]"I should point out that not drawing attention to oneself includes attending classes and attempting to fit in as a normal Hogwarts student... and that staying outside after dark is perhaps the least intelligent action I have witnessed from you since we met... which is saying quite something. You do realize that your magic is in no way adequate to destroy Shadows? And I know it would annoy you thoroughly if I were to have to save your life from them if they attacked... just think of all the reciprocating obligations that would result."[/blue]

Though the words were a bit harsh, they came mostly from a place of concern. She had seen a lot of potential in Sam. And she would hate for him to fall short of that because of whatever emotional crisis had gripped him since he had joined with Caitlin. She wanted Sam to have every tool she could give him to keep him alive... and perhaps at this moment it would mean someone to help process what had happened. She supposed she would see.

[Sam Kelley]

The small nudge at the boy’s leg didn’t incite much of anything from the Gryffindor. he himself often used small physical gestures to greet other, so it wasn’t a foreign experience. Surely if it were meant to be aggressive, the nudge would’ve been more of a kick and earned an adequate response. However, he remained still, feeling no objection to the Ravenclaw’s presence or the small proximately which she sat from him. He had accepted D’rorah as a friend in his own way and had assumed that she would track him down at some point in his hiatus.

The dynamic between the two was a curious one, filled with both similarities and contrasts and cooperation and competition. She was the leader of the Lightfighters and the boy’s superior, he could accept that much. However, since the first day of their interaction there had always been friction between the pair. After all, she hadn’t actually recruited him into the order, but rather he invited himself. That had been before his discovery as an Elemental Master, which now made the topic of his recruitment a moot one.

The daily training that the pair endured together both brought them closer together and injected competition between them, competition that could be a bit of a stretch to call friendly at times. They were both stubborn competitors that didn’t like to lose. Even at this early point in their interaction, Sam had lost count of how many times that girl had run him absolutely ragged with exhaustion that just caused his body to shut down and vice versa. While he could hold his own in physical conditioning, combat training was something that always ultimately fell D’rorah’s way, her years of training making her the superior sword fighter. He could get his shots in at times, but many of their sessions ended with his blood on her blade. It was never anything dangerous, but she did seem to delight in reminding him of his place.

It was this dynamic that had led to the latest incident between them in defense class. She had been nagging at him and he saw the opportunity when he guard was down to get a shot in on the older girl. There hadn’t been malice behind the curse he threw in her direction, but a bit of frustration between their training and the way that she had been mentally nagging at him a minute before.

As odd as it might sound to someone outside the Gryffindor’s mind, he actually liked this girl. Bryan had asked Sam’s support in embracing her into the Kelley clan and he had agreed. The way that he allowed himself to take liberties with and interact with D’rorah was his accepting of her. Had Bryan and Sam had more facets of themselves in common, their relationship might’ve more closely resembled such a thing; even now it did at times with the frustration that they could cause to well up within the other. However, no matter what, the boys were brothers that cared for and protected each other at the end of the day. Sam saw D’rorah in a similar light. He would support her and protect her when it came down to it, she was his friend...but that didn’t mean that the waters would all be smooth along the way. Such was the way of family.

”How about you back off and stop mothering me for a bit?” he asked in a tone of voice that lacked the venom that most might expect to accompany the word choice. The words weren’t spoken in anger, but in a more matter of fact inflection. He didn’t ask her to leave, because he actually didn’t want her to, but if she were going to be here, he needed a less critical audience. ”I think I’ve taken everything pretty well in stride and gone with it, so I deserve a little latitude, yeah?”

The boy wasn’t in turmoil or upset, but certainly reflective in his mannerism. He had dutifully gone along with everything that had occurred unexpectedly on that fateful night at this place without question or hesitation and hadn’t paused to take it all in since. It was in the days following the events of defense class that the gravity of it all had caught up with the Gryffindor and commanded his attention as it did now. It was just so much to wrap his head around. Days earlier he had been a normal kid that just wanted to protect his brother and now he was more like the older boy than he had ever imagined.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah's lips pursed as she was met with an admonition to "stop mothering" Sam, but she held her tongue.  She didn't want the conversation to devolve into sniping between them.  And she had learned from Master Xiu that sometimes it was best to simply accept criticism and see the truth in it, rather than attempt to defend oneself.  Perhaps she pushed too hard sometimes... really, Sam was the only one she pushed this hard of any of the Lightfighters.  He was the one who seemed most capable of withstanding it and still responding positively.  At times, she almost thought he thrived on their competition, similar to the way she did.  She nodded slightly at his next statement.  [blue]"I would say you have responded in the manner I would have expected of you... which is to say, quite well,"[/blue] she clarified.  [blue]"My concern is that it would seem to me you have been here for quite some time.  And outside the bounds of the castle is not a safe place to be once the sun has left the sky."[/blue]

She cleared her throat slightly.  [blue]"Aside from that mothering concern for your safety, I am quite impressed with your performance overall,"[/blue] she assured him.  [blue]"I understand how difficult the changes can be... especially when so many seem to happen all at one time."[/blue]  Her voice trailed off at the end and she pushed the accompanying feelings away.  She didn't intend to delve into that at the moment.

But it was certainly true.  If anyone could empathize with Sam... or with any of the Lightfighters really, D'rorah felt she could.  She had the advantage of years of training to prepare her for her role, but that certainly hadn't made it any easier to join with four Elemental Masters, especially given the horrific traumas she was forced to relive with each one... and given the fact that there was no pain that quite equated with the pain of having lost an Elemental Master.  Far more than the need to control her telepathy, those traumas were a strong factor in her typical emotionless persona.  It was difficult to find the emotion to respond to something strongly when so much had already been endured.

As she looked out over the water, a thought occurred to her.  Knowing the comfort that could be found in being near to one's Element, D'rorah could only assume that was why Sam was here, contemplating things by the lakeside.  She found solace in her own Element as well, a prime reason she enjoyed winging through the air in flight when she had weighty matters on her mind.  [blue]"I suppose I did not consider until now the fact that perhaps you are not aware that there is a room within Hogwarts filled with the essence of your Element,"[/blue] she remarked off-hand.  [blue]"And that, perhaps, would explain why you are here, rather than there."[/blue]

It seemed to be well before sundown now, so she didn't expect they would relocate immediately.  Sam seemed quite content out here with the lake.  But perhaps he would be curious about the room.  She would see.  [blue]And now, I believe, I have done more than enough talking.  I would prefer to listen.  So, what weighs on your mind, Mister Kelley?"[/blue]  She had intended to use his preferred name to address him, but it could be difficult to break those old habits of formality.  [blue]"Sam,"[/blue] she corrected.  That was another complaint she had received that she was trying to work on.  Other Lightfighters had indicated her formal manner was off-putting... made her seem inapproachable.  She was capable of change... but it didn't always happen immediately.

[Sam Kelley]

Though he offered no obvious evidence to the fact, Sam was glad that the assertiveness within his initial reaction to D’rorah’s presence had prompted her toward passiveness. Standard fare for the pair dictated that aggression be met with aggression, that they stair step each other up the competitive scale; while such a chemistry had proven quite useful in the realm of training, it hardly suited the boy’s current mindset. He nodded in acknowledgement of her words that he knew all too well to be true and justified.

”Thank you,” he replied simply, allowing his eyes to venture away from the placid lake for the first time in hours by glancing in her direction. ”The castle was starting to suffocate me and I needed to get out somewhere where I could just clear my head.” The right corner of the boy’s mouth cinched a bit as he continued to look at the girl, wondering if she understood the stifling feeling that had begun to fill him in the wake of the rapid recent events.

Again in unlikely form Sam simply listened to D’rorah as she spoke on change, the tone of her words suggesting that familiarity that he needed to hear at the moment. As silly as it may have sounded to even his own ear, the Gryffindor needed to see his greatest source of competition in this light. Every day she was that solid presence, that never seemed to waver, even to the point that she could seem robotic at times. Sam could understand her wanting to present a solid image for the group, much the way that he did with the Gryffindor quidditch team, but with the overwhelming feelings of everything that had happened he felt the need to see the humanity within her. Though she soon fell quiet with the assurances voiced, that momentary glimpse behind the green curtain quenched a bit of this need. D’rorah Philosophy was human after all.

”Maybe.” Again he looked at the water, mulling over the thought of his domain within the Room of Requirement. Though he knew not what the room of water appeared as, he knew well enough that he could manipulate it as he saw fit, all of those mornings within the room of air making such a thing obvious. However, part of him wondered if that place could offer the same solace that he had found in this spot for so many years. ”I’m kind of attached to this place. I’ve always rested here to relax and center myself after my runs. Caitlin was the only person that I could ever really share it with and I never knew why...kind of funny how that worked out, eh?” He smirked slightly. ”But like you said, it probably isn’t wise to spend so much time outside and be predictable.”

Again she spoke and again he listened, the boy’s eyebrow arching drastically at the sound of her addressing him by his given name. Of course, it was the name he preferred to be addressed by, but it was such a foreign experience hearing it from her lips. Sure, she had referred to him as Samuel before in moments of annoyance, but that had always resembled the sound of an angry parent instead of a peer; but hearing her resort to his name now just felt odd, yet he both appreciated and felt amused at the gesture.

”To be honest, part of me just wonders why me? I mean, I wonder what it was that made the light choose me. You said that you had never heard of brothers being chosen before, so it makes me curious.” Sam let out a long breath and allowed himself to lay back on the grass beneath him so that the lake was no longer the focus of his gaze, but a fuzzy blue object in his peripheral vision. ”Then I think about how things jumped up so fast. I got into this to look after Bryan and now I’ve got myself to worry about as well as Caitlin, you, and the others. I’m not one to doubt myself, but can I be this...whatever it is? And Caitlin...I’m really confused about her now too, I don’t even know what to make of it...” The boy stole a quick glance over in D’rorah’s direction to gauge her reaction to his admissions before continuing. ”For a time she was the girl that seemed to somehow be that perfect piece to the puzzle of this place and I thought that it meant something, but now I come to learn that it’s a different thing entirely and I don’t know what to think of her now.” He exhaled longly. ”That probably sounds silly, but it’s something that weighs on my mind.”

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah nodded as Sam stated that the castle was starting to suffocate him. She was used to spending her time indoors, buried among stacks of books, but even she felt the need to be out in the open--to stretch her wings--from time to time. His non-committal answer about the Room of Elemental Water was less than enthusiastic, but he hadn't seen it yet. Obviously, there was no way of knowing the connection he would feel with his Element within the room.

[blue]"Far from being concerned about predictability, I know the sorts of things that can happen to a person found outside the castle in the Dark. They are not pleasant."[/blue] Carted off to the Shadow Realm, tortured... countless other things not worth thinking about. [blue]"Trust me when I say you will wish to spare yourself first-hand knowledge of them."[/blue]

She caught the arch of his eyebrow as she made the effort of addressing him as Sam. She supposed it sounded as odd as it felt to hear his first name spoken in her voice. She wondered if she would ever become accustomed to it, in fact... and surmised that she likely would not. After all, she still didn't understand the appeal of addressing everyone in the world informally... she figured such familiarities were best reserved for those one was particularly close to. But perhaps that was the point, she was meant to be close to the members of her team. Somehow, she thought Master Xiu would agree with that particular conclusion.

She sat quietly as he spoke, intermittently watching him and the lake. Her gaze was pensive as it lingered over the sparkling blue vista before them and she was silent for a moment after he finished speaking, carefully considering an answer. [blue]"How do we understand any of our connections to other people?"[/blue] she asked in return. [blue]"So much of it seems by chance... but there are various chemical reactions in the human body to be accounted for, different chances of circumstance, opportunities, events... this is simply another permutation of the many things that determine how we relate to one another. Acknowledging that, however, forces one to admit a certain amount of helplessness in the face of uncontrollable forces..."[/blue] she trailed off, thinking of her own current dilemma involving Dylan and Kerridon. [blue]"One might think oneself committed to a certain path... and yet, through the malicious invervention of an opposing force, comes to believe that path to be closed. Only to discover, after finding a way to heal and start off down a different path, that perhaps the first path was not closed after all."[/blue] She searched for Sam's eyes, feeling somewhat defeated by the cruel change of fate that the Shadow Mage had wrought in her life. [blue]"And whatever should she do then?"[/blue] She took a deep breath and shifted her eyes back to the water, pursing her lips, her jaw clenching ever so slightly as she allowed herself to display some emotion on her typically emotionless face. [blue]"Caitlin is still the person you had come to feel a connection with. I can understand that it would be disorienting to learn that the connection is perhaps partially from an outside source, but really, it is simply one of many intervening factors determining how people relate to one another."[/blue] She shifted her gaze back to him. [blue]"Of course, though I understand that logically, I can certainly see how it would still be confusing to be in your current situation. As far as the issue of why you were chosen... suffice it to say that we all wonder that at one time or another. I cannot say you will ever find a satisfactory answer. I certainly never have."[/blue]

She took another deep breath and drew her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them for warmth as she shivered. Of course, it was perfectly warm outside, but the chill was perpetual. Ever since her last brush with corruption it had been relentless. Yet another reason she might wonder "why me"... even though it was a question she didn't often allow herself to ponder.