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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Sept 22, 2007 19:59:23 GMT -5
D'rorah assessed Dylan's movements, quite pleased with his progress. She noticed a look of sheer determination in his eyes, his expression set and hard as he concentrated on the task at hand. Focusing on his movements, she set to work blocking his attacks, once again making corrective remarks as they went. She made a point of pushing him, wanting to set the stage for quick advancement... he was now part of a war that he had little preparation for. Anytime his attack left an opening, she struck back, encouraging him to keep his defenses up even as he attacked. Truly, the process had to work both ways and she could see that he was capable, with the proper training.
She pushed for what must have been well over an hour, though there were no clocks around to mark the time. Finally, sensing they were nearing the point where training would pretty much cease to be effective, she pulled back and bowed slightly. "Well done," she replied calmly, as though they had just finished having tea.
"We will begin training each day... at least one hour, I believe is a good starting place. And perhaps a daily run. We will see," she added. "You did very well."
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Sept 22, 2007 20:18:24 GMT -5
Feeling her strike back in his weak spots, he learned to tighten up his defences, even when on the attack. He took her comments into account whenever she made them, correcting his movements. One thing that was to be said, he didn't make the same mistake twice. He never really did, to be honest. Always finding that he could learn a great deal from any situation, he'd developed a knack for being susceptable to only one thing in his life.
Seeing her let off, signalling an obvious end to their sparring session, he himself calmed down, trying to get his breathing under control. Doing so without much difficulty, he turned to D'rorah, his face slightly flushed. Nodding at her statement, he was pleased that he'd intended to begin running anyway.
"It's a start," he said simply, in response to her last comment. Having reached an all too familiar mindset, one that he hadn't before encountered while around D'rorah, he was obliged to think back to when she had not been such a big part of his life. A secretive, quiet, unnoticeable member of the school he'd been, friendless and alone. Being with Dee made him feel as if he belonged here, for once in his life. A small smile rising onto the corner of his mouth, he stepped towards her and, not really concerned about their only slightly sweaty bodies, took her in his arms and kissed her in a way that he never had before. The feelings behind the action he hoped to convey were strong; solid.
"Thanks for the workout," he said quietly, smiling.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Sept 22, 2007 21:38:53 GMT -5
D'rorah nodded at Dylan's response that it was 'a start'. "It is best to begin somewhere," she added. She watched as he appeared to consider something, thinking to herself how odd it was that she should so quickly go from the solemn girl who moved through the corridors quietly, attracting as little attention as possible from the general student population. Though, she was considered a leader of sorts among the other Elemental Masters and Shadow Warriors, mostly by default of being the only one with any formal training in the matter. She thought back to the first times she had encountered Dylan... small wonder the quiet intellectuals seemed to be drawn together, she supposed. Though, it would have been just as easy to them to fail to notice one another, remaining in the relative isolation among the general population of Hogwart's. She wondered if there was something drawing all of them together... surely, some force had to have been intervening to result in the Elemental Masters and Shadow Warriors all ending up at Hogwart's, of all the wide places in the world.
A moment later, she found herself drawn into an embrace, different than any she had experienced before. Somehow, it seemed more solid, mature... of its own accord, her heart sped up a bit and her fingers found themselves slowly passing through his hair, at the nape of his neck. And then he was smiling at her... a smile that inspired feeling of wholeness in her own being, as though a part of her had just been completed.
"You are quite welcome, Mister Cooper," she replied quietly. "Perhaps we should do it again sometime."
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Sept 22, 2007 22:34:48 GMT -5
Finding her response quite exciting, he was slightly upset that he'd withdrawn so soon. Hoping to recapture the moment, he brought his lips to hers once more, softly, then following it up by intensifying the kiss significantly. One of his hands pulled Dee to him, curling around her lower back. The other finding its' way to her neck and caressing her lightly, it then rose up to rest under her chin, tilting her head upwards slightly as their kiss deepened.
A million thoughts raced through his mind. A very large percentage of them were good, and overrode any negativity in his thoughts for the moment. Questions, facts, statements, memories, all travelling through the haze of his mind. The thoughts were disjointed, having no meaning when strung together the way they were. The general idea, however, was how much his life had improved over the past couple of days. While Dylan hadn't particularly disliked his life up until the beginning of this year, it hadn't exactly been fabulous. Ever since the loss of his father he hadn't felt anything real; hadn't felt whole. But this... This was something altogether different.
Merely being in D'rorah's presence gave him an overwhelming feeling of comfort, no matter the situation they might be in. He hadn't known her long, it was true, but he'd fallen fast. And evidently, he'd fallen hard for this girl. She made him feel, even without a word, like everything would be alright. Like everything would work out. He'd never been an optimist before, always seeing the negative, but he rather liked the feeling of his newfound optimism. Part of the reason for this new concept within him, he reasoned, was probably the fact that he now had something great to hold on to in his life.
Transferring his thoughts and emotions into the kiss, he felt a lot of extra energy coming from the room they were standing in, and he liked it. He liked it a lot.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Sept 22, 2007 22:53:38 GMT -5
Hardly had the words escaped her lips before Dylan had drawn her into another embrace that slowly intensified. As his arm once tightened around her waist, she found herself attacked by another memory. This one was not quite so pleasant as the ones that had been brought to mind before. Desperately, she tried to push the memory from her mind, not wanting its intrusion into a perfect moment. Undaunted, her mind relentlessly forced her to acknowledge its completely random wandering. Her heart by now was hammering, but this time not with the gentle flutters of excitement that had captivated it before. Rather, this was a more base instinctive reaction to touch... her mind's defense mechanism against feeling another body so close to her own. She knew, logically, that she had nothing to fear from Dylan, of all people. She had firmly established that in her mind.
Pulling back a bit, she smiled apologetically, trying to control the wild beating of her heart and her breathing, which had become a bit shallow as a surge of adrenaline kicked in. Not wanting Dylan to think this negative reaction was due to him, she searched her mind for an explanation that would make sense... something which would convey why she felt compelled to pull away even though she wanted nothing more than to remain in his arms, where she felt safe.
"I... I suppose that psychological wounds require even longer to heal than the physical ones," she began, her eyes a bit sad. "I... well, I do not do so well with... physical closeness. Not since the night my parents died..." she looked down, wishing she were stating things more eloquently, trying to find the words to say what she actually meant...
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Sept 22, 2007 23:28:07 GMT -5
Feeling her pull back, he wondered why, his hands dropping back down to his sides. Had he done something wrong? For him, anyway, it had felt so right. A small, uncontrollable frown crossed his features but he composed himself as Dee began to talk, turning his expression into one of slight impassiveness. Hearing her falter slightly, and seeing what he thought was a slight sadness in her eyes, his face took on a small smile. "It's alright, Dee, you don't have to explain yourself to me. Ever," he said in a quiet voice, a small smile still on his face, wishing he could just hug her but presuming that would not be the smartest move.
Though not an altogether physical contact sort of person himself, that changed when he was around her. All he wanted was to touch her, to taste her over and over again. Putting aside his personal feelings on the matter, he allowed her some space and backed up a bit.
She'd mentioned the reason being involved in the night her parents had died, and he did not know how that played a factor, but respected the fact anyway. He didn't know what had happened, and wouldn't push. If she wished to, she would tell him in her own time. If that never happened, that was okay by him too. All he wanted, was her.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Sept 22, 2007 23:45:31 GMT -5
"It's alright, Dee, you don't have to explain yourself to me. Ever,"
She smiled a bit, her eyes shining with sadness. "Thank you. I appreciate your understanding," she replied quietly. "I... well, perhaps another time I can explain more fully. I would like to explain... that night had a rather profound affect on my life." She shook her head slightly, clearing away the confusion. "At the moment, I do not know that I could relay it very effectively."
Only one person other than she knew everything that had happened that night. The other was Mordred, who had seen the memory in its entirety when they had finally forged their bond as Elemental Master and Shadow Warrior. His immediate response had been one of pity, though he hardly seemed the type. But then, she supposed that it really was not so odd a reaction, given the memory itself.
"Well, now that I have managed to ruin a perfectly nice moment, what shall we do?" she asked, pushing the memories away for the time being. "Unless I am mistaken, it should still be fairly early... though, we may have managed to miss lunch. Of course, there are always translations and the like to attend to," she suggested, her mind immediately going to her books. Study and work in general had always been her coping mechanisms... though, her mother had often prodded her to use music as an outlet when things were bothering her. She wondered where she might find a piano around Hogwart's.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Sept 23, 2007 0:09:05 GMT -5
Nodding, he sat down on the bare earth beneath him. "We can do whatever you wish, D'rorah," he said with a small smile, not particularly wanting to decide and glossing over the rest of her statement. He absolutely detested making decisions, if truth were to be told. Having thought of staying inside of this room for practically the rest of the day, he managed to remember this after his comment, which was awfully convenient.
His legs crossed beneath him, he folded his arms in an act that could be perceived as defensive and looked to the ground, lost in thought. He had no concept of how much time he would have to prepare for whatever was ahead, and wanted to continue as soon as possible. He had a nagging feeling that many meals would be missed in the weeks ahead, but he had done it before during Quidditch seasons, and he could do it again. He was, though, rather attached to his food. He found it extremely useful that his mother had taught him how to cook, and if need be he could always pop down to the Great Hall at a specified time, grab a napkin full of food, and head back to wherever his training grounds might be for the day.
Taking this rather seriously, he planned on running daily, using the time that they were allocated to be allowed outside. Keeping up his Quidditch, which could prove a useful way to both keep in shape and hone his reflexes and perceptiveness. There was still the problem of strength, however, which he did not actually know how to approach.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Sept 23, 2007 0:27:11 GMT -5
D'rorah nodded as the decision was deflected back to her. Then, a only a moment later, Dylan had lowered himself to sit on the Earth below him, his arms crossed. Unsure of exactly how to interpret this body language, she could not dispel the fear that her actions had annoyed him, no matter his words. He seemed to be deep in thought at the moment. After a moment, she decided to step away so that she might gather her own thoughts.
"Pardon me for one moment," she remarked quietly before striding from the room. Out in the entryway, her gaze was immediately drawn to the Elemental Wind Chamber. Crossing the stone floor, she stood before the door for a moment before opening it and proceeding into a room which seemed to ripple with continuous breeze. Taking a running start, she leaped into the air and shifted to her animagus form, a small, blue sparrow. As the wind caught her wings, a twitter of delight escaped from a mouth that was now a beak.
Allowing herself to alternately ride and fight the currents of air in the room, she danced in the wind, allowing the feeling to recharge her, to dispel the darkness of the memories that had intruded into her thoughts. The winds shifted continuously... a mere whisper of a breeze would crescendo to a mighty, roaring gale and then slowly shift to somewhere in between.
She quite lost track of time, feeling the caress of the wind in her feathers. Slowly, she was beginning to feel better, the events that had just occurred a few rooms over beginning to lose their hold on her feelings.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Sept 23, 2007 4:57:49 GMT -5
Hearing her leave, Dylan looked up and wondered how she was feeling, eventually registering that he might never know. Taking this into consideration, he took a deep breath in and held it for a few moments. Finally releasing, he felt completely calm and at ease, the power that the room provided flowing through him.
Pushing himself up, he reasoned that he might as well do something while he waited for D'rorah to gather her thoughts. He took the few steps forward back into the main clearing of the room and set his mind, focused intently on what he needed to do. Going over the first set of forms he'd learnt in his head, he went through them slowly, one by one, to ensure that his movements were correct. As he got used to the simple actions again, they flowed easily from him, binding together to create what might appear to be one movement. He worked on the same sequence for an amount of time of which he had no comprehension, finally resting for a brief moment and taking deep breaths.
Finding the second set of forms in his head, he acquired the correct movements once more and then worked on his speed, eventually creating a fluid, dance-like set of motions. His mind was completely focused on his task of repeating the forms over and over again until they appeared ingrained; etched into the front of his mind. His breathing was deep and even, and most of his peers might assume that he was just off in his own world again. Off in his own world he might be, but not in the typical sense of Dylan. Normally he would be daydreaming, but not today; today he was nowhere to be found whatsoever, his mind virtually clear of thought and his body moving of its own accord. Whatever it was, he liked it.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Sept 23, 2007 7:05:13 GMT -5
Having finally managed to dispel her uneasiness, D'rorah made her way back to the door of the Elemental Wind room, transfiguring back to her human form as she landed. Her feet touched the ground lightly and she suddenly realized that, in her strange emotional state, she had completely abandoned Dylan. Knowing that it was only his first venture into the Room of Requirement, she slipped back out into the corridor and made her way back into the Elemental Earth room to find him. She entered quietly and was rewarded with the sight of him diligently practicing the forms she had just taught him.
She stood off to the side, near the doorway silently. She had no desire to break his concentration and was rather enjoying watching him practice. There was a look of determination about him, almost dreamy in its depth, that had settled over his features. She knew he possessed an extraordinary ability to focus, having witnessed it as they worked on translations; rarely had she encountered anyone who could lose himself in translation work with as much ease as she.
An appreciate smile crossed her face as she looked on silently. His movements were graceful and he had learned them so quickly. The fluidity of his movements brought to her notice just how physically attractive he was, overall. Certainly, she had noticed his charming facial features during moments spent gazing into his eyes as he gazed into hers, but never had she really considered his other physical features. Of course, typically, she did not look much upon physical features at all, preferring to take the measure of a person in intellect and personality.
Now that she had her head squarely on her shoulders, it didn't cross her mind to wonder how he might react to her abrupt withdrawal and departure. He had offered his understanding and an admonition that she did not really need to explain herself to him, and at the moment she took him at his word. He was not the sort to say things he did not mean, another observation she had made. She knew that, if they continued as they had been, she would have to relay the story of the night of her parents' deaths to him. She wanted him to understand what it was that had triggered the response which had ripped her from his arms so suddenly. Such things could only too easily begin chipping away at the foundation of any relationship, especially one so young.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Sept 23, 2007 16:25:32 GMT -5
He didn't know how much time had passed, and nor did it matter. He was lost in concentration, the determination and focus taught so carefully to him by his father coming into play the entire time. Darius had so painstakingly taught him the value of focus when it was required, believing that even the slightest diversion of it could result in disaster in the wrong situation. Etching into his sons mind that what you practiced in everyday life was easily translated into life or death situations, Dylan had grown up a diligent child, always completely concentrated on the task ahead. As a result, he'd had few friends, but up until his eighth birthday he had been happy irrespective.
Going over both sets of movements at the same time now, he didn't have to adjust his thinking too much to make them flow together as one. Repeating the actions over and over again, he had a niggling feeling that they would very soon become instinctive, with only a little more practice at using them in a practical situation.
Forming in the back of his mind was a previously inconceived thought, one that appeared quite obvious. He would need to create a dummy of sorts and animate it, ready to be sparred against should he wish to make a visit to the Room of Requirement for training at any time. Not only would it not inconvenience anyone else like Dee, who would have more important things to do, but he wouldn't need to arrange anything in advance if he wanted to practice. It would always be here, waiting. Making a mental note that in no way diverted his attention, he stored in his mind the need to find out the best solution to creating a dummy that could then be animated for his purposes.
After what seemed like no time at all, but could easily have been hours, Dylan broke his focus purposefully, bringing himself back into the present scenario. Wondering quickly where D'rorah might be, he spotted her by the door, observing silently. Leaving the clearing and walking to her, he stood a few feet away and spoke in a quiet voice. "I'm sorry if I went too far, Dee. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he said apologetically. He didn't know if she needed or wanted an apology, but he was providing one in any case.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Sept 23, 2007 16:46:38 GMT -5
D'rorah had rather enjoyed watching, unmoving, as Dylan practiced his forms. When he finally broke his focus and noticed her in the room, the sounds of a quiet apology floated to her ears. She smiled softly. "No Dylan, it has nothing to do with you. I apologize for leaving so abruptly." She appreciated his apology, it demonstrated for her yet again his thoughtful side. As though to demonstrate her words, she stepped in an kissed his cheek. "Perhaps I should explain."
She took a deep breath, fixing her eyes upon a spot in the distance as she spoke. Her voice was quiet, as though a lack of volume might blunt the force of the memories she was recalling. "You see... on the night that my parents died, I was home on a break from Falstaff's. I was on the couch, reading when my father and mother suddenly burst through the door. He used a body bind curse and hid me in the closet... unfortunately, the doors were slatted, and I had a clear view of everything that transpired. Their death was a very slow and messy affair... when my father finally mercifully succumbed to death, I was not prepared. As the body bind curse wore off, I lost my balance and was found... and attacked. The older scars on my arms were from the bindings they used..." she paused for a moment as her heart raced at the mere memory. "I was bound and assaulted... passed between then three of them..." She stopped and cleared her throat, her voice suddenly strengthening as she denied the hurt that fought for her recognition. When she looked up again, her eyes were cold and nearly emotionless. "That memory is what caused by rather abrupt reaction," she concluded simply.
"So then, I believe you may be in time for dinner," she remarked, using the second person purposely, as she didn't particularly feel like being immersed in the throng of the student body in the Great Hall.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Sept 23, 2007 17:06:37 GMT -5
Feeling a small kiss to the cheek, he smiled weakly and saw her stare off into nowhere in particular. He knew that he himself often did it, though perhaps for different reasons. Dee began to talk of the night that she seemed to steer away from so often, and a lump rose in Dylan's throat. Even if he had been able to talk, he wasn't sure that he would have. He had no pity, just sadness that she had had to endure something so horrific. He also found that he was slightly angry, to his surprise; angry at whoever had put her through that kind of pain. His feelings at moments such as this were often weak and dull, but what he felt for Dee caused them to be sharp and strong, a complete contradiction to his normally laid-back nature.
He glossed over her last comment, having no desire whatsoever to attend tonights dinner. He'd never felt less hungry in his life, in fact. Looking into her eyes, a seemingly favourite pasttime of his, he saw that they were like he'd never seen them before. Her typically warm gray eyes (though he imagined only warm around him... nevertheless...) were suddenly cold and distant, and it worried him just a little bit. Not having to travel too far for a possible reason, he had the biggest urge to just hug her until it was okay. Finding that, once again, that would not be the best course of action, he settled with taking her hand gently and kissing it.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Sept 23, 2007 17:20:37 GMT -5
D'rorah felt a light kiss on the back of her hand and looked over a Dylan. She could see anger in his eyes, though she was certain it wasn't directed at her. However, she did wonder whether anyone would possibly be interested in an individual as damaged as she. She knew he was refraining from touching her because he thought she might be uncomfortable... but in the back of her mind, a small voice asserted a fear that perhaps he wasn't as interested in someone who was 'tainted'. Pushing the voice aside, she found a smile to put on her face.
"Perhaps we should leave. Our housemates may be wondering at our rather prolonged absence. And, actually, I am a bit hungry... though I have no desire to eat in the Great Hall." She tilted her head, considering this dilemma. Neither of them had eaten all day, and her own master had often admonished her that hard days of training did not compliment days of fast. Finally, deciding that she should eat something, even if she didn't really want to, she grasped Dylan's hand and turned to lead them from the Room of Requirement. She rather wished at the moment that Hogwart's offered the option for a private meal on occasion, though that obviously would not be in the best interests of time or operating expenses.
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