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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Jun 25, 2008 21:36:51 GMT -5
D'rorah hadn't known where Dylan might be, all she knew was that he was the one person in the entire school she wanted to speak to, to see. As soon as she had finished joining with her new Elemental Master and regaining the emotions that had been nearly lost because of Shadow corruption, she made her way from the Room of Requirement and down to the fourth floor. She ignored her exhaustion, the shakiness in her legs, the way loose wisps of hair floated around her face and shoulders. The only thought in her mind was to see Dylan again. Recalling the last time they had spoken and how closed, cold, and emotionless she had been, she nearly wanted to weep. It was difficult, having all of her emotions back so suddenly. In fact, her head still ached from the force of their return. Nevertheless, she was grateful. It was clear now just how terrible a fate corruption was. Looking back on those weeks of recovery and emotionless living was almost like viewing the life of a dead person to her. Even for someone who had rarely allowed her emotions to be outwardly expressed, they were sorely missed.
Her hand grasped the banister of the stair lightly as she descended the steps. She moved as quickly as her spent body would allow, pulled along now by the force of wanting to see Dylan again--to really see him, love him, and appreciate him as she had before her abduction and before she had turned into a dark shell of a being. Her appearance was much improved, skin tone resuming its normal pale appearance, eyes returned to their customary icy grey... the only part permanently changed, it seemed was her hair, now colored with wide streaks of grey throughout and only a few sporadically scattered strands of black. Her tightly pinned hair bounced semi-loose as she rounded the last flight of stairs, not falling completely down, but rather flopping halfway down her back and about her neck.
Triumphant, her hand grasped the door to the common room. She was somehow certain that she would find Dylan there, and hoped upon hope that he hadn't left the grounds to shop in Hogsmeade or pop over to Diagon Alley. A brief coughing sound brought her back to her senses though as a squeaky voice piped up.
"Going somewhere in a hurry, are we D'rorah Darkness?" asked the brass doorknocker, a sneering lilt to it's voice. "And what riddle will you answer today?"
"Oh please, I am in a hurry," she replied, not maintaining the cold distance she normally did with this particular, rather rude (at least to her), knocker.
What passed for eyes on the knocker squinted at her, surveying her skeptically. "You can't possibly be who I think you are. Why the D'rorah I know would never admit a weakness in letting me know that I had something she wanted..." it trailed off, waiting apparently waiting for some sort of retort, their usual barbed banter. But D'rorah, unwilling to rise to the bait, waited silently until the door finally relented to ask the riddle.
A moth ate words. I thought that was a marvelous fate, that the worm, a thief in the dark, should eat a man's words, his brilliant language and its sturdy foundation. Not a whit the wiser was he for having fattened himself on those words.
D'rorah thought for a moment, certain her answer had been arrived at too easily to be correct. Usually the door went much further in attempting to bar her from the common room. "It is a bookworm," she answered finally, smiling gratefully as the door swung open with no further prompting.
Her eyes immediately set to scanning the common room, searching for the familiar figure of her boyfriend... her best friend, really. It felt like ages since she had last seen him, though she had eaten dinner with him just a couple of days ago. Finally she spied him at one of the tables near the fireplace, his head bowed over some sort of reading and his back to her. Quietly, she slipped up behind him, a vague uncertainty coming to her head suddenly. Will he even want to speak with me after how coldly I have treated him since my return? Of course I had no way to avoid doing so... But then another thought swam into her head, a specific sentence she had uttered in the library that afternoon. That she had loved him... had, past-tense.
And so she stood behind him awkwardly for several moments, watching him write and almost not daring to hope that she might still be worthy of his love. Certainly, he had hers, now that she was once again capable of the emotion. Finally, a bit of the old D'rorah kicked in, internally reprimanding herself for standing her in doubt when she could very simply ask Dylan and have a real answer for herself. She stepped forward quietly, resting her hand lightly upon his left shoulder. "Dylan," she said softly, leaning down so that her head was in the space over his right shoulder. Her right hand moved so that it covered his right hand, stopping the movement of the quill he had been writing with.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Jun 26, 2008 3:56:41 GMT -5
More and more lately, he had found that he was burying himself in his work; both from school and continued translations and research for the lightfighters. It provided what could almost be described as a happy distraction from the chaos that was currently his life. The grief brought from the death of his foster father was still evident, the trauma of the near disastrous aftermath, having D’rorah go missing for months, only to re-emerge on the border of corruption and lose every emotion she had ever possessed. But aside from that, things were going splendidly.
His quill moving rapidly across the parchment, his Defence Against the Dark Arts assignment was coming along quite well. Professor Archer had been reasonably surprised when he’d asked for the extra work, having handed in the previous weeks, this weeks, and even next weeks homework early. In fact, he’d done the same for almost every class he took; racing ahead of pretty much everyone else in the class in his determination to distract his mind from what usually pervaded all through his thoughts.
Too caught up in his work to notice a lingering presence behind him, it came as a surprise to hear his name spoken softly by a voice so familiar to him it almost hurt. And yet, there was something different about it now. It held… could that possibly be… emotion? No, he would not let his hopes rise again. He had been too disappointed, too heartbroken, over the last couple of weeks by constantly having his hopes inconsequentially raised at the thought that Dee might have somehow gotten her emotions back, that she could now feel for him what she had done before. No, he would not let it happen again, because it was driving him over the edge; and yet, he couldn’t help it.
Feeling a familiar hand on his shoulder – soft to the touch; light – his shoulder tensed up briefly along with most of the other muscles in his body, including those located around his jaw. His eyes became unfocused, staring at a corner of the page beneath him intently, saddening slightly. Sensing her head had lowered to stay above his shoulder, feeling her hand on his, the movement in it stopped, the words no longer soaring across the almost-full parchment. Taking in a deep, silent breath, he felt the warmth in her body, in her touch, the feeling she poured into each movement. His mind racing with concepts, emotions, everything about his current assignment shoved to the very back, he moved the hand currently resting on the table before him up, up to touch her own, currently on his shoulder.
Turning his head slightly so that he could see her face, so close to his, he was almost unable to believe the woman before him was really before him. She’d been missing for months, and just when he thought he’d had her back, his guts had been ripped from him and thrown out the window. Giving a few quick, emotional exhalations, his heart screamed for him to jump on her, hug her, to do anything. But his mind stopped him, keeping him from moving an inch. “Dee…?” he questioned. Of course, it was her on the outside; she even looked more like her old self than she had the last time they had seen each other – her eyes were back to their alluring grey, her skin tone was less like that pale stone, and her hair, despite still being quite grey, was less so than before. But that wasn’t what he was asking – he knew that technically she was known as D’rorah Philosophy; what he wanted to know was that this was the woman he loved, that she was no longer the shell she had been because of her near corruption. His voice was almost tentative, as if he daren’t hope that she was really back.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Jun 26, 2008 11:22:23 GMT -5
D'rorah felt Dylan's shoulder tense underneath her hand, causing iron bands to form around her heart, squeezing tightly. She could only imagine how he must feel after all this time... first with her missing, then with her unable to return the simplest of affections. The memory of it was painful to her now. She worried that he might have decided to close off his heart completely... the heart often did such things in order to protect itself from the evils and hurts of the world. They might both be better off without their emotional entanglement, attachment... from a purely logical point of view; of course, that didn't stop her from hoping in the deepest recesses of her heart that things could once again be as they had been.
As if in slow motion, she watched his hand move toward her hand on his shoulder, afraid for an instant he might be thinking to push her away. Instead, she was rewarded with his own soft touch. Her breath released, even though she hadn't been aware that she had been holding her breath. She could feel in that touch that things would be okay--perhaps not right away, but at least this was a point from which to begin healing.
As he spoke her name, she felt another wave of apprehension spread through her. He still guarded his heart and his entire body seemed tensed, as though he might decide at any moment to spring away from her. "Yes," she replied in response to his questioning statement of her name. "It is I... and every bit of me this time," she reassured him. Suddenly, it was as though a floodgate opened, she wanted him to hold her, to comfort her... the atrocities she had been through, the painful memories that floated in her mind of a darker D'rorah Philosophy still resounded in her head like a rusty trumpet, the notes cracking and jangling the nerves. Her words came out like an overzealous stream--rushing, bubbling, trembling over one another, her customary stolid composure far from her mind as she allowed her heart to have its say.
"I had to see you. I... you were... I came right away, as soon as it had happened. As soon as I remembered the way I had been for those weeks with no emotion. It has all returned, every bit of it as far as I can tell. And I wanted you to know first... I wanted to see you, to remind myself that you were really real and still here. I wanted... I want to say that..." she smiled, her eyes bright with tears that occasionally fell from her eyes, leaving a pair of small tracks on her cheeks. "What I have to say right away is that... I love you, Dylan Cooper. And it pains my heart to hear in my head the one time I ever used that statement in the past tense--that day in the library."
Slightly breathless from her words, she breathed a bit heavily, and could feel the hammering of her heart in her chest. She had practically handed her heart to him on a platter, and she new that it was currently brittle and could break at any moment. Even now, her body steeled her for that possibility, her legs attempting to steady so the shock of it wouldn't bring her crashing to the floor. She was oblivious to anyone else in the room, knowing the scene must look wildly odd, especially for D'rorah, who had never been one to show much emotion in front of others. At the moment though, she didn't care what anyone might think... well, anyone except Dylan that was. His was the response that mattered, his was the only response she cared about at all.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Jun 27, 2008 7:56:13 GMT -5
His eyes searching her own grey ones as he waited for her response, tears of happiness filled his eyes and he emitted an unbelieving, joyous little breath as she continued talking, her words the best he had ever heard. Smiling happily, he watched the tears flow from her eyes, leaving wet trails down her cheeks and suddenly lost all ability to control himself. As she brought up what she had said in the library, his heart tore again for a moment before resealing, realising that she had not, perhaps at the time, known how hurtful those words had been.
But she was back now; it was really her. Healthier than before, more whole. As she finished, he rose slowly from his seat, turning his body fully to face her. “Dee…” he said once more, slowly. His hand still on hers, he clenched it tightly for a moment before releasing it and wrapping both arms around her body, hugging her tight and never wanting to let go. “I’m glad you’re back,” he said into her chest; she was, afterall, considerably taller than him.
“I love you too, Dee,” he murmured softly, not caring who else was in the common room, who else was watching. Despite his own almost overwhelming feelings at the moment, he processed everything she said; by the sounds of it, she had only just gotten her feelings back. From all the research he’d done, there was no record of a Shadow Warrior even surviving the crystals, so he couldn’t be positive as to how a bordering corrupted woman could be brought back, could get her to regain her emotions. What he did know was that any Warrior that comes into any kind of momentary or short-lasting contact with Shadows or Wraiths could be steadied by her Elemental Master; could regain control. So he was only left to assume that she had been helped by her Master, which in turn meant that Mallan’s replacement had been found.
Leaving that all behind, simply because none of it mattered now, not really, he hugged her all that much tighter. “I love you so much.” His voice was a sheer combination of every emotion he felt; relief, longing, and love all rolled together. He could only assume that his rollercoaster of feelings was nowhere near as bad as hers, however, and he slipped his hand into hers, longing for a place where they could be alone, to talk. “Come on, love,” he said quietly, his mouth making up for the time they had lost by using the word ‘love’ as much as possible without making him seem completely crazy.
Leading her up the only staircase that would accept him; the one leading up to the boy’s dormitory, he met no-one along the way and was slightly grateful for that small fact. He knew Alessandro wasn’t there yet, and other than that he had no other dorm-mates to worry about running into, so he opened the door with confidence. And indeed, there was no-one else in sight, and a quick check ensured that the bathroom, too, was empty. Not sure at what point he’d lost her hand, he turned on the spot to face her and simply stood, unsure as to what to even do. There were plenty of things that came to mind; plenty of things he could do, and yet for the moment, he did nothing but stare at the woman he’d thought he had lost.
Finally, after half a minute or so, he regained the ability to talk. “Are you alright?” he questioned, his eyes meeting hers and transferring that the question was not a simple one, nor could it perhaps be simply answered. But he needed to ask it, so ask it he did. Suddenly, it wasn’t the most important thing on his mind; well, it was, but waiting for the answer wasn’t. Taking a few steps towards her, he gave her one last emotion-filled look before wondering how physically exhausting the event of regaining so many feelings had been. “Anything you need… some food? A bed to sleep on?” His voice was caring, and he genuinely questioned her physical needs, having already broached the subject of her emotional ones.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Jun 27, 2008 23:22:42 GMT -5
D'rorah watched as Dylan rose from his seat. His pressure on her hand was reassuring, causing her worry to slightly dissipate. She wrapped her arms around him tightly as he hugged her, happy once again to be in his arms. "I am so happy to be back," she replied, unable to keep the happy tears from her voice. As he affirmed his love for her, her heart soared once again, as it had last done so very, very long ago.
She allowed him to lead her from the room, thinking much the same idea that he had, that it would be best to be away from the prying eyes of classmates. She followed without questioning, figuring he would lead her somewhere quiet and alone. She was not disappointed as she found the two of them alone in Dylan's dormitory. She remembered having been here before, and saw that it looked much the same. She stood facing him, feeling awkward for some weird reason. It felt as though there was so much distance between them... a false feeling caused by the time she had spent without her emotions.
She listened as he asked about her, offering food or a place to sleep. As she listened, her smile grew. "I appreciate your concern for me. Perhaps, for now," as she spoke, she made her way over to his bed and sat on the edge, "just somewhere to rest. I do not recall having gotten any respectable amount of sleep in days. I did have a nice meal with you... but I suppose that was several days ago. Perhaps after a while we might look for some sort of food."
Her hands rested on either side of her lap as she sat on the bed, legs crossed at the ankles. "I suppose you have already induced that I have found my new Elemental Master." She took a deep breath and looked around again, making certain no one else was around. "I joined with him this afternoon and he assisted me with regaining my emotions." She shook her head slightly. "It was an exhausting and mentally draining experience. But you were the first thought on my mind afterward. I had to see you right away... to say what I was unable to the last time we spoke--that I love you."
She looked over at him and smiled again. "Yes, perhaps this would be easier with some sort of food," she admitted as she heard a rumble from her stomach. "What can we get easily... without having to leave, I hope?"
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Jun 28, 2008 19:57:32 GMT -5
Smiling brightly as she replied, a relatively large smile clearly evident on her features too, he couldn’t help but want to be next to her, holding her, touching her. Mirroring her movements and moving over to his own bed, he took a seat beside her and wriggled his hand into hers, set as it was on the bed. Nodding once or twice in response to her affirmation that a bit of rest was what she needed, his mind skipped over the reference to their meal the other day where he had simply not been able to cope anymore with the detached woman she had been and had promptly escaped.
His smile having faded for no particular reason, one corner twitched up ever so slightly as she mentioned her Elemental Master, his mind wondered who it could possibly be; he didn’t really need to know this instant however, and set that question aside for later; there were more important things right now. As she also confirmed that she had only just joined with him, he felt a small sympathy for her at having to have endured that once more, especially on top of everything else – it must have been her third or fourth joining, far more than any one Shadow Warrior should ever have to experience. He also knew all too well what she went through every time she was forced to join with a Master, and he hated that she had to repeat the experience any more than necessary, if at all.
His smile returning in full force at her declamation of love, he turned his head to face her and flicked his eyes to hers, truly happy for the first time in months. His smile turning whimsical, he considered a way to perhaps get some food without having to relocate for a while. Nothing immediately springing to mind, he regretted that fact. “We could just pop down to the kitchens, it won’t take long,” he said quietly, his hand toying with hers a bit as he examined it; the fine lines, the length of her fingers, the curve in her nails. Smiling lightly down at it, he turned his eyes upward once more.
“Come on, we’ll go and get something then come back here and just relax, we won’t need to move for quite a few hours,” he said realistically, assuming Alessandro wouldn’t be back tonight; he very rarely was, anymore. In fact, Dylan hadn’t seen his dorm mate in a while, but that was far from his mind at this point. Rising from the bed, he turned on his heel to face her. “Unless of course you’d rather stay here. I don’t know how well you should trust my judgement, though, because I’ll eat anything,” he said with a boyish smile.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Jun 29, 2008 9:35:57 GMT -5
D'rorah felt a thrill she had missed for quite some time as Dylan's hand began to toy with her own. She wondered if her heightened emotional responses were the result of not having any emotions for so long or if she simply had to reacquaint herself with them. Of course, there was also the very real possibility that was simply incredibly thrilled to see Dylan once again and to be able to respond to him once again as her whole self.
She smiled at Dylan's proclamation that his judgment was suspect because he would eat anything. "Very well," she replied. "I suppose it cannot cause any harm to head out into the common areas of the castle. Although..." she paused, thinking of how odd it would seem to have the two of them coming and going together from the boys' dormitory. Almost certainly, the Headmistress would somehow hear about it. And that would be most undesirable.
"Perhaps we could dine in one of the inside gardens," she suggested. "That is, if we can find one that is not currently occupied. It might seem odd of the others see us come and go from here more than once in a day." She shrugged. "I would suggest dinner in the astronomy tower, but it seems to be a more and more popular location for others to gather these days. Either way, we can solidify our plans while we wait for our food. I am absolutely famished."
Grasping his hand, she rose from the bed and began leading the way to the door of his dormitory. Yes, food and then rest. That would work perfectly for her. For, even as exhausted as she was, she simply couldn't say "no" to the idea of having dinner with Dylan after all these months.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Jun 30, 2008 6:48:55 GMT -5
A boyishly charming smile becoming ever more present as she replied, he was quite honestly looking forward to a little walk through what must be practically deserted hallways. It was very nearly curfew, afterall, and checking his watch he saw that it was in fact two whole minutes away. With visions of a quiet, comfortable journey through the castle, his hand securely in hers, his smile could do nothing but grow.
Her suggestion of moving to an indoor garden was, actually, a very pleasant one. He hadn’t realistically found the idea of spending the evening stuck up in his dorm, no matter how cozy or comforting the place was. Plus, she had a point about the both of them going up and down those stairs all night. There was always the fact that he much preferred being on the ground to being in the air, too. He supposed it was probably much the opposite to D’rorah, but the gardens were a very nice place to eat or do anything, for that matter.
As she finished, he couldn’t help but emit a small laugh. “I’ve missed you, D’rorah,” he said happily, delighted beyond comprehension by how D’rorah-esque she was. She was just so… her, and given she was one of the people he loved most on this Earth, he was extremely happy that she was. Her hand in his, he allowed himself to be led to the door and down the stairs, and never let go, smiling as he thought back on two minutes previously when he had envisioned them hand in hand walking down the halls, when so soon they were doing exactly that.
The corridors were thinning rapidly as everyone began getting to their appropriate common rooms; they mostly passed fellow Ravenclaws headed in the opposite direction, or else Gryffindors headed up. His own prefect badge shining on his chest alongside that displaying him as Quidditch captain, he felt a slight guilt at disobeying curfew simply because he could. But, after what he had been through over the last few months, he would cut himself some slack. He supposed if he were not in such a position, however, then he would not be here, heading down this hallway, going in this direction; he would be up in his common room like everybody else, obeying the rules like everybody else, and right now he pushed that thought to the back of his mind.
He knew he had appreciated the woman beside him before, knew he had loved her to his fullest, and not taken her for granted… But something was different now that he had tasted what it was like to lose her. Thinking back on the past few months, unable to prevent such thoughts from coming forward, his expression fell slightly. He had detached himself from everyone around him, even Susan. He’d begun to avoid sitting with anyone at his house table, and eventually moved out of the Great Hall altogether for meals; even neglected his usually ravenous eating habits. His body and mind had suffered from both that and a lack of sleep, and too much work. He’d stopped talking altogether in classes, doing what was required and keeping his head down. No… It hadn’t been pleasant, but he was almost positive she had been through far worse during that period, so he felt that he had no right to complain.
Spontaneously, he stopped for a moment and twisted her around gently. Stepping forward a step, he kissed her softly, meaningfully. Pulling back after lingering for a while, he raised his gaze to her face, attempting to find her eyes. Without a word, he was ready to move on, down the few remaining floors and to the kitchens.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Jun 30, 2008 9:38:13 GMT -5
Though surprised by the unexpected action, D'rorah gave no resistance or argument as Dylan pulled her around for a soft kiss. She felt her heart speed up slightly as she responded, her arms moving around to drape over his shoulders. Meeting his eyes, she smiled once again. "Of all the things I missed while I was away, I missed you most of all, Dylan Cooper," she murmured quietly before pulling him into her own soft kiss. It was several momens before she could pull herself away, before the possibility of the two Ravenclaw prefects being discovered together in the hallway made her remember herself. Lightly, she pulled at his hand to bring him along with her as she continued down the corridor toward the kitchen.
All too soon, the picture which hid the door to the kitchens was in sight. Just as quickly, the pear had been tickled and they found themselves in the quiet of a kitchen closing down for the evening. Regardless, the house elves seemed only to happy to assist hungry students and two of them gathered around with offerings of snacks and foods for the couple. This was always the difficult part for D'rorah--trying to decide what she wanted to eat from the wide offerings of the Hogwarts kitchen. Especially when she was as hungry as she was at the moment.
She finally decided on an Indian dish with vegetables in a creamy korma sauce, naan, rice, and a pair of vegetable samosas. Relaying her request to the house elf, she had a sudden impulse for dessert. It wasn't a desire she had often; indeed, sweets weren't particular favorites of D'rorah's, but at the last moment, she added an order of gulab jamun to what was certainly already a very respectable dinner. As she stood there, she could almost taste the food already... the smells from the kitchen were nearly intoxicating. If she hadn't known better, she would have sworn she saw the house elf raise an eyebrow at her large order, no doubt surprised that a girl who rarely took the opportunity to eat would order so much for one meal.
As the squeaky voiced house elf turned her attention to Dylan, D'rorah looked around at the kitchen itself. It was an organized place, she appreciated that of all things. It always impressed her how easily so many individuals could work together so efficiently. If only humanity could master such teamwork she thought to herself. Smiling, she turned her attention back to Dylan and gently squeezed his hand. "We should ask for some sort of drinks as well," she said, the idea suddenly occurring to her. "A pitcher of cherry lemonade?" she asked, looking at Dylan questioningly, wondering what he might like to drink.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Jun 30, 2008 21:40:03 GMT -5
Feeling her hands drape around his shoulders, he smiled softly into the kiss, wanting for all the world to not be in the middle of a corridor. His eyes shining as she spoke, his brows furrowed briefly in sadness, thinking of the time they had been forced to spend apart. He could only be happy, however, that he had her back; that they had each other back. Such thoughts were soon wiped from his mind, though, as she returned her own kiss, nearly making his heart stop altogether. But it soon fluttered back into regular beats, increasing exponentially as the kiss continued, wiping everything from his mind but her.
As she pulled back, he reciprocated unwillingly, unable to stop the joyous smile pervading his features. Venturing down toward the kitchens once more, his hand teasing hers playfully and enjoying it quite thoroughly, they had all too soon passed through the Entrance Hall and down into the food-filled corridors below, every wall covered in paintings that made him hungrier, although to be honest he wasn’t that hungry to begin with. As a few house elves came to serve them, he smiled pleasantly down at them, letting D’rorah order without interruption; it really was true that he’d eat almost anything. There were but a few exceptions, but none were concerned in the dinner she had ordered.
Raising an eyebrow slightly as she named a dessert, he turned toward her with a pleasantly surprised expression. “A sweet tooth, Dee? I didn’t think you had one,” he said playfully, happier by far than he had been in months. Finding an elf focused on him, he didn’t really think he could add anything but a drink to the order and, distracted by the squeezing of his hand, he failed to do so. Not that it mattered, because she had the forethought to think exactly the same thing. Nodding at her suggestion of cherry lemonade, something he hadn’t had in years and his mother used to treat him with, he couldn’t help but tiptoe up slightly and give her a small kiss on the cheek.
Gazing at her affectionately for a moment, his attention was caught by a small house elf tugging at his robes. When she noticed that she had gained his focus, she extended both hands toward him with the food in her grasp. “Thanks,” he said happily, turning his head back toward D’rorah with an indication to go as, not long after, another elf returned with a pitcher of red-coloured drink.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Jun 30, 2008 23:09:58 GMT -5
As Dylan lovingly teased her for selecting dessert, D'rorah smiled and held up her hands to indicate that she couldn't really explain herself. "I cannot say that I do. But perhaps everyone has a sweet tooth which must occasionally assert itself." As she felt a small kiss planted on her cheek, she looked over at Dylan from the corner of her eye. Normally, she would have been far too reserved for such actions in public, but this was not a normal day. This was a reunion of sorts, the first time they had spent together in months. She could hardly count the scant time they had spent together while she had no emotions. Indeed, that girl had barely been D'rorah Philosophy at all. Even D'rorah, for all of her eschewing of displays of emotion, was not completely unemotionless.
D'rorah accepted the pitcher of cherry lemonade as it was offered to them, watching as Dylan secured the food for the evening. Given the proximity to curfew, D'rorah wondered if an indoor garden was really the best setting for dinner, but she knew she didn't want to eat in the common room or cooped up in a dormitory. Besides, as prefects they had the liberty of being out and about after curfew. And nearly all of the other prefects were Lightfighters as well, so punishment didn't seem particularly likely in this case.
Nevertheless, she was alert for any indication that someone might be nearby as they made their way to the indoor garden. No need to mar a perfectly wonderful night by ending up with detention or crossing paths with the headmistress. Out of necessity, the walk was quick and quiet. But, when they finally reached the indoor garden, D'rorah found a place in one of the stone pathways underneath a small willow tree to set out their dinner items. As soon as their hands were free, D'rorah's arms were around Dylan, kissing him deeply. In the quiet seclusion of the garden, her own heart sounded like drums in her ears and her blood raced through her veins. Yet, through everything, she could feel exhaustion slowly taking its toll. Sooner than she wished, she found herself needing to break the embrace and take her seat on the low stone wall.
Intent on her goal of dinner, D'rorah began serving each of them with plates. Both plates were respectably full, and there was still plenty of food left over for at least one more serving, she saw with satisfaction. Taking a bite of her vegetable samosa, she closed her eyes for a moment to experience the complex spices of the food before opening them again to look at Dylan. She chewed slowly before swallowing, finally remembering that Dylan must be wondering how she had regained her emotions so fully.
"As you may have already surmised, I have found and joined with my new Elemental Master." She withdrew her wand and cast a muffliato spell, just in case anyone might wander by the room and attempt to overhear the couple without their knowledge. Tucking her wand back into her sleeve, she continued. "His name is Bryan Kelley and he is a Gryffindor student. I had the fortune of him stumbling across me in the library... he wished to sketch me." She shook her head slightly at the memory. We joined this afternoon; that is why I am so exhausted... after the joining, we then went through the process of regathering my emotions. I believe I am safe in saying that both of us were utterly exhausted afterwards. I am certain he is still sleeping to regain his strength. And, though I am quite ecstatic to see you once again, I am certain I will also be off to bed at an unreasonably early hour for much the same reason."
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Jul 3, 2008 7:06:14 GMT -5
He grinned slightly at her reply and thanked the house elves for everything as they brought the pitcher of lemonade toward them, eager to settle down with D’rorah and enjoy both the food and her company. Traipsing quietly toward the nearest garden with her, he kept as silent as possible but avoided any kind of suspicious positioning like crouching or something equally as ridiculous. They could always maintain that they were patrolling, and as long as they didn’t encounter the headmistress or someone equally undesirable, they should be alright. A run-in with other authorities seemed unlikely, though, as they drew nearer to their destination.
His eyes opened to everything contained in the area, he couldn’t recall being in any of these gardens in a long time; years, in fact. They were usually busy with activity during normal hours of the day, especially when the weather turned foul, and he had always been a very quiet person, who sought solitude rather than social encounters. But he remembered when he’d seen these gardens for the first time, exploring this big castle as a tiny little first year student and being amazed by just about everything he came across. He’d always loved any kind of natural scenery or location, though, far more than four walls and a roof; he knew why, now, but back then it had simply been some fantastic, beautiful concept to him, something to marvel at for the sake of it.
His eyes following D’rorah as she moved deeper into the garden, he travelled in her footsteps along the stone path and stopped beneath the same willow tree; a tree he’d always loved. Approving of the seating spot immensely, he supposed it didn’t really matter where he was, as long as he was with her; had her. As he set the items in his arms down onto the ground, his gaze found her and he knew that they were alone, extremely unlikely to be disturbed, and burden free, and in the next instant he knew that she was taking advantage of each of those facts.
Feeling her arms wrap around his torso, rest on his back, he failed to take a breath before her lips were on his, and, whether because of the initial lack of oxygen or the kiss itself, he was instantly breathless. His mind racing without a destination and his heart pounding in his chest, he felt the blood rush to every muscle, to every possible location in his body, making him feel more alive than he had done in months. But far too quickly, she pulled back, leaving him wanting more and with no way to gain it. His breathing heavy for a moment or two, he got himself under control by taking a few slower, deeper breaths and moved to sit beside her on the nearby wall.
Not having the whim to help her in dishing out the dinner, he left her to attend to it, feeling as though his intended help would only have resulted in complications anyway. Never saying no to food, despite the fact that he wasn’t particularly hungry, he supposed that he needed to have dinner some nights and began on his decent proportion of the Indian. His attention caught by her words, he turned his eyes toward her and continued to eat, finding it easier as he listened to consume the samosa and drink some of the cherry lemonade that turned out to be just as good, if not better, than that his mother had used to make.
Nodding slightly twice at her first comment, he was glad for the muffliatio she cast and found that it was just one more thing he loved about her; she always had the forethought to produce such a spell for anything discussed that was even remotely dangerous to their cause or themselves personally. Though perhaps it wasn’t much, it was simply a little consideration she held, and he appreciated it just as he always had – though truth be told, perhaps a bit more now that she had returned from a long absence. Hearing the name of a boy he didn’t think he’d ever met, he mentally noted down the tidbits of information offered about him and would make sure to get to know him in future. Before long, his eyebrows raised and his eyes widened in slightly surprise as she admitted he had wished to sketch her. He didn’t know many students that carried around a pencil and drawing pad, asking unknown peers if they wouldn’t mind being sketched. He found it a rather odd concept, but wouldn’t let that be the judging factor in his opinion; how could he judge, even at all, especially if he’d never met the younger Gryffindor.
Nodding in acceptance at her further explanation of the events of this afternoon, he knew that all too soon he would have to separate from her, though the very thought tore at him. In all honesty, he never wanted to be separated from her again; the idea that one day she just wouldn’t be there was still a realistic concept, as unsettling as that might be, and Dylan had never loved anyone enough in such a dire time to feel this immense concern for them. His eyes attempting to find hers, he sighed lightly and cast them downwards, staring at nothing and seeing through everything as his mind wandered. But, this was a very special occasion, and one he wouldn’t ruin; he would take all the time he could get with the amazing woman before him, and be thankful for it – the concept that he had time with her and didn’t use it wisely almost made him want to punch himself, and he vowed that wouldn’t happen.
Gaining a happy smile, he shuffled slightly closer to her and found their legs in contact. Doing nothing whatsoever to alter that, he wrapped his closest arm around her, curling it across her back and drawing her a bit nearer. Closing in on the remaining space, he brought his free hand around, his plate left on the wall beside him, and it found her soft jaw line, quite content to stay there for the moment. The kiss he offered was small, soft, and lingering, full of all the happy thoughts and memories rather than the bad. “I love you, D’rorah Philosophy,” he said in a quietly sincere voice, unable to stop himself from kissing her again in the same way. “And as long as you’re here, it’s quite alright with me that you go to bed at whatever hour you see fit,” he offered lightly, his voice slightly teasing in a way that perhaps only she might pick up.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Jul 3, 2008 11:56:45 GMT -5
D'rorah watched Dylan as she spoke. She appreciated how he listened attentively, not interrupting, not needing to ask her to repeat anything she said. As exhausted as she was, she wasn't certain she had the energy for repeating herself. Even eating her dinner was beginning to seem like an insurmountable task... though she was far too famished to pass it up either. As she began to eat, she felt Dylan move slightly closer to her, their legs touching as they both sat on the low stone wall. She had just swallowed a mouthful of korma and rice when she felt Dylan's hand upon her back, drawing her nearer.
The soft touch of his hand to her jaw line sent a ripple of shivers down her spine and caused goosebumps to spring up on her covered forearms. His kiss was returned readily, leaving her with her lips slightly parted and herself leaning slightly towards him as he pulled away and spoke. It turned out to be a good thing, as she was rewarded with another kiss after a profession of his love for her.
She smirked at his teasing tone of voice, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly in happiness. "I love you, Dylan cooper. And statements like that might very well lead to me capturing you for the night and absconding away." She gave him another soft kiss before returning her attention to her dinner, which she attacked with a great deal more gusto than she customarily used in dining. It felt as though she had hardly eaten in ages. She minded her manners, but did so as expeditiously as possible, quickly filling her plate with a second serving as she moved through her korma. The sauce was perfectly rich and creamy, a true delight and testimony to the talent of the Hogwarts elves.
When her plate was once again clean, her hunger at last sated and her thirst slaked, D'rorah could feel drowsiness wash over her like the evening tide. What she wanted was to be carried to her room and tucked carefully into bed. However, she knew that wasn't going to be possible here. Dylan wouldn't even be able to make it up the staircase to her dormitory, knowing the stairs would collapse into a slide the moment he set foot in the well. Likewise, it would be highly inappropriate for either of them to leave the grounds or for her to sneak into his dormitory.
She leaned over against Dylan lightly for support as she fought to keep her eyes open. She didn't want to leave so soon, now that they were just having some quiet time together. She wanted to curl up with him and be lulled to sleep quietly and gently. She wanted the luxury of sleeping in in the morning and waking up slowly. But, duty beckoned and it likely not be. She put her hand in front of her mouth to shield a yawn, then turned her face to look up at Dylan with heavily lidded eyes. "May we just stay here forever?" she questioned sleepily.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Jul 10, 2008 6:38:59 GMT -5
His heart skipping a beat or two in the kiss, he felt the unwelcome reality of their lips not meeting all too soon and couldn’t help but want the warmth that hers provided back. Smiling happily for a moment as she replied to his comments, he raised one eyebrow and took on a playfully tempting expression. “Why D’rorah, what a suggestion,” he said jokingly, in truth wanting nothing more than what her words offered. The idea of escaping everything for just one night after the multitude of terrible ones he had endured over the last few months was heaven; of having no prefect or Quidditch responsibilities, no people hanging on him for conversations or directions, no-one to avoid or seek. He would just have her, and her him, and Dylan couldn’t imagine anything better.
Accepting the light kiss, he looked to her with longing eyes as she redirected the most of her attention to the food before her. With a small, appreciative and loving smile, he mirrored her actions and soon found that his usual appetite had quite taken over, and that his own dinner had very quickly disappeared. Going in for seconds and surprised to see that Dee had done the same, that plate, too, vanished a bit too quickly than was necessary and left him feeling extremely satisfied. Washing everything down with a final swig of the cherry lemonade, he set aside the dirty plate and glass and couldn’t help but let a small yawn escape from between his lips.
Considering it rather good timing that they had both finished within a minute or so of each other, he wondered how often that had happened with the both of them and found it was actually relatively common; of course, sometimes no-one could keep up with his veracious appetite, but other than that she did quite well to equal his own speed. Or perhaps she just ate less, he wasn’t sure. Seeing that she was making to lean against him, he raised the arm closest to her and, when she had settled beside him, wrapped it around her waist lightly. Bringing his other arm around her body, he held her close, breathing in her familiar scent, albeit altered slightly with the events of the day, and wishing more than anything that they never had to leave.
Her words reflecting his own thoughts, he smiled lightly, lulled almost into sleep as he sat with her, full and content, warm and finding it completely unnecessary to worry about anything whatsoever. His smile warming as he gazed down at her upturned face, he couldn’t help but think that despite everything, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen or known. His expression portrayed that he wanted exactly the same as her small request suggested, and he placed a light kiss onto her forehead. “One day,” he replied quietly, his eyes glowing like they hadn’t done since before Christmas Day.
Sighing helplessly, he gave her another swift kiss before adjusting himself slightly, moving to get up from his current position. Finally weedling his way off the wall, he indicated for her to stay put as he collected everything together and tidied up; within a few minutes he was ready to return the dishes to the kitchen and leave, though he by no means wanted to. Transferring, with a little bit of difficulty, everything into one hand, and unwilling to be one of those wizards who did every little thing with magic, he finally freed up one hand to wrap around her should she wish to lean against him as they walked. It was a comfort he would enjoy, and she looked incredibly tired and perhaps wouldn’t entirely want to walk all the way back up the castle on her own. She was stronger than perhaps even she realised, but he would leave himself available for the help and close proximity if she desired it.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Jul 13, 2008 2:42:04 GMT -5
“One day,” he replied quietly, his eyes glowing like they hadn’t done since before Christmas Day.
"One day soon, I hope," she added quietly, another small yawn escaping her lips. She could feel her eyes beginning to close as Dylan rewarded her with a swift kiss and then made to rise. She did as directed, staying where she was, but leaning in the opposite direction, against an outcropping on the wall as she watched him tidy up from their picnic dinner.
"Thank you," she murmured sleepily in appreciation of his clearing up the dishes. She slipped into the empty spot within his arm as they made their way up to the kitchens to return their basket, pleased with the progression of the evening. The weeks she had been without emotion seemed to stretch out within her mind as a vast expanse of empty and cold territory. At the moment, she couldn't be happier to back within Dylan's arms and once again emotionally whole.
After leaving their dishes behind with the always accomodating house elves, D'rorah began making her way up to the Ravenclaw common room with Dylan. Once through the door, she led the way over to one of the couches near the fireplace. She still felt a constant chill as a reminder of her corruption, even through her layers of formal, all-concealing clothing. Even as they sat in front of the fireplace, a shiver passed through her.
"We cannot allow ourselves to fall asleep here," she murmured, having trouble keeping her eyes open. "But I did not wish to say good night just yet." She curled up against him, breaking from her usual straight-backed formality. "This weekend..." she trailed off as the words were lost in a haze of exhaustion. She shook her head slightly and continued. "We should find time to get out, take a few moments to ourselves. Although I have so much work to do, it would be nice to take time to remind myself exactly what it is we are fighting for..." she trailed off again, gazing into the fire, her eyelids feeling like lead. She snuggled her face into the crook of Dylan's neck and already felt her breathing beginning to become more slow and steady. For a moment, she wondered if she would be able to stay awake long enough to make it to her bed... that thought however, was quickly replaced by the beginnings of sleep as it descended upon her.
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