Flagrant Consequences

[Alessandro Darko]

(This is circa 2 weeks from Flowers Are Dangerous. They have Pistils.)

Alessandro was not doing well at all. He hadn't been making it to classes in the last couple of days and refused to go anywhere near the library or any book for that matter. The spell he had seemingly botched (but phrases it in a euphemistic manner) had severely taken a toll on him, as Keaira had said it might. Now, instead of reading a book rather quickly, any book he touched imprinted the knowledge contained to his brain. The process was rather painful, giving him this temporary aversion to literature. He found himself writing full parchment's worth of random, useless knowledge absentmindedly and realized that it was the only release.

Unfortunately for him, the problem was continuing to grow. Seeking out a similar alternative, he had fled to the room of requirement.

"I. Just. Can't...keep it all in. Anymore."

His speech was segregated between each word uttered, a verbal staccato, punctuating his prose. His right hand was swishing away in the air, his wand drawing fiery letters in the air, adjoining with others to complete words. Once the word was complete it shrank down to a smaller size and zoomed into its place amongst the fiery veils comprised of written passages that were draped around the room of requirement. Alessandro had been in there for four hours now, writing everything his jinxed brain could think of. From the very high ceiling to the floor, Alessandro had managed to write several walls worth of information that was completely random and useless. It was all flowing through him though, threatening to explode from his skull if it weren't released somehow.

A haggard left hand rose shakily and ran itself clumsily backwards through his hair as he continued to direct his wand, his expression looking very strained as as if he were about to have a nervous breakdown at any moment.

It was an interesting sight to see, though definitely not a strange one. Not for Hogwarts. Alessandro stood at the far back of the room (as it had designed itself to be as large as Alessandro had needed it to be and accommodated the many veils of flagrated writing, sloppily written here and there, just hanging in mid air. The fiery glow was beautiful in the dark room -- completely eliminating any need for a light source (which the room had left out purposely) and Alessandro was lit up dramatically, eerie shadows caressing his face and his form seemingly casting a long, stretching shadow as if it were trying to reach the door to get away.

"Why. Do. I. Know...ALL. of. This. Stuff..." He managed with frustration behind each punctuated word. He had just finished the United States Declaration of Independence before he heard someone come through the door. He didn't turn, for he knew it had to have been someone who knew how to find him. Or perhaps it was a total stranger just happening upon the room. Whoever it was and for whatever the reason, he resisted the urge to turn and look as he felt a wave of pain consume his head as several facts about Diabetes exploded within his thoughts.

Pushing up his glasses (the left lens was cracked and the right was missing altogether) which were completely unnecessary at this point, he rose his wand and he began to write the word "Insulin".

[Caitlin Collins]

With exams fast approaching, Cait found that the stress afflicting other students was beginning to cause problems for her as well. She had never had to face exams before and had not really understood what the big was all about. It was just longer and stricter forms of the tests they had all the time in class. However, then she had discovered that getting a placement at St. Mungo's would involve them looking at her predicted grades. And her predicted grades would be set by her teachers, based on how well she did in these 6th year exams...

From that point onwards, her revision rime doubled and her nervousness increased exponentially. She became just as stressed as everyone else. Her trips to the Room of Requirement to practice her control over water because less frequent. But she could only face so much stress, and today found her heading back to the sixth floor once again. There was just something about using her elemental Shadow Warrior abilities that calmed her, made everything seem okay.

However, upon pushing open the door to the Room of Requirements she found a rather unexpected sight; Alessandro, looking very haggard and strained even from behind, in a dark room lit by line after line of a fiery script scrawled all over the walls. Some of what was written she recognised from her own revision and general knowledge, but other parents were completely unknown to her.

[yellow]"Alessandro?" [/yellow] she said tentatively, stepping forward as he began writing abundant knowledge about diabetes. [yellow]"Are... are you okay?" [/yellow] He certainly didn't look it... but maybe this was his own way of revising.

[Alessandro Darko]

Just as he was finishing the definition of a "finger-stick" and why it was necessary for a diabetic to perform routinely, he entrant had decided to make the original occupant aware of their identity. Alessandro swallowed slowly as he continued to direct his wand. The corner of his mouth twitched in conjunction with his left eye at her query. He certainly was not okay -- he was standing in a room surrounded by magically hand-written passages, all from books he's either read or touched. It was a perfect opportunity for him to be flippant and glib with his response.

"I'm peachy. And yourself?" He said in a low voice that was completely bereft of any levity whatsoever.

He wondered as he continued to write flagrated words with his wand, if Keaira had kept the information he had shared with her about his botched spell to herself, or if she had shared it with Caitlin. She sounded like she seriously didn't know what was going on with him, but then again, her question was considered a "pleasantry" in his book and perhaps she was just breaking the ice to let on she DID know something and was giving him an opportunity to open up a little.

Fat chance. If she wanted to know anything she would have to ask more specific questions.

Since his talk with Keaira in the gardens, things had gotten loads worse. He was getting migraines daily, becoming highly sensitive to light, and if he touched books, his brain would immediately download all of the knowledge without the pleasure of actually reading it. People irritated him, their lack of knowledge disgusted him, so he did his best to endure through class, but frequently requested to go to the medical wing because of migraines. The only solace he could find was in sleep, or in a dark place where he could hear himself think or speak. Now, he had to make room somehow...

[Caitlin Collins]

Cait blinked in surprise at his response, not at all used to that tone coming from him – or anyone, really. Even Zee when he had been here hadn't spoken to her like that, and she didn't really know how to respond. He obviously wasn't okay, just as she had suspected, but he really didn't sound as though he was up to conversation right now. Sometimes, she knew, it was better just to let people blow off steam without interrupting. But she could hardly just leave him like this... he looked terrible. And she doubted that allowing him to continue letting out all this writing and knowledge would help particularly. It did make her worry a little about her own knowledge for the coming exams, though. Was there anything about diabetes in them? She wasn't sure... maybe it was just a subject he was taking. Muggle Studies, maybe.

She bit her lip then took a step forward again, then another, despite her apprehensions. She moved forward and around him so that she could see his face, albeit leaving a wide berth around him. Her eyes turned to the walls of the room once more as he continued writing, the words leaving his wand and turning into the glowing red script. She hesitated once again before speaking. [yellow]"What's the matter?"[/yellow] she asked quietly, not wanting to interrupt him too much while he was concentrating so much on his task. It might be helping him, it might not, but since he seemed to be in a bad mood anyway it seemed sensible not to cause him too much inconvenience. [yellow]"How long have you been in here? You look exhausted,"[/yellow] she commented, trying to break the ice a little – ironic really, in a room full of fiery words.

[Alessandro Darko]

As he continued swishing away at the air with his wand, his awareness picked up movement around him until he noticed Caitlin come into view. She was maintaining her distance as if she feared he might lash out at her -- he wouldn't. Physical rage was not something in Alessandro's nature, though, lately he's been wondering what exactly IS in his nature anymore. His left fist was clenched, his arm rigid at his side. It looked as if he was some deranged artist expelling his creativity on a darkened canvas, but instead of paint it was magic fire, and instead of art, it was overflowing knowledge.

He paused for a moment as Cait inquired about his well-being again. Clearly she had no clue what was going on with him for it was the second inquiry. If Keaira had told her anything, surely Cait would have mentioned it by then. With a clenched jaw, Alessandro lowered his wand slowly, struggling to swallow as a slight pained feeling blossomed at the back of his mind.

"Day...months even." He replied in a choked fashion, taking his gaze from the wall to Caitlin. In actuality it had only been a couple hours, but the passage of time had escaped him and it felt appropriately as long as he had mentioned. "I've only been here for a couple hours." He replied in a soft voice. "I have to get it all out...It's overloading my thoughts....can't...think straight." He said nearing staggered breaths. Another forceful swallow and he was made to shut his eyes tight as several facts about the merfolk and grindylowes came flooding to the surface. It had absolutely nothing to do with anything that was being discussed, but the bursts of information were random at best.

His wand lifted instantly as he swished out information on merfolk.

"You see..." He began. "I can't seem to....stop. Emitting. Information." He said harshly as he swished violently in the air.

[Caitlin Collins]

Cait watched carefully as Alessandro continued streaming out all sorts of information, seeing how the walls had expanded for him to write this much so far. She turned, swivelling to examine just how much he had been writing. Surely, this was far more than he could ever need for the coming exams. How could he know so much? It certainly did make her own revision look trivial in comparison.

Finally he lowered his wand and Cait stepped a little closer, examining him instead now. He looked completely exhausted... how long has he been in here? she thought again to herself. He answered that question only a moment later and she blinked in surprise and confusion. Days... that was hard to believe. Months she knew not to be true. Was he lying to her on purpose, or just joking around? He didn't look as if he was in a joking mood. And only a moment later he gave another answer, a truthful one this time it seemed. She frowned as he talked about 'getting it all out', with no idea what he was talking about.

He looked genuinely in pain, apparently from... information overload, from what she could make out. But why did he know so much, how did he know so much? Her head turned to watch as a load more of information, this time about merpeople, came out of his wand to take its place on an empty patch of wall. [yellow]"Alessandro, you look ill. You should go to the nurse, maybe he'll be able to help,"[/yellow] Cait suggested. [yellow]"How do you know all this stuff anyway?"[/yellow] she asked, [yellow]"this isn't in our exams anyway. Well, it's not in my exams,"[/yellow] she added. He did have different exams to her, but they weren't that different.

[Alessandro Darko]

There was something interesting about the way Caitlin Collins and Alessandro Darko interacted. Like polar opposites, one seemed drawn, the other repelled. In essence, this was not so far-fetched, for Water and Fire were quite contrary to one another. Water doused fire. Fired boiled water into evaporation-- their elemental checks and balances. Oddly enough, it had been Caitlin that he was able to see while he was imprisoned in the realm of fire. He never had thought that they had a close enough relationship that he would be able to transcend the barriers of the afterlife to communicate, or whatever "life" it was after his physical body had incinerated itself.

Her questions fell not on deaf ears, but on aching ones. He closed his eyes. Maybe she could help? Maybe she couldn't. What good would it do to divulge and what good would it do to refrain?

"The nurse is only good for a handle of Skele-Gro...I haven't played Quidditch in ages, not that I've broken bones before...she can't help." He said referring to the sport Quidditch for the many students whom have secured serious injuries while in a match, almost all of them had bone breaks or fractures from the bludgers. He wasn't sure if his tone sounded bitter, for it would have been a quick step to recovery if a simple dose of Skele-Gro was needed.

When he heard her ask why he knew all of the random, useless, drivel he had been forced to expel, he felt like laughing. Not because it was funny, but because he was losing his mind and it probably would have made Caitlin slightly uncomfortable, so he sustained the uproar to a minor, maniacal giggle.

Tensing his jaw a couple times before allowing himself to speak, he turned his head to face her.

"No...this sort of information wouldn't be on the exams above second year now would it...?" He asked gesturing toward the trivial information he had relieved himself of regarding the occupants of Black Lake. "I lost something...and I foolishly thought I could retrieve it with a rather complex and obscure form of magic. Yes. I know how rash that is NOW, but...tell me...if you felt like you were broken, wouldn't you resort to extremes if there was a possibility that you could be fixed? Feel like you did before? Like there's not a gaping hole where there once was something??" He asked stepping closer to her as he mentioned the idea of being "fixed".

He didn't know it, but his spell was actually working, it was just taking a very long time to reach its desired effect. The reason for his suffering was a side effect of the spell as it desperately searched for the object of Alessandro's desire. Little did he know that Caitlin had been harboring something which belonged to him...something that would repair what needed fixing.

[Caitlin Collins]

((Btw... the school nurse is male now, remember? I just realised I made exactly the same mistake in my post, and I'm the one who plays Kang... not good >.<))

Cait waited quietly for Alessandro to respond, not quite sure what to expect. She wasn't feeling quite right herself really - a bit lightheaded and drained. It didn't seem to be getting any better either... it felt like she was slowly losing... not quite her energy, but something else. It wasn't a pleasant feeling at all, and strangely enough she hadn't even really noticed it before coming in. But for now, that didn't matter. She would help Alessandro, then worry about herself.

[yellow]"Are you sure? I think there's supposed to be a new nurse now anyway. Have you even gone to check, to see what he'd say about it? I'm sure he'll know more than just how to fix broken bones,"[/yellow] she replied quietly, surprised at his immediate dismissal of the idea. It sounded like he hadn't even bothered to go and see what the man said about it, and she wasn't quite sure why. If you were ill, generally the person you went to see first – once you were sure it wasn't going to go away on its own, anyway – was the school nurse. She had been there numerous times for sleeping potions and other solutions to nightmares and generally there had been help available.

Caitlin didn't respond to his question, assuming it to be rhetorical. She had little idea of what was featured on each exams, having never taken any before this year. All she knew was what was supposed to be on her exams for this year for each of the subjects she was taking – the others were a mystery to her. She frowned again as he continued to speak about losing something and then trying to find it...

She looked down at the mention of trying to fix himself... she certainly had felt broken, for a long time, and was still only recovering from that. Letting recovery lead its natural course seemed most sensible most of the time, even if it felt like hell a lot more. [yellow]"Well what did you lose?"[/yellow] she asked, wondering what loss could have caused such a big reaction in Alessandro. He hadn't... he wasn't trying to bring someone back from the dead, was he? Her mind had just produced that idea from what he had just babbled out, and now it was in her head she couldn't dispel it. She had been told repeatedly that such an act was not possible with magic, but then... he had come back after seemingly dying. Maybe he had tried to apply knowledge he had gained from that. A strange sense of hope bubbled up in her before she pushed it away. She couldn't think like that, it would just lead to more disappointment.