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Post by jacques on Oct 28, 2007 10:16:27 GMT -5
Jacques sat against the wall, his bare back against the cool, stone wall. Both feet were dangling over the edge, down to the lake, so many feet below. His breath was soft, like the wind, and you could see little of him, with his dark skin and pants, he looked just as a shadow does in the noon sun. His bright golden eyes shone eerily in the light of the half moon, which was creeping over the mountains.
It must be late..past 11 at least. He thought, still gazing at the moon, as if trying to discern each and every little bump and recess. It was immensely peaceful up here, more then it ever was in the school. He could almost say the jungle had been less peaceful, but it wasn't true. At night, when the moon was full, hardly a tiger roared, just the soft murmurings of birds, and chirping of monkeys.
He felt slightly homesick, until he felt the scars on each cheek, and frowned darkly. No, he could never go back, not even as a wizard. He sighed, and his thoughts turned to the Owlery. He had met Caitlin, or Caity, there. She was, he susposed, his first friend here. He smiled at the memory, looking much like cat eying a paticulary tasty mouse.
Then his thoughts turned again, to his recent trip to the Forbidden Forest. He had met more kids there, and had had a rather tame adventure. He might go back again, alone perhaps..He looked wistfully at the dark woods, all of its unknown secrets. He looked up at the moon again, and clicked his bare feet against the hard stone.
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Post by Caitlin Collins on Oct 28, 2007 18:18:55 GMT -5
Caity headed up the narrow, twisting stairway that led up the Astronomy Tower with a small bag containing quill, ink and parchment, berating herself for returning there when she'd promised herself she wouldn't. Quin probably wouldn't be here this time, but she poked her head around the door to check just in case. She certainly didn't need another night time flight and dunking in the lake. No one seemed to be there on this occasion, and there were definitely no 1st year Slytherin girls getting ready to jump. She breathed a sigh of relief and continued onto the tower.
The night time breeze was certainly refreshing, and reminded her of some of the summer excursions she and her family had taken in the Himalayas during their time in India. Unlike many people, heights had never bothered her and actually made her feel at home. Hopefully it would help her while writing letters to her parents, tutor and friends, most of whom were still in India. The common room was far too stuffy (ironic really, considering how much effort she put into keeping warm; even now she was bundled up in winter clothes). Perhaps it was just the outdoors she liked.
When she ventured further near the edge, wanting to sit there while she wrote her letters, she started upon seeing another figure already sitting with his legs dangling over the side.
"Jacques?" she checked. What he was wearing and his complexion effectively made him vanish amidst the shadows. "Is that you?"
((If you wanted to meet new people in this thread, tell me and I'll delete this post or make an excuse so Caity leaves quickly.))
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Post by jacques on Oct 28, 2007 21:11:30 GMT -5
((Nah, anyone is fine! You perfectly welcome!))
Jacques, like most people might if they were jolted out of their thoughts on a dark night, jumped, and whipped his head around, bracing his muscles, ready to fight or run. It was a rather annoying habit he hand picked up, though a mjor skill if you wanted to live through your first week alone in the jungle. It left you tense, muscles branced and stiff, and your blood chucked full of adreninlen. However, this was not the jungle, it was a school, and it was an annoying habbit, and it made no sense to look like a stalking panther.
Looking to see who it was, he relaxed when he saw that it was Caity. She has paper, quills, and ink, and looked like she was ready to write an essay. When he realized that he could, with well practiced eyes, see her, but that she could only see something that resempled him.
"Hujambo Caity," He said, knowing that she would probably reconize the greeting from the previous meetings, and know that it was indeed Jacques, unless she knew other people who uttered that greeting. Pointing at her books, he scooted over, closer to the edge, and gave her room if she wanted to sit down, also dangling her feet like he was. "Writing an essay?" He asked, hoping he would bring up an unfortanuite mishap. It had happened last time they had met, and he vowed not to lose control again.
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Post by Caitlin Collins on Oct 29, 2007 15:04:37 GMT -5
The boy jumped when Caitlin said his name, spinning around to see her. When he said something in his own language, she knew immediately that it was indeed Jacques.
"Mubârak, Jacques," she replied, using the same form of address she had used when she met him for the first time in the owlery. It meant something along the line of welcome, or salutations. "Good to see you again."
She sat next to him, dangling her legs over the side when he scooted over, placing her bag away from the edge. At the rate she was losing quills and spilling ink, she really couldn't afford to knock any off the Astronomy Tower.
"No, amazingly I'm up to date on all my homework. I never thought I would be, with the amount they give us. I'm writing letters, to my friends in India again. Turns out the muggle postal service can be pretty quick when it wants to be - I got a reply the other day from my tutor, with letters from Yamini and Shreya inside the envelope too. And it's too... insidey - that's the best way I can describe it - in the common room, so I thought I'd come up here." She sighed contentedly as the night-time breeze blew her hair across her shoulders, rather than into her face as it usually did. "What about you? Why are you up here?"
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Post by jacques on Oct 30, 2007 14:22:24 GMT -5
"And you." He said, his voice polite, but warm. He clasped his hands on his legs, which were still clicking against the cool stone. When she uttered her greeting, the goast of a smile played on his lips. She did remember their last meeting, which, he had to admit, had some ups and downs to it.
"No, amazingly I'm up to date on all my homework. I never thought I would be, with the amount they give us. I'm writing letters, to my friends in India again. Turns out the muggle postal service can be pretty quick when it wants to be - I got a reply the other day from my tutor, with letters from Yamini and Shreya inside the envelope too. And it's too... insidey - that's the best way I can describe it - in the common room, so I thought I'd come up here. What about you? Why are you up here?"
Another goastly smile crossed his dark face. It was nice that her letters were coming home, that she was able to talk to her friends. A more reserved look came over his face for a second, before he concealed it with an animable look. In truth, he had come up here by some pull of the night, of the out-doors. It felt better then being trapped in a stuffy room. She had voiced some of his reasons, but not his desire for his home, for the forest, which he kept hidden in a chain locked box, deep inside his heart.
"Oh, no reason really..just, its, more like," He had been about to say home, but changed his mind, and said, "Natural. Like you said, no stuffed up rooms." Looking at the moon, he gave a small, contented sigh. "Its a good night." He observed, pointing at the silver moon, the shadowy woods.
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Post by Caitlin Collins on Oct 30, 2007 16:44:55 GMT -5
Caity nodded when he agreed with her feelings about Hogwarts being stuffy. With the winter setting in she hadn't thought that would be the case, but it turned out the fires roaring in the Hufflepuff common room made everything pretty hot. But it wasn't the humid hot that she had become used to in India, more like a muggle radiator that burnt you if you got too close.
When he gestured at the scenery laid out beneath them, in particular the forest, it reminded Caitlin of something she'd been meaning to ask him.
"Jacques, why did you go into the forest the other night?" she inquired tentatively, having not had the chance to ask for the reason during their little adventure with dementors and those shadowy creatures. "Were you trying to get yourself killed? And please tell me you're not going to go there again. It's dangerous; we all saw that."
She'd seen, both in the forest and out, the longing in his eyes when he or someone else mentioned the place and its inhabitants. Caity was worried that one of her first friends at Hogwarts was going to hurt himself in his quest for adventure.
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Post by jacques on Oct 30, 2007 17:48:52 GMT -5
He looked at his hands for a second, pondering how he should answer. His eyes burned with longing for a split second, before they returned to their normal, piercing, gold. He ruffled his hair in a rueful expression, and looked at her. I wanted adventure..I wanted to be back where I belong, living like a savage, out their, risking my fool of a neck for a taste, a thrill of the past. He thought, directing his thoughts at her. Unless she could read minds, she would have no clue what he was thinking, but it helped him collect his thoughts, putting together a story that was at least half-true.
"Well..remember when I said this place was..tame? Well, I just wanted to, explore, uh, see what is around the grounds. And woods." He added, which, techinacly, was true. "Why did you fallow?" He asked, trying to change the subject, rather guiltily. He knew that going out their was stupid, dangerous, but it was like a challenge, and, after living on your own for a while, life and death became a fight you faught for, and a habbit, in a fashion
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Post by Caitlin Collins on Oct 30, 2007 18:09:16 GMT -5
He seemed to be trying to think something to her, but telepathy, or legilimency, whatever you wanted to call it, was one of the many things she had only read about in books and never gotten around to learning it herself, however useful it sounded. Now she wished she had taken the effort, just to know what he was really thinking.
"Tame?" Caitlin exclaimed. "Jacques, there's dementors out there! And more. I don't know what those shadow things were, but my patronus disappeared very quickly after they arrived. That's the reason I came after you; it's dangerous, and I didn't want you to get hurt while hunting for your adventures. Play quidditch or swim in the lake if you want thrills. I'm sure Quin Woods would be more than happy to provide a few. But please, please don't go back in that forest. I don't want to see you get hurt."
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Post by jacques on Oct 30, 2007 18:27:54 GMT -5
"Tame?" Caitlin exclaimed. "Jacques, there's dementors out there! And more. I don't know what those shadow things were, but my patronus disappeared very quickly after they arrived. That's the reason I came after you; it's dangerous, and I didn't want you to get hurt while hunting for your adventures. Play quidditch or swim in the lake if you want thrills. I'm sure Quin Woods would be more than happy to provide a few. But please, please don't go back in that forest. I don't want to see you get hurt."
Jacques looked at her for a long moment. He knew, deep down, that she was dead right, and it was foolish to go their. He didn't thrive on fun, on pranking others, like Quin Woods seemed to, but, after what he had been through, you could lose your mind without a risk. He looked over the dark forest, mulling over what she had said. She had every right, as friends, to keep him out of harms way. With a hint of smile, which was gone in a minute, thought how all the books had been about guys saving girls. The world was different, and you couldn't depend on one thing or another, things changed so quickly.
"Tame. This woods is tame. It has no tigers, no pits, no vipers, but, your right. Whether it is tame or not, you can get killed just the same. But..Im not in it for the thrills, its just them.." He tried to think of the right word to sum up his feelings, though none came to him. "Listen, if your me, this woods is like a park, but I get what you mean, and I swear.." He hesitaed before he made the promise, it was wrong to break one, "I swear that I will not go in for silly reasons." He finish carefully.
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Post by Caitlin Collins on Oct 31, 2007 11:20:09 GMT -5
Caitlin was quiet as he spoke, sensing he wanted to explain himself but was having trouble. What he was saying reminded her of what she'd heard and worked out herself about his life in Africa. It hadn't exactly been a sheltered lifestyle. Then again, judging by his outburst when she asked about his past last time, she hadn't expected it to be.
"I swear that I will not go in for silly reasons."
It wasn't very reassuring, to be honest.
"What do you view as silly reasons, though? Just promise me that you won't go in for an adventure, or to reminisce about your old life." She knew very well how risky it was mentioning his past, but she had to get her point across or he'd probably go back in at the first opportunity. "Go somewhere else, just not in there."
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Post by jacques on Oct 31, 2007 19:44:03 GMT -5
"What do you view as silly reasons, though? Just promise me that you won't go in for an adventure, or to reminisce about your old life. Go somewhere else, just not in there."
When she mentioned his past, he tensed involintarily, hawk like eyes flashing, his muscles tensing up. Then, releasing a sigh, he forced himself to calm down, and looked at her with sad eyes. He knew, though he didn't want to admit, it, that she had it the nail directly on the head. It was stupid to steep in self-pity, to do crazy things so you will be content. However, part of him didn't want to listen, justed wanted, yearned, to go back. He resting his chin on one hand, thinking. He knowing he forgetting would be like losing part of his leg, but not forgetting might end up being twice as bad, he said in a careful, slow voice.
"I will not, under any circumstance, sulk about my past, and," He held up a finger solemly, "I shall not go into the woods for an adventure." He smiled and gave a small laugh, hoping this would satify her. It was rather..loop holeish, but hey, it was worth a shot.
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Post by Caitlin Collins on Nov 1, 2007 16:46:03 GMT -5
Caitlin smiled faintly at what Jacques said, still worried but not wanting to seem untrustful. She'd just have to allow him some space concerning the matter until and unless he proved that he wasn't going to do as he said. She was fairly sure that it would be easy for him to find loopholes in that, but decided to let it be for now.
She cast her sight across the grounds, noting how quiet and still it was compared to when it was daylight and not during the curfew. All you could hear was the wind whistling across the tower and a lone owl hooting from the owlery. The peacefulness was something she wasn't used to. In India, night or day, the streets of Hyderabad had been crowded and noisy, with everyone rushing to get to where they needed to. Here, she was beginning to like the quiet. It helped her relax and forget about the stress of NEWTs.
"Are you going to the Halloween Ball?" she asked, it being the first subject that came to mind.
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Post by jacques on Nov 1, 2007 17:19:05 GMT -5
Jacques shrugged, his eyes, always alert, always watchful, were half-closed, listening to the soft hoots of owls and cool breeze that wandered through the tree leaves. It was very peaceful, though not as the jungle was, in its dangerous way. If it was too quiet, that meant something was coming, like a storm or a predator. But it was still peaceful, birds, monkeys, no cars, no talking. Even now, late at night, he could hear dull snores. Monkeys of the school. He thought.
"I dunno, I might go..It sounds like fun, costume, isn't it? Or was it masked, I can never remember." Dances. Ugh. Crowds, noise, dancing, to loud music. In Africa, there were traditional dances, the swaying of pipe flutes, the pounding pulse pf drums. He wasn't a bad dancer, he had enough grace for it, and was a quick learner, but, it wasn't something he usual did. But, it also might be a great place to meet new people. "Are you going?" He asked in a quiet voice. He thought it might be fun, but wanted to check, to make sure he knew at least one person.
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Post by Caitlin Collins on Nov 1, 2007 17:37:36 GMT -5
"I dunno, I might go..It sounds like fun, costume, isn't it? Or was it masked, I can never remember."
For some reason Caitlin thought she detected a hint of reluctance in his voice. Maybe he didn't like socialising, although he seemed friendly enough from everything she had seen so far.
"Masked I think, but I'm pretty sure that we can't just go in jeans or clothes like that; it's a dress up event."
"Are you going?"
Caitlin nodded at his question, hoping that she could convince him to come so she wouldn't have to spend time making small talk with people she didn't know or standing at the side on her own.
"Hopefully, so long as I cqn dig out one of my saris to wear. They're basically the only posh clothing I own, but they're somewhere at the bottom of my suitcase. I'm going to have to devote an evening to digging them out," she joked.
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Post by jacques on Nov 1, 2007 19:00:05 GMT -5
Jacques gave a loud, short laugh that sounded almost like a purr. He took a sarl to be a traditional clothing from India. He smiled at what she had said, calming, sure, though it barely relaxed his eyes, his false relaxation. He was always ready to fight or flee on a moments notice, even when he was asleep, or relaxing, like a cat in a sun beam, he was aware of his surroundings. So she was coming, that was good. Grudgingly, he decided he could find something to wear, he was sure his tradional clothing was in his trunk.
"What is a sarl? No, sorry, I mean, what does it look like?" He said, stumbling over the question. His clothes were dusty, golden, baggy pants, embrowdered with silver tigers, and a red gold vest. It looked..interesting. They were worn, and had the feeling as if they had just been taken out of a pile of dirt. They had been thrown in the water with him, so he had decided to keep them as in good condition as the jungle would allow.
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