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Author Topic: Lightning In A Bottle | Cassian  (Read 108 times)

* Rosalie Laurence

    (01/02/2025 at 01:19)
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Wednesday, November 28, 1973
Late Afternoon

"I feel like you keep me around as an extra pair of hands to help with all the work you signed yourself up for," she giggled, a large empty basket swinging happily in her left hand as she waited for him to open the door to the greenhouse.

Rosalie was realizing the Hospital Wing really wasn't for her. Nursing wasn't her forte, and though she'd had some private training the past few years with the tutors her parents had hired, she'd never really found a knack for it. Julia had insisted she give it a go, but truth be told, she'd avoided most of her duties and half the time didn't show up for her shifts at all. It wasn't because she wanted to make things harder on anyone else. She just didn't enjoy it and didn't know how to tell Julia as much.

Helping Cass out in the Greenhouses though? That she could do. She liked plants - their delicate leaves and the way they responded to care and attention. Maybe next term she'd do this instead.

Or she'd just forgo the whole medical thing entirely and throw all of her energy into Quidditch.

She went ahead as he held it open, and set the basket down on one of the potting tables. She pulled a pair of gloves from her back pocket and glanced over her shoulder at him. "Which herbs did you need to gather again?" she asked, wrestling her fingers and palms into the thick velvety fabric of the gloves. She picked up the basket again and followed him down the length of raised garden beds, her eyes casually taking in the different sprigs and growth that popped from the simulated earth that had been created from them.

They stopped near a growth of especially leafy plants. Before her gloves were covered in dirt and soil, she pulled her hair back from her face into a high ponytail and off her neck. She wrapped it quickly in a tie and sighed, resting her hands on her hips as she turned her gaze to Cassian. A smile met her lips and she shrugged, "Alright Cass. What manual labor will I be doing for you this afternoon?"


OOC: lolol yall really gotta tell your girl when she messes up like that. ;)
« Last Edit: 01/02/2025 at 05:41 by Rosalie Laurence »
and burn me down
and i wanna feel that lightning strike me

Cassian McCormick

    (01/02/2025 at 11:17)
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"Only the dreadful ones I couldn't bear to do alone," he drawled, opening the door to this particular greenhouse with cinematic slowness. It was like inviting royalty. In the movies, the doors slowly swung apart to reveal a grand room of sorts, adorned with golden chandeliers, lively music, and well-dressed folks that would be the envy of those sitting home in their pajamas to watch.

That wasn't quite the scene that met them on the other side but the world of magical flora always managed to elicit even a tinge of wander in the Ravenclaw. The book he had had been a boon to his coordination of the greenhouses and the boy found himself learning a lot more than he was sure even Healer Bellestorm thought necessary.

Cassian let her go in ahead of him, nudging the door closed behind them.

"You're an absolute doll for helping, gorgeous," he said, planting a kiss on her cheek before walking off to check the row of dittany. "We both know I'd get very little done without you."

The flippant manner in which the words were delivered didn't detract from their truth. Cass was happy for her help and was always sure to make that clear. This was the busiest school year he'd ever had with all those responsibilities tacked on to him and it was also the first he dared--and was given permission--to host a play. In such unprecedented times, the boy didn't even want to think about what he'd do without Rosalie Laurence remaining at his side so willingly.

He turned at her words to find her hair tied up and the girl ready to work. He paused a beat, his own smile forming. Cheeky." The boy gestured her toward the wolfsbane behind her. "Grab all the fit leaves."

Let's see...Barlowe wanted some for his stores back in the barn...the hospital wing was running low on their own stores...

Where did he put that list?

"You don't mind walking with me out to the creatures classroom, do you?"


OOC: I will do no such thing  8)
« Last Edit: 02/02/2025 at 04:55 by Cassian McCormick »

* Rosalie Laurence

    (01/02/2025 at 22:50)
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A kiss on her cheek and she gave the tiniest roll of her eyes, a sweet smile crossing her lips. "Buttering me up," she teased, knowing he was being genuine, even if his tone lent an air of dismissiveness. Rosalie knew Cassian was grateful for her help, and she was happy to be generous with her time when it came to him.

"Cheeky."

Always. She cocked her head at him in a way that suggested she'd continue if he'd like her to, and turned to the wolfsbane, inspecting the leaves for those that were ready. "I don't mind," she answered, plucking a few sprigs off of the more mature plants and setting them aside in the basket, before going back to sort through more.

Strange...this wasn't good, she thought, as she plucked a leaf and held it up, frowning at its color. It was too light, the purple blooms on them barely budding. Half of these plants were still in early growth stage and nowhere near potent enough for their intended use. "We may need to ask Julia if she has any," she murmured, her hands brushing through the plants and picking off a few more leaves that were 'not great' but 'good enough'. "Or see if the Apothecary in Hogsmeade has some we can buy. These plants just aren't ready."

She frowned, moving down the rows of plants to expect the next batch. "Cass, did you see these?" she called over her shoulder, and she shook her head, "Didn't you all plant these over a month ago?"
and burn me down
and i wanna feel that lightning strike me

Cassian McCormick

    (02/02/2025 at 05:45)
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Cass fished into his back pocket and pulled out his dragonhide gloves, ready to get to work. In the basket he'd been carrying, he reached for his pruning shears to get started. As he moved along the potting stations, the boy felt a frown forming. He was coming to the same realisation Rosie was over at the wolfsbane though he wasn't feeling nearly so calm about it.

He ran his fingers across the patches of purple that ran along the plant, noting that most of the buds were still tightly closed.

"Or see if the Apothecary in Hogsmeade has some we can buy. These plants just aren't ready."

Dropping his hand, Cassian drifted over to the girl. His boyish features grew serious, brown eyes appraising the leaves as he approached. "Pretty sure the point of us cultivating these plants is so we don't have to go spending money for supplies in the first place," he muttered, openly perturbed. Running a hospital wing inside a school, he imagined resources would've been tighter than a place like St. Mungo's that could afford dedicated funds.

Was it the fertiliser? No, it couldn't have been. Just the month before, the new mixture he'd brewed had yielded twice the expected return. These...these were growing but not nearly as fast as they should've been...unless...

"Cass, did you see these? Didn't you all plant these over a month ago?"

Abandoning the immature leaves, Cassian moved down the row to have a look at what she'd been showing him. His scowl deepened, a headache forming where before there hadn't been one. The boy let out a shaky breath, running one gloved hand through his curls in open frustration. "You've got to be kidding me," he breathed. If not the others, this set should've been ready to be plucked and sent off to the wing.

"Shit. The apothecary needed these." This would be his fault. As greenhouse coordinator, it was his job to know what was happening with the plants at all times. There were charts--sheets that he'd gotten the assistants to fill out and nothing had suggested what he was finding now. Cassian knew he'd been distracted by his other responsibilities but he'd done his best to keep checking in. It shouldn't have been possible yet the results didn't lie. "She's gonna demote me. Uughhh. She's gonna demote me, and I'll deserve it."

How did he not notice someone else was helping themselves to their stores?!

* Rosalie Laurence

    (02/02/2025 at 15:00)
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Well, yes, cultivating their own plants to save money was the point, but very little cultivating had obviously taken place. It was time to suggest alternatives here. She hummed as she circled the planter, moving to the other side. She pulled a glove off, and brushed her hand through the flora, and shook her head. "Yeah, I don't know, Cass. Did you change the grow-light schedule?" She glanced up at him, seeing the scowl on his face.

Cassian moved closer to her, and she could see the frustration growing across his features. "Hey, it's alright. I haven't spent my allowance this month. I'll go with you and -"

"Shit. The apothecary needed these."

"It's okay, really," she tried to coax him, and her ungloved hand went to his arm, "They just need another week or two and then I'll help you switch out the soil." Her gloved hand went to the soil, rubbing a bit of it between her thumb and index finger. Probably some bone meal would amplify the growth time and patterns. More frequent watering too. Some of these leaves looked drier than they should.

"It's really not the end of the world, and plants are delicate little things. I'll go and ask Julia now if she has some before we head to Hogsmeade." She pulled off her second glove, tossing both onto a potting table, and went to move past him and for the door. Whatever Julia didn't have, Rosalie would spend her allowance on, and it would be fine. It was almost the end of the month anyway, and her parents would be sending more.

"She's gonna demote me. Uughhh. She's gonna demote me, and I'll deserve it."

He was freaking out, and Rosie's eyebrows came together in confusion. Why was he making such a big deal out of this? It wasn't his fault the apothecary was low, and he'd done his best in the greenhouse. Sometimes shit happened. Nurse Bellestorm wasn't going to demote him over something silly like this. "Hey, what is going on?" she asked, turning back to him, tugging on his gloved hand.

He wasn't listening - instead allowing himself to panic.

"CASS!" she said loudly, taking his face in her hands and making him look at her. As their eyes met, she smiled and gave a little laugh. "A bit overdramatic, even for you." She dropped her hands to his and pulled his gloves off, before throwing them to the side with hers. "Walk with me to the library?"
love in her eyes
flowers in her hair

Cassian McCormick

    (03/02/2025 at 05:14)
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His propensity for spiralling would soon be on full display. As with anything else the boy dedicated himself to, the unexpected...the setbacks...the wrenches thrown in where he couldn't expect them...they flipped a switch Cassian often struggled to switch back on his own. Failure wasn't an option, no matter how big or small the task. To have one's name attached to such a thing was a death sentence in the big world.

The standard he set insisted on only excellence. Anything short of that felt like a personal indictment on himself, forcing him into a light less favourable than the one he sought to bath himself in.

Healer Bellestorm had thought him competent when she made him the greenhouse coordinator--competent enough. Cassian had a sneaking suspicious that the woman didn't think much of any of them and now he would prove her right.

"I haven't made any changes," he mumbled, frowning down at the immature wolfsbane. It didn't make sense harvesting them if this was all he would be able to get. Whether he liked it or not, the pair of them would be returning to the hospital wing largely empty handed--Rosie wasn't about to pay for someone else's crime. He groaned, knowing he'd have to explain it to the lead apothecaries. Mind you, he didn't think either Cordelia or Lorelai would give him too hard a time once he explained but Cassian wasn't worried about trouble, he was worried about his name.

He didn't feel Rosie tugging at his hand, the boy too busy casting his gaze out at the rest of the greenhouse. Not all the plants were in that condition. The less useful ones--he noted--had not met the same fate. Their foliage stood full and verdant, waiting to be harvested but in less demand.

He supposed if he could take stock of the problematic ones, he could take a stab at the sort of potion they may have been swiped fo--

"CASS!"

Cassian felt himself yanked violently from his spiralling thoughts. When he came to, those beautiful blue eyes he liked to get lost in were staring at him. The boy managed a small smile despite the tension that remained high in his chest.

Overdramatic? Even for him, was it?

He let her take his gloves off but before she could make good on her suggestion that they hit the library, Cass took hold of her hands.

Overdramatic, yeah?

"My whole world's falling apart, Rosie," he said, tugging her against him. "And here you are thinking about books and baubles and a place I can't snog you until I feel better about it all." He kissed her once, briefly. "What will you do after I've been strung up by my ankles for letting Bellestorm down?" And another kiss.

These were nicer than his earlier panic.

Reaching a hand up, he cupped at her cheek. Cass lightly brushed his thumb against her lower lip. "I'll have to turn in my grave knowing someone else will be getting these." With no indication of what 'these' were, he dipped his head to steal for himself yet another kiss.

But only so dramatically.
« Last Edit: 03/02/2025 at 06:46 by Cassian McCormick »

* Charlene McCoy

    (04/02/2025 at 01:55)
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Running.

The garden sheers had long been flung away into some bush along the way and her legs carried her swiftly along the path from the gardens towards the greenhouses. Fuchs was still after her. The man that smelled of sweat, feet and something so very unpleasant that Charly wanted to puke. She could not smell him now, but she could hear his footsteps. His legs were longer, but she was faster.

Her safe haven? The greenhouses.

There were so many in the first place and each had its own set of hiding places. Fuchs was not going to find her. It was not Charly's first time running from the man whose name didn't fit him at all. Skunk was a much better name for him. A Fuchs was a cute little thing with sharp teeth -  the name of fox in German. No it did not fit at all.

Charly rounded the corner at lightening speed and slid into the first greenhouse that she reached. It was unoccupied, but full of plants at various growth stages. She ducked down and hurried through the whole building, slipping out the back door before Skunk had even entered it. She was as good as free from him now.

The Gryffindor.skipped the next two greenhouses and then carefully slipped into the one after that. The backdoor was open just enough for her to fit through without making a noise and she dropped down on all fours, crawling under the next table. From somewhere in the front she heard voices and she froze mid-movement.

"My whole world's falling apart, Rosie,"

Dramatic much? Charly had recognized the voice right away. Theater Boy really had a knack for being theatrical. And Rosie? Wait, was that Blondie? Charly carefully crawled closer, making no noises the way she had learned when she had been so very small. Silent and invisible- that's how you survived.

Hiding behind a box underneath one of the plant tables Charly finally had a good view on them both. They stood close together. So very close. And then Theater Boy put his tongue in Blondie's mouth. Not once, but twice...no three times. Charly's mouth dropped open, and her grey eyes grew round and wide.

He was talking about dying or something, but he didn't even look sad about it. That liar, playing Blondie to get her taste, not the least bit squeamish about it either. In the library he had acted like it was the worst thing ever and now he was slobbering all over Blondie.

Charly decided to abandon her spot and crawl closer, switching silently to the row with tables that they were standing close to. That way she basically wasn't detectable for them. When she was close, she sat back on her knees and legs and stared at them. "Isn't he romantisch*, Blondie? Cinnamon-ny. Are you in loooove? His tongue has been in lots of mouths!" Her gaze went from Rosie to Cassian then and she cocked her head. "Taste good?"

"Don't mind me. Macht weiter.* Mwah mwah mwah, baaaabies come next. Skaterboy and I sind Babysitter*. Versprochen*." Charly giggled and pushed herself backwards, sliding across the dirty, earthy floor. She had seen enough and she still needed to find a good hiding place until the Skunk stopped searching for her.

* romantic
* continue/ go on
* are babysitters
* promise
I'm not broken
My cracks let the light in

* Rosalie Laurence

    (04/02/2025 at 14:38)
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He pulled her, and she took a clumsy step into him, her smile softening from bright amusement to something more curious, more intrigued. The theatrics of this boy. She wondered if all of them — meaning theater kids — were like this, or if Cassian McCormick was a unique creature in his own right. He was certainly unlike anyone else she knew

She raised an eyebrow at him. His whole world, hmm?

"Not your whole world, Casanova," she teased, but the words barely left her lips before his brushed against them in a fleeting kiss. It was ridiculous, really, how easily he set her skin on fire, how a single touch from him sent something electric down her spine. The rest of his words barely registered, and she returned his second kiss and third.

Blue orbs caught pretty brown as his thumb ran over her lower lip. The quiet of the greenhouse, the safety of closed doors, and no eyes but his liberated her from the quiet inhibitions she always carried amongst the public corridors. When she pushed him away with a smile and bright eyes - always whispering later, or somewhere else. Here, amongst the scent of foliage and earth it was just them and she could be who she wanted to.

"I'll have to turn in my grave knowing someone else will be getting these."

Another kiss. This time, her soft hand came up to his face, holding him to her lips longer than the brief flutters he'd teased her with."You should be careful Cassian," Rosalie's words came sweet and flowery as she grinned up at him. "Because if you keep kissing me like that, I might start to believe you." Rosie ignored the truth laced in her own words, settling on focusing on the moment they were in. He was dangerous in that way, though she couldn't recognize it as such yet.

A storm of a boy, cloaked in charm and sweet, shallow words that Rosalie knew he laid on everyone. And yet, what did it matter? It was fun, Cassian was cute and she liked kissing him as much as he liked kissing her. One of her hands entwined with his and she leaned towards him for another.

"Isn't he romantisch, Blondie?

A voice. Rosie froze, her lips barely grazing Cassian's when her eyes widened into his. No. Not this voice. Any voice but this one. "Cass...." her shaky whisper came.

"Cinnamon-ny. Are you in loooove?"

Her eyes darted to the left as she turned her head in the direction of the voice that could only belong to Charlene McCoy. There the girl sat in the dirt, staring up at them with wide, wild gray eyes and an expression on her face that very much resembled a cat that had gotten into the cream. "Charly...." Rosie stared slowly, carefully. Her voice was soft and coaxing, as though attempting to lure a wild animal towards her. In some ways, that's what she was doing. The girl was unpredictable, feral even in some of the opinions she'd overheard. From Rosie's own experience, the girl was insane. If Charly wasn't trying to actively drown someone, she was licking people and biting them.

Or telling their secrets to anyone who would listen. Just ask Bloody Wilma. Or Steve and Jocelyn.

"His tongue has been in lots of mouths!"

Rosie tried to ignore the sound that escaped her own lips. A sound of panic and horror at what the Gryffindor had seen and she turned quickly back to Cassian, her eyes wild and unsure of what to do. He had to do something! Fix it! Bait her, something! If they moved quickly they could silence her, petrify her, lock her in a broom closet until she agreed to never utter a word. Right? They could do those things? Would it be wrong?

"Don't mind me. Macht weiter. Mwah mwah mwah, baaaabies come next. Skaterboy and I sind Babysitter. Versprochen."

Babies?! This was getting worse. Much worse. So much worse. Charlene McCoy was going to go around the school telling everyone that Rosalie and Cassian were having babies.

Or something like that, and Julia was going to find out, and her parents would kill her, and then after they killed her, they'd ground her and pull her out of school or put her in a convent and then take her back out and ground her again, and keep her locked in her room away from any boy ever again because of Crazy McCoy and it wasn't fair, because Rosalie wasn't having babies with Cassian and....

Rosie was panicking.
« Last Edit: 04/02/2025 at 14:40 by Rosalie Laurence »
what the hell
all my life i've been good but now i'm thinking

Cassian McCormick

    (05/02/2025 at 00:40)
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Cassian leaned into the kiss, his mind pulling further and further away from the earlier panic surrounding his greenhouse duties.

"Because if you keep kissing me like that, I might start to believe you."

He smiled against her lips, taking it for every bit the compliment he was sure it was. It hadn't taken any time for them to fall into a groove whenever their mouths met. The pair had learned each other's pace and preferences. Cass liked to think he knew the right way to kiss Rosalie Laurence and he'd already, without apology, expressed just how addictive the taste of cherry had become.

It wasn't enough, not for the indulgent boy. Cass pulled her flush against him, preparing to engage with those soft lips that brushed against his...when a grating voice broke its way into the little sanctuary he and Rosie had carved out for themselves in the greenhouse.

The boy inhaled deeply, searching for the patience he would need to get him through this interruption. While he forced himself to breathe, Cassian pressed his forehead against Rosie's.

They could probably continue, right? She'd leave when she was bored? Too much trouble elsewhere for her to settle there? Cassian sought to rationalise their chances. Kissing Rosie would be fun for him. For the second year? Surely, it was as riveting as watching paint dry. He just had to ignore her and her words of cinnamon, babies and tongues long enough and everything would be alright.

It could've worked, right up until the sound of utter panic that escaped Rosie's lips.

Cassian sighed, finally pulling away to look at the younger girl. When it wasn't a bloody train, it was the girl with wild grey eyes and no sense of when she was better off not seen or heard.

Cass liked Charly, most times. Popping up to ruin a snog was not one of those times. When that panic crept into Rosie's expression, he knew it was time to act.

"I've got it." The last thing he needed was the girl taking over his earlier near-meltdown.

Charly was back to running but his spell was faster. "Colloportus." With a practiced wrist flick, he heard the door she was headed for click shut. Turning to the opposite door, the one he suspected she might pivot to next and the one she'd likely slipped in through, Cassian summoned it shut then cast another door-locking charm.

"Have a seat, Charly." No one was going anywhere until this was sorted. "The dirt, I'm sure, is fine." Calm. Very calm. He was trying here.

* Charlene McCoy

    (05/02/2025 at 12:48)
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There were a few reactions Charly was used to seeing when people realized she was close. Anger, annoyance, indifference, sometimes even happiness but rarely, very rarely the one that she saw on Blondie's face now. Charly did not understand the girl's panic or what exactly had brought it on, but apparently she was in need of a paper bag to breathe into. That's what people did when in panic, right? Retreating from both of them on the floor, she gave Rosie a curious look.

Now Cassian was more in the annoyed face category right now. Usually he was friendly and all smiles with her, with the occassional hint of desperation coming over his features. Not today though. Charly jumped to her feet once she was clear of the table and hurried towards the door. Which then closed right in front of her and a second later, so did the other one she'd come in through.

Talking was all okay and maybe Charly would have listened to Cassian if he had not done what he did. Maybe. Trapping her was a mistake though. Charly did not remember a lot from her first 6 years of life. Important lessons, things to do and not do, how to survive - that all stuck to her. The details of how she had learned these things had not. Her brain had decided that it did not need to remember certain things, while others were crucial to remember. Never getting trapped with someone upset with you being one of those crucial things.

Without knowing it Cassian had put her brain into absolute overdrive, and her grey eyes searched the room for another out frantically. When she had been younger, Charly had always fought as a last resort, viciously. With Lucan things had gotten better and he had gently taught her how to calm herself in these situations and not become a feral cat.

Her breathing going fast, she now glared at Cassian, who was telling her to sit. Absolutely not. Her eyes wandered to the windows, glass all of them as usual for a greenhouse. With some force, she could go through for sure. It would not hurt much. Probably. Even if it did, Charly would survive it.

She heard Lucan's voice in her head, calm, telling her to breathe and think - assess her situation better, while her feral voice was screaming that she was locked in a room with someone who was not happy with her.

"OPEN THE DOOR! SKUNK IS LOOKING FOR ME! I SCREAM AND HE HEARS!" She could escape Fuchs easily if he came in here. These two would be in trouble though. Rightfully so for locking her in after having done absolutely nothing. Her grey eyes shot daggers at both of them and she stomped her foot into the dirt, giving more weight to her words (or so she thought). "OPEN IT. JETZT*!"

It was either that, or the window.

*now
I'm not broken
My cracks let the light in

* Rosalie Laurence

    (05/02/2025 at 15:45)
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"I've got it."

Well at least one of them had, because from the way Rosalie's short shallow breaths were coming, the girl would faint with panic straight into the nearest garden bed. Cassian sighed, pulling away from her, and as Charly began to race for the door, Rosalie saw her life flashing before her eyes. She could almost see the disappointment in her father's face, could hear her mother’s sharp words in her ears. Could practically feel the trolley in her hands as she pushed every last belonging she had across the Hogsmeade station, resigned to going home for good.

The last thing her family would suffer was scandalous rumors about their daughter. They'd rather lock her up for the rest of her life.
 
Luckily, Cassian was faster with his wand than Charly was with her feet. Both doors locked, and the boy was encouraging the wild little creature to have a seat on the floor. This was fine, they would all talk and come to an understanding. Charly had to understand that this was not something she could spread around like the flu. Surely, there was a part of the girl that could be reasoned with.

"OPEN THE DOOR! SKUNK IS LOOKING FOR ME! I SCREAM AND HE HEARS!"

Or not.

Who was skunk? Someone else was coming! Charly stamped her foot, a little cloud of dust rising around her ankle. "Charly," Rosalie was finally able to verbalize, "we'll open the doors, versprochen." Rosalie doubted very strongly that Charly understood what a promise meant in any language, but perhaps appealing to the girl in her own words would help. "We just need you to be quiet for a minute so we can talk, okay?"

"OPEN IT. JETZT!"

This was getting out of hand already, and they couldn't risk letting Charly scream and attract more attention. Rosalie drew her wand and pointed it at the girl. She'd never cast on anyone before, and she hated to do it now, but she didn't see another option. "Silencio," she said quietly, hoping the spell would work. She had no intention of hurting Charly. She just wanted her to listen. Rosie's eyes shot to the windows, and she craned her neck to see if she could spot whoever 'Skunk' was. They needed to make this quick.
« Last Edit: 05/02/2025 at 18:48 by Rosalie Laurence »
what the hell
all my life i've been good but now i'm thinking

Cassian McCormick

    (06/02/2025 at 09:36)
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"OPEN THE DOOR! SKUNK IS LOOKING FOR ME! I SCREAM AND HE HEARS!"

That...wasn't the threat the younger girl thought it was. Cassian didn't know who Skunk was, nor did he care. Whoever was looking for her could come find her if they'd like but, until they did, there was this little business between the three of them that the boy would like to have sorted. The sooner Charly could calm down from whatever panic she'd risen to, the sooner they could have that civilised conversation, the sooner the Gryffindor girl could be on her way and the sooner his lips could get back to Rosie's.

He really wasn't asking for much and thought the universe could be a bit more accommodating for all the grief he occasionally had to deal with.

The wild glare those grey eyes shot him warned it wouldn't be that easy.

Cass let Rosie, the gentler touch of the two, make her own attempts to calm Charly while he tried to figure out how things could have escalated so far and so quickly. Was it the kissing? He remembered her practically bouncing when she scanalised Steve in the library. She'd licked Cassian after then banged her head like she was on the verge of short-circuiting. Maybe it was the door he'd closed but who could blame him? The girl was unpredictable and difficult to pin down. She acted so damn wild sometimes that it made it all but impossible to consider a simpler approach.

What were they meant to do? Watch her run off screaming about babies like a rabid roadrunner? For Rosie's sake, he couldn't allow that to happen. While, in isolation, Cassian could see the humour in her antics and knew better than to take anything she said too deeply...it wasn't the same for the blonde. That look in her eyes was all he needed to decide he had to fix this.

Somehow.

"Hey..." his voice softened as he lowered his wand. "Relax. Like Rosie said...we'll open the door. We just wanna talk first." Cassian wouldn't reholster his wand, in case Charly decided to show them just have crazy she could be, but it was in a non-threatening position--for now.

"We'd like you to sit, but you can keep standing if you really want to. This is kinda--no, it's really important so we need you to listen first, then you talk, then we all leave, okay?"

Would it work? He didn't know. The boy had never tried rationality with someone as wild as Charly before.

Maybe he should start considering a plan B. The boy saw the way her eyes darted to the windows and knew to always expect the unexpected when it came to her.

* Charlene McCoy

    (06/02/2025 at 11:53)
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One step backwards. Slowly and carefully.

Charly stared at Rosalie who had just pointed her stick at her and said something. Something had hit her. Something that made her throat feel funny and when she had wanted to scream a second ago no tone had come out. Blondie had hexed her. Silenced her.

Another step backwards. As careful and slow as the first.

Theater Boy, stick still in hand, tried to talk to her now. He seemed calm, but that just made him dangerous in Charly's world. He had trapped her, and he would do more if she tried anything else. Charly was sure of that.

A third step back and she had almost reached the same door she had used to slip in. With a final step she pressed her back against it and her eyes darted towards the things nearest to her, taking them all in, just in case she would need them in a second or two.

The window close by was a little open as well, so an option still to go through. Was Charly scared? It was difficult to say, because she usually did not allow such a feeling to take over her body. Panic turned into action, into fury and sometimes into defeat. Right now it was still going through her, biding its time and the 13 year old actually tried to assess her situation.

They were two. They were armed with sticks that they weren't afraid to use. They said all they wanted was talk.

She set her eyes on Theater Boy first again after taking inventory of her immediate reachable items. Since she couldn't talk all she did was stare at him, not at Blondie. Talk then, she thought.

Her hand formed into a fist and she banged it against the greenhouse door behind her. It made a loud noise and Charly repeated the movement, not taking her eyes off the pair. If they wanted to talk, they had until someone heard the banging.
I'm not broken
My cracks let the light in

* Rosalie Laurence

    (08/02/2025 at 13:50)
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One step forward. Slowly and carefully.

Her eyes remained on the window, searching for whoever 'Skunk' was as she moved closer in the girl's direction. Charly moved back, the two mirroring the footsteps of the other.

"We'd like you to sit, but you can keep standing if you really want to. This is kinda--no, it's really important so we need you to listen first, then you talk, then we all leave, okay?"

Her eyes drifted from the window to the loud-mouthed girl who was going to ruin everything. Cassian's calm voice, the lowering of his wand, all sweet attempts to try and ease the situation they had now found themselves in. Why? Why Charly McCoy? Of all the people in the entire school to have found them, why the girl who spread gossip like wildfire?

The girl's back was against the door now, and she stared at Cassian, not Rosie. Maybe Charly trusted him more and she should let him do all the talking. Rosie shoved her wand in her back pocket, convincing herself she could do this. She could talk the girl down. Make her understand the severity of all this.

A pound on the door. Rosie's eyes widened. "Charly, stop." Another pound. "Okay, listen!" the girl said quickly. "Please you can't tell anyone. If you do, it could be really, really bad," her plea was hushed, but she didn't dare tell Charly how bad, less the girl seeing 'Blondie' yanked out of school as a plus. "Sometimes secrets need to stay secrets. No matter how fun they are to tell."

Another pound. Rosalie inhaled and she turned back to Cassian. If the girl wanted to tell there was really nothing they could do outside of feeding her to the squid and Rosalie didn't agree with murder. "I'll give you whatever you want," she said through gritted teeth, her eyes falling back on Charly, "As long as you keep your mouth shut. No taking what you want and then running off to tell everyone anyway." She raised her eyebrows, her face becoming much more hardened now.

"Like Bloody Wilma."

love in her eyes
flowers in her hair

Cassian McCormick

    (Yesterday at 14:09)
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Things were going about as well as he imagined they would. Charly was by the door looking like a trapped animal. Rosie was doing what she could to make the girl more amenable to their terms. He felt like they were getting nowhere.

"I'll give you whatever you want."

What?

"As long as you keep your mouth shut. No taking what you want and then running off to tell everyone anyway."

...No, really, what?

"Absolutely not." Cassian shook his head firmly, wanting both girls to understand that Rosie's deal would not be honoured. The boy was snatching it back off the proverbial table before its shadow could even settle.

He moved over to Rosie, wrapping an arm loosely around her waist and giving a gentle, comforting squeeze while brown eyes locked on the younger girl again. Was the banging necessary? She wasn't in danger. He truly only wanted to talk. "We're not negotiating. There's a reason you heard about Bloody Wilma, Rosie. She paid her, too. She'll take whatever you've got then screw us over." Charly couldn't be trusted to keep her end of whatever deal was struck, not by payment alone. They were either going to appeal to her better senses and humanity or they weren't at all but Cassian wasn't giving her anything, not for this.

He wouldn't be extorted by a second year for something so frivolous.

"But Rosie's right, sometimes secrets do need to actually stay secrets and we'd like this to be a secret."

Another bang.

"Charly, stop. We're not hurting you; we don't even have our wands." He technically still did but it was lowered and no threat to the girl. "We're not in here making babies and we don't need you spreading that. Can I trust you to just not talk about what you saw today? Is that something you could do?" Or was other people's business that irresistible to the crazy girl?

He supposed they would find out.

* Charlene McCoy

    (Yesterday at 19:58)
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Charly did not want anything for her silence. There was nothing these two had that had any value to her. Bloody Wilma had made that mistake, thinking that candy bought her anything. Information was there to be spread and to be sold. In this case Charly had not even considered this to be as valuable as it apparently was.

Blondie wanted to give her anything she wanted, and Theater Boy wanted to give her nothing. He accused her of screwing Wilma over even and he expected her to do the same with them. Charly couldn't promise that she would not. Not necessarily because she wanted to, but sometimes words just came tumbling out of her mouth faster than she could think.

Charly stopped banging her fist against the door, grey eyes flicking from Theater Boy to Blondie. They weren't going to hurt her more, or so they said. Blondie had put her wand away even. The doors were still locked, but neither of them looked as upset as they had before. The feeling of panic was slowly subsiding again and it left Charly standing at the door, unusual still and silent.

No babies. Okay. She nodded once and tried to make a sound. The spell was wearing off it seemed because her throat did produce a sound, even though quiet. "Keine Babies. Got it," she finally said, her voice just a whisper. "I try not to tell. I try." Charly did not want either of them to be upset again, so try she would to keep their secret, although she did not understand why it had to be one.

"Open the door, bitte?"

Through the window she could see Fuchs coming closer, obviously still searching for her and Charly did not just want to get out of here, but also away from the stinking man. "Bitte, open it. Skunk is upset. I cut Kreise into his shrubbery." He had threatened her last time that he would beat her behind if he caught her doing something bad again. Charly was not keen on sticking around for that and these two hopefully understood that.

*keine = no
*bitte = please
*Kreise = circles
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes

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