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Post by soren on Jul 16, 2009 21:56:10 GMT -5
Soren's head dipped dangerously low to his chest, his eyelids fluttering. It was often he would struggle to pull himself back into consciousness, which was inevitably followed again by a bout of irrevocable boredom. His glazed eyes stared unseeingly down at the battered, secondhand text spread on the table, the pages dancing idly as the breeze through the open window caught them. Self same breeze ruffled Soren's hair pleasantly, and the fire that warmed his back made him even sleepier. His eyes scrunched up against a huge, cat-like yawn, and, smacking his lips, Soren returned his gaze to his book.
He sighed. He didn't understand this stuff--diagrams and words that weren't in English... Who could understand this? Soren's fingers drummed the table absently and, finally, giving up, he slammed his text shut and got up from his chair. Potions. Effing Potions.
Charms he could handle. Transfiguration? No problem. Christ, even Arithmancy wasn't as abstract and difficult to understand as Potions was. Soren supposed he inherited his father's bad luck, and more often than not, he'd find his concoctions would... um, blow up in his face. Sure, he'd laugh it off, but it still sucked. Especially when the Nurse wasn't able to catch all of one blow up in time, and Soren was left with a funny little scar right at his hairline.
Rubbing the weariness from his eyes, Soren paced the common room, unable to sit still long enough to bother with the Potions work he had been assigned. He hated sitting still. He considered going out for a bit of Quidditch practice, perhaps seizing one of his teammates and forcing them into a one on one game. If he couldn't find anyone, he could always just make his sister, Mairead, come along and practice. She wasn't bad and may even have made the team, but she didn't want to try out. Those thoughts aside... Oh bugger. Soren was stuck in a rut with nothing to do.
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Post by .RORY KAY BLAKE ! on Jul 16, 2009 23:33:23 GMT -5
Rory was just finishing up getting ready for one of her occasional early morning practice sessions. Though to hear it from Al to be occasional she would have to spend more mornings off the pitch than on them. The Prat, he'd sleep till noon every day given the chance, and as it was Saturday he probably would. Resigning herself to a morning of practicing alone she finished the last of her morning routine and sat down on the bed to pull on her shoes. Her dorm mate in the next bed made an exaggerated noise of relief from beneath her pillow. Looking up Rory couldn't help up smile and chuckle a bit...
" Sorry Mairead.. "
Sure even her less vocal dorm mates would be happier once she left them to sleep in in peace, she grabbed her broom and thumbed down the stares into the common room. Planning of heading straight out the portrait hole so as not to miss any time on the pitch, she made a bee-line for the exit. Her eyes popped wide though as while taking a step she found one of her feet being yanked out from under her. Tumbling forward, her broom falling to the side, she found herself sprawled face first on the carpet and nearly gagged...
"ugg ... too gross! "
Her words came out mumbled into the carpet before she gathered her arms together and sat up. Most others might not take notice but she had seem far to many pet butts and student feet on this floor to want her face anywhere near it. She didn't care how well the house elves cleaned it...
Wrinkling her nose she glanced down to her feet to see what had manged to trip her.. shoe laces, she rolled her eyes.
"figures.."
Pulling her leg in she began to tie the shoe, oblivious to the fact anyone else was in the common room at this early hour.
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Post by soren on Jul 16, 2009 23:56:27 GMT -5
Soren's head swiveled to follow the noise coming from an upstairs dorm room. Really, someone was up this early? Soren couldn't remember the last time he might actually have company in the morning; he was most often alone in the wee hours of the morning, perferring not to sleep his life away. No, he was too antsy for that. His eyes wandered about the ceiling for awhile, as if he could somehow see through it to watch the early bird awaken. He wondered who it would be, and why they were coming down... Soft morning noises were coming from the right side of the tower and so Soren guesses it was a girl. "Probably just Mai," he muttered, thumbing through the pages of his Potions text, a little disappointed.
He didn't have to wait long to find out; no, it was not Mairead but instead the beater of the Gryffindor Quidditch team he captained. "Rory, Christ!" He laughed (he couldn't help it) as she tripped down the last step. A funny sort of a grin parted his lips as he went to help her up, abandoning his book on the sofa. "Are you okay?" He asked, trying his hardest to keep a straight face.
He smirked and grabbed her elbow, helping her to her feet. Soren bent to pick up her broom and a spark lit his eye. "Say, you're up early, little beater," he teased. "Planning on a bit of practice?" Handing her back her broomstick, Soren walked back to the couch, running his hands through his bedhead and added "I was considering it myself. Though I'm not sure if I really want to play against someone who can hardly stand on solid ground... Do we have to have you run through try-outs again?" Soren voice was playful; it was almost impossible for him not to tease someone he was close to. Blame the Irish.
Falling back onto the couch, Soren slapped the cushion next to him, indicating Rory should take a seat. "Over here Rory," he nodded. "I haven't like ever talked to you outside the pitch."
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Post by .RORY KAY BLAKE ! on Jul 17, 2009 1:34:19 GMT -5
She was so accustomed to hearing that voice on the pitch, which is where she had been heading, and therefore where her mind had been, that she didn't really "think" about who exactly it belonged to. That being the case she replied in her typically colorful and blunt way at first..
" Yeah, I'm alright.. Bloody fool laces just tripped me up again, I never seem to remember to tie them up stairs. I'm gonna break my freaking neck on the stairs one of these go rounds.. "
She allowed the hand, attached to the still yet to be dawned upon voice to help her to her feet and then looked up from irritatedly glowering at her shoes to see Soren Finnigan reaching down to pick up her broom...wait..Soren?? All the blood felt like it had drained from her face and pooled somewhere in her feet. It was true she was crushing bad on Al, but Al was off limits, a rule she had set for herself to preserve their long time friendship. She was however also crushing on Soren, not as bad as on Al but seeing as how she had chosen to focus on this crush and try an let it rid her of the other a hot flush crept into her cheeks.
Say, you're up early, little beater A small spark of red flickered in the stormy gray of her eyes.. she wasn't little!.. well, younger maybe, she frowned. But not little! The comment probably wouldn't have hurt her pride so if she wasn't hoping for him to see her on the same level as himself.. date-able and not off limits. Because of that she had automatically assumed that by little he had meant younger...
She glowered at the ground again until he cracked a joke about making her run try outs again. Smirking she raised her head and her left brow shot up..
" I'll remember that next time a bludger's flying at your head and I'm the nearest beater."
The words were spoken in a joking tone though she wasn't sure how he'd take her sense of humor, apparently their was no hope for it though. Putting a filter on her mouth wasn't something she'd ever found easy to do. As he sat on the couch and slapped the cushion next to him her mouth went dry, the invitation that fallowed had her looking out the window, down at her shoes.. anywhere but at Soren.. Bloody hell, he wanted her to sit next to him?...like RIGHT next to him? .. what about her stupid eyes?? She could feel herself getting nervous and while Soren had likely seen them go red a time or to when she got angry in a game she had no clue if he'd ever seen the yellow they hued when nerves hit her.. she really, really prayed to Merlin he hadn't. Fighting back a nervous lump in her throat she walked over to the couch and plopped down next to him. She tried to appear really interested in the magazines scattered across the table in front of them and spotting one on Quidditch she picked it up staring intently at the moving cover and the words promoting the stories inside.. whatever, just so she could keep her bloody fool eyes in check...
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Post by soren on Jul 17, 2009 1:57:55 GMT -5
Soren watched Rory, a bit confused. Why was she suddenly acting so weird? She wasn't making eye contact andher voice sounded perhaps a little thin. When she did finally decide to join him on the couch, she quickly picked up a magazine and practically buried her face in it, effectively extinguishing any attempts at conversation. And... what? Soren leaned over, looking at her eyes. Yellow? That was new. He wondered what that meant but didn't dwell on it.
"Uh, Rory, you okay? I mean I know I've sort of yelled at you, ya know, on the pitch, but I thought you knew that was just for the game. I'm not, er, mad at you..." he trailed off lamely, rubbing the back of his neck. Rory could, yeah, be intense and maybe quick to temper, but Soren was the same way. He knew Rory as a Quidditch player first, knew she was strong and dedicated and level-headed. So where the hell was this suddenly coming from?
Soren thought about taking the magazine away from her to find out what he had done, but decided against it. She was defensive about something and Soren wasn't about to push her; images of her fist connecting with his face popped into his head. Still, the more he thought about it, this little incident, the more ticked he found himself. He furrowed his brow, chewing his tongue as he tried to keep his mouth shut. It didn't work. She was still avoiding eye contact and that was one thing Soren always harped about in practice.
"Alrigh'," he started, his Irish accent coming out in his agitation. This always happened in practice: the more intense, concentrated and furious he got, the more he tended to sound like a leprechaun. "Rory, I dinnae do anathing jus' now. How about yah put that down an' look at me? Seriously, what's got your face soo red?"
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Post by .RORY KAY BLAKE ! on Jul 17, 2009 3:36:41 GMT -5
When Soren leaned over, obviously looking at her eyes she cringed inwardly and cursed her genetics.. why couldn't she keep her feeling to herself the way normal people did?? Making it a point to seem as if she didn't notice him looking at her she remained focused on the magazines cover, after reading the same words for the 5th time she silently growled at herself, this is ridiculous, your barking mad if you think he won't notice if you don't at least turn a page.. do something!
Uh, Rory, you okay? I mean I know I've sort of yelled at you, ya know, on the pitch, but I thought you knew that was just for the game. I'm not, er, mad at you... She cringed at his words, bloody hell! this wasn't going well.. she wanted to find a way to date the boy not make him think she was mad at him! She felt like Al's romance tactics were rubbing off on her and she wasn't very thankful for the fact.
After a few moments, during which she reminded herself to turn a page or two but still didn't look up, he started talking again. He was ill at the fact that she wasn't talking apparently because his voice had thickened with the accent he griped at them with in practice.It was the same accent that had helped in her eventual crush on the Quidditch captain. She thought it was different and kind of cute. Tough at the moment it's words were having a tragic effect on her.. Merlin she hated acting all weird and girly! Bugger it!
She just died.. sat right there, and felt what little nerve she had been building melt into her shoes at what he was asking, only to be vomited back up in a desperate outburt to get the embarrassment over with, she didn't look away from the magazine, but she did tell him what he wanted to know..well..sort of.. if he could read between lines.. he seemed pretty smart.
" Soren? would you ever consider dating someone younger than you? ..Like... two years younger?.. "
There it was, blunt and on the table, she cringed and waited for the laughter, dreading for the first time in her life every Quidditch practice she'd have to attend for the rest of the year.
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Post by soren on Jul 17, 2009 3:53:10 GMT -5
Soren scrunched his brows together, waiting while Rory slowly turned pages, but didn't appear to be reading them. He bounced his heel as he did when he was getting antsy, he just needed to move. Until finally, and after a long and rather awkward silence, the beater piped up. "Soren? Would you ever consider dating someone younger than you? ...Like... two years younger?"
. . .
Soren's mouth hung slack and his eyebrows shot up. Was she saying... what he thought she was saying? He grinned, making his eyes crinkle pleasantly, and when next he talked all traces of his accent were gone. He wanted to play this out; he remembered the goal he set for himself this year. Get and keep a girlfriend for longer than a month. All the other girls he had dated in the past usually grew frustrated with his constant energy and need to be doing something. He wasn't content to sit and 'snuggle' like they wanted him to; they, in turn, grew bored with his Quidditch obsession. But even back then, before he gave up on all girls as hopeless cases, he was always the one to do the asking.
Or hinting at, in this case. Soren lowered his eyes to glance at Rory's magazine, a coy smile lifting his lips. He knew now why Rory was so nervous, as Soren wasn't exactly thick. Still, he wanted to give her a hard time about this. Rory was a friend and teammate, but he had rarely talked to her outside the pitch. So, intentionally making her squirm, Soren asked simply, "What are you getting at, Rory? I'd consider it sure, but what's that to do with you?"
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Post by .RORY KAY BLAKE ! on Jul 17, 2009 5:09:50 GMT -5
What are you getting at, Rory? I'd consider it sure, but what's that to do with you? She stared at the magazine a bit more. Bloody hell...either he was messing with her, which she wouldn't be happy about or he was just that daft.. if he actually was that daft did she really want to date him after all? Sneaking a glance at him out of the corner of her eyes she saw the coy smile spanning his mouth and the yellow in her eyes simmered out to a dull crimson.. his words and the fact that he had basically said yes were lost in her fog of irritation and a new wave of embarrassment. She frowned and flopped the magazine on the table, if he wanted to play head games he could do it with someone else.. she'd asked in a round about way so that if the answer was no he could just say so and be done with it. No one upset, no hurt feelings.. it So why didn't he just say no and get it over with instead of acting like a git and trying to embarrass her even more? Rising to her feet she all but snatched her broom from beside the couch and started for the portriat hole with a loud and frustrated sigh...
" Just forget it..."
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Post by soren on Jul 17, 2009 5:28:23 GMT -5
Soren saw Rory's eyes flashed red, and, recognizing that as a danger sign (and thanking his lucky starts she didn't have a beater's bat in her hand), quickly backtracked. "I, uh, no hold on, Rory," he laughed, reaching his hand out to stop her from leaving. He was still smiling, amused at how quickly Rory became flustered. It showed in her eyes and was heard in her muttered tone. "Rory, I was just messing with you," he said, taking the broom stick out of her hand. "Come on, sit back down. I wanna get this straight."
He hadn't actually considered Rory as a possibility before, though she obviously had considered him. Soren was flattered, if not a little bewildered. How long had he known this spitfire beater? Well he was in his third year when she was sorted into Gryffindor, along with his sister Mairead. He then regarded her simply as one of his sister's little friends, and it wasn't until Rory joined the Quidditch team that he began to even take her seriously. She proved herself though, over again that she was a force to be reckoned with. But even then, the only feelings Soren had for her was respect.
So, looking at her for the first time, Soren decided that there really wasn't that much of a diffence between fifteen-almost-sixteen and seventeen. And what the hell? It would be fun, something at least to fill up the time he otherwise spent trying to occupy. Soren was pretty sure this wasn't going to go anywhere significant, and, perhaps his first thought (which he dared not say) was 'pity date'. But who knows. Could be fun.
"Rory," he asked suddenly, bluntly, without any flowery words because he wasn't that kind of guy and she wasn't that kind of girl. "Would you like to go out with me?"
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Post by .RORY KAY BLAKE ! on Jul 17, 2009 6:00:55 GMT -5
Rory, I was just messing with you. Come on, sit back down. I wanna get this straight.Reluctantly she let him take her broom and she sat back down on the couch. She started out with her gaze in her lap. Why did older guys have to be such prats? She glanced up at him.. especially the cute older guys.. with the cool accents.. and decent sense of humor.. that was the jest of it anyway right? He'd said as much. Not that it didn't still sting like a pixi bite though, she grimaced at the idea and thought back to some of the harsher ribbings she'd given Al in the past. After some of those memories she decided to let it go.. when he spoke again she grinned lightly and nodded, a few butterflys hitting the walls of her stomach as he bluntly stated his question.
" yeah, ...I would. "
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