Ready for this? (Tag Isaac) on Labyrinth Gardens

Cleo James

November 27, 2018 8:19 AM

Ready for this? (Tag Isaac) by Cleo James

Cleo was getting ready for her... walk with Isaac. The conversation in the library had solidified into a definite plan for her to show him the garden she had been working on with the club. She wasn't really sure what to call the... appointment. Arrangement. Meeting. ....date? Neither of them had said that word. She had sort of thought that when people went on a date that at least one of them would say that was what it was just so that everyone was clear. But even though no one had said that, she felt... different about it than when she made arrangements with other people. There was something exciting about it, and she wasn’t sure if it was just that Isaac was a new and exciting friend, or whether it was something more than that.

She knew she was supposed to be careful around boys. It was her daddy’s constant refrain. But since the beginning of the year, Cleo had had semi-regular lessons with Professor Skies using the mirage chamber. She was supposed to be learning to control her veela powers except it still felt like she didn’t really know what those were. The professor had got the mirage chamber to produce a veela for her who was supposed to help her understand but it didn’t feel like it was going anywhere. Professor Skies had talked about getting her a real instructor, and was looking into it. Meanwhile Cleo had had a couple of awkward and embarrassing lessons, trying to imitate the things the veela did to get in touch with her powers and feeling absolutely nothing. Except ridiculous. At this point, the threatening element of boys was wearing thing, and she thought that, if it was a date, she might not mind, even if she didn’t have a particular concept of what that would mean except… niceness. Niceness and maybe hand-holding.

She had not had to spend long going through her wardrobe, as she really only had one pretty set of clothes. But she had found she cared about whether her clothes were pretty or not, and that was rather new. Her outfits, on the whole, were relentlessly practical. T-shirts, jeans, shorts - the latter even included several pairs of boys' shorts because her daddy had suggested they were more practical (what he meant but had not said to Cleo was that they showed off less of her legs than the perilously short girls' garments) and Cleo simply hadn't cared either way. She was wearing what she called her Picture Day Clothes - the nicer, neater outfit that her Daddy had bought in case she ever needed to look properly presentable for something, like a school picture. This consisted of a cornflower blue dress dotted all over with little white flowers - they had both liked the gardening-related touch - which came just below her knees. It had capped sleeves and a frilled front. It was on the modest, old-fashioned side of things but it looked decidedly cute on Cleo. Had she wanted it to be so, she probably could have made a burlap sack look good. She twirled in front on the mirror, wanting to be pleased with her reflection, and finding that she was.

There was not much else she could think to do with her appearance. She did not own make up and didn’t actually like the idea of it much. Her hair was getting almost long enough to tie back but it wasn’t like she knew how to do anything much with it. And it looked especially shiny today anyway, and nice enough as it was. Her grandmother had a fridge magnet that declared the prettiest thing one could wear was a smile and Cleo was grinning happily as she set off. She bounded through the common room, failing to notice that a few more heads than usual had turned her way.

She met Isaac on the front steps, feeling a little nervous. He seemed so much older and more sophisticated than she was, and when she had thought about what she might talk to him about, she had drawn a blank, worrying that the library conversation had been a fluke.

“Hi,” she smiled at him. “It’s nice to see you again,” she added, wanting very much that the same was true in return. And she could almost feel that want, above the butterflies that were in her tummy, the want was like a little warm light somewhere in the region of her chest.

13 Cleo James Ready for this? (Tag Isaac) 389 Cleo James 1 5

Isaac Song

November 29, 2018 12:56 AM

As long as I don't faint by Isaac Song

The days leading up to this hangout had kept Isaac a nervous wreck. Even though he didn't see Cleo all the time, his body was emitting nervous energy. He tried to keep it hidden, but he was definitely a little clumsier than usual and felt his stomach twist around whenever he thought about it. It was no big deal, after all. She was just going to show him the garden for her club. Isaac just wished his body would get that.

Even though Cleo was half-veela, Isaac didn't think he was really that affected by it. In the library, it felt pretty normal talking with her. He was nervous talking to her, but he was always nervous talking to really pretty girls. He could play it cool during their walk around. It wasn't like a date or anything, although if it was he'd have no idea what to do.

Isaac prioritized taking care of his looks, and he deliberately went more casual today with jeans, a white T-shirt, and a green open shirt over it with the sleeves rolled up just to his elbow. It wasn't a date, and they were just going for a walk, so going casual was fitting. Green was also the color of most plants, so it seemed like a good choice. Deodorant was a must, since he didn't know how to wear cologne yet, and he spent at least 30 minutes in the bathroom getting his short hair styled just right. He had to keep telling himself it wasn't a date, but looking good never hurt anyone. Hopefully.

Finally satisfied with his hair, he walked out of his common room to meet her. Since his house was within Labyrinth Gardens, it wasn't a very far walk. Isaac saw her on the steps as he emerged out of the maze, and he kind of felt like fainting. He felt even more nervous now, but he took a deep breath and kept walking toward her. The closer he got, the faster his heart seemed to pound.

"Hey, it's nice to see you again too," Isaac said, smiling. He could not take his eyes off of her. "You look nice." He was breathing a little faster than usual, and he hoped it didn't make him fumble his words. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "I can't wait to see the garden. It's a nice day for a walk." Isaac grinned at her. The desire to hold her hand was quite strong, but he just passed it off as a normal reaction standing next to a pretty girl.

19 Isaac Song As long as I don't faint 375 Isaac Song 0 5

Cleo

November 29, 2018 8:29 AM

Do I have that effect on you? by Cleo

It was nice to see her. She looked nice. Cleo beamed up at Isaac.

“You do too,” she replied. She hadn’t really thought a lot about how people looked before. She knew she was pretty because people had often told her that. She knew that it was supposed to be a nice thing to be, but her daddy had always tried to make it clear that that wasn’t a good reason to like someone, and what went on inside their head was more important than how they looked. The whole veela thing had had her re-evaluating how much she wanted to be considered ‘pretty’ - it felt like the veela part of her was responsible for that, and she wanted someone to like her for her, not just for that. She had been so afraid of people noticing she was pretty, had feared it would feel like it had when Winston Pierce had acted like she was some pretty little doll to dress up, but it didn’t feel that way at all when Isaac said it. It felt nice. And whilst things like kindness were much more important, it really didn’t hurt that Isaac had nice eyes or that that shade of green really suited him.

“Yeah, it’s a nice day,” she echoed, finding they were using the word ‘nice’ an awful lot. And for such a mild word everything being so nice was feeling slightly… intense? But it was probably just nerves. Not that there was any reason to be nervous. “So, you know the gardens quite well?” she asked. He was a fifth year, and Pecaris tended to be outdoorsy types, so she suspected this was far from his first walk around the labyrinth.

13 Cleo Do I have that effect on you? 389 Cleo 0 5

Isaac

November 29, 2018 6:27 PM

You could say that by Isaac

When she smiled at him, Isaac felt faint again, and then stupid because men didn't faint at the sight of beaming girls. He straightened up, feeling like he was basking in her attention.

"Yeah, pretty well. The Pecari Common... uh, the Pecaris I'm friends with hang around here a lot." He'd almost let it slip that his commons was located here, which evidently was supposed to be a secret from other houses. He wasn't usually so loose with his words. Lauren would totally make fun of him forever if she knew about this.

"My favorite area's right in the middle of the labyrinth once you get past some of the pesky creatures that live here," he said, pointing towards the hedges. "There's a nice courtyard there that I sometimes chill at. It's a quiet place to think." If he was being totally honest, the last time he'd been there was last year, but she didn't need to know that. Anyway, if he had the time, he would spend it there.

"I could show you where it is. But I'm sure you know the gardens pretty. I mean, pretty well yourself. Just, uh, cause you like gardening and stuff." Isaac cleared his throat, a little embarrassed. "So uh where do you garden with your club?" he asked, wanting to hear more of her melodic voice rather than his own. If he talked anymore he'd probably trip over his tongue.

19 Isaac You could say that 375 Isaac 0 5

Cleo

November 30, 2018 6:16 AM

Is that a problem? by Cleo

The fact that Isaac was stumbling over his words a little bit was readily noticeable, but as Cleo felt that the same thing might easily happen to her, she did not attribute much meaning to it. They were both just getting to know each other, after all, which both meant that it was natural to be a bit awkward, and she also couldn’t recognise the signs that he was not quite being himself as well as she might have done in someone she knew properly.

“It’s this way,” she nodded, leading him off down a nearby path, “It’s still a work in progress. We focussed on planting a few things that would be quick to grow so that it’d be bright and colourful nice and quickly, but it’ll take some work before it’s finished. Also, we’re growing vegetables, which don’t always make the most interesting things to look at - but perhaps you can help us do something good with them when they’re ready,” she added, Isaac having previously mentioned his love of cooking.

“I… I’ve never really run into that many troublesome creatures whilst I’m out here,” she added, unsure how seriously to take what he had said before. “I always thought the comments about watching out for creatures were to try to stop us wandering too far or coming out of hours. Have you ever found anything actually dangerous out here?” she asked a little nervously.

13 Cleo Is that a problem? 389 Cleo 0 5

Isaac

December 01, 2018 8:52 PM

Maybe? But I kinda like it by Isaac

Isaac followed Cleo down the path, still unable to take his eyes off of her. Luckily, he was walking a little behind her since she was leading him, so he hoped she couldn't notice. There was something different, something more to her today that drew him to her. It was magnetic, and Isaac liked the feeling. It just made him feel like a doofus, but so far Cleo didn't seem turned off or weirded out by it.

"What would I do with it?" he asked, his brain catching up. "Oh, I guess I could cook something with it. Maybe I could use a new cauldron to make some kind of stew. I wouldn't want to use the one for Potions." Vegetable stew sounded really good even though he'd never made one before. It couldn't be that hard.

"That's good," he said, hands in his pockets again. "Nothing dangerous, just pesty. Pesky. Sorry, I guess I'm not good with my words today. The worst are gnomes, but I don't see them often. They just like to cause mischief behind the scenes. One time I swear I was bitten by a doxy too, but I can't prove it." Isaac crouched down and looked at the growing plants. "You should plant flowers next. They would really make the gardens color pop. I mean, pop with color." Isaac was pretty sure his face was pink by now. He didn't know what he could speak right, but it was seriously embarrassing. Cleo probably thought he was the biggest dork right now. He highly doubted she'd want to hang out with him again after this.

"Is this the first year you've had Gardening Club?" he asked, acting like he wasn't some bumbling goof. "It's cool that you're creating a peaceful space not just for yourselves, but the whole school." He smiled at her. "I guess as long as no one uproots your plants." Isaac didn't know why he'd added the last part, and he shook his head. "I mean, not that someone would. Why would they?" He stood up again. "So, uh, have any creatures disturbed your garden before?"

19 Isaac Maybe? But I kinda like it 375 Isaac 0 5

Cleo

December 01, 2018 10:31 PM

What if I don't? by Cleo

Isaac definitely seemed less cool and collected than he had done in the library. And Cleo knew that she was too but she still felt a little bit worried. It felt like more than that. He seemed… She wasn’t sure how to put it, but it also seemed like it was getting worse the longer he talked to her. She thought she could relax and just have a normal conversation now, if he would be normal too, but he seemed to be getting more ill at ease the longer they walked.

And then a possibility hit her. An awful possibility. One that she really, really did not want to be true…

He didn’t really want to be here.

People got nervous about going out with new people, sure. But that got better. If he was getting worse the longer they talked, maybe it was because he really wanted to get away. Maybe he didn’t want to be walking through the gardens with a monster… He had seemed to like her, really to like and be interested in her in the library, but now she felt all the doubts flooding back in… His comment about her garden getting vandalised also hit a nerve. She knew he was not suggesting that he would, but she could think of one very good reason why people might want to be that mean to her...

“Isaac?” she said softly, coming to a stop so she could look at him properly, “I… Are you okay? Do you… want to be out here with me? Because you know, you don’t have to…”

13 Cleo What if I don't? 389 Cleo 0 5

Isaac

December 02, 2018 1:15 AM

We're in trouble then by Isaac

Isaac flushed at her question, all the warning bells going off in his head. Oh god, she probably thought the worst of him right now. He couldn't even blame her, he didn't know what was wrong with him but something was horribly wrong. This whole thing was going horribly wrong.

"Of course I want to be with you. I mean--oh my god." Isaac didn't even think about how much work he'd put into his hair as his hands went up to grab tufts of it. "I mean, I do. I like you, I mean, I like being around you. I'm just nervous about it." Isaac's face had gone from pink to beet red as he stammered about. "I'm sorry, I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. I'm never usually this nervous around a girl, but I haven't really liked too many girls. I mean, it's different--no, no, this is all coming out wrong."

Isaac walked a couple steps away from her just to get his bearings. He took a few deep breaths and breathed out loudly. "I'm sorry. I'm just... new to all this, I guess." Isaac laughed. It just sounded stupid. "You probably think I'm an idiot. I am an idiot. I get it if you don't want to hang out with me right now." He rubbed his face, his cheeks still warm with embarrassment. "But I do want to be out here with you. I do. I'm just an idiot. Sorry."

Was it the half-veela part of her getting to him? Isaac hadn't done much research on all that, but he was pretty sure this had to be one of the side-effects. Still, she wasn't doing some weird veela dance to entice him or anything, so that couldn't be it. Isaac took a few more deep breaths with his hands on his cheeks. He avoided eye-contact with her as he tried to calm himself down and cool down his face at the same time. He was also afraid to see her reaction to his outburst. It was so unlike him that he didn't even know what to do next except run away or crawl into a hole and hide forever.

19 Isaac We're in trouble then 375 Isaac 0 5

Cleo

December 03, 2018 11:06 PM

I really think we might be by Cleo

Maybe she shouldn't have said anything? He definitely did not seem to be taking it well. Had she... embarrassed him? He seemed so odd. So different than he had done in the library. He seemed almost muddled, rather than just nervous. His behaviour reminded her of something, although she couldn’t quite put her finger on it… As he stumbled more, getting distracted and tying himself in knots with his words, it hit her. It was a little like some of the symptoms she had seen in her partner during potions when they had had to take confusing solutions.

She doubted that anyone would have spiked Isaac's drink over breakfast though. However, she could think of something else in the immediate environment that might be causing Isaac to behave oddly. And it was so... different to what she had expected. Everyone had talked like guys were going to be throwing themselves at her, possibly literally. Isaac wasn't pawing at her, or doing anything... She was just doing things to him though. She was making him all muddled and confused, and he clearly didn't like it. She let him take his distance, figuring that and a few deep breaths would probably do him good.

"Am I... am I doing this to you?" she asked. The warm, happy feeling in her chest had gone. Her stomach still felt wriggly but it wasn't with nervous, excited little butterflies any more, it writhed with worry and guilt. She took a step further back, giving him some space, "Does your head feel clearer with me over here?"

OOC - no longer using the veela whammy, so back to whatever his baseline of attraction and competence in stringing tigether sentences around oretty girls is

13 Cleo I really think we might be 389 Cleo 0 5

Isaac

December 04, 2018 5:57 PM

Grasping for straws now by Isaac

There was definitely something weird affecting him around Cleo today, and she seemed to notice it too. It felt different than it had at the library, like his attraction to her was heightened and made him act like a fool. Putting some distance between them seemed to work though, and Isaac took a deep breath.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I don’t think so?” He felt clearer-headed a moment after she stepped away, and he smoothed down his hair again, his heart sinking. Everything was ruined. Now Cleo wouldn’t hang out with him or even bother talking to him in class. Maybe she’d go so far as to completely avoid him. She would be wooed by another guy who was way cooler and mature and Isaac would be alone forever. He’d totally blown his one chance. Why couldn’t he control himself better? Cleo probably hated him now, and he couldn’t even blame her.

Had she been doing this to him? She didn’t seem like the kind of person who would use her veela charms on purpose, but it was dangerous if she couldn’t control it. Dangerous for their friendship if he turned into a sloppy puddle at her feet every time, anyway. If there was even a friendship to salvage.

“Yeah, I do feel clearer-headed. I’m so sorry, I don’t know what happened.” Isaac didn’t go as far as to admit he was embarrassed, but he definitely felt it. He had so hoped to impress her and get her to like him, but it had gone so poorly. She hadn’t responded to his statement either about not wanting to hang out with him, and he tried not to fixate on that.

Still, he wanted to try and save their one outing somehow. If this was the only time they’d ever talk, he didn’t want to let go of it just yet. He stood a little straighter before opening his mouth.

“I know that was... different and I hope I didn’t weird you out. That wasn’t me, the real me.” Isaac took another breath in. “I still want to hang out, if you want. Even if that means we have to stand a little farther than I’d prefer. If that’s what you want.” He spoke more confidently than before even though his heart was racing so fast in his chest. Cleo was just so dang pretty it was enough to make any guy go gaga around her. He just hoped he could be different in some way, at least a little. Isaac smiled at her, a tentative, hopeful smile. Now that he was in control of himself again, he could be the same guy that had approached Cleo in the library, and he hoped she could sense that.

19 Isaac Grasping for straws now 375 Isaac 0 5

Cleo

December 06, 2018 7:04 AM

Nice walks are for nice humans by Cleo

I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened.

“I happened,” Cleo replied quietly, taking a further step back from Isaac. The fact he’d got all fuzzy headed and that it was clearing up now that he was away from her was clear evidence. “And you don’t need to apologise. It’s… it’s me who should be apologising to you. I… I put a spell on you. That isn’t nice.”

At the mention of this, a prairie elf that had been trimming the hedges nearby started, looking around sharply. It moved a couple of paces towards them before looking hesitant.

“I am to intervene if situations with Miss Cleo become… strange or out of hand,” it ventured timidly. “Do you require me to slap him?” it asked, clearly torn between the fact that this had been suggested as a method for dealing with the situation and the fact that nothing particularly dangerous was occurring.

“No!” said Cleo, sounding shocked. “He’s fine. He isn’t… It’s ok.” She stared at the ground, unable to meet Isaac’s eyes, scared of what she effect it might have if she did… What had it been that she had done? Was it dressing up all nicely? Was it wanting to be around him? That spelt out a fairly depressing future, if she couldn’t even be pleased to see people without breaking them. And yet, here Isaac was, saying they could carry on their walk… She wanted to. Or rather, she wanted that to be possible, but maybe nice walks in the garden were something normal girls had. Something human beings had. She wasn’t sure she could trust herself around him. “How can you possibly still want to be around me?” she asked Isaac. “I mean… if you still want that, that suggests I’m still messing with your mind. I… I could be. Or I could start again any moment. I don’t know how to control it.”

13 Cleo Nice walks are for nice humans 389 Cleo 0 5

Isaac

December 07, 2018 1:55 AM

Nice walks are for us by Isaac

Cleo was backing away from him, the opposite of what he wanted. But she had used her veela charm on him. That wasn’t nice, but he also wondered why it had happened. Was she attracted to him? Was she happy being around him? Did she want him to like her? Isaac’s head was spinning with the possibilities, but he pushed it away. He needed to salvage this strange situation right now.

The prairie elf’s voice surprised him, and Isaac turned to it. He was surprised to hear it asking Cleo whether it should slap him or not, and Isaac warily took a step back from it. Luckily, she refused and Isaac could breathe a little easier.

“No, you’re not still messing with my mind,” Isaac said adamantly. “I wanted to hang out with you even before this. That’s why I talked to you in the library.” Isaac cleared his throat. “If you don’t want to hang out with me, I get it, I was acting like an idiot. But… I still want to take that chance.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, if you don’t mind. After all, the nice prairie elf offered to slap me if I act too crazy.” Isaac grinned.

It did weird him out that Cleo could affect him in that way, but Isaac wanted to get her to know her more than he cared about losing control of himself. As long as it wasn’t too crazy. “That’s OK that you don’t know how to control it now. You might figure it out eventually. And in the meantime I don’t want this to make us stop being friends.”

He put his hands into his pockets and smiled at Cleo, feeling completely himself again: confident, happy, and a little nervous. “So, what do you say? I could show you my favorite spot in the maze and you can slap me if I start acting weird again. Sounds like a win-win to me.”

OOC: Does veela charm affect memory while they're under the spell?

19 Isaac Nice walks are for us 375 Isaac 0 5

Cleo

December 07, 2018 7:10 AM

I don't think I'm very nice by Cleo

“How do you know?” Cleo asked, when Isaac swore she wasn’t doing anything to him any more. “I mean… I’m not using it as strongly now, but what if I still am using it a bit? What if I always am, and that’s the only reason you liked or were interested in me in the first place? I don’t understand it. I don’t know how to control it… I could be doing it all the time…” And that could be the only reason Parker or anyone else liked her. It could, even though it was creepy as heck to think about him like that, be the only reason Professor Xavier liked her. “Until I know how to control it, I don’t have any way of knowing that. And maybe I’ll never know…”

She toyed with the fact that Isaac didn’t seem to mind. With all the nice things he was saying about how it wasn’t a problem, and that it was ok that she couldn’t control it, and that he didn’t want it to stop them being friends… And part of her wanted to accept what he was saying, especially when he smiled at her because he had a really nice smile… But she knew that her daddy and Professor Skies expected better of her. They expected her to be responsible, and hanging out with Isaac clearly wasn’t if she could mess with his mind. And the more he swore he wanted to be around her, the more convinced she was that she still had to be doing something. After all, what kind of person wanted to give up their self-control and risk getting slapped? Especially for someone they only just met. Isaac could talk about wanting to be friends but they’d barely spoken before this. How could he possibly be interested in the things that were really her, and not just the pretty veela face and its crazy enchantments?

“I do. Want to hang out with you, I mean,” she added, realising that Isaac had expressed this doubt several times. “I… I don’t want to make you think otherwise. I just… I want to know you’re here of your own free will and… how am I ever going to know that?”

OOC - not that I've seen. Main side effects are wanting to get close to the veela, wanting to impress her, or getting a bit non-verbal/losing syntactic structure.

13 Cleo I don't think I'm very nice 389 Cleo 0 5

Isaac

December 09, 2018 10:22 PM

I think you are by Isaac

Isaac was just talking and going with his feelings, hoping to move forward quickly. Cleo, however, really seemed to want to talk it out, so he took a mental step back and thought about the whole situation again.

He didn't know how to answer her question. There was no way of knowing if she was affecting him even now, but he was pretty sure she wasn't. "Well, I know what I'm like when I'm not around you, and that's how I feel right now: normal. That's how I felt in the library too. And I was looking forward to, um, hanging out with you even when I wasn't around you, so..." Obviously, he felt different talking to a girl he was attracted to than a person he wasn't, but he didn't mention that part. It was embarrassing to say that out loud.

Cleo's questions sounded like she was asking whether he was naturally attracted to her or not, and he didn't know how to answer that either. Even though he had two sisters, talking to girls without scaring them away sometimes felt like a maze.

"Honestly, I don't know," he said, shrugging. "But I don't think you should let being a half-veela always hold you back from hanging out with people you want to be friends with. And just because someone likes you doesn't mean it's only because of some enchantment. I mean, we don't know each other that well, but you seem like a nice, caring person, and it's nice hanging around you for you." God, he sounded like some romantic comedy lead--not that he watched those movies regularly.

An idea popped into his head and he spoke without thinking it through, as he was apt to do. "If it would make you feel better, maybe we can get to know each other through letters. According to my sister, I'm a pretty mean letter writer. In a good way. But that way you'd know for sure I'm talking to you out of my own free will."

The longer he talked, the idea sounded dumb and like a lot of work for just one friend. But at the same time, it seemed pretty harmless, and he didn't mind writing letters to a pretty witch.

19 Isaac I think you are 375 Isaac 0 5

Cleo

December 12, 2018 8:12 AM

Thanks by Cleo

Isaac said he felt normal. And… he did seem better. He was no longer tripping over his words, and he was making sense. Well, what he said seemed well thought out. If he wrote her letters, if he was really willing to do that, she would know he was choosing to… She wasn’t sure she would say it made sense because she could not really see why he would want to. She was pretty sure she didn’t have that much that was interesting to say. The trouble was not only that she feared someone would only be attracted to the veela side but that, aside from that, there wasn’t much worth being attracted to. She had usually been well-liked, most people seemed to want to fuss over her… But it felt so easily like it could all come from the veela place. Had everyone always liked her because she was a cute little doll? Parker and Professor Xavier liked her for other reasons, because they had a common interest, and that felt real. But Isaac barely knew her and still felt interested in her, in a way that he swore wasn’t to do with how she looked. It was so hard to believe it was real.

“Maybe,” she nodded, to his suggestion of writing letters. “I… I mean, it’s nearly summer anyway. And that’s what people do…” she added. “I… I’m not sure I can promise good ones in return. But… we could try.”

She hesitated, wondering what to do next. Questioning why on earth he was being so nice to her was forefront of her mind, but he’d kind of already provided enough answers on that, and more than enough patience.

“Sorry,” she apologised again, because it didn’t feel like the first one had been adequate, and because she also didn’t really know how to steer them out of this situation, even though it was all of her own making.

13 Cleo Thanks 389 Cleo 0 5

Isaac

December 12, 2018 6:56 PM

You're welcome by Isaac

This whole walk had turned out way more dramatic than he could've imagined, but somehow Isaac didn't feel super annoyed by it. It was just how girls were sometimes, something he knew pretty well being the only boy in his house. It had cultivated a well of seemingly infinite patience especially when tensions were high.

Isaac was all about getting to know new people, but he couldn't exactly explain why he was so adamant to get to know Cleo. Maybe it was because she didn't seem to believe people could like her for the real her, although she and Parker did seem really close. Maybe it was because he thought she was really pretty, which she was, and had a little crush. Maybe it was the veela part that was drawing him so much.

It wasn't important, though. He had said his piece and he was planning to follow through with it. If she didn't reply, at least he'd done his part.

"Okay," he replied to her 'maybe' of writing letters. He couldn't completely understand why she had such a hard time agreeing to any of his suggestions. Maybe she didn't really care to know him, and he wasn't going to push her to be friends if she didn't want to. Maybe he was just being dense and she was letting him down in a nice way. Isaac didn't respond to her apology since he wasn't really sure what it was for, and looked at the maze. "So, do you want to see my favorite place in the maze or should we just call it a day then?" he asked, trying again just one last time before he quit for today.

19 Isaac You're welcome 375 Isaac 0 5

Cleo

December 14, 2018 9:07 AM

Getting back on track by Cleo

“I would like that,” Cleo replied when Isaac asked her if they were going to continue exploring the gardens.

There were some pretty solid reasons against doing that. She still felt a little bit like she was unsafe to be around, but it felt less pressing now that Isaac was able to act normally - in fact, now he was the rational one and she was the mess. She still felt bad for what she had done to him… But it felt like running away wouldn’t make that better. He seemed to really want to spend time with her, and she didn’t want to hurt his feelings, especially when he was being so kind and gentle with her. Ending this now would leave it on a really crappy note, and she would wonder whether he’d even really want to write if she walked away.

“Lead the way,” she invited, planning to take that pretty literally. She thought it might be a good idea to keep some space between them, at least until she worked out more about what was going on with her powers.

“So…” she mused, casting around for something Isaac-related to talk about, seeing as they had talked an awful lot about her already. “How’s being a prefect?” she asked, feeling as she did so that it was a pretty lame question.

13 Cleo Getting back on track 389 Cleo 0 5

Isaac

December 16, 2018 9:37 PM

Glad we're back on by Isaac

Isaac was relieved to hear Cleo agreeing to continuing their walk. He was pretty sure they weren't going to stand next to each other or anything, so he took the initiative and started leading the way into the maze. He thought briefly how it would be making out with a veela, wondering if he would completely lose his head then and remember it only like a dream. But he pushed the inappropriate thought from his mind.

"It's great," he said, turning his head so she could hear him. "My parents were both Prefects back in the day, so they were pretty excited about it. Kind of expected it, actually. I get to meet a lot of new people this way, and it feels like taking care of a bunch of younger siblings. There's a lot of responsibility with it, but it's not too bad, actually. The worst part will be balancing that with final exams and CATS."

Isaac was really not looking forward to that. He had felt the stress accumulating over the year, but he was actually starting to feel it even if he didn't let it show. He hadn't felt it too much hanging out with Cleo just now, but thinking about it now reminded him of it again. "Are you hoping to be a Prefect next year?" he asked, turning once again to flash her a grin.

Facing forward, he took in a deep breath, hoping to relieve some of the tension in his shoulders. "I'm looking forward to seeing my family again this summer," he said once she'd answered. "We're going to Korea to visit Dad and Maia, my little sister, for a month. I don't like being there for so long, but my dad promised we'd do some fun stuff together. Last time we were there, he was just at work all the time, so we did a lot of touristy stuff with my mom instead.

"Do you have any plans for this summer?"

19 Isaac Glad we're back on 375 Isaac 0 5