Ness McLeod
July 10, 2020 9:12 AM
It's not quite crushing cities (tag Lyssa) by Ness McLeod
They could have gone for coffee or crushed cities. Those had both been possible options that had been put on the table. Ness had admitted to actually preferring hot apple juice and cinnamon, although the activity of getting hot beverages was still applicable - increasingly so, as the weather turned colder with each passing day - but Ness had decided against it. As for crushing cities, Ness had considered getting various bits of junk and transfiguring them into a mini-city for Lyssa to smash but just… couldn’t. Ness would have worried about the imaginary people or just been sad to see the buildings crumble. Whilst Ness would absolutely breathe fire to tear down something oppressive or unjust, the Aladren couldn’t eat a chocolate bunny without having feelings about it, so miniature city destruction was out. Between that and the apple juice, Ness thought the fearsome Valkyrie image might be slipping somewhat, even if Lyssa didn’t know about the cities Ness had spared.Instead, the Aladren had suggested they meet in MARS and try out the art room’s museum function. Ness was pretty sure that nothing could be a cooler first date than a museum. If this was a date. Ness still wasn’t sure. No one had said the words ‘Do you want to go on a date’ - it had just been phrased as doing something. But it had felt date-like, in the build up and the asking, unless that was just what Ness wanted to think… Ness thought that people should definitely use the phrase ‘go on a date’ when they intended dates. It would have made life so much easier.
The fifth year had dressed with care for the occasion, even if this might not have been visible in many more ways than the return of the attack eyeliner, smeared clumsily and dominatingly around Ness’ eyes, and the fact that Ness’ normally dark hair now had a vivid purple streak. Clothes-wise, it was always jeans, hoodie and t-shirt with Ness, though deciding which had been more effort than it really should have been. The final decision was black jeans (much cooler) and a hoodie with a comic book print (way cool...right? Or at least way nerdy, which was probably the vibe to go for).
Ness perched on the couch in the MARS lobby area, trying to look chill, but jumping up immediately and eagerly when Lyssa appeared.
"Hey," the Aladren grinned. "So, do you have somewhere you particularly want to go?" The art room could after all be any museum or gallery in the world. It was something Ness felt a little unsure of sometimes. Whether this was somehow cheating at museums. And there were a few that Ness really wanted to save for really going to, and would not recreate in MARS because that felt like giving up on goals. But there were more museums in the world than Ness was ever going to get to, and this was a good way to get a peek, and to enjoy some time that felt like getting a break from school.
They had left it that they would meet outside the art room, and Ness had (with much fretting) come up with a shortlist of museums for Lyssa to choose from if she was equally unsure where they should go, but if she had a solid idea, Ness would probably be happy to do that. Ness was already happy. Lyssa appearing had caused the Aladren to break out in a cheerful grin and it didn’t seem like the expression wanted to go anywhere in a hurry.
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Ness McLeod
It's not quite crushing cities (tag Lyssa)
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Lyssa Fitzgerald
July 20, 2020 9:09 AM
But it is crushing art history classes by Lyssa Fitzgerald
Lyssa had dressed and redressed. She'd taken all of the things out of her closet, laid them across the floor and did a bit of transfig here and there. Nothing seemed to work. She was nervous. She was scared. Scared of what exactly she couldn't say. Perhaps she was scared that the realities of this event wouldn't live up to her expectations? But where had those come from? From the books and movies she consumed? From other people? If she'd learned nothing else from Parker, she realized that media and general stereotypes rarely portrayed people well or in their full complexity. He was a "muggle jock" so he was supposed to be stupid, pig headed and hyper-mascaline, but he was not any of those things.But why should a date, and that is what Lyssa thought this was, be any less complex? Perhaps she was scared because there was no script she could write out beforehand. Nothing she could prepare beforehand, except her mind and her clothes. That's why she sat looking at her floor for an hour before deciding on a hodgepodge of things when she realized that she would be late if she didn't hurry up. She threw on a Magic Giant t-shirt she'd gotten the summer before a music festival with lyrics to one of their songs. She pulled on blue jeans and grabbed her blue velvet jacket that Ness had kindly cooled last year. She thought that was a nice touch.
Lyss was partway down the stairs before she turned around and grabbed something from the top of her desk and ran back down the stairs. She ran to the MARS room, stopping just a second to catch her breath before walking in. Ness had mentioned that the idea that they use the museum part of MARS and Lyssa said yes, not realizing what that meant. As she walked in she saw Ness sitting there. They looked good. Though, it was easy as Ness looked more Ness when they didn't have to wear robes. Lyssa walked up and reached out to touch Ness's hair. There was a cool purple streak in their hair, but she stopped herself before she touched it.
"I like what you did with your hair," Lyssa said with a smile.
It took Lyssa a few moments to realize what Ness was asking.
"You mean we can go to any art museum in the world?" Lyssa had never used this function, and the possibilities were endless. Hundreds of ideas flowed through her head. She would have trouble making a decision. But she had been the one to ask Ness so she should be the one to decide. Or was it more respectful to have Ness decide?
"I have a lot of thoughts, but no. Maybe we can slowly work through them all," she smiled as her voice went up in a question at the end of the statement. She quickly turned it around, "Umm how about you? Anywhere you've wanted to see?" Lyssa asked.
She put her hands in her pocket and felt what she'd run back to her room for. Her heart skipped a beat. She took a deep breath and pulled it out.
"Oh, before we decide. I, umm…" she pulled out the small wrapped gift, "I wanted to thank you for going on a date with me. So I got you a small present."
Lyssa had been able to get a chocolate rose that when held by the specific person it was for, would go from a closed rose bud to a rose in full bloom.
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Lyssa Fitzgerald
But it is crushing art history classes
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Ness McLeod
July 22, 2020 4:37 AM
Mostly just crushing by Ness McLeod
Lyssa was wearing her ball jacket! That was super cute, and Ness felt more reassured about the throwback of wearing eyeliner."Thank you," Ness bounced at the compliment from Lyssa."Nice jacket," the Aladren returned, "It's neat, there's a line of continuity with the ball but this is also its own new thing," Ness posited. "Also, are you readable?" the Aladren queried excitedly, eyes skimming over Lyssa's t-shirt, realising slightly too late that that might look creepy, even if it really was the words that had caught Ness' attention. At first, anyway. "What do you say?" Ness queried, some of the words of Lyssa's t-shirt were being blocked by the jacket.
Lyssa seemed suitably excited by the museum function, and was suggesting them all. Slowly. That sounded like an awful lot of hanging out. Ness was pretty sure that every vital organ was currently transfiguring itself into a hopeless pile of marshmallow fluff at the thought of having a hot, smart museum buddy for life.
And then it just got better because Lyssa not only confirmed this was a date (yes! Date!) but had got Ness a present.
"That's so sweet - literally and figuratively," Ness laughed when seeing what it was. "Thanks. I didn't get you anything," the Aladren stated, sounding disappointed at this failure, "How about I owe you for next time?" Ness suggested, cos that implied there had to be a next time and those were some grade A smooth moves right there.
"Seriously though, this is lovely," Ness smiled. You're lovely. They were supposed to be like...um... going to stare at art or something? Ness couldn't remember why. Ness just kinda wanted to stand here and stare at Lyssa. But a decision had to be made, and it was apparently in Ness' hands.
"I've always been kinda curious what Scotland is like. But I worry my dad's parents will somehow know who we are and fry us on the spot if we ever go there - uh, it's a whole big thing and the McLeod Foundation origin story," Ness added, not sure how aware Lyssa was of any of that. It wasn't like Ness or Kir had ever tried to hide their family line, and all the McLeod Foundation pamphlets in the library had a very brief blurb about who they were and why they did what they did. "So, virtual Edinburgh?" Ness suggested.
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Ness McLeod
Mostly just crushing
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Lyssa Fitzgerald
July 24, 2020 10:35 AM
How do you say crushing in Wizarding tounge? by Lyssa Fitzgerald
Lyssa didn’t even try to suppress her smile. She’d chosen right in bringing the jacket.“You were kind enough to cool it down, I don’t see why I shouldn’t wear it everywhere now.”
readable? Was Ness able to read Lyssa’s mind? Oh… that could become dangerous as images of Ness’s lips ran through her mind. A small puff of air left her nose as she realized Ness meant her t-shirt. And Ness was reading it, or trying to without being creepy, which was sweet. Part of Lyssa didn’t mind Ness’s attention, but could feel Ness’s awkwardness.
“I am. It’s lyrics to a song called Shake Me Up. It’s one of their popular songs,” Lyssa opened her jacket a bit and stuck out her chest and looked down. “I like the song, but I especially like the opening lines,” said, pointing with her right hand going across her chest under the lines May you always dance your way to higher ground // And wander free through foreign streets of sound . “I feel often that I’m in foreign streets here at school.” Lyssa closed the jacket a bit and smiled back at Ness. She’d never actually admitted to anyone how foreign she still found the Wizarding world even after these years at school. It felt good to release that to someone else.
Literal and figurative sweetness. Lyssa let out a small laugh. Ness was showcasing their brains and sense of humor all in one go. And then Lyssa raised her eyebrows at Ness’s next comment. They wanted another date?
“We haven’t even started this one, but I won’t say no to accepting a second date this early.” Then Ness smiled at her. For a moment Lyssa wasn’t sure what to do. She was used to self assured and intoxicating Ness. Now she saw a happy Ness. There was something there that Lyssa could get used to. That smile hit her right in the heart. Ya, Ness would try to work to get more smiles out of Ness. She liked the feeling they left in her chest and brain.
“Edinburgh huh?” Lyssa turned to look around and saw what looked like a door of some sort. She grabbed Ness’s hand and dragged them towards it, “I honestly hadn’t thought of Scotland as a big art hub, but my interest has peaked, especially about your family. But that can be talked about later,” she said, smiling back towards Ness as she walked towards the door, “Let’s see how this whole thing works shall we?”
She stood at the door. She thought through her mind about any Scottish museums she might know. Nothing was coming to mind. She knew that MARS worked by your thoughts, so something had to trigger it. She turned back to Ness, her mouth scrunched up on her face. She could feel their hand in hers and it felt good. Still she felt once again that she was in a foreign land where she didn’t fully understand the language.
“I don’t know what to think to bring about Scottish art museum. Do you think there are many of them? If we just think Scottish Art Museum will the room poof into one of the real options or if we both think that, could we produce two different ones?”
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Lyssa Fitzgerald
How do you say crushing in Wizarding tounge?
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