a mess of insecurities ;; open

[ALEXANDRE GRYFFIN BLACKTHORN]

- - i think everyone will wonder

where you are tonight - -

Gasping and clutching his throat, Alexandre slammed the door to Classroom Eleven behind him, leaning against it and breathing heavily. That had been so unexpected... he'd been caught off guard by his blood thirst before he'd gotten a chance to drink the potion that would dull it. He'd been forced to hex whoever the person had been in order to run toward this room without being discovered. The girl (he was almost sure it had been a girl, but he could have been mistaken) had most likely been just innocently heading toward her class, but Alexandre had finally managed to get to sleep, and waking up late had not had a chance to drink the potion before the others in his dormitory were awake. When incidents like this occurred, he usually just waited until everyone left the dormitory, then dashed into an empty room and pulled out the flask. Granted, he always ended getting to class late on these days, but at least he wasn't responsible for any deaths or attacks. But this morning, he'd been rushed out in the morning hectic dash with all the other students who didn't want to be late. He'd held his breath and taken a turn down a secret passage, expecting to be alone. So he'd breathed in deeply and wham, the scent of blood had hit him like a brick wall. He just hoped the chick hadn't gotten a good look at his face before he'd cursed her and ran, else she might just land him a detention.

"Better than a prison sentence," he told himself quietly, speaking to the empty air of the room. Glad to be out of danger, he went to one of the desks in the back of the room and sat on top of it, pulling the small vial full of red liquid from his bag. Ironic, he thought to himself, as he often did, that a potion to stop me from drinking blood would be the same color as such a forbidden liquid. Lightly amused, he pulled out the cork and drank it in one large gulp, sighing in relief after he'd swallowed it. He only had to wait a few minutes for it to take affect, and then he'd be perfectly capable of walking the halls like a normal person. But... after the potion had worked it's magic, Alexandre decided that he wasn't in the mood to attend Herbology today. It wasn't that he hated the class, it wasn't one of the ones he struggled in, he just didn't feel like explaining his lateness to the teacher. He was running out of excuses for all of the times he didn't show up on time. He'd just skip, and take the detention he knew he'd probably get in stride. Deciding this, he realized that he had half a class worth's of time to kill. Wondering what to do, he swung his legs slowly underneath the desk, tapping his fingers against his thigh.

After a moment's thought, he pulled out his sketchbook and wandered nonchalantly to the back of the room, taking his bag with him just in case. He didn't trust other people around his stuff, and he didn't want anyone snooping if they came in here to skip their classes. He tended to zone out a little bit when sketching or playing music, so there was the perfect possibility of someone stealing his things. He frowned as he considered this, then closed the bag and sat lightly on it. Ha! No one was stealing that, unless they somehow managed to shove him off of it without him noticing. And though slender, Alexandre was tall, so he wasn't exactly the lightest paperweight. This made him smile as he started to lightly draw the quill across the parchment.

tagged! open
lyrics! ride the wings of pestilence - from first to last
listening to! ride the wings of pestilence - from first to last
word count! 630
outfit! just the standard hog. uniform
comments! crappp post XD

[ROSE ELIZABETH WEASLEY]

Rose walked through the empty corridors of Hogwarts, her bag slung over her shoulder and her sketchbook under her arm. She had talked to the teacher of her class, and as she already knew what they were learning like the back of her hand, she had gotten permission to go to the library. She had passed it, but then changed her mind when she saw that it was surprisingly crowded for this time of day. If she went in there she wouldn't be able to sketch without drawing attention to it and her sketches were the one thing that was her's and her's alone; the one thing that didn't belong to her family as well. Yes, she loved them, but that didn't mean she enjoyed being confused with them because there were just too many of them. It wasn't the first time she had wished she'd grown up in a smaller family, like her mom. There were times when her mom even needed to get away for a bit. Living in a family where everyone was always around, always knew everything, and you couldn't get a moments peace could get trying at times.

She had been walking down the corridor, ducking into a hidden passage way she'd learned from Uncle Harry, when she heard someone running and felt a spell hit her with full force. Her sketchbook fell from her hands and she doubled over. Fumbling around, she found her wand and pointed it at her stomach, murmering a spell she was pretty sure would counteract the hex. Slowly, the pain resided. She collected her sketchbook and ran out in the direction of the person who had hit her. She hadn't quite gotten a good look and wanted to know who hexed her, why, and possibly get some revenge. Granted, Rose wasn't the most vengeful person, but then again people didn't usually hex her out of nowhere. She reached a corridor and skidded to a stop. Doors leading to empty classrooms dotted the corridor and she bet whoever it was was in one of them.

She carefully examined the corridor, and about halfway down she found a door slightly open, as though the person had meant to close it and it had bounced off the wall, leaving it ever so slightly open. She quietly tiptoed nearer to it and peaked in. One good thing about generally wearing a headband of some sort was that it kept her hair from blocking her eyes. She silently pushed it open a bit more and peered through the crack. A guy was sitting at the back of the room, and it looked to her like he was sketching. Curious, she leaned forward a bit more, but accidently lost her balance and fell forward. The door flew open and she hit the ground, her bag and sketchbook flying.

[ALEXANDRE GRYFFIN BLACKTHORN]

- - i think everyone will wonder

where you are tonight - -

Now, while he hadn't exactly ruled out the possibility of being disturbed, especially since several students used this room to spend time skipping classes, Alexandre had not been predicting someone practically falling through the partially opened door and sending their stuff flying everywhere. Nor had he been expecting that anyone who took refuge from teachers and so forth would be someone he recognized. Now, he'd never known this girl personally, but he was almost sure that this was the girl he'd sent a hex at when she'd taken him by surprise. Not only that, but he noticed that a sketchbook had fallen with her other possessions, and curiosity prickled at the dark Slytherin's mind. While he did understand the whole house prejudice, it was starting to matter less and less to him, he was hardly social in his own house as well, he was only a tad more civil with them so that he could sleep without worry of waking up cursed into oblivion. The only real reason he tended to despise those of other houses was because of their attitude. Gryffindor's were too perfect, and Alexandre despised the need for perfection, especially since it was something he commonly felt himself. Ravenclaw's were too bloody smart. They needed to find a life, for goodness sakes! And Hufflepuff's just... existed. It was hard to find a reason to hate them, but he could hardly ever find a reason to like them, either. If anything, most of them were too damn happy. Happiness was another thing that Alex loathed.

Even though he could tell by looking at her attire that she was a Gryffindor, Alexandre pointedly chose to ignore this fact as he stood up, straightening out his crumpled bag and placing the sketchbook on the table he'd been sitting on before he chose to move to the wall. Wordlessly, he strode over to the front of the room and slowly picked up the girl's things, then paused to glance at the sketchbook before handing them all to her. He was silent for another moment, then he quietly admitted, "Those are really good." Alexandre was definitely a strange boy, because while he was usually unfair about choosing positive comments over negative ones (after all, he could have chosen to insult her and then tell her to leave him the hell alone) when it came to things that he himself was passionate about, he almost always told the truth. Besides, this wasn't the same as admitting weakness, in fact, she'd seen his own sketchbook no doubt, she had been spying on him. "You know, it's rude to stare at people when they're unaware of your presence," he pointed out, now perching himself lightly on the edge of a desk, this time at the front of the room and close to the door, still looking at the Gryffindor girl.

She could think what she liked about his less-than-cold personality. Most seemed rather surprised when he didn't curse Gryffindor's at every possible corner. True, he'd hexed her before, but that was for entirely personal reasons. Unless she'd rather be dead right now, which of course he was sure she wouldn't. But seeing as his family had never been part of the war, he hadn't gotten the anti-Weasley/Potter or anti-other houses clause drilled into him as hard as some of the Slytherin's descended from Death Eaters might have. All his parents had made sure to stamp into his mind was 'you and your sister come first, then others', and to never let others get too close.

tagged! open
lyrics! ride the wings of pestilence - from first to last
listening to! nothing >.< youtube froze
word count! 591
outfit! just the standard hog. uniform
comments! sorry if that made no sense haha

[ROSE ELIZABETH WEASLEY]

So yes, Rose may have been staring at him through the door, but she hadn't planned on it, nor had she planned on being caught after falling through the door. She had been curious as to who had hexed her and why, but she had gotten distracted by him sketching. It wasn't technically her fault, or at least that's what she told herself. It had been the artist in her, curious about a seemingly fellow artist. Still though, he had no right to stare at her like that, or touch her stuff. As seh pushed herself up, ignoring the slight pain in her left hand, which luckily wasn't her drawing hand, she watched him pick up her stuff. As he glanced at her sketchbook, she felt a wave of slight fear come over and and snatched her stuff away.

"Don't you know better than to look at people's things without asking? Especially people's sketches. As I can only assume that you're a fellow artist, you should know better than to look at someone's sketchbook without person. Sketches reveal a part of the person that they may not necessarily want people to see. Rifiling through it is like reading someone's diary. It's ethically wrong." the words tumbled out as she examined her sketchbook to make sure it hadn't been damaged in her tumble. She was so worried about it she didn't notice that her hand band had fallen and was laying on the floor a couple of feet away, nor the fact that strands of hair were falling into her face. She felt refief flood her when her sketchbook turned out okay.

As his next words reached her ears, her head shot up and she glared at him. "Rude? You want to talk about rude? I personally think hexing someone for absolutely no reason is quite rude. As is flipping through someone's sketchbook." okay, so she knew she probably didn't need to mention the sketchbook again, but no one knew of her sketching and it felt kind of wierd for someone to be talking about it causually. In fact, this fear of someone knowing had overrode her mind and she didn't even process the fact that he thought they were good.

[ALEXANDRE GRYFFIN BLACKTHORN]

- - i think everyone will wonder

where you are tonight - -

Alexandre couldn't help but find himself mildly surprised by the girl's lack of shock. Not that he'd been wanting her to be all confused about his less-than-cruel attitude (minus the hex, that was for perfectly good reason) he wasn't starved for attention or anything, it was just an unusual reaction for one of her house. He figured she would have noticed that he, a Slytherin, had complimented her, before she even processed the fact that he'd touched her things, but it seemed to have the entire opposite effect. She was actually quite Gryffindor-like in her response to him, however, prattling on about how it was rude to look at the sketches of others. "If it bothers you that much," he replied coolly, still with a good grip on his temper and with no intention of jinxing her further, he'd end with a detention from the skipped class anyways and didn't need another one, "then you can go ahead and look at mine, it's not like I sketch anything embarrassing." He didn't like people taking his things without his permission, sure. But compliments were always something that made him feel accomplished. She was acting as if he'd taken the book and insulted her artwork. Which he would have done openly and without shame if they had been awful, but he had enough respect as a fellow artist to tell the truth about his opinion.

Actually finding himself slightly amused by how personally the girl was taking the situation, Alexandre started to absentmindedly drum his fingers against his thigh, completely at ease. This was something that thoroughly annoyed a lot of people about him -- he had a short temper most of the time, but there were some days where he was so casual it was almost infuriating. Though he was sure the reason for his current tolerance had to do with the relief that he'd managed to escape exposure, and it would most likely have worn off by the end of the day. His conflicting emotions often had him labeled as bipolar, but he was pretty sure that he wasn't. Just unpredictable, that was all. He wasn't admitting to any mental illnesses, not even to himself. "You dropped your headband," Alexandre pointed out casually, gesturing lightly to it. He didn't exactly know why he was pointing this out to her, perhaps to annoy her, it didn't really matter. He was bored, and she was standing there, so he wasn't going to pointedly ignore her, especially after her little... display.

"I had a perfect reason to hex you," Alexandre said with a bitter chuckle, shamelessly confirming that it had been he to cast the spell. "And if you'd let it take effect, it wasn't anything major. I just needed you out of my way for a minute." Alright, so that wasn't exactly the reason, far from it, but he hadn't even told the staff at the school about his little problem, and he wasn't about to randomly confess it to some Gryffindor girl. She'd probably spread it around the whole school by the end of the day. He didn't even trust his fellow Slytherin's. "Like I said, if the sketchbook thing irks you that much, mine is right over there, and you're more than welcome to get even, if it'll shut you up about it."

tagged! open
lyrics! ride the wings of pestilence - from first to last
listening to! marianas trench - celebrity status
word count! 553
outfit! just the standard hog. uniform
comments! I had like no muse so if that sucked that was why >.< XD sorry

[ROSE ELIZABETH WEASLEY]

Rose shook her head. "It's not about whether or not it's embarrassing, it's just private. I highly doubt you would be fine if someone just picked up your sketchbook and started flipping through it without your permission." the words were less caustic than her earlier words, and she felt a slight amount of regret filling her over her slight outburst. She had always sworn that she would never inherit her father's temper, and her she had just flipped out on this guy. It was something that she didn't usually do. It was just the fact that she had never let anyone look at her sketches before. In fact, she had never even told anyone she sketched before. It had to do with her fear that if she told someone, they'd tell her family, and it wouldn't be hers anymore. Maybe it was selfish, but it was the one thing that made her Rose, and not just Rose Weasley.

As he pointed out her headband, her hand flew up to her head. Sure enough, it was missing. She wondered why she hadn't noticed it before. She had more than likely been too focused on her sketches than worrying about her headband. A slight blush creeping up her cheek, she walked over and picked it up. Wiping off any of the dust that was on it. She then brushed her hair out of her eyes and slipped the headband back into place. She adjusted it slightly before dropping her hands. "Thank you." she said, inclining her head to him.

As he mentioned having a good reason to hex her, her mouth dropped open and she felt the anger come back up. "What reason could you have possibly had that is an excuse for hexing a perfectly innocent person, no matter how little the hex was? And for what reason would you hex them to keep them out of your way? That makes asolutely no sense whatsoever!" the words poured out, harsh and bitter. She continued to glare at him for a few seconds before she was able to calm herself. Sighing, she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that. Especially about the sketchbook thing. It's just," she paused, biting her lip slightly nervously, "I've never shown anyone my sketches before. In fact, I've never even told anyone that I sketch so having someone pick it up and look through them, it was a little unnerving. I'm sorry. You hexed me, I yelled at you, call it even?" she asked, holding out her hand to him. It was then she noticed the small scratch on her right hand that she must've gotten when she'd fallen. "Crap." she muttered, bringing her hand back to examine it.

[ALEXANDRE GRYFFIN BLACKTHORN]

- - i think everyone will wonder

where you are tonight - -

Alexandre was tempted to make some snide remark about not taking something so personally as a simple sketchbook, but he decided it might be better to keep such words to himself at a time like this. Unlike most Slytherin's, he tried to keep his temper under control when he could, especially because in being a vampire it flared up quickly and uncontrollably once he got going. He'd never lost his calm, snide demeanor at school yet, only back home when his grandfather had been ordering him around like one of their maids. He'd turned around and snarled, a sound he'd never heard himself make before, then started yelling and cursing out the elder man. Needless to say, his fellow vampire didn't take that reaction well, and the fight had gotten a little physical near the end. The scar on his neck, which hadn't been so bad originally when his father had been the one to bite him, was considerably deeper and more ragged, now. It was taking some time to heal over again, and even though the process was almost complete, it still throbbed painfully on occasion. Even thinking about it, he became aware of a dull ache, and had to resist the urge to put his hand to the right side of his neck and rub it self-consciously.

Alexandre was reminded of when Dominique had caught him with his guitar, out on the grounds. Oh, if only Rose knew that he, a Slytherin, could play a muggle instrument to save his life! But he wasn't going to mention it to her, not even to favor his side in the argument, because they were in rival houses. He didn't know her attitude, and didn't know whether she would spread it around to those in her dormitory. At the very least, she could hold such information over his head, now couldn't she? Blackmail was something Alexandre couldn't stand. Alex nodded back when she thanked him for informing her about her headband, casually. He was surprised at how quickly the Gryffindor girl had lost her temper again, but he kept his in check all the same, reacting calmly with a raised eyebrow to her snapping. True, he had hexed her for what would seem to her like no reason at all except being in his way, but he had his reasons and he felt no need to justify them. He always liked to win his arguments, but this was one thing he was going to drop no matter what. She wasn't going to coax his secrets out of him just because he didn't want her to feel like she'd won.

Alex was quite surprised when she offered a truce of sorts, but hopped off the desk and would have shaken her hand had she not pulled it back. He opened his mouth to make a remark about how it was rude to play tricks on people like that, then noticed she'd only pulled it away because of a cut on her hand. Most Slytherin's might have laughed and said that she deserved it, but being the peculiar teenager he was, Alexandre Blackthorn said nothing, but rather stuck out his left hand instead, so they could shake with her uninjured hand. "It's even," he said with a slight nod. He didn't even know himself why he was being so civil, he definitely had his extreme eccentric moments. Then again, the houses had never mattered to him much, unless it came down to Quidditch. Then it was everyone for themselves! Alex had never even let his friends -- back when he'd still called people friends -- come between him and the sport. He was bitterly loyal to the Slytherin team. True, he was only a beater, not as special as keeper or seeker, but he still played his part with fierce determination. Rose was the keeper for Gryffindor, so he figured that if his feelings were to be expressed, she'd get what he meant.

tagged! open
lyrics! ride the wings of pestilence - from first to last
listening to! marianas trench - celebrity status
word count! 660
outfit! just the standard hog. uniform
comments! alex is a bit strange XD

[ROSE ELIZABETH WEASLEY]

One thing Rose had never been able to stand was gossip. She found it cruel and heartless. She found gossips hypocrites, especially in Gryffindor. Even she had to admit, there were some people in Gryffindor who thought of themselves as better than everyone else. And she got so angry when they then went around and gossiped about others. Whether it was true or not, it didn't matter to her. She found it rude and it annoyed her to no end. People deserved their secrets, their privacy. It was only fair. Then again, one might say that she was slightly biased. In fact, the fact that this Slytherin knew of her sketching worried her. What if it got back to her family? Her years of hard work hiding her secret would be squandered so this Slytherin would have a little fun. After all, who wouldn't love a little dirt on a Gryffindor, let alone a Weasley? She loved her family, but hated her name.

She had to admit, she was surprised at how well he was holding his temper. Anyone else would have yelled back at her by this point, but he had kept it in. Sure, she had seen just a couple of tiny ticks that alerted her to the fact that that he was holding back anger, but they were enough. Not to mention even she knew she had overreacted, which was why she had apologized. Even after the apology, she still felt bad about freaking out at him. But her sketches were all she had that were hers and hers alone. That was why she had freaked out, even though she knew it wasn't a justification. In her mind, there was really no excuse for how she had acted, even if he had hexed her.

Rose reached out and shook his left hand with her own, flashing him a smile. "Good. I'm Rose by the way." she purposefully left off her last name. If he didn't already know it, then he had no reason to. After all, as much as she looked up to her dad, she didn't think a person's last name had much to do with the person themself. She set her sketchbook carefully upon a nearby desk then turned back to him. "So what reason did you have for hexing me? I'm not mad, just curious." that was the truth. She could feel the fact that the anger had left her, but that didn't mean that she didn't want to know his reasoning.

[ALEXANDRE GRYFFIN BLACKTHORN]

- - i think everyone will wonder

where you are tonight - -

Thinking about what Rose had said earlier, about being worried about anyone finding out about her sketches, Alexandre found himself relating to it slightly, and so he knew how she felt, in a way. Except people finding out that you sketched was not nearly as bad as people finding out that your favorite past time involved muggle objects even though you were a Slytherin. He wondered what he could say to make her trust in his silence, but he could think of nothing that could certify it perfectly. So instead, he just left it up to her whether she wanted to believe him or not, and said, "You know, if it bothers you that much, I won't say a word. I've got a few hobbies I wouldn't want anyone talking about, either. So my lips are shut, so long as you don't tell anyone that I'm not as much of an ass as I come off as." It was as simple as that. As long as she didn't spread word to the Slytherin's that he hadn't duelled or argued with her, he wouldn't tell any of the other houses about her sketching. It seemed a fair trade to him. He wasn't blackmailing, just proposing a civil deal that he figured sounded right. After all, he wouldn't tell them anyways, it only seemed fair that he got something in return. An eye for an eye, as they might say.

It was strange for the seventeen year old, talking to her like this, as if she hailed from Ravenclaw or something. Not friends, but definitely not all out enemies. He'd never really attempted conversation with a Gryffindor before, even prior to becoming a vampire like his father. He'd had friends in Ravenclaw and even a few in Hufflepuff, but Gryffindor had always been imprinted in his mind as rivals, no matter what. They were enemies in Quidditch starting in the second year, and he'd always kept that burned into his mind. Sure, he had absolutely no friends now and no intentions of making any, but this conversation still surprised him. She seemed much more normal and much less annoying than he'd expect from one of her house, and especially for one of her surname. Sure, Dom was a Weasley and she had been one of his good friends back when he still socialized, but Rose was in Gryffindor. It was different, he told himself. So why wasn't he obsessed with the urge to jinx her? It confused him. Then again, it was probably because she wasn't treating him like most Slytherin's were regarded by the Gryffindors. It might have a load to do with that.

"Alexandre," he replied. He preferred his full name anyways for some strange reason, unlike most of the population, so he used it rather than simply introducing himself as Alex. He might have just told her to butt out when she asked him his reasoning for hexing her, but considering he was an excellent liar, he could come up with something fast, to satisfy the curiosity. "Truth is, I'm easily startled when I'm thinking. I didn't expect anyone else to be going that way. I didn't realize you were just another student. Didn't want detention, so I used the first spell I could think of and bolted." The lie slipped easily from his tongue, and it sounded perfectly believable. Living with his grandfather for the past few months, he'd learned to lie at the quickest possible moment, to get himself out of trouble and avoid being kicked out.

tagged! open
lyrics! ride the wings of pestilence - from first to last
listening to! mayday parade - the last something that meant anything
word count! 590
outfit! just the standard hog. uniform
comments! it's 1AM and I fail at posting this early in the morning when I'm not running off sugar so sorry if parts of it make no sense XD

[ROSE ELIZABETH WEASLEY]

As he assured her that he wouldn't tell anyone, she felt relief sweep over her. Smiling, she had to resist giving him a hug. This was something that she didn't usually have to resist, but she was that grateful that her secret would stay just that, a secret. A sigh of relief escaped her. "Thank you. You have no idea how greatful I am about that." It felt as if a weight had lifted off her shoulders. Not only would her secret stay just that, but she had to admit that having someone know about it made her feel slightly relaxed. It gave her this slight sense of weightlessness that felt wierd, yet good. She found herself curious about what his hobbies could be, but didn't want to press, yet. That would just be rude. Maybe if they became friends, but that was a little far fetched, even for her. She found herself laughing at his final comment. "Don't worry, you're secret's safe with me. I won't tell anyone that you have a slightly kind side. Your non-assiness is safe with me."

Rose had to admit that even though she'd never bought into house predjudice that much, it still felt wierd to be talking to a Slytherin. To be not only talking, but having a civil conversation during which she was actually enjoying herself was even more surprising. Maybe it was the fact that she could tell that he was a fellow artist who knew her secret that made it easy to talk to him. She found herself glad that she had studied ahead. Otherwise she would've been in class right now, bored, and wouldn't have met a new person. Plus, the fact that she knew there was something he seemed to be hiding made this all the more intriguing.

His name sounded familiar, almost as familiar as he looked. That's when it clicked. "You're one of the Slytherin beaters, aren't you? You're really good. One of the few good things about your team, no offense." she said truthfully. Her bluntness came out at the end, which was why she'd tacked on the no offense. "Amazing aim, fast reflexes, and a strong arm." she added. Being a member of her family, as well as Gryffindor keeper left her knowing a fair amount about Quidditch, and she knew that he was a good, talented player. And unlike most people, she wasn't afraid to say it. She called things as she saw them, and she saw him as a good beater.

There was something about his reasoning for hexing her that tugged at the back of her mind, but she shoved it aside. The answer was perfectly logical and made perfect sense. Why should she doubt him? Yet something seemed off. Biting back the response that was trying to fight its way out, so instead she changed it. "So whenever someone catches you thinking you hex them and run? Why? Would that ruin your assumed persona as well?" she asked, not trying to be rude. She wouldn't have said anything, but her artist's eye had captured something in his that confused her and she was just trying to work it out.

[ALEXANDRE GRYFFIN BLACKTHORN]

- - i think everyone will wonder

where you are tonight - -

Alexandre couldn't help but allow his lips to tug into a small, quick smile at her words, as they amused him. Not because he was planning to tell everyone even though he'd promised he wouldn't, even Alex wasn't that cruel without definite reason, just because he recognized the feeling. When Dom had promised to keep his guitar playing (and the muggle stuff he'd been wearing when she caught him, of course) a secret, it had been as if the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. He nodded slightly. "I think I've got a bit of an idea," he said, but went no further. There was a spark of amusement in his gray eyes, however. She'd caught him at a very good time, and if he noticed how much he was relaxing, how easily he was starting to accept the presence of another person, he might have stopped right there and made a run for it. He set out every morning with the firm decision in his mind that he would not make new friends or speak to his old ones, and he was usually pretty good about keeping that promise. However, when at times like these he was provoked into conversation, he couldn't help but portray the casual, unprejudiced side that he'd been somewhat known for amongst his ex-friends. The term 'non-assiness' amused him, but it only showed in his expression as a flicker of laughter in his eyes, no sound escaping his lips. It took a lot to make him laugh, genuinely. He laughed a lot when he was poking fun at others, though. "Thanks," he said, his tone serious.

Alex nodded when she correctly identified his position on the Slytherin Quidditch team. He expected her to insult him or immediately try and jinx him so he couldn't participate in the match, that had been attempted on him more times than he could count. Reacting to this thought in his mind, his wand arm stiffened, as he was trying to resist the urge to pull out the wand and use it before she had the chance. Hear her out, first, his logic advised him, and this proved to be a wise decision. His tense muscles relaxed as she spoke, realizing that spells were not her intent at the moment. He was slightly offended when she said he was one of the only good things about his team, but he supposed that he could let it slide, for not only was it a compliment on his own skills, but he did practice nearly every moment available, so it made sense that he was good. "Thanks," he said, slightly surprised, but willing to acknowledge the compliment all the same. "You're a great player as well, you know." Alexandre wasn't just saying that for the sake of being modest, he really meant it. "I definitely wouldn't want to be a chaser. They really have their work cut out for them when we play against you."

The story of how Alexandre had developed an interest in Quidditch was really quite funny, and it always gained a chuckle or two when he brought it up. In his first year, he'd attended his first ever match at school. All of the positions had fascinated him, but there was something about the loud cracking sound the bats made against the Bludgers that intrigued him. So in his second year, he'd tried out for the time. Believe it or not, that was how he'd ended up playing for Slytherin. His passion for the game had developed quickly after his first game. Since he'd been thinking about Quidditch, Alex was rather caught off guard by her question, though he didn't show it in his calm composure. "I just didn't want detention," he replied smoothly, shrugging. "Like I said, I didn't take the time to register who you were, I just acted on impulse."

tagged! open
lyrics! ride the wings of pestilence - from first to last
listening to! hopeless - breaking benjamin
word count! 649
outfit! just the standard hog. uniform
comments! this is shaping up to be a very interesting thread :)

[ROSE ELIZABETH WEASLEY]

Rose nodded as he mentioned that he understood what she was feeling. She felt a link between them, two artists with secrets from the rest of the world. She was glad when she saw amusement flash through his eyes. He had seemed so serious when she had first come in and the amusement was a sign of relaxation. Rose hopped up on the desk she had set her sketchbook on and crossed her ankles. She leaned back on her hands, her legs swinging slightly back and forth as she stared at him. Her eyes examined him, taking in every aspect. After a few moments of this, she turned away and grabbed her sketchbook. "Mind if I sketch while we talk?" she asked, her sketchbook already open and on her lap.

She didn't sketch people often, only when there was something that elicited curiosity from her. She sketched in part to understand, so when she sketched people it was to help her understand them. And their was something that she was missing as she tried to piece together the person in front of her, and that's why she wanted to sketch him. She had a few sketches in her book of people, most of them not members of her own house. Personally, she found people of other houses more complex to sketch, and therefore a greater challenge. She pulled her muggle pencil from the case she kept it in in the pocket of her robe and opened to a fresh page. She prefered pencils to quills when it came to sketching. Pencils were easier to shade and, when necessary, to blur the lines.

As he complimented her quidditch skills, a flicker of a smile crossed her face. Coming from a family of quidditch players, to be told you had talent was a rare compliment, but it was also something that made her yet another Weasley. Sure, she loved quidditch, but most of the Gryffindor team was made up of her family members, not to mention that most of her cousins in other houses played on their respective teams. Even if she was good, it was still just something else that people usually used to compare her to her family, especially her dad. Still, she nodded at him. "Thanks." she said. She put a bright smile on her face, but turned away quickly. She didn't want to think about comparing to her family at the moment.

Even though his explanation still left her confused, she shrugged it off, at least for now. Instead of pushing, she just shrugged and said, "You're lucky I wasn't a teacher then or you'd have more to worry about then detention. Not the smartest move." she readjusted her headband before flashing him a quick smile. "No offense intended though." she added before turning back to her sketch. She gripped the pencil softly, yet firmly in her hand and began to make the smooth strokes that always helped to clear her mind.

[ALEXANDRE GRYFFIN BLACKTHORN]

- - i think everyone will wonder

where you are tonight - -

Alexandre shook his head lightly, not minding at all that she wanted to sketch. "Not as long as you don't mind if I do." After all, he'd been busy sketching before she'd fallen through the door, and he'd planned to finish that sketch off before starting a fresh one. Unfortunately, he'd lost all inspiration for the current sketch, and so he'd most likely go back to it later. Hopping lightly off the table, he crossed the room in a few fluid strides. He moved like he flew -- with a strange grace that was combated by his usually hard, stony facial expressions. He held himself with pride and arrogance at most times, but when he was relaxed and not thinking about keeping up the facade, his other personality showed through a little more, even in the way he leaned slightly to retrieve his bag and the sketchbook. Returning to the front of the room, he resumed his earlier perch on the desk. However, this turned out to be quite uncomfortable, and he decided to shift positions, instead sinking into the chair and propping his elbow against the table, pulling out his quill. Then he noticed something which surprised him -- Rose was using a muggle pencil for her sketching rather than a quill. A slight relief swept over him. He found it much easier to be an artist using muggle means as well, but he was used to covering that up in his facade. "You're the first witch I've met who uses pencil," he commented quietly, but he had pulled out his own pencil by this time, so she'd be able to tell that he hadn't intended it as an insult. "Don't tell, okay?" he asked, gesturing with the pencil. He didn't mind people knowing that he sketched, he just didn't want them to know with what.

Alexandre was like most artists -- he needed to find his inspiration before placing his hand to the page, else he wouldn't be able to produce top results. So he glanced around the room for a couple of minutes, watched the sun stream in through the window and illuminate the different particles of dust swimming in the air. Normally, this sight might have inspired him, but not so much today. He tried to recall poetry in his mind, and music, for this often helped, but he found himself unable to concentrate. Frustrated with his lack of artistic muse, he twirled the pencil between his slender fingers and frowned at the parchment. He would sketch something, Alex was determined on this matter, he just couldn't find out what his subject would be yet. Or... who? Glancing up to take another look around the room, he noted that the sun had shifted slightly, bathing their area of the room in it's golden glow. Rose, as he recalled she'd introduced herself, provided apt inspiration when he looked at her now, and he nodded softly to himself, deciding. He liked to sketch living things, whether it be other people or animals, because it challenged his skill as an artist. This was no simple still life, she would be a moving target, but he was willing to take on the dare with himself. Now his hand flowed freely across the parchment, and the slope of his shoulders relaxed visibly. There was a certain aura of peacefulness, a rare normality about the usually dark Slytherin as he lost concentration with the world and instead focused on his muse. He seemed more... human. No pun intended, of course.

As he was still caught up in the good mood that hobbies placed him in, Alexandre actually smiled and chuckled softly when she pointed out that he would have had much more than detention to worry about if she had been the teacher he'd 'thought' she was. The lies came just as easily when he was relaxed however, so his facade didn't waver in the slightest as he replied with, "That's true. But I tend to overreact in the heat of the moment." Though Alex obviously didn't notice it himself, to anyone else the change in his tone was clear. His voice was a lot lighter and less flat and monotone during the act of sketching, writing poetry, listening to or playing music. Alexandre was very in tune with his inner artist, something he kept mainly to himself. It was alright to show his classmates that he sketched as long as he used the quill, and the same went for poetry, but playing his music was a different story altogether. He couldn't listen to music unless it was in his head however, due to the fact that electronics didn't function on the grounds of Hogwarts thanks to the concentration of magic in the air. He was good at recalling tunes in his head due to this, and so it didn't bother him as much as it had at first.

tagged! open
lyrics! ride the wings of pestilence - from first to last
listening to! hopeless - breaking benjamin
word count! 817
outfit! just the standard hog. uniform
comments! i had alright muse for that, actually :)

[ROSE ELIZABETH WEASLEY]

Rose's gaze followed him as he walked across the room to grab his sketchbook. She had to admit, he moved with a grace that most people didn't have and didn't fit the persona he tried to cast, but didn't seem to fit him anyway now that she'd talked to him. It was the same grace that she had noticed on the Quidditch Pitch, something that was once again uncommon, but mostly because he was a beater. Grace wasn't a standard characteristic of them, but every once in a while one could be surprised, and Rose made it a habit to be surprised at least once a day. "You know, you move kind of like a panther. Graceful, yet could easily strike fear in those around if you wanted to." the comment was said like an afterthought, which it was. Half of the time Rose simply spoke what entered her mind, not bothering to filter it.

She had to laugh at his comment about her using a pencil. "Yeah. I've always sketched with a pencil. In fact, I began sketching in a muggle boarding school before I came to Hogwarts, so I never learned how to sketch with a quill. I doubt it would be too much different from sketching with a pencil, but shading would be incredibly hard with ink. The graphite is much softer and easier to manipulate into how I want it. Personally I think that if I attempted to sketch with a quill and ink I would hurt myself due to frustration. That's why I keep my pencils in a case, so they don't get hurt." she was so lost in her sketch that she didn't notice the words pouring out of her mouth. Glancing up for a second she gave him a small smile, "Don't worry, I won't tell. My lips are sealed."

She was slightly surprised when he smiled and chuckled, but she smiled back. "You should probably work on that. Don't want to attack the Headmaster or anything by accident." she said. She reached up and took off her headband. Tendrils of brown hair fell in front of her eyes. Brushing them back, she replaced the headband, attempting to secure it better in place so none of her hair would slip out. It was a big pet peeve of hers. trying to sketch with hair in her face. As she sketched him, she noticed him visably relaxing, causing her to begin changing the sketch idea she had had previously in her head. She set down her pencil and leaned forward. Setting her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands, she gazed at him. "You know, when you sketch, you relax a lot. In fact, you almost become a completely different person. It makes it hard to capture you in a sketch."

[ALEXANDRE GRYFFIN BLACKTHORN]

- - i think everyone will wonder

where you are tonight - -

"A panther?" Alexandre echoed, surprised by the comment but rather sheepish that someone had noticed his fluid movements all the same. He didn't really try to move so light, quick and smooth, but it was thanks to his species and build that he had such an aura about him. It had been pointed out to him a few times by fellow Slytherin's in passing, but it was different coming from a Gryffindor. The Slytherin's had been complimenting his movements on the Quidditch pitch, she was mentioning the aspect in general. "That's a rare way to put it," he realized, but he didn't take it offensively, just nodded and accepted the comment. He liked it when people put a bit of thought behind their words, it made them unique and a lot more interesting. Some would just say "your movements are smooth" and leave it at that. That was cliche and rather boring. Alex was a major fan of originality, being an artist. This was something he never mentioned about himself and so most didn't know it, but there was something intriguing about people who dressed, acted, or spoke in a way that differed from the normality everyone was used to. When he could get away from it, away from people that would judge him, Alexandre loved color. Bright, shocking lime green was a favorite of his, as well as yellow. But it was impossible to wear such colors and escape notice in a place like this, so he kept his eccentric style to a minimum at all times. What Dom had caught him in had only been the edge of his personality, in terms of dress.

Alexandre chuckled slightly. "Shading with a quill takes forever," he told her. He had always hated when he'd been in the mood to sketch, and there had been others in the room. Because then he was forced to take his time and try to shade correctly with an object that was obviously not meant for such purposes. Pencils were another one of the muggle inventions that Alex had a thing for. He couldn't write with them as neatly as he could with a quill, but when it came to his art, they made everything a hell of a lot easier. Alexandre was also glad when she told him that she wouldn't tell anyone that he used a pencil for his sketching, because he'd have a hard time blowing that one off if she did. The Slytherin's sure were a tough crowd when it came to judging. It hadn't taken him long to fit in with them, but if he slipped up and let one of his secrets show through, he'd be an outcast just as quickly. And being the oddball in the Slytherin common room was something Alexandre was sure no one wanted. It was bad enough having them hate you when you were in a different house, because at least then your common room was a sort of sanctuary, where they couldn't get at you. It would be worse trying to live with them twenty-four seven if they hated your guts. Even the thought made Alex grimace slightly, and he paused to push it to the back of his mind before continuing the sketch.

"Then I'd be screwed," Alexandre agreed. If he, or anyone really, were to attack the Headmaster and run, he'd most likely be expelled from Hogwarts on the spot. And if he were expelled, he could only imagine the raging fit his grandfather would throw. No one in the history of their family had failed to complete their school education. His great grandfather's vampirism had been found out (however, they never investigated the family, so the secret of the entire lineage was kept under wraps) but it had been near the end of his final year, and since he hadn't killed anyone yet, he'd been permitted to graduate. So he knew that if it was the Headmaster that came upon him wrong place, wrong time, Alexandre was going to have to choose between the possibility of exposing his secret, or getting himself expelled. I'd have to get kicked out, he mused to himself, still sketching silently. Never mind myself getting expelled, my grandfather would murder me if I let on that I wasn't human. Ugh. He hated the fact that his choices were so narrow, hated the fact that he had to live like this. However, he was granted a welcome distraction as Rose spoke, and he looked up from his own sketch as she did so. "Do I?" Alex was surprised. Especially considering what he'd been thinking about, he hadn't known that he'd displayed the opposite effect in his pose. He chuckled. "I like it when people change their expressions a lot when I'm sketching," he mused thoughtfully. "It makes it more of a challenge to me." Alex loved challenges in general, it was just losing them that he couldn't stand.

tagged! open
lyrics! ride the wings of pestilence - from first to last
listening to! mayday parade - walk on water or drown
word count! 822
outfit! just the standard hog. uniform
comments! that took forever >.< my friend keeps calling me!