Skies Anew

[mcnutt]

Laying back in the grass, Dustan stared up into the vast blueness that hung far overhead. The sunlight was dim, the clouds that spattered reflected much though. And the sunshine that did shine down caused the young man to squint up into the sky. Kellen, a wonderful little snake plant, sat beside him soaking up the dimming light that wouldn't hurt it.

The warmth felt nice down by the lake, sprawled out by the shore, letting the gentle water lap at his bare feet. This year was different, he could tell things were changing and they'd only been back at Hogwarts a few days. First day back, on the train, he made a new friend, it was someone different than who he normally hung around. First of all, she was a girl; second of all, he'd never really noticed her before even though she was in his year. It was odd, but nice having a regular face become even more. Of course, Lianna was at every turn as well but he just wasn't sure about her, though would consider her someone he could get used to. She liked poetry after all.

OWLs were to be taken at the end of the year so he had to study more than he already did. However, most of his studying time in the past went to just reading books he liked. On top of everything else, he was one of the new Prefects. How his Head of House came to choose him, he didn't know, but at the same time he felt privileged she would cast him with such responsibility. With duties, exams, taking care of his plants, plus hopefully continuing his new found friendships, there just wouldn't be much time for much else. Why couldn't there be more time in the day? Though, he knew if there were then he'd be busier because there'd be more to do. It was a vicious cycle he wasn't fond of.

"Eh...a wildebeest?" Dustan said quietly, watching the clouds overhead. "What'dya think Kellen?" Of course, he wasn't really expecting an answer from a plant. But with the hour being the most common to head in for dinner, no one around, the fifteen year old was glad for the quiet company of Kellen.


{OPEN}

[Abigail Greenwater]

{{JUMPS IN...if it's ok :3}}

For once she felt that she could live up to her house mascot. A lion was courageous and fearless. Up until the train ride to Hogwarts this year she was meek like a mouse. Now she just wanted to run through the halls and smile. People were starting to notice her, something that freaked her out the first few days. Now she smiled back and waved. Everything was different. She felt different. And it was all because someone like her didn't run away after meeting her. With a smile on her face she bravely went outside.

With her backpack stuffed with muggle paints she trudged out far, leaving the over populated courtyard behind her. Dressed in her muggle clothes she walked slowly out into the open of the grounds. Her green sweater fit on her body a bit tighter then she would usually wear, same with her brown shirt. Her brown skirt however was at knee length, a respectable one. Her legs were covered in tights that matched her sweater and brown mary janes that matched her skirt. Abigail felt pretty for once. Just today one girl in her house asked her how she kept her hair looking so nice. Abby just shrugged and said "I don't know. I don't do anything to it."

The lake was now in view. Holding a hand up to her eyes she looked around it. The lighting was perfect for a sunset painting. Speeding up her steps she walked quickly toward the edge. As she neared she noticed a body lying there with a plant next to it. Her heart skipped a beat as she changed her course and walked that way. Fixing her skirt as she walked she looked at the person, grinning slightly. "H-h-hi," she pushed out. Why was it so hard to speak to him? "Hope I-I-I'm not inter-interrupting anything."

[mcnutt]

As the cloud above them moved, well, more or less, Dustan decided it was indeed a wildebeest. After all, not many things looked like that of a wildebeest. They were an interesting looking creature, nothing like a platypus, but pretty cook all the same. This was a nice time to just lay out and relax, he didn't have to worry about giggly girls and guys acting like idiots, too much noise, or funny looks because he was talking to a plant. Or what others observed to be a plant, to him it was one of his best friends, named after a role model and an all-around good guy. Thankfully Connor seemed to be coming along quite nicely. The little bits of green were growing and looking in good shape. Ah, it'd be a good time waiting for the finished look of the lovely thing.

Closing his eyes for just a moment, he was startled to a wide-eyed look up at an awfully familiar face, one he thought he was actually dreaming of as it'd been behind his eyelids as well. A slow smile stretched across his lips wondering how she could thing she'd be interrupting anything, he wasn't putting moves on anyone, and most definitely not on Kellen, he was just there, with Kellen. Nope, not interrupting.

"He--hey," he answered, not bothering to sit up, but instead wiggled off to the side as though to provide room for the girl. Not like there was an entire stretch of grass for her to take a seat anywhere at. "Nnn--no, you coul--couldn't ever inter--interrupt, re--really."

Actually, the only thing she might be able to interrupt for him were differences between fantasy and reality, and at the moment, the reality was better than the fantasy.

"Cu--cute ou--outfit," he tried to compliment, not really sure if cute was the right word to use. She looked pretty woodsy, natural, foresty, well, nice.

[Abigail Greenwater]

A light chuckle escaped her lips as she went over what he said in her head. Was this really happening? She always felt like a burden when she walked up on someone who was sitting alone. The lioness within her purred and filled her with courage. She had to think, was it all because of Dustan? He was definitely part of it, probably most of it. Abby knew it but couldn't say it to herself yet.

She did notice him move over a bit so she could sit down. Abby put her backpack down first, setting it behind her. She then lowered herself to the ground making sure to keep her legs in a proper position as to not look indecent. Resting on hand on her lap she used the other to lean on. Finally sitting next to Dustan she sighed happily at the ability to just relax with someone and not feel totally on edge about..everything.

"Cu--cute ou--outfit,"

A sideways glance and a small smile was all she could manage for a few seconds. "Th-thanks." If she was any more a girly girl she might have fainted or done something else much more embarrassing, though her cheeks did burned bright red. "You-you look quite handsome to-today yourself. No-not that you usually do-don't look handsome." Abby's eyes widened with surprise. Did she really say that? Had she thought a little harder she wouldn't have said the ending. "I-I'm sorry," she whispered more for herself, but she hoped he heard.

[mcnutt]

A rash of red crept up his neck as Abigail to a neighboring seat, and he had to gulp hard, remembering this was reality, so much better than an fantasy. Besides, even though he stuttered like a mad man around her, any girl really, she didn't make fun of him like some did; and it felt nice. The fact she did the same back only made him appreciate her more, glad she was steadily becoming a fast friend and a pleasurable amount of company at anytime, day or night. Sure, he had his mates to lean on at any time, but it was sure nice to have a girl to spend some time with now and then at least.

Keeping still on his back, looking toward her only when she'd settled in beside him, he gave a sheepish grin. Maybe cute was the right word. he just wasn't ever sure, as language could be so barred by another, by thoughts, and by times. Cute wasn't always considered a compliment nowadays, but he thought it was, meant for it to be, and was happy it seemed to be received as such.

But when she sent him for a loop, calling him handsome, his green eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, his throat closed up and left him gasping for air, and his face felt like he was two centimeters from the sun. Honestly, he didn't look so worked up just laying there taking the words in, other than his face was deeper colored than a beet. But before he could barely process the information, she apologized.

"Wha--what are you sor--sorry f--for?" he managed, a light look of concern in his eyes. Sitting himself up, he used one arm for support as he turned to look at her quizzically. he hadn't been sorry for his compliment, but perhaps he should be?

[Abigail Greenwater]

When Dustan looked over to Abby she could feel it. That 'someone's-watching-you-but-it's-not-creepy' feeling. Slowly she turned her head toward him, trying to catch a glance back. Luckily her hair which she left down kept barrier between them when she turned her head his way. If someone was to ask if she had to pick one person to be stuck with on a deserted island it would be Dustan. Everything about him was compatible with everything about her. Even the way he spoke, the words he used really made her feel fuzzy. It may be stupid, she had no idea if he even thought of her as more of a friend but she couldn't help but hope.

His reaction to her compliment made her worry, if only for a second. Then she smiled, enjoying it.Not that she enjoyed the coughing and sputtering; just his reaction was rather…cute. Regaining her shyness she looked away from him and found something much less pleasing then Dustan to look at.

"Wha--what are you sor--sorry f--for?"

Abby knew what she said was wrong. The corners of her lips curved down and showed her unpleased state. This time she wouldn't let her words fall out without careful consideration. "I-I-I, um, lately I've be-been..uh...saying things without thi-thinking and some-sometimes what I say ge-gets people ma-mad." Turning her body she was now facing him, her brow was furrowed in worry about what could happen. "Y-You aren't ma-mad? A-Are you?"

[mcnutt]

As her eyes traveled elsewhere, he took a moment to regain composure, what little he could. It was hard to force a face to stop glowing, to pop his eyes back in their sockets, and to make his breathing sound normal and not so much like a car on its last kilometers. Actually, if he thought about it, the scene was fairly hilarious, a pretty girl staring out at something he couldn't quite see, him trying to calm down, the beautifully peaceful scene displayed before them and others. Dustan was quite obviously out of place in the picture.

"Wh--why wou--would I b--be m--mad?" he asked, concerned about who said she was angering them. What could she even say to upset a person? Unless it was a mistake, and not meant to be taken in the way she spoke it. After all, he hadn't seen her angry once, never a cross word, harsh tone, anything. She always seemed quite content and happy, if not at least mildly so. Who was she angering? Did he have to step in and say something to someone?

At that moment, he was a bit flustered, not knowing why she'd think he was mad at her. "Yo--you did--didn't do anyth--anything wron--wrong, who...who do yo--you thi--think yo--you've ma--made upset?"

[Abigail Greenwater]

Instantly her frown went away as she thought about what Dustan said. Wishing she hadn't said anything about being sorry wasn't going to make anything better. It was a mistake, but it was only because she was worried that she may be coming on too strong in his eyes.

Finally turning back to him she gazed over to where he was, watching him for a second. With that glance she found all her worries were assuaged. He wasn't mad, only confused at what she said. The lion in her heart purred quietly, giving her courage once again. "Y-You make me ner-nervous. In th-the good way I mean," Abby said without looking away from him, "Li-like when you-you're on a swing a-and you jump off m-mid air. I-I get that mid-air fe-feeling around you."

Cheeks still burning from before Abigail smiled finally. She hadn't said something truer then this in her life. Dustan never made fun of her, never laughed when she stumbled on a word or a rock. Nor did she do those to him. Their friendship was made from equal trust and understanding.

Abigail lifted a small hand slowly from her lap. She wanted to touch something, to feel something real. Nothing that was happening felt real to her right now. Everything felt like a really good dream to her. Tingling sensations swept through her body. She brought her hand to the grass, swiping it over the lush green they were relaxing on. It didn't make the feeling go away. Slowly her eyes trailed over to the Slytherin next to her. She started to move her hand closer to him. A quick touch would be rude and intrusive. Abby quickly let her hand drop to the ground close to him.

[mcnutt]

Instantly he wondered what he'd done wrong. Obviously, she hadn't done anything incorrect, and now she said he made her nervous, so it was time to figure out what he'd done. Thinking back over everything since she sat beside him, he couldn't think of a thing, other than complimenting her outfit. Maybe cute was the very wrong word to use, he hadn't meant to make her the slightest bit uncomfortable. But then again, the way she described her nerves, that wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, unless she got ill swinging.

Staying quite, not sure how to answer, he just watched the movement of her hand, noticing that it stopped moving so near to him. But he still couldn't make heads nor tails out of what she'd said.

"I--I--I mak--make you ner--nerv--vous?" Dustan questioned uncertainly. "I--I ne--never mea--meant to."

[Abigail Greenwater]

Confused she glanced away from Dustan to try and figure out what to say to him. It all seemed so plain to her, but he wasn't privy to her thoughts. This time she'd get it. Dustan would understand what she meant this time.

"N-No Dustan. I like th-that feeling. A l-lot." Grey eyes tried to find his green ones. He was doubting his actions, something Abigail wanted to stop. "It-It's a gr-great feeling. I promise." Just to add to it she nodded. "It-It's free-freeing."

Without using her brain she moved her hand closer to Dustan. For a second just her fingertips touched his hand. Then lightly, as if touching something very old, she slipped her hand into his and gave it a light squeeze. This little action made her blush worse then ever, but she felt no regrets. None whatsoever.

[mcnutt]

Giving Abigail the most confused look, he didn't know what to say. She liked feeling like she was going to be ill? Or, no, that wasn't right, she liked feeling nervous. Mid-air jumping nervous. Alright, it wasn't so bad of a feeling, but why did he make her feel that way? And how did he give her that kind of a feeling? Did he have some sort of bug that made him ill and made others around him ill as well?

Nodding his head slowly, he hoped it would keep him out of trouble. Making her feel that way if she liked it was good, he supposed. And she promised it was a good feeling, he just wasn't sure how to respond.

But even then, he didn't have a chance. Instead, he felt himself choking for air when the warmth of her hand slid into his, and even more so when she gave the tiniest of squeezes. Now he was stuck. Not to say the feeling wasn't in the least bit nice, just he wasn't sure what to do. Did he squeeze her hand back? Did he sit there like an idiot? Was he supposed to at least hold her hand in return, oh wait, nevermind, his fingers were already curled around. So, what next?

Dustan hadn't been prepared for a moment like this. his dad never told him what to do next. Well, he knew eventually what happened, but how was he supposed to be able to breath again? Did he take calming breaths and hope she didn't think him ridiculous? Did he ask for a moment to collect himself?

Instead, he turned to look at her, eyes wide with surprise. It didn't feel wrong, felt very, very right, but what happened next? And he couldn't hardly breathe still, so no words would form.

[Abigail Greenwater]

Seeing Dustan in that state made Abigail grin slightly. She wasn't making fun of him, he just looked adorable. There was silence between the two fifteen year olds yet it wasn't awkward. At least from Abigail's view it wasn't. She didn't need to say anything to make it known she was happy where she was. It seemed the same for Dustan. Her flushed cheeks cooled off to a nice rose color.

Seeing Dustan was still having a little trouble with everything that was happening Abigail but her lip, wondering if she should ask him if he was OK. Seeing that he wasn't blue in the face or bleeding uncontrollably she was pretty sure he was alright. Wanting to calm him down she slid her hand away only for a second to bring it back to his, this time she linked their fingers. With that she moved her backpack away with her other hand and reclined next to him on the ground, resting her head on the soft grass.

"I-I...." She had no idea what to say at this moment. This was the first time she'd ever held the hand of a boy not related to her and it felt wonderful. Giggling at herself she covered her mouth with her free hand, trying to stifle the laugh. "I r-really l-like this." As she said this to Dustan her eyes drifted down to their linked hands.

[mcnutt]

It was all becoming nearly too much to handle. In fact, the movement of her hand from his, even if just briefly, was a relief because he felt himself able to breathe again. However, as soon as her fingers slid between his, his heart began pounding and breathing normally was likely never to be an accomplished goal of his again. Nothing was wrong as far as he was concerned, and he was learning very quickly that breathing wasn't a priority to keeping alive anymore, but at the same time he was like a fish trying to swim out of water.

Abigail laid down next to him, and he found himself moving from his sitting position to a relaxed state beside her without any form of command.

After she spoke, his head bobbed up and down in agreement, still unable to form any words. It felt like someone had stuffed his mouth full of cotton and expected him to chew for days without any form of hydration.

Dull green eyes took in her expression, the little smile with her laugh, the look in her very own eyes. She seemed very much in control of the situation to him, and he was glad, because he wasn't quite sure what was happening. Of course, he knew, but at the same time, was glad he didn't have to take the lead in such a situation himself.

But, he rather liked it too.

[Abigail Greenwater]

Who was this girl and what did she do with Abigail? This girl was somewhat confident in what she was doing and she wasn't scared to make it known what she wanted! If this had been another boy and girl Abigail would have walked by, glancing to get information about how she could be as confident. Thinking like this made Abigail feel like she was doubting herself. Quickly she pushed those pesky thoughts away and found herself back in the now.

Now she was lying by the Great Lake with Dustan, the boy who up until now, Abigail was unsure about how she felt about him. It's not that she didn't like him, it was just....she didn't know exactly what 'liking someone' felt well..like. Other thoughts flooded her mind, trying to pull her away from Dustan. She knew these was her own mind protecting her, trying to make it seem like a dream by muddling her brain with other things. After all these years it was one of the things she never mastered. This time she forced all thoughts out of her mind and let everything go.

"I ho-hope I-I wasn-wasn't too fo-forward. I h-haven't done this be-before with anyone really," Abby said quietly. Now that she thought about it. All the times she wished it was her holding someone's hand instead of the other girl felt stupid now. She was with a boy who (she hoped) liked her also and wouldn't mind holding her hand more.

[mcnutt]

The feelings flowing through his system were odd. They were light, almost feathery, kind of like having an eagle owl fly over his middle, just barely touching his skin, but not so light that it tickled either. his mind felt clouded over, fogged by something from the divinations room that smoked everyone out but was supposed to help one predict events of the future; except how could he predict what would happen when he felt so lost in the view that he was finding breathtaking, considering he was still having trouble breathing.

Those gray eyes stared back at him, and he knew there wasn't anything wrong, she was the one controlling everything, and he was more than happy to take a backseat and follow; even if he knew that as the male he was supposed to take the lead, at least he thought he was supposed to. However, he was too frightened of frightening her if he tried.

Instead, he was happy to let her take action.

Shaking his head, the grass made a swishing noise under the pressure and force of his swaying head. It wasn't too forward, she hadn't really done anything, right? Holding hands was normal, even for just friends. Kind of, sort of, he wasn't entirely sure but she wasn't too forward in his opinion.

"N--no, i'salright."