When you're with me I'm smiling

[Guy Styles]

February 14th
just before the dance

Valentine's day. Mushy gushy, lovey dovey, cutesy and completely ugh for Guy Styles. He knew his bitterness was only from the fact that his past two relationships hadn't exactly worked out the way he had been thinking, and that he had to spend this day of love alone. He had friends, sure Guy had a few running around here and there where he could spot them, but he had been so out of it for a couple of months now that he barely knew anyone anymore. Sure, he kept up in his lessons and maintained good enough grades, he hadn't really dedicated himself to anyone or anything other than drumming. It was becoming a bit of an obsession for the seventh year, if he didn't have time to make it up to the RoR, then he would find himself drumming on other things, benches, books, walls, furniture, whatever. He wasn't picky, really.

His true focus was on his music, not a girlfriend or even friends at that exact moment in time. So it wouldn't be a giant shock to anyone to find Guy making his own makeshift drum. He was sitting on the ground on the second floor about a half hour before the dance was supposed to begin, three buckets, two books, four different sized mugs, and a several small plastic boxes set out before him. He took one of the small containers and set it down on the ground, the thinnest book on top of it. To the left of that container her placed one of the metal mugs, tapping it lightly with his drumstick to hear a light ' ting. ' Satisfied with that, he continued on, setting up the books and mugs and buckets until he had a miniature, sort of drum kit in front of him.

He smiled and nodded his hellos to the people that walked by, staring at him for the most part. Guy didn't really care, as he never had cared what other people thought about him, he just kept on building. In total there were 5 makeshift drums, along with four symbols. Sort of.

He tapped the largest plastic box lightly, a slow steady beat reverberating against the walls. Thump... Thump... Thump. His right hand twitched with the pulsing beat, his left shaking to get moving. Thump, thump, thump. Slowly but steadily he introduced other sounds. Thump, tsk, tsk-a-thump, thump thump thump. He bobbed his head as he ' played, ' his attention drawn to several rather pretty looking girls as they walked by. He gave them a grin as they continued on their way, down to the Great Hall for the dance, no doubt. He didn't notice the arrival of another person, though.

[[ Open ]]

[Eaden Valo]

Should she go? Should she not go? That was the question at hand. Not that she had anything to wear to the dance. She told herself she wouldn't go but she would walk by to see what was going on in there. She took the long way down, liking the views she could see. Dressed in a pair of black pants, black shirt, and her favorite hoodie she walked slowly down the stairs. On her feet were bunny slippers. She didn't want to have to pull on a pair of shoes when comfy slippers worked just as well.

The halls were dead silence. Not even the portraits were talking. Most of them found other portraits to hang out in tonight. Every once and a while Eaden would pass one crammed with people who were drinking, partying, and having all sorts of fun. She sighed slightly, sad that she didn't get asked to this party. Not that it mattered to her, going or not, just the fact that she hadn't made many friends yet at Hogwarts. Not even enough to go solo and just hang with them.

Rounding a corner on the second floor she almost stumbled on someone. A quiet gasp escaped her lips as she noticed the boy, Guy was his name. They met in the Gryffindor common room party a few days ago. Eaden noticed he was playing with drumsticks. The beat was cool, something she hadn't heard before. She guessed he made it up on his own. Taking a second to listen she closed her eyes, letting the sound infiltrate her. Finally she opened her eyes and looked at the boy.

"Hey. It's Guy right?" A light chuckle escaped her lips, not wanting to get his name wrong.

[Guy Styles]

Guy let himself sink into the lighter tapping sounds, let himself indulge in the harshing beating sounds as well. As the small group of girls left, and no one else was walking in front of him, Guy gave his attention to the makeshift drum set he had created. Thump, ts-tska, thump, cha, tska. He repeated it, throwing in a few taps on one of the plastic containers to get a more hollow sound. Bom, tsk, sa, sa, thump, bom, sa-tska, thump. Guy actually thought these sounds in his head as he heard them, and he was sure that anyone who didn't play drums would probably thing he was barking mad for thinking in a series of sounds.

He was so into the music that he hardly noticed someone almost running into his carefully set up area, hardly noticed the girl standing over him. That was, until she spoke to him. ' Hey. It's Guy right? ' He nodded his head, looking sideways and up to catch a glimpse of who was talking to him. He kept the drumming up with his thoughts of thump, bom, tska, and various other sounds. Eaden Valo, he remembered her. After a few seconds more of his tapping sounds, he stopped, bringing his hands together for a second to place both of the sticks in his right hand and set them off to the side for a second or two. " Yeah. Eaden, right? " Eaden pronounced like Aiden, he knew that much about her.

He looked at her attire, the over all nice look, with an old hoodie thrown over top. " Heading down to the dance? " He asked, his palms pressing lightly to the ground on either side of him.

[Eaden Valo]

" Yeah. Eaden, right? "

She nodded, letting herself lean against the cool window. After a few second she let herself slide down onto the ground a few feet away from Guy. She looked around at the deserted hallway. The silence was creeping her out. Her eyes went back to him, looking him over. He looked very comfy, which in turn made Eaden feel quite comfy. She pulled her arms into her hoodie, letting the sleeves flop down to her sides. He had a nice little set up here with his drum set. Her cousin had a band and he played the drums. He taught her a little but nothing too amazing.

" Heading down to the dance? "

Eaden shook her head 'no', her arms now wrapped around her upper body. "Nah. Didn't have time to get a dress or anything for the dance. Besides, if I went I couldn't walk around the school in my slippers." She lifted her feet up and wiggled her toes which made the floppy bunny ears waggle around as she did so. Setting her feet back down she moved closer to the wall, trying to sit up perfectly straight. This only made her back hurt so she slouched down a little again.

"Are you going to the dance?" She asked, looking back over at him. It didn't seem like he was but her could just be waiting for his date to meet him here. Inwardly she hoped for a no so that she could have someone to hang with for at least some of the time.

[Guy Styles]

Tsk, ba, thump, fffft, ts, tskka. The beat was constant, steady, easy to maintain as he looked Eaden over just as she slid down next to him on the ground. He had told himself it would be rude to play while talking to the girl, but he didn't really think she would care all that much. The corridor was pretty much deserted other than him and Eaden, and it left the older Gryffindor wondering if everyone was already at the dance. It sounded like the music had just started, a light pulsing from the bass could be hear on the several floors above. He continued playing as Eaden answered his little question. That sounded like a bummer. He grinned at the bunny slippers bit as she wiggled the ears. " Nice touch, really. " He confirmed to her as he looked back down to his makeshift drums.

He shook his head, thump, ba ba bump, tska, ts, tsa-ffaaa. He thought these weird noises and was pretty close to actually saying them out loud as well, but stopped himself. He didn't really know Eaden that well so it would be strange of him to assume that she knew about his random quirks that he never seemed to stop doing, especially when he was drumming. Even if it was on a fake drum set.

" Nope. No reason to go. " He said with a small shrug, feeling a slight pang of remorse as he thought about Vanessa, a girl he had sort of kind of been with last year. She had been a seventh year at the time and he a sixth. When she graduated, though, things just hadn't worked out very well, so she went her way and Guy headed back to Hogwarts. It hadn't been the worst thing to ever happen to him, but really it had sucked for the teenager.

[Eaden Valo]

" Nice touch, really. "

She grinned back at him, crossing her feet so she was sitting 'indian style' as Muggles would call it. Guy was still playing his drum set. Though it was a very D.I.Y it was really cool. He seemed like a wicked cool guy, someone Eaden may become friends with one day. "Thanks. My mum bought them for me when I came here. She remembered the floors of the common room to be quite cold sometimes." Her thoughts shifted to her mother and how she knew her mum would send her a letter asking why she didn't go to the dance.

"That sounds quite awesome. Your drum set I mean. How long have you been playing?" Her voice was a little louder as the music coming up from downstairs was quite loud. A pounding bass beat reverberated lightly below them. She could feel it every once and a while.

" Nope. No reason to go. "

She inwardly knew there was some backstory to this but didn't ask. She understood how he felt about not having a reason to go to a dance. Janne was at Durmstrang by himself now, without her. They wrote all the time but it wasn't the same. It never would be until they were together again. She glanced over at the boy next to her.

"Did you have any plans for tonight since you weren't going to the dance?"

[Guy Styles]

Guy stopped hacking completely now, letting the sticks fall to the ground on either side of him as he looked to the girl sitting next to him. His eyes fell onto her slippers and he couldn't help but give a grin at them. It was something his little sister would wear, not something he would picture on a sixteen year old girl. At least, he guessed that Eaden was sixteen. Seventeen maybe, he wasn't exactly sure about that one. " Sounds like your mum is rather intelligent. " He commented, pulling his legs in and also sitting indian style like she was. He usually never noticed the temperatures in the common room, but it made sense that the girls's mom would be concerned.

He looked back down to the makeshift set, grinning. " Uhm. Been playing this one for about ten minutes. But drums in general since I was really small... like I don't even remember. " He admitted with a laugh. He knew he had been maybe five or so, give or take a couple of years. " You play anything? " He meant instrument wise.

" Plans? Well Miss Valo, you are lookin' at them. " He said, pointing down to the buckets, books, containers, boxes and cups set out in front of him. " What about you? "