the lights are off, nobody's home

[Luce Beauvais]

After a day at work, Luce really wanted nothing more than to go home, to a cooked meal and a hot bath. Okay, so that may have been asking for a bit much, but all Luce wanted to do was to go home to someone. She hated living alone, she really did, but there was no where else to live. She couldn't stay with her parents, they lived out of London, and with an apartment on the outskirts, she was sick of the morning and nightly commute. She had been looking for an apartment near to some of her friends, but so far, nothing had been found and she was still living on her own.

It wasn't just that though. With all of her friends living away from where she did, with families and jobs to juggle, Luce had no social life whatsoever. The most conversation that she had had in a while, was asking the bus driver whether or not they stopped near her house. That was her daily routine, get ready, go to work, work, come home, go to bed and start all over again. It was frustrating, to say the least.

But with all of this commuting, one might be forced to ask, why not apparate? It was a reasonable question, yes, one with an answer that Luce tended to keep hidden. She had failed her test, and never retested; she was much too scared that she'd fail once again. It was silly, but Luce's ego and pride were much too strong for the girl to have to go through that again.

Upon finishing her shift at the hospital for the day, Luce was left with nothing to do once again. She could have gone to the Leaky Cauldron to visit Sebastian, but she always felt that she was intruding when she did so. She could go and see her parents, but she wasn't in for a travel. Exiting in the building, thoughts still racing through her head, Luce wandered straight out into the terrential rain.

Wearing a singlet, and a pair of jeans, with her big, heavy, black coat hanging over her arm, Luce got quite the fright. Standing out in the rain that was beating down hard on the girls head, clothes and pride, for that matter, Luce let everything sink in. Today was not going well, and she was sick of it all. If only she had picked something fun for a profession, like Sebastian and his music, or a photographer or an artist.

Finally taking the step back undercover, Luce was totally drenched. Could this really get any worse?

[alfonztytusjedynak]

Evening was setting in, but it was much darker than it should have been by that time of the day due to the rain and the storm outside St. Mungos Hospital. Alfonz Jedynak waited for his mother’s exit from a patient’s room to discuss his sister’s living arrangements as he felt he did every start of the summer, and it was tiresome. Had he not explained to them that Celina was to stay with him during her breaks? It scared him to think what their father would want with his younger sibling… especially since she’d recently turned seventeen just that last April.

There was not much time to think of it however, as Elizabeth Jedynak left her patient’s room a smile on her face as she exited, bidding the man farewell. It was only there as long as he wasn’t noticed, however, but as soon as Elizabeth turned and saw her son, standing against the hospital tiled walled… hands shoved in his robes pocket and five o’clock shadow showing, it turned into a frown and she shook her head. “The answer lies with your father, Alfonz,” she started, as if already knowing what her son was going to protest. “You know just as well as I do that I have no say in the matter. She’ll stay with you when she can. It’s a big summer for her and all, being seventeen.” Elizabeth never made eye contact with her son. She knew as well as he that that wasn’t the only reason Celina was being made to stay home.

Standing up from the wall, the male Jedynak took his place by his mother’s side and walked with her. “And? What else is he waiting for then? You know as well as I that she has gotten out of that school just as much as she’s ever gotten…” he growled, almost knowing that he’d by himself probably cost Celina that head thingy she’d wanted. “He’s not really going to…” Alfonz couldn’t even finish his question before his mother’s light brown eyes looked into his dark orbs.

“Alfonz, I have to work. Don’t worry,” she cooed her son. “I won’t let anything happen to Celina. You know that…” and with that she turned and walked briskly toward another patient’s room and disappeared inside of the room.

“Damnit…” Alfonz growled and shook his head, his somewhat longer hair swaying as it did so. His mother was always looking after them, but her tactics were subtle and in Alfonz’s mind, ineffective for the most part. However, she was right. In this, he had no say, and until Celina was back in his care, he could do nothing about whatever their father had planned for her. Alfonz shook his head, cursing to himself as he did so and making his way out of the building.

As he exited the hospital, he was about to apperate back to Wendelring when he saw a young woman standing out in the rain, her cloak over her arm rather than on her and he tilted his head. Alfonz wasn’t much for small talk, but he hadn’t pointed out someone’s idiocies lately either.

One foot in front of the other, his pace was slow and his footsteps splashed in the small puddles that had formed on the ground. As he neared her, he examined her, wondering if there was any use in being polite or acting court. He doubted it, but at the same time one never knew. Pulling up his own collar on his long robes, he took his place beside the woman whom had taken cover to get slightly out of the rain, and snorted. “You know,” he started, his voice slightly growling unintentionally, for his mood was still bitter from his conversation with his mother. “…the robe would help you more over you. Don’t you think?” he asked, her, just barely moving his head so that he could look down at the woman.

[Luce Beauvais]

Luce's head spun. It wasn't just now, it was everything that was affecting the girl. The past, the present and even the future were catching up to the girl, and the amount of thinking, planning, wishing, hoping, and falling that she had been through and was destined to go through, it was enough to make anyone sick. She grimaced at the thought of going back to start it all again, becoming a healer was now something that she wasn't sure she was meant to do, it was hard academically and emotionally, and Luce wasn't even sure if she was keeping up with the others.

It wasn't good to have a negative outlook on life, especially ni the profession that Luce had chosen to follow. But there were some days that overtook her, and she couldn't keep up with herself. Thoughts plagued the girl, and she began imagining if she personally knew the patients, seeing them deteriorate, or get better, it was like a game of cards. One turn you might be given a great, winning hand, other times you had nothing to do but fold and deal with it. Today had been one of those days.

Luce had grown to accept that she would probably never get time to see her boyfriend, but life was like that, unfair as anything could be. But the odd part, the part that was most confusing, compared to most, Luce should have had quite a positive outlook on life. She had a loving family and boyfriend, she had a good job, she had a selected group of friends, so why did she constantly want more?

Because that was naturally the kind of person that Luce was. She wanted the best out of herself, the best out of the people she cared about, and the most out of life, and she wasn't going to lay down and live it the way that some did. She wanted to enjoy herself, but with the long hours and far commute, she hadn't been given the opportunity lately.

Standing there, hands not hanging down, the cloak barely grasped in her hand, Luce stared out into the rain. Drip, drop, drip, drop. As you can blatantly see, her thoughts were racing with the fast paced drip, drop that was currently keeping her from going insane. She needed to hear something, no matter how stupid, just to know that she was still there and she hadn't drifted away.

To be honest, Luce hadn't even noticed the man walk up. She was focusing on the cold water that was sticking her fringe to her face and dragging down on her curls. After the man, whoever he was, Luce hadn't yet been bothered to look at his face, spoke, it took a while for Luce to observe what he had said, subtract the obvious sarcasm, and make sense of the statement. Well, make it so that Luce's 'racing' brain could understand it.

"Wouldn't that take all the fun out of getting drenched though?" Luce asked, continuing to look out into the rain, not bothering to see who her new company was. She'd find out in due time, if it was necessary.

[alfonztytusjedynak]

If it wasn’t for her tone, Alfonz would have snickered to himself and thought of how foolish the young girl obviously was, but he didn’t. She was lost, or so it seemed, and Alfonz could just sense that that was just his luck. Could he not find people actually worth his time any more? Or had that talent escaped him after he’d graduated from school? He sighed and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. Celina would have like to just get wet in the rain too… not that any of the Jedynaks would actually let her.

“It might,” Alfonz said, his sarcasm disappearing as he too looked forward now. Was it wrong of him to think of Celina all the time? Though it never came up with Tamis, Alfonz was very careful about what he said about the younger Jedynak. It had ruined things between himself and Shay, which was something that Alfonz also thought about every so often, and Raynor was just too nosey. She wouldn’t know a thing or two about protecting a family if she tried…. Hell, she sent hers away to protect them after all.

“But there are more exciting ways to catch a disease,” he paused, smirking to himself. “…or get oneself into trouble.” Of course, he didn’t care to help the girl in any way, but pure boredom kept him talking. It was as if the twenty two year old was coming out of the male Jedynak, something he really hated to let loose in public… but who really was watching? And frankly, the girl didn’t seem to take note of who he was, so chances were… she didn’t care, and/or wasn’t up to date enough on her current events to know.

After a few moments, Alfonz standing silent, he arranged his collar once more and took a step forward into the rain, just barely glancing back at the girl. “Your life always this exciting, Miss?” he asked, snorting as he did so. “For if it is…” he turned forward again, taking another step. “I’d rethink everything about what you want life to actually be.” It was almost a challenge, and at the same time, it wasn’t. The girl was drenched, standing alone and obviously miserably by herself out in front of St Mungos… a place where people went to die… sure, there were those who did get better, but in Alfonz’s mind, if they were sick enough to go to St Mungos, they weren’t doing so well…

A few more steps, he looked back again… “Well, are you coming?” he asked mockingly impatient, and flashing a smile. “That is… unless you have any more exciting adventures you’re planning on partaking in after the standing and catching diseases from the rain.”

[Luce Beauvais]

Luce felt herself hold back when the man joined her, as if she was shy, or nervous to be herself. Her instincts were that the man would judge her, whoever the heck he was, and Luce really didn't like being hated by people. She was nice most of the time, but when she was bitten, she bit back. It always happened, someone was joking with her, and she retaliated with a snide comment. Luce bit down on her tongue to stop this from happening this time, she had created enough enemies when she was backpacking around, and when she was at school.

Staring with a blank expression on her face, Luce attempted to count the drips that were falling from the roof above her. They were falling just in front of her, and Luce could feel the splash hit her toes, but she refused to move, her brain wasn't exactly connected to the rest of her body at that moment in time. The street was next to empty, besides a couple of people that were taking cover in their cars, and the two that were standing there. Looking down at her feet, as a puddle quickly formed in the gutter, Luce sighed.

That's what her life was like at the moment. Just a small puddle, away from any lakes or the ocean, destined to dry up and become worse than before. Her expressionless face couldn't tell the story, but Luce knew it well enough.

A smirk finally finding her face when the man asked whether her life was this exciting, Luce gave a light laugh. She kept her eyes on the running water in the gutter, but her face now held meaning, it wasn't just blank, it was alive again. "What's not exciting back getting drenched, and possibly getting sick? This is where I get all my thrills from." Luce said, rather childishly, what with all the sarcasm. "And yeah, this is about as exciting as it gets."

Holding her hand out into the rain, catching many drops of water, Luce didn't know if she was meant to follow the man. Was he asking her out of common courtesy, was he wanting to help her, or was he bored himself? Luce didn't know, and to put it simply, her reflexes were down, and the girl just plainly didn't follow. Thinking it over for a couple of seconds before putting her coat on, Luce wandered out into the rain after him.

[alfonztytusjedynak]

The smile even caught the former quidditch player off guard. How long had it been since he’d actually smiled at someone? Beckoning for their company? Much too long, but still something that Alfonz wouldn’t even admit to himself. And yet, there he was… smiling at an evidently younger woman, asking for her company to only Merlin knew where… what he was getting himself into, Alfonz couldn’t even imagine, but he doubted it would be any more exciting than the girl catching cold from the rain, or from his own wanderings within the storm.

As he watched her put on her coat and think over what she did next, Alfonz could feel the cold droplets from the rain trickle slowly on the back of his neck from his hair that was fast becoming matted to his head. Though, he didn’t move to shake off the water, when the girl moved, the smile that had formed on the twenty two year old’s face made it’s way into the smirk he normally wore. She was bored, as was he. Their lives, where it may have been exciting in some aspects, were boring in all respects… but boring enough to take comfort in the company of a stranger? Alfonz could only wonder.

“Well then,” Alfonz started, not sure exactly how or where he was going with what he was doing next. But lately, his life threw more quaffles at him than he could catch correctly. Wasn’t that what life was all about though? Alfonz’s smirk only grew a bit more as he stuck out his arm for the young lass to possibly hold on to if she wished. At this moment, he knew nothing about her, and didn’t care… that’s what experimenting was for, right?

With his other hand, Alfonz gestured toward his arm that stuck out for the girl. “...let’s find something a bit more exciting to partake in, shall we Miss…?” It wasn’t that he had forgotten he didn’t know her name as of then, but now it was an appropriate time to find it out. “Where are my manners…” he said slowly, a low grumble of a chuckle emerging from his strong jaw. “Alfonz Jedynak, Miss…” he paused. “And you are?”

His footsteps never stopped though as he spoke to the girl, for the rain didn’t either and standing in one spot would have been foolish. Where they were heading, Alfonz didn’t know, but that could be talked about eventually. It wasn’t as if he had anything better to do that night, and if she was following him… Alfonz figured neither did she.