[Courtyard] Our Hell Is A Good Life

[Katya Ilychovich]

It was a good day, minus the bruises on her arms that seemed a consistent reminder that she had the fury of a wet noodle. They were starting to fade from their sickly greenish, purple color. Perhaps the wet noodle part wasn't completely true, the way she exploded on the pair of Slytherin's back in the dungeon. She wasn't fearless most of the time, and.. They'd have beaten her to death for what she retorted back to them, had two of her housemates not shown up and ruined the party. For the mean girls, anyway. Katya was ever grateful for them saving her skin; that outburst was probably only a one-time thing, after stress and everything else just built up until she had to get it out.

Feeling a little daring this morning, Katya slung her robes on the side of her bed, opting for another sun dress. This one was white again, but it had a wide black belt and gold buckle wrapped underneath her chest. Jean jacket? A must, it could be chilly. She loved it, too, so no need to leave it out. She was heading down to the courtyard, having overheard that the flowers were beginning to bloom. With all her homework done, and only two friends she could possibly hang out with (both of which she didn't have the pleasure of running into, so no-go) there was nothing else to do but step outside in to the mildly enjoyable weather. The beautiful pale of her skin was a startling contrast to the liquid golden light that touched everywhere but the shade. Hurrying over to a big one behind a few pillars, she sat down on the bench. Katya preferred it cool, but she was unable to resist the warmth.

Making her way in to the courtyard, the Ravenclaw stretched her arms out, accidentally smacking a big bruise against one of the stone pillars. Silently crying out, she hugged the hurting limb to her stomach, cursing herself for pretending it was going to be a nice day. Realising it was foolish to act like this, she let the matter drop, arm still pulsing with occasional twinges of pain. Ignoring it, Katya occupied herself with the beauty of the flowers nearby, leaning over to smell their pretty perfume.[/color]

[Ian Snyder]

Ian was known throughout the castle as a heart-breaker, a smart one at that. Although he barely showed up for any of his courses, he managed to pass them with flying colors. He wasn't sure what was to blame; his parents freeing him of all negative energy or the many books he had read over the summer. Ian really doubted his parents being hippies had anything to do with it, and so it came down to his ability to memorize large amounts of information in a short period of time. He was almost like a human textbook in that sense, and he couldn't explain why it was so. But hey, he wasn't going to complain about it, that was for certain. They couldn't really fail him for missing so much class time when he was indeed an O (outstanding) student, could they? He surely hoped not. Ian wouldn't know what to do if he had to waste another year parading around this place.

It always bothered him that everything they learned at Hogwarts was of magical value. Seriously, once you get out into the real world, how is flying a broomstick going to help you become a better and more successful person? There are professional Quidditch tournaments to participate it, but not everyone is going to get a spot on the team. Then there are spells, none of which could help you further your career outside of Hogwarts. He sometimes wondered if the professors expected them all to be Ministry employees or guards of some sort. If you're going to run a tea shop, how is memorizing spells going to help you? It'll just help prove to the world that you're too lazy to run your own teashop. Tea that stirs itself? Give me a break. They'd all end up too fat to function.

Ian planned to spend the day outside of the castle all by himself. Sometimes it felt better that way, besides, that Ashley chick back in the common room was beginning to give him the creeps. Perhaps he would take a nice long walk through The Forbidden Forest. It was the only time he could get any peace and quiet around here, even if it was a bit risky. Yeah, that's it. He'd- What in Merlin's name.. Ian's focused in on a pretty blonde girl, and she seemed to be in an awful lot of pain. Now, he had a choice to make. Help her out and risk her starting some long, dull conversation like every other girl he knew, or go straight to the forest without passing go or collecting $200. Hmmm. Ah heck, he may be rude sometimes, but he has a conscious.

Taking his time Ian began to make his way over to her, acting as though he had all the time in the world. It wasn't like Katya was going anywhere anytime soon. He half wondered why she hadn't made a sound when her bruise had hit the stone pillar, but that would be for another day. Once he reached her she was bent over to smell the roses, quite literally. Avoiding eye contact, he pulled his wand out and kept it at his side. Not to harm her, of course, but to heal her wounds. "Hey, uhm..," he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. "You alright? Nasty bruise you got there."

[Katya Ilychovich]

Sure, the flowers were pretty, but beauty faded. What was the point of staying here when she could move back home to be with her parents? Well, the lack of graduation papers in her possession, and the fact that she was too young to receive them. She had the smarts, her problem was she'd have to wait years to get them. Mama and papa wouldn't be pleased with her that she was giving up her magical education, so to speak, just to come home. They were the type of muggles who were fascinated with magic, even though they didn't know much about it. Sighing, Katya leaned away from the flowers, knowing she couldn't go home. Not yet.

Startled from her thoughts by the sound of a boy's voice, Katya opened her eyes, curious as to who it was. Didn't sound like anyone she had watched or seen before. Leaning back from the flowers, she looked up at him, thinking he could have passed for a Slytherin by appearance alone. In fact, she wondered if they had sent another one of their goons to torment her, until the sight of the Ravenclaw patch on his robes - assuming he was wearing them, in which case nix this sentance - comforted her from her fears. Slowly though, recognition washed over her, and she realised this to be the lad whom all the girls chased after. Perhaps all was an overstatement, but a great lot of them were after him. Sure, he was pretty, but had a reputation for disrespecting authorities. It wasn't that fact that kept her from running along with the chicks after him, but.. She was the chameleon. No one saw her, no one noticed her. What was the point? She thought running after someone was just desperate. Glancing at the bruises when he asked if she was alright, Katya nodded slowly, wondering if he wanted an excuse as to why they got there. Parting her lips a little, her breath caught in her throat, before she finally squeezed out an excuse. Looking up at him, she hesitantly mouthed, ' Slytherins. ' clearly expecting him to look at her as if she were retarded. Wouldn't be the first time, nor the last.[/color]

[Ian Snyder]

She seemed so content there, he almost cursed himself for bothering her. Surely she wanted some time by herself, just as he had only minutes prior. He allowed his eyes to scan over her, taking in each of the bruises and then meeting with her own. Looking into those icy blue orbs, which he found to be quite beautiful, a strange feeling came over him. It was as if they lured him in and now more than ever, he wanted to know everything about this mysterious blonde beauty. Her eyes appeared to be bright and youthful, but inside..she seemed so sad, perhaps lost. He quickly looked away from her, not wanting to seem like too much of a creep.

Making out the words just as she mouthed them, he gave a calm nod of his head. "Slytherins, huh? Well, uh," he stopped, looking around to be sure that no one else was listening nearby. "You want me to fix these up for you?," he eyed another one of her bruises. It wasn't like Ian to help someone that he didn't know, but she seemed nice enough. Besides, to get beaten up as bad as she had, she couldn't be all that dangerous. Ian never really had a problem with the Slytherins himself, mostly because he was friends with quite a few of them. They had the same sick sense of humor when it came to poking fun at professors, and making them feel, well, uncomfortable. He smirked back at her, pulling his wand forward. "It won't hurt a bit, promise."

Even Ian was confused as to why he wanted to help her out as much as he did, especially without knowing her. In fact, Ian didn't even have a clue as to what her name could be! All he knew it was that she was this beautiful blonde angel with eyes that could light a room up without so much as trying to. He could tell that much because no matter how bright they were, they still held this strange sense of logging. That which Ian was unable to comprehend but was so willing to try. Who was this Russian beauty, and better yet, where did she come from?

[Katya Ilychovich]

At the prospect of healing, she rolled her arms out, having learnt from a similar situation in the past that being suspicious at the wrong moments could get people hurt. Feeling-wise, anyway. The last time was ironically with a fellow Ravenclaw, and, ironically, she had been bruised by a Slytherin. Seems history repeated itself after all. What she found odd about it was not this fact, but how Ian was staring in to her eyes for a while, his own appearing thoughtful about something. When it was so long her cheeks were about to flush pink, he looked away, and she silently sighed, grateful. She couldn't help but wonder why he glanced around before asking if she'd like him to fix her injuries, also. Was he ashamed to be seen with the mute girl?

Didn't seem so, by the way he smiled at her.

Katya had a feeling why the girls ran after him so; the way he looked at you.. Nyet, nyet. She thought angrily to herself, no thinking such things.[/color]

[Ian Snyder]

Ian wondered to himself why he had never seen this girl before. Surely he couldn't have just glanced over her for five years straight, especially since he found her to be so..entrancing. He felt lust towards a large sum of girls, and there was no way this one could be more important than the last. Even still, he had his eyes set on her..for now. He caught himself staring back into her eyes for a moment or so, quickly shaking himself out of it and taking her gently by the wrist. He let his wand rest lightly on the bruised area, avoiding eye contact all together. He was afraid that if he continued to bore into them, he wouldn't be able to stop. "Alright. It's going to feel warm for a moment, and then cold, but It'll go by really fast. There's nothing to worry about." He smiled fondly back at her, not realizing that she hadn't said a word to him yet.

"Episkey," he whispered thoughtfully, pointing his wand at each of her wounds. His infamous smirk took over his lips once more, pulling his wand away and stashing it in his pocket. He had been told that this was very unsafe and could end in the loss of a few..ahem..major organs, but he didn't believe it. Besides, Ian had this strange connection with his wand. Not in the sense that it chose him, for all wands choose their owners, but on more than one occasion it had gone off almost as if it were trying to protect him. He couldn't tell anyone that though, they'd think he was crazy. Not that many people didn't think that already, but moving on...

He looked around once more, the same way he had when he first saw the young Russian girl. Making sure no one was peering in nearby, he leaned in closer to her. "Is that better?," he whispered back at her. Then it hit him. She hadn't said a word to him this entire time. He had no idea what she shounded like, and here he was, fawning over her like some dog! He mentally kicked himself, tilting his head to the side. "Or you could just ignore talking to me, like you have for the past.. fifteen minutes, hm?"

Ian took this rather negatively, and he almost felt like she was rejecting him. He had never been turned down by a girl before, not with his wit and charm, which he himself had yet to notice. Charming, him? No, never. Either way, he gained his composure, shaking his head and turning on his heels. He felt a little less confident, and he didn't even know the half of it.

[Katya Ilychovich]

"Alright. It's going to feel warm for a moment, and then cold, but It'll go by really fast. There's nothing to worry about."

Nodding, Katya closed her eyes, still expecting some sort of searing pain, like what has caused the bruises. She fluttered one eyelid open questioningly at the strange heat, which was quickly replaced by cold. She couldn't stop the violent shiver that rolled down her spine, smiling at the feeling. ' Thank you. '

Katya didn't pull back when he leaned on close, instead she opened her other eye and leaned in as well. Hmm, wasn't that something? Was he interested in her, or was he just another one of those tom cats who thought he was all that? Something about him told her this wasn't the case. He was a nice person, moreso to students instead of adults. She felt something roll though her, and was about to try and identify it when his mouth opened again. He was.. Angry, at her? Frowning lightly, she folded her arms over her chest, clearly hurt that he jumped to conclusions. As he turned away, she stood quietly, or hurriedly, and moved to block his approach. Looking into his eyes again, she gestured softly to her throat before gently touching his chest. Her fingers hovered against his skin, touching yet not touching. Shaking her head slowly, she mouthed only one word, ' Accident. ' Maybe that would shed light on why she wouldn't talk to him. It wasn't because she was ignoring him, why would she? She physically couldn't. ' I.. Cant speak. I'm mute. '[/color]

[Ian Snyder]

He couldn't believe he had gotten turned down, and he hadn't even made a move yet! He was heading towards The Forbidden Forest when she swung out in front of him. He jumped back, not expecting such a forward approach. In fact, he didn't think she'd try to stop him at all. Wasn't it she that refused to talk to him? Ian froze in place, about to walk around her until he saw her mouthing something. He tried to make out her words, but he was only able to understand one. A word he was familiar with due to his cousin having been put in the same situation. That particular cousin had died last year however, and had been rather close to Ian. Mute. The word ran through his head, trying to figure out how he could have been such an ass. How could he be so close minded? He took his hand and smacked his forehead, giving his head a small shake.

Ian then placed either one of his hands on her shoulders, looking directly at her. His eyes were filled with sympathy even though if he were in her situation, he would have wanted the exact opposite. But it was so hard not to feel sorry for her, especially after what he had so rudely done. "I'm so sorry," he said in a hushed tone. "I didn't know, and now I feel like a total jack ass. More so than usual." He gulped, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" He couldn't think of a better way to spend his day, which was rather funny seeing as his thoughts were completely different when he first laid eyes on her.

Ian was feeling so low at the moment. He had sounded like the close minded fools that bashed his parents, except they had gotten what they deserved thanks to a one particular sixteen year old boy. He should have known she couldn't talk, especially since his cousin had gone through the same thing. Ian sighed behind his breath, glaring down at the grass. "I'm so sorry."

[Katya Ilychovich]

The relief on her face was simply beautiful. He may not have understood everything, but he got the last part. Mute. The word, the title.. It haunted her. With every breath, every movement. Her face was so expressive now, it was like reading a book; her expressions told stories of her feelings, or her curiosity. If she couldn't mouth the words to people, or if they couldn't understand, she'd use gestures with her hands instead. That alone was better than not getting your point across. Everyone had the right to free speech, but with her, it was a whole other matter entirely.

Wrinkling her nose and crinkling her eyebrows at the evident sympathy on his face, she calmed, feeling her face smooth again, letting the comments slide. Just meant he was sorry for his assumptions, and that he was aware of how terrible it was. Nothing wrong with that, no harm done. She was fine, he was fine, they were fine. The world was fine.

..Right?

Letting her hands fall slowly back to her sides, Katya tilted her head to the side in thought, when he asked if there was anything he could do to make it up to her. First things first.. Hovering her hand over her chest, she mouthed, ' Katya. ' Then, in a graceful movement, placed it on his, a questioning look in his eyes. She might have a feeling what his name was, but introductions were still in order. Smiling then, she glanced behind her, noticing he was off to The Forbidden Forest. Looking back at him, eyes sparkling excitedly, she mouthed, ' Take me with you? '[/color]

[Ian Snyder]

He smiled warmly back at her, nodding. "Katya, huh? That's certainly a unique name," he replied, his smile turning quickly into a grin. He took a moment to admire her presence, or more, how beautiful she was. "Well, my name's Ian. Ian Snyder, at your service," his grin widened, taking a quick and needless bow. She looked so sweet standing there, appearing completely innocent, and such a pretty little thing. He watched as she glanced toward The Forbidden Forest. Take me with you? He winced, not looking so sure of things. "It's really dangerous in there. I don't know if I could live with myself if you got hurt..," Ian trailed off, taking a deep breath.

The look in her eyes changed his mind quickly enough. He'd have to keep her close at all times, of course. If she got lost, he'd never be able to find her. So he decided that he was going to make her feel like any other girl on that day. "Alright, I'll take you. But only because I don't want any lip from you, hm?" He chuckled softly, seeing a boy write in his notepad just behind them. "I have an idea. Stay here, ok?" With that he wondered off towards the boy, and without so much as asking, he snatched the ink, quill, and notepad from the younger boy. "I'll be needing these," Ian nodded towards the other and made his way back towards Katyla. "Here we are. Use these if you'd like, and you can say as much as you want." He gave her a wink, clucking his tongue as he did so.

Still going through with his plans, as mentioned previously, he slid his hand into hers. Walking along side of her, he couldn't help but stare. "You know what Katya? I think.. God made you so beautiful to make up for taking your voice away, because you've got to be the prettiest girl in the entire castle." Oh yes. He was going to treat her like a princess alright.

[Katya Ilychovich]

' Russian, actually. People call me Kitty. ' She went on, oblivious to the fact he'd only catch a few words out of it. As long as he caught the words Russian, call me Kitty, everything was all good. Knew his name was Ian. She thought, while noticing something peculiar about his behavior. It might've been just her and her nature, but it was almost as if she could feel his eyes on her for a long period of time. An intense, unbreaking stare like that nearly made her blush, as she glanced away with a small, bashful smile. At first she thought he was going to refuse when his voice trailed off - something about her expression softened his resolve. Grinning widely the Ravenclaw nodded as he went off to speak with a nearby lad, and had she not took this opportunity to sneak another look at the flowers, she'd have frowned upon his method of extraction. She wasn't a mean girl. Unfortunately, her attention was elsewhere, so no scolding today.

Arching an eyebrow as the quill, ink jar, and notebook was placed in her hands, Kitty looked somewhat incredulous, imagining herself walking around the Forbidden Forest with the three supplies haphazardly stashed in her grip. It appeared ridiculous, but it was a nice gesture of him. Nodding and smiling all the same, she stored the trio in the pockets of her jean jacket for a time when she'd need them to say something harder to understand. When it was lip-read, anyway.

Glancing at their clasped hands, eyes wide, Katya couldn't deny the strange feeling that crept up on her. He might've just been acting friendly, right? So many girls chased after him, he could have any one. She wasn't not confident so to speak, she had plenty of self confidence, she could just find better qualities in the mob of females who ran after him supposedly all the time. And thus shrugged it off, no big deal, most times. So this was strange for her. Foreign, too. She hadn't held hands with anyone besides a few friends and her parents, and even then it was just for fun, nothing serious. I'm over-analyzing this.. She thought suddenly, dropping all the thoughts about it entirely. Saving them for a later date to focus more on this fun moment.

All thoughts interrupted when the next words came out of his mouth, Katya's jaw dropped. Figuring it made her look wierd, she shut her mouth again, with an audible slap as her bottom teeth hit her top. Hands shaking a little, she took out the notebook, dipped the quill in the ink jar before closing it, then scribbled furiously (as in quickly) her reply. It read, I bet you say that to all the girls., and she flashed it to him so he'd see it. Smiling dryly, unbelieving and clearly showing it, they kept on walking, a smile creeping on her face. He.. Thought she was beautiful?[/color]

[Ian Snyder]

Kitty. He mouthed the word silently, trying to hide the smallest hint of a smirk that was threatening to spread across his lips. He'd have to come up with another nickname for her, one that didn't sound quite like this Kitty. It reminded him of an old woman, an ugly one that found it in her power to flirt with any guy younger than herself. Such a name couldn't describe this girl, this beautiful mute that had caught his total and complete attention. He had though this over on his way to the much smaller boy, that is when he was fetching her a quill and parchment to write upon.

His eyes traveled onto the sheet of parchment she held tightly in her grasp, smiling whole-heartedly at her. "Not quite, Kat." That was it. That was the very nickname he had been looking for, one that matched the girl that stood before him. "Do you see a lot of girls running around claiming the infamous," as he said this, he gave a roll of his eyes, "Ian Snyder was making his move on them?" Of course there were the ones that lied about their time with Ian, which he straight out ignored. Ian could never quite understand what it was that girls saw in him. If you act like you don't give a crap, talk back to some professors and get sent to the Headmistress enough you'll be a guaranteed hunk of the year. This really got to him, making it all the more confusing to understand the opposite sex.

"You really are beautiful you know, people here just don't realize a good thing when they see it. God forbid anyone actually take the time to get to know someone around here.. I've never even spoken to the girls that run that bogus Ian fan club." He clasped her hand into his once more, their hands swinging as they had minutes prior.

[Katya Ilychovich]

"Do you see a lot of girls running around claiming the infamous Ian Snyder was making his move on them?"

The question was answered with a thoughtful, albeit late nod. Katya was still mulling over the nickname, finding it quite to her liking. She hadn't been called that one before. Kat. She thought as a smile crossed her face, and then the compliments started rolling out of his mouth. Her cheeks were tinged with pink as she opened her mouth, and funny as it was, she then rendered herself speechless. Not on purpose mind you, she just couldn't figure out how to respond to that. No one had ever showered her with this kind of attention before. Or.. Any, attention, for that matter. And then a silent laugh shook her shoulders. "Fan club? You actually have a fan club?" She wrote, flashing the paper and grinning. "My, I'm way out of my league here." And she laughed silently again.

Feeling his hand slip into hers, the Ravenclaw's eyes widened a little, but she couldn't say she minded. Kat stared down at their linked palms for a moment before lifting her head back up, wondering what they might find in the forest. She had better not get lost, or else he'd never find her again. Truth be told she was a little overwhelmed with all this attention. She couldn't help but wonder why he had decided to compliment her in such a forward way, perhaps that was the way his personality rolled, but he must have assumed she didn't regularily encounter this. Even so Katya would get used to it, she'd be very tentative and shy for a while longer. Until getting to know him, at least.

"Do you go in here a lot?" She asked him and lit her wand, hovering it over the paper so he could see once they entered the shadows.[/color]