This Is The Closest Of Calls { Caedyn }

[misstake]

Today was an absolutely horrible day. Tiana's stomach was in knots and she had a nasty fever. Not to mention her nose was running like crazy. It seemed as though she had no option other than ditching today. It wasn't as though it was a big deal. She was doing well in all of her classes, and had never taken a day off before. Generally, she only got sick on breaks when she was home. She had come to the firm belief that her body didn't allow her to get sick until she was away form her school work.

But it still sucked.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was in the common room, she curled up in one of the larger chairs with her Transfiguration text book and started making notes in her journal. She was going to have to take a test in a few days. It was better to be overly prepared than not prepared at all. At least, that was her theory. Chewing on the end of her quill, her eyes scanned the lines of the book. Her lips moved as she silently read to herself. There was a passage of the book that she wasn't quite understanding; then again, odd terminology didn't sit well with her when she was sick. Retention was an issue at the moment. Well, retention and comprehension. Couldn't really have one without the other... Or could you? Her head hurt. Better stop that line of thought.

Leaning back in the chair, she closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath. After a moment, she closed her book after saving her place and placed it on the table that was in front of her. Folding up her parchment after making sure that the ink had dried completely, she leaned back in the chair and rubbed her face yet again. Pulling her hair out of the pony tail that she had it in, she rolled her shoulders in a stretch letting her hair fall in loose curls around her face.

It had been a long time since she had actually been able to do anything by herself. In a place like Hogwarts, there really wasn't such a thing as privacy. Which, a girl like Tiana loved her privacy. It had been... Well, months since the last time that she actually practiced dancing. And that was the last break that they had.

Just one more year. she reminded herself. Just one more year, then you're going to be away from everyone here, and on your own. She swallowed and nodded to herself. She couldn't wait to get out of this place. It wouldn't suck so badly if she just knew someone, but it seemed as though everyone just wanted to avoid her like the plague.

Pulling off her rather baggy sweater, she threw it down on the floor beside her seat. Wearing nothing more than a black tank top and a pair of blue "boxing shorts" as they were called, she rested her feet on the table and sighed contentedly. The normally completely covered Tiana was in practically nothing other than her underwear. If someone were to enter right now she would be absolutely mortified. But, the chances of someone coming back were slim to none. At least, that's just what she kept telling herself.

[erik]

Caedyn had been given leave from the professors to study for his upcoming NEWTs and so he had taken it gratefully. While he loved to learn and the classroom was a great place for it, it would not do much to actually help him with the exams coming up. If he was going to do anything about them, he had to study on his own or with the professors themselves. The latter seemed almost impossible to do as most of the time they were always busy with classes. On the rare occasions Slughorn managed to pull himself away to help the Ravenclaw with his studies. It was then that Caedyn truly sparkled. He was always quick to pick up things and Potions was not only one of his favorite subjects, but one of his strongest.

Today, Caedyn had intended to go to the library. That was where he spent a majority of his time anyway. The plan was run askew when he discovered all of the first year students in the room with Professor Dumbledore for some explanation. Dumbledore had even dragged Caedyn into helping him with a lecture about how to properly flick the wand for some minor spells. Caedyn, of course, happily contributed and even met some of the first years. They were pleased to meet such an advanced student. After the lecture, Caedyn slipped out of the library and made his way to the common room. Here, there would be silence. Here, there would be no one. Here, there would be sanctuary. Or so he thought.

Caedyn walked into the room with his head staring down at the cover of a book in his hands. He was not paying attention to anyone in the room, but his movements were always so light that he doubted anyone had heard him come in. Even then, everyone should have been off at classes now. His eyes were turned a different direction as he pulled the robe off of his body and threw it onto a chair. It was then that he turned to the main section of the common room and caught his eyes on a somewhat disrobed Ravenclaw girl sitting on a couch with a book and quill in her hands. His eyes gave her a once over. Black tank top, short shorts, no robe. The sight stopped him in his tracks for a moment and he could not help but stare. It was then that he realized she could see him, too.

Caedyn blinked for a moment, finally out of the stunned gaze, and then turned away. "I'm sorry." He said calmly. It was unlike him to loose his cool, but even now he had turned away. Of course, whether or not this was for his sake or hers was beyond his comprehension at the moment. If he thought about it later, he would most definitely attribute it to her sake instead of his. This way the girl could get dressed or cover herself in any fashion that she chose.

"Uhm, if you need me to leave for a moment, I don't mind." Caedyn took a light breath and held the book to his side. It was an advanced transfiguration book that they only allowed to leave the library with either a professor or a seventh year student. There were things in there that were not meant for the eyes of novices. It even had enchantments upon it's bindings that preventing someone not of age to not be allowed to read it.

Caedyn turned his head slightly to see if she was covered yet or not. He then suddenly felt a bit like a creep and quickly shielded his eyes to her. Today was going to be a really strange day.

[misstake]

After a few moments, she decided that her break was over. She needed to start studying again. If she could just retain some information at the moment that was better than nothing. But the more that she sat there reading the page, the more she found herself wanting to think about other things. For the first time in her life she knew what it was like to have ADHD. Well, not really. She gathered that she probably had a better time focusing than the others would. But then again things were pretty difficult for her at the moment...

Did she really have to be that socially retarded in her own head.

Running a hand over the back of her neck, she attempted to work out a muscle, hoping that would help her focus better. Rolling her head from one side to another, she sucked in a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. She continued her movements, but still to no avail. Her mind was on overdrive, and it was only a matter of time before it completely short circuited. No. She really needed a break, as much as she didn't like to admit it. What the hell was she supposed to do now that she wasn't studying.

She didn't even realize that anyone was there until the boy spoke. Jumping up she nearly spilled her ink all over the place. "Oh, uhm..." she swallowed, and folded everything up as quick as she could. She grabbed the sweater off the ground and threw it on, thankful that he happened to turn around. "S-sorry." she stuttered. Shaking her head, she ran a hand through her hair. Why am I apologizing? Why is he apologizing? Before she could stop herself she was giggling like an idiot.

Pressing her hand to her lips, she start full out laughing. Shaking her head, she kept a hand placed over her lips. It took her a few minutes to gain composure of herself before looking up at the boy. "I'm sorry for laughing. I'm just not used to... people walking in on me in my skimpies." she shook her head. "And no, you wouldn't have to leave." she swallowed, now that the awkward giggles were through. Now there was nothing but a supreme feeling of awkwardness.

Shuffling her feet on the floor, she bit her lip and looked over at him, turning an even brighter red. Scrambling for her notes, she swore in Spanish as she realized that the ink was completely smudged. "Sorry... You can... have the seat." she said, painfully awkwardly as she started shuffling off to her dorm.

And to think, she was classically trained in an art that required an incredible amount of grace.

[erik]

"No need, ah, I walked in on you." Caedyn could feel that he was getting flustered. Not because of the girl that was, well, rather revealed in the Ravenclaw common room, but because he was acting so awkwardly to her. This would have to stop. He was seventeen, after all, and she had to be at least fifteen, maybe sixteen. There was no reason he needed to be so shy or disturbed about things. He had manners and he was taught a thing or two about regality, but this was being far too awkward for any of it. Taking a deep breath, he dropped his hand but still looked away.

When Caedyn heard her laughing and the comment about her underwear, it nearly made him burst out into giggles. He covered his mouth and turned her head, looking at her directly now by choice and not by stare. When she started to shuffle away, Caedyn shook his head and moved forward, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"No, no. You don't have to leave. I was looking for a quiet place to study was all. I have NEWTs coming up and I'm actually up in Trans, but I really should brush up on my stuff from sixth year and beyond. It's been far too long since I've done it." Caedyn explained and tried to reassure her, "What is it you were doing in here? In, your uhm, skimpies." He said and then burst out into a slight giggle. He immediately covered his mouth and then took it away to reveal a smile. It was so hard to keep a straight face with some silly word like that being said.

As he got closer to her, Caedyn could see that she had smudged her ink terribly. He knew a spell that could fix this, at least mostly. "Hold on, there." His voice was firm as he pulled his wand out and tapped the paper, "Tergeo." Came the spell. Most of the smudging immediately vanished. Some of the letters became just a bit lighter, but the tap and the words of his spell were fairly faint, giving off only enough to take the smudge away. If a few letters were lighter, he was certain this was no big deal and that the girl would happily accept this alternative to re-writing the entire thing. Of course, it was plausible that the girl already knew the spell, but she probably was not thinking too much about spells right now. That was most of what Caedyn thought about. Magic.

[misstake]

"But this is the common room. It wasn't really like you walked in on me in a public place. If anything I was being an..." she paused and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, as though thinking about the proper word. Blushing, she ran a hand over the back of her neck. "If anything I was being an exhibitionist." she said, blushing. Oh, how she hated that term. It wasn't as though she was lounging on the chair with her hands down her shorts. She was simply studying in clothing that was... less than acceptable by her standard. But they were her pajamas. She wasn't completely exposed. Well, not that it really mattered. They were both on the verge of having slight nerve induced panic attacks. "Well, I wasn't... really being an exhibitionist. But you know what I mean, right?" she asked, shifting nervously. Looking up at him, she realized that well... he was... kinda good looking. "Never mind." she blurted. If it was possible for her to be any more embarrassed she found a way. This was absolutely terrible; she had to get out of there. And quickly.

Thankfully, when she laughed, he followed in suit. They were both a little socially retarded, which was... quite refreshing in all honesty. She was used to thinking that everyone in the world was way smoother than she could have ever dreamt of being. They all had their groups and their outings. Surely, they had their own awkward moments, but probably nothing as bad as this. But, she had no real way of knowing. These weren't stories that others told their friends. These were stories that one wrote in a private journal and prayed that no one would find it.

She nearly jumped through the roof when he rested a hand on her shoulder. Slowly, she turned to face him, biting her lip. Her eyes were wide, clearly showing that she was just as awkward as she was feeling. Clearing her throat, she frowned slightly and shook her head. He mentioned NEWTs. Now, here's a chance for her to try and be normal, and carry a conversation. "Yeah... That's coming up in a few weeks, right?" she asked. "What else do you have left to cover? I already have a few NEWT prep books if you want to borrow them." she said, not wanting to admit to the fact that she had already highlighted and taken notes all over the book.

Then, he brought up the fact that she was in her 'skimpies' as she so aptly put it. Clearing her throat, she ran a hand through her hair. "Well, I uh..." she fumbled, still fighting the blush from her cheeks. "I'm really sick... not contagious, by the way." she said, putting her hands up before he could take the inevitable step back. "And I have a fever. So, I obviously get cold, and need to warm up. The common room is the only place with a fireplace..." she paused to take a breath. "And I was wearing a sweater when I was cold, and I would take it off when I got to hot." she said, biting her lip. She giggled at herself again and shook her head. Yep. Socially retarded. Doomed to be a virgin forever, and be trapped in a life of nothing more than eighty cats. No husband. Good on you, soldier.

As she completely immersed herself in her mental tangent, the boy in front of her decided that he was going to fix the splotching ink on her notes. Blushing, she looked down and bit her lip. "Uh, thanks." she said, looking back up at him. "I was going to do that when I got back up to my room but..." she gestured toward her dorm with her thumb, and then blushed, realizing that she sounded ungrateful. "But really... Thank you. You didn't have to." she cleared her throat and shuffled her feet.

What do normal people do in situations like this?

She stuck out her hand and gave him an award winning smile. "I'm sorry I'm so awkward. I'm Tiana." she laughed. "And you are?" she asked, tentatively.

Please don't think I'm a freak. Please don't think I'm a freak. Please don't think I'm a freak.

[erik]

The most amusing thing about this conversation so far was watching this girl trip up on her words. Caedyn had honestly never met a Ravenclaw that was having as many problem speaking as this girl did. Then again, she did look like she was sick, not that he cared very much because he usually did not get sick. That and he was brave enough that he cared little about sickness. It just did not bother him like it bothered some people. When the word finally came out, he blinked for a few moments and then smirked.

The word she had chosen did not quite fit the description she had, but he was even further amused when she took it back. This girl was sick and fumbling. She must have been really distracted by her studies or even perhaps by something that had happened previously. Or at least, that was what Caedyn believe. He was not the type to think people believed him to be attractive. The only real physical trait that he really valued about himself happened to be his eyes. They were piercing and alluring to nearly everyone. It was the one thing that made people stop and notice him.

"Nevermind? Right. I got it." Caedyn laughed and shook his head. This girl was probably nearly as anti-social as he was. They were such an odd pair to meet up in such an odd way. One of them being half-naked while the other barges in to study. Definitely a strange gathering...

"Prep books?" Caedyn's attention seemed to be caught by the mere mention of it. "Now that you mention it.." He paused and glanced down at his book and then back up at the girl, "I haven't had the chance to look at many pure prep books. I've been studying the courses as is." Explaining with his hand gesturing towards the book under his arm as he spoke, Caedyn nodded and thought about it for a moment.

"That would be amazing if you lent them to me, or even just let me study them while you were around!" Caedyn said with a grin. The truth of the mater was that he was always looking for new books to read and there were many NEWT preparation guides that he had never had the chance to look at. Any and all studying he did was from the teachers and normal books. If he was able to get some help from this girl that he barely knew, well that would certainly change things for him at Hogwarts. At least, until he graduated and left the Wizarding school.

"Well, I'm not going to be the one to make a fellow Ravenclaw sick or worse. You'll sit right here, in whatever clothes you fancy, and I'll just turn away if you get too revealing. Sound like a plan to you?" He asked her as soon as she thanked him for the ink clean up. As he nodded, he offered her a smile and patted the couch down next to them. He had half a minute not to let her go anywhere but the Infirmary with her sickness, but she obviously wanted to stay here or she would have already gone to the hospital wing herself.

"Well, Miss Tiana, I am Caedyn Monroe and it seems we have just struck up a friendship." He smiled and nodded to her. The way he said it sounded almost factual, but there was a slight tone to it that made it sound like it was supposed to be a slight jest at how they met. Either way, he was never very humorous, but he tried on occasion.

[misstake]

Alright. So. She was making him smile. That was good... right? Or, was he just smiling because she was that socially retarded? That was the question, now wasn't it? Either, he thought she was cute for fumbling all over herself, or he just saw her as someone that he could kick around the Quidditch field later for shear amusement because it would be absolutely fucking hysterical. No, no. He probably wouldn't do that. He seemed like a nice enough guy. Well, looks were deceiving. What she should be looking at should be how he was acting. But he was acting nice enough, granted she just shocked the shit out of him...

Her mental tangent had almost left her physically winded. At some point, she just needed to learn to take her mind off of overdrive, but that didn't seem as though it was going to happen any time soon. But, this was probably the first time in the past six years that she had been around an incredibly good looking guy that wasn't teasing her about what she was. Did he know? No, probably not. It didn't seem like he knew her at all. Oh well, shit.

Pressing her lips together, she nodded quite enthusiastically. She had made the mental note to zip her lips. Unfortunately, that mental note was fully equipped with an image as well. In her mind she had envisioned a zipper behind her lips that had held them shut. It was working thus far... Up until she realized how foolish she must have looked. In all reality, she didn't look all that foolish. Simply like a deer in the headlights. Or like a very socially awkward girl that had just been caught in next to nothing.

It seemed as though they had managed to find some common ground. Bookworms. Two Ravenclaws talking about studying? Who'da thunk it? Shrugging, she gestured vaguely in the direction of Diagon Alley. "There's a few. Not as many as I would like..." she said, running her hand up and down her arm, fighting off a chill. "Mine are pretty used, by the way. I have high lighted and made my own notes all over the place." she said, attempting to not look embarrassed at the confession. "Some people don't like studying from other people's books... It's kind of like wearing someone else's pants, you know?" she said, slowly coming down from her awkwardness. Agonizingly slowly, by the way.

Rubbing the back of her neck, she shrugged and looked up at him. "It's really up to you if you want to use mine. I mean, my Dad and I went to Flourish and Blotts over the summer and picked them up... They're probably there. If you want, I can send an OWL to Dad and ask him to get you some? He might ask for you to pay him back, but..." she shrugged again. "Of course, he'd get you a deal. He tends to have connections like that." she bit down on the inside of her cheek. "I don't mind you using them. I won't need them until next year anyway, but, some people don't like all of my notes." Who was she kidding? Some people didn't like her notes? Really? Her father was the only one that had ever commented on her "desecrating" her books. No one had even asked her for her notes since she'd been at Hogwarts.

At the boys plan, she rubbed the back of her neck and smiled up at him. "Sure thing. Although, this is just a common cold. Something that can be easily fixed, but I don't feel like heading down to the Hospital Wing. I'm already down there enough asking questions." she laughed faintly. "It's basically like my second library." Rubbing her shoulder, she nodded and flopped down on the end of the couch nearest to the fireplace. "Although, you don't have to turn away if I choose to take my sweater off again." she said, slipping into another one of "logi-tangents" as she had learned to call them. "While, it's uncomfortable for someone to see me in 'less-than-decent clothing, you can't undo what was already done. You saw me in my 'skimpies'. I'm not in my underwear, or naked. I'm wearing more than some wear to the beach." she said, a slight embarrassed smirk coming to her lips. "If you turn away, I'd just assume that I'm atrocious looking, which I know that I'm not." she smiled. "So, you can talk to me as you are now, and all will be well. Provided that you don't 'ogle' or stare. Then that would be rude." she shook her head. "Sorry, I tend to rationalize everything." she explained, clearing her throat before looking away.

Giving Caedyn yet another one of her award winning smiles, she nodded toward him. "I wouldn't say friendship just yet. Takes time to build one." she said, mimicking something that she had heard her father say thousands of times before. "Study buddies for the time being. We need to take this slow." she said, sarcasm dripping into her statement. "I'm not too sure I'm ready for that kind of commitment." she smirked over at him before unfolding her notes. Inspecting the page, she nodded to herself, assuring herself that the notes were still in tact, and still legible. Biting down on the inside of her cheek, she opened up her book yet again, and flipped it to the page that she was on before being interrupted.

A few minutes passed as Tiana resumed her studying, and once again, found that her mind was wandering worse than before. Clearing her throat as a way to get Caedyn's attention, she smiled gently at him. "I can't focus. Do you want me to go grab those books for you? Because if I don't move around a little bit right now, I'm going to start fidgeting, and there is nothing more annoying than someone that fidgets while you're trying to study." It was clear by her tone that was something that she was used to, and was greatly annoyed by.

Yeah. I'm a nerd. Great.

[erik]

Caedyn, throughout their conversation, was getting the sense that either the girl did not really want to be there or was really nervous about something. The first answer made more sense to him as he began to think about it, because there should have been very little reason that one Ravenclaw would be nervous talking to another. Then again, the could be said that a Ravenclaw would probably have no quarrels talking with another. Unless they were jealous, that is. This girl did not really strike him as the type to be jealous, just the opposite actually. Caedyn took a light breath and cast his gaze at the fire. He needed just a second to think about everything going on. Just a single moment to analyze and figure it out. The fire stirred in him some memories and his concentration was immediately broken. His only choice was to turn his eyes back to Tiana and smile.

The girl obviously knew nothing about the student she was talking to, but he was not surprised. Most students had no idea who the Monroes were until it came time for the party at the end of the year. In fact, most people seemed to pleasantly forget unless they were looking to make sure they were getting an invite to the party the coming year. That sort of thing amused him when they came to Caedyn for such things. He would always give them the same answer, which was yes.

"I'm sure we could get them, either way!" Caedyn smiled, "I could have them delivered, if you could tell me which ones they are. I had no idea another student would even be so interested in them and did not want to bother. You say you're in prep for the NEWTs yourself? But not until next year? Well, that's quite a ways ahead to study but it never hurts. Especially with the NEWTs. Just don't over study and cram your brain full of useless information. Can't be wiped out by the time you actually get to them!" He laughed and shook his head. There were many people out there who simply tired themselves out studying for it. Even Caedyn himself was on the verge of doing so.

"It could be a common cold or the Salliworn Sea Syndrome, I would not care either way. Though if it were the latter I would be forced to stun you and drag you down to the hospital wing myself. I've seen that go through an entire town once. Not good." Caedyn ended that specific line of conversation with a sentence that seemed to be more of an afterthought that anything else. It was not even as if he was talking to anyone in particular, it was just something that was a fact. "And well, if that's your choice. Far be it from me to tell a lady what she can and can not decide for others to see." He commented as he thought about it. "You're not attrocious looking, I can tell you that much for certain. I promise I won't ogle you or stare. That's really just not my style." Caedyn explained.

"Not friends? Study buddies? I see." Caedyn took what she said into account and nodded. If that was how she saw things, that was how she saw things. It was through no fault of his own, he was certain. His parents and his sister had always encouraged him to get out there and socialize, and he tried, even if it was small little bits at a time. Then came her sarcastic comment and he could not help but smirk just a little and shake his head. This girl was rather interesting.

As Caedyn watched her study, he opened his own booked and looked through it's pages. He had already been looking through it before, but he was actually rather disinterested now. Something in him had changed and he was more curious about the books she had to offer, especially if they were already here in the Ravenclaw dorms. When Tiana cleared her throat, Caedyn snapped out of his trance and looked up at the girl. "Oh, right, books. Yes, that would be great. If you want to." He said as he glanced back down at the book once more before getting comfortable on the couch and looking at her. He was not staring by any means, but it was not too hard to focus on her. Especially when she was talking or moving or trying to get his attention. She was trying to get his attention, wasn't she?

[misstake]

Tiana shrugged. "I know not to stress myself out too much about tests that are a year away. I guess I just have my father's opinion that it's better to be prepared long ahead of time than cramming last second. Especially since I have a busy-body complex when it comes to school." she laughed. "The name of the books escapes me right now, but when I go look at them next I'll be sure to tell you." she said, casting a look upstairs. "Although, the prep books really don't have too many useless information sections. I think most of it is applicable to the NEWTs. Except for filler passages meant to explain or reiterate something that you had already learned." she said, feeling as though she was turning into a fumbling idiot. Why was she acting like this? No matter how many times she asked herself this, she couldn't seem to come to an answer. Which was probably more obnoxious than the way that she was talking with him. Not knowing why was going to drive her insane. This was one of those things that she would dwell on for a few days, only to realize a few days later why she was.

At the mention of Salliworn Sea Syndrome she laughed and shook her head. Educated and had a great sense of humor. Well, she was lucky in having met him. Unless, this was some kind of sick prank that someone was attempting to play on her... She pushed the thought away from her mind. He seemed to nice, and the world didn't revolve around her. Not everyone was out to get her. Although, there were a few people that would stop at nothing to make sure that she was miserable, she doubted that Caedyn would consort with those kinds of people. Shaking her head, she pushed her fingers through her hair. "I assure you, it's not Salliworn Sea Syndrome." she laughed. "Do you have an interest in Healing Magic, or... Was it just because you saw it go through a whole town that you know that term?" If he was in the same boat as her, in being interested in Healing, she would be one happy camper. Right in front of her, she had a really nice guy that was painfully good looking, and already shared a few key interests as her. It was... nice to say the least.

Looking down at herself, she shrugged and looked back up at him. "When I perf-" she stopped and pretended to cough. "I'm used to people seeing my legs." she laughed. "That's all that is showing right now, and I don't really think that this is that big of a deal. What I was in earlier? Yeah, that was a little... too much skin." she blushed, wanted to tuck her knees into her sweater. If she did that, however, she would be a hypocrite, especially since she just told him that she was used to people seeing her legs. Blushing, she forced a small laugh. Why did it matter that he thought that she was good looking? This was the first time that someone at Hogwarts had actually told her that she was even close to attractive. Swallowing, she thought of something witty to say, hoping to get that smirk from him again. "Fleeting glances more your cup of tea? You seem more the subtle type to me." she laughed.

After giving him a serious nod, she laughed lightly and slapped his knee in a playful manner. "I was kidding. I don't have many friends. Who would I be to turn one away?" she asked him, giving him an award winning smile. What she couldn't bring herself to understand was why she was acting this way? She liked him already, and thought that he was absolutely gorgeous. Was she just opening herself up for heartache with this one, or did he deserve to see this side of her? She couldn't tell and that was going to drive her absolutely mad. She wanted to get to know him; she wanted to stop being afraid that people were going to hurt her. But, experience made it very difficult for her to readily accept that. Would things change once he knew who she was? Magdalena was supposedly a recognizable name, especially since her father worked for the Ministry f Magic. Perhaps it was good that she didn't offer her last name to him. Running her hand over the back of her neck, she gave him a small smile before turning back to her books. Her stomach was in knots, but not in the usual kind of knots. They were more like... Well, the knots that a girl would get in her stomach being around a cute boy.

Nodding, she quickly got to her feet. "I'll be right back." she said, pulling her sweater down slightly to make sure that no flesh was exposed, beyond the skin on her legs. Unfortunately, the sweater had rolled up and a bit of her midsection was exposed as she stood. Moving quickly back up to her dorm, she hoped that Caedyn hadn't seen anything. Hiding the blush that she got on her cheeks whenever she made an ass out of herself was going to remain incredibly difficult for her to hide. As she trudged up the steps, she rested her wrist to her forehead to see how warm she was. Her fever was going down slightly, but it was clear that she wasn't going to be one hundred percent for the next couple of days. Resting a hand on the railing, she continued her slow pace up to her room. She was thinking about Caedyn and what all of this meant. Perhaps she should write her parents, as nerdy as that sounded. They would be happy to know that she had met someone; especially a boy. Well, her mother would. Not necessarily her father.

As she moved into her room, she gathered all of her NEWT books (all five of them), all thickly bound texts with a rather ominous look to them. The books simply wreaked of, "We're going to steal all of your free time for the next six months." Hugging the books close to herself as she walked down the steps, she squeaked as her Egyptian Mau cat sprinted past her feet. "Holy... Cecilia!" she rubbed her face and chuckled moving down the steps. When she arrived back in the common room, Cecilia had made herself busy walking along the back of the couch, rubbing against the back of Caedyn's head. Giggling slightly, she sat down on the couch yet again, and grabbed Cecilia to pull her into her lap. "This is Cecilia... Sorry. She likes new people." she laughed as Cecilia's coarse tongue reached out and lapped at her finger tip. Looking back down at the books, she cleared her throat and began studying yet again, unsure of what else could be said.

Despite the fact that her eyes were scanning the parchment and book pages in front of her, her mind was still very much so focused on the boy that she was sitting next to. Caedyn Monroe... The name sounded familiar, but she was certain he wasn't in Quidditch. She was certain that he wasn't a Prefect. Biting down on the inside of her cheek, she frowned. But that's when she remembered the invitation that she received not too long ago. Looking over at him, she eyed him for a second. "Wait... You're Caedyn Monroe...? You're throwing that big... bash right?" she asked, suddenly feeling like a raging idiot.

[erik]

"Most people don't know when to stop, or even if they do know when to stop sometimes they refuse to listen. It's those kind of people that crack under pressure and fall over, not being able to get back up. I hope I don't up like that." Caedyn mumbled that last bit and patted the back of his head. "I can't wait to read them." He grinned as he both said it out loud and thought it at the same time. If one person was telepathic and could listen to their thoughts, they would learn that the both of them were thinking entirely different things. The difference, truly, was only that Caedyn was forcing himself to think academically while Tiana seemed to be unable to do so due to her sickness, or perhaps she was really just surprised that there was some kind of cute boy who would talk to her and was a Ravenclaw, all the while not making fun of her and even being friendly. His mind, while picking up the jittery almost nervous feelings she was displaying, blocked it out and soley focused on the conversation.

Caedyn blinked and was confused for a moment. Had she actually laughed at something he said, and not at him? It was probably the first time someone had laughed at one of his jokes that he could remember in recent times. Not many people thought he was funny and it usually ended up being him they were laughing at rather than what he said, if they were to laugh at all. Perhaps it was simply that he needed an intelligent and mature person to establish that kind of connection with. The only person he had a connection with was his sister and she was rarely there. Beyond that, she was more battle smart than book smart. She definitely took after their father in that regard. He was less like his father, but not really all that much like their mother, either. While not being a black sheep, he really had very few personality quirks in common with his parents.

"Mm, my mother is a healer. She has worked with healing magic since she was a little girl. I know a fair bit about it, but I wouldn't call it an intense focus. A hobby, maybe. So an interest, but one that is by choice and not necessarily enforced. I usually end up working on other forms of magic for my studies and rarely get to invest any time in the healing sorts." Caedyn took the time to explain as she mentioned healing magic to him. It was one of the things he was still rather curious about, but had very little knowledge to back it up.

Caedyn heard the start of her sentence and cocked his head to the side and furrowed his brow as she cut herself off. The silence had been intentful and she changed her words to cover something up. A few words went through his head; perfume, perfect, perform. Of the three, he attempted to add sentences to see what worked. The first did not work at all and so he quickly tossed it out. The remaining two seemed to have equal chances of validity, but he could not decide which word she would have gone with. He tuned into the conversation from his thinking as it was going on and kept listening. "Too much skin?" Caedyn laughed, "Well, in a place where everyone wears robes all the time, isn't even an arm too much skin?" He smiled and tried to lighten the mood. She was obviously a little embarrassed about it all and he could tell this by the slight blush that was on her face.

"I wouldn't know what my type is, to be perfectly honest with you. Couldn't really ever figure it out." Caedyn said as he glanced down, "Not much experience with figuring that out, I mean." He clarified and shrugged his shoulders. There was no way he was going to outright tell the girl in front of him that he had never had a girlfriend. Most people, by the time they were seventeen, had been in a relationship or two. Caedyn never had. He was not even certain if his parents or sister knew that he was so inexperienced. His father would even laugh and make jokes about how Caedyn must be a lady killer. There was definitely no such thing going on, though. "So! I take what I can get." He grinned, deciding it would be best to just put on a smile and go with it. At least this way she might not suspect that he was a totally inexperienced individual in the realms of romance. Even his voice was slightly shaky when he spoke, though, and it trembled slightly of instability.

Caedyn smiled. A real smile. Not the sort of smile you just put on or even the sort of smile that came for a second when you laughed. It was a genuine smile that he kept on. So he had made a new friend. That was always pleasant music to his ears. It would be one less thing his parents would be worried about in the future. Maybe now, if he could show them that he was actually making new friends, they would give him a little more leeway in the things that he did. For now, they just kept treating him a little bit like he was the spoiled golden boy of the family. Of course, they treated Arianna the same way, but he had no idea how she felt about that. The conversation had only come up once, when he was much younger, and it ended very quickly in Arianna actually laughing at him for being so against the spoiled part. They got what they wanted whenever they wanted and that was the end of it. Perhaps, what Caedyn wanted more than just material things, was the respect of his parents for something new.

"Well then, it's settled. Friends." Caedyn nodded and relaxed back into the couch. It was the first time during their conversation that he had truly relaxed. He had been excited and interested in the books, but his mind was totally at ease right now and he would not concern himself with the worries of a brilliant student. For now, he was just a person. He was just himself. That was all that was really important to him. The studying and intelligence could all go away for a few minutes while he was able to kick back and enjoy himself.

Nodding as she left, Caedyn watched her go for a moment and smiled. Maybe she was right. Maybe fleeting glances really were his thing. Besides, no man in his right mind would not have watched a girl in such revealing shorts walk away from him. After the few seconds that he had, though, he turned back and smirked a little to himself. It definitely felt like something he would do, at least he rationed that it was something he would do because he had just done it. The only real reason he had never done it before was because the chance and opportunity had never really presented themselves as such. Maybe he if were more hormonally-driven he would have put himself in such a situation in previous chances, but he had done so.

Letting out a deep breath was the last thing that passed his lips when he heard her yell. Caedyn jumped up for a moment, but without the sound of a thud, he could not imagine that she had fallen, or even hut herself. Besides that, the men were not supposed to be in the lady's dorms. He sat back down and his thoughts then turned to her eyes. They were a beautiful amber, unlike any people he was familiar with. This was an interesting trait for the woman, at least. The other thing he noticed about her were her legs. She said that she was used to people seeing them, but that had to be the truth. From what he could tell, they were well-strengthened and taken care of. Like an athlete or a performer's legs. Then it hit him. The same thought process he was trying to have before. Was she a performer of some type? A dancer? Actor? Something of that sort? She had to have some sort of an edge to have legs that toned and flawless. With this realization, the connection came that she probably had no interest in telling anyone about it. Whether or not it was a secret or perhaps she did not care about it, he could not say. His thoughts lead him to believe that it was not something he should mention, at least for now.

Unfortunately, he was out of it as he thought about what was going on and how things were going. When the cat hit the back of the couch, he would not have noticed it if she had not physically brushed up against. He immediately turned to the cat and got a face full of fur in response. It was not as if the cat was trying, she was just being affectionate. Besides, he was the one that turned. Not the cat.

"Cecilia, hm?" Caedyn turned to look at the cat. He recognized the breed from a book he had read at home in his father's library. His dad had a thing about animals. Some even suspected that the man kept a private zoo, but there were never any reports that could support it, and having lived with him all his life, Caedyn could safely say that his father had no private zoo or anything or the sort. Sure there was a pet or two lurking around their house, but by no means was it a zoo.

"She's an Egyptian Mau, right? Sort of rare in these parts." Caedyn said as the made the observation. "It's not a problem. My father has a thing for animals. I'm used to them, even if I don't have one of my own." He explained and then shrugged. He just had no enthusiasm about owning a pet like some did. Caedyn reached up and scratched the cat behind it's ears, hoping it would be like most felines and absolutely love and adore the affection from a person. Apparently the cat liked new people anyway, so he had that to his advantage. When Tiana set the books down and then went back to studying alone. He frowned.

"So you're not even gonna study with me? Even after all that lugging them down here?" Caedyn asked, but could not begin to understand the motivation for such a thing. He could only sit and wonder why she was not going to open a book. Unless she was failing a class and needed to catch up, even then he could have helped her. He'd gone through the sixth year stuff before.

Now that he had her attention, she finally seemed to start thinking about who he was. Perhaps it would be better to just outright tell her instead of letting her fumble around like before. He smiled slightly and nodded.

"That's right. I'm Caedyn Monroe and my family hosts a big holiday party every year. This year, I'm hosting the opening. Are you going to come? You still have your invite, right? Tell me you'll come." Caedyn smiled at her and looked cheerful once more. It was not technically his party, but he was going to be there and he was going to be enjoying it, despite his outward nerdy appearance and personality.

"Everyone will be there. You should definitely come. It would be nice to have more people I know there. With the massive sea of people that show up, I'm lucky if I know one or two. Maybe there will be more people I know this year." He laughed slightly and patted the back of his head. One could tell just by looking at his eyes that the party was usually a very painful day for him. The best guess for anyone would be that he was simply really lonely surrounded by a crowd of people who's names he did not know, nor they had any insight into his, at least personally.

[misstake]

Tiana nodded her agreement. "No, I have seen my fair share of that. I generally spend a lot of time in the hospital wing. Right around this time of year, there are several people in complaining about headaches and mild panic attacks." she shook her head, and ran a hand through her hair. "That is not tempting to me, in the slightest." she laughed. "You won't stress yourself out that much, will you?" she asked, eying him for a moment. The NEWTs weren't something that most people took lightly, and seeing as how he seemed like an incredibly studious guy, he wasn't taking them lightly either. "Because, if I see you down in the hospital wing, I'll have to yell at you." she nodded seriously. "You need to make sure that you're very well rested, otherwise you'll have issues with the NEWTs." she said, peering up at him, before laughing at herself. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to lecture or anything. I think that's something that I inherited from my dad. We show concern by talking your ear off and telling you things that you already know." she bit her lip and watched him, gauging his reaction. She suddenly felt like her mother; attempting to fix everything and make everyone's life as perfect as possible.

Tilting her head to the side, she surveyed him carefully for a moment before looking away. The look on his face was a look of confusion. Was he not used to people laughing at his jokes, or something? Because that was the look that he had just given her. She could understand what he felt in that regard. No one laughed at her jokes, because she had no one to talk to to tell jokes to. Pushing the thoughts aside, she rubbed the back of her neck, and forced the blush away.

Tiana literally could not hide the smile on her face when they started talking about healing magic, and the like. It was clear that it was a passion of her own. When he said that he didn't get a chance to study it all that much because he was focused elsewhere, she nodded. "I understand." she said, giving him a small sympathetic smile. "If you want, I could really use someone to help me study. I want to be a Healer when I get out of here... Hell, that's the only reason that I came here." she muttered. "But... if at all possible... could I talk to your mother? I would really like to meet with another healer, other than the ones down at the Hospital Wing. I think that they're getting annoyed with me, and my questions." she laughed. "If not, that's fine. I'd understand. It's just a thought, s'all." she said, suddenly realizing how pushy she was being. That must have been obnoxious. Oh well, Tiana was definitely not someone that could be considered graceful when it came to conversing.

Laughing, she nodded. "Yes, Hogwarts is almost like a third world country in that regard." she said, running her hand down her leg. She moved in her seat to make herself more comfortable. "I don't really like showing all that much skin, just as a general rule. But, I'm not opposed to showing off certain aspects every once in a while... I don't like the robes. They're too frumpy and really don't look all that good. It's really hard to find anyone that remains attractive in robes." she laughed.

For a moment, it seemed as though he was just as bad at the whole dating thing as she was, but... Then he switched up his game. She was confused. How was this all supposed to work? Uh, her head hurt. A part of her knew it was just because she was sick, but another part of her wanted to blame it on the conversation that they were having. Nodding, she smirked over at him. "No one can really blame you for that." she laughed. "I guess I... take what I can get too?" she laughed, not nearly as awkwardly as she had laughed before.

Smiling, she offered her hand to him. "Friends." She agreed. Pulling her hand back, she smirked over at him. She wanted to admit to him that she didn't know what the hell to do next, but she didn't want to look like any more of a loser than she already did. After all, this was... a whole new level of nerdery in her mind. He would probably think that she was a complete failure at life if she admitted that she had no idea what the hell came next, and what a real friendship entailed.

Cecilia literally could not keep her paws off of Caedyn. She crawled all over him, purring insanely. Finally, after walking around his lap a handful of times, she curled up in a ball and started kneading his knees. Tiana watched with a smile, and shook her head. Looking up at Caedyn, she nodded. "Yeah. Her name is Cecilia. We have a few pets back home... All of them, if not most are named after Shakespearian characters... Dad insisted that she should be named Ophelia." she said pointing at her cat. "But I hate that name, so I changed it to sound similar." she laughed.

Nodding her agreement, she leaned over, scooting a little closer to Caedyn. She ran her fingers through Cecilia's fur and smiled as she leaned up to lap at her fingers again. "Yeah. I had to beg my father to get her for me... Which was why I almost didn't get to name her. She was expensive, but completely worth it." she said, affection all but dripping from her voice. "And good eye. Although, Egyptian Mau's are.. notorious for their looks, most people don't know their proper names." she smiled up at him, for the first time realizing just how close they were. She pulled back, a slight blush to her cheeks. Subtly, she moved a little further from him before clearing her throat.

When he commented on how she wasn't going to study with him, she sat there, mouth agape for a second. She stuttered, and then chuckled, realizing that it was sarcasm. Not an actual accusation. "Alright, Jerk." she said, once again scooting a touch closer to him (not nearly as close as before) and looked over at his books. "What do you want to study?" she asked, looking up at him again.

Her eyebrows arched so high that they nearly disappeared beneath her hairline. All she could manage for a few moments was, "Oh." She made a slightly amused face and shook her head. She didn't know much about his family, but she hoped that he wouldn't hate her once he learned that she was half blood. When he extended an offer for her to go to the party, she shook her head and laughed. "It's not really my thing... Balls and dances... and the like." she swallowed. It was a social event. Social events were something that she failed at. Greatly.

Upon him elaborating farther, she swallowed and nodded. "Alright. Just as long as you promise to keep me company. Maybe share a dance or two." she teased. "I'd love to go. I'm just... not socially graceful in the slightest. And I wouldn't really know anyone there..."