Heads or Tails, Real or Not (Colle)

[vicente joram mortelle]

It was getting late and he was sick and tired of escorting his Uncle around the school to find his quarters. Granted he had Colle to thank for some source of entertainment, because gods know he would of been struck with boredom. He would never truly voice what was edging him, and he wasn't really prepared to go back into the common room to face the noise so he stayed out side in the darkness of the dungeon corridor. There was definitely something that pulled him on edge and he wanted to tell someone, that was when the unique fear pulled him in and he never would be accepted, ever. Pulling the letter out he looked it over. Vicente J. Mortelle was scrawled across the envelope and he took a breath.

Holding it up to some torch light he tore the end and pulled out the neatly folded paper. He hated his fathers hand writing, but something felt off about it. If Roderick had delivered the letter that means he's seen his father around, somewhere, and that had him worried. Quickly his icy blue eyes scoured the page his father had tediously written and he sighed.

Nothing from his father was good, that asshole didn't know how to run the family and the business was going into the ground hard. Vincent had took everything the second Vicente worked for and cast it aside, for what exactly?

Jorrie,

I know you're doing shitty in school, and you need to pick up your grades. Your mother is worried about your grades, and your cousin has written us about your attitude toward your own family. I demand that you cease these horrendous acts and get yourself together.

We are expecting and heir out of you as well and it's not going to happen when you have an attitude like that. Be nice to your uncle he's been through a lot and don't make it hell on him, he just wants a little peace before all hell breaks loose.

-Vincent Altiar Mortelle aka. your Father

Staring at the paper he looked down at the signature and groaned. "Really using your full name? What an ass." There was something grimy on the back and Joram rubbed the substance between his fingers before pulling it to his nose for a smell. Coughing his eyes began to water and he shook his head. "What the fuck is this stuff?" He wasn't good at potions and he knew he wasn't so he wasn't going to even try to figure out what it was, perhaps he could ask someone who knew what the hell they were doing, but the thing he didn't know was that his father was being influenced by some muggle creation and there was no possible way anyone who was pureblooded and hidden from that world would know what it was.

[Colle Reid Jamison]

Escorting Adeline’s father around had quickly grown boring for this rather difficult to please Slytherin boy. If it hadn’t been for Joram’s presence he would have just abandoned the professor in some remote part of the castle and returned to the Slytherin common rooms. As it were he had at least some conversation to listen to, in fact he’d learnt that Joram got along with the Giovanni’s just as well as he did, perhaps even worse. Colle knew he was right not to like that girl, he’s now got proof within another Slytherin which is just going to make his opinion of her stick even more so than it is already.

When they finally returned to the dungeons Colle never noticed Joram stopping, in fact it wasn’t until he got back to the common room entrance that he realised that he was very much alone. The flash of annoyance that sparked through his system wasn’t anything higher than he was used to and so with a low sigh he turned, heading back the way he’d come. Why was he heading back when he could quite easily have ended his day by just sending himself to bed? Colle wasn’t entirely sure as to why he was venturing back for the other Slytherin boy; it was just an action that made no sense in his mind. Because surely he didn’t want to spend time with Joram? Colle had only experienced true friendship with one other in his life and that was Kaine Gates, anybody else it was usually so he had a chance to insult them, maybe curse them and throw them into a cupboard. Right now all he wanted to do is find out where Joram had disappeared to. Why? He couldn’t say, his limited emotional span not quite understanding it.

“Who’s an ass?” There’s nothing wrong with being nosey. Joram was easy enough to spot, standing beneath a torch wasn’t exactly the most inconspicuous of places to stand, though it was probably the best option in which to read the letter that he had in hand. Colle doubted that he’d want to open the letter around a group of Slytherin’s within the common room, nearly all of them are a nosey bunch. Especially when it came to a high ranking family like the Mortelle’s.

The look of confused disgust on Joram’s face made Colle’s curiosity spike, he’d seen the other male sniff at his fingers but there was no way that he was going to go grabbing and sniffing his hand. Not anytime soon anyway. If it were Kaine he would have went for it, but social niceties need to be adhered to in some circumstances, this just so happened to be one of them.

“If it smells awful I wouldn’t lick it.. Somebody could be trying to poison you,” he knew of plenty of people that might have the guts to actually do so. Colle’s taken to actually equipping himself with a few multipurpose antidotes. Mostly plant based materials stuffed into one of his robe pockets. This is mostly for his own sake, accidents can happen when dealing with potions, particularly the poisons he concocts for some of his mother’s clientele. Colle never got too close to Jorrie, he stood a few feet away, just about in the circle of light, “somebody’s let something off in the common room. It stinks.”

Because he wouldn’t want Jorrie to think he’d come back just for his company. That would be awful?

[vicente joram mortelle]

His mind was left to wander for a moment, his father was completely ruining something that they had profited from intensely. The only thing he had liked about his father was his uniqueness and crystal perfect taste in wines, but when it came to the business aspect there was nothing to like about the man. He was an absolute idiot and there was definitely something off about him. Joram was lost in his thoughts about the letter, reading it over. There was something seriously wrong, his father never wrote like this, the language that was used, it was all wrong there was nothing positive about this in the least.

Nearly jumping out of his skin at the voice, Joram thought that Colle had gone back into the common room, but here he was. Catching the heart that had lodged itself in his throat, he swallowed it down and shook his head. "My father," it was a mere statement and he sighed. Joram hated talking about it but it wasn't as much of a sore subject as it might be to others. He's heard stories about Kaine and he knows about Colle's father being locked up in Azkaban, Joram had no right to complain about his father, but then again the family hasn't picked a side in the war either. "He cannot even sign a letter with, Dad. Instead he decided to use his full name as if it were a legal letter. Pretty sure that is indicating something. Not only that, he's finally trying to be a father and is clearly failing at it, hard."

Joram's father, Vincent, had abandoned him while he was growing up until he proved himself worthy after accepting the entrance letter from Hogwarts. It was difficult growing up with a dad that had completely ignored you until you were eleven. Now in his pathetic excuses to make it up to Joram, there has been nothing but more distance. "Also, he's trying to tell me to be nice to the Giovanni's, like that is going to happen. I could give two shits about the both of them." Conversation shifted direction to the substance on the letter and he rose an eyebrow.

From what he had witnessed, Colle was an exceptional student in the art of potion making and he would clearly listened to him about not licking it. Pulling his hand back to his nose he sniffed it again and looked over at him. "Do you know what it is?" Joram extended his hand out toward Colle to hand him the letter. Unlike some Jorrie has some knowledge of drugs and use, but he would never suspect his father in the use of these muggle vices. "Just, take your own advice and don't taste it unless you know what it is, it would be tradgic," there was a pause and he shifted his weight a moment, "...if I killed someone because of a crappy letter." The last part of the sentence was added hastily. Joram didn't know what he was talking about and it sounded a little too personal, and now it was a bit awkward.

"Nah, I don't mind if you're out here anyway, it can get stuffy in there in a matter of seconds. Not only that, but it's sort of a public area out here." Shrugging he eyes Colle from the distance he was at, noticing all sorts of differences. There was something in his skin in the torchlight, something sinister, a glint in his eyes. Joram caught himself staring just in time, but the smile was still across his lips without his realization.

[Colle Reid Jamison]

He hadn’t meant to surprise Joram and truthfully he never really even noticed the other Slytherin jumping. Colle’s not exactly the best person to choose when it comes to reading others, he’s spent most of his homelife in the company of his mother, father and the few servants they use to have before his father got taken away from them. He can identify a potion from a glance, thickness, texture, scent, colouration, consistency and vapours all filed away in the folds of his brain, they can hide little to nothing from this boy but people.. Well, people are an entirely different matter. People can lie, they can hide away their emotions and thoughts, most people can even keep their opinions hidden away, something that Colle unfortunately cannot do.

Potions are easy. Reading other human beings is difficult and so Colle just doesn’t try.. He’d much rather go through life assuming that he knows what other people are feeling. If he doesn’t understand he gets confused and with this Jamison confusion more often than not leads to anger. It’s pretty much one of the only ways he knows how to react.

“Your father..?” His tone was nothing more than questioning, he doesn’t really care too much for other people’s family, he can barely find it within himself to care for other people let alone their baggage. Right in this moment he’s finding himself curious about it all though, it’s hard not to really, the Mortelle’s are a secretive bunch, any information is information enough. Lithe shoulders rose and fell in a noncommittal shrug as he thought over a response, “Eh.. Maybe he’s trying to treat you like an adult? Though ‘father’ wouldn’t have gone amiss..” He didn’t receive letters from his own father anymore, not since his mind began to crumble. It didn’t bother him nearly as much as it should have done really, he refuses to think or even talk about it. “Mummy’s boy then, are you, Mortelle?” He was teasing, making fun of the other boy even though they may both be in the same position; living without a father, the smile on his lips was enough of a give away. Granted his smile was lopsided and on the verge of being a smirk, but it was far more than most people got from him.

He took the letter when it was offered, automatically careful not to even get any of the substance upon his fingertips. He had no interest in looking at the words upon the letter itself, the substance had his attention wholly, it was another curiosity that he wants to figure out. After all, this was supposed to be his forte. The initial sniff made his eyes water and almost instantly he moved it away from his nose, whatever it was smelt terrible. Blue eyes glanced from the letter to Joram, the awkwardness of his sentence just sending a smile back to his lips, two in one night so far, who would have thought it?

“Just say it; you’d miss me if I keeled over,” he quipped, holding Jorrie’s gaze for a moment before returning his attention to the letter, “it doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever used and there’s no way I could forget that acrid scent.. Whatever it is, it’s either as rare as a useful muggle or..” He brushed his fingertip over the substance, gathering a little and rubbing it between his fingers, sniffing once more before touching his tongue to it. Almost instantly his facial features screwed up in distaste and he passed back the letter, rubbing his fingers on his trouser leg to get rid of the rest of it, “fuck knows what that is.. Tastes vile so yea, don’t lick it.”

He completely missed Joram’s stare, instead he was trying far too hard to get rid of the chemical on his tongue, scraping it against his teeth. When he finally glanced back up at him there was an instant suspicious expression upon his face, Jorrie’s smile surprising him, “what..? I haven’t grown extra appendages or anything, have I?” He was pretty sure what he’d ingested hadn’t been a potion, but all the same, he had to ask.

[vicente joram mortelle]

Leaning against the wall he watched Colle with a collected expression for a moment of time. Joram got fed up easily with those that happened to crack some witty/offensive joke, but this time he let it slide. There was nothing bad about it, considering that the same could be said for Jamison and his family. "I doubt he's treating me like an adult when he hardly acts like one. As for being a mamma's boy, I would have to say yes to that." He cracked a grin and shook his head. "After all how many out here in the hallway aren't?" Joram wasn't trying to be mean, nor offensive, he was just stating the truth. "I'd do anything for her as a matter of fact."

As Colle took the letter he crossed his arms hoping that he wouldn't die from it. Everything would be out in the open, but being honest with those you like a little more than normal was a good way to eithr push them away or bring them closer. That's what Joram had thought his entire life, but he never anticipated it would be with someone like Colle, let alone Colle himself.

Jamison's actions were similar to his own, except Joram took a huge wiff of whatever it was on the letter and Colle was simple. Granted Joram was the one that found out there was something wrong with the letter, nearly loosing a lung in the process. "I'd most definietly miss you if you keeled over." Shifting his weight a moment he crouched to stretch out his knees and then stoo back up. Jorrie's body was getting a bit restless and he took in a breath and exhaled slowly. He wasn't lying and he didn't show any signs he was. He didn't even joke about it when he said it. Joram blatently told him he would miss him and he wasn't going to go back on his word. Especially now that Colle just licked the substance.

Jorrie listened carefully and then looked down the hallway crossing his arms once again he opened his mouth to talk, but he didn't realize what he was going to say. "Eh." Cocking his eyebrow and leaned to his left a bit and smiled toward the guy that was standing just at the outer circle of light. "I wasn't planning on licking it. I don't know what it is, but you just went and did yourself in." He laughed in a hearty tone and looked at his feet. Joram wasn't used to these types of encounters. "I'm actually glad you're not dead from whatever that is." Taking the letter he shoved it into the pocket of his pants.

It was a moment of watching him then quickly turning his gaze, but still smiling and he shook his head again. "Nothing, you're fine, you look like a million galleons to say the least." He kicked himself from the inside. 'What the fuck was that Joram?' his mind rang out, but what was said is done and there was no possible way to reel that back in and start over. Stretching his arms out in front of him, Joram began to realize that he was suddenly nervous. The understand was overwhelming considering he didn't understand what was going on, with himself, or the sudden nervousness he experienced.

[Colle Reid Jamison]

He finally moved further into the light, the torch flickering not too far above his head. Blue eyes narrowed to shield them against the light and automatically he blew up at the torch, succeeding in only making the flame flicker a little more wildly for a moment. His brow furrowed minutely in disappointment and his gaze drifted back to Jorrie as he spoke. If the jibe had come from anybody else’s mouth then there’s a very high chance that this Slytherin would have taken the joke far too personally and cursed the offender into a cracked and drooling mess. There was something about that grin that just made him stop though, his mind blanking of any instant retort simply because this type of conversation had never been usual for Colle, he doesn’t often get people grinning around him at all. In that moment, with a ghost of a genuine smile upon his own lips, Colle decided that he enjoyed Joram’s company, a feeling that he’s not at all used to.

With Kaine it’s completely different, the two boys are more like brothers than best friends, a constant within each other’s lives that’s never going to really change in any way. Outside of Kaine there’s Rabastan, another Slytherin that Colle can handle being around, though he has yet to determine whether that’s because of friendship or the weak bond between allies. Trust is an issue with Colle, but he believes that Rab will do what he can to keep his word and help the Jamison family out, even assist with his introduction into the midst of the Death Eaters. Right now, in this moment Colle didn’t feel threatened, he didn’t feel pathetic or looked down upon, on the spot or like he was being watched like he’s some kind of time bomb, in fact he felt quite comfortable.

“Ok, I’ll give you that. But only because we stand on similar ground. Mum’s all I’ve got,” her and Kaine, on the odd occasion even Kaine’s family opt to welcome Colle into their family for a while, though Colle has suspicions that’s purely because they want him to change their son’s point of view on the world.

Had he just heard that right? There was an instant amount of surprise upon Colle’s face the moment he was told he’d be missed, though he tried his very best to hide it. Instead he regarded Joram thoughtfully, the substance still present upon his fingertips, minute particles sunk between the crevices of his fingerprints, it was no longer his main focus of attention though. He was being told things that pretty much confused the hell out of him every which way, Jorrie was being nice to him. Colle’s not thick enough to not know what friendliness is, of course he’s well aware he’s just unpracticed in the ways of returning it towards people he doesn’t necessarily despise.

"Careful, Mortelle," he warned with a smirk playing upon his lips, "you're crossing beyond the line of simple civility." It was ground that Colle's unaware of how to tread, if he gets frustrated then he'll most likely snap just to save himself embarrassment. Which could happen any moment now to be honest, these kind of situations simply make him feel so very awkward despite his outward confidence.

Things like the last sentence that left Jorrie's lips, he could feel the compliment hit him like a tonne of bricks and for a brief moment in time he simply stared at the other Slytherin, his mind blank of all logical thought for at least for a moment or two before he tore his gaze away from Jorrie, scuffing the floor with his foot. As soon as his mind was working again thoughts and responses swirled much like a vortex, each thought gone before it registered, it was this type of awkward frustration that made this boy usually quite dangerous. Vicente Joram Mortelle was different though, his family status alone giving Colle the added restraint he needed from just scowling and turning away. As you can imagine, there isn't much, if any romance in this boy's life, it's a dead emotion to him.

The nervousness that he saw in Joram put himself at ease a little, though it didn't help return the ability to speak much. With a big intake of breath and a haphazard smile he shrugged his shoulders loosely, hands delving into robe pockets, "thank good breeding.. Mortelle, do you want something from me?"

Blunt as always, he had to ask. Colle's so damaged that he can't even trust a compliment..

[vicente joram mortelle]

Watching every action that Colle was displaying made him smile even more. It was comfortable here, no one to judge or bear witness to the actions either of them were displaying. Joram wasn't going to step up and outright judge the man before him and he shook his head lost in thought if only for a moment. It seemed as if the two of them were lost in thought, until Colle began talking again, truthfully Joram paid attention to what he was saying about his mother. He understood completely, though Jorrie was more than certain it was for a different reason.

Vincent hadn't been around through his childhood, up until he turned eleven he finally wanted to be a part of his son's life. Needless to say it didn't go over to well. You ignore your son until the point in life where he finally begins to understand what really was going on. "I'd have to say the same about mia madre, she was really the only one there when I grew up." He could of easily added the tortours play dates with the Giovanni's and how that effected him, his father's care free attitude toward everything except his own son whose life he couldn't be a part of. It really did tear at him. A boy should have his father to rely on, but that was hardly the case. Perhaps that would be why Joram was a bit more feminine than his father expected, but what could he of asked for?

The air seemed a bit tense, and he waved his hands as if putting the two of them in a bubble out of the thickness and sorrow. "I'm a bit reckless Jamison, careful is most definietly not my middle name. Besides you're one to talk about being civil, nearly killing my brat of a cousin and all." Joram smiled brightly at his house mate if only for a minute, and soon it vanished. The two of them just stood there for a minute, staring at each other. Trying to gather their senses Joram shifted on his foot and his eyes moved over Colle's face.

His eyes were a brilliant blue color, they defined his extremely smooth face and fit well with delicatly curved eyebrows. His black hair was shiney, not oilly or greasey, but very well kept, as was his attire, lips very soft, not chapped or anything, but creased with small lines. He could tell the boy smoked, but it didn't bother Joram in the least. Colle's nose was perfectly proportionate to the size of his face, almost a like a doll's and he Joram couldn't rip his gaze from that nearly procelain skin. Shoving his right hand into his pocket to prevent himself from reaching out and touching Colle's very fair complexion. In comparison Joram was a bit darker, a wee more scruffy. Joram's skin was more olive than fair, he could only assume that Colle burned under the sun, when Joram has never been a subject to the harshness of he rays.

When Colle spoke again his gaze finally tore away from that fine face. "..." Joram's eyes were as if he were a deer in headlights. He hadn't registered what Colle had said until a moment had passed and he swallowed, throat dry and he blinked. "I-I don't want anything from you, Jamison." It was partially the truth, because he wasn't understanding what was going on and looked past Colle, then back to the situation at hand. He felt extremely awkward, he didn't even know if Colle felt the same way. Closing his eyes he looked up and took in a fairly deep breath and it was all out within a second, his voice smooth. "I want you."