| Details for Two Sykes and a Ginger |
| Summary: | Ria and Kaiden set in for a long night of studying. Then Ophelia shows up. Then Ria leaves. Then Ria comes back. Then she leaves again. Lots of angsty teenage stuff. |
| Date: | 27 September 1937 |
| Location: | — |
| Related: | None. |
| Characters |
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If anyone asks where Ria has gone, they say she'll be in -her- classroom. Occasionally, she'll take a classroom and claim it as her own to study in and in fear of her people vacate the premises. At least that's what happens in her head. It's more like no one wants to be around her so they'd rather find a different place to study. But in this early evening, Ria is alone in the empty classroom books open on a desk, legs propped up on another chair.
Pssssh, afraid of Ria? Hardly. Kaiden walks in through the door carrying the strangest of all things. A book. A book on Astronomy nonetheless. He grumbles as he sits down at a desk and lays his head down on the tome.
With her book open and covering her face, Ria hears footsteps come in the classroom and she automatically says, "This room's being used. Go find another." She puts the books down to frown at the intruder until she sees its Kaid and she 'ohs' before giving him a smile, "Kaiden, I didn't know you studied! Father will be so pleased!"
Kaiden mumble something as his face is planted firmly into the leather cover of the tome. He then leans up and rubs at his eyes, looking rather tired before he rests his head in his hand, "Girlfriends are rough, Ria."
Ria blinks a moment, shuts the books closed and then rises from her own seat to settle herself into the chair next to Kaiden's. "Girlfriends?" she looks at him directly. "So it's true then. I heard murmurings, and I got some sort of feeling in my head the other day." Must be one of those twin connection thingies. "But I figured I'd wait for you to confirm it. So…Ophelia then?"
Kaiden nods slightly, head still resting in his hand, "Yeah, we're official now. Da' should be please." He grumbles a bit and looks down at bis book before leaning back in his chair and flippin it open. "We've got an arrangement. If I do well on the practice tests she gives me…well, y'know."
"She's a Summerbee after all. Their wandlore is impressive. So you're right, Father wouldn't be heartbroken," Ria says, leaning against the table in thought. But she quirks a brow when Kaiden explains their 'arrangement' and she frowns at him. "No. I don't know. She gives you what?"
Kaiden nods at her as he peruses the pages of his textbook, "Yeah, she's pretty great. Though, she seems to think that my wand wood means I'm self-concious. Bloody ridiculous, if you ask me." He looks up at her and shrugs, "She…y'know…lets me snog her."
Ria tilts her head and says, "A Willow? I wish I could say more on it. I know nothing about wandlore." She looks over her shoulder at her own elm wand in her bag and creates a note to herself to research her own wood. "So she called you insecure then? Do you think she's right? I'd peg you for arrogant at best," she teases, pulling up another chair to prop her legs on just like that last one. "But weren't you -already- snogging her?"
Kaiden rolls his eyes at Ria, and shakes his head with a smirk, "I'm pretty sure Elm means you're a bit of a bitch." He grins devilishly and those big green eyes of his twinkle at his sister. He looks down at the Astronomy book and says, "Yeah, I was. I guess her friends thought I only liked her for one thing, though. So, y'know, it's on hold."
Ria shoots a resentful glare over at Kaiden before she retorts in her defense, "Bitchy magic tends to work stronger. I have no complaints." Nope. There's no denial that she's a bit of a bitch. "I have to say I don't blame her friends. Didn't think you were too serious at first either. No offense. Any particular reason you're settling with her?"
Kaiden grins at his sister and looks down at the table, "Bitchy magic, eh? Fair enough." He shrugs a bit, saying, "I dunno. She's an awesome girl. I feel like I need to make her happy. Never felt that way about anybody else."
Were her ears burning? Or is it mere coincidence that this is the moment when Ophelia steps into the classroom. She's carrying a stack of books almost tall enough to block her vision, but that isn't the reason she doesn't notice that she has company. Her gaze is locked straight ahead, and her posture is fearful, pulled inward, as though she is expecting someone to attack her at any moment. She barely even registers the classroom around her, so much is she in her own world.
Ria peers at Kaiden carefully as she speaks and then she opens her mouth to add something but then pauses. "Hold that thought. I really need to run to the loo." And she rises only to rush out of the room, almost running into Ophelia and her stack of books. "Hey watch where you're going will you?!" she yells back at the girl but continues running lest her bladder explode.
Kaiden looks back as his girlfriend is almost run down by his sister and stands up, walking over to offer to carry some of her books, holding his hands out. He tilts his head as he looks at her and says, "Hey, everything alright?" Kaiden empathize!!!
Ophelia cringes away from the yelling so much that she has to stumble to one side lest she drop her now wobbling stack o' reading. "I-I… " Swallowing, she starts to look toward the closing door. And then she hear's Kaiden speaking. She instantly turns back to him, her eyes filling with sudden tears. "Kaiden… I don't know what to do… "
Kaiden's constant sunny demeanor turns into a much more comforting one as he takes Ophelia's book from her and sets them down on the nearest table before wrapping his arms around her, "Hey, now. What's wrong? Tell me."
Melting into the embrace, Ophelia presses her face to Kaiden's chest. She clings tightly, even when she pulls back to ask, "Have… any of your friends ever, um, fallen for you? I don't mean like me I mean, like, one of your best friends?" She sniffles, and pulls a hand free to wipe her face.
Kaiden shakes his head as he looks down at her, saying, "No, not really. I don't have all that many friends." Being the loner Hufflepuff that he is, the boys think he's too lazy to waste time on and the girls can't stop stammering enough to talk to him. His eyebrows furrow at her and he says, "It wasn't Ajax, was it?"
Ophelia starts to nod, then shakes her head, "Nono, not Ajax. He likes The- uhm. Well I don't think I'm allowed to say, probably." Another sniffle. "I-its… /don't/ say anything to her. You promise me you won't try to talk to her about this." Grabbing the front of his shirt, she stares up into his eyes, her own, now red-rimmed ones searching his intently, "I don't want her to hurt any more."
Kaiden nods, "Yeah, I know. He's a fan of those of the more masculine persuasion." He rubs her arms softly and tilts his head, leaning in a bit and saying, "Of course I won't say anything." There's no sense of his charming facade. Only the real, truthful Kaiden.
Ophelia nods, doubly relieved. "Its Hephaesta." She murmurs, looking back down again. "And I don't think I get to even be her friend anymore, now. Sh-she said it hurts too much. I hurt her. My friend. And I can't fix it or do anything about it and I don't know if there's anything I /can/ do except maybe apply to switch houses so she doesn't have to see me anymore."
Kaiden furrows his brows a bit as he thinks that little bit over, "Huh…didn't think Hephaesta could even like people." It's true, Kaiden hasn't spent much time with the girl, but the times he's come across her, she's always been a bit cold and calculating. He rests his chin on Ophelia's head and says, "I'm sorry, Ophe. I really don't have any kind of advice for these kinds of situations. I know you'll sort it out. You're good like that."
Ophelia turns her head, so she can rest her cheek against Kaiden's chest. "I hope so." She slips her hands around his waist again, gathering folds of his sweater in her hands. "She can like people." She can't help, all the same, defending the girl, "She's really nice. She made me this." Pulling back again, she reaches into the neck of her shirt and pulls out a pendant on a chain, which is a winged clockwork heart.
Kaiden shrugs at her, "I really don't know her all that well. She's family, but she's always more interested in talking to the smart ones. I just sit around and look nice. Like a decoration." Kaiden, the Sykes-family decoration. He looks down at the heart and says, "That's really pretty." In his head he's thinking, 'Well, damn, now I need to make her a clockwork heart'.
Ophelia eyes Kaiden, shaking her head and stepping back for real now. "It moves, too." She informs him, "And if you keep up the studying, you won't be anymore. You'll be an Auror, and you'll be able to do all kinds of things that would make your sister want to run away in fear." With one last sniffle, she reaches back and pulls herself up to sit on one of the tables, next to the books Kaiden had fred her of earlier.
Kaiden looks a bit like he could mock Ophelia when she starts talking about how the heart moves. Luckily, his back is turned to her as he walks over to the table his was at to grab his book. He picks the tome up and walks over to sit with Ophelia, saying, "Yeah, that'll show 'em, huh? Auror Sykes. Sounds good, doesn't it?"
The door to the classroom opens once more and in steps a much relieved Ria, who has finished washing her hands thoroughly and sufficiently Scourgified herself to her liking. "Auror Sykes?" she asks, "Is that someone in our family? Oh speak of the ginger devil herself. Evening Ophelia."
Ophelia nods, starting to grin a very timid little grin. "You'll- uh. Hullo." Eyes narrowing, she looks up, glancing questioningly at Kaiden as she answers, "Its just… nothing. H-how are you, Ria?" Uncertain again, she picks up one of her books and starts fidgeting with the frayed corner of the cover.
Kaiden looks up at Ria and turns a bit in embarassment as Ria overheard his dream to be an Auror. He shakes his head, "N-no…" Not yet, at least. He turns back to her and raises an eyebrow, "Funny, I always thought the devil was a black-haired wench." He smirks at Ophelia and says, "Oh, don't be worried about her, Ophe. If she starts being mean to you, I'll come up with some story about how she was caught in the broom closet with Theo to tell to Dad."
Ria leans against the wall by the a door, crosses her arms and hmms at Kaiden curiously. "So then who's Auror Sykes?" she asks, chin rising up. "I'm well, Ophelia. Quite well. Though not as well as I suspect you two are. Head in the clouds I assume. Love makes you do crazy things, that's the general sentiment," her snaky smile arises again. Another glare is shot in Kaiden's direction when she snaps, "He wouldn't believe you anyway you greasy haired twit."
Ophelia frowns at Ria, "He's not a twit." She says quietly, "You shouldn't say things like that. Even if you think it’s alright because he's family. Don't you… don't you want people to like you?" The thought that she might not is baffling to Ophelia, whose frown grows more thoughtful as she watches Ria.
Kaiden looks over at Ria and says, "Well, if you really want to know. I want to be an Auror one day." He looks like he could break out into a heroic stance at any moment after saying this. His eyes turn to Ophelia and he rests his hand on hers from across the table, shaking his head at her in a 'it's not worth it' sort of way.
Ria rolls her eyes at Ophelia and simply looks at her fingernails as she replies, "Oh dearest, I don't expect you to know this being in love with Kaiden and all. But he's called me -much- worse things in the past, and I doubt that will end in the future. Furthermore, it's preferable if people like me. It's unfortunate if they don't, but not enough to tempt me to act like a fool for their praise." Then she peer up from her nails and instead focuses on the Ravenclaw, "Why? Do you want people to like you?"
But what really gets her attention is Kaiden's choice on a future career. Her eyes widen at first but then her mouth twists just a bit as if she wants to laugh. But she stops to ask, "Well now…an Auror? Papa will certainly be proud but…do you really think you can do it?" The question comes with all the sincerity she can muster and perhaps just a -tad- mock as well. 80-20. "I mean…you'll need quite a bit of NEWTs…."
"He can do it." Ophelia insists. She turns her hand over to grasp Kaiden's eyeing him to show her grudging willingness to back off, at least a little. "He knows what he needs to do and he's already started working on it." Looking down at her lap, she mumbles under her breath, "And of course I want people to like me." .
Kaiden looks over at Ria and says, "I damn well can." He stands up, looking down at her from his position of power, "I'm not an intellectual by any sense of the word. I'm not a star athlete. Never will be. But I'm damn good at standing up people, and you bloody well know that." He's of course referencing the time he gave a couple Slytherin boys a good whalloping for saying unpleasant things about his sister. Kaiden Sykes, the hero of the people.
Ria raises her brows, eyes flitting between both Kaiden and Ophelia with a slightly amused glint to them. Crossing her arms again, she settles her gaze back up to her twin. "You are," she still looks at him with that slight smirk. "Maybe you can do it. Especially with this one's help over here." She gestures to
Ophelia who she refers to as 'this one'. "But it takes a lot of work Kaiden. A lot of studying. Just be sure it's what you want. I personally think your abilities can be better focused elsewhere but it doesn't matter what -I- think." She shrugs non-chalantly and passes him to return to her study area. With her wand she shuts her books and collects her things to leave. Just before she passes through the door she says, "Might I advise that you seek a professor's guidance. They likely know what you'll need." And with the amused smirk still lingering on her face she walks of back to the dungeons.
Ophelia has to work at it, but she manages to hold all comments until Ria is gone. As soon as the door closes, though, she lets her head fall back. "Uuuuggghhh. /This one/? What am I, a pair of shoes at Harrods or something? Seriously, she thinks I wouldn't have known to consult a professor? One of these days I'm going to fill all of her shoes with dirt. I swear."
Kaiden goes to continue on his rant but then…Ria says he can make his own decisions? Kaiden looks positively confused and just stands there as she walks out of the room. Ophelia's voice does seem to break him of his beffudlement, though, as he looks over at her, "What? Oh, yeah…she's bad at being a person. Bloody great at being a student, though."
Slowly, Ophelia nods, "Well, yes… I suppose she decided the two were mutually exclusive." She frowns, confused as well for a minute. And then an idea occurs to her. "You, ah… you know. Perhaps, well maybe not now but perhaps when it gets closer to the time for the NEWTS, you should try to study with her too?"
Kaiden chuckles softly and looks over at her, moving to retake his seat. "You mean…studying with Ria? I thought you liked me, Ophelia. That sounds terrible," he says as he flips open the cover of his textbook on potions.
Ophelia grins, "I do, and that's /why/ I'm suggesting it. Once you have some better study skills, you'll be able to keep up with her. She'll be able to help you with things I can't yet. And maybe… if you can impress her with how much you've improved, she'll be nicer about it?"
Kaiden grins right back at her, "Eh…I guess you're right. Though that seems to be a common occurance when you and I have a conversation." He groans a bit and lays his head down on his book, saying, "Still sounds a bloody lot like torture."
Ophelia watches Kaiden, her grin fading to a more somber expression. After a brief hesitation she reaches out and touches the tips of her fingers to his hair, "I know. But I think… I think that's part of the rules. If we want to become great things like Aurors and wandmakers, we have to go through a little torture. My mum said that once. Well, except she was quoting one of her favorite books and it sounded much more intelligent."
Kaiden smirks a bit and looks up at her, "All my parents ever said to me was 'thank Merlin it's time for school again'." Who knows if he's joking, as the smirk is still plastered on his face. He takes her hand in his and presses a kiss to the back of it, saying, "I think I can take a bit of torture if it means I can be a hero."
Ophelia's uncertainty about the comment melts with the kiss. "Then you will be." She replies, "You'll be a great one, if you can bear to stand up to the likes of your sister. Maybe, think of it as practice for the people you'll have to deal with as an Auror."
Kaiden chuckles and nods, "Oh yeah…I'll be able to take on the very legions of darkness after having to put up with Ria telling me that I've written my notes down wrong." His eyes twinkle playfully as he stares across the table at her.
Ophelia giggles. Yes, she's actually feeling better now. "Exactly." She agrees with a matching twinkle. "You'll be ready for anything. How /is/ the studying, by the way?"
Kaiden flicks the cover of his Potions book and says, "Oh, it's a breeze. Spending all my time listening to professors and doing work. Oh, it's just marvelous." There's a hint of playful sarcasm in his voice, but one can't help but notice that he doesn't seem all that upset about finally having something to work for.
Chuckling, Ophelia pulls up and crosses her feet on the table where she's been sitting. "I can't imagine anything worse." She replies with mock sympathy. She glances at her own stack of books, bites her lip, and asks, "There's, ah, something I wanted to ask about. I almost forgot about it, in all the, well anyway. Um. Did you, ah, plan on going to the Halloween dance?"
Kaiden rubs at the back of his neck as he's asked the question, "Are you going? Cause y'know, if you're going, then I'll go." Nevermind the fact that it would be the perfect place for Hephaesta anti-Kaiden robots to make their debut.
"I hadn't really thought about it." Ophelia admits. "I've never, uhm, been to a dance. Its just, well, what people are supposed to do and all. I hear its going to be a costume party, and costumes can be fun. I don't… know much about dancing, though." She looks down at her lap.
"Dear, you're going to a dance with a Sykes. I've been perfectly molded for parties since I was old enough to walk." Kaiden smiles broadly at her. He does take a moment to ponder, though, "I wonder what I should dress up as." And no, Ophelia, shirtless is not a costume.
Ophelia's eyes light up at the words 'you're going'. "A famous Auror maybe?" She offers, "I can research some ideas for you if you like. I haven't the faintest idea what I'll do yet, either. Though… " She turns, getting an idea, and grabs one of the books, "Here, we can start with this. A history of the ministry, there's a section on Aurors here… " She moves to settle in next to him and smiles, anticipating the long evening of studying ahead. For her, at least, this is nearly as good as any other sort of date.