| Details for Malten Train Wreck |
| Summary: | Myrus and Elizabeth have a talk in the Candy Store |
| Date: | 1938-10-15 |
| Location: | Harkiss' Candy, Hogsmeade |
| Related: | (1938-11-15) Cocoa Mugs Close Calls and a Snag (NEXT) |
| Characters |
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The door's bell rings as it's opened and closes behind her quickly, shutting away the short cool breeze behind her, thankfully so. The warmth from the store washes over her and Elizabeth pauses for a grateful moment as her gaze looks over the inside of Harkiss' Candy.
Surprisingly, the store is relatively empty. With one one or two couples scattered at tables, cuddled together and whispering excitedly over malts with two straws instead of one. Elizabeth can only anticipate that the inevitable crowd of students from Hogwarts has yet to arrive and that this lull is a brief reprieve. She chooses not to dread the moment, but push away the thought as she approaches the bar to order a chocolate malt.
Only after does she choose a small table for herself, lowering herself into it as a hand reaches up to habitually push up her glasses over the rim of her nose, to then also brush back and tuck a bothersome lock of long ebony hair behind an ear. The winter cloak is gently shrugged from her shoulder, revealing the coal black sweater over her torso and the thin silver necklace that decorates her slender neck. As her hand lowers, her fingers smooth out the soft gray pleated skirt just above warm wintertime stockings.
Myrus was walking with another boy from Hogwarts earlier, who went on to another store. Myrus had walked up and down the street a couple times already, remembering how this small village was laid out. He thumbed at the coin in his pocket, looking at the candy store as he stands in front of it. He decides to go in, and keeps his head low against the cold with scarf pulled up over his mouth and nose and his pageboy cap pulled down so the tops of his ears poke out sideways.
When he gets inside, he goes straight for the counter, and only when there and he's greeted by the storekeeper, does he pull his scarf down and take off his hat, his nose red from being outside so long before going somewhere warm for a respite from the cold. He orders a vanilla mint malt, and waits patiently at the counter to get it. He seems off in his own little world staring at the counter with a somewhat lack of outward expression on his face.
With as quiet and empty as it is inside Harkiss', it isn't difficult to notice the new arrival. While the few others may be preoccupied, Elizabeth's gaze wanders as she waits patiently for her malt, drifting while a stray thought enters her thought that the wait would be swifter if she had a book with her. Oh well. Behind her wire-frames, her pale eyes catch sight of Myrus as he approaches the counter. Ordering something for himself it seems, though his thoughts are elsewhere. Focused on something distant instead of his surroundings.
Eventually, her chocolate malt is made. Topped with whipped cream, extra melted chocolate, and a cherry on top. And it floats into the air, passing by Myrus, to slide smoothly into place in front of her as it delivers itself to Elizabeth's table.
Myrus was at least used to a Muggle icecream shop down the road from where he lived. He would walk with his mom to get malts not much unlike these on weekends when he was a younger child, before he came to Hogwarts.
The floating malt passes him by, and he eyes it for a moment, curiously watching where it goes to a lone table with one occupant.
Then he sees Elizabeth.
His heart leaps into his throat and he's filled with a slight bit of doubt and remorse over how he treated her the last week or so that he's known her. Next thing he knows, he's staring at her and his own malt is ready, tearing him from his lost look as he pulls the money from his pocket and places it on the counter. Exact change.
He turns around to look where to sit. Now a decision, whether to sit with Elizabeth or somewhere else.
He takes a breath, and walks over to her table, standing a few feet away waiting for her to notice him again (if she wasn't already looking at him) and quietly say, "Is this seat taken?"
"It will be once you sit down." Elizabeth replies, with little hesitation. Getting to the heart of the matter as usual. That's what he wanted after all, so what's the sense of beating around the bush? Her slender fingers curl around her straw and sits the bottom of the chocolate malt with it, but after a moment she leans down and takes a sip, lips pursed while she enjoys the taste if only briefly. Her pale eyes glance up at the boy across from her, watching him.
That was one of the things he liked about her. She was straight to the point. Just like he usually was. Or tried to be. "Thank you." He sits down unceremoniously and puts his malt on the table in front of him. He as well takes a sip from his malt, just a little sip and he was looking at her as well. Eyelocked over malts. He was trying not to grin at the look. So hard not to smile right now.
"So, where are you from?" He asks.
"United Kingdom, London, Diagon Alley." she answers, just as easily. Leaning back in her seat, a hand reaches up to brush back her dark hair from her face. Falling over her shoulders from the swept motion only for her bangs to cascade into place once more. Loose hair. Its so bothersome. Hands in her lap, Elizabeth looks up to meet his eyes again. "Yourself?"
Myrus blinks at her. "London proper. I'm a stone's throw from Diagon Alley." He smiles taking another sip of his drink. Maybe a little too excited, as some of his malt falls out of his mouth when he pulls from the straw, and he holds a hand to his chin as he reaches frantically for a napkin, knocking over the little holder to get one and bring the napkin up to wipe his face. "That's never happened before, honest," he says quickly.
Elizabeth blinks once when everything just… happens. Dribbling, napkin grabbing, and napkin holder falling over in the attempt to grab at a napkin. Exhaling a small breath, she slides her own chocolate malt a few inches from him, only to make sure that he doesn't accidentally knock that over in the process. A hand reaches out and calmly sets the napkin holder right side up. "Take a few deep breaths." she instructs.
He does wipe himself off, and dabs the napkin at his chin to get the rest of the malt off of his chin and neck, lifting his chin for a moment for a better angle.
"Thanks for the advice," he saysm putting the napkin down and putting his elbows on the table and his palms on his cheeks, and he does just that. A few deep breaths. His hand was in a sturdy wrap now, no longer in the bulky metal and leather brace. "So," hands fold one on top of the other on the table, "Now what?" He was being serious. He's -trying-.
Sitting comfortably in her seat and hands in her lap, Elizabeth watches as Myrus gathers himself. Until, he asks. "Hm." she closes her eyes. "I suppose 'relaxing' would be preferable." Elizabeth replies, returning her gaze to the boy across from her. "You cannot relax in a candy shop of all locations, well that's just a bit disappointing." The corner of her lips tugs faintly.
Myrus takes a deep breath, and leans back in his high-backed bench seat. "Yeah," he says, chuckling a little bit at himself. "Is there anything else I could be doing better?" While leaning back he reaches out to grab his drink, and take a sip, carefully this time, and set it back on the table. "What do you like to do other than reading? I see chocolate malts are on your list of things you do. Is chocolate your favorite flavor?"
Elizabeth couldn't help but quirk a brow at him curiously. "Are you inquiring advice on how to pick up girls from the one you're intending on using that very advice upon?" she asks, though its difficult to determine whether or not she's teasing him. Maybe? Who can say. "Hm." She ponders to herself thoughtfully. It isn't as if she's had much experience with romance herself, but Elizabeth has read novels containing romance. Could that be applied here? "Going off of 'relaxing', attempt confidence." she murmurs. "Regardless of the situation, certainty in oneself gives one an advantage. It places others around them more at ease, especially girls."
The observation of her chocolate malt gives Elizabeth pause, reluctant but eventually she admits, "I have a bit of a sweet tooth. Chocolate is favorable." It isn't really something that's expected from the bookworm, so she really tries to keep it to herself for the most part.
Myrus looks at her with a bit of disbelief. "Well, you hit the nail on the head." He puts his hands on the edge of the table and stretches while she speaks of confidence. ONce she's done, he retorts, "Last time I tried that, I got turned down. But here you are." He gestures. "I'm not sure whether to give up, persist, or just…. what? Become the perfect guy in no time flat?" He sighs, and grabs his malt and takes another sip.
"And.. mint is my favorite."
"I never claimed to be—" Elizabeth stops herself, before she said something she might regret. Only to lightly shake her head to herself and decide to say it anyway. "I am not a boy-crazy Hufflepuff girl, nor have I tried to give you the impression that I detest you. It's just…" she frowns to herself with thought, before admitting. "Your first impression wasn't the best, so now I'm not sure what to make of you." The Ravenclaw girl exhales a small breath, slender fingers idly curling around the end of her straw as she watches the bottom of her malt swirl from the motion. "It's not as if I'm am knowledgeable either, Myrus." Far from it. It almost frustrates her that they're both at a lost to what to do. She's always had a plan, but now? Elizabeth didn't even know how she felt. Her gaze returns to him and narrows. "Firstly, such a male doesn't exist. And secondly, why are you rushing?"
Myrus breathes in through his nose deeply, and exhales through his mouth with his lips and cheeks puffing out in another sigh. He was making a decision in his head, and nods to himself as he presses his lips together.
"I think I'm lonely." He looks at the table. A resounding breakthrough? Conversations earlier at the castle with Esther and Julian, and Medusa and Douglas.
He raises his eyes to her. "And I think I overreacted, and I just-" he frowns contemplatively, and just shakes his head, looking off to the side.
Angelus enters the shop and stops after a few steps, looking around as a grin tugs at his lips. One of the best things about Hogsmeade weekends is stocking up on candy, get you by the next weeks of the course load. His blue eyes sweep around the store, instantly start towards his favourites, and pauses as he spies Myrus. He hums softly, tilting his head a bit as he considers. "You good, Lowe?" Angelus pipes up in greeting. His eyes flick towards Elizabeth and he offers her a polite dip of his head, a warm smile sliding against his lips. "Dweedle." Angelus glances down and picks up the first of the sweets which he deposits into a bag.
Elizabeth blinks once, a pause stretching before she frowns subtly at the boy across the table from her. "'Lonely'." she repeats the word. It takes a longer moment still before she exhales a longer breath. "In such a situation such as loneliness you should expand your perimeter of like-minded individuals. Develop bonds. Friends. Trying to get a girlfriend for just this reason is… egocentric. Selfish." Not that he hasn't already shown her this, but she had hoped. "And it makes any feelings between said individuals. shared less than genuine. How can you truly be romantically involved with someone if you are only doing so to avoid being alone?"
Elizabeth softly presses her lips together as she places coins on the table, to pay for her malt, before pulling on her cloak over her shoulders, pushing her seat back and rising to her feet. "I do not mind being your friend, but I can not be involved in an emotional connection unless the basis is not what you can do for yourself, but what you can do for the other person." her powder blue eyes glance up from beneath her thin frame to catch sight of Angelus, dipping her chin subtly to him as he greets her in turn. Polite.
Only so many times Myrus can put himself out there and open up before that soft squishy side becomes a little more callous. Something broke today. Maybe for good, maybe not. And he smiles at her. Quietly he stands up, shifting behind his seat and putting a hand on the back of it to lean against it for a moment, about to say something but he decides against it. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry I ever bothered you." And he would quickly turn towards the door, putting his scarf up and putting his hat back on and pulling it down when he turns around.
Given the circumstance, they may be causing a little bit of a spectecle. But when did Elizabeth ever care what other people thought? The way he smiled at her was dishonest, hiding something else entirely she knew, but already Myrus was preparing himself for the chill outside. Once more he was escaping, fleeing. As if she had seriously injured him with words alone. But how else is she supposed to tell him her point of view?
Myrus manages two steps before his scarf pulls him back, the end held in Elizabeth's grasp are she stares him down. "Stop. Running." she says each word separately. What else can she say?
Angelus hums softly as his head tilts an inch, an eyebrow arching as his blue eyes peer at the two older students curiously. A smirk touches his lips and he gestures with a finger towards a display of candy as he turns, shaking his head slowly. "I should probably go over there," he murmurs, a soft 'heh' escaping him. "I don't fancy interrupting." He clears his throat, stepping off to gather some more sweets.
Towards. Or away. Myrus apparently only knew how to run. Press on with all he had, or get away as quickly as possible. Her holding his scarf stopped him definately, and he stumbles back a step, giving slack in the scarf that reveals his face to her.
He doesn't say anything, and Angelus' comments of where to go fall short of grasping Myrus' attention from looking at Elizabeth standing there in front of him. Right there, not a foot and a half away. Words have gotten him in predicaments lately, so those are out. Running away. She just took that one away. Pressing forward also was not a good choice with his own… style. So he just stands there with not a word to say. The only safe option at this juncture. Of course he's hiding something. Those words that he shouldn't say. The path he shouldn't run down away from this situation. And the same thing he did in the common room that he still wanted to do again. So right here, spending a moment with her, that was something to smile about.
And he does smile at her, thinking on that.
Well, he stopped. But he doesn't do much else either. Just… smiles at her. Weirdly. Elizabeth narrows her eyes at him for a moment longer before exhaling a breath, releasing her grip on his scarf and letting it fall. "Honestly…" At least he isn't running any more. She can admit to herself that it's a step in the right direction. She pulls the blue scarf a little bit closer, the cloak a little bit tighter around herself as she steps out first, waiting long enough for Myrus to follow before they leave.
When Angelus has a good amount of candy he steps towards the counter. He does shoot a look towards Myrus and Elizabeth curiously, but shrugs as he turns back to pay.
Myrus would follow her to the door. This quiet thing has gotten him farther than blathering or acting insensitively, apparently inaction has it's benifits.