| Details for Sunshine and Iron, Huffs-Yeah! |
| Summary: | Briar comforts Augustin after his break-up with Lillian |
| Date: | 1938-11-03 |
| Location: | Hufflepuff Common Room |
| Related: | The Breakup Drama |
| Characters |
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Rumors spread like wildfire around the school, and two in particular that sprung up today involve a certain gregarious Hufflepuff Sixth-year. One: He cheated on Lillian with Eibhlin Shine. Two: Lillian broke up with him. What is known for a fact is that he and his former love are no longer together, he came into the common room crying after a shouting match with her in the corridor, and he is now sitting before the fire, nursing a flask which someone had brought to him from outside (it had a note attached). Augustin is a terrible crier - his face is all red and puffy. He looks terrible. He's given the absent half-hearted smile to those who've tried to cheer him up, but so far no one's had much luck.
Briar came out of the Girls dorm when she got wind of Gus' state in the Common Room. She comes around to flop on the couch next to him and just wraps her arms around him to give him a big squunch. The flask is reached for. So she can steal a sniff and if it's not contraband she'll take a drink. If it is contraband she'll seal it up and slide it into her robes. "Want to vent? Or just relax?"
The flask contains lemonade. Mostly. A simple sniff probably wouldn't reveal the bit of booze mixed in - she might notice when she takes a drink. "Lemonade," Gus says in a croaking sort of voice. He leans into that squeeze. "Guys don't really vent," he sniffles. "We're supposed to get drunk and punch someone and then find another girl. Only I can't really do any of those things, can I? Might as well vent." He looks at her, eyes all watery. "How can she keep me at arm's length for weeks and weeks, and then when I finally give up, act all hurt like that? And then just — talk like she hates herself, like everything in the world is her fault and — how was I supposed to read her mind? Was she trying to make me feel guilty?" he asks plaintively.
Briar gives him a bop on the forehead with her index finger. "Well you were trying to do one. You want to drink keep it in Hogsmeade and do not do anything that will get our House in the hole. "Each girl is different. I don't know what's gone on with you two. But you can do better. So I want you to take ten deep breathes with me."
Augustin blinks at her. "That?" he asks. "That's just lemonade." He fumbles with the note it came with. "Well… the note doesn't say but…" he looks truly confused, but then he shakes his head. Doesn't matter. He takes the ten deep breaths.
Briar pat pats Gus on the head, giving him a sisterly little ruffle of his hair. "That's lemon aaaand booze honey. Can I see the note?" Her tone is that of a friend trying to help someone she cares about not get dragged into even more trouble than she is trying to gain evidence for taking away points. She breathes along with and uses a hanky to freshen up his face. "Now, repeat after me. I can do better. I am in control of my life. I have learned a good lesson." She gives his cheek a little rub. "Trust me, I know it hurts. You remember me after Kaiden. Things were a mess. But now I am with a guy that I know respects me and wants me, because the pain gave me strength to protect myself."
The note is pretty non-incriminating. There's not much to go by, other than a generic feel-better message. Not even a signature. He bears the hanky-face with good grace and sniffles a bit. "I can do better?" he says, more a question than a statement. "I am… in control of my life. I feel silly. I have learned a good lesson." He pauses. "What lesson?" He looks sad at her little story. "Want me to beat him up for you?" he offers loyally.
Briar chuckles and shakes her head at the offer. "Nah, not being with me is punishment enough. Same with her, or I'd offer…if I wasn't a prefect." She winks and ruffles his hair again. "You can do better. The lesson on what sort of girl isn't compatible or worth your time. Keep breathing sweets." The note as well gets slid into her pocket along with the flask.
Gus sighs and rubs his face for a second or two. "Dunno. She was perfect as far as my parents were concerned. And for a while I thought she was perfect, too." His face crumples. "I thought I must be doing something wrong if she can't spend time with me, you know? I thought… if I just do what she says, then she'll make time. But then I realized that if I was as important to her as other things, she would make time. And I hadn't done anything wrong we just… didn't work. Hell… Douglas and Medusa bloody Malfoy seem to have a better relationship! How is that right?"
Briar shakes her head, "You deserve to be loved, respected and to be treated as an equal. To be in a real relationship. Not be someones lap dog that gets ordered around and made to do tricks for visitors. You did what was right if that was the case Gus. Don't even get me started on MacFloy's relationship."
Briar uses air quotes with her fingers when she calls what Doug and Medusa have a "relationship".
"That's not… that's not how it was," Gus protests. "She wasn't like that. Didn't order me around. I didn't say it right." He shakes his head. "She was honestly sweet. Just… just distant, at the end. And I don't know /why/." he shakes his head again, this time with a fair amount of irritation. And he would say more but her use of "MacFloy" stops him. "Mac…Floy…" he repeats. And then he just kind of cracks up, because he's /tired/ of crying. "Stars and stones!" he gasps with helpless laughter. "MACFLOY! Bwahahahah!"
Briar grins and chuckles and looks a bit smug. It's a 'my job here is done' sort of look. "Alright, so she wasn't like that. Good. Cause I was about to say…" She ruffles his hair. "Go to bed darlin'. Sleep it off, you'll feel better in the morning. I promise, and slow minute by minute it will get better."
Augustin's laughter dies quickly, but at least he doesn't look quite so tragic, now. He closes his eyes and inhales deeply, then nods and looks at her. "Just… do me a favor?" he asks.
Briar stands up and bends over and smooches the top of his head. "What?" She straightens up and her expression makes it clear that he better not ask her to bend the rules. So she's wary when she asks for further details.
"Will you… keep an eye on Lillian for a while? Or have someone do? Just to make sure she doesn't… do something?" Augustin fidgets. "I don't even know what I'm saying. I just think it'd be good for her not to be left on her own for a while. 'Til she cheers up a bit more. She needs people around her."
Briar smiles and nods, "I'll talk to Lucian, he's very protective of those in his House. She'll be fine." A pat to his shoulder and then a squeeze. "Now skedaddle. Off to bed with you. No drinking strange fluids in anonymously gifted flasks either. I'll only dock you a couple of points for thinking you're Alice In Wonderland." She winks and then shoes him off towards the boys dorms.
Augustin stands up and nods at her, and skedaddles off as instructed, with only a grimace for the points docked. "I didn't /know/," he protests quietly, even as he shuffles toward bed.