| Details for The Worlds Fiercest Ferret |
| Summary: | Morgana runs into Silas as he sketches on the lake shore, and makes a new furry friend. |
| Date: | 1939-01-30 |
| Location: | Lake Shore |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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Late in the evening on a Thursday night, not even an hour after dinner, but well after dusk, and while the sky is clear, it's certainly cold. This, however, doesn't seem to be much of a bother to Silas, as he has an enchanted blanket below him. He's set up on the ground, the heat from the blanket having long since banished any snow in a small area surrounding it. Before him is a small easel, a little fold-out piece, on which a bit of parchment sits.
A small glow lamp sits beside him, giving light no inappropriate spells for this young wizard, after all. In his hand it a thin piece of charcoal, which he uses to sketch out the scene before him, capturing the lake, it would appear. A few crumpled bits of parchment lie on the blanket beside him, and in his lap, snaked between the buttons of his robe enough that only her head pokes out, is Adelaide, a white ferret.
It's not time to patrol yet, however Morgana has always been fond of the lake so she came down here to find some quiet time to herself. It's hard to mask her arrival, since her shoes are not quiet over the sand and gravel that make up the shore. Her grey cloak is pulled tightly around her, and her Ravenclaw scarf is blowing in the wind behind her. Spotting that the shore is already taken, she almost leaves, until she spots who it is.
For a moment, she just watches Silas work. Than slowly she'll come up behind him, leaning over to peer at the small easel. "Isn't it usually better to sketch scenery in the day time?" She asks with a faint smile.
"If you want a daytime shot," Silas offers in return, smiling slightly as a hand goes down to idly scritch at the furry head in his lap, "But moonlight shadows are so much more… subtle. It takes a much more practiced hand to get the nuance right, especially if you're dealing in only one color." He holds up the charcoal, evidencing fingers covered in the same. "I'm still… working on that. So I thought I would challenge myself tonight."
He finally looks over his shoulder, the smile on his face wide. This is clearly something that he revels in. "Care to join me?"
"I suppose that you have a point there." Morgana says as she looks over the picture. When she is invited, she'll nod her head, slipping next to him on the blanket and finding it pleasantly warm. "If you don't mind me sitting here, than I shall join you. I enjoy water, and I try to get out here when I can. It looks good so far." Not that Morgana is a huge art critic or anything. "How are you finding the challenge?" She'll pull her cloak tight around her as she settles in.
With a chuckle, Silas casually leans over in Morgana's direction as she sits down, a companionable shoulder-bump offered, before he goes back to the work, subtly darkening the shadows around a tree near the cliff-side. "I'm not happy with it… but it's coming out better than the last two tries. I'm thinking this one I'll be keeping, regardless of the outcome." Another smile, "I'll note, I'm never satisfied with my work, and have the artist's pessimism about my ability, so you'll find I often deprecate it."
A chittering comes from his lap, then, as the white, furry head turns its own gaze toward the unfamiliar newcomer. With a chuckle, Silas addresses the animal in French, "<Well, if you want her to say hello, ya nib, you'll have to come out and greet her like a proper lady. She's not going to reach down there to say hello to you, after all.>" It almost seems the ferret understands him, as a dissatisfied harrumph escapes her next, and her head flops back down on her leg.
"I get the same way with my music, at least when I've written my own stuff." Morgana replies, as she pulls one of the spare parchments from the ground and opens it up to see what he did not approve of. When he starts speaking French, she'll shake her head, but wait until the ferret comes out of his lap and to her side before she dares to pet it. "Hello Little Madam." She says politely, lightly petting Adelaide. "For a moment there, I thought you were telling her to attack me." She jests.
A brow arches as Morgana picks up one of the discarded bits. There's not much to see of it as different from the other, aside from a smudged tendril of something seemingly reaching out of the lake… it looks as if it might be the squid grabbing a bird from the air… but a thumb print mars in.
Adelaide eventually decides, as the hand comes nearer, to wriggler her way out of his robes to accept the offered attention, chuckles and clucks offered in response as she curiously sniffs the hand petting her. She doesn't leave his lap, though she does stick her neck out a bit.
"Nothing of the sort, actually. I was simply telling her that if she wanted attention, where she was would not allow for it." He grins, "Morgana, meet Adelaide. Adelaide, Morgana." He looks back at the older girl, "My fierce protector, this one."
"Perfection comes at a price, and that would mean your sanity." Morgana leans over to nudge him just a bit, not enough to jostle his pet. "Well if these are your rejects than I am excited to see the whole thing, once it is finished of course." Morgana offers. When Adelaide allows her to pet her, Morgana is very careful as she pets the white animal. "Ah yes, I fear anyone who gets in your way, you'll take care of any enemies won't you Adelaide, and it's a pleasure to meet you." There is an easy smile on her lips as she pets the critter.
At Morgana's tone, the ferret chirrups, her back arching slightly as she pulls back slightly, nipping at the tip of her fingers playfully, even bouncing a bit atop Silas's leg, "She likes you. This is the beginning of a war dance. Mind your feet, when she gets this way no toes are safe."
For Silas's part, he grins, "I will never be perfect… but it's the effort to get there that makes it all worth it. And frankly, I do people and animals far better.. but save drawing from memory, it's hard to find someone willing to just let me observe them for a while." He then shoulder checks Morgana again, "If you like them, though…. perhaps I can show you some of my portfolio one of these days."
"I'll be sure to keep my toes in my shoes." Morgana says, as her fingers are nipped at. Playing along, she'll wiggle her fingers just enough to keep them interesting for the farret to play with. "I am glad you realize that, it is something I have trouble telling myself sometimes." Morgana says in regards to perfection. "I've sat for someone before, for a sketch, if you really need a subject. It wasn't all that hard, so long as we kept the conversation going." Reaching down she'll smooth out her skirt before she continues. "I'd love to see it, when you get a chance to show me that is."
The ferret clearly loves the attention, enough so that she actually bounds off of Silas' lap, and into Morgana's, and without so much as a request barrel's her head directly into the girl's stomach, before bouncing a bit again, and then flopping there, baring her stomach with a chirp.
Silas can't help but laugh at this, but continues the conversation, "Oh, sat for someone else? Perhaps part of the Arts club that Adorabella keeps trying to get me to join?" He smiles, "I've never had anyone sit for me. Asked Jenny once, but boy did that backfire," a wry grin at the mention of the name, and it doesn't seem an unpleasant memory, but there's a touch of pain to it, too, as if he's bringing it up precisely to force himself to deal with it.
And then he grins, "There's a few in there I'm really proud of. I'll definitely have to show you someday."
Morgana laughs when Adelaide abandons Silas' lap for hers, obviously because hers is far more exciting than his. She'll wait until the ferret is settled before she starts to lightly scritch her exposed stomach, enjoying the attention as much as the ferret is. "This makes me miss Sebastian." That would be the cat that used to follow her everywhere, who has been absent since school resumed.
When prompted about who she sat for, there is the faintest blush that comes up her cheeks, and she shakes her head. "No it was something more private than that. Kaiden asked me to sit for him the last Hogsmeade weekend, and he did a very good job with the sketch." When he mentions Jenny she'll raise a brow. "How does posing for a sketch backfire? Well, unless you're posing with fire. But yes, show me your portfoilo this weekend, I'm sure we can find some time."
Without even thinking about where it meant his hand was going near, Silas reaches out, lightly grabbing the ferret by the muzzle with three fingers, and shaking it minutely, which clearly between the stomach-scritches and that action has the ferret in warrior-heaven.
"Ah. Private. At Hogsmeade. I see." A knowing grin is offered, and his brows even waggle, just a bit, although his tone is light. It even carries over as he explains the rest, "She thought I meant naked, to be honest. Which I wouldn't have been against, but wasn't my first intention. It's not like…" he shakes his head, leaving that statement unfinished, "But I'm sure her growing interest in Marcus was already brewing at that time, so it just… we left it alone and never broached the subject again."
Morgana isn't really thinking of where his hand is going either, since she is just busy pestering the poor ferret. "Are you going to let him do that to you! You are a fierce warrior!" By this time, she's using her animal voice, which is a little higher in tone than she would normally use.
At his brow waggle she clears her throat, and brushes some of her short hair out of her face. "Yes well." Is all she seems ready to say about it at the moment. However explanation of how his session went, she nods her head. "When I did it." She says, probably confirming Silas' assumptions. "It was all very professional, and it turned out really well. I mean, I know I am an attractive young lady, but to see how someone else sees me is… well I didn't expect it." There is an almost shy smile that crosses her lips before she shakes her head. "But it's not like what? You only had half of a thought there." She says, clearing her throat.
Silas chuckles at his pet's antics, but pulls his hand away after a moment, offering Morgana a light smile as his hand slides for a moment past hers, back to his own lap. Adelaide, of course, clucks and chitters along with everything Morgana says, mouth agape, teeth displayed as she plays at being ferocious.
There's a knowing smile from Silas, as Morgana demurs against his question, but he doesn't press. "You are, though." He says, in response to her claims of being attractive, "And that is one thing I think people should see, how the look in others' eyes. Physically or otherwise. It's another part of truth. Everyone sees their flaws, and only their flaws. Not the beauty within those very flaws. That's why one of my favorite sketches I did of Jenny was right after Alphard broke her cheekbone in Quidditch practice. She was so proud of that bruise." And so he had drawn it.
And then the other question came, "It's not like it wasn't something I could pull from memory. I mentioned that the Holiday had finished off well, right after things went to hell… and right before things fell apart. I think I had perhaps five days of actual, honest bliss… even if I was in denial for the few weeks after the fact."
He shrugs, "That I wasn't good enough for things to last longer is beside the point. Like I said… I think she was having doubts even then, so a simple idea was taken as something far more."
Still playing with Adelaide, Morgana reaches down to tap the end of her snout, very lightly. She does notice Silas' hand brushing up against hers, but she doesn't mention it. Perhaps she's just comfortable enough around him to not notice it being odd.
"That is very kind of you to say." She says in response to the compliment. "Still, even if someone does a fantastic sketch of them, wearing nothing, there will still be those who will never see that beauty." When he mentions his holiday finishing off well she'll raise her brow. "How well?" There is a light teasing tone to her voice before she continues. "Even if it was short, you should still embrace those few days that you had. That is what I have been trying to do."
At his last comment, she reaches up and taps the end of his nose, much like she did with Adelaide. "Hey, I don't want to hear you say that again. No more words like that, not even to yourself Silas." She says sternly.
Silas's smile doesn't fade, even as she chides him, but he does not, "We were alone. In France. And I at least thought we were in love. You can put the puzzle together from just that, and I'm sure you'll come up with an accurate picture." He frowns, looking away for a bit, the picture and the charcoal forgotten for now. He reaches down, grabbing a black cloth from his side, and starts cleaning the soot-covered hand.
"It may not be kind of me to say of myself, Morgana, but it's the truth. In the end, it came down to one of us making the world burn for her, and the other being so nice and the right choice but not enough to even spark a flame." He shrugs, "It was my first time. My first love. An experiment that became reality that I failed at. I've comes to grips with that… but it doesn't help me to lie to myself."
Morgana thinks about it for a moment before she shakes her head. "Not really going to picture that." There is a lightness to her tone as she continues to speak. "But I can understand where it may have lead." She'll focus on Adelaide for a moment, going quiet just to collect her thoughts. "In a sense, I can understand it. Than again, I'm a weak person when it comes to desire and lust and I find myself giving into it more often than I really should." Reaching over again, she lightly brushes at his hair, trying for a soothing gesture more than anything. "And if she based her fire off of your first time, than it was a waste. It was all a rush and flurry the first time I did it, and I wasn't even sure if I was in love, and I know now that he was not."
Silas nods at her statement, and he actually leans into the touch. It's not so much an affectionate thing. Not for him. He went from no one touching him, to a friend who understood just how much he needed constant human contact.. to a place in between that almost seemed to devoid of it again. He smiles at Morgana again, "Oh… no. Not that. I fumbled at first but I'm apparently at least talented. No… it was… me. Just me. I can't explain it more than that. The physical was fine, but she needed something more. I don't know if it was danger or challenge or what." He sighs, "I never thought being told you're perfect and comfortable could be an indicator of not being right."
Morgana moves a little closer, at least to give him that extra bit of comfort even if she has to jostle the poor ferret while she does it. "You don't need to explain it further, because I do understand that feeling, all too well." She is still trying to be comforting, but she cannot hide the pain in her voice in that statement. Pursing her lips, she'll shake her head and sigh. "Comfortable is that pair of pajamas you love, but don't want anyone to see you in, and perfection, doesn't exist. If what you said earlier means anything. I'm not trying to analyze it, or ruin that moment for you, but…" Morgana sighs and shakes her head. "She isn't worthy of you, and even if I say it too you a thousand times, it won't sink in, until you're ready for it to."
"She's still my friend," Silas offers, leaning as she shoots forward, open at least in that silly little need. And Adelaide? Senses something in him in that moment, and scrabbles to crawl up his robe and wrap around the back of his neck, chittering for a moment conversationally at Morgana as she does so.
"Always will be. It's just different now." He chuckles, "I'm focusing again, though… and that doesn't help anything. I know." He then pauses, thinking back to something said earlier. "You shouldn't think yourself weak, either… as long as you know who you are, and where you stand afterward. My earlier teasing about your harem now seems a little callous in afterthought."
"I know, which is why it's hard for me to say such things, but I felt like they needed to be said." Morgana says with a shrug, chuckling at Adelaide as she tries to hold a conversation. "She's very perceptive." Morgana says, reaching up to lightly pet the farrett before she continues. "I'm finding it very hard to going back to being friends. Not after I opened myself up like that, it's hard to close it all off." The last part about her harem causes her to shake her head. "It needed to be pointed out. However, I'm still trying to figure out who I am. This.. really knocked me off my feet, and I am struggling between what I need, and my desire to just mask the pain with something else."
"To not have that connection… to not be able to be friends during or after…" Silas shakes his head again, a hand scratching at the talkative ferret, "I can't imaging how this would have gone were there not that. I'd still have hurt… but I think the knife would have gone in so much deeper." He then pauses, and looks directly at Morgana, "But you know who you are, already. I think you're just not willing to embrace it. You're Morgana. She who must not be called Mo. Head Girl, Wise One. Probably a wise ass when you let your hair down."
He smiles, and shows her the back of his right hand, the scars from where he'd hurt himself several weeks back still there, "I think sometimes, you're like me. You worry the wound open again and again, thinking somehow it'll heal differently… not realizing it's already ready for the bandage to come off."
"Sometimes I think it would be easier if I hated him." Morgana starts. "Knowing that as of this moment, were I asked, I'd drop everything and still be by his side. That's a weakness I am going to have to get over, so I can move on. Or at least convince myself that moving on is what I want." When he starts listing things off, she shakes her head. "You've state my name, my title and an observation, those are hardly who I am." Shaking her head she nudges him a bit. "I don't even understand where people get Mo from, It's not even the first syllable of my name.
When he shows off his scars, she carefully runs her fingers over them. Her touch is lighter than a feather, and she nods as he speaks. "Right now, I worry about salt being poured in the wound, and having no way to avoid it."
"They're simple things. But in the end, they are who you are, your core." He grins, "The point being you already know who you are. It's just a matter of if you accept it." Double meaning, coming from him, and what he's confessed to feeling about himself. At her bump, he bumps back, but doesn't retreat from the contact, "And it's the first letters. Mo sounds better than Mor or Morg. But I like short names. Like Sy, for me. It's… it says that you're beyond just being schoolmates."
The touch on his knuckles get a smile. "That's what I'm trying to say, though. Sometimes we open them back up, because we don't know they've already healed closed. The salt is a risk… but what have you and I ever really learned in life without risk? Where would I be, if I didn't finally take some risks a few months back? I've had a world of experience… in so little time. Bring the salt, if it means I'm alive."
"Or maybe I am changing, that does happen now and again." Morgana comments with a shrug. "I am sure the answer to that is only time, and it is my least favorite answer." Feeling that he hasn't pulled away from the brief contact, she decides to stay there as well, and and even continues to trace over those scars on his hand. "If you're wanting something more familiar, you can call me Ana, it's what my grandparents call me. My mother uses Morgie." Those last words are spoken with a very dark tone, and it's easy to tell that she does not like it.
His final words bring a brown and she shrugs her shoulders. "All my risks have ended in pain Sy." She say, trying out the new nick name. "Is it wrong of me to be so cautious? To be scared to do it again. To have the same thing happen to me, twice in a row it's just…" She lets out a sigh, shaking her head. "I know it's foolish but… I just want to feel good, with out that twinge of fear that it will all happen again."
"Ana," Silas repeats, nodding, "I like the roll of it. And you can change, but be the same. Because who you are is a good thing. I like to think of it as growth instead. Improvement." He offers a light chuckle, and his gaze goes back over the water, his hand remaining where it laid, even as Adelaide senses the reduction of attention she's getting, and so burrows in under his collar.
"I understand that fear. It speaks a lot to where I am. Worry that I'll always be that one. That just as I wasn' good enough for one, the next will pass me on the moment something better comes along. But I think even you would tell me I can think that way… so you need to take you r own advice, even if you haven't actually given it, yet."
And then, he goes silent, stock still, his other hand laying itself atop the hand touching his knuckles. "Look!" And his gaze goes to the lake itself, where movement under the surface begins to bubble a bit, and a low-flying bird flying too close to the surface is captured by the same tentacle in his earlier picture. Silas looks at it with awe, grinning ear to ear. Only a Slytherin…
But with that, the two sit for a while, perhaps in silence, perhaps in hushed conversation… but it's companionship. And that's a good thing.