| Details for Happy 101 |
| Summary: | Melody gives Myrus his first lesson in How To Be Happy. |
| Date: | 1 October 1939 |
| Location: | Lake View Louvre, Hogwarts |
| Related: | Melodies in the Fog |
| Characters |
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It was a cool afternoon. Right after classes today and Myrus decided to forgo studying. Le gasp! What a rebel! Ok not really, he was merely feeling like mulling about his own mind for a bit as opposed to in a book. Words melded together and nothing made sense for moments at a time lately. Stress from all the situation was just a touch overwhelming, but he had to go on.
And on he shall go to sit on one of the ash seats on the Lake View Louvre. Noone else seemed to want to enjoy it today, only because the breezes it picked up occasionally were a touch bitter today. And Myrus didn't mind. So here he sits, quietly pondering.
Melody had been out on the grounds for a while after class, sitting in her favorite spot under the tree with a safe view of the forest's edge, playing her flute. On a whim she decided to tuck her instrument away early and have a wander about the castle. She's stopped to talk to a few other students, but her conversations don't tend to last overly long. Either her attention wanders, or the people she's talking to get lost in her round about thought process.
Like a ghost in school robes, she drifts into the Louvre, her feet making the barest shuffle on the wooden boards beneath. A gust of wind tugs at her hair and robes, and she turns so that it's blowing the blond strands away from her face rather than into it. It's then that she spies Myrus, her head tilting as her usually vacant eyes settle on him. "Hallo there, Lowe," she greets in her oddly musical voice. "Isn't it a lovely day?"
Myrus looks up from where his eyes were tracing grain lines on the floorboards of the Louvre, seeing Melody there. "Hey, Abernathy," he conversely music-lacking tone or really anything chipper at all at the moment. "What brings you up here?" He still hadn't put together that she was the one that played the flute some time ago in the fog.
With her flute tucked away in her robes, it's not likely that Myrus will be putting it together immediately. Even after years here, few have seemed to notice her penchant for music. They're likely too busy seeing her as 'not quite all there'. Her smile comes as he replies, and she steps over to look out on the grounds, leaning against the wall. It's a wonder her words aren't snatched away by the wind as she replies. "I was having a wander about, and this is where my feet brought me." She turns, a graceful spin, to look at him. "You're up here alone," she states obviously, wide brown eyes on the dark haired boy.
Myrus nods to her speak of how she got here. He was about to say something, but her comment-question-not-sure-what-it-is about him being here alone could have meant a few things. He's alone here, so now she's here alone with him. Or that he's here alone, as in noone else really wanted to be up here. Or he didn't want anyone here, and she'll soon leave. After what seems minutes, but was actually a scant few moments, Myrus responds to her, "Not anymore, you're here now." It's said with a small smile to her. If she wasn't quite all there, whatever -was- there is of a nice girl that doesn't really deserve rudeness. And Myrus isn't cold hearted. Mean at times, but to those that might deserve it more than they think.
That wide smile blooms again. "I am," Melody agrees. She drifts over, sitting near to Myrus without infringing on personal space, a lesson she's learned in her years here at school. "Why were you all alone?" It's an innocent enough question, coming from her, and she looks interested in what his answer will prove to be. She's spent years in classes with Myrus, although they've not known each other well, and has observed much more than most realize.
He looks at her without any regard to 'ohnoes he's staring', but keeping eye contact seems to be one air of his that puts people on edge most of the time. Or that's part of how he can be stern seeming even if he's not trying. Or.. for better or worse, seem closer to someone or more interested.
"If I had to guess, I would say because noone else wanted to come up here today. Except you." His own little smile.
There isn't really much that puts Melody on edge. It's debatable whether she even has an edge, or is just all safely rounded surfaces. She even holds Myrus' gaze for a span of a few moments, a feat seldom accomplished. But not many have the young man's talent for holding a direct look. "It's lovely here when it's windy," she notes in her dreamy way. "Like flying." Not one to sit still for long unless she's playing, Melody stands again, holding her arms out as a gust of wind blows through, letting it billow her robes.
Myrus nods a little. "I prefer when it's calm and I can watch the mists down on the water dance around the rocks and the cliff walls." He stands as well after watching her stand like an egyptian goddess on top of a pyramid when the winds of change come calling. Myrus walks to the edge of the Louvre and looks down at the waters below. "When it's calm, less noise to drown out my thinking. I guess it's good that today it's a little windy." He turns around, and leans against the wall.
When the wind stills again for the moment, Melody lets her arms drop, turning a full circle before her attention is back on Myrus. She crosses to where he stands, looking down as he did, watching the water now instead of him. "Do you not want to hear yourself think?" she asks without shifting her eyes away from the water.
"Sometimes I don't. Because my mind can be a very dark place." Why did I just tell her that? Myrus shakes his head a bit, and turns around to look down at the water with her. "If I can't hear myself think, I can't follow those thoughts to where they may inevitably go sometimes."
"You need to think of something lovely," Melody says, her words nearly taken by another strong breeze. She leans into it, balanced precariously for a moment, settling back fully onto her feet as the wind dies again. Her head turns suddenly, hair shifting back from her shoulder, eyes landing unerringly on Myrus' profile. "What makes you happy?"
Happy?
Russ lifts his eyes to look at Melody with that unwavering gaze as he had before. His mind reeled with her question, backtracking to Esther. Was he happy then? Or just comfortable?
Such a simple question that forsook all he knew before of what happiness was. This is one of those dark places he need not go right now.
Why lie? "I.. I really don't know." He enjoyed cooking. But that was just because he knew he did it well enough that the food tasted ok and he could have what he wanted when he wanted it. He likes studying charms and animals. Dragons are more of a passion.
But happy? Myrus can't think of anything that made him really happy.
Big brown eyes hold on Myrus, watching him as he goes through his thoughts. She learns a lot from reactions, things that other people are too wrapped up in other things to catch. Her smile has faded naturally, her lips parted to show those slightly large front teeth, and when her smile returns it's more gentle. "You ought to know that." She stays in place for a moment longer, peering at Myrus, then she turns as the wind picks up, letting it blow her hair foward into her face. "What do you like?"
"I like studying dragons and charms. I like cooking. I like quidditch." He goes through a list out loud, the same one he went through his mind silently a moment ago, adding Quidditch on the end of it haphazardly. "Those do make me happy.. but it's-" he trails off, chewing the inside of his bottom lip after a moment, going back to tracing the wood grains below their feet, forehead resting on the wall as the wind picks up again, his own robe catching a gust and billowing out behind him almost ominously.
Melody sways slightly, standing so she can see Myrus from the corner of her eye, not looking at him directly again. "It's……?" she lightly prompts. Her head tilts, as if she's listening to something. Perhaps it's music in her head, or the whistle of the wind, or the sound of Myrus thinking. Or she's just waiting for his answer, her eyes focused on some distant point.
"It's.. missing?" He seems confused now himself. "Like, there's something I'm missing that can't figure out what it is." He seems to be getting frustrated now, and he returns to his seat, flopping into the chair like a sack of rocks, sighing and leaning his head back to look at the roof of the Louvre, wind pushing a single, small tuft of his hair around on his forehead.
For another few seconds Melody sways, letting the wind tug at her hair and flap at her robes, before she executes another sudden turn and glides over to stand before Myrus. "Do you know how?" she asks, a cross between concern and curiosity. "I don't think everyone does. Some have to learn."
He lifts his head up to look at her standing over him for just a moment, and he scoffs at her! "You think it would be so difficult right now if I could figure it out?" Some crass derision in those words. Like she was asking questions to which everyone already knows the answer.
Melody's reaction to this outburst would infuriate some people, because there's really no reaction. She stands placidly, her demeanor unchanged, not unused to patience being lost with her, but she has enough patience for a dozen Myruses. "Do you know how to be happy?" she asks, stating her question more clearly. As soon as she asks, she drifts away again, moving to the sunny side of the airy space and turning her face upward, eyes closed, to bask for a moment.
Myrus continues the one-sided-ish conversation by himself. Apparently up here he feels comfortable, apparently with her he feels comfortable, one would think. "I thought I did. Whenever I make a choice, the world has a way of working things out exactly anti-productive to the choice I made. Not that I make the wrong choices, but it feels like no matter what I choose, immediately after that the other choice ends up being the better pick. I just feel.. used, but I don't know by who."
As Myrus talks, Melody stands in the sun, soaking in the warm rays and his words. Her dreamy voice floats out, "You can't be happy if you always want the something that you haven't got." There's a pause, and then she giggles. "Wow." She turns, one hand gesturing, beckoning Myrus to come closer. "Come here and feel this." If he does, she'll step aside, half out of the beam of light, so he can stand next to her.
Russ lifts his head again to look at her, and shifts to stand quickly, "Sure, whatcha got?" Quick to dismiss what she said about unable to be happy if he wants what he hasn't got. But if noone worried about what they wouldn't have, wouldn't everyone be happy where they are and no progress ever made?
Myrus steps up next to her to put his face in the warm sunlight. He has to wince against the light in his eye, but the warmth on his face was apparent. "What am I feeling now?"
Melody takes a liberty of reaching to Myrus' arm, turning him just the tiniest little bit to give him the full light of the sun. Satisfied that he's positioned perfectly, she turns her face back to the light as well, and shuffles a step closer, leaning just slightly, so her face is fully illuminated. "Close your eyes," she says, her arm a light pressure against his. She lets silence fall again, her deep breaths quietly audible. "It's so warm. Doesn't it make your skin tingle?"
Myrus watches her as she turns him without argument, watching her lean in just enough to get her face fully in the sunlight as well. Upon the order to close his eyes, he smirks just a little, faces the sun and closes his eyes.
The arm pressure against one another is noticed, but not acted upon. "Yeah," and subconsciously, he leans just a little into her, the back of his hand unwittingly pressing just so against the back of hers.
Their height difference is only the matter of a few inches, and it's a fairly comfortable mutual lean, at least to judge by Melody. She's not inclined to move just yet. There's a sniff through her nose, then another, a rather puppy-like scenting of the air. "You can smell Autumn. It's damp. It makes the sun feel especially nice." As of now, the pair have likely topped the amount of words they've really said together in these whole six years of school.
Myrus' hand pulls back from contact with hers and stuffs itself into his robe pocket, still leaning against her. "It's the season of harvest. Fruition. Reaping what you sow, and all that. Guess that's something to look forward to. Lots of pumpkin pies." It was a less-than-effective joke on himself to try and lift his own spirits, and he just smirks and shakes his head at himself. He hardly even realizes his eyes are still closed.
Melody's lips curve in her wide smile, and she whispers, "Think less. Feel more." As if Myrus could think less? She has no idea if he's capable of turning his brain off. It's always seemed to her that he has a brain full of thoughts at any given moment. She may use the ability a bit too often, but it's nice to just turn it off sometimes, and be. Her head tips to the side, resting against Myrus' shoulder for the span of a few seconds. "The sun," she murmurs. "The wind."
His eyebrows furrow with his eyes still closed. He feels her head resting on his shoulder now. And his face starts feeling warmer than it was a moment ago. His smile turns into a grin and moments pass before he leans his own head lazily to rest his cheekbone and temple against the top of her head. "The mist.." he continues, again, trying to put brainpower behind everything, "..the company." His smile can be heard through the words, just that slight upturn of the tone in his words.
Melody can, indeed, hear the smile, the difference in his tone from a few minutes ago, and it makes her hopeful, that he's found a moment of happiness. Her typical distraction has stilled; normally she'd have drifted off as something else caught her attention, but it's a nice moment and she's happy herself to stay here for just a bit longer. Finally, she breaks the silence again. "What's your favorite thing to cook?" She doesn't move yet, just asks the question.
"Hmm.." he hums as he thinks for a few moments. "Probably pasta, if I had to choose one." He'd made dinner for the family before. Punishment for something stupid. Myrus' demeanor goes back to some frustration after he answers, body tensing ever so slightly standing there.
Leaning against him, Melody can feel that change, even slight as it is. She sighs softly and straightens, turning to face him. "You thought," she says lightly. "But that was good for a bit. Practice." There's an earnestness to her words that isn't something often heard from her, and she smiles.
He has a sheepish smile on his face as if to say 'oopsie' when she chastises him in her own way. Eyes opened now and looking at her, he nods with the compliment that he did well. And again at the command to practice. "I'll try," he says, and smiles weakly at her.
Even weak, it's a smile, and her own broadens. The light dreaminess is back in her voice when she offers, "I can practice with you, if you want company. You'll likely need reminders not to think so much." There's a gleam in her eyes as she says this, an easy, companionable tease.
Myrus feels he'll see her again. He purses his lips holding back a grin as he looks up and away to 'ponder', "Hmmm… I think I can take some more tutelage on the subject of not thinking.. and the company. But, how will I ever repay you, Miss Abernathy?"
"Oh…" Melody says, drifting away a few steps, then looking back, "We'll think of a way. Something always comes up." It's not said like a proposition of something scandalous, but as a suggestion of what she believes. Something always comes up. Her steps are light as they take up again, and she wanders a seemingly aimless circle of the room. Still some distance from Myrus, she stops again, looking at him with that curious head tilt of hers. There's a beat, and then she says, "I'm going to go study."
Myrus' eyes follow her around the room. He nods to her statement about things seeming to work out like that. And he remains quiet until she says she's going to go study. All he can do is just hold up a hand with a little wave to her whilst saying, "Ok." Even if she hasn't left yet. Something about her just seems.. oddly mesmerizing in some way. Maybe it's how she carries herself, so aloof.
Melody stands a moment longer, then her smile lights abruptly. "See you in charms tomorrow, Myrus," she says brightly. Her steps are quicker, but still not hurried as she exits the same way she entered. In a few minutes, if Myrus lingers in the Louvre, he might hear the notes of a flute rising on the wind, the cheerful song she was first playing the last time they 'met' in the fog.
Nope, Russ wouldn't stick around much longer. He'd be off to his dormitory because he still had studying to do himself. It was charms anyway. He was almost a natural at it. But when he was walking through the hall to the Ravenclaw common room, he caught the sound of that flute playing far off in the distance. Echoing through the halls.
He still has no clue it's Melody playing it.