[[OPEN]]Relax, be the Cloud in the Sky

[Lindsey Brechin]

Clouds rolled by as the lake reflexed the suns rays. Birds flew over and fish swam close to the water surface. The castle was seen in the land and you could see people practicing flying. Many were using this wonderful do to practice charms and stuff. The sun was hidden by clouds and then came back. People were just having a wonderful time ouside, and you could see it in there face. People looked around the lake, some set beside the lake shore looking deep into the lake. One was sitting under a tree

Lindsey set under a tree. Her hand crueled around a piece of paper. It was from her grandmother. Her friend's grandfather had died and Lindsey set there crying her eyes out. William her owl set on a branch to the side of her. He looked at her, he then clucked to her, or that is what it sounded like. She looked at him and gave him a pat full of love. She looked at him and then back at the paper. She read it.

Dear Lindsey,
It is good you are having a good time and that you have met a sweet boy, but we have some news, and no it is not good. Deedee's grandfather past on to heaven saturday. He had a heart attack I am sorry, love. Write back and I will give the letter to her if you wish.
Love
Grandmother

She looked at the letter and tears ran down her smooth face. Her eye lashes drupped with water from her blue eyes. Her blonde hair hung in her face. She did not know what to do, should she write her grandmother or Deedee. It was to much stress to deside. William nipped at the end of her hair and she looked at him. His black feathers shinned in the dark. She nodded and took out a bit of parcel, Writing feather, and some ink. She always took this with her.

Dear Grandmother,
Please tell her that I said I am sorry for her lost. I cried when I saw the letter and I was not sure if should write back right then, but I did anyway. Thanks for telling me, grandmother.
Love
Lindsey

She folded the letter and gave it to William who took off to the sky and headed to scotland. She knew it would take a few days depending on if he stopped along the way. She curled her legs up and looked at the lake

[Dorian Stratford]

That lake was a wonderful place, Dorian thought. And It was such a nice day. The sun was out, but it wasn’t too hot. Weather. Such a funny thing to be thinking about. But even so, Dorian couldn’t help enjoying the warmth. He knew it would be replaced in what seemed like no time with snow and winter chills. Years at Hogwarts always did seem to pass so quickly. Was he really already starting his fourth? And his brothers would be starting their first. He was happy about that. It meant they too wouldn’t have to abide their step father. But really, he just liked to see Kent squirm. Every time Dorian had mentioned anything to do with magic or Hogwarts, Kent got this funny look on his face, but he dared not say anything. He knew Aireal was fully supportive of Dorian, Josh, and Jacob attending Hogwarts. She didn’t seem to mind that the magic came from their biological father’s side. It was at times when he thought about this that he had hope that perhaps Aireal would ditch Kent, because she really still loved Damian Stratford, the man whose last name Dorian had kept.

Dorian lay in the lee of the slope behind the tree. It was shady and sheltered. A large bush had rooted itself deeply near him, and it lent him extra shelter. His view mostly consisted of the sky above him and a sweep of empty grass that led away to the greenhouses. Otherwise, the bush and the tree’s trunk blocked everything off.

A rustle and a swish of wings caused him to start. He looked wildly a moment before he spied an owl swooping away in the patch of sky he could see between the trunk and the bush. He supposed he must have been dosing, because only now he realized the unmistakable sounds of another person ‘round the other side of the tree.

Quietly and carefully, Dorian stood. He stepped nimbly up to the trunk and began a slow path around it. As he gained the last bit, his eyes showed him a small girl. Her back was to him and she was bent over her knees. He could not see her face, only a head of blonde hair, but he supposed her to be much younger than himself. Dorian didn’t know whether or not she’d noticed him yet. Perhaps she was just choosing to ignore him. He glanced upwards to where the owl was fast fading from view. He figured it to be hers, but for lack of anything to say, he asked any ways.

“Was that Your Owl?”

Dorian said in his usual, casual tone of speech. He didn’t mention it had frightened him. She didn’t have any business knowing that he was susceptible to fear. Honestly, the very thought.

[Lindsey Brechin]

She watched the owl fly off and leave her here by herself. She had the place to herself and she could think. She came here so happy and now she was sad. She was to sad to do anything. She was alway so happy and today she saw sad, she could think of nothing but her friend and she was not paying attiontion to everything. She did not care. Why am I here, why did I come, everything bad is happening and I am not there to help, Why in the Heck am I here She could only think like that

Her ears picked up a sound of twigs. She at first did not care and she just ignored it. It was just a aniaml was some kind or kids passing by not caring, why would she care, what was their to care for, She was to sad and mad at herself to care at the moment. She had nothing anymore. The one person she concidered a grandfather that was not in her family was dead. He had died of a HeartAche and she would never get to see him again.

He jumped at the sound of a voice. Her turned her head and pulled her blonde hair away from her face reveiling two blue eyes blood shot from crying. She had tears running down her face and she was open to anyone to talk to. She had to get this off her mind. She looked to the black owl flying off and she smiled a bit but it did not stay for long as she though of where he was going and who to. She looked back at the boy. She saw he was a gryffindor and wipped her face.

"Ya he is mine, he is send a letter to my grandparents" She said only that not knowing if he would ask about her tears, oh she did not care. She was just a girl who was sad and she knew someone would care about her. Only one cared for her and that was Deedee. Ya Marcel cared but not like her and know she was hurting and Lindsey was not there to help. She was so scared of what to say if he asked. Should she say the truth or not.

She turned her body around and looked at him. She looked to the horizon and William had vanashed. She knew he was on his journey. She then looked to the boy, and wonder if he would ever talk. He might just walk away like everyone eles. Only a few here would stay and try to confort her. She looked at him and saw in her heart sadness.

[Dorian Stratford]

(Sorry, this isn't very long)

Dorian waited for a moment as she turned around. He was right, she was younger than him. But something was out of place. He face was wet and her eyes were red and puffy. She’d been crying. Dorian felt his face getting hot with embarrassment. He shifted uneasily from foot to foot.

”oh… I’m sorry I didn’t mean to- I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

Dorian asked awkwardly. He half hoped that she would want him to go away. Didn’t people want to be left alone when they were sad? So they would wallow in self-pity or something? But Dorian couldn’t ignore that this was obviously not the case. She looked at him as f imploring him to say something. He wondered if she knew that she was making him feel guilty.

Oh heck. What could he say to make her feel batter any ways? He didn’t like this. Dorian wanted to turn around and just bolt, but he couldn’t. He hated talking about anything personal. Dorian floundered for a moment. He decided it would be best to just let her talk or something like that. He wondered for a moment what would happen if any of his friends saw him talking to a grief-stricken girl who he now suspected to be a first or second year. Dorian sighed. He moved forward and sat down on the ground next to her.

”What’s up?”

He noticed vaguely that she was in Gryffindor as well. He must have been paying less attention to the sorting than he thought, because he certainly couldn’t remember her name. Even so, Dorian didn’t eel that now was the time for polite introductions. He didn’t bother to look to the owl again, he knew it would have long disappeared by now. Grandparents huh? He figured there could only be so many reasons that she was crying over sending a letter to her grandparents. One of them hospitalized maybe? He wondered if they were wizards or if someone would be forced to recover in a dreary muggle hospital. But he didn’t say anything about that, he didn’t want to upset her further. He still felt rather nervous, and that was the last thing he needed.

[Lindsey Brechin]

Her hair went down her back in a wavy way. She stood her strong legs did not struggle to left her, and her arms were held by her side. She then bent over and grabbed her stuff of the ground and placed it in her pocket. She looked around and then turned back to the boy, after hearing his soft lyrics come to her ears. She opened her mouth to allow her soft lyrics to reach him, but they were alittle raspy after crying for a while.

"No you did not bother anything I was just reading something and I had just finished and wrote another letter to my grandparents" She said whipping her eyes and snuffling alittle. She could tell he was alittle shy and decided to just talk and help him get us to her. She let her lryics reach him again. "I am Lindsey Brechin a first year" She said to him smiling but it was not a real smile it was fake, she hoped he could woild not notice.

Her smile was whipped away at hiks lyrics that came, Whats up What a question. She was crying but she could not hold it agenst him, he was after all shy and she could tell that, so why not just tell him, maybe it would get it off her chest, but why did she always think that was the best thing. Was it just her normal way of thinking. Yea, just go ahead and answer that question that was her way of thinking.

"Well, I came here, happy and excited, found a wonderful Boyfriend, had a wonderful time setting in the library, then i get this letter from my grandparents telling me my best friends grandfather died, and I was really close to him." She looked at him, tears in her eyes and she could do nothing to stop them, she was to sad to think of anything, she was not ready for this crap, she leave and something bad happens, oh God, why me

She looked to the lake and back at the boy, she had to stop crying it would not help anything or anyone, Pawpaw was dead from a heartache what could she do.

[Dorian Stratford]

Dorian watched vaguely as she stood, only a little bit startled that her movements were not the least bit shaky. But her voice showed all was not well, it sounded dry. Dorian was reminded forcibly of three years ago when Aireal had told the twins they were moving to Britain. Dorian had not been happy, but he had not bawled as his brother’s had. Then cried so often during the first three days. They didn’t like to show it though. They’d run off to their room and come out an hour or so later, walking stiffly, eyelids still pink with tears. He flinched mentally, not visibly.

He was right, she was a first year. Her name was Lindsey. Alright, they were getting somewhere. But she was crying again. Dorian felt incredibly strange. This was one situation he knew he definitely never wanted to get himself into again. He felt almost guilty, but he knew he’d done nothing to make her cry. He wished she wouldn’t, he really did. Sure he understood that everyone cried at least once in their life, but did they have to do it in public? He supposed she couldn’t help it and he should stop thinking such insensitive things.

Wait, what? Her best friends grandfather? How did that work? He’d never even met most of his friends grandparents, let alone become close to them. Heck he hardly knew his own grandparents. She must have come from a very tight-knit living situation or something like that. He wouldn’t ask though, that didn’t much matter. Someone she knew had died. Dorian doubted he could make her forget about it, but the least he could do would be to help her a bit along the way.

”Ouch, that’s harsh.”

Dorian said, trying to sound as consoling as possible. He hardly knew what to say, so he turned his eye out towards the lake. It was glistening, as always. He saw flickers beneath the surface, hinting only obscurely at what lived beneath the gentle waves. He though for a minute before speaking again.

”When I was 7, my father was arrested for murder. I haven’t been able to speak to him since. It’s like he stopped existing. I don’t know what it’s like to have someone close to you die, but I figure that’s about the same thing.”

Dorian said this quietly, but with a determined edge. The subject had long since ceased to cause him much pain. It was a simple fact to him now, like saying that yesterday you went to the store. It didn’t change because you didn’t want it to happen. So Dorian had learned to deal with it. Perhaps Lindsey would too.

[Lindsey Brechin]

Wow, Arrested now that was harsh She though to her self. No her parents died when she was young and now she lived with her grandparents. Her mind was off wondering how it would be like if her father was arrested. Dang she would probabley kill herself. She would not be able to live. She was lucky she could live now with all this happening to her. She looked over at the Lake once more for the one hundredth time of her time here. She did not knwo how many times she had looked at the lake.

The lake was dark green in the middled and it rippled with a push of the wind. It looked like a sea monster would pop out but it didn't. The birds flew over and they reflected off the lake's surface. Of how she wanted to swim but sh heard even in the heat of summer it was freezing cold. oh how wonderful, Freezing cold, it can put me out of my misery She thought to herself as she saw the ripples hit the shore. It would be nice right now. Death so she could go and be with long lost friends and her parents. She looked over herself and then back at the lake. It always seemed so clean with the shimmering water.

Herself however was as messy as the dirt on her shoes. That was one thing she did not like about black robes. They showed every piece of dirt on her and she hated it. She returned to the boy beside her and wondered about his family. "My parents died when I was young, I only knew my mother was the witch. I leaved with my grandparents, and my friend Deedee, Lived with her grandparents that was why I am so close to her grandfather." There she got some of it off her chest but she still had the rest of ths school year before she could see her again. She leaned on a tree and wanted so badly to hang herself but she knew she wouldn't because how would she talk to Deedee when she got home.

"I never got your name?" She looked at the boy, her lyrics soft, but still dry from crying. She was getting over it slowly. She would take time. She looked around at all the other kids outside walked,talking, and having a good old time. Everyone was so happy around here, no one was sad. The only friends she had was Pandora, a slytherin girl, and her Boyfriends, Marcel. She looked at the faces she had met once or twice and the people she had not met yet. She saw people she had just heard about and people who rippled her skin, with anger or excitement.

[Dorian Stratford]

Dorian was surprised with himself. Fact or not, he’d opened up. In his three years here, the subject of his father hadn’t come up very often. People seemed to get the message just by the tone of his voice. That worked fine for him, but the subject would stay on his mind for hours after that. He knew now that he would leave this place today thinking about Damian, and the day he turned 18, when he no longer had to obey his mother. He would go talk to his father. Dorian knew he would be in for a surprise. Someone couldn’t spend the majority of their life in jail and remain unchanged. Dorian wasn’t stupid; he knew Damian wouldn’t want to reminisce about the times when they had drawn with chalk on Dorian’s walls, or played games out in the space between their house and the neighbors.

What would it be like? Would it be like in muggle movies, with a glass window between him and Damian, and he’d talk through a telephone. Dorian didn’t want to talk through a telephone. It wouldn’t be like how they used to talk, even when he was just seven. Dorian’s memories weren’t all that clear, but he recalled enough to recognize that he had never been closer to anyone than his father. He supposed it would be awkward, after all, they hadn’t spoken for 7 years, wouldn’t for another 4.Not unless his mother miraculously gave in. He felt guilty now, remembering that he hadn’t even asked her once this summer to go visit Damian. He had for all years before that, but this summer, it had slipped his mind.

Dorian brought himself back to earth, where Lindsey was now pseaking. ”… mother was the witch. I lived with my grandparents, and my friend Deedee, Lived with her grandparents that was why I am so close to her grandfather.” Yeah, unusual living situation, but not unheard of. Muggles did that a lot, died and left their children to whoever could best care for them, or sometimes not even that. He nodded understandingly. Oh yes! His name, he’d never said it had he?

”I’m Dorian Stratford.”

He said. He didn’t know whether he ought to add his last name, but it seemed more formal to him. Formality was his own way of taking his mind off of what they’d just been talking about. It brought him back to reality, to the place where he didn’t divulge personal information. Yes, time to change the subject. He looked over at her and smiled.

”So? You like Hogwarts so far?”

A feeble question perhaps, but he found that people often had a lot to exclaim or complain about when it came to school. Some teachers were okay, others worse than the devil. No one could deny that the food was great, but there was things that made eating un-enjoyable. Like drama between students, or a dreaded assignment was due. But he figured it was still early in the year, so any problems beside that person’s death were remote.

[Lindsey Brechin]

She looked up at him and thought for a second. Her mind was really on Deedee, She came back to reality when he said his name, but her mind was still on Deedee. She could see a blonde figure in her room, in a old old old house crying, not being able to talk to her best friends. She could see her in a church looking into a green box, her grandfather's favorite color, looking at her grandfather in a western shirt. She could see him, in a peaceful state. She could not beleive she could see that picture in her head, but she also saw a picture of a beautiful boat on a lake with a man in a white shirt fishing. It was her friends grandfather. She could see him fishing in the boat of the Lord.

She came to the reality. So? You like Hogwarts so far/ She looked at the castle and then at the lake and then around her. She smiled and though of her dorm and the great Hall. She thought of the lake and the clearing not far from her. She looked at the lake and it sparkling surface hiding the murky water. Do I like the school, What should I say It came to her mind one after anouther, She though of Daniel Todd. She had met him in the hallway, he was nice but she did not have his class. She looked over at the castle again and then at Dorian.

"It is nice, Alot of people, I love it but well, why do the students have to be seperated by houses," She said in a sweet voice, it seemed to be lossing it dry sound. It seemed to come back to life. She looked at him and then at the castle. "It is wonderful though. It is beautiful, the lake I would love to jump in but I think I would freeze" She said laughing alittle. That told you she was happier. She looked to the sky and saw a few owls coming from the owl tower. That is what she called it. The Owl tower, that was what it basically was. It held owls and that was it.

She shuffled her feet and looked at Dorian. She looked at the lake and back to the castle. "You want to go for a walk, I am getting bored standing in one place..." She said with a chuckle under her breath of life. She never wasted her life, it was a peice of her life that would yes oneday be gone from her and given to another speical life. She smiled, She wondered where Marcel was, her wonderful Boyfriend who she loved with a great passion. She waited for Dorian's Lyrics to come to her

[Dorian Stratford]

(crap post. Muse has left me for this thread now.)

Well at least she seemed happier. Dorian was thoroughly relieved. He didn’t want to have to go through that again. Even so, he half wished he could high-tail it out of there or someone else would show up the relieve the tension he was feeling just now. But Dorian stood up and smiled brightly at her, but he also looked dubiously over at the lake.

”Well that’s good. And yeah, you might freeze. I doubt the nurse would like having a patient so early in the year.” He paused for a moment before adding thoughtfully, ”And yet it always seems to happen….”

In actuality, on the very first day in his second year, one of his friends had pulled a nasty trick on him and had glued his tongue to the roof of his mouth with a well placed hex. Unfortunately, his friend hadn’t known the counter curse. He remembered very clearly the nurses disapproval of having to be told what happened between gasps of breath by one of his laughing friends. Turns out the counter curse had been rather simple. Dorian doubted that his friend hadn’t known it after all.

A walk? Well he supposed he could do that. But he had been away for a bit. They might be wanting him back in the common room by now, and he hadn’t had dinner yet. But he would feel sort of bad, leaving her here. He didn’t know had school had been going for her, had she made any friends, or what. He decided to stay for a bit. At least until dinner. Perhaps she’d see someone she knew and he’d have an excuse to get away. He felt rather rattled by the fact that he had spilt one of his darkest secrets to some girl three years younger than him that he didn’t even know.

”Where to?”

Dorian said, gesturing around. He very frankly didn’t care where they went, he was more concerned about conversation. He was ever more uncomfortable around Lindsey. It was sort of like babysitting someone’s kids, but you’d never met the kids before, and they were much to old for a babysitter any ways. It was a weird feeling of helplessness.

[Lindsey Brechin]

She looked at the castle and saw the time. Well dinner was aout to start. She though for a second of all the things they could do. She was going to see Marcel so they could just go threw the court yard and the to the dinning hall or they coul go to the common room and then head to dinner. She looked at the lake and saw some kids playing. oh no, All of the sudden a kid fell in the lake. They came out and they looked fine, They all ran up to the castle. Lindsey shock her head and looked up at Dorian.

"Well it is so close to Dinner, We could just walk to the great hall or the common room" She said watching the kids run up to the castle. "And the nurse may be getting someone anyway" She said with a laugh. She walked out into the sunlight and saw the kids go into the castle. She smiled and saw other kids going to the castle. She saw one teacher going up to. It was Professor Todd. He had a owl on his shoulder and it was a pretty white. He saw the kids and seemed to be laughing alittle. He walked on by and she looked back atr Dorian.

She headed up to the castle and motion for him to come. "Come on, I am going to the great Hall. " She said going up the hill. She looked back at him and then headed up. She did not know if he would join that was his choice and she was hungry and they were in the same house so she knew they would see more of each other. She made it to the bridge entrance and headed over the bridge. That was when a few kids ran by and she almost fell off the bridge but she caughter herself and watched them run. They seemed not to care.

She made it to the court yard and saw some friends. She waved to them and headed into the entrance hall. She was looking for Marcel and she wanted to see him. She had not seen him all day and she wanted to see him so badly. She looked back to see if she could see Dorian, but it seemed that he was not coming so she stopped and said Hi to a few friends and continued in. She looked back and gave a wave wondering if he would see. She made it in and looked for Marcel or some friends. She did not care

[Dorian Stratford]

(Alright, well if you want to post int he Great, hall, I'll post a reply there. Perhaps we can attract more people to rp with us there.)

[Lindsey Brechin]

Maybe < but I am heading to bed