Absit Omen RPG

Ayla smiled gently when Zeta didn't offer any affirmations towards there being something wrong with her. All she needed was a distraction. Usually that would mean writing in her journal but she didn't want to pick up the little pink book right now as she had just been using it to communicate with the suddenly mute Slytherin.

She rolled to her side when Zeta sat on her bed with her and propped her head up on her elbow. She felt a blush touch her cheek as Zeta relented that their ancestors were likely indulging in a distraction similar to Ayla's own dilemma. When the lyrics rang out and Zeta cursed Ayla let out a loud laugh and fell back again.

"The universe is officially against me." At the very least, this actually was helping her feel better, "Maybe I do need a distraction, sappy love songs not withstanding." She animatedly tapped her finger on her chin in a show of thinking.

Ayla was good with a boycott. It made sense to her and it was always the go to thing people did in movies and TV. They also could have easily got a lot of people on board with it, spread the word to the whole upper class not to shop at Zonko's during the next Hogsmeade trip but a Protest?

Ayla kept smiling for Zeta's sake but her eyes were worried. She simply couldn't do a protest. There were so many factors to consider, many she likely wouldn't have ever thought of had this come up the first time she had been in SAWS. The fact of the matter was, Ayla was an adult now and her actions had adult consequences even if she still had another year and a few months left at Hogwarts.

On one hand she had her future to consider. She was planning on spending her summer doing some networking and scouting locations for her shop. She was aiming to open up in Diagon but if there simply wasn't the real estate she'd have to look at Hogsmeade. Considering her entire business model was making enchanted sweets how was it going to look if she was one of the front runners of protest against exactly that. Obviously none of her own creations made you look like a werewolf but she didn't think it would take a reporter much of a leap to see it as knocking out competition. Even though she wasn't established much beyond a permanent vendor at the Winter Festival this sort of thing could come back to haunt her in the years to come.

Then there was her Dad to think about. Though it was something she didn't really talk about much - as it rarely affected her day to day life - her father was a foreign diplomat, an Ambassador for the Ministry of Magic. It had always seemed crazy to think about when she was younger but anything she did in the public eye could reflect poorly on not only her Father but her home country as well.

In the end though, she didn't want to let her friends down and based on Zeta's list of three things, it sounded like she could still help out without actually being in the limelight.

"They form lettered you?!" Ayla had of course instantly looked up when Zeta called out her indignation. She had leaned over across the table they were studying at to read the letter upsidedown.

"Why is condescending Pat on the head even an option?"

While she hadn't been entirely convinced that their letters to the joke shop would have been enough to get the product removed she didn't think any of them expected the response to be this!

She felt a burn of rage start to boil up inside her. This just wasn't cool. They couldn't just treat them like children throwing a tantrum. Sure, they were still in Hogwarts but most of the sixth and seventh years that were involved were legally adults now and they deserved to be treated as such.

"So we're boycotting them now right?"

Ayla had been really looking forward to the Hogsmeade weekend. She had found it hard to focus on very little else, much to her Professors' chagrin. She was surprised she had managed to make it through the week without landing in detention. She had an eager spring in her step as she approached the popular hot spot. It wasn't hard to spot her surrogate sister and threw herself into the proffered hug.

"Thanks!" She absently touched her turquoise curls, which she had managed to pull back into a waterfall braid, "It wasn't by choice but it could have been much worse. Peeves" she rolled her eyes, the only explanation needed for what had happened to her hair.

Ayla took a seat and a sip of the Butterbeer, waving off the offer to order something else, "how have you been?! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

It was nice being with Fauna again. The constant stream of thought seemed to have quieted, at least for now. She knew that once things got underway she'd be a non stop flow of anxiety and concern about her current situation but at least she could be polite to her friend first.

Ayla stayed flopped on her bed and splayed her arms out to her side, her legs hanging off the edge as she was positioned width wise rather than lengthwise. She stared at the top of her four poster, the canopy overhead had been charmed to look like a swirl of stars.

"Godric, I wish I knew." She squeezed her eyes shut and tried hard not to think about it but there was no getting the sight of him out of her head, "With Blake it made sense, you know? He's actually a fantastic guy and even Xavier, I could put that into words, most of which includes hormones. Alistair . . ." She stopped herself, that one was still too fresh and hurt too much.

"For all intents and purposes there should be absolutely nothing that's drawing me to Rigel and yet, here I am! Once again consumed by a guy I have no business liking!" She pushed her head back to try and see Zeta upside down, "I need help, perhaps professionally."

Ayla felt both guilty and vindicated by Zeta's reaction. She knew if anyone was going to understand how torn she was in that moment, it would be her room mate. Zeta had been there. She had been there when Kyson had spewed his own werewolf fueled vitriol and Rigel had defended him. She had been there when he had infiltrated SAWs and verbally attacked Lucinda.

Then again, she hadn't been there when Ayla had checked in on Rigel in the library, she hadn't been there* when Rigel had held her when she was terrified of the Forbidden Forest and she hadn't been there only minutes ago when the regularily composed Slytherin had cried.

Ayla flopped down on her bed, pulling her journal out from under her. Resisting the temptation to look at Rigel's half of their conversation again, she tucked it under her pillow.

"Apparently Professor Greyfriar?" She turned her head to look at Zeta, "He took his voice. He can't talk for two weeks."

"Which honestly made the whole kiss thing kind of romantic." She said softly before growling in frustration again, "I feel like I'm losing my mind."

---

*Ayla doesn't know Zeta had snuck into the CoMC class with the mooncalves

Ayla's head snapped up when Zeta started clapping at her. She bit her lower lip, her eyes wide and she suddenly regretted saying anything. Only because she knew that once she started she didn't think she'd be able to stop.

"I kissed Rigel."

She took a deep breath steeling herself for the inevitable word vomit, "Well he kissed me, but he asked and I said yes and now I'm kinda regretting it only because of who Rigel is like I shouldn't be liking him AT ALL, especially after how he treated Lucinda but I can't help myself, when it's just the two of us he's super sweet and kind and flirty and AH!"

She leapt up from her spot and started pacing again, running her hands through her hair, "But he's a Slytherin and a complete jerk to so many other people and he came to see me, crying, cause Professor Greyfriar had hexed him which obviously means he must have done something really bad for the bloody Headmaster to have hexed him."

"I'm cursed! That's what this is. Doomed to fall for no good Slytherins again and again and again."

When Zeta entered the room she paused her pacing momentarily and watched her roommate head to her own four poster. As the other Hufflepuff changed into something more comfortable Ayla started pacing again.

"No." She shook her head, "no no no no no." She answered in quick succession. At the mention of her current source of worry, Ayla looked from Zeta to the discarded journal on her bed and back again before remembering that she had been talking about Storm's assignment.

"You look like you're going to explode like a Snap card."

"I think I just might." She crossed over to her own bed and climbed atop her trunk, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them, "I just did something bad. I mean really bad."

She looked up at her friend from her current position, "like, I don't think I've ever done anything this bad before. Not throwing Butterbeer at Baxter, or accidently enchanting Percy, or kissing Xavier on the school cruise or walking out on Alistair-" she stopped herself, "okay maybe not as bad as walking out on Alistair but pretty damn close!"

She couldn't remember if she had told Zeta about any of her past transgressions. She certainly hadn't told anyone about what had happened between her and Alistair over the summer but she figured the list of her sins now would be enough to impress upon Zeta just how serious this matter was.

Ayla quietly entered the sixth years' dormitory. It was pretty late and she wasn't sure if her room mates were still awake or if they had even made it back to their room yet. It wasn't unusually to see the older girls pushing their curfew in the library working on their homework.

She threw her journal on her bed and started pacing the room. She was full of pent up energy, her mind racing as she replayed the events of earlier over and over in her head. Had she just made a giant mistake? Was history truly doomed to repeat itself? She felt like she was cursed to fall for no good Slytherin boys again and again no matter what she did or how much she decided to distance herself.

She ran her hands through her turquoise hair. She needed to talk to someone about this. She needed help or advice and another letter to Fauna just wasn't going to cut it this time (especially considering the last two had already been about Rigel and her conflicted feelings for him) She didn't think she'd be able to hold out until the next Hogsmeade weekend when she could talk it all out with the former Hufflepuff. She needed to do something now before she exploded!

She let out a loud frustrated growl.

Ayla leaned against the wall and steadied her breathing. She watched him work through his own emotions, desperately wishing they had waited until he could fully communicate with her. Then again the moment had been perfect in it's own way.

She took the journal back from him and read his message. She chuckled playfully, "I don't think Zeta and Osha would appreciate that." She gave him a wink.

She thought about the implication of him wanting to stay in her bed with her. Ayla had the sudden realization that they were both adults and interactions like this were likely to become common place for her. She had turned Seventeen back in November and Rigel would be Eighteen soon enough.

Ayla got to her feet and helped Rigel to his. She draped her arms around his neck again and gave him another soft peck, "I should actually get back." She paused looking over his slightly reddened cheeks and bloodshot eyes, suddenly remembering why he had come to her in the first place, "as long as you'll be okay?"

Ayla closed her eyes and let him guide her through the kiss. Sitting on the stone floor outside the Hufflepuff House wasn't exactly the most comfortable setting for a first kiss but she wasn't complaining. A little readjusting and she was able to drape her arms around his neck as they continued.

She tried to clear her mind and focus on the task at hand but it was hard. Her thoughts were racing a mile a minute, most of which were concerned about what happened next. She didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to guys. The closest she had honestly come to having a boyfriend was Alistair and she had mucked that all up by walking out on him the morning after.

When he pulled away, he was smiling. She smiled back and licked her lips trying to steady her breathing. She wanted more, she realized. Not just more kissing, more of everything. She found herself scared of the thought, nervous about history repeating itself.

"Thank you." She said softly, biting her lip as she ordered her thoughts, "you're a good kisser."

He was smiling so she must not have messed up too badly but then he was laughing? At least it looked like he was laughing but there was no sound coming out. Without being able to hear it she couldn't tell if it was a gentle laugh or a cruel one. She doubted it would have been cruel, he had been smiling so much. At least he was happier than he had been only moments before.

She looked at his next note and her brow knitted together for a moment. She didn't know what the word meant. She had heard it before but wasn't able to put a definition to it. She wasn't sure it was one that was usually paired with the word cute. Then again he had called her cute and she decided that was the better word to focus on.

Ayla smiled back at him, curiosity piqued as he scribbled something out. When he turned the notebook to her again with his simple question she knew her blush was back. She suddenly found herself thinking of all the boys she had kissed before. None of them had actually asked her, they all sort of did it. Aleks, her muggle boyfriend from back home, then there had been Xavier - who was very big on just taking what he wanted even long after they had stopped dating - Percy whom she had accidently charmed and finally an entire summer of mad make out sessions with Alistair.

She felt warm and nervous and queasy and she suddenly realized she was taking too long to respond again, "oh um yeah." She chuckled softly and tucked a turquoise lock of hair behind her ear, "I mean yes. I'd like that."

Ayla was thankful that they weren't facing each other. When he slumped even further down to rest his head on her thigh, her breath hitched. Her cheeks were burning and there was a warmth that had spread through her that uncomfortably reminded her of the night she had spent with Alistair over the summer.

Calming her breathing she moved her hand from the nape of his neck to his back, lazily drawing patterns over his shoulders. She mentally chided herself. She was supposed to be comforting him, reassuring him that everything was going to be okay and that he'd survive the next two weeks. Instead her lousy teenage brain was finding it hard to think about anything other than sex, with his head resting on her thigh.

When he pulled away she thought she'd have a chance to cool down before he pulled her into a tight hug. She held him tightly in return, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck.

She rubbed at her cheeks while he was preoccupied with writing, hoping they weren't as bright red as they felt. When he revealed his note she knew she was doomed. There was no getting rid of the blush now. She let out a soft little 'oh'.

She felt herself panic. She was supposed to say something. He'd be expecting some sort of response. She just had no idea what to say. Reading it instead of hearing was definitely a new experience and it also made things very clear. Like the fact that he was definitely flirting with her and that was absolutely meant to be a compliment. All their previous interactions had left her guessing as to what he meant. Now he was coming right out and saying it and she was suddenly at a loss for words.

"Thanks." Oh that was bad. She really could have done a lot better. If only she could get her brain to focus properly, "you too."

"Whoa, harsh." She said softly as he mentioned the duration of his 'punishment'. A part of her noticed that he hadn't explained what he had done. She tried not to take it personally. Maybe he thought her question was rhetorical. Maybe he was ashamed of what he had done and didn't want to admit it to her. Maybe he just didn't trust her yet . . .

As he leaned into her shoulder she readjusted, sitting up straighter and moving her arm so that she could wrap it around his own shoulders, and letting him lean against her chest instead. She absently played with the hair at the base of his neck.

"It'll be okay." She tried to think of the most comforting things to say to him. She wasn't sure how to make this better. She wanted to make it better for him though. She hated seeing him like this. Two weeks was such a long time.

"Anything you need, I'm right here."

Ayla leaned against his side and watched him write. He had nice enough looking writing. It wasn't sloppy at least, which was almost surprising given how fast he was writing in order to get his thoughts across to her.

She knitted her brow, "Knox?" She wracked her brain trying to think of why the name was familiar but it hadn't come to her right away, the only Knox she knew -"Wait, Greyfriar?" She looked into his tortured eyes, "The Headmaster jinxed you?!"

She glanced back again at his admission of being an ass. She remembered how he had acted during the first SAWS meeting but even that hadn't ended in him getting jinxed.

"What in the world did you say to him?!" She still couldn't get past the thought of the big jolly Professor losing his cool enough to completely silence a student, and not just silence him temporarily. It seemed like he had been sent on his way to think about what he had done. Ayla felt sick and helpless. She didn't like seeing him hurting like this and she wanted to make it better but she had no idea how.