Elian sat at the table waiting for Odessa, they had been having lunch together for a little bit now. He had finished his run, excersize, and practice earlier than expected and he was starving. He shifted his quiver and bow off his shoulders and laid them down on the seat next to him. Pulling his hood down he ran a hand through is hair and grabbed his drink. He wasn't nervous but he had plans to ask Odessa to go to the Yule Ball.

He knew it wasn't going to be a date, he had figured that much about Odessa in thier short time as friends...aquaintences, whatever they were. He tapped his boots on the floor as he waited decided that his stomach had growled enough and grabbed something to munch on while he waited for her.

So. They were friends now, she and Elian, sort of anyway. She didn't think he was going to skin her and keep her eyeballs in a jar anyway. He was weird, but then she was weird too so it all kind of worked out. Plus he didn't get all offended or sad when she bristled and got sarcastic with him. She seemed to understand that if she wasn't ignoring you outright it meant she didn't completely hate you for breathing her oxygen. Dessa was just bad with people, but Harris seemed to understand that, and for some reason she could not fathomed liked her anyway.

Of course as luck would have it on that particular cold and gray Scottish morning, Odie was in an especially foul mood. Everyone was talking about the Yule Ball and the Champions and la-dee-da-dee-da. She'd only partaken in the stupid dance lessons to keep her Headmaster happy (Ferreole LeBeau was about the only person on the planet Odessa cared about ever even attempting to make happy). She had a dress, it wasn't terrible but going to something like that without a date, surrounded by tall gorgeous Russian girls and French Goddesses? How about a big fat resounding no.

She flopped into the seat across from the dark haired boy dramatically, reaching for a piece of fruit, "If I have to listen to one more twittering Junior talk about how they've perfected their color pallet for the Yule Ball I might hold myself at wandpoint. Seriously," she rolled her eyes a little and bit into the shiny red apple, book bag still strapped across her chest. "What was the body count for today," her head nodding toward his quiver. She didn't actually think he killed things, she was prety sure he shot at actual practice targets or trees, still one never knew with the Huntsman.

Elian looked up from his muching to see a paticularly irate...maybe just irritated Odessa. He had heard the buzzing about the Yule Ball since it had been announced. Just by knowing her he figured that's what had gotten her so worked up. He sighed and rubbed his face. There went his chance of not being alone at the dance. It wasn't that he minded going alone, but he would rather have at least someone to talk to.

Sitting back Elian's thoughts were interrupted by her question of how many bodies he had left. Blinking a moment his mouth formed an 'O' when she pointed to his bow and quiver beside of him. He knew that she had finally gotten over the thought that he was hunting her like some wild animal to hang on his wall. Leaning forward he gave a smirk that tugged more at the scars than normal, green eyes glittering.

"Oh well I lost count after the little blonde, she was I think fifty," he said smoothly with a serious tone.

Odessa smirked at him a little, eyebrow arched, "Careful, Harris. Not everyone has my terrible sense of humor. They might start doing random dorm checks for the severed heads of your victims. Mass murder is kind of a touchy subject or something," she gave a one shouldered shrug before slumping a little against the table, resting her chin in her hand - completely ignoring all proper etiquette about elbows always being off the table.

Just then a gaggle of Hufflepuff girls happened past, twittering among themselves about dresses, dates, shoes, and hair. Who put that much work into anything?! They weren't totally out of earshot before Odessa let out a low groan and banged her head lightly on the table, "why are girls expected to to care about this crap? I know, I know, it's a big one in a lifetime deal or whatever - but honestly, it's like we're just supposed to sit around and wait to be picked by some toady-prince".

She huffed a little and blew the hair from her eyes, lips pursed together to the side as she watched the twittering girls exit the Great Hall. It probably wouldn't bother her nearly so much if she didn't feel so terribly malformed for the whole thing, "The worst part is finding some little tiny fiber in me that actually wants to go. It's humiliating. I am supposed to be beyond all this frou frou princess I-need-a-relationship-to-be-a-person thing, but my feelings were totally genuinely hurt no one even bothered to ask me. What is wrong with me," she paused to look at Elian, "that was a rhetorical question before you decide to try to be smart".

Elian shook his head as he set down the roll he was about to bite into so he could talk. He figured that remark would tickle her dark humor's fancy. Touching his bow unconsciously as he glanced around at the others in the Great Hall. They were all to discracted talking about the Yule Ball and Christmas to be interested in the two older students sitting at the table.

"The headmistress made me practically sign a contract that I wouldn't shoot any students or anyone else," he said with a chuckle.

Looking at her reaction to the girls as they walked past. He had expected her to be dismissive of the idea of going but the last part suprised him. He hadn't expected her to actually want to go. He groaned inwardly as she went on about something being wrong with her. Now if he asked her he would be accused of asking just becasue she wanted someone to. Shaking his head he knew he would have to try and explain himself.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Odessa. And now that you've said that I'm going to sound like a pathetic idiot but I've been meaning to ask for a while, just didn't know if you would find it offensive. Would you go to the Yule Ball with me? As a date this time?" He asked looking at her tentatively, waiting, biting the inside of his lip.

It was not often that Odessa was stuck speechless. Oh she knew how to give people the silent treatment, the worst kind of silent treatment because she'd just go about her day and it never seemed to bother her that she was completely shutting people out or ignoring them. It drove her mother absolutely insane (which subsequently delighted the teenager)... but to be literally struck without words, mouth slightly agape as she looked at Harris, well that was something new. She had no pithy comeback, no dismissal of his offer right off hand.

Her eyes narrowed a little bit as she started to speak then closed her mouth again. She ought to say no on the grounds that he hadn't had the guts to just ask her before now, for leaving her dangling in the wind loathing every single time she heard someone twitter over the Ball. The problem with that was, she like Elian, at least as a friend. She didn't know about this whole "actual date" nonsense but he did like spending time with her. That wasn't something a lot of people experienced with the darkly humored senior.

Taking a deep breath she squared her shoulders, "Well, since you finally worked up the courage to try and ask, it'd be rude even of me to just say no. And I did go to all of those mind numbing dance classes, and maybe happen to have a dress that is not completely horrible, as far as dresses go. I suppose I could go with you, but if you try to kiss me at any point in the evening, or your hands wander below the small of my back, you will have to change your name to Ella and be singing soprano for the rest of your life". 

She accepted. She actually said yes, which left the archer just as stunned as she had been. It took him a few seconds to recover, and a small head shake. He blinked as he tried to think of the words to say. He knew he was almost being insulted, or felt like it. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, knowing it was well within her nature. Sighing he looked everywhere but her for a bit, boot tip drawing a circle in the floor under the table.

"I'm sorry. I would have asked you sooner, but honestly, I got nervous. I'm not good at the whole asking girls out thing. I don't have a lot of female friends and I'm usualy too busy playing parent to have any sort of relationship..." he stopped sighing and running a hand through his hair. "Merlin's beard I sound pathetic. Just forget everything I just said."

Odessa's expression quickly changed and she heaved a sort of sigh looking up to the Great Hall's ceiling, "Dude, the whole reason I'm going with you is because I thought we had an understanding. I don't do feelings, seriously. I am the worst possible person to express fear and insecurity to because I will probably point and laugh. Now if you want pithy sarcasm and jokes about you being a cannibal that I can do. I'm great at that, I'm freakin hilarious, that is emotional range. Mommy didn't hug me enough so I don't know how to do the whole...being emotionally supportive girl-thing". Odie had learned a long time ago not to represent herself as anything but a cactus, then people had expectations and she really was just bad at helping people in a serious way.

"You asked, I said yes, I'll wear a dress and heels and do my hair despite the fact it mildly makes my feminist stomach turn that I want to do those things. Then we'll dance, we'll laugh, I'll make jokes about how the Beauxbaton girls look like they're made of plastic and the Russians are taking growth hormones, it will be like any other time we hang out except there will be formal wear involved and I'll have to let you pull my chair out for me because of etiquette or some shit. It will not be a night of grand romance, you will not fall in love with me, I will not fall in love with you. If you look at me even once with big cow eyes and tell me I'm pretty I will probably stomp on your foot with my heel. Just like any other day. You're not pathetic but you're so barking up the wrong tree if you want cuddles and a peptalk, that's why you like me or something remember"?

Elian stopped and stared at her for a moment. A relationship? He didn't mean that. Smacking his face he rubbed it vigrously with both hands. Looking back up at her he shook his head.

"No, I wasn't.... I wasn't asking for a relationship. I'm just really bad at this. My mother was always too drunk to teach me about women. So I'm just terrible and women make me nervous. I'm not trying to ask for a relationship," he said as he sat back with a sigh. "I didn't mean to offend you either.

"We do have an understanding and I do like you for being the emotionless not frou-frou type. Even around my female friends I get nervous and I start to ramble. I can't help it. I guess I'm just saying that I don't really know how to interact on an anything but surface level with women? I swear if  I do anything weird at the Yule Ball, I'm not trying for anything. You're my friend and I understand that. It's all I want."

Odessa waved her hand in front of the boy's face and rolled her eyes, "I didn't think you were popping the question Harris, I just mean in general, don't talk to me about emotional stuff. I'm terrible, seriously it is taking all my willpower not to mock you right now. It is in my nature to make people who tell me this crap cry, I am a malformed human being, I do not understand empathy". Okay so she was exaggerating a little, or a lot, deep down she did get it and she took care of her people in her way. She just wasn't good at the whole gentle comforting advice thing. It wasn't who she was, she dealt in harsh realities, it was better for everyone if you were just blunt about things.

Eyeing Elian from over her apple, she pursed her lips to one side and grew pensive for a short while before speaking again, "Ok, here is what I don't get about people - not guys or girls but people. You act like because someone is a different gender it should impact how you act with them. People are just people. If you don't know how to interact with quote unquote women then you don't know how to interact with people. We are not some strange mythological creatures that need further study before you speak to us. There is no reason to be nervous or weird about it. When you think of the female sex as something inherently 'other', rather than treating them exactly like you would a male you're not only being totally condescending toward women but you're like denying our personhood. Seriously, get over it. The only difference between you and me, or you and any girl is the section we buy underwear from". There, that was her feminist rant for the day. Quota met, she could check it off the list.

Elian sat slack jawed as Odessa began her rant. He had expected something snarky out of her but a whole feminist rant, now that he wasn't expecting. However, the more he listened the more he thought he should have. It was just like her to start some sort of speech and run with it. When she finished he couldn't help but laugh. He had tried to hold it back but he just couldn't. Grabbing his bow and quiver he stood up moving around to the other side of the table.

Approching her he sat down beside her and gave her a one armed hug with a kiss on the head. He was still laughing as he pulled back and looked a her. Smirking a moment he pinched her cheek.

"Now that's the Odessa I know and love," he said holding up his hand to silence her protest. "In a strictly platonic and friendly manner, meaning nothing more than that, lest I be called Ella for the rest of my life."

Odessa eyed him as he walked around the table. This was going to involve touching. She hated touching. It also, as it happened, involved condescension which she was not a big fan of either. Yes, she did routinely go on long tirades about women should be treated verses how they were treated, especially in a place like the Wizarding world where things like arranged marriages still happened often enough that girls had to plot ways to get out of them. It didn't make her argument less valid, if anything it made her more valid because she was aware of the systemic problem regarding male to female relations.

When he kissed the side of her head she pushed his face away and gave an exaggeratedly exasperated sigh, "Ugh, no touchy! You're killing my image here," despite her words there was a little up twitch of a smile at the corner of her mouth. She really did like Elian, as a friend anyway. She just wished he didn't have to be so weird about everything. She knew not everyone could have as highly evolved ideas about gender relationships but sweet Merlin's boxers couldn't they at least make it not so much more complicated? It was like everyone (on both sides) spent so much time viewing the other as something beyond comprehension without realizing the whole lot of them were just weird and hormonal and as equally awkward. It made her head hurt.

Elian smiled at her seeing the small one that tugged at her lips when she shoved him away. Scoffing at the mention that he was ruining her image he shook his head as he stood up and patted her on the arm. He liked Odessa, she was a great friend and he didn't want to jepordize what they had with his awkwardness. She made him nervous that was a fact, but she was also one of the girls that he was most comfortable with, and able to talk about things to alone, where as others he needed to be with other to have that same confidence.

"I have to go,  I'll see you tomorrow for lunch? Or at the dance?" he asked as he watched her for a moment adjusting the things on his back. "Either that or I'll see you in some such class or another."