Outfit

When one's primary source on income was one's parents and one was grounded or being punished most of one's life, spending money supply tended to suck flobberworms. But now Fir had a legit source of income that depended on his social deviancy. All he had to do was scribble on or tear down some posters for that werewolf group on campus. That was easy enough.

So here Fir was, armed with the best possible weapons for such an endeavorer- Sharpies. Fir loved magic almost as much as he loved himself. He had been raised as a Muggle, however, which meant that by the time of his first years he was already used to certain commodieties that one just couldn't gt at Hogwarts. Like a computer. Or a permanent marker. So Fir made sure to stock up every year before school on things that wouldn't fizzle and explode  (4th year's discovery that maybe Mac's weren't as dependable as they advertised themselves to be came to mind).

So now Fir was putting that great technology to work, drawing a stick figure werewolf with curlers in his/her hair and a brush in hand. Hey, if Fir went to school with werewolves he would want to know they had good hygiene and well-crafted hair...fur.

Maybe he needed a slogan. Hmmmmm....

Fauna walked slowly through the corridors, trying to decide if she should avoid the Great Hall again, or duck into the Kitchens and risk running into Peeves for a second time. She hesitated when she saw Fir Cuween scribbling on one of the announcement boards, dressed in what she called Fir Fashion, like an eccentric rockstar with hair to match. She smiled slightly. They'd known each other for seven years and while she wouldn't call him a friend, he was at least a friendly acquaintance, and she'd always admired his confidence, even if his teasing rubbed her the wrong way sometimes.

Quietly, she moved closer, wondering what he was concentrating so intently on.

Then she caught a glimpse of the SAWS poster, and the black lines all over it.

Her expression immediately shifted to resemble Kurby Bagnold's on an especially bad day. In her head, she told herself that she did not need to face more conflict this month, and she certainly did not need to get into another pushing or yelling match. Fauna had never thought that she'd have to tell herself to calm down and look the other way. But as she stood there, seething, she decided she couldn't. SAWS was so much more to her than only a student group, and the efforts they made to spread the word were a part of that.

Those were her posters (SAWS as a group had made them, actually, but at that moment she claimed them as hers), and he was defacing them!

She stopped a few feet behind him, putting her hands on her hips. "What do you think you're doing?"

Fauna raised her eyebrows at Fir and gave him an exasperated, disapproving look. "I mean... really? Come on, Fir. I get enough of this from Callum. I didn't think you'd-"

She made the mistake of glancing at the poster and seeing exactly what the doodle was: a werewolf with curlers. Fauna's mouth twitched, and then she quickly looked back at Fir, trying to look just as annoyed as she was earlier.

He was... he was messing with her posters! That's right! She couldn't let that go. "Well?" She wondered, waiting for him to explain.

Of course students would be coming and going around the notice board. After all, it was the notice board and one of the ones that got a lot of traffic. But worrying about students seeing him was never a problem for Fir. He LOVED attention and he already knew he wasn't going to get into trouble. He might even be able to recruit some firsties to help (and forget to mention there as a monetary reward).

What do you think you're doing?

Fir turned around to find himself face-to-face not with an impressionable young mind, but a non-too-happy Fauna Blake. Fir knew here as well as you could be expected to know someone you'd had class with for seven years. She was always nice enough, though sometimes a little too sensitive.

"Fauna! I'm decorating! Isn't it fabulous?" Fir asked, giving the Hufflepuff a wide grin. "I just realized I liked this shirt sooo much I wanted the decor to compliment it to the best of its ability."

Did it work? Was it working? Fir was just gonna keep giving Fauna his best puppy eyes and smile.

I mean... really? Come on, Fir. I get enough of this from Callum.

Guess not. Damn. What to do, what to do? Keep smiling, looking innocent? Yeah that would would work. Who could resist that face? Fir knew he couldn't- he practiced the look in the mirror, he knew it's potent effects better than anyone.

I didn't think you'd-

Fir followed her faltering gaze to the poster's new 'design'.  SMILE-TWITCH! He saw it! Hah-ha! Fauna couldn't hide it. That was soooo a smile-twitch. See? An adorable smile always worked.

Well?

Oh she had just made this too easy.

"Adorable, right?" Fir said, gesturing to the photos, a la Vanna White. "See I was thinking that werewolves get such a bad rep for having matted, unkempt hair that someone should really bring up that the everyday werewolf takes just as much pride in his or her appearance as the rest of us. Plus he's adorable, isn't he?"

Fir just kept smiling at her with the 'I'm so innocent' expression, that despite her intentions to stand up for SAWS and tell him he shouldn't have done it, most of her initial ire floated away. He really wasn't the type to do things maliciously. Yes, his pranks were annoying sometimes, but they weren't done out of spite. At least, not as far as she knew.

Fauna shook her head, glancing over the werewolf he'd drawn on the SAWS poster. She pursed her lips together to keep from smiling at the rollers coming from the werewolf's head and the- was that a hairbrush in his paw? It was.

For a moment she didn't respond to his prompting that the drawing was adorable, and instead let out a half-sigh, half-snort, then glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"You know," She said, studying the werewolf doodle critically. "He'd be a lot more adorable if..."

Fauna plucked the marker out of Fir's hand and started drawing on the poster, adding glasses. For the final touch, she put a wide-brimmed hat in the werewolf's other hand, making it look like he was tilting his hat to an audience.

"See?" She gestured at the poster, a smile breaking out on her face. "And if you're going to 'decorate', you should really doodle over the Quidditch posters and the Dueling Society ones too."

It was only fair. 

Heh. See that angry face? No? No angry face to bee seen. And why? Because Fir was just so gosh darn adorable, that's why. It was preciously that fantastic oozing charisma that had a first year Fir believing he would one day be Supreme Overlord of the World. Because no one could really say no. Of course, by third year he had started to realize how much work that would actually involve. Not getting there of course, but all the dang paperwork and the organization and blah blah blah. No it was much easier not being a supreme overlord but still charming his way to getting everything he wanted.

He kept watching Fauna's face and her reactions, so he didn't realize she was going for his Sharpie until it was already out of his hands. He had more anyway, so he wasn't really that fussed.

And then, she added to the picture

Fir laughed at the 'finishing touches' to the scribble. "Brilliant," he beamed at her, "Fauna I do believe you have a natural talent for poster scribbling. Your keen eye and steady hand have transformed this from an adorable bit of art to a masterpiece."

As for spreading the 'masterpiece' to other posters....um, well Fir wasn't really being paid for that. And he might not be paid at all if he did so. Which would defeat his entire purpose for being here and practicing his stick-figure werewolves. Not that he was going to tell Fauna that. He wasn't sure he could smile that one away.

"I suppose," Fir started, wrinkling his nose and making a face. "But the problem is that both involve getting dirty and sweaty and there's just no way you can make it through either with your hair properly intact. There's just nothing good here to even make an adorable doodle of, see what I'm saying?"

Fauna laughed at his favorable review of the doodle she'd edited, nodding her agreement. It should look decent, she thought. She wasn't president of the art club for nothing!

She raised her eyebrows when he wrinkled his nose and talked about both Quidditch and Dueling Club having the potential to mess up his hair, which meant they just weren't worth it. Merlin, the boys she spent time with always seemed to be more high-maintenance than she was.

"...There's just nothing good here to even make an adorable doodle of, see what I'm saying?"

"Not really," Fauna shrugged, the marker hovering over the Quidditch poster, tempted to draw a stray bludger knocking out one of the Slytherin players. She resisted the urge though, capping the marker and giving it back to Fir.

"You're not going to make a habit out of this though, are you?" Fauna gestured towards the SAWS poster, only half-joking. "'Cause I... we... did work hard on those. I mean, one or two as a funny thing is okay. But..."

She trailed off, not wanting to sound like she had no sense of humor.

"If I see a whole army of doodled werewolves with their hair in curlers, I'm going to know who did it," Fauna gave him a look, smiling a little. "And then I'll find you. And... mess up your hair."

An empty threat (probably). She grinned, fully expecting a dramatic reaction or mock-fainting to occur after that statement.

She wasn't buying it. Crap. Crap. Crap.

Okay Fir. Just keep smiling. Just keep smiling. What do we do? We like to smiiiiiiile.

Hey, he had already got one of the major members of SAWS to vandalize her own poster. Which might just be worth a raise. He'd have to ask the Headmistress. Because that was freaking impressive, if he did say so himself. And look- not even a mind-altering potion or spell. Just natural given talent.

Aww, she gave him his Sharpie back. Bless her little heart, she had basically just given him permission to scribble over every poster ever.

You're not going to make a habit out of this though, are you?

Or not. Crap. Crap. Crap.

Okay Fir. Just keep smiling. Just keep smiling. What do we do? We like to smiiiiiiile.

Luckily, two seconds later, she gave him something to respond to. And with more than a smile, however charming his might be.

"An army of werewolves in curlers?" Fir said, placing his hand over his chest in mock hurt. "You wound me Fauna. To think that I would be so lacking in imagination that I would be unable to do anything else with stick figure werewolves except put them in curlers."

And wait. What else did she say? She would do WHAT with his hair? Mock hurt was quickly being replaced by real horror. Dude, Snark better up his pay rate if he was going to end up putting his hair at risk.

"I should tell you right now, Fuana, that the only people allowed to mess up my hair are those deep in mid-passionate snog with me," Fir said, completely straight-faced. "Now if you want to go that route, I would of course me okay with that, but if not...No touchy."

"Well, okay. Bowie hairstyles then," she joked after his wounded reaction to 'an army of werewolves in curlers'. Fauna wondered if he'd understand the reference, but he did remind her of that guy from Labyrinth. The guy with the crazy hair, tight pants, and eyeliner (of course).

Suddenly, however, Fir got such a serious look on his face that Fauna worried if she'd said something wrong. Had she, the queen of super-sensitive to criticism, actually offended him, the guy who never stopped smiling?

Fir wasn't smiling now.

Fauna's face turned bright red when he explained just how important his hair was to him. It wasn't like she'd make it fall out, or anything! No, she was only considering turning it a crazy color. Knowing him, he'd probably laugh it off and then mimic Beatrix the metamorphmagus.

Or not.

Mid-passionate snog? Wait a minute... he'd be okay with that?

Shite shite shite. If he could have said anything that would make her get flustered and awkward, a flirtatious remark (whether he was serious or not) was definitely the way to do it.

"Um... well, I..." Fauna glanced at the SAWS poster, face still burning, and looked back at him. "Your hair is safe! Really. I, er..."

She started fidgeting with a strand of her hair, avoiding his gaze. "I mean, not that I... you're very attractive!" Fauna supposed he was, even if she wasn't personally attracted to him.

"It's just that I... have a boyfriend?" She said weakly, then winced. Oh, Merlin. The boyfriend card- she'd just pulled it.

Bowie hairstyle? Ooooo, now that was an idea. Despite being a Slytherin, Fir was, for all intents and purposes, muggle-born. At least that was how he was sure most of his housemates, including himself would see it. His only 'magical' blood came from his father, who was a Squib and lived as a complete muggle. So Fir had defiantly heard of David Bowie, even if it wasn't exactly what was playing on the parent's radio.

"That's Brill! But why stop there?" Fir asked Fauna, "If we want to follow that train of thought, we should do a werewolf representing all of Bowie's major looks and periods."

When Fauna turned bright red at Fir's rule for hair touching, the Slytherin wasn't sure if he should make a 'awwwwww, look at the cute little puppy!' face or a 'OMG, I be soo serious business right now' face. He just ended up unable to hold his laughter or grin back.

He finally composed himself and managed to get a mock serious face, complete with one leg planted to teh side and crossed arm over his chest.

"Well I am certainly glad to hear I have cleared up this issue concerning my hair."

But the awkward didn't stop there. So Fir just held his pose as Fauna fumbled through trying to not lead him on or insult him at he same time ending with the boyfriend shield. This level of nervousness was something Fir thought would be found in third years with their first crush, not a 17-year-old. Aww, was she crushing on him? Well, he couldn't blame her for it. I mean, it was him. Fir would make out with himself if he could.

Though she might just really be that awkward.

"Fauna, Fauna, Fauna," Fir said giving he a little wink and suggestive smile. "Sweetheart, I'm not saying I want a candlelit dinner and mushy love letters. I said a kiss was payment for hair touching."

"Oh. Well, um, okay. Good to know," Fauna ducked her head, still blushing, and stuck her hands in her pockets so she wouldn't fidget.

"Your hair is still safe," she reassured him, probably unnecessarily, now that she'd made it very clear she had a boyfriend and all. Still, he didn't seem offended. If anything, his burst of laughter earlier signaled amusement, and she'd also caught the wink and smile he'd given her a moment ago. Fauna was trying to pretend like she hadn't seen that.

"Are you... are you posing?" Fauna wondered out loud, completely baffled. One leg was stuck out to the side and he had an arm crossed over his chest, and he really, truly looked like he was waiting for a photographer to pop up and take photos of him.

Her comparison of Fir to David Bowie was so spot on!

Holy crap. She was like a puppy. A blushing, easily excitable and distractable  puppy. Where had this puppy been all his life? No seriously. Everyone, even Fir in his awesomeness,  had those days, where things were just kind of blegh and a cute puppy or first year was just what you need to cheer you up. He might have to try and sneak into the Hufflepuff dorms more often now. So far the stairways to the girls' dorms were the only things that never questioned Fir's gender, but hey, there was always a first time, right?

He was seriously relieved that she confirmed his hair was safe. Good. There was nothing Fir feared more than hair sheers. Even if that wasn't what she said, his mind automatically went to buzzcut whenever his crowning glory was threatened.

Which was another reason to pose all-so magnificently as he was. Victory was his and his hair intact. He was successful and gorgeous!

"Why yes, yes I am," Fir said, flashing her another grin as he shifted his pose slightly, as if to say 'ta-duh! look at my versatility!'

"You ever get those days where you just feel so dang stunning that you just want to give everyone else a piece from every possible angle?" he asked. "I love those days, and I think I'm having one right now."

He shot the Hufflepuff a wink. "Of course, posing like this can also make any day brighter. You should give it a whirl. Pose with me, let's see what you got!"

Fauna had been having a very rough week. She'd worried over Devlin, yelled at a friend, made Callum fall on his arse (something she was secretly proud of), and cried more times than she could count. But right now, Fauna could let some of that go. Her eyebrows were raised high as she stared at Fir, posing in the corridor and talking about it rather frankly and happily. Because some days you felt just 'so dang stunning'. Really? Fauna wanted one of those days!

She grinned and shook her head, about to ask where he got his happy powder from and could she have some, when he told her she should join in.

"Wait..." Fauna glanced around like she'd thought he was addressing someone else. "Er, me? No, I couldn't," she let out an uneasy chuckle and crossed her arms. No. Just no. It was all well and good if Fir did it, because everyone knew he didn't care what people thought and he was the type of person who preened in front of reflective surfaces when no one was around to gawk at him, Fauna was sure.

She attracted enough attention with her brightly colored hats and her tendency to trip over herself. There was no reason why she should try to get noticed. Absolutely no reason.

Yet- he looked like he was having so much fun!

Resolute expression wavering, Fauna looked around again before uncrossing her arms.

"Oh okay, fine. Nobody's here anyway."

Hesitantly and self-consciously, she put one hand behind her head and the other hand on her hip, then made a kissy-face at no one in particular. She managed to hold the pose for a few moments before bursting out laughing. To her shock, one of the portrait inhabitants cheered and clapped his hands at this performance.

"Bravo!" The Renaissance man tilted his hat towards her in a grand flourish.

Fauna blinked, then gave Fir an accusing stare, as if he'd known that was going to happen!


(Found this pic and had to share!)

Honestly, Fir wasn't sure if Fauna would go for the 'strike a pose thing.' Not everyone knew how to flaunt what they had and some people didn't have anything to flaunt to begin with. Oh so many memories of trying to scrub out his eyeballs....

But Fauna and her crazy hats id have something to flaunt. For one thing, she was pretty attractive. Plus the crazy hats. Fir liked hats as a novelty thing that just wasn't for him (totally gave him awful hat hair). There had been three times in the last seven years Fir had willingly worn a hat. Coincidentally enough they aligned with the three times in the last seven years Fir made the conscious decision to venture into public with straightened hair. They also all involved the same white fedora.

BUT- moving on to Fauna and her hats. Her insane, charming hats. Fir was very much of the opinion that if one was going to stray from the norm, they they should make a grand show of it. Flaunt it. Work it. Be fierce. Be Hogwarts Next Top Model. Whatever. Just run with it.

Fauna looked like her not-flaunting resolve was starting to slip so Fir tried to egg her on by striking another pose, another grin and saying "Come on! You know you want to."

And then- victory!

Fir laughed along with Fauna after her cute pin-up-esq pose. Hot stuff right there. He knew she had it in her.

"Marvelous, Fauna!" Fir beamed. "Simply marvelous!"

Now get her to do that with him on a regular basis and he had himself the beginning of a posing posse.

And apparently, the portraits agreed. One of them even applauded and cheered the Hufflepuff on. Apparently he was sleeping or looking away or getting warmed up or whatever when Fir had been posing. At least, that's what the Slytherin decided. Fauana's look when she realized that the portraits counted as someone was priceless too. Fir gave her an innocent smile.

"Hey, I didn't paint the guy," Fir said. "Though I must say- is that anyway to treat a fan? Bow to the gentleman. Maybe he'll ask for an encore."

As if to prove his point Fir went into a over dramatic bow toward the portraits way, gesturing for Fauna to do the same.

((This made me think of Fauna and this thread: Bowie))

Fauna blushed at all the attention, both from Fir and the portrait, and couldn't help but laugh when Fir encouraged her to take a bow. This was fun. No drama- well, at least no negative drama. She supposed this counted as theatrical drama, posing in front of portraits like this.

She attempted a curtsy, but was overly enthusiastic about it, and stumbled forward a few steps and nearly tripped over herself. Fauna glanced at the Renaissance man in the portrait, who was chuckling heartily, and then at Fir. She gave him a sheepish grin and let out a little laugh. "Maybe I should stick to bowing, like you. That seems safer."

Ta-da! And she bowed. No stumbling this time.

The portrait took a sip of his wine (where did that come from, Fauna wondered), then raised his glass to them and let out a burp. "Cheers!" He said, leaving the picture frame behind as he walked off.

Fauna put her hands on her hips and frowned. "Aww... I guess I need to work on my curtsy."

She glanced at Fir, "We should hang out more. You, me, and Quinn. You with your hair and awesome outfits. Quinn with her glitter. And me with my hats. We'd be like... the parade float of Hogwarts," she finished with a shy grin.

D'awwww, she as blushing again. Fir was of the opinion that blushing was one of the most adorable human mannerisms in the world. Not that he ever blushed of course. It would totally mess up his hard-worked image. Maybe he might consider such an action in private with a special someone, but that day had yet to come. Lots of private moments with people, but no blush-worthy moments.

And bless her little heart, but Fauna went into a curtsy without any encouragement from Fir. He was so proud of her. Well, until she fell over. Fir immediately stepped forward to try and catch her from falling on her face, because one thing Fir could not abide was the scuffing up of a pretty face- and not just his own.

She recovered, thankfully and with smiles and laughter.

"Don't worry," he assured her with a wink. "I can give you curtsy lessons."

He could. And had no shame in that fact. He was the boy that liked to prank other boys by dressing up as a chick and flirting.

Take two, happily, was much better for Fauna. Whew. Though seriously, the curtsy offer was still on the table.

"Fauna, darling, I like the way you think," Fir said, practically beaming. "The three of us could totally take this school. Turn heads, break hearts, paint this town...school red."

Of course, the blush might have to go. Blushing and shyness totally didn't fit this mental image of a power-trio. All the more reason for Fir to be in the middle. But, yes. Him, Fauna and Quinn. Now that was the start of a proper posse.