`misery business ; ASTORIA

[Alex Everard]

tagg[/b]; astoria greengrass

``its all gone``

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The evening sun was floating in the sky now, seeing as it was still a bright September day, which was a nice break from the clouds that had been lurking overhead earlier that week. It happened to be a Thursday, not exactly a labeled Hogsmeade day, but Alex had never stuck to the schedule to begin with. Since the days following the Death Eater seizure of Hogwarts chaos had been a part of the daily routinue, and no one had exactly questioned it. Things were not making sense these days as the war became clearer and clearer, it was now apart of all of their lives, and it had been said before that they would not be affected by it. Alex barely felt the ripples that it had caused, he was safe in a strange sort of way, because he was on the 'right side' apparently. His house and allegiances had been proved through his actions prior to the war being dragged directly into their front yard. Hogwarts seemed like no place for this sort of violence, but Alex found himself fairly pleased to hear the screams of his fellow students in the corridors these days. At the same time witnessing such a thing did not make him feel any better, it was just another temporary release from the guilt that plagued his thoughts. Hogsmeade was really not a place that he liked to go, when he had been younger he had been more apt to loving the cobblestone streets and mystery of the place. But once he had gotten older all the charm had been sucked out of it because his mother had never once thought to take him to such a place. Besides there was nothing to do once the place had already been explored. What good was that? He already knew his way around rather well so instead he found himself just lingering in the streets. His wary feet had finally brought him to the one place that he had least expected -- Hogsmeade station.

The unseen golden rays of the sun broke through the September chill and seemed to warm the bench that he happened to be perched on. The golden tones of the train station were overwhelming in the brilliant light of the sun. The same cobblestones stuck in a steadfast manner to the ground underfoot. But the train was missing, the large purple Hogwart's Express and the empty space where it stood looked so vacant underneath the sun. The train tracks looked strange and silver underneath the high-powered rays of the sun that was forcing the day to feel strangely warm despite the chilly air. It made Alex feel lonely in a distant sense as if he had somehow walked onto a different planet and found himself suddenly alone. The usual sounds that frequented the streets of Hogsmeade remained unheard today, it seemed like something had died and taken the whole world with it. The streets had been deserted when he had walked through Hogsmeade earlier, the usual crowd seemed to have disappeared vanished with not a clue left in their wake. These observations left Alex feeling strange and detached as if he had lost touch with something that might have helped him make sense of this situation. Was this the mudblood eradication that they spoke of? What would that leave? The purebloods were a dying race, and if they were to remove everyone else then who would be left? It made him feel slightly uneasy but it did not shake his views.

The train station looked especially uninviting on this warm September morning, it felt like they had just arrived here and now things were getting turned upside down. There was no more order to be instilled in the corridors of Hogwarts much to Alex's surprise and that was the way he liked it of course. So why was he still feeling like the past was sucking him down? Because he still couldn't escape what he was. The path had been laid far before the workings of his birth, perhaps he was screwed for eternity if there were such a thing. Currently it was hard to think outside of the present and the past that had him so tightly strapped down. It was as if someone didn't want him to see tomorrow or that there was such a thing as tomorrow because it might have been an impossibility in this life. There was no promise of tomorrow in this life, but he couldn't help but keep thinking that there was such a thing. No one was threatening to bring him down yet of course, there were few that he had ever perceived as threats. His views weren't changing that easily either, even if the Death Eaters hadn't taken over the school he would have been up to his old tricks. If that had been the case then he would've probably been caught rather then have been getting away with everything as he was now. As unaccustomed to it as he was Alex felt like he could get used to getting away with everything, now he didn't even have to pin it on someone else. He was being congradulated for the strangest things like pushing someone else in the dirt, taunting his classmates, and any behavior of the like. Sure he could get used to it but the small ripples of effect that it had sent through the wizarding society around them as a whole were sort of eerie. Since when was it normal to see Hogsmeade so dead and vacant?

Unsettled by these thoughts Alex shifted on his bench, which happened to be made of a rich wood, it's smooth surface twinkled underneath the bright autumn sun. His blue eyes scanned the empty cobblestone station before him, but he seemed to think nothing of it now pushing all the thoughts out of his mind. He was still dressed in his Hogwart's uniform, but it was his version and not the proper one. His Slytherin tie was lopsided on his neck the knot had been nearly pulled out and his shirt was crumped as always. His black robes were still intact, but they fell in a strange weightless manner across his shoulders. The black pants that he wore were unpressed and didn't appear in the least uniform-ish. His black hair feel in a messy manner in his blue eyes as he barely seemed to notice how uncombed it might have appeared. A cigarette was causally hanging out of the side of his mouth, no it wasn't his habit it was something that he had taken from someone else, it was just something to do. The smoke drifted heavily in front of his face casting it's rotten perfumed scent throughout the air in front of him in weighted manner. He slumped against the bench as if waiting for something to happen. I'm waiting for my train to come in, Alex thought in a miserable manner, as much as he hated the thought it perplexed him. What was he waiting for? There was definitely not a train in sight nonetheless a PERSON either. The world seemed to have died and forgotten to take him with it.

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[astoria greengrass]

&& and then you know it will never be all right

The sun of the morning didn't offset Astoria's gloomy mood very well. The Death Eater take over of the school had seriously surprised her, what with everything being so sudden. She hated remembering asking Camden about it, asking what was wrong and why he would be sent to the school. Then how all the pieces had come together, so eloquently, like a story that she could have never dreamed of. Of course the Lord Voldemort had taken over the Ministry, such was to be expected of a great leader. But the school? What would anyone want to do with a school, one filled with frightened students and confused teachers? Perhaps there was a tactical advantage to it that she hadn't yet realized, but she doubted it.

This morning had been chaos, to say the least. Classes were inspected by an 'Eater' as the first years were calling them. Those classes that were not to par with the 'nouveau' curriculum were dismissed and the teachers taught how things were to now be done. Snape had taken over as Headmaster and he was very busy overseeing how the transition was being met, if a transition it could be called. Astoria had felt relief and disgust all at once with the changes. She was no Mudblood sympathizer like Longbottom or the Weasleys, but she didn't see the logical human reactions taking place, just the stuffy, bitter forethought of an ideal. Those swarming the school now didn't see frightened children but something else, something that Story couldn't make up in her mind to try and place it to relate.

Perhaps that was why no one cared when she slipped through the front doors and threw the hood of her cloak over her head, or why there was no one remotely concerned with her figure fading down the road towards Hogsmeade. The day was bitter but cheery, and it was a false affront that was sickening for Astoria. It wasn't that the day itself, or the weather, that made her angry, but that it mocked so many other things in life. It was as though the day were wearing a mask, pretending to be one thing but actually another. Just like she did, just like her sister, just like everyone and everything around her. Then again, why did she expect just this one thing to be different?

The manner in which she walked as slow and lilting, and she would have twirled if perhaps the mood and struck her. She could hear music in her mind, and she acted out stories as she went, mostly those of old and time that passed. She pretended that perhaps Camden wouldn't be so cross with her for once and that he would take her this way, and they would have a grand day without arguments, and simply be cheery and enjoy themselves. In her mind he enjoyed himself immensely around her, taking great but secret pleasure in her company and vying for her attention in his new position at the school.

In her more sadistic tales he would press her against the walls in a corridor and smother her with kisses, sweet and hot. She couldn't admit it to him but she desired his touch more than she should have, be it tender or taut, and she rightly couldn't say why. Ever since their meeting at the robes shop and his discussion of her father's death, she was bewildered by him, angered by him, stirred and moved to emotions that she hadn't felt before. It was exhilarating and enlightening all at once, and at the same time infuriating. As a child she had often seen her mother embraced by her lovers in a manner unlike any she had seen before, gripping her tightly with affection on her arms, shoulders, neck... It had not hurt her mother, or else she would have sent them away, so rightly, in Astoria's impressionable mind, that must be how people show each other that they care. Her father had never so much as kissed her mother for all she knew, as she had never seen it and there had never been word of it.

Such love must be the only form, and as the only form, it was what Story expected and dreamed of. Perhaps if she knew how naive she was, how poorly her scenarios and stories would turn out in factuality, then perhaps she would have dreamed other dreams, about someone who was kind and gentle as a lover rather than violent and cruel. But as she walked she imagined these things, hoping that some day someone would love her the only way she knew how. Perhaps chasing the affections of a man twice her age, or one who had killed willingly and without regret was exciting, or perhaps it was a twisted combination of raging teenage hormones and unrecognized bloodlust, or a mix of all of it, but Astoria found herself quite taken.

She was truly lost in her thoughts as she walked, because as she wandered into the village she hardly noticed that there were no people around. Shops were open, yes, but the throngs that were usually on the street were missing, the buzz of talk in the air was silenced. Humming a little in the eerie streets she looked in from shop to shop, the cheery lights on the inside much like the sunlight on the outside; it looked inviting but was still cold. Even then, there were no shopkeepers to be immediately seen, and that was in itself chilling. Finally her eyes unfocused from her tales and she noticed that she was completely alone in the middle of the village square.

"Hrumph," she muttered to herself, stopping in her footfalls. She had killed some time, it was true, but now she was out in Hogsmeade with nary a thing to do, and not a single soul to speak with. It was a very bizzare turn of events indeed. So she turned and walked toward the woods on the outskirts of the town, close to the train station. It was here that the baggage was unloaded, and there that the first years were usually rounded up, and over there, the carriages awaited to cart the older students to Hogwarts. Would that ever happen again? Her mind was full circle back to the issue that had driven her out of the school, the takeover.

The long end of the concrete platform was at its ending as she stepped into view of the tracks, pushing her hair out of her face as a gust of cold wind blew past her. In it she caught an unfamiliarly sickly-sweet smell, something that reminded her of the King's Cross platform. Her nose turned her around and she saw a classmate sitting on one of the benches, at least, it had to be a classmate from how boyish his face was. As she looked closer she noted that it was a Slytherin from the colors on his robes, and as she took a step in his direction, she knew exactly who it was; Alex Everard, a year older than she. He was known by most of the fifth year girls in Slytherin, and to Story he was no exception. She didn't fancy him as some of the other girls in her dorm did, but he was all right enough. They had spoken maybe once or twice during her entire stay at Hogwarts, but that didn't bother her much. They never really had found much to say before.

"Alex?" She asked the boy sitting there just in case her eyes were playing tricks on her, and took a few more steps closer. Her wand was in the left pocket of her robes in case it was anything else.

[Alex Everard]

``whatever makes you break``

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The warmth of the September day was foreign to Alex as he sat on a solitary bench, one of the few that were scattered throughout the train station at Hogsmeade. The world might have been dead, but not that much concerned him now, it was just an offhand observation made in passing. It was like noticing that the woman next to you on the train was wearing a white blouse or that the man sitting across from you had on a brown hat. As dangerous as this careless attitude was it was only thing that Alex had known over the short yet staggeringly long duration of his life. From an early age the attitude of caring little for his environment and surroundings had polluted his thoughts. He was far to used to being situated in a shaky environment so why should an ongoing war make that any different? He had practically grown up in a war zone for as long as he could remember his parents were not only hurling words in each other's direction, but objects as well. When he was younger Alex had not known better then, but soon he had learned that he couldn't just get between his parents when they were in the middle of their own personal war. This single lesson that he had learned had not changed, even though a few times he did attempt to find a break in their small vendetta - but to no avail. Most of the time those attempts ended in a bloody lip or a black eye, that was if he were lucky, and if not there was a further extent to said injuries.

Despite the physical aspect of the battle nothing could really do as much damage as the words that they tended to fling towards one another. Obscenities and anything of the like, nothing was 'good' enough when they were describing one another in a less then loving way. Alex's vocabulary had spiked from an early age, but all the words that he had learned he later found out were 'dirty' and not to be used on a daily basis. Swear words were always over rated, especially after hearing his parents use them so fluently when he was younger. Alex always did his best to avoid them when he was younger unless he was enraged at his parents again, these days he barely utters them anymore. What was the point of them anymore? They didn't hit home like they used to when his parents used them, it was as if they were exhausted to their end in that use.

The long draggy sound of silence filled Alex's ears as the bench barely seemed to support the weight that he felt on his shoulders. All the recent events as groundbreaking as they were just seemed as dull as the next piece of momentary news except for the fact that this stuff could be news for ages. War from his experience was easily waged for years. As promising as this new prospect of things were, Alex was not sure that he could stand to hear this conflict out just yet. The whole idea of some legendary battle might have excited his mind as much as the next person if he had really actually liked that kind of thing. But, for him making that sort of history was a bit overrated. What was the point in being involved in some epic battle? You were only another ant fighting amidst the pile, it seemed like a waste of a lot of time and skill. If it did happen he would probably be there, but not by choice of course, maybe just hanging around to watch some of the violence if not engaging in it as well. Violence was always promising, and as long as there was blood and maybe some sort of exceptional gory finish then he'd be content enough to sit and watch -- and maybe even engage in it. Perhaps it was all eventual really, the whole school was being sucked into the battle front unwillingly and now everyone was at risk if they did not have pureblood stamped across their forehead.

Already much was promising to be lost in the this supposed battle, it would probably be the ultimate showdown between both sides. In his youth his mother used to tell him stories of such stuff when she had a minute to spare between the ongoing exchange of fists and fights with his father and then keeping the house up and all. Her stories had glorified the days of the pureblood regime and maybe that was when he got to thinking about all the things that muggles had caused. They had invented the stuff that his father used to suck down by the case and the words that he used to fight with his mother. In addition to those grizzly things muggles had also invented the contraption that had killed his poor dog. The world could be a better place with the absence of muggles and all their excess luxeries that they deemed as necessities. But then what would become of those that remained? He was nearly sure if they did a purification that he might not still be standing afterwards for his blood was tainted -- but no one knew that just yet. Alex was still waiting eagerly for the day that his bloodlines were exposed, because he would be willing to challenge anyone that thought themselves better then himself. Competition came almost first nature to him, and then he would have to protect his name -- namely only his portion of his name and not his father's pathetic surname.

'Alex?'

The sound of his own name being called in the suspended silence had now usurped all his visions of glory and power. Immediately as if answering to the call Alex raised his head looking back and forth down the vacant stretch of train station. It did not take him long to locate the figure who had been calling him, the girl's voice came from the direction which he had decided to look last. Her faint outline stood out rather lucidly against the blue skies in the background and the almost perfect blazing sun. The voice was vaguely familiar and it did not take him long to place it, for he could nearly see her clearly now. Astoria Greengrass. She had not been one that he had would have expected to find here on this deserted platform at Hogsmeade. School was still in session today he could have sworn that she had better morals then that, but then his assumptions were mistaken most of the time. "Astoria?" Alex questioned, he was sure that it was her, but then again she seemed to lack certainty in her step. His fingers quickly jumped to the cigarette poking out of the side of his mouth, it was burning low now as he removed it. Possibly it could not have been the most attractive thing to be caught holding or hording, but Alex could have cared less. It was not like he cared much for other's opinions anyways. Tapping the ash off the end of the cigarette he examined it for a fleeting moment before deciding that it was killed. Carelessly he threw the butt of it to the ground near his boot before promptly stepping on it putting out the smouldering gray ash that not twisted on the ground.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" He asked her. All right so that was a bit hypocritical of him, but there was a point of teasing in his voice. It was as if all time had faded away and all that was left happened to be the drone of silence and the penetrating sun's warmth.

[/blockquote]

[astoria greengrass]

&& and then you know things will change

The din of the silence surrounding the small village was overwhelming. Astoria was a girl who loved noise, who loved the roar of a murmur, the chill of a whisper. When there was naught but the sinister sigh of the passing breeze, her mind jumped from place to place. Her throat itched like she had to cough, and perhaps she did. She could not take the quiet, especially when she had the ability to change it with a single word, a simple phrase, even a tiny little fretted titter tossed into the dull atmosphere.

When noise did come unexpectedly, she was not caught off guard, as so many of her peers were. Even her sister, who was so mighty, jumped if a noise spooked her. Not Astoria, and it was something that she kept, ironically, quiet and to herself. It was something wrought of chance, and if she spoke of it, somewhere in her superstitious mind she felt that people would try and break her of it, and purposely try and shock her with silence and then loud noises. Perhaps not, but she didn't think her ears themselves would appreciate all the loud noises that would be attributed to trying to 'break' her of her mellow posture.

She turned her wand around in her fingers and she pondered Alex's words. At least it was good to know that it was indeed Alex, or at least, looked like him, sounded like him, and had the same mannerisms that he did. That was something that did completely send her off into a whirl, the fact that the school had been overrun and nothing was as it had been in the past. No one was who they said they were, what with everyone taking Polyjuice nowadays to just get in and out of normal places. Perhaps she wasn't who she thought she was either; maybe she was under the Imperius curse and was operating under someone else's will... which might have explained a few things in the past but didn't exactly formulate out right. It might have made a very brilliant story, though, so she tucked that little tidbit into the back of her brain and turned her toes toward the train station.

"Perhaps I should ask you the same question," she responded slowly, purposefully lazily so that her words drawled and killed some of that dead air space. She took a step and then another toward him, her footsteps wandering in a haphazard path that was anything but straight. It was like the lilt she had taken earlier in the day, but more chaotic and purposeful.

"But my classes were dismissed by... the new staff." Was she really all that afraid to say 'Death Eater' in public? After all, her father had been one, her crush was one, and even Draco, from what rumors gave, was one. But there was another aura of danger that lurked with saying it out loud, something that had never been there before. Now there was very clear and very present danger in saying the wrong thing, and though she loved to speak and fill that silence, she knew that her unruly tongue might be the end of herself if she didn't watch it more carefully. And when better to start than now?

"I smelled smoke and wandered this way. All I found was you."

[Alex Everard]

``covered in cowardice``

Alex couldn't stand silence because he was a loud person by nature and he had been for years now. A long time ago he had been silent, but that silence hadn't lasted for long since it had been a fragile meaningless thing. Really that silence had only been a thin piece of glass that had tried to prevent his parent's failing marriage from completely breaking. Like their marriage that glass had shattered too, and the noise that it had made was enough to resound to through the decades. The echo that it was making was still going on even now, like a very expensive vase breaking constantly within the depths of Alex's mind he nearly cringed every time he remembered those quiet years. The tension filled silence of Hogsmeade Village right now had brought back those careful memories and he nearly shuddered at their memory. Yet he was strong now and he wasn't going to allow those ugly times to bring him down so he allowed them to pass through his mind quietly and he thought nothing of it. Alex knew that he could get past them like he had before so many years ago, it was all in the simple trick of repression - forgetting the past and immersing oneself in the future. Currently the present future seemed to hold a conversation with Astoria Greengrass, a fellow Slytherin, but no one that he was to fond of. Then again him and Astoria had no hard feelings between them, perhaps they could merely consider one another housemates or some lame term of equivalence. Alex mused for a moment how very little he did really know about her and how there was barely a term that was up to scoff for their nonexistent relationship.

"Perhaps I should ask you the same question."

Her voice sounded dull and languid in the heat, suspended like a very hot heat wave slowly crashing into his ears desiring the full effect. Alex blinked and realized that he might have broken out into a light sweat across his brow. Minisicule crystal beads were forming on his forehead making it glisten a bit in the what should have been cold day. He was sure that she cared little for his condition out here, and he brushed off the facts of it all thinking that she would probably not even notice it. Her words had brought a breaking sound to his ear as he felt the silence around them slowly shatter once more. The situation was strange and almost dream like to Alex's bright blue eyes. It was as if she were speaking but he wasn't really there and she wasn't really there either. They were on another planet and on this planet there seemed to be a great lack of air and conversation, but most of all there was a great lack of conversation. And conversation was something that Alex craved with the fullest extent of his being if it were possible for him to crave something more then that then it might have been inhuman. He only desired to converse since that very atypical silence echoing from the nearby Hogsmeade Village reminded him greatly of his childhood years. Now he was trying to erase those memories with meaningless conversation that he was sure would not be very likely to work it's magic.

"But my classes were dismissed by... the new staff."

The pause was probably not as drawn out as Alex's mind had forced it to be, but her words continued in that gracefully lazy drawl. Alex knew that if he had ever tried to speak that slowly he would just end up sounding awkward and maybe even stupid, but Astoria pulled it off with a genuine agile gracefulness that he could barely believe. A portion of his mind silently attributed it to her high-breeding, her known pedigree of pureblood and silver spoons. Compared to her he was a mut, and one that had little manners and little room for respect for anyone else but himself. Yet still that miniscule respect for himself that he had possessed was failing and failing miserably, but it wasn't visible to the naked eye or maybe even to anyone unless they looked hard enough. One had to strain their eyes to figure out the way that Alex worked for it wasn't really normal, he had defied the standards and while doing so had really lost all common sense of logic in the workings of his habits and his moods. "The new staff..." Alex repeated as if confirming her sentence, even his own words now sounded a bit slowed in the massive heat waves of the afternoon. Nodding a bit to quickly he gave his own reason for being out here, "I just didn't want to attend classes this afternoon, I'm afraid I already know what they are going to talk about." Arrogance laced these words, but Alex was no know-it-all yet he did possess some very clever undertones that few ever noticed. There was no smirk gracing his features as he said these words instead his face was solemn and he felt like the conversation was now protruding at a strange angle. As if it were in a certain manner broken, it continued on in a random direction.

"I smelled smoke and wandered this way. All I found was you."

"I wasn't about to set something on fire if that is what you are trying to indicate." Alex responded a bit to quickly, all to eager to close up the holes in the conversation, yet his statement wasn't at all to his liking. The humorous reply had concealed in it some irony for he desired nothing more then to wreck some chaos in this all too peaceful place. It was as if some greater undertaker had already pumped the blood out of Hosgmeade Village and was now laying her to rest underneath a hot blanket of light blue. The image was all to vivid in Alex's mind, it explained very well why he felt so suffocated sitting out here in the smothering heat on a solitary bench talking to Astoria.

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[astoria greengrass]

&& and then somehow it falls apart

He seemed stifled, sitting in the blazing sun as he did. She knew that for herself the black robes did nothing to cool her, and the heat slowly prickled in and bit at her, gnawing at the nape of her neck under the wool and growling for sweat. She hated feeling sticky, the little bits of hair clinging to her cheek or ears, unwilling to relinquish their grip. It was almost maddening, really. Perhaps that's why her hands were around the buttons of her cloak, sliding it off, pulling at the collar around her throat and loosening it, now fanning at her cheeks to provide the breeze that would never come. It was too hot for a day in September.

His words to her were purposeful, well-chosen, and she could tell he was thinking carefully about whatever it was that was going on in his head. She didn't mind it too much, she would sometimes forget that she had even been speaking to someone else in the middle of a conversation she was so wrapped up in her own thoughts. She had grown out of the worst of it, thankfully, so now she was not rude when speaking with someone, simply slower to answer than they might have liked. Such was her way, and anyone who disagreed with her might very well just walk away, as she didn't care. She couldn't, not any more, anyway. She had to think things through, had to chew her words before she spat them out.

"I wasn't about to set something on fire if that is what you are trying to indicate."

His joke fell flat to her and even though she could detect the hint of a smile in his voice she did not see one, and neither did she smile at the attempt. It wasn't that funny, and while it would have been polite to at least smile, instead she continued fanning herself. She shook her head at him though, taking a few more steps toward him, her cloak hanging low to the ground and almost trailing in the dirt. He was very near to her now, and she could almost reach out and touch the bench he was sitting on, but she didn't, simply stood back and leaned toward the shade that was offered by the overhang, only a few feet away. Drat that the fates would put the seat out in the middle of the sun, and not under the roof. And what kind of an architect would put the bench in a place where passengers would get wet by the rain and burned by the sun?

"I didn't say you were trying to catch something on fire, simply that I smelled smoke." She tried not to drawl so much with her voice and was simply dreamy, her eyes flitting with ideas. She looked at the ground, sizing up the bench with her eyes when she spotted the cigarette. Typical, but she didn't say anything. "What I can't believe is that you're not out causing mischief." She left out mentioning his skipping classes - in truth she should be at the dorms but she wasn't, and he should be in his classes, but he wasn't. Not that odd, but definitely detention-worthy, if anyone ever found out.

"What I can't stand is this sun," she sighed the last word and her hand stopped fanning her face. It was itching to grab her wand and change the platform into an ice pond. No, can't do that here, she told herself firmly. It has to at least resemble the same place it did when I arrived when I leave. She now squinted at the bench, then up toward the sky, then at the roof. "Funny how this bench isn't anywhere under the roof, don't you think? I'm usually one for something bizzare but that just doesn't make sense."

Ugh. She could create the most beautiful of stories on the spot, but at polite yet genial conversation, she was terrible!

[Alex Everard]

``all we know is slipping``

Alex took slow note of the fact that Astoria wasn't at all falling for the slight charm that most had seemed convinced that he possessed when around the opposite sex. She appeared disinterested in the joke that he had cracked, yet he too had, he hadn't found it anything extraordinarily good when he had stated it in the first place either. Perhaps the true nature of the situation was that he was merely trying to make conversation, trying to get her talking to the point where they both wouldn't be able to stop -- if only to make up for the missing noises from the village nearby. Yet his attempts appeared futile, despite this Alex wasn't deterred from at least trying to make conversation. Occasionally he could be a very persistent person and maybe that was why he happened to get on so many people's nerves all the time. Alex had never cared much for the opinions of others so it wasn't like he listened to what they thought of him anyways, instead he just stood back and observed. If he didn't like what he heard he would say something he would intervene, and that was never a pleasant thing for the other party involved in the confrontation. He had been this way for a long time now because he was never one to tolerate the opinions of others for the most part. Arguing was far to much fun for him to really want to think in the same way as someone else was.

Noting the slight shake of Astoria's head at his joking attempt he had nearly forgot how ruthless she was. Currently not a single example of that popped into his mind, but the pureblood families were all alike in that manner, they all seemed to be filled brimming with serious faces. It appeared that the word 'joke' would never appear in their vocabulary, although he thought it was something that they needed to be introduced to sometime or another. Dismissing these thoughts he peered up at Astoria now, his hinted smile had been erased from his expression and there was again a bland look in his bright blue eyes. If she didn't find it funny then he would just have to try again later, why did he want to make her laugh so badly? Alex didn't know, possibly it was only because it gave him something to do now since there was nothing else around to amuse him. It seemed like Astoria was the only change in the atmosphere since he had dragged himself out to the middle of nowhere and this bench planted directly in the center of the Hogsmeade Station. All right maybe not the center of the station, but it was getting there, for they were already a ways down nearing the center of the platform. How such an architectural flaw had been allowed -- that was benches minus overhang -- Alex was clueless. He had barely recognized it while he had been walking over here, but once he sat down the heat had set in and it became more recognizable. There was an overhang there, but it was set up so that it was several feet behind the bench, to add to their slow misery the sun had set itself up on this day to shift the shadows of said overhang away from the bench that Alex happened to be sitting on. Taking slow notice of this he was sorely tempted now to shed the layers that he had been wearing, all of which belonged to his Hogwarts uniform. The thick heavy black robes were not his first choice of clothing on a day such as this one, not to mention the rather scratchy gray wool sweater, or even those stupidly heavy pressed dark gray slacks. His tie had already been loosened and at the thought of sun and the red hot heat his fingers flew to undo the knot completely. Struggling momentarily with the tight knot that he had tied just this morning he discarded the tie, letting it fall to his lap in a haphazard manner. He never cared much for the extra flair of the Hogwarts uniforms, but it had been a necessary evil as were many things in his life.

"I didn't say you were trying to catch something on fire, simply that I smelled smoke."

Their conversation appeared to moving at a snail's pace, but it might have only been the heat and how it had suddenly induced a sure sort of slow-motion. It was as if their conversation had already been recorded and was now being replayed to them on some large universal tape recorder, except this time they were stuck on the slowest form of play. Fast forward was nowhere to be seen. Alex shrugged off her response, his attitude was always 'carefree' to the extreme degree which most people considered 'careless.' Apparently there was a difference, once his ex-girlfriends had pointed it out to him a while back. Her explanation had not only involved a lot of hand waving and screaming, but in addition to that he received a nice farewell slap. Women. Who could honestly deal with them?

"What I can't believe is that you're not out causing mischief."

The minor detail of him having skipped the majority of his classes today didn't seem to count as mischief the way that she was voicing it. Alex wasn't going to argue with that, he found it just as funny whenever someone forgot to mention a single one of his misdeeds in public. Skipping class was nothing for him though, he considered it his duty to skip class since the teachers always labeled him such a nuisance when he was there. Whenever he showed up to class all he did was sleep through the lesson and then listen to the teacher long enough to hear them commanding him to get up. Eventually they all gave up at one time or another trying to deal with him, one could only receive so many detentions before they were black-listed for life. Black list of course being the nicer word for the real word they possibly threw around behind closed doors that being 'shit-list,' but always in the nicest possible way. "I didn't say it wasn't on my list of things to do today." Alex's sarcastic reply came after a short pause, it wasn't that he was formulating the response it was just that he wanted to let the conversation rest a bit. He was trying to make sure that it stretched out long enough so that when he was ready to go back to the castle then he could. But he wasn't ready yet and he was trying to make sure that he at least could miss a few rather dull and draggy classes before he headed back. Yet he considered the better part of his schedule to be dull and draggy classes, so much for trying to sign up for something that actually interested him. Alex really only had two life passions, violence, and then maybe the dark arts, in addition to that he had a discrete interest in girls - which had never been too selective.

"Funny how this bench isn't anywhere under the roof, don't you think? I'm usually one for something bizzare but that just doesn't make sense."

Astoria's point had struck Alex moments before, but he didn't mention it to her. His blue eyes were now examining the structure that was Hogsmeade Station yet again and he found her statement anything but at fault. Nodding calmly Alex added, "Whoever built this place never took into consideration the elements, especially the rain and the occasional hot day." The weather was always unpredictable and crazy, one would have thought that such things would've been viewed and analyzed before building such a thing out here. "It was probably cheaper to place the benches in the sun." Alex said suddenly, it seemed like a logical explanation, maybe Hogwarts was playing the cheap card after all. Then again the train station DID belong to the village, it must have been their fault then.

[/blockquote]

[astoria greengrass]

&& and then the world falls down

Astoria didn't mind the almost snide remarks about the cost of building the station. For as fine as the station was, there were some quirks that she truly believed were either caused by an idiot (which was the most likely explanation) or Alex's theory of a lack of budget. However, given the other finery that surrounded them, Astoria knew that she could easily oust his comments and prove that they were false. But she didn't, she held back a little. Her wand hand was still itching and the need to lurch the roof over her head to prevent herself from baking further throbbed. She was a good girl, though, and stayed herself... for a little while.

Her hair waved in a slight breeze that passed by, enough to move her hair slightly but not enough to cool the prickle of sweat that was winding its way down from her scalp to her clothing. She shuddered inwardly; she hated that feeling, even if it was supposed to cool her. For whatever reason it gave her the willies, though perhaps it was and had always been the sensation of her skin cooling like it was supposed to. She mentally cursed the sun and its inability to be completely predictable, especially in the damned Scottish territory. She would have to complain about it later though, because her mouth was forming other words.

"Regardless of how it was built, though, I'll be damned if I'll let it stay that way. Who do you think would honestly complain about a little shade, or a correction of such an obvious oversight?"

Her mouth twitched and she fought the smirk forming there. What were they going to do, change it back? Her spell would only last for a while, anyway, as long as she focused hard enough, and given that she was pretty intent on it at the moment, she knew that it would stay that way until someone from the train station noticed it. Which, given the present deserted feel from the town, no one was going to be near the station for some time. What a waste, too. It was such a pretty place to stare out at and think, even if the gaudy metal tracks that ran through it interrupted the flow of beauty. Another breeze teased at her locks and she shook her head, finally resolving herself to the task she had in mind.

The smooth wood of her wand was in her hands moments later, and Astoria wasted no time at all in her first trick, the roof. With a gentle wave of her wand the wood melted and pulled like taffy out toward her, and she focused harder. It was a lot more tricky than the smaller objects she was used to working with. If she didn't concentrate, the roof might stay in that hideous taffy-like form forever and then they would know that a student was attempting to change it. Ha, like she would ever be a suspect, even with her feats in the Slug Club. Her mind narrowed in on the image of the completed roof, as in, the same only a few feet closer to her.

The outline of her wand traced the line of the roof within her sight, and from one end to another, she pulled the wood toward her, creating a slow and gradual shadow that inched closer and closer to the bench. Maybe she wouldn't need to move it after all, but then again, this was hard. She closed her eyes as real beads of sweat formed on her brow from the effort and she could feel the magic being directed straight onto the wood. Suddenly the sloshing feeling of difficulty and resistance upon her body was lifted slightly and she opened her eyes; the wood was where it needed to be and now all she had to do was some cosmetics. That was easy enough, not nearly as hard as the pulling had been, and she sighed at the extended line of the roof. Unless someone was very keenon the structure, they would never know it was altered.

Alex was still sitting on the bench and Astoria looked down at him. The shade was but a few feet behind him, and she grinned finally, catty and proud. Now she was eyeing the other benches, and with very deft flicks of her wrist she sent the other benches on the platform into the shade, and lined them up neatly. All that was left was the one before her, and she rested her wand arm for a moment, casting her eye back to the green scene before her.

"I don't think they'll mind, or even notice," she said almost wearily, though pleased. She took a step toward the new shaded area and delighted as one half of her cooled almost instantly. Merlin that felt delicious, almost like the cool kiss of a real fall day. Another breeze wafted through the station and this time it spoke of real comfort, and she bent her head slightly to receive the draft up the damp base of her neck. Pending his reaction to either get up or stay seated, she would move the last bench eventually. It was only a matter of a few moments for rest.

[Alex Everard]

still feel it all slipping away but it doesn't matter anymore

[/font]
everybody's still chipping away but it doesn't matter anymore[/size][/center]

Always as quick as he was to place the blame Alex found his immediate scapegoat as the people of the town. It was their fault that the benches were in the sun and that they had lacked the cash to dish out when it came down to spending more money on the project. As always someone had to be at fault. People were cheap, ignorant, and stupid. Alex's loud opinions about how trashy they were and how unwilling to give anything in the name of some sanctified public space could go on and on. Of course he was a hypocrite in every manner of the word, even though he spoke out loudly against hypocrites too, he would often engage in greedy acts of the like. Alex had not been raised to be a generous person it was true that on many occasions he did integrate genorousity into his schedule, but only if it fit there. There were more then several times in his life when he had refused to put forth something on account of others. But then it could also be viewed that having grown up in a rather bad financial situation with rather poor parents that maybe he was keeping it in the name of self-preservation or fear that he would not be able to obtain more for lack of money. Most of the time though that was not the reason why Alex kept things from others and used them for himself. Often times for him it was just a power trip or a superiority thing, maybe that was why so many people were innately driven away from him - they could see the greed shining in his ice-like eyes.

Naturally Alex was all for acting on his own impulses, ambition was the one thing that had enough power to drive him up the wall with all the things that he aspired for and that he did want. In this way he could be classified as the true Slytherin, but that might have been the only quality about him that really stood consistently true. Considering his nature he did act out of character every once and a while, but not to any extreme that could be considered a scandal or to even force his reputation to wane. No, that was still very much intact and very much carved out of stone. There were few people around anymore that actually had the guts to challenge Alex just to see if it was true what people said about his violent nature. It did not take them long to figure out that all the rumors might as well have been true.

"Regardless of how it was built, though, I'll be damned if I'll let it stay that way. Who do you think would honestly complain about a little shade, or a correction of such an obvious oversight?"

Alex shrugged, "Hopefully the penalty won't be death by midnight execution." There was a sarcastic note in his voice as well, there was nothing stopping them from transfiguring the train station platform. Bloody hell the whole town was dead! Would someone just randomly pop up after they made the change? Alex doubted that anyone would actually be on the street to notice a thing. If Astoria did not do it soon, then he would, because he was damned if he would sit here and sweat a little longer just in the name of `proper` conduct in public. The rules of ettiequete dictated that it was wrong to go around transfiguring other people's buildings, especially out in public. But who gave a damn anyways? There were no teachers or adults around to tell them otherwise right now. Before he could think much more on the topic Astoria had her wand in her hand and she was already applying herself to the task. Alex watched in an amused sort of way as he had finally figured out what her expression seconds before had been conveying. There was vague interest in his light blue eyes, but he could have very well done the same thing. It was just basic magic, but it did require a bit of effort because of the large size of the object. Somehow watching others perform magic and even performing magic on his own never got old. Even though he had been doing it constantly for about six years now - that was aside from the summers - he never grew tired of it. Instead he found his interest in it continuing to grow and morph into something greater. Having gone so long before when he was younger without magic seemed almost inconvenient. He had only seen his mother use her own wand on rare occasions and he never really understood that, apparently she was only trying to accomodate her husband - shield him from her freakiness or whatever it was he wanted to call it that day.

The moment that the roof had expanded indeed, but it had not fallen far behind the bench that he had sat on. The rest of the benches remained unshaded as well, but Astoria had caught onto that and with another flick of her wand she had moved all the benches into the shade besides the one on which Alex was sitting. Alex's eyes squinted in the sun observing his surroundings now, "You forgot one." He replied bluntly after she had completed her actions and revisions of the platform. Grumbling to himself Alex sprung off the bench, and removed his own wand directing it back a few feet well into the shade of the newly expanded platform. The only real noticeable difference to him now was that the benches were not obvious hanging out directly in the sun anymore. Dropping his wand he dropped the bench in the shade and frowned silently to himself. Having been rather lazy today he was expecting Astoria to do all the work on the platform for him. Woman were rather undependable though, so maybe that was one of the reasons why, at least to Alex they were. He stood there surveying his work for a few moments before advancing into the dark shadows of the newly formed roof. His sudden emergence underneath was pure bliss.

[/blockquote]

[astoria greengrass]

&& and then you paint valentine evenings

"Hopefully the penalty won't be death by midnight execution."

Astoria smirked slightly at this comment. She knew that he was referring to the ghost town that was Hogsmeade, and really, she couldn't blame him for such remarks. She knew that Diagon Alley had become a shanty town overnight, with boarded up stores and people in the streets, but she didn't expect that reach to come as far as Hogsmeade. Perhaps this was just the effect of Muggle-born wizards being driven out of their homes and lives, but when you saw it during the middle of what would have been a bustling day, it was chilling. Astoria felt a shiver travel down her spine, but she brushed it off as the wind blowing up her back.

She stood idly in the shade, watching as Alex took in her work. For some reason she was very vain when it came to others admiring her transfiguration handiwork, and really lapped in even if the shine in their eyes glimmered for a moment in awe. It was one of her better traits as a Slytherin, and really, she secretly was glad that she couldn't help herself in that aspect. It meant that deep down something in her was really Slytherin, which was a relief to her given her un-Slytherin history. Her sister had always said growing up that Astoria didn't have what it took to be a real Slytherin, that she was too soft and that she was too kind to be in the house of her family. But, despite all of her stories and compassion, she found herself being vain, manipulative, and more cunning than her sister in some aspects. But, all in all she found herself well balanced, and in this regard she held herself higher than Daphne, who seemed so one sided. At least, her sister never showed more than the one side to Story.

She was so lost in her own thoughts of being cooler, the town, and her sister that Astoria quite forgot about the last bench. Alex's sharp remark brought her back into the moment and she glared at him, expecting him to do exactly what he did. In a way she kind of was hoping that he would at least do something, given that she had put forth even that much effort, but being the Slytherin that he was she half expected him to sit there until she did it herself. Ungrateful wretch. But, he did move the bench back and relished in the shade as she was, and for a few moments there was contented silence. Astoria found no cause to let words rip out that moment away from her. However, contentment turned back to that eerie feeling of nothingness. Where was everyone?

Astoria placed her hand on the bench, now next to her, and glanced around her. She didn't intend to look worried but she guessed that the stifling air around them was giving off that paranoid feeling, causing her to feel like she was suddenly being watched. She hated that feeling, especially when she knew that no one was around, or at least, that no one was supposed to be around. What could have made it worse? That the stare wasn't friendly, and she could always tell when a stare was friendly or not. She looked back at Alex and daintily lowered herself onto the empty bench, pulling on her skirt nervously. She kept her cloak on; she felt like she might need to run at any given moment and she wouldn't want to leave it behind.

"Alex?" Her voice was heavy, laced slightly with anticipation and a hint of worry. She was, after all, trained to be a Slytherin, if nothing else, and had mastered controlling most of her emotions long ago. "Do you feel that? Like... like someone is watching us?"

[Alex Everard]

you know a part about life
is just a waking dream

Taking in the relatively cooler air now forming underneath the new awning that had been transfigured from Astoria's wand, Alex took a seat on the bench that he had moved by himself. Certainly it was something that he had been very capable of doing, but his agitation still lingered for a moment or two as he sat there in the shade surveying Astoria and what he found to be her very smug expression - although that was really just his opinion. Shifting his blue eyes away from the what he thought to be the very untasteful scene he attempted to get a hold of himself, rather his temper. That was easy in this situation, a lot easier then it would have been had they been in front of a crowd of people because Alex rarely liked to be shown up. It only took him a few brief seconds this time to let this go for there was barely anything for his anger to build on out here. Considering they were sitting at the empty train station and the town behind them was dead. As dead as he had ever seen that town and it was still a strange thought to think about when associating with the normal noise and busy atmosphere that Hogsmeade usually sported. But now? Everyone was gone.

Upon hearing Astoria rustle beside him - or rather at her safe distance away from him - Alex looked up from the empty space that he had been staring at. Before allowing his eyes to linger back towards her and the empty train station Alex had been focusing on the rather empty looking tracks. Usually the Hogwarts Express would be filling that gap, but the large purple train was not there today. The fact that the train was missing only seemed to intensify the feeling that they were the only ones left around here. Ridiculous as it was to think the boisterous feeling of Hogwarts was far behind them now, but not by much of course. The castle could still be seen from Hogsmeade village and behind the train station, it was always reaching towards the cloudy skylines and the never ending blue. Currently Alex had his back to that right now so he could not see it, but even seeing it would surely not give put him at the ease that he craved. For from far away it would certainly look as empty as Hogsmeade was right now and potentially nearly as empty as he felt right now. The heat still lingered despite the shade it was almost as if the vast majority of it was waiting just outside their makeshift extended roof, waiting to strike when they finally had gotten tired of being outside. The thick feeling that he had before when he had been sitting out in the sun had yet to wane despite now being engulfed in the shade of the under hang. It still somehow felt like he was wearing the heat even though he was now sitting in the darkly shadowed shade.

"Alex? Do you feel that? Like... like someone is watching us?"

The wind rustled some brown leafy branches somewhere close by, it was a sure thing that the trees and the grass would be dying in the heat, but somehow it made the moment that much eerier. Paranoia for Alex had never been an intense feeling considering all the things that he had been through before because in his mind he had the ability to beat off all of his enemies. But that was just the arrogant switch in his brain being thrown rather to quickly as Astoria's sentence floated towards him on the thick hot air. Looking up from the point on the ground at their feet that he had been examining Alex was pulled forth from his thoughts. All the prior agitation that had been swelling below the surface had now vanished with this new topic put forth. Even though Alex had never been prone to paranoia as aforementioned, Astoria's paranoia was catching. The small piece of clipped worry in her voice was recognizable to Alex, but only because of the heavy words that had been handed to him. Watching them? Someone watching them? It was a grand possibility considering that they were in the middle of a war and there were a ton of death eaters settled in Hogwarts which was directly behind them. The feeling of paranoia was now quickly forcing tight knots to form in his throat as his cold blue eyes suddenly shifted carefully towards the empty space that he had been examining before. At once he wanted to brush off all of Astoria's uneasy feelings, but he too felt that same sort of suspended unease. Could they really not be alone in this empty town? It was a possibility, but then again anything was possible these days. Life was no longer similar at all to all those fairy tale endings that you heard about, now things had been turned upside down and even the slightest looming suspicion seemed plausible. The situation that had suddenly presented itself was foreign to Alex, and suddenly he was searching for something to say.

Alex was still examining their surroundings before he turned his stare towards Astoria again. In truth he did not know for sure if someone were watching them, but he felt that same parasite called paranoia spreading throughout his body like a disease. He slowly nodded, "I do." Now Alex felt entirely aware of sitting here on a bench near Astoria and the fact that the area surrounded them was deadly quiet, to quiet really.

[/blockquote]

[astoria greengrass]

&& dance with me, we'll groove until we move the stars

Astoria tried not to flinch at Alex's words, but could feel how heavy they were as the silence crept in again. She acted as casually as she could as she glanced about the train station. Whoever it was, if there was even someone there, was very, very quiet, and obviously didn't want the two of them to know that they were being observed. It was unsettling. A slight sniff escaped her nose as she attempted to use all of her senses to locate the person, but all she could smell were the traces of cigarette smoke, mixed with the distinct smell of sun-beaten concrete. A frown wanted to turn her lips down but she kept her lines straight, and instead inched a little closer to Alex as she gripped her wand, which was still in her hand. Defensive spells raced through her mind as she now looked out at the bushes that faced the platform.

She crossed a leg gently, leaning back against the bench and she shook her hair out. The feeling of paranoia only grew inside her, but if someone was watching them, and had bad intentions, then if she let on that she knew they were watching, it would only spark them to just go ahead and injure her. Rather, she needed to play it cool so she had the upper hand, and could spring on them if they decided to attack. Of course the whole thing seemed ridiculous and perhaps if there were people walking around in the town, it would feel as ridiculous as it seemed, but with nothing but her heart in her ears hammering away, with not even the sound of birds in the air, it was stiflingly maddening. A smile was forced to her lips and she turned her face to Alex, and leaned toward him slightly.

"If someone is watching us, we have no idea why. We should assume that they might attack us, so look normal and try to speak in low tones, just in case." She ran a hand through her hair and tried to swallow. She was about to say something else when a sudden and obvious snap came from the thin thicket behind the bushes, and then there was a fat silence. Astoria's reaction to the sound was immediate as the snap sounded, and she couldn't control herself. First, she gasped for breath, having been in the process of swallowing and nearly choking at the sound. At the same time her hands flew to Alex's arm and she held on to him with her slim hands, and moved so close to him that if she had tilted her face up - which was wide-eyed and staring at the source of the noise - she probably could have kissed him. However, as she clung to Alex and the silence grew even heavier she felt her breathing grow shallow and despite the shade she began to sweat again. Her ears strained as she attempted to listen for the sounds of rustling but there was nothing.

After a moment realization sunk in and Astoria loosened her grip on Alex's arm and looked up at him slightly, though she kept her proximity. Her eyes no doubt betrayed the fear that was in the forefront of her mind, and she pressed even harder now for offensive spells. Why hadn't she paid more attention during the dueling club?! She hoped that she didn't need to say anything - these were dark times, after all, and Pureblood or not, Slytherin or not, the Death Eaters were out to get anyone who wasn't with them. It was an all or nothing war and even though Astoria's father had been a Death Eater, that meant nothing to them. The father was no basis for the son, or the daughter. Her soft blue eyes search Alex's own blue eyes and for a moment she held her breath, and she waited for him to either react to the noise or react to her.

[Alex Everard]

I'm staring at the sun again
til everything's fading

Relax, it was about the last thing on his mind now because he did not like to be the hunted rather the hunter. That was a more suitable position considering being vulnerable was nothing that Alex liked to dwell on. His blue eyes betrayed his vulnerability at that moment though because he kept looking around, allowing his eyes to rove back and forth across the scenery. They were out in the open, complete sitting ducks, certainly if someone had wished them dead it would already have been done. But they were Slytherins and since there was a war on couldn't that mean only one thing - that they were talking about the other side here? It was a stretch, but maybe the other side was suspicious too because they were out here in the open alone. Alone, without any place to go, no one to be seen for miles aside from them of course. The sun was still suspended overhead in a daze emitting red-hot rays that fell on the roof which was now conveniently covering them. Alex felt alarms ringing freely in the back of his mind as if to alert him that something was terribly wrong here. His thought process was delayed though, he felt like any quick movement would certainly bring this situation to an end very badly if they were right. Then there was the languidness in his actions and his mind that the sun was causing. Like the last bit of molasses stuck to the bottom of the jar he could not quite get to a reasonable explanation for the situation or the lingering paranoia that was lodged neatly in his throat.

Out of the corner of his eye he watched as Astoria inched towards him in the slightest fluid movement. That was curious, she too was probably mulling over the seriousness of the situation right now as well. The bright side of this whole equation was that they potentially could do something about this situation, but what exactly? Should they go hunting for the thing or the person that happened to be watching them? It sounded dangerous but it seemed like the only possibility that hung over their heads at that moment. What else was there to do in a situation when your biggest enemy was unseen? Not much and that was the bare truth of their situation. Hearing rustling at his side Alex looked over to see Astoria pressing a stiff smile onto her face. Alex threw her an expression that seemed to question her sanity, they were in danger and here she was grinning. Whatever she was grinning about it had better be good, that was all Alex would have to say on the matter.

"If someone is watching us, we have no idea why. We should assume that they might attack us, so look normal and try to speak in low tones, just in case."

Alex's expression fell into one of deep concentration when she said these words, that was a good point, no loud talking and obvious plotting. But now it might have just looked like they were plotting as Alex was leaning over a little bit too now to hear Astoria's whisphered words seemed to catch securely on the breeze less air. The nearby snapping of a small branch or twig seemed to break the humidity of the air like a gunshot. It brought the silence crashing back onto the scene as Alex found a very frightened Astoria clinging securely to his arm. Her small frame was now pressing against his chest, the scene might have almost been humorous as Alex had grown wide-eyed as well. His greatest suspicions were now confirmed and he found himself giving in fully to the tender rolling waves of paranoia that were currently pulling apart his insides. At the noise of the sound his eyes had shot straight up looking around frantically for the source, when Astoria grabbed hold of his arm he was startled and found himself jumping a little on the bench. The shallow breathing and pleasant scent that happened to be Astoria was now placed so close to him in proximity that they were touching. The opportunity could have been a grand one for Alex to make some smart ass remark, but at the moment he was not in the mood for games for that snapping twig had scared him too. His ears were still ringing from hearing that misplaced noise, a noise that belonged nowhere near them considering that they were currently sitting on a concrete slab. He felt his mind racing with fear and panic, although he would not readily admit to believing that there was a good price on his life he knew that at this moment he did not want to die. Self-preservation above all was always first and foremost in these situations because it was the only thing that ever came to mind. Yet he was not at all looking death in the face, perhaps it was only the illusion created by the all to hot air and the suspended silence that had sprung to quickly back into the picture.

Alex turned to Astoria after his eyes had frantically searched the plateform once more, it was all made of concrete the only place that that noise could come from was across the tracks. He was trying not to let his head pivot wildly back and forth from the plateform to the awaiting woods beyond the tracks, but it was hard. Instead of continuing his failed search he instead turned to Astoria, who was now facing him with wide eyes. It was at that moment that he noticed that she too had blue eyes, but not the kind that he had he was certain for hers had a more softer look about them. Certainly it was a strange thing to notice at that moment, but in peril it is when details most popped out to him. "What the hell was that!" Alex whispered quickly, worry laced his voice and his eyes held a determined look about them - he wanted direly to explain that noise away. Maybe it was just an animal? What kind of animal would hang around out here though?

[/blockquote]