light it up like it's dynamite [evelyn]

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Dustin was extremely good at Quidditch, but he was also extremely good at breaking things, normally while playing Quidditch. He had accidentally broken the lamp that illuminated the front entrance to his house while attempting to play Beater, and needed to find a replacement. He only knew of one place where one could buy lighting, especially since he wanted a magical, unbreakable light bulb. Flimflam's Lanterns wasn't exactly the busiest of places, so Dustin expected to be able to slip in and out fairly quickly and get back on with his life. But the scope of lighting products available was...baffling. Dustin has spent the previous fifteen minutes absolutely enamored by the lighting display at the front of the store, and was still staring, waiting for the perfect lamp to speak to him.

@evelyn

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Evelyn didn't have much to do on her days off. Sometimes she went to visit her parents, but she wasn't feeling like that today. When she went home it was always the same questions: when are you going to stop playing around and get a real job? When are you going to settle down and get married? She loved her parents, but the questions grated on her. She as only twenty-two, after all! So today she was wandering around Horizon Alley, looking for something interesting. Maybe something she hadn't seen before? As she walked down the street, she glanced in the windows of the shops she was passing. She paused, a small smile creeping onto her face when she saw a familiar figure inside Flimflam's Lanterns. Dustin, her fellow teammate. It took her just a minute to decide to go in and talk to him. This is what normal people did, right? Talked to their friends when they got the chance? She was trying to be better at that, but she never felt very comfortable talking to people still. "Dustin, what are you doing here?" Ev asks curiously as she walked into the store.

@dustin

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Dustin wasn’t much good at waiting, but eventually, it must have paid off, because a lantern said his name! Except for it didn’t stop there, and it wasn’t actually a lantern. When Dustin turned around to see Evelyn, he tried to hide how surprised he had been by her voice. He really hoped that he didn’t look crazy, because if anyone had seen the awestruck look on his face when Ev had said his name… Dustin realized it had been a beat too long before he answered her question, and he cleared his throat, grinning at her to hide the awkwardness of the beginning of their conversation. “I may or may not have broken my family’s front lamplight…” He told Evelyn, scratching the back of his neck nervously. “I really should leave the Beating to you, Ev. I’m rubbish at it.” Dustin paused, looking at Evelyn and then back at the display of lamps. “Do you like any of them?” He asked, gesturing to the lights. “Because I have absolutely no eye for design, but if we don’t have a front light then my parents won’t let me practice at night.” And Dustin needed to practice at all hours of the day, to keep sharp. It was imperative that he get a lamp today.

@evelyn

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Evelyn watched Dustin with interest. He seemed to be watching a lantern with great interest, which was a little strange. After a minute her turned around and smiled at her, but something seemed a little bit off. She didn't call him out on it. Dustin was a good friend, patient with her and her shyness so she wasn't about to bother him about something that really didn't seem to matter. Her eyebrows rose in surprise when he answered her question. "Were you really trying to be a beater? Or did you just break a light messing around?" She wasn't sure if she believed him, but she did know that Dustin liked to keep himself active constantly, so it wouldn't be that big of a surprise. Ev looked around at the lights. She pointed to one in the corner. It wasn't big and gaudy, but it looked nice. "What do you think about that one?" she said, pointing as she walked over to it. She really didn't know his style when it came to this sort of thing, but it didn't sound like he really cared so she wasn't worried about it.

@dustin

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Evelyn asked if he was actually trying to play Beater or if he had just been goofing around, and Dustin rolled his eyes at her. “Would I ever lie to you, Ev?” Dustin asked, batting his eyelashes. He lied of omission all of the time, though, so he could forgive her skepticism. This time the accident actually was a result of him trying to be a Beater, though, so even if she asked again, his answer would remain unchanged. Dustin had wanted to see if he was as good at the other positions as he was at Seeker, and the short answer was no. The long answer was that he just needed more practice. Evelyn pointed out a lamp, and Dustin followed her to inspect it. It was minimalist, but that was a good thing. A big light meant a bigger target, and a higher chance of accidental Bludger collisions. “I like it.” Dustin said, nodding. “Do you think they sell protection spells? I don’t want to be back here again if I can help it.” And if he kept on with his Beater training regiment, that would probably end up happening without any additional spells.

@evelyn

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Evelyn rolled her eyes right back at him. The punk. "Not with something important," she told him honestly. "but with something this silly, I don't think it would really be considered a lie ..." Ev shrugged as she trailed off, assuming that he would know she was kidding. Dustin was one of the only people in the world that she felt comfortable teasing. He was one of her closest friends, after all.

She smiled when he said he liked it. He probably was just tired of looking at lights and figured this one would do just fine. She laughed when he asked if they sold protection spells. "Probably," she answered. Why wouldn't they? Not many wizards or witches wanted things that broke, after all. Especially people like Dustin, who seemed to have a gift for breaking things. Not that she would say anything about it. "Don't you think you should practice farther away from the light though?" she asked curiously. There was more than one way to make sure you didn't break a light, after all.

@dustin

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Evelyn actually had a good read on him, Dustin thought. That was what happened to you when you spent enough time with the same people, Dustin thought with a shrug. It had been a year since they had met, which was weird to think about, but Dustin liked it. He had really gelled with the Falcons, so much that the time had flown. “A white lie is still a lie.” Dustin insisted stubbornly. He wasn’t one of those moral crusaders, but he wouldn’t intentionally lie about something big. Unless it was important that he did lie, in which case…well, Dustin wasn’t a saint.

“I didn’t mean to practice near the light.” Dustin said, eyeing Evelyn suspiciously. “But Bludgers aren’t exactly easy to control. You know that.” And Dustin wasn’t good at controlling them, as had already been established. He was lucky that the only thing it had hit was the light, because if it broke a window and got into the house…Dustin shuddered at the thought. “Want to go up and pay with me?” Dustin asked, lifting the lamp in question off of the wall to take it to the shop counter.

@evelyn

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Evelyn's eyes narrowed as she looked at Dustin carefully. "Are you saying you've never lied before?" She asked critically. She didn't really think that he was a liar, per say, but everyone told lies sometimes. Really, it wasn't that big of a deal, but she couldn't seem to let it go. She was curious about why he was being so persistent about it.

Ev smirked at Dustin. He totally should have expected this, "I have no problem controlling Bludgers," she told him with a shrug. Honestly, she should have no problem with it. Bludgers were her profession. Ev was aware that not everyone got along with Bludgers, but she did and she had no problem talking about it, especially with Dustin. She couldn't be a seeker, so it seemed like an even trade. She shrugged, "Sure, I'll come with you," she told him, following him up to the counter. It wasn't like she was in a hurry or anything.

@dustin

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Dustin laughed when Evelyn asked if he had never lied before. “You’re funny, Ev. Have you met anyone who’s never lied?” Dustin wasn’t going to pretend to be something that was literally impossible. “All I’m saying is that when I lie, I feel bad about it.” Well, most of the time. He didn’t feel bad about lying to his parents about his Animagus ability, or about his relationship with Viovinnia. Lies of omission were better, maybe? Dustin was still working on how he could justify that to himself.

“You’re a special, special snowflake, Ev.” Dustin told her with a roll of his eyes when she said she had no problems controlling Bludgers. She was a Beater, so it made sense, but still, she couldn’t at least pretend it was a little bit hard, for him? Dustin made his way to the counter and paid for the lamp before moving back towards the store’s entrance. “Hopefully this one works out.” Hopefully his mother didn’t hate it was more like it.

@evelyn

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Evelyn rolled her eyes, unable to help herself. "How would I know that, Dustin?" Her tone was exasperated, but she really couldn't help herself. Really though, how was she supposed to know if someone she met never told lies? Almost everyone did! She did too, when she felt like it was necessary. Like now, not telling her team about Rocco. "And don't most people feel bad about lying?" She added, her logic coming through. 

She snorted when Dustin called her a snowflake. "A snowflake Dustin? Really?" That's not something she ever would have thought of to describe herself, so now she was trying to get his reasoning out of him. She couldn't help it; Evelyn needed things to make sense. It probably had something to do with growing up in a house where learning was so important. She liked to make sense of the world. She shrugged, "Why wouldn't it work?" She asked curiously, following him back to the entrance.

@dustin

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Dustin chuckled when Evelyn asked how she ought to know if she had ever met someone who never lied. “The answer is no, because everyone lies.” When she asked about people feeling bad for lying, Dustin smirked. “You got me there. Except for really deluded people.” Sometimes people could trick themselves into thinking that the lie was for the better, and that was when things started to get dicey.

“Yes, Ev. Because you’re cold and crystalline.” Dustin paused, then sighed. “And I guess you’re a little bit unique, too. But only a little, because no one’s as unique as I am.” Dustin grinned at Ev. He knew that she could be shy sometimes, so he did his best to try to coax a little bit of playfulness out of her. She asked why the lamp might not work, and Dustin shrugged. “I have awful luck. Maybe my parents will think it’s ugly, or maybe my sisters will, or maybe birds will poop all over it.” Dustin sighed melodramatically. “The possibilities for how this could go wrong are endless.”

@evelyn

||MAZE DIRECTION:RIGHT #2||

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"Not if you've met a saint," Evelyn muttered under her breath. She hated being wrong about things, which was something Dustin knew. And the fact that Dustin took her sarcastic, exasperated question as an answer was annoying, but not annoying enough for her to get legitimately angry. It wasn't worth it and she knew from his laughter and the smirk on his face that he was teasing her. Evelyn smirked back at him, "So, bringing this full circle, I believe the answer would be: yes, Dustin, I guess the chances are quite high that you've lied to me, at one point or another," she shrugged a shoulder at him, teasing him back.

Her eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what he meant, "Cold and crystalline? Is that supposed to be a compliment?" She couldn't argue his description, it seemed to fit her quite well. She was cold and crystalline when it came to logic and the facts and understanding feelings. Honestly, they just made no sense to her. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head with a small smile when he said she was unique, but not as unique as he was. "I don't need you to tell me you're the most unique for me to know it's true, Dustin," she retorted sarcastically. She laughed when he started explaining reasons why the lamp wouldn't work in a dramatic tone. "Well, if they don't like it, tell them that I picked it out, but I'm not sure if I can be your scapegoat for all the possibilities," she said easily. Ev had no problem taking the fall for something as silly as a lamp that - if she was being honest - would probably end up broken anyway in the near future. Though he was definitely a better seeker, Ev knew Dustin liked to try practicing all the different positions on the team. The poor lamp probably wouldn't last too long, even with a protection spell.

@dustin

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Dustin raised his eyebrow when he heard Evelyn mutter something beneath her breath. He had good eyes, but his ears weren’t so hot, and he didn’t hear what she said. Dustin expected that it was probably something about him and his unwillingness to let her have the last laugh in their conversation about liars. When she brought it back to his original question – whether or not he’d lie to her – Dustin chuckled. “You’re probably right.” He couldn’t think of an instance off the top of his head where he had lied to Evelyn about something other than his relationship with Viovinnia, but Dustin wasn’t going to devote too much mental energy into figuring one out.

Dustin shrugged when Ev asked if being cold and crystalline was supposed to be a compliment. “It’s whatever you want it to be.” He had meant the comment to be a comment about snowflakes themselves, but he supposed it did apply to Ev as well, especially if you didn’t know her. Dustin was sure that someone, somewhere saw Evelyn’s shyness as aloofness. “I’m glad.” Dustin laughed when Ev agreed – or at least didn’t deny – that he was the most unique person ever. Sure, she had said it sarcastically, but it was still a win in Dustin’s book.

“You’re a good friend, Evelyn Estrada.” Dustin said when Ev said she would be his scapegoat. “I’m pretty sure my parents like you more than me anyways, so it wouldn’t help for your reputation to get a ding.” Dustin thought that his parents were naturally more biased towards females, since they had a boatload of daughters and only one son, but that was probably his eldest child complex coming out. “Will you also protect it from bird poop?” Dustin teased. Technically he could do that himself, if he spent time in his Animagus form chasing the other birds away, but his parents – and Ev, for that matter – didn’t know about that particular skill.

@evelyn

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Evelyn rolled her eyes. She was about to stoop to his level of teasing, but it was Dustin. She knew that he wouldn't mind. In fact, he would probably be proud of her for it, like he'd taught her to do it or something. "Probably? Dustin, when are you going to realize that I'm always right?" Yes, always was a stretch, but Ev didn't care. If Dustin could be arrogant, so could she.

Ev looked at Dustin carefully, "I guess you're right," she agreed after a moment. After all, wasn't that why he was really one of her only friends? She was so focused on learning and books and knowledge that she hadn't really learned how to connect with people, which was her fault. Of course, she was trying to work on connecting to people now, but it was hard. She didn't really understand them, so they probably did see her as cold and harsh. That wasn't really what she wanted, but oh well. Maybe she'd find a way to change that someday.

Then Dustin started talking about her being a good friend and his parents and Evelyn shrugged. "I'm trying," she answered with a small smile. Really, Dustin was practically the only friend she had, so it was true. She didn't want to lose his friendship at all, since he didn't judge her for her mistakes. "I love your parents! And your sisters." She loved his family! Then she laughed when he asked about her protecting his lamp. She knew he was teasing, but she couldn't help it. "Sorry, but you are on your own with that," she teased him right back. "But I'd be happy to come watch and cheer you on." Evelyn sighed when they reached the door. "So ... where are you headed now?" She asked curiously. She always liked doing things with Dustin, but if he was busy it wasn't a big deal. She could always go back to wandering around.

@dustin

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Dustin let out a snort when Ev said that she was always right. They both knew that was far from the truth (not even Ravenclaws could always be right), but it was all in good humor, so Dustin didn’t bother to correct her. He didn’t want people on the street to think that they were actually getting in a fight, since so much of the world didn’t seem to understand that people could bicker and still love each other a lot.

“Well, you’re succeeding.” Dustin replied. Ev was one of his best friends despite the fact that they hadn’t talked much at school, and he wouldn’t trade her for anyone. She wasn’t the kind of person he normally would have been pulled to, but that didn’t meant that he didn’t love her immensely. Friends were weird like that – you got pulled to the people you least expected. Girlfriends were like that, too, Dustin mused. If you had told him when he was younger that he was going to fall in love with a pureblood Slytherin… Dustin smiled a bit to himself, and shook his head.

“Of course you love them.” Dustin said, rolling his eyes at Ev. “It’s easy to like them when they practically worship the ground that you walk on.” If Ev saw one of his sisters when she was in the middle of a tantrum, she probably would be singing a different tune. “I was just going to go home, so I didn’t have to lug this thing around.” Dustin said, hefting the lantern so Ev would know which thing he was referring to. “You’re welcome to come and see if any of your favorite people are there.” He teased.

@evelyn