dancing in the moonlight [evelyn]

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Christmas was fast approaching, which meant that soon, Dustin was going to be vanishing without a trace for two weeks so he could run away with his girlfriend. He felt more than a little guilty that he couldn't tell anyone about his Christmas plans, but that would ruin the whole 'secret relationship' thing he and Vi had going, so he was just going to have to suck it up. But to make up for not seeing Evelyn for the two weeks around Christmas, Dustin had a surprise for her. When he had been flying through the countryside around his parents' house (on a broom, instead of as a bird, coincidentally enough), he had spotted a little lake not that far out. It had already frozen over, and it was just the right size for ice skating - not so big that the center would be unstable, but not so small that he wouldn't be able to move around. After triple-checking the ice, Dustin had decided that he'd make missing Christmas up to Evelyn by taking her on an ice-skating adventure. And not just any ice-skating adventure - an ice-skating adventure in the middle of the night. Dustin was crouching outside Evelyn's window, having just thrown a few pebbles at it so she would wake up and hopefully see him waiting for her so the adventure could begin.

@evelyn

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It was days like today that Evelyn absolutely hated. Days when her parents were busy with their last remaining studies before the holidays began, days where her team didn't have any Quidditch practice, and days when both Dustin and Rocco were busy. Basically, days when she had nothing to do. Honestly, that was something she missed about being at Hogwarts. Granted, it had been years, but she missed always having something to do. She'd spent most of the day wandering around the streets, visiting Diagon Alley and hoping to find something interesting, but she didn't. That was part of the problem of being a hermit. When you actually wanted to make friends and talk to people, it was very intimidating and hard to do without help. So eventually she went back to her apartment and put a fire on, deciding to curl up in front of it with a book. Unfortunately, not even a book could hold her attention, so as soon as it got dark Ev put on her pajamas and got into bed. What a boring, waste of a day. 

At the sound of something tapping on her window, Ev woke up instantly. Her Quidditch instincts kept her alert at almost all times. She jumped out of bed and moved over to her window, but was unable to see anything in the dark out there. She opened the window slowly, looking out carefully and grinning when she finally saw who it was. Dustin. "What are you doing behind my apartment?" She asked, shaking her head slightly at the sight of her best friend. "You always could have just knocked on the door, you know." She glanced at a nearby clock, curious about what time it was. What was Dustin doing here so late? Not that she really minded, but it was intriguing and Ev was probably falling for his plan. Oh well.

@dustin

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Dustin was pleased that his rock-throwing had been effective, grinning as Evelyn stuck her head out the window. “We’re going on an adventure, Ev!” Dustin shouted up to her, his breath creating puffs of steam in the cold winter’s air. He wasn’t going to tell Evelyn anything more until she was down – and even then, he probably wasn’t going to say much, just show her the pond and let her draw her own conclusions. Evelyn said that he could have just knocked on the door, and Dustin rolled his eyes, even though Evelyn definitely couldn’t see that from her window, in the dark. He shook his head in an overexaggerated motion so Evelyn would be sure to see him. “Knocking on doors is no fun!” He called, laughing a little at the end of his sentence even though nothing was particularly funny. “Come on, get ready! And dress warm!” Evelyn was probably in her pajamas, given the time, but she was going to freeze if she tried to ice skate in those. Dustin couldn’t have his best friend freezing to death on his watch, so he was going to have to wait the few extra seconds for Ev to get warm.

@evelyn

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The second Dustin said that they were going on an adventure, Ev was wide awake. She loved adventures! Dustin knew that better than anyone. Well ... other than Rocco, that is. Rocco knew that the best, since he was the one to take her on most of her adventures. "In the middle of the night?" She asked, though now she was just teasing. There was nothing Dustin could do now to stop her from wanting to go now. She loved adventures, but she also loved teasing her best friend. She laughed when he said that knocking was no fun. "And almost breaking my window is fun?" She joked. Then he told her to dress warm and Ev turned away from the window, closing it quickly and grabbing her wand. She summoned her warmest clothes and got them on as quickly as she could, grabbing a jacket and a scarf as she left her room. She ran to the door, throwing it open in her excitement. She didn't even think about Apparating to him. "I'm ready!" She told him in her excitement. "Now where are we going?" She demanded, though she didn't think Dustin would tell her.

@dustin

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Dustin rolled his eyes again when Evelyn asked if they were going on an adventure in the middle of the night. “When else are we going to do it?” He asked her. They were both busy during the day, or at least Dustin was, with wrapping his presents and preparing the logistics of his trip with Vi. He had already started stocking the cupboards in the cabin on the mountain with food, but he could only go back and forth so many times a day without someone getting suspicious. He laughed, probably a bit too loud for the middle of the night, when Evelyn asked if almost breaking her window was fun. Yes, yes it was, but he wasn’t going to tell her that, especially since she had already shut said window so she could get ready. When Ev Apparated down to him, Dustin rubbed his hands together with glee. “I can’t tell you, but I’ll show you.” Dustin said, grabbing Evelyn’s hand and whisking them off into thin air, popping back into place at the edge of the pond. “We’re going to go ice skating!” He announced happily, gesturing at the frozen body of water in front of them. “I can Transfigure your shoes into skates.” He added, since Ev was probably going to fuss about that, being the Ravenclaw she was.

@evelyn

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He had a point when he asked when else they were going to do it, but Ev just scrunched her face at him instead of responding. She didn't even know if he could see it, but that's all he was going to get this time. Right before she shut the window, she heard his laugh, but she chose to ignore it. 

When she appeared next to him, Dustin was obviously excited, even though he refused to tell her what he was up to. Not that she really expected him to tell her, but she thought she might try asking. He grabbed her hand, telling her he'd show her and Ev felt a thrill run up her spine. "Lead on then, sir," she directed, sure he would do it without her saying anything. Whatever it was they were going to do, it was with her best friend and she was positive that it would be fun. She stared at the pond in front of them when they'd arrived at their destination and Dustin announced what they'd be doing. "I've always wanted to go ice skating!" She burst out, cringing slightly when she realized she just told Dustin she didn't know how. Then he said he'd transfigure her shoes. "Alright, go ahead, but you're going to have to teach me how to do this," she told him seriously. Honestly, she knew she probably wouldn't be good to start with, but she didn't want him to expect her to be good before they started and have her mess it up. She was excited, but also a little bit nervous.

@dustin

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Dustin raised his eyebrows when Evelyn said that she had always wanted to go ice skating. “You don’t know how?” For some reason, that surprised him. Obviously he was surprised, though, because he wouldn’t have taken Ev to a pond in the middle of nowhere to learn how to ice skate when there were perfectly good, probably safer, skating rinks that they could go to. Well, it was too late now – they were both too stubborn to return to a tamer place. They already had the taste of adventure, and taking that away from them…not a good idea, to say the least. Dustin made quick work of the Transfiguration of shoes into skates, and stepped onto the edge of the ice, holding out his hand for Ev to grab onto.

“First thing’s first. You’re going to fall. When you do, try to fall backwards.” Dustin said, hoping that Ev wasn’t too put off by the idea of falling. “It’s a lot harder to break your tailbone than your wrists, y’know.” He said, since Ev was probably going to ask him why she had to fall a certain way. Damn that Ravenclaw curiosity, Dustin thought with a small smile to himself. “I can hold your hand if you want someone to help you keep your balance and stuff. But if we do that, please remember to let go when you fall.” Dustin said with a laugh. He loved Ev, but he didn’t want her dragging him down with her; that would just be dangerous for both of them.

@evelyn

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Evelyn smiled, inwardly pleased when he seemed surprised that she didn't know how to skate. At least she didn't give off the vibe of a sheltered muggleborn that didn't actually know how to do common muggle activities. That was something, at least. Though at the same time she expected him to wonder if she knew how to do things like this. After all, Dustin knew better than most how sheltered Ev's childhood had been. At least, she told him more than she told anyone else. He Transfigured their shoes and then instantly stepped onto the ice, holding out his hand for her. Ev smiled, a small knot of anticipation in her stomach as she took his hand and stepped onto the ice as well. The skates were awkward and heavier than she expected, but she figured that once she was on the ice they wouldn't be as difficult to manage. After all, you didn't glide by picking up your feet.

She listened carefully as Dustin explained that she would fall and told her what to do when she did. She nodded, feeling a lot more prepared now that she knew what to do if the worst happened. At least Dustin knew what to tell her before she had to ask. That was just one of the reasons they got along so well. And now, she was ready to try this. "Got it," she told him before trying to move herself forward. However, the skates didn't glide the way she wanted them to. Instead, they were jerky and unstable. She reached over to where Dustin was, obviously searching for a hand. "I think I'm going to take you up on that offer," Ev told him, hoping that with his help she'd be able to learn how to balance on these things without falling over too much. And if she was about to fall over and he was still holding her hand ... she would probably pull him down with her. She didn't want to be the only one to fall, after all. "How am I supposed to move without it being all jerky?" She asked as she tried to move forward once more.

@dustin

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Evelyn understood his directions about falling, which was good, because it wasn’t like there was anything not to understand, especially since he had given her the reasoning behind the way he had instructed her to fall. Dustin grabbed Evelyn’s hand when she started searching for one, grabbing onto her and squeezing slightly. He would be there, even if he was totally planning to bail as soon as she started looking like she was going to fall. When Evelyn asked how she was supposed to move without being jerky, and Dustin paused. He’d never been good at explanations, especially since he had learned to skate by trial and error when he was just a wee tot, but he was going to try his best. “It’s all about the way you distribute your weight.” Dustin explained. “And balance. If you’re too stiff or if your weight is uneven, you won’t be able to glide.” Dustin paused again. “It’s kind of like riding a bike, you know? If you’re pedaling too hard or leaning too far forward or back or one way or the other than you end up going out of control.” Maybe the analogy wasn’t perfect, but Dustin hoped that it would at least make Ev understand that it wasn’t normally to be good at skating at first. Once she was good – or at least passable – at it, though, it would be in her body for a long time, maybe even forever.

@evelyn

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Skating was definitely not as easy as they made it look in the movies. Ev didn't think she would have a hard time with it, but apparently it was something that one had to get used to. At least Dustin wasn't making her figure it out on her own. He grabbed her hand and Ev looked over and gave a small smile before focusing once more on the skates underneath her. It was easier to balance with his hand though, so she relied on it, probably more than she should. Oh well, once she got used to this she'd be able to do it on  her own. She nodded once more as Dustin began to explain how to balance. Then he started talking about riding a bike and Evelyn looked away from him, trying to hide her embarrassment. Then again, she might as well tell him the truth. Dustin was her best friend; he'd find out eventually that his example didn't help at all. "I don't know how to ride a bike," she commented as she tried once more to glide forward. It wasn't as terrible as her first try, and she didn't feel like she was going to fall over, but it definitely wasn't smooth yet. She leaned from side to side, trying to figure out the balance a little bit more. "How long is it going to take for me to figure this out?" Ev finally asked, looking to her friend as she did so.

@dustin

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“You don’t know how to ride a bike?” Dustin repeated, somewhat flabbergasted. “I knew your parents were protective, Ev, but I didn’t know they were that bad.” There was sheltered, and then there was downright deprived. What kind of Muggleborn didn’t know how to ride a bike!? Dustin knew, and he only had one Muggle parent! He had to take a moment to digest that information before he could listen to Evelyn again. She was getting better, Dustin noticed as he watched her, but still didn’t have the same grace that he did. Imagine that – Dustin Bainbridge, more graceful than Evelyn Estrada! It was funny, at least to him. Ev asked him how long it was going to take her to figure it out, and Dustin just shrugged. “Honestly, it depends on the person. People who are more willing to fall generally learn a lot faster.” Which was why people learned better when they were younger, at least in Dustin’s opinion. He wasn’t sure if Evelyn was going to take his suggestion as a reason to start falling, but he had to prepare for that potential situation, so Dustin wriggled out of Evelyn’s grasp. “It would have been easier to learn at a rink, too, since they have walls you can grab onto, but since I thought you knew…” He trailed off, and shrugged again.

@evelyn

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Ev rolled her eyes at Dustin’s astonished response. Really, she thought that he should have expected that, but apparently not. “My parents weren’t overly protective,” she argued, though that was probably true. “They were focused on learning. Educational learning. Bikes are not included in that, so they weren’t a part of my childhood.” She shrugged, though she knew this was a big deal. She remembered people in grade school (before she’d gone to Hogwarts) talking about learning to ride bikes or play games. Ev had never been a part of that, until she went to Hogwarts.

She continued trying to glide, trying to imagine what Dustin tried to explain with the bike analogy. It was all about balance and finding your balance. Then he added that if you fell you learned faster. Ev looked at Dustin, determination in her eyes, “I don’t need to fall to learn how to do this!” She insisted, fake glaring at him. In all honesty, Ev was sure that she would fall sometime during this process, but she wasn’t going to do it on purpose. That wasn’t the way Ev did things. He pulled his hand out of hers and Ev gasped, waving her hands as she tried to find the balance he messed with by pulling away. “Really, Dustin?” She asked, looking over at him with annoyance. “Some help you are; you as good as pushed me down!” He didn’t really, but she was irritated that he would pull away like that without warning him. “You might as well help me, since you didn’t give me walls,” she told him, holding out her hand again. She wasn’t sure if he would actually help her, but she hoped he would. It was easier for her to find her balance with him there and it wasn’t like she was going to try and fall down.

@dustin

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Dustin made a face at Evelyn when she insisted that her parents weren’t overly protective. “Sorry, Ev, but if you don’t know how to ride a bike or ice skate, your parents are overprotective.” He said. As for a bike not being learning, well, there was more to knowledge than just books. Kinesthetic intelligence was how Dustin learned in his day to day life – he could learn as long as he could move. “So do you wanna learn how to ride a bike?” Dustin asked as he began skating lazily forward, not too fast so he wouldn’t be too far away from Evelyn. When the weather got warm again, it would totally be possible for Dustin to dig up one of his sister’s bicycles to teach Evelyn how to do it. She wouldn’t be able to have training wheels since she was so old now, but it was still worth a shot, if Ev wanted to learn that important life skill.

Evelyn insisted that she didn’t need to fall to learn how to skate, and Dustin rolled his eyes. “I didn’t say you had to fall, just that falling will help you learn quicker.” He corrected. Dustin personally hated learning slowly, and he’d never met a Ravenclaw who liked it, either, so he was hoping that his taunt would help get Ev a little more comfortable with the idea of falling. She insisted that he was the reason for it, and Dustin snorted. Ev reached her hand back out for him, and Dustin accepted it grudgingly. “How about I pull you?” Dustin suggested. He knew how to skate backwards, and maybe being towed would help Ev get used to the whole gliding sensation that came with skating.

@evelyn

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Ev rolled her eyes when Dustin insisted that her parents were overprotective. Alright, so they probably were. Ok, undoubtedly so. But Ev was a firm believer that them being overprotective had nothing to do with not teaching her to ride a bike. They really had no interest in teaching her anything most children learned at young ages. Their focus was knowledge and academics. They never took her to a park or on a picnic or anywhere, unless it was academic. Which was why Ev had gone to Rome several times, along with various other historically important places. Because those places had "educational value. Dustin asked if Ev wanted to learn how to ride a bike, pulling her from her current distraction- thinking about her childhood. She smiled. "Of course!" Then a thought occurred to her and she added, "Unless you're going to put me on a bike and then push me down a hill right away so I can learn fast," she teased.

Dustin said falling would help her learn faster and Ev scrunched her nose up at him. "That might be true, but it doesn't mean I have any intention of falling on purpose," she informed him. She smiled when Dustin took her hand again, asking if he could pull her. Evelyn nodded immediately. "Go ahead. I want to see how it's supposed to feel to glide across the ice. Then maybe I can try it on my own?" She asked, though she was inwardly convinced that she was going to fall down if she did that. "Go ahead," Ev added, nodding so he would know she was ready for him to go. She took a deep breath and watched Dustin carefully, looking for anything that might help her be better at this.

@dustin

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Dustin smirked when Evelyn suggested that he might put her on a bike and push her down a hill. “There aren’t any big hills near my house, so you’re safe.” Notice: Dustin did not say that he would never do that, but rather that there were no hills nearby that he could try the trick on. He was sure that Evelyn would notice that, but it was still worth extra attention. “It would be dangerous.” He added with a shrug so that Evelyn knew he really wasn’t planning on anything of the sort. “I like you alive.” Because he needed a friend! Which they had gone over several times, in detail.

“You’re not going to let yourself fall, though.” Dustin protested. He knew Evelyn and he knew that she didn’t like making a fool of herself. Ev agreed to let him pull her along the ice, so Dustin took her other hand in his, skating backwards to tow them both. “You’ll tell me if I’m about to run into something, won’t you?” Dustin asked, smirking. He checked over his shoulder right after that, not quite sure if he ought to trust her. When he returned to looking at Ev, though, he winked, so that she was still at ease with his skating abilities. After doing that for a minute or so, Dustin stopped. “Ready to try for yourself?” He asked Evelyn.

@evelyn