it's been a long cold lonely winter [dominique]

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Séamus always felt most at home when he was in the greenhouse. It was warm inside despite the chill of the winter beyond the glass walls, and it was quiet, too, because no one wanted to wade through the snow to tend for the plants. Séamus didn’t mind, though, so he was going through the rows of plants, watering the ones that needed watering and checking for weeds – at least in the plants that would allow him to touch anything in the vicinity of their pot. He hummed to himself as he went, switching between Christmas carols and pop songs that he had heard on the radio while he was staying at his parent’s house over the summer. It was a strange ménage, but Séamus didn’t mind. It was fun to hum, especially since he didn’t want to sing when there might be people in the other parts of the greenhouse that he just hadn’t been able to see. He finished with one row and moved onto the next, stopping abruptly when he heard footsteps coming from the row where he had just been. Uh-oh. People.

@dominique

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It had been a long, hard day for Dom and she needed to get out of the castle, which wasn’t an uncommon occurrence at all. Dom often left to spend some time in the fresh air and escape from the confines of the castle. This time, however, she went a little farther than normal and it was getting cold, so she decided to step into the greenhouse for a bit, to warm up. Then she could make her way back up to the castle.

She walked in and around the greenhouse, looking at the plants as she went. She could name most of them and describe how to take care of them, but it wasn’t her place. She didn’t know how often they were taken care of and didn’t want to mess with things she wasn’t in charge of. So, instead, she looked at them, enjoying their beauty and the magical feel of them. She paused halfway up a row, thinking that she’d heard footsteps, but they stopped- if they were ever there- and she decided to just keep on going. She moved onto the next row and smiled when she saw who it was. “Hello Séamus,” Dom greeted him, not sure if he would be in the mood to talk to her or not. He’d warned her that he might not be, after all. She turned to look at the plant nearest to her, trying to not make him feel uncomfortable.

@seamus

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Of all of the people that could have appeared from around the corner, Dominique was probably one of the best choices. She was alone, which made it even better – Shay had been more than a little worried that it was more than just one person who had appeared in the greenhouse, but that wasn’t the case. Séamus forced himself to relax a little as the redhead greeted him. “H-hi, D-Dominique.” He said, smiling a little at her. He had come to the greenhouse to get some alone time, but it didn’t particularly bother him that Dominique was there. He wasn’t sure if he felt like talking, per se, but if Dom was going to talk to him, he would listen. Shay realized suddenly that, after their conversation in the library, she had probably gotten the wrong impression about asking him questions, and probably would ask him what he was doing here, even if she was curious. “I-I’m t-tending to a f-few of the p-plants. Since it’s b-break.” He informed her through the stutter. He hefted the water can that he had been carrying around with him to corroborate his story, even though Dominique had no reason to doubt him. It was the stutter, Séamus decided – it always made him feel like he was lying, even when he was telling the truth.

@dominique

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Dom looked up when Séamus greeted her, even smiling back at her. Dom smiled back, relieved that he at least didn't seem upset to see her. She still wasn't quite sure what she should say to him. Then Séamus told her that he was caring for the plants since no one else was. Dom nodded. She wasn't entirely surprised by his reason for being in the greenhouse, but she didn't know what else to say. It was weird, holding back what she felt like saying and Dom wasn't sure how she felt about it. "I- um- I was just getting out of the castle for a bit. I don't like being in there for days on end. I like the outdoors so much more." Why was she explaining herself to him? It wasn't like Séamus asked any questions or anything. Yet she still felt like explaining. Maybe it was because she didn't like the silence. "Have you been doing this all break?" She asked, hoping that he wouldn't mind that small question. She really wasn't one for silence, though she did have to admit that sometimes it was beautiful. 

@seamus  

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Just as Shay had explained his reasons for being in the greenhouse without prompting, so did Dominique. She said that she was getting out of the castle, and didn’t like being cooped up in there for so long. Séamus could understand preferring the outdoors to the indoors. There were more plants and fewer people outside, both of which Shay considered good things. “It’s a l-little ch-chilly to b-be w-wandering around outside.” He told her. “D-do you w-want my cl-cloak?” He asked. It was a little warm in the greenhouse with his cloak on, so Séamus wouldn’t mind parting with it, especially if it would better serve someone else. When Dominique asked if he had been doing this all break, Séamus shrugged. “I-I d-do it wh-when I h-have the t-time.” He replied. Shay always had the time, but it seemed a bit pathetic for him to say that he spent the majority of his break alone in the greenhouse.

@dominique

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When Séamus said that it was a little cold to be outside, Dom grinned. She loved the cold weather, as well as doing things that other people didn't expect. Being outside in the cold definitely counted as one of those things. She shrugged, then shook her head with a smile when he offered his cloak. Really, it was sweet of him, but she wasn't going to take him up on it. "I don't do cloaks. I find they're too restrictive for my taste, but thanks for the offer." Dom hoped the smile would help Séamus know she wasn't trying to be rude. She rose an eyebrow when he said he came out when he said he had time. Her grin turned mischievous, "I'm assuming that's quite often, since we're not in classes now and don't have homework," she said in a teasing voice. That wasn't a question, but hopefully he would say something. Sure, Dom could carry a conversation on her own, but it would be easier if he helped her out with it. Why was he alone every time she saw him? Dom cocked her head to the side, "Are you going to the Ball?" she asked curiously, even though he said he might not answer if she asked questions. Still, this was a common question going around the castle right now. It wasn't like she was interrogating him or anything.

@seamus

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The Slytherin raised his eyebrows when the Ravenclaw said that she didn’t “do” cloaks. Séamus had never thought that they were optional, since wizards, for whatever reason, didn’t seem to believe in coats. Cloaks were the only ways to keep warm, apart from wearing heavier robes. Since Dom’s robes didn’t look heavy, Shay ruled at that out as a possibility. “J-just b-because you’re a w-witch d-doesn’t m-mean you c-can’t d-die of h-hypothermia.” Séamus told Dominique. It would be a shame for that to happen – someone pretty like her dying. Well, anyone dying, but especially someone like Dominique. She seemed like she wasn’t going to budge on her stance, though, so Shay let his hands drop from the clasp of his cloak, which he had been prepared to undo.

“W-well, y-yes.” Shay admitted when Dominique said that he probably had enough time to come water the plants quite often. “B-but s-sometimes I h-have other st-stuff to d-do.” He was being vague about his other obligations on purpose, since most of them involved researching flowers or knitting himself new mittens, neither of which seemed like something that would interest Dom. She asked about the Yule Ball, and Séamus shrugged. “P-probably. B-but I d-don’t d-dance.” And there was no way in hell he’d ever find the courage to ask someone as his date, let alone a girl who would accept his offer, so there wasn’t a reason for him to dance anyways.

@dominique

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It wasn't hard to see that the Slytherin boy didn't agree with her no-cloaks policy. Then he went ahead and reaffirmed her suspicion, saying that being a witch wouldn't stop her from dying of hypothermia. Dom merely laughed away his concerns. Séamus was definitely not the first to be concerned by her refusal to wear cloaks. Her mother hated it, for one. Also ... Dom was pretty sure that Vic wouldn't be a fan if she knew, but she wasn't sure if her sister did know. Either way, it had worked for seventeen years. Dom was confident that she would be just fine. "I'm not going to get hypothermia," she told him confidently, though she was sure he wouldn't believe her. "I don't stay outside for obscenely long periods of time, you know. That's one reason I came in here, to warm up a little before enjoying myself outside some more." Ok, so maybe that wasn't the world's best explanation, but it was pretty good for Dom. At least she tried. Normally she didn't even do that.

His stuttering threw her off. Really, it wasn't a bad thing and Dom didn't mind it, but it made it hard for her to read him. Normally Dom knew by people's tones and expressions exactly what they were thinking. The stutter messed that up because it didn't mean he was nervous. (which he explained the last time they met) Still, Dom was pretty sure he was just saying he had other stuff to do so she wouldn't judge him. Not that she would anyway. Dom didn't judge people. She was crazy and impulsive enough that she didn't have room to judge a soul. "Well I hope you enjoy your other stuff as much as you enjoy watering plants," she teased, almost positive that watering plants would be a highlight for him, just like tromping around in the snow was a highlight for her. She cocked her head to the side curiously. "If you don't dance, what do you plan on doing there?" Another question. Dom couldn't control it this time. 

@seamus

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Dominique said that she wasn’t going to get hypothermia, which Shay definitely did not agree with. You couldn’t just not get hypothermia because you said that you couldn’t get hypothermia. The world would be a lot better if you could ward something away by saying that it couldn’t happen, but that wasn’t how it worked! Séamus wasn’t going to tell Dominique that, though – it was rude. “I’m glad to hear that you’re just as intelligent as you acted in the library.” Shay said. It would have been stupid indeed to stay outside for long periods of time with no cloak. And Dominique did seem like the intelligent kind. Ravenclaw and all. But book smarts were different than street smarts. It was possible to have both, though, which Shay was hoping was the case with Dominique.

Séamus shrugged when Dominique asked him what he was going to do at the Ball if not dance. “Maybe look at the flowers.” He said. He figured that there would be bouquets of flowers at the Ball as part of the decorations, all composed by expert florists. It would be an interesting way to see the masters at work, that was for sure. “Do you have a date?” Shay asked, deciding to ask a question since he received one.

@dominique

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Dom was actually expecting Séamus to argue the fact that she didn't wear a cloak, but was pleasantly surprised when he didn't push the issue. Most people did at first, only giving up when they realized their argument was having no effect whatsoever on her. She grinned when he said he was glad she was smart. She shrugged her shoulders casually, "I try. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn't." Most of the time it worked for her, but not wearing a cloak had never caused her grief before so she was fine with that.

He wanted to look at the flowers at the Yule Ball. All right, so they might have some cool ones there, but why go if you weren't planning on dancing? That just seemed ... different to Dom. Not necessarily in a bad way though. "Well I'm sure they'll have lots of flowers there," she responded conversationally. They were probably going to try to outdo themselves in every other way, why not with the floral arrangements? She smiled at his next question. "I'm going with Ranger Lloyd," she said with a smile. She didn't know if Séamus knew him or not, so she wasn't sure if she should explain more.

@seamus

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Dominique said that she tried to be intelligent, and Séamus smiled at her. “Y-you succeed.” He told her quietly. “I w-wonder if the b-bouquets w-will h-have any m-meanings.” Séamus mused. “H-have you h-heard of the V-Victorian l-language of fl-flowers?” It gave meanings to different flowers to that lovers could share secret messages with each other. It was unlikely that the flowers at the Ball would hold any such meaning – they would probably just be chosen for their aesthetics. “H-he’s a p-prefect.” Séamus commented when Dominique said she was going with Ranger Lloyd. That was all he really knew about the Gryffindor, so Shay wasn’t sure what else he could say about Ranger or the Ball. “I h-hope you h-have f-fun, then. D-dancing.” He said with a shrug. He didn’t know if it would be appropriate to ask Dominique to save him a dance, especially considering he had already admitted he wasn’t a dancer. It would probably be more like him approaching her to talk about something silly, like they were doing now. It seemed unfair for Séamus to pull Dominique away from her date for a conversation that would just end up being…awkward.

@dominique

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Dom smiled when Séamus told her that she succeeded at being intelligent. That was sweet. She cocked her head to the side when he started to muse about whether or not the flowers would have meanings. "Boutquets have meaning?" she asked curiously. Sure, she had heard of that before, but she really had no idea what flowers could possibly mean. It seemed like he knew though. With his next comment, her suspicion was affirmed. "I haven't. What is that?" She asked, excited at the prospect of learning something new. She knew about the names of some flowers, but she'd never thought about their meanings. She laughed when Séamus said that Ranger was a prefect. "Yes, yes he is,"she said, not able to hide her amusement. "He's very nice too." He seemed so hesitant to talk about the dance, but that might just be him stuttering. "I will have fun! Dancing, talking with everyone, and I'll probably be all over the place," she admitting. Sticking herself in a ballroom was definitely something that Dom was going to get overexcited about. Honestly, if she saw Séamus there, she would probably go and talk to him as well. And try and get him to dance, but she wasn't going to tell him that now. She wasn't sure how he would feel about that.

@seamus

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Dom asked if bouquets had meaning, so Séamus figured he might as well begin explaining. “Th-that’s what the V-Victorian l-language of f-flowers is f-for.” Shay explained. “It g-gives m-meaning to each f-flower. And t-together the d-different f-flowers c-can m-make a…story, I g-guess.” And different flowers paired together had different meanings, which was equally fascinating to Shay. It was a way of communicating that didn’t involve talking or writing, which was basically a godsend for him. The only problem was that it was a form of communicating that not many people knew about, so it was impractical for everyday usage. Maybe he could teach Dominique, Séamus thought to himself. She’d certainly pick it up quickly, if their previous interactions were anything to go by.

“I h-haven’t m-met him.” Shay said when Dominique said Ranger was nice. That was the only response he could think of. “Is h-he your b-boyfriend?” Séamus asked, since Dominique hadn’t said she was going with Ranger as a friend. If they were going together romantically, then there was definitely no chance that he was going to bother Dominique to say something to him at the Ball. “D-don’t f-forget the f-food.” Shay reminded Dom. The food and drink were sure to be spectacular. Dominique could drink alcohol, since she was of the age of majority, which would probably also make the Ball more fun than it would be otherwise.

@dominique

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He started explaining what the language of flowers was and Dom felt her eyes widen as a small grin crept over her face. She would love to know stuff like that. Being able to send subtle, secret messages to people without them understanding was totally her style! And because she was Dom, she would simply enjoy it on her own and never explain herself to anyone she felt like sending flowers to. "A story," she echoed. She probably wouldn't be able to do that. Dom was too impatient to make a story. "That does sound super interesting. Do you know a lot about it?" She was assuming that he did because he brought it up, but she wanted to make sure before she asked him to tell her more.

It wasn't really a surprise that Séamus didn't know Ranger, so Dom just shrugged, "Well he's cool. Maybe I'll introduce you two sometime, if you don't mind, that is," she added the last part on as an afterthought, not wanting to push Séamus into anything he wasn't comfortable with. Dom shook her head when Séamus asked if Ranger was her boyfriend, a big smile on her face, "No. I mean, we've been on a few dates, but I go on lots of dates. I'm not really seeing anyone exclusively at the moment." Was that rude to say? It wasn't that she had anything against Ranger, but they hadn't talked about being in a relationship, so they weren't. "But he's a lot of fun to do things with," she added, hoping that made it sound better somehow. "Ooooh! You're right! I'm going to eat a lot, probably." Like usual. But it wasn't something Dom was shy about. In fact, she wasn't really shy about anything. It made life easier.

@seamus

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Dominique didn’t outright laugh at him for taking about his love of the Victorian language of flowers, so Shay was going to count that as a win. She agreed that it was interesting, too, so Séamus didn’t think that anyone could dispute his victory. When Dom asked if he had a lot of knowledge on the subject, the Slytherin nodded enthusiastically. “It’s the p-perfect c-combination of my l-love f-for p-plants and my h-hatred for t-talking.” He told her. He knew enough about flowers before he had begun researching the language and story behind the Victorian usage of bouquets to be able to appreciate it as an art form. The whole endeavor was just a natural extension of something he already loved.

“N-no th-thank you.” Séamus said almost immediately after Dominique invited to introduce him to Ranger. “I-I’m n-not g-good w-with introductions.” He had only begun talking to Dom in the first place because she had needed his book in the library! And then this conversation – it was just rude not to talk to someone if you knew them previously and you were the only two in a place. Shay understood that he probably wasn’t going to meet many people if he wouldn’t allow mutual friends to introduce them, but he was just…worried. Of how it would reflect on him if he clammed up, and of how awful it would be if the new person he met didn’t like him. “Oh.” Séamus said when Dom said that Ranger wasn’t going with her to the ball in a romantic way. She went on a lot of dates, eventually, which gave Shay the heebie jeebies. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to stand even one date. “M-maybe you c-can f-find m-me w-when you s-stop to eat?” Shay suggested shyly.

@dominique