All By Myself (Irina)

[Deleted]

Things were getting hard for Dastan. He liked being here, at Hogwarts, but he didn't know what he was supposed to do. His brother went back home, back to Beauxbatons, to be with their family and Dastan was on his own in a strange place. Sure, he spent lots of his time with Gwen- in fact, that was one of the reasons why he'd opted to stay instead of leave with his brother- but that didn't mean he knew what he was doing here. He excelled in his studies and in his practice on the Quidditch field, but apart from that and Gwen, he felt empty. It was strange, how much of a difference it made to him to have Jesper gone, but it did. 

So he was walking on the grounds. He wasn't entirely positive what he felt like doing, but he could not simply stand there and do nothing anymore. He wanted to act, to get something done. He spied a tree a short way off in the distance and moved towards it, looking around before he started to climb. Then he heard someone walking up behind him.

[Irina Rose Krum]

Sleep had eluded Irina Krum for much of the previous night; she had been subject to her first ever Occlumency lesson yesterday, and though she knew that it was one of the best things she could do for herself and Daniel, she hadn't fully been prepared for the aftereffects.  She'd felt vulnerable, shaky and weak; she'd gone to bed early and drawn the curtains so that she wasn't disturbed.  She had found herself lying there awake, staring at the top of her canopy while her dormmates breathing deeply in their slumbers.  

Today she knew she needed to practice clearing her mind, and the only surefire way she knew how to do that was climbing trees.  Thankfully, this particular day had dawned less chilly than the previous day, but she still insulated herself enough so that she wouldn't feel the cold.  She jogged across the grounds to the grove of trees she was so familiar with, but stopped short.  Surpisingly, someone else was there.  She looked up at him; she didn't know his name, but for some reason he seemed familiar.  She realized he probably could feel her staring, so she cleared her throat.  "Good to know that there are others who seeks solace in the treetops," she called up to him.


@dastan

[Deleted]

Dastan wasn't expecting someone else to show up outside, much less at the same tree that he was climbing, but there she was. A girl who seemed to be pretty confident was just calling up to him. "Is that what I'm doing?" he asked curiously, trying to hide how he was feeling in his tone. He wanted to not seem upset, but he was. If this girl stayed with him, she would probably come to realize that. Hopefully she would leave, but he wasn't going to ask her to. 

"You want to join me?" He asked instead. Maybe it would be a good thing for him to talk to someone. He didn't want to, but maybe that meant he needed to or something. That sounded like something Jesper would say. He grunted and shifted a little in the branches. "What makes you want to "seek solace" here?" He tried to distract his one-track thoughts.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina raised an eyebrow, but didn’t answer him when he asked if that was what he was doing. His tone seemed a little sad; she supposed dating an empath had made her more intuitive to other peoples’ emotions, but he was clearly trying to hide it. So instead she walked over to the neighboring tree and hopped up on the lowest branch. “If you were here for a tree climbing contest, I’d have known about it,” she said finally with a small smirk.

She climbed up several more branches in silence, her long braid whipping from side to side as she found her footing quickly and efficiently. These trees were pretty easy as she’d been climbing them since her first year, but she didn’t mind. It got more harrowing the higher one went, but she’d stopped about a quarter of the way up. “The reason anyone seeks solace in the branches of a tree - to get out of your own head,” she told him simply. She cocked her head to the side, looking down at him. “You’re the Beauxbatons Quidditch player from tryouts, aren’t you?” she asked, suddenly remembering why he looked so familiar.

@dastan

[Deleted]

She was playing along with him- whoever she was- and Dastan was grateful. He would take any and all distractions from his feelings at the moment because he just didn't want to think, didn't want to examine the foreboding feeling that overcame him when Jesper told him that he was going home. Why would Jesper do that? No, now wasn't the time to think about it. Not with someone here, interrupting his solitude. "Unless I didn't announce my intent to climb the trees better than anyone else possibly could," Dastan challenged with a playful smile on his face.

He watched as she climbed a nearby tree, but he wasn't really paying attention. The girl could do what she wanted, it didn't have any impact on him. "Or to get into it and away from everybody else," he argued softly. Immediately after the words left his mouth, Dastan wished they hadn't. He just admitted why he was climbing, which he didn't want to do, at least not with a stranger. Then she mentioned Quidditch and Dastan smiled, looking at her curiously. He didn't remember her. "Yes, I was at the tryouts," he told her shortly. "I don't remember you playing ..." Dastan trailed off, fishing for some kind of response.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina raised an eyebrow, but smiled. "Well, then consider me your challenger," she said, that burning flame of competition flickering restlessly inside her.   She studied the branches surrounding her, calculating her next move.  She turned her attention back to Dastan; she heard his comment, but said nothing.  Everyone had their demons; some ran from them, some went right into the deep end head on.  That was not her business which this Beauxbatons boy was deciding to do.  "I was in the crowds; my boyfriend Daniel was trying out as well.  Our brother was at the tryouts too.  Kind of could call it a family affair I suppose," she said with a wry chuckle.  "I'm Irina by the way, Irina Krum," she added as introduction.

She reached up to a branch a little higher, and trusting herself she hopped off the branch, using her arm strength to pull herself up.  She swung her leg so her body flipped over onto the branch.  She almost slipped for a moment or two, but she had a vicelike grip on the branch so she did not fall.  Sighing from relief, she straightened to a sitting position.  "Your move," she told him.


@dastan

[Deleted]

Dastan nodded when she told him to consider her as a challenger. "Done," he said, waiting for her to make the first move. That was the polite thing to do, right? Not that Dastan was entirely concerned with being polite, but he would try for it when the occasion came up. Which it was right now. "You're dating Daniel? I met him a few weeks ago on the Quidditch pitch practicing. He's the whole reason I knew about the tryouts." He smiled, "Your boyfriend is a good flyer." It had been lots of fun playing with him the other day. He nodded as she introduced herself. "My name is Dastan Oscarsson." It wasn't a famous name, like Krum, but that was alright. 

He watched as she climbed higher, almost slipping and falling. She was almost like an acrobat. When she said it was his turn, Dastan turned to the nearest branch above him and climbed up simply, reaching up and grabbing it with his arms and climbing up the trunk to get him there. It wasn't fancy by any means, but at least he hadn't slipped. "Now you," he said, offering a small smile.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina nodded, glad that the word of the Quidditch professionals had gotten around; they had come up rather quickly, but with the added seventh years of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, the opportunity was too great to miss.  "I'm glad you got the opportunity to show off your skill set," she said, then smiled.  "He is a good flier; he knows it too," she said with a laugh.  He'd shown her just how good of flier he was when they had practiced togther; she had faith that every team throughout the whole of Europe would be fighting to recruit him by the end of the year.  "Any teams catch your interest?" she asked curiously. 

Irina's grin widened as he took the easy way up the tree trunk, issuing her next move.  "Is that the best you can do?" she challenged, raising an eyebrow.  She studied the branches above her, calculating her next move carefully.  She rubbed her hands together and lightly sprung up to catch a branch just out of her reach.  She did not falter or stumble this time; she wrapped her legs around the branch and swung herself up like a monkey.  She nodded her head at Dastan, waiting for him to go next.


@dastan

[Deleted]

Dastan smiled. Obviously she hadn't watched him at the tryouts, but that was fine with him. She was probably watching her boyfriend, which was entirely normal. "It was fun. I'm glad they did it," he commented, nodding when she said that Daniel was a good flier. Dastan already knew that. He and Daniel had their own private practice a few weeks ago and he'd enjoyed it immensely. He shrugged when she asked about teams. "I don't really know the teams here in England," he admitted. "I'll probably wait for an offer and then see where it goes from there." Honestly, he couldn't even remember the team names here. He should probably look that up. Later. After he got over the fact that Jesper abandoned him there.

Dastan raised an eyebrow when she criticized his move. "I'd rather move up slowly and get higher than you can then take all sorts of risks and lose the competition," he told her before moving once more to the next branch. He wasn't as flexible as she was, so he really had no intention of trying to compete with her style. He nodded when he was done moving, so she would know it was her turn.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina nodded. "From what my brothers' told me, they're probably not going to look at anyone who isn't graduating at the end of the year.  With the Tournament being held at Hogwarts, it was easier for them to all come here and look at the seventh years," he explained, then smiled.  "Plus, they got to see some foreign talent too - who knows, some of you might end up staying in the UK after graduation," she said with a chuckle.  That was a nice thought.  "My brother plays for the Appleby Arrows, they're in Northern England.  I also saw the Wimbourne Wasps captain, and the Puddlemere United Seeker.  It did seem to be mostly Arrows though - do you remember who you tried out with?" she asked, suddenly curious.  She knew Dan wanted to play on the same team as Nikolai, but the Arrows had a Keeper, and she knew that her brother was currently having a private debate on whether or not he wanted to continue playing Quidditch.

Rina's smile turned into a smirk as he low-key called her out on showing off.  "I've been climbing trees for as long as I can remember; in Bulgaria my grandparents have these massive trees with loads of branches that range in difficulty, at least in my opinion," she said carelessly, then laughed again.  She swung herself up onto the next branch and looked back at him.  "What about you?  Beginner, novice or expert climber?  I need to know how to set my pace," she asked him teasingly.


@dastan

[Deleted]

Dastan shrugged when she commented about some foreigners staying in the country after graduation. Honestly, it was an appealing idea. It meant being closer to Gwen and getting to know new people and a new culture. He still had no idea which team he would want to join though. "Maybe. Umm ... I think I tried out with the captain from the Appleby Arrows, actually." Dastan smiled, "It was fun." Really, any time when Dastan was on a broom was fun. He loved it. "Do you play?" Obviously she didn't want to professionally, but she was a Krum and he was curious.

"There you go. I figured you had a lot of experience," Dastan commented as he started climbing again. "I climb. Not all the time, but I did it a lot when I was younger. It's been a while." He wasn't bad at it, by any means, but he also wasn't as adept as climbing as he once was.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

"Dakota Wulfe, my brothers captain," Irina confirmed with a small smile. Nikolai was a Seeker and Dakota was one of the Chasers for the team; she'd heard good things about him though.  "If you're a Chaser, I happen to know one of those positions is opening up -- the Jamaican girl went back to Jamaica.  Rumor has it the Captain of the Wimbourne Wasps followed her there," she told him, adding in the last bit with a small smirk.  Irina was not one for gossip usually, but sometimes the world of Quidditch fascinated her.  It didn't hurt that her brother let things slip before they reached the sports section of the Daily Prophet either. 

Irina smiled at Dastan's next question; she was used to being asked that because of who her parents were.  Rather than letting it bother her like it used to, she didn't mind it as much anymore.  "Not on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, though I have been asked.  I like playing one-on-one though," she told him, her legs swinging freely from the branch she was perched on.  "Honestly, the competition of Quidditch brings out a....fierce side of me that I'm not keen on," she admitted.  She stood up on the branch and climbed a few more.  They were more than halfway up the trees now - Irina hoped he wasn't afraid of heights.


@dastan

[Deleted]

Irina told him about the open spot on the Appleby Arrow's team and Dastan couldn't keep a sly grin from covering his face. Apparently there was a lot more to the game of Quidditch than what happened on the pitch. He wouldn't have it any other way though. Getting to know the competition was fun. "I play chaser," he told her with a smile. That didn't really mean he'd be chosen to fill the spot, but he might be. "Maybe they'll consider me." Hopefully. Dasta wasn't entirely sure why, but the idea of staying in England was one he was coming to like.

His eyebrows rose when she said she liked playing one-on-one. "Well if you're ever in the mood, I'll play with you," he told her with an easy grin. He didn't know why, but talking to the girl was helping raise his spirits for the moment. His brother was gone but that didn't mean Dastan couldn't make different friends. She explained why and Dastan wanted to play with her even more, though he had a feeling that pushing for it wouldn't really help. She was competitive? Well, he'd see how competitive right now. He climbed higher, looking down and laughing at the distance. They were so far off the ground and he loved it. "So you're not as competitive when it's not with a team?" He asked after climbing a few more branches. They were starting to get thin here, but it wasn't too hard to find branches that could hold him.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina smiled a little when Dastan said he was a Chaser.  "Dan plays Keeper for the most part, so that must have been a perfect match," she commented with a quiet laugh.  "I'll see if I can wrestle anything out of my brother," she promised him.  At his inquiry of her competitive, Irina turned away for a moment.  "I'm always competitive, in case that hadn't been made obvious," she finally said with a wry chuckle, looking back over at him.  "But....my parents played professionally, so obviously we played too.  I was good, better than my brother even.  But the game itself just brings out a...ruthless competitiveness that scares me.  I didn't like who I became in the game, so I decided that I wasn't going to play.  I still love flying, and one-on-one games I'm all about."  


She stopped talking, and laughed sheepishly.  "Sorry, I can get a little carried away talking about it sometimes," she said, tucking a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear.  She climbed a few more branches and sat down, watching her legs swing back and forth from a high distance.  When she had first started climbing, Irina had had a terrible fear of heights.  But the more she climbed, the less she felt scared.  Funny how those things worked sometimes.  "What about you?  What's there to you aside from Quidditch and Beauxbatons?" she asked him.


@dastan

[Deleted]

Dastan grinned and nodded when she commented about him and Dan matching pretty well. "Yeah, we had a lot of fun, but we did a lot of different things as well. We all tried different positions." He didn't expect her to be surprised. Surely she knew her boyfriend's talents. He wasn't very surprised when she explained why she was so competitive. It made sense, with her family connections.

He chuckled, "Don't worry about it, I don't mind. I always love talking about Quidditch." He climbed further up, enjoying the sensation. He sat down on a branch about the same height as her and shrugged, "Not much. I like learning and studying," he tried to think, but at the moment nothing else was coming to mind. "I don't know. I get really competitive, with almost everything." It was a weakness, but since she was competitive too maybe she would understand.

Irina Rose Krum