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last online Mar 28, 2024 23:48:09 GMT -7
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Aug 25, 2017 22:57:11 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2017 22:57:11 GMT -7
Kinsey was trying so hard to hold it all in, to appear normal as she walked through the castles. Her initial thought was to find Riley and she really wanted to. More than anything, she wanted to find him, but she didn't know where he would be and she didn't think she could stand being around other people at the moment. She needed to decompress, to find somewhere she could set her emotions free. "Merlin, you don't even realize how exhausting it is, do you? We can't even think anything without you getting all wound up and crying wolf. It's always about what you feel. And your constant paranoia that the world is out to get you. I'm sick of constantly having to worry about censoring my own blasted thoughts just for you." Her sister's words ran through her head repeatedly. Everything she always worried about being to her family, confirmed in those short moments by the one who was once her favorite sister.
She pasted a smile onto her face, nodding and waving to people as she passed them on the stairs. She was going outside. If she found Riley on the way, fabulous! If she didn't ... well maybe he would come to the pond eventually looking for her. She finally made it to the entrance hall and felt a need to walk out the doors. She needed fresh air and space and solitude. Her breath caught when she saw Riley not too far away, talking happily with his friends. She ached to go to him, to ask him for help ... but paused. What if he actually did figure out her gift? He would end up feeling the same way as Diana. Kinsey felt sick. She moved out of the way, standing beside a wall while she tried to figure out what to do. Interrupt Riley when he was obviously enjoying himself or let him find her later. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall behind her. She couldn't decide things like this right now.
@riley
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last online Mar 28, 2024 23:48:09 GMT -7
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Aug 25, 2017 23:51:09 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2017 23:51:09 GMT -7
Riley had been studying with a group of friends in the Great Hall during one of his free periods. They had this huge end of the year project due in Divination in May and of course, even though they had all year to be working on it, none of them even began it until this month. April always seemed to be a month which caused a lot of people to freak out and scramble to get all of their work done and not even Riley the Ravenclaw was immune to it. He and some of his Divination classmates had continued to chat on their way out of the hall, some had other classes to get to, but Riley had finished his lessons for the day so he was going to head to the common room and drop off his things and maybe wait for Kinsey before dinner.
While he was chatting with a Hufflepuff student near the Great Hall he was pretty sure that he spotted Kinsey appear coming down the stairs but then ducked away before she made it to him. It was an odd pattern of behavior and he began to worry if she had a run in with her bully or something. He told his friend that he would catch him latter and then made his way over to Kinsey where she was leaning her head against the wall with her eyes closed. "Hey Kins...are you okay?" he asked, getting close to her. "What's going on?" he asked, concern spreading over his face.
@kinsey
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last online Mar 28, 2024 23:48:09 GMT -7
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Aug 26, 2017 0:01:45 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2017 0:01:45 GMT -7
Leaning against the wall wasn't helping her make a decision at all, nor was having her eyes closed, but Kinsey didn't move. It was oddly relaxing here, though she didn't feel calm in the inside. How could she, after what she just learned from Diana? Thinking of that, what was she going to tell Riley about that conversation? She couldn't tell him the worst part. It had everything to do with her gift, which she hadn't told him about yet. Yes, this was all on her. Maybe letting him talk with his friends was a good thing.
She was about to move outside in her own when she heard his familiar voice. And he called her Kins. Her eyes opened and she looked at Riley, drinking in the sight of him. She shook her head when he asked if she was okay. She decided a while ago she wasn't going to lie to him. "I could use one of your amazing hugs right now," she admitted, her lower lip trembling. Blast it all, why did her emotions always get the better of her around Riley? She didn't bother to answer his other question. She didn't want to talk about it here. Besides that, she needed a little more time to decide exactly what she was going to tell him.
@riley
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last online Mar 28, 2024 23:48:09 GMT -7
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Aug 26, 2017 10:12:37 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2017 10:12:37 GMT -7
Riley felt his heart breaking again when she shook her head that she wasn't okay. His heart was breaking and he felt angry at whoever had made this angel so upset. Without skipping a beat he took her into his arms, wrapping his arms protectively around her and pulling her close to him. He didn't care that there were students around. He didn't care that someone could see and might think something else of the situation, he could tell the hug would look rather passionate to anyone who didn't know the situation, which was everyone since no one else knew. He hadn't yet told anyone about his newfound friendship, not that it wasn't obviously to literally everyone since they were never without each other unless one of them had class.
He just held her for a few minutes, he let her breath and relax and calm herself down knowing that she was safe with him and that he wouldn't let her go, he wouldn't leave her a alone and he would do his best to ensure that he never made her feel like this. "Do you want to go somewhere?" he whispered into her ear.
@kinsey
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last online Mar 28, 2024 23:48:09 GMT -7
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Aug 26, 2017 10:28:40 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2017 10:28:40 GMT -7
He was so good to her. Kinsey didn't understand how Riley had so much patience with her for her moodiness and how he was always so in tune to her and what she needed. A part of her wanted desperately to know why he cared so much, but she was scared at the same time. She was starting to rely on him, more than she ever relied on anyone before and she didn't know what she'd do if that stopped, but she also didn't know what was keeping him around.
Still, when Riley wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight, Kinsey let her worries go for the moment. He wanted to protect and comfort her, much as he had since they met that night, and she gave in. She hugged him back tight, letting his intentions wash over her and comfort her even as she still struggled with what her sister said to her. She had no doubt that he thought it was her bully, that Dom got to her somehow, but she couldn't seem to find the strength to say anything. She just let him hold her, ignoring the fact that they were in the entrance hall and not in a private area at all. She focused on her breathing and his and on trying to calm herself down, even just a little bit.
Kinsey had no idea how long they stood there before he spoke, but she felt the familiar shivers run through her when he whispered in her ear. She nodded slowly. "My pond," she whispered back, making the place sound like a question. Like she was asking him if he'd want to go there. She loosened her grip on him, not letting go entirely. Not until he made it plain that he wanted to go.
@riley
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last online Mar 28, 2024 23:48:09 GMT -7
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Aug 26, 2017 12:34:47 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2017 12:34:47 GMT -7
Riley felt drawn to the Ravenclaw girl. He felt the constant desire to be around her and craved her attention when she wasn't around. He had gotten soft, not that he had ever been tough, but he had been maybe a little more of a mystery before he met her. She had made him a better person, at least in his eyes. She had opened him up and continued to grow with him. She made him want to better himself and to better the world, to take a stand and protect her, and he'd go out of his way to do so, if he ever caught her in a situation where he could help, regardless of the consequences on himself, he would. He'd give anything to take some of this pain off of her.
She suggested they got to the Pond, the place they had met only a week or so before. It really had been such a short time since she became more than a stranger to him but he couldn't think of a situation that had ever changed his life more. She was a light in his life, a pillar of happiness, plus he had come to just love looking at her, but he couldn't let her know that. It was too soon. It was a confusing time. He wanted to cement their friendship to make sure that nothing was going to get in-between them before he tried anything seriously. "Yeah. let's go." He agreed, keeping her under his arm safely as they walked out of the castle.
@kinsey
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last online Mar 28, 2024 23:48:09 GMT -7
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Aug 26, 2017 12:50:00 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2017 12:50:00 GMT -7
Diana was right about one thing. Kinsey's relationship with Riley was moving at an incredible pace. Granted, with all things considered it started fast too. Normally Kinsey didn't let anyone touch her. Not her family, or even friends that she knew for years, but that was different with Riley. He made her feel better and she actually told him that. He somehow seemed to understand the comfort that she got from his touch, even when he was just walking with an arm around her shoulders. It was amazing and incredible and ... fast, which was one thing that made her a little nervous. Kinsey felt like she'd known Riley for her entire life when it really was just a little more than a week. Could she really know him in such a short period of time?
He walked her out to the pond, no questions asked and Kinsey walked close to him, drawing comfort and peace from him. When they arrived, she sat on the bench where they first met. She wasn't crying and she really didn't want to, but she didn't know if that would be a choice or if it would just happen. "Riley," she whispered softly. She wanted to talk with him, tell him some of what happened, but she couldn't come outright and just say it. She needed him to ask her questions or something. She needed some reason to start talking.
@riley
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last online Mar 28, 2024 23:48:09 GMT -7
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Aug 26, 2017 13:09:20 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2017 13:09:20 GMT -7
Riley liked to think of himself as a very comforting person. He wasn't big on physical contact, at least until he met Kinsey, but he always knew what to say. Though he could never have thought that he would help someone the way he could see that he was helping Kinsey. He barely knew what was going on. He felt like he was very close to figuring out what she was keeping a secret, he knew that it was linked to other people and the way they thought or felt, and he knew it was something that made her uncomfortable so it had to do with reading people's true feelings, or something of the sort, but the last time he assumed what her secret was, she had laughed, obviously she couldn't read minds, though it still sometimes felt like she could. He knew sometimes other people felt like he could also. he sat with her, keeping her close to him on the bench where they met, where he had first held her. "What happened, Kinsey?" he asked. "You were okay in class and now... did you run into the bully? Did someone do something to you?" he asked, stroking her hair gently.
@kinsey
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last online Mar 28, 2024 23:48:09 GMT -7
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Aug 26, 2017 13:29:42 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2017 13:29:42 GMT -7
He was sitting with her on the bench, playing with her hair as he started to ask his questions. Kinsey knew it was coming. She knew from the moment she heard him in the entrance hall that they would be talking soon about what happened. She just didn't know what to say to him. She wanted to tell him everything that happened, but a lot of it had to do with her gift. A part of her wished he figured it out already- since she was sure he would- but then he would be subject to the same kind of stresses Diana talked about. Kinsey didn't want that for him so now she didn't know what to hope for. What she did know was that this conversation probably wasn't going to be short, so she might as well get comfortable. She pulled her feet up so she was sitting on them and then rested her head against him. It was a familiar position, but it just felt natural and she was upset so she wasn't going to analyze things right now. She shook her head. "No, it wasn't my bully," she answered that one first, to put it to rest. "Diana. I ran into Diana and we ... talked. For the first time in ages and-" he throat closed up from emotion, but she still wasn't crying yet. Good thing. She coughed. "I can't tell you everything she said, but ... she knew. She's known about me being bullied and she did nothing to help." She trembled with emotion as she said the words. There. That was something Riley would understand. Hopefully. To her it made sense to be upset over this, though what happened after was definitely more upsetting than this. She'd tell Riley that eventually, if he ever figured out her gift.
@riley
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last online Mar 28, 2024 23:48:09 GMT -7
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Aug 26, 2017 14:30:26 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2017 14:30:26 GMT -7
He was relived to hear that she hadn't had a run in with her bully, who's name and being were still a mystery to Riley along with so much else about her and her family. He didn't know any of the Bainbridges well except for Kinsey. He recently had a conversation with her older sister, Cara, but he wouldn't exactly consider the two of them friends. He didn't know Diana well, he knew she was a student in their house but a year older, but he didn't know if she was more like Cara or more like Kinsey. And she had an older brother too whom he had never met, he knew, as well as a few younger sisters, if he recalled correctly. "She knows that you're being bullied and she didn't do anything about it? Does she know who's doing it to you? Why won't she help?" he asked, if he knew someone was bullying his little sister, he would be doing everything in his power to stop it.
@kinsey
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last online Mar 28, 2024 23:48:09 GMT -7
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Aug 26, 2017 20:16:58 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2017 20:16:58 GMT -7
He didn't say anything for a bit and Kinsey figured he didn't know what to say. How would he? When he did speak, Kinsey nodded, still leaning on him pretty heavily. "She knows. She knows who and how long and everything. She hasn't confronted the bully or even talked to me about it to try and help ... though I guess she explained that too." She shuddered, moving closer to him as her sisters harsh words flashed through her mind again. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind, remembering earlier in the conversation. "She was asking how I met you and I said I was having a hard time and she said my bully's name, asking if it was because of them. How did she know so long and do nothing? I don't understand and that's not even the worst part," she pulled back and looked at his face, searching his eyes. "I want to tell you everything, everything about my secret and everything she said to me today. I really do want to, but at the same time I'm scared she's right, and I'm scared that my secret will change your mind about being my friend," Kinsey confessed, a knot in her stomach as she did so. Honestly, she wanted to be more than friends, but in order for that to happen he'd have to learn the truth and still want to be with her. According to her sister, there wasn't much chance of that.
@riley
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last online Mar 28, 2024 23:48:09 GMT -7
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Aug 27, 2017 12:04:36 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2017 12:04:36 GMT -7
Riley listened and continued to stroke her soft, dark hair as she explained that her sister had asked if she and Riley had met because of the bully. Her sister had known who it was and had known the whole time that it was happening, but didn't do anything about it. He began to wonder if maybe her sister was under the threat of the bully also and that was why she couldn't or wouldn't do anything about it. But he wouldn't say that or ask that. He wouldn't bring that up right now. He was being there for Kinsey and he wanted to make sure that she knew he was there for her. She then went on to tell him that she was afraid that her telling him her secret, her hidden mystery would make him change his mind about them being friends. The school was full of dangerous people, he might not know who all of them were, but he had to believe that Kinsey wasn't one of them. "I don't want to keep anything from you, Kins. And I'd like if you didn't keep anything from me either." he promised and insisted. He didn't mean for it to sound harsh, and he hoped that she didn't take it that way. But to him, her continuing to keep something that was obviously so big as a secret from him while they were getting so close almost hurt him. "Nothing going to change the way that I feel about you."
@kinsey
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last online Mar 28, 2024 23:48:09 GMT -7
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Aug 27, 2017 12:46:48 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2017 12:46:48 GMT -7
Kinsey loved how it felt to have Riley playing with her hair. It was calming and soothing and just relaxing to her, like he often was. It was almost like Riley was attuned to her, knowing exactly what she needed without her saying a thing. He listened to her talk about her sister and didn't say anything in response, which was just fine. She just didn't know what he thought about it all. When he finally did speak, Kinsey felt the guilt increase. Keeping her secret was eating at her, but she promised her parents that she wouldn't tell anyone. They were worried that someone would try to exploit her, she thought.
Kinsey bit her lip, trying to figure out what to say to him. She couldn't keep this all to herself, but could she really just tell him everything? She shook her head when he said that nothing would change his feelings for her. "Don't make me any promises," she breathed, trying to brace herself for what was about to happen. Even with his assurance, she was terrified. Everyone treated her differently once they found out and she didn't know how she'd be able to deal with everything without him if things between them did change. Maybe it would be easier if he didn't promised that nothing would change. Then he wouldn't be able to break his promise.
"Can you tell me what you think first, what you've noticed? Then I'll tell you everything." For some reason that sounded easier to her. If he told her what he observed, then it'd be more like correcting him then breaking her promise. If he already basically knew ... then telling him wouldn't be a big deal. She hoped.
@riley
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last online Mar 28, 2024 23:48:09 GMT -7
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Aug 27, 2017 15:45:24 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2017 15:45:24 GMT -7
"I want to make you that promise." he insisted. "Kinsey nothing is going to scare me away or push me away from you... well... unless you want me to go away." he said, but he hoped that she never pushed him away, that nothing ever came in-between them. He had grown so fond of her, so attached to her, and he wanted to make her happy whatever the cost, he longed for the days when she didn't have any worries anymore and they could just be happy and have fun forever, together. But until that dream was a reality, he wanted to be there for her and do whatever he could, and that meant knowing her, inside and out, but he knew there was a huge roadblock hidden in her mystery and he needed to know.
Can you tell me what you think first, what you've noticed? Then I'll tell you everything. she asked. He nodded and began to think before speaking, he knew it was going to come out a mess, because he had several theories. But he figured the best way was to just jump in. "Well I figure it's something to do with people. Like you can read them kind of like I can, maybe? But more in a magical way than my self-taught manner. I've considered maybe that you could read minds, but when you shut that down I began to think maybe you could just pick up on certain thoughts or feelings or intentions that people are feeling, or maybe you're like a human-lie-detector or something." he shrugged, well aware and terrified of being wrong and her shaking her head at him. He knew he was fairly observant, he had always thought he was good at reading people, but she stumped him a bit. "is any of that even remotely close?" he asked.
@kinsey
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last online Mar 28, 2024 23:48:09 GMT -7
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Aug 27, 2017 16:48:30 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2017 16:48:30 GMT -7
He pushed, saying that he wanted to make the promise, that nothing would scare him away or push him away. Unless she wanted to leave. She reached forward and grabbed his hands impulsively. "No! I don't want you to go away. Ever." She blushed slightly, realizing that she said more than she meant to, but at the same time it was true. That was why she was so nervous to tell him everything. She didn't want to lose him. While she didn't entirely believe that nothing could push him away from her, Kinsey tried hard to believe his words. She didn't want to shut him out anymore.
He knew! Of course, he didn't know that he knew since he had several theories and didn't know which one was right, but she was definitely going to tell him since he figured it out. She felt so ... relieved that she couldn't even figure out what to say for a few seconds. Then he asked if he was even close and she smiled at him. She felt like she was going to burst with happiness. He knew! He figured it out and he was still here, even though he didn't know which one was the right one. "You figured it out," she told him. "It's ... intentions. I can sense what peoples intentions are. If I'm in the same room I can tell if they're good, bad or neutral, but the closer I get to people, the more details I can tell. When they touch me, it gets even stronger. I can tell if people are lying, manipulating, sincere, comforting, protecting. And-" her breath caught so she paused a moment. "and I guess that intimidates some people. My sister-" Kins broke off, shaking her head and biting her lip again as she remembered what Diana said. She looked away from him nervously, only then starting to move her hands out of his. What if he did change his mind? She trusted him, but ... she'd trusted Diana too and that trust only brought her more pain. What would happen if Riley- she couldn't even finish the thought.
@riley
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