Spring has Sprung | River

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The rain fell outside and hit the windows of the Ravenclaw common room with each drop. The rain provided the perfect soundtrack for some late-term studying. Spring was such a nice time of the year. Spring promised that summer would follow and that the school year was coming to an end. Flowers bloomed, rain fell and students began to spend more time outside. Riley couldn't help but notice that more people entered into relationships during the spring months as well. Likely, due to the inspiration of the flowers and newly green grass. 

Riley Fudge sat on his bed with a book about how the four seasons effected Human Behavior opened on his lap. He was skimming through the pages. It was a book that he had read before, but he just wanted to refresh himself on the material with the changing of the season. While he was very in-tune to other peoples behaviors, his own was still a mystery to him. He wasn't immune to the silly quirks of humanity. He too had found himself falling in love during the spring and wasn't sure if that could be attributed to the changing of the season or rather the fact that he had just met this girl over the past month.

@river

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River was obsessed with rainy days. He would live in a place where it rained all the time if he could. The rain just made sense to him, unlike anything else in this world. He had a been watching the rain out of the window downstairs in the common room, but decided it would be nice to snuggle up with a blanket. He went up to the dormitory, but stopped when he saw Riley and his bed.

Riley was incredibly smart, and very observant of people. River knew that Riley could easily see right through him. In fact, he was sure that his classmate already had. He slowly crossed over to his own bed, and started grabbing one of the smaller blanket. He didn't say hi... He just wasn't sure what to do yet. He gathered the soft blanket and then bit his lip nervously, turning toward Riley and then back to his bed.

@riley

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Riley watched his dorm mate walk into the room and stop short of continuing onto whatever he had come in to do. Riley didn't have a lot of friends. The Ravenclaw was weird and he knew that people saw him as a weird person. He was someone who could see through people's outward personas. However, he rarely gave people a hard time about them. He tried not to let on that he even knew or had figured them out. He was polite and respectful. Especially to any of the few people that he really cared about or wanted to like him.

River was someone who he cared about, at least a bit. He lived in the same room as Riley and he knew that their families were similar. Both had parents who expected a lot from their children. And Riley know how limiting parental guilt could be. That was why he hadn't told his parents about his girlfriend yet... she wouldn't entirely be accepted given her blood status, but he hoped that he could push them enough that they would get over it. "hey man, you okay?" Riley asked, lifting his head out his book long enough to see the man awkwardly walk towards his bed with a blanket in hand. 

@river

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Riley asked if he was okay. Of course he did. Riley always knew. River looked over at him, and knew that lying was a waste of his time. He sighed and shook his head, sitting on the edge of his bed, blanket in his arms. "Nah," he answered, giving an awkward little smile. "You?" Wow, what an amazing conversation maker you are, River. He rolled his eyes at himself and looked down at the blanket. Riley, being observant as he was, would know what Rileys body language meant. He was tired, anxious and exhausted with the act of being some kind of tough guy like he was trying to be. He was thinking about his dead parents and his betrothed, and how he wasn't good enough for any of them. How he and his father could have really been close if he had just... lived. How he was a mess, and everything he did was a mistake. He could probably also see how resolute River was to progress forward, though. How he wasn't going to give up because his shoulders were still rolled back, not quite as slumped as they used to be, and his hands were clenching the blanket. Determined.

@riley

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Riley was a little caught off guard by an honest answer. Sure, he knew that some people did that around him; instead of pretending or putting on their personas, they were honest with him and let them be themselves in fear of him just figuring them out anyway. In a lot of cases, his reputation preceded him. People knew that he was different and they knew how he was different and they knew that he was hard to keep things from. Plenty of his relationships had ended because girls felt like they couldn't keep things from him. And if a relationship was ended because of that, then it obviously wasn't one that he wanted to be in in the first place. "You wannah talk about it?" he asked a little uncertainly. He normally tried not to get involved in other peoples drama unless he was asked. But since he had decided to become a therapist, he knew he had to make himself more comfortable with giving people advice and analyzing the situation from the tellings of the client. Being the anonymous writer for the Advice Column had helped him a little in that regard. "I'm fine, just doing some research." he held up his book, and then closed it with his pen inside to keep his page.

@river

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Riley asked if he wanted to talk about it, and River didn't answer right away, because he really wasn't sure. Riley said that he was fine, just doing research, but then shut the book. That meant that he was open to talk, it seemed. That was a good way to show he was listening. River sighed, "I... guess. Not. No, what are you researching?" For now, it was okay with him to not talk about his issues and to instead turn the conversation to his dorm mate. They were lucky that Dominic rarely hung around the dorm room. River froze up around that guy, even if they were both part of Elaines gang now. But he was... such good friends with Vi and so mean that it was hard to be around him. Riley was okay. For the most part he seemed like his intentions weren't bad. River had a way of giving people the benefit of the doubt, though. So, in all honesty, he didn't really know what Riley's motives were for anything he ever did.

@riley

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After a second which Riley’s roommate had spent in obvious thought, he decided that no, he didn’t want to talk about anything. Riley nodded. While he found humans fascinating and wanted to learn all about them, included what made them upset and want to keep to themselves, he valued his personal relationships with people more than he valued research. At least with the people that were in his life long term, and he still had at least a year left of living with River Flint and he didn’t want to burn any bridges. He knew, however, that the relationship with their other roommate, Dominic was already destroyed. They didn’t get along and Riley never liked the guy. Little did he know, that their infamous roommate was actually bullying his girlfriend. “Uh, just a book about psychology written by a muggle psychologist in America about how the different seasons affect people and how they behave and think.” He then laughed with a shrug. “Weird, I know. Very specific and strange.” he nodded, making fun of himself before anyone else could was a defense mechanism that he used often.

@river

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Psychology. Now that was something River was sure he would benefit from knowing more about. Wizards touched on the subject, of course, but not at Hogwarts. Seasons made sense. Even magically seasons were kind of important. River heard that in some witch covens in America the seasons were basically worshiped and closely watched. It made sense that it would affect people, well, psychologically. "I like it," River countered, sitting on the edge of his bed again. "I think it's definitely true. Winter, for one, gets me all... down," he admitted. This past winter was a bad one, for sure, but the weather probably just made his blues even worse. Simralin left, his father died, Vi stood him up... wow, the more he thought about it the more he realized that all in one week his life had turned around. He looked down at his hands, "what does it say about Spring?"

@riley

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Riley raised his eyebrows when his roommate told him that he found it interesting and admitted that he felt down during the winter months. Seasonal Affective Disorder. Riley thought, but he wasn’t properly qualified to diagnose anything, but that was what it sounded like. Depression caused by lack of sunlight and lower vitamin D. Not that they got a lot of proper sun exposure in Scotland anyway as it never got very warm, even during the spring and summer as it was too north and surrounded by mountains and a lake, which meant that there would be a constant breeze. “Winters are hard for a lot of people.” Riley nodded, just wanting to try and make sure that River didn’t think he was completely alone and it was just him who felt that way. “Uh, well, it talks a lot about how people get… well… I guess more romantic during the spring. Similarly to how animals always mate in the spring.” another awkward subject, Riley was great at bringing up the awkward topics. “It makes sense, though. The sun’s out a little more and people go outside again and feel cooped up after the winter.” he shrugged.

@river

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Riley said that winters were hard for a lot of people, which was easy to believe. Then, in terms of spring, he spoke about romantic feelings and that just made River feel very, very small. He wished that would have any sort of affect on Vi... but there was no way. Not the mating part, of course not, Rivers ears turned red at the thought. Just the... romantic... part... but now he was distracted.

He had never thought about what that would actually meant to marry Vi. What their physical relationship would have to become. He barely heard the rest of what Riley was saying as his eyes started to widen in a panic and he was sure all of the blood drained out of his face, neck, arms, hands, all the way down to his toes. Other than his ears, he was probably as white as a ghost.

@riley

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While Riley was explaining what his book had to say about Spring, the season in which they were currently in, he watched his roommates ears blush and then his face drain of color. The boy was obviously in his own thought and it didn't appear that he was listening, which Riley didn't mind so much, he just wanted to make sure that his friend was okay, he looked like he had seen a ghost. He looked kind of like he was a ghost. Riley wasn't going to point that out, however. That would be rude. He couldn't just come out and tell his friend he looked ill. He already knew that there was something on River's mind, but he didn't want to talk about it. And Riley didn't want to push him, however, since it didn't seem like he was able to shake whatever it was that he was thinking about, Riley thought maybe asking once more wouldn't hurt and likely would be considered polite. "Are you sure there isn't anything you want to talk about?" he asked the person on the next to his.

@river

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River heard a voice and slowly the words formed in his mind and he remembered where he was. Riley was there, asking if he was sure there wasn't anything he wanted to talk about. "Oh!" River blurted spastically. Then his cheeks reddened, the color finally returning. "It's just... I'm betrothed and," he swallowed hard, "just never thought about that part," he answered truthfully. Riley would know all about that kind of stuff, betrothal stuff, since he was from a well known pureblood family as well. It was getting even more popular again these days since Elaine started making the line between muggleborn and pureblood solid again. The parents of the pure were starting to take notice and their kids were paying for it. Like River. Like Riley no doubt would.

@riley

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Riley listened as his roommate spoke. Oh. OH. Interesting. Riley hadn't ever thought that it was a possibility not to think about being intimate with someone that you knew you were going to end up marrying in the not-so-distant future. Of course, he wasn't  betrothed, and he hoped that he never would become so since he was already hopelessly in love with Kinsey, but he felt for the boy sitting across the dorm. Being a part of a pure blood family brought along great expectations. Riley knew he was expected to keep his families bloodline pure, especially as a male of the line since he would carry on the Fudge name. Riley almost wasn't sure what to say, or if he should say anything in response. "Maybe you should talk to them about that?" he asked with a shrug. As someone who wanted to work in a field o helping people with their problems, he really should be getting better about giving advice. He was fine giving advice when it came to the advice column he wrote, but that was anonymous, no one knew who he was and he sometimes didn't know who they were. "Would they want to talk about it?" he asked. 

@river

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Riley suggested he talk to her about that and River didn't know what to do about that thought process. Then Riley added asking if they would want to. River sputtered some sort of sound and shrugged, "I have no idea. I mean, I guess the whole point of us getting married is for the bloodline..." he felt horrible about that, considering blood purity seemed ridiculous and terrible to him. "I think that she expects us to talk about it eventually. But she'll make me bring it up," he grimaced. That was so like her to not bring up the important things herself. River had no doubt that he would have to bring up this awkward conversation.

But was it really awkward? They probably wouldn't get married for at least another year, maybe two, and he was old enough to be mature about this. Vi certainly was. They would be fine if he just stopped thinking so hard about it. But that's what he did, he overthought things and analyzed them. "I think... we'll be fine. I guess."

@riley

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Riley understood his roommate more than he could articulate at this time. He knew his parents would fuss over him dating a halfblood girl and insist that he marry a pureblood, but he had no interest in doing so, not for the point of marrying one at least. If it worked out that way then he was fine with it. But on his own free will he wasn’t going to purposefully search for a wife who was of proper blood and social standing. He was putting too much faith in his parents to accept their children’s happiness over the purity of the bloodline, but he didn’t know that yet. “She’s uh… older isn’t she?” he asked, cocking his head a bit. He vaguely know who the girl was, but he wasn’t sure they had ever interacted. She was in Slytherin, if he recalled correctly. He didn’t have a ton of Slytherin friends, except for his sister, of course, who he was growing increasingly angry towards since he wasn’t being very accepting of his girlfriend. “Maybe it can just remain unspoken until… it comes up?” he suggested. “If it’s already assumed and implied then why put that awkwardness on yourself?” he asked.

@river