that's my new philosophy [elijah]

[Deleted]

Trying to describe their own movement was a question that Blair didn't know how to answer. People told them that they stalked and skulked and prowled as if the Ravenclaw was some sort of jungle cat, and not just a human who happened to dislike other humans, for the most part. Why other people cared so much about the way they walked perplexed Blair somewhat, but they had long since learned that people were fascinated by what they didn't understand. That was, after all, why Blair had spent the better part of their life enchanted with death; it was something entirely unknowable, because anyone who had experienced it wasn't available for comment. In any case, as they walked down Diagon Alley, Blair rather wondered if they were stalking like they had been told they had the tendency to. Their strides were long and measured, their pewter cloak billowing around them like a storm cloud, but they weren't making an effort to hide themself. Blair didn't mind being seen in Diagon - in fact, they relished the opportunity to remind everyone that the Pucey family existed, and they were waiting for their moment of reckoning. Blair hadn't intended to stop anywhere in between the shops they were visiting, but something on the ground caught their eye. It appeared one of the owls from the owl emporium had met its demise at the claws of a feral cat... fascinating.

Elijah Theron Fleming

[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

LONDON STILL FELT LIKE AN INCREDIBLE NEW ADVENTURE, as far as Eli was concerned. He'd never visited before then. And in a lot of ways, it was like a different planet. Everything was different, the weather, the air. Even the traffic. And so, most of Eli's summer had been spent... well exploring. But, Diagon Alley? Of course he'd been there before.

With a handful of Floo powder, Eli found himself back on the little cobbled high street. Even mid summer it was bustling. Shop fronts open, carts filled with wares as people yelled for sales and prices. He'd bought a little round gobstopper from a kid with a box full. 'Everlasting!', the boy had said, and though Eli doubted the fact, he still paid a knut for one. 

Eli sucked on the piece of candy as he wandered, filled with a giddy excitement only a child seemed to master. However, just as Eli stepped out of a joke shop and went to move on, something caught his eye.

First, all Eli saw was a long pewter cloak filling the mouth of a narrow alley. He stopped, merely curious, as he often was, only for the figure to shift and between his legs Eli caught sight of a mound of feathers. His breath stuttered slightly, a chill passing through him as he instinctively moved toward the sight. Just to see if perhaps his eyes deceived him. And when he sidled up beside the figure, Eli plucked the piece of candy from his mouth so he could speak.

"What happened..." He sighed, frowning so that his whole face appeared to crumple. "Is it dead?" Because over the figure's shoulder Eli could now see, it was a young owl. Pretty brindled feathers broken and stained an unsightly red. Eli shimmied past so he could get a better look, side-stepping the scene so that he could turn and face it the opposite side. His mouth and tongue was stained red from the gobstopper. "That's a crying shame..."

@blair

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Questions. Why did people ask questions that had obvious answers, if one bothered just to look? The dark haired boy that appeared next to Blair asked what had happened to the bird on the ground, when the circumstances were quite obvious by the injuries the bird had sustained. Blair wasn’t an expert on avian anatomy, but they did know a thing or two from their earlier experiments on the crows they had found near their home as a child. Even if they didn’t know that information, Blair would think it would be assumed that puncture wounds on the neck were not typical for any species. And then there was the question if the bird was dead. That answer was blindingly obvious. Live animals didn’t lay that still for that long, especially when they were injured and vulnerable. “You don’t think much before you speak.” Blair observed drily. The boy said that the owl’s death was a shame – a crying shame, no less – and they tried their best not to snort at the absurdity of that. “Death is a fact of life. Why should it be a shame that the bird reached the end of its journey?” It wasn’t like there was a way to escape death altogether – at least not yet. What had captured the bird now had always been coming for it. Maybe it was better for the thing that everything had been over quickly.

Elijah Theron Fleming

[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

ELI FELT HIMSELF BLANCH AT THE WORDS THAT CAME OUT OF THE CLOAKED FIGURES VOICE. A stranger really, whose first words of greeting were a critique. Eli frowned, tilting his chin defensively, "I- that's a bit harsh..." Eli spluttered, his nose wrinkling as he shifted his attention back to the poor animal at their feet. His mouth was still stained red, fingers sticky.

However, soon enough, Eli's attention was stolen by the person in front of him. Their monotone voice spelling out some philosophical spiel about the facts of life and death. Eli's ears turned pink, he was scowling now. "What- that's totally besides the point!" He said, shaking an open palm at the scene and his company.

The entire scenario suddenly felt surreal to Eli, but he still felt the need to defend his point. "It is- it was still a living thing," Eli began, his tone sharp. "It- it deserved better than... than this." Eli looked across at the figure, still somewhat shrouded in their heavy garment. "That's all I was trying to say." Eli shifted back, tucking both of his hands in to the pocket of his jeans.  

"Life, death, the endless roundabout of consumption and expulsion or whatever, that's hardly the point!" Eli went on, suddenly impassioned to put across his some what convoluted but well meant speech. "All I meant is that this, a pet store to a back alley and the- thing didn't even eat it-!" Eli cringed at the fact, at saying as much out loud. "It's... it's a shame." 

@blair

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Blair wished that there was a polite way to display how little they cared about whether or not they were being harsh, but alas, the English language (and the bounds of Blair’s own abilities as an actor) didn’t permit such a thing, so they just offered a thin-lipped smile when the boy beside them stuttered out that Blair’s comment about him not thinking before he spoke was a little harsh. “Truth is not always pretty.” Blair responded, figuring that offering cryptic bits of half-wisdom was the closest they could get to expressing their frustration at the boy's stupidity in a way that their father would deem socially acceptable. Social norms were annoying.

The boy insisted that Blair’s philosophy about life and death was besides the point, and Blair blinked, unsure as to why he seemed so… angry when faced with what, to Blair, seemed like incontrovertible truth. “How does one deserve a good death?” Blair asked the boy beside them. Everyone could think of a good person who had met an untimely end – that was the origin of the phrase ‘only the good die young’. Assuming that because someone had lead a good life meant they were owed a good death was, in a word, preposterous. “The death itself isn’t your problem.” Blair stated, voice still flat. “It’s your reaction to it.” The owl was going to be dead in this exact same manner whether or not Blair or the boy had come across it – the boy was only bothered because he had to witness the death for himself.

Elijah Theron Fleming

[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

ELI HAD NEVER FELT SO DISCONNECTED FROM ANOTHER HUMAN BEING, he was stood in front of the stranger. He was talking to him, but other than being told The Facts of Life, he felt as if nothing was taken in return. And Eli had no desire to consume what the other was dishing out. It was quite a conundrum. A situation unlike any he had experienced before.

"Doesn't everybody deserve a good death?" Eli asked, frowning so hard that his head was beginning to ache. But he didn't know whether that was because he disagreed so vehemently, or if it was the philosophical chatter of his monotone friend. "Don't- don't you want your death to matter?" And as he said it, his tone seemed to drop as he realised the stranger most likely didn't care, and for some reason that just made Eli feel down.

With a halfhearted laugh, he reached up and ruffled the back of his head, mussing up a handful of dark hair as he sighed, "I mean, isn't that why people are organ donors?" The more he thought on it, the more sure Eli was of his stance. As silly as it was, it mattered. Maybe not to the stranger, but to Eli.

With a huff and a smile Eli couldn't help any more than his opinion, he shook his head, feeling a compromise on the horizon. "I don't think  my reaction is a problem..." Eli disagreed, turning to look around the alley as a new thought seemed to occur to him alongside the current. His attention was already wavering. "Any more than yours is. I just... don't agree with you, I guess."

Eli turned and for a second disappeared down the mouth of the alley toward a large industrial waste bin stood. He checked around it, lanky legs stretching as he picked through flattened cardboard and food waste. When he found what he was looking for he gave a slight 'ah!', collecting a small forgotten shoebox. The only one he'd managed to find with a lid.

"I wanna bury it," Eli said absently, still inspecting his find for a sagging bottom or holes. When he appeared pleased to find none he stopped by the bird and the stranger and looked up, almost as if in shock to find him still standing there. "Do... do you wanna come?"

@blair

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Blair shook their head when the stranger asked if everybody deserved a good death. No one deserved anything just by the virtue of existing – they had to earn it. That was part of the reason why Blair was researching a field that had been relatively untouched; they wanted to earn their place in the world. That, and death was fascinating – the one thing that was utterly uncontrollable, and that was interesting, more interesting than rehashing something that had already been studied over and over again. “I want my life to matter.” Blair replied easily. If their life mattered, then their death would matter. Life and death were interesting for them to try to describe – sometimes death was the ending point of life, but sometimes it was intertwined with life, not an ending, but a part of it. If only everyone had a brain like theirs, Blair lamented. Then everyone would be able to understand the puzzle that they had already solved. As for organ donation, Blair didn’t really care for that. They wanted their body to be whole upon their dying, so that if they could ever be returned to life, there would be a firm foundation.

The stranger said that his reaction to the death wasn’t a problem, and Blair just blinked in response. They were going to disagree on that no matter what was said, and Blair didn’t feel like wasting their breath any further than they had to on this non-issue. Luckily, the boy seemed to agree with them, and thus everyone was happy. He seemed ready to embark, but Blair continued to observe the bird, wondering if anyone would notice if they stashed it somewhere for later retrieval and study. Blair was almost done weighing the risks when the boy they had been talking to earlier returned… with a box, proclaiming that the animal would be buried. Blair had to bite back a sigh at the question if they wanted to come. Really, they didn’t want to – the burial was a waste of time – but knowing where the bird was buried would let them return for it later. Blair eventually nodded. “Where do you propose we bury it?” It wasn’t like Diagon Alley had an abundance of green space.

Elijah Theron Fleming

[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

HE WAS FULL OF BRIGHT IDEAS. But that was all they were sometimes. Ideas. Elijah knew he wanted to bury the bird. Leaving it there seemed wrong in so many ways. But he didn't know where, or how. The box had seemed like a good enough start until his company spoke and he looked up, box in hand.

"Uh..." Elijah breathed, eyes shifting as he reached up and scratched his head. "I don't know, dude." He grumbled, crouching down to start scooping the birds remains in to the box. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Using the lid and tilting the open topped box on its side, Elijah coaxed the owls corpse in to the bottom with minimal difficulty. He closed it with triumph, standing again.

"Aren't you local?" He asked, box in hand. "Don't you know a park or something?" Elijah was still new. He'd been to a few parks, but he wasn't certain where to go from Diagon Alley. "I'm not from around these parts." As if his accent didn't say exactly that already. "In case it wasn't obvious."

@blair

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

There were several things wrong with what the boy had said in response to Blair. For one thing, if you had an idea, you ought to have a whole idea – not just some whimsical fantasy that you couldn’t follow through on. For another thing… “Don’t call me dude.” Blair said frostily. Even if they had identified as male – which they didn’t, at least not that day – the word was far too informal for them, especially for such a recent acquaintance. The stranger talked about crossing bridges when they came to them, and Blair sighed. They liked plans, and concrete ones at that. Coming up with things off the cuff was just not the way they lived. Blair wrinkled their nose when the boy used his hands to get the bird into the shoebox – weren’t they magical? Levitating it would have been simpler, and wouldn’t have had a chance of giving the stranger a variety of bloodborne diseases. Blair, when they did their experiments, always performed them wearing the proper protective equipment, so they weren’t risking dying of rabies or something equally awful.

“It’s London.” Blair responded when the stranger asked about a park. London had Hyde Park, of course, but that was Muggle, and burying an owl there would surely raise questions. “Can you Apparate?” Blair asked. They could Apparate to a forest somewhere, bury the bird, and be done with this whole endeavor.

Elijah Theron Fleming

[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

ELIJAH ALMOST REARED BACK AT THE FROSTY REPLY. He hadn't expected it. Had only said 'dude' because it was one he used often and without thought. The box dented a little at the side as he gripped it, frowning in confusion.

"Uh, okay... sorry?" He said, mostly because he knew he'd offended the stranger, not because he understood his misstep. "I mean, what should I call you then?" He asked, his ears a little red. Eli meant well most of the time. Even when it was a stranger who obviously didn't think much of him. And whom he'd disagreed with on principle. But they wanted to bury the bird with him, that was a good sign at least? Well, he thought.

But it only got worse. They said it so flippantly, like an assumption. Couldn't he apparate? Of course it was an obvious question. "Um," He swallowed, almost ashamed. His academic record left something to be desired beyond magizoology and herbology. "No." He left it at that, without an explanation. Hot with the reality of it. "I don't mind walking," He said quietly, moving around the stranger, back to the mouth of the alley. He almost wished he was alone now. Having been told off, now with his flaws on display. 

@blair

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

The apology meant little to Blair, because the boy didn’t even know what he was apologizing for. It didn’t matter, though – Blair doubted that he would go asking questions, not with their current relationship. And if people did ask, then Blair could lie – it wasn’t like anyone had a reason to believe that they weren’t a boy. “You could call me by my name.” They responded curtly, even though that wasn’t really their preference. Better than dude, though. “Blair Pucey.” They introduced. No way were they going to shake hands though, not after the boy had touched a bloody corpse. Again, with the pathogens and everything.

The boy admitted that he couldn’t Apparate, and Blair wanted to rip their hair out. Of all the inconveniences, why did it have to be this one? The stranger said he didn’t mind walking, which wasn’t helpful. “Well I do.” Blair responded. They let out a long, long sigh. “We can go by Side-Along.” Blair didn’t want to have to hold the stranger close to him, not when he appeared to be an idiot (and therefore not a pureblood), but a few moments of discomfort was better than drawing everything out by walking to a suitable burial ground.

Elijah Theron Fleming

[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

ELI WAS RELIEVED WHEN THEY TOLD HIM THEIR NAME. He half expected something vague. It wasn't like he got any kind of warm vibes from them. In fact, it was pretty freaking frosty all around. He did know how to shove his foot in it. But the more he thought, the quicker he realised it he had thought they were boy, and they didn't like it. Rather than ask, Eli simply nodded, afraid to say anything more ignorant.

"I'm Eli." Quiet as he stared down at the box. But the quiet in him slowly died the more unfairly exasperated Blair became of Eli. He felt exposed. Treated like a silly kid in the company of some higher being. He decided quickly that he hated it, the superiority. He refrained from speaking out though as he thought about side-along apparating with somebody he'd only met about fifteen minutes ago. And worse, whom seemed to dislike him strongly.

"Fine..." It wasn't what he wanted to say, but he stepped forward anyway without initiating contact, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Let's get this over with." He felt like luggage. Like a nuisance. Again he wondered, if this was all in fact true, why Blair had agreed to go with him in the first place. A perplexing thought. 

@blair

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Needless to say, Blair was already not a fan of Eli, but as soon as they had a name, it was like all of their negative feelings had something to hang onto, and the feeling became even stronger, to the point where Blair honestly wasn’t sure they’d be able to touch Eli. As it was, they’d probably need to take a very long bath to scrub off the feeling. “Right.” Blair said, not really caring about the boy’s name, especially since it had crystallized their hatred.

Eli stepped forward, agreeing to the Side-Along Apparation. There was finally one thing that they had in common: they really didn’t want to do this. The sooner Blair took them to the forest, the better. Overcoming a tugging nausea, Blair wrapped their arms around Eli. It took them a moment to steady themself, but then Blair Apparated away, sending both people into the void. They popped out the other side in a forest that wasn’t far from Hogsmeade village – Blair had explored it the summer previous, looking for corpses. “You’re digging.” Blair said, if that wasn’t obvious already. It was bad enough that they were here without having to add physical labor on top of it.

Elijah Theron Fleming

[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

IT WAS THE MOST AWKWARD EMBRACE OF ELI'S LIFE. And his mom had already had the 'sex' talk with him a good five years ago. But this embrace, the clear disgust on Blair's face. Eli almost wished he'd be spliced in the journey and end it all. Turning his face, he stiffened before that horrible feeling overwhelmed his body and they were folded between plains.

Eli felt the cold of the forest immediately. It drew him like nothing else. Both he and Blair separated like they were both on fire, detaching the moment they landed. Eli, still holding the box, took a moment to stand back and admire the view. His face softened immediately. The sound of uninterrupted birds along with the tittering of creatures big and small. "Wow..." Eli sighed, but he was pulled back to reality by the cold sound of Blair's voice. It ruined the entire experience.

Eli's face narrowed, cheeks hollow as he found himself glaring. Again he was ordered around. Like he was an accessory. No, he'd had enough. But first he dropped to his knees, because he was going to bury the damn bird.

"You know..." Eli found himself saying a minute in to his digging, he'd found a rock to help loosen the dirt and was simply scooping it out with his hands. "If you didn't actually want to be here, you should have just said no." Anger wasn't right on Eli, he hated the feeling. "I didn't mind walking, but you won't stop looking at me like that." He looked up and there it was, that look. "I only asked because I thought it'd be nice." 

He continued digging with an angry fervour, scooping out dirt until plastered his hands. "If I'd known you'd just hate me, I wouldn't have bothered..." 

@blair

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

This boy really was something, Blair thought – and not in the admiring way. He was looking around like the forest was anything more than a grove of trees, and a repository for the dead and dying. It was cooler than the outside, thanks to the shade of the canopy above, and that only added to the eerie atmosphere. It seemed that Eli wasn’t a fan of being told that he was going to be the one to dig the grave, even though this whole thing was his idea in the first place. Blair was just here for the corpse, but it wasn’t like they could tell Eli that; necromancy wasn’t exactly socially acceptable.

“I could have said no.” Blair agreed when Eli said that they had the right to the word if they didn’t want to be there. “Did it occur to you that I may show my enthusiasm in a manner different than yours?” The boy was horribly judgmental, especially for someone who claimed to respect the sanctity of life and all of that. Blair snorted when Eli said that he didn’t mind walking – and something about the way Blair was looking at him. That was just their natural face! Well, their natural face when they were around the people that they disliked, which was the majority of the world.

“Do you want me to go?” Blair asked smoothly when Eli said he wouldn’t have bothered with the invitation if he knew Blair would hate him. It wasn’t like they had made a secret of it back in the alley, but Blair had a feeling that response would just garner an exasperated look, as if somehow that proved Eli’s point. Blair didn’t care, though – this wasn’t the first time someone wanted them to leave a place, and it wouldn’t be the last.

Elijah Theron Fleming