Center of the Action (Tagged Peoples!)

[Deleted]

Ashley was more than a little miffed. She couldn't remember a year when she'd spent less time with her older brother and she hated it. She didn't really mind the fact that he wasn't bothering every boy she talked to now, scaring them off, but she did miss him. She expected him to check in on her every once in a while, but lately every time she saw him it was with a brown-haired girl and he seemed entirely focused on her. Honestly, it was ridiculous. What kind of an older brother was he? She thought that coming to a new school together would make them closer, but this wasn't working. 

A few weeks ago, she thought that things were changing when Joe found her with bruises on her arms. They'd actually had a deep conversation with one another and she really enjoyed the feeling of being able to tell him things she didn't think she could before then. Since then they hadn't really talked at all. He was always with that girl and it was definitely annoying. 

Today Ash was trying to follow his conversation from the last time they actually did talk. He told her that she could seek him out if she wanted and she was determined to do so. Of course, she hoped he wasn't with the other girl, because that would be awkward. She would make it awkward. She wanted to talk to Joe! Luckily, however, she saw him walking not too far away, through the courtyard. "Joe! Hey, stop!" she called, smiling as she walked over to him. "It's been ages! How are you?"

@joseph

It's begun! Hehe will tag you when it's your turn!
@kinsey , tobias charles watkins , Elijah Theron Fleming , @riley

[Deleted]

Joe was swamped with schoolwork. For the first time in his life, he was actually stressed about school. He wasn't sure how he was going to pass all of his classes and it was really starting to stress him out. The class that was consuming the most effort? Arithmancy. He just  didn't get it. If he could he would just drop it all together, but it was too late, and he had too much pride to do that. Joe hated looking stupid or admitting that he didn't understand something thoroughly. Joe was making his was across the courtyard in pursuit for Kinsey, or maybe Katherine. They would be able to help him with his school work without making him feel like a complete idiot.

As Joe was making his way across the courtyard, he was passing the fountain when he heard his sisters voice calling out to him. It immediately tore him from his thoughts, causing him to snap his head backwards to look at her when she demanded him to 'stop'. Joe obeyed the order,  "Hey Ash" he greeted her with a hug, a bit half assed. It was obvious that he was a bit distracted, the look on his face a good indicator for that. His mouth gaped open slightly, eyes peeling from Ash, to the opposite side of the fountain when he saw Kinsey. Joes mind was elsewhere. He swallowed, "I'm good, yeah, hey, uhh, one sec...." he rudely tore away from Ashley without even thinking twice, or even looking at her. It didn't look like he really even had the intention of coming back really... Something he would regret later, but in that moment, it was easy to do; he wasn't thinking about his sisters feelings. Joe turned away from his sister and made his way toward Kinsey, who was accompanied by another Ravenclaw he wasn't familiar with. Joe stopped in front of Kinsey, "Hey Kinsey, you free for a study sesh today or tomorrow? I'd like to pick your brain for a few of these Arithmancy questions..." he told her with a smile, ignoring the kid with the glasses.

@ashley
@kinsey

 

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Deleted]

Kinsey couldn't remember a time when she'd had a better Saturday. It was the Saturday before Christmas break and she and Toby just took Shadow outside to play in the snow for the first time. He was adorable! He jumped through the snow, pouncing repeatedly and climbing all over the little snowman she and Toby made together. It was so much fun! She and Toby laughed and chatted as they played with their kitten and the snow. 

They were out there for probably about an hour when Kinsey realized that Shadow was starting to shiver. She scooped the kitten up, cuddling it in her arms. "Toby, look! He's cold!" She smiled at her friend. Shadow being cold for a few minutes probably wasn't terrible but she also didn't want him to get sick. "I think we should go inside. We can still hang out in there," she suggested, grabbing her little beanie hat off the snowman and putting it on.

The two friends were walking through the courtyard, Kinsey glancing down at Shadow for a second when she heard someone talking to her. Joe? She looked up, an easygoing smile covering her face. "Yeah, no problem! I could meet with you in about an hour or so if you wanted," she suggested, waiting to see if that would work with Joe. "Or tomorrow works too. Whenever." She was actually pretty flexible this weekend, since she had all her work done.

Then, behind him, she saw another familiar figure. Riley. Her heartbeat increased, but she tried not to show it. She and Riley were friends now, but they were also in a little bit of a weird place. She wanted to approach him, but she didn't know if he'd want her to. Also, she was in the middle of talking with Joe and hanging out with Toby. She couldn't just ditch them either. So she waited. 

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

Elijah Theron Fleming

Note: i was instructed to tag Elijah Theron Fleming next!

This afternoon was awesome. Tobys stomach hurt from laughing so hard at Shadow in the snow with Kinsey. The little black kitten was such a spazz, and so full of energy, he was infinite hours of entertainment. His fingers felt like they were about to fall off, so he was glad when Kinsey said that they should retire to the castle, making a comment about being concerned about Shadow getting sick. Toby lifted his wand with a cheesy 'I-got-ya-mate' smile, "Focillo" he stated, casting a hot air charm around them. Shadow nuzzled into the nook of Kinseys arm, enjoying the warm air. "Yeah, I'm down, lets go inside..." he agreed, kick snow off of his shoes and slowly stepping onto the path. As they made their way into the courtyard, Kinsey was immediately bombarded by Ashleys brother.

The other guy pretty much ignored him, so he didn't care to make any eye contact with the Slytherin kid. He seemed to have the hots for Kinsey or something. Who cares? At least Kinsey was smiling when she was talking to him. Toby was more focused on the packed courtyard this afternoon, despite everywhere in Hogwarts feeling crowded these days. He recognized a lot of faces, but wasn't too focused on that. He stood with his hands awkwardly shoved inside his hoodie pockets, eyes tearing down to the floor, to Shadow batting at Kinseys hair, the fountain... everywhere except Kinsey and Joe. 

＃ENY ADOXOGRAPHY

[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

SNOW HAD FINALLY FALLEN IN A THICK BLANKET across Hogwarts and Eli was in his element. While Spring and Summer were perhaps his most favoured seasons he'd never really experienced proper snow before. Once, the Fleming's had tried skiing in Aspen and Eli had loved it, but living in California had meant he didn't really have many opportunities to see it.

Even as day's went by, Eli still found himself kicking his feet playfully as he crossed the courtyard. Gloved hands tucked in to his armpits, his neck bare of his favourite scarf, he made his way out from the Lake towards the main castle entrance. Though he did stop for a moment when a familiar head of blonde hair caught his eye. Ashley was in the distance, her brother at her side. Her back was to him, but he didn't approach immediately. Something about Joseph Fontaine's appearance stopped him. He found himself lingering in the distance instead. Maybe if he waited long enough Joseph would leave and he could say hello.

@riley

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Riley walked through the corridor after getting out of class with a book in his face. He moved slightly as students bumped into him, but he didn’t mind. He wasn’t really reading so much as he was trying to hide. He didn’t want to run into Lydia or Priscilla today, at least not right now, he knew he couldn’t avoid them forever, but he wasn’t in the mood to pretend at the moment. While he knew it was cold and snowy outside, that was where he was headed. He knew that neither girl would be out there right now and it was a good place to hide. As he came to the courtyard, he stuffed the book into his side bag and fished out his gloves, which he pulled onto his hands before he looked up and caught a glance of the crowd that was gathered there. Kinsey. His heart jumped. And then continued normally when he saw Joe. He hated seeing Kinsey with Joe. He knew Toby too, but the others around them weren’t faces he recognized, Americans, maybe. Friends with Joe, perhaps.

@ashley
Let the drama commence!

[Deleted]

Ashley smiled when Joe stopped, accepting his dumb half hug. Brothers and their stupid need to be seen as "tough." She thought Joe got over caring what he looked like to others when he was around her, but apparently not. Still, she didn't care. He stopped walking, which meant that the two of them could talk, even if he did seem a bit distracted. She smiled up at him, waiting for him to answer her question before she asked more, but her smile started falling almost immediately. He was looking past her instead of at her. Ash opened her mouth, about to ask what he was looking at when he gave her the ultimate lame answer that he was good and then just walked away without even looking at her! What in Merlin's name did her idiot of a brother think he was doing?! In less than half a second, Ash was livid. He was entirely ignoring her, walking away when she approached him, for what? Her eyes widened, her blood boiling, when she realized that he was going to talk to a girl. Of course he was. She recognized the brown hair and her body tensed even more as her fists clenched. How dare Joe ignore her entirely for that stupid girl that he spent all his time with now! Didn't he see her enough that he could spare at least a minute for his younger sister?! No, he couldn't even give Ashley ten seconds of his time now, much less one minute. Her eyes shot daggers at his back, not that he would know. 

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm herself, at least outwardly. She didn't need everyone here in the courtyard to know how angry she was. Not that they knew how to read her, but still. She forced a smile on, her mind already working quickly, her only thought how she could get Joe's attention back. Apparently asking for it nicely wasn't working. So she would do something he hated and she wasn't even going to feel bad for it this time. Most of the time when he saw her flirting and got furious it was entirely on accident, she was just having fun talking to some new guy. Not today. Today she was going to flirt with the intention of pissing him off. 

Glancing around the courtyard, it only took half a second for Ashley to spot a cute guy. A cute guy standing all on his own. Perfect. She approached the guy, a fake bounce to her step as she smiled sweetly up at him. "Well hello there," she started flirtatiously, "How come I've never seen you around the castle before?" Ashley tilted her head to the side and played with a lock of her hair as she gazed up at him. "I'm Ashley, by the way. Oooh, sorry you've got something ..." Ashley trailed off as she went on the tip of her toes so she could reach up more easily to brush some imaginary thing off of his shoulder. "There, I got it for you! So, what's your name? You're in ... Ravenclaw, right? Yeah, I see the blue there on your scarf." Though she was being a little more chatty than she normally would, Ashley's tone was playful and interested, everything she knew it should be to flirt well with the guy, even if this was only to make Joe upset. It would be totally worth it. She kept her attention focused on the guy in front of her. She wasn't planning on making this a long conversation, just long enough that she knew Joe would be likely to see. If this guy wanted to talk later, well that was fine with her, but the entire purpose of what she was doing just now was revenge. Pure and simple. 

@joseph
(LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID!!! Hahahaha!)

[Deleted]

Joe hadn’t suspected that he had done anything wrong, or that he had singlehandedly ignored his sister for another girl. Now he would learn today, that was for sure.

As Joe and Kinsey chatted briefly about what time would work best for a study session, he had noticed out of his peripheral vision that Ashley made a beeline across the courtyard...to initiate a rather flirtatious display with Riley Fudge right in front of him. Joe froze, struck with a sudden flabbergasted, wide mouthed expression. His head tilted to the side to get a look at Kinsey to see if she saw what he was seeing, and then snap back at Ashley and Riley. It was too late..there was no way that Kinsey hadn’t seen it. Joe stepped back, “What the f...” he grumbled, watching the scene unfold in front of his very eyes with an awestruck horror.

Ashley wouldn’t ever go for a dork like Riley... What the hell what she doing?!

@kinsey

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Deleted]

Talking with Joe was easy. Kinsey felt a little bad that Toby was so silent beside her, but she wasn't surprised. He didn't know Joe and Toby wasn't really one to jump in to a conversation with people he didn't know. She and Joe basically had the time for their study session all figured out, which Kinsey was glad for. She didn't want to let Toby think she'd forgotten him, but then she saw something that made her all about both Toby and Joe. 

She glanced over at Riley, curious to see what he was going to do when she realized some blonde girl approaching him. Kinsey wasn't even trying to pretend she wasn't watching. She squinted a little, trying to tell if she'd recognize the girl, but she didn't. Maybe it was an American? Realizing that she was staring across the courtyard, Kinsey glanced away for a second, trying to convince herself that she should just leave with Toby, but she didn't. Instead, she looked up and her jaw dropped when she saw the girl obviously flirting with Riley. What was she doing? Kinsey couldn't hear what the girl was saying, but she was touching Riley's shoulder and seemed to be in a really good mood. Did she know him? Had something like this happened before? Kinsey told herself to leave, that she shouldn't keep on watching this, but she couldn't stop. 

"Toby," she whispered, blindly reaching her free hand in his direction. She couldn't breathe or really even think, her eyes were glued to Riley, standing there with the blonde beauty. Her other hand cuddled Shadow to her chest. Kinsey didn't know what to do anymore. 

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

Elijah Theron Fleming

Note: Elijah Theron Fleming

Toby didn't mind standing beside Kinsey, virtually invisible, as he disasosciatted himself from whatever Joe and Kinsey were talking about.  He was fine with staring at the ground, but Toby was pulled away from his thoughts when he heard his name, and felt Kinsey grab onto him lightly with her hand. At first he thought she did it because he was so enveloped in his own thoughts she was trying to get his attention, but no, it was far worse from that...

The Ravenclaw boys head snapped upwards from the ground to look at Kinsey, and whatever she and Joe were looking at. Then, he saw it, with his own eyes. Riley and Ashley. What in Merlins Beard were they doing?! Toby was no expert when it came to girls or flirting, but he knew by the way she was touching his arm, and fussing with whatever was on his shoulder... Why was she smiling so much? Jeeze, why did Riley get all of the girls?! He didn't even know what to do with that much power. This wasn't fair!

Now all three of them were practically staring at Ashley and Riley in the middle of the courtyard. It was a trainwreck Toby couldn't tear his eyes away from. "D'uhhh...oh no." The words practically spilled out of his mouth as he digested the sight with wide saucers for eyes, mouth gaped open stupidly. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Toby felt himself locking up into an awkward fit, but he also knew that he wanted to get Kinsey away from seeing anything else she didn't want to see. They had already come so far this year, he didn't want Kinsey to get upset about Riley again, he knew how easily she was triggered when it came to the seventh year boy. Toby took a step toward his best friend, more to block her view from seeing anything she didn't want to see. "Kinsey...don't--" Toby said firmly, and louder than he wanted which embarrassed him slightly, but his tone still filled with compassion. He had to somehow pull her away from the scene, but his voice didn't seem to phase her in the slightest bit.

＃ENY ADOXOGRAPHY

[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

IT WAS LIKE WATCHING A CAR CRASH, YOU WANT to look away, but you can't. A disaster unfolding, Eli's skin tightening as his lips pulled down at the corners, jaw flexing and eyes wide. He'd been lingering on the outskirts of the scene, where Ashley had greeted her brother, though he was quick to walk off. Eli had been ready to make a move, to lift hand, call Ashley's name. If Joe was distracted, he wouldn't care if Eli stopped to talk to her. But, one second she was standing right in his eye line, the next she flounced across the courtyard purposefully.

Curiosity had kept Eli quiet, his eyes following Ashley instinctively, all the way to some buff English guy, where she stopped to chat with him. At first Eli didn't feel anything at all. Ashley was allowed to have other friends, he wasn't worried. But, then he saw the way she cocked her hip, a flick of buttery blonde hair that rolled around her finger. Was she flirting with him? His mind said no protectively, but Eli squinted and he could imagine the smile on her face. Her hand brushing something off his shoulder, an intimate and familiar display of affection. Eli's stomach dropped down in to his toes. And just as he'd thought she might like him, the idea went up in flames right before his eyes. 

@riley

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Riley was adjusting the fingers on his gloves to fit right when he saw the blonde girl approach him out of the corner of his eye. Was she coming over to him? She couldn’t be, could she? Why would she? He was still standing near the door so he just about figured that she was just leaving when she stopped in front of him. He bent his head up slightly, still looking down at her, but no longer inspecting his gloves, which still weren’t fitting quite right. She bid him hello and then asked why she had never seen him around the castle before, Riley didn’t know what to say. “I don’t know, I’ve been here for 7 years…” he said with a shrug. He hadn’t seen this girl around the castle either, but, he could tell from her accent that she was American so that made sense. He hadn’t bothered at all with the Americans. He had too much on his mind this year.

Though he had kind of promised Dom a few months back that he would try to get to know someone of them, which he knew she only said to try to distract him from his situation. She introduced herself as Ashley and then she reached up and brushed something off of his shoulder. Did he have something on his shoulder? How long had that been there? How embarrassing. “Oh, uh thanks. I hate that. There’s always so much dust… old castle and all.” he said with a shrug. She kept asking questions and he had no idea why she wanted to talk to him. Who was she? Was she just trying to be friendly? Her flirty nature went right over his head. Once upon a time, last year even, he would have caught on, but now, with everything that was going on, his flirty radar was all out of order. “Oh, yeah i’m a Ravenclaw. And my name is Riley... Fudge.” he introduced himself, it was still a little strange how Americans didn’t seem to care much for surnames. Maybe it was just because of who his family was that he had been taught to introduce himself by his last name and then his first once they defined their relationship on friendly rather than professional terms. Behind her head, he saw Toby step in front of Kinsey, why was he doing that? “Sorry, was there something I could do for you?” Riley asked, not wanting to be rude, but still not sure why she was talking to him.

@ashley

[Deleted]

Ashley couldn't help but smirk the tiniest bit when the guy looked at her, almost a confused look on his face. What, had a girl never flirted with him before? She doubted it. He was cute, definitely handsome. The kind of guy Ashley would be interested in getting to know better if she wasn't sure about her feelings for a specific Hufflepuff. Still, she didn't let herself linger on thoughts for Eli. It wasn't like he was here, which was definitely a good thing. He would not like what she was doing, and he probably wouldn't like her reasons for doing it either. She quirked an eyebrow at the Ravenclaw when he said he'd been here for 7 years. "Well, I've only been here for a few months so that probably has something to do with it," she said with a twinkling laugh. He was making this far too easy. 

She wanted to laugh again when he thanked her for getting something off his shoulder. Was he normally this gullible? Wow, someone like this was definitely the kind of person she could have fun with. She felt a little bit bad about using him like this, but she couldn't help it. Not now, anyway. She already started, so she'd finish and hopefully it would annoy Joe if he was able to pull his eyes away from that girl he was obsessed with. "Yeah, it's kind of hard to stay clean, but don't worry. I'm here to help," Ash answered with a bright smile. "Riley Fudge," she echoed with a nod. "That's a nice name." Then she laughed again, "I guess I should have added my last name. I'm Ashley Fontaine," she told him cheerfully, fighting the urge to get annoyed when she realized he wasn't focused on her either. Fine. That amount of flirting should be enough for Joe, if he was paying any attention at all. 

She shrugged when he asked if there was something he could do for her. "No, not really," Ashley smiled. "I just wanted to make a new friend, but I don't want to be in your way, so I'll talk to you later Riley Fudge. Have a good day!" She said, giving him a little wave before turning and starting to walk away, almost skipping. Her eyes glanced over to Joe, who was definitely paying attention and definitely annoyed. She quirked an eyebrow at him and smirked. Good. Ashley turned and headed in the opposite direction, her heart stopping when she saw a familiar head of long, dark curly hair walking away. Eli? No, no, no, no, no. He hadn't seen that, had he? She bit her lip before turning a little more and heading in a different direction. She needed a second to think. She'd look for him later. 

--- Ash out! ---

@joseph

[Deleted]

Joe silently watched his sisters interaction with Riley, shaking his head the entire time. He knew what she was doing now... She was pissed off about him passing her up for Kinsey. It honestly wasn't on purpose! The Slytherin watched with a clenched jaw from afar, practically burning holes at the back of Ashleys pretty blond head. Riley looked awkward, which wasn't surprising to him. By the appearance of the body language during the interaction, it barely looked like they knew each other. Joe turned to look at Kinsey with a confused look, who was already looking in that direction. Her nerdy friend with the glasses, Toby or whatever his name was, stepped in front of her like some weirdo, probably a pathetic excuse of protecting her from seeing something she didn't want to see. Too late. Joe knew their history. She admitted to still loving Riley Fudge straight to his face. That part frustrated him more than he wanted to admit, but he wasn't going to sulk. Joe knew that he was attractive and could have any girl he wanted, if he really wanted. ...Right?... 

The exchange was short, but shamelessly flirty, entirely on Ashley's part. Joe didn't even look at Kinsey again to see her reaction, he didn't want to. A part of him was embarrassed that his sister would do that to him! "She is such an idiot." he gritted through his teeth as she flounced out of the courtyard. Joe desperately wanted to chase after her and have an altercation in front of everyone, but a part of him had a feeling like that was the reaction she was seeking, so he'd wait to strike. 

@kinsey

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Deleted]

Kinsey couldn't stop watching the scene in front of her unfold. That girl was obviously flirting with Riley, and he was still staying there. He didn't seem bothered at all when she touched her shoulder, just talked with her as the girl made it perfectly clear that she was interested in him. Kinsey's stomach was rolling with jealousy. When Toby moved to stand in front of her, telling her "don't', the damage was done. A moment later, the girl walked away from Riley, a wide smile on her face and Kinsey felt like she was going to be sick. Kinsey didn't know if Toby was telling her not to do anything or not to watch. She couldn't think clearly. Why would Riley let a girl like that be all over him in public when he was engaged? Maybe he found someone worth breaking the betrothal off for. The thought sent a shot of pain in her heart and Kinsey tensed. She couldn't stay here. She heard Joe calling the girl an idiot, but Kinsey couldn't pay attention to that either. None of that mattered anymore. 

"Here Toby," she muttered, thrusting Shadow at him before bolting. "I ... I have to go. I'll see you l-later." She couldn't stay here. She just ... couldn't. A second before she ran, her eyes connected with Riley's. She didn't know what he was thinking, but a part of her felt certain he would be able to read her right now. He knew her too well not to. She shook her head once before turning and hurrying away from him, walking into the nearest corridor and pushing through the thin crowd. At first she was just walking quickly, but then she burst into a run. She couldn't stand there and watch Riley anymore. 

--- Kinsey out! ---

tobias charles watkins