Roots Run Deep (Simon & Jessie)

[Deleted]

March 2025

Jessie was still pissed at Simon. After he had stormed upstairs, leaving her all by her lonesome, she had decided to finish as much of their assignment as possible-- alone. She had since: harvested the cabbage and nettle leaves, finished their written portion, and obtained the rose oil. All by herself. They hadn't spoken since that morning, aside from the owl she sent his way. It contained her written assignment so he knew what to write himself, as well as a note telling him that they needn't meet until late Saturday night. After tonight, they would never have to speak again. At most they would have classes together, but she would make sure to sit far, far away from the infuriating half-vampire. 

As she sat outside in the courtyard, a small shiver ran down her spine. It was chilly outside, especially so late at night. A soft breeze was the culprit, noticing it as her hair blew across her cheek. Suddenly she was very glad she put on a large hoodie over her shirt. Though, her jeans weren't very warm. She drew his knees up to her chest, her back resting against the rock wall behind her. Could Simon be any slower? Merlin, she wanted to hex him so bad. Jessie didn't know why Simon had so much of an affect on her. Never in her life had someone gotten on her nerves so bad. Everything he said, she took personally. His words actually held weight with her. Normally she could just ignore negativity like that. But he was impossible to ignore. Occasionally she would think that she was drained, too tired to continue fighting and hating him. But something spurred her on. 

Her thoughts came to a sudden halt, as she heard footsteps coming her way. Maybe Simon had finally made it. Her stomach did a somersault, but she quickly blamed it on the cold chills she was having. Her head peaked around the corner to see who it was, bottom lip nestled between her teeth. 

simon sixten svendsen

[simon sixten svendsen]

March 2025

Simon couldn’t believe he had to meet Jessie at such an ungodly hour...again. It was as if she enjoyed inconveniencing his entire life. Okay. Maybe not.. This was partially his fault too but he wasn’t going to admit that to her face. She wasn’t the easiest to work with, she needed to lighten up, Jessie always took everything he said personally. Simon found it comical at times but mostly annoying.

After Jessie had sent over her owl with her portion of the written work, he sat down during one of his free periods and wrote it out in one sitting, instead of sneaking his usual smoke break between that period. She should be proud! Simon didn’t want her to find out about his free periods because he knew she’d dedicate every moment to the assignment. Then again, maybe they wouldn’t be in this wicked time restraint he she had known and he had tried... oh well...

Now they needed the final ingredient to complete the final step of their potion. They were running out of time for the assignment so they had to squeeze in this scavenging party in the middle of the night. Simon just wanted to get this over with so he could move on with his life, but this sure didn’t make his legs move any faster towards the courtyard to meet Jessie. Eventually he reached the courtyard, his eyes found Jessie on the ground, her back against the wall, a sigh slipped passed his lips. She was so dramatic. Simon stopped in front of her, ”Sup?” he asked coolly, no care in the world. Simon was curious how grumpy she would be with him right off the bat.

@jessiemeadows

[Deleted]

She was right, it was Simon. Her stomach still felt uneasy, for some reason. As he came to a stop in front of her, Jessie rose to her feet. She shot him a cold, "Evening," as she dusted off her pants. This time she wasn't surprised at the infinite level of annoyance she felt while in his presence. She had come to terms with the fact that being irritated by him was the norm. She really hoped tonight went by fast. All they had to do was dig up the roots at the edge of the forest. Nothing crazy. She only need a small amount of his participation at this point. 

"Did you get the written portion done?" she asked haughtily, crossing her arms. She honestly wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't. She was doing all the hardwork, after all. Merlin, she couldn't wait until she never had to see him anymore. Their last interaction had really hit the nail on the coffin. Especially since he didn't care enough to remind her of the ink she had on her forehead. She went all day with it on her head, until someone in her dorm was kind enough to inform her. 

simon sixten svendsen

[simon sixten svendsen]

March 2025

Simon could already tell that Jessie was annoyed with him. His intuition was usually good about these things, but the way she looked at him and her tone was a dead giveaway. When she asked him if he had done his written portion of the assignment, he cocked his head to the side, "Maybe" he drawled, shooting her a sort of lost look. "Yes, I did." he grumbled with a nod and eye roll. She would ask that. If he didn't do it, he'd probably lie about it anyways. He didn't have to do that this time though. Not with Miss Uptight Jessie Meadows as his partner.

Shoving his hands into his coat pockets, he started down the pathway towards their destination. The edge of the forest. Since they weren't supposed to be out this late at night, they should have tried to be a little more sneaky... If they were to get caught, they could run... Or, more like if Jessie kept up that attitude, he'd leave her in the dust. Hell, he knew all of the best hiding spots, she should probably be a little more nice to him. Simon turned to Jessie, figuring maybe keeping the conversation school related couldn't piss her off, right? Simon tried to put on a face like he cared, but he truly didn't. "How are we supposed to extract these roots? Are we going to dig 'em out with shovels or use magic?" he asked, wanting to get this over with. He was pretty sure Jessie already had an idea of what to do so he would allow her to take control.

@jessiemeadows

[Deleted]

Despite his attitude towards her question, she still felt a wave of relief when he said yes. It curved her hatred towards him just the slightest. Though, without being completely overwhelmed with anger, she wasn't sure how to act. She shifted uneasily before him, suddenly feeling jittery. It must be the cold again. "Oh.. Well, don't forget to owl my portion back," she stated, struggling to find something to say. Jessie was afraid an awkward silence was going to fill the air. 

However, that fear quickly banished as he took off towards their destination. Another chill ran down her spine, before she pulled her hood over her brown locks. She quickly fell in step behind him, struggling to keep up with her little legs. She listened to foreign accent, as he asked how they were going to get the roots. "A gouging spell. I used it a lot in Herbology," she sniffed, nose feeling a little cold.

As they made it out of the courtyard, Jessie couldn't help but to notice how dark it was outside. A cover of clouds covered any light from the moon. A small grimace made its way to her lips. Darkness unnerved her. It seemed never ending, and veiled all sorts of evil in the world. She wanted nothing more than to cast the Lumos spell to give them some light. However, she knew Simon would notice and probably make fun of her for being a wuss. With a nervous sigh, she decided to wait until they made it to the treeline before taking her wand out.

simon sixten svendsen

[simon sixten svendsen]

March 2025

When Jessie told him to owl her half of the assignment back, his first instinct was to say something snarky, but he resisted. "Yeah." he responded simply. Only to signify that he heard her and understood. Simon was trying not to be a jerk first. Which said a lot... Usually he wasn't the type of person to kill someone with kindness but he knew that he and Jessie started off on the wrong foot from the very beginning. There probably wasn't any hope for them. 

As they made their way down the path he could tell that Jessie was on edge, or maybe she was just cold. Sneaking didn't make him nervous, nor did the darkness. A part of him hoped they would see something because he wasn't scared. Which was stupid on Simons part, he surely wasn't invincible as a half vampire - the human part of him made him vulnerable. She explained the gouging spell and he nodded in agreement, "Sounds better than digging it up with our hands." he said with a lazy shrug of the shoulders. As they approached the forest clearing, he noticed the visibility was slightly objected from the clouds covering the moon.

Everytime he breathed puffs of clouds passed his lips. Simon looked over at Jessie as she grabbed her wand. He noticed the scared look on her face but thought she looked cold. Honestly, he didn't think he cared, but maybe he did. Weird. As they reached the clearing, he stopped, "Uh-Are you cold?" he asked her, prepared to hand over his jacket. Then again, she'd probably have something rude to say back to that anyways, so he'd play it by ear and see what happened.

@jessiemeadows

[Deleted]

Jessie nodded, agreeing that the spell would be better than using their hands. A part of her couldn't believe he hadn't realized they could use magic for this part. Though, he didn't like school as much as she did. She couldn't tell if she was more concerned with what hid behind the darkness, or how if she was going to get frostbite. Every twig that snapped made her jump. She kept a tight grip of her wand. Just as they had reached the clearing, her teeth had started knocking against each other. Blimey, it was cold.

Confusion washed over her as she watched Simon grab at his jacket. It took her a moment to understand what he was implying, and it floored her. Her mouth fell open slightly. She was bewildered, and her eyebrows knit together to show it. "Uhm.. Yeah. I mean, yes. But.. won't you get cold?" Her surprise was evident in her tone. Jeez, this was awkward. Under normal circumstances she would have outright rejected him, but it was far too cold to act like the prideful Lioness she was. Though, her stomach lurched at the thought of wearing his jacket. Probably from lingering disgust, right?

Her thoughts were interrupted when a small rustling sounded to the right of them. She instinctively lurched towards Simon, grabbing at the sleeve of his coat. "What was that?" she whispered, gripping his coat even harder. 

simon sixten svendsen

[simon sixten svendsen]

Shaking his head from side to side, “I run cold but I don’t get cold.” he told her, feigning a more easy going tone. Simon didn’t get along with Jessie very well but it didn’t mean he didn’t have to be chivalrous. Deep down he hoped someone would do the same for his sister if she were cold. He was starting to remove the jacket from his arms when Jessie came springing towards him from a mysterious sound in the woods. Simon flinched for a second, ”It’s probably just a bunny...” he assured her, eyes darting toward the forest because Jessie did. The sound wasn’t loud enough to disturb his peace. If something was going to attack them it would probably have done it by now in Simon’s mind.

Simon handed the jacket over without much thought, ”So-uh-do you know what this plant and root looks like?” he asked lamely, a laugh slipping past his lips. Simon knew he was a lost cause, and questions like this probably annoyed the hell out of Jessie because he honestly should have known what burdock root looked like. What a shitty wizard he was. At times his struggles with academics frustrated him because he wanted to do well but it just never came easily to him.

@jessiemeadows

[Deleted]

Jessie softly exhaled when he mentioned that the noise was probably just a bunny. "You're probably right. Merlin, I hate this," she whispered letting go of his sleeve. She eagerly accepted the jacket from him, anxious to stifle the chill she had developed. As she slid her arms through the sleeves, she almost cried in relief. His warmth still radiated inside the jacket.It was enough to distract her from how dark it was currently. As she situated herself in it, a faint smell of cigarettes hit her nose. She didn't care though. The idea of a lit cigarette was comforting, for some odd reason. "Thanks," she murmured. 

When Simon asked her if she knew was the plant looked like, she was still deeply enjoying the new layer of clothing she had on. "Yeah, we actually have it back home. Though it's native to Europe and Asia," she babbled, too warm to be rude to him at the moment. She could be annoyed at him in a little while. Just not right now. The simple things made her happy, obviously. His questions didn't bother her at all. Though he did have quite a few of them. A part of her felt for him. It was obvious that school wasn't his forte. "It has big green leafs. Spherical purple blooms. The roots themselves actually look like twigs from a tree," she said, still snuggling deeper into the coat he had given her. 

simon sixten svendsen

[simon sixten svendsen]

March 2025

Simon felt the chill of the night greet him, the heat radiating off of his lanky body after he passed over the coat to the shivering lioness. He wasn't cold, thanks to his layers. She thanked him for the coat and he gave her an easy going nod of the head and wave of the hand, "Sure." with an awkward half smile. Okay. This was weird. Maybe since he was trying to be nice, she'd be cool. Simon wasn't going to try too hard though because he wasn't an ass kisser. Honestly, the half vampire was aware that he wasn't the best partner on this assignment and Jessie had done most of the work. He wouldn't deny that. He would try tonight thought

As Jessie spoke to him about the burdock root, he nodded his head along, pretending that he cared. He couldn't care less but he'd do it for Jessie...he'd forget the information anyways because of his bad memory.
Luckily it seemed like she knew what they were looking for so he was relieved about that. 

They walked closely in the darkness, Simon could sense that Jessie was on edge from her surroundings. He turned to Jessie, pulling his hands from his hoodie pocket. "How about...I 'lumos' so we can see...and you-uh-" Simon reached for his wand in his pocket, "You do the thing." he swished his wand to gesture for the gauging spell she had mentioned using before making a funny face. Since Simon didn't make the best student, he couldn't remember the incantation for that one. He hadn't had to use it yet. "Lumos." he pointed the wand out in front of them, a stream of light coming from his wand. He hoped she'd be able to spot the plant they were looking for. Simon had no idea which one it was, even with her great description.

@jessiemeadows

[Deleted]

"Mhmm," she hummed, still high on the heat his jacket was providing. She watched as light filled the area around them. Any remaining anxiety about the darkness carefully ebbed away. Her honey colored eyes scanned the grounds before them, until she thought she saw a small orb of purple. She tugged on his sleeve once more, this time leading him in the direction they needed to go. "It's a few feet to our right, under that big Ash tree," she informed him, leading the way.

She was too preoccupied trying to find their next ingredient to notice how nice they were being to each other. Nonetheless how awkward it was between them.  She was careful not to walk out of line of his Lumos.  She knelt beside the Ash tree, momentarily listening to the leaves dance in the wind. Jessie turned her attention back to the Burdock plant before her. With a swish of her wand, and a quiet "Defodio," the ground around the base of the plant began to shift and tremor.  Once she noticed the spell was working, she fell back on her bum with a soft sigh. "You might as well get comfortable. It could take a minute, depending on how intricate the root system is," she said, tossing him a kind smile. 

Things were somewhat nice between them, albeit weird. Though she preferred this awkward interaction over their rage filled ones. Jessie didn't think she could emotionally handle getting angry with Simon anymore. However, she had a small feeling that it was impossible to completely get a long with him. She was sure he'd say or do something to piss her off before the end of the night. "Thanks again for the coat," she said, trying to keep the politeness between them for as long as possible. 

simon sixten svendsen

[simon sixten svendsen]

March 2025

As they made their way up to the Burdock plant, he cocked his head to the side, giving it a curious lookover. Herbology didn't interest Simon in the slightest, he was more interested in illegal plants and herbs than anything, but he was trying to show Jessie that he was trying. 

Simon watched as the lioness began the gouging spell, while keeping the light streaming from his wand. She told him to get comfortable since the task may take some time so he listened to her instruction, surprisingly. As she sat down on her bum, he looked around for a second. There was no one in sight, a light fog spookily rolling in. Jessie would regret telling him to get comfortable. Simon was the king of pushing limits and taking his chances. "Alright." he agreed with a small smile, trying to hide the mischievous intent that was already oozing out of him, and most likely failing. She thanked him for the coat again and he dismissed it with a wave of the hand, "Don't mention it.." he nodded nonchalantly. Ruffling his hair at the awkwardness, he took a step away from Jessie.

The lanky teen reached into his back pocket and popped open a tin of perfectly rolled spliffs. While still holding up his wand for light, he dangled a spliff from his lip and shamelessly lit it with one hand. Simon took a drag, holding the herbal goodness in for a second and exhaling a puff of smoke, "Wanna hit?" he asked, already knowing she'd probably say no. Simon wasn't trying to piss off Jessie, but he'd always take an opportunity to smoke up. She did tell him to get comfortable after all.

@jessiemeadows

[Deleted]

Simon's mischievous attitude went unnoticed by Jessie, at first. However, her attention was torn away from the shifting soil when she heard the metallic clang of a tin lid. She scowled deeply at him, already regretting any niceties that had happened between them. Her blood was on the bring of boiling. Of course he had to go and ruin everything. He couldn't even stay sober long enough to accomplish one homework assignment. As he lit the spliff between his lips, Jessie was thankful she was sitting down. At least she could avoid some of the smell. Still though, as if to irritate him, she threw an exaggerated hand in the air. "I should have known you were going to make this evening terrible somehow," she spat, glaring at him harshly. 

Jessie scooted her bum a few inches further from him. With the collar of his jacket, she covered her nose and mouth. Partly to hide the smell of that stupid plant he was smoking, and partly because her nose was cold. Even though she knew that, realistically, Simon wasn't going to make this last part any easier on her, a part of her was disappointed in him. Things were so pleasant just moments ago. She turned her attention back to soil that was beginning to erupt from the ground. The plant was slowly, but surely, being lifted out of soil. So she sat, monitoring the roots, trying to ignore the unsettled feeling in her gut. 

simon sixten svendsen

[simon sixten svendsen]

March 2025

Simon should have known that a spontaneous smoke break would upset the lioness. After one drag, she was criticising him for his actions. He had suspected that she would react in that sort of fashion, but he wouldn't allow her to kill his buzz with her negative vibes. Simons expression flickered with amusement, "That's all it takes to make you miserable?" he tested her with an arched brow, taking a drag. If looks could kill...she would have already committed murder.

As the roots started to make movement, he cocked his head to the side, watching the movement in stoned amusement. The fresh air of the night was kind of nice so he wouldn't allow Jessie to ruin the moment.  So he continued to puff away... "I'm standing by, ready to help." he sang to her, pretending to be mister innocent as a smoke cloud billowed around his face. He could feel the judgement radiating from the girl from the ground.

@jessiemeadows

[Deleted]

Jessie's frowned deepened, sensing his enjoyment. Of course he would find pleasure at her expense. "No, your presence makes me miserable," she bit, before sticking her tongue out at him. Now that she had a reason to be annoyed at him, Jessie found herself feeling more at ease. Being aggravated was easier than... well, whatever was going on between them when they weren't fighting. Arguing and disliking each other was easier. Despite the emotional drain it caused her, she preferred it. 

Her thoughts still strayed to their warm conversation in the common room. A small part of her wished it had lasted a bit longer though. Jessie hadn't quite worked out why, yet. For now she chucked it up to how tired she was. Surely she had been so delirious from sleep deprivation that she only thought enjoyed having a decent conversation with him.

A bit of cold had found itself in Simon's jacket, causing her to shiver. She tightened her arms around herself, when Simon chimed that he was ready to help. Jessie shook her head, giving him a short look. "Okay, first of all, I don't know how well you can function while not in the right state of mind." Her eyes shot back to towards the plant as it shifted, exposing more roots. "Second, I don't know if you've noticed, but you haven't been much help during this project."

simon sixten svendsen