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last online May 14, 2024 15:58:28 GMT -7
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Nov 13, 2023 12:08:43 GMT -7
Post by Alora Veda Astor on Nov 13, 2023 12:08:43 GMT -7
The roguish glint in her eyes gleamed again just as her cheeks flushed from the excitement of it all. This was the most fun she'd had in a while, and it wasn't something she'd planned on tonight, but it was something she definitely wanted to not end anytime soon. "I dunno about that old man. When's your birthday? When were you born like??" She was now at the stage where everything was a joke to her, for well, really no reason at all. But in her head calling Shawn an old man was the funniest insult she could think of, and it made her sputter out more giggles. In reality there wasn't much between them in age at all really, but in her head Shawn had things so much more together. Seemed much more confident in life. Or to Alora it seemed that way. There were times she still felt adrift, like she wasn't really sure why she was here or what she was meant to be doing. She wouldn't believe Shawn ever had moments like that. He had a purpose, was much more self assured. Her glimmer of mischief only faltered for a moment before, her heart surged with the thrill of it. "Oh Merlin! I never thought of it like that. We should do that then, go out for a walk, at night. We'd be like spies. Sneaking around and stuff" Once again, the idea of that was enough to let out a longer trail of giggles, her head lolling back against the arm of the chair this time, her hair falling off and down it's side almost to the floor. She stayed like that for a moment, almost incapacitated by the raucous laughter. When her head snapped back up, her cheeks were even more flushed when her eyes locked back on him. She didn't say anything for a moment, instead she just let him talk. Listening to him ponder was just as entertaining, except this time it was only a low rumble of laughter that peaked past her lips. Something deeper, from her chest. "I Still don't believe you'd chase me Shawny. Also rude, I'm not crabby. Plus I wouldn't wanna be either, they walk all funny." Trying some sort of ridiculous imitation, she did a head jerking movement that was in fact nothing like either crustacean, but it was enough to jerk her hair over her face and make her laugh quietly again. She was brushing her hair back quietly when she mumbled a response with an edge of daring to it. She was only half wanting him to hear it, but that half of her was feeling a little bawdier now. "You can chase me all you want though." White girl wasted was ensuring her inhibitions were so low they were likely on the bottom of the lake floor. Total professionalism between colleagues right? Busying herself with another never ending sip, her ears perked up at what he was saying "Oh really? I was always interested in muggle culture. I was the opposite I guess." her gaze surveyed him, now more curious about his background than she had been before. Maybe she had misjudged him and Shawn had been one of the cool guys in school, but before she couldn't really ruminate on the idea, that thought was interrupted by another stream of giggles. "I bet you could though, even now yeah. You can borrow one of mine sometime maybe." For a moment, her head tilted back again, and her gaze glassed over. She was thinking of a far away moment and withdrawing ever so slightly. Remembering the weight of her Grandmothers expectations, the ever evident between Alora and her so called inferior class mates. She had always wanted to be one of the more popular girls, but her Grandmother hadn't made it easy. She had tried to make her be fussy about the sort of friendships she kept. She put barriers up and made it difficult to hold down friends even when she had been good enough to make them herself. Muggle culture had always drawn her in, the muggle girls in her years had been the cool ones. But Alora had never gotten close to them, she'd never been allowed to. Even if she had been she likely wouldn't have been cool enough for them anyway but still, things weren't easy either way. Taking a breath in, Shawn's words pulled her back to reality, and she looked to him with eyes now slightly glassier for an altogether different reason. Her lips twisted into a false smile, and the light in her eyes had dulled a little. "I only had like two. They're in storage at home somewhere, if I ever find them I'll send you them for sure..." She tried to tack a laugh on to the end of that sentence, but it was false and fell flat. Instead she looked away and took another drink before glancing back to him and now feeling ballsy enough to tackle the earlier thought. "I bet you were one of the popular guys, like on the Quidditch team or something" It wasn't a question, but her voice dipped up with curiosity at the end all the same. Now she felt the need to dig into him a little bit more, reflect and turn away from her own miserable history. Challenging Shawn was fun, he gave as good as she did. It wasn't fighting, but there was something a lot more fun about it that drew her in; something charming and comfortable all at the same time. shawn lesley ashcroft
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last online May 16, 2024 8:34:58 GMT -7
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Nov 14, 2023 21:17:54 GMT -7
Post by shawn lesley ashcroft on Nov 14, 2023 21:17:54 GMT -7
Shawn jokingly grabbed at his chest in shock as Alora called him an old man. He refused to see himself as an old man. The term old man brought up thoughts that didn’t align with how he thought of himself. “If you keep up with these hurtful words, Ms. Astor, I’ll have to give you detention.” He attempted to sound serious, but that was already naturally hard for Shawn. Not to mention the alcohol now coursing through his blood, his acting skills were not in top form at the moment. “I’ll tell you, but feel free to get me a late or early birthday present if you want. It’s in July, the sixteenth. Nineteen ninety-six if you must know the year."Alora seemed genuinely excited by the idea of them going around at night with no risk of curfew. She seemed to have honestly gotten into teaching without such ideas. Shawn hadn't; yes, he loved transfiguration and the idea of being a good and fun professor. He was also tempted by the idea of free rein of the halls and school at night. Something he had dreamed of as a student instead of hiding. “Sounds like a date; even if we don’t find anything, at least I’ll still have some good company while doing it.”
Alora doubted he would actually chase her before explaining she didn’t want to turn into a crab. Partly because they walked funny. “Sadly, you still don’t get to pick. You just get what you get. I would guess you wouldn’t be a crab, though, as funny as it would be to call you crabby. You’re right, you aren’t. We can think of another pet name later,” Shawn teased.
There was a low mumble from Alora while she played with her hair. Between the drinks and playful banter they had so far, Shawn wasn’t sure in what way she was talking. Part of him, unsure if it was him or the alcohol, wanted it to be from a possibly more fiery point of view. Instead, Shawn played it off as more playful talk between them. As much as she was a beautiful woman, he had enough sense, at least at the moment, not to risk ruining the mood. It still didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun with her. “I’ll remember that,” he replied with a small smirk followed by a wink.
“It can be interesting; it’s hard now to imagine getting by without magic of any sort.” Magic was a blessing to him; it hadn’t always been that way as a child. Shawn knew even as a child that magic could be his escape from the awfulness of his childhood, but it was also a curse as long as he had been in his parents home. Yet he could marvel at all that the muggles had accomplished. "We can go to a muggle store sometime, and I’ll dazzle you with all the useful information I have. Or I might just make up half of it to mess with you. Both sound like brilliant ideas.” Shawn teased once more; it did sound like a blast, but he wouldn’t make up too much if she really wanted to know. “I get the feeling it wouldn’t fit me, but with enough of this wine sometime. I’ll probably try to put it on anyway.” Alora explained that if she did find her old rudely commented shirt, she would be sure to send it to him. “Aw,” Shawn replied in a disappointed tone. One that was also part genuine. “You aren’t going to model them? Get the full rebel Alora effect.”
Claiming he was a popular guy, like someone on the Quidditch team, caused Shawn to burst out laughing. “No…no..Quidditch.” he got out through the laughter. Shawn was able to and calm down over time. “I might have been a little popular, but that was just because I was an idiot as a kid.” Which was the honest truth when he looked back on his childhood times at Hogwarts. “I was just looking to have fun when I was a student. Which mostly meant spending large amounts of time in detention.” It was hard to imagine a night Shawn didn’t have detention as a student. “My home life was... well, it was crap.” Which was a gentle way of putting it as Shawn downed the remainder of his glass. “So I spent as much time as I could at Hogwarts, trying to just have fun and escape it. I wouldn’t change what I did while at school, but I would change how often I got caught.” He wasn’t exactly shy about his younger years. Shawn just avoided bringing them up because it only made any conversation sad, and he wasn’t one to dwell on it for too long. “What about you? Are you just too cool to be one of the cool kids? Off in your dungeon common room doing whatever sneaky things the Slytherins were always up to."
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last online May 14, 2024 15:58:28 GMT -7
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Nov 16, 2023 8:38:38 GMT -7
Post by Alora Veda Astor on Nov 16, 2023 8:38:38 GMT -7
"I'll have you know, it'd be the first Shawny. I've never had detention in my life" puffing up her chest with a joking sense of pride she eyed him. Her gaze narrowed and fixed on him as he rattled off his birthday. That was a surprise and hit her in the stomach like any other shock. "Oh" uttering quietly her eyes widened. The truth was there was only two years between them. Alora had always looked up to Shawn in a big brotherly fashion, but that little bit of information changed things. They would have been at Hogwarts together, depending on the maths of it maybe only a year in the difference. Her head fell to the side as she studied his features in a little more detail. It was difficult with the inebriated haze settled on it, but she searched the dark recesses of her mind. Trying to imagine his features a little younger. Had they ever crossed paths? It was hard to say. Surely she would have remembered him, but then again, it was unlikely. In school she had been quiet and withdrawn. Whittling away hours in the library where there was a level of safety. She didn't put herself out there to mix, especially not with the muggleborns. At his utterance of the word date, her face flushed, but it wasn't something she commented on as the word flit by her. It was gone in the blink of a second and her brain was moving too slow to process it in the moment. Instead she just nodded in agreement and a playful smile twitched on her lips as she shifted slightly in the armchair, redistributing her weight. She said nothing for a moment, hoping the colour in her cheeks would leech away sooner rather than later. Except then she noticed Shawn's wink and smirk, and that only caused the crimson to deepen, her mouth falling open just a little in surprise. That little whammy pushed whatever words that had been on the tip of her tongue out of her brain, instead all she could do was let the same tip run over her red-stained bottom lip, and look away, hoping he hadn't noticed her get redder. After a moment, when the heat in her chest had subsided slightly, and she felt a little less shook, she finally dared look back to him to answer. "No tricks please, I know enough of the Muggle World now. you're not pulling the wool over my eyes nowadays. Even if I do still sometimes wish I learned it all sooner..." she hoped her admission drowned out his teasing. Because when he sounded upset about her not modelling them she wasn't sure if that was the truth, or more underhanded flirting. The later only added fuel to whatever warmth had settled in her chest earlier. She had hoped it was quelled when she had started feeling a little more like herself, but maybe not. In lieu of having an answer, she decided to settle in and listen to him instead. In her mind that seemed a lot more interesting now. Since she had started at Hogwarts, she had always gotten on with Shawn. Their friendship playful, lighthearted. But they'd not spent all that much time together bar chaperoning some things together, and the likes. She'd taken a risk turning up at his office this evening, though she knew he was too nice to turn her away. Her gut feeling that he'd enjoy the Druid wine had been correct, and for that she was pleased. Honestly she hadn't bargained for there to be so much free flowing conversation, or that she'd get to know Shawn on this level. It was more than likely the heaviness of the wine doing the talking, but still, she liked that he was opening up. She'd been less prepared when he actually grew serious about things, but it caused her to shift forward in her armchair, now listening more intently. Her mouth fell open again as she did so. Their lives had been so different background wise, but then again they'd been quite parallel. She nodded in silence and then mumbled. "Same honestly.." before going back to listening, still watching him introspectively. It was easy watching him speak, comfortable here in his office. That was until he turned the question back on her, causing her to rise from her stupor like state. "Uhhh. No.." Her cheeks went red again, but now for a different reason. Pushing herself up straight, she moved then to brush some of her hair self consciously. "Home for me was crap too I guess. So I get that. I had a very controlling old bag of a Grandmother that raised me. Old blood purist. She never hurt me or anything, and like we were rich. I was lucky in a lot of ways, I know that. But it wasn't what you call a healthy, or traditionally 'good' childhood I guess. Growing up I was only allowed mix with very certain people. Kids were to be seen and not heard sorta thing too I suppose. But mostly I spent my time alone. When I got to Hogwarts I loved being around people, but I dunno I was always sorta shy and awkward. I didn't know how to make friends properly. I was scared of messing up a lot of the time, and being embarrassing, so I just...didn't. Especially not with like the more outgoing popular people. The older we got the more isolated I was I guess. then they started to make fun of me for it. So I still didn't bother. I just hid in the library a lot really, moreso as I got older. Well there and the greenhouses obviously I hated being at home, and I guess being here wasn't much better. But I felt less alone at least, and I didn't feel the weight or the pressure from her. She is....was...very traditionalist. Very controlling. She wanted me to just marry some Pureblood, have beautiful pureblood kids or something I dunno..." her laugh was bitter as her head dipped. Acutely aware of how much she had just let tumble out, suddenly extremely self conscious. It was easier to look away from him. She tried to stop herself and shut up, but the words just kept coming. "Ironically after she died I realised I'm actually a half blood. My father is a muggle. My Mum met him at Uni. Ran off with him and my grandmother took me. But that's a whole other story I'm still figuring out..." trailing off she shook her head, her nose scrunching up. "Sorry, my head hurts now. I'm sorry I said all that I..." falling over her words now, dread settled in her stomach at the thought of the raw honesty. She'd not told anyone everything that was going on recently and although it did make her feel slightly better she was already regretting letting it all, allowing herself to be vulnerable. shawn lesley ashcroft
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last online May 16, 2024 8:34:58 GMT -7
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Nov 16, 2023 10:17:50 GMT -7
Post by shawn lesley ashcroft on Nov 16, 2023 10:17:50 GMT -7
It was a mixture of surprising and not, as Alora claimed she had never had a detention before. It was something so common for the younger Hufflepuff he had been. It almost felt like a student's rite of passage, but he had to always remind himself. Not many had been as carefree or reckless as he had been as a student. Hogwarts was an escape for him; as a muggle-born, this had all been fresh and new to him. That, and his parents didn’t necessarily care how he was doing in school. It was the life some students wished for, but he didn’t wish for others. The cons outweighed any perks. “Wow, I didn’t realize I was spending my night with what we detention frequenters called a ‘nerd’.” Shawn teased that as was the only true frequenter of detentions. To the point, no one was surprised to find him there. “You missed out on all the fun cleaning and nighttime chores.” After his comment about being willing to chase her, Alora looked momentarily surprised before looking away. Thankfully, it didn’t appear to ruin the mood. If he had been less inebriated, he might have noticed the blushing that crossed her face, but he was lost in focus on whether he might have said something wrong. Enough to go without noticing smaller details. Alora commented about how her home life was about the same, as far as being crap. The conversation had gotten far more serious than it had been. It allowed Shawn to sober up and pay attention far better as Alora went into detail about her childhood. Alcohol has a great way of opening up to just about anyone. As he listened, it did sound like their childhoods had been pretty awful. almost for the exact opposite reasons on some parts. Even their time at Hogwarts as students had been almost polar opposites. It saddened him to know that someone was going through such a hard time and he hadn’t been around to cheer them up. That was all he was really doing as a student, he felt. Even if most of the time he was only cheering himself up by ignoring his home life, There had only been a few years between the two of them. Still, there had to be plenty of people in pain, and no one ever really knew. It was hard to imagine just how hard it must have been for her to go through school. Alora appeared to still be dealing with the situations from her childhood. She found out about a whole other part of herself after her grandmother passed away. There were moments when his parents crept into his thoughts. He even attempted to see them once, but that didn’t go as planned either. She apologized for a moment claiming her head hurt, then apologized again for saying what she had. Shawn simply shook his head. “You have no reason to apologize.” Shawn got up from his chair with only a minor wobble from the wine. He proceeded to move around to her side of the desk and knelled down next to her. “I am going to hug you now, though, so you can deal with that.” Shawn explained as he didn’t exactly give her time to protest if she had wanted to. It was his attempt at comforting her. Shawn pulled away after a moment but kept his kneeling position. “I didn’t have a grandmother, just two parents who didn’t want me around until they found out magic was real. Then my father thought I could be his own personal money printer. That’s why I loved Hogwarts so much as a kid, and I still do. I could have fun; I was free for much of the year. I spent a lot of it in trouble just because I wanted to have fun and ignore the fact that I’d have to go back.” Shawn explained, with as much as Alora had allowed him into her past. It was only fair that he could only do the same. Still, he left out the violent parts; that was still too much. “Eventually, one year, he got sick of me refusing, and he needed the money badly at the time. It didn’t end well," he trailed off. It was hard for Shawn to go into details. “I spent the rest of my childhood living with a friend from school and their family. I got to see what a family was suppose to be for awhile.” Shawn skipped much of what happened and moved on to the ending. It was shameful, even to this day, for him. Not the abuse he had endured, but how there was a part of him that could be so violent. They called it self-defense, but that anger was in him as a child. It was still there, deep and fearfully buried. “It’s not often I meet someone trying to compete for worst childhood with me." Shawn added with a weak laugh and equally weak smile.
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last online May 14, 2024 15:58:28 GMT -7
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Nov 16, 2023 11:08:07 GMT -7
Post by Alora Veda Astor on Nov 16, 2023 11:08:07 GMT -7
A half-snort of a laugh escaped her. "I just told you I spent all my time hiding in the Library, why are you surprised I'm a nerd?" Her eyes rolled jovially before she settled back in her chair again. "By the way, I like this chair. This is gonna be my chair now every time I visit Shawny. It's comfy and it's my favourite colour" She said out of nowhere, a half-assed drunken giggle chasing after her statement. The green velveteen material of the chair had definitely seen better days, but it was still soft enough and the cushions on it were plump and comfortable enough to sink down into them. Shawn was quiet for a moment, noticeably so. Enough to make Alora turn her gaze to meet his again. Admittedly this silence scared her, her side of it was anxious. Maybe he didn't like what he heard. Maybe he wanted rid of her now. Maybe he wouldn't want to talk to her anymore now he knew that she had been the quiet, weird kid growing up. When eventually he shook his head and spoke again, she had been pleasantly surprised. The growing worry in her throat had started to make it feel like it was closing over, but the softness in the way he watched her made that melt away. Slowly she nodded in response. A smile almost passed her lips as he wobbled on rising from where he was. If the Druid Wine had knocked him, then she was scared to stand up. Her brain was mush and no doubt she'd have some headache tomorrow, but for now, it was worth it. When he warned her about the hug, her eyes widened. Alora had never been a touchy feely sort of person. She'd been raised in a household where it simply wasn't the done thing. Making non-physical connections had always been hard for her. Ones of a physical kind had been even more difficult. The only closeness she had ever really had was when she had gone home with guys, and ultimately she always regretted that. Sam had helped her, and to a degree she had even enjoyed the intimacy of such things, but then he went and burned that bridge. Her younger sister most definitely was a physical touch sort of person. Every greeting was a hug, or a brief peck on her cheek. After a year of it Alora was starting to get used to the idea. A hug from Shawn though, the idea of that was a different kettle of fish. Except suddenly he was there in front of her, and all she could do was gawp at him as her lips parted slightly again. No words came to mind when she had to sit up to meet him, so eventually she simply nodded and gave in to him. At first it was weird, he was bigger than her and pulled her right in. But then as quick as it had happened, it was over with and he ad moved back, releasing her. Alora hadn't realised how much she liked the feel of that until it had been yanked away again. All her drunk brain could think now she wasn't been hugged was how dreadfully empty the feeling was. But he was talking again; nope she had to try concentrate on his words. That touch, as brief as it was, really had bewildered her. Feeling the warmth in her chest starting to build up again, she hoped her cheeks weren't flushing along with it. Settling back to a comfier position, she swiped the back of her hand over one cheek. Well she didn't feel like they'd be hot. Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip as she tried to train her focus on him. His childhood seemed even worse than hers. He was just as unwanted. Hogwarts had been his safe haven. But his parents seemed awful. As bad as her Grandmother was, she did it under the guise of wanting what was best for her. Something Shawn wasn't afforded until he had moved to his friends it would seem. Her large amber eyes watched where he had settled down beside her on the floor. As she listened to him, a lump gathered in her throat now for a different reason. He had left parts out sure, but Alora could fill in the blanks. His childhood seemed woeful and Alora wasn't sure of any words that would make that better. If she hadn't been as intoxicated she may have thought to offer a return hug, except that didn't cross her mind. Instead she eventually shifted so they were indirectly touching their shoulders and quietly gave the best reassurance she could "I'm sorry Shawny. I don't really know what to say to that. I'm not good at these kinds of things. But at least despite it all, you turned out awesome. You're a good man,.."A silence stretched before them then, a comfortable one where neither had to say anything. The feel of their closeness to the other was enough. Alora even shifted again to let her head lean against him just slightly. The balls it took her to make the move was definitely fuelled by the wine, but she didn't hate herself for it. Even if she was on edge for it. Eventually, after what seemed an eternity her own low laugh broke the silence. "Can your old man knees take kneeling down on the hard floor for this long? You wanna come sit beside me instead of there?" Though with a befuddled frown, she shook her head and grumbled jokingly "Even though now that you've told me your birthday you've proved you're not actually that old. You're really only two years older than me yknow, not even I guess..."shawn lesley ashcroft
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last online May 16, 2024 8:34:58 GMT -7
INACTIVE
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Nov 16, 2023 12:06:08 GMT -7
Post by shawn lesley ashcroft on Nov 16, 2023 12:06:08 GMT -7
Shawn smirked for a moment as Alora claimed the seat she as her own whenever she visited him. “I don’t believe in assigned seating in my class. So you’ve better be sure to get here first if you want to save that seat.” He teased her as she made herself more comfortable in the chair. Granted, he didn’t get too many visitors, so her chair would be safe from anyone else in most cases. "Just make sure to get here early and often."He hadn’t shared that story with many people; as a kid, he was sure most people just thought of him as a clown. Something he accepted and encouraged for lack of any other title; he was fine with clown. He didn’t like actual clowns; they had too much make-up, and they came off as off-putting, but as far as class clowns, That was him. Only his best friend and a few select people knew his personal life. It was nice to let it out, if even just as part of the story. Alora shifted closer before speaking. He was partially worried she would be offended by his own awful childhood and partly worried about any questions that might also come up. Instead, she offered her sympathy, stating that he turned out to be a good man. He smiled once more. "Thanks; you turned out amazing too. Probably my second favorite professor at the school.” Shawn said, "Obviously I'm number one." He added teasingly. He could never be that full of himself. There followed another moment of silence that was allowed to continue. After such talks from both of them, it just seemed right to let it be. Alora shifted once more and rested her head on him gently. Something he was perfectly fine with. A few locks of her striking red locks were shifting onto him as well, from what he could feel. A slight tickling sensation from it added to the smile on his face. Eventually she spoke, asking if the floor was too hard for his old knees, and Shawn offered up a quiet laugh. She asked if he wanted to sit next to her instead. “What? And give up my spot as your personal pillow for the moment. I had to pour my heart out for this.” He teased, finally being able to move past the more serious part of their conversation for tonight. “It really does hurt me that you thought I was that much older than you. I feel like I need to quit and start teaching history with Professor Binns. We old folks need to stick together. I’ll even invite you to my retirement party in a few years, I guess.”
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last online May 14, 2024 15:58:28 GMT -7
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Nov 16, 2023 12:33:38 GMT -7
Post by Alora Veda Astor on Nov 16, 2023 12:33:38 GMT -7
"I can do that I guess." Her own soft smirk crossed her lips at that. She might have to make up some excuses to come here often, but still. That was something she could work with. Laughing in a low rumble, she rolled her eyes. Her mouth had opened to debate her title of second favourite, to ask who was the one person who topped her. But then he explained all and instead she let her head roll back again and relaxed into another peal of quiet giggles. "Such a big head" a grumble escaped her, before she then realised the double entendre in her line and she started to laugh even harder. "Not like that!" she squealed between breaths. Her cheeks flushed again when she realised she put her foot in it, but still, she couldn't stop laughing at what her stupid brain had churned out. Hopefully he saw the funny side to it. The way her face beamed when he called her his personal pillow wasn't something she could control in her wasted state. But maybe it was something she wouldn't want to anyway. He couldn't see her. For once in her life she didn't have to cover up her emotions, like her Grandmother had always schooled her to, and there was a freedom about it she rather enjoyed. The same way that when Shawn declined her offer, she didn't put the pout that crossed her lips there. Nor did she know of the sigh that was escaping, until it was well and truly out "Alright then, suit yourself. I guess you are a comfy pillow" For a moment she pondered his words and licked at her lips again. "I'm sorry, I don't really mean it like that. I don't know. You just seem to have things a lot more together than me and that, yknow? But look we're not that far apart. We would have been here at Hogwarts together. What a shame you never got to call me a Nerd to my face.." She did mean the apology, but it didn't mean she wouldn't still tease him just a little. Her tongue darted along her lips again as another thought crossed her mind. It was one that had floated on through earlier, only rudely this time it wouldn't give up. She was quiet for a moment as she contemplated her next move, still fighting one side of her drunk brain, with what was left of the logical side. Except, then the drunk whim won. Her head lifted away from him "Hey Shawny? Look at me for a sec..." her tone was quiet, almost as if she was scared. But no, she'd committed to it now. As soon as his head turned to see what she was at, she dipped her head forward again to close the distance between them. Her hand grasped at his chin, as if holding him in place, but without any real force or conviction. The way she smashed her lips against his though was full of certainty, even if it was likely a bad drunk decision, but it was something she was very committed to, and very much enjoying. shawn lesley ashcroft
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last online May 16, 2024 8:34:58 GMT -7
INACTIVE
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Nov 16, 2023 13:33:30 GMT -7
Post by shawn lesley ashcroft on Nov 16, 2023 13:33:30 GMT -7
“Good, I’ll start scheduling your visits.” Shawn replied perfectly content with a situation where he got to be around Alora more. Drinks or not, she was a fun person to be around, and the fact that she was rather attractive didn’t hurt. Alora rumbled out a comment about him having big-head, something to which he laughed. The laugh only grew a little more as she seemed to want to make it clear she wasn’t talking about it in any other way. “I wasn’t thinking that at first, but now I am.” Shawn teased, “I wasn’t aware we were on that level of comedy tonight.” He joked, his face only a shade redder. Knowing full well that it was just the alcohol between the two of them, “Keep it up, and you might work your way to being my favorite professor.”
There followed a quiet laugh from Shawn as Alora called him a comfy pillow. "Thanks; that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever called me.” He jokingly replied. He had been called other kind things, but in this moment he was proudest of that compliment. She apologized for calling him old, explaining why she had such thoughts about him. He shook his head at her reasoning. “Happy people always seem to have their lives together. Truthfully, my life probably makes as much sense as yours does at times.” His tone was a little more somber than before. It took him awhile to get back to this place, but his life was still all over. “We can always make up for lost time; I’m completely willing to call you a nerd to your face still.” Shawn teased, although he still might just call her a nerd anyway at some point in the future. At the very least, just to say he had
Alora lifted her head from him, and he was disappointed to feel the very slight pressure removed. He had grown very comfortable with her touch. Quietly, she asked him to look over to her, and he was curious to hear what she was going to say. As soon as he looked over, Alora leaned in further. Her hand moved to his chin as she kissed him. There was the obvious initial surprise, which lasted for less than a second. He hadn’t expected it but fully gave in to the kiss. Lost in the moment of her soft, warm lips pressing against his, Shawn moved a hand to the side of her face. His fingers came to a few locks of her scarlet hair. Shawn’s body pushed even closer toward her, wrapped in just the thought of Alora and the kiss between them. The pull away was inevitable, but he didn’t want it to happen as he moved back from Alora. “I…” Shawn didn’t really have a response; it was still a shock now that the kiss happened and was over. All that really remained was the urge to go in for another one. The inebriation was enough that he was willing to do just that as he leaned toward her once more.
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last online May 14, 2024 15:58:28 GMT -7
HOGWARTS CAMPUS STAFF
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Nov 16, 2023 13:59:18 GMT -7
Post by Alora Veda Astor on Nov 16, 2023 13:59:18 GMT -7
The feeling of Shawn returning her risky move was exhilarating. The chance she'd taken on a whim had paid off. The wine had gotten her to a lazy almost languid stage where sleeping sounded like a good idea, but this was rejuvenating. It gave her an unexpected second wind for the night. The feeling of being lost to him took over when she felt his hand touch her in return. She felt him come closer to her. With that, she readjusted the way she sat to be mirroring him now without having to bend her neck in a weird way. It took an awkward second but she got there. Except Shawn chose that moment of weakness to wake up from whatever dream the two of them were in and pull back to question it all. Her immediate response was a low grumble; she hadn't wanted him to stop kissing her and now the warmth between them had been yanked away she realised truly how much she had been enjoying it. Her hand dropped away from his chin in a way of silent protest as she heard him start to speak, or to at least start to question it. That was it, ruined. The self doubt started to creep in. Maybe he hadn't been enjoying that as much as she had been. Maybe she had completely misread the situation. She thought she had gotten better at it in her later years, but maybe the drunk haze had made rose coloured glasses and it had been a totally wrong risk to take. "Fuck I'm-" she started apologising, her eyes opened now ready to back off and quickly and quietly plan an exit. Except then Shawn leaned back in for round two. This man was full of surprises tonight. Happily Alora returned the kiss, smiling against his lips. After a few seconds, she pulled back just barely and gave a breathy laugh against his lips, murmuring "Oh, you're not too cool to kiss the loser nerd. Good."shawn lesley ashcroft
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last online May 16, 2024 8:34:58 GMT -7
INACTIVE
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Nov 16, 2023 14:33:37 GMT -7
Post by shawn lesley ashcroft on Nov 16, 2023 14:33:37 GMT -7
Kissing Alora hadn’t been a thought in his mind. Well, honestly, kissing her had been passing thought about what it might be like or what would happen. Yet, it was never an idea he would have acted on. At least before tonight. Now it was the only thought running through his brain, among other things, until they broke away. Shawn had tried to say something, but nothing came out. Just a moment of looking at her and an incomplete word. Instead, he went with his instincts and desires to kiss her once more. She almost got to apologize, but he had already moved in to kiss her, and Shawn wasn’t about to let her apologize. All he wanted right now was the feeling of her lips on his, among other things that were racing through his mind. The alcohol was just helping those thoughts come to him and race to the surface of his brain. For a moment, Alora pulled away, and Shawn almost went to follow her to continue the kiss but stopped himself. She laughed before explaining that he wasn’t too cool to kiss a nerd. Shawn offered a laugh of his own at the comment. "First, you’re not a loser.” He wouldn’t allow that comment to pass before moving on to what he really wanted to say. “But you do have a point. I’m not too cool to do a lot of things to a nerd.” With that, he leaned in to kiss Alora once more, gently pushing her back in her chair. Getting as close as he could, their bodies touching, his hand moving down from face toward her neck. Continuing down her gorgeous, slender frame. At this point he was lost in the desire for the woman before him. Alcohol might have helped him get to this point, but even sober, he knew she had been beautiful. ~~~fade~~~
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last online May 14, 2024 15:58:28 GMT -7
HOGWARTS CAMPUS STAFF
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Nov 16, 2023 15:14:08 GMT -7
Post by Alora Veda Astor on Nov 16, 2023 15:14:08 GMT -7
When she had come to his room bearing her gift of Druid Wine and an understanding ear the night before, Alora hadn't planned to stay the night. Much less sleep with one of her colleagues, and apparently stay for a sleepover. Which was why when she slowly woke up the next morning, she didn't immediately recall where she was or how she had gotten there. She just knew that she was cold as fuck and that was what had woken her up. She hadn't opened her eyes before instinctively curling into the body beside her and seeking out warmth, whilst one hand groped around searching for a blanket. Slowly her brain started to catch up with her body; and she remembered that she didn't share her bed with anyone. Her eyes flashed opened and the night came back to her with a jolt. Shawn. Shit. Her gaze jerked to the warm body she had cuddled into just a second ago, he lay still asleep in the bed they'd settled in last night that he'd transfigured from her new favourite chair. Flat on his back, softly snoring. Wrapped up in the bed clothes looking like a big cinnamon bun. Of course he had stolen them, prick. She watched him for a second, unaware of the smile that had crossed her face at the sight of him. Thoughts of their previous nights activities came back to her in pieces; the Druid Wine, the banter, the sex. She felt the heat creeping up her face at the thoughts of it. Except this time it wasn't from embarrassment; she found herself revelling in the memories of it. It had been a really enjoyable night. All aspects. Even more so because of who it was with. She had always found Shawn attractive, but never much entertained the thought. She never thought he'd be interested in someone like her, but then he had been just as flirty with her last night. And seemed to enjoy himself just as much.
Fuck. She had definitely crossed a line though. She never did this with just any guy. Despite her last Wizder date being pissed off she didn't invite him in after their disastrous date, it just wasn't what she did. Alora had been raised and morphed into a bit of a prude as she grew up. Team that with her inability to make connections with people and bashfulness; she could count the amount of guys she had slept with in her lifetime on one hand. She didn't have all that much experience with guys. She didn't fall into bed with people. And yet, she wasn't angry at herself for that. It was more she'd been so stupid to cross that line. She had to work with Shawn, see him every day in the staff room. He had no interest in her romantically, this had definitely been a huge mistake. In her mind there was nothing good that would come from this. Her eyes followed the rise and fall of his chest, as a knot of anxiety settled in her own. Why was it so hard to try and peel herself away from him then? Silently she cursed herself for her lack of self control.
Taking a breath she started to move slowly, extracting herself from the bed that was placed haphazardly in the middle of his office. As her feet touched the cold wooden floors, her face scrunched up and it just spurred her on more. No, she'd do the sensible thing for the both of them, and just slip out. Save any awkward good mornings, even more awkward goodbyes. Thankfully it was Saturday morning. Early enough she could move through the castle back to her flat in Hogsmeade without being spotted. A sharp movement to bend over and pluck up her dress she had left on the floor last night, caused an instant wave of nausea. "Fucking druid wine never agreed with me.." she hissed to herself before snapping up to make sure she didn't wake Shawn. It was just as hard to drag her gaze away from him this time too. As she flung her clothes on in record speed, she watched him still, making sure he stayed asleep. The mission was successful, she just needed to grab her boots where they lay abandoned from even earlier in the night by the door.
Before she left, she gave one last longing look towards his sleep figure and bit down on her lip. There was an anxiety building over the whole situation and some other feeling she couldn't quite put her finger on. It was nothing good, that was for sure. The bile rising up her throat wasn't entirely from the hangover that was settling in. Every part of her just wanted to get back into bed with him, stay warm and cosy at his side and yet she knew that wouldn't be a good move. She couldn't blame alcohol on her poor decisions this morning. Really she had no excuse other than just acting on her wants. Instead she forced herself to turn away from him and exit the office without looking back, and hope she didn't regret it with an even heavier heart later.
____Exit Alora____ shawn lesley ashcroft
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last online May 16, 2024 8:34:58 GMT -7
INACTIVE
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Nov 16, 2023 20:20:41 GMT -7
Post by shawn lesley ashcroft on Nov 16, 2023 20:20:41 GMT -7
Shawn eventually awoke due to the light from the sun angled right in his face. It had eventually annoyed him enough to stir him out of sleep. It took a second to gather his bearings as he stared up toward the ceiling from the bed he was in. He was obviously staring at the ceiling of his office, yet he didn’t fully remember going to bed. He also didn’t remember creating a bed. He remembered that it was parent-teacher day the night before. Alora came in after it was over and brought wine. Slowly more came back to Shawn as he sat up from the bed. A jolt of pain struck his head, both from the sudden movement and the mild hangover Shawn had from last night. Neither was a pleasant feeling, but he was more focused on where Alora was. Flashes of last night came back to him more and more as he was finally fully awake. She wasn’t here from what he could tell; for a moment, he even wondered if parts of it were just a dream. Would it be better if it was a dream? He thought to himself. De didn’t want the images in his head to just be some drunken dream. He smirked slightly to himself as he thought about it, his face feeling a little hot and reddened. Yet, if it had been a dream, it would certainly make his life less awkward. Given his state of undress, he was reassured that it wasn’t a dream. Which left the question of where Alora might have been. She left before he had woken up, without a word. If she had tried to wake him, he must not have remembered it. Still, it felt more likely that she had snuck out while he was asleep. Which wasn’t a pleasing thought. The possible reasons for her to leave before he had awoken raced through his thoughts. The one that kept coming back was her regretting what they had done. He couldn’t blame everything on the alcohol. He had always thought she was beautiful. It just took a night of being alone with Alora and some drinks to break down that wall he put up that kept it strictly professional and friendly. Still, if she regretted it, it might have just been the alcohol talking for her last night. Now he had possibly ruined a friendship. With that thought now stuck on loop in his head Shawn fell back in into the pillow behind him. Taking a deep breath. Now he felt uneasy; he hated the idea that something he had such pleasant memories of was something someone else may have wished never happened. “Shit...” he got out with a sigh. "Way to go, Shawn."
End
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