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last online Apr 23, 2024 5:57:45 GMT -7
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Apr 2, 2017 12:34:07 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2017 12:34:07 GMT -7
Today was Viola's girlfriend's birthday. They hadn't been sure what to get her, though, so Viola had decided to forgo a material gift and give Maria an experience instead. What experience would be (almost) entirely up to Maria, though if Viola didn't find their girlfriend soon, all of their plans were going to go up in smoke. (Little did they know, if that happened, it would not be the first of Maria's gifts to go up in flames that day.) Maria had stormed away from the Great Hall after receiving a package, and Viola had known that chasing her would be pointless. They had waited for her to come back, but either she had returned without Viola noticing her (unlikely) or she wasn't back yet (equally unlikely). Viola was meandering around the Hogwarts grounds, hoping that Maria would show her face soon, but as the minutes ticked by, they became less and less sure that Maria would turn up in time for Viola's gift.
@maria
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last online Apr 23, 2024 5:57:45 GMT -7
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Apr 2, 2017 12:53:42 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2017 12:53:42 GMT -7
Well, at least Maria had calmed down enough to not want to set everything in sight on fire. She'd stormed off in the middle of dinner (after receiving a package from her grandparents) and after about two hours finally returned to the crowded confines of Hogwarts. The package was no where to be found, having been burnt to ash by a rather hot headed Maria. It hadn't helped her mood nearly as much as she'd hoped. By now that explosive rage had mellowed into a spiteful simmer. And spotting Viola alone? Well, all that did was help pacify her wrath even more. She took a step to go to them, but stopped. Because in the time she'd been apart from her partner something had happened that she would have to tell them. Samuel had kissed her. Sure, it hadn't been meant in any sort of sexual way, but as a means to shut her up, a kiss was still a kiss.
Letting out a slow breath Maria let her feel move once more, carrying her towards her partner, her hands stuffed into the deep pockets of her the fur lined coat that was a part of the Durmstrang uniform. "Samuel kissed me." Well, might as well get it out quick. Maria hadn't even hesitated to blurt out the truth to her partner. She didn't specify when this had happened or how. That wasn't part of the deal. Maria only had to tell Viola when things like that happened. She also didn't go into detail about where she'd been, or what had happened to the package that had caused her to abandon Viola so abruptly earlier that evening.
@viola
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last online Apr 23, 2024 5:57:45 GMT -7
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Apr 2, 2017 13:06:30 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2017 13:06:30 GMT -7
Maybe thinking about Maria hard enough had caused her to materialize, because the next time Viola looked up and glanced around, their girlfriend was walking towards her. Viola was going to meet her half-way, but then decided that a little exercise might help burn off the anger that Maria had obviously been feeling when she had stomped away from the Great Hall. Viola smiled at their girlfriend, opening their mouth to greet Maria, when the part-Veela cut them off by announcing that Samuel had kissed her. Viola’s teeth clacked shut. Samuel, who had just been Maria’s friend, obviously didn’t see her as a friend anymore. They took a deep breath, trying to control the jealousy that was surging through them. “Okay.” Viola said slowly. They were half-tempted to ask if Maria kissed him back, but they were beginning to learn not to ask the questions they didn’t want the answers to. “Do you smell like him?” Viola asked. They didn’t want to do what they wanted to do with Maria smelling like someone else, and they’d rather not have to test Maria’s scent on their own. Viola knew that they ought to have thanked Maria for telling them the truth or something like that, but they weren’t feeling generous enough to be able to do that. They wished they were, but Viola wasn’t as good of a person as they pretended to be.
@maria
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last online Apr 23, 2024 5:57:45 GMT -7
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Apr 2, 2017 13:26:34 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2017 13:26:34 GMT -7
Maria knew that Viola wouldn't be happy. But at least Maria was telling them. She could have easily considered the kiss irrelevant and not told them. But she had promised. She'd also made it clear that she wouldn't lie to Viola. No matter what. And then... did she smell like him? that had been Viola's initial problem with Samuel. She'd smelled like him. This time though she knew she didn't. Slowly she shook her head. "No." if anything she would smell very, very, strongly of smoke. Maria was sure she usually did to some extent but this would be much different. It was only this strong when she'd been setting fires.
@viola
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last online Apr 23, 2024 5:57:45 GMT -7
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Apr 2, 2017 13:43:16 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2017 13:43:16 GMT -7
Upon being told that Maria wouldn’t smell like Samuel, Viola closed the distance between them and their girlfriend, pulling her into a hug. Viola pressed their nose against Maria’s neck, inhaling deeply. She hadn’t lied – she smelled like herself, like smoke and ash. Viola wondered what had burned, to make Maria smell so strongly of fire. It didn’t matter, though, because any trace of Samuel was erased. “Good.” They murmured. They were holding onto Maria for too long and too tightly, Viola knew, but they couldn’t bring themself to let go, at least not until they were sure that they smelled as much of smoke as they did saltwater. “Will you come with me?” Viola asked, extending their hand to Maria and gesturing towards the greenhouse they had been loitering in front of.
@maria
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last online Apr 23, 2024 5:57:45 GMT -7
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Apr 2, 2017 14:03:46 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2017 14:03:46 GMT -7
Maria didn't know that she needed to be held until Viola close the distance between them and pulled her into a hug. While being a physical person hugging wasn't a very common act for her. So, much to her surprise Maria raised her arms almost instinctively to wrap around Viola in return and hold her partner close. The simmering anger dwindled into an almost burnt out ember, barely glowing and giving off any heat. Maria let out a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding.
It couldn't last forever though. Because finally Viola posed a request and offered a hand to her. Maria slowly nodded, pulling away from Viola reluctantly before taking that offered hand and entangling her fingers with Viola's.
@viola
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last online Apr 23, 2024 5:57:45 GMT -7
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Apr 2, 2017 14:32:51 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2017 14:32:51 GMT -7
Viola felt something strange stirring in them when Maria had seemed reluctant to pull away from there. After that day in the Great Hall, when Viola had fumbled with their words and their emotions and managed to say that they had wanted to hug Maria, they had paid a lot more attention to things like that – the aspects of the relationship that hovered between platonic and romantic, but were never sexual. Viola was becoming a little scared of everything that was happening, because not only was Maria their girlfriend, she was also quickly becoming their best friend. Having most of their world revolving around one person was terrifying, and not always in the good way.
Despite their fear, Viola held onto Maria. They always did. They swung open the door of the greenhouse. It was one of the ones that was devoted exclusively to Muggle plants – more specifically, flowers. Viola had scoped it out beforehand in order to find the flower they wanted, and they dragged Maria to the bench where a single rose bush sat. “You, my Maria, are a rose.” Viola said, reaching down to pluck one of the flowers off of the bush. “Beautiful, even with the thorns.” Viola extended the flower to Maria, a soft smile on their face.
@maria
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last online Apr 23, 2024 5:57:45 GMT -7
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Apr 2, 2017 16:23:07 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2017 16:23:07 GMT -7
Maria had never expected anyone to.... ground her like this. It was an unfamiliar feeling. One that Maria had no idea how to handle. What was she expected to do with these.... feelings? No doubt these feelings made her possessive attachment to them even stronger. But, she might as well just go with it. Why try to explain something rather then just enjoy it?
Entering the Greenhouse Maria's gaze wandered as she let Viola lead her by their joint hands. Nothing in sight was magical. In fact it looked like a perfectly normal greenhouse. Soon they reached a bench and Maria squeeze Viola's hand just a touch. "Am I?" She asked as Viola began to compare her to a rose. One was plucked and held out to her. Maria immediately smiled and took the rose between two fingers of her her free hand. "I like to think my thorns add to my charm and beauty." Maria mused softly as she twirled the rose between her fingers.
@viola
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last online Apr 23, 2024 5:57:45 GMT -7
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Apr 2, 2017 16:49:41 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2017 16:49:41 GMT -7
Viola nodded when Maria asked if she was truly like a rose. She said that she liked to believe that her thorns added to her charm, and Viola smiled. “If you’re me, and you like the idea of a little danger, then they definitely do.” Viola didn’t think that they’d be good with one of the flowers that was more delicate; they would simply rip it apart, even if it was accidental. Roses were sturdier than they looked, and so was Maria. Her beauty didn’t detract from her strength. Viola watched as Maria twirled the rose between her fingers, a little mesmerized by the motion. Viola squeezed Maria’s hand softly, glancing down at the rose bush, then at the single rose, and then at Maria’s eyes. “I love you.” The words were soft, barely more than an exhalation of air, and Viola wondered if they had even said them at all. Then, more confidently, they repeated the sentiment. “I love you.” It was nothing to be ashamed of, so Viola didn’t know why they had first said it so quietly. It wasn’t because they were scared, because they didn’t get scared. Then again, Maria made them feel a plethora of other things they had never thought to feel before – what was one more emotion among many?
@maria
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last online Apr 23, 2024 5:57:45 GMT -7
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Apr 2, 2017 18:37:35 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2017 18:37:35 GMT -7
Maria glanced down at the rose between her fingers. There were a few thorns between her fingers but none had pricked her yet. This all seemed awfully romantic.... More so then either she or Viola should have been capable of. A stroll through a greenhouse in the middle of the night... A rose... Maria glanced up to give Viola a slightly skeptical look. Yes, it was her birthday... so maybe Viola was being the good partner and simply wanted to do something special... "What's life without a little danger." She answered slowly.
Viola had looked away for a moment, but suddenly their gaze was back and meeting her own unflinchingly. The next three words that came out of Viola's mouth were ones that Maria was positive she'd misunderstood. Viola had spoken quite softly after all. There was a chance that she'd heard wrong. Without realizing it, Maria's mouth hung over just a touch as her eyes widened. And when Viola repeated those three words with much more confidence and conviction Maria knew she'd heard correctly. I love you.
Three words should never stir up so much emotion. Three words should never make Maria's heart race suddenly and painfully. Maria and love had always had a complicated relationship. Ever since her parents death, which had permanently screwed up Maria's love map. She'd heard the declaration so many times it shouldn't affect her. But every time it did. Every time made her heart race and her breath stop. It made her fingers feel numb and her blood cold. Maria's fight or flight response was heavily weighed towards fight... except when love was involved. Then it was flight. Always flight. The last thing she needed though was for Viola to realize how their confession made Maria feel. No, Maria needed to cover her tracks fast. So, what did Maria do? The one thing she was best at. She kissed Viola. Quite aggressively too.
@viola
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last online Apr 23, 2024 5:57:45 GMT -7
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Apr 2, 2017 18:50:17 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2017 18:50:17 GMT -7
Viola didn’t know why they had expected this to go well. They had known for quite some time that Maria didn’t do love. She could do lust – did it quite well, in fact – but love? Not so much. They were Maria’s first partner, after all, but it wasn’t only romantic love that Maria seemed to have a problem with. Familial love was hard for her, too, and Viola knew why – her mother’s death, her father’s suicide…that couldn’t have made trusting easy, and trust was an important part of love. Viola was trying to read Maria, but it was like her face had gone blank, like she was so far into her head that none of her thoughts were projected onto the outside. If anything, Viola had expected Maria to burn them, or maybe for her to run away. But she didn’t do either of those things – instead, she kissed Viola, with a ferocity that they hadn’t felt in a long time. Maria always seemed to hold back a little bit of her fire when she was around Viola, but this wasn’t like that. She was burning Viola, but not with the fire from her hands. This was how Maria kissed other people, Viola thought to themself. This was the fiery love that people came back to, time and time again. But their entire relationship had been built on Viola being more than just another person.
They pulled away from Maria, eyes narrowed but full of a different kind of fire than Maria’s. They weren’t going to let her get away with shoving her feelings under the rug. Viola didn’t need Maria to say that she loved them, too, but they did need Maria to recognize that someone could love her, and someone could stay. Viola would stay. They weren’t sure what to do after pulling away, so they did the first thing that came to mind – they wrapped their arms around Maria’s waist, pulling her into a hug that was just as fierce as the kiss.
@maria
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last online Apr 23, 2024 5:57:45 GMT -7
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Apr 2, 2017 19:10:06 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2017 19:10:06 GMT -7
Maria couldn't say it back. For one, in some way Maria wasn't even sure if she was capable of feeling love anymore. But she... well she wasn't that much of a believer in it. At all. Not wanting to get in an argument about if love did or didn't exist though Maria kept those thoughts to herself. And tried desperately to distract herself by that kiss. It wasn't fair to Viola, she knew that, but she had to get away from that word. Kissing was an easy escape. Maria practically poured all of her emotions into that kiss, making it forceful and possessive. Passionate and demanding. Typically Maria avoided kissing Viola like this. Because it was a lustful kiss, one meant for only temporary satisfaction with little actual feeling to it. And with Maria, feeling and emotion were two very different things.
Viola almost seemed to fall for it too. Before pulling away and giving her their own fiery look. It was quite different then her own fire though. And it made Maria swallow hard, unable to read just what Viola's fire might mean. At least Viola didn't say anything, or demand for an explanation, or to hear Maria say it back. After that moment's glance they'd instead pulled her into a tight embrace that left Maria breathless for a handful of seconds. After what felt like an eternity though could have only been a few seconds, Maria dropped the rose onto the bench next to them so she could wrap her own arms around Viola's shoulders and buried her nose into the crook of Viola's neck. Inhaling deeply Maria let Viola's familiar scent wash over her. She could smell the smoke from her own clothes starting to rub off on Viola, but underneath it all she could still smell it. The ocean. Maria was sure she'd always remember what Viola smelled like.
@viola
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last online Apr 23, 2024 5:57:45 GMT -7
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Apr 2, 2017 19:26:17 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2017 19:26:17 GMT -7
Viola hadn’t known what to expect when they had hugged Maria, but it seemed to be going well, or at least as well as it could. Viola should have known better than to spring something like that on Maria, they thought to themself with a sigh. Maria wrapped her arms around Viola’s waist, and they relaxed into the touch, burrowing deeper into Maria as she too burrowed into them. Even if they couldn’t draw comfort from hearing Maria say that she loved them, they could draw comfort from her just…being there. She still smelled like fire and they still smelled like water, and when they breathed in, the ocean war burning. Or at least, that was the way it smelled. Viola didn’t want to let go. They were afraid that if they did, then Maria would leave…and she wouldn’t come back. She would decide that Viola was too hard and that they had too many emotions and that she wasn’t looking for someone to love, only someone to bed, and then… They didn’t even want to finish that sentence. The thought felt like a kick to the stomach, and Viola’s arms tensed around Maria for a moment, as if somehow by holding her tighter they could convince her to stay. For a moment, the scent of saltwater swelled around them, and Viola wondered why. But then they realized at their cheek was wet. A single tear had trailed down it, dripping under their nose before falling onto Maria’s robes. Viola prayed that Maria didn’t notice – they didn’t want her to think that they were crying for pity. Because they didn’t cry.
@maria
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last online Apr 23, 2024 5:57:45 GMT -7
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Apr 3, 2017 16:37:34 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2017 16:37:34 GMT -7
Maria wasn't sure what she should do now. If she should just keep hugging Viola like this or if she should say something or.... She didn't know. She was terrible at this whole feelings thing. Especially when the feeling in current discussion was 'love'. Viola wasn't doing anything either, which was only making Maria's confusion and indecision deepen. So, for now? Maria just kept her arms around Viola, hoping a better solution would soon present itself.
Thankfully Maria did not feel that tear that fell onto her shoulder. If she had she really would have fled, unable to cope with both 'love' and crying. As it was she felt Viola's arms tighten around her, and somehow understood what they meant. Not to leave. And Maria? Who was always the first to leave in a situation, especially a romantic situation. Well... She surprised herself. "I'm not going anywhere, Viola..." She whispered. She couldn't make any promises for down the road. But right now? Right now she'd chosen to be with Viola, and she wasn't changing her mind.
@viola
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last online Apr 23, 2024 5:57:45 GMT -7
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Apr 3, 2017 16:49:57 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2017 16:49:57 GMT -7
Viola had felt Maria’s ribs expand as she took in a breath to speak, and their brain went a million different directions, trying to anticipate anything and everything that she could say. None of their scenarios had come close to the truth, though, because they were preparing for the worst, and Maria was saying…the best. That she wasn’t going to go. Viola didn’t know what to say to that. They couldn’t bed Maria to stay, because she had already said that she would. Viola breathed in, and then out again before they summoned the courage – or the words – to respond. “Thank you.” They murmured back. “Thank you for staying.” Unlike Maria, Viola didn’t have as much of a complex when it came to people leaving. Their mother had left, sure, but that had been for the better. But even if Viola didn’t have a complex…It was still nice that someone wanted to stay, even if it was just for now.
@maria
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