SPOILER!!: Ash ;_______;
Quote:
Originally Posted by
astrocat 
Ash was pretty sure she had hidden magic well, just like she hid a lot of other things. The only weird things she had noticed were her wounds healing a little bit unnaturally fast, and how she must have used magic to save Theodore that day they met because it would have been impossible for her to paddle out that fast and drag him onto her board as an eight year old. Just... not possible. But those signs weren't noticeable unless you were looking. That was the general vibe of Ash. She looked like an open book, but some of the pages were subtly glued shut. So. People could think about that.
"I have a father. And a half-brother. But now that I think about it, they couldn't have left my brother alone either. Eleven year old, fine, but not a four year old. That would have been wrong." She avoided the question of how she could be alone if she had a parent. All the could think was that mansions were big empty places, with lots of places to be far away from your offspring. So. People could think about that.
But there were better things to think about, like the time she got set on fire. That was actually... not as bad considering her life since then. Which was sad to say. "He gave me antlers first. I don't know why." She shrugged. "I agree that we should blame Fake Trent the most, because he was the adult and I never liked him anyway." And she was happy to admit that.
"I don't trust magical transport too much. Especially apparition. Very efficient, but imagine splinching." She shuddered. No thanks, she'd rather take a bus. Or a train. Or a plane. Or a car. Or just walking.
Oooh, that next question... was... hard. "I don't know if I hate Upstead. I don't forgive them- I can't forgive them, but I don't know if I hate them. Because- I don't know, they remind me of myself, and I don't want to hate me." There. She said it. She swallowed uncomfortably, and allowed her eyes to zone out and focus on the ceiling instead of the uncomfortable reality.
"The three people are Rosier, because I hate him and good riddance. I never want to see his face. Cambridge, because... reasons." Cambridge called her a mudblood once, and Ash didn't forget. That memory danced across her vision when she tried to sleep, and it was on her mind when she was awake. She didn't forget. "And 'Healer Poppy', because I can't stand her." She. was. so. irritating. Even more than Cambridge. And Ash didn't deeply believe that Cambridge could ever destroy her completely. Healer Poppy, seemed super suspicious and Ash felt uncomfortable around her.
"I'm glad we both have safe places then. Up here is pretty secure. I also called unofficial dibs on a closet somewhere around here, and the treehouse is pretty great. It's important to have places you can... work stuff out, y'know." Ash needed a place to think, which was why begged all the older students to go kiss somewhere other than the one very specific closet she liked to cry in... like literally they could cry there too.. but kissing like literally why... anyway. "It's important to like, think about stuff. Whether that means going to a professor or a friend or just sitting alone." Ash had learned that, somewhere down the line.
Only a four year old? And just a father? He considered asking where her mum was, but decided that was too prying for someone he hardly knew. It might have been a sensitive subject anyways, and he’d hate to be rude.
‘Are you and your brother close?” Because he got the general jist she was not with her father. A part of him wondered if it was hard to be close to a four year old though when there was such a large age gap. He’d always been lucky and happy to have his siblings so close in age to him. Maybe that was actually one of the benefits of being a middle child.
… So it was Minjae who had decided on the antlers. That seemed an odd thing, but he was also curious about what spell that was. Another mental note to search for that as well.
“Suppose it was probably a harmless type of spell?” Maybe the older student had wanted to hurt her, despite the fact that’s probably exactly what fake!Trent had wanted. Which Evan also decided to not call him that anymore. They knew it was Rosier and it seemed a discredit to the Headmaster to continue to associate him with the former Neo-Alliance leader.
“He was terrible so makes sense to not have liked him.” He’d certainly shed no tears over that death.
“I usually prefer muggle options to magic too.” In everything, but he could agree specifically regarding transportation for now.
“Boats are fun modes of transportation.” Maybe he’d own one one day like his cousin’s soon to be husband. Or maybe Aziel would just take him out on the water. Either would be fine.
He was… surprised by her answer. Enough so that Evan actually sat up, sit cross legged now instead of sprawled out staring at the ceiling. He eyed Ash curiously at her words, his expression probably showing how much he.. Didn’t understand what she meant. How was she like Upstead?
“How do they remind you of yourself?”
The first one made perfect sense, so he just nodded in understanding at that. He raised an eyebrow at the ‘reasons’ portion, not privy to what happened between them and very much having kept his head down and not paid much attention to his peers. He would have been appalled however, and also entirely understood why she was upset.
“Healer Poppy is a quack and doesn’t even seem to adequately know how to actually conduct therapy sessions. She’s going to cause more damage than good.” He knew these things from watching his Eomma. She might not have been perfect, but she still would have broken up the groups for a therapy session by similarities. Like ages, or blood status or room vs… not room. Categorizing was not something he was usually an advocate for but when it came to therapy.. It might have had it’s uses.
“Me too.” Safe spaces were good to have. And the common room was becoming more and more important to him the more he realized how alone he was. His friends had bounced which did not leave much room for anyone to talk to. Though in reality, he wouldn’t have talked to them anyways probably.
“A closet? That’s one of your safe spaces as well?”