Carter sat down at the table. He felt pretty absent-minded. His eyes searched the Slytherin table looking for a very special blonde. But she wasn't there. He sighed under his breath and began piling food on his plate.

Tori came down to the Great hall and headed straight for the Gryffindor table. As she approached it, she saw a very familiar blonde sitting by himself. She strode over and flopped down into the seat beside him and said, "Hey there. What's up?"

Carter's mood instantly improved. "Oh, just waiting for someone to join me for a little breakfast." he said with a smile. He took a bite of his food. "Make that a lot of breakfast."

"I'm game cause I'm starving. Where do you put it all?" she asked pouring herself some orange juice. She watched him as she dug in."So, what classes are taking this term?"

Daphne shook her head slowly. Raiden's brain was obviously being affected by a life-long kumquat deficiency. She was going to take things slowly and speak in simple words. Most definitely. "I would cry because I'm sad," she said slowly, touching the kumquat to her heart.

Her HEART, Raiden Kururugi, HURTS because of YOU.

And your kumquat deficiency. "I'm not allergic. Just...eat the kumquat."

Carter laughed. "Are you kidding me? I actually have to eat much more than just one plate to keep me going." he said. Although he wasn't sure of you would consider how much he had piled up on his plate as 'one plate.' It was much more like a mountain. "I think I'll take everything, well, other than muggle studies. I did last year and they were all really interesting. What about you?"

"I'm gonna narrow it down to Potions, DADA, Charms,Tranfiguration and Arithmancy. I'm thinking about my career choices right now. Plus, I'm doing well in those areas. I'm also gonna try out for quidditch." she replied, smiling and shaking her head at him.

Carter nodded. "I'm glad I'm not the only one that liked Arithmancy." he said taking another bite. "We'll have to get together and do our homework like we did last year in the common room." he said. It was always much more bearable to do it with someone. "And that's great that you're trying out for quidditch. I am too. I hope I make it this year."

"Me too. I can definitely help you with DADA and Potions. How does that sound?" she said as she daintily had her cornflakes.

"You get sad over weird things." Raiden pulled off a bit of the orangey peel thing on the outside, his gaze flickering between Daphne and the kumquat. "I thought you wanted a kumquat, and that was why you were organising the fruit bowl."

Didn't matter to him. He was still, somehow, hungry. Came from not eating much over the last few days, probably. Well, not much by normal standards at least.

"Eat something. You make me feel awkward."

Carter nodded. "I could use the help in potions." he said with a laugh. He continued eating. Potions weren't his favorite, especially after the love potion fiasco. He was sure that Mina still felt awkward around Marilyn. "And I'm pretty good at aritmancy, so I could help you with that."

"There's several reasons to it," she began, watching Raiden peel the kumquat. Carefully, she reached for the fruit bowl again. "Finding a kumquat was only the half of it."

Wrinkling her nose, Daphne plucked off a grape and popped it in her mouth. There? Haaaappy?

Daphne didn't even like grapes. Ah! Making a face, Daphne chewed awkwardly. "It has seeds."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ama

"There's several reasons to it," she began, watching Raiden peel the kumquat. Carefully, she reached for the fruit bowl again. "Finding a kumquat was only the half of it."

Wrinkling her nose, Daphne plucked off a grape and popped it in her mouth. There? Haaaappy?

Daphne didn't even like grapes. Ah! Making a face, Daphne chewed awkwardly. "It has seeds."

"If you don't like seeds, then eat something without seeds. Like... a peach. Just don't eat the pit, you know?" He finished peeling the kumquat and.. split it in half, holding part out to Daphne. "Here. You like kumquats, and you wanted one before."

Eat something you LIKE, Daphn-

...

What in Merlin's purple socks was going on over there? Raiden's eyes focused on the Ravenclaw Table, where... Sabel and some guy were talking to girls. The one girl seemed very... overexcited. And Sabel looked a bit uncomfortableish.

Poor Sabel.

"I'll... be right back, Daphne."

Putting the kumquat half on a plate, he stood and hurried over to the Ravenclaw Table.

....ABANDONED....again.


Raiden Kururugi was making a habit of this. Sniffing loudly, Daphne felt a heat creep up her neck; exploding all over her face. "Don't come back!" she hissed under her breath, snatching the kumquat off the plate.

Why did Raiden peel it? You could eat that too. Hmph.

What an experience.

Sabel ran a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh and then scrubbed his face, hoping that he wouldn't trip on his feet. Combined with a bad sleep last night and the numerous excited people, he felt more drained than he had when he woke up.

Ambling over to the Gryffindor table with Chaucer's arm strangely hooked in his, he gave Raiden a small smile. "Thanks by the way. You have good timing."

Chaucer's face was pale and his whole composure suggested that he had just barely triumphed over some illness that had him in bed for weeks. He uncrooked his arm from Sabel's, which even he had to admit was unseemly for a young man, and sat down at the nearest bench.

He looked over at Sabel with a haunted look: "My friend, we have survived something astounding today. The sort of thing people write books about and experience trauma for several years afterwards!" Huh, it was rather impressive once he thought about it. Still, he felt like he had been on the verge of passing out before the prefect came along.

Getting out a pen and paper from his bag, he immediately began to scribble down a message. Whispering something inside an envelope, he put the message inside afterwards and sealed the lid. A flick of his wrist and he sent the letter off to its destination.

Kellen would need to hear about this.

Daphne... looked displeased. Raiden looked guiltily at the kumquat in her hands as he sank back into his seat. His face was a bit... pink.

"Sorry, Daph... I had to, er... help. Friends." He indicated Sabel. Guiltily. Everything was guilty right now. Daphne was making Daphne faces at him. "Daphne, this is Sabel. Sabel, this is Daphne Hopton. She's in Gryffindor too. And this is... Sabel's friend. Whom I don't know. Nice to meet you, Sabel's friend. I'm Raiden."

He looked at Sabel again.

"You looked... kinda... horrified for a second. I thought you might need a little room to breathe."

Chaucer decided that the best course of action would be to compose himself immediately. Musn't linger on the past!
The lad shot up quickly and brushed back his long brown hair before regarding this new acquaintence. Double checking his black gloves to make sure they hadn't somehow been spoilt in the tumult, Chaucer shot out a hand: "Chaucer Ipswich. Very fine to meet you... I suppose I should call you 'sir' as my superior, yes?" He attempted a small smirk, but it came off looking a touch more nervous than confident. "We both really appreciated your help back there - I was completely mortified I can tell you!"

Daphne's kumquat was being neglected. She would have felt some kind of sympathy towards it--if it had not left her mind completely. See, she was busy being confused while her brown-green eyes bounced from face to face to face.

Neither of which looked very...happy.

Gryffindor too meant this Sabel character was in Gryffindor, which meant Daphne was supposed to know him. She didn't and it wasn't all that odd for her either. Hmph.

"Pleasure to meet you, Sabel," she said quickly extending her hand, sweeping her gaze sideways at...err...Chaucer Ipswich who seemed like a very proper and fine fellow. Daphne tilted her head. That was a first at Hogwarts.

Once the introductions was done with...Raiden was going to TELL her what happened, right? Right? Or keep it a secret while the entire world KNEW.

It wouldn't be the first time. Bitter much? Not really.

Dropping onto the bench beside Chaucer he rested his chin on the other boy's shoulder, not really caring how dignified it was or how unseeming it was. He was exhausted and Chaucer's shoulder was softer than the table at the moment, and less of a painful impact too for he was sure to collapse his head against it if given the opportunity.

He watched with blank interest as Chaucer scribbled down a note to Kellen, before turning his eyes to Daphne and giving extending his arm over Chaucer to give her hand a shake. "Pleasure. Sabel Dakest. Please don't attack us."

His eyes skittered over to Raiden and he smiled a little. "The power of the Prefect. Thank you."

...Sir?

"No, no, definitely not," Raiden said with a laugh, his face turning a bit red. "I'm only a prefect, you can just call me Raiden. 's easier than my last name for sure. Nice to meet you, Chaucer Ipswich!"

...wait.

"Oh!" He looked at Sabel. "This is the one that Kellen told me about, right? The one that likes frills or whatever?" ...haha. Oh Merlin. "Daphne won't... attack you. She's very nice."

Neptune had thought something like that before, hadn't she? That Daphne would attack her? Heh. Couldn't remember exactly.

"They were... being accosted a bit. By an overexcited girl." That was really the only explanation he had for it. He didn't know why the girl had been so excited. He looked at Sabel again. "'s no big deal. You looked like you needed help, so... I helped."

Shrug.

Chaucer hadn't really thought that this young lady would pose a threat as well, but then she was alone. It was the mob that drove females into pirhana-like states of frenzy.

He wanted with all his heart to tell the episode with as much drama as possible, but his fatigued body confounded him into silence interspersed with the occasional yawn. He barely managed: "Daphne... did you know that is a name of a nymph? Charming creatures from... but I'm sure you know already. Who isn't familar with such Greek stories?" His eyes drooped, despite the offence of sleeping in public. He must stay awake for integrity's sake! He had a reputation!

He had no will to stay awake.

"Please don't..." she repeated with a wrinkled brow. Suddenly, Daphne was aware of the remaining kumquat in her hand. Giving it a questioning look, Daphne put it back on the plate. WHY did everyone keep thinking she was going to attack them?

Did she look so ferocious? Scary? Intimidating? Ugly? Gasp!

Raiden had called her nice and the Gryffindor blond eagerly nodded. She was nice, you know, most of the time. As long as they weren't getting her dirty, or manhandling her as some were prone to do.

"Over excited?" repeated Hopton, pale brows arched high on her brow. "Like, overly friendly, overly touchy type?"

Those were scattered all over the castle these days.

Was....Chaucer Ipswich calling her a nymph? Tilting her head, Daphne observed the apparently energetic boy become, suddenly, less energetic to the point of...

"Is he sleeping?" she asked in a whisper. "Does he do that normally or was the overly excited girl too much trauma?"

Poor little man.

Blinking at Raiden and then Daphne he shook his head, his chin still on Chaucer's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I meant no offense. It's just..." He pondered for a moment. Over excited. That definetly described the situation and so he changed the shake to a nod. "Yeah. They were...interesting."

His mind hinged. Chaucer? Sleeping? No way. He glanced at the boy from the corner of his eyes and a small smile touched his lips. He reminded him of a cat trying so hard not to fall asleep; head nodding, eyelids slipping closed. And to think he had been so energetic when he first came to the table. "I think it was the trauma."

...apparently Chaucer had lost all of his energy. Raiden couldn't particularly blame him; crazy excited girls were a bit draining. He... knew from experience.

And Daphne was a nymph? How interesting!

Raiden reached into the fruit bowl for the apple he'd summoned earlier for Daphne. HE. WAS. HUNGRY. Goodness, he hadn't eaten anything all day but a piece of toast, three apples wasn't a bad thing, was it?

"She... probably a bit more than Neptune, that one."