Kurumi fumbled with the hem of her grey skirt after she had admitted, to almost a complete stranger, what she had done. She half expected João to give her a look of complete and utter shock or to at least be judging her in same way. So, when she peeked up and saw that his face was reddening she immediately regretted saying anything. Or, well, sort of. She thought that she was about to get another scolding like she thought she still deserved for betraying someone she had told she loved's trust.

Only her jaw dropped in surprise when he spoke.

"Y-You dated Louisa?" she stammered, asking what was probably a rather sensitive question - one that he really didn't need to answer. The pieces were slowly falling into place, a little slower than usual since she was trying to get over the initial shock of him not being upset at what she had done. She did notice the tremor in his voice and her instincts kicked in and she reached for his hand to give it a comforting squeeze. Probably a bit much considering they didn't know each other well, but it just seemed like the right thing to do. "I'm...I'm sorry..."

She chewed on her lip, not sure what else to say at the moment. Going into details about the hurtful things Louisa had said sounded like a bad choice as did her telling him that he was wrong in saying she did nothing wrong. So she just stood there giving his hand another friendly squeeze.

Unbelieveable, right, for someone who apparently defended Jonathan so hotly? João nodded, trying to be casual. "Yes, for... a year." Approximately. Until she preferred Adam over his near perfection. With all these combined with Aspen disaster--he felt like a failure, even though he tried to act casually. Apparently, he failed in that too because the next moment Kurumi was giving him support. When she said 'I'm sorry' like that... his eyes were ALMOST watered with everything thrown deep down surfacing. Almost. He quickly looked away to collect himself, and he was already smiling, although it was fake. Because a Neves male never cried, let alone in front of a stranger.

He needed a long, nice holiday. In somewhere way warmer than here.

"Can I ask a favour?" he said suddenly in a different voice. Aspen, as she always had been recently, was on his mind again and he had to start somewhere.

Kurumi bit her lip a little more firmly this time. He hadn't really needed to answer that one seeing as he had sort of already answered that one when he had explained things a little. She wasn't really effected by the negative way he tried to perceive Louisa, desensitizing herself from such notions for the time being, but it was the fact that Louisa had been in contact with the Slytherin in front of her. That she had been told he was leaving and had been given the tools that Kurumi hadn't in her situation...that made something boil up inside her. A feeling that she really didn't like. A feeling that told her Louisa had even less of a right to say at least half the things she had to her.

Kurumi definitely noticed the way he turned away. Was this a Slytherin boy thing? Not wanting to show true emotions to people? Not that she could blame him, they barely knew each other and she wasn't allowing herself to go there either.

"I...I can try..." she nodded. She wasn't promising anything, but she certainly would listen to his request.

João liked it how Kurumi kept silent and didn't try to console him any further by meaningless words. Physical interaction always worked the best--and he was grateful for that.

She could try. That made him smile how she was so political. "Do you know Aspen Odessa from Ravenclaw?" Frankly, who didn't know her?

Kurumi still felt like she ought to say something, but what was there to say to someone that you hardly knew who was in this sort of situation? She wouldn't have wanted any unsolicited advice from someone on her situation.

So she was grateful when he seemed to move the conversation to... "Aspen Odessa?" Kurumi asked, tilting her head to the side. "Oh, I don't know her...but I know her little brother." The one who had decided that her name was too long for him. "Why?"

And just what was her connection to what they were talking about?

She didn't know her? But... right. They weren't even the same grade. João sighed. That little brother. He certainly didn't want to know him any further.

Should he tell her? He sized her up for a moment. But that was probably enough information for today. She wouldn't understand if she didn't know her. "Never mind, then. It wasn't anything important." Yeah... WHO knew her, though?

"Well, then... nice to meet you." He smiled as he bent down to pick up his heavy books. "And... see you around." He would have waved, but he could carry the books only with two hands. So he nodded once and headed for the stairs, thinking of another possible person to talk about Aspen.

Edric didn't often look in the mirror. The only time of the day when he looked, was as he brushed his teeth in the morning. And even then he wasn't paying much attention because he was too drowsy and focused on his teeth to notice the way his hair stuck out in all ends and the fold creases from the pillow left marks on his face.

Why was there a mirror randomly in the middle of a corridor at Hogwarts?! This was completely unnecessary, and now thanks to it, Edric was all too aware of the scruff growing on his face and his hair getting a little bit longer than he'd like it to be.

Thanks a lot, random unnecessary mirror hanging out in the middle of the corridor. u__u

Evelyn strolled down the corridor, feeling rather nervous.. although, she knew there was nothing to be nervous about. She was going to see her friend, that's all. Whatever happened between them.. just happened and she should just forget about it.

She came to a sudden stop when she noticed him standing in front of the mirror. Riight. They'd already discussed that things didn't have to be weird between them. So. Stop worrying, Eve.

She took a few more steps before she stood next to him and stared at herself in the mirror. Hm. She actually looked good. Her gaze finally shifted towards Eddy in the mirror and she smiled. "Hey."

Edric was trying to flatten an unruly curl that seemed determined to stick out from the boy's left side of his head, making it look like he had one horn growing to represent his evil ways; when, suddenly, Evelyn arrived. At her sudden appearance in the mirror, the Gryffindor turned around sharply, startled. Sneaky Evs.

"Hey." What was Evs doing all dressed up like a normal person and not a scary, powerful prefect? It wasn't until a moment later that he realized - oh, right. It was the weekend. And… he was in his uniform. Because Edric didn't keep up with days anymore, it seemed. The boy looked a little untaken care of, honestly.

"You look good today, Casper," the boy approved with a nod, trying to be nice because… well, Evs seemed to live in an eternal hatred for him, so he felt the need to make an effort. Little did he know he'd just dug his grave deeper.

Aw. Evelyn grinned when she noticed how startled he looked. She'd scared him.. heh. Although, her grin faded slowly when she saw that he was in his uniform when it was the weekend. Did he actually like wearing his uniforms all the time? Maybe. She wasn't going to ask him about that though.. he'd just have a ridiculous explanation for it and they'd just end up arguing. So.

HUH!? Seriously? Evelyn had to bite her lip from blurting out something that she would definitely going to regret later. She looked good? Yeah, knew that but why did he have to say it!? She flushed a little, not sure what to say. UGHH. This boy was SO annoying.

"Thanks." Evelyn muttered, before she continued, "You look nice too." He did. He was a good looking boy.. not that she'd ever admit that to anyone.

Edric watched as Evelyn's expression morphed from one of slight nervous peacefulness, to one of pure annoyance and hatred. Without even realizing he was doing so, the boy took a step back in instinct, ready for the screamfest that was about to come his way, when Evs suddenly spoke, surprisingly calm - 'thanks'.

Edric sighed in relief.
WHEW.
He survived.
And she wasn't even done! Apparently he looked nice too!

Edric snorted. "Oh yeah, I'm a real charmer," said the boy sarcastically, perfectly aware of the fact that he looked like a zombie fresh out of its grave. Anyway. "I heard something happened today…" started Edric mysteriously.

Evelyn watched as he took a step away from her.. seriously? Did he actually think she was going to end up hexing him or something? She just rolled her eyes and remained quiet.

She raised her eyebrows. "Hey, I do think that---" Evelyn stopped talking abruptly, not sure if it was wise to finish that sentence. She was going to say that he really did look good.. but she didn't want him to think.. UGHH. The poor girl was so confused. She turned toward the mirror again.. and, yeah. She looked really confused and frustrated. And, it was his fault.. somewhat.

"You do?" Evelyn asked, finally looking back up at him. "Like, what?"

"There was something going around about one of the House ghosts having a birthday today," said Edric casually.

OK he KNEW.
Edric knew he was going to get punched in the face for that, but he couldn't help himself! It was just-- it was so great! He couldn't stand Alice, but he had to admit that calling Evs a ghost was probably the greatest thing the annoying little demon could have ever done. It gave him so much mocking material! And though Eddy did love to troll his poor Hufflepuff friend, he meant it all in good nature.

Evs would never see that, though.

Evelyn could feel her eyes widen in surprise. WTH!? That was just rude.. and horrible.. and it hurt her so much that he would say something like that. He was honestly the biggest jerk on the planet. UGHHH. He knew that she HATED being called Casper and now.. he was just crossing the limit. She tucked her hands in the pockets of her shorts to avoid slapping him across the face.

"You can go wish that house ghost because I'm leaving." And.. she just turned around and started to make her way back to the common room. Why was he behaving like such an idiot? Because he was one. And, no. She wasn't going to cry. Way to spoil her birthday, Edric.

Edric's jaw dropped to the floor as Evelyn, instead of attacking him as he'd expected, turned around and stormed off.

… Whaaaaaaaaat?!
But-- but it was a joke! Didn't Evs know anything about humour?! Well, maybe he wasn't exactly the world's best comedian either, but. C'mon.

The boy just could never get it right when it came to Evs.

"Evs! Wait!" The Gryffindor boy chased after her, realizing as he did that he might've really screwed up this time. Way worse than he ever thought imaginable. As he caught up with the Hufflepuff girl, Edric extended his arm with the intention of taking the girl and holding her back, but then he thought better of it. She might just turn and chop his arm off with a quick spell or something.

Honestly, Evelyn made the mean little boy a little insecure. He never knew what to do with her; what was wrong, what was right, what would make her happy, what would make her mad. He just never knew. He always screwed up, he wasn't sure why he even continued to bother.

"I was-- I'm sorry, okay?" said Edric, hoping Evelyn would at least give him the chance to explain. If she still chose to avoid him, he'd have to let her be. Maybe she'd cool off with time and they could talk then? But he didn't want Evs to leave their friendship forever thinking that he was just a huge jerk who didn't care if he hurt her feelings. "I'm sorry," he repeated, "It was supposed to be a joke, but… Yeah, it wasn't funny. I thought it-- perhaps-- I just don't want to ruin your birthday, Evs. I'm stupid and a jerk, I know, but I'd never do anything to hurt you on purpose."

C'mon, he was mean but he wasn't THAT mean.

Evelyn was starting to feel like she was overreacting.. yeah, it was a joke but she didn't understand WHY he kept going on and on with these stupid ghost jokes, when he knew that it just made her mad. Honestly, she was excited.. a little nervous as well but most excited to spend the day with him and he just had to ruin everything because he was Edric Barlow.

She stopped walking and turned around to face him, when he started to apologize. Oh gosh. He really did feel bad! The Prefect stared at him, when he apologized again. Oh, gosh. Now, she started to feel bad for making him feel bad.. UGH.

"It's.. okay." Evelyn muttered, her face starting to flush with embarrassment. She was still pretty annoyed with that stupid joke but he apologized.. so that made her feel a little better.

"I guess I overreacted a little.. so I guess I'm sorry as well BUT you really need to stop with these silly jokes." Especially ones that involved ghosts. Heh.

Edric's eyebrows raised in surprise when Evelyn both forgave him and began to blush. Oh wow. Really? He was forgiven? Somehow he'd expected it to be a little more work, but he was glad she forgave him right away. 'Cause… Edric didn't beg. He wasn't used to it and he was too proud for it, but he made an exception for Evs here.

With a faint smile, Edric sighed and gave in.

"Fine. No more Casper jokes," he promised, pausing for a moment before adding, "On your birthday." Aw c'mon, you weren't seriously expecting him to stop FOREVER? Though the boy did make a mental note not to bother Evs with the nickname too much. Maybe once every blue moon or something.

"Seriously, though. Happy birthday." The Gryffindor smiled more honestly at his Hufflepuff friend, hoping he hadn't totally made owl dung out of her birthday.

No more Casper jokes!? Evelyn frowned. He just gave in too easily.. OH. There was the catch. No more Casper jokes on her birthday. The Hufflepuff sighed and just shook her head. At least, that was a start.

Evelyn smiled widely when he wished her. "Thanks, Eddy." And, the girl proceeded to give the boy a huge hug and kiss on the cheek. Yeah, he was total jerk but he was her friend at the end of the day.

She pulled away and raised her eyebrows at him. "I hope you have a present for me." Although, she wouldn't mind if he didn't get her a present. He'd wished her and that was more than enough for her. Besides, she wasn't big on gifts. So.

Edric's smile widened slightly when Evelyn showed him one of her own. But what followed totally threw him off - next thing the boy knew, he was being hugged and kissed (on the cheek). GAH! What was this!? Why was Evs trying to kill him?!

Of course, Evelyn had no idea of Eddy's "allergy" to hugs. Hadn't Ella told her?
Well, basically. Eddy didn't know how to… give or receive hugs. It was a foreign concept to him. In case it wasn't obvious already, the Gryffindor wasn't much into physical contact - though we'll make an exception for that one brief kiss he'd shared with Evs a few nights ago.

As Evelyn hugged her ogre of a friend, Edric's arms kind of waved around in the air for a moment, not sure where to go. Was it even okay to touch her back!? She'd probably bite his face off! So as Evelyn pulled away from the hug, Edric just kind of… petted the top of her head. Er. Yeah. You're welcome, Evs.

Feeling completely awkward, Edric pulled back his arm and ran a hand through his messy hair, then over the back of his neck a little uneasily. Well, he hadn't expected Evs to be so grateful from just a mere birthday wish; and he hadn't been expecting to be attacked with what people referred to as 'hugs'. How was he not wheezing and flopping around on the floor like a fish without water?

Anyway.
Evs was now demanding a present.
Oh! Right!

"I might have something for you," said Edric casually with a shrug, then raising his eyebrows he added, "That depends on how hungry you are, though."

Evelyn had to bite her lip from laughing at Eddy's face. C'mon. She'd just hugged him and he was making it look like she was trying to kill him or something.. Weirdo.

Huh, okay. When he ended up petting her head.. seriously, that was just terrible!.. she just rolled her eyes and stared up at him, an evil glint in her eyes. Heh. She could totally just annoy the heck out of him. "Eddy, I'd like you to give me a proper hug." No flailing his arms in the air or petting her head.. Jeez. How was he ever going to get a girlfriend if he was scared of hugs!?

So.. he actually had a present for her? That's great. Although, the smile on her face slowly faded. Hungry!? Evelyn wasn't that hungry since she'd just had breakfast but.. alright. "Not very hungry.. but I'm sure I can eat." Especially, if he got her a cake. The girl simply LOVED cakes. Heh.

Edric looked a little terrified as Evelyn demanded to receive a proper hug. Oh God, whyyy? Couldn't Evs ask him to walk on his hands or something? Honestly, that would've been easier. And less terrifying.

"I…" How was he supposed to explain that he just didn't know how to give hugs without being a totally awkward robot? Evs already thought he was weird and unpleasant and awful, this would only make it worse. "Can it be later?" asked the boy hopefully. C'mon. She didn't even want him close and they both knew it, so let's forget formalities and hugs, shall we?

As Evelyn told the boy that she could eat, Edric smiled brightly, something that was a little unusual of him. He was excited, though; he'd never done this before, not for himself or anyone else. "Great!" The Gryffindor rubbed his hands together for a brief second before gesturing down the corridor. "Follow me, then."

He just hoped he wouldn't end up accidentally killing Evs on her birthday or something. The girl hated him enough alive, imagine how much she'd hate him if he really turned her into a ghost?

Evelyn smirked just a little when she noticed how scared he looked. Heh. Although, it still surprised her that someone could actually be scared of hugs.. C'mon. What was scary about that? She wanted to ask him but thought the better of it.

Hm? Could it be later? The smirk on her face stayed as Evelyn raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "No. I'd like you to give me a hug.. that's what friends do, Eddy. You don't have to kiss me on the cheek though.." She didn't want to go overboard with the teasing.. Ahem.

When she noticed the smile on his face, Evelyn couldn't help but grin. The boy actually looked excited. Heh. That was a first. She'd never known him to smile like that. "Lead the way." Evelyn said, looking quite excited. She was still kind of hoping that the surprise was a chocolate flavored cake though..

The excitement on Edric's features disappeared slowly as Evelyn insisted on the boy giving her a hug. Because that's what friends did, apparently. What? Nobody told him about that. And he doubted it was true. But he'd never really had close friends, so there was no way he could be totally sure.

Based on Evelyn's expression, though, the Gryffindor could tell that Evs didn't so much want a hug, she just wanted to tease him. Like before. And Eddy was NOT having that story repeat itself. "Is this really something you want," began the boy warily, "Or are you just… testing me again?" And, like last time, was she going to freak out on him and demand to know what the hug meant? 'Cause it honestly just meant Happy Birthday.

The trip to the kitchens would have to wait 'til they cleared this up.

Evelyn burst out laughing. Yeah, she suppose he knew that she was just pulling his leg.. BUT she did want him to hug her as a friend. Yes. Just as a friend.

"Okay, look. You don't have to freak out, okay? I'd like a hug, sure.. but this is not like the last time." She was NEVER going to repeat that mistake. And, the smirk was back on her face before she continued, "Do you want me to teach you to hug?"

Seriously, she just couldn't keep the smirk off her face. The boy could kiss.. but he couldn't hug. The boy was such a weirdo. Jeez.

Edric's eyebrow raised as Evelyn suddenly burst out laughing at him. His jaw dropped for a moment before closing right up. Merlin. He didn't think he'd ever made Evs laugh like that before. Who knew it'd be over his lack of hugging skills too?

As the girl assured her Gryffindor friend that the last time wouldn't repeat itself, Edric seemed a little more relaxed. He didn't want Evs freaking out on him like last time again.

And then the girl was suggesting to teach him how to hug.
Eh?!

"That's not necessary," replied a stubborn Edric. He wasn't a child, he didn't need to be taught things! At least that's what he thought.

And so, after hesitating for a moment, our brave but stubborn lion opened his arms. Erm. Now what..? He leaned forward a little and wrapped them around Evs, leaving like a good seven miles between himself and the girl.

Was this it?