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Felixir · 05-26-2021, 11:03 PM

A shrug. That was all Nem allowed him at first. On the surface, it was dismissive disbelief - 'sure, whatever you say' - a great big whatever.

But, just beneath that, confusion reigned. It didn't add up. The chain of events wasn't making sense; they had missed something vital. Nem would have liked to believe Trent was simply trying to deceive them, but they just didn't, and they wouldn't engage in self-deception just because it was easier. There was something there, and they were going to figure it out. Now.

They looked down at their hands, resting in their lap. Nem was very familiar with that little saying, and supposed that that could certainly be said to have happened, or could happen again. But it was always a matter of perspective. As the Headsman went on, Nem idly pinched the tip of each finger, then pressed their fingertips together, pushing their fingers back and touching their thumbs so that their hands made a triangle. By all appearances, they seemed to have stopped listening, like they weren't picking apart each word even as it left the Headsman's mouth, analysing every sentence in the context of everything else that had been said. Refusing to overlook a single syllable, determined not to let anything slip.

"I didn't forget," Nem said at last, tone light. A truth and a lie all at once. Now it was obvious they'd been listening, but somehow Nem thought that the Headsman would have known that anyway. "Suppose I'm just not a typical, average person. Who knew." They pressed their hands flat against each other, then separated them, gripped the arms of their chair instead, and looked at the Headsman. Worth a short, but really, even within those parameters, Nem would have tried to force an end to the lesson anyway. "I'll just find another way." Like in the test. No big deal.

The Headsman's unspoken words hung in the air; Nem heard them loud and clear, ringing obnoxiously in their ears. They'd never felt more off-balance, never more like a confused child, not even during the days when that was exactly what they were, but still now they were the picture of calm. They'd been about to turn down the offer of a drink, true to form, but changed course at the last second. "If you like," they said, quite simply, their tone not quite matching their stare. "I'll let you decide." They didn't look away, not until he mentioned Lucien Rosier.

Unreadable. "Oh." Looking upwards, Nem inspected the portraits on the walls, though they already knew he wasn't there, from the visual pat-down they had given the room upon entering. It was only now, however, this second look, that it suddenly occurred to Nem there might be a snitch amongst the painted subjects. More than likely, that was it. Irritation flared briefly; they'd not once considered the possibility, but this wasn't that bad. Nothing they couldn't salvage. It died away at once.

"Whatever you think you know, it's secondary information at best; not very reliable. You don't know anything." They paused, still looking at the portraits. "Why isn't he up there? Couldn't bear to face him?" Subtle spite, redirect, genuine question, or perhaps all of the above; hard to say for sure.

05-26-2021, 11:03 PM	#16 (permalink)
Felixir Book Club Mod Alley Proprietor MO & DoM Banshee Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Posts: 50,102 Hogwarts RPG Name: Charlie Upstead Gryffindor Third Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Aurelio Kaiser Slytherin First Year Ministry RPG Name: Daxton Prince Mysteries Ministry RPG Name: Nikolai Kaiser Minister's Office Diagon Alley Employee: Ezekiel Ransom-Kruus Ollivanders x12 x12	Lovely™ \| Captain Hurted \| Ariana's Bane \| Resident Antagonist \| Unparalleled Delight A shrug. That was all Nem allowed him at first. On the surface, it was dismissive disbelief - 'sure, whatever you say' - a great big whatever. But, just beneath that, confusion reigned. It didn't add up. The chain of events wasn't making sense; they had missed something vital. Nem would have liked to believe Trent was simply trying to deceive them, but they just didn't, and they wouldn't engage in self-deception just because it was easier. There was something there, and they were going to figure it out. Now. They looked down at their hands, resting in their lap. Nem was very familiar with that little saying, and supposed that that could certainly be said to have happened, or could happen again. But it was always a matter of perspective. As the Headsman went on, Nem idly pinched the tip of each finger, then pressed their fingertips together, pushing their fingers back and touching their thumbs so that their hands made a triangle. By all appearances, they seemed to have stopped listening, like they weren't picking apart each word even as it left the Headsman's mouth, analysing every sentence in the context of everything else that had been said. Refusing to overlook a single syllable, determined not to let anything slip. "I didn't forget," Nem said at last, tone light. A truth and a lie all at once. Now it was obvious they'd been listening, but somehow Nem thought that the Headsman would have known that anyway. "Suppose I'm just not a typical, average person. Who knew." They pressed their hands flat against each other, then separated them, gripped the arms of their chair instead, and looked at the Headsman. Worth a short, but really, even within those parameters, Nem would have tried to force an end to the lesson anyway. "I'll just find another way." Like in the test. No big deal. The Headsman's unspoken words hung in the air; Nem heard them loud and clear, ringing obnoxiously in their ears. They'd never felt more off-balance, never more like a confused child, not even during the days when that was exactly what they were, but still now they were the picture of calm. They'd been about to turn down the offer of a drink, true to form, but changed course at the last second. "If you like," they said, quite simply, their tone not quite matching their stare. "I'll let you decide." They didn't look away, not until he mentioned Lucien Rosier. Unreadable. "Oh." Looking upwards, Nem inspected the portraits on the walls, though they already knew he wasn't there, from the visual pat-down they had given the room upon entering. It was only now, however, this second look, that it suddenly occurred to Nem there might be a snitch amongst the painted subjects. More than likely, that was it. Irritation flared briefly; they'd not once considered the possibility, but this wasn't that bad. Nothing they couldn't salvage. It died away at once. "Whatever you think you know, it's secondary information at best; not very reliable. You don't know anything." They paused, still looking at the portraits. "Why isn't he up there? Couldn't bear to face him?" Subtle spite, redirect, genuine question, or perhaps all of the above; hard to say for sure. __________________ Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Chocolate!