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astrocat · 06-06-2025, 03:43 AM

SPOILER!!: Nyle

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Nyle’s lips curved at her encouragement, a quiet sort of smile that reached his eyes easily. He looked down at his knees for a moment, then back up at her with an expression alight with quiet gratitude. "Thanks," he murmured. "I... don’t really know how NOT to ramble when it’s something I care about...or really not ramble in general...and I get told that I ramble too much and admittedly do see the way that people's eyes can glaze over as disinterest sets in and their ears get all numb. Suppose that's partly why I think plants just… make sense in a way that people don’t always."

Hi eyes flicked to Phoebe as she curled in on herself ever so slightly, like a fern at dusk or one severely lacking water. It was subtle, but noticeable if you were used to watching ~~plants~~ people closely. The way her voice faltered. The shift of her body, the way her words tiptoed rather than danced.

"Um," he murmured, soft with realization. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to…" He let the sentence trail off, the end unspoken but understood. He hadn’t meant to make anything heavy and he most certainly hadn’t meant to make her retreat. Iris was right: he did talk too much. He looked down at his hands, thumbs rubbing at a faint spot of dirt beneath one fingernail, then tried to smile again without overdoing it. Just enough to say: it’s okay. You don’t have to explain.

There were parts to his own family he hadn't quite figured out how to talk about yet too. And he dared not utter the words curse or exorcism or Dark magic around anyone that wasn't immediate family - or his potted friends who were always remarkable listeners.

Then, gently, at first at least, he latched onto her shift in subject like a sprout following sunlight. "Kalanchoe!" he echoed, perking up and shedding the rest of his attempt to be gentle in transition from one topic to another. "That’s a lovely choice! Some varieties bloom in the winter, which I always thought was kind of rebellious of them and fantastic since people associate blossoming with spring. Like they’re saying ‘I’m not waiting for spring, thanks.’ They from the same Crassulaceae family as jade plants too! The flowers can last aaaaaaaaaaaaaages if you deadhead them properly. Which I always feel bad doing, honestly, because they try so hard, but it does help them keep blooming…" He smiled properly now, eyes crinkling. "They're really pretty too, the blossoms, and easy to care for comparatively. Mum often recommends them to friends who are not exactly on possession of a green thumb but want to add some greenery to their homes. Improve indoor air quality too, but you really need LOADS of plants to make a significant difference. Just too bad they are toxic and pets and familiar will chew on them because they don't know any better. Jade plants are really special and used in Feng Shui because is considered a symbol of wealth and prosperity. My therapist has several in their office." Guess who hadn't noticed they were rambling? "So it really is a stroke of genuis to put them in a pet-repelling pot. What is that like... the Animalis Not-Fidelis Charm?" he added, nodding seriously. "Suppose it would have Latin something in it and not a 'not'.... but Smudge is a cute name. Is Smudge all white but with like...a dramatic swoosh of black across their fur that looks like an ink stain, the ones that you do accidentally because you were writing too fast across your parchment?"

Phoebe set her juice down, leaning back on her hands and looking up at the sky. "Don't stop rambling. Or liking things," she muttered. "Don't let the world change you too much." It was much better to live your life not caring about what everyone else thought- or at least Phoebe believed that. She cared so much about how she was perceived. Maybe she was even a little obsessive... she didn't wish that sort of thinking on anyone. Do as Phoebe said, not as Phoebe did, Nyle!

As the younger boy started to apologize, Phoebe recoiled further. Not at the apology, exactly, but at the idea that she needed to be apologized to- admitting that his words upset her would mean admitting to being upset, and she wasn't ready to explain or share. "I am fine," she insisted, even though that wasn't something she typically said when she was actually fine. "Nothing is wrong." Or... she didn't want there to be anything wrong, okay? Not with her life, not with her feelings, and definitely not with her. She felt relieved when Nyle let her change the subject without pressing her with questions. It was easy to stay quiet, to let him go off on his tangent while she collected her heart a little.

"I appreciate how forgiving they are," Phoebe commented. "Both of their growing environment and of me." Because Phoebe was something of an expert gardener, but even expert gardeners could have bad days. "I wanted to add a little more color to my life, but I didn't feel prepared for additional intensive work on top of caring for the plants I already had." She cracked a smile when Nyle mentioned Smudge- she couldn't help it. While the little cat was small and somewhat sickly, he was Phoebe's hero, snuggling up to her whenever he sensed that she was upset. "You're pretty close. He's grey and white, like you got several bits of graphite on him and erased it poorly. That's how you know my animal-repelling charm is strong- Smudge is my best friend, so I take every care to keep him safe. I guess you could think of my charm as an animalis not-fidelis force field? Or kind of like a mini version of the spell that hides Hogwarts from nonmagical people?" It was hard to tell the actual mechanism, though, because Phoebe was not a cat.

06-06-2025, 03:43 AM	#12 (permalink)
astrocat Puffskein Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: New York City Posts: 2,177 Hogwarts RPG Name: Cameron Rhodes Ravenclaw Fourth Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Phoebe Calypso [s]Dupont[/s] Slytherin Seventh Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Charlie Fox-Matthews Hufflepuff Second Year	Which came first, the phoenix or the flame? SPOILER!!: Nyle Quote: Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie Nyle’s lips curved at her encouragement, a quiet sort of smile that reached his eyes easily. He looked down at his knees for a moment, then back up at her with an expression alight with quiet gratitude. "Thanks," he murmured. "I... don’t really know how NOT to ramble when it’s something I care about...or really not ramble in general...and I get told that I ramble too much and admittedly do see the way that people's eyes can glaze over as disinterest sets in and their ears get all numb. Suppose that's partly why I think plants just… make sense in a way that people don’t always." Hi eyes flicked to Phoebe as she curled in on herself ever so slightly, like a fern at dusk or one severely lacking water. It was subtle, but noticeable if you were used to watching ~~plants~~ people closely. The way her voice faltered. The shift of her body, the way her words tiptoed rather than danced. "Um," he murmured, soft with realization. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to…" He let the sentence trail off, the end unspoken but understood. He hadn’t meant to make anything heavy and he most certainly hadn’t meant to make her retreat. Iris was right: he did talk too much. He looked down at his hands, thumbs rubbing at a faint spot of dirt beneath one fingernail, then tried to smile again without overdoing it. Just enough to say: it’s okay. You don’t have to explain. There were parts to his own family he hadn't quite figured out how to talk about yet too. And he dared not utter the words curse or exorcism or Dark magic around anyone that wasn't immediate family - or his potted friends who were always remarkable listeners. Then, gently, at first at least, he latched onto her shift in subject like a sprout following sunlight. "Kalanchoe!" he echoed, perking up and shedding the rest of his attempt to be gentle in transition from one topic to another. "That’s a lovely choice! Some varieties bloom in the winter, which I always thought was kind of rebellious of them and fantastic since people associate blossoming with spring. Like they’re saying ‘I’m not waiting for spring, thanks.’ They from the same Crassulaceae family as jade plants too! The flowers can last aaaaaaaaaaaaaages if you deadhead them properly. Which I always feel bad doing, honestly, because they try so hard, but it does help them keep blooming…" He smiled properly now, eyes crinkling. "They're really pretty too, the blossoms, and easy to care for comparatively. Mum often recommends them to friends who are not exactly on possession of a green thumb but want to add some greenery to their homes. Improve indoor air quality too, but you really need LOADS of plants to make a significant difference. Just too bad they are toxic and pets and familiar will chew on them because they don't know any better. Jade plants are really special and used in Feng Shui because is considered a symbol of wealth and prosperity. My therapist has several in their office." Guess who hadn't noticed they were rambling? "So it really is a stroke of genuis to put them in a pet-repelling pot. What is that like... the Animalis Not-Fidelis Charm?" he added, nodding seriously. "Suppose it would have Latin something in it and not a 'not'.... but Smudge is a cute name. Is Smudge all white but with like...a dramatic swoosh of black across their fur that looks like an ink stain, the ones that you do accidentally because you were writing too fast across your parchment?" Phoebe set her juice down, leaning back on her hands and looking up at the sky. "Don't stop rambling. Or liking things," she muttered. "Don't let the world change you too much." It was much better to live your life not caring about what everyone else thought- or at least Phoebe believed that. She cared so much about how she was perceived. Maybe she was even a little obsessive... she didn't wish that sort of thinking on anyone. Do as Phoebe said, not as Phoebe did, Nyle! As the younger boy started to apologize, Phoebe recoiled further. Not at the apology, exactly, but at the idea that she needed to be apologized to- admitting that his words upset her would mean admitting to being upset, and she wasn't ready to explain or share. "I am fine," she insisted, even though that wasn't something she typically said when she was actually fine. "Nothing is wrong." Or... she didn't want there to be anything wrong, okay? Not with her life, not with her feelings, and definitely not with her. She felt relieved when Nyle let her change the subject without pressing her with questions. It was easy to stay quiet, to let him go off on his tangent while she collected her heart a little. "I appreciate how forgiving they are," Phoebe commented. "Both of their growing environment and of me." Because Phoebe was something of an expert gardener, but even expert gardeners could have bad days. "I wanted to add a little more color to my life, but I didn't feel prepared for additional intensive work on top of caring for the plants I already had." She cracked a smile when Nyle mentioned Smudge- she couldn't help it. While the little cat was small and somewhat sickly, he was Phoebe's hero, snuggling up to her whenever he sensed that she was upset. "You're pretty close. He's grey and white, like you got several bits of graphite on him and erased it poorly. That's how you know my animal-repelling charm is strong- Smudge is my best friend, so I take every care to keep him safe. I guess you could think of my charm as an animalis not-fidelis force field? Or kind of like a mini version of the spell that hides Hogwarts from nonmagical people?" It was hard to tell the actual mechanism, though, because Phoebe was not a cat.