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astrocat · 08-02-2025, 07:41 PM

SPOILER!!: Nyle

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Nyle’s fingers curled gently into the grass beside him, grounding himself there while Phoebe looked skyward and said quiet words of affirmation: Don’t let the world change you too much. They landed soft and heavy all at once, like cherry blossom petals in spring but also like pebbles flung into the lake. He didn’t answer right away, but something in him folded the phrase up and tucked it into a safe pocket of memory where he could unfolded it and recall it time and time again.

"I—yeah—I won’t," he said finally, his voice more a breath than sound. "Or I’ll try not to, at least. Sometimes change is inevitable and not changing actually a bad thing. A seed that just remains a seed forever never gets the chance to live."

He didn’t press when she insisted she was fine... her words weren’t quite convincing. Nyle knew the signs of someone who wasn’t ready—he had a parents embodied them. The third year was that someone. So he offered her what he always hoped someone would give him: a way forward that didn’t require unraveling. "I think… that’s one of the best things about kalanchoe," he said, gently picking the thread of conversation back up. "They don’t mind if you forget to water them for a few days, or if the sun’s a little off. They still give you these bright blooms like nothing happened. It’s kind of like...they believe you’ll get it right next time."

He smiled, a real one, when she described Smudge’s coloring. "That’s perfect. He sounds like he was sketched with the side of a pencil and enchanted into existence! And I love that you made him a forcefield. Not just a charm, but like… a protective dome of affec—" Nyle froze, his mouth still slightly open around a half-formed word as he felt the unmistakable tickle of tiny legs scaling the side of his calf. His eyes darted downward and suuuuuuure enough...there it was: a tiny glossy and bulbous creature with eight legs and four spots on its back and absolutely not where Nyle ever wanted it to be. He knew they were important but there were too many legs that were too fast and too many surprise facefuls of webs and there had been on instant where contact had resulted in the worst sort of disorienting and sharp-edged visceral experience that had left him with nightmares for weeks. Not THIS kind of eight legged, er, acquaintance, but it was hard not to lump them all together — totally unfair of him, he knew this. His breath hitched, spine rigid with alarm, but he didn’t swat or twitch or scream. Instead, he sat there, statue-still, hands hovering awkwardly in his lap as if he could will his body to become less leg until it passed. "—tion,” he finally finished, not moving a single muscle except his lips. "E-e-enchantments are pretty, uh, well, um, they are pretty cool like that."

"You're right," Phoebe admitted, watching a shapeless cloud drift across the sky. "Change doesn't have to be a bad thing... as long as you grow into something that you love." Or, at the very least, something that he could like- that was what Phoebe was aiming for. A peaceful, okay life spent with her plants and her cat sounded pretty nice, even if it wasn't anything extraordinary.

She breathed an audible sigh of relief as the subject of family was dropped. She was glad for him, really, but she wasn't ready to unpack that stuff- her family resided in a very small box in her heart and mind, and it was safest if the box could stay closed. "You know, I think I would be happy if it were just me, Smudge, and my plants forever. In a nice little flat with sunlight." She smiled warmly, thinking of her most faithful companion and all the living things that relied on her. "He really is like if a pencil and an eraser teamed up to make a cat. I got him right before my first year of Hogwarts... I saw him in the store, but when I came back the next day I couldn't find him anymore. It was like my heart had broken! Luckily, he was just at the vet that day. He's been by my side ever since, and I can't imagine life without him." When she realized that her plants might be bad for Smudge, she'd gone to great lengths to protect him because she would NEVER forgive herself if he got hurt.

Phoebe watched with concern as her friend froze up- how odd. He had seemed fine a moment ago. "Everything okay, Nyle?" It was then that she saw the little spider crawling up to his knee. Unsure whether that was or wasn't related to his obvious discomfort, but nonetheless thinking that a frozen Nyle wouldn't be able to shoo away the little creature, Phoebe picked up a napkin and gently scooped her spider friend back into the grass. "Best of luck with your future, little guy."

08-02-2025, 07:41 PM	#15 (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 fingers curled gently into the grass beside him, grounding himself there while Phoebe looked skyward and said quiet words of affirmation: Don’t let the world change you too much. They landed soft and heavy all at once, like cherry blossom petals in spring but also like pebbles flung into the lake. He didn’t answer right away, but something in him folded the phrase up and tucked it into a safe pocket of memory where he could unfolded it and recall it time and time again. "I—yeah—I won’t," he said finally, his voice more a breath than sound. "Or I’ll try not to, at least. Sometimes change is inevitable and not changing actually a bad thing. A seed that just remains a seed forever never gets the chance to live." He didn’t press when she insisted she was fine... her words weren’t quite convincing. Nyle knew the signs of someone who wasn’t ready—he had a parents embodied them. The third year was that someone. So he offered her what he always hoped someone would give him: a way forward that didn’t require unraveling. "I think… that’s one of the best things about kalanchoe," he said, gently picking the thread of conversation back up. "They don’t mind if you forget to water them for a few days, or if the sun’s a little off. They still give you these bright blooms like nothing happened. It’s kind of like...they believe you’ll get it right next time." He smiled, a real one, when she described Smudge’s coloring. "That’s perfect. He sounds like he was sketched with the side of a pencil and enchanted into existence! And I love that you made him a forcefield. Not just a charm, but like… a protective dome of affec—" Nyle froze, his mouth still slightly open around a half-formed word as he felt the unmistakable tickle of tiny legs scaling the side of his calf. His eyes darted downward and suuuuuuure enough...there it was: a tiny glossy and bulbous creature with eight legs and four spots on its back and absolutely not where Nyle ever wanted it to be. He knew they were important but there were too many legs that were too fast and too many surprise facefuls of webs and there had been on instant where contact had resulted in the worst sort of disorienting and sharp-edged visceral experience that had left him with nightmares for weeks. Not THIS kind of eight legged, er, acquaintance, but it was hard not to lump them all together — totally unfair of him, he knew this. His breath hitched, spine rigid with alarm, but he didn’t swat or twitch or scream. Instead, he sat there, statue-still, hands hovering awkwardly in his lap as if he could will his body to become less leg until it passed. "—tion,” he finally finished, not moving a single muscle except his lips. "E-e-enchantments are pretty, uh, well, um, they are pretty cool like that." "You're right," Phoebe admitted, watching a shapeless cloud drift across the sky. "Change doesn't have to be a bad thing... as long as you grow into something that you love." Or, at the very least, something that he could like- that was what Phoebe was aiming for. A peaceful, okay life spent with her plants and her cat sounded pretty nice, even if it wasn't anything extraordinary. She breathed an audible sigh of relief as the subject of family was dropped. She was glad for him, really, but she wasn't ready to unpack that stuff- her family resided in a very small box in her heart and mind, and it was safest if the box could stay closed. "You know, I think I would be happy if it were just me, Smudge, and my plants forever. In a nice little flat with sunlight." She smiled warmly, thinking of her most faithful companion and all the living things that relied on her. "He really is like if a pencil and an eraser teamed up to make a cat. I got him right before my first year of Hogwarts... I saw him in the store, but when I came back the next day I couldn't find him anymore. It was like my heart had broken! Luckily, he was just at the vet that day. He's been by my side ever since, and I can't imagine life without him." When she realized that her plants might be bad for Smudge, she'd gone to great lengths to protect him because she would NEVER forgive herself if he got hurt. Phoebe watched with concern as her friend froze up- how odd. He had seemed fine a moment ago. "Everything okay, Nyle?" It was then that she saw the little spider crawling up to his knee. Unsure whether that was or wasn't related to his obvious discomfort, but nonetheless thinking that a frozen Nyle wouldn't be able to shoo away the little creature, Phoebe picked up a napkin and gently scooped her spider friend back into the grass. "Best of luck with your future, little guy."