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sweetpinkpixie · 06-14-2026, 07:25 AM

Nyle's ears immediately began turning pink as he stared at her, unable to tear his forget-me-not blue gaze away.

The reaction felt disproportionately strong for what had, objectively, been a fairly harmless observation. Yet something about hearing someone acknowledge something he could do well slipped past defenses he'd otherwise kept firmly in place.

"Oh."

Yes. An exceptionally eloquent response.

"Well... not everyone learns particularly well from reading something and immediately being expected to retain it. You might simply be more of an auditory learner. Or someone who benefits from seeing a practical example first."

Much better. More words, less single sounds.

His grip shifted slightly on the tray of seedlings balanced in his arms, fingers tightening fractionally around the edge for something to do with his hands. A familiar urge surfaced immediately: explain why she was overestimating him. Clarify that he wasn't actually that knowledgeable. Point out the dozen mistakes he still made regularly. Draw attention to the fact that he was that Hufflepuff who had nearly destroyed the common room with plants.

The corner of his mouth twitched faintly as he glanced toward the Venomous Tentacula, now occupying itself with wrapping lazily around its support instead of plotting textbook theft.

The strange thing was that the conversation had already done something to the knot of uncertainty that hung over him like a heavy black dog these days. For a few minutes he hadn't been worrying about getting something wrong. He had simply been explaining a plant to someone who wanted to understand it.

Useful.

The feeling was small and fragile, like the first green shoot pushing through soil after a long winter. And, much like those shoots, he immediately felt inclined to protect it ― nurture it.

"I'd be happy to help," he smiled at her, the offer emerging so naturally that he didn't realize until afterward how quickly he'd given it. "Assuming you're asking, that is."

Then, remembering a recent and rather embarrassing incident involving an entire conversation, a music festival, and the discovery that introductions were unsurprisingly useful things to exchange, he straightened slightly and adjusted the tray more securely against his hip. A loose strand of blond hair had escaped his increasingly doomed ponytail sometime during the conversation. He pushed it back absently, only for it to immediately begin falling forward again in open defiance of his efforts.

"I'm Nyle, by the way." He paused and attempted to blow the loose strands of blond hair away from his face. "And a survivor of OWL examinations. I found the anticipatory stress beforehand to be much worse than the exams themselves, for what it's worth."

06-14-2026, 07:25 AM	#7 (permalink)
sweetpinkpixie SSRPG Admin Gladrags Mod Quibbler Mod Minister for Magic Alley Proprietor Sea Serpent Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: The Paths Posts: 41,560 Hogwarts RPG Name: Professor Cox Ravenclaw Graduated Hogwarts RPG Name: CJ Miller Gryffindor Fourth Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Nyle Harden Hufflepuff Seventh Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Iris Harden Ravenclaw Seventh Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Jae-hyuk Anouilh Slytherin Seventh Year Ministry Department Head: Charles Hollingberry Minister's Office Ministry Department Head: Airey Flamsteed Mysteries Diagon Alley Proprietor: Victor García Massey Ollivanders x12 x12	astronomizzle ♧ gryffinDORK \| & the rest is drag ♣ #badluckDerf Nyle's ears immediately began turning pink as he stared at her, unable to tear his forget-me-not blue gaze away. The reaction felt disproportionately strong for what had, objectively, been a fairly harmless observation. Yet something about hearing someone acknowledge something he could do well slipped past defenses he'd otherwise kept firmly in place. "Oh." Yes. An exceptionally eloquent response. "Well... not everyone learns particularly well from reading something and immediately being expected to retain it. You might simply be more of an auditory learner. Or someone who benefits from seeing a practical example first." Much better. More words, less single sounds. His grip shifted slightly on the tray of seedlings balanced in his arms, fingers tightening fractionally around the edge for something to do with his hands. A familiar urge surfaced immediately: explain why she was overestimating him. Clarify that he wasn't actually that knowledgeable. Point out the dozen mistakes he still made regularly. Draw attention to the fact that he was that Hufflepuff who had nearly destroyed the common room with plants. The corner of his mouth twitched faintly as he glanced toward the Venomous Tentacula, now occupying itself with wrapping lazily around its support instead of plotting textbook theft. The strange thing was that the conversation had already done something to the knot of uncertainty that hung over him like a heavy black dog these days. For a few minutes he hadn't been worrying about getting something wrong. He had simply been explaining a plant to someone who wanted to understand it. Useful. The feeling was small and fragile, like the first green shoot pushing through soil after a long winter. And, much like those shoots, he immediately felt inclined to protect it ― nurture it. "I'd be happy to help," he smiled at her, the offer emerging so naturally that he didn't realize until afterward how quickly he'd given it. "Assuming you're asking, that is." Then, remembering a recent and rather embarrassing incident involving an entire conversation, a music festival, and the discovery that introductions were unsurprisingly useful things to exchange, he straightened slightly and adjusted the tray more securely against his hip. A loose strand of blond hair had escaped his increasingly doomed ponytail sometime during the conversation. He pushed it back absently, only for it to immediately begin falling forward again in open defiance of his efforts. "I'm Nyle, by the way." He paused and attempted to blow the loose strands of blond hair away from his face. "And a survivor of OWL examinations. I found the anticipatory stress beforehand to be much worse than the exams themselves, for what it's worth." __________________ We broke into a million pieces, and we can't go back......................................... But now we're seeing all the beauty in the broken glass..................................... The scars are part of me, darkness and harmony My voice without the lies, this is what it sounds like