Cela found herself near the mirror for no particular reason on her way down to the library. She figured she might as well stop and take advantage of it right?

Lipgloss.

There was no real reason for him to be up here. Nothing besides the whole... not wanting to be in the common room thing. There were so many new students! He couldn't keep track of who was who... he felt guilty.

So he was wandering. A lot.

And now he'd wandered right into... Cela. Looking into the mirror. Raiden just kinda... stared for a moment, before finally his brain snapped into place.

"Hi Cela." She was... lip stuff? Yes? Heh. "How are you?"

Cela turned and smiled at Raiden. She held out her lipgloss tube almost as if she was offering it.

"There's almost no point, feels like." Cela smiled a bit sadly. "How are you?" She consciously brightened up her smile, after all, she WAS happy to see Raiden.

...did not want. Raiden avoided the tube of lip stuff and instead glanced at the mirror, watching the reflection of the wall for a moment until Cela spoke.

"No point? Doesn't it keep your lips from getting real dried out like mine do?" That was why girls wore... wait, no. They didn't wear the SHINY stuff for that, they wore the shiny stuff to make their mouth look pretty. "'m okay. Bit tired... been walking around the castle all day. How are you?"

"Your lips get dry?!" Celandine immediately reached out and brushed the back of her hand against Raiden's lips. She made a slight face then rummaged in her bag, pulling out, you guessed it, some lip balm.

"This isn't shiny stuff, I promise." She thrust it at him. "What are you walking around for?"

She wasn't... sure she could answer the how are you thing so well right then. It was hard to put on that usual bright-and-sunshiney-everything-is-coming-up-roses-look when she was kind of sure Raiden would see through it anyway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celandine

"Your lips get dry?!" Celandine immediately reached out and brushed the back of her hand against Raiden's lips. She made a slight face then rummaged in her bag, pulling out, you guessed it, some lip balm.

"This isn't shiny stuff, I promise." She thrust it at him. "What are you walking around for?"

She wasn't... sure she could answer the how are you thing so well right then. It was hard to put on that usual bright-and-sunshiney-everything-is-coming-up-roses-look when she was kind of sure Raiden would see through it anyway.

"Ye-"

...hello hand is his face.

Twitch.

She was giving him lip balm stuff? It was hers, whether it was shiny or not. If he used it, she probably wouldn't take it back. Stare.

"I think it's... because I bite them a lot. Are you sure you don't need this or something?" He looked at the little lip balm thing suspiciously.

...heh. He was walking around because he was a bad prefect.

"The common room's full of new students, and I can't keep track of who is who... so I figured I'd walk around and try again later, when there's less of them in there." He looked at the mirror, then at her again. "What are you doing down here? Aren't there mirrors in your common room?"

"I have lots of this sort of stuff." Celandine answered, small sparkle in her eyes. "Scared of my germs, Rai-rai?" She leaned against the mirror and listened as he spoke. There WERE a lot of new students. So far Cela liked them all and she still had a bazillion left to meet.

"I was just going to the library and..." She gestured at the mirror and shoved her shimmery lipgloss back in her bag. Then she shrugged.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celandine

"I have lots of this sort of stuff." Celandine answered, small sparkle in her eyes. "Scared of my germs, Rai-rai?" She leaned against the mirror and listened as he spoke. There WERE a lot of new students. So far Cela liked them all and she still had a bazillion left to meet.

"I was just going to the library and..." She gestured at the mirror and shoved her shimmery lipgloss back in her bag. Then she shrugged.

Stare.

Raiden felt his neck going a bit... red. He was not afraid of germs! He played Quidditch with... germy... people... and stuff. He had grown up in hospitals!! Not afraid of germs! Silly... Cela.

Blush.

"Not at all. I'd have them already anyway, you touched my face." Hesitantly he opened the lip balm thing and... smudged a little bit on his lips.

Awwwwwwwwwwkward.

"And you got distracted by the mirror on the way?" A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Am I keeping you? Did you have important stuff to do there?"

"No. Nothing important. Just studying and maybe write a few letters." Cela shook her head and watched him put the lip balm on. "There. Now you're all kissable and stuff."

"I AM NOT."

...

He really didn't mean to say it as loud as he did. A second after the louder than normal words burst out of his mouth, Raiden's face turned a little bit more than pink, and he bit on his bottom lip automatically, as if that would... recall the words.

His lips tasted funny.

"Er." Twitch. Twitch. He looked at the mirror again for a moment, hoping that his voice was all... down to normal now.

Please be down to normal.

"Letters? I meant to... write Nico... but I forgot, I do need to write him." He paused. "And my dad, him too."

Celandine tipped her head to one side.

"You are so." Cela told him quietly. She turned around and leaned her forehead against the mirror, not really seeing anything much since she was so close to it.

"I have to write to Nico too." She agreed quietly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celandine

Celandine tipped her head to one side.

"You are so." Cela told him quietly. She turned around and leaned her forehead against the mirror, not really seeing anything much since she was so close to it.

"I have to write to Nico too." She agreed quietly.

Ehhhhhh?!

Any protest Raiden would have made the contrary was stalled as she got all quiet and... was she sulking? Raiden chewed on his bottom lip even harder, his hands at his sides doing some weird little shaky thing, their indecision as to what to do overwhelmingly evident.

So he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away from the mirror gently, one arm wrapping around her shoulders to give her a weird, awkward little hug.

"I didn't mean to make you upset. I'm sorry." But... no. Still not kissable. Even if he couldn't say it out loud, he would think it.

"Its not you Raiden I just really... I miss Cope a lot. Thats all." Cela answered, hugging him back. "There's no homework yet."

Which was totally related because homework equaled something to distract herself with.

She relaxed a little and just stood there giving Raiden a little side hug thing. Despite her preoccupation...

"... whats so wrong with being kissable anyway?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celandine

"Its not you Raiden I just really... I miss Cope a lot. Thats all." Cela answered, hugging him back. "There's no homework yet."

Which was totally related because homework equaled something to distract herself with.

She relaxed a little and just stood there giving Raiden a little side hug thing. Despite her preoccupation...

"... whats so wrong with being kissable anyway?"

Ooooh Cope. He had not forgotten that the guy wasn't coming back this term. He just... hadn't thought about how much Cela would miss him. Cope wasn't a big part of Raiden's life. Quite the contrary - to Raiden, he was bordering on non-existence. They'd worked together once in class, and he was Cela's boyfriend person, but... well Raiden hadn't talked to him that much at all. But... well Cela... it was different for her, of course.

"Well I'm sure there will be plenty of homework soon." Grimace. "Much as I personally loathe it... it will be there."

...haha. What was... wrong with... she was kidding, right?

"Nothing really. It's perfectly fine for others, I'm sure. I just... don't think it's something I am?" He'd... had one kiss. One. From Kiri, a while ago. And that was it. He hadn't even attempted another after that. Maybe he looked kissable, but... noooope.

"You're right." Cela agreed and that was all well and good, but right NOW she had nothing to distract her from missing him. Almost three years of seeing him almost every day at school, and as often as possible during the summer and now nothing.

She missed Plymouth a whole lot too, in fact there were a bunch of people who she really missed, but nobody else was responsible for the achey feeling except Cope.

But Raiden was a good distraction, right?

"Not something you want to be?" Celandine cocked her head and stared at Raiden's lips, her expression pensive and the other stuff ignored for now.

Focus on Raiden.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celandine

"You're right." Cela agreed and that was all well and good, but right NOW she had nothing to distract her from missing him. Almost three years of seeing him almost every day at school, and as often as possible during the summer and now nothing.

She missed Plymouth a whole lot too, in fact there were a bunch of people who she really missed, but nobody else was responsible for the achey feeling except Cope.

But Raiden was a good distraction, right?

"Not something you want to be?" Celandine cocked her head and stared at Raiden's lips, her expression pensive and the other stuff ignored for now.

Focus on Raiden.

...why did all their conversations turn to stuff like this. Raiden could feel the back of his neck burning. How was he supposed to reply to that. Really, Cela. Really. Why couldn't they talk about candy. Or... books. Or anything. Why did it have to be his dating habits (lack of), or his lips and their... ugh kissableness.

"I don't know? I'm sure it wouldn't hurt anything, it just..."

He was him.

Kissing wasn't something that he regularly engaged in; in fact, it seemed to have fallen from his mind in recent weeks. The closest thing to a kiss he'd gotten was the little ones Neptune seemed to enjoy putting on the back of his head as he piggy-backed her through Diagon Alley.

He'd kissed her nose. That had been highly embarrassing. So... besides that one kiss with Kiri, all of the kissing he'd been involved in, one way or another, had been embarrassing. He didn't really have a good track record with this whole kissable thing.

"You don't want to kiss anyone?" Cela asked, head tipped to one side so that her hair curtained past her shoulders. How could anyone NOT want to kiss someone?

Someone special she meant, not just any old person.

She had quite the serious expression on her face.

Because GOSH. Even Daphne liked kissing!

...did he want... to kiss someone?

"Not particularly? I can't... think of anyone." Past the obvious one standing right in front of him. But Cope would surely come to the school and strangle him with his bare hands if he said that. Even now... he didn't know if he wanted to kiss anyone. The kiss from Kiri had been... nice. But she seemed a bit put out with him, and they hadn't been talking much at all... the urge to kiss her had slowly faded. Even the want to kiss Cela was kinda... dampened, weaker than it had been before.

Even though her lips were very shiny right now.

"No one I'd be allowed to, at least."

"Well that still counts as wanting to." Cela told him. Honest, she knew from experience. "How do you know you aren't allowed? Its not a teacher is it?" Starestare.


ew.

"Sometimes you don't even know if kissing someone is a good thing or not until you do it." Again, speaking from experience. Gosh. Now that she thought about it, Plymouth and Copernicus had unintentionally taught her a LOT.

Or maybe intentionally depending how you looked at it.

Cela's expression grew thoughtful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celandine

"Well that still counts as wanting to." Cela told him. Honest, she knew from experience. "How do you know you aren't allowed? Its not a teacher is it?" Starestare.


ew.

"Sometimes you don't even know if kissing someone is a good thing or not until you do it." Again, speaking from experience. Gosh. Now that she thought about it, Plymouth and Copernicus had unintentionally taught her a LOT.

Or maybe intentionally depending how you looked at it.

Cela's expression grew thoughtful.

STARE.

"WHAT? No, it's not a professor!" Raiden said, again rather loudly. That was just... that was... just... Ew. EW EW EW times eleven million! "I just know that I'm not allowed. It wouldn't be... appreciated. At all. It would probably make things all... bad."

And he would possibly get BEATEN UP.

He knew it was a bad thing. Guh why had he even said anything? She was going to push for him to tell her and if he did then things would get all awkward and MERLIN ALIVE he hated hormones SO MUCH. Why could he not just... stay eleven years old.

"Believe me. I know it would be a very, very bad thing."

"So tell me who." Cela insisted, her vision coming into focus again. "Maybe I can help. You never know, Raiden. It is a girl right? And you're cute and everything so how do you know it wouldn't be appreciated? I promise that nothing bad would happen. At the worst at least you'd like, know and stuff right?"

Awww she didn't like that sad!angst expression on his face. Celandine tugged on a lock of her hair in consternation.

Gaspth! Was it Kiri? Cela's eyes lit up and she bit her lip waiting eagerly for Raiden to say something.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celandine

"So tell me who." Cela insisted, her vision coming into focus again. "Maybe I can help. You never know, Raiden. It is a girl right? And you're cute and everything so how do you know it wouldn't be appreciated? I promise that nothing bad would happen. At the worst at least you'd like, know and stuff right?"

Awww she didn't like that sad!angst expression on his face. Celandine tugged on a lock of her hair in consternation.

Gaspth! Was it Kiri? Cela's eyes lit up and she bit her lip waiting eagerly for Raiden to say something.

"Cela..." Ugh. Whyyyy did she do this to him. Raiden very pointedly looked away from her, casting his eyes anywhere but on her. That was the only way to keep himself safe from the Pout of Doom.

Hadn't she been the very one to tell him that he had a crush on her? They'd been sitting in the hall, and he'd told her that he was allergic to her (oh Merlin, the embarrassment thinking about that brought up)... and she had told him that he wasn't allergic to her, nor to Kiri. Did she think it had simply... gone away?

If he could have made it go away, he would have.

"I can't. Just... trust that I know, okay? I know."

"Did you already try?" Cela asked, eyes widening. "How do you know unless you know?" And because she was sooo deserving of a prefect badge and totally good at giving advice, Cela added, "I learned that there are some things that you can think that you know, or like, you know in theory, but until you actually experience it or put it into practice, its impossible to know for sure. Assuming stuff and making guesses without actually knowing for sure if you are right or not won't get you anywhere."

Oh heyyyy there was a mirror here.

...

She could make Raiden practice his looks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celandine

"Did you already try?" Cela asked, eyes widening. "How do you know unless you know?" And because she was sooo deserving of a prefect badge and totally good at giving advice, Cela added, "I learned that there are some things that you can think that you know, or like, you know in theory, but until you actually experience it or put it into practice, its impossible to know for sure. Assuming stuff and making guesses without actually knowing for sure if you are right or not won't get you anywhere."

Oh heyyyy there was a mirror here.

...

She could make Raiden practice his looks!

...had he already tried?

Not kissing her, it that was what she meant. But... he wasn't allowed to try anything. Because Cela had Cope, who she cared about enough that she missed him and was sad. Because Cope would quite possibly come back to the school and attempt to rip Raiden's arms off if he did anything.

No he wouldn't. Raiden didn't know Cope well, but he knew him better than that. He would still be majorly displeased though, and... well he didn't deserve that.

"I'm not assuming anything, or guessing." His fingertips twitched. Hmmm. How did he... get out of this. Did not want. Did not want at all.

Life would probably have been easier had he stayed in the common room.