| OPEN | INNOCENT, THEY SWIM

[Eric Serié]

I tell them 'no',
they just dive right in
but do they know?
it's a long way down, when you're alone.
and there's no air or sound down below the surface

Full moon. It was incredibly beautiful. He had always been a bit fascinated by the full moon and he always felt more powerful during this time of the month, even though the full moon didn’t really change him in anyway. It just was somehow mystical and mysterious. Maybe he felt that way, because of all the bedtime stories his father, Walter, had told him as a kid. A lot of great and scary adventurous stories were surrounded by the full moon, perhaps because it really did give some power and changed some creatures; werewolves for an example. There were plenty of other things that got some kind of odd power whenever it was full moon though and he had studied some of them. After all, he did love reading books and yearned for knowledge. Besides he had already lived for quite a few years, so he had had a lot of time to study different things.

It was a rather chilly night, though Alec still felt like getting some fresh air. He found it really difficult to sleep during the full moon, although that wasn’t the only excuse why he wasn’t in bed; perhaps he still was a bit homesick. He had only just arrived to Beauxbatons a few days ago and he had always had hard time adjusting to new surroundings. He knew that even after a month he probably still would have trouble getting any sleep, especially when he had to worry about whether his mother was ok or not. Every time he saw an owl fly by his heart would start racing as he expected to hear some kind of news from her. But nothing so far. He knew he was stressing out too much, because his mother truly was able to take care of herself and she was strong, but he was the type to over think everything and anything, and often he would think the worse.

He made his way through the great palace and through courtyard, so that he finally ended up finding himself next to the lake. It was completely serene weather and the water stood still as if quietly waiting for its prey. He wasn’t sure if there were any dangerous things living in the lake of Beauxbatons, but doubted that because surely there would be some kind of warnings, right? He noticed a bigger rock further away near the middle of the lake and smaller stone steps leading to it. Carefully he hopped from one stone to another, making sure he wouldn’t fall into the black deepness below him before finally reaching the big rock and he felt accomplished and pleased with himself. Without hesitation he sat down, took off his shoes and socks and finally dipped his feet in the cool water, flinching a bit because of the coldness. Oh well, he would soon get used to it. It was so quiet that he felt like even his calm breathing made too much noise.

tag: very much open (:
music: hurts | the water
notes: short & lame, i apologize :o

[maelys favre]

you'll never find love in an open hand

Maelys sat on her bed in deep contemplation, eyes gazing off into the distance in thought. She had just finished reading her mother's latest letter and was trying to think what she was supposed to do about the request her mother had made in her parting remark. Destroy this letter, ma chère Mae. She could understand the woman's desire to keep her scientific research secret but her mother had never gone to the extent as requesting Maelys destroy her letters. Sighing, Maelys figured there was only one thing to be done - of course she would come to this conclusion. She loved her mother very much and loved her letters so very much but ultimately, she wouldn't dare defy her mother. Standing up, Mae pulled on her favourite coat and shoved the secret letter in one pocket and her wand in the other. She supposed that the best route to do such was burn the letter and she certainly could not do so within the castle, not with out risking getting caught and in trouble.

The brunette was much better acquainted with the inside of Beauxbatons, rather strongly disliking going outdoors, but she was confident enough that she could make her way to the lake. She had supposed that the lake would be the best place to set a small fire, what with a body of water nearby to put out any flames that went awry. As she walked through the castle, she kept idly slipping her hand into the coat pocket containing the letter and running her fingers over the back of the parchment, feeling the bumps where her mother had pressed too hard. She felt the compulsion to make sure she had the letter on her person as it was clearly of such importance, she feared to think of what would be the consequences if it slipped into the wrong hands.

As she exited the castle, Maelys couldn't help but sudder at the cool bite to the night air. Tilting her head back, she took in the sight of the moon and frowned when she realized it was full. That was just great, in going out to burn her mother's letter (something she didn't even want to do in the first place) she was risking getting attacked by a werewolf or another creature that roamed Beauxbatons. One thing she loved about the school was how open it was to various species but she also had to admit that it could possibly put other students in danger. But she shook her head and decided that contemplating other species was something best saved for another time, lest she scare herself more than necessary. Just as Maelys came upon the lake, she slipped one hand in each pocket and took out the letter and her wand. Might as well get it over with, she supposed. And she would have, had she not caught sight of a figure sitting by the edge of the lake. She cursed under her breath at the sight and contemplated turning back to the castle and try again either later or somewhere else.

But no, she was here and she might as well not have wasted her time as such. Shoving the letter into her pocket, she mutter, "Lumos," as walked towards what she soon figured out was a male. She held her wand out in front of her, almost like a weapon, and stepped on the rocks upon which he sat. She could tell from here that he sat with his feet in the water and brushed her hair from her face as she got closer. Maelys figured that it would be best to come off as intimidating as she could. She didn't often associate with people - it just wasn't who she was - but this guy didn't look overly scary. "Uhm, hi," she greeted, sitting a little over arms-length away from him. "How's the water tonight?" She put out the light at the tip of her wand and pocketed it and sent a quick smile his way. While waiting for a response, she toyed absently with the hem of her dress shirt.