In Search of Serenity [[[[[[open]]

[Randilynn]

The evening air was cool, which was a welcome parting from the late summer oven that'd been turned on high. There was a pleasent breeze about, which added more nip to the air. It was the perfect night for a light jacket, or a robe. The sky was cloudy, as if it could open up at any time and rain for hours, and the air carried the smell of dust, before a shower. The large courtyard had an even larger wooden door, a portal to a place of great magic. The door stood solid, unyielding. But it opened.

Randilynn Bishop slipped through the small crack she'd opened the door. The rediculous curfew required all students to remain in their houses of a night. It made it particularly hard to get a bit of fresh air. It made it even harder to get a bit of poluted air. Randilynn made her way, ever so quietly, to one of the stone arched windows that lined the courtyard, and casually, she sat down, and slid her legs up and along the bottom of the window. As the wind picked up momentarily, she drew her robe in tighter, fighting off a shiver. Her bare feet were cold against the stone of the window, but it felt good after a long day. Randi reached in her robe, and withdrew a beat up pack of L&B's, and a silver zippo that had been beat up and scratched and dented so badly that you couldn't tell what design it once displayed.

Smoking. It's not a clean, or healthy habit. Randi picked it up during the summer between her 5th and 6th years. It's her secret shame, and she is extremely profecient at hiding it. Except at school. People generally don't bother her, because people generally don't go poking around at night. Those that do, well, they don't want to be discovered either. Breaking curfew, having a smoke, that was Randi's vice and crime. Pretty insignifigant compared to some and most.

She flipped the top open, and retrieved one of the small sticks, without even looking. She found it's way to her lips, and she placed it gently between them. That was the moment of highest anticipation. Right before the start. The dry sensation of the filter, the sweet, delicate taste you get from breathing in through an unlit cigarette.

She flipped the lighter open, and slid it against her thigh, sparking the wick, producing a small flame. The most beautiful thing in the dark courtyard. It produced a glow around her, for just a moment. She brought it to the cigarette, and inhaled, pulling the flame to the paper and tobacco. Pure, simple, delicate arson. Then, the flame was gone, with a flick of the wrist, and the clank of metal hitting metal. She stashed the pack and lighter back in her robe and took a long drag. Warm smoke filled her lungs, and was exhaled. With a sigh, she smiled, as her head became fuzzy, overwhelmed, with the first smoke in a couple of days.

This was bliss,
this was serenity.

[Flint Cotnoir]

Late night was the only time Flint really felt safe practising practical stuff. Truth be told, he was a little too embarrassed to do it in front of anyone outside class, and a big bit too scared that people would see him actually doing anything that didn't involve a book. Indeed, the only thing that looked even vaguely familiar to his regular study equipment was the scrap of parchment clutched in his left hand, various spells and ideas for exercise written on it in his usual spidery scrawl. In his mind, it was playing out like a novel almost, training in secret to harness his magical prowess and eventually become good enough at it to put it to bed and focus once more on his studies. Truthfully though, all it was doing was filling Flint's minds with more of the Auror fantasies he had been chased by for the past year, and improving his physical condition to the point where he was actually quite good at it... As well as giving him a few bumps.

Just now, however, he stood a little away from the main building, a dark corner surrounded only by classrooms, which were now abandoned of course. He'd picked the place after a few close calls further out, as even those students who did choose to break the curfew didn't tend to venture to areas this quiet. It had been terrifying to Flint at first, but he'd gotten used to it - Truth be told, he was starting to enjoy the solitude here. It was so far away from the library and his normal daytime routine. Change, it seemed, really was good.

Lined up to his left were a series of rocks, each about the size of his head - His targets. Facing ahead, away from the castle, Flint readied his wand and braced himself. With a flick, the stones began to fly with considerable speed in a high arc, similar to the muggle sport Clay Pigeon Shooting. He exhaled, then Pointed his wand ahead, and let loose six spells in rapid succession, one for each rock. Simple clusters of gold sparks, each time one hit a rock, the sparks scattered, providing a suitable indicator of how many he hit. Usually he managed 3 or 4. Tonight, 6 clusters of sparks erupted in the night darkness. His first perfect. Flint grinned, gave a quiet "Yuss!", and even indulged in a fist pump.

Elated, Flint steeled himself for the next part of his routine - With another flick of his wand, he could barely see the rocks rise from their various resting places, and begin to fly towards him rapidly. The first, he deflected with ease, sending it flying to his right. The next went to his left - The third, however, was going faster than he anticipated, and he had to duck to avoid it, sending it smashing through the window behind him. Flint took one second to look back at the broken glass, before remembering the lumps of stone headed fast towards him and spinning back, just in time to send rocks 4 and 5 flying high into the night sky, over his head... and then over the roof of the building, into the courtyard on the other side of this wing, where Flint heard the echoes of a crash and a shatter.

He winced - But not as much as he did when the last rock hit him square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and throwing him to the ground. He took a moment to gather his thoughts, before picking himself up and starting at a quiet jog to the courtyard. Hopefully nobody had heard it, but he had to survey the damage and at least TRY to repair it. It took him less than a minute to get there, and the damage was apparent as soon as he arrived – Both stones had clearly hopped when they hit the ground, one smashing through a window a little further up, while the other had hit a stone plant pot in the centre and sent it sprawling, shattered stone and soil everywhere. Flint gulped. “Well, shit…”.

That was when he noticed the figure at the far end of the yard from him – He couldn’t make them out in the darkness, but he thought he could see the glowing embers of a cigarette between where he assumed their lips would be. “Er… Hello?”, he said, his voice wavering. all the while, his mind was going a hundred miles an hour. This wasn’t looking too good for him…

[Randilynn]

(((((((((ooc((soooooo sorry I've been swamped at work, I feel bad for neglecting this!))))

Randi was so completely involved in the head-rush from her nicotine fix. It was hard to find the time to get away, and enjoy a bit of quiet time. The ambient noises of the night were loud - crickets, and the wind played a mezzo-forte duet, which had completely enthralled Randilynn. So when the rock smashed out the window - it didn't even register to her. One hears many strange things at this castle, no matter what time of day.

Randi took another drag off of her cigarette, and slid her wand from her sleeve. With the delicate grip one would hold a fencing foil with, she swished it ever so gently about, in simple, small arcs and jabs - right above her lap. She wasn't casting a spell, it's a bit of a study aid, bit of a habit she's had since she picked up a wand. She always practices movements in her free time.

She was never one for the dueling club. She found it to be somewhat immature and lacking. Training yourself to hold back at all times, but beat someone who was also holding back. That didn't prepare you for the real world. That didn't prepare you for what remains in darkness. A Bat bogey hex was not a combat technique.

She inhaled again. The glowing orange at the end of her cigarette flared, a couple of embers seperated and blew in the wind, faint orange until they were gone. Then, her peaceful quiet was shattered. Well, it was disturbed, as a large flower-pot shattered, several yards away from her in the dark. She was a mixture of amused, and alert. It was too dark to see what the cause was.

Her eyes were transfixed on the destroyed pot, she was shocked nearly to death when she heard a male voice say "Er...Hello?" Her eyes quickly found the source of the words, and presumably the source of the flower pot's demise as well. Instinctually, her want jerked to a stiff attention, aimed at the man. The aim didn't change as she slid from her perch, and dropped her cigarette to the ground. She slowly crept towards the stranger, keeping a careful eye on him, waiting for the sudden movement. Waiting for the curse.

It was an odd occurance to have a stranger at Hogwarts, she thought. The place was warded and protected more than anywhere else in the Wizarding world. That thought narrowed her list of possibilities down to students, and professors. The likelyhood that a professor would be out 'playing' at night, causing damage to the facilities, was slim. Ok, so student. With what intentions, though? Her mind was racing, but her calm was secure.

Randi made her way a bit further, her eyes were already well adjusted to the night, the figure stood motionless, he'd been busted. His thoughts probably mirrored hers. His wand was not readied. Maybe he thought she was a professor?

A little further and "God damnit, Flint! Scared the hell out of me!"