IC Inbox - closed

[hollowchild]

Ah, hello. You've reached Sophie, but I must be in the midst of something. If you have a question about self-defense or Teachers' Council, leave a message letting me know what precisely you're interested in and I'll get back to you.

...everyone else, do as you do, I suppose.

Comments

[hollowchild]

That's not romance, that's people, Draco.

[wasthemaster]

What's the difference?

[hollowchild]

Romance is...rote. There are certain things you do, as if they're correct for everyone. People aren't that way. Things mean differently.

[wasthemaster]

...I don't know. I've done things to multiple people and they've both reacted the same way. Guess things don't really mean different things.

[hollowchild]

[her fingers go still in his hair as she reaches over and takes his hand, studying how much bigger his is than hers for a moment before twining their fingers]

What does that mean, Draco?

[wasthemaster]

[He doesn't make an effort to stop her, having realized that Sophie does what Sophie wants to do. ]

It means I fall in "love" with people and it always, inevitably, explodes in my face.

[hollowchild]

[this is an excellent attitude to have]

I can hear your air quotes. And they will require storytime, in a moment. But what I meant was, what does this mean?

[she squeezes his fingers]

[wasthemaster]

...[And he considers her hand for a moment.] ...nothing really. It's just...keeping each other grounded, right?

[hollowchild]

That's not nothing. It is the very opposite of nothing.

[just a touch of sharpness in her tone, there, but it's gone when she speaks again]

But it's nothing romantic. Not in this case, with you and me, no matter how it might look to someone else.

[wasthemaster]

Precisely. You and I aren't romantic and anyone could see that. There's no other connection besides our hands, see? It's obvious.

[hollowchild]

I can, yes. It's my hand, and I know why I'm holding yours. But could someone else? How does this look different?

[because holding hands that way does look pretty darn couple-y, even if it isn't at all]

[wasthemaster]

It looks different because of the distance between us and the fact that we're talking openly and...just...[Okay maybe it's not that different.]

[hollowchild]

Mm. So you see.

[she doesn't let go of his hand, but she does let it drop onto his stomach instead of holding it up]

Storytime, Draco.

[wasthemaster]

Once upon a time, our Care of Magical Creatures professor brought unicorns to our class. The end. Next request?

[hollowchild]

[he gets a bit of a Look, but it's mild]

Wrong story. Try again. I think you're oversimplifying, but I can't explain anything without them.

[wasthemaster]

[She gets a look back.] ...what story am I supposed to be telling you?

[hollowchild]

What happened with the people you're in love with. The thing you've been trying to talk around until you got there.

[wasthemaster]

So...just the stories about the girls here, right?

[hollowchild]

If that's what's relevant.

[wasthemaster]

...well. First off, have you met Rapunzel?

[hollowchild]

I haven't. Saw her on the network, though, I think. She recently arrived and has a somewhat ridiculous amount of hair, right?

[wasthemaster]

Yeah...seventy feet, I think. This isn't the first time she's been here.

[hollowchild]

...magical hair, then. So you knew a different Rapunzel.

[wasthemaster]

I knew a different Rapunzel and I cared about her more than I think I've cared about most people in my entire life.

[hollowchild]

And what happened?