School preparations ~Renee

[Deleted]

The typical drag was on again. Every year it was the same - summer break comes towards an end, need to go to Diagon Alley to buy everything you need for school again. Always new textbooks, always new potions supplies, cauldrons, everything like that. Zach was frustrated by school overall, it's not like it would matter anyway after he was gone. The professors put such a focus on students doing well in school when by the time they left, it wouldn't make any difference anyway - especially with the Black Army growing in power. His future definitely wouldn't be affected by his marks. But still he did well in his classes nonetheless - he was a clever guy, enough to get by with minimal work.

He had bought all the smaller things first, but still needed to get his textbooks. It was a waste of money as far as he was concerned, but money also wasn't that much of an issue as his family were quite well-off. He was broken out of these thoughts as he accidentally bumped into someone in the crowded alley, before realising it was a fellow Slytherin. "Oh, Renee. You shopping by yourself?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Didn't girls generally do their shopping in packs?

RENEE CORRINE FOSTER

[RENEE CORRINE FOSTER]

She was in the center of the hustle and bustle in Diagon Alley, just kind of people watching and getting a feel for what she would be doing. She had to get the rest of the stuff she needed for the coming year, which would inevitably include a new set of robes. She wasn't a shoppy kind of girl, but that didn't mean she wasn't into buying clothes. She loved clothes. In fact, her love for clothes may be one of the only reason, besides her looks, that would separate her from being a guy. That, and she did like guys. What she had left to get were books, the robes, and a few potions supplies.

She had a list in her hand with a few other things, such as dog food and some fruit items, but she would get those on her way back home at that muggle shop she loved going to. She had went to put the list back in her pocket when she was bumped into, "HE- Oh?! Zach?" She said a bit shocked. She usually came early enough to only deal with the rush of the first and second year kids. Usually, she didn't want to see anyone she knew prior to schools start when the shopping began. Everyone would ask her to shop with them, or help getting something new for the first day, or blah blah. She would really only shop with Noel for the school year supplies. "Actually, yeah.. Usually do. I get things done faster that way." She tilted her head with a decent smile. "Just easier that way, you know? Without dealing with everyone's needs and issues..." She wasn't one for complainers or people who thought they needed to tell everything wrong going on, just as much as shoppers who wanted her to flock with them.

"What about you? Out here all alone?

@zach

[Deleted]

Zach was pretty fed up with being in Diagon Alley in general, but it was kind of nice to bump into someone who he knew and who hopefully saw this as similarly painful. He didn't know Renee that well but would give her the benefit of the doubt unless she proved herself to be not living up to the standards of Slytherin. "Right. And getting things done as fast as possible here is definitely desirable," he stated, in agreement to her comment. Dealing with people's needs and issues was painful, he agreed. "Yeah, things are always more efficient when I'm on my own - other people just complicate things, generally. If you want something done fast, get it done yourself," he replied. He knew he could rely on himself, and other people just tended to get in the way. "Are you nearly done?"

RENEE CORRINE FOSTER

[RENEE CORRINE FOSTER]

She grinned almost cynically so. "Well, it's not all that bad, I mean, you could always take a load off and grab a bite. Or, come back two hours before close when this place loses most of the hustling people, but I enjoy nights without doing something as draining as school shopping." She was pretty much ready to graduate and kick this routine to the curb, but only a couple more years and that's exactly what would be happening. "Finally, someone who understands what I feel!" she giggled, innocently.

As he continued talking, she made a pfft sound, "Pft, no." she laughed almost mocking herself, "I need books, and of course my potion things." She loves potions, almost more than life itself, "But, I also need to get new robes." she left it at that. She knew saying she wanted to get new robes just because she likes buying clothes would express her feminine side. "What about you, ya git?" she said, sarcastically.

@zach

[Deleted]

The idea of coming back when there were less people kind of made sense, but there was no way that Zach wanted to drag this out any longer. "Yeah, I like my nights to be not stuck here, too," he replied. "Why drag it out when you can get it done quicker?" he added firmly. Her giggle made him roll his eyes a little, but kind of affectionately - she didn't bother him as much as some people. Renee seemed to know the time for seriousness well enough to not drive him up the wall.

"For me it's just the books now. It's stupid that we need so many each year, waste of money if you ask me," he muttered. "Should we head there now?" he asked her.

RENEE CORRINE FOSTER

[RENEE CORRINE FOSTER]

She listened intently, and thought that there was actually a guy who didn't ponder his eyes over her body? She was puzzled at first, but was happy that he was being respectful. "Some people just don't understand the need to be done with something.." She trailed, looking over her shoulder at the book shop, "We?" she said sardonically. "What happened to agreeing with me that alone is better?" she teased with a slightly flirtatious demeanor.

"Oh, I guess you can tag along." she winked and turned toward the book store. With him behind her, she began making her way through the crowd. "It is so strange how people actually enjoy this.." Maybe she'd forget about getting a robe today and come back later in the week.

@zach

[Deleted]

Zach had definitely noticed her attractiveness - he did with any beautiful woman, and Renee was one of them - but he was just very careful about letting it be seen that he was checking someone out. "Well, basically, I'm heading there - and you're one of the very select few around here whose company I can actually stand, so I suppose I'm offering for you to come along," he replied with a smirk. But then she said he could tag along with her, and he rolled his eyes a little. "You're telling me. It's ridiculous. What would you be doing if you didn't have to be here?" he asked as they walked.

RENEE CORRINE FOSTER

[RENEE CORRINE FOSTER]

She beamed with her face away from Zach. It had been a while since she had some male attention that was intelligent and not her gay brother. "Oh? Is that how you see it?" she said twirling around looking at him walking backwards and waving her arms around her waist. "Well then, I guess I'm accompany you to the bookstore. What'll it be today, Kiddo?" She teased, talking as if she were his babysitter or something.

When he asked that she was back to walking forward, and she slowed to be walking next to him. "Probably writing. Music or my thoughts, which are basically one in the same." She spoke attentively. "Definitely something like that. Sitting on my bed next to my open window. It seems to be my favorite past time." she referred to her want and goal in life as a past time, which was odd for her, but it really was. "And you?"

@zach

[Deleted]

Zach rolled his eyes at her chirpiness, and acting like he was a kid. Because that was really close to the mark, he thought sarcastically. "Wow, aren't you just a bundle of energy," he commented drily, not humouring her. The only person who had ever managed to break his walls down that much was Maggie, and that was still a bit of a mess in his mind. He didn't know how she had affected him like she had.

"Just sitting and writing? Doesn't sound very productive," he commented idly, wondering how she would react to his lack of enthusiasm for it. "Probably doing some work for my father. He often has odd jobs for me to do, that are good experience, and he also pays me."

RENEE CORRINE FOSTER

[RENEE CORRINE FOSTER]

She giggled. They reached the book store and she turned around looking him dead in the eye. "Of course I am, I'm Ren." she had a slight cynical tone. "Now listen here, pretty boy, don't be all Grr defensive walls around my emotions." Ren spoke coy, she gave everything after grr a wanky accent that resembled somewhat of an American gangster type. She wasn't one to deal with people who responded without emotion, but she didn't care for overly emotional people either.

"Oh it is, I write music." she gave him a reassuring nod, "Then I strum it out on my guitar, or play my keys." Very productive, jerk-she though. Work for his father? Odd Jobs? Her mind wandered around to the question, "What kind of odd jobs exactly?" she interrogated. Having a paying job would be nice, but she didn't need it at the moment.

@zach

[Deleted]

Zach rolled his eyes when she told him not to put walls around his emotions. "I show my emotions when they need to be shown - in general they just get in the way of getting things done," he answered.

He decided that he probably shouldn't overtly insult what she did in her spare time, though, so he decided to pull it back a bit and be a bit more reasonable. No point breaking a relationship with someone who he actually didn't mind being around. "So you play guitar, keyboard... anything else?" he asked, actually asking about her interests. He could show interest when he had to. "Often just picking up various potions ingredients from him from different suppliers, things like that," he replied vaguely. It wasn't often above board, but if he explained it like he did, it at least sounded mostly legit.

RENEE CORRINE FOSTER

[RENEE CORRINE FOSTER]

She gave him a glance that said something like, you're just a stupid boy. Playfully of course, but she rolled her eyes at his statement. "Yeah, but emotions also give us wizards something to keep us in tact with our humanity and not go all dark wizard crazy." She grinned with an evil intent, "Not that there is anything wrong with a little darkness."

Oh, would you look at that, someone took an interest in her music, "Well, I'd like to pick up the Uke, but as for now that's just about it. I sing." she said with a small smile. She knew Noel was better than her, but she tried not to dwell on that. She loved what she did. She couldn't figure out if she liked writing or singing more, it definitely went hand in hand though. "Potions stuff? For what, exactly?" I would say she tried not to pry, but it's Ren. She enjoys discovering the dirty little secrets. That, and potions was her favorite class.

@zach

[Deleted]

Zach smirked at her a bit. "And what would you know about a little darkness?" he asked her challengingly. He would be interested to see what constituted darkness for her, to see if she had any real potential. If she did, he could nurture it.

"The Uke? You might as well play sunshine and rainbows as an instrument," he commented with another smirk. It had to be one of the happiest sounding instruments ever. "He makes business deals with people. He needs certain things, he picks them up from people and gives them some sort of service in return - what that is depends on what the client requests." He was still being intentionally vague.

RENEE CORRINE FOSTER

[RENEE CORRINE FOSTER]

She threw him an odd look, "Are we playing a game?" she laughed at him, clearly he didn't know girls like her. Darkness was in them, despite their flower appearance. "Well, Zach. What ever do you mean? Shadows.. The sun going down." she gave a mocking and effortless reply. She shrugged it off. She wasn't really dark as in Wizard dark, but she could be evil in a girl's way.

"Clearly you don't play an Uke." Quite renowned for being a happy instrument, and Uke could still be applied to sad or dark music. She enjoyed most kinds of music, and having an Uke in her list of instruments was becoming more and more necessary. She needed something to play the higher eerie notes for a certain song she was writing. The piano sufficed for now, but it wasn't exactly the sound she was hoping for.

Business deals? She thought about it for a minute, that seemed quite shady so she let it drop. "Ahh, okay." she said plainly. She would like to know exactly what was going on there, but kind of got the feeling there was something there that could become troublesome for her. She decided to put her curiosity on the back burner.

"So, what classes will you be taking, sir?"

@zach

[Deleted]

Zach rolled his eyes at her passing off his question. "Right, of course that's what you meant," he replied sarcastically. "And is there anything you do to people under the cover of night to make it even darker still?" he asked as they continued to walk. If he didn't get any real answers, he might just lose interest in asking about what she got involved in - he only invested his time in people who would be useful.

"Do I look like the kind of guy who would play a Uke?" he asked, gesturing to himself with a smirk. Of course he didn't play. He didn't have time for playing music in general.

When she dropped the questions about the business deals, he gave a slight nod to himself. That was good. Too much curiosity could be a pain. "Just the usuals, really. Potions, Astronomy, Charms, Transfiguration, Defence against the Dark Arts..." That one was more for practice in other ways, rather than defence... "A few others, I can't remember the whole list. You?"

RENEE CORRINE FOSTER