Off Duty (Kaelyn)

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Mat was a noble and patient young man, but some nights he wised he had never become a Prefect. The older students actually weren't that big of an issue. It was the First, Second, and Third Years. And it wasn't just the Slytherins. The Hufflepuffs would freak out when they saw him coming and he would have to give chase. The Gryffindors would try to stand up to him as if he were in the wrong despite them breaking the rules. Even those in his own House would challenge them, and they were the worse as he would confront them in the Common Room and they would still give him grief.

Mat walked in from the patrol exhausted and sat down on the couch. He looked at no one in particular and sighed.

"Quelqu'un me maudissent maintenant! (Somebody please curse me now)," he said. He wanted to go to his room, take a headache potion, and go to bed, but once he had plopped onto the couch, he found he really didn't want to get back up again. So he just sat and looked at the ceiling.

@kaelyn

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She sat curled up in an arm chair next to the window, as far away from the fire as she could get. Her legs tucked under her as she scribbled away on a piece of parchment. Her quill tickled her nose as she leaned over her work, ink smears on her hand. A small owl, barely bigger than a human hand, had dozed off  on her shoulder and she tried not to jolt it awake. But that effort was laid to waste when the boy walked in. The sound of the common room door shutting, startled the bird and he let out a soft cry, grabbing her hair in its beak and pulling. "Ouch!" She muttered, looking up from the parchment at the bird and then at the cause of it's distress. Blue-green eyes narrowed slightly as she watched him move, her own body tensing, poised to run.

Her tension eased off a smidge when he spoke, his voice sounding not too unpleasant to her ears as she had expected. In truth he wasn't even speaking to her, which made it a little better. She pursed her lips, confusion over what he was saying contorting her face. He seemed tired to her. Her head shifted, tilting to the side ad she tried to get a better look at him, but not really recognizing the face. She hadn't been paying attention to those around her these past few years. Her owl nudged her, before finally falling back asleep on her shoulder. Kaelyn glanced at her and then back at the male occupying the room. "Excuse me, are you alright?"

@mathieu

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Mat felt bad when he heard the voice of another Fifth Year in his House. He didn't want her to think he was angry at her, especially since there was a good chance she didn't speak French. Mat was a good guy, and a gentleman to the ladies after all.

"Oui, I am alright, Kaelyn, forgive my outburst," he said. He knew the girl's name. He knew most of the Fifth Year's names seeing he had been in school with them since his first day. He didn't know the girl all that well outside of that. It wasn't that he avoided her. The two just never really talked.

"The Prefect Patrol tonight, it was not very enjoyable," he said. "The younger students can be very disrespectful at time. They feel because I am a student like them, I am not that strong of an authority figure. I do not like to punish them, but tonight I had to give three detention. But I suppose if one is dedicated to being a Prefect, one must be prepared to make enemies of those who enjoying breaking the rules."

@kaelyn

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Kaelyn blinked owlishly at him when hespoke her name. The way it fell from his lips catching her off guard.Most people didn't know her name, or if they did they rarely calledher by her first name. Not that she minded. She thought it was rathernice, even if It was rather strange to her ears. She swallowednervously, pulling her legs out from under her and perching in a typeof crouch, poised to jump off the chair and flee into the girl'sdormitory if needed. She listened to his speak, admiring the accentof his voice and was amazed at the fact that he was here holding aconversation with her. She lifted a finger, lightly stroking thefeathers of the bird on her shoulder, careful not to wake her up.

So he was a prefect. That would explain his outburst moments ago. She picked at her fingertips, her hair falling in her face. She knew there was a name connected with thisface. She thought it was Mat something. Matthew.. Matieu? She frowned,giving up out of frustration. She could ask, but she felt it would berude to since he already seemed to know hers. “That sounds rough.Though I''m sure they don't think you're an enemy. Maybe at the moment. But not forever.” She bit at the skin around her thumb.“Otherwise do you enjoy it? Being a prefect, I mean.” shemumbled, pulling her hair over one shoulder.

@mathieu

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Mat smiled a little when Kaelyn tried to help him look on the bright side a bit.

"Oui, perhaps?" said Mat. "Let us hope they will see that being given detention is for their own good. They cannot keep breaking the rules or they will be expelled. And Hogwarts is such a wonderful school. I cannot imagine the pain someone would feel to not be allowed to walk through its doors anymore. I am from Southern France, and was very fortunate to be able to attend here."

Mat then nodded when Kaelyn asked if he enjoyed being a Prefect in general.

"Oui, it is nice to be able to be able to be an asset to the school," he said. "Most night patrols treat me well. Many nights there is no one out after hours and I can just walk about alone with my thoughts. I like to think a great deal about my future and what I want to do. I would love a career in Arithmancy, but that can be very difficult to obtain. But perhaps I can be a Potions Master at St. Mungo's as well. I am very interested in both options."

He then looked at Kaelyn.

"What about you, Kaelyn?" he asked. "Do you have a future career in mind?

@kaelyn

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She bit her lower lip, hesitantly smiling back. Another new sensation. She was so used to people looking at her with disgust, usually due to her birth status that she'd grown accustomed to glaring and blank expressions. So the twitching of her lips was strange and unfamiliar.. "France huh? That explains the accent." she muttered under her breath, looking up at him sharply. "Not that it's a bad thing. I mean it's just unfamiliar...I guess? There aren't very many French speakers in Ireland. Much less in the hamlet I grew up in." She murmured her face burning. She didn't mention the fact that even if there were French speaking people in her little village she wouldn't have known about them since she'd been locked away at home.

"That must be wonderful, especially after always being surrounded by people. Too often am I left with my own thoughts. It can be quite maddening sometimes" She returned. "Wow, those sound all very complicated. But you're a Ravenclaw, I'm sure you could do it." When he turned to her, her face flamed and she ducked her head behind a curtain of auburn hair.She wasn't sure about this. She could deal with talking about the other person, but once the attention turned to her she became a mess. "Dragons. I want to work with dragons. Maybe as a feeder or a full blown Dragonologist, I'm not sure which yet. But I would give anything just to meet one. Particularly an Antipodean Opaleye. I've seen pictures and they're just beautiful." Her voice rose a bit with excitement as she talked about the creatures that had since long ago fascinated her. "I've thought about going and training under Charles Weasley in Romania, but I'd like to work at the sanctuary in Wales."

@mathieu

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Mat nodded about the accent, then perked up a bit with interest when Kaelyn said shew as from Ireland.

"I hear Ireland has some very lovely country sides," he said. "I would love to travel there some day."

Mat noticed her face looked odd due to the burning and was concerned.

"Are you alright, Kaelyn?" he asked. "Do you need something?" Again, Mat was the constant gentleman.

From what the girl said about being alone often, it was no wonder he has not spoken to her before. It seemed she was not very social. Mat was confused by this. She seemed like a nice girl.

"I do not feel it is because I am a Ravenclaw, though I am very proud of my House," he said. "I have had an interested in Arithmancy and Potions since I was very young."

Mat listened to her career goal with great admiration. Dealing with dragons took courage and skills, and he had heard of this Charles Weasley and how famous he was for dealing with them.

"That sounds like a very interesting career," he said. "I wish you the best." Mat then blushed himself. "Forgive me, I know your name, but have not introduced myself. I am Mathieu, but you may call me Mat."

@kaelyn

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She bobbed her head in agreement. “It does, from what I've seen of it anyway. The village I lived in wasrather small, but the area surrounding it was amazing. I miss it.”she admitted, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Eh? Oh yes, I'm fine. It's just a little warm in here. I wonder when they'll put the fires out for spring.” Kaelyn said, even though she was sitting in the coldest spot in the room. It was just easier to blame her sudden redness on the heat from the fire. “Thank you for offering though.”

He seem sincere enough and she felt bad for worrying him. She lifted a hand, propping her chin on it. “It must've been nice, knowing what you wanted to do. All I could think about was dragons as a child, but my parents said they didn't exist so I couldn't be a dragon keeper.” she laughed softly. “Imagine their surprise when I returned home my first year with all of these books and photographs of dragons.” They had been surprised, and frightened and had once again locked her in her loft which they proceeded to do every summer holiday. But she didn't really mind too much. Sure she missed the freedom that came with being at Hogwarts,being to go almost anywhere she pleased, but she could handle being locked away like Rapunzel. She had new books, this time with moving pictures and she knew that it wouldn't last forever.

“Thank you. I wish you luck with your dream as well.” she murmured bowing her head. This was it. The endof the conversation and he would never speak to her again. She braced herself for goodbye but was surprised by him introducing himself. She had been close when she'd been trying to guess his name earlier.“It's alright, I probably should have known it all along since you're our prefect.” she murmured. “I'm Kaelyn. Kaelyn Greyjoy.But you already know that. I guess you can call me Kae."

@mathieu

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Mat smiled to hear that he had heard right about the beautiful countrysides.

Mat found it odd that she was affected by the heat in such a cool part of the room, but decided not to dwell on it and bother his new friend about it.

"Very well, but let me know if you do," he said with a smile.

Mat chuckled about how her parents were surprised about the dragons, and then put two and two together and realized she was Muggle-born. That didn't bother him in the slightest. Mat was Pureblood, but was the last person in the world to embrace the ridiculous ideology of Blood Superiority.

"I can imagine something like dragons existing is a shock to Muggles," he said. "I can only guess how different your upbringing was from mine. Both my parents were magical." Mat wasn't boasting and that didn't come off in his voice. He had other Muggle-born friends and was interested in how they viewed both worlds growing up.

Mat was relieved that her name was indeed Kaelyn and he didn't look foolish all along.

"Very well, I will call you Kae and you can call me Mat," he said. "I always feel that being able to call one another by nicknames is a sign of friendship. We are friends, oui?"

@kaelyn

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“Okay, I will.” she responded a little surprised that he was worrying over her. It was strange, but nice. And while she probably wouldn't admit it aloud, she really appreciated it. Her body relaxed a bit and she leaned back in the wing-back chair.

She fiddled with a strand of her hair nervously when he said muggles in reference to her parents. It wasn't hard to figure out the truth of her birth, especially after she mentioned that her parents were surprised about the dragons. She waited for him to make some nasty remark and was relieved when none came. She exhaled the breath she'd been holding. “Yeah. I can imagine the difference is enormous. Were your parents excited when you showed signs of having magic?” She tilted her head to the side in thought. “I wonder if magical parents who have non-magical kids react the same way as muggle parents do when they have a magical child. Or at least the way some of them do.”

At his question she started. Friends? It'd been so long since she'd heard the word in reference to herself and she couldn't help but to smile. “Really? You'd be my friend?” she wondered, leaning forward in her chair, a hopeful expression brightening her eyes.

@mathieu

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Mat chuckled a bit and shook his head when Kae asked if it surprised his parents when he showed he had magic.

"Well, I am the middle child and my older siblings are a set of triplets," he said. "So by the time it got to me, it was not that big of a thrill. I imagine that Pureblood parents would probably be at least a little surprised to find their child does not possess magic."

Mat was surprised at Kae's reaction to him asking if they were friends. She seemed a very nice girl that would have gained a lot of friends by then. But whatever the case, he nodded to her.

"Of course I would like to be your friend," he said. "You seem a person with a good heart and a good head on her shoulders." He then had an idea and rose. "I have spoken to you of my interest in Arithmancy and Potions. I have another interest, and that is dance." He then turned on the magical phonograph in the room and showed a bit of his skill, displaying that he was from a family of dancers and learned well. "Would you like to join me?"

@kaelyn

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A touch of disappointment flickered over her face when he mentioned that his parents weren't as excited about him being magical. “That's understandable I guess. Wow, three older siblings, that must be an adventure. What's it like being the middle child?” She nodded when he answered her question, having thought something similar in regards to it. She was glad that he hadn't gotten angry with her for her sudden question. She often had random thoughts that she couldn't surpress and often blurted out without thinking.

Kaelyn beamed up at him. A new friend didn't happy every day and she was thankful for whatever magic had occurred to make it so that Mat had fallen into her life like this. “I try to be.” she said in regards to his good heart and good head on her shoulders comment. A good heart, yes. A good head on her shoulders? That was debatable. It was possible that she was too fanciful to have a good head on her shoulders, but she tried. She was usually responsible at the very least.

When he finished showing off his moves she clapped. “You dance very well. Most men wouldn't take pride in something like dancing. It is refreshing to see that you do.” Her cheeks warmed when he asked her to dance. “Um...well. I don't know how.” she stammered, twisting her hands. “I would like to learn though, if you have the patience to be a teacher?”

@mathieu

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Mat chuckled about the whole middle child thing.

"It is an adventure at times, but at other times it allows me to hide away in my room and read because everyone is paying attention to someone else," he said. "I do not mind that so much though. I am... how do you say... a bookworm."

Mat smiled when Kae tried to be a good person. That's all Mat ever asked about those he made friends with. He didn't ask them to have perfect personalities or to be overly skilled in magic, and he definitely didn't ask them to have pureblood. Mat was one who liked being around good people.

"Do not try too hard," he said. "I think if you go at the rate you are now, you will be just fine."

Mat bowed a little when Kae applauded his dancing.

"Dance is one of the most beautiful of all artforms," he said. "I am very proud of what I have learned in it. And I would love to teach you. I believe everyone should have a chance to learn the art if they wish to."

@kaelyn

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She perked up at the word read, becoming pleasantly surprised at him calling himself a bookworm. She wouldn't have pegged him for one. But then again, who was she to make assumptions about other people. “You like to read?” her lips quirked upwards. “I do too. What do you prefer to read?”

Kaelyn tucked her hair behind her ear with a small bob of her head. “I'll try to remember that.” She briefly wondered if she'd been trying to hard to make friends and thus sending them away rather than bringing them closer to her. She hummed to herself quietly, suddenly lost in thought as she questioned what it meant to try too hard in regards of being a good person. She didn't think it was possible. Though she supposed if one was being a good person in order to fulfill their own goals it counted as trying to hard.

Her attention was drawn back to earth as Mat spoke again. “I don't know about other people's dancing, but yours is quite wonderful and you should be proud.” she murmured. “That would be great thank you! I'll be a good student I promise.”

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Mat smiled as Kae said she also liked to read, and hoped that she had similar interests in literature genres that he did.

"I read mostly non-fiction," he said. "Books on Potions, Arithmancy, History- both magical and non-magical, things like that. I do not care much for fiction. After all we live in a world with magic, trolls, dragons, and things like that. Why do we need fiction?" Mat chuckled a bit at that.

Mat smiled again when Kae said his dancing was wonderful.

"Merci," he said, bowing again. "I practice very hard at it."

When Kae said she wanted to learn, Mat offered his hand to her in order to lead her over to a more open space.

"Perhaps we can learn a few steps now, oui," he said. "Some steps I can show you now are very simple ones and a good base for one who is just starting to learn to dance." He stood patiently and politely and awaited to see if she wanted to go ahead and take her first lesson from him. Inside he was very thrilled to be able to teach a new person. He had been having a wonderful time teaching Ulani after all.

@kaelyn