wunderkind | OPEN POST pt III

-1-
pick a character

-2-
leave me a comment. maybe a scenario, maybe an AU scenario, maybe a picture, maybe a word,
maybe a request to resume old game canon, maybe just a comment.
i don't care. do your worst.

-2a-
helpful note: i am currently obsessed with the Walking Dead, coffee, summertime, AUs, and vampires. can you combine those into one tag?

-3-
let's get it on, like we did last summer

disclaimer: we probably won't get it on
+ there are no promises i will take this seriously

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

doggedly

"Stop."

Sirius bites out the word, short and caustic. It's a complete about-face from the kindness of those words of support. His shoulder still feels the ghost of that pressure from Edgeworth's little push, friendly and inclusive and awkward in the way of someone without many good friends--and Sirius had thought that without scorn, or even pity, just as simple fact--

But now his shoulder is tensed, his fingers tight around his cigarette. His moment of eye contact with Edgeworth, too, is gone; now he stares back out into the yard, cutting off contact with him.

"I'm not joining up," he says, flatly. "So you can leave off. All right?"

From:

jurisimpudent

That ought to hurt, of course. It certainly does make him feel awkward, and there ought to be bitter and unhappy disappointment at having his overture towards friendship rejected. But there's still a bit of warmth in him, because those kind words had been so genuine, and they'd been so meaningful. And that refusal had been his fault: he'd pushed too hard.

"All right," he says, staring down at his shoes again. And he gives a bit of silence, a moment for Sirius to smoke a little bit further down his cigarette and for himself to think this through. Black would be an asset; there's no question of that. This isn't just about saving him from his family, from a miserable life of society and people he hates. It's also that Sirius is smart, and powerful, and cunning. He would help in the enforcement of the law. He would help in tracking down Dark wizards. He would...help, too, in Edgeworth's investigations...

How far can this be taken?

Another moment, and then he says, "Let's get a drink. Down at Hogsmeade."

From:

doggedly

Staring out the window in that silence, Sirius does his best to think of nothing at all. Not of the past, and certainly not the future. Not Grimmauld Place, or the Ministry--not Diagon Alley or Knockturn Alley, the smoking ruin of the building after the collapse of the ceiling, the dim little holding room where he'd sat with Edgeworth for-- hours, it had seemed, until his father had come to collect him. He does his best to be as blank as possible, to stare, fixedly, at the grass, and think only of how green it looks, how green the summer will turn it, until it browns in too much sun, and dies, unless the groundskeeper should come along and charm it back to life again.

But even that sounds stupid and poetic and pathetic, in its way. He exhales, lets the smoke eke out his nose, and looks at the sky instead.

Edgeworth's words come quite suddenly, and he looks around at him, a little surprised--and barks a laugh when he's made sense of what he's said--not a cruel laugh, more one of disbelief.

"You're not serious."

From:

jurisimpudent

"Do you typically know me to joke?" That's a question that's perhaps a touch facetious. After all, Edgeworth knows perfectly well that he's known neither for joking nor for drinking, and even less the latter than the former; Sirius' disbelief is perfectly warranted. Still, his tone is pointed and ironic enough to communicate - hopefully - that he does mean it.

But this really would be his first time having a drink. He's old enough to drink now, and there are no rules against older students having a swallow of lager or whiskey or something of the sort off school grounds, and in seventh year one can go to Hogsmeade with a bit more freedom...He just hadn't, because it seemed improper and there was no one he would want to drink with. And he wasn't going to drink alone, with no one to watch his back.

Sirius would watch his back, though. No matter how much they are or aren't friends, no matter how much they do or don't like each other, Edgeworth trusts him completely.

"Come on. I'm done with lessons for the day."

Edited Date: 2014-09-28 05:56 pm (UTC)

From:

doggedly

"Sorry. Maybe what I should have asked is, d'you really expect me to agree?"

And there is something cutting in the way that he says that, something so sharp that it sounds more like he used to, if ever he was forced to speak to Edgeworth. It's easy to assume that tone again, let familiar snide superiority fill in all of the uncertain blanks. He does not go to Hogsmeade with just anyone. And even if he did, that crowd would still not contain Miles Edgeworth.

Except Sirius hasn't gone to Hogsmeade in ages, because it feels stupid to be there. Going through the motions without any real belief, like pretending at believing in Father Christmas when you'd already caught someone putting gifts under the tree. His sharpness is his defence, and if he worked at it, he could keep it up. He could drive Edgeworth away from him. It wouldn't take much, no matter how stubborn he is. Being friends with Sirius--or whatever he wants--it's not worth the headache.

Except there is no one that gets it, like Edgeworth. He was the one sat beside Sirius in that little room in the Ministry. They'd looked at one another from across a pile of rubble, under which they'd collectively squashed a Dark wizard. There's some things you don't come back from, not the same as you were when you went. He still does not like Edgeworth. He probably never will.

But he flicks his unfinished cigarette down into the courtyard and does not watch it fall--only turns to Edgeworth and stands, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Now?"

From:

jurisimpudent

Edgeworth wishes, when Sirius adopts that supercilious and nasty tone, that he didn't care. Black is a phenomenally difficult human being, and it would be so much easier if Edgeworth just didn't give a damn about him. Because they're not friends, and never will be, and it's not as though Edgeworth would ever be able change Black through kindness and decency. He wouldn't, even if Edgeworth were a kind and decent person, rather than a fussbudget who cares overmuch about the rules. This is all wasted effort, isn't it, chasing something he wants - help, comfort, someone who understands him...

But he does care. And so when Black turns towards him, and asks with his voice more normal again, less snide, there's a little leap of real happiness in him. He has to suppress a smile.

"Now is as fine a time as any," he says, forcing a casual and impartial air. He reaches up to tuck a bit of hair behind his ear, then pushes off from the wall. "Unless you're busy."

And that first comment just goes unreacted to. He pretends it wasn't uttered. That's all you can do with something like that, isn't it?

From:

doggedly

Sirius shrugs, somewhat sharply, all in his shoulders, without actually responding. But that's clearly meant to be as good as a yes, made obvious by the way he steps past Edgeworth into the corridor proper, his hands in his pockets and his shoulders hunched a little.

And there's still a part of him that thinks, as they walk--and it is they, because Edgeworth is going to fall in step just behind him, already has by the time Sirius is forming this thought--a nasty thought, that he's glad half the castle is so taken up with end-of-term business, because most of the corridors are empty, even at this time of day, and Hogsmeade will be empty as well, and no one will see him hanging around with Miles Edgeworth. It's two parts snobby to one part wary. He'll probably never be able to shake that disdain, not entirely--not for Edgeworth, nor for other muggle-borns (he does not think mudblood, though he could, and has), nor for muggles as a whole.

But as they start down the narrow spiral stair at the end of the corridor, Sirius remarks, somewhat distantly, "Don't s'ppose you're going to make me go to the Three Broomsticks, are you."

It's something of a conversation starter, anyways.

From:

jurisimpudent

"Is there something wrong with the Three Broomsticks?" That's the only pub Edgeworth knows, because the whole of his information about pubs in Hogsmeade comes from eavesdropping on the other students gossiping, and The Three Broomsticks is really the only one they gossip about. Honestly, his knowledge of Hogsmeade in general is quite limited. He's been down there a few times, certainly, but there's not much there he enjoys, and the other students don't seem to really enjoy his presence, either. They look at him and see a prefect, even outside of school. They start worrying about getting caught doing something they're not allowed to do.

Or, well...That's how they were before. Before everything that happened. Who knows what they see when they look at him now? Not a prefect, not exactly - He knows that well enough by the way they giggle or stare boldly when he tries to confiscate dungbombs and illicit cigarettes. Maybe now they'd respond to his demands to Hand that over with a solemn handshake and a promise to buy him a drink.

God, Edgeworth hopes no one will try to buy him a drink.

He reaches the end of the staircase, frowns slightly when the suit of armor down at the end of the hall starts to wriggle and clank. Peeves, no doubt, the absolute bane of Edgeworth's career as a prefect - but as they pass, the armor just bends over and lets loose a blast of flatulence at them. Edgeworth looks at Sirius and pulls a face, but provides no other reaction.

From:

doggedly

Suits of armor do not behave that way towards Sirius Black. He's got a good sense of humour, yeah, he can even manage self-depreciating--but that doesn't mean that he appreciates being the joke. Self-deprecating on personal terms only.

So as they pass the armor, he doesn't spare it so much as a glance or a wrinkle in his expression. But his wand slips into his hand, and he gives it a crisp wave, over his shoulder--

And the suit of armor dents right in the breastplate, as violently as if it were a can of beer crushed in a great fist. Helpless, it clatters to the floor, arms and legs folded in directions both odd and wrong.

Sirius doesn't even blink. "Hog's Head," he says, indifferently. "Three Broomsticks makes me feel like someone's using the Impediment Jinx to make me feel happy."

From:

jurisimpudent

"Right," Edgeworth replies vaguely, altogether taken aback by the ferocity of that attack. Peeves shoots out from the toppled suit of armor; the metal clatters across the stone floor, and starts shouting, stomping his feet and pulling faces -

"Black-hearted, that's what he is, Black-hearted, shame, shame, shame - "

"That sounds fine," Edgeworth adds, raising his voice just a little bit to be heard over the racket. He wonders if that's how Black and Peeves typically get along. Admittedly, it's a relationship that seems somewhat preferable to Edgeworth's, which typically consists of getting mocked by Peeves and trying desperately to maintain some sort of dignity and order. On the other hand, Edgeworth's relationship ends in no destruction of priceless ancient artefacts. "The Hog's Head will be quiet, I hope?"

From:

doggedly

The thing about Peeves is, at least he's a known quantity. That string of chanted insults, it's always the same, and the friendly antagonism that exists between Sirius and the poltergeist likewise endures. It's pathetic, maybe, that Sirius is somewhat grateful for the unchanging nature of Peeves, that he doesn't give a damn about anyone. Nasty and rude and uncompromising, expecting nothing out of anyone. People exist to be irritated and tormented. Wouldn't it be nice, to be so detached?

As they turn down the next corridor, leaving Peeves behind, Sirius gives the poltergeist a wave over his shoulder, both of dismissal and of acknowledgement. There's just the smallest hint of a smirk in his mouth now, and he actually looks around at Edgeworth.

"No one's ever there," he says, with another shrug, "except the bartender. He's a weird bloke. Smells a lot of goat, and I'm not sure I want to know why. But his whisky's better than what Rosemerta's got, even if he's not half as good to look at."

None of those qualities are likely things that Edgeworth cares about very much. Sirius doesn't have to ask him to know that it's so.

From:

jurisimpudent

Edgeworth does care about the emptiness, to be sure. It's certainly not that he's ashamed to be seen with Sirius Black - nothing of the sort. In a lot of ways, he would like to be seen with him, to prove that even someone of House Black will hobnob with a muggle-born. But that's really the issue, isn't it: Sirius has a lot at stake, and he will lose a lot if he's seen as part of Edgeworth's social circle. And, much as Edgeworth thinks that Black can well afford to lose all of that, it's not his place or his right to force Black's hand. If Black wants to cling to all of that, to the father who doesn't deserve his admiration and the cold and miserable house and the awful mother...

Well. That's his right.

The rest of it, Edgeworth couldn't give a damn about, of course: he's too busy to care about good to look at and hasn't the faintest idea what good whiskey is and is having bad allergies (he hates the spring) and can hardly smell anyways. But emptiness is valuable.

"And it's inexpensive, I hope?" Edgeworth has to work hard to seem cool and casual; he does a half-decent job of it now. "I don't want you to drain my bank vault. I am buying, by the way."

From:

doggedly

There's a little side-door here at the end of the short spiral staircase. Sirius shoulders it open and leads the way out into the sunshine. It's strangely bright and warm outdoors, for Scotland, but 'tis the season, when summer manages to wrest a little bit of a hold back over even the gloomiest of countrysides.

Sirius will summer on the coast of France somewhere, the same as always, with his parents and with Regulus, just down the lane from the same cousins and aunts and uncles, save for those who are now in Azkaban or who wait for their trials, trials he will have to attend, with his father, as if their family name means anything in this new world. Perhaps it still does. Between trials, they will drink wine and lay out on the seashore and go out on Aunt Lucretia's charmed yacht. And so on and so forth. Right now, though, Sirius is still unused to sunlight, and he's not yet had the opportunity to get that good and even tan that he always gets, every summer, without fail, while Narcissa and Regulus are sitting under the umbrella with noses already turning pink.

Except Narcissa is dead, he realises, and doesn't quite know how to feel about that.

To distract himself, he turns a flat look back on Edgeworth, his eyebrow raised just a little. "Why would you buy." It's not exactly a question, more of a flat statement, as if Edgeworth has uttered something entirely nonsensical. "You've not got that Ministry job yet, Edgeworth. Don't pretend as if you do."

From:

jurisimpudent

That's a bit offensive, though perhaps not completely unwarranted. Edgeworth is not well-off by most standards; he's had money enough for his books and his cauldrons throughout his time at Hogwarts, but not much more. And Sirius...Sirius is rich to the point where Edgeworth is a bit surprised he's even protesting. Rich people, after all, don't know just how much value money holds; they don't comprehend that there's any real sacrifice involved in laying down a sickle or two.

(But it never does really work to paint Black with the brush used to paint his peers. Because Black has that curious perceptiveness that borders nearly on sensitivity. Nothing gets past him.)

He shoves his hands into his pockets, and tilts his head back just a little bit to catch a little warm sun on his face. Winters have been hard for him at Hogwarts, every year; he'd been born in the States, in California, and had emigrated to Britain with his father only when he was eight. He was born without that peculiar gene that allowed one to withstand the endless dreary winters; when warmth finally comes, every year, it's a relief.

"I invited you out," he says, and with the sunshine comes something that's a bit akin to cheer. "I believe that's the way it works, isn't it?"

From:

doggedly

"It's not a date. Honestly." Sirius sneers, but it lacks some of its usual sharpness. The best way to argue with someone is to not really argue at all, just act as if your way is already the way that's been decided upon, and go from there. It's a little arrogant, and it always works.

This particular path toward Hogsmeade takes them past the lake. Out toward the middle, the giant squid waves a few of its tentacles, lazily, as if trying to catch some of the uncharacteristically lovely sunshine as well. Sirius glaces in that direction, tracking their path.

"How often did you ever go to Hogsmeade?" he asks, idly.

From:

jurisimpudent

"Hogsmeade?" Edgeworth gives a rueful, self-conscious little smile, then pushes his hands into his pockets. "This'll be the third time, I think."

He looks over at Sirius, watching him watch the squid. Out here, in the sun, he does look less severe and judgmental. He sounds it, too. That's a question asked like a friend would ask.

"What about you? You ended up there often, I imagine." He seems like the sort, doesn't he?

From:

doggedly

Edgeworth's total count makes him snort, more dismissive than outright scornful. Sirius turns over his lighter in his pocket, rubs his thumb over its smooth side. Turns it over again, almost compulsive. It's always more difficult to think of his family, in times like this. Like the outdoors somehow distances them, in a realm where they don't like to set foot and where they have no real sway.

Not exactly true. Hogwarts grounds still falls under the Hogwarts Board of Governors, on which the Black family has traditionally held a seat for hundreds of years. But it's still hard to let that sort of thing matter much to him, in a moment like this.

"I'd really rather you not speculate on my social life," he drawls, though it lacks any real offense or critique. "But yeah, as a matter of fact. Every weekend they opened it to us, I went. Why wouldn't I? Why waste the opportunity and only go three time?"

From:

jurisimpudent

There are some answers that would make Edgeworth seem sadder, and some that would make him seem less sad. It doesn't matter which one he gives, of course; after all, Sirius knows him, and knows perfectly well that he's poor, and that he's friendless, and that he doesn't like drinking or pranking or spending or doing anything that more normal students like. But for some reason, he does sort of want to save face, and so he doesn't give that answer. Nor does he confess that he doesn't want to trample on others' fun; that would make him sound soft, and he doesn't want to seem soft. So he gives this answer, no less true than the other two.

"Hogsmeade weekends are the only times when the castle is quiet." He smiles a little bit, a little embarrassed and self-conscious, but only a little. "You hardly ever get a moment to yourself here. Especially amongst the Gryffindors. When all the other students are gone, I can actually have a bit of privacy."

The need for privacy is one he hasn't lost, not in all this time. He's been seven years at Hogwarts, now, and his summers have been spent in the group home; he hasn't had a room to himself since the last time he was with his dad. He misses the quiet and the tranquility, not having to worry about others. He's looking forward to it again, once he's gone from here.

From:

doggedly

Under other crueler circumstances, Sirius might ferret out truer reasons for Edgeworth's reluctance to socialise. Like a dog on a scent, he has an uncanny ability to guess when someone is lying, especially when they lie about something that might embarrass them. It's a bully's instinct, one he can either use or ignore.

In front of an audience, he would not ignore it. Or maybe it's better to say that he could not; he would make some snide remark, some sideways reference to Edgeworth's status as a loser, and everyone would laugh.

As they walk beside the lake, though, Sirius only digs his lighter out of his pocket and flicks it open, lets the flame stand a moment before he snaps it out once more, quick and caustic.

"Why don't you just find an empty classroom," he suggest, without any particular feeling. At most, it's a mild you're an idiot if you've not considered this sort of tone.

From:

jurisimpudent

Edgeworth shoots Black a you're an idiot glance right in return. Much more emphatic; where Sirius seemed disinterested, he's got a bit of conviction. "Black, I'm not going to take over a classroom to get a bit of quiet. You're missing the point entirely."

And yet - he follows that up with a very slight shrug and smile. Hard to really feel irritated.

"It's stressful having people about. And occupying a classroom would be stressful, as well, because I'd have to reserve it, hang a sign, all of it. The point is not having to worry about all of that for a few minutes."

From:

doggedly

Oh, come off it, is the look that Sirius returns to him. Not actually irritated either, not even really annoyed. This look borders on something that contains a bit too much camaraderie, or something very like it. There is, of course, a distinct lack of understanding--why would anyone opt to waste their time considering ways in which to get a bit of quiet when there are far more straightforward ways of getting said quiet--but this is more tolerant than judgmental.

"Hang a sign," he repeats. By his tone, these three words are, beyond a doubt, the stupidest thing said yet today. "Why not just tell anyone trying to muscle in on you to bugger off."

From:

jurisimpudent

"Right, because people here respect that sort of thing," he replies, leveling a very pointed look back at Black, who is amongst the foremost individuals who would not heed a sign like that. "A sign would be an invitation for interference. And I would not magically seal off the classroom, either, before you suggest that, because that's against the rules." And that is said in a very firm tone of voice, because he will not brook any suggestion that he possibly break rules.

They're drawing near the edge of the anti-Apparition field; it's marked off on this side by a little stand of three trees. He starts adjusting his cloak to hang more securely over his shoulders as they approach; he always gets himself physically in order before he Apparates, because that always orders him mentally as well. Concentration is the key here, as he told the long string of students in his year who had failed to receive their licences.

"Besides, you'll still have people stomping around outside the classroom. Absolute silence is the key."

From:

doggedly

That was exactly what Sirius was about to suggest. He rolls his eyes a little when he's preempted from doing so, and pushes his hands back into his pockets. His own cloak needs no adjusting--as always, Sirius manages a look that's equal parts dashing and casually, elegantly rumpled. No stint on the outskirts of his family's favour could prevent that. Pureblood heritage is good for good looks, at least. (Sometimes.)

His own thoughts toward Apparation are equally cavalier. Just another thing to do, and as they step beyond the trees, Sirius actually yawns.

"It's a pity the Ministry's getting you," he remarks, half to himself. "You'd make an excellent librarian. Give old Pince a run for her money."

From:

jurisimpudent

"Librarianship is more than simply wanting silence, Black," Edgeworth says, trying to sound severe and disapproving. Truthfully, though, he's more than a little pleased to hear that comment (no matter that it's based only upon his desire for silence); he's always found Ms. Pince a marvelous woman, and he would be proud to follow in her footsteps. Indeed, he's had a great many conversations with her of considerable length and depth, and he has called upon her considerable knowledge more than once. He hopes some day to be so professional and competent.

He takes a breath and stands still. He brings his thoughts into line, concentrates on his destination. Then he gives a half turn and Apparates, smoothly and seamlessly, stepping into Hogsmeade with hardly more than a slight loss of breath.

"In any case, that's simply my reason for wanting to stay in," he continues when Black appears beside him. "I don't think that's unreasonable."

From:

doggedly

The crack that Sirius' reappearance makes is a clean crisp sound. He steps off without pause, his hands already pushed back into his pockets. Smoking while Apparating and Disapparating leaves you liable to splinching your still-burning cigarette into your lungs, no matter how talented you are--but now that he's safely on the other end, Sirius digs out his pack again. Too many too fast, probably. He'll have finished these off by the end of the day.

"S'ppose it isn't unreasonable," he allows, with half a shrug, "but it is a bit stupid. You could probably have carved out a regular booth in the Three Broomsticks for yourself and done your studying there. At least you'd have had the chance at getting a pint of something besides pumpkin juice. It would have been great training for your upcoming Ministry tenure: a load of idiots, a load of noise, and a load of conversation you probably don't want to be having or overhearing. Much better preparation than the silence of a half-empty common room."