Free Falling (Open)

[Elliot Lyons]

Whenever he had an opportunity, Elliot slipped away from school life and climbed up to the Astronomy tower. It never mattered what time of day it was. The only thing that mattered was that Elliot was having time to himself. Time away from everyone else so that he could think about things.

For being only sixteen, a lot weighed on the boy's mind. After all, he had to worry about his sister, Savannah. She tried extremely hard to be a lady but Elliot knew his sister and he could see that she was holding back, just like he usually did. Then there was the matter of his older brother, Ryder. Ryder seemed distant and Elliot knew that it was as if he and Savannah came from a different world than their older brother. Elliot wanted to be like Ryder; he wanted to break off the way his parents forced him to be. The only reason he remained like he was was because of Savannah. He couldn't leave her behind. Elliot wanted to play sports, to just open up and have fun, but he was chained and he just couldn't do it. Sure, his parents weren't there, but sometimes it was like they were. In addition to that, there was the matter of his uncle. Well, that seemed to be a completely different story. Although, Elliot wished that Ryder would tell them to come stay with him but he knew that wasn't going to happen.

With all of that going on, Elliot wondered what he was going to do once he finished school. He had no idea what he was really good at. Sure, he was good when it came to academics but that was because it was forced upon him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to work in the Ministry or not. Elliot only had another year, well, less than a year to figure it out.

Maybe, just maybe, if he tried to break free from the chains it seemed like he wore, he could get Savannah to do the same. He could see that she didn't want to always act like she was a perfect lady. It pained him to see her that way. Maybe there was something that could just make her open up.

As all the thoughts were running through Elliot's head, he took a seat on the floor, bringing his knees up to his chest and putting his arms around them as the world around him seemed to disappear.

[Ingrid Regan]

The noise in the common room was getting to be too much again. Ingrid had long since finished her homework, and was trying to read peacefully in the corner, but it was getting hard to concentrate. All the talking and the laughing... it was all something Ingrid didn't know how to be part of.

Finally, Ingrid closed her book and slipped out of the common room. She was known for wandering the castle, but right now, she just wanted a quiet place to read. Sometimes she went up to the Room of Requirement to read, so she went up to the seventh floor. However, when she tried to go into the Room of Requirement, the door would not appear for her. This meant that someone was using it. So she continued on to the Astronomy tower, thinking that at this time of day it would be deserted.

When she entered the room, she didn't see that anyone else was there. So she settled into a corner and opened up her book.

[Elliot Lyons]

The world came rushing back as he heard footsteps of someone walking. The footsteps were light, but it drew his attention anyway. Maybe it was just because he was listening to the quietness as his thoughts were running through his head.

Elliot's eyes moved to the stairs and the first thing he noticed was the girl's red hair. Being the quite one he was if he was alone, he had noticed her before. She seemed to just slip by everyone else to get wherever she was going. He had also noticed her in a couple of his classes.

His previous thoughts disappeared for a moment as he watched her pass right by him. Elliot was not too far from her and he started to wonder if she just came here to escape it all too. He was going to continue to be quite and let her have her quite time as well. There was no harm in sharing a quite place. He turned to look back, allowing his thoughts to drift back to where they once were before, that was until he let out a sneeze.

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid was just getting absorbed in her book when a sudden sneeze brought her crashing back to reality. She jumped in her seat, dropping her book, and looked around the room frantically.

When she spotted Elliott in the opposite corner, she smiled sheepishly. She waved at him, then lightly touched her nose, which was her way of saying "bless you." Although Ingrid didn't speak, she did have her own way of communicating when she wanted to, if anyone bothered to pay attention.

[Elliot Lyons]

Elliot did mean to scare her. He heard her book hit the floor, and he instantly felt sorry. Being the kind of guy he was, he stood up and walked over toward her since he saw that she hadn't picked it up yet. Usually Elliot was really shy around people, but he felt the need to apologize to her.

He picked up her book and offered it to her. "Thank you," he said with a light smile. From what he noticed, Ingrid never spoke to anyone. He wasn't sure if it was just because she couldn't or if it was just because she wouldn't. "I-I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry."

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid had already figured out that he must have been sitting in the room before she came in. She would have heard him enter; her hearing was extremely sharp, probably because she spent her time listening and not speaking.

She accepted her book from his hand with a shy smile and nod. Setting it down on her lap, she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and looked up at him. He was a Ravenclaw, she recognized. She thought his name began with an E.

Waving off his apology, she patted the spot next to her. It was a silent invitation to join her. The gesture was rare for her; there were only a few people she really ever attempted to reach out to. But she recognized him as the quiet sort, one who wouldn't prattle on and on.

[Elliot Lyons]

Noticing her invitation, and being the polite boy that his parents wanted him to be, Elliot took the seat next to her. He sat down carefully so he wouldn't just clumsily bump into her as he sat down. "Thanks," he said.

Elliot was relaxed as he brought his knees up to his chest and put his arms around them. For a moment, he was quiet. He already knew that Ingrid wasn't much of a talker, and he wasn't all that talkative around new people. Clearing his throat, he motioned to her book. "Is it really good?"

[Ingrid Regan]

Having a conversation with Ingrid was difficult, but not as impossible as one might have thought. The trouble was that most people didn't try.

She looked at him as he spoke, and when he asked her if her book was good, she nodded and handed it to him. The book was The Incredible Journey, a book about three animals that ran away through the mountains to find their family. She had read it before, and it had made her cry. She liked it because she liked reading about animals. She touched her hand to the corner of her eye, then trailed it down her cheek, indicating tears. Then she sort of hugged herself, as if to say it had a happy ending.

[Elliot Lyons]

Having never spoken to Ingrid, Elliot wasn't sure what to really expect. He was never one to make fun of others.

He accepted the book whenever she offered it to him. "The Incredible Journey," he read out loud, yet to himself. Elliot glanced back to her. "It's sad," he asked as he saw her finger go down her cheek, "but happy?" He didn't quite get that she meant happy ending, but at least he could understand her a little.

Elliot offered her the book back. "I might have to read it sometime." After his last sentence, he realized that he probably talked more to Ingrid, than he had anyone else he had just met. He gave her a smile. "I'm Elliot by the way," he said feeling the need to introduce himself, even if she wouldn't introduce herself in return.

[Ingrid Regan]

She gave a smile and nod, acknowledging his name. Elliot. It was a nice name, and it suited him. The more she listened to him, the more she liked him. He had a trustworthy face, and a gentleness in his voice.

To introduce herself, she reached up and pulled a necklace out from under her robes. It was a simple chain with a pendant that spelled out her name in gold script. She leaned forward slightly, holding the necklace out to him.

[Elliot Lyons]

The red head still hadn't said a word to him but Elliot didn't mind. Even though she wasn't verbally speaking, she was still talking to him. She seemed to put him at ease during their conversation.

Whenever Elliot looked at her face, there was something written there but he couldn't tell what that was. He knew better than to push things on people because it would only push them away.

His eyes fell to the pendant that spelled out her name. Elliot leaned a little forward so that he could read it. "Ingrid," he asked as he let his eyes move back up. "That's a nice name. It's nice to meet you Ingrid." For a moment he felt a little awkward about what came out before he said it was nice to meet her, but Elliot was able just to let it roll off.

"Do you come up here a lot?"

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid lifted one shoulder casually when Elliot said that she had a nice name. She had actually never liked her name. It was ugly, she thought, and brought to mind the image of a small, slimy bug or something. At least that was how she saw it. It was an ungrateful thought, however, since it had been her mother's name. The name was pretty much the only connection she had with the mother she had never known. She looked like her father, with his red hair, brown eyes, and pale skin. She couldn't forget him. But she had never met her mother, and she didn't even have a picture of her. All she had was her name.

She smiled when he said it was nice to meet her. She didn't really have many people who stayed to talk to her. They all thought she was weird, just because she didn't speak. They never thought that maybe they were weird because they said too much.

Did she come up here a lot? Well, no more than other places. Really, she tried to spend as much time away from the common room as possible. It didn't even matter where else she went, as long as it was away from everyone else. Most of the time, she really did just want to be left alone. She couldn't really communicate all of that to him, though, so she just nodded.

[Elliot Lyons]

For once in his life, Elliot didn't feel as shy as he normally would speaking to someone new. He also usually didn't start the conversations but he supposed the really was a first time for everything. So far, he hadn't noticed Ingrid attempting to be judgmental of him. She was smiling and communicating, so that wasn't bad, right? Elliot tried to shut his brain down from thinking too much about the situation and over analyzing it.

"I can understand," he said. "The need to get away and to have quietness so that you can think or read." Elliot realized that he might have been talking to much. Since when did he sort of babble? "I'm not bothering you am I?"

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid gave a silent sort of laugh. It often happened to people who attempted to talk to her; they found themselves thinking that they were talking too much. Sometimes they did talk too much, but Ingrid didn't mind it when Elliot did it. He wasn't the type to just babble stupidly about nothing in particular. In fact, she sort of felt like he was a kindred spirit. He was quiet, too, and he liked to be alone. She could identify.

She shook her head, indicating that she was not bothered by his talking. Then she sort of indicated the rooom with a wave of her hand, then pointed at him. This was her way of asking him why he had come up here.

[Elliot Lyons]

In a way, Elliot was wondering if he was talking to much, but for the most part, he was just wondering if he was bothering her in the sense of her reading. He noticed the dance of laughter in her eyes and the smile on her face. Sometimes he would see that look in his sister's eyes if she was trying not to laugh, so he knew right away she was laughing. A smile appeared on his face, then he let out a sigh as she motioned about the room.

"I just wanted to get away from the common room and everyone else. It was quiet there, but it's just not the same. I can think better up here." There was a light trace of a smile. "And if you are wondering, you're not bothering any thoughts, promise. This is a good distraction." Elliot wanted her to know that she didn't disturb him in any way, that was if she thought so.

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid's smile was shy. Elliot was nicer to her than most people were. There was one girl in her house who only talked to her so that she could unload all of her secrets on her, knowing that she'd never tell. And it was true, she wouldn't. And she was generally not judgemental, either. Who was she to judge how other people lived their lives? She was the daughter of a conman. And her father had done horrible things, but Ingrid still loved him and missed him every day.

She nodded at his comment and stared down at her book for a minute. Then she looked up at him with a smile and pointed to the Gryffindor seal on her robes, then covered her ears, attempting to tell him that Gryffindors were loud.

[Elliot Lyons]

He couldn't help but laugh when she covered her ears. Whenever he was around Gryffindors, they did tend to be loud. "Yeah, I know," he said. "Ravenclaws can be the same way if they get excited enough."

There were times that Elliot didn't mind the noise, and there were times when he wished that he was a part of that noise. Of course, if he and Cameron were hanging out, they would end up making their own noise, but that was different. If his friend wasn't there, he was usually the quiet shy guy in the corner with his nose in a book, studying, or working on homework.

At the moment, Elliot didn't really feel all that shy. He could see that Ingrid was extremely nice and even though she chose not to speak, she was pretty good at conversation. Elliot also realized that more than likely not a lot of people took the time to just talk with her. He did feel slightly honored that she even wanted to talk to him.
"I think coming here is probably the most quiet place in the castle, well at least this time of day."

[Ingrid Regan]

She nodded, then pointed up at the sky. The tower was, of course, known for its excellent view, and that was what she loved about it. Sometimes, when the weather was just unbearably cold, the view from the tower was her only taste of outside and freedom.

Ingrid knew some places that were just as good, if not better. The Room of Requirement was good, if no one was using it. There were secret passages and other secret rooms that she had discovered as well. There was even a secret tower that she went to sometimes, but it was all the way on the other side of the castle from here. If Elliot continued to talk to her after this, maybe she would show him some of the things she had discovered.

She found herself frowning. She had never before thought of showing anyone else the places she had found in the castle. She usually preferred to keep these things to herself. What was different about Elliot that such an idea had occurred to her?

[Elliot Lyons]

"The sky is usually nice to look at," he agreed. Elliot thought the blue skies were soothing, as well as coming up at night when the stars shined bright as long as no one else had claimed the tower. He had accidentally walked in while a couple was kissing. Elliot couldn't remember a time that his face was redder after that.

He knew that he would continue to speak to Ingrid after they went their separate ways once they left the tower. Elliot would make sure he made a point to speak to her. He would even take a seat next to her if no one else was there.

Seeing a frown on Ingrid's face made Elliot's mind start turning with reasons she could be frowning, although he found that the thoughts were far too jumbled and it was best if he just asked. "What's wrong?"

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid was startled by the question. She had not realized that her thoughts were showing on her face, and she didn't want him to think she was unhappy with him. That was the trouble with not talking; it meant that anyone who cared enough to pay attention would be more likely to notice changes in facial expressions. She just wasn't used to having people pay attention.

Quickly, she shook her head and smiled lightly. Tapping her finger to her head, she indicated to him that she had just been thinking about something, hoping he would understand that it was not him that had made her frown. Then she shrugged.