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Post by Magnus Crane on Mar 4, 2012 22:49:02 GMT -5
The sun, finally beginning to emerge after a morning of rain showers, shone brightly over the courtyard where Magnus Crane happened to be pondering over his latest literary masterpiece. It was actually quite terrible and cliche, and read like a school girl's diary, but Magnus was perfectly okay with that. After experiencing a month long case of writer's block, it was just a relief to be writing again.
Having completed all weekend homework the previous evening, Magnus was free to spend the entirety of his weekend putting his muse to good use. It was just past noon when he made it to the courtyard and the benches were still wet from the morning's dreary weather conditions, but a simple drought charm cleared everything up nicely. Once he was positioned on a bench of his choosing, Magnus unpacked several sheets of parchment, two quills, and a bottle of ink, all placed neatly beside him, and went straight to work. An entire hour passed by and another, and Magnus never once looked up, not even as he placed one full sheet of parchment down in exchange for a fresh one. It wasn't until Mother Nature decided to intervene and a huge gust of wind sent his stack of papers flying in every direction, that he remembered where he was, and by then it was too late. The small rain puddles scattered throughout the courtyard reduced his brilliance to nothing but badly smeared ink. He did manage to salvage a page or two, but compared to the ten pages that were destroyed, it really didn't matter. What really pissed him off the most, however, was the fact that not a single passerby stopped to help. He really hated people sometimes. Feeling utterly defeated and hopeless at this point, Magnus resumed his place at the bench, determined to spend the rest of the afternoon sulking.
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Post by Bryony Bishop on Mar 4, 2012 23:00:25 GMT -5
Blue sky, birds singing, damp glistening grass...a perfect day. Gone were the rainclouds and the gloom that had settled over the castle earlier, which demanded an outing. Her trainers hanging by a shoelace looped across the back of her neck, Bryony's bare feet stomped across the field of green, delighting in the feel of it against her bare feet. She lifted her head up, eyes shut, and felt the weak rays of the sun on her face. It wasn't that warm yet, but even the slight rise in temperature felt like heaven to her. She was on her way back to the castle, and dawdled as much as possible, not wanting to put her shoes on yet. As she got closer to the courtyard, she sighed in resignation when she saw someone there. It meant she had to put her shoes on sooner, unless she wanted to be seen by whoever it was, and get taunted for her 'muggle hippie ways'. She was pretty sure she knew who it was, but she wasn't taking any chances, she'd made that mistake before.
Before she could take her shoes down, several of the papers the boy had been holding flew across the courtyard and began to scatter. Without thinking, she ran over, and grabbed a few sheets that were closest, before they began to get too wet. She shook them gently, and saw that most of the writing was intact. Unfortunately, Bryony couldn't help reading some of it, and it made her curious. It obviously wasn't homework, and it wasn't a letter home...
Just a moment later, she was at Magnus' back, papers clutched lightly in her hand. She was glad he wasn't facing her, as she felt a familiar warmth spread up from her neck at some of what she had read. She tapped his shoulder firmly, not wanting to look as awkward as she felt at that moment. Head down, arm out, she thrust the sheets out, not trusting herself to even look up. He would think she was some kind of busybody for reading his stuff, or worse yet, some kind of pervert freak.
"I believe these are yours..."
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Post by Magnus Crane on Mar 5, 2012 21:01:59 GMT -5
The only comforting thought that kept Magnus from tearing off his clothing and running through the castle naked in a fit of burning rage, was the the fact that the story was a piece of crap and he probably would have given up on it anyway. With the creative dry spell lifted, there were so many fresh ideas floating around in his head, he was sure to come up with something new in no time. He definitely wanted to have a go at a love story, not the typical vomit inducing cliche Romeo and Juliet spiel that's been attempted far too many times, but something completely original and shag worthy. Yes, his primary goal was to win the hearts of women everywhere and have them throw themselves at him in hordes, but he supposed that would have to wait several more years, or least until there was more than one strand of hair on his chest. Magnus wasn't exactly the epitome of sex appeal, nor was he looking to be just yet. On the other hand, he was always told to "write what you know" and if he wanted to write a love story of epic proportions he supposed he'd actually have to experience romantic love...which required being in the presence of a living breathing female, and not just long enough to ask for a spare quill.
...shudder....
The thought terrified him.
Even more frightening was the freak who crept up behind him like a ninja. Magnus was so startled by Bryony that he fell over backward and landed at her feet, unable to prevent a clear view of her knickers. He wanted to look away...he really should have looked away, but instead he lay motionless, a huge grin spread wide across his face.
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Post by Bryony Bishop on Mar 5, 2012 22:22:27 GMT -5
Several thoughts crossed Bree's mind at once. First...Crane wrote this wankfest in her hand? Second, how could she ever look him in the face again. Third...PERVERT!
Right before she smacked the top of his goofy head, and took a step back, gripping her skirt tightly in her hands, keeping it bunched up as closely to her legs as possible.
"You creep! You..." her eyes narrowed and she looked down in contempt, and not a little embarrassment. The next thing she expected was for him to go running off and tell all the boys he got a peek at her knickers, it was such a boy thing to do. She bent a little and looked him in the eye to make her point.
"You ever do that again...you ever TELL anyone you did it to begin with...you'll wake up on fire" she spit out, daring him to say anything other than, 'anything you say' or some synonym for it. She grabbed her sneaker and held it up over her head, wishing for a moment it was one of a pair of cleats, but it would have to do.
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Post by Magnus Crane on Mar 6, 2012 9:35:34 GMT -5
His moment of bliss was cut short, as he was smacked upside the head. His body had fallen into such an awkward position it took several moments before he was able to get back on his feet. Magnus was sore in all sort of places, but he would have thrown himself down a flight of stairs if it meant catching another glimpse of Bryony's undergarments.
"I'm so sorry! You just came out of nowhere and I wasn't expecting it and ----no no, no fire. It was an accident. Will never happen again, I promise." He desperately pleaded, hands held up in surrender. He wasn't really sorry, of course. It was the most amazing experience next to holding his wand for the first time, but from her perspective he understood how embarrassing it must have been, and for that he apologized.
"Aaa-nd before you go beating the snot out of me, just think about it like this; it could have been worse. You could have not been wearing anything under your skirt at all and I could have seen a whole lot more, right? SO it's really not that bad when you think about it." he attempted to smile, but held back in fear of setting her off. He didn't take to beatings too well and Bryony Bishop looked like she could take down an army of dark wizards.
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Post by Bryony Bishop on Mar 6, 2012 15:28:31 GMT -5
For all of his pleadings, Crane sounded like he was full of it. Sorry? Pft, sorry he got caught was more like it. He didn't just happen to see her underwear he was STARING at it like a starving man stares at a crown roast...She didn't really want to fight though, and frankly wouldn't have known how to go about it even if she wanted to. She was pretty sure some of it was sarcasm on his part anyway, and she wasn't even sure how to react to it. She wasn't witty or quick with the clever responses, so she just glared at him for a moment more for good measure, then sat on the abandoned bench.
She shuffled the few surviving papers around a bit, trying to restore some kind of chronological order to it, and sighed. She wanted to mark a few points but didn't want her chicken scrawl all over the paper. Crane had lovely handwriting, which she never would have guessed, him being a guy and all. Most of the boys she knew wrote like they were writing with their feet. Instead she put her finger on a paragraph beginning and trailed down the paper to nearly the end of the page, to show where she was looking.
"You're going about it all wrong, you know..."
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Post by Magnus Crane on Mar 6, 2012 16:40:38 GMT -5
Magnus assumed her cold hard stare meant he was a goner so he was very much relieved when she seated herself on the bench, a clear indication that she was sparing his soul, for now anyway. He'd forgotten all about the fiasco with the papers and it wasn't until she began shuffling them around that he remembered why she walked up to him in the first place.
"OOOOH MY--you can't read that!" he hurled himself forward and snatched the papers out of her hands so fast, anyone would have thought he was reenacting the final play of a Quidditch match. Magnus had no intention of writing the story over, nor was there any inspiration left him in to do so even if he wanted, but that didn't mean anyone could just stroll by and start reading without his consent. Not only was it poorly written, but it was a love story for chrissakes, and she was sure to run over to her little friends and poke fun about the creepy girly boy Magnus Crane, and surely she would quote his work and mock him in the hallways. He felt his face flush from embarrassment and threw one leg over so that there was one on either side of the bench, and sat with his back facing her. He pulled up the page Bryony looked over previously and smacked a hand to his forehead. It was the crappiest of all the pages written.
"It was just a draft. So whatever you have to say, you can just shove it. I don't need your negative input..."
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Post by Bryony Bishop on Mar 6, 2012 18:27:58 GMT -5
Bryony made a face and grabbed the papers right back.
"You shouldn't grab, didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude?", she said, as she pulled a pencil out of her pocket and began drawing lines and arrows on the parchment, despite her previous resolve to avoid doing so.
"I know it's a draft, but it's a good draft", she insisted, without even looking up at him for a reaction. She had drawn a box around an entire section of the third page and made arrows around it, indicating it to be moved forward some pages...which weren't there.
"Look, take this section for instance" she pointed at what she had marked, "Ok, it's a little rough but it's good. But...it's not right for a first time, is it?"
She hurried on, forgetting their mutual embarrassment now that her inner boss had been channeled. "Ok, now if it's really their first time, right...you don't have them going at it like raging hippogriffs fighting over a jarvey carcass. Move this toward the middle -DON'T cut it, just MOVE it, - and write something more...I dunno, more slow, syrupy, quieter."
She had no experience of her own, but she read tons of romances the housekeeper kept under the sofa when she though Bryony wasn't looking, and the girl had read them all.
"Ok...we don't need candy, and candles, and rose petals on the bed...I mean they're stranded, right? But just slow it down, make it more about bliss, and longing looks, and how wonderful it is to learn about someone's preferences that first time, and stow the heated passion for a later chapter...Like...make her a little nervous at first...make it about him overcoming her fears and facing the physical side of their love with young enthusiasm!" her voice had gotten louder, her eyes were shining and she wasn't even seeing who she was talking to, her mind had run away with her again.
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Post by Magnus Crane on Mar 6, 2012 19:58:45 GMT -5
She grabbed the papers so suddenly he almost fell off the bench again. There was no time to protest either. By the time he swung back around to face her, Bryony was marking everything up. She seemed to know what she was doing too, which made him wonder if she was a writer as well. He'd never met anyone else who liked to write like he did, at least not seriously. His cousin Richard stumbled upon a muggle comic book once and became obsessed with creating his own. They were stupid and full fart jokes, definitely not something Magnus could relate to. If Bryony enjoyed writing as much as he did, perhaps he could convince her to swap stories sometime.
He scooted closer to get a better look at what she was referring to, and almost immediately Magnus wished Bryony would have beaten him to death when she had the chance.
Ok, now if it's really their first time, right...you don't have them going at it like raging hippogriffs fighting over a jarvey carcass.
He had a feeling that scene was taken a bit too far, but what the hell did he know? Magnus was almost completely ignorant of all things pertaining to...love making. It was something never discussed in his household and whenever he mustered up the courage to ask, Mum would pretend not to hear him and Dad would suddenly have to report back to work for an emergency meeting. Anything he did know was picked up from conversations overheard in the boy's dormitory. Bryony was obviously an authority on the subject, so it was best not to question her. Although he hadn't planned on continuing the story, he greatly appreciated any pointers she was willing to share.
"Oh, I suppose you're right about that. I guess I got carried away by the idea of it.." he sheepishly admitted. "Was it like that for you? Your first time, that is. Was it uh, slow..and more about bliss...or did you go at it like a herd of hungry beasts?" His tried his best to seem indifferent. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he was a judgmental prick. It was no business of his if Bryony chose to get around with boys the way she did.
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Post by Bryony Bishop on Mar 6, 2012 20:55:37 GMT -5
Bree was excited and happy, and glad to have a captive audience. He seemed like he was really paying attention, and it wasn't that kind of, 'oh aren't you cute, what little ideas are you coming up with that pretty little head of yours' kind of look that some of the older boys used when she wanted to suggest something, like in quidditch. He was really absorbing it, and nodding in all the right places, and it made her more excited, and she started to smile, until...
"Was it like that for you? Your first time, that is. Was it uh, slow..and more about bliss...or did you go at it like a herd of hungry beasts?"
Bastard. What a complete and utter bastard. He had been leading her on with all of his head nodding, and polite interest, and his feigned agreement, just to hit her below the belt...
"You...you..." she began to sputter incoherently, not even sure there were words to describe him, the little creep.
"You bastard!" she finally got out, and punched him in the shoulder as hard as she could, before getting up and trying to flounce off, without looking at him, her chin up, face front, cheeks even pinker than earlier when she first handed him his crap back.
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Post by Magnus Crane on Mar 6, 2012 21:41:50 GMT -5
Magnus winced and took what was coming to him. He rather she punched him in the shoulder than anywhere below the waist. He knew what it was like to be struck in the crown jewels and it wasn't pretty.
Aside from a few whimpers, there was no reaction from Magnus at first. He was too busy trying to figure out what the hell he said that was so wrong. She made it perfectly clear that she was a woman of experience. If he didn't know any better, it was almost as if she was throwing herself at him, with her talk of longing looks and heated passion. All he did was ask about her first time, something SHE brought up in the first place.
He rolled the sleeve of his shirt up as much as possible expecting to find a horribly bruised mark on his shoulder, but there was nothing of the sort. Regardless, it still hurt like a mofo and he was going to make sure she knew it. "OW Jeez...you hit like a man!" He rubbed on the non existent bruise. "You need to mellow the hell out. All I did was ask you a question.."
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Post by Bryony Bishop on Mar 6, 2012 21:57:14 GMT -5
She spun back around, still speechless. Almost.
"Ask me a question? You didn't JUST ask me question. You automatically assumed I was some kind of tramp that just sleeps around...Hello? Fourteen? I'm not even allowed to date yet, you perverted idiot. What the hell kind of girls you have in Hufflepuff that you think all fourth years sleep around? Do I look like I've been with so many guys that you have to ask me about my first time like I've had a million times after that? Well?"
The entire time she was speaking, she had advanced back on him, and each syllable was accented with a tiny thump, almost exactly where she had slugged him a moment before, getting not so tiny with each word.
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Post by Magnus Crane on Mar 6, 2012 22:19:17 GMT -5
Okay, now he was annoyed. She was acting like some innocent fair maiden and all the while made him out to be a perverted freak.
Magnus smacked her hand away before she could get in another jab at his arm, and stood up to face his enemy in the eye, like any proper wizard in battle would do.
"EXCUSE me, but YOU were the one who decided to share your infinite wisdom on the appropriate way to write a sex scene. I didn't ASK for your input. How could you possible know so much about 'first times' if you've never done it before? What did you EXPECT ME TO THINK?!?!?!"
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Post by Bryony Bishop on Mar 7, 2012 20:12:09 GMT -5
When he smacked her hand away and stood up over her, it threw her off balance. She hadn't expected him to assert himself so quickly, and him towering over her was unnerving.
For a minute.
Then she regrouped and met him toe to toe, glaring up at him, unwilling to back down in front of this big, blonde...something...
She ignored the bit about not asking for her input. People rarely asked for what they needed, so she wasn't going to ask for thanks, but she DID expect a dedication on the front page of his first bestseller. At the very least.
"What did I expect you to think? How about that I READ romance novels before? You're supposed to be the budding writer, didn't you do any research? Or was YOUR first time like that? All panting and shoving and scratching and screaming out each others name and stuff?"
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