Sunday Best (Kennedy...open ish)

[jacob]

Conan walked outside for a while, casually making his way around the familiar ground. He circled trees and at one point jumped up and caught hold of a branch in one, swinging forward and letting go. He laughed to himself as he landed on his feet as usual. The grass was soft enough that it cushioned his impact and made it feel like landing on a bed. He didn’t break pace once through his antics and continued moving towards his destination.

The lake was definitely one of his favorite places to hang out, indifferent towards neither the time of year nor the circumstances of the weather. Rain or shine, cold or hot, Conan could often be found sitting by the lake.

He lowered himself onto the pillow soft, green grass and removed his pack from his shoulder. He laid it on the grass next to him and then proceeded to unzip it. He removed the book he was currently reading and a highlighter just incase he read something he wanted to remember and set the two items next to him as well.

Turning his attention back to the lake he adjusted his hat on his head and stared out at the shining waters.

[Kennedy Valak S6]

Today was the day, or at least the night. Fiona was supposed to confront Pyro about no longer being part of the Chosen. Kennedy had got the impression that Fiona wanted him there with her, but she never said it outright. She simply made it obvious that she would, alone, be confront Pyro and that she was nervous about doing so. He planned on being there the whole time, even if she never did come out and ask that he be there. He wasn’t going to tell her either. If he didn’t tell Fiona, then there would be no way that Pyro would know that he was coming.

With the thought of the encounter looming over him throughout most of the morning, Kennedy decided he just needed to get away from the castle for a while to clear his mind. He didn’t know what to expect tonight, and so being alert and prepared for the worst, he figured he would go into the situation with an advantage over Pyro. Kennedy hadn’t forgot the threats that Pyro laid out the day that they talked in the common room. Sure, Pyro was very blunt and almost willing to warn Kennedy, but Kennedy was suspicious that Pyro wasn’t telling him the whole truth. As Pyro said, he was willing to do whatever needed to be done for his own success and well-being. Well, Kennedy knew that he was equally willing to take matters into his own hands so that he and Fiona could walk away from it all on good terms and not having to worry about Pyro or the Chosen interfering in their life for any longer.

With his hands in the pockets of his jacket, Kennedy walked slowly along the path that lead to the lake. He kicked a few stones that rested on the ground and listened to the sounds that the birds made as they began to readjust to the warmer weather by making nests and gathering food after a cold winter. It was a nice day out. The sun was warm on Kennedy’s face and the sky was clear. The rays of light cast a nice reflection on the smooth surface of the deep, dark lake. As Kennedy peered out into the horizon, he noticed a figure on the ground just beside the lake. As he walked and got closer, he watched to see if he could recognize the person. Sure enough, once Kennedy was close enough, he saw Conan sitting with some materials around him.

Despite originally coming outside to be alone, Kennedy welcomed the opportunity to sit and talk with the younger student. He and Conan had met previously that year and Kennedy had admired his seeming mature personality for only being a third year. “Hey Conan,” he greeted the boy as he knelt down and found a spot near him on the grass. It was cool and a bit damp, but comfortable. “Homework?” he asked, looking at the book that was in his hands. Seeing Conan made Kennedy wonder how much he had heard about the events that clouded his life in the past few months. It had been a while since the two had talked, but Kennedy was sure that much of his situation was common knowledge by now- especially with the story that was published in the Daily Prophet about he and Cass. Instead of asking though, Kennedy decided he would wait to see if Conan brought it up. He didn’t want to drone on and on about how terrible his life was if Conan didn’t care to hear. “So what have you been up to lately?” he asked, trying to at least make small talk to initiate a conversation.

[jacob]

“Hey Conan…homework?”

Conan almost laughed as the looked around his little space and realized what it must have looked like. Conan didn’t do homework, ever. He was smart, really smart, but he was lazy. When it came to class work, or hands on activities, Conan was all there, but when it meant using up his free time to write a three or four page parchment, Conan just didn’t feel like it.

“Are you kidding me? Homework? You’re funny.” He actually did laugh as he looked up at the older boy, and then watched him take a seat. Conan was always up for company, even if he hadn’t been expecting it. Seeing the Kennedy was a surprise, but a welcomed one. Not only did Conan just flat out get along with Kennedy, but Kennedy was a fifth year. Conan never really did click well with his own age group, for one reason or another he had surpassed that level of maturity when he surpassed that level of growth. So for many reasons, Conan always held the company of an older student in higher regards then his peers.

“So what have you been up to lately?”

What hadn’t been Conan been up to lately? The usual stuff, classes, meals, learning, reading were obvious, then there was the flirting with girls, and then throw in the running around the school at all hours, completely against the rules…it would be best not to talk about that part. “Eh, not much.” He shrugged, not really knowing what he had been up to that might interest Kennedy.
The real question, was what had Kennedy been up to lately. The talk was running rampant around the hallways of his recent life situations. It was interesting gossip sure, but Conan didn’t know how much of it was real. He felt it would have been the right thing to ask Kennedy about it, but he didn’t want to seem like he was prying. He took the easy way out.

“How’ve you been?”

[Kennedy Valak S6]

Kennedy gave a sheepish grin and a shrug when Conan acted as though the idea of doing homework was absurd. Sure, Kennedy didn’t like it much either, but everyone had to do some homework eventually, right? Regardless, he listened as Conan gave the usual answer to a very usual question. It wasn’t like Kennedy should expect a life story with such a vague question. He wasn’t surprised either when Conan reciprocated the question. Before answering, Kennedy let out a large sigh.

“Well, besides the death threats, a rocky relationship, and the casual Gryffindor crush, just the normal, I suppose.” Kennedy remained completely serious in his speech, but couldn’t hide his sarcastic smile as he looked at Conan. He figured that Conan had heard some things about it all, but he was somewhat curious to know if there were any rumors going around that actually weren’t true. “Have you heard anything different?” he asked, pretty certain that Conan would be truthful if he had. The two weren’t what you would call the best of friends, but they understood each other and seemed to click well personally. Kennedy had to wonder though if Conan really even knew much about him at all though. If he were Conan, he’d have run a long time ago. Of course, Kennedy had done his best to hide some of the craziest and most bizarre things that many people didn’t know. His life was a circus, that was for sure.

Not wanting to force Conan into a deep topic of conversation, Kennedy asked another question, so that Conan could avoid the chaos of Kennedy’s life if he really wanted. “So if it’s not homework, you must be reading for your own purposes.” Kennedy was the type of person that liked to read and learn, but only if it was something he was passionate about learning. For him, that was magical creatures. “What’s the book?”

[jacob]

Conan leaned back on his hands and laughed slightly when Kennedy sighed. One did not often hear sighs like that; that was the sigh of a very tired guy. He listened intently as Kennedy listed off his current life ailments and then shook his head, laughing once more. It wasn’t a mean laugh, more of a “wow man” sort of laugh; which is exactly where he was going with the laugh.

“Wow man, sounds like a party eh?” Conan hadn’t heard much different about Kennedy, then again he didn’t pay too close attention to the details of gossip. He knew the basic story, which sounded just about the way Kennedy put it.

Hearing Kennedy continue on with a question, Conan looked down at his book and shrugged, setting it down next to him. “Ever heard of George Orwell? It’s one of his books; political.” He shrugged again and plucked a piece of grass out off the almost carpeted ground. As he twirled it in his hand, he felt that it wouldn’t be rude to ask Kennedy for more information, seeing as he was the one to bring it up. “So, sounds pretty tough, you doing ok?”

[Kennedy Valak S6]

"Ha, it's a party that I'm not so sure I want to be invited to," Kennedy replied with a sarcastic edge to his tone of voice. Not saying much more about it, Conan answered Kennedy's question about the book. Instantly, the description triggered a memory in Kennedy's mind, and he was sure he had a good guess at the book without seeing what the title said. "Animal Farm?" he questioned, knowing that the book was written by Orwell and that it was basically a satirical tale in which the animals were main characters who represented some of Russia's most famous political leaders. Then, he made the connection, knowing that Conan spent most of his time in Russia. It only made sense that it would be the book, but he waited for a reply anyways.

Conan did get back to the original topic after talking about the book, but Kennedy didn't mind. If was nice to talk to someone outside of the loop of chaos for once. "I suppose for now I will be fine. It's just a waiting game, really. Ask me tomorrow, and I'm sure that I will be able to tell you a lot more about how I will be doing." Kennedy still steered clear from disclosing all of the details. First, because he knew that it would take years to explain it all, and second, he wanted to protect Fiona's reputation and not make her involvement with the Chosen any more tainted that it already was. "I can tell you this," he added with wide eyes. "The next twenty-four hours could hold a lot of weight that basically decide my future. And the thing is, I have no idea how everything is going to end." Kennedy slipped back into his thoughts of what might happen that night when the time would come for him to sneak to where Pyro and Fiona planned to meet.

[jacob]

“Ah ha, you would think Animal Farm? It’s Nineteen Eighty-four. Animal Farm is next on my list.” Conan smirked and held the book up before setting it nicely on the grass beside him. “I like the politics. You know I’m in the middle of deciding whether to be a socialist or a communist? Tough choice I’ll tell you.” He nodded mater-of-fact-ly and plucked a piece of grass off the ground, twirling it around between his thumb and middle finger.

Conan laid back on his empty hand, his eyes intently focused on the blade of grass in his hands. He was busy determining the best way of making the conversation pleasant but at the same time informative. He didn’t want to pry, but at the same time he would admit he was curious. Finally Conan looked up at Kennedy, “A waiting game? A weight that basically decides your future? Forgive me…but that sounds like one serious little party. Especially if you don’t know how it’s going to end? I’d be a bit stressed out if I was you…or maybe you are stressed out and I’m just not seeing it?” Conan smirked again, hoping he didn’t sound too insensitive.

For a Slytherin, Conan was your common rude kid. For a Slytherin, Conan was relatively one of the nicest people you’d ever meet. While he understood house loyalties, Conan was not one to go insulting someone because of their house. He was also not the type of person to discriminate based on family blood. He was however, a person to take everyone’s feelings into account and try to be a good person. The reason he was in Slytherin? His arrogance. That was all. Other then that he might have been in any of the houses, except Ravenclaw, Conan didn’t study.

[Kennedy Valak S6]

"That would have been my next guess," Kennedy said with a laugh. He was being sarcastic though, as 1984 wasn't a book that he knew of. Overall, he had a decent knowledge of literature, but it wasn't extensive by any means. The only books he knew a lot of were mostly on the topic of magical animals. Another thing he didn't know a lot about though was politics. "Good luck in that pursuit," he replied, unsure of what to say really when Conan mentioned socialists and communists.

He watched as Conan then laid back and began twirling a piece of grass in his hands. Kennedy perked up when Conan continued with the topic of the night's events. "Well, I think I've been so stressed out that I've just come to accept the stress now," he said with a heavy sigh. He still contemplated not telling Conan more, but then he figured that it really couldn't hurt much. Heck, maybe it would even help, just to be able to clear some of it from his mind.

"You see, it all started when Cassandra Blackfire asked me to help her with something. Well, obviously, she and Fiona have never gotten along, and so right there, I stepped into a war that I should have known to avoid. And then, to make a long story short, I found out something that Fiona was hiding from me, and to top that off, Cass and I kind of had a thing going." He grimaced at the thought of it, and felt the need to explain further. "I mean, there was just a point where we kind of kept running into each other, and even though she had a hand in causing the trouble with Fiona and I in the first place, I couldn't find it in myself just to steer clear of her. And so basically, I am in the middle of trying to mend my relationship with Fiona, and tonight a big step in that process is supposed to occur, although I really can't say much more about it." He stopped there, wondering if he had shared too much. Part of him was wary to trust anyone, but the other part of him didn't see any harm in saying what he had to Conan. It wasn't like Conan was the type to go spreading rumors anyways, of course Kennedy wasn't positive. He just had a hunch that what he said would be kept secret by Conan.

[jacob]

“It’s a good book.” Conan shrugged off the subject of politics. The more people he talked to, the more people he realized were not interested in muggle politics. Conan’s own father treated him with such a fowl attitude, merely because Conan cared about muggle current events. In his own way, Conan knew that everything that happened in the muggle world somehow affected his own world. Conan held and interest in politics because he realized that the muggle politics and the wizard politics were intertwined. This was one of Conan’s more mature points.

Another of his mature points was his ability to listen. Personally, Conan saw himself as one of the most trustworthy persons you could meet, especially for a Slytherin. This in fact was part of Conan that set him off from your typical Slytherin stereotype. Conan also realized you are not to push someone into talking; that will immediately label you as nosey. “That’s cool, say what you want.”

Conan had heard the basics of what Kennedy had just divulged. Truthfully, Conan didn’t learn much more then he already knew. Girls seemed to be a major topic in this story, and Conan couldn’t help but make an observation. “Fiona’s a reasonable girl though, isn’t she? Things should work out eh?”

[Kennedy Valak S6]

As Kennedy figured, Conan seemed fine with the information he had chosen to share. He told Kennedy that he could just say what he wanted. Then, he made a statement about Fiona. "Well... yeah, she's reasonable. However, it's the part about the death threats that makes things complicated." Kennedy was surprisingly calm and apathetic at the mention of Pyro's threats. "Plus," he added, "I wouldn't blame Fiona for hating me. I can't say that I have made the smartest of decisions."

Kennedy was quiet again. His thoughts trailed off to thinking of what it might be like if he and Fiona figured things out for the moment, but ended up apart anyways. He hadn't really thought about it yet- he being without Fiona would be a shock. Since they had been brought together so quickly just because of the situations surrounding them when they met.

Kennedy snapped out of his thoughts, again going back to Conan. "What about you... ever been in a situation anything like this? I mean, have you ever feared that you were about to lose something or someone you really were close to?" It was a general question, but Kennedy would have said that this was probably the first major problem he had really faced. Sure, other had probably been through worse, but for Kennedy, it was a new experience, and it all seemed to be hitting him at once.

[jacob]

Conan thought about Kennedy’s question. Had Conan truly faced this sort of issue? One where he feared he was going to lose someone he really cared about, really was close to? Yes; he thought he could say he had. But how to say what Conan was saying. He wanted to assure Kennedy that everything would work out, that things would get better. He wanted to tell Kennedy that Fiona would forgive him and they’d be happy together forever, he wanted to tell Kennedy that whatever was going on would be over soon. Conan struggled when he faced the realization that he could not say any of this. He could not assure Kennedy of any of those things; all he could do was hope for the best and try to convince Kennedy to stay positive.

“I think so, I haven’t spoken to my uncle or cousin since summer time.” Conan wasn’t sure if Kennedy knew that he lived with his cousin and uncle, but if Kennedy wondered, he could just ask. Conan did fear losing them, he feared being alone much in the same way he was sure Kennedy feared it. How long had he and Fiona been together? Conan didn’t know, he can remember them together since he met them. Would it last? Would it work out? Conan didn’t know; these were the times he wished he took some sort of future telling class. Maybe it would be wise to put that star watching to good use sometime? “You’ve just got to keep looking forward man, pray for, and work for the best. Just stay positive and don’t get too down.” It seemed like a classic excuse when someone didn’t know what to say, but Conan knew what he wanted to say. That was pretty much what he wanted to say.

[Kennedy Valak S6]

When Conan mentioned his uncle and cousin, Kennedy made the connection. He couldn't help but feel though that his situation was a little more serious than that. He didn't say anything though, knowing that Conan was probably just trying to relate in the closest way that he could. Then, he listened as Conan told him to just remain positive and work for the best. In Kennedy's pessimistic mind, it was all a bunch of rubbish. He tried though to accept Conan's advice. It did seem a little more reasonable coming from someone else, too. When Kennedy himself tried to tell himself to look on the bright side, he only ended up fooling himself. Mostly, he just appreciated Conan's willingness to listen and offer encouragement even if Kennedy did think it was useless.

"I guess we'll see tonight," he replied, trying to avoid sounding like he was leaning either way toward being positive or negative. "But we don't have to waste our time talking about it," he added, figuring that it was useless to him anyways. In a sense, it only made the idea consume his mind even more. For once, he'd have liked to have just been able to forget about it all.

Kennedy thought of how he might change the subject. It wasn't that he didn't want Conan in his business, but more that he was just sick of thinking about his own pathetic life. "So what about you, Conan. Have you had your eye on any particular females?" he asked with a sly grin. The topic of girls always seemed to be an interesting one. At least it was a good place to start for changing the subject, he thought.

[jacob]

Conan’s smirk and sidelong glance at Kennedy should have been enough to let him know he didn’t believe him. Conan was an optimist, but he didn’t expect anyone else to be, and he knew Kennedy probably didn’t believe him on his positive view points. How could one possibly? Conan looked down at the piece of grass in his hand and contemplated his own question. It was harder to look at things positively if one is in a negative position. If everything around you is going wrong, how are you to see the good in all of it? Though there may always be a bright side, sometimes the dark is bigger.

Girls? Oh jeeze. Kennedy really knew how to pick subject matters. Conan laughed. “My eye on any particular females?” It was a funny question and it made Conan debate the true nature of human desire. Did he have his eye on a girl; or his heart? “I met a girl, her name’s Abigail.” Conan smiled and flicked the bit of lawn out of his fingers carelessly. As much as girls liked to believe, guys talked about girls about as much as girls talked about guys. “I met her the other night….right here actually.” Conan chuckled as he looked around the space, realizing it was the exact same spot he had been four nights ago (since if I’m counting right, from Wednesday to Sunday is four days?). “When did you meet Fiona?” The question was slightly random, but relevant, Conan was still wondering about his behavior with Abby, and how appropriate it had been.