A Quick Meal ((Ryann))

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

Valmer walked through the halls of the castle, dodging friends and others, trying to get to the Great Hall. He wanted to make sure he had enough time between meals and his classes to get his homework done, so he could enjoy the evening instead of being stuck in his room for the whole night. He had a load of work from the previous day and that day waiting for him back in his room, so he wanted to get in and out of the Great Hall.

He walked in, and knowing the place would be packed with students, he made his way around on the outskirts of the large room, so he could get to the food line. He made his way through the slow-moving line, and took a seat towards the middle of the Slytherin table. He noticed a few of his friends, waved, and began to eat. Assignments, emotions, even people's conversations were all flying through his mind as he sat there. Valmer felt like his mind might explode if it got much more information. He looked around him, trying to find someone that he could talk with that might have notes for the Transfiguration class he missed the day before, when he noticed a girl around his age over at the Gryffindor table. She was on her way out, but he swore she was either in his class or that he knew her.

Valmer thought through the mess of his brain to remember who she was. She looked so familiar, yet he couldn't place her. Then it hit him. She wasn't his age. She definitely wasn't in his class either. She was a sixth year. Ryann Taylor. He never saw her here though. He only knew the name because of other guys in his house, and the few Gryffs he might have overheard talking. A thought went through his mind. I'm in Slytherin. We usually don't associate with Gryffs. Then again, was it in his nature to be cold to people just because they were in a different house? Of course not. He had friends in most of the houses, except...for Gryffindor. He only had one or two other friends in that house. He hadn't done it on purpose, it had just worked out that way.

Valmer got up, his food mostly gone, and made his way through the last remaining people in the hall, and picked up his pace to catch up with her. She seemed to be in a hurry. Would it be awkward to talk to her? He didn't usually open up or even remotely associate with Gryffindors because the two houses were so set apart from one another. Yet, he had made a couple friends, and why couldn't Ryann be one of them? He caught up to her, and said the first thing that came to his mind. "Hey, you're Ryann, right? I know this might sound weird, but Transfiguration class has been giving me a really hard time and I was wondering if you could help me out. Are you a fifth year or a sixth year?" Valmer knew she would question his motives, solely based on the fact that they were in quite opposite houses. But he hoped she could help him, and he also hoped he might gain a new friend as well. Otherwise, he'd be stuck with the rest of the guys, failing the exam they had in less than a week. He waited for her to respond.

((Slight G-Moding Allowed by permission))

[Ryann Taylor G6]

It would be Herbology first, and then Astronomy. After that, Ryann had to tackle list of over three dozen antidotes that needed memorized for the upcoming Potions exam that would cover every potion that they had worked with the past however many years (it seemed like too many to Ryann). After that, she had the Transfiguration assignment that she had neglected until today. Why did procrastination always seem like such a good idea until the day before everything was due? Lately, Ryann hadn't been in the mood for homework. With the whole Drake and Noah issues going on, Ryann had enough on her plate. She tried finding Amber as often as she could, dragging her from her own homework if she was willing, just to get away from everything. But, Amber had been missing today, off who knew where, but Ryann hadn't seen her.

Either way, it was a quick meal as Ryann was finally ready to tackle the laundry list of homework that she had allowed to pile up. She shook her head at the thought, not looking forward to it as she finished a banana muffin and gathered her bag. Saying goodbye to the people around her, Ryann left the Gryffindor table, walking rather quickly as she was now on a mission; not a mission she really wished to be on, but a mission nonetheless. And, if she didn't hit the mission full force, there was no way she would finish with all she had to do before tomorrow. It was going to be a late night, that was for sure.

Going over the list once more in her head, Ryann stopped when someone began talking to her. At first, what they had said didn't register, and then she finally realized what the guy was asking after she processed the question. She didn't answer promptly though, a bit confused at first why a random Slytherin would be coming to her for help. Was this some joke that Drake was playing on her? Or, perhaps it was India; after her last meeting with India, Ryann was for sure not putting anything past that girl. She was scary, and Ryann didn't really know what she was capable of. "I'm sorry... do I know you?" she questioned, giving the boy a confused look. Apparantly he had known her from class, but didn't know what year she was in. Odd. But still, Ryann couldn't figure out if this was a joke or genuine.

Before the boy had answered, Ryann came a little more to her senses, realizing that her stress had gotten the best of her. The guy, unless a good actor, was asking for help, and Ryann wasn't one to deny help. Of course, she wasn't the most social person either, and she thought it took a lot of guts for him to ask her for help. But he had. And deep down, she felt that she should at least show some courtesy. Shifting her bag from one side to the other, Ryann let out a slight grunt at the weight of all the books she had been lugging. "Oh, nevermind that," she said, this time with a smile and less of a stressed tone of voice. "Yes, I am Ryann, and if you are looking for help concerning the assignment where we had to classify a list of spells based on their complexity and similarity, then perhaps I can help. Granted, I haven't started my own, but who said two heads aren't better than one, eh?" Ryann gave a quick shrug before deciding that despite agreeing to be kind, she should warn the boy that she had a mission set before her. "Now, do understand that I have tons of work to do tonight, but you are more than welcome to join me in the student lounge to get the Transfiguration assignment done." Offering another quick smile, Ryann shifted the weight once again as the bag seemed awfully heavy when she wasn't on the move but just standing and allowing the weight to press down on her shoulders. "I didn't catch your name though..." she said, trailing off and continuing her mission to the student lounge, assuming he would follow if he wanted.

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

Valmer knew it was a risky move asking a Gryffindor for help on his homework, but he had no other choice. The guys usually never cared about their homework, much less exams and the like. All they cared about was having fun, figuring out new spells to prank each other with, and mundane things of that sort. He, on the other hand, actually cared about his schoolwork and wanted to do well. When Ryann asked who he was in kind of an almost rude tone, he was taken aback. Not quite the reaction I was expecting, but okay. Guess I could find someone else. As soon as he was going to turn around and leave, she shook her head and offered to help him. Valmer was stunned for a second. Ryann was willing to help him. That must have been a record attitude change somewhere in some book.

She made mention of the assignment he had been talking about and he agreed. "Yeah I was having some trouble with getting all the spells in. I have about a third of it done, so being that you said you haven't started it, I'll give you a boost. And yeah, it'd be good to get it out of the way with two minds rather than on our own." Ryann then made mention about having a ton more homework than just that one assignment that night, and Valmer understood completely. "Yeah I understand. I've got a small load as it is as well." She mentioned that he hadn't introduced himself yet, and he turned red. "Woops, guess that slipped my mind! It's Valmer." He then saw that she might be having a hard time with her heavy-looking bag, so he offered to help, as they walked out of the Great Hall. "That bag looks pretty over-stuffed. Do you want some help with it? I can take a few of your books. I've only got my Transfiguration notebook here." As he asked, they continued walking down the corridor that led to the student lounge.

[Ryann Taylor G6]

"In that case, maybe you should be the one helping me," she said, somewhat joking whenever Valmer explained he was about a third of the way through the assignment. "See, I don't have a lot of trouble classifying transfigurations until you have to decide if it changes in the characteristic of colour. Because... well... I just have a hard time determining if the colour change was significant enough to claim that it counts toward the simplicity and complexity. But anways... we shall get to that soon enough."

He finally introduced himself after explaining his own pile of homework that he had too. "Nice to officially meet you, Valmer," she said with a smile, still walking rather briskly. It was possible to still be kind whilst staying true to her mission. Ryann wasn't letting anything stop her from getting the worries off her chest and being able to feel like she had at least one moment to breathe, free of the constant reminder of what needed done. "Oh, I'm fine," she said, shifting the bag again after Valmer offered to help with it. "We're almost there though, and I've got to learn to fend for myself anyways," she said with a grin. Ryann didn't want to make him feel bad for trying to be kind, but she would have said the same to any other guy. Well.... perhaps there were a few she would have let carry it for her, simply because she would have liked the attention from them. The thought of these particular people caused her mid to wander, coming back to the idea that Valmer was in Slytherin. What better chance to get some information.

"So... you're in Slytherin," she began, as it was obvious by the green robes. "Tell me, what do you know about Drake Manning?" Perhaps being that Valmer was younger, he might not have knew Drake that well. Maybe his only knowledge of Drake was the same knowledge that everyone else had. His reputation was well known, and it was likely that the reputation was the only thing Valmer knew about Drake. "I mean... is he really the guy that everyone depicts him as? I just... well, I thought that there seemed to be more to him. I know he is a "player" (she used her fingers to make quotation marks in the air), but I just wondered if as a Slytherin you saw a different side to him that not everyone else sees." Ryann was fishing for something, and perhaps she wouldn't find it. It was certainly worth a try though.

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

As Ryann joked with him a bit about the assignment, Valmer chuckled. "Yeah I only did it partially in class, because I went ahead somewhat while Professor McGonagall was explaining it. I tend to understand certain parts of things while they're being explained. Stupid bell rang before I got a chance to ask her about the rest of the assignment. Thanks for being willing to help me."

She quickly turned down his simple offer of carrying a few of her books, and he was pleasantly surprised. There's a girl who knows how to take care of herself. She was right, though. They were, in fact, almost to the student lounge, after all. He turned the corner, keeping pace with her as they sped through the hallways and corridors that led them to the lounge. The duo had almost reached the entrance to the lounge when Ryann made mention of Valmer's Slytherin status. She wanted wanted to know about Drake Manning. He had only heard the name, but not much else. He was also never one to spread gossip, unless it was within his house. The Slytherin house always had a lot of gossip, and with so many sly and cunning people in a certain house, things were always getting said. She mentioned how she had known that he was a "player", but he of course didn't know that. He may have listened in on some of the Slytherin gossip, but the name Drake Manning hadn't come up that often. "You know, to be honest," he began. "I don't know of Drake that much. I've heard his name tossed around between both Slytherin girls and guys, but never much more than the name. I've never even heard of many people in the house being "players" either. I mean, it might just be the people I hang out with. I'm not one of the more popular Slytherins, you know. Well of course you wouldn't know, being in Gryffindor. I tend to be one of the more friendly guys, reaching out to people beyond my house. I'm not stuck on anyone, and I like it that way."

Valmer wondered why Ryann seemed so interested in Drake. He assumed that it was either because she liked him, or she liked someone in his circle of friends. Maybe this whole player image appealed to her. He thought about his own relationships. He smiled at the thought of Ruby. She held his attention at the moment. He was looking forward to that weekend, when they would go on a trip to Hogsmeade together, and hopefully get to know each other better than that one night. Quicker than he expected, the two arrived at the student lounge, and he quickly found an empty table that they could sit at and not be disturbed. As he pulled his homework out of his notebook, and began to read through it, he thought of the questions that Ryann had posed to him. Valmer thought a while about them. I wonder...she wants information about Drake, and I could use more help on my homework, especially since the past week I've fallen asleep in McGonagall's class. This could work. He looked at Ryann, and questioned her, "So, Ryann. Why do you want to know stuff about Drake?" Valmer assumed she wouldn't answer, or at least not answer truthfully, so he waited in silence, to see what kind of response he would get.

[Ryann Taylor G6]

It seemed that Valmer wouldn't be able to help her out any, though Ryann was curious how he couldn't know about Drake. Oh well, she thought, shrugging of the idea at least for now. Valmer mentioned that he wasn't one of the more popular Slytherins, and when she thought about it, Ryann did realize that she hadn't known him to be one of the more notorious ones. There were those select few that fit the stereotype of being a Slytherin to a tee. And then there were those who weren't so bad. "What makes you fit in as a Slytherin then?" she asked, curious to know what Valmer thought. Sure there had been Slytherins who were nice and kind in the past, but they weren't common. Even those who didn't seem that bad always seemed to have some sort of trait that made them prideful, ambitious, or simply known for their negative view of those who weren't purebloods. "Is it your hate for those who are not pureblood? Or do you just simply think you are better than everyone else?" Ryann was being quite forthright, but she figured Valmer got that sort of treatment from lots of students since he was in Slytherin. After all, if you claimed to be different than the average Slytherin, you had some explaining to do.

When he questioned her motives for asking about Drake, Ryann shrugged her shoulders and offered quick reply. It wasn't a lie, but simply a general statement of truth that was more than Valmer really needed to know, especially if he wasn't going to be able to offer her any information in return. "Just things I'd like to know." It was true. Ryann wanted to learn as much as she could about Drake. The real reason why wasn't important.

They had finally arrived at the student lounge, and Ryann hurried over to an empty table that had two chairs facing opposite each other. Without wasting much more time talking, she lifted her bag from her shoulder and let the heavy mass fall to the ground with a thud. Pulling out the appropriate books and materials, she took a seat and began to read the first example, expecting Valmer would follow her lead in getting started. Only half way through her thought process though, Ryann's mind had already trailed back to the thought of Drake. Despite her best efforts, Ryann was quickly losing the will she had set forth in fulfilling her homework mission. "Are you sure you don't know anything? I mean, you are in the same house. You haven't even talked to the guy once in your years here?" She knew she should just shut up and get on with the work. If anything, she was being totally obvious that the reasons behind her questioning were more than just a simple curiosity. However, she didn't care much if Valmer knew shy she wanted to know or not. He had admitted he wasn't one of the most popular Slytherins, and so she wasn't too worried that he would go back and blab everything that they had talked about. Even if he did, what more could be worse in the situation anyways. Ryann was already convinced that her love-life sucked at this point. "What'd you get for the first one," she asked, trying her best to stay on task. "I put that it was a complex-dissimilar, but I wasn't sure if there was a change in the colour. I hate trying to decide that. I mean, does this shade of green going to a shade of bluish green mean that there was a significant change?"

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

Valmer listened as Ryann critiqued his Slytherin blood, and as she seemed to almost bash the house altogether. She asked what things gave him the Slytherin quality, and immediately he thought of the sole two reasons. Ryann barely knew him, yet here she was, judging his house and the reason he was even in it. Her assumptions drove deep, making his temper rise a bit. He cooled it down quite quickly, knowing that he shouldn't flare up, especially in front of someone like Ryann. He hated showing his slight temper around females, just because he felt like it made him a bad example. Not that many Slytherins should be considered role models, he thought to himself. But she was getting him a bit heated. "Well, if you must know," he said begrudgingly, "I get my Slytherin tendencies from two places. I have a temper I sometimes have a hard time controlling. If you can't tell, your prodding questions have been testing it, but I've been in enough situations to be able to control it, to a point. Secondly, my father was a Slytherin. A rough one, in fact. I learned from him and his past. Is that good enough for you?"

He knew he might have been a bit harsh, but she had been up in his face in the first place. It frustrated him when people did that to him. Sometimes he just wanted to get his wand out and send them all to Azkaban. He knew from his father that things so drastic as that weren't answers to his problems. He had to hit them head on, and take care of them, like he had with Ryann. As he finished asking about Drake, and what he knew of him (which wasn't much, as he had said), she seemed to let it go and brush the subject off quickly. Well, well. Someone's embarrassed, he thought. Valmer went back to look at his assignment, as she sat down. He followed suit, sitting across from her. He watched as she let her bag fall with a loud thud. They began to work on the assignment, separated by only the table and the crackling fireplace nearest to them. Before he had even got down to the second question, the girl piped up again about Drake. What did she want to know so badly that she had to continue to ask him what he knew about Drake? He had already told her he really didn't know him.

"Why do you need to know so much about a simple boy?" he questioned. "I already told you that I haven't talked to him much. I barely know him, we don't talk. Contrary to popular belief, some Slytherins hate other Slytherins, not just muggles and half-bloods. I'm not saying we hate each other. I'm saying that I don't talk to all the people in my house like you Gryffindors do. You're so friendly you'd even talk to an evil muggle just to find the good in him. All I know is he's quite the ladies man, and that's all I've heard around." He had become frustrated with Ryann again, but held it inside him for a few more seconds, as he finished his words. The anger subsided, and he looked back at his work. She explained what she thought on the one problem, and he agreed. "Yes, I'd agree. What does the slight color change have to do with it? But I think if there's any color change, no matter how minimal, we have to put it down. What do you think?", he said, as he looked up from his paper to ask the question.

[Ryann Taylor G6]

When Valmer gave his answer, Ryann looked up from her work with a raised brow. He had been the one who approached her, asking for help, and now he was going to claim that her questions were grating on his nerves. "I'd say that it's more of the attitude than a temper," she said with a huff. Sometimes people could really irritate Ryann, but she figured that she shouldn't expect anything less after questioning Valmer's identity. People could get really defensive, really fast, especially when put in a situation that tested who they really were. Nonetheless, she ignored what he had to say. She really didn't care whether or not he fit the bill for a typical Slytherin, she was simply questioning how he saw himself fitting in after he claimed to be so nice and non-discriminative like the rest of them.

Despite her best efforts, not only had the thoughts of Drake taken Ryann from her homework, but now Valmer's attitude with her had become quite distracting. "Wait a minute," she said, stopping from her homework to question Valmer. He had repeated the fact that he knew nothing much about Drake, and so she left that topic go, now concentrating on Valmer's apparent contradictions. "Didn't you just tell me a few seconds ago that you were one of the more friendly guys from your house who reaches out to those in other houses?" Ryann didn't normally confront people like this, but Valmer seemed to think he could go acting all nice one moment and then give her snappy remarks the next. Not to mention, she had put herself out there in a kind gesture to allow him to work with her.

Frustrated with him, Ryann went back to the problem they were on. "Colour has everything to do with it," she said with a slight glare. "We've got to determine if the colour change is great enough to classify the colour characteristic as being changed. If the change is slight enough, then we can assume that it is not significant enough to make the spell more complex." Ryann knew that she should probably be nicer, as Valmer had asked for help in the first place. She shouldn't have expected that he would know all of this if he was in need of help. "Anyways, I'm pretty sure it is significant in this case," she added, trying to calm down. He really wasn't being totally irritating... just enough that Ryann was mad to have been distracted from her mission. Today, everything was about the mission, and she wasn't about to let some Slytherin or his attitude get in the way of that.

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

There she was again, questioning him again. He thought he had given a good enough answer, but apparently questions just led to more questions with Ryann. He began to state his case. "See, the fact is that I may be a Slytherin, and I may have Slytherin tendencies, but the fact remains that I do my best to look for the best in people. If I feel they don't deserve a look, I don't give them one. If someone from another house reaches out to me, or they look they might need help with anything, I'm usually the first in my house to give it. Don't expect Drake or anyone else for that matter to step up. They're all full of themselves and all they want is what they want. I have that pride in me from my father, but I also try to reach out to people who might need it. The reason I asked you for help today was because this is the first project I have ever really needed help on. I've known Gryffindor girls to do better in the subject than most, so I saw you first. I didn't single you out, I just wanted some help." Valmer hoped he had explained himself well enough, but just in case, he offered up one last piece of information. "If you want me out of here, I can do the stupid thing on my own. Say the word, and I'm gone. I'll never bother you again."

He knew how his attitude had him looking to her right now, and he hated it to a point. Valmer wished he could get rid of his attitude that seemed to flare up from time to time, but if he didn't have that, he wouldn't be much like his father much anymore. Not to mention it wouldn't qualify him to be in Slytherin anymore. She had only asked him a few simple questions about a guy, and he had blown up at her. He suddenly felt remorse, and wanted to apologize, but if he did that, Ryann would likely think he was weak and a stupid child that couldn't make up his mind if he was a good kid or a bad kid. He couldn't risk that. But at the same time, Valmer felt somewhat responsible for her closed-minded attitude about his way of addressing things. So he did what he usually didn't do. "Ryann, I'm sorry. My attitude gets the best of me once in a while. You were just asking about Drake, and I got upset for really dumb reasons. I didn't give you a chance to see if I could find the best or the good within you. I did tell you all I know about Drake though. I've seen him on and off, but only for a few times a week during switching classes. I don't even think he and I were ever even formally introduced." He had searched through his mind to see if he could remember a time when they could have, but it just wasn't coming.

The topic of Drake brought up a question he had asked already, but she hadn't answered yet. He decided to bring it up again. "So you didn't tell me why you want to know so much about this Drake character. Did he hurt you or something, so you're trying to get revenge or dirt on him?" He assumed quite a bit right away, but sometimes it was the only way to get to the truth. "You don't have to worry about me telling anyone," he commented. "I don't know enough people to tell anyone barely anything. They'd just think I was daydreaming about you or something!" He laughed, and hoped she would enjoy the small joke he made.

[Ryann Taylor G6]

Valmer seemed frustrated himself as Ryann listened to him attempt to give the reasons behind everything he had previously said. In all honesty, Ryann had only asked a simple question, and she didn't really intend on it getting this far beyond a simple answer. "Why didn't you just ask a Ravenclaw girl then," she replied, rolling her eyes at the thought. "We all know that the Ravens have more smarts when it comes to stuff like this. But... never mind that," she finished, shaking her head and looking back down at the work, her hair falling down to the side. "I hate house dramatics, and so we should just stick to the homework."

Ryann read over the next example. At this pace, she'd spend all night simply trying to get Transfiguration done. A teapot turning into a cauldron. One by one, Ryann started to determine each of the five main characteristics and whether or not they made a significant change. Right in the middle of determining the texture change, Ryann looked up as Valmer seemed to be offering an apology. This was rare. A Slytherin snapping out and then choosing to apologize. Perhaps he was a bit unlike the rest of his house as he had first proposed. "Not a big deal," she said, shrugging her shoulders and offering a subtle smile. Again, Valmer questioned her motives for Drake, and Ryann let out a large sigh. "Look, I just... wanted to know. I had a run-in with him, and... well... I just would like to know a little more about him, that's all." She wasn't quick or biting in her reply, just honest and trying to explain as much as she could while revealing as little as possible. Ryann was adamant about sharing things like that with others, let alone those she knew very little.

"I appreciate your apology, and I'm glad for what little information you did give me about Drake," she finally offered. "But, honestly, can we drop him and move on with the work? There's no way I will get everything done that I need to do if we sit here and go on and on about the stereotypes of the houses and the notorious Drake Manning. Sorry I even brought it up." With that, Ryann looked back to her homework and decided that the transfiguration from the teapot to the cauldron was complex yet similar. "I think that three of the main characteristics change for the next one. That would make it a complex-similar transfiguration. Is that what you had?"

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

Valmer listened as she spoke about Ravenclaws being smarter than most of the other houses. For some reason, he had never known that to be true. Then again, he didn't talk with a lot of others from outside his house, just a select few from each one. He had asked Ryann because she was the nicest of the people he thought he might be able to go to for help. She said how she hated house dramatics, and he had to nod in agreement. He hated the stereotype of a Slytherin, especially when he was quite different than his counterparts. He prided himself in being different than them, because he actually cared for others, and even could tolerate muggles, to a point. After all that had happened with Harry and the Dark Lord, he had grown more of a respect for people who stood up for themselves and took on those who wanted to destroy peace. Harry had given his life for the safety of others, something that Slytherins seemed to take for granted, and it seemed that many of them just fended for themselves, not caring about anyone else that might need help. He wanted to be different than them, and he was glad that he had become what he desired.

He wasn't without his Slytherin faults, of course, as Ryann had seen only a few seconds ago, as his attitude had taken over the best of him. As he thought of this, she responded to his question about Drake. She seemed quite agitated about the subject, and a slight smile escaped from his lips. It appeared that he had been able to get under her skin, and he liked that, to a point. She wanted to drop the subject, even though it appeared, by the words she said, she secretly wanted to talk about him, or someone else. He couldn't be sure of this, and let the idea go, respecting her wish of letting it go. Ryann went back to figuring out the next few questions, and as Valmer took his sheet out again, he noticed that they were both quite far on the assignment. Only a few more and I'm done, at least with this, he thought in his mind. Ryann apologized for ever bringing the subject of Drake up, and he chuckled. "Don't be sorry for bringing it up," he said. "It's something that concerns you, and you figured I would have information. That's not a crime."

Ryann then brought up one of the questions, asking if he got the same thing she had come up with. He looked at his assignment, and nodded. "Yeah, that seems to be the right way of looking at it. The teapot changing into a cauldron seems complex to me." He wanted to strike up another conversation, about something else entirely, but wasn't sure if he should. She did, after all, say that she had a lot of work to do and was sort of in a rush. But what could a simple talk hurt? He jumped at his chance. "So, being that I barely know you, why don't you tell me something about yourself? I know you have a lot of work to do, but I'm sure we have enough time that you'll be able to get it all done. Tell me, do you like music at all?" He hoped that music was something she might want to talk about, whether it be muggle music or wizard music, he didn't care. He just wanted someone to talk with. Valmer hated working on schoolwork for extended periods of time with someone else, without talking. As he spoke, he got a few of his other books out, finding the right pages to read for after the assignment was done.

[Ryann Taylor G6]

Whenever Ryann apologized for going to the Drake issue again, Valmer told her she didn't need to be sorry. She looked at him with a slightly confused look, but said nothing. Something about him didn't quite add up, and Ryann couldn't decide if he was being genuine or if he was just a good actor and deceiver. She wanted to believe that he was genuine, but she had seen such opposite sides of him that it made him wonder. Shrugging it off, she figured it was nothing to concern herself over. At least he was being kind now, and that was all that really mattered. Plus, they were back on the topic of work, so she didn't want to cause any more deviations.

Just when she thought that they were on task, Valmer decided to question Ryann about herself. She let out a small sigh as she rolled her eyes. What was she supposed to do? Just ignore him or tell him to shut up and keep working? No. Ryann couldn't do that. As much as she would have rather just been able to get her work done than socialise, Ryann didn't have the nerve nor the personality to simply be rude like that and just ignore Valmer's question. Then, he even brought up the topic of music, which Ryann knew would get her going, unable to stop most likely.

"Are you sure you're not a stalker?" she questioned, giving him a teasing grin. "Music is like my life. No... music is my life." She gave another long sigh and put down her quill. Homework would have to wait. As much as she hated to do it, Ryann would have to just work extra hard on her mission late into that night. "I have probably one of the biggest collections of music you could imagine. Muggle music. Wizarding Music. You name it, I've got it." Ryann wasn't one to brag normally, but when it came to her collection, there was no way she could avoid bragging. It was second nature to her. "Seriously," she said with wide eyes. "Name a band and an album, and I guarantee I've got it. Well, at least if they are a good band." She gave a grin and waited for Valmer to test her out.

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

Ryann had given him a roll of they eyes when Valmer started talking to her again, but he had ignored it and continued with the conversation. He didn't want to leave. He actually didn't really want to do his work at all. He just wanted to spend time talking to someone he barely knew. He liked getting to know people, even though he was a Slytherin. Valmer hadn't succeeded in his quest for getting to know more people in the past year though, just because of the reputations of his own house. People just didn't want to befriend some Slytherins, based on the stereotype. He would explain that he was different, which he was, but no one usually ever believed him, as Ryann had reacted earlier. He hoped he could keep the conversation going, even though she seemed bothered. He didn't want to press her buttons, but he figured the music topic might give them the chance to talk for a bit.

How was he supposed to know music was her life? It was a surprising coincidence, and he joked back with her, "Well I only stalk a few people..." as he chuckled. He smiled as she grinned at him. She went on to talking about how much music meant to her, and how she had an enormous collection of music. How coincidental, again. We have a love for music, both of us, he thought to himself. "Well. Isn't that surprising? I would have never taken you for someone who loved music that much. I have a Wireless, and it's pretty much half full, I have a somewhat small collection myself. Who's your favorite band? You can choose one for muggle music and wizard music. I personally like some muggle music more, but there are some definitely good bands within the wizarding world." Ryann told him to test her out, but he didn't know enough to do that. He laughed and said what he was thinking, "Well I seriously don't know nearly as much as probably you do, so I can't just name off someone. I know the Weird Sisters, and they can be pretty weird, you know."

As they talked together about music, Valmer was trying to think of the next topic. She would likely want to go and work on her assignments because he was distracting her, but he figured what could it hurt? "What else do you like?" he asked her. "What keeps you getting up every morning?" He hoped he wasn't being a pest, but he just wanted to talk to her, she was someone he could get along with.

[Ryann Taylor G6]

"And what makes someone seem more or less likely to be obsessed with music?" Ryan questioned when Valmer said that she had not been the type he'd have thought would be so into music like she was. "And as for your half full mini wireless, I'll have you know that if I didn't think that wireless devices totally ruined the fun in collecting the music in its original form, I would have at least half a dozen wirelesses full of the music that I have." She gave him a knowing glare which turned into a somewhat prideful smile. Again, her music was about the only thing Ryann was prideful in, and when the opportunities came, she didn't miss a chance to reveal just how much authority she had to brag in this particular area.

"Favourite bands..." she said, trailing off. This was like asking a painter what their favourite colour was out of all the various shades that seemed to number in the millions. Sure, a painter might have a colour or two that they preferred, but without all of the colours, they couldn't really be a painter. Similarly, as an avid fan of music, Ryann could hardly limit the plethora of bands down to two of her favourites. "Well... some of my favourites, not necessarily my overall favourites, but some of my favourites include The Black Nights, Regal, and the Goo Goo Dolls." Valmer had apparently decided against testing Ryann's collection. "That's no fun," she said, giving him a disappointed look. "And the Weird Sisters... they are pretty much one of the classics." Ryann had just got their latest album at their most recent concert. It was added to her collection of signed albums. They were some of her most prized possessions, as she even had a muggle album that was signed by the Beatle's, one of the most well-known bands in muggle music history.

Ryann gave another sign of disappointment, sighing whenever Valmer seemed to want to move on with the conversation, yet get away from the whole music thing. "I thought you wanted help with homework," she said, wondering why Valmer had wanted to get into an in depth conversation with her. Frankly, she wondered if he was always this friendly and sociable or if he was just trying to hit on her or something. If that was the case, Ryann had already been juggling enough drama as it was. The last thing she needed was another guy in her life to make things even crazier than they already were. At the same time, she didn't want to to have to resort to being rude with Valmer. She simply wished that they could get back to homework. At least with the topic of homework, she knew she was safe from the drama of the rest of her life. "What get's me up every morning?" Ryann repeated his inquiry, thinking to herself that it was an odd question to ask randomly. Still, she couldn't just be short with him and not answer. Unless she had a reason not to, Ryann tried being kind to everyone. "I like to bake..." she said in almost a questioning sort of tone. She didn't know if that quite applied to the question though. "I'm not sure that I get up every morning just because I like baking though," she said with a quick laugh.

Unable to keep questioning his motives, Ryann couldn't help but simply come out and ask Valmer. "Are you just asking me these things to be nice? I mean, you don't have to try to pretend that you care if you really just want to get the homework done with my help. I'm perfectly fine just working together and getting this done." Ryann hated being blunt, but sometimes she couldn't help it. When she had something on her mind, she often would just let others know. It was always harder to keep things in for her than it was to just deal with the awkward moments of life. But that was just Ryann. She would likely never be any other way. The one and only thing that could keep her feelings to herself was fear. That fear had to be a strong one too, otherwise she was used to talking about whatever came to her mind so long as it wasn't terribly personal or seemingly irrelevant.

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

Valmer was a bit taken aback with her forthrightness, especially about her bragging about her music. She wasn't your typical Gryffindor, that was for sure. She had an attitude, and he wasn't liking it. "I just guessed, it wasn't like I studied you or anything," he said forcefully. She ran of a bunch of bands that he might have listened to a few times, but nothing major that he heard. "Yeah, I listen to more of the rock groups, like Thestral Flyer, Doubt of Shadow, and Forgotten Wizards. Do you like any of them?" Not like he really cared, she seemed like she didn't care about anything he was saying either. Ryann seemed really focused on getting the homework done, and getting out of there. He had asked her for help with two goals: 1) to get the assignment done, and 2) to hopefully make a new friend. It was obvious that Ryann only had one assignment: getting it done, and forgetting completely about him. He wasn't too happy about that. When he asked about what she liked to do, she sighed (again) and answered blindly, about baking. He was glad she had answered, but he knew she was getting upset, if she hadn't been upset with him the whole time already.

She suddenly made up some rash and idiotic idea that he had only talked to her as a joke. How dare she think that, he thought to himself. He got angry quickly, and blurted out what he was thinking at the time. "I'm quite surprised you would jump at such a conclusion so quickly. I am not the typical kind of Slytherin, and I am definitely not the kind of person who would sit and talk with someone just because it was a dare, or even to try and get them to like me. I had no other plan than to get to know you, and finish this homework," he snapped. "If you want me to leave, just tell me. Don't act like things are fine. If I'm annoying you or keeping you from running off to find out more about Drake, I'll leave. I just want to be friendly. I can't believe I'm hearing things like this from a Gryffindor. The stereotype usually goes with our kind, not yours. But if you want to act like this, fine." Valmer grabbed his bag and his papers, and got up from his chair, ready to leave. He waited, to see what kind of insult or whatever she might throw back in his face.

[Ryann Taylor G6]

She hadn't mean to offend Valmer with the accusation of stalking her. It was meant as more of a rhetorical joke, but he had taken it seriously. Biting her lip, she let the notion pass as he rambled off a few bands; Ryann sensed the loss of care in his voice. This guy was pretty touchy, back and forth from being all nice to having an attitude within seconds. Of course, Ryann couldn't really fault him as she was quite all over the place herself. He was probably thinking that she was crazy, skipping from one thing to another, so focused on homework and then off rambling about Drake. "They are all definitely worth lending an ear," she replied instinctively, her mind still elsewhere in analyzing her own self and what Valmer was likely thinking.

Her words had only seemed to further offend Valmer as he snapped back rather defensively at her inquiry. Turning a slight frown, Ryann quickly began to put away her own materials, shaking her head as Valmer offered to leave if she wanted him to. "No..." she offered, letting out a large breath before biting her lip and standing with her bag slung over her shoulders- once again the weight pulling her ever so slightly into a crouched stance as she tried explaining herself to Valmer. "You don't have to leave. I should be going though. I... I'm sorry." She brushed past him and on her way to the exit. Ryann wondered why she was being so completely complicated. Ryann was not normally one who was complicated. She hated complicated people. But somehow life had pressed in on her lately and caused this complicated side of her to come out. She didn't like it, but it hadn't been going away. This time with Valmer had shown her a lot about herself in such a quick time, and she was slightly sorry that he was the one who had to deal with all of her dramatic swings in personality.

Turning before she passed through the threshold, Ryann looked at Valmer and offered a slightly apologetic smile. "I'm sure that you are what you say you are, but perhaps I'm realizing I might not be who I thought I was." She looked down at her shoes before one last comment. "There's a group of Ravenclaw fifth and sixth years that usually meet in the library at this time. They might be able to offer you some more help if you want to try." Shrugging, Ryann left the student lounge, following the winding corridors back to the Gryffindor common room. Life was bittersweet, and Ryann just wanted to find her way back to the sweet part. Being bitter was starting to get tiring.