Blue on Bleu ((Noah))

[Trinity Bleu]

"C'mon Rex," Trinity whined, tugging at her friend's robes in the hope of delaying his departure. "Humour me. Please. Just this once." However, as usual, Rex Carter made his usual excuses - homework (phff, as if Rex Carter ever did homework), pranking (because that was so much more important than doing a friend a favour), Billy (Trinity knew for a fact Billy was busy right now) - until Trinity sighed, resigned. Frankly, she'd known it was a lost cause the moment she'd started talking, but it'd never stopped her before from trying time and time again. Rex just didn't model; he hated it, hated sitting or standing still. Trinity would just have to find someone else. Unfortunately, though, Rex was the best possible model one could ever wish for. She wouldn't be as blunt as to say the truth to his face - after all, she'd hate to expand his ego even more than it already had - but she implied as much with her continued pursuit of his face for her paper. She could just sketch Rex without his permission, but as bold as Trinity was, she was polite and considerate enough to regard one's appearance as belonging to oneself, not to be taken or stolen by others without consent. Trinity doubted Rex would ever forgive her if she painted his beautiful, broken face.

"Go then," she groused moodily, though the childish action of sticking out her tongue at Rex made it obvious she was not truly angry or bitter. "Go on, go. Before I pin you down and take you against your will." She flashed a toothy, near-flirtatious grin, knowing Rex would see the funny side, before waving him away. Just as the portrait swung shut behind him, Trinity added with a yell, "And tell Miss Chan I say hi!" The look on Rex's face was priceless as it disappeared beneath the Fat Lady, and Trinity grinned triumphantly to herself. She took far too much joy out of twisting Rex around her little finger, and his reaction to any mention of Harmony still made him uncharacteristically (and hilariously) coy. Trinity was simply happy. She'd never seen Rex so relaxed, so carefree. Despite popular belief, Rex five years ago had not been either of these things. He'd always been a wild spirit, but he hadn't been truly happy; not until Harmony Chan.

"What now?" Trinity muttered, heaving a soft sigh. Her sketchpad lay flat in her hands, waiting to be used, and her fingers itched to comply. Rex's departure made the moment suddenly so much more boring, but that was one of Rex's gifts - the ability to light one's world with fireworks. He was a boy of excitement and euphoria, and perhaps that was why he and Trinity were such close friends. She would be his female counterpart if it were not for a troubled past. Trinity didn't know the full story of Rex's history, and she had never been nosy, but she understood it to be a wrecked and disturbed tale, not to be pried into. Trinity respected this, and knew this was the key difference between her wiser personality compared to the constant childhood Rex lived within his mind. Trinity was not the most mature of her peers, but she was much more sensible than Rex; she knew when to stop, when enough was enough. Still, they shared plenty personality traits, and bold confidence was one of them.

Trinity had barely laid eyes on her new target before she had propelled herself over the sofa back, landing squarely on two feet. With sketchpad and pencils clutched in hand, she stalked towards one of the few other occupants of the Common Room with eager eyes and a half playful, half thoughtful smirk. "Noah," she declared as she slid into a seat opposite him and appraised her fellow sixth-year student. "The Mr Blue to my Miss Bleu," she added in amusement; she had always found their similar surnames funny. "How would you like to be my next project?" she asked, ploughing through conversation, however one-sided. "You have a very pretty face, perfect eyes for drawing, and although you're not Rex Carter, I will forgive you. Rex will never consent to my sketching him, the bloody spoilt sport, but I'm sure you won't disappoint me, surely." Already a pencil was poised over the blank canvas, waiting for Noah to make some sort of action or noise of approval. Trinity didn't know him very well, but she was never shy and didn't care if she'd thrown her classmate off balance with her bold, breezy ways. He could say no, she wouldn't take offence, but he really did have quite the pretty face, and it would be such a shame, added to the disappointment of Rex Carter, if he turned her down.

[Noah Hamilton-Blue G6]

With an expression of complete bewilderment, Noah stared at the topic question in his hands. He turned the parchment over once, then twice more, as if hoping it would change the more he fiddled with it. But it stayed the same; the question scribbled hastily on the top of the parchment still read 'Plan to give a 10 minute presentation on your favourite plant/weed/herb'. It made no sense to Noah. Would a Professor really set this? Was it a joke? It could only be. Thinking back to the Herbology lesson in which the homework had been issued, Noah tried to recall Neville - Professor Longbottom's, countenance. Maybe the Professor who had taken the class had actually been an imposter, taking the form of the ex-Gryffindor by way of a Polyjuice Potion. The theory was a little unlikely. And yet Noah demanded an explanation for the appalling essay question in his hands. He just did not understand - how many students really had a favourite plant, or weed, or herb? Supposing, of course, that Longbottom meant legal herbs.

With a sigh Noah threw the parchment on the table in front of him and bit his lip. He had assigned himself two hours that afternoon for work; he would not let himself get up from the table until those two hours were over. It would be fine for him to procrastinate, as long as he did it from the table. But he had made sure to have nothing around him that he could use as a distraction, so procrastinating was almost difficult for once. After a few moments of tense silence, during with Noah battled his own mind for control over his next move, he shifted his legs. But not to get up; merely to reposition them beneath the table so he could be more comfortable. Then he picked up his quill again. He was ready to plan a lie.
Before he had written a word a slim figure, seeming to appear from nowhere, melted into the seat beside him. The bold and bright Gryffindor girl that had joined Noah was grasping a pad and pencils; before she spoke a word, Noah shrank away.

Drawing... it was something that Noah didn't really understand. He loved to doodle, but to him that was completely different. Drawing was... aiming to create something. Aiming to put what you could see before you onto paper in your hands, more often than not. And Noah couldn't comprehend how someone could have enough faith in their ability to imitate shapes and lines and shadows and colour... It was difficult for him to think about, and he knew he would never be able to explain it in words to someone else. He disliked a lot of abstract art because of it - he liked to know what was what. The only art he really felt he enjoyed was surreal work. That was taking what you saw and changing it into what you want to see, he felt. And he understood that.

Frowning slightly, Noah extracted himself from his own maze of thoughts and smiled warily at Trinity Bleu. "Trinity..." He replied softly to her own one-word greeting. His eyes danced around her own, rarely keeping contact for more than a second; Noah never held eye-contact. He wasn't aware of this fact, but it was impossible to miss when talking with him. "So it seems." He winced at her reference to their similar surnames but chuckled very lightly in response. He was still on edge; the sketchpad in her hands was still poised, like a wand in a duel.

"Your project?! Oh no- no, I ca-" His objections were silenced by Trinity's swift stream of words. Obediently he ceased his talk until she had finished, his teeth still nibbling at his lower lip. He had always liked Trinity. He even admired her. He wanted to help her as well as spend more time with her; her confidence was endearing. Cocking his head slowly, Noah eyed the pencil and blank paper. "Erm..." His thoughts started to slip away and before he knew it, he was thinking about the final result that could appear on her paper. It could be ugly - she could be an awful artist, and the drawing could show him as a scowling, unattractive monster. Though Noah was not a vain boy, he hated being misrepresented, and the idea that Trinity could turn him into something hideous and inaccurate on paper made him want to run far, far away. Before he knew it, his mind had delved deep into the numerous possibilities, and his heartbeats began to quicken nervously.

Noah's grip tightened on the quill still between his fingertips. His eyes narrowed, and a spot of blood speckled his lip as his teeth chewed into it further in concentration. With a huge effort, he wrenched himself away from the urge to jump away from Trinity and do something - anything - to settle his nerves. Deep and desperate breaths ran through his body until he calmed. The nervous scene had only been a few second in length, and it was possible that Trinity had missed it altogether; Noah hoped that she had. The Gryffindor boy's strange behaviour was often left unexplained to those that weren't close friends of his, but it was known that he was odd. It always was.

In the lul that followed his tense second on the edge, Noah managed to blurt out a few words before he could take them back. "Sure I'll do it." Oh, crud. Clearly, Trinity's boldness was already rubbing off on him. "What do you need me to do...?" He flicked his Herbology away from him absently, giving up with it once and for all. Trinity was more interesting than Longbottom's pointless topic question. "I have just one condition." He took another low breath. "Please show me the page constantly... I have to see what you are doing. Otherwise... you'll just have to bug Carter some more."

[Trinity Bleu]

Trinity's grin was white and toothy. "Fab!" she said, propping her feet on the edge of another seat and bringing her knees to her chest. She placed her sketchpad upon her slanted lap, pencil already in hand and poised to strike. Trinity was not one to waste time, after all. "Nothing, really," she replied to Noah's question, her free hand gesticulating wildly. "You don't have to do anything at all, it's not hard. Just sit there and... well. Look pretty? You don't need to try too hard, trust me." She leaned forward and patted Noah's knee conspiratorially, a hint of twinkle in her eye. Frankly, if Trinity were interested in finding herself a boy, and if Noah was just a little more outspoken, she would've found him quite attractive. Even though Rex was physically the most gorgeous boy in their year, Trinity preferred a different look; long, swept hair, for one, not Rex's short spikes of blonde.

"Just continue doing what you were doing before," Trinity continued absently, eyes flicking between Noah and her pad as her fingers traced the outline of his jaw. "I don't want your time, I want your face." She flashed a brief grin, before a furrow of her eyebrows in concentration melted it away. However, at Noah's mention of a condition, Trinity's hand hesitated above the page, and their gazes met again. "Shoot," she said, completely understanding that what she was asking of Noah, who wasn't exactly her best friend and who was actually quite shy from what she had gathered over the last five or six years, was not readily agreed to without some stipulation.

Trinity smiled brightly at Noah's demand, wasting little breath and time before her pencil was again on the page. "Of course, Noah," she nodded agreeably, thinking what a strange boy he was; but then again, not everyone was as confident and bold as Trinity, and sometimes she forgot the concept of shyness even existed. "You can even keep the finished thing. I just have time on my hands. I draw when I'm bored, and people are my favourite to do, but I'm running out of willing subjects." Her eyes sparkled with mirth as she added, "Rex Carter being one of them, the useless git."

Rex was secretly and would always be forgiven, though, for Trinity's mind knew better than to force her friend into facing his worst fears. "I'm going to use pencil only," she began to explain to Noah, narrating her work the same time as producing it, "because your face is more suited to black and white." Trinity had never been able to keep her mouth closed, even when doing the most difficult of tasks; multitasking was one of her virtues.

Noah's hair was beginning to take form on the canvas, Trinity studying it carefully. "Never fear, Noah dear," she whittled on cheerfully, pressing the pencil deeper to draw a thicker depth of line, "I'm a speedy artist, I won't be staring at you for too long. I've already done the outline of your head and hair." As Noah had asked, Trinity's hand lifted and she spun the pad around so her subject could scrutinise it. "How's it look so far? You won't recognise yourself yet, there's still the main features left. I do the full thick of hair at the end. You have great hair, by the way." To emphasise her point, Trinity leaned forward, into Noah's space again, without thought, and her hand brushed a few strands of flaxen out of startled eyes.

"But, as much as I love your hair, your eyes are great too. You should throw it back more, let people see them. It's a wonder you're still single." Despite her bold words, Trinity's grin was good-natured and free of malicious intent. She drew her pad away again and began to highlight Noah's cheekbones. "Or maybe you don't want a relationship. They're a hassle. I'm not sure I'll ever be bothered." Trinity gave a careless shrug, gaze pinned to paper, before snapping to stare at Noah's nose.

[Noah Hamilton-Blue G6]

Look... pretty? Noah focused his mind on this. He took a moment to think about what would make a boy look pretty. But the only thing in his head was the phrase itself, nothing came to him about how to accomplish the task. He watched Trinity cautiously again. She said he didn't need to try, which was a relief. But still, Noah felt the sudden urge to do something like... like pursing his lips. Or tidying his messy blonde hair, perhaps tucking one of the many loose strands behind his ears. He resisted the urge to do it and instead watched as Trinity's hand came out to pat his knee gently. As her fingers made contact with the texture of his dark jeans Noah took a deep breath - and only when the contact was broken did he breath again. He didn't really like being touched by anyone. It had nothing to do with Trinity being a girl, physical contact just made him somewhat nervous. Like most things really.

Trinity's ready agreement to his condition made Noah smile once more. He liked that she didn't ask questions. She got down to the point and didn't waste words. When she mentioned that Noah could have the sketch once it was completed, his smile deepened a little. "That would be nice, I think. Thanks." Noah imagined the picture on the wall above his bed and it pleased him; though the parchment was blank in his mind, it was merely the thought of having a 'touch of Trinity' on his wall that he liked. Above his bed in the dorms he already had various posters and letters. Four on his left side, four on his right. He had a letter from Maya he wanted to put up, but knew he couldn't do that unless he had another piece of parchment to make the wall symmetrical in numbers. Now he had that piece.

His laughter erupted at her comment to Rex Carter, brightening his eyes and stretching his lips into an even wider grin. Noah rarely laughed, but when he did he didn't really hold back; he saw no point in it. Laughing was something that, to him, represented a feeling of being comfortable and secure. There was no reason to limit the laughter and squash it into a meaningless chuckle or even one of those awful snorts, just because people would stare if your laughter came out wild and loud.

"Pencil, right." He eyed the pencil in her hands and frowned. The tip was a little blunt. And Noah hated blunt pencils. He took out his wand and muttered an incantation under his breath. He didn't just say it once - that wouldn't have been right. He said it sixteen times, hastily and swiftly. The result was a pencil that was visibly a great deal shorter than it had been just a moment ago; but at least it was sharp. Before long the razor tip made contact with the paper in Trinity's hands. Although Noah knew he was meant to be doing nothing in particular or what he had been doing before - which was nothing in particular anyway, he couldn't help but watch Trinity. Her eyes were cast down now so there was no fear of her look up and catching his gaze. He didn't look at her because he was attracted to her; Noah had long ago made his mind dampen down those thoughts and so was now almost immune to girls who should have interested him. But he liked to watch how she concentrated, how her brows narrowed as she put all of her attentions to the page beneath her fingertips, and how the edge of her lower lip disappeared beneath her upper teeth as she focused. Noah doubted she knew that she did this and didn't bother making her aware of the fact. He just liked to notice.

Before long the page was shown to Noah and he was glad to see that the boy that was slowly beginning to appear on the page did not seem overly grotesque, at least not just yet. He smiled at the sketch. "That's great, Trinity. You're very good." He spoke in a matter-of-fact tone and, as always, told the truth.
Then Trinity moved forward, and once more Noah was thrown onto the brink. His eyes tracked her hand and his body didn't move a millimetre as she touched his hair. He allowed it for a second but then Noah's arm shot up almost involuntarily. Gently, but forcefully, he moved Trinity's arm away. He offered no explanation for this and instead just smiled weakly. He was tired of explanations.

It's a wonder you're still single. Turning at her words, Noah's eyes widened. "Ha." He didn't like this subject. "Is it really." It was not a question. He didn't think it was unusual at all that he was single, and knew that it was unlikely that Trinity really thought it a wonder. Noah was weird and that generally wasn't a great attraction for girls.
Noah's fingernails gripped his palms as he commented, just once, in a slightly strained tone. "I'd like a relationship but I can't." Simple statement words. Taking a deep breath, Noah didn't focus on the fact that Trinity had just suggested she, too, had never had a relationship, and instead he cast his eyes around before they grasped a new topic and latched to it hopefully. "Uh. Longbottom has set me something insane." He reached out and twisted the parchment that lay on top of his pile so that the title was visible and legible to Trinity. Just the memory of it made him wince. "Herbology is awful." He peered around the pad at this, begging like a child to see the page once more even though it had been just a moment since Trinity had presented it.

[Trinity Bleu]

"I'm not bad," Trinity acknowledged with a pleased smile. She was not modest in the slightest, aware of what she excelled in compared to most, but Trinity was not arrogant either. She was straightforward with her talents, and she knew well she had a good eye for art and a skilled hand for drawing. "I'm glad you like it," she continued, shading in the corner of Noah's eyebrow, "because even though I really don't give a damn if people appreciate me and my work, it makes me smile when my subjects are pleased." She looked up briefly at Noah, a grin spread wide.

"Oh." The note escaped between Trinity's teeth, and her smile faltered just a twitch. Her gaze held Noah's, strong and determined, expecting him to shy away, as his hand gave a near tremble against her wrist. "I'm sorry," she started without waiting for awkward silence to fall and pass, "you can tell me if I make you uncomfortable." Her hand drew away and settled against the page again, as did her eyes. "I am genius at pushing people's buttons without even noticing. It's a skill of mine." Trinity's tone was sarcastic but uncaring; she had never much worried over other people and their feelings. She was considerate, compassionate too, but not particularly tolerant. Her closest friends had learnt to accept her, and understand that she would not change - not for the world. If Trinity Bleu didn't like you, you'd know, period.

Trinity's eyes darted to Noah's face, this time to acknowledge his words rather than his visage. "Can't? There's no such thing as 'can't'," she said a little harshly, but softened her voice at Noah's expression. Evidently she had hit one of those buttons, again without noticing. Although Trinity wasn't flexible enough to treat Noah with gentle care, she found herself automatically tuning herself to a different pitch; softening her rough edges to accommodate him just a little. "What do you mean by 'can't' anyway?" Trinity continued, taking in the sorrowful eyes and marking them into existence on paper. "Do you have overbearing parents, or is it a personal problem?" She looked up, and her gaze bore into Noah with interest and a pique of curiosity. Trinity was not nosy, but she did ask a lot of questions, even if it made people uncomfortable. After all, was their choice if they answered or not.

"If you'd like one, then you should have one," Trinity stated with finality after a beat of silence where she gave Noah's irises a rounded shape. "If I wanted one... If I wanted anyone, nothing would stop me from taking what or who I wanted. You have to try to achieve what you want; otherwise you'll never achieve anything." Trinity's tone was solemn and serious as well as determined and stubborn as she paused over Noah's thick lashes, and her eyes ran over his once more, absorbing every angle and every smooth curve.

Noah made an obvious attempt at changing the topic of conversation, but Trinity was quite unobservant when it came to people's moods, and continued their chat as though normal, hardly deterred. "Herbology isn't awful," she snorted, nose scrunching up in distaste, "it's s***, that's what it is." A playful smirk danced on her lips, wet from being bitten in concentration. "Why the heck are you doing it if you hate it?" Trinity asked, shaking her head with lack of understanding.

[Noah Hamilton-Blue G6]

Listening to Trinity talk about how she didn't care for other people's opinions of her, Noah marvelled once more at her indifference. Although he didn't really mind what people thought, it did worry him when he knew that people were thinking anything at all. He usually didn't like to leave an impression, whether bad or good. Perhaps that was odd, but he thought that was the safest way to go about his business. He smiled as she used the word 'subject'. "You make me sound like your victim, or guinea pig." Maybe I am, he pondered. It didn't bother him, as he was just happy to help her any way that he could.

When Trinity apologised Noah cringed inside and shook his head repeatedly. "No, don't apologise. It's not your fault. You shouldn't dampen your spirit- ever. I just..." He paused and scratched his jaw again. "I don't work very well when people try to... touch. Or connect." He wondered if he was going to far. He knew his choice of words - using the word work for example - was a little awkward, but it was the first thing that jumped into his failing train of thought. No-one ever really understood him anyway, so he doubted he could say anything to confuse Trinity's opinion of him even more. But then, perhaps she was one of those incredibly observational girls who hid under a facade of courage and life. And perhaps she wasn't. Noah hated not being able to read people instantly - he wanted to know exactly how much people knew about him just from a look.

"Maybe not for you." Noah scowled at her opinion on the word 'can't'. He didn't like it when people generalised. To him, Trinity was suggesting that everyone could and no-one couldn't. He knew she was very wrong. "Not everyone works in the same way." Again the word 'work' shot into his sentence. "And I mean... no, nothing like that. I live with my sisters." He quickly drifted from that topic of parents. "Personal problem..." Noah paused and eyed Trinity. He was surprised when her gaze latched on his curiously but instantly made his focal point the large fireplace just over her shoulder, and then his own jean-clad knee. "... I guess so."

For the first time, Noah felt almost normal talking lightly about his problems. He felt a slight need to throw back his chair and escape but pushed this down with a few deep breaths. He wasn't used to speaking so openly, but Trinity's forward manner made it almost impossible to lie or step past the topic of conversation. He listened to her words and hesitated before speaking, trying to twist them around in his mind until he could understand her meaning fully. "I guess I do agree. But if you, um, have restrictions then you can only want for a few things at one time... and maybe it's sometimes difficult to know how much you can achieve. I don't look for what I can't find, or have..." Another deep breath. Noah checked Trinity's expression just to see that she wasn't laughing at him, and swallowed heavily. "I don't know. I never do. I just understand that usually, I can't.

A quick shrug shook his slender shoulders as he responded to Trinity's question. "I didn't know what to take. And I like the greenhouses." A moment later, he again peered around Trinity's pad, and couldn't help but be impressed by the further show of skill on the paper. "Is this your only hobby?" He asked curiously. Trinity seemed so natural with her sketching, but entirely unpretentious about it also. He was interested to see what else she did.

[Trinity Bleu]

"Maybe you are." Trinity smirked. "But if I'm honest, you're all my guinea pigs, to some extent. Every time I draw, every subject - or model, or whatever you want to call it - I learn something new about art. So metaphorically, yeah. You're right."

Trinity laughed, then, at Noah's attempt to placate her. "Don't worry, I wouldn't be anyone else for the bloody world," she said, clearly amused. "I live life the way I want to, not by anybody else's rules. I'll be damned if I had to do that. To me, that ain't living at all." She shrugged carelessly. "I've been called selfish, but I don't see it as selfish. We're all selfish, really. I just see a bigger picture." As though to emphasise her point, Trinity used her pencil to circle the outline of Noah's face in the air, scrunching her eyes to scrutinise him.

"Okay," was Trinity's simple reply to Noah's admittance that he didn't like touching or connecting. "I don't get you, but if that's who you are, then that's fine." She sent him a reassuring, friendly smile. "I'd ask why, but I get a feeling you'll just say 'I don't know'. Or you won't wanna talk about it. I get it. Even I have boundaries." She shrugged again, and put her pencil back to paper.

"I know we're all different," Trinity dead panned, rolling her eyes. "But I don't believe there's such a thing as 'can't'. Think about it: we live in a world of magic. Magic." Trinity paused her work to shake her head in evident awe. "I don't know how you were brought up, but where I'm from, magic doesn't exist. I was raised like a Muggle, or whatever stupid names wizards have for us; heck, I thought I was a normal person for years. And then bang!" Trinity threw her arms in the air, obviously trying not to grin. "I'm sent a letter telling me I'm made of magic."

A half wistful look crossed Trinity's eyes, before she continued. "Well, I thought it was some stupid hilarious joke. But then Mum sits me down and tells me about my dad, and the only thing I could say was '[expletive] me'." Trinity chuckled. "If magic can exist, what isn't possible? You can fly, you can change shape, you can do anything! Anything." She dropped her pencil and took out her wand, pointing it at Noah. "With a wand, with magic, what can't be done?" she challenged him in a soft voice and daring stare. "As long as you believe, anything is possible."

"How many sisters do you have?" Trinity asked out of curiosity, tucking her wand away again and picking up her pencil. "I'm special; the only one in the family who's magic. But there's Eric, who's my step-dad's kid, and Caleb, who's my half-brother." Trinity liked being different, but she'd always lamented the fact Eric, her best friend and partner in crime, was not also a wizard. Oh, the things they could've accomplished together.

Trinity's eyebrows furrowed in frustration, and her gaze turned on Noah's again, heated. "There's that stupid word again," she accused. "'Can't'. Trust me, Noah, you can. It's just a matter of if you're going to try. If you're not, then you won't. But whether or not you can or can't - that's up to you. No such thing as 'can't'." Trinity smudged in shadows against Noah's left cheek and added, "If you don't reach for the sky, how do you know you can't? You don't. So you try. You try and try and try, until you get what you want. You don't give up."

A toothy grin jerked onto Trinity's face as she remembered something someone had long ago said to her. "I've been called a tenacious b**** before, and I can't deny it. You just have to believe in yourself." Trinity leaned forward, but remembered halfway into Noah's personal space that he didn't like it, and pulled back again. Instead, her finger hovered across to point at Noah's heart. "I hate sap and cheese, but I believe that if you believe in there, you can do anything. This world is magic, and I'll be damned if stupid things like fear and rules stop me. There are no boundaries to living, Noah."

Drawing away again, Trinity settled into her art once more. "It's my favourite thing to do when I'm bored," she replied in answer to Noah's question. "It's relaxing and fun in one, and I'm not too shabby at it either. I like Quidditch a lot; I'm competitive and sporty and active, and all that jazz. I used to play all the Muggle sports a lot, even the ones only guys played - football, tennis, you know. I was even better than the boys." Trinity laughed devilishly, remembering the times she'd thrashed her male competitors. "I was a tomboy," she admitted, "and I loved it. And... I'm s*** at music, can't sing to save my life, but I like rock. What about you?" She glanced up at Noah. "What do you do?"