it's knowin' that your door is always open [Keiran

[audrey]

OUTFIT

It felt weird being back at Hogwarts after two years away. Reece Deity couldn’t help but feel a hint of disappointment and dissatisfaction at her return. It wasn’t at all what she had expected, but then, she wasn’t really sure what she had been expecting. She had thought that coming back and finishing her last year would help, that maybe she could learn more, that maybe there was something she was just simply missing. But obviously she was wrong, a fact which she had learned within the first week back. Half of her professors were her age or a year younger or older; recent Hogwarts grads with no real interest in teaching. How they had managed to obtain their positions – and how they expected to keep them – was beyond her. She scowled at the thought of attending the now pointless classes. What a joke! Hogwarts had become a complete joke. Oh, if only she could see how her parents would react toif they could see it now.

To add to this, Reece was two years older than most of her fellow seventh years, leaving her with a disconnection and feeling as an outcast. Not that this really bothered her. After all, Reece had just spent the last two years traveling the world, most of the time alone. Sure, every once in a while she would find that she had a temporary travel companion or group, or some stranger walking up and starting up a conversation. But there hadn’t been any real intimacy or friendships forged. It felt so strange and out of place being around so many – children.

Then, of course, there were the dorms. Reece was now finding it increasingly uncomfortable staying in the dorms. In her travels, she had spent most of her nights camped out under the stars, even in the winter. Sure there had been a few stays at hostels in various countries when the desire for a real shower and a real bed had become undeniably overwhelming. But generally she found herself drawn to just camp out and survive on her own.

Because of all the experiences she’d had on her travels, Reece felt vastly different from her fellow students. She was young, but she was no longer a child, and she could feel it to her very core. She had always been smart, but now she felt distanced from the others because she was no longer a naïve student. On the contrary, her eyes had been opened to a multitude of realities. She had seen people learning, teaching, helping, solving, starving, killing, stealing, and raping…but most importantly, simply surviving. She had learned it was particularly difficult for an attractive young woman to travel, alone, even being a witch. Lust and desire were powerful in the world. Reece knew this, just as she knew she was beautiful and could feel the hungered eyes of men following her as she went.

So it was that she was thinking of all these things as she walked out to the Hogwarts grounds, trailing the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and smoking when she met the new groundskeeper: the stunningly attractive Keiran Hayes. When they had introduced themselves and shaken hands, Reece was careful to make sure the only contact was her gloved hand with his, and that her bare skin on her fingertips did not meet his. It was instinct for her out of her fear of a possible memory transfer at the contact. They talked for a while, and she had been completely fascinated at the discovery that he wasn’t just a groundskeeper. In fact, he was a scientist, using his position of groundskeeper to gain access to the Forest’s inhabitants to further learn and study them.

As they chatted and smoked, the blonde began to realize that in this incredibly handsome man she might just have found the single person in Hogwarts who neither treated her like a child, nor expect to much or too little from her. He was possibly the least bit boring person at Hogwarts. In fact, she found is intelligence and conversation quite intriguing. It seemed she may have made a friend in this mysterious groundskeeper.

At some point Keiran had invited her to his cabin for some tea. Naturally, she had accepted, eager for conversation with another adult, albeit an older one. How could she refuse? So she had finished her cigarette, tossed the used filter, and followed him to his cabin. Upon reaching their destination, she paused to look at it, scanning the landscaping and building with her blue eyes. She couldn’t remember if she had every really looked at the groundskeepers cabin before, so she couldn’t tell whether it had changed or not. She smiled lightly, taking stock of the size and appearance. She glanced sideways at him, a small smile of appreciation on her face, ”From the outside it appears small, but comfortable, and cute. If you don’t mind my saying.”

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[keiran]

Keiran was interested in this girl. She rather fascinating. What intrigued him the most was the fact that she was gone for two years from Hogwarts. It made him wonder why, where she had gone. He couldn't help his curiosity, that's just the way he was. His curiosity was what got him interested in science. The wonder what made things happen, why things were this way and not another. It was all very fascinating to him. So, after they had talked for a bit, Keiran invited Reece over for some tea. A little after they started walking, he through his cigarette on the ground. He hadn't had one in quite a long while. He was usually too busy with either working the grounds, finishing or starting a new project, or in the Great Hall getting food. It was difficult for him these days to find time in between to get a drag. Before his wife and daughter died, he had give up both smoking and drinking, wanting to be able to be there for his family as he got older. But once they died, all of that went out the drain. the first couple months were horrible. Most days he wouldn't, couldn't, leave the house. Now, he smoked and drank in moderation, like a normal person. A beer now and then, a smoke when he could. Very normal.

Keiran stopped in front of the house when Reece did. He chuckled at her comment. It was true. The house was fairly small. His house in Scotland, which he still has because he couldn't bare to sell it, is quite a bit bigger. It did have fit a family of three after all. "You can't see it from out here, but it was one more room, a small bedroom, in the back. Here, let's go in, shall we?" He walked up the steps and held the door open for Reece, walking in and then stepping aside, giving her room to enter.

words; 329
comment; Sorry it took so long! and sorry it's short, :/.

[audrey]

OUTFIT

Reece followed Keiran into his cabin, smiling lightly as he held the door open and stepped aside for her to enter. Her eyes roamed as she took in the intricacies of the inside. It was even more interesting inside than outside. It was slightly bigger than it looked, but considering Keiran was just one man, Reece suspected it was probably the perfect size for him. Reece held no disdain for small homes and establishments, although she had grown up living above her mothers store, spending weeks at the Night Manor or the Deity Manor, and then having also grown up at the family manor in Ireland. Used to wealth, power, and a lot of space, Reece had received a shock of reality in the two years she'd been traveling on her own. And so it was that she could really, truly, appreciate the quality of this man's home.

Taking a few steps further in, she was careful not to let her bare skin touch anything, even pulling her gloves a bit to cover most of her fingertips, afraid of 'sucking' a memory from something. As her eyes fell on some of Keiran's scientific equipment, an inquisitive fire burned into her, wanting to know more about this man, the knowledge he had, and what he did for his experiments. When they had been talking before heading to his cabin for tea, Reece had attempted to pick his brain for some of that knowledge. Keiran was a completely intriguing enigma to her. Reece had always been good at reading people but she was finding it hard to read him and figure him out. She had made a mental note that at some point she should try to broach the subject of psychics, seers, and mediums again, but she felt sure that now was not the right time to press it.

For now she ran a hand through her blonde hair, laughed lightly, and said, "Well, it looks quite comfortable. It seems you've made yourself quite at home here."

[/color] She tilted her head to the side a little bit, "Although, I suppose many of us feel quite at home at Hogwarts, so it's no surprise that people come back. How long has it been for you? Since you graduated, I mean?"[/color] Her blue eyes scanned over him quickly, taking in his appearance, and attempting to judge his age. He looked young, but not so young as to have recently graduated. If she had to guess she would have gone with late twenties, maybe thirty. But then, Reece knew, one could not (or at least, should not) judge solely on looks alone, no matter how attractive.[/blockquote]

[keiran]

The first thing you see is a crowded dining room table which happens to be filled with different means of conducting experiments. If you turn to the right you see a couch pushed up against the wall under a window. Also to the right is an open door leading to a tiny bedroom that contains only a bedside table and a small bed. He built that little add on himself. He couldn't handle sleeping on that little couch. Most nights, he used to spend the night on the floor. Well, it's not the Taj Mahal, but it's home, he said with a smile. Keiran walked over to the table and started to clear it off. Sorry about the mess. Sometimes I forget to clean things up. He gave an embarrassed chuckle.

Keiran's eyes grew a little dark as she talked about why people came back. He kept his eyes focused on the table to keep her from noticing. Oh, I only came back a few months ago. His voice was light, covering the memories the months before those that it brought. He was good at hiding it now. He didn't like having to explain why the blue-green in his eyes suddenly took on a haunted look, his usually cheerful face turned somber, or the cheer in his voice faded into sadness. So now, all that happened was a sliver of pain that showed in his eyes, and that was easy to hide by a simple turn of the head.

[audrey]

OUTFIT

Now that they were in his cabin, Reece felt a little uncomfortable. True, he had invited her over for tea, but she still felt as though she were intruding on his personal space. Not only that, but she was intensely aware of the increasing potential for her to touch or bump an object, or Keiran himself, and accidentally cause a transfer or "capture" a memory. That was the last thing she wanted to do. It always seemed that no matter how hard she tried, there was always the possibility of this transfer occurring. She had no control over it, or when it might or might not happen. It was a damn curse, not a gift. Way to go, Reece, she thought, mentally slapping herself, You're one of the most brilliant people of your age and you didn't even think this through the potential consequences. Idiot!

She flinched and hoped Keiran hadn't noticed. Deftly, she slipped her fingers into the pockets of her shorts, and kept her arms close to her sides, to avoid the most direct contact link. With a small smile aimed at Keiran, she said, "Well, welcome back then, I suppose." Although he hadn't really answered her question, she shrugged it off, noticing a mild tensity in him. But she didn't think anything of it, and chose to push the thought to the back of her mind. "So..." Reece glanced around and then back at him, "You mentioned tea?"


Note: Sorry it's so short!