Wen had been spending the morning in the art studio, working on a big project. He'd gotten a few of their family pictures from Eddie, and he had combined them to include all of them. He'd also asked Sierra for a favor, having his brother and Su dress up in a fancy clothes and having Sierra take pictures. Perfect! Now he could combine his favorite shots of all of them into one big family picture. Once the lineart was done with two of his favorite kind of pen (he'd have to ask Mum for a bigger pack of them next year!), he'd start working on the watercolors. Of course, those were in his trunk, which meant he'd have to stop for now. Plus he had to wait on the ink to dry so it wouldn't smudge.
Setting his work somewhere safe to dry, Wen headed back up to the common room. According to his watch, Bryn should probably be done in the Greenhouse too. He whistled a jaunty tune as he headed upstairs, but his merriment dropped when he noticed the state of their dorm. "Jeepers crow! What happened in here?" He looked around, seeing that the chaos seemed to be worse around Bryn's bed. "Bryn's friend came and took his toy, so apparently he destroyed the place. Then he ran off before I could---"
But before he could finish, Wen turned and ran out. He knew that his cousin had a terse relationship with one of his "friends". That had to be it. But where the heck were they?! He ran down the stairs, nearly falling down a few times. But thankfully, he managed to stay upright. When he made it to the basement, he saw Rian near one of the doors. The door, which was clearly closed, had someone knocking and screaming behind it.
Immediately, Wendel saw red. "HOW DARE YOU!?! MOVE YOU JERK!" Wen shoved the Slytherin out of the way, then hurried to try and get the door open. "Where is the key?!?" He glared over at Rian, who seemed way too smug. Finally, Wen's brain calmed enough to have him pull free his wand. "Alohomora" Once the lock clicked, he threw open the door, seeing his panicked cousin inside. He quickly reached out his hands, trying to help from what was probably a terrifying anxiety spiral. If only Lewis was here! He'd know what to do!
I guess to you now, I'm just a face in the crowd Oh God, kinda please, would you kill me now? Late at night in my room, lie awake, think of you And all your little doomst
🍎🧀🍊🍍Bryn was heaving and even as he began to grow more and more tired, he still continued kick at the door. He was hoping that someone in the dungeons would hear him or at the very least become curious as to the commotion but after nearly 10 minutes he was starting to lose his optimism. Rian hadn't talked to him since expressing his earlier disappointment which was both a blessing and curse to him since he now had no guarantee that the other boy was still there.
Luckily or not, Rian was still set in front of the door seemingly bored as he thought about his options. Bryn had been a very welcome escape from his boredom; try as he might, Tsia just couldn't offer the same. The closest he could get was riling up Benji who had a rather unfortunately obvious crush on her and would become hilariously enraged whenever the brunette spent time with her. But even that got boring after a while. He was still brainstorming when he heard hurried footsteps run up the dungeon hall and then saw Wendel just as he spotted him. Before he could even open his mouth, the blonde boy was shouting at him (rude) and then shoved him away from the door (ruder!) Rian let out a soft omph as he landed on the cold floor and only offered the other boy a raised eyebrow of "Are You Actually Stupid" before he stood back up and evaluated his clothes for any dirt or tears. He wasn't all that upset that his punishment was over so soon, it was bound to happen this late in the day. He's actually surprised it took someone this long, he'd have to make a mental note about this corridor...
Bryn's eyes shut automatically as the door was suddenly thrown open and as a hand brushed against his, he panicked and practically tripped over himself to avoid it. His voice was now hoarse and his face and eyes were sticky with tears and it took him a few gulping breathes before he dared to try and open his eyes. It took a few seconds for the blurry shape become coherent and when it became Wen, he didn't hesitate before launching himself at his counsin and wrapping himself around him in a suffocating hug. So far in his state, he didn't even remember that his Chabbit was still on the floor until he attempted to stand and realized his hands were still empty. Emboldened by both Wen being present and the door being open, he looked around the small storage space and found his friend and took in his sad state. As he picked the rabbit up, he noticed a deep tear going across his chest and another near his right foot, the stuffing bursting to fall out.
"Well this has been informative, to say the least. I'd say it's been a pleasure, but you know how much I hate lying, Bryn." Rian's bored voice floated into the space, breaking Bryn's shock at the sight of his stuffed friend. In the span of three heartbeats, his shock turned to rage and he once again launched himself out of the closet, this time towards Rian who's blue eyes once again widened in surprise. The hand not cradling his Chabbit curled and pulled back archly before slamming itself once then twice into the Slytherin boy's face. The boy's face knocked back after the first blow and the second caused him to slip back onto the floor. Bryn followed after him, settling himself over him and bringing his fist onto his face and any other part of his body again and again, ignoring the shouts not just coming from below him but steadily rising above him. He was so beyond over this.
[color#698B69]"Chabbit. Missing."
I've got all this love I've got to keep to myself All this effort to make it look effortless All this love I've got to keep to myself All this effort to make it look effortless
As soon as the door was open, Wen looked at his cousin with a mix of shock and horror. How long had he been in there?! What had led to this happening?! Last he knew, Rian was a friend, though maybe not a very good one.... but now he was shoving innocent kids in closets?! Blue eyes looked between Bryn and Rian, and then over to Chabbit. Oh no, he was really torn up. That'd be horrible! Maybe Rosa or Mea knew how to sew enough to fix him. Wen felt a swirl of emotions curtailing his previous flare of anger, and now he just wished his sister was there. She'd know what to do for sure! "You should learn to hate being a big jerky-jerk too, Rian! And also be glad my big sister's not here 'cause... 'cause she'd fight you!" Okay, so Rosa probably wouldn't fight.... but hey, maybe? She'd at least be able to help.
But then everything went nuts. Bryn ran up to Rian and punched him right in the face, twice!! Wen shouted in surprise, stepping in to try and break up the fight. Where was a grown-up when one was needed?! Rian fell to the floor, but Bryn kept going. "Bryn!!! Stop!!" Wen shouted, grabbing his cousin's arm to try and stop the madness. He was struggling to mitigate the situation, and they needed to get out of here fast. If someone saw this, it'd look like Bryn was the bad guy! "Please, stop!" He tried again, this time trying to pull his cousin fully off the other boy.
"WHAT IS GOING ON?" Came a stern voice, accompanied by heavy stomps. "Uh-oh..." Wen whispered, looking over to see a tall, curly haired prefect standing there. She looked real mad already, but hopefully she could at least stop the violence.
xx❉Wʜᴇʀᴇ Aᴍ I?Dungeon Corridor xxx❉Wʜᴏ Is Wɪᴛʜ Mᴇ?Caulfrey, Abrams, & Heulwen xxxx❉Wʜᴀᴛ's Gᴏɪɴɢ Oɴ?Prefect Duties xxxxx❉Wʜᴀᴛ's Iɴsɪᴅᴇ Mʏ Hᴇᴀᴅ?Whyyyyyy did they interrupt me?
Csuri had been in the empty dungeon classroom.... studying, when a ton of noise interrupted. She'd tried to wait it out, but when it sounded like screaming, she rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh. Pulling on her shiny silver prefect badge, the tall Slytherin stormed out into the hallway. It didn't take long to find the source of the noise, but she hadn't been expecting three first years, all in a fight. "WHAT IS GOING ON?" She didn't quite yell, but the corridor definitely echoed to make her voice sound extra powerful. Her boots thudded against the stone flooring as she stepped in to break up the fight. "Both of you stop this now! Get off him!" Her words were sharp as she directed the narrative. She helped Abrams get his cousin off of Rian, then offered a hand to her housemate.
"First things first, I'm going to heal him. Then you're all going to explain what happened. Then someone is going to detention, and for the rest of the year." Her tone left no room to argue, though she did notice the look of concern from the youngest Abrams. The seventh year did a few quick spells to fix Rian up, then she sighed. "Wendel, you start. What happened?" He'd been more to the side than anything, so maybe he'd offer clarity..... or he'd only try to defend his cousin. The Abrams and Heulwens were all super clingy (and super annoying about it, in her opinion)
"I... um... Okay. So Rian took Chabbit, right? Y'know, Bryn's plushie bunny friend. Anyway, Rian took that, so Bryn went after him. That's what my roommate said. So I ran here after, 'cause I knew trouble was afoot. By the time I got down here, Bryn was locked in that closet there, with Rian standing guard. B-but Bryn's real bad with small spaces, so I pushed Rian away from the door just enough so I could unlock it." He drew a deep breath, panic clearly causing his words to rush together. "Anyway, so I let Bryn out, Rian said something sassy.... then.... then that." He gestured vaguely around at the hallway. Csuri also noticed him holding hands with his cousin, probably because he also seemed to be panicking. "Alright, Rian, explain. Then Bryn. We'll figure this out." Because as much as she wanted to just drag the lot to the nearest professor, something was compelling her to hear them out.
I guess to you now, I'm just a face in the crowd Oh God, kinda please, would you kill me now? Late at night in my room, lie awake, think of you And all your little doomst
🍎🧀🍊🍍Bryn heard the commotion around him and felt as Wen tried to grab him but he ignored it all to keep his focus on his task. The only thing that caused him to stop was the angry sharp female voice that made him instantly freeze which gave Rian the chance to finally push him off his person. He eagerly took the female prefect's hand, recognizing her from their house, while Bryn mostly stayed sat on the ground. He didn't react to Csuri's words and only twitched a bit as Rian's wounds were healed almost instantly before looking at his Chabbit and knowing the fix wouldn't be as simple. As the prefect directed Wen to say what all happened, he noticed his cousin was getting fidgety and anxious for some reason which had him frowning. None of this was hit fault and it wasn't fair for him to feel like that so he made sure to squeeze his hand in comfort as he recounted his version of events. It also helped him to ignore the other boy as he also began explaining what happened.
"I had asked Bryn to borrow his Chabbit earlier this week and today, I asked one of the older Ravenclaw boys to grab him for me and leave a note. I did see their roommate as I was leaving and asked him to tell Bryn I had him just in case he didn't see the note. I was just heading back to the common room when Bryn cornered me and became frantic about me stealing the bunny and," Rian looked down, shame coloring his voice, "I got frustrated because he was trying to just rip him out my hands so I panicked and I pushed him into the closet. I didn't know it would lock when I closed it and I panicked more. I wanted to go and grab my wand but Bryn started freaking out and I didn't want to leave him. Thankfully, Wen came and he unlocked the door but, I guess Bryn was allot angrier than I thought because he just attacked me! I might've gotten snippy, but I was just upset!" the brunette boy admitted, hunching in on himself in physical reproach.
Bryn just. Stared. At him. He might've blinked maybe twice but he just stared at Rian as he wove his tale. When it ultimately came time for him to say his piece he just turned to Csuri and quietly said, "Give me the detention."
I've got all this love I've got to keep to myself All this effort to make it look effortless All this love I've got to keep to myself All this effort to make it look effortless
Wen's anxiety was at an all time high. He knew that someone was going to get in trouble, and since the Prefect Lady had only seen the last half of the fight, he knew it would be Bryn. But Wen was determined to fight for it! He didn't want Bryn in trouble for something Rian caused! Of course, after he'd finished explaining everything, the lady asked Rian to go next, then Bryn last. That wasn't fair!
Wen squeezed his cousin's hand as Rian started to spill out what could only be lies. No way! He said he'd had permission to borrow Chabbit, and more than that, that his only reason for utilizing the closet was because he thought Bryn was a danger. Wen sent a look of indignation between the Prefect and Rian. But before he could try to defend, Bryn just... gave up?
"No! Wait, please! 'Cause that's not all true. Bryn wouldn't ever give someone Chabbit. Not even me, or Rey or even Mea! A-and Rian didn't look worried a bit when I ran down! He looked---" He said, all in one breath, but he was stopped when the Prefect Lady waved a dismissive hand. "I've heard everything I need to hear. I believe both sides are to blame. I saw Bryn fighting, and I heard the panic in the closet. I was on the other side of the wall studying for NEWTs." Wen wiped his eyes, looking frustrated. Unfortunately, she was right. Bryn had been fighting when she saw them. At least she'd heard the first part of it.
"For right now, everyone needs to go back to their common rooms. I've got to go talk to your Heads of Houses, and perhaps the Deputy Headmistress. You'll both be getting detention, so enjoy your freedom while you've got it." The way she was standing and glaring at them, Wen didn't figure they could much argue. He nodded, pulling Bryn close. "D-don't worry. We can ask Meallan to help with Chabbit. He's got a sewing kit, a-and he'll know what to do." Also maybe he'd be with Rosa, because Wen really needed a hug. He sniffled softly, trying not to cry because Bryn needed him to be brave.
