Return to Muhe Common Room

Tarragon stayed out the whole night after the last meeting with Alys and his dreams re-establishing themselves. He hadn't slept a wink that night, he'd sat out by the wall. Waiting.

Upon reaching the common room, his eyes a little bleary, Tarragon walked up to the statue, expecting it to move. Instead it stayed still and he was confused to find himself on the floor the next instant. He eyed the statue wickedly, before remembering it needed some of his blood. He scratched his finger and brought it to the mouth of the statue.

The statue moved from his path and he continued into the common room. His head pounded from the sleepless night. He sat in one of the armchairs, looking into the dying embers of the fire from the previous night. Waiting.

Alys had slept peacefully for a change last night. If she had had any nightmares, she couldn't remember them and had awaken to a large parcel waiting by her bed. Opening it to find her Mama's famous buttered scones had only improved her mood even more. After quickly taking a shower and going through her morning ablutions, the witch changed into her uniform and dried her hair. Thank heavens one of the other girls had shown her how or she would have waited for ages for them to dry and looked like a dawned rat besides. As she finished running the wand over her golden locks, leaving them neat and shining in its wake, the witch planned the day mentally.

Most of the teachers were sticking to the textbook so far and she couldn't blame them, what with her being a first year. But she was still a child and books were boring. She wanted to try real magic. She didn't just want her wand to be a wooden stick that sent off pretty sparks, no, she wanted to at least be able to hold her own if it ever came to a confrontation.

Making up her mind, the witch tucked her wand in her sleeve, grabbed her bag and headed down the stairs, waving to a few other girls who were just getting up. Well, at least she had missed the bathroom rush, Alys thought good naturedly.

The common room was mostly empty except for Tarragon who looked like... who looked awful actually. For a moment, she wondered if he had gone to bed at all. His eyes were dark and shadowed and he looked half asleep by the fire.

"Hey," she said softly to the boy so as not to wake him if he really had dozed off.

"Hey," Tarragon yawned, his hands rubbing his eyes. "Sleep well?"

He could tell she'd noticed his condition from the way she spoke to him. He'd gathered that he probably looked bad, his clothes still felt damp from the nights air. He didn't know where he stood with Alys today, so he decided to just stay sat looking at the fire, hoping to warm through soon enough.

"Rather," she replied with a bright smile. "But you don't look like you've slept at all," she said, concern coloring her tones. Tarragon usually took pride in his appearance, as the witch had noticed ever since meeting him. For the boy to be looking like this, something must be amiss.

"Do you want to try and rest up now? I don't think we have any classes until after lunch."

Tarragon shook his head. He was still incredibly troubled from the previous night's dream.

"I didn't sleep after I woke up in the common room when you went to bed last night. I... uh. I had a bad dream, is all." He smiled weakly at her. "It was one of those dreams where you know the situation is real and you relive it again and again. It scares me, Alys. I don't want to relive the moments."

He looked at the floor, embarassed in admitting his weakness. He wanted so much for her to know that he wasn't weak and she could rely on him. But here he was, looking so awful and admitting he was scared.

The witch turned pale at the confession of nightmares... as if someone had given Tarragon inside information on what had been going on in her mind. For a moment, she wondered if he knew and was just playing e sick joke on her. But she couldn't imagine him laughing behind her back, telling his mates how he had scared poor baby Alys.

The witch shuddered, trying to shake off the evil thoughts. And she had woken up in such a good mood this morning too.

unsure of what to say, she merely gazed at the floor. "Maybe you should see medic Lange for some dreamless sleep potion?" she suggested awkwardly.

Tarragon tried to forget the look that cast over Alys' face when he mentioned his nightmares. He was concerned he was making her feel awkward.

"Sleep potions won't do it Alys. Besides, do you know what are in those things? It's not worth thinking about!" He added the last bit with a smile, but this quickly faded. "I'm too much of a worrier Alys, this is the trouble. And speaking of trouble, would you tell me what is troubling you so? The girls have mentioned your fitful sleeps to me, and I just thought... Well seeing as we are both in the same situation, we could... Help one another."

Tarragon studied her carefully as he finished the sentance, he knew he was asking a lot of her. He himself knew weight of the burden he carried, and he could see Alys was carrying her own. He just hoped that she would realise it wouldn't do to hide away fear and pain.

"The girls have mentioned your fitful sleeps to..."

Anger flashed in her blue eyes as the words registered. Someone in her dormitory had outed her, to Tarragon no less. She wondered which of them would be so directly rude as to interfere in her personal matter like this, and then spread gossip all through the common room. As far as Alys knew, only Zara suspected she had nightmares and even then, Zara was always too polite to say anything about them which was just the way the blonde preferred things to be. After all, she and Zara never went about saying things like Anja had recently started bleeding and a third year boy was teaching second year Kanthe how to kiss.

Alys had always figured there was an unspoken rule about respecting people's privacy in a dorm that size, but apparently that wasn't the case.

"I told you, I miss my Mama and Papa," she said honestly, hoping the explanation would appease the boy. "And you shouldn't listen to gossip, it isn't very reliable," she added in a frosty voice.

Tarragon held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Alys, please. I just wish to help, you know? I'm an observant person. I've seen the way you have been recently, no where near as bad as I am now mind, but you avoid things. Lukas, for instance." Tarragon said, waiting for the iminant reaction to his name. "Or how you clutch your left arm at times. I haven't forgotten what was said on the roof either, Alys. You and me, we're not that much different, you know."

He waited for her now, she could lead the conversation. He'd tried.

The girl bowed her head in defeat at all the accusations hurled her way. Why did today have to go wrong? The one day when all she wanted was to go practice some spells and she was instead being forced to face her problems. Alys didn't want to, why couldn't she ignore them for a little while longer? She wasn't hurting anyone, was she?

But maybe... maybe Tarragon was enough of a friend to understand. Until now, he had taken undue trouble on himself for her sake, offered her help whenever she needed it. He had even told her he would listen no matter what she had to say. Maybe it was time she said it?

"Tarragon I..." she begin, her eyes fixed firmly on the floor as she tried to blink back her tears. Even thinking about it was upsetting and made a dreadful feeling spread inside her. "I really, really hate talking about it," she managed to choke out, still staring at the floor, willing herself not to cry in front of him, or anyone for that matter.

"I don't think... what I mean is, I never, ever want to talk about it. Can you, as my friend, please, please, let it go?" she finished, her bottom lip trembling.

He took her hand as she started to talk to him, he could see it was hard, and squeezed it friendily to help her. He watched and waited as she chose what words she wanted to use.

"I don't think... what I mean is, I never, ever want to talk about it. Can you, as my friend, please, please, let it go?"

He could see her bottom lip tremble and he felt himself start to tremble in anger.

"I'll kill him." He breathed out slowly. "I'll kill him for what he's done to you."

He looked away slowly, he couldn't bare to see her get upset because of him. He just wanted to help her. It was Lukas' fault, he knew that much. He was going to have to sort this out.

"I'll kill him." He breathed out slowly. "I'll kill him for what he's done to you."

"Don't be dramatic, Tarragon," she looked up at him, her blue gaze meeting his for he first time since they had started talking. "He doesn't have anything to do with this, not to mention he is older than you and I think some boys said he was raised among sailors. You know what that implies. Besides, like I said, he has nothing to do with... anything." The witch cleared her throat, no longer on the edge of breaking down.

"I avoid him because... well, who in their right mind wouldn't?" she attempted to joke.

He searched her eyes, she was so easy to read. She had been since they met.

"Alys, please don't treat me like I am stupid, I can see you are lying. And dramatic? He's ruining your life! And I'm going to find out why!"

He let go of her hand slowly, he stood from his seat and started for the door. He was going to find Lukas, and he was going to find out what it was that Alys was afraid of.

Alys watched him go, torn between urging him to drop the whole thing and just staying where she was. Maybe he would just go for a walk to clear his head? Tarragon wouldn't stupidly go into a dangerous situation, would he?

The witch sank down in the chair the boy had just vacated, settling her bag and tin of scones on the table. She had no appetite anymore, not even for her Mama's scones. And she couldn't do anything to help matters right now. Except maybe to find the little snitch who had given her away. Slowly, the girl went through the list of all the girls in her dorm, wondering who was the most likely to gossip.