When In Rome... (Char and Air)

Charlotte was in need of a good think, still feeling the injuries of a few days ago where she was attacked by that German, she winced slightly as her heart gave a painful throb, it would get better soon, if she rested, which after today she had promised Cobalt she would do.

Biting her lip she looked out over the wholeof the ruin of the Ampitheatre, she a small dot right in the centre of it, from the top probably barely even visible.

Now knowing that she was useless at pretty much everything, Charlotte hugged her knees to her chest, lamely thinking about how that day had gone, and without that lucky break, how she wouldn't be here now and a fear grew in her heart that was not present before.

Charlotte needed someone, but who it was she didn't know.

Airen hadn't known why, but he suddenly felt an urge to go on a walk. Given the situation in the world. He brought his diamond sword. When he stopped, he found himself in a Roman amphitheater that seemed in good shape. He was in the center of it. Where the actors would be. He unsheathed his sword the diamond blade refracting the light.

He swung and parried so fast that to others it would look like a complicated dance. He finished and sheathed his sword. He looked around and saw a figure sitting up high on the stands. He decided to talk to them, see if they needed a friend. When he got up to them. He noticed they looked familiar.

"Charlotte, is that you?" he asked. He saw that she seemed weak or scared.

"What's wrong?"

Charlotte blinked softly, there was a light coming from the stage and she gasped, frightened, it could be that German again, it could be another German in disguise! It could be anyone who wanted to hurt her again...

The voice. She recognised it and Charlotte looked at the figure climbing up the steps, it was Airen, her friend from school.

Laughing softly Charlotte nodded and rose from her seat, smiling up at him.

"Yes it's me Air, it's so good to see you!"

With that she wrapped her arms around him in a swift hug, he couldn't possibly know just how much she needed him right then and how glad she was that he ended up coming here.

"Oh me? Yes im okay. What about you?" she asked, letting him go from her embrace.

Airen responded and hugged Charlotte back. She appeared to be frightened of him at first when he approached. He wondered why but decided to let it go for the time being.

"I've been well. Mostly just walking and drawing," he replied. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked again wanting to make her feel better.

Charlotte was glad when Airen hugged her back, it was just like a friend should do, and oddly she thought that it might be good for her to actually tell him what was messing about with her mind, it was important after all.

"Really? Drawing anything interesting lately?" she asked with a smile

A flicker of sadness fledged across Charlottes face and she bit her lip, sitting back down as she felt a twinge of pain through her chest. Now was the time to decide whether to tell him or not.

"It's a very long story, I'm not feeling very well at the moment, hopefully I'll improve soon."

"Only one thing thus far," he replied his Italian accent shining through.

Airen knelt in front of Charlotte and placed a hand on her shoulder. He looked into her eyes.

"Things will work out, they always do," he said in a kind voice.

Charlotte smiled a small fleeting smile and she watched as Airen knelt down on the floor in front of her, wondering what it was that bs had drawn, some far off country somewhere probably.

"What was it?" she asked quietly

Airen's hand on her shoulder made Charlotte sniffle and she hugged him again, leaning forward to swoop her arms around him.

"It was horrible Airen, so scary..." she whispered.

"It's just a still-life. Nothing too flashy," he replied waving the topic away.

Airen was slightly taken aback by Charlotte's hug, but he nonetheless wrapped his arms around her. He stroked her head and shushed her gently. He felt his heart ache for her. What could've been so scary that it would leave her crying in the arms of a friend.

"Shhh...There, there. It's in the past. It was but a moment in time. You're alive and well, and that's all that matters," he said gently. He surprised himself with how tender his words sounded. Almost like they were more than friends or siblings, but he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind for later review. Now he had to comfort Charlotte. That's what friends are for.

Charlotte cried softly and was a slight taken aback when Airen stroked her head, she sighed happily and rested her head on his shoulder, gradually calming down when he continued to stroke her hair, it was a nice soothing feeling.

Of course what she was upset about would probably seem like nothing to Airen, him being so strong and having his sword with him...which she still didn't really know the reason for but didn't question it right now.

"I was in the maze, I got attacked by a German! There were so many bodies...I didn't know the way out so I was just running aimlessly with him behind me, he almost killed me." she stammered

Part of the thing that scared her most was that he could be anywhere! He could be right behind her or waiting at home.

"But he didn't kill me, why would he do that? I...I'm sorry I'm getting your clothes all wet."

Sniffling slightly Charlotte hugged Airen a little tighter, not really wanting to leave his embrace right now, she was comforted just by him being here.

Airen's heart broke for Charlotte. She seemed so sad compared to the joyful and caring girl he met on the express. He made a mental note to try and make her see that she was stronger than she gave herself credit for.

"If you survived in a maze against a German soldier, then you're strong. You held your own even to the end, and that let you live to find comfort in me or another friend. Don't think that I haven't been in your place before, because I have," he said. He remembered his own near death experience. Very painful it was.

"If it helps you release the sorrow, then my shirt will be fine. He let you live to taunt you and make you more fearful. That is how they have fun," he spat the last word out.

He hugged he tighter in response. He tried sending her some of his strength through their embrace.

Charlotte blinked softly at Airen, he had been in her position before? She looked at herself and smiled slightly, wiping away her tears, she was still here, and hey she was pretty brave in that maze! She survived! She was here and that's all that mattered.

Drawing her head reluctantly away from Airen's shoulder Charlotte let a soft smile grace her lips and she moved her arms from being so tight around him.

"You're right, this is nothing that other people haven't gone through, look at me how silly I'm being! I'm still alive, I'm luckier than anyone else in that maze, and now I'll make sure it doesn't happen again!"

Suddenly more confident Charlotte's smile grew and she nodded in resolve, this was a good thing she was sure.

"Thank you Airen, thank you very much." she whispered quietly, hugging him once more.

Airen clapped for her. He patted her back gently. Smiling proudly, he said, "I have no doubt you will."

He sat on the left of Charlotte and put his feet up on the seat in front of them. He looked up at the sky. It was a clear blue, and the sun shone everywhere. He on clipped the sword and sheath from his belt, and leaned it on his left leg, about where it would normally be. After hearing about Charlotte's encounter, he resolved to be on the look out for trouble.

He sat silently and let the peaceful area surround them. Getting an idea, he reached behind him, and pulled out a pad of paper and pencil. He quickly sketched the Amphitheater seats in the corner, and then he got creative. He drew Charlotte sitting on a seat near the top in a thinking position. Where the sky would be, he drew a maze from a person's point of view. At the end of the maze, He drew Professor Smith, him, and many of Charlotte's friends that he knew of waiting for her in an open field. Cobalt had his arms outstretched to her in and open and waiting hug. At the very top, he wrote, Live for others, and we'll live for you.

Tearing the picture alone the perforated edge, he handed it to her a smile on his face.

"Thank you Airen, I know I will if I have your help!"

Charlotte was feeling a lot better than she had done a few minutes ago, it was something that only talking to Airen seemed to do, and she remembered the ball with a fondness and wondered when they might be having another, hopefully they could dance together again...

Casting the thought aside, after all, there were a lot of pretty Gryffindor girls and many more in the other houses Airen would probably like to dance with one of those girls more than she.

Her eyes glanced down to the sword by his leg and once again she wondered why he had it, she had never really seen him do much with it apart from what he had just done down there on the stage of the Ampitheatre.

"What are you up to there?" she asked trying to look at what Airen was drawing

Charlotte blinked at the drawing and bit her lip, it was such a beautiful drawing, and such a wonderful concept that she felt herself getting tears in her eyes but to avoid getting the picture wet she wiped them away.

"Is this for me? Really? It's so beautiful Airen thank you, but I dont have anything to give you in return, forgive me, unless you want another hug or something, or..."

Digging around in her pocket Charlotte held up a half eaten bag of Bertie Botts

"These?" she suggested with a grimace

Airen smiled kindly. Had he asked for something in return? As far as he knew, no. So it really didn't matter.

Airen closed Charlotte's hand back around the bag. He looked her in the eyes.

"I just want you to be happy. I did this for you. Not because I wanted something in return, but for you to know that I'll always be your friend," he finished smiling. Why was he so devoted to this girl? Truthfully, he didn't know why. He just was.

The smile that grew on Airen's face made one grow on Charlottes also, she was oh so very glad to have met Airen, she didn't know what she would do without him, after all she would have been all alone for a lot of her time at Hogwarts.

Feeling Airen's skin on her own made Charlotte blush slightly but she placed the bag back inside her backpack.

"And I will always be your friend Airen, I'll always be here for you, but you wont need me really I can tell nevertheless I'm always here for you."

Charlotte smiled and threaded her fingers through Airen's with a happy smile; "Do you mind if I tell you something else?"

Oh, I don't know about that. While I may be able to put up a good fight, I tend to lean on others for emotional support," Airen replied. His smiled dimmed slightly.

He smiled at Charlotte. They'd become very good friends in the short time they knew each other. He nodded his head encouraging her to tell him.

Charlotte smiled, slightly sad, when Airen told her that he wasn't very good with emotional issues and had to lean on others for help in that area. She herself had learnt to deal with her emotional issues but sometimes it was nice to know that you can someone you could lean on, someone who would help you,

"Well I'll always be here for you to lean on." she smiled a little brighter, "Just open up to me if you need to."

Charlotte bit her lip, pushing at her piercing with her tongue. She trusted Airen but she was still quite nervous. Others thought she was a freak when she told them she was a metamorphmagus. Giving Airen's hand a slight squeeze she changed her hair to bright blue, growing it down to her waist before shortening it back into a pixie cut in a few seconds,

"Airen... I'm a metamorphmagus."

"Magnificent. Truly a gift," he replied when Charlotte told him about being a metamorphagus. He was glad that she trusted him to open up herself and reveal that fact about her. He contemplated on whether or not to tell her his secret. Deciding that it was only fair, he grabbed his sword.

"I also have something to tell, or rather, show you," he said. He stood up. Breathing deeply, he unsheathed the sword to reveal the diamond blade. He put his arm up to where the blade was in front of his eyes.

"Fiamma, (flame)" he said. He swung the sword in a slow circle clockwise. When his arm was across his body, he quickly brought the sword back in front of him. He stabbed in the air, and swung the sword in a diagonal arc. He made a few more moves with the sword. As he did so, the blade seemed to slowly catch fire with every move. Soon, the flames totally encompassed the blade. By that time he had moved to a staircase nearby.

"Infiamarre! (Ignite)" Airen brought the sword down on the ground, and a line of fire streched from his blade. to the other end of the Amphitheater. With a soft 'Flusso di fume' (River's flow) he tapped the blade to his end of the line, and water doused the whole line. It was a bit overdramatic, but he wanted to get the point across.


"I know that was dramatic, and for that, I'm sorry, but I needed you to understand. I am the last swordmage in Europe or Asia. A wizard who generates magic from his sword," he sighed. This was it. He'd revealed that to no fewer than ten people, and all had either laughed at him or thought he was a freak and ran away. He waited to see which one Charlotte would do, he hoped none. He hoped so hard.

Charlotte smiled happily when Airen said that it was a magnificent thing to be, she had wondered so hard about what he would think and now she knew, and it was something good as opposed to something horrible. Which filled her with a happiness that couldn't be matched.

"You think so? Really? You don't think that I'm some sort of weirdo? Well...that's a relief I have to say. You want to see something cool?"

Smiling happily Charlotte watched, her head cocked to one side as she looked at what Airen was doing, a small gasp escaped her throat and she watched him as he unsheathed his sword, something she had always wondered about.

Unable to take her eyes off him as he manipuated fire through his blade Charlotte blinked softly, not quite believing what she was seeing, and then, as a line of fire erupted from his sword across the length of the ampitheatre Charlotte jumped up from her seat.

Odd as it was Charlotte thought, right now, that this would be something wonderful to draw, and she would lve to capture it.

"Wow...Airen...that's...thats so cool, you must be so much more advanced than everyone in our year, maybe even some Professors! How on Earth did you learn to do that?"

Charlotte smiled and hoped that Airen wasn't really upset about telling her, after all, she would never turn him away just because of something like this.

Airen raised an eyebrow. Why would he think that? To be a metamorphous is a gift, not a curse.

"Why would I think you're a wierdo? You have a gift that not many others have. You should be proud. I would like to, if you don't mind," he said wondering what other surprises this girl had in store. She really was something.

Sighing in relief, he sat down next to her. His sword had cooled down, and he held the blade in his hands. His hands were warped seen through the diamond blade. The sword was made of pure crystal. The blade was flawless diamond, the hilt was sapphire, and the hilt was ruby and emerald magically coiled around each other.

"A swordmage is rare. There is something in our blood that separates us from other wizards. I may be the only one in Hogwarts, but that doesn't mean I'm more advanced than other students. I only finished my third out of ten years of study in it before...well, I had to leave," he finished. He felt guilty for not telling her the full reason why, but he himself just wasn't ready to face his past yet.

Maybe someday...

Charlotte flushed a little when Airen raised his eyebrow, she wondered why he was looking at her like that, maybe she was being silly about something, but she was sure that being the way she was sometimes was considered a bad thing, her parents certainly thought so.

"Well, lot's of other people think that I'm a weirdo because of it..." 'Amongst other things' she thought bitterly.

Grinning happily Charlotte barely even had to concentrate and a pair of white cat ears popper out of her head, unable to prevent a small blush of embarrassment she idly reached up to play with one of them.

"Whenever I get nervous or scared, these ears pop up out of my head, and, I'm just a little embarrassed when they do so, if you ever see me with these you know what's what."

Airen's blade was beautiful, it looked as if it was made by hand and it definately looked like it would have taken a very long time, but more than that, the way that the crystal caught the light and manipulated it, the knowledge of the sheer power it contained made Charlotte want to sketch it immediately.

"Oh I see, but you can find other Swordmages can't you? That aren't in Europe? That makes sense, you had to leave to come to Hogwarts I presume."

Airen smiled, but didn't laugh. The ears were cute on her. the scene was somewhat comical, but on her, it was cute. He didn't know where the word cute came from. Maybe because it just was.

"I'll be sure to keep an eye out for it. I'll be here to make sure they don't pop out too often," he said. grinning.

He watched the sky. The sun had slowly made its way across so that it was now high noon. He didn't feel the least bit hungry, though.

"Well, you see, the art of the swordmage is very hard to teach, and I'm not a very good teacher. Plus, you must have a lot of time on your hands to practice," he said. He wanted to pass on the secrets, but that would mean having to go back to that place.

Charlotte smiled happily, she was glad that it seemed as if Airen wasn't too phased by the extra additions of cat ears, unable to fully express just how much that means to her Charlotte just smiled broadly.

"Thank you Airen! I expect you to be my knight in shining armour whenever I feel scared or embarrassed then."

Miming theatrically jumping in front of her and holding her hand up to signal him stopping whatever it was Charlotte nodded: " Exactly like I just demonstrated."

A thought crossed her mind for a moment before she pushed it away, there was just no way that she would be able to learn that sort of magic, and even if she could, Airen wouldn't want to teach her...he had better people to teach after all.

"I bet its hard to learn, but it sure would be an honour to learn it, especially from you. I'm sure you're a great teacher Air! Your trainee will be very lucky!"

Airen chuckled at Charlotte's miming of him protecting her. He nodded his head. He mimed taking out a pad of paper.

"I'll be sure to take notes," he said. He pretended to vigorously take notes.

He thought about his past, something that he'd avoided ever since that night, he thought of all the faces he'd never see again, the people he'd never joke with, the young ones he'd never guide, all of them.

"It is hard. I began my training when I was eight, but some people go their whole lives training. I think of it as a great responsibility. If I were to teach it, then I'd have to go back...there," he said pointing to the south where, somewhere in Italy, the academy of the young swordmage laid in ruins.

Charlotte giggled happily as Airen mimed taking notes, Charlotte was soon forgetting all of the troubles that she had been feeling when she came here, it was nice to have somebody here with her who understood what she had been through.

"Speaking of notes, how do you think classes are going?"

Wondering how Airen was finding the lessons Charlotte bit her lip, hoping that he was having fun at Hogwarts.

When Charlotte heard that Airen started training at eight, and that some people don't stop training at all, she knew that this was probably not something that she could do, but that was okay, she had her own powers to concentrate on.

"Wow, im guessing that it's a pretty elite group and you must need a lot of dedication in order to reach your full potential, I know that you can do it!" she said happily

Reaching up to her ear, Charlotte played with it, scratching herself behind the ear and she purred softly, before realising this would be very odd, and stopped, blushing wildly.

"Sorry about that, i don't even know im doing it most tines."