Muhe Common Room - The Waiting Game

Tarragon made his way back to the common room dejected from his short meeting with Lukas. He took up his seat in the armchair and waited for Alys to come back. The issue needed addressing, and he would wait up for as long as it took her to come back.

He looked into the fire, thinking over everything he'd seen of Alys over the past couple of weeks, trying to decipher what it meant and how he could possibly help her, if at all. He hoped she would learn that he could be trusted, but he didn't know how much of an ask that would be at the same time.

Alys entered the common room, not even thinking of her pricked thumb which she had used to gain entrance. The witch was finally beginning to understand why the older students didn't even notice the blood sacrifice now. It didn't hurt anymore, not really.

After speaking to Ava, she felt a thousand times better. Not only had the Risiko witch made her feel brave and safe but they had also nearly finished off her Mama's scones. However, upon entering the common room, she spotted Tarragon who looked anything but better. With a start, she remembered that he had gone to find Lukas - or at least said he would. She hoped he hadn't. After the talk with Ava, Alys just wanted the whole issue wiped under a rug somewhere and forgotten - preferably forever.

"Hi," she said uncertainly, holding the tinned container up as a peace offering. "I come bearing scones."

"Hi," Tarragon half smiled whilst reaching for a scone from the tin. "Where have you been?"

It wasn't supposed to sound like a parent scolding a child for being late home, but Tarragon heard the protectiveness in his own voice before he had chance to hide it. He looked into the fire uncertainly, not sure what to say. He bit off a big bit of scone and chewed whilst he waited.

"With Ava actually," the blonde smiled properly at Tarragon's reception. "We found ourselves a cozy place in the dungeons where the Sweeney didn't find us." She let out a laugh, watching him bite into the scone.

"Mama sent them this morning, you like?"

He nodded taking another bite out of the scone.

"Fanks!" He said through his mouthful with a smile. Tarragon liked home made food, it was a pleasant experience to partake in. He looked over at Alys.

"So... are you going to tell me, or leave me in the dark?" He said the last in a calm tone, as not to upset her. He did want to know, but he wasn't going to push it. The fact would remain that in their friendship, he was never going to be trusted if she didn't confide in him, but for the life of him he couldn't think as to what he had done not to be trusted.

He waited for Alys to make her mind up, still staring into the fire as he thought many things over in his mind.

Alys considered making light of the comment. After all, he had only asked if she was going to tell him, hadn't pushed her to say what exactly. She could always make a vague excuse or joke. But that would stretch the matter on and on and if there was one thing Alys was sick of, it was how afraid and helpless she had felt back then.

"Tarragon, honestly, I was scared about something, have been for a long time. I missed my parents, had nightmares and thought if I avoided talking about it, it would go away. But now I've learned to deal with it and am much better which I think is the most important thing for everyone. So thank you, for everything you were trying to say, and sorry for making you worry, but I'm fine now."

Now that the serious talk was out of the way, she went over to the boy and squeezed his arm, poking him softly. "So stop brooding into the fire and tell me you'll always be my friend and support me when I need you." Alys laughed fully, for the first time in weeks.

He looked back up to Alys as she laughed, a slight smile reaching his lips. He pulled her into a friendly hug, how could he deny that he would always be her friend? He could never not be her friend.

"I'll always be your friend, Alys Diederich, and you need never ask whether I'll be there for you."

He let go of her, possibly a little too slowly, he liked the comfort really.

"A game of Wizard's Chess, Fraulein Diederich?"

He flicked his wand and his set of the game appeared on the table in front of them.

A slight blush appeared on her checks as the boy hugged her and she shook her head, trying to dismiss it. But when he got out his chess set, she really started collaring up in earnest. The witch looked down at the rug, wondering how to tell him she was terrible at chess.

"Actually, how about we do something a bit more proactive?" she asked the floor, her golden hair falling to one side of her face. "See, I'm rubbish at dueling and I had to resort to cheating to beat Ava in class. So how about you give me some tips on that instead?" She hoped she didn't sound too inept in her request.

"Besides, I... I play chess as well as a snow troll so..."

"Actually, how about we do something a bit more proactive?"

Tarragon groaned inwardly, she wanted to do homework, didn't she? He waited for her to carry on with what she had in mind.

"See, I'm rubbish at dueling and I had to resort to cheating to beat Ava in class. So how about you give me some tips on that instead?"

He looked up at her, waiting for her to start laughing or say that chess would be okay, but she didn't. Alys wanted him to teach her to duel, and from the look on her face she was being deadly serious about it. He floundered around a little, he was much bigger than her, and knew a fair bit more about magic than her. He didn't want to hurt her, or hit her with a spell much too powerful for her to deflect. His head started shaking at her idea, it was mad.

"Alys, I don't know whether that would be a good idea, I mean what if one of us was to get hurt?" He asked uncertainly.

"But isn't that the point of a duel? To try and not get hurt? And how do you learn if you don't try?" The blonde was confused as she looked at Tarragon. Was this his way of saying that he wouldn't help her. Or worse...

"Tarragon, are you trying to say that I could never beat you," she asked, her voice tinged with slight annoyance. "Because I assure you I can look after myself well. I may not be highly trained but I'm not useless either."

Drawing her wand, the witch smirked. "So are we doing this or would you rather I go find Lukas to practice with?" she joked.

Tarragon bit his lip, before conceding to the young witch and pulling out his own wand.

"What would you like to know, Alys?" He asked, watching her carefully incase she decided to try and hex him without warning. "Am I to block your spells or fire spells at you?"

He was worried, yes. He didn't want either of them hurt. His emotions ran high when spells were being fired around, he wasn't sure as to whether it would just stay a friendly duel, if ever there was such a thing.

"I'd like to learn how to block unfriendly spells first of all," Alys clarified, moving a little closer to the boy. "I know the incantation is Pro- Pro- something. So could you teach me that first?" The spell firing could wait for later, first of all, the witch wanted to be able to practice a good shield. From what she'd heard, a shield well conjured was worth five offensive spells.

"Protego." He spoke the incantation and waved his wand across his body, a bright transparent blue shield formed in front of him. He was slightly showing off that he knew the spells, but he found a demonstration of the spell had always helped him more.

He flicked his wand and the incantation ceased at once.

"Just like that, really. Any questions? Have a go, though it may be a littler version on your first go, the shield is obviously more powerful the more you mean it or do it, seeing as there is no threat to you, you probably won't feel the need to block so much. Once you've done it, we'll see if you can block me." He smiled warmly at Alys.

Knowing her luck with dueling related spells, Alys really wasn't expecting much the first time she raised her wand and said the word. But to her surprise, a shield did appear in front of her, though it didn't look anywhere near as firm as Tarragon's. In fact, it was hazy in parts, making her think that it was pretty much useless.

Flicking her wand to end the charm, the witch tried yet again with more or less similar results and it was only after her fifth try that she smiled in satisfaction at the simply but firm shield that erupted from her wand.

"What do you think, will keep in a duel?"

"Well that depends whether I'm scary enough to you that you think I'd hurt you with a spell really." He smiled back at her, raising his wand up to about her chest level. "I will use the simple Expelliarmus to try to disarm you, you in turn will block it, so I don't knock your wand out your hand. Wand at the ready!"

He motioned for her to get ready. He flicked his wand in her direction.

"Expelliarmus!" He said, a red jet of light flying from his wand tip towards her.

"Protego!" the witch countered and the firm blue shield appeared on cue, making a smile blossom on her pale face. Tarragon's jet of red light bounced harmlessly off her shield and dissipated into thin air.

"I blocked it!" she exclaimed happily, pumping her fist in the air. "Did you see that? I blocked it!"

Tarragon smiled at Alys' success.

"You find me scary then Alys?" He stuck his tongue out mockingly, "Or you thought I would try to hurt you!" He giggled a little, before being serious. "What else would you like to know? I think you've got that one, really."

He stood watching her, just in case she tried to catch him out.

"You find me scary then Alys?"

Did Alys find him scary? The witch considered it seriously before replying in a simple "No." Tarragon was bigger than her and knew more magic than her but Alys was almost sure he would never intentionally hurt her. So why should she be scared of someone like that?

When he asked what more she woulds like to learn, the girl replied without hesitation. "The spell you tried on me just now, the disarming one. I guess an opponent without wand is less scary than an opponent with one."

Tarragon smiled when Alys reassured him that he didn't scare her, that was always a good thing.

"Okay then, the spell it Expelliarmus. You have to flick your wand at your target as you say it, like I did. So when you are ready, you may disarm me."

He waited with his wand raised for her to follow his instructions.

Alys tried to commit the incantation to memory, repeating the syllables a few times under her breath to get them right. Any sensible person knew what happened when you got an incantation wrong and Alys didn't feel like a trip to the medic at that precise moment.

"Expelliarmus!" the girl tried, sweeping her fringe back from her forehead. Nothing happened.

"Hang on a second," she said, pocketing her wand and reaching up to retie her golden locks. "They keep getting in the way and distracting me." The girl made sure to pull all her hair back and tighten the band before getting out her wand again.

"Okay, let me try now," she said, casting the spell one more time.

Tarragon couldn't hold back his surprise as his wand flew firmly from his tight grip behind him and crashed into the wall behind them. Alys had disarmed him in one attempt, he clapped enthusiastically at her for doing it so capably.

"Well done Alys!" He smiled warmly at her, "I don't think I'll be needing you to try that one more powerfully!"

He went across the room to retrieve his wand.

Not for the first time, Alys felt her face light up in a smile. Each time she made a spell work properly, she gained more and more confidence in her own skills. When she had arrived at the school, it seemed that everyone knew more about wandwork than her but now she was learning just as quickly and earning points in class too. Just wen to to show her Papa was right, hard work could achieve almost anything.

"So I know a few basic spells, and how to disarm and shield. Do you think we're ready for a real duel now?" the witch asked brightly, anticipation shining in her sapphire blue eyes. It wouldn't matter if she would win or lose, at least she would be in an honest duel where she wouldn't be a defenseless little thing who would have to resort to cheating.

Tarragon smiled at her wish to duel him, he'd prefer to do it in a controlled environment for sure.

"Of course we can, just tell me when and where and we will. But right now, I think it is about time we both retired for bed. Don't want you complaining that you've lost out on that... beauty sleep that you girls are always on about!"

He shrugged at what that meant but decided it best not to ask about it.

"Goodnight, Alys." He said, before waving as he headed up the stairs.

Beauty sleep... was he making fun of her again. Yuck, did any of the older boys in Muhe complain about the older girls putting disgusting green and blue potion pastes on their face before bed. Alys slept like a normal person, after her shower, teeth brushing and hair combing. Deciding not to grace his comment with a reply, the witch turned to the girls' dorm stairs, sure that she heard a ghost of a chuckle from Tarragon's retreating form.

Never mind, she would show him tomorrow at the Arena. Beauty sleep, her foot!