What...? {Andrei}

[Meggera Tepes]

Something was wrong. Very wrong. Meggera didn't know what just yet, but something was off. She was getting smirked at, granted it wasn't by that many people, but enough to make her notice. It had been happening all day so far, so by the time dinner came she was at her wits end as to what what causing it. She had checked her appearance several times and nothing was off, so she was at a loss. She decided to ignore it and enjoy her dinner, but she couldn't even do that. Things tasted...off. They were much sweeter then usual, and meat was not something you wanted to taste sweet. She tried to wash the sweet taste away with a drink of tea, but it was unusually sweet too. What in the name of Merlin was going on down in the kitchens?

She pushed her plate away, having lost her appetite and left the Great Hall, missing the smirks of about 5 individuals as she left. The house elves must have confused the salt and sugar or something. she thought as she walked before her head suddenly started to swim as a very weird feeling came over her. She felt like her head was floating up away from her body for a moment, causing her to stumble. She managed to catch herself on the wall luckily before the feeling passed and she could stand again. What...the bloody hell had just happened?

Meggera knew something was very wrong now. She didn't feel like herself. She felt...almost antsy, like her insides were jumping around frantically. Her carefully bottled and guarded emotions seemed to be flying off the hook, so much so she was gasping in shock. What the hell was happening to her? She quickly made her way outside, hoping the cooler air would have some sort of effect to help. As she made it outside and sucked in the cool air it made no difference. Her insides were still hoping around like chocolate frogs on a pepper up potion. She leaned against the wall with a small groan, closing her eyes. She wanted to cry, laugh, and slap someone all at the same time. What the hell was going on?

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[Andrei Winter]

The passing of the moon to full had come and gone without incident, and in this Spring evening Andrei had spent the greater part of the day with the Durmstrang students. They found him intriguing in his brooding and in his species. They invited him down to the lake and found enjoyment in training with him. He was slightly more optimistic in his outlook when he was able to train with them. His movements had grown more fluid and more confident, and he had been gifted a staff to fight with to improve his hand-eye cordination. Things were just looking up all over the place.

It was all he could do to keep his mind off of the demands made from Meggera's grandfather that he stay far from her. He had done his damndest to explain through a letter that he had no intention to harm her, to taint her, anything but keep her safe, but that wasn't good enough. He had figured as much. If he were foolish enough to let his emotions run away with him, he'd only wind up miserable again.

He was on his way back to the castle, among the training worn Durmstrang boys. Each of them vaguely fatigued, when the heat got to Andrei and he found himself removing the tee he almost always kept on. The muscle beneath the cotton screamed with relief in the cool air. Let it not be said that he was proud of the reactions his shirt coming off envoked. A few passing female students started giggling uncontrollably as he looked over at them.

Had he been any other man, he would have reacted.

Instead, his head lowered and he pressed onward, heading to the courtyard and the fountain. When he saw Meggera, he shoved the material back over his skin and tried not to bother her, keeping his eyes low, until something in her smell seemed to have changed. She smelled as if she had come into contact with roses, and he loved that smell. "Out for a stroll?" He asked politely, looking down at her with a curious expression. "Are you okay? You look...flustered."

[Meggera Tepes]

The cool stone on the wall felt nice against the back of her head. She tried to focus on it and not the odd feelings that were washing over her, but it wasn’t working very well. She didn’t feel sick, just weird, but she couldn’t fathom why. She had been fine all day up until she left dinner because the food tasted funny…the food…wait a minute. She didn’t have time to ponder further on it though because it was then that Andrei’s voice broke through her silent musings asking if she was alright or out for a stroll. She shook her head, her eyes still closed for a moment before rubbing her forehead for a moment. “No…I just needed some…air.” she said slowly, finally opening her eyes halfway through the sentence to look up at him.

Suddenly the oddest sensation came over her. A sort of happy warmth formed in the pit of her stomach and grew until it seemed to fill her up. She forgot how to breathe for a moment or two as she stared up at his warm hazel eyes and blush creeped across her face faster then she realized. What was going on? She had seen him before and she hadn’t reacted this way… Granted he was extremely handsome… especially out here in the moonlight…and in the firelight from what she remembered…but…why was she suddenly so happy feeling? Her mind had gone nearly blank and her insides just seemed to being jumping around even more then they had before. “H-Hi…” she managed to say, before quickly looking down and shaking her head. Hi? Seriously? What was she….5? “Um…how’s your evening been?” she asked, looking up again which only made her insides jump around more. Oh bloody hell…this was impossible. She couldn’t even look at him without blushing or feeling like a silly school girl.

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[Andrei Winter]

"Hello." He was looking at her warily, the bushing and such was a little odd for her, but something in the way she was gazing at him made his broken heart skip a beat. What was that expression and why was his heart spazzing in his chest...wait...the sinking feeling returned. He knew better than to hope. His shoulders slumped slightly and he looked down at her with a slight smile.

"Kind of boring, but it's alright. I'm glad to see you." He rolled his shoulders back and felt the tenseness of his muscles creep in. Didn't her grandfather say he wanted him to stay away from her? Yeah, he made it crystal clear. But, he couldn't help but love the way she smiled, and the way her eyes shined in the moonlight. Dear God, she was beautiful.

"How are you?"

[Meggera Tepes]

She was probably freaking him out with her blushing and smiling, but she couldn't seem to stop. In the back of her mind she was kicking herself and telling herself to cut it out and stop acting like such an idiot, but she couldn't make it stop. She just felt...really happy all of a sudden with him there, and even happier when he said he was glad to see her. “Same here...glad to see you that is... I thought you might have taken to your heels every time you saw me after my grandfathers letter...” she said, biting her lower lip lightly, looking down at her hands as she fiddled with her fingers lightly for a moment. Come on Meggera...pull it together...you can talk to him. Screw your grandfathers wishes. He's a crazy old bat anyways. said a small voice in the back of her mind that she was inclined to agree with.

She shrugged lightly, “I'm good. I just came from dinner.” she said, trying to think of something else to say and appear a bit more relaxed then she currently was. Merlin what was wrong with her tonight? “Were you heading in there now? Or um...somewhere else?” she asked, looking back up at him, hoping the jumping would stop this time, but of course it didn't. Oh bloody hell....this was not good. She didn't know how to deal with feeling like these. “I...um...I hope I'm not keeping you...” she said softly, looking down for a moment again after having noticed he had been walking with some of the Durmstrang students.

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[Andrei Winter]

"Keeping me? Oh, no, I was coming back from the ship. They're teaching me to hone my fighting skills, and I provide a challenge for them in terms of strength and speed. It's a win/win situation, really." He kept seeing her smile at him like that and he couldn't help the soft smile that came over his lips. "You look happy, I'm glad to see you smile so after the last time I saw you. I figured I had managed to chase you off, like everyone else."

He was happy to see that it wasn't true. The color on her cheeks was something entirely more beautiful than he'd ever antcipated and it set off the color of her eyes. Well, it was unexpected, but Andrei felt his hand raising and the soft pad of his thumb sweeping over her cheek softly. "Your smile is infectious, little one. I can't help but smile seeing you this happy." He almost wished that he might make her that happy before he asked curiously, "What has made you so happy? Did you find some way to get out from under your grandfather's thumb?"

[Meggera Tepes]

Hone his fighting skills, that was interesting. She wondered what all they had taught him, but she would ask him about that later. She shook her head at his comment, “I told you it takes quite a bit to scare me. It was just a lot of information to process all at once.” she admitted, slightly embarrassed. Heavens knew she of all people didn't want people knowing how confused and distraught such a huge influx of information made her, but she didn't feel like she needed to hide that from him.

She blushed a deeper shade when she felt his thumb brush against her cheek. It felt like her skin had been set on fire where he touched at first, then it faded to an odd sort of tingly sensation that seemed to spread through her within a matter of moments. It almost made her feel shaky and she felt a distinctive thud that she could only describe as the feeling of her heart trying to leap into her throat. It was weird..she had never felt that before...it wasn't all that bad of a feeling. She gave a small shake of her head at his question. “Well...I figure I can just ignore him for the time being. He's not here to 'protect' me after all. I'll worry about it when summer comes.” she said with a small wave of her hand.

As for why she was happy...well....it would be far to embarrassing to tell him she was happy because he was here. She would turn into a tomato from blushing, she was certain of it. What could she tell him though? She didn't want to lie, but she wasn't sure she could actually form the words without running away and hiding in embarrassment. “I...well...I don't know...I'm just...I mean...” Oh dear lord now she was stumbling over her words like an idiot...She felt like a 12 year old. “It's just....really nice to see you again...” she said, looking down at his shoes, flushing a darker shade of pink. She had the overwhelming urge to run away and hide now, but she was rooted to the spot it seemed, and she was afraid her legs would start shaking if she tried to move.

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[Andrei Winter]

This time, he laughed. It was nice to see her a little more care free. "I suppose you're right, beautiful. He can't always watch you here." Though, when she said that she was happy to see him, he found his heart leaping up in a hopeful frenzy. Certainly to Merlin, she didn't feel that way. But, being happy to see him was certainly a wonderful thought. "Well, I'm happy to see you too. You really make me smile." With a quick move, he stooped down and kissed her cheek softly before straightening up and flashing her a soft grin as he waved on the Durmstrang crowd.

I'm always happy to see you. It's so nice to see you smile at me. I was starting to think that it was International Make a Werewolf Frown day. Thank you."

[Meggera Tepes]

She smiled when he laughed at what she said. He had a nice laugh, it was annoying or a cackle like some people's. He was right though. Her grandfather may have many connections, but he couldn't weasel his way into the school to keep an eye on her. If she hadn't already been blushing so much, she would have started when it sank in that he called her beautiful. She wasn't very used to anyone in her age group saying things like that to her. She kind of liked it though, all of it. Why was she questioning herself feeling oddly again? It wasn't so bad.

Her breath caught audibly in her throat when he swooped down and kissed her cheek then flashed her a small grin. She was fairly certain all her blood had just rushed to her cheeks and that her skin was about to catch on fire at any moment where his lips had touched. She had never swooned before, but she assumed this sudden lightheaded feeling was very similar to it, if not it exactly. She swayed slightly on the spot, unsure if she should steady herself on the wall or not. She swallowed quickly, managing to not fall over and nodded, “G...Glad I could help.” she said, trying to force the stutter out of her voice. “M-My grandfather has a..a talent for making people feel that way...unfortunately. It's best to try and ignore him most days when you aren't out there.” she added, referring to being out in the world where he could try and assert his influences over you.

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[Andrei Winter]

As she started to sway on her feet, his arm shot out to steady her and right her on her feet before looking down at her with concern. She seemed alright, despite it all. So all of the strangeness was overlooked as he listened to her speak again and found a chuckle bubbling up to the surface. "I suppose you're right there. At least here, you're protected. If not by the school and the staff, you always have me." He laughed softly, shaking his head in the marvel of the thought that he would be so willing to protect her like this.

"You know, beautiful, I really am sorry about the whole...shoving you into an awkward state thing. I never meant to hurt you or upset you. That was the furthest thing from my intention."

[Meggera Tepes]

She nodded, finally just lacing her fingers together to keep them from fiddling around absently after he reached out to steady her. Her arm seemed to tingle pleasantly where his hand had been. The warm feeling from before seemed to intensify suddenly at his next words, causing her to question if it really was cool outside or not. She couldn’t properly tell anymore from the warmth she was experiencing. “That’s true…it’s good to know that there’s at least one thing or person you can count on, isn’t it?” she asked with a small warm smile.

She shook her head quickly at his apology, “Don’t apologize, it isn’t your fault. I just…sometimes it’s hard for me to handle large amounts of information. Especially when they’re related to things or feelings I don’t understand or have experienced.” she said, biting her lower lip softly for a moment. “I sort of…bottle things up, or ignore them so I don’t have to deal or process them. Its not a very healthy habit I’ve been told…but its helped save me from heartbreak and all sorts of other situations I suppose…” she added, looking down at her shoes and she lightly pushed a small stone with the tip of her boot. Merlin why was she telling him all this? She never told anyone but her brothers these kind of things…but she wanted to tell him, confide in him, let him know the way her mind worked and how hard it was for her to let herself feel these things she wasn’t used too that were suddenly so overwhelmingly present.

She was suddenly gripped with the urge to ask him if he wanted to do something. What she didn;t know, but standing here...it seemed like he could leave at any moment...and she didn't want him too. "Did you want to maybe...sit..or walk..or s-something?" she asked, looking up at him hopefully, her heart suddenly speeding up a few notches in anticipation of his answer.

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[Andrei Winter]

Andrei chuckled, "Of course, a walk sounds nice, if you would join me." He offered his arm to her and smiled warmly as he waited for her to take it. They walked from the fountain and the courtyard toward the lake. Meanwhile, Andrei was lost in thought. He thought there was something odd in the way she was acting, but something in the warmer temperment was nice. It was nice of her to seem like she wanted to spend time with him, rather than run in the other direction the instant he came out of a classroom or down the hall.

The moon lit the water with a soft etherial glow, and it was something that had an almost calming affect on him. Andrei watched the moon waver in the ripples of the water, transfixed. Amazing how something pure could carve through everything and shape it's own path. He was lost on that thought for a long moment, before turning to her again, "What is on your mind? I'd love to know what you're thinking."

[Meggera Tepes]

She smiled when he said a walk sounded nice and offered her his arm. She weaved her arm around his with no hesitation at all, surprisingly. She remembered having hesitated for at least half a minute last time someone offered their arm like that, but right now she couldn’t seem to remember why. As they walked through the courtyard and across the lawns towards the lake her head felt like it was off somewhere up in the clouds. The only thing she was really registering was the feel of Andrei’s arm, the heat that radiated off of him, and how much her heart rate had increased during the walk.

They got to the lake much sooner then she expected to and stood in silence for a few moments. She wondered if she should say something to break it…but what? She caught herself glancing at him every few moments out of the corner of her eye as he stared out at the lake. He really was handsome. She hadn’t really taken to time to notice such things before, but now she couldn’t help it. She was noticing and her mind was wandering in ways it usually never did unless she was reading a fantasy novel. He ended up breaking the silence first, which was relief.

She looked up at him with a smile, “Not too much, just admiring the lake. It really is a nice night tonight. But I suppose good company always makes things better.” she said, looking back out quickly, unsure if she should have added that last part or not. It wasn’t to forward, she thought, but she felt silly and nervous all the same. The jumping frogs in her stomach seemed to have turned into birds that were fluttering around, trying to lift her up off the ground at the moment. Get a hold of yourself…you’re fine. See he’s not running away yet… she thought to herself, though the thought of him running away made her sad enough to cry, so she pushed the thought away quickly.

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