gwyn waters ⚽ ginny weasley (justenoughnerve) wrote in dunhavenic, @ 2017-09-30 23:58:00 |
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Concluding her morning work had been a simple matter. Without afternoon appointments to worry about, Finnley had given herself permission to just enjoy the company of her best friend. Coffee in hand and a light sweater hanging around her shoulders reminded her that fall was at its onset. It hadn’t stopped her from wearing heels as they strolled, arm in arm, down Main Street. Every town had one of those, and it was where most of their shops were located, but Finnley couldn’t help but wish quietly to herself that a town with so few streets could have come up with something more interesting to call their row of businesses. She hadn’t been able to wipe the smile off of her face all morning, but there were moments when she remembered the implications of the things she’d seen as she kissed Oliver and she wondered what it all meant. Her pony tail swished over her shoulder as she looked over to Gwyn, “You know that I love you, and I promise that I’m going to give you every detail I can think of... once I can process the whole thing myself. It was more than just a first kiss.” She sighed almost wistfully, and then realizing how it sounded, her eyes widened and she squeezed her elbow a little tighter against Gwyn’s, “Not like that. It wasn’t more...physically, intimately. It was just...it’s hard to describe.” Thoroughly pink in her cheeks, she took a long sip of her warm coffee as if she could stop herself from sticking her foot in her mouth that way, although it was a personal specialty of hers. “Do you ever meet someone and have déjà vu? Like you’ve not only met them before, but... but known them for a long time, even if you definitely haven’t?” Finnley pulled her lower lip between her teeth, the space between her brows crinkling slightly as she thought about it. As skilled as she was at talking other people through their problems or feelings, sometimes it was a little more difficult to express her own to someone else. -- Gwyn let her friend chatter on, knowing she’d come around to whatever she was trying to say herself, but she had to admit she was excited - even borderline impatient - for her friend to just finish answering the question: How was dinner last night? When she finally got all her tambling out, Gwyn was beaming at her friend, eyes crinkled with mirth beneath her sunglasses. “No, no, I haven’t,” she teased. But before she could make her friend nervous with that, she giggled. “So what do you mean, though? It’s not like you just met Oliver.” --- “Right,” Finnley confirmed after a moment, finally admitting something she’d kept somewhat close to her chest for the last near-two months, “That first night I actually met him, Gwyn, it was like...” she paused, her breath catching a little in her throat. She pressed down any emotions that might have gotten the better of her, taking a deep inhale so she could continue, “Like he was the part of my life that I’ve been missing for forever. I know it sounds cliche.” Her heart did a somersault in her chest just at the memory of him in close proximity, and she was never really like that about anyone previously, “I feel comfortable around him like I do with you or Charlie. Everything in me recognizes him and it feels as though he was never a stranger.” She distracted herself momentarily with a sip of her coffee, a pink lipstick mark left behind on the lid of the cup, “Saying all of this, I’m aware of how extremely obvious it is that I like him.” -- At that last statement, Gwyn laughed. “Uh, yes? It was already obvious, though,” she teased. But her curiosity was piqued. She took a sip of her coffee, no lipstick left behind; she was still dressed in her athletic wear from her session training a client. Bright, geometric leggings were topped with a hot pink athletic top, peeking out beneath her unzipped sweat jacket. “So… is he your… soulmate?” -- The question as to whether or not Oliver was her soulmate had been a revolving thought in Finnley’s mind for weeks now, and she had an easy, simple answer to it. That answer, however, wasn’t one that was as easy to admit out loud because it felt serious in a way that she couldn’t retreat from. She didn’t have commitment issues, per say, but the answer held some implications that she was still growing accustomed to, “I didn’t think I was the kind of person that believed in such things, but if there are...then yeah, it feels accurate to say that.” Shaking her head a little, as if to brush off the magnitude of that kind of confession, she added, “We’re still getting to know one another, but I want to keep getting to know him. I want him to have a place in my life.” Finnley knew things could get a little more complicated, what with him having a child that she would have to eventually meet and do well with if they were going to be able to pursue anything, but figuring all of that out was going to take time, “I hope you feel this way about someone, someday. It’s… a more than nice feeling.” It was a strange sort of intensity, but Finnley was actually excited about something new in her life for the first time in forever. -- Even that last sentiment didn’t dull Gwyn’s smile. She was so happy for her friend that she couldn’t find it in her to feel any sort of woe at her stagnant love life. She’d dated in college, but no one had made her feel love since Maxon. Did she think Max was her soulmate? No. She had wondered for a while what might have happened if he hadn’t enlisted, but dwelling on that was ridiculous. They’d both made their decisions and they had reached a place of peace. She would honestly prefer they keep it as it was, as very good friends. But having a date now and then would be nice… Instead, though, she continued to beam, chuckling a little in playful self-derision. “I've met just about every guy in this town, so unless one comes shooting down on a asteroid, I might have to keep waiting,” she joked, but she squeezed her best friend's arm where they were linked, leaning on her briefly in a side hug as she steered them into a small pet store. “That is so cool, though, Finn. Oliver's a really nice dude. I might have to make him shoot with me again soon so I can do some spying…” -- “I don’t know about asteroids, but we get new folks trickling in from time to time. It seems like Dunhaven is becoming more and more attractive as a place to live. There’s that dance teacher, the one that’s friends with Nick? And those twins from California!” Finnley pointed out, following it logically a moment later with, “We have great school systems and that small town charm people seem to be looking for.” Finnley didn’t bat an eyelash as Gwyn led her into the pet store, though she smiled when Gwyn said she would have to spy on Oliver, “I’m pretty sure that he’d just be happy to practice with someone.” She glanced around at a few of the cages, as they passed some mice and hamsters. The glow of fishtanks were ahead, along with a wall of reptiles, but all the kittens and puppies were near the back, “Are you still trying to get a kitten in the house under your mom’s nose?” -- “Maybe...” she answered with a grin, taking her time, still linked with Finnley. The thoughts of boys were pushed aside as she began to get excited for the animals, moving to start at the fish. “A puppy would be too obvious.” -- “A puppy is definitely louder. Plus, they have to go outside to relieve themselves. Cats can be contained to one room, though I would imagine even a kitten would probably get restless after a while,” Finnley mused aloud as they started towards tank-bound animals, “I’ve heard that male cats are the more affectionate ones, if you’re looking for one to be cuddly.” -- “Oh, that helps!” Gwyn praised gratefully, bored of the fish very quickly. She passed the birds without too much thought; she liked birds well enough, but all they had right now was a cage full of parakeets and she wanted a pet with a few brains, or at least something exciting. They were in the section where the rodents and reptiles met, a cruel irony in Gwyn’s opinion. “Do you think they put the mice here to mock them?” she mused out loud, wiggling her fingers in front of a tank of tiny, white mice. -- “It seems cruel, doesn’t it?” Finnley offered, a tiny frown on her lips as she watched the mice scamper around their little enclosure. They didn’t seem to be too bothered, but the reptiles nearby who would love to have them for a meal could probably smell them...even if it was by tasting the air, “I’ve never really liked rodents, but somehow putting a prey animal next to a prime predator goes a little too far. They probably don’t even care.” She moved a little further, peering into a tank with a lizard in it. She tilted her head a little and added, “I think these are the ones that can lose their tail and still regrow them again. Nature is weird. Amazing, but weird.” -- “Yeah,” she agreed. “It’s a small store, but damn. They could switch them with the birds, maybe.” She turned to the lizard in question. “No…” she decided, peering in. “Not that guy. I accidentally pulled one of their tails off when I was nine. It just… died.” Gwyn made a face and straightened. “Here, come look at the snakes!” she demanded, grabbing Finnley’s hand to lead her a couple feet down where the first snake was on display. “Shiny…” she crooned at a sleek black one. -- Finnley’s expression turned a bit green when Gwyn mentioned that she’d accidentally killed a lizard like the one she was looking at, and she was kind of glad to be pulled away if only because then she didn’t have to keep thinking about it. Death was a part of the universe. It was inevitable for every living being or creature, but it still bothered her. She shivered a little as she looked in at the snake with it’s beady eyes and flickering tongue. After a moment, she conceded, “It’s... almost cute. I prefer things with fuzz…” -- “They’re so fascinating, though,” Gwyn defended, moving on to another. “They’re just misunderstood…” And then she was falling… No, she was sliding... She wasn’t in a pet store, she was in… a cave? It was like a slide, and opened up into a dark, wet room, with bones… None of this even fazed Ginny, though, as she stepped over them, a few crunching underfoot… “Open...” Her voice was a hiss, not words, as she spoke to two stone snakes on a wall… She reached the chamber, stone snakes carved all around her. Lay down, a voice seemed to command in her head, and she did, laying out on the wet, stone floor, setting the black diary beside her… Tom climbed out of it, shimmery like a ghost, but real... And then she woke with a moan. She sat up slowly, turning to see Harry running toward her. She saw the basilisk, dead, Harry covered in blood, the diary… Tears began to flow in heavy sobs. “Harry -- oh, Harry -- I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn’t say it in front of Percy -- it was me, Harry -- but I -- I s-swear I d-didn’t mean to -- R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over -- and -- how did you kill that -- that thing? W-where’s Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary--” “It’s all right,” Harry interrupted, and he showed her the diary with the hole from the fang. “Riddle’s finished. Look! Him and the basilisk. C’mon, Ginny, let’s get out of here--” “I’m going to be expelled!” Ginny wept as Harry helped her awkwardly to her feet. Her entirely body felt weak and hollow. “I’ve looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I’ll have to leave and -- w-what’ll Mum and Dad say?” Gwyn blinked at the snake behind the glass and it raised its head to look directly at her. She let out a startled squeak and jumped back from it, accidentally running into her friend. She turned away from the tanks and hid her pale, terrified face. “Nope! Nope! Let’s get out of here!” -- Finnley was pondering over the fact that snakes might actually just be misunderstood when Gwyn went totally pale and jumped away from the tank, insisting that they leave right that instant. She’d been quiet for a few moments, but Finnley still thought they were going to look at cats. Her friend seemed determined to get as far away from the pet store as possible now, though. She frowned, but led Gwyn out of the store because she was afraid she was going to have a full blown panic attack right there in the middle of the store, “What was that about? I thought you wanted to look at kittens? Are you ok?” -- “I-I…” She kept a firm grip on her now-cold coffee as they found a bench to sit on together. She stared down at the lid of the cup, the vision she’d had swirling in her head. It was crazy. “I don’t know what just happened,” she admitted, voice a little shaky. It wasn’t like Gwyn to be this out of sorts. “I had… a memory, but it never happened to me. I saw the snake and…” She shook her head. How did she explain this? Finnley knew her better than even her brother did, but she still worried her friend would think she was insane. She knew exactly who the people were, who she was supposed to be and the twelve-year-old boy who had saved her. Gwyn had grown up as a fan of the Harry Potter series, often pretending to be a Weasley because of her own hair. She had been Ginny for Halloween more times than she could count. It was still her go-to costume if she forgot to go out and shop for one. “You’ll think I’m crazy if I tell you.” -- Finnley wondered as they sat on that bench if whatever Gwyn had to say was really crazy, or if it was on the same level of strange as some of the things that Finnley herself had experienced as of late. They memory that never happened to her sounded...familiar in a way that Finnley hardly wanted to admit. “I really don’t think that I will,” Finnley assured her after a long, quiet moment, “I...have had some memories lately that I’m sure weren’t really me, even though they felt very real.” She took in a breath and sighed softly, not sure if she was ready to discuss her most recent one, but she offered, “You know how...avoidant I’ve always been to technology. I had this dream - but it didn’t feel like a dream - that I was an IT girl at this big company, and when I woke up the next morning I just...miraculously knew all these things about computers and tablets and phones that I shouldn’t know because I never learned them. Things have been happening that I haven’t been able to explain with science. So...I’ve reconsidered my definition of crazy.” -- Hearing what Finnley said was definitely reassuring. If Gwyn was going crazy, at least Finn might be, too. She wasn’t sure that what her best friend had experienced was the same thing as what she had just seen in the memory-that-wasn’t-a-memory, but it gave her the courage to look up at her friend with anxious green eyes and admit, “I was Ginny Weasley. Like, I was her. I was in the Chamber and the basilisk was there and… it was real. I remember the way the slime of the pipe felt and the water on the ground and the smell of it all…” -- Finnley frowned as Gwyn went on, but she stayed just as close. In fact, she scooted in a little and wrapped her arm around Gwyn as a small bit of comfort, “It sounds really vivid. You were quiet for a few seconds, but...it all must have happened really quickly, even if it felt longer.” She paused a moment before she continued, “I don’t know if it’s real, but I believe you experienced something. In the times when I’ve had...different memories or dreams, I was Felicity. I was someone else, too. Just...not anyone I recognize right off.” -- It felt odd to be receiving comfort that way. Since middle school Gwyn had been determined to be strong, to be above it all. But Finn knew her too well. Gwyn put her head on her friend’s shoulder. “It was more real than any dream I’ve ever had and it was terrifying…” A thought occurred to her and, without lifting her head, she asked, “Is that what you meant? About you and Oliver?” -- Finnley wanted to comfort her friend. Gwyn was vulnerable, though she didn’t often show it. Of course, she was strong and brave too, but no one could be untouched by fear all the time, “I hope it doesn’t happen again.” She paused a moment, mulling over Gwyn’s question and how much she wanted to reveal. She settled on the truth, because lying was never productive and she couldn’t be dishonest with Gwyn even if she tried. She wasn’t good at being deceptive, “Yeah...he’s been in some of the memories or visions...whatever you want to call them.” She paused a moment before she added quietly, “We shared a memory...the same one. I’m...not entirely ready to talk about it, but if any of it is real...we were something, in some other life. I don’t even know.” -- “If yours is real, what is mine?” Gwyn mused to herself, knowing better than to expect an answer. She had loved the books her whole life. Her phone case had a quote from Dumbledore on it. But they were written by a woman in the UK, alive today, written while Gwyn was alive. Finally, she shook her head and straightened back up, smiling weakly. “Whatever it is, I’m not going to worry about it. I’m not a witch, I’m Gwyn.” -- Finnley didn’t really know if either of them was real, but she knew that hers felt real - as insane as that sounded - and she was sure that Gwyn probably had the same certainty where hers was concerned. “Too right,” Finnley finally agreed as Gwyn insisted she was just herself. She slipped her arm through her friend’s once more, and urged her up from the bench, “Come on. I think this calls for a stop in Sweet Nothings. Just don’t tell Oliver that I cheated on his tiramisu.” |