InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Boom goes the dynamite!"

Kendra Urquhart (urquhartk) wrote in landing_rpg,
@ 2009-06-09 11:50:00

Entry tags:

kendra urquhart, phoenix malfoy

Who: Kendra and Phoenix
Where: 3rd Greenhouse
When: Nighttime
What: Kendra needs an escort because she's a chicken.
Rating: TBD
Status: Incomplete

Kendra felt unbelievably lame as she sat in the back of the greenhouse. There hadn't been any attacks since the one on Zara Flint weeks ago. Whatever had attacked Zara was probably long gone by now and none of her nor the rest of the castle's concern. But after an hour or so in the greenhouse that night Kendra had begun to hear some... odd noises, noises she didn't recognize.

Minds can easily get carried away if not kept in check, and often reassuring oneself that there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of over and over again only makes things worse. It hadn't taken long for Kendra to be glancing nervously over her shoulder every few minutes, fidgeting uncomfortably as she took measurements of her plants. Once she had finished with her plants for the evening, she had packed up her things, taken a few steps and frozen in her tracks. What if something was out there? What if it was waiting just outside the greenhouse for another unknowing seventh year to cross its path. No one would find her until the next day.

So, she had written in her journal to Phoenix and was relieved to have gotten a quick reply. She lifted herself up to rest on one of the counters, stroking the leaves of an appreciative plant that edged closer to her touch as she chuckeld softly. Well, at least she knew if something tried to get her in here she could throw a few pots at it. Maybe even sick one of those more fiesty plants on it if she had the time.

As she heard footsteps approaching, Kendra tensed, and sensing her discomfort, the friendly plant backed away. Slowly, she slid off of the counter, picking up one of the smaller pots as she squinted through the clear sides of the greenhouse to try and see where the sound had come from.

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urquhartk
2009-06-09 02:01 pm UTC (link)

Kendra flushed at his words. She hadn't been about to break the pot over his head or anything of the sort, but she must've looked ridiculous as she stood there, armed and ready with a flower pot of all things. Only after the fact did she realize her wand would have been a much more useful weapon, and the thought only made her blush that much more pronounced.

"Sorry," she said with a weak smile. "I freaked myself out." In the warmth of the greenhouse Kendra stood before him in summer garb, a sleeveless shirt that had clearly seen one too many trips to the greenhouse with its brown and green stains. Her winter clothing lay across one of the chairs waiting to be reapplied before the freezing trip back to the castle.

"I hadn't meant to stay out so long, but things took a bit longer than expected." She reached out to gently stroke the plant that had retreated, and it playfully wrapped its vine around her finger in response, earning a smile. "I guess I'm easily distracted at times." Her smile turned sheepish. "Thank you for coming, though."

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phoenixabraxas
2009-06-09 03:47 pm UTC (link)

It was welcome sight to see her let go of the pot. Merlin knew how many unfortunate things have occured when they had been together in the past. Butterbeer glasses spilling over laps, and hands getting burned in cauldrons. And who could forget the first incident where he almost died from getting knocked in the head by a falling book?

He chose to remain silent when she spoke. Phoenix was a logical person, so the dark didn't hold a lot of threat to his person. And with the prospect of creatures or people hiding in the shadows, ready to strike, there was always his wand. It ws quite a useful tool, especially to one who was armed with an extensive knowledge of charms and hexes.

At the present, however, it seemed as if the Greenhouse was deserted but for the two of them. He pocketed his hands and stood still, simply watching her, her form softly bathed in moonlight. "Think nothing of it. As I mentioned, I was close by." he said, then noted the way the plant responded to her. "Is that plant what you were working on?"

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urquhartk
2009-06-09 08:29 pm UTC (link)

Right. Well, you know, Kendra was pretty sure she could make it through one evening without a near death experience. Then again, there were some rather vicious plants in that greenhouse. He should probably watch where he stepped... and sat.... and touched.

"This?" she glanced down at the plant and laughed softly. "No, but I think it gets lonely at night, so I thought I should give it some attention before I left. You can touch it if you'd like. It won't hurt you." As she gently pulled her arm back, the plant unravelled itself and removed its vines. "It's certainly the friendliest plant here." She pointed over to a large plant with grand white flowers. "That's the one I've been working with. It blooms at night, and it's been growing unbelivably quickly. I've been keeping measurements: petal, steam, leaf size. You know, that sort of thing."

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phoenixabraxas
2009-06-09 11:00 pm UTC (link)

Phoenix's eyes kept darting from left to right, watching plants cautiously from where he stood. It felt to him as if some were moving to reach for him, smelling him to see if he posed any threat. As much as he'd rather not be given that sort of attention, he stood where he was and simply waited for Kendra to announce that they were leaving. But by the looks of it, she didn't seem about ready to go.

At the other's offer for him to touch herh plant, he gave her a doubtful look. He could have easily refused, but silently figured there was no harm in doing so anyway. He crossed the room to her until he stood at arm's length from where she was and reached out for the plant. The vines coiled around a pale, long finger readily, and he was left to watch in awe as it happened. "Friendly would be a good word to describe it." he agreed. "Or a plant who puts his trust on people too easily? It could become its downfall, when you think about it..." he said, before gently withdrawing his hand from the plant.

Phoenix's eyes lifted to the plant Kendra had indicated. "Moon flower." he said, reflectively, before looking at her. "My mother grows them at home in the greenhouses. She'd wake me up at night when I was younger just so I could see them in bloom." A pause. "How long have you been growing this one?"

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urquhartk
2009-06-10 11:28 am UTC (link)

Kendra quirked a brow at his description of the plant. A plant who puts its trust in people too easily? Did that mean Phoenix had trust issues? She supposed it would make sense coming from a family like his, but he seemed to be at ease with her. She never felt like he didn't trust her. Then again, she wouldn't exactly say he trusted her, either. "I don't know. Folklore says it can judge a person's character, that it shies away from people with wicked thoughts." She grinned at him. "So I guess that means your thoughts are pure."

She was surprised to hear that he had experience with the plant, though with how smart he was she supposed she really shouldn't have been. "A few months. It's twice the average size for its age. We're not sure what's causing it. A random mutation, maybe." She shrugged her shoulders. "Right. Well, I suppose you've got things to do. I shouldn't hold you up." She moved to her pile of clothing, putting on the first layer. She was already too warm. She opted to wait until she was outside to put on the heavy winter cloak.

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phoenixabraxas
2009-06-18 02:45 am UTC (link)

A snort candidly escaped him. "Highly unlikely." Phoenix said, though his flat tone disguised his disbelief. His line alone carried too much wickedness for a plant to not sense that. But as he looked down at its coiled stems, it almost seemed as if it was reaching out for him. Strange. Distracting himself, he turned away from it.

It came as a surprise to him that the plant had grown so much in such a short amount of time. "Or perhaps you have simply taken good care of it?" he said. "Do you... talk to the plants? Maybe sing to them?" It was a random question, so he felt he needed to explain. "I'm just curious. My mother said it helps them grow, though I've never tested that theiry for myself..."

A pause, as he didn't move to leave. "You're not holding me up." he told her. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

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urquhartk
2009-06-19 01:07 pm UTC (link)

Kendra looked up, surprised by his answer. "Are you trying to say you have wicked thoughts, Phoenix Malfoy?" she asked. Quite frankly, he seemed to her to have entirely too pure thoughts. He was a perfect gentleman, shockingly gentle despite his family name. She still remembered when that waitress had tried to earn his attention, and Phoenix hadn't so much as batted an eye. Where were the impure thoughts he spoke of?

"Sometimes," she admitted, feeling her cheeks heat up slightly. "They're good listeners, and sometimes that's all we need." She glanced down at the friendly plant that still looked ready to return to Phoenix's hand. "And they like having company. Well, most of them. Some of them are quite... nasty toward people." She smiled weakly. "Probably for good reason." The nastiest plants, she found, tended to make for the most valuable ingredients.

"Oh." She hesitated for a moment, before removing the sweater she had just slipped on. "I guess I just... assumed you had somewhere to go. More important places to be, you know?"

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phoenixabraxas
2009-06-19 01:26 pm UTC (link)

Phoenix's lips had almost broken out into a grin at the other's question; she had clearly misunderstood. "Perhaps. Perhaps not." he said with a shrug. "Though I would say that my heart is far from pure. I have inheritted centuries of its impurities by reputation and it's highly unlikely that very few good deeds I had done would cancel them out."

His head inclined in the slightest of nods as she spoke, her words mirroring those that had been said before by his mother. "What do you tell them?" he asked, looking up at her, wondering if she would find it too bold for him to ask such a thing.

A pause. "Place like what, I might ask?" he said, his tone holding a hint of a challenge.

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urquhartk
2009-06-19 01:40 pm UTC (link)

Kendra blinked at him for a moment. "So... because you were... born into a family with a not so perfect history... you're automatically a bad person?" she asked skeptically. That wasn't exactly a healthy way of thinking. "Last time I checked, blame isn't genetic."

"Er- well, just whatever's on my mind," she replied, feeling more embarrassed as time went on. "Sometimes I have funny stories for them, and sometimes... I tell them when I'm worried or," She glanced up at him with a lopsided smile. "Scared."

Okay, so she hadn't honestly thought through what someone like Phoenix Malfoy did in their spare time. "A place with... friends or something? I don't... really know."

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phoenixabraxas
2009-06-21 11:42 am UTC (link)

"I never said that." Phoenix said, silence strecthing out before them after. It gave the impression that he may not elaborate at all, but after a short while of simply staring at the plant that still wanted his attention, he spoke again. "Certainly, blame isn't. But there are things one does inherit, like debt or karma. It's going to follow me whenever I go. It's in my blood." His tone was flat, accepting. It was a mater he'd come to terms with since he was very young.

There was a slight strain on his legs, so he had chosen to lean back against the table, hands crossed over his chest. "Were you speaking to them when you had contacted me?" he asked. Though he wondered why, of all the people she knew, she'd asked him to write him...

A ghost of a smile lingered on his lips. "Am I so transparent?" he teased.

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urquhartk
2009-06-21 03:53 pm UTC (link)

His answer earned a frown. Though Phoenix claimed not to care about bloodlines, sometimes it seemed to Kendra he was much more concerned than he let on about such things. It was in his blood, his pure blood. His life was different because he was pureblooded. Though it was going against her nature, she didn't speak what was on her mind and instead uttered an emotionless "Whatever you say." After all, she still needed someone to walk her home, and if she angered him who was going to?

"For a little while, yes," she confessed. "Why?"

She laughed softly, feeling a strong sense of accomplishment at earning even the faintest of smiles from him. "Well, I'm glad you're here instead of... wherever you might usually be."

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phoenixabraxas
2009-06-21 08:22 pm UTC (link)

Concerned wasn't the word that came to mind for Phoenix. he was mroe resigned than anything else, for such things were a part of his life. Unchangeable. And he alone could not defy these truths, for he had no other option but to live with them. At her answer, he remained silent and tried not too think too much on what she could be thinking, for clearly, much was left unsaid.

A shrug. "Just making conversation." he told her. "Would you tell me what you told them?"

Phoenix could laugh again. Clearly, there was much she didn't know about him. He doesn't usually go to 'a place with... friends'. More often than not, Phin sought for solitude, and he found it in many places. He nodded then, as a response to what she said. "Do you have a place where you usually went? Aside from the obvious." he gestured a hand around, indicating the Greenhouse.

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urquhartk
2009-06-21 10:35 pm UTC (link)

Kendra hesitated, biting down gently on her lower lip as she debated with herself as to how much she was going to share with him. "Well, you know, with exams coming up, I was telling them I was stressed out," she began slowly. "I talked to them about my brothers- they're really ridiculous, you know," She grinned. "Kevin is growing up. It's weird." She shook her head, and regained her train of thought. "And I... talked to them about Zara, and er-" She felt her cheeks heating up again as she managed to blurt out. "A little about you."

Quite frankly, there wasn't much Kendra did know about Phoenix. Every time they met, he managed to surprise her, and she had to wonder if she ever caught him offguard the way he always seemed to with her. She supposed she was an awful lot more transparent than he was. "It's the obvious now, is it?" she asked, smirking slightly. "I don't know. I'm usually alone here. When I'm with friends, I could be... most anywhere." She shrugged.

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phoenixabraxas
2009-06-27 04:21 pm UTC (link)

Phoenix lazily picked up random gardening tools scattered on the table surface as Kendra offered her answer. But at the other's mention of him, his movements ceased. Phoenix looked at her, expression unreadable. "What about me?"

With the lack of anything to do, he laid the hand rake back on the table and started to walk around the room. The different plants were quite intriguing with their varying shapes and sizes. Being one who was adept in potions, these interested him. Most of the ingredients were given to their either powerded, chopped or cut to pieces. It was fascinating to see how they looked before. "You don't have to be alone." he said, then after realizing how he sounded, added, but not too quickly: "You shouldn't. It's not safe for you to be alone here every night."

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urquhartk
2009-06-27 11:24 pm UTC (link)

The stillness of the room was enough to make her uncomfortable, and it showed in her slight fidgeting. She should have expected him to ask for more information, but she hadn't, honestly, and now she was left in a bit of a predicament. Well, honesty tended to be the best policy. "I- well, about how I think you're really just... er," She laughed nervously. "I just think you're really... charming? And thoughtful, and I really had a good time when we went to Hogsmeade even though that stupid waitress dropped a glass of butterbeer all over me." Her words accelerated as she spoke, and when she finished spitting out her words, she took in a breath and offered a sheepish smile.

Kendra shrugged at his words, watching him walk around the room. "Most people don't like spending time here. They think it's boring," she said honestly, not sounding bothered by the fact. "And, well, I don't think the greenhouse is the first place someone's going to come looking for trouble. Who would you expect to find here, after all?"

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