The sun shined straight into the empty classroom on the third floor, bathing the room in light and making it appear rather warm and bright. In the middle of the room sat Fawne cross legged; dressed oddly even for herself considering the season. She was in nothing but a pair of denim shorts and a yellow checked blouse, shoes somewhere near the door; she had decided to be summer-y to rid herself of the cold feeling the memories of the battle left behind.

She had moved all the tables to the side of the room and across the floor surrounding her, were spread numerous books on dueling and a few on dementors. All open on random pages. She had felt truly useless at the battle and had every intention of learning how to defend herself for future reference. She felt as if all she'd done was be a problem for Dorien and that bothered her greatly.

She kept her wand clasped in her left hand as her right flicked through the pages of a book on jinxes. A small half smile on her lips, glad of the escape the warm classroom and learning offered...

*It had been very easy for Dorien to hunt down Fawne. He had been around her so much that he was completely ni tune with her scent. So he had simply followed it down the halls and through the school untill he arrived at the classroom. he could jear her in there as Well.* "Fawne?" *Dorien called quietly as he pushed open the door. He immediatley registered what she was reading about and fel guilty. Then he felt worse when he saw what she was wearing. It made him worry about her mental state.* "Fawne, what're you doing?"

Odd as she was acting, she still reacted the same way as always when it came to being surprised. She lifted her head sharply form the book and blinked before focusing her eyes on Dorien. She smiled at him in greeting before shutting the book and looping her wand through the belt loops of her shorts.

"Hello Dorien, you look well." her voice seemed normal, it was only her reading material and outfit choice that seemed odd. "I am learning. Besides i like it here; its warm; i placed heating charms on the windows." She failed to mention why she wanted somewhere warm and bright, it was taking her a lot of mental power to block out things the dementors had brought to light and she found the warmth helped her rid the numb feeling.

*Dorien walked further into the room and looked around some more at everything in the room. Eventually he lowered himself onto the ground not far from her. He was wearing a thin black short sleve turtle neck that stood out drastically against his pale skin. He sighed and glanced aroudn the room* "Are you aliright?" *He asked, his gaze returning back to her*

She hummed softly under her breath picking up a little book with the word Dementor Defence written on the front of it. She flipped the page idly stopping on the actual spell. She switched her eyes back to Dorien the small smile still in place; like a permanent fixture.

"I am well. How do you fare Dorien?" She paused and flicked a page in the book, she was fidgeting. "Craven has disowned me. He rather thinks i am 'unloyal to our blood family'" her tone didn't change and it sounded rather conversational. Like she was pointing out the weather.

*Dorien ignored her question and pushed himself closer to her. He reacher out and put an icey cold hand on her arm. He held it lightly and looked at her, his eyes a light chocolate today* "Fawne. You are not alright. Talk to me. What's wrong? Is this because of your brother or the dementors or the battle or me? What's wrong." *The last was more of a statement than an actual question. He spoke to her as if what he was saying was of the upmost importance. And to him it really was.*

Her smiled faltered and she blinked slowly, whilst her hands busied themselves with shutting the book and wringing it between her fingers. She looked at Dorien a sad smile on her lips and her voice loosing the bright quality but not its soft melodic one.

"You have been wonderful to me and i have done nothing but burden you, even now. I apologise... I should not bother you with my troubles." The battle surpisingly enough was the thing least bothering her, but right now she felt awful; like she was forever taking from Dorien but never giving. She might of helped free him but it was mostly his family.

"Fawne, if you wouldn't have been there for me when I was in captivity, I don't know what I would have done...and then you set me free....yeah, amybe you wern't the one to turn the key in the lock, but it's you that did it.." *He sighed and slid his hand from her arm.*

She dropped the book to the floor, one of her now free hands reaching out to grab his, seeking comfort. Dorien was one of the closest people to her, in fact despite she had a few casual friends anyway, he was the one person she valued the most. She averted her eyes to the floor and spoke so quietly it was hard for her to hear herself.

"Would you like to know what is bothering me?" she wanted to show him trust but she found it hard to broach the topics she would have too. She was flighty in the avoidance sense; she not ask for pity because of events so she spoke of them little.

"More than anything." *He said quietly. Dorien lightly touched her chin with his hand to raise it up so he could look her in the eyes. He tried to urge her into telling him, luring her in with his eyes. He knew it wasn't fair, but he really cared for her and wanted to know so he could help her. Dorien took her hand when she reached for it, winding his fingers between hers. The warmpth in her hand against his cold one felt so nice to him; he didn't want to let go, even if it was for his own selfish reasons.*

She kept her eyes on his when he raised her chin to do so, though through mere will power. She wanted nothing more than to adopt her dreamy facade but Dorien always had made her break it; not that she minded in some respects. She gripped his hand lightly glad for the comfort he offered before speaking in a very soft far away tone, detected almost.

"Do you know what i saw when they were near? I saw blood, masses of it, mostly my fathers." She paused as if choosing whether or not to elaborate, she choose not to at this moment in time. "I saw my fears too; Craven's blood and yours spilled for the cause..." Her voice hitched slightly, not in the crying sense but in the sense where the thought of them dead, Dorien dead, actually physically hurt.

*Dorien was silent for a moment as he gazed at her.* "It's just a thought." *He said softly* "It's not real......I'm fine.....Craven's fine.....You're okay too." For the most part "That's what the dementors do...they try to make you miserable while they feed off of your emotions." *Dorien only knew this as a fact. They had a different effect on him now that he was undead, and he had never experienced one when he was alive.* "I'm so sorry Fawne....."

She smiled sadly at him, it was strange type of smile, happy he was there but unhappy for the topic. "You have nothing to apologise for."

Her tone had taken on a warmer appearance when she spoke directly to him. She gripped his hand slightly tighter and moved her thumb in circles over his hand, almost as if she was attempting to convey that he had nothing to be sorry for.Her grey eyes refused to meet his any longer and she stared at a point just to the side of his head. She sighed softly before speaking in that overly soft tone once more, the warmness gone.

"I was not ready for the battle. I should have hid, perhaps i would have but i knew you would be there...When the dementors appeared i did not know how to react; i kept seeing Father...Father die again...I had not expected to see such things, it dwells on my mind. Though i am glad it has given me the chance to learn."

"It must be hard to have to experience that every time you're around one of those...things." *He paused. and squeezed her hand slightly* "I'm glad I was there to protect you....and I'd be happy to teach you how to do the patronus charm. If that's what you wish......" *He would prefer to just be there to do it for her, but she really should learn. He had heard rumors that the dementors had broken loose from azakaban and were now roaming the streets with the elder wand, but he would never tell her that after what she had been though.*

Her eyes brightened slightly at the prospect of him teaching her the charm. She already felt slightly better having been able to brooch these topics and even happier that Dorien hadn't just simply brushed them aside; she was aware worse had probably happened to him in the past.

"I am glad you were there to protect me." She mirrored his statement with much more of her usual tones in place. She carefully let go of his hand; only to wrap both around him in a hug, an awkward one considering they were both sat down.

"I would like it very much if you were to teach me." She smiled softly, the sadness beginning to ebb. She was by no means forgetting it, she wasn't that ditsy, she was just distracted from it. "Thank you for everything Dorien."

ooc: I've been planning this....lol

ic:


*Dorien hugged her back tentaviely. (sp) He was unsure of his boundries and limits, but he seemed fine to be close to her. Dorien pulled out of the hug and looked at her. His face was still somewhat close to hers* "No, thank you..." *He slowlyleaned in and pressed his cold lips to hers, unsure of how she would react. He wasn't even sure how he would react to it.*

OOC: Well now I figured you might have been lol. Bugger it al, its hard to decide what Fawne would say.

IC:
She had not been bothered by their close proximity, the promise of keeping her guard long forgotten. Nevertheless she had not expected Dorien to kiss her; Because of this her mind reeled for a moment, unsure of how to react. And so she did what felt right and on pure instinct she responded tentatively, the coldness of his lips only serving to make it seem more real to her. Her arms still looped around him in the messy hug and her grey eyes now shut.

At some point coherent thought seemed to spring back into her mind and she lent backwards out of the kiss. Her eyes springing open and her cheeks flushed slightly in realisation. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and sat there completely and utterly at a loss as to what to say.

"I...Erm..."

*Dorien looked away, embarassed.* "I'm....uh.....sorry...." *Dorien started to stand, searching the room for anything else to look at but Fawne..* "Um, when you want to learn that spell....just let me know....." *He turned akwardly and stated towards the door. Of course she wouldn't want to kiss him. Who would want to kiss a vampire?*

She watched him react, still herself shocked into silence. Her eyes watched his avoid her; a funny feeling in her stomach as her thoughts reeled, butterflies was the muggle term for it. It took him moving towards the door for her to snap out of her observations and act. This had certainly been a new experience, the fact he was a vampire hadn't actually crossed her mind yet. She rose to her feet, quickly. Following his retreating form.

"Dorien..." She reached a hand forward and placed it gently on his arm, the whole thing making the butterflies worse. She only managed to meet his gaze out of pure stubbornness of personality "I would very much like you to teach me that spell." She didn't name a place or time, but she gave him a small bright smile. It would have course been a better one had her head not been reeling.

*Dorien stopped when she said his name. He was almost to the door, but not quite. All he want ed to do was leave and go hide under his bed in the dorm and avoid all human interraction. When she placed the hand on his arm he closed his eyes and tilted back his head slightly but didn't turn around to face her.* "When?" *He asked simply and quietly. He tried to keep the pain from his voice and failed. He hadn't kissed a girl in litterally over a century, and when he finally decided to, this is how it turned out? What else did he expect?*

She heard the hurt in his voice and now more than ever she wished that moments ago she had known how to react. Maybe it would have turned out better if she had..She sighed mentally and attempted to focus on his question. She averted her eyes from him, not able to to purposefully add the misty look to them, as she placed on an entirely false facade of normality. It was fake even to herself. She just wanted the tension to go away. She did not want to loose Dorien.

"Perhaps this afternoon? Or rather tomorrow? It is best to learn these spells soon." In reality she just wanted to see him again. She gave his arm a gentle squeeze before letting go and stepping back. She shot him a small forced smile before walking back to her piles of books; sitting back down amongst them cross legged. It was clear she was lost in thought not in the books.

"Thank you for everything Dorien." her voice broke from its forced facade for that sentence had been said with earnest.

OOC: EDITED.

"Alright." *His voice still sounded slightly strangled. Dorien started for the door, stopped, and turned around and looked at her. He wasn't sure why her reaction had hurt so bad; in a way he was glad for the rejection. It would keep her safer.* "I'm sorry." *He worked to make his voice sound indifferent towards her. The wall was back up.*

She sighed softly before turning a page in a newly opened book. Her eyes not straying from the words. In moments she had ruined the friendship she had grown with Dorien just by being clueless; everything was weird now. And her mind had never been so confused. Where was her journal when she needed to talk?

"No i am sorry..." unlike his her voice had a hard time trying to be indifferent. If anything it just seemed forced to be melodic. "Will i see you later Dorien?" it wasn't a goodbye it was a genuine question.

*He sighed* "I'd imagine so, yes." *He said softly, glancing around the room.* "Where would you like to meet?" *His voice was still indifferent. Not as much so when he didn't look directly at her.* "I'd prefer to use a larger room........the room of requirement would work well."

"Then i imagine i will see you there." She micked his statment although her voice still seemed forced into its normal tones. Her eyes scanned over the last words on the page not actually taking any note of them before shutting the book with a large thud in the now quiet room.

"I rather think i had better return these to the library." She withdrew her wand from her belt loops and causally flicked it at the books as she stood up; they arranged themselves into a neat pile. Although she hadn't actually read half of them she was making what she liked to call a tactical retreat; she was feeling incredibly confused.

She picked up the books carefully and dropped them on a desk at the edge of the room, all the while avoiding looking at Dorien. She slipped her doll styled shoes and a donned the silver travelling robe she had once worse to visit Dorien; perhaps she had not been dressed so eccentrically after all. Before picking up the books once more and turning to face him...

*Dorien stared back at her calmly for a moment without feeling the need to say anything. He wasn't sure if he was trying to size her up or force her to feel awkward so she would just go and leave him be. But after a moment he turned away from her again.* "I can carry them for you; I'm much stronger." *He sounded weak again and was mentally angry with himself for not being able to stay indifferent*

"No, No...I carried them here i can carry them back..."

She didn't even blink before responding, her answer a little to fast to be normal. She was glad he was better, seeing him as a prisoner had caused her great distress; although seeing him now was causing her great confusion. She plastered a small smile on her lips, one that was not even akin to her normal, before taking a step towards the door; breaking her gaze.

She shifted slightly to glance back at him from the corner of grey eyes. "Farewell Dorien." And with that she took the final steps towards the door, her gaze set straight forward.