It's Only Fear That Makes You Run [THD - Gio]

Thankfully, the skies had held off any malicious storms they were bringing to Belushya Guba for there to be stands of clothes, twinkling purple and blue jewelry, books, foods, and a variety of both house and gardening plants (with magical abilities, of course). Valda came to town without much money on her, but that didn't stop her from admiring the objects as she slowly strolled down the street.

Valda had stopped at a particular hat stand in front of a wizarding robe shop. There were a variety of shapes and sizes, but one particular pointy, black hat caught her eye. Never would she wear such a thing, but she couldn't help but be curious as to what she would look like underneath it. She took the hat to a nearby mirror and tried it on. For some reason, the red head found herself much more pleasing to look at than she thought she would've. Temptation was calling her to purchase it, but she knew better than to spend money on such frivolous things, so she set the hat down.

Just as she was turning to continue on to the next stand, there seemed to be a fast blur that knocked into her, pushing her over on the ground. Stunned more than angry, she sat for a moment, allowing the fact that she had just fallen and had landed on her rear sink in. When she looked up, she saw @Gio Gambino looking absolutely petrified and guilty. He must've been the one to run into her.

His cobalt blue eyes scanned the streets as he jogged along the market. Gio had been up and out to Belushya Guba. He had been jogging for the better part of an hour. It had been nice to get out and allow him time to think on things. He had told Miha some things and they had shared a moment that hadn’t destroyed their friendship. This run was needed t clear his head of all the lingering awkward feelings that he harbored for the brown haired girl.

His eyes dropped to the steel gray watch on his wrist and in the moments it took him to measure his heartbeat he was colliding with someone. Steady hands reached out to catch himself as he stumbled towards the ground. The Krov straightened up and saw the girl on the ground. “Are you okay?” His face was guilty, a hand held out for her to take. “I’m sorry I wasn’t looking at the street. “

He looked down at his palms before he bit his bottom lip. “Can I buy you a drink or something to apologize? I should have been paying more attention. I was going to grab something after my run, if you wanted to join me that is?” He gave her his most apologetic look, lifting his brow in question. "Paavo's Bistro is just up this way, if you want to go."

She was knocked over, sprawled out near the display stand. For a moment, memories of the Koldo-Durm fight flashed through her mind. She remembered how she was pulled up by her copper red hair, having her life threatened. It took only a moment for the memories to flood through her mind, but when she came to and saw who was speaking to her, she only then noticed how tensed she had become and immediately relaxed. Before her was a face she didn't know a name to, but she had seen him around school hanging around Miha.

Gracious for his generosity and mannerisms, she took his hand, and with his help, pulled herself back up to her feet. She smiled and tried to shake the collision off, assuring him he didn't need to do such a thing, but she accepted his offer of a drink as she pulled her hair over her shoulder, her dark brown eyes scanned the athletic student in front of her. Maybe his hobbies, if she was assuming correctly that he spent a lot of time being active and fit, were why she had never learned his name.

She walked alongside him heading towards Paavo's Bistro.

Upon entering, and finding a place to sit, they both ordered a drink of Toad Punch. "Please don't feel bad. I'm a clutz myself and wasn't paying attention to what was going on around me before I walked right into the street." Valda was shy, and she showed it by either twirling her hair between her fingers or tracing the wooden marks of their table top. "I'm Valda by the way. I don't think we've formally met. I'm a 6th year Klyk." Repeating 6th year Klyk, but that wasn't important.

His feet shuffled as he moved along the crowded halls of Durmstrang. His eyes searching because he was certainly avoiding Miha. Until he could be around her without remembering his epic failure he would continue to take different routes. He paused, seeing her speaking with a red haired girl and he spun, walking quickly in the other direction. The long way it was.

He was glad she accepted his offer, he was sorry that he had run into her. He needed to pay better attention to what he was doing. As they found their spot at a table, his hands rested on the table top as he looked over at her. She was very pretty, and he could recognize her as the red haired girl from the hall that day. “But I do feel bad, I could have hurt you. I’m usually more aware of my surroundings but I was checking my pulse and…sorry.” He gave her a smile. He was happy that he hadn’t hurt her that would have horrible.

“Gio, Gio Gambino. Fifth year Drakonya Krov.” He leaned back in his seat. “It’s nice to finally meet you; I wish it were under better circumstances.” He really wished. The last thing he wanted to do was look like a complete fool in front of a girl. “Thank you.” Came his reply as their Toad Punch was sat down. He grabbed his glass, pulling it closer. “I’ve seen you with Miha before.” He said to her lifting but not drinking just yet. “I don’t know if she ever mentioned me, but we grew up together.” The harsh dangerous of their home crept into his mind. His blue eyes dropped to the liquid in his hands.

Lifting his glass all the way he took a drink of the cool liquid, tilting the glass up a bit before resting it back on the table. “So did you burp…” His hand rose to his mouth as he clear his throat. Sor – burp.” He looked around shifting in his seat. It happened suddenly and without his control. He belched, continually. His brows drew together as his cheeks burn red hot. It was hard to speak because every time his mouth opened his belched.

He wanted to die. He wanted to crawl into a hole and die. “Buuurp! sorry.” His gaze dropped before his head hit the table with a groan and a nothing round of burps left his lips, completely embarrassed.

All things considering, the circumstances they met under were pretty good. It wasn't as if they met under terrible conditions. It was more or less a situation of inconvenience that brought them together.

Valda thanked their waiter and pulled her cup closer to her as well. Both her hands clasped the drinking vessel's sides. "Mihaela hasn't said anything about you,"She addressed Miha by her first name. Valda wasn't quite comfortable with calling her by the nickname her friends identified her as. "We've only spoken a couple times. We aren't close, more like... study buddies." That was the best way she could describe their relationship. They were dueling partners and she had conversed with her on the stairs while Valda was trying to study. Nothing else beyond situations like those occurred between the two girls for the time being.  "I'm sure if we become more acquainted with one another, she'll mention you. Now I have a name and face to anything she may say about you!"

Valda was about to lift the cup to her own lips to drink when Gio did, but then he started to burp. She was taken aback by the sudden projection, but as he burped more and more, she couldn't help but attempt to stifle the laughs that were coming to her. Hoping she wasn't seeming rude, she lifted her cup to try and drink, but then her elbow hit the table and caused her glass to slip out of her hands and tip over. Thanks to her quick reflexes, she had the cup standing upright before there was a big spill. She used her what magic she knew to levitate the spill and drop it in the corner of the fireplace, not anywhere close to douse the welcoming fire.

She laughed more, but only at her own actions. Her cheeks were turning ever so slightly pink. "Are you okay, Gio?" Something was making him do this. Was he nervous about running into her. Sometimes, people did the oddest things when they were nervous, like messing with their hair, hiccuping, sneezing, tapping their foot, and yes, even burping. She picked the cup back up, managing to get a sip or two between her stiffled giggles.

"Are you o- burp," she felt. Her cheeks and ears start to turn bright pink. Soon enough, burps were escaping from her diaphragm uncontrollably. She wanted to laugh, but her stomach hurt too much and she could contain them as the burps exited from her.

She glanced at their cups and then to Gio. She then recognized the both didn't start burping until after they had taken a drink. Valda felt bad for those around, listening to their burping, but the two just couldn't contain themselves.

His blue eyes scanned her face, she wasn’t up she was amused. Gio found himself grinning, in between his burps. As if to somehow help him with the belching he took another drink and then looked down into his glass. He wonder for a moment if belching powder had been added to his drink, turning his Toad Punch into a potion instead of a tasty beverage. The glass was sat down and twirled a bit before he looked back over at her.

“I burp thi – burp – nk burp never – burp – mind.” He shook his head, laughing finally as the continuous burping settled in. He pushed his glass away to rest his hands on the table, breath held. He heard it worked or was that for the hiccups. He belched again and then he laughed, resting his hands on his hair. Whoever had done this was surely getting a very good laugh.

“Okay burp I think it’s the Toad punch.” The last bit of his sentence was rushed out and stumbled over and he was sure it made no sense at all before he burped once more. Why oh why? He had already run the poor girl over now he sat before burping of all things. He would never ever before to live this moment down. It was killing him and it was funny.