Relativity ~ [Leifr]

Dash had woken up very early this morning. It was a surprisingly sunny Saturday, and she’d taken the opportunity to go for a relaxed stroll. The brunette’s job required her to be outside most of the time, but she couldn’t actually remember the last time she’d gone outside simply to enjoy the sunlight. Of course, living in the city centre meant that a relaxed outside stroll wasn’t quite the peaceful endeavour that she’d have preferred, but it didn’t deter her. She’d woken up a long time before Ruari, so the Hufflepuff alumni had purchased some fresh fruit while she was out and returned home to cook them both a big breakfast with fresh juice.

After watering the plants and tidying up her room, Dash had had a shower, manually repaired Ruari’s broken shelves, done some yoga with her housemate, written a letter to her mother and gone out again to buy a large slice of clay for the first time since she’d been with Sindri. It had been months since she’d felt any spark of creativity and months since she’d felt the urge to do something like this. The material had felt foreign in her hands at first, but it hadn’t taken her long to pick up again. It was messy and she didn’t manage to make anything remotely pretty, but it was time consuming and satisfying to indulge in something. Dash felt like it had been a while since she’d indulged in anything, really.

It was simple. Dash had gotten to a point in her life where she didn’t want to be defined by the fact that she’d gone through a rather significant break-up anymore. It still hurt regularly and it still felt like a recent event, but she’d spent the last eight months of her life drifting. She didn’t want to drift. Ruari often joked about finding a new man, but Arden Dasher definitely wasn’t at that stage yet. She wasn’t quite ready to face the inevitable barrage of confusing feelings that would come with looking at men in anything other than a platonic way. For now, she was excited about the refreshing feeling that came with focusing on herself. It was unfamiliar and something that she’d only begun to feel in the past couple of weeks.

The afternoon drifted in and Dash cooked a late lunch for herself and her housemate. She spent the next hour or so painting her bedroom walls. Ruari had been urging her to decorate her room ever since she’d moved in, but it just hadn’t felt right. She felt a little guilty about overstaying her welcome, though her friend insisted that she wasn’t a burden. Dash very much intended on moving out sometime in the next few months, but being busy with her hands right now was more of a leisurely activity than a job and she welcomed the productivity. It wasn’t until she’d packed up the last of her paint tins that she felt that too-familiar sense of flat negativity creeping in.

It felt good to be covered in paint flecks and bits of clay, but Dash didn’t have anything left to do to occupy her mind. She knew that today’s activities were a step in the right direction, but once she’d finished, the brunette felt at a loss. It was like an emotional crash after a high and it was in this state that she answered the door when someone knocked on it in the early evening. The sun hadn’t set yet, but Dash wasn’t expecting anyone and assumed that whoever it was would be here for Ruari. The witch was surprised to find Leifr waiting for her. “Leifr?” she greeted with an unsure smile, her eyes full of questions. Dash’s tucked some paint flecked hair behind her right ear self-consciously. Ever the polite host, the girl corrected her curious tone and took a step back. “Please, come in.”

It was impulsive, and probably a bad idea, but those two things combined hadn’t ever really stopped Leifr from doing something. Besides, it wasn’t like he was doing anything harmful, in fact, he was really trying to be helpful. Dash had been having a hard time coming round after her break up with his brother Sindri, and it had hurt Leifr to have to watch two of the most important people in his life be so sad. They were both still struggling to move on without one another, but the Ex-Gryffindor had been able to help Sindri on a more regular basis, and was able to at least feel as though he’d done something to help. Dash was another story, though. He’s visited her once, early on and felt like he’d done more hurt than anything helpful. So in a way, he wanted to help Dash, but also to make up for his earlier failed attempt to do the same.

Thats what had found him grabbing his hiking boots and pack after work, along with a few other bags that held some other essential supplies and a bit of food in case either of them got hungry. They were going hiking, the wizard was determined to see it happen. It was something that they had done a lot when they were younger, but hadn’t been able to do in a very, very long time. And that to Leifr seemed like the best reason to surprise Dash, and try to cheer her up a bit. He had a few of her favorites, cider, some supplies for S’mores and other things they had used to bring with them on trips similar to this one. And while he hoped she’d go with him, there was no real pressure. It was meant to be a nice gesture, to get her out of the city and back into her natural habitat, as it were. Plus, Leifr needed a break from the hussle and bustle of the city himself, so why not combine the two things and have a little fun hike? The wizard couldn’t see any reason why Dash could realistically say no, but he figured she would try and come up with a few reasons not to go.

He’d decided he wasn’t going to have any of it, though, not unless it was clear she really didn’t want to go, that was. She might not feel as though she’d enjoy it while he was convincing her to go, but the wizard knew that once they hit the trail, Dash would lighten up towards the idea. He was pleased to find that when he knocked, the witch answered the door, and she looked absolutely Dash-ing (no pun intended). She was covered in clay, and paint, and all the various art supplies he was accustomed to seeing her covered in. It was somewhat of a relief to see that little bit of the Dash he knew poking through, even if it was just for a short while.

Giving her a smile of his own, he nodded politely and stepped inside “ Thank you...you’re looking great today.” He meant it, too. It was more common to see Dash covered in her work than to not, and Leifr saw nothing wrong with that. He could tell she was trying to figure out what he was doing there, standing in the middle of Ruari’s entry way, and so he figured he should cut to the chase. Scuffing his boot lightly across the floor Leifr gave her one of his best puppy dog like looks “Surprised? I suppose I should tell you why I’m here, huh?” He paused, trying to figure out the best way to word his hiking proposal “I’m here to take you hiking. I’ve got everything we’d need, and we can be back here by dark.” He watched her intently for any signs of a positive or negative reaction “So, what do you say? No pressure though, I just figured we could both use some time away from the city.” Now it was his turn to watch her curiously.

“Oh,” was all she had to say to his compliment. The girl’s hand went self consciously to her hair again, tucking brown strands behind her other ear as she waited, slightly anxious, for him to speak again. She rested her other hand on her hip with her thumb at the front, like she was supporting her back. Dash gave him a tense smile and a nod when he commented that he should tell her why he was here. The girl hadn’t seen Leifr for quite some time. “Hiking?” she repeated suddenly, her polite expression disappearing into straight out disbelief. He kept talking as the girl looked down at her clothes, covered in paint and completely impractical. She rested her knuckles against her lips, returning her gaze to his, her uncertainty obvious. She definitely wasn’t dressed for hiking.

But what was she thinking? What was he thinking? Her gaze was confused and slightly upset, thought she already knew that he was trying to do something good here. It had just been such a long time since they’d really talked that she didn’t know how to behave around him. Were they still friends? Was it appropriate to be in contact with him? The brunette wanted badly for things to be like they were before, but most of the time she’d spent with Leifr had also been with Sindri. It struck her that Leifr might be wanting to talk about his brother. After having such a productive day, Dash was feeling down and lacking in motivation. It felt like she was coming down from a sugar high or something. Her drive was slipping away and she felt restless… but strangely wired and tense at the same time. The girl had to admit that his offer was an enticing one. It had been far too long since she’d gone hiking. She frowned, a little concerned.

“I…” the girl stopped herself, turning the hand at her lips palm-up, not really sure what to say. “…It’s a really lovely idea?” Dash folded her arms across her chest, giving him an anxious smile. Her internal debate was written all over her expression. She didn’t know what to say. “I’m actually kind of… busy right now.” Lies. The hesitation in her voice probably gave her away. Just do it a voice in her head whispered. She felt like she needed it. One more hour in this apartment with nothing to do might actually drive her mad. On the other hand, however, it was Leifr that was standing there. She had a lot of questions. It was probably time to ask one of them. Her voice was gentle, but her words carried weight. “Does he know you’re here?” There was no point in clarifying who he was.