Wild Rivers [Justyna]

It had been quite some time since Anders had felt this conflicted. On one hand he was back in America for a week or two, and had a number of friends with him, including @Justýna Tesaříková. On the other, the moment the wizard had set foot on the soil of the summer camp, there was a part of the recent graduate that was thinking that he should be back home in Norrbotten with Konrad helping him with the house, the dogs and everything. Being away from his brother and their shared responsibilities made Anders more nervous than he liked to admit, so he didn’t.
Camp itself was everything he would have hoped summer camp would be.

There were quirky American shops, he got to practice or learn different languages, and there were no real responsibilities.  When he stopped to think about it, the ex-Tigrova realized he’d spent more or less every free moment outdoors somewhere either in a small group or on his own. He’d learned a lot about science and engineering in the few days they had been at camp so far and found it interesting, especially physics. He had heard his mother talk about the subjects a lot, and he was fairly sure they had a grandparent or two might have been an engineer on her side. He’d been raised in a household that had an even split between muggle and wizarding culture, but without learning about these topics in school since he’d been young, Anders found it refreshing.

More than that though, Anders was eager to have a chance to catch up with Justyna, since they’d been exchanging letters, but it wasn’t the same as being able to talk to her, and it took time for owls to carry the mail back and forth. Today they were going for hike, something that had become their own mini-tradition of sorts, and it was the reason Anders found himself waiting for Justyna at the start of the trailhead with a supply backpack slung over his shoulder.

It wasn’t long before he saw the blonde coming up the path and Anders offered the witch a wave and a sheepish smile “Long time no see.” They had seen each other since they had gotten to camp, but Anders was looking forward to catching up one on one. He’d known he’d counted on Justyna’s friendship while they’d been at school, but since he’d graduated and they hadn’t seen each other regularly, the wizard realized just how much he’d missed her company. Once she was within arms reach the redhead offered her a brief but firm hug before gesturing to the paths in front of them “Seeing as I chose last time, it’s only right that you pick this time – but you’ll have to tell me your favorite parts of camp so far so I know what I might be missing out on, and if you want to go into town later?"

Eyes closed and face upturned to the summer sunshine, Justýna took in a slow, deep breath. It was a beautiful morning, but the day promised to get hot – she could already feel it in the air. Adjusting her rucksack over her shoulder, she set off along the well-marked path that would take her to the main convergence of walking trails. Merlin, this was so much better than the two-week ‘Durmstrang immersion session’ in Döttrar Vik. The Czech witch was always happier out-of-doors, and when things didn’t involve her soon-to-be new school (again).

She had even more of a reason to be happy today: he was waiting for her at the trailhead.

Justýna waved back cheerfully, her heart lighter than it had been in weeks.
“Too long,” she told him with a teasing smile as she drew within earshot. “I'm not sure I like this graduation business.”
The remainder of June had felt lonely indeed after they’d left for the summer holidays – exchanging letters had helped, but it wasn’t quite the same. Having him here in front of her was unequivocally preferable.

The sandy blonde stepped forward gratefully into his proffered embrace, resisting the urge to wriggle happily as he folded his arms around her, however briefly. She’d missed him far more than she’d anticipated, and it was a tangible relief to have his familiarity through all of this uncertainty.
‘Missed you.’
The words bubbled up inside her as soon as they’d touched and had almost left her lips, as easily and as naturally as breathing – but she chickened out at the last second, and she couldn’t quite figure out why.

Fortunately, he gave her something else to consider a heartbeat later. Justýna folded her arms across her chest reflexively after they’d broken apart, using it to buy a few seconds to gather her thoughts. But her expression brightened considerably at the question he snuck into the last part.

Before she answered him, though, she studied the mounted trail map briefly. She was feeling a moderate hike today, one of the less-populated ones, and ideally one that intersected water in some capacity. She was a sucker for beautiful lookout points, but also loved the creativity that often came with navigating across streams. Finding one to her liking, she tapped it briefly and raised a dark blonde eyebrow in silent question, awaiting his acknowledging nod.

When it came, she shifted her pack slightly and began to amble along. There looked to be some steeper parts, so a leisurely pace would serve them well.

“Well,” she began with relish, “I daresay you already know all about the science and engineering bits – they’re my favorite sessions, I’ve always liked that sort of thing. Fun experiments and challenges, and I’ve really liked the people I’ve worked with on those projects. And the wilderness survival stuff has been really interesting. All of it, honestly,” she copped-out with a grin.
‘Especially the fact that you’re here.’
Again, she held her tongue. It was true, of course, and sounded well and good in her head – but at the same time it sounded so… forward(?) when she thought about actually saying it aloud. She didn’t want him to get the ‘wrong’ impression.
Or did she?

The wide path had begun to branch off, then, and she made for the marker she’d selected: which proved to be little wider than a deer-path. Fleetingly, she was grateful for the need to walk single-file for the moment; she could feel a faint heat in her cheeks that had nothing to do with the Vermont sun.

She kept talking to redirect her brain.
“I may try something artsy, too… just to say I’ve done it. Oh and yes, I’d love to go into town later.” She peeked over her shoulder to grin at him, her momentary embarrassment(?) forgotten. Justýna was always game for exploring a new place.

“Alright, your turn. What am I missing out on?”

Anders felt the laugh bubble up from inside his chest, and for once he realized, the sorrow that usually felt like it was going to drag his happiness back down as quickly as it could rise wasn’t as strong. It was still there, but it wasn’t as white hot and invasive as it usually was, and it felt good. He nodded and spoke as she studied the map “I’m not sure I like it either” he confided as he teased her lightly “It seems like a lot of work being an adult…I mean I’ve already had Dragon Pox and I’ve been out of school for less than a few months.” He knew he should have enjoyed being a graduate more than he had so far, but he’d adjusted to that routine, their routine really, and he was finding it hard to break.

“I really liked the egg drop, with the parachute and everything” It was a simple experiment, but the wizard liked the novelty of an egg and a parachute. He paused to see which route Justyna chose and nodded quickly, it had been of the paths that had caught his attention too. He watched her intently while she spoke, simply glad to be able to see her expressions rather than having to guess them based on what she had written, despite knowing her well enough to make a strong guess, or at least that’s what he told himself. It wasn’t like he hadn’t noticed Justyna before, but this time it seemed different. Ever since they had been back together at camp, Anders found his gaze drifting in her direction and he was struggling to admit just why it was drifting her way.

Either way, the ex-Tigrova had not planned to find himself so conflicted on a hike. Anders forced himself to push the thoughts to the back of his mind, as he realized that he was getting distracted by simple things about her, like the way she brushed a stray hair away from her face, and didn’t want to miss out on their actual time together. For a few brief moments Anders made himself focus on the scenery around them, and when he felt like he could speak intelligently again he offered “Well, whatever you choose, I’m sure you’ll be good at it as usual. How many new people have you met so far?” The redhead was sure he hadn’t seen her do anything that she wasn’t at least a little good at. “I’ll probably stick to the science myself” he said with a rueful grin as he tried to picture himself as a dancer or a painter.

“Perfect, but the ice cream is my treat” He said as he offered her a small wink. It was done before he realized what he’d even done. He didn’t know why he’d winked at her he wasn’t the type to wink. And Anders knew she knew he didn’t wink. Ugh. He fought the blush that felt like it was blinding as it crept up his neck. Hoping she’d mistake it for sunburn. “Can you believe we’re in America?” He blurted out the question without really thinking about it, but he was worried that if he didn’t he might say or do something else completely out of character.

Justýna bobbed her head agreeably as he mentioned liking the egg drop the best thus far. She couldn’t entirely disagree, though the spaghetti-bridge-stress-test was a strong contender for her.

“Well, whatever you choose, I’m sure you’ll be good at it as usual. How many new people have you met so far?”

The causal, almost off-handed compliment before the question caught her off-guard, though she supposed it really shouldn’t have. Anders had always been a thoughtful and encouraging type.

“I— thanks,” she replied, a slow but genuine smile appearing on her lips. She hoped she didn’t seem too flustered. “I’ve… not really been keeping track. A lot. I feel like I haven’t seen very many of our schoolmates.”
Her last comment held an almost wistful tone, and she felt a pang of sorrow as the admission left her lips. In just a few short weeks she’d be heading to Durmstrang – again. A very small part of her was cautiously optimistic, but the rest (an overwhelming majority) bitterly resented the fact that she would not spend her final year of school in her second home within the mountain; that chapter had closed for her.

“Perfect, but the ice cream is my treat.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it and grinned instead.
“Fine, but I'm picking up the tab on—”
But she faltered and completely lost her train of thought mid-sentence when he winked at her. Anders didn’t wink. Justýna’s pulse quickened, and she blinked owlishly. Suddenly the urge to laugh bubbled up in her chest, so sudden and so unexpected that she wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. She opened her mouth again to playfully tease him as a deflection – but couldn’t quite bring herself to do it. He was no longer looking at her.

“No, I can’t,” she said instead, seizing on the new topic. “Have you met many of them? Ilvermorny students, I mean. Nearly got run over by two of them yesterday – two girls, cackling maniacally as they barreled around the corner of one of the cabins. They didn’t even come up to my shoulder, but still probably would have taken me out. They only stopped for about half a second but still managed to apologize about a half-dozen times, ask me where I was from, and tell me where they were from – all before they ran off again.”
Justýna laughed softly, remembering; they had looked to be even younger than Mila. It was hard to believe she’d once been that young, and even that was not even seven years ago.

She adjusted her pack on her shoulder and glanced back at her friend.
“Anyways one of them was carrying this… piece of thin flat wood, I think? And it had wheels, four little ones. Ever seen something like that before?”

“You’re welcome” Anders told her earnestly, flashing her a rare smile as he shrugged mildly in agreement “It is weird, isn’t it?” He said curiously “But at the same time, it’s kind of nice in it’s own way.” He added a moment later “it feels different from Durmstrang, not that I mind school really though.” He told her. In hindsight the wizard would miss Durmstrang, but moreso for the loss of the friendships than the academic aspect. Sasha had made sure he’d done decently in school, but it hadn’t been his forte. And, if he was being honest with himself, he’d miss the school for the chance to spend time with Justyna.

While he was no diehard fan of their school, it did hold a significance for him, no matter how conflicted he might feel on the whole, and he felt bad for the witch, having to start over at a new school, and he was equally unhappy that he wouldn’t get to be there with her, but also partially grateful he was done. It was a strange dilemma he found himself in. Thankfully the topic of conversation shifted, and he was saved from having to continue to panic internally about whether she’d noticed he’d winked at her and if it had been weird. He still wasn’t sure. He forced himself to take a deep breath and look up at the blue sky above them in an attempt to slow his pounding heart.

So far that hadn’t worked, but he forced himself to reply, and to look at her when he spoke. His eyes were bright and friendly as he glanced at her “I’ve got a few cabin mates who are American.” He offered “They seem like they’re pretty cool.” He said as he ran a hand absently over his neck “I’m learning some new English words” he said, his double meaning clear as he laughed softly “And they’re learning some Swedish and Russian words” he finished with a mischievous look.

The wizard nodded easily as they walked. They did seem busy most of the time, Anders decided, but it didn’t bother him any. He watched her gesture and his eyebrows furrowed momentarily until he realized Justyna was probably talking about a skateboard. He waited till she was done with her description “It’s probably a skateboard.” He explained “Muggle kids are obsessed with them, and I guess ilvermorny kids are too.” He told her, turning to look at her “They’re a bit like snowboards, but smaller and with wheels?” He offered, trying to remember if he’d ever shown her his snowboard before “Anyway, they’re fun enough.” He concluded.

They had come to another small split in the trail, and habitually the ex-Tigrova reached back to signal that they should turn right, since someone had mentioned that the bluff would have the best views, and found that he was accidentally brushing her fingers with his. Anders jumped with surprise, as his pale skin gave way to a blush that felt like it could be seen from space. He nearly avoided tripping over a rock as he coughed to cover his surprise and attempted to apologize “Sorry..” he mumbled, daring to peek at her out of the corner of his eye. Not sure what to say again he thought, grumpily he slowed so that they were in step again “Have you done the geology lab yet?” he asked genuinely curious “I heard up on the bluff you can see all of the different layers of rock.” Then with his nerves getting the best of him he felt himself blurt “So, what kind of ice cream are you going to get?” He was such an idiot, he decided. 

The Czech witch nodded in agreement; during one of the engineering-type sessions, she’d met a few girls from Hogwarts that she’d liked very much, even though she hadn’t been grouped with them for the egg-drop project.
At the mention of Swedish, Justýna sighed.
“Ugh, I'm going to need all the help I can get in that department… can’t I just bring you back with me?” she mock-whined, batting her eyelashes at him absurdly. “Dunno how I'm going to get by without, like… a translation charm. All classes are in Swedish this year.”
She knew she’d told him this already, but couldn’t help lamenting one more time. Thanks to Anders, she’d picked up a few Swedish words over the years of their friendship – but nowhere near enough to keep her afloat academically.

She nodded slowly, brow furrowing slightly as she processed his explanation: a ‘skateboard’, he’d called it, and likened it to a snowboard.
“That’s… different from snowshoes, right?” she clarified, glancing sideways at him. She’d heard those were a means of modified foot-travel in far north Muggle areas: the wide ‘sole’ of the shoe helped to distribute a person’s body weight over a larger surface area, thereby allowing them to stay closer to the top of snowdrifts and not sink down as far with each footfall. It was a clever bit of engineering, really, and incredibly simple to make.

Justýna had fallen into step beside him, automatically moving ahead without much active thought, and so she hadn’t anticipated his next movement. His fingers brushed against hers; she blinked, hardly daring to believe it – but then, just as quickly, his touch was gone and he seemed to be having a coughing fit. She took a step closer, concerned, at which point he stumbled and without thinking she reached for his arm to steady him; but she grasped only empty air, for he had recovered himself and begun to move on. Slowly, she withdrew her hand and followed suit, though a bit perplexed.

“Sorry for what?” she laughed, wrinkling her nose at him. “Stop choking on bugs and I think we’ll be fine.”
He told her about the bluff and she pursed her lips.
“Ooh, not yet… it overlapped with one of the other seminars I wanted to go to. Let’s go there. To the bluff,” she clarified, attempting to peer ahead of them down one path and then the other. “D’you know which way?”

He was back on the ice cream topic, and she grinned.
“Depends on what they have… I do love plain chocolate,” she sighed wistfully. “Perhaps mint. But it’s a fine summer’s day, so perhaps something… fruitier.”
Justýna shrugged, letting her arms fall casually to her sides – before lifting them again to fidget with her hair.
“If you’re hungry, I’ve got snacks,” she added, belatedly wondering if that’s why he had circled back to the post-hike food arrangement.