Black Halo {Paige}

The Horned Serpent slid into his usual table, hidden in the back corner of the library and set his bag down on the worn wood top, pulling out a few books, but opening a worn copy of David Copperfield, and settling back into the chair, rocking it onto it’s back legs and balancing there as he began to read. He had some papers to write but was feeling pretty confident he could spend some time reading first.

That ideal didn’t last long as he heard footsteps approaching, and then saw a shadow fall over his reading light. Coleman didn’t bother to look up right away, determined to keep reading and ignore whoever it was long enough that they would go away. By the time he heard the tapping of nails against the table top, he could smell the distinct perfume that told him exactly who was in his reading light.

He kept reading for a few moments longer, but couldn’t take it any longer as he earmarked the page but still didn’t look up “Hext, do you make it your job to be annoying, or are you just attracted to the light?” He asked her coolly, as he shifted the chair back to all four legs.

Coleman turned a fraction to look at the witch in question, feet now up on the table “Seriously, what can I help you with?” He asked her, both enjoying her perfume, and annoyed that he was being interrupted at all.

@Paige Hext

Paige commanded attention when she walked into a room. That was simply a fact of nature. Whether it was her looks or the way she carried herself or the way she dressed or spoke—she always got a reaction. She loved looking at the envied faces of girls and the wide eyes of the boys. She loved knowing she could get what she wanted with a few choice words.  Of course, there were always exceptions to the rule of thumb, and Coleman Close was the biggest of these. For to long had they been playing this cat and mouse game. He chased, she dodged (her favorite), or she chased, and he dodged. Never did they end up together, not even a little bit. She never felt he belonged to her, and she hated that. She had been with other boys, had always owned them from their head to their feet. They would have done anything. Cole—he would barely give her time of day. It was a challenge, and one she felt compelled to follow after. Perhaps, against her better judgement.

She saw him sitting at a table in the library—why he always read in the library and never in the comfort of the commons was beyond her—but she strutted right up to him and waited patiently for him to react to her. He didn’t. Frustrated, she knocked her manicured nails against the wood table impatiently. Not speaking, just reacting. His words scorned her, but she knew it was part of the game. He adored her, or must have. Somehow.

“Why must you always sit at this worn out table in the library instead of in the comfort of the commons?” She wondered aloud. “Are you just simply trying to avoid little ‘ol me?” She asked. “As if I make it my mission to find you wherever you go.” She huffed. “Now move over, you’re in my usual seat.” They both knew full well that it was his usual seat, and she was just being nasty for the sake of it.

Grey eyes flicked up to meet hers nonplussed "Because I like it here" He explained exasperatedly, blinking as he went on "And so people don't think sitting alone is an invitation" he told her pointedly, not turning back to his book as he took the opportunity to look at her without being accused of gawking. He laughed shortly as she spoke next "You mean you don't?" He asked her, shifting now to look at her fully as he leaned on the arm of his chair "Because last I checked the other kids were over there" he said, pointing back beyond the bookshelves "But you found your way over here" he questioned her with a smirk.  He didn't really care if Paige was following him or not, and he didn't always hate the chance to trade jabs, but he was hoping he might strike a nerve. She was too put together for him to not want to.

He shrugged as he refused her request "No." He told her flatly and in a way that invited no argument though his posture was relaxed and non-threatening. "If you want to take someone's spot, go steal it from Hopkins." He said matter-of factly "Kid's still hung up on you" he told her shooting her a look that was full of amusement "He'd probably volunteer to be your footstool, too." He paused for effect "But I am not Hopkins, and definitely wouldn't be your footstool. And this is my spot, has been since second year - so you can either pull up at the other end of this table, or find somewhere else to sit."  He finished evenly, and clearly not sorry.

Cole waited to see what her reaction would be and felt compelled to add "Unless you want to sit in the chair with me still in it?" He suggested, not at all serious. Paige was attractive, and she was smarter than most of the girls they went to school with, he could and did respect that  - but it didn't mean that he wasn't sixteen and all too willing to stir the pot. Anything to get a rise out her was worth, it really. Feeling confident the boy blinked up at the witch waiting to see if he should duck or if she'd think he was funny.

“Well, if you won’t move.” She challenged, shifting to sit next to him on the same chair, draping her legs over his. “I didn’t know you were this desperate for my touch.” She teased, a playful lilt in her voice. “If you wanted me on your lap, you could at least ask me to Shackamaxon first. It would be more appropriate that way.” She laughed, feeling clever. She didn’t mind behind this perched on top of him, though she still wiggled her butt with the dual purpose of trying to get him to shimmy out of the chair and to give him a hard-on. She didn’t know which would be better. Why not both?

“Hopkins would give his left kidney for this, you should be lucky.” She had dumped him ages ago, but he still followed her every move. Of course, to ‘dump’ you needed to be involved, and they weren’t really ever. She had simply led him on until she got bored and he still thought there was something there. It was pathetic and she knew it. She was glad Coleman thought more of himself than that. He was a real man, all jibes aside. That was what she liked about him. He stood up to her and told her no. She hated being told no, but loved it too. It took a strong man to weild her like a weapon, and she was made to be unsheathed.

“You’re bony, aren’t you?” She teased. She was fuller-figured herself, though still relatively fit. She played sports with the other girls, but wasn’t exactly the quodpot type. More one-on-one sports were for her. Tennis, maybe. Swimming. Track and Cross Country. She didn’t play well with others. She played a mean game of chess, too.

She picked up the book he was reading and snatched it from his hands. “What’s this?”

Coleman blinked as he found himself with a literal armful of Paige, not expecting her to actually take him up on his cheeky offer. It took him a beat longer than he would have cared to admit to reply, too. Heaving a sigh Cole offered her a cool, if not slightly exasperated look "Desperate? Hext, don't flatter yourself" He told her, his voice warmer than his gaze as he laughed softly. He shrugged, still on alert, not quite sure what she might be playing at "Well, I could, but that would almost certainly besmirch your pristine reputation" He teased back "Not to mention, I'm still not allowed to go to Shacksamaxon after that incident last month." He said, knowing that she'd know exactly what he was talking about. Christian had even given out to him about it.

He narrowed his eyes as he felt her wiggle and poked her side "That's cheating" he argued, though only mildly annoyed "besides I've got better self control than that." He said a moment later. Though if he was being truthful, he wasn't sure he did, not that Paige needed to know that in the least. The chair was digging into his back in just the right way that made him want to shift, but he forced himself to stay still, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. Even if it was crossing his mind, it wasn't in that way.

"Hey, I never said I wasn't fortunate" He retorted with a snort "I just said I wasn't Hopkins." Coleman had never felt the same way about most girls the way his friends had, not in that mushy sort of way, anyway. Chasing people seemed like an awful lot of work for very little reward when it wasn't a mutual understanding kind of thing. He felt bad for Hopkins, sort of, just for looking like a complete moron, more than anything else.

Coleman rolled his eyes looking up at the ceiling before he he looked at Paige, his thoughts on her choice of words clear in his face "What can I say, I wasn't blessed with any womanly curves. More of a bad attitude, with a dollop of ambition kind of guy, I guess" He said, both complimenting her and poking fun at himself "You can blame the headmaster for that in part, too." He admitted "I'm a member of Adventure Cadets, Quodpod, and Quidditch at his pleasure." The boy liked the old wizard well enough, which is why he complied at all, but it also kept him decently fit, though he was mostly just a skinny teenaged boy with a good metabolism.

He let out a softly surprised yelp as she stole his book and made to snatch it back out of habit "Oh come on..." He grumbled before he sighed and explained "David Copperfield." he told her as he reached for the book while trying to not make too much noise or knock either one of them to the floor "By Charles Dickens. No-Maj author from Britain." It was a well read and underlined copy he'd gotten from a thrift store and marked up himself, and he struggled to restrain the urge that told him she was going to take it for a moment before he suppressed it and wound an arm under hers and made a sneaky grab for her wrist " Orphan boy, tragedy, you know, Victorian era" He grunted softly, still not successful in getting his book back thanks to her having a leg up on him, literally.

Paige laughed a bit when Cole mentioned the “Adventure Cadets.” That did not sound like something he would be interested in at all, but quodpot and quidditch—she could see it. She liked both sports as a spectator, but wasn’t a team sports kind of girl. She had a feeling he was just the same as she.

Paige was loving this whole thing. She loved how he reacted to her surprise, how he struggled not to shift beneath her. She wanted him to shift—shift right out of the seat. She wanted the upper hand, and for now she still had it. He could have haphazardly thrown her on the ground, but he didn’t. He liked this as much as she did, and she knew that. It was a game they played—and she hoped that game continued for much, much longer.

As he explained the no-maj book, she realized it was rather fitting for him. An orphan boy like him. Of course, not even Paige was heartless enough to chide him over that, but it made sense. She relented, letting him grab her wrist and offering the book back. “Fine, fine, yes I see the allure.” She enjoyed reading no-maj and wizarding books alike. Her favorite series were wizarding, but that didn’t mean much.

“Are you just going to tease, or are you telling me the ending?” She joked. “Is it like Great Expectations?”

Cole smirked as she laughed “Hey, it’s lame as shit, sure.” He agreed but went on “But I get free trips and nobody said I had to use the skills I learn for the greater good” He told her unabashedly. He didn’t mention the fact that it would look good on his applications after Ilvermorny. The wizard didn’t feel the need to, really. A girl like Paige who was VP was doing most of the things she was doing now for post-graduation reasons.

He took the book back and thumbed the pages habitually. He had long grown out of his obsession with Dickens, but still found them comforting to read from time to time, and he could find copies almost everywhere. “Thank you..” He told her, rolling his eyes gently. He would never complain that Paige was in his lap, but he really just wanted to read in peace, yet wasn’t feeling quite compelled to make her leave him alone just yet, he was entertained “Felt like an easy read” he told her not bothered by her opinions on his choice in reading material.

“Tease? You know me, Hext” the boy said, shooting her a sharp but brief smile, choosing not to elaborate for a moment to draw out the suspense before continuing “It’s a Dickens novel, it ends in that mildly unsatisfying way that all his novels do for everything he puts readers through. Guy struggles, falls in love” He paused to pull a face as he went on “and manages to live a decent life.” He finished with another shrug.

The serpent thought about being conversational and asking her what she liked to read, but decided against it, it was too boring. Instead he steered their conversation back to how it has started “For all this pleasant conversation Hext, I’m still not going to move.” He told her smugly. He would be damned if some pretty girl, let alone this one, was going to try and boss him out of his chair.

He casually peeked at his watch, flicking his gaze her way as he spoke “Don’t you have some student government meetings to attend soon or something?” He asked taking a shot in the dark at her schedule. Though as he waited for her answer he supposed if there was anyone who could make up an excuse to miss a meeting as a VP, it’d be Paige.

Paige pouted a little as Cole got to the point—he wasn’t going to move. She considered crawling off his lap and back into her chair, but she was quite comfortable there, sitting on his lap. She liked him, all things considered, and liked being physically close to him. Was that odd? Would he care? Even so, she rolled her eyes and slid off his warm lap into the cold wooden chair adjacent to him. “You’re no fun, Close.” She laughed. “You won’t even play along with little old me.” She teased.

“As a matter of fact, I don’t today. I have the rest of the day free, so I have nothing better to do than annoy you.” She grinned. “Don’t you have to an Adventure Cadet meeting?” She teased again, playful. “I’m just kidding. I take it this book of yours is well-loved. Do you like re-reading the same things over and over? I find that gets terribly boring…”

She watched him as she spoke, taking in his handsome features. He was too handsome for his own good. If he wasn’t careful, she would crawl right back into that warm lap.

A part of him was mad that she’d actually moved, but he silenced the sliver of thought as he kicked his feet up onto the table and leaned back onto the rear legs of the chair still watching her “You mean we’re not playing now?” He asked her pointedly, calling her out teasingly. They both knew they enjoyed the banter, but he wanted to see what she would do if they stopped pretending for a second.

Cole laughed quietly twirling his quill between his fingers absently “What did I do to get so lucky?” He joked as he rolled his eyes gently “Do you see an ascot anywhere?” the boy said sarcastically though without much bite to it. The meetings were on Thursdays, which was thankfully not today. His attention shifted as she mentioned his book. He debated for a moment before he flicked his eyes toward her again, still considering.

The wizard waited a fraction of a second longer, finally deciding how to respond “Let’s just say I’m used to it” He told her easily. Not really wanting to get into how he’d picked up that particular habit, he wasn’t interested in her pity. Then after a beat he added “But, it’s mostly a habit now, like smoking or something” He told her with a smirk at his own expense “I’m probably done with Dickens for awhile after this” the Horned Serpent explained, he was ready for something new no matter how familiar they felt.

He offered a genuine shrug as he continued a moment later “I just like to read, I guess.” Knowledge was power after all, wasn’t it? His next question caught himself off guard “What do you like to read?” He asked, curious, and all too prepared to judge.

She laughed a little at his response. She supposed he was right, they were playing as they often did. As much as they fought, they also loved it just as much. She loved being around him to annoy him, and he loved putting her down a peg. That was their cat-and-mouse game. She grinned at him but didn’t reply, not to that anyway.

“Smoking is a disgusting habit.” She chided, gently. “Really, Coleman, you could kill yourself in so much more interesting ways.” She thought his smoking was kind of hot, actually, not that she’d let on. It gave him that ‘bad boy’ vibe she loved. There wasn’t much about Cole that Paige didn’t like.

She considered his question carefully. What did she like to read? He was asking her a question about what she liked? “I suppose I read a lot of fashion magazines now.” She admitted. “I always liked stories with strong women. No princesses that need to be rescued, but girls who can do it themselves.” She said, finally. “My family always taught me that I didn’t need anyone but myself to get by.” She knew Cole felt the same way, but she was a girl and that made it different.

“I don’t read as much as I should. Perhaps we’ll start a book club, you and me. We can read something new and comment on it when I come to annoy you.”

It was true that smoking was a nasty habit. Cole didn’t like the way the smoke clung to his clothes, and often worked hard to reduce or eliminate the smell from his clothing, but he found that it was stubborn and even the strongest cleaning spells didn’t always do the job completely. He wasn’t sure why he still smoked, cigarettes anyway, he wasn’t worried about smoking weed. But he supposed he just did it for the sake of doing it these days. He shrugged lightly in response “I suppose, but I mean we’re dying anyway, so why not at least get to choose?” He didn’t really believe what he was saying, but ever the fan of a debate.

Fashion magazines? Yawn. Though he had to admit they sometimes had useful tips and tricks for getting the details of a look just right and so he realized he couldn’t criticize too harshly. As she continued he nodded knowing what she meant “They weren’t wrong” he agreed “Strong leads are good, but were the plots any good?” He asked genuinely. A lead could carry a book, but if the book itself wasn’t any good, then it didn’t really matter.

One eyebrow raised in surprise at her offer of a book club. Was she serious? She seemed like she was, and so he folded his arms as he went on “Fine.” He told her agreeing “Do you want a classic piece or something more modern and familiar?” He asked as he gestured to the shelves around them “I’m sure they have two copies of something we can agree on .” He said as he teased “I bet they have some unabridged editions of the Odyssey by Homer.”