{ c a s t a w a y} zhenya

Aleksei had always been fond of the library. It was quiet, something he'd always appreciate in a place or a person, and he could watch students come and go. His blue gaze kept flickering over the roves of students, unable to fully focus on what he was reading, as his mind drifted. Graduation was looming and he wasn't any closer to knowing what he wanted to do with his life. Part of him considered that there was no rush. His father would push him towards duelling and part of him felt enthused at the prospect.

The blonde wizard sighed, a low sound, as air left his lungs in a long exhale.

Was there anything he truly wanted? When was the last time he'd felt excited about, well, anything? Emotions were confusing most of the time and he couldn't quite parse through them to get to the origin of his disquiet. He readily admitted that he envied his younger brother. Niko had so much passion and knew exactly what he wanted all the time. It seemed an exhausting endeavor to him but sometimes he wanted the clarity he knew Niko lived his life with. To be shrouded in so much doubt made him feel as if he was in the middle of the ocean with no way to navigate himself to dry land.

@Zhenya Shishkina

Zhenya had about one hour between classes and flying practise. That was not exactly the right amount of time to spend on homework and exam preparation but it couldn’t be helped. If everything went according to her plan then she could probably get one essay done before she’d have to head down to the pitch. Well, it was not really likely - Zhenya wasn’t a good student and focusing on school work was never easy.

She stormed into the library almost knocking over a book cart as she made her way to the section of Melioration books. She stopped dead in her tracks when she was facing the shelf where she had found an encyclopedia of Melioration spells just a few days ago and just found an empty spot. The girl’s eyes widened as she spun around. She had no time for this.

Then she saw him, Aleksei, who seemed to be holding the book without really using it. Zhenya didn’t really waste a second thinking about what she was doing as she approached the older student, putting her hands on her hips.

“Hey, what’s up?” she asked, trying to sound friendly when really, she felt that she was losing valuable time. “Doesn’t really look like you need this book right now,” her lips formed a smile that did not reach her eyes which rather reflected how stressed she actually felt.

Alek would be embarrassed at being caught unaware if he wasn’t so distracted. He glanced up, sheepish, as Zhenya’s words actually made figurative contact with his brain. “Erm. Hello.” He managed, eyes widening a bit, as he took in her general intensity.

Her body language was friendly but she seemed a bit, well, frazzled maybe? “Do you need it?” he offered, the words coming out clumsy and slow. He wasn’t a very big talker most of the time, and rather preferred communicating in grunts and sighs but it was rude to not answer a directly poised question.

“Do you need help?” He offered, unsure, as he bit his lip. Ugh. Interactions with classmates were always above his ability to parse through. He truly didn’t know if offering to help would even be... helpful? His brain could really use the distraction, though.

“Yes,” Zhenya blurted out, “Yes, I need it.” Aleksei was not exactly reacting quickly and it bothered the girl. She had no time to talk about whether or not she needed the book. She just needed to get her essay done. It felt as though sand was running through an imaginary hourglass way faster than she liked.

Then he offered help.

Zhenya blinked. That was not at all what she had expected, but it was a welcome offer. She was never really good at studying by herself. She had never actually learned how to study efficiently on her own. Truth be told, the girl wasn’t a good study buddy either. In fact, she needed someone to understand those things that went straight over her head and actually do the work she felt incapable of doing.

“Umm yeah,” she said, blushing slightly. “If you have the time to help…” she paused and chewed on her lips thoughtfully, “I’d really appreciate it,” she added and offered a slight smile. “I need to write a Melioration essay and I don’t even know how to begin.”

She knew much less about Aleksei than about his twin who happened to be an artistic flyer and her brother’s rival. While the boys looked very much alike in some ways, they were quite different in others. Zhenya looked at the seventh year, wondering if he’d back out now or if he really wanted to help her.

"Alright. You can have it." he managed, amused, but also a little bit concerned. He was pretty sure he wasn't being quick enough for the girl but well he still found it sort of funny.

"Of course. You can take a seat." he added, a small smirk curling along his lips, when he noticed her blush. At least she seemed a little less stressed out. "What are you having issues with specifically?" he asked, as he turned towards her. He'd been browsing for the most part, and trying to find something interesting to read as he let his thoughts wander to graduation and beyond. He had exccelent grades and did rather well in both dueling and Quidditch, so it seemed to him his path lay easily ahead.

If he could just pick something, that would be exceedingly convenient.

When Aleksei said she could have the book, Zhenya relaxed a little. She was still nowhere closer to having her essay done but at least she’d have the book to look in for information.

He offered her a seat and Zhenya gladly took it, smiling a little sheepishly. The worst thing about her predicament with the Melioration essay was that Melioration was actually one of her better classes and she still had no clue what to write.

Aleksei clearly was one of those students who could always follow in class. The way he asked her about her issues with the essay, Zhenya could tell that he had never sat there in a lesson, unable to follow what the professor was talking about. For Zhenya it was different. In most classes she just sat, praying that the professor would not address her because she had no idea what they were talking about. She assumed that it was because she was not a particularly clever girl and had no time to make up for it by studying hard. However, even if she could find a reason why she was struggling it didn’t change that she had to get through school somehow.

“I don’t even know,” Zhenya finally admitted. “Melioration has always been one of my better classes but lately I somehow lost track. I’m supposed to write an essay on the most popular healing potions, what they’re good for, how they are made, how they work and… I don’t know where to begin, really.” She blushed and looked down. “You know, I am decent with healing spells but potions?” She glanced at Aleksei, looking a little helpless. The athlete wished that she had had more time to study and didn’t have to complete all her school work in a hurry without properly memorising anything.