Pleasure to See Safe (Nirek & Cara)

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Leggings were a gift.

Muggles were low creatures, far low down, but their inventions were to be appreciated. Leggings were comfortable; they felt like a second skin all wonderful and easy. She felt like when she wore leggings she deserved the soft autumn outside her window and the fireplace at her feet. She usually would be dressed to the tens, but she'd been excessively careful in what she wore and how got to the Astronomy Tower. Simply put she wanted to enjoy the pretty spring outside. In Scotland, it was still a bit chilly too so she wore a warm sweater and a scarf. With her hair up in a bun and glasses perched on her nose, she kept her head down and acted like a scared, silly little Ravenclaw rather than the Clement ward she was. She felt like she was with Joubert back in the Orphanage.

It felt good; it was making her feel better about everything that had happened. When the school was attacked as she was providing answers to one of the Gryffindor's in exchange for a partner in Dueling class, she had expected a tall, strapping young Gryffindor man to step up and save the 'study group' she'd integrated herself into. Rather, it was a short, semi-petite framed Indian Hufflepuff girl that saved them. She led them into the Room of Requirement and warded it off, blasting whoever got in her way on the journey over. She stayed until authorities arrived.

The whole time, Cara felt petrified, even as she comforted another Hufflepuff. She no longer felt safe in Hogwarts, but there was no fighting it. She had to endure it and she wasn't to back down ever. Unless Jacques did; then she'd be free to go to Beauxbatons.

She shook the thoughts of the previous day behind her and instead settled into the Astronomy Tower window as she let her legs hang over the edge of the little window she was seated in. She'd penned an owl to Nirek, requesting his company and had tea prepared with biscuits and other assorted treats.

"Good morning," she greeted him with her lips surrounding the sweet cup of tea and a currant in one hand, she turned herself slightly behind her to see his face and offered him a sweet smile.

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Nirek had become accustomed to being summoned by Caramarienne. It was simply part of who she was. Quirky, Nirek would call it, because he simply could not get his head around her Pureblood life, and he didn't care to try to either. Not because he didn't care about the Slytherin, oh no, but because he didn't really see that side to her to make it relevant to him.

That would, at least, be his argument should anyone ask him.

Their friendship had blossomed over the last few months, something that Nirek possibly hadn't expected, but had happened no less. They met regularly for tea, and a catch up, or else saw each other in lessons. Though, of course, Nirek's friends didn't really know about it, because he was a fourth year, and Cara was a first year.

Hurrying up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower as he'd been instructed, Nirek let himself in to the classroom, noting Cara sat by the window and giving her a small smile. "Hey," he responded to her greeting, moving to sit next to her on the window. The Gryffindor helped himself to some tea, and a bit of cake, never waiting to be offered because that simply wasn't how he worked - though not in a mean way, just in a manner that showed he was comfortable with the witch to the point that formalities were not needed.

"You alright?" Nirek asked after just finishing a mouthful of cake. "Your note was vague." He added in explanation, wondering if this was simply casual or something worrying.

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Cara felt safe around Nirek; for reasons not quite explainable for her yet. She didn’t even wear her glasses outside of her room, but she didn’t think Nirek would mind terribly much. Nirek wasn’t like her; he didn’t cower in the face of adversary. If Nirek knew where he belonged and it wasn’t in the bottom being stepped on by others. She liked that part of him. That was wonderful, she wished for something like that some days and other days she was content with being someone who hid in the shadows and hold whatever power she could be given by being someone associated with another in power.

Someday perhaps she’d figure out who she was and where she stood, but for the moment she was content to be someone who didn’t quite know everything about herself.

It made her happy whenever Nirek met her requests; not to many people bent to her will or requests. Even if he didn’t meet her requests, she’d be willing to do whatever he so instructed to herself. However, it was whenever she wanted to see him. She just nodded as he sat down opposite her.

“I’m quite fine, a bit shaken from the attack, I wanted to see how you were handling it.” Cara answered, “do-do you know what the Basilisks are?” She asked hesitantly.

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Nirek really didn't care about how people dressed, so seeing Cara in glasses didn't phase him in the slightest. It was interesting, of course, and something to note, but not anything that would change his opinion of her.

Knowing that his friend was a little shaken from the attack made Nirek frown a little. Uncertainty hit him in that moment in respect of offering the younger witch a form of comfort, or whether he shouldn't. He decided on the latter, Caramarienne knew she need only ask him for something if she wanted it, and he would have it for her as soon as he could.

Not quite a servant, but obedient to her will.

"Me? I'm fine. They don't want me." Nirek explained to the witch, trying not to smile in that moment because to his friend, it was a very real threat that she'd evaded.

The question on the Basilisks, however, made Nirek realise Cara didn't know anything about them, and his comment had fallen out without much of an explanation. "Well, they were somewhat peaceful, until recently." Nirek explained patiently. "They're a group who want to get rid of the Purebloods. Get rid of the supremacy of some of the bigger houses. Equality, and all that crap. They... don't hurt people of lesser blood unless they're opposed...

"But you're safe here. I know it may not seem it, but you really are safe." Nirek tried to assure the witch, giving her a small smile.

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Caramarienne didn’t have too many people she considered a companion or even just a friend. She had many, oh so many, people she considered ‘connections’. Girls who thought she was their friend, but the vast consensus was that Cara was the quietest Slytherin to live, and some found that scary while others found it laughable. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t a Slytherin to be an mongrel about control; she was a Slytherin because in her soul, she knew how to get control and how to keep it. She pushed her glasses further up her nose and continued to let her feet dangle off the edge of the tower and kicked them back and forth.

“Why wouldn’t they want you?” She asked with brows furrowed, she could see the small tweak of his lips but thought better to acknowledge it in search of a higher tier of information. She took another sip of her tea before tucking her hands under her thighs and watching his face closely.

“Oh.” She breathed out at the idea that her race was being targeted. “Lesser blood?” She felt her blood boil at the idea that her dear companion was anything less than her. How silly! If anything in terms of societal means, he was far above her, she thought with an off-putt feeling in her gut.

“That’s moronic! Not even a hundred years ago, o-or even fifty there was a war over similar beliefs. Is this their punishment? Punishment for being born? You’d think they’d have more sympathy under the circumstance that had they been born not too long ago they would have been targeted themselves!” She ranted. “They’re just anarchists; chaotic idiots who want power and would rather make a ruckus than take it properly. The world doesn't belong to those who fight; the world belongs to those wait.” She sniffed disdainfully as she reached for her tea. She took a sip to calm herself before realizing what she’d said. Her eyes widened and she quickly turned towards Nirek with an apology in her eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” she gasped out, horrified by her actions. She dropped her tea into the little placement plate she had for it and lifted her hands to her lips. “I-I- spoke out of turn. I- I didn’t mean to! I swear, I swear I didn’t mean to. I’m so sorry.” She winced and let her head hang in shame. Had she ever said anything like that in front of a Pureblood, she would be immediately dubbed as a radical mistake and be sent to live her days as an orphanage caretaker with Joubert. Although she had no qualms against being with her big brother, she couldn’t imagine living in the squalor he’d chosen.

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“Why wouldn’t they want you?”

It was moments like these, that reminded Nirek how much younger Cara was than him. He never lorded it over her, being older, in fact he forgot she was three school years below him. But when she asked questions like that, he did remember, and he could only look at the witch, not knowing what to say.

But he explained, and when she echoed his words of lesser blood, Nirek nodded.

He was not one of those people who cared for what people thought about Blood Purity. It was all a silly game he wasn't interested in. Historical matters, that were outdated.

What shocked Nirek was the tirade he had sent his friend off on. A lesser person might have laughed, but Nirek simply smile at her complete lack of filter in that moment. He liked it when people were honest, and there was no denying Cara's true feelings about Blood Purity had come out in those last few sentences. Shocked was definitely one word for it, surprised she would sway from the views of her kind of people, but relieved.

The apology was not one he could accept though. Instead, the Gryffindor let out a soft chuckle, reaching up to take her hands away from her mouth. "What are you apologising for?" He asked, letting go of her once they were away. "You're allowed an opinion, you know? I'm not going to criticise it. Actually, I agree with you. The whole thing is moronic. Outdated. We're just people." He insisted, giving her a warm smile.

"You don't have to be all... proper around me." He added, hoping to make her feel at ease in that moment.

"But those people won't be getting back in the castle any time soon, so you're quite safe." Nirek finished, giving her a bigger smile this time. "I would bet my life on that much."

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When Cara was younger she used to think her closest friends were a reflection of who she was; as she grew older she realized that it wasn’t like that at all. Jenêe, one of the girls from the Academy she used to attend and the one that Elenore was attending now, was a grade-A sweetheart who genuinely liked being nice. Blech, Cara had thought when she realized that Jenêe wasn’t after anything more than an ear to talk too. Khielese was a genuine idiot even if she was rich. Olive was just the most two-dimensional person that Cara had ever met. She liked reading and writing and doing everything just to help people.

Now that wasn’t to say that Cara wasn’t a nice person, wasn’t a bit behind in some areas of life, or helpful. But it was to say that Cara knew that her time was more valuable than to be wasted on building good charity or vapid reputations. Like right now with Nirek. She seldom let her guard or defenses down off of pure instinct; around Jacques her walls just shot up like a gun starting a race. Around Elenore there was no need, only to watch what she said. Adelisa was so soft, so gentle that she always felt soft. Even around Louis did she feel comfortable; like a shadow not verbally making his presence known, but never making her feel alone.

It felt impossible to conjure up any walls around Nirek. She felt safe purely because not only had he helped her rather than ridicule her the first time they met, but also because he didn’t make her feel like she was far younger than him or less known than him.

For moments after her apology as embarrassment flooded her system, she was so scared that he was going to dismiss her or worse; threaten to tell everyone she had been speaking out so brazenly. She winced at the idea until she felt two hands grasp at the ones covering her mouth. Her cheeks flushed because no one had ever touched like this, but she kept silent and let her hands fall into her lap.

“I- I spoke out of turn, I don’t-“ Her brows furrowed together. When he kept going, she shut her lips afraid of offending him further. What he said, she’d never heard before.

“Wait- what? You’re not offended?” She asked leaning forward and searching his face for lies. She was conflicted. Was he just pretending to be okay with what she said to make her trust him more or- or was he sincere?

At his next words, she felt her shoulders slump and her eyes widen.

“Thank you,” she murmured leaning back, “no one’s ever told me that.” She admitted softly, hesitating a bit before biting her lower lip and scrunching her brows together. “Can I tell you something, if you won’t tell others? It’s nothing juicy like information about others, it’s just-it’s something about me.” She was so very reluctant to share this information, this was one of the first times she felt actually safe enough to share something about herself and she was worried that if she said it without asking permission, she’d be turned away.

“Safe,” she echoed the words with a smile and a nod, “if I’m safe than so are you.” She said, and flushed because she realized he didn’t need consoling. “But you probably didn’t need to be told that. What did you do when the attack happened?”

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“Wait- what? You’re not offended?”

Nirek chuckled, shaking his head at her question. "Why on Earth would I be offended?" Nirek asked, quite amused at the idea to be honest. As she leant forward, however, Nirek raised an eyebrow at the younger witch. "What are you doing, Cara?" Nirek asked, confusion touching his features for a moment as he watched her.

"How can no one have told you that? What did they teach you before you came here? To read off opinions of others?" Nirek asked, meaning it as a joke because he really didn't know what kind of family Cara came from. He knew she was a Pureblood, but not to the extent of which she was a Pureblood. Besides, most Purebloods were more modern now, weren't they?

"You can tell me anything. I'm not going to tell anyone." Nirek replied, his curiosity growing in that moment with the numerous things Cara might tell him in the next moment.

When Cara insisted that he was safe too, Nirek smiled to himself. There was no need to reply to that, the witch had been placated for the moment, and that was what he'd set out to achieve in that moment.

The question on what he'd done during the attack made Nirek shrug. "What the Headmaster told us to do. I stayed in my common room. Out of the way. Figured if he deemed those places safe, then it was the best place to be." Nirek explained casually, he hadn't seen the horrors of the attack, but he had definitely felt the strain of everyone in the common room as they sat waiting for information with baited breath.

» My Lady (Nirek & Cara)
» Through the Window Glass (Nirek & Cara)
» The Magic of Money (Nirek + Cara)
» Safe Places (Judah)
» Obligatory (Jacques & Cara)