Shy (Prudence)

[merlin2]

Like most days, Sulu sat in his far corner in the group commons alone and working on school work. It was nearing the end of the year yet the teachers seemed to feel a need to keep on piling up the home work. Not that Sulu minded, it kept him busy and gave him something to do besides wandering the castle. Most of this work was in preparation for the last of his OWL's any way so at least all of the course work was interesting.

Sulu had already finished most of his OWL's and only had potions and Defense against the dark arts left. Knowing that he would do okay with the potions and fail the DADA left Sulu feeling relaxed and confident about his OWL's. After all, he already knew how he would do so there was no need to worry. Though Sulu was aware that plenty of other people didn't see it like he did. Plenty of other students were suffering from anxiety attacks as the faced their own OWL's. Sulu was just glad that he was not one of those people.

Sulu stopped his thoughts and returned his attention to his current potions essay he was expected to right. It was mostly finished already, Sulu was just rewriting it now to make sure that his grade would be low enough. Sulu had fought hard to keep his grades average and just because it was towards the end of the year didn't mean Sulu could slip up. In his attempt of staying normal Sulu did more research then was truly needed when doing school work so that he knew what all he could add without going over the top. It had taken him a good year or so to perfect this system of his but at the beginning of his fifth year Sulu had perfected this skill and had kept an average grade in all his classes, except DADA of course which he was barely passing.

Sulu was to enrapted in his own thoughts to notice someone sit next to him until they spoke...

[prudence]

Prudence had been unable to stand the Ravenclaw commons, and when she had attempted to study in the library she had been ganged up on by a group of Slytherins that had stolen her books and had teased her about the breakdown she had had in April that landed her in the infirmary for a full two days. So Prudence had relocated a second time after tracking down the books that had been taken from her, and was now finding herself in the mercifully peaceful group commons. Hopefully no one would bother her there, as she really did need to finish up her homework.

The workload of late had been overwhelming, making her anxiety, if anything, worse. Prudence knew that she was a wreck, and likely another late evening of homework away from another mental breakdown, but she would get through it just like everything else. Her nerves lessened slightly, however, when she saw a friend of hers working at one of the tables. She sat down beside him and took out her own work, a bit surprised that he didn't notice her when she sat down right away.

"Hi Sulu," Prudence said softly, finding it in her to conjure a smile when he finally looked up at her. Perhaps life would get a tiny bit easier on her if she had someone to talk to, if only for a little.

[merlin2]

Sulu was surprised when someone spoke and jumped slightly only to relax when he saw that it was Prudence. Smiling back at her, Sulu noted her own load of books. Prudence was one of those people who got terribly stressed over OWL's. Sulu felt bad for her, especially after it had gotten so bad last april. Sulu could not help but worry what would happen when Prudence had to face her NEWTS. Hopefully though he could help. Sulu did not like seeing one of his few friends being so stressed out. That was why Sulu was willing to push aside his own work for a little and talk with Prudence despite his wish to be ignored.

"Hello," Sulu greeted in return as he turned slightly in his seat to face her better. "How has life been treating you recently?" Sulu asked as a way of getting a conversation going. Like himself, Prudence had a problem with being bullied. Sulu could only hope that for once the other students could be nice to Prudence so that she could get through this school year without ending up in the infirmary once more.

[prudence]

Prudence flipped open her textbook to the pages she had needed, where she had conveniently stuck her essay to mark the spot, and already felt her stomach twisting itself into knots. She wanted to continue writing the essay about as much as gouge her eyes out with the writing end of her quill. She was looking forward to summer vacation, she needed a good, long stretch of time where she didn't need to read or write because she had to, but because she wanted to. Novels she had been wanting to read and her poetry had been neglected all year as she scrambled to keep up with her homework. Prudence stuck her quill into the ink with an inaudible sigh.

"Not too well, I'm afraid," said Prudence, lightly swinging her legs beneath the table, "I think that I will be much happier once OWLs are done with." She left out the part of her encounter with the Slytherins earlier that afternoon, Sulu knew what it was like to be a target for bullying, Prudence would spare him the details. And at any rate it had already been done, there was nothing that anyone could do about it now. "What about you? You don't seem terribly frazzled," Prudence commented. In a way she was envious of how calm Sulu appeared to be, half her problems would be eliminated if she were as collected as he was.

[merlin2]

Sulu nodded in understanding. He wasn't looking forward to the summer himself honestly. It would be the first summer he'd have without his father being around. His mother would most likely be depressed most of the time and Sulu would be expected to take care of her as well as the house. It was not a role Sulu was looking forward to and only wished that school could last a little longer. None of this Prudence knew though. Sulu felt almost proud of himself that he had been able to keep his secret through the whole school year.

"Knowing how my OWL's are going to turn out helps keep me calm," Sulu said simply. Knowing the end always helped keep Sulu calm. He wasn't one for surprises so Sulu was always happiest when he knew what was coming. Unfortunately that didn't help Prudence with her stress. For Prudence's sake, Sulu could only hope that summer came just a little faster. Thinking about summer, Sulu wondered if Prudence had any plans or if she planned on just loafing around all summer without any worries.

"On a happier note, any thoughts about what your going to do over summer break?" Sulu asked, voicing his curiosity.

[prudence]

"I wish that I could be half as lucky," sighed Prudence. She almost always found a way of stressing herself out more than what she needed to, and her father's pressure on her to do well wasn't helping. Prudence knew in the back of her mind that he would be disappointed in her if she failed to achieve all Outstandings, but that seemed impossible, particularly where Defense Against the Dark Arts was concerned. It had been like that ever since her mother passed away, her father expected more of her, and protected her fiercely. Prudence had grown accustomed to it by now, but the pressure at times made her want to burst out crying.

She found herself glad when Sulu changed the subject, she worried enough on her own, she didn't need to keep talking on the subject that made her so anxious. "My father and I were going to spend his work holiday in a villa in Tuscany," said Prudence, "though he seems to think I'm in too poor of health for travel. We'll likely stay at home, no doubt I'll need the rest. What about you?" Perhaps if Sulu wasn't doing any traveling they might be able to see each other over the summer, Prudence would love to be able to spend some time with him outside of school.

[merlin2]

Sulu was almost sad when Prudence mentioned that she would be gone over the summer. Sulu knew that was a horrible thing to think but he had hoped that they could hang out a little over the summer. He would need to a break from his life every now and then if he was expected to survive. But then he heard her explain that she would probably be staying because of her health and he smiled at this. Again, it was horrible of him to happy that she would be staying because of her health but he was still happy.

"I don't have any real plans for this summer. I mean, I plan on getting a job but that's it," Sulu said. Normally he would be gone part of the summer since his family normally went to visit their friends in America over the summer but not this year. With his father gone Sulu doubted his mother would be up to traveling. Instead Sulu would be expected to take care of her and keep the house up and running. This would mean more responsibilities Sulu was not prepared for so hopefully he'd be able to hang out with friends as a way of relaxing over the summer.

"We should try to hang out over the summer," Sulu suggested uncertainly. His thoughts may be to hang out with friends but to actually suggest it made Sulu somewhat uncomfortable. It meant taking the risk of being dismissed which he didn't like. But with Prudence, Sulu felt some what more secure. She was just as shy as he was so there was little risk of her turning him down. She would want to hang out with friends as well surely so Sulu felt safe asking her.

[prudence]

Prudence herself was a bit disappointed that Tuscany was likely a pipe dream at the moment, she knew better than to challenge her father on anything, especially when it came to her health. He was a kind man, but very much an in-charge, what-I-say-goes sort of person, his decision would likely be final unless she made some vast sort of improvement in less than a month. Prudence doubted that would be likely in her case, she would probably get ill again before school let out- owing more than likely to her immune system which was compromised by all the stress she was under regarding exams. But she wouldn't mind too terribly staying at home.

One of the few things her father would let her do was sleep as late as she pleased during the holidays. She would be able to catch up on some reading, writing, and painting. As well as resume playing piano and her very much neglected violin. Though at any rate, Tuscany would have been nice. "Well at least you'll have something to do," said Prudence in regards to the job. She doubted her father would let her have even a summer job, she wouldn't even bother to ask. He would send her pocket money for Hogsmeade weekends, but he seemed to think her twice as fragile than she really was.

"I'd like that," said Prudence with a small smile, glad that Sulu had suggested it. She often got lonely during the holidays, they lived in an awfully large house for just two people. Prudence would much rather they lived in a flat in the city, though her father was under the impression that their house out in the countryside was better for her health. But it was nice to be able to breathe clean air. "I live out in the country," said Prudence, "so we'll likely have to take Floo powder, but it would be nice to spend some time together during the summer."

[merlin2]

Sulu would rather have nothing to do then have the responsibilities he was sure to gain this summer. If he had it his way Sulu would be looking forward to a long trip to America this summer with both of his parents. Instead he would be expected to fill the role his father had left behind by supporting his mother and helping around the house. It was a job Sulu wasn't sure he would manage.

"Ya I don't see using flow powder to be a problem," Sulu said. He himself lived in town and managed to take the muggle buses to get to where he needed. Sulu doubted they'd go any where really besides Diagon alley perhaps which wasn't that hard to get to anyway. The thing that would be proving to be a challenge would most likely be trying to think of what they could do. Sulu was not the most social of people and so even though he wanted to hang out with friends over the summer he had no idea what they would do. But they could figure that out later, no need to over think the situation right now.

With all of that more or less decided on left Sulu no where to take the conversation though. Feeling some what awkward, Sulu stared at the essay he had been working on earlier. Reading over the line that detailed the affect of adding fresh eye of newt verses preserved eyes in the potion made Sulu frown. Taking his pen, Sulu quickly scratched out that line as he concluded it was to detailed. It was frustrating at times, rereading his essays almost constantly in his search of keeping an average grade. Sulu craved the idea of being normal and wasn't going to let a poor grade or a good grade ruin that image.

"Summer can't get here fast enough," Sulu said with a sigh. As much as he was dreading summer, Sulu needed a break from school. In two more years he would graduate but until then everything would only get harder and harder. Sometimes Sulu wished he was a first year again, enjoying the easy life.

[prudence]

Prudence half-looked at the textbook, making herself feeling nauseous about even picking up her quill again. It seemed that she had had so much homework of late, perhaps it was because she had chosen the subjects that involved the most reading and writing as her electives, rather than the more manual ones. She had signed up for Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, and while both were fascinating subjects they tended to air on the heavier side as far as homework went. Prudence was sure there was plenty of theory in Divination, though nowhere near as much as what her chosen classes were.

Muggle Studies she had heard was a soft option, as was Care of Magical Creatures, but her father had insisted she take Runes and Arithmancy. He didn't want her working around dangerous animals, thought Muggle Studies wouldn't be a challenge enough, and the man had some sort of hatred toward Divination. Imprecise guesswork he usually called it. Prudence knew it wasn't exactly reliable, but in the hands of someone practiced in it she felt that it could be a useful tool. "Good," said Prudence, "I haven't really any other way of getting around." She was too far out in the countryside to have much access to any muggle transportation, and with her father generally unwilling to take her anywhere it left Floo as her only option.

"I agree," sighed Prudence, pulling her quill out of the ink to finish the sentence that she had been writing back in the library. She had reached the length requirement three paragraphs ago, but had yet to cover all the points included in her introduction, it would probably take a few hours yet. Prudence had been so close to neglecting the assignment entirely, but her father would be so disappointed in her should she fail to do well. For so long he had controlled everything about her life, and Prudence was only now becoming irritated by it. She swallowed a bit, hoping to quell those thoughts, she wasn't rebellious by nature.

"Are you working on the potions essay, too?" asked Prudence, not looking up from her work as she continued to write. She dipped her quill back into the ink as she waited for a reply, being careful not to smudge her essay. It was often easier said than done, as Prudence was left-handed.

[merlin2]

When Sulu saw Prudence start working on her school work once more he couldn't help but feel guilt. He had been trying to distract her from the stress that came with working. Why couldn't he have done what a normal person would have and continued the conversation? Instead he had made a mistake and was now stuck thinking about how stupid his actions were. Sulu glared accusingly at his potions essay as he wondered if it would be strange for him to try and distract Prudence from her work again. That wouldn't work though Sulu realized, if he tried to distract her now it would just be rude of him.

"Sorry, I am working on the potions essay. I'm almost finished though and then we could play a game or something," Sulu said as he looked around the common room to see an abandoned chess set. Perhaps that would be an acceptable distraction? Sulu was not sure if Prudence enjoyed such games. Perhaps it would be best at this point to just do the school work so that they could both be finished. Sulu smiled at this idea, not sure why he had not thought of it before.

"I could help you if you are also working on it," Sulu suggested as casually as he could. That way they could still talk but be working at the same time! Plus with some help it may help re leave some pressure from Prudence. Though that was not likely since Prudence kept such high grades verses Sulu's average grades... Sulu's smile disappeared as he realized that. If they were to work together she would see his notes. Sulu never showed his notes, it showed all of the research he put into each essay. To much information in fact that would how that Sulu was not average at all. He was rather abnormal in fact with how much he stressed about being normal. The lengths he went through to keep those average grades was a heavily protected secret that he may have blown in hopes of helping a friend.

[prudence]

Prudence found that her hand and wrist were already cramping from all the work she had done so far, but she was far from finished yet. It was likely because of the fact that she was left-handed and needed to position herself awkwardly so she wouldn't smudge the ink as she wrote. Perhaps she ought to have taught herself to write with her right hand, but even then she didn't think that it would change much of anything. She decided to write faster, even if it meant sacrificing neatness for speed.

Prudence nodded as Sulu suggested that once they had finished that perhaps they could play a game or something. There was a chess set in the corner, she wouldn't say "no" to a round or two once she had finished the rest of her essay. "Sure," said Prudence, "we can certainly find something." She paused to dip her quill back into the ink again before continuing to write at top-notch speed. She essentially had the entire essay written in her head, now she was just putting it from her brain onto the parchment. It was just taking longer than she had expected that it would.

"I'm actually nearly finished myself," said Prudence when Sulu offered help, "I've just got a few more points that I need to elaborate on." She was hoping to get an Outstanding on the essay, which would make her grade all the more better. Of course she didn't have much that she could improve her grade by, but she had gotten a couple of Exceeds Expectations that she could make better.