{Open} staring at the clouds

[amadeus]

Amadeus looked down at his cup again, finding it difficult to maintain eye contact at that particular moment. Instead he watched the steam billow up from his tea, how it elegantly curled onto the air before fading away. His thoughts, as they often did, wandered to death. Amadeus saw himself already as living on borrowed time, given that he had let slip where the Death Eaters were keeping a good number of prisoners, though thus far no target had been placed on him. He had been debating on killing himself, actually held the razor to the pulse point of his wrist a time or two, but he couldn't go through with it. How much of a coward was he, being unable to end his own miserable existence.

Was he holding out for something? No, Amadeus decided. He didn't foresee things ever getting better, the world would likely only worsen... He blinked out of these thoughts as Dyrius spoke, shockingly not offended by his question that would definitely ruffle the feathers of a witch or wizard. It was refreshing, actually, spending time with the centaur- made him feel, well, human. It seemed as though no one had treated him like a normal person in a long while, everyone always felt the need to tiptoe around him, regarded him incapable of most things. "They are," Amadeus agreed, "it seems they can... Sense things."

[dyrius]

As she quietly finished off her tea, the female centaur put her cup down on the table that the boy was sitting on. She could tell that he was hesitant, nervous, and maybe even a bit overly depressed, but she made no action to point them out. She could see the sadness, though, the pain in his eyes. It was a sad, sad thing to know that there were many others just like him. As her hooves tapped against the wooden floor boards of her home, she nodded her head as his comment. "Yes, I would also agree. I think, in a way, they sort of understand. Or, at least in their own way they do.", she said as she walked over to a small chest that she had resting by the fireplace. It was a small chest, not big enough to hold a large, number of things, but it was enough for the few things the centaur possessed. Opening it, Dyrius pulled out a small knife that had a handle carved from the bone of a dragon.

The blade itself was of simple metal, nothing highly special about it. The handle, though, was carved into a neat, smooth pattern, small grooves traced along the edges, creating small designs. Twirling the blade between her fingers for a moment, she eventually placed the knife into a small holster that was tied around her waist. "May I ask you for a favor, Amadeus?", she asked, looking over her shoulder at the boy, a soft smile on her lips.

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[amadeus]

Now that his tea had cooled, Amadeus began to lightly sip it, thankful to have something to do with his hands. Though this silence, while it might have been awkward if he were with one of his peers, didn't make him all that uncomfortable. Perhaps he had gotten used to it, given how he had drawn back to the edges of any sort of social interaction, not bothering approaching anyone else or providing his input. No, these days he would rather be left alone. Amadeus nodded at Dyrius' next set of words, though he felt that vein of their conversation rapidly becoming dry, there wasn't much that he could contribute to it at that point.

He finished off his tea, making a brief face as his last sip had more than a few dregs of tea leaves, though the expression was quick to fade. Amadeus placed his now empty cup beside the one the centaur had finished as she examined a knife she had taken from a small chest. Dyrius then surprised him again, asking him for a favour. He wasn't usually that type of person, though he had taken a liking to the centaur... "Um, sure," said Amadeus, wondering what it might be.

[dyrius]

The centaur was happy to see that the boy was willing to help her. It wasn't exactly a difficult task, but two were always better than one. That, and she enjoyed his company. Being a centaur, she didn't have too many friends. Witches and wizards would consider her as a half-breed, especially those of pure-blood decent, which was greatly angering. She hated the term of a half-breed, and it was beyond insulting. But, it was that as to why people tended to avoid her. That, and the fact that the reputation surrounding her kind wasn't exactly a good one. Her smile widened a bit as he agreed, nodding her head as she turned towards him. "It's simple, really, but it would be a pleasure if you would assist me with looking for Asphodels. Professor Daskov has asked me to collect some for his class."

As she waited for his answer, Dyrius gathered up a small pouch from the chest as well, attaching it to her leather belt beside her knife. She didn't really need too much, and, while she usually carried little when she was alone, she decide to take precaution as she now had a student possibly accompany her. So, with that in mind, she gathered up her arrows and her hunting bow, wanting to be sure that no creatures of the Forbidden Forest would harm the young boy.

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[amadeus]

It had been a while since Amadeus had applied himself to any sort of task, finding that he had been doing too much wallowing in his own self-pity to have much time for anything productive. He hadn't even been doing any schoolwork, regardless of how his grades were suffering. Amadeus found he couldn't focus outside of the classroom. Even then he wasn't having the easiest time paying attention, it seemed much easier to sit there with his head propped on his hand, staring vaguely into space, and on multiple occasions falling asleep. This happened more than regularly in history and astronomy, the subjects he hadn't given a damn about even before this mess had happened.

Amadeus figured it wouldn't hurt to collect a specific sort of flower with Dyrius, it was probably the least he could do, given that she hadn't gone and told him off or punished him for being in the forest when other members of the school staff would hound him for it. "All right," said Amadeus, slipping down from the table, the cloak that he had neglected to remove trailing behind him. A cat that had been dosing a short distance away looked over at him, its gaze transfixing on him, though it remained quite still. But Amadeus wasn't paying attention to it, he had never really been a fan of cats, he didn't detest them, but he didn't particularly like them, either.

[dyrius]

Dyrius smiled as the boy agreed, happy that he did as she would enjoy the company. Nodding her head, she kept her bow in hand so she could be ready for anything before heading to the door. She waited for him outside, occasionally glancing up to make sure it wasn't getting too dark. She didn't want the student to be in trouble for being out pass curfew because of her. Of course, she could always write up an excuse that he was helping her, which he was, so she wouldn't be lying necessarily. As her tail flicked off to the side, smacking lightly against her flank as a fly came to bother her. Those damn insects were always so troublesome and annoying. Really, she could be perfectly happy without them. Even though she kept herself clean, they still found some reason to be around her.

"You know what a Asphodel is, right?", she asked, hoping he did. It wasn't that she didn't want to explain to him what it was if he indeed didn't know what it was, but the general description was just a bit difficult to describe. No flower ever looked the same, though they all had similar features that were unique to the species of plant. But, if she had to describe the flower's description, then she would so they could get to looking for them quickly. It was never a wise thing to be out in the woods after dark.

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[amadeus]

As they exited the hut where Dyrius lived, Amadeus drew his cloak a bit more tightly around himself because of the cold, and in looking up at his newfound companion (who was several feet taller him), wondered if she got chilled, given that she wasn't wearing much on her top half. Though Amadeus assumed she wouldn't, otherwise she might have dressed in something else. Centaurs were, after all, magical creatures, perhaps the magic in her kept her warm. He burrowed his hands in his pockets, noting the time, it was a bit later than he had thought. Not dark yet, though it was likely approaching time for supper.

He blinked out of his thoughts when Dyrius asked if he knew what asphodel was. "Yeah, we use them a lot in potions," said Amadeus. The ones they used were usually white, lily-looking blooms, though he knew that they could also be yellow. He figured it might be a difficult task to find them, given the time of year, though Amadeus wasn't too bothered by it, it would give him something to do other than wallow in self-pity and continue to neglect his homework. And though he might not readily admit it, he was enjoying Dyrius' company.

[dyrius]

Nodding her head in approval as she lightly smiled, Dyrius shuffled on her hooves a bit before she spoke. "Very good. I was hoping you did.", she said before she started towards the woods. She was honestly a bit nervous about taking him into the woods, a bit worried that something might happen, but she pressed those thoughts away as quick as she could. She could not allow her doubt or paranoia to cloud her judgment, and she was sure that she would be able to protect him if anything did in fact come upon them. She may not have been skilled or trained in the art of stargazing, but she was well powered with a bow and arrow. Before she had been considered as a cast-off by her herd, she had been one of the best hunters. She could bring a deer down with a single arrow in the heart. Her aim was quick and accurate, and it was something she was proud of...But, perhaps a bit too prideful of.

"I want you to keep your eye out, though. We aren't going too far in, but the creatures here are never very predictable.", she warned, glancing back at the blonde teen before she stepped onto a small, worn pathway that led into the border of the Forbidden Forest.

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[amadeus]

Amadeus nodded once. Really, it would be a wonder if anyone had made it to the halfway point of their magical education without being able to identify asphodel. Or perhaps that might only be his own standards. Though he had never really applied himself to school, there was no denying that Amadeus was intelligent. He wouldn't call himself gifted, but he wasn't stupid, he absorbed things readily. He followed alongside Dyrius on the path that lead to the forest, not feeling any sense of foreboding at entering the wood- danger meant little to him, as far as Amadeus was concerned, he was already a doomed man, living on borrowed time.

Dyrius then spoke yet again, telling him to be cautious, given what could be living in the forest. Amadeus knew all too well, ever since first year they had all been warned relentlessly of the creatures in the forest. He knew that there were some there, though had a hard time believing the woods were really as unsafe as they were made out to be. "Right," said Amadeus, tucking his hands into the pockets of his cloak, keeping an eye out for the white flowers.