Heathcliff Lacey ✨ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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gooseberryhigh2018-07-16 09:17 pm
heathclifflacey) wrote in gooseberryhigh2018-07-16 09:17 pm
Entry tags:
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Who: Fern Mufferaw & Heathcliff Lacey
When: 06/18
Where: Coppertale Junior Girls' Cabin (Porch)
What: After Fern and Hazel make a disturbing discovery, Heathcliff comes to check on his girlfriend.
Warnings: Dealing with death. :(
Fern sits on the wooden stairs leading up to the girls’ cabins, staring out across the fields towards the forest. She has a cigarette between her index and middle fingers. She’s sure none of the prefects are going to bother telling her off about it right now, not with everyone in a tizzy. She wouldn’t care even if they tried. She bounces her foot against the lower step as she takes a drag from the cigarette.
It doesn't take long to get from one side of Coppertale to the other. Heathcliff could get there faster, come at a run instead of a brisk walk, but he's still trying to wrap his head around what Fern had written in her journal and what it means. What he should be feeling apart from confused and shocked and strangely hollow. He's keenly aware of the heat pricking at the backs of his eyes and his throat seems tight. He's never known anyone that died before. But he doesn't need to understand any of that yet; he just needs to be there for Fern. He's still in the process of pulling in a steadying breath and squaring his shoulders when he sees the girl out on the porch.
Smoking and moving with restless energy, she looks understandably shaken. He goes to join her immediately, still not knowing what to say but sitting close and setting his hand beside hers on the wood as he offers, “...Hey.”
For a moment, Fern doesn’t react at all to Heathcliff’s arrival. She just keeps staring out at the trees, like she’s waiting for something.
“Write me something in your journal,” she says finally, turning her gaze toward him. Can they even be sure that works? They can’t be sure of anything anymore, but that’s no reason to throw caution to the wind, either. She doesn’t want to end up with her guts in her lap. “...Sorry. But... You know,” she says with a one shouldered shrug.
The surprise on Heathcliff's face is obvious but he doesn't protest. Because she's right and he should've thought about that himself before joining her here and he just...hadn't. There's far too much going on in his head right now and he trusts her implicitly. He can’t help it. He nods, silently digging through his jacket pockets until he finds his journal and a pen.
He opens up the book, scribbles a ward, and then: 'Hey. ♥'
The heart is, admittedly, out of place right now. But the fact that she's let him get away with it is something of a private joke in addition to being a display of overly earnest affection. Maybe it'll help put her at ease.
Fern takes out her own journal, waiting for something from Heathcliff to appear, just any brief message to let her know he’s him. When it does, she releases a breath, then shoves the book back in her pocket. Without a word, she leans heavily against his side.
“You were right, you know,” she says finally, “Your tea leaf reading, I mean.”
Someone with more sense might have insisted that Fern write something back but this doesn't occur to Heathcliff and he immediately puts an arm around the girl, turning toward her and holding her close to him. He's still trying to figure out what to say when her words fill the silence instead and he flinches. He knows the prediction she's talking about and the question of whether or not he could've done more for Yaeger isn't far behind the recollection.
He wonders if Fern is thinking the same thing.
"I wasn't wrong," he answers, his voice uncharacteristically stiff and quiet, "Feels like I missed too much to call it 'right'."
“You said an Auror was in serious danger, and there were trees, which can mean being lost, or the literal forest. He died lost in the forest. So,” she replies, half muffled against his shirt. It doesn’t occur to her that he might be blaming himself. “Maybe you should do some more readings. For us.”
This silences Heathcliff for a long moment while he dwells on Fern's words. He died lost in the woods. He gives the girl a brief, firm squeeze and swallows around the lump in his throat before he murmurs, "Yeah. Totally. I can do that. I'll ask Spence or Ira or someone to bring everything over later."
There's another pause while he looks down at her and reflexively strokes her back with one large hand. Then he says, "...I'm really sorry this happened, Fern. It's messed up. That someone you knew. And he. And you and Hazel had to..." Never the most articulate guy in the world, the boy doesn't seem able to navigate this grim situation at all. What's he supposed to say? What would anyone say? "...I'm just sorry."
Her cigarette goes to ash, dangling forgotten from her fingertips, until the flame meets the filter and peters out. “I’m more sorry for him. Not that it means much to him now,” she says. “I don’t want...” Fern starts, then pauses to toss her cigarette butt out into the grass. She’s usually not one to litter, but she’s more than a little angry at the school, the forest, everything. She shifts further into his embrace. “I don’t want to end up like that. I don’t want any of us to end up like that.” Something occurs to her suddenly, and she sits up, glaring up at him. “You should have made me write you back. In the journal. To make sure I’m me.”
"Well. Yeah, I'm more sorry for him too, but..." Heathcliff trails off, shaking his head and feeling that same hollow ache again. This shouldn't be something that either of them have to think about. It's too much. He watches as Fern tosses the remnants of the cigarette into the grass and listens when she begins to speak again, intent on reassuring her that she won't end up like Yaeger. None of them will end up like Yaeger because school's almost over and they know to be careful and--
But then she's glaring up at him and his dark eyes go wide with startled surprise. "I....but you...are?" Part of him knows she's right but it doesn't stop him from trying to downplay the situation with a lopsided smile, "Hey. Don't worry. Diviner's intuition."
“Am I? You have to be careful,” she insists, brows furrowed and jaw set in a way that looks a lot like her dad. She doesn’t have the heart to put any heat into her voice, though, so instead she leans in and buries her face in his chest. “I’m serious. I’m... scared, okay? Don’t make it worse.”
Heathcliff's crooked smile falters immediately and he hooks his other arm around Fern, holding her as she presses into him. She's one of the bravest people he knows and he knows what it means for her to acknowledge that she's scared. Right now, he just wants to protect her. "I know. And I'm sorry. I...don't want to make it worse. I'm just worried about you, you know? So it's hard to think about the other stuff. I will next time, though. I promise."
“I’m worried about you too. So you have to think about the other stuff.” She sighs, then continues. “Just a few more days, that’s all. We all look out for each other, be careful, and we’ll be fine.”
"I will," Heathcliff says again, meaning it and silently resolving to follow through. He's never given all this stuff the proper attention before because he's just wanted to focus on Quidditch and his friends and Fern. Apart from some ominous predictions, it had never had anything to do with him. But that's not the case anymore. Maybe it never had been. He gives the girl a small squeeze. "Yeah. Just a few days and then we're out of here and they'll have all summer to figure this out."
She takes a deep breath, then releases it slowly. Summer The end of the year. After Yaeger, it had been hard to think of that at all, but Heathcliff is right. They only have a few days to go. "Yeah. Couple of days, then we'll be home. You can visit me."
The thought of visiting Fern over the summer is an unexpected relief that makes Heathcliff feel more grounded than he has since all of this started. Hopefully, that's true for her too. "Hell yeah. Like I could go the whole summer without seeing you," he answers, his tone still uncharacteristically quiet but sincere, "You can visit me too. If you want. My parents are lame but Savannah's pretty cool. And we've got dogs."
She still doesn’t feel anything close to grounded, but talking about happier times in the future does give her something to look forward to, to take her mind of of things at least a little. After a moment of silence, Fern says, “I do love dogs.”
This earns a small but fleeting smile from Heathcliff. He presses a kiss to the top of Fern's head and gives her another firm squeeze, struggling to find something else to say before the silence can settle between them again but finding nothing except, "I know." So he just holds her, silently repeating to himself that this will be over soon and it will be summer and getting away from here for a while will be good for all of them.
Hopefully, his readings will say that too.
When: 06/18
Where: Coppertale Junior Girls' Cabin (Porch)
What: After Fern and Hazel make a disturbing discovery, Heathcliff comes to check on his girlfriend.
Warnings: Dealing with death. :(
Fern sits on the wooden stairs leading up to the girls’ cabins, staring out across the fields towards the forest. She has a cigarette between her index and middle fingers. She’s sure none of the prefects are going to bother telling her off about it right now, not with everyone in a tizzy. She wouldn’t care even if they tried. She bounces her foot against the lower step as she takes a drag from the cigarette.
It doesn't take long to get from one side of Coppertale to the other. Heathcliff could get there faster, come at a run instead of a brisk walk, but he's still trying to wrap his head around what Fern had written in her journal and what it means. What he should be feeling apart from confused and shocked and strangely hollow. He's keenly aware of the heat pricking at the backs of his eyes and his throat seems tight. He's never known anyone that died before. But he doesn't need to understand any of that yet; he just needs to be there for Fern. He's still in the process of pulling in a steadying breath and squaring his shoulders when he sees the girl out on the porch.
Smoking and moving with restless energy, she looks understandably shaken. He goes to join her immediately, still not knowing what to say but sitting close and setting his hand beside hers on the wood as he offers, “...Hey.”
For a moment, Fern doesn’t react at all to Heathcliff’s arrival. She just keeps staring out at the trees, like she’s waiting for something.
“Write me something in your journal,” she says finally, turning her gaze toward him. Can they even be sure that works? They can’t be sure of anything anymore, but that’s no reason to throw caution to the wind, either. She doesn’t want to end up with her guts in her lap. “...Sorry. But... You know,” she says with a one shouldered shrug.
The surprise on Heathcliff's face is obvious but he doesn't protest. Because she's right and he should've thought about that himself before joining her here and he just...hadn't. There's far too much going on in his head right now and he trusts her implicitly. He can’t help it. He nods, silently digging through his jacket pockets until he finds his journal and a pen.
He opens up the book, scribbles a ward, and then: 'Hey. ♥'
The heart is, admittedly, out of place right now. But the fact that she's let him get away with it is something of a private joke in addition to being a display of overly earnest affection. Maybe it'll help put her at ease.
Fern takes out her own journal, waiting for something from Heathcliff to appear, just any brief message to let her know he’s him. When it does, she releases a breath, then shoves the book back in her pocket. Without a word, she leans heavily against his side.
“You were right, you know,” she says finally, “Your tea leaf reading, I mean.”
Someone with more sense might have insisted that Fern write something back but this doesn't occur to Heathcliff and he immediately puts an arm around the girl, turning toward her and holding her close to him. He's still trying to figure out what to say when her words fill the silence instead and he flinches. He knows the prediction she's talking about and the question of whether or not he could've done more for Yaeger isn't far behind the recollection.
He wonders if Fern is thinking the same thing.
"I wasn't wrong," he answers, his voice uncharacteristically stiff and quiet, "Feels like I missed too much to call it 'right'."
“You said an Auror was in serious danger, and there were trees, which can mean being lost, or the literal forest. He died lost in the forest. So,” she replies, half muffled against his shirt. It doesn’t occur to her that he might be blaming himself. “Maybe you should do some more readings. For us.”
This silences Heathcliff for a long moment while he dwells on Fern's words. He died lost in the woods. He gives the girl a brief, firm squeeze and swallows around the lump in his throat before he murmurs, "Yeah. Totally. I can do that. I'll ask Spence or Ira or someone to bring everything over later."
There's another pause while he looks down at her and reflexively strokes her back with one large hand. Then he says, "...I'm really sorry this happened, Fern. It's messed up. That someone you knew. And he. And you and Hazel had to..." Never the most articulate guy in the world, the boy doesn't seem able to navigate this grim situation at all. What's he supposed to say? What would anyone say? "...I'm just sorry."
Her cigarette goes to ash, dangling forgotten from her fingertips, until the flame meets the filter and peters out. “I’m more sorry for him. Not that it means much to him now,” she says. “I don’t want...” Fern starts, then pauses to toss her cigarette butt out into the grass. She’s usually not one to litter, but she’s more than a little angry at the school, the forest, everything. She shifts further into his embrace. “I don’t want to end up like that. I don’t want any of us to end up like that.” Something occurs to her suddenly, and she sits up, glaring up at him. “You should have made me write you back. In the journal. To make sure I’m me.”
"Well. Yeah, I'm more sorry for him too, but..." Heathcliff trails off, shaking his head and feeling that same hollow ache again. This shouldn't be something that either of them have to think about. It's too much. He watches as Fern tosses the remnants of the cigarette into the grass and listens when she begins to speak again, intent on reassuring her that she won't end up like Yaeger. None of them will end up like Yaeger because school's almost over and they know to be careful and--
But then she's glaring up at him and his dark eyes go wide with startled surprise. "I....but you...are?" Part of him knows she's right but it doesn't stop him from trying to downplay the situation with a lopsided smile, "Hey. Don't worry. Diviner's intuition."
“Am I? You have to be careful,” she insists, brows furrowed and jaw set in a way that looks a lot like her dad. She doesn’t have the heart to put any heat into her voice, though, so instead she leans in and buries her face in his chest. “I’m serious. I’m... scared, okay? Don’t make it worse.”
Heathcliff's crooked smile falters immediately and he hooks his other arm around Fern, holding her as she presses into him. She's one of the bravest people he knows and he knows what it means for her to acknowledge that she's scared. Right now, he just wants to protect her. "I know. And I'm sorry. I...don't want to make it worse. I'm just worried about you, you know? So it's hard to think about the other stuff. I will next time, though. I promise."
“I’m worried about you too. So you have to think about the other stuff.” She sighs, then continues. “Just a few more days, that’s all. We all look out for each other, be careful, and we’ll be fine.”
"I will," Heathcliff says again, meaning it and silently resolving to follow through. He's never given all this stuff the proper attention before because he's just wanted to focus on Quidditch and his friends and Fern. Apart from some ominous predictions, it had never had anything to do with him. But that's not the case anymore. Maybe it never had been. He gives the girl a small squeeze. "Yeah. Just a few days and then we're out of here and they'll have all summer to figure this out."
She takes a deep breath, then releases it slowly. Summer The end of the year. After Yaeger, it had been hard to think of that at all, but Heathcliff is right. They only have a few days to go. "Yeah. Couple of days, then we'll be home. You can visit me."
The thought of visiting Fern over the summer is an unexpected relief that makes Heathcliff feel more grounded than he has since all of this started. Hopefully, that's true for her too. "Hell yeah. Like I could go the whole summer without seeing you," he answers, his tone still uncharacteristically quiet but sincere, "You can visit me too. If you want. My parents are lame but Savannah's pretty cool. And we've got dogs."
She still doesn’t feel anything close to grounded, but talking about happier times in the future does give her something to look forward to, to take her mind of of things at least a little. After a moment of silence, Fern says, “I do love dogs.”
This earns a small but fleeting smile from Heathcliff. He presses a kiss to the top of Fern's head and gives her another firm squeeze, struggling to find something else to say before the silence can settle between them again but finding nothing except, "I know." So he just holds her, silently repeating to himself that this will be over soon and it will be summer and getting away from here for a while will be good for all of them.
Hopefully, his readings will say that too.