Don’t Put Up with People Who Are Reckless with Yours
It's mid to late afternoon - after most classes, but well before any Astronomy students should be wandering up to this tower. And yet, this is exactly what Joseph Wexler is doing, looking around furtively to make sure no one of interest notices him or his destination. Meeting at the top of the Astronomy Tower is a lovely idea; it is private up there, for... conversations. And because of the intimate nature of the conversations Joseph desires with Miss Whittier, he has been sure to clean his teeth before he attends. "Carrie?" He offers as he reaches the top, expression a lazy sort of mischievous smile.
"Hey, sheik,"Carrie's voice wafts over the classroom. She's not wearing her student's robes. At least, not right now. No, she's wearing proper flapper attire. The tiny little shift, Mary-Jane shoes and powdered knees visible below. Poised on one of the windows, she comes forward from there, with a wicked smile on her lips. "What kept you?"
"Noemie."Joseph replies vaguely, as though there is nothing at all unusual about this declaration. He reaches out to take her wrist, stepping closer to her. His gaze flickers up and down her body - and then remains there, for however boyish Carrie tries to make her form appear, there are some things that a guy like this Ravenclaw simply has to do. "You look... pretty gorgeous, Carrie Whittier. I'd really like to get to know you more personally." There is a certain flicker in his expression as he says this, as if it should be quite obvious in what ways he would /really/ like to get to know her.
Growing a fraction wider,Carrie's smile is parted for a brief second as she moistens her lips with her tongue briefly. "Oh, is that so?" She breaths, getting up from the window and moving very close to Joseph. She doesn't make a move on him, at least not yet, but she's awfully close to him, and so tantalizingly within reach...
"Yeah, it is."Joseph whispers in response, his own smile growing ever more mischievous. It is hardly a witty response, but on the other hand, she is practically throwing herself at him anyway. He doesn't need to be particularly witty. Taking his cues from her sheer closeness, presumably figuring that this is where the situation will end up soon enough anyway, he reaches out to grab her wrist and moves in that little bit further to kiss her firmly in the one gesture.
Freezing for only a split second upon that lip contact,Carrie melts into the kiss, pressing herself tightly against Joseph and whispering, "But, Joseph, what about Noemie?" Her hand drops down his chest, nearing his stomach.
With an attractive girl pressed tightly against him and kissing him, Joseph doesn't really feel the need to cease this state of affairs for a moment, only offering a quiet, almost breathless, "What /about/ Noemie?" in response as they part briefly. His arms wrap around her waist, endeavoring to keep her so close, and he kisses her again. After a moment, he adds, pulling back from the girl just enough to be able to speak clearly for the moment, "What she doesn't know won't hurt her, you know?"
Carrie steps forward again, speaking with her lips mere inches away from his, and whispers, "Alright." Her lips brush against his again and then bury themselves in his as her hand drops again, resting in between his legs as she pulls back a second time, whispering, "But what about Kitty?"
"Kitty who?" Joseph seems momentarily stunned by the question - particularly given the circumstances - though he wastes no time in shrugging it off and moving in on the girl again. Surely, in the back of his mind, he's trying desperately to remember who 'Kitty' could possibly be, but there are far more important issues at hand.
"Kitty who?" Carrie suddenly pulls back, her expression going from seductive to vengeful in a moment, and her hand on his crotch rapidly clenches from a caress to a vice like grip. "Kitty who? So the poor girl I watched nearly in tears from wondering how she could get the boy who was so nice to her to sweep her up is nothing, is she?" Spinning around, she pushes Joseph around, pushing him right up close against the open window. "I ought to take you for a ride, you heartbreaking son of a bitch!"
The initial string of breathless curses in response to his current predicament stops short as it occurs to Joseph that this might not be the best way to get out of the present situation, and he shakes his head furiously. "It's - it's not that she doesn't matter, Carrie." Meanwhile, he tries to quickly remember who this 'Kitty' girl could possibly be. "I just - probably don't know her name - I talk better if you back off, you psycho bitch."
"Kitty Nichols!" Carrie growls, pulling him away from the window and calming down... just a little... as she lets go of his crotch but shoves him across the room. "Listen to me,Joseph. Don't you /dare/ tease that sweet little girl. She's got no chance of knowing how to take it and all you'll give her are tears. And she's a /friend of mine/, you jerk."
"Nichols!"Joseph finally offers in response. "All I did was tell her she was pretty, Carrie." A pause, and he breathes deeply, taking a few steps back away from Carrie. "And shared my sweets with her. That's /all/, Carrie." He doesn't look up at the girl, too busy trying to explain himself and protect himself at the same time. "I wasn't trying to tease her. I was just being friendly."
"Don't give me that, Wexler." Carrie spits back. "You flirt. And I'm just as good at it as you are. I know full well what one little compliment and a kind gesture can do." She stands, hand on her hip, but her resolve is weakening a little. "That was /all/?"
"I didn't do /anything/ else to her." Joseph replies, quite seriously, his sincerity somewhat marked by his heavy breathing, but fairly evident nonetheless. "She's too young for me. I was nice to her, but I didn't mean to seriously give her hope - I just wanted to, you know, boost her confidence. Be /nice/." A pause, and he asks, tentatively, "If I come closer, will you leave little Joseph alone?"
"Oh, for pete's sake, Little Joseph?" Carrie breathes in disgust at the euphemism. "Yes, I will. I won't touch you again. You repulse me." She frowns at him still, but whispers back. "You should be bloody well more careful,Joseph. I was practically trying to stop her breaking out into tears."
Perhaps making a mental note to think of a better euphemism, perhaps too busy being afraid of the girl in front of him, Joseph inches closer, not daring to look directly at her. "I didn't mean for that to happen, honestly, Carrie. She seemed so... well, she was in the library all by herself, and we got to talking about sweets, so I offered her some..." There is, perhaps, just a hint of his exaggeration, that it wasn't quite as innocent as he suggests.
Carrie growls again, "You /flirt/, Joseph. Admit it. You do it because it puts girls on the back foot. You do it because then they can't attack you. You do it because it's fun and you love the way they look at you when they do it," Her voice has grown faint as she looks at the floor, "Trust me, Joseph. I know." There's a pause, and she looks up again, "But I will stand up for the few friends I have,Joseph. And I swear, if you tear out her heart, I will tear off your balls as fair play. Understood?"
For a moment, Joseph seems to almost feel a hint of compassion for the girl - he certainly inches a little closer to her and nods along with her words, at least having the decency to look ashamed of himself for it. Then, as she gets to the last point, he jumps away from her, cringing slightly. "Understood, Carrie. Understood."
"Good."Carrie pauses, looking around, "Joseph? I'm sorry. I over-reacted."
"Over-reacted?!" Joseph sputters in response. "Over-reacted? I'll say you over-reacted. You -" he pauses, taking another deep breath and calming down a little. "You know, I'm sorry, Carrie." He finally offers, with a bit of a sigh. "I shouldn't have been flirting with that poor girl. I'll try to make it up to her sometime." A pause, and he spreads his arms, beckoning for her to come closer. "Will you share with me an utterly platonic, non-violent hug, Carrie?"
She looks up at Joseph suspiciously, but finally steps forward and into his arms willingly. "I'm sorry, Joseph. I'm sorry. I just don't have many friends. I want to protect the ones I do."Carrie eventually wraps her arms around him in turn, and leans in closely.
Arms wrapped around the girl, Joseph rubs his hand in gentle circles around her back. "It's alright, Carrie. But I'm surprised." A pause, and he ventures, his tone careful as if he is trying his very hardest to be as tactful as he can manage, "I mean, you always seem to have plenty of friends. At least... intimate friends of the male persuasion." He flinches a tiny bit, tensing up and preparing to protect certain parts of his body if it becomes necessary at this point,
"I don't have many friends I could count on to be a horrible bitch and threaten to kill someone who broke my heart, then," Carrie mumbles, placing her hands reassuringly high on his back, well away from the aggrieved parts.
Still rubbing her back gently, in a way he probably considers to be at least moderately reassuring, Joseph seems uncertain of what else to add. "Carrie..." he begins, hesitating a little. "What about Kitty? Or Marybeth, the other Chaser? Or..." he releases her with one hand, waving it vaguely in the air as if that will help him. "Or Pantall, I've seen you with her a few times..."
"Joseph, be quiet," Carrie finally whispers, and simply holds him tightly. "Alright?"
Taking the Next Step
Reporting for Duty
United We Stand
A Meeting of Old Friends
No Kissing!
Rowan Blake and Ali Chamberlain meet on the Front Lawn for the first time. Tumbling, conversation, and the promise not to kiss each other follow soon after.
Back to the Grind
Morgana DeWitt asked for a private meeting with Phoebe and Astra in regards to her punishment shortly after the Sorting Feast. Astra, already frazzled from a long day starts to show her wear around the edges.
Showing a Prefect Around
Bored during Easter Holiday, Ali figured she'd go and spend some more time exploring. Meeting up with Louis, she manages to convince him to come along.
Auguries and Research
Ali is exploring the grounds and interrupts a conversation between Quintus and Christopher. She learns a little about Auguries and runs off to the library to read more. Ali and Christopher also have a small altercation in front of the Professor, later in the library Ali meets with both Christopher and Louis.