Calm (Closed)

[Travis Marks]

It was another nice and cool night; the sky was cloudless showing the moon and the stars. The water at the lake was calm; it seemed like all the things that inhabited the waters were sleeping peacefully. This was good night to go for a swim and not get interrupted. Despite the fact that the water was probably ice cold, it would see be a good time for a swim. All you had to do was not to think about the cold and you would be able to swim. A lot of people loved swimming in this lake, but something always spoiled their fun. Whether it was mere people, a squid, some weird fish swimming in between your legs or cloths.

As the water hit the shore, Travis could be found sitting with his legs in front of him and bend at the knee. He had the arm with the cigarette in it resting on one knee and the other arm was behind him in the grass keeping him up. Once again he was wearing baggy black pants with a simple black t-shirt. Even with the cold temperature he had not bothered to bring a cloak. Alright truth be told he had forgotten one and was too far out to go back to get one. Right now he did not care that some parts of his skin were turning blue from the lack of heat he was getting. Why bother, there really was no reason to be alive. At least that is what he thought. He hadn’t tried to kill himself; it just happened that due to his forgetful memory he would be freezing.

Taking a drag from the cigarette, Travis sat there looking out into the water. He had decided to skip his usual tower scene. Besides out here it was less likely for him to be found. The castle people always walked around in it and they could spot you at any moment. Travis was thinking about things, his family, and his life. He wondered what he should do about it. If before graduation he didn’t snuff it.

[Seth Lestrange]

Seth was bundled up against the night's chill, he had actually been dressed to go out long before dinner to take a walk and have a smoke. He had never found the time though because he had gotten caught up in something else, he couldn't remember exactly what it was now but it had taken him forever to crawl out of it. He knew that it had been something in the library he had been looking for a book and than bumped into someone else. Things kind of froze there because he couldn't remember what had happened next. The next thing he knew he found himself walking towards the Great Hall for dinner and than picking at the food on the golden dishware before heading outside. He never ate much, it seemed like eating was a waste of time, a bad habit that all humans acquired along with the need to live and breed. Before Seth knew it he was out walking underneath the starlight canopy of the dark sky. The night's chill crept steathly into seams of his heavy black coat. His hands dug deep into both pockets on either side of his coat. He felt sick from having eaten, although he had just barely picked at his own plate. The cold air was quickly causing a numbing effect over his body and the sick feeling that had been welling up inside of him instantly disappeared.

In a matter of minutes Seth found himself walking alongside the lake. His dark eyes searching through the heavy coat of darkness that was draped over the scene that was slowly underfolding before his eyes. The only lights were coming from Hogwart's castle, and they seemed dim in the blanket of darkness. As Seth's eye strayed across the scene he caught the red illuminated tip of a cigarette close by. His eyes flickered for a moment with recognition of the figure, even in the darkness. It was Travis. Seth figured that the element of surprise had already been broken because he wasn't trying to be quiet. He headed over and stood next to Travis, greeting him at first with silence before actually saying anything. "It's a nice night." Seth said, his voice sounded powerful breaking the calm silence of the night. In truth he hadn't spoken that loud, only loud enough for Travis to ehar him.

[Travis Marks]

Travis had already smoked the cigarette so that only three fourths of it was left before he heard someone walking around. With the deafening silence all around him it had been quiet easy to hear someone approaching. Heck anything movement even across the lake could probably be heard with the lack of noise. It was a creepy feeling, sitting there in silence. Not even the water hitting against the shore wanted to make a noise. It didn’t matter, it was better for Travis, he hated noise especially ones that come form the mouths of humans. It was disgusting, to Travis anyways. If only he was able to listen to music, but seeing as he had no way of doing that at his current position he would have to make due with the words in his head.

When he heard the figure close to him, Travis looked to his side and wasn’t at all surprised to see Seth. He was always roaming around at night or smoking in a corner. He was like Travis; both could be found somewhere smoking. It was Travis’s way of getting relaxed. When he needed something more, he world always go for his stash of drugs. He had it hidden at the bottom of his trunk. Some of his dorm mates wanted to be cool so they would try and steal it from him. He didn’t care what they did, but it wasn’t so easy to obtain them.

As Seth stood beside him in silence, Travis began to envy him. He looked so warm in his clothing; he wanted to kick himself for forgetting his cloak. It was getting colder and his arms were getting bluer. “Really nice, feels like a funeral.” he said finding that during a funeral there was usually an eerie silence. By the end of his sentence he noticed he had finished his cigarette and threw the remains into the lake. Rummaging thought his pants pocket his pulled out his pack and groaned finding that had been his last. Frustrated he threw the empty cigarette pack into the lake and sighed. “What brings you out here?” he asked looking up at Seth as he leaned back on his elbows.

[Seth Lestrange]

Seth stood in silence a little while and watched as Travis threw the stub of his cigarette into the lake along with the empty pack. Without a word Seth begun to search through his own pockets looking for his pack that he always carried on him. He kept it in his coat pocket tonight, and made sure that he had it close on hand before getting dressed for the warm weather. He didn't want to be without a cigarette on a cold night like this one, it seemed like the only reason why he should be outside. Producing the pack from his pocket he knocked two cigarettes out handing one to Travis and sticking the other in his mouth. He did this all after he slipped the pack back into his pocket.

The unlit cigarette hung limply from the side of Seth's mouth as he begun the arduous task of locating his lighter, he had a feeling that he had left it up in his dorm room. Seth snickered at Travis's funeral comment as he gave up on looking for the lighter. He shrugged at Travis's question, and than seemed to consider it a moment. "Smoking, the fresh crisp winter air, the usual." Seth said with a laugh. He dug a hand into his empty pocket again and looked down at Travis, "Do you have a light?"

[Travis Marks]

Staring longingly at the empty package that was now floating away, Travis began to chew on his lip. He did that when he did not get his regular amount of nicotine intake. It was a habit that he developed after having become addicted to cigarettes. It wasn’t as bad when he did not have his usual intake of drugs. That he could go without for a while, but cigarettes were his life. His attention was drawn again to Seth when he started to rummage thought his pockets. A wave of relief went thought him, good old Seth, he always had a pack with him. He had forgotten that for a moment. If one of them ran out, they could rely on the other. He was glade that Seth had come outside; otherwise he would have gone crazy.

Smirking he took the offered cigarette from Seth and held it between his lips. Pushing back some of the hair from his eyes, he lifted his hips up and reached into his back pocket where his lighter was. Sitting back down, he flicked the silver zippo open and cupped his hands over the flame lighting the cigarette. As he inhaled the nicotine, he tossed the lighter up to Seth. “Not surprised.” he chuckled an icy laugh. The cold was finally getting to him and it was visible on his voice. The cigarette was still hanging between his lips before he exhaled and sighed contently.

[Seth Lestrange]

Seth grinned at how Travis's expression quickly changed. He was always loaded with a pack of cigarettes to kick his cravings for something better like drugs. He wasn't really addicted to cigarettes, they were just something that were there, and around. Something that he could use when he ran out of weed, or smoke inbetween classes when he didn't feel like getting high. Seth watched as Travis retrieved the lighter from his back pocket. His eyes seemed to wander a moment as he watched his friend lift himself up to retrieve it. Seth took the lighter from Travis and flicked it open mirroing Travis's actions by shielding the weak flame against the cold night. After he lit up he flicked the lighter shut and took a seat next to Travis handing it back to him. Seth drew his legs up to his chin and stared out at the water a moment taking the first drag on his cigarette. He blew a puff of smoke out towards the water watching it drift before disappearing.

Seth smirked at Travis's uncharacteristicly icy laughter. He raised an eyebrow before turning his head in Travis's direction, he had already guessed what it was about. He could tell just but the way that Travis was dressed that he was cold, or at least he looked it. The thoguth crossed his mind to offer Travis his coat, but he didn't want to embrass him. He decided to let the subject slide at that moment and that he would bring it up a little later. He kept it stored in the back of his mind, right before the immediate conversation. "Yeah, you know me." Seth replied, trying to keep the conversational spark alive a bit longer. The hanging silence didn't seem to bother him but he felt compelled to talk.

[Travis Marks]

He let the nicotine fill his lungs and closed his eyes in content. Even if he had just finished his third cigarette, starting up a new one was always a high. For him anyways. He exhaled the smoke and flicked some of the ashes onto the grass. Still leaning back on the grass he took his lighter back from Seth and gracefully lifted his hips up again shoving the lighter back into his pocket. Settling back on the cold ground he inhaled more smoke and looked at Seth. Despite him always wanting to be alone, he enjoyed Seth’s company. It was probably because they both share a common interest. Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and sex. Seth was a good friend, even if he didn’t seem like it at first glace.

Thinking of this made Travis chuckle his icy laugh. Plus it seemed to be getting cooler the longer he sat there. He had come out before dinner and seeing as the sun had gone down, had been there for a while. He shook his head at Seth’s comment. “Sadly, a little too well.” he joked, but it was true. He knew a lot about all his close friends. It wasn’t many so he was able to observer every detail about that person. An example was that Gemini chewed on her cheek and Seth tended to bite his nails. “For a second I thought you might be out here doing something interesting…” he said trailing off slightly. He left that part up for Seth to finish if he wanted to.

[Seth Lestrange]

Seth let the smoke from the cigarette drift down his throat, he hadn't had one for a while today. He had already taken his time and gotten high this morning in the woods before the first set of classes. He was sure that no one had noticed, it took someone who knew him very well to notice it. He let the smoke drift from his open mouth without bothering to blow it out before exhaling a large puff into the air. It seemed to mingle with puff of smoke caused by the heat of his breath against the cold night. He wasn't high anymore, it had worn off a while ago. It might have been why the whole afternoon had been a blurr. Seth couldn't tell let alone bother to remember that much. He felt good to be sitting with Travis smoking under the stars. It felt like a relief that the sky had darkened and the night had grown cold. The silence was somehow comforting but it was better that it had been shattered, broken laying in fragments near their toes which were dangerously clsoe to the water of the lake. Seth flicked some excess ash off the tip of his cigarette even though it had barely begun to build up. He was just doing it try and keep warm, despite the coat he was still a little cold. He knew that he porribly wasn't as cold as Travis was right now because he hadn't been out there for long, but he could still feel the chill. He drew the cigarette back up to his lips taking yet another drag. Seth broke into a small laugh, which emitted a cloud of smoke from the heat of his breath against the cold air.

"Like getting high?" Seth asked with a smirk. "Nah, I did that earlier today, this morning. You missed the party, I was looking for you but I couldn't find you." Seth laughed as his eyes came to rest on Travis, waiting for the reaction he assumed that he would get from this statement. He stretched his arms a moment behind him he felt stiff sitting there in the cold air near the lake. Removing the cigarette from his mouth for a moment flicking some more nonexsistant ash off the tip of it Seth treated himself to a yawn before replacing it to take another drag.

[Travis Marks]

Travis continued to inhale more of the cigarette smoke waiting for Seth answer. He knew what his answer would be it was always the same. It’s not like they ever did anything different. Why bother doing anything new, it was just too much work. Besides it took time away from getting high and they couldn’t have that. Travis had run out of his stash so he had not been high in a while. He needed to stock up on more and get high somewhere. Maybe he could borrow some from Seth. That reminded him that Seth had run out also. His theory that Seth had run out was proven wrong when Seth talked. “Damn, I haven’t been high in almost two weeks. Man you need to share.” he said rubbing his hands together unconsciously.

Sighing heavily he exhaled the smoke, watching as it mixed with his cold breath. Staring at his breath cause him to realize how cold he really was. Before he hadn’t really thought about it, but now it was on his mind. He could feel the chill going thought him causing him to visibly shiver. He started to cough and fell back against the ground trying to catch his breath. The coughing fit hit him suddenly and he quickly took the cigarette from his mouth. After a few seconds of coughing he stopped and inhaled deeply. “Sorry about that.” he muttered sitting up again and taking a quick drag from the cigarette. He was out here too long. Many he should go inside.

[Seth Lestrange]

"Restocked sometime earlier this week." Seth explained, reading the expression on Travis's face, obviously he had been talking to Gemini because she had been with him when he had run out. "How did you survive that?" Seth asked with a laugh as he took a drag on his cigerette holding the smoke in allowing it to scorch the back of his throat before exhaling it in a messy puff. Seth didn't get another word in before Travis was overcome with his coughing fit. He watched a moment in amazement thinking that he had been screwing around, but than he realized that he hadn't had control over it. "Are you all right?" Seth asked raising a brow at Travis, he remembered now what he had been going to ofter him before. "You look really cold, we might want to go inside." Seth said as he started to stand up not waiting for an answer, he stood up to quickly like always and all the blood rushed to his feet making him feel light headed. It hadn't really been a question it was more of a command, but one intended to help Travis. "Here." He added taking the coat from his shoulders, it had been unbuttoned for sometime now. He drapped it over Travis, hoping that he didn't think to much of the action, he wasn't willing to get the 'I'm fine' speech today. And than he held out a hand to him to help him up.

[Travis Marks]

“I don’t know, I guess I’ve been sucking down the cigarettes, that’s why I ran out.” He told him after having caught his breath. It had been a harder task then he originally thought seeing as he only now got it back. He had talked to Gemini a few days ago and she had said that both she and Seth ran out a few days ago. He knew she got her stash from Seth, so until he had some she wouldn’t. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He said quickly before taking a long drag from his cigarette. He let out the smoke in a content manor. He was about to say that it was ok, and he didn’t mind the cold when suddenly he felt blanket of warmth fall around his shoulders. The body heat Seth left on his coat was slowly seeping into his arms, warming him up slightly. Sighing slightly he put the cigarette back into his mouth and took Seth’s hand standing up. There really was no point in arguing with him and he was starting to feel the chill. “Thank.” He told him before pulling the jacket closer to himself.

[Seth Lestrange]

Seth nodding knowing that cigarretes did help at times when there was no weed to be had. The 'I'm fine' wasn't delayed in fact it was rushed upon him, and he knew it to be false. It was always false, it was always fake, no one was ever truly fine in this world. Seth was relieved to see that Travis excepted his voat and his hand. He pulled him up off the ground and for a moment forgot which way he was oging before heading in the direction of the caslte. Travis's hand felt ice cold between his own warm ungloved fingers that had been stuffed conveniantly into the pcokets of his coat. He hadn;t btohered to let his own fall to his side after he had lifted him from the gorund. Seth nodded at Travis's murmur of thanks, not really wanting to move quickly towards the castle even though he had a feeling that his friend was freezing. It was an odd turning sensation that seemed to clutch his stomach at the moment as smoke drifted loosely from his cigaretete hanging from the side of his mouth. His head was somehow still spinning, even though it had been several minutes since he had gotten up and it should ahve stopped by than. Reaching up Seth took another drag on his cigerette a bit more forceful than the first couple which had been very relaxed. He spit the smoke into the air before replacing the cigarette in it'sd spot at the side of his mouth. He grinned inwardly at the feeling not knowing where it had come from, it seemed to have just sprung on him without a warning. That's how things had been all day with him.

[Travis Marks]

Travis was quite glad that Seth had given him his coat. It was slowly bringing him some heat. He wasn’t planning on keeping it too long seeing as it was cold and Seth would start feeling it soon. For now he kept the coat around his shoulder. It took him a moment before he realized that the hand he had let Seth pull him up with was becoming warm. He looked down at it and realized why, they hadn’t let go of each others hands yet. Travis swallowed but didn’t release his hand. He liked the contact and the heat. A small smirk formed on his lips and he pulled on the cigarette taking a very long drag from it. He exhaled and started walking towards the castle with Seth. He wondered if Seth realized that they were still holding hands. He had a very weird feeling in his stomach one that he liked nonetheless. If only he knew what Seth was thinking about this or if he noticed.

[Seth Lestrange]

Seth could barely fall the chill in the air, right now he felt like he was sweating underneath the collar of his shirt. He hoped that his palms weren't sweating too, that would flat out give him away. It bothered Seth that he didn't know what Travis was thinking right now. He could have sworn that he saw him smirk, but he didnt know for sure. There was only one way to find out and that was to ask, and he wasn't sure if he could do that yet. Seth took another puff of smoke from his cigarette dragging on it very sloely before exhaling even slower. The heat of his breath and the cigarette smoke mingled in front of him awhile, floating around his head as they walked as if mcoking him. Seth didnt feel like going back to the castle, but he knew that they couldn't stay outside ebcause Travis was porribly getting cold. "Do you want to go back to the castle?" Seth asked slowly, his voice seemed hesitant at first which he had been trying to hide, but it ahdnt succeeded. He took another drag on his cigarette in attempts to hide this. Seth found himself longing for the weed buried in the secret panel at the bottom half of his trunk. He sighed quietly wondering why he hadn;t had the sense to have grabbed another joint before leaving the dorm.

[Travis Marks]

Travis was in the middle of taking a puff when Seth asked him about going inside. Exhaling some of the smoke he shook his head indicating that he didn’t want to go inside. Even if he was cold, he didn’t feel like going back into the castle. “No not particularly, we can always configure something into a coat or blanket.” he suggested, his mind on something other then the cold. For some reason he wasn’t aware of being cold anymore he was becoming quite warm. It could be because of the coat or the weird feeling he was having that was causing him to be warmer. Leaving the cigarette in his mouth he ranked a hand though his hair pushing it to the side. It had gotten into his eyes again. He didn’t mind it but it was a habit that he had picked up. Weird but he couldn’t control it. He noticed suddenly that Seth seemed to be nervous or something. Maybe he should let his hand go and act like nothing happened. It was probably the best thing to do. Before however he was going to ask him if he was ok. “You alright?” he asked tilting his head to the side slightly in an adorable manor.