Aesthetics and Healers

[Junior Floyd]

Junior's face was concentrated hard on the glass that reflected his gorgeous face. He had been here several times before. Glancing up at department building, he looked wearily at the dummy, remembering briefly of an old story about a dummy named Mary Shaw. He made sure he didn't scream as he looked at the dummy. It's eyes were cold and meaningless but the cool air was drifting past him and ruffling his hair and he just really wanted to go inside. Shifting uncomfortably on his own two feet, he listened as a soft humming noise came to ear and the words, "Can I help you?" came out of the dummy's mouth. Junior figured that the dummy didn't assume anyone was here, but the fact that his concentrated face on the glass had proven that things do work in his favour.

"To St. Mungoes" he said with plain urgency. Well, he wasn't in a hurry but he wasn't about to take his time either. The doll seemed to nod and Junior's eyes widened to understand that the doll meant for him to come through to the other side. Much like he had when he had gone onto the Platform to return to the school, Junior closed his eyes and walked through the glass. It felt like walking over to the void. He wasn't sure what had happened but as his feet touched the ground, he felt a sudden rush of peacefullness. Opening his eyes, he looked around. A small line was building up at the front desk and he assumed it was just a busy hour.

But as he looked around, many of these people needed medical care almost immediately. He had studied for years about this healer stuff and knowing the right treatments. He should know.. this was stuff that should be tooken care of right away. He looked at the estranged people in line, not taking his eyes off a specific one. The first lady in line had a flower pot for a head and everytime she would try talking to the lady at the desk, petals would end up falling in front of her. Not to mention, she kept on hitting either side of the desk, because the flowerpot looked abnormally large.

The next lady had a snout of a wolf and the tail of one too. He figured he would probably have to get the tail removed or something. It was one of the dangers for being in the animagus form for too long. You could easily end up belonging like one or something. He rolled his eyes at the carelessness of the lady. Gee. In the muggle world, all the dangers would be incisions, internal bleeding.. but this.. no.. this was like something out of a bad horror film. He closed his eyes tightly, waiting for it all to dissapear within a minute's notice. But as he opened his eyes, he focused once more on the room and the quiet murmur of voices speaking.

His eyes searched the line, looking at each victim, or so he thought, when he noticed a girl that certainly didn't belong there. Junior walked cautiously, not knowing if the girl was pshychotic or what. She could have easily gotten lost to this ward of the Hospital. She looked like she was a teenager.. maybe younger. But her frame was strong and careful. Not too off, really. "Are you lost, hun?" he asked with his trademarked crooked smile. If this girl was, perhaps, lost.. maybe he could still have time to show her to the psych ward? He glanced at his watch patiently. 4:00. Yes. They had time..

[Ariennette Laurent]

Waiting in line was one of the worst experiences in the world. Ayden despised it with every ounce of energy she had in her. She would rather have poisonous pods thrown onto her, or even eat some Fever Fudge. Glancing around the room, she saw some weird characters. Why the hell am I even here!? She thought, rolling her eyes. An old witch glared at her, but quite frankly, she didn't care. It was her grandfather's fault she was here, anyway. He had to go and get himself bitten by some muggle's snake. Genius, really. Brilliant. This is exactly how she would love spending a Saturday afternoon. There weren't too many of those during the year, and it was a very precious time to her. Time she could be spending sitting in a warm, plush chair reading about Sea Turtles in the library, or even cloud watching upon the roof, listening to smooth music. But no. She was caring for her grandfather.

Four o'clock. Three hours before she had to see her grandfather. Why had she gotten here so early? Oh, to make sure she wasn't late, of course. Now that she thought about it, though, it seemed quite silly to be here so early. Nothing to do. Ayden was flipping her hair in front of her face repeatedly when she heard someone talk behind her, maybe even to her. Why would someone talk to her? Deep voice, most likely a man. Even weirder. A man talking to her. She shrugged and turned around.

She glanced over the man standing in front of him, quite attractive. She bit her lip and addressed him. "No, I am not lost. I am simply waiting in line. Is that against the law?" She asked him sarcastically. She had no problem making conversation with him, actually, it was quite exciting. She loved meeting new people, well, maybe not loved...but it was definatley higher up on the list than waiting in line.

"May I help you?" She asked him, eyes focused on his own. They looked sort of like the ocean, you could get lost in them. She looked away and studied his clothing. Not too bad... Well, maybe she would enjoy this. Give her something to do...

[Junior Floyd]

Junior watched as the girl kept giving frusterated sighs of impatience and anger. A grin crept up on his face. She looked quite disgusted that she was even there. Or creeped out, one or the other. Junior watched carefully as the girl turned around to his voice. And.. like the effect he had on most ladies.. found her staring up into his sky blue eyes. He was far use to everyone just taking a glance into his eyes and staring at them. The longest record had to have been six minutes straight.. with a guy, as well. Junior shook his head at the thought. He figured he must've been thinking on what to say to his girl. If he had had one of course. Junior watched the girl patiently, his eyes searching hers and waiting.. and waiting..

The girl looked at him with full questions, addressing him as if he was the authority around the hospital. With a chuckle, he shook his head. "I assure you, it is not against the law" Junior said, looking at a healer who was bustling through a door, smacking it open with his hip. Those days seemed so long from now. And then he looked back at the line again. It would probably be another hour until Flower Pot Lady made it to her own floor.. and then there was the rest of the line..

"Help me? No, I've been to this hospital many times before.. I was actually coming around to ask if you needed any assitance?" Junior asked, studying her now. She was much younger compared to him, but he knew age probably didn't matter to anyone. Looking around at the continuous line, and back at the girl, he raised an eyebrow. "Well, since you're not planning on going anywhere for a while.. would you like to take a walk?" he asked curiously, pointing in an opposite direction, towards the busier side of the Hospital.

[Ariennette Laurent]

Ayden bit the inside of her cheek. Hm. A walk. With a man, not just any man, a curiously handsome older man. You could even venture to say strange man, no, not strange. Just a stranger. I mean, what could go wrong? They were in a hospital for God's sake. It's not like anything bad could happen. And if you think about it, him being older wasn't a big deal. Age was simply chronological these days, no meaning to it. Nothing. Just a simple number, and Ayden loved it that way. She thought about it for what seemed like an hour, but realistically added up to thirty-seven seconds. Her heart outweighed her mind.

"If it's not too big of a trouble, then yes, it would be delightful." She told the man, who's name she didn't know yet. Delightful?!What the hell was she smoking? Hello, gov'na, delightful evening, wouldn't you say? she laughed at the thought. Hoping she didn't make too big of a fool of herself, she smiled lightly and tilted her head slightly to the right. "Well, strange man who's name I do not know, tell me about yourself." She began conversing to him as she walked out of the line and towards an empty corridor other than a rather awkward looking nurse who was juggling an armful of anasthetics and sterile needles. Ayden shook her head and looked back up at him. He wasn't too tall, considering she was 5'11", but not too short. Justttt right.

((5'11" in real life too, ha ha.))

[Junior Floyd]

Junior sent a smile at the girl's direction as she stepped out of line with him. With a nod, they continued past the crowding number of people that were still being held up by Flower Pot lady. The rest of the line looked similiar with some other fault. One man in the back that caught his eye was being choked by his own hand and a woman. A quite attractive woman, that may be added, was applying some pressure it various styles of pumps on his chest. Rubbing his own chest, he made past the group of people. Some were staring back at him, as if he was the one that belonged there, and others gave him careless glances. Either way, he was content.

They had made it down the hallway with ease, but as they reached the end of it, many doors were open to follow. A man inside one that Junior peeked at was covered in bright, red boils with hairs growing over it. Eyes widening, he continued on, hoping that the girl didn't see that, whoever she was. And another room.. a man with a bloody scalp who was being healed by a healer. The healer noticed Junior looking in on them and closed the curtain surrounding the bed, almost in an angry rage. Blinking a few times, they continued on. Looking around, he looked back at her as she asked questions about him.

"Well," he chuckled, stopping and leaning against the wall that supported his weight. "My name is Junior Floyd, I'm a Hufflepuff alumni. I weigh 132 pounds, and if I do say so myself.." he paused, putting a hand up his shirt and pressing it on his six pack, "I'm pretty atheletic, or at least try to be" he said, his hands gesturing while he spoke. "I'm about 5'9, so you got me on that one" he said, looking at the shoes she wore and up at her height. She had him beat by a few inches. "Let's see.." he muttered, trying to come up with things to come up with. "I've come back to Hogwarts because I find peace in the school. Nothing really got done where I was, plus there's more company" he said conversationally, wondering, for a brief moment, if he was boring her. "I'm twenty-five years old, but people say I look like a teenager. I don't know.." he shook his head, a smile forming on his face.

"Anything else you'd like to know.. person who's name I don't know that needs to tell me about her" he said, cocking an eyebrow.

[Ariennette Laurent]

Ayden paid close attention to everything Junior was saying. She felt like she was in class, just listening. It was nice, really. He spoke of all his physical features, but nothing really about him, other than he finds peace in Hogwarts; but that was enough. It said a lot. He was, most likely, like herself. She couldn't quite describe how, but she could feel it. Ayden had always felt more at home at Hogwarts than at her actual home. It wasn't because she had a bad home, necessarily, but something was always missing. It just made sense.

She jumped slightly when she felt a man tug at her left ankle. She caught her breath and looked down at him, poor soul. He was most likely a patient of the pysch ward, there didn't appear to be anything physically wrong with him, his eyes just seemed empty. Empty and cold, that's the story of most people lately. She gave him a watery smile and bent down to release his hand from her ankle. She clung to it for a moment. He just wants someone to care, obviously. She thought to herself. Or else he wouldn't be here....

She shook her head and stood back up. Ayden smiled at Junior and remembered what they were talking about. "Oh," She started. Hm. What to say. She wasn't the most interesting person in the entire world. "My name is Ayden," She thought it would be a good idea to give him her name. "I'm what you can call musically inclined," She laughed. "I'm into muggle politics, call me weird, I don't mind." She slowed down her speaking. "I'm intrigued by the sky, I speak four languages, and my middle name is Emma." She said lastly. She hid her smile behind her hand. Oh, she forgot physical details.

"I weigh 116, I never work out, I'm fourteen, but I've been mistaken for a twenty two year old." She paused. "Several times." She cracked up, wow. Pathetic, eh? Ayden took a piece of gum out of her pocket and popped it into her mouth. Not knowing what else to say, she just looked at Junior, waiting for something. Well, anything. Him to talk, preferably.

[Junior Floyd]

They were pressing on, an amusement and in conversation. Junior smiled at Ayden and kept looking back at her, hoping she was catching up to the best of her ability. He kept on walking at a faster pace to view all the parts of the hospital. He took a deep breath, the two of them rounding each corner simultaneously. Junior closed his eyes, his hands up against the wall as he walked to know when the corner was coming. Peace at Hogwarts. It's all he really needed.

Junior gasped and backed into the wall as a man not much older than Junior himself grabbed at Ayden's ankle. Junior's first instinct was to stand up and hurt the man for touching her. But as he watched, Ayden seemed to be handling the situation rather well. His eyes fluttered closed, hoping that she wasn't hurt at all. If she had been, he could always blame himself. The man's tug at her body loosened and hit the ground in defeat. Junior turned his attention to Ayden again. He was going to ask if she was alright, but it seemed like she was having a moment by herself, and with all respect toward her, she deserved it. Arms folded, he waited for her to finish with her thoughts and he nodded. "You handled that very well" he pointed out, staring back at the guy who was on the floor, looking back at them with envy.

"Ayden.. what a nice name" he said as Ayden began speaking of herself. All he could do was listen, which he loved doing anyway. But he took it to comprehension as the information was sucked into his brain. "Musically inclined.. well, we all have our talents" he grinned. "Muggle politics. I don't really familiarize myself with them, but what do you know about it?" he asked curiously. "What languages do you speak? And what's so special about the sky?" Junior asked, oblivious to the sky. "Well, you are tall" he added, viewing her at full height again. "So you do look much older than what you are"

[Ariennette Laurent]

She smiled when Junior commented on her name. Personally, she hated it. She had always loved the name 'Rory.' It was much better than her own, but Ayden couldn't rename herself. She was, now and forever, Ayden.

She counted her steps as they walked through the halls, Ayden had a horrible case of OCD. Having to speed up every few seconds wasn't very relaxing, but Junior seemed to be calm enough. He closed his eyes as he turned, and Ayden had to make sure she didn't run into him.

"I'm fascinated by the Democratic party. They seem to be forty miles ahead of the other one...I can't remember the name..." She told him as she was trying to remember. Preublicans, no. Republicans? No... Suddenly, it came to her. "Oh, yes. The opposing party of the Democrats. The Dumb-Shit-Icans," Ayden told him laughing. I hope he got that... She later thought to herself.

Ayden loved deep thinking, it was her favorite next to breathing.<3
"The sky is infinite, we are not." She told him simply. The sky is infinite, knowledge is infinite, God is infinite. Everything that's important is infinite. "I can never comprehend the night sky, how many galaxies are there, how many billions of years it would take to reach a star." It simply amazed her.

As they turned a rather rounded corner, she bumped right into Junior. Ayden apologized a few times and laughed, sliding down the wall onto the floor. This probably wasn't very sanitary, but she didn't care. She needed to sit. Leaning her head against the wall, she looked up at him. "Are you just going to stand there forever?" She asked him, rather impatiently.

They sat there for a while, just conversing. He kept her entertained, which was nearly impossible for for someone her age. If you would walk into Hogwarts and listen in to a first-second year conversation, it would consist of the following: Pokemon, the cute Hufflepuff girl, Chutes and Ladders and the long gone Harry Potter. Not her type of conversation.

"So, what's your poison?" Ayden asked Junior out of the blue. A well-chosen question, she thought.

[Junior Floyd]

Politics. What a.. uh.. lovely subject. As she discussed it, Junior shrugged. It's not like he tapped the lives of these so called "politicians". He was more or less attracted to the Ministry, not the muggle world. Not that he had anything against them, but as he watched Ayden speak so highly of it, he couldn't help but look down and not know exactly what to say. What the heck were democratics? Or the shit thing? The subject was something that didn't tap into Junior's mind and he didn't want it to either. But as he looked at Ayden at the slight fascination that processed on her face, he just went along with it, not really care what they said to each other, as long as it was focused on conversation. Being relatively quiet was just plain awkward, to say the least.

He felt more content as Ayden discussed infinitcy and he listened calmly, as if the sky was about to pop out of nowhere and show itself. He thought hard about his answer before he said anything. "I suppose you're right. These things make up the endless world that we live in, and that certainly gives you something to think about" Junior said, looking ahead of him as he walked so he knew to the slightest where in the world he was going. He thought about the sky and the world that lay below it. It was so easy to think that something very exciting was happening in someone's life. As he peeped at Ayden, he sure thought something great happened when he met Ayden.

As Ayden came in contact with him with a small bump, he grinned, not at all embarassed. And as Ayden apologized often for her tiny error, Junior shook his head. "Not something to be sorry for" he said. And as she stressed him to join her on the ground, he did, quickly as a bunch of healers bunched through a nearby door. Looking at them, he realized that one day.. he would be that busy. And that work wasn't always cut out for him. Leaning against the wall, he smiled contently.

"My poison?" Junior frowned, thinking about the question at hand. Was this some new style of the modern world he still didn't know about? "Whatever do you mean?" he asked curiously, head tilting to the side in confusion.

[Ariennette Laurent]

Junior seemed quite uninterested in her...this was distressing to Ayden. She panicked and just sort of stopped talking. It was clear she was doing something wrong, but she didn't know what. She had only been herself, then it hit her. Herself, duh. Herself was different, even weird. She should've thought about it sooner. She blushed and fixed her eyes on the floor.

"Poison, well." Ayden took a deep breath, finally looking up at Junior. "You're older, what do you drink, or, don't drink?" She asked him, quite curious. Older folks have always been picky with what they swigged. If you asked a 6th or 7th year, they'd take anything they could get. Ayden wasn't into that kind of stuff. It would ruin her, she knew it. She had seen it happen so many times, it depressed her just thinking about it.

She got up slowly and offered Junior a hand. Smiling gently, she looked at this particular part of the hospital. It wasn't as busy, no sprinting healers, no overworked nurses. She looked around the walls to try and find some sort of a sign, and she found one. Psych Ward, it read. Ayden shivered. Her sister had died in the psych ward of an American hospital. She had never told anyone this. A deranged nurse had strangled Jayla. Ayden bit her lip and flipped her hair out. Think of something different, now.

Looking at Junior with pleading eyes, she held back tears. No, she wasn't one of those teary-eyed over-emotional teens. She hated what they did for her, no one over the age of 15 took her seriously. Ayden hated that. She tried to cheer herself up by taking a few deep breaths and winking at Junior, her eyes seeming to say 'How you doin?'

It was nearly five thirty. She still had a lot of time, but the hospital was scaring her a little bit. Ayden wanted to get out of here, and stay out until she absolutley had to come back. "Would you like to go outside?" She asked Junior, hoping he would agree. If he had been a student her age, or even up to a 7th year she would ask to go get a butterbeer or something. Junior was older, though. She didn't think he would ever even consider going with her to Hogsmeade. She shrugged and smiled at him, a true smile. She hadn't done that in a while...

[Junior Floyd]

A deep shade of color passed over Ayden's face and seeing this, he looked down too, dissapointed that he had actually dissapointed someone much younger than himself. But as he watched, Ayden's eyes fixated the not-so-clean floor and Junior frowned with a sigh, upset that he could make someone feel in such a way. The deep chatter Ayden had given off at the beginning of the conversation was no longer flowing. And this ended with it being totally awkward. Refusing to look at her, wondering if she was crying, his jaw tightened. Oh man. What did I do? Once more, the conversation started again as Ayden explained what she meant by his "poison"

He had to admit, this question didn't come up often and it took his breath away slightly. She was.. so much younger than he was and yet, the topic of alcholholic beverages was being brought up. Not wanting to dissapoint for the second time that night, he decided to answer with caution. You could never be too sure, anyway. "Uh.. well, a nice brandy always finds it's way in the tummy well.. uh.." he looked at Ayden curiously, trying to study her face. "Firewhiskey is quite lovely if you're down in the dumps. And butterbeer is my favorite during this time of season" he said, imagining the warm butterbeer sliding down his throat. Junior was thinking about what made him tick when Ayden reached down and offered a hand. Junior smiled at her, knowing that she was in a better mood. Or hoping it.. Junior pulled himself up and looked around.

They had reached the psych ward. Although unintentionally, he had thought at the beginning, Ayden was in fact, insane. But as he began spoking of her life to him, he no longer saw that trace. It was certainly a different place to be. The mood was swing-ey and cheery like it had been a few minutes ago, down the hall. Now it was gloom and it seemed like life was coming to an end. A frown pierced his face as he looked back at Ayden to see if her expression had changed. With a realization of horror, Junior was sure he was a spark of tear in her eyes as she continued to look at the sign. She turned back to him, trying to be as strong as possible as she looked at him.

"Yeah, let's go.." Junior said quietly as he wrapped an arm around her body for support. She looked awfully faint-like and Junior felt kind of bad that he had chosen this direction. Trying to keep pace with Ayden, he kept looking back at her to try and make sure she wasn't going to go down or anything. They finally made it to the entrance/exit of St. Mungoes. The fresh air met his face as his breathing slowed. It was much easier to breathe when you were away from all that. "You okay?" he whispered, not letting her go until she gave the okay.

[Ariennette Laurent]

Ayden was so happy to be leaving the hospital. She was hoping she hadn't disappointed Junior with her bad company. She shook it off and adjusted her eyes to the blinding sunlight. It felt good against her skin, the hospital had been cold.

As they found a place to sit on the grass, she purposly didn't say anything to Junior just yet. After a few minutes, she finally nodded. "I'm alright, really. I'm not one to worry about." She assured him, ashamed of how she had acted. But now was different, she could see the sky, see the possibilities. Ayden laid down in the grass and scrunched up her face. She stared straight up to a dog-shaped cloud. It was aesthetically pleasing. :]

She laughed and turnd over onto her stomache. Shifting the mood and conversation was tough, but not impossible. She got herself into this mess and she would get herself out. "What are you planning on doing with your life, Junior?" She asked him. Ayden was truly interested. He was a sweet man. He should do something good with his life, like helping people. Junior would be a good healer, now that she thought about it.

Ayden plucked a blade of particularly green grass. As she was lifting it up out of the ground, it cut her finger. Bloody hell. Honestly, who cuts themself on grass!? she asked herself rapidly. This was just like a papercut. Painful. It wasn't bleeding much, but it was enough to bother her. She tried to supress it with her shirt, but it didn't work. It wouldn't stop. Great. So much for redirecting the atmosphere.

[Junior Floyd]

Even though it was February and the sun was always obscured by clouds, the sun had managed to peep out today, of all days. The sunlight that bounced in front of Junior's eyes made him stop and adjust. But Ayden found herself well and the two of them walked over to the grass. The sun was pretty warm and closer than usual, so Junior could feel it being down on his rugged skin. Junior plopped down upon the grass, picking some up and throwing it beside him like he had done at the Lawns at Hogwarts. His eyes sparkled at the sun shined down on them and he felt like one giant crystal that kept on glistening.

"Not one to worry about?" Junior repeated, turning to stare at her for a long moment. But she was staring right back. Junior shook his head with a sigh. "I always worry. If I want to be a healer, I'm going to have to worry about people or else nothing would ever get done" Junior said as a smile crept over his face. "Don't worry, Ayden, I do worry. I do" he said persuasively. He fell over onto the grass as they didn't say anything for a moment. The clouds passed by silently, as did the moments tick by. Ayden asked him a question and he turned his head to answer after a moment of thought.

"Well, I've considered what I wanted to do since I was eleven. I had it all planned out. To become a famous football player and get into the Hall of Fame. But then I received my letter and my world turned upside down," Junior said, quieting down some. No need to yell, "Ever since the day I started learning about all the jobs in the world, I wanted to be a healer. I love helping people, but I also love saving people's lives" Junior said strongly. "As far as my personal life goes.. I plan on sticking around Hogwarts. For the most part, I want to fall in love and get married and maybe have a couple of kids" he said with a chuckle. "How about you?" he asked.

He then noticed her gasp beside him and a cut form on her hand. "Uh.. you okay?" he asked worriedly.

[Ariennette Laurent]

"You'd make an amazing healer." Ayden told him while studying the clouds. It was true, he cared about people. That was a rare trait. She looked over to him and smiled. A younger version of him would be a great find for Miss Ayden.

She was slightly puzzled by Junior wanting to have kids. She didn't, for sure. She would adopt, she had made up her mind several years ago. She closed her eyes and and breathed in the cool air. It was just cold enough to nip at her nose until the tip was raw, but not quite cold enough to make her fingers hurt. She went over what Junior said several times in her head. Fall in love? That's overrated. It had always ended in disaster for her.

"You're silly." Ayden finally told him as she looked him straight in the eye. "Why would you want to fall in love?" She set up her trap. "Haven't you been hurt already?" She pulled a band-aid out of one of her jean pockets. Unwrapping it was difficult with a bloody finger, she didn't want to get blood all over it. Ayden bit open the top flap and began to peel it off. She laid it on her finger and wrapped it around tight. Success.

[Junior Floyd]

"Thanks" Junior said coolly, glancing up at the clouds. They were moving at a rapid pace. Not lingering, nor speeding at top rate. But they seemed like they knew what they wanted to do, just were trying their best to figure out where to go. Junior raised an eyebrow. Thinking about clouds. What a goof. The cool February air was perhaps chilled, but the sun that shined down at them was well worth it. At least it wasn't raining.. or worse, snowing.

Junior was still staring at Ayden, trying to figure her thoughts out by figuring out her expressions at first. The closing of eyes either meant she was tired or thinking. He looked curiously at her, wondering what to say or have any idea what she was thinking. Pleasantly, he placed a hand to steady himself on the ground, turning away from her as she started to look at him.

"Love?" Junior asked her, wondering where to start. "Hurt.." he said softly, thinking about all his loves in his life. "Well, I look for peronality, those that I want to spend my life with and those that become my friends." he said slightly, thinking about it, "I was five. Her name was Telly, like television" he chuckled. "Anyway, she was a tomboy and I was the guy in the relationship. We would take long walks on the beach by our home, hand in hand sometimes.. and then we kissed" he said with an outburst of laugh. "And then she moved, and I never saw her again. It wasn't a major heart break because I was too young to understand what that meant, but I could.. somehow.. feel her pain, even if she was so far away from me at the time" Junior said, frowning. Oh.. empathy pains.