Misadventures (Dare/Michael/Silver)

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver had been waiting for his brother for a good quarter hour before he'd sat down against a tree and opened his notebook. If he was going to be kept waiting, at least he didn't have to be bored. He'd wondered for a while what was keeping Dare, but there was really no telling, so he'd let the thought go. Instead, he focused on the short story he was writing, very loosely based on his recent misadventures, but more fixed in fantasy than anything. He was absorbed enough that Dare would have to be on top of him before he'd notice.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare spotted Silver a short way off, just inside the treeline, out of the view of the school in general. The place served multiple purposes, but the main ones were that he knew Michael was comfortable here, and he'd known his brother would be as well. His theory was justified at the sight of Silver, propped back against a tree writing like he didn't have a care in the world.

"That's my brother," Dare said in an aside to Michael. He knew how absorbed Silver was, so he reached out his hand and caught Michael's, giving it a warm squeeze. "He's in his own world right now." Dare raised Michael's hand, pressed a quick kiss against it, then, taking a deep breath, released it. "Silver! Wake up, Sleeping Beauty!" he called.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

As he had predicted, the nerves instantly shot through Michael's body when he saw the guy leaning against a tree. Dare's actions only barely helped to lessen it, though a small smile came over his lips at how he greeted his brother. His hand tingled pleasantly, an odd contrast to the pounding of his blood. He hoped Silver wouldn't be able to sense the tension in his muscles and that everything would go smoothly.

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver's head shot up, and he blinked as he located the source of his brother's voice, for all the world looking like he had just waken up. When he spotted Dare, and just beside him, someone who had to be Michael, Silver scrambled to tuck his quill between the pages of his book, snap it closed, and push to his feet. He dusted awkwardly at the seat of his pants, then, suddenly anticipating a handshake that might or might not be offered, he dusted that same hand against his thigh, only realizing afterward that it was his left, and that since people shook with their right, it didn't matter.

Silver gave his brother a smile, not nearly his usual greeting, but then his brother's new friend was here, and Silver was distracted just with the effort of not sneaking any more glances than he could resist. Dare had seemed pretty excited about him meeting Michael, so Silver was rather concerned with making a good impression. He lifted his hand in greeting, but that was about all he could think to do. Social retard, he chided himself.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare knew exactly what his brother's problem was, and that it wouldn't help Michael at all. He sought to ease the tension as he and Michael drew closer, finally stopping in the small, bright clearing he and Silver had decided on. "Chill, Silver, he doesn't bite," Dare said, then, catching the possible double-meaning in his own words, he looked aside at Michael, a smirk threatening at the corner of his lips.

He calmed himself and put on as bored a face as he could, though it was ruined by his laughing eyes. He'd managed to break through the roof of his nerves, and now they were all focused into the moment. "Silver, Michael Hardt," Dare said in a voice of feigned superiority, inclining his head lightly in Michael's direction. "Michael, my brother, Sylvester Alleyne Blackwood, more familiarly known as Silver."

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael bit back a smart remark to the assertion that he didn't bite and shook Silver's hand, noticing as he met Silver's eyes that he had the same eyes as his brother. Dare was right, Silver was a bit awkward, but it was nice, he supposed. If Silver had been just as outgoing as Dare it may have been overwhelming. He wrestled a laugh into a grin at the way Dare introduced them, "Nice to meet you." He let Silver's hand go and let his own return to the safety of his pocket. He didn't know where to go from there and glanced back at Dare, hoping he would take the lead.

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver made a face at Dare, hopefully while Michael wasn't looking, in regards to being intruduced through his full name. But there was nothing to be done about it in front of company, for lack of a more appropriate word. "Nice to meet you too," Silver echoed, his gaze moving back and forth between Dare and Michael. His nerves weren't quite bad enough that he couldn't sense a private joke from the outside.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare arched an eyebrow at Silver rather than make a face back, though it was tempting. Instead, he plowed into conversation. "Silver here writes more than I draw," he told Michael, and before Silver could stammer out a disclaimer, he went on, "and he's good, too. He'll probably write the Great American Wizarding Novel by thirty." Argue that.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael quickly morphed his words to direct them at Silver instead of Dare, "If you write half as well as Dare draws, I wouldn't doubt it." He swallowed his nerves, fairly easy to do with the brother's interaction. "Though it's hard to imagine someone doing something more than you draw," he said, turning teasing eyes back to Dare.

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver grinned, any opportunity to tweak his brother worth letting go of some nervousness for. "He's as bad as I am, he's just in denial," Silver assured Michael, though his gaze was, more comfortably, on Dare. He didn't bother acknowledging or fighting his brother's assurances as to his writing skill--it would be a waste of breath likely ending in Dare insisting on a reading.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Now it was Dare's turn to make a face. "I'm not in denial," he said. He knew the likelihood that would be argued, so he went on, turning his gaze to Michael. "I wasn't this bad before Hogwarts," he said, though he'd never really thought about it before. "He's the one who's obsessed," Dare added, gesturing toward his brother.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"I dunno," Michael said, looking at Dare. "You seem pretty obsessed, you are the one that started a club," he pointed out. He was pleased with how easy the introduction and flow into conversation had gone, pushing away most of the residual nervousness, though some remained. He hoped Dare wouldn't take the teases to heart, it was just an easy way to keep the nerves at bay.

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver looked at Dare with gently laughing eyes. "You started a club?" he asked incredulously. That was hard to believe. "I guess if you're that obsessed," he teased, then, dropping his gaze to Dare's sketchbook, he did a quick double-take. "Is that a new one already?" he asked. "Jeez, you have gotten worse!"

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare's eyes widened, then narrowed in mock annoyance. "Yes, it's a new sketchbook, and no, the one you got me isn't full yet. I got this one for a project I started. It's only got one picture in it, anyway." Dare wasn't sure if he ought to tell Silver about his project now, considering the tension on the subject that he and Michael had just gotten away from. He decided he could tell his brother about it later.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael grinned at the two of them, then glanced down to see Dare's sketchbook. He was really taking that deal with Emilian seriously. His mind was lost then, thinking about the next week, when they would go down to the shop. Michael shook his head slightly and ran a hand through his hair, trying to get the thought to leave. For the moment he remained silent, focusing on keeping the thoughts from coming to the front of his mind.