A Mess (Ocean/Jory)

[Ocean Abbott]

Ocean wondered at a guy with a tattoo sleeve coming out. He'd say it was unrealistic. Other than dancing and liking boys though he was normal. "You should tell them first. Have a punch line. Confidence if pretty good to throw people off. That or a glamor. I had this friend who used to actually dress like a girl. I mean. If it's your thing." Ocean tossed his hair out of his eyes again, "otherwise offer to pierce their ears for them. Most homophobes will run."

[Jory Addison]

Jory managed another smile, though his eyes lowered to now-free hands. "Wish I was more like you," he said. "Besides, it's too late to throw them off." They already had him, they knew just what to say to make him hurt, and they used it as often as they could. "I just want them to leave me alone." He didn't know how to get them to do that, he didn't even have friends to help him through it, at least not anymore.

[Ocean Abbott]

Blood hounds to the hunt. People who didn't understand were often like that. "They won't leave you alone if you try to avoid them." He gestured to the bag, "if you carry everything with you." He tossed his hair aside again. An old habit. Tucking hair that wouldn't stay behind his ear. "I swear they scent fear." He turned on a rakish grin. "I could hold your hand down hallways. Again, they'd probably leave a wide berth."

Ocean laughed at a though. "They'd probably nuts skittles. Think we had cooties or something." It was how he'd dealt in the past. Given them something to fear themselves. It wasn't terrorism. Just being who they were born to be. The muggle slogon tastes like the rainbow ran through his mind. Rainbows.

[Jory Addison]

Heat ran up Jory's neck from his chest at that idea, even though it was a tease. "Or it'll just make them say more stuff," he said, glancing up again before refocusing on his hands. "I'd rather avoid them, anyway, if they can't find me they can't say anything to me." He wanted to be as far away from them as he could, though maybe if he had someone to face the guys with, he'd feel more confident. "What's your name?" he asked.

[Ocean Abbott]

Ocean ran a hand through his hair. He glanced up at the ceiling for a moment. He turned his head to the other boy. "Ocean." He shrugged. "I think my name gets me in more trouble." If the other boy couldn't be confident yet Ocean wouldn't push. He'd had a lifetime of being this. "Yours?" He'd half meant it when he said he'd walk with the other boy. He was cute.

[Jory Addison]

"Jory," he answered. Jory wanted to be able to be confident, he wanted to be able to walk down the halls with someone, but whatever confidence he had had been slowly torn away over the past months. Between his failed forays into being with someone and coming out, it was gone. "I like your name," he said. "I've never heard anyone named that."

[Ocean Abbott]

"Yeah. Well. I swore I'd have it changed till I was ten. Then it was me." He shook his head, tucking a thumb out of his pocket. "My dad used to tease me. He said it was how I was conceived." Ocean mock shuddered. "I told him it was impossible. As a witch concocted me of snips, snails, and puppy dog tails." It had taken a long time to accept his name. Longer than it had taken to accept his sexuality.

[Jory Addison]

Jory had known about himself as far back as he could remember, he just had refused to tell anyone outright. He had wanted to tell, but he hadn't been able to get up the guts to do it, not until he had gone. He shrugged, "Well I like it." He had liked Lyric's as well. Still, this was going better than the majority of his first meetings with new people had gone.

[Ocean Abbott]

Ocean was glad Jory liked it. "Do you like it enough to let me carry your bag for you? They might go after me instead. I can take it." He held out a hand for the bag. "I can escort you to class. I don't have any classes yet. So I've got time." At least he'd be able to get Jory to class safely. Maybe he could talk the other guys off. He hadn't seen Jory in the Hufflepuff common rooms last night. Either he was in another house or another year.

[Jory Addison]

Jory just knew that whatever flush had been on his neck from before hadn't even had time to completely go away before it came back again. "You don't have to carry my bag," he said with an almost bashful smile. "You can walk with me, though. Except I don't have class for, like, another half hour." If that meant more time with Ocean, though, Jory was all for having a little extra time before his next class.

[Ocean Abbott]

"That's fine. I haven't had time to explore yet. Well, except the empty classrooms." Ocean wanted to stick his hand back in his pocket. Instead he put out his quill and passed it between fingers. "How long have you been here? You're whole education? Or are you a transfer too?" When they'd researched Hogwarts they'd noticed that. It had a high transfer rate. Only a few major blemishes or dark magic. Otherwise exemplary records. The defeat of Voldemort and all.

[Jory Addison]

"I came here at the beginning of last term," Jory said. "It wasn't really a big deal, I didn't really talk to anyone at my old school, anyway." He couldn't really say it was better here, considering all that had happened, but at least he was talking to people, even if those conversations rarely ended well. He supposed it was better than nothing. "Where were you before you came here?" He knew the accent, but that didn't' mean anything with such a large country.

[Ocean Abbott]

"Virginia. Fairfax county." Ocean looked around. "Everything here is so open. I feel odd out of a city." Not that he'd gotten out much. Dancing. Meeting. That was his life. School. Dancing. Home. Homework. Dancing. Sleep. Dancing. He loved dancing. At least in the city when he'd left dancing there was a busy world around him. The silent solitude he reserved for dancing. "I have to find a dance club. Something." And he'd only been here a day.

[Jory Addison]

"I've never lived in a city," Jory said, "I've always been out in the middle of nowhere. Um...but there's a club in Hogsmeade, I went once before I was out." He didn't know how it would be to go when everyone knew. "It's like...the only time I've ever danced. I heard about some gay clubs in London, though." And Markise had absolutely refused to teach him how to go to one and be safe, so he hadn't been able to experience one.

[Ocean Abbott]

Some club in Hogsmeade didn't sound so great. "In London?" Ocean said part question. Part statement. "I'll have to check them out. I had a straight friend I used to go to gay clubs with." Magically altered ids were great too. If Ocean's ballet instructor ever found out. Well that would be the end of that. Fortunately he rarely drank.