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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Mar 18, 2011 14:41:31 GMT -5
Dare still felt like he was getting away with something being here. He still felt like a poser in his skinny jeans, with his violet Weird Sisters shirt, his canvas shoes, and the robes just hanging off his shoulders. He glanced down at his right wrist, then flipped open the metal case to read the time. His class had been cancelled, but Michael's hadn't, and he needed out of the castle.
Elouai pulled tightly at her leash a moment before realizing Dare had stopped, and she whined softly, eager to get on with this unexpected walk. The lake was visible, and she wanted to chase some of the creatures that lived close to the water's edge, and maybe even to poke her nose into the water to see if it was still cold.
Dare brought his head up and gave a soft smile. It was still colder than he liked, but he was able to cope now, as long as he had his arm warmers and a scarf on. "Sit," he told Elouai, then walked up beside her and knelt to reach for her collar. "Race?" he asked, to a thudding tail and a quiver of canine excitement. He unhooked her leash, but held on as he moved into a running position. "Siiiit," he reminded her, then all at once released her and burst into a run, the large black dog following him in leaps and bounds.
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Post by Keith Evans on Mar 18, 2011 15:08:43 GMT -5
Keith wasn't expecting two large shapes to rush by his spot overlooking the lake. He generally wasn't much of an outdoorsy person, but he could appreciate it sometimes, especially on days like this when he had a break and the sloping lawns were nearly empty. "I didn't think this school allowed dogs," he said, though he was unsure the man would even hear him. Then it clicked who it was, Dare. Maybe he should make some effort to talk to him.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Mar 18, 2011 16:17:14 GMT -5
Dare skidded to a stop some distance from the water, then hopped a bit to keep his balance as he turned toward that voice. Elouai used this as her chance to run into the water, barking at droplets that sprayed over her with all the enthusiasm she could muster. Dare was trying not to grin, trying to act dignified, but it was an act, and his blood was still running. "She's well-behaved and the Headmistress..." Dare stopped his excuse and tried to slow his breathing when he recognized who he was talking to.
"Keith, right? Evans?" he asked, still panting slightly. He didn't get out enough. "Yeah, anyhow, the Headmistress made an exception and let us bring her," he said, crooking a thumb back at the thoroughly-soaked German Shepherd. Still, he straightened and attempted to pull his robes straight, though it did little good with windblown hair and a flushed face. He grinned crookedly, fully aware that he'd been caught.
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Post by Keith Evans on Mar 18, 2011 16:22:09 GMT -5
Keith grinned and nodded, "That's great, she's a gorgeous dog. And yeah, Keith. You're Dare, right? I've heard about you." He wasn't sure how much longer he would be staying out, but at least getting out of the cozy, comforting warmth of the greenhouses had led to him meeting Dare. He pulled himself up to stand, sliding his things over to the side half into his bag.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Mar 18, 2011 16:35:29 GMT -5
"Doesn't surprise me," Dare said. "Anything good this time?" He didn't read the Daily Prophet; it was a waste of time and sanity to see what bull Dahlia had scraped up. It pissed Michael off to no end, and though Dare used to wonder, he'd gotten used to fast-paced whispers stopping as he approached and hardly noticed anymore.
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Post by Keith Evans on Mar 18, 2011 16:43:11 GMT -5
"Oh, I don't know of anything new, I haven't read a Prophet since I moved here. Rowan told me who you were." Keith hadn't had the chance to meet anyone else, or even seen Rowan more than the one time. He hoped he would be able to be in more contact with them all, if only to know who he was working with past names and faces.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Mar 18, 2011 17:35:10 GMT -5
Dare blinked. "The Charms professor?" Were they really big enough news for the faculty to talk about them? He hadn't considered that, and didn't know whether to be flattered or creeped out. "I don't know if I want to ask, considering the crap the students talk about. Can't imagine it'd be better anywhere else."
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Post by Keith Evans on Mar 18, 2011 17:50:33 GMT -5
"It's nothing bad, I promise," Keith said, sliding his hands into his pockets. "We were talking about how backwards the wizarding world is when it comes to people like the two of you and me. The conversation just kind of came up." He wasn't much of a gossiper, and tried not to get into it if he could help it...talking about the students with Rowan didn't count.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Mar 18, 2011 18:37:47 GMT -5
People like the two of you and me. The two of whom? Him and Rowan? Him and Michael? Dare wasn't used to being vague about things and made some noncommittal sound rather than ask like an idiot. "The wizarding world is backwards about a lot of stuff," he said. He was interrupted by a loud bark and glanced over his shoulder to find Elouai snapping at fish just beneath the water's surface. "Elouai! Quiet!"
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Post by Keith Evans on Mar 18, 2011 18:47:10 GMT -5
Keith nodded, and smiled gently at the dog's antics. "Yeah, but this school seems a lot more accepting overall of same-sex relationships." His eyes focused on the dog, had Dare said Elouai? as he spoke and after he flicked his eyes over toward Dare before they returned to the water's edge. "How old is she?" he asked, tilting his head toward the dog.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Mar 18, 2011 20:16:08 GMT -5
"About two years," Dare said, distracted from his relief at having his question answered by the subject of Elouai. "Found her when Michael was running the pet shop in Diagon Alley, and couldn't let her go." He was so glad they'd broken and gotten her. She'd been more responsibility than he'd realized she would be, but more help than he'd ever expected. "She's happy as long as she's got something to do."
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Post by Keith Evans on Mar 18, 2011 20:36:49 GMT -5
"I can't imagine there's a shortage of things for her to do in this place," Keith said, looking over his shoulder at the castle for a moment. "I'm not much of a pet person, in general, but I do like dogs. Did you get her when she was a puppy?" Technically she could still be considered a puppy, but he figured Dare knew what he meant.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Mar 18, 2011 21:31:39 GMT -5
"Yeah, she was about thisbig," Dare said, holding his hands up. "But she had these huge paws. She's awesome." He glanced back at her again. "Great judge of character, too." Mano didn't seem so bad, but from what Michael said, he must have mellowed out some in the years they'd been apart. Just not enough to keep his shoes clean.
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Post by Keith Evans on Mar 18, 2011 21:33:52 GMT -5
"Yeah, shepherds tend to be," Keith said. Even with the blur that had been her running by and her odd coloring it was easy to tell the breed, especially when he really did like that breed. "I guess it's a good thing she hasn't come after me or anything." He had met a few dogs before that just didn't like him at all, and no one had ever been able to figure out quite why. It was nice to know that the only dog in the castle apparently had nothing against him.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Mar 18, 2011 21:51:31 GMT -5
"She's a good dog," Dare said, his voice firming. "She's got a bark that'll stop about anyone, but unless I give her the go ahead or you have me on the ground, she'll hold back." He turned back toward the water and gave a sharp whistle, calling her attention. "I'll introduce you," he said. "She's good about strangers, especially since we started bringing her to school.
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