Leap of Faith (Keith/Rowan)

[Rowan Trace]

The living room wasn't in a state of chaos so much as one of transition. There were several neatly-stacked boxes and his rug was rolled up against one wall, ready to be shrunk for the move. Once things had been decided, Rowan wasted no time putting them into motion.

He was expecting Keith at some point, though he wasn't entirely clear on when. A quick note some time ago had told him that Keith would meet him later, and considering the rumors already being whispered in the corridors, he expected they'd be going out later for drinks, as well.

No one knew what had happened in any detail, of course, but a tearful Jory had been spotted in the Gryffindor Common Room and a stunned Trent had been escorted from the grounds. It didn't take a leap of imagination for him to guess that Keith had been involved, or that he'd at least seen what had happened.

[Keith Evans]

Keith wasn't even sure if Shianni was there, but he needed to see Rowan. If Shianni was as okay with everything as Rowan said she wouldn't care if he came to visit. He knocked on the door before sliding his hands deep into his pockets. While the talk with Kane had helped a bit when it came to Trent, Keith was possibly even more confused about Rowan.

[Rowan Trace]

Rowan made a mental note of where he was stopping, then headed to the door, opening it for Keith. "Come in," he said. "You can leave your shoes on, there's really no point since we'll be moving tonight." He was wearing crisp, clean canvas shoes, but it was still odd doing so, even with the floors cleared. "Shianni is packing in her room, I believe. I hope you don't mind the mess."

[Keith Evans]

Keith shook his head, "It's fine." He looked around at the various things packed away. Seeing it, the physical proof of Rowan moving somewhere else with his wife, struck him. "Kane made me talk to him or I would have been back forever ago." Shianni had her own room? In reality that wasn't surprising, but his head wanted to latch on to anything it could.

[Rowan Trace]

"Made you?" Rowan said, giving Keith a brief, knowing glance. He closed the door and moved back into the room, resuming the process of organizing things before he sent them soaring off to their respective boxes. "What happened? There was a lot of talk about Trent being on the grounds, but no one seems to know anything."

[Keith Evans]

"I came up on him holding up Jory Addison against a wall, pushed off away from him. I sent Jory off to the common room and ended up having to disarm Trent. The guy was f~ing holding his wand to his head," Keith said, shaking his head. "I'd offer to give you some help but I'd make a mess of things," he added.

[Rowan Trace]

"It's fine," Rowan said definitively. He would far prefer to do it himself and know precisely where all of it was. It would make sorting boxes into rooms much easier. It was only his uncharacteristic distraction which prevented an immediate response. "It's a good thing you went after him, then," he said. "Jory's a good prefect, but he couldn't have handled a situation like that on his own."

[Keith Evans]

"I think Kane's probably going to talk to Jory about it, too," Keith said. "Can't believe that happened." He found a piece of furniture and leaned back on it. He removed his hands from his pockets to cross his arms instead. "At least I think it's safe to say I won't be sleeping with him again," he said in a strained attempt at humor.

[Rowan Trace]

"Probably for the best," Rowan agreed. Keith's taste in friends—or sexual partners—was a source of bafflement. At the thought, Rowan couldn't come up with a single one of Keith's friends that he liked, though Keith fit in with his own friends well enough. "You can sit if you like. I'll get you something to drink." He flicked his wand in the direction of the kitchen before returning to the contents of the trunk he was arranging shrunken boxes in.

[Keith Evans]

"I can't sit," Keith said. "I don't know how you stand talking to Kane like that." Just the short time he had been in that deceptively comforting room had drained him. He would need to keep a bottle by the door for coming home if he went to Kane regularly and every session was anything close to being like that.

[Rowan Trace]

Rowan looked over at Keith, his head tilting slightly. "You must have had a different experience than I have. I find it... a relief talking about things with an impartial party. But I've told you that before." He wouldn't begin to ask Keith about his session, knowing how personal they could be. "I guess they can be exhausting when you've gone over something difficult, but when something is resolved... it's a relief." That really was the best word for it.

[Keith Evans]

"Yeah not much of anything got resolved," Keith said. "And I am exhausted. A lot's happened today." He grabbed the water bottle that came to him more for something to do with his hands than anything else. His gaze was focused on the bottle, or at least he tried to focus it on the bottle. Soon enough, however, he lost the battle and looked at Rowan, turning Kane's words over and over in his mind.

[Rowan Trace]

"When that happens, the best thing is to clear your mind and try to sort through it again. If you're up to it, we can go out later." He looked back up at Keith, and for a moment was silent as he let his boxes pack themselves. "Am I missing something?" he asked. This was a look he wasn't accustomed to from Keith, and he was unsure what to make of it.

[Keith Evans]

"Just...yeah, I'd like to go out," Keith said. "Talked about you and me some." His eyes flickered toward where he knew Shianni hid. He didn't want to talk about it where she could appear any time. He shifted, uncomfortable with the idea of being interrupted again.

[Rowan Trace]

Rowan's gaze followed Keith's. "Ah. If you'd feel more comfortable talking in my room, that's all right. It should be nearly finished packing by now." That would leave the furniture waiting to be shrunk, but if there were still objects flying around, he could pause them for a while.