Hanging by the Lake

Kyria rushed down the grounds towards the Great Lake. The school year was nearly over and she had been visiting her favorite spots around the school for the last time, at least until the next school year started. There were already some students, who had decided to enjoy the freshness of the lake as well. Most were swimming and splashing, having a good time in the lake.

Kyria found a good spot by the edge of the glassy lake and put down her towel. She wanted to take a swim. Kyria took off her clothes to reveal a swimsuit underneath and felt the warm rays of the sun hit her skin. Stepping into the cool water was a delight as well and before long, Kyria had dipped her head under the water. She stayed under for awhile before swimming back up for a breath of air. Kyria floated for a bit before actually swimming quite a distance over to the small dock that connected to a staircase leading up to the tower. There she could see jsut a few students jumping off it, though it was mostly empty since students were enjoying most of their time in the water.

Kyria swam towards the dock at a moderate speed, not wanting to tire herself just yet. Reaching the dock, she pulled herself up and sat on the edge, taking in the view of the now restless lake. She saw a lot of familiar faces in the lake, but not very many of whom she was friends with. Who knows what her other friends were doing. Maybe she should've asked someone to come with her. Kyria only thought of swimming that day, not of actually bringing a friend or two along. usually when she had a plan set in mind she neglected to tell anyone. Nonetheless, the day was still young, she was sure she'd find someone soon. Kyria dipped back into the water and held herself onto the edge of the dock, letting herself float whilst leaning onto the wood.

Ray had always loved the water. It was a turbulent force of nature- serene and calm at first, but stormy and powerful when provoked. It was strong enough to cause significant damage to civilizations, and had wiped out some civilizations in the past. It also held secrets, millions of them, which, if found, would grant immense power and riches to mankind. With such things in mind, he had decided to visit the Great Lake, the humongous body of water near the castle. It was common knowledge that that Lake was a magical point, and held a lot of magical things within it. One of those were the mermen which inhabited the lake, but never came close to where the students swam. Even if they did, it was just to play a friendly game of water polo.

Ray walked towards it, noticing the stares he was getting from the female members, and the glares from the male ones. Ignoring them, he kept on walking forth, choosing a spot to put down his supplies. He took off his shirt and jeans, revealing his built body, much to the happiness of the girls. He looked at the lake for a second, before running and diving in it, the cold water getting him completely refreshed. He pushed himself forward underwater, his wand stowed away in the waistband of his boxers. Noticing that the water turned abruptly murky after a set depth, he pushed himself upwards.

Emerging near the dock, he looked upwards towards the sky, before dipping back in and gripping the edge of the dock, giving himself some support as trained his eyes on the horizon. It was only then he noticed that he was next to someone. He turned to see that someone, and was taken aback for a bit. She was one of the(he'd never admit it out in the open) most beautiful girls he'd seen till now. He moved away slightly, and then smiled slightly at her. His cheek muscles were grateful to him, because they'd been stretched for the first time in three months. "Sorry for ending up here abruptly. I'm Ray Ignazia.", said he, looking back towards the horizon.

As Kyria floated by the dock, holding herself up, she gave herself some shut eye. She kept her eyes shut against the bright sun. Nothing really was on her mind, Kyria just cleared her mind. The water felt cool against her exposed parts of skin and just floating there had made her feel relaxed. She hadn't felt like this for awhile. If one looked at her, they might think she could be asleep.

As Kyria rested her head on her crossed arms, which held her to the dock, she felt ripples beside her. She thought at first it was just someone swimming past by. But then she heard something touch the hard wood of the dock. Kyria splashed her face with water before turning her head to see who had joined her.

Kyria involuntarily held her breathe seeing who had come up next to her. He was really hot, but Kyria wasn't one to admit this so quickly or openly. It was a good thing her face were a little of a pinkish red hue from the sun cause she could feel warmth on her cheeks... or maybe it was the sun.

"Sorry for ending up here abruptly. I'm Ray Ignazia." Kyria remembered seeing glimpses of him around the halls, but she never cared much to keep a long glance. Kyria, being as independent as she was, didn't usually enjoy checking guys out. She usually just liked being left to her own devices.

Kyria couldn't help but smile back to Ray. "It's alright," she assured him. "I'm Kyria Lyris. It's a pleasure to meet you." Kyria introduced cheerfully. "Are you looking forward to the summer?"

"It's alright,"
"I'm Kyria Lyris. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Are you looking forward to the summer?"

Ray found himself staring at her smile for quite some time, before remembering that she had, in fact, asked him a question. He almost slapped himself, and then looked back up at her, steeling his mind to answer said question. "Yes, I sure am looking forward to the summer. It'll be a lot of fun for me. There'll be a lot of time to invent new things and whatnot. What about you?"

It was the classic "return", in order to keep conversation going. He let out a small sigh as he looked to the sky, noticing the sharp contrast of the summer sky to the murky underwaters of the mermen's castle. The whole view was breathtaking, like something someone would find in a movie about their life. It almost made him want to contemplate life itself, but then a tiny fragment of his mind was telling him to look at the girl. And so he did, finding himself staring at her again, unable to break away. What was happening to him? Was he attacked by some bug or something? Or did he just change overnight?

Ray's ears picked up the sound of angry chatter, and turned to look. A commotion had broken out near the bank of the lake, and people were staring each other down, while some shot Ray a flirtatious look. Choosing to ignore them, Ray turned back to Kyria. "So, Kyria, do tell me, what brings you out here today?". The question was simple in order to keep her attention on him, and not to let her know of the commotion near the bank. That would be dealt with soon.

He looked towards the horizon again, and made up his mind. He would tell this woman that she was beautiful, even if it would mean that she wouldn't talk to him again. It just had to be let out. So once again he turned to Kyria, smiling sheepishly. A blush was creeping up in his face, so he tried hiding it as much as he could, before nodding at her. "Oh, by the way, you're really beautiful.". Finally, the cat was out of the bag. He let out a happy sigh, awaiting her reaction.

Kyria found herself hanging onto the edge with one arm, her hand gripping the bottom of the wood, as she listened to Ray. "Yes, I sure am looking forward to the summer. It'll be a lot of fun for me. There'll be a lot of time to invent new things and whatnot. What about you?"

"Well other than staying with my Aunt and cousin, I may explore some more of their forest or perhaps actually visit Hogsmeade. I haven't done much the past two summers hopefully I can come out more." As Ray looked up to the sky, Kyria laid her head on both her arms on the dock, easing up a little from her initial meeting-a-new-person shyness.

Kyria would look up to the sky, but she couldn't seem to take her eyes off him. At least until he moved she didn't. When he turned back, Kyria suddenly looked away, almost to the direction of the commotion. However when she caught a glimpse of it, Ray had turned back at her and she was caught by his gaze, no longer caring what was going on at the shore. He had asked her a question.

"Oh! Well you know... The school year's just nearly ended I wanted to enjoy what little time I have left here until until school starts again." Kyria answered. "Also i was quite bored. I tend to be a very restless person so you know so I can't really hold still and not do anything for too long."

Kyria was still holding onto the dock when Ray said, "Oh, by the way, you're really beautiful." That had done it. Kyria could feel her face turning redder and needed to find a way to hide it quick. "Oh umm.. thanks," she replied, feeling quite flattered as she hid her face between her arms, supporting herself onto the dock. Kyria was never commented on her looks before, which made the blush even worse. however as she tried to inconspicuously hide her face, she managed a small smile.

"You don't look too bad yourself..." Kyria admitted almost shyly again. Afterwards, Kyria would feel a small amount of awkward silence ensue around them. So that she had something to do, Kyria released from the dock and floated herself alongside Ray, looking down into the lake glancing up to ray occasionally, though kind of shy and not really knowing what to say anymore.

"Oh! Well you know... The school year's just nearly ended I wanted to enjoy what little time I have left here until until school starts again."
"Also i was quite bored. I tend to be a very restless person so you know so I can't really hold still and not do anything for too long."

Ray nodded at her, not really knowing what to say, just staring blankly at her. After all, who wouldn't? It wasn't every day that Ray came across someone he actually called beautiful. Hell, it was very rare for him to actually even look at another girl. After all, he was completely crazy about his work, and everything that came with it. That reminded him, he had more work to do. Work never left him, did it now? Always taking away time. But then again, his work, or his research, was the thing that was immensely fun to do.

At that precise moment, Ray realized that she'd been speaking something relevant to him, and he played the notes in his mind again to realize what she had said. He looked at her sheepishly. "Point noted. Although, once school starts, it'll be much more fun to come out here with a few people, if you like the company of said person." He smiled at her again, unable to do much except smile and stare at her as if he were talking to a very important person. It was as if his brain had decided to put him on autopilot, while it itself gawked at her beauty. Ray resisted the urge to slap himself across the face, and looked down at the water, looking back up just in time to see her blush.

Ray started smiling really wide, and couldn't stop himself. Her blushing had made him blush, and it was more prominent on his pale skin. Much more prominent. Uncaring enough to hide his face, he continued looking at her, his heart elating for the first time in decades after he saw her smile again. What was wrong with him? What was going on? Was he finally feeling something apart from angst, after what seemed like a billion years? He blushed even harder at her comment, trying to think of something witty to say. Unable to think of anything, he just laughed, a pristine, happy laugh somehow coming from the depths of his darkness. "Thankyou, mademoiselle. You made me happier.", was all he said, and he meant every single word of it.

There was a little bit of silence until Ray had answered to her.  "Point noted. Although, once school starts, it'll be much more fun to come out here with a few people, if you like the company of said person." Kyria nodded and smiled.

"That's also true if said person likes your company as well," Kyria replied sweetly and smiling, somewhat referring to themselves. She blushed a little more when ray thanked her fr the comment. "Your welcome."

A silence ensued between the two and for a while, Kyria had become caught in his gaze. This was all very new to Kyria and she didn't know what to make of it. What was this feeling? Was it a normal one? It left her somewhat confused and the questions made her feel awkward. She broke the gaze and inside felt like she wanted to leave the awkwardness, but... there was a a part of her that didn't seem to want to leave Ray alone. Kyria didn't know if it was because she had made a new friend or if it was from something else.

"You know," Kyria started timidly, "If you'd like maybe we could... hang out sometime during the summer. Perhaps at Hogsmeade or something?" She asked, unknowingly showing her shy, innocent side of herself. Anxious for a reply, Kyria bit her lower lip a little and looked down into the murky water. She was really hoping she could be able to see ray over the summer. First of all it would be a nice change than seeing her cousin or father like she already does. Second it'd be a fun way to probably explore a little, be on her own for once and with a friend for once other than in school. Kyria looked back up, expectantly at ray, hoping he might agree.

"That's also true if said person likes your company as well,"

Ray blushed again, and nodded, while smiling to himself. However, in his mind, he was berating himself, asking himself the reason about him acting like this. He wasn't able to find a good enough reason. It was either something wrong with him, or he was attracted to this girl before him. Both were highly unlikely. Ray had trained himself to be emotionally oblivious to his surroundings, but had something managed to penetrate his barrier? No...it couldn't be possible....or could it? He had heard of such things happening, but to actually happen to him? How had all these years of training failed him? He hadn't yet stopped blushing, and checked himself to see that he had he had his eyes trained on Kyria's  eyes. He also found himself involuntarily smiling, something he hadn't done in a long, long time.

"You know.....If you'd like maybe we could... hang out sometime during the summer. Perhaps at Hogsmeade or something?"

Ray looked up at her, a new hope in his eyes. Was she actually suggesting that they would meet again, at a place apart from school? As much as he'd hate to admit, he was really looking forward to the prospect of it. He couldn't believe himself. How was he actually liking all of this, how was he liking the prospect of meeting someone for a reason other than business? He'd changed, that was for sure. Maybe not with other people, but definitely with this girl. He had to get to the root of it. So he did what any sane person would do. "I'd love you, ma'am. You're fun to be with.". It was true, and it wasn't hurting anyone.

The whole time Kyria waited for an answer, she wondered if Ray would accept. She hoped so, though wasn't really sure he would. They had just met and barely even really knew anything about each other. Would it just be awkward then if they did? Would Ray be comfortable with it? Kyria dispersed her mind of any such thoughts. She was getting too far ahead of herself. She didn't even have an answer and she was already freaking out. What was wrong with her?

"I'd love *to (pretty sure you meant that ), ma'am. You're fun to be with." Kyria felt a blush come to her face. Her first thought was to tell him that he doesn't have to call her "ma'am", but Kyria decided to tell him later. She didn't want to ruin the sweet aura she could feel around them. Kyria smiled as she replied.

"Thanks~ You really think I'm fun to be with?" Kyria asked. No doubt she knew she was fun to be with, but for some reason with Ray she felt somewhat flattered. Maybe it was because again, they had just met. Kyria wondered why should would be feeling this way so fast. She bit her lip a little while she pondered this thought and waited for a reply. Could she be falling for him already? Kyria was somewhat worried about it. She felt it was going way too fast but... maybe it will dispel after awhile... once she was used to his amazing looks. Maybe she was just distracted by it. Kyria didn't know. In the end, Kyria decided to let it go for the time being.

After hearing an answer from Ray, Kyria would smile."So then Hogsmeade? Is that fine?" She asked sweetly.

"Thanks~ You really think I'm fun to be with?"

Ray nodding, blushing a little more, not able to tear away from her captivating eyes. He'd never acted like this before, let alone felt stuff like this before. Maybe it would go away soon. Ray didn't really know what he was feeling, or why he was feeling something like this. He couldn't understand anything, which scared him even more, since he mostly knew everything, and even if he didn't know, he was able to understand quite easily. So what was wrong with him? He blushed even more, looking now at her eyes, before remembering that he had to reply. "Any person who can turn my normally boring day into a day where I'm blushing so much has to be considered as fun to be around. So I guess you are fun to be around."

He had said it. She was making him blush, and he'd said it out loud. He felt like the biggest idiot in the world. But then again, his instinct had told her to tell her that. He didn't know what to do anymore. It was feeling really weird. The man who always had a plan, was now without one? He needed to think.

"So then Hogsmeade? Is that fine?"

Ray nodded almost instantaneously. The prospect of meeting this beautiful lady somewhere outside school, alone, was too enticing for a man of his caliber. Why was it enticing? He didn't know. He sighed a little, and then smiled brightly at her, his eyes taking in the beauty once again. For the millionth time. He blushed deeply and managed to look away, only to find out that people were staring at them. Maybe he should kill those guys. He turned back to her.

"Yep, will do. Anytime you say so."