after hours {ARSEN}

It had always been hard for Anna to talk to people ever since the summer. Life took too much out of her. Soon, she might as well be lifeless, the shell of her body lying lifeless on the ground.

She was out on the courtyard again, counting all the flowers she could see. She was sitting cross-legged on the ground near the flowerbeds, her hair in a messy bun. All the troubles of the world blew away when she stared at flowers.

It had been a long night and he'd had nothing to do, he was just thankful the sun was now up so he could terrorise some people. That was his favourite hobby at the minute. His endless wandering lead him out to the clock tower courtyard where he spotted his potential victim for the day. He leant up agains the wall of the door way for a few seconds just watching her before finally making his way over to her soundlessly.

"Flowers?" He asked looking down at them. "I never did see the attraction in them." He said picking one up then turning it to dust.

Anna turned around to see a person in Slytherin robes who she swore looked all too familiar. How or why, she had no idea. She didn't mind his distaste of flowers, because she didn't like them too much either. She only counted them just for the sake of having something to do. If Anna was bored, she would usually mimic throwing a dagger at a wall, but considering that there was no wall to do that, she had to compromise. Obviously, though, this boy didn't know that.

"Well, you have no idea how much boredom can do to a person," she said bitterly, watching the older boy turn the flower to dust. "I don't know if this is a good thing, but I like dust. It's very... intriguing."

He sniggered. "Oh can you never sleep either?" He added with a hint of sarcasm and he sat down on the grass and leaned back on his arms so he could feel the full effect of the suns power.

He considered it for a moment. "Dust is like ash, so dust is cool." He shrugged. "Especially when you get to see the ash happen."

"Who can never sleep?" she asked, an oh-puh-lease tone to her voice. "Let me guess, you can. I know when someone's bragging about that."

She smirked, staring absent-mindedly at the dust. "Show me," she responded.

He rolled his eyes. "It is impossible for me to sleep now." He stated, it sadened him sometimes that he didnt have that form of escape any more but there was nothing he could do about it now and he couldn't even remember how it felt to sleep.

He looked up at her before balling his hand into a fist in front of them both. Slowly he opened his hand to reveal small flames that didn't even seem to burn his skin.

"Well, too bad," Anna sighed, going along with the person's bad mood. (Well, it was the way she interpreted it.) She really did feel genuinely bad for this person. "I'm sorry."

When Anna saw the flames in the boy's hand, it took a lot of her determination not to act like a little girl and not clap like a seal at it. It was mildly - no, extremely - impressive, so of course she wanted to clap and say, 'More! More!' It didn't seem so appropriate now. "Nice," she remarked, sounding only mildly impressive.

He shrugged. "It has its advantages, i won't complain about it." He said, he never did show how he truely felt. His face only ever showed pleasure and anger otherwise it was a blank canvas.

He raised an eyebrown and snapped his hand shut instantly putting out the flames. "Nice?" He asked slightly disappointed in her reaction. "I show you fire without the need of a wand and you can only say nice?" He said shaking his head with a smile.

"Well... whatever you say," Anna replied nonchalantly.

Anna looked down at her foot before looking up at Arsen's face and smirking. "I'm not one to be easily impressed," she reasoned. Lies, she thought. "And even if I were impressed," she added. "I doubt that asking you for more would be an appropriate reaction."

He raised an eyebrow, this one certainly wasn't like everyone else. Usually when he showed people what he could do they either ran for the hills screaming about the son of the devil or asked if it hurt or what else he could do. With her he got neither and that slightly confused him. He still wasn't completely sure why humans acted the way they did.

"Easily impressed? Who else do you know that can do that?" He asked, knowing the answer was no one because he was his fathers only son and he doubted she'd met his father. "So what does impress you then?" He asked out of mild curiosity.

She shook her head. "No one," she replied calmly. Well, there was no one else she knew that could do that. "But there are such things as fire eaters, you know," she remarked. She then thought idly about the fire eaters she had seen on her childhood travels. They provided her with such wonderful memories. The tricks they did weren't as interesting as a burning flame on a still scarless hand, but enough to make her think it was just something extra.

"I'm not scared by much, any more," added the brunette, "that's why I'm not running or flinching." It was partially true, though the Ravenclaw had never been easily scared, the summer had shut her off to the emotion of fear.

A pause ensued. After she thought it was long enough, she then spoke, "I don't know what impresses me. I don't know until I see it."

"Fire eater?" He asked. "People that eat real fire? You sure its fire?" He asked, he was pretty sure no one could really eat fire. As soon as it passed their lips it would be too hot for them to handle.

He nodded. "Fear is a weakness most people have, when they shouldn't." He shrugged. "Those that have weakness but don't run away from it are the stronger kind, it will be those that will survive this war." He said, it was true, this war was going to sort out the weak from the strong. Only the strong survived.

"How about fiendfyre?" He asked taking in a deep breath before blowing out fiendfyre in the shape of a giant striking snake.

She thought about it for a while before shrugging her shoulders. "Not sure, but it's kinda like the same, right?" After a pause, she shook her head. "They don't do it as flawlessly as you do, though." She bit her lip. She was trembling. Merlin knows why.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Wise words," she mused, a smirk forming on her face, "You sound philosophical, as if you know about these things for years." She then tilted her head in curiousity. "Well, have you?"

The Ravenclaw chuckled lightly at the fiendfyre. "You know how to control that thing?" she asked, watching the fiendfyre form into the enormous snake. She watched it with interest, making up patterns in her head.

He shook his head. "No nothing compares to real fire, pure fire is..." He thought about it for a second before shaking his head. "... I don't know its hard to explain." He shrugged. "But pure flames is better in so many ways." He shrugged. "It must all be staged some how. There is no one on this planet that could do that besides me and my father."

He smiled. "Well when you have a father like mine, you tend to know things. He's been around since the satan began, so that thousands of years worth of trivia to drill into my head in such a short amount of time." His father would love for him to know everything but there just wasn't enough time in his life time to fit it all in, so for now he'd have to make do with the important bits. "But im just as old as you are. Never lived past the age of 14 yet."

He nodded. "Of course i do. We are famiglia. Fire runs through my very veins." He said holding his hand out so the flames moved and gathered into a ball on the palm of his hand. "Whats your favourite animal?" He asked.

She nodded in agreement. "True flames are a lot more beautiful," she mused. At the boy's next sentences her mind felt like it had exploded. "You're not a demon are you?" she asked curiously. "Or at least... half?" Her eyes widened. "I wish I had something... special about me," she muttered crossly to herself. All I have is a curse looming over my head.

She smiled sadly when he smiled at her. It made her cheeks warm just a little bit.. "Technically, you're a Fourth Year, I think," she spoke, her voice gentle for the first time in the conversation. "So you have lived longer than I have." She smirked as a pause began, and added, "But I see your point."

Her eyes widened slightly at the ball of flames curled up in his hand. So pure, so mysterious. "My favourite animl, eh?" she asked. If this was in normal circumstances, she would practically say she had no idea and be done with it. But this was not normal. "It has to be... the panther." To the Ravenclaw, it held a special place in her heart. Always had, always will.

He smiled. "Not just any demon, a fire demon." He smirked. "The most dangerous demons there is. Did you know Djinn was the first demon Satan ever made?" He asked, filling her in, it was pretty cool being the son of Satans most favourite son. It did have its advantages at times, other demons being afraid of a mere half demon was definitely one of the fun bits.

He shook his head. "Be careful what you wish for. Some people would give anything to be normal, you should count yourself lucky." He himself was one of those people at times. He still clung onto his humanity, to feel as normal as he could or at least try to fit in with everyone else but he wasn't about to let anyone else know that. He had learnt to hide his true feelings over the years.

"Not technically." He said looking up at the sun. Even that wasn't bright enough to hurt his eyes. "I may have been born 14 years ago but it doesn't mean i've live that long." He shrugged. "Its a long complicated story."

He smiled. "Easy." He said closing his hand and reopening it to reveal a firery panther that silently roared from his hand.

"Interesting," she smirked with fascination. "I'm now partially scared of you." She then tilted her head to the side. "Partially." Well, in truth, she was not scared of him at all, though she knew not to annoy him. She nodded, "Sometimes, normal gets boring. D'you know what I mean?"

Her eyes widened. "What do you mean?" Did he live for only half the time? Did he have a past body? Her heart was practically thumping with curiousity and something that was like fear, but not quite. It was not anxiety though; it was too weak. It was much weaker than fear. Perhaps it was just a pang of worry, but

She grinned with pleasure at the sight of the flaming panther. "It's beautiful," she muttered quietly to herself. She then looked up at the boy. "What's your favourite animal?"

---

(ooc: bleh. terrible, i know. sorry. >.<)

He nodded. "Good, fear tends to make you think more." He said looking up to the sun. Everyone should be more careful around him. He was dangerous, more dangerous than he liked to admit. "Normal is overrated. Its just a shame the rest of the population aren't that smart."

"Believe it or not but i used to be all human once. Half demons have to die in order for their demon side to come to live." He explained but didn't go on any further. It wasn't a subject he particularly liked to talk about.

He shrugged. "I don't really have one." He said. "I guess i've never had reason to think about it. Snakes are cool though."