The Grounds

He shook his head no and looked to his left to Joshua. "Do you play cards Joshua?"

Joshua shook his head and sat down next to Kevin. 'Why don't you let him teach us?'

"Sorry who?" He followed him with his eyes to see who he was talking to.

He looked down in embarrassment and mumbled, "Joshua, he's in my head and no one else can see him."

"Ahhh... I get cha..." He nodded non judgmentally and shuffled his deck, "Want me to deal him in?"

He looked over at Joshua for an answer. Joshua shrugged and nodded. 'Yeah, why not.'

Kevin nodded his head. "He says yes." He sat down next to the boy and watched him shuffle the deck. "How do you play?"

"Well I'm going to hand you both two cards, from there I'm also going to put three cards in the middle of us. Each of us can use those cards to make certain combinations of hands..."

He quickly runs through all the possible combinations.

He tried to follow along but he was getting confused quickly. "I can always ask you for help if I have an issue right?"

Joshua seemed to follow along easily and tapped Kevin's arm. "I'll help you out."


Kevin looked to Joshua and then spoke to Topher. "Joshua said he'd help, but I may still ask for help if he can't help me."

"Yeah sure no problem!" He dealt them their hands, quickly and with flourishes, the true handiwork of a casino dealer.

OOC Do you really not know how to play?

He watched in wonder at this man's skill with playing cards. "How did you do that? Magic?"

OOC nope. I know very few card games.

"Nope, just a lot of practice!" He smirked at the guy. He reminded him of a kid entering a candy store for the first time.

OOC Okay, we can be vague about it if you like. It's difficult to explain.

OOC sweet, thanks. Vague is good.

IC "Can you teach me after the card game?"

"I can try, but it's going to cost you..." He stared into his eyes deadpan serious for a few seconds before he lightened up again, "Just messin' with you sure thing!"

OCO Sorry gtg ttys!

He patted his pockets in search of something to pay with boy with. "What will it cost me?"

Joshua shook his head. 'He's messing with you, kid.'

"Dude I'm kidding.." He laughed a bit, "You're a funny guy you know that?"

"Oh, um, thank you." He looked down at his cards. "We play now?"

"Sure!" He held up his cards to his face and the game commenced.

He played rather well, only stopping a few times to ask questions. He even played for Joshua too.

"hey, you ain't too bad guy..."

He smiled at Topher. "Thanks. I think I'm starting to get it."

The castle was oddly quiet. With the whispers of those in morning, with the emptiness of those they had lost, it was not the same place. No longer was the school a place of sanctuary, of safety.  No more was the school a home.

But the castle was not why River had come back. Not today.

She was stood in front of the white marble, the stone that hid the old headmaster from view. And although he was not really there, although River knew he was dead...Dumbledore was the only person she could talk to.

'So...' She started quietly, sitting down on the grass. 'I know you were expecting a battle, sir, but this? Really? You tried to warn me, so maybe i should be more to blame than you, but...kids died. children who are never going to wake up again, never going to walk through the doors to see thier friends  each year. They will never grow old or reach the dreams they once had. So much could have been done to stop it...but you failed. I failed. And now...How can we go anywhere with this?'

She wiped away a few stray tears watching a father run up the steps to the castle, and wrapping a student in his arms. She felt just a stab of guilt watching- built because she wished she had someone who would reassure her after this.

'I couldnt do it, sir. You sat there for age, trying to make me stop him, but in the end, the thing you call m strength was my weakness. How could I hurt him? And then Death. How could I hurt him? I cant. not even when he was planning to kill me. So now, my brother is out in the world, master-less and angry, and its my fault because i did not stop him.'

She slammed her hand onto the ground suddenly.

'You expect so much of us, sir! You tell us things need to be done and you think its as easy as that. But it is not! This is all... I don't want to do this anymore. I want to disappear. I want my brother back. I want Death back. But that wll never happen and now...' Her voice started rising. 'I am little more than a child, sir! You cannot except things like that off me yet you did! And then you go and die and leave us and i dont know what to do anymore.'

Her small anger gone, she put her head in her hands, the brave girl gone, and in her place, little more than a shadow. She was tired, grieving, and close to giving up.
Finally, she whispered. 'This has only jus begun, and it is just going to end in more death i cannot take.'

OOC Poor riv..

ooc i know right. i feel so sorry for her

OOC *hands River a plate of pancakes* Be happy now!

got any spare /nice/ characters she can talk to?