[past Colin & Aislin thread -- summer, 1997]

[colin_mayfield]

Colin was bored beyond reason. His parents had decided to throw a party, which meant tons of drunken adults would be running around downstairs, and when he went down to get the attention of one of his parents, they told him to go play with the other children in another section of the house. Which he didn't exactly want to do, because some of the

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[dreamingophelia]

Aislin didn't do this- she felt dirty roaming around hallways that weren't hers, or a close family friend's, or her aunt's. It wasn't polite, and she could get into so much trouble. Father always had things around the castle that she wasn't allowed to look at. It was darker here than it was in the other rooms that she had been in, and she didn't know her way around at all. How could she have gotten so lost just on the way back from the bathroom?

With that thought she tripped over the hem of her robes and tumbled forwards with a small cry. "Drat," she said softly as she looked the palms that were red from sliding over the ground. Thankfully she saw an open door as she got up, and moved towards it as she hoped to Merlin that it wasn't some forbidden room. It wasn't- it was a child's room. Colin Mayfield's room, and he was in it!

"Hello," Aislin said authoritatively, "I'm sorry to be in a prohibited area, but I got lost, and if you could give me directions back to the entertainment rooms I would be very thankful."

[colin_mayfield]

Colin heard a thump and raised his head to look at whatever had caused it. Rather, who, because after that thud, he'd heard a voice -- a girl's voice, at that. What was a girl doing up here? Shouldn't she be off with the other kids, playing and having tea parties and what not? Besides, why was anyone in his room; they certainly couldn't be here to see him, unless it was Kenzie or Alex or one of his cousins.

"Um, hello," Colin replied quietly, looking over at the girl. Wow, she was actually talking to him, and it wasn't to make fun of him; in fact, it seemed kind of overly polite. Ah well, as long as she didn't want to bother him, that was okay. "It's down the stairs, past the kitchen," he added, then looked back down at the floor boredly.

[dreamingophelia]

"Thank you," Aislin replied clearly. But where were the stairs? And where was the kitchen? And oh dear, if she left now she would never find her way anywhere and she would be found in a decade, a mangy pile of old bones and a rather expensive, rotten, dress robe. "Sorry, but which way is that?"

She tried very hard not to blush at her own stupidity, but it was very hard. She hadn't been caught so desperate or quite so surprised in a very long time. She wanted to ask what are you doing up here while your friends are downstairs but she dare not, as that would be very impolite.

[colin_mayfield]

"You're welcome--" he started, swinging his legs back and forth and enjoying the peace and quiet, until he heard the voice again. What, she was still here? Oh. Right. The kitchen. "You go down the stairs, and the kitchen will be on your left. The entertainment room will be nearby." Colin didn't even bother to look at her while he was telling her any of this; it wasn't like she actually wanted to talk to him, anyway.

"Oh, could you close the door on your way out?" Less chance of anyone finding him and telling him to socialize, or any other random kid coming by to annoy him.

[dreamingophelia]

Aislin listened to the instructions as she wasn't willing to make yet another mockery of herself... but then he dismissed her. He dismissed her and requested that she close his door. "But- it's your party!" Aislin exclaimed in an alarmed voice, "why don't you want to entertain everyone? Have you been terrible, and your parents sent you to your room?"

If he had, Aislin simply had to know so that she could tell her parents when they got home.

[colin_mayfield]

Colin shook his head. "Nuh uh, it's not my party; it's my mum and da's," he told her. His birthday wasn't until January, so it would be kind of ridiculous to have a party for him in the summer. And even if it was his party, he was pretty sure he didn't want intoxicated adults running around doing embarrassing things.

"And no, I'm not in trouble. I just don't want to go down there," Colin answered with a nonchalant shrug. Why was it a big deal if he didn't want to talk to everyone? Why did people get so upset with him when he wanted to be a loner?

[dreamingophelia]

"I know that, but there are a lot of children down there, and as this is your house, you should be a host to them. That is just how things work... and it really is quite fun," Aislin's brown furrowed at this strange boy. Sure enough she knew Colin by sight, and she knew that he was always a little sullen... but to be in your room during your own party?

Aislin couldn't believe that this was self-inflicted. "But parties are fun, and there's lots of brilliant food down there, and everyone is here." The girl couldn't think of one reason not to be down there, but maybe Colin had one. "Why don't you want to go down?" she asked. "Are you tired?"

[colin_mayfield]

"Not really." Hosting meant he would have to go downstairs and socialize and mingle, two things which he was terrified of. With parents as outgoing as his, it was a wonder how he wasn't more extroverted, but there he was, sitting by himself. Plus, there was always the chance that Vincent was there, and, seeing as Kenzie was on vacation with her parents, he didn't have his protection from bullies.

"'Cause the kids down there are mean," he said.

[dreamingophelia]

"Mean?" Aislin asked worridly. "What do you mean by that?"

She was fretting slightly- the fact that she had been socialising with mean children. She might grow up to be rude, and uncouth, and it would all be just because of this one dratted party! "But I know all of the children down there, and they've never been mean to me!"

She bunched the skirt of her silk robes in one hand- so worried about having spent the night with mean children that she didn't pay mind to making creases.

[colin_mayfield]

It was quite an embarrassing thing to admit, that one was picked on; it was essentially admitting weakness and vulnerability, but he couldn't help it -- he didn't know what to do to stop it. His father was always encouraging him to stand up for himself -- that, though, was way too hard and he would only get laughed at even more if he so much as attempted to fight back. Plus, he was way too weak and scrawny to hit them back.

"Maybe not to you, but they have to me.." he said quietly, looking quite ashamed of himself, now. "At least some of them have."

[dreamingophelia]

Aislin listened to Colin gravely, and gave a small nod of acknowledgement. It was then that she took a step into the room, and closed the door. He might have wanted privacy, but she wanted more information. "About what?" his mother was a Newbury, and if Cole was related to them, than they were obviously okay (even if Aislin had heard Mama gossiping about how unfortunate the Mayfields were that everyone had run off with Muggle scum).

None of that mattered- Colin himself was a pureblood with a respectable mother, and purebloods shouldn't pick on other purebloods. They should save their energy for the horrible little half-blood children. "Who does it?" she asked as she drew herself up to her full height... it didn't look very intimidating, but she was certainly stubborn.

[colin_mayfield]

Colin didn't really feel comfortable being alone with anyone, especially a girl, even though this one didn't seem all that bad. He bit his lip and suddenly felt a little uneasy, moving a bit further down the bed. Talking about being bullied was awkward enough and he didn't even know why he was telling her all of this when it wasn't any of her business. Besides, if he named anyone, and they found out, surely he would get beat up some more.

"Umm... I don't wanna talk about it," he mumbled.

[dreamingophelia]

Aislin knew it was rude to stay- especially when he had expressedly told her how to get to the entertainment rooms, and told her to shut the door behind her. If that hadn't been a dismissal, then Aislin wasn't a Castius. But it wasn't right that someone was alone during their party, and it wasn't right that Colin was being bullied when he was almost better than anyone down there (Rowan and Cole were certainly better).

"It's okay, I won't tell anyone. Or say anything. You can just speak if you like, or we can talk about something else entirely. I- I just don't feel like going down to the party, I'm too tired for lots of people," Aislin lied. She adored the party downstairs, and she wanted more compliments on her dress and hair, but she couldn't just leave Colin by humself.

[colin_mayfield]

Colin bit his lip, not sure whether he trusted her enough to tell her yet or not. What if she was lying, and she went down and told the other kids what he'd said and he got beat up or picked on even more? On the other hand, she seemed polite enough and had stayed to talk to him, even though he'd told her she could leave. Why did she want to stay, anyway? Surely, she didn't find him that entertaining. Most people that weren't Kenzie would have gone away by now.

"Um.." Hmmm, maybe he could get away with naming only one person, and if she didn't know him? That would work out even better, but he doubted it, because all the purebloods seemed to know each other. "One of them is Vincent. He's really mean."

[dreamingophelia]

He seemed reluctant to name people,but Aislin didn't quite understand why. She of course, had never been bullied. The young girl had no experience with being a victim, or even victimising to the extent that it became bullying. Sure enough, she had her opinions, but she had been told to seem as neutral as possible, whih meant that she kept those opinions to herself. His reluctance still bore fruit however, and when she heard Vincent's name she gasped.

"Vincent? The Munroe boy?" Aislin sniffed haughtily- she had most certainly not expected him. A much older boy, perhaps, but Munroe wasn't any better than Colin himself, and Aislin thought that only older children bullied. "But that's wrong... why does he bully you? He isn't any better than you are." Now if Aislin had the inclination to bully someone, it would be entirely permissable, as Aislin was better than all of them.

[colin_mayfield]

"Yeah," he answered with a nod. Colin didn't really know why -- he didn't do anything, he though, but perhaps it was because he was an easy target. He was smaller than a lot of the other boys, and didn't exactly take up for himself that much. "I dunno, maybe it's 'cause he's mean." No way was Colin going to admit any weakness of his, though he didn't know about Vincent not being better than he was. If Colin was better than him, he wouldn't get picked on. "I didn't do anything to him."