Removing the snow from atop the wooden picnic table had been easy enough and Scorpius, now with his robes properly charmed to repel water and insulated to protect him from the cold, is lying atop of it
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You don't get this kind of weather in northern Texas. And as much as Parker is enjoying her first winter on the range, it's nice to be able to see some proper snow.
She has gone out for a walk to enjoy the cold and the snow and the scenery.
This is a bit of scenery she wasn't expecting, though.
Scorpius may have found that a concerned face has popped into his field of vision.
"Please, please tell me this isn't what it looks like?"
As Scorpius sits up on the table more properly, he glances from the expression on Parker's face to the bottle in hand.
"In my, uhm, defence, the Ogden's came after the broom caught fire. So it wasn't that I was pissed and setting fire to brooms. And I'm really quite warm, actually. Because I've got charms on my robes so the snow isn't much of a problem and...and..."
And he's rambling so he just offers her s drink from the bottle with a shrug.
And, by the look of it, is winding up to give Scorpius the reaming of a lifetime.
"Jesus H. Christ, Scorpius."
Parker doesn't know how effective charms to keep you warm are. And in this moment, she genuinely doesn't care.
"You're out here, drinking--which, by the way, lowers your body temperature--sacked out in the snow....do you have any freaking idea how dangerous that is? I realize that you're a wizard and an teenage boy and therefore think you are indestructible, but what the hell?"
By this point, she's gesturing rather forcefully with the hand holding the bottle.
And Scorpius has scooted away from the side of the table where she's gesturing rather forcefully. He's flushed pink in the face, grimacing in the hope she doesn't get firewhiskey everywhere with all her gesturing, and staring at the frost-covered wood beneath him.
"I never - "
He huffs a sigh, hot breath meeting the cold or a hiccup of smoke from too much firewhiskey. He's also semi-aware he's only arguing back because of the firewhiskey too.
" - I never said I was indestructible. I mean, I did wait until after I was done experimenting before I had the firewhiskey, didn't I? It could've been loads worse if I hadn't. And I wasn't going to stay out here, I just wanted to see the - Well, you know."
He gestures vaguely toward the sky with an airy wave of his hand.
A bit more softly and apologetically, "It's a nice night, isn't it?"
Is the sky doing something it normally doesn't? Not that she can tell.
Parker sets the bottle down on the table with a bang.
"Scorpius, sweetie. I'm being a bitch out of love, here. You have more sense than this. So what's with the booze and the fires? What's going on?"
Maybe it is just a teen being a teen. God knows, there were a few parties back in high school that had involved a bonfire and a couple of more beers than had been good for her.
But that had been a party scene. Not a solitary endeavor. And that's part of what worries her.
He sounds like he's swearing his innocence on Merlin's grave and he could be pleading it too with an innocent, if glassy-eyed gaze when he looks up at her again.
"Honestly, I'm just - I was bored and I'd read this article in my Quidditch periodical about brooms and their charms and I wanted to modify this old thing, but it backfired, hence the fire, and I grabbed the firewhiskey before any of it, because - I don't know."
He shrugs. Maybe he hasn't got as much sense as she thinks he does.
"Some things might've happened since the last time we talked, but I've already thought on the bad and moved on."
"You just grabbed a bottle of stuff that just about singed my nose hairs just from sniffing it?"
Parker sighs, sets the bottle far out of the way, and hitches herself up onto the table.
"Some things, huh? Well, I haven't seen you for a while. Or so it feels. Why don't you catch me up?"
Her eyebrow goes up, though her gaze softens a bit.
"I'm all for moving on from the bad. But the sneaky thing about the bad? Even when you're working on moving away from it--which is a good thing--it has this nasty tendency sometimes to circle back around, come up, and bite you in the ass again."
Scorpius only spares the bottle a longing glance before he focuses on Parker again. She should try it instead of turning it away like that. It is quite good and then maybe he could have some more and -
Oh, right. He's supposed to be catching her up.
At least he's had enough firewhiskey to be chatty still. Even if he thinks what he might have to say is boring to her ears.
"Well, uhm. The good? I asked Annabeth out. I've never - I've never actually asked a girl out before. It's always been sort of ...arranged for me. Not that I have had a lot of dates before. Probably only a handful, really. But, uhm, that's good, right?"
He offers a quick grin. (He may be trying to avoid having to talk about the bad.)
She has gone out for a walk to enjoy the cold and the snow and the scenery.
This is a bit of scenery she wasn't expecting, though.
Scorpius may have found that a concerned face has popped into his field of vision.
"Please, please tell me this isn't what it looks like?"
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"I will," he whispers, as she seems quite serious and such seriousness obviously requires low voices, "If you tell me what you think it looks like?"
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Parker surveys the scene.
"Like you're sprawled outside. In the snow. In the cold. Getting drunk off your ass."
"After apparently having set fire to a broom."
There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation. Right?
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It does look like that, doesn't it?
"'This isn't what it looks like,'" he says, dutifully.
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"Is it really not?" she asks. "Or are you just telling me what I want to hear?"
"What's in that bottle, anyway?"
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As Scorpius sits up on the table more properly, he glances from the expression on Parker's face to the bottle in hand.
"In my, uhm, defence, the Ogden's came after the broom caught fire. So it wasn't that I was pissed and setting fire to brooms. And I'm really quite warm, actually. Because I've got charms on my robes so the snow isn't much of a problem and...and..."
And he's rambling so he just offers her s drink from the bottle with a shrug.
"Ogden's?"
Reply
And, by the look of it, is winding up to give Scorpius the reaming of a lifetime.
"Jesus H. Christ, Scorpius."
Parker doesn't know how effective charms to keep you warm are. And in this moment, she genuinely doesn't care.
"You're out here, drinking--which, by the way, lowers your body temperature--sacked out in the snow....do you have any freaking idea how dangerous that is? I realize that you're a wizard and an teenage boy and therefore think you are indestructible, but what the hell?"
By this point, she's gesturing rather forcefully with the hand holding the bottle.
Reply
"I never - "
He huffs a sigh, hot breath meeting the cold or a hiccup of smoke from too much firewhiskey. He's also semi-aware he's only arguing back because of the firewhiskey too.
" - I never said I was indestructible. I mean, I did wait until after I was done experimenting before I had the firewhiskey, didn't I? It could've been loads worse if I hadn't. And I wasn't going to stay out here, I just wanted to see the - Well, you know."
He gestures vaguely toward the sky with an airy wave of his hand.
A bit more softly and apologetically, "It's a nice night, isn't it?"
Reply
Is the sky doing something it normally doesn't? Not that she can tell.
Parker sets the bottle down on the table with a bang.
"Scorpius, sweetie. I'm being a bitch out of love, here. You have more sense than this. So what's with the booze and the fires? What's going on?"
Maybe it is just a teen being a teen. God knows, there were a few parties back in high school that had involved a bonfire and a couple of more beers than had been good for her.
But that had been a party scene. Not a solitary endeavor. And that's part of what worries her.
Reply
He sounds like he's swearing his innocence on Merlin's grave and he could be pleading it too with an innocent, if glassy-eyed gaze when he looks up at her again.
"Honestly, I'm just - I was bored and I'd read this article in my Quidditch periodical about brooms and their charms and I wanted to modify this old thing, but it backfired, hence the fire, and I grabbed the firewhiskey before any of it, because - I don't know."
He shrugs. Maybe he hasn't got as much sense as she thinks he does.
"Some things might've happened since the last time we talked, but I've already thought on the bad and moved on."
Reply
Parker sighs, sets the bottle far out of the way, and hitches herself up onto the table.
"Some things, huh? Well, I haven't seen you for a while. Or so it feels. Why don't you catch me up?"
Her eyebrow goes up, though her gaze softens a bit.
"I'm all for moving on from the bad. But the sneaky thing about the bad? Even when you're working on moving away from it--which is a good thing--it has this nasty tendency sometimes to circle back around, come up, and bite you in the ass again."
Been there. Smarted from that.
Reply
Oh, right. He's supposed to be catching her up.
At least he's had enough firewhiskey to be chatty still. Even if he thinks what he might have to say is boring to her ears.
"Well, uhm. The good? I asked Annabeth out. I've never - I've never actually asked a girl out before. It's always been sort of ...arranged for me. Not that I have had a lot of dates before. Probably only a handful, really. But, uhm, that's good, right?"
He offers a quick grin. (He may be trying to avoid having to talk about the bad.)
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So she'll go along for now. It it gets too cold, she can always hustle him inside and get some coffee into him.
"Yeah, that's good. That's great, even."
"So, how did that go?"
She really hopes Scorpius hasn't gone and gotten his heart broken. She might have to hurt someone.
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His mouth twists into a frown, only he doesn't seem very upset or like he's gotten his heart broken.
"It hasn't happened yet. She's from Milliways too, so timing has been a bit difficult."
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Milliways sometimes likes to make macrame knots out of time.
"So, you have a date lined up with a girl you like."
"That doesn't explain why you're out here having a one-man frat party."
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He shrugs.
"I'd have invited my friends, but they were busy. With each other."
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