the first to give and the first to ask

Dragon statues. That sounded so weird. Why would a store only sell dragon statues? Why not other statues? Was the store racist to other statues?

Afonka was determined to find out.

And so, he set off towards the store. Entering in a wave of snow and cold wind, he shut the door behind him. There really were only dragon statues around. Glancing around for any site of the owner, he began to slowly make his was through the store, curious as to anything that could clue him in to just why there were dragon statues sold.

Faye was... curious to say the least.

Curious as to why she would have seen the familiar head slip into a store that sold only... dragon status? Perhaps he had an attachment to the creatures but, it all just seemed...

Feeling impulsive, an unusual feeling for the young girl, she followed the older boy into the building.

"Have a dragon collection I don't know about?" she called out softly, her eyes twinkling with slight amusement as she watched him wander through the large rock figures.

So far, he was only finding what he'd expected.

Dragon statues.

They were cool, he had to admit, but it was still so weird to find himself surrounded by just the dragons. Afonka felt like they were all staring at him. Waiting. Watching. Ready to -

He jumped at the sound of the voice, but recognizing it, he grinned, speaking as he turned to face the girl, "Surprisingly no, I just - ooh." He paused, staring at her brown head of hair, "I like your hair. It's a very nice colour."

He nodded, grinning.

She couldn't help the slightly amused smile that crossed her face as he jumped. Faye was so use to being the startled, that it was almost amusing to - for once - do the startling.

"Sorry if I snuck up on you," she apologized, her voice as soft as ever, but amusment lurked closely underneath. A blush spread across her face as she received yet another compliment for her latest fashion choice, "Thank you. Everyone keeps saying that, I'm starting to get worried that you're all just fear full of hurting my feelings."

"It's fine," He waved an arm dismissively, grinning. "I don't mind getting startled. It gets the heart beating." And that could only be healthy, after all. If one wasn't ever startled, they'd just die if someone startled them.

This was safer.

Afonka laughed softly, giving his head a little shake, "Nah, I'll always tell you the truth."

"That's certainly true."

Letting a giggle the girl approached him furhter, closing the gap, a smile on her face, "See... you could be lying about that too, but I suppose I'll trust you, this once."

"So, Afonka... how was your holidays? I have seen you since..." since the end of school... had she even told the boy she was better? Had she even really told anyone? "Forever."

He laughed along with her, grinning, his eyes dancing as she neared, "Just this once," he agreed, "Then you can go back to doubting everything I say."

Did someone out there doubt everything he said? He tilted his head at the thought, but shrugged it off.

"They've been great," he said upbeatly, "I spent my birthday with Tessa, and I spent Christmas with my parents and sister. It was nice." Afonka grinned fondly at the memories, "What have you been doing since forever?"

"Thats nice," Faye smiled at the boy, her eyes sparkling, "Its always nice to have someone to spend important dates with."

"Oh you know," Faye shrugged her shoulders, "Not a whole lot; I've been exploring... taking my own little stab at life. Gotta take the world by storm you know."

She giggled slightly, running a hand over a statue.

"What an odd place, isn't it. You'd think... they'd want to try to get a wider audience."

"Yeah," Afonka sighed happily, the memories replaying in his head. "These have been such great holidays." Much better than last years, when he'd still been jumping at every little sound.

"Oooh," he grinned at her, bouncing slightly on his heels, "Where've you been exploring?"

He gave his head a little shake to one of the statues around, "I know. It's so weird. That's why I came in here. To find out why anyone would ever sell just dragon statues."

"Everywhere! Anywhere!" the girl couldn't help but keep the excitment out of her voice. She was simply too happy to just be enjoying the freedom of her life again. No nagging medics, no looming deadline - nothing but life. "I don't know. I just go where ever my feet talk me, and see whats there."

"Maybe its a front," the girl whispered, eyes dancing, "Maybe they don't even sell dragon statues at all."

"That's a great way to live," Afonka beamed, "I should tag along one day." Exploring was fun. You got to find new places, and every once in a while, you'd find somewhere that no one else had found. Someplace that was yours and yours alone.

His eyes lit up, and he glanced around them before returning his bright eyes to her, "Maybe they have some back room where they sell their real products. And I bet you have to know the super secret password to get in."

Faye's grin widened, "You should. It would be nice to have company every now and again. I suppose it get a little lonely sometimes."

She moved her small frame around a particularily large statue, one that dwarfed her 5'2" stature easily.

"Maybe all the statues are illusions, not even here at all," she flashed him a playful smirk, "What do you think the password is?"

"I'd love to," he grinned back. What was better than spending time exploring with a friend? It occurred to him suddenly, that he never had explored with someone else around. It had always been by himself. And yet, he didn't find it all that sad. Spending time alone wasn't terrible.

"It's all just magic," Afonka breathed, staring up at the huge dragon statue in awe, "And if you try to buy one, it'll just disappear, and you won't remember where you got it." Humming softly as he thought, he said, "Swordfish. I bet the password's swordfish."

"Thats would be most annoying. To spend perfectly good money on something, and then have it disappear," the though was making her grin none the less. "My father would probably murder someone on the spot - whether it was their fault or not. Then again, Father has enough sense to not want a Dragon statue... I think."

She tilted her head and shrugged. Quite frankley she didn't care what kind of sense any of her family had.

"Swordfish? Thats an unusual password. WHy that sea creature Hm? Perhaps its shark, or even grindilow."

"It would be," he agreed, laughing softly. "But at least that way you make money without really having to do anything other than waving a wand and saying some words." His smile slipped somewhat, suddenly wondering what Faye's father was like. But if he'd murder someone just because he lost some money, than he was beginning to seem like someone Afonka would be downright terrified of.

"Grindilow," he repeated, tilting his head slightly, his grin back, "That's fun to say." The fifth year giggled, all too amused with the word. "Swordfishes are cool," he nodded, "How many other fishes have weapons?"

Faye inclinde her head, giving a slight smile, "That is certainly true. Though, you know, I think I'd like to get my money in a more hoenst way. Even if I have to put some more work into it. I think it would make it feel like its worth more. Than if you just..... got it handed to you with minimal effort."

Shaking her head the girl laughed to.

"Oh I'm sure lots of fish have weapons. They are just smart enough to hide them. Can't let all the other fish know you have an advantage."

"That is true," Afonka nodded, "But I have no idea what I'm going to do once I graduate from Durmstrang. It feels like such a long time from now, but then I realize that it's OWL year already and I only have two and a half years left." Not being at school for most of the year would be so strange.

"But where would a fish hide a weapon? Do they have little pockets in their scales to hide little knives?" He couldn't help but laugh at the idea.

Faye couldn't help but let out a slight giggle, "Of course they have pockets. Don't you know anything?"

She shook her head in mock seriousness, before it morphed into a real serious look as her mind wandered. The future. It was such a daunting implication for such a seemingly simple phrase.

"I still feel like I have years before I'm done. Though I suppose, really I'm only a year younger than you." She left out the fact that until very recently, she hadn't been entirely sure she had been going to be able to finish her schooling at all.

She didn't know much about the future - she supposed most people didn't, since that was how it worked - she didn't even know what she wanted from it. Again, due in part to the fact that she had hardly believed she'd have one.

The one thing she did know she wanted... she wasn't even sure she could have anymore.

"I always sort of thought... I mean recently I was wondering if I - and I have - that I'd well... I thought being a Healer would be a good way to, a nice way too... I just want to help people."

They actually had pockets? Blinking at her, he tilted his head, confusion written all over his face before it finally hit him: she was joking. Oh. Understanding flooding his face, Afonka laughed softly, both at the joke and at himself for not realizing it.

"Three years is a long time," he nodded at the fourth year. When he'd been in her shoes (why did it feel like it was so long ago?), he'd felt like graduation was years and years and years away. Part of him still did feel that way.

"Helping people," he repeated, his lips curving into a smile. That was practically the opposite of what the mafia did, wasn't it? And maybe doing that would somehow even out whatever they made him do. They could make him do whatever terrible things they wanted, but if he went out his way to help others, it'd be as if what they'd made him do had never happened.

"I like that idea."

The look on his face only made her laugh more. Once she had settled down she noddded her head.

"Then again, I suppose before we know it we'll both be old, married with broods of kids."

That thought stopped the girl for a brief moment, allowing images to dance across her mind, before she pushed them away. There was no point in dwelling on what she might not be able to have.

"I do too. Its a nice idea."

He nodded along to her words, a slow grin spreading across his face. Marrying Tessa...he'd love that. Even if he sometimes thought that he didn't deserve her, he still loved his girlfriend with his whole heart.

She was amazing, she was perfect. She was everything to him. And maybe having a family with her one day...

He gave his head a small shake, pushing away the images that flashed behind his eyelids and made his heart skip a few beats.

"That'd be nice," he murmured, still grinning.

Afonka hummed softly, glancing around at the statues again before returning his gaze to Faye, "Helping people just makes everything better. The world's just in balance with everyone helping each other."

"The future always seems nice... when we think about it... the same with the past. I think sometimes we forget everything else. Not that they are bad things, merely... the little difficulties are only there when they are in our face. Once we over come them, its as if they never existed."

She nodded, "But only if we all help. So many people just... think about themselves. Its hard for everyone else to make up for it. We don't all have to be selfless, but if we each do just... even just a little something, then it would be more equal. Happier."

He tilted his head slightly, listening to the younger girl. Sometimes, he couln't help but be amazed by how wise beyond her years Faye was. There were times when he fully believed she was smarter than he was.

Her words rang through. Now, when he thought about all the things that had once preoccupied his life, they seemed so silly and trivial compared to what he had to face now. "You're right," he nodded, "Sometimes, we act like what's going on in our lives is the most important thing in the world. But then time passes and we realize we were freaking out over nothing."

Smiling softly, he ran a hand through his hair, "And that's what everyone really wants in life, isn't it? To be happy?"

She gave a little hum, twirling herself slowly, before leaning on another statue.


"Life is fleeting," she spoke quietly, "If I've learned anything from the past few years it is that. Maybe that should mean we shouldn't waste so much time in living it in ways we are less than satisfied with. You don't want to be sitting at the end of it.... wondering where all your time went."

Faye was silent for a long moment after that, her mind chasing that thought down new avenues, until finally she reached a dead end, a road block, and let out a startled little laugh.

"But I'm being depressing again. I'm sure you didn't wander into this story to listen to a little girl pretend she knows the answers to life."

"That'd just be one sad way to look back over your life," Afonka murmured, shaking his head mournfully. "Regretting what you didn't do, wondering how your life would have been different...it's better to just live in the moment. It's safer. Saner."

He ran his hands through his hair, not wanting to break the silence between them. And the moment to think over his life, and what he'd done...it was interesting, to say the least.

"Well, no," he laughed softly, "But it was nice to find a friend."