Garrett Flint & Justin Hardy
"See ya," Flint said in response to Summer fleeing the scene, perhaps a little awkwardly. Bliss then revealed her intent to uncover all of his secrets, to which he forced a grin, but didn't reply. Maybe last year he would have told her everything, but things had changed since then, whether she believed it or not.
"Braelyn's tough, I'm sure she'll be back up in no time," Flint said upon hearing that the Ferre girl was in the infirmary, without even knowing what was wrong with her. "And yeah, we should probably be getting back soon. It's just about curfew, I think. Wouldn't want Herve to get his beard in a twist over us, would we?" It was such a nasty beard, too.
The three Vulpes students made their way back to their common room, Flint just hoping he could get away from Bliss without anything seriously awkward happening. Once they were inside, he turned to her. "Now, I'm afraid Justin and I have some things to discuss in private," he said, his eyes flashing towards his friend momentarily. "We'll have to catch up tomorrow."
They departed Bliss's company, and Flint turned his eyes on Teek. "And you, featherbag, have long outstayed your welcome tonight. Go on, go make some friends with the first year owls or something." Teek gave him a weary hoot, before taking off from Justin and soaring out the nearest open window. On their way to the boy's dormitories, Flint and Justin were in relative privacy, but Flint still kept his voice somewhat low, and couldn't help but hope Justin did the same.
"You can take the clamp off your tongue, now."
“Use it in good health, and tell your friends. Remember, three drops.” That was his version of good-bye for Summer, accompanied by a crooked grin. Those devious brown eyes of his returned to his fellow Vulpes, and he arched an eyebrow at Bliss. ”What possibly could have happened?” he asked, dialing up the innocence to a solid 9. A bit of a frown tugged at his lips when he heard her relate that his bleacher-buddy was in the infirmary. He made a note to swing by; healing wasn’t exactly his thing, but if there was a potion that could help her, odds were he’d know of it.
When they made it to the common room, Justin had no choice but to remark on how easy the current riddle was. ”I mean, seriously,” he asked the painting. ”You might as well just ask people their favorite color.” Shaking his head, he sauntered along with his friends and bid Bliss goodnight when the time came. He felt a bit of relief when Flint mentioned privacy; it meant he wouldn’t have to drag it out of him, which he wasn’t really in the mood for, not tonight.
He feigned a profound sigh of relief when Flint gave him the go-ahead, as if clamping his tongue for so very long had been a great hardship. ”Well, for starters, I think what would be really impressive is if you manage to somehow date both sisters at once. Then when you mess things up and schedule two simultaneous dates like you inevitably would, I can bail you out with some Polyjuice potion and some of those silky smooth hairs of yours.” He was already reaching for Flint’s head, as if to pluck a few strands just in case. Mimicry of his mother wasn’t Justin’s only vocal talent; he was speaking in a way that he knew didn’t carry very well, tested and true in the echoing hallways of the castle. ”It would be like a sit-com, really. I’m warming to the idea already.”
Justin had been sitting on that gem since… well, approximately three seconds after he’d laid eyes on the two of them coming out of the library. A few dozen others had come to mind as well, but none of them involved referencing his Potions prowess, or tangential references to Sister, Sister. His grin was a wicked thing, but it softened now as he regarded his friend more seriously. ”It’s out of my system, promise. Now… spill. It’s in your best interest to put what I’ve been imagining you were up to this summer to rest, believe me.” The concern in his low-tone was fairly obvious.
"That would be something, wouldn't it?" Flint said about dating both Turner sisters at the same time. He made no motion to stop Justin if had actually wanted a few hairs from his head. "I wonder what Teek would think about that?" he pondered for a moment. "Hell, he'd probably like the Justin version of me better."
Of course things turned significantly more serious when Justin asked him about his summer, and Flint soon found his stupid grin at the thought of double-him shenanigans fading. He glanced around to ensure no nosy younglings were poking about.
"All right, I'm not talking about my feelings anymore, done enough of that for one night, but here's the short version: got a letter from home. Went home. Met up with parents. Dad's got brain cancer. Late stages. Death and doom. But I'm fine. Better even, we actually really connected for once. We're good. Yeah, I'm good."
He didn't really know what to add, or what he wanted to add.
Justin didn’t want his hairs, not really; it was just an extension of the joke. Or maybe he already had them? Nobody, least of all Flint, would have put it past him. There were certainly things that Justin hadn’t told him, brief disappearances for which he offered no explanation, no explanation that made sense, anyway.
His brow knit as he listened to his friend. His best friend, succinctly informing him of his father’s impending demise. There were no Potions for cancer, so what could Justin do for him? Flint hadn’t asked it, of course, but that was Justin’s immediate response to hardship: a practical solution. Something he could do to actually help beyond offering trite words of solace of a joke to bring levity that would only dwindle far too fast.
He scrutinized Flint intently, examining not him, but his claims of being alright. His features finally resolved into an understanding smile. He nodded, and clapped a hand on Flint’s shoulder. ”I’m sorry, man. But I’m glad you’re hanging in there.” His smile tugged up at the corners, and mischief danced in those brown eyes. ”You know I’m here for you, if you need to talk, or get wasted, or both. Just no kissing on the mouth.” His grip on Flint’s shoulder firmed up, and he used it to start them into the sixth year boys’ dorms.
”My summer sucked, for the record, but that isn’t entirely your fault.” What Flint needed right now, probably, was normalcy, and Justin being a bit of a self-absorbed if entirely amusing jerk was certainly normal.
Flint's feelings had gotten more airing tonight than perhaps in the last year. He was grateful for Justin being the rock that he was. He wasn't exactly interested in crying on his shoulder, out of fear that the others would spread nasty rumors about him. But getting wasted? That he could do. Well, assuming these Betterbeers were as powerful as he suspected. If not, he'd have to have two.
"I think we've got a cure for shitty summers right here," he said, raising the Betterbeer. "Come on, let's go see what these things can do."