Though it isn't exactly frowned upon, students don't normally breach the unspoken boundaries set between house tables. Hana became an exception, someone the Stark table became accustomed to seeing at Stuart's side. Their opinions waver from indifferent to encouraging, hoping that one day they would become something more than close friends. Stuart's connections with muggle technology along with his newly appointed prefect status gave him an authority over the other students, an authority that kept any complaints at bay. Unwanted at first, the Starks who had an opinion came to see Hana's visits as a pleasantry seeing she was the only one that dared cross over into Stark territory. No one else dared. If any of them wanted to converse at mealtime it would be the Stark who left their table to greet their friend from a rival house, never the other way around. Needless to say that when the Eden boy traverses the Great Hall to sit amongst the Starks, he catches quite a few looks from everyone except his sole focus. Hana remains the apple of Stuart's eye as always, capturing his full attention as they speak to one another in companionable fondness. When Emery sits down at the opposite side of him, many other Starks give him warning looks out of courtesy. They knew their housemate to be a hard pill to swallow. He wasn't exactly the accommodating type, especially if you were to interrupt his conversation whereas Hana practically lit up at the sight of someone knew. Her attention didn't wane longer than a moment before her gaze flicked back to her friend as he spoke. That is, until he spoke up, "Hello, I'm Emery..! Eden house. I just saw you from over dere and now I am here, and I really not sure now what I'm doing here to be quite honest." Stuart stops midsentence at the interuption, slowly turning to face Emery with an incredulous stare, the content of what he said completely lost on the muggleborn.
Stuart—unlike this Emery character,, he thinks bitterly— waits until the shorter boy finishes speaking before asking in monotone, "Are you lost?"
"Sorry to bot'er you," he says on a chuckle, "I should go."
"You're right-..." Stuart remarks, "You should go."
To which Hana immediately interjects, "No, you shouldn't!" Catching Stuart's eyes in a quick, nagging glare before reaching out to Emery and holding out a hand in greeting, smiling in utmost friendliness, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Emery. My name is Hana."
At Stuart's agreement, Emery goes pale in the face. He was at the Stark table, and for some reason, this had only now struck him. It wasn't going to be pleasant. And only to add to the mistaken decision, he had just decided to sit by the most well known prefect of the Stark house. A prefect wouldn't move him by force would he? Could they do that? Emery wasn't going to risk it. Still caught in Stuart's glare, the Polish boy blinks when a girl calls to him from around the prefect. Her smile puts him at ease, and a returns it with a thrilled grin, taking her hand as if Stuart wasn't even there, and honestly, Emery had probably forgot he was.
"Hana is a nice name," he says, practically beaming with positivity. The girl couldn't have been from Stark and by her welcoming personality Emery could definitely tell she wasn't. He glanced back up at Stuart, returning his hand to his lap. It was hard to tell what the guy was thinking. Hana must've had a leash on him, or something, because Emery still had his head on his shoulders and he wasn't back at the Eden table as soon as he had thought.
Five minutes with Stuart and it's obvious how much distain he holds for socializing with other people. Regardless of the exceptions, he just wasn't a meet and greet kind of guy, and it showed in the look of utter resentment he had pointing Emery's way. If there was anything he hated more than talking to people or being interupted, it was being ignored. Hana knew this and did her best to quell his frustration by lacing her fingers with his. It worked. It always works. Almost immediately, Stuart deflates, accepting the interaction with passive aggressive tolerance. He doesn't say a word as the two speak to one another, holding slight resentment to the soft spot he holds for the Korean girl. He can express his intolerance for anyone at any time of day but the moment she's around he's as pliable as a kitten. It would irritate him if he didn't genuinely enjoy the girl's company so he doesn't retaliate. He just watches, intrigued by the way Hana talks to the near stranger with sheer ease.
"Why thank you," Hana replies, her smile broadening in the wake of Emery's own, "I've never meant someone with your name before. It's quite unqiue and it suits you well. What brings you over here?"
Emery's shoulders drop. "Thank you, I'm trying something new," he replies, nodding gently to shake off his lie. Emery wasn't much of a liar, but it only took the case of a friend and he'd do his best avoid what he had to. Of course, in all of his effort, it never lasted long. One way or the other, a few more questions and he'd probably tell you the color of his underwear on impulse. Better yet, he might even tell you the last embarrassing thing so-and-so did today.
"Well, I mean, I don't really have a reason. I'm impulsive like dat, right, impulsive is a word, right?" Again the words started flowing and he could just feel the irritation Stuart must have been building up, because every time he glanced at the prefect he had the oddest feeling telling him if something went out of order, Emery would probably be the first person to get shoved out of his seat. But he comforted himself with the idea that he was just exaggerating the problem in his head and Stuart wasn't as mean as he looked right now and Vulpecula wasn't hiding anything, whatsoever. Then why was he here? His grin still held.
Stuart couldn't help but wonder the same thing. As Emery sputters through his explanation, the muggleborn can't help but notice that he gave no real reason for coming here in particular. There was something about the way he moved that just screamed deception; maybe he wasn't lying, but he was definitely witholding information. Out of his peripheral he can see Hana open her mouth to speak, jumping into the conversation with an emotionlessness in his voice that could easily be construed as rude. "What are you doing here? Really-..."
Hana, the poor misguided girl, looks absolutely appalled. "Stuart! That's so rude!"
"It's a legitamate question." he remarks, squeezing Hana's hand in apology before barreling on, "You must've had a reason for sitting here in particular-...or even moving away from your table. So what is it?"
Emery swallowed past the lump building in his throat. It wasn't like his reason was that big of a deal, and it certainly wasn't worth bringing up, so he just shrugged like he wasn't even sure. At least with his newly founded confusion, he just seemed like an idiot rather than the manipulative asshole he started looking like earlier. The topic just started feeling like a joke Emery wasn't in on, and he was just wishing he knew what to say.
What else could he say that could convey how much he didn't have a reason. He was trying too hard. "Ehhh, am I leaving something out?" Emery held fast to his confusion, complimenting it with a more sheepish smile. He allowed himself to believe Stuart would eventually just drop the subject completely or ignore him altogether. Unfortunately Stuart didn't seem like the type. His gaze flitted between Hana and the prefect.
Hana sees the almost pleading look in Emery's eyes, a silent beg for a distraction. He didn't seem the unintelligent type and had obviously pegged Stuart for the stubborn kind. Whatever reason Emery had for coming over, he obviously didn't feel compelled to disclose it, so Hana took the initiative to distract her friend and give Emery an out. With a short tug on his hand, she captures Stuart's attention, derailing him with a pout. "Do play nice, Stuart, he could be a friend." she says, her voice thick with her Korean accent.
"I don't need any more friends." Stuart retorts, only to receive a soured looked from his companion.
"Everyone needs more friends," she replies, looking to Emery with a smile, "Right Emery?"
Emery nodded enthusiastically, but he was still put off by the negativity Stuart so evenly felt. There was no use in retreat, though, he'd sit there and bare it. He took a muffin from one of the floating dishes, forced to exchange glances with another Stark boy who didn't look too pleased to see him either. Emery exhaled before taking a bite of the muffin.
"It is not like I'd come across as such a great person if I told you I was avoiding a friend, would I?" He had given in and told the truth. Maybe that would satisfy Stuart enough to stop looking at him like he was criminal or whatever twisted version of Emery he had wound up in his head.
With Emery's true intentions revealed, Stuart's gaze softens from harsh suspicion to utter insouciance. Now that Stuart knew his reason for being there, he wouldn't dwell too much on it but it didn't mean he was going to cater to cowardice. He averts his gaze to the phone in his lap and continues to text his parents while Hana takes the reins, "It's alright, Emery. I don't think any less of you."
Emery laughs awkwardly, shoving part of the muffin in his face to stop himself from overstepping any boundries. "Thanks," he says despite his pastry stuffed mouth. From then on out he hadn't much of a plan, he hadn't even risked taking a glance back at the Eden table.
Finishing off his muffin, he finally turned back to Hana. "Where are you from?" Emery wasn't exactly an expert at telling who came from where and all of those symantics. For all he knew, the girl could have totally been from Ireland or South Africa and it would have made perfect sense to him, because he just never thought about it that way.
"South Korea-..." she replies effortlessly, "...-and you? I notice you have a bit of an accent yourself."
"Poland," he grins, "a-and you're from America I presume?" Emery asks slowly, directing his attention more towards Stuart.
Stuart, who had only been half listening, makes an uncongenial noise at Emery's inquiry. He pays more attention instead to his phone, his thumbs moving in quick sucession across the screen as it reflects in his glasses. Hana glares at him for his rudeness, turning to Emery with apologetic eyes, "Please don't mind him, he-..." She's become accustomed to making excuses for Stuart and his behavior, but never in front of him. Though she never says anything mean, she can't help but be hindered by guilt having him right there. "...-he's a little antisocial. He'll come around though-..." Stuart lifts his gaze, giving her a look that just begs to differ, and it coaxes a sigh out of the girl, "But yes, he's from America, the southern part of the country. It's something we have in common." For the sake of making conversation, she counters with a question of her own, "Are you excited for this year?"
"Oh yes," he nods, "I find dat I start to miss it during the break." Emery returns the question, still peering carefully around the prefect. "You're from Vorne - aren't you? Or is it Hart?"
"Hart," Hana nods, smiling with obvious house pride, "And you're from Eden. What's it like being in that house? I've always been curious about the other houses. The Starks are all very accomodating once you get to know them." She sends a smile their way and receives a couple from the students at the table before turning her attention to Emery.
"At least I can say dat everyone's friendly," Amiability was pretty much the whole shtick of the Eden house. If you were friendly, you were in it. There was nothing completely special about it and Emery found it to be disappointing. Vornes are intelligent, Starks are quick and competitive, even Harts were pretty stable and well minded people - but a whole house dedicated to friendliness, it just sounded uninteresting.
Emery eyed the device Stuart held in his hand. He had heard of cell phones, and he knew how they worked in theory, but looking at it up close, it was just so alien to him. "What about Hart?"
Hana catches Emery's shift in gaze, watching it fall to the cellphone in Stuart's hand. An idea pops into her head but it's thwarted with an inquiry, not that she doesn't answer it with kindness, "We're an amiable bunch, I suppose." she remarks, "We balance each other out more than anything." When she's sure Stuart's attention is entirely on the device, she points to it, making sure to catch Emery's attention, mouthing out the words, "Ask. Him. About. It"
Stuart catches the movement and lifts his gaze, looking at her with a cocked brow and a slight suspicion in his whisky colored eyes. She simply grins, feigning innocence, waiting for Emery to catch the hint. If she knew anything about Stuart it was that he loved teaching and introducing wizards to muggle things. If Emery had any intention of getting to know Stuart better then the best place to start would be asking him about his phone.
Following Hana's gestures, Emery smiles. Good idea. "Hey, uh, Stuart? Is dat a phone?" Now if muggle technology was allowed in Magdalena - well sure some of it could have been - but a phone? Well, he wasn't sure. I've never seen one before." Emery pointed to the little block of a cell.
As Emery beckons his attention, Stuart shifts his gaze from the young wizard to the phone in his hand. Hana was right, it caught his attention. It's as if a switch had been hit. As soon as Emery expresses interest in the phone, Stuart becomes more open, turning to him slightly as he engages in the conversation, "Yeah, it's a Nokia Lumia 920 Windows." he says, "It's a lot easier to use than most and it's loaded with a lot of features that makes Apple look like a kid's toy." Just like that, he's walking a pureblood how to work a cell phone. It keeps him engaged for the majority of the meal, showing a patience to Emery he wouldn't have shown otherwise. It's delightful for Hana to see and she listens in anyway, completely engaged by her companion's passion.