Secrets Don't Make Friends

[Cedric Winters]

While Cedric wanted to get more flowers into bloom, he knew that would be a risky thing to do, especially since he dropped his wand in front of Elizabeth. He'd need something much more discreet before doing more magic. Regardless he did have the tulip and Elizabeth seemed to be accepting its clear and undeniable existence. Now if he could get her to accept the natural beauty of the world as magical he'd be set, as long as it didn't involve him in prison or executed of course. Chuckling Cedric continued walking as he spoke with his eyes on the flower.

"Well who knows? Perhaps you and I can find another flower in bloom. Then again I think it would be a lovely compliment to our dress."

[Elizabeth Mendler]

"Perhaps we will. I wish we could find a sunflower, but I doubt that we will. It's not yet hot enough out for them to grow, I daresay."

Eliza walked along, the hem of her pale dress tickling her knees as it moved in the slight breeze. Sunflowers were her favorite flowers, but she only got to see them for as long as summer lasted, which, in her opinion, was not long enough. The girl thought about what Cedric had been telling her, and with a subtle smirk and eye roll, she added on to what she had been saying.

"But I bet you will tell me that it isn't impossible for a sunflower to spring up so early in the season, right? Another flair of natural magic, hm?"

[Cedric Winters]

"Just because you don't know that much about plants doesn't mean you get to botch on magic. I personally would tell you no, but stranger things have happened."

Cedric rolled his eyes looking around at the area. Using the herbivicus charm would be too risky again, but perhaps they could find one on their own. Cedric could simply conjure one, but that would look even ore suspicious. If he could find one naturally, Cedric would gladly collect it, but he wouldn't even know what buds would be blooming sunflowers or where they would be in the earth. For now it would be better to have Elizabeth just try and see the magic for herself.

[Elizabeth Mendler]

"Oh, come now, let me have my fun. Besides, what makes you the authority on magic? You seem to care an awful lot more than most people I know about this stuff."

Elizabeth smiled teasingly at the friend on her arm. To her, it was all just a joke again. There was no heavy significance in Cedric's words or what they alluded to, only what her mind interpreted as silly talk. The magic that she was supposed to be seeing is what Eliza simply called nature. Odd things happened in nature all of the time. The prime example being the tulip she held in her hand. Unexpected, different than usual occurrences that weren't easily explained was what she took as the magic that Cedric was referring to.

[Cedric Winters]

"I care only because so many people fail to see it. That is my cross to bear. After all that's what I have to do in order to keep myself sane and try and resurrect the chivalry that has been sentenced to an early grave."

Cedric returned his free right hand to its place over Elizabeth's since he could do so. He found himself in a unique position with Elizabeth in that he very much wanted to charm her with the natural magic that existed in the world and yet he also wanted to keep his world and hers very much separate at he same time. It was a difficult thing to do, especially given Elizabeth's reluctant nature to accept that which has no tangible evidence.

[Elizabeth Mendler]

"Wait, so now chivalry is playing a part in this? My dear, you've got me confused. All this talk of magic and nature and now chivalry-- I'm just not seeing the connection."

Eliza sighed, still smiling. She was by no means an unintelligent girl. In the classroom, she might not apply herself as much as she could, but Elizabeth was certainly not lacking in the wit department. The topic they were discussing had begun to tangle in her mind though. It was most likely because Eliza was the type of person who needed to see everything laid out before her, to understand all aspects of something before she fully grasped what it was. And in this situation, though unbeknownst to her, she was missing quite a large chunk of information.

[Cedric Winters]

"I care about magic because those who don't see it I feel are a bit lacking. As a chivalrous man, I think that in order to show girls that they are the princesses, there has to be a recognition of something in the world greater than ourselves."

Cedric smirked looking at Elizabeth knowing she wouldn't take to what he said that easily. He had been trying to convince her for ears about how beautiful the world was and how that was a result of something bigger than nature while still being very much a part of it. Moving on from that, he began to wonder what would convince her that the magic in the world was there. Of course there must be something, but Cedric couldn't quite figure out what it was.

[Elizabeth Mendler]

"Lacking, hm? I understand that there has to be something out there larger than me, with more power and force and greatness and whatnot, but to me, that something just isn't magic, no matter what shape it takes."

Eliza was well aware of how Cedric had attempted to explain to her his beliefs, and what they consisted of. She just couldn't find a way to latch on to them and accept them as valid. To her, it always felt like there was something she wasn't getting, one thing that her mind couldn't figure out, though no matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn't figure out what it could be.

[Cedric Winters]

"I think you need to open your mind a bit dearie. The world becomes a much better place with magic in it. That's something I can say honestly. I promise you that."

Cedric smirked looking around for a moment trying to find something of interest he could use to demonstrate his point, but there was plenty around to do it. Children's smiles as they played, small birds singing, it was all perfect he couldn't understand how Elizabeth couldn't see it. He unlinked his arms and took a few steps forward to expand his arms as if demonstrating the entire world. Of course there was also the crack in the pavement he didn't quite see either that sent him flying forward when he tripped over it. Falling on the ground didn't hurt as much as a scrape, but there was a snapping he heard that was very much alarming to him.

[Elizabeth Mendler]

"I swear, Cedric, you can be so frustrating at times. I think I understand what--"

Elizabeth began to explain, laughing lightheartedly, but she quickly cut herself off as she watched Cedric fall to the ground. There was a look of shock and horror clear on her face, and her surprise froze her in place for a second, and she could only stand where she was, her brain processing what had just happened. Then, quickly, she was at his side, kneeling beside him, concern and worry filling her, compelling her every action.

"Cedric, oh my gosh, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

[Cedric Winters]

There were two different answers to the questions Elizabeth asked. No he wasn't hurt aside from a scrape on his chin, but he most certainly was not okay. Reaching instinctively to pat his left pocket it was everything he could do not to curse loudly. When he fell his wand snapped clean in two leaving Cedric completely in shock. He managed to get up but he knew he had to examine the extent of the damage to his wand. Getting up, Cedric groaned hoping Elizabeth hadn't heard the sound his wand made when it broke. Instead he rubbed his chin which seemed to be bleeding slightly.

"I've had better and more coordinated days I won't deny that much. I'm sure I'll be fine once I clean up a bit."

[Elizabeth Mendler]

Elizabeth caught sight of the blood on Cedric's chin, and she frowned. She started to look through the small purse she had strung across her shoulder, before pulling out a pack of tissues. Holding them out to the boy, she looked over the rest of his person, making sure he wasn't injured any further from what she could see. Already, she knew that Cedric would probably be spending some time cleaning himself up from the fall, as he was so particular about his appearance.

"Usually I'm the one lacking every form of coordination. We're switching roles, are we? But are you sure you're entirely fine? I could have swore I heard something crack. Maybe not though."

[Cedric Winters]

"Thank you Elizabeth."

Taking the tissue and dabbing his chin, Cedric occasionally winced when he put a it too much pressure on. The real kicker was that if his wand wasn't in two pieces he'd be able to fix himself in an instant. Of course Elizabeth was still around and he couldn't risk doing magic that obvious again anyway. Frowning Cedric tried to think of what he could say about her hearing the snap. He had to piece something together quickly and unfortunately it had to be something other than his wand.

"I assure you feel perfectly fine Elizabeth. The last thing I want is for you to worry about me."

[Elizabeth Mendler]

"But I have to worry, especially when you fell like that. You could have ended up fracturing something, or worse. I'm just glad that you're alright."

Elizabeth wasn't one to worry about much. When it came to Cedric or Harry, though, she was likely to be entirely too anxious over the smallest of things. She couldn't help it though. She cared for them both deeply, and to see them hurt or bothered in anyway bothered her. Gently, she wiped off part of the shirt he was wearing, brushing off any dirt it might have picked up when he had fallen. It was almost an unconscious motion; she had spent so much time around Cedric that it made her simply used to seeing his appearance spotless, and trying her hardest to keep her own as spotless as she could, although she was never one to keep things very clean at all.

[Cedric Winters]

Cedric was in a panic and for once his gentlemanly appearance was not of his concern. He needed to examine his wand which meant he needed to separate himself from Elizabeth inconspicuously. Looking around, Cedric tried to find something that might put the two of them apart. Fortunately he noticed one thing that might have done just the trick. An Italian Ice vendor was within his line of sight and he knew exactly how to proceed. Smirking Cedric took Elizabeth's hand and took it off his sleeve. He began to chuckle before he spoke as if nothing was wrong as he pointed out the vendor..

"Thank you Elizabeth, but I think it's best to move on from one little fall. I hardly think it's the end of the world. Come now. We should indulge a bit in something sweeter."

Moving on, Cedric winced and clasped his left leg looking to the ground. Did it hurt? Not actually, but it would give him excuse not to walk over.

[Elizabeth Mendler]

Elizabeth nodded, looking over to the vendor. When she returned her gaze to Cedric, she could see the pain on his face and the hand on his leg, and she was convinced that he had managed to hurt his leg after all. Frowning at him, Eliza sighed, feeling awful that he had done something to his leg.

"Look, Cedric, you've clearly hurt yourself. Please, just ease my worry and sit down or something. If you want an Italian ice, I'll get you one, but I'm not letting you walk a step further."

[Cedric Winters]

"Nonsense Elizabeth. You worry too much about things that shouldn't deserve worry. That being said, sitting down doesn't seem like a terribly bad idea."

Taking a seat on a nearby bench, appropriately wincing with each movement of his right leg, Cedric groaned before he sat down. Sitting felt nice, but certainly not because of a damaged leg. Getting Elizabeth to calm down about something was next to impossible, but that was exactly what he was counting on. Cedric would just have to play a little while longer. Once he got some distance from Elizabeth, Cedric would examine his wand. She might ream him out for faking an injury, but this was something of dire importance that needed attention.

[Elizabeth Mendler]

"I do not, Cedric. I'm worrying about a very appropriate thing at the present moment. You have an injury, I should worry. Stay put, I'll be right back."

Eliza gave the boy a stern look, and walked off, running a hand across her face. Of course Cedric had to trip the one day they decided to hang out, and of course he had to end up getting hurt. That was simply Eliza's luck. She made her way over the vendor, taking her time in picking out a flavor, and waiting for the man to actually get the dessert, striking up a menial conversation with him all the while.

[Cedric Winters]

Once Elizabeth had passed, Cedric turned and looked around quickly. Seeing a tree nearby, Cedric dashed towards it hiding behind it. It was large enough to hide him for the most part, but it wasn't ideal. However Cedric had to act quickly so he didn't exactly have time to pick and choose. Reaching into his left pocket, Cedric put his hand in frowning knowing he'd have to do so twice. Looking at his wand in two separate hands, Cedric knew the damage would be extraordinarily difficult to fix if it was even possible. He'd certainly need more than a bit of spellotape to mend it and Cedric was distraught. His wand was broken beyond repair. Holding the two pieces of blackthorn in his hands, he noticed they were held together by a small strand of hair from a demiguise.

"Dammit. I'll never be able to repair the damage."

[Elizabeth Mendler]

Eliza stood, patiently waiting for the Italian ice. She was anxious to get back to Cedric, just to make sure he was alright, but the vendor was taking a while to scoop the treat out. When thinking about it, she didn't understand how he had managed to hurt his leg like he did, when his fall really wasn't as bad as it could have been. She justified it though, thinking that perhaps his muscles were overworked from dancing, or that he had just managed to hit it on the pavement at just the right angle. Eliza paid for the ice, and turned around, starting to walk back to the bench Cedric had sat down on, only to find him gone. The girl looked around quickly, not really seeing where he could have run off to, until she spotted what looked to be an elbow poking out from behind a tree. Elizabeth began walking over to it, calling out in a rather short tone.

"Cedric? Is that you behind there?"

[Cedric Winters]

Cedric jumped at the sound of his name being taken surprise by it. He cursed internally as the pieces of the wand discharged a slight blue spark when it hit the ground. Reaching down to collect it, he stowed the pieces away in his pocket fumbling a bit to collect them. Once he managed to get his wreck of a wand put away Cedric turned around from the tree looking to Elizabeth before he spoke again. While Cedric was normally a very composed person, his nervousness was apparent as he tried to think of what he could say to Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth. I didn't expect you back so soon."

[Elizabeth Mendler]

"I thought you said your leg was hurt. Why in the world are you behind a tree, and what is that you were messing with? Twigs?"

Eliza gave Cedric an odd look. Clearly, something was up with him, even if she didn't know quite what it was. He wasn't behaving normally, and it was making her concerned. She could see how nervous he seemed, and she wondered just what could make him that nervous. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes in suspicion, and the girl decided she was going to find out just what was going on with her friend.

[Cedric Winters]

"I assure you Elizabeth, it is nothing of importance."

Looking to Elizabeth, Cedric began to think that lie after lie was compounding on itself. True his entire nature as a wizard was a lie, but that was different. That had to be kept a secret unless he wanted to suffer extreme legal ramifications. However, Cedric had no idea what to claim with Elizabeth. He had no excuse and no charming smile to slide past her. He wanted so badly to tell her the truth, but Cedric knew there was a law. He hated the law, but he hated that it made him keep a secret from his best friend.

[Elizabeth Mendler]

"Then why do you look so nervous all of a sudden?"

Had Elizabeth not been holding the equivalent of ice cream, she would have crossed her arms and given Cedric a very stern look. With others, she let certain things slip by and pretended not to care about them; with Cedric, he didn't give him that sort of leeway. As her best friend, she expected nothing less than the truth from him, or as close as she could get to it. With the present situation, it didn't seem like he was being very honest, but Eliza had no clue what in the world he'd have to hide.

[Cedric Winters]

Cedric's voice was regaining some of its calm, but his body language left much to be desired. His charming smile was replaced by a nervous grin, and his body seemed to lean back a bit as if to distance himself from Elizabeth. He wasn't exactly used to the third degree, but then again he had never broken his wand in her presence before either. As such he was a bit on edge as Elizabeth interrogated him.

"I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about Elizabeth."