The Park [Thursday afternoon]

[sith_happened]

Anakin had a finally dug out his office from the pink bunnies that Bel had infested it with (he didn't need proof to know it was Bel, okay? HE KNEW). After taking two home for Juliet and Chris (and ignoring the vague smirk on Rory's face because of course she remembered their first year and why pink bunnies were hilarious and now he missed Hamlet and dammit it, he'd gotten over that particular heartache a decade ago), he filled up a wheelbarrow with the rest and was now dumping them into the Belthazor-shaped hole in the ground located just off of the pond in the park.

Because Anakin was a petty, petty bastard.

[OOC: So, so open.]

Comments

[wildandbrave]

"Professor Skywalker?"

Look, that was Cosette approaching with a cowbell in one hand, a stick in the other, and a supremely awkward, apologetic expression on her face and so much SP oh god.

[sith_happened]

Anakin reached up to rub at the sudden headache he had. "Another one from Bel's class?"

[wildandbrave]

Cosette nodded. "I didn't mean to sign up for it," she blurted out, "but seeing as it happened and I don't particularly care to fail --" because she was a nerd and the idea horrified her -- "I've got to do the assignment. You understand, I hope?"

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded, sighing heavily. "He's a complete ass, you know."

[wildandbrave]

"It seems the sentiment's mutual," Cosette said dryly. "I won't be taking sides in the matter one way or the other, if that's any help. And anyway, my assignment's only to sing this song for you, but Monsieur Belthazor never told us not to take any liberties with the arrangement so I thought I might as well try to make it as pleasant as possible."

Except for the cowbell. There was nothing on earth that would make that pleasant, and don't think she hadn't tried.

Anyway.

Cosette took a breath and began to sing, dutifully clanging the cowbell after every line, but as delicately as possible. Yes, she'd actually practiced this, working it out on the piano and everything, and it probably didn't hurt that she'd had a good amount of vocal training from the Petit-Picpus sisters either.

All right, so maybe it was a touch overly earnest, but earnestly upbeat.

[sith_happened]

Anakin's hand came up to cover his smile. "You performed it much better than I ever did."

[wildandbrave]

"I like singing," Cosette answered with a little shrug. "I don't often do it around other people, but I do enjoy it. I --"

That was when she noticed the stuffed bunnies in the hole, and the wheelbarrow. "That was not part of the assignment."

[sith_happened]

Anakin sighed. "No, that's just Bel being an asshole."

Language, Anakin.

[wildandbrave]

Cosette quirked one eyebrow and pursed her lips mildly, almost as if she were scolding him for it as well.

"I gather you're hardly fond of each other." Which was a gross understatement, and her expression suggested that she knew it.

[sith_happened]

"Haven't been able to stand each other for almost a decade," Anakin said with a wry smile. "He's jealous because I'm taller and better looking."

[wildandbrave]

And this would be the first time in her life that Cosette had ever consciously considered the relative attractiveness of any of her teachers.

She decided it might be a good idea to stay out of that argument.

"Surely you can't have been up to this sort of thing --" with a gesture toward the bunny-filled crater --"all along?" she wondered.

[sith_happened]

Anakin looked slightly abashed. "Kind of?" he admitted. "We do an annual exchange of insults every homecoming when he completely fails to get me to fall into the dunk tank."

Because Anakin was a giant cheater.

[wildandbrave]

Cosette considered that for a moment, then burst out laughing. "So it's a custom then, really! Almost like celebrating a birthday in a way."

A really weird way.

[sith_happened]

Anakin laughed. "Something like that, yeah."

[wildandbrave]

"I think it's almost sweet, in a way."

Cosette, no.

[sith_happened]

Anakin's eyebrows drew together. "We're not sweet."