deck em

“It wasn’t…okay maybe a little.” A little grin tugged at the corner of her mouth as she shrugged her shoulders. Of course she wouldn’t jinx him – it took a lot more to upset Poppy; And if someone actually managed it, she wouldn’t use her wand – no, then her inner nymph usually tend to take over control, and that creature didn’t use a wand. “Oh I don’t know”, she began, a thoughtful look on her face as she watched him. “I think you definitely deserve some kind of punishement.” She thought about it for a few seconds before the little grin turned into a full mischievous one. “I’m sure you would look adorable in a Clownfish shirt.”

“See? I prove my point that teasing you is heaps of fun,” he concluded, before his grin shriveled up at her next words. Though he knew she was joking, the prospect made him shiver and he shook his head furiously. “There is no way I would be caught dead in a Clownfish uni, Ashby. That’s definitely my limit -- I mean, this body was not made to be tarnished by that vomit green shirt.” Mirth laughter rings from his lips, and he shakes his head again at disbelief for her implication. There was no way he’d ever satisfy that desire of hers to humiliate him.

“Don’t be a poor sport, Ashby -- that was definitely funny,” he argued, watching her pout all the while. Although, her threat could only further amuse him, knowing full well that Poppy was mostly harmless, or at least to him as his friend. “Woah, woah, woah. A jinx is a little much for some harmless fun, Persephone,” he continued to joke, nudging her. 

“Really? Playing Aquaball must be pretty frustrating for him then.” Poppy had already opened her mouth to respond something, but before she could say or do anything Reno had already picked her up. “oh for merlin’s sake! never do that again”, she said quite embarrassed after he had put her down again – she then hid her face behind her hands for a few seconds. As she removed her hands from her face, she saw a couple of first years staring at them. “C’mon keep walking, there’s nothing to see here, kids – just a guy who definitely got too many balls thrown against his head. I think I should really guide you to the hospital tower.”

“Not really, I think he loves the sport too much to sacrifice it on behalf of his hair, and I get that,” he explains. Then suddenly he’s bursting with laughter, doubled over at Poppy’s flustered state, his hands clutching his stomach as his abdomen pains with the excessive chuckling. “Actually, I t-think I’ll be doing that m-much much more often,” he says between his laughs until the amusement subsides and he slowly stands straight again. “Oh man, that was more fun than picking on the first years. You’re adorable when you’re overwhelmed, Pop.”

“Hey!” She took a step back while brushing her hands through her wavy hair. “You can do that with Murphy, but not with me”, she said with a little pout. “Heard of it, but I still go with huge ego.” She smiled about her own words before listening to him again. “Not bad myself? Wow, that’s the nicest thing I’ve ever heard”, she chuckled a little. “Glad to hear that, but I think I won’t try it. People are already annoyed, because I keep asking them to join the event committee.”

He holds up his hands in mock surrender, chuckling at her behavior as she combed determinedly through her hair, “Alright, alright. Don’t touch the hair, I got it.” Reno then slowly lowers his hands, but not before running his digits through his own locks, pushing the stray strands from his face. “Have you seen how he gets about his hair? I swear he takes at least ten minutes every morning trying to figure out how he should wear it,” he exaggerates of his friend, laughing at the thought of Murphy’s morning routine. “And I still argue that it’s simply my confidence, Ashby -- Oh? Was not bad not good enough for you then?” He proceeds to scoop her up and swing her around with that development playfully, “Persephone Ashby, you’re the most beautiful girl on this whole island,” he yells down the coast, surely turning heads before setting the small girl down. “Better?”

“And I’m sure you will find a girl someday, who’s honest with her feelings and who doesn’t mind a guy whose ego is twice as big as Eulesea”, she smirked, looking up at him. Anyway, she narrowed her eyes about his next words (she wasn’t mad though), and nudged him a little. “Certainly not as messed up as you; since I don’t walk around, telling everyone how ‘gorgeous’–”, she made quotation marks with her fingers, “I am.”

“Way to narrow down my choices, Ashby,” he quips, ruffling her hair a bit. After all, it wasn’t a lie that girls liked him (despite his cocky attitude), and when he’d been a kid with a scraggly build and braces, that’s all he wanted. Then the braces came off, he muscled up, and suddenly he was drowning in the attention -- which had most obviously done wonders for his ego. “Well, you clearly have never heard of confidence being a virtue then. Though, you’re not bad yourself, Poppy. You could  probably get away with telling people how pretty you are.”

She chuckled a little before putting on a very serious expression – well, at least she tried to, she was still smiling too much. “Oh I definitely am. I write Reno Decker and little hearts in all of my notebooks”, she replied amused. Poppy always loved joking around  with everyone; at least with everyone she liked and who could actually handle a little joke or two. “Oh shut up, Decker”, she grinned as he held up two fingers. “My sight is perfect, as well as my mental health. I still appreciate your concern though.”

Reno coudn’t very well hide his own laughter either, chuckling as he threw an arm over the blond’s shoulder. “See, there we go. I love a girl that’s honest with her feelings, Pop,” he says, winking down at her with a grin. “However, on the subject of your mental health, I do believe that is an entirely different realm to be concerned with. Who knows how messed up you are up there?” Reno laughs lightheartedly, tapping the top of her head playfully. 

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes; Considering his big ego, it was really a surprise that the sharks disliked him – but then again, they were assholes and he wasn’t in their team; And they didn’t like anyone who wasn’t on their team. “I never said that I appreciate it, but I gotta admit that it’s still funny that people try to change you. One could really think they give up after so many years. Oh, and you’re not that gorgeous”, she added with a slight shake of her head. Poppy just couldn’t help it but try and crush his big ego a little – a girl needs some entertainment after all.

Holding a hand to his heart, he hissed -- as though burned, in false hurt. After all, he was well self confident enough (as it had been proven) to not be truly wounded; not to mention that, after having known Poppy over the years, he knew there was not much weight behind these words, or he would assume so as it had not come to his attention there was any disdain between the two. “How you wound me so, Poppy. Here I thought you were my admirer for a second, after praising me as you did. Then again, denying my obvious attractiveness, I’m worried on the state of your sight,” he jokes, holding up two fingers for further emphasis on his teasing, “How many fingers am I holding up?”

Poppy watched the scene from afar, yet close enough to hear everything. She had her arms folded and her eyebrows raised as she listened to the conversation – but the surprised look wasn’t on her face because of what Reno said (after so many years she was used to it), it was because the other student actually thought they could make Reno feel bad. The blonde couldn’t help but ask herself whether the student hit their head this morning. She eventually chuckled a little as the student let out a load groan before walking away. “Pierce zero, Decker’s ego one”, she said with a half smile.

Reno, ever the smart-arse, could only grin as his frustrated counterpart stormed off into the distance with discontent -- still not missing another strike to head from the sidelines where Decker’s friends had not yet ceased in their harassment. As for him, he turned to the small blond that now stood before him, a smug look still etched in his visage. “Ashby,” he says first, recognizing her instantly,”I’m glad somebody appreciates it. It’s not easy being so simultaneously gorgeous and witty at the same time, you know?”