you need a doctor, you scared? {KSENIA}

It had been years since Lena had been around the Amphitheatre, literally. Last time she was there, she was probably a second year, and it was autumn. She was taking one of her contemplative walks, and she was lost and she winded up here. She liked it here, but it wasn't until today she remembered what this place was called.

Sighing, she looked up at the trees as she sat on one of the stone seats, fiddling carelessly with her hair.

Ksenia sat on the ground resting her head against the cold stone wall. She breathed deeply as she tried to hold back the tears that wanted to slip past her eyes. It was late in the evening. Her knees were folded into her chest as she tried to forget what had happened to her earlier that evening.

Abraxas had demanded her presence in his Manor. There was no way she could refuse him. The threat of blackmail always hanging over her head. Now hours later, numerous bruises covered her body. The amphitheater was a good place to take a break on her way to her dorm. She knew that the pain wouldn't allow her to get there as quickly as she usually did.

Lena swiftly turned around and gasped when she saw a familiar figure. Now, Lena had always seen this familiar figure with a less than friendly expression on her face. Never had she seen her so... so vulnerable. Or she never bothered to notice.

The blonde Uchitel shut her eyes and opened them again, just in case an image of Ksenia actually looking sorry just wafted into her head because she was in a bad mood (when was she wasn't, nowadays?). A part of her felt sympathy towards the other girl. Actual, tangible sympathy. She took a deep breath, knowing she was probably to going to kill herself for this.

"Sokol!" she shrieked, "what the fuck are you doing here?"

Ksenia jumped slightly when she heard the shriek. She closed her eyes running her hand through her hair as she tried to stabilize her own emotions. "Lena, for once can you have enough decency in you not to bother me," she said, her voice low and quiet, almost weak. She didn't look at the other girl as she rested. It was a problem that she did not want to deal with at the moment.

Lena laughed a bitter laugh, her hands holding her stomach. "Sokol, what the fuck happened to that ridiculous, conniving voice of yours? You can just say so if you've lost your voice!" she yelled, taunting the other girl easily. She decided to slowly walk towards her, taking time with her steps.

"If I say I've lost my voice will you go away?" Ksenia almost whispered as she ran her hands over her face, shutting her eyes. She could not cry now, not with Lena thre.

"Aha!" Lena replied in enthusiasm, still walking closer and closer, "that's where I say, 'No! I will not!'" She could tell that Ksenia felt pissed or upset in a way, and that was how Lena thought Nia was at her best. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

A sigh went past her lips. There was no way to get rid of her now. Maybe if she told the truth it would change something. "No! I am bruised all over! I need a break before making my way into my common room. Is that what you wanted to hear" she snapped at the other girl.

It was obvious that there was something wrong with the other girl, and Lena could smell it from a mile away. Her mouth slowly formed into a silent 'oh'. A part of her wanted to let go of her rivalry with Ksenia and try and comfort her for once, but the other, more rational part of her told her to put that aside and try and talk to her.

"No, it is not," she replied calmly, a firm tone still clouding the gentleness of her words she was trying to entail. "I know there's something wrong with you, Sokol. I may be a ridiculous bitch, but I know when to keep my mouth shut. Now, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

Ksenia laughed. She had no idea why she did that when the only thing she wanted to do at that time was cry. You could hear the pain in her laughter, but she was beyond caring at that point. Lena became just another person, and not her pest of an enemy. "Why would you think I would tell you of all people what is wrong with me, Lena?"

Lena shook her head. "Just because I'm one of the most popular girls in school and all the others seem to be loudmouths, it does not mean that I am one of them," she spoke bluntly, letting those words spill out of her mouth without another thought. She then blinked when she saw a pretty little rose sitting on her third finger on her left hand.

"I-Is that a wedding ring?" she asked. Ten years from now, had she not fought with Him, she would have a ring that might have looked exactly like that. She quickly wiped the tear from her eye and took a deep breath.

"Why do you have to ask me so many questions?" Ksenia said, her voice breaking. Her eyes were closed as she leaned her head back against the wall. "Just leave me alone. Please," she said as tears finally poured down her cheeks. Lena was being her usual self yet again, making her life even more miserable then it already was. Why did she have to mention that stupid ring? The ring that she could not get rid of.

"I do not ask you that many questions," Lena snapped in utter anger, frowning. "Not like Phillie or Dommi would. You're lucky you got me instead of them."

She then gasped when Ksenia started crying. She did not know she had the ability to do so. (For all Lena knew, she got her tear ducts cut out or something.) What could possibly drive the second bitchiest person in Durmstrang (the bitchiest position will eternally be Lena's, but Lena felt emotions a lot more strongly than Ksenia did, or so she thought) to sadness?

"Why on earth are you crying?" she asked, kinder this time.

"Will you please just leave!" Ksenia spat angrily at the Uchitel in front of her, the frustration inside of her finally making itself known. There is nothing worse she could imagine happening to her at this very moment then Lena standing over her, asking her questions. "I am miserable enough without your presence. You should be happy about that."

"What the fuck is your problem, Sokol?" she shrieked. She shook her head. "I'm happy about you being pissed, but for once, make some sort of witty quip or remark about me being in the amphitheatre all by myself instead of snogging my boyfriend?" She tried not to let her voice waver at the word 'boyfriend.'

"Lena," Ksenia said as calmly as she could. "Just get the fuck away from me," she said quietly. "I do not care what you do with your boyfriend who can't walk two feet without stumbling, I don't care what you are doing here in the middle of the night. Just leave me the fuck alone. Is that too hard to understand?" she almost sighed before her forehead scrunched up in pain once again.

Lena smirked, knowing full well that she had hit Ksenia's weak spot. Her heartbeat tried not to quicken as Ksenia mentioned Him, so she could only swallow and hope that the other girl attributed it to thirst.

"It's not as hard to understand as it is to do," she replied in an overjoyous tone. "And besides, nice ring! I would love to have one like that! Where'd you get it?"

"Oh, yes it would look lovely on you Lena," Ksenia said, smirking to herself, not looking at the other girl. "I think it will suit yo. The ring and all the baggage that it comes with. Yes it would do nicely," whatever Lena wanted to do to her, firing insults like that was helping her return to the reality, to better control the pain. It distracted her, and that was what she needed right now.

Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "What sort of baggage? The metaphorical sort? Or the physical sort in which you need actual strength and persistence to carry?" She mused this quickly in her head and shrugged her shoulders. "I've handled a fuckload in my life, so I'm sure I can handle whatever baggage you have."

"Of course you could. Be my guest," Ksenia said with a smile as more tears poured down her face. Lena had no way of knowing what she had to go through and she probably would never find out. How naive can she be, the older girl though to herself as she shifted her body once again and groaned in pain.

Lena blinked. "What the fuck - " she began, but as soon as she saw Ksenia, she practically jumped out of her skin. There were black and blue bruises all over her body, and they seemed to have no end. She scanned her head, and she had to cover her mouth when she saw all the bruises she had. "What did you do?" she breathed, hoping that Nia wouldn't hear.

"I did nothing!" Ksenia almost snarled at the other girl. "I told you to leave me alone! Are you too dense to understand that?" she asked, her anger rising to a boiling point. Why wouldn't she just leave her alone! The Ucihtel was acting like a child! What did she do to earn herself even more torment?

"I figured," she replied quietly. She ignored all of Ksenia's other words because she was too busy observing the scars. "Who did this, Nia?" she spoke in a firm but not angry tone. "I'm not going to tell anyone. Tell me who did this."

"Why in bloody hell would I tell you anything?" Ksenia hissed angrily. She wanted to tear the flesh of the other girl into shreds. she wanted to punch her until she had as many bruises as there were covering her own body right now. She wanted revenge. She wanted to stop being so vulnerable.

Lena ran a hand through her hair. "I know how to deal with this, even if I'm not particularly good with healing in general." She then quickly added, "Plus - I am a hell of a secret keeper. Even to Anya."