Post by CASSIUS RAMSEY on Apr 9, 2021 5:58:49 GMT -5
Cassius watched Aodhan as his offer sank in. Watched him move through an array of emotions, but most notably surprise. He couldn’t really blame Aodhan for that. It wasn’t as if he was known for being generous. Few in his circle were, with those that did go out of their way to show kindness to others viewed as the exception that proved the rule. The anomaly. A deviation from the norm. It was a fair assessment. Though plenty in his circle made a song and dance of being charitable, flaunting their philanthropic efforts to all who looked their way, Cas knew that in most cases it was an act. It was a tool used to boost optics and open doors. Any actual good it did was a happy by-product of serving themselves first. It was one of the many reasons why Cas harboured such disdain for the circles in which he was raised. All the pretence and posturing. The boasting and bragging and elitism. Holding themselves not to a higher standard than others, merely above them – the insidious and deeply rooted belief that they were simply better by birth. For a long time, Cas had believed it, too. How could he not when it had been all he’d been taught? But attending Hogwarts had opened his eyes. There were half-bloods as gifted with magic as any pureblood he’d met, and muggle-borns with as much familial wealth. Status came from luck and not work ethic or superior breeding. He knew that now. He’d seen it with his own eyes. His father’s teachings couldn’t hold up against first-hand empirical data. But for as much as he wished to distance himself from the cult he’d been raised into, Cassius had to admit they got some things right. One of them was that they looked out for each other. When one was threatened, they closed ranks. When one was in need, they assisted, the prevailing notion that ‘their kind’ must stick together as deeply rooted as the elitism. It wasn’t a perfect system – rumours and gossip were rife in his community and he knew some would stab others in the back if it meant they came out on top – but it had worked for centuries. Cas could see its value, knew he wouldn’t be as comfortable as he was without it, and felt it was his time to pay it forward. So what if the recipient was a half-blood? Aodhan was one of only a handful of people he’d ever felt compelled to help. That had to mean something. And as long as his father never found out, there’d be no issues. “I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to help,” he said when Aodhan insisted he didn’t want to put him out. It was true. Cas wasn’t in the habit of riding in on a white horse to rescue people. He didn’t have a bleeding heart, didn’t bend over backwards to lift others up. He largely didn’t care about others, or at least didn’t think about them long enough to see if he cared. What he did was look out for the people that mattered, and Aodhan mattered. That really was the only piece of salient information he needed. “I have the space, I have the resources, I have the time,” he continued, giving his shoulder a slim shrug. “But, ultimately, it’s your choice.” He held Aodhan’s gaze, a faint smile on his lips. “I’ll follow your lead.” |