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Post by Shava on Apr 22, 2016 5:36:46 GMT -5
Emblyn actually kind of agreed with that, knowing that people had indeed done what they had to do when there was no Ministry. Unless it benefited them her parents liked to keep most things about the war under wraps, but she found out anyway. She didn't say anything, but knew if something happened like back then, she wanted to fight! “It does sound odd, but that was the first thing that I could think of. You probably haven't read many muggle comic books, have you?” she asked, trying to sound more knowledgeable about the subject than she really was, even though most people, especially pures, wouldn't even care. “Have you had to use it yet?”
She was glad that she had never pursued anything in healing. It was a lot of pressure, having someone else's life in your hands. But then... “That... thing that you said earlier, about how someone else would have to take care of things? Would you help people if something happened at the school?” She looked at him with interest. “I don't mean just for the healing,” she said with a smirk. “I mean, if you were to become some potion-wielding maniac. Then again, you might plan ahead your killings and just bring what you need. Okay, magic bag out.” She shrugged.
She swallowed hard when he said that his siblings would qualify as wealthy. The whole family seemed like targets for her parents, though she could take solace in the fact that a family that powerful didn't have to rely on one like hers. She smiled a little and nodded at the question of property. “They say that owning things like that can be much more valuable at times than gold. Harder to squander, maybe. It's different to have an island than a single plot of land.” Her parents owned their house, but for how long?
Technically, her parents had given her a choice, too, but it was only by their standards which were vastly different from hers. When he asked her why she didn't just go ahead with it, she looked at him with surprise. “What? Well... My parents had an arranged marriage, and both families were broke. A lot of lies come along with being forced into something. Besides, if family is everything, shouldn't that mean I should take extra care into what sort of people I let into my family? It's not like whoever it is will be thrilled that they got a penniless wife, no matter how pure her bloodline is.” Being honest was hardly an option given her parents' 'plan'. It took everything in her not to say 'well then, yes, why don't we get married, Darius? I'm sure the decision is just as easy when you're on that side of it'.
The Willow? She had gone near there a time or two before, not too close, when she wanted to get away from other people. “I'll handle the food. I guess... See if you can get a good blanket or something for the grass. I mean, the one that I have isn't really big enough.” She felt so absurd coming up with this that her face was a little red. “I know you were, but if anyone else sees what I saw... Well, it's better that you're not alone.” She gave him a playful smile and started on the way.
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Post by Shava on Apr 22, 2016 5:37:33 GMT -5
Darius gave her an odd look. "I've heard of them, yes, but I thought they were mostly pictures and little plot development," in the same tone someone might have said 'Sure, those are perfectly fine for someone who doesn't like to read, but it's as close to literature as a bug under your foot' or someone who seriously had never gotten the point of them. Being a wizard from a pure family, it was hardly surprising he had never run across them. Although when she asked him about the kit he raised an eyebrow at her. "Well yes." And then realizing she might take that wrong he added "Not by myself, but when I'm learning from the nurse and she supervises something she has been working with me on. Students get themselves hurt all sorts of stupid ways."
In other words, yeah he had used his stuff a lot, but students weren't allowed to do stuff on each other in school and surely everyone knew that? "I wouldn't be allowed to use it really unless I was officially a trainee probably, but she wants me to get used to having it and knowing what I need to pull out and use for different sections." She asked him about whether he would or not and he paused, thinking about it. It wasn't too hard, he could hardly pretend to be interested in health and not answer yes, right? Even if what he was interested in was something else. "If it was something I was trained for. I would or could mess soemthing up worse otherwise." That was safe enough.
Then a thought occurred that he decided made sense to say as well with that. "Actually... Wouldn't it make more sense to get a set of ingredients that can be used to create the most variety of effects? That way on the spot you can do the most things. But I guess if you really are a maniac you probably would only use one thing on everything." She seemed to still be worrying over the money end of things which puzzled him. If you had what you needed when you did, then you didn't worry about the rest. And he never had needed much really except potion stuff. "I guess I don't think about money much, I only ever need potion stuff and most of that I try to get myself."
She gave an explanation and he nodded his head, but then shook it also as he spoke. "Some are yes, but I've heard that a lot of the old ones turned into love marriages and people were happy with them. Sounded like a good number of them too so depending on the other person you probably ought to debate it on them and if you think you could deal with them instead. Every individual is just that, unpredictable in a situation like that I would think." He gave her an odd look. "Why? If they are already rich who cares what the other's value is? Isn't that a concept from the earlier generations and the old wars?" His mother passionately hated the Deatheaters and what they stood for and yet his family seemed as dark as others he had run across.
"Also, shouldn't you be concerned not just about who you let into your family, but whose family you end up in? For correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the bride often go to live with the husband's family just as often as on their own together? Especially when property is involved. I think most couples end up going where the money is I would assume, so if you marry someone richer wouldn't you go live with them?" Her comment about the picnic was sound however. "Certainly, I know just the one to get." As they walked, he flashed a glance to her, puzzled. "Why? It's not like there will be anyone else out here at this hour picnicking in the fog." The cottage suddenly loomed out of the gloom at them as they nearly walked into the wall the fog had been so thick and he stopped barely on the edge of the cottage steps, his arm moving out to stop her running into it.
@emblyn
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Post by Shava on Apr 22, 2016 5:39:26 GMT -5
Emblyn laughed. “My friends would say that the case could be argued that there is too much plot development.” She was more into ordinary books as well but that might have been more because she didn't have much experience at all with comics. And it gave her a chance to be herself. If one thing could be said of Conall McTavish, it was simply that Emblyn found less reason to hide who she was around him. She frowned a little when he said that he'd had to use the kit, imagining some bloody gruesome scenes in the corridors. When he explained that it was when he was with the nurse her face relaxed a little. “I know. I have to admit, sometimes I've wanted to get hurt over something stupid before. I mean, they make good stories, especially if you get scars. Someone like you probably thinks that it's stupid to court injury, right?” She knew it was, and she looked almost proud.
“Or... even outside of the school. I guess that if they ever came back, you would be able to take care of your family,” Emblyn said. She meant the Death Eaters, though that explanation was hardly needed. Maybe that would be something that she should be happy about with a husband. Someone who could really take care of the people around him. She wondered what his words really meant. She was such a good pretender that she sensed that there was more to his answer. “Well, that's a good answer. You wouldn't want to make something easily fixed worse...” Maybe he was a coward. She had no idea. It was quite interesting to be talking to someone she didn't really understand.
Emblyn smirked. “Well, yes, collecting versatile ingredients would definitely be the best idea. But... If you didn't want to get caught, using different things all the time might keep people off of your trail. If they ever stumbled onto it, at least.” She looked at him a bit oddly. “Well, it's not like I'm very expensive to keep alive and happy. It's the whole not having a future thing that bothers me. Then again, maybe I'll land myself a good job and be able to save my parents that way. They aren't very patient when they believe they could just have someone else take care of their problems for them.” She shrugged. She hoped she'd never get quite as lazy as them.
“I guess... Starting with lies isn't a good way to make someone fall in love with you.” She looked downward. It was so early to be talking about this kind of thing. She hadn't even had breakfast! “Maybe you only heard the good stories because people get so good at pretending that they're happy. Convincing themselves.” She hadn't really thought about the fact that a wealthy person might not care about her family's worth. “A lot of the worst concepts stick around when they're not needed,” she muttered, waving her hand as though dismissing all of that crap. “That's why the pure-blood madness is still prevalent today. I think it's rubbish, to be honest.”
She swallowed hard at the thought of going somewhere unfamiliar. “Yes... Whether we're looking at gender or money, I'm the one who loses.” She wondered if that was really a loss. She'd be away from her parents. She loved them, she supposed, but she didn't like them very much anymore. “I'm concerned about the whole thing. What sort of a person would you choose if you had to make that kind of decision?” she asked, truly wanting the advice. All people were different, she knew that, but she couldn't ask just anyone. Most people didn't know of her predicament. She smirked when he said that there wouldn't be others out picnicking. Well... who could say, really? She turned her head to say something when suddenly she ran into his arm. “Hey! O-oh... Oh, we're here, aren't we?” What'd she think he was up to? She didn't even know, but she began to giggle a bit crazily.
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Post by Shava on Apr 22, 2016 5:42:34 GMT -5
Not understanding her comment he let it pass, wondering why she would think anything under a hundred pages would have a decent plot development, but she had said her friends. "I think I'll continue to prefer books, but that may just be me. So many more possibilities then a picture book in essence." She spoke about injuries and he wondered how to carefully phrase the truth, then decided there was little point to being honest on that one. "I think most Lions would agree with you, but I'm more interested in seeing a value of return from it. I can see risking injury if you have a reasonably good estimation of winning something against an opponent. My brother Vin rides motorcycles and that's not without risk of injury despite his cautions."
He'd ridden once and decided against it. "So not entirely stupid if thought is involved, but without thinking, yes." And it was clear in his eyes that not thinking was a very low thing for anyone to admit to. As she mentioned his family his eyes grew animated and he nodded. "I'd do anything for family," with a certain amount of fanatical sound touched in his voice, "as they have done anything I needed in return. My parents are amazing." There was little doubt he didn't draw a limit on what his family could ask either. Whether she realized that an in-law would be considered family as well was still in doubt however.
A nod. "Yes, and it's easy to do that with as little as people know about how the body works." Thinking about that for a minute, he pursed his lips as if he thought there was some argument there. "I'm not entirely sure that's true unless you use a particularly unusual ingredient. Using common ones would eliminate that and choosing different methods each time would make it far less likely. But that's just a guess." Right. Sure Darius, that didn't sound carefully phrased at all. His expression appeared suddenly interested. She did sound like she was describing herself like a special sort of pet. "Oh? What would you describe as your care requirements if I can ask?"
Darius shrugged to her comment. "I guess, but you did mention contracts. Most people aren't expecting love with those, just survival and success for the future. Love is one of those things I understand you can not plan, make, or force. It just has to happen and if someone falls in love I would think it's rare enough for most basic and simple lies to be forgotten. After all, all the books speak about how precious love is." He hesitated; while it was entirely positive he had only heard the good stories, he had also heard a few of the worst ever possible stories, his mother's being the worst. "Um. Well, maybe. I've heard a couple that were horrors, but from what I've read it's closer to fifty-fifty. Most people consider themselves lucky in the ones I have heard to find anyone they could deal with who wasn't being cruel."
And if someone was his family he would never be wrong at them he was sure.
A curious tilt to his head at her before he spoke. "Well certainly the reasons the Deatheaters gave seem pretty stupid. My brother once said he wondered if there wasn't some truth to the fact that like genetics, those with the most magic lines had better percentages of children with magic. There's always the odds to throw off either way so there's not a way to test the theory well, but it does raise an interesting thought. Maybe by keeping to magic lines as much as possible w avoid squibs more often and give the next generation better odds. Who would want to risk their children not having all the best chances? I thought it was the only argument worth making really." Then he frowned as they walked. "Of course he also believes marrying outside the English bloodlines to be fairly important."
She spoke about losing and he nodded. "True. Unless you are the one to do the choosing of who you contract with. Probably if you give your parents a name you can deal with they will be influenced towards your choice as it would be easier if you were not resisting them every step. I don't know that you have a better chance then that." From what she had said at least if she considered both of those 'losing' prospects. She asked his opinion and for the first time in their conversation he looked completely floored. Stopping dead where he stood his look was slightly panicked. "Uh, I'd ask my mother. She always gives me the right advice." The more he thought about it the worst it got. The idea of having to be close with someone-- in the same bed?!
Yeah this was not a fun lane to travel.
"Of course," he murmured almost to himself, "once you're married, they are family, right..." before he pulled himself together as if making a decision. "Uh, I guess I'd choose someone I knew I could manage to live with then. Avoid all the ones you suspect would be horrors or repressive or cruel and shoot for the ones you like or just like being around I suspect." They started walking again and talking and it wasn't till he stuck his arm out that he touched her for the first time. Once she stopped suddenly with a protest broken off, then began giggling he looked at her as he pulled his hand back. He had not taken the chance to feel her up as some guys might have done, probably because he was afraid of finding out what she might really fell like. Flesh was not his normal interest.
"It's just around over here." He led the way around the left side and to the back where he opened a small shelf door and put the large tool down there before closing the door again. Turning to her he said "Now the entertaining part, finding the way back up."
@emblyn
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Post by Shava on Apr 22, 2016 5:43:29 GMT -5
“Well, they're not stand alone books. They release continuations pretty often. I guess that it's sort of like the shows that muggles watch, the ones that are half an hour or so.” She shrugged. She wasn't defending comic books so much as she was just trying to explain their concept. Besides, she'd not seen muggle movies before, just had them explained to her. “It may just be my Gryffindor traits showing then. I want to go through life experiencing most everything, the good and the bad. Sometimes making a bad decision turns out to be a good thing in the end but you never know until it's over.” People got hurt over dumb things all the time without trying.
“Riding brooms can be as dangerous as messing with muggle technology.” She didn't actually know what a motorcycle was, but she assumed that it was something muggle. Better to pretend to be knowledgeable and have half the chance of being right than to for sure make herself seem stupid. She wished that it was possible for her to be that close with her family again. Maybe if she just listened to them... but no, that was her making the full sacrifice when they wouldn't even hear her out. “Really? What... have they done for you that's so great?” Her trademark bluntness bordering on bitchiness was making itself known.
“Healing would probably be an interesting job because I think even the most knowledgeable of doctors doesn't know everything yet.” She smiled, interested in the art of it. She acted like she didn't care about school, but learning was a secret passion. “Hmmm, you make a good point. I think that we can agree though that potions are still easier than wands when it comes to getting away with things.” She winked at him, feeling rather playful. They'd been on the subject for a while and she couldn't be more amused that it had been such a good one. She was confused by his question at first but then she realized how it all had sounded and she giggled a little bit. “In truth, if I were not tied down by all of the deceit, I think all I would need to be happy is books, one person that actually knows me, and maybe some wine now and then.” It felt kind of good to say that. “See? Not too material.”
Emblyn bit her lip. “The funny thing about that love business is that I was never interested in that sort of thing until I realized it was something I couldn't choose.” She thought about his words. It was true, the lies were kind of a part of negotiations. In her own parents' situation, both families had believed that they would be saved by that marriage, and both sides had been lying. “I guess if love happened, then they would be the sort of person to listen to the reasons why... You have a good way of explaining things.” He was probably not the type to just say things to make someone feel better. Chances are, he really believed his words and that reassured her even more. She wasn't sure that she liked the 50/50 odds, but she had been in a position to hear mostly bad stories so that was still an improvement. “I know that I can definitely be enough of a nightmare to someone who drives me to it. I would make them regret it as much as I did, if they were cruel or abusive.” She could ensure that much.
She made a face at the stuff about magic lines. “I kind of think that magic that has been hiding in someone could be as strong as anything. I mean, yes, there is more chance of a magical child with two magical parents, but maybe squibs are nature's way of avoiding things getting too close. You know... Since a lot of the oldest families are related already.” She always wondered when conversing with a fellow pure-blood if they were actually related, and how close that relation would be. There were fewer worries with a muggleborn! “When you do see a muggleborn performing magic, they aren't any less capable than pures, so... I never really understood what the big deal was.” She smiled at the comment about marrying outside the English bloodlines. “At least there are a lot of people from different places going to Hogwarts, right? That's reassuring.”
“You might be right... It's not easy, though. A lot of people aren't into that tradition anymore, surprisingly. The war has changed things.” Of course her stupid parents would be one of the ones that keeps to old traditions, even if they had never been prejudiced. It was just... dumb. Outdated and dumb. “If the right person comes along, maybe I'll talk to him and see if he'd be willing to try an engagement period.” She felt anxiety at the mere thought. He said that he would ask his mother about it, and she gave him the strangest look.
“You don't know what sort of a person you would want to be with? I mean, that's important. You spend your life with them. Dinners, children, the bedroom... I don't know if you want to ask your mum a question like that.” Further explanation on his part made her relax a little bit. “Good idea. Have them meet the family, and meet theirs too. Maybe your mother already has an idea of the sort of person that she wants you to marry after all... But if she ever does give you that talk, you should make sure that you think about yourself, too, Darius.”
She glanced at him from the side once he had put the tool back. Something was on her mind that wouldn't quite quit. “Hey... Darius? What would you think if your mother tried to have you marry me?” It seemed that she was just wondering how she was to an outsider, but there was more to it than that. At this point, he was the one that her parents seemed to be the most interested in on her behalf. It was probably still kind of out of left field.
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Post by Shava on Apr 22, 2016 5:45:26 GMT -5
His face enlightened. "Ah, like a book series but much more limited in scope?" That did make them make more sense in a way though he doubted they could be better then books which gave out hard, concise details and facts which had often been double checked compared to fiction works. Her point about risking mistakes was another thing however. "Well taking risks which don't involve personal risk of the physical kind is kind of different. I'm just not one to risk injury without a good chance of success or reward. Jumping into things can also make situations infinitely worse if you aren't prepared for what is happening."
He smirked very slightly. "He did that as well, played a lot of Quidditch. I've not been a sports person unless you include climbing and rappelling. Otherwise I'd prefer being indoors." As she questioned his family's usefulness he turned and looked her dead in the eye. Best to get this out all at once to overwhelm the thought that they would ever be lesser for him. "Saved my life, protected me from danger, taken me to more then fifty countries, always put up with my moods and oddities, taught me all they learned, saved special treats & brought back things from everywhere they have traveled, and always watched out for me so I had the best of everything everyone else got. That's not counting the fact my parents gave me life nor the many siblings I've taken care of in the nursery at home who I know love me without question. If I asked they would bend over backwards to do everything they could for me or anyone in our family, in-laws included."
His voice was definite and without question about pure fact, no fiction.
As he turned back to the path he added "I'm not sure I would take the full training, but understanding even the basics of it seems important to me. I prefer the potions end of it as you might guess." As she concluded he was right about potions she got a rare smile from him, though still limited as he nodded. "Wands are what most aurors want to investigate first anyway to review the spells. That makes it much more limited for doing anything even questionable legally." She answered his direct and rather personal question, seemingly pleased by her simple list. "I agree, you would be easy to take care of for happiness then. I would have to admit to the books for certain, though my parents drink far more wine then I do." Then he shrugged. "As to the other, my family understands me so I guess I've never had the feeling of the loss of it. I am sorry you have."
A slight nod at the compliment. "Thank you, it just seemed logical based on what I had heard. I've heard some of the contracts can be quite restrictive, like wearing control rings or having a child within the first year. Some of the more traditional contracts my brother told me about had some nasty twists in what the bride had to do so be grateful you don't live say, a century ago. You are far safer now I think, unless you get into some of the older families I suspect." And while his was a very old family, it was nothing traditional, especially this generation. Anyone who saw his family's hair alone would know that! "Unfortunately no one has ever run the experiment following up on lines and chances and such. And because of this, your ideas are as good as mine. It's also why the old DE could push their ideas for so long with so many people."
He hesitated however at her other comment. "Well, not exactly. See, to go to Hogwarts you have to have at least one English parent or be born in England. So just because they are there argues most people have some mix of English blood. But even a partial mix from outside was what my brother was saying made more sense then any of the DE's old ideas." Her comment about people not being into that contract business anymore made him slowly nod, then he gave her an eye. "And that actually puts you in more danger, really. Most of the ones who do are from those old ways of thinking. Yes, I can see why you would be afraid of what you might end up in. You almost need a family that doesn't care and trick your parents into making a contract with them somehow." Darius really didn't understand what an engagement period was, but maybe that was a muggle concept? Anyway, he didn't ask.
Darius held up his fingers. "My grandfather was trying to sell her contract off to the highest bidder, she's been married for years, she regularly chases us out of the house to spend time with my father, and I have more then a dozen brothers and sisters. How could anyone else have more experienced and still be guaranteed to give me the best advice because she cares about my future? Of course I would ask her." Think of himself? Why? He doubted his value had anything to do with a marriage contract. "Well just as you said yourself, my needs are few. I don't see much more then that I need to worry over." But then she asked a big question and he turned to look at her, clearly giving it thought. He knew if his mother asked him, he would. There was no issue with that, but she seemed to be asking for something more then just that.
He managed not to twitch at the thought of marrying anyone and kept his voice carefully neutral. "You keep up a good conversation, you read books, and you seem easy enough to keep happy by your own words. I won't have any shortage of space in my inheritance so that's not an issue and surely enough space for a wine cellar. I wouldn't see any problem with it. If it came to that, how would you feel if your parents told you that you were marrying me?" The personal physical dimension he left alone as the idea of sex was not something he could think about before marriage and after it was one of the requirements so why worry about it beforehand?
@emblyn
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Post by Shava on Apr 22, 2016 5:46:20 GMT -5
Emblyn's face screwed up a little bit. “Even though it's a type of book, they aren't really comparable. You can say a lot with a well-drawn picture and not have to worry so much about description, so... I guess not being able to imagine the way that things happen is the main drawback to comics.” She smiled a little bit as he spoke. He really did sound like a Slytherin, as she knew that she sounded like a Gryffindor. Part of her had always wanted to dismiss the house thing, but obviously they were onto something when they came up with that system. “Well, yeah. I guess it depends on the situation though. Sometimes going with your gut feeling works out better than something thought out. You can't predict other people, no matter what you do.”
“What do you do when you climb?” Emblyn asked. She thought that he was the kind of person that didn't do a lot of things just for the experience of it. Though... she also wasn't sure what he could do with climbing. Emblyn just looked at Darius as he said everything that his family had done for him. She believed that his family truly was so close. She nearly cringed when he said the cliché of giving life. In a way, she admired him for caring so much about his family. She envied him, she supposed, a little bit. She could think of all sorts of things that her family had done for her, but with a little scrutiny, it was obvious that it wasn't for her at all but for them. She wondered if there was something like that to at least a few of his parents' good deeds. “Fine. So your family should star in one of those Christmas specials they play over the radio.” She smirked, kind of wondering if that would offend him.
She looked thoughtful. “Still... If I got myself banged up pretty bad, I could ask for you?” She was joking, because she knew that was a lot to ask when they had the school nurse. Besides that, he was so... scientific, almost. She wondered how his bedside manner would be. “Right? People get creative sometimes, though.” By people, she was really thinking about the Death Eaters. Why were they so on her mind lately? She laughed a little bit at the parents drinking bit. “Mine do too. Maybe it's true that things only get worse as you get older. It kind of scares me sometimes.” She looked downward, not really used to showing when she was upset by something, or uncomfortable. She didn't answer really, not used to people saying that they were sorry for her, even in a less than direct manner.
“Yeah, I've heard the horror stories through the centuries. I've thanked every God that there is that I'm in this time,” she admitted. “But something happened after that last war. There aren't all that many pure-blood families left. I guess people were more keen to mix than they let on.” There were a lot of pure-bloods marrying people less than pure once the Death Eaters were gone. Of course, there were still a good number of pures, but she noticed pure families tended to have less children than other families. Obviously Darius and his siblings were an exception. “Maybe that's something that I could look into... Genetics.” Emblyn seemed to be joking but she was actually kind of serious. She needed to decide what to do with her life...
Emblyn looked somewhat confused. “You're mostly right. There are Irish students here as well.” Maybe he was just putting them in the same class, though she was sure both sides would have something to say about that. She did hear that there were exceptions to the rules, though. She hadn't thought much about the fact that those remaining were likely to be the bad ones. She just sat there for a moment, unsure of what to say. “I guess... that's true... Maybe find a boy, then convince him and his family to just play along with it. Can't be any worse than what my family would come up with on their own.” She knew that they wouldn't throw her at someone who they knew would hurt her, but... She wasn't sure that they would be looking for that, either, given their monetary focus.
She still wasn't sold on the idea of parents picking out mates. Partly because that meant trusting a parent to know your type. “I don't know. Sometimes people have the wrong idea about what's right for them.” Emblyn was a little confused. They were almost complete opposites where their parents were concerned. She hardly trusted hers at all, and he seemed to have a blinding love for his. “Don't certain people at the school annoy you? People you might want to leave a room to avoid? Imagine having to marry them. Imagine having to have them in your bed.” She shivered.
Emblyn felt relieved that he didn't just turn tail and leave when she asked him that question. Of course, for all he knew, she was just making conversation. Until a deal was finalized, if it ever was, a conversation was all this came out to anyway. She half-expected this reply so she tried not to be too obvious. Her parents had mentioned such a thing in passing... “Honestly? I don't think that would be the worst thing. I mean, at least you're a decent person unlike most of the people with contracts. Had they told me that just before or just after I saw you carrying that weapon, without this conversation following, however... It would be a very different situation.” [/div]
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Post by Shava on Apr 22, 2016 5:46:59 GMT -5
Cutting out the imagination; yes that would ruin a lot of good things from a book he had to admit. How many times he had found himself imagining certain aspects of the process of reading a new discovery. "Ah yes, creativity is key with fiction whereas many of the books I read are manuals or teaching so some limited pictures of the results are included. Makes it helpful when one is looking for a guide." A shake of his head as he only partly agreed with her. "Well not entirely though you can predict categories of behavior based on a person. If I knew that the last six times he was in a fight he went with a left hook the most often, I can know how to keep my defenses ready so I can take advantage of that. So thinking can provide more success over time then instinct can I believe."
That twas worth a second't thought before he responded. "Explore mostly, challenge myself the most often. It's amazing how many of past students left their marks on the outside of the building where most people will never realize history resides. However I also use it for collecting a few special potion components as well." He did not seem to consider it important that he had just revealed he climbed the outside of Hogwarts nor that it was a sheer drop which could be very very hazardous. It wasn't after all a very Slytherin type of thing. "I guess I could say I've seen a lot of the inside of the upper dorms as well probably. Ravenclaw's common room is rather nice in the moonlight though ours is better by far."
A look at her as if to say 'are-you-mental' passed across his face. "Ah no. I love my family but our actions as a family are far from things that should be in the public view. Just because we hate the DE does not make ours a squeaky clean group either. The means justify the ends after all and we've been living by that for centuries." A pause. Outside of his family no one had ever asked such a thing and he explored in his mind a moment what she might be thinking of. "Ah. I would expect so." A pause. "I would imagine only if you want to avoid official recognition you'd been up to something outside the bounds of school permission or something you didn't want others to know about I suspect." He suspected heavily the Lions indulged too much in such actually.
So there, she would be an easy wife to keep happy then. That edged another point in her favor if he ever was told to choose between girls. He doubted she would be happy to know she was on his list however. "Ah well mine do not over-drink. I can not remember either of my parents ever being drunk." Another person would have put a hand out, seeking to comfort by touch but Darius had a dislike of that with others outside the family so he did not. "I am sure there your Lion traits will lead you right. What is the maxim I have heard several say, never give up, never surrender? So keep your spirits up and things will probably work out in your favor if you can find a way to take charge of it all."
And on that note his other advice about presenting her parents with options first made the most sense of anything they had spoken about. "Genetics? Yes, I would think that would be a good field. genetics of the magic community would surely be a good and wide field to make a name for one's self with if the one you marry will let you continue in it. I think some make no careers as a part of the contract which barely makes logical sense to me." He made a gesture as if to include the Irish as well, but really the UK was what he had meant. "And I'm Scottish Egyptian by birth. I meant the UK as a whole when I said English, not the individual heritages so much." He frowned at her comment; from what he had seen most boys were willing to go into a broom closet with girls at the drop of a hat.
"Odd. I would think if you find the right boy all you seem to need to do is offer to go with them to the nearest bed and they seem to be willing enough. Can't be too hard to get one into a contract." In fact he found it puzzling how easily most guys could be manipulated by girls. On the other point he conceded the point. "True enough I guess. All you can do is find the ones you can trust and work with them I guess." She asked him about people he couldn't stand and his eyes turned on her with a very 'duh' sort of look to them. "Yes, they are called roommates and I have fantasized many times on eliminating them by a variety of methods. My brother convinced me it was too obvious, but if I had to sleep with one he would go out the window the first night."
He was quite serious. He didn't have to add they would not have a rope to hang by.
That was over far too quick for him anyway.
Darius nodded at her before adding "Right, now you know it's not a weapon nor would I choose to use something like that. So that's okay then. Otherwise you would hardly consider asking me out on a picnic I'm sure." Not that he had a contract nor would have. His family simply didn't go that way.
@emblyn
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Post by Shava on Apr 22, 2016 5:48:22 GMT -5
“Yeah, would be hard to know what connects to what if you don't have pictures.” Emblyn couldn't help but smirk, thinking of this in a dirty way. She was sure that Darius wouldn't understand why she was wearing that expression. He seemed to have a fairly clean mind, all things considered. She shrugged. “You can definitely improve your odds, but there is a good chance that when you're expecting a left, he'll give you a right. Life likes to throw those curve balls at you. I think a good mix of instinct and forethought is the best recipe.” That was obvious but she felt it needed to be said anyway. “You've been wrong before, haven't you?”
Emblyn was interested in what he said about climbing. “I wonder if they got there the same way or if they just took their brooms around the castle. Hey, that's an idea... Maybe a picnic on the roof would be good.” She found herself wondering why more people didn't have their little dates on the roof where others wouldn't see. Then she realized it was completely possible that they did because she didn't go there often. Worth remembering in the future. “Ooh, what sort of ingredients require climbing? I know most people enjoy stealing ingredients from the greenhouse or the potions store, but...” By that, she meant the professor's store of ingredients. She giggled a little bit. “You should be careful, Darius. You might see something that you never wanted to that way.”
“The silver that seems to have the least tarnish is always worth a second look,” Emblyn said, nodding to the idea that being anti-Death Eater didn't exactly mean 'good'. Things weren't so black and white, and they never would be. Her family was odd in their own way too. They were pure-bloods that didn't believe in blood supremacy but believed in money so much they were willing to sell their souls. She hadn't actually thought about how she could go to Darius if she didn't want the faculty to know that she was up to something. “Oh... Oh, that's a good idea. It guess that means that I should probably get myself in trouble more often, now that I have a doctor to visit.” She grinned.
She laughed a little bit when he said that he didn't remember his parents being drunk. “You poor thing. It's one of the strangest things to witness. Not something that I like very much, but something to see. They become different people.” She didn't need alcohol to pull off that transformation. She looked rather surprised that Darius was even offering such words of comfort. She appreciated that, gathering it probably wasn't always his thing, him being less than a social person. “You're right. Best not to let someone else take the lead in all things for my own life.”
Emblyn was very pleased with the idea of genetics now. It was like a light bulb went on in her mind, something that she never thought about that she could see herself doing. “Well, I won't let that be in my contract. I'll do whatever I can to get out of it. Being a housewife... Raising children for someone who doesn't let me do what I'd like... Screw that.” She looked rather proud of this decision. “I'm going to look into this genetics thing. I want to know how it all works.” She smirked at his clarification about the UK thing. “Alright. That is kind of what I figured, but you really must be careful.”
She frowned a bit. “I don't know. I've always thought that I'd like the right person to be the first that I... how do I put it delicately... warm my bed with. Paradoxically, I feel like the right person wouldn't jump into bed all that easily. Maybe with a bit of coaxing.” She for some reason thought of Conall and his serious nature and laughed a bit, imagining trying to tempt someone like that into bed. “Oh, well, at least you know the right ways to get rid of someone should you become desperate enough.” They'd talked about that a great deal...
“No, probably not. I don't ask many people to picnics.” He'd be the first, though Emblyn technically hadn't been asking him that. She was rather amused at how it turned out. But kind of out of nowhere she found herself blurting it out.
“My parents are considering you for a contract.”
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Post by Shava on Apr 22, 2016 5:49:00 GMT -5
The difference in what she said to how she acted caused an eyebrow to lift on his face. Curious, he thought about what he had said, but could not find a form of amusement in it. "Um. What is so funny?" She spoke about forethought and he frowned; she had been saying the opposite in a way a moment before. Was she playing devil's advocate? "Odd, I got the impression a minute ago you felt better about your instincts then thinking ahead. You seem to keep a flexible system of beliefs. Would you say that is accurate?" He shrugged about the brooms, but didn't point out all the flaws in her concept of it.
"There would be no way to prove it, but where the signs are mostly would be rather difficult to reach while on a broom so I highly doubt it. Too many nooks and crannies a broom would be too much an obstacle with. Still, some of them might be possible that way. Did you want to move the picnic to the roof? I can think of a couple of rather narrow flat spots which would be possible." She asked about potion ingredients and he pursed his lips. "There are two different patches of Foxglove near the astronomy tower, in tiny patches of dirt in the crux of the roofing tiles, a large box from an old window box lying in ruins under the Ravenclaw tower windows filled with Starthistle, and if I remember correctly" he knew he did but it was something people said so he did too "some Moondew in the gutters above the west end."
He understood her giggle at least! Making a face he added "Yes well I assume the Ravenclaws are sensible enough like my own house to keep such activities to the bed and not random rooms. Only the Lions expose themselves like that often. I've never caught anyone in the Ravenclaw's room doing anything but reading, but I stopped looking in the Lion's common room awhile ago. Your dorm has rather a history of being caught the most around the school in compromising situations as I am sure you are aware." Clearly he believed his own dorm was far smarter then that, but in actuality he knew it was because of the beauty of the Black Lake which was particular beautiful in the bedrooms. Since he never planned on taking a girl back to his dorm he doubted he would ever need such information.
Her quite reasonably quoted advice actually made him appreciate her far more.
"Well said. It's good advice for sure." Her following statement however alarmed him slightly! Eyes widening he said hastily "hey now! I'm only a student, not a doctor! I'm sure most of the more exposed wounds would still need to go to her! I tend to ah, specialize more in potions, salves, and poisons anyway." The idea of either of his parents drunk concerned him; he had always understood alcohol brought out repressed things and he doubted he ever wanted to see what either of them repressed! "I'll skip that experience, thanks, doesn't sound appealing." He shook his head thinking that she seemed to go at things head-on.
"Well then I imagine it would be even better for you to strike first where your parents are concerned then if you want to remain in charge. Or at least influence where they head I guess. Otherwise it sounds like from your impression they would go for the highest bidders. Maybe you can get contracted into the Blacks or the Malfoys that way. Although I do think I heard the Gibbons were looking to expand and they have two sons at school, don't they?" Third years were they? He couldn't remember exactly, just remembering they were rather less on the cleanliness scale. Everyone knew that Malfoy was dating, but that had nothing to do with contracts. She spoke about the genetics interest and he found himself slightly curious as well.
"Sounds quite interesting, actually, let me know what you find out." A face made at the thought of warming someone's bed, but for other reasons then she might be thinking. The idea of anything like kissing was already not on his interest level so he didn't even think beyond that, but in truth... "I really don't get the attraction. It's not like they make a bed big enough in the dorms for one person much less two to sleep. I hardly think a broomcloset is any more comfortable. I sometimes think the guys dorms are filled from a mental ward. At least in Slytherin they are bigger; I think the Ravens have the smallest from what I've seen. Never been able to see into Hufflepuff of course."
A slight shudder at the thought of ever being desperate.
"Well then I'm honored. What makes me stand out?" Then she blurted out about her parents and he actually did lighten a shade. "What? Me? Or my family?" His eyes widened, realizing she had been careful to question him rather in detail about things which suddenly sounded like he was being tested out for the match. She wasn't going to ask him to kiss her, was she? "You were serious about asking me how I could deal with you then?" His eyes narrowed at her, thinking he was somehow being set up for a joke of some kind as he knew his family didn't do those. "And now that you know your answers, what did you decide?" The words came out softly and he stopped in the fog, facing her directly.
And all at once she proved what he had always known. Only trust family, never outsiders. They were deceptive and dangerous and unless they were marrying into the family not to be trusted. Period.
@emblyn
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Post by Shava on Apr 22, 2016 5:50:23 GMT -5
“Uhm, it was nothing. You know, sometimes you get an image in your head that you can't shake.” Emblyn knew that wasn't strictly true in this case, but she supposed that she didn't want to compromise his... innocence. Sure they had talked about death and killing people with potions and all of that, but there still seemed to be some form of innocence to Darius. When he said something about a flexible system of beliefs, Emblyn smiled a little bit. She hadn't thought of it quite that way. “Why shouldn't one be flexible in their beliefs? There isn't one right way to do anything, and certainly no right way to do everything. I guess that it depends on the situation.” It depended too on the day, her mental state.
Emblyn shrugged. “I didn't mean to imply that one would get everywhere with brooms. But it would reduce the time in climbing if one flew their broom to one place and climbed the rest of the way. Some people aren't meant for climbing very high.” When he asked her directly about moving the picnic to the roof, Emblyn was oddly pleased. “Well, why not? Today seems like a day for trying new things. And besides, less people to see us and ask questions.” Not that she really cared, but the less gossip there was in the school the better. She listened with interest as he explained where he needed to get to with a broom for his potions ingredients. Needless to say, this was information that she never really needed and probably never would, but it was still kind of fascinating to know there were still so many mysteries around the school. “Does it worry you that I know all of that now? I could easily get in your way if I decided to take up potions as my next great hobby.” She was teasing him, of course.
She had to try very hard not to scoff at his words. “You must not pay much attention to your housemates, then. I think that there are more Slytherins than any other house that are engaged in those kinds of activities. Their dorms are said to be rather nice, but if they're a woman romancing a man, they can't bring them back to their dorm. Honestly there have been more than a few occasions I have walked in on one of my housemates with one of yours. Whether it's lack of intelligence or lack of shame, I don't really know. But trust me, your house is no more discreet than mine.” She folded her arms as though bracing for a furthering argument.
“Darius!” Emblyn was laughing, unable to help herself. “I know that I shouldn't go to you as a doctor. I was trying to get a rise out of you, and I must say that it worked well.” She wasn't sure that it was the nicest thing to do but she found his frequent misunderstandings regarding her amusing. He indicated that he wasn't all the interested in seeing his parents drunk, and she could understand that. It would probably be nice to see someone as one person rather than the two-faced monster that alcohol made people become. She thought that she knew the answer to her next question before ever she asked it. “Have they ever seen you drunk instead?”
Her face was bright with interest on the subject of genetics, and his words only seemed to encourage her. “Of course. You could be the first to know when I find anything out.” He after all was the one that gave her the idea, and the encouragement that went along with it. She looked rather embarrassed suddenly by the subject. Darius wasn't at all like most boys, eager to talk about it. “No, I... The thing about it is... Sex and all that comes along with it is a scary thing. It makes people vulnerable. I would rather experience it for the first time with someone I trust rather than someone that I barely know. Even if later on it becomes something that is frightening, I don't think that it always has to be. And at least then I would know just what to expect.” She didn't quite meet his eyes because she had never talked about that at any length.
“There isn't anyone else like you, is there?” Emblyn answered with a slight tilt of the head. Now that the cat was out of the bag, Emblyn was rather lost for words. She had done this to herself, but she didn't know how to handle it. “Yours was the only name that I was given.” She ran her hands through her hair with nervousness. “I had no intentions of seeking you out to interrogate you. I never would have done any more than wonder if we hadn't been the only people out at such an hour. I guess that I did ask things that were relevant, but... Most of that was only conversation.” It was true, but she wasn't sure that he would believe her. That last thing that he asked, she immediately knew the answer to. That was a relief in its own way.
She looked him directly in the eyes as she answered. “That you deserve better.”
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Post by Shava on Apr 22, 2016 5:51:38 GMT -5
Somehow he suspected there was more to it, but he let it go. Many of the students he had discovered had odd ways of thinking and often because of how they had been raised. It was usually best not to push too much for some clarifications and this time his instincts were telling him to stop. "In my experience, limited though that might be, when someone has a belief they seem to hold onto it fairly dearly whereas when someone just has an idea it's easy to change or listen to new concepts. Beliefs aren't things most people let go of. So I would say that makes you kind of special."
She spoke more about flying on a broom and he shook his head. "Half the fun is in the climb itself, it'd spoil it for me I think. Challenging yourself to do more and knowing you can do it with your own hands, no magic, no special equipment gives you a certain confidence. And then the repel back down is always pretty cool." He pursed his lips then added honestly "I wear a safety harness of course just in case, but I only end up using it once every few years. I've gotten good at drains." She agreed to the move and he c0cked a head at her.
"Would you like to climb up once? Or do you think you'd better stick to the broom?" Either way he could meet her up there or take her up himself. And she seemed to like to try new things frequently. "Not many people can say they've scaled the building, you know. Although if you're nervous about being caught we can go up at night. I've done that more often anyway." Emblyn teased him about whether he might be worried and he tilted his head at her judging her for a minute, rather calculatingly. It was a move which had unnerved many of his housemates some of them feeling like they were under a glass being dissected, but he didn't hold it on her for long. He still trusted no one outside the family, but she didn't seem to be even partly serious.
And Vincent and Brier both had warned him not to get too intense on people.
"Worried? No." Of course he wasn't worried, he could take care of any competition if anyone became a problem and knew it. "My siblings have always showed me how to stand up for myself and what I want. So I don't get worried about competition." A eye was turned on her with amusement at her thoughts about compromising. "Yes, and the lions are the ones who have a reputation for it. I think if you went back and checked, you'd find that most of those incidents with my house they came out of the situation with an advantage. Letting someone catch you in what you want them to see, particularly when the other person can be easily identified, is an old trick. The Lions don't tend to plan as much as jump into things I think you'd agree. You probably helped them get what they wanted even if you didn't tell a soul."
He shrugged now. "The girl's dorm might be a challenge I would think, I've never tried. It's not hard to bring someone back into the dorm. I suspect only the true relationships which continue after school happen in my dorm." A small smile of secrets held showed in his eyes a moment before he admitted "It is a beautiful dorm, especially in the moon light though. Makes me want to consider building under the ocean..." He could remember Anne sitting on his bed watching out the window with him while they talked about things; it was a good memory. She laughed at his quick reaction and he was reminded of why outsiders couldn't be fully trusted, even if it was a minor point.
A sigh escaped him, but he didn't seem to be upset with her, just looked at her instead till she got back control. "No. Wine is okay, but not much of the rest. I use it in cooking some, but otherwise it's not something I'd drink much of." Again since this discussion had started he looked confused. "Why? It's just a body, flesh. While it may be different from others, it's nothing unique. That can't be a real mystery, can it?" As if to push the point, he opened his shirt and ran a hand down his side, half looking at her. He had abs and a decent set of slim muscles up his side but seemed to have no real body consciousness that so many teens did. As someone who went around at night wearing only boxers, he didn't see what would make someone feel vulnerable about themselves.
Her question about uniqueness also missed it's target. Looking confused he said "I've only ever met one other Darius and he wasn't half Egyptian, so no not really. Why?" Ah, so there was a list and he was the only one she had heard the name for? That was a tiny bit different. "Why would they only tell you one name if they had a list? Or did you think they were only telling you what they considered to be the top candidate for this?" It was not a confident voice saying this. he took on a cautionary look, but clearly he found this a bit hard to believe. "So you just happen to strike up a conversation because you saw me? Or did you start speaking because you were curious and wanted answers? because you were the one who said that last thing you wanted was a stranger or to be locked away. It sounds to me like you sought out answers for your own protection deliberately."
Unaware he had not buttoned his shirt yet, his hands were at his side, feeling defensive when she spoke looking him right in the eyes as he would expect a Lion too. They were always about the direct weren't they? that fit so well with what she had done, asking him conveniently the right questions... "Better? Better then what? Isn't that a rather relative way of looking at someone else's situation you know little about?" He frowned, wondering if he had been set up or actually let down. And not knowing which he wanted more.
@emblyn
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