He-LOOOOOO, Nurse! (Keela/Vincent)

[shava]

As classes progressed, it was a few days before he spotted her again. That was the problem with different years; not just schedules, but it meant they were often in different parts of the building as well, the very reason he knew little about her before this. Spotting her though, his unwilling victim, he noted she was walking just a tad behind the crowd. Speeding up his steps he pulled up behind her rapidly, but quietly, not wanting to be obvious till the right moment. And a minute later it presented itself as a boy in a side hallway spoke to one of the girls in a half shout, half greeting and the two in front of her peeled off with her to go harangue him about something.

He ducked left quickly so as she turned her head to say something to the ones leaving that he was out of sight behind her in that moment, though to the girls it looked like he was ducking around her. Pulling up beside her he matched her stride. As she turned her head back to where she was going, Vincent said just loud enough for her to hear "Why hello there, my badger, how are you today? Feeling good about life?" She looked as if she wasn't suffering from having met him that day, a shame. He had wanted to look for signs of sleep problems, but maybe her inner Slytherin had resisted that somehow.

When as expected she stopped her forward movement suddenly he turned to face her adding "I've missed...doing stuff with you this week, it's almost as if you've been avoiding" he stretched out his hand before she could stop him and slid his thumb softly across her cheek, his fingers making trails across her jaw line delicately as he had planned. "...this." He chuckled low and soft, almost but not quite throatily as he looked at her face. As if he had just thought of something, he dug in his pocket suddenly.

Pulling out a flat stone, he held it out on the palm of his hand, pointing at the surface with his finger. "I saved myself a reminder of our first meeting, been using it as a good luck charm this week. See?" His eyes came back up to hers as he continued without pause. "Smooth, perfectly formed, and a pretty shade as well. She suits the purpose well, don't you think?" His eyes were cheerful, enjoying the encounter though he didn't think she would enjoy it nearly as much. The shade of her skin told him that much at least...

[kyla]

Keela was glad to be out of transfiguration. Generally speaking, it wasn't one of her favorite classes, but she didn't particularly dislike it either. She felt rather detatched actually, choosing to observe rather than actually participate in the conversation going on around her as she and a few of her friends made their way down the corridor. In her absent-minded state, her thoughts drifted traitorously to a face she'd been trying desperately to forget. What on earth had possessed her to kiss someone she barely knew? And her first kiss no less. It had been a few days since then, and while Keela had lost a considerable amount of sleep that first night after what she'd come to call the incedent at the lake, she had eventually written the whole thing off as a lapse in judgment. Subsequently, she had also taken to avoiding Vincent Moon like the plague. She had felt rather like the protaganist in a thriller novel, always staying in a group, specifically avoiding places she thought he'd most likely be.

It had worked so far, and Keela felt fairly relaxed. Transfiguration was her last class of the day. Now all she had to do was make it to the dorm and she was home free. As her friends peeled off in different directions, Keela offered a a wave or a quick phrase of passing. Unfortunately, she now found herself fairly isolated, but she wasn't terribly worried. What were the odds that he...no! It couldn't be, but it was. She turned her head to give him a look that was both surprised and irritated, but only slightly. "I'm not your anything!" she insisted softly. In the days since their impromptu meeting at the lake, she'd done some casual enquiring about the character of Vincent Moon, what she'd found was hardly reassuring. He'd slept with a good number of girls at Hogwarts, and made out with twice that. He was the kind of guy her brother had warned her against, no, he was worse.

She blushed, but her irritation outshined her embarrassment. The way he said doing stuff implied a lot more than Keela was willing to acknowledge. She wasn't sure why'd she'd stopped walking, quite possibly it had simply been a reaction to the surprise of seeing him after she'd so carefully avoided him for days. When he brushed his thumb across her cheek, the physical chemistry between them pulsed underneath her skin, warming it and causing her to flush. She shook her head, pulling herself away from his touch by sheer force of will. Rather than answer, she responded with a question of her own. "And what makes you think you warrant avoiding?" She cursed the slight waver in her voice. His smile, his touch, even his voice seemed intentionally designed to get to her, and given what she'd learned, it probably was.

When he pulled the rock from his pocket, she found herself smiling, a small smile, but a smile none the less. "And has it brought you any luck?" She felt the ice in her expression melt in spite of herself. Despite her withdrawn persona, he seemed to be enjoying the interaction immensely. She resented his calm, his overwelming confidence. She resented it in him, and she resented how completely entrancing he was to her. "That", she said with more than a bit of snark, "would depend on its purpose." She needed to remove herself, but she was unwilling to let him know how thoroughly he affected her, simply via his presence. Best to draw on whatever calm she could find. "I haven't noticed you since that day at the lake either, maybe you've been avoiding me?" She offered her best attempt at an off-handed smile.

[shava]

What Keela didn't know, and Vincent was hardly going to tell her, was the way he treated most girls was because of their failure to meet the requirements he needed for a girlfriend, as in who could give him possible freedom from the situation he was in. Only a narrow number of people might fit that set of results and she was one of the few he had come across so far. Because of that, he had no intention of treating her like those he had caught, seduced, and released again. No, if she continued to show him the results he needed he was planning on something far longer and more permanent. If only he wasn't the oldest male!

Her response showed she had been thinking about her defenses; yes, very much so he suspected so he ignored the statement as an opening salvo. He needed to convince her she might be wrong in her conclusions, needed more information. Her blush told him she had not been entirely innocent to be sure, or had heard stuff since their first initial encounter. Time for some anti-propaganda. Or was it? Maybe he ought to drop something first and see if she picked it up. "Ah, I see. You have no idea what this is really about. I guess that's to be expected, you don't have all the facts."

She jerked back from his touch, flushing even more so as he didn't lean in or touch her otherwise, holding up his hands and sliding them into his pockets. Back pockets, of course. "Well, we hit it off so well that first conversation and I thought we were fast on the way to being friends. Then for three days I see neither hide nor hair of you and someone told me they saw you running down a hallway when you saw me. Makes me think you have my intentions completely wrong." He shrugged with his shoulders only, a simple gesture which made his pants rise for a second up and then down again.

At her question about his trophy he smiled softly, a genuine smile as he said "Actually yes. It's made me smile at least a dozen times, just feeling her in my hand, knowing she was there. If that's not the luckiest thing in the world, then little would work for me then." A serious nod; touching it, feeling the little skipping stone in his pocket had most definitely made him simile remembering her. But then again she was a fascinating creature, well worth the chase. Giving her a puzzled glance (feigned as he knew she was avoiding his double meanings this time) and looked as if he didn't get it.

"Why, being itself. There's no greater thing in the world, is there? She's a beauty of a rock, colorful and varied, not cookie cutter at all. She's sleek for skipping, something she is designed for as nature intended, and here feel her," he caught up her hand and placed the stone right in the middle of her palm carefully. "She's got a cool touch, a calming effect as she damps down your personal energy, letting you center yourself, just as if you were about to skip her." Keela had herself talked about skipping as a time to think when she needed it and wasn't that what the activity did? Centering her thinking, calming her mind? Her comment about not seeing him was pretty clear.

"Well duh. You button yourself up in your dorm every night. Like, we have no classes in common so I've been trying to catch you after supper, but the way you disappear seems awfully fast and then you never venture out afterwards. Otherwise you might have found me sitting in the hallway waiting for you to put a toe outside so I could talk with you." Mind, he hadn't done that every night, but he had heard from the Snakes about her not being seen as they came and went and a couple of first years had taken his galleons for keeping an eye out for her. Oh yes, he knew he had made a serious impression on her.

Now he needed to put his own spin control on that particular impression....

[kyla]

Keela was annoyed, less by Vincent than by her inability to get a proper read on him. She supposed it was to be expected. Anyone with as much experience as he supposedly had was almost required to possess a politician's charisma. His next words brought a new emotion to the forefront: curiosity. She wondered what he was referring to, and battled with herself internally for a few moments about whether to give in and actually ask. The struggle didn't last very long, thoroughly put out with her own self-control, she turned her head to meet his eyes again. "I don't know what 'this' is to begin with, and what facts?" Was he going to tell her that all the rumors weren't true, that he was really some misunderstood loner who often found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time? She resisted the urge to snort, everything about Vincent Moon radiated confidence, assurance, and a sense of being comfortable in his skin that Keela envied greatly. If he was going to lie to her, it had damned well better be a more convincing lie than that.

When he slipped his hands into his pockets, Keela felt a foreign sense of disappointment mixed with the relief she'd expected. Part of her mind argued that he had no business touching her, while the other insisted she wanted him too regardless. Hit it off? Is that what he called it? On second thought, it was probably better that he didn't refer specifically to the fact that she'd kissed him, at least not when they were in such easy hearing range of the rest of the student body. The last thing she needed was Cern finding out she'd kissed a stranger, and finding out second-hand no less. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Who told you that?" Realizing she was being to defensive, she forced her facial muscles to relax. "In any case, I'm sure I was just late for class." Actually, if she were being honest, Keela was fairly certain she remembered what he was talking about, but she still didn't know who would have known enough to know she was running from him specifically, the thought made her nervous.

Keela wasn't stupid, she knew what he was doing, so why then was it working? She decided an aversion was needed, and so it was with a soft smile that more closely resembled a smirk that she spoke her next words. "And what are they exactly?" she let the sentence hang a moment before adding, "your intentions." She wondered if he was trying to communicate something in his description of the stone, but decided to ignore the implications. She smiled as he spoke, rather proud that she'd avoided him so well. However, he seemed to be searching for a way to trip her into admitting she'd been avoiding him, and if he was, he was out of luck. "You'd never met me before three days ago", she pointed out, "maybe I'm always like that." The truth was that it had begun to wear on her, being indoors all the time, darting from classes to her dorm and back again. It felt like being on the run, which she supposed she was, but it was still dishearening. It felt a bit silly now. After all, he was ony a person, wasn't he? "I've been busy", she insisted, "besides,what could you have needed to talk me about that was so important?"

[shava]

Her emotions were not easy to read on her face till he told her she didn't have all the facts and then he saw the curiosity on her face for a moment in her first reaction. Good, there was doubt there as well as confusion about whether there might be more to what she had seen. That was enough of a crack in the door for his words to work, like little vines expanding their way into opening the door wider. He nodded and looking back seeing students in the halls, motioned with his head to the side out of the middle of the hallway. Leaning back, arms still behind him, he waited till she was closer before he spoke. "First off, I have to tell you something in confidence and I expect you to keep your mouth shut on this, seriously." He took a deep breath before he continued. "I told you my mother was under threat of an arranged marriage, but that was only part of it. Her father hexed and beat her everyday she told me, forced her to obey and threatened to sell her marriage contract to the nastiest person he could find. He never was happy with having a daughter apparently." Vincent shrugged, not knowing the actual answer. In any case, that was enough of the truth to get by for his point; the actual story was far more horrifying.

"There's more then that, but she's not talking. However, when he died he hadn't managed to get her sold off and she was able to get her boyfriend to buy out the contract from the family lawyers. That's how my parents got together." It might seem pointless so far, but she needed to understand the motivations behind several things going on here, stuff only a few of the siblings understood. "Trust me, this back story is needed for you to understand." He ignored her question about who had told on purpose; she didn't realize he had much more to go in this story. "So, there's some compulsion he left on her to make the family name go through or whatever; she never would explain it. But it has to be a pureblood line. Problem is, that name is Moon and I'm the only Moon male left." And wasn't that a mess? He was born to fill a compulsion, to solve an old debt of magic or whatever and his mother's focus was on that key little issue which left him no maneuvering room. She asked him what his intentions were and he knew exactly what they were of course.

"Almost there, really. Now, until I have two sons at least," that was the old phrase in Britain after all followed by the royal family as well "an heir and a spare," "I'm responsible for my mom's state of mind and well being. If I screw up, she gets it. Fun huh? It kinda sucks cause I don't really care about the blood issue stuff and the pures mostly do." He made a face about it, truthfully in a bad spot, between a rock and a hard place. "My plan was to go driving across North America after graduation and see if I could find one unattached, not that there are a lot of pure families out there. Probably more likely in the South..." Realizing he was off topic he shook his head at himself and turned from where he was leaning on the wall towards her, looking into her face. "ANYWAY, the only way I see the pureblood marriages making sense is if they have new blood being brought in, otherwise it's like bad inbreeding like we learned in Herbology. So I have half Egyptian blood, but I want better for my kids, that's mean no pures with only UK backgrounds."

His eyes found hers. There was little doubt on where this conversation was headed. Ah, but the path was the best part of the journey.

"Now you may have heard about other girls I've been with, but that's been trying to learn what I need to know to make the right girl happy. None were pures. A pure girl of the kind I need for myself has to be....special." A glance away from her uncomfortably as he had more then one thing to make sure she heard from him. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you are the one, but look. Until I find the right girl, I can't be free. So when a girl I happen to enjoy talking to snogs me suddenly and then I find out she has European and UK mix in her...well, can you blame me for trying to make a connection, try to talk with her and learn more about her, see if there's a connection somewhere? How frustrating is that when she avoids me for three days afterwards? Now you see why I'm hanging around trying to talk to you?"

[kyla]

Keela's first reaction was to tell him he could shut his own mouth and leave her out of whatever was going on, but he continued speaking, and she closed her mouth with a frustrated snap. As he spoke, Keela's eyes widened, and her frustration melted into something that was alarmingly close to sympathy. It sounded almost too terrible to be true, but then, who would make up something like that about their own mother? Besides, Keela had heard similar stories about pureblood elitests who were unable to produce male heirs. They treated their daughters like second class citizens or worse. However, hearing stories and actually knowing someone to whom such a thing had happened were entirely different. He had her undivided attention now, no doubt his intent in the first place. She was frowning, "Oh Vincent I...", then, as though she'd only just become aware of their very public surroundings, she lowered her voice, "I'm so sorry."

When he said their was more, Keela didn't doubt him, nor did she question whether he was telling the truth about knowing the rest of the story. She could believe all too well that his mother kept the brunt of that knowledge to herself, and she wondered at the kind of weight a history like that must put on a person. The frown lessened, but only slightly, at least the story had a somewhat happy ending, but what did any of this have to do with her? She opened her mouth, only to shut it once more when he answered her question as though he'd taken it straight from her head. The thought was unnerving. As he continued, Keela's eyes kept growing until they were about twice their normal size. The strain on her face was uncomfortable, so she worked to relax the tension in her muscles. The only Moon male...he wasn't going to propose was he? Keela thought it supremely unlikely, but then, her parents' story wasn't exactly run of the mill either.

"Wow, that's a lot of pressure", she admitted. It wasn't the first time, but Keela was grateful for her brothers. They took such weights off her shoulders, took the pressure off her parents to continue the line. She now understood a bit better what Cern must be putting himself through. Though his wasn't as dire a problem, he still felt pressure to find a pureblood wife, and she wondered if all pureblood males felt that way, in one aspect or another. Two sons, an heir and a spare, Keela was familiar with the concept, her parents had joked about it from time to time over the years. It was rather odd actually. Her mother had told her they wanted two boys and two girls, and that they'd even discussed the ideal order. Apparently the power of wishful thinking had worked in their favor, because Keela and her three siblings had been born exactly according to their parents plan. Her father often joked that his wife was too stubborn to have it any other way. This normally got him swatted a good one, but that was beside the point.

She could see things more clearly now. He'd had a similar plan for his life to what Keela herself hoped for. The freedom to travel, pursue his dreams and his passions with nothing but open air between him and the rest of the world. She empathized, with that at least. Keela nodded, knowing she'd had similar thoughts. She'd seen the results that came from purebloods whose family trees began to look more like arcs. The children either died young, had multiple health issues, or were born without magic, and being a squib was a fate worse than death in the eyes of most of pureblood society even still. Keela was grateful for her Italian heritage on her mothers side. The DiAngelos had come to the UK only four generations ago, and her grandfather had been known to mumble Italian phrases under his breath, or use them to say things to her grandmother that weren't for young ears. Her grandparents, after all, were much like her parents, still kissing as though they'd only just gotten married, and holding hands at every available opprotunity.

She tilted her head at him, one eyebrow raised. His theory sounded good on paper, but the reality was still rather jarring. when she spoke next, her voice was soft, not quite a whisper, but neither was she speaking in her normally bubbly tone. "What if the right girl finds your...experience more intimidating than alluring", she pointed out, "what then?" Truthfully, Keela knew she'd have a long way to go before she ever caught up with him, and she was fairly certain she wasn't willing to go through what it would take to accomplish that feat. She wondered briefly at what kind of girl he would eventually find, and of course he'd find her. Looking at him now, it seemed as inevitable as tomorrow's sunrise. He'd find some exotic pureblood with loads of experience in every department imaginable who shared his love of travel and machinery, he'd marry her and they'd go on to have dark eyed ginger babies together. The direction of her thoughts startled her into focusing on the conversation.

"I guess I understand", she grudgingly admitted, "but there must be at least a hundred girls who fit a pretty good portion of that description, why pay so much attention to just the one?" This was the question she most wanted answered. While Keela could be a bit full of herself about some things, her atheletic ability or her photography, she wasn't so much conceited about her looks, and she wanted to know, rather avidly, what had singled her out.

[shava]

She was sorry. Well, it was sad; he'd love to have a way to get back at his grandfather, a man they pretended as much as possible had not existed, but it was easy for someone who lived with her to see the effect he had had on her, how attentive her sister was. Vin knew his mother would never be able to completely forget what had happened nor forget the feel of the man's hands either. It certainly prevented him from considering the same path in any way. Being cruel to a purpose was one thing, being cruel to those who wanted to love who you were was insane. He shrugged, already a bit on edge cause he had walked a fine line in confidences there, not to mention all he couldn't say. "Thanks. I- - well it sucks. I'd like to go back and stop it, but that's impossible."

And he would have if it was, despite the fact he would probably cease to exist. Vin loved his mother and his family, they were him in many ways, parts of his very mind. Stop his mother from her curse? Gods above, that would change the lifelines of hundreds of people. "Yeah well, you have a brother right? I heard that somewhere, I'm sure he understands some of the pressure then. It's one thing I think you girl's miss and should be thankful for. And my parents are not even pushy about it, just like...leaning in waiting. And it makes it even more important, cause once I have kids, I'm truly free. All pressure gone, everyone happy." And wouldn't that be a blessing. An unusual one to be sure, but still he'd give a lot to be there.

He looked away from her down the hallway, listening to the question. It was a valid point and unfortunately there wasn't anything he could do about that if the girl was scared off. "Well, it's like this. In mom's day, girls were not supposed to know anything about it and the guys were supposed to know everything about it. Think about that for a minute and you can see how they set their kids up for failure." He looked back at her, catching her eyes as he spoke, a bit resentful looking. "The older families stick to the older rules. Mine's...progressive in some ways I guess. But now the girls often know more then the guys, but we're still expected to know how everything works."

He looked away again from her, hoping she got the idea he wasn't going to excuse using the weak spirits of some girls to further his own ends. "Well, people can say all they want, but I didn't set up the system nor the expectations. But to save my mother and gain my freedom? I'd do a hell of a lot more then just that, you know?" Her words made his head snap around to look at her in disbelief. What the heck was she talking about? it sounded like she had no impression of herself at all. A snort as she finished before he spoke. "Not even three that I know of. Most pures were raised with...attitudes which don't allow outside blood lines. The mixed lines from outside are not here, they are off at other magic schools mostly." Stepping closer, but not in her face he looked directly in her eyes, the look of someone who knew what he was talking about and believed it.

"But that doesn't even matter. You like travel. Taking photos. Exploring the world around you. You know about living around muggles, something I have no real experience with at all. You are like, one of the smarter girls I've met in my life. You have a spine. Not to mention you look amazing. Why, don't you realize how pretty you are?" He knew that like most families she would have been told she was by everyone, but few times did a kid believe things told from parents and relatives that way; they were biased after all, you were theirs. "And while I was enjoying getting to hear from your own mouth what you liked and didn't, how you thought about the world and such, you then selected yourself, you might say, making it hard for me to forget you."

'And the way you smelled and tasted....' he thought to himself.

[kyla]

Keela understood. She'd become curious about whether time-travel was possible in the magical world a couple of years ago. While her research had yielded that yes, it had been at one time, most artifacts that allowed for it had either been destroyed, outlawed, or had mysteriously disappeared. Still, she empathized, with that at least. "I think everyone has something they'd go back and change if they could", she said softly, not really certain what else she could say. Keela nodded when he mentioned Cern, greatful for the subject change. "Yes, though he's a couple years younger than me. It isn't as dramatic as all that, he just wants to marry a pureblood so he's not the one to break the generational chain." Keela shook her head, "mum and dad don't particularly care about the blood status thing, but Cern has it in his head to marry a pureblood, and they support him."

She tilted her head, "actually, wouldn't having kids tie you down more? Since you'd need to be around to take care of them and such?" Keela knew that her parents had planned for their family, had designed it in their heads in detail, but they'd certainly understood the implications. The question was, did he? Keela supposed it didn't really matter to her, what did she care if he had two kids or a dozen? Speaking of kids, he was defending his relationship choices now. While Keela wasn't sure she necessarily agreed with that concept, she let it pass. She definitely didn't want to get into a conversation about the merits of sexual prowess with Vincent Moon in the middle of the hallway...or anywhere for that matter. However, she couldn't resist one final parting shot on the subject: "you could have learned how everything worked from a book." Her eyes glinted with good-natured teasing.

No, she thought, you didn't. You only allow them to rule your life and perpetuate them accordingly. She didn't say it, but the thought was there. For once, Keela was grateful for her lack of knowledge in this area, it allowed her a measure of grace in conversations like this when even if she had known what to say, she wouldn't have wanted to comment. His last statement left her torn. When he put it like that, she almost understood, though the stubborn voice in her head still argued that there must have been another way. She managed a hesitant nod, still not commenting, afraid that she'd either say something to anger him or worse, something to appease him. Finally she settled with: "It's good that you're loyal to your family, but I'm still not sure I agree with your methods." There, that was a nice compromise between dissent and appeasement wasn't it? Regardless, it was the best she could come up with on short notice.

She thought about it before answering. "Well, Granddad's family had been in England for a couple of generations when he met and married grandmum", she answered. After a moment's hesitation she finally added, "but since he still wasn't considered acceptable for her to marry technically, I guess I can see where you're coming from." It did make sense suddenly, why Gran and her great grandfather had pitched such a fit over the marriage. Granddad's Italian heritage, his blood, even though it was pure, was still of Italian descent. Keela had never looked at it that way before. He stepped closer, as she was beginning to realize he often did when making a point, and Keela unconsciously held her breath. Exhaled in a short burst, surprised by his evaluation. She didn't tend to dwell on herself very much, but she realized with some chargin that she was glad he had, and what's more that she hadn't come up wanting. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess, I don't pay attention to mirrors much." It was a cheap line, and it sounded trite, but under the circumstances it would have to do.

She flushed, while she was grateful for his disgression, there was no doubt between them about what he was referring to. "I told you, I don't know what I was thinking. I just sort of blanked for a minute and then...and then...yeah." Keela willed her normally articulate brain to focus properly. So he'd been her first kiss, that wasn't a big deal was it? Of course it was! There was only one first kiss, and he'd been it. She berated herself again, what in Merlin's name had come over her. Feeling defensive, both of her actions and as a result of her feeling of vulnerablity, she struck out slightly."Do you remember every girl you've kissed? There must have been hundreds by now."

[shava]

Hearing that her brother was already thinking about pures too he knew he was right to bet more on outside the country. He nodded as she spoke, taking it all in slowly. She didn't really get the pressure part which he had already said she should be glad she didn't. He understood it all to well. It was because their society, like most of the muggle ones really were male based though Vincent was too young to have noticed that part about the world yet. "Well, long as it's hisdecision it's okay, right? Like, if no one's making him choose..." He shrugged, his parents thankfully would not pressure him, but there was a lot more riding on his head then just him too.

He shook his head at her words, seeing what she was getting the wrong idea of the freedom he meant. "Um, I can see how you might think that, but I think you misunderstand. Freedom will mean no more looking over my shoulder, the family's secure, there will be more Moons, yada yada." He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting to see if she got what he was saying. It was a definition difference in a way, but really it just meant no more eyes on the back of his head. Her brother probably understood a small part of it. "It will be an entirely different situation. And if you knew my mom, you'd understand more about how much random chaos there could be."

For the first time, Vincent snorted at her words. There was no way he could consider that anything but the words of someone completely inexperienced. And that told him again much of what he had already guessed. Tilting his head as he looked at her, he stepped in front of her for the first time, fairly close. "I promise you, on my word, that there is no book nor writing which could explain it, help you understand it, nor prepare yourself for the experience. I've done just enough to learn what I need to and no pureblood young lady will be forced into anything she doesn't want." A bit of honesty in him forced him to admit off handedly "Teased with it, maybe," with a smile.

He did not like the way she ignored her own attraction, even if it might be smart looking to do so. "Not that I want to swell your head, but it's not just eye of the beholder here. Most guys look at the chest or a girl's legs and that's how they judge her. If you think back you might remember I didn't give you a glance until you did something unusual to my eyes and then it was only after we had talked a while." In truth he wanted someone who was tough like his mother, aggressively so if need be when it counted, but with a certain spirit of life and the living of it being so important. She had a touch of that and it was enough to make him curious if he could make her find it herself. "Think what you want, but it was Keela who drew my attention, the spark in your eyes which told me you were worth more then just a look. And the packaging is secondary."

She tried to push it off, to pretend it wasn't that big a deal. Clearly she wished she hadn't done it at all and just as clearly he wanted to convince her otherwise. His eyes were fiercely possessive, wanting her to accept him, but he didn't say it out loud. She had a tomboy vibe which he liked very much, spoke of much more inside. "Keela, there have been five total. If you asked I could name them for you. Do you know how rare that is that I would tell you? Not a one of them was worth considering the way I do you. All I'm asking for is the chance to be friends, close if it gets that way and see where it goes. Until you kissed me I think you were quite enjoying the conversation weren't you? Do you see me forcing myself on you physically? Trying to get you to touch me? I want to learn more about you, get used to talking to you. I know there is a connection between us, I could feel that. Is it wrong to want a chance and ask you for it? Surely you realize most guys wouldn't be this open with you."

[kyla]

Keela shrugged, "I guess so", she agreed. The whole thing sounded a bit too archaic for her comfort. While she was aware that there were certain obstacles she would have to overcome if she didn't marry a pureblood, she refused to discount the possibility if she met the right person. After all, she and her brothers and sisters had played with muggles a lot growing up, and the ways they invented to get around not having magic were quite fascinating really. As he clarified his point, Keela almost smiled, the corners of her mouth twitched traitorously. The off-handed way in which he spoke about the all important 'continuation of the bloodline' amused her greatly. She finally gave in, and smiled in earnest. "I know all about random chaos", she assured him. It was true, four siblings plus all of their cousins made for an interesting ride back home. She did recall, however, their conversation about ghost playmates by the lake, and she admitted that his life might be somewhat more chaotic than her own. "I'm not saying I don't see where you're coming from", she pointed out, "just that I can't imagine looking at all my perspective dates through a blood-status filter."

She knew her mother had been forced to do something similar before she and Keela's father had made the decision to be together. The pureblood population, even on a worldwide scale, was shrinking. The first two wars aside, generations of inbreeding had increased the number of still births among pureblood families. As Vincent had pointed out, not only did most familes want to find a pureblood match for their son or daughter, they also wanted one who shared their individual heritage. When he spoke about experience, and discounted her theory about book knowledge, Keela blushed a shade of bright, rosy pink. This conversation was not only distinctly out of her element, it was making her exceptionally uncomfortable. She fideted, picking imaginary lint off of her robes. She tilted her head, giving him a sardonic look. He was flirting with her, and doing so much more successfully than she wanted to let on. Rather than give in to the urge to blush this time, she smirked. "I have no doubt you know all about what it means to tease someone", the expression on her face devoid of any acknowledgment of the innuendo in her words.

Now that she thought about it, the girls she'd talked to about Vincent had been half-blood or muggleborn for the most part. She hadn't broached the subject with many purebloods, for the simple fact that she didn't want anything getting back to her parents. The last thing she needed was some gossipy pre-teen owling mummy to say that Keela Summerby was asking everyone about sex. She resisted the urge to shudder. She thought about what he said, and was loathe to admit he was right. He hadn't even acknowledged her presence until he'd become curious about her activities, and truthfully if anyone had been oggling anyone, it had been her who was oggling him. She felt thoroughly checkmated, and resented to position. She did blush then, even as she scolded herself for doing so. He was obviously good at reading people. The bit about packaging being secondary garnished a skeptical look regardless. "And I suppose you're going to tell me that the 'packaging' made very little difference?" she was smirking at him again.

What was it about this boy that brought out this side of her? Keela was normally a very bubbly person; Warm, social, and kind to a fault, However, when Vincent was in the picture, Keela hesitated, she heard her aunts' voices warning her to look at things analytically, to pay attention, to listen and be aware. He was offended, she could tell. Part of her was sorry, but another part was rather glad she'd gotten to him, at least it evened the playing field somewhat. Five? Less than she would have imagined, and Keela found herself a bit relieved, though she wasn't sure why. He wanted to be friends? Vincent Silver-Moon did not seem like the kind of guy who had many friends of the oposite sex, friends with benefits maybe, but not friends. Honestly, she didn't remember much of the conversation. She'd been in such a hurry to abandon the scene after she'd kissed him that she'd blocked much of everything else out. Not that she was willing to tell him that. "The conversation wasn't too bad", she offered a hesitant half-smile. She searched for an argument as he continued speaking, and became frustrated when she found none.

"We can be friends", she said finally, feeling very much at odds with herself. Part of her thought the best course of action would be to run in the oposite direction, and hope he lost interest. However, a more persistant voice insisted that there couldn't be any harm in having him as a friend, it might even be nice. She was fairly certain it was her mother who had said, 'no matter what, you can never have too many good-looking male friends'. She smiled, recalling vividly the way her dad had given her mum and mock-offended look, but his eyes had twinkled as though he was remembering something long past. The tension went out of her shoulders finally. Several days of avoiding him had been harder than she'd anticipated, and they'd taken their tole. The thought of not having to bother with the whole thing anymore was a relief. "If you promise not to tell anyone I kissed you", she said softly. She didn't want it to get back to Cern that she'd kissed a Slytherin, and a Slytherin who was closer to his age than her own at that. Especially not before she was ready to tell him herself.

[shava]

At her smile he felt a little cheer go up in his mind as she accepted him being around without wanting to flee. At least, that's how he took it personally. "I know, I think that's rather wild too, but you seem to forget I don't have a choice if I want my mother to be able to keep her mind intact. That's the thing about old curses, they don't give you the freedom to ignore the wording and try for loopholes." And it was more then a little honorable to put it out there that way; he was doing far more then just looking for a pureblood girl, he was out to save his family after all. Or one of the most important parts of it.

He wasn't sure what would happen if mom died. His father might lose it too to at least some degree. That sobered him up a bit; this was a very important conversation in more ways then one after all. Her response to his comment on teasing made him smile back just as smartly. "I think there was a muggle who said 'Knowledge is power,' my dear Keela, and I do believe I have the advantage in that at the moment." He didn't step closer to her, but his eyes ran across her face as if a caress as he gave her a knowing look. No, she had that deer in the lumos spell look to her still a bit.

Merlin, she would be a fun one to educate! If she let him...

Vin leaned his shoulder back against the wall, this time right next to her but not touching. His arm was above his head, lying on top of his head while the other remained in his pocket to make her feel more secure. His eyes still drank her in tho as if she was the center of the universe at this moment, his attention fully on her. "Oh I think you know better, but unlike most guys, I have to like someone very much for who they are before I bother to notice packaging. After all, while how a person looks is very important, if I don't like her, I don't want her to have my kids either. That kind of negates the whole idea about physical attraction really." The hand on the top of his head waved as he grinned with his next point.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not at the kid stage, okay? Just saying most guys are....Hmm, instinctually driven in that direction even when they don't want it yet. Hormones can be a pain, but testosterone is pretty blinding sometimes." He'd actually had an argument with a girl over this very subject in the dorm just yesterday which made him smile a bit more. "You just reminded me of a running argument I have with someone on how much control boys actually have over their hormones," with a dry chuckle. When she agreed they could be friends he straightened, standing a gain without leaning a pleased look on his face.

But she just had to qualify it.

Tilting his head he looked at her a moment before an idea struck him. With a sudden delight in his eyes he held out on hand and said, waiting for her to shake on it, "Counter-deal. I won't tell anything that happens between us, conversation or other, if you agree to go with me to the Halloween ball. As friends, mind you. That would show a certain amount of trust on both sides I think. Deal?" In his mind he thought it sounded reasonable; she clearly didn't want anyone hearing about- - No wait! She didn't want her brother to hear about what she had been up to! The epiphany came to him suddenly and had him wondering how much more he could manage to slip into such an agreement, making her hesitate to tell her brother anything, especially if it was either telling about the kiss or going on a dance-date with the same Slytherin...

[kyla]

Keela understood intuitively that there was more to the story about his mother than he let on, but something told her it was a bit too personal a subject to broach in the middle of the third floor corridor. She understood what he meant, they'd studied the complexity of some of the more ancient dark curses in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Keela mentally scrolled through the ones she remembered and tried not to shutter. Whatever Vince's grandfather had done to his mother, Keela was sure it wasn't a good thing. She wondered briefly however, if he used this spill on any of the other girls he flirted with. She doubted it, he didn't seem like the type to use the 'poor pitiful me' approach. "Is your grandfather alive?" she asked softly. "I thought most dark magic died with the caster." Though admittedly she didn't have a particularly thorough knowledge of the subject. "Have you tried a curse breaker?"

The subject obviously made him uncomfortable, and he changed it rather predictably a few moments later. She knew what he was trying to do, even though he hadn't closed the gap between them. She offered him a cheeky sort of grin. "Depends on the subject, Vince." It was the first time she'd used the nickname out loud, and the syllables felt a bit odd coming off of her tongue. She tried not to let him know how easily he got to her, but she realized that someone as observant as he obviously was would have no trouble discerning that fact. She wondered if he could read the uncertainty in her eyes, and found herself desperately hoping he couldn't. His eyes gave her the distinct impression he was searching her soul, and she found herself thoroughly unnerved by him. Very few people in Keela's life had the power to through her off balance the way he was doing now, and she got the idea that he might take advantage of that fact if he ever became aware of it.

She was acutely aware of him as he stood next to her. He was just close enough that if she shifted slightly, she could touch him, but he seemed to be purposely avoiding touching her. Keela knew she should be grateful for that fact, should be, but wasn't. Instead, she felt a sense of disappointment that annoyed her. A detatched place in her mind acknowledged that she liked the sound of his voice, liked the way he smelled, and the spark in his eyes when he was speaking in earnest. She was quickly becoming lost in and amongst the growing list of things she liked about Vincent Silver-Moon. She gave herself a mental shake, reminding her brain to focus on the matters at hand, and not on the reminders of the other day that his closeness was forcing upon her conscious thought. His mention of kids interrupted her skeptical thoughts about his appearance speech. She gave him a wide-eyed look without bothering to try and temper it.

His response was immediate, and Keela exhaled. "I w-wasn't sure for a moment there", she cursed internally as she stumbled over the words. She wondered if what he was saying was actually true. All guys couldn't be that basic could they? Or maybe they could. She searched his eyes. She could agree with him about one thing as she did so, hormones were indeed incredibly distracting. HIs statement about the argument brought a somewhat cheeky response to her mind. "I can only imagine how the two of you arrived at that topic", her lips quirked, and she tilted her head as she glanced innocently back at him. He mirrored the movement a moment later, and Keela wondered if she should have expected him to counter her. He was still a Slytherin after all.

She'd forgotten about the ball coming up, but she'd just assumed she'd either go stag, or go with one of her housemates as friends. Rather than answer his question, she decided to draw out the moment, wondering how he'd take to being given a dose of his own medicine. "Do you often use coercion as a dating tactic?"

[shava]

Now as she began to ask he knew he had to put up the first gate. There were some things which could not be shared without outsiders and this was probably one of the biggest. To take the sting out of it though he thought it smart to offer the reverse. After all, he wanted to encourage her to open up to him, but not take this as a slamming door. "Oh no, he died years back before mom even got married. From what I hear we can all breath easier for that; he would never have let my mom marry my dad anyway. He treats her far better then my grandfather apparently ever did." She asked more questions and as much as he regretted it he had to put an end to this particular end of conversation.

With a sigh and a rueful look, he looked at the floor a moment before looking up at her eyes half way through his statement. "As much as I would like to brainstorm on that subject, answering those questions truthfully will reveal some stuff I'm not allowed to. Don't take offense, if you had a family secret you were told to keep your mouth shut on, I'd understand if you told me you had to stop talking about it." He shrugged; all families had secrets, didn't they? This was pretty much the only one he knew of in his family, though likely his parents had a few more tucked around. They didn't have skeletons in the closet, they were neatly labeled in the attic in bags. Char and he used to play musical skulls when they got in there sometimes.

She gave him a cheeky grin at his hinting and he matched her grin with one of his own, laughter still in his eyes. "Well since we were talking about a very physical experience and knowledge, I kind of figured we hadn't changed subjects and the only way you have to check me on that knowledge is to try me on it." He gave her a long slow wink, adding in a bit of wetting his upper lip, as if the idea of her testing him on it could be quite...thrilling and much to be desired. "I suspect you're not ready to test me on that though." 'Yet' he didn't add out loud, but it hung in the air between them.

Her clear nerves had him reach out and pat her softly right on the top of her head. The only reason it didn't seem patronizing was the gentleness in the look he was giving her, as if she was a small child not quite ready for the answers to what she was asking. Vincent was fully aware by her body language she was scared of the knowledge, of the change it would mean in the way she saw the entire world, which it would. That was another part of what he had learned; he knew he had to be careful or the first time would drive her away from him the rest of her life as well. "No problem, not everyone can handle it at the same time as others. I'm just ahead for my age I guess."

As she stumbled over her words he leaned back slightly giving her a bit of space. "Ha! Nice to know I'm convincing! But you can check me on it easily enough. You have a brother, ask him how he feels about girls, how often he thinks about sex, and then watch his eyes when a group of girls pass by. I think I can trust him to sell the case for me actually." He fell silent for a moment just looking at her after her statement about his conversation. It was as if he was judging her, looking to see how much she could stand to hear and what she would be able to comprehend of what he would say next. Maybe purely because she had a brother he decided to tell her at least a part of the words.

"Well... It actually started because of a complaint about how boys leave a bathroom, the way we generally leave things in a mess. It developed from that into a long talk about differences based on sexual drives." Vin kept watching her eyes, judging how she took the words. It could easily turn into something much different, those kind of conversations, but it helped that neither he nor the girl had any type of physical interest in the other. Such a conversation might not be possible with Keela and he knew that. "The difference between Rachel and you are that Rachel and I have no interest in the other besides conversation so discussing it plainly is easy for her when I'm around." Whether she could admit an attraction to him was beside the point; she knew for a fact he was interested in her.

The kiss had made that more then a little plain to her.

"Coercion? I'd like nothing better to do then tell a few of my friends about this delightful young lady who kissed me so innocently. You seem to be starting the coercion by trying to keep me from telling others about something I enjoyed...very much." 'And would like to some more, but you seem a scared rabbit right now...' he thought silently. A single finger came up and touched the end of her nose gently, softly, before sliding off and running across her lips with a caress to stop on her chin. He had moved during the distraction to within a few inches of her eyes, looking at her intently before he spoke again, prodding the subject a bit more. "So the question up for the moment is if you want to find a way to distract me and keep me from talking about that moment to anyone I so choose. I gave you a generous concession because I like you, but by all means, feel free to negotiate farther."

[kyla]

Keela heard the finality in his answer, though she knew he was trying to soften the harsh edge in his tone. Her lips quirked into a decidedly sardonic expression. Domestic abuse was an extremely foreign concept to her. After all, she'd grown up among several generations of families who loved each other deeply and took care of each other. Trying to wrap her head around a father abusing his daughter was as far off as the idea of losing her magic. Her head tilted slightly, and she looked briefly confused. He wasn't allowed? She wondered what else in his life was off limits, and couldn't help feeling slightly disconcerted. His response rendered her thoughtful. Did her family have any secrets? Not that she was aware of. She knew that every pureblood family had their closeted subjects. She supposed that hers was probably no exception, but if they had them, they'd hidden them well, because Keela had never been introduced to such things. "That's good for your mum then at least", she said finally. "That she got to marry who she wanted I mean." She was really rather uncertain of what to say next, this was obviously an extremely touchy subject.

She shrugged, deciding to take the conversation in a different direction. "If we do, I don't know them yet", she answered hesitantly. "My family's...pretty open." It was an understatement, but she didn't feel like going in depth with him. "Mum and dad were best friends growing up, and dad and his sisters have always been close. Its the same with my brothers and sister, and our cousins. We don't always get along, but we're pretty tight-knit." She thought about Cern, and her other siblings back home. She missed them during the school year, not a disabilitating sort of feeling, but one that nagged on special ocassions, holidays, birthdays, and the like. From there, she wondered how they'd come upon another conversation about physical experience, it seemed to plague their interactions almost as much as it plagued her thoughts. Even though she wanted to trust him, she couldn't help wondering if any of the more raucious rumors she'd heard were true. Try him on it? Right. That was going to happen, and while she was at it she might as well hang a sign around her neck that read 'guilty as sin' because that was exactly what Cern would see in her eyes the moment he got to within five feet of her again. The amusement in his expression annoyed her, and so it was in a slightly sarcastic tone that she answered, "or I can just go by what I hear."

Nevermind that she didn't want to. Nevermind that the thought of him making out with another girl made her insides twist in a decidedly unpleasant rendition of barely-acknowledged jealousy. Not ready? If she had it her way she'd never be ready. She'd find a nice, safe, non-Slytherin to date, and he could go skipping on his merry way across the continent. The image of Vincent skipping made her giggle, and then she blushed, focusing on a spot in the center of his forehead rather than his eyes. The last thing she wanted was to explain why she'd been giggling, or worse, what had led her to the thought in the first place. He patter her, and she resisted the urge to swat at him, while the gesture wasn't particularly patronizing in nature, it certainly did nothing to aleviate the tension in her muscles. She listened, and at first she was slightly non-plussed? What exactly did he think she couldn't handle. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she could handle anything thank you very much, but given their path of conversation, she thought better of it.

"There is nothing I can't handle", she insisted. "I just choose not to." It was true enough, she just neglected to finish the thought, that the reason she chose not to was because she didn't like being out of her element. She pulled a slightly disgusted face. "Cern and I try to avoid discussing sex whenever possible", she assured him. "I prefer to think of my little brother as the epitome of all things abstinent and virtuous." Which admittedly was entirely unrealistic, but it helped her sleep at night. She nodded in response to his statement about boys being messy, it was true. "Cern is the world's worst", she agreed, "he finds things better when they're unorganized than when they're put away." When he finished the statement, her lips turned up, and she smirked. "I see", she answered, and then, softly: "So you talk about sex a lot then?" She didn't think she'd had a conversation this long on the subject since her mother had given her 'the talk' at the age of thirteen. Granted, then she'd mostly been listening, and her mother had given her a cross between an anatomy lesson and a lecture on the importance of abstinence (and contraceptive spells).

While Keela thoroughly detested the concept of playing dumb, she acknowledged that some situations called for it. This was one of them. "And you're confident we're different in that area? Rachel and I that is?" She couldn't help remembering something her aunt Boann had said jokingly after Keela had gotten in trouble over something silly she'd done to Cern. 'When in doubt, deny everything'. Her aunt had been kidding, but the advice permeated her thoughts now. She shook her head, "that isn't coercion, that's insistance" she corrected. She eyed him wearily, he was standing too close for her to think clearly, and the way he was looking at her made her nervous in a not all together unpleasant sort of way. Would going to the dance with him really be that bad of any idea? What was the worst that could happen? In that moment, Keela couldn't recall any of her (undoubtedly well thought out) reasons why she should have sprinted back to her commonroom and hidden there until graduation. She searched for a way to put him off, to argue, or insult, or distract him, but in the end, all that she managed was a soft, "sure, why not?"

[shava]

Listening to her words, he realized she didn't have the right impression of his family and that bothered him a bit. Words like 'open' and 'tight-knit' hit his nerves and he wasn't about to let that part get by. "I think you are taking one part of my words and judging the rest by them. Or at least, that's the impression you just gave me. My family is very open and I would do anything for any of them. I have cousins and family friends in all the houses here and at home we have so many we make up two Quidditch teams. Tight-knit and open don't begin to scratch the surface with us, that's for sure and there are dozens here you can ask about that." He sighed and gave her a very rueful look. "Problem is, you are not one I take risks with. Lies are not for your ears, only the truth will work between us. But this particular....curse, if you will, will also ruin my mother's job and income as well as reputation if it leaked. So none of us would talk about it even if she hadn't asked us not to. So when I say not allowed, I mean it is that devastating for all of us. Family should always be first." As a wife, sure, that would be a totally different thing, but he wasn't going to say that out loud. "I mean, sure when someone joins the family they will find out, it's not like that, but it's nothing casual either."

Her comments about just going with what she heard did touch a sensitive spot to him; his reputation, whether deserved or not, was the public image not the truth. Instead of bristling up though, he put out his hand again, then hesitated. Giving her a slight smile he muttered "I said I wouldn't touch you, but this statement needs a light one. My apologies." Touching her forearm with a firm, but not tight grip he leaned close to her face, his eyes looking straight in hers, no attempts at treachery or untruth in them as he said to her with emotion "I know people talk about me, but what they see is not always the truth. Most of them are not worth the truth; I believe you are. By all means listen to the gossip, but understand me when I say to you I tell the truth." And by his eyes, he meant it. She stopped meeting his eyes, maybe having found looking into his too difficult to hide what she was thinking? Or maybe because it made her think of him too much? Ha, well he would like that explanation far too much. Her statement about handling things made him chuckle softly. "Yes, I've seen you handling it at the Lake. You knew just how to push my interest buttons; if that's your idea of handling, I must say I think the truth in what you can actually handle is still somewhere between our perspectives, not as clear cut as you think." She might think she was in control, but they both knew she was not and until she faced it and learned from it she wouldn't be in control again. The last week of avoidance alone showed she had to go to extremes to avoid bringing it up again.

He certainly understood about siblings being chaste. A rather deep sigh as he released a lot of air and frowned at the same time. Ash was always messing with him that way. "Yes, well I have that problem with one of my little sisters too. Ever since she started to develop she's taken to dressing wildly inappropriately and leading boys on. She's noticed it bothers me and keeps trying to use that against me when we get in wrestling." Damn her for it too. It just so happened some of the ways she enjoyed showing off her body were the things he found hard to resist in girls. Sisters should not tease their brothers that way! As to sex... "Well, why not? It's the topic that's on most teenagers mind to being with. I don't flinch away from it, get all giggly and embarrassed about it, and talking about it is simple enough." He tilted his head at her and laughed out loud. "I think I can guarantee your parents would rather you spoke about it then found out by experience, but that's parents for you. Few parents want to admit how much they learned in school about that subject either, but it's a given they were not all innocent." In fact from what he understood, he was following in his mother's footsteps far more then anyone else; she was far from chaste at his age, it was his father who was the "innocent" one.

Vincent nearly snorted at her words about Rachel and she. She might not think so or maybe could not admit what she did down at the Lake, but that didn't change his opinions about what happened, not one whit. As he responded, he quirked one eyebrow up and said simply "Yes. Cause you got me interested in you in a way no girl ever has. I would have a very hard time discussing the same thing with you without finding my imagination running ahead" he ran a finger down her arm without really touching, just enough to let her see the trace of his eyes following his finger to know where it was and how he was caressing her without touching her "with pipe dreams of what I would like to be teaching you instead." His glance as he suddenly looked back up when he ran out of arm to trace was frank and honestly interested in her, rather intently. Her capitulation to his deal brought the smile back to his eyes, a lessening of his intense closeness as he stepped back a bit to give her air. "Then I will be a perfect gentleman so you have no reason to complain. Consider my lips sealed on the subject till you give me leave. Any ideas about costume colors yet so I can match you?"