Hands Down (Vas)

[vas]

Vas was surprised he’d even consider asking, rooting for Slytherin of all the Houses! She wanted to laugh, but the way he was looking at her made it impossible to do so. Instead, she smirked and answered “Well, I might be shunned out of my own House and be considered a traitor when I go to sit with the Slytherin’s having no seat anymore, but hey – we need some excitement around this place – why not?” She laughed and tried to imagine it: she could just see everyone around her staring in disbelief were she to suddenly scream and cheer with the sea of green when Slytheirn scored. Yeah, she’d probably be forcibly pushed off the side of the stands to plummet to her death. Before she could stop the imagine Regulus came swooping down to save her before she hit the ground. Okay, so maybe she would cheer…just once.

“That’s a nice name.” Alright, well, at least he was trying. Vas was aware she usually just bored people whenever she started talking about her pets, so she appreciated the small comment. “I named him that out of spite you know,” she added, smiling. Rein had never like any sort of restraint whatsoever – reins, saddles: to him they were nothing but a hassle. In response Vas had quickly figured out he actually listened to her better when she just rode bareback. “He doesn’t like reins at all,” she laughed. Not at all. Curiosity pricked at her, and again she glanced over to the Forest. It would be awfully rude of her to just get up and leave in favor of company with a unicorn – especially since it was Regulus she was speaking to. After years of waiting for him to notice her, she wasn’t about to get up and walk away now that he finally had. “Have you ever ridden a horse before?” she asked, hoping to sound normal as she peered at the trees.

Regulus seemed to finally compose himself, speaking calmly “Yeah it does.” Vas returned the small smile, watching him carefully as she’d turned around at his tone. He almost seemed puzzled, like there was something he couldn’t quite understand. It took a lot of effort to squish the urge of asking him why he was looking at her like that, settling with “It just seemed silly to try and change something about me that I was born with. I mean, if I was born partially blind, doesn’t that mean it happened for a reason? Dad always said you don’t need eyes to see,” she added softly, a careful smile lining her lips, “He says I see people a lot clearer, I see them, not just what they look like.” Vas dropped her gaze to her lap, disbelieving that she had just told Regulus that – she really needed to learn how to keep her mouth shut.

[brett]

"Why not,"Regulus repeated smiling, well he had tried. That was the problem wasn't it? Anyone not in Slytherin would be shunned for cheering on the side of the snakes, but wasn't that why they were hated? Because of their intolerance for Gryffindors and for the most part Ravenclaw and Hufflepuffs. It was a double standard really. Of course Slytherins were so used to being hated that they had learned to feed off the negative energy. Regulus enjoyed the groans of the other 3/4 of the school as he put through a goal almost as much as he loved the cheers from his fellow snakes.

Out of spite? Reg thought. Spite of what? But he smiled along anyway. As Vas continued he realized either she had misspoken and her horse had an odd fear of the rain or Reg had misinterpreted the name. Then it hit him, rein, not rain. That made more sense and Regulus gave a short laugh. Reins were a restraint device, they used them on horses, much the way they did with magical creatures that were ridden. Reg was a bit ashamed of his misstep, but Vas hopefully hadn't noticed. Or if she had hopefully she wouldn't say anything. "No, but I'd like to one day," Regulus answered looking to the forest. Vas seemed to be checking the forest quite a bit, like she was looking for something, but Reg could see nothing of interest, so he turned back to the Ravenclaw sitting beside him.

What possible reason could there be for being born half blind? What good could come of it? Before Regulus had time to search his own mind for answers Vas had provided him with one. "Your father sounds like a wise man," Regulus said looking to the grass. Orion Black had taught his son you didn't need as to see as well, he just had a different reason, 'looks are deceiving, trust no one' that was the way Reg had been told. Not too far from Vas' father's, but somehow they seemed to be worlds apart. Regulus teaching seemed negative, almost scolding him for being born with vision and Vas was being commended for her lack of it. Perhaps he had it reversed. Maybe vision was the weakness and blindness the strength.

[vas]

Obviously along the way, somewhere Vas had lost him. Well, it’s not like I didn’t see that one coming, she thought vaguely. She had yet to meet someone who could fully comprehend what she was saying when it came to horses. Though she was slightly curious where exactly Regulus had become confused, it eased a little when his mind seemed to pick up. Of course, more pressing was his reply, “No, but I’d like to one day.” But how exactly would he feel riding a unicorn? Besides, she wasn’t so sure she’d be able to coax Silvara into it – after all, Regulus was a boy; and for once she wasn’t being stereotypical. It was just plain fact that unicorns were uncomfortable around the male population… Vas sighed – she finally had Regulus’s attention and all she could think about was a silly unicorn. There was definitely something wrong with her.

“You’re father sounds like a wise man.” Vas looked up, well you sound far away. Regulus seemed to feel similarly over the topic at hand, not looking at her anymore in favor of the ground instead. She blinked a few times, unsure if that was him being uncomfortable or just thoughtful. Being a good liar granted to be good at hiding your thoughts. “So what about you?” she asked conversationally, hoping to make him feel better, or at least get rid of whatever was clouding him. Even if he didn’t want to tell her about it, it didn’t take anyone special to know his family life wasn’t exactly the best out there. She’s always considered herself a little selfish, seemingly having that story-book ending family. Here she was boasting al about her expensive pets and loving family and well…from what she’d heard, Regulus had to just work at earning his parents respect to have a good nights sleep. Vas bit the inside of her lip, glancing back at the Forest as an excuse not to look at him.

Eyes still trained at the trees, she added “I mean, I’ve told you stuff about me, and I hardly know anything about you. The most I can say is your name is Regulus Black and your brother is Sirius. After that…” Vas trailed off, trying to rack her brain. She knew other things, like how he was amazingly handsome and had a marvelous smile, but somehow she didn’t think she could safely share those. Quite suddenly, she finally caved and asked “So if someone offered to take you riding, would you agree?” Vas could almost swear she’d seen a fleeting it of white at the edge of the Forest.

[brett]

Regulus looked up from the ground as Vas' voice once again separated him graciously from his thoughts. "What about me?" Regulus asked not quite sure what Vas wanted him to say. Was she looking for his take on her father's words? Was she asking about what his father had told him? Or had he just wanted a general statement about him? Regulus Black wasn't one to give out information freely, you would need to be pretty specific or catch him in a vunerable mood to get any decent information about him. 'Trust no one,' the words of his father rang in his head.

"What else do you wanna know?" Regulus asked as though there was nothing more to his life than his name and his brother. He wasn't used to anyone taking an interest in his life, so he wasn't sure what a person would say in this situation. And of course there was the even present barrier of mistrust. He couldn't just spill his life story to every girl with a pretty face, he was already far to liberal with what he was telling people. "I have a girlfriend named Indigo Grace," Regulus offered this being the only worth while thing he could think to mention. He had put off telling Vas this because it seemed like Vas may have a crush on him, but best tell her now and let her get over it rather than lead the poor girl on...caring about other peoples feelings is weird.

"Depends," Regulus answered with a small smirk. "Are you offering?" It certainly seemed that Vas had something planned. That she wasn't asking would he accept if 'someone' offered, but rather if she were to offer. Still she kept her eyes on the forest. As far as Reg knew there were no horses in there, centaurs definitely and unicorns...she wasn't thinking? No she couldn't be. Regulus wouldn't have even thought Vas the type to go into the forest let alone go in search of unicorn. Perhaps he really wasn't giving her enough credit.

[vas]

OOC: Ahahahahahahaha - I love the new avy. ^^


“I donno, anything,” Vas shrugged, never good at picking topics from mid air. It was true sometimes she would ask random things within a conversation, but something had led her there – not because it had all of the sudden popped into her brain. “Like, um…well, do you have any pets? What do you want to do after Hogwarts? How’s your Mum? You know, all those funny analysis-feel questions,” she added with a laugh, “And ‘how you feel about that,’” Vas quoted with a smirk. Muggle shrinks had always amused her. Although, there were no guarantees if Regulus would understand that joke…hmpth. She had taken a course in Muggle Studies once, but somehow she couldn’t picture Regulus in that class.

“I have a girlfriend named Indigo Grace,” he finally answered, almost sounding confused again. She might have thought it funny if it had been about anything else – truthfully she wanted to frown, hating the girl simply because Regulus liked her more then Vas. Closer to loathing really, but she wasn’t about to admit that. Instead she smiled lightly and nodded. “Yeah, I know who she is. She seems…nice.” It was unbelievable how hard it was to compliment her biggest competition. “I hope that works out for you,” she added kindly, thinking the only way it would work out for her was if they broke up. Wouldn’t it be something to watch the prissy little Gryffindor cry her heart out being dumped by Regulus in favor of Vas – her smile instantly became more believable, enjoying the fantasy that wouldn’t ever happen.

Vas wasn’t sure how to answer his next question – yes, what exactly was she getting at? Was she offering? Well, in a round-about way, she was… “Um…yes,” she finally answered, now her turn to sound slightly confused. How was she going to explain it to him? And worse – would he simply just laugh? Openly admitting that you’d been breaking the rules for years just to get a little home comfort of sorts to a Slytherin sounded rather stupid, but she’d already brought it up and now an explanation was being demanded. “Okay, look,” Vas said in a rush, “My first year here Leon took me out to the Forest and showed me around. There’s a whole herd of unicorns in there as I’m sure you know. Leon had only ever seen them because he didn’t want to get very close, and he told me to stay away too, but one night I snuck out without him and found the herd; one of them is really nice, and I kind of…not really trained him, that’s impossible, but he lets me ride him around. I’ve been going out into the Forest during the night ever since. I haven’t gotten to go see him yet, Silvara,” she added, “and I really want to…do you want to come?” Vas finally took in a breath and unintentionally held it. Please say yes.

[brett]

((haha thanks I saw it and couldn't resist ;D))

"How I feel about that?" Regulus repeated unable to stifle a short laugh. The day Regulus began to about to anybody about how he felt was the day he died. As for the questions: pets, he had none, what would he do after hogwarts was on a need to know basis and Vas did need to know. As for his mum...well lets not even go there. So unable to even respond let alone give any sort of feelings about any of Vas' questions he offered up his girlfriend as a conversation topic. One of the few things he felt comfortable talking about.

Vas' hesitation heavily contradicted her words, but Regulus decided to ignore it. At least Vas was making the effort to make it seem like she liked Indi. But Reg was curious did she dislike Indi because of her crush on him or because something had happened between the two. "Thanks...me too," Reg agreed with a smile he hoped would hide his fears. He wanted badly for things to work out with Indi, but he was so petrified that soon she would open her eyes and see she deserved better...around Indi was probably the only time Regulus ever felt inferior. Reg couldn't help but wonder about the words from the Ravenclaw's mouth as she said it she was hardly convincing, but the smile she now wore looked genuine.

'Yes,' was that a question or an answer? It sounded like a statement, but a very unsure one. Either Vas was still forming a plan or confusion had become a contagious disease. Reg focused his eyes on Vas as she began he long winded explanation/plot. So, she had basically befriended a Unicorn and now wanted to head off into the forest for a visit? This girl was quite a mystery, but late night trips to the forest were at least something they had in common. "Well I did agree to spend the afternoon with you," Regulus said smiling. He felt that agreeing flat out would make him seem too desperate, and he wasn't. Of course he hadn't ever gotten all that close to any of the unicorns, after all that horn may look pretty, but that wasn't why they had it.

[vas]

Vas couldn’t help but laugh alongside him at his tone, making it sound literally foreign to him. “Don’t you ever tell anyone what you’re really thinking?” she pressed, overly curious now. He had yet to give her a straight forward answer on any question; perhaps there was a reason? Vas was such a gossiper it didn’t even matter who she was talking to – although a good girl sleep over always helped. She had hosted many at her house over the summer, every time the conversation moving to people they each knew from school: who liked who, who hated who, who did that thing with the that other person. All of it was in good fun…but she was one hundred percent sure Regulus hadn’t ever experienced anything like that. Sleepovers were very much a girl thing.

“Thanks…me too.” And then a thought. “There!” Vas smiled, “Don’t you tell Indigo what you’re really thinking? Everyone has someone they can trust infinitely with their deepest, darkest secrets – you’re girlfriend would be a good pick.” Although the idea revolted her – Vas wanted as little communication between Regulus and Indigo as possible. Her smile softened though, “Leon’s my secrets person. We tell each other everything. Don’t you have someone like that?” She wanted to believe everyone had someone special to them…it seemed silly not to.

Vas was finally able to breath again: “Well I did agree to spend the afternoon with you.” But again, an indirect answer. “Is that a yes or a no?” she questioned, and then decided she wasn’t going to give him the option. Vas pushed herself up and offered a hand out of polite manners – she didn’t really believe he’d take it (a rather sad thought, but very logical). “Come on, it’ll be fun,” she grinned, adrenaline pumping through her. When she set her mind to something, nothing could stop her. Regulus just happened to have fallen into her plans is all.

[brett]

Regulus smiled, it was an interesting question and after a moment of thought had his answer. "Not if I can help it," he smirked. Trusting people was not one of Reg's strong points. Though he seemed to be doing it a bit more often, though it was against his instinct. Lies were his specialty, making his face a mask that showed only what he wanted you to see. The only gateway was through his eyes. Nothing could be hidden in the shining green emerald of Reg's eyes.

"You'd think that wouldn't you?" Reg answered with another smile to mask the feelings hidden beneath the cool exterior. It made sense, Indi should be a good pick, as someone he could tell anything to, but it was really more the opposite. Reg needed to hid things from Indi more than anyone else to make sure she only saw good in him, so she wouldn't break up with him. Of course Reg was a little more open with Indi because he was comfortable talking to her, but really neither one knew the other very much on a personal level. "No, not really," Regulus said this time unable to keep a bit of hurt from his voice. He told Isabella a lot, but his dark secrets were hidden away from her as well. It was sad really, Regulus never trusted that anyone would accept him for who he was so instead worked to become what others wanted him to be.

Regulus smirked about to answer with a sly 'what'da you think?,' but Vas seemed to have either figured out that it was a yes or decided she didn't care what the answer was. Either way, good call by Vas. Reg looked up to Vas' outstretched hand and took it out of politeness (and perhaps a small desire feel her touch) but still stood up mostly of his own accord. "Let's get going then before someone spots us," Reg smiled waiting for Vas to lead the way.

[vas]

OOC: I figured we should probably move it there: Silvara.

[ludo]

good call