[K]night Walker (open)

[brett]

Regulus stalked through the darkness of the forbidden forest. The soft glow of light from his wand allowed him to see barely 5 feet in front of him, but this didn't bother him. There certainly had been times when these nighttime walks in the forest made his heart beat out of his chest. A time when every stick that snapped beneath his black boots sent a chill down his spine. But that time had passed years ago.

Regulus was now calm as the night, though any unfriendly sound like the howl of a wolf, still made him grip his wand tighter. Regulus had never run into a werewolf, or any other creature for that matter, though he had on occasion observed a unicorn or a group of centaurs off in the distance. This was probably thanks to the fact that Reg always did his best to stay in the more shallow areas of the forest.

A cool night wind whistled through the trees threatening to blow off the hood of his cloak, but the hood was secured over Reg's head hanging out over his face so that if he encountered anyone his face would be kept in shadow. Quite a nice way to ensure that even if he were discovered in the strictly off limits area of the grounds he would be near impossible to identify. Regulus ran his hand over the coarse bark of a tree admiring the stillness of the night. The path he followed was difficult to see in the darkness, but it didn't matter as Reg knew the route by heart.

Finally he reached his destination. A small clearing formed by a circle of trees lay in front of him. Regulus walked into the clearing, probably no more than 10 meters in diameter, and leaned his back against a medium sized oak. He bent his left leg putting his foot against the tree and let out a deep sigh. Now in the safety of his clearing he removed the hood of his cloak, running a hand casually through his dark hair. Without the cloak he regained the periferal vision and could now see the clearing more fully. Leaves lay scattered across the forest floor in an array of greens and yellows and oranges. At least Regulus assumed it was a good array of colors, as because of the darkness and dim light of his wand they all seemed to take on a dark bluish color.

[foxwillow]

Nighttime always seems to be the strangest time of day, with the noises and the shadows that lurked in the deepest part of your mind. Where your inner demons and childhood fears still linger. During the night the most innocent shadow can become your greatest fear. Or, that was what Ash believed. But then again Ashlynn never really liked the dark.

Then why was she here, in this dark forest where not just shadows lie in waiting. Well, you can blame that one on Detentions. Years of detentions, and having to roam these darkened woods had all but cured her of her fear of this place. But if you put her in a dark place that she didn't recognize, she'd be scared half to death.

The night was chilly, and Ash had gotten into a row with one of her dorm mates. That's why she was out here; to clear her head. They were always nasty fights, full of bickering and lies that cut deep; and everyone wondered why she didn't keep to many friends close. Her slender finger grasped at the thick crimson material that made up her night cloak, and pulled it closer. It was a bit colder tonight.

The forest was like an old friend to her now, each moment spent among its mysteries was like another page in a book; you never know what you'd find. No Ash wasn't a bookworm, she would have been put in Ravenclaw if she had been, but she was very artistic. Each time she came here, she had the urge to stop, sit down, and draw everything.

As she walked silently through the underbrush, and brambles that littered the forest floor, her foot caught on the root of a tall tree, and she tumbled to the ground. 'Well that was clumsy.' she thought to herself as she unhooked her foot from the tangle it had caught itself in. Her ankle throbbed softly, but she was thankful that she hadn't sprained it. It was then that she caught sight of a small orb of blueish white light maneuvering its way through the forest, and deeper into the darker parts. Lifting a slender hand to carefully clasp the rough bark of the nearest tree branch, she quietly pulled herself up. The moon was out, yet it barely made any difference in the lighting. Though as the figure walked, it became more defined as small bits of light hit it. It was definitely someone, someone in a black cloak?

'Curiosity killed the cat.' she told herself, before silently following after the cloaked person. Ash quickly noticed that the hood of the dark cloak was pulled over the persons head, similar to the way her dark crimson hood was over hers. 'Maybe it's a student? I didn't know others came here like I do..' she thought to herself as she quietly pursued this unknown being with renewed interest.

In front of her the light stopped in a small clearing, and the person rested against one of the closer trees. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the person lifting it's hand to pull of it's dark shroud of a hood; her breath caught in her throat. Had they seen her? No, surely they would have turned to her, or accused her of following them if they had. It was a dark haired boy by the look of him, but what was he doing here. Curiosity burned at her, but her instincts told her that barging into a clearing in the middle of the Forbidden Forest would be very stupid, especially since Ash didn't recognize him.

It didn't take her long to figure out what to do, she couldn't just sit there staring at him like an idiot. Slowly she made her way to the other side of the clearing, right across from him, and slowly advanced into the clearing. When she entered she had been looking at the floor, as if making sure she didn't trip; but now she raised her light blue eyes to look up at the boy. Giving a look of surprise, she slowly pulled off her own hood and pulled her long brown hair from beneath the cloak. "I didn't know that... Why are you... Who are you?" she asked, to confused to actually form full sentences. Her azure eyes were flooding with genuine confusion now as she looked at the boy; she didn't know him. They were closer now, and she could actually get a good look at him; he was a rather handsome fellow. Ash dropped her head slightly as she felt a small flush of warmth rush to her cheeks; thankfully it was dark.

[/color]

[brett]

Regulus cursed himself for not realizing someone was following him as a figure made it's way toward him from the other side of the clearing. He dropped his foot from the tree to gain a steady base holding his wand up and out to spill the soft light onto the potential foe. There cloak was a different color than his, lighter, Crimson it seemed, though he could be wrong. As the figure removed it's hood Reg relaxed it was just a girl. Not that girls couldn't be dangerous, but considering the proximity to the school he assumed it was a student.

It was the eyes that caught Regulus first, the light of his wand reflecting in the soft blue pools. She had darker hair, brown it seemed, but a deep brown. She was actually quite attractive, despite her inability to form proper sentences. "Regulus Black," he said flashing a smile as he introduced himself. Ah the disarming charms of Regulus Black's smile, even he enjoyed watching himself smile in the mirror. Perhaps a bit arrogant, but he felt he had the right to be.

"And you are?" Regulus asked looking to get the name of his late night companion. He had thought about telling her why he was out here so she wouldn't have to bother re-attempting to ask the question, but he really didn't have a reason. The reason wasn't really important anyhow. Would it make any difference to the girl why he had come? The fact was he was here, and so was she.

[foxwillow]

The boy, whoever he was didn't seem to much like the idea of her entry at first. Ash watched as he shuffled around a bit and didn't look quite at ease. It bothered her a little that she had interrupted his quiet observations, but then again he had also interrupted hers with that wand of his. Ash mentally laughed at herself when she realized that that bouncing orb was a wand tip.. She'd thought that was what it was, but it had just barely dawned on her. Wow, she was tired or something.

As they both settled down, she thought she caught the boy scrutinizing her with his gaze. Was she really that interesting... Wait. Was he just.. 'Get your head together Ashlynn...' she told herself as she smiled softly, and listened for the answer to her question. Regulus Black... Wait. Was he Sirius's brother? But if Sirius was in Gryffindor.. then.. If he was in Slytherin then she had to keep herself calm and present herself as a Gryffindor. "Your Sirius brother am I right?" she asked, her voice seemed calmer now. It was odd, but when she saw that smile on his lips, she wanted to melt... 'NO! Ash, No. she chastized herself mentally at the thought of it.. But then again, she really never understood the rivalry between Slytherin house and Gryffindor; it all seemed so foolish.

Now that she thought about it, he did look a bit like his brother, though he seemed more attractive the Sirius.. Maybe it was just the darkness... In her thoughts, she almost missed him ask for her name, and that, would have been very bad. She'd already made a fool out of herself... "Ashlynn Foxwillow." she replied, smiling softly back at him. When he moved his wand to look at her, she caught a glimmer of his piercing green eyes. They almost reminded her of a deep forest, or the luscious green of the Slytherin banner. Besides her favorite color was green anyways. Carefully she locked her crystal blue eyes with his forest hued ones and smiled.

"So do you normally go for nightly walks, or did I just catch you on a good night?" she mused, before walking further into the clearing and leaning against one of the older trees. Slowly her hand rose to push a bit of dark hair from her face. As her attention wandered, she couldn't help but take a quick glance around the place. It wasn't a very large area, but the mist and faint blueish glow made it look that much better. A feeling fluttered through her, she wanted to paint this.. The misty clearing, and the boy with the vivid green eyes. Sadly she hadn't brought her sketch pad with her this time. Oh well, probably better that way anyways. "So if you don't mind me asking, why did you come to this place?" she asked as she turned her blue eyes back to look at him.

[/color]

[brett]

"Yea that's right," Regulus said with a small smile. He usually didn't take kindly to being referred to as Sirius' brother, but for some reason he couldn't muster any scathing comment to throw at the girl. "You must be a Gryffindor," he said coming to this conclusion. The red cloak had tipped him off, and the reference to his Gryffindor brother had all but sealed this as fact. Why did Gryffinddor get all the pretty girls? It just didn't seem fair.

Ashlynn...Regulus ran the name over in his head. It was a nice name, fitting that a cute girl have a cute name. He caught her gaze, but only briefly. Something about those soft crystal blue eyes was keeping him from insulting her. Not that Reg ever really took much pride in insulting girls, but usually he could come up with something. Her skin looked rather smooth, like porcelain. Stop that, didn't he already have a girl he was interested in? Indigo Grace, but she wasn't here now was she? And they weren't exactly dating or anything. Just be careful a voice in his head warned.

Regulus gave an instinctual shrug in answer to the question. "Been coming here since my fourth year, it's a nice place to think," he said deciding to explain further. His wand had dropped to about waist level now the light just reaching past there faces, but those blue eyes of hers were vivid as ever. So beautiful and captivating, and she was looking back into his eyes. Reg would break eye contact discreetly as possible every few seconds. He never did like anyone looking in his eyes for to long, it made him feel naked and exposed, like anyone could see through him into his very soul.

He was actually making a surprising amount of eye contact with Ashlynn considering they had just met. "So, what brings you out here?" he asked turning the question back on her. It was only fair that she be made to answer the same question she had just asked.

[foxwillow]

It didn't come as much of a shock when he admitted that Sirius was in fact his sibling, but in all truth looks were all they had in common. "You don't act like him.. Sadly enough that's a good thing." she mused, a bit quieter then usual; like she was thinking or something. He really didn't act much like his rambunctious brother, he was more calm, and quieter.. possibly a bit nicer too. In this position most girls in her house would either be drooling or shooting of rude comments, all because they were from different houses.

Ash noticed that they seemed to be a bit a like in a few ways, they were both quiet.. at least right now; and neither had said something rude about the other just yet. Houses don't define the person, the person defines the house. She remembered her mother telling her that once. Once she heard him speak again, her attention was drawn back to him way to quickly to be natural. "Yeah I am. Hmm, my turn... Your a Slytherin right?" she guessed, though she already knew the answer she played along anyways.

It was weird, that she would feel so comfortable around a Slytherin when most of the people she was teased or mocked by at this school were Slytherin, maybe he was a bit different? Maybe she was just holding her breath, but he hadn't given her a reason to hate him. It seemed that every time she looked up at him, she noticed something more about him, like how his hair looked soft and how his lovely green eyes seemed to smolder as she looked into them.. Was this her thinking? Was it to hard to believe that he could be being nice just to be rude to her later? Yes, he wasn't like that.. Or at least he wasn't now.

Ash stopped to think for a moment, gathering her thoughts. It wasn't like it was a bad thing to flirt with an attractive boy.. Houses aside. He was about her age right? So what was wrong with it!? He wasn't rude, or mean, and he hadn't said anything to make her feel inferior. So what was the problem!? There wasn't one...

He'd answered her question, so it was time to respond. "Hm. I'll have to keep this place in mind if you don't mind me coming here as well." she replied, before looking up at a rather large spiderweb that she'd just spotted out of the corner of her eye. The size of it sent shivers down her spine. The loss of a bit of light made her look back, and notice that he'd lowered his wand a bit, hence the light dimming. With a small smile she pulled out her wand and pointed it at a few stones she could see on the ground and without speaking caused them to begin glowing a soft green. All together it created more light then his wand had and it mad it so that he didn't have to hold his hand if he didn't want to. "There, you can stop using your want now if you want." she mused softly, a pleased smile appearing on her thin lips.

Once more she looked up at him, locking her blue eyes with his. "Oh, I got in a row with a couple of my dorm mates and I decided to go for a walk. I usually just wander, I don't have an actual place I go." she answered, before looking down at the glowing stones with pride.

[brett]

"A girl who is impervious to my brother's charms? Sirius must be losing his touch," Regulus joked smiling mostly to himself. As much as Reg doubted Sirius was short of female admirers it was still comforting to know Ashlynn wouldn't be asking him if he could set her up a date with his brother. Of course no one ever had actually asked Reg that, but that was probably more to do with the house rivalry's and his attitude towards his brother in any public encounters. Sirius and Reg maintained a better relationship than they wanted most people to know, but they were still nowhere near as close as they once had been.

"Lucky guess," Regulus smiled. Of course if she knew Sirius she would have known Reg's house already, still it was fun to play around. Maybe Reg should have been put in Gryffindor with his brother, he seemed to get along well with a lot them...well only the girls really and only a few really, so maybe he was in the right house after all. He couldn't help the fact that the kind of girl's he was attracted to were in a rival house. Her eyes were still so...there wasn't even a word to describe it, but Regulus was finding himself trying to hold the gaze a little longer each time. Reg was also beginning to notice the lovely full shape of her lips, watching them briefly when she spoke.

Reg pondered the question for a moment. He had found this spot when he realized he wasn't the only one who like to relax beneath the tree by the lake. All the same though it would be nice to have someone else who knew about the spot. "As long as you keep it secret," Regulus said stating his terms. Even Ashlynn's hypnotic eyes would allow him to let his clearing turn into th campus hotspot. "And your going to have to teach me how to do that," he added smiling at the glowing rocks. Regulus dropped his tired arm stowing his wand back into his cloak.

"Well now you've got somewhere," Reg smiled feeling as though he was helping her out. In reality there would really be nothing stopping Ashlynn from coming back here and bringing friends if she wanted. Reg liked to think she wouldn't do that though, because while he may not be able to stop it he could make her life rather unpleasant if she did. But again Reg doubted it would come to that. "You get into rows with your 'mates a lot?" Reg asked looking to the serenity of a thousand oceans that was present in her beautiful blues. Reg was wondering if he should expect her to be here often, or if she wanted him to crack some skulls for her.

[foxwillow]

Smirking softly, she walked forward again. Ash was feeling a bit bold tonight, so she walked over to a tree right near his and leaned on it so she was right near him. It was getting tiresome talking loud just so he would hear her anyways. Pulling her wand out again, she flicked it lazily at the glowing rocks and they floated closer to the two. "Maybe if or when I get to know you better I'll teach you to make things glow. I normally don't share the charms and jinxes I make with people." she mused, in a softer tone.

At the mention of Sirius's charm she laughed softly. It was that he wasn't charming, but the idiot in him overwhelmed the charm most days. "He's got charm, I'll give him that, but the idiot things he does sometimes, and his careless dating ways cancel it all out." she admitted, once again brushing a bit of her bangs from her eyes.

Ash didn't have any siblings, so it was a bit confusing to her about why Regulus and Sirius weren't as close as other siblings that went here were.. It was probably something to do with houses. Ashlynn herself was a pureblood, but she'd been put in Gryffindor for some reason. So she had really never fussed about houses or the rivalry between them.

So she was right, he was a Slytherin. That was odd weren't they all supposed to be mean or something, then again it was probably better not to question a good thing. "Well I didn't recognize you so you couldn't have been a Gryffindor, You don't have some sort of book on you so I figured you weren't a Ravenclaw, and you don't seem the badger type." she teased, a stunningly playful smile replaced her slight smirk. This was way to fun to be good for her. The day a Gryffindor had fun talking with a Slytherin... Something was so wrong with this picture.

Before Ash had really realized, she was noticing more and more the pretty color of his eyes, and shine in his hair.. the way his lips moved when he talked... Why was it so hard to look away from his gaze, his gorgeous emerald hued pools. It wasn't long before Ash found herself mentally smacking herself back into reality; she'd nearly lost herself in his eyes. "You have very pretty eyes.." she muttered before she could really stop herself.. Though once she had realized that she'd said that out loud she blushed a bit, and looked to the ground for a moment.

'That... was stupid.' she mentally groaned. Now she probably looked like some star struck little first year... Once she heard his answer to her comment, she jumped at the chance to change the subject. "I've always been good at that. Keeping secrets I mean." she agreed. Besides she didn't mind playing with the idea that this was just their little secret clearing. Slowly her pouty lips curved into a soft smile. "Sounds like a deal. But you can't tell anyone else either, or teach them my charm, agreed?" she said stating her terms in turn, her excited sapphire eyes catching on his face again. The pale green light reflected on his face, nearly hypnotizing her right then. It was kind of like she was looking at him with new eyes.

"And a pretty place at that." she said with a smile turning to look at him a bit more. "So how do we go about seaingl this deal then, because I believe I can trust you but isn't that how deals usually work?" she asked out of curiosity. She'd really never made a deal with a Slytherin, this had to be a first in history or something so she was a bit curious to what he'd say on the matter.

Dropping her eyes to study the rocks, she thought of how to answer that.. It was a tricky question. "I depends. I really don't like a lot of the girls in my house... They talk to much, and are afraid to get their hands even a little dirty. It's pathetic.." she said in slight aggravation.. It was clear that Ash didn't like to be purely vanity. She liked to play Quidditch, and loved nature.. Sadly enough not a lot of the girls in her house would ever randomly wander the Forbidden Forest like she did. "Sometimes I wonder how they all got sorted into Gryffindor.. Aren't Gryffindors supposed to be brave and have courage..." she added, before lifting her fierce blue eyes back to look at him. "So to answer your question.. simply. Yes." she admitted in a softer voice, yet a hint of malice still littered her words.

[brett]

Reg smiled, so she didn't give up her secrets easily, he liked that. But it was definitely going to be a matter of 'when' there was to be no 'if' involved in the two getting to know each other. Reg gave a short laugh as Ashlynn explained her opinion of Sirius. It was refreshing to see a girl who would take all of Sirius into consideration rather than just drooling over his appearance and smile. "I suppose your not much of a fan of the marauders then?" Reg asked wondering if her opinion on Sirius applied to Potter and the others as well.

"What? I'm standing alone in the forbidden forest, that just screams Hufflepuff," Regulus smirked. He suposed if he ever were to be confused for anything it would be a Ravenclaw. He kept to himself mostly and he liked going through books to learn new potions and spells. Once he opened his mouth however the inner snake seemed to come out. Though it seemed that the snake was being charmed by Ashlynn's Ice blue eyes.

Reg almost blushed at her comment about his eyes, "...I think that was supposed to be my line," he smiled as if they were reading a scene from some play and Ashlynn had read his line by mistake. It was nice to know that she liked his eyes though. Reg became a little more comfortable with holding the gaze, though he still broke if he felt himself getting in too deep.

"Agreed," Regulus smiled. It certainly seemed like a fair deal. He would keep her secret if she kept his. "I think a hand shake is customary," Regulus offered. "Or a kiss," he added softly almost to himself. Hopefully Ashlynn hadn't heard, those words weren't meant to leave his mouth. He definitely got in too deep. Oh well now she could slap him and go back to thinking about Indi and praying that Ash didn't share the story of the jerk who tried coming on to her in the forest.

[foxwillow]

Ash nearly started laughing. Was it really that hard to believe that some Gryffindors disliked the idea of their house possibly NEVER winning the house cup? Try as some of those few people did to gain enough points to at least come in second... One of the Marauders usually lost them all anyways. It was a miracle that most didn't just stop trying. "Yeah I like them, as much as you can like a bunch of idiotic over confidant males that like to make Gryffindor house look like a barrel of monkeys." she drawled, she really didn't like talking about the Marauders.. Things she said about them tended to travel, or get people cross with her.

The current topic though, that was a different story. "Oh yes, cause all Hufflepuffs are creatures of the night deep inside." she joked in a lively tone. Maybe she was put into the wrong house... But then again maybe he was... Maybe Gryffindors and Slytherins weren't as different as they believed they were. Ashlynn always believed that she was going to end up in Slytherin because of her mouth, and how she carried herself, but then again that overwhelming sense of bravery and mischief that she had had swayed the Sorting hat to choose something else.

It was odd, normally she was as fierce as a lion, and yet now she felt like a lamb beneath the stunning mossy green gaze of her new dark haired friend. Friend.. Friend was a strong word.. Did he think of her that way? Once she noticed the look that he'd gotten at the small compliment that she really hadn't meant to say out loud.. her porcelain cheeks flushed an angry red. Looking down at the floor for a moment as she gathered her barrings. "No, it was my line." she answered with a cocky smile. "What's worse is that they are green... It's my favorite color." she admitted with a slightly sheepish look.

So it was agreed, he would let her come here as long as she kept it's location secret and also teach him her charm, and he wouldn't tell anyone how to do her charm. Ashlynn leaned forward instinctively when he spoke, and she almost didn't catch the last part. 'A kiss? But... Well.. He is cute.. but.. Gah!' she thought to herself as she paused for a moment; thinking. "Well, which would you prefer? Your the sealer of this deal," she said "...and it's not like I'd mind kissing you.." she said, whispering the last part. What was with the word vomit tonight.. maybe she'd been jinxed before she left the dorm.

[brett]

"Well, you know...no thing's more fun than a barrel of monkeys," Regulus smirked. In fact he could find quite a few things that were considerably more fun. Example number one was sharing a late night conversation with a cute Gryffindor who liked your eyes. It was still fun to joke, and even more fun to imagine the marauders as actual monkeys in a barrel. The thought brought a smile to Reg's face and he nearly broke out laughing.

Regulus smirked, oh the Hufflepuffs. While they probably were as innocent as there houses reputation may make them out to be the fact was, at least in Reg's mind they were nothing special. It was nothing personal, but it seemed you end up in Hufflepuff because your not brave, cunning, or intelligent enough for any of the other houses. A bit harsh perhaps, but that wasn't to say no good wizards came out of Hufflepuff. They just simply didn't fit into the other houses was all.

"Really? Mine too," Regulus smiled. He was quite in love with his own green eyes as well. Not to mention the fact that his room in Grimmauld was covered in the Green and Silver colors of his house. "Of course your eyes have me thinking, blues not to bad either," he added his lips turning up in a bit of a smirk. Ah the luscious beauty of Ashlynn's eyes. The light blue color that was imply unmatched by any other shade, incredible didn't begin to describe it.

"Well if your not opposed..." Regulus said clearing his throat nervously. His heart was beating with amazing quickness now, he felt as though he'd just run a marathon. Not to mention that his heart had also decided to take residence in his throat forcing his words to force there way around it so when he spoke his voice was soft, "We might as well go for the kiss," he said. Upon speaking the words Reg realized he wasn't exactly sure how this was going to work. Did he lean in first? Did she? should they count down and do it at the same time? How long should it last?

All the questions running through his mind you'd swear he never kissed a girl before. He had, in fact he had kissed Indi no more than a few days ago. And what of Indi? What would this do to that blossoming relationship? The problem wasn't in the kissing it was in the planning. He had never really planned a kiss before...except maybe his first, but that was incredibly awkward. Other than that though when it happened it just happened. Maybe he should have just gone for the handshake.

[foxwillow]

"Maybe I described that wrong, but whatever." she said with a small smile. In truth she could think of a thousand things better then a barrel of monkeys, and especially if those monkeys came in the Marauder breed. It was safe to say that Ash was quite enjoying herself as she poked fun of the Marauders and the various synonyms associated to describing them. A few weeks ago she'd have thought it impossible to make friends with a Slytherin, but Regulus was changing that rather quickly.

Realizing she knew virtually nothing about this dark-haired boy she figured since they were here she might as well try to know him some. "So Regulus, what do you do in your spare time. Slytherin's are a great mystery to me." she mused, as she stood there watching him with her bright blue eyes. "I mean you can't spend all your time here in this forest." she playfully stated. This was a breeze now, talking to him.. It was easy to enjoy talking to him.

It wasn't much of a surprise that his favorite color was green, usually all Slytherins loved the color green, just as most Ravenclaws liked the various blue, and Gryffindors liked reds and golds; Ash was not normal. "My old house used to be covered in green. My dad loved the color and my mum loved my dad." she replied, a faint smile forming on her lips as she recalled the brilliant green colors of her old home.. Maybe one day she'd go back. It wasn't the first time that she'd blushed in this clearing over something he, or her herself had said, but when he complimented her eyes she couldn't help but blush again. She was getting better at hiding it though.

So the time had come had it? It wasn't hard to believe that Ash was a bit nervous about this whole ordeal, but her inner lion was roaring inside her telling her to stop being a chicken. She didn't reply, what could she say? 'Oh I suppose.' or 'I guess your right.' they all sounded horrible as they flew through her mind before getting tangled in her other thoughts. Blue eyes caught him hesitating, she would have to, but she had never really been the one to back down in the heat of the moment. Nodding softly she walked towards him, closing the distance between them. Without even a second of hesitance, she pressed her lips down softly on his; having to stand on her tippy-toes some to reach.

Ash had no one waiting for her, no one that really knew her or would really care what she was doing.. Standing in a darkened clearing in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, Late at night.. Kissing a Slytherin. Boy today had taken a drastic change.

[brett]

"Well I try to stay in the forest as much possible but I sometimes leave to make first years cry, kick puppies, slaughter unicorns just because, stuff like that," Regulus smirked listing what he figured most Slytherins were expected of doing. People thought they were all no good evil doers. In all honesty some were, but the point was that most weren't. That didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun with his houses stereotype though.

Regulus gave a short laugh at her next comment. Not that it was necessarily comedic, but just the phrasing was cute enough to force a laugh from his lips. It actually made it easy to see why she would favor the color green. Which now worked in his favor. Good choice Ashlynn's dad Reg thought smirking to himself.

Reg's heartbeat quickened with every step Ash took towards him. (Thankfully it wasn't that many.) As soon as Ashlynn's lips touched his however everything just seemed to stop. Or at least Regulus was no longer aware of anything, but his lips and her lips and the space that no longer existed between them. The air around them, the forest, hogwarts, all of it seemed wiped from Reg's mind, at least for the moment.

Suddenly a flood of questions. Was the kiss lasting to long? Should he try and stick his tongue in her mouth? Should his hands be at her waist, then the face of Indigo Grace came to his mind and he broke the kiss quickly. Half expecting to find Indi in front of him ready to give him a good hard smack he was releaved to find he was still alone with Ashlynn. "I...uh...guess that seals it then," Reg said nervously unable to meet those beautiful crystalline blue eyes. Un willing to let her see in his eyes what had gone wrong. Hopefully this would keep her from suspecting anything at all...not likely.

[foxwillow]

Hearing him spouting off the random things he supposedly did in his spare time, Ash could help herself from giggling some. Well it fit the Slytherin Stereotype, but she had a hard time believing that that was really what he did in his spare time; the amused smirk gave him away. "Hm, sounds kind of morbid if you ask me. Funny, I didn't really mark you as a morbid person Regulus Black." she replied before lifting her right hand to play with the fingers on her other hand idly.

He had laughed? Why had he laughed? She didn't think she said anything funny? But then again, she'd said it. Slowly she backtracked, going back through what she'd said several times looking for the humor. "Laughing are you? Might I ask about why?" she inquired before dropping her hands back to her sides; right hand gripping the rough bark of the tree behind her.

There was nothing, if not for the two, standing in the clearing; kissing; and then they weren't. Opening her eyes slowly she instinctively lifted a hand to her lips, her slender finger tips resting on the place that Regulus's warm lips had only seconds before resided on. She had been unsure how long they had been standing there, but suddenly her eyes caught on the guilty look that was plastered on Regulus's handsome face. This had been wrong. "I guess that it does then." she mused softly, her crystal eyes searching his face; trying to understand.

"Is something wrong..?" she asked, noticing that he no longer looked her in the eyes. Was it something she had done? Was there something she should have known... Suddenly she felt very guilty. The look on her face wasn't much different, but the smile was no longer apparent on her lips.

[brett]

"Oh, I'm incredibly morbid," Regulus corrected her though the large smile on his face gave away that he was lying. Of course Regulus did have his moments. Though he would never kick a puppy or kill an innocent creature...though innocence was something that he got to decide. Reg also tended to be rather broody. His best brooding was always done on light night trips to the forest like this. However it was near impossible to brood while in the presence of a girl like Ashlynn...not that he minded.

"No, it was just what you said," Regulus began trying to defend himself thinking he should choose his words carefully. "How your dad loved green and your mum loved your dad, I just thought it was kinda cute the way you said it...my parents weren't exactly like that," he added a little more seriously. He hadn't really wanted to say the last bit but he figured it would keep Ashlynn from being offended, which she shouldn't have been anyway, but it never hurt to be safe.

"No," Regulus objected quickly not wanting Ashlynn to think any of this was her fault, but after consideration, "Actually yes," he corrected himself looking for the strength to fees up. "More like maybe?" he offered beginning to back down again. There was no way this could end well. Seriously, the best option would be to just forget Indi for tonight then tomorrow pretend this never happened.

Unfortunately Regulus could feel Ashylnns ice blue eyes burning guilt into him. This was not a good time to develop a conscience. How to go about this though? He didn't want to assume too much of his relationship with Indi. How was he to know she wasn't off in some other area of the forest kissing another guy? "It's just...there's kind of this girl...we're not exactly dating, but I like her and she likes me, but now I liked you too and the kiss was amazing but...I don't know," Regulus said not exactly sure what his point was, or if he even had one at all.