Witch's Waltz (LOIC)

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It was late afternoon. Curfew was going to come soon but Liona wasn't in much of a caring mood. She was feeling too great because October had finally come! The leaves were starting to do their color changing thing, it was starting to get cooler outside so her skin wasn't trying to melt off of her bones any longer. Best of all, though, was the fashion. The fall catalogs were full of browns and oranges and purples and she was loving the conservative vibe that came along with fall fashion. Some of her best looks came from fall. This is what made it her favorite time of year. What was also nice was that teachers were getting out of their review phases and they were getting into new material. More importantly, was that Professor Delov was getting more into their Divination lessons. She couldn't wait to dive deeper into Astrological Birth Chart interpretations and Dream Interpretation. It'd be nice to know what all of her weird dreams meant. And it'd be nice to figure out what signs her soulmate should have. Her Gemini Sun/Capricorn Moon might be too much for some poor woman or guy to handle. Lio found herself smirking at the thought. Who could really handle her?

She glided along the corridor, the rhythmic click of her heels bouncing off of the stone walls. With the school year still basically in its beginning phases, there weren't many house points to take away from the students so, while every little bit counted, she wasn't too worried about a prefect coming to nag her. And taking in consideration her pace, she wasn't going to be back to the common room for another 20 minutes. Slytherin had it in the bag this year anyway. With it being her last year she knew things were going to go by smoothly with everything she wanted happening, one way or another. And like always, if not on its own, she had her ways to make them happen. She would miss Hogwarts but she was actually excited for the future, truly excited. She couldn't wait to be out on her own, minus the whole being poor and having to survive on her own merits. Don't get her wrong, she had plenty of her own merits and she could be famous in no time, but does that mean she would have to start out poor? Father and mother had not talked about it in a while but she wondered if they would pass control of her accounts over to her or would father maintain control over them? When they were gone would they make her the heir, unheard of in pureblood circles, or would they pass it on to Aristopher? They wouldn't do that to her would they? Why not be the trendsetters and make her an heir?

She grinned at her thoughts. She'd love to be a woman heir to the House of Zabini. Trendsetter indeed. She continued her stroll and reveled in her thoughts before she was pulled out by the sound of footsteps coming up from behind. She was really hoping to avoid any prefects but it couldn't be helped. It was time to employ some of those acting skills she just had to have inherited from her mother. She let out a yelp, making herself fall and lean on to a nearby bench before sitting and grabbing one of her feet. She continued to inhale sharply a few times, scrunching up her face as if she were in pain as the footsteps got closer. I'm so sorry for being out so late. My feet have been killing me in these shoes and it's gotten hard for me to make it back to my common room. I assure you I was headed back that way!" she said desperately, lacing every word with pain. before looking up and seeing who it was approaching her.

Tag; OPEN
OOTD; Here

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Walking out of the transfiguration classroom, Loïc whistled merrily. He had just successfully turned a very plump Hufflepuff into a very pump piggy. It was pure precision, down to the muck covering the little puff's belly and sliding onto the pristine floors. Sure, he didn't have to do it, but there was just something so irksome about Hufflepuffs. Their stupid, cheery faces, and little naïve chin-up dispositions was enough to make anyone sick. Unfortunately, it seemed as as Hufflepuffs were always on the receiving end of Loïc's wand. Though in the future, he supposed that he should be more careful. Professors still suspected that he was behind the whole Flobberworm-Dragon pox debacle. He gave a smirk while he twirled his wand between his fingers because, of course he very well was. But, that Hufflepuff needed to learn from an early age that there were consequences for ruining expensive robes. There was a place for everyone. The place for Hufflepuffs were beneath his shoes. The sooner everyone learned that, the better off they'd all be.

The sun was beginning to set. Dinner was probably in an hour or so. Normally during meals, he sat quietly, only quibbing in a word or two. These days it was hard to find those he could trust. Harder still to find those who shared in his ideals. There used to be a time when his house used to be filled with real Slytherins. Wizards and Witches who were powerful, fierce, and cunning, members who were worthy of a world order. Now most of them were sniveling worms. Especially the Malfoy's. Merlin, he'd rather kiss a grindylow then end up like them, though with his own father he wasn't far off. It was time for a change, and if the whole world needed to burn then he'd be the one to light the match. After all, what was the point of even having magic if you can't use it.

 Turning the corner on his way to the Great Hall, he spotted Liona in front of him. All of a sudden, she let out a shout, dramatically fell over onto a bench, and started blathering to him as if he was a prefect. Loïc stared at her and raised an eyebrow in confusion. Biting back laughter as he waited for her to finish her tirade he spoke, "Your crocodile tears are very convincing, but I assure you that I couldn't care in the slightest what you do with your time." Expectedly Loïc offered his hand, "Now Ms. Zabini, are you in need of serious medical attention or should I allow you to hobble your way back to the common room?"

Tag:@lionaanna

2

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As Liona looked up, her eyes came to rest upon one Loic Rosier. It took a lot out of her to squash the very unladylike snort wishing to burst forth from his words.

Loic Rosier. Pureblood. Enigma. Unattainable. Prickly. She didn't really care about the unattainable part, really. She'd seen and heard many women cry and sigh over him and how he hadn't shown them an inkling of interest. He was attractive, there wasn't any doubt about that. It was the prickly part that made him less so and what made Liona's interactions with him so scarce over the years at Hogwarts. He was a blood purist, something she can't say she hasn't had plenty of experience with, he was just rather cruel about the way he went about it. She'd even seen some of his handy work first hand.With the many rumors that followed him concerning staying hexes and curses wrought upon unsuspecting victims, you would think people would learn to stay away from him. Cruel wasn't her thing though. She'd much rather show her superiority through other means. Unnecessary cruelness grated her nerves. Even with all of the rumors, Loic Rosier was still a wanted commodity and an eligible bachelor in pureblood society, but no one knew him well. As far as Liona knew, no one was able to get close to the guy. It almost made her want to try, challenges were always fun and another person she could call on was always a plus. Almost was the operative word here. How much of a challenge was too much?

Liona let go of her foot and gave a small smile before taking his hand and standing to her feet once again. "Hobble? I assure you Mr. Rosier that 'hobble' is not a word you can attribute to me." Liona made a point to stroll a few steps away from him before turning back around to face him, a hand coming to rest on her hip. "Glide? Float, even?" she gave a tilt of her head to emphasize her words. "I was expecting a prefect. No matter. I'm perfectly okay. Thank you for your offer of assistance though. I hear that's hard to come by," she gave another small smile and a nod. She was in a delightful mood. Though Loic was not whom she expected to run into, and despite his questionable nature, she was still delighted. How prickly could prickly get when it came to her, right?



Tag; @ruse

OOTD; Here

[Deleted]

 Taking her dainty hand in his, Loïc helped her to feet noting her perfectly smooth skin and trimmed, manicured nails. Liona was a woman who took care of herself, a trait not terribly uncommon among Slytherin women. But Liona was different. Her ambitions were respectable, though unrealistic. He also resonated with her social competency and staying on the sidelines. It was far easier to manipulate situations when your nose was kept clean. He wished he did a better job of that, especially now that he was officially in the Purifiers. However, there was something to be said about a women who knew her allegiance...He wondered if Liona would be as disappointing as the Malfoy's. Her father had kept his nose out of the affairs of the last war too. A little too clean. Scorp would come to his senses in time. He wasn't stupid, he'd join the winning side.

"My apologies, Ms. Zabini." Loïc said with a slight smirk and threw his hands up in defeat. He cocked his head in feint interest, "Oh? And what is it that you've heard?" Shoving his hands in his pockets, he strode along side of her. It seemed that he was almost as curious about her as she was of him.


Tag:@lionaanna

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His smirk turned her small smile into a full blown grin before she gave a shake of her head. He was really cute and this playful side was unexpected and very much welcomed in her current mood. She would much rather have someone to talk to that wouldn't put a damper on the wonderful day she was having. "I graciously accept your apologies Mr. Rosier. As I'm sure any lady would," she found herself murmuring through her grin.

When he began strolling alongside her and asked haphazardly what things she'd heard about him, she gave a smirk of her own. Like he didn't already know his own reputation? He had to know right? Then again, she was sure she didn't know everything that was said about her behind her back so it made sense. The thing about it was that Loic's reputation had much more negative than positive because people only knew him as troublesome or a crazy blood purist. More importantly, this caused people to gossip rather than go directly to the source. Liona was pretty sure that the source didn't really want the attention anyway. Nor did she think he actually cared about what people said about him.

"Oh, I'm sure you've heard. 'Loic breathes fire.' 'Rosier eats children for breakfast.' 'Rosier once charmed a kid's hair to suffocate them.' And that's just the first year Hufflepuffs. " She decided to amuse him anyway. Or at least hoped he found her words amusing. She definitely didn't mean any ill will and would hate for his mood to darken because of her. She was supposed to be good at this conversation thing.

"Of course, I can't believe all of the gossip. It does make people want to believe it because getting to know you seems... difficult." Her small smile had returned. She'd fallen into a casual stroll next to him, her hands loosely linked behind her back taking the occasional glance from the corner of her eye at her companion-of-the-moment. "Luckily enough I know better. And I like challenges."



Tag; @ruse

OOTD; Here

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Loïc was all but oblivious to Liona’s charms. His view of women was archaic. He preferred to view it as taking pride in traditions in ways of life. Pureblood women were meant for the home, or if they must work, then in societal appropriate positions. Relationships and marriage were never based on anything as frivolousness as emotions, but rather on alliances. Though he had never been interested in creating these bonds with Liona, with his particular involvement with the Purifier’s, having affiliations wouldn’t be such a terrible idea. His heart would always belong to one woman, but for now he could play the game,

So far, Liona had proved herself promising. He wondered what force was driving her. Every man, woman, and child walked through this life wanting something. Find what the something is and you control them. The smallest smile tugged at the corner’s of Loïc’s lips. He asked about his reputation, curious what she thought of him and to see the foundation that he had to work with.

Loïc listened intently, amused by her antics. It was all truth of course, above all things he loathed Hufflepuffs. “Hair? Really? That’s one I hadn’t heard before. Sounds tragic.” He shoved his hands back into his pockets and looked down with a slight smirk on his face, secretly proud. He turned his face back towards Liona. His eyes looked dark in the shadows of the corridors which made his stare more intense than usual.

He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, “Difficult. Hmm. Interesting.” The lines around his eyes lifted in a smile and his eyes now twinkled with mirth. “Do you believe that to be wise, Ms. Zabini?"


Tag:@lionaanna

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She chuckled at his words regarding the silly rumor. "That was the most creative one from them. I'm sure you would know whether that was the truth or not," she stated with another glance at him before turning her eyes back to the empty corridor. The thought of it being true did make her a little uncomfortable, though she didn't show it, but she did try to rationalize it in her head. Loic didn't come off as crazy. Maybe irritable if gossip was anything to go by, but crazy? Surely he had a reason for attacking students the way he was rumored to.

When he questioned her wisdom regarding getting close to him she almost snorted. Most people would say no. Actually she was pretty sure 98 percent of the school would say no and she honestly questioned herself for just a moment. What would she gain by being friends with him, by having him on her side? The negatives were loud but there were a few positives. Pureblooded meant some power and a little pull. He seemed to be a very capable wizard. Hmm. She had a little faith though. In him. In the fact that because they shared houses maybe he would be a little more open to being friends. Her name didn't hurt either.

She found herself pausing in her footsteps for just a moment, looking at him and tilting her head and raising her eyebrows, amusement lighting her eyes. "Part of that is going to depend on you, now isn't it Mr. Rosier? Are you going to make it an unwise decision for me?," she smirked as she met his gaze head on. She wasn't quite sure what she saw there in that moment, but she was curious about him. And one way or another she always sated that curiosity. She turned before going back into the easy stroll, clasping her hands behind her once more and her eyes looking down the corridor. "If you do decide to let me in, you'll see that my wisdom does not lie in the choices that I make, but rather the friends that I make. I haven't had a bad friend yet. The question remains will you be the first?"


Tag; @ruse
OOTD; Here

||MAZE DIRECTION:LEFT TURN||

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Loïc turned to Liona flashing his pearly whites, "Oh and now what do you believe Ms. Zabini? Would you think me capable of such feats? People just love a good story, don't they?" What he didn't tell her was how much he loved providing the material. He thrived off that fear. It was how he got a room to empty merely by walking inside, corridors to clear, and people to shallow and shrink. Fear was power, one that he yielded mercilessly. Why on earth anyone would choose love rather than fear, boggled him.

When he wasn't bound by these walls, things would be different. There was really only two reasons why he stuck around. His inheritance and Raven. Though now entering into his last year, even those ties were fragile to say the least. Now he served at the purpose of Elaine. He had no doubt that if she'd called, he'd come running. For now, she was his future. And Liona would be a wonderful prize for his mistress. 

Hearing her words, Loïc hesitated in his steps. He was taken aback by her forwardness. Perhaps he underestimated her. It seems that she would be a formidable opponent indeed. He'd have to play this smart. "Yes, I suppose it would", he started and gave a pleasant laugh. Loïc turned to her and gave a wink,"I suppose you'll just have to keep me in line then, Ms. Zabini." He did have to admit that he was quite enjoying her company. She was a fresh air compared to his usual company, terrible shame he'd have to let her down in the end. 

Loïc nodded his head thoughtfully, and paused again. Gently, he took her shoulders in his hands and looked deeply into her eyes. "Liona, for whatever reason, we happened upon each other this afternoon. Truthfully, I think I need someone like you in my life. I haven't felt like myself lately. Have you ever looked into the mirror and didn't recognize who you were anymore? Events seem to be in motion and it feels like I am down a path that I can't remember turning on...", his eyes turned from hers and to his hand as he slowly brushed his fingers down from her shoulder to clasp her hand. Earnestly, he gazed back at her in vulnerability and exhaled his bated breath. "I could really use a friend."


Tag:@lionaanna

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The amusement was incredibly contagious and so she found herself grinning right back at him when he blew off the comments, asking if she believed if he was capable of doing those things. She believed him to be capable of that and so much more which made him more interesting but still unhinged . And of course people loved a good story but good stories always came from an inkling of the truth. Maybe he was a bit of the angry violent type. "Far be it from me to call anyone a liar. Mr. Rosier. However, coming to the source on these things is usually a lot more interesting. Lucky me, I have found myself in a position of speaking with the source," she stated with a tilt of her head.

Liona didn't quite see his pause, but for a second the sound of his footsteps paused and she bit her lip in amusement. She was only being honest. Is honesty all it took to shake him? She turned to him just to catch his wink and her eyebrows rose in surprise for just a moment. "I'm not nearly silly enough to begin to believe that I or anyone else for that matter could ever keep you in line. Plus, I'm not the controlling type," she giggled. No she definitely wasn't the controlling type. You either fall in line or you didn't. If not, you stay out of her way. She had no time to deal with useless people, and really, that's what those who chose not to stand by her were. Useless. Sorry. Dried Up. They always reveal that about themselves shortly afterwards and she was always on to something better, someone better.

Liona really had no idea what was going on here, what type of person she was dealing with. Loic was hard to read and the longer she walked with him the more she felt like she was taking a gamble here. She wasn't reckless, she was caculating and exact for the most part. Yet here she was, speaking with someone who was an utter mystery to her besides what she'd heard, and she was having fun. She grew more curious by the minute. The moment he rested his hands upon her shoulders she felt a wave of exhiliration and nerves wash over her. Excitement and unhidden curiousity were at war. She wasn't quite sure if she'd won or if he was playing her. Snakes didn't like to be vulnerable, they liked games and she liked this game a lot. She listened to his words and she gave a slight nod. Where his fingers trailed she felt a chill through the fabric of her dress and she shivered. When he grabbed her hand and exhaled, so did she. She didn't realized she'd even began holding it in. It had to be a game. Too intimate. Too vulnerable. Too fast. The only thing she read in his face though was vulnerability. Instead, she gave a reassuring smile before switching hands, grabbing his hand in the grip of a handshake and giving a light squeeze. "I could be that someone for you. I could be that friend for you." she gave a firm nod of her head. "I could even help you remember who you are when you forget. That might require me to get to know you though. It looks like that is up to you, Mr. Rosier."

Tag; @ruse
OOTD; Here

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He breezed past her observations. Truth seemed to be such a relative term for him. Subjective and wavering, a tool used only by the meek and foolish. The Gryfinndor's blade. The real truth was that he was smarter, stronger, and faster. Survival of the fittest; therefore, he got to make the rules. If others were hurt in the process, so be it. Maybe then they'd learn to stay out of his way.

Loïc let out an arrogant snort and shrugged his shoulders, “No, I suppose you’re right. Though if anyone was up to the task Ms. Zabini, I would suspect you 'd be the top of the list”, he looked up with a smile. Loïc didn’t believe for one moment that she wasn’t the controlling type. In fact, that was exactly as he pegged her. He pictured her a spoiled toddler, fixed in her own pretty world, with frilly things and dolls marching to her drum. Wouldn’t it be interesting if her castle came crashing down, brick by brick? Too bad he'd get a scolding if he didn't play nice. Playing the perfect pureblood gentleman was so tedious at times.

Loïc exhaled, playing the part of lost schmuck. Her fingers fit beautifully in between the ridges of his own. If she wasn’t so pure, she would have been a fun conquest. He leaned in, as if he was about to kiss her cheek, but then thought better of it. Regaining his composure, he slipped back into his role. “I'd like that very much. Alright, friends then. So, what is it that you'd like to know about me?"

Tag:@lionaanna

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The snort that came out of him made amusement light up her face once again. Trying to force him to do exactly what she wanted sounded interesting only on paper. No, she's of the more persuasive type, convincing others that something is a good idea so that in the end they make the choice themselves. Not controlling, just persuasive when the situation calls for it. "Controlling you is not on my to do list Mr. Rosier," she said with a shake of her head. "I am glad to see we seem to have the same amount of knowledge of each other though. It makes me feel like I'm at less of a disadvantage." She had to admit she would have been a little happier knowing more of the deeper parts of him because he certainly, and strategically she was sure, had not revealed much of himself to her. He didn't know much of her either accept what he could probably infer from her family tree and socioeconomic status.

She noticed the way he leaned in slightly. Just as quickly he changed his mind and for a moment a slight smirk crossed her face. Now that was interesting. Maybe that was a crack in the facade? Did that mean that this was all a facade? She felt the blood rushing in her ears in her excitement. She wasn't sure but maybe, just maybe, she was getting somewhere. She tried not to let herself get too excited. The amusement disappeared from her exterior just as quickly as it came. The dance had only just begun yet she was ready to dance until her feet hurt. She had to know just what lie beneath the surface. She'd get there. Not today, not tomorrow, but she'd definitely get there.

She let go of his hand and clasped her fingers behind her back before smirking and tilting her head. "So was is it that you'd like to know about it me?" It was never that easy. "I like your spirit but anything I ask you isn't going to get me far. What I'm interested in is hidden in the things left unsaid or the things that require reading between the lines." She rested her hand upon her chin, her mind wandering. "It'll take a while before I know you. For now, lets start off simple. When's your birthday?" Easy enough. Mindless information to divulge. Just to get him talking maybe.

Tag; @ruse
OOTD; Here