The Apex Predator (Kinsey)

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Rumors were one thing, although the speed at which it had gotten back to her that Kinsey Bainbridge and Riley Fudge had been spotted kissing in the corridor was too rapid for Priscilla to take it as hearsay. She knew that it wasn't a case of mistaken identity, either; she hadn't been anywhere near there at the time.

The one thing she knew was that of course Riley wouldn't have initiated the kiss. It had to have been Kinsey's doing. Maybe she spent a lot of time around her fiancé, but Kinsey Bainbridge also spent a lot of time in the periphery, watching them like some little dog who had lost her way. Not being the center of Riley's attention anymore must have been so difficult for Kinsey, Priscilla thought, that she had to go and kiss a man who was laughably out of her league and already engaged to be married.

It was almost cute how pathetic it was, if that little kiss hadn't had the potential to derail so much. Priscilla trusted Riley not to be so stupid; clearly she wasn't able to trust Kinsey to be around him, though. It was embarrassing that Riley hadn't even been able to pull away from the girl, but what if she got it into her head that that sort of thing was somehow acceptable? The last thing that their families—well, the Fudges and the Rosiers, at least—needed was for some lovesick teenage girl to wreck their children's marriage before they had even spoken their vows.

As she was pondering over what to do about the situation, she exited the toilet cubicle to see who else but Kinsey standing at one of the sinks. Priscilla walked over to the sink directly beside hers and turned on the tap, turning her head to smile at the older girl. "Hi, Kinsey," she began brightly, washing her hands as she spoke. “How was it," she continued as she put soap on her hands, "kissing my fiancé?"

@kinsey

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Kinsey had never felt so relieved about sheer circumstance. No, it was more than that. She'd never been so happy to witness something that hurt so badly. The truth was, if that girl hadn't flirted with Riley in front of her and Kinsey hadn't tried to hurry awake, she didn't know if she and Riley ever would have had their conversation. He still loved her. That was her takeaway from the entire experience with him and Kinsey was deliriously happy to know that. Sure, it didn't change anything. He was still engaged to Priscilla, but he didn't love her. He still loved Kinsey and knowing that gave her a new sense of confidence, even though nothing about their situation was different. 

She went into the bathroom, making her way over to the sink and surprised by the change she saw in herself. She was ... lighter. Her face didn't seem so sad and upset anymore. It was happier and she was glad for that fact. She splashed some water on her face before standing up. She didn't pay any attention to the girl beside her until she spoke. Kinsey turned to her, surprised but suddenly wary when she recognized Priscilla. She smiled back, sensing that the girl's cheerful attitude was a lie. "Hi, Priscilla," she answered with a similarly fake tone.

Kinsey's stomach clenched when the girl came straight out and asked how it was kissing her fiancé. She didn't like the negative intentions coming from Priscilla, or her tone, or her words. Kinsey hated thinking of Riley being married to anyone that wasn't her, much less someone like Priscilla. She was too ... hard for someone like Riley. She didn't seem very sincere at all. Suddenly, Kinsey realized that she wanted to annoy Priscilla. She didn't want to apologize and back away like she probably would have months ago. Riley loved her. While that didn't change the fact that he was engaged, knowing it gave her more confidence. The corners of her lips twitched upward while she shrugged a shoulder, turning back to face the mirror. "It was about the same as it always was." She wasn't lying. Riley's kiss hadn't changed. It still confirmed how much he cared for her and Kinsey had no intention of showing any regret for that kiss. 

@priscilla

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The last time that she had had any substantial conversation with Kinsey, things actually had gone well between them—or at least better than anyone would have expected for the ex-girlfriend and the current fiancée of one of the most attractive boys at Hogwarts. That wasn't to say that they had become best friends, but they had conversed civilly, which was more than Priscilla could say for the conversation that she had just initiated. Kinsey Bainbridge had lost all chance of a warm reception from her after she had kissed her fiancé.

Fortunately, thought Priscilla, Kinsey had at least picked up on the fact that their conversation now wasn't going to be like that one they'd had in the Ravenclaw Common Room. Maybe it could have been, but that was impossible since she couldn't trust Kinsey around Riley anymore.

Still, Kinsey shrugged in response to her question about kissing Riley, saying that it was the same as it always was. On a good day, the fact that they both enjoyed kissing Riley might have been a cute segue into some more positive spin on things, but that Kinsey had kissed Riley since they were no longer together nullified that.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Priscilla clarified, her sweet smile that much more forced as she continued to wash her hands for an unnecessarily long time before finally shutting off the tap. "Was that not clear enough for you?" she asked, not quite tauntingly. Kinsey was a Ravenclaw, too; she was intelligent enough to understand. "Perhaps a better question would be why you kissed my fiancé?" The smile upon Priscilla's face quickly faded, and her question became much more pointed. "Is that why you're always so quiet? So that no one will suspect you when you try to seduce an almost married man?" If that was the case, Kinsey could drop the act.

@kinsey

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Priscilla started to apologize and Kinsey took a slow, deep breath, not wanting the younger girl to notice. The thing was, as annoyed as Priscilla definitely was at Kinsey, Kinsey didn't care. She couldn't care less what the younger Ravenclaw thought about her. Priscilla hardly knew her from anyone else, their only connection was Riley and the only reason Priscilla had a connection to be with Riley was because of some stupid agreement her parents made with his. After the other day, Kinsey didn't care anymore. Of course, she wasn't about to do anything that would sabotage Riley in any way or make him upset, but she knew he loved her. He didn't love Priscilla, he loved Kinsey and that was enough to make it easy to listen to Priscilla's childish taunts. 

She rolled her eyes when the younger girl asked if she wasn't "clear enough". In all honesty, Kinsey didn't know what she meant when she said "clear enough". She hadn't told Kinsey to stay away from Riley or anything of the sort, just asked how Kinsey liked kissing her fiancé. Obviously she didn't like Kinsey's answer, but Kinsey couldn't care less about that. 

The younger girl stopped smiling, her look hardening as she glared at Kinsey, asking why she kissed her fiancé. Kinsey couldn't help but chuckle a little as she shook her head. "Oh, I don't know ... because he kissed me first? That's typically the way it works, you know. One person starts it and the other person joins in." She was being sassy. Kinsey knew it, but she honestly didn't care. If Priscilla was really going to start this conversation, she'd have to deal with the answers Kinsey was going to give her, whether or not she liked them. 

She glared slightly when the girl asked if she was so quiet so people wouldn't suspect her of seducing people. "Some people are just quiet, okay. And, let me say this again for you slowly so you can understand. I. Did. Not. Make. The. First. Move. Riley kissed me first. Whether or not you believe that, it is the truth. Go ahead and ask him for yourself." She didn't owe Priscilla anything, but Kinsey also didn't want to be accused of "seducing" anyone. She kissed Riley, even though she probably shouldn't have, but Kinsey didn't care. She loved him and he loved her. She wouldn't make the first move, because he was the one that was engaged, but she would let him make the first move if he so chose. Kinsey didn't ever think she could push him away. 

@priscilla

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Priscilla should have known that confronting Kinsey Bainbridge in the bathroom like that wouldn't have been ideal. Especially with what the seventh-year was saying, she would have loved the chance to make a scene of it. It was amusing, truly, to hear Kinsey laugh and say that it had been Riley who had kissed her first. ("That's typically the way it works, you know. One person starts it and the other person joins in," she had added.)

As much as she wanted to remain civil with Kinsey, Priscilla couldn't keep herself from rolling her eyes at the older girl's comments. "Oh, that's so clever of you," she replied, "blaming my fiancé like that." Did Kinsey really believe that it would work, to turn her against Riley? Riley never would have gone and kissed Kinsey like she had claimed that he had.

It was admittedly funny to see Kinsey so defensive. What little she knew of her was because of how passive she usually was. She explained her quietness by saying that that was how some people were, but she was becoming increasingly bold, herself. She emphasized, in no uncertain terms, that Riley had kissed her first. Whether or not she believed that, said Kinsey, it was the truth, and she could go ahead and ask him for herself.

"You think I'm a gullible little girl like everyone else, don't you? That I'm going to believe what you say just because you're older than I am?" Even if Riley had kissed her first, as Kinsey wanted her to believe, Priscilla knew that it had only been because he was the type of person who didn't want to make enemies. He'd probably taken pity on Kinsey, knowing him; he had an image to protect, too.

"Riley Fudge is a lot of things, but he's not stupid," Priscilla reminded Kinsey. He was more concerned about being liked and not a Purifier yet, unlike her, but he wasn't an idiot. "And neither am I," Priscilla tacked on, in case that she was just as much a Ravenclaw as either of them hadn't yet crossed Kinsey's mind. "And Riley absolutely wouldn't risk his marriage because of some desperate Mudwallower he'll forget all about in a few months."

Priscilla shrugged. "You'd stay away from my future husband if you knew what was best for you. I'd hate for either of our families to get word of this. I don't think they would be very approving of a third wheel."

@kinsey

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It was obvious from the beginning that Priscilla wasn't going to believe Kinsey. Her eyebrows lifted when Priscilla retorted that it was clever of her to blame Riley for the kiss and then rolled her eyes in return. Fine. If Priscilla wanted to remain blind to the fact that she was engaged to someone who was definitely in love with a different girl, who was Kinsey to try and persuade her otherwise? Besides that, Kinsey felt like this conversation was getting stupider and stupider by the second. She had half a mind to simply walk out on the younger girl right now. 

Kinsey scoffed when Priscilla started to talk about how Kinsey must think she was gullible. "I didn't say anything about you being gullible, though I am starting to think you're a bit naive. Suddenly becoming engaged to someone doesn't mean you know everything about them or their character. Stop assuming you know what I'm like based on your views of what Riley would and wouldn't do because you don't know what you're talking about and it's making you sound incredibly childish," she retorted. If Priscilla wanted to get into this, then fine. Kinsey had plenty of pent-up disgust for the girl. Maybe it would feel good to get some of it out. 


She laughed when Priscilla continued, saying neither she nor Riley were idiots and that Riley would risk his marriage for some "mudwallower" that he'd forget about. Oh, so that's how this was going to go? She smirked at the younger girl, feeling in that moment entirely superior. She couldn't care less what Priscilla thought of her or called her. "If you're so sure he'll never risk his marriage for someone like me, then why are you even wasting your time to confront someone as worthless as me about it?" Obviously, Priscilla was entirely unaware of the fact that her confrontation was validating the possibility that she might have something to worry about. Not that Kinsey would ever expect Riley to go against his family's wishes for her, though a part of her hoped that he would. 

Priscilla commenced to threaten Kinsey, telling her to stay away from Riley and that their families wouldn't like her seeing him. To heck with any of them. Kinsey did not care what they thought of her, and was surprised by how freeing that sensation was. She snorted when Priscilla talking about her being a third wheel. "Honey, in order to be a third wheel, you've got to be the last one there. I'm sorry to tell you, but Riley and I were together before he ever knew you existed. If either one of us is a third wheel, it's not me."

She stepped away from the younger girl, deciding that she'd had enough of this ridiculous conversation. She made her way to the door, turning back once to look at her before exiting the room. "You know ...  you might have Riley, but he'll never be yours. Think on that," she said, nodding before leaving the bathroom and walking down the hall without another second glance. It was strange how ... freeing that conversation had been. She felt lighter than she had in ages, and proud of the fact that she defended herself. Smiling, she decided to go and find Toby so she could tell him about what just happened.

(Kinsey out!)

@priscilla
haha sorry to cut it short. There was no way Kinsey was going to stay for another round of anything.

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It was getting rather ridiculous to Priscilla how adamant Kinsey was about this situation. She wasn't going to buy it, period, and it would have been humorous to her if not for the fact that it was Riley's name that was being dragged through the mud.

There was something in Kinsey's response to her about how she didn't know everything about Riley just because she was engaged to him. Okay, Priscilla would grant Kinsey that. She didn't know every last thing about him, but that was what the rest of their engagement and at least fifty or sixty years of marriage to come was for.

"Stop assuming you know what I'm like based on your views of what Riley would and wouldn't do because you don't know what you're talking about and it's making you sound incredibly childish." Merlin, if Priscilla had a Galleon for every time she had ever been on the receiving end of the "childish" line—usually delivered by one of her older siblings, rather than a girl in her own House two years above her—then she would have been even wealthier than she already was.

What she had expected would faze Kinsey—that was, the slur that she had used but, in all honesty, probably shouldn't have wasted it on the likes of her—hadn't done much. "If you're so sure he'll never risk his marriage for someone like me, then why are you even wasting your time to confront someone as worthless as me about it?"

"It's my fiancé's name," she reminded Kinsey. "Which also makes it my future name, and my current problem." Everything came down to reputation, and Kinsey couldn't grasp that concept because she, as Priscilla saw it, had none to protect.

It was really astounding how quickly even Kinsey tried to be condescending towards her, calling her "honey". "I'm sorry to tell you, but Riley and I were together before he ever knew you existed. If either one of us is a third wheel, it's not me."

Before Priscilla could point out the multitude of ways in which, again, Kinsey was obviously deluded, it was the older girl who stepped away from her, making one last comment before she exited.

"You know… You might have Riley, but he'll never be yours. Think on that."

Kinsey was gone before Priscilla could say what she really wanted to, which was that a Bainbridge would never have his money or the blood status necessary to hold his attention in the long term. If she was going to remain in denial, Priscilla thought, then so be it. It wasn't her problem that she was a Pure-blood and twice as pretty.

@kinsey

Fin.