Walking the Edge, Walking the Tightest Rope

[Elias Hunter G7]

||| Post is for Damien. I wasn't able to fit his name in the title! |||

Well, he'd fnished the essay with just minutes to spare, barely making it to Charms class on time. In the process though, Elias had left his Potions book in the library as he was in such a rush to make it to class on time. When class ended and Professor Flitwick dismissed them to go to lunch, Eli headed toward the library instead. The last thing he needed was for some irresponsible student to get hold of his Potions book. He didn't want to have to buy another one, and he doubted Snape would let him borrow one for the rest of the year.

Entering the library, Eli's attention was elsewhere, thinking about the rest of his day, and wondering if Grace was at lunch in a frenzy, wondering why he hadn't shown up yet. She was just slightly over-protective of him, though he really didn't need all that much protection. It was nice to know that someone had your back though, and he could always count on Grace for that.

Finding his book just where he'd left it, Elias tossed it into his bag and headed for the door. If he hurried, he'd only be about ten mintues late for lunch, which was hardly enough time for Grace to give him much complaint. But, as it happens when most people are in a hurry, fate has a funny way of showing her ironic face. As Elias wasn't exactly concentrating on where he was walking, he accidentally bumped one of the suits of armour with his bag, sending the castle decoration crashing to the ground with a ear-splitting, loud clatter.

Eli wasn't the type who was easily embarrassed, but he was in the library of all places. And to cause such a loud distraction in such a quiet place meant that all eyes were on him, especially Madam Pince's, glaring at him all tiny and stern. The best that he could, Elias tried picking the up the armour and putting it back in place. This only cause more loud clanging though, and the suit just didn't seem to want to stay in its original position. "Dammit," he cursed under his breath, feeling for his wand to perhaps magic the suit back into place.

[Damien Lennox S7]

“Do your parents have trouble remembering which of you lot was born first? Or did they just think that they might?”

Dark brow furrowed, Damien opened his eyes to glance at his cousin in surprise. He didn’t bother to lift his head from where he had used his arm as a pillow against the hard surface of the table. If she wanted to explain then Carlin would doubtlessly do so. She never did anything that she didn’t want to. That was one of the many things that they had in common. With that in mind, Damien knew that he himself would only drag the suspense out for longer if his audience had shown any interest therefore his cousin would be likely to do the same. So, he reasoned, it wasn’t just his own laziness keeping his head pillowed against his arms and his eyes fixed on his cousin idly. Carlin let out a quiet laugh; not the low, throaty chuckle that she used for seduction or a scornfully mocking laugh for a competitor but an honestly amused giggle for the cousin who loved her. It was when they were like this, unguarded and not in competition, that they were most themselves and yet so far from being natural all at the same time.

“Alexander, Bryony, Colin, Damien,” Carlin reeled off with a mocking tilt to her head. “A, B, C and D. In order of age! How lazy were your parents in naming their children?”

Damien merely shrugged in answer, not deigning to encourage Carlin’s contempt for her aunt and uncle. He might all but live with Carlin and her part of the family now but his parents were still his parents. They were just busy in trying to train Alexander and Bryony further; the two eldest did, after all, have to become head of the two businesses eventually. Evidently sensing that she had perhaps offended her cousin with her blunt curiousity, Carlin rose to her feet gracefully and strode off, hair artfully fluffed to perfection as heels clacked in rhythmic beauty as she strutted out of the library. That was Carlin, alright. Never stop to apologise, wouldn’t even consider for a second that she could have been in the wrong. Not that Damien could ever complain. His aunt and uncle, Carlin’s parents, had often fondly commented on how pleasant it was to have a male equal to Carlin to balance out the forces in the house. It was true; the cousins were very alike. It was the only reason that they got along so well. Carlin would never respect him if he weren’t as demanding and shameless as herself equally as much as Damien had absolutely no time for people who couldn’t be true to themselves. And if there was one thing that Carlin most certainly was, it was true to her own self. It was the Lennox lunacy; that headstrong, unwavering intensity to claim everything and leave nothing for anyone else. They both suffered from it, both enjoyed it, even revelled in it.

There was little point in staying if Carlin wasn’t there to keep him company. All he had been doing was sleeping and he would definitely be caught without his cousin to nudge him in at least almost wakefulness whenever Madam Pince came near. Oh. His eyes automatically flicked to his watch to check the time and Damien laughed under his breath, silently cursing his cousin with wordless fervour. She hadn’t left to avoid apologising awkwardly; she had left because lunch had started nearly ten minutes ago! Yawning, Damien stood and stretched before nearly physically jumping in surprise at the obnoxiously loud noise resounding through the library. The library! Pince would be furious. Damien smirked slowly and prowled slowly towards the direction of the noise, his attention caught for the moment.

Watching the light-haired boy in amusement, Damien settled himself into position by leaning against the wall before he spoke. It was all about image. Always. “Haven’t you ever heard that you’re supposed to be quiet in a library?” Blue eyes openly scrutinised the other boy for a shameless moment before Damien’s mouth slowly curved into a smirk. Elias Hunter. Gryffindor? ...Yes, Gryffindor. Between them, Damien and Carlin had made it their business to know every attractive student in their year. It was always best to have knowledge than to lack it and be left looking a fool. That was why they were the best at what they did. “You might want to cast a silencing charm before fumbling through any further attempts to fix it,” Damien suggested helpfully, still reclining against the wall, not ruffled in the slightest by any noise coming from the suit of armour. It hadn’t been him to cause the disruption. It wasn’t in his nature to carry out the repairs for Elias Hunter either. Damien fixed his own problems; no one else’s. Not Carlin’s, not Cyn’s, no one’s. Granted, he would be slightly tempted to deal with Cyn’s problems. The poor kid was only seven. She couldn’t be expected to do everything herself. Or anything, really. Little Cynthia Lennox was going to grow up to be the spoiled little princess that her older sister was. It was an enjoyable thought. If only little Cyn was a bit older. She could have been good company, a worthy competitor in the game between Damien and his cousin.

[Elias Hunter G7]

"I guess I'm not one for following rules," Elias replied with a laugh when another boy showed up, clearly drawn by the sudden crash of noise. It was Damien Lennox, a Slytherin in Eli's year. He knew him from a few classes, not to mention the reputation that Damien and his cousin Carlin had. The two of them were like a dynamic duo of heartbreakers, moving from one unsuspecting victim to another. Eli had always thought that Damien was quite the looker, but Damien's looks weren't quite enough to prevent Eli from steering clear of the Lennox ways. Not to mention, Damien's sexuality was a hot topic of debate. Some claimed he went for the girls, and others insisted he was partial to guys. And then there were those who said he'd swing both ways. Whatever the case, Eli didn't exactly know Damien well enough to ask. And, up to this point, he didn't really have a reason to care either way.

"Silencio," he muttered, half taken back by Damien's forwardness. Normally, Eli would do the exact opposite of what someone told him to do, just to see what kind of reaction it might evoke, but Damien made a good point. Silencing the armor might help to keep Madam Pince from issuing him a detention for disturbing the library's silence. The silent armor was no easier to assemble than when it was noisy and clanky. "Mind giving me a hand?" he asked, fumbling the helmet of the suit as he tried to put it together again. He wasn't sure if Damien was the helpful type, but he was just standing there. Eli figured it was worth asking.

||Sorry so short! My creative juices have been zapped by my novel... If you need more to work with, just let me know!||

[Damien Lennox S7]

“Aren’t Gryffindors supposed to be the good students? Not like Ravenclaws; they’re the smart ones. You’re supposed to be well-behaved, except when in contact with Slytherins of course.” Damien’s smirk was sharp, unabashedly proud of belonging with the Slytherins, though it lacked the vicious contention that generally existed between his House and the Gryffindors. The House rivalries were rarely ever considered by Damien. Appearance, charisma, personality and intelligence, yes, they all mattered; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin, no. He didn’t involve himself in the petty arguments of schoolchildren, which was one of the reasons why he would never even entertain the idea of trying out for the Quidditch team. He had better things to do with his time. Besides, flirting and competing with his cousin had little to do with what House their conquests had been sorted into. Cutting down his options simply because of a badge on the robes was utterly unthinkable; Damien would not limit his own fun in such a way.

At least Elias had the common sense to take Damien’s advice about the silencing charm. Granted, it wasn’t always prudent to do as Damien advised but there were times when he was being genuine. Not often, perhaps, as he did tend to either lie or omit certain things if he felt that it would benefit him, but he could be trusted at times. The trick was to figure out when to believe him. It was not exactly the most admirable trait for a person to have but Damien was exceptional at lying when he put enough effort into his attempts. Lies spilling from his mouth, whether little white lies or bigger untruths, weren’t necessarily rare to hear but Damien would easily admit that he mostly relied on his charm to carry him through any situation.

Giving him a hand? Would Damien mind? Well, in a different context and situation, the answer to that would be a definitive ‘no, Damien wouldn’t mind at all’. Elias was, after all, in possession of more than a fair share of attractiveness. Damien did like his boys pretty, or handsome; whichever the male ego demanded. But helping to piece a suit of armour back together? When he hadn’t even been an accomplice in destroying it? There was absolutely no point or purpose to such a thing. Still...there might be some sort of reward, to make the effort worth his time. Inwardly amused by his own predictability, Damien smirked and shrugged, his expression faintly bemused. He wasn’t exactly the charitable type but he could always be swayed by a pretty face. “Sure. You’d probably just mess it up if left to your own devices.” Flashing what would be a mocking smirk if the flirtatious sweep of blue eyes over Elias’ body was ignored, Damien bent to grab a gauntlet and tossed it in the general direction of the other boy lazily. “That goes on the arm, darling. Do you need help locating it?”

[Elias Hunter G7]

"Breaking the mold comes along with my disregard for the rules," Eli said in return to Damien's poke about not being what a Gryffindor should be. The truth was, Elias was a good student for the most part. He just didn't go out of his way to be a stellar student. He let Grace do the worrying for the both of them. Plus, it wasn't like he was burning down the castle or anything. All he'd done was knock over a silly statue. In glancing at Damien, Eli noticed a smirk at which he smiled back a bit. Still it was difficult to figure this guy out.

"You're probably right," Eli retorted when Damien offered his help, simply to prevent him from making the suit of armor worse than it already was. Eli wasn't one who got all defensive when someone made a cutting remark. He was usually able to roll with the punches and take a good joke. As long as the person didn't mind him dishing them right back. Eli could be quite sarcastic sometimes.

"Maybe I do need some help," he said quickly, still not letting Damien's jabs affect him. He couldn't tell if they were truly scornful or in a joking manner. Perhaps he'd poke back to get a better feel. "You have a lot of experience navigating your way around body parts then?" he asked, taking the gauntlet that Damien had thrown him and attaching it to the arm of the suit. The other gauntlet was at his feet, and so he put it on the opposite side.

With the two of them working together, it seemed much easier and faster in getting the suit back into place. In putting the last piece together, Eli took a cautious step back, half afraid that it would all come tumbling down again in an instant. He was half tempted to run from the place, lest it crumble in front of them. Instead, he turned to Damien, flashing a grateful smile. "Thanks for your help. You heading to lunch?"

[Damien Lennox S7]

Ah, good; he was actually getting somewhere. The small, perhaps tentative smile from Elias earned a tiny flicker of purely gratuitous satisfaction from Damien. Sure, he wasn’t entirely sure of Elias’ sexual preferences. Damien had his suspicions, of course. He had his own theories about everyone who had ever caught his eye – and a lot of people tended to grasp his attention. Faithful was not one of the words that could be applied to Damien without an undertone of sarcasm. He was fickle, and he enjoyed every single moment of it. Everything in life was just a game anyway; it wasn’t Damien’s fault that he tended to play by different rules and with fewer morals. Morals never brought anyone anything anyway. Damien had learnt that years ago.

“A disregard for rules, hm?” Damien’s smirk this time was slightly more predatory, turning up the charm, testing the boundaries. That was one of the most important aspects of the game since people tended to become apprehensive if he pushed past their limits too quickly. It made them think he didn’t care, or some other variation of the truth. People didn’t like the truth. It was too vicious for them. Pretty little lies were the general preference, and Damien was only too happy to supply them for as long as the short not-quite-relationships continued. There was no need to complicate things when he could simplify matters with a few well-placed lies, especially when his conquests wanted to be lied to. He was providing a service for them. He was being well mannered, in his own way. “And how often do you break the rules, Elias?”

There was a trailing moment of surprised silence before Damien laughed; a short, genuine burst of sound that ended almost before it had even started. He didn’t often laugh in front of his conquests, not real laughter, but Elias wasn’t exactly a conquest. Not yet. He would be though. He had to be. Damien had a reputation for tempting everyone. Everyone. Elias Hunter would not be the exception. “You could say that I have a lot of experience with anatomy,” Damien answered with a tone that left absolutely no doubt about how he had gained his knowledge. He didn’t hide who he was; never had done, never would. He didn’t have to.

Elias’ question after they had both worked to finish rebuilding the suit of armour evoked a sideways glance filled with faint surprise. An inquiry into whether he was going to lunch? That was it? No outward sign of his displeasure escaped, though inwardly Damien was frowning thoughtfully, his quick mind plotting as easily as he flirted. Carlin would never let him live down the shame of being delicately turned down, especially not by someone he had actually taken the time to help! And his cousin would definitely hear of the meeting. Damien would probably even be the one to tell her; they didn’t keep secrets. That was one of the rules of the game. If they couldn’t keep secrets then they couldn’t cheat. It erased temptation, which was perhaps slightly ironic when the aim of the game was taken into consideration. “Yeah, lunch sounds good. I guess fixing armour makes me hungry,” Damien replied, exerting the effort to regulate his tone. He couldn’t let himself sound even the tiniest bit annoyed. It would ruin the game, and his pride was so very much at stake. Damien Christopher Lennox did not fail. The very idea was repulsive. “If you’re heading that way too then me might as well walk together. Unless, of course, you don’t want to be seen with a Slytherin?” Even the arch of his eyebrow was calculated into taunting Elias enough that he didn’t refuse the invitation, just as the small hint of a smile lingered long enough for him to guess that Damien was only joking around. The prospect of Elias presenting a challenge was pleasant; Damien enjoyed challenges, and not just because he earned more points for winning over a reluctant participant in the Lennox game.