There can only be one at the top((Dakota))

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

The weather was starting to turn cold. Despite the holiday coming around the corner this time of the season was one of Pyro’s favorites. It was just cold enough to make someone work to keep warm, but not hot enough to become dripping wet with sweat during a simple exercise. Pyro was an accomplished wizard, but he was still a firm believe in physical strength. He made him sick to watch so called excellent wizards get defeated merely because they lost their grips on their wands. Even a feared wizard like Dumbledore could be defeated easily if you could get his wand out of his hands.

Pyro had trained in martial arts from a very young age and always kept his body at the peak of physical fitness. It was this quality that made him such a great Quidditch player, since that sport relied more on physical athleticism than on magical prowess. Pyro was barefoot out on the grounds near the fountain. He wore a pair of simple black work out pants and a tight under armor shirt that hugged his toned body tightly. His hair was pulled back in its traditional braid; it bounced wildly with each movement of his body.

Today’s workout wasn’t anything tough; this was mostly a cardio workout. So all of the attack and defense routines and maneuvers were done with lightning speed. Pyro’s breath came out in small burst of fogged up breath, his breathing was kept easily under his trained control. Pyro entered and exited routines so fluidly that any un-trained observers would never tell where one routine ended and the other began. Pyro kept this up for nearly half an hour before he finally stopped and turned toward the fountain.

Sitting on the bench next to the fountain sat his exercise bag, and perched on top of that sat Miaka, Pyro’s Phoenix. Miaka seemed quite bored with the surroundings and she stared up at the open sky enviously. Grinning Pyro moved over to the side of the fountain, undoing his braid as he went. “Well, go on. I don’t ever recall you waiting for my permission before.” He said to the Phoenix. Without hesitation Miaka spread her wings and leaped into the air. Pyro watched her for a short while before dunking his head into the fountain to wash off the thin layer of sweat on his face.

Pyro rifled through the bag on the bench and produced a towel and began to dry his hair. A simple wave of the wand cleansed and dried his under armor so that it no longer had the stink of sweat on it. Pyro probably could have done the same thing to his face but the cold water from the fountain felt wonderful on his face. Not feeling like redoing the braid Pyro pulled his hair back into a loose pony tail and draped the towel around his shoulders and once again reached into his bag.

The day was young, breakfast had only been a few hours ago, but working out always made Pyro crave a snack so he had stowed away a few particulars from breakfast. This he unwrapped as he sat down on the bench, curling his legs under him Indian fashion and began to eat his snack.

[Dakota Fox S6]

((D would just like to point out that her name is spelt 'Dakota', not 'Daktoa'. ))

"Darlings, what do you mean, it's cold? Do you really think the cold would stop me?" Dakota flashed a brilliant, confident grin. "I'll be fine. Look, I'm wearing this thick fur-lined cloak, and the gloves and scarf are all fur too. Of the very best quality, of course. So don't worry about me. I'll survive." Waving off her 'friends' in her dorm, Dakota turned on her heel and left through the Common Room. Thank goodness she was away from those brainless idiots, she thought to herself. She'd purposefully made the excuse of needing a walk in the wonderful fresh air to get away from them and their... uselessness. Dakota didn't even like going outside - you'd think her dormmates would've noticed that by now, but no, they were idiots; idiots Dakota didn't have the time for. They were just no fun, and quite frankly, she was bored out of her mind. Dakota needed a distraction, and she was all but welcoming one. Maybe she'd find one outside. After all, whoever wanted to go out into the freezing cold right now must be somewhat interesting or desperate to be alone, right? Dakota could just... squash her way through to invade their personal space. Perfectly acceptable.

Dakota noticed the difference between the warmth of the castle and the chill of the outside air the moment her foot stepped on the grass of the Grounds. However, shaking off her dislike and telling herself repeatedly that the cold would not conquer her, Dakota drew her cloak nearer to her body and pushed on. She passed the lake, barely admiring its beauty, and found herself growing steadily more bored. Perhaps her dormmates were tolerable company after all, she pondered in frustration. How could there not be a single person for her to pounce on and rip apart. Honestly. Hogwarts was too small. Its measly population of people was just not enough to work with. Dakota couldn't wait to graduate and show the whole world just how wonderful and brilliant she was. She would make a big name for herself in the Ministry, just like daddy and Roland, and now Lucas too. She'd make everyone, not just Hogwartians, bow to her, worship her. Yes, Dakota would make everyone want her.

And then she noticed the crop of blonde hair. It was in the distance, but there was no mistaking the length and colour of it. Pyro Blackfire. Dakota's lips curled into a vindictive smirk. Finally, something interesting to play with. She began stalking over to the spot where her fellow Slytherin sat, near the fountains, a plan forming in delight as she neared him. When she was close enough to see him clearly, she noted Pyro's attire and what he was doing, and stored it in her brain. Without further ado, Dakota plastered a beautiful smile on her face and walked right up to him. "If it isn't the infamous Pyro Blackfire," she started with a superior gaze staring straight at him - even though he was sitting down and she standing up, he was still the same height as her, their eyes on the same level. "You seem to be alone. Well, let me rectify that for you." Dakota perched herself without invitation on the end of the bench, looking across at Pyro with unhidden interest and a smirk of a smile. "No need to thank me, darling. You can pay me back by telling me what you've been up to lately. Doesn't seem to be much. I'm ever so disappointed." She propped her chin onto a furred glove and stared at him unblinkingly. "So what are you doing out here on a... cold day like today? Keeping... fit?" Dakota ran her eyes down Pyro's body in admiration as she pursed her lips in a smile. "I like what I see," she concluded boldly, without reservation. "So why don't you show me what you can do?"

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

((Typo fixed ))

The cool air hardly bothered Pyro. His under armor was designed to fend of temperatures, keep you cool during the cold and keep you cool during the heat. Not to mention that his workout routine having finished only a few minutes ago still had his internal heater running pretty smoothly. He could already feel the adrenaline wear off a soft breeze caused a slight shiver in his shoulders. Still, the solitude was nice and relaxing, and if it meant he had to brave the cold for a few minutes, than that was a price he was willing to pay. This was a rarity that one hardly saw in Hogwarts, the grounds were completely deserted, completely quiet. Yet for some reason as soon as the snow began to fall this place would be crowded with loud students having snowball fights and what not. It was one of the many great mysteries of nature why the grounds were only deserted during this time of year.

Pyro glanced up at the sky to see if he could spot Miaka, her bright gold feathers shining in the morning’s un-bright sun. He couldn’t, she was far from this place, Pyro didn’t mind, Miaka always returned back to him. Pyro removed a flask of this morning’s pumpkin Juice and tipped his head back to take a large swig of it. Suddenly the silence was ruined by the sound of approaching footsteps on the grounds cement path. Pyro’s eyes quickly flicked over in that direction to notice the approach of the distant figure. Whoever it was, they were still far off to be recognized completely, but Pyro was able to see that it was a girl. Pyro watched her approach for a few moments before returning to his meal, hopefully whoever it was would simply just pass by.

Pyro had to fight back the groan as a cheery voice greeted him. Pyro slowly lowered his food and casually turned his gaze in her direction. Now that she was right in front of him he was able to identify her immediately. Dakota Fox, a Slytherin 5th year. Pyro didn’t know her personally, but he did know her name and reputation. Short, powerful, and ultimately beautiful. Pyro knew that she used that to her advantage quite successfully, making her someone to be wary off. He eyed her carefully as she continued on with her little speech, hardly seeming to care if Pyro was interested in what she had to say. His gaze was emotion less, empty, bored, with this conversation.

He never let her escape his sight though and as she moved to sit down on the bench Pyro followed her with his eyes. Pyro arched his eyebrow at her comment about thanking her for invading his privacy without invitation. He calmly waited for her to finish with her little introduction, they always stopped talking at one point so that they could gauge the responses of those they were annoying. “What I can do?” Pyro restated as her speech came to a close. “I’m sorry Ms. Fox, but I don’t perform for people like a monkey on a string. If you care to watch feel free to stake out this area until the next time I find the time to do this again.”

Pyro stowed his food back into the bag, he probably wouldn’t find another chance in the near future to enjoy it. A slight frowned creased his face, “Check the Prophet, I’m sure they have a ton of stories with me as their center point, but seeing as my life seems to be directly tied to your enjoyment, I’ll be sure to try harder to keep you amused.” He stated, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Pyro scanned her quickly, noticing the choice of warm clothing. “Cold? If you think it cold you should try jogging. Really gets the blood flowing and warms you right up.”

[Dakota Fox S6]

((D is pleased. ))

Dakota smirked. "Are you saying you won't allow me the pleasure of watching you perform? Very well then, if you insist. I'll stake you out next time and be sure you will have a delighted audience." Her patronising tone rang clear in the cool air. She flung her cascade of blonde over her back and out of her face and smiled broadly again. "Really, Mr Blackfire," she started again, mimicking his way of addressing her as 'Ms Fox'. She wasn't complaining, though; the name had a certain ring to it. "Without trying to boast, most boys do perform for me like a 'monkey on a string'. Only, it's not like, because they are monkeys." Dakota flashed a charming, harmless smile that said everything and nothing about her. "I seem to have the useful ability to turn men to mush. But that's never worked on you, has it?" She grinned at Pyro in vain amusement. Although he didn't worship her every step, Dakota still liked Pyro Blackfire. He was mysterious and interesting and charming in a way that didn't sicken her. He never succumbed to her wily ways and rather than detesting him for it, or giving up all hope of ever converting him because she had decided he was hopeless as well as worthless, Dakota was more intrigued by him, more than anything. Perhaps it was the age difference and the name Pyro had made for himself. His family was a household name, and Dakota had heard all sorts about Pyro's father and his cousin, who was a Gryffindor. Dakota couldn't imagine how such dirt was related to Pyro.

"No need, darling," Dakota waved away Pyro's 'helpful' suggestion with a fur-gloved hand. "I have my daddy to turn to when I want to know something. Having a father who works in the Ministry is ever so useful." She smiled vindictively across at Pyro with glittering eyes. "Or did you forget that my daddy is the Roland Fox? Then there's my brother, Roland Junior, who is another leading figure in the Ministry. Lucas is about to join them." Dakota put her hands on her knees and smiled proudly. "And in three years or so time, I will be joining them too and complete the line of sixth generation Foxs. I'd stay on my good side if I were you, Mr Blackfire. You may never know when you need a contact in the Ministry for some help. And I can provide it. Do a couple of favours for me and I'll do a couple for you. Scratch each others' backs, as they say." Dakota crossed her arms and folded her legs, partially because of the cold seeping in despite her furred clothing. "You are an object of amusement. Certainly you are the centre of entertainment. I'd only reserve that right for you, Mr Blackfire," Dakota drawled in mocking sarcasm. "But there are bigger fish to fry, really. Only, all the fish have swam away. Hence my presence here. People are boring, and I wanted a change of scenery." Dakota's eyes ran up Pyro's body again with a smirk. "And how lucky am I to have found an interesting person and some fascinating scenery. You don't need to try to keep me amused, Mr Blackfire. I generate amusement from ashes. But thank you for your consideration. You're such a gentleman." Pyro wanted to be sarcastic? Well, Dakota could be sarcastic too.

"It's winter, darling," Dakota replied with a false long-suffering roll of her pretty blue eyes. "Of course it's cold. If this cloak isn't indicative of that, what is?" She shook her head and tutted at Pyro. "My my, we sure are getting quite slow, aren't we, Mr Blackfire?" she mocked half teasingly, half out of spite. "Jogging?" Dakota repeated in a quiet exclaim. She laughed. "Do you really see me jogging? I'm much too fragile and, well, lazy, to do exercise. I eat healthy to maintain my figure, not air and sweat." Dakota wrinkled her little nose in disdain. "If I wanted to get my blood flowing I'd try something else. Boys like you need to buy yourself Playboy magazines. That will 'warm you right up', trust me." Dakota flashed a perfectly innocent smile at Pyro. "Or are you too focused on other things to let such trivial details distract you? I understand. You're either too conservative, too boring, or too busy. I do hope it's the latter." Dakota giggled to herself. "You don't have a girlfriend, do you? What happened to that pretty little woman a few years back? I remember her so well. Alexandra? I suppose you've moved on by now, though." Dakota continued to muse out loud to herself, completely oblivious and uncaring to the consequences of her speech. "I would offer to, well, 'warm you up' or something, or like, be your girlfriend, but we both know that will never happen. I can't hold a man down because they're too much work, and who wants to limit oneself to only one?" Dakota threw her head back and laughed merrily. "We should all play the field. After all, love is just a game to me."

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

Pyro arched an eyebrow, wondering how truthful her words actually were. He couldn’t help but smirk in amusement at the thought of this girl hiding in the nearby bushes the next few days to so that she could see him perform. He shook the thought away though; most likely she had no intention of actually staking out the place, although she probably wouldn’t walk by if she happened to walk in on a session. Another amused image came to mind as Dakota mentioned that most of her ‘minions’ were monkeys and Pyro couldn’t dispute the sentiment. Pyro knew her kind, though he mostly saw them outside of school, and he could easily identify the worthless peons that dashed to and fro to complete their master’s latest bidding. More than once Pyro had to kick one of these servants out of his way just so that he could enter a certain room or make his way down the hall. Dakota had quite a talent for ‘minion’ collection, and none of it stemmed from her political or monetary powers. She hadn’t even tapped into that power completely; all her current fame came from her practiced art of seduction.

Pyro smirked once again. “Well, I assure, although I may be able to climb like one, I am far from being a simple monkey.” Pyro ran a hand through his hair, noticing that his ponytail was starting to come loose and tugged the end of his hair in two direction, tightening the band around his hair. “You’ll find that a very few things in life can turn me into mush, Ms. Fox. In my line of work I have seen just about anything. I’ve seen all the charming smiles, the elegant figures, and of course, the flirtatious fluttering of the eye lashes.” He couldn’t help but sigh, “There isn’t a single organization that doesn’t want a piece of my coffers, luckily my defenses are high or else I would have already blown my fortune on useless gifts for people.” His jaw clenched tightly as Dakota began to address him as ‘Mr. Blackfire.’ Pyro despised that title, it always brought back memories of his incompetent father. Pyro was about to insist that she merely call him Pyro, but he saw the trap of that. He had already committed to calling her ‘Ms. Fox’ if he went back on that now she would be able to insist that he call her whatever she wanted, Pyro couldn’t afford her with that initiative. He sighed, he would have to get used to Mr. Blackfire during this conversation.

Pyro arched an eyebrow and was about to respond sarcastically, but this conversation had turned interesting to him, it was time to bypass the hostility. “Forget? How can I forget Roland Fox and his two sons?” Pyro knew the group; just like him their name was also known by all and carried a lot of political weight. Pyro had only met with Roland face to face once, though he had never met any of the two boys. Pyro wouldn’t consider Roland one of his regular Ministry contacts, but Pyro and the man had corresponded with one another via owls, although Pyro no longer used owls, Miaka was so much quicker. “I have not spoken or written to your father in some time, I do hope that you will send my greeting to him?” He added with a polite bow of his head. Pyro couldn’t help but grin at her next world, “Well, that is how the world at the Ministry truly works. One person does a favor for another and therefore owes the previous person. It’s the circle of life.” Pyro once again ran a hand through his hair, “Do not make the mistake of getting on my bad side either. Although I may not work directly for the ministry, I have many, many contacts within the ministry, and my…” he paused searching for the word. “…contributions have assured that I have as much pull as the ministry as the minister himself, in fact.” Pyro paused again as he thought it over quickly. “The minister actually owes me a few favors.”

Pyro’s attention turned back to Dakota. “I am always looking for future partners of mutual benefit. If you ever require a favor, I hope you do not hesitate to approach me, just as I hope that your doors will not be closed if I require a favor of yours.” Once again Pyro bowed his head in politeness. It seemed at this point that Dakota began to turn a little nasty. She was slowly drifting more and more into the realm of sarcasm and insulting humor. Pyro’s mood slowly began to deteriorate as Dakota’s words slowly began to drift into more insulting avenues. Pyro snorted a little, “I assure you, I don’t require a magazine to keep my warm at night or to get my blood flowing. You may have all the womanly charms, but I have the manly charms, and the money to back them up. If I require some warming up, well I have no shortage of that.” Pyro flicked a speck off the arm of his under armor, now that the adrenaline was starting to wear off the cold was beginning to seep in, though his under armor fended off most of the cold.

“I may not be as much of a Playboy as my dorm mate Julian Fallon, but I get around.” A short little flare of anger ignited inside of him at the mention of Alex. Luckily he had moved past that enough to control himself. “Nope, no girlfriend or betrothed. I was betrothed once and I really don’t care for it anymore. I agree with your opinion, I am young, why be bothered with only one person in life.” Pyro smirked as his eyes scanned Dakota’s body, two could play at this game. “Well, if your offering, than fell free to show up in the dorm one night. I am not able to visit the girl’s dorm, but they seem to have no problem showing up in ours. Come visit, and I’m sure we can arrange some entertainment out of the ashes to keep us both warm.”

[Dakota Fox S6]

Dakota returned Pyro's smirk. "I am sure. I have no doubt of that, Mr Blackfire. You are much too legendary to be likened to a mere monkey." With her sugar-coated voice she continued: "I am glad to see that you are not enticed by womenkind." She laughed in amusement. "You would be quite the fool if you were. But, you are not a fool. Oh no." Dakota smiled proudly when Pyro affirmed he knew of her father and brothers. Yes, she knew they must know each other; families as infamous and influential as the Blackfires and Foxs had to liase sometimes. Dakota wouldn't have been surprised if her father had attempted to betrothe her when she was younger to the Blackfire heir; it certainly seemed something very Roland Fox-like. Mr Fox wanted the best for his precious daughter, and Pyro was certainly one of the best candidates in the field. However, by the time Dakota was ten years old she was absolutely assured she would find her own husband. Still, quite like her father, she had no intentions of taking a vow of marriage for love. No, quite the opposite: she would marry for money, for influence, for fame - anything but love. Dakota had never believed in love... After all, as Pyro had implied: only a fool loved. The wiser knew that love brought pain and betrayal; it was a mere waste of time.

"Of course," Dakota smiled sweetly, nodding in return to Pyro's slight bow. He was certainly a gentleman - very much like her brothers. "Oh, Mr Blackfire, I certainly would not commit such a fatal mistake!" Dakota clasped a hand to her heart dramatically. Still, she felt the seriousness of Pyro's tone and continued less mockingly: "That is quite a feat, Mr Blackfire. I shall certainly learn to mind my step with you. However, I doubt I would ever do anything to harm your integrity or truly damage you. No... I'm much too insignificant for that... at the moment. The day I ascend into the real world I will be looking to you, not looking to trip you up, so... rest assured you have a... sort-of ally in Dakota Fox... and the Fox family." Smiling graciously, Dakota purposefully did not mention her ambition to become the first female Minister of Magic in the future. She had a feeling Pyro would not look on it appreciatively. It was possible Pyro himself wanted to be Minister - a lot of Slytherins did, especially the men. It made Dakota want to wrinkle her nose in disgust. Men always thought they were the more superior sex. Well, she would change all of that. Her plans to be Minister - or Ministeress - were perhaps one of the only secrets Dakota kept to herself. Otherwise, who knew who could jeopardise her plans?

Dakota let out a burst of amused laughter at Pyro's retort. Evidently he had taken her spiel offensively - and so he should. "I was jousting with you, sir. It is always entertaining to witness a man's reaction to those words. Forgive me." Dakota didn't really mean that - as if she would beg for forgiveness, even from Pyro Blackfire, a man two years her senior, and much stronger than she. "Oh yes, Julian Fallon." Dakota paused and leaned forward with an interested smirk. "I've heard quite a bit about him. I hear he and Cassandra - your cousin? - have married? Quite the big piece of news in the wizarding world. I'm so sorry. I do sympathise with your position. I would be absolutely horrified if it were my cousin. But, I am glad to say, my parents are both only childs; I have not the luck or good fortune of cousins and relatives to get in my way." Nodding to herself in a pleased way, Dakota glanced back at Pyro as he continued to speak. "Ah, you were? To whom, may I ask?" Dakota had the right mind to add the polite question on the end - otherwise she doubted Pyro would answer her at all. "My father once wanted me to be betrothed. From my birth he only wanted the best for me." Dakota smirked at her companion. "I'm sure you were one of the candidates, Mr Blackfire. You are the best of the best. My father knew - knows - that. But I matured and told him I would find my own husband. Surely, I thought, it cannot be that difficult to find a successful, obedient, wealthy and respected man for myself? I discovered that, well... I was quite right. However, I've set my sights even higher now, and I have no plans to become betrothed to anyone yet. There have been some fine specimens, but none I feel I could quite... attach myself infinitely to." Dakota smiled easily, burying her fingertips in her hair to keep them from the cold. Her fur brushed with blonde and stayed there.

Dakota's smile changed to a smirk again. "Hm. I'll consider that offer, Mr Blackfire. It'd be my pleasure." Despite her confident words, however, Dakota had never truly been with a man - and she planned to keep it that way. Her body was sacred, precious, and she refused to give it away so easily. That would make herself a mockery. She was no slut, even if she liked to make herself to be that way. "Though," she said a little more coyly despite her teasing tone, "the thought of being with five other sleeping men in the dark... Quite a daunting thought. I do hate the shared dorms we have here. Quite frankly, we should have our own dorms. Why do we need to share? I hate sharing - call me spoilt, if you will. But I think it is a disgrace. It makes me feel vulnerable sometimes... don't you think?"