A Bit Beyond Normal ((Vi))

[Ben O'Leary]

Wales. Ben never was a fan of the annual family vacation to Wales. Every year though, he relinquished his complaints and ended up traveling to spend a week with his parents and three older brothers. He harboured a terrible resentment of the memories of past vacations, but since he had graduated from Hogwarts, the trips were never as bad as his younger years. His brothers had grown up now, and in their adult states they were less likely to taunt him like they used to. Still, the occasional 'Baby Davie' slipped out, at which point Ben would threaten to curse the next person who called him that. Then again, being a Healer, Ben knew better than to use his magical abilities in a defensive way against any muggles; even if those muggles were his annoying brothers.

Many of the O'Learys had settled down for the night, Benjamin sprawled out on the large leather sofa and Betty had fallen asleep on the chair nearby. Ben's brothers were off doing their own things, which meant that Ben was stuck all alone in the cottage with nothing to do. Part of him wished he could have been back home in London, perhaps even at work where he could be spending time with Heidi, Maribeth, or Julia. Ben had become quite close with the whole lot of Healers who worked with him at St. Mungo's. But, there he was in Wales, and he wasn't the least bit tired, which meant going to bed early was out of the question.

Having no particular destination in mind, Ben found himself walking in the evening sun, heading toward the small village that was less than a mile away from the place they were staying. He quickly found a small night club, and decided that he needn't look much farther. A cold drink might do him a bit of good.

Ben entered the club and within minutes began drinking. He was alone at the bar, not really wanting to be social anyways. Ben had never really acquired a natural ability to socialise, and so he never bothered to force it. Then again, the affects of alcohol can significantly affect one's personality. It wasn't long, three or four drinks later, that Ben found himself slurring words as he talked with the bartender. Cracking jokes and having a good time, Ben was lost in his temporary bliss.

As he ordered another drink, Ben saw a young woman sitting just a few stools down from him. She had an oddly familiar look, and after starring at her (quite obviously at that), Ben recognized the face as an old Hogwarts acquaintance. Her name was Vi, or at least that was all his drunken memory could conjure. He did know though that she had been in Hufflepuff, and so Ben went, with a bit more courage than normal, and stumbled his way over to where Vi was sitting after getting his most recent drink.

"Hello, Vi," he managed, smiling kindly yet a bit awkwardly at his old housemate. Ben took in her youthful beauty with a lazy sort of scan, noticing that she hadn't changed her looks much since he remembered seeing her in Hogwarts. She had been a year behind him, but Ben was sure that she would probably recognize him as well. "Odd to see you here," he added, not really thinking that it was odd for her to be there, but just finding it odd that he'd run into another Hogwarts graduate. "Can I buy ye a drink?" The hint of his Irish accent started to surface, something Ben had never been fond of before. When he was sober, he did his best to eliminate most traces of his subtle accent. Many people didn't even know he was of Irish decent because he had never much spoke with the thick accent that he grew up speaking.

[Viola Hudson]

The day had been slow when it has started, and proceeded to be even slower as it went on. In the morning it had rained fiercely, making it impossible for Vi to walk her new puppy- for Alfie was scared of the rain. On their first short walk there had just been a drizzle, but the moment the earliest drop trickled down the pup’s nose it had been apparent that Alfie and rain didn’t mix well at all. Although this was indeed unusual for a dog, Vi had merely walked back home with him under her coat, returning the curious looks his whines had attracted with a bold eye. And anyway; Alfie was a little unusual. For one thing he thought he could fly. More than once Vi had caught him perched precariously on top of her dresser, a dogged look in his big brown eyes. Fortunately she had rescued him before he could find out he was in fact not a flying puppy, which no doubt would result in at least a week of depression and confused identity-loss for the tiny hound.

But the day hadn’t cleared up and Viola and Alfie had spent its hours in her flat. Vi, who saw animals much like people that merely spoke in a different language, had halved her room into two for the dog. In the smaller half she had placed a huge basket filled with cuddly toys, a few blankets, and the odd dog toy or chew. Although not much of an artist she’d also painted a pattern of dog paws in lilac on the wall behind the basket. It was the perfect little doggy corner; but Alfie had ignored it almost immediately, only hopping into the oversized yellow basket to snatch up one toy before leaping out again. Now he slept around Vi’s neck in her own bed with his chosen toy beside them on the pillow. It was a small, fuzzy orange badger with dead button eyes and a harshly stitched black sneer. While Alfie adored it, Viola found it hard to sleep with the plastic pupils staring into hers. However, as she had found out the night before, trying to subtly remove the badger somehow shocked Alfie into consciousness and resulted in him nipping his owner; a little more aggressively than normal.

Vi glanced down at her hands as she recalled the incident. Tiny teeth marks were just visible on the edge of her right hand, below the thumb. She failed to resist a light chuckle upon thinking of Alfie’s cheeky assertiveness. It erupted from her gently and grew a little louder, a little bolder. That was the drink coming through, she pondered in her thought. Vi had dropped Alfie off at Julie’s for a few hours as she knew she had to work that evening. She’d left late and rushed; only to arrive to find another girl behind the bar. She had struggled to suppress a snarl at her boss; the girl was young, blonde, and her Barbie beauty was only made even more obvious as she served beside the nightclub’s regular grizzly bartender. If Shane put the youngster on full-time Vi would make sure he regretted it. She needed this job, and by the looks of it the only thing the girl needed was a top that covered a little more than her current.

Vi hadn’t returned immediately. She knew Julie had Alfie safe, and now she was out she might as well make the most of things. The nightclub was pleasant; as time continued it grew busier, until the noise behind Vi reminded her that it had been too long since she had partied the night through. She had such an urge to join the throng of dancers behind her but something willed her to stay by her bar, all the while holding a constant confident glare at the girl serving. After a few of drinks her feet were tapping away gently and she became aware of a pair of eyes on her. Turning took a moment and she almost slipped from her stool as she did so, before meeting the blue-grey eyes with her own. Today they were an attractive emerald, courtesy of her wand and skills in charms. Her hair was- for once- her natural colour. This was a deep brown hue that suited her eyes well. She was clad in a sleeveless white vest-top and a pair of green shorts. It was probably the simplest outfit that Vi had worn since her Hogwarts days. Normally she was adorned with bold jewellery and the colours and style of her clothes would be bright, daring and completely unavoidable. But now, she looked much like she did when she graduated Hogwarts.

Vi hadn’t expected to see the familiar face that stared back at her after she turned. But sure enough, she knew that attractively messy brown hair and the subtle- yet not invisible- manner in which this boy held himself. “Ben O’Leary, oh really!” She murmured happily. Although her voice was distant her eyes were alert and bright, taking in the Hufflepuff graduate with a smile playing at her lips. The simple rhyme pleased her greatly and she giggled lightly- a sure sign she had a little alcohol in her. When sober, Vi never ever giggled. She thought it irritating and unnecessary. When tipsy she was prone to letting a few giggles slip. And when full-blown drunk, she bellowed in a highly un-ladylike manner.

Now, Viola stayed on her stool but twisted round to face the young man cheerfully. “Me? I work here, like you, but in St Mungo’s.” This muddled answer also pleased Viola and another chuckle fought its way out of her lips. A drink? She listened with interest to his proposal. She would love another drink. But, more than anything, she wanted to dance. With eyes much like her puppy’s she looked from Ben to the dance floor and back again. “Does Ben dance?” She questioned mischievously. Vi didn’t wait for an answer- she hopped off of her stool and disappeared for a moment, reappearing at the edge of the nightclub’s dance floor. Her eyes were bright and full of joy, her lips were showing an encouraging grin, and her curvy form was already swaying faultlessly to the live music. Normally she would be up on that stage, singing and strumming for the crowd. But now she would dance. “Come on, little leprechaun!” She ushered gently. She knew that this was something Ben wouldn’t normally do… but Vi rarely thought before she did anything and all she wanted was to float and sway with the music- with Ben, if he was tipsy enough. Without taking her eyes from Ben’s she beckoned with one hand playfully.

[Ben O'Leary]

The familiar playfulness that Ben remembered of Vi was demonstrated in her immediate response to seeing him. He let out a quick laugh as he realized she must have been drinking as well. Then again, Vi was always kind of eccentric in her own way when they were at Hogwarts. Ben remembered this because he had always been somewhat observant of others. In the shadows, watching, not like a creep or anything, just always outside of the normal socialization that most other students participated in. Ben had always been like that though, and he preferred avoiding the center of attention.

She worked at the club? Ben found that interesting, wondering what she did exactly. From all he could tell, she seemed like a normal patron. Drinking, enjoying the music, and just getting away from the rest of the world. "What do you do here?" he asked, but his question was drowned out by the sudden crescendo of musical cacophony. The band had started into the heavy chorus of their song and he watched as Vi stood up and questioned if he danced. Dance? Ben didn't dance. Or, at least he didn't normally dance. Ben had terrible rhythm, and not to mention his awful tendency to choose the most embarrassing dance moves. "No... Ben doesn't da..." he trailed off, watching Vi disappear to the dance floor without much more to convince him.

To dance or not to dance? Ben was caught in the limbo between sobriety and full-on drunkenness. His mind was still sharp enough to tell him that dancing was likely a bad idea for his own sake (and perhaps for the sake of those who might get their toes stepped on), but something inside of him was pulling him to the floor. Perhaps it was the alcohol. Turning back to the bar, Ben took his drink and downed the half which was left, a slight tingle left in his throat as he dropped the cup back onto the bar. "Little Leprechaun?" he questioned, a tinge of disdain in his voice. Perhaps his Irish side was more evident than he realized. Then again, there he was, drinking like the Irishman that he was, slurring in his Irish accent.

Finally, the pulling force within him won the battle of reason, causing Ben to slightly stumble his way to the dance floor where Viola was already dancing effortlessly. He was momentarily lost in the sight of her beautiful movement, and before long, Ben found himself moving with her, swaying and dancing to the upbeat music. Perhaps it was the alcohol or maybe just the floating feeling that he had, but Ben barely realized that he was dancing. And, quite surprisingly, he didn't end up doing too bad either. Only once or twice did he find himself swaying the wrong way and bumping into Viola. He smiled, and laughed at his own mistakes, enjoying the time on the dance floor with her.

The song stopped eventually, and the band transitioned into their next song. It was a bit more mellow, and Ben felt his heart slow from the quickened pace it had taken during the exciting few minutes of dancing. "I guess I didn't realize it was that much fun," he commented, making his way back to the bar for another drink. "But now, since I danced with you, you have to let me buy you that drink." He smiled, ordering two of whatever Vi had been previously drinking. "Here you are," he said, handing the one drink to her and then taking a sip. "Mmmm, what is this?" he asked, liking the taste that the drink left as it cooled his parched mouth. "I might have to have a few more," he joked, knowing full well that complete drunkenness was just around the corner. Ben wasn't normally very liberal with his drinking, but tonight seemed like as good a night as any to just throw his worries to the wind and enjoy himself. Plus, Vi was there, making it more fun to begin with. This sure beat an evening with his brothers and their annoying remarks.

[Viola Hudson]

Parties. Alcohol. Care-free. Happy. Singing. And dancing. Vi was reminded of her wild past the moment her boots hit the dance floor. She blended in perfectly with the crowd, not without various approving and welcoming looks- the party-goers recognised her as one of their own. Vi didn’t bother to worry much about how Ben would be received, he was a big boy. Instead she lost herself in the music, falling into the abyss of dance. The familiar trance-like zone she’d missed so much came to her immediately and didn’t fail to envelope her in its aura, resulting in a faraway but clearly joyful glaze coming over her charmed green eyes. Oho, how Viola loved to dance. And she looked beautiful when she did so; her body moved with the swiftness of a snake and, despite her short height, she somehow held the ability to look elegant. She danced alone for a few moments, sub-consciously remaining oblivious to the few men that cast interested glances at her. She cared not for men like that; they were all the same. Always throwing glances around as if they were looking to buy something pretty. Vi was known for going from one guy to another in short periods of time; but she never went for those types of men. You had to have something different, something unusual, for Vi to take interest.

Soon Viola realised she was no longer alone- Ben had arrived onto the dance floor. She slipped smoothly from her trance and stepped towards him, forever swaying. She slowed her movements slightly and moved a little closer to Ben. Although the alcohol had cast a haze in her mind Vi was able to peer through it and see that Ben was obviously not a born dancer- but, surprisingly, he matched her movements quite accurately. The few mistakes he did make in his dancing she giggled at lightly before skipping a beat in her own dance to let him come back in. But he soon got the hang of it and she looked up into his eyes with new-found respect and appreciation; dancing like this can’t have been something he was used to. She liked that he had made the effort. Or was it the drink in him that had done that? Quite possibly, but the point was he was here, and Vi enjoyed that.

It wasn’t long before the song finished and, realising Ben was ready to leave the dance floor, Vi reluctantly headed back to her much loved bar behind him. His comment as they arrived made her giggle, oblivious to the sound herself. “Dancing is brilliant. You can release so much stress and anger just by dancing…” She wavered slightly as he spoke again. Vi’s former playful smile crept back across her lips as she listened. She didn’t speak but accepted the drink a little clumsily. Much of her former grace and elegance of movement had disappeared; she was clumsy, tipsy Vi again. Not paying much attention to the lingering memory of Ben’s fingertips brushing gently against hers when she had taken the drink, she sipped along with him.

“It’s an Acapulco. So technically you’re now drinking a very girly cocktail.” She laughed again, this time a little bolder than the giggles from earlier. “It’s missing something though. That shtupid girl…” She cast a glare at the Barbie behind the bar, but it wasn’t very threatening with her slurred words. Another giggle came out as she took a few more sips. “I work here, doing what she does. But I’m not a bloomin’ Barbie and proud of it!” She leant casually on the bar and hopped onto a stool. “And, I’m better. I’m not like you or Heidi with your…” She hesitated, frowning. The word had slipped her mind… “- with your brains and whatnot. But I’m a good barmaid. And a bloody good singer. And-” Her eyes lit up as a new thought came into her head. “And I’ve got Alfie. Waking up with him every morning makes me strong. I love him.” Vi smiled openly. Looking into Ben’s eyes her breathing slowed down a little as she regained her thoughts. “What about you Ben? What makes you strong?” The questions had come out as a result of her alcohol-muddled brain. But the still slightly sober part of Vi longed for Ben’s answers. She had no idea why; but she wanted to find out more about this curious ex-Hufflepuff she knew so little about.

[Ben O'Leary]

"Girly and missing something... yet I'm still having another," Ben replied, a drunken smile of happiness gracing his face as he blissfully let the music fill his head. Vi had went off on a rant that was targeted at the girl behind the bar. Ben laughed at her bold personality; soon, she energetically leapt onto the stool beside him, his eyes dancing across her face as she proceeded to more clearly identify herself. He found her choice of words interesting, noting what she seemed to deem most important about herself. Drunk or not, Ben was still an analyst, always thinking, wondering, and making mental notes.

What made him strong? That was a good question.

"I probably wouldn't call myself strong," he admitted, a sigh, followed by another drink. "I mean, are we talking physical strength, mental strength, or what? One look at me and you know I'm not the most physically strong." He laughed at his own self-identified weakness. To his defense, Ben wasn't weak, but he wasn't what one might call muscular or anything of the sort. "I guess I do have the 'brains' like you mentioned of Heidi," he said, a bit of sarcasm noticeable as he wondered if Vi harboured some sort of vendetta against Heidi or simply those who were intelligent. "Then again, I barely made it into St. Mungo's. I made it... but barely. So I wouldn't say mental strength is my forte either." Ben took another sip of his Acapulco.

"Why talk about strengths though," Ben said, throwing his hand in the air as if to wave away the topic that he felt slightly insecure to talk about. In a world where he seemed to be reminded of his weaknesses, Ben was sometimes hard-pressed to be able to identify his own strengths. "Let's talk about something more fun." He laughed, the alcohol more successfully showing it's gradual increasing control over his every move. "Like... like your eyes." It was a bold statement, and Ben really didn't even realize what he was saying. But he said it. And despite being half fully drunk, it was a sincere attempt at a compliment. "Or we could talk about something else," he said, quickly doubting his brazen comment.

Ben went to pick up his glass for another drink, knocking it down in the process. "Damn," he muttered under his breath, quickly laughing at his own clumsiness. "Hey Barbie! Can I get another drink over here?"

((Sorry it's a bit shorter and delayed. Hopefully you can work with it and get Vi up to 10 posts. ))

[Viola Hudson]

Another bellow of laughter erupted from Vi as she listened, smiling, to Ben’s little joke about the cocktail. Truthfully, it wasn’t insanely funny. But Viola felt as though she could find anything comical right now. Her lack of a stable, secure job? Very funny indeed. The decreasing pile of coins in her Gringrotts cell? Bloody hilarious! She really wasn’t thinking straight at all. Her face sobered up when she listened, perched precariously on the edge of her stool, to Ben speak on his strength. She cast an approving glance over his form at his comment on physical strength, the right side of her mouth twitching into a half-smile. She liked his physique. It was subtle, yet there was something undeniably… sexy about it. As he continued she ignored the sarcasm in her current state of mind but latched to his next words. She didn’t reply, as it was soon clear he didn’t think much of the topic. But it interested her that he hadn’t talked about who made him strong; she forgot that she hadn’t actually asked that in her question.

Her thought on the topic was waved away with his hand, slipping from her easily-distracted mind like sand. Ben seemed to be moving from half-drunk to drunk quicker than her, so she downed what remained of her cocktail swiftly, determined to catch up- Vi hated being left behind. Once she set it down again Ben had moved onto the next topic and she grinned as it reached her ears. Her eyes? She had to momentarily think about what colour they were before finding the answer of green. Hmm, how could eyes be fun? She giggled before stopping herself from doing so abruptly. Then she looked back at Ben with a small smirk. “I like this topic actually. And you…” She paused, swaying slightly before continuing with a twinkle in her expression. “You also have rice eyes. I mean- nice eyes. Not rice eyes.” She snorted, looking into his blue-grey eyes with a small smile again. Another sway, this time intentional, brought her closer to the other boy. Her eyes flickered from his, travelling down. They crossed the hills of his cheeks and jumped high over his nose, almost getting lost as she was tempted to count his pale freckles. And then she arrived at his lips, parted softly. “Rice lips too…” She muttered. And then her sway continued forwards until she was close enough to feel his breath upon her own lips. Bring one hand up to rest gently on the side of his face she pressed into his lips with her own, keeping her ‘fun’ eyes open.

The gentle press of the kiss lasted only a moment before she withdrew, eyes flashing. Well, that was a little more fun, was it not? She was tempted to say this, but before she could the Barbie brought the drinks over that Ben had called for. The girl cast a derogatory glance at Vi. In response, the ex-Hufflepuff beamed brightly. “Hey, baby.” She said in a friendly tone. Her confidence and the need to enjoy herself had increased greatly these last few minutes (or drinks). The Barbie looked confused at Vi’s odd greeting as she scuttled back to the other side of the bar, worry in her eyes. Again, Viola laughed before turning back to Ben. She hadn’t watched his reaction to her kiss and now took a moment to study him. He really was quite attractive. No doubt he had never kissed someone so randomly; while Viola had certainly had her fair share of unknown kisses, and more.

Vi took a moment to remind herself that this was not just a man who didn’t matter; this was Ben. He worked with Heidi, knew Heidi well. She couldn’t play with him. But perhaps… perhaps once he had a few more drinks and cleared his mind a little (that was how it worked, was it not?) he might find her a little attractive too. And that wasn’t illegal, was it? That wasn’t even frowned upon. This confused way of thinking made perfect sense to Viola, and she reached for her next drink eagerly. This night was certainly turning out to be more fun than she had hoped for.

[Ben O'Leary]

He may have been drunk, but Ben was still able to catch Vi's slip-up of words. He laughed when she commented on his 'rice eyes' and found himself unable to take them off of Vi as she pressed closer to him, adding that he had ‘rice lips’. Something within him snapped to attention, causing Ben to wonder what he was doing here exactly. Was he on his way to doing something he'd regret in the morning? How was he even going to get home if he was so drunk he couldn't walk? The questions quickly vanished from Ben's mind as he felt a gentle touch, soft fingers brushing against his cheek. Viola's 'fun eyes' were starring deeply into his, and as Ben closed his own eyes he felt her lips dance lightly across his.

A few seconds passed, but Ben lost all concept of time. He opened his eyes and saw that Viola’s were wide open. Eyes locked on one another, they finally pulled away from each other, and Ben felt his breath finally escape from his chest. What was that? Surely Ben hadn’t just kissed a random girl? Well firstly, Ben hadn’t actually be the one kissing, though he definitely kissed back, and secondly, Viola wasn’t just a random girl. Still, all of this was quite unusual for Ben, and yet he felt something inside of him that he hadn’t felt in a long time. It was almost like he finally felt that little piece inside of him that let him know he truly was alive. He laughed, realizing that the alcohol had him philosophizing like a raving lunatic. Why was he analyzing things so much? Why couldn’t a kiss just be a kiss? Why did it have to be something so deep and meaningful?

“I’m drunk,” Ben said flatly, another laugh escaping him. “And you’re drunk too,” he pointed out as he let his eyes lock onto Viola’s once again. “But… something tells me it doesn’t matter.” Was he even making any sense? His gaze dropped from her eyes, landing on his hands which were clamped around an empty glass. Ben knew he had drank enough. There were limits, and he was approaching his. “I think I need some fresh air,” he blurted. “Care to join me?” He smiled, his normal lop-sided grin that was so cheesy that it probably scared anybody who saw it.

((Hope this works... it took me a few days to get it completed in little bits and pieces... he wasn't coming to me very easily.))

[Viola Hudson]

Why had she kissed him? What on earth had made her do that, apart from the obvious fact that she was drunk? Viola had no idea. She had just wanted to kiss him; it wasn’t a need and it wasn’t anything insanely passionate. It was just a movement and a symbol of affection that she had somehow needed to express, needed to put across. Something about this odd man was intriguing. He seemed like a part of Viola’s life that she had once had access to but a couple of years of partying and letting her hair down had wiped it from her life. And now… there was a flicker of how the other half lived again. It was as though by kissing Ben she could hold onto him for a while longer and the fact that he was so different from her normal choice of kissing partners justified her actions. It was clear after a moment of Vi pressing her lips against her companion’s that she wasn’t alone in wanting their lips to meet in the intimacy of a kiss; Ben, after a moments pause, seemed to respond to her swiftly and naturally. Maybe there was something wild inside him after all. And if there was… what would Vi need to do to bring it out?

After withdrawing Ben laughed and for a moment Vi hesitated, wondering what he found so amusing. But in a second she was laughing with him. The smile on her face grew and as Ben laughed again it turned into a grin. He had a sweet laugh, one that made her want to join in or at least do something to keep that laugh close. His simple words of ‘I’m drunk’ amused her further. It was rare for Viola to ever admit to being drunk when she was actually just that. But Ben’s eyes seized hers again as he stated that she was quite the opposite of sober. Vi’s lips formed into a smirk and she nodded shamelessly. “It never matters. We’re young, we have time and great friends and-” Vi paused. The word ‘family’ was tempted to come from her lips but she held it back; Viola, after all, did not have a family. “-and you have a family. Why not have a drink or five?” She smiled again, oblivious to the slurs in her clumsy words.

Standing up proved to be a slight challenge but Viola just about managed it after nodded happily to Ben’s suggestion of a walk outside. Being drunk brought out the best- and worst- in Viola. Perhaps it was time to get some fresh air. With her stumble from her stool her hand came out to steady herself, falling onto Ben’s arm gently. She paused as her fingers gently played across the sleeve before retreating. Her smile grew as she nodded once more and spun around. After a moment of weaving confidently through the crowd in the club she managed to find the door, shout a quick ‘All for the tab!” at the Barbie behind the bar, and push heavily on the wooden handle. She didn’t care if Ben wanted to that silly thing that men often wanted to do and pay for the drinks. Everything got taken from her wages that she drank on her time-off, but Viola knew she could get out of paying for those drinks without a problem. Thoughts of this slipped from her mind as she stepped, perhaps a little uncertainly, outside. The night air greeted her happily and she grinned at her companion. “I do love the fresh air.” She murmured before taking a cigarette from her bag and lighting it with a muggle lighter. She casually offered the pack to Ben, which sparked new and unfamiliar doubts in her mind.

While her confidence spoke for her, Vi’s alcohol-muddled brain was fearful. Here was this good and kind young man with a brilliant career ahead of him. Already Viola had made him dance, drink copious amounts, and kiss her; almost a stranger. Although Vi rarely felt guilty and told herself to never regret, she often went against her own rule and this was one of those times. When Ben sobered up, what would he think of her? The memory of an ex-boyfriend’s harsh words slipped into her mind and her brow creased for a moment. You’re corrupt Vi, and you corrupt everyone in your path until they’re just like you… At the time Vi had danced the hurt away, drank the pain down and smoked the fear into the air. But here she was again, corrupting Ben O’Leary of all people. She had told him that nothing mattered; but it was a lie, and hardly a white one.

[Ben O'Leary]

A slight snort of disgust escaped Ben whenever Vi mentioned him having family as though it were something to be cherished. Part of him felt that he probably should be happy he had his family. He should probably show his gratitude for each one of them, but Ben found it difficult. He didn't despise his family. He was simply irritated by them. Almost as though he were still in the rebellious teenage years, Ben just didn't seem to crave the tight family bonding that some might seek from their loved ones. Ben's brothers were just so different from him that he found no desire to be close with them. And his parents, well... they were just his parents. Ben had never really been close with them. As he thought about it, Ben did realize he was happy to have them at least. If he didn't have them, he decided he might be a bit upset. The thought of family trailed away from him at Vi's touch. He smiled at her clumsy drunkenness.

As Vi was making her way toward the door, Ben fumbled unsuccessfully in his pockets, fishing for some money to pay his bill. He heard Vi's voice though, above the crowd, telling the bar-attendant that it would all go on her tab. "Yeah, all on the..." Ben gazed at the Barbie with a confused look. "Wait..." It was too late. She had turned away, and Ben looked back at Viola. He was too drunk to argue with her. How much had she just spent on him though? Ben wasn't drinking lightly. He had at least half a dozen drinks, which would add up. Sighing to himself, he pushed through the dancing people and followed Vi into the night.

"You're going to have to let me pay you back eventually," he said, a sort of confidence in his voice that was unusual for Ben. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Ben welcomed the cool night breeze. It helped to cut through the affects of the alcohol and make him a bit more alert. He was still drunk nonetheless, but felt a bit more aware of his surroundings. Vi had held out a pack of cigarettes toward him after taking one for herself. "Oh, I don't smoke," he said, it was a natural instinct to reject the offer. "But I don't usually do this either." Perhaps Vi would recognize what he meant by the word 'this' and without much more thought, Ben reached and took one of the cigarettes. "Why not?"

Ben let Vi light the cigarette, and after putting it to his mouth, he let out a splutter of coughs. It was evident that Ben wasn't accustomed to smoking. The coughing turned into bursts of laughter, and Ben noticed that Vi had been oddly quiet. Perhaps it was the affect of the night's coolness. "Need my jacket?" he asked, seeing that Vi wasn't wearing much to fight against the breeze. He found his glance lingering on her for a moment. "The fresh air is nice," he added, in reply to Vi's comment about loving it. The two of them walked, in and out of the circles of light that were cast by the overhead street lamps. Ben wondered where they were headed, but then realized it didn't matter. He was completely content with just having the company of Vi. It beat the company of his brothers any day.

[Viola Hudson]

The comment which reached Vi’s ears once they were both outside made Viola smirk. Just as she had guessed; he wanted to pay. “No-one will be paying, don’t worry about it.” She assured him. “I work there and pretty much get most of the customers on my nights. Shane owes me, if anything.” She nodded to herself before adding quickly, “That’s the owner. Idiot if you ask me…” Of course, Ben hadn’t asked Viola. But she would have happily gone on a rant about Shane Fulton and his methods of running the nightclub. She resisted the temptation to do this however, and her smile continued to grow before long. She couldn’t keep it from her face when Ben took the cigarette from her packet. She had almost withdrawn her hand when he had confessed to being a non-smoker. It would have meant nothing to Vi of course. Although she moked it was merely out of habit. She knew it was seriously detrimental to her health. She knew it would set wrinkles deep into her face and yellow her natural teeth. She also knew that, eventually, it would kill her. But that didn’t matter; Vi was the type of person to gladly take a few years of doing what she wanted and what she did best and spend the rest of her life a little worse off for it, than take a lifetime of boring, drink a tobacco-free years that would hold no memories. It wasn’t that she needed alcohol to have fun; Viola was always fun and could create a good time out of almost nothing. But she liked having a glass of wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other. It made her feel… well, she didn’t know what it made her feel. But she liked it, and that’s all that matters.

She turned her attentions away from her thoughts quite quickly and fixed her eyes on her companion. He was making some very odd sounds as a result of the inhaled smoke from the cigarette. Viola winced slightly; there was an art to smoking, she felt. She was so accustomed to it that it was almost painful to see someone so obviously the opposite. Because that’s what Ben was; obviously the opposite. And his next comment? That too was completely the opposite to what Viola knew. Normally a male companion would just want Viola’s jacket- and everything else- to come off, and wouldn’t offer her their own layer just because it might be a bit cold. As Ben offered his jacket it was also his choice of words that struck her. Although her head was still cloudy and muddled, she focused on his first word. It wasn’t want; but need. For some reason that was unknown to Vi, this was endearing. She smiled once more, a half-smile that pushed small dimples into her right cheek. “Thank you.” Her voice was quiet as she accepted the jacket. Shrugging it onto her shoulders comfortably she huddled closer into it and her smile grew all the while.

The two continued walking slowly and in comfortable quiet for a moment, the cool air picking up Vi’s natural hair gently and ruffling Ben’s own locks. Viola knew that without the jacket she now tugged about her shoulders she would be shivering right now. A movement out of the corner of her emerald eyes caught her attention. Two girls, about seventeen, were sitting cross-legged in a grassy clearing a little way away. They were both on a large pale blue blanket, sharing a rather large roll-up and giggling softly. Their faces were lit up by the moon, happy, youthful and shining. No worries and no problems, just enjoying life as they could. As Viola watched two boys and another girl trotted over to the blanket. Soon all five were huddled in a little circle. Tendrils of dirty-coloured smoke drifted from them, curling and drifting through the sky. The sights made Viola sigh gently and sub-consciously step closer to Ben.

“Don’t you miss it?” Her voice was wistful. Realising her question was a little vague she continued. “Living, education, friends. Julie and I used to be like that; happy and giggling, no cares, no financial problems or otherwise. The amount of times we snuck out of the Castle. Those kids give me de-ja-vu. Thing is this time I’m on the outside.” Viola wasn’t sad and her voice didn’t make her sound as though she was. But she missed not caring, not having to care. Her life now wasn’t an unhappy one; she had Alfie now, and knew that Julie was always just a few metres away from her own home. But looking at her life at seventeen and her life as she lived it now she could only see a pale imitation; nothing evolved, nothing new or exciting. Perhaps it was just the alcohol making her wish for the past, but Viola was wishing that she had made something of her life that she could be proud of. Bringing her cigarette to her lips she sucked on it for a moment before turning to Ben with a small smile. “I’m not being very fun anymore, am I. I hope you don’t think I’m always such a misery to be with.” She tugged his jacket tighter, exhaled the white smoke into the darkening skies and finally pulled her gaze fully away from the teens on the blanket.

[Ben O'Leary]

Viola thanked Ben for his jacket, but he had thought nothing of it. It was just his natural way of doing things. "Be a gentleman", his mother had always told him. Despite any amount of alcohol or other circumstances, there were just some things that stuck with you, made you who you were, and this was one of them. Unfortunately for Ben, despite his gentlemanly ways, he was never one to branch out socially so that they could be seen. Where most girls would have found him sweet and charming had he presented himself with even the slightest bit of confidence, instead they could only see the clumsy and awkward Ben that he let become himself. The alcohol had worn through all of that though, and so all that was left was a Ben without any walls; a Ben that was plain and simply Ben. Easy-going. Gentlemanly. And more than happy to not be alone.

"I can't say I do," Ben answered, a completely honest and perhaps blunt response to Vi's question. The truth was, Ben's life now was turning into something a lot more desirable than his years at Hogwarts. In school, Ben blended in. He was simply there, failing to make much importance of his Hogwarts years. And when he had found true friendship and what he thought was true love, he lost it faster than he ever imagined. But now, now Ben had made friends and was enjoying his job much more than he enjoyed going to school. Perhaps he wasn't the best Healer and he wasn't well-known around St Mungo's. But he had his friends. He had those who he enjoyed getting to see every day. And he had found a bit of happiness. "The outside is a lot more appealing if you ask me." Ben smiled, wondering if Viola knew what he meant. Would she realize that his life was a lot happier now than it had been back then? Was he the only person who didn't miss being a teenager? Did she even realize that their simple walk on a cold night meant more to him than any weeks worth of memories from school? Of course she didn't realize it. Ben hadn't let anybody see him for who he was. He hid behind his cute and boyish ways, enough that everyone could easily pass over him without a second thought. Ben had never been completely open with anyone. Heidi was the closest friend he had, and even they hadn't exactly shared their hearts to one another.

Ben paused for a moment beside Viola. He saw the look in her eyes as she starred at the teenagers across the street. For her, happiness seemed to be something she'd left behind. For Ben, it was something he'd been gradually learning to find. "Fun doesn't have to be dictated by a mood," he said, a rather profound statement considering he was slowly coming down from a rather significant stage of drunkenness. "Who says I'm not having fun?" As Vi shifted her view from the teens, Ben shifted his from her. A gentle tug at his chest made him wonder if this was all just going to be a drunken regret the next morning. Would Vi even remember the majority of the night? Was his happiness just as fleeting as the feeling of freedom that the alcohol provided? Perhaps, but Ben couldn't find it in him to bother caring.

"My life is changing, Vi," he said, almost as though he owed her some sort of explanation. "You know? I'm actually starting to realize what it's all about. Times like this. Times where you can just... you can just be. I like to just be." He stopped, realizing he was probably not making any sense. That was common for him though. He'd have a thought in his mind, but he could never explain it fully in words. It was frustrating, but Ben was used to it. "But right now, maybe we should just be someplace else," he said with a laugh, shrugging off his futile attempt to truly explain the complicated thought process which was simply Ben. "It's bloody cold out here, and despite the fact that I'm sobering up, I'm still not sure I'm sober enough to be in public." He stopped again, turning to face Viola. "Do you know any good ins around here? Somewhere to stay?" He realized that it might have seemed as though he was trying to get her to go somewhere with him for the night. "Not that you have to come with me," he quickly explained. "I mean you're welcome to come..." He was starting to ramble like always. "It's just that I'm on vacation with my family. My parents, my brothers, and their families. I don't really want to go back to the flat drunk."

[Viola Hudson]

It was obvious to Viola that the atmosphere between the two had changed. They had gone swiftly from drunk, giggling and dancing, to this… whatever ‘this’ was. Ben’s reply to Viola’s question didn’t surprise her; she knew not everyone would feel the same as her. But it made her curious and she cocked her head to the side slightly, waiting for Ben to explain further. The outside… Viola winced inwardly at this. To her and her slightly foggy brain, the words outside meant doing something. While Viola was not lazy in the slightest and would never hesitate to opt for the ‘action’ option in a decision, her life certainly hadn’t changed. She hadn’t stepped ‘outside’ of her boundaries of who she was. She continued to think in this sense for a moment. Her boundaries… Viola had never really had any. As a child growing up without parents or siblings, she hadn’t felt tied down by much. Her chains had been the professors at Hogwarts and occasionally the limits Greenfield’s Home had given her; but both of these, the latter especially, she had managed to break through without much effort. Maybe that was her problem now. During Hogwarts she had eliminated all boundaries, cut away anything that could keep her the same as everyone else. And now, unable to grow with the limits the boundaries had given her, she was falling behind everyone else. For the first time in a long, long while, Viola had the notion that perhaps restrictions and boundaries weren’t as bad as she had initially thought.

Ben’s explanation grew and Viola was glad for the break in her thoughts. “Times where you can just be…” Her words echoed Ben’s softly, falling into the air and disappearing into the darkening air like the smoke of the cigarette. Vi did nothing but ‘just be’. But Ben’s tone brought a small smile to her lips as she looked at him. Her mind was still full of those confusing thoughts but she realised- or at least thought she did- that Ben seemed happy in his place in life. And that in turn made her happy. This was also a strange concept to her. That she was a little more cheerful just because Ben seemed happy… she only had that sort of relationship with people like Julie, Heidi and Carson; people she had known for a long time and cared about a great deal. How odd.

Viola hadn’t noticed the cold much, but as Ben mentioned it she realised that she had essentially stolen his jacket; he must be freezing. Biting her bottom lip gently she paused at his next words. Somewhere to stay… well, Viola had somewhere to stay. It seemed silly that he should pay for an inn if she had a perfectly good mattress he could nick for the night. But… Viola was hesitant. This, she knew, was not an effort of his to get into her pants- she recognised that instantly. It took a moment but Viola made up her mind. In a casual sense, as though it were perfectly normal, she laughed off his idea of an inn. “Don’t be daft. I have an empty house; Julie will keep Alfie for the night. I have no parents, brothers or their families to crowd my place. Although I do warn you, it’s tiny.” She didn’t yet mention that he would have to take the thin mattress and throw it on the floor somewhere with sheets and a duvet. Viola did not own a double bed but a single. And her ‘sofa’ was an elegant wooden church pew, so he couldn’t crash there. “We can apparate, perhaps from behind there?” She indicated an area far from any prying eyes, behind a gathering of large dense bushes.

((Sorry it’s a little short. If Ben consents, there’s a rough description of Vi’s house in this post, unless you wish to skip that. (: G-mode her all you want. ))

[Ben O'Leary]

At first, Vi's laughing at Ben and calling him daft might have seemed hurtful, but Ben soon realized she was kindly offering him a place to stay so that he'd not need to spend money staying at an inn for the night. Ben nervously matched her laughter as he realised she was serious in her offer. "Oh, I don't know," he said hesitantly, not wanting to seem impeding on Viola, her life, or her house. "Are you sure?" She seemed sure. Without saying much more, Ben simply shrugged. "If you insist."

The two of them took cover behind the bushes which Viola had suggested, and Ben place his hand firmly on her shoulder while she apparated. He had never been fond of piggybacking on another person when aparating. Something about it seemed so dangerous. What if they made a mistake? What if they weren't as good at apparating as he was? Ben wasn't a professional apparator or anything, but he was confident in his abilities. Now though, he was too relaxed from the drinks to worry about such things. Plus, he seemed to instinctively trust Viola without realizing it.

Soon, they were inside her house, or what Ben assumed was her house. Despite the unique decor, one of the first things Ben noticed was the relief from the cold and wind. "Ahh, warmth," he said with a sigh, then taking a moment to observe the surroundings. He noticed that there was no lack of colour in Vi's flat. Where some might find that too many colours would clash or overwhelm the sense of sight, Viola had apparently had no worry of such things. The floor was especially intricate, a rug of multi-colored patterns and designs. Ben did find himself dizzying a bit though when he'd look directly down. Likely, the result of his sobering process mixing with the abstractness of the rug. He searched for some sort of comment or compliment to offer Vi concerning her living room, but nothing came easily to mind. "Interesting place," he said simply but honestly. It wasn't that Ben didn't like it, he just found it unlike any other house he'd been in. It was truly indicative of Vi's personality though.

Turning, Ben found himself startled to see a mirror image of his entire body, of the entire room actually, which was reflected from a wall-sized mirror. He hadn't seen a mirror that large before. "Whoa, there are two of me. And two of you." He laughed, hoping to God that this wasn't just his imagination, the results of the drinking. Surely he had been sobering for a bit now. This wasn't his mind playing tricks on him. Ben looked back at Vi, the real Vi and not the Vi from the mirror. "I don't mean to seem needy," he said, biting his lower lip, "but do you think I might be able to get a glass of water? It usually helps to keep me from getting sick after I drink quite a bit. I don't want to.... umm... get sick all over your house, all over this rug," he said, looking down again and then quickly back up as his head spun a few more circles.

[Viola Hudson]

Viola was not immediately worried about how Ben would see her house. She adored it and it suited her; what anyone else thought was their business and they could keep it to themselves or suffer a serious mouthful from the small witch. However, she found herself pressing further on this matter as she and Ben arrived in her small living area. What would he think? She almost wished she could read his mind and know what he truthfully thought. She knew of some people that disapproved of her odd décor and lack of matching furniture- incompatible in era and colours- and that her style was not something everyone could enjoy. Her mind continued to wonder if Ben was one of those people. As it delved into these questions and her eyes studied her companion’s face expectantly, she shocked herself with realising that she wouldn’t mind changing something- what she didn’t know- to please Ben a little more. This stunned her into silence for a moment. Viola Hudson, truly caring about what someone else thought? And not just someone- a guy. A guy she barely knew. A guy she barely knew, who would never be interested in her. Unless he was drunk, as tonight had showed only too clearly.

For a moment Viola struggled with the idea of keeping Ben as drunk as possible for as long as she could. But that was ridiculous. She knew that the time would come when he would sober up completely, realise his mistakes, and scarper before she could do a thing. But another glance at Ben alerted Viola to the fact that he was already a lot more sober than she had expected. With this realisation she noticed that she was in much the same state. Her thinking was less cloudy, her brain more organised, and her sense of what was right and wrong a little sharper. And she did not regret kissing Ben. This second understanding made her smile inwardly, unsure of how it really made her feel. Perhaps, if her feelings about the kiss were so unchanged, Ben’s would be the same too? She hoped so. Viola wanted her worries that Ben would come to his senses to be wrong. She was slowly realising that she didn’t know him as well as she had initially thought. He was surprising her with his actions and this was endearing to Viola. It urged her to press his character further, to almost challenge him into being a different person. So far she was sure he had already done various things that were not normal for him. Vi wondered what else he would do.

Interesting... Her doubts about how he would see her place had quietened and she merely smiled at his comment now, her mind on other things. Only her eyes stayed on Ben as he shifted slightly and caught sight of himself in the mirror. This object was one of Viola’s favourites. It interested her to wait for Ben’s reaction to seeing himself so suddenly and when that reaction came she grinned lightly. Her own reflection in the mirror had become like a shadow to her when she was in this room. Vi was used to it and paid it no attention at all, but enjoyed knowing that she could see all behind her just by glancing up. Because of this it had taken her a moment to register what Ben was referring to. She followed his eyes and glanced at the mirror wall only to find he was looking at her. She didn’t look at him- not the real Ben anyway- but continued watching his reflection. She noticed his teeth nip gently at his lower lip and for some reason the small gesture was enticing. Viola had a thing about biting lips.

Once more she responded slowly to Ben’s comments, her mind yet again side-tracked. Once it registered in her brain what he was asking she shook herself mentally and physically before nodding swiftly. “Of course! Sorry for not offering. Never been a good hostess.” She smiled fleetingly before moving from the room, gesturing absent-mindedly for Ben to follow her. Moments later she had fetched two tall blue glasses and a bottle of fresh filtered water, setting about pouring them. Her movements were slow; she was prone to spill things even without alcohol in her system. As she poured her eyes tracked the swift running water. Normally Vi would end the night with a nice glass of red wine, perhaps a book or a cd to send her to sleep. Just the usual evening comforts that she liked to relax to. Water was a different thing altogether and Viola wondered why she wasn’t fetching a wine bottle instead of a water one.
“Here you go.” She handed Ben the first glass, sipping her own before jumping quickly up and sitting on the counter edge beside the sink, her legs dangling slowly and her fingers tapping against her glass to their own rhythm. “So tell me, doctor, is your only reason for not wanting to go back to your family the alcohol in your system?” Vi spoke softly after a moments silence, which she spent studying Ben analytically. She had a sudden urge to know more about Ben. With this came her usual hunger to know about families, about relationships with sisters and brother, and especially parents. This was a topic that had always interested Viola for fairly obvious reasons.

[Ben O'Leary]

Ben smiled at Vi's slowed reaction to his request. He had a hard time figuring if it was the sobering process which slowed her reaction or something else. Was he imagining her drawn out glances his way, or were they real? He decided not to dwell on it, following Viola into the kitchen. "Thanks," he said when she offered him the drink. He chugged half of the water as Vi took her own glass and hopped up onto her kitchen counter. In standing there, Ben felt his own view shifting back to Vi every few seconds. Neither said much for a minute or so, despite Ben thinking of all the things he might say. It was somewhat sad how quiet he could be when the alcohol was gone. It was almost as though his confidence was disappearing by the second.

An instinctive laugh escaped his lips when Vi addressed him as 'doctor.' And, despite the question being one that jabbed into his personal life, Ben found it very easy to answer. "No." The hard part was deciding which other reason to reveal first. "They're not like me," he explained, shrugging as he scrunched his face just slightly. In his mind, he knew exactly what he meant by that, but he realized it was still a vague reason which would need a better explanation. "I'm the black sheep, I guess you could say. Never really got on well with my brothers. We don't hate each other, but it's hardly worth our effort to try to get along." Granted, it had always been Ben who gave any effort at all. Once he realized his brothers didn't care, he stopped caring himself. Ben knew he didn't need their acceptance or approval. It would have been nice, he presumed, but he had learned to live without it for so long. It wasn't even something that bothered him anymore. At least not much more than the basic annoyance that spending time with the entire family seemed to evoke within him.

"Why rush back to a house full of people who probably don't even realize I'm not there whenever I could be here with someone who managed to get me to to do things I'd normally not do." He gave a guilty grin as he downed the last of his water. For a moment, he felt his pocket for his wand, intending to refill the cup. He decided against it though, realizing his stomach could use a break from all the liquid. He was a feeling a bit better, now that he wasn't surrounded by the abstract rug and gigantic mirror. He assumed he might be able to appreciate the uniqueness of both items when he was completely sober. Ben closed the gap of the kitchen which separated himself and Viola as he walked his empty glass over to the sink where she was sitting. Carefully, he placed it with the other few dishes in the sink and then leaned back against the counter beside Vi. "Wow. Is that clock right? I'm not even very tired."

[Viola Hudson]

The laugh pleased her- although the subject was possibly quite heavy, she had managed to make him laugh even just a small chuckle. Laughter was the best medicine, after maybe alcohol, music, and sex… but laughter was still great. Viola laughed a lot, whether it was chuckling, sniggering, or full blown-out booming laughter. She was even prone to snorting a little when she found something particularly amusing, but knew she shouldn’t be laughing at it. Her laugh didn’t join with Ben’s then but she smiled into her glass at his amusement. Then his words came and she forgot about her glass, letting it rest casually in her lap in both hands, though not really noticing it’s presence there. Her eyes narrowed slightly to focus on what Ben was saying while her lips suffered as her teeth bit them. It was difficult to work out much of the situation but Viola gathered the general gist of things. It was odd that she had never heard about Ben’s history from Heidi- they were best friends after all- and she almost scolded herself for not knowing, for not realising that Ben was… well, that he was there. How odd that she had found this interesting man in just a few hours, when in truth he had been so close almost her entire life. In a tiny sigh Viola wondered what was worse- having a family but no connection, devoid of any brotherly love or care, or no family at all; where you didn’t have to worry about whether or not your brothers loved you. She found that she couldn’t decide.

Viola didn’t say much in response to the topic on his brothers as she found there was not much to say. As he had made clear- it was a simple situation. They didn’t care much for him and that was that. She nodded slowly. “In Greenfield’s – that’s where I grew up – there were these two brothers.” Her brow creased as she recalled their names. Viola knew the names of almost all her children from the Home. They had formed a bond that none of them would have found in a family, or through sibling love. It was special and in that instant she knew that she preferred her childhood to Ben’s- although the question in her mind was still there, as always. What if? What if Vi had a family? What would they be like- would she be who she was now? “- two brothers, Callum and Jarod. They were twins and hated each other, hated how everyone expected them to be best friends simply because they shared a room for nine months straight.” Although she didn’t say it, both twins had regularly come to her for the motherly things they missed, which is how she knew how much the hate affected them both. “You couldn’t see an ounce of love in their eyes normally, it was painful to watch. And they hurt so much from being hated- but hurt even more from hating the other.” She didn’t summarise her little memory to Ben because it was obvious- sometimes it was better to have neither hate nor love, rather than just hate, which could torture you.

His next words brought her focus snapping back to him and she smiled weakly at them. “You should do something new to you every day. Refreshes the mind, prepares the body. Today,” She looked directly at him, hesitating. “Today I did something new; I became attracted to someone I wouldn’t normally.” And someone who is Heidi’s best friend… It was not an insult, telling Ben that he was weird or anything but merely the truth. Viola was not shy for having admitted that she had feelings for Ben; she would never be shy for saying that. But her voice did become a little softer, a little quieter, and her eyes watched his as they searched for a reaction. But this was never really Viola’s way. If she was attracted to someone and wanted to know if they felt the same, then she would not speak about it- she’s act on it. Actions always spoke louder than words after all. So when Ben moved over to the sink (reminding Vi about her pile of washing up) she watched him slowly and smiled lightly at his comment. “It’s probably wrong, I’ve never set it. But it is late.” Then she gently flicked one foot around him and pulled him slowly closer until he was standing in front of her, her legs either side of his form. She didn’t kiss him as might have been expected, merely sat comfortably, enjoying how close Ben was. “If you’re not tired, what do you fancy doing until you are? We’ve got… uh… Scrabble…”

[Ben O'Leary]

He supposed that Vi's story about the twins was meant to portray some sort of lesson or meaning. Truth was, he wasn't really in the mood to decipher what the meaning was, even if it was something as simple as the idea that families shouldn't fight as much as they did. At least this was the simplistic notion that Ben was going to take from her mentioning it. At the same time, he couldn't help but ignore this comment when it was followed by a rather unexpected one shortly after.

You. Attracted to me? He wanted to say those words, but he didn't. Instead, he let out a laugh. A nervous one, at that. "Somebody must still be a little tipsy," he managed, playing along with what he imagined had to have been some sort of fun game that Vi was playing. If it were a game though, he wasn't expecting her next move. Check mate, the voice inside his head rang whenever Vi's leg lured his body in closer to hers. Not knowing what to do with his hands, Ben fumbled them, taking one into the other as a small barrier between himself and Viola. Then, he rubbed them together nervously. "Scrabble?" How could she do what she just did and then suggest that they play Scrabble? It just didn't make sense in Ben's mind. Then again, girls rarely made much sense to him, and he didn't see why Vi would be an exception.

His eyes locked onto hers, and he could hear the rising heart beat thumping in his chest. The battle between instinct and nerves lingered from his head to his toes, and Ben did what he was always good at: standing like a deer in headlights, a mute child, a wanderer without a map. "Scrabble sounds great..." Great? Scrabble sounds great? What kind of lame answer is that, Ben? A dropping feeling took over him as though he just let a beautiful tower fall to the ground in front of him. A tower that had been so skillfully built in everything that Vi had done and said. She'd opened him up to new things, admitted her attraction to him, and then pulled him in closer. All Ben had to do was make his move. Perhaps another kiss. A kind word. Anything would have seemed better than his lame reply. Scrabble sounds great.

Pathetic.