A change is evident in one so belligerent.

[flint_ferocia]

Date: Thursday, Sept. 7th
Time: 5pm-ish
Place: The Leaky Cauldron
Characters Involved: Lavender Brown, Marcus Flint
Rating: Ok so R, for implied actions and obvious language.

Comments

[flint_ferocia]

“I’m about to ash on your floor- if you care.” Came Marcus’ voice, after he inhaled greedily. It wasn’t that he was trying to be polite; he just wanted to let her know what he was about to do, just in case she’d like to stop him. Or try to. He had a mind to just do it, but after all that Lavender said, and how fast the silence grew around them, he felt inclined to break the tension with an off the wall topic.

He just needed to get his thoughts straight a few more seconds, and felt this distraction would buy him some time.

Everything she had done, after his mind had been probed to remember his duty as ‘son’ had an edge to be irritating. Marcus knew enough about Lavender now to see past certain things that annoyed him, as to get use of her a little while longer before venturing back to Hell. Her giggles, her inquires, the way that he caught her staring at him- all of it was dismissible. But this evening was different. Her attitude had grown more confident, and her questions were hardly vague- as once they’ve been. And possible he began to see something in her that he liked- whether it be her servitude or her loyalty, he did not know. Add in the fact that Marcus was also drained of his normal energy and drive, and one could understand his confusion.

But he lifted himself up, making Lavender a few spaces farther away, even if she would not bulge from his warning to dirty her floor. He needed to stare at her in a safe manner, as if Marcus was uneasy about the chance that she might be more affectionate if she noticed his intense stare. Dark brown eyes were fixed to her pale face like glue, in a serious and considerate manner. Marcus needed to find his answers on what to say- and to make sure he said what he truly meant, and to make sure of what that was.

Then after much consideration, he found his means to an end.
“I can’t plan anything, well not definite things. Some days I may work long hours, other’s I might be out of the country. I’ve worked for my Father before, and it leaves hardly any room to breathe.” He stole a drag, and then tore his eyes away to glance at a wall.

“So long as this is where you are, I’ll know how to find you. My only hope is that you keep this look….” He turned to her again as his free hand waved down the length of her naked body. “This will be only mine still, if it takes a week.

“Don’t disrupt my peace with sharing. It’s a very bad habit, so it’s best not to start.”

[mslavenderbrown]

Lavender just shrugged when he mentioned ashing on her floor. It's not like she had an ash tray or anything, though... She made a mental note to pick one up sometime on her way home from work. At any case, it would just take a quick flick of her wand to clean it. Or maybe she'd leave it there, a bit of proof that he had come.

When he moved from her, her fingers slipped out of his hair, and she looked at her hand, feeling a bit puzzled, before looking up at him. She had been expecting him to get closer, to be able to at least continue to tease his hair. Lavender's toes curled tightly as he stared at her. He had one of the most direct and strongest stares that she had ever seen. It reminded her faintly of Snape, though that wasn't a pleasant thought in the bedroom. So focused and solemn. She moved a bit, feeling uncomfortable, and reaching out a hand to rest on his chest, biting her lip. She wanted to roll over, and pretend that he wasn't looking at her. It was so much nicer when he looked at her with a grin -- or even a smirk, because then he knew that he liked what he saw. But this made her feel as though he was more ready to get up and leave, and it didn't look like he was mentally clearing his calender to ensure time with her.

And, of course, he wasn't.

Lavender wasn't sure what exactly she had been expecting. She wanted to be made to feel as though she were a priority, someone he wanted desperately to see. Her white teeth bit down a little harder on her lip as she lowered her gaze down to his chest instead of his cold eyes. No, she wasn't a priority. She couldn't even try to lie to herself about that.

He just wants me to wait here? she thought, stealing a few glances around the room. Was he at least going to give word? She was so lonely, and she wanted to be with him more. Lavender let her hand slide a bit more along his chest, keeping her eyes on it. She was a little afraid she might get teary if she had to look at him in the eyes. What was he asking her to do? Just sit around each night, ready for him to pop in?

She could see his hand gesturing towards her body, and her toes curled tighter, an edge of her mouth creeping up in a smile, a cynical smile, a sad smile.

"Well, you should give me more warning," she mumbled. "It's not like I don't have a life except when you're around." She tilted her head to the side, still not looking at him. "Why don't you try to clear things up? Maybe just one evening. We could.. We could go out to dinner, or something." And then there would be more of this. She didn't think she was asking for a lot. Just an evening with him, planned, set out, she could make herself look more pretty. Buy a new dress, or some new earrings.

When he even suggested that she would share, she finally flipped her eyes up. By this time, he wasn't even looking at her. Her brows furrowed and she could feel a few hot tears forming at the edges of her eyes. "I'm not like that," she said, squinting her eyes to keep them from showing. "I don't do that." He had made jokes before. About 'turning her into a monster' who would go out and sleep around. And now these. She moved her hand from his chest and slid a hand to her face, covering it for only a split second to regain control of her expression. There were no tears, not yet, and her face had a steely aspect to it. What did he think she was? Some sort of common whore? . A thought crept into her mind. She bit her lip, the steeliness starting to fade away Maybe he's been cheated on, she considered. She understood -- stupid Ronald Weasley had cheated on her with Hermione Granger. That had hurt her, a lot. She still would love to get back at Hermione somehow. But Hermione wasn't important at the moment. Just Marcus. If he had been hurt like her -- that would explain a lot. Wouldn't it? He'd never admit to it, of course.

A sort of sad smile found it's way back onto her face, and she looked back at him. "I'm not the cheating kind, Marcus," she told him, edging her body closer towards him. She reached out to touch his chest, and continued to move closer, suddenly wanting to kiss him.

[flint_ferocia]

When he was clear of her touches, Marcus lifted up and inclined to sit, and flicked ash on her floor with a finger. He found another agitating comment fall from her lips, and was quickly getting tired of all the demands. Perhaps it infuriated him more only because he was telling her the truth. Lavender was reminding him of even the littlest choices Marcus didn’t have in his life, all because of his Father.

“Look, do as you like.” He replied with a tinge of bitterness. He wished to be as controlling of her as his Father was of him, but knew he wouldn’t fully have it. Not yet, anyway. “I’m not expecting you to sit around in your room. I meant here, the Leaky.”

Then Marcus rose from the bed and reclaimed his pants. And his trousers. The cigarette was held by a squeeze of his lips as he dressed his lower half. When he was done, he flicked another ash while sitting down near her. Looking at her complete form with an exhausted gaze, he stole another inhale.

“I don’t miss dinner with my Father. That’d be disrespectful. I don’t just make plans, expecting Him to excuse me, to work around my schedule. I can tell now that you wouldn’t understand. -So don’t worry about.”

He allowed ash from his fag to fall to the floor again, after another drag, and then walked around the bed to the window to push it ajar, and steal a glance outside. Lavender kept denying that she wouldn’t enjoy other men, but again he knew that is what women did. He wasn’t about to trust it would be so, just because she said it would. Marcus knew women were in demand.

Then he flung his cigarette out of the window, before joining her on the bed again. If there was a small chance she would remain only his, he wanted to secure it and not fail that too. She edged closer, so Marcus put a hand on her exposed, creamy thigh.

“We’ll see…” He said softly, then leaned over and kissed Lavender gently, carefully. A slow movement, as if his lips were testing hers for a trail of lies. Quickly it ended, and then Marcus leaned off the bed to pick up his shirt.

“I better be going.” He stated quietly, softly, as if to not disturb or distress her anymore- or provoke any more needless questions.

[mslavenderbrown]

She watched him flick the ash, and she realized that she was starting to get a bit of ash on her bed. She reached over and put it out against the glass of a picture frame. Lavender was in a bit of shock that he still wouldn’t give her a time that they could meet again. Oh, so not just my room? she thought, annoyed. He expects me to just wait around the Leaky? She rolled over and look at the wall while he dressed. The hollowness was already started to seep back into her. Pursing her lips while he couldn’t see her, she considered. The fact that he wanted to be respectful to his father was certainly a good thing. She just didn’t want it to mean that he couldn’t even take her out to dinner. But there had to be times where he didn’t have to be with his father, right? Turning over, she saw him half-dressed, and shivered as he touched her thigh. Her hand stole across his still bare chest, and she raised her body into his kiss, savoring it as much as she could, and trying to prolong it. Anything, anything to keep him from leaving so soon. She half heartedly tried to run her hands along his arms as he got up, but she knew there was no real use to it. He wasn’t going to stay, no matter what she did.

Lavender wanted to curl under her blankets and cry, but she made herself wait. If he was going to leave her, and not even tell her when she might possibly see him again, she wanted his last sight of her to be beautiful. So she raised her chin and gave him an impish grin-she was sure he wouldn’t be able to tell there was no heart behind it-, crossed her legs at the ankle and her hands over her stomach.

There were a million things she considered saying. Don't make me wait too long... I need you to come soon... I feel empty when you go... I'm scared you don't care about me... Please, tell me that I'm beautiful? Or offer ideas of when they could meet. For lunch, at my work, at a muggle bar, at Madam Puddifoots, a book shop, or….. or…. Anywhere. Anywhere. Just soon.

Did he not understand that she was trying to offer more than her body? That she wanted to place her heart in his hand and help him curl his fingers over it. His soft tone may be meant to placate her, but it only made her feel worse. She bit her lip, the impish grin starting to slip, but she kept it up, made it grow wider.

He was so smooth and cold. A Slytherin. And she felt like a Hufflepuff, puttering about and wanting to barrage him with a million questions and pleas, feeling as scattered as a jigsaw puzzle poured onto the floor. Where was the courage she supposedly had? To take charge of situations? She wanted to say something, and not leave it at that, but she couldn’t think of anything that didn’t make her sound like a fool. Lavender hardly ever cared if she sounded like a fool - most men liked that, after all, but - she desired Marcus’ respect. And she didn’t know how to get it.

“Goodbye, then, Marcus,” she said, one of her fingers running against her skin, underlining the tattoo that continued it’s smoky repetition of his name. And then, because she couldn’t keep it back, she blurted out, “I’ll miss you.” Her face flushed. The tears were waiting, but even if she couldn't control her words, she was determined to control them as long as he was in her room.

[flint_ferocia]

He threw on every layer, bit by bit, slowly and mechanical. Though every so often Marcus would place his eyes on Lavender, to observe her beauty and fragileness. Not because she was gorgeous did he stare intently, but because of her innocence that was deep inside such a frail body. Looking at her made him feel powerful in way, knowing that he had overpowered her before- and could do it again. But he tried not to meet her eyes, if he could help it, and instead looked at what naturally attracted him.

This girl is falling, he thought casually. And why was that? Had he done something to make her see more into this equation? Had he said anything to allow her to believe he loved her? It was hard to wrap his mind around, even as she proclaimed to ‘miss’ him.

Well what more could he expect, Lavender obviously saw something good in him. Or a part of him. Was she to blame for knowing a good thing? He smirked as his mind relayed to him that at least she was appreciative.

“I’ll be back,” he said calmly, with a faint grin- that kind of looked like his usual smirks. “It’s not like I’m going to die tomorrow.”

Then he threw on his black robe, and reached over to stroke at one of her shins. “You’ve gotten better, so I’ll be curious about next time.” He squeezed her leg firmly, before letting go and walking off toward the bedroom door.

[mslavenderbrown]

What else could she do? She nodded dumbly as he promised that he'd be back. But still, not even a hint of how soon it would be. She'd end up sitting around at the Leaky Cauldron all week, probably, if it took him that long.

When he reached out to touch her leg she wouldn't have minded if he had been harsher with his grip. When he still touched her, he wasn't gone. But he was on his way out the door-- and then-- Gone.

As soon as she could hear him stepping away she rolled over onto her stomach and pulled the pillow he had been relaxing on to her face, and began crying silently. Why did it hurt so much for him to go? How could she show him how much he cared? What was it going to take for him to return it?