It was a nice summer afternoon and Aethlinde Arlett was out in the Hogwarts Gardens. It had not been long since the holidays were over and yet she was unaffected by all of this. She had not gone home after all and decided to stay within the castle. It had been fine with her for it gave her more opportunities to wander around and sketch the castle halls. It was eerily silent but the solitary environment gave it a noce touch to the photographs and numerous sketches her once blank sketchbook now contained. Now that the holidays were over though, the castle was once again filled with bustling students and if she were to stay in the halls with a camera and sketchbook in hand, she was sure it would catch attention, so she opted to stay in the Gardens. The flowers were still in full bloom and the trees and grass still a luscious green that garnered her attention. It had been half an hour ago since she had seated herself under the shade of a tree and had begun sketching when she heard the subtlest of noise from above. She knew who it was. In fact, she had already given up on trying to escape his gaze though it did not fail to sometimes send chills down her spine. She paused for a moment on her task and looked up, trying to find the boy that had not ceased on following her movements once in a while. Havoc.
Ever since the Yule Ball and what Havoc Zhefarovich had done to Logan by simply looking at him, and saying those things to that one Hufflepuff girl that seemed to guard that muggle-born with a passion, Havoc could see just what he did to people without doing anything at all. He did hear about his twin brother, Chaos, finally gaining a girlfriend which had him concerned. Chaos needed to be free because of the arranged marriage. It was custom. It was tradition. It was sacred to the family. Did Chaos not understand that? Perhaps this was something else. Havoc debated over this as he sat within the limbs of the tree that he climbed, only to spy down below at none other than the girl that was Aethlinde Arlett. Havoc was practicing his stealth when it came down to her. He wanted to be effective, much like the Hades' generation. Plus, now things have changed since the king of the family was passed down to some manner. Havoc had been there. He looked down, as he continued to watch. She finally looked up, knowing that he was there. Much like the devil on the shoulder that no one wanted. He did not bother saying anything, however. He did not need to. His purple eyes stared. It was almost haunting. Havoc was having difficulty holding his 'nice guy' routine. He was instead more of a control freak that suddenly seemed apathetic and could use his voice to manipulate others around him to do as he pleased.
It had not been too long of a task to find the boy that had been observing her for a while now. She knew she was often sketching when he would follow her and she could understand that there was a good view. But would there be one up there? Wouldn't it be just leaves and branches? And why was he up there anyway? She had never been a fan of climbing or anything related to academics or sports. She would always fail one way or the other, but now she was quite wondering what the fuss was about. Perhaps there would be something nice to sketch up there that he could see. Not wanting to shout though, she instead packed her sketchbook and pencils into her bag and slung it over her shoulder before looking at the tree questioningly. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she tried to climb and was managing very slowly as she grabbed and stepped on branches for support, her lithe form making it a bit easier. As she neared him however, her knees were shaking as she could tell that she was not exactly on low height by now and it unnerved her. She grabbed another branch and hauled herself up, but when her foot had stepped on to another branch, it snapped and she screamed in her surprise as her grasp had slip. That was it, she was going to fall. She should have known that she would fail the simplest of task.
Havoc was rather comfortable within the tree, leaning against the bark as he continued to watch through the branches and leaves. However, something happened that he did not count on. He narrowed his purple eyes as he thought, 'What is she doing?' The look within her eyes said that she wanted to come up. And her gathering her things said the same thing. Havoc continued to observe, silent as a gust of wind. He watcher her movements, and he could tell from the start that she was not going to make it far. She was too fragile. Too frightened. He could see her knees not holding up, and he leaned from the bark. No, he could see what was going to happen. And he had to debate on whether or not it would be worth the effort. It might not benefit him if he just let her fall. Just as Havoc finished that thought, the branch snapped and she was on her way down. Havoc swiftly threw his other leg around the thick branch he was on, and swung so that he was upside down, hanging by his legs firmly. He used his hand to quickly grab her wrist before she went down. He had a good grip on her, which was better than nothing. "Aeth, you are fine." For now. His grip could only last so long, since he wasn't the strongest kid on the block. Hanging upside down was not the best position for Havoc, but hell, he couldn't just let her get hurt. Anyone else, sure. Not her.
Aethlinde had been surprised, shocked even, when she stopped falling midair and something was holding on to her wrist. She looked up and was met with the purple eyes of Havoc as he hung upside down while he held on to her wrist and kept her from falling to the ground. "T-thank you," she said when he told her she was fine. Knocking some small bit of sense back into her, she grabbed what looked like a sturdy branch with the hand that was not in his grasp and pulled herself closer to the tree. "T-that is a difficult position. You can let go now," she stuttered out once she her feet was on a stable branch and was no longer dangling in the air. It was not a fatal fall should she have hit the ground, but she was sure her petite body would at least suffer some broken bones or a sprain or two. She was thankful that he caught her but she cursed her stupidity and incapability at the simplest of tasks. This was why she did not bother to make friends. She would only be a hindrance and a bother. "I'm sorry," was all she said.
Havoc heard Aethlinde thank him, and continued to hold on to her. Havoc did not say anything as of yet. He did not need to. She was safe. He supposed that was what mattered. If not, he would have carried her to the hospital wing. But whatever, that was not the case this time. He saw that she had a sturdy branch below him, and she said that he could let go. Havoc did just that, and she did not fall. He was in good shape. Havoc made sure that she had her position stable, before he reached up and grabbed onto his branch. Instead of going into to her branch, he did a flip and hung onto it upright before pulling himself up. Havoc perched onto the tree once more, and he heard her apologize. He smirked to himself, "There is no need to apologize to me." Merlin knew what sort of acts he did, and that bit of good did not cancel out the emotional damage he inflicted this year alone. "What made you decide to come up here anyway?" Havoc asked as he leaned against the bark once more, staring at her. He couldn't just follow her or watch her now. Was she adapting to his techniques?
Aethlinde smiled ruefully and shook her head. There was certainly a need for an apology. If she had not been stupid to climb the tree when she really did not know how, then she would not have caused trouble for him. She had to apologize for being a bother, she always was one after all. She did not move from her spot as she held on to the branch lest she falls off again. It was certainly not an experience she wanted a repeat of. She could figure out how to get down later. "You," she answered simply before she realized that what she had said made absolutely no sense. "I was curious if you had seen any good sights up here," she said as she finally looked away from his piercing gaze, her hair once more covering her face. Getting lost in those eyes of his were dangerous, even if she wanted nothing more than capture every single detail and emotion they held.
The one word that she could have used to catch him off guard, it was the him that brought her up to tree. Havoc did not motion for her to follow him up here. He did not even desire it. Instead, she acted on her own. Then, she rephrased it saying that she was curious if he had seen any good sights up here. Havoc shook his head, "There are no sights up here that catch my eyes." Havoc's fingers traced the design of the bark before he fell into silence. He reached up and grabbed the branch above his head, and allowed himself to fall, so that he hung by his arm alone. He lowered himself to the branch next to Aethlinde, before balancing on it. Havoc closed the distance between them as she hid herself away from the world. His free hand moved her hair from her face, before he stated, "There's no need to hide while you are up here. The only one that watches you, would be me."
Havoc's answer confused Aethlinde to no end. If he had not seen any good sights then why was he on the tree in the first place. Her position was too low to be a good vantage point so even she could see nearly nothing saved from what she could already see down below. His earlier position had been higher though and yet there seemed to be none if his words were anything to go by. She could only wonder what he was doing up there so long. But then again, it was not her business. Her musings had been stopped when she caught sight from the corner of her eye and the strands of her hair that he had lowered himself nearer to her. She held the branch closer should the one under her feet give out and she swallowed a lump forming in her throat. No longer had she flinched when he felt his hand move her hair, although she held in a shaky breath as he did so. "Why would you watch me? There is nothing good to be seen," she breathed out and yet she made no move to get away from his touch.
Havoc dangled in the tree, using only one arm and his legs to hold him up. She no longer flinched at his touch, which means that she was adjusting, or perhaps, adapting. Either way, Havoc was appreciating this. She was adapting well, which means he could have his way with her, as in have her do his bidding without bringing up suspicion. "You are your own worst critic. That is a fact," Havoc purred, using his voice to only convince her of what he thought was right. "You are the epitome of good, and don't think that doesn't piss me off. Yet, if you do something wrong, no one will suspect it. That's what I like about you." Havoc was being honest. Aethlinde was good. Innocent. And he wanted to corrupt her. But he had to tempt her mind, little by little. Too much and it would destroy everything he wanted to do. For now, Havoc would have to be slow. Careful but charming. "Why would you think there is nothing good about you? Do you have misplaced, bad feelings about yourself?"
Aethlinde could only ponder on his words as she remained unmoving from his touch. Was she a worst critic of her own self? Perhaps. But then again, she was only repeating what has already been said. Or saying things that had already been thought of by someone who is not herself. But that is something that he does not need to know. Aeli could not help but look at him from the corner of her eye. She could not bring herself to look at him directly for she knew he was watching her and if she was to look at him, she would find herself enchanted by those purple eyes of his once again. She wonders where he gets the idea that she is good. Solitary was different from good that's for sure. Perhaps she had done bad deeds but they were never known to her, but it was most likely that she did for some of her siblings to dislike her so. She bit her lip on his words. She couldn't bring herself to believe them fully, but she found solace in them. "They are not misplaced because they are true. I am the epitome of a failure and nobody would want somebody like me. You will be better off without me," she said when she finally turned to look at him, her tone was foreign to her. She had never thought she could sound so disappointed in herself and yet so lonely.
She countered what Havoc thought, but he knew that he said was true. Havoc looked down at her lips for a moment, before he smirked slightly. Everything about her was perfect. But she did not see it. Her beauty was only matched by other part-veelas. She was a gorgeous creature, and he did not know why she did not see it herself. She thought of herself as a failure. "That is where you are wrong. You should no longer have a say in what you believe you are. Now, I want you to look at me. Directly." Havoc used the hand that was touching her hair so that it was caressing her face, to get her to look into his eyes. That was key for what he was going to say. His voice low, purring and almost mesmerizing. That was how he was going to entice her to think differently. First, about herself. Then, others. "What I say is right, because I believe that you are good, and fine the way you are. You should put your trust within me. I would do you no harm or wrong. Besides, I don't associate myself with failures, and you, Aeth, are not a failure. I want you to repeat what I said." Havoc awaited her response, while cradling her cheek.
Aethlinde had turned to face him but quickly averted her eyes from his own. Her gaze settled upon his lips while her own were parted slightly, releasing her shaky breaths as her nerves were currently hyperactive to his touch. To his gaze. She had never been in such proximity with anyone but her family. Even more so, a male from school. She had begun to notice their difference, he was taller and more built as she was small and petite. His words rang in her head and she could feel her nervousness raging within her as he caressed her face and told her to look at him. Green met purple and she couldn't help but lick her lips which suddenly felt so dry. He was superior to her in every way and yet he had done her no wrong. Could she really bring himself to trust him? Does he really not think of her as a failure? Her mind was running a mile a minute and she was left speechless wifh his words. She wanted to close her eyes to calm herself but she couldn't help but continue to stare at his eyes. "You believe that I am good and fine the way I am. I should put my trust in you and you would do me no harm or wrong. I am not a failure," she whispered just so only he would hear. She knew not if their words held truth, but she had repeated it for him nonetheless.
Havoc could tell that she was nervous. Her breaths were shaky, but he did not know why. Was it the nearness? Was he too close to her? Havoc noticed that she was staring at his lips, but for now, he would ignore that. He was waiting for her to do as she was told. She finally looked into his eyes, and said what he was looking for. He could sense that she did not really believe them. "Very good. You have done me proud." He looked down at her form, and noticed that she was very small, petite, which definitely canceled against his own tall form. He could pick her up and toss her out of the tree, but instead, his touch was gentle, much like a bird. He could hurt her. Clinch the side of her head and shove her out of the tree. But he did not. She was putting her trust within him. Perhaps not completely, but he would have to work on that. It might take time, but he was patient. He remembered Chaos telling him something once a while back. Something about kissing a girl. Should he? Something about Hufflepuff girls appealed to the twins. 'Let's see as an experiment. If girls love affection, I could use this to my advantage,' thought Havoc. Havoc murmured, "Be very still, Aeth." Havoc leaned forward, slowly, almost making the moment last, before gently placing his lips upon hers in a gentle kiss.
Aethlinde was frazzled by the close proximity they shared. She had realized their differences earlier, but now she was really seeing the vast differences between them. He wasn't just taller and leaner than her, but she was tiny in comparison to him. He could very well shove her out of the tree. He could have dragged her anywhere in the Ball. He could have thrown her in the lake when they met. He could have hurt her anytime he wanted to because of the difference in their size alone. But he didn't. Nor did he hurt her with magic. And yet she found herself reluctant to place her complete trust in him. And she knew it was not his fault. She was afraid that he would be like her messed up family. And she didn't want that. She had always viewed herself as unwanted and if he realized that, he would want to leave as well. She continued to stare at his eyes for any sort of betrayal, but she found none. In fact, all she found was emptiness and it was enticing, how cold and yet beautiful his eyes could be. Yet, he would pose no threat to her. Her musings were cut off when he suddenly leaned forward. It was not abrupt by any means, it was slow, and she found herself watching his every move as her heart thundered in her chest as she held back a breath. He murmured and yet she could not focus on his words as he leaned forward, closing the small distance between them. And then his lips found hers and her eyes fluttered close. Thoughts ran rampant in her head as confusion overwhelmed her. And yet, not even a couple of seconds had passed when she got over the shock and her lips were moving with his gently, hesitantly. And even if it was only temporary, she felt wanted and she indulged in it, even if it was only an illusion.
His touch was still gentle, but as he felt her lips against his, Havoc was curious as to why she was not pulling away. She was not fighting. And within seconds, she was returning the favor. She was indulging, which means that she was giving in. Was she afraid that Havoc was going to hurt her? Leave her? No. He did not know what she was expecting. He pulled away, but rested his forehead against hers. Well, Chaos was right. That was really nice. Havoc had never experienced something like that, but it was new, and he appreciated it. Unlike some of his family members, blood did not really matter too much. Of course, muggle borns were not good for his own cause but people like Aethlinde had some use. His first kiss was stolen by Aethlinde, as he was sure that he stole hers. His eyes opened so that he was looking at her, to see her reaction. "I should help you down. We've been up here long enough." Havoc could help her down, seeing as her skills with tree climbing were not as elite as his. "So, follow my moves, but when you drop down completely from the bottom branches, I'll catch you." Havoc moved from her, and stepped down, albeit carefully, until he reached the bottom branch. It was not a long way down. Just a little over seven feet, which was no big deal for him. He motioned for Aethlinde to follow.
Aethlinde revelled in the feel of Havoc's lips against her own. The kiss was gentle and hesitant much like her own nature. It did not last long, but in her inexperience, she found herself losing oxygen all too quickly. And her nervousness didn't help matters either as she could already hear the thundering of her own pulse. Her eyes remained closed when he pulled away and she felt his forehead resting against hers. It was nice and she wondered if it was wrong to like how he made her feel in that few seconds. That she could trust him. That he would not hurt her. That somebody could want her. She opened her eyes to find him looking at her and she flushed even more at this and bit her lip. What did she look like right now? Hopefully not more horrible than usual. Her lips pursed into a small smile and she nodded lightly, agreeing to his suggestion. With his next words though, it had all too suddenly come back to her that they were still up in the tree and she had no idea how to climb down. She had been about to tell him that but he had already started telling her what to do and then was promptly making his way down. She gulped and held on tighter to the branch as her jaw dropped with his movements. How did he expect her to do... all that?! She was not... big... like he was! She inched herself closer to the branch she was holding on when he jumped down and she merely held on to the branch while she stiffened in nervousness, save for her shaking knees. Now that she was alone up in the tree, she seemed to be even higher from the ground than earlier. There was no way she could climb down without falling flat on her face. Not with her stiff body, shaking knees and earlier falling experience anyways.
Havoc kept his eyes on Aethlinde while she dangled almost helplessly. However, his purple eyes examined and noticed that she was not letting go. She was not about to fall down. Havoc let out a sigh. He was really going to have to work at this. She was nervous. Whereas, he was not. He was brave. He had a lot more coaxing he had to do. It would be worth his time. Havoc knew that it would. Instead, he sighed and he held his arms up, almost reaching her body. He was facing her, so that she could look at him and hopefully, trust him. She could do it. Havoc spoke once more, "I'm right here. You can trust me. I've caught you once today. A second time shouldn't be an issue." The only issue he would have would be if she pounced on him or something. Or catch him off guard. It was not going to bother him any. She was not the type to do so. "I've got you, Aeth," Havoc attempted to reassure her. It was the best he could do otherwise she was going to be up in that tree fr all eternity. He could entice her with another kiss, but it was better left unspoken.
Aethlinde gulped as she stared almost helplessly at the bark of the tree deciding how she would climb down. She could probably attempt to be like those koalas but she would look ridiculous and she was much too petite to actually get a firm hold, or more like hug, on the bark of the large and tall tree. Still biting her lip, she looked down again only to find Havoc watching her, Merlin she was up too high for her liking. She must look like an idiot at the moment. She was surprised though when he suddenly began speaking with her from down below. It was true that he had already caught her earlier and that was probably harder as that was rather unexpected. But it still scared her. She was so conflicted about this but she really couldn't stay there until her last dying breath. Shakily, she crouched down and grabbed on to the branch she was previously standing on before dangling one feet down. Leaning forward and letting her stomach and chest on the branch before she threw over the other foot. She gently and slowly lowered herself to the lower branch using her upper body and arms for support until she could actually feel a branch under her feet and place herself on it. She repeated this quite a few times until she was at the bottom branches with now dirty clothes and a few scrapes on her arms. "H-Havoc," she was now unsure how to go about this. He said he would catch her and she would really need that considering that the bottom branch was seven feet from the ground. She didn't have much more strength to use a koala method on the bark to climb down. She really needed him to help her now.
If one could say anything about Havoc, it was that he was not patient about much. He could plan things out to the tiniest detail, but when they took a while, he did not mind. But, when it came to doing what he says, he did not have any patience then. And right now, he was losing his patience. His face hardened and a bit of his true personality flickered in before he forced it down. Havoc did not want to risk scaring Aethlinde after all. Not when he was making such good progress. Havoc sighed and walked so that he was directly underneath Aethlinde, before he said, "I'm here. Now, listen to me clearly." He paused for a moment, before bracing himself for the impact that he would likely endure, "Let go, now." Havoc had his arms ready, and his knees slightly bent so that he could use them as a shock absorb for the impact that would happen. His tone with her was also very stern and strict. It was a way to get her to do what he wanted. He did not want to have to do that, but he would do his best to make sure that she was under his thumb, one way or another.
As soon as she saw Havoc sigh, she bit her lip and crouched down to the branch in a near hug before throwing her right foot to dangle followed by her left. In no time at all, she was left hanging on to the bottom branch just by her arms. The branch was digging into them painfully, especially with her whole weight on them, but it was better than falling flat on her face. However, she could feel herself slipping and it scared her. She heard him speak and told her to listen to him. And she did. He was getting impatient. She could feel it in waves. So when he told her to let go, she closed her eyes tightly and did as she was told. Her heart was going mad in her chest and she held in her breath and not even a moment later, he had caught her and she was in his arms. She released her breath and looked at him, feeling ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry! I won't be a bother again. I'm so sorry," she apologized and couldn't bring herself to look at him in the eyes out of the guilt that was starting within her. She had told herself she wouldn't be a bother to anyone. Clearly she was failing that simple task. Clearly, she was a failure.
After he told her to let go, Aethlinde actually let go. He managed to catch the smaller second year, and he thanked Merlin for his genes for allowing him to be able to handle such a task. He held Aethlinde within his arms, and he looked over her body. She was a little hurt, and needed to get a nurse to help get the scrapes and stuff cleaned off. He would consider that weak, normally, but this was Aethlinde. She was different. She said that she was sorry, and she wouldn't be a bother again. And apologized, again. Havoc looked at her and shook his head, "Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong. You did exactly as I said, and I am proud of you." Havoc would have moved her hair out of her face, but he was carrying her. So, that was not possible. He decided that they should head to the hospital wing. "I'm going to take you to get those scrapes cleaned. Just be still. I'll carry you the whole time." Havoc started walking, and realized that it was a lot easier carrying her than he originally thought it would be. A part of him actually started to care about her well being. Well, that was going to slow him down.
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