RP The Lake

R: I'm from the house of tradition, what do you expect?

M: Creativity, perhaps, or at least a change of pace. Kind of like eating the same cereal for days on end, you know?

She pretended to turn the page, despite the fact that she just reread the same line twice.

R: You're a bad actress.

M: I'm guessing you're not going to allow me to mediocrely pretend to read my book in peace.

She closed her book and finally met his eyes. That little voice in the back of her head reminded her of how nice he looked with the sunlight glinting off him, casting shadows and highlights in all the right places.

Regulus noted that she looked well fit.

R: You were incredibly annoying yesterday.

M: Well, yes. Common side effects of you being incredibly annoying.

Despite herself, she cracked a small, crooked smile. It was more tantalizing than anything else.

R: Hey, I just turned up for my detention like a good little boy.

M: Good little boy, my ass! You're the farthest thing from good.

Not that the sun was making his skin sort of glow. Not that she was still looking or anything.

R: I think you'll find that I am the definition of a perfect son, in my family.

Regulus didn't acknowledge that Millie's eyes reflected the crisp sunlight.

M: In that case, I would love to see that side of you.

Milkie didn't encroach on the subject, knowing that the Black family was rather disjointed. But no matter how much she refused to admit it, she knew there was a part of him that was good, deep down, way down. There had to be. He just needed someone to coax it out.

Unfortunately for Milkie, Regulus Black was not a man easily coaxed.

R: You do. Every day.

(loser)

M: Oh, do I? Enlighten me, then. I know how charming you can be when you actually want to.

There was no trace of venom in her words, only slight amusement.

(I was mimicking your loserness)

R: How I behave, is how I am expected, by my family, to behave. What you don't know about me, what I do in secret without anyone knowing, is because my family would disapprove.

(Yeah well you have more loserness than I do, loser)

M: But I'm not your family. You don't have to act that way around me. I'm a Hufflepuff, y'know, we're supposed to accept people as they are, Slytherin or otherwise. And sometimes, we're the best at that, because we can look past all the things people do, the images they project, and still see something good in them.

You don't have to hide from me, she wanted to say to him. But she didn't, obviously.

(endorse me on NationStates, loser)

R: Hard to shed a lifetime of pretense.

Regulus snorted.

(Consider it done, Queen Loser)

M: I know. It is possible, though.

Her voice had gone softer, her expression became less guarded. So there was a method to his madness. It made her dislike him just a teeny bit less. Okay, maybe a lot.

M: You're more than just what you're expected to be, Regulus, by your parents or just anyone. Trust me, I know.

R: Not that easy when you're a Black.

M: Then all you can do is try.

She blinked at him, slowly.

R: Sounds like a passage from 'Little Women'.

M: It probably is. You've read that?

R: Maybe.

M: Strange, you've actually managed to impress me.

R: Oh, I really am thrilled.

M: You sound and look it.

Her full lips pulled into a smirk that was so similar to his own, except without the usual malice and whatnot.

Regulus cleared his throat.

R: Are we still arguing?