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Post by Vincet Romanov on Feb 3, 2007 17:28:44 GMT -5
Knockturn Alley wasn't the place for the faint of heart or for those who chose to walk the more virtuous side of life, but then again, Vincet Romanov wasn't exactly a 'good' guy. His family had been steeped in darkness for centuries and just because he came along doesn't mean anything was about to change. Vincet had visited Knockturn on numerous occasions in the past, picking up a few dark artifacts for his father and having them sent back to his father in Romania....or sometimes keeping them for himself. You see, Vincet had an interest in dark things as well and if something of real value or use came into his possession then why should he so readily hand it over to his father.
Today was a bit colder than most, even though the sun was out, with the wind blowing rather fiercely. Dressed in a pair of black slacks and red silk shirt with a long black coat coat lined with fur around the collar and cuffs, a typical piece of clothing where Vincet came from and very effective for keeping the cold weather at bay. He carried in his hand a rather odd looking stone, one small enough to fit securely in the palm of his hand and with a strange rune carved into the center of it, although as to what it meant was still a mystery and one that Vincet himself planned to unravel. His father was very adamant about getting this stone and from the money Vincet had to part with, it must have been rather powerful.
Vincet turned the stone over and over in his hand, looking it over and trying to unravel its mystery, his attention not directed as to where it should. Even though many gave Vincet a wide berth, the one young lady coming his way showed no sign of moving for him......
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Post by Natalie Bane on Feb 3, 2007 17:51:17 GMT -5
Natalie Bane had her dark green cloak up, hood shielding her face from many other the other customers that slipped up and down the streets. She had found something today of mild interest and she had it stowed away in her pocket, her finger slipping back and forth over it as she pulled the cloak tighter with her free hand.
Now Natalie wasn't necessarily afraid of anyone else seeing her. Well she just knew that it was best that no one knew her true nature that could do anything about it until much later on. Plus her family strongly discouraged her from pursuing any sort of interest in dark artifacts.. Shame, seeing as how they amused her so. And you know as well as I know that she may pretend to go along with them but she didn't really listen to her parents.
Her small and petite frame slipped easily through the crowd - others giving her space and letting her get by. She was only half concentrating on the company around her - her mind so aptly set on her new treasure, that she hardly noticed the big oaf coming her way. Well, that was until he towered in-front of her blocking some of the light. Did this guy really think that intimidation was the way? She could not see his face because of the material draping cautiously over her own. However she stepped up her pace making her path known. He was going to move or they would perhaps both come to a stand still. Either way now her fingers slipped for her wand inside of her robe and despite the way she still kept moving forward she was ready to brace herself.
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Post by Vincet Romanov on Feb 3, 2007 18:10:09 GMT -5
Vincet was able to look up in time, even if it was a glance, to avoid a head on collision with the small frame of the young woman approaching him. The cloak, the way she moved and the confidence which seemed to radiate from her (not to mention the sweet smell of her perfume as it carried on the breeze toward Vincet) let him know who it was which moved his way. Now with this in mind, Vincet braced himself and slowed, purposely blocking Natalie's path. The two held a bit of animosity toward one another, not because they hated each other but because of their parents. You see Natalie and Vincet were being forced to marry one another after they graduated from school and both young students took to this idea very well. Being made to do something wasn't the style of Vincet and neither was it Natalie, but perhaps if neither was being forced they might have gotten along much better.
"Care for an escort....princess?," Vincet asked as he stopped right in front of Natalie, making sure to slip the stone he had acquired into his pant pocket. Any other young woman would have fell at his feet at such a request, but Vincet knew Natalie and knew she would only push him back, something which brought him a bit of delight but would more than likely just piss him off in the end, so why he chose to do it was really....unknown. "I mean, Knockturn Alley is no place for a fragile young woman such as yourself," he added, verbally pushing at his destined betrothed.
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Post by Natalie Bane on Feb 3, 2007 18:25:21 GMT -5
Yep.. that big human blockade had a voice and unfortunately.. it was someone that she knew. *Sigh* Really did she have to see him here too?
Her eyes narrowed dangerously but she relaxed and let her face slip back to normal as she glanced up at him, the hood falling back above her eyes just to give her enough of an opening to confirm her unlucky assumption. Vincent Romanov.. yeah.. And she thought that tonight was going so well. Key word - was.
A curious look happened across her face and she gave a slight shrug and a glance around. "I would take an escort if you could find someone here to be worthy of my time." She let that sweet smile slip across her face - the one she usually wore when she was enjoying someone else's emotional anguish.
Fragile woman? Evidently he had not learned anything about Natalie within the last six years. This made her quirk her left eyebrow, watching him with a slight look of amusement on her face. "I don't know what you've come down here to find.. However I'm quiet certain you are wasting your time. I've got my mind set on bigger and prettier things than you." She stood up on tip toe a little, leaning in towards him. She would let him know that even with his size intimidation wasn't anything that moved her. And his suave approach, well.. it just didn't swoon Natalie off of her feet. She was set in her ways and unlike other girls that so desperately needed the attention, well hers was hard to earn.
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Post by Vincet Romanov on Feb 3, 2007 19:25:13 GMT -5
Impressing Natalie or trying to swoon her off her feet wasn't Vincet's goal, after all, like it or not she was to be his and nothing short of a premature death on either one's part would change that. Now of course, Vincet was sure that somewhere in that dark mind of Natalie Bane that she had toyed with the idea of removing him from her life, but that was what made being around her all the more interesting.....well....just one of the things anyway.
Turning his head and giving a forced laugh, Vincet couldn't help but feel a bit...rejected, even if he told himself he didn't really care. You see, despite the numerous attempts at showing how much he didn't care about miss Bane, Vincet was beginning to doubt even those forced thoughts. Years spent side by side had a way of making some people fall apart from one another while for others it seemed to draw them closer and the latter seemed to be the truth for mister Romanov. "Now now miss Bane," he began, turning his eyes toward Natalie while tilting his head to the side, "Is that anyway to talk to your beloved?," he asked her, knowing that bringing up the whole arranged marriage thing would bring her temper to a nice little boil. "I mean, if you keep talking to me like this, whatever will the neighbors think?"
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Post by Natalie Bane on Feb 3, 2007 19:43:07 GMT -5
Natalie watched him as he gave off that fake laugh, one that almost made her mimic the same. However she stayed still and stayed silent because she didn't feel like pretending to share any enjoyment with him. No, she just held her place and waited for his next remarks.
Beloved? If she knew it wasn't such a horrendous act she would have thrown up right on the spot. However seeing as how a lady isn't best seen like that she tightened up her lips and ignored the flip flopping of her insides, all twisting and withering around in anger and disgust. And that brought about a sharp comment, one said before she realized what she was really doing. "Listen Mr.Romanov - you're family might be thrilled about this forced marriage but mine.. Well I don't know what mine are thinking because personally I know I am worth so much more." She narrowed her eyes a little and looked at him for a moment as if trying to find the answer. "I mean, compared to all the other suitors that had been mentioned you don't hold even a light to be remembered by." Why had they picked someone so young?
Ah.. neighbors. What other sort of lame thing would he try to bring into this situation?
Either way she put a hand on the side of his face, her middle fingernail pressing hard into the soft skin behind his ear. "Forgive me my manners - I wasn't aware you have informed the world of my misfortune." A smile graced her lips as she waited to see what he would do. A small nod and a slight stroke of her thumb on his cheek (however never stopping her endless plot to bring him pain and discomfort), "For the neighbors, honey."
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Post by Vincet Romanov on Feb 3, 2007 19:57:26 GMT -5
Vincet normally wouldn't give anyone else the opportunity to speak to him this way, but for Natalie, he would give her this one slip up today. You see, he may have stayed his hand but he would make sure she would know that he did and why, after all, Natalie Bane or not, she would learn her place with him. As she forcefully applied her hand to his face, Vincet feigned the look that one in his situation should when with their future wife, raising his hand to take Natalie's. Now, of course, the force with which Vincet took Natalie's hand was a bit rougher than it should have been, but hey, lessons had to be learned. Reaching out with his other hand, Vincet took Natalie by the back of the neck and pulled her close to him, or should I say, he 'jerked' her closer to him, leaning in as if was giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Do not mistake me for one of those pathetic lap dogs who chase after you pretty little skirt tails begging for some sort of misguided attention, meine kleine Prinzessin," he said as he applied slight pressure to the back of her neck, his lips dangerously close to the side of her face now.
Drawing back, Vincet smiled and glanced around, putting on the show expected, even if it was only in Knockturn Alley. He took a deep breath as if enjoying the day and moved to Natalie's side, slipping his arm around her torso (which wasn't too easy considering the height difference) and pulled her along with him as he moved slowly down the street. "Do I look as if I'm pleased miss Bane? Your not the only one who is thrilled with our arranged marriage so do not think your the only one being slighted here," he muttered under his breath as he kept his gaze forward, pretending to enjoy this little walk with his soon to be wife.
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Post by Natalie Bane on Feb 3, 2007 20:22:42 GMT -5
Natalie's face flushed, not like that of an excited lover but one of anger and hatred. She bit her tongue so hard that a small line of crimson flashed between her pale pink lips. She didn't like being handled like this and by him.
He put his arm around her and started to drag her down the street. She only walked two steps before jabbing her concealed wand in his side. She stopped dead in her tracks and her tone was icy. "I don't care what kind of image you are wanting to keep up. I'm not going along with this sick plan of yours.. I'll be going back to school by myself." She gave him a cold glance before putting that fake sweet smile back on her face, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder...." She pulled away from him, set to head off in the other direction. She had every right to be upset - told to become his shadow, his support.. Why in the hell did he deserve her? He did - it was that simple. And he could bitch and moan all he wanted about not being happy to have to marry her but what was he giving up? Men were men and they could make any mistake that they wanted. It didn't matter if they wanted more women or wanted personal lives.. their women were stupid enough to grant that to them. Of course she wasn't stupid or likely to give into the will of anyone else. Was that the problem? Or would she even care or continue to live her own life under some form of lie?
No.. she had her mind made up. And she turned her head towards Vincet, her eyes dead set on his. "Well don't spend too many nights crying your heart out about this.. Because I am not marrying you." There she said it, black and white and plain as day. Right now it didn't sound like a childish protest more like just mere facts. "One way or another.. I won't."
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Post by Vincet Romanov on Feb 3, 2007 21:33:52 GMT -5
As Vincet moved Natalie through the small alley way, he felt a sharp poke in his side. A smile slipped across his face, but this time it was a bit more approving and genuine. He stopped as Natalie stopped, slowly removing his arm from around Natalie to allow her to slip away from him at her leisure. His hands found their way behind him and clasped together, dropping his chin down and smiling. Natalie wasn't playing, he had seen her wand work and knew her temper perhaps better than anyone else at school, so he wasn't going to push her anymore than he safely could.
He watched Natalie with upturned eyes as she walked away from him, making protest after protest, his face jovial and somewhat calm. She was very adamant about not marrying him and not shy when it came to voicing that opinion, a personality trait which struck a chord with him but not in the way that Natalie might expect...or one that Vincet might not expect either. "Well meine Prinzessin, I'll be seeing you at dinner tonight," he added as Natalie finished, as if he wasn't paying attention to her verbal tantrum, however by the way he clenched his hands together behind his back, showed just how upset and angry he really was, after all, Vincet wasn't too fond of being upstaged.
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Post by Natalie Bane on Feb 3, 2007 21:58:53 GMT -5
Natalie heard Vincet's words and she narrowed her left eye slightly for a moment. She stopped for just a second and turned around to glance at him. Her voice was falsely sweet as was her expression. She may not need fake the fact that she didn't want to marry Mr.Romanov however she didn't need anyone else knowing her violent streak - or at least no one that could report it to the Ministry. "Oh.. Don't wait up for me, dear. I am afraid that since this meeting I have lost my appetite."
Her smile wavered for a moment and she gave a half blink, turning on her heel from him and pulling her hood further over her eyes as she weaved into the crowd - trying her best to get away from Vincet and the future the world has cursed her with.
Now truth be known she may have to see him this evening but she just had to have the one up on him - in any situation and no matter what. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of doing what he told her.. that's why she wouldn't walk down the street, why she wouldn't be slightly kind to him. He thought it was her place.. Little did he know things had to be earned with Ms.Bane.
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