It's Totally Legitimate! OPEN -- NO PREFECTS!

Colin smirked as Avis joined the fray and Connor floundered around like a dying fish in the bottom of a boat, dangling from Xiang's hook. The younger Ravenclaw managed to get in a couple good jabs, though Colin had to wonder if one of those imbeciles wasn't him. Hm. That would require some pondering. And there wasn't time for that. In any event, his quick eyes noted her fidgety fingers, never far from a likely spot she kept her wand. A new thought struck him. Connor was a well known git. Had he spread his greasy charm around House Ravenclaw as well? Did Avis have something against the Gryffindorque as well?

Colin let the chaos build a bit. Prefect Xiang made an especially desirable proposition: "Why don't you fight it out? Winner will be spared from my wrath for the day." Colin's smirk widened very slightly. He'd have to rethink his first impression of this Prefect. Sure, she bore the authority of the Badge. But she wasn't exactly an authoritarian. She would have made a good partner in teaching various aspects of school life to the little first years. The more Colin thought about it, the better the idea seemed. Perhaps Meiyu would be interested in a mutually beneficial partnership?

“That’d be a shame. You’re pretty hot when you get angry,” Connor replied. Colin almost barfed. What. An. Idiot. He lost all respect for Finn Connor at that moment. That kind of flirting might work on Connor's usual cohort of low brows. He was certain that Meiyu was smarter than a muggle toilet to be in any way positively affected by Finn's weak put down line. Must be a Muggle thing, he thought.

"Ye're such a simp, ConnER," Colin said softly. "She's too smart for that rubbish by half mate." Colin watched as Meiyu's face literally turned from her I-loathe-everything-about-you resting face, an expression he remembered well from her attempt to set him on fire at the ball last month, to one of glorious contempt and revulsion at the very thought of being flirted at by Gryffindor's most grotesque boy, Finn Connor. Colin did his very best to keep his laughter in check.

And of course, the bloody git couldn't read a picture book with no words at all!

“Anyway, Xiang, do you want to come with me to Harper’s wedding? All the terrible people will be there. You’d fit right in.”

Well, he wasn't wrong. Xiang might very well fit in. But how could he make all boys look so lame whilst asking her out? Right. There was no way Meiyu was going to fall for this bucked of slimey slug juice. "ConnER, ye're such a git! There's no way Meiyu's going to fall for that bin full of tosh!"

And then she did it. "You know what, fine. I'll go, but no funny business." Colin glanced briefly at Avis, to see if he heard the same thing she did. She actually fell for it! He would never let Finn know this, but was actually impressed that the boy could use the absolute worst line in the history of flirting and still get the girl to go with him, and not be thumped where it hurts most into the bargain!

"Ach, lassie!" he moaned dramatically. "No! Ye fell right for Connor's bullocks!" Meiyu turned and left. Colin laughed as she headed away from the group. Once the Prefect was out of earshot, Colin dropped his smile. His eyes focused on Connor and he stood in front of him nose to nose. "We're not through, ConnER. You managed to wriggle out of our duel." He nodded slightly towards the Prefect's diminishing form. "If there's anything left of you after that hagspawn gets done with you, ye still need to answer for yer underhanded attack on me during that race. I haven't forgotten, Conner."

Colin narrowed his eyes, then turned slightly. As he did, he thumped Finn's shoulder with his own as he passed by the Gryffindorque. He didn't wait around for Finn's reply --- surely some foolish quip against werewolves --- yet his keen ears would pick up anything the little tosser had to say.

Colin leaves the thread.

@Avis Marlong | @Finnegan Connor | @Meiyu Xiang