Having Circled Overhead PV Winnie

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Interacting With: @Levi Drakos

Outfit: ꕤ | ꕤ

Mentioning: @

Date: March 6th, 2022

Check.

By chess standards, Levi's letter had placed Winnie in a position where she would be forced to make a move or surrender herself to him and lose the game of cat and mouse they had been playing the past month. Although neither of them had spoken a word about the game, it had become obvious that both of them were participants.

Unfortunately for Winnie, her moves had been made in ignorance. Levi was clearly several moves ahead of her, even so, he had humoured her. Allowed her to think it was possible to win, and that she was not falling into a trap. As the sun's disk sank into the earth and mother nature painted the vibrant fiery hues of dusk across the sky's canvas, the two would be at a turning point.

Levi was dangerous, and she would have stopped playing the game weeks ago, but he had a connection to Matt. She still had not heard from the former Slytherin since the rather traumatizing Valentine's Day howler. Levi was the only remaining clue. So, she would continue to play along; she would dress for the role of 'Princess' that Levi was casting. She would transform herself into a porcelain doll, a fragile creature that the Gryffindor would be forced to treasure or, at the very least, he'd be unable to accuse her of stalking him.

She selected a dress that reminded her of a fairy tale, the fabric perhaps a bit too light for the time of year, but she didn't care; she would just wear tights beneath it. A silky flowing material that seemed lighter than air itself. The fabric had a dainty floral print, the boat-neck cut completed with a layer of ruffles. A front lacing white corset finished the piece off, giving it a timeless feel. She had carefully fastened the necklace Levi had given her for her birthday around her neck. It was her first time wearing it, considering how expensive the piece was. Her pair of brown leather boots were perhaps a bit out of place, but it was still late winter. Her tresses had been loosely curled and pinned back, cascading down the middle of her back as if a ginger waterfall. She kept her makeup natural, her blush and eyeshadow hues of soft pink, with a hint of brown eyeliner to frame her blue eyes. Strawberry lip balm was all she wore on her lips, though it did stain her lips a soft pink.

Had Aurora seen her fretting around in their dorm room, the girl might have assumed Winnie had a date. She might have been right too. Truthfully, Winnie did not know what to expect from Levi. She never did. As much as Winnie didn't trust Levi, she trusted herself around him even less. The otherworldly boy seemed to hold power over her she didn't quite understand. A captivating draw that placed her in a trance. Like Sleeping Beauty unable to resist her fate, she was terrified the spinning wheel would place her under a spell before the end of the night.

She had brought her cat, Pumpkin, as a buffer of sorts, and she watched as the plump orange tabby's tail swayed in front of her as they made their way towards the courtyard. She had tossed a pink knitted shawl around her arms to keep the chill away, but it seemed like a nice enough day outside. It did not take her long to spot Levi. He sat beneath the dusk light, his hair had lengthened nicely and the combed 'careless' locks made him look even more perfect than usual. Almost prince-like, as if the two of them had been designed for this moment in time.

"Hello Levi." She managed to calm her nerves enough to say. Although she wasn't nervous for long, because she was quick to spot an orange fluffy creature playing in a patch of grass next to the Gryffindor.

A bunny!

Winnie completely lost her trail of thought and any composure she was clinging to. Her boots clicked against the stone pathway as she rushed towards the small creature, her eyes lighting up just seeing it up close. "Oh! Levi! She's so beautiful, does she belong to you?" Was this what he had wanted to show her? It was admittedly unexpected, but she couldn't bother digging further; she wanted to pet the bunny!

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Vision veiled by these newfound filmy insecurities, Levi failed to bow to his own brilliance. Santario hung low on his shoulders, and it was her illusion of choice that he was paying forward to his bunny. She could linger by the hallway opening, half-obstructed by a moss-painted pillar. Or she could hurry back to the Commons, echoing down the corridors with the clacking of her shoes in a desperate search for shelter from his influence. Or, of course, she could collapse to her knees in front of him, breathless and carried by a dusky breeze. Regardless of what she did, the girl would be at an indisputable disadvantage.

Perhaps this wasn’t true a few months ago. Perhaps then, goodbye really meant goodbye. But with time, the cauterizer of wounds, came one of two things: reprieve or perdition. A ticking clock could stoke or quell a swelling blaze. Winnie was caught somewhere between the two based upon the occasional novice whirl of bronze hair around a corner from his peripherals, but uncertainty might as well be an invitation. If for even a moment there was doubt, then there was room to expand upon that doubt, to pry it open like splitting jaws and make a nest within the bone fragments. Here, in the warmth, he could reassure, sway her. Her indecision was vulnerability in an dilettante disguise, and his soul would have it or wreak havoc on its frame.

If she didn’t come, he knew that Winnie was aware avoiding him was the only way to mute such an overpowering charge, thereby recognizing the shocks as existent. Should she lurk, he knew it was to drink him in without the replenishments, to not be fastened by his persuasive promises of everlasting reserves. Should she sit, he knew it was irresistibility, whether her starvation for answers or for his deceptive voice and the humanly appeal of disbelief suspension. Not quite check— zugzwang.

When she emerged from the dim hall, Levi’s mouth fell agape and the sky parted into two halves. The east still clung to its blue, but the west began to further weave into the sun’s whims, unbearable reflections of Winnie’s innermost climate. Pink, purple, orange streaks with spotted bruises of a nightly violet-indigo concoction, it did all of this for her. A sunset was just that until it had something to prove, someone to please or even to outshine. A gossamer, clairvoyant material practically hovered around her silhouette, pulling her heavy boots from the ground to dangle her in the sky, waiting for the inevitable day she’d sprout wings. Weighed to the courtyard floor by a matching shawl, Levi stared carefully at her face, the lightly reddened cheeks and tinted lips.

Unconsciously, the lion’s hand shot to his collar, massaging his princely facade by ensuring his greatest flaw remained buried under his shirt. Physical narcissism was one thing; to come to terms with the fact his appearance was hardly perfect was the same angsty emotional journey as any other second year. But, to have allowed it to happen, and to know what he knew now, to realize he was a part in a play— he’d begun to overthink his tells. His ringed hand dropped back to his bunny, burying his fingers under her fluff.

His hazel gaze trailed downward toward the orange feline that was testing the steps for landmines, guiding Winnie’s path. The correlations with his own pet—the rabbit that was prancing in witless circles in time to circa 2013 game themes—brought a smile to his otherwise pensive expression. Rather than buffer their flirations with purring, she’d amplified what they shared in common, and was too deeply tangled in the silky traps of his web to pry herself free now. Provided this cat was as adoring as its owner, and wasn’t one of those psychic ones they praise on scripted television that could tell when people had lesser intentions… the evening would go fine.

"Hello Levi." Hello, she’d said. Either she was about to ask him about his car’s extended warranty, or she was preparing to hear a speech about the future of her employment with the company. Her stiff demeanor barely lasted through his entire greeting, as within a few seconds, Winnie-Bunny had done her job and magnetized Winnie-Witch. The snare closed and she leapt forward, the natural world settling its own anxieties once in line with its muse’s emotional elements. Above the pair, the parted sea began to merge in braids again as one, the colorful horizon sprawling along the rest of the skyline.

“Winnie—” His opening was interrupted by a chuckle, correcting his posture in a subtle invitation for her to join him in the patch of grass, “She is beautiful, hm? Yes, she’s mine.” The rabbit shied away for only a few arhythmic beats before recognizing the hand that crafted it, reincarnated. In fact, it seemed a tad fonder of Winnie’s presence than its owners; perhaps that was the sacred bond of the fragile, the welded tether of elevator music.

‿︵‿୨✿୧‿︵‿

Interacting With: @Levi Drakos

Outfit: ꕤ | ꕤ

Mentioning: @

Date: March 6th, 2022

The bunny was simply adorable, it filled Winnie's head with thoughts of spring growth, the season of hope. Mother Nature would gestate the world to prepare for its rebirth, allowing it to burst forth in an array of bright colours and lush greenery. Then, as gently as possible, she brushed her fingers through its soft fur.

"Oh, so she is a she! What's her name?" She paused to set her shawl down onto the ground and used one of her arms to sweep her hip-length hair over her shoulder before taking a seat next to the adorable bunny. Who would have thought that Levi Drakos could be the owner of such a gentle creature? Perhaps she had misjudged the boy or he had turned over a new leaf. "I didn't know you had an interest in animals."

Her eyes flickered upwards, risking peering at the boy and his enticing hazel eyes. Though she was quickly burned by her own bold attempt, her cheeks flushing a rosy hue when she realized she was close to the boy. Closer than she had been in the past month, at least. She had almost forgotten the effect his visage had on her. She was starting to understand the lure of the spinning wheel, especially when a prince was the one tending to it. "I-Is she why you asked me to meet you here?" She suddenly remembered Levi could be preparing to scold her and the game they were playing was not quite finished yet.

Oh, Merlin, she was becoming more certain that was why he had asked her to meet him here and now her heart was pounding against her chest for two entirely different reasons. It was as if she were standing at a fork in the road blindfolded. One path held the allure of guitar-strummed lullabies and poetry that she would rip directly from her soul itself to compose, while the other a one-way path blanketed by a heavy canopy of brush so thick that not a single drop of sunlight could peek its way through. She could not see which path was which with the blindfold handicapping her.

Perhaps if she could distract him sufficiently, he would forget all about her little stalking phase. So long as she didn't start spewing poetry again... What else could she do? Her eyes landed on his shirt, finally noticing the elegant daisy pattern. How could she had not seen it before? "Oh... I like this." A hand would reach up and, if Levi allowed her to, she would place it on his chest. Dear Merlin, was she really incapable of having an intelligent conversation with this boy? Why did he always manage to render her into a flustered, rambling mess? "T-The shirt's pattern, I mean... It's nice, but my middle name is Daisy, so I might be a bit biased."

Pumpkin, however, was having none of this. First of all, his human was petting someone else. How dare she offer another creature her attention. It was bad enough when the orange-haired boy was around, at least he understood Pumpkin's sharp claws were to be feared. Now this boy, the salty-smelling one, was bringing in some long-eared cat? What if this thing managed to get more food? The cat jumped up onto the ledge of the fountain and stared directly at Levi. If looks could kill, the poor Gryffindor might have perished.

Reducio

None-the-wiser, the Ravenclaw would continue speaking to the Gryffindor. It seemed like Levi was about to be reminded that shutting Winnie up was an entire talent in itself. "I wanted to thank you for what you did on Valentine's Day. You seemed down that day too, but you still went out of your way to make sure I was okay. I'm sorry for any trouble I caused." 'Trouble' was referencing Marshal and whatever antics had followed. The holiday had been meant to celebrate love, it had instead brought chaos to the ballroom. It was perhaps a day Levi would rather forget, but she had to resurrect his memories of the evening so she could take her scalpel and dissect every single detail, especially the ones regarding Mathias.

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