a little bit scandalous, but baby don't let them see it;; ben

It was a little way after the end of a pre-scheduled morning run with the evermore delectable Benjamin Danvers, and Orlaith had just re-entered the Slytherin Common Room after making stops by the girls' bathroom, to shower, and the library, to grab the paper. The next stop was meant to be the Great Hall for breakfast, but Orlaith had thought that she would see Ben in there so just wanted to check her appearance one last time before running into him, and ditch her running clothes in the laundry.

Her wispy blonde hair tumbled about her face in loose waves as it was still slightly wet, but given the very relaxed way she was dressed, the sixteen year old hardly minded. Her burgundy button up shift dress, teamed with an oversized beige cardigan and calf height boots were designed for moments like this. Moments where Orlaith needed her clothes to dry quickly and allow her to move freely. The use of sleekeasy to straighten her hair had it's benefits in making the youngest Dewar look like she had tried to look polished, but sometimes she missed her curls, and sometimes she didn't want to look polished in front of this particular Slytherin. Not since that time where--

Okay, Orlaith really needed to stop allowing her mind to drift over to that time. She had enough boy drama, and Ben was so gorgeous he probably didn't need her attention on top of the mountain of other girls looking his way. The problem was... Orlaith really enjoyed having his attention on her. As evidenced by this third pit stop to her dormitory so she could look at herself in the mirror - Salazar's mercy! If Sinead could see her now.

The light girl navigated her way around the common room as though she were gliding, almost passing the sofa without seeing what was on it. "Ben?" Orlaith stopped, and then mentally kicked herself. By calling his name, she was going to end up with his attention on her, and she hadn't looked in the mirror yet.. she didn't even have her lip gloss on. Ah well, it was too late, she was going to have to follow through with her mistake.

The blonde slid over into the empty space on the couch next to her house and team mate. Perhaps he'd had breakfast already, he was a boy after all, they didn't take as long to get ready. It was infuriating, especially because if that were true, Ben probably looked better than her in half the time. "Had breakfast already?" she asked, considering the idea that if he had, maybe she didn't need breakfast. She was perfectly content to spend some time with him on the sofa until they needed to do something else.

"Come--" she gestured, indicating a space on her lap for him to place his head. "--I brought the Daily Prophet from the library, if you want to hear what's in it?"

@Benjamin Danvers

small ooc: Daily Prophet - for easy reference

There was honesty nothing better than an early morning run. It got his blood up and gave him a certain kind of high - similar to flying, really. It was troublesome when you had an attractive running partner, though. More and more he was having to resist dragging a certain blond off for a snog right after.

Why were girls so ... soft and pretty? He felt guilty thinking about it but not enough to stop his eyes from taking in how nice they looked flushed, disheveled, sweaty... right better stop those thoughts before he ran into a problem, yea? He only ever ran with Orlaith and Hyacinth- and while both girls were extremely attractive one of them in particular had a tendency to linger on his brain like an itch he couldn’t scratch. Especially after- well. Just yea.

After he’d scoffed his breakfast down it was time for a freezing cold shower. That would bring some clarity and if not there was always flying later on. He figured a good meaningless snog might also assist with clarity but that wasn’t doing anything for his state of mind.

And, really, after the shower he did feel better. A little revising before he had to officially get ready for the day would further assist. He grabbed his drink and fruit bowl with him to snack on in the common room as well as his runes book before he settled in one of the sofas closest to the fire. He was just getting comfortable when a call of his name brought his attention to just the person he’d been thinking about. And, honestly, the picture in his brain of a disheveled Orli added a complimentary overlay to the picture she presented now. Internal groan.

He couldn’t ever well focus now could he? And her lap looked inviting. Blimey. He was turning into the biggest sap ever. What was wrong with him? “Sure” he readily agreed settling in against the girl comfortably. “Grapes?” Merlins soggy... socks. Well, at least he’d die comfortably.

She was a mess, her feelings were a mess, it was all a mess. This is why Orlaith had to be increasingly grateful for the additional demands on her time, outside of class, that Hogwarts kept adding to her. Quidditch, homework, studying, keeping fit, tending to the plants she'd left in Professor Naz's greenhouse. However, she clearly needed more things to keep her occupied because her complex feelings and thoughts towards Ben were crazy making. Every time they took a step in one direction, the Slytherin had to pause and think about what she was doing to her reputation and to Dougie. And yet she didn't want to tell Ben no, either.

It was moments like this, where they made physical contact and suddenly everything just.... felt. There wasn't a word after that. His head on her lap, her hand finding a tuft of his hair to run through, and all she could do was feel, so much so that she momentarily forgot to keep thinking and keep moving. The offer of a grape jerked her into motion though. Of course, Orlaith was happy to starve herself for the moment, but since Ben was offering she wasn't going to be silly about it.

"...sure." she said softly, opening her mouth so he could pop it in. One of her hands held the daily prophet, the other was happily occupied with stroking his hair and not wanting to stop, so teamwork was required here.

"Okay, so--" Orlaith began, placing the Daily Prophet on his stomach. "Oliver Rigby and the band--- couldn't care less, do you like them?" she asked her housemate, taking consideration to the fact that maybe their music tastes were different. Her eyes darted to his face as her fingers accidentally found the top of his ear to stroke. "Ha... there's a reminder to Hogwarts students that we need to be civil on the pitch. Is that why you play beater? So you can be civil and uncivil at the same time without getting caught?" the blonde laughed, looking to his face for a response. She didn't dare look too long though, in case her eyes wandered over to his lips. She liked Ben's attention but she was sure he was out of her league. They were friends though. Friends didn't have naughty thoughts about each others' lips.

"Whoops, sorry!" Orlaith apologised, her eye had gone to focus on something else instead, a dark patch on Ben's shoulder. "I'm dripping on you." she explained, slightly nodding to his shoulder as she moved her hair out the way, onto her back. An irritating move that caused the Slytherin to have to stop stroking his hair momentarily. "I thought my hair was a bit drier than that. Could I have a strawberry, please?" she asked with a smile, returning her hand to his hair so that it was too occupied to get the strawberry herself. Then remembered she was meant to be reading. She had to remember this, things were less confusing with Ben if she didn't allow her mind to wander and kept it occupied. "Hmm... Durmstrang's duelling.." she obeserved.

This was quite comfortable. Girls were so ... plush. He’d be the first one to admit Orli looked quite adorable as he fed a grape. Unbidden a smile crept up his face, eyes crinkling sleepily at the corners. It was probably a bad idea to have laid down, especially when she was rubbing his hair like she was. He resisted the urge to purr but he was sure some sort of satisfied sigh escaped him anyway. He’d never admit it but he rather enjoyed a good scalp massage. “They’re alright.” he hummed, shrugging his shoulders rather gracelessly. Not his favorite but he could listen to it. He sank deeper into the cushion as he felt her finger graze his ears.

His hands twitched a little, but he remained still and boneless. This was ... too nice to ruin by being a pig. “Civilly uncivil.” he affirmed, shooting her a lopsided grin. “I can say whatever in the name of good sportsmanship but a bludger to the chest is still a bludger to the chest.” he quipped, shrugging. Personally he thought that if you couldn’t take some heated words on the pitch then you definitely shouldn’t be playing the sport. The violence of the game was what made it what it was. He respected players that had moxy, not those that would cry off to the side and complain about “rough treatment” or other some such. It irritated him to no end. Like it was his fault somehow that they had a broken second year on their hands. The heartless and responsible one should be on the captain that started them to begin with. But he digressed. He could be “civil”, at any rate. Unless a threat was present. He wasn’t going to think about how he’d lose it if Orli got injured while he was watching her back. Or anyone else on his team. At some point it was inevitable for things to get personal. He wasn’t captain but he took the safety of his team seriously. It as hard not to when that was sort of your primary focus as a beater.

“It’s fine. You look cute.” And she sure did. Like a wet kitten. A little wet spot on his hoodie wasnt going to worry him. It would dry off soon enough anyway. He wordlessly fed her a strawberry when prompted and ate one himself. He tried not to look too much at her mouth but the strawberry left her lips looking quite... tempting. Snapping out of it he refocused on her words. He perked up when he heard Durmstrang and dueling. “Does it say who’s competing?” He asked curiously, a tad wistful. He loved dueling and he had a few camp mates who he’d be interested in hearing from. Maybe he should send an owl or two.

A smirk crept across the blonde's face as Ben discussed his motives for being beater, a smirk she tried to supress that made her dimples even more pronounced. "I'm jealous.." she commented, knowing full well she would never enjoy the luxuries that Ben did as a beater because she did not have the strength to hit the bludger. The bludger had the strength to take her arm off. "Definitely don't have the strength for what you do. Sounds therapeutic. And you get to be our hero as well." The Slytherin finished with a semi-intentional flutter of her eyelashes. Her final comments were in reference to her appreciation that Ben had, thus far, managed to keep her in tact during quidditch games as much as he possibly could.

Orli took a moment to stretch her neck. She wasn't in the most comfortable position for reading, her head was fixed at an awkward angle. Normally she'd raise the paper up to eye level to read too but then she'd need another hand to turn the page. That hand was still occupied, playing with the hair that she could reach that located closest to the base of his neck, and it didn't want to move from that position.

Turning back to the paper, Orlaith pulled it a bit closer to her so that it was now partially on Ben's chest, and the thought did cross her mind to utilise that opportunity.. but no. This was not like sleepy Ben nuzzling her by accident. This was... if she did anything too inappropriate it would be clear to Ben that she had done it purpose. She wasn't ready to open that can of worms. She wasn't. Ben on the other hand.. See, Orlaith couldn't remember the specifics of their first few interactions, it had been so long ago. She just remembered there was a party, somehow her mother (or was it her father? Or was it Sinead?) got an invite, Ben was there but she hadn't expected Ben to pay her any mind at all because he'd gone for so long not doing so. Then somehow, they'd gotten talking and it wasn't long before Ben made a comment that made her blush-- very much like he was doing now.

"..." Orlaith opened her mouth to say something but once again, her housemate had put her on the spot. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and so she turned her head ever so slightly, realising it was pointless trying to hide her face given his current position. Blue eyes caught sight of the strawberry she'd requested from him earlier and the blonde leaned forward to gently bite into it. "Mmhmm, nope, still made a mess!" she giggled, moving her hand begrudgingly from his head to quickly catch any juice before it fell on him. "Sorry!" she laughed, reaching forward to see if there were any tissues on the coffee table, realising that was a terrible idea given the position of Ben's head, and practically throwing herself back against the sofa before his head met with something rather inappropriate.

And then she paused to recover from her nearly disastrously messy move.

"Umm..." she said, hand still cradling her chin. "Do you have any tissues?" Orlaith asked. Yes, that seemed like a much more proper way to solve the tissue issue.

Following the resolution of the strawberry fiasco, Orlaith returned to the paper, searching for the answers to Ben's earlier question when her eyes noted something. "Okay, so... the article mentions a Klyk Vampira-- but I just realised I'm reading last months paper." the sixteen year old groaned, shaking her head at the oversight. "I could have sworn..." she murmured to herself as she flipped the tabloid over just to check that she wasn't going mad. "Aha! Picked two up by mistake, I knew I had December's when I walked in here!" but she'd been looking at the horoscopes... She didn't believe in horoscopes but with her confusion towards Ben, confusion towards Dougie and confusion between the two overall, it couldn't hurt to see if there was any astrological advice out there she could utilise, right?

He felt a vague sort of embarrassment at the compliment and with it the tell-tale sign that the tips of his ears were probably starting to turn red. "It's fun to slam bludgers at people". he said, quite nonchalantly. "It's not , like, altruism or anything." he muttered. Leave it to Benji to get embarrassed about a silly compliment like that. The problem was that he could count on one hand the stuff he really cared about - and Quidditch was one of those things. By extension that tended to mean anyone that flew under the Slytherin silver and green out on the pitch. Which meant that any reference to him ... caring like that made him pretty bashful. He hand't been bloody embarrassed about something in years. Not since he was an ickle first year walking the doors to the snake den the very first time. After being subjected to Lini and Steph for his younger years he didn't think he had many tender spots left, really. He'd always been attracted to that sort of ruthless, deadly beauty and they'd cured him of things like being embarrassed.

Which is what made this so embarrassing.

The sight of Orli's reddened cheeks served to assuage some of his embarrassment, though. Which was almost immediately followed by concern as she wiped back quick enough to startle him. "Are you alright?" he asked slowly, trying to stifle a smile. She looked cute in the way skittish animals tended to. With a flick of his wrist his wand slid into his hand from his wand holster. It was a pretty thing, what you could see of the blue billywig shells creating a contrast to the silvery white of the aspen wood. "Accio." he intoned, casting the summoning charm at the box of tissues and snatching the box with his left hand and presenting it to Orli with flourish. Was he showing off? Absolutely. Charms came pretty naturally for him and he wasn't above preening a little when it came to things like this.

"Oh. That's fine. Was' just curious." he said, giving a little shrug and a smile. She looked quite pretty like that and he stifled the urge to just kiss her when she tasted like strawberries. The moment was gone a split second later when his traitorous cat chose that moment to spring up on his chest with a baleful and judgmental meow. "Hey Zar." he greeted, scratching his chin and behind his ears. Balthazar was as much from preening as he was. "Handsome, vain, cat." his said, tone affectionate. "I don't know if you've gotten to officially meet Balthazar." He couldn't be sure of course but his cat had a tendency to run all around the castle and do what he wanted.

Had she just...?

Orlaith bit the bottom of her lip gently in contemplation and tilted her head. Yes, from this angle it looked she indeed had -- Benjamin Danvers was blushing! Of course the sixth year knew better than to make a big deal out of it, she knew Ben to be quite proud, and since she genuinely cared for him she wasn't about to use his blushing impulse against him. She was just inwardly, extremely proud of herself for having managed to accomplish such a feat. Yes, Ben used her blushing impulse against her, given how often he would make her blush and given that she wasn't an idiot, she would have been to think otherwise. However, for one, it wasn't difficult to make her blush, and for another she... enjoyed how much he enjoyed it. Rather like she enjoyed how much he enjoyed looking at her. In fact, the only thing that she could think of not enjoying about Ben, was that other girls made such huge concerted efforts to enjoy him as well.

"An anti-hero then.." Orlaith commented dryly, tilting her head to the side. "You might not do it for any heroic reasons or recognition, but I still appreciate you not allowing the other team to send me to the hospital wing for months at a time after games." the blonde shrugged, smiling his way again.

However, who knew a piece of fruit could bring such a dramatic end to such a lovely moment? Ben being startled and then concerned likely meant their moment of sharing information from the Daily Prophet was coming to and end. The blonde nodded in response to his question, letting out a small chuckle and a shake of the head at the mess she had created in such a peaceful situation. And with her hand now sticky with strawberry juice, Orlaith couldn't resume stroking his hair until she cleaned it. For a moment the Slytherin thought that meant moving, until the site of Ben's beautiful wand reminded her that actually, she didn't need to move. Not for the tissue, nor to clean her hand.

Orlaith's head dropped slightly at the stupidity of her own oversight. Of course she should have just summoned a tissue. "Thank you, hero." she quipped, taking the tissue to mop her face and then her hand, then reached over the side of the couch to produce her wand from her sports bag, murmuring a quick cleaning spell for her hand so that she could get back to what she was doing.

Then, as she finally found herself ready to resume reading and playing with Ben's hair, another disruption appeared! This time in the form of a cat, a cat that blended in remarkably well with Ben's clothes. For a moment, Orlaith was confused about where the cat came from and why it had to come over here, but Ben reacted in a way that suggested he was familiar with the cat. "Zar?" Orlaith repeated, still deciding if she was okay with the cats interruption. However, as Ben started playing with the cat, full name Balthazar, the blonde's expression softened. Wasn't Ben just adorable when he did that? Orlaith lifted her hand from the Daily Prophet to join Ben's in stroking Balthazar, and she would have been loathe to say that she didn't inwardly hope her hand collided with Ben's as she did so.

"If anyone targets you they're getting a bludger to the face." he muttered darkly, frowning. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. He winced at the blunt words for a second, letting them hang in the silence, before shooting the girl a smirk. Yea he wasn't taking that back. At this point he was pretty sure Orli knew he could get a little... upset at the thought of his teammates getting hurt. No need to be specific about why the thought of someone injuring her in a game made all of his violent impulses surge. His hands twitched thinking about it. Realistically he probably wouldn't stop with just a bludger to the face. He'd gotten better at handling his temper but once it was ignited it was difficult for him to think straight. He wasn't a hothead but any means, and his vengeance was more thorough and thought out. But some things could set him off and he wasn't above getting his message across "accidentally" and then on purpose to highlight his point.

Not it was best for everyone involved that Orlaith remained completely unharmed at all times.

"You're welcome, princess." he quipped back, grinning a little at the metaphor they had, inadvertedly, created. He fancied himself more the dragon defending his princes and his horde, though. It was a more apt description, in his humble opinion. He was as possessive as a dragon, and just as vicious when his horde was threatened. His family was grey for a reason. Neutrality didn't signify that they stayed out of conflict but moreso that they aligned themselves with the side who would most represent their interests at any given time. Unfortunately light wizards and witches tended to frown upon some forms of... revenge. Most of the old families respected certain aspects of magic, however. It made him slightly apprehensive, though, that Orlaith had reached the point where her safety it would garner such a strong reaction from him. It was close to how he'd feel if any team member got injured but at the same time...not.

He so did not wish to contemplate why that was. Least of all when the pleasant hair caressing came back into the picture. No best to just enjoy this while he had it and not think of complications. This was simple and good. No need to overthink.

He was seized with the urge to play with Orli's hand, so close to his own, but somehow resisted the urge. A part of him was aware that this was, well, it could send the wrong message. He knew. He wasn't usually so indiscreet with even the girls he casually saw. But he honestly couldn't resist basking in the closeness. He was comfortable, Orli's fingers were stroking his hair, playing with his cat, and she smelled lovely. He'd probably not eat another strawberry and not think of her. Blasted thoughts. "He's a pretty menace. Proud. Vain." a true Danvers animal, in essence. "You looking forward to the match with Ravenclaw?" he asked curiously.

He wasn't quite ready to get the day started, even though he knew it was just about that time. No one was usually up this early but, well, that would change soon wouldn't it?

The blonde's smile grew wider before she stopped herself, making out that she was gently pressing her lips together in thought. She wasn't though, instead the Slytherin was thoroughly enjoying hearing Ben sounding so over protective of her. Her. Not the entire team but her specifically. That was the other super power he had and utilised around her, the ability to make her just feel exceptionally... special. Orlaith dare not let it get to her head too much though, not whilst Ben could see her. She did not want to become another one of his girls; and by that she was specifically referring to the girls who doted on him and followed him around but never actually got anywhere significant with him. Whilst had no plans about where both herself and Ben were headed with their interactions, she was a Slytherin, and she was determined to keep all her options open until a decision was required. A decision was not required as yet.

However, if Ben kept calling her princess like that...

The nickname was cheesy, as was the one she had newly assigned to him. Whenever Ben called her princess like that though, or especially when he whispered it in her ear as he had done the first time, it did something to her that was pleasurable, frightening and electrifying all in one go. In a rare display of sheepish girlishness, that the handsome Slytherin was actually present to witness, Orlaith shrunk into herself, taking the moment to elegant twist her hair around itself and toss it over one shoulder, exposing a good view of her slender neck. The sixteen-year-old was not, in any way, attention seeking and did not have a track record for showing skin unecessarily. Anytime she did so was a subtle indication of how much she liked the attention she was getting - normally from one specific person. As such, revealing her neck this way was something she was doing for Ben's enjoyment, and his only.

After the strawberry fiasco had nearly ruined the serene morning they were having after such an arduous run-- well, for her. For Ben the run had probably been a walk in the park. However, after all of that, the Slytherin had thought the moment between her and her housemate was ruined. However, Ben hadn't moved from her lap, and Balthazar didn't seem to be moving from his chest, at least for the moment. Orlaith could work with this; the only thing not moving in a way she could work with, was Ben's hand. It seemed to keep missing hers just ever so slightly, as though he was doing it on purpose, a thought that made her heart sink. If he was doing it on purpose, why was he avoiding it? His head was already in her lap-- but the teen stopped that trail of thought in its tracks before she got too worked up. Perhaps she was being too forward and putting him off, that was certainly not something she wanted.

And so the blonde cleared her throat gently and sank back into the sofa, her hand moving from Balthazar back to the Daily Prophet as she did so. "Hmm?" she murmured gently in response to the question at first. "I don't know if Ravenclaw will be a match for the rest of the team.." Orlaith mused. "I'm a bit worried if I'm honest." the Slytherin admitted, her head tilting ever so slightly away from the brunette as she said so. "I feel like keeping will be a far more dangerous position for me than seeker."

Every so often he'd find himself contemplating Orli's dimples. They were, well, it made her face so pretty. (In the lizard part of his brain that he repressed quite thoroughly he thought they were quite complimentary and he couldn't help but think it was a genetic compliment to his own they could pass down to-) Point of that sentimental thought was that she should just smile all the time is all. Solely when in his company of course. He didn't share very well, despite having a sibling. Probably because, in the end, both Baylen and him got whatever they wanted. If it were up to their mother they'd be spoiled rotten, he was sure. His father was definitely the level-headed one of the pair, that's for sure. He quite envied his fathers cold, calculated, logic and tried to emulate it best he could.

His thoughts came to a rather abrupt stop when his eyes following the girls hands, to her hair, and then fixed on her exposed neck. A shiver went down his spine as he stared. His blue gaze flickered up to her face for a moment, muscles taught, as he restrained himself with concentrated effort. He knew in the back of his head that if he were to move forward and trail kisses upwards that she'd maybe let him. With the certainty that he could very well convince her that snogging her senseless would be a really great idea just then. He could be very convincing, after all. And the temptation was there. All he had to do was lean forward and take. He almost did, too, before emotion softened him. He blew a breath from his mouth, lips curving up, as he leaned back a bit and closed his eyes. Her hand was still in his hair, and he used the touch to ground himself, and not cross that invisible line.

"You're so much trouble." he murmured, a faint smile on his lips, before he shook his head. A girl shouldn't be so tempting. That was the problem wasn't it? If he'd wanted to just kiss her, she'd been snogged properly months ago. (Moment of weakness notwithstanding but he didn't consider the light brush of lips that had been a proper s-Stop. He needed to stop thinking about it, now) No the real dilemma is that he suspected it went deeper than that for him, and he wasn't ready to commit himself fully, like he knew she deserved. So he'd do... nothing for the moment. No matter how much he wanted to. And how much he wanted her to come back and curl up on the couch with him. Space between them was a good idea right now, or else he couldn't be held liable for what he'd do, really. Maybe. He'd never had much impulse control when it came to things he wanted.

He was selfish like that.

Given that Orlaith and Ben had been engaged in this dance for a while now, the sixteen-year-old had thought nothing of doing something so simple as show him her neck. She was sure she had revealed a bit more to him that time she had visited him whilst he was asleep in order to check he was genuinely busy and not avoiding her, as she had been in her pyjamas that time. The intensity of the look in his eyes as he gazed upon her neck just then though... it made the blonde pull her gaze away from the random spot she was looking at to assess him. Orlaith found herself wishing she could invade his thoughts herself to know just what was on his mind. She doubted it was anything like what she hoped it was, as he was definitely the one who kept luring her and tempting her to do something unladylike with him - and that was just his way. That was why so many girls followed him around.

So when he moved away, referring to her as trouble, the Slytherin was little taken aback.

"Huh?" she uttered in a confused tone, her hand momentarily withdrawing from his hair. "--What'd I do?" came the innocent question. There was nothing more that Orlaith had wanted for a while than to just lose herself in him, especially after that night. In fact, a small part of her did remember how his lips, his nose, his face had felt nuzzled into the side of her neck as he slept; thoughts that she needed to bury beneath a whole host of non-Ben-centric activities to stop herself from behaving completely immorally in a moment like this. If he'd done it to her again, she would have become nothing more than mouldable jelly in his hands, because she couldn't think with him like that. But the Slytherin remained oblivious to the fact that he struggled with it too, because he had so many other options elsewhere."I'm definitely not the one who's trouble." Orlaith remarked, a small smirk on her lips as she looked away again.

Her hand resumed stroking his hair, not sure what to do about the space between them now. He hadn't left her lap, not entirely, but his back was to her now. She didn't like it and the room suddenly felt less cosy. However, it was about that time when activity in the common room was going to start picking up. Perhaps this was why he had turned away, he didn't want people to see them like this and jump to conclusions. At the moment, the only witness to their peaceful, almost couple-like moment was Balthazar, and no one of importance was going to be able to communicate with him.

"Should I continue?" the blonde asked, turning the December issue of the Daily Prophet over to its front page and resting her hand in the dip of his side to read. At the very least, this angle was a better reading position for her, less stress on her mischief causing neck to read the words. "Oh.. something interesting for us to do over the holidays - Diagon Alley has been transformed into a winter wonderland." she mentioned, wanting to bring it up before Ben had a chance to answer, in case the answer was no.

The effect that Orli had on Ben was starting to compound. The more he resisted his instincts (strictly speaking those instincts needed to be packed away until his brain could process the circumstance) the larger the desire to give into those instincts were. Take, for example, his fixation with the blonde’s elegant neck.

He’d had more provocative overtures than that before. But there hadn’t really been time for a significant build up of ... whatever this was and so it was sort of difficult to focus at the moment. It wasn’t always this confusing and wonderful to be around his house mate, either.

It was jus that sometimes things got a little intense and his brain was often overwhelmed by what the rest of him really wanted. His brain wasn’t even what held him back. Not truly. His fears were what held him back, ultimately. His first try at commitment hadn’t ended positively. Neither had his second half attempt. With Whitten the problem had been her vast innocence and her inability to see him for what he was. He’d lived in a bubble of trying to be “nice” because Whitten deserved that and she was too gentle for anything else.

With Meg, well, that had been more his fault than anything else. She’d seen him for what he was in a very exact measurement. She hadn’t tried to change him and had been lovely beyond measure. But she pushed him in ways he had not been ready for. Hadn’t cared that he also held residual feelings and in the end that’s what stopped him.

How could he trust himself with someone who could dismiss her own concerns like that? He’d been pretty smitten himself and it just - it wasn’t right. That she’d been settling for less than she deserved because he hadn’t been in a place where he could give her that.

The distractions he’d had in between were simple. Girls knew what he was about. And he’d treat any female respectfully, as they deserved. Ultimately the knew he was emotionally unavailable in the worst of ways. They either accepted that and had a friend that they snogged or realized that they wanted more than that. In which case it ended.

Orlaith was starting to affect him in ways that went beyond what he thought he was ready for and what he was most resistant to. “Best kind of trouble.” He murmured, voice soft, as affection laced his tone. This was... bad, wasn’t it? Panic began to bloom in his chest for a second before he squashed it down ruthlessly. Absolutely not. This was... fine. And he would continue to be fine.

Friends. They were friends. He could care deeply about a friend. So what if he found her mouthwateringly attractive. A friend could notice that about another friend. It was completely fine.

“Maybe you’re right with that. Shall we call you a trouble magnet then, mm?” Since she seemed determined from lure him in effortlessly. “Sure.” He affirmed. He still hadn’t moved, mostly trying to get back into the conversation as opposed to thinking about stuff he shouldn’t. “I can take you and Bay, if you’d like. It’s fun. If you want.” He offered. He was pretty sure Baylen would attach himself to the blond like a limpet. He liked pretty things, too, didn’t he? The thought of Orli spending time with him and his brother shouldn’t be so appealing.

None the wiser to her brunette housemate's internal dilemma, Orlaith found herself biting the bottom of her lip and sinking into the land of contemplation as she considered his words. She still didn't know what she had done to warrant the new title of 'trouble', but for some reason the tone of his voice was causing the blonde to feel quite warm. "...right." came the uncertain response as the sixth year worried that this meant Ben was withdrawing from her. "Sorry-- give me a second if it's alright?" she asked politely, sliding gingerly to the side and carefully lowering his head to the sofa. She needed to remove her cardigan, because as the worrying thought took hold of her the blonde could feel her heart begin to race. If he was beginning to pull away, she needed to pull him back - and quickly!

That wasn't why she was removing the cardigan though, the thought of him pulling away was making her nervous. Luckily, her hair was pretty dry by now, so Orlaith quickly raked her fingers through it, covering her neck back up before slipping back into her previous position on the sofa with Ben, if he'd allow it. Albeit a little closer to him than she had been before, an unconcious move on her part.

As Ben went on to call her a trouble magnet, the contemplative look remained. What had she done? And then realisation dawned on her-- did Ben think she was like this with other boys that were like him? Or other boys in general? Was that why he was calling her a trouble magnet? If that were true, then she needed to somehow make it clear that it was more to do with him than boys in general. Pressing her lips together, she turned away briefly to think, and then a response came to her that she hoped to Merlin wasn't too forward. "Only if I want to attract it." she said softly, quietly, trying not to fidget as the nerves continues to take hold.

It didn't help when he responded to her mention of the Winter Wonderland by agreeing to it, but agreeing to take his brother with them. Sure the invite had seemed casual enough but... Orlaith was rathermore hoping that they could go alone. Not necessarily a date per se, but just.. she realised that her best moments, her favourite moments with Ben happened when they were alone and not in school. Like Italy. Like her birthday party. She wanted more moments like that with him, and she couldn't get them if he brought a third wheel. Didn't he get that? Or maybe he did and that was why he was bringing the little brother along. Whatever she'd done must have either really annoyed him or really perturbed him, and she couldn't ask because that was basically admitting how much she cared what he thought of her. To be fair, she hadn't thought he was going to be the sort of guy that she was drawn to like this.

"How old ... or tall rather, is Baylen?" Orlaith asked innocently as the gears in her mind started to spin into overdrive. She needed to create her opportunity if Ben was going to insist on putting obstacles in her way; and she needed to do it without triggering Ben to put immovable barriers in her way. "I only ask because I'm sure there's rides and other things there that we'd be able to do and he couldn't..." she clarified. "..but it would be nice to spend some time with him." she quickly added, so as to not raise suspicion from Ben.

"What if--" the blonde broke off, placing the Daily Prophet down. She rubbed Ben's shoulder in a firm but gentle manner, as though indicating she needed him to get up again. She did, but to make eye contact with him this time. Orlaith had a poker face like the best of them in Slytherin, if Ben saw and thought she was being genuine with her next suggestion, perhaps he'd be more inclined to go along with it. "--what if a group of us go?" she asked, her eyes trailing his as he sat up so their eyes could meet once he was upright. "I'm sure I could find at least one other person to go with us, someone who could stay with Bay in case we came across something we wanted to do, that he couldn't?" came the, rather ingenious, suggestion in the Slytherin's opnion.

There was nothing suspcious about bringing more people if Ben was trying to stop them being alone together. Orlaith just had to make sure those people were on board with her side of the plan. Which was that they should, at some point during the event, ensure that Orlaith and Ben had time away from the group - in effect, taking Bay with them. "That way we wouldn't have to miss out on anything because of having to leave him alone." Godric, please let Ben accept the proposal. Then all Orlaith needed to do was find someone that met her requirements - and she actually had someone in mind for the job.

She was going to kill him. Worst part was that it would be an accidental death due to combustion. He gulped down a groan and contemplated closing his eyes to better resist temptation.

He failed, obviously. He was sixteen and any amount of exposed skin he was bound to ogle. He honestly just could not help it in this particular circumstance. He might’ve if he knew she was being deliberate about it. That usually triggered a different reaction entirely and it was something he had plenty of experience with.

He let himself be moved around, moving as soon as she nudged because what else was he to do? Merlin, but she was pretty wasn’t she? His fingers itched to tangle his fingers in her hair. The blond strands would look lovely in a plait. He squashed down the offer to plait it for her or roll it into a French twist. He’d only ever braided Sierra’s hair at Hogwarts, though, and he’d been what? In second year? It seemed a lifetime ago to him. He’d always made friends with upperclassmen and it was sad that now he was one himself most of the people he associated with had long since graduated.

Not to say he didn’t still have friends of course. Just that the time he’d filled before was suddenly open to him now. And most of his friends he’d just sort of casually fallen into a pattern as opposed to being deliberate about it. Part of it was that he knew how social climbers could be and while he could blend in with the rest of society what he really enjoyed was a measure of realness. It was nice to just be sometimes though he’d always be quite opportunistic.

A subtle Slytherin could have all doors open to him, if he was smart about it.

Focusing on the girl before him, he thought about what she was saying. He knew Orli wasn’t really one to draw attention to herself on purpose. At least not overtly. But she wasn’t quite understanding what he was saying was she? He didn’t really want to clarify, though, because that meant admitting that she was... not like the rest. That she was good trouble.

Enjoyable trouble. That she attracted trouble like him, in particular.

But he couldn’t articulate those thoughts because that meant admitting them out loud. Putting it out there and making it real.

“I’d be surprised if he isn’t taller than you are.” He snickered, completely amused. He was only a few inches shorter than his exceptionally tall older brother. “Want me to go measure him?” He teased, eyes glinting playfully. “You can invite whoever you’d like.” He agreed readily enough. He didn’t care who she invited really. It wasn’t going to change how he acted around her one way or the other. Baylen wasn’t the type ... he knew his brother well is all.

He couldn’t quite parse her motives, though. Did she think his little brother was intimidating? Whatever her reasoning he didn’t much care though as long as it meant getting more time to just, well, spend time together he supposed. “My uh, my birthdays coming up.” He added, his ears going a little pink. “There’s usually a party.” and it would be a big one wouldn’t it? It would be his 17th, after all. “You’d be invited if you wanted to come.” And he wanted her to.

If Orlaith was already hot due to nerves, Ben's gaze being fixed on her like that was enough to set her on fire. Was she blushing? Again? If it wasn't for how painfully aware she was that Ben was looking at her, she would have had a small outburst at her inability to control this particular quirk of hers. Instead she was going to do what she normally did in these sorts of circumstances. Pretend it wasn't happening, pretend he wasn't staring at her and hope the blushing would just go away.

After settling back into their comfty position and suggesting plans for the holiday period, Orlaith returned her attention to the matter at hand; trying to organise some alone time with Ben at the Winter Wonderland event. Of course Baylen would happen to be tall enough for all the rides and things, and given that Orlaith was not seventeen yet and would not be until the summer, Orlaith was robbed of the opportunity to use age as a reason also. She let out a small annoyed chuckle when Ben offered to go measure him and check, but she wasn't about to say yes or anything along those lines. The blonde wasn't interested in moving away from their current setup unless they had to.

"No, I believe you." she replied, smiling and shaking her head.

At least Ben provided her with permission to bring along other people, so there was still hope that she'd get alone time. The Slytherin just hoped Ben wasn't thinking she was doing it for the same reasons Orlaith thought Ben was bringing his brother. "Alright, I'll let you know in advance if anyone is coming along." she informed her housemate, mentally preparing a list of back up options if her first pick wasn't able to attend for any reason.

Then Ben did something unexpected -- he brought up mention of his birthday. If she recalled a rather personal and extremely private conversation with a certain brunette best friend in the past; it was due in January. The exact date was noted in her diary, so that Orlaith could plan to surprise him with gifts. However, that was beside the point, Ben had also mentioned a party. "What, during the break?" the sixteen year old enquired, failing to hide a small glimmer of excitement at the idea. Parties were great. It was a party that had led to a very enjoyable broom ride with the athletic Slytherin and ignited her crush on him in the first place. In fact, as she remembered it, it was that party that Ben first called her princess, and treated her as such. A smile crept to her lips at the memory, before she remembered where she was.

"I'd love to." Orlaith answered, her smile widening as though that was the reason the smile crept onto her face in the first place. "...I hate asking... but what's the time?" The Slytherin still needed to take her bag to her room and get ready for the day, and she was sure that it was starting to hit the point where if she remained any longer she would run the risk of being late. Tardiness was not her style.