The Couch

Pansy Malfoy wrote:At some point Pansy left last night and went to her dorm but didn't sleep. Anyway. She's back now, heading through the common room for nowhere in particular, when she spots once again her favorite little victim. "Good afternoon, little Reggikins."

Regulus looks up and sees Pansy, an apathetic expression on his face. "Hey there Parkinson," he said coolly, his eyes falling to her now ring-less finger. "I see you have a conscience after all," he said, indicating her left hand.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, believing stupid things like that." She circled behind the couch and put her hand lightly on his cheek before digging in her nails, scratching from his nose to his ear as she continued walking around the side of the couch. "Just means I've realized how badly I screwed up. If I had a conscience, it wouldn't have happened in the first place."

"True enough," he said, realizing that he still hadn't removed his own ring from Viktor, which he bore on his left hand, while wearing the Black family crest ring on his right hand. "But shit happens, and judging from the amount of empty bottles that were around, I'd say you were damn drunk. A drunken mistake doesn't mean you don't feel guilty for it after," he said with a shrug. "You take it off yourself, or did you manage to lose your Malfoy?" he asked, not giving a damn about privacy.

"He's not around for me to hand it over yet, but I'm sure that'll only take a matter of time." Pansy shocked herself with how easily she said it, but it didn't matter. It was bound to happen, and she'd screwed up twice now. She deserved to lose him, and he deserved better than her. She plopped down on the couch beside him, leaning against the arm so she could face him and putting her feet up on the cushions. She rested her shoes against his pants, not caring that they were probably leaving a good amount of dirt where they were touching. Once she realized her dirty shoes were on his pants, she wiped them a little bit, smirking at the brown streaks left behind.

Gotta go, bbl.

Regulus didn't bother scowling at the dirt on his jeans, given that they're probably already dirty from being on the quidditch pitch- he's not a Malfoy, dammit, he's still kind of a jock, or will be again now, I guess. "Really, they're dirty enough without you using them as a rag, Parkinson. Ah, whatever," he said shrugging. "Where is he, anyway? Not that I see him, given that I took his spot as seeker. Turns out buying your way onto the team doesn't work when there's someone with actual talent," he said snidely.

Pansy almost started shouting at him for insulting Draco, but found that she didn't care to bother with it. She still loved him, but she didn't feel right defending him right now, after all she'd done. "Who knows. I'm leaving later tonight to find him. So, next time you talk to me, I probably will be Parkinson again." It took all she had to keep a stoic face with that thought. Instead, she sneered at him. "So, tell me, how's single life?"

Regulus' face hardened at her words, and his fists clenched as he moved slightly away from her on the couch. "I'd tell you, but I imagine you'll be finding out for yourself soon enough, won't you," he replied coldly, his fingers tightening around his ring.

[For some reason my mom insists on watching tv in my room. be back asap.]

"True enough." Pansy glanced down at his fists, knowing it had gotten to him. She tilted her chin up, indicating his hand. "Why do you still wear that thing? I'm guessing it's from Krum?" She crossed her arms, her bare left hand hidden behind the back of her right arm. It still felt strange.

"What is it to you?!" he snapped, immediately letting go of it and shoving the hand that bore it in his pocket before taking a breath and looking away. "It feels wrong without it, is all," he said quietly, staring at the ground.

Pansy laughed at him. "You'd better get used to it." Just like I have to. "What happened with you two?" Pansy asked him. She was curious, but she was also enjoying just how uncomfortable it made him.

Regulus glowered at her, knowing full well she was right. "We'd been falling apart for a while. And then I caught him cheating on me, and I cheated on him, we fought, he kissed my brother in front of me, it pissed me off, I called his beloved friend Granger a mudblood and he got pissy about it, being the goddamn muggle-lover he is, I got drunk and slept with a friend, and he found out somehow and we broke up. There, nice and short, just for you," he said sardonically, not in the mood for games and rather in the mood to rant anyway.

"Lovely story. Sounds like you had a great relationship. Lots of revenge, always a nice touch." Pansy nodded sarcastically. "You know, just holding onto that piece of metal isn't going to make it better. He's not coming back to you just because you keep wearing it."

Regulus glared but sighed, knowing she was right. "Revenge isn't all that great, unfortunately. And I know that, I never said I thought it would. He's gone," he said bitterly, staring at the ground. "Not that it matters."

"Well, frankly I'm not sure where our conversation is going, and I'm not sure I really like it. I should probably leave before I just decide to choke your sorry self instead." Pansy stood up, picking up a small box sitting on a table nearby. She shook it a bit, but it didn't make any noise. She turned around to look at Regulus. "Is this yours?" She tucked it into her pocket.

OMG
DRACO QUOTE
CHAMBER OF SECRETS

Is there a box I left here without knowing? -blink-

"Er, no? I don't think so," he said shrugging, trying not to wallow in self pity again. "And it'd be great if you could not choke me, Tolga kind of wants to kill you if you touch me, the Bulgarian that he is. Honestly," he said, shaking his head amusedly.

Pansy laughed, again. Regulus was so amusing. "Oh, really? He wasn't so successful last time, now was he?" She poked him in the forehead. "Tell him I'll be waiting."

"I told him not to bother, I think," he said with a shrug. "I'd rather he didn't blow himself up again. And besides, I don't need him to fight my battles. I hate that he does that."

Pansy had started to walk away, when she stopped dead in her tracks. "Wait. You don't need him to fight your battles for you?" She walked back over to the couch and stood in front of him, her arms crossed and weight resting on one hip. "Really?" She laughed. "Oh, okay, so you win by letting a girl push you down some stairs and getting knocked unconscious, right? The whole, opossum approach?"

"Hey, for a girl, you're kind of a badass, remember? And I'm not as pathetic as you assume I am. I can learn," he said indignantly. "Tolga's helping me."

"Oh, oh, okay." Pansy's voice was light, taunting. "Tolga is going to help you learn how to fight? If it wasn't for his stupid gun and the fact that he'd choked me first, he'd have been in a hospital bed right beside you thanks to me rather than his idiotic muggle toy."

"Tolga is awesome, he was just not feeling right in the head during that duel," he said stubbornly, defensive of his friend. "I bet he could kick your arse in a rematch. Besides, if not Tolga, then who else? I somehow don't see you offering me dueling tips," he said with a sarcastic tone, amused by the idea. "Think you could do a better job on me than he could?"

"Hm. Alright. He had a little headache or something, so his dueling was off. Does that matter? No. If you are a good duelest, you should be able to kick ass in any situation, whether you're coming down with pneumonia or on top of your game." Pansy remembered her first major duel, when she'd tracked down Remus, and she'd passed out from over-exertion thanks to getting pneumonia. She still hated that she'd passed out like that, it drove her mad. "Me? A teacher? Don't make me laugh. And besides, what makes you think I'd teach my secrets to a little shit like you? You'd probably just try to use my own tips against me."

"Little shit? Isn't that the term they refer to your dear husband as?" he said with a smirk. "And you have a point, you're too much of a bitch. But I wouldn't use your own spells against you, see, I have some honor, unlike you, apparently."