Balconies

It's a chilly night, but you can still get some fresh air!

Entering Choi's office, Brianna head straight out towards the balcony. After spending all that time inside the reception hall, she needed some fresh air. She put her glass on the banister, inhaling deeply. It was a nice night out...
"Not a night for private conversations, though? This is a public concert, after all," she mused to herself. Choi and her were not.that close - he was not one to fall too heavily in her charms, anyway.

Lydin made her way onto the balcony, now with a class of white wine in hand as for a waiter had passed on the way out.

She was silent in these moments, staring at her son before she could bare no mind to look him in the eye. Was she that bad of a mother? So much that her son really hated her enough to ignore her? How cruel. She put herself through so much pain and trouble, homeschooling him for so long to better his education. Putting forth so much effort in his childhood to make him feel like a little prince. And now he turned his back on her, in public.

She took a sip of her wine, staring in at the dance floor. Many were talking and gossiping, only minutes ago had a girl been dancing with Choi, the party's host, and it had caused quite the ruckus. She could see the girl now, actually, by herself, Choi must have fled. Her dancing really was atrocious.

Dein stepped out onto the balcony just as his mother and had, and as she stared at him in silence, he stared right back. He didn't even look away when she could no longer bare the sight of him. He slipped his hands into his pockets and took a deep breath,

"How have you been mom?" He said in an apologetic tone as he stepped out and leaned over the balcony. Now with just his mother around, he couldn't stay angry with her. It wasn't her fault Dein had been upset. She never argued with his father, so therefore he shouldn't have expected anything to the contrary.

It had been awhile since he'd seen her too, and at this rate, he probably wouldn't be seeing her in a long time after this either. He looked back to her, and then lowered his gaze.

"Enjoying the party. Its good to be known, though your father thinks otherwise."

She wasn't about to cheer up simply because he spoke to her. It was forced, wasn't it? She shouldn't have dragged her boy out to the balcony. She should have allowed for him to stay inside. It was her fault, anyway, it must have been. Dein could only hate her for a good reason. How sad. She shouldn't have had a kid if she couldn't even make him pround.

Lydin continued to stare inside, watching the ball unfold. She eyed a few Death Eaters, thankfully keeping their calm. With the new leader in charge, it was best not to risk any sudden movements. And then her gaze continued, eyeing every person in the ball, sizing them up and judging them based on dress and to who they were speaking to.

Again, at the mention of his father, Dein's mood had dropped drastically, and now he wasted his time staring over the edge of the balcony to the streets below. His father wouldn't have kept knowledge of Dein's banishment, would he? No, he would tell her, so that he could tell her not to speak with Dein.

He sighed, after thinking it through completely, and finally spoke again, "You speak as though everything is normal." He tapped his fingernails on the balcony as he sulked, waiting for her to say something like "Your father knows best!" or something along similar lines.

Lydin was quick to change the subject.

"Please, do tell me what's wrong! I know I'm not the best mother, but I've rendered what I can! I've seen your face even before I descended to you. Can you speak to me, like you used to? I only wish to help! Your solemn face broke my heart long before you saw me."

She could only hope what she said was true. But perhaps he had seen her, mingling. Or perhaps that was simply the face that he wore now. His father may have taught it to him. Lydin was always critiqued for displaying too much emotion, Dein knew how to please though. His face was so long. So sad. She missed the joy she remembered, seeing in her 5 year old son's eyes. Now it was gone. Was it really her fault?

His mother did always have a strong sense of drama. It made him wonder how she and his father had ever become a pair in the first place. On second thought, he reconsidered as he looked to his mother, he didn't really want to know.

He sighed, and turned to her, taking her hands into his to get her attention, "Will you just listen to me?" He asked as he looked into his mother's eyes. She had to understand. And, if Dein was correct, her fear of her husband was all that stood in her way.

It may have been true- that Lydin wasn't the best mother, considering there were hundreds more women who had raised children just as she had. It didn't really matter to Dein though. He'd always had a soft spot for her; she was his mother after all. He didn't have much to complain about his childhood either. His father was strict, and his mother lenient. It all had balanced out just fine. And Lydin had been more than a mother to him. She'd also taught him everything he knew today. His father could take credit over a few things, but often had been too busy for his son. That was something that had never changed, to this day.

Lydin had all intentions on listening, but as she looked into Dein's eyes, it clicked. She had been hunched over a bit to stare Dein in his eyes, not that she was taller then him. Her heels were about...oh, 7 inches high? That gave her a a great bit of height. As she picked herself up to stand tall, her dress fell a little bit lower, not that she noticed anything.

"It's a girl! Isn't it Dein? It's a girl that's been bothering you all night! Oh, what's wrong? Who is she? I'm sure I can fix it!"

Dein turned around again, putting a hand to his face as he groaned. 'Am I even speaking English?' He thought for a moment before he laughed at the ridiculousness of all of this, "Well of course it's a girl, what else could it be?" He said, as though playing along for a hint of a second, "I also met this white rabbit who invited me to tea, ah but I had already promised the Queen I would join her in a game of croquet!" He laughed again, only for it to die off shortly as he sighed and fell to the floor so he could lean his back up against the balcony and rub his eyes.

He took the time now to realize her mother's dress fell a little lower in the front, and his face contorted with shock and disgust, "Mother, cover yourself up, will you?" He said before he put his hand back over his face.

Brianna turned, looking back at Choi. She smiled prettily at the man.
"My, my. You really know how to make a woman happy, don't you?" She retreated from the balcony, running a hand through her hair. "Nice, party, by the way. Very classy." She passed by him, giving a brief nod in greeting. "Only a crazy person would not be impressed... Or proud." Nearing the table, Brianna picked up the champagne bottle and studied it. "Classy," she repeated. "To be expected from a man like you, hrmmm?"

"Chivalry is dead and gone," she murmured to herself. Then, in a more normal tone of voice, "We should." She let herself be guided towards the table, grinning at him. The two of them usually flirted when they met - what else was to be expected? He was a hot, charming playboy, and she... well, she was Brianna. One couldn't expect to put those together and expect saints.
"How's life as an adult?" she asked, sitting herself down while brushing at her skirt. She pulled her hair to one side of her body and over her shoulder, rather than let it cover her back. "Much more interesting than life at school, I would bet?" Choi was a living model of the impact she wanted to make when graduating Hogwarts - he reeked of success. She had her fun, sure, but it was frustrating when she wasn't taken seriously just because she didn't have a diploma.

With her back towards the other balcony, Brianna couldn't tell what Choi had glanced towards. She followed his gaze and looked behind her inquisitively - a woman stood outside, talking with someone whose back was towards the two. The veela frowned slightly, pausing, before Choi caught her attention again. She turned back to him, smiling distractedly. Brianna had been interested to find out of the Asian veelas at his school - she had yet to meet one. Then again, her travels had yet to take her that far East, yet.

"Why waste talent?" she asked, and held up her glass. "Cheers." After tapping her champagne against his, however, Brianna could not help but sneak another look towards the other balcony. That outfit...
"You put your resources to good use, too," she continued absentmindedly. "What's it feel like, being one of the "hottest eligible bachelors"? You must never get 'no' as an answer."

She completely blew off his comment about her dress. It's not like they were all real anyway! And all the other women were the same, if not worse. Though she thought herself the one who could most pull it off, not that she'd say that outloud. It was one thing to critique others, another to give yourself the compliment.

"Oh don't you play that game with me! I remember when you were 5, and I knew you liked that Meira girl. A little trite looking now, but all the same, I knew that you liked her!"

She could remember it now, her little boy eyeing the soft brown haired girl. She was cute, but what child wasn't? The difference was she grew to look...omittable, and her son still looked as cute and handsome as he did then. Now Lydin forced Dein's seated body to turn, and peer into the open doors of the balcony, out into the Reception Hall.

"Go on! Tell me which one she is!"

Well this evening was just going splendidly now wasn't it. Dein looked out at the reception hall as she turned his body around. "What makes you think-" He sighed, realizing it was pointless to argue with her, of all people. So, instead, he stood up and leaned against the wall to get a better look.

He smirked as he realized what would piss his father off the most, should his mother relay the information to him. He turned back to look over the balcony; he didn't need to find her to point her out, "She's blonde. Doesn't dance well."

But once he had spoken, his face had grown blank once again, as he looked out and spotted people out on another balcony. He could easily identify the prick that had danced with Lacetta, and then... a woman who's back was turned from him. It was too dark too discern who she was, but Dein had an idea or two. He sighed grumpily and turned his gaze elsewhere.

Lydin reacted immediately, as if she understood. She didn't, though, she had a bit too much wine to be the perceptive Ravenclaw that she really was. And, aside from that, she was in full mother mode. All she did was love and care for her son, and right now he seemed so sad, so upset! She looked into the hall, and immediately a girl caught her eye. The blonde, she had been dancing with Choi early.

She hugged him tightly, "She's cute, but she reeks of mudblood..."

Then it clicked, "Oh my god, honey I'm so sorry! She just told you, didn't she? Oh I'm so sorry for your disappointment! I'll fix you up with someone better, prettier, and a pureblood!"

The smell of wine filled his senses as his mother embraced him once again, trying to be the comforting mother she always was. But her feelings were misplaced, and frankly, Dein hadn't the patience to try and correct it.

"I don't need to be 'fixed up' with anyone Mom." He turned to her, thinking of a change in subject, "Did Dad tell you I won the tournament?" He didn't gloat much about the Triwiz, but the one person he did want to feel proud was his mother, who was actually possible to please, unlike his father.

"Oh my god I had totally forgotten! Let me see it! How dare you enter such a stupid thing, you ended up hurt! Where is it?!"

She began to search his torso, knowing that it was somewhere like his shoulder blades. She was proud of him for winning, yes, but she was so much more concerned about his injury. She had been told, by Jason, that the nurse was incompetent, and how could she, as his mother, let him be healed by someone so incompetent! It was a mother's touch that was best!

He gently pushed her away and cooperatively unbuttoned his vest, loosened his tie, and then unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt. The scar consisted of three claw lines going diagonally from his right shoulder to the left of his body. It was no ordinary scar, in that the flesh around it was pale and gray- like ash.

The scar had done about all the healing it would, and by now, it no longer effected his lungs. His stamina was sapped tremendously, but what would he need that for? It's not like he would be needing to run for his life anytime soon.

"Oh.my.god. MY POOR BABY!"

She hugged him tightly to her, the scars were aweful, and they scared her. Was he really healed? It didn't look like it. Of course she was a terrible nurse! (she hasn't connected one with the other, the nurse being lacetta). Lydin wouldn't have been able to do any better, she hardly knew any healing spells, but as his mother, she wanted to believe that she could to better, and so that's what she told herself.

"Your scars, are they going to be there forever? Have you tried to morph? I'm sure they go away, but does it hurt?"