A sort of homecoming- Silisia

[NALEAN KAILYN SILVERSTAR]

Nalean nervously glanced around her as she cupped the coffee cup in her hands. She knew that chances of her father finding her here was minimal, but that didn’t stop her from worrying. The fact that she had gotten this far was partly thanks to her older brother Caleb helping her escape. He had planned everything, down to even the portkey that had been standing under a tree down the street from the family name. She could only hope that their father hadn’t found out it had been Caleb who had let her escape, she knew that if he did then chances were that she really would never see her brother again. “hey can I get you anything else?” a voice next to her said. Nalean glanced at the waitress and shook her head. She pulled out some of the money that Caleb had given her just before she had left, “No I’m done, keep the change” she said as she stood up. She pushed the door open and shivered as the cold air blasted past her. She bit her lip as the cold weather brought back memories of the school she had been forced to leave behind.

She should have known what was about to happen when her father had suddenly taken her out of Hogwarts, but she hadn’t known. She now knew that there was no way that her father would ever truly care about her. He was more concerned with making her the perfect deatheater than what she wanted to do with her life. For a brief moment when she had been younger she had imagined a world where her father was proud of her no matter what. Now she knew it was just a foolish dream dreamt up by a girl desperate to believe that her father truly cared about her. Now she just hoped that Caleb was alright and hadn’t come to any harm. She had made him promise that he would make sure that their father wouldn’t find out that he had set her free, but she knew that in these times promises couldn’t always be kept. She walked down the street, hoping that the walk to Silisia’s farm wasn’t too long. She could have apparated, but was scared that the ministry might be keeping track of apparations in order to find half-bloods, muggle-borns and blood-traitors. She was fairly certain that she now fell into the blood traitor category.

The feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach slowly grew the closer she got to Silisia’s farm. This was her only hope, if Silisia wouldn’t let her stay then she had no idea where she would stay. As she walked down the driveway, she couldn’t help but admire the part of the farm that she could see. At least this place had a welcoming appeal to it, unlike that of her family home. She stopped infront of the front door of the cottage, closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she knocked on the door. Silisia was the only member of her family, apart from Caleb, who she thought she could trust. She just hoped that her aunt didn’t prove her wrong.

[SILISIA ANJA DE'ATH]

Dust rose from the copper coat of the small gelding Silisia was grooming. The sound of eating horses filled the cosy barn. The sun was only beginning to gain height in the sky. With a satisfied last stroke, she finished the last horse. A small smile broke across her lips, unblemished by cosmetics. The small woman wore little more than some faded muggle pants, known as jeans, and a comfortable top. Well the top seemed to capture a bit of the strange adaption of the witch to muggle life. The friendly cartoon mouse with button eyes leered at people. Her cowboy boots clicked merrily on the floor beneath and atop her head was a straw cowboy hat. Her soft silver curls has been carefully pined against her head out of the way. She looked just slightly strange. It was a huge adaption away from the very strange attire she used to wear. She turned each of her four horses out into their paddocks before settling against the fence to watch them kick up their heels in the delight of being free.

It had been awhile since Silisia had truly felt free. The darkness that had descended upon the world of magic was suffocating. The deranged world was slowly falling apart around her. Even in the muggle world chaos was falling. The local news channel reported strange killings regularly. The dark mark loomed ominously in the sky, ever present as the sun. A small sigh escaped her lips, as she allowed the tension to leave her body. While she was enclosed in the muggle settlement, she could easily be exposed for what she truly is. Although she was not muggleborn, she was considered a blood traitor, or worse, her brother would take her back under his ‘protective’ wing. She slipped off the fence easily with a light thud. She made her way down to her cottage. She had another day ahead of her of doing very little and perhaps, even nothing. She had stocked up very many books to keep her amused while she decided what to do.

She kept a close ear to the Deathwatch and the Daily Prophet when she could get her hands on it to keep up with the going on of the outside world. She had not yet picked up the courage to join the order of phoenix, but there was no guarantees that she would try join them at all. It was, after all, a risk. Spies were everywhere and the last thing she needed was to be caught in a situation where Raven found her. The path to the back door of the house was a fairly short one. She opened the door just as she felt one of her protective charms warn her of a visitor. She grabbed her wand out from her back pocket and raised it defensively. She stood for a moment, heart pounding nervously in her chest. Each beat had an uncomfortable stroke of painful anxiety. A few moments ticked by and then finally a knock at the door announced the arrival of the strange person. Remaining tense and wary, Silisia made her way to the front door and opened only slightly so she could peer out. She justified that a Death Eater would hardly be polite enough to knock. It would lose the element of surprise.

What she first caught a glimpse of was curls of silver, very similar to Silisia’s own. She swung the door open fully and looked out upon the visitor cautiously. She narrowed her icy blue eyes at the stranger, quickly looking over her features.
“Nalean?” her voice broke slightly in surprise to see her younger niece on her doorstep.
“What are you doing here?”
She looked behind her quickly, making sure she was alone. With the battle at Hogwarts, Silisia had not even been sure that her niece had survived or if she had gone into hiding.
“How did you find me?” she remained stuck in her doorway, rooted to the spot by surprise. “You are alone, right?”
She knew that Nalean had very little love for her father so she imagined that she would not have brought him here. Silisia suspected the younger girl knew that her father had something to do with her mother’s death. She remained tense though, not trusting. After all, Raven was not shy when using the unforgivable curses. She could have been forced to come here to trick Silisia into falling into his trap.

“Oh where’s my manner,” she said easily, trying to relax. “Please, come in.”
With that she turned around and walked through the house toward the kitchen. It was neat and very old fashioned. Copper pots hung from the ceiling and a large marble counter was in the centre. Silisia touched her wand to an old copper kettle which immediately started to boil.
“Tea?” she asked pleasantly.

as far as 812 words. the eye can see im wearing. under your command nalean/openish. i will be finished. your guardian REAL SLIM SHADY !? @ caution 2.0

[/color]. never say never nottteessss.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/center]

[NALEAN KAILYN SILVERSTAR]

Nalean waited tensely for a few moments, nervous about how her aunt was going to react to her pitching up at her doorstep. Her insides froze when Silisia first peered out, and she swung the door open; narrowing her blue eyes at Nalean. The two looked so similar that it was unmistakable that they were family. She hesitated when Silisia first asked her what she was doing there. “I didn’t have a choice, I didn’t know where else to go” she admitted, not sure what else to say to her aunt. She nodded at Silisia’s next question. “Yes I came alone, and to be honest Cal found you. If it wasn’t for him I’m not sure I’d have been able to find you” she said with a sad smile on her face. She was still worried that her father had found out that it was Caleb who had helped her escape. If he had found out, then she knew she would never see her brother again.

She relaxed when Sil invited her inside. The worst part was over, almost. She was sure that Silisia would ask her about the battle and to be honest there was not much Nalean could say about the battle other than what the outcome had been. Her father had made sure to brag about the defeat of her beloved school, obviously one of his attempts at trying to turn her into a deatheater. She had switched off to him once he had started going into the gory details of the battle. She would never be able to cause pain on others as willingly as her father did, she had promised herself that she would never become as cold-hearted as he was.

Nalean followed her aunt into the kitchen and immediately fell in love with it. The kitchen was old fashioned and had a warm homey feel to it. She put her bag down and took her thick jacket off, glad to finally be rid of it. She nodded at her aunt’s question. “Yes please” she said politely and looked around the kitchen, noticing the copper pots hanging from the ceiling. This kitchen was much more welcoming than the kitchen at the family home, and she was for now going to assume that the rest of the cottage was the same. “So what have you been doing since the last time I saw you?” she asked, curious about what her aunt had gotten up to. Silisia had left when Namean was about ten or eleven so she was fairly certain her aunt had done something in the years that had passed since then. “I mean it’s been what, seven years?” she added, not exactly sure of the exact length of time that had passed since last seing her aunt.
outfit

[CONNOR GAVIN FLYNN]

Connor yawned, kicking his blankets off into a messy pile at the end of the bed as he rolled out of bed, wearing nothing but his trousers from the night before. He moved over to open the curtains and let sunlight... or well, however much you found in England anyway, flood in through his window and reached for his shirt which was hanging losely off the back of a chair besides a long mirror. He caught sight of his reflection as he put his arms through his plain, button-down black shirt (the same one he'd been wearing the night before as well); his dark hair was messy and slightly knotted- his blue eyes slightly drowsy as he stiffled another yawn.

A quick look at a clock in his room told him that he was up at a farily decent time. He didn't bother trying to fix his appearance; after all, it was only him and Lissa at home. He'd known Silisia since they were 11, therefore him walking out into the living room of the house, looking completely and utterly shabby with his messy hair, unbuttoned shirt and creased trousers which he didn't have the strength to take off the previous night after coming home late from being out on duty for the order didn't really bother him too much. Rubbing his eyes, he made his way outside the guest room in which he'd spent the night and headed for the kitchen where he could get his morning fix of a warm drink.

Lissa normally always got up before him, which was perhaps why the sound of the kettle whistling came as a bit of a shock to him as he got closer and closer to the kitchen. His brain was still in a partially dormant state, therefore he didn't really register the muffled voices coming out of the kitchen. "Did you wake up late, Lissa, or were you planning on getting me tea in b-" Connor had started to speak before actually entering the kitchen. Unfortunate for him really, seeing as the next thing he knew was that he was walking into the kitchen, his words lost, to find Silisia smiling pleasantly at another, younger, blond female. He stopped by the entrance to the kitchen, his sleepy eyes widening as they flickered between Lissa and the unfamiliar other blond.

"I... didn't know you were expecting company, Lissa." he said, his eyes fixing on his school friend in a rather confused manner. Lissa almost never had visitors, which is probably why Connor was so taken aback at the sight of this younger blond. "Uh, hi. I'm Connor." he said politely, adressing the blond, but his voice still sounding a little confused.

(for our benifit, here's a pretty picture as to what Connor may look like at this moment in time: click heree )

[SILISIA ANJA DE'ATH]

In response to Nalean’s first words, Silisia pursed her lips. That statement was rather worrying. She had known Raven to be one to hold onto what he deemed was his possessions. Sil herself knew that only too well. She frowned slightly and nodded, not wanting to ask too much about it. Some things, even what was not spoken about, remained very clear in the foggiest of times. She pursed her lips and briskly brushed the thought of Raven from her mind. He would not have the power to sully her new home. She decided swiftly that she would try asking very little about what was happening at her old place of living. It was a far too depressing idea to follow through with. She just nodded when she heard that Caleb found her. Even though the boy was more similar to his father than Nalean was, he had not yet proved himself to be downright cruel. She, of course, had no idea how he had found her which was very worrying. If he did decide he was like his father, would he hold any loyalty to his sister or her?

Before she got going on the tea, she pulled off her hat and hung it on a hook next to the back door. She brushed a stray piece of hair from her face, as she pondered over the very strange situation. From the French windows, the paddock with the four horses was in view. The two chestnuts shone like bronze knuts, and the bay glimmered next to them. The silver grey horse was further up, pacing the fence. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. It was strange seeing her neice here. While they had had a good relationship while she had lived at home, she was never sure how much damage Raven had done to her. She knew that Nalean suspected that he had killed her mother. Silisia had not the heart to tell her that she was right. It was better not to know that you’re family were monsters. It always made Silisia wonder – what if she really was like them. She tried hard not to dwell on that possibility.

Silisia nodded and smiled when Nalean said yes. She reached up to the cupboards above her kettle. The wood that it was made from was old and had brass fittings. With an easy movement, she pulled open the door and took down two powder blue mugs. She also took down a power blue tea pot and placed two teabags inside. She faced Nalean with a frown as she asked her next question.
“I’ve been trying to study and I inherited this place from my aunt,” she said nonchalantly.
A noise, signalling the awakening of her tenant, well, old school friend, Connor, allowed her to bypass the question quite easily. His easy, sensual voice floated through to the kitchen, before it stopped abruptly. She quickly turned toward him. In answer to his unfinished question, Silisia winked and mouthed ‘you wish’ at him before turning to the cupboard and taking down another cup.

She looked over his shoddy appearance and rolled her eyes. He had such little shame anymore. Uncertain how to respond to his confusion, she left the opportunity up to Nalean. She would not be surprised if the tall, dark, mostly undressed man turned his charm on the younger woman. The thought was almost unbearably uncomfortable.
“I wasn’t expecting anyone,” she replied rather sharply to his comment. She glanced back to the kettle as she heard it finish boiling. She poured the steaming water into the teapot and put its lid on. She tapped the teapot with her wand, quickly getting its strength correct. Silisia was rather impatient when it came to small things like waiting for the tea to get stronger. She poured the three cups and put sugar in her own and stirred. There was a lightly shake to her hands.
“Help yourself to sugar and you’re welcome to join me in the sitting room,” she said pleasantly.

With practised ease, she walked up to Connor.
“You’ll be fine putting in your own sugar, right sweetie?” she said lightly, affectionate tapping his cheek. “You’re also welcome to join us.”
She cast her eyes down his rumpled attire with a small shake of her head. They had been friends for ages, so Silisia regarded his little antics with no great surprise. She quickly moved away to the sitting room, which contained two single couches and a two person one. She chose the two person one. She kept her hands firmly wrapped around her mug, as though the heat was some sort of comfort.

as far as 777 words. the eye can see im wearing. under your command nalean/Connor. i will be finished. your guardian REAL SLIM SHADY !? @ caution 2.0

[/color]. never say never nottteessss.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/center]

[NALEAN KAILYN SILVERSTAR]

Nalean saw Silisia purse her lips at Nalean’s words and could only guess what was going through her aunt’s mind. Naturally she was relieved when she didn’t press the issue of why she had left the family home. She herself was unsure what to say about what had happened. All she was certain of was the fact that she would never be able to return, at least not while her father was alive and to be honest Nalean was fairly certain that meant that she wouldn’t be able to return until she was at least sixty years old. She noticed Silisia simply nodding at her words about Caleb. She wasn’t sure how she could make Silisia understand the consequences Caleb faced if he was discovered. She knew he was undecided, but he wouldn’t change that quickly would he? After all this was Caleb, the brother who had help her cope with the loss of their mother and the one who helped her escape. Nalean had the habit of naively believing the best of people until they proved her wrong. If she wasn’t so naïve about this, she would have left the family years ago.

Nalean watched Silisia prepare the tea, absent-mindedly chewing her thumb nail. She nodded at her aunt’s next few words, the farm seemed like a nice place to live. Before she could reply and ask Silisia what she had been studying a strange man walked into the kitchen. He was wearing creased trousers and an unbuttoned shirt, so Nalean could only assume that he had fallen asleep in his clothes from the previous day. She spent a few moments blinking and looking at him with a confused look on her face. She had just arrived and already she was confused, typical. She nodded when he told her his name, “Hi, Nalean” she said in reply. She shot a confused glance at Silisia. The look plainly read who the hell is this? It was obvious her aunt knew him quite well. She stood up and nodded at her aunt’s next few words, she then stood up, picked up a teaspoon and added one spoonful of sugar before stirring it.

Nalean followed her aunt into the livingroom. Just before she walked out of the kitchen she turned back to face Connor. “So you going to come or you just going to stand there looking confused for the rest of the day?” she asked with a sly glint in her eyes. He was obviously just as confused as she was about Silisia’s words to him. She then carried on walking to the livingroom. When her aunt sat on the two person couch, she paused deciding where to sit. She eventually decided on the single person couch closest to her aunt. She tucked her legs in underneath herself. “So how exactly do you know Connor?” she asked curiously. She was certain her aunt wouldn’t let just about anyone stay in her house. That was one of the many downsides of being related to someone like Raven, trust was hard to come by.

outfit

[CONNOR GAVIN FLYNN]

It took Connor a moment to recover from Silisia's attempt at what may just have been... well, flirting. The two of them were close as hell, and often tended to mess about a lot with each other, but that didn't mean that the sleepy Connor wasn't caught off guard. It took him a moment, or rather, it took the new arrival: Nalean, to speak to him, for him to come to grasp with what had just happened. Luckily for him though, he was quick in his thinking and he grabbed his cup of tea, putting in two sugars as he normally did and following both the women into the main sitting room. He walked into the room stirring his coffee with a spoon, catching Nalean's question while he walked. His eyes fell on the only two available seats in the room; another single couch away from the women, or the seat besides Lissa. Hell, two could play the game. With a quick confirming thought, he moved over and sat himself besides Lissa; closer than one would've perhaps called casual- but hey, he was playing a bit of a part here.

"Well, I was just going to ask Lissa the same thing about you," he said, his normal, outspoken and confident self beginning to worm it's way past the sleepy, confused and hesitant Connor. "But, seeing as you got there first- it's only polite to answer your first: right, Lissa darling?" Connor nudged Lissa's leg playfully with his own, fighting hard to stop a smile forming on his lips. He could tell that whoever this young blond was, was obviously confused, and he simply couldn't pass up the chance to mess up a young, innocent blond's mind- especially when she reminded him a little of Lissa. That's when it occured to him that they may possibly be related; but he pushed the thought to a side for the time being.

"Well, I met Liss just the other month at a pub in the outskirts of London, and what can I say? We just clicked." He said casually, taking a sip from his cup of tea. His eyes purposely moved down towards Lissa's hands and he let out a bit of an audible gasp. "Hun, why aren't you wearing your ring?" He stared at her fingers, rather astonished for a moment before he looked down at his own hand. "Ah, I suppose I can't really chastise you today, huh? I must've left mine in our bedroom too." He shook his head, looking over at Nalean. "Wearing the ring, isn't always the most comfortable thing at night: and what can I say, it was a late night for both of us last night; we're both a little... exhausted. I suppose we're allowed to be a little forgetful." he winked cheekily at Nalean, and looked over at Lissa, smoothing her hair over a little with his hand, before he returned it back to his cup, lifting it up with both his hands to his lips once more.

He was just about to take a sip when the strangest of sounds broke out of his throat. It sounded like a strangled choke mixed with a bit of a laugh; that sound gradually escalated into full fledged chuckles that Connor was trying hard to surpress. "I'm... sorry-" he took a deep breath, trying hard to control his laughter. "Ah, I really can't pull off a poker face in situations like this, can I?" He shook his head, still laughing into his cup, before he put it down on the centre table, deciding that he was in no condition to drink tea yet: not without choking on it. "Lissa here and I are school friends," he admitted, still laughing at the look on Nalean's face. "She's just... ah, gracious enough to provide a roof over my head while I'm in the country."

[SILISIA ANJA DE'ATH]

The soft leather couch gave Silisia the support needed in the strange situation. She knew that the look of confusion posed by Nalean was a question that she wanted answered. She supposed the answer was not all that difficult. He was merely Connor, he old school friend and probably one of the only people she trusted – somewhat. A small relaxed smile slipped onto her lips as Nalean easily teased Connor. She hoped the two would get on. She could not exactly throw one of them out for the sake of the other. She could, however, make whichever one annoyed her sleep in the barn. Now that was a rather tempting idea. She looked up to him curiously as he hesitated in the doorway. A small frown touched her brow. Whatever he was thinking, it would possibly not end well. True to her suspicions, Connor moved straight for the space next to her. He was close enough for her to feel the warmth of his body on her own. She shifted uncomfortably, and cast wide eyes on her friend.

A cautious smile touched her lips as he began to speak. With the charming voice of his, she never dared to believe a word of it. If he was going to play this game, she would sure try making him realise he was no match for her. A pleasant smile smothered the cautious on and she gently placed her hand on his upper thigh. She tossed a challenging smirk at him before gathering herself to answer his question.
“Yes, only polite, honey,” she said pleasantly and gazed up at him with fained adoration. Even though she knew this was just a bit of fun, she felt utterly uncomfortable being so close to him. Although they were close friends, she still felt a great deal of distance between them. He had been fickle before and she did not trust him to be dedicated to her now. Well, dedicated was quite a strong word. Perhaps she just did not trust that he would always be there in her best interests. However, she was quite game to outdo him at his own game.

She nodded in agreement to his story, while at the back of her mind she wondered how he possibly had thought it up. Perhaps his long evenings were much dodgier than she had thought them to be. This story of Order business seemed a little flimsy. She shook the thought from her mind. He merely had a far too overactive imagination. After all, he had not brought strange women home yet.
“What a wonderful night that was, sweetie,” she said blissfully, letting out a sigh of contented happiness. While it was quite an amusing game, she could not help but feel sorry for Nalean. She put down her tea on the table in front of her, fearing that it may be knocked out her hands or that she’d drop it.

She looked down at her hand in equal wonder when he pointed out that her ring was ‘missing.’ She looked back at Connor with a mock horror as though she had misplaced it. However, she needed not to say anything. He seemed to be enjoying the game so much it only needed one player. She attempted to hold in the dire need to roll her eyes at him and almost flinched as he reached over to stroke her hair. Stroke her hair? My, he was getting creepier by the second. Of course, she knew he would not last too long.
“You’re such a fader, darling,” she said mildly, removing her hand from her leg. After all, if she had kept it there, it would have been a little strange.

“Yes, he is a very old friend, who happened to have a lucky guess to as where I was staying,” she said confirming what he had already said. “I sometimes wonder if he’s worth the trouble.”
A cheeky smile crossed her lips as she turned her head to face him, “You’re still sitting a tad close. Is there something you want to tell me?”

as far as 681 words. the eye can see im wearing. under your command nalean/Connor. i will be finished. your guardian REAL SLIM SHADY !? @ caution 2.0

[/color]. never say never nottteessss.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/center]

[NALEAN KAILYN SILVERSTAR]

Nalean glanced at Connor when he walked in and raised her eyebrows when he called Silisia Darling. Something about that just didn’t sound right. She wasn’t sure what it was but something seemed off about this. This whole situation just seemed to confuse Nalean and left her feeling a bit uncomfortable. She supposed the fact that she didn’t know Connor was what was making her uncomfortable. For all she knew he could be an axe-murderer or something along those lines. “I’m not sure I want to know”she said while raising her eyebrows at the two. She just managed to shake her head, not sure what else to say. This was not the Silisia she remembered.

She raised her eyebrows again at Connor’s words. “Since when did you do spontaneous things like elope with someone you barely know?” she asked Silisia, finding this story just completely out of character for the Silisia she remembered. Nalean frowned when Connor commented on the fact that neither of them were wearing their rings, either they didn’t actually care about their marriage, they really had forgotten to put them on, or they weren’t actually married. She smiled tightly at his words about wearing a ring at night. I wouldn’t know, I’ve never been engaged let alone married” she said with a sly smile. After all she was telling the truth, she had never been engaged or married before. She rolled her eyes when Connor winked at her, “Ever heard of the saying too much information?” she asked both Connor and Silisia. “Because I’m pretty sure that falls under that category” she said, with what was an attempt of a look of disapproval.

She looked at Connor when a strangled sound came out of him. The sound was a mixture of him choking and laughing at the same time. She shook her head at him as he explained that he was an actually an old school friend of Silisia’s. “So instead of simply telling me that, you concocted this insane story for exactly what reason?” she asked, with an expression that implied innocent curiosity. She took another sip of her tea and looked back at the two. She couldn’t help but laugh at silisia’s words to Connor about him still being too close. She had to admit that so far Connor appeared to be a nice enough person and quite likeable. “So you managed to find Silisia based on a lucky guess?” she asked him. “What exactly did you do? Throw salt over your shoulder hoping to find her?” she added teasing him a bit. If he was allowed to tease her then she could tease him right back.


outfit

[CONNOR GAVIN FLYNN]

A small easy smile fell on Connor's lips as he picked his cup of tea back up, having gotten over his little fit of laughter. His eyes shifted sideways to look at Lissa, his smile growing wider still as he nudged her lightly with his elbow again. "Ah, you caught me!" he said, sighing dramatically and shaking his head. "You saw right through my facade!" He pressed his lips together, turning around on the couch to face her, his eyes locking into hers as he tried to keep a straight face. "What can I say? I'm just tired of playing the boyfriend everytime unexpected visitors come around, Lissa!" He sighed again, looking at her in mock adoration. "Damnit, I've had enough! It's all or nothing!" he tried to make his voice sound serious, but alas, he'd never been much of an actor. His laughter gave him away yet again, as he shifted back from Lissa, making himself comofortable closer to the other end of the double couch: not that there was really that much of a differnce in the distance: the couch was tiny, and with Connor still sitting in a weird side-ways position, his body covered most of the distance between him and Lissa anyway.

"Now I need to get this part of the couch all warm and comfy," he said, tutting at Lissa. "Ah, the things I do for you. I was all comfortable in my warm-ish seat. And then... you make me move. Disgraceful!" All the while he spoke, his tone was lighthearted and playful: much like it always was. He laughed, bringing his cup to his lips and sipping his tea, shifting around a little to find a comfortable spot on the tiny little couch.

His eyes now, diverted to Nalean, who'd taken to the two's playful little 'show' rather well and was already coming out with sarcastic little comments. There was something about the younger girl that made Connor feel at ease; mind you, he was at ease with almost everyone. "No, I didn't quite do the salt thing: however, I will keep it in mind for next time: it may just come in useful," even though I highly doubt it. Connor couldn't really help his thoughts: he'd always been the kind of guy who couldn't quite say something that was... well, incorrect. Never in a million years would he do the salt thing; it was just unreasonable- but seeing as it was all in light humour for now, he'd just avoid commenting and keep the intelligent and annoying banter in his head.

"No, I've kept in touch with Lissa over the years. We're... close friends. I told her I'd be in England for a while, and apparating to Ireland to live in my father's house wasn't really that much of an ideal choice for the time being. You know how it goes, I'm sure." he said, shrugging. He was 25; the fact that he travelled so much meant that he spent most of his time in wizard inns, and when he did come back to the UK (as he had now, indefinitely for the time being) he didn't really fancy the idea of living with his father. He was sure that Nalean; being of age, would probably would share his feelings. After all, who on earth would want to live with their parents longer than they were expected to? "But yes: I told her I'd be in England for a while and that I needed some place to stay and talked her into letting me be her houseguest, in exchange for my charming company and flattering face." He winked playfully at Nalean. "Even if I didn't keep in touch with her, I have enough contacts who could track down where she lived and tell me what she eats for breakfast; so honestly, how I got here really isn't that big of a deal." His easy smile stayed, as he decided that it was time to push the limelight off of himself.

"Either way, you two haven't yet told me how you know one another. I'm going to try a lucky guess and say you're... cousins? I'm just going by the traditional nazi look, here."

[SILISIA ANJA DE'ATH]

“Spontaneous?” she said, as though she was surprised. “The entire idea was hardly spontaneous. I spent the entire evening... thinking about it.”
Her eyes sparkled in what one could perceive to be remembrance of a cherished memory, but it truth it was just a mischievous sparkle. She glanced over to Nalean, who looked utterly confused. Seven years was an awfully long time not to see someone, and to come back and find someone who was nothing like the one she had known before. Before, Silisia had been a lot more distant, especially towards the end of her stay. She honestly had not expected to see her neice again. She was fairly certain that either Raven would have converted her to the family ideals, or would have crushed her spirit. Having the loathsome man as a brother was one thing, but having him as a father – it would have been very difficult for him to take no as an answer. However, she would try not steer the conversation anywhere near that.

“Too much information?” Silisia asked with mock surprise. “You’ll have to get used to us then. We’re very liberal here. In fact, we’d love to hear your stories, including the ‘too much information’ parts.”
She smiled sweetly, pretending to be genuinely interested, while she would definitely not like to know anything that contained too much information about her niece – her very young and hopefully very naive niece. She picked up her cup of tea, enjoying Nalean berating the strange man for his even stranger story. She took a sip, enjoying the warmth of the tea that took her mind away from the icy outer world. Winter was tedious. It was difficult to keep on the move. She had run into one or two magical folk down town, and she was always nervous they were not the friendly type.

She frowned as Connor nudged her, her tea escaping the rim of cup and cascading down, through her fingers, into her lap. She put it down in some disgust and looked at him as he turned to face him. In the intensity of his blue eyes, she could almost believe him. She smiled back, trying to mimic the same intensity.
“Oh shut up,” she said laughing, gently supping his cheek in her hand that was covered in tea, using him as a towel. She shook her head as he moved to the other side of the tiny couch, which was still close enough to feel the heat radiating from him. She remained quiet in the banter between the two. Retrieving her cup, she watched the two, satisfied that they would probably get on. After all, they would be sharing a house together. Luckily, this place had two extra rooms. She was not one for sharing space although; she had nothing against putting Connor in the barn if he annoyed her. She listened quietly to Connor telling Nalean the truth. She quickly finished her tea, that had become luke warm.

“Something like that,” Silisia muttered, not wanting the attention drawn to her family. “She’s my niece.”
She got up from where she was sitting, clutching her empty mug in her hands. It was still warm. She lost a little of her sense of humour. The first question was fine, but people soon started asking questions about how their family was. She had not yet told Connor everything. It was, after all, a very touchy subject. She smiled back at the two.
“Just going to wash up,” she said pleasantly. “Can I get you some lunch?”

as far as 592 words. the eye can see im wearing. under your command nalean/openish. i will be finished. your guardian REAL SLIM SHADY !? @ caution 2.0

[/color]. never say never nottteessss.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/center]

[WILLIAM JOHN CAIN]

‘Come on, surely you have seen me here before?’

William said to the Muggle policeman who had just stopped him as he walked through the local village with his suitcase bouncing along after him. He had just been to the South of Spain for a holiday as the Death Eaters had been reported in the area, and every time he heard that, he either ran or hid. Cowardly or not, he did not wish to be caught up in the fighting that raged between the rebellious forces and the Order, whether him being caught up meant him being forced to join the Dark Lords cause or die as a result of his refusal.

‘I’m afraid not, sir. Where have you been?’ the policeman eyed Williams suitcase with apprehension. ‘I’ve been on holiday, where do you think I’ve been?’ William almost rolled his eyes and nodded towards his suitcase. ‘I have been away for a few weeks, and I’m just on my way back up to my house on the outskirts of this village.’ He started to walk off and the Policeman behind him nodded, ‘Well, don’t cause any trouble!’ He shook his head and walked off, writing furiously into his notepad. William stopped and looked around his home village, glad to be back now that the threat against his life was away again. He had no idea why the policeman had stopped him, maybe because of his erratic way of dressing (he wore a pinstripe suit with no tie), or maybe it was something more sinister (Death Eaters enchanting the police to look out for someone of his description).

Walking further up the lane, he looked around his village with interest. There were a few small shops, but mostly it was made up of houses and other forms of accommodation. Nothing had changed in the three or so weeks, but he still liked to look around and notice whether anything had been edited, or whether there were any new inhabitants or shops. Seeing as there weren’t any, he decided to continue up towards where his cottage was. As he moved closer, he noticed that there were some lights on in a farm just to the right of his own house. He realised that he had never visited the place, and seeing as he was back in the area after a few weeks, he decided to go and visit to see if there was anyone new and interesting to talk to.

William checked his surroundings and, when he made sure there was no Muggles around, he pointed his wand at his suitcase and transported it to his cottage. Ruffling his hair and straightening his suit jacket, his opened the squeaky gate to the farm and walked right up the door. William checked his white trainers weren’t too scuffed and then knocked on the door, which then opened. William frowned and looked up and down the door with surprise. ‘Must have been unlocked.’ He said rather obviously. ‘Pretty dangerous...but maybe the owner was expecting visitors.’ He shook his head and walked into the hallway. He heard voices from a room to the right, and so he called out: ‘Hello? Your door was unlocked!’

[NALEAN KAILYN SILVERSTAR]

The young blonde rolled her eyes at her aunt, “I believe that getting married to someone you knew for just a few hours does count as spontaneous.” She said. “Even if you spent the whole evening thinking about it” she added with a frown of disapproval. Nalean remembered Silisia as being quite distant from everyone, but then again she had tried to distance herself from her family over the past few years. The only person who she hadn’t distanced herself away from was Caleb. She had never needed to distance herself from him. She rolled her eyes once again at Silisia, “Trust me you don’t, I do believe there are sensitive listeners in this room namely me” she said in reponse to Silisia’s remark about her needing to share stories that contained ‘too much information’.

Nalean simply shook her head, “It wasn’t that difficult to see though your façade” she said with a small smile on her face. “Well apparently I’m not just any unexpected visitor if you one upped playing the boyfriend” she said with a small laugh. She grinned when he said that he would keep the salt thing in mind for next time. She was fairly certain that he wouldn’t, after all she wouldn’t. “You don’t need to, that’s just a silly superstition that my one friend had” she said shrugging. Nalean listened to Connor’s explanation for his reason for being at Silisia’s house with a mildly interested expression on her face. She smiled grimly at his words about living in his father’s house, “I suppose you could say that” she said, the grim smile on her face. Naturally Connor wouldn’t know anything about her father, or at least he hadn’t given her the impression that he did.

She raised her eyebrows at Connor’s comment about him having contacts who could easily track Silisia down. “So you’re telling me you hired a bunch of stalkers to follow Silisia around?” she asked with a feigned look of surprise on her face. “Silisia, are you sure about letting a stalker employer living in your house?” she asked her aunt. Nalean nodded at Silisia’s response to Connor’s question about if they were cousins. “I know it sounds weird since Silisia is actually old enough to be my cousin, but she’s my aunt” she said, certain that Connor would be surprised about this fact. She knew she would be surprised by this.

Nalean nodded when Silisia stood up and offered them lunch. “Sure, I can help you with lunch if you weant?” she asked and stood up, draining the last bit of her tea that was still left in the mug. She started following Silisia when she heard a noise from the front door. She gave Silisia an enquiring glance. “Were you expecting anyone else?” she asked her aunt, although she could already guess the question. She hurried to the front door, her hand in the pocket where she kept her wand. When she reached the front door she stopped and frowned at the man who was standing there. “Who are you?” she asked, a confused expression on her face. Who was this strange man simply standing in the doorway?

[CONNOR GAVIN FLYNN]

Neice, huh? Who would've thought.

Connor wiped his cheek using his sleeve, still smiling plesantly at Nalean as Lissa got up to go and make lunch. Connor would have offered to help, except his cooking abilities only went as far as toasting bread and putting butter, jam or chocolate spread on top of that toast. One would've thought he would've learned to cook; being a lone traveller and all, but alas, there were some things a man just couldn't do- for this man, the said 'things' would consist of cooking and fighting. "I didn't say I hired a bunch of stalkers to stalk Lissa, but I could if I wanted to. Most women tend to think it's weirdly hot." Connor said, stiffling a yawn into his arm as he winked at Nalean playfully, who was following Silisia out of the door. He still wasn't completely awake, hence he was half contemplating just sitting there on this cozy and comfortable little couch while the women worked in the kitchen, but a voice from the hallway caused him to change his mind.

Chivalry hadn't really ever been his thing, but by sounds of it, a random man had just entered the house. Connor knew for a fact that he was random, because he could hear the confusion in Nalean's voice as he got up and made his way towards the door; and he'd also Sil long enough to know most people who she knew- and this wasn't a voice that he recognized. Stepping out in his wrinkled clothes, with his still unbuttoned shirt, Connor moved out to stand in front of Nalean and Silisia; he was hardly going to hit the guy, but it didn't hurt to try and pull off the whole... badass look. Not that he really needed it once he got a proper look at the intruder.

"Bloody hell, we're just full of visitors today, aren't we Lis? Did you put a sign saying free soup outside?" Connor had his light playful tone in his voice, however, his words may just have been a bit of a quip at the stranger's slightly scruffy attire. The man looked... well, lets just say he didn't look harmful in the slightest; not with his messy hair and suit jacket that looked like it'd been worn one too many times. He didn't exactly strike Connor as a Death Eater or possibly a supporter of the dark side, but Connor's slightly paranoid attitude towards complete strangers caused him to not completely let his guard down. He took a step forward, coming close enough to the strange man to hopefully force him to take a step back. "Ever heard of knocking?" Connor asked, eyeing the stranger with a bit of an amused expression. "People tend to do it regardless of whether the door is open or not, when going to a stranger's house." He said, feeling the need to explain himself, as he often did. With another quick assesment of the stranger's appearance, Connor decided he didn't just want to stand around in Lissa's house chatting idly to this man.

"Who are you?" His words weren't unkind; more so amused and curious.

[SILISIA ANJA DE'ATH]

Silisia could only laugh at Nalean. Although the girl had grown up quite a bit over the seven years she had not seen her, she had still retained her very naive nature. She did not press the matter further because she knew that herself at that age would have been very mortified her aunt had brought home a dashing young fella within a matter of an evening and would have been more so if she had been asked to share her most inner secrets. She smiled pleasantly at the two of them as they swapped banter. Stalkers? She sighed, knowing that was something Connor would do. She tossed an exasperated expression in his direction.
“I am glad you didn’t,” she said lightly. “They might have miraculously disappeared.”

She smiled at Nalean’s offer to help her with lunch.
“Thanks. I’m sure you could be a much better help than Connor there,” the light hearted note her voice took was soon going to change. The sound of another man’s voice coming from within her house caused her to quickly change her entire personality. She had no recollection of his voice. Suddenly, the insecure, vulnerable Silisia appeared. What if Raven had found her? Caleb knew where she was staying and who was to say that he was entirely loyal to Nalean or even Silisia herself. She tensed up, and pulled her wand out from her jean’s pocket. Although the man’s voice had sounded friendly, she knew she could not trust that. Spies were everywhere and Raven had enough money to buy anyone off.

She watched as Nalean first approached the man, her voice ringing with confusion. Silisia moved silently forward, stature small, after Connor had made his way through. The stranger was scruffy and what Silisia would assume most woman thought was good looking. She cared little for that. He was an unwelcome stranger in her house. She had had one too many surprises today. Connor’s light tone grated on her nerves. She ignored his quip without even the smallest of looks. Anger swelled, breaking of the edges of her vulnerable front. She tried to calm herself while Connor was talking to the intruder. Yet with each breath, the anger swelled. Like a cornered, vulnerable animal, she saw no other route than to attack. She pushed past Connor, knowing she was far more intimidating. Although, she admitted that he was at least trying. However, he was still far too friendly for her liking. Of course, he had no idea that Nalean and herself were attempting to hide from a very resourceful psychopath. She drew herself up to her full height, which was still considerably smaller than all the occupants in the hallway. It may have been slightly comical from an outsider’s point of view. Fire lit her eyes and she was trembling with both fear and anger. It was safe to say Silisia hated people, especially people she did not know.

“Get out of my house,” she said in a deadly whisper, pointing her wand at the face of the rather friendly looking man. Her blue eyes glittered icily. She did not need swear words to get the venom in her voice across. She did not care if he was the friendly neighbour who had gone down the wrong driveway. It never occurred to her that he may, in fact, have been a muggle. There was a slight tremble in her wand hand, but the flicker of anger in her eyes did not waver.

as far as 581 words. the eye can see im wearing. under your command nalean/openish. i will be finished. your guardian REAL SLIM SHADY !? @ caution 2.0

[/color]. never say never nottteessss.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/center]