Natalia wore a smile as she walked down the sidewalk of town, her stiletto heels clicking pleasantly against the stone path and her long, curly hair bouncing behind her. The rain fell lightly throughout the city, creating a damp sheet over the road which shone from the lamplight above. It really was such a wonderful sight, seeing the city so bright and full of life, even in the middle of the night. Most of the people around her were carrying their umbrellas, hurrying to their destinations, but the chipper Slytherin girl walked leisurely among the bustle, knowing the two men accompanying her weren't far behind.
Closing her eyes, she tilted her head up to feel the cool droplets fall on her face. She really did love the rain, even if it messed up her hair, or her make-up, or clothes. She just couldn't bring herself to care about that, not with all the fun it also brought. She'd always loved the feeling of the refreshing water hitting her skin, for as long as she could remember. Something about it just made her smile, and excited her. Though, she really didn't want to make the poor lads at her tail any wetter than need be. She didn't know whether they liked it as much as she did.
Tilting her head to the side, she took in the sight of her brother and the pale, lanky man beside him. Antonin probably liked the rain, too. He'd always loved the beach, the water. And, he had a weird soft spot for thunderstorms. And Sev...well, most emo people pretty much bask in the rain, right? It brought some sort of...melancholy, depressing atmosphere, she supposed. Though, she didn't really get that. The rain was just fun for her.
Slowing her pace a bit, Natalia brought herself right in between the two boys, linking one arm from each of the men with hers. She loved hanging out with the boys, it was one of her favorite pastimes. Though, the majority of them would probably have more fun with another guy, so she usually invited Antonin along with her. Especially when she wanted to spend time with Severus. He never seemed comfortable with just her. Though, he didn't really seem any more comforted by the presence of a mate, either. She eventually came to the decision that he wouldn't be comfortable either way, he probably just wasn't comfortable with himself a lot of the time. However, this didn't stop her from, semi-forcefully, dragging him along with her when she felt the urge to go out with him.
This specific instance, she'd felt the random urge to go out for Chinese food, and she didn't really want to go alone. So, naturally, she chose whoever she first spotted. That person just-so-happened to be Mr. Snape. So, when he began to protest, she decided to bring her brother along as well, to ease his tension. So, here they were, a merry trio (maybe just two of them) walking through the rain to get some supper.
Giving the black-eyed boy to her right a nudge with her elbow, Natalia showed a him a bright smile, "You like Chinese food, don't you, Sev?"
Rain fell all around in a light sheet, barely loud enough to even make a sound, but heavy enough to cast a hazy curtain over the dark city. Streetlights flickered through it, casting long shadows across the shimmering streets, and the distinct clicking of shoes against pavement began to mingle with the gentle splashing created from the little puddles. The trio's movements were slow, unhurried, until the girl in their company began walking at a brisker pace, stepping a little ways ahead of them and closing her eyes to enjoy the rain, a broad smile lighting up her entire face. She looked so content with herself, with everything, and in this particular moment, she was able to surrender herself to it completely.
At her antics, Severus could almost feel a smile fighting its way at the corner of his own mouth. It seemed such a pleasant disposition that the Dolohov girl possessed, the ability to live from moment to moment, to feel so lively and chipper about anything and everything. Sometimes, he could not help wondering what that must be like, what it would be like to actually experience it.
The closest he ever came was when he had enough drinks in his system, when one of them would either take him out on their own, or they played one of those "drinking games". Admittedly, he had never been the best at holding his liquor, he was such a lightweight it went right through his system, and so it never took long for those effects to start taking hold of him. And, if he was being completely honest...he actually rather hated when that happened. He didn't like how debilitating it felt, losing those firmly rooted inhibitions, or his motor skills, it left him so uncoordinated, and spouting off far more than he would like to. To make matters worse, most of them had developed quite a knack for staying perfectly sober as they continued to drink copious amounts, so as he fell further and further into the depths of intoxication, their senses and awareness remained perfectly in tact as they watched him make a complete fool of himself.
Perhaps he wouldn't much care to enjoy feeling as Natalia did, after all. He would need to be a completely different person in order to handle it the way that she did, to not have a care in the world, and he would need a mind that was considerably less weighed down by absolutely everything he did or said. And, considering his mind was the one thing he prided himself for most of all, he felt completely disinclined to give it up for the sake of that carefree disposition. It seemed it simply wasn't meant to be.
As he continued his progression along the sidewalk, he lifted his head and allowed his dark eyes to sweep over the vicinity, completely overlooking the bustling crowds, the rushing traffic on the street beside them, but instead, all he saw was the gentle rainfall. It had been a long while since the last time they had been able to experience it, now that he thought about it. They had endured a relatively dry, hot summer thus far, and the cooler weather the rain brought with it was a welcome reprieve. He had honestly been missing it over the past few months, and they would need to wait until September for it to settle in permanently, so perhaps...perhaps, Natalia actually did have the right idea here. Perhaps he should take the opportunity to enjoy it, while he still could. While it still lingered in the air.
Severus was pulled from his contemplation, however, when the girl herself pulled his arm toward her, linking her arms with both him and her brother. She was a very...touchy person, wasn't she? It always made him feel a certain level of discomfort, any sort of physical contact, and this time was no exception. He felt himself reflexively stiffen at her touch, and although he tried to force himself to relax in her hold, he found he was having a difficult time actually pulling it off. Comfort wasn't something you could really...force, after all. If it were, he would have gotten past his awkwardness years ago, but, alas. This was just the way things were.
Fortunately, they were all pretty used to him by now, and so he knew she wouldn't take any offense at his reaction to her. She hadn't even been offended when he had initially attempted to turn down her offer of going out tonight. It was all based completely on a whim she'd had, claiming she had a craving for Chinese food, and she just had to have it now, and, not wanting to go alone, she had remained entirely undismayed by his rejection and opted to take Antonin along as well. It was obvious that it had been intentional, in order to coax him into coming along—she knew that Antonin was one of the few people he actually felt mildly comfortable around—but why she insisted on dragging him along with her in the first place, he really couldn't understand. Why any of them did, for that matter, was completely beyond him. It wasn't as though he actually supplied any interesting conversation, or made for a fun night out. If anything, he often felt like more of a party killer than anything else.
Sometimes...he really wondered how he had any friends, let alone the number he'd somehow managed to accumulate throughout their school years together. Growing up, he'd been just as awkward, he hadn't managed to make any friends at all, save one, but when he had come to Hogwarts...well, no, it certainly wasn't him that had changed. Somewhere down the line, and for some reason he still couldn't quite place, Lucius had decided to take him under his wing, and that was what had truly started it. All the other friends he had made in Slytherin, it had sort of...stemmed from there.
It still didn't explain why, though.
He was again pulled from his thoughts when he felt Natalia nudge him in the side, and he averted his attention to her, training his dark eyes on the girl as she addressed him. Her smile was as bright as ever.
"I...," he trailed off, taking a brief moment to consider how to respond.
As it was, he actually did have a certain soft spot for Chinese food, yet another thing he couldn't really explain why, but he still felt hesitant, answering in the affirmative. If he did, then she might try to make a more regular thing out of this, and while he wouldn't mind getting Chinese food more often, there was something about the idea of her going out of her way like that which...didn't sit right with him. He was far more comfortable sitting in the shadows, observing, than having any spotlights shown on him. But, then again, perhaps that wouldn't even end up happening. Perhaps he was just reading too much into it, thinking too far ahead. Pushing all the thoughts away, he decided to just answer her damn question.
"Yes...I suppose I do," he replied, his voice coming out in a monotonous drawl.
Antonin leisurely strolled along through the pleasant drizzle, small droplets of water cascading along his boots with each footfall. Along with the rain carried the possibility of ruining such fine clothing, but he never much cared for that sort of thing. Not only because he could erase any speck of damage with a simple flick of his wrist, but also his natural disposition. The rough appearance of rain-drenched boots went along with his image just as easily as the put together look of a Pureblood. He had so many faces, which is the main reason he could get away with dressing the way he did. It went right along with who he was and he would confidently show that to the world at any opportunity.
The older Dolohov lifted his gaze then and chuckled at the image of his baby sister bouncing around. Sometimes, it amazed even him how alike they were. The Dolohov siblings, both equally carefree in nature with a certain fascination for the vindictive. She could be just as ruthless as him when she wanted to be and it made them quite the unstoppable duo. It kept him amused throughout their entire childhood. Natalia was an endearing little sprout. Despite Antonin's indifference toward many things, his baby sister wasn't one of them. He would be cruel to her because she could take it and would be a bully right back. That was their game, but beneath it all, there was an unspoken understanding and a genuine caring for each other.
Tilting his head, Antonin smirked as he took in another endearing individual. Severus..he was so interesting. He had a unique friendship with the brooding boy, mostly consisting of a mutual interest in talking over drinks. After a random bonding moment, it became a sort of tradition with the little Slytherin. When the brooding became a little too intense, Antonin would step in and drag Severus to the nearest pub (or corner of a room. Whichever) so he could regale the older boy with his troubles. Sometimes Antonin would even share a tale or two. It was a little sad when he thought about it, but that's probably why he didn't spend much time reflecting.
As for the reason the lovely trio was currently traipsing through the rainfall, that was all thanks to his sister. Not long ago, she had popped in, rudely knocking on his door, and demanded that he join her and Severus for dinner. One look at them told Antonin all he needed to know. She wanted him to come along so Snape wouldn't refuse her. So manipulative...but Antonin was never one to refuse a fun outing, even if it was due to one of Natalia's infamous cravings. The decision to walk was an excellent idea on her part as well. The rain was perfect. He felt so calm in this sort of weather and if he closed his eyes, he could almost envision the glorious open ocean. The salt breeze in the air and the crashing waves as they creaked against the hull of a ship. Just a beautiful image. Not to mention the music he was playing added wonderfully to the entire scene. It helped pull him from the moment and inserted into the fantasy.
However, Natalia's clinging abruptly pulled him from his thoughts and he let out a short huff of annoyance. What did she want? Removing the headset, he directed his attention to her, but the irritation instantly dissipated when he noticed the far off look on his friend's face. Any number of things could be going through that boy's head. His curiosity wavered into amusement, though, when Natalia asked such a simple question and Antonin watched him struggle for an answer. He read way too much into everything.
Antonin smirked when he finally answered, nodding in agreement as he raised his free hand to pat his little sister's head, "There, there, Natty. There was never any reason to worry. Of course Sev likes Chinese food. Who doesn't?"
Hermione Granger: Ironically, the same thing happened to me. I'm glad you brought it up
May 24, 2016 2:50:37 GMT -5
Hermione Granger: It looks wonderful, though, doesn't it?
May 24, 2016 2:50:49 GMT -5
Draco Malfoy: It does I've been so excited for it since I first heard about it. Always been my favorite, after all. Combine that with you and it's nothing short of perfect. We definitely need to see it together.
May 24, 2016 2:53:18 GMT -5
Hermione Granger: Oh, we absolutely do! It's always been my favorite, too, but I know how much it's always meant to you. You've always sort of reminded me of how the prince was before he became the Beast, haha!
May 24, 2016 3:10:37 GMT -5
*
Draco Malfoy: Ha! Yes, and then somewhere during that whole transition...I became my father
May 24, 2016 3:20:39 GMT -5