See

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael had always spent much of his time in the forest and lately it seemed he was staying outside more and more. He had always been an outdoors person, while everyone else was staying inside making good impressions he would sneak out to the nearest tree and sit up in its branches until he was forced to leave. His path wasn't planned, he was just wandering around to see what he could see.

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase didn't see Michael until he was almost on top of him. He preferred the wider spaces of the lawns and the lake, but the forests had proved entertaining more than once lately, so he'd taken to prowling through now and then for the fun of it. He rounded a tightly-packed copse of trees only to find himself nose-to-nose with Michael. Chase stopped and took a reflexive step back. Their last meeting hadn't ended on the most pleasant terms.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael swayed just a minute because of the sudden stop before realizing who it was. "Fancy seeing you here," he said, eyes narrowed. He had spoken to Dru after the break up and knew how torn up she had been about the whole thing. As someone that had been against the relationship from the beginning he had gotten a sick satisfaction from knowing that it was over, even if Dru was hurt because of it. She'd been hurt by Michael and had gotten over it, he knew that she'd get over Chase.

[Chase Firebrand]

Fancy seeing you here. Chase resisted the urge to sneer. "Yeah, it's a pleasure," he said, the mocking tone in his voice faint, but audible. He stood his ground, waiting to see if Michael would move out of the way, unlikely as that was. Chase's hand flexed, recalling the blows they'd come to in the Common Room, subtly readying himself in case it happened again.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael was tense, and out of the corner of his eye he saw the movement of Chase's hand. "So, how long was it before you went back to Storm?" Even though he knew the break up had been mutual, he still thought it Chase's fault, however street smart Dru was, Michael still thought that she hadn't been thinking properly when she went to Chase.

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase's lips thinned, and a light spark of crimson flashed in his eyes, giving away that Michael's words had hit their mark. "Jealous?" he asked, allowing himself to be baited for the moment. One corner of his lips kicked up into a taunting smirk. "Or maybe you just want something to think about when you're alone in your bed." Stupid or not, the words were satisfying to say.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael's eyes flashed, "That the best you can come up with? Really, I figured you'd be more imaginative than that." Chase got on Michael's nerves, no doubt about it. Their first meeting hadn't been that bad, but Chase just rubbed him the wrong way. Michael shifted, easing some of the tension in his body through the small motion.

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase echoed Michael's slight shift of weight, his hand flexing again. "Imagination's overrated when you've got the real thing," he said, knowing it was a prod more than a direct jab, but unwilling to go for the jugular just yet. "If you want to say something, just say it," he challenged. He wanted to get on with his day, and an hour spent beating around the metaphorical bush wasn't on his list of preferred diversions.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"Do you have any idea how tore up she was after you two broke up?" Michael asked angrily, one hand tensing into a fist. "However mutual it may have been." Mutual was crap and he knew it. Fine, so he wasn't supposed to be fighting Dru's battles anymore, yes, she could take care of herself. But he couldn't stand seeing her that way, and knowing that the person in front of him was responsible made those little facts fly out of his mind.

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase's jaw tensed, but only briefly. He had enough of an idea how tore up she must have been, and it was at least part of the reason he'd needed to see her so badly after, the other part being his own selfishness. But he didn't owe Michael any explanations, especially not about things he didn't understand himself, especially not anything that involved his personal thoughts and feelings.

His eyes sparked a simmering crimson as he formed a response. "I'm not blind, Michael, and I'm not stupid. If you think you're going to give me a guilt trip, you can save your breath. I've already talked to Dru, and unless you've seen her since last night, there isn't anything you can tell me that I don't already know."

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"Can't you just leave her alone?" Michael spat, glaring at Chase. "Or do you enjoy hurting her the way you have?" His eyes went dark, the brown an angry muddy shade. In his opinion, Dru could do so much better than the guy standing in front of him. He almost wanted to just forget words and pull out his wand, but Michael knew that wouldn't be such a good idea. Even if he knew that just one wrong word would lead to a fight between the two of them.

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase groaned, a sound of mixed annoyance and frustration. "You don't know what you're talking about, Michael," he said heavily. "As usual, you're going off half-cocked on half the information, and no, that's not an invitation to interrogate me." He couldn't care less at this point how righteously angry Michael was. "Just give it up now, leave it alone, cause I'm not leaving her alone, it's going to work this time, so you'd better just get used to it!"

It wasn't until the words were out that Chase even heard himself, and he immediately argued his own phrasing, the mental battle showing in his eyes as a blaze of crimson and orange. It's going to work this time. He hadn't meant it that way, he told himself. He'd meant they'd have fun, they'd do what they had meant to do when they'd first gotten together. They could hang out, they could be good together; that would work. He told himself he didn't mean anything more, even if the words were so close to those Dru had used just last night. Are you expecting to keep that up if it works out between us?

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael's eyes showed how much he hated Chase. "You know what? F~ it, tell her to not come crying to me when you break her heart. Bewitch her, screw her brains out, see if I care. I've tried to make her see, but she refuses to listen to any kind of logic that tells her that it won't work this time because she's so damned infatuated with you." He waved a frustrated hand and turned to walk away.

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase stood in mild shock for all of a heartbeat before anger kicked in and his fist shot out, straight toward Michael's ever-flapping jaw. "You need to keep your goddamned mouth shut when you don't know what you're talking about," he barked. "Say whatever the hell you want to me, but if you're Dru's f~ing friend, you'll have more f~ing respect for her than that. Let her make her own goddamned mistakes; she's not a f~ing idiot because she won't see things your way! Maybe she knows a little more than you, ever thought about that?"

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael fell back onto the trunk of a tree, his hand coming up to his jaw. The hit had made his teeth grind together, and he had the distinct feeling that all of his teeth wouldn't make it out of the forest whole, his head rung slightly. When his eyes focused back on Chase, they were flashing in anger, "At least when I hurt her, I let her be," he said, taking a step towards Chase and throwing his fist into his stomach. "I didn't insist on trying to make her get back with me. I tried being her friend, but obviously I'm not appreciated, so why the hell should I keep up the facade?"