Memories (Adara and Michael)

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Adara. Dare's gaze flickered past Michael to the girl, who looked as miserable as Emilian had. He recalled Emilian's brief description, fitted it to her, and let out a breath of relief he told himself he shouldn't have held. He brought his eyes back to Michael's and gave a brief nod.

"I've just been at the Jewellery Shop," Dare said, keeping his voice low so that Adara wouldn't overhear. "He's not any better than she is. I've got a letter for her, and..." he paused, glancing at Adara again to be sure she wasn't paying attention. "Something happened outside the shop. Some guy stopped me. What's going on, Michael?" he added in a whisper. He was still shaken, and that momentary shock when he'd seen Michael and Adara, even if it had been nothing, had only added to the tension he was feeling.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael shook his head slightly, "All I know is that her dad's in Diagon Alley and wants her to marry some guy he knows. Adara and Emilian went to talk to him and Emilian stormed out. Her dad told her she's not allowed to leave." He searched Dare's eyes, then the rest of what he had said sunk in, some guy stopped me. His eyes narrowed, "What happened to you? Are you alright?" he asked, finally acknowledging the tension in Dare's body.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare's gaze shifted out toward the lake. "I'm fine," he said. "Just...shaken up. He kept asking me about Emilian." Dare looked back at Michael, then flicked a meaningful glance at Adara. "You think we ought to tell her?" he asked. He didn't know her, and it looked like Michael did, and at least Michael seemed to have a slightly better idea of what was going on. "I'll tell you everything, but...if she should know, then I'll tell both of you together."

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael sighed and glanced back at Adara, "She knows her father, she probably knows what he's doing. She probably should know." It wouldn't do her any good to keep things from her, and Michael figured that anything Dare said would be old news to her. He chewed his lip and met Dare's eyes, "Hey, I'm sorry about...." he gestured back towards her. "I probably shouldn't have..." he looked away from Dare. Even if they both knew now that it was innocent, Michael had seen the emotion in Dare's eyes.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare looked away too. "It's okay," he said. "I mean...if Emilian's as bad as you say, and I'm thinking he is, you wouldn't do that. You wouldn't do that," he repeated, though it had gotten him thinking. What if Anna went back to Michael? What if this was an experiment, and what if it just ran its course for Michael? They hadn't been together nearly long enough for him to be sure. Dare shook it off. There was too much going on for him to think about that right now, more important things than him worrying about things that hadn't happened. "Why don't you introduce us?" Dare asked, gesturing toward Adara.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael wasn't satisfied with Dare's answer, but until they were alone he didn't plan on bringing up a potentially awkward conversation. He did, however, bring his hand up to Dare's face and bring his eyes back around, bringing eye contact. With the contact he tried to make it better, though he knew it wouldn't work. After a moment Michael let his hand drop and turned to go back to Adara. "Adara, this is Dare," he said, then flipped it around before sitting down again, a little farther away from Adara than before, but not so far as to be impolite.

[Adara Snow]

Adara looked curiously at Dare, not least because of his fascinating hair. She had never seen such hair. "It is a pleasure to meet you," she said, the words polite, but automatic. She was still thinking about Emilian, still worrying, and even the distraction of meeting someone new was not enough. She managed a smile, and though it was genuine enough, it did not reach her eyes.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare's cheek was still tingling from that brief contact as he sat beside Michael, reminding himself not to take his hand, not to sit too close. He'd take it slow, let Michael lead when it came to how much to reveal. He greeted Adara, then rested his sketchbook in his lap and lay his hands across it for a moment before remembering what it was he was supposed to be talking about.

Dare let go of his sketchbook and dug out the scroll, offering it to Adara. "Emilian gave me this," he said. "I went to the Jewellery Shop this afternoon to draw him. He didn't tell me anything, except to ask me to give it to you." Dare looked aside at Michael as though asking if he should go on, reminding himself again to keep his distance.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael watched Adara for a moment before turning his eyes to Dare, wanting to touch him but uncomfortable with the thought of doing so in front of someone else. He nodded slightly at Dare's questioning glance, encouraging him to go on. He was still standing by his belief that it was better for Adara to know than not. His hands came together in his lap, to keep himself from reaching out for Dare's, as he waited, there was nothing for him to add. He had no first hand knowledge of what had happened to offer.

[Adara Snow]

Adara was oblivious to anything that might be passing between the boys. There was a letter from Emilian in her hands, tied with the same ribbon she had sent to him, proof that he had received it, that it had not been intercepted. She smoothed the scroll open with shaking fingers.

Adara,

I apologize for leaving you, I didn't trust myself and didn't want you hurt. Your father made me so very angry, I could barely think. You know that it didn't go well, you don't know how my heart broke to see you afterward. When I see you again I'll tell you what happened in there if you want to know, I refuse to write it to you and have you find out like that. While it hurts to be away from you, I know that it is probably for the best right now, we have to stay safe. Just know that I am thinking of you, my Princess.

Emilian

Adara pulled a sharp breath, her eyes tearing at Emilian's words. He was so brave, so strong, and she loved him so very much. Adara's heart ached, felt like tearing in two. She would stay in the castle, she decided, but she would not leave with her father. She would defy the Headmistress and sneak Emilian into the castle before she would do such a thing.

It took Adara a few minutes to pull herself together enough that she trusted herself to think. She did not raise her eyes from the letter, but thanked Dare softly.

"You saw him today? This afternoon?" Adara asked. "Was he all right?"

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare flicked a glance at Michael, then turned his attention back to Adara. "He was all right," he said. He'd been all right by the end, at least. "We didn't really talk much, he didn't tell me anything." Dare realized he'd already said that, and braced himself for the rest. "When I was leaving the shop, a man stopped me," he began. "He asked me how I knew Emilian, if we were friends. He kept trying to get me to talk about him. I told him I didn't know anything, and..." Dare flicked another brief glance at Michael before dropping his gaze to his hands.

"He kept moving in front of me, stopping me from leaving. When I stepped around him, he grabbed my shoulders. I shook him off and I swear, he used legilimency on me. I didn't even know what was going on. I shook it off and apparated to the gates. Then I came looking for Michael." The man had asked other things, but Dare could barely remember. He'd been busy thinking about how to get back to the school. "Last thing he asked me was if I knew Emilian's lover." An incredibly awkward thing to admit. Awkward enough in front of Michael, but moreso in front of a girl he didn't know, the only one the man could have been referring to.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael's eyes narrowed and his hand went out to take Dare's before he could think to stop it. He squeezed it lightly before realizing what he had done. His eyes flicked over at Adara but she was still looking down at the note in her hands. Either way, when his gaze turned back to Dare, he gave another light squeeze and pulled his hand back, threading his fingers together. "So the shop's being watched," he said needlessly. He had half a mind to tell Dare that he wasn't allowed to go back until the whole thing was over.

[Adara Snow]

Adara was too much in shock to notice anything. She stared at Dare a moment, then dropped her gaze to the quill in her hands, which suddenly felt dangerous, poisonous. She had always known that her father knew things, but it had never once occurred to her to wonder how. She had somehow believed that, as a father, he was simply omnipotent and able to read her, powerful, respected... She could barely breathe for trying to take all of this in. "He told me...that Emilian is safe as long as he poses no threat or interference." She could feel herself beginning to retreat.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare had just begun to feel comforted when he heard Adara speak, and his gaze shifted away from Michael to her. This all sounded incredibly dangerous, and suddenly he felt even luckier to have gotten back to the castle. Dare looked at Adara, and he could see her eyes unfocusing. "Are you okay?" he asked, then looked back at Michael, silently asking if he knew anything that Dare didn't.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael met Dare's eyes for a moments, he didn't know anything, he knew less than even Dare about the entire situation. Then he looked away, "Adara?" he asked, wondering if she was alright. He couldn't help his gaze from trailing back to Dare, his urge to forbid him from going becoming even stronger. He clenched his hands together to try to keep himself from doing anything.