Letting it go (Anna/Dare)

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna's mind jumped, filling in what hadn't been said. "He turned good when you broke up, and turned to boys when we broke up; so what's next? He'll run out of drastic statements soon, won't he?" A small smile crossed her lips at the attempt to lighten the mood. She was grateful for both Dru's insight and Seth's unbiased opinion.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare grimaced at Anna's words. Hopefully he and Michael wouldn't break up, at least for a very long time, and so there wouldn't need to be any more drastic statements. He loved Michael, and though being in the room with Anna and Dru reminded him of his insecurities about Michael's fickleness when it came to love, Dare refused to let that affect his hopes. They were together now, and that was what mattered, wasn't it? Dare was too absorbed with thinking about the implications of Anna's words to say anything constructive; his mind kept coming back to the knowledge that Michael had been in love at least three times before him, and none of them had worked out.

[Druscilla Grace]

Dru shrugged, though she pulled a small smile for Anna's benefit. She felt awkward bringing up the possibility of a breakup with Dare in the room. She also didn't want to give out the idea that there might not be a breakup with Anna being in there. Her eyes flicked to the door, wondering faintly if the conversation would stop if she left. "I can't think of anything he could change."

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna sighed. She hadn't meant the last comment, but apparently her humorous poke at herself hadn't been appreciated. She felt like she'd killed the conversation and tried to fix it by saying how she truly felt. "I really don't want him to change anything else either, he's a good guy still. I don't necessarily agree with his choice, but as the jealous ex-girlfriend, I don't think I'm supposed to. I really hope they're together now and he's happy with Dare. He said it was just an experiment, but I hope he didn't throw what we had away for just a quick fling; he deserves more than that." Anna finished, pulled out a tissue and blew her nose again, hating how much the cold on top of all the emotions was draining her energy.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare lifted his head to look at Anna, surprised and touched by her words, though he couldn't possibly have told her why. He almost felt like he should, but that would be opening such a huge can of flobberworms that he didn't want to risk it. "For a jealous ex-girlfriend, you're a really nice girl," Dare said, truly meaning the words. "I'm sure Michael is doing fine." He hoped so, at least, considering where Dare knew Michael was right now. But he hoped the words sounded general enough that Anna wouldn't catch on that he knew any more than he was supposed to.

[Druscilla Grace]

Dru looked down at Dare, wondering how their relationship was going. A shock ran through her as she realized she was looking at Michael's boyfriend, if they really had gone that far, it certainly seemed that way, and it was a thought so strange that she couldn't shake it off. She tilted her head, she knew she wouldn't have lasted as long as Dare had, she would either have left or confessed long before.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Nice girl. She'd heard those words often used to describe herself, and they no longer held the meaning intended. It almost felt condescending when someone called her nice, although she knew Seth meant to complement her. "Sometimes I don't feel like a nice girl, sometimes I don't even want to be. At the masquerade ball I wasn't nice at all, and I enjoyed it, although I felt horribly guilty after." A blush began to form across her cheeks at the memories of the ball, and she quickly changed the subject. "So Seth, do you know Michael?"

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Again, Dare was grateful for the cover his hair provided, as guilty heat spread across his face and neck. His right hand rose to rub against the back of his neck, and several silent moments passed as Dare tried to form an appropriate answer through the wash of thoughts, visual, physical, and otherwise, that rushed through him at Anna's question. Again, Dare wanted to escape, to suddenly announce that he needed to be somewhere, but if he left, would Dru tell Anna? Dare mentally shook his head. He needed to just say something. Dare cleared his throat. "I know him," he managed.

[Druscilla Grace]

Dru bit her tongue and tried to keep her eyes from popping out of her face, because if Seth didn't want to tell Anna, than she had no right to give it away. She looked down at Dare, knowing that they weren't in the same house and wondering how he was going to get through that. She wished she could disappear, but didn't think it would be a good thing to do, to leave the two of them in a room together.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"Oh." Annabelle was at a loss as to why the conversation kept faltering. She'd never seen Dru so...not talkative. And Seth, who had inserted himself into their discussion suddenly seemed closed-mouthed when asked a direct question. When she had started talking about her issues, she had hoped for someone else's perspective, but trying to get either of their opinions was like pulling teeth. She got the impression that Seth really didn't want to talk about Michael. There was another sneezing fit, and she decided it was time to leave. "I think I'm going to head up to the dorm right now; I'm not feeling very good," Anna said.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare said a soft bless you and nodded, relief sweeping lightly through him at Anna's words. He'd meant what he said--she seemed like a nice girl--but the entire conversation was intensely uncomfortable for him, and he was looking forward to the end of it, even if that meant that he'd be left alone with Dru. Dru knew, and so the least he could do was stay and talk to her about it, if she wanted to. He suddenly realized that they were both Ravenclaws, and hoped that Dru wouldn't offer to escort Anna to Ravenclaw Tower. If she did, then his having stayed all this time as mediator, or observer, whatever, would have been for nothing.

[Druscilla Grace]

"I'll see you around, Anna," Dru said, though she was sure she would end up down at the club, debating telling her guys to steer Chase away if he tried to come and find her. She wasn't planning too far ahead, though, focusing on what she was going to say to Dare when Anna left. Her mind drew a blank, though, and she knew that it probably wouldn't be easy conversation.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"See you Dru, nice meeting you Seth," Anna said as she stirred from the couch with her book in hand. She didn't really want to head back to her dorm again, but she was tired, and a nap sounded like a nice idea. As she headed out the door, she briefly wondered what the conversation would be like without her; if anything.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare lifted his head again to watch Anna leave, releasing a long breath as the door clicked shut. He hadn't had the chance to feel truly relieved, however, before his eyes caught on Dru's, and he was reminded that he wasn't off the hook yet. But would Dru actually ask him anything? Did she really want to know? He wasn't going to volunteer the information, so he searched his mind for a slightly safer subject. "She really does seem nice," he said. It was a pathetic attempt, but at least he'd said something.

[Druscilla Grace]

"She is," Dru said, nodding slightly, then went silent for a few moments, chewing her lip as she tried to figure out where to start. "Are you and Michael really together?" she asked, deciding to go straight to the point instead of trying to worm her way into the conversation. She knew, so there was no reason not to just go right into it. She looked down at Dare, watching his movements for any clues as to what was going on.