(SC.Room) Forgive Me?

[Joshua Rivas]

Joshua Rivas sat, sprawled across a couch deep in thought. He was thinking about last term, about what had happened. He was periodically drinking from a glass of pumpkin juice at his side, more of boredom than of actual thirst. His lips would brush against the rim and the sweet liquid would pour down his throat before putting the glass down again. He reached up and touched his mouth, the lips that had betrayed him. He could almost feel the icy cold of Cessily's breath on his face, the feel of her tongue as she slid her arms around his neck...

While most of the 'get-well cards' had been removed weeks ago, a few of the more enchanted ones still flew around the room. At first there were almost a hundred of them, mostly from girls of every House, but now only the funniest and most incensire remained. One which seemed intent on following people as they entered the Common Room depicted Joshua making out with a perfect image of Dracula.

Joshua shook his head. At the time his confused mind had led him to believe it would allow Erys to take a shot at the vampire. Instead it was simply his befuddled emotions trying to make a logical assumption of a baser need. Melancholy and pain was obvious in his gorgeous green eyes, and even the flecks of gold seemed duller with the emotional distress.

[Erys Grace]

Her get well cards on the other hand weren't the slightest bit insulting, or else everyone would know the consequences. Erys hadn't received much, one from Veata, the Parkhurst twins, Angelique.. Some flowers from Professor Croll, but why she had been given these she didn't know. Having not been present for the Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson on vampires, the Slytherin didn't know the woman had used Joshua's idea of using a patronus. oh, well. She knew most of the things to know about the species, and had already protected herself against Cessily with her best friend by her side.

Since then terrible nightmares took the place of peaceful dreams as she slept, and Erys hadn't gotten the best of sleep these past few weeks. Still very beautiful, there was a soft purple ring underneath her eyes. Figuring it would go away once she got a good night's sleep - when that would be, she had no idea - she just left it. Nobody noticed it much, unless they got right up in her face and stared at her. The Slytherin didn't need to impress anybody any but herself. Not even Joshua.

The feelings were still buried quite deep, surfacing suddenly when Erys glimpsed the card of Joshua macking with Dracula. Not even noticing him at the moment, the bengal cat hissed loudly, leaping at it with poised claws. Managing to tear out the two faces before the card fluttered weakly up higher, the feline narrowed her greenish-gray eyes, saying nothing. He was so popular, nearly every girl from all houses had sent him something. This would have to be the biggest funk she had fallen into in a long time. These moments of insecurity were few and sparse, but Erys had managed to hit one right about then. Joshua could have any girl he wanted. One who didn't give him a wake up call when he was being an idiot, or get him bitten by a vampire, or freak out when forced to be in a hospital..[/color]

[Joshua Rivas]

Suddenly, Joshua heard the shrill hiss of what sounded like a leopard. Swearing loudly, he leapt up, spun about and hurled a powerful disarming hex wildly. It missed, but had so much force behind it that it cracked the stone floor. Seeing the cat, he breathed deeply and calmed down. Erys.

"Christ, don't do that to me. Scared the....just scared me is all. Still kinda jumpy." He explained clumsily. It had been stupid, why he associated cat hissing with vampires was beyond him. He muttered, "Reparo" and the cracks in the floor slowly re-joined until only a little dust was left of the impressive spell. The Dracula card fluttered over his head, did a final death twirl, then drooped into a nearby garbage.

Joshua still hadn't really come to terms with Erys' abilities. Sure it was cool but he still didn't think of her as a cat. He was sort of worried he never would, as since last term something of a wall had come between them. They were still good friends, but they no longer shared the moments he had loved so much before. She still hadn't forgiven him and they hadn't spoken of the incident since it happened.

"Are you gonna change, or make me talk to a cat all night?"

[Erys Grace]

Tensing as the spell was thrown her way, the cat seemed to roll her eyes as it missed. If you're going to hex me, you might as well have good aim. That was pathetic. Erys thought with a grin, but it looked more like a sneer as cats weren't built to smile. Well, he seemed a bit jumpy today, didn't he? In fact, there was something a teensy bit off about Joshua ever since the attack happened. Besides that, Joshua seemed really uncomfortable when she was in this form. Why was that? It was a part of her now, and he'd have to come to terms with it. Accept all, or nothing.

Strange, how Joshua had addressed her animagus self as just a cat. If he had talked all night, it would have been to her, not some pet. Now that hurt, but in her current state, it didn't mean much. When she changed back, however.. But I like being a kitty. Erys thought with a purr, rubbing herself up against one of his legs. He shouldn't worry, she didn't shed, so he wouldn't be covered in hair afterwards. Catching the exhasperated look, she sighed as her bones began rearranging, growing larger and stronger. The transformation was smooth, and the last thing to pop was the fevered look in her eyes. "Fine." The Slytherin murmured, throwing herself down on one of the leather couches near the fireplace. She could just tell he wanted to talk about the vampire thing, and, though it was a touchy subject, must be dealt with.

Tipping and falling on her back, Erys rubbed her head, waiting for him to start. Draping her arm over her eyes, she breathed softly, biting her lip. Maybe they had drifted apart a bit. What happened could have been a life changing moment, he could have died. And it was all her fault. If she had been stronger and protected herself instead of getting slashed up, then she could have stopped Cessily for drinking so much of his blood. And.. Erys figured he would be better off without her around.[/color]

[Joshua Rivas]

The cat seemed to snarl at him for the hex, then rubbed against his leg. He wasn't sure why this part of her made him uncomfortable, it was a rare and powerful skill. Still, talking to a cat was hard, not to mention it made him feel like an idiot.
Wow, that was a bad aim. Probably a good thing. Joshua thought, looking at the wisps of dust still rising from the floor.

The cat looked up at him, then started changing. He had to say, it did look cool. Wierd, but definitely cool. Within a few moments she was Erys again, and Joshua thought he preferred the cat. She look pissed. That, and a little sad. After the hospital wing she seemed to have forgotten the whole ordeal. She said little about it. He would have preferred she kicked his ass, at least then he wouldn't feel forgotten. The cards in the room didn't matter. There hadn't been one from Erys and he hadn't sent her anything either. Things had started so well. Why did a near-death experience have to change everything.

Joshua noticed as she sat across the room. Not too close, not too far. More neutrality, it was killing him. They still talked and laughed, but these days it was far more strained and harder to force. He had to try fix things.
"Erys..." He began, trying to conjure words into his mouth. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, trying to think. "I'm so sorry."

"I don't have an excuse. I wanted to kiss her, even though I thought it would somehow help." Rivas continued, "Because I couldn't restrain myself for five minutes I nearly died and you were really cut up." He said 'nearly died' as far more casual than he described her wounds. It was obvious he no longer cared about what happened to him, only her.
"The whole thing is my fault. I've cheated before, sure, but I've never felt so bad about it. I betrayed you and you could have died yourself. I don't even know if I want you to forgive me, I just want things the way they were."

If the situation were a little less serious, Joshua would have blushed. He only just realised he had said 'cheated' as if they were dating.

[Erys Grace]

Groaning, still covering her face, Erys bit her lip, trying to stop herself from sneering. Standing in a flash, she marched angrily towards him, her eyes aflame. "You stupid, pathetic excuse for a person!" She hissed, jabbing a finger into his chest, "It wasn't your fault at all, it was mine." Him taking all the blame for it was killing her, she hoped he knew. "You could have died because I wasn't strong enough, dont you go saying its your fault. You didn't do it on purpose, you were.. I dont know, under her wierd vampire voodoo."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Erys gave him a skeptical slash pissed off look, aghast that he apologised for something that had been entirely out of his control. "And lets not forget that if you hadn't conjured your patronus, she would have eaten me too-" Leaving out the fact that Joshua hadn't been literally consumed, only his blood, the Slytherin rubbed her temples in an attempt to keep herself under control. She had managed that extremely not-well, now that she thought about it. "-cheated?" Cutting off the end of her sentence to look confusedly at him, she paused, trying to figure this out. "You feel like you..?" That explained it. "But we.. Thats why you're so upset?" Well, she guessed it was part of it, but a big one. Caught off guard, left without a thing to say, Erys just stood there, staring dumbly.

You really are an idiot. Erys thought with a shaky laugh, before wrapping her arms around his back in a tight hug. "I'm sorry for.." Her throat tightened and she couldn't continue, but he got the point. Did this mean he wanted to.. Date her?[/color]

[Joshua Rivas]

Erys flared angrily, marching over to him and assaulting him with a flurry of harsh insults. Joshua stood straight, despite the pain of Erys jabbing him really hard in the chest. Wow, she could pull of her angry look really well. Just lookin at her made him want to run. When she finished he went to speak, to say something back and argue against her. Then something hit home.
"Huh?" Rivas was confused. Her fault?

His friend continued, furiously describing how he hadn't been at fault and had actually saved her life. Joshua tried to make sense of it all. She wasn't angry at him for nearly killing her? There had been a severe misunderstanding. Relief flooded into him, she understood. They had been difficult with each other for weeks, for no good reason.

Then, Joshua actually smiled. Now Erys was confused. Didn't she realise? He didn't care about any girl as much as he did for this one. Maybe she was too tough to see it, too strong to understand it. She laughed, shakily, then slid her arms around his back in an embrace.

"I'm sorry for..."

"Shut up." Joshua commanded, and for once hoped she would listen. He slid his hand behind her neck, pulling her towards him and kissing her passionately. We've had enough apologies...

[Erys Grace]

What.. Oh. Erys couldn't help but think of how cliché this was, so wonderfully cliché, as they embraced. Her body was rigid as he grabbed her, fear and surprise like ecstasy tingled down through her veins, raising the small hairs on the back of her neck. Reflexively, she brought her hand to his cheek, pressing her mouth to his with the same enthusiam he had shown when he grabbed her. She stroked her fingertips down the side of his face and neck to rest her hand gently upon his shoulder, moving her whole body closer to his as she snaked her other arm around his neck.

The scent coming off of his skin was distracting, to say the least. Joshua had no idea, lacking the keen senses of a feline who could pretty much smell everything around it. Erys was no exception, tuned in to her surroundings while tending to the high that ripped like lightning through her body.

So maybe this was love. It could make you weaker, but it could make you stronger. Powerful as it was addictive, Erys found herself hooked to the feeling, realising now how much she was craving it on her own. Whether this was indeed that, or pure infatuation, she didn't know either, but.. Turning off her thoughts for the time being, as the touch of his lips had rendered her mentally incapable of forming a legitimite word, the Slytherin focused on him instead, more and more breathless as the seconds ticked by. Hell, who needed to breathe anyway? Breathing was for wimps, and she was enjoying this.[/color]

[Joshua Rivas]

It was perfect. Erys responded as eagerly as he acted, coming closer so that now their bodies were pressed against one another. Joshua, keeping one hand on her neck, slid his other arm around her back and pulled her closer still. He gave no thought to being gentle, she probably would have hated him for that. He gave himself into the fury and anguish he'd felt in the past weeks, combined with the burning passion for this beautiful girl and kissed her harder. He didn't want to hurt her, but she was going to feel it.

Emotions ripped through him, all of them crazy and euphoric. She was a drug and he needed his fix. He needed her. Joshua wasn't sure exactly what he felt for Erys, but he knew it was strong. Stronger than he'd ever cared for anyone and there was nothing subtle about it. Everything suddenly felt right. He no longer felt Cessily's tug on his mind, she was gone. Replaced by something much better.

He pulled his lips from hers. "I don't know what this is, but I'm yours." Joshua realised it was true. Somehow was completely willing to surrender to her, something he'd never done with anyone. From that moment she truly owned his heart.

[Erys Grace]

And boy, did she feel it. Matching the pressure of his lips against hers, Erys felt herself being pulled closer, obeying without protest. It took a great amount of concentration to prevent herself from purring, as it would have freaked him out. He may not accept her other side now, but he would soon enough. Erys could wait as long as it took, living off the energy their embrace powered her with. They had lasted without each other for the whole holiday, for nothing. It was foolish, she realised now, as those contained feelings burst from her lips instead of her chest. The heaviness from her shoulders lifted then, and though she didn't know it, so did the nightmares.

Breathing now as their mouths parted, Erys gazed up at him, radiant. "Mine." She echoed with a coy smile, winding her arms around his neck and squeezing in another tight hug. Pressing her cheek to his chest, she closed her eyes, enjoying the moment. It was everything she had hoped for. It was pure bliss.

Laughing suddenly, Erys realised then that he had pretty much declared himself her slave. All in good fun of course, but she just couldn't resist adding in, "Does that mean I have you whipped?" Grinning now, she planted a playful kiss on his cheek, to show she meant no harm in her little jab.[/color]

[Joshua Rivas]

Those few minutes, Joshua would remember as being some of the best he had ever spent at Hogwarts. In the arms of a beautiful girl. The walls had come tumbling down and now there was nothing between the two, making their relationship passionate and possibly volatile. There was nothing soft about how he cared for her.

Having Erys lean against his chest, resting against him was nice. She really understood him and didn't expect anything more than he gave. Joshua held her against him, wrapped in a warm and loving embrace.

"Does that mean I have you whipped?"

He grinned back.
"Maybe a little. But don't expect flowers every day, that's not how I roll. Let's just say I'll try not to flirt with other girls as much." Or go around making out with vampires...

[Erys Grace]

Drawing her head back, she stuck her tongue out at him, grinning, "Fine, no flowers. And you'd better not be flirting with anybody but me." It was a good thing he wouldn't show her affection all the time, she'd get sick of it. Too much mushyness was a bad thing. Nothing terribly romantic, either. Like asking her to marry him, that was a no-no. Wasn't that Gryffindor Adam boy proposing to Lidia sometime soon? It was their life and she wouldn't intrude, but the Slytherin could never marry someone at such a young age, not to mention a Gryffindor. Erys broke off their hug to punch him playfully in the shoulder. Though in a funnier tone now, if he tried anything like that she'd really hit him. And, as Joshua already experianced, he wouldn't like her when she was angry.

Well.. She probably wouldn't react so harshly, since she knew the flirting wasn't serious. Taking a step back, Erys ended up falling over the armrest of the couch. Bouncing a bit as her back hit the leather, she grinned, "Oops."[/color]