Stubborn minded enclosed to your own world (Avery)

[Deleted]

It had been a busy night at the club, surprising considering Wednesday nights weren’t usually that way at all. Purgatory was a popular club in Alzubra Alley, but it suffered the usual fate of slow business on the weeknights. Tonight felt like a weekend night. Giovanni had been ordered all over the club due to it being short-staffed. Weekdays weren’t the busiest so the number of servers, busboys, and bartenders had been cut in half. He had been forced to do all sorts duties he normally wouldn’t. He had delivered drinks, which wasn’t too out of the ordinary for him, but to more tables then he usually did. The bartenders in Hell actually pulled him behind the bar to do some bar-backing for a good amount of time. He hadn’t ever been behind the bar because of his age. While it was legal for sixteen and older to drink, the rules were different when it came to serving drinks which a bit strange. Well, the rules were supposed to be different. He knew a couple of people that worked for a few of the bars and clubs around town who were being paid under the table. Regardless, Giovanni still enjoyed himself. He liked being busy and it sure beat bussing tables for servers who barely tipped him out at the end of the night. He never asked for it. It was supposed to be a perk of the job. Unfortunately, most of the servers were too uptight to give him more than a galleon or two, even if he had been the sole reason that they had gotten sat over and over instead of just occasionally. Most of the time Cammie, his boss, was able to pick up on his misfortunes and slide a few extra across the bartop to him at the end of the night. He was more than grateful, but hated that she felt like it was her responsibility.

Tonight was definitely going to be one of those nights where Giovanni did more work then he’d be paid for. As he leaned against the bar top, looking around the almost empty club, he could hear the snickering from the bartenders and servers who had made a killing off of the influx of business tonight. He should have been used to things never going his way. His family hated him, so it only made sense that people he didn’t even know act like he didn’t do anything for them either. Sighing to himself, he hung his head and closed his eyes. He was tired through and through. His body hadn’t seen that much exercise since school had started. Even the weekends hadn’t made him this exhausted. Though to be fair, they were better-staffed on the weekend so he didn’t have to do too much running around. Muscles had been worked out that Giovanni didn’t even know existed. He was fairly certain that if his eyes remained closed for much longer than he would fall asleep standing up. Though it really didn’t matter where he slept tonight. Cammie was aware that he was a student at Galaxia. She had been one as well and completely understood scheduling when it came to his schoolwork. On the weekdays, he was normally scheduled only a few hours so she could apparate him back to Somerset, giving him enough time to walk back to school and be in his common room before curfew. Due to the recent events of the wizarding world, the school had been stricter on curfew than ever before. Those who tried to enter the castle after were basically screwed.

Because of how busy it was tonight, Giovanni had stayed well past his scheduled leave time, which meant that he also stayed well past Galaxia curfew. It was so late that trying to head back to school now would only cause confrontation with the Aurors that guarded the entrance to the school. Not to mention, Headmistress LeGrand would chew him out for not just being late but for working during the school year. It wasn’t a rule that students weren’t allowed to work, but it was definitely frowned upon because of the increased workload being a sixth year brought. By not being able to go back to school tonight, he would be forced to miss a class to catch up on the assignments that should have been done. That was the plan anyway. Cammie hadn’t been able to make it to the club tonight because she had been sick. If she didn’t stop by in the morning to check on things, Giovanni would be stuck until he could find someone to apparate him back to Somerset. He hated being so young sometimes and being unable to do things that seemed so simple. If he had the ability to apparate, it would take a lot of stress off of his shoulders. That and he really hated having to rely on someone to help him out with his misfortunes. Cammie always helped him out of the kindness of her heart. He appreciated that more than she would ever know, but still hated that she had to do it for him. He hoped things would look up next year when he was a seventh year. They had to.

Footsteps coming towards him made Giovanni open his eyes and raise his head back up. One of the bartenders stood in front of him grinning, with three of the servers behind him. “Here you go kid. Money for your troubles.” The chuckle behind the words didn’t excite him at all. Instead, he merely caught three galleons as they were thrown to him. He definitely deserved at least six. When the waitresses laughed, he rolled his eyes. “Don’t look ungrateful kid. Money is more problems than it’s worth.” He stared at him. “If that’s what you’d like to tell yourself.” He should have kept his mouth shut. It wasn’t his place to say anything that would jeopardize any sort of money. The guy did have a point. Money was definitely the cause of most of Giovanni’s problems and he needed to be grateful for what he was given. Unfortunately, he was too grouchy from the way the night had turned out to even care. The bartender gave him a look before walking off with the waitresses. That comment probably cost him a night or two of tip-out. Sighing again, he rubbed at his eyes and looked at the clock behind the bar. It was midnight. Technically, he was done. The club was open for a few more hours still but he wasn’t required to do anything. Even if he did, he doubted he’d get paid for it. He watched as two of the club bouncers dragged a yelling drunk out of the club. The man’s full drink was still on the edge of the bar. He hadn’t even touched it. Giovanni tended to drink in a social setting as drinking by himself made him feel depressed, but tonight was an exception.

Pushing himself off of the bar top he walked over to the drink and picked it up, circling it underneath his nose. He crinkled his nose at the smell of the vodka. Not even the cranberry juice could stifle it. He was so tired at this point that he’d take anything though. Bringing the glass up to his lips, he squeezed his eyes shut as he drank a mouthful from it.

[Avery Rowe]

It was her first time in Purgatory, but the man that she was with was promising her a smashing good time. Apparently, the owner was out for a little while and he would be able to get back in. She had no idea why he had been kicked out in the first place, but if this bar was as interesting as he claimed that it was, he would have no problems whatsoever ditching the man and going inside all alone. She could always find more company. It would be a shame because the man next to her was a very handsome fellow, no doubt he could keep her more than entertained but if he came between her and her drinking then she would have to get rid of him. As they approached the door, the bouncer, if there even was one was nowhere to be seen and the pair of them just strolled right on in. She didn't much approve of his arm hurled over her shoulders like it was, but then again he was footing the bill for all of their night so far that she supposed she couldn't complain if he was wanting to show her off just a little bit. Sure enough, the man instructed her to go and sort out a table for the pair of them and went off toward the bar. She really hoped that his efforts wouldn't be in vain, and wasn't sure exactly why if he was worried about being discovered he didn't just give her the money and allow her to purchase the drinks for the two of them? She was more than capable. Yet, she resigned herself to the table just like he had asked, and waited like a good little drunk girl. It was strange to see this many people out and about on a week night, but in light of all the stress everybody was under she didn't blame a single soul for wanting to get out and blow off a little bit of steam. Crossing her feet and the ankles she shifted in her seat to pull her sweater down a little lower on her bottom. Her dark navy tights did wonders to keep her legs warm, but next time she went out, she was really going to have to rethink this grey sweater. She had a belt around her hips to make it look more like a dress, and it clung nicely. It wasn't that she didn't like how it looked, but just the fact that she didn't like that the cold fall air seemed to cut right through it. And now that the seasons were really starting to turn, she needed to dress in a warmer fashion. It just took more effort for her to still look cute and warm at the same time.

The man made his way back with two glasses full of a dark lager clutched to his body, and two shot glasses of a creamy brown liquor in his hands. He set down one of each on his side of the table, and one of each on her side. She only needed to wait for him to toast her, she couldn't be rude but she didn't need to be told twice to drink something. They toasted something simple, and then dropped the shot glasses into the beer and chugged away. It didn't take long before some sort of contest had been formed and the duo had a small circle of people sitting in chairs around them. Avery wasn't the sort to back down lightly, and if free liquor was involved she felt it rude to stop. Even if she was a good deal smaller than almost everybody around her. They were cheering and she was lapping up the attention like it was going out of style. Finally, she was put in charge of getting the next round of drinks. The man pressed a few coins into her palm and gave her a kiss on the cheek to get her on her way. The pat on her behind wasn't needed but she didn't say anything, he was giving her money after all. She stumbled a moment over her own feet, lucky that today she hadn't worn heels. She was getting to the dangerous line, the line where if she didn't sit down and sleep it off or eat something, she wasn't going to be able to function much longer. She was already having moments where she was forgetting where she was or how she had even gotten there. Holding onto chairs as she went, she had to focus on the bar and nothing but so that she didn't get distracted, or to fall over onto her behind. That, would be the worst possible outcome because then she would look like a fool. Making a circling motion with her finger she smiled at the bartender, who seemed to be happy that it was her up at the counter this time as opposed to the other man who could obviously be fairly pushy at times. “One more round for the -hic- table please sir” Smiling she pushed her hair behind her ear and turned to wait. Allowing her elbows to rest on the table. Might as well be social while she was waiting. Glancing at the man at the end of the bar sipping on what looked like a vodka cranberry Avery laughed. She could hear him make a soft hissing sound and assumed that it wasn't to his tastes.

“Stress of the job causing you to drink?” She teased, she could only see the man from the back but she could tell that he seemed to be about her age if she was judging off of his height and build. At least, the age that she was pretending to be. She knew that he was going to turn around to look at her, so she felt no need to go out of her way to get his attention. Yet, whenever he did turn to look, she really wished that he hadn't. Eden had told her about him, after she had been forced to sit next to the over achiever for an entire class Eden had finally managed to tell him a little about the man. Just the stuff that she had needed to know of course. Like that he was a pure blood, and still somehow managed to be in Ravenclaw. How was that something that managed to happen? What she wouldn't give to be a pure blood. To respect the fact that she had a wonderful blood line, something that she could be proud of. Family members that she would cherish above all else. And yet, he was the black sheep of his family. Or so she had heard. Rumors traveled fast within the castle. If their roles were reversed, she would have done everything possible to get back into her families good graces. Honestly she had no idea what he was trying to prove. To her, he was just an ungrateful little prick in need of a good ego check. “Oh, it's you” Suddenly, she wished that she was stone sober rather than swaying on her feet, even if it was only a small sway.

[Deleted]

Giovanni didn’t want to seem like someone who couldn’t hold their liquor. He had drunk enough when he was younger at family functions to have a stomach of steel when it came to drinking. Not even the rare times he went out and got smashed with some buddies from school would he end the night throwing up or emptying his stomach to make room for food the following morning. Even though he wasn’t fond of vodka, it’d still hurt his pride if someone saw him and teased him for the face he was making as the liquor went down his throat. Grimacing slightly he opened up his eyes and made a face. He had thought that he had taken a large sip, but the liquid in the glass proved otherwise. It didn’t look as if he had drunk anymore than a baby sip, like someone trying a drink for the first time. Call him old-fashioned, but Giovanni preferred a simple pint. He was a fan of lagers, usually bock ones as they had a malty sweetness to them. Unfortunately, bock lagers were usually brewed in time for consumption in Spring and Winter. Winter was about a month and a half away so he still had some time to wait for his beverage of choice. At this point though, he’d settle for anything. From his viewpoint, he could see two taps on draft that were Vienna-style and surely had to have been the freshest beers on tap given the brewery’s close proximity. He had heard nothing but good things about the Red Vixen and Ruby Mountain and was interested in trying it. Perhaps he could talk the remaining bartender into giving him a few samples if he didn’t tip him out.

There was still the drink before him however. Despite not being a fan of vodka, Giovanni hated seeing liquor go to waste. Too often had he picked up glasses full of ales and double shots of scotch that went untouched as the drinker had been too intoxicated and had forgotten they ordered the drink or was kicked out and unable to get to it. Plus with the prices Cammie charged for drinks, he personally would want to make sure every last drop was out of his glass. For those who had a full-time well paying job they probably weren’t bad. For a sixteen year old down on his luck and scraping up money to have a roof over his head come summertime, however, they were a bit too steep for his liking. Grabbing the vodka and cranberry Giovanni cringed slightly as he brought the glass back up to his nose and smelled it again. He really needed to make this one count. Smaller sips weren’t going to make the drink go down any faster. With that, he tilted his head back and allowed the drink to flow steadily down his throat until he couldn’t take it anymore. Bringing himself right side up he made another face as if he had just sucked on a lemon. That time he was certain he had taken a good swig of it. Looking at the glass only confirmed it. The drink had come in a nine ounce rocks glass. From his first sip, he had only made it go down an ounce at most. This one had made it half empty. One more mouthful and he’d be done with it. From there, he’d be able to try and connive his way into getting some beer. The bartender was a decent guy, probably the best one out of the whole lot to help him out.

“Stress of the job causing you to drink?” The voice was unexpected. More so that it was a female’s voice. Giovanni wasn’t a bad looking guy by any means, but it was rare that a female actually spoke to him outside of needing help for homework. There was something in the voice that made it sound familiar though. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he knew that he had heard it before. He slowly turned his head, eyes landing almost instantly on the face of the woman who had spoken to him. As they did, he couldn’t help but to roll his eyes. It wasn’t a woman, it was a girl. A girl who went to school with him. His eyes quickly scanned her figure. She was out of school robes, not uncommon for someone breaking curfew. Her shirt-dress was flattering to her curves, certainly well attuned to the types of fashion that suited her. Giovanni was surprised she didn’t have some sort of green in her wardrobe considering that most Slytherins wore their colors proud out and about. The grey of her sweater closely matched the silver though so she had that much going for her. Her slumped figure indicated that she had a one few too many drink. A table behind him laughed, causing him to look back and figure that she must have been part of them. If she was, she had been with some of the most irritating people he had ever helped served before. Not only were they obnoxious drunks but they were rude, calling their former server inappropriate names and then laughing at her once she left. Maybe they were all Slytherins.

“Oh it’s you.” In her swaying state, Giovanni was surprised she was able to recognize him at all. The disgusted tone in her voice was enough to make him smirk. “Oh it’s me.” He was anymore excited about her company either. She was the girl who had sat next to him that first day in Potions class. He had been irritated that Abby had to sit with some other bloke instead of him and it only got worse as the class went on. She had come in with gum and kept popping it throughout the class. By the end, he was more than tempted to stick his head in his cauldron and allow the mixture to let it do what it wanted to his face. Anything had to have been better than listening to the blonde chew her gum like a cow. It was safe to say she probably wouldn’t be any better in this state. Slytherin girls were vicious as it was. Throw some alcohol in their direction and they thought they were the female version of Merlin. Giovanni turned his head back to the bar in front of him, but could still feel her eyes on him. Annoyed, he raised his glass up. “Why don’t you take a picture? It’ll last longer,” he told her, calmly. He hated Slytherins, but not to the point of lowering himself down to their methods of intimidation. The longer he was able to remain nonchalant, the more of a chance he had at winning and making the girl go away. They needed to think that their insults and attitudes weren’t getting the best of someone. If they did, they’d grow bored and walk away. That’s all Giovanni wanted right now. He had more than enough rude assholes one night. Dealing with another one would only do more harm to his already sour mood then good.

[Avery Rowe]

She should just turn around and walk away. He didn't deserve her kindness. She owed him nothing, she could just turn around and think nothing of it. Go back to the man who was buying her drinks and continue to imbibe more drinks. It would be a wonderful thing, and it was certainly a more worthy use of her time than standing here wasting air on this prick. She could feel a scowl forming on her otherwise pretty face without even meaning to. Not only was she going to lose out on more rounds if she stayed over here but on top of everything else her buzz and therefore entire night would be horribly ruined. Normally, Avery was a very fun loving girl. Who would do just about anything for a thrill and some free liquor, yet no matter how hard she tried (And that was not at all) she never was able to blur the lines between houses. Not to mention a person who had personally offended her very best friend in the way that he had. She could tell just by the way that he turned around that he had an attitude, and an ego. Her hands slid down her body and came to rest on her hips gently, her perfectly lacquered nails drumming against her own hips little by little. She could feel her irritation growing, from the way that his eyes rolled in their sockets to the way he blatantly checked her out. He could look all he wanted, but if he said anything that was less than gentleman standards, she would hex him.

Maybe she had really passed her limit, but all she really wanted to do was vomit all over his pretentious ass. She balled the fabric of her sweater into her fists to keep from stomping off. That might be construed at bitterness, or defeat and she was neither. “Oh it’s me.” This was obviously a mistake. She didn't know how many more drinks it would take before she could possibly tolerate his presence. She assumed it was at least the bottom of a handful of more bottles. If it was even possible. Whenever they had met she had been sober, and even without knowing him she had taken great pleasure in annoying him. Mostly she had judged him by nothing other than his general lack of interest in her combined with the sickening blue color on his robes. Not to mention his nest of curls atop of his head. She had assumed that would be the end of it, she didn't discriminate whenever she teased people, she made fun of everybody. Generally to their faces, she didn't want to see the day where making people cry didn't feel good to her. Most of the time, it only took the one time and then they learned to just stay out of her way. She was popular enough in her own house that she didn't need people flocking to her in the hallways. She liked it whenever the lower years just turned around and went the other way, it made her feel influential. Like she was in a position of power.

“Why don’t you take a picture? It’ll last longer,” Apparently, he was just as stupid as he looked. Letting go of her sweater she smiled sweetly. The same way that sugar would have been laced with arsenic. “Because you would break the camera, Brillo pad” It was not the best of insults, but it was the first to her mind. She glanced over her shoulder to the group of men that she had left, luckily the person who had been behind the bar took the liberty of delivering the drinks to the table and they didn't seem to be missing her absence too much. That was better than nothing, It would give her a better chance of sneaking back over there without anybody noticing. The last thing that she needed was them thinking that she had run off with their money. In fact, her drink was still waiting for her. Sliding it closer to her she pulled the spear with some fruit on It out of the drink. It was the thing that she had ordered for herself. Sure, it was a girly little drink but every now and then she needed a chaser to clear her palate. That was exactly what this was. Taking a good look at the drink before taking a sip she hated that she couldn't really taste it. At the very least the fruit would keep her stomach from churning later in the night.

Taking a bite of the fruit she scanned him over once like he had done to her and smirked. The only thing that he had going for himself was his height. She had a good feeling that being with him would have been the same as being with a pole. Perhaps it was just like being alone, she wouldn't doubt if he had never been with a woman in his life. Sliding the piece of pineapple off the skewer and into her mouth she leaned back against the bar, her vision was swimming. The last thing that she needed to be seeing was two of him. “Isn't you being here a health code violation at the very least?” she smirked, wonder what would happen if she called in the fact that he was out of curfew. It was within her power, even if he turned her in who was going to believe him? She could deduct house points...it might just turn out to be a good enough night after all.

[Deleted]

Giovanni snorted at her response. It wasn’t the most attractive thing to do but he had no one to impress. Even if he was worried about what the blonde Slytherin thought of him, it wouldn’t be good enough. Nothing was ever good enough for people like her. She was the type of girl who thought that everyone was below her, like people actually owed her something. Her insecurities were apparent. He wasn’t doubting her overall confidence. Girls like her genuinely believed that they were Merlin’s gift to the world. However, underneath it all, there was something about themselves that really got to them. Something about themselves that they couldn’t change no matter how many extra layers of make-up they painted their faces or the hundreds of insults that left their mouths each month. Giovanni wasn’t the type of girl to go out of his way to expose someone’s inner demons. Usually, they wore it on their sleeve for all to see. Only the ones who lived their lives outside of the box were able to really notice. When it came to girls like this one though, it really got the wheels in his head turning. He’d have no problem with putting them in their place once and for all. He’d be doing the world a favor really. The world needed more overconfident nitwits like they needed more Dark Lords. Hopefully, things wouldn’t wind up going down that path. Judging by the childlike level of her insult though, Giovanni felt like he wouldn’t have to worry about digging to the core to expose her hidden gem. If he was lucky, she’d get flustered by his quick-wittedness and go back to being a slut.

“Clever,” he commented. “Really cute. I think the last time I heard that one was back when I was in elementary. Nice to see Slytherin doesn’t require brains to be part of their house.” Bringing his glass up to his lips Giovanni took a sip from it. Fortunately, it went down better than previous sips. Either he was getting used to it faster than he expected or he was going to have a nice buzz by the end of the drink. He hadn’t since before he had gotten to work. The latter wouldn’t have been too shocking by any means. He watched as she looked back to the party she had left. “Don’t keep your temporary friends waiting since I am positive their company is better than mine. I’m sure a good of your stature would like to feel like a genius so why not mosey on over to them so you can get that once in a lifetime opportunity?” His words were harsh, but he didn’t care. The Slytherins had been giving him more crap than ever this year for no reason whatsoever. There was only so much a guy like him could take. Giovanni had stopped trying to lower his I.Q. enough to understand their thought processes long ago. He had come to the conclusion though that they all hated him because all of their little friends did. It didn’t matter that they had no real reason for it. Just because John hated him, so did Sam. Lindsay thought he was ugly and so did Kelly. He chuckled to himself at the thought. That was what had happened to Eden too. His former friend’s mind had pure but as the years passed and she started caring how others saw her, she felt that she had no choice but to jump in with the masses and hate him too. At first he was angry. Now he just felt bad for her. He didn’t know what he’d do if he wasn’t allowed to think for himself.

“Isn't you being here a health code violation at the very least?” At this remark, Giovanni turned his head and raised an eyebrow. She was one to talk. Shaking his head, he took another drink. This girl wasn’t worth his time. Clearly. If she could think of nothing that wouldn’t come back around and bite her in the ass, then he really had an unfair advantage. If he was smart, he would have kept his mouth shut, falsely wished her a good night and wandered off to some other section of the club. But no. His stubbornness wouldn’t allow it. His logic was that if this girl wanted to mess with him, which she clearly did mind you, that she got what was coming to her. He’d really be doing himself a disservice if he let her go with a get-out-of-jail free card. Obviously, she wanted to be like her other housemates. Her other housemates had already suffered an earful at the mouth of Giovanni. Why should she be any different? Tilting his head back he allowed the rest of the contents of the glass to flow down his throat. Making a face he put the glass down with a little too much force. “Blondie, if there is anything in this club that’s a health violation I suggest you close your legs. No sense in letting such a fine establishment close because some skank forgot to wear her panties today.” Smirking at the look on her face, he pushed himself from the bartop and leaned into her. “I’ll let that one sink in for a minute.” Slapping the top, he straightened himself back up and moved around her to begin his route upstairs to Purgatory.

[Avery Rowe]

“Clever, Really cute. I think the last time I heard that one was back when I was in elementary. Nice to see Slytherin doesn’t require brains to be part of their house.” Smiling into her drink she took a small sip. “Now, that tastes strongly of bitterness Napolitano” shaking her head once she turned her gaze up at him. “Can't still be jealous that you weren't good enough for Slytherin can you? After all these years?” Taking another long, slow drink she waited for her words to settle “Don’t keep your temporary friends waiting since I am positive their company is better than mine. I’m sure a good of your stature would like to feel like a genius so why not mosey on over to them so you can get that once in a lifetime opportunity?” She considered his words. “Well, you have one thing right. They are better company than you are. In fact, I'm fairly certain that anybody would be better company than you are” She didn't know Giovanni very well on a personal level, so she was going to have some trouble turning him to dust like she managed to do all of the other people who attempted to stand up to her. He could spout off whatever dribble he had heard about her in a vain attempt to hurt her, but since he was such a nobody, he had her at a slight disadvantage. Of course, the one thing that she did know about him was that he was an ungrateful prat. Eden had told her that much. He was a pure blood and he couldn't care less. That was something that was an honor amongst the wizarding community and yet he just turned up his nose at it all. Like he was above all of those things. He could try, but nobody ever would be.

Whenever he downed his drink, hers almost came back up her nose at the face he made. “Yeah, I remember my first drink” she teased. “You've never had anything stronger than pumpkin juice in your life, have you?” She could tell that he was irritated by the way that he slammed his glass back down onto the counter. Sneering, she took a long drink of her own. The contents were starting to dwindle, and if she was gong to have to keep talking to him, then this needed to be the very last drink that she had. Or else her speech was going to become impaired and she couldn't have that. Not in front of him. “Blondie, if there is anything in this club that’s a health violation I suggest you close your legs. No sense in letting such a fine establishment close because some skank forgot to wear her panties today.” She felt her eyes flare, no doubt they were twinged with red. That was crossing a line. Just because she was a little bit more open minded on the topic of sharing her bed with a man, she did have standards. She didn't just go home with everybody who wagged their tongue at her. That, and she always wore underwear. He had to be jealous that he couldn't ever have a girl like her, no girl in their right mind would ever sink back down to his level. Not unless she was dying, or he was the very last person on the face of the earth. “I’ll let that one sink in for a minute.” He was a smart man to walk away before she got a chance to knee him in a place where the sun don't shine. He had a lot of nerve.

But he didn't get to just walk away from her. That wasn't how this was going to end. Glancing once more back that the group of men she was leaving behind she took a final swig of her drink and took off in the direction of Giovanni. “I would be a little bit nicer to me if I was you. I can land your ass in detention for a month” It was stretching just a little bit. She knew she could add some detention to his no doubt impeccable record, perhaps takes some house points away. “Not to mention, I can tell your little boss about you insulting customers. Get you fired too” Putting the skewer back into the drink with a little bit too much force she turned her hips so that she was angled toward him, looking him right in the eye. Her gaze was steady, and if she could, she would light him on fire with her eyes. She didn't handle rejection well. And she really didn't tolerate people who insulted her. Most of all whenever the insults were coming from a person that she deemed less than her. Everything about the man standing in front of her was pathetic, just a waste of air.

[Deleted]

Her attempts at insults were laughable. If Giovanni hadn’t had such a long and excruciating night at work, he might have stayed around to make her regret messing with him in the first place. He was normally a calm guy, but even the most patient had their breaking points. It seemed like ever since the school year started all the Slytherin house population had set out to make his life a living hell, more so than usual anyway. Eden kept running her mouth every time she passed him. Random members of the house would play practical jokes on him. And Blondie here liked reminding him of how he resembled a cleaning item. To these people, it didn’t matter if you said anything to them or not. It didn’t matter if you went out of your way to avoid them altogether. No one was safe if they were from any of the other three houses. Giovanni had always found them to be insecure. Whether they wore their insecurities on their shoulders or not, they all had something. Eden’s was her fear of rejection. He had known that from the minute she had disbanded their friendship. He wished he could place Rowe’s. The way she kept smugly looking at him made him want to unveil it more than ever. He really couldn’t stand people like her or any of her housemates. The people who walked all over others just to fulfill some sick personal satisfaction. It annoyed him that they had nothing else better to do with their lives. Though even when he thought of them in that pathetic manner, it rarely eased the frustration he had with the members of the house.

All Giovanni wanted to do was relax. He deserved it after all. Not only had he worked hours upon hours of a harrowing work shift, but he had been confronted by a girl who needlessly kept pushing his buttons. For now, Purgatory would be his safe haven. He was pretty familiar with the bartenders up there. One of them was a cute redhead who he casually flirted with from time to time. It was possible she’d be able to hook him up with a free drink or two. He would feel guilty about doing that to Cammie but tried to remember that she had done the same for him in the past. Plus, she wasn’t here. What she didn’t know wouldn’t kill her. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he continued on his route. The opening to Hell was in sight. He could see the large mass of muscle that was one of the bouncers. Like the rest of the club staff, the place had been short on bouncers which meant that meathead across the way had to do double the work. Giovanni had seen the man on all three levels of the club at different points throwing drunken idiots out of the building. Normally, there was at least one bouncer for each floor. He knew the man must have been tired. Sure enough, when he got closer he saw the shoulders of the large man moving up and down slowly. He was asleep. Cammie would flip if she could see this. His boss was a lenient business owner, but she didn’t mess around when it came to underage drinkers. Enough bars on the strip had been raided by Ministry officials after reports of underage drinking. She always said she’d be damned before letting her club get a reputation like that. He couldn’t blame her.

Giovanni was literally three steps away to the start of his freedom when he heard the hastily click of heels behind him. “I would be a little bit nicer to me if I was you. I can land your ass in detention for a month.” Of course he wouldn’t get away that easy. Why would he? Stopping in his tracks, he turned around to face the fuming blonde Slytherin. “Not to mention, I can tell your little boss about you insulting customers. Get you fired too.” He could feel his own blood start to boil. She just didn’t know how to quit. Breathing in deeply, he contemplated how best to approach the problem. Her threats weren’t anything for him to really worry about. He had every intention on calling her out for being a hypocrite over her first comment. As to her second, well he knew Cammie better than she did. Like the idiot in front of him, his boss had been a Slytherin. However, from all the times Giovanni had spoken with her, he had never quite placed why she had been sorted there. She was such a nice woman. Quiet, but knew how to handle her own. She had never done anything to show that she was a manipulative and self-absorbed creature like Avery here. Cammie was an apple who had fallen way far from the tree. Even if Rowe managed to finagle her way into speaking with Cammie, he sincerely doubted anything would result from it. His boss might sit him down and speak to him about what happened, but once he explained the situation, as well as what house she was from and the similar treatment they all gave him, she had to understand. Giovanni couldn’t afford her not being able to. This was the only job he had right now. The job market in Austria was horrible. If he lost this, who knew if he’d be able to get a second chance?

“I’d rethink your words if I were you,” he finally responded. “First of all, as a prefect, I’m sure you’re aware of being off the grounds after curfew. If you try to get me in trouble, well, how exactly would you know that?” Giovanni brought his hands up in the air and brought the index and middle fingers of both hands together to do air quotes. “Since you’re a representative of authority of Galaxia, how would it look for you to be after hours when you should be committed to your prefect duties…at the school?” He dropped his hands and smirked. No one was safe from the strict rules on curfews that had been instilled since the reopening of the school. “And if you don’t think I’d be willing to consider a detention to bring this information to light to LeGrand if you choose to harass me about it at school, think again.” He brought his index finger to his temple and tapped at it. “I’m a lot smarter than you and your goons give me credit for Rowe.” He then proceeded to fold his arms to his chest. “As for getting me in trouble here, go for it. Please tell my boss how I proceeded to defend myself from a hostile drunk. She loves firing people for stories like that.”

[Avery Rowe]

In her life, Avery was used to being handed whatever it was that she wanted. Sure, there were some things that she had to work for before she got them, but even then the work that she had to put forth was minimal at best. People didn't walk away from her, she dismissed them. They didn't stop talking to her, she decided that she was done with them. The fact that Giovanni had dared to walk...away...from her was just too much for her to handle. Worst of all, he was forcing her to chase him, which was another thing that she just didn't do. She didn't know where these people had been, and yet here she was being forced to push past all of their sweaty bodies to get back within ear shot of her target. Avery didn't like to be mean, it was just easy for her. Avery, would much rather be out having fun than wasting her breath on people who didn't deserve it. She didn't like to have her mood crashed by assholes. She just liked to have fun, why couldn't people just let her do that? They just had to nit pick, and pry and act all superior to her. It made her want to gag. Gio had one thing that she coveted, ONE thing that she wanted more than anything else. Yet, she was willing to be that she had dozens of things that he wished he could have. Money, love, respect, a family that actually cares about her most of the time. She wasn't going to have to work in a dive like this, she was going to get to terrorize the staff and people like him for as long as she wanted so long as she played her cards right. Yet, the fact that his blood was more pure than hers filled her with such jealousy that she couldn't see straight. He deserved to be lynched as far as she was concerned.

“I’d rethink your words if I were you,” Her eyes widened, the tone that he was displaying right now was unacceptable. He was treating her like a normal person. Her hands moved to her hips, her fingers resting against the fabric of her top. This had better be good. “First of all, as a prefect, I’m sure you’re aware of being off the grounds after curfew. If you try to get me in trouble, well, how exactly would you know that?” Now he was going to lecture her? She wasn't a child. She knew damn well the rules, and being a Prefect, she had more leeway than he did. She was fairly certain that her word would be believed over his. Her eyes narrowed, she would come up with something. She was a wonderful liar. She pressed her lips together, re-spreading the coat of gloss that had been covering them over the span of her mouth once more. “Since you’re a representative of authority of Galaxia, how would it look for you to be after hours when you should be committed to your prefect duties…at the school?” Rolling he eyes, she allowed her weight to shift from one foot to the other, her hip jutting out to one side. She wanted to burn that smirk right off of his damned face. “And if you don’t think I’d be willing to consider a detention to bring this information to light to LeGrand if you choose to harass me about it at school, think again.” She didn't think that she had ever threatened him at school, but he could bet that after today she was going to do exactly that. He had just made her list, and she was going to do everything in her power to make his life a living hell.“I’m a lot smarter than you and your goons give me credit for Rowe.” She laughed in his face at his words, no, if he were smarter than he looked (which wouldn't be hard to do since he looked dumber than a brick) he wouldn't be antagonizing her, he would be avoiding her like the plague.

“As for getting me in trouble here, go for it. Please tell my boss how I proceeded to defend myself from a hostile drunk. She loves firing people for stories like that.” She felt her tongue running against the back of her teeth over and over again, back and forth. She couldn't stop. The level of disgust that she was feeling was reaching a new high. She took a step closer to him, standing only inches away. She scanned his torso, sizing him up “Listen to me, you damn Brillo pad” Her tone low, sharp. She lifted one hand off of her hip and curled her fingers into a fist save one, that was pointing at him. She jabbed him in the chest, hitting in the general area of his heart because that was easiest to reach. “You have...NO right[/i] She started, jabbing at him again “To talk to me like that! You sarcastic, ungrateful little jerk” She wanted him to apologize to her, for what exactly, she wasn't entirely sure, but she felt like she deserved one, something to make herself feel better. “You don't get to threaten me. I will ruin you. Trust me on that” She didn't have a plan of action in mind right off the bat, but the longer that she got to dwell on it, the worse it was going to be on him. Merlin she needed a drink to forget about him, yet all that she could think about was running her fingers through his stupid jew fro, and then ripping the strands out. One handful at a time. Since she couldn't well do that without having to bleach her hands afterward she settled for the next best thing. She grabbed two drinks from the waitress walking by, and downed the first one like a shot, making a bitter face since it was gin and she couldn't stand the flavor. The second, she dumped in his hair, like a child and smiled as the liquid seemed down to his skull. Feeling satisfied for the moment, she started to turn and walk away.

[Deleted]

As he waited for her inevitable response, Giovanni felt a fire begin to surge from deep within his bones that was usually reserved for people who really got under his skin. Like his family for instance. He had no contact with them besides the occasional cruel letter his parents liked to send him. All of his brothers and sisters had graduated from Slytherin already. There were no family friends to keep tabs on him. He was alone as someone could possibly be. Still, when he got those letters, the anger towards them that he was normally able to conceal had no restrictions. Unlike Avery, he lashed out in other ways. Crumpling up the letter and setting it on fire, going for a walk or finding Abby to vent. He didn’t need to insult people to feel better about himself. All the times Giovanni did were more for defense then anything else. He knew two wrongs didn’t make a right, but he also didn’t feel it was fair to be belittled to a point that depressed teens would cut themselves over. He’d be damned before letting Avery get the best of him. He was tired, cranky and just wanted to have a drink or two to relax before finding a spot in the liquor storage room to sleep until he could get back to school in the morning. Despite what princess thought, he didn’t want to waste any more of his time in a battle of wits. He knew he was smarter than her and he knew he was a better person. Giovanni also knew that he had real friends who spent time with him because they liked hanging out with him. Unlike Avery, who had to practically sell her body to reassure herself that people actually thought she was relevant.

Her stance told Giovanni everything he needed to know. She was pissed. The right corner of his mouth turned upward into a half smirk. She was going to hate that even more. Her laugh at his comment about being smarter than she thought was to be expected. They all underestimated him. He was used to that by now. It would work greatly to his advantage when he wound up becoming the next Minister of Magic or something. Having the position wasn’t an ultimate dream of his but at this rate he’d almost do anything to get a break from the constant doubt. Avery was eying him now like he was something that had been stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Such hatred. And to think that it all stemmed from his refusal to bow down to her pretentious attitude. Giovanni may not have been a guy of many talents, but he sure knew how to make people see red with such ease. “Listen to me, you damn Brillo pad.” He snorted. “And you expect me to take you seriously when you start off your lecture like that? I’ll do my best to feign my hurt.” Bringing his hand to his heart, he awaited the beginning. He was slightly taken aback by the finger jabbed into his chest. Slytherins usually went the verbal route. Sure, he had been slapped in the face once or twice by a jarred female, but this seemed more personal. And he didn’t like feeling that his personal space was being invaded. “You have NO right.” Giovanni raised an eyebrow. “I think the same can be said for you,” he muttered. Avery kept right on going. “To talk to me like that! You sarcastic, ungrateful little jerk.” Her words were the same crap he heard over and over. They didn’t have near as much effect as the continued jabbing into his chest. The urge to break her pointy little finger was increasing.

“You don't get to threaten me. I will ruin you. Trust me on that.” Giovanni’s hand slipped into his pocket and pulled out a sickle. “If I had a sickle for every time one of you hypocrites said that,” he started, lifting his hand to allow her to see the coin, “I’d have enough to buy your entire bloody house and burn it to the ground.” His words were aggressive, completely out of the norm for him, but there was something about Avery that really irked him. It was probably that she reminded him so much of his sister Luisa. Every look, every mannerism, every condescending comment. Luisa had always been the one to burn him to his very core. She stopped speaking as a waitress walked by. Narrowing his eyes, he watched to see what she was up to. Shaking his head as she grabbed two shots, he lowered his hand to put his coin into his pocket. “Go ahead. Give yourself a little more liquid courage princess.” Before Giovanni knew what was happening, his head was suddenly drenched with sticky liquid that smelled sickly sweet, like whiskey. He closed his eyes as he heard laughter erupt from around him. Perfect. He had been angry before, but this…this had been taken to a whole new level. After a few seconds had passed by, he raised his hand again and wiped it over his face to remove as much of the strong liquor as he could. Opening his eyes slowly, he glared at the retreating back of Avery. Even in her walk he could see how proud she was of herself. She presumably figured that she had won and was back on her way to join her pathetic company who had victory shots waiting for her. Unfortunately for her, Giovanni had no intentions of allowing her to regroup and laugh some more at his misery. He had given her a chance to walk away and she had ignored it. She deserved anything and everything she had coming.

He sped towards her, cutting in front of her to prevent her from walking any further. Giovanni would have preferred to grab her by her blonde hair and pull her but he wouldn’t allow even her to let him stoop to the level of putting his hands on her. “You’re real proud of yourself, aren’t you?” he asked. Looking to the left, he noticed a table full of glasses. Some were half-empty while the others were half-full. Grabbing one of the fuller blue-colored ones, he quickly brought it to his body before thrusting the top in her direction. The blue liquid flew onto her grey sweater, leaving a large dark stain right in the middle of her chest. Placing the glass back on the table, Giovanni cocked his head to the side. “Wish I could say I had parents to teach me that two wrongs don’t make a right. It’s unfortunate for you that I think people deserve to have karma thrown right back in their face. Or, in your case, your shirt.”

[Avery Rowe]

[/i] She was bored of him, ready to be back at the table with the people that she had come in with, hell, even going back to the school to sleep was better than talking to Giovanni for one more second. Rolling her shoulders, reflecting how bored she was of his presence she glared at him. “I suppose” she didn't like the way that he was looking at her, it wasn't how she was used to being looked at. Like he didn't find her attractive. Her fingers drummed against the fabric of her shirt as she waited for him to move, if it wasn't soon, she was going to hex him. Then it came, the blue liquid being dumped all over the hair and sweater. Her hair flattened instantly, and she could feel the rage building within her chest, that little twerp. Her lip curled upward, her weight shifting to the center of her body, she felt feral.

There was no doubt that her eyes were darkening, no longer bright blue and lustrous but something darker, almost gray. She needed to control herself, it had been a very long time since she had been quite this angry, and she wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen to her physical appearance. Not that she looked stunning anymore anyway. Flinging her hands down her sweater and flinging some droplets of whatever the slightly sour liquid that he had tossed all over her off. “If this doesn’t come out. I'm going to disembowel you” her tone was dark, throaty and she meant every work. If only her gift would allow her to actually turn into a snake, she would bite him and his useless existence would be over. Never to torment anybody with his presence again. “Wish I could say I had parents to teach me that two wrongs don’t make a right. It’s unfortunate for you that I think people deserve to have karma thrown right back in their face. Or, in your case, your shirt.” At the word about his family she chuckled darkly, still peering up at him from underneath her dark lashes. “I don't really think that your family wants to teach you anything” she sneered “Other than of course how much of a disgrace you are” she didn't know if him family was actually still talking to him, but she could assume not given which house he was in. She knew they never came to any of the functions here at school at the very least. Hopefully, it is going to turn out to be a sore spot for him, something to wound him. “have you been disinherited yet? Or are they giving you the chance to off yourself first and save them the trouble?” it was a very low blow, totally uncalled for but she was pissed, a darker side of her was taking over, he had pushed too far and she couldn't stop the words from coming out of her mouth.[/ul]