Old friends are like old swords. (Alina)

[Salvatrix Steele]

Salva checked her wand for the time once more before walking into the Mirage Lounge, it read 6:50. “Excellent,” she thought to herself. She reflected that a pureblood witch must always be early, so as not to be late and appear rude. This ideal of being fashionably late brought on by the filthy Muggleborns was a terrible notion; there was no fashion to tardiness.

Casting her eyes around the perimeter quickly, she assessed the room. She picked a couch in the corner so that she could watch the exits and sit with her back to a wall. Prior to popular belief, it was easier to defend one’s self from a corner, as flanking attackers were prevented. Glancing at her wand again, she took note of the time before settling herself down to wait for Lina to arrive.

It would be quite lovely to see her friend again, it had been nearly six years since they had graduated from Beauxbatons and there was much catching up that needed to be done; especially considering the fact that Salva had left the area almost immediately following graduation to attend to important family matters. Then, there was the disaster following that led to Lina’s familial tragedy, quite a shame.

Thinking once more of her own blood family made Salva slighty nauseous. Her aunt and uncle in La Rochelle had finally strayed too far from the path and needed to be dealt with. They were now cast out of all pureblood circles as the filthy blood traitors they were. Any heirlooms were taken from the house and placed in ancient family crypts in other countries to protect them. With the “disappearance” of her aunt and uncle, who also happened to be childless, all family obligations fell to Salva, including standing with the old pureblood ideals. And stand she would. There was also the small matter of marrying a well-connected pureblood wizard and producing an heir, but there were other matters to be dealt with first. Salva would be the first pureblood witch to be a career witch before she finally settled down. Now that she thought about it, it was about time in the family tree to reproduce with a half-blood, so as to prevent inbreeding, but that was, again, a thought for another time.

Recrossing her legs, she stroked a finger delicately across her upper lip to prevent the oncoming sneer that would subconsciously be forming at the thought of her former family, and Lina’s. Something would have to be done about that in the near future. No one betrays Salvatrix Steele, or those she considered family, and gets away with it. But, for the moment, that would have to be put on hold; she had to sort out her blood-family issues first, and there was the matter of the joining a certain extra-curricular group, but everything would soon be sorted out. Time is of no essence to a Steele, and tonight Salva would focus on getting reacquainted with Lina.

[Deleted]

i like to dance, so if you do just get on the floor

forget the romance, this is what music was created for

baby take what you got and just go dancing you'll feel better

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Classical music. Red wine. A crackling, open fireplace. A soft, white rug. Everything used to be so perfect.

Lina’s eyes were closed while she imagined her mother before one of their mansion galas. In her mind, she saw her draped elegantly over her white leather couch, dressed in a simple waist-hugging black dress that had a long, flowing skirt, and flowers sculpted on the bodice. Simple probably would have been an understatement for any other women, but her mother’s wardrobe was filled with items far more elegant and extravagant than this. Lina always admired her taste in clothing, food, wine, in anything materialistic that required that fine touch. Lina saw an open crystal ink well, a raven quill, and a scattered pile of parchment on the floor beside the couch: her school work from Beauxbatons, disregarded for the royal evening her family was about to have.

She opened her eyes and stared in the slanted mirror she had purchased from a thrift shop in Alzubra. The small apartment her brother and sisters now settled in could in no way compare to their beautiful mansion, their beautiful mother, the elegant parties… Though it had been several years, it was still difficult for Lina to think about her family’s fortune and not miss it. It wasn’t exactly the luxury life and wealth that she craved—though she honestly couldn’t complain about being uncomfortable then—she missed the security; the way her family gathered and got excited for big gatherings, gatherings; the way her dad taught her the ways of the family business, and the way her mother taught her to be a lady. Her brother and sisters tried to maintain some parts of their lifestyle, as to not show the public that they had at all suffered a financial loss. All the siblings, Lina included, dressed in the finest and nicest clothing, always well made and always designer. It also meant, however, that Lina was repeating outfits nearly every week. She convinced herself that it was very French of her to do so, but knew otherwise: it was very poor of her to do so.

Sighing, she wandered into the corridor, looking for her older sister. “Marie?” Lina called, ducking into her room, “Marie, where are you?” she murmured to herself, seemingly. Lina walked down the hallway into the kitchen and saw no sign of her sister. She was about to head back into her room, when in the corner of her eye, noticed an owl perched on one of the mismatched kitchen chairs, holding a letter with a gold wax stamp in its beak. Lina smiled knowingly; the signature Steele family crest. She quickly walked over the owl, yanking the letter out of its beak, and ignored its screech. Opening the letter and skimming it quickly, Lina allowed herself a small squeal of excitement before the owl gave another screech. Then a squawk. “Oh, shut up, Winifred,” she muttered under her breath, grabbing a few owl treats from the kitchen and tossing them to the bird. Winifred eagerly lept for the snack, caught it in mid air, and settled down again. “Blasted owl.”

The letter was meant to be delivered at least a day ago, but with Winifred’s accuracy, it was no wonder it came late. Her childhood friend, Sal, had known about Lina’s entire family history and tragedy. Even when Lina left with her siblings, Sal wrote to her that she would join her as soon as she could. Lina was never the type to have too many friends, and those that she did call friend she often did not trust; Sal was the exception. The girls knew each other inside out, and a little distance certainly hadn’t changed that. To welcome her into town, Sal requested that Lina join her at The Mirage Lounge that very night. Lina had approximately… 20 minutes to get dressed and apparate to the club.

“Merde! Blasted owl!” she repeated again, flipping through her closet like mad, searching for a suitable party outfit from the few clothes she had remaining. In her practicality, Lina had disregarded to purchase party clothing; she had assumed that with all her part time jobs and double agent work, she would have little to no time to treat herself to a night out. Luckily, Rose wasn’t home, so she would have access to her closet now, and deal with the reprimanding and nagging later. In her sister’s closet, she found a black and gold, sequined body-con dress that fit her like a glove. Without checking in the mirror, Lina grabbed her purse off her bed and strapped on a pair of black pumps. As she stepped out the door, she withdrew a red lipstick from her purse and applied it onto her lips heavenly, smacking them together as she did so. All a girl ever needed was a little bit of lipstick and some sequins to have a good night out: a motto she would stick to until the end of days.

Alina closed her eyes again, the image of her mother fresh in her mind, still. She took a deep breath, and felt her whole body lunge forward. When she opened her eyes again, she was standing before the Mirage Lounge. An extremely long line had formed, leading to the entrance. Lina did not want to be late, and she especially did not want to keep Sal waiting. Smirking, she approached the bouncer coyly, cutting off a whiny, short blonde that was arguing with him to let her in. She didn’t say a word, but really, she didn’t have to. The bouncer turned his eyes toward Lina, and she gave him a small smile. Removing the clip from her hair, she let it fall in curly, dirty blonde waves around her neck, not once removing her gaze from the bouncer’s eyes. “Hello,” she said smoothly, putting on her French accent as much as she could. Her heels clicked loudly as she stepped closer towards him.

The bouncer smiled dumbly at her, almost knocking down the whiny girl as he motioned for Lina to come inside. She let her hand brush against his shoulder lightly as she passed him, a permanent smirk stuck on her lips. Money or no money, she still had her way. Looking around and scanning the dance area, Lina noticed a girl sitting at the nearby bar who was faced away from her. Her beautiful, long black hair hung loosely down her back; Lina could recognize that hair from anywhere. She quietly walked up behind Sal and put her hands over her eyes,

“Guess who, mon chou?”

song/poem lyrics: I Like To Dance by Hot Chelle Rae
outfit: This
tag: Sal
word count: 1,102
notes: Definitely not my best, but it will have to do so we can get on with the fun. =P I may go back and edit it later

[Salvatrix Steele]

After a few minutes of waiting on the couches, Salva decided to move over to the bar to order a drink. Even when she was being the paranoid woman that she was raised to be, she understood the importance of girl’s night with Lina. She hoped that Lina’s silly little owl had made it back in time. It was notorious for being wildly inaccurate. Well, even if it didn’t that just meant that she would have to find Lina on her own. Tonight was to be a night of fun before there was no time for such frivolities any longer.

Salva leaned forward slightly and gave the bartender a sultry look. He was standing at the other end of the bar, cleaning a glass while chatting with what seemed to be a regular. As was the usual result, he immediately stopped what he was doing and walked over to where Salva was sitting. He leaned over his edge of the bar until he was mere inches from her face. “Can I get you anything special?” Sometimes feminine wiles worked far too well.

Before Salva could say anything in return, she felt two hands come over her eyes. “Guess who, mon chou?” She tensed immediately before registering that it was the voice of Lina. She relaxed marginally, “Mon Dieu! You should know better than to sneak up on me, dear friend.” With her sight returned, Salva left the bar without a second look at the bartender’s wounded expression. Salva took a moment to give her friend a long look. Even though the times had been unkind, Lina was in no way showing it. Salva’s mouth quirked up on the one side, “This is not your dress, mon ami. Your sister will be unhappy with you when she finds out. Anyway, come; join me on the couch so that we may catch up. It has been far too long for my taste. Then, the real fun may begin.”

Salva grabbed Lina’s hand and led her to where she had been sitting alone earlier. In her head, she debated the pros and cons of letting Lina in on her plans for the future. Salva had never needed approval from anyone in her entire life. It was easy with her parents having been killed so many years ago, and her aunt and uncle so easily manipulated. Then at school, she was a pureblood and a powerful witch at that. But for the first time, she felt a slight dread that Lina would not approve. Perhaps it was because Lina was the only person she had ever considered as a friend, someone that Salva could trust implicitly.

She was uncomfortable with the thought that Lina might no longer be on her side, but Salva shook the thought away and smiled at her old friend. As they seated themselves, Lina looked back at Salva with a matching smile and for a few moments everything was as it had been eight years before. There was no thought of war or of family perils, just two girls happy to see each other again.

[Deleted]

i like to dance, so if you do just get on the floor

forget the romance, this is what music was created for

baby take what you got and just go dancing you'll feel better

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lina remembered the first time she met Sal very, very well. They were just young girls, in their second or third year at Beauxbatons. Lina had already gained much popularity among the preteen crowd and found herself invited to every clique and social highlight gathering. Though she was happy with the attention, she never really felt liked she had a true friend in any of these girls. They were nice enough, yes, but none of them were genuine, and certainly not trustworthy. In those years, her older siblings were pubescent and always concerned about being seen with younger students: this included herself, so Lina went on on her own. Then, she began noticing a particular girl at these parties and gatherings that always kept to herself. Lina remembered her dark, black hair, pale skin, and electric green eyes. Though she gave off a cold demeanor, Lina saw the warmth in her eyes. Before she even approached her, Lina somehow knew she could trust her. Lina couldn't have been more right. Ever since Lina went up to her at the second year girls gathering, the two were inseparable. Until their graduation, they always fancied each other as the two queens of the castle, the dangerous and divine duo that could achieve anything, as long as they were together.

Things had changed so much over those few, short years, but Lina knew that no matter what happened with her family, Sal was there for her, as they had always been for so many years. Lina knew about Sal's family and their deep, familial relations to the Death Eaters. They avoided the subject as teenagers, but after they graduated and were preparing to move on with their lives, the subject would come up every now and then. Lina knew that Sal supported the Dark Lord and was a strict Pureblood herself. Though at times their ideologies did not match, they respected one another's beliefs. Lina wondered now, as her friend tensed up, then loosened her shoulders, if the reason she had come to Austria had anything to do with the Dark Lord's most recent uprising.

“Mon Dieu! You should know better than to sneak up on me, dear friend.”

"Desole, mon ami! I'll try to be more discreet next time," Lina said with a smirk and followed Salva away from the bar. Before they left, Lina noticed the bartender sigh and glumly walk away from then. Well, well, Sal definitely hadn't lost her charm! "I see you've already had time to break a heart tonight!" Lina hooked her arm through Sal's and gave it a light squeeze, "You musn't be so cruel, mon cher." Sal glanced Lina up and down momentarily, and Lina smiled in return. Anyone else, and she would have figured that they were trying to size her up. But Sal was different; she was looking out for her, making sure that her friend was okay. There was so much in Lina's world that was far from okay, but she was handling it. Lina was coping.

“This is not your dress, mon ami. Your sister will be unhappy with you when she finds out. Anyway, come; join me on the couch so that we may catch up. It has been far too long for my taste. Then, the real fun may begin.”

Lina laughed and posed in her dress, jokingly. "Yes, well... I believe the dress looks better on me, anyhow, so Marie will just have to get over it." Both the girls knew that although Marie had matured over the years, inside her was the same little girl who hated to share, especially with pesky 12 year olds who wanted to try on her dresses. They had both faced Marie's wrath in the past, and knew it was dangerous to cross her. Lina would dry clean the dress before returning it to her sister to ensure no damage. As the girls walked over to the table, Lina nodded in reply to Sal, excited to catch up with her friend and wreak a little havoc. It had been far too long since she had the ability to do so.

"Yes, I completely agree, darling," Lina waved a waiter over to where the girls were sitting, "I think a little liquid courage will be our aid tonight, both for catching up and for a little mischief later. First round is on me," Lina smiled as the waiter handed her a drink menu, "I suggest we start with a round of lava rock shots, warm up a little bit. What do you think?"

outfit: this
tag: salva
word count: 760
notes: sorry for the wait, dear! =)

[/i][/ul][/font][/font][/div]

[Salvatrix Steele]

take one for the team, you're a cog in the machine

forget about the cause, press rewind then stop and pause

it's like a default

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“I see you’ve already had time to break a heart tonight! You mustn’t be so cruel, mon cher.”

Salva laughed lightly, “But cruelty is what I do best! Anyhow, at the end of the night, he might no longer be so brokenhearted; our nights have ended in far stranger ways after all.” Salva looked Lina up and down once. She was slightly disconcerted with what she saw, but did not let it show. There was tightness to the way Lina smiled. And her face had become marginally gaunter, it was nearly unnoticeable, but nothing escaped Salva when it came to Lina. It only made sense after all; they had known each other for nearly thirteen years. It pained her to think of her dearest friend suffering, but sometimes life dealt a terrible hand to good people. Salva could only hope that Lina would come out better from it at the end.

Salva came back from her thoughts when Lina called a waiter over to order drinks. She didn’t know about Lina, but Salva’s intention was to have as much fun as she could possibly have in one night. She had been denying herself frivolities since her activities after graduation. Tonight would be a welcome reprieve from that, and if she broke a few more hearts along the way, then all the better.

“Yes, I completely agree, darling. I think a little liquid courage will be our aid tonight, both for catching up and for a little mischief later. First round is on me . . . I suggest we start with a round of lava rock shots, warm up a little bit. What do you think?”

Salva smirked, “That sounds quite lovely. I do so enjoy mischief.” The waiter left to place their order at the recently vacated bar. She thought back to one of their livelier girl’s nights. It was during the summer before their seventh year. Salva had gone over to visit Lina who had found the newest club just a few blocks from where she used to live. They had borrowed clothes from Marie without permission and flirted their way past the bouncer. Together, they had chatted or eyed up enough boys that they hadn’t paid for a single drink the entire night. By the end they were both so drunk that they woke up the next day with tattoos and no memory of how they got there. Salva was rather fond of the black cat she found on her ribs, and it was no surprise Lina had gotten a skeleton key on her spine.

“Tell me Lina, what have you been up to in Austria?” Salva turned to face her friend, and re-crossed her long legs. Before Lina could answer, the waiter returned with the drinks mentioning that they were a treat from the bartender. Sensing an easy mark, Salva leaned back in her chair, and purposefully met the bartender’s questing eyes. Purposefully licking her lips once, she winked before placing the glass to her lips and tilting her head back to take the shot. She shivered as the heat from the drink made its way down her body. He was practically drooling, and it was all Lina could do to keep from laughing.

“Keep it together dearest, I’m trying to secure us free drinks for the night,” Salva chided with an upturn of her lips. Once the bartender had moved on to the next order of drinks, Salva looked around the rest of the lounge and was more than pleased to find the eyes of a few other men following her. She tapped on the table twice with her forefinger; it was one of their signals. That specific one meant slowly look around. When she met Lina’s eyes again, Salva chuckled smugly. “Now it’s your turn dearie."

song/poem lyrics: "Default" by Django Django
outfit: This

tag: Alina
word count: 632
notes: Ta-da!

[Deleted]

i like to dance, so if you do just get on the floor

forget the romance, this is what music was created for

baby take what you got and just go dancing you'll feel better

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“But cruelty is what I do best! Anyhow, at the end of the night, he might no longer be so brokenhearted; our nights have ended in far stranger ways after all.”

It was true that Lina had never had troubles with her weight or physical appearance. Her long line of French blood kept her physically thin, even when she wasn’t exercising and toning her body. That, and, of course, she ate modestly and meagerly as to not overindulge. Now that her siblings and her were in such a difficult situation, they would struggle to make rent and pay for groceries. Lina could imagine her sister grocery shopping, wincing as she bought generic products and handed coupons over to the cashier. No one else in the store seemed to mind, but Lina knew how proud her sister was. Handing over coupons to Marie was the equivalent of medieval torture rituals. Poor thing. So, the siblings inadvertently had started a diet. Their metabolisms made them lose weight fast, and for the first time in her life, Lina knew that she was a little too thin. She would try not to worry about it, knowing that it was out of her control and she was trying to be as healthy as financially possible, but it had a way of showing that she couldn’t control: her cheeks. Once round and plump, they were beginning to sink in. The way that Sal looked at her made her guess that she suspected something wasn’t completely alright in Lina’s life, but she tried to shrug it off and laughed in response to her friend. “Yes, my dear, I think you’re right. He might have his luck yet,” Lina said with a wink.

 “Tell me Lina, what have you been up to in Austria?” 

Lina tightened her posture as Sal’s question, an inevitable question, surfaced. She loved and trusted her friend more than anything, but something caught her against simply spelling out how current Death Eater-Order member cross status. Of course Sal might understand her intentions but it didn’t mean she would approve of them. Lina knew of Sal’s eventual plans to honor her parents. When the time came and she recognized her Death Eater identity, she would tell her. Lina decided on telling her about her bartending job and how her and her siblings had just moved into an apartment. Just as she was about to open her mouth, the bartender arrived with the drinks. “Ah, excellent,” she picked up a shot glass as he set down the platter. Lina looked to Sal as she seduced the poor waiter in the best way. Lina bit her lip to keep from laughing, then smiled at Sal. She tilted her head back and took the shot, shivering as she swallowed the liquid and felt the warmth slowly pass through her body. Almost immediately, though, she felt herself relax and un-tense. More shots were necessary.

Lina drew herself to the attention of Sal’s signal. Since the girls had scored fake IDs at the tender age of 15, they created an elaborate system for picking up guys in bars, passing back IDs, hitting on men, and most importantly, scoring themselves free drinks. Though elaborate, neither girl ever forgot the signals. Lina’s eyes scanned the area and settled on their newest targets: two, suited gentlemen in their mid-30s. Both fairly attractive, but more importantly, both clearly loaded.

“Now it’s your turn dearie."

Lina smirked, picking up two shot glasses and looked to Sal to do the same. On her signal, they both quickly downed both shots. Lina closed her eyes and held her chin out a moment longer, making sure her chest perked out and her back arched out. This ploy always seemed to work quite well. No matter what state the girls were in, men always relished the idea of sex. So, Lina would give them a show of momentary pleasure. In their eyes, they had caused that pleasure, when in reality it was the farthest thing from the truth. Lina opened her eyes again, purposefully settling them on the eyes of the two men in the suits. One had apparently dropped his drink, to which the bartender paid little attention to as he was preoccupied with what he had just seen himself. The other man’s jaw was dropped, and it too looked as if it might fall to the floor. Lina curtly smiled at the gentlemen and winked. As if she had snapped them back into reality, the two gentlemen called for the bartender, asking them for fruity cocktails and martinis – certainly not something for themselves.

Smiling to herself, Lina was glad to know she still had it in her, no matter what her financial or emotional situation was. “I guess I’m not too out of practice, then?” Lina leaned closer to her friend, “I don’t think we’re going to stay coherent much longer, my dear. If I recall correctly, it was the fourth shot that always did us in, so let’s wait for our free drinks, shall we?”

song/poem lyrics: I Like to Dance by Hot Chelle Rae
outfit: This
tag: Sal
word count: 839

notes: Sorry for the lateness, love! Now the girls are getting drunk...

[Salvatrix Steele]

take one for the team, you're a cog in the machine

forget about the cause, press rewind then stop and pause

it's like a default

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“I guess I’m not too out of practice, then?”

“Mon Cher Cœur, it’s just like riding a broomstick.”   The corner of Salva’s mouth tipped up further to a full smirk. If she recalled correctly, Lina was always better in this department. There were many times when Salva was forced to pay for her own drinks because the men found her lacking in some way. There were many that thought her to be too tall for them, and there were others that found her too cold for their liking. Even slightly underweight, Lina was still considered perfect by any male in the immediate area. There were some nights, like tonight, where the bartender was bewitched by her eyes, but often she had to work much harder than Lina ever did.

Lina signaled to take her other shots. It was a lot of alcohol rather fast, and since it had been quite a bit of time since she had indulged in this vice, Salva had a feeling that her night was about to get blurry. These were always the best nights in the end, though. Waking up on the floor of your best friend’s bedroom was always the preferred conclusion to a night you will never remember.

“I don’t think we’re going to stay coherent for much longer, my dear. If I recall correctly, it was the fourth shot that always did us in, so let’s wait for our free drinks, shall we?”

“That sounds quite delightful indeed. And dear, just so you know, I noticed that you never answered my question.” Salva lifted an eyebrow and looked pointedly at her friend. The girls were closer than close, it was always a rather strange event that information was withheld between them. Salva could count on one hand the secrets they had kept from one another, and they always ended up caving in the end. She thought pensively for a moment on all the secrets she would be forced to keep now that she was joining the Death Eaters.

It made her think of the first secret, which led to the girls realizing how hard it was not to tell your best friend something. It was about the fact that Lina was only a half-blood. It had led to a few awkward weeks between the two, and it was something that Salva had wished to never repeat, but unfortunately this time just wasn’t her decision.

It was the middle of third year. The girls had become close very quickly, which was mind-blowing for Salva. Generally, she was not one to make friends so easily, but this girl was different. She held herself with all the elegance of a noble bloodline and Salva assumed that she was a pureblood like herself. After a month of trying to bring up why she had never heard of the old and noble house of Rocher, she was finally able to mention it in passing. ‘Rocher is a lovely name. I’m not as familiar with all the pureblood families of France as I should be, perhaps you can help me?' Salva believed herself brilliant for being so suave. How very wrong she was. Lina was very evasive with an answer and tensed slightly in response to the question. She made an excuse about needing to go to class and left Salva blinking in confusion. This went on for a few days before Lina finally blurted out at dinner that she was only half-blooded. Salva was very shocked to say the least. After approximately two weeks and four days, Salva found herself pounding furiously on the door to her friend’s bedroom that she shared with three others. Even though this was very unladylike, Salva had a mission to complete and would not be deterred. Lina opened the door and looked at Salva questioningly. 'I don’t care. I’ve thought and argued with myself and I’ve discovered that I don’t care. You are very important to me, and that is all that I can find myself caring about. You are the closest thing to family I have anywhere and I find myself unwilling to sacrifice that just because of your blood.' Salva stood breathing heavily after pouring that out without taking a breath. Lina blinked back in shock before throwing herself at Salva.

She was snapped from her thoughts by the waiter bringing over their next round of drinks from the two older gentlemen. It was a fruity cocktail that Salva wasn’t at all fond of, but it was free so she truly couldn’t complain. She picked it up and sipped it while throwing a wink over in their direction before returning her attention to her friend. “We’ll finish this conversation later, dearie. For now, let’s enjoy ourselves a little.”

 song/poem lyrics: "Default" by Django Django
tag: Alina
word count: 789
notes: Ta-da!

[Deleted]

i like to dance, so if you do just get on the floor

forget the romance, this is what music was created for

baby take what you got and just go dancing you'll feel better

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Unfortunately for Lina, alcoholism ran in her family. No one was ever officially diagnosed, but Lina's father always needed a bourbon to fall asleep at night and her mother always had well over four glasses of wine on her "stressful" days. The Rocher children watched their parents in worry but never spoke about it. Once, when Madeleine was just 8 years old, she came up to their mother and asked her why she drank so much wine. Lina was just within earshot in the family room, doing some light reading. Lina's head jerked up in surprise. She saw her mother pause, her eyes growing wide and angry. She slapped Madeleine across the face and told her to "watch her words." That was the first and last time alcohlism was mentioned in their household.

Since the change, however, the siblings had gotten closer and more honest with one another. It was an awkward change at first, but in the long run it was good. They talked about their parentss, their faults and positives alike. They talked about each others' problems and what they wanted to work on together. Marie had the most difficult time adjusting when they moved to Austria. She seemed to have sunk into a depression/crisis on all the new changes in her life. Out of all of them, she found it the hardest to adapt. When Marie came home drunk five consecutive nights in a row, they didn't ignore it. Instead of ignoring it, Lina and her brother confronted her about her drinking and agreed with each other that they should only go out on the weekends. They mentioned their parents to Marie and she grew quiet. She knew they were right.

Whenever the faze and lightness of alcohol started to influence Lina's perception, she thought back to Marie's turbelant week. After every sip, she felt a twinge of paranoia. How drunk was too drunk? How many drinks were too many drinks? She was older now and no longer a stupid teenager. All the things she used to do before she couldn't repeat now. It wouldn't be right and it would go against everything her and her siblings were working towards. She had to maitain control.

But being with Sal brought back all the good and easy times. Lina just wanted to let go, no matter what that meant.

“That sounds quite delightful indeed. And dear, just so you know, I noticed that you never answered my question.”

"Oh," Lina's vision was beginning to alter slightly. She smiled and giggled towards Sal, "Oh, Sal, you know me. I've been fine." That was actually the problem. Sal did know her and she knew that Lina wasn't fine. But how much could she actually tell her? How much was too much for her to know? Lina sat up straighter, "Things have been hard but I've been doing fine. I thought that sharing an apartment with the twins would be hard but it's been really easy. I'm lucky they're my brother and sister." There. A little more honesty. "And you dear, how is Austria treating you? I know you always have a plan."

Just as she finished speaking, the waiter approached them with the round of drinks the corpulent gentlemen had sent over. Lina's vision grew hazier and she turned her head toward them and winked. No matter how much she drank, it was important to keep her grace. No sloppy waves, no drunken walking.

At least not so early in the night.

"Ah, my dear," Lina held out the glass and clinked it with her friend, "Here's to our first night back together!" Lina took a sip and cringed ever so slightly. She did like fruity drinks, but this particular martini was extremely sweet. Sweet enough to cover up the very high alcohol content. Lina glanced at Sal and smirked, "I'm beginning to think that these men think we've never had a martini before. This drink smells like rubbing alcohol," Lina put it down a few feet away from her. "No matter. We could still have our fun with them."

song/poem lyrics: I Like to Dance by Hot Chelle Rae
outfit: This
tag: Sal
word count: 680

notes: n/a

[Salvatrix Steele]

take one for the team, you're a cog in the machine

forget about the cause, press rewind then stop and pause

it's like a default

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Salva watched Lina eye the empty glasses on the table suspiciously. The way she looked at them reminded Sal of the look in her eyes Lina got before the beginning of a duel, sizing an opponent up before quickly and efficiently conquering the field. Salva looked at her own empty glasses and tried to estimate how far gone she was and how much more it would take to get to where she wanted to be before the night was over. Her thought process was interrupted by Lina speaking.

“Oh, Sal, you know me. I’ve been fine.”

Salva merely raised one eyebrow at her response to the question, “Yes. Yes, I do know you.” She let the matter drop at that and sipped from her drink again. She felt a pang in the back of her mind; it was a combination of something along the lines of hurt that Lina didn’t trust her with the information and worry over what it could possibly be that was keeping Lina from telling her. She shook her head once to clear the thoughts, but made it look as though she was getting her hair out of her face. They were no longer school girls without a care in the world. This reality was especially dangerous right now and they would no doubt have to grow apart somewhat to stay alive and not endanger the other. She looked up from the spot on the table next to her drink when Lina spoke again.

“And you my dear, how is Austria treating you? I know you always have a plan.”

Salva smirked at that. “Oh, I’m rather fond of it here actually. It’s nice to finally be free of my guardians and standing on my own two feet. And of course I have a plan; I never leave home without one.” She was being purposefully vague now. If there were to be secrets, then there would be secrets on both ends. Lina had probably read about the death of her guardians in the paper, but Salva had set it up to look as though it was a murder-suicide, and everyone had believed the tearful niece as she arrived at the house with bags of groceries in her arms and shock written all over her face at the sight of Aurors closing off the house. She then went through the painstakingly long process of arranging for funerals, pretending to grieve, and having their house sold. It wasn’t a family manor so Salva cared little for what had actually happened to it.

She had then returned to England for a few months in hopes of finding her grandparents. She found that she had been correct in assuming that the letters stopped because they had died. Her aunt and uncle had proceeded to give the Steele Manor, which had been in her family for well over 150 years, to the Ministry as a charity donation. All the history had been stripped from the regal building and it was reduced to a small preparatory school for Muggleborns so that they could learn a few things about the Wizarding World before going to Hogwarts. The rage she felt at the sight just fueled the fire driving her to Austria and the Dark Lord

Salva picked up her drink again and downed more than half of what was left, she tended to become maudlin if she stalled her drinking at the tipsy stage. She felt a slight rush and edges of her vision blurred and she sighed contentedly. She leaned back in her chair slightly, creating a slight arch to her back for the two men still watching for how their drinks were received. She watched as Lina sputtered a little at the strength their martini’s had been. She chuckled, “I’m glad it wasn’t just me then; I was afraid that I was getting too old for this kind of scene.”

"I'm beginning to think that these men think we've never had a martini before. This drink smells like rubbing alcohol.”

Salva allowed her head to tip back and a throaty laugh to escape. “That it does, but it did expedite the fun that we are going to have tonight, well my fun anyway.” She looked back to the bartender and threw him a rather salacious wink and he gave a grin in return and allowed his eyes to wander down her figure. She was once again glad she decided on this dress rather than something a little more conservative. “But if we are talking about more fun, then lead the way dear.”

song/poem lyrics: "Default" by Django Django
outfit: This
tag: Alina
word count: 761
notes: natm

[Deleted]

i like to dance, so if you do just get on the floor

forget the romance, this is what music was created for

baby take what you got and just go dancing you'll feel better

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Yes. Yes, I do know you.”

Lina swirled her drink in her hand, staring at the melting ice cubes and fruity liquid. Of course she was avoiding eye contact with Sal. The girl was her best friend and she always knew when something was up with Lina. Though Lina wanted to tell her and even seek her guidance/advice, she knew she couldn’t. Part of her thought that she could tell her, that of course, Sal could be trusted. But her family thought the same for her cousins and the way that ended Lina only knew too well. So she remained silent and shifty. It would be continue to be a point of tension in their friendship, she knew, so she would have to say something. Sal understood family secrets, personal secrets, a matter of familial loyalty over loyalty to friends. So she looked up from her drink, locking eyes with her best friend, “Yes, you do. And I know you.” It wasn’t much, but it was enough. They were close enough that Sal could understand just what Lina meant: now was not the time. She loved and trusted her, but now was not the time.

Without hesitation, Lina downed the rest of her drink as Sal told her about her settling into Austria. She was being vague. Fair enough. Sal had plans and Lina had her own. Just because they could no longer gossip and share all their secrets with one another, their friendship would not deteriorate. Their lives, their worlds had changed. The safe, little bubble Beauxbatons kept them within was no more. In the most simple of words, they were adults. And that was what tonight was for. Lina smirked at Sal as she finished. “We always have our plans,” she pushed the empty glass aside as the martinis from the two gentlemen came their way, “But tonight is not for plans. Tonight, we see where the world takes us!” Lina was definitely getting to a point where she became the Captain Hook of drunks: ready for adventure, mischief, and probably a little bloodshed.

They downed the martinis and they tasted less like mixed drinks and more like straight liquor. Though at this stage, Sal and Lina were very well nursed on alcohol and it only added to their happy demeanor.

“But if we are talking about more fun, then lead the way dear.”

She nodded, leaning back in her seat sensually and eyeing the bartender and gentlemen at the bar. Suddenly, Lina stood up, grabbing Sal’s hand and tugged on it. Sal immediately took cue and sauntered over to the men with Lina. They leaned on opposite sides of the tubby gentlemen and proceeded to flirt their way into another drink. Then a glass of wine. They flirted their way into their laps, having their way with the men’s minds and watch their foreheads brim with sweat at the realization of the beautiful women that sat atop them. It was all a game, of course, but it was a game they so loved to play. There was only one rule: they were in control. They would conduct what would happen and who was to be had, not the other way around. So, when Sal’s man confidently grabbed onto Sal’s ass cheek, Lina hopped off her tubby man without hesitation and swiftly slapped him across the face. By this point, Sal had gotten up and stood beside Lina. The bar seemed to go quiet.

He looked stunned. Not upset stunned, but more like no-one-has-ever-done-that-to-me stunned. The other man was furious for his friend. He grabbed onto Lina’s arm, holding it in a tight grip. Lina met his gaze and narrowed her eyes at him. Her steel glare met his frightened doe eyed face, and before he could regain his confidence, she had withdrawn her wand with her freehand and pressed it into his jugular. He whimpered.

“You should let go,” Lina said calmly. He dropped his hand immediately. Lina turned to find Sal’s man pushed against the bar counter, Sal’s wand digging into his chest. The girls met each others’ gaze and giggled.

No sooner than the girls had begun their fun was it put to an end. The then-heartstruck bartender circled around to the scene and asked the girls to vacate the bar, unless they wanted to be forced. Lina and Sal curtsied and strutted out of the bar, blowing drunken yet perfectly executed kisses to all the patrons still left at the bar. Someone hooted after them as they left.

With most bars in the area reaching closing time, they sat on the curb of the street, still drunk and giggling from what had just occurred.

“Sal, we actually got kicked out of a bar. How long has it been since we’ve done that?”

song/poem lyrics: I Like to Dance by Hot Chelle Rae
outfit: This
tag: Sal
word count: 799

notes: God modding: permission granted by the lovely Sal to move things along. But really, we're sitting in the same room.

[Salvatrix Steele]

Salva felt the tug on her hand and allowed herself to be pulled from the chair she was perched on. She was rather used to Lina plowing headfirst into a situation with her hand nearly pulling Sal’s shoulder out of place. Salva was one for distance, assessing every angle of a situation, and then going in for the “kill,” so to speak. So generally, she would let Lina walk in at the head and lay down the rules loudly and she would watch from slightly behind, enforcing the rules with the threat in her eyes. She wondered sometimes if Lina ever noticed the things like that which made her games easier to win. She almost hoped not; she wanted Lina to believe that she was in complete control in at least some aspect of her life. And once again, she found herself following slightly behind Lina, into one last night of girlish friendship before the real life of being in a crime syndicate tore nights like these from them. Watching Lina pick out the man she wanted to play with for now, Salva settled in facing the other one. He was much less than pleasing to look at, but with luck his pockets ran deep. She turned her head and caught sight of the bartender standing near them, he wore a slightly wounded look. That wouldn’t do for Salva, she had intentions for a happy ending tonight with that one.

She leaned over the bar, grabbing the front of the bartender's shirt and pulling him towards her. She tilted her head, allowing her lips to graze the shell of his ear, "Pay no attention dearie, I'm doing this for free drinks. I wouldn't want you to get in any trouble for giving them to me." As she leaned back towards the man blatantly eyeing her breasts, she gave the bartender a quick wink. He grinned and nodded minutely before going to service a few of the customers at the other end of the bar. She allowed her eyes to linger after him in expectance of the rest of the night, he was very attractive after all. The somewhat tubby man tried to get her to focus her attention towards him; and she just made eye contact with Lina and rolled her eyes. Putting her best interested face on, she turned to the man and began the practiced dance of flirtation and aloofness that would keep the drinks coming all night. Or, it usually would. Tonight it seemed as though she would not be getting her way. Normally she could keep a man hypnotized until after she was long gone, but after two more drinks this one decided to get bold. She gave off a rather forced throaty laugh completely unlike her normal chuckle. Hopefully that would clue Lina in on the undesirable turn her playing with this man was heading. "Come on sweetie, you owe me." To emphasize his last words, he moved his hand from the acceptable spot on her waist to paw sloppily at her arse. She tried to slide backwards from his lap and make a hasty exit to the bathroom with Lina, but his arms had formed a sort of cage around her, trapping her.

She raised an eyebrow, no one had spoken to her in that manner in a very long time. She was dangerous, and that was common knowledge with many of the magical community in France due to her proven skill and power. It would seem that she was going to have to reestablish her reputation here before anything else. "I owe you nothing, you pitiful excuse for a man." She went for her wand at the same time she saw movement from the corner of her eye. The sound of a slap led to a smirk sliding onto her face as she extricated herself from his grasp to stand beside Lina. As he moved to retaliate against her, Salva pushed her wand into rather forcefully into his chest. The cheerful look on her face caused by the alcohol had been replaced by a cold glare, promising all kinds of wicked intentions if another move was made. The sudden silence in the lounge, implied that they had been noticed and that their fun would no doubt be over now.

The bartender, who looked slightly putout about it, asked the two of them to leave. Before turning around to saunter out, she stepped towards the bartender and grazed her lips against the corner of his mouth. "I'll be waiting outside, if you happen to finish soon." She turned back to Lina with a grin and giggled as they walked out together. Salva checked the time and was amazed to see how late it had become; there wasn’t really any other place to go besides home now, and if she was lucky it wouldn’t be alone. That didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to linger here with Lina for a little bit. She allowed the thinner girl to lean on her, it seemed that her alcohol tolerance had gotten better since their previous bar crawls at sixteen. She helped Lina sit and then folded herself next to her with a little less grace than she normally would have. “Sal, we actually got kicked out of a bar. How long has it been since we’ve done that?” Salva looked down at Lina as she leaned on her shoulder, taking in the sunken quality of her face and then turning to examine herself critically in the window of a shop. Seeing a hardness in the lines of her face that hadn’t been there last time she looked, she mused over how different they two had been just eight years ago. “Too long.” She murmured softly, putting her arm around Lina’s shoulders, showing a drop of compassion for her childhood friend who probably wouldn’t remember it happening.

The sound of someone clearing their throat behind them jolted Salva upright. Her hand on her wand she turned and relaxed marginally at the sight of the bartender. Her classic smirk returned to her face, clearly he was eager. That was something she was rather glad to see; she gently elbowed Lina and winked at her before standing up and turning around, only wobbling slightly. “Do get home safe, mon cherie. I’d be so disappointed if you allowed someone to hurt you just because of a few drinks.” Salva had no doubt that Lina could take care of herself, experience had proven it. So, she strolled over towards the bartender with as much grace as one could when intoxicated, allowing him to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her in to lean on his torso. She placed a hand on his chest, to push him off if need be, and was pleasantly surprised to feel rather defined musculature. She pointedly looked at Lina, to make eye contact, raised an eyebrow and licked her upper lip suggestively. With what was as close to a genuine smile as she could manage to Lina, she turned to whisper in the bartender’s ear, “Lead away.” She felt a tug at her navel, and Aluzbra Alley left her vision.

tag: Lina
word count: 1195
comments: none