And so, darling, we meet again.

Valentine’s Day was the bane of Ariel’s existence. After a spectacular ‘date’ with the Krum’s daughter – who was surprisingly dumber than her brother – Ariel had just about had enough of Valentine’s Day. But then of course he recalled the cherry blossom he’d bought from the market and decided to go ahead and send it to Jack anyway. What had stopped him before, he didn’t know. So, after scrawling a time on the card, Ariel wandered up to the seventh floor and entered to Room of Requirement. He wandered inside and watched as the room materialised before him. A fire was crackling, bookshelves lined the walls and couches were set around the fire. There was a dinner of sorts laid out on a coffee table before the largest couch and Ariel took a book from one of the shelves before slipping his shoes off and settling down on one of the couches.

He could only hope that the stupid owl got to her on time. Ariel could wait, though. He was content with that. Ariel opened the book up and rested it on his legs which were drawn up, his knees bent. He blinked at the pages of calligraphy before him and smiled before launching himself into literature from the 1500’s. It was wonderful, so poetic, so lyrical. He licked his index finger and carefully turned the page. It seemed to crumble and burn away when he touched it though and Ariel threw it away from his self, shocked, scared and unsure how he was supposed to react.

Ariel looked at his hand in alarm and realised in astonishment that it was a book that had protective charms on it – ones that denied access to werewolves. “Bloody charming,” He swore before kicking the book into the fire.

Jack hadn't even realized it was Valentine's Day until she had had to double back and go to the common room to fetch the Marauder's Map and Cecily had attacked her, showering her with candy and a goofy card, squealing about how fun the day would be. Jack slammed the dorm room door on her face, turned, and walked back down to the common room.

Valentine's Day was just an early April Fools Day to Jack, because everyone acted like fools. It was just better, richer, and more bountiful opportunities to crush people's hopes. Pranking was always more fun when you could add some dampness to another's bright, sunshine-y day. Jack hoped most people would be too busy hooking up in broom closets to pay her much mind... Make it easier to pick a target...

She had already pulled a few pranks- involving Canary Creams, a laser pointer, and a marble transfigured into a cat. She went to a late breakfast and that was when the owl had found her. People openly stared and one boy even walked over, checked the card , and announced it was not a mix up or even a joke. Jack quickly casted a Levicorpus and strode off, reading the card in confusion.

She slipped into the Room of Requirement and saw Ariel sitting there. She cleared her throat. "Uh, hey..." She lifted the flowers awkwardly. "I, um... got these." She shrugged and set them on a nearby table, not sure what to do with them. What did one do with flowers? She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, completely unequipped to deal with this sort of situation.

The satisfaction Ariel felt was unparalleled. As the flames licked at the book, the pages began to curl and crinkle in dismay. Satisfied with watching the book burn, Ariel took a seat again. He could not settle, though. His eyes stalked the shelves but found nothing alike the book that was turning to ash before him. Ariel dropped his eyes back down and drew his legs up. He curled his arms around them and rested his chin on his knees. Ariel brushed his fingers over the soft skin on the inside of his wrist and dragged his finger further up his arm. He turned it over and looked at the crease of his elbow. His eyes narrowed and he lifted it up to the candle light. A little black blob, not at all a mole like he’d first thought, had settled into his skin and experimentally (or stupidly) Ariel decided to touch it.

Taking his hand away, he looked at it and watched as the black spread down his finger. Ariel blinked rapidly and groped around on the couch for his mirror. His fingers grazed the cold metal just as the door opened. Ariel shot out of the chair and whirled around, only to find Jack stood there, the cherry blossoms he’d sent her, sitting on the table. Ariel bit his tongue and glanced down at his hand. There was nothing there. He narrowed his eyes at his hand slightly but when Jack spoke, he tore them away, plastering a half-smile on his face. “Hey!” He put his hands behind his back and laced his fingers together. “I see you got my gift...” Ariel drifted off, unsure how to continue. He pursed his lips momentarily before opening his mouth once more. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” he dropped his arms and walked over to Jack. “Belated,” he corrected himself with a chuckle. “Happy belated Valentine’s Day.”

With the possible or rather probable allergic reaction to the book becoming unimportant, Ariel found himself losing track of the seconds that passed. He’d been counting them like an impatient dog – although that was what he was – before and now Jack was here...his mind was just...nothing. Ariel caught a lock of her hair and lifted it up. He walked it around and brought it back down. Ariel curled it behind her and smiled at her. “So,” he hedged, his smile turning into a cocky smirk. “What did you get me?”

Ariel turned and greeted her, leaning back slightly. He pointed out the flowers and Jack continued to rub the back of her neck, saying, "Yeah.." in an awkward voice, not sure what to say to him about the flowers. She reached out and poked one of the blossoms experimentally, a little uncertainty on her face as though unsure of what to think of them.

He wished her a good Valentine's day and she shrugged, saying, "Yeah," she said, chuckling awkwardly. "Right." He corrected himself and she shuffled her feet as he approached her, resting her finger tips on the surface of the table to keep herself propped up and she looked down at her feet, balancing herself. She coughed and straightened up, beating her fingers against the table top.

She had managed to avoid his direct gaze thus far but he picked up strand of her hair and her head raised, her eyes looking up at his and she kept herself from withdrawing, as her first instinct always. He asked what she had gotten him and she felt a little irritation bubble up. "I didn't ask you to get me anything," she grumbled. She realized that was rude and quickly changed tact. "Valentine's Day really isn't my thing."

A burning sensation was working its way up Ariel’s arm and he dropped it away from Jack, giving it a shake in an effort to dispel the feeling. He turned away from Jack and walked over to the couch. He sat down and ran hands through his hair, fluffing it slightly. He looked over at Jack and frowned slightly. Her words were harsh but she was quick to change them, prompting Ariel to snort in either disbelief, amusement or a combination of the two. He leaned back against the pillows and folded his arms behind his head. He didn’t have time for an irritable redhead. He wanted a sensible conversation with a nice, calm redhead. He had an over-emotional, sensitive werewolf at home, his layabout uncle, his mother and that Ravenclaw twat that had more or less moved in since his mum had gotten a new feller. Then of course there was Naomi. What really could be said about her?

“I was only joking,” he said with a yawn. “I seem to be the enemy of all women lately. Maybe I’ll go and see my father and ask him for advice. I’m sure the terms ‘bite’, ‘maim’ and ‘kill will spring up often. But of course that’s not allowed is it? There are people turning up dead all over the UK and no one seems to be noticing...it’s curious. Not even the newspapers have said anything. What’re they trying to hide I wonder?” Ariel jumped to his feet and walked over to the fireplace. He picked up the prong and poked it at what was left of the book. He speared it and lifted the smouldering mess up to his eye level. Ariel gently blew on it before dropping it back into the hearth. He put the prong back and looked over at Jack. “Catch any werewolves lately?” He asked with a smirk.

Ariel collapsed backwards into the armchair and closed his eyes. He yawned and rubbed his hand across his face. He’d not been sleeping well. Leaving Risé at home bothered him. He trusted his mother’s ‘Fenrir intuition’ but he, and the dog, would feel better when she was at Hogwarts. Until then though, he’d be forever worrying about her.

The noise Ariel made her made her even more upset. She did not ask for him to get her something, she did not want gifts for Valentine's Day. If she wanted some, she would have demanded them. He sat down and she felt a little guilty. She really need not be too nasty. A flash of a vision of Ariel, exhausted and wiped out in a hospital bed wiped any hostility she may have had.

She owed him too much.

At his words she shrugged sort of apologetically, moving over to sit next to him and listening to her words, smiling slightly. "Yeah..." she said,, in a quiet, distracted sort of voice. He asked if she had caught any werewolves and she chuckled, saying, "No, I have not been out lately, on the look out for any werewolves. I know, I'm slacking..."

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, and the slowly expelling it. "Sorry..." She realized this had come out of nowhere so she opened her eyes, though she did not move her gaze to look at Ariel. "I mean, about being rude. I just... don't do this stuff. Valentines, flowers..." She shrugged, feeling more and more awkward by the second. "I just don't. It's not me."

Ariel himself was weary and irritable but he was mellow to a degree. There were a hundred other things he needed to do before the day was out. He needed to get his owl out of the rafters of the Owlery and then send her off to Rise. He had a few things for the pup and he wanted to hear from her. The dog missed her more than Ariel did. He was worried about her more than anything. The dog was just pining for her company. Fenrir needed an owl too. He needed to talk to him about, well, Rise. A large proportion of Ariel's life was revolving around his mistake, now. Some people his age got girls pregnant. Ariel on the other hand, shared his genes in a different way. It had the same outcome though -- this terrified, screaming creature that hated him and needed to be loved and nurtured.

"They're not hard to find...and look," Ariel glanced over at Jack, "You've already found one."

Ariel turned his gaze back onto the fire and started to brood. Jack's voice cut through and Ariel nodded absently, gently biting down on his lip. His teeth hadn't changed back. They were still as sharp as razors but he was learning to deal with it. He liked it too. He didn't have to ferret around for scissors if he wanted to open something anymore. Finally there was a perk to being a werewolf.

"Don't worry about it," He assured her with a smile of sorts, "I didn't expect you to get me anything. I was just thinking outside of the box. I was in town and I just, though of you I suppose. I owe you a hell of a lot, Jack, and I wanted to repay you. It's not quite enough yet but I'm working on something else."

Jack managed a small, ironic smile at his words on werewolves and glanced up at him, before her eyes looked back down at her knees. She sighed and then glanced back up at him to see that his eyes had returned to the fire. She raised an eyebrow, staring into the fire as well, as though she would see his thoughts by watching what he was watching. This, of course, did not work.

How funny it was... Jack had absolutely no concern for the feelings and the existence of most... half... ninety-nine point nine-nine-nine percent of the population around her. She could really care less what anyone around her thought. Society could jump off a cliff in her opinion, and she would be perfectly content. But the few people's whose thoughts she wished she could know... Ariel, Vito... These were the people who she could not.

At his words, she shifted uncomfortably. "Well, you shouldn't have. You don't owe me anything at all. You don't owe me anything." She did not add that she felt like she owed him something, for endangering him as she had that night in the Shrieking Shack. Still, she could not look at him. "I really don't want you getting me things."

The subject of Valentine's Day was always an interesting one in his house. Georgio liked to bring it up often whereas Ariel's mother did not. She was immensely paranoid about things like that being discussed in her house. Ariel had a feeling it was something to do with -- if Georgio's word was anything to go with -- a bottle of Firewhisky, a young Fenrir and way too much wine beforehand. Maybe that was the way Ariel was conceived. Thinking about it, that was probably the only way he was conceived.

"Why?" Ariel asked after Jack's words brought him back to Earth. "I want to buy you things. God knows there's money there that needs to be spent on someone. You're my best bet," Then of course there was Rise, the one who he should have been spending his goddamn money on. And he was but he was doing that on automatic, not because he wanted to. "Besides, everyone needs to know someone's thinking about them. It's nice."

But then, what did Ariel know about nice?

Jack shrugged, opening her mouth to explain but making a sort of frustrated spluttering noise because she had never really had to explain to someone why she did not want them to do nice things for her. The situation had never exactly been a problem before. Not one of her top concerns... ever. People had never tried to be nice, and if she had ever seen irritated they would not have tried to continue. Too afraid of being hurt, she supposed. It was a legitimate fear.

"I..." She struggled to explain herself. "I don't want people spending money on me. I just... I don't like people trying to care for me when I am perfectly capable of caring for myself. I don't need stuff, I don;t need money, or flowers, or-" She stopped. Wow. She was... She was saying a lot of things that she probably should not have said. Or at least thought about first.

Might as well press onward. "Look, Ariel," she said, turning and forcing herself to look at him. "It's cool that you care or whatever but... I... I don't need anything. Okay? I don't do the whole gift-giving... Or Valentine's Day, or the cheek kissing and the cute stuff... I don't and if that's what you want, well I can't do that." She felt herself suddenly tense up. Why was she here? Why was she in this sort of situation. She stood. "Look, maybe I should go-" She started to leave, headed for the door.