We were supposed to rule

"Gentleman," Caleb called out jovially, reaching out to take Apollo's other hand in a firm hand shake, before turning to Christian, who put his question out there rather bluntly. "Well, hello to you too," Caleb said, shifting his smirk towards Kit. "Camila got tied up at work. She said she'll try to catch us at some point but she had to take an emergency meeting in Milan." He threw his hands up, rolling his eyes in a what-can-you-do gesture.

"We can still have fun, though, I think," Caleb said, glancing toward Kit again. "What do you think, Katherine? Doesn't ruin the party for you, does it?"

Katherine had never seen the Zabini heir look so bored. And by Merlin, that was saying something. He almost didn't look at her at all, and when he did he seemed thoroughly unimpressed. How rude. Not that she truly cared what he thought, of course. But she knew full well that she looked good enough to be distracting. Just look at the way his naive little brother couldn't get himself to look her way at all after the first glance!

Either he felt strange about the happenings at the Christmas ball - which, frankly, was still so etched in her mind that she had to believe it was for them as well. Otherwise she might just go a bit mad - or Christian was embarrassed that he found himself interested. Perhaps they should have planned things differently. But no matter. Caleb was clever as all hell, and she had (however slowly) learned a few of his ways.

"What? When I get all three of you - and this boat, no less - to myself for the day? I'm hardly complaining." She turned her head away, as though embarrassed she had said as much to begin with. "It should be fun," Kit clarified.

Apollo seemed particularly unconvinced, but Christian was hopelessly optimistic in comparison. He strode easily over to their chilled beers and drew one out, popping the cap and sinking into a chair as he spoke. "It's a day off from work, so at least there's that. Any destination in mind? Or just the ocean in general?"

"Ravenclaw is there ever was one," Caleb sait at Kit's words, smirking. He felt no instinct to stray from the topic of Kit's time at Hogwarts, as a less experienced deceptor might. In fact, he welcomed the boy's curiosity on that point. Kit could say what she wanted to have passed on to the school at large, could lure them into the sense of having a relationship built on trust, and perhaps he could gain an insight or two further into the blonde's mysterious mind. One means, several ends. A good bet it seemed.

Caleb nodded at the Hufflepuff's word. "The ocean, indeed. From there, if anything catches our fancy, we can make a detour." He grinned a bit deviously at Apollo. "We're good at that, aren't we?"

Before Apollo could outright question the comment, the boat pulled away from the dock, splitting the water with ease. Caleb grinned, enjoying the magic of the moment of the boat seemingly working at its own accord. He lifted his drink and leaned against the railing. "How should we amuse ourselves then, Ms Wit? Know any good games we could play, since we're out on the open sea with nothing but sun and spray to distract us?"

A pleased smile curved Katherine's lips and Apollo nearly squinted. But Christian spoke and Caleb's response was enough that it would later make his blood boil. Once he had the time and desire to work it out, that is. For the time being, he really just wanted to make this day go as quickly as possible. Besides, they were moving, which was undoubtedly a good sign as far as their day starting so it could end was concerned.  He confused himself a little with that thought, but returned to the conversation in time to hear Caleb again pull at Kit's Hogwarts house background. Apollo didn't expect her to frown about it, though.

And, indeed, the Avery girl was hot happy. Caleb surely knew that she had not been privy to games during her time at school. The only time she went to a party, Lily had changed and- It was just irksome that he was turning the first step of their plan to her, in a manner he had to know she could not come up with an answer for. Behind her shades, her eyes were fierce daggers. But she sat up, primly tucking her feet beneath her as she looked at each of them.

"I hardly think it's fair that I be the one to pick," she said, as though it were nothing. "After all, we haven't seen the boys in ages. Why can't they pick?"

And maybe it was her pout, or maybe Christian just felt bad for her, but he spoke up almost immediately. "I actually- I brought something that I thought you would find interesting, Caleb. Potentially, anyway." He looked up at his brother. "You too." From his pocket, he withdrew a bag that turned out to be extendable, because he withdrew from it two broomsticks.

Apollo's brows shot up - for multiple reasons. First off, he had never seen those before, and couldn't place the brand. But equally, Christian had brought them. What?

"Figured you might get a kick out of flying over the ocean or something. Could even play something if you conjure up a ball or hoop." Christian shrugged, holding them out to the other young men.

He was getting rather good at feeling the fires Katherine never set. He was grateful she had restraint, or else he would surely be ashes by now, and her harsh gaze probably could have made a weaker man collapse. But he rocked on his heels, his pleased smirk never leaving. Maybe she did not know just how powerful her position was in their partnership. Maybe she did. Either way, it was probably a good idea to remind her that even the queen of fire had a limitation or two.

Not that she dwelled on it.

She was quick to improvise, though, and Christian, ever the gentleman, was quick to rescue her. Caleb's smile stretched wider, his eyes on the elder twin's surprised reaction. Curious. He wasn't sure Camila would ever display such obvious surprise at anything he did, at least not in public. And he fancied he could be a very surprising fellow.

Less worried about discretion, now, Caleb tilted his head in Apollo's direction as he stepped forward to take one of the broomsticks. "Don't go too fast now, I'm out of practice." And before Apollo could protest, he had mounted. He looked at Katherine and said, "Don't have too much fun without me," and pushed off into the air, leaning over his broom and shooting off across the water.

Katherine smiled blithely as Caleb left, turning to gaze curiously at the elder Zabini. Apollo seemed to be trying very hard to keep from disclosing his opinion on the whole thing, but one thing she had started to pick up from Flint was how to read into things. Like the way his jaw had tightened or his eyes looked angry, now, instead of lifeless. How strange. For someone who must have mastered the art of 'not caring' a good decade ago, there was truly too much brewing inside him to shut it out.

How unfortunate.

Still, he shot his brother one probably meaningful look before mounting and taking off after the other heir. As for Christian, Kit had an easy question. "Why do you work at your store when you hate flying so much?" After all, he had hardly touched the brooms any longer than he had to, and that surely meant something. Kit remembered his accident, and heard the rumor that he'd nearly died. Not true. His family probably saw it that way, but she'd been in the hospital wing as well. And she had been far worse off than him, even back in their fourth year before things got down to the wire for her.

"I have to, since Apollo won't," he shrugged. Oddly, she didn't see any resentment there. Lowering her sunglasses, she passed him a sympathetic look that nearly made her insides squirm. He was just far too easy to crack, it seemed, because he continued. "I don't mind it so much. I don't have to do any of the flying or playing myself. And I'm not really good at anything else, so at least it's something I can do to help the family."

And whether or not he believed that, she wasn't sure. Maybe he knew it was what he was supposed to say. Up in the air, Apollo didn't care what he was supposed to say.

"So," he called to Caleb once he caught up, "whose idea was this really? Mother claims it was yours, but this is just the sort of thing she'd work people up to."

Caleb was a man of pleasure, and he did (briefly) wish that the day was not for business. A broom over the sea, a young woman suntanning on the boat waiting for his return... There was almost nothing better than his muscles rippling to maneuver the broom, the wind part his hair and kissing his skin, the sea glinting up at him and spitting salt and foam into the air to keep him cool and alert. The only thing better, perhaps, was taking over the world. The Zabini boys were a tiny chore on that path, a side quest that bled back into the main objective. So he could not ignore the heir pulling up alongside him.

He lifted an eyebrow. "When a man suspects nothing good out of anyone else, it leads one to believe he leads a suspicious life." He cracked a grin, a small one, one that did not quite invalidate the statement but something to soothe the tension. "It wasn't your mother, and it wasn't my mother either. Our parents might be old and some of their ideas a bit antiquated, but they're not wrong about us sticking together. Iron sharpens iron, after all." He kept his eyes forward and they kept an easy pace, and Caleb leaned left and right to feel the broom slip in and out of the airstreams. He sat back, slowing his broom. "Katherine was a happy coincidence. She's a good friend of mine. When I mentioned that I wanted to invite you both out, she seemed pleased. And I think I remember your mother wanting you to dance with her at your party. I wasn't sure if I was stepping on something, or exacerbating anything between you two..."

"Or," Apollo muttered under his breath, "that the majority of people in his life are bloody rubbish."

But that wouldn't do for Caleb to hear, so he instead focused his attention on what Flint said afterwards. The fact that Caleb was bothering with someone like Katherine was interesting at the least and worrisome at the worst. He had never been someone Apollo thought of as sympathetic, so the fact that he was spending time with a girl merely known for being unwell...? It wasn't sensible. But the world was a crazy place, particularly with what had happened at Christmas. So what did Apollo know, really?

Of course, it was the implication that made his face scrunch up in disapproval. "No, mate. She's beautiful, sure, but we'd hardly put up with each other forever. If you fancy her, I certainly won't mind."

Because what else could he say, really, without being even more obvious? He didn't want to insult her. Truly. But she was never, and could never be, comparable to his Lily. And if he wasn't so afraid that something would happen to her if people found out, he would've been even more ashamed for hiding her. He believed her when she said she didn't mind, but it still felt wrong to do it. So he decided to turn it on Caleb for as long as he could manage, which he knew full well wouldn't last.

"Why? You trying to angle yourself in her direction? I doubt her parents would be opposed. And her brothers like you quite well, it seems. Unless one of them is just after your sister, of course..."

Caleb waved a hand a bit dismissively. "The brother thing is what makes it hard to even consider," he said, with a smirk. "It's a little weird to go after the sister of a friend. As soon as siblings begin involved it all gets complicated." He shrugged, looking forward. "She's brilliant, and if my parents pointed me that way, I wouldn't argue. Not much point, really, once they've made their mind up, is there?" He smirked, leaning back and rolling his shoulders.

"Any direction you're angled in?" he said, tilting his head towards him. "You're a mystery, Mr Zabini, you know that?"

Apollo couldn't be himself in this instance. That wasn't his job. His job, now, was to convince everyone that he was doing to do as his parents asked and that he was just trying to graduate rather than thinking about affection for anybody. Part of that wasn't even a lie. Caleb seemed to be waiting for a confirmation, so Apollo shook his head and laughed, honestly a little amused by how true it was. And the fact that even Flint would go along with such an antiquated way of life. But hey, if it worked, right? Ugh.

"Considering how well my last direction went over, ... no." He shook his head, reaching up to rub a few fingers across his forehead. "I'd rather not open up my family to any extra judgment right now if I don't have to. All I care about is finishing this next year of school. But I expect you aren't leaning any certain way, either. Never been much of a commitment man, eh, Caleb? And sick, little Avery back there will hardly be your mother's choice, will she? Best hope she doesn't get attached."

Of course, Kit was back on the boat with Christian, which was just as worrisome as the idea that Caleb would keep prying. So he had to be a little callous about everything. And what did it matter when she would be none the wiser about it?