The Knight at Night

The House-Elves certainly did their job. They had to visit rooms once everyday to ensure that they were fit for a Rookwood living, which meant that everything was always in its place, and everyone was clean enough for someone to roll about in or on. The House-Elves even had schedules, times of when it would be appropriate to enter certain rooms of the house. Cleaning of bedrooms had to be done in the day, and only in the day. Times at night were dedicated to the rest of the Manor, unless visitors came, which they often do, all for Augustus Rookwood. There were also the monthly tea party held by Charity on the Manor's grounds for the wives and children of the men that were Augustus acquaintances in one way or another. Everything was done for a reason, and Wizarding politics ran supreme. The men would huddle in discussion, and victims were brought in occasionally, while the women would gossip and indulge in less meaningful chatter. That was what the men assumed their wives to be doing, not knowing how interesting some of their lives were really. Kendall did not know, either. His father had nurtured him along with the company of the men.

Kendall watched, now, as Athena talked. He could not see her in the light of how he usually saw girls. He had tried, so hard. After all, what could be better than rendering a Slytherin girl, a seemingly ideal one at that, to the multitude of girls who had turned into pulp with him? He could not, however, render her so, and Athena's words sat well with him. He could relate to them. He nodded slowly in response to her. "Yes ... it has been strange. All ... this." He paused in thought of what he was to define this as. Kendall leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows at his knees, when Athena planted herself near the jacuzzi instead. "It's strange, certainly. But ..." He bit his lower lip, and sounded a little too serious. "Let's be strange." His eyes ran over the girl just as his hand ran through his hair, once again. It was too much of a habit.

"What stuffs?" He asked, curious at what Athena was referring to. "Inconsequential stuffs, the House-Elves keep them. I'll ask them whenever I need anything." He gestured to the space in the room. "I like space, sparse is good. There's a room just for my things, next to this." He made a random gesture as if to indicate the direction of that room. "We all have one." He paused. "Sidni has been getting more and more clothes. She's growing up, alright." It was weird, indeed. Kendall had always thought of his baby sister as just that -- a baby. To see her with make-up on recently, he did not know how he felt about it. He was protective over her. He was protective over his family. It was probably the only thing he was committed to.

Kendall reached down to slip his shoes off, and then his socks. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to dip in." He pointed to the jacuzzi. Standing up, he walked to the back of it and pressed at a switch. In that second, the waters came alive, bubbling from the water jets. Kendall stood where he was and stretched. He then shrugged his leather jacket off, and tossed it to the floor near his bed. The t-shirt he had on followed suit. And then, Kendall undid his belt buckles, and slipped his pants off. And then he paused. Good thing for them both, perhaps, was that he was standing behind the wall of the jacuzzi. While on usual days, Kendall would have slipped his briefs off without thought, he paused at it now. But what was he going to do? Go into the jacuzzi and let it get soaked? Shrugging, he slipped them off and tossed them to where the rest of his clothes was. Quickly, he came from the other side of the jacuzzi, so that he did not pass Athena. Still, he was in full view of her, before he stepped onto the seat of the jacuzzi, and sunk most of his body into the water. Once inside, Kendall dipped his head in, before letting it come up, running his hand through his wet hair now. Sighing in the comfort of how the water made him relax, Kendall sat himself down on the seat in the jacuzzi, let his arms rest on the edge, and let his head fall back to rest of the ground above the water.

For Athena, the whole experience was still leaving her quite cold and feeling more than a little bit rattled. She didn’t know how she was going to treat Darius whenever they came across one another again. From tonight she’d learned that she couldn’t count on Kendall to do anything other than just stand there and take Darius’ verbal bait. She wouldn’t go out of her way to associate herself with Darius anymore. If anything, the only half decent point Kendall had made was the one regarding the girls; the one that reminded Darius that they weren’t meant to mention how they were treated. That had hurt Athena the most. She had been content in deluding herself into believing she could make all of her own choices. She knew she couldn’t but she’d been rather happy believing that she could. She liked that little potential option. She knew it wasn’t one but she liked the idea of it. Being reminded by Darius that she was just a bargaining chip for her father had been more heart-wrenching than anything else.

And even as she sat there, Athena could feel tears begin to prick at her eyes. She brought her hand up and ran her fingers underneath both eyes, hoping to quell the tears before they found themselves determined to fall. She blinked rapidly and shook her head before bringing her hands back down either side of her. Athena brought her eyes to Kendall’s and she felt a smile tug her lips upwards at his words. Let’s be strange, he’d said; strange indeed. Athena laughed a little and drummed her fingers against the floor as she watched him carve his fingers through the thick head of dark hair on his head.

He spoke about the reason why the room was so empty and Athena took another look around. It was almost unsettling, almost. Kendall’s mark was still there. It wasn’t a completely soulless room. Athena loved mess. It showed the path humans took. Her House Elves on the other hand loathed her for making the mess she did around the house. From the library to her wing, tell-tale trails (or debris, as Brew preferred) were left behind, making it easier for them to track Athena. Often it was their only way of finding her tucked up in whatever corner of the manor she’d found that day. Her snail trails of books and parchment, quills and ink were what helped them find her and check that she was actually still in the land of the living. She had a lot to thank those House Elves for but she’d learned over time that if she tried, they’d just end up frying her hands instead of her food; and fried House Elf hands weren’t at all appetising.

The silence of Athena outwardly reflected the quiet in her mind. She was wistful, as ever, and her thoughts were a little bit on the gentle side as they entered her brain. It wasn’t a rush for all of them to see who was noticed first. They all just eased in, mirroring her relaxed shoulders and lazy smile. Athena blinked when Kendall spoke again and she jumped as she felt a blast of water hit that back of her legs. She lifted them slightly and pressed her feet against the jets, amused by the amount of water pressure there was thrusting against her feet, desperate to escape. Athena, with a smile, parted her knees and dropped her feet away so the water could be free. Athena brought her eyes upwards once more, only for them to widen at the sight of Kendall in a state of undress.

“Bloody hell. Give me some warning why don’t you?” Athena smirked and flicked her foot, splashing some of the water at him. “Ass.”

Kendall was raised with a purpose. He carried the purpose of Augustus Rookwood, who considered that his prime was over, waiting to manifest in the prime of his son's life. With the load of expectations weighing on him, it was all the commitment that Kendall could make. He had never complain. Rather, he dreamt what his father dreamt about, a fitting son for a man who got his aspirations for dark power snuffed out. Kendall had never anticipated a time when he would have to consider letting another commitment seep into his life. The evening at the Weasley House Party, however, challenged his stronghold. Kendall had experienced a kind of jealousy that he has never felt before, or rather, that he had no need for. The girls loved him, and when they changed their minds, he had already moved on to a couple of girls after them in line. Others went for the alcohol and the drugs to escape. His was the beautiful sex. And then, his anger at Darius for touching Athena and hurling words that even Kendall would not say out loud to a girl. Kendall was not a good person, but he never revealed his thoughts, which made him popular. Even if he thought that some Slytherin girls were trading goods, he had never saw Athena in that light. To hear Darius use her, as it seemed to him, tore him inside. The part or Kendall that had ran after Athena, and then ensure she came into his castle, his manor, was all his attempt to protect her. He wanted to shield her from Darius, he felt that part of him feel the need to do so. It was unsettling, now that Kendall could see it in this way, on hindsight. As much as everyone experienced a first time for everything, he was uncertain if this first was what he should make a last. After all, was this not distraction? 

When Athena laughed at his words, Kendall smiled, a spontaneous one that was genuine. It was not easy to see a smile on the girl's face, at least not when she was with the Slytherin bunch. And a laugh? It elicited that impulsive smile from him, revealing his pleasure from knowing he had played a part in making her laugh. She had been hurt, though she hid it well after how she broke down when she ran from the party. He had been at her party of misery, and for the first time, Kendall did not take secret joy in someone hurting. It was new, he did notice. Kendall, however, wanted to pretend now that he had not. He was going to feign the usual Kendall act -- the charmer, the lover, the winner -- his comfort zones.

Kendall was in the long attempt to reconcile these thoughts within himself, before they trailed off a little at Athena's reaction to his bare-nakedness. For a boy who was undressed so much with so many different girls, he was used to being comfortable in his own skin. Even without Quidditch and running, his activities with girls were sufficient to keep his body toned, fit for show and fit for strength. It was pity that someone who looked like that had one of the most cruel of minds. To Kendall, though, it all worked for him. Some dark forces had possibly conspired to imbue all that he had, only to serve their purposes. So while Kendall now sat comfortably in the jacuzzi, feeling the bubbling of the water jets, he laughed at Athena's surprise of seeing him in starkers. A smirk formed on his face. 

"Haven't you seen me in the nude before? I ..." He looked thoughtfully. "... don't remember. Have you got some Kendall-lovin before? Run it through me again, darling. There've been too many girls." Kendall chuckled, using his fingers to flick lightly at the surface of the water, sending little flickers to the girl. And then, he lifted himself from where he had sat at, and took the couple of steps separating him from Athena. Standing just in front of the girl's legs, Kendall smiled. What were girls when one could have Athena? It was not that he was going to give them up. But he would drop them if Athena wanted him at whatever moment, then return to them when she was busy. Kendall was positive that he would do that. With a hand, he reached out and held both of the girl's toes in each hand. He tugged at then lightly, and he asked cheekily, "afraid of tickles? If you are ... get into the water, or they'll come at you." Kendall grinned and waited.

With what little gold, silver and bronze Athena’s father had left, he was using it to buy up dark artefacts from places as near as Borgin and Burkes and as remote as a wizarding junk shop in Albania. Once he’d gathered his spoils, he stored them in all four corners of the sixteenth century manor that he had inherited upon his magical maturity. Each wing was warded and the wards attached were designed to repel all bar anyone with Goyle blood. The items were often boasted about to anyone that would listen. They kept the Death Eaters interested in their family. Athena knew that they were as much of a bargaining chip as she was but only she would be used once he’d frittered away the vanishing cabinets, the cursed jewellery and the little trinkets that were designed to kill, not maim. Everything Gregory Goyle possessed seemed to be a point of interest, from his wife to his daughter to his material objects. Everything had a price and he certainly couldn’t sell bruised goods.

Hence the reason why no one in their right mind would want to be Darius Flint that evening. Athena did not know whether the punishment Darius would receive was because Gregory loved his daughter or because she’d been offended and enlightened to her true use. Athena was more offended by the thought that her father assumed her too naive to work out what her job was. A broodmare, that was what she was, destined to create sons out of fear of not being able to do so, at whatever the cost to herself. Bruised she was, emotionally but certainly not physically and that was what mattered. Her father cared not for her opinions or her feelings towards any matter, let alone one that concerned herself. All that he was worried about was the idea that his little girl knew her primary use. He was worried she would rebel against it, no doubt. She’d put up with it for seventeen years, she wasn’t going to start pushing against him now.

After all, what was the bastard daughter of Gregory Goyle worth after all said and done? Nothing really; not even a single Knut.

And though dwelling wasn’t something that Athena enjoyed doing, the subject of her use was something she lent more thought than anything else. She was anxious, admittedly, but she was getting used to the idea of being married off to someone. She was weighing up her options within that too, hoping that she’d either get someone she could stand or an ancient wizard on the brink of death. She wouldn’t mind being a wealthy widower if it meant she would be left to her own devices. Darius was one worry. She knew her father wouldn’t hand her to him out of spite, only out of desperation. Then there were the Rosiers and the Dolohovs and the list continued on. Enough Death Eaters to leave all of the Pureblood women adequately sated. Athena had been asked time and time again who she wanted but every time she came up with very little in the way of an answer. She didn’t want any of them. She’d told Apolline that if she fancied oppression and near-constant pregnancy then she would tell her. She hadn’t though and so the lists of names persisted, much to Athena’s dismay.

Slowly, Athena emerged from the same thought pattern she’d been on for most of the evening. She dropped her eyes to the water and watched the ripples as she turned her feet just below the surface. She looked up again at the sound of Kendall’s voice and her eyebrows furrowed at his words. Ah yes, and there was the insult of sleeping with those on the damned lists - they always seemed to forget, as if Athena was mundane enough to forget. She’d done the routine a hundred times. A few more flirty exchanges before it was her job to remind said ‘gentlemen’ exactly when they made use of each other’s bodies. Then they’d distangle themselves and go about their business once more. And as amusing as it was for her to go through with that, it took to long. The insinuations took up precious time, she flirtation stretched across agonising seconds and the final event was too short.

Athena smirked at Kendall and quirked an elegant eyebrow at him. “Hmm. Was I that much of a bore that you allowed yourself to forget?” Athena asked lazily. “I’m wounded by your words, Mr. Rookwood.” Athena watched him as he moved towards her and her other eyebrow rose to match the height of the other. Her eyebrows dived back down towards her eyes as she frowned a him but a smirk soon spread across her face. Athena leaned forward, her eyes alight with amusement as she retorted, “Is that a threat or a promise?”

It had never really cross Kendall's mind on how his father never mentioned any suitors for him. Augustus was a lot more concerned on setting his son up for business, the Rookwood business. The boy had already been acquainted with the men who worked alongside his father, and people who were basically useful to Augustus. Sure, the subject of a suitable marriage had not been scarce. There seemed to be no rush, as if Augustus believed there were other more pressing issues. Kendall suspected that his father knew about his lifestyle, his lifestyle of recreation, and probably felt no need to disapprove. At least, not yet. Perhaps he was confident that his son would marry someone of good standing. After all, he was sure that he had made Kendall extremely eligible. The Rookwood wealth, if not for Kendall, was sufficiently attractive too.

All in all, no name ever came up when marriage in the future was mentioned. This, the boy certainly appreciated. At least he could relieve himself of the pressures of being, with this freedom. It was not until Kendall realised that something, no matter how small, he had for Athena - coupled with the knowledge that her father was looking for a suitor, fast - that he was now beginning to consider that future marriage seriously. Still, it was a line he did not think he should cross. The way he had felt when he saw the girl with Darius, and he was sure, any guy with Athena ... it was not a good feeling. Yet ... this see-saw was currently not doing Kendall any good. He needed to fix his mind on something less demanding.

Kendall, despite the serious thoughts threatening to well up in his head, was not one who wanted to render himself to a corner and mull over it. He was not going to allow himself to not enjoy the fact that Athena was in his bedroom. He was a do-er, as much as he was a thinker. And when it came to girls, the do-er always had the first and the last say. What was there about girls to think about anyway? They were there to be appreciated in action, which was exactly what he had in mind this very moment, if only he could enjoy it without the serious thoughts at the back of his head. As much as he wanted them temporarily buried, they were not out of sight. Kendall rubbed his fingers over Athena's toes, allowing them to ride the tips of the tender toes, before repeating the cycle. He eyed the girl when she responded to his deliberate question, before smirking in amusement.

"You can't expect me to remember any ... I've got so much responsibilities in my life, as it is ...." He chuckled. And then he let his fingers tickle the bottom of Athena's feet, before holding them firmly. Kendall winked at her before taking the girl's left foot with both hands, and beginning to press at the bottom of it gently. "Masseur at your service, Mademoiselleeeeeee...." Kendall half-cooed, half-chuckled, as his hands continued to knead her foot. "Mmmmmmmmm," he hummed and smirked, as he continued doing so. "And ... not neglecting the other ..." Kendall reached for Athena's other foot and did the same to it, allowing her left one to rest on the left side of his shoulder. Massage for a girl, it was not something he did often, but he definitely did some before. They were usually for the ones he liked a little more, although admittedly, the previous ones had asked, as opposed to the current one that he volunteered himself for.

"Might I suggest something more comfortable for the water?" Kendall asked amidst his ... work, eyeing the clothes that Athena had on her body. "Of course, a bathing suit can be brought here if you would like me to ... request for one." Kendall watched the girl, anticipating. "After all, I don't want to see those gorgeous clothes you've got on get wet." And then, without warning, he lunged forward and reached for more of Athena, before bringing her down into the water with him, putting his hands behind to ensure that she would not hit her head from the way he had simply yanked her down with him. The force had slammed the girl against him, given how Kendall had not moved away simply after pulling her down. The boy emerged from the water, laughing. And then he feigned a look of innocence. "Oh, no. I didn't mean to get them wet." He shook his head. "Dunno how I managed to slip backwards," Kendall feigned a look of confusion. "I lost my balance," he shrugged.

The battle of wits was something Athena always enjoyed when speaking with Kendall. It seemed as if they’d both brightened from that sombre bus trip and now the smirks and the vague amusement with regards to one another had returned to their faces. Kendall’s company was always enjoyable. Their words, though near constantly teasing, were never a mask of animosity between them. They were quite comfortable really. The cheekiness was part of their conversation, without it what was there left to say? Athena had made her peace with the fact that she did enjoy Kendall’s company. She didn’t want to admit it at first, maintaining that it was only Pricilla’s company she could just about stand, but perhaps a quick shag does in fact change things; and if it wasn’t that then those magazines definitely did.

Idly, Athena began to turn her feet in the water, purposely flicking droplets of water at Kendall every time her toes dipped up out of the water. She frowned at Kendall a little, watching his facial expressions carefully so as to gauge what he was going to get up to next. Athena smiled absent mindedly and brought her eyes around the room again as she continued to move her feet through the water. When Kendall spoke, her eyes tore from the odd bed he had and back to his face which was hardly the picture of innocence. He was up to something and she wasn’t entirely sure whether it was necessarily a good thing or a bad thing.

Athena let a gasp slip passed her lips when his fingers. She bit down on her lower lip and pulled her foot away, her cheeks heating up and reddening with embarrassment. Athena swallowed and glanced up hesitantly when he took her feet in a more forceful grasp. He was still tender though, not at all demanding in his movements. “You would do well to remember,” Athena managed a response as she licked her bottom lip, as if hoping to repair the small amount of damage her teeth had left behind. “Don’t you have a little black book or something? Multiple would be more accurate I expect, though. Still, I am offended you don’t remember. Do you need a reminder? I can describe it to you if you want.”

Athena rolled her head a little and closed her eyes as Kendall began to press his fingers against her foot. Massages most certainly did not come often and although a part of Athena was telling her to abort the mission, she really didn’t want to. Instead she did the opposite and pushed her foot into Kendall’s touch, encouraging him to continue. Athena laughed easily and reopened her eyes as she allowed herself to laugh a little more fully at his words. “And how much do you charge, Monsieur?” She asked him through her giggles. “Do you take Galleons or Pounds or Euros or would you prefer something else?”

The last massage Athena had received was from a man on Apolline’s payroll. The woman had decided in her infinite wisdom that her daughter-in-all-but-blood would enjoy a day at a spa. She hadn’t banked on Athena being bored out of her little mind because of it. The massage was about all she’d enjoyed and she most definitely wasn’t going to pass up this one just to irritate Kendall. It was relaxing her that ever bit more, drawing her shoulders down and making her breathing and heart beat slow down. The latter still seemed to be thumping rapidly due to the swirling emotions that were stressing nearly every part of her out. She was beginning to relax properly now though. The foot rub had definitely been a good call on his part -- bravo.

Athena’s eyebrows shot to her hairline at Kendall’s words. A bathing suit for a hot tub was a little bit ridiculous, even for her. She was prone to such irrationality but she was reminded, however unsettlingly, that Kendall was able to write ‘been there, done that’ next to her name in that little black book of his. He knew where those pesky little tats were if he cared to recall, something Athena wasn’t sure whether she should loathe him for or Pricilla as it had technically been her idea. It wasn’t the nudity that bothered her really....just the whole getting wet part. It seemed though, that Kendall was determined to take care of that for her. He threw her over the hurdle instead of encouraging her to vault it and before Athena even realised what had happened, she was emerging from the heated hot tub water that she’d been abruptly yanked into.

Blinking the water out of her eyes, Athena pushed herself away from Kendall who she had been thrown against as he’d dragged her down. Athena pressed her lips together and looked down at herself before crossing her arms over her chest and looking up to scowl at him. “You’re intolerable!” She scolded him. Despite her words though, she felt a smile tug at her lips and Athena launched herself towards him, planting her hands on his chest and pushing him with as much strength as she could muster, back under the water. He deserved it, she decided. It was his fault her ‘gorgeous clothes’ were ruined.

Before the fussings in his mind about Athena, before the pain of liking her too much would ensure, Kendall had this. He had no knowledge of the future. All he knew was the pleasure of the instant. Even now, then, he acknowledged her difference. She existed, to him, in difference to the others. Only she could impress him, almost as if he had met his match. It was not even as if Athena was the flame at the tip of the candle, at the tip of the cake. She was, in comparison to the cake that he was accustomed to, a taste like never before. It was unreasonable to even place her in relation to any parts on the other cake. She had to exist in juxtaposition to the one he was used to, the one that encompassed all of the encounters he had partaken of in his life of pleasure. And the juxtaposition was what made him want too much, and made the want grow too much, later.

The last thing Kendall could do was to forget his encounters with Athena. Even if he wanted to try, later, it would fail terribly. He could, however, feign it now for amusement. After all, the girl's reaction made him chuckle. And then he replied, "how could I bear to throw you into my little black book? You, Athena Goyle. I don't think I can contain you in a book." He was between tickling and kneading her toes. "I couldn't bear to. It's too small for you." Kendall grinned at the praise he heaped at her. "Ooo, but that offer," he continued in a contemplative tone of voice. "Please, do describe the multiple times to me. I would love to hear them. They must have been really good." He shrugged in jest, as if attributing the good to himself. That was before he launched himself on Athena, only to launch her into the water.

Kendall chuckled, only to allow it to burst into laughter, as soon as the girl emerged from the water. It was a funny sight, looking at what he had done, making her drenched through her clothes. He was about to react to her pushing him away, catching a glimpse of the smile that forced itself through the front of annoyance she was putting up, when Kendall found himself pushed under the water. He was still in between laughter, and the sudden attack made him swallow quite a bit of water when his head was forced into it. Holding back the reflex of water rushing past his throat, Kendall reached for Athena and pulled her down with him. He grinned at her, underwater, before pulling both of them out of it again. And then he chided her mockingly, "you're so immature!"

Kendall laughed, and reached a hand up to sweep some of the water off his face, so that his eyes were not overwhelmed by the drippings of it. And then he ran his fingers through his wet hair that had lost its fluffiness, sticking to the shape of the top and the back of his head instead. Looking at Athena's wet clothes once again, Kendall commented, "very nice bathing suit, Thea. Is it in season?" And then, rubbing his chest with both hands, he puffed it up and said, "mine is always in season." Kendall continued to look at the girl. A cheeky grin was plastered on his face again. He watched her, as he took slow steps to walk towards her in the water. It was not until he was just an inch away from Athena that Kendall stopped. He raised his eyebrows and let them fall back down quickly, before he leaned closer to the girl.

"Hi," he whispered, maintaining the grin on his face. Near him, Kendall could feel the faint force of a water jet directing towards his side. The time of a cycle of bubbling in the jacuzzi would last for fifteen minutes. It was just reaching half a cycle, now.

Being lumped in with the other brainless Hufflepuffs and supposedly ‘creative’ Ravenclaws was never going to sit well with Athena. She was quietly quite grateful she hadn’t been an absent-minded scrawl so as to document yet another chink in the bedpost. Something had changed but Athena couldn’t be sure what it was. She wanted the party to be the furthest thing from her mind but it was far too fresh. She was sure it was that, what else was there? Certainly the sex had done nothing to change his opinion of her and her of him. He was still a cocky asshole and she not someone anyone in their right mind would want to cross for fear of their wellbeing. Somehow, even just a little bit, their opinions of each other had changed and Athena was willing to bet a handful of the last Galleons her father had that it was due to the party and their interactions building up to that point. Something differed now but Athena still didn’t quite know what, even if she was sure of the cause.

For a moment, Athena allowed herself a grin at managing to push Kendall under the water but not a second later she was dragged under with him. Athena frowned purposely at his grin while they were submerged in the warmth of the water. Athena’s face broke out into a grin of her own at Kendall’s words and she allowed a small laugh in response before retorting, “Says he who pulled me into the Jacuzzi! You deserved it!” Athena pushed Kendall again but put little weight behind it, meaning it to be little more than a gentle scolding. “You cheated!” She told him, a slight lilt to her voice as her amusement betrayed the seriousness she tried to portray in her accusation.

Athena swept her hair out of her eyes and curled it behind her ears before lifting her eyes upwards, half expecting the little ringlets around her temples to have already formed. She looked down at her clothes and pursed her lips a little before looking up and scowling playfully at Kendall. Athena tugged at the sodden hem of her shirt before pulling it up a little. Athena shrugged her shoulders, figuring that whether she liked it or not she was going to end up stark-bollock naked. Athena rolled her shirt up over her stomach before peeling away from the rest of her torso. Athena dropped it onto the side which was technically the floor and turned her eyes back to Kendall, a smirk tearing at her lips as she looked at him.

“Well I don’t know...” Athena responded carefully, looking down at herself. Her smirk widened and she glanced up at Kendall again. “The shirt was alright before someone pulled me in here. Did you see him? I might have to hex him. He’s an evil little sod -- needs a good slap. Guess I’ll just have to go without any form of bathing suit.” Athena pretended to tsk mournfully before shrugging her shoulders and bringing her hands to the button of her shorts. She now understood Pricilla’s reasoning for the lack of clothes. Athena had insisted on knickers but Cilla had nearly made her go without them as well as the bra that the blonde Slytherin had decided needed to be whipped off at the last minute.

Athena looked up and frowned at how close Kendall had actually gotten. She soon smirked at him though and tipped her head forward a little before stage-whispering her own greeting of, “Hello!” Athena smirked and dropped herself down a little in the water so that it came up over her shoulders. Athena shook her head and wriggled a little, pulling off her shorts and her knickers. She tossed them on top of her shirt and raised an eyebrow at Kendall. “Content now, darling? I’m in.” Athena laughed a little and shook her head again before flicking some water at Kendall. “So what next? I’m in here. What was your next great plan?”

Above all, one must never forget to have fun. Kendall, having found his childhood consisting of whatever Augustus wanted him to be exposed early to, had to find joy in ways that most of the children his age would not have experienced. No matter how adult the theme, or no matter how an activity was meant to be serious, one must seek fun, even between the blinds of it. In other words, one must do what one is supposed to do. Duty was a necessary thing, unless one was not born into importance. But everything was a matter of perspective. He could choose to suffer in his obligations, or alter his perceptions of fun to tailor to the necessary tasks that he had to partake of. As such, Kendall was not a boring person. Like his father, he had a warped sense of humour and pleasure. Unlike his father, he knew how to take care of himself during reprieves from duty. Or at least, Kendall believed, he knew how to. His ability to play, retaining even a feigned child-like trait in his character, was probably what endeared him to people. One expected a Rookwood boy to be serious and very much a threat. Instead, he gave them fun and hid the threat.

Kendall laughed at Athena's response, the ringing of his amusement resounded all over the room. For all of the acts he had put up, this one was not one. With girls, the schemes were laid to rest, unless he had something he wanted from them, something more than the usual gratification. It had never been so, though. There was never once, yet, that he needed information or something of that sort. There had been no tasks, especially not needing the help of any girl, yet. When Athena pushed him again, Kendall feigned injury, stumbled backwards, and sat back at the perch in the jacuzzi, a few steps behind him. Quickly enough, though, he was on his feet again, inching closer and closer to the girl, never wiping a cheeky grin off his face. He had intentions, surely. Kendall was never one without, and Athena had almost always been astute about them. It was as if she knew him. How did he let her know him that well? Of course, he had to continue to ascertain that he kept most of himself, just to himself. Or at least, to his father. It was never wise to be so revealing.

The boy was, however, becoming more and more revealing now. And this is not even in reference to the fact that he had dipped himself into the jacuzzi without any clothes on. It was, rather, the emotions on his face. Or at least, the desire. Kendall felt his eyes widen when Athena teased her top up. His eyes shot to the girl's torso, before following the movement of her clothing up, up, up, and off. It was bizarre. He had gone for the Weasley Party, expecting to have another girl with him by the end of the night. He did not expect the prized one to be at his place, like now. Kendall blinked and stared, blinked and stared, as if this was a body he had never known before, although it was something he did know, even when he feigned the loss of memory of it earlier. When Athena's hands moved to the button of her shirts, Kendall felt his jaw drop for a moment, before he quickly closed it back up. After all, he was supposed to be the one who had seen it all and done it all, not only with her, but with many. Why, then, was he acting as if he was a novice?

Kendall tried to retain his usual composure, smirking a little, and trying to answer her question in the best way that he could manage. "Who was he? I think he did a wicked job, didn't he? I mean, look at what has just happened!" Kendall licked his lips and continued to take in the sight of Athena. "I'll say he did a fantastic job," and then he reached a hand over his shoulder, to pat himself on the back. "Good boy!" He watched as Athena dropped herself slightly lower into the water, letting the water caress her shoulders, and her neck. And then, she was all ... bare. He squeezed his eyes for a moment and grinned when she flicked some water his way. Kendall took a step closer, as if he was not close enough already, and let his right elbow rest on the side of the jacuzzi, while leaning towards Athena. Kendall was trying to contain whatever excitement he was feeling, although his distance from her, or the lack thereof, would betray him any time now.

"Isn't it bold of you, darlinggggg," he cooed at Athena, close to her left ear. " ... matching me at ... this," he shot his eyes to his own body, and then hers. Kendall smirked. If a house-elf came in any moment now, he would ensure its death in seconds. It was a good thing that they obeyed the schedule that he had given them a long time ago --- no entry after midnight. No one was going to bother them, not his parents, and not his sister. Kendall had all the privacy in the world. Nothing could beat the privacy and the luxury of home, not until the next morning. But he would worry about that later. Kendall had greater things on his mind now. He could not tear his gaze off Athena. He, however, wanted something more than the usual.

"Let's play a game then," he started again. "There is no great plan, my dear." He ran the fingers of his left hand through his hair again. "Just a game, a simple one. Winner gets to do whatever he wants." Of course, Kendall had said he. He expected himself to win, although some part of him was attempting to tell him that he was in serious danger of losing this game. He heeded that, not. Kendall smirked as the game formed in his mind, and he imagined it already. "No hands," he raised both of his slightly higher than his chest-level. "Words ... lips ... they're the only ways to play the game." He chuckled. "The first one who loses self-control, the first one who touches with hands, loses the game." Of course his game was going to be skewed to that one thing in his mind. "How does that sound, to you?" He offered a cocky grin to the girl, so sure that he was already the winner. Kendall had experience. Then again, so did she. She had surprises that had managed to impress even he.

The lack of self-control that Athena was exercising would have burst a vein in Apolline’s forehead. The woman firmly believed that the root of all evil lay within her husband’s bastard child. Of course like all Pureblood women scorned by their husband’s promiscuity, Apolline was able to put on a fantastic front of a loving, doting mother. The reality was much different; no matter how well both women played the game. Only a handful of people knew the factual version of how Athena came to be. It took months for Apolline and Gregory to weave stories into the papers that Apolline had merely been using a special design of robes to conceal her pregnancy. Athena had never been trusted with the knowledge of her mother’s identity and she also hadn’t been told who had been privy to the whole story, no doubt for fear of her ever finding out who her mother was. Yet, for some bizarre reason Gregory let her go on knowing that Apolline was not her mother and therefore an enemy of some kind.

If she were to be honest about it then Athena did not want to go home in the morning. Apolline would chide her until she finally collapsed into her bed come nightfall. The woman would never let her live down the fact that it was by Athena’s idiocy that she didn’t get a shag that night. Because it didn’t matter that her husband’s daughter’s night had been ruined because the psychopath friend she had decided it would be best if he reminded her of her primary use. No, that wasn’t a problem at all was it? Just to spite the pair of them further, Athena would no doubt spend the morning denying another round of supposedly eligible (or rather, whoever was left) pureblood young men that were willing to put up with marry her. It would be a difficult day tomorrow, Athena was sure and although she wanted to focus on the present, her mind was wandering.

There was also the small issue that neither of her parents knew where she was. She knew that her father would be busy with Darius but she wondered as to whether Apolline would notice her absence. The latter was about as likely as her father noticing she wasn’t in the manor. They were so caring. Still, Athena couldn’t think of a better place to be at the moment. Kendall was impartial - or as impartial as he could be at that stage. She knew that despite however willingly Ariadne and Pallas would take her in for the night or for the rest of the summer - whatever worked for her at the time - they’d no doubt insist on knowing every single detail before ferrying her off into the care of their daughters who in turn would want the story relayed to them before Aegaeon decides he too wants the story told to him. It would be an endless circle and it wasn’t worth it. It wouldn’t be long before she was expected to show her face at home and explain and endure Apolline’s scolding. Until then, however, she’d forget about it all -- or at least try to.

Emerging from her train of thought, Athena looked at Kendall with hooded eyes. A sultry smirk licked its way across her lips and she allowed a laugh to pass them as she lifted her chin a little higher. “Well what do you know?” Athena drawled slowly. “You’re right. Aren’t you a lucky boy?” Athena’s smirk widened and she reached up to Kendall’s face. She pinched his cheek between his thumb and forefinger and cooed patronizingly before laughing and pushing herself through the water away from him. Athena turned around at his proposition and she lifted her hands up, mimicking him as he explained the game. “You don’t honestly think you’re going to win do you?” Athena asked gently, tipping her head to the side as she did so.

Athena brought her lower lip between her teeth and smiled a half smile at Kendall before stepping forward. She released her lip from between her teeth and brought her tongue across it before dropping her eyes down the length of his body. “I think...” Athena murmured slowly, lifting her eyes back up to his, “That you should go first. I might as well give you the advantage, eh? Help you out a bit...” Athena smiled sweetly at him and despite the visage of innocence, red pointed horns and a tail of the same scarlet hue would not have been out of place.