my way

Eleanor glanced up when she felt someone come up to her, sensing their presence more than any ability to hear it over the music or anything. Her smile only grew when Decius pushed a drink towards her, rarely one to turn down a drink much less a free drink. And it seemed that Decius had remembered what she drank which helped. “It was a pleasure,” she laughed, holding up her glass to cheers with his. 

She laughed again, glancing around the room. “Oh I’m sure there will, you look great,” she replied. “Anyone particular you’re hoping to catch the eye of?” she asked, taking a sip of the drink.

He had been circling this evening, trying to keep an eye on what was going. It was fair to say after the events of the last ball. Decius Flint felt tense, as though every eye was on his move. Due to both the events of the last ball and the fact that he was an eligible bachelor. He was the Flint heir, it was only normal that parents were trying to engage in conversation with him. It was slightly overwhelming, having to make excuses just to find a few minutes to speak with his friends or cousins. “I couldn’t have picked such a outfit myself, I probably would have shown up in last-years robes. How humiliating.” 

“Thank you, as do you.” Decius said graciously, there was no doubt in Decius’ mind that his aunt would have been scoping the surroundings trying to find a match for Eleanor and Victor. “Not quite...” A lie, his heart was set out for Anastasia Dupont. A notion he was trying his best to ignore. “How about you? Any fair suitors catching your eye?” 

where : the bar of east india house. 

Earlier in the week, Decius had been struggling to find an outfit for the Pura Sorores Ball. It was uncommon for him to be seen in an outfit lighter than black, never mind something pastel. Did pastel colour suit anyone? It certainly washed him out. He had been set on not going, due to the outfit memo and the idea of it being a match-making ball. Until he sought out the help of Eleanor, his younger cousin. Eleanor always had a flare for the dramatics, a flare that had paid off evidently. He had been getting stares since he entered into the ballroom. 

Sliding a drink towards his younger cousin, Decius glanced around the room. “I have to thank you for your outfit choice, it seems to have paid off,” He chuckled, “I haven’t gotten a match yet but I’m sure there’ll be somebody.” 

where: the grande ballroom of east india house

Decius toyed with the cuffs of his jacket as he cast a glance across the ballroom. He had been trying to avoid memories of the Yule Ball, a night which hadn’t ended in any sort of yuletide celebrations. Arriving at the ball, Decius was hopeful for a good time with some of his friends. Hopeful that the champagne would be flowing and that his evening wouldn’t end in a missing sister and hours of auror questioning. Whilst it was a match-making ball, Decius could still have fun with it.  After all, he hadn’t come with a date. He could dance with anybody he wanted. 

Catching a glimpse of Rowena Rowle across the ballroom, Decius smiled to himself. Lifting two flutes of champagne off of a passing server’s tray, he made his way towards her. “Rowena..how has your evening been?” Decius greeted, offering her the flute of champagne. “You look....amazing. 

Decius Egbert Flint Pura Sorores 1983.

wearing the lightest clothes you will ever see him in.

Currently : horrified at not wearing black or burgundy.

“In your daddy's nice car, yeah, you're livin' the life

Got a pretty face, pretty boyfriend, too

I wanna be you so bad, and I don't even know you

All I see is what I should be

who: @eleanoryaxley​

Decius was waiting on his cousin, Eleanor Yaxley, he hadn’t had as much one on one with her in comparison with his other cousins. Something that Decius couldn’t help but feel guilty about, especially being the Flint Heir. With news of the upcoming ball, Decius had invited her shopping. Knowing they both had a flare for the dramatics when it came to fashion.  Glancing at his watch, he was always early. In fear of making a bad impression or missing something interesting. A polite smile came across his features when he noticed Eleanor approaching.

“Ah I see you are ready to give your eldest cousin a makeover?” He teased, “if you do good, I may just hire you as my personal shopper.” 

  @alicexyen​

Alice was surprised to see that Decius hadn’t taken the bait and fought back with her. Usually all it took to get the blood purists worked up was a few choices words. Alice knew that well as she’d been guilty of taking her anger out on them many times. It seemed like the most productive release of it in her eyes, but it was no fun when they didn’t play the game. Had Decius really deserved her anger, not really, after all it did take two to tango. Still she could be angry at him for every muggleborn him and his friends had laughed at and mocked. Right now though, there was no point in fighting any longer, he clearly wasn’t going to bite. At his retort she simply rolled her eyes. 

She equally knew that Decius probably wasn’t all that bothered by her quick exit. No more so than a mild hit to his ego anyway. He clearly one purist who stuck by the rules of etiquette they all claimed they lived by. It was funny how quickly those rules could be bent when it suited them. “I’m sure you’ll survive” it still came out a little hostile “look, i’m sure this is perfectly obvious by now but i’d rather we kept what happened just between ourselves.” Her friends certainly wouldn’t approve “I would think that was best for both of us”

@deciusflint​

“You never know, I might not.” He teased, glancing around the bar. He knew that whatever happened between him and Alice wasn’t going to go any further. But he was still enjoying the banter of it all. Although Decius was fairly sure that he was dealing with it more lighthearted than Alice. It had just been a bit of harmless fun, a night where they both forgot about their friends and enjoy the date that had been set up by Grizel Hurtz. Nothing more, and nothing less. Shrugging his shoulders, he cast his gaze back at Alice. 

“It was Valentine’s Day, if I was going to tell anybody I would have already.” Decius pointed out. Besides, it was for the best that it remained solely between them. “Don’t worry, my lips are sealed.” @alicexyen​ 

As soon as he saw Decius’ face, Jonathan had been fully prepared to turn around and pretend he had never spoken. He mentally cursed as Decius responded, realizing ignoring him wasn’t an option anymore. “Yet here you are,” Jonathan muttered, “happens to be a prime spot for people like you to drown their worries, away from society’s eyes.” he continued as he harshly swiped the whiskey glass away. Once refilled, he placed it back in front of Decius roughly, droplets splashing up from the glass onto the bar top. Glancing towards the other again, all Jonathan could see were the features he shared with his sister; it made it annoyingly hard to keep this ages old grudge up. The pub was quite empty in the current moment, he didn’t feel the need to worry about his attitude towards patrons.| @deciusflint​

If Decius had of been in better form, he would have gone anywhere but the White Wyvern.  Opting for a place with more sophistication and grace, like the Grave Affair. Merlin, even the Leaky Cauldron had more comfortable interiors that this joint.  However, it seemed fitting that in a night of misery, Decius would go to the most miserable place he knew. Glancing up at Jonathan, he inwardly scoffed. Evidently, with the most pitiful staff.  “What do you mean? I came here for the fine decor and exceptional customer service.” A quick sarcastic quip, one to mask the  the sinking feeling in his stomach. An annoyance at the assumption that Jon knew anything about his worries.  Decius glanced up at the bottles on the shelf, “yet here I am,..” Wiping the droplets of Whiskey from the side of his glass with his expensive shirt. This was bound to stain.  If Decius hadn’t already felt defeated, he would have suggested Jon to foot the bill. “Oh how the mighty have fallen.” A mumble as he took a sip of his whiskey. 

She was very young the first time she met Decius; so young that her cousin’s friends had all seemed so grown and important.  Whenever anyone would listen she wanted to show off her tricks, her wandless magic and the other sorts of African magic her mother had taught her.  It made her feel like she was a part of it all, but most payed minimal attention, giving her a few moments of their time before returning to their conversations.  Decius had never been like that.  He felt like her friend and not just Thorfinn’s.  He listened to her, and he helped her feel a part of everything, even when she was so much younger than the rest of them.  

“We do,” she agreed, glancing up at the sky.  “but there is something quite lovely about the rain too.  Just perhaps not getting stuck in the midst of it.  Especially when it will ruin my brownies.”  

“I’ve been well, just busy.”  She sighed, wishing she could commiserate about her work and the chaos that the Department of Mysteries had been in the past few weeks.  But she could only share the bare minimum.  “I understand.  I’m sorry, I’m sure that must be difficult.  Would you like a brownie?  Chocolate always makes difficult tasks a bit easier for me.”  She gestured to the dish full on the bench between them.  “I decided to take my lunch break outside today.”

Although, Decius had quite a wide social circle, a lot of them felt like friends of the Flint name rather than Decius himself.  Growing up, there had been a lot of pureblood children around the same age as him, ones that Decius simply acquainted with and others that he formed bonds with. Bonds that were still currently intact. Thorfinn had been one of the first that Decius bonded with, a bond that would be mimicked upon meeting his younger cousin, Rowena. He recalled watching her demonstrations of her wand-less and magic tricks with awe, Rowena had him beat in the talent department even with their seven year age difference. 

A fond smile on his features, he nodded. “There’s a certain comfort about being tucked away on a winter’s night watching the rain rather than being drenched in it.” Decius pointed out before chuckling. “If the rain ruined your brownies, I would have to pick a fight with the elements.” 

It should have been me. That alone made Rosalie’s heart shatter. She couldn’t envision anything worse than that. She would have suffered time after time if it had meant that her brother didn’t feel an ounce of misery. There was so much she hadn’t been able to shelter him from already. Both of them were victims of the circumstance, with Rosalie’s woeful sorrows and their shared uncertainty, equally haunted by what had occurred. But now, they had each other.

That meant everything.

“No… no, don’t say that. Never say that.” Rosalie shook her head, rebuking the mere notion. It was ludicrous. “You are not to blame. None of what happened is your fault. I need you to know that.”

You are not to blame, words that rang in his head like alarm bells. Decius may not of been the one to abduct his sister. But he surely set the scene. If he hadn’t of been chasing after Anastasia that night, would things have been different? Would Rosalie be out enjoying dinner with her friends rather than cooped up, under the watchful eye of both himself and their parents? Merlin knows that the two of them had spent enough time behind a door in Flint Manor. 

Shaking his head, Decius felt his lip begin to tremble. 

A notion that would have been critiqued or criticised by his parents. The Flint Heir doesn’t cry. But there he was, reduced to a trembling lip and a watery eye at his sister’s words. If only she knew, knew that he lied to the aurors. He was meant to protect her.  Decius had failed. “I won’t let anybody hurt you...” Decius spoke finally, voice cracking under the strain of trying to hide his tears. “I will be there...from-from now on I will be there.” @foolgraves​ 

Decius Flint was truly perfect with his sparkling eyes and soft looking hair.  One day she’d touch it.  Maybe.  Or maybe she’d simply imagine running her hands through it; was it actually as soft as it looked or would it be sticky with some sort of product or potion?  Either was fine… perfect.   She sat on her hands, not sure she trusted herself not to reach out and touch his hair.

She wasn’t sure when her crush had begun.  Maybe it was around her third year?  Those days she spent trailing after Thorfinn, most of his friends looking at her like she was an annoying child that they couldn’t be bothered with.  But Decius hadn’t been like that.  He asked her questions, spoke to her like she was a friend and not an annoyance.  He was perfect, and she couldn’t help but look at him with stars in her eyes; and a fair amount of awkwardness, if she were being truly honest with herself.

“Hopefully the shine part of that sticks around for a bit longer.”  She smiled at him, running her own hand through her own hair, scooting over to make a bit more space for him on the edge of the bench.  “It’s been awhile.”  she said, wrinkling her nose a she searched for the last time they had been together.  “What brings you here?”

Rowena had always been a close friend of his.  While his close friendship with her cousin, Thorfinn was the primary reason for their introduction. He had always considered the woman a friend in her own right. There was a fondness surrounding Rowena.  They could talk without feeling as though their conversation was forced or pressured, a simple advantage that made all the difference in such a society. 

While there would be many family friends that he would walk past without a mere glance. Rowena Rowle would never be one of those people. First getting to know her as Thorfinn’s cousin, and later developed a friendship through their close links in the Slytherin Quidditch Team. He enjoyed their conversations.   Sometimes even more than his conversations with Thorfinn. 

A warm smile on his face as he sat, glad to get a breather from the hustle and bustle of working London. “Hopefully, we deserve some good weather...” Decius nodded at Rowena’s statement. “Far too long, how have you been?” He inquired, tilting his head. “I was visiting the ministry...just to ensure things are ticking smoothly with the investigation” Much to no avail, Decius was beginning to question if they had no information or the information wasn’t for his ears. “What are you doing around these parts?”  @rowenarowle

His sister, the Flint family, damnit, Clarice blanched, “Rosalind Flint” she cursed the name under her breath as everything clicked into place. Eyes flicking briefly towards the exit, Clarice silently debated making her excuses and ditching. She didn’t owe this man anything, and this case was following her around like a bad penny— her thoughts came to an abrupt stop as she caught sight of the money. The bribe. She scoffed. She never should have taken this case, and was about to tell Decius that when she caught sight of his pleading eyes. Sometimes, she really hated her conscience. Clarice nodded thankfully at the bartender as they handed her her drink, taking a small sip relishing in the burn.

“Take a seat” she grumbled, pressing the bottom of her glass against the bribe, “I’ll take the scotch as an apology,” the fold of money was thicker than expected, she was almost impressed. This was far from the first time someones attempted to bribe her, but it was definitely the most impressive one. Rolling her eyes, she slid her glass towards Rosas brother, pushing the money with it “but I don’t take bribes.”

Hearing Clarice whisper his sister’s name, brought a flicker of hope to Decius. There hadn’t been many updates on the case and since his sister’s return. It seemed that there had been little movement on trying to figure out what actually happened. Booker Bagnold had managed to cause a stir, and his death was still the topic of concern. Whereas, Decius felt his sister’s abduction had faded to the back of the ministries mind. As though, the attacker wasn’t out there. With the possibility of striking at any given moment. He was on edge, with a concern like no other he had felt. Partially due to the guilt of leaving his sister that night. A guilt that would probably would never fade. 

He felt rude, interrupting her on her free-time. But it was the only way. A wash of relief flooding his every sense as Clarice grumbled for him to sit. Decius smiled softly, careful not to push the boundaries. He slid the money back into the inner pocket of his blazer. An opportunity like this could be retracted at any given time. Meaning that Decius was willing to go along with Clarice’s orders. “Thank you, I appreciate it.” He nodded, his tone low. “I suppose...I just want to know if there has been any progression. I want to find out who done this.” @claribault