dedgulung "vexed italicizing trouble magnet" black (regulus) wrote in blurred_lines, @ 2008-10-31 09:59:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! [1979-10] october, bellatrix lestrange (née black), regulus black |
RP Log: Regulus & Bellatrix
who → Regulus Black & Bellatrix Lestrange.
what → His dear cousin Bella was hurt, so Regulus wants to visit and see how she is...without actually daring to ask how she is. Naturally, Bella cannot resist the temptation to intimidate him. We know the drill.
when → Friday, 31 October 1979; morning.
where → Lestrange Manor; Norfolk, England.
warnings → None.
status → Complete.
For most of the week, what exactly had happened on the Saturday between Regulus's brother and oldest cousin had been a mysterious matter, shrouded in uncertainty. A great deal of that uncertainty was addressed in his Non-Conversation with Sirius over the journals, but rather than feeling any better about the situation, he wished quite strongly that he would have just waited for someone on his own side to tell him. The conclusion was a logical one -- something that should seem far more obvious in practice than it typically did when he saw a ward addressed to him, especially after all of the terrible things that seemed to happen whilst acknowledging Sirius Black. The idea that Bellatrix had threatened him to Sirius was an unnerving one, and despite how he wished to say it was a lie, if she did know about the minor indiscretions, it was not exactly unbelievable...He could not help but feel a shaken fear that she did know, that whatever the worse than death suggestion would soon realise itself in a way Regulus was not interested in experiencing, but despite that nervousness, he could not bear to let her go unvisited now that she was awake. She might be a rather more intimidating presence than Narcissa was, but Bella was his cousin and she had nearly died...because of Sirius, which was another matter entirely... After securing his permission to visit, making the trip and winding his way through the halls as he was directed to the room she was being kept in, Regulus worked to calm his mind, though with the loss of such anxiety gave more room to think about the stabbing itself -- he rather wished he could just clear his mind altogether. There was an unfortunate lack of time to lament this, and with the comforting twist of his sleeves into his hands, Regulus lifted up one and gave three raps on the door, quiet and swift. Proving to be a rather difficult patient, Bellatrix had foregone lying in bed much further than her full second day of consciousness. She was not so querulous as to demand mobility, for she was not entirely sure she could make it more than a few unsupported, shuffling steps, but her ego could no longer allow her to cast her gaze upward whenever someone came into her presence. So, while Regulus was approaching her room, she was arranged rather neatly on a chaise lounge with a table within her reach. Upon it was a stack of material to occupy her mind as well as her stock of potions. Her colour was less peaked, though still rather drawn and pale. A voluminous quilt covered her lap. At the sound of the rapping of the door (for she had some prior warning from the servants), she smoothed her black silk robe and arranged a well-behaved curl behind her ear. "Come in, Regulus." When he slipped into the room, his cousin was not quite the horrid, ailing image he had feared; as unnerved as he was by her intimidating demeanor, the idea of imagining her on the brink of death was perhaps even more alarming. Pressing his lips tightly together into a pursed line, he crossed the floor to where she was lounged, hesitating a moment before sitting in a nearby chair. "Hello, Bella." The words are you alright floated behind his teeth before he thought better of the question. Would she wish to reference it? He would allow her to determine… But she was not of the disposition to make this exchange easy on him. Nodding solemnly, she folded her hands on her lap and took a shallow breath. "And hello to you, Regulus." When nothing but silence followed the greeting, that unnerved feeling resettled more firmly in his stomach. Several long, drawn and gaping moments passed before Regulus came to the conclusion that she was not going to continue -- and if he waited long enough for her to continue, he predicted that whatever she had to say would not be pleasant. Knitting his brows together, he pushed from his thoughts the memory of Sirius's explanations (Bella was not going to threaten him...) and attended his gaze to the quilt. It was a nice quilt. "...What happened?" he finally asked. After all, he of course had not spoken to Sirius -- but he had spoken to Cissa. Was he supposed to admit to that? Had she been allowed to say anything? He should have asked her... "I attempted to sever your former brother's contact with this family," she said quite simply. "Permanently." A shrug of her shoulders brought a wince of pain to draw her face tight, but it was quickly smoothed over by an imperious scowl. "I have lost patience with his antics." I suppose it did not work? crossed his mind before he once again thought better of it. Even if it hadn't, pointing out the shortcoming seemed not only unwise as far as the familial trait of pride went, but also drew unnecessary attention to Sirius's still-breathing state... "He can be rather meddlesome..." "As, I am sure," she quickly snapped, "you're aware." A pause schooled her features once again into the vestiges of cool passivity. She was to be still. This is what Antonin told her. Great amounts of stress could set her healing back. "I did it for you, Regulus. So he would no longer be the albatross hanging about your neck." Wincing, Regulus kept his eyes trained on the quilt as he made an effort to keep his mental footing. There was no need to panic. She was not plotting a fate worse than death...she just wanted to help...because she cared about Regulus's well-being, no matter what Sirius said in his obvious bias. "I am very grateful, Bella. He is very bothersome. I apologise for causing you the trouble," came his quiet and measured response. Her brow rose considerably - is bothersome? "Howso, my young cousin? Do tell your Bella." Regulus paused hesitantly. "Howso what?" "How is he bothersome?" It was obvious that he could not take too much time to think about the question without raising suspicion, so allowing time for only a brief filter of all <>obviously</i> dangerous answers, he responded, "To start, his continued existence is bothersome. That you felt he should be silenced and further severed is a testament in itself that there is a justification, as I know to trust that you do what is necessary. I think he is under the impression that trying to interfere will somehow keep him a part of the family he scorned, but that is obviously not the case." Her voice was measured as she replied, eyes keen to read Regulus's body for his reaction. She had not cast Legilimens on her cousin out of respect for his family position - but if she had an inkling of his continued contact with Sirius - while she was yet healing from her wounds - she would have no compunctions about breaching that privacy. "Does he interfere with you, Regulus?" No silence, no silence, no silence -- relax -- keep talking. "He has made his typical attempts to. Perhaps it would please him to drag me through the mud and muck with him, but I have no intention of allowing it." Calm. "I have responsibilities to uphold." Never again, not anymore. He was now, once again, no longer speaking to Sirius, so it was true. He wasn't going to permit his life to fall apart, and if he had possessed the faintest shadow of a doubt (though Rodolphus rarely left him feeling doubtful about his own course of action), Bella certainly had a way of taking care of the rest... Pausing to regard him for a long moment, she finally decided that Legilimens would not be necessary at this time. She did not wish to breach that trust with him. And, well, he seemed honest enough. "I am glad to hear it, Regulus. I would be loathe to show you just how committed I am to ensuring this family's status - for, I fear that it would disproportionately shake your sensibilities - no matter what the cost. Sirius's regrettable actions will not drag our family through the muck and mire if we present to him a front united against his despicably profane behaviour." A soothing calm began smoothing the edges of Regulus's anxiety as his claims went unquestioned. Perhaps it had been foolish to believe Sirius; Bella did not want to hurt him...She did not suspect him, or she would not allow such an opportunity to pass -- one that was private enough, that was near enough to a traumatic event to have the optimum effect...She had fought for their family just as Regulus fought for his family, and Sirius had not -- or perhaps he had proven himself thus far regarding his not telling everyone about the Hogwarts battle, but the point was that Regulus could not allow one attempt to protect him outweigh what he knew was right and what he knew he had to do. "We are a family, and he cannot weaken our solidarity. He cannot turn his back on us and expect to be allowed opportunity time and time again to interfere, acting as though things are the way they were two years ago," Regulus said with a quiet firmness, pressing his lips together. "Yes, Regulus," she said, her voice crisp despite the weariness the visit was inflicting on her still healing body. "And never forget it." "I will not," he said, finally turning up his gaze to look at her. "He and his nasty friends have caused us enough suffering. We shan't offer affection in response to his scorn and utter disregard for responsibilities...but you already know that." Curbing the spoken stream of thought, he straightened his shoulders and his back in the seat. He supposed there was no need to endlessly wax on about what Bella already knew...but it made him feel more secure, if nothing else. "Mmhm ... " He was right, she was less interested in his logorrhea once she extracted information sufficient to ease her concerns. With a nod, she motioned toward her midsection. "Antonin will not keep me swaddled for long. I'm certainly not going to break, but it seems an adequate excuse to miss rubbing elbows with the filth this evening." "Has he offered a projection of how long it will take for you to be back to normal?" Regulus asked with a slight tentativeness. With the fear gone, concern had a greater place in his mind -- it was a relief, at least, that she was recovering, no matter how longer it would take. "The presence of the undesirables is a certain downfall, but at least I have an idea of who my friends and associates are, so I needn't waste too much time with strangers." "It depends on me," was all that she was willing to say, content to leave his knowledge of exactly what befell her quite abstract. And a shrug. "I should have liked to see you and Julianne together. But we have the engagement luncheon for that." Taking the vagueness in stride, Regulus nodded and glazed over the subject. He had no desire to press that which she did not freely desire to offer, nor did he particularly enjoy thinking about the fact that she had been wounded in the first place. Grateful for the easy shift in discussion, he responded, "I thank you again for seeing to the luncheon. That will be a far superior environment for such socializing and discussion." "I am committed to our family," she said, pursing her lips as she thought about how it particularly extended to social gatherings, as well. But she had Cissy who was really the mastermind. It didn't bother her too thoroughly ... She hid a yawn behind her hand, signalling to Regulus that his visit was at an end. "I must rest." "I hope your recovery is swift, complete, and accompanied with as little pain as possible," Regulus said with a little nod as he stood to leave. The tension seemed to drop from his shoulders, and even with her rather peaked look, no longer was her state left solely to his overreactive imagination. She seemed safe now -- not like someone who had recently taken part in both the receiving and the administering of a stabbing, and that in itself eased his mood. Not wishing to disturb her any longer, he slipped from the room and into the hall once again, silently closing the door behind him. |