Andante Cantabile (Aria and Rhys)

Aria grinned smugly back at him. Smiling sweetly, she waved happily at an unfortunate boy who collided with a wall a moment later.

"This is fun," she declared cheerfully.

Rhys watched th boy, suddenly feeling protective over the girl. He caught up with her and thrw the shirt over her head, smirking.

"Okay, put it on now," he demanded, looking down at her appreciatively, "You're mine, remember? Not the schools,"

Aria laughed. "So, only you can appreciate my looks, then?" she asked impishly. "What if I decide to get another friend such as yourself?" Nonetheless, she pulled it the rest of the way on; it was too cold to be wandering around shirtless.

"Y'know," she uttered thoughtfully, "the... scars - from the burns - they could probably be easily taken as tattoos or some other such markings." She only flinched a bit as she allowed her mind to go back to that place.

Rhys nodded in agreement, even though his shirt had never found its way back onto his body. He contiplated her words, then shrugged.

"I don't see why you'd get another one, since I'm here twenty four-seven, but I guess it would be alright," he desided,

"They look fine," he said shortly, "Dn't worry about it. Tattoos are cool,"

"For variety," Aria said solemnly, though an impish glint shone in her mismatched eyes.

She shrugged, one hand rubbing the scar on her opposite arm through the sleeve. "It's not the scars I'm worried about," she admitted quietly.

Perhaps she was just paranoid, but there were times Aria was certain Djinn was in the castle. It didn't help her feel any safer knowing he could still summon her whenever he pleased. Shrugging again, she smiled to show that she was okay.

Rhys gave a short, bitter laugh, nudging her shoulder.

"Alright, alright," he said with a shrug, "But, don't get mad if I get another one too," He was teasing, of course, but he wasn't afraid to move on. He'd done it before and he'd do it again.

"I don't understand," he replied casually, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, "What is it then?"

Aria nudged his shoulder back, then turned, putting her hand in the crook of his elbow to get him to stop. Raising up on her toes, she pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"I have no need for another one," she said. "One boy is trouble enough." She gave him a teasing grin, then released his arm to continue down the hall.

The blonde leaned into his side. "The one who caused them... I'm afraid of him hurting me again," Aria answered quietly. "Sometimes... I think he's here. That scares me, too." She gave a rather forced smile. "I'm sure I'm just being paranoid, though."

Rhys snorted, following after her.

"Trouble? You weren't saying that a few minutes ago!" he purred, "I would think I was irreplaceable, not trouble!"

Suddenly, Rhys grabbed her shoulder and pulled her close, serious. "Don't be afraid. I'm here, okay? I'll make sure he's not around,"

"'Enough trouble', 'irreplaceable'..." Aria mused. "Are they different?"

The blonde looked up at him, a small smile pulling at her lips. She allowed herself to something she'd been doing a lot around him, of late: she pretended. Aria pretended he really could keep her safe.

Rhys raised an eyebrow, a wan smile coming across his face.

"So," he started, "I'm irreplaceable, you admit!"

The hufflepuff decided to drop the questioning, content with her smile. His wavered slightly, unsure of what else to do. Comforting wasn't his thing.

Aria gave a soft laugh. Clearly, Rhys was starting to feel out of his depth. She stopped in front of him, both hands against his bare chest so he would do the same. Putting a hand behind his neck, she pulled his lips to hers and kissed him, not caring who might see or what conclusions they might come to.

"Thank you," she murmured against his lips before letting him go. The blonde smiled up at him once more, then turned to continue on her way.

Rhys kissed back, a hand finding her jaw to trace it. She was definitely learning what do to in a relationship now and he was glad he didn't have to stumble through the pleasantries anymore.

"I have to go back to the commonroom soon, you know," he stated, following closely.

Aria nodded. "Me, too," she replied. "Both are in the dungeons." The girl shrugged. "Might as well walk together part of the way."

Rhys nodded in agreement before slinging an arm around Aria's shoulder.

"I'm cold," he explained, "And it's probably colder down in the dungeons," The were pretty close by now, but Rhys didn't care. He simply ran his fingers through her hair.

"You wanna be my girlfriend?" he asked abruptly, "I don't see a reason we shouldn't go out, honestly,"

Aria leaned into the contact slightly, enjoying his closeness and the feel of her fingers in her hair. "Maybe, you wouldn't be cold if you were wearing a shirt," she teased.

The girl halted, staring up at him in surprise. Her heart beat an odd tattoo against the inside of her ribcage. Had he just..?

He had. Merlin, he really had.

A flush blossomed across her face and she looked down, almost shyly.

"Yeah, alright," Aria agreed, trying for nonchalance even though her initial response totally ruined it. She started walking again, though, she might have pressed against him just a little bit more. "I'd like that."

Rhys didn't respond. He knew she'd say yes, of course. Her shock was a bit different from his expectations, but, other than that, he had known what would happen. He pulled her close and placed a kiss on her forehead before letting go.

"See you tomorrow then?"

Aria smiled up at him. He... he was hers. That thought made her giddy. Her boyfriend. Hers.

"See you tomorrow," she replied.

Rhys took her face in his hands and pulled her close before placing a kiss on her lips. He then pulled away and headed down the hallway, giving a lazy wave.

"See ya,"