An Eventful Walk In The Park

((This is RP-ing from an old HNG thread I don't want to die. The corresponding people's names are the ones who wrote the posts.))

Isabella Taylor:

Isabella put a leash on Lila, her violet-eyed puppy, and strode out of the Magical Menagerie. Puppy in tow, she walked towards the park. Lila walked down the sidewalk calmly, looking around and sniffing the familiar smells. They walked for a long time, and Lila grew tired. "You want to sit down, girl? Okay." Isabella said to the tired-out puppy.

She looked around for a nice bench and spotted one a little ways away. She picked up Lila, and sat down on the bench. Lila sat in her lap, starting to get sleepy. Isabella petted her, and soon Lila fell into a deep sleep. Isabella felt the bench shift a little, and saw someone sit down on the opposite side. "Hello. Who are you?" She said in a friendly, but quiet tone.
   
Tristan Lestrange:

Tristan decided to take a walk in Potter Park, considering he hadn't visited the place n a while. Every time he went there something interesting usually happened, and so he was hoping the same thing would happen today as well. He'd been extremely bored as of late and he wanted to change that - soon. Most of his friends had slowly but surely been dropping off the face of the earth, and truth be told it was bothering him. Not that he was opposed to making new friends of course, but it would be nice to see his old ones once in a while. He'd seen Casey, but as for Isabella? He couldn't remember the last time he'd run into the raven-haired girl.

Eventually he came to rest at a bench, not knowing the point of aimlessly wandering aimlessly if he didn't have a destination in mind. He didn't really pay much attention to the person already sitting there until he was being spoken to, and he glanced up in surprise. Had he been that lost in thought that he hadn't even realized he'd just rudely sat down? Although the moment his eyes found the face of the person talking to him, a slow, amused smile formed on his lips when he saw Isabella.

Who would have thought he would run into one of his friends after all? "You've forgotten who I am already? Geez, Isabella... I thought you knew me better then that..." He joked, pretending to look wounded but grinning instead.
 
Isabella Taylor:

Isabella grinned as she realized the supposed stranger was her friend Tristan. "Oh my gosh, Tristan! I didn't notice it was you. You look so old!" She teased. "I'm sorry about that, though. Forgive me?" She asked, giving her best imitation of the puppy-dog exression her dog Lila made when he knew she did something bad.

She grinned. "Of course you will! No one can resist this," She gestured to her body, laughing. "So... How have you been holding up without me, partner-in-crime?" Isabella joked. It really was good to see Tristan, she hadn't seen many of her friends lately, everyone really did disappear when the summer had started. Tristan was one of her best friends, and Isabella couldn't imagine Hogwarts without him. 

"Have you seen Casey lately? I really think everyone's been MIA." She asked, curious if their other best friend had also returned. 
   
Tristan Lestrange:

Tristan was fairly amused by Isabella's reaction, but he knew she was right. Over the summer he'd grown so much even he didn't quite know how to completely deal with it. His muscles had begun forming and becoming more defined, his face had slimmed down and his features had gotten sharper. He'd gotten a lot taller as well, now standing at about five feet, ten inches. He'd also let his hair grow out, and a light stubble had begun breaking out on his face every few days.. now he actually had to shave. Too much work, really. But he did enjoy working out. Even Isabella looked a bit different from the last time he'd seen her, but still pretty of course.

"Oh, thanks." He pretended to be offended, rolling his eyes. But when she apologized and asked for forgiveness, he knew he couldn't deny the look she was giving him. He grinned slightly. "Fine, I guess I can just this once... besides, you know I'm looking handsome." He said with a wink. He was just joking of course, he'd missed being able to do that with his friends. 

He arched a brow at her next comment but started laughing, leaning forward slightly without even realizing it. "You're right, how in the bloody hell can I resist you?" He mocked, before giving her a charming smile. He'd also begun taking a lot more notice in pretty girls and flirting as well.. oops. Hopefully she didn't mind too much. At her question, he shrugged. "I've been ok. Pretty lost without you though, you know. What's the fun without my partner-in-crime?" He complained in good nature. "How about you?"

When she mentioned Casey though, he diverted his eyes for a moment, the picture of her rushing back to his mind. He didn't want to lie to Isabella, after all both girls were his best friends. But was it really any of his business to tell? Looking back up, he nodded with a slight smile. "Yeah, I saw her a couple of days ago actually, back in Spinner's End." He explained.

Isabella Taylor:

Isabella smirked as he contemplated what she said. He really had changed, gaining muscles, height, and a sort of rugged look that Isabella liked very much. But she couldn't do anything about that. Tristan was just a friend, he probably thought of her as a little sister. Isabella shook her head, trying to clear her distracting thoughts. Tristan gave her a mock offended look, and gave her a sarcastic thanks. "You're welcome," she replied, and smiled brightly. He arched his brow after she said that he couldn't resist her and started laughing. 

Isabella was slightly put off by that. She knew he didn't think of her that way, but he didn't have to laugh at the mere suggestion! He gave a mocking affirmative, and smiled at her in a slightly flirty way. Isabella arched her eyebrow, and smirked back at him. Talk about mixed signals!She thought. He agreed with her again, this time not as mockingly. She smiled as he said he was a bit lost without her. "Oh, i've been fine. Doing a bit o' work in the Magical Menagerie, went to the beach for a bit. But i've actually done pretty great without you!" She smirked, then laughed. "Oh, you know I'm just kidding. I missed you." She relented, laughing in spite of herself.

When Isabella asked about Casey, Tristan had a faraway look in his eye, as if troubled by something. He seemed conflicted, but it seemed he decided to speak, and he looked back up at her with a small smile. She immediately distrusted the smile, it seemed fake; forced. Tristan spoke, saying he saw Casey at Spinnet's End. Isabella knew that Tristan didn't want to talk about it, but she had to know whether something had happened to Casey. "Erm, if you don't mind me asking, is everything alright with Casey? You seem a bit put off."

Tristan wasn't sure what to think as he settled back against the bench, his body sliding down a fraction so that his body language showed his relaxation. Allowing his awkwardly large hands to settle on his stomach, he inclined his head in Isabella's direction in order to give her his attention. He noticed she was shaking her head and vaguely wondered if he'd missed her saying something, but instead opted not to answer. She wasn't looking at him like he'd misheard or anything, so for now he figured he could just let it slide. He made a small face when she thanked him after his sarcastic answer, and he rolled his eyes lightly before smirking. Why was he suddenly feeling the beginning of something odd in the pit of his stomach when he saw her smile? He shook it off as nothing though and glanced up toward her again, chuckling when he noticed that her brow had risen.

But then she'd smirked back and he felt the pang in his stomach again, nearly causing him to frown in confusion. He was thankfully distracted as she began to answer his question, and he nodded slowly at the beginning of her sentence, until she said she'd been doing great without him. Arching a brow he crossed his arms, regarding her with an almost insulted expression until she said she'd been joking. He figured she had been and so he relented with a smirk in return. "Good to know, although I never said I missed you." Winking to show that he was just joking, he shifted his body so he was facing her a bit more. "Missed you too." He meant it, too.

He knew Isabella didn't believe his smile when she'd asked about Casey, and he almost figured she'd continue trying to prod an answer out of him. And he was right, because she did. Exhaling slowly he ran his fingers through his hair, feeling uncomfortable and out of place before he decided he could just tell her. "Keep it between us, ok?" He fair-warned before sighing . "When I saw her she had just gotten out of a fight.. or that was what she'd said. She had a black eye and looked like bloody hell." He said before shrugging slowly. His expression was troubled a few moments longer before he gave Isabella a wary smile. "I'm sure she's alright now though."

Isabella chuckled when Tristan gave a hurt face to her teasing about her doing great without him, but gave a little smirk in return to signify he knew she'd been joking. She gave him a mock hurt face in return that seemed like Tristan had kicked a newborn puppy when he said he joked about not missing her. Her face changed to a stern glare when he finally said he missed her, too. "Don't scare me like that!" Isabella reprimanded. "For a second, I thought you had gone and gotten yourself a new best friend!" She mock yelled at him, but gave him a little smile as if to say, 'I'm only joking.'

She became more serious when she heard Tristan start to speak about the troubles Casey had gotten herself into. When Tristan warned her to keep it between them, she nodded and murmured, "What has Casey gotten herself into?" Tristan sighed and proceeded to tell her Casey had said she was in a fight, and gotten herself all beaten up. "Casey was in a fight? With who? Let me at them, they'll wish they were never born!" She exclaimed angrily, drawing her wand and standing up. "Where is Casey?!" She demanded Tristan, pacing and muttering swear words against whoever beat Casey.

Casey herself was a gentle girl, who loved her pranks. She could never have done anything wrong to have deserved it, maybe the people were drunk...? That was what happened when the people at the orphanage beat her. Oh, they apologized, but that never took away the anger, the hurt, the fear is would happen again. Isabella swiveled to face Tristan and asked him quietly, "How much do you know? What did she say?!" She continued pacing, the expression on her face angry, scared, and violent, a face of someone who knew what it was like to be beaten.

Tristan sighed, a long exhale of pent-up air, when she gave him a look that resembled a kicked puppy. Immediately a feeling of guilt washed over him, mostly because he had no idea if she were actually being serious or not. He pushed himself up slightly, reaching behind him in order to rub the back of his neck, a slightly nervous or uncomfortable habit he'd been beginning to pick up on as of late. He almost went as far as to apologize until her expression turned into a glare, and he relaxed immediately as he offered her a small smile. He hadn't liked the idea of her being mad at him, not at all. Not to mention he didn't want to insult her. "I'm sorry!" He replied back, rolling his eyes. "Now why would I ever do that?"

Would she really be worried about the prospect of him getting a new best friend? He couldn't see that ever happening, but of course she also had a look on her face like she was joking, so. Then, the conversation took a turn for the serious when they began talking about Casey. He was slightly assured when she nodded her head in a promise to keep it between the two of them, but her reaction was severe and he pushed himself up so that he was sitting completely straight. He nodded once when Isabella asked if Casey had been in a fight, shrugging when she asked with who. He was surprised when the small girl leapt from her seat, wand drawn and began to swear angrily. "Isabella.." He began unsurely.

He didn't know what to do, and when Isabella turned to face him and began speaking again, he levelly met her eyes. He didn't respond right away, wondering why she looked scared.. and violent. Angry he could understand, because he'd been the exact same way when finding out. In fact, he'd felt so over-protective he'd been ready to knock some faces in for the girl. "Isabella.. calm down. Please?" He offered, and without thinking he reached out and took her hand, his larger one swallowing her own. He gave it a soft tug to hint that he wanted her to sit down once more, not even realizing he was keeping a hold on her hand.

"She said that she had gotten into a fight with some girl... the boyfriend punched her in the eye... the boyfriend got fined, and both her and the girl got warnings. That's all I know.." He replied, sighing in defeat.

Isabella figured out Tristan might not have noticed that she was joking. He smiled at her with a little guilt, and gave her an apologetic answer with a hint of sarcasm. "Relax, Tristan, I'm not mad at you. I could never be mad at you..." She reassured, and gave him a genuine smile. It was kind of flattering to know he was worried about her opinion on him. When they started talking about Casey, she sobered up pretty quickly. As she jumped up and started swearing, wand in hand, Tristan met her eyes. He seemed sympathetic, perhaps he had felt the same about the news. She continued pacing, straining to think of where Casey might be.

Tristan spoke, calling her name softly, and quietly asked her to calm down. Then he reached out and took her small hand in his, not seeming to realize what he was doing. Isabella immediately stopped pacing, and looked at him with questioning eyes. He tugged on her hand gently, as a signal for her to sit down. She complied, looking at him again, and tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm... I'm sorry. I just hope she's okay." Isabella kept her grip on his hand as if it were a lifeline as Tristan explained what he knew. She slowly calmed down as she heard the story.

Isabella turned to Tristan, confused again. "But- Casey isn't like that. She wouldn't get into a fight.. It's not Casey." She looked at him worriedly. "I don't think that's what happened. I believe that she told you that, but... No. That wasn't what happened. We need to find her, find out what happened, and help her... Before whoever hits her goes too far. Before it's too late." She looked down and sighed heavily, her face troubled with thoughts of her past life. "Do you have any idea where she might be?"

When Isabella stopped pacing and looked at him questioningly, the only thing he could think to do was to just look back at her, unsure of why she was looking at him in such a way. At least she'd stopped pacing like he'd requested, and absently his grip loosened on her hand. When she took a seat beside him he slowly figured out that he actually was holding her hand, and for a moment he considered letting go of it. When he looked back up to see her reaction though, all he saw was the tears welling up in her eyes and he immediately became concerned, his grip tightening once more as he slid a fraction closer to her. He hated a crying girl, especially one of his best friends. "You don't gotta say sorry.." He said with a frown, confused. He just hadn't wanted her to freak out was all.

He felt how tightly she was holding onto his hand and he squeezed it in return, a comforting gesture. "I haven't seen her since.." He replied quietly with a small shrug, glancing down toward the ground in an almost guilty way. He'd wanted to pursue the topic because he'd been fairly certain the girl hadn't been telling him the truth, but what was he supposed to do if she didn't want to tell him? Frowning, he had to agree with what Isabella was saying. "I know, I thought the same thing.. that's why I didn't really believe her excuse." He admitted. "But I also didn't want to accuse her of lying when it's not really my place.." He explained.

It seemed as if Isabella was thinking the same way as he had been though, and he nodded his head slowly. "You're right.. I don't think that's what happened." Could someone actually be beating Casey up, and not just because of a fight? The thought made his jaw clench angrily, but he tried to remain calm. "No, I don't know where she would be.." He admitted, almost groaning in frustration. He didn't want Casey to become even more injured. If he ever found out who was doing that to his best friend... still holding onto Isabella's hand, he shrugged. "We could always try Spinner's End again.."

Tristan scooted closer to her as she let h er tears flow. "I- I shouldn't be freaking out like this. I know you don't like people crying. It's not just Casey- it's just.. -things- that happened a while ago that kinda are coming up now. Things I don't want to remember." She looked down, hoping he wouldn't question her about her vague confession. She asked if Tristan might know where Casey could be. Hs spoke again, and she was disappointed to hear that he had no idea of her whereabouts. She nodded and calmed down, and Tristan squeezed her hand in a comforting gesture.

She smiled up at him weakly, and muttered "Thanks." Tristan continued speaking, telling her of his suspicions that were equal to her own. He frowned as he pondered her theory of the possibility of someone beating Casey. He seemed to anger as he realized it was very possible. Tristan stayed calm, possibly to help Isabella as well as to keep himself under control. Tristan explained why he hadn't pursued the matter further with Casey when had seen her, and Isabella agreed.'"I would most likely have done the same thing. I don't blame you." She looked up at him, squeezing his hand back, and taking a shaky breath. "We just need to find Casey," She stated, automatically assuming Tristan would help.

At his suggestion, she nodded. "Spinnet's End it is. If we don't find her, maybe we'll find her at Hogwarts, as break is ending soon. We can confront her there. For now, though, I just hope we can find her before then." She stood up, and looked at the two's intertwined hands, and pulled slightly at Tristan's as a hint for him to stand up. She took Lila(her dog)'s leash in her free hand, and gathered her things quickly. "We'll need to go soon..." She shivered, pulling her coat all the way on. She hadn't noticed the cold before because of her distraction from the news about Casey. She felt it now, the winter cold chilling her to her bones. "It's getting a bit cold, and night's approaching. Do you have anywhere to stay? I'm living at the Leaky Cauldron for the moment."

The second the tears spilled over and began cascading down Isabella's cheeks, Tristan's eyes widened and he immediately felt slightly uncomfortable. He wanted to comfort her in any way he could and so he found himself sitting even closer, tentatively reaching out to pat her on the back. He never knew how to deal with a crying girl and besides, he was trying to pay attention to what she was saying. He frowned almost immediately as his brain tried to think of what she could possibly be implying, but he could tell she simply didn't wish to talk about it. As much as he wanted to pursue the topic further he knew when enough was enough, and so he simply nodded to show her that he would drop the subject. "Alright." He added verbally in case she'd missed the nod.

Seeing her weak smile he attempted to offer one back, although he shrugged at her thanks. She didn't have any reason to thank him, of course. Hearing that Isabella would have done the same thing had she been in the same predicament as himself made him feel a bit better, but not much. Knowing what he did now, he almost wished he would had pursued the topic just a bit more to see what he'd been able to get out of the other Hufflepuff, even if it wasn't any of his business. At her words, he nodded. It was basically like an automatic given that he'd help find the other girl.

Hearing that they were headed to Spinner's End again, he exhaled. He wasn't familiar with the place and he wondered if Isabella was, otherwise they'd be aimlessly wandering around. Although he found slight comfort in the idea of possibly confronting her at Hogwarts, seeing as break really wasn't too far away from ending. "Alright, sounds good." He replied, before noticing Isabella shivering. Without even thinking he stood up, and before he knew it his arms had wrapped around her in a hug in order to provide some warmth. Once he realized what he'd done his eyes widened automatically, but he didn't ler her go. He could feel his cheeks becoming a bit warm though.

"Oh, uh.. yeah.. my parent's house.." He managed to say, in hopes of covering up his sudden embarrassment at the embrace. "They're never home though, I'm sure we could sneak you in.." He offered.

Isabella was shivering, waiting for Tristan to get up. He did, and, noticing she was cold, gave her a hug. "Oh, um, thanks." She said a little breathlessly, hoping her voice wouldn't betray her emotions. Her heart had sped up, and she gained a warm feeling thorughout her body. Tristan seemed to notice what he was doing, and his cheeks were tinted with a little red. He didn't let go, however, and for that, Isabella was grateful. She felt awkward with her arms by her sides, so she wrapped her arms around Tristan as well.

He started talking again, breaking the silence. He was staying at his parents' house. They weren't home often, so he offered to let her stay. Isabella smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks. The Leaky is cheap, but it can be a little sketchy at times." She paused, and remembered what he had said. "You don't have to sneak me in. I'd love to meet your parents. I'd have told you about mine, but, well, I don't know who they are."

She continued, keeping her voice light. She gently left the embrace, but kept one of her arms around his middle. She didn't even notice it, it felt so natural. "We should probably get going, then. Um, do you want to go to Spinner's End first, or should we go back to your house?" She asked. "I think it's a little dark right now, and we might not get much work done if we go and try to find Casey now." Isabella looked down at her dog. "Plus, I think Lila's getting a little tired. But I'm up for anything, it's your choice." She suggested, looking up at Tristan.

((sorry, not much muse, and i'm in a rush. xP))

Tristan almost willed himself to let her go so things didn't turn tense or maybe awkward, but for some reason he couldn't. And truth be told, he didn't want to, either. It was strange but the odd feeling in the pit of his stomach had returned and was even stronger now, and he couldn't understand why. Isabella was just his best friend and nothing more, so why did it feel like that wasn't what this was anymore? Exhaling slowly, he watched as his breath hit the air and turned into a white cloud before he heard her thanking him. She didn't seem like she wanted him to let go and so with little courage he had left, he didn't. "You're uh.. welcome." He stated slowly, still fighting to keep himself looking calm and casual. Feeling her arms finally wrapping around him though, he relaxed even further. It didn't feel quite so wrong now..

He smiled slightly when she agreed to stay at his house. He didn't think his parent's would mind, even if they wouldn't be thrilled with the idea of a girl staying over. He'd just explain to them that this was his best friend and she needed a place to stay out of the cold, simple. He knew they wouldn't be able to turn her and her adorable puppy away after a speech like that. "It's not a problem." He said with a shrug. When she said he didn't have to sneak her in, he chuckled. "Well okay, if you're sure." He'd probably get in a lot less trouble that way anyhow. He frowned when she said that she didn't know who her parents were but decided it probably wasn't something she wanted to talk about, so again he didn't ask even though he was curious. "Oh, that's harsh."

When she left the embrace he felt his cheeks growing warm again as his own arms dropped, but he oddly found that he hadn't wanted the hug to end. Pushing the thoughts stubbornly from his mind, he was well aware of her arm still around his middle but didn't say anything. Mostly because his own hand had moved to rest absently on one side of her waist, not even noticing the gesture. After a moment of thought, he'd made his decision though. "Let's just head back to my place for tonight. We can start nice and early tomorrow." He replied, and then paused. Slowly sliding his hand from her waist, he gave her a small smile. "C'mon, ladies." He said with a small laugh, turning and beginning to head in the direction of his home.

She left the hug, and saw thst Tristan was blushing. Her cheeks grew a little flushed as well when Tristan put his arm around her waist. Isabella asked him whether he wanted to go home or go to Spinner's End first, and Tristan chose home. He slid his hand from her waist and Isabella instantly felt the warm feeling leave her, making her feel the winter cold again. But it wasn't just the winter that was making her shiver. His presence on her waist was a comforting one, and... It felt like there was something more. She stopped the intense feeling in it's tracks. He would never feel that way for her. She was... Unlovable. "Damaged goods", as they said in the Muggle world. He wouldn't, couldn't ever be happy with her.It would be selfish to want him, she tried to convince herself. It would be useless to want him when he could never feel the same.

Her thought process ended when Tristan broke the silence again by saying, 'C'mon ladies." in reference to her and Lila. Isabella couldn't help but smile at him, and walked with him towards his house. They walked in a comfortable silence that was occasionally broken as Lila amused them with her antics. The puppy was hyper from the energy she had gotten from her nap. Isabella was grateful to the dog, as she prevented any awkward silence between the two. Finally, they reached Tristan's house, and Isabella's jaw dropped. "Wow! Your house is so... so..." She stopped, struggling to find the right word to describe it.

They walked straight in, as Isabella hadn't wanted to sneak in and possibly get Tristan in trouble. "Um, Tristan, where should I put Lila?" She asked. "If it's okay, she always sleeps in my bed, or wherever I am at. If not, Lila's a pretty well-trained puppy and could sleep just about anywhere." It was necessary to ask this, as Lila's energy seemed to have run out again from the long walk.

((A teensy bit of GM-ing, but I have your permission so it's okay! xD))

Tristan had noticed that he wasn't the only one with red cheeks, seeing as Isabella's looked similar to his own. He didn't really give himself much of a chance to think of what it might mean, because really he knew he shouldn't assume it meant anything at all. They were best friends and nothing more, and he would just have to accept that. Maybe the weird swirling in his stomach was just nerves for something else, and had nothing to do with the girl standing next to him. Maybe the blushing was because his actions were so unlike himself that he just wasn't used to them. He knew he was just coming up with excuses but it made him feel better. There was no way he and Isabella would ever work out, so why was he all of a sudden seeing her in a new light? Thinking that he might actually... like her? The thought was enough to make him shiver as he turned his attention away from her and toward where they were walking.

The walk to his house wasn't too far and he was grateful for her puppy's playful antics. Not only did it help them avoid any awkward conversation, but it also saved him from the thoughts that had been taunting him no more then five minutes before. He wasn't sure how to deal with it because it was such a foreign emotion to him, and he didn't want to bring it up with Isabella. He wasn't going to ruin their friendship over something that he wasn't even sure where it had come from. He decided he could just ignore it and hope it would just go away. That seemed like a pretty fitting idea to him.

When they reached his house he felt himself blushing again at Isabella's reaction, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah...." He began unsurely before simply leading them inside and out of the cold. Most of his house was sort of dark besides the light on in the living room, and he wondered if he should go and see who was in there. Seeing as he had brought a girl home, he knew it was probably the right idea.. glancing toward Isabella at her question, he'd almost forgotten about the puppy. He shrugged after a moment. While he didn't have any pets.. "She can sleep with you." He said. He didn't see why it would be an issue.

He motioned Isabella forward and together they walked toward the living room. He peeked around the corner and his mother glanced up. She gave him a wary smile. "Hello. I thought I heard you, but I also heard someone else..." As she said this Tristan lead Isabella forward, and he watched as his mother's eyes widened before she composed herself. "Uh.. oh.. uh.. hello there?" Her eyes were questioning as she looked to Tristan, sitting up straighter from her spot on the couch. "Mom, this is one of my best friends from school, Isabella. And her puppy Lila.." He began slowly, judging his mother's reactions. "They needed a place to stay so I was wondering if they could sleep in the room across the hall from mine?" His mother looked apprehensive but finally she just sighed and shrugged. "Just as long as you both stay in your own rooms." She warned and Tristan felt himself blushing again in embarrassment. "Uh, we don't think of each other like that, Mom." He said a little too quickly. "Anyways, alright. Thanks. Night!"

He waved and she smiled tiredly once more before going back to what she was doing, and without thinking Tristan grabbed Isabella's hand and hurried them along the long hallway until they were out in the foyer again. "Well that was awkward...."

Isabella smiled in relief when she heard Lila could sleep with her. It would be comfprting to have the puppy there, a warm presence, as she was indubitably going to have bad dreams that night. She followed Tristan into the living room, and waited a safe distance away for Tristan's motions to come forward. Isabella heard Tristan's mother greeting her son, and remarking hearing someone else. Recognizing this as her cue, Isabella stepped forward, clutching Lila's leash, uncomfortable at Tristan's mother's curious gaze. She kept silent as Tristan introduced her, and smiled a little at the woman. "Hi..." She gave a little nod at Tristan's words and hoped for the best.

The mother scrutinized her carefully before sighing and nodding her head. She went on to say that it was fine as long as they stayed in their rooms. Isabella's face could not be redder. She frowned a little, it was almost imperceptible, when Tristan said that they didn't think of each other like that. Isabella regained her composure quickly, and hoped Tristan hadn't noticed. They exited quickly, and Isabella felt Tristan grab her hand again, without thinking. It felt so natural, so right, and yet Isabella knew it was wrong. She knew Tristan couldn't possibly want her. He had just said so in the living room, in front of his mother! Even if he did, he could never be happy with Isabella. She wasn't good enough. She could never be good enough.

Tristan's voice broke the silence with an obvious statement, made to be as a little bit of a joke. "Just a bit," She joked back weakly, hoping to break this newfound awkwardness between them. They continued to walk down the hallway, and finally reached the room designated to Isabella. "I guess this is goodnight, then." She said quietly, and took her hand from his carefully. "Come on, Lila." Isabella called her dog, and walked into her room. She put her stuff down, and closed the door. Isabella then flopped down onto the bed, picking up a sleepy Lila and placing the puppy next to her. She switched off the lamplight, and tried to sleep, but she knew the events of the day wpuld keep her up for a long time.

((Hey, tristan, dp ya think ww should probably make another thread in the 'homes' section for your house. I mean, you shoukd reply first, and then we can start the new thread.))