Pulling her sweater tighter against her shoulder she let out a deep sigh as she headed up the stairs. After dinner she was feeling too lazy to return to the common room to change so she was still in her uniform.  Her tie was undone and hanging loose against her chest and her hair fell in untidy waves against her shoulders.  It had been one of those days that had the complete ability to fuck up your mood.  She felt completely drained and had not felt the likes in a very long time.  As she rose higher the only sound that could be heard was the click of her heels against the cold stone.

The cold here was nothing compared to the cold back home. If she could even call it that anymore.  Her parents had dragged her here and left her surrounded by people that were not worth giving her time to.   They were too happy, and it sickened her.  The act as if there was nothing else going on in the world that was more important than the silly lessons taught in these classrooms angered her more than it should have.  

Shaking her head she let her hair fall in front of her eyes before pushing it back out of the way again.  Never before had she let people have such an effect on her.  She wasn't exactly expecting them to roll out the welcome wagon but anything would have been better than the complete disregard that she was even there.  All she wanted to do was go back home, to what was familiar.  Instead she was stuck in this hell.

Finally she reached her destination and let out another deep sigh, at least it was empty.  She was sick of the stares, the whispers.  None of them actually had the balls to come up to speak to her. "Scared, little..." she trailed off as she moved towards the window and railing.  Ali refused to let them break her spirit, she was stronger than that.  She would come out of this better than she went in,she had to.

"Shits?" Orion finished the witch's sentence for her, however helpfully or unhelpfully it may have been as he made his way to a halt, standing in all his relaxed and confident glory against the railing, ever present mocking smirk curling his lips.

There were several reasons why the boy would seal out a private meeting with the older witch and newest member to his house, the most obvious of being his new ties to a certain other Russian. Though he had never spoken to Vengeance to know her roots so well, the school was always buzzing with idle gossip. Orion was not one to count out any information that leaked through the rumor mill of Hogwarts, no matter how far fetched some of it seemed.

For years the calculating boy had used the gossips to his advantage, and along with his talent and skill for observation, he could always be counted on to know things about people, especially his own house, that now didn't. The range of this knowledge was anywhere from what foods they were allergic to to sometimes their biggest and darkest secrets. But like a true snake, Orion laid in wait, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Of course, now, he had better uses for his knowledge gained over the years and his talented skills, and it was his talent in observation that led him to this meeting. After several nights in the common room, his cold blue eyes had taken notice of the subtle but clear changes the female before him underwent at times, and if the conclusions he had drawn were correct, she could prove an invaluable asset. Or a target. Depending.

"Everyone enjoys fresh meat Vengeance, and that's what you are. Along with Riddle and Sidorova. They must find it fascinating how Slytherin has gained every transfer Hogwarts has seen in the past five years. As that what you three are. Coincidence, you think?"

"Ah. Well allow me to apologize, but I save my eloquence for those more susceptible to it." Orion replied with that same mocking smirk upon his lips. It was true, for the most part. There was a time and a place to be things like eloquent and charming. To an extent, thanks to his pureblood upbringing, he was those things at all times. He could usually recite his utter disdain and dislike for a person in various colorful yet charming and eloquent ways. He did it on a daily basis.

But the manipulative boy knew there were only certain people that certain approaches worked on. He had an instinct for such things, and he was well practiced in putting them to work flawlessly. For instance, Gryffindors were usually easy to rile, easy to get under the skin. Hufflepuffs were usually easy prey to manipulate into things. And Ravenclaws? There were much the same as the others. Of course, that was a broad generalization.

Orion tended to tailor his approaches depending on the person he was in company with at that time. Depending on his goals, his reasons for interacting with them, and what he knew about them. Whether they knew he knew it about them or not. This witch, like Swiper, was much too intelligent to fall for such false charms, even if they did come from him and even if he was a master in the trait. No, he wouldn't do himself the setback of assuming her such an idiot as to fall for such falsehoods. Especially since he had been unable to determine so far whether she was friend or foe to Swiper.

Besides, there was more than one way for him to get what he wanted, and Orion always wanted something. Sometimes it was something as simple as amusement, other times, it was not so simple. But two things could be rest assured. The boy always got what he wanted eventually, and it could always be counted that he had an ulterior motive. If not more than one.

"Bloodthirsty?" The Slytherin male's tone was full of cruel mockery as his icy blue eyes considered her with contempt. "More than half the population here couldn't be considered bloodthirsty. As for nasty and wicked, well, if you weren't expecting that already and prepared for it then it says more about you then about them." He replied back smoothly, a knowing smirk curling his lips as his keen eyes caught the flash of color change to her hair.

It was true, and the older witch was an idiot if she had not come prepared for judgement day. If she did not expect to be shown the cruelty and wickedness of the world as it was. She would not make it far if she expected to be the one to escape the wrath of the world they lived in. "Oh, I know more than the ins and outs, but there is no proof to point it is more than mere coincidence. It is a matter of belief. And I do not believe it is. After all, each of you is more than what she appears to be, with your special talents. Tell me, Vengeance, does the Headmaster know of your ability, or do you possess the brains enough to have kept it from the old fool?"

"It would be wise I guess for you to do so," she said offering a fake smile.  Ali was well versed in smooth talking males like Orion as her home was filled with them.  She had seen them work their charms easily and living in a male driven world it did not make her happy to see them advance using those charms.   Sure girls could do the same thing but the most it would help them do is marry in to a well off family where they were then expected to play the dutiful wife. 

Ali wanted more, expected more but was limited by the boundaries set forth by her rank in life.  Should she step outside of the boundaries the results would be less than desirable for her.  But should a male counterpart do the same, it was unlikely anything would happen to him.

Turning more to face him more she brushed her hair over her shoulder with a air that seemed to imply that she had better things to do than listen to him but for now she would let him speak his piece, a feat she rarely let happen.  She was curious what he had to say though and she had a feeling that there was an agenda behind it.  After all she really did not have anything better to do at the current moment.

Not missing a beat, nor the icy tone coming from the boy she nodded, "Could you not say that the carving of the young, what is her name, Riddle girl was not in fact bloody thirsty.  There are some rumors still floating around about that, but I could care less about them as they do not pertain to me. And of course I was expecting it, I would be stupid not to. It is the same anywhere you go.  My home is the same if not worse and I am used to it." 

Crossing her arms over her chest she eyed the boy coldly as he continued on.  Ah, so he was more observant than most of the idiots that surrounded them and no matter how careful she had been it made her wonder if anyone else had picked up on it.  Most of the time she was polished and refined and she had to make sure to be more careful, especially in these times of danger.

"I have no idea what these special talents are that you can speak of with the others but I can promise you that no one knows what I am capable of.  The Headmaster knows nothing about me, other than that I am a transfer student seeking a better education.  Though he would be foolish to believe that as the real reason for my transfer to this school." 

It was true, she could count on one hand how many people knew of her gifts and she planned on keeping that way.  Sure sometimes when she was bored, one could catch little flicks of her hair changing color but that could be attributed to nothing more than a glamour spell.

Orion smirked in that frustratingly knowing way of his in reply to her obviously fake smile, his eyes gleaming in a calculating and intelligent way. The boy had the mind of a predator, and the prey was only making things too easy. Girls like the one he was currently in company served mostly as amusement to him, as they tried and failed to keep up with individuals like himself. Females like herself, they were so ruled my their emotions, their indignant and righteous anger, their envy and jealousy...

They made mistakes. Costly ones. They had no control, over themselves or others. They were gluttons to be sure. Power-hungry little she-devils. They were easy to read, easy to figure out, and far too predictable. Girls like her and Parkinson were one and the same. They wanted more than they were entitled to, and yet they lacked the cunning finesse to achieve gaining it. They simply expected it to be handed to them in some way, some how, with very little effort put out on their part. If they weren't so amusing and entertaining, Orion might actually pity them.

No. Not even then.

As she flicked her hair over her shoulder, the action gave off the impression that she better things to be doing, which had his smirk turning mocking. "I do apologize. Shall I leave you be, since you quite clearly have such other more important and better things to be doing at the moment? For instance, staring out at the sky to the tune of your self-pitying and likely pathetic inner monologue." Oh, his words were so smoothly spoken it was like spreading butter, but the mocking tone matched the smirk curling his lips, the blue eyes glinting maliciously.

"Yes, clearly you do not listen to rumors at all that do not pertain to yourself. That much is obvious from the fact that you know about the altercation between Riddle and Parkinson in the first place." His sarcasm was clear, as was the bored drawl his tone became, giving the impression the girl and her would-be witty remarks and comebacks were anything but clever. It was only mildly entertaining that Vengeance seemed to think she could outsmart someone of his caliber, but it was quickly becoming apparent that she would not be winning that battle anytime. Ever.

"Of course, it's rather apparent that you do not listen to anything at all, because if you did, you would have heard me when I said more than half of this castle couldn't be considered bloodthirsty. I didn't say all, Vengeance. You might want to listen, if you plan on surviving." The Slytherin male could only smirk all the more as she continued on with her little rant. "Ah, so self absorbed. I would tell you that is your first mistake, thinking only information and talk about yourself is the only information important enough to hear and listen for, but as we've already established, you don't seem to hear very well. Perhaps a trip to the Hospital Wing should be on your agenda. I am sure Madame will be happy to help clear the ears out for you."

His mocking tone was back as the boy continued to get the best of the girl who seemed to think she was more intelligent than she was. Certainly she wasn't intelligent enough to play this game with him, of all people. Orion was easily picking her apart, finding her lacking in many of the ways he had hoped not to. She may have special talents, but talent was no use without the intelligence to back it. He was quickly finding the girl to be more trouble than she was worth. A liability, so to speak. But even liabilities could do some damage. Before they inevitably found themselves outplayed and defeated.

He matched her cold look with one brow arching on his handsome face, his hands tucked into his pockets of his black slacks as he stood in a casual manner but with that arrogant confidence and that cocky swagger of his. Orion looked calm, cool, and collected. Unphased by the girl and her looks, and the obvious ways she was trying to keep her secrets secret, which was better suited to those of the house of lions. Her entire part in their conversation so far was better suited to that house, if truth be told.

Her words were so naive, they had him chuckling. It was a low, dark, and mocking sound that came from him. "Oh, then you can be rest assured that he knows exactly why you transferred here. And it's foolish of you to assume he wouldn't know about the little talent you are pretending to not have. Play it off however you want Vengeance, but whatever cover story and lie you are cooking up, it won't fool me. Nor will it fool those you most likely will need to."

The more time that she spent in Orion's presence the more she disliked him. He was arrogant, demeaning, and a pompous ass, all things that she hated with a passion. On some guys those things might be appealing but all it made her want to do with him was hex his mouth shut. The more he spoke the more her fingers twitched wanting to silence him for good.

But she did not, she stood there listening to him go on, obviously not impressed by anything that she had to say. That worked out more in her favor so she had no problem with what he thought. She wasn't here to please him or anyone else for that matter.

While she wanted power and all that it could offer she knew that the route to it would not be through him. "Yes, I believe you should if this is the dribble you are going to continue to spout off. You seem to think you know something about me when you could not be further from the truth. What is on the surface in no way mirrors what is on the inside."

Sarcasm would get you no where fast and that was something he would learn rather quickly with her. She had absolutely no tolerance for it and found it a waste of her time. "My ears work perfectly fine as you obviously mistook what I said. It does not matter. I said I do not care about them, never did I say that I do not listen to them."

Keeping her arms crossed her chest she began to tap her foot in a very annoyed manner. He was getting under her skin and he obviously knew it. He wanted to see what kind of rise he could get out of her only to use it against her some time later.

"Are you done yet? Or are you going to continue on," she responded with a dark scowl crossing her face as she fought to keep her emotions under control, she could not afford another slip up now. "Unless you have something useful to say to me I suggest you leave the same way you came." Ali had no desire to think about what the old fool knew, or did not know. It sent a panic through her she had not felt in a long time. Her gift was one that could be used against her and she would rather die than let that happen.

A knowing smirk and calculating gleam in his icy blue eyes said that Orion was not phased by her words or attempts at covering up what he knew to be true. She really was a horrible liar, but then, very few people were good enough to get past the boy. He had a knack for picking up on subtle signs people gave when they lied. Usually ones they had no clue they were giving.

Of course, reacting defensively was always a dead giveaway, and this girl was defensive. He might have been disappointed, but that would have had to mean he had expectations the older witch had fallen short of. To set expectations, one had to care to some extent. Orion didn't care about the girl or anything to do with her really. He already knew enough to leave the rest up to someone else.

That didn't mean he couldn't have a bit of fun now did it? And roasting people was his favorite past time. Especially when they were so easily riled like the girl he currently shared company with. "You must be confusing myself with you, as the only dribble I hear is falling from your own lips. Not that anything mildly intelligent or worth hearing could be presumed to come from you."

His drawl was bored as he berated the older Slytherin, not bothering to waste time or energy responding to her remarks about thinking he knew something about her that wasn't true. She would learn soon enough that Orion didn't think he knew things. He did know them. After all, the boy was not nearly the fool she was assuming him to be. Bad judgement call on her end of course, and one that would only end up smacking her in the face. Something he quite looked forward to.

"Spin it however you would like Vengeance, but it still amounts to the same thing. You're shallow and self-centered, which isn't exactly an uncommon trait amongst females, though for the life of me I can't understand why you of all people would be either. Your looks are plain and your intelligence..well, I believe it's safe in assuming you have none." His smirk turned cruel as his smooth words fell from his lips in a bored manner that said that much was obvious and his tone was condescending in a way that made it seem like he were explaining this to a five year old.

His smirk turned widened and he looked like the cat that caught the canary as it become increasingly more obvious just how much he was getting to the girl. It was just too easy, and that was all it took for him to know that this girl could never have been considered a 'friend' or anything close to it to Swiper. This particular Russian was no where near the level Swiper was on. Or many of the Slytherin females for that matter. Orion would know, as he made a habit out of seeing which ones could hold their own. Vengeance just failed spectacularly, and it wasn't even surprising.

"Oh, I could continue on all evening if you would like, but something tells me your vanity and who couldn't handle it, nor could you keep up. But for the record, I said many important and useful things. Perhaps you brain just has a hard time registering what's being said. I can't say I would be surprised." His smirk turned mocking, though he turned his attention now to the endless Sky that stretched out before him. "By the way...you're now dismissed. I suggest you to find somewhere else to have your pathetically pitiful sulk. The tower will be mine for the time being."

Alimina knew then that she had fallen right into his trap. He had made her look like a fool and he knew it and he was rather pleased with the outcome. All she wanted to do was blend in and it was obvious that she was sticking out like a bright yellow beacon just begging to be made example of. He had put her in her place and rightfully so by the pitiful attempt she had made. Letting out a frustrated sigh she stared at him with cold, calculating eyes. This was not the last he would hear from her and soon she would see him taken down a peg or two to where he truly belong. She did not believe him to be so high and mighty as he came across and to her, he was nothing and would always be nothing.

Putting the mask back up she crossed her arms over her chest as he continued his tirade against her, she refused to give him any more satisfaction that evening. No matter how much she wanted to cut him down where he stood. Letting out a deep breath she dug her nails into her palm as it tighten into a fist against her chest. If only she could push him over the balcony. The sounds of his screams on the way down would be rather delightful to her ears but here was not the time nor the place for such an act.

"If you think you can dismiss me like some pitful first year, you sir are sadly mistake as I will not be taking my leave until I am good and ready to do so. If you do not want to be in my presense then I suggest that you turn and go back down the stairs in which you just came up." Lifting her head high she refused to let him goad her anymore. He had his opinions of her and they did not matter, just like everyone elses.

Orion's smirk twisted darkly on his handsome face that seemed to be given an ethereal glow from the light the moon cast upon it. The boy didn't so much as bat an eye at the older girl, or her pathetic words and attempt to save face and keep some pride. Had she gone easily, perhaps he would have allowed her that much. After all, he were a merciful person. He hadn't planned on making her swallow all her pride. But she seemed to want him to, and who was he to not oblige her?

With a simple shake of his head and a dark chuckle, the Slytherin rubbed his chin with one hand while the other he tucked in the pocket of his black slacks, looking more like a male model pulling a casual pose than anything else. His gaze, however, was locked onto his target, and he slowly yet deliberately moved towards her, oozing superiority and confidence in a way others only wished to be able to until he were looking down at her in that mocking way of his.

"Ah, Vengeance. I daresay your Gryffindor side is showing. You probably don't know enough to realize that as the insult it is. Your stubborn attempts to cling to your pride and win a battle you have already lost is amusing. Entertaining, at the most. Pathetic at its best." Orion's smirk widened, and though he looked as casual and calm as could be, there was no underestimating the dark current to his tone and the danger dripping from every word he spoke as he ripped into the girl further.  "Now if you're quite finished with pretending you won't be accepting your dismissal, I suggest you take your leave of your own free will. Because you won't like it should you make it necessary for me to force you. Especially given the information on your hidden talents I now hold. Just imagine should that information fall into the wrong hands..."

His smirk was positively smug, the mocking look sparking his blue eyes as he sensed the victory he already knew he would get. Oh, Orion had no use for the tower he were booting her from. No. He were simply executing a power play. Merely taking something she wanted simply because he could. Because he had her right where he wanted her, and right where she didn't want to be, and he would enjoy making her squirm from that knowledge.