Slow Dance (Ingrid/Savannah/openish)

[Elliot Lyons]

Was it odd that Elliot couldn't wait until time to eat to see Ingrid? To him it felt odd that he was excited about seeing someone in particular. He waited for his sister before going down to the Great Hall. Elliot and Savannah had always gone to the Great Hall together. It had always been that way. Maybe it was because he felt protective of his sister.

Seeing Savannah today,however, just reminded Elliot that he needed to talk with her, like Ingrid had suggested. Maybe it would go over smoothly or maybe it wouldn't. Either way, Savannah would find out that he didn't want her to be the person she tried so hard to be. All he needed was to maintain the courage to actually tell her.

Entering the Great Hall, Elliot didn't see Ingrid there yet. He hoped that she remembered to meet him there.

Taking a seat at the Ravenclaw table, Elliot kept his eye out for his new friend while he took a bite of bread to attempt to satisfy his growling stomach.

[Savannah Lyons]

It had not escaped Savannah's notice that Elliot seemed to have something on his mind. He seemed nervous and distracted when he met her in the common room, and he was quieter than usual as they walked down to the Great Hall. And when they got there, he kept looking around while he nibbled idly on some bread. Who was he looking for? Her first thought was that it was Cameron, because who else would it be? But he wouldn't seem so nervous about seeing Cameron. It was very strange.

"You know Cameron's always late," Savannah commented primly, trying to break the ice with her brother. Maybe he would tell her what was on his mind.

[Elliot Lyons]

Elliot noticed that he had already eaten half his bread when Savannah's voice filled his ears. "I'm not looking for Cameron," he said almost automatically. "A-a friend is going to join us." He nearly blushed as he realized that he hadn't even told Savannah about Ingrid coming. Elliot gave a sheepish look toward his sister. "I forgot to tell you about it."

He swallowed nervously. "I should probably tell you that my friend doesn't really speak. She's really nice though. I think you'll like her. I should have told you earlier, but I really did just forget." Elliot rubbed the back of his neck and took another bite of bread, finishing off his piece of bread.

[Savannah Lyons]

It felt suspiciously like Elliot was keeping things from her. And it shouldn't have bothered her--after all, he was entitled to a life without her, and she had never told him about Cameron in the room of requirement. But she was still clinging desperately to the way she thought things were supposed to be, even though, deep down inside, she wanted to toss it all in the rubbish bin and reinvent herself. And she was desperately afraid that Elliot would somehow leave her behind.

"A friend?" she said, almost warily. A female friend, at that. "Who is she?"

[Elliot Lyons]

He didn't want to leave Savannah behind, however, Elliot felt like if he didn't say anything he might end up doing just that, or just continue to hold himself back to stay with her. That was one of the reasons why he needed to talk to her, just the two of them with no one else around.

"She's in Gryffindor," Elliot said turning to face his sister. "Her name is Ingrid. Like I said she doesn't speak, but she really is nice. You two will get along, I think." A trace of a smile was on his face as he spoke.

"And Van? After we eat and everything, I need to speak with you about something." He spoke with some confidence, yet if one listened closely enough there was still a tone of nervousness in his voice.

[Savannah Lyons]

Being a fairly quiet girl herself, Savannah noticed a lot of things that others didn't. She thought she remembered seeing the girl he was talking about... a petite red-haired girl who never spoke and always stood in the background. Secretly, she was rather glad that Elliot had taken a liking to a girl like that, rather than one of the more... obvious girls, like the type Cameron usually was seen with. Remembering the barely-dressed blonde he had gone to the Yule Ball with, Savannah felt an odd twinge of jealousy, although she was too inexperienced to realize that was what it was.

Dragging her mind away from thoughts of Cameron, Savannah smiled softly at her brother. Clearly it was important to Elliot that she like this girl. "I'm sure we will," she said generously.

His next words, however, made her smile fall. There was something in his tone that she couldn't identify. What could he want to talk to her about? Did it involve Ingrid? Or did he know about her talk with Cameron? "Oh... OK," she replied, barely able to keep from asking him what it was about.

Obviously, he didn't want to talk to her now, or he would have just done it, but she was going to feel nervous about it until he told her.

[Elliot Lyons]

Elliot wanted to tell Savannah that it wasn't anything bad that he wanted to talk to her about, but he wasn't sure if that was really a lie or not. It could be bad if she didn't really want to change. "Don't act really worried," he said attempting to calm any nervous or worried feelings. Elliot knew that even though he told her, it was only Savannah to continue on. He could tell her what he really thought, right? It could have a good outcome. Savannah could finally become a normal girl her own age, rather than a sixteen year old trying to act as if she were older.

Or, it could end up being something entirely different. It could end up where Savannah hated him for telling her that he wished that she didn't act like the girl their parents wanted her to be. She could want to have nothing to do with him after he told her.

Elliot tried to push the negative out of his head. He was over thinking the entire situation. There was nothing wrong with telling her he didn't think she should be the way she was now. He could do it and not back out, right?

Not really realizing at first, Elliot gave Savannah a smile in attempt to calm any worries that she may have had, while his mouth was full of another piece of bread. He swallowed what he had in his mouth, then looked down at his piece of bread. "Sorry," he automatically apologized. "Anyway, how has the day treated you today?"

[Savannah Lyons]

Savannah bit down on her bottom lip. He couldn't expect her not to be nervous. After all, despite the fact that they spent most of their time together, the twins really never said what was on their minds. It was the way they had both been raised; everything was so closed-off and proper. Sometimes Savannah felt like Cameron knew her twin brother better than she did. She wished it could be different, but she just didn't know how to change things.

"Today.... today is fine," she replied. "I got an A on my Charms test."

[Elliot Lyons]

In a way, Cameron did know him better than Savannah did. He was always scared to just share his opinions with his sister. He was worried about what she would think, and then if his opinion was the complete opposite than what she thought, she would probably think that Cameron had influenced him too much. Elliot thought that if Cameron hadn't come along, he would be completely stiff and be the perfect gentleman his parents wanted him to be. Really, he owed it to his friend. Plus, he owed it Savannah to be a good brother. They never fought, and that was something that Elliot was proud of. Sure, he was protective of her, but now he owed it to her to just tell her that she didn't have to pretend to be the girl she was 'supposed' to be.

Maybe once she opened up, Elliot would follow suit and just let it go. It would be hard to just let go completely, but they both could make progress.

"That's good," he said with a nod of his head. For once in his life, Elliot wanted to actually fail or just get a low grade on something. He wanted to not study and go out and have fun, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. He couldn't go without studying.

"If you're not busy after while, we could play cards or something," he said. Elliot should have closed his eyes at the suggestion, but maybe she would go for it.

[Savannah Lyons]

He was acting so very odd! Maybe it was just because he was nervous about seeing this girl, but it was so strange the way he acted disinterested about her test score. It was almost as if he were having a running conversation with himself that was completely separate with the conversation he was having with her. And the suggestion to play cards... It seemed completely out of the blue.

"Cards? What kind of cards?" she said, puzzled.

[Elliot Lyons]

In a way, Elliot was nervous about seeing Ingrid again, but then again he thought that it was more excitement than anything. He was aware that he was acting slightly off around Savannah. Usually he complimented her at least twice on her good test scores and not to mention, he suggested that they play cards. He had never suggested that they play cards together. Cameron has shown him a couple of games, but they never lasted long because they would go off and do something else. Plus, Elliot picked up how to play cards by watching a few people.

"You know, just play cards. I can show you how to play a couple of card games. They're really easy. It could just be done to pass the time or whatever, but we don't have to play if you don't want to."

[Savannah Lyons]

Savannah wasn't entirely sure it was proper to play cards, especially if it was the sort of game that Elliot might have learned from Cameron. Chess would have been more appropriate, but she actually quite hated chess. She had never been good at it, and honestly, she found it rather boring. She had never told anyone that before, and whenever anyone suggested playing chess, she usually went right along with it to be polite.

"Well, I don't know... I suppose we could try, as long as it's appropriate," she replied hesitantly.

As she was speaking, she looked up and saw a redhaired girl in the doorway, looking in their direction uncertainly. "Oh... is that the girl?" she asked.

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid had no idea why she was so nervous about going to see Elliot at lunch. Maybe it was just the prospect of meeting his sister, or the possibility of meeting his friend as well. But Ingrid wasn't really thinking about them. Her mind was focused on Elliot. What if they didn't connect the same way as before? What if it was different with other people around? Or maybe it was just one of those things that was meant to pass, like a pleasant memory. And soon they would forget that they once shared a fleeting, yet profound night.

But as she stood in the doorway of the Great Hall, she caught sight of Elliot and she felt her heart quicken. No... there was just no way Elliot would forget about her. She knew it, deep in her bones. It was sometimes difficult for her to trust, but Elliot... he wouldn't forget.

Her eyes moved on to the pretty brunette next to him. Elliot's sister, Savannah. She really hoped the girl would like her. Savannah looked up and their eyes met for a brief second. Ingrid nearly turned and left, but instead she stood there, hesitating.

[Elliot Lyons]

Elliot nearly wrinkled his nose at the word appropriate. "It'll be a lot more fun than just chess," he said raising his eyebrows. He too had a distaste for the game. It was far to quite, even if it was Wizard Chess. Elliot didn't comment on if any games he knew were 'appropriate', besides he didn't even know what would really account for an appropriate game of cards.

Seeing his sister look in the direction of the doorway, Elliot's gaze followed. A wide smile crossed his face. He looked back to Savannah and nodded. "I'll be right back," he said as he got up and nervously walked over to Ingrid whenever he saw that she was hesitating.

There was no way that Elliot would forget meeting her. Once he reached her, his smile didn't fade. "Glad you made it." He offered her his hand. "Come on and I'll introduce you to my sister."

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid felt like the bottom had dropped out of her stomach as he walked over to her, smiling that smile. It was strange, but her heart seemed to beat a little faster, too... but she liked it. She found herself smiling just as broadly, which was a bit rare for her.

He offered her his hand, and Ingrid took a breath before she slipped her small hand in his. It felt like an electric shock went through her at his touch, and she shivered. She stood there a minute, just looking at him. He needed to smile more... he had a nice smile.

[Elliot Lyons]

He didn't care if he had gained a few stares from people. Elliot was around the people he was comfortable with so there was no shy feelings. Although, he did feel pretty strangely. He didn't know what it was.

When her hand was in his, he closed his fingers around her hand. The way that Ingrid looked at him made his cheeks go warm. Elliot led Ingrid over to his sister. He couldn't help that he was still smiling. Luckily, Cameron wasn't there. If he was, Elliot had a feeling that his friend wouldn't stop picking on him.
"This is my sister Savannah," he said with a shy tone. He didn't release her hand yet. "And Van, this is my friend Ingrid."

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid felt unusually unsteady on her feet as she allowed Elliot to lead her over to the table where his sister was sitting. For reasons she couldn't explain, it felt incredibly important for Savannah to like her. She wasn't sure what she would do if she didn't.

When they reached the table, Ingrid felt like her knees were knocking together, she was so nervous. But she wanted to make a good impression, so she smiled and nodded a greeting. She quietly disengaged her hand from Elliot's and held it out to Savannah.

[Savannah Lyons]

Ingrid needn't have worried; Savannah liked the girl immediately. There was something almost other-worldly about her. Maybe it was her pale skin or her fiery red hair, or the haunting look in her brown eyes. Or maybe it was just the fact that she didn't speak. Whatever it was, it drew Savannah in and made her smile. "It's very nice to meet you, Ingrid," she said politely. "You're very welcome to join us, of course. Please sit down."

[Elliot Lyons]

If anyone ever told Elliot that he had a near dreamy look on his face, he would have never believed them. He was excited that Savannah seemed to like the girl. As far as he could tell, Savannah wasn't just acting polite to Ingrid.

Elliot bent down slightly to whisper very quietly in Ingrid's ear, "You don't have to be nervous," before standing straight and smiling at her. "You can take a seat in between us," he said motioning toward the seat.

[Ingrid Regan]

Having him so close and feeling him whisper in her ear was such an odd feeling! Her ear sort of tickled, and she gave a silent giggle even as a shiver ran through her body.

She glanced over her shoulder at him, a shy smile on her face. She had known him such a short time, and yet she already felt like he was her best friend.

A slight blush crept onto her cheek and she looked away, slipping into the chair between Elliot and his sister.