Too Young and Wild at Heart

[Ilsa Richmond]

There was a very good reason why Ilsa was nestled in the back booth of a less than reputable pub. It was exactly the kind of place that no one in her family would ever walk into, especially at 3 in the afternoon.

Ilsa had no way of knowing, of course, that one of her mother's patients was penning a desperate owl to Nadine begging her to come stop an impending emotional breakdown. Later, she might chalk it up to bad luck.

For the moment, though, she was content where she was, pressed against Ramon's side while his arms were around her, quietly strumming his guitar, a cigarette perched between his lips. No one seemed to mind since they made up half of the current patrons of Hogs Head. Everyone there, Ramon, Ilsa, and a couple other musician friends, were regulars.

"He blew them away in the audition, I'm telling you. I just think he's a little too... Edgy for the Wrackspurts," she was saying, talking to a guy who joined Ramon for gigs where he could afford a bassist.

"No way. The Wrackspurts are totally edgy."

She dismissed the comment. "Sure, in a mainstream kind of way. It's so dull."

She was spending more and more time around this little group, and Ramon in particular, now that she had graduated Hogwarts (with less than stellar NEWTs and only marginally better prospects for her future). The more she was away from home, the more they asked her what she was doing and if she was looking for work, which meant the more she wanted to be away from them. Already, she spent more nights at Ramon's than they planned, and it was getting harder and harder to keep him a secret.

She was getting closer and closer to spilling her secret, especially every time Lorelei told some sickening story about her "friend."

"You're focusing quite hard," she murmured, turning her attention to the man she was stealing body heat from. Without interrupting his strumming, she reached to pluck the cigarette from it's spot against his lips to rest against hers.

[Ramon Salvatore]

Ramon was often a man of contradictions. While he seemed casual and easygoing, deep down, he was capable of powerful emotions. He felt everything deeply, and the things that mattered to him were things that he would lay down his very life to protect. He would do it for his family, for his music, and most of all, for Ilsa. At the moment, it might have seemed to the casual observer that he was paying no attention to either the music or the conversation that was taking place around him, but in fact, both had equal shares of his attention. The music, he barely needed to think about, for it dripped from his very fingers like honey, yet it came from a deeper part of him. His music came from feelings and emotions, traveling from his heart to his fingertips and out into the world. His casual finger-picking on the guitar was anything but casual; rather, it was created from the warmth of Ilsa's body against his, the softness and contradictory strength of her voice as she seemed to try and defend him against what she might perceive to be a slight against him.

He smiled softly, choosing not to tell her that he had already made up his mind. Even if the Wrackspurts wanted him to be their new bass player, he intended to turn it down. He didn't really want to be a bass player, and he didn't want to sell out by joining a band that was not his own. It was nothing against the Wrackspurts; they were good enough for what they were. But he had his own musical vision and if he joined the band, he would not be able to express that vision and make a name for himself. He still wasn't interested in fame and fortune, but he wouldn't have minded the help of an experienced music producer or manager like Sylvia Lambert, the Wrackspurts' manager. She had been the real reason he had agreed to the audition... he had hoped to catch her attention and maybe open up a few opportunities for himself and Ilsa.

When Ilsa turned to him, commenting about how intense he seemed to be focusing, he looked away from the guitar and met her eyes with a small smile. "Not at all," he said. "You know my attention is always focused on you."

[Ilsa Richmond]

(my icon didnt resize. Sorry. I'll fix it later)

Ilsa's lips pursed, her eyes amused, at Ramon's response. It was the best reaction he would get for the moment, except for the small smile that followed before she turned back to the other two across the table.

They were a small group today. When shifts and sleep schedules allowed, Lexi and Bootes would often times join them- and usually together. For a relationship that was never quite confirmed, she rarely seemed to see one without the other. Maybe it was coincidental considering the places she tended to see them, though.

"Remind me to keep him around for a while," she teased lightly, though the sentiment was more than sincere. Ilsa was still young, and with that came certain immaturities. All 17 year olds were sure that they knew everything, that they were invincible. But Ramon made her feel invincible- like somehow, no matter what happened, the two of them would be okay simply because they were together and they wanted to be okay.

Where Ilsa collected moments of people in her life telling her they wanted her to try harder, to make better choices for her, to be and do more, Ramon never did. It wasn't a lack of ambition or drive on either of their parts. Somehow, she knew if she actually needed a push, he'd give it to her. He was so open minded and encouraging, though. When she decided she was going to be his drummer, he did nothing but encourage it.

As much as she knew people cared about her in her life, she felt like Ramon might have been the only one who actually liked who she was, who didn't push her to be someone else.

She took a long drag from the cigarette while the two across the table continued in a debate of just how edgy the Wrackspurts were, and after she blew the smoke to the side, she nestled just a bit closer against Ramon, softly pressing her lips to his arm that was around her.

[Ramon Salvatore]

In many ways, they were from very different worlds. AS strict as her family was, his was loose and free-spirited. Where her family emphasized achievement, his family encouraged creativity and passion and freedom. They never told him how to live his life, never imposed any rules, never tried to make him into something he wasn't.

This was why he was so laid-back in his life, but so passionate about the things that truly mattered to him. The things that some people would have thought important--career, food, clothes, a home--these were distractions to him. They didn't matter as much as music, love, and freedom. If he had his way, he'd live in a field and play music on the streets for food. In another life, perhaps, he had been a traveling minstrel, playing a lute and making music for peasants and kings alike.

Ilsa balanced him out a bit, for although she was just as free-spirited as he was, she had more ambition, more strength of will, and more determination than he had. She gave him strength to do more than he ever would have imagined. He never would have even considered auditioning for the Wrackspurts if she hadn't suggested it, and although he planned to turn it down if offered the gig, he didn't regret the experience. It was a learning experience, if nothing else. And he knew that Ilsa wouldn't judge him whatever he decided, and that she had only pushed him to audition because she believed in him and his talent. And she made him believe, too.

He smiled and leaned his chin against the back of her head. He loved the way she fit in his arms, yet he never told her that. It was just a simple fact that he was pretty sure she already knew.

"So, how did things go with the drummer, anyway? Is he going to give you lessons? And is he gonna keep his hands to his own drums while he does it?"

[Ilsa Richmond]

"Oh!" Ilsa exclaimed, sitting up a little straighter. "I didn't tell you?" She swore she had, but she might have been too excited after the audition and just forgot.

Either way, she was now filled with renewed energy, displacing his arm around her as she started talking with her hands. The cigarette balanced precariously between her fingers.

"Apparently, they don't intend to tour for a while, at least until they mesh with the new guy. So he said as long as he isn't practicing, he'll teach me. He even gave me a pair of drumsticks. I can't wait!"

She was animated when it came to things she was passionate about, and while sometimes these things were fleeting, she still put 100% of herself into them.

"Did you get to talk to their manager at all?" She may not have known it was his only goal with the audition, but she knew it was a goal nonetheless.

[Ramon Salvatore]

Ramon couldn't help smiling as she got excited. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and when she was excited about something, he couldn't help but feel the same way. He was, however, less enthusiastic about her flirting with the Wrackspurts' drummer to get what she wanted. He'd never tell her so, but he was rather jealous. But he also trusted Ilsa. He didn't trust the drummer as much, but he also knew that Ilsa would not hesitate to fight back against a boy who dared to get fresh with her.

He also never wanted her to feel like she was trapped in any way, that he possessed her or that she belonged to him. He wanted her with him not by force, but by choice, and she was always free to choose someone else, no matter how it might hurt. She had always reminded him of a butterfly, like the one he had caught when he was 9 and put in a glass jar so he could keep it. But within a very short time, the butterfly was dead,]. He never wanted her to feel like that butterfly--trapped and hopeless.

But Ilsa was happy now, and so he was happy. And if this did work out, then she would be at his side when he played. What could be better than that?

"That's fantastic, babe," he said. "I just know you're gonna be great at it. And there's no one I'd rather have backing me up than you... you know that, right?"

He leaned in and kissed her gently. but quickly. After all, the guys were around, and he didn't want to embarrass her in front of them.

"I did talk to her, but only for a minute. She was nice, though... she gave me her card, and I told her the fate of my next gig. In case she wants to check it out."

[Ilsa Richmond]

One of the two across the table snorted when Ramon said what he did to Ilsa, which made her laugh and throw her napkin at him.

It was not a secret to her that Ramon was much more of a romantic than she was. They didn't wax poetic to each other or anything like that, but Ramon would often say things that made her blush, and though she would never, ever admit it, they made her uncomfortable. It was hard to explain. She didn't feel like the words were undeserved. She just didn't like words a whole lot- all her family did was talk and praise and misguided rebel that she was, she loved the fact that the way Ramon acted was enough to show her that he did love her, that he wanted her close. Because of this, it was easier to laugh with their sometimes base player than it was to repeat the sentiment to Ramon.

"Well, good. Then I'll have to practice quite hard. I really hope that woman comes to your show. I'll have to keep an eye out for her."

[Ramon Salvatore]

Although Ramon was generally a more romantic person than Ilsa was, he was not overly sensitive, and he never expected her to repeat his words or sentiments on the rare occasion when he let them slip. He understood that it was her way, that it was something she was less comfortable about than he was, and besides, he didn't need words to know how she felt about him. Their connection was stronger than words, stronger than music, stronger than even the physical sensations whenever they touched. He didn't need her reassurances, because he was already secure in what they had, and it was never something that he doubted.

Sometimes, however, he did worry that Ilsa's own insecurities about herself would somehow end up driving her away from him. But he also knew that, if ever Ilsa decided to end things between them--whether temporarily or permanently--that he would let her go. It would hurt, of course, but he didn't believe in holding her so tightly that she couldn't get away. She stayed because she wanted to be with him, and it was entirely her choice. He would never force her or beg her to stay where she didn't want to be, even if that meant she would one day leave him.

He shrugged off her laughter, and it was instantly forgotten. After all, there would be time later for him to show his feelings for her. But now was a time to talk about business, so to speak.

"I think it worked out for the best, really. I didn't want to be in someone else's band, and I still got to play for a big-time agent. I got good vibes from the whole thing... I really think she might actually come to the next gig."

[Ilsa Richmond]

Should Ilsa ever hear these concerns, however, she would be quick to try to lay them to rest. Sure, she had some issues with herself that needed to be contended with, and she wasn't a romantic. She didn't believe in fairytales, she didn't believe in magic, even, other than what she knew she could perform or see in a potion. The idea of a kind of true love that made everyone in the room disappear was ridiculous to her.

No, Ilsa was much more practical than that. She believed in what she could see and touch and feel. It was why she always jumped headfirst into anything. She didn't worry about the what ifs.

While many might say that she was callous to have a relationship with Ramon and turn around and say that she didn't believe in the concept of true love, Ilsa knew otherwise. Her relationship with Ramon was real and gritty and tangible. She could be feel that. He spoke her language, which even her family couldn't do. He got her, he understood what was going through her head without needing to hear her say it. That was a connection she could believe in. And it was because she knew she was always free to leave him that she didn't. The second it felt suffocating, Ilsa would have bolted. She liked to think that they both encouraged the other to be better- that combined, they were a greater whole than the sum of their parts.

More than anything, Ramon gave her a reason not to run away, at least figuratively. With him, she her heart was at home. It was a feeling no other person or place or thing had ever given her, and they were big feelings for a young woman. Would it last forever? Maybe, maybe not, but that was a what if, and Ilsa didn't believe in those either. She was much better at living in the moment, as much as it drove her mother crazy.

"Good. I hope she does. People deserve to hear your music." With his cigarette still between her fingers, she added, "Play that piece you were working on last night?" and then fell into comfortable silence while the two on the other side of the table started asking questions about Sylvia and the audition and their next gig.

[Bootes Sampson]

A moment later, a beast of a man was walking up to their table. There was no hesitation before he pulled up a chair from another table because with the four already there, there was no room for him in the booth. He had a guitar on his back, like it belonged there anywhere he went.

He twisted the chair backwards, sitting down and leaning forward as he started his apology. "Sorry I'm late," he offered, though he wasn't sorry at all, really. Everyone at that table, himself included, knew he was going to join them later than anyone else. Even still, he added the explanation. "I just woke up a few minutes ago."

His job kept him operating at odd hours, but it didn't help that he'd spent so much time with Lex after his shift, too.

"What did I miss? How did that audition go?"

[Ramon Salvatore]

To some people, a gathering such as this one might have seemed like just another example of wasted youth. A bunch of young people lounging in a booth at a bar in the middle of the afternoon, strumming guitars and drinking instead of working or sitting in some incredibly boring class or something was probably not considered productive in the real world. But if that was the case, Ramon most certainly didn't want to be a part of the "real" world. He was quite content in his own world, as long as Ilsa was part of it as well.

He was lightly picking out the tune he had been playing for Ilsa the night before--it was simultaneously dark and playful with a hint of mystery, and in his mind it was an ode to Ilsa's chocolate-brown eyes.

"I hope she's interested, too," he agreed. "But if she's not, I'm not gonna sweat it. If it's meant to happen, I figure the right opportunity will come along. If it's not, then I'll just be the greatest undiscovered guitar player that ever lived."

Bootes joined them at that moment, and Ramon grinned. "Hey, man. Lexi keep you busy last night?"

[Bootes Sampson]

Bootes rubbed a hand over his face, simultaneously flagging down the barmaid and asking for a pint of whatever she felt like giving him.

To Ramon's question, he chuckled lightly. "Yeah, something like that." He gathered from the comment he walked into that at least one person at the table thought the audition went well. Bootes trusted Ilsa's thoughts on these things, too, because although she looked at Ramon with pure adoration, he'd never seen her lie. She had no problems telling anyone what was on her mind or her honest opinions on anything. If Ramon had bombed the audition, she would have told him.

"Well, fingers crossed then, mate."

[Dr. Nadine Richmond]

Nadine was not exactly comfortable going to a place like the Hog's Head. She might have ventured in there once or twice when she was younger, but that was a very long time ago now. She certainly wouldn't even consider stepping into such a place now, but she had no choice. She had received an owl from one of her patients stating that he was having some sort of crisis, and if he wouldn't come to her, then she would have to come to him.

She was walking thorough Hogsmeade now, trying to keep an eye out for her patient, in case he decided to leave the Hog's Head. He was a generally unstable sort, and she had no doubt that he was capable of doing harm to himself or someone else if she wasn't able to get to him on time and talk him down. Hopefully she would be able to help him once she got there, but she couldn't help the nervous fluttering in her stomach as she left the main part of town and moved toward the long pathway that led to the Hog's Head Inn...

[Ilsa Richmond]

Ilsa chose not to comment on Ramon's statement, because the moment she considered telling him how much potential he had, she heard her mother's voice in her head, and she swore she was never going to be her mother. She loved Nadine dearly, but it wasn't fair to push someone towards things they didn't want.

She took another long drag from his cigarette, then let the thing sit between her lips while she settled back into place against him.

How bad would it be, she wondered, if she were to move in with him? She knew he'd let her- he'd even welcome her. But in order to do that without really getting into it with her parents, she would basically have to cut off all ties with them, and she didn't think she could do that. She loved them, even if they didn't know her half as well as they thought they did. She sighed softly, unnoticeable except to make Ramon, whose body she was pressed into, and she grew suddenly quiet, letting Bootes and the other guys take over the conversation.

[Alexis Oliver]

It was a generally accepted fact that when Bootes appeared, Lexi usually followed not long after. They were both night owls, used to getting up at odd hours and often only seen in the dark of night. She had spent the night at his place, as she often did, but this time she lingered a little after he left, taking the time to shower and make herself look pretty. She still wasn't sure why she bothered most of the time, given the unwashed state of most of the Nail's usual patrons. Looking the way she did was generally an invitation to be groped, grabbed, drooled on, and even puked on at times. But she had chosen this life over the privileged life she could have had with her family, and she had no regrets. This way she was free and could do whatever she wanted at any time. If she wanted to quit working for Rusty and join an all-girl band, she could. Or she could take off and move to the South of France if she wanted, with nothing to hold her back. Except for Bootes, that is.

She chose not to think about their relationship, to not put labels on it or heap expectations onto it. All she knew was that if she did take off to the South of France without him, she would miss him a hell of a lot.

"Hey, guys," she greeted them, tucking an errant curl back from her face as she slipped into the booth next to Bootes. "Hope you haven't started the party without me."

[Ramon Salvatore]

Ramon had never really thought too much about the future. He liked the idea of just living in the moment, enjoying what he had and not trying to control what might happen next. The way he saw it, only the present moment was promised to every person, and the next moment might bring doom and despair. At the moment, he had everything he needed right with him--he had Ilsa and he had his guitar, he had a drink and a full stomach and was surrounded by friends. What more could he possibly need?

Yes, he supposed that a successful career in music would be nice, and he agreed to put himself and his music out there, but he didn't understand the desperate drive some people had to succeed, to be famous, to make money, to be something better than what they already were and build a life around things that didn't really matter in the end. It all just seemed like those kinds of people wanted to be someone other than themselves, as if having money and fame might make them happy. Ramon liked who he was, and he liked his life just the way it was. Yes, it would be better if he didn't have to busk on street corners to make a few galleons, but he still thought himself to be a rich and successful man, because he had love and happiness already.

He shrugged. "Thanks, man," he said to Bootes. "We'll just see what happens." He set his guitar aside, and took his cigarette from Ilsa. He took a long drag, and then leaned in to kiss Ilsa with the smoke still on his breath.

[Ilsa Richmond]

And then there was Ilsa, somewhere in between. Her drive wasn't necessarily to be successful, but to follow her passion. Her family might have thought she was apathetic about the things that mattered, but that was actually quite untrue. She was an incredibly passionate woman. She just didn't find the same things important that they did.

Success and making money and having "a good career" and "living up to your potential" did not interest her. What interested her was love and her relationships with people. The group sitting around the table now understood that and encouraged it better than her family every would.

The barmaid came buy, asking for refills or new orders since Bootes and Lexi had joined them. It was about this time that Ilsa relinquished Ramon's cigarette back to him.

"Well, whatever happens with any of it, it'll be a hell of a ride anyway."

Ramon kissed her then, and when they parted, Ilsa was the one to blow a line of smoke from her lips.

[Bootes Sampson]

Bootes smiled at Lexi as she joined them, sliding in next to him, and he nudged her a little as a way of saying hello. "You are the party, you know that."

He was glad for this little group. He was really glad for Lexi, though, if he was going to get specific. She seemed to ground him, in an odd way.

While he wanted to pursue his music, he knew he wasn't going to have any success with it. Not the way he truly thought Ramon might. He was a singer songwriter, and no one paid for that these days. That left his career options going in two very different paths- continue being a bouncer and pulling odd security jobs, or pursue being an Auror.

He hadn't mentioned the idea to Lexi yet, almost wondering if the thought of him being responsible and awake in the sunlight would shatter whatever bond between them.

Thankful for the distraction, he ordered an early afternoon drink with the barmaid.

[Dr. Nadine Richmond]

It was at that moment that Nadine arrived at the Hog's Head. She stood outside for a moment, frowning. It was the nature of her job that sometimes she had to go to places like this to help her clients in the middle of a breakdown, but it was not her favorite part of the job. It wasn't just that she hated going into filthy places like this, but she also didn't like to see her patients in crisis... it made her feel as thought she had failed them somehow.

She took a deep breath and walked into the pub, waiting a moment while her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. She caught the bartender's eye--a grizzled old man with long white hair and wild eyes. It smelled of goats in the pub, and she wrinkled her nose at the odor.

She heard the rumbling of chatter, along with the light strumming of a guitar, off in one corner, and didn't look in that direction right away, assuming that her patient wouldn't be gathering with a group but would be sitting alone with a drink.

She cast her eyes around and didn't see Alfred anywhere, just a couple of hags cackling together at a table near the bar, and two wizards engaged in a very secretive conversation in a far corner of the room. So Nadine turned in the direction of the group, wondering if Alfred was sitting near them.

But as she cast her gaze in their direction, she was shocked when her eyes fell on her daughter, Ilsa, sitting with a group of very rough-looking individuals. There was a large black man who had an intimidating look about him, and a rather cheap-looking blonde girl who was hanging all over him. Ilsa, however, was sitting on another man's lap--the one with the guitar--and kissing him rather intensely. As she pulled away, she exhaled a puff of smoke.

In that instant, Alfred and his problems were instantly forgotten, and Nadine ran over to Ilsa and her "friends."

"Ilsa? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school? Do you even know these people?"

[Ilsa Richmond]

Ilsa never saw it coming.

One of the appealing things about the Hog's Head was that she was absolutely positive none of her family would ever walk in here, with the possible, extremely unlikely exception of Lorelei. Because of this, her guard was down and she was just enjoying being with this group.

So when she heard her name, she didn't recognize her mother's voice right away because it was so outlandish to think she'd be here. Her classy, straight-laced mother in the Hog's Head? When pigs flew.

Except that she was, and for a second, Ilsa had no idea how to respond to this. "Oh, bugger."

Quickly, she was pushing away from Ramon and finding her way to her feet, an effort to walk them both away from the group so that her mother wouldn't embarrass her royally in front of them. "What are you doing here, Mum?"