| Details for Hot Potato |
| Summary: | Medusa finally speaks with Randy about the deal she's made with Helene…regarding her. Randy argues with Medusa. |
| Date: | Sat Mar 30, 1938 |
| Location: | Grounds, Hogwarts |
| Related: | Some Slytherins Play Nicer |
| Characters |
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When she woke up, Randy had a plan. It was her birthday, a Saturday this year. She was excited and getting this far requires celebration, but none of those plans had to do with waking up early, or daytime. So she slept in, missing breakfast and grabbing an extra large lunch. Ever since her encounter with Helene out by the pumpkins, Randy has been feeling on high, and she's been trying to hound down Medusa though with little success (though not for lack of trying!). It hasn't dampened her spirits much. She'd decided to put her mission off just for today, because it's her birthday. Medusa is not the girl Randy's mind is on, that's another certain Slytherin. After lunch, she headed to the grassy knolls to enjoy the spring day lounging and doing /absolutely nothing/. She's lying on her back, hands behind her head, eyes closed as she feels the light breeze graze across her features.
Prowling her way out to the grounds in search of a certain birthday girl, Medusa's steps are quite silent thanks to the muffling grass. Her gait is a little less lazy today, having got word from one of her spies that Randy was seen heading out this way, and so she comes across the unaware Gryffindor easily enough. She considers the girl for several moments before composing her features in a rare expression of concern, then settles to the grass. "Happy birthday, Randy."
Randy certainly isn't completely unaware of Medusa, but she certainly doesn't give a crap and doesn't know who she is. It's also a bit late in the Slytherin's approach that Randy does detect the girl. At Medusa's signature voice (Randy could never forget it now), her eyes flutter open, ready to shift to ire, except when she sees Medusa in rare form…concern. "…Thanks." Skepticism like a small creature tiptoeing around a trap.
While Medusa no doubt has extensive practice with the art of deception, her concern is genuine enough, at least for the moment. She looks Randy over, head to toe, still with that odd concern, before observing, her tone a mild drawl, "You must really hate me, I'm sure."
"I don't have a lot of compelling reasons to like you," Randy concedes without moving from her spot, as vulnerable as she is. This may be a civil conversation, but it's clear that Randy's from a martial family…paranoid derps who get itchy with suspicion around threats (physical or not). She looks mildly concerned too, just from a totally different perspective. Wary, she remains calm and neutral in her approach. She merely waits to see if the Slytherin has anything else she'd like to say.
"Few people do." Medusa sighs, shaking her head. "Helene is one of them." She studies Randy intently for a moment. "Do you care for her?"
There are so many things Randy could say, probably should at a moment like this, but her only thought is Helene. The fact that she doesn't care to be catty or point out the obvious reasons why she /obviously/ does care about what happens with Helene (at least), reinforce her. She clearly doesn't know this. She's not a social mastermind of people. She doesn't want to be. This is just Randy. "I do. Listen…I don't want to hurt her." She's being honest, with a Malfoy, a moment of extreme vulnerability, even if she wears it like a badge of honor. She sits up to explain. "There's something there. I don't want to rush things, but I don't want to kill things before they have a chance to begin. All I know is that I can't stop thinking about her and I'm happy. I want her to be happy…." in summary, "I'm not toying with her."
Whereas Medusa is a social mastermind, who reads Randy like a book. Better, actually, since she's not generally given to gleaning information by reading from books. "I understand," she says, with a little smile. "It may not seem like it, given who and what I am, but I really do." Medusa didn't start out as a heartless bitch, after all. "She's my best friend, you know, so I'm glad to hear that you're not toying with her."
No…she started as a heartless baby. :D
"I know." Randy lets out a deep breath. "You seem like just a person to me," she says with a little shrug. "A very very very bored person with strange hobbies. I personally go for putting my energy into other things," again, what she'd /like/ to believe about the Slytherin. "I could really care less if you smear my name. I just wanted to have a chance to treat her well." It is about the sweetest mushiest thing that will ever come from her lips. "Did you tell her anything about the closet stuff?"
Medusa shakes her head. "I haven't told anyone. That was our deal, remember? I would keep quiet, and you would owe me a favor." She takes a breath, as if preparing herself for something, and continues, "I did tell her about the favor, because she asked me about it, and Helene is the one person I've never lied to."
Randy pushes herself up onto her feet at this. "Yeah, I remember," which suggests a few possible reasons why she asked. "Wow, that seems like a luxury," she teases lightly, her eyes dancing with a bit of mirth. She clearly isn't going to hold Medusa at arms length for her bit of 'sporting' with her lately. Or it seems that way. "Okay…so you told her I owe you a favor. Is there something wrong with that?"
"It is a luxury, actually, especially when you consider how long we've been friends." Medusa has known Helene since before Hogwarts, after all. "We share… mostly everything, anyway." Which is more than Medusa can say for her siblings. "She's asked, though, if she can have you all to herself." She sits back a bit and gives Randy a pleading look. "I can't refuse her. Anyone else, but not Helene." She bites her lip briefly, looking vaguely uncertain, before continuing, "So… I've agreed to give her your favor."
And this is the moment Randy realizes that she's a bargaining chip, or something like it. /Something/ seems to sit ill with her. Her face falls into a nearly neutral expression, casting more seriousness about her given her disposition towards joviality. A part of her may be secretly satisfied that Helene wants her, but her own pride flares indignantly. After some silence…"I was never yours." She can't seem to bring herself to move a muscle from her spot. She's just staring, hardened amber eyes on the Slytherin.
"Weren't you?" Medusa tilts her head, one shoulder lifting in a shrug. "I would have held onto it, you know. It's what I do. The favor puts you in my debt, and you would have fought and fought and kicked and clawed, but eventually you would have been mine." She's not worried about exposing this sort of secret to Randy, having effectively let her off the hook now. "Of course, Helene isn't like me, not really. She just knew that the favor gave me a hold over you, and she wants you all to herself. It's quite sentimental, really."
"No. I wasn't, and I wouldn't." Randy says with a strange calm about her, a deadened calm. "You would have nothing if you didn't have my heart…And for all your cleverness, that is clearly something you have no idea how to get." Her eyes drift away from the Slytherin, off to the side, deep in thought or hardly thinking? As to responding to Medusa's defense of Helene, Randy stands there until Medusa is finished. Her eyes flick back to Medusa just for a half moment, and then she turns to leave.
"You think not?" Medusa shakes her head. "I always get what I want, Randy. Helene knows this, even if you want to try denying it." She gets to her feet, brushing off her skirt. "It's why she wanted me to let go of you, because she knows I would have won. People are no more than chess pieces to me, with one exception, and I'm very good at chess. So I suggest you treat her very well." Medusa straightens, her eyes taking on that dangerous glimmer again. "If you mistreat her in any way, I will personally make sure to do everything in my power to make your life miserable. These past few weeks will look like a picnic in comparison."
Randy stops after two steps to turn to the side, one foot higher on the hill. She looks back at Medusa and smiles, just softly. "And /that/ is exactly why you could never have me. I think you've made a good bargain to keep your friendship, because I don't think you would have been happy with the results otherwise. I would never care for someone who didn't treat me with respect." As to Medusa's threat, Randy doesn't flinch or seem scared at all. "I believe this is your fault, not mine." Cryptic. "It wouldn't surprise me if everything you've touched thus far in your life has turned to ruin…so, good luck with that." She ducks her head as if to tip her nonexistent hat in parting. Then she turns again.