*--born this way [dante]

[charmian]

For reasons unknown to Charmian she had chosen to take Arithmancy and it was much more work than she ever wanted to take on. After OWLs she was sure she was going to drop the subject. The only subject she really wished to pursue was transfiguration. Not wanting to ask her older brother for help she had gone to the professor for some extra practice in the subject. Whether she really wanted to or not the better she did the more it pleased her parents and the more quidditch games she could attend. She had long ago realized her parents used quidditch to get her to do what they wanted but she found she didn't much care, after all she too got what she wanted.

After receiving the much needed help she wondered through the empty corridors of the seventh floor. Usually Charmian loved to cause a fair bit of trouble and pranking was by far one of her favorite things to do after quidditch. Being a troublemaker was so much more fun than being a good girl could ever be in her opinion. Inside her school bag with her arithmancy text and notes was a whole bag of joke products for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, a shop which she used the mail order system to order her supplies. She was sure her parents wouldn't approve of pranks when she should be spending her time studying. It irritated the bubbly fun girl that her parents had tried to mold her into the image and likeness of her brother. She loved being on the go and dreaded the required studying she had been brought up with.

Rounding the corner of the corridor she decided this was as good as a place as any for her to execute her prank. Dropping her schoolbag to the floor she opened it up and dug out the fireworks that she had purchased. The owner of the joke shop had been more than happy to point her in the right direction of some spells that would make this even better. Charmian might not be as smart as her brother but she wasn't half bad at spells. Using a charm to make the fireworks cling to the subjects space, and the fireworks would follow the person around. It was brilliant. And the more you tried to get rid of them, the longer they stayed around. It would be well worth the detention that was sure to follow when she was caught. With wand and fireworks in hand she waited patiently for the next person who walked into her path, whoever that person turned out to be.

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[DANTE TIAN-NING AU-YONG]

The kleptomania had struck once again. Not for the first time in Dante's life, he had absconded with another's belonging. There has just been so many things on his mind lately that his ability to tamp down on the uncontrollable urge was very close to null. Lately, there had been some problems in his life beyond the usual academic problems of not getting his homework done on his early assigned due date or not being able to find the materials necessary for his extra-curricular readings. Nowadays, it had more to do with his fiancée, Olivia Montague. Ever since he was young, he had known about this arranged marriage, much like the same as it had been for her. For years, they had accepted their positions and their obligations in the whole arrangement with every intention to honour their parents' wishes. They had even gone out on dates to facilitate the impending marriage. But lately, Olivia had been growing increasingly distant and Dante had no idea why.

The object in question that he had taken off with a few days earlier was currently burning a hole through his pocket, much in the same way that it had sat in his trunk, waiting patiently to be returned to its proper owner. Based on previous intense scrutinization, Dante knew that the trinket was an ornamental hair clip. It was pretty, and he was sure that the owner was missing it. Oftentimes, the items that Dante stole were rather ordinary and easily misplaced; items that if lost, the owners generally did not notice thus making the whole process of returning it inconspicuously an easy job. However, based on the look of it, this particular item was not quite on the same scale of common trinkets, it was something whose missing presence would not go unnoticed.

Meandering down the halls, Dante had yet to determine how he would return said item while remaining anonymous. After all, it wouldn't do for others, beyond his own family, to know of his condition. For a lack of a better term, it was... unseemly. Although he had several days, a proper solution evaded him. If only this person was more prone to leaving their things unattended or emerged from her hiding spot more often, Dante would have managed to find this person days ago to return her belongings days ago; perhaps, even as soon the same day that he had taken the obviously precious object. Unfortunately, that was the case.

Preoccupied with the worrisome nature of his thoughts, Dante rounded the corner where his younger sister was hiding in wait for her next prank victim and failed to take note of the fireworks and the familiar mischevious twinkle in his sister's eyes. “Hey Charmian,” he greeted briefly and absentmindedly as he continued to walk past her.

(( I am SOOOO sorry about taking sooo long to reply T_T I've been having some difficulties unfortunately. I promise to be more prompt about replying next time! >.<))

[charmian]

It seemed to Charmian that she had been waiting in the corridor for ages. After all when there was no one around and nothing to do, time always seemed to see fit to slow down. Charmian had almost given up on anyone coming down this way when she finally heard footsteps coming her way down the corridor. Peeking around the corner she felt that it was almost too perfect for her brother dearest to be coming her way. "Dante."

Her brother continued on by her hardly paying her any attention. Charmian desparately wanted to know what he was up to but she'd much rather set her prank in motion instead. Whispering the spell she lit the fireworks and sent them off after Dante. They were quiet at first but as they started to burn they were shooting off colorful sparks, red, gold, green, and the like. Oh how fun it was going to be when he tried to get rid of them. And there was no way he could. He'd just be stuck with them until they were finished. There was nothing like annoying the person you had just pranked, and it was ten times more fun when that person was your brother. She'd just tag along with wherever he was going until she got the feeling she was going to far. Hurrying down she caught up to him, a grin on her face. Still she didn't speak, she was content to wait for the right moment.

ooc; so sorry my reply was short and delayed. I'm finished moving now so replies should be much faster.

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[DANTE TIAN-NING AU-YONG]

For the most part, Dante didn't think too much about his sister's random appearance. Why she would be wandering in the seventh floor corridor was a bit of a mystery, but it was not a mystery that Dante was particularly interested in solving. His sister was a big girl now, she was more than capable of handling herself... hopefully. But his sister usually ended up in the weirdest places without any proper explanation, as far as he knew anyway. And knowing his sister, she would be unlikely to give such an explanation even if asked. On second thought, especially if she were asked. Perhaps, she was up to something; perhaps not. Either way, Dante was not particularly curious to know due to his current preoccupation.

Putting that seemingly useless train of thought aside, Dante continued to walk down the corridor to some unknown destination. Even after Charmian had attached fireworks to his person, Dante was still to caught up with his thoughts to notice his new crackling friends. It wasn't until the crackling sounds became louder that he really took notice. He turned around to see his firecracker companions and its accompanying counterpart a few paces behind. Hoping against hope, Dante took a step forward and hoped that the firecrackers wouldn't follow him even though his sister's continuing presence just as well confirmed his suspicions. Alas, it was not meant to be: the firecrackers went the exact distance forward as he did.

The Ravenclaw rubbed his forehead in exasperation. Of course, he should've realized that his younger sister was up to something. She was always up to something. That was something he should have learned after having grown up with her for the past fifteen years. Dante turned around to stare at Charmian, looking wholly unamused while his sister had the most self-satisfied grin on her face. “Charmian...” he started warningly. Dante didn't know how much time he had before the firecrackers decided to explode, but he knew that he could make things far worse if he tried to mess with another's spells.

[charmian]

Charmian couldn't believe her luck. Her brother had barely paid any attention to her and simply walked unawaringly as she and the firecrackers followed him. He was either very distracted or after all these years he still hadn't learned that she liked to keep him on his toes. Remembering the incident where he had snapped on her Charmian wondered if she should have waited for someone else who wasn't likely to freak out as bad. Still it was too late and truth be told he was more fun to bother. "Charmian"

[/b]

Her satisfied smile stayed in place as she tried to smile sweetly at her brother. Her first guess had been right, this was going to be much more fun with him as the target. "Dante" Charmian knew he was probably waiting for her to remove the fireworks and the spells that acompanied them and this made her even more happy. "They'll probably last all day. They weren't anywhere near the Ravenclaw common room she realized as she looked around so Charmian turned her face back towards her brother. What was he up to? Or more importantly where was he going. SHe knew now to find out and to watch him be uncomfortable she was going to have to follow him around the rest of the day. "Where are you heading? My dear brother I shall accompany you![/b][/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify]

[DANTE TIAN-NING AU-YONG]

The Ravenclaw shouldn't be all that surprised that his sister failed to comply with his implied wishes. But even so, he had hoped that his younger sister would already grow up and stop with the meaningless and endless pranks. It seemed that this was not the case. Dante could not wait until Charmian had outgrown this inane hobby of hers, particularly when the target was himself. He just couldn't possibly see what made her come after him time and time again. Seeing the twinkling eyes and the mischievously sweet smile on her lips, Dante knew that a simple implied warning would be insufficient to get his sister to cease and desist on this prank of hers. Knowing his sister as he did, it seemed increasingly unlikely that she would remove the fireworks as he wanted, if only because he wanted her to do so. Charmian could be so contrary sometimes.

”They'll last all day.” Upon hearing her gleefully spoken words, Dante didn't know whether he should be ecstatic that he didn't have all of 10 seconds to convince his sister to defuse the fireworks attached to his person or be annoyed at hearing that the fireworks could be his companion for the rest of the day. “Oh good Merlin, Charmian. Where do you get these things?” he sighed, looking more or less annoyed with his current situation and most importantly his sister for putting him in it. He knew full well where his sister retrieved such things, but now that they were in school and she was of age to visit Hogsmeade, it wasn't as if Dante could do much to prevent her from obtaining such materials. “I don't suppose that you would take them off if I were to ask nicely?” Although he had very hope of an answer in his favour, Dante couldn't help but at least ask.

The Ravenclaw looked off to the side, rubbing the back of his neck, very much aware of the fireworks sizzling happily at his back. His thoughts were preoccupied with the pretty little ornament in his pocket. He scarcely remembered his sister's presence until she spoke again. Dante blinked blankly at her words. Naturally, his sister would want to be the biggest pain possible. “Charmian. Isn't it enough that you've pranked me? Must you invade my privacy as well?” he said, attempting to reason with her, although his tone revealed a hint of annoyance. There was no one else who could wear down his patience as fast as Charmian. If there was one thing that she was absolutely fabulous at, that was it.

[charmian]

“Oh good Merlin, Charmian. Where do you get these things?” Charmian knew just from the tone of his voice that she had already succeeded in annoying him. It hadn’t taken all that long. And it wasn’t as if she had directly planned on him as the target to begin with, any innocent person who had happened by would have been a victim. It was only too perfect that it had been Dante. It made the situation all the more fun for her. ”Oh the Weasley’s shop but I did modify the fireworks with some of my own spells. How lucky of you to be the first one tested.” Charmian knew the consequences well of taking her pranks to far with her brother but she couldn’t help herself. Oh she could remove them and move on to another target but he had always been more fun to annoy. She could see herself doing this for many years to come.

“I don't suppose that you would take them off if I were to ask nicely? Pretending to be thoughtful she waited a few moments before deciding if she would or not. After all she should at least consider his request even if she was going to end up turning it down. Charmian wasn’t even sure he was capable of asking nicely anyway. “I’m afraid not. Then others will believe that they can ask and I’ll remove it. It just wouldn’t do at all.” Her family wasn’t one that could be called close, or at least it seemed that way when it came to her. Dante and herself had never gotten on well, and her and Chun were far from being friends, let alone close family. Although she could have just removed the fireworks and let him go on his way, she just couldn’t do it. Annoying him was so much fun.

“Charmian. Isn't it enough that you've pranked me? Must you invade my privacy as well?” The annoyance was evident in his voice and it made Charmian smile even more. When they were at Hogwarts they were lucky enough to be in two different houses and saw very little of each other during the school year. He could consider that his break from her. She just didn’t know when to leave him alone. ”Dante that is what sisters do. And what kind of little sister would I be if I ignored that rule? So where are you headed?” Shifting on her feet she could see the fireworks poking at him. Why was he so eager to get rid of her? What was he hiding. A small smile crept upon her face as she knew another route she could take to infuriate him further. ”What are you hiding? Are you meeting a girl?”

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[DANTE TIAN-NING AU-YONG]

To him, Dante always felt like he was the one being victimized by his sister, starting from their childhood. It was one of the reasons why he was so glad that they weren't in the same house. If they were... he didn't even want to think about those possibilities since they could only contain horrors beyond the scope of his imagination. If there was one thing that he could really credit his sister on, it was imaginative pranks. “Of course. What an honour,” he said with a tight smile at her, lacking even an ounce of sincerity.

Even though he was aware of how small the chance was of his sister actually dropping this whole prank, Dante had a small spark of hope that his sister would've matured out of this crazy phase of hers. Although she had failed to mature out of it since she was old enough to start pranking starting with flicking spoonfuls of food at him, it was never too late to give up hope... right? “I’m afraid not. Then others will believe that they can ask and I’ll remove it. It just wouldn’t do at all.” “But I'm your brother. There should be exceptions made for me. I'm sure others will understand that.” he reasoned calmly. Or at least he tried.

Dante breathed in deeply, hoping to calm his rattled nerves and let his temper get the better of him. It was very rare for the Asian's temper to fly out of control, but when it came to his younger sister... well, she really knew how to push his buttons. After all, they grew up with each other, who else would be better at that? But for some reason beyond his comprehension, Charmian seemed to get kick out of annoying him. It seemed to him that the more apparent his annoyance, the happier and more satisfied she was. Well, Charmian couldn't get absolutely everything she asked for because Dante was determined to be the usual calm version of himself instead of the version of him that was aching to jump out of him. “A good sister?” he suggested hopefully. Dante decided to blatantly ignore her second question. However, it seemed that his sister managed to find another way to be as obnoxious as possible, making it difficult for him to keep his nerves under control.

“Are you meeting a girl?” Hearing her playful tone, Dante should have realized that his sister likely meant little by it, but there was a hidden connotation in the mischievous question that needed to be addressed immediately. Hplayful
e felt that it was his duty as her older brother to stamp down any ideas of infidelity, especially in her mind. And especially considering the type of young men that his sister may attract, definitely something that Dante did not want to be thinking about in the context of his younger sister. “Charmian! Please, I would never do that to Olivia,” he replied sharply, looking highly offended as if his younger sister had tarnished his honour and reputation forever with that single suggestion. “And I should hope that you would not do something like that to your fiancé.”

[charmian]

Of course. What an honour,” Charmian knew that her brother was growing more irritated with her as each minute passed but she couldn’t bring herself to care too much. If anything Dante should be used to her by now. They had grown up in the same house and as much as they didn’t get along, they were family and would be stuck with each other for a very long time. Charmian wondered how far she should take her prank with her brother and decided it would be best to irritate him a little further. Still she was capable of being nice sometimes , it was only too bad she was going to choose to make him suffer longer.

”But I’m your brother. There should be exceptions made for me. I’m sure others will understand that.” Charmian pondered whether or not she should actually do something to help him out. After all he was her brother, she should be nice to him sometimes. Finally she decided that she would let him decide whether or not she removed them. It wasn’t as if Charmian cared too much what others said but she had to get something in return for her boredom was sure to return once she removed the fireworks from Dante. ”Alright I could be persuaded to remove the fireworks if you let me come wherever you’re going.” It wasn’t as if Charmian had the desire to actually spend time with her brother but she rather enjoyed being nosy and seeing what he was up to.

If Charmian knew her brother well enough he wouldn’t want the fireworks or for her to accompany him. Which made her even more amused. One could say it was one of her talents outside of pranking. No one else could get to Dante like her and in turn he probably knew her just as well. That was usually what happened when you were family. “A good sister?” Charmian would never admit it to anyone not even Dante but she was a little hurt that he would say that. Still they had never gotten along very well so she couldn’t really blame him. It wasn’t as if he were a picture perfect brother either. ”I’m hurt Dante, I think I’ve been a very good sister to you.”

”Charmian! Please, I would never do that to Olivia,” Rolling her eyes she shrugged. Of course, never to darling perfect Olivia. She didn’t get why Dante would even want to go through with the marriage to her. She didn’t seem to be that pleasant of a person. “And I should hope that you would not do something like that to your fiance.” It didn’t really surprise her that Dante had to bring her arranged marriage to the conversation. She was fifteen, and no where close to being married anytime soon. ”It’s not as if you’re married to her already, there would be no harm in seeing other girls.” Not in her mind anyway. There was still years before she would be married and Dante didn’t finish school until the end of the year. It wasn’t as if he were getting married next weekend. ”And I’m fifteen. No reason why I can’t see a few people if I want to. I didn’t ask for a fiance.” That would be thanks to her parents, but there was still enough time for her to find a way out of it. Right?

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[DANTE TIAN-NING AU-YONG]

Somehow being in such a large castle such as Hogwarts as well as being in different houses had made Dante forget just how much of an annoyance his sister could be. Thinking back to his childhood days with her was akin to looking through rose-coloured lenses. Somehow when he thought back to those days in isolation, Charmian did not seem quite as annoying. Then she was just the finicking sister who liked to play a prank or two. However, facing her now reminded him of just how wrong he was. Dante had forgotten just how much she liked to play with his head and just how far she liked to take her pranks. Needless to say, Dante was less than amused with her.

”Alright I could be persuaded to remove the fireworks if you let me come wherever you’re going.” Dante fought to keep from rolling his eyes in front of her. Merlin, Charmian could be annoying when she really wanted to. Leave it to her to give him two options, neither of which he wanted to agree to. On one hand, having fireworks following him until their inevitable explosion was not really an option. However, on the other hand, if he were to let his little sister follow him around, he would be forced to stay in her company for an extended period of time. Sure, he could try to get studying done, but would he manage to get any real studying done? Past experience has taught him that Charmain was nothing if not disruptive to the whole studying process.

“Surely, you have better things to do with your time than follow me around all day. Think about how boring I could be. What happens if I was just on my way to studying?” he soothed. “How about let's just make this less painful for the both of us? You can just remove the spell and not have to follow me to studying. We both know just how much you hate studying.” If Dante knew his sister, and he liked to think that he did, there was nothing little else that Charmian disliked so much as studying. “Of course, you have,” he said, continuing with the charade of having her think that she was getting her way. 'Not.' His thoughts were resoundingly opinionated in this matter. If anything, this whole meeting had proved nothing more than that Charmian could be a pain in the ass when she wanted to.

Seeing her roll her eyes, he shook his head in disappointment and chided her for her actions. “Don't roll your eyes. It's unseemly.”

”It’s not as if you’re married to her already, there would be no harm in seeing other girls.” He inhaled to get rein in his impatience with his sister. “I'm in my seventh year, Charm,” he reminded her gently, using his favoured nickname for her, “That means the actual marriage ceremony is just around the corner. So yes, there is harm in seeing other girls.” He never understood why Charmain felt the need to resist against this arranged marriage. Their grandparents and their parents had their best interest in mind. It wasn't as if their grandparents truly didn't believe in their own ability to find a suitable husband or wife, except in Charmian's case, that may very well be true. Their intentions, as far as he knew, was to unite the families to further their family business, and for him, that was a necessary intention as any.

”And I’m fifteen. No reason why I can’t see a few people if I want to. I didn’t ask for a fiance.” “Regardless of whether or not you asked for one, there's every reason why that's wrong,” he replied, a little bit too sharply. “You're promised to someone already. You can't go around letting others think that you're free.”

[charmian]

“Surely, you have better things to do with your time than follow me around all day. Think about how boring I could be. What happens if I was just on my way to studying?” Charmian was sure that her brother was just trying to convince her that he was on his way to study. And as boring as studying and her brother were to Charmian she was just curious enough to wonder where he was really going. The library was a couple of floors down and while his common room was probably nearby if that’s where he was heading he would have just said so. ”I’ve actually got nothing better to do today. Following you around might just prove the one interesting thing I need.”

“How about let's just make this less painful for the both of us? You can just remove the spell and not have to follow me to studying. We both know just how much you hate studying.” If anything Dante was making her more suspicious. Why would he care if she was bored? If she remembered correctly he was always one to gloat when their parents forced her to have study time. He was right of course studying was always dreadfully boring to her. Probably why she ended up in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw with her brother. That’s all she ever seemed to see Ravenclaws do. Study. ”I’m not convinced you were really heading to study. I think you’re up to something.”

“Don't roll your eyes. It's unseemly.” Charmian chose not to respond to her brother verbally instead allowing herself to childishly stick her tongue out at him. Unseemly. It was such a stupid word to use and it reminded her of their father. Of course Dante was going to end up like him so why shouldn’t he start sounding like him. “I'm in my seventh year, Charm,” Oh how she hated when he called her that. She actually preferred Mia if anyone had to shorten her name. Charm was just so well it wasn’t her. “That means the actual marriage ceremony is just around the corner. So yes, there is harm in seeing other girls.” Although he was at the end of his seventh year she still didn’t see why he couldn’t see other girls. As long as you were upfront with them that you had a fiancé and they were alright with that then what was the harm? She didn’t ask him though. No need to get him started in on a lecture or something. ”Do you even like Olivia? I mean wouldn’t you rather choose to marry someone you like or love over someone who was chosen for you?”

It must just be her. The rest of her family seemed quite content to be married off to whoever their parents chose. Charmian had only met her fiancé a handful of times but she didn’t’ really like him. And had avoided spending time with him. “You're promised to someone already. You can't go around letting others think that you're free.” Charmian had already heard that a few hundred times from her parents. It didn’t stop her from thinking it was stupid. And as Dante said he would be gone at the end of the year so she’d be free to go out if someone asked her. ”I still don’t see the harm if I’m upfront about the situation. Maybe my fiancé will change his mind.”Oh how one could only hope he would. Then she would be free.

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[DANTE TIAN-NING AU-YONG]

It seemed that years of them living under the same roof had finally paid off. Of course, with his luck, it wasn't in his favour. Then again, she did always have a rather intuitive nature, especially when it came to bothering him to his despair. ”I’ve actually got nothing better to do today. Following you around might just prove the one interesting thing I need.” He was almost certain that his sister had realized that he had tried to dupe her, and not very well either. However, he knew he went too far. His desperation to get rid of his sister had made him too obvious, too eager to get rid of her. He should have known that saying something like that would not push her away, and rather make her suspicious and more obnoxious. ”I’m not convinced you were really heading to study. I think you’re up to something.” Dante scowled, not entirely sure that he was upfront about being caught or being questioned by his sister (yet again). Although it was quite clear that he was caught due to his eagerness. “Me? Up to something? Are you sure you're not mistaking me with yourself? Remember who's the one who's always up to random hijinks,” he argued rather ineffectively. It wasn't often that Dante really had to explain himself or cover something up. Well, other than when kleptomania came and reared its ugly head.

”Do you even like Olivia? I mean wouldn’t you rather choose to marry someone you like or love over someone who was chosen for you?” Dante shook his head at his sister. It was clear to him that despite being told something similar for years, Charmian still did not understand the situation. Nothing was as simple and clearcut as that. “Olivia is a perfectly respectable girl. And that's not a choice for us. And to be perfectly honest, I am content with Olivia. We get along. If only you make the effort with your fiance, you could have something similar. I do wish that you would stop thinking this way because you don't have that choice.” It was absolutely inconceivable to him why Charmian would be so insistent on this point. Dante had always been too busy with his studies to put much care or thought into the matter. Love, the ever elusive emotion, sung and written about for centuries, harbinger of turbulence of both good and bad. To him, the whole thing just sounded so tiresome and time-consuming. He was quite sure that it wasn't something that was worth his time. There was so much knowledge to soak up in the world. In many ways, it was happy that the choice was taken away from him.

”I still don’t see the harm if I’m upfront about the situation. Maybe my fiancé will change his mind.” Dante scowled at his sister. She would go on and hope that their grandmother's plans go up in ruins. Their grandmother would not be at all happy to hear that. Yet again her naivety and impulsive nature was getting the best of her. “Bite your tongue. You better hope for your sake that he doesn't. Grandmother would have a fit. Just think about how inconsiderate you're being to everybody. Not only are you neglecting your duty as a member of this family, but you're leading some poor sad sod on until you do get married to your fiance regardless of whether or not he knew about it before because there's nothing he can do about it.”

[/justify]

(( Sorry about the wait >_< ))

[charmian]

“Me? Up to something? Are you sure you're not mistaking me with yourself? Remember who's the one who's always up to random hijinks,” Sometimes Charmian thought that her brother thought she was stupid. After all who wouldn’t have been suspicious of his behavior? Perhaps someone who hadn’t grown up with him or didn’t know him so well. Luckily for her she was related and that had really paid off. She wasn’t sure what he was up to but that wasn’t going to stop her from trying to tag along. Or even follow him. Although he would expect the later option. It was true that she was usually the one who was up to something but that didn’t make any difference to Charmian. She was positive that he was up to something. He wasn’t as sneaky as he liked to think. ”But it’s not unusual for me to be hiding something. Or even up to something. You are not so good at hiding whatever you’re up to.”

Charmian knew she didn’t have to remind him they were related. It was something he would never forget. Unless she happened to be disowned. But that was still years away and if she decided to fight what her parents wanted for her. Still before she had a chance to even have the thought it seemed Dante had beat her to it. Bringing perfect Olivia back into the conversation. She almost wished he would have dropped it. “Olivia is a perfectly respectable girl. And that's not a choice for us. And to be perfectly honest, I am content with Olivia. We get along. If only you make the effort with your fiance, you could have something similar. I do wish that you would stop thinking this way because you don't have that choice.”

Maybe it was just her being young and stupid or stubborn. Who knew with her? She certainly didn’t half of the time. Still she didn’t want what Dante had. She didn’t want to settle for content. She wanted happiness. She wanted love. This was a subject they would always disagree on. No matter what the DNA said she wasn’t the same as Dante or even Chun. She wasn’t sure if being born differently from them was a blessing or a curse. ”That’s where we’ll have to disagree. I don’t want to settle for just content. I wish you could see you do have a choice.” Even when he was acting the way he did now she still loved him. He was her brother after all. And you had to love your family, even when they sometimes irritated you.

“Bite your tongue. You better hope for your sake that he doesn't. Grandmother would have a fit. Just think about how inconsiderate you're being to everybody. Not only are you neglecting your duty as a member of this family, but you're leading some poor sad sod on until you do get married to your fiance regardless of whether or not he knew about it before because there's nothing he can do about it.” Charmian had to keep herself from making a face. Of course he had to bring grandmother into it. He would probably be off writing a letter after she finally left him alone to the old woman. Duty this and that. Grandmother and her plans. Charmian was sick of it all. Maybe she would get lucky and the old woman would get wind of it. Then she would be disowned and that would be that. And she still didn’t see the harm in it. Her fiancé was likely so much older than her it would be disgusting. ”She won’t be around forever Dante. Then I could do as I please.” It wasn’t rational for her but she still had that hope that someone could save her from whatever her grandmother had planned.

{sorry you had to wait.}

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[DANTE TIAN-NING AU-YONG]

It was true that Dante rarely hid what he was doing. But for the most part, it wasn't wholly necessary. The only time that he really needed to attempt to hide anything was when he had stolen something as a result of his kleptomania. Unlike his sister, Dante did not particularly enjoy partaking in lying to others, as evident by his lack of skill. But being told by his sister that his performance was insufficient was throwing him a bit off-balance. In reality, Dante realized that he should not be so distraught that he was bad at hiding things since it meant that he simply wasn't that type of person. Being accused of being a truly terrible liar should not be offensive at all. Yet, Dante who was someone who did not like being told that he was not good at something, took some amount of offense to the fact. So in response to Charmian, he had no appropriate verbal response except to scowl at her.

”That’s where we’ll have to disagree. I don’t want to settle for just content. I wish you could see you do have a choice.” The situation that Charmian wanted was simply not available to them. Dante wished that his sister would simply stop yearning that their family situation would disappear in the time that it took for her to reach marriageable age. It would be so much more painful for her when she realized that there was no way out of it. “And I just wish you could realize that there is no choice in the matter.” While Dante was often very frustrated by his sister's obstinacy, he did love her when she wasn't being a complete pain, which unfortunately is not very often. So it was often very difficult for Dante to love his sister when she was being so frustrating. As her brother who loves her, Dante did not want to see his sister hurt. As far as he could see, Charmian was setting herself to have her heart broken by her own family obligations that she has known of for all her life. To Dante, there was absolutely no sense in fighting their family obligations. Being born into the Au-Yong family was a privilege and there were certain sacrifices required of them in exchange. Even his younger, much stronger-willed sister had to see and accept that.

”She won’t be around forever Dante. Then I could do as I please.” Dante stared at his sister in horror, unsure he heard what he heard. Did his sister just wish that their Grandmother die? Death to a family member for the sake of her 'freedom'? “Charmian...” he started slowly. “Please tell me that you realize even how horrible that is.”

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