While the library had it's perks, it wasn't exactly Lucas Norwood's ideal location to spend time with a girl he might or might not want to chat up.  The idea for a study date been rather impulsive on his part, but it served a dual purpose.  Wiedman actually knew what she was talking about, and it gave him a chance to get to know her in a more neutral setting.  So, the plan been made to meet up in the library after History of Magic.  The buzzing energy of anticipation been about the only thing keeping him awake during the last hour.  Well, that, and having no desire to earn a detention so late in the year. 

Finding a free table been a task to say the least, it was always so much more crowded this time of year.  Finals had that effect on people, he supposed.  Luc, for one, would much rather be outside, and if it weren't for the OWLs, he might be doing just that.  Sleep been alluding him more and more often, and there'd not been nearly enough time to go running as he would have liked.  Near the restricted section, he spotted a small table and practically tossed his bag on it before a duo of Hufflepuffs could reach it.  The Ravenclaw occupying the table behind his claimed territory gave him a dirty look before returning to whatever he happened to be reviewing.

"Sorry," he offered with a smile and shrug.  It placated the two fourth years Hufflepuffs and they wandered off down the row in search of another free spot.  If Luc felt bad, it didn't last long, desperate times sometimes called for desperate measures and he'd apologized.  Luc was pulling things from his bag when Wiedman appeared.  "Hey," he greeted with a tiny amount of distraction, but managed to flash her a smile.  "Alright then?"

Why had she agreed to do this? She hated History of Magic (but she was hell bent on getting an E in it), and it was snacktime which actually meant the cluster of her girlfriends + Kitty gathered in the courtyard to gossip. Oh, but being asked for help by a fidgety Ravenclaw seemed like a much better use of her time didn't it? Well, when that fidgety Ravenclaw happened to look like Lucas Norwood it certainly did. She'd peeped over his shoulder a few times during lessons and he seemed to forever be designing new boom mods. As someone who enjoyed both flying and Quidditch the whole thing interested her almost as much as his blue eyes did. Also there was the distinct chance that Dracon would be studying in the library and she could make him insanely jealous without even really having to try.

Despite their conversations she was still not completely sure if Dracon was chatting her up half the time; so there was nothing wrong with a little healthy competition - even if it was only the illusion of competition. After Hildegarde the Horrible (Livi's private nickname for the HoM prof) finally freed them the Slythering made a quick pit stop at the girl's loo, just  long enough to change from her prim and proper Mary-Jane's to her favorite pair of attention grabbing boots (boots no one but her sister was even aware she owned, Dianora would have flipped her lid). The time delay was just long enough for Luc to have gotten there first and grabbed quite possibly the smallest table that had ever existed in the Hogwarts Library. It looked more suited to the teensy first years than Luc's towering frame.

Still, this time of year they couldn't really be picky because the place was packed , "The tiny table a subtle signal you're hoping something ends up in your lap Norwood," she arched a quizzical; though joking eyebrow at him as she carefully set her bag down and seated herself next to him. Livi was smug about a lot of things and she was a teeny bit of a tease but unlike some girls (who would remain nameless) she did not think that every male that walked the planet wanted her or that she had some kind of claim staked on them. Retrieving notes and a quill from the depths of her bag she fussed with the organization of it all while Luc seemed to just pull pieces of parchment (covered in things that might be notes but mostly doodles) from seemingly random places, "Are you sure you just need help studying and not an intervention"?

The comment was enough to give the girl his full attention and he scanned over her for a second.  He didn't pay all that much attention to fashion, but those were definitely not what the Slytherin been wearing in class.  There was no need to complain about the change, of course, the boots could stay in his opinion.  Liviana Wiedman was without a doubt, a very attractive girl.  Smooth skin, dark features, and that aristocracy that many aimed for, but few achieved.  Posh girls didn't entirely suit his taste, but Wiedman had the brains to back it up which made her more then just a prissy bird.   

"Only if it's a good something," he fired back without hesitation.  It was vague, but edging on flirtation, just where he liked to sit actually.  If this was any indication of what was to come, then he would definitely be asking for help more often.  "What's that," he followed Wiedman's line of sight to his things.  "Notes," as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  "What's wrong with them?"

To him they looked like the needed information their Professor been blathering over the last hour.  Okay, so maybe there were some doodles spaced in gaps in the notes here.  It all made sense to him, but it was his work after all.  It obviously looked like a big mess to Wiedman.  A new play took up one margin, the outlines of a potential new broom project in the other.  "I had an idea, I couldn't lose it.  Can't help when brilliance strikes, right," he joked some and thumbed through his textbook.  "Besides, disorder's a sign of genius," he pointedly eyed her orderly system.

"One person's good is another's trouble," her tone was cryptic as she quickly twisted her hair into a ponytail atop her head, it would be forever falling in her eyes if she didn't and it happened to show off her rather lovely elongated neck. Dom had had a friend once who told her it was her best asset - he might have been a vampire though; and Dominik had gotten all twitchy about his talking to Livi so she'd never seen him again. Older boys (men?) were just so much more interesting than the farting-belching-stinky-sock-wearing males that populated their year. She couldn't remember ever thinking Luc needed a week long shower, so he did have that working in his favor; that and his eyes.

"Notes? You call those notes? The situation is more dire than I thought," she sounded mildly amused - though she did remember to keep her voice at a whisper because the last thing she needed was Landis Morgan popping up behind her and catching her flirting when she had O.W.L.'s to study for. If she were the sort of girl to get in trouble he had a direct line to home for her. Well, to Dazmond; though she wasn't sure he'd bother - or that Dazmond would bother telling on her. For the most part her older sister was very accepting; of course when you grew up with a best friend like Dolly St. James could one really ever pass judgment? Livi certainly hoped not because a Dazmond infused summer meant adventure.

"Ah, yes the genius is chaos theory; remind me how many times that excuse has worked on Austerlitz? She tried to kill Xavier in class," Liviana paused, a slight smirk tugging on her lips; "I mean it is Xavier and who hasn't wanted to kill him, but seriously I'm surprised she hasn't cracked you over the year for all your designing during lessons". She took a piece of his parchment then and let her eyes wander over the sketch. It was actually...really good; the premise (what she could make of the chicken scratch anyway) seemed to imply an ease of motion at increased speeds. The only thing Liv loved more than shoes was a good looking broom.

"Dom would love this, he's all about mods. He's actually got one of those Sequoia Leaf brooms now. Beast won't let me touch it because it's his game broom," she rolled her eyes as if it were the most ridiculous thing in the world - but like all prize athletes her brother was a bit superstitious. Liv was a perfectly capable flyer; actually she was kind of crazy about it - hence her desire to be a chaser on the Slytherin team but she didn't trust Kitty not to try and force her off her broom simply because she could even if it cost them a match. Yes, Kitty Li was that evil; but there was always next year. Lifting her brown eyes she gave the Ravenclaw a sheepish sort of smile as she handed the parchment back, "Sorry, back to HoM".

"Yeah, well, like you said, Xavier probably deserves what he gets," Luc shrugged.  Luc didn't hate many people, but something about Xavier grated on his nerves.  This probably had more to do with Peyton's issue with the other boy, but that was besides the point.  Luc soon stiffened as Wiedman commented about how he'd yet to be caught doing what he was doing.  "And you better knock on wood, putting badness in the universe like that.  You should be ashamed of yourself."  A horrible image crossed his mind, Austerlitz ripping up his carefully crafted sketches.  Luc visibly shuddered before shaking his head to clear it away, "It's just some rough ideas right now."

This didn't stop Liviana from taking a bit of parchment.  She didn't say anything right away, instead her dark eyes searching over the page.  It was still very conceptual right now, and by no means probably anything more then something to fill up his margins.  It was then Luc noticed she'd swept her hair back, away from her face.  When did she do that and why did it have to be so distracting?  When she finally did speak, it made Luc shift in his seat for an entirely different reason.  His mind moved from pretty girls knowing quidditch to dropping heavily into sports fan mode.  "You really think so?"

Dominik Wiedman, Beater for the Falmouth Falcons was a brutal sensation.  Being a convict probably brought that out of a man, but Luc wasn't one to judge.  At least not with the kind of skills Dom had working for him.  With his contract up, everyone was waiting to hear his final decision if he'd continue his rather stellar career, or if he'd move on with his life.  Luc would much prefer the former, but that was just his opinion.  Lucas had to bite his tongue to keep from babbling at Livi for the next hour or so.  They were here for a purpose, and he didn't particularly want to geek out of the girls brother... at least not where she could see him.

"Sequoia's are outrageous," both in price and in design and Luc wanted his hands on one.  "But you can't really blame him."  Nimbus and Firebolt had controlled much of the broom industry for the time and Luc yearned to pick apart the new broom.  "History, right.  The Orient or something something."  His eyes traveled back down to his book.  The place he landed was nowhere close to the chapter they should be working on.  Fail.  And now he was unlikely to concentrate on it anyway.  Double fail.  This didn't stop him from trying, of course, searching for the correct chapter, eyes uselessly running over the page.  "Blah blah blah," his eyes flicked back to her, "Can I ask if he's made a decision or is that awful?"

"I make it a rule to never be ashamed of myself," she gave him a cheeky sort of grin, then playfully reached across the table and gently rapt her knuckles against his forehead, "but knock on wood. You only have a couple weeks left - and Sellaphix is louder than you could ever be". Liviana Wiedman's hatred for Figaro Sellaphix was deep and strong. He was absolutely intolerable; there were not many people that Liviana genuinely loathed (side from Kitty) but Sellaphix was one of them. The fact he was breathing literally made her want to vomit. It was hard to say when this had actually happened; but it was etched into stone now.

Having handed back over the parchment, she was thumbing through her text when he asked if she really meant what she'd just said, "Hmm? Well yea," her eyebrows drew together causing a small wrinkle in her forehead, "lesson one Norwood; I never say things I don't mean. If I'm going to lie I'll omit the truth not make it up". She kind of laughed a little then, that was probably not something she should say out loud. It was the truth though, in her desire to be nothing like Kitty it was a personal moral code. She didn't say things she didn't mean - but she also had a fairly heavy filter on her mouth when it came to most people.

Then of course the inevitable question came - but she sort of respected that he asked if he could ask instead of just blatantly asking her to dish the dirt. Toying with her quill she didn't look up from her notes, simply giving a shrug, "I don't know. We're supposed to talk about it this weekend. I think he's trying to figure out what's going to make him happiest," vaguely she wondered why it was so much easier to say this to Lucas but she'd played it so coy with Dracon. "He's getting older you know, he's almost thirty; I mean that's not really old but you know... babies and all that. I think he misses how it used to be; when it was just a game".

"Well, isn't withholding just as bad as making something up?  Why not just say what you have to say?  Why hold back?"  Luc liked debating moral issues on a logical plane if only get a better understanding of people.  Well, girls in particular, but that was besides the point.  It was nice to put personal feelings and convictions aside for a moment and learn about the other side of an issue.  Claiming not to lie was a big statement to make, especially from a pretty Slytherin girl who kept some questionable company.  Luc would hate to be called judgmental, but his preconceived notions couldn't really be held against him either.  The girls didn't really make it easy after all.

He'd tried and failed to hold off asking her the obvious question.  Granted, with what he had to work with, he never really had a chance to begin with.  Continuing their previous conversation would only have aggravated the need to know, and History seemed be shoved to back for the time being.  It wasn't his fault, the knowledge was just so much bigger then himself.  There was a bigger picture here to consider, like what would become of the team would Wiedman leave.  At least Liviana didn't snarl at him for asking, he'd half expected as much, but appreciated it just the same. 

"Still, it's got to be hard to give up.  I don't know if I'd give it up once I had it."  A comment finally sunk in.  "So, he's going to be in Hogsmeade... this weekend?"  That swished around in his head for a moment, and being not a dork became just a little bit harder.  Visits from famous Quidditch stars coinciding with his birthday did put a damper on his cool quotient, it seemed.

Liviana looked at him carefully for a moment, as though she were trying to decide how much she could really say, "I think... it's different for boys," it was a lame excuse but at the same time kind of valid; "Like if you get mad at someone, or they do something you don't like; the worst that can come of it is a fist fight". Perhaps having a violent older brother and being raised around the pitch had skewed her sense of male relationships just a little, "The thing is, with girls... its like warfare. If you say or do the wrong thing, if you make the wrong person mad..." she just kind of shrugged at him. It sounded so weak when she said it, "Who you know in life and who you have on your side always matters - and if you don't believe me; consider the fact my brother spent ten years being a super star for the Falcons rather than rotting in Azkaban".

Sometimes living with a person like Kitty felt like being held hostage. Liviana knew that there was an image to the "monarchy" and by default she was lumped in with people like Kitty and Maeve who... liked to torture people. It wouldn't make sense to an outsider, to someone who had never had social expectation foisted upon them. Did she ever want to let loose and tell Kitty how absolutely worthless she was? Of course! But what good would it do? Until there were more people fed up with her than feared her Kitty could and would get away with whatever she wanted... and it wasn't just personal beliefs that kept Livi quiet either. She wasn't Dazmond; she couldn't do as she bloody well pleased - yes Dianora and Aliec loved her like their own; but maybe they wouldn't if she didn't live up to their ideas of her.

Toying with the silver chain at her neck she kind of wished they were outside and she could sneak a smoke. It wasn't something even the Monarchy knew she did, but it was quickly becoming a habit. She forced her eyes back on her notes as she chewed her thumbnail, she knew there would be that judgey look all over his face and she'd have to feel guilty. She hated feeling guilty. His next question caught her slightly off guard and she narrowed her eyes a little in thought; "I think... it;s different for Dom now. I mean... its kind of like if you decided that for ten years you were going to eat nothing but cauldron cakes; and at first it's awesome because they're delicious - but ten years of being force fed the same thing, without any choice or say," she scrunched up her face a little, "As much as I like cauldron cakes I think I'd be fed up by the third day".

She wanted Dom to keep playing; and not for the selfish reason of having a famous brother (because he'd just find something else to be famous for once he retired). She wanted him to keep playing because he loved the game - or at least had a long time ago. Maybe that was the ugly truth about growing up - eventually you fell out of love with the thing that you felt most defined who you were to yourself when it started being how everyone else defined you too. Twisting her ponytail around one finger her brown eyes were back on her notes as she gave a distracted nod, "Yea; he wants to come spend the last Hoggies weekend with me. I think he's feeling guilty because I didn't see he or Dazlo over Easter. Also he thinks I'm kind of genius at solving his problems," the last word sounded vaguely amused before she looked up, "Are you sniffing for an intro"?

What been a moral question, turned into a discussion on politics?  Politics that he didn't know that much about, much less know how to play them.  Livi was right, it was a lot different for boys.  It only been a few days ago Luc ended up discussing Wiedman and her friends.  According to Georgina, the definition of friends didn't even apply and eventually it all fall apart.  According to Liviana, life was about who you had on your side and pissing off the wrong person could mess a whole lot of stuff up.  Luc hadn't ever really considered it in those kind of terms, if it weren't for his connections, there would be no Dominik Wiedman to idolize. 

"Blech," Luc made a face.  "I think I'd make five... maybe."  That was kind of generous, but he'd likely never touch them again after a week straight of subsisting on cauldron cakes.  Being forced to do anything didn't sit well with him, even if it happened to be something he legitimately enjoyed.  Would he still love the game if he was in Dominik's position?  Maybe, maybe not, there really wasn't anyway of knowing for sure since Luc obviously didn't have the kinds of connections the Wiedmans did.  Not that he had any intention of being put in Azkaban either.  That was the beauty of theory, he supposed, there were endless 'what ifs' to explore.

Was he sniffing for an introduction?  Not intentionally, but that would be an incredible way to spend his birthday.  Did it make him an asshole for thinking that?  Maybe, but it wasn't like he and Livi were mates or anything either.  Luc shrugged and gave a sheepish smile, "I might.  It's my birthday, can't blame a guy for trying, right?  I don't even know what we're doing though, so there's that."

Being intimately familiar with the intricate politics of being both Slytherin and female (oh and toss in pureblooded too, for good measure) was part and parcel of growing up. Liviana was more acutely aware of the wide reach that families had than some because of her brother's circumstance but minding your p's and q's was something she would have had to do whether she was a Wiedman or not. People like Gigi hated the system; but she'd also never seen Trishna try to take Kitty on herself either. Maybe Livi wasn't really friends with some of the people that populated her life, maybe she did play the game like everyone else - but she did it because life was war. If there was anything that Aliec had instilled in his adopted daughter it was that idea; life is the constant struggle for power.

You had to be skilled in both pleasantries and brutality. Livi had realized in her first year there was no better way to know the enemy than to befriend it. Staying on Kitty's good side (or at least not outright on her bad side) just made life that much less stressful. Understanding that there were expectations of her and how she would behave, as well as the notion of where she belonged in the hierarchy of the current Hogwartian Social Structure had been a concept that the youngest Wiedman inherently grasped but could not justify to anyone outside the tiny cluster known as her universe. Life would be different for someone like Lucas, expectations would be different; she was sure he had his own pressures to mind...you just couldn't make people understand a world they didn't live in.

It made her uncomfortably fidgety to think about, she didn't often take a view from outside because she was so busy keeping everything in her own world in check. The idea of seeming vapid or shallow to outsiders hadn't ever mattered much before because she knew the important people understood... but maybe the idea of Lucas thinking that she was vapid wasn't something she just wanted to dismiss. That was the strange thing, stranger than her inability to explain things. So she found herself just sort of nodding along when he claimed he'd probably last five days on the cauldron cake punishment of doom and then just let the topic drop. It wasn't even really the right analogy for what Dominik had had to live through. He punished himself constantly, it was not something most fifteen year olds would consider but Livi was acutely aware.

She forced herself to focus on the papers in front of her; trying to push Dominik's troubles from the forefront of her mind. He had said he wanted her help; maybe he'd finally tell her what was really going on. As she tried to muddle through Luc's voice snapped her back to reality. His birthday; well at least he was honest. Biting her bottom lip she raised one shoulder then let it fall causally, "He hasn't really said which day he's coming. I'm trying to talk him into both; because really we're liable to get mobbed. Even after the whole mess with him putting his cigarette out on Cuddyer's neck; random people just approach him for pictures and autographs," she sounded mildly horrified as she shook her head. "I mean I love my brother, but if he wasn't my brother..." her face scrunched up again.

That was the thing about growing up in a brutally vicious world; it was completely possible to idolize someone you knew was not only accused of murder... but had probably done it. In many regards the comparison between Dolly St. James and Liviana was a fair one; the way Dianora said it so often and so fondly, both found reasons to love Dominik that not even he could fathom. Of course if her sister's letters were to be believed things were on shakier ground than usual. Pursing her lips to one side she looked at Lucas thoughtfully for a moment, "Um but if you let me know what you and um Alice," she paused really hoping she got his sister's name right, "are doing maybe we can stop by. You know, if you wanted". Way to make the boy an offer he could not refuse.

Lucas didn't really care for people in his face now, so in a way he could understand where Dominik might be coming from.  Maybe this whole hypothetical meeting was a bad idea.  Not because he was suddenly second guessing wanting to meet Dominik, but because he hadn't really thought about how many other people would be at Hogsmead that weekend.  It made the whole thing infinitely more complicated then he originally anticipated. 

On the other hand, at fifteen... nearly sixteen, it wasn't easy to get past the glamour of it all.  Or the possibility Liviana was offering.  It wasn't every day a pretty girl offered up a chance to meet your sport's idol after all.  One day, it be him... or so he'd been telling people as long as he could remember.  Girls and issues came and went, but some things were for forever.  Being a Quidditch star still looked really good from his point of view, annoying fans and all.  Plus, he was pretty willing to forgive his idol on this particular issue.  Who was he to judge if Cuddyer had it coming or not?  Luc did make a note not to go asking for the man's autograph unless Liviana said otherwise.

Luc nodded, "Yeah, Alice.  I'm not sure what we're doing," he admitted.  Whatever it was, Alice would mostly likely clue him in after the fact and tell when and where to show up.  That was kind of how it worked in past years anyway.  They didn't overlap mates, or interests for that matter, so actually working with her to plan something out was a moot point.  "I'll keep you posted.  So long as he's not going to put a cigarette on me, I'll work it out."  The last was said with a bit of an amused smile. 

Liv looked at the Ravenclaw thoughtfully. Was it actually supposed to be this easy to talk to someone? In her head she replayed the stilted conversation she had had with Dracon just days before and felt her forehead furrow. Maybe it was because there was no risk with someone like Lucas. Who was he, really? In the social pecking order he wasn't low wrung or anything, but he certainly wasn't in the sight line of someone like Kitty Li. She was always trying to metaphysically marry up; older boys or richer boys - taken boys. Kitty seemed to like to pick over other peoples pickings. Merlin it was exhausting keeping all of this shit straight in her head.

Giving him a faint smile she shrugged, "I'd say he's a kitten; but even I know better," biting her bottom lip she looked back down at her notes and let out a long slow breath. They were supposed to be studying but she very much wanted to just talk, about all the things she never really said to anyone else. It was hard to turn off the spigot once it all got started. "The thing is...I think we're all lots of different people at once you know? Who he is in a match or a fan tent is not the same person he is at family dinners. Who I am when I'm in class or with my friends... it's not who I am when I'm with my family". Why was she telling him this again? Oh, right, because kind of the look on his face made her feel like a bad person.

"I don't think..." she paused trying to choose her words very carefully; on the off chance he'd look at her like she was crazy, "anyone is the same person all the time. It's like we're all dozens of people, personalities, some more real than others - but all of them real in their own necessary way". Right, that totally made sense - even fake people were real because sometimes being fake was a necessity. That didn't sound ass backwards at all. Shaking her head she fought to keep from rolling her eyes at herself. Obviously the stress of exams was making her a little dotty. Her expression was almost bashful as she shrugged it off, "I'll hide his cigarettes or something, just to be safe".

Lucas had been scanning over his notes when Livi spoke.  The studying session turned into something else entirely and not all of it been flirtatious in nature.  Philosophy and morality gotten all worked into the conversation and Lucas didn't have any idea of how to navigate out of it.  Or that he even wanted to for that matter.  It was all fascinating stuff that he'd not been aware of before.  Like the girls were giving him this secret pass into their twisted world and Luc couldn't very well turn that down, could he?

Luc didn't understand having to be different people for the sake of those around you. Sure, he might not be as open with say, his parents or those that didn't know him, but he wouldn't go so far as to say he was a different person.  Gigi made no secret of her contempt for the group of girls she simply referred to as them, nor did she go out of her way to please them to make things easier for herself.  It turned out to be just one side of the story.  He didn't entirely grasp just why Livi would need to continue being friends with people she didn't even like all that much to begin with. 

Perhaps, it was all one big game of survival, and Livi knew how to play the rules.  It wasn't an upfront game.  There were layers, obstacles that couldn't be solved by logic or fists.  For the athletic Ravenclaw, it operated on a skill set he did not come equipped with by nature.  Most things, could be broken down into black and white.  The people who pissed him off were not worth his time.  The people he considered friends, he would do what he could to keep them safe.  Placating those he didn't even want to be around just seemed like so much wasted effort to him.

"So, you're just being who they want you to be?  If you're always wearing a mask, who does that make you?  If you're playing all these roles all the time, how does someone get to know you?  The you you, not the you they want you to be."

Liviana looked at him for a moment, her lips pursed to one side. When he said it like that it sounded weak; like she cared what the monarchy thought... and maybe she did to a certain degree. She didn't care in the sense that she wanted to run the show or even really be a major player - she cared in the way it mattered to her family. She cared that Maeve was her cousin and family meant something, even if she didn't always agree with the bitchy blonde. The thing was Maeve wasn't actually that awful - her real self; the self that Liviana had grown up with. Maeve really wanted more from life than to be a pretty housewife with a rich husband; but it was also easy to see how that life of safety could lure you in. It was the same way having pretty clothes and jewelry could lure you in until you were consumed with keeping up with the Kitty Li's of the world while trying to convince yourself you weren't that bad.

"Some people don't deserve to know the real you; they'd just use it to ruin you - the worst thing a girl can be with a bunch of fake bitches is genuine," that  sounded so awful - even to her. "They can smell weakness". It was true - Kitty was always trying to sniff out what would give her the upper hand. It wasn't that she was who they wanted her to be it was who she felt she had to be. "The important people, the ones who matter have always known that game face is paramount to survival if you don't want a nasty bint like Kitty trying to rip out your throat," she lowered her voice and gave him a very serious look "those Waker posters that were all over the Great Hall? That is what Kitty does if you infringe on what she thinks belongs to her - and she'll keep doing it until people start being more pissed off and less afraid". Biting her bottom lip she felt mildly guilty having spoken the truth that no one else would admit they all knew (and to an outsider at that).

It bothered her though, the fact that Kitty did things like that and people (Livi herself even) just let it happen. "It doesn't matter if it's true or not; the thing everyone is going to remember about the whole situation is that it was said - and there is still this rigid double standard about a girl's reputation," she could go off an a rant about the oppressive patriarchy but the fact was women kept themselves beholden to the standard as much as anyone. By letting people like Kitty get away with the things she got away with; by letting her words matter they imprisoned themselves. "It's like the hydra; you cut off one head two more grow back - and they're full of fire breathing poison. If you had to live with that do you really think you'd be your you-you self"? Lots of idealistic people would say yes; but the reality was much harsher than even the description she was giving.

"Sometimes, a lot of the time, I think the most you can do is be as subversive as possible. I don't want to be in charge, I could give two shits less about the Monarchy or who is in charge except that I know if I walk away the situation gets worse. I have sway because I have family with sway. Being a Whitman and a Wiedman means something in that circle. I can't stop every attack; but the only reason Kitty doesn't routinely literally decapitate people is because Jordyn and I have enough clout with the group to shame her, at least a little," her voice was hushed and her brow furrowed as paused for a breath. Why was she telling him all this? These were trade secrets! They were not meant to be shared with the enemy or boys... but she felt like she needed him to know she wasn't the vicious bitch that people thought she was. Guilt by association was bollocks.

And just like that... Luc found himself invested.  It wasn't on purpose, it wasn't even something he was aware of on a conscience level, but that didn't change the fact that it happened.  Livi colored in the outline Gigi described.  The Monarchy wasn't just this vague idea of Slytherin politics, it actually existed.  And not all of them relished in their rank, it seemed.  This group of mean girls who did these awful things to people had names and reasons. There were tones, and underscores to consider with a situation that was more of a way of life.  Whether he bought into it or not, it was very real for Liviana.

Some people didn't deserve to know the truth, she'd said.  It was just ammo to be used in this psychological warfare.  Step on the wrong toes, have your reputation ruined.  Luc remembered the posters, but he couldn't help but wonder why people allowed it to keep going on.  A few days ago he made jokes with Gigi about what would happen if Kitty ever fell from the top, but now he started to wonder how that process could get put into motion.  Why weren't people more pissed off?  Fear of more brutal retaliation?  The beast gotten so big over the years and Kitty been given so much power, that it take an army just to even consider it.

Livi claimed to not want to be in power, but that seemed like a cop out to him.  She stayed because it be worse if she wasn't there, but she didn't want to be in charge.  Having sway could only effect change so much, and she said it herself... Kitty wasn't exactly someone you could keep on a leash that well... shame or not.  "But what if you were at the top of the Monarchy, the Queen? Wouldn't that give you the chance to at least make things different?  You don't want it, you don't care about it... That's total shite, you do care."