Plausible Deniability [Miral]

[Davi Baptiste]

Davi wandered down the path to Hogsmead, Huginn perched on his shoulder as he walked. It had been a while since he and the Raven had just wandered and while his beloved pet rarely if ever strayed from him, he didn't feel right just keeping him indoors all the time. He spoke softly to the bird reaching up to pet its feather on his chest and head when Huginn lowered it enough for him to do so.

Huginn could speak not full sentences but he'd picked up a few words here and there like any good Corvid could, especially with someone who talked to them as much as Davi did. He was content just walking along when the bird lightly pecked at him and cawed behind him causing Davi to pause and glass back. The shock of bright red hair told him precisely who the figure coming was and he immediately smiled. "Miss Valtoris, what a surprise."

The large black Raven cawed from his perch on his shoulder again and Davi chuckled, "It's alright Huginn, she's one of my students." The bird hopped a bit from one foot to the other on his shoulder as she neared before a strangely croaked voice came, "Student…" Smiling he reached up petting him, "Yes a student, very good Sir."

Turning his attention back towards her he gave a little bow as he often did with his students before straightening up and adjusting his vest and coat. "You know I'd have commented on the hair change but I get the distinct impression you are not happy with it?" He'd never seen her look like she wanted to hurt someone and given he'd noticed Mr Smith's face was suspiciously red as well, it didn't take his abilities to figure out something was amiss.

[Miral Valtoris]

Miral had been in the middle of some long strides as she walked towards Hogsmeade when she heard Davi calling out to her. Her hair was still, in fact, bright red, after Zeke's little prank (His face was definitely still red too), but she seemed to be rocking it rather well. She looked at Huginn curiously, tilting her head as it said "student", "How curious," she managed, waiting to hear why the professor had gotten her attention.

She bowed her head in response to his bow before he posed the statement/question that had her scoff. She turned to resume walking, at a pace that would give Davi the indication she was expecting him to walk alongside as she continued on her way, "Not particularly," she said, coldly, "But I'm in the midst of devising some ways to make sure the person who did such a poor job regrets their decision," she hummed, only the tiniest bits of that murderous malice making its way into her voice.

"I'm going to get... supplies from Hogsmeade. Maybe touch up my hair while I'm at it," she ran a hand over her head.

[Davi Baptiste]

Davi chuckled as he easily fell into step beside her, Huginn shifting slightly on his shoulder, feathers ruffling as if he too were judging the situation. “Ah, revenge then. Always a fascinating motivation,” he mused, glancing at her with amusement. “Though, I do wonder if it’s the best course of action. One must always consider whether the satisfaction is worth the consequences.”

His tone was light, not a reprimand—just a nudge to make sure she wasn’t about to do anything too reckless. Then again, he had no doubt Miral was more than capable of handling herself.

Huginn cawed again, flapping his wings slightly. “Regrets,” the raven echoed, earning a smirk from Davi.

“See? Even Huginn thinks your prankster may have something to worry about,” he said, reaching up to stroke the bird’s head before glancing at her hair again. “Though, if you’re looking for guidance, I might know a person who would be willing to listen to your plans and whittle down the list to which ones would work best. You know a little divine guidance so to speak.”

There was a glint of mischief in his eyes—he wasn’t about to outright encourage vengeance, but he certainly wouldn’t stand in her way. “Shall we?” he asked, gesturing toward the village ahead. He didn't appreciate bullying in any form having been subjected to it for most of his childhood, so if he could even the playing field in this situation his younger self would certainly feel avenged in a small way.

[Miral Valtoris]

"Consequences? No offense, but that's a rude statement to make to a Slytherin. Consequences entails that I got caught doing something against the rules," Miral gave a Cheshire smile.

As he offered his guidance, she smirked a bit, "Well, I'm going to get the advice just now in the Three Broomsticks, but perhaps your advice would be tamer than his. My uncle is a little... heavy handed," she hummed a little, tilting her head side to side, "But I feel like he won't suggest some of his crazier ideas with a wit- third party around," she smiled sweetly.

She gave a nod of her head before starting to walk ahead towards the village. She'd walk with him into the Broomsticks, looking around as they walked inside, "Where is he?" she hummed a little before breaking out into a grin, "Uncle Lysander!" She waved and hurried to a table where the male she was looking for waited.

He stood and held his arms out, "Ah, ma petite impératrice!" he said in French, hugging her as she came into his arms, giving her a firm squeeze, getting a laugh out of her before he lifted a part of her red hair, "Your beautiful hair, what a shame," He hummed, an edge to that last word, but she put her hand on his and the edge retracted.

"I don't know. I think I'm inspired to try a new color. I'm going to handle that after we're finished here. But, let's not be rude, a professor has walked with me all the way here for this conversation," she smiled and looked over, "Professor Baptiste, this is my uncle Lysander Malfoy."

Lysander's name wasn't unfamiliar amongst the wizarding world, but his name was usually said with skepticism and doubt about his character. He looked up at Davi and gave a polite smile before extending his hand to shake, "A pleasure."

[Davi Baptiste]

He'd kept stride with Miral effortlessly, Huginn comfortably settled on his shoulder feathers twitching until they reached the building. The bird flew off with a caw and took residence on a nearby branch. Davi gave him a nod before he followed Miral and they stepped into the warm bustle of the Three Broomsticks. But the moment Lysander stood, Davi’s breath caught thankfully not visibly give his years of practice hiding such reactions. Lysander Malfoy was exactly the kind of man Davi noticed. Tall, chiseled, with a confidence that filled the space around him like smoke. He was curiously surprised to note he did not share the trademark Malfoy hair color though.

He had the kind of presence that made people shift unconsciously to make room whether out of fear, respect, wariness, or awe. Maybe all four. And Davi felt the pull immediately, dark eyes calmly shifting between Miral and Lysander to hide it. He didn’t flinch or fluster, that wasn't what he did; he'd choke on it before he gave it away outwardly. But something in his chest hummed, low and private and distinctly intrigued. Attraction to new people wasn’t anything new to him, nor was the art of keeping it locked tight behind polite interest. The wizarding world wasn’t always kind, and he’d learned when to speak and when to watch. So he watched.

Miral’s introduction pulled him back from that brief, burning scan sharp jaw, deeper eyes, the way he looked at her hair with a mix of steel and something softer underneath. Davi let a faint smile curl across his lips, stepping forward smoothly as Lysander extended his hand. “A pleasure Mr Malfoy,” he said warmly, taking the hand with a steady grip, his own expression calm, open, with just enough guarded amusement to pass for professional charm. But his eyes lingered—not long, not boldly, just enough. Looking back at Miral, then to Lysander again, tone kept light but thoughtful and honest.

“Your niece happens to be one of my favorite students so it wasn't hard to notice something was amiss. She makes an impression.” Then, with a wry smirk, “Though I suspect that runs in the family.” Davi took a seat with practiced ease as they did, posture casual but attentive. He wasn’t about to give anything away but the awareness was there, electric beneath his skin. And though he would keep it subtle because not everyone welcomed his gaze, he didn’t shy from it either. Turning his attention toward Miral he smiled softly, "So I assume the culprit is in for a painful or embarrassing lesson in crossing you?"

[Lysander Malfoy]

"Please, Lysander is fine," he said when being called Mr. Malfoy. "Usually, men called by that name don't have great reputations," he said. Noting the lingering look, Lysander smirked. Hearing him say Miral was his favorite student and then the joke about it being a family trait to make an impression, he chuckled, pulling out Miral's seat before sitting back down himself, "She is quite good at weaseling her way into people's favor."

"You make me sound devious with that," Miral pouted. But when he raised his brow at her, she huffed a laugh, "Okay, fair." At Davi's question, she smirked a bit, "Well, I plan on dragging it out a bit. Before, I was rather hard on him because he hangs around my best friend, and I didn't want him to be an embarrassment to him-"

"The Lestrange boy? You still hang out with him?" Lysander raised a brow.

"We're in different houses, but I do try to talk to Laguna when I see him," she shrugged, but he gave a huff of a noise, shaking his head, "Anywaaaays, apparently Ezekiel took my high standards as bullying, thus this," she motioned at her hair, "Not to mention the scrubbing it took so my skin wasn't the same shade, and my dress was ruined," she clicked her teeth, still annoyed about it, "So I want to show him what me being mean actually looks like, without naturally crossing any actual lines. I have a reputation to uphold, and I'm a prefect, after all," she put her hand to her chest.

"She was asking me to help her come up with some... discreet ways to teach this... Ezekiel a lesson," her uncle chimed in, leaning back in his seat, one hand resting on the table, his finger tapping slightly- the only indication of his irritation.

[Davi Baptiste]

The comment wasn't missed and Davi chuckled, "Neither are the ones that share mine… so please, call me Davi." Turning his attention towards Miral as Lysander turned his attention towards his niece, Davi raised a brow at her response before she laughed and he nodded. Uh huh, he thought as much too. When Lysander seemed to disapprove of her being friends with Laguna he wisely stayed quiet, that was a family disagreement not school issue.

He saw nothing wrong with Laguna and Miral being friends, but that wasn't his decision to make then again neither was it Lysanders but he kept that thought to himself. That brow lifted again when she mentioned how this all came about and he shook his head chuckling, "Merlin forbid you have some kind of standards for who you or your friends associate with." It was a kindness to look after one's friends, he knew that from experience with Ada. Though her kind of looking after tended to get him in more trouble than he did on his own but it was part of her charm.

Thinking of her he realized why Miral had become one of his favorites now, he saw a lot of Adaeze in her even knowing they were night and day different in most ways. Sitting back in his chair and crossing his legs he rested one hand on his lap while the other lifted, tapping a finger against his cheek, "So you need something that will seem entirely harmless and innocent but do at least equal damage if not a little more to drive the point home." He absently made the soft little thoughtful Hmm noise as he appeared to stare off for a moment, "Tell me what ideas you've come up with and I'll see which ones have the best chance of doing what you need, how's that?"

Reaching into the pocket of his suit he pulled out a smaller crystal ball that he always carried and flashed a smile at her, "Pays to be prepared." Rolling the ball effortlessly from fingertip to palm and back he waited to hear what devious ideas she or Lysander had already come up with. Odds were a spirit or two could help him work out which would work best in her favor. While his attention seemed completely focused on Miral he hadn't let a bit of Lysander escape his peripheral vision as he'd spoke, he was part of the conversation after all and his presence alone was impossible to ignore.

[Lysander Malfoy]

“Well, we both play Quidditch, so I may have asked the Beaters to give him a little extra... focus... in games,” Miral said, her voice almost too casual. “And normally, I’ve made it a point to keep the rest of Slytherin off his and Laguna’s backs, even when they’re stirring up trouble across the other houses... but I’ve told them Zeke is fair game now.” She gave a small shrug. “I imagine they’ll have him at his wit’s end sooner rather than later.”

Lysander gave a short snort. “Letting everyone else dirty their hands?” he asked, brow raised.

“They were going to get dirty anyway,” she replied, unfazed. “I’m just... providing direction.”

Lysander chuckled, then glanced toward Davi and his crystal ball, amusement flickering across his face before returning his gaze to Miral. “Well. If we’re trying to keep things within the...rules,” he said, tone deliberately vague, “embarrassing him like he did you would be a start. But grander. Charms and hexes are usually allowed—provided you phrase them... appropriately.”

Miral hummed thoughtfully. “Like a hex to make glitter constantly fall from his robes—like he’s raided Professor Zaheer’s closet. Or something subtle. Smething that makes him feel what it’s like to be the butt of the joke. Twitchy, off-balance, constantly second-guessing who’s laughing with him and who’s laughing at him. Fair turnabout, don’t you think?" She looked between Lysander and Davi, "Or am I aiming too low?"

"I'm curious what the good professor thinks. It’s rare to see someone in your position sit in the middle of something like this...” Lysander said as he looked at Davi fully, sitting back and crossing his arms. Miral raised a brow a little at him, but didn't say anything. She squinted at him, though, and when he quirked a brow back, she just smirked and looked back to Davi.

[Davi Baptiste]

Davi watched and listened, dark eyes moving between the two as Miral explained her plans or thoughts and Lysander added commentary. The crystal ball paused its movements in his hand as his attention slowly focused on that after hearing the options but only briefly before Lysander spoke to him directly. His attention snapped towards the other man with a smile, "I'm not a fan of harmful pranks, harmless ones? Perfectly expected and acceptable, but what he did ruined not only her hair but her dress which depending on the price tag at least where I come from would likely catch him a charge for destruction of property... and assault come to think of it."

Of course he knew that didn't mean diddly here so he shrugged it off, "Besides the boy started it, and Miral is Slytherin Prefect…she's almost expected to get some kind of pay back and if he doesn't think it's coming then that just works in her favor." Dark eyes shifted back from the man to the crystal ball in his hand and he stared into it for a moment or two before smirking, "Letting the others wind him up can help then it looks less suspicious…" Pursing his lips, he absently chewed on the corner of his lower one as he thought long and hard running through all the pranks he'd endured or been part of back when he'd been a student at Ilvermorny.

"You can't use anything that can be tied to you, otherwise it defeats the purpose of not being caught… but you need something he'll know was you." He looked thoughtful again before he raised a brow at Miral, "Are you willing to play the longer game or do you want retribution immediately? Because the best way to accomplish what you want is you're going to have to get to know things about him that others don't and then use that to punish him." Leaning back in his seat he absently rolled the crystal ball between his hands before he whispered something whether to it or to the air and put it away in his coat pocket again.

"Of course I'm sure you could easily get such information from another source, if they just so happen to be rambling about Mr. Smith and his quirks/fears/aspirations what have you, but that's a finer line to not be caught on."

[Lysander Malfoy]

Lysander made a look at his initial comments about assault and destruction of property, a look that said he agreed and would prefer to dish out his own kind of justice, but these were still technically children. Thus, his restraint. Miral nodded in agreement at her being expected to get pay back, "Exactly!" she enthused.

"Oh, I'm totally fine with the long game. I want him to be aware of how I've been definitely nice to him for the past few years and show him what my being mean really looks like. Though I'll have to be... careful in how I get that information. Laguna likely won't give up too much right away, knowing Zeke and I are in a very clear tiff at the moment and not wanting to get between it, and Ryan always seems like he's too afraid to even speak to me, buuut. The school's best gossip is in the same house. If I can convince her, I bet I can get Sophie to give me exactly what I want, though I'll likely have to give her something in return," she mused.

"That's Sophie Wright, isn't it?" Lysander asked. When Miral nodded, he smirked, "Tell her if she wants to expand her territory of gossip, I can assist with that," he said. Miral's eyes glittered with delight at the prospect of getting information on her enemy while also being curious about what Lysander would offer Sophie in return. "Some people related to her father and her uncle do business in my... club," he said, choosing his words carefully, "Sounds like the kind of information someone like her would love to have over people of power."

[Davi Baptiste]

Davi’s fingers drummed softly on the armrest as he listened, head tilted slightly as if half-focused elsewhere but his gaze never strayed far from Lysander for long. The man had a way of threading his words with more than what was spoken, and Davi wasn’t above taking note of the fact that Lysander had resources… ones he could use to manipulate not just information, but people. Even now, offering gossip as a currency? Clever. Efficient. Dangerous. Davi didn’t miss the way Miral’s eyes lit up either: ambition, cunning, opportunity; pure Slytherin, and Lysander seemed to encourage it.

Still, Davi only smiled faintly, tucking away the observation like a bookmark in a well-worn journal. "Then we have time," he said, voice light but thoughtful. "Time is the best tool, after all." He pulled a small notebook from the inside of his coat, its leather worn and covered in runes of different magical traditions. As he flipped through the pages absently, he continued, "Glitter hexes are too flashy, too obvious. And they can be countered with a decent cleaning charm if he’s clever enough to figure it out. But... what about something subtler? Something that doesn’t go off all at once?"

He tapped his finger against a page. "A charm placed on the laces of his shoes, for instance—one that slowly shrinks them throughout the day. Nothing dramatic—just tight enough to drive him mad by dinner. Or one that occasionally makes his voice crack mid-sentence, just enough to humiliate him in front of his friends. You want him twitchy and off-balance? Spread out the hits. Let paranoia settle in." Davi looked up at Miral with a smirk that was all mischief and measured amusement. "Imagine him checking every robe, every quill, wondering what's been done without ever catching on it's you. And you’ll know exactly how many steps ahead you are."

Then he shifted, seemingly idle, but his eyes flicked back toward Lysander. "And if someone were to... broker certain bits of personal trivia about Zeke—likes, dislikes, childhood fears? Those can be weaponized in pranks that look like fate’s just playing favorites. Imagine say if he’s terrified of frogs and starts finding enchanted ones in his bag. Coincidence? Or just another thread pulled." His tone was still easy, casual, even playful—but the way he leaned back, hand resting under his chin and tapped his fingertip absently against his lips showed he was more invested than he let on.

"And for the record," he added with a glance at Lysander that lingered just a moment too long to be purely polite, "I don’t mind being in the middle. It’s often where you see everything most clearly." He offered a lopsided smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Then, his attention shifted back to Miral and he grinned, “So. Do we want fear? Embarrassment? Inconvenience? Or maybe a charming little cocktail of all three?”

[Miral Valtoris]

Both of them were listening to him as he spoke, and Davi would find Lysander smirking at him when he looked back in his direction. A sort of easy, but amused kind of smirk. Miral was leaning on the table, seeming to think, tapping her nail on the table before getting out her own book and quill, seeming to have gotten an idea from everything he'd been suggesting and seemed to be writing out a battle plan, "I could ask Laguna, but I don't want to drag him into the middle, it's what I've been actively avoiding, but there's a Hufflepuff that's friends with him, the captain of their quidditch team," she hummed, "I might be able to get..." she trailed off, starting to write something else, seeming to talk to herself under her breath for a moment.

Lysander leaned over a little to take a look at what she was writing and snorted, shaking his head, "Ambitious as always," he said.

"I'm covering my bases," she quipped back, still writing.

He shook his head again, leaning back in his seat once more, "To answer your question, since she's in the zone, it does seem she is trying for the cocktail, but she's involving some other Slytherins, who I'm assuming have no issues getting involved?" he looked at her.

"Please, several of these people have a bone to pick with him, too, so they will be more than happy," she scoffed as she shook her head.

Lysander held up a hand as if to say, "See." "I imagine she'll be handing out marching orders by morning," he said, "While she's in the thick of it, I do find myself rather curious," he smirked a little as he said that, "Were you the victim of these kinds of pranks or the inflictor?" he asked, raising a brow.

[Davi Baptiste]

Davi’s mouth curved first: slow, knowing; before he answered, eyes flicking briefly to Miral and the way she’d already turned his suggestions into ink and intent. He didn’t interrupt her concentration; if anything, the sight of it earned her a quiet nod of approval. She was running with it, and running well. At Lysander’s question, though, he stilled.“Neither,” he said simply. The word landed without drama, but there was weight behind it. He leaned back in his chair, fingers lacing loosely, gaze drifting to the middle distance rather than either of them. “Where I grew up, it was rarely that clean. You weren’t one thing or the other; not for long. Roles changed depending on the day, the people involved, and who happened to have power in the moment.”

His eyes cut briefly back to Lysander, candid but guarded. “So I learned early how to survive both sides of it. That’s all I’ll say.” It was a deliberate boundary—one he didn’t soften or apologize for—and it left just enough unsaid to make the honesty of it ring true. If Lysander was surprised, it would be because Davi hadn’t tried to charm his way around the question at all. Then his attention shifted back to Miral, and this time the approval was clearer. “That said,” he added, tone warming, “I am impressed. You’re thinking laterally, spreading responsibility, insulating yourself from consequences while still keeping your fingerprints where they matter. That’s not recklessness; that’s strategy.” A faint smirk. “Just remember: the more people involved, the more important it is that no one sees the whole picture but you.”

Before either of them could respond, there was a sharp tap-tap-tap against the window beside their table. Davi sighed softly, the sound fond despite itself, and turned his head. Outside, a large black raven fixed him with an unmistakably offended stare and pecked the glass again for emphasis. “Huginn,” Davi muttered. “Persistent as ever.” He rose smoothly, adjusting his coat properly back into place. “If you’ll excuse me; I promised I wouldn’t keep him waiting long, and he has very strong opinions about being ignored.” Giving Lysander a bow of his head, he flashed Miral a smile before he turned and headed towards the door. The instant he stepped out Huginn landed on his shoulder once more, "Surely you aren't bored already?" Davi wasn't intending to leave yet in case Miral had more to discuss but he couldn't ignore his feathered friend either.

The large black corvid croaked again, "Walk".

The word made Davi chuckle as he pulled a treat out of his pocket and offered it to him, "Soon we'll finish our walk, I'm just helping my student, remember?"

"Student..." The word came again before Huginn took the peace offering and flew off to the nearby tree again.

He nodded, "Thank you, I'll be back soon enough."

[Lysander Malfoy]

Lysander quirked a brow at the neither, a look in his eye that said he heard that weight. He smirked, however, at what he explained, making a face that said he understood. He didn't take his eyes off him, though he held up a hand to say he understood a line had been drawn, and he didn't intend to push it.

"Plausible deniability is always my favorite tool," Miral said simply, "If you don't know, then you can't tell," she shrugged, "No one charm or hex would be bad enough to get more than detention, and half of them would see it as a badge of honor," she snorted a little, rolling her eyes, "Only the mastermind should have the whole picture, and none of it should be able to be linked back to them. What was it Montressor said? "A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong"," She smirked, quoting Edgar Allen Poe's "Cask of Amontillado"- specifically the villain who buried his friend alive in the crypt for insulting him too many times.

Lysander didn't follow, but outside, Davi might notice there were a couple of men dressed not too differently from him milling about at the shops, glancing in the direction of the Sticks from time to time, craning their heads to look for someone. Not totally threatening, but they stood out a little from the usual run-of-the-mill people. Not seeing who they wanted, they went back to shopping.

"Are your goons outside?" Miral muttered at him.

"They are not goons, ma petite impératrice," he corrected, "They are staff. And yes, there are a few outside. You never know when someone will want to... bury an axe."

"You're so worried it's going to be aimed at your spine?"

"Naturally. That's where the weaker ones always aim cause they know they'd lose otherwise. Now focus on you're going to get the staff out of the house," he said, using her own reference, getting a smirk from her and she looked back down, looking over what she had so far.

[Davi Baptiste]

Davi lingered outside just long enough to keep the peace. Huginn received his due; an extra strip of dried meat slipped from Davi’s pocket, the raven accepting it with a satisfied croak and a sharp hop closer to his shoulder. Davi murmured something low and fond in a language that wasn’t English, smoothing a thumb briefly along the bird’s feathers before nudging him back toward the beam where he’d been perched earlier. Content for now, Huginn settled, watching the street with proprietary interest.

That was when Davi noticed the men. Not threatening. Not sloppy, either. The way they looked around rather than at things, the way their attention brushed the tavern without lingering; it was familiar. He clocked their posture, their spacing, the brief exchange of looks before they drifted apart again. Staff, then. Or close enough to it to make no difference. Duly noted, he thought, and filed it away without letting it touch his expression. When he stepped back inside, he had to make a conscious effort not to stare at Lysander as he approached the table.

Just a casual glance toward Lysander as he reclaimed his seat; nothing more than acknowledgment, before his attention shifted, deliberately and fully, to Miral and the page she was reviewing. “Well?” Davi asked lightly, folding his hands on the table. “How’s the empire-building coming along?” There was something approving in his tone now, less speculative than before. “From what I overheard on my way back in, your grasp of compartmentalization is solid. Quoting Poe is… dramatic,” a corner of his mouth twitched, “but the principle holds. Control the narrative. Control the damage.”

His gaze flicked briefly to her notes, not reading, just assessing the shape of the plan. “Tell me: are you satisfied with how you’ve staggered the timing? Or are you still adjusting who knows what, and when?” Only then did he lean back slightly, posture relaxed again, as if the moment outside; and the men, and Lysander’s very deliberate precautions, were nothing more than background noise. But his eyes, dark and attentive along the spirits who almost constantly spoke to him, missed very little.

[Lysander Malfoy]

Lysander smirked a little at the deliberate turn of attention, but did not take his own off the good professor. He sat back in his seat again, though, crossing his arms over his chest while Davi spoke to Miral.

Miral actually closed the book, though, "Ah, ah, ah!" she wagged her finger, "Plausible. Deniability," she said, "If I tell you everything, then you know too much," she smirked at him, "And Poe was a mastermind of writing revenge, though I do not plan to go so far as murdering someone. Just their reputation and their sanity," she smiled sweetly.

She stood up from her seat then, gathering up her things.

"Where are you running off to?" Lysander raised a brow at her.

"Sorry, Uncle," she kissed his cheek in the familial way, "I have supplies to gather and plans to hatch. None of which will benefit further from my sitting still," she smirked, and then looked to Davi, "I'll see you back on campus, Professor Baptiste," she said before starting out of the broomsticks like a woman on a mission.

Lysander shook his head slightly at her retreating figure before looking back to Davi, "Is this where you're going to leave as well? Or do I get the pleasure of your company a time yet?" he raised a brow, not totally challenging him, but acknowledging the fact that Davi seemed to try to cool his interest, "Or are you worried the students will start talking? What was it you said to Miral just now? Control the narrative?" he smirked. He pulled a business card from his pocket, sliding it across the table to him, "If you are going to leave, at least consider letting me teach you a different kind of narrative," he said coolly as he sat back once more.

He was putting the ball in Davi's court.

[Davi Baptiste]

Davi watched Miral go with a mixture of approval and resignation, the faintest shake of his head following her retreat. “That one,” he murmured, more to the empty space she’d left behind than to Lysander, “was always going to be unstoppable.” Only then did his attention fully settle back on the man across from him; and this time, he didn’t bother pretending he hadn’t noticed the shift. Lysander’s directness caught him just enough off-balance to be interesting. Davi’s brows lifted slightly, an honest flicker of surprise crossing his face before it smoothed into something warmer, more thoughtful.

“I’m not worried about students talking,” he said calmly. “They already do. About everyone. If I tried to manage that, I’d never leave my quarters. The adults aren't much better.” He reached out and took the business card, turning it once between his fingers before slipping it into the inner pocket of his coat with deliberate care. Not dismissal. Consideration. “As for narratives,” Davi went on, eyes lifting back to Lysander, “I don’t cool interest because I lack it. I do it because I’ve learned not every room is the right one to let it show.” There was a pause: measured, intentional.

“That said,” he added, voice lowering just a fraction, “I hadn’t actually planned on being here. Miral and I crossed paths, and the conversation… evolved.” A faint smile tugged at his mouth showing he wasn't the least bit put off by where it had brought him or with whom. “I was in the middle of taking Huginn out for a proper walk; he tolerates taverns, classrooms and my office but only barely, and I promised him fresh air.” His gaze flicked briefly toward the door, then back to Lysander, curiosity now openly present. “So if you’re asking whether I’m leaving: the answer is yes. But not because I want to.” He leaned back slightly, studying him. “And if you’re asking whether I’d like to get to know you somewhere other than a student-adjacent tavern…”

Davi shrugged lightly, an easy, genuine gesture. “I’d be delighted by the company—provided you don’t mind a raven and a walk around the Forbidden Forest instead of an audience and a table between us.” The ball, gently but unmistakably, rolled back across the court while Davi stood from his seat and readjusted his suit coat waiting to see what his response would be.