Plausible Deniability [Miral]

[Lysander Malfoy]

As he looked at him directly, Lysander respected him enough to do the same, tucking a thumb into his pocket as he walked. He raised a brow about not listening to the spirits costing him more than speaking.

When he said be honest with him, Lysander made a gesture of "Go ahead," waiting for what it was he wanted honesty for. However, the actual question made him smirk in amusement, "Ruins the moment?" he mused, "I hope not, but I am still very curious about you. You caught my attention the second a professor stepped into the middle of a prank war to assist, that Miral wanted your advice in the first place, and then everything from there has just sparked more and more curiosity. I find myself wanting to know what makes you tick," He said, being honest as he said he would be, that smirk only getting slightly more devious on that last line.

He'd be blind not to be able to appreciate Davi, but even rotten things can be wrapped in gold. So far, though, he'd only found more gold, "And I don't anticipate just being given anything just because I'm charming," he chuckled a little, though it was dry kind of wit, more of an acknowledgement he'd done that before, "I'm patient and willing to take the time to make you want to," he hummed a bit, though his eyes never left Davi's face, focused on his eyes, not flinching away from it.

[Davi Baptiste]

Davi let out a breath he hadn’t quite realized he was holding, the tension easing from his shoulders as Lysander’s answer landed without sharp edges. If anything, it left him… intrigued. And a little off-balance in a way he didn’t mind. “That’s generous of you,” he said quietly, the corner of his mouth lifting. “Curiosity is rarely harmless...but it’s rarely boring either.” He resumed walking, matching Lysander’s pace without comment, hands still in his pockets. After a few steps, he glanced over—brief, measured, but warm enough to acknowledge the weight of what had just been said.

“I don’t often think of myself as interesting,” Davi admitted. “Mostly I’m… attentive. I notice patterns. People. When something is off-balance, it’s hard for me not to step in.” A pause, then a softer addendum, “Sometimes to my own detriment.” At the mention of the prank war, his expression shifted; not stern, but thoughtful. “I intervened because I know what it’s like when pranks stop being in good faith,” he said. “When they turn into something meant to humiliate or harm rather than remind someone they’re human.” He shook his head faintly. “I was on the receiving end of worse than what Miral is planning. Enough to know where that line sits.”

His gaze drifted ahead, toward the darkening trees. “And she’s one of my best students. Sharp. Resourceful. Already carrying more of the world than she should have to at her age.” He glanced back at Lysander, something earnest there. “They all are, really. This generation grew up in the shadow of a war they didn’t choose, cleaning up pieces left behind by adults who told themselves it was finished.” A faint smile returned, quieter now. “If they need support: guidance, restraint, or simply someone willing to stand beside them, I’ll give it. That’s part of the job. And part of who I am.”

Then, almost as an afterthought but not quite, he added, “As for what makes me tick… I suspect you’ll find it’s less mysterious than you imagine.” His eyes met Lysander’s again, holding this time just a fraction longer. “But I won’t stop you from taking the time to find out.”

[Lysander Malfoy]

Lysander continued to walk with him at a nice, leisurely pace, not seeming at all concerned about what might be in the woods around them. Practically a walk in a park, instead of how he was carrying himself. He nodded in his response about curiosity, "I don't intend to do much more harm than perhaps make things uncomfortable by asking questions, but I'm not so... probing that I'll push to the point of anything more than that and can accept a line when and where they are drawn." Lines when getting to know someone were important after all. Knowing which cards are safe to share and which to keep close.

Hearing his response to being called interesting and his observation on the children, he took a deep breath, "Indeed. She bears a shame that doesn't belong to her, but it comes with her lineage. Closer to my burden than hers, but that doesn't stop the whispers," he shook his head, "And trust me, having her talk it out was the best way to keep her from taking it too far. She's a little bit the type to salt the fields, if you understand the metaphor."

"She's come quite a ways from being afraid to even get on the train," he said, slightly reminiscent of a younger girl crying at him that she didn't want to go because everyone would hate her, that she'd seen it when shopping for supplies... He took a deep breath. He'd done a bit of... straightening out of those would make their children so hateful towards a girl completely uninvoled in the mess, whose mother, while a Malfoy, was uninvoled and not even in the country during the whole affair- had stayed away because of it.

When Davi looked at him again, Lysander smirked, "Half the fun is the effort," he murmured, "The other half is perfecting it. And I doubt you will be, you have to realize I deal with people who still believe strength is all you need to be better than someone on a more regular basis," he shrugged, "Actual intellect is a very nice change."

[Davi Baptiste]

Davi listened without interrupting, his stride easy, unhurried, as if the woods truly were nothing more than a park path to him. He gave a small nod at Lysander’s words about lines, appreciation evident rather than merely polite. “That’s… reassuring,” he said quietly. “Knowing where a line is and respecting it, is rarer than people like to believe.” A faint smile touched his mouth. “Especially among those who think curiosity entitles them to answers.”

At the mention of Miral, his expression softened. “Salt the fields,” he echoed, thoughtful. “Yes. I understand.” He exhaled slowly. “Anger can feel safer than fear. More controllable.” His gaze flicked briefly to Lysander, something empathetic there. “You did the right thing by giving her space to speak before she acted. That sort of guidance… it stays with a person.” There was a pause as they walked, the forest breathing around them. Davi’s eyes stayed forward, but his attention never fully left the man beside him.

When Lysander smirked and spoke of effort and intellect, Davi let out a quiet laugh; low, genuine. He glanced over, this time without immediately looking away. “I suppose I should take that as a compliment,” he said lightly. "Though I’ll admit—being compared favorably to people who rely on strength alone is setting a mercifully low bar.”

The smile that followed was warmer, edged with something more deliberate. “Still… effort has its merits. It shows intention.” He tilted his head just slightly, studying Lysander’s profile rather than his eyes this time. “And I find I respect people who value the process as much as the outcome.” His gaze returned to Lysander’s, steady but unassuming.“If intellect is a nice change,” he added softly, “then perhaps we’re both enjoying the novelty.”