Cauldron full of hot strong... Love...? (Max)

[tersha.alara.knight]

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"And you can't fight the tears that ain't comin',
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or the moment of truth in your lies."
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Tersha wasn't sure whether to feel worried, pissed off, scared, or just bored. Last night, with literally less than twenty four hours' notice - bloody disgraceful - she had received a lovely little letter from Cupid, himself, informing her that the time had come to meet her match - though she doubted that was possible for someone like her - and she should meet him the next night in room 108. The letter had also informed her of the name of her supposed match. Maxwell Cockburn.

The name on it's own made her scowl furiously. It was hideous. Shameful, in fact. How anyone could walk around with such a name with their head held high was beyond her. But then, she knew the Cockburn boys from around school, since they were in the same year as her, and she had never really allowed the silly moniker to irritate her. She knew it was merely the thought of herself having to take such a name at some point in the future that was making her sick. Hell no. If it did come down to marriage, and they decided to follow Cupid's stupid little rules, then she would be putting her foot down. She would keep her own very fine name, and he could change his, if anyone did. And that was that.

She was now stood outside their designated meeting room in a simple black dress, that managed to be classy, yet sexy at the same time, fitted in all the right places. Merlin knew Tersha had enough perfect curves to compliment a dress like that. She knew she looked good, with her dark hair in waves, flowing about her shoulders and a pair of killer heels on, which she had no doubt would end up being kicked off across the room at some point. That was all her letter had specified, to wear a dress, and so without any further hesitation, she pushed the door to room 108 open and entered.

It was empty. Great. She was definitely on time, though she had no idea why she bothered making such an effort. Obviously Maxwell didn't feel the same, or he would have been there already. A black velvet love seat sat against one wall, and without really bothering to take in the rest of the room's furnishings, she crossed the soft carpeted floor and sat herself down to wait. The rules stated they had to stay in there together for at least an hour, so she might as well make herself comfortable. "This is so pathetic," she murmured to herself. As if some diaper-clad munchkin with wings was going to dictate her heart. Or her life for that matter. Ha! Then again, Maxwell was quite good looking....

[maxwell.silas.cockburn]

Max stood in his slowly darkening dorm room, staring at the blasted letter and debating all his options. He was nothing if not a practical bloke, after-all he wasn't about to risk possible personal injury or death by rebelling against his match, but his insides felt as if they were at war with each other. How could he possibly hold his head up in public with a Gryffindor on his arm? The very thought of it made him want to march straight up to that bloody git of a god and tell him exactly where he could stick his letter. It was bad enough he had to live with the fact that his twin was disgraced by being sorted into the house of the lion, but now he was going to be forced to be with one.... forever?!

The young snake glanced down at his tux, tailor made naturally, and fought the urge to take it off and crawl back into bed. No, he wasn't going to be defeated so easily, He would go to his appointment and meet this Gryffindor officially and figure things out from there. He knew Tersha of course, every guy in there year knew Tersha, after-all she was practically sex on a stick, and he did have to admit of all the Gryffindors he could have been stuck with at least he got the best looking one in the house. Max just had to wait and see if there was anything else there besides her looks, and seeing as how she was a lion he seriously doubted it.

Running a comb through his hair one last time, Max threw his dress robes on over his tux, then reached down and picked up the bouquet of red roses, pausing to tuck a rose into his lapel, and exited his room. He maintained a cool, aloof expression as he made his way through the castle, one that displayed to everyone he passed that he was clearly superior to them, and quite disinterested in making their acquaintance. He walked quickly, and in no time had arrived at Cupid's Hall, where he paused outside of the door to room 108. This was it, he was resigned to spend an hour alone with a Gryffindor and see whether or not this was going to work at all.

The young wizard slowly pushed open the door, and was greeted by the site of Tersha Knight, wearing a clingy black dress and seated on a velvet love seat, looking for all the world like a goddess awaiting the arrival of her subjects. Figured, haughty Gryffindor thinking she ruled the world just because she was gorgeous. Max entered, shutting the door behind him and sealing his fate for the next hour, and cleared his throat. "Good evening Miss Knight, I'm Maxwell Cockburn. Seems we are slated to be spending some time together very soon, I hope we both end up finding it... pleasant" Max stated, strolling over towards her and looking her very fit body up and down as he offered her the bouquet of roses. "These are for you, I hope you find them to your liking" he added, a charming smile planted on his handsome face.

[tersha.alara.knight]

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"Can you feel that?
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Yeah, we're payin' with love tonight."
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After a few minutes of tapping her foot, irritably, the door to the room slowly creaked open, a robe-clad figure entering and closing it again behind him. Well, a two minute wait wasn't too bad. Maybe she wouldn't give him what for, after all. Tersha's dark eyes roved up and down Maxwell as he crossed the room and offered a greeting, and a bunch of roses, declaring that he hoped she liked them, and that their time in the dreaded room was pleasant. Oh, sweet Merlin! He was forcing it. She could tell. And the smile on his face, while pretty enough, well, she just had the feeling that even that was fake. That he was stood there, wanting to turn back around and leave as quick as he came.

She didn't blame him. Reaching a hand out, she took the flowers, taking a moment to sniff them - and check they were real - before looking back up at Maxwell. "Thank you. It's nice to officially meet you," she started, feeling fake and forced, herself, which just wasn't like her at all. Why was she sitting there, pretending everything was ok, and being all polite, when all she wanted to do was tell it to him straight and figure out a way to get out of this match thing. Oh, to hell with it, if he didn't like Tersha for who she really was, then it was his loss. She wasn't going to put on an act for the next hour.

"But, look, Max," she put the flowers on the seat next to her, a little carelessly, and stood up to face him. "Let's be honest, for a minute, ok? I don't think either of us wants to be here. This is awkward. It's probably always going to be awkward, and honestly, there's only one way to tell if this 'match' is accurate, or not." She knew where she was going with this, but Maxwell was most likely clueless as to what she was about to do. But, to Tersha, chemistry, and real feelings, and a true connection, were the only things that were going to convince her that Cupid knew what he was doing. Without those, she was going to sit for an hour in silence.

And so.... she kissed him. Right there. No hesitation. Her hands gripped his shoulders as she pressed her body closer to his, soft lips meeting his in a bid to feel.... anything. Any tiny little hint of a spark. Granted, it wasn't the best kind of kiss they could have shared, since it was unexpected and not in the least bit passionate. Sort of a desperate way out of their situation. She held it for a moment, then pulled away from him, placing her hands on her hips as she stared past him at the wall, a disgruntled look on her face. "Ok, maybe that didn't work, too well," she admitted with a frown. It would have been much better if it were a mutual act, of course, so she supposed she couldn't blame Maxwell for the lack of awesome in the kiss, even if she did want to.

[maxwell.silas.cockburn]

Max kept his perfectly practiced polite expression planted on his patrician features as Tersha glanced up at the flowers he held out for her. She had incredibly gorgeous, nearly onyx eyes that he felt as if he could stare into for hours and still not be able to read her. And it was thoughts like that that were going to get old Max into trouble, so he tried to suppress the attraction he felt for her as she gingerly accepted the flowers and examined them for a moment. Well, at least she was polite if nothing else, it was unlike a Gryffindor to show any sort of manners in his experience, so at least she had some sort of proper etiquette to her.

Max smiled politely and clasped his hands in front of him, as he tried to calm his inner turmoil and get the show on the road. Though apparently, Tersha had other plans, because in the next second she had set the flowers aside rather indelicately which caused Max to arch an eyebrow in disbelief, and was standing directly in front of him. She was tall and lean, just a tad shorter than he was, and he had always had an affinity for tall thin witches. While his testosterone filled brain was still focused on her feminine features, Tersha was speaking, and it took a few moments before he caught onto what she was saying. She was saying this was going to be awkward, which was an understatement to say the least, and then she mentioned there only being one way to find out. What was this witch on about?

Just as Max was opening his mouth to ask her what in blue blazes she meant, suddenly her very full, very soft lips were pressed against his and he froze into place like a rabbit in the jaws of a wolf. Was this actually happening?! Was this frustratingly beautiful witch being so forward as to kiss a wizard that she had only just met? He would dare say no respectable Slytherin witch would never be so forward, but Max was finding it to be a strangely pleasurable experience over-all. Unfortunately, before he had the chance to kiss her back, she had pulled away, and he was left staring into her pretty face, a look of concern marring her beauty as she muttered something about that not working well at all.

What a tick, was she accusing him of being a bad kisser?! Well Maxwell Cockburn had been accused of being a lot of things, but a bad kisser wasn't one of them! If there was one area he always delivered in, it was snogging. Max narrowed his eyes as his stubborn streak took over, no way was he going to let this Gryffindor think him a bad kisser! "Miss Knight, while I appreciate your willingness to overcome potential awkwardness by surprising me with a good snogging, I am afraid I wasn't quite prepared for your forwardness. Let's start over shall we?" Max stated smoothly, this time reaching his arms around her and pulling her close, where he slowly leaned down and kissed Tersha fully and passionately on the lips, snogging her for all he was worth, as his heartbeat pounded in his ears and he felt her body pressed close to his. He did have to say, he had never kissed anyone quite like this, and though he wasn't ready to admit it yet, he was hoping that he would get to do it again and again.

[tersha.alara.knight]

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"You'll follow me back,
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with the sun in your eyes."
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It took him a moment to recover from her surprise 'attack', but Maxwell soon spoke up, informing her that it was hardly fair for her to do such a thing, and before she knew it, his arms were firmly around her waist as he pulled her back to him, leaning in to kiss her once more. Properly this time. And Merlin, was he a good kisser! Her eyebrows rose in momentary surprise, before she began to return the kiss, matching him for intensity as her hands snaked their way up into his hair, pulling him closer. She was finding it hard to breathe, and this had been the last thing she would have expected from him, tingles working their way up her spine at the touch of his hands.

The kiss seemed to last an age, yet not nearly long enough, and when she had no choice but to pull away or faint from lack of oxygen, she stayed where she was, pinned up against him. "This might not be so bad after all," she murmured, under her breath, taking a few seconds to clear her head. Ok, so maybe a few seconds wasn't long enough. Her nose was still touching his, and her whole body felt flushed and practically on fire, heart pounding at a ridiculous rate. No.... She hadn't expected this at all.

Trying not to look into his stunning blue eyes, she let go of Maxwell and stepped away, dropping her head so that her hair fell over her face, hiding any dazed expression that might be lying there against her will. She turned back to the love seat, where her roses lay, and let out a deep breath, trying to calm her heartbeat. "Those are really lovely flowers." She cleared her throat. Scratched at her head. Bit her lip, awkwardly - though in reality, all she could think about was biting Max's lips, and kissing them again, amongst other things - as she tried to process what this could all mean.

Finally, she couldn't take it any more. Spinning back around to face him, Tersha looked just as confused as she had after the first kiss, maybe more so this time. "I don't even know you!" she blurted, hands going into their usual animated routine while she spoke. "I mean, I know you from around, obviously, but I don't know know you. And yes, sure, you're extremely good looking, and you have skills with the.... lips. Or whatever. But that doesn't mean a thing!" It meant a lot, actually, though she would never admit it. "You know, I'm confident, and outgoing, and I like to have fun, and be with my friends, and I'm not scared of anything, or anyone, and I can be a ruthless, cut-throat bitch, and I won't settle for anything less than the absolute best. And you! You could be anything!" Obviously. "You could be some unambitious, anti-social slacker who doesn't know what quality is when it smacks him in the face!"

She was well aware that her ramble was getting a bit out of hand, but she couldn't help it. All of the things she had been worrying about over this match debacle just didn't want to stay hidden any longer. It was overwhelming, the pressure to be with a complete stranger whether you wanted them or not. And now it was even worse because she was starting to wonder whether she did want Max. Or his lips, at least. He had definitely given her the sparks she had placed so much importance on. With a huff, she sat back down, gently poking the petals of her flowers for something to do. Tersha had always dreaded being matched. And it was no less daunting and bewildering than she had imagined it would be. "And if you even think about stereotyping me as your run-of-the-mill dramatic Gryffindor right now, you're gonna be hexed all the way to hell. This is a very stressful situation." She shot him a warning glare before going back to her petal poking.

[maxwell.silas.cockburn]

Max felt as if his skin were on fire as the kiss turned more passionate, Tersha reaching up and running her hands through his hair made him shiver as he pulled her closer still. The young wizard actually could have kept that kiss going the entire hour, but Tersha, showing a bit more sensibility, finally pulled away, allowing them both to breathe once again, though Max wasn’t letting her go. It felt so good to hold her, it was almost like she belonged there, in his arms, and that thought alone scared the wits out of him. How could this be happening to him?! She was a Gryffindor, and besides that he barely even knew her, it was only animal attraction he was feeling for her, it would fade over time…. He hoped at least. As Maxwell gazed down at her, their noses barely touching as they both fought to regain their breath, Tersha muttered that this might not be so bad after-all. He had to say he was in agreement, Max had never quite experienced a kiss like that before and he was already wanting to do it again, even though his brain was screaming at him to run as fast as he could.

Then, all of a sudden, Tersha pulled away from him, and his arms immediately missed her as he slowly lowered them to his sides. He watched her intently as she let her dark curtain of hair cover her face while she turned away from him, wondering if there was something he did wrong. Tersha mentioned that the flowers were lovely, as if she were trying to make small talk, and Maxwell, unsure of what else to do, reached up and ran a hand through his brown hair as he replied uncertainly “Um thanks. I thought they would be appropriate…” he let his voice trail off, still puzzled by her sudden aloofness. He nearly jumped when Tersha suddenly spun around and faced him again, a look of utter bewilderment on her face that probably mirrored his own quite well. And that was when she started talking, and it was like, once she started, she couldn’t stop, and it was all Max could do to keep up with her. She started by pointing out that she didn’t even know him, and Max’s brow furrowed as he tried to think of a suitable return for this. It was true, they didn’t know each other, and honestly he wasn’t sure if getting to know each other was a good idea at this point, it might ruin their chemistry completely.

Then she went on to say he was extremely good-looking, and the corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile as he realized she thought him cute. The feeling was definitely mutual, and he had to admit he had always found himself rather attractive, so why wouldn’t she? Tersha also said he was a good kisser and he had to agree that that kiss had been amazing, just thinking about it brought another smile to his face. She went on to list her many attributes, and he was left to look on in fascination at the unbridled passion she had going for her, seemed it applied to more areas than kissing after-all. She also mentioned that he could be anything at all, since she didn’t really know him, that he could be unambitious, a slacker so to speak, and this caused Max’s usual arrogant expression to slip back into place as he regarded her. It seemed he wasn’t the only one here with reservations at being matched with a virtual stranger, though her assertion that he could be a slacker did not sit well with young master Cockburn. Was Tersha at all familiar with the defining attributes of his house?

Finally, Tersha seemed to settle down slightly, she took a seat and started fidgeting with her flowers, before adding in that he better not stereo-type her as some dramatic Gryffindor or she would hex him. She certainly had spunk, a quality Max found quite endearing in a witch, and he took a few moments to collect his thoughts as he digested all of this. He remained standing where he was, gently tapping his finger against his lip as he pondered their situation, and wondering exactly what he was going to do now. “Tersha…. First of all I would never dream of calling you stereotypical of anything, I can honestly say that I have never met another witch quite like you from any house. Second of all, I think I need to remedy the fact that you are uncertain about me and my motivations, or lack there-of. I can assure you Miss Knight, that you will never meet a wizard more ambitious than me, no matter how hard you look. I fully intend to make quite a name for myself, to do greater things than any other Cockburn has ever done and won’t stop until I get what I want” he began to say, pacing back and forth slowly as he thought this all through, clasping his hands behind his back and looking at the floor in concentration.

“And I fully sympathize with you being stressed Tersha, I’m just as stressed over all of this as you are. I don’t want some washed up old god dictating my life any more than you do. But besides being ambitious, I am also prudent, and I have no wish to die either, at least not yet. So really, we have no other choice, but to sit together in this room, and find out what it is about the two of us that caused Cupid to pair us up, because there is always a reason behind his schemes, we can only hope the reason behind us was a good one” Max added, stopping in front of her, sitting down on the couch next to her, where he slowly and gently removed her hand from the flowers and held it in his own. “What do you say Tersha Knight? Are we going to let him win, or are we going to show him he can’t beat us so easily?” Max asked, holding her brown eyes captive with his own as he slowly stroked his thumb over the back of her hand.

[tersha.alara.knight]

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"I don't need to try to control you,
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look into my eyes, and I'll own you."
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"Tersha... First of all I would never dream of calling you stereotypical of anything, I can honestly say that I have never met another witch quite like you from any house." One eyebrow rose at his opening sentence, and she allowed him a sly glance. "Is that a compliment or an insult?" she muttered, mostly to herself, since he had now started pacing the room like a caged lion, only.... not. He had the most perfect posture she had ever seen on a guy of his age, like he was so important, and carried himself accordingly, and he seemed to be treating this as official business, at least as far as his response was going. But Tersha couldn't help but read differently into his words.

He was saying it like it was his birthright to be the most successful guy in the world, and anyone else would have scoffed at this. In fact, Tersha would have rolled her eyes and deemed him arrogant and pompous if she didn't have a new found deeper interest in him. To her, if he wasn't goal-oriented, and if he didn't want to be someone, and reach the top, he wasn't worth a second look. She, herself, was very much driven by power and the need to get places in life, so she appreciated that in others, so long as they weren't trying to out-do her. Now Maxwell, if he was indeed just as ambitious as he was saying, then he might make a good match for her after all. In that department, at least. She could almost see the powerful heights they could reach together.

On the other hand, as he sat next to her and took her hand in his, gently stroking her fingers and talking about how there had to be a reason they had been put together, and that he hoped it was a good one, Tersha could only think of one good reason. She gazed up at him, a twinkle in her eyes, the corners of her lips threatening to curl into a smile. "Maybe we've been put together just so we can have amazing make-out sessions," she suggested, finally losing the battle with the grin. She really didn't want to rant at him. She didn't want to do anything that wasn't fun or easy at that moment in time. As stressed out as she was, she was capable of doing much more damage to her relationships with people than usual. And she didn't exactly need any extra help with that on normal days.

He had given her a proposition, though, and she sighed at the prospect. Of course she wouldn't back down, but there were two ways to look at the fight. She had been viewing it all along as a situation where she had to fight for herself, against Cupid and whoever she was matched with. But now, Max was putting it to her in a different way: That they should fight together so that maybe that little bastard wouldn't get the pleasure of punishing them. "I say let's kick the little runt's ass," she answered with a scowl. "But, failing that, I guess, going off just the past five minutes, that things could have been a lot worse with this match thing. You might not turn out to be such an unworthy loser, yet." She lifted her chin imperiously with her words, a look of mock snootiness on her face, before dropping the mask and giving him a real smile. "So, I have one question," she twisted her body to face him, and gave the hem of his robes a tug. "Do I get to see you in an actual tux? Or are you gonna hide behind robes all night?" She genuinely hoped he would take them off, since she imagined he would look ridiculously handsome in his suit.

[maxwell.silas.cockburn]

The corner of Max’s mouth lifted up into a half smile when Tersha mumbled to herself that she didn’t know whether or not to take that as a compliment or an insult. That was the thing, he wasn’t really sure what he meant by it either, for it wasn’t at all in his nature to compliment anyone, particularly a bothersome Gryffindor. But Tersha wasn’t like the others in her arrogant, nobler-than-thou house, he could see it in her already. She had goals and dreams herself, she was ambitious enough to be a Slytherin, and Mawell found himself already entranced with her. This could bode poorly for him in the end, or it could be the best thing that has ever happened to him, he supposed he would just have to wait and see and take whatever was coming with his usual finesse.

Once he was seated next to her, trying to calm her down and show her that this would work much better if they stuck together, Max’s blood started to heat up all over again. By Salazar she was gorgeous, just being close to her brought all sorts of dirty thoughts to his mind, thoughts he was usually much better at controlling. And it didn't help matters that she answered his assertion that there was a reason they had been put together with perhaps it was so they could have amazing make-out sessions, but it did make him smile to at least know the feeling was mutual. "Perhaps we have, I must say that I am looking forward to, and am always willing to oblige should you decide you want to practice" he answered suggestively, grinning. At least she seemed to be a little more calm, and hopefully he would be able to keep it that way.

As Tersha mulled over his propositon, Max took a moment to study her. She was definitely beautiful, she had a sort of exotic beauty, with tan skin and dark eyes and hair that spoke of origins perhaps a little more intriguing than ones from the British Isles. He was actually starting to get lost in thinking about those future make-out sessions when she answered, stating that she was up for the challenge, to which he grinned his pleasure. She also added that things could have turned out a lot worse, and that perhaps he wasn't the unworthy loser she feared he'd be, causing him to laugh out loud.

"Yes well, I think I can live up to those expectations" he replied with grin. Tersha then metioned she had a question and he looked at her quizzically as she tugged on his robes and asked if she was going to get to see him in his tux or if he was going to hide behind robes all night. He shot her another grin as he reluctantly released her hand and stood up to remove his robes. "Anything for you my lady, besides it's actually gotten rather hot in here over the past five minutes I must say" he answered with a wink while removing his robes and tosses them onto a table nearby. "So what do we think?" he asked jokingly as he slowly pretended to model his tux for her.

[tersha.alara.knight]

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"And I can't, no I won't hush,
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I'll say the words that make you blush."
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He actually laughed, and grinned back at her words, and Tersha - quite unashamedly - took the moment to marvel at his smile. It was perfect, just like the rest of him. The kind if cheeky, handsome smile that made little tingles shoot down your spine. The kind of smile a little girl would expect a dashing prince to have. Tersha was no naive little girl, but she sure as hell felt giddy when he grinned at her. Clearing her throat, she watched casually as he stood up and pulled off his robes, proceeding to throw them onto a nearby table and pose for her like he was some sort of model.

She giggled. She actually giggled, Merlin, what was wrong with her!? Her eyes roved greedily over his outfit, judging every last inch of it and, to her surprise, coming up with absolutely nothing to critique about any of it. She wasn't sure whether to be pleased or annoyed that she couldn't find anything wrong with him yet besides his name. His dress sense was impeccable, though, as far as she could tell. 'Damn it.' His comment about how hot it had gotten in their little room hadn't been missed, though, and she had to agree, though she didn't want to admit it to Max just yet. She wasn't just going to throw herself at him just because she thought he was incredibly good looking.

"Meh.... You'll do," she gave him a devilish look with her dismissive words, wondering if he would be the type of guy to just take it or whether he would put up a fight and challenge her button-pushing ways. She kind of hoped he wouldn't let her get away with her tormenting, because she would undoubtedly get bored quickly of being with a doormat. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she kicked her shoes off across the room, where they landed upside down in all their six hundred dollar glory as she pulled her legs up underneath her to get comfy.

Though it should have been, money really wasn't much of an object to Tersha. Her parents were loaded, and thus, so was Tersha, and she never had to beg for anything, since her father would throw money at her regularly in a bid to gloss over the fact that his only child was left alone most of the time, unless her parents wanted to drag her to some function or other to play happy families. So naturally, she had a lot of expensive clothes and trinkets and, though she liked having money, and intended to make sure she could earn her own when she left school, she had no qualms about giving it away. Like last year when she had given a 'friend of the moment' a thousand dollar winter coat, just because the girl had liked it. And people had the gall to say she was a bitch just because she had a loose tongue.

She knew Maxwell's family had money, too, though to what degree she wasn't exactly sure, but it seemed he had similar intentions to Tersha when it came to making a comfortable life for himself. She reached up under the bottom of her dress, pulling her wand out from the hidden pocket she had had fitted into the hem. Taking an unlit candle from the side table next to her, she proceeded to transfigure it into a clear vase with a few well-practiced swishes of her wand. She placed the new vase back on the table and stood the roses in it, whispering "Augmenti," and watching as it filled with water as she raised her voice a little to Max. "So, any suggestions as to what we're gonna do for an hour in this place?" she asked, genuinely having no idea how she would cope being locked in a small room with a guy she was going to have to try really hard to not be slutty with. That didn't leave her with many ideas, unfortunately. She couldn't even look at him right then, since she was having trouble not kissing him.

[maxwell.silas.cockburn]

Max paused in his playful modeling when Tersha giggled at his antics, the sound of her laughter pulling at something deep inside of him that he hadn’t even realized was there. Sweet Salazar, what was getting into him, it was almost as if he were starting to find a part of himself he had never even known existed and it scared him to death. The last thing Max wanted was to turn into some sort of blithering love sick idiot, particularly over someone outside of his house, and yet he already felt a soft spot developing in his heart for this exotic, strong-willed creature sharing the room with him. Of course it could merely be the fact that it was all new, after-all they had barely been there anytime at all, so Max could only hope this strange, sick feeling would leave him once he got to know her better.

As Maxwell agonized over his sudden display of weakness, Tersha broke through his brooding by answering back with a Meh, you’ll do, and he shot cheeky grin at her teasing tone. “I’ll do you say? I don’t think you have quite grasped yet just how lucky a girl you are that Cupid found you worthy enough to pair with me. There are probably at least a hundred girls out there right now, crying into their pillows and cursing the love god for pairing me with you and not them” he teased back, only partly joking as he bragged about himself. As Tersha kicked off her shoes, obviously making herself more comfortable since they had quite a bit of time left, Max decided he might as well get comfortable himself so he took off his jacket and carefully laid it on the table next to his robes, then pulled a chair up and sat down so that he was facing Tersha.

Close enough, but not so close that he would be tempted to kiss her again, figuring that it would be more prudent of him to see if there was anything more to this than physical attraction. Max took the opportunity, as Tersha rather seductively removed her wand from a hidden fold in her dress before setting about transfiguring a vase for the roses, to study her even more thoroughly than he already had. After-all, he knew very little about the Gryffindor witch, other than the fact that most of the guys in school tended to drool over her on a daily basis, and that she had a reputation for having a bit of a temper. Though luckily, Maxwell was very good at reading a lot about people based on their appearance, so hopefully he would be saved the initial droll, getting to know you type questions.

While earlier he had noticed that her black dress clung to her in all of the right places, Max now realized that it was quite expensive, as were her accessories, which most likely meant that she came from money. As he thought this, he also recalled hearing the surname Knight kicked around the inner circles of the wealthy pureblood elite, so at least they had that much in common. It would also explain her ambitious nature, very few who are raised by a wealthy pureblood would expect anything less than the best. Now all that would be left to him would be to find out what exactly she thought about the lifestyle she grew up in, because Max expected to have a wife that embraced his way of life completely.

As Tersha asked what they would do for the next hour Max had to suppress his initial carnal reactions and steer the conversation towards finding out if they were truly compatible. “Well I have a few ideas, but before we get to those I have a question for you. I am quite aware of the normal opinions people in your house have about my house and vice versa. And honestly, up until a few minutes ago I shared most of them completely. I want to know what you think about Slytherins, and whether or not you think you can handle being matched to one or not” he stated, holding her eyes with his so he would get a completely honest answer.