Maybe Endymion was entirely stupid, after all. How had it not been immediately obvious to him that the woman had an unnatural pull? Did Endymion often feel so compelled to make a fool of himself at the first sight of a pretty girl, or did he have a complete and total lack of introspection, to have not even considered that it was odd that such things were suddenly occurring to him out of nowhere? But nevermind; at least he had put it together now, and the woman was walking away, so presumably he'd only recover more of his wits from here on out. Oz already felt less pressure in his chest, though he still couldn't resist another glance in her direction as she moved through the ballroom, with the crowd parting around her like so much water.
He knew exactly what Dymion meant by his unfinished question, and in response he reached over and tweaked his brother's ear. "Because I've got some god-damn dignity," he said with a scowl (and nevermind that he had just resorted to the same antagonizing gesture he would have used on his brother when he was ten). Though honestly, Endymion being here and being stupid may have helped with that, somewhat — he couldn't sabotage his brother's efforts to make a fool of himself and fantasize about whisking the girl out of the ballroom for a private tete-a-tete at the same time, so he'd had to prioritize. And anyway, Sina would have been properly annoyed if he'd gone tripping over his own tongue trying to get a dance with her. Not because she would have cared that he flirted with another woman, nor that she would have blamed him for being drawn to the veela — but rather because the whole ordeal would have been so embarrassing to anyone except him, and she would have resented having had to be embarrassed for his sake.
"I'm sure someone will do worse, before the night's through," he continued by way of some slight consolation. "They shouldn't have brought her here. It's playing with fire."
He knew exactly what Dymion meant by his unfinished question, and in response he reached over and tweaked his brother's ear. "Because I've got some god-damn dignity," he said with a scowl (and nevermind that he had just resorted to the same antagonizing gesture he would have used on his brother when he was ten). Though honestly, Endymion being here and being stupid may have helped with that, somewhat — he couldn't sabotage his brother's efforts to make a fool of himself and fantasize about whisking the girl out of the ballroom for a private tete-a-tete at the same time, so he'd had to prioritize. And anyway, Sina would have been properly annoyed if he'd gone tripping over his own tongue trying to get a dance with her. Not because she would have cared that he flirted with another woman, nor that she would have blamed him for being drawn to the veela — but rather because the whole ordeal would have been so embarrassing to anyone except him, and she would have resented having had to be embarrassed for his sake.
"I'm sure someone will do worse, before the night's through," he continued by way of some slight consolation. "They shouldn't have brought her here. It's playing with fire."
MJ is the light of my life <3