He enjoyed the mock outrage (which he was still certain was mock) but he didn’t want to tempt her further into the realm of real outrage by challenging her.

“Of course,” he said, his eyes gazing upon the object, “but the question is why would someone be so careless with such a precious object.” There was a tone of question, but also one of haughty judgment. He would never be so careless with something of his own.

It was at that moment that the question was seemingly answered, not by a lady in an elegant ball gown fretting as she came towards him, which would be the only excusable answer in his mind, but by a voice from the shadows sneering, “That’s not yours. Give it over.”

It didn’t sound friendly. Raphael’s eyes went to the masked woman.

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set by lady <3

Had it not been for the matter of the small, dainty object, Rowan might have argued further; there was something about the way he talked that was just so irritating. And if she hadn’t been so focused on finding her broach, she would have realized he likely enjoyed it. In some weird sort of way that she also mildly found it amusing was not something she wanted to investigate further.

The voice came out of the shadows and Rowan, who’d picked it up from the ground, instinctively curled her fingers around it before turning to the voice. Her hand twitched for her wand, and she glanced back at Malfoy before she took a few cursory steps backward. "It may not be, but I don’t think it’s yours, either.” she said, jutting her chin out, eyes searching the shadows to match a face to the gravelly voice.

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Although he didn’t usually go out of his way to put himself in dangerous situations, he was fully prepared to play the noble protector as the lecherous-looking man, disheveled and reeking of alcohol, moved out of the shadows and into the light. The woman was right—Raphael couldn’t imagine the object belonging to him, but Raphael would have preferred the “turn a cold shoulder and walk far enough away until he could apparate away” method.

It seemed the woman had other ideas.

Raphael leaned down so his lips were nearer her ear. “Don’t get near him,” he whispered, not taking his eyes off the man. He didn’t really want to have to play the hero. Not here, not when he was dressed so nicely. “I think he’s drunk.”

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set by lady <3

Rowan resisted the urge to twitch away from both men; it was obvious the man was drunk given the smell that came off of him in waves, and the witch resisted the urge to turn on her heel and run. Somehow, that would likely only make the situation worse, and she merely took another step back, which only took her straight into Malfoy, given he was right behind her. There was really no other option, as the drunken man moved forward again.

A wave of nausea came over Rowan as she took in his appearance. Another wave of emotion washed over her as she realized who it was. But there was no way she would be able to tell Malfoy. And there was no way that the drunkard would recognize her, not with her hair nor her dress and with the last time she’d seen him at her father’s place of work. Walter was always a drunk, her father had said, getting himself into trouble with the law. But he was a good worker and her father’s work needed employees. So they were always more than willing to overlook his constant state of untidiness.

It wasn’t as if Rowan could insult him. Even with the man’s drunken stupor, the more she talked, it stood to reason that he’d come up with her name eventually. Instead, Rowan was forced to inhale the stench and pray that her stomach would hold her dinner. "We don't want any trouble." she finally said, praying to Merlin she wouldn’t have to hex this man.

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Although moments ago he might have delighted in having the (far too bold) woman leaning against him, there was adrenaline rushing through his veins and all he could think about was how to avoid a conflict he didn't want to be in. He could fight—he'd been a quidditch player, after all, and he'd seen and been apart of enough of them over the years—but he didn't want to mess up his appearance or lower himself to a drunkard's level.

His hand came up and closed around the woman's upper arm, a silent warning as much as it was a supportive gesture.

"No," he said pointedly, just as much to her as to him, "we don't."

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set by lady <3

The man's gaze, though bleary, was not something Rowan wanted to be under. It was scrutinizing and for the first time that night she was grateful - truly grateful - to not bear her normal appearance. There was no doubt in her mind that if she had born her darker tresses, Walter would have absolutely recognized her; at least would have been that much closer to doing so. Perhaps the transfigured dress would have protected her identity a little longer, but not much.

Papa had warned her about him. He was a sharp one, even when his senses were dulled like a one-thousand-year-old kitchen knife.

She was about to pull away from the situation entirely. She could apparate away, but then there was him and the risk of getting him splinched if she tried to bring him along. Rowan had shifted her weight to draw back even further when his hand gripped her arm. Distracted momentarily, she looked down, with half an instinct to really pull away this time.

"Aren't you the chivalrous knight..." Walter sneered, and Rowan held back her repulsion as his breath hit her face. She half-turned further into Malfoy, nearly staggering at the smell. "I wonder if the lady knows that all you people are the same. Chivalrous on the outside, but you an' I both know it's just a ruse." With a grimy finger, Walter's finger came up and tapped on his own temple, and he smirked toothily.

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Whether at the words or at her sudden movement Raphael couldn't be sure, but his hand dropped from her arm and instinctively went out across her frontside. If the drunkard decided to attack his arm wouldn't stop anything, but it was an instinctive move, not out of chivalry but a need to put distance between them lest Raphael find himself held responsible for the girl's physical safety.

He felt a pang of something—maybe guilt, maybe shame—at the realization that despite the man's drunken and disorderliness, he spewed words that aligned closer to the truth than lies. His whole evening had been fraught with fake chivalry and bad intentions, and yet Raphael still felt that he was above... this.

"Bold of you to talk about me when you're stumbling around drunk outside of a party," he retorted, taking a step back and pulling the woman with him.

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set by lady <3

"Don't you know it takes one to know one?" Rowan heard him reply back. Papa hadn't lied - she could hear the slur of drink in his words, yet his reply came without hesitation. A chill went through her, knowing that were Walter fully himself, they might have already gotten into trouble.

It was Malfoy that Walter was talking to though, and even though she was behind him, Rowan had felt him hesitate, if only for a fraction of a second. Her stomach dropped. She couldn't help but wonder how much of it was true...their encounters thus far had made her think him so pompous and full of himself. But if Walter hadn't interrupted them tonight, what would have happened? Would he have tried anything?

Rowan was so completely and infuriatingly stunned by this encounter (the fact that she knew both of these men, both knew her, but at present, neither knew who she was) that she hadn't noticed Malfoy's cue when he took a step back, and she jumped suddenly at the movement. Her heel caught the hem of her dress and she stumbled backward, letting out a cry of pain as she hit the pavement.

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A lot of things happened at once.

Just as Raphael began to feel the anger rise at him at the audacity of the drunkard to speak to him in such a manner, the lady stepped backwards and fell. Just as she let out a cry, the drunken man lunged forward in an attempt to wrestle the object out of the woman's hands.

Mostly on instinct, Raphael leaned down and gave the man—much shorter than him, but broader and heavier—a shove, but only succeeded in causing him to stumble back a few feet considering the position they were in. "Get up," he commanded, wrapping a hand around the lady's upper arm and giving a pull.

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set by lady <3

Stars danced before her eyes - Rowan blinked rapidly, instinctively caving inward to protect herself from whatever would hit her. She held onto the trinket in her hands; mostly out of sheer spite of not wanting Walter to have it, but before she knew it, someone had a grip on her arm and hauled her upward with surprising strength.

One look told her it was Malfoy hauling her up and she quickened her pace as she hurried forward - away from the man howling on the ground.

Rowan stopped running when she felt the blisters on her feet break. Hissing in pain, she stopped just around the corner and leaned against the marble of the building, breathing heavily.

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Raphael didn't pay much attention to the lady or the physical state they were in, instead paying attention to the path around the building and relying on his grip to carry her with him. They finally stopped along the edge of a building adjacent to the one the party was being hosted in and let out a deep, drawn-out breath, only then able to pay attention the noises the lady was making.

"You're hurt," he said, the words more genuine—maybe from the shock, maybe from a genuineness that only terror could spark—than any he'd spoken to her since they'd first met. "Was I too rough?" He didn't think so, but the skin on her upper arm was obscured by the sleeve of her dress so there was no way to tell if he'd left a bruise.

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set by lady <3

Frankly, it was the first show of concern that she could remember seeing from him in a long time. Rowan glared at him, tempted to tell him off. Was it because she was actually enjoying herself before he came crashing into her evening, or was it because she knew any more time spent in Walter's presence and she would have been found out? She opened her mouth to speak, but the words failed her and she shut her mouth again, absently rubbing the spot on her arm he had grabbed while looking down at her shoes.

Ever so slightly, she could see small spots of blood from where the blisters had burst. "I'm fine." she said to the ground, her breath clouding in front of her against the cold night air. "Thank you." This she said with sincerity and glanced down at the small trinket in her hand. It twinkled in the air in front of them. So much trouble for such a small thing. But it really was pretty in a way.

She focused on him before holding the trinket out to him instead. "Take it. I shouldn't have any need of it." Besides, even though it was small and pretty, it still looked like something that had fallen out of the purse of someone at least his class.

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He wanted to argue, especially when she grabbed her arm and held it as if she was in pain, but his heart was beating too fast and he wasn't going to add any stress to it that he didn't need to. If she didn't want to accept his gallantry... well, that was her problem, not his. He straightened his suit as a way to put his hand to work while also recovering from any look of dishevelment he might be suffering from, and then looked at her when she offered the trinket.

He was tempted to take it. Trinkets and tokens were sort of his thing, a way for him to collect memories and feel like he was keeping a part of the ladies he spent time with, but this wasn't exactly something of hers. "You keep it," he said, reaching out to her. He placed his hand atop hers and closed her fingers around the object. "Think of it as payment for your troubles." Or whatever. He was trying to be charming, but it wasn't the easiest thing to manage at the moment.

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set by lady <3

She could see him deliberating at that moment, and she'd all but bet on him snatching it from her and stalking away. But he didn't. Instead, she watched as his hand curled around hers. Even though the gloves she could feel the slight warmth from his hands despite the cold of the night. Perhaps it was the fading adrenaline or the rarity of the gesture that did it for Rowan. She looked at him, her gaze slightly distant as her hand lowered. "I hardly think you were without troubles too." she said, thinking of the words that Walter had thrown at him with such ease, it had slightly scared her.

"Are you alright?" she heard herself asking.

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Raphael scoffed lightly, offended by the idea that he might not be okay. He was a man, after all—why would he be bothered by some drunkard? No, he was fine, and it was his job to be worrying about the lady and not the other way around.

“Yes, perfectly fine,” he said in a low, softer voice that didn’t match his offended expression. “Keep it. It’s a gem—just like you,” There. He was quickly recovering his senses, finding it more easy to let the sweet flattery drop from his lips.

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set by lady <3

She could see him trying to recover, same as her. He couldn't have known Walter posed little threat - but then again, really how much did she know about what the man was capable of? Rowan found herself giving him a concerned once-over to make sure, before mentally shaking herself. Of course, he would be okay. He had more money and resources to recover ten times over from this and still be fine.

His words brought a smile to her lips and she resisted the urge to laugh. It was sweet of him, really. She knew he was trying to regain composure. "I hardly think so, but thank you." she said softly, peering up at him, trying to read the expression on his face. "That's rather sweet of you."

Before she knew what she was doing, Rowan stepped forward, standing on her tiptoes, and kissed him on the cheek.

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