because we love 'em....

[_Lavender_]

Tavis quickly sidestepped a tackle, and extended his hands, a great fireball erupting from his fingertips, pummeling the male attacking Wintry, and sending him backwards into the wall. Such a curse would have lasted longer, in Tavis hadn't then, been literally flattened, falling with a breathless thud, and a groan, as the male took desperate measures to sit upon him, drag his arms back and bind them with a torn peice of robe.
Tavis thrashed, but finally became still, unable to breath, because of the dead weight upon his back. He was patient and calm, waiting, until a breathless snarl of a yelp escaped him. He wormed frantically enough, that he managed to free himself, rising to stand, flames freeing his hands. He reached to the area above his right hip, and pulled out, with an angered sigh, a sharp, now bloodily drenched, quill.
Tavis threw the weapon to the side.

[Ginny Weasly]

Winry frowned.
"Hurt yourself, Tavis?" She called, glancing as he threw the quill.

[_Lavender_]

"That idiot just stabbed me! Honestly, I would have expected a little more of a weapon, but a quill hurts enough.."
He rubbed his side, with a slight wince, though it itched more than it hurt. The gashes at his cheekbone hurt worse.
Tavis growled, and his eyes danced more devilishly of ember colors, as both males together, started toward Wintry. He extended his left arm, and a solid wall of fire became, quivering just slightly, as they ran headlong into it, and fell. Under his command, the flame wall fell into liquid fire and picked them up, spinning them at a dizzying speed, harassing their thoughts and creating a great many deep gashes and bruises and burns, as they screamed in protest. They fell with a crunching thud, and were finally still.
Tavis rolled his aching shoulders, and walked calmly to them, kicking them to their backs. He stared at them with again, a certain, unplaced calmness, rubbing his knuckles over his cheekbone absently, wiping a warm layer of trickling blood away.

"They look familiar," he said simply.

[Ginny Weasly]

"SLightly..."Winry tilted her head, staring at them.

[_Lavender_]

Tavis looked over the two in silence for a moment, then kneeled down, searching through the pockets of both of them. He stood up again then, looking over the things that had surfaced. A wallet, a kitchen steak kniph, a marble, an empty wrapper of chewing gum, and a lock of Tavis's just-pulled-out hair. Tavis winced at the hair, and dropped it, the strands, by a subconscious thought of his, melting into liquid flames, then dancing at his feet - fire seemed to love Tavis.
He flicked the gum wrapper back at the limp forms of the two, and pocketed the kitchen knife.
"Best return this to the kitchens, then let them about the castle with it," he said quietly.
He looked through the wallet, which turned out to be empty in each and every pocket, and threw it back down to lay atop one of their grand sized abdomens.

"Want a marble, baby Winry?" Tavis said lightly, gesturing to the plain old looking marble, wondering, what she would do with it. The marble was not merely, a marble, but an unbroken stone of an element, like her necklace. But it was meant to be temporary, not like her necklace. He wanted to see if she could place it. After, of course, he made sure it could not harm her.

[Ginny Weasly]

She took it from him, her fingers gliding over it's smooth surface. She felt the power comming from within it.
"This isn't a marble Tavis." She said, outloud, while inside, she thought, 'It's an element stone.'

[_Lavender_]

"Good, yes, it is not."
He inclined his head, knowing this.
"What kind of an elemant stone is it, Win?"

[Ginny Weasly]

She glanced up at him.
"Stay out of my mind, Tavis." She muttered, looking back at the stone.

"I think it's a wind stone."

[_Lavender_]

"Hey, I never intruded. I would have let you know if I had."
He uttered the ghost of a laugh - ghostly in true, like his mothers had been so very long ago, at the school, but not as lost, or hurt.
"I just knew that you would figure it out."
He peered into the wind stone, noting the tints and swirls, and characteristics of the things within. He nodded gravely.
"Yes, it's a wind stone. And it's someone's that I would have not expected. Remember years ago when we were looking back on the Malfoy's, and we discussed Crabbe and Goyle? This is the distant relative to the Goyle of the time your grandmother and my mother were here, at Hogwarts..."

[Ginny Weasly]

Winry nodded, thoughtfully.
"Okay. SO why are they after us?"

[_Lavender_]

"There are many possibilities. One, might be, an old revengeful hatred..."

Tavis sighed, shook his head, and jammed his hands into his pockets.

[Ginny Weasly]

"Tavis, my father kept me on a three foot chain most of my life, I never did anything to them."

[_Lavender_]

"Yes, I know. Until now, my mother tried to hide me from whatever she could. Allowing things to slip at the right times, was her specialty, though," Tavis said softly.

He bent down, scooped up Winry and sat her upon his shoulder, starting down the corridor toward the passageway that led to the kitchens.

"But you know how people are apt to tell their children about people and things they disliked in their school years? Things like that may be passed down. Though we've never done anything to them personally, I have a feint hint that they are out for our blood, anyway."

He ran his knuckles over his jaw absently, hissing as the burning gashes at his cheek flashed anew, reminding him of their stately presence. He dropped his hand back to his pocket, walking with natural soundless, agile steps, despite the weight upon his shoulder.

[Ginny Weasly]

"Why do you always put me on your shoulder?" She asked.
"I'm just wondering. It's not like I hate it or anything." She said.


(g2g)

[_Lavender_]

{{Kay, tootles, lolz ^.- }}

Tavis glanced at Winry thoughtfully, and chuckled quietly.
"I don't know. I've been throwing you up there since forever, booger brain."
He smiled slightly, nodding at the portriat, which let them through without incident or password, knowing Tavis well enough.
"Out of habit, I guess. I dunno."

His thoughts left the topic of their attackers quite easily, and wondered upon this.