The corner of Zinhle's mouth twitched up even as her eyes remained narrowed. The girl was absorbing everything Ethan said about his grandmother, unable to stop the thread of anticipation that stitched across her skin at the prospect of meeting said woman. If she was every bit as bad as Ethan said, Zinhle would have to be on her guard, and perhaps try to control her sharp tongue. She'd never been very successful at doing so in the past however. "I look forward to meeting her. I'm sure we will have some enlightening discussions." Nice to know she wasn't petty at least, though Zinhle would have far preferred petty to cruel.
"Elspeth. And what's so different with her as opposed to your other cousins?" The Zulu woman stored away the name. If Ethan was this fond of her, perhaps she could be an ally in this den of snakes. Provided she was actually a good person; Zinhle had no interest in wasting her time befriending someone with a rotten core. "Yes. Loyal deatheater." The girl responded automatically. Given her uncle's involvement with the wizarding war, she was very familiar with it's histories and the names of those involved, both on their side and the opposite. "That doesn't mean he is. If he is, though, then I feel for Elspeth. Being arranged to a death eater is even worse." Than being arranged to you. The words hung unspoken, though Zinhle wasn't ashamed. She felt she'd already made it clear how she felt about being arranged, if not in her words then certainly in her actions and attitude. And clearly Ethan wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of being arranged either, especially not whilst the both of them were still in school. Her sympathies towards Elspeth weren't hollow however; she may have been a stranger, but Zinhle felt on a whole that arranged marriages were wrong. Archaic.
Something in his retort made her lips curl further, her eyebrow popping up. "Oh?" He was kind of amusing, the way he looked almost affronted by the mere suggestion that he may sharpen his fangs against her. It made her want to get under his skin more. It also had her trusting, based on his natural reaction, that he didn't have plans to plot against her. Passed her test. She wouldn't normally suspect someone of such a thing, but well, he was a Prince after all. "You tell me. You're the one that was raised by the snakes. I'm just figuring out how to survive 'em." The grin on her face had a touch of something wild. Although, something else in his response caught her attention. Where did he plan to live? Where would she live? She couldn't stay with Uncle Kingsley after they were married, could she? "If not your Ivory Hall, then where will you-" She swallowed it back. This was her reality now. "Where will we live?" Somewhere with a garden and trees, she hoped. She'd go mad otherwise. Probably go camp out in the bush for days on end if he tried to keep her confined to the city. Honestly, she just wanted to go back home.
Zinhle's eyes continued to bore up into him as he spoke of what wizard he wanted to be, the answer very insightful indeed. He wanted to forge his own path. Not emulate others, but carve something out for himself. Begrudgingly, the girl had to respect that; it was honourable. Didn't necessarily provide her too much insight as to his morality, but it was a start. "He'll want to meet you too. See what kind of man his brother has married his darling niece off to." And see if you measure up. The Prince family may have been a den of snakes, but the Shacklebolts had their own standards and quirks. And whilst Uncle Kingsley may not have been able to break the engagement, if Ethan didn't impress she had a feeling he could make the Slytherin's life very very difficult.
Gods, he was like some stuttering schoolboy, unable to get a complete sentence out. But, she supposed, he was a school boy. Just for the sake of continuing to unsettle him, keep him off kilter, Zinhle remained close, picking at a non existent thread on his shoulder as if helping him, even whilst that same intense, vaguely threatening look remained. "Ever the articulate one." Her voice was dry. Not mocking, but not exactly soft. What did soften her ever so slightly, was the blush on his face, the purity in his words. For a 'man whore', he was rather...wholesome. Impulsively, her hand shifted from his shoulder to his Slytherin scarf, tugging at it so he would have to lean down, be a bit closer to her level. "That's the right answer. Because if you did, well like I said...I won't be held accountable for what follows. I may not be happy about this arrangement, but I'll damned if I don't respect and honour it, for my family. You'll do the same. Regardless of this unfortunate situation, I do not like to share." That same, slightly wild grin was back on her face, and in spite of her brazen words, Zinhle did not shy away. She was completely confident in who she was, and what she wanted. She was gonna uphold the contract set in place, stay true to it, and he had to do the same, even if he knew she didn't like it, and would have wanted to stray. He would abide by her standards, as she forced herself to do. Witchy arithmancy.
Zinhle didn't really care how awkward the wizard felt, which was pretty obvious given his tense body language and shifting gaze. But she released her hold on his scarf, allowing the tension to ease somewhat. "Hogwarts is impressive in its own right." It just wasn't home. "Though I do think their insistence on the use of your silly sticks when I can perform just as well without a bit ridiculous." Almost as if to prove her point, the girl angled her fingers slightly, casting a warming spell on her cold hands. She still hadn't gotten used to the perpetual chill here, even with all her layers. "I'll admit, I'm struggling a bit adjusting to using a wand..." Trailing off, she looked up at Ethan. "Oh! You will help me. Until I get the hang of it comfortably." It wasn't a request so much as an order. "Is it so odd to not use a wand? Africa is the birthplace of magic. It is natural to not rely on such a tool. To us, you are the odd ones."
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Ethan Prince notes: I've decided that "witchy arithmancy" is the wizarding version of "girl math"