Sofia completed her verse and grinned brightly as she gave both men a Mallow flower. She happily took her place beside Dolores as they waited for the next princess to come out.
Shanti appeared on the stage with a flourish and the other girls greeted her kindly. They brought her to the circle and while she sang her short verse, they picked up their skirts and twirled them around artfully.
We offer you a place to hide
She got an appreciative smile on her opening line. Bruno would never fully heal from all that he had been subject to and would need places where he could recuperate on his own.
On the contrary, Regulus is quite aware that he has fled to Russia where he could hide from his problems completely and that it's cowardice to escape them forever instead of facing them regularly like the man that sits across from him.
From all of the rules you have to abide
In both cases, the rules and expectations placed upon them have been stifling, but in the way that they were handled are vastly different. One dealt with it with support while the other dealt with it alone and not at all.
We'll always be by your side
Really? Because every Black Family Member has left him. Regulus remembered when Bellatrix stopped going to family gatherings, so wrapped up in Voldemort. Narcissa tried, but Lucius took up all her time. Andromeda, well, she got herself disowned, same with Sirius, and Uncle Alphard. Grandfather Arcturus became a recluse in the midst of the chaos. It started after Grandmother Melania died. Aunt Cedrella had escaped with Septimus as well as Aunts Cassiopeia and Lucretia. There were no signs of Callidora, Dorea, or Charis.
Oppositely, Bruno believed that. His family has helped him though each step of the way and have shown no signs of ever stopping. Every day, he was showered in copious amounts of words of affirmations, physical affection, little trinkets, you name it, he had it all, but best of all, he could reciprocate it. He opened up to his family, and they opened up to him. He couldn't go twelve hours without giving one of his family members physical affection. It was too ingrained to stop now.
Come hitch a ride where you can easily confide
The offer sounded very tempting. However, Regulus cringed at the thought of telling anyone anything that he's gone through thus far. It was dark, traumatising, and fit for only the maturest of adults.
For the Prophet, it was nice to know that there were more people that were willing to listen to him. He wouldn't be blamed for the futures he saw and how his visions changed with that new view.
In us the things you don't want to take in stride
With the wide
Open tide
There were plenty of things that the Scion of House Black didn't want to deal with. Many included: Social gathering with other Pure-Blood, his mother's portrait, the futile attempts to change Kreacher's habits, the other Death Eaters that would hatefully stare at him for deserting the Dark Lord. But he also was terrified of open water.
Shanti and the other girls twirled their skirts one last time with delicate curtsies. Then they turned to Regulus and smiled, each taking a turn to place their head on a shoulder. Regulus allowed them to do so, ignoring the action as he continued to play the next part. Bruno watched and all his expression said was, 'you've got to return the action somehow.' Regulus rolled his eyes in return. When it was Shanti's turn, she added a Purple Carnation to the crowns.