| Details for Foiled Escape |
| Summary: | Gabriel's radio building time becomes planning time for an escape to Hogsmeade that is thwarted by Jackson's short patience. |
| Date: | 1937-12-09 |
| Location: | Classroom 2 |
| Related: | Project Eagle Radio Continues Eagle Radio |
| Characters |
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This classroom appears to be currently out-of-use. More often than not, though, the area proves to be an out of the way gathering place for groups that might disturb the sanctity of the library. Desks here are rarely in any kind of uniform order, having usually been rearranged by the last group to occupy the premises. Random copies of old and perhaps out-of-date textbooks are stacked haphazardly on the shelves around the room. Littered here and there are also old work books, charts, the occasional love note hidden here in secret and even a few Marvin the Mad Muggle comics thrown in for amusements sake.
About an hour after lunch Gabriel walks backwards through the door to classroom #2 with a large box in his arms. As soon as he's past the door-frame he spins around and finds a table where he can set his box down and carefully starts unpacking its contents, including a spool of copper wire, some crystals in all the colors of the rainbow, pliers of different kinds, and a hollow wooden tube that already half-wrapped in copper wire…
Gabrielle 's already in the room, books piles around her and her head resting on her arms. She's not quite asleep, but is obviously zoning out.
Gabriel sits down at his chosen table and starts checking the the crystal's he's already attached in little wire cradles to the wooden tube are still secure. Purple, violet, blue, green, all check. Once he's satisfied the winding of the wire begins anew. "Gabby? Wouldn't it be more comfortable to take a nap in your own bed?"
Gabrielle will yawn, "I"m not napping." She'll shift her head and arms so she can look at Gab better."Just tired….I had to stay up the past two nights for divinations….Stupid moonlight."She'll kinda mumble the part about moonlight….and then yawn.
Gabriel carefully wraps twenty lines of wire around the tube, making sure they're tight and touching each other completely. Then he starts working on creating the wire cradle for his yellow crystal, keeping it perfectly in line with the four that have come before. Without looking up from his work he asks,"So… Did you ever find out who sent you those flowers at breakfast the other morning?"
Gabrielle makes a non committal, "I have some theories…but I'm too tired to figure it out now…. It wasn't Ajax or Theo or Ripley….and I hope it wasn't Chris or Kaiden….I don't think it would be Kaiden, he's left me alone since I forgave him…" She'll sleepily blink, "How's the radio going? Has Phae or Oph come and talked to you?"
Gabriel shakes his head as he starts putting the yellow crystal in the complex little web of wire that's been created to be its home,"No. And Gareth hasn't been helping much either. Have you talked with Ophelia about working together on the case?" Apparently the wires have to by just so around each crystal because once the yellow has been popped into the web he starts looking at it from all angles, finickyly adjusting how the wires are sitting on it.
Gabrielle makes an annoyed face, "I'm sorry. Gareth was kinda your main help too, huh?"She'll push up to a sitting position and run a hand through her hair, "I don't really understand much of…that, But can i help?" And she
Gabrielle makes an annoyed face, "I'm sorry. Gareth was kinda your main help too, huh?"She'll push up to a sitting position and run a hand through her hair, "I don't really understand much of…that, But can i help?" And she shrug, "I told Oph it was her's and I'd help her. She hasn't asked me anything about it yet, but really. It's ok." she'll yawn again and stretch, "I've been cramming so much Charms and divinations, I don't really have time for any art lately…"
Gabriel shrugs a little bit as he finishes fussing with the yellow crystal and starts wrapping the next twenty rows of wire, "He was, but he's busy getting ready for OWLs so I understand. And there's really not much to help with on what I'm doing right now but a little later I'll need help with getting the tuner ready."
The window of the classroom appears to crack ever so slightly, slowly and silently raising up about a head's length high. Like a dark flash, Jackson's head appears in the window (upside down), his eyes flashing left and right quickly. He spots Gabrielle, his eyebrows raising for a moment. He points to her, then points to himself before tossing a thumb over his shoulder and making the universal hand gesture for 'lets go get sloshed in Hogsmeade and then do someone both of us will regret, yet grin secretly to ourselves about in years to come'. Or something like that…
Gabrielle will nod, not really understanding what a tuner is. "Ok, just let me know."She'll yawn again , "I think I may have had a break threw with my divinations."she'll smile, "I did a crystal ball reading last night, that, if taken …"She'll trail off looking over Gab's shoulder for a moment confused. She must be /really/ tired to be seeing this. "…ah….seriously(?)…could save Leander's backside at the tournament…." She'll shake her head no slightly although there's a small disbelieving smile that's starting to form.
Gabriel frowns a little bit as he starts seeing Gabrielle acting weird. Standing up and leaning over his table in her direction to get a closer look at her he asks,"Are you sure you don't need a nap? You're acting kind of strange… So you think you'll be able to help Leander with the tournament then?" Not seeing anything strange in Gabby's face he sits back down and starts building the little wire cradle for the next crystal, this time an orange one.
Jackson nods his head to Gabrielle emphatically, keeping a close eye on Gabriel as he does so. He shoots her a pleading look and repeats the hand gestures. Gabrielle. Him. Hogsmeade. Get sloshed and do something they'll both regret, yet grin about secretly to each other for years to come.
"No…I'm ok….I got about 4 hour of sleep…"She'll yawn again and shake her head no again to soemthing, although, she still trying to not smile. "I think, if I can get the right potions to someone else going, that they can give them to him when the time comes. I don't think he'd take them seriously if I told him and gave them to him now." Gabby'll tuck a loose lock of hair behind her ear.
Jackson's head drops (or lifts?) to the side in a 'seriously?' expression to Gabrielle. He seems put off for about a third of a second (which is really half a second to long, simply for the fact that Jackson plots quickly). He looks towards Gabriel, clearing his throat, "Hey kid, wanna go with me and Gabrielle to Hogsmeade?"
Jackson's head drops (or lifts?) to the side in a 'seriously?' expression to Gabrielle. He seems put off for about a third of a second (which is really half a second to long, simply for the fact that Jackson plots quickly). He looks towards Gabriel, clearing his throat, "Hey kid, wanna go with me and Gabrielle to Hogsmeade?" There is Jackson, hanging upside down from only who knows what, peering into the window towards Gabriel with non-lawful intent gleaming in his eyes.
Gabriel jumps a little bit, dropping the crystal he was trying to put into its wire cradle. After rescuing it from falling all the way to the floor he slowly turns around to stare at Jackson then gets out of his chair and walks to the window. Opening it up all the way he pokes half his body out of the window off to one side of Jackson and cranes his head around to look up along the wall,"How are you doing that? Are you tied to a rope? Is it a spell? If its a spell, can you teach me?"
Gabrielle just watches the two. As long as Gab seems to not be attacking Jackson, whatever, she'll slowly lower her head back down to arms to watch.
Jackson cringes as the crystal is dropped, shaking his head, "Easy there, mate." He waits as he is summarily examined and questioned. Further peeking out the window shows that Jackson is suspending upside down by his left arm, held firmly to a crack in the castle wall just above the window. He listens to Gabriel's questions and then nods, "Well, I'm using a spell that slows my downward momentum enough for me to support myself from this crack in the wall. Took me three tries to get it exactly right." He must have jumped off the tower to aim it correctly. He then continues, "We have a limited window of opportunity to smuggle your prepubescent arse into Hogsmeade. Do you want to come or not?"
Gabriel straightens back out and grins,"That is so… smart!" Looking around to Gabrielle he grins,"Come on Gabby, lets go to Hogsmeade, I've never gotten a chance to see it before!" then he spins on Jackson,"But how are we getting out of the castle? Pringle's going to be at the gate, I'm sure of that. And aging potion takes time to make and I don't know how to make it yet. And pollyjuice potions take even long than aging potions. Hey! Maybe Warren has some aging potion… But he'll charge…"
Gabriel and Jackson are at the window (or more accurately, Jackson is outside the window, with only the top of his body visible upside-down at the top of the window) of classroom 2 and Gabrielle is half asleep at one of the tables, books stacked up around her. At one of the other tables there is a bunch of materials and a half built radio set.
It's Gabriel's voice that draws Josie, wandering past the classroom on the way out of the club room, to peek her head in the room. At first she cheerfully says, "Hi…" But then her attention is caught by Jackson hanging outside the window. "Wow."
Gabby's head will come up. She can't believe they're actually considering this. "Jackson…don't get Gab into trouble…." She'll rub her face some, not sure which direction to take this. She's too tired to get people out of trouble with Pringle again.
The sound of voices in the what should be empty classroom, does peek Cathal's curiosity. The dark haired somber Ravenclaw comes in not too long after Josie. He just stands there blinking a little bit at Jackson half in and half out of the window,"Should we get someone?" He asks blinking slightly.
Jackson sighs, "Gabriel, don't stress your head. Uncle Jack wouldn't invite you to go out fishing without a pole." He turns to Gabrielle, shaking his head, "I'm not getting anyone in trouble today. I have a nearly somewhat sort of fool proof method for illicit entry into Hogsmeade." He peers towards Josie for a moment, nodding his head, "I get that a lot." He then shakes his head to Cathal, "Not at all." He disappears for a moment, his legs reappearing a moment later. They shoot through the window ever so slowly, the rest of Jackson following suit, whereby he lands on the ground softly with a laughs, "Good god damn, that was fun." He stands up quickly, looking around, "We're going to Hogsmeade! Whose coming with Gabrielle and I!?"
Gabriel grins at Jackson, scampering out of his way as he comes in through the window then rocking on his feet in an eager sort of way,"OK, if you know how to get us past Pringle I'm game. Just need to go back to the tower and get some money from my secret place." Grin still in place he turns to Cathal and Josie,"You're coming too, right? I mean, how many first years ever get to go to Hogsmeade? We can't really pass up this chance, can we?"
Josie grins to Jackson's entry and says, "Brilliant. But, you kinda messed up your landing." She looks to Gabriel and nods emphatically, not a moment of hesitation, "Sure I'll come! No way I'm missing that!"
Gabby knows she should be able to come up with a logical reason for this being a bad idea….she should, really. IF she had more than 4 hours of sleep she knows she could. She'll glance to Cathal, as he's the last one to chime in. And then to Jackson, "What's your plan?"
"Really though if we get caught trying to go Pringle will hang us in the dungeon by our toes." Cathal says carefully,"We should determine how this is going to work out.I mean the plan must have no flaws if we truly attempt it…"
Jackson peers towards Gabrielle, hurt that (if for even a moment) she doubts him, "You wound me, dearest." He then looks towards Cathal, "Not you too. Come on. Remember: Limited window of opportunity." He gestures for Gabriel to follow along, then peers towards Cathal again, "You know, I don't think he's actually allowed to do that. If he were, I'd still be hanging there. Trust me." He then turns to Gabrielle with a daring grin, "Come on. Don't I always have the best of plans?"
Josie rolls her eyes at Cathal's answer and says, "Then don't come. I'm going, I miss Hogsmeade." She looks back to Jackson and moves to follow after him. "We going out the window? I can make it to the ground fine, enchanted shoes," she adds.
Gabriel goes over to Cathal and grabs the sleeve of his robe, tugging slightly on it,"Oh, come on cousin! As long as we make sure not to get caught on the way out it'l be worth hanging by the toes for a while even if we get caught on the way in. And if we get caught on the way out they can't really punish us for something we never did, right?"
"It is illogical to do something halfway. If we are to do something we should do it /right/." Cathal says shrugging a little bit,"What is the plan? We can always decide if there are adjustments that must be made to the plan?"
Gabrielle glares slightly as Jackson calls her dearest, but but it's not very intimidating as it's followed by a yawn. She'll think back to the Cliff Diving and shake her head, "You know, I don't think there's a rock /big/ enough to dispute your 'best of plans'…" She'll run a hand over her hair again. She's not pleased, but isn't really fighting it either. She'll nod to Cathal, "What he said."
Jackson smiles insolently, "Well its my plan, and not up for debates and changes. I question your ability to plan an operation of this magnitude, thus your interpretations and additions are questionable at best, whereas I am the one with a track record." He then adds as punctuation, "Enjoy your stay at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. May your crotch be ever infested with dust mites, and your arms too short to scratch." He then looks towards Gabrielle, shooting her another daring grin and announcing, "Train for Hogsmeade leaves now." He then looks towards Josie, then to her shoes, then to Josie, shoes… Then back up to Josie, "Neat. I'd thought to use the door. A bit more practical for those of us without enchanted footwear."
Josie ohs, and shrugs, grinning, "Ok. You came in the window, thought you had a spell for that too." She follows along, though, still not the slightest hesitation to her, just excitement.
"How often have you successfully completed one of your plans and NOT gotten into trouble." Cathal asks not sounding angry, upset or anything really. He sounds relaxed,"Your attempts at insults are crude. It is only logical to discuss a plan of action before embarking on it. If your plan is as good as you say then logically there would be not alterations that would be required for it." He says laughing softly.
Gabby looks to Cathal and then back to Jackson, "Remember the knock knock jokes?I'd rather they not all end up in the lake." she'll take a deep breath, "Maybe next weekend?" If she can get him to postpone, maybe they'll all forget.
Gabriel shakes his head,'No no no, we have to strike while the iron is hot. No time like the present. Don't leave for tomorrow what you can do today and all that. Lets go!"
Jackson peers towards Cathal, shaking his head, "No, logically I'm going to exclude you. This is my event, not yours. I'll reveal only what I intend to reveal." He glances towards Gabrielle now, frowning. He shakes his head now, looking towards Josie, then to Gabriel, "Forget it, kid. I've been quested to death. I'm going to Hogsmeade through the front gate." He turns, moving back to the window. He pulls his wand, sticking it into the open air, "Accio gear bag!" There is a moment's hesitation, but then a bag looking very much like Jackson's school bag lands on his arm, barely missing snapping his wand. He shifts it over his shoulders, "Goodbye." With that, he walks towards and then out of the door.
Gabriel's expression drops then he goes chasing after Jackson,"Oh, come on! Its just Cathal, that's the way he is. But he's nice, give him a chance. Come onnnnnnnnnn!"
Gabrielle rolls her eyes and will grab her stuff, "Gab?Leave him. I'll talk to him." She'll grab her stuff and leave after Jackson. As she's going out the door, "Jackson?…Jack!Wait!"
"Highly illogical. I do not think he knows the difference between emotional response and a logical one." Cathal says blinking a little at Jackson's behavior. The dark haired lad turns towards his cousin,"If you truly wish to go to Hogmeade, then why do we not plan for it? The creation of a plan that is based on a logical foundation is more likely to succeed." He says seriously to his cousin,"I shall help you plan it if you really want to do it that bad."
Josie gets a disappointed look, too, then frowns, "Fine. I'll be in Hogsmeade in a few weeks anyway, for holidays." Not that Jackson is around to hear anymore anyway. She looks to Cathal and says, "'Cause we don't know any back ways out of the school, and he obviously did."
Gabriel sighs as Jackson leaves followed by Gabrielle. Returning to his table he starts working on putting the orange crystal for the radio into the little copper wire cradle he made for it before Jackson interrupted,"Josie got it right in one. Without knowing a way out there's no pan to be made."
"How do you know that? We're assuming he knew a back way out." Cathal says shrugging at the whole thing,"Maybe we can look around and find one. How do you think he would have found them in the first place. There are secrets here that I am sure the professors don't have a clue about." He says matter of factly,"And there's always plans to be made."
Gabriel slowly looks up from fussily arranging the wires around the crystal, focusing his attention on Cathal. A slow smile spreads over his lips and finally he says,"You know what? You're right Cathal. If He does know about a back exit to the campus he had to have found it somehow. Even if someone told him where one was, at some point, someone had to discover it first. And if they did we can to." Getting out of his chair he moves to a different table and places a notepad on it,"OK. So where's the most likely place the exit or exits could be?"
"That is something that we would have a problem with since we're dealing with Magic." Cathal says considering this,"We have a lot of things we might be able to choose from, but starting in the dungeons is probably our best bet." He says thinking it through,"I've read that Muggles would have some sort of hidden mechanism. It might be something similar for a magical secret door."
Josie brightens a little too, "Yeah, I guess so." She thinks then says, "Behind paintings and statues and suits of armor, probably. Hiding openings in plain wall would be really hard."
Cathal has partially disconnected.
Gabriel starts taking notes about the ideas,"Ok, ok… So how do we find them? I mean, I'm sure they have some kind of magical protection… It can't be just hidden mechanisms and such right?"
"Well I think finding them will be incredibly difficult. I am not sure that they would have put too many extra protections." Cathal says seriously as he thinks it through,"The suits of armor are probably not involved. Since they're animated to a degree."
Josie is still looking thoughtful, but nods quickly in agreement with Cathal, "Whoever built secret passages would want them to stand out just a little too, so they'd be able to find them again, so the armor wouldn't work, in case they get changed around. So we find one-of-a-kind statues or painting frames. Then maybe start poking at them or asking them to step aside or something like that."
Gabriel keeps scribbling in his notebook,"And it won't be any of the inner walls or on the top floors so it'll have to be either on the first floor or in the dungeon. And it won't be coming out from any of the Common rooms so that takes out all the areas covered by Hufflepuff and Slytherin House areas…"
"Well since we're dealing with magic it is possible for the tunnel to begin somewhere else." Cathal says shaking his head a bit,"Thinking too simply can lead to us not finding them." He says considering this,"A one of a kind statue or painting might make sense." He says nodding his head,"Not sure though."
Josie frowns again and shakes her head to Gabriel, "Don't know that. Might be secret passages that start up in the high floors or on inside walls and sneak down between the walls. That's not even counting magic passages," she adds, nodding in agreement with Cathal. Then she adds to the latter, "We have to start somewhere. If one-of-a-kind stuff doesn't work, then we try other stuff."
Gabriel hmmms,"But wouldn't magic passages require some kind of maintenance through the years as opposed to more mundane ones? And making them without magic might be easier too… But we can look anywhere you want. So where do we start?"
"I don't know. They might collapse but who knows." Cathal says shrugging a little bit,"But I think maybe we should try and bring along Cillian as well. It would be a shame for the Captain to miss out." He says smiling a bit
Josie nods emphatically, "'Course Cillian's gotta come! Wasn't gonna keep a secret like that from him." She looks to Gabriel's notes, and then says, "Well, we should start from the bottom up. 'Cause it *is* more likely there'll be stuff down in the dungeons. Oh, and if we get caught poking at statues, we tell the truth that we're looking for secret passages, but don't say out of the school. Pringle moves so fast there's *gotta* be secret passages *in* the school too, so say we're looking for those, so we can get to classes faster."
Gabriel grins,"You're right. Lets go find him. He's probably in the Armory right now." Getting up from his seat he grabs his pad and his pencil then hesitates for a moment before going over and carefully repacking his radio building stuff,"But first I need to go put this back in the Ravenclaw common room."
"Yes. Let's find him so we can move on." Cathal says nodding his head a bit,"We'll wait for you Gabriel. I think that it is a good thing for us to be a bit systematic in our approach." He pauses for a moment,"Should we really be that honest?"
Josie hops to her feet and then nods to Cathal, grinning, "Trust me. It's a lot easier to tell the truth than it is to lie, and it's almost as easy to tell just part of the truth as it is the whole thing. And I wanna know a fast way to get around school, so it is the truth."
Gabriel starts making his way out of the room, walking carefully so as not to risk tripping and breaking the almost finished radio,"Meet in the Armory then?"
"I think it's a good idea." Cathal says nodding his head a bit,"This is true. No convenient half truth works as well as looking for a secret passage." He says looking to Josie,"Meeting in the armory sounds like a good idea."
Josie nods quickly to Gabriel then and says, "See you there." She smiles and starts out after him, but then turns off towards the armory.