| Details for Project Eagle Radio: Almost Done |
| Summary: | Various idle conversations happen around the Ravenclaw Common room and Gabriel reaches the limit of what he can do on the wireless project. |
| Date: | 1937-12-13 |
| Location: | Ravenclaw Common Room |
| Related: | Foiled Escape Project Eagle Radio Continues Eagle Radio Wireless Work Continues |
| Characters |
      |
The Ravenclaw Common Room is one of the most airy rooms at Hogwarts. This wide, circular room's floor is covered in a deep, midnight blue carpet and the arched windows are hung with soft blue silk curtains. The high, domed ceiling carries a charm similar to the one in the Great Hall making stars glitter and move about on it reflecting the proper placements of the constellations according to the seasons. During the day, the Ravenclaw students have an excellent view of the surrounding mountains. The room is furnished with comfortable tables and chair upholstered in midnight blue with white pinstripes and bookcases stand along the walls.
Having finished her school work earlier today than she planned, Morgana has decided that she should probably catch up on a few owls that she's been neglected for the last few weeks. Settled in at a small table near the fire, her quill is dancing rapidly over the parchment as she finishes up her letter to her grandmother. Once it is finished she lays it flat and blows on the ink to let it dry and sighs. "I don't know what is more annoying to write about, daily life at Hogwarts, or the Troll Wars."
Claire is lounging across one of the couches, taking up as much space as she possibly can. A large book is propped open on her stomach that she's reading slowly. Or not reading and just turning pages at random so it seems like she is, either is equally likely. "At least with Troll Wars there's usually some collateral damage, until someone burns and pillages the castle there's not much to write home about."
"I think my grandmother has been away from Hogwarts long enough that she has forgotten how mundane it can be here." Morgana replies. "I believe she just wants to make sure that I'm still studying like I should be, and not slacking off and snogging boys in the library." Not that Morgana does that, but it is an amusing thought she has. Stretching her shoulders a bit, Morgana neatly folds the letter and slips it into the envelope and sets it aside for later. "So what has you so enthralled?" She says gesturing to the book.
Claire huffs a laugh. "I'm sure the rest of the school is more than making up for your lack of participation," she says dryly. Marking her place in the book and closing it she says, "The Goblin-Giant War of 1883," She rolls her shoulders and changes position on the couch. "I'll never cease to be amazed at how some people can take something so utterly fascinating and turn it so dreadfully boring.
The door to the tower opens and in come Gabriel. At first he doesn't even notice that there's other people in the room as he rushes over to the table where the wireless project is housed. A project that has been disappearing and reappearing, always a little more complete, with some regularity lately. Once he's finally settled in, book bag on the floor next to him he notices the girls. With a big smile he says,"Hi Morgana. How goes it Claire. By the way, good job getting people to finish those translations. I'm almost done with the insides and soon all we'll just need people to finish the case." With that he starts gathering the pieces of the tuner he's been working on lately.
"Oh I bet they are. I figure a snogging spot is something I shouldn't be worrying about with NEWTs next year." Morgana says with a laugh. "Oh, I am sure it's the authors way of punishing those who read the books, because they were forced to write them. I know that topic would be the last I would ever want to write about if I ever wrote a book." When Gabriel comes and head right for his project, Morgana gives him a wave and a nod. "How is it coming along?"
"It could be so interesting though," Claire is saying when Gabriel comes in. "Hello, Gabe! It's looking great, I bet we can get it down by the holidays. Do you need any help on the insides? I've been meaning to ask you what the next step was, after the translation, but since Quidditch has started up I haven't had the time."
Gabriel holds up a wooden tube that has been wrapped up in copper with for examination. On the top of the tube, all neatly spaced, there's seven crystals, one in each color of the rainbow, trapped in little copper wire cages. The tube itself has been screwed onto two short wooden legs that are attached to the flat board that will be the floor of the case, "That's OK Claire. You got people to do the most time consuming part. The building has been pretty fast. See?"
"It could be, but they probably think that's what fiction novels are for." Morgana replies as she pulls out one more letter that she hadn't responded to. Looking hesitant, she sets it back down and figures that this contraption has to be more interesting than her trying to play up her daily life at Hogwarts. For now she just quietly looks everything over with a hint of fascination in her eyes.
"Brilliant!" Claire proclaims over the tuner. "Ophelia and Gabrielle are doing the case, right? I think they're speaking again, or something. I don't know, I can't keep track." Claire shrugs, as long as they get their parts accomplished she doesn't care how they get it done.
From the hallway outside enters Eibhlin, the Prefect looking a bit distracted. Not that such a state is abnormal for her. She's got her Transfiguration textbook in hand, lips pursed as she reads over the pages spread before her. There's a careful avoidance of some chairs as she heads to another… but she doesn't even check if that one is empty before trying to plunk herself down.
Gabriel slides the completed receiver away from him and grabs a board with a hole in the middle along with a large black knob. Putting the knob's bolt through the hole he starts to screw a long piece of copper to it. Once he's done when the knob gets turned the metal piece on the other side of the board runs over a bunch of copper tacks that have been hammered into the board in a semi-circle and each attached to its own little wire. "Gabby say Ophelia wants to do it. But I would rather they work together so it gets finished quicker. But i'm not butting in on that one."
It's that odd time of the day when afternoon classes have finished for the day, but dinner is still a few hours off. So most of the common room is either working on schoolwork, or is wasting time before dinner is served. Morgana, Gabriel and Claire are standing around a table while Gabriel is working on his Wireless project. "I wouldn't." Morgana comments to Gabriel. "I'd let them work that out for themselves."
Gabrielle comes down the stairs from the girl's dorm. She has a few books with her, but not an over abundance. She'll smile at the group, particularly Gabriel, "Going good?"
Claire turns automatically when the door to the common room opens. "Shine," she greets the prefect with a wave. "They'll have to, anyone else just makes it worse. Here, hand me something. I can wrap something in wire."
"Cameron," Eibhlin replies to Claire, glancing over her book once she's settled in a chair. She looks towards the radio, then, eyebrows rising a bit. "How's it coming along?" Her ignoring of Gabrielle seems to be a fairly calculated act. It's not rudely done, she's just not calling attention to herself. From a pocket she produces some sort of candy that she eats as she goes back to her book.
Now that the receiver's knob has been properly assembled Gabriel puts some Muggle glue on the bottom edge of the board and holds it firmly against the board the receiver is attached to, "Well, its all pretty much done. But it you know a Permanent Sticking Charm or a Sticking Charm you can cast it on these two boards so I don't have to hold them until the glue dries." Pointing at the way the tuner knob is still a bit away from the board its been threaded through he adds,"Now when Ophelia and or Gabby are done with the case the knob gets unscrewed from its bolt and the whole thing is slipped into the case then the knob gets screwed back on and we're all done. Hi Gabby! Eibhlin!"
Gabrielle will hug the books up to her chest as she walks over to the group. She'll blink once, "Ophelia still hasn't talked to you about the case?" She'll make a hurm face, "I'll try to track her down later tonight and ask what she wants to do. If she wants help, or what." She'll glance down at the knob and ask Gabriel, "Have you talked to Warren or Ajax about the charms yet?"
Gabriel looks around at the room,"Sticking Charm anyone, please? I don't want to hold these two boards together for the next hour. And I still need to hook to tuner wires to the receiver…"
It's that time shortly before dinner when students are relaxing or studying before the dinner meal. Most seem to be focused on the radio, but Eibhlin had settled in to study. However, as Gabriel asks for the charm, she gets to her feet and produces her wand, tucking the book under her arm. She's chewing as she goes on some candy and it's a blessing that she swallows it before speaking the incantation for the charm. Nothing goes awry, thankfully.
Gabrielle watches the charm take hold and will give nod at the radio. She'll ask Gab, "Do you want me to have a back up plan, in case Ophelia's to busy with prepping for the Triwizard?"
Gabriel turns to smile at Eibhlin,"Ta!" then spins the assembly partially around so he can start using the needle-nose pliers to starts connecting the wires that are attached to the brass tacks on the tuner assembly to the wires that have been left free expressly for that purpose on the receiver. "That would be great Gabby. I really want to try and see if we can finish it and have it working before everyone goes home for holidays. Maybe use it as music for an end of term party."
It almost sounds like there's been a body thrown down the stairs to the boy's dorm, but no… it's just Dalaigh, making his usual quiet entrance. The boy patters down the stairs, a peculiar but distinct rhythm to his steps, and slides to a stop as he hits the common room. "Oi," he greets nobody in particular. Until he sees Eibhlin, and then there's a smile and a nod to her, "Lass."
Eibhlin seems fairly self-satisfied with the results of the spell. Not in a way that indicates she thought she may fail, just that it came out /better/ than she thought. Blue eyes are drawn to the cacophony descending from the stairs to the boy's dorm and… rather than disapproval, her eyes light up as Dale finds himself in the common room. She tucks her wand away and sweeps towards him. Intending, it would seem, to hug her fellow Ravenclaw. "Dale! I had a dream about ye last night."
Gabrielle will make eye contact with Gab, trying to /not/ look over to the other two Ravenclaws, who one who is acting so….odd. "Having a party would be wonderful. That's a great idea. I bet Mopsus would let us!" She'll look at the wires he's attaching. If I have to rush the cover, I'll just paint it. If I have time, and Ophelia helps, maybe we can still do the relief idea."
As he finished attaching each set of wires he puts a little dollop of glue on the baseboard of the wireless and attaches the joined wire pair to the blob, so that once the glue is dry the wires won't move around and touch each other. After 4 or 5 minutes of work he finishes attaching all the wire pairs and gluing them down,"There. I've done everything I can do. Now we just need to find someone that can cast the necessary charms to power it and make it tune in and put it in its case and we're finished!"
Dale certainly isn't going to turn down a hug from a pretty girl, and he asks lightly, "A dream or a nightmare, lass?" Of course, his attention is grabbed immediately and his brows hike up toward his hairline. "Party? Someone's planning a party?" And speaking of party! "How's yer birthday, Evie? Gettin' lotsa gifties?" He moves over toward Gabriel, taking Evie's hand if she's willing, eyes dropping to the work he's doing with a nod and a quiet, "Nice work, boyo." Gabrielle… gets an odd look for her studious aversion from looking his way.
"Why ever would a dream with you be a nightmare?" Eibhlin's accent gains a quizzical trill as she poses the question. Hand-holding? No complaints there. She falls into step with Dale looking pleased as punch. "My ma sent me a new scarf and cap," she answers to the birthday question.
Gabrielle nods to Gab, "good….do you have any preferences for the back up case?What you'd like on it?"Gabby will look up to Dale and point to Gabriel smiling, "That's all him."
Everything that he can do done Gabriel turns to face the room, leaning his chair back on two legs and keeping himself balanced by hooking a foot under the table that has the wireless on it,"It wasn't all me. Claire helped get all a big chunk of the translations done, Gareth and you helped put the insides together, Warren got us permission and a lot of other people have helped in small ways here or there. But thanks for the credit." Hearing that its Eibhlin's birthday he digs into one of his robe's pockets and pulls out a bar of chocolate, offering it to her,"Happy Birthday!" Seems someone has been hanging out with Cillian a little too much…
"Everyone did a fine job," Dalaigh says expansively. He's been aware of the project going on, it's hard to be a Ravenclaw and miss it. Gabrielle gets a typically warm smile, as she acts more Gabbish. Ultimately, though, his attention drifts back to Eibhlin, Birthday Girl. "Ye'll have tae tell me when yer wearin' 'em." Because he's a guy, one hat and scarf looks like every other to him.
"Oh!" Eibhlin pulls a bit away from Dalaigh to accept the chocolate, grinning at Gabriel. "Thank ye!" She /does/ love her candies. Especially chocolates. "Speaking of…" she glances to Dale, beaming, "I'm taking my time eating the ones ye gave me. They're good so I don't want ta go through 'em too quick." Joy for Dale. At his request, she looks pensive, but brightens soon after. "What if ye take me to the tea shop next time we're in Hogsmeade? I can be sure ta wear 'em then!"
Gabrielle will give Gabriel a small chuckle as he pulls out the chocolate bar. He really /is/ spending a lot of time with Cillian. Gabby gives Dale a smile in return and turns to Eibhlin, "Happy birthday." That should be safe to say.
Mental note: buy Evie another box of chocolates. Tea shop, hm? Well, if the girl wants to go to the tea shop, then the boy takes her there. "That's a grand idea, Evie." Good thing Dale's been saving up some, because normally he's not got two coins to rub together. "Maybe ye'd like tae stop an' meet our Nadya? Her caravan's right on the way." He looks toward Gabrielle, "Ye've met her, haven't ye? Thought I saw ye stopped by there." His face takes a thoughtful cast, "Or mebbe it was someone else."
"Thanks," Eibhlin says to Gabby. See? Don't bring up the cruddy stuff and she's fine! Birthdays, greetings… these things don't lead to awkward and uncomfortable feelings. When Dale offers to take her to the tea shop, she looks almost positively gleeful. "Oh! I can't wait! I'll have to find my best outfit…" He offers to take her to meet Nadya and a few things process in her mind, but finally she decides it's alright: "I'd love to meet any of yer family, Dale."
Gabrielle nods to Dale, hugging her books to her chest, "Yes, your sister has been very kind to me." She'll smile at a memory, "And her hot coco is amazing."
"My darlin' Nadya could charm the birds from the trees." She has, in fact. They were delicious. Look, when you're on the road most of the time, you eat what you can get. But Dale sounds truly proud of his older sister, and he's never taken a lass to meet her before. "She's got a heart as big as the world. If ye think her cocoa is good, wait'll she's been bakin' biscuits. Heavenly." The boy can't help but laugh at Evie's statement. "Aye, ye've met Colton already… how's that workin' for ye?" He love Colton like a brother, but even he knows that he can, at times, rub girls the wrong way. Sometimes literally.
"He needs a good knocking around every now and then," Eibhlin offers, by way of explaining Colton. "He makes me wish I had a good shillelagh from time to time." There's something that echos an impish grin. The redhead nudges at Dale's elbow a bit, "Ye got practice today? We could get some studying done after dinner."
Gabrielle nods, believing Nadya could do those things, no doubt. The smile on her face drops when Colton is mentioned, and she'll quickly look to what Gab is tinkering with. After a moment, "Well, I have studying to do. Bye everyone." She'll start to make her way to the exit.
Seems studying is on everyone's minds! Typical Ravvies. Dalaigh sends another smile toward the girl taking her leave, "Alright, Gabby. Don't hurt ye'self." The last comes as a light tease, the boy's usual bantering tone. His head shakes at Evie's question, "No practice t'night. Went well last night, I think we're comin' t'gether as a team. Aye, we can do some studyin' later, mebbe tackle some transfiguration."