| Details for Study Date |
| Summary: | Dalaigh and Eibhlin meet after supper to do some extra studying. They do learn a few things, even though they don't study very much. |
| Date: | 18 December 1937 |
| Location: | Trophy Room |
| Related: | Sweets For The Sweet, Project Eagle Radio: Almost Done. |
| Characters |
  |
Supper is over, but there is still time for studying before curfew and students have scattered all over the Hogwarts castle to their favorite places for peace and quiet. Dalaigh's sanctuary is the Trophy Room, a place that is virtually abandoned by everyone except those that really have a thing for dusty trophies. Well, not dusty, since the house elves are very diligent in their duties. He doesn't usually bring company, preferring to study alone for the most part, but this evening he's brought Eibhlin along so they can brush up on Transfiguration work. He pushes the big door open, holding it to let her in first. "It's one of tha' quietest places I've come across, here on the grounds," he's explaining about his choice of locations.
"I can't say I come through here much," Eibhlin admits, stepping through the door into the trophy room. There's a glance cast about… either for the trophies or to see if anyone else is present. "Wonder if we'll have another Triwizard trophy to add soon," she asks, before tugging her Transfiguration book from her satchel. Along with a small packet of snacks she's brought with. She glances to Dale and has a smile for him: "Thanks for being willing to study with me. Transfiguration just keeps evading me it seems."
Moving in after her, Dale pushes the door closed again with a soft *whump* and turns to brush lightly past his housemate, heading toward the far wall. "We can hope, aye lass? Tha'd be grand for Fox an' the school tae have the win." His own bag is unslung from his shoulder and dropped unceremoniously to the floor. "Aye, nae problem there, lass. I need tha help as much as ye, seems like." He drops after the bag, sitting cross legged and withdrawing a thick book from his bag. It's not the Transfiguration text, and he lays it down and motions her to come sit on it. "The floor can get cold, so we'll not have ye gettin' sick before the hols."
There's a bit of a blush. Why not! He's being all thoughtful and kind. Eibhlin settles onto the book, propping her text in her lap as she lets her bag fall beside her. "I hope Ophelia has fun. I… kinda hoped I'd be useful, but I've not got anything unique to offer and it's not like he and I know each other well. It just would have been exciting." She opens the snacks, but grabs a small packet of paper first to open. "I've only got a couple of the chocolates you gave me left," she admits, sounding rather sad about it. One is eaten then and there. "Figured now would be a good time to finish them."
Dale shrugs at mention of going to the tournament. "Aye, lass, it might have been grand. But they don't want our kind there. With the way they've made it all political, bannin' the Beaubaton's champion for not being a pureblood…" He lets his words taper off, shrugging again, "I just wonder if we should even be goin' as well. Isn't it tellin' them, in a way, that what they're doing is alright?" He may not be a militant Irishman, but he is Irish and and a gypsy and knows much of what it's like to be oppressed. His brows lift as she mentions only have a few candies left. Can't have sweet Evie being sad, so he resolves to owl her another box for Christmas. "Well, I'm happy that y'like 'em, Evie," he says with a smile.
There's a little bit of a nose-wrinkle from Eibhlin. "You've got the truth of that. Is Fox's whole entourage pure-bloods? I didn't really pay attention to everyone he chose…" Wouldn't that just figure. She starts flipping through her textbook, balancing it on her lap. "Will you be going somewhere for Christmas? I've decided to stay here… I need the time to properly study for the OWLs. I can't do that at home."
Pulling his Transfiguration text out of his bag, Dale opens it on his lap and starts flipping pages absently as they talk. "Nope," he says, hitting hard on the P. "A couple aren't even half-bloods. I don't know how they're expectin' tae get on campus when one of the champions couldn't even. Jus' settin' it up for trouble, that's what I think." And he knows trouble. He's related to Colton, after all. His attention lifts back to Evie when she mentions her holiday plans. "Stayin' here? C'mon, lass, ye can't stay at school for the hols. Ye need a break from studyin'."
"My mother is going to visit with a cousin," Eibhlin explains, shrugging a little. "I'd be even less likely to get /any/ studying done if I went." There's the hint that maybe she's also not fond of visiting extended family. She stretches her legs out, chancing a glance up to Dale. She's doing a lot of that! "I can visit Hogsmeade when I need a break."
Dalaigh's eyes can't help but stray as Eibhlin stretches out coltish legs. He may try to be a gentleman, but he's still just a boy in the throes of puberty. He realizes that he's staring, shifting his eyes quickly to his text, just in time to actually hear her last words. His eyes snap up again. "We're all goin' tae Quinnland, the family always gathers from all corners for the hols." He pauses a beat before putting out, a bit more carefully, "Could be Nadya might be willin' tae bring me up for a day, if ye thought ye wanted some company."
Eibhlin is one of those girls who is progressing alright through puberty, but there's still a ways to go. Long legs, few curves. "I couldn't imagine that," she says at the mention of everyone gathering. "So many people… Usually it's just me and my mother…" Small family. Even the concept of the larger one is overwhelming. "Oh! Oh no, Dale." See! She's even using his nickname. "You… don't have to do that. Visit with your family. I'll see you when you get back." And the last sentence is said quiet and rather… sincerely. Like she's already imagining missing him.
Dale takes a long look at Eibhlin. He's been trying to just think that she's been a bit more friendly lately because they've gotten to be better mates, not making anything out of it. But he hears that note that might be not entirely sincere, and he decides to just toss it down here and now. "Evie," he says, with surprising softness. "I'd like tae come see ye."
In the moment of quiet, Eibhlin is trying to read her book. In that way one does when they want to focus, but really can't. She's been staring at the same part of the page for a while now. The redhead does glance up when he makes that offer, blue eyes widening a bit. "You… do?" Her expression brightens and she starts to smile. "I'd really like that!"
Dale speaks without thinking, a common problem for Quinnland boys. "Ye ought tae smile more, Evie. Yer even more beautiful when ye do." His eyes have caught hers, perhaps only for a moment, but the sincerity held in his icy blue orbs is pretty clear.
Her eyes do move away at that moment, but only because Eibhlin starts blushing. She's pale, in that way of many Irish lasses and the color starts at her ears and spreads across her nose and down to her shoulders. It makes the freckles stand out all the more. She stammers a bit, but seems unable to form an entire sentence for the moment.
Dalaigh at least has the sense to turn his attention immediately down to his text, hopefully to save her any more embarrassment at his blunt statement. He chooses a page at random, pointing out senselessly, "It says here that if ye try an' transfigure a toad into a pigeon, ye have tae watch out for warts. Well, tha's good tae know, aye lass?" Although Dale glances toward Eibhlin, he doesn't actually attempt to make eye contact.
This helps Eibhlin relax a little. The blush doesn't fade completely, but it is a little less obvious. Just at the apples of her cheeks and her ears. A small smile does begin to form. "Don't tell Colton… he might transfigure a bunch of toads into pigeons to try to trick people into touching them." She chances a glance to him, ending up with a little grin.
A soft laugh comes from Dalaigh, "Aye, that he would, lass." Although he and Colton poke at each other endlessly, it's always clear above all else the brotherly regard in which they hold each other. Getting his bearings back, he turns to where he ought to have been in the first place in their textbook, and he points out something that's actually relevant. "So, it says here, that when ye intend tae turn a pig's ear intae a silk purse, ye really have tae concentrate on the silk. That's the hardest part of all." As he speaks he scoots over a measure closer to Eibhlin, offering to show her where he's reading from.
He might notice there's a bit more of a blush. Or even a catch in Eibhlin's breathing. All this when he scoots closer. The teen leans a bit, glancing to where he's pointed before she looks back to her own text. "I'm always trying to focus on the overall change… Maybe that's why it always ends up just looking like the shape for me."
Dalaigh's shoulder bumps lightly against Eibhlin's as she leans in to look at the page, and his eyes remain studiously on text that blurs into illegibility. There is silence for a moment, before he ventures to say, "So…. we have to change our focus." Which is pretty much what she's been saying since they first started talking about Transfigurations.
"But… ah… how do you know what to focus on?" Eibhlin barely manages to retain her focus. Why? Because he bumped up against her and she miiiiight be leaning back a bit against him. There's a sort of dazedly gleeful grin on her face.
Although Eibhlin may have the candies to blame, Dalaigh is just addled by the nearness of a pretty girl that he never actually expected to get this near to. The warmth of her arm against his is painfully distracting, and his head turns to look at her as he forgets about the book entirely.
Maybe it's the fresh chocolate in her system or the fact that the box itself over the past few days has made her -really- want to do this, but Eibhlin finds herself throwing caution to the wind. Stepping out of that bubble of hers. Being -brave- for once. By leaning forward when he turns his head to her to try to kiss him. It's a very awkward, unpracticed attempted, but she's trying all the same!
It only takes Dale a heartbeat to figure out Evie's aim, and he puts his lips square in the way. It is awkward, and unpracticed, and … nice. Although he's little more than a mess of teenaged hormones, Dale has been taught to respect girls like Eibhlin. A kiss that starts awkward slowly gets just a little more comfortable, as Dalaigh lifts his hand to let it rest lightly on her shoulder. By the time he pulls back it had turned into a surprisingly competent first kiss. He looks at her a moment, waiting for her reaction.
Competent. Bound to be remembered. But there's still so much more to learn. Like most who have only witnessed others kissing, Eibhlin's lips are a bit too pursed and a bit too firm. But it was good in that way that's utterly genuine. She's blushing when she leans back, hands coming up to cover her mouth as eyes widen in surprise. "I'm sorry!" she finally blurts out, "I… oh! I… I should have asked?" Asked to kiss him? That'd have been even more awkward.
Dale sits back, letting his hand linger warmly on Evie's shoulder, looking a little surprised and quite a bit pleased. Again, there is that surprising quiet in his voice as he speaks, "Evie, no. That was… amazin', lass." The simple words he uses without even attempting something more grand, only attest to his slightly stunned state. It's not bloodly likely he's got to tell her that was his first kiss as well, but there were the telltale signs just as with hers. Not the least of which is the slight clamminess of his hand where he touches her.
Eibhlin looks quite pleased with his praise. And the fact that it wasn't unwelcome, as she had feared. She seems indecisive for a moment, but finally reaches out for his other hand. The one not on her shoulder. To try to hold in her own hand. Equally clammy, it would seem. "I'd… like to try it again," she admits, eyes darting between meeting his gaze and looking down. "N… not right now if you don't want, of course!"
Dalaigh lets his fingers twine between Eibhlin's own slender digits, their combined clamminess cancelling each other out. His brows lift, almost comically, at her words. "What.. now? No! Now is… fine…" He doesn't want to seem too eager and scare her off, but he can't even imagining getting back to studying at this exact second. Maybe in a minute. He leans forward, a bit more relaxed with this second attempt, and lets his lips find hers lightly, as if he's afraid she's a dream that will blow away in a puff of smoke.
Studying? Eibhlin wouldn't be able to focus on her favorite classes at the moment! She's smiling a bit stupid when he leans in to kiss her again, but nature overcomes and yes, the second attempt is a bit better. Less awkwardly placed and less fearful of reactions. Evie squeezes his hand a bit- perhaps a subconscious reaction, but it's done all the same.
Dalaigh's hand moves from Eibhlin's shoulder without thought, moving naturally to cup her face lightly during the kiss, and linger even after he's pulled back again, opening his eyes to send her a questioning look. Was that alright? is the unvocalized question in his gaze.
It must have been alright. Eibhlin tilts her head into his palm slightly and has a bit of a glazed, dreamy-eyed look on her face. The redhead shifts then, but rather than going in for another kiss… she seems intent on moving in to press against him and put her head on his shoulder. Because hey, if everything else has gone well…
The boy moves a touch awkwardly, but he willingly lets Eibhlin get closer, sliding his arm around her back, and moving his other thumb to softly caress her cheek. He's got no ready quips or smartass remarks, but just sits in silence for a minute or two, letting his cheek rest against her hair. He's afraid to speak, actually, lest he say something to totally ruin this moment.
That makes two of them. Eibhlin has one hand on her book to keep it balanced, but she's just staring off towards the trophy cases she can see. Her breathing is a bit quick, but it's even. Likely due to that whole heart-racing thing that happens. She does, however, finally break the silence in a voice that's fairly soft: "I… I was worried ye wouldn't like me," she finally ventures.
The statement makes Dalaigh blink almost comically, pulling back to get a better look at the fetching redhead at his side. "Wouldn't like ye? Evie, I've always liked ye." Maybe the admission slips out before he had time to think about it, but there it is. He's certainly not smooth like some boys, and he's not ambitious like Colton, but he's sincere and earnest. His hand squeezes hers gently, reassuringly.
And she's not flirtatious like other girls. She certainly doesn't notice when a boy likes her, made clear by the way she stares in response to the admission. Eibhlin gapes a little, but remembers to close her mouth in time. "Ye do?" She flushes again, clutching at her textbook a bit tighter. "I… never noticed. I thought ye just stole my food to tease me!" Clearly someone doesn't understand teenage boys in the least.
Dale looks genuinely surprised, thinking all this time that he had been putting out 'that vibe'. "Have ye ever seen me take a single crumb from anyone else, Evie?" The question is put as if he cannot believe that she's not noticed that detail. "Nevar. Not once." Apparently, to a 15 year old boy, this is significant.
Brows furrow a bit as Eibhlin considers this. Finally, comprehension dawns. "I… I never thought about it," she admits, a bit surprised. "I'm sorry! Ye should've said something." Maybe now they'll be able to try to study more, but likely not. Either way, Evie seems to relax a bit more with these revelations and for the first time in a while, she actually seems unconcerned with studying.