| Details for Conversation Gone Awry |
| Summary: | Lan and Emi finally talk after getting back to school. The conversation takes a dramatic turn. |
| Date: | 1938/01/04 |
| Location: | |
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This needs to be done. It's going to be embarrassing for both of them, but best cauterize the wound now before it festers. First day back at school, and Lan is searching the school. Actually, that's wrong, Lan is checking the library. It's like hunting. You don't wander the forest looking for dear, you go where the dear usually go, and if there aren't any there yet you set up an ambush for when they do come. If there's one thing Lan has, it's patience. He turns his comfort practiced eye to finding a good spot with a view of the door, but somewhat concealed. A large armchair fits the bill and he flops into it. Now we play the waiting game.
The return to school had Artemis hitting the books immediately. Concentrate on studying and schoolwork and she won't feel so bad that she probably just ruined friendships. A morning person, Artemis went to the library before breakfast. Now that it's getting close to the meal, however, the blonde is leaving the stacks with a couple books she's planning on checking out. Noalan isn't noticed, becasue one of the books is opened as she stares down at the pages. Holding the opened book and closed book awkwardly as she tries not to drop them, plus reading while walking, yes, she's not paying much attention to where she's stepping. "Ouch!" A high pitched gasp escapes her as her hip runs into the corner of a table. When the books are shifted as she moves a hand to clap over her side, they fall out of her hands. But the books are ignored for now as she hisses through her teeth with a hand pushing on her hip, waiting for the pain to fade. "Ow, ow, ow, ow," she whispers.
That didn't take long. Noalan watches as Artemis does her best to kill herself with a bit of an eye roll. He lets her hiss her pain out for a bit, and even give her a little time to gather up books if she doesn't take too long getting to it before getting up. "You dropped all your stuff the last time I saw you too. Are you that uncoordinated or am I a bad luck charm?" He says, approaching slowly.
Once the pain is only a dull ache Artemis bends down to pick up the books. She tosses her head as she stands, flipping her golden curls away from her eyes. Then there's a voice — the /dreaded/ familiar voice. Startled, Artemis lets out a squeak as her books (not yet completely secured in her hands) flop to the floor again. Blood rushes into her face instantly and is practically glowing red as she shoots her bright blue eyes on the boy. "Uh- Oh- Um- Uh- Hi-" she blabbers, and then purses her lips to turn away. "S-Sorry," she starts matter-of-factly, "I- Uh- I need- Um- Professor's- He's expecting me-" Yes. Yes, that's it.
"Shut up would you? Jeez." Lan says, trying to cut through her chatter. "It's my belief that those chocolate I gave you were spiked with some kind of alcohol. It was very embarrassing for all involved and the sooner we all forget that any of us ate them the better." He says quickly. If only. He has a feeling Elspeth would be really disappointed if he said that to her, and all that… Well, Artemis's mistake wasn't as complicated as his. "Also, it seems a bunch of hawks took refuge in one of our disused rooms and they were attacking every owl that approached the house, so if you sent me any letters over break, like a Christmas card, I didn't get them." It's clearly a lie, but perhaps one she'll let stand.
Embarrassment and fury mix together as they fight for dominance. Artemis purses her lips again as she shoots a look back at him disapprovingly. "Don't be rude," she scolds in response to telling her to 'shut up.' She stares at him severely, and with her books on the floor, crosses her arms in front of her. Was it the chocolates? She figured there was /something/, because clearly she wasn't herself, but the chocolates? Her lips pursed, Artemis stares at him pensively as a bunch of ideas float around in her head. "You did /what/?" she blurts out. "You shouldn't trick people with messed up chocolate. Go tell her you like her if you like her." A cross look locks onto him. She silently thanks him for the lie, but she will not comment on it. Best leave that alone, yes.
Noalan's expression goes dark and his lips form a thin line. His voice grows cold and slightly dangerous. "Excuse me? You do remember that I ended up eating them that one time too, right? And while you may think you looked foolish after, I'm now in neck deep because of them." He might have said a little too much there. His tone lightens slightly, and his face becomes less of a thunderhead. "Anyways, I noticed you were avoiding me and just wanted to fill you in. Now stop being so stupid."
For several seconds Artemis continues to stare at him sharply as she thinks about this. True, he did take chocolate from Elspeth… But that could have been part of the plan! She frowns as she mulls over some ideas in her head. "Fine," Artemis finally relents, except that her tone doesn't sound very … relenting. Perhaps she's having a hard time forgetting how embarrassed she felt? Still feels, despite the fact that he probably didn't see any letters. It's the thought, really. Her fury subsides, but her face is still bright pink as she bends down to pick up her books again, this time setting them on the table that she had ran into. She turns back to him looking cross once more, except that her eyes are watering. "First of all," she pipes up matter-of-factly, "that's ridiculous. You clearly aren't standing neck deep into /anything/." Her hands come to rest on her hips fiercely. When a tear slips from an eye, she suddenly inhales deeply and turns to the table. "Fine, I understand," she says weakly, rubbing a finger by one eye and then the other.
Noalan pinches the bridge of his nose. Besides if it had been a mad ploy to get Elspeth, something he feels he wouldn't need to drug her for, why would he also give drugged ones to Artemis? "It's just a saying." He says sounding tired. "You were there. Everyone was acting… off. Now if I try to hand wave it all away with her I'll hurt her feelings. At least you didn't want-" He breaks off. He didn't get the owls, remember. "Just don't want to turn into ravenclaw style drama. And the family issues and everything." So complicated, ugh.
"It's a ridiculous saying," Artemis snaps and picks up her books. She sniffs as she wipes at her eyes again, looking back at Lan. "Right. Right!" She gives a heavy shake of her head, curls flapping around. "What chocolates, right? I need to get to the meeting with the Professor." Artemis starts walking away, but after a few paces she stops and turns back to face him. "Family issues?" Her eyes narrow suspiciously. "Did my mama say something?" Her face starts to heat up again.
Ya, what chocolate, if only. "What ever." At least he's started fixing things. Her renewed interest has him blinking, "Noooo, didn't really visit with your family during the party. Why?" How far has this gone?
Artemis' face once again practically glows red. "Um-" she squeaks lightly and shakes her head. "Nothing. Nothing!" she insists. "But what do you mean by family issues?"
Noalan looks at her, considering. She knows surely. Her dad must have had some kind of issue, could he not have talked about it. "The pure blood, muggle born issue?" Too late he's struck with the sudden certainty that this was not a good thing to bring up. Struggling to think of something to distract her he says, "Did you… enjoy… my house?" shoot.
Artemis tilts her head as she gives him a curious look. She gasps and steps back towards him, the books set back on top of the table as she passes it. She moves closer to him as she studies him, looking interested and pensive. She draws in a deep breath of air that's let out in a, "Noalan!" She inhales another deep breath. "There shouldn't be an issue," she lets out, affronted. "Is there?" Her bright blue eyes give him a piercing stare. "You /can't/ be prejudiced. Against … Elspeth? Me?" Suddenly she looks as if something struck her. "Noalan!" Her hands land on her hips. "You had better tell the truth now. Do you believe in that?" She gives him a warning stare. "Do you have a problem with Muggle-Born? If your parents-" Her face becomes red with agitation. "There /shouldn't/ be an issue, /you know that/. Everyone is the SAME. If there's an issue at home, you /have/ to explain." She draws in a breath and reaches for his arm. "Come with me."
Noalan whinces as she starts in on him. He knew it was coming, but it's strange none the less, like being savagely beaten with a giant powder puff. "Shhh! Would you be quiet!" He whispers, looks around self-consciously, the librarian starting to take notice. "It's complicated. I would think you'd understand, your dad being who he is." He says trying to kill this. "Ya, ya fine, lets go." He says, noticing the librarian approaching them. Best to make an escape before the lecture hammer comes down on her. That kind of thing tends to be an area of effect and he's sure to be in range.
Now that the flame has been ignited, he's just feeding it more. But his comment about being quiet had at least brought her to the attention of where she was, so she continues to lead him out. But Artemis soon stops after walking a little away from the door and turns to him again. "Complicated, /how/?" The 'how' echoes along the corridor as her hands return to her hips. "It really /shouldn't/ be." She again sucks in a deep breath of air as she rounds on him further. "I /understand/ that my papa loves my mama and didn't care about her background." The pause the follows is only a fraction of a second long. Her blue eyes are sharp and piercing even as they water, the occasional tear sliding out. "Are you ashamed of us?"
Noalan feels a little like he's being savaged by a small, and particularly adorable duckling. "And you're grandparents?" He asks, not wanting to have this conversation with anyone. Her emotional state is making it all the more uncomfortable. Perhaps he should go for the kill shot and try to end this quickly. "It must be nice to have such understanding parents then. Things are coming to a head and people are dividing for a fight, and there are some of us caught in the cross fire. You think you're helping? You're just stoking the flames." His fists clench and he considers a direction to walk away in. When in doubt, default to snark, "Of course I'm ashamed of you. You're an obsessive bookworm who's allergic to sayings and idioms. Of your many obvious embarrassing traits, what kind of blood you have isn't even noticeable. Now stop being overly emotional, or I'll do what they do in the movies to fix hysterics."
With her bookbag over her shoulder, and even a couple books in her arms, Elspeth is headed towards the Library. She's not in too much of a hurry, but she is looking back at the gaggle of Hufflepuffs she just skirted around, so it's the echo of Emi's 'how' that alerts her to the presence of her friends, and she turns with a smile to pick up her pace. It's Artemis's posture that alerts her first, and although her steps don't slow, her expression begins the shift to being worried, and when she's close enough to hear Lan's voice and start distinguishing words, she bites at her lip, and her steps do slow. She watches the two of them carefully, her arms tightening around her books.
"Love us?" Artemis comes back quickly in response to her grandparents. Though by the worried squeak it's clear there's a nerve. She inhales deeply and lets it out in a torrent. "I /know/ what most people think. I wrong and I hate it, but that's /not/ the case here." She carries on without a break, "I didn't think /you/ - or your parents - thought like that." She sucks in another breath as she sniffs, and the tears her eyes slip free more frequently. But what comes next isn't more yelling. Instead, her arms fly out to fling around him and she'll bury her head against his shoulder as she starts to sob.
"Just because they aren't as openly antagonistic as some doesn't mean they don't 'hold views'." There's a whole bunch more he could say but this is not the person to say it to, not to mention he's been trying to stay clear of this whole thing for quite some time now. "Just drop-" Ack! His hands go up into an 'I surrender' position, rather uncomfortable at suddenly becoming the shoulder to cry on. His hand twitch towards her back as he tries to find a place to pat her that's not damp or off limits. "Uh, there there?" Someone help!
Elspeth listens to Artemis's torrent of words, and continues to chew at her lip, then when the girl throws herself on Lan, she makes a decision. Setting the books down carefully against the wall, she then shrugs out of her bookbag to put on top of that. Hearing Lan's words, she closes her eyes tightly for a moment, before she pushes against the floor to straighten up and walk over to her friends. "Shhh, Emi, it is being all right," she says quietly. Noting Lan's awkwardness with a faint smile, she rubs the girl's back, and then tugs gently at her shoulders to try and pull the girl into her arms. "People will be thinking what they need too be thinking to be feeling better about themselves. It is not being our fault, and there is not being much we can … do about it." She gives a little swallow and looks over Artemis's shoulder to Lan for a moment, her eyes calm and a little emotionless as she murmurs to her friend.
Artemis sniffs against his shoulder before she lifts her head to look at him again. "There shouldn't be /any/ views like that because we're all the /same/," she brings up again. "Elspeth!" She says loudly as her other friend speaks. Artemis pulls away from Lan and turns to look at Elspeth. She drags a finger under her eyes as she draws in a shaky breath. The blonde starts stepping back now, away from Lan, and away from the other girl. "Noalan, he- his family-" She shoots a look at him. "We were talking about the prejudice issues," she says as if her voice wasn't carrying, drawing in a breath sharply. "Did you know that he has issues? He won't-" But she falls silent as Elspeth speaks, until she adds in, "Yes, but Noalan needs to make his parents understand his friendships. He can't just let it fester."
Well no. In fact everyone is different. There just doesn't seem to be a correlation between those differences and who that persons parents were. "No. I was trying not to talk about the prejudice issue. I just asked a loaded question." And Artemis is a BLABERMOUTH. "We could talk about holiday mail instead." He says, no longer feeling generous. Whenever no one is directly looking at him, he seems to slightly farther away when he's once more looked at, without ever having moved. "Emi, you're insane. Friendship isn't magic. You aren't going to change people's minds just because 'friendship'." He takes a deep breath, his slow escape is taking too long, "A big problem is people don't even understand where this started. It's gotten so wrapped up in who is superior that neither side really understands the root of the issue any more."
Elspeth shakes her head slowly. "No, Emi," she says quietly, and she doesn't look at Lan, affording him part of his beginning escape. "Lan is not being responsible for changing his parents minds. Children should not be telling their parents what they need to be thinking." Her voice is gentle, without malice, but it is firm with what she believes. "Children can be making their own path, if they are wanting. But not telling their parents where to.. go." She glances over to Lan at his words, and then nods. "That is being true. I know I am not understanding what the issue is being. People everywhere are having problems with other people… for things that they are having no choice over." Since Emi doesn't seem to need her support, and Lan is escaping, she goes back to her belongings. "I am needing to return these books to the library. I will be seeing you later?" she asks, the question seeming to be for both of them as she straightens again.
Artemis looks at Lan crossly, but it shifts into more of a horrific look at his threat. Her mouth opens in a gape and all colour seems to drain from her face. She turns her head and looks at wall instead of at him or her before the colour rushes into her face both her hands lift to place her fingertips against her forehead. Artemis sucks in a breath and rubs her thumbs under her eyes. Instead of turning to Lan again, she glances to Elspeth. She lets her finish speaking before she inputs. "But it shouldn't be as complicated as he says. If he didn't believe in the prejudice than he shouldn't be afraid to show it. Parents should love us no matter what." She shoots a look over at Lan, cheeks glowing pink again, before he turns his head and looks onto Elspeth. She trips over her feet as she steps after Elspeth, and after she manages to regain her balance, starts to follow her. "I'll come with you, Elspeth. I want to talk to you."
Elspeth misses the threat inherent in talking about holiday mail, but she shakes her head sadly, pausing to adjust the books in her arms before she looks at Artemis. "That is how it should be, Emi. I am knowing that my parents will be loving no matter what I do. I am wishing all parents are like that, but I am also knowing that some parents are… disowning? Is that bei- that the word?" she asks, her eyes flickering between the two of them, then studiously going to the books in her arms, not looking at either of them. "They are doing this thing to children that are displeasing them. It is being a horrible thing, that I would not want to have happening to any of my friends."
Artemis looks aghast at the very idea of disownment. Surprised beyond words, the thought turns over in her head as she thinks about it, emotions tumbling in her stomach as her expression is just simply perturbed. She steals a glance from Lan before moving into the library, in which the librarian gives cautioning look over and a reminding gaze to keep it down. "Do you think Noalan's parents would do that?" Artemis asks when she starts speaking again. "That's a harsh thing to do to just having a different outlook." Feeling a chill along her spine, Artemis draws her cloak more tightly around herself. She looks down to the ground pensively.
Elspeth hugs the books to her chest, not looking at the librarian so she misses the look, even though she's headed slowly in that direction. Her chin rests on top of the books, and she doesn't look at Artemis as the girl lowers her voice. "I am not knowing, but it is always being possible," she replies quietly, more from dread of the subject than from worry of getting in trouble. "Prejudice is being a strong thing, it is being more than just a different outlook to some people."
Artemis thinks for several moments, a sigh escaping her. "There has /got/ to be a law against that sort of thing," she suddenly pipes up thoughtfully and matter-of-factly. "And if not," she adds, "it ought to be made a law." A soft hum vibrates against the girl's lips in anticipation. As she shakes her head her golden curls sway about. "Well Noalan or his family can hate me all they want, but he's still a friend." She shakes her head again and waits a moment before speaking more. Artemis reaches out a hand to Elspeth's upper arm. "Elspeth? Is he just a friend?" She chews on her lip in contemplation.
Elspeth glances up to Artemis. "Making a law that is telling people how they should be thinking?" she asks Artemis softly. Then she shakes her head. "No, Noalan is not hating us. He would not be giving us a nice Christmas present that keeps all three of us together if he was hating us." She pauses and turns when the girl lays a hand on her arm, and bites her lip. Her eyes find a hard time concentrating on one of Emi's, and she gives a little shrug. "We are the three of us being friends. Why should we be changing that?"
Artemis gives thought to Elspeth's words before she nods, a smile slipping across her face. "That's reassuring," she replies to him not hating them. But the answer to her question is met with a puzzling, "Oh." She chews her bottom as she ponders, and then blows out a breath as she pipes up. "Well," she starts, "if he- um- liked you- like- more than a friend-" She pauses for a second before finishing, "Would you return the feelings? I- I don't want to stand in the way," she adds in a rush. "Because I think he might." And she looks down at the floor.
Noalan really should let this rest. In fact, he probubly would have just walked away from this paticular fight if not for Artemises last words. He's not sure what it is, but something about the way she said that she wants to talk to Elspeth makes him nervous. So, after walked a fair way down the hall, his apprehension took over and he had to turn around and rush back to the library. He pushes open the door and slips in, releaved that they haven't gone far. Would look odd if he's searching the stacks for them. "Hang on. I've got nothing I need to be doing right now." He says, anouncing his presence.
At the mention of Noalan possibly liking her more than just friends, the color rises in Elspeth's cheeks, and there is a hopeful sort of look in her eyes that she turns towards the doors they just came in, and some imaginary spot down the corridor where he might be walking. But then, the recent conversation, and what had almost been a smile is pulled down with a sigh. "I am not knowing how to answer that," she replies slowly. "Perhaps… I can just be saying that when you are really caring about someone, you are not wanting to make trouble for them." She squints her eyes a little, but they are staying dry. Noalan's entrance brings her around with a puzzled look. "All right?"
Artemis looks up at her friend when she answers. She sighs and responds, "It depends on what you think is more important." But that's all she can say before the boy's arrival. Her blue eyes turn onto him as she falls silent, and she draws a step away from Elspeth and the newly arrived Lan. "I'm late for that meeting with the Professor," she announces, still clinging to that excuse. She studies Lan for several seconds, musing, before she turns her head back to Elspeth before she moves to the door.
Too late? Lan does his best to read their body languages to guess at what he might have missed. "I mean, so I could join you both." He adds. "I miss anything?" He asks spotting rosy cheeks. Not that it seems to matter, as Artemis makes her excuse to leave again. "Which professor?"
Elspeth looks between Artemis and Lan, and uncurls a hand from her books to wave to Artemis as she leaves. She waits for a bit, after the blonde answers the question, if she does, and then looks at the boy. "If you are wanting to know if she asked me about us being more than just friends, the answer is being yes," she tells him quietly. She tries to see what his reaction will be, but she glances away instead.
"Um-" Artemis looks at Lan with wide blue eyes. "Professor … Binns?" she answers uncertainly. But her dash to the door has her pausing, and the blonde girl backtracks. "Wait, Noalan-" she starts, chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip. "Can you point me towards Leander Fox? I want to wish our Champion luck."
Noalan looks a little surpised, "Is that what I was asking?" He really had no idea what Artemis would be asking her. He thought it might be something about the letters, or maybe chocolate. "Why did she ask that?" He says, needing a follow up question and he is NOT going to ask what her answer to that question was. Perhaps because of the whole blood purity thing, it seems to effect her an awful lot. "If it's-" He stops when Artemis returns, "So, is it Binns you want or Leander? I'm prettys they aren't in the same place."
Elspeth shrugs. "It is what you were missing," she replies. "I am not knowing why, except that she was wanting me to know that she would not be… standing in the way? What did you think she would be asking?" Her gaze returns to Lan curiously, but she's distracted with Emi's question. She refreshes the hold she has on her books as her hand crosses back over to keep them close to her chest.
Noalan rolls his eyes as he runs an irritated hand through his hair. Why do things have to get so complicated? "Nothing, I don't know, about those strange letters she sent me maybe, or more stuff about pure bloodedness." He shakes his head, "I warned her that there might be some strong alcohol in those chocolates or something and she completely went off on me. Said I was trying to take advantage of you, maybe that's why she asked. She calmed down when I pointed out that I not only gave her some, but had some myself."
Elspeth draws her brows together as she listens to him talk about the chocolates. "But, you were giving us both the chocolates. I read something in the Prophet about some chocolates that were being filled with love potions instead of cheering charms on accident. I was wondering if they were same kind that you were giving us." Her chin rests on the books again, and she gives a sigh. "She was saying that she is thinking the prejudice is being wrong… I am agreeing. I do not think she is understanding how… strong it is being. It is being more than just another way of thinking about things. Maybe she will be understanding someday. Sometimes, I am wishing I was being like her. That I was not understanding, either." Her voice drops considerably on the last two sentences, and she turns a little red after she says them, swiveling her upper body towards the Librarian's desk, since she is here to return the books.
Noalan eyes widen ever so slightly. Love potion? That would explain it. Best not mention it to Artemis, alcoholic chocolates were enough to set her off, actual love potion would have her reporting him. "Could be, would make sense. Blasted wizarding food, you see why I prefer the muggle stuff." Fighting down the heat in his cheeks he moves on, "As in, ignorance is bliss? Or that you can be as passionate about it as she is?" He shakes his head, "It's all about fear anyways. Not that they would admit it. Fear of extinction I think. I mean, there are millions of muggles, and you occasionally get a muggle born wizard out of them. The number of mixed blood are growing all the time too, but 'Pure Blood' isn't. It's like if you had Leopards and Panthers. They look different but they are the same animal and can interbreed, but the result is a Panther with some very faint Leopard markings. It's like they see themselves as the Leopards and there aren't many Leopards left. If Interbreeding keeps going long enough, you'll just have Panthers left with the occasional Panther having some faint hints of Leopard. They're afraid of extinction." Lan says, putting what he's deduced out there, "Not that the difference between a pure blood and a muggle born is as obvious as a Panther and Leopard. I'm not, given two people, there's any way to determine heritage, so this pending extinction is all in their heads. Not that that makes a difference. In a way it makes it worse. The monster you imagine is always scarier than the one you see." He follows her towards the desk. "There's a cultural component to it too, along the same lines." He shakes his head, "Sometimes the only way to win is to not play the game. So I've been trying to stay out of it. Not that it's helped. Emi was quick to jump to the conclusion of me hating, or being embarrassment of her and you."
Elspeth can't help the little giggle at Lan's deprecation of wizarding food, and she slides a hand up the books to cover her mouth to cover it. "I am perhaps not being as open about my passions as Emi is being," she admits quietly to his question. "I wish I was not understanding, because then it would not be bothering me so much." Then she's quiet to listen to him as she approaches the desk, and puts them up for the librarian to take, waiting until she gets the nod, and then she starts back towards the door, her hands now finding purchase on the strap of her book back, curling around it and tugging it slightly more towards the center of her body. "When you are seeing something, then you are able to … fight against," her eyebrows raise to see if she is grammatically correct even though she continues, "it, if you are needing to fight. When you are not, able to see something, then you are not knowing how to defend yourself if you are needing it. I am not thinking, however, that 'breeding' is being something that people need to be fighting. I am understanding what you are saying," she adds reassuringly. "But I think I am also understanding… the fear."
Noalan waits for her to finish with her books. Perhaps it's time to take gist own advice and drop the conversation again. He nods at her word choice and then shrugs, "Makes it almost sound like animal husbandry. Forced breeding regiments to get the population up with the desired traits. Though, I'd bet there are some people who'd love to bring back the days of arranged marriages." He hesitates, then follows her back towards the door.
Elspeth grins as she glances over to Lan. "I have heard it said that some families are still arranging marriages. Maybe you should be being careful, your parents might be arranging for you to be marrying Nott." There's a teasing glint in her eye as she turns to put her back into the door and open it. She pauses when it's all the way open, something outside the window has caught her eye, and she blushes. "I have… something I need to be telling you," she tells him slowly.
Noalan looks to consider this for a moment, "A Not eh? I am partial to red heads." But she is a slytherin, and everyone knows they aren't to be trusted. He pauses when she does, "and what's that?" he asks following her gaze.
Watching out the window, Elspeth doesn't see a return of what caught her eyes, but she steps forward enough the let the library door swing shut. She misses the partiality as she bites her lip and turns to Lan. "Evelyn has given me a broom for Christmas. I was not knowing she was going to buy me one… it's… a Cleansweep Three." Her lips pull together and to one side, and her eyes seem to show contrition as they flick to him, then away as she steps towards the window.
Noalan looks froth window to her then back to the window as it takes her attention again. What is she looking at. "Oh…" He takes a second to think about this, "You did keep it, right?" He has to ask, mostly just worried about a repeat lecture.
Elspeth nods slowly. "Of course I am keeping it. I feel bad that I was being mad at you that day. And feeling even worse now that she has given me a broom." She reaches the window and looks out, but her eyes are just staring straight through the window, and not down towards the flyer trying out their own broom across the snow below them. She lets go of her book back strap, and rests her palms on the window casement. "That is being why… I should be careful of showing my feelings too much…" a little smile flits across her face. "Red heads," she repeats quietly. "But I am really liking the present you gave me for Christmas. It is being much better than a broom. Do you think we can be making the fishes carry messages to the other paintings? Does the crane go flying into your painting, also?"
Noalan just shrugs, "Not a big deal. I quite like what I managed to find." Not to mention even a third of the wall hanging set, if not already more valuable than a broom, it eventually will be. The advantage of art over tech. Even the most state of the art technomancy will eventually be out done and ware out. "Ya, Lorraine is a red head right? By far my favorite hair color." Hard to tell if he's teasing or flirting. "Ya, I've seen all the animals at one point or another. Not sure about messages though, I've never thought to try."
Elspeth nods. "Maybe we can be figuring out a way. That would be… fun." She turns a little, leaning one hip against the casement. "With so many red heads being in the school, it will be making it very difficult for you to be making a decision which one you are liking best," she muses, raising her eyebrows at him as her eyes drop their seriousness for the time being.
Noalan considers it, "It's this worth a try. I'm not very well versed in artistic magic though." He keeps his face innocent over her next comment, "Will it? I hadn't thought so, but at least it's a nice problem to have. Perhaps I can sort by eye color…"
Elspeth nods with mock solemnity. "Yes, you are being a very lucky man," she agrees quite amiably. She gives a little grin, then finishes turning, so that she can lean back against the window casement, one hand finding it's way back to her bookbag strap to pull it a little more comfortably, the other hand on the sill. "I will talk with Professor Viridiun, and see if he can be teaching me. He helped me with making your Christmas present… did you like it?" her eyes turn to his again, looking. "I will be trying with two other pieces of art, first. I do not want to be damaging ours."
Noalan nods back unironically. "Yup." Enough of that! There's been no chocolat. "Oh yes, I've been considering using it to try to build a miniature one. It would be no clockwork owl, but would be fun to try. Maybe make it grind pepper or something. But, ya, best to test on something less culturally significant."
Elspeth smiles, almost relieved that he professes to like the charmed picture she made for him. "It is being a start, and it would be a fun way to be grinding your pepper. Or maybe you can be putting little edges in there and it can be shredding paper." She shrugs, and lifts her other hand to her book strap. "If you are wanting help, I would be happy to be lending a hand. I need to be going to ready myself for Quidditch practice. It is being my first practice with a new broom." Her lips curve a little bit into a smile… a glow of anticipation in her eyes.
"Sure, I have a feeling Evelyn will invite you over during the summer." Lan winces at the mention of quidditch, "Hope you have better luck than we had. Of course if you could go ahead an loose to hufflepuff, beat gryffindor, and loose to slytherin, it would really help our chances." He jokes.
Elspeth gives a rueful little smile, and reaches out a hand to give his arm a squeeze. "You really were being quite brilliant," she tells him sincerely. "It was being too bad that your seeker was not being able to catch the snitch." She drops her hand, and then takes her other one from the strap so they are both free. *I will look forward to seeing you at dinner. Enjoy your afternoon*