| Details for Tell Me, Beneath The Sky |
| Summary: | Donovan comes across Evie in the boathouse. They discuss their plans for the future. |
| Date: | Jan 21, 1938 |
| Location: | Boathouse |
| Related: | - |
| Characters |
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It's a bit after dinner, but before curfew. It's cold out and the snow isn't helping. The boathouse, at least, wards from the worst of it and has some charms to keep it from being too cold. Eibhlin has been struggling to find a place to capture some alone time in the castle, so this is the best compromise she has. Unfortunately, the weariness of the day has gotten to her and she's dozed off while reading. Posted up to the side, bundled up against the cold, her head is tipped back against the wall as she naps. Next to her, lying open is the white-covered book she's been reading off and on.
Donovan seems to have had a similar idea, his much heavier than normal bookbag, and a broom are in his hands as he closes the door to the boathouse. He stashes the broom behind a barrel and then walks cautiously through the boathouse, looking out for anyone who might be… well hiding in a cubby with a friend playing a kind of hockey with their tongues. It's then that he sees the little redhead and smiling walks over to her and sits down carefully, he glances at the book she's got open… sure that he should close it so that the binding isn't ruined he picks it up and then looks for a bookmark to keep her place… maybe glancing at a few of the words.
The book is in Welsh, which may be why Eibhlin's a bit more careless with it than she ought to be. It's translated from English, mind, but this particular copy is in Welsh. Much of it is written in an older style, but there are clearly… adult concepts that many would have a young, impressionable mind believe are only 'modern' in thinking. For one flipping through just for the dirty words, 'fuck' is one liberally used. Lady Chatterley's Lover seems to be the title, written by a D.H. Lawrence. Evie, utterly unaware of Donovan's presence, snoozes on. At least she's not snoring.
Glancing from the book to Evie and then back again, Donovan blinks. Finding Evie's bookmark he closes the book and then pulling out his wand casts a warming charm on Evie's sleeping form and himself. He then pulls out his charms homework and begins to read the book flipping back and forth every few minutes as if cross referencing statements. The book is dog eared and well worn by now… although that could just be that Donovan picked it up second hand.
The warming charm seems to have done enough to make Eibhlin more comfortable, but that shift also causes her to start to wake. "Mrm?" Half-mumbled statements are the first sign that she's starting to stir. Eyes of a blue-green flutter open and the Ravenclaw looks around in a mild confusion. She starts a bit upon spotting Donovan next to her and suddenly grows a bit sheepish. The book is grabbed up and pulled close. "I… ah… guess I'm not getting enough sleep."
Looking up from his book, Donovan smiles at Evie, "Sleeping beauty wakes up." He makes no move to show that he is interested in the book she's been reading, "You can sleep for a bit, though it's getting a little close to curfew for that maybe… you looked like you needed it." He shrugs slightly.
A yawn is stifled with a balled up fist and Eibhlin continues to look a bit sheepish. Her bag sits off to the side with her potions text on top of it. Likely she was reading that before the other book. "Guess I need to stop saying up so late to read," she decides, shifting a bit to sit up straighter. "I think I'm good now. Just a little… resting of the eyes." A glance over to Donovan, "What are you doing down here? I thought… it'd be a quiet spot."
Donovan shrugs, "Library gets old after a little while, figured I'd stop in after practice and get some studying done without thirds whispering all around me and everyone else wondering why I'm studying at all." He's leaned back against another barrel, his charms book on his lap, "I would think you'd be off with Quinn."
Another rub at her eyes and Eibhlin clears them of sleep. "You should ignore them," she offers of those in the library. "Doesn't matter who you are… someone's gonna be saying something about you. Chances are it won't be nice." These are the things she has been learning since the holiday break. There's a glance over to the Gryffindor and she looks back to her lap, finally switching the white book out for her potions text. "We've got our own things going on, too."
"I do… it just gets hard to ignore things sometimes… and I get to feeling like I just want to punch someone." Donovan looks up at the roof, "So I figured it was best if I take a night off of ignoring them… just to clear my head." He glances back down at at Evie. "I know it's not really my place to ask… but you two dating then?"
"Ah… like how I usually feel around Jackson." The punching, that is. Mind, Eibhlin throwing a punch would likely be either hilarious, or utterly adorable. Physical she is not. The redhead frowns a bit at the question, but shrugs the expression away. As she flips pages in her potions text — heavily notated in her hand — she glances towards the Gryffindor. "We… we are. We… decided to try things again. We dated for a bit when I was in fourth year." If dated could be the word for awkwardly trying to be a couple without being open with one another at all.
Donovan nods his head as she confirms his suspicion. He closes the book after a minute more his fingers keeping his place, "Look… I realize that I don't have any say in this… but I've… heard things about the guy… just… be, be careful alright? I would hate to see you get hurt."
Eibhlin bites her lip a bit as she listens. She fiddles with a worn corner of a page in her text. One of the oft-used ones she has. There's a glance to Donovan and she asks, in a quiet voice: "What things?"
Donovan shakes his head, "It's not my place to divulge such things. I cannot prove their veracity so I would rather not say them and be thought a liar." He runs his free hand through his hair and then shakes his head, "What I can say, is what I have seen. He seems to be the sort that would fawn over you for a time… then get bored once the chase has been had."
"I see…" Eibhlin is quiet for a moment, mulling this over. She looks down to her book, trying to read. She really just stares blankly at the pages. "It's… not quite like that for us. Maybe… maybe he's had his reasons to be like that with others."
Donovan just nods his head and flips his book back open. He has given his warning, weather Evie chooses to ignore it is totally up to her. Okay, he's not that unfeeling he just doesn't want to press the issue and alienate his friend.
Eibhlin chews on her lip still, but seems a bit relieved that Donovan hasn't pushed the issue. She flips to another recipe in the potions text, skimming it over. Thumbnail scratches at the page a bit. "How's your charms work going?"
"Better." Donovan says with a bit of a shrug, he knows he isn't likely to be the best in the class, but in truth he has made considerable strides towards improvement and he's quite proud of it. "How is your Transfiguration?"
"It's… getting there. I'm starting to think if I shouldn't just chalk it up as a loss and focus on something else instead." Eibhlin wrinkles her nose a little at the thought. Discomfitted by the concept of -giving up- on a class. She does look over to the Gryffindor. "Think you'll be able to pass the OWL?"
"You know this may sound strange… but I don't care about passing the OWLs… I am doing this because I want to know more. School… it doesn't matter, what matters is what you know and how you can apply it out there." Donovan points towards the forest. "When you're out in the real world trying to survive you don't… offer to show them your grades."
"What do you think you'll need to survive?" Eibhlin inquires, glancing in the direction of the forest. "I… I just want to have the best set of grades for when I finish here and have to find a career."
"Well, I'm going to get on a quidditch team." Donovan says, it's a fact he knows he's good enough. "But how long is that going to last? 15… maybe 20 years? Then what? I want to be able to do something after that."
"That's what you should try to figure out," Eibhlin murmurs softly, plucking at her skirt a bit. Perhaps finding fuzz there. Many of her housemates have cats. "If… if you're not wanting to worry about grades, that counts the Ministry out. Most departments require certain scores."
"Oh, I want to do something that matters." Donovan says, "So… I wouldn't join the ministry really… I've been thinking about making brooms maybe."
Eibhlin snorts softly in amusement. "Suppose their work matters in a different way. The Ministry isn't all about the politics…" She shifts a little, stretching legs out. Ankles are shifted and rotated, keeping up blood flow. "Broom making takes years of study and practice, doesn't it?"
Donovan glances at Evie, his lips in a slight downturn. He then looks down again, "It does." Is all he says in response to Evie's obvious belief that he could never have the dedication for such a thing.
There's a wince and Eibhlin realizes — a moment too late — what she's implied. "I just… if you're looking for something to do right after Quidditch… broom-making might not be good. Isn't there a good maker in Diagon? Maybe… you could start interning now?"
"I will have the entire duration of my time as a quidditch player to hone my other skills… I will then bring a name worth attaching to the brooms when I do quit playing." Donovan says politely.
"I… I dunno, Don," Eibhlin says softly, frowning distantly. "Isn't being a professional Quidditch player more time-consuming than playing while at school? Would you have the time to dedicate? They're… they're both full-time crafts."
"I'm sure it'll be a lot of work." Don looks up at Evie and meets her eyes, the look in them determined, resolute.
Eibhlin draws in a slow breath, studying Donovan for a moment. She closes her potions text, letting hands fall into lap around the small volume. "Is… that why you've been doing all the extra studying lately?"
Donovan nods his head, "I realized over the break… and after ward a little bit that… I wanted more." His lips quirk slightly, "Besides, I was told that Quidditch was all I talked about and… some people didn't like that."
"Winterbourne?" Eibhlin makes the assumption easily enough. It's one of those she's seen Donovan with that she snows for a fact isn't interested in Quidditch in the least. "It's… a thing of habits. Studying, working. Even on the subjects you dislike… I have little care at all for History, but I know it's important and I should do well in it. So I set aside the time to work on it also." She looks thoughtful, "Small rewards work. Do… your least favorite studies before your favorite, so you can feel refreshed."
Donovan laughs and then shakes his head, "Oh gosh… that would never work for me. Small rewards or doing my least favorite first…" He shrugs, "No… like I said, I'm not worried about the grades, I'm just learning the things that I think will be useful to me."
"Useful or not," Eibhlin says with a small shrug, "it can still suck to learn. Herbology is important for me in Potions, but I hate it." She gives a small smile, "Just trying to help. I know Charms frustrates you, but I understand the desire to learn it…"
Donovan nods, and then glances outside, "I should get back to school before a prefect finds me out after curfew." He grins, "I'll see you around Shine."
Eibhlin's lips quirk in a bit of amusement. "Just so long as it's not a Gryffindor Prefect." She starts to get to her feet as well. The teen brushes off her skirt and begins packing things into her satchel. "Let me know next time you want to study."
"Sure, have a good one." Donovan says with a wave as he heads out.