| Details for Letters at Breakfast |
| Summary: | Elspeth's mood might actually be improving. She has a fairly normal chat with Evelyn and Luke until the morning mail arrives, bringing two anonymous letters along with a package of biscuits from home. |
| Date: | 18 June, 1938 |
| Location: | Great Hall |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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Elspeth has her hair pulled back from her face with a blue and bronze alice band she picked up in Hogsmead over the weekend. Her expression is actually somewhat relaxed, as she reaches for the toast in the middle of the table, and spreads some berry jam on it. The shell fragments from the softboiled egg she's already eaten sit on the plate in front of her. *What are you doing today?* she signs the question to Evelyn after setting her toast down to reach for her juice.
It's a moment or two before Evelyn answers, chewing on a piece of toast while she thinks on Elspeth's question. -I do not have any plans yet. Except reading and looking into a few different potions that I was curious about.- She reaches over for an egg for herself. Once the shell is off, she asks of Elspeth, -What are your plans for the day?-
Hufflepuff. Its a strange word. But they do enjoy food and breakfast is a time of great rejoicing. Luke's put on quite a little bit of meat to his bones since he's come to Hogwart's. The good food, excercise, fresh air.. yep.. he's becoming quite the strapping young lad. Voracious for life. That's him. He's also.. terribly curious what those two Ravenclaws are doing. He walks over to them and..cants his head. "Are you two.. signing?" He's pretty sure nobody here is deaf. Right?
Elspeth looks up, and for a moment that glance is wary, until she recognizes the boy. "You are being Luke?" she asks curiously, a little smile pulling at one corner. "The Luke that Emi is talking about?" She nods once to his question. "I am Elspeth, and this is b- this is Evelyn. We are-" she pauses and her eyes lower as she thinks, then nods her head. "We do like to use Sign Language sometimes." She picks up her toast and turns to answer Evelyn's question verbally. "I am not having plans, yet. Which potions?"
As Luke approaches, asking about them signing, Evelyn lowers her gaze and stares intently at the egg, as if it's the most interesting thing at the table. She blushes a little. She doesn't get people asking oftion about using sign language. She glances up as her name is given and she gives a little shy smile, though her gaze quickly goes back down to the egg. When Elspeth asks her about the potions, she says, even my shyly than usual with her friend, "Well…ummm…there's um…you know…hair potions and um…Amortentia and uh…yeah." She murmurs her words, hoping that they're difficult to hear.
Luke seems to mouth 'being Luke' puzzledlike to himse then ohs. Seemingly appreciative. "That's great actually. I don't have any deaf relations myself but its good to learn. In fact.. I'd be keen on it sometime if you'd be willing to let me join in." He smiles and looks to Evelyn. "My name's Luke, yeah. Keeper for the house team." Hufflepuff, clearly. Or so his attire suggests. "You need a hair tonic?" He looks to Evelyn's hair. "Potions are sort of my thing."
At Evelyn's mention of hair potions, Elspeth's expression goes through a few changes, but the overall one at the end is softer, somewhat appreciative. "It is being all right," she tells her friend. "It is all right," she corrects right after, then she grins up at Luke, bouyed by her friend's concern for her. "I knew I was knowing you from somewhere. You are looking different without your keeper gear." The girl probably tried quite often to put the quaffle past him, and maybe even succeeded during their game this year.
Evelyn shakes her head slightly at Luke. "It's….it's…not for" She sighs and keeps her eyes on the egg, picking up her fork and taking off a bit of egg with it. Stuffing it in her mouth, she chews and glances up between Luke and Elspeth briefly. After swallowing, all she can seem to muster up for a moment is, "I like potions too."
Luke ohs. Well. Foot in it that time. He looks to Elspeth and smiles. "You do alright. Good games those. I'll miss them. Only two years left you know?" He thingk on that a moment then eventually shrugs. Its not a happy thought. He ssems to enjoy it here.
Elspeth blushes to Luke. "Thank you. You could maybe become a professinal Quidditch player?" she suggests. "Then you would not be missing- Oh… Emi was saying that you are wanting to be an auror," she remembers. She glances over to Evelyn, and gives a nod. "Maybe we can be teaching you, too. Evelyn speaks very well with the language." She looks up as a flurry of feathers as owls begin to enter through the high windows. A broader smile crosses her face a small box from home is dropped into her hands. She looks down to open it, blinking in surprise as two more letters drop next to her plate as she unties the strings.
Evelyn looks at Elspeth a little, tilting her head at teaching. She never imagined that she'd end up teaching people sign-language. After all, she only needed it because she was, once upon a time, deaf. She gives a little shrug at the suggestion, but that's all for now. "Auror?" She speaks up eventually, curious. It's not something she considered doing, but it's an interesting career choice none-the-less. As her friend gets the package and the letters, though, she looks curiously toward her.
Luke gives a shrug at that. "Well. Hoping. Both seem a little far fetched as goals so I thought I'd try for both and see which one I get, you know? Best not to put all your eggs in one basket." He nods to Evelyn. "I did manage to get an internship so.. maybe its not /that/ far fetched."
"Would you like to have a biscuit?" Elspeth asks Luke as she automatically holds the box across the table to Evelyn. She lets her housemate take the box to pass on if his answer is yes. "I do not think either of them is be- is farfetched. If you are wanting to do them, than you can do them." She turns to the letters curiously, opening the first one and reading as she takes a bite of her toast.
This warning should not be necessary. The situation is known by everyone, yet you remain. Why are you here? Are you another that hopes to bathe in the waters of the fountain and catch yourself a prize above your station? Very well. I have always been one to hold deeds over birth, so I shall offer a test. If you are desirous of a reprieve then your task is to find a way to break the Gryffindor House Points hourglass, then take two of the rubies and throw them down the hidden Garden well. If you should fail to do this, it would be better to flee.
The False Fortune
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Accepting the box as she listens to both Luke and Elspeth, Evelyn holds the box out to look so he can take a biscuit, should he want. She remains quiet for the time being, keeping her eyes off of those around her. Apparently the egg, still not completely eaten, is quite fascinating to the Eibon girl. Though that immediately changes as Elspeth opens one of her letters. Curious friends want to know what's going on!
Luke laughs. "Somehow I don't think an auror will have the free time to be a professional quidditch player." Still.. nah.. but maybe.. "Maybe I could get us together a casual team though…" Yes.. Aurors versus the Hit squad? Tempting. He reaches for a biscuit while he ponders the logistics of it.
Elspeth shakes her head to Luke, but as she lowers the letter, her chewing freezes. She folds it back up, and sets it next to her plate. Bracing her palms against the table, she finishes chewing, swallowing, then takes a drink of juice before she turns resolutely to the second letter.
Placing the package back down in front of her, Evelyn looks up at Luke, curious at what he has to say. However, she goes quickly back to eating the egg. It's not going to eat itself, after all! That's when she notices Elspeth's reaction to the lett she was reading. "Elet?" She looks at her with concern.
Luke eventually drags himself from his introspections and looks to Elspeth when Evelyn does. Curiouser and curiouser?
Elspeth shakes her head as she unfolds the second letter. "It is just being some pureblood thinking they are funny," she says quietly. There's a stirring of some stronger fire in the back of her eyes, though. A look that something at last is starting to stir up the fight in her for the 'accidents' she has been patiently bearing the past few weeks.
False wolf, ignore The Fortune.
Even if you leave the castle now YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE THIS CASTLE.
There is no well. The Fortune is false. Pray for the end.
There is no trial. The Pack is coming. Keep silent.
STAY AWAY FROM THE WELL! It is not for you.
The dark is falling. Do you hear the sirens?
Too late. Pray for the end.
Signed, The Decreed Statue
Remember The King
Evelyn winces at the thought of what could be in the letters. "Do…what…I mean…" She takes a deep breath. "'Funny'?" As if she really needs clarification on the matter. "Which umm…who?" She's bound to at least know the family, having seen them at plenty of the events that pure-blood families seem to like to have. Even if she is a half-blood, living with a pure-blooded uncle helps her to see many of the other families at functions. She possibly even ran into this person at a function or two outside of school. "What um…what did they say?" She whispers.
Luke rolls his eyes. "Does it matter?" Clearly, he's not happy either even if it wasn't sent to him. "I burn 'em. You should to. They aren't worth reading or repeating. In fact, ooh, I know what we should do. We should have a letter burning day. Have all the.. hate mail.. brought together in one spot and have a nice bonfire. Invite everyone who thinks these people are off their nut to come. Hot chocolate for all."
Elspeth shakes her head. "They are being too much coward to be signing their names," Elspeth replies, neither lowering nor raising her voice as she finishes the second letter, although she is a little pale. She looks up and manages a weak grin to Luke as she tucks the letters away. "I am liking hot chocolate," she admits. She picks up her toast to take a bite, but then she sets it back down, seemingly full, now. Instead she reaches for some ham, and wraps it in a napkin. "I think I am going to go feed Neko, now. I will be seeing you later." She offers a brief glance and tries to smile politely for Luke and gives her friend a shrug as she steps over the bench.
"Elet…but…don't go." Evelyn murmurs, reaching toward her friend. It may already be too late, but it doesn't stop her from trying to reach her friend. She frowns and looks at the box of biscuits. Looking up at Luke, she murmurs, "I should go after her…" She hugs the package close to her and starts to scurry after her friend to see if she's okay.