(1938-12-17) Caramels and Secrets
Details for Caramels and Secrets
Summary: Andromena, Eibhlin and Augustin talk secrets; hypothetically.
Date: 1938-12-17
Location: Art Gallery
Related: Various logs in the Strange Defense plot.
Characters
AndromenaAugustinEibhlin

It's not that surprising that Gus is here, sketching one of the suits of armor. He's whistling while he does it, and his back is to the door.

The Art Gallery is, if nothing else, generally quiet and free of too many people and its that reason along with its relative closeness to her own common room that Eibhlin has chosen here to head. Studying seems to be the name of the game with her bookbag slung over her shoulder.

"Study, study, study," Gus says, when he turns around and sees her entering with her books. He grins at her. "That's all you ever do," he teases.

Eibhlin blinks, looking up not having noticed Augustin at first. Blue eyes settling on the boy she offers him a smile as she moves to take the seat beside him. "Well I have plans for break," for once, "I have to study sometime," she explains.

"My parents want to go to France to visit their family," Gus says, frowning a little bit. "I told them I wanted to stay and visit with friends in London." He shrugs and looks down at his drawing. "They're not totally convinced, yet."

Eibhlin nods as she slips the strap of her back from her shoulder, lowering the bag to let it sit on the floor beside her. Digging out a notepad and a runes text she leaves the rest to sit as she flips open the book to a premarked page, placing the book mark between subsequent pages for safekeeping. "Well," she comments in reply, "If you can't make it, you can't. Its not the end of the world." Disappointing, yes. "Its not as if they've said no either.." Right?

"Ehhhhhh," Gus sighs, and leans back on the bench. "I'll make it," he tells her. "I promise." Then he turns to look at her and tilts his head. "So… was… your birthday… last Friday?" he asks slowly. "Because someone told me that it was… but that someone wasn't you and I thought to myself, Self, I thought, Why would she not mention her birthday, and thus deny me the chance to give her a treat?"

Eibhlin nods, a finger scanning down the page of her book as she searches for a particular section of text. The mention of her birthday brings her to a pause however. "Yes," she admits, "And.. I guess I just didn't think about it."

"Mmhm," Gus says, nodding his head. "You're very self-deprecating, like that." He reaches into his pocket. "I got you something," he says. "Shall I give it to you?"

Eibhlin turns half a smile towards him, lifting a shoulder in a light shrug at the comment. Maybe she is. "You di-" she starts, but stops herself there. They've been through that conversation before. "If you like," she agrees closing her notepad in the book and setting it beside her for the time being to turn towards him.

Gus leans in and kisses her, smiling the entire time. "Happy birthday," he whispers against her lips. Then when he draws back again, he's holding a little tin of chocolate caramels in his hand, wrapped in a red ribbon.

Eibhlin is a little surprised at the kiss, but only for a moment. She wasn't exactly expecting it, but she doesn't pull away and does return. "Thank you," she replies quietly even before the caramels are noticed. "Its perfect."

Augustin laughs a little, and there might be a bit of a blush. "Wow, am I really that good?" he asks, teasing again. "I feel like my ego is inflating." He laughs again. "Or something," he murmurs, shifting how he's sitting and adjusting his robes as inconspicuously as he can. Pay nooooooooo attention THERE'S CHOCOLATE CARAMELS LOOK AT THOSE INSTEAD!

Eibhlin laughs, "I meant the candy," she teases back even as she reaches to take the tin off his hands. "Don't let it go to your head." Resting the tin on her own lap she pulls the ribbon to untie it and allow the box to open, which she does next. Selecting one she pops it in her mouth, nodding towards the still open tin to offer him one as well.

Gus takes one of the candies and puts it into his mouth. "Thank you," he says. "So what else did you do for your birthday?" he asks.

Andromena enters the art gallery without much to-do. Her reasons for being there are her own, but when she spies Eibhlin seated with Augustin, a smile alights upon her features and she makes her way over to them. "Hey there, you two. Can you believe the workload for this week already?" She pushed her hand into her hair. "I've barely had the time to even speak two words to Alphard." Which was oh, such a travesty!

Eibhlin gives a slight nod. There was that - cake. The redhead turn to look back in the other direction to find Andromena when she announces her presence. "Hey," she replies, around the candy in her mouth. Then, after swallowing, "There's SO much," she agrees on the workload. "And here I try to find a place to study and get distracted by caramels," she adds, noting the tin, "And told I study too much," of course there's a teasing quality to her voice.

"Just caramels?" Gus asks, pretending to be vastly disappointed. He smacks an open palm to his heart and sighs. "Ah! The sting of a fair maiden's dismissal doth burn overmuch. How shall I bear this?"

Andromena blinks at Augustin's theatrical behavior. Well…he was a Hufflepuff. "One can never 'study too much'," Andromena says with an air of knowing. What did the lad expect? They were two Ravenclaws. Taking a seat, Andromena exhales a small sigh. The young woman really had been busy all day, and had even woken up earlier than was usual to help Carrow catch himself a rabbit-that-was-not-a-rabbit. Which…she was now forced to take care of. Every Ravenclaw was in for a surprise later when they met Chuckles in the Common Room. "So what are you…trying to work on?"

Eibhlin laughs, "Yes, the caramels. That you gave me." She doesn't go so far as to stick her tongue out at Augustin, but the thought is there as likely heard in her words. Looking back to Andromena she replies, "Runes," with a nod towards her not quite forgotten book.

Gus laughs. "All study and no play makes Ravenclaws a dull House," he tells the girls in a tut-tutting sort of tone. "You're children. Act like it once in a while, eh? We should do something fun. Like…" he grins slyly at them. "…talk about secrets."

Andromena made a greatly exaggerated show of leaning forward, elbows on her knees, as she looked toward Gus. Her brows arched high upon her forehead. "Secrets, is it? What sort of secrets?" And she and Evie were hardly dull! In fact, Andromena was positively interesting, how could no one else see it!? She shared a grin with Eibhlin, but as yet was not certain if Gus was hinting toward the castle or something more mundane and related to the school.

Eibhlin gives a slightly exaggerated sigh for Gus. She's hardly dull! If she were, well then why are they dating again? "Yes," she agrees with Andromena, a smile creeping to her lips, "What sort of secrets?"

"The sort of secrets that take you to far-away castles," Gus says. He raises his eyebrows at them and tilts his head to one side.

"I wouldn't know anything about such a thing,' Andromena said in a voice just a touch higher than was necessary. "But if I did, I would just have all sorts of interesting things to say, I should think." Her grin is conspiratorial. "For instance…I might talk about some riddle I was trying to puzzle out. It would probably be written in ancient runes, because what secret castle would be any fun if you didn't have to work for its treasures? Hypothetically speaking."

"Hypothetically speaking," Eibhlin begins, to use Andromena's words, "I'm sure there would be all sorts of interesting things to consider," she agrees with the other girl, sending her a sidelong glance. "And riddles would be a good start."

"How do you know this hypothetical castle even has treasures?" Gus asks, leaning back casually. "After all, maybe it was sacked by Vikings. Or perhaps it's been the tomb of an unspeakable monster, or the prison of a powerful Dark wizard. What if you go through all that trouble only to open a veritable Pandora's Box?" He pauses and grins at them. "Hypothetically speaking, of course."

"I should think," Andromena counters. "That if a couple of students out of Hogwarts manage to unlock to secrets to the prison of a dark wizard or some other, equally nasty creature, then the original wizards weren't all that great. More to the point, if some piddly riddles and spells are all that hold said baddie…then it can't be that bad, right?" Andromena considers this carefully, and waves aside the notion of Viking raids as it was the least of their concerns. That would just mean the castle was devoid of any gold or silver!

Eibhlin shrugs, "Treasures aren't always monetary," she points out. "And she has a point," nodding towards Andromena, "If a handful of students could unlock it…" Well then whomever locked it or it was holding could be all that good.

"Well… I guess that's true," Gus says a little slowly. "But… what about booby-traps? Like, flying biting things?"

"Once bitten, twice shy," Andromena touts. "We're going to be much more cautious. I've managed to supply us with some antidotes and minor potions for any scrapes anybody might receive." Though, fingers crossed, nothing like that happened. "And now that I'm helping madam Spleen in the infirmary, there's a spell I've been attempting to learn I hope she'll help me master." So they had their white mage of the party. Alphard was probably a designated damage dealer, since Andromena could not be certain yet if it was right to classify him as a tank. And the rest of their little party…yet to be seen!

Eibhlin nods. "Precautions would be taken," she agrees. "Potions, spells… we'd take the time to 'study' up for it." Purposely using the word study given the boy's prior teasing of them for it. "If there was such a secret that is."

"I want to come, next time," Gus says, giving up all pretense and hypotheticals. "Another pair of eyes and another wand can't hurt, can it?" He chuckles at Eibhlin, not missing the turn of phrase. "What can I do to help?" he asks.

Andromena nods. It had already been discussed with Alphard, and he was okay with Gus coming along…even if he did make some vague mention of punching him. "I agree. We just have to be very careful when talking about it," her hand waves about, to encompass all of them. "Like this." Personally, Andromena was just BURSTING to tell her cousin, but she refrained. Maybe later. Maybe.

"Well, Evie and I have ancient runes down. I wouldn't turn my nose up at anybody brewing a spare potion here or there if they think it might be useful." She couldn't just concoct something whenever she wanted! "Alphard's been doing extra research in DADA as well. What say you, Evie?"

"I think you about covered it," Eibhlin replies to Andromena, nodding. She had tried to avoid telling Gus about it to begin with even if she had wanted to share, but sometimes you just can't avoid things, and so here they are. "Potions would be useful though."

"Ehhhh," Gus says. "Potions isn't my best subject. That'd be Transfigurations, and Charms. I'm thinking of becoming an animagus," he says with a grin. "What animal would be best, you think? Dragon? Manticore?" But after a second he stops teasing. "Don't suppose a cracking good artist will be needed?" Now he just looks worried that he'll be useless.

"We may have need of all our skills, or perhaps the riddles and some pixies will be all that there is to get excitable over…" Though Andromena says it in such a way that indicates she would be really very disappointed if that were the case. In order to help Gus feel like he won't be quite so useless, she poses a question for him.

"At the doors, there are stands. Scattered around was trash; an hour glass, a doll, even a skull, among other things. Do you think any of it might be related?" She had her suspicions, of course, but no one could know for certain until they returned.

Eibhlin shakes her head at Gus' teasing. "You never know." They haven't run into any artistic needs yet, but its still early in the game. She has her theory on the contents of the room as well, but it can wait. "Any ideas?" she asks, turning her attention to the boy for his thoughts on the matter.

"How am I possibly supposed to answer that without seeing anything?" Gus asks them, quirking his eyebrows into a confused look.

"Oh," he had a point. Andromena recited one of the translated riddles for him, "To those within the dungeon I am joy. To those fully beneath my gaze, I can be Hell." It was the first one she had managed to get, with the help of her cousin Anthony. "So, I think it's the sun. But if things are supposed to be placed upon the pedestals to open the doors, I…can't quite recall all that was laying around. The star, maybe?"

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