| Details for We Can't All Be Morning People |
| Summary: | The Ravenclaws have varying methods for starting their day, consisting of falling down stairs, threatening small furry creatures, and playing with planks of wood. |
| Date: | 1939-01-26 |
| Location: | Ravenclaw Common Room |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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It's a cold Sunday morning, and Brody was up early enough that he was one of the first ones to the breakfast table - and one of the first ones to leave it. So now he's in the common room as normal people are still wandering groggily down to breakfast. He's sprawled out in front of the fireplace, wearing a pair of tan slacks and a bright green sweater, and in front of him is a slab of wood that some may mistake as a two by four. Mostly because it's pretty much a two by four. He's sanded it down though, so it's a smooth two by four, and it's currently hovering about an inch above the ground thanks to him holding his wand over it with a sustained spell.
Despite it being so early in the morning, Elizabeth is silently grateful that there is now classes today, though the next Hogsmeade isn't this weekend, but the following. Stifling a small yawn, Elizabeth pulls her robes a little closer around her as she makes her way into the commons, her bare feet leading her to her favorite spot by the fireplace, where there is a steady wave of warmth emitting from within. Leaning deeper into a chair, she absently glances to the plank of wood, giving it an odd glance while Brody practices with it, apparently.
Brody glances up when someone enters, and smiles at Elizabeth. "Hullo, Miss Dweedle, and good morning. I haven't talked to you in awhile. How was your holiday?" he asks, lowering his wand so that he can prop himself up on his elbows. The plank of wood remains hovering for a few seconds before dropping gently back to the rug. "I'm sorry I missed your party. I was stuck in Tip-town watching my sister that day."
As she's greeted, her expression softens as she uses one hand to absently brushes the loose waves in her raven locks away from her face. "Iolar. I'm doing quite well, considering." As he apologizes though she lightly shrugs a shoulder. "It can't be helped. Though if I ever do decide to throw another, you are certainly obligated to attend." The small smile is subtle, at one corner of her lips, but it's there.
Gage just doesn't do mornings very well. He could inhale two plates full of food if there was some nearby, but he has yet to drag himself down to the Great Hall. In comfortable pants and sweatshirt, his mop of blonde hair tangled together, Gage groans as he sluggishly exits the fourth years' dorm and attempts to tackle the stairs. The loud couple of thuds mean he utterly fails to descend them, and he's suddenly sprawled out at the base, wincing as he shifts lightly. Owwwww. "Feck," he croaks out, tired and now, in pain.
"Considering…?" Brody asks, fishing for more information. But he shakes his head and chuckles when she mentions his 'obligation'. "Aye, you might be right. Have you already gotten the next one all teed up then?" At the interruption of the sound of someone falling down the stairs, he pushes himself to his knees and peers over at the bottom of the boys' staircase. "You alright, there?" he's concerned enough to ask. Just not quite concerned enough to get up and rush over.
"Considering the Sykes Gala." Elizabeth murmurs calmly, knowing that that alone will be enough. That night had an impact on all of them after all. Still, his chuckle earns a small smile. "Oh no. Of course not. I'm not some socialite pureblood. These things take time and consideration." She dips her chin with a very matter-of-fact nod, though there's a little bit of a playful tone in her voice. Elizabeth looks up the same time Brody does, glancing over her shoulder, though another smile flickers across her soft lips in an instant. "You look comfortable."
"Ah, forgive me. Of course," Brody nods. And leaves it at that, getting back to cheerier things like teasing Elizabeth. "Wait, you're not?" he asks, feigning surprise. "And here I thought you were a part of all the hip happenings." He's still keeping part of his attention on the collapsed fourth-year in the stairwell, but at this point assumes he's not dead.
"Mmfph." Is all that Brody gets in response. Gage is too tired to register the voices, but he does shift his shoulders an inch, muttering as he squirms, "Fine," he utters out in a thick Irish accent. He pulls himself up awkwardly onto the steps, squinting towards the two students on the sofa. Apparently that's all he can open his eyes at this time of his day, letting out another groan as he scrubs a hand over his face. Letting out a grunt after Elizabeth's statement, he collapses back down so that he's leaning against the stairs, tilting back his head and using one of the steps as a pillow. Yea, Gage is so not ready to wake up.
Gage's prompt response, for what it's worth, amuses Elizabeth. Earning a small chuckle before the boy sits on the stairs of all places and lays down there. "You know, you can go back to bed if you wish." she murmurs lightly. And glancing back up at Brody, whatever small smile she does have becomes a hint of a smirk. "Oh yes, I'm the Ravenclaw personage. I know everyone and can get anything for anyone." She chuckles again. The absurdity of it all.
Brody smiles in Gage's direction before turning his attention back to Elizabeth. "Ohhh, really? Because I'm in the market for a butterbeer. Or I will be, in a few hours. And maybe some way to stay warm away from this fireplace, otherwise I'm afraid I might not move for the duration of the day," he chuckles.
Elizabeth chuckles quietly as the joke seems to progress on its own. "Butterbeer, hm?" she asks. "Unless there is a way to secretly spirit Butterbeer into the castle, I'm not sure if you may find your beverage of choice today. Though I wouldn't really blame you if you found it difficult to stray from the warmth of the fireplace. I'm always in such a position."
"Alas, guess I'm stuck here for the day then," Brody says with a dramatic sigh, shifting back to his stomach and pulling his wand out once again. "At least I've finished with my homework for the weekend already. This is more of a personal project. I've been trying to make this piece of wood into a… a toy, of sorts," he explains.
The young woman chuckles softly again, shaking her raven head gently. Honestly she isn't surprised to find that he's already finished with homework. It's such a rarity inside the Ravenclaw tower after all. "A toy, hm?" Elizabeth is curious, though she doesn't ask what it is. Not quite yet anyways. Lifting a hand, she absently brushes a hand through her loose mess of raven locks again.
"Yes. I was thinking it could float, and you could control it by tapping on different areas. So it would move in different directions?" Brody taps it with his wand to demonstrate, although all it does is cause the board to wobble a little. "I'm not quite sure what the point would be, but it's been fun to think about how something like that would work."
Elizabeth watches Brody with half-sleepy eyes still, quiet for several moments before she looks to the plank of wood, thoughtful. "Instead of making it float, perhaps if you settle your fingertips on certain areas on the surface, each finger could play a note. Like a piano. A keyless piano." she murmurs. It was a curious thing, but plausible.
Brody props his chin up with one fist and furrows his eyebrows at the plank. "That's not a bad idea. I don't know any sound sort of magic, though. Nor do I know how to play the piano. But I guess that's not necessarily the point? Except…" he frowns, the wheels turning in his head, "except that to make an instrument that really works, I'd probably have to know some theory around which sounds it'd need to make to get a full range of notes, so that people who /do/ know how to play music could actually use it. It'd be a much bigger project."
Lowe, Myrus.
He walks down from the boys tower, rather calm, and placid. Or both. He seemed… eerily content at the moment, shoving a piece of folded parchment into the inner pocket of his vest as he appears at the lower few stairs from up above and steps the last few stairs into the commons, looking around for noone in particular. People talking about music. Ah, Elizabeth. "Hello Liz." He says, again, dauntingly chipper about it all, especially considering the very low and dark mood he's been in, and to anyone with a trained eye or knows him very well, something seethes beneath his eyes right now. A calm fire burning hastily away with dark contemplations. "How is everyone?"
A small smile quietly tugs at one corner of her lips as she watches the wheels turn in Brody's head, the offered suggestion turning over more possibilities for him to discover. "An instrument that really works out of something you wouldn't expect to be an instrument. It could be a wonderful children's toy." she murmurs. "Maybe even a harp even? Or drums?" He's certainly right though. It's a bigger project than he anticipated. As Myrus enters the Commons proper, Elizabeth glances up at the boy and watches him quietly, even frowning subtly at his peculiar state of mind now. "Elizabeth." she instinctively corrects him. "How are you?"
"Drums could be fun…" Brody has half-left the conversation though, instead focusing on the wheels turning inside his head. He only snaps out of it when someone else enters - and manages to do so without falling down the stairs, at that! "Hullo, Myrus," Brody greets his year-mate. While normally more formal about what he calls people, they share a dorm. Their beds could even be next to each other. There's no room for formality when you live in that close of quarters. "You seem to have woken up on the right side of the bed." There's no irony in Brody's tone - he sounds genuinely happy that Myrus is happy.
Well, heading back to bed would require moving. But Gage has dozed off again, as uncomfortable as he looks sprawled out at the bottom of the stairs. Eventually he shifts, and he's curled up his legs as a groan escapes him. He's just not going to wake up right now, k'thanks.
"Quite unhinged, thanks Liz." He responds to Elizabeth. Obviously not accepting her correction at the moment. "Anyone have a-" He stops, looking at Brody as the 'right side of the bed' was mentioned, and the greeting right before.
"Oh, yes, the underside. Slept on the floor," he speaks quickly, like he knows this script quite well, "Reminded me of home, so I think that's why I slept better. Hard floor, and all. As I was saying," looking around, putting his hands on his hips, "Anyone have a small furry animal they plan on cooking up? I'd much like to do the honors of sparing it being cooked alive." Yes, he was in a place right now deep within his own anger, lathered up quite bubbley in a coccoon of pent up frustration. If his mood wasn't bad, his words would pick up the slack.
Myrus makes his way over to the couch, sitting on one unoccupied end and putting an arm over the back, leaning a little sideways so he could still maintain eye contact with the two that greeted him. Though having passed Gage on the floor, he looks over at the younger Ravenclaw, and smiles at him, but then returns his attention to Brody and Elizabeth, looking between the two like nothing was wrong at all in the world.
Elizabeth promptly gives Myrus a flat glance. However, it's his mention of animals that instantly sends up red flags. She frowns pointedly at him. Was he joking? She never can quite tell. And for a hesitant pause, she glances from him to Brody, hoping that perhaps he understood the joke and that she doesn't have anything to be alarmed about.
Brody chuckles at the joke, but it's half-hearted. He also reaches over to rub his cat's belly, since she's sprawled out by the fire within belly-rubbing distance. "Well, I don't mind floors, myself," he jokes, since he's currently laying on the floor. Just not sleeping. Could this be any more awkward? "Anyway, Miss Dweedle, I do like your idea. Maybe I'll head to the library later and see if I can find any books on the subject of using magic for music. Do you have anything you need to do in the library?"
Myrus looks between Elizabeth and Brody, figuring they didn't get it, but whatever! Not like it matters anyway, right? He looks at Brody's cat. "Oh, my apologies to your cat. I wasn't inferring your cat with that comment." He waves a hand to dismiss the cat as any possible meal in the future. "I'm in a bad mood still, don't mind me. Trying to pick up the pieces and I'm bad at puzzles." Metaphorically speaking, anyhow. "Library? Mind if I join you? I don't think any more time alone would be good for my health.. or any wandering cats, for that matter." A smile to Brody and a glance to his cat. Of course, a joke!
Elizabeth offers a small but polite smile before she gently pushes herself to her feet, rising. "I wish you luck on your search, though I think I might get out and walk around a bit. I'm still waking up and perhaps not fully cognitive. The fresh air will do me well." Her pale eyes glance to Myrus, from behind her wire-frames, and she visibly pauses. She's still concerned, but his turn of behavior is an odd kind that she isn't quite sure of quite yet. "Constructive, not destructive." Elizabeth murmurs, a small reminder. But she can't badger him any further than that. It isn't built into her. She gives them both a polite smile though, "Perhaps next we meet." Breakfast calls!
"Ah, alright then. Have a nice day!" Brody calls to Elizabeth as she starts to wander off. When he turns back to Myrus, his smile is still there. "No apologies necessary. What pieces need picking up, though? If you don't mind my asking. And of course you can join me in the library." He chuckles again at the cat-joke, but still has a hand on his own small fluffy creature. Kira would make a terrible meal.
Myrus stands up quickly, like he were spring-loaded. "Well then, let's not be late for nothing! And I can explain to you how women are the bane of any honest man's existance." He would start towards the door of the common room. "I think maybe ten years, I loved my cousin. And she goes behind my back, without telling me, I think, to love someone else. Not even a month and a half after we decided to become a public couple." A purt nod, as that was the long and short of it. "Any questions?" Like he were a teacher, telling a student the horrid truths of life.
Brody is less quick to his feet, but he does get to his feet. His wooden plank gets tucked under one arm like a book, and the cat gets left to enjoy her fiery pleasure. "Ah, a girl. Everything makes sense now," he says with a solemn nod. "Not that I would know, really, but… that would make sense. And that's rough. I'm sorry that happened." He trudges along after Myrus, headed for the door out into the hall. "No questions though, sorry I pried."