| Details for Fork Tactics |
| Summary: | A bit of breakfast at the Slytherin Table. |
| Date: | April 29th, 1939 |
| Location: | Hogwarts - Great Hall |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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It is a spring morning. The weather is warm and drizzling.
Braziers that hang by chains from the beaks of griffin gargoyles that line the walls where they meet the high vaulted enchanted ceiling offer warm illuminating blazes. Four long tables are evenly spaced with the heads of the table at the north and south of the room. Each table has a cloth runner down the center and a plush rug underneath of the different House colors indicating to which house the table belongs.
The most westerly table is the Slytherin table. Beside them is the Ravenclaw table. The Gryffindor table is then between the Ravenclaw table to the west and the Hufflepuff table which is the most easterly table. One other table along the northern wall up on a dais for the Professors to sit at and look over all four of the other tables. Also on the dais is one lectern gilded in gold with an owl spreading it's wings at the top of the lectern. Candles line the tops of the owl's wings to illuminate anyone speaking at the lectern. A stool like protrusion comes out of the lectern as well as that's where the first years sit when they are sorted.
There are three sets of doors in the Great Hall. The main exit and entrance that leads to the Entry Hall is a large set of double wooden doors carved with vines and flanked by high stone pedestals each set with a small brazier above the stony 'H' carved in the pedestal. On the eastern wall is a much smaller door just next to the dais that's attached to the antechamber the first years come up from the lake through. Lastly one other door is set into the northwest corner behind the High Table.
As always high above within the obscured stone and wood cathedral like buttresses and crockets the outside weather is reflected in an illusion with all the sound and visuals of the weather, just without the actual effects of it.
No one likes Tuesdays, they aren't as bad as the day after them, but still nothing fun ever happens on this day. It is still early and most students are filling into the Great Hall to eat, Zayn has yet to take his seat yet, since he is currently talking to a couple of younger students who had been, well behaving in a questionable way that Zayn didn't exactly approve of. Correcting them, he finally moves to his typical spot, straightening out his robes and adjusting his badge before pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"Shafiq…" Lucretia's greeting is quiet and low as she slips into a seat at the Slytherin table. She's taken to sitting with some of the older students of late, the girl setting down her plate of toast and mug of tea before settling her thick dark hair neatly back behind her ears. She makes no comment on the other younger students who are misbehaving, her mouth falling into a tight line as she picks up her knife, loads it with curd, and spreads it over her toast.
Soleil is sitting with Lillian and they have gathered some unwanted salad forks from fellow Slytherin around them. But they still need a couple more so she leans over to ask both Lucretia and Zayn, "Borrow your salad forks? Not as if they are needed for breakfast. Right?" A bit of a smile is offered to butter up those she's requesting from.
Zayn picks up his cup of coffee and takes a small sip. He has a way to always appear wake, even when he is tired. Even though he feels that he is dragging a bit today, he is sitting perfectly straight as he sips his coffee, "Black." he says in a warm greeting before sitting down his cup and picking up a slice of toast and some blueberry jam, then Soleil asks for a fork, looking at her, once he has finished jamming his toast, sits the knife down properly and offers her the fork, "Parkinson, dare I ask?" he says softly.
Lucretia cleans her knife off by dragging it over the crust of her toast then sets it down, replacing it with the fork. "I don't mind, I'm not using it." A small uplift of her shoulders is given as she slides it along the table to the older girl and a crunch sounds as she lifts her toast and takes a bite. Curiosity /does/ just show in her eyes however, a glance towards Zayn as he questions Soleil's need for them, then a glance towards the girl herself.
Zayn gives you a cookie.
Soleil plucks the fork from Zayn's fingers with a polite and grateful smile. "Lil and I are going over maneuvers. Next year we'll be more united. Ripley and Theo bugging out on us had us scrambling, but not next year." Lucretia's fork is gathered up and given a little bit of a salute off of her forehead before she turns to add the forks to the others they've collected. A cantalope ball is speared by one fork, to act as the player with the quaffle indicator, and a pair of pine nuts are stabbed to represent the seekers. A pair of plump dark purple grapes are then used to represent the bludger. They keep things tidy and calm so it's not like they are in the beginnings of starting a food fight. Simply using materials at their disposal to work out positioning and manuevers.
Zayn looks at it for a moment and nods, "Not really my thing." he says with a small shrug. It is a well known fact that despite being Pure-Blood, Zayn doesn't really care for Quidditch and only attends the matches to perform his duties as a prefect. "Black, how goes your violin?" he asks curiously, before taking a small and neat bite of his toast.
Lucretia perks immediately. "And more team practices," the young Black says, licking some crumbs from the tip of finger and thumb before picking up the other half of her toast. "I know that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time on a few occasions." She says that with the smallest of frowns, the girl finding it hard to ever admit to being in the wrong about anything, pushing her plate along the table as she inches closer to Soleil before responding to Zayn. "It goes really well. Thank you. In fact father sent me a new duet and I was wondering if you'd like to try it with me? We could perform it together at the next school concert. Maybe."
Lucretia gives you a cookie.
Soleil nods her head with dedication to Lucretia, "More team practices, and meetings outside of practicing. Team building exercises. L.B. …" She tilts her head towards Llewellyn down the table. "He's on the tear to get us the Cup next year. At least he's focusing on good things for once. Shook himself of romantic fancies. You were fine Lulu. It's just that with the holes Theo and Ripley left, we have been scrambling to fill them. We can only get better."
Zayn takes another small bite of his toast, sitting it down on a small plate before picking up his coffee and taking a sip, before addressing Lucretia, "Or I suppose that could be possible, depends greatly on what is going on at the time, I normally do not perform, so that I can watch the younger students, often times they get a little excited forget their place." he says nodding.
Lucretia grins at Soleil. "I know I'm the titchy one on the team, but I do try. I sometimes think the others think I'm more of a target, well so be it. I'm pretty tough, despite my size. We might have lost one match, but there's no reason why we should lose the next. We can /still/ win the cup despite Theo and Ripley." No comment whatsoever is made on Llewellyn's romantic life and she reaches across the table in order to snag an apple from the bowl of fruit. She pulls a face at Zayn before adding, "But its so unfair of you to deny us your talent, Shafiq. I love listening to you when you practice and to play with you would be a proper treat."
Soleil leans forward enough to look towards Zayn taking a break between a new maneuver Lil has orchestrated with their collection of forks. "Zayn, I'd be happy to help keep things in line so you can spare a few minutes on stage. Really it would be no trouble. You do play so lovely." She takes the opportunity in the break from strategics to enjoy her toad in the hole.
Zayn takes another small sip of his coffee, waving his hand dismissing the words around him, "My skill within music is simple acceptable, nothing more." he says with a small nod. "The violin can sound lovely to almost anyone when someone is familiar with the instrument." he says sitting his coffee down and picking up a napkin and dabbing his lips, "I will consider it however, I am sure it would please the Arts club." he says before reaching to pick up his toast.
Lucretia pushes her chair back and gets to her feet, knicking one of the melon balls from Soleil's forks. "Poor quaffle." She pops it into her mouth with a grin and rubs her fingers clean on a napkin which is then scrunched and dropped onto her plate. "I should get a wriggle on or I'll be late for lessons. I've to run back to the dorms and pick up some textbooks yet. Catch you soon, yes?" And with that, the dark-haired girl crunches a bite from her apple and heads out.
Soleil chuckles dryly when the quaffle is stolen. However she smoothly plucks up another melon ball and stabs the now bare fork. "You simply need to learn the benefits of delegating authority Zayn. It might do for the House to be given the chance to be the ones trying to keep the peace. Also less headache for you. The headmaster picks a boy and girl every fifth year, that doesn't mean that you can't select responsible students to act as your…what are the called in the West? Deputants?"
Zayn chuckles and takes another sip of his coffee, "I can't even get my girlfriend to follow the rules, let alone trust someone to delegate too." he says with a smile, "I enjoy my duties and the responsibilities place one me, even if others often do not always agree with how I handle things." he says with a nod.
Soleil mutters very much under her breath, "Your girlfriend is a witless backstabbing flippant git." as she works with Lil on the next maneuver. Once it's complete she turns to just smile at Zayn, "You are allowed to take pride, no one was saying differently. Simply that perhaps if you made other feel responsible for their actions themselves you'd see a decline in the constant need for you to exert your authority yourself." She then returns to lifting and positioning forks on the table and in the air, holding it in her hands instead of casting a little levitation spell. Pringle has been hounding the Slytherins since the prank against Hufflepuff at the Quidditch Game. So she is careful not to test his leniency when it comes to using forks and food for purposes other than what they were meant for. But then the bell tolls and she and Lil both tidy up and head out of the Hall together. Though a kind little wave is given towards Zayn and the others before she departs.