Closed To Tumble with Fortuity PV AJ

⋖ 20/July/2024 @ morning | OUTFIT | ENGLISH [#715380] | FRENCH [#b654a9] ⋗
INTERACTIONS n/a | MENTIONING n/a
───•─•────────────────────────────────────•─•───

Reducio

The retreat and return to human MacAllister form dispelled some of the tension that had taken hold of Evelynn's shoulders. They relaxed, falling slightly. One hand drifted down to rest idly upon her satchel, the other resting over the forearm of the first. While her posture eased, however, her expression still displayed some level of mild confusion. "But I am not in need of cheering..." Her voice trailed off at the wave of his hand, left instead with a lingering uncertainty as to why he felt that she was. Had she appeared upset? Irritated, perhaps, at having played the part of fool when taking the tumble down the hill. And hurried, certainly. But nothing warranting the need to be cheered.

Brows rose again shortly after, though, taken aback by the sudden suggestion that she had blamed herself for him being stupid. "I said no such thing!" The denial spilled hastily from her lips, caught off guard by the claim. "I have never thought you intellectually incapable," she insisted, and with a motion towards him, added, "obviously. It takes a dedication and capability well above the average to be able to complete the ritual." She spoke, of course, of the animagus ritual. It was not an easy thing to accomplish.

And then he continued, piping off a few events from the more recent years, interactions they'd had that he recalled. She would almost have found it charming if it hadn't been for the last claim. Mortified by the belief that she'd been mad at him for leaving the quidditch team, she could not help exclaim, "I was not!" ... was she? She certainly did not recall having been angry with him. Nor did she want to believe that was even possible. Stepping down--as she knew intimately--was a difficult decision to make that did not need to be made even more difficult with added guilt or resentment from previous team mates. "And you most certainly were not!"

Sure, he wasn't about to be drafted to a pro league before he'd finished graduating Hogwarts, but he was far more capable a player than many she had coached over the years. The fact that he called himself crap almost offended her. Not almost. It did. And that incredulity showed plainly on her face. All the more so with the dramatic flare of his arms outwards and closure of his eyes. "Stop! W--what are you doing?!" Evelynn balked, entirely confused as to what was happening. "I am not angry with you! Why would I want to blast you to smithereens?! You have done nothing to warrant that!" A pause. "...correct?"

If she wasn't before, she was definitely looking at him like perhaps he'd lost a few screws along the road of his recovery.

The task had been failed successfully. He'd managed to act in such an unorthodox and bizarre manner that he had managed to fluster Evelynn to the point of sheer confusion, and thus at least for now had broken her free from her self-imposed shell of doubt and despair. Great going AJ, who says you're not smart?

This was closer to the Eve he remembered. The overthinker, the workaholic, the miss perfect in training. He wouldn't have it any other way. "Ah, thas bettur..." "Ah, that's better." He sighs in contentment as he takes a few slow deliberate steps towards her and wraps her up in a hug, hoping to interrupt her rampant trains of thoughts. He was incredibly warm despite the winter chill, and his hair definitely smelt of strawberry shampoo, but hopefully he was unmistakeably AJ...that's all he was trying to be.

"Ets goo' t'see yeh Ev, ave messed yeh." It's good to see you Ev (Eve), I've missed you." He speaks softly, not breaking away from the hug but also not holding her so tightly that she wouldn't be able to pull away. It was her choice when the friendly embrace was over.

When it was so he would pat his legs and look up at the sky for a moment before remembering his discarded wand and scooping it up off the floor. "So...yoor en an Annehmaggus club? Be' yoo tu'n unto sumthen pretteh snazzeh." "So...you're in an Animagus club? Bet you turn into something pretty snazzy."

⋖ 20/July/2024 @ morning | OUTFIT | ENGLISH [#715380] | FRENCH [#b654a9] ⋗
INTERACTIONS @Allister-Jameson MacAllister | MENTIONING n/a
───•─•────────────────────────────────────•─•───

Reducio

"What do you mean th--" Instead of an answer to the implied question requesting confirmation that he had not, in fact, done anything to warrant being blown to smithereens, MacAllister sighed with a satisfaction as though he had just accomplished some great task and stepped towards her. "What are doing?"

Balanced on the back of her heels, she didn't even have time to finish her question before she found herself enveloped by the boy, arms wrapped tight, though not suffocatingly so, around her. Never having been one to be terribly receptive to touch unless she was the one initiating it (and even then, it was usually for a purpose), Evelynn stiffened reflexively. The hug was not returned, though neither did she step away or work to extract herself from it. This was altogether perplexing, and the provision of his (sort of) explanation offered no real clarification. In fact, it made it all the more confusing. She stood there, brows raised, stunned into temporary silence.

He had missed her? Her? Nobody ever missed her. She had worked hard to keep people at arm's length enough to avoid that, though she supposed he had departed before her self-imposed hermitage had really taken root. Nevertheless, it didn't explain why. It wasn't as though they had been close. They had shared a classroom and a common room, and she could likely list off countless errands and events in which they'd been mutually present, but she doubted more than one hand would be required to count off the number of real conversations they'd had.

Distracted by the churning of her own thoughts, the hug persisted for several moments. Upon that realization, a dusting of pink crept up her neck to colour her cheeks (from the cold, obviously) and she started to shift. "Er..." As politely as possible, she wormed out of the hug, refusing to meet his eye. "...thank you.." I think?

Hopefully, the embrace hadn't been so long to attract any wandering eyes or give any sort of misconception to onlookers. Still, it had nevertheless been long enough for her to take note of strawberry on the air, a scent that had become distinctly familiar for a wholly different reason. And when had he gotten so tall? Evelynn was by no means towering, but at roughly 5' 6" (167 cm), she had always trended towards the taller amongst her immediate peers. Only, now the boys seemed to be sprouting like weeds. It was very jarring. She wasn't sure how she felt about being so... small.

"I..." Biting back the knee jerk reaction to point out that she had never said that she had completed the animagus ritual or that she was even a member of the club, Evelynn cross her arms over her core, one hand lifting its palm to rub at her neck. "..yes, I suppose." It would be silly to make a fuss about it only to be present at a function if he did decide to investigate Pericles' club. "I cannot speak on an opinion of it being snazzy," she remarked, lips crimping slightly before shrugging and plainly admitting, "although I did complete the ritual during this most recent Spring Break."

"But never mind that." Given that he'd yet to answer his questions, she circled back around to them again. "How did you accomplish your transformation? That is not so easily done, especially beyond the guiding watch of professors. Are there others among your family who have likewise completed the ritual?"

The hug was eventually broken off, but he was pleased to see it had not been with any great speed from the other participant. He stifled a giggle as she downplayed the snazziness of her Animagus form, but he could not stifle the chortle that came forth when she asked if his family were talented in the arts of transfiguration.

"Aye meh Uncull es ah rell tallunt. Wence saw 'em turn entoo ah seed street." "Yeah my Uncle was a real talent. Once saw him turn into a side street." He jokes sarcastically. Meh famullehs as Muggle as th'come. Ah studded th'proosuss o'er un o'er agun untel ah wus luterully fullen asleep un meh books." "My family is as Muggle as they come. I studied the process over and over again until I was literally falling asleep on my books." He admits with a casual smile. "Am noo produjey 'speshelly wuth Transfeg. Ah kep' wurryen' boo' wetch par' ah wez gunna muss up. Nerly spewed en th'dee. Stell s'preezed ah go' a cleer skee weer ah luv." "I'm no prodigy, especially with Transfig. I kept worrying about which part I was going to mess up. Nearly vomited on the day. (I'm) still surprised I got a clear sky where I live."

"Bleend hope an' sheer dumb luck." "Blind hope and sheer dumb luck." He grins, hoping he'd answered all her questions about how he'd accomplished the form. "Wurth et thoo, ded y'see hoo cyoot ah wes?" "Worth it though, did you see how cute I was?"

Though he was curious about Evelynn's form, he didn't ask about it. He knew from his studies that for some the form was a very personal thing, and he didn't want to go poking and prying into it. He was sure if she wanted to, she'd show him in her own time.

"Wha ulse y'ben ep t' weel ave ben af seck?" "What else have you been up to while I've been off sick?"

⋖ 20/July/2024 @ morning | OUTFIT | ENGLISH [#715380] | FRENCH [#b654a9] ⋗
INTERACTIONS @Allister-Jameson MacAllister | MENTIONING n/a
───•─•────────────────────────────────────•─•───

Reducio

It took a moment longer than perhaps it should have (likely owing to that added second of accent translation) to recognize the pun for what it was. When she did, Evelynn scoffed quietly through her nose, lips threatened by a more relaxed smirk. Puns were among the highest forms of humour. Evidently, she hadn't previously given MacAllister's wit enough credit. Nor had she realized that he had come from a muggle family; or if she had, she'd forgotten.

"Well, there can hardly have been that much luck. The animagus ritual is not one that takes kindly to even the smallest of mishaps. Clearly you are simply more adept with transfiguration than you have previously believed." With a shrug of a brow and arms sinking into a more casually resting position, she added, "You ought to give yourself more credit. There are not many who can accomplish what you did. Fewer still able to do so without significant guidance."

At this point, her gaze strayed to the sports event in the distance, still acutely aware that while she spoke here, it was ongoing there. There was no way she was going to be able to shoulder her way to a decent seat anymore. "I suppose I will have to catch the next game." A sigh of resignation marked the acceptance that she would just have to miss this one. Leaning her head in the direction of the food tents, she inquired, "Would you be hungry, perchance? While I do not abhor the cold, neither do I find it particularly welcoming for anything more than a passing greeting.."

She wouldn't necessarily wait for his answer before aligning herself to step off in that direction. Instinct told her that he would follow. Dogs tended to do so, after all, especially when it involved food. The misdirection was primarily a way to stall for time, though, his question--as benign as it was--having stirred unpleasant memories. How was she supposed to answer what she had been up to over the last couple of years? Where to even begin? And was there even any subject she wouldn't regret having been raised. Ultimately, she shrugged.

"As for with what I have been occupying myself during your absence, nothing of note." A lie. Sort of. "Keeping to myself." The cacophany in her mind had been too loud at the time. Unbearably so. And besides, there had been nobody left anyway. "Studying, I suppose." When she was able to think straight and had motivation enough to do more than merely wash her face and force herself to eat. "I joined the duelling team." Until she'd stepped down from that to rejoin Quidditch and then stepped down from that again as well.

"What of you?" The lilting tone of her voice returned as she posed the question to divert attention away from her sorry state. "What plans have you now that you have returned?"

He could see the disappointment on her face at the sound of Quidditch beginning and it was easy enough to put two and two together. "Ah, oopsie...guss ah oo yeh ah tucket noo." "Ah, oopsie...guess I owe you a ticket now." He grins awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck in mild guilt at the fact he'd delayed her past her intended activity.

However he was getting invited for food, so he supposed he could be doing worse. He was peckish enough, and he noticed as he was about to accept that she had already wandered off towards the food vendors. Clearly he was going to have to be faster to keep pace with her.

She would hear rapid footsteps crunching in the snow behind her as he caught up, his nose already twitching slighlty as the pleasant aroma of food started to waft towards them. She even began to speak again, all in all it seemed like he was nailing this.

He had a feeling there was more to 'nothing of note' than she was letting on. But he also had a feeling that pulling that particular thread would require an individual much smarter than himself to not accidentally blunder through it, so he left it be for now. He very nearly asked her what she'd been enjoying studying before he heard her mention duelling.

"Ah, yoo sturte' doolen?! Hoo's tha' teem doen?! Wen enny muches?! Be' ye ded!..." "Ah, you started duelling?! How's the team doing?! Win any matches?! Bet you did!..." The excitement and passion was evident on his face, were he a dog right now his tail would likely be wagging a mile a minute. He almost missed her follow up question he was so excited to know about her time on the Duelling team.

"Oh reet, me." "Oh right, me." He chuckles briefly as his eyes dart about, as if his answer would be found in the air around them. "Ah dunno rully, wenna ge' caugh' up weth uverywun an' all...'spose ah wenna ep meh Mujikull Crutchurs gree' ah bet..." "I don't know really, (I) want to get caught up with everyone and all...(I) suppose I want to up my Magical Creatures grade a bit." He shrugs, he hadn't really put much thought into it besides 'come back.'

By that time the two were likely in the midst of the food area. A cascade of smells surrounding them. "D'ya rehkun thee do Muggle foo' oor es et ull leek Lushy Salah' un hurribel butterbeyer?" "Do you reckon they do Muggle food or is it all like Leshy Salad and horrible Butterbeer?"

⋖ 20/July/2024 @ morning | OUTFIT | ENGLISH [#715380] | FRENCH [#b654a9] ⋗
INTERACTIONS @Allister-Jameson MacAllister | MENTIONING n/a
───•─•────────────────────────────────────•─•───

Reducio

At the sound of hastened footfalls crunching in the snow, Evelynn slowed her pace long enough for him to catch up. "I did.." A somewhat flat response reaffirmed that she'd joined the team, hinting at mixed emotions. "The team is doing fine, I suppose," she shrugged a brow, gaze upturned towards the sky. "Some pairings better than others. They have changed it to threes, by the way," she remarked. Her scan of the heavens turned up nothing notable but white-grey clouds, no wayward broom-goers nor white-winged avians.

"I won some, though I believe I have lost more than I have won. My quidditch ratio was regrettably left upon the pitch it seems. Though I have never been overwhelmed to the point of being asked to remove myself from a duel. I suppose that may count for something." She continued to meander through the various alleys cut between tents, eyes ever moving from one place to the next, taking in faces and clothing and various activity. Always on the lookout for anything out of place. "Granted, it may also mean that I simply do not pose as much of a threat as whoever my teammate happened to be at the time.

"I stepped down after a-" farcical performance "-match in January, however."[/color] Poorly veiled consternation may have hinted towards a particularly unpleasant recollection of that event. "But, no matter." Her expression smoothed almost immediately, however, a mask of serenity pulled down over her features as she carried on to trail after an ever more-luring aroma of food. "An absence of sports will just mean more time to dedicate to study. And if you need assistance getting caught up with Care of Magical Creatures--" It had taken her several brow-pinching pensive moments to untangle the phrase that was Mujikull Crutchurs gree' ah bet... "--I can lend you my notes. I withdrew from Divinations after third year, but I am still invested in Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes."

To his inquiry of whether or not the tents would have Muggle food, though, Evelynn cast him a queer look. "What is Muggle food?" The idea that he would make a distinction between muggle and wizarding food felt rather odd, for some reason. Sure, there were things like Fizzing Whizzbangs and Cauldron Cakes and the like that were more aligned to their magical residence, but it wasn't like they didn't have fried eggs and toast available for breakfast nearly every morning. "A what?" As adept as she was at deciphering his twisted tongue, there were some things that still went over her head. The latter part of the last thing he'd said was one of those.

Morning had not quite been spent by the time they reached the heart of the eateries. Many a late sleeper stumbled their way in to fill plates with flat cakes and eggs, sausage and ham. Toast with jams of many flavours practically toppled on serving plates, and fruits aplenty sprawled invitingly. But there were sandwiches and soups as well, biscuits and berries, light fare for those who'd already broken their fast but sought an early luncheon. Evelynn fell somewhere in the middle of the two, having had a quick snack on her way out of her tent to the game. So she helped herself to golden french toast, some scrambled eggs and a selection of berries and nuts, then lingered, waiting for MacAllister to do the same before pointing out a pair of open seats.

AJ scoffs slightly as Eve considers the possibility that she was never taken out in a duel because she was never much of a threat. "Ye've go' ah rell tallen' fer looken' on th'dour seed." "You've got a real talent for looking on the dour side." He chuckles gently and shakes his head. "Ah nuvver wun ah sengel duel. An ah wes certunnly teeken oot ah least wunce. Ah doot tha' meeks meh ah bettur doolust." "I never one a single duel. And I was certainly taken out at least once. I doubt that makes me a better duelist."

The point would prove moot however as she soon explains that she was no longer on the Duelling Team. AJ's smile fell ever so slightly, but he simply nodded his head and said nothing. She likely had her reasons, it wasn't any of his business. He grins and nods again when she offers to help him with studies. "Gree, an ah ken hel' yeh weth...um...ah dunno, Muggle Studdehs?" "Great, and I can help you with...um...I don't know, Muggle Studies?" He shrugs casually, doubting there was a subject he was well-versed in that she was not moreso. He didn't think of himself as a slacker, but he knew when it came to Evelynn Decipio there was rarely anything less than one hundred percent effort.

"Unhultheh, Greaseh, Dullushusness..." "Unhealthy, Greasy, Deliciousness." He responds with deliberate emphasis to her question on what constituted 'Muggle Food'. He knew well enough that they had a range of delicious breakfasts and such, but in his experience the Wizarding World just didn't know how to do a proper fry-up like one might find in Aberdeen or Edinburgh. He raised an eyebrow briefly of her questioning of his apt description of some wizarding food, not understanding what could've possibly been unclear about it. "Jess kep th'butterbeyer awa' frem meh." "Just keep the butterbeer away from me." He smirks as he walks with her to indulge in the buffet.

He would wander off briefly, presumably in search of food items before returning with a full-English breakfast on his plate. "Thee dunnae 'ave Lorne Sausage, Bla' Pudden, Haggis, er bleddeh Tattie Scones." "They don't have Lorne Sausage, Black Pudding, Haggis or bloody Potato Scones." He grumbles as he sits down opposite Evelynn. "Ah wull, es no' th' und af th' werl." "Oh well, it's not the end of the world." He shrugs, recovering swiftly from his annoyed state as he digs into his meal.

He would swallow before speaking again, addressing Evelynn once more. "Soo ah dunnae knoo wha' teh tulk aboo' noo...leetust gossup mebbe?" "So I don't know what to talk about now...latest gossip maybe?" He would ask with a shrug before continuing with his meal.