Are There Gulping Plimplies..? open finished

Joseph yawned, smoothing the creases in his rumpled robes as he ambled out of the looming castle behind him. The crisp, cool Sunday morning air caressed his cheeks, forcing a reluctant smile across his face, almost replacing his usual grouchy I-hate-mornings look. Almost.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been outside. Sundays were special, simply perfect for sinking into those heavenly armchairs by the fire in the common room. Nothing beat them. Nothing beat the comfort they offered, the momentary instant of delusion when he'd be able to convince himself all was good.

Quit thinking about those, Joseph scolded himself, half-laughing under his breath. Lingering on the thought was dangerous. If he allowed himself to imagine it for too long, he would cave in to his desires, racing up the stairs in no time to reclaim his spot. But that wasn't the plan. Not today. He needed some time outdoors.

The soft soil squelched beneath his feet as he settled by the edge of the Great Lake, the moss damp but good enough for a makeshift seat. Pulling his knees close, Joseph peered curiously at his reflection swirling in and out of focus with the gentle wind. The air carried the fresh aroma of dew-soaked grass, the scent of new blooming flowers. Maybe spending some time outside wasn't so bad, after all.

Leaning closer, Joseph's fingers absently tugged at the cuffs of his robes, as he watched the distorted version of him ripple and fade, quickly replaced by shadows moving beneath the surface. Were they fish? Or something larger? Merfolk perhaps? Maybe even the notorious Giant Squid itself? Perhaps someday he could risk a little adventure into the lake to get a better view, if he was ever in the mood.

Tearing his gaze from the murky lake, Joseph scanned the lakeside, drumming his fingers on the mushy earth. The area was almost deserted - almost. Nearby, a girl about a head shorter than him darted her eyes around the clearing like she had just robbed Gringotts and was checking for witnesses.

Up to no good probably, Joseph thought, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. He couldn't blame her; he was far from the poster child for following rules himself. But whatever she was up to probably didn't concern him anyway. At least, he hoped so.

IC Time: 11:54am, October 13th, 2024

XXXAfter a quick glance around, Eonaria spotted a Hufflepuff perched at the edge of the lake a few meters away. She was about to look away and pretend like nothing was happening when he looked up and saw her, too. He seemed to grin slightly and she gulped nervously. Did he see her? Was this actually against the rules? Could she bribe him to not tell anyone? She giggled internally, wondering if it was a good idea to go talk to him.

XXXEonaria glanced back into the water. There wasn't much going on beneath the surface- that she could see, anyway. For all she knew, there could be a whole merfolk war going on at the seafloor- er, lake floor? The food pellets had sunken out of view by now, and a thought suddenly occurred to her.

XXXWould intelligent species like the merfolk find the fish food and think it offensive? Uh oh. Could she scoop them out? Perhaps she could just find someone with a pet fish and give them the pellets. But she didn't know anyone with a pet fish. Either way, Eonaria should probably stay away from sentient, potentially angry magical creatures. Her clumsiness and impulsive tendencies might offend them. How, she wasn't sure, but it was definitely going to happen someday. Whoops.

XXXShe glanced back at the Hufflepuff before finally getting up and heading in his direction, discreetly shoving the canister of fish food into her robes. Hopefully he wouldn't ask about it...? Oh, who was she kidding? He would definitely find her suspicious. I mean, who sits at the edge of the lake, looks around like they just committed a crime, and then approaches you as the sole witness? Very suspicious. Eonaria sighed, steeling her nerves.

XXX"Hi. I'm Eonaria. What's your name?" She glanced surreptitiously at the spot she had been sitting at earlier before adding, "Erm, I wasn't doing anything against the rules. Well, I'm pretty sure it's not against the rules." Eonaria nearly face-palmed. Why did she say that??

.・゜-: ✧☾♩♪♩♬ ♬♩♪♩☽✧ :-゜・.

Glancing back at the lake stretching out before him, Joseph shook the suspicious girl out of his head, his glimmering eyes locked on the murky water. The cool, morning breeze seemed to have vanished without a trace, leaving the vast expanse of water relatively still, broken only by the faintest ripple. Kneeling at the edge of the lake, Joseph's fingers hovered just above the surface. Slowly, he lowered his hand, the tip of his fingers breaking the still plane of the water. Funny how the chilly lake felt so empty and devoid of life when viewed from the top, when underwater the lake was clearly bustling with life, teeming with all sorts of creatures. For all he knew the merfolk may be throwing the wildest party ever with the Giant Squid and he would have absolutely no idea.

A series of muffled footsteps behind Joseph jolted him from his train of thoughts, causing him to glance over his shoulder warily, lifting his dripping fingers from the water.

Just a few steps away, a Gryffindor girl stood, a glaring streak of green cutting through her silky, raven-black hair. She looked friendly enough, pulling off a cross between a warm smile and a look of nervousness.

It was the suspicious girl from earlier.

"Hi. I'm Eonaria. What's your name?" the girl uttered, her gaze briefly flickering over to her original spot by the lake. "Erm, I wasn't doing anything against the rules. Well, I'm pretty sure it's not against the rules." Her voice carried a hint of truth, but the panic in her eyes was hard to miss.

Joseph raised an eyebrow, trying to piece things together. What had she been up to? From the looks of it he wouldn't be surprised if she had been hurling dungbombs into the lake for personal amusement. "Joseph here," he replied uncertainly, his steady gaze fixed on her as he rose to his feet, wiping his hand on his robes. "Well in that case... what've you been up to?"

@Eonaria Kabukimono

IC Time: 11:55am, October 13th, 2024

XXXUpon hearing Eonaria's extremely suspicious introduction, the Hufflepuff boy raised an eyebrow, introducing himself as Joseph. If she wasn't breaking the rules, then what was she doing? Eonaria flushed slightly, holding up the can of fish food from earlier. "Um. Trying to feed the giant squid. And the other creatures in the lake. That's not against the rules, right? No 'do not feed squid and likewise' signs?" She cast a quick glance around the Great Lake's edge. No signs that she could see... but maybe it was on a notice board somewhere. Speaking of which, where was she supposed to find the Hogwarts rules? She still hadn't seen them yet. Now that Eonaria stood closer, she could see that the boy actually looked very sweet and funny.

XXXEonaria chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, sorry, it must have looked a bit strange from your perspective, but I was only tossing fish food in the lake. And it's not like I dumped the whole canister in! It wasn't even a full handful." She could feel the second hand embarrassment mounting. "Ahem. Anyways. ...why are you here?" She tilted her head. Now that Eonaria had been standing outside for a while, the dissipating fog was actually pretty chilly and damp. At least the sun would burn it away soon before she had flying class. The weather was becoming colder, so Eonaria should start keeping her winter cloak in her bag.

.・-: ✧☾♩♪♩♬　. 。・゜✭・.・✫゜・。.　♬♩♪♩☽✧ :-・.

Joseph blinked, caught off guard by Eona- what was her name again? His memory for names was abysmal, a fact he imagined even that the Giant Squid lurking in the depths of the lake would probably shake its massive head at, if it could. For now, he'd have to stick with "Eona", at least until he could gather enough courage to request another self-introduction without looking like an absolute moron. Her question, however, hung in the air, waiting for an answer. Why was he here again? What was he doing here standing here by the Great Lake with a girl who delighted in feeding magical squids? Which ill-advised lobe of his ant-sized brain decided abandoning his usual spot by the fireplace was a reasonable idea?

"Just... trying to get some fresh air," Joseph blurted out, offering a weak smile that felt as artificial as it probably looked. "Haven't been outside for quite a while, sure feels great to be able to immerse myself in nature," To emphasise his point, Joseph sighed and extended his arms, gesturing to the vast expanse of nature before him. Almost immediately, he dropped his arms as casually as he could manage, hoping Eona hadn't noticed how stupid he looked. Joseph cleared his throat, trying to shove his hands into his pockets until he realized too late his robes didn't have any. Brilliant. Just brilliant. His fingers curled up uselessly by his sides instead.

"Anyway," Joseph continued, a little flustered but determined to get past his awkwardness. "How was your luck with feeding the Giant Squid with fish food? I'm pretty sure it's satisfied with the abundance of shrimps in the lake," A grin broke out across his face, a hazy image of the Giant Squid lazily drifting through the water, uninterested in the offerings of fish pellets forming in his brain. He'd never know, maybe it was into fish food. Magical creatures were weird like that.

@Eonaria Kabukimono

IC Time: 11:57am, October 13th, 2024

XXXJoseph floundered for an answer for a painfully long time as Eonaria stood there with an awkward smile on her face. Maybe he was also doing something devious. He finally blurted out that he was merely getting some fresh air and that it was great to immerse himself in nature, flinging out his arms and immediately lowered them again. Eonaria tried to stifle a giggle, until she saw Joseph make a motion like he was trying to shove his hands in his pockets, only for his hands to slide uselessly across school robes that had no pockets.

XXXShe ended up coughing as she tried not to laugh, covering her mouth with one hand. "Umm, sorry." Eonaria attempted to wave it off, her cheeks now red from the chilly wind and embarrassment.

XXXJoseph recovered quickly, explaining that the Giant Squid had shrimp in the lake for food and grinning. Eonaria gasped slightly. I didn't even think about that! I somehow thought there was only magical creatures in the Great Lake... unless they're magical shrimp...? "Ohhh. I didn't know that." She grinned. "I guess it doesn't want my fish food, huh? Wait, then what do I do with this?" Eonaria frowned back down at the can of fish food in her hand, momentarily remembering that she was holding it.

"Do you know anyone with a pet fish? Cause I'm definitely not getting a pet fish anytime soon." Well, she could always just throw it away... or return it to Magical Menagerie? Right, that'd go over well: 'Hi, yes, I'd like to return this can of fish food, because, er, I don't have a use for it. Did I open it? Well, yes, but I only took out six pellets to throw at the Giant Squid at Hogwarts, y'know...' Eonaria snorted at the thought.

.・-: ✧☾♩♪♩♬　. 。・゜✭・.・✫゜・。.　♬♩♪♩☽✧ :-・.

Joseph pressed a finger to his lip distractedly, his gaze fluttering away from a now slightly sheepish Eona. Pet fishes... did he know anyone who owned one? They certainly weren't the go-to pet for the average student attending Hogwarts - most people he knew gravitated towards getting irresistibly adorable kittens or reliable owls. Fishes, on the other hand, didn't quite seem to fit the mold. But surely there were a handful of oddballs who would enter a state of frenzy after casting their eyes upon one of these underwater creatures.

Unfortunately, Joseph couldn't even name ten students off the top of his head, let alone someone eccentric enough to purchase a pet fish.

"I don't," Joseph admitted, glancing at the canister of fish pellets clutched in Eona's hands with amusement.  "But I'm sure there are people who would be more than happy to accept anything that's free, even if it's just a can of fish food." Joseph chuckled, briefly imagining the two of them marching down the corridors interrogating random suspects about owning pet fish.

"Anyway, why did you even purchase it in the first place? Surely not just to carry out an experiment on the Giant Squid's food preferences?" Joseph continued, his voice coloured with genuine curiosity. Perhaps she too, couldn't resist the allure of shopping. Joseph never seemed to be able to save up more than 20 galleons before squandering it all on the most useless items possible.

@Eonaria Kabukimono

IC Time: 11:59am, October 13th, 2024

XXXJoseph admitted that he didn't know anyone with a pet fish, though he glanced at the canister Eonaria held with a hint of amusement. Her cheeks flushed the slightest amount. "Anything that's free, huh? But why would you accept something you had no plausible use for? Like, here, have a rock. Too small to be a weapon, too ordinary to sell. Just a pebble you picked up from the street- who's going to want that?" Eonaria furrowed her eyebrows, her mind wandering down the rabbit holes of possible uses for tiny pebbles.

XXXUnfortunately, her concentrated pondering was interrupted again as Joseph inquired why she bought the fish food in the first place. "Ehh... haha, it was, in fact, mainly to see if the Giant Squid would eat it." Eonaria chuckled in embarrassment.

XXX"But I suppose these pellets are so tiny it wouldn't make a different if it ate it or not, so I suppose I shouldn't have tried." She shrugged, glancing at the canister of fish food she held. "If worst comes to worst, I can pour some into my enemies' soup." Eonaria suggested wryly.

XXX"But I must admit, I was also hoping to see if there was one specific creature in the lake... the Gulping Plimpy. I've heard that the stew made from them is absolutely atrocious, but at least they're interesting while alive. I'm not sure if they would be interested in fish food, either." She sighed, tucking the fish food back into her pocket.

.・-: ✧☾♩♪♩♬　. 。・゜✭・.・✫゜・。.　♬♩♪♩☽✧ :-・.

"The Gulping Pimpy, eh?" Joseph mused, sifting through the tangled mess of his mind for any scrap of memory about the peculiar creature Eona had mentioned. He was almost certain his irritating brother—always the self-appointed storyteller—had brought it up once during one of his nightly bedtime tales, which had been as tedious as they were endless. That was, of course, before Joseph earned the family’s “traitor” title. Not that it mattered now. His brother’s words carried as much weight as the precise coordinates of a random butterfly fluttering through the forests of Asia.

"No idea if they’ve got any interest in fish food," Joseph replied, clicking his tongue. "Or whether they even live in the lake in the first place. I've heard rumours that don't even exist in the first place," He barked a dry laugh, the sound almost dismissive, before his eyes flickered back to the colossal lake just a few paces away. Its surface remained unnervingly still, as if taunting him, daring him to challenge the secrets lying in wait for him underneath.

"I suppose there’s only one way to find out..." Joseph muttered. He knelt down, his aching feet sinking into the wet soil, the earth yielding just enough to cradle his weight. What was he thinking? Could he really be considering this? Every fiber of his body screamed at him to stop, to turn around, to run far away to the distant hills, anything to keep him from following through on this impulse. But still... he had just learned to swim months ago. It wasn’t every day he got to put that to the test. He wouldn't go down too deep, or stay down too long - just enough to take a closer look at the lake's curious inhabitants.

"Wait here a sec... I'll be right back," Joseph said, his voice trembling with anticipation as the cool water lapped gently at his feet. He was already beginning to regret this.

Without another word, he plunged into the chilling waters of the lake.

@Eonaria Kabukimono