Ill Fortune PV Gemini Johnson

Eli didn't want anybody to be worrying about her. There wasn't really a reason to be worrying. Okay, maybe she wasn't completely fine but that shouldn't have been a reason for concern. She had a head cold or something. It was as simple as that. She knew that Gemini wasn't laughing at her at the very least. He was hardly that cruel.

And she wasn't doubting his skills at not getting caught either. She really wasn't. But she didn't need some elaborate plan just to be able to get through a quiz. She shouldn't need help for something as simple as this. She'd write the quiz, go to her last class of the day and then sleep it off in her dorm. She'd be right as rain tomorrow; surely.

Her eyes flicked over at the movement of the boy ducking underneath the table for something (she didn't know, she couldn't quite see) but she didn't ask about it either. Maybe he'd dropped something that she hadn't been paying enough attention to. Calling himself 'lucky'. Maybe that really was all it was? Eli wasn't sure how much she believed in luck. Most things took some work.

All in all, she appreciated the sentiment and the reassurances. She was glad she'd met Gemini. If nothing else, it was good to have a friend.

"Maybe just as a back-up then," she finally allowed. "Just in case." She really didn't think it was going to be that bad but everything felt a bit exaggerated at the moment. She rubbed a hand into her temple for a moment as though the movement would help with the ache in her head.

@Gemini Johnson

Continuing with @Eli Goldhorn.

"Just in case," he replied, grinning. As a backup. That's better than nothing. Seems like I'm getting somewhere here. He put an arm around her shoulders, casually, pulling her briefly to his side before withdrawing, as if suddenly realizing what he'd just done.

"So, which chapter exactly have you been revising for? For our mini revision quiz or whatever it is I planned to do about ten minutes ago." He laughed.

"I highly doubt we've been going in order, so we don't really have a 'first' topic to start with. You can trust my answers. Probably." Another smirk. It was mostly true, seeing that they had agreed to quiz each other, and they should do it before having to go to class. It was also cover for whatever he just did. Gemini Johnson was a fan of multipurpose words, it seemed.

Doxies, the Knockback Jinx, Hags, and the Smokescreen spell. Four topics. Can't be too hard. Anyways, she only needs to be familiar with two of the topics to pass. I only need to be familiar with two topics to get a pass. Of course, barely scraping by would be a bit of a shame, but acceptable. That's what Hogtwarts calls the grade, anyway, isn't it? Acceptable.

Was it maybe overkill to have a backup plan for a quiz? Maybe. Did it make her feel a little bit better that Gemini was willing to go an extra step to make sure that she didn't fail miserably or get in trouble? Absolutely. Not enough to get rid of the pounding in her head or the squirming in her stomach, but even a little bit was better than nothing.

That was to say: she hadn't been expecting the hug. Gem hadn't really seemed like the type so she'd never tried it before, not wanting to be the one to make him uncomfortable and scare away a friend. (Because yes, she'd settled on the fact that they were friends and she was hardly going to hear anything otherwise).

Maybe she really ought to just swallow her pride and accept Gemini's help. They were supposed to be a humble house after all, though she hardly wanted to live solely by their stereotypes. (Hufflepuff's, she'd learned, often got lumped together with the 'leftovers').

"Oh, uh. I was reading up on Hags," Eli replied, looking back to the book and parchments in front of her. "Or trying to at least." She rubbed a thumb against her temple for a moment, eyes flicking back to Gemini for another moment. "Think I might trust your answers more than my own right now anyway." She swallowed and the action hurt her throat a little bit but she could ignore that for now.

Cont. @Gemini Johnson

Continuing to "play" with @Eli Goldhorn.

"Trusting my answers is often a very risky gamble. But saying that is also one of my answers, so I should trust yours instead. Meaning I'll start, then. What is the typical appearance of a hag?" Green eyes, pale skin. Covered in warts and spots, four toes on each foot. Gem's brain answered for him. But he wasn't focused on that. He watched Eli, looking for tells: a twitch in her lips, a nod, any hand gestures or lack thereof, something perhaps bordering on an eye roll. These he noted and filed away, because he enjoyed amusing people. Subtly, of course.

But there were other cues, more obvious and less pleasant: a glassy look in the eyes from time to time, a wince, a grimace. And that thumb, rubbing at what he assumed to be a headache.

A little bored, rather concerned and incredibly deprived of any of his games right now, he decided to take another calculated risk. He filled a glass of warm water 'for himself', then 'accidentally' hit it with his wrist, pushing it towards her and tilting it just enough for some water to slosh over the edge.

Just enough to look like it might fall. It shouldn't, though, and if it does, well. I guess I'll have to catch it. Hopefully, she will instead.

Eli just sighed for a moment. She wasn't annoyed. Or well, she was , but not with Gemini. Mostly just with herself. And she was eager for the quiz to be over so she could disappear to her dormitory and sleep away the rest of the day. That would mean skipping a class, mind you, but surely that wouldn't be the end of the world? Except she hated to have to do that too and she didn't particularly want to get in trouble either...

Right. Hags. "Y'know. They're..." she lifted her hand to give a vague wiggle of her fingers before she actually put some thought into it. "They look like toads. Except the uh, they're not green. The eyes are though. But the warts and the toes thing is the same as toads. Which is kind've unfortunate for the toads, I guess." She might've been missing something but she figured she had most of the information. That was all she needed, right?

And she could figure some better way to phrase it. She wasn't wrong though. they did look an awful lot like toads. Right?

Ugh. She just wanted the stupid quiz to be over .

She was a little slow on the draw when it came to the glass that was tipping over, her reflexes really not what they ought to be. She still tried to catch it because that felt like the right thing to do. Instead of stopping it though, her outstretched fingers smacked against the glass, sending it toppling the other way, spilling the water across the table and she really could only sigh. "Sorry, Gem. Thought I had that."

Chatting with @Gemini Johnson

Cont. @Eli Goldhorn.

Gemini laughed lightly at her reply, slightly surprised and mostly amused.

"That... Actually sort of covers it. I'm not sure if Professor Lécuyer will approve it, but I'll take it."

Would I really be able to do any better in the quiz? I'm not always the smartest... I wasn't lying when I told Eli that I could cheat, but I chose to leave that behind when I got sorted into Hufflepuff, didn't I? It wouldn't be right, or worth it. It's just a quiz, not the exams or anything, you don't lose out just because a professor thinks you're below average or whatever. If they know, it might even be good for me; I'll be able to improve...

He only zoned out for a moment, but as it turns out it had been enough. Perhaps more than enough, he realised, watching as the water splash over the edge of the table, then slowed to a trickle. He felt some of it soak through his robes.

You really don't pay enough attention sometimes, huh? he chided himself.

It took him a moment to register Eli's seemingly disappointed apology, and another moment to remember that he'd caused this in the first place. Meaning that I'm responsible for whatever she feels because of this, as well as any damage. He knew that it was a small matter, and that these happenings would be forgotten within minutes, but he felt the guilt all the same.

"No, don't apologise! It's quite alright. I'll just clean it up and get some more water, and I'll be back," he said, standing up. "Just think of a question for me first, I do have to revise as well, after all." Gem shot her an assuring smile, before turning to get something to clean up with.