Worms and Poisons P2Y1 Ellaine, OPEN

"Whole week? Whoa... that's a lot of time." Paul exhaled, pursing his lips. That didn't sound good at all. That is like... hm, I don't even know what to compare it to. Hatching in the life of frogs or chickens? Or birth in the life of a human? Well, it isn't really, for a completely new creature is born during those, whereas werewolves are the same people, only transforming into a beast. Thought the boy.

As Ellaine said her "yes" to his idea about the list, Paul stitched his eyebrows in suspicion. Well, that didn't sound honest. He looked at the girl, watching her for a moment, to attempt to figure out what was wrong.
"Hey... did... did I say something wrong?" Of course, Paul. Why do you always have to wear your heart on your sleeve? If only you thought about what you're gonna say first! Why is it so hard? "I'm sorry. I just... there are likely some other ways how to warn the people living around the werewolves. I dunno, I'm from a Muggle family." Paul swallowed hard. "Don't be mad. I'm just... curious about all these wizarding things. And dumb for talking too much."

It was Paul's time to lower his head, ashamed.

It wasn't until Ellaine asked him to do the honours, that he straightened his back and nodded eagerly. "S-sure!" The boy took the bowl with the standard ingredient, which he took two measures of and added them carefully into the cauldron.

"Now, what is medium temperature and how do we get that?" Paul drew his wand, inspecting the cauldron from all sides. "Should I... uhm, Incendio it or something?"
It seems logical, right? What is more natural than putting the cauldron on fire. Ran through his mind.

⋅- ⋅-⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅- ⋅

Hex: #6a7246 Mentions: @Paul Turner

Word Count: 292

Quite stupefied, she wondered how he got around to that idea. Was she really that transparent?

“What? Uh, no, it’s just… I didn’t expect to get into heavy topics?” Caught off guard, she didn’t really know what she should say, let alone what she was saying. “It’s okay, and no, you are not dumb,” she insisted, “And being curious is a— strength. It’s just that I think it’s a moot point if people know just who everybody infected is, because even though they are only dangerous once a month, and people probably react badly to knowing them, and they might struggle to get jobs, and then how would they get the potion then, you know? And then… they’ll be even more dangerous.”

Ellaine paused in her tracks. Embarrassment flashed through her face before she sputtered, “Please ignore that.” Willing those words to come true, she wrung her hands, eyes looking every but on her seatmate. “Sometimes I ramble,” very rarely, she wanted to add, but it was a moot point anyway.

***

"Should I... um, Incendio it or something?"

Ellaine blinked, hesitating over her words, before nodding. “Yes…?”

She flicked out her wand from the satchel, about to place it on the table, before she seemed to halt. Her face stayed indifferent, the argument only playing out inside her mind…

‘Who in the world places their wand so vulnerably on the table?’ one side of her demanded, followed by another, different remark— ‘You’ll need it close at hand to wave it in time,’ it insisted. The last one followed short, ending in a strange note of self-criticism. ‘You should probably tell-ask Paul first.’

Turning to him, she raises her wand at the cauldron, and asked plainly, “What if I— How about you do the arsony, and I wave my wand?”

... --- .-. .-. -.-- / ..-. --- .-. / - .... . / .-- .- .. -

"... I didn’t expect to get into heavy topics?”

Paul shrugged, the corners of his lips twitching up daringly, mysteriously. "Aren't they the best though..." Hummed the boy, winking at her in a conspiratorial manner. It was clear he was enjoying this, being entertained.

As El got back to speak about werewolf condition as a public thing, Paul narrowed his eyes, pensieve. "Hm.. it's a wicked circle. Harsh and sad. But there has to be a way to make their life better, other than the potion. If you ask me, relieving them during and after they change is too late." Commented the boy quietly, frowning.

"Infected..." Paul repeated after his friend, pouting his lips. "You've been speaking of it as if it were a disease. But is it? Can they not be healed, not partly, but for once and for all?" Asked the boy naïvely. "And how do they even get infected in the first place?"

It's like... cancer.

“Please ignore that.”

"Why?" Oblivious about any potential rationale to her thought processes behind that sentence, Paul seemed confused, shaking his head. "No, please. I-it's super interesting!"

Paul, dearie. Can you... I don't know, just shut up about werewolves for a moment? Watch a film at home, or download an audio book about them - whatever your restless curiosity desires. But please, stop asking your poor friend these questions. You're embarrassing her, can't ya see? Paul sighed. He breathed in to apologize again, but stopped half way.

***

Paul chuckled over her arsony remark, nodding. "Aye! This classroom needs a little heating anyway."

"Incendio!" Paul waved his wand under the cauldron, hoping his spell would work.

E L L A I N E ‎ ‎ W E A T H E R B Y
| sta. 06 | eva. 07 | str. 04 | wis. 08 | arc. 09 | acc. 08 |
| Stat. Rel. |
| #6a7246 | 400/xxx |

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xx xxx, 2025xxx
Potions Clasroom, Hogwarts Castlexxx

x

"No, please. I-it's super interesting!" A strained smile crossed her face, and for a moment she felt bad, sonscience gnawing at her mind to push open her mouth, shift the conversation; but Ellaine did not say a single word. Really, she was terrible, and gladly terrified at starting small talks, nevermind instigating one not soon after a period of awkward silence. A master of running away from trouble, whenever conveniently possible – that was practically her middle name, and Ellaine did not like to acknowledge mistakes. *** “Incendio!” Somewhat fascinated, Ellaine leant closer, gaze fixed on watching Paul, as he swished his wand, tracing the shape of a flame into the air. She observed his posture, his movement, how he held his wand… But then the flames were conjured into existence, lighting the fire burners underneath their cauldron. The light flickered before her eyes, breathing its life – “one, two, three, four,” she thought, tapping the tips of her fingernails over the wooden boards, keeping in rhythm. At five, her hand clutched her wand, ready to extinguish the flames… “Extinguo.” [d20 : 13] + 8 = 21 With three strokes, the flame sputtered and died, and Ellaine placed both her hands atop the table, peering inside the cauldron, careful to stay well out of the range of any fumes. You’d never know… Turning to the boy at her side, she caught his eye – brown, she noted with vague interest – for some sort of abstract assurance, before her returned to the potion. Ellaine waved her wand over it, as the instructions bid her do. “There,” she said, placing her left hand on her hip; yet an insistence still niggled at the back her mind… “Ah, crap—” Ellaine scrambled over to her satchel, snapping the clasps open, digging inside with a panic that, in hindsight, might have seemed excessive, searching for her ever trusty… “Where’s the— Nevermind, found it.” The last part she muttered, baffled at herself for having forgotten it. A triumphant gleam alight in her eyes, Ellaine pulled out a small, circular object, impossible to be recognised as anything other than a standard kitchen timer. Odd thing, but she liked keeping objects that went unused, and so did not think much before she’d fished it out of a dusty drawer somewhere in her house. Ellaine twisted the knob towards the forty-minute mark, before setting it on the table, close to the middle. Now without a distraction to work behind… “What are we to do now?”

x

Reducio

| actions. an Extinguo. dunno if you actually need a die to cast it but i wanted to try it (whyever not) |
| mentions. @Paul Turner. |
| notes. sorry for the very inconsistent writing style...
it is always influenced with every book i read, unfortunately. |

"No, please. I-it's super interesting!"

Paul smiled at her, nudging her with an elbow slightly and gracing her with a conspiratorial look with a small, mischievous spark in it. He observed El's behaviour ever since the beginning of the lesson, and by then, he figured that she wasn't a social person and thus wasn't fine with starting new topics. So he took the initiative. "Uhm... enough of werewolves, till we meet one at least. Oh, I'd so bombard him or her with questions!" Said the boy with a crooked smile on his face, half-joking. He was well aware he wouldn't resist the urge to ask the person he was interested in a dozen questions, had he met them.

Well, keep dreaming, Paul, thought the practical part of his mind. Even the faith was merciful and placed a werewolf in front of you, what's the chance you'd know they're a werewolf, hm? Zero to hero, just like you... -Not just me. Me and Hercules, at least!

As he was casting the Incendio, he felt El's eyes on himself, although he was focused on casting. Therefore, a crimson flush climbed up the sides of his neck. Damn, she's watching me. I don't know if I'm doing this right. I might not be! Ran through his mind, so he took a deep breath twice or thrice, trying to calm his hyperactive mind.

But then, the flames appeared, and the boy breathed out in relief. I did it? Yes! His lips waved in a smile, as he looked at the girl and watched her following actions, which included extinguishing the flames after five seconds. As accurate as a Swiss watch.

“Ah, crap—”

"What are you looking for?" Paul asked, curiously peeking at her hands, as he started to ramble. "Keep calm. I'm sure you'll... and you did, see? Told ya."

Paul wanted to check how the others in the classroom were doing, but the sight of El's kitchen timer dragged his full attention. "Wait, is that a..." He pointed at the electronic device, confused. "It's a... timer! Muggle timer?" Asked the boy, trying to get more info on the object. It certainly looks like it! "But... those run out of battery quickly here, don't they?"

Paul's gaze still kept flicking to the watch, as if it was something intriguing, which it actually was in the castle.

"Uhm... we wait." Paul chose to stretch his back by turning to the left and then to the right while standing still on the same place, with his legs slightly apart. Uh, my back hurts. That's because I've been crouching over a desk all day long. Ugh, can't wait to get outside already!

"Wanna go outside once Potions is over? We could go for a walk to the greenhouses and back, or play hopscotch." Suggested the boy.

E L L A I N E ‎ ‎ W E A T H E R B Y
| sta. 06 | eva. 07 | str. 04 | wis. 08 | arc. 09 | acc. 08 |
| Stat. Rel. |
| #6a7246 | 360/xxx |

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## September 2025xxx
Potions Classroom, Hogwartsxxx

xxx"Uhm... enough of werewolves, till we meet one at least. Oh, I'd so bombard him or her with questions!"

Ellaine huffed out a light laugh – perhaps it wasn’t meant to sound funny, but she had always been particularly susceptible to ‘jokes’. Particularly, those of the dry, unintended kinds. “Let’s hope that they won’t be frightened off, shall we?”

***

"But... those run out of battery quickly here, don't they?"

Ellaine smiled, a somewhat smug edge smudging the light of glee in her eyes. “This—” she proclaimed, a hand going towards said timer, patting it fondly not unlike one would their pet— “is a mechanical timer, see? Electricity and batteries going wonky matters not to this trusty tool! It’s dampened, of course…” Wouldn’t want to attract the attention of every single pair of eyes in the room. It might be ridiculous, bringing it here of all places – but why go through many hoops when she could pull out this nifty thing?

“…I think it’s neat,” murmured Ellaine, echoing her thoughts, not quite conscious of the words themselves. She perceived Paul from the corner of her eye, focusing onto him for a moment, before her mind drifted away…

"Uhm... we wait." Frowning, she poked at the timer again, knowing full well that nothing more was going to happen beyond the constant ticking of the hand. Forty minutes! Really, Ellaine should’ve brought her books. Better yet, scolded her inner homework-debt-collector, she should be doing her homework! The timer stayed atop the table, ignoring her plight while Ellaine plopped herself down onto her seat, seemingly decided on a whim. "Wanna go outside once Potions is over? We could go for a walk to the greenhouses and back, or play hopscotch."

A few seconds passed. Ellaine peered up at him, considering if she should stretch as well. It seemed to be helping his stiff movements… A moment passed, and Ellaine realised that it might have been too long. Truly, Ellaine did hear the words, but – “A walk does sound nice,” Ellaine conceded. “We could find a place to play hopscotch along the way there; that’d be…” nice. Which was all well, but a frown pulled at her eyebrows, lips pressing into a thin line thoughtfully… Did they even have chalk?

Shaking her head, Ellaine provided her own question with a simple solution. “It doesn’t matter. We could replace chalk with… sticks, I dunno.” Belatedly, she realised that her sentence made no sense. “I mean, unless you have some chalk?”

Reducio

| actions. |
| mentions. @Paul Turner |
| notes. |

Time: September 2025
Interaction: @Ellaine Weatherby
Place: Potions Classroom, Hogwarts
AN: Paul, the hound, lol

“Let’s hope that they won’t be frightened off, shall we?”

She was witty, the image of a twelve-year-old, asking a werewolf questions, due to the number of which the werewolf would get scared and run off. Seriously, a being as strong as a werewolf scared of a human boy? No, that's absurd, thought the boy. A werewolf could have you for snack, Turner. Does Ellaine realize?

"Haha, imagining me scaring off a being who's like, a hundred times stronger than us..." Paul grinned, coming up with an angelic expression and a shrug. "But no worries, El, I'll go light on them and reduce my questions to the most important ones. Pinky promise!"

Paul rised his pinky to actually give the promise. Promise as a promise, one would say, but pinky promise was special. It was what Paul always did with Pippa, his sister usually being the one to suggest doing it. Pinky promise was special. It binded the two who took part in it to stick to their plans no matter what occurred, or to keep the other's secrets even if someone tortured you. When it came to pinky promise, all the other motives were sidelined.

***
“is a mechanical timer, see? Electricity and batteries going wonky matters not to this trusty tool! It’s dampened, of course…”

"Whoa..." Paul's eyes widened. Mechanical timer! That's so cool! The last time I've seen mechanical watch was in Physics last year. Wonder which part of it creates the energy! There's surely some... uhm, spring, was it? Well, it's certainly not a plumb, it's not a pendulum clock. "El, this..." Paul leaned his elbows on the table and put his hands around the vintage timer, as if he wanted to touch it. "...is treasure which you must protect and cherish." He turned his head to his friend then, the look in his eyes dead serious for once. He nodded even, to support his statement.

"You don't even know how much time I've spent trying to somehow fix my alarm, after it stopped working. It's battery-charged. And it was all completely futile. Ten points to Hogwarts..." Grimaced Paul, standing back up gradually and shaking his head. "Now, I'm left to depend on my dormmates' magical alarm, which is about as reliable as politicians!"

“…I think it’s neat,”

Paul nodded eagerly. "That's an understatement! It's a great idea to have one! Very useful."

If it wasn't clear till then, seeing this vintage Muggle invention made Paul's day. When it showed forty minutes, the boy wasn't surprised at all, for he was watching and guarding the device from the looks of the others all the time. He was so protective of it that it was ridiculous, really. When one of their classmates from their surroundings looked at it just for the information how much time'd passed, Paul barked: "Lookin't El's timer, huh? Getch'r own, dude!"

Jesus, Turner, you're like a hound looking after its herd. Can't you be, I dunno, less... dog-like? Thought the slightly bitter part of his mind, and Paul listened to it, barking no more. Nevertheless, he never gave up on his murderous looks to the intruders.

“We could find a place to play hopscotch along the way there; that’d be…”

"Nice?" Paul smiled with a small, nonchalant smile, finishing her sentence with his own view and a small, conspiratorial wink. There was no discussion to be held over the fact that a walk and hopscotch truly was a nice idea. He was, honestly, a little surprised that El accepted his invitation, for she seemed to be thinging for too long.

“It doesn’t matter. We could replace chalk with… sticks, I dunno.”

"What doesn't... oh, huh..." Paul narrowed his eyes, confused by her speech. Dammit, Paul, don't be hyperactive and wait! As she got to the chalk matter, he understood, and nodded. "Uhm... I think I do? I always have it, just in case. Wait a sec! Paul bowed down to the right, to fish in his backpack, pulling out a short piece of yellow chalk then and grimacing.

"Uh.. that's all I've got." Hummed the boy apologetically, embarrassed crimson climbing the sides of his neck. "We might need the sticks or stones. "Anyway, we can use it, and if it's not enough, then we'll make the rest of the hopscotch from sticks." The boy shrugged, making a mental note to write to his parents to buy him several pieces of chalk.

His attention then went back to the timer.

"It's done, El! Fourty minutes have passed!" Announced the boy, hoping to drag the Puff friend's attention from her homework. "Now, we add the unicorn horn and then, stir twice, clockwise. So, you take care of the unicorn, and I'll stir?" Asked Paul.

E L L A I N E ‎ ‎ W E A T H E R B Y
| sta. 06 | eva. 07 | str. 04 | wis. 08 | arc. 09 | acc. 08 |
| Stat. Rel. |
| #6a7246 | 445/xxx |

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## #### 2025xxx
Potions Classroom, Hogwartsxxx

xxx"But no worries, El, I'll go light on them and reduce my questions to the most important ones. Pinky promise!"

Ellaine chuckled, her lips twisting into a barely-there smile. “Pinky promise,” she echoed. Far from feeling it childish – or perhaps just ignoring that fact – Ellaine felt quite absurdly happy. Mirth shone in her eyes as she linked their pinkies together, and it reminded her of her own games back home, gathering around to make silly oaths around the park’s cornerstone.

“Who knows! You might even become friends,” she said thoughtlessly, idly imagining a hilarious, cracked-up hypothetical conversation in which Paul did initiate a questioning, and it was well-received – somehow!

***

"...is treasure which you must protect and cherish." A vigorous nod was her silent response – Ellaine was delighted to have found that Paul was as appreciative as her in ancient, old, timey-wimey relics. Sure, it wasn’t that ancient of a technology, but she didn’t often see it inside houses… not that she made it a habit of hers to nose around other people’s kitchens! "Now, I'm left to depend on my dormmates' magical alarm, which is about as reliable as politicians!”

Now that’s a thought! Ellaine commiserated alongside him, whispering furiously under her breath. “Yes! I still don’t have dormmates – don’t ask me how – so I had to retrain my sleep schedule from scratch!” It was a silly conversation, all things considered, but it made her giggle silently out of the blue, quite contrary to her previous mannerism. Let it not be said that Ellaine was a person who hangs onto her emotions – she forgets quickly, unfortunately for some, fortunately for others.

And now, wiling time away as the timer’s hands ticked off, Ellaine leaned around in her chair, twisting away this and that, looking for any object that finds itself interesting to spy on. The fact that her ever-changing views just so happened to place her ears in a perfect angle to “accidentally” hear a whispered conversation… That was a negligible fact. Of course, every now and then, she’d glance at the timer, taking note as it slowly went down…

"Uh.. that's all I've got." Ellaine leant slightly into his space, eyes curious onto the piece of chalk in his hands. "Anyway, we can use it, and if it's not enough, then we'll make the rest of the hopscotch from sticks."

Really, such a fortuitous keep! A second later, and she caught herself reaching out, as if to touch the chalk. Halting the movement mid-through, Ellaine instead made a quiet, single clap. “Well, that certainly makes things easier,” she murmured aloud, tilting her head to the side. “Your bag holds lots of wonders, Paul…”

With the timer hitting zero, and the dampened alarm – nigh-on silent – buzzing the object, they made their next steps. "Now, we add the unicorn horn and then, stir twice, clockwise. So, you take care of the unicorn, and I'll stir?"

Ellaine nodded, replying with a soft affirmative. In went a pinch of the powdered unicorn horn, and she stood aside for Paul to do his turn whilst preparing the two mistletoe berries for the next steps. “After that, I’ll add the berries again?” she asked, poking at the fruits in question. “Or d’you wanna switch?”

Reducio

| actions. |
| mentions. @Paul Turner |
| notes. |

He also linked his little finger to hers, with a smile on his face. There ran a thought or two, about the fact that last time he gave pinky promise among friends, was in 2nd grade elementary, about that he was too old for this. But he decided not to take that into account, offering a wing to his companion.

El's happiness and his own reflected each other. Being with one of his friends was exactly what he needed to feel safe and confident. There were not many opportunities for him to feel that way here, with all the new people and... well, unknown world containing magic. Make no mistake, he loved magic, not only for that it made things easier, but also that being around it was very challenging and stimulating, which the boy apparently liked and needed.

El brought her peace to the chaos magic inevitably was at times, and made him believe that there was a bit of normal in the not-so-normal environment. Her opinions on werewolves were... moral, for the least. Better than his, in a way, for he seemed not to be able to discern the thin line between healthy curiousness and annoying nosiness.

Steadiness and silent, stoic act sometimes, which was exactly what the boy needed, being its very opposite. Skilled treatment of ingredients upon being added into potions. And that was exactly what he needed. Paul wasn't certain, for he only saw her twice in the past, but he thought that she would be a great potioneer, shall she try to go for it in the future.

“Who knows! You might even become friends,”

"Yeah... I'd love that. There's never enough friends, after all, and the more interesting the better!" Sighed the boy, his gaze resting on a cupboard with a set of vials on the wall to their right. It was a typical, unfocused, dreamer's look, produced when people were imagining themselves in the Bahamas or somewhere like that. Paul imagined himself, talking to and laughing with a werewolf.

"But... you said that in their human form, they're normal people, right? Who said we haven't met some yet?" The boy poked her with his elbow slightly, moving his eyebrows up and down again, in a joking manner.

“Yes! I still don’t have dormmates – don’t ask me how – so I had to retrain my sleep schedule from scratch!”

"Oh. That's a bummer." Paul grimaced over the fact that she didn't have roommates still. "Well, if it makes you feel better, me and my dormmates hardly ever speak, or even meet, too. Just briefly, in the morning." Paul paused for a second, then went on:"You retrained it... so, when were you used to going to sleep, and waking up?" Asked the boy.
The topic, Paul saw as interesting. Many things changed for him, since he started attending Hogwarts, however, his sleep routine wasn't one of them. He was still going to bed around ten, and waking up around seven thirty...

“Well, that certainly makes things easier,”

Paul nodded.

“Your bag holds lots of wonders, Paul…”

"It might seem so, might it not..." The boy let out a giggle, but shook his head, as soon as his thoughts got back to the shortage of chalk. "Still though, I'm really short of chalk here, and I don't think I've any left at home either." Pursing his lips, the boy shrugged. "Well, you and Sky can buy me some for Christmas! It's a... uhm, an economic gift, I'd say. Won't ruin ya, ya know, financially." His practical nature was intertwined in his DNA, like the magic gene, or whatever it was that made wizards wizards.

As the timer buzzed, El added unicorn powder, which allowed him to stir twice, clockwise. Paul looked super-focused while doing so, frowning and moving the stirring tool slowly but fluently.

During his second round, El's question about the berries came, and Paul held up his index finger, to gesture that she wouldn't talk to him while stirring. His extenuating circumstance, most certainly, being the fact that he was a man.

"Uh.. huh, actually, no. I'll stir again." A spark ran through his eyes, as he looked at his friend and grinned. "Me and the stirring tool have developed a pretty, almost family-like relationship."

E L L A I N E ‎ ‎ W E A T H E R B Y
| sta. 06 | eva. 07 | str. 04 | wis. 08 | arc. 09 | acc. 08 |
| Stat. Rel. |
| #6a7246 | 396/xxx |

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## #### 2025xxx
Potions Classroom, Hogwartsxxx

xxx"But... you said that in their human form, they're normal people, right? Who said we haven't met some yet?"

Squinting her eyes a moment, Ellaine looked to her side at Paul. “I didn’t say that we’ve never met one, no?” A light-hearted smile was on her face, subconsciously aiming to both lighten the conversation – not that she’d ever notice – and soothe herself. “In all seriousness, though, one or more of our schoolmates might be werewolves…” —and what a terrible disease it was to fall upon anyone…


Ellaine looked up, eyes flickering over to his figure as her eyebrows twitched. She was muscu accustomed to such shyness from herself, yet having thought Paul essentially everything she was not – possessing a healthy social life, outgoing, easy to like, effortlessly kind – it was a surprising thing to hear, although she didn’t need any admonitions before she filed away that fact into the Paul folder. “That’s a shame,” she said instead, though her faint smile never her face. “Before, I’d have my phone at side. I’m a light sleeper when I have a scheduled sleep, so a nice melody just wakes me up.”


The dilemma of a Paul facing a shortage of chalk! Ellaine shifted in her seat, leaning back while her head tilted to the side. “Chalks!” she repeated, failing to keep both the curiosity and incredulity from her expression. “For a Christmas gift—? Alright, then…” It certainly spared her the act of anxiously wondering whether to gift someone, and if so, just what she should be gifting, and how, and why! Of course, a normal chalk wouldn’t do. Perhaps she could ask her grandmother on the next break…


Nodding at his decision, Ellaine went about to hold the berries ready. It certainly made things easier. Paul liked to stir potions, while she liked to prepare the ingredients. Who was she to compromise on their happiness? “Alright, alright…” she muttered to herself.

Watching him stir once, then twice along the clock’s travel path, Ellaine dropped the two mistletoe berries into the cauldron. Having done so moderately close to its surface, they did nothing more than to sink under the surface, not even a splash to surprise her. Her wand, in the very next moment, was at her hand, though she did so above the table so as to be in sight of Paul. She sent an imploring look at his face, hoping to glean whether he’d like to be the one to do the swishy finale…

Reducio

| actions. |
| mentions. @Paul Turner |
| notes. sorry for the long wait… again |