Girl Dinner FIN

@Mahlioz Evethisawe

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	Names were an interesting aspect about a person: although assigned to them at birth, not a thing most could choose, they influenced one's identity in subtle ways. They could draw lines between oneself and a long lost figure, a place, or even the past, connecting them to something significant. Pericles grinned and gave a good-humored roll of his eyes to Pontius being better placed in the middle of his name, droning "Tell me about it." Yet he couldn't help but be flattered by Mahl's compliment, supposing his parents meant well when naming him something so unusual. Either that, or they truly hoped to put him on the same path as their ancestors. With that thought in mind, his smile tugged into the faintest hint of a grimace when asked if he could sail, though this was no fault of Mahlioz's. The heir was instantly reminded of long days spent on the ocean, far from the quiet comforts of his room, fighting to gradually overcome bouts of seasickness. Large swathes of his childhood had been spent behind a wooden wheel. While he wasn't ungrateful for the skill, he didn't see it as applying excessively to the future he had in mind for himself. "Not 'gloriously', if that's what you're wondering. But I can get a ship from one place to the next with the right crew." Peri steered the conversation in her direction, face falling blank at the mention of D&D. "Is that... a book?" Modern muggle tabletop was absolutely lost on the lad, though this was a unique opportunity for the upperclassman to learn something from Mahl. "What was the character like?"
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Date: 5 November 2023 Time: Around dinner

Interacting with: @Pericles Dralt Mentions: X

English | French Thoughts

Mahlioz had been on a good couple boats in her life, the majority of them being ferries. The one time she'd sailed had been in Normandy with some cousins of hers, in a very small boat with a very heavy piece of metal that had hit her head too many times for her liking. It had fortunately not erased the wonder for pirate ships and sailing as a whole (bigger ships were less likely to hit you across the head with a metal bar, right?), and a small part of the Slytherin still wanted to learn to do it properly someday, if just for the vibes and feeling like a pirate. (And swords. Swords were cool.)

It seemed Pericles did not agree with her on this point. Which was fair - she'd only sailed once, she could only imagine what it would be like to grow up getting metal bars across the head all the time. And even if it wasn't a catamaran or something of the sort but a bigger tall ship, there had to be downsides (like maybe not being able to read while steering - how devastating). Still, the bird boy's almost-grimace and note that he wasn't glorious was not enough to deter Mahlioz from the interest, and she had to ask another question. "What's it like? What kind of ship?" Or two. She hoped she wasn't bothering him too much, what with him being rather clearly not a fan of the sport. Slowly but surely, he was getting her out of her shell, though it may have come at his expense in answering questions.

As it turned out, wixes were in fact not acquainted with D&D - or at least, this one wasn't. "Uh - almost? Kind of? Like a... choose your own adventure book. Except with other people." This was quite the complicated way to describe it. She decided to try again. "It's a... roleplaying game. Short of Dungeons and Dragons. Made up by muggles, I think? You get to choose a character to be, make up a backstory and special abilities for them and stuff. And then you get together with other people who have characters and you get to roleplay them doing things - going on adventures and quests and fighting dragons and the like. And there's like a judge, called the Dungeon Master, who makes up all the important stuff like the backgrounds and er... you use dice to decide things for you a lot." Okay, perhaps not much better, but it was the best she could do. He could get the gist of it, right? And she'd spoken probably more than she had all day.

"I'm... not actually too sure, for the character." Her mom had told her about the D&D Mahlioz before, but the second year had been distracted. "She was a super confident tiefling, I think - those are, like, demon creatures with horns - and a fighter? She had super high stats in charisma and dexterity, but I don't remember much from her backstory." The only reason she remembered those details was because of how different they were to the human Mahlioz.

Alarian had had... a hard time with parenting, at first. Pierre had named Hyltwis (based off of an elf barbarian) knowing full well his children had a good chance of being very different from their characters, but for his wife, it had taken a few years. Mostly when she realized tiny Mahlioz was more interested in books she couldn't even read yet than in charming people. But still then, it had been hard to detach her child from the life she thought they would lead. It was a story she liked to tell. Especially with Reltyl being a shy half-orc bard. How had they managed to get such opposite personalities?

@Mahlioz Evethisawe

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	Conversation was a comfortable means to pass the time. As they spoke, Peri collected their bits of Honeydukes waste, meticulously gathering the trash into a bin by her bed. He was dusting invisible crumbs from his hands when Mahlioz asked what sort of vessels the company utilized. "Father's not a fan of metal ships. He says their 'soulless'." The opinion was conveyed with a small smirk, as though the heir found this notion charming but unrelatable. "He purchases all of his vessels from a family of wizard shipwrights: galleons are always fashionable, but we even have a classic carrack in the fleet. Lots of hull for hauling." Sailing had become such a common topic of conversation in his household that Pericles, perhaps, overlooked its significance. Business on the open seas was a lifestyle few could claim. People had an exception of taking "the norm" for granted, and it looked like he was no exception, far more interested in hearing about a muggle game than going on about boats. In fact, Pericles' expression became so focused during the explanation that it might have seemed comical. His forehead furrowed lightly, scrunched in concentration, eyes locked. While he had absolutely no grasp on the concept of roleplay, he cared enough to be invested, following along with short nods to convey his comprehension. "Choose your own adventure books" were a solid point of reference. He hadn't seen one since he was little, but his father provided several under the belief that they encouraged critical thinking. It was a charming concept, collaborative story weaving with a dash of fate (META MOMENT). As much as muggles remained ignorant of the magic right under their noses, they certainly had a knack for making magic of their own through storytelling. Mahlioz had been named after a combative self-assured demon that was good at talking to others. At least, that was the summary which Peri unpacked, and the parallels left him trying to hide the return of that stifled smirk. Mahl wasn't naturally charismatic, certainly not a demon, nor were they particularly combat inclined. Then again, Pericles wasn't a politician or wartime strategist like his archaic counterpart. He wondered what hopes their parents had when they named them, and whether or not they two would fulfill them. He could certainly see Mahlioz becoming more confident and combative with time since she was sticking to duelling. "You'll have to show me how it's played some time," Peri proposed, though whatever came next was cut off as the nurse's door opened. Mahlioz was reassured that while they would feel a mite sore for the day, they were mended enough to take their leave, sent off with a single serving of bruise paste in a dish. "Well... we've already had 'dinner'," the Ravenclaw drawled sarcastically, knowing full well that pasties and chocolates hardly counted, "but it couldn't hurt to see what else they're serving in the Great Hall. Should we go together? I'll drop you off at Slytherin table."
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Date: 5 November 2023 Time: Around dinner

Interacting with: @Pericles Dralt Mentions: X

English | French Thoughts

Mahlioz had caught the part about Pericles' dad being a trading captain, and how the bird boy himself's name was so closely linked to the ocean, but she hadn't been expecting an entire fleet. Her eyes widened in surprise. And honestly, for all her interests in pirates and swords and the single time she'd sailed, she really didn't know all that much about ships. In fact, for a good few seconds she was rather confused about how galleons counted as ships when they were just little gold coins, before realizing her mistake. She (as per usual) had many more questions, but resigned herself to putting them to the side, if only for now, for Pericles' sake.

Besides, D&D was certainly not a downgrade in the conversation. The second year was delighted that the bird boy seemed so interested. It was almost unnerving, how intrigued he was, not letting a single drop of her words go ignored, paying attention like his life depended on it. He, too, did not miss the irony in the difference between real and D&D Mahlioz. "Oh, sur-" Her response to his suggestion was cut off by the nurse's entrance, who was thankfully bringing good news. The second year was certainly less faint than she'd been feeling earlier, and the rest of the pain wouldn't last too long. A small dish of bruise paste was all that was needed.

Their 'dinner' finished, Pericles offered to take her down to the Great Hall. Mahlioz nodded gratefully and followed him out of the Hospital wing. Though tired - conversations were always tiring, and she'd been unconscious before that - she could not help but grin her face off. A duel lost, but definitely a friend won.