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Post by Shae Stevens on Jan 16, 2019 18:13:23 GMT -8
Shae walked into the dining hall only a few moments ahead of Gideon, heading towards their usual lunch spot. It required kicking a few Pukwudgie second years to another table but what perk was there in being older if you couldn't use it to your advantage? Likely, his friend wouldn't approve but it's not like Shae cursed them to get them to move. Just made it less of a request and more of a strong suggestion.
Grinning, he dropped down with his back to the window, wanting to be able to see everything instead of being stuck looking at the wall. There were so many more entertaining things to watch from this seat. And maybe with him here, Gideon would sit on the other side, essentially shielding the troublemakers in the room behind him. Not like Shae got into trouble all that often but he had no compunction against helping others get away with their stupidity. Granted his friend was a little more lenient than most of the prefects they had known but he still had a reputation to keep.
There was also the fact that he didn't need to watch the excitement in the hall as everyone buzzed around, excited about the races this afternoon.
Besides, maybe if his back was to the door, Jaina would see them together and go elsewhere. That seemed to be her usual behavior...if he and Gideon were already sitting together, she would slide in somewhere else and leave them alone. It was actually quite considerate of her, to give them some guy time. Of course, Shae also had ulterior motives for not wanting to spend a lot of time with the two of them together. He wasn't going to go out of his way to avoid it, of course, but when he could push it along, where was the harm in that?
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Post by Gideon Smith on Jan 16, 2019 18:22:19 GMT -8
Gideon yawned as he entered the busy dining hall, having spent the last few hours pouring over riddle books with Eris. He felt that they had made some progress, but he was fairly sure she had more in store for him to do before the meeting tonight. He weaved his way around people and ended up sitting opposite of Shae as per usual. He grunted a hello at him and reached over for a ham and cheese sandwich and a bowl of cream of cheddar soup. He didn't really want to hear about the time trials or anything to do with racing, and he hoped Shae knew enough not to bring it up.
He kept looking toward the door, waiting to see if Jaina would actually join him as promised. Right now he needed her near him since they had no other time together for the next two weeks as he devoted himself to the Masked Lords, finding himself wanting to prove to Eris what his mask meant to him. It didn't occur to him that he might be missing something else in the process. He dipped the corner of his sandwich into his soup before biting it off with a sigh.
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Post by Jaina Gemini on Jan 16, 2019 18:37:34 GMT -8
Jaina came dashing into the dining hall, her cheeks red with an even mixture of excitement and haste. Her eyes were bright, unable to quell the smile she could feel on her face. It had come! Today was the day! Technically, she had been correct last night when she had told that the snow was coming. She just had been wrong about where it had been destined to hit.
But that didn't matter. The package had come and she couldn't wait to show him - give him one last chance to join her, even if she knew he would turn her down. Of course, she wasn't going to suggest it forcefully. He had made his opinion quite clear when last they had discussed this. Still, what kind of girlfriend would she be if she didn't offer?
When she stepped into the dining hall, Jaina stopped dead when she saw Shae and Gideon already sitting together. It was a moment of indecision. She wanted to see him - talk to him. But then, if he only had so much time, should she take up ALL of his time? Surely his friend should get some of that time. They could meet at supper or something and she could tell him about it...
Jaina had taken a step back, intending to retreat when she saw Gideon turn towards the door, hopefully looking for her. Her smile widened again. She wanted to dance and skip over but somehow managed to keep a sedate pace as she went to join them. Jaina set the box on the table, dropping down next to Gideon. "Sandwiches for lunch huh?" Not her favorite but she could deal for the time being. What was in the box would more than makeup for it.
Her right hand brushed against his leg where most people wouldn't see it. Not a turn on - just a simple brush 'hello' since kissing in the dining hall would not go over well. She grabbed a turkey sandwich, adding tomatoes and a very thin layer of mayo. Now if only there was bacon, she would be in heaven. "Hello Shae," she greeted the other Horned Serpent, not even remotely willing to nudge him with her foot instead of the verbal greeting.
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Post by Shae Stevens on Jan 16, 2019 18:43:24 GMT -8
Shae nodded in response to the greeting, already taking a bit out of his own turkey sandwich before grabbing a cup of soup for himself. "I don't get how you can mix those things," he grimaced at Gideon. "Grilled cheese and soup is one thing but...there's just something wrong with cold meat and soup." Shae shook his head, watching the girlfriend treating her sandwich to similarly gross treatment.
Mayonnaise. If there was one thing wrong in this world...blech.
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Post by Gideon Smith on Jan 16, 2019 18:50:42 GMT -8
Gideon instantly perked up when he caught sight of Jaina looking in their direction, he even waved her over to make sure she came to sit down. When she reached over and touched his leg he smiled at her before swallowing the piece of sandwich in his mouth. He was glad she hadn't backed out of sitting with him for lunch. "Tastes fine to me, man," he said as he once again dipped his sandwich into his soup and took another bite. As he was chewing, he reached beneath the table and brushed his left hand against Jaina's leg as a hello right back to her before retreating and leaning against his arm.
He eyed the box she had set down for a minute, swallowing before inquiring about it. "What's in the box?" he asked, looking at her with a happy gleam in his eye. He had his best friend and his girlfriend around, what could be a better lunch?
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Post by Jaina Gemini on Jan 16, 2019 19:01:05 GMT -8
Jaina was glad that she was already smiling or his touch would have totally given them away. But it didn't matter.
"Well, most of the box is my monthly care package from my neighbor. Apparently, every time I come home, she tells me 'that school doesn't feed me enough to keep a bird happy' so she sends all the horribly fattening things she thinks I need. I know it comes from a good place but about half of it is either peanut butter or chocolate and peanut butter so I thought I would send all that back with one of you two. Better than letting it go to waste and Mrs. Spencer is one of the best bakers in the counties," she explained, grateful that they had talked last night so that she knew to at least try passing it off to Gideon. Better than leaving it for her friends in Thunderbird who were still a little standoffish.
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Post by Shae Stevens on Jan 16, 2019 19:03:12 GMT -8
"Ooo, really?" Shae asked, his hands already reaching for the box to explore the contents. However, Jaina cleared her throat, leveling a pointed stare in his direction. He withdrew his hands, returning his focus to his lunch. Likely the offer had been made to him just because he was there with Gideon. Still, his friend wouldn't hold out on him if there were goodies to be shared.
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Post by Gideon Smith on Jan 16, 2019 19:11:14 GMT -8
"Nice," he said with a smile that was just for her before turning back to his meal. He continued dipping his sandwich into his soup, finding the ham complimented the sharp cheddar flavor of the soup so well. "No soup for you?" he asked as he watched Jaina handling just a sandwich. He felt famished to be honest, looking for riddles until his head literally hurt had taken a lot out of him. He was eating to recharge himself for whatever else Eris had planned for him.
He polished off his sandwich and then drank his soup down, feeling it warm him to his toes. It was a chilly day, and it was drafty in the dungeons, even with the added layer of his cloak and mask, which were tucked away in his hoodie pouch as they had been at breakfast. He reached for the box to take a look if Jaina let him.
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Post by Jaina Gemini on Jan 16, 2019 19:26:58 GMT -8
Jaina finished about half of her sandwich, shaking her head when he asked about soup. "Too good a day for soup." She reached into the box, taking out a crystal cylinder that was almost solid white, with an occasional break of silver. With that rescued, she handed the box over so that he and Shae could look through it all. "The fudge is fair game too. It's not peanut butter but I'm not a big fan of solid fudge. Now fudge brownies, I am all over that but just fudge by itself?" She made a face.
"Oh, that reminds me." She stood up a bit, searching the dining hall for a few moments before finally finding the boy in question. "The boy on the opposite side of the room, near the window. He's got brown hair, is really small, and wearing a baggy shirt that seems about three sizes too large. He's a 6th grader. I was wondering if he was a Horned Serpent?" Both of the men looked, quickly finding him and shaking their heads.
"Okay, I will have to find out what house he's in then. I met him this morning - he came in while I was practicing and just asked if he could work on his homework as long as he didn't bother me. Poor kid; he seems to be having some problems finding a place for himself here. I hope it's okay," she looked at Gideon, her exuberance diminishing, "But I told him he could eat lunch with us sometimes. Tonight I'm going to help him with his homework..."
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Post by Shae Stevens on Jan 16, 2019 19:35:16 GMT -8
Fudge? Oh, she totally just got points in the good girlfriend for Gideon department. He quickly wolfed down his sandwich so that he could join in the search through the box, which was big enough he could have gotten most of his head inside of it. Whoever would send a girl Jaina's size a package like this full of sweets didn't know her all. But that meant she could share and he certainly wouldn't argue if it meant some good, home baked fudge. She continued on in her story about some little kid, who was definitely not a Horned Serpent. While Shae tended to ignore the younger kids, part of Gideon's job was to keep an eye on the younger students. If he didn't recognize him - then Shae certainly wouldn't.
When she got to the part about the homework, he had to interrupt. "You?" Shae asked, his tone pointed. Anyone who paid attention in their classes knew that Jaina was one of the last to raise their hands unless they were in Transfiguration or Beast Lore. She just didn't seem to care as much about school, which was between her and her parents. However, letting her help some kid and lead him down the right path to better study habits was almost laughable. Only Gideon being there kept a smile off of his face at the farce.
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Post by Gideon Smith on Jan 16, 2019 19:44:40 GMT -8
"That's awfully nice of you," Gideon said, once again sneaking his left hand beneath the table to touch her leg briefly before he looked in the box. Some good peanut butter fudge was calling his name, and he knew that Shae was likely to share in his opinion of the sweets. Though Jaina wasn't the most dedicated student, perhaps looking out for a younger one would be good for her, especially while he was tied up with Masked Lord things.
"Wow this all looks sooo good," he said with a grin. Briefly, he wondered if Eris liked fudge, but he suspected it wouldn't make a difference and she was the least likely person to take a bribe, even if it was homemade.
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Post by Jaina Gemini on Jan 16, 2019 19:54:12 GMT -8
"Take whatever you want," she insisted, glaring at Shae for a moment but then returned her focus to Gideon who looked quite happy about the treats. It was even better than she had hoped. And hopefully, by next week, Mrs. Spencer would be able to send her the special cookies she had asked for - just for him.
"And if you can believe it...that's not the best thing that came for me today," Jaina declared, taking the cylinder up in hand, delighting in the slightly cool crystal that tingled against the warm skin of her hand. "Guess what this is...Without opening it, please." She held it flat so that they could both look at it. After all, their house was the one that was curious by nature and this was magic that existed in no magical book that she had ever heard of. Maybe in some of the really old ones, from back in the 1800s but even that was questionable.
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Post by Shae Stevens on Jan 16, 2019 20:04:42 GMT -8
Shae turned his head towards the object she held in her hand. The seemingly white crystal looked fairly innocuous, roughly the length of her hand. Of course, that drew attention to the scar she had on the palm, running from the split between the thumb and first finger to the other side of her hand. Strange place to have a scar, considering her mother was a healer and should have been able to fix something like that without leaving a scar.
Maybe her mother was a crappy healer. But to focus more on the object at hand (literally), Shae reached out to take it in hand, surprised at the chilled temperature. He nearly dropped it in surprise. He brought it up to his eyes, studying it closely. It could be a potion - the occasional glint of silver was actually where a bit of whatever inside slid away from its container, just leaving the crystal giving off it's murkier color in contrast to whatever was inside. He held it near his nose but he could only smell the goodies that had been in the box.
Although, there was a slightly familiar odor under all that. Almost...no, that was stupid. Why would this smell like pine trees? If it were a potion, there were none that he knew of that required any part of a fir or pine tree. So what could it be? Shae moved to try and shake it but Jaina grabbed his hand to stop him. He frowned, eyeing the contents more warily now as he passed it over to Gideon before tucking his hand under his leg to warm it up. How had she held it in her bare hand for so long without it seeming to affect her?
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Post by Gideon Smith on Jan 16, 2019 20:11:44 GMT -8
Gideon curiously took it into his hands, and like Shae, was surprised by the cool temperature. He turned it carefully in his hands, observing the same things that his friend had, though he didn't go so far as to sniff it. The baked goods would likely mask the smell of it anyway. He looked at it quizzically for a few moments before handing it back to Jaina, "Nothing I've ever seen before," he said with a shrug of his shoulders, looking over to see if Shae had a guess though he looked as lost about the mysterious crystal container as he was.
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Post by Jaina Gemini on Jan 16, 2019 20:27:15 GMT -8
When they both admitted they didn't know, Jaina's grin widened. "This is very old magic - developed by the Dakota tribes back when they were still trying to keep their enemies at bay at least three hundred years ago.
"Remember what I said last night?" She asked Gideon. "About the snow coming?
"I was right! Just not here. The first snowstorm hit South Dakota this morning and this is a piece from what is relatively that storm's eye. They used to collect it back in the older days and when their plight was most desperate, when it seemed like the tribe was going to lose a battle or just couldn't stop the enemy from advancing, the medicine person would unleash one of these to either cover their retreat or, worst case scenario, take down their enemies, even if it took them down as well." Her smile dimmed considerably at that concession.
"You can only gather it twice a year - the first snowstorm and if snow falls on midwinter. Each time, you can collect up to three vials, depending on the severity of the snowfall. And this year, I got one. It's only the third one I have seen in my lifetime and the second that I've been given." Her eyes were alight, watching it. And slowly, carefully, if you watched the swirl, you could see that there was a little storm inside. The crystal slivers shining through was the occasional breaks in the wind, allowing the snow to settle away from one spot briefly.
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