Your mission, should you choose to accept it (tag Evelyn) on Labyrinth Gardens

Parker Fitzgerald

May 14, 2020 5:00 PM

Your mission, should you choose to accept it (tag Evelyn) by Parker Fitzgerald

The empty notebook slapped into the palm of his hand. He kept slapping it. It was something to do as he paced back and forth in the Labyrinth waiting for Evelyn. For most of his experience as a head of the Garden Club he had been a co-leader. Which was great. It meant that he always got to spend time with Cleo and it meant he could do things like play Quidditch and DnD and lead the Dueling Club and try to do school work. But now he was alone trying to also keep the Gardening Club going. It had a small but devoted group that would join, and some students would come for one meeting and not attend till a few months later. Parker hadn’t minded this ebb and flow of the attendees until Cleo wasn’t there.

Now he had to figure out two clubs, play Quidditch, plan for life after Sonora and, if he was lucky, play DnD. No, he wanted help.

Gardening club was better when it was co-lead, so he’d find a new co-leader. He thought about finding one of the younger students to help him or asking Lyssa. Lyssa had her own ideas of clubs to start this year and other plans. Many of the younger students hadn’t been as… reliable in attending the gardening club. Really though Parker needed someone who needed no ramp up speed. He needed someone who was already a leader. Parker had tests at the end of the year and was trying to figure out how one got about becoming someone who made, well, Labyrinths of both the magical and muggle variety. That meant one person and one person only.

He’d gone to the Prefects lounge in hopes of finding her, but instead had found a partially cut up apple and blood. Blood everywhere and trailing out of the lounge. Parker had followed the trail till he realized that it was going towards the hospital wing and decided instead to go back and clean up the blood before anyone else stumbled upon it. It was easy enough to do. Same spell he’d used on his throw up last year in Tumbleweed. Once again he wondered where it had all gone though. Needless to say, he had not found Evelyn. So instead, at the end of the first week, before he put up the posters about the club, he’d sent Evelyn a note to meet him in the Labyrinth.

He was really hoping she’d say yes. He chuckled a bit to himself. Once again he was asking a girl in the Labyrinth something he hope she'd say yes to. If Evelyn didn’t say yes though, he honestly didn’t know who he’d end up asking. The options were wildly different than the last time he was standing here. Morgan maybe? Sophia? No. He would really just have to sell Evelyn on this. Plus he’d gotten her a lovely green leather bound notebook for her to use, which he was now slapping into the palm of his hand.

OOC: Notebook he's holding

41 Parker Fitzgerald Your mission, should you choose to accept it (tag Evelyn) 1402 Parker Fitzgerald 1 5

Evelyn Stones

May 18, 2020 12:40 PM

I'm getting a lot of missions this term. by Evelyn Stones

Evelyn had never in her life been the benefactor of so much magic healing as she had over the past month. Between bruise balm, potions, and charms, she felt like her skin wasn't really her own anymore. It was like the old question about whether a ship was still the same ship if every board on it was replaced over time. She was pretty sure she was the same person, but she wasn't really sure. In any case, there was plenty to keep her busy, and she was always happy for more. Still, she was real tired a lot of the time and it was getting harder to keep things to herself. She wanted to be brave like Cleo had been brave, but she also wanted to be private and small and hide because she was much better at that than at being brave.

Parker's note had come as a surprise, but she hadn't thought that much about it. It would be nice to have something to do other than lay on her bed or sit in the library with her eyes closed, trying to catch up on sleep that was very elusive these days, and Parker was nice enough. They were co-prefects for Pecari, plus DnD, plus Gardening Club, and they got along generally pretty well. Plus, Parker seemed like a relatively safe person to Evelyn; he'd been one of the ones at the booth with Cleo, after all.

So she made her way to the Gardens, yawning tremendously as she arrived. She covered her mouth, not wanting Parker to think she was yawning at him so much as just yawning in general, and then greeted him with a smile from a few feet away. She'd always tended to remain a bit further than arm's length away from people, particularly boys, but she'd noticed herself doing it even more so since the start of the new year. It was really really frustrating.

"Hiya," she said, smiling a little. Parker looked . . . maybe anxious? He was hitting his palm with a book, a slapping sound that Evelyn found a bit cringeworthy resonating around him. "Good to see you. I got your note," she added, holding up the piece of parchment he'd sent her.

22 Evelyn Stones I'm getting a lot of missions this term. 1422 0 5

Parker Fitzgerald

May 18, 2020 2:39 PM

You don't have to choose this one, if you don't want to. I'm merely asking. by Parker Fitzgerald

As Evelyn was walking up and Parker thought he saw her yawning. He hoped it wasn’t because of him. He hadn’t even said anything yet. He didn’t think he was that boring, though maybe he was. Or maybe she was just tired cause she was doing a lot like Parker was.

She was the new Pecari prefect. Parker was thankful to have a female prefect for the younger women in his house. He would have sat down with Isis if it was just men and thought through how to elevate one of the older class women to make sure the younger women had someone they felt comfortable coming to. Now those women had Evelyn. She could be in other things too. She had been on the Quidditch team last year, and DnD to name a few. If that was the case, maybe this was too much for her? Oh, maybe she was already dealing with prefect stuff, and that’s why she was tired. Was this a bad idea? If it was, she could say no. She could help him strategize who could help him.

“Hi, thanks for coming Evelyn. I called you here cause, umm, I need your help,” he said as he moved the notebook into both of his hands.

“First off, congratulations on being made prefect. I think they made the right choice. I also know that you have clubs and quidditch that you want to be a part of and adventuring parties that you are integral to, but I was wondering if you could do a bit more. As you may know, I’ve been running the Gardening Club with Cleo since my second or third year, and now that she isn’t here, I don’t know if I can do all of it on my own and do all the other things I need or want to do. So,” Parker took a deep breath. “I can’t think of anyone better to ask to co-lead the club with me than you."

"That is, if you have the time," Parker said the last part quickly as he wanted to give her an out if she already had a lot.

"If you do I have one of a matching pair of notebooks for you so we can plan together," he said holding up the green leather bound notebook.

"If you don’t have the time, can you think of someone who could help me co-lead?"

He held out the notebook to her. He was pretty excited by the notebook actually. He’d found it while getting class materials this year. It had the ability for the pages of one journal to copy what was written in another and vice-versa. It hurt part of his mind to think about it a lot, but it would prove helpful in planning if they had to be in different areas, or in their rooms after curfew. He'd also bought two other copies, cause he could see them being useful in a clandestine kind of way. But he was more excited in the hopes that Evelyn might co-lead the club with him as well.

41 Parker Fitzgerald You don't have to choose this one, if you don't want to. I'm merely asking. 1402 0 5

Evelyn Stones

May 18, 2020 5:03 PM

No no, this is way better than the last one. by Evelyn Stones

Evelyn raised an eyebrow at Parker, surprised to hear he needed her help. He struck her as generally put together, and he was a seventh year, so Evelyn couldn't see what she could possibly help with. It was a nice thought though, and she listened with a sense of pride as a smile crept across her face. It grew further as Parker said he thought she was a good choice for prefect and that she was integral to other things she was doing. She'd never really felt integral to anything before and had a hard time believing it, but it meant a lot to hear. Heinrich's uncle seemed to think she was integral - or maybe instrumental - in Heinrich's social life, but Evelyn knew that wasn't true, and the other things she was involved in would go on just fine without her. It was nice to think that maybe the people in those things wouldn't go on just fine without her, even if it was sort of a morbid thought.

She blinked in outright surprise when he got out his question - with another compliment - and asked her to co-lead the Garden Club with him. He kept talking about notebooks and helping him find someone else and it made Evelyn realise she still hadn't said anything yet.

"Yes!" she said, finally grinning. "I'd love to. It means a lot that you'd ask me."

This was the sort of opportunity that Evelyn hadn't expected to get. It wasn't until this most recent summer, the beginning of it, that Evelyn had really begun thinking towards her career after Sonora, and now that CJ was definitively going to need her help, it was even more important. Things like having been school prefect and being involved in other ways, especially leadership roles, around campus really looked good on a resume or application wherever she ended up going.

She took the notebook Parker offered and flipped through it. The paper was very satisfying. It was the sort of notebook that she wanted to start writing in immediately but was also a bit afraid to mess up by writing in it. Magic made that sort of problem a bit easier to deal with.

"This is really beautiful," she said admiringly, running her hand across the surface. She had fanciful ideas of writing all sorts of things in here, although she knew she shouldn't if they were going to be using them for planning. The way he'd said that they matched made Evelyn perk up as well, since that seemed like an odd thing to really advertise to her. "What's the significance of the pair?" she asked, looking up at him again. He was a really nice guy and she was realising a bit belatedly that they were probably even friends. "Just that they're pretty?" she grinned. "Or something magical about them that lets us plan easier?"

It felt weird to say that out loud. That she was going to be helping plan something because she was helping lead something now. That was really exciting. It also meant she should probably start thinking up other folks that she might have recommended to Parker to help him co-lead if she'd said no because he was going to graduate at some point. "And hey, I really mean it. Thanks for thinking of me. I'm really excited," she smiled.

22 Evelyn Stones No no, this is way better than the last one. 1422 0 5

Parker Fitzgerald

May 19, 2020 1:56 PM

Oh Good. Cause I don't know what I'd do if you said no... by Parker Fitzgerald

She had taken the book and said yes and a small weight lifted off his chest. Something almost incomprehensibly small, but once it was gone it felt like it had been huge. He also thought that maybe there was something about having one man and one woman heading the group. Or maybe it was just something he’d been thinking about more, especially since sitting in on the war room with Lyssa and being a part of Cleo’s Dance Plans.

“I’m glad,” Parker said with a smile as Evelyn looked through the book, “I honestly didn’t have a second choice, so I’m glad you said yes,” he said a bit sheepishly.

“Oh right! The books. I mean, they are beautiful, but ya. There is something more as well. At least according to the gentleman who sold it to me.” the image of the dark haired man with a big mustache and a mischievous look in his eye. “I tested it. Look on page one, you’ll see “Gardening Club” written in the left hand corner,” Parker reached behind him and pulled out a nearly identical book and flipped his book open to the front page and showed her his, “I wrote it in this one. Annnnd,” he flipped through the pages, “if you look at the last page, you’ll see I wrote a note to us both as well, this time in your book.” His book read, Time to get a new book. at the bottom of the last page.

Parker suddenly wondered if the charm made on this notebook could be made on other notebooks without people realizing it. Could that mean you could record other people’s diaries or what they wrote? It would be like what spies used in the Muggleworld with keyword stroke trackers.

“They copy each other. So, I guess don’t keep this as a diary. But it will help us to plan when we are in different classes or if we are in our rooms,” Parker paused as another thought rushed in from the cold outside, “We could also use it for prefecting if we need to talk about someone without them knowing while they are around. So… possibly duel purpose?”

Parker smiled. One club down, another to go. Though that one he might have to see how other students dealt with the club this year before handing it over.

41 Parker Fitzgerald Oh Good. Cause I don't know what I'd do if you said no... 1402 0 5

Evelyn Stones

May 19, 2020 3:33 PM

Well I'm flattered! by Evelyn Stones

"Ah, glad to know I was your first choice by default and not through my own merit," she grinned wryly, raising an eyebrow at Parker.

He explained the books and Evelyn gaped, surprised at the ingenuity of what amounted to wizard text messaging. Or perhaps wizard walkie-talkies, as she suspected that this would have taken off over owl post if are were no range limits or something.

"Dual purposes," Evelyn agreed, smiling. She was more than a bit anxious about her role as a prefect for a number of reasons and she was relieved to know Parker wouldn't mind if she came to him about stuff. Plus, now she had a way to come to him about stuff that wouldn't require either of their busy schedules to cooperate. The last thing she wanted was to have to use club time to touch bases about something about prefect-hood. However, that did remind Evelyn of a conversation she'd had with the scary Professor Brooding-Hawthorne. Also, she should probably think of a new name for someone who was going to be great and helpful. "Speaking of, I wanted to ask about dueling club," she began, taking a seat at the nearest comfortable place to. So.

Parker would have been a lot more comfortable to talk about personal things with than Nathaniel would be, but Nathaniel needed to know things and Parker probably didn't. And probably didn't want to. That being said, she'd known Parker long enough - she'd joined Gardening Club her first year after all - that he probably wouldn't be surprised to recall her underwhelming magic skills. "I'm working with the DADA professor on some defensive magic skills," she began. "And she suggested I get involved with the dueling club. I wanted to talk to you because I'd really like to improve, but I'm a bit . . . scared?" She blushed a bit, laughing. "I don't particularly want to get hexed! But also, I have a hard time controlling my magic sometimes. It's gotten better, but sometimes I try to do a spell and nothing happens and sometimes stuff happens that I didn't intend. Professor Hawthorne thinks that would be helpful for me to practice in the club, but I wanted to get your take."

22 Evelyn Stones Well I'm flattered! 1422 0 5

Parker Fitzgerald

May 19, 2020 4:38 PM

Glad I could help by Parker Fitzgerald

Oh god.

“No. No. Thats not what I meant at all. I’m so.. I...ohh… you were kidding. Kind of? No your leadership skills are apparent, I mean, you were voted in as a prefect. And you’ve been coming to gardening club for… I think since I’ve known you. Also, I know you cause of gaming and Quidditch and you are a generally nice person to have to spend time with, which is what we have to do as co-leads of a club. And your quick and adaptive to changes which is helpful when we’re working outside.”

He may have over explained it, but he didn’t want Evelyn thinking she was chop liver or something worse. She was the only person he could think of that he knew at the school that he’d want to run a club with. Outside of his sister. Actually, strike that. The only person at school he’d want to run a club with. Period.

Now it was Parker’s turn to raise his eyebrows. It wasn’t often that someone came to him about the Dueling club surprisingly. It wasn’t popular. Maybe because people didn’t think they would find it useful. Maybe it was because Purebloods thought having a Muggleborn lead “their sport” was an intrusion, whatever the reason, this was honestly the first time Parker had had a conversation about Dueling club outside of the actual club itself, or outside of talking to Professor Brooding-Hawthorne, the taller one.

“Umm ya, shoot. Or actually don’t. Just tell me what you need,” Parker said putting up finger guns and then putting them down, slightly ashamed, but also amused with himself. “Bad dueling humor. What’s up?”

Parker listened and a smile broke over his face. The day had come. He’d fallen into Dueling Club because of an accident and a nice older student showing him the ropes, now it was his turn to return that favor. Though this time there was less collateral damage.

“Actually Dueling Club is perfect for that. I actually was...recruited isn’t the right word, maybe pushed? To join the club because the former president found me in the MARS room he wanted to use after I basically had become a miniature bomb. It was accidental magic to a huge degree,” Parker said using his hands to mimic an explosion.

“Anyways, afterwards, Sparks showed me how to channel that energy I always felt through my wand. I’d then come 20-30 minutes before the club started to practice in the room.” Parker’s mind went down a hole where he was thinking about how he became the head of the club. He was more told than nominated. One day, right before he left school Jouza came to him and said, you’re gonna lead this club. Didn’t ask. Didn’t really expect a fight either, which was odd considering the club.

“Sorry, going off track. I think practicing in the club is a great place to do it. We practice a lot like ummm…” Parker tried to think of an equivalent and then realized Evelyn might know some Muggle culture, “You know karate lessons? You practice moves together. You practice and practice. Then after practicing against a mirror or a wall or a dummy only then do you practice against a person? That’s kind of like what we do. We work on wand work, speaking clearly, our intentions, our confidence, which I still find odd as a necessity, but it’s there. After which, and only then, do we try against our fellow students. Anyways, I think it would be great! If you want, we can have a ‘practice club’ just the two of us, or the two of us plus someone else if it just being the two of us makes you feel uncomfortable, before you officially join.’

41 Parker Fitzgerald Glad I could help 1402 0 5

Evelyn Stones

May 19, 2020 4:55 PM

I could say the same! by Evelyn Stones

Evelyn hadn't meant to push Parker off a cliff without a net, but it was amusing and sweet watching him try to recover from that. She grinned as he realized she was mostly kidding. "Thanks," she said much more nicely. "I promise to let it go to my head."

It was nice to see fingerguns again. Lots of students here wouldn't have known what they were, although she had heard some variations - like "fingerwands" - becoming more popular. It wasn't the same as a good old lame Muggle reference. Pew pew.

Imagining Parker as a much younger, much more volatile version of himself was hard to do, but Evelyn was glad to know the probably wouldn't be judging her for her own magical outbursts in this case. "I haven't been, but I've seen them in movies," Evelyn confirmed about karate lessons, thinking that they wouldn't actually be a bad thing to take up as well. Either way, the dueling club sounded like it would be a perfect, low-pressure environment, and that's exactly what Evelyn needed. She wasn't sure whether she was more surprised that he was willing to help her practice separately or that he was cognizant enough to consider she might not be comfortable with that. Again, she thought of Cleo's booth at the dance and realised she shouldn't have been surprised, but she was anyway. Meeting Parker in the Gardens was one thing but an abandoned classroom or empty MARS room with someone she didn't know well was much more intimidating. That being said, she wasn't actually that worried. For the most part, her nerves had not universalized themselves.

"That sounds great," Evelyn said, sighing with relief. "I don't mind either way. Practice would definitely help. You sure you've got time?" She held up the notebook. "I know you're really busy. I don't want to take advantage of your niceness." But if she was going to and if he was really sure. . . . "Have you done karate lessons before? I wish we had that at Sonora." The idea of outright decking her father was a pretty satisfying one.

22 Evelyn Stones I could say the same! 1422 0 5

Parker Fitzgerald

May 20, 2020 8:00 PM

We are a helpful busy bunch. by Parker Fitzgerald

Evelyn made a good point. He was doing a lot, but then again, she’d come to him for help and Parker was not one to turn down someone in help, especially his co-leader. Now in multiple areas.

“Hrmmm good point,” Parker said scratching the back of his neck. “I think if it was just a few times it would be ok. Otherwise…” Parker didn’t want to throw someone else under the bus as it were, but he knew that Evelyn and Heinrich were friends… possibly more than friends judging by the way she looked at him during DnD and at the ball. Heinrich was also someone who regularly showed up for Dueling Club soo...

“I know last year you and Heinrich hung out a lot, so if you are comfortable with Heinrich, you could ask he. He could probably also help you. He shows up to the Dueling Club a lot. Either way, if the taller Brooding-Hawthorne suggested the Club to you, than we’d love to have you,” Parker said with a smile.

He put his notebook in his back pocket again and straightened up.

“I have not. But I want to take jujutsu this coming summer after I leave Sonora. My older brother takes it. It’s all about using your opponent's force against them. Lots about how to throw people or lock the joints of people when you are smaller/weaker than them or they have a weapon and you don’t. Maybe they have that near where you live?”

41 Parker Fitzgerald We are a helpful busy bunch. 1402 0 5

Evelyn Stones

May 25, 2020 7:44 PM

And not even Tepps! by Evelyn Stones

Evelyn tried (with limited success) to stifle either her blush or her smile at the mention of having been close to Heinrich the previous year. 'If she was comfortable' with him. Ha! Happily recalling a conversation that would probably hopefully mean for sure that Heinrich wouldn't mind helping her, although she wasn't sure she really wanted to emphasize for him why she was trying to do this in the first place. She nodded, accepting Parker's suggestion as a thing to follow up with later.

"Yeah, I think that could work," she smiled. "Thank you so much. I really appreciate it a lot." More than she was about to tell him, for sure.

Evelyn had no idea whether they had jujutsu where she lived, particularly since she was only half sure she really knew where she lived. She supposed she ought to be thinking of Vermont as her home, now. It was odd that she'd been thinking of it as such for several years, and that now that it was official, it was much harder to do. Still, she had enough access to adult wizards and witches that even if jujutsu wasn't terribly close to their house, they could probably find someplace for her to go to learn it over the summer. Or one of them already knew it. She could totally imagine Kir doing the crane kick or whatever it was really called. "I'll definitely look into that," she told Parker. Then she leaned back in mock amazement. "You are full of good suggestions!" She smiled more seriously. "We're gonna grow up and be totally able to kick butt, physically or magically." Now that was a satisfying idea.

22 Evelyn Stones And not even Tepps! 1422 0 5