One with the environment. [Advanced, VI-VII] on Potions

Mary Brooding-Hawthorne

July 25, 2020 9:30 PM

One with the environment. [Advanced, VI-VII] by Mary Brooding-Hawthorne

The holiday break had been something. Ups and downs, as usual, but it seemed particularly uppy and downy. Zeus had displayed signs that he may have gotten more of Michelle's veela blood than Mary had originally hoped and that was going to be a thing to think about. Certainly Tabitha was paying more attention to him. At the same time, she'd called him her son. She'd really called him her son. And Mary had no doubt that she meant it. It was comforting to know that they really had a family of their own and her heart swelled at the thought of it. Still, it didn't put aside the blatant homophobia and general crappiness of the boy's adoptive grandfather, and that was a shame. Mary wrestled, as she often did after visiting the Hawthornes (although Cassandra was pretty great, to be fair), that it wasn't fair that her family had passed and people like Tabitha's parents had not. It wasn't okay for her to think like that and she'd never voice it, and she also knew that her family hadn't been perfect, but it was hard. Sometimes she wondered whether her parents would have approved of Tabitha anyway; they had definitely leaned some into the idea that Mary's liking women was a phase.

Not particularly interested in thinking too hard on that, Mary was excited to dive back into work. The environmental lesson unit had begun part way through fall term and Mary was excited for today's lesson because it was one she cared a great deal about, even if it wasn't the most exciting thing to work on. However, it was an extension of work done in beginners and intermediates potions, which Mary enjoyed. She loved a good framing device.

When the advanced students arrived, Mary passed back their projects from fall term, graded over break. They'd been assigned a long-term study of the effects of various potions on the pH balance of water samples and the subsequent qualities of potions made with water of various pH balances and the write-up had been due on the final day of fall term, giving Mary time to review it in-depth over break. Well, as much as she had time for anything over break. It had been a fun project, and a big one, which Mary thought was important. These were the sorts of tasks wizards were set at work in offices, in government positions, and more, and she wanted to give them experience with that.

Mary cared a great deal about environmental consciousness, and felt that she was maybe more responsible for thinking of it than other wizards were, considering her line of work. Where she got her ingredients, how they were sourced, and the impact her work had on the environment mattered. In beginners potions classes, this meant looking at the water cycle and understanding the basics of how plants and animals came to grow to be sourced for potions. In intermediates, that meant considering how best to harvest ingredients themselves. In advanced, that meant looking closer, even to the chemical level, and working backward to do better next time.

"Hello, class," Mary said, greeting them as a whole after having greeted them individually with their reports to hand back. "Welcome to the start of term. For some of you, this is your last start of term at Sonora. I want to say formally just how much you will be missed, and how proud I am of how far you've come. For others of you, you still have a year after this. In which case, I am still proud of you, but I'll tell you again next year." She smiled, a bit amused, and continued. "Today's lesson will be related to the project you turned in before break, so feel free to keep your reports out to refer to. I think you'll find my notes helpful if you need a refresher as well."

Mary turned to her own desk, where several bottles of dried potions ingredients were set up with a set of now familiar tools for measurement and analysis, including a cauldron of a potion that could be pipetted onto various ingredients to test for reactions like sizzling, color-change, and more. "You previously looked at the effects of potions on the pH balance of water and how that impacts ingredients grown with that water. Now, I want us to consider what we can do and how we can respond to this in ingredients that we don't know how they were watered. Knowing what you know now, I want you to examine each of the ingredients at your table and fill out your lab report for signs and symptoms of a particularly basal, acidic, or neutral pH balance. Once you've filled it out and think you have the answer, go ahead and use the potion to test the actual pH balance of each one.

Your homework will be to research and report on how we can compensate for ingredients with excessively high or low pH balances and why it's important. For now, we just want to know what we're working with. Some of the applications of this are practical outside of brewing your own potions as well. If you go into work as an investigator or health inspector, you can use this in places of food service or potion brewing. Otherwise, it can be helpful for landscaping or design, especially when treating or inspecting greenhouses and yards. If you notice that some of the plants growing in a client's yard show signs of a high pH balance, you can do something about that or inform the client at least. This is also important in medical care, when treating alkalosis or acidosis, or in pharmaceutical-type industries. It can even be important for sports and maintenance, to make sure that you aren't treating items with something that might be corrosive to it. For professional purposes, such things are regulated. You wouldn't want to damage a team's brooms because you used a scrub that was too acidic. So if you are in a government or administrative position, this is also helpful information. And of course, all of these applications can be useful for your personal lives as well."

Mary paused to take a breath and make sure she'd covered everything she wanted to. Satisfied that she had, she flipped her chalkboard over with a wave of her wand to reveal a diagram of a plant - one which was not in their jars to use - and examples of things to look for for various conditions, such as shriveling or burning as signs of too low a pH balance and discoloration in plants with too high a pH balance.

"I think that is about all I have to say. Does anybody have any questions? I'll be available during the rest of the class period if you need any help."

OOC - Yeah so this is based on pulling together a lot of bits and pieces all over the internet. If you're looking for specific sources to back up whatever you're about to say, your best bet is to Google "pH balance in gardens" or something, as most of this is a conglomerate of other bits and not any one source was super helpful. That being said, feel free to also make it up; you're in good company! And to our graduating students: we really will miss you.

22 Mary Brooding-Hawthorne One with the environment. [Advanced, VI-VII] 1424 1 5

Gary Harper

August 09, 2020 11:28 AM

Oh good, no dancing today by Gary Harper

Gary was still not a huge fan of potions class. He was even less of one after the end of the medical unit last term. Thankfully they had moved on to the environmental unit after that and he could at least pretend that certain things had never happened. This environmental unit was more in line with what he'd be doing later than the medical unit, but that wasn't a high bar to reach.

While the material and water analysis could come up, they weren't a major part. Sure, if the customer wanted a garden he was going to have to take that in to consideration whether he should shunt rainwater towards it or away from it. But, that was going to be more Parker's end of the business than his. However, knowing how all the worked would help him figure out some of those details with Parker when the time came. Plus he wanted to pass the potion RATS, so he dug into the subject.

Now... he really, really wanted to pass the potions RATS, along with all of the other required ones. As absurd as the though sounded to him, he wondered if Korraline was similarly motivated. Probably not, but he could hope.

He accepted the welcome from Professor Brooding-Hawthorne as well as the results from the assignment. Looking over the paper as he took a seat, he saw that he'd done alright. They weren't bad marks so he considered it a win. He put the paper away and got out the rest of his things for potions. Then after the professor started talking he sighed and pulled the paper back out again.

She talked about the lesson and the possible application of such knowledge. It was good, but definitely more along Parker's professional interests than his. Considering this, he probably should have made an effort to sit with Parker today. He'd been looking at his paper while he sat down though and hadn't even noticed who was around. She didn't say the were to work with partners, but she also hadn't said that they needed to do this on their own. He considered asking when she asked if there were any questions, but he figured forgiveness was easier to get than permission. So before doing much else he turned to the person closest to him, "You all ready to dive back into this as well?"

2 Gary Harper Oh good, no dancing today 1404 0 5

Dorian Montoir

August 09, 2020 10:18 PM

Only around issues by Dorian Montoir

Dorian took back his essay, trying to give Professor Brooding-Hawthorne his best 'everything is okay' smile as he did so. She had last talked to him on the final day of the holidays, when he'd called from home to check in with her and Jean-Loup and assure them that nothing awful was happening. He had at least been able to confirm that nothing awful had been, but the fact that such a call was necessary did not reflect things being great. She'd also had to deal with whatever forty-eight hours of Jean-Loup on edge looked like. He suspected it involved lots of running and not much talking to anyone, but he still worried that he had spoilt the last two days of everyone's holiday. He hoped that being demonstrably fine now would help make up for that.

Anyway, as far as things with his biological family was concerned... Well, things were not 'fine' but they had gone better than he had expected. They were progressing. He was willing to call that 'fine' in the grand scheme of things. Better than last Christmas, anyway. It was less that and more everything else that meant he couldn't overall say everything was okay right now. There was everything with Vlad. There was the constant threat of the term ending, of them all graduating. Professor Brooding-Hawthorne issued yet another reminder of this, and he was forced to contemplate the essay on his desk very hard for a moment to try to block out the fact that she would be saying how proud she was next year to a group of people that did not include him. He tried to remind himself that that didn't have to mean the end of her saying it to him at all. She'd uttered those words to him on an individual level before, about vastly different things. He could keep in touch. He could keep making her proud. But in a handful of weeks, nothing was ever going to be the same again...

He forced himself to reread her notes, to focus on that instead, and to tune back in when it seemed like she wasn't talking about feelings and graduations any more.

Today appeared to be more science stuff. Dorian wasn't bad at that, but he definitely got better grades on papers that leant towards the philosophical. He knew how to think, expand and have opinions on that. He could regurgitate the science he had been taught but he found it hard to do more than that. But then, he wasn't sure that science wanted you to have an opinion on it anyway.

Conveniently, he had sat next to Gary. He hadn't really intended to but he had not been paying attention. However, he thought Gary was probably quite a useful partner for this. He had also been perfectly pleasant, fun even, when Dorian had sat with him for the Quidditch game. Admittedly, he had been less so during a subsequent potions lesson, but Dorian didn't hold any resentment over that fact. Hopefully working together today would make that clear.

"Very," he nodded emphatically when Gary asked if he was ready to dive back in. The weight behind that one word was perhaps a little telling, or at least suggested more than mere enthusiasm for the task ahead.

"I think I know this one," he stated, plucking a blue hydrangea flower from their assortment, "Or, I know how I tell... I can never remember if blue is acid or alkali. Or Aladren," he smiled.

"Oh, and Happy New Year, etcetera," he added, having not yet spoken to Gary since they got back. He wondered whether that sufficed for small talk or whether it was rude not to ask further. He wondered whether he really minded having to answer the same question in return. The world was what it was. "How was your break?" he asked.

13 Dorian Montoir Only around issues 1401 0 5

Gary Harper

August 10, 2020 5:38 PM

Now that I can do. by Gary Harper

Well, Dorian sounded enthusiastic enough. That was good. He also didn't sound terribly unhappy either, which was also good. Still... Gary couldn't shake the feeling that Dorian had sat next to him so that Tatiana wouldn't have to again. The whole potions debacle last term was still weighing on him a little and not much had really been said about it afterwards. It was as if they had all just kinda silently, mutually agreed never to speak of it again.

That arrangement had been fine with Gary. It seemed like the best option at the time. That had put a damper on their interactions for the rest of the term though. Granted, it was as if Gary had interacted with Dorian or Tatiana a lot beforehand, but it had begun to feel like he couldn't now. Hanging out with Dorian at the Quiddich game had been fun with their mutual disinterest in the game. Maybe Dorian had decided the whole thing had been silly. Maybe Dorian was still mad at his interactions with Tatiana and had vowed a blood oath to never let something like that happen again. Who knew?

Still, he didn't quite sound 'blood-oath' mad, so Gary had moderately high-hopes for the class. Dorian had taken one of the samples and started examining it. Gary took a look at the plant. "The discoloration is usually caused by to much alkali...." Then he grinned at Dorian, "Are you calling us Aladrens basic?"

"My break?" Gary considered what all had happened over break. "It... had it's ups and downs. Overall though, I think the ups outnumbered the downs. The time at home was alright, the step-siblings were home again." He rolled his eyes in an expression of exasperation, "Fortunately they had both brought 'friends' with them, so they had to behave." That part of break hadn't really made an impression upon him, it had been fine, but nothing exciting. Probably because the exciting part had happened before that, and everything else just paled in comparison.

He hadn't really told anyone yet what had happened at the drag show. Maybe someone had seen him there hanging out with someone else, but he had decided not to take Korraline around and introduce her to everyone. It had been tempting, and he had needed to resist the urge to guide her over to someone he knew and share this awesome treasure he had found with them. But at the same time, he kinda just wanted all of her incredibleness to himself for a bit. Plus, the logical side of his brain still had a hard time believing anything along those lines were happening and reasoned it would be best to not get hopes up and spread things around just yet.

Would Dorian be a good first person to tell? Maybe. He was at least in a relationship, maybe he knew some stuff. Hmm.. maybe not a lot about the interacting with girls at that level though. Eh, what's the worst that could happen? "I may have gone on a unexpected date though, with a girl from Ilvermorny."

2 Gary Harper Now that I can do. 1404 0 5

Dorian Montoir

August 11, 2020 8:03 AM

Or we can yolo right into them by Dorian Montoir

This particular colouration was the alkali version. Dorian began drawing up a neat three column table when Gary’s next comment caught him of guard. He did not think he had said that, but Gary’s tone sounded amused not offended.

“There is an additional meaning to ‘basic’ that I am not understanding?” he surmised, very happy to have that point elaborated on if that was the case. He felt a little bad that he was causing Gary’s humour to fall flat but he had long since given up the habit of being embarrassed by words he did not know. It happened less and less now, and it was actually almost exciting. He grinned at Gary eager for the dissection of this new specimen.

Gary answered the break question in surprisingly honest detail. Dorian offered him a sympathetic smile, very able to relate to the idea of a complicated sibling. He wondered how complicated. He wondered how much it was his business… However, he hated the idea of someone being forced to deal with their pain alone. Not that Gary was – he had a hoard of friends who he could and hopefully did talk to. But it never hurt to be sure.

“What does not behaving look like with your step-siblings?” he asked, “If you wish to go into it – it’s fine if you don’t,” he added.

“That sounds cool,” he smiled, when Gary talked about having a date. The words sounded strange and borrowed, he wasn’t convinced that he could, even after almost seven years, pull of general slang English vernacular. “Congratulations,” he added, wondering if that was too formal. Talking relationships, it turned out, was weird and complicated. He supposed he didn’t really know anyone who was in one, except for himself, and he didn’t really need to talk to himself about it. He was, in fact, explicitly banned from talking about it with one particular person… Still, at first, Vlad had been happy for him. He had been on the receiving end of this conversation a few times. “How did you meet?” he asked.

13 Dorian Montoir Or we can yolo right into them 1401 0 5

Gary Harper

August 11, 2020 6:01 PM

Sounds risky, are you sure? by Gary Harper

Gary nodded, "Basic usually means 'simple' or 'easy'." Dorian seemed interested in the wordplay, and he remembered that English wasn't Dorian's native language. He was good enough at it that it really hadn't come up much in their interactions. "Simple," he continued "Can be a rather derogatory way of describing a person with a mental or learning disorder." He paused, "In this case it's a chain of replaced meanings for some mildly insensitive self-depreciating humor." He shrugged, and gave Dorian a small smile, "Don't worry, it wasn't that funny to begin with."

"Nah, it's fine." He replied to the question about his step-siblings as he started to examine another specimen. "They mostly just enjoy making my life as inconvenient and miserable as they can. Jeremy more actively than Sasha does." He thought about his birthday over the summer and sighed. "Nothing really major, just annoyances and embarrassing things." Eh, why not. "For example I went to visit Jasmine after my birthday this summer. So, for my present, Jeremy got me a box of.." he stalled for a moment, and turned a little red before finishing, "protection. Not that it was going to be needed." He felt like he had to add.

He made a few notes on the report sheet for the sample he had been examining. "Yeah," he agreed. It had most definitely been cool. It had been fantastic. He gave Dorian a smile in response to the 'congratulations'. He decided not to take that as a 'that's amazing, you convinced a girl to hang out with you for an extended period of time' type of backhanded compliment. He figured Dorian probably didn't mean it that way. Plus, he probably figured, it meant he'd leave Tatiana alone.

"How did you meet?"

Umm... well... Eh, what the heck. Why not? "We almost literally bumped into each other in the bathroom hallway at a drag show." Gary stated simply, and watched curiously for Dorian's reaction.

2 Gary Harper Sounds risky, are you sure? 1404 0 5

Dorian Montoir

August 12, 2020 3:23 AM

Yolo by Dorian Montoir

"Yes, I know this one," Dorian confirmed, when Gary just explained what basic normally meant. That had not been the part he had trouble with, "As in 'my English is not so basic,'" he quipped. However, for Gary to be suggesting he had said this about Aladrens there had to be another meaning, one that applied here - that was how word play worked. "But it can also mean something to do with this?" he gestured at their current work materials, unsure what about what he had said could relate. "There is a meaning besides the basic meaning?" he grinned. Gary seemed to think it was not worth explaining, and Dorian had to agree that the original joke was probably going to fall flat at this point but that didn't stop the tangent that it had opened up being interesting. "I like taking words apart and seeing how they work," he shrugged. He knew that could detract from the conversation sometimes, but he hoped that an Aladren could understand that impulse, and could see that there was still enjoyment even if there was no longer humour.

He titled his columns 'Specimen,' 'Observable qualities,' 'Reaction to potion' and then, realising his mistake, waved his wand to bunch the columns together and added 'Conclusion.' He made notes in all but the 'potion' column for the hydrangea. It didn't seem like it would be particularly necessary to test it further.

Dorian listened as Gary described his step brothers. 'As inconvenient and miserable as they can make it' was not reassuring, though it was a relative term which depended both on the level of meanness and creativity of the brothers, and the degree of parental awareness and censure. As Gary expanded his explanation though it didn't seem like Dorian needed to actively worry about his safety.

His own reaction to Gary's revelation about his birthday gift was a moment of blank staring incomprehension. Then the knut dropped. Presumably Gary's brothers had got him some kind of sporting gear, with the implication that Gary could be beaten up by a girl. That sort of taunt was familiar enough, after all.

"They sound like jerks," he empathised.

"Sounds fun," he smiled, when Gary stated how he had met his date. He presumed it had been, given that Gary had been willing to engage in the activity and had met someone nice. He debated not probing it any further seeing as he'd already asked about one thing this conversation, but it turned out that Gary was a rich source of things that Dorian didn't understand. Plus he was having trouble thinking of any follow up questions given that he didn't really know what had been going on. "What's a drag show?" he asked. Maybe it was a non-magical thing.

13 Dorian Montoir Yolo 1401 0 5

Gary Harper

August 12, 2020 6:02 PM

You are starting to sound like someone else I know by Gary Harper

Right... Gary was basic. "Sorry," He said with a sheepish smile. "With the stuff we're learning, my brain went the wrong direction. An alkali substance on the higher end of the ph scale is referred to as a 'base', thus it is 'basic' substance. So, you just take that back another step along the meaning translation line. We've got a basic, as in alkali, substance which is the same word as basic, as in simple, which can be construed to mean..." he waved his hand dismissively a the implied insult.

"They are." He sighed at Dorian's agreeing comment about his step-siblings. Thankfully he seemed to understand the bit about 'protection', he was incredibly glad that he didn't have to explain that in detail to the Head Boy of the school. "They always have been, but it's been fine. We're all still alive, and it's nothing actually harmful. Just... annoying. It was so nice after I turned 17 and could put up a silencing charm around my room to keep out Jeremy's horrible, loud music." He poked at the next specimen a bit, "That will be one of the nice parts of moving to Colorado after graduation. No more Jeremy, no more Sasha. I will miss Dad though... June is alright."

Well, 'Sounds fun' with a smile wasn't quite the reaction he had expected, but it was accurate. He smiled back, "Yeah, it was." Then Dorian had to go and shatter the illusion. Right. How do you explain a drag show? How had Ness explained... no, that probably wasn't a good reference point to use.

He gave a wary smile and scratched the back of his neck, "Well... let's see. A drag show is something of a spectacle event where people get together and the men dress like women and the women dress like men. There's singing and dancing and... I don't really know how to explain it better than that, it's kind of a niche subculture thing I think." he shrugged, "It was the first time I'd went to one. Kir and Ness' family did it as a charity event. It might be an annual event for them."

Now it was well past time to turn the tables on Dorian, "How about you? Anything noteworthy to report from break?"

2 Gary Harper You are starting to sound like someone else I know 1404 0 5

Dorian Montoir

August 13, 2020 5:59 PM

And do you agree with them, usually? by Dorian Montoir

“Ah! Yes, I see!” Dorian beamed enthusiastically when Gary explained further and the swirl of dots finally coalesced and connected into something more linear, “I like this,” he grinned. His enjoyment was perhaps an equal mix of the joke itself and the thrill and the fun of actually getting it. He hadn’t had to work this hard for words in a while and he had forgotten how rewarding it could be when they finally snapped into place. “Thank you for explaining,” he added. It really frustrated him when people just dismissed it, deciding for him that it hadn’t been worth it or he didn’t need to know. He liked knowing! He also thought he might have even seen the word ‘basic’ in the textbook now he thought about it, but had probably dismissed it as meaning what he thought it usually meant. “Is there a reason? Like… Are very alkaline substances somehow more… fundamental, or simple than the acids? Or is this another example where English just decides.. Hey, these two ideas, they have nothing in common but let us use the same word?” he asked. He wasn’t sure that Gary would know that on the basis of being an English-speaker, a lot of times people didn’t know where words came from so they couldn’t answer that, but he seemed to get the science stuff, so he would potentially be able to answer if from that point of view.

All still alive and nothing actually harmful. Dorian felt his stomach twist uncomfortably at the casualness with which Gary threw out those words, but he kept his face more or less neutral. And he was glad for Gary, obviously.

“That’s good,” he mumbled.

The drag show sounded… honestly, kinda gay. It was run by the McLeods and it seemed to involve boys dressing as girls and vice versa. That wasn’t a thing boys usually did unless they wanted to get punched for being a little sissy. An accusation which had later turned out to be incredibly accurate… But Gary had gone. And met a girl there. Maybe it was just… normal. But again, McLeods… Also…

“So, you met a girl but she was dressed as a boy?” Dorian asked, “And you were…?” he trailed off, raising his eyebrows quizzically. He guessed that was still a case of opposite genders. But like… Gary had seen this person who looked like a boy and been like ‘I wanna date that?’ This was definitely odd.

Gary however, was turning the tables back on him. Dorian considered his answer carefully. The conversation was pretty light and happy, and he didn’t want to bring the mood down. He also didn’t think he and Gary were really close enough for him to actually care. But at the same time, Dorian didn’t really want to lie. He’d done enough pretending and hiding in shadows.

“It was a little complicated,” he answered honestly, toying with one of the specimens on their desk. “Family stuff is kind of a mess for both of us right now.”

13 Dorian Montoir And do you agree with them, usually? 1401 0 5

Gary Harper

August 14, 2020 5:48 PM

It depends on the situation. by Gary Harper

Gary smiled at Dorian as he could see the understanding wash over his fellow seventh-year. "No problem." He responded to the thanks. Then he had to stop and think at the next question that Dorian posed. "I'm not sure about that one. It could probably go either way." He shrugged and gave Dorian an apologetic look, "Maybe we'll just have to look it up some time."

He nodded as Dorian started his question about meeting a girl, then the question got a little weird. It was followed up with another question that wasn't asked... except through a questioning eyebrow. Now, the question as a whole, he probably would have grinned shrugged and gave some sort of witty sounding (at least to him) response and moved on. But... coming from Dorian... it had a little different undertone to it? Gary wasn't sure if Dorian was intentionally putting it there, or if it had been his own brain putting it there because it had come from Dorian... but... he cringed internally just a bit.

This was not actually a think he had considered. Not that he saw Korraline as a masculine figure, but... had Korraline seen him as a....? No, he had clearly identified himself as a 'he', and despite Ness' and Kir's (mostly Kir's) handiwork, Aleena had not been that girly of a girl. She hadn't been attracted to him because he had looked like a girl, had she? Ness and Lyssa certainly hadn't been interested in him as a guy... No. It was just the event... right?

"She was dressed as the Eleventh Doctor," he started off, probably unhelpfully. Did Dorian watch Dr. Who? Probably not? "She was wearing a suit and a bow tie, and a fez." She had looked.. he wasn't one to use the words 'cute' or 'adorable' much, yet 'beautiful' and 'lovely' really didn't fit the bill either. He smiled a little picturing her again in his mind. She had the prettiest eyes he'd ever seen, and a smile that could light up a Zone of Darkness. "Ness and Kir had me dressed up as some warrior woman complete with armor and sword." He sighed, "She's just as much of a geek as I am, we spent nearly the whole night just hanging out and talking."

Gary smiled and nodded at Dorian's reply about his break. He didn't know much about Dorian's background, but he got the feeling that 'complicated' was putting it lightly. "Family is like that I guess." There was the old quote that got applied to any number of things, 'can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.' However that came to mind after the variant of the saying had sprung there first 'can't live with 'em, can't kill 'em'. Thankfully the thoughts stayed inside his head, he had a feeling they may not go over well, even as a joke.

He picked up yet another sample... some horrible twisted thing, and decided to take the conversation on a different track. "Do you have plans for after graduation yet?"

2 Gary Harper It depends on the situation. 1404 0 5

Dorian Montoir

August 15, 2020 3:23 AM

It's never been my preferred method by Dorian Montoir

“Yes,” Dorian agreed to looking up more information about the words, “The library has an etymological dictionary which shows where all the words come from. I found it when looking for Greek. It is very fun. Sometimes it’s just lists of older versions of the words, tracing back to Old English or Latin or Greek but some words have small stories.”

Gary’s date had been dressed as a doctor. That was like a non-magical healer (Dorian could at least agree on the appeal of those). Except she had been specific doctor, involving a suit, a bowtie, and something Dorian didn’t understand but which was presumably another garment. But it seemed like she and Gary had bonded more over thoughts and ideas. About what was on the inside. That sounded good. He had always imagined that the perfect person was someone you could sit and discuss everything you loved with - all your favourite books, all your favourite songs. Jean-Loup, he had to admit, was not quite like that, and he felt a tiny pang of jealousy at the thought of Gary finding someone he connected with so perfectly. Not that Jean-Loup wasn’t wonderful. He was sweet, he was caring and romantic. He had swept into Dorian’s life like a knight in shining armour, and it had been the most beautiful thing that ever happened. It was just the question of what to do with him now he was here. Mostly the answer seemed to be let him go off running, and be waiting when he got back.

“That sounds great,” he smiled at Gary.

“I guess,” he echoed when Gary suggested families were just ‘like that.’ He wasn’t entirely sure what to make of that kind of statement. Everyone’s lives had their complications, sure. Everyone had problems. He knew that to be true, but Gary’s own family was ‘complicated’ in the way his brothers irritated and annoyed him. That didn’t exactly feel equal with having had his brother try to put his head through a wall and having his family refuse to accept that he wanted to date boys. Not everyone had to make plans for the holidays because going home wasn’t viable. It wasn’t like he expected Gary to care deeply, or like he even wanted to get into what was going on with him, they weren’t close enough for that, but somehow sentiments like that grated on him.

Gary moved the subject on. Except for Dorian, it wasn’t really a different subject. In some ways, so many of the same complications affected him here… It wasn’t like he hadn’t given any thought to his future. He had spent a lot of time with Mr. Row. But it had been very much oriented to practical life skills, to working out what things he’d be qualified for and how to balance a very meagre budget if he ended up kicked out at eighteen and having to fend for himself. It didn’t look like that was going to happen, but he’d been focussed on making sure he had a safety net before he dared have dreams or ambitions. And last year… the end of last year had solidly been a mess, in which his primary goal had been to not fall apart, and to try to get everyone speaking to each other again.

“I applied to some colleges,” he answered, “But it’s hard to feel certain about what I want to do.” This was partially due to the range of things you could study, and how he wasn’t sure how to narrow it down and pick when so many things interested him and when he wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do with his life. There was also a lot to do with the social factors though, and the fact that it was very hard to make a decision which would affect him and other people for multiple years when it felt like just getting through each month was a challenge. How did you plan a big life decision like that when nothing around you was stable? Which country would he study in? Where in that country? He supposed he and Jean-Loup should be thinking about including each other, and his boyfriend brought that up from time to time. And then, if he did move in with him, how many rows was that going to spark? His Mama didn’t seem to want to cut him off or compromise his future, but was it going to reignite a whole bunch of past arguments if he was living a life she disapproved of? He couldn’t help but feel that his parents bankrolling his education was just giving them a huge bargaining chip in making demands about how he lived. He could see that money coming with some strings attached. And then there was Vlad… Moving in with Jean-Loup was not going to make anything better there. “I kind of wish I could stay here,” he sighed. “You have plans?”

13 Dorian Montoir It's never been my preferred method 1401 0 5

Gary Harper

August 15, 2020 5:47 PM

I generally avoid it if possible as well. by Gary Harper

"That's pretty neat." Gary commented about the etymological dictionary in the library. "I bet there are some interesting things in there. How old is it?" He wondered if some of the newer slang terms showed up at all. Probably not, but it might be interesting to see what the 'newer slang terms' were when it was written. Unfortunately, at this point he didn't think he was going to have a lot of spare time for whimsical research projects just for the fun of it.

"I've got no complaints," he said returning Dorian's smile. It was an lie, but that was fine. He had no complaints about Korraline or the time they had together. He had a few complaints about the current situation. He wasn't going to get to see her again for months. Who knows what might happen in that amount of time. Would she forget all about him? Would she find someone else? He really hoped not.

Gary was well aware that he was no master of the social arts. However, he was pretty sure he was picking up on some reluctance from Dorian about chatting about the current topics. Particularly the family topic. That was fine. As for the future? Who knows what that may bring. He nodded along with Dorian's uncertainty. That reminded him of last year and his panicked attempts to figure out what to do with his life while trying to keep Jasmine happy. That didn't quite seem like the kind of thing to bring up though.

"Yeah, I'm heading off to MENTAL next year. That's the Magical Engineering, Nature, and Technology academy of Learning college over in Colorado. I'm going to study architecture." He paused and rolled his eyes upwards, "Assuming RATS go well anyway." He smiled, "I was talking with Parker over break, he's going into landscape design. When this is all said and done, we may attempt to go into business together. Home and gardens for all your design needs."

2 Gary Harper I generally avoid it if possible as well. 1404 0 5

Dorian Montoir

August 17, 2020 7:55 AM

But then sometimes you don't end up with a decision in time by Dorian Montoir

“Yes,” Dorian agreed with a smile. It wasn’t a super risky shot talking to an Aladren about how you’d found a cool book in the library but it was always nice to find common ground. “I am not sure,” he answered, when Gary asked the book’s age. That was a less important element to him, as he wasn’t likely to be looking up terribly modern words.

Gary had no complaints. Yes, that really did seem to be the case… He also had plenty to say about what he was doing with his future. Not just for the next couple of years, but after that too.

“That’s a very well formed plan,” Dorian said, anxiety and envy colouring the words slightly - the feelings had made his throat tighten up just enough that the words hitched and snagged on them on their way out, and he didn’t sound as entirely happy for Gary as he maybe should have done. “You and Parker both,” he added, forcing himself to take a deep breath, which was definitely nowhere near as easy as it should have been. Other people had plans. Proper, detailed plans. And it wasn’t like he wasn’t used to that. Some lives came with that built in, if you wanted to do a distinct job with a name and a training path. And he came across that often enough, in that he was dating someone who wanted to be a healer. He just wasn’t sure what you did if you didn’t have your eye on a job like that. If you were good at stuff, and interested in a lot of stuff, but not sure which particular thing - and if your family were all still too busy fighting for it to seem stable or like a priority.

Growing up, the thing he had always wanted was to fall in love and get married. He had assumed he would study, assumed he would find a job of some kind but he had never cared what. He’d just pictured being happy with someone. And he had to admit that was in far less jeopardy than it had seemed a couple of years ago. Technically, he could marry, and have a family. Just he hadn’t imagined dropping so many other people he loved for that to happen. This was not a new wound, but it was one that was easily reopened. The idea that Vlad, having initially been on his side, might now be planning to ditch him wasn’t helping either, or that Tatya’s sister wanted her to… Or that he couldn’t exactly ignore the ‘study/find job’ element (could he? Was he meant to take the role of the housewife here?) and that that was rapidly creeping up on him without him feeling certain enough about where he wanted to take it.

13 Dorian Montoir But then sometimes you don't end up with a decision in time 1401 0 5

Gary Harper

August 17, 2020 6:40 PM

That is a very good thing to keep in mind. by Gary Harper

Gary gave Dorian a look, there was something a little off about his statements. Was Dorian mad at him? That didn't seem right, he hadn't manhandled Tatiana again without realizing it had he? No... had he said something? He'd picked up on the gist that Dorian didn't really want to talk about break, did he not want to talk about future plans either? Maybe. He hadn't sounded like his plans were all that solid yet... like he had been last year.

He'd been a wreck last year trying to figure out what he was going to do with his life and trying to make decisions he should have made going into his fifth year. What if Dorian was in that position now? They only had this one term left... Gary would be going crazy. Dorian seemed to be holding up rather well if that was the case.

Could he do anything? Probably not. Could Mr. Row? Hmm.. maybe... Mr. Row had connections and influence. Although, if he hadn't interceded already, maybe this was the path Dorian was supposed to be on. Interfering may not be the best idea. Still he should respond in some manner.

Gary shrugged, "I don't know if I'd go so far as to call it a 'plan'. It's more of an outline, with some wishful thinking tacked on the end." He sighed and gave Dorian an apologetic look, "Look, I don't know what all you have going on in your life or what you want for the future. But, if you need me for anything, I'm here and I'm glad to help if I can."

2 Gary Harper That is a very good thing to keep in mind. 1404 0 5

Dorian Montoir

August 18, 2020 7:42 AM

I think about it a lot, believe me by Dorian Montoir

It sounds like a plan to me. Dorian kept this comment to himself, aware that it sounded bitter even in his own head. He didn’t want to be a jerk - he hadn’t meant to sound exasperated the first time he’d opened his mouth. He wasn’t sure whether to apologise, or to explain… Except Gary had shut down the conversation about the awkward parts of Dorian’s life, and he had the feeling they were ugly and unpleasant, and that the other boy didn’t want to deal with them. He couldn’t say he blamed him. He wasn’t sure what he’d have said anyway - it wasn’t like he was keen to air all his family’s dirty laundry. He wasn’t sure what was getting under his skin and bothering him right now except well… everything but it probably wasn’t particularly fair to take it out on Gary.

It also felt like any sort of explanation was an excuse. Maybe if he was focussed and determined he’d have a career all picked out and would know how to get on with it. Instead he was worrying about everyone’s feelings. He didn’t like to think there was anything wrong with being a Teppenpaw, he liked that he was one, but the fact that his social relationships were stopping him achieving his academic potential… He wasn’t convinced that Gary wouldn’t think he was just being pathetic.

He was therefore very taken aback when Gary apologised to him, of all things. He also offered to help, if he could.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice back to its usual soft self - perhaps a little softer, smoothed over by his surprise at the gesture. He thought it was probably just another thing that people said, without really meaning it, but it helped more than ‘sucks for everyone sometimes.’ It addressed the fact that it sucked specifically for him right now.

He considered Gary’s other sentence. ‘ I don't know what all you have going on in your life or what you want for the future. It was easy to brush that off with a ‘me neither.’ He was acutely aware though that he was head boy. He was supposed to be a shining example. And maybe he was. Maybe he was the pinnacle and perfection of what time at Sonora could look like, only they were about to step out from that into the wider world which would not give a damn about his pathetic little badge but might give a heck of a big one about him having a boyfriend. Had he peaked? Was this as good as he was ever going to be? And how much time and energy was it going to take to find a new place in the world, and feel comfortable and safe and accepted?

He wondered whether he was letting himself down, not living up to his badge and the expectations placed on him if he was visibly fraying at the seams… But he remembered Professor Brooding-Hawthorne asking him to be a role-model for Zeus, and that what she had been looking for was someone to show him he could be anything at all he wanted to be. That it was okay for boy’s to be anything. Including soft or sad or vulnerable. And whilst he felt like he was very far from a shining example of anything as he faced the possbility of crumbling with the world around him, he was also pretty sure no one at this school had elected him because of his glowing track record at masculinity. They’d elected him in spite of the lack.

“I want to be safe. And I want to know that I get to see all the people who matter most to me,” he admitted. It was not so much a lack of knowing what he wanted to do with his future as a lack of knowing how to get there. “And have many good books to read,” he added, because he was talking to an Aladren after all, and that was a key part of his plan, “And get a pet bunny,” he added, because that was one thing he knew for certain. “The second two are easy enough. But the first… There doesn’t seem to be any kind of college course for that. Or anyone with a map for how you do it. Well, for some there is… Mr. Row and I talk a lot about employment law, and how to read between the lines for diversity policies and work out which places actually mean them - which countries I should probably avoid doing study abroad in.

“But unless you can rid the world of homophobia or slow down time, I probably shouldn’t ask for your help, or burden you with my problems - I’m sorry,” he apologised. “I am genuinely glad you and Parker have plans,” he added, sounding like he meant it this time, “I didn’t mean it to sound how it did.”

13 Dorian Montoir I think about it a lot, believe me 1401 0 5

Gary Harper

August 18, 2020 5:13 PM

That's good, but thinking doesn't do much without action. by Gary Harper

He nodded in response to Dorian's 'Thank-you.' After last year he wasn't sure he could say 'You're welcome' without it sounding like Maui and that probably be the best thing right now. 'No problem' also didn't seem like the best response.

...you're welcome
For the tides, the sun, the sky
Hey, it's okay, it's okay
You're welcome
I'm just an ordinary demi- Dangit Jasmine!!

He did his best to drive the song from his head and focused back on listening to Dorian. Dorian did have things rough, and he didn't want anything that Gary himself didn't want. Well, maybe except for the rabbit. He could do without a rabbit.

Dorian did talk to Mr. Row, so that was good. "You've got step one of the process down. You know what you want. Step two is the harder one, figuring out how to get those things." He gave Dorian a knowing glance, "Mr. Row knows what he's talking about, he'll guide you on the right path. He got me all worked out, now I just gotta make sure I do my part and follow the plan."

He shook his head, "Nope sorry. As nice as is it would be to stop people from being mean to each other for stupid reasons... the most direct way along those lines lead pretty quick into the Dark Arts as I understand it." Then he grinned, "As for slowing down time, it's interesting that you mention that." He thought back to his conversations with the librarian on Evelyn's behalf. "I've been looking into chronal manipulation for... another project. The interesting thing is that it is possible from the accounts I could get a hold of, or a least a localized temporary reversal. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find anything that'll lead me to a practical application. I suspect Tarquin is holding out on me."

"You can ask away, I mean it." Gary made sure he was doing his best to sound sincere, "Even if you just need someone else to vent your frustrations to if you think it would help." He waved away the apology, "They are plans in the loosest sense of the word. Maybe you could become an interior designer and join in the endevour." He replied half-jokingly.

2 Gary Harper That's good, but thinking doesn't do much without action. 1404 0 5

Dorian Montoir

August 20, 2020 8:29 AM

I am aware by Dorian Montoir

“Simple two step process and I am half way there, huh?” he gave Gary a wry smile. The Aladren was more or less repeating back what he himself had said, but was managing to make it sound more ‘glass half full’ than he had done. “Mr. Row is helpful,” he agreed. He had got Jean-Loup his position, after all. Dorian still didn’t know in full the things Jean-Loup had been trying to get away from, only that they had been enough to make him want to get away, and he would be forever grateful that his boyfriend had found someone willing to help at the other end. “And Professor Brooding-Hawthorne,” he gave a nod to the front of the room to specify which one, though he suspected it didn’t really need spelling out at this point. “There are many good people here,” he stated, his emphasis falling more firmly than he’d meant it to on the final word. And he only had a few more months to benefit from their help and their kindness and their proximity. Even if he didn’t believe that Professor Brooding-Hawthorne would fade out of his life, she would suddenly be an owl away.

“Ah. No. Fewer bad things in the world please. Even bad acts for noble reasons… no,” he shook his head. He was pretty sure that Gary was not about to go over to the dark side to rid the world of homophobia but he felt it worth emphasising his standpoint. An image of Matthieu’s nose breaking and spouting blood as Jean-Loup’s fist collided with it sprung to mind. However, it was very quickly driven out by the fact that Gary had stopped making sense again. Dorian tilted his head, wondering which of them it was that didn’t actually speak English. Had he been so sheltered, amongst the group of his foreign or patient friends, that he had really made less progress than he assumed? Or did Gary just talk a variety of English that was foreign to most people?

“You are talking about actually disrupting time?” he asked, raising his eyebrows, “Is that safe?” he asked, slightly concerned. It had been an idle wish, after all, and he often thought that the best thing about wishes was their inability to be granted – he’d read too many stories where they went horribly wrong to believe he actually wanted anything he wished for.

“Thank you,” he smiled, when Gary really seemed to emphasise that he actually, in some way, cared about this. “It already helps, actually – to hear you say that people who hate me are the ones who have it wrong. To know you supported the McLeods’ charity – I’m sure you did it for Ness, I know you are friends. But it’s still good to know.”

He considered Gary’s offer with a smile. It didn’t sound a million miles away from his actual skillset. When he’d gone over what he actually enjoyed doing with Mr. Row, the fact that he liked making things pretty, as he had done for Teppenpaw’s stage performance, had been listed. There was no shortage of things Dorian liked doing or wanted to be a part of. He just wasn’t sure which one to give his attention to, or whether to trust the world enough to believe he’d be allowed to find his place in it.

“I’ll consider it,” he smiled, “And if you ever find you need things organising, let me know. I very much like creating complex colour-coded project files and timetables,” he added, wondering whether he had just downgraded himself from designer to secretary. “Or any other help, more immediately,” he added, aware that Gary had voiced concerns of his ability to stick to his future plans several times now – perhaps a little more than mere modesty would suggest. “You know you will do fine too, yes?” he added.

13 Dorian Montoir I am aware 1401 0 5

Gary Harper

August 21, 2020 6:38 AM

So it's just a matter of putting these puzzle peices together. by Gary Harper

Gary grinned at Dorian, "You got it. You're just one step away from achieving your goals." He listened to Dorian and couldn't fail to miss the emphasis that Dorian put on the word 'here'. That made him consider another option. "Have you considered finding a job here at the school after graduation?" Gary gave his fellow seventh-year a mirthful but sly grin, "Maybe you could get a job as assistant Quidditch coach so your can take over that position once the coach decides to retire. I thought your analysis of the game was quite good."

He was glad that Dorian didn't want him to turn to the Dark Arts. The thought of Professor Brooding-Hawthorne hunting him down because of that sent chills down his spine. Dorian seemed a little confused by his commentary on the time alteration, "Yeah. It is apparently possible to roll time back a few hours, but I can't find out how to actually do it. There is a spell, and it's better if it is put into an object of some sort." He raised an eyebrow, "Safe? Probably not. From everything I've read or watched, messing with time rarely ends well. Still, if it can be done..." He let the sentence drop.

Gary shrugged, "I'm just not sure why it is so complicated to be a decent human being." He returned Dorian's smile, "I'll be sure to do that. That may become a critical thing I'll have to get good at." He had an 'organizational system' that he understood, but if anyone else had to find anything... they may not be entirely successful. "I'm.. hopeful that things will work out alright." He looked at Dorian a little sheepishly, "I've just always followed the advise of 'hope for the best but plan for the worst.' At this point planning for the worst is figuring out what I'll do if I completely bomb the RATS, and I'm not quite sure what that plan is yet."

2 Gary Harper So it's just a matter of putting these puzzle peices together. 1404 0 5

Dorian Montoir

August 21, 2020 7:33 PM

Right. I can do that. by Dorian Montoir

“Thank you,” Dorian smiled, when Gary complimented his game-analysis, “I really had not considered Quidditch but perhaps that is my true calling. Though I’m not sure - my direction for the team might be disbanding it because it’s violent and unpleasant and I’m sure they can find better things to do with their time. I’m not sure that’s the direction they want to go in.” Besides that, other people would be leaving… Tatya and Vlad would graduate. He would move out of his room in Teppenpaw. Even the people he saw less but still enjoyed having around, like Parker - like Gary. Professor Brooding-Hawthorne would still be here, but that would be it. Jean-Loup would, if all went to plan, go off to get his medical training. Did it mean anything that he hadn’t thought of that first, or was it just that he was so much more used to Tatya and Vlad being part of his life here? “It wouldn’t be the same, even if I stayed,” he admitted. “Probably I have to just accept and move on or something like that. Deal with the fact that things change,” he grimaced.

“Just because it can be done does not mean it should be,” Dorian finished Gary’s sentence, raising his eyebrows as Gary literally talked about messing with time. He was also talking about making time repeat itself, which… whilst functionally, Dorian supposed might mean he had longer here, it didn’t sound quite the same as slowing it, making it all slip through his fingers a little less rapidly… It was the sort of thing that was interesting to think about from a philosophical point of view - what constituted having ‘more time’ and did it ultimately matter the format it came in if it achieved the same purpose? Did it, or could it, achieve the same purpose if it came in different formats? Was time what you made of it, or was it something with a mind and a structure of its own? That was about as close as he wanted to get to messing around with it. “I prefer safe,” he stated.

"Yeah," he agreed with a sigh and a smile, when Gary stated he wasn't sure why people couldn't just not be jerks. "Though, so far, more are turning out to be on my side than I thought.

“Same,” he nodded, when Gary summarised the idea he lived by. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. “I spent so much time working out with Mr. Row how to survive if I got kicked out by my parents. It doesn’t seem like that’s happening,” he confirmed, “But I’m not really sure where I stand either. Hey, maybe we swap plans? If you bomb out, you take my emergency plans. If I pass everything, I go be an architect. That’s good and respectable. They’d probably be decently pleased with that. If we both pass, and need some kind of future though, then we have a problem,” he grinned.

“Uh, speaking of passing our classes,” he nodded at the sample in Gary’s hand. Apparently the small talk of ‘how was your winter break?’ had got a little out of hand.

13 Dorian Montoir Right. I can do that. 1401 0 5

Gary Harper

August 22, 2020 5:18 AM

Well then, perhaps my work here is done? by Gary Harper

"Sometimes the ones in charge just need to make those tough choices." Gary responded, "The players may not like the direction you take the team, but it might just be for the best." He did his best to sound as pompous and self-righteous as possible. "Just think of all they might accomplish if they were able to focus more of their attention on more important things." He finally broke down and grinned. The game had been... amusing to watch at the least, and Dorian had been an excellent companion to watch it with. But he still remembered that his friends had been having fun playing, though he still couldn't figure out why.

"Everyone has their own interests I guess," He gave Dorian a little bit of a knowing look, "I suppose taking things away from people just because you don't agree with them isn't the best thing to do." He suspected Dorian had much more experience with this sort of a statement than he did, and hoped he wouldn't think Gary was being glib with the subject.

"The only thing that stays the same is change? You can never go home again?" Gary quoted with a semi-dismissive wave of his hand. "There are plenty of pithy quotes about change and it's inevitability, so it must be a fact of life." He reinforced Dorian's statement, "How we wind up dealing with it is usually the question."

Gary nodded at Dorian's thoughts on chronal manipulation, "That is probably for the best. The thing I'm wondering about though, is what do you do if someone wants to use it maliciously against you? Is there a way to detect that sort of thing or prevent it?" He realized it was a fairly unlikely scenario, but it could in theory happen. "I wonder if Professor Brooding-Hawthorne has any thoughts on the subject." He pondered. He may have to check in with her, just out of curiosity.

"Well, that's good, right? Not getting kicked out by your parents." He really couldn't imagine Dad kicking him out, he was ready to get out on his own though. "I'm not getting kicked out, but I'm planning to move out and get setup over in Colorado over the summer so that I'm ready to go for MENTAL next term. Getting out on my own oddly enough isn't one of the parts that is scaring me about the future." He eyed up Dorian a moment, "You know, you could just come and study architecture for yourself if you think that'd be good for your situation."

Then Dorian redirected his attention back to the task at hand. "Right. That's probably a good point. What exactly to you make of this one?" As he held the sample out for Dorian's analysis.

2 Gary Harper Well then, perhaps my work here is done? 1404 0 5

Dorian Montoir

August 29, 2020 3:26 AM

Perhaps by Dorian Montoir

"So long as it stays on the pitch," Dorian muttered, as Gary talked about not taking the mindless violence away from people who found it fun. The remark was uttered audibly enough for him to hear but not like it was particularly an invitation to go into that subject in more depth.

"Oh, I can - at least I hope so," he answered Gary's question about never being able to go home again - or what he took to be a question, seeing as he didn't recognise it as a quotation. "I did go home, for two days during the holidays," he added to reassure Gary. He was a little surprised that Gary seemed so familiar with the situation, but then he had been hanging out with the McLeods, and they had lots of resources about families like Dorian's kicking out their kids. Also, even though he had just mentioned that that was not happening, that was not a thing that people usually felt they had to specify, so it was probably rather telling.

How to know if someone was manipulating time around you..? Dorian toyed with this for a moment, considered adding it to his list of worries, and then decided to let it go - or to allow it to be a minor footnote on the list of worries at best. There were a lot more concrete things he needed to think about right now.

"Why would-" he began, tilting his head curiously at the potions teacher. He trusted her to fix almost anything but he wasn't sure he would assume her to be any expert in time travel, or its malicious uses. That sounded more like- "Ah - Professor Brooding-Hawthorne, emphasis on Hawthorne?" he guessed.

"Ah, probably not," he shook his head regarding architecture, "I mean, I am sure they would find it impressive but I think it's not for me. I think I would prefer something with languages and books, and maybe finding a nice little corner in some university and never leaving," he smiled.

"That is a twisty piece of root," Dorian analysed, when Gary held the sample out to him, "Could be twisty and have these marks from the type of soil," he observed, gesturing at a couple of marks on it, "Could just be an ugly, dry plant."

13 Dorian Montoir Perhaps 1401 0 5

Gary Harper

August 29, 2020 8:59 AM

You don't sound entirely convinced by Gary Harper

Gary smirked a little in agreement at Dorian's muttering, but decided against adding to it. Instead he focused on Dorian's next statements. He had gone home. Well, that was good. Gary grinned at his partner, "No, I didn't mean that literally. It's a quote by... Thomas Wolfe maybe?" he wasn't entirely sure on that front, "You can never go home again." he quoted. "It is just referencing the inevitability of change in life. The place that you grew up in is different now than it was when you were growing up. No matter how hard you'd like to, you can't go back to that same place and time."

He stopped and considered that line of reasoning along with their other subject of conversation. "Unless maybe you had a time turner and could actually travel back in time." His brow furrowed a bit as his rambling took over once again, no longer really addressing Dorian anymore. "No, that still wouldn't work. You'd be older and more experienced. Even it it was the same time and place, you'd view it differently." Scenes from his own past flashed through his mind, reevaluating the events and comparing how he'd originally seen them versus what he could make of them now. "Physically you'd be different as well," he continued, "Unless you could travel back to inhabit your former self of that time period as well." Gary's mouth finally stopped moving as his brain tried to process some of these thoughts without bothering the outside world, but a moment later he shook his head, snapping him out of it. "Sorry," he apologized.

Gary nodded after Dorian looked towards the potions professor and than clarified the statement. It was probably childish and such, but for some reason he still delighted in the confusion that could be caused by having two teachers with the same name. "Yup," he agreed, "Professor Brooding-Hawthorne, not Professor Brooding-Hawthorne." Making sure to state both names exactly the same with no defining emphasis.

"Maybe you just need to find your own library to manage somewhere." Gary offered. The idea appealed to him a bit as well, but his course was set. He was not about to diverge from it now. "You'd get to put your organizations skills to work there. I'm not sure what kind of training that takes though."

Gary gave Dorian an mock unimpressed look at the boy's analysis of the sample. "I agree." Then he gave Dorian a wink and started flipping through his book. "I guess step one is to figure out which ugly, dry plant it is."

2 Gary Harper You don't sound entirely convinced 1404 0 5

Dorian Montoir

September 04, 2020 7:54 PM

I still don't have a plan, and also we have classwork by Dorian Montoir

“Ah, that is very interesting,” Dorian agreed, when Gary explained his remark. He made a note to look up Thomas Wolfe when he had the chance. “I suppose it also depends on your definition of ‘home.’ It is rarely in a particular place - or not made purely by that place. It’s also the people and the feelings,” which was his exact problem with moving on or not moving on from Sonora - both options sucked. He supposed he therefore agreed with Thomas Wolfe, in that you could never go home. But that didn’t mean you couldn’t be at home. “If you can take enough of the things that made home, and keep them even when other things change, are you going home again, or still?” he suggested. “Which is probably a very fancy way of saying ‘home is where the heart is,’” he admitted with a laugh. “Sorry. I like philosophy. Sometimes it’s hard to determine where it stops being philosophy and becomes greetings cards though,” he laughed.

“Ah yes, her,” he smiled at Gary’s intonation as he distinguished between Professor Brooding-Hawthorne and Professor Brooding-Hawthorne.

“Maybe,” he agreed, regarding managing a library. It certainly ticked a lot of boxes. For now, he thought he would just keep finding a way to do the things he enjoyed doing. He didn’t have to decide yet. Sometimes it felt like he did. It scared him not having certainty and not having solid plans. But he had some good options, and he could keep working on the long term plan. Whether he could do it without worrying about its non-existence was something of another matter however. Maybe he could. Maybe he’d just go back to Mr. Row and go through every option until he had a solid future mapped out.

He flipped through his textbook, looking for the plant, though it was hard to say for sure. A lot of dried rooty things looked very similar.

“This?” he suggested, sliding his book over to Gary. The picture he’d found had the same kind of twisting, though the example in the book was thinner. If it was that though, the presentation seemed fairly ordinary, which meant they’d have to use the potion to get real answers about what type of soil it had been grown in.

13 Dorian Montoir I still don't have a plan, and also we have classwork 1401 0 5