Piérre Maché and Paper Dralt Pv Pericles D. Fin

@Piérre Marchonné

Origami would also prove to be an all-new experience for Pericles. He had seen it done in the past, had been fascinated by the art of turning simple papers into intricate shapes, but had not tried it for himself. Drawn by the promise of new information (as well as points and a bit of coin), the young Ravenclaw donned some simple off-hour attire and made his way down to the Great Hall. Granted, "simple" for some was "dapper" to others. Pericles opted for a pristine white shirt, over which he layered a plain grey vest, and for a dash of color he opted for a proper Ravenclaw tie (faded blue with stripes of copper). His black trousers were unpressed, marked by a wrinkle here and there, but his boots were buffed free of any smear or soil. With his prefect badge tucked into one pocket and wand snug in the other, he approached the supply table to peruse their options.

Each design seemed somewhat complicated to one so new, but they were charming, and it would take nearly an entire minute before the boy settled on something. Selecting the instruction sheet for folding a lion, Pericles picked an orange sheet to match. It was then that he heard his name being called. He glanced around, spotted the source, and instantly sported a cheerful smile. The excitable series of hellos were answered with a bright "Hullo, Piérre!" While some found the Britalian's energy excessive, Pericles decided it was hard to dislike. He always sounded so happy to see him, even though they were not well acquainted, and who did not enjoy a warm welcome? Upon approaching, he gladly answered "Yes! I should like that very much. How have you been then?"

The Ravenclaw settled into a seat across the table, his smile only happening to flicker when he realized the Hufflepuff colors which were worn. Seemingly spacing out during whatever answer he received, the smile wavered. Well, this was awkward. "D'you mind if I ask you something silly...?" Peri placed both papers on the table. His smile was sustained, but it had become apologetic, preemptively sorry for what he was about to say. "This might sound strange, but I could have sworn you were a... well, a Gryffindor. When we first met that is, and you invited me to the Liberation meeting. Are you actually a Hufflepuff?"

WC: 396

@Pericles Dralt

"I'm doin' okay, how 'bout you?"

Piérre replied automatically to Peri's inquiry. It was no mystery that the two of them had been through quite a bit, even if they were mere acquaintances; events in SWAG Club, events in the debate of Potter's incrimination, and even a little more than traumatic experience in the Hospital Wing involving a successful and dangerous Sectumsempra Curse. How the two of them did not know each other well or how they were not friends was a mystery, but a mystery that Piérre wished to resolve soon.

Piérre crinkled the paper in his fingers a little more, still uncertain of what he wanted to do. He was debating between a Dragon or a Raven, as those were his two favorite animals of the bunch, but then again... a snake or a lion could be cool. Smiling as Peri seated himself across the table, Piérre noticed the orange paper in the Eagle's hands. Without thinking about how to answer the question that was first poised to him, Piérre asked his own question of Peri first. "What'cha planning to make?" Despite himself, Piérre began kicking his feet under the table, even though his toes were able to touch the ground if he wanted them to.

Shrugging as he thought of the answer to the rather inquisitive Raven's question, Piérre looked up at the ceiling of the Great Hall, watching Peeves making his rounds. While Piérre hadn't been close to the Poltergeist, he longed to be... he could only imagine the havoc they would wreak together... Lithe fingers began to fold haphazardly and absentmindedly, doing their own thing and not really paying attention to the medium that they were folding.

Humming for a second before finally chuckling at his own answer, Piérre responded, locking bright green eyes with Peri's silver. "No such thing as a strange inquiry, Peri, unless, well, it's a strange inquiry." A bit of a paradox, but it made sense the more you thought about it. A pause, and then Piérre answered the main question. Was he a Hufflepuff? "I know, right? I kind of thought I was gonna be, but... I suppose the hat had other plans in mind. Figuring it out as I go..." The lad still wasn't looking at his hands at all, not glancing even in the slightest towards the paper maché ball that he had created rather successfully. "For a second, I thought that perhaps I was gonna be a Slytherin. Not that I have anything against the house... I actually kinda like them... They're kind of like me... but I suppose the Lion fits me well enough as well... I don't think I had a chance at Ravenclaw… too spontaneous and sciocco. Featherbrained." Piérre ranted for a bit before resolving his word with an Italian phrase and translation. "I think I'm all four houses sometimes... A Gryfslytherclawpuff!"

Piérre smiled, flaring out his hands and accidentally throwing the now crumpled up paper a few meters away and onto another workspace. He snapped to look at it. "Oops..."

Shaking his head, Piérre withdrew from his leather satchel a caltrop-looking item; a four-sided dice like one you would use in a certain roleplaying game. Piérre tossed it on the table, and it bounced from tip to tip before finally landing on the number '4'

"This is how I decide my wardrobe for the day." Piérre said proudly, grabbing a lilac sheet of paper and beginning to focus upon it. "Nobody really cares about what I wear, and I'm kind of a wild card as is... so... If I don't feel like making a concerted effort to decide what I was to wear, I have Fate choose for me. One is for Hufflepuff, two is for Ravenclaw, three is for Gryffindor, and four is for Slytherin!" With a proud flourish, Piérre opened the paper in the final step... only to have it unfold completely in his hands.

Pouting a bit, Piérre glanced at a guide on a nearby table. Noticing nobody else was using it, he snatched it an voraciously read the contents... It was for a Dragon.

Now Multi-tasking, Piérre looked at Peri out of the top of his eyes. "So... how do you figure out your wardrobe? You have any particular methods? You always look so dapper..." The paper unraveled itself again and Piérre huffed, putting his head in his hands.

Hey, don't give up yet, bud. I believe in you.

'Yeah, right.'

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@Pericles Dralt

Piérre nodded along with Peri as he stuck his tongue out, attempting to follow the instructions on the paper to a 't', or, in his case, probably something closer to a... um... 'n'? Dragon? Anyways, that was not as important as attempting to follow the instructions fold for fold, crease for crease. In a sense, it was relaxing, in another, it was the most stressful thing the Britalian had ever attempted to pull off. Being precise was the lad's downfall, and so far this paper was proving the past to be true. Piérre's folds were haphazard to say the best, and downright crooked at worst. If he was trying to make a ferocious dragon, it would be ferocious because of its sheer ugliness, and not because of the mere awe that the creature had the potential to control.

Listening to the explanation of Peri, Piérre found himself nodding along and smiling, tearing his gaze from his work to make eye contact with the Raven. If there was anything that he had learned from interfacing with any amount of adults and even some of his peers, it was that eye contact was the best way of communicating that you understood or did not understand what was being told to you. Indeed, Piérre had heard of that way of thinking: that Ravenclaws may not be especially smart, though many of them tended to be, but that they rather liked to learn and to understand. That was the idea that Piérre agreed more with. The idea of wanting to discover; with a sense of curiosity and insatiable desire for answers to guide them solely.

Piérre smiled a bit when Peri tripped over his own homebrew term for a member of all four houses simultaneously and nodded vigorously when Peri came to the conclusion that the hat was given far too much credit than it was due. "Don't tell that to the Hat." Piérre jested lightly, "Or even the patron house ghosts for that matter. They may not take too kindly... though the Grey Lady could admire the inventiveness." Piérre had not seen many of the ghosts around, if he was going to be honest, which he thought was odd since Nearly-Headless Nick seemed to be a rather warm and even generous soul. However, he thought it at least halfway decent to warn Peri of possible consequences ahead of time.

Letting the Ravenclaw inspect his d4, Piérre mused over the last thing that Peri had said, finally reaching the last few steps of his origami attempt numero three. "I agree wholeheartedly. I think that the only purpose the hat has for sorting us is just so that we can get to know other people who are kind of like us... though that doesn't make sense now, does it... since likes tend to reflect..." A little bit of internal muttering came from Piérre for a brief second, alluding to a sage soul, before he attentively listened to Peri's analysis of the usefulness of the d4 itself.

"I suppose it could be used to change faces a bit," The Britalian shrugged, looking down at his kinky-looking lilac paper. "I admit it comes in handy when pulling off pranks... like that stinkbomb. I don't think I can beg forgiveness for you enough for what I put you through back there." Fingers stopped twitching... or rather, stopped twitching at the papers, and instead tapped the table as the memories of hazy red filled Piérre's mind. Something about that moment he knew would never be forgotten, though he may be affected by an Obliviate, though he could be afflicted by a Forgetfulness Potion. Eager to change the angle, Piérre continued, forcing his hands to tug at the final ends of the paper. "Its something that... that makes me feel like I belong. That I can belong to anyone, can be a compatriot with anyone who needs me. I can be whatever anyone wants me to be." Green eyes flicked to silver, a sly smile spreading. "I'm the Jester, after all."

Shrugging, Piérre yanked a little too hard on one of the bits of the origami dragon, accidentally pulling off a part of it that may or may not have been important in forming the final product... he would have to find out when he finally make the final fold and revealed the product of amazement or total and utter failure.

Still listening intently, Piérre's ears perked as Peri began talking about his family and how they belonged to the four different houses. It was good to know that there was a family, and a family of what seemed to be high renown, not holding any grudges against any of the houses. Even the aunt who had attended school in India seemed interesting. Tales of a bloodline that knew they were magical and supported each other so readily... thinking of it now caused Piérre to engage in a dangerous pastime. Reminiscing. Imagining. Thinking. Thinking about his old Muggleborn caretakers. Thinking about the family that had left him behind. Piqued ears lowered, green eyes flickered with a shadow of doubt. "That's awesome, Peri." Piérre whispered quietly, trying to shove down the sob in his chest. The crash, his fear, his stunned disbelief. The night sky, the thoughts, the doubts. "I'm sure that she'll love it." Feet kicked beneath the table, the second level of anxiety engaged.

"I'm not really gonna send this to anyone... Maddie, my current guardian, was a Ravenclaw. She keeps chiding me about what she did in the past, how the school dealt with troublemakers like me. She's super smart... and she used to be an Auror!" Piérre smiled, distracting himself with the job that he himself coveted. "I wanna be an Auror too, when I get good grades and then graduate!" A pause. "Or maybe... I dunno… I kind of want to teach too... but I don't know where. I could try and find Muggleborns and Halfbloods with magic... Maybe I could just be a street magician! Haha!"

Piérre's smile froze on his face. It was a look that gave away the fact that he was thinking very deeply about something. His eyes were wide and constantly flicking across the paper he had accidentally ripped again. If someone didn't know him well enough, one may have thought that the young Britalian could have been insane, how tense and almost over-aware as he looked.

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@Pericles Dralt

Taking Peri's advice, Piérre attempted to fold nearer to the base of his craft, trying his best to avoid the tips of the paper. To nobody's surprise, Peri's solid method worked, and Piérre found that he was able to both crease and modify the fold as he needed. A few more turns... and he'd have a spined dragon to be his reward. Piérre easily creased the last few pieces. All that was left was to pull it apart, almost like trying to help a flowerbud bloom. "Thanks Peri." Piérre nodded, tipping his head as he attempted to work out the best way to go about opening the dragon. "Delicate things like this... well, it's nowhere near my area of experience..."

The more that Piérre spoke about his home life, the more he got distracted, picking at the paper in an attempt to gently pry it open. When he looked up, finishing the rest of his thoughts and finally collecting himself enough to lower his heart rate, Pericles was nearly leaning over the table towards him. There was a curiosity in those silver eyes that Piérre was more than familiar with. Intrigue, wonder, and perhaps-- slight concern. Piérre stopped messing with his origami, looking Peri right back. It was not a look of aggression or shock, but more one of equal and even soft acknowledgement. Piérre had never shared his past with anyone except with brief and passing mentions... that he had a guardian that was not his biological parent was what he told those that he trusted, and that the Muggle guardians that he had before Maddie had died tragically was something that he had reserved for Katrina Walker, who had also suffered a personal loss of loved ones. Piérre wanted to share with Peri... but, not yet. They hadn't known each other long enough. Perhaps... perhaps when Piérre was ready; when they were older.

After Pericles had pulled back again and laughed gently at Piérre's teasing ideas for a job in the near future, Piérre only shrugged, dusting his hands and stretching his fingers in order to make one more attempt at unfolding the dragon with the most extreme of care. "Maybe! I'd like to work with you. You be the brains and I be the... um... Comic Relief, okay?" A smile spread, and then Piérre addressed his longing to be a freelance street magician. "Weeeelllll… I dunno about that, Peri. After all, when the Trace gets lifted from me, I can start my job as soon as then. And you know most Muggles, unless they're the wide-eyed kids like us, they don't really believe in magic. I wouldn't be surprised if there are more than a few street magicians that area actually wizards undercover. A coverup for my Auror job, eh? And you know what, I'm glad that you came. I don't feel that I have many close buddies... and you're pretty great yourself. Maybe we could hang out over the summer? Go window-shopping in Diagon sometime?"

With a final flourish, Piérre opened the paper, revealing the final product: A lovely little lilac dragon, which as soon as it was released from the Britalian hand began to raise its little claws and rub now-glowing eyes, fluttering its attached wings and looking up at Piérre. It opened its mouth, and the smallest gout of flame, like a little matchstick, erupted from its maw.

"Awwwww….. You're so cuuuuutteee!" Piérre gushed over his little creation, gently encouraging it onto his hand and rubbing noses with it. "I'm gonna name you... Dagon! Peri, isn't he the sweetest?!" The Britalian was getting choked up as he allowed Dagon to climb onto his shoulder and then lose itself in his curly hair. The magic of the house-elves really was working. It was a little, living, paper dragon! Piérre clapped his hands like a little toddler happy to receive a piece of candy. It really was the little things in life that gave Piérre joy, and nothing else.

Despite the fact that Dagon was completed and that Piérre was happy for his job well done, the Britalian couldn't stop thinking about what had happened them in the Hospital Wing... The horror that had been in that place could not be so easily forgotten or ignored. With Dagon nicely curling himself down and around his forehead, Piérre wanted to finish what it was that had been started two months ago. "Be as it may that the situation in the Wing wasn't either of our faults... We can't just walk away. I can't stop thinking about what happened, or what it was that was right there under out noses." Green eyes met silver. "Do you know if Xailah still has the wand? You have a better relationship with her than I do. She thinks I'm incompetent and childish, and ruth be told, I am one of those things, but I don't know how I can convince her otherwise about the other. Do you have any Ravenclaw ideas as to what we can do to help further the Liberation resistance?"

Determination. Confidence, fast fired questions with hardly a breath between them mixed in with speaking thoughts aloud, perhaps an overzealous amount of them. Dedication and certainly a willing mind to turn to underhanded methods. There was injustice. Piérre wanted to resolve it, but he was wise enough to know that he couldn't do it alone. This he voiced aloud; "I can't do this alone, Peri. God knows what'll happen if more incidents like the Hospital Wing occur. Eye for an eye makes the whole world blind... Mahatma Ghandi… " Piérre took a breath to continue, but never did. Perhaps he had already said too much. Perhaps Pericles wasn't interested in whatever Piérre was saying at all. Either way, Piérre would have to be willing to quiet down enough to listen to what the Ravenclaw had to say. "Maybe I'm crazy. You don't want to listen to me ramble... nevermind, It's okay, forget I said anything." Piérre took Dagon into both hands as his voice petered off, petting his little lilac dragon down his rigid purple ridges. "Thanks for hanging with me, Peri... I'll-- I'll see ya later."

Piérre stood, mentally kicking himself for his over-intrepidness as he backed off, trying to escape from the thousand of eyes that he felt were boring into his back. Heat seeped through his entire body, embarrassment at its finest.

Leaves thread unless stopped...

@Piérre Marchonné

"I don't often practice origami, but my father went through a phase in which he was convinced that I enjoyed making model ships as much as he did. It became a bit repetitive, so I can't say it held my interest all that long. But it did help in making me more dexterous-" he wiggled his fingers up in the air, grin curling the corner of his mouth "-or, so I would like to think."

The unnatural exchange of mutual understanding- an odd phenomena between two so young- was overseen by an aura of patience. Enough had been shared (or alluded to) in a short time, and in the process, a connection was established. The proposition of a "brains and comic relief" dynamic was answered with a light laughed. He merely nodded his agreement, grin plastered in place while he mulled over the idea of an auror disguised as a simple street magician. There was clearly more to Piérre than slapstick humor, just as there was more to Pericles than his bookish nature, but the roles were amusing and comfortably concise. He wouldn't repeat their shared state aloud- I don't feel that I have many close buddies- though the reaction was immediate. The smile wavered while surprise took place, lids blinking a bit wider and spine straightening as attention was recaptured. Piérre's casual invitation to meet up again over the summer was answered abruptly- "Yes!"- and with a smile springing broader than before, he insisted "I should like that very much. I'll write you, if you'd like, any we can try to convince our folks to go on the same day!"

Pericles was perfectly pleased. He had concluded creating his lion, though it was presently less animated than the dragon. It was cupped in a pair of pale hands, where the first motion involved a flick of the tail, though he was quick to seal it away in an envelope he had brought along for just this occasion. Perhaps if he hurried, the enchantment would wait until Abigale opened it. He half regretted not following the Britalian's example once he witnessed its little flame, whispering (as if for fear of spooking the little dear) "Oh, well done Piérre!" Their actual ages shined through, both boys beaming at a precious paper dragon, Pericles bookishly blurting "The ancient Middle East had a god named Dagon, believed to be the bringer of fertile crops. Your new friend will help you reap good fortune, I'd wager." It certainly looked lucky enough. Besides- the boy deserved some happiness, especially after their recent escapade. That fateful eve was brought up again. The joyous gleam dwindled, something serious taking its place, and in an instant the Ravenclaw switched from play to work mode. "I can't say for sure," he confessed, soft voice changed from airy to somber (waiting to hear back from Lear about the fate of Sweet Relief thread!).

Before he could contemplate whether or not Xailah kept the wand or what they may do to move these efforts, poor Piérre seemed to be dismissing himself and apologizing. Pericles reflexively attempted to snag a sleeve. Whether he caught the other young wizard or not, his typically wandering gaze became quite still and solid, every ounce of earnestness he may muster poured into a single look. "You don't have t'do this alone," Pericles stated, the line sounding more like a promise. "We should find a professor we can trust to tell about... everything. Professor Price has mysteriously left Hogwarts. I dunno what that means, but I'm worried it wasn't coincidence, and I don't think we students should go this alone. Maybe professor Equinox... I'll learn a little more, but I won't keep anything from you. I think you're a good person, I think that we should be friends, and I don't think you're crazy. Not a'tall." He smiled a firm smile, tucked his envelope into his bag, and ended on a note both gentle and decisive: "Thank you too, Piérre. And please don't worry. We're going to help set things right."

Leaving thread unless stopped.