you’re the key that got lost

[lancifolium]

WHO: Lily Evans & You
WHEN: Early to middle August
WHERE: Taravast baby!
WHAT: A catch-all! Exploring, drinking, courting, cups of tea, etc.
WARNINGS: None as of yet, will update as needed

(starters in comments, feel free to reach out if you don’t see anything that suits your character via pm or on plurk and I'll write you a start. also, if action is more your thing i’m good to match format.)

Comments

[lancifolium]

"Just a few stalls back that way. Rather dreadful-looking if you ask me, but I'm sure the Potions Master at my old school would be a very good customer." Potion ingredients could be terrible - bezoars alone were a repulsive thought much less touching them enough to use them.

"Have you gotten to work with any potions?" From what she had gleaned from their past conversations, Emilia had needed to keep her abilities secret as magic was even rarer in her world than it was in Lily's.

[valeas]

"I was taught by my grandmother, not a Potions Master, but I have."

Potions and perfumes had been where Vittoria's magic shined brightest, not Emilia's, but she was diligent in her learning. Dutiful to her grandmother, always. Until she wasn't. "We never had anything like that in my world. A school."

The thought is as far-fetched to her as these bold and open displays of magic.

[lancifolium]

"My family hadn't had a witch in it before me. Another boy in my town knew he was going to be invited to school, and he'd seen me doing things before - magic I mean. He told me all about it."

It was a shame that Emilia hadn't had a school to learn from, Lily could very easily picture her new friend flourishing in a place like Hogwarts. "Maybe I could show you a few of my favorite potions? We could do a bit of a recipe swap if you like."

[valeas]

The smile that Emilia gives Lily is small, her gaze often weighted otherwise, but it's warm.

"I'd like that. I'm curious to see how our potions differ and where they're similar. It would help me, besides — I'm used to consulting my family grimoire whenever I've need. Without it, I should really work on refashioning my own."

(At least while she's here. A very temporary arrangement, of course.)

"It must've helped," she adds thoughtfully, "to have a friend who already understood magic."

[lancifolium]

"Potions are among my favorite things to study, I'm excited to learn whatever you'll teach me. Wen Qing, has a good deal of knowledge when it comes to brews as well, she's staying in the same part of the palace we are." Considering the prospect of pooling their knowledge collectively was more than a little appealing - it might be something like an impromptu advanced class.

As a rule Lily did her best not to think about Severus - their friendship was a very sore subject, and she avoided it whenever she could. Still, Emilia's remark made her smile fade slightly, even as she nodded in agreement. "It was, there was much to learn, not just about the magic but about the world witches and wizards inhabit. It's quite cloistered away from people who can't use magic."

[valeas]

Emilia files away the name — Wen Qing — alongside the dimming of Lily's smile. She suspects her own reaction would be somewhat similar if someone were to ask about Antonio. Their friendship is new and tentative, and Emilia herself is reserved. The least she can do is extend Lily the courtesy of not prodding too deeply at a wound. Her own are so far from being healed.

"It's difficult to imagine such a thing," she admits after a moment's consideration. "But it must've been wonderful. A place to study and learn magic, protected from the outside world. It was kept secret, then? From humans."

Man often fears what it doesn't understand. And that fear can make monsters.

[lancifolium]

"From nonmagical humans," Lily nodded in agreement, glancing at the bridge just at the end of the street they walked down. She had walked the city a few times now, and recognized a few of the places up ahead.

"I don't suppose you fancy stopping for a cup of tea?" It was impossible to mistake the note of hopefulness in her voice. "It's late enough in the day that they might even be opening the champagne," she smiled at the thought. It was nice to have a chance to enjoy being somewhere, Taravast was a far cry from where she had been pulled into this world.

[valeas]

Emilia senses the hope in her new friend's voice, and a wistfulness threatens to seize her own heart. She tries her best not to think of when she and Vittoria would crawl into bed after borrowing a bottle of wine, drinking and laughing and planning their futures together. Safe in the warmth of their shared room. It's a devastation she can't give space to.

The slight smile she gives Lily is more girl than queen.

"I would. Just let me pay for this quickly. Do you like them?" she asks, lifting up a deck of finely hand-painted cards. Maybe she can teach Lily to play Scopa. She might get a kick of the fact it quite literally means broom.

[lancifolium]

Looking over the cards Emilia meant to purchase Lily nodded, an appreciative smile on her face. "I could teach you exploding snap if you like, without the explosions," others might argue that they were the best part of the game, but Lily was more for strategy. Not to mention they were a lovely deck of cards, the sight of which sparked another thought, one she's eager to follow up on once the vendor Emilia was dealing with had been handled and was again out of earshot.

"Can you use them for divination too? It wasn't my best subject in school but I've always found looking for clues to the future quite fascinating."

[valeas]

A flush threatens to sweep across Emilia's cheeks as she realizes how unequipped she is to answer this question. Wrath was once angry she'd not been taught to access the full scope her power — that by not doing so, options were closed off to her. It felt like a slight against her grandmother, one she would never allow to stand, but the longer she is in Taravast, the more she must admit he had a point.

And it stings.

"We could always try," is her answer, once they're further out of earshot and on their way to the tea shop. This line of inquiry reminds her of something else she's been mulling, too... "I'd imagine if we could use them for such a thing, one of the schools would know about doing so properly. Have you been approached for a tour?"

[lancifolium]

While she had not especially enjoyed the classes, if imparting what she knew would be helpful for Emilia, Lily would have been happy to go on about divination all day if the other woman asked her to. She was becoming very aware of how their magical education differed, and she was fascinated by it.

"You might have the gift for it. It's been my experience that you either have the sight, or you end up very bored during a lecture." Not that she would ever outwardly admit to finding one of her classes boring.

At the mention of the magic schools, Lily's eyes widened excitedly but she shook her head. "Not yet, and while I'm quite curious I'm a bit glad of it. I'd like to give myself time to get a sense of them. Have you? What do you make of them? Their ancient feud is about all I know thus far."

[valeas]

The more she heard about Lily's school, the more wonderful it sounded. She loved and respected her Nonna too much to harbor any resentment in her heart — and her parents were 'muggles', besides — yet Emilia couldn't help but wonder why her own magical education had been so limited. It might be why she was considering, in earnest, these schools here in Taravast.

Her own answer involved the shaking of her head.

"Not officially, though I've sensed interest. From what little I've been able to gather, their feud was indeed vicious — they sought to slaughter each other many moons ago. They've since made peace, but it seems like the Bessis were the true victors."