(no subject)

[reparo]

WHO: Hermione Granger & her magical pack of pixies (aka you)
WHEN: During Silent Night
WHERE: the Inn & surroundings
WHAT: can i interest you in some slice of life in these trying times? catch-all and open to all who want some cute form of interaction (warning: i may bite you in the feels) with Hermione before the new arc starts; bring on the magical weeds too
WARNINGS: will add if necessary


[ooc: please feel free to to either PM me or reach me on plurk/discord if you want a separate starter, or throw your own in here. get in losers, we're doing shenanigans.]

Comments

what do we even do with pussy willow

[reparo]

She managed to avoid the tricky little weeds hanging about the inn for this long, and today is finally her unlucky day. This is what she gets for being distracted with perusing her notes on this place while walking; she walks right into a bushel of pussy willow, the fluffy buds smacking her right in the forehead.

Actually does the very regrettably British thing of saying: "Oh, sorry," to the plant, before she notices that it's a plant.

The ghosts chattering by the plant, however, find this delightful.

"Lovely young lady, so polite to apologise to the plants, ohohoh! Lady, be polite, I have a favour to ask!"

[faceblocker]

Vi is minding her own business carrying in an obscene amount of firewood, with the assistance of some folded up sheets tied over one shoulder, when she spots a scene out of the corner of her eye that strikes a familiar little chord. It looks like the kind of predicament that Caitlyn could have found herself in because of her tunnel vision. Even the posh accent's similar, which should rub Vi the wrong way, but instead there's an instinctive leaning towards amusement.

Personally, she can't stand to be around the ghosts, and she can tell by the girl's posture that she's none too pleased about them, either. Vi may be doing some chores, but that's just because she'd been going stir crazy otherwise. So, because she's a damn hero ready to fall on a sword, she'll abandon the wood off to the side with a little thump and slide up beside Hermione, hands already back in her coat pockets.

"I'll do it. Need something else to do, anyway."

[reparo]

She barely has the chance to say no this time, more firmly than the first time the ghosts of this inn convinced her to do their chores for them. Someone manifests themselves at her side, making the ghosts hesitate, and giving her a chance to study her would be hero.

"What a pretty one to show up to your rescue, young lady," coos one of the ghosts, in an amused and high pitched voice. She waves a ghostly arm towards her compatriot in the universal gesture of check this out, and continues to fawn, this time over Vi: "Would you look at this hair colour? I had hair this brightly coloured, didn't I, sisters? Yes, but longer, still - so pretty! Though my father did think it was a sign I was possessed by the devil."

"That's a harmful stereotype," Hermione mutters under her breath.

[faceblocker]

"Everyone's got devils in them."

Pretty, though. Vi smirks at that, and it's not friendly. She's never been called pretty, and if it's some kind of dig it's falling on deaf ears. Or so she'd like to think. As soon as one of the ghosts gets near enough to check her hair, Vi is quick to back away a couple steps, though she'll move an arm out in front of Hermione to try and bring her with. Can't run chicken and leave an innocent behind, right?

The concept of walking and talking ghosts is too painful for Vi to think about, so she's eager to get out of dodge if they're going to waste her time.

"But you don't want to see mine, so if you want a favor then lay it on me or leave the lady alone."

Maybe she shouldn't talk to the ghosts like that, but since when does Vi do what she's supposed to?

[reparo]

The outrage was, in Hermione's defense, over the stereotype of red hair equalling evil. She knows a whole family who is the furthest thing away from evil possible, all of them redheads. Granted, not as brightly on the side of fuchsia as Vi's hair, but she doesn't have the time to draw comparisons.

She steps back all on her own once Vi throws an arm out in front of her, like some protective badger, bearing her teeth.

The ghosts, seemingly content to just chat among themselves until Hermione's interruption, don't look to pleased to be disrespected, and Hermione decides: nope, not today. Not fighting ghosts today! Not ending up sleeping outside in the cold!

"Oh, will you hear that? I think the mistress is calling," she bluffs, putting on a very tense smile, and grabbing onto Vi's arm to pull her along. "So sorry, got to go, haha!"

She turns them both around towards the opposite hallway, and mutters: "Quickly, before the compulsion settles in," before she starts speed walking out of the ghosts' range.

[faceblocker]

She, of course, hadn't even considered what might happen if she were to try to fight these things, but suddenly she's doing just that when she gets pulled away from what could have been a very unfortunate situation for poor Vi. She's too confused about suddenly being the one 'rescued', and squints at the mention of compulsion.

Remembering that she was in the middle of a chore, Vi glances to where she'd left the collection of firewood before...shrugging it off. She chopped it and got some inside, didn't she?

She will, however, pull her arm free once they round the corner, not used to being grabbed by strangers. Even pretty ones.

"What do you think they were going to make you do?"

[reparo]

She will let go of her arm as soon as they've turned the corner, no longer feeling like they'll be chased by the ghosts, thankfully. She shudders a little in remembrance, and glances at Vi.

"Make you scrub floors until your knuckles bleed because they think they're funny, or tell you the same joke until you want to beg them to shut up?" She shrugs. "It's not all of the ghosts that act this way, mostly just the ones that come out to attend to the guests, but I didn't want to risk it, honestly."

A pause, as she considers the alternative to the attendant ghosts. "Or they could've just pranked me in some way. Far too many pranksters here."

[faceblocker]

Her nose scrunch says everything about the idea of scrubbing floors until her knuckles are bloody. There are more useful ways to bloody her knuckles, and she can help with chores in other ways. Like abandoning firewood for a cute girl.

"You just need to prank them back."

Not that Vi would know how to prank a ghost. She avoids them as much as she can, though not because she's afraid of getting thrown outside.

[reparo]

She falters at that idea. "I don't think you can prank ghosts," she murmurs, unsure. Connecting the dots in her head. "Anyway - ah! I forgot to say, hi. I'm Hermione."

[faceblocker]

Hermione's hesitance only makes Vi wish she could think of a good prank, but there's not really anywhere to lay low in case of it going wrong, and until they can get home she is honestly doing her best to avoid trouble. So she'll shrug off the idea with a subtle smirk.

Who knows. Maybe inspiration will come to one of them when it's time to leave.

"Vi."

Finally, she'll glance to whatever it is that Hermione's holding before she got ambushed. She raises an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Don't tell me they have you doing their paperwork, too."