SS: Wild Uncharted Waters

[Chelliephone]

Overview
The very first year of boarding school always promises uncharted waters to be explored. And thankfully for them, Gillyweed and Mandrake Beery are pretty ready to don their captains hats and grab their compasses and see what life at Hogwarts has in store for the twins. Follow the Slytherins as they embark on adventures throughout the years, both as a pair and with their friends alongside them.

Characters
Gillyweed Beery - Zoe
Mandrake Beery - Chelliephone

Scenes
Scene 1: Under the Sea Lake
The coolest thing about Hogwarts and being in Slytherin? The view into the Lake. Whenever he can, that's Drake's favorite place to hang out with Gil and play how many creatures and plants can you name.

This is a CLOSED RP exploring the school years of twins, Gillyweed and Mandrake Beery. Other characters may be added by invitation.

[Zoe]

Now that it had properly set in that her brother had been reading and that the subject matter was fictional, everything had clicked. It was even amusing how he thought that every word found within the book was factual, though perhaps such a thing shouldn't have been as such. This was Drake, after all. She loved him nevertheless. His silly antics were like a refreshing ray of sunshine.

"Just because it's a book doesn't mean everything in it is real, Drakie," Gilly responded in her typical matter-of-fact manner. "Some books are meant to be informational, and others are fictional and are meant to entertain the reader." That was the simple version, which would have to do for now. She could only imagine how he'd respond if she took a deep dive into all of the genres that were out there in the world.

"What made you want to pick this up?" she inquired, gently closing the book and holding it out for him to take back. While it wasn't something she personally was interested in, it had somehow managed to capture his attention, which, for literature, was quite a feat.

[Chelliephone]

Drake MIGHT have had the sense to be offended if her surprise had occurred to him, but even if he had thought about it…. Well, he generally acted like he was allergic to bound tomes unless the subject of it was plants so really anyone would have been surprised at the sudden out of character moment.

Plus… what did she mean it WASN’T TRUE!? If you weren’t gaining knowledge, what was the POINT?

“...... Why write something in a book that isn’t true though? That just sounds like a waste of time.” And then when people found out their written work was full of fallacies, who was going to believe their word about anything? Wait… entertainment? Drake couldn’t help it, his face screwed up in confusion as he looked at her. “What’s entertaining about books on a page? This was only fun if there was actually a moving castle!” At least, that was pretty sure why he’d been enjoying the 100 something pages he’d managed to quiet his mind enough to get through.

His fun fully spoiled, Drake sighed softly as he accepted the book back from her, deciding he wouldn’t state how useless it was to him now. “I didn’t know what else to do with myself … and the cover was pretty looking so…. Why not?”

[Zoe]

Her brother's logic about books was humorous albeit a rather odd way of thinking. Sure, many titles implied the details within were meant to be taken as truth, though Gilly was well aware the fictional books were dubbed as such for a reason. It appeared that Drake had forgotten how to spot the difference. Or maybe he was just being Drake and didn't ponder over such things.

"Fiction, Drake," she repeated. "It's just meant to be a fun story for kids." Which, if she were to make assumptions, he seemed to have been enjoying, that was until she had to reveal that the moving castle in the book wasn't actually real. "And there's plenty entertaining about books on a page, silly. You were entertained, before, well... I'm sure you'll still enjoy it if you keep reading it to the end."

A moment of silence passed before a random tidbit of information fluttered around in her mind. "Howl's castle might not be real, but there was a medieval Russian hag who lived in a hut that stood on giant chicken legs." So the concept wasn't that far-fetched at all.

[Chelliephone]

The correct answer to that musing was that he was just Drake and hadn't pondered on it. Realistically, yes, he supposed he should have guessed too that all of the silly stories Mum had read them when they were little couldn't have all been true. But then again, the history of the fact that the Deathly Hallows had been real was enough to confuse any young boy. (if you asked him anyways).

His nose wrinkled as he looked at the book again, turning it over in his hands as she spoke. "But... it's so big. How would a little kid be able to read through it?" His acceptance of the term kid pertaining to himself was inconsistent at best. Most of the time, Drake was happy to embrace the fact he was young enough to not have to deal with the responsibilities of those older than him. But in moments like this? Well, it suited him better to be more mature so subconsciously his opinion had swapped. "Hmph. I don't know about that... What do you usually read? The true stuff or the made up stuff?"

... A medieval hag who lived in a chicken leg house? Well, he was certainly interested now. Setting the book off to the side, he found himself a spot to curl up too, eyes wide with curiosity. "That seems a more peculiar way of transportation but who am I to judge. Why does she make her house travel?"

[Zoe]

Her brother's words resulted in her eyes rolling and a few giggles escaping from Gillyweed's mouth. A book that was a couple hundred pages was too big? Drake did know who he was speaking too, right? She was known to devour books of that length relatively quickly. "One page at a time," she responded cheekily to him.

After his response of him not being sure whether or not he'd enjoy the rest of the book, her face scrunched up just a little. "You won't know unless you give it a go," she commented with a shrug of her shoulders. As for what she enjoyed reading, her face lit up when he asked. "You know I usually stick with nonfiction. While fiction can be enjoyable and a nice break for the brain, I prefer filling that space with information." It was at this point she revealed the cover of her own book: Magical Water Plants of the Highland Lochs.

His question about why the hag had a house that could travel was something she didn't know the answer to. The Babayaga factoid was briefly mentioned in one of the books she had read. "It's a valid question. Probably more of a convenience thing."

[Chelliephone]

Gilly's giggle did catch his attention and Drake shot her a look considering he was aware his comment was on the ears of someone who read way above her level already. But has they vocally brought it up, Drake would have assured his sister that of everyone else he knew - Gillyweed Beery was absolutely the exception and not the rule. "But without pictures wouldn't kids get super bored?" The only thing that saved him even with books he could stand, was the photos within. Granted he was thinking of his herbology and magical creature texts, but the sentiment stood.

He considered for a second, thinking perhaps actually finishing a book from start to finish would give him some sort of feeling of accomplishment, but just as quickly as he considered it, he dismissed the thought. It was truly a bit endearing how much his sister loved academics, even if he couldn't really relate. Though he DID have an interest in the title of what she had held up. "Have you found any interesting plants so far in your book?"

Ah, so she didn't know that much about the chicken house. It sounded like such an odd phenomena, he supposed he wasn't that surprised. "I wish there was something that we could talk to that we just ask questions of and it told us ALL the information about a specific subject."

[Zoe]

It took everything in her to not allow herself to snort at his next question. Books without pictures were boring for kids? It was a possibility, she supposed, but that was something that didn't apply to her. She had been reading books without pictures for years now. "There's this thing called an imagination, Drakie." She was teasing him of course, but there was a nugget of truth to her words. "If an author does a good enough job with their writing, your brain will create mental pictures."

Just like there were plenty of mental images in her mind based on what she had been reading. Sure, her current book had number of diagrams and captioned photos, but there was a lot of brainpower that came with interpreting and envisioning the vivid descriptions plastered across the pages. "Naturally," she nodded. "Currently I'm reading about Mermaid's Veil. It's said to conceal entrances to caverns and those with good intentions can hear it whisper." It might have been clear at this point that she had more interest in aquatic plant life than the oddities of an old hag's home.

"You know, the Muggles have this thing called the internet and AI. It does exactly that," she commented in response to Drake's musings. She almost mentioned books had answers too, but she knew he would want something more instant.

[Chelliephone]

Imagination was something he certainly had plenty of! But... Drake would rather use it to envision the outside world as something different than what it was. The bottom of a pool as a massive lake with new flora and fauna to uncover, a playground an intense obstacle course (which he would still take on very carefully) or a trip to Honeydukes as an amazing mountain cave full of candy for any adventures who quested there. THAT was fun imagination. Trying to envision pictures whilst sat in a chair? Well... he thought he would rather even try reading a book for knowledge sake than attempting that in a sincere effort. "What if they don't do good enough at their job?" He asked, instead of risking offending his sister by voicing his other thoughts.

Mermaid's veil? Drake considered the description, his head tilting again as he considered a few different questions. Did he continue to pepper her with them? Even when she was only just currently reading about this new aquatic plant? He rather thought Gilly liked to explain things (or perhaps he just hoped she did) so he went ahead and plowed on. "Is the plant who decides the good intentions? and do you think it bases it's intentions on er... well the intentions of whoever it was that planted it?" Considering 'good' was such a gray area based on different peoples thoughts and feelings. "I'd like to find some though and see what it's concealing! Maybe buried treasure. Or maybe that's where the loch ness monster hides? Considering that would be the right region..."

The internet and AI? Color Drake intrigued. His back straightened a bit in his new perch. "I've heard of the internet, but what's AI?"

[Zoe]

Gilly laughed softly at her brother's questioning, amused by his curiosity and the rapid-fire inquiries that followed. She appreciated his eagerness to learn, even if his questions sometimes veered off into uncharted waters. "Well, I suppose if the author doesn't do a good job, then you might end up with a rather lackluster mental image," she admitted with a small smile. "But luckily, there are plenty of authors out there who excel at painting vivid pictures with their words." If he needed recommendations, she could rattle them off easily.

As for the Mermaid's Veil, Gilly pondered his questions for a moment before responding. "I need to continue reading to see if more is mentioned about what consists of 'pure' intent. But it's not necessarily the plant itself that decides intentions, but rather the magic surrounding it. It's like... a magical safeguard for merpeople. And as for what it conceals, who knows? It could be secrets, treasure, or perhaps just a peaceful underwater hideaway."

Drake's interest in AI prompted her to explain. "AI stands for artificial intelligence. It's pretty fascinating stuff, actually." She paused, considering how to explain it further. "It's a bit complicated, but in simple terms, it's like a really smart computer that can learn and make decisions on its own. It's used for all sorts of things, like helping with research, predicting the weather, or even playing games."

[Chelliephone]

He figured her comments was a prime time to ask who she would consider to be good at their job and creating mental imagery. But.... Drake was certain he wasn't interested in reading the books, so he figured he would save that follow up for another time where perhaps his opinion changed. Perhaps just further into the break even, since today he'd been desperate enough for entertainment he'd sought a book.

Talking to his sister was far more fun though, even if he was now interrupting HER reading time.

Hmm... it was the magic itself that decided the intention? Drake supposed that answered his question, though really it was more of him assuming. But if the magic was making the choice, wouldn't the magic respond to the intention of the castor? Which would mean he supposed the 'intention' was up for opinion as well. Though in the case of the merpeople, it was probably just safety. So anyone who didn't WANT to harm the merfolk, would be able to pass! Seemed legit to him. Which was led him to say, "I think you and I would be able to pass through." There was a lot of confidence in his tone. Neither he nor Gilly would ever dream of hurting people! "I think I'd most want to see the hideaway. What would YOU want it to be hiding?"

Oooooh, well this artificial intelligence thing DID sound interesting! (though he was going to inevitably mix it up with aliens the next time it came up). "You can play GAMES? Do you think we have anything like that magic at school?"

[Zoe]

It did not go unnoticed by her that Drake had opted to not ask her for a list of authors, but she smiled at her brother's enthusiasm about passing through the Mermaid's Veil. "I like to think so too," she agreed, appreciating his confidence in their shared goodness, as she momentarily set aside her book and leaned back against the cushions. "And exploring a peaceful hideaway sounds wonderful."

As for what she would want the Mermaid's Veil to be concealing, Gilly paused, considering the possibilities. "Hmm, that's a tough question," she mused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I would hope it's hiding a repository of ancient knowledge or perhaps some forgotten magical artefacts. It would be like uncovering a treasure trove of magical history."

Drake's excitement about the concept of artificial intelligence brought a smile to her face. "Yes, AI can be used for playing games among many other things," she confirmed before taking a moment to think about his question about artificial intelligence at school. "Hmm, well, I don't think we have anything quite like AI at Hogwarts," she mused. "But we do have enchanted objects and spells that can do similar things."

[Chelliephone]

He was pleased that his twin likewise agreed. He might have been a little on the side of offended if she didn’t also think they were good. Thought truthfully, his offense would have been greater if it was herself she was questioning more than him. Wasn’t it funny how that seemed to work? “Do you think there’s anything like that hiding in the Lake too?” He didn’t clarify which like, considering he still thought the name options for the one he was referencing was dumb but he figured she would know any ways. Twin telepathy and all, y’know?

Drake couldn’t help the eyeroll at her answer. Though he smiled too, amused at what a perfectly Gilly answer that was. “You would want something to learn from.” As for him? “I think the artefacts and treasure part sounds good… but only if we could sell it and make money off of it!” He wasn’t exactly greedy or money obsessed by nature, but one did have to admit coin was a necessary evil. And think of the things they could get mum! “I think an undisturbed colony though or um… civilization of creatures would be cool too. Best if they could also talk to us.”

Anything that meant playing more games seemed like a good thing to him, right? “Hmm… so.. It’s kind of the muggle way of trying to be magical?” He asked, head tilting a bit.

[Zoe]

She smiled at her brother's question, considering the mysteries that might lie beneath the surface of Hogwarts' lake (she of course knew which lake he was referring to). "It's certainly possible," she replied thoughtfully. "The lake is teeming with magical creatures and who knows what else could be hidden beneath its depths. It's like a whole other world down there."

His comment about her preference for learning brought a chuckle from Gilly. "Guilty as charged," she admitted with a playful grin. "But hey, knowledge is power, right?" She nodded in agreement with his idea of finding artefacts to sell, acknowledging the practicality of such a venture. "That could definitely come in handy. We could use the funds for all sorts of things. Though I do not think the merpeople would be very appreciative if such artefacts were taken and sold without their involvement or blessing." As for the possibility of an undisturbed colony or a civilization of creatures, her eyes lit up. "That would be incredible! Imagine the things we could learn from them."

Drake's question about artificial intelligence prompted her to nod in agreement. "In a way, yes," she confirmed. "Muggles use technology to mimic some aspects of magic, like AI. It's their way of trying to achieve similar results to what we can accomplish with magic." She paused, considering the comparison further. "But of course, magic is much more versatile and... well, magical."