Lux was craving gumballs.

Stopping by the exits, she placed her bags on the floor by one of the dispensers. Time to see what colour she would end up with, but she knew that in the end she would keep adding change until she got a blue one.

Taking out two knuts, Lux added them to the machine...and was rewarded with a pink gumball.

Okay, more change was needed.

Ethan was oddly slow with his shopping duty. Why? Well, the time has come for him to pick up his school supplies for the last time. He himself could not believe that he’s all grown up and already a seventh year. Wasn’t it just yesterday that he was a third year, running from one shop to another and was super excited with the coming school term? Ethan could not decide whether he’s excited to finish his last term, or, be sad that he’s not going back after that. Wait, should he even be thinking about it so soon? He’s got NEWTs to think about! And before that, he’s got an Ellec Wedding to attend!

The thought made the soon to be 18 year old crack a grin. He’s as excited as everyone else really, so he was looking forward to witnessing the whole thing. Stopping by Sugarplums, Ethan got two knuts from his pocket, placed those inside the slot, and turned the knob.

...

Nothing. His gumball was stuck! Sadjfdksjf;sdlfjs. SIGHING, the fair haired teenager sat on the ground, beside that particular gumball machine, and nudged it with his elbow. Few seconds later, the gumball machine changed its mind, and released one candy for him.

Win!

YES! Teddy had some leftover knuts from his birthday ice cream earlier, and what better way of spending that spare money on GUMBALLS!? He had a bit more money spare, because it WAS his birthday, and he planned to buy 5 or 6 chocolate frogs.

He walked up to the gumball machine, put his two knuts into the slot and turned the knob. He watched his gumball, a BLUE one, release from the gumball holder and make its long way down the maze. This was the best bit, because Teddy liked chocolate more than gum. He loved watching how the gumball made its way down the maze, looking at the mechanisms and releasies and tracks. It was just fascinating. So much so that the eleven year old almost had his face pressed against the machine.

It was indeed a nice day to be out, and Ethan had no plans whatsoever to go back home early. He wanted to wait and see if he’ll be able to see a familiar face while he’s sat there. A few minutes passed and still no luck.

Well then, he’ll just go and watch people do their shopping. People watching was kind of fun, trying to read their faces and note down some of their ‘probable’ personalities. He had spent some time with Mr. Kitridge and Professor Cassie in the Library one time, and studied the basics of Physiognomy. It was really, really cool.

Chewing on his gum, Ethan turned to see a boy...no more than 11 years old, approach one of the gumball machines, and got himself a bubble gum. The Slytherin grinned at what he saw, as he was reminded of himself when he was...four years old. He’d literally squash his face against the surface of the machine’s shaft to watch his candy go down the path. “Huzzaaah!” Ethan raised both of his arms and celebrated for the kid. What’s not to celebrate about, yeah? His candy wasn’t stuck. “Congrats.” He added and gave the boy a wink.

The gum ball was there! He was just about to get it out of the little slot when there was a noise. Teddy, once again, was concentrating so much on what he was doing that he had shut off everything around him. "AHH!" He yelped reflexively, his head looking to who had made that noise. There was an older boy there, about Zhenya's age. He didn't look like a bully, though. He actually looked... well he winked at Teddy. The eleven year old realised he was frowning in dismay and tried to clear his face. "Thanks," he said, feeling the pounding slow in his chest. He looked at the gum ball and put it in his mouth, chewing it.

Definitely not as good as a chocolate frog.

After the amazing time that was buying as many sweeties as her mum would allow, Riley headed back out of the shop with a grin fixed firmly on her features. "Come ooooon, mum," she called behind her, oblivious to how tired her mother was because of the amount of books, robes, and other magical items she was carrying. She was about to head for the last place on her hand-list - the wand shop - but something else caught her eye.

There was a boy with his face pressed up against what looked like a gumball machine.

MOOOOOORE SWEETS. YAY.

And because this wasn't something you typically saw everyday, Ry decided to investigate. Abandoning her mother, she skip-ran over to him and out came all the questions. Tap, tap, tap on his shoulder first. "What is that? Is that a gumball machine thingy?" If it was, then she was right. "How does it work? How many coins does it need?" Riley had a pocket full of knuts and sickles but she didn't really know how much they meant or when to use them. There were galleons too, she knew, but she'd let her mum look after those because apparently they were worth more. And finally, "why is face smushed against the glass?"

Teddy felt a tapping on his shoulder. He had almost assumed it was Ava or Zhenya, but when he turned around he saw that it was someone else. A girl... about the same age as he was? Yeah... must be about 11.

He opened his mouth to answer her first question, but before he had a chance she was asking more questions. He closed it to listen to her, waiting for her to finish, and eventually... "I was curious," he admitted. "I like watching things to figure out how they work." He replied quietly. But that went with her question of how did it work?

"You put two knuts into this little slot here," he said, pointing at it. "Then you twist this knob here, and the machine releases a gum ball and you can watch it go through the little maze. When it finishes you get the gum ball." So... yes, it was obviously a gum ball machine. "Do you have two knuts?" he asked. If she did, she could see how it worked.

Oops, was she talking too much?

Riley knew she did that sometimes, but she couldn't help it, she just had to know the important things, and most things were important to her once she took an interest in them. This boy didn't seem to mind much, though, because he answered her questions after she finished speaking. Hmmmm. "Does that mean you can see better the closer you are to it?" Should she try that? If she didn't she might miss something that wasn't visible from where she was.

Also, she liked that he liked figuring out how things worked. They had that in common.

She listened as he explained the coins bit and how the machine worked. It sounded straight forward and interesting, but of course she had another question for him. "Knuts are the brown-y coloured ones, aren't they? I have loads of them," she said and rattled the change in her pockets to prove it. She had knuts in her left pocket and sickles in her right pocket, so she reached into the left one, pulled out two coins, and held them up for him to see.

What did one have to do to get rid of their knuts?

Buy gumballs.

Gumballs were the logical choice where getting rid of the space-wasting coins were concerned.

It was with this particular sense of purpose that Zeke entered the sweetshop he was so fond of, and casually leaning on one of the free machines he started scrounging around in his pockets for the loose change.

Sickle, sickle, GALLEON, sickle... knut! He really needed to keep the good shrapnel in his coin pouch, but that level of organisation required effort that he wasn't capable of during the holidays.

Sugarplums!

Was this not the best shop?

Casually avoiding to go get all the books he needed for school.... because well... he still had plenty of time for that, the eleven year old decided it was much better to stop by the sweet shop. Because you know... priorities.

Grinning, he approached the gumball machines, already having prepared the coins he needed. Ah, he could already taste the gumball. Placing the coins in the slot, his pupils were already dilating. Sweets! Yum!

As he turned the knob, he watched the machine carefully...
. . .
And nothing happened.

How was that even possible?

Alex looked around to see if anyone else was having the same problem. Was this the only gumball machine that wasn't working? As he looked around, he saw an older guy at the machine nearby. 'Erm...How does this work?'

In other words... Can you fix it?

It took some more sorting, but eventually he had a handful of knuts, and he intended to spend them ALL. With two in hand, Zeke shoved them into the coin slot and turned the knob, waiting for the glorious candy to roll through to the bottom. Sure enough, he got a green one. Watching as it spiralled to the bottom, Zeke opened the trap-door-flap and removed it, shoving it into his mouth before preparing another two knuts...

....

Only, he was interrupted.

Zeke looked up, hazel eyes scanning the smaller boy at the next machine.

"You put the money in... and turn the knob." It was simple, no?

"D'you put in the right amount?" The kid knew it was TWO knuts, right?

Abandoning his own machine, Zeke approached the boys side, he didn't mind watching ... and maybe helping.

Alright... now he was seriously jealous of the guy next to him.

Oh but he was going to help? That made Alex put his hopes up once more. Maybe he will get the candy after all. Ah, that candy which was very likely stuck in the machine for some reason. It clearly wasn't his fault, you know? How could it have been? Ok, he was going to find out how to get the candy... He heard the other guy say something...

You put the money... turn the knob.

Aaaaand?

Wait... THAT was the brilliant advice?!

Seriously?

Alex just stared at him. And what? 'Of course I put the right amou...', he started saying. Wait--- how much was it supposed to be? He looked at the machine again, searched in his jacket pocket and added another knut.

'Heh... what do you know, it's working', he said sheepishly. Heh heh... can he leave now?

Was his face scary? Has it been scary ALL THIS TIME?! Ethan gaped at the kid the moment he flipped, and just...properly stared at him. Well, he thought he’d be just like him when he was eleven. Ethan was hoping he’d rejoice with him and just...you know, fire one question after another, like...who are you? Why are you sat there like a nomad? Why do you look crazy?

Ethan, instead, turned his surprised expression with a grin. “You’re welcome, kid. I’m kind of unlucky with these things.” He said, nudging the gumball machine nearest him. “I always seem to end up with a stuck gumball.” Seriously, it was just a gum, worth 2 knuts, and he’s so unlucky with it. The Slytherin watched the kid put the candy in his mouth, and didn’t miss the look on his face. “Not impressed with the taste, eh?” This kid was pretty interesting. He didn’t look...particularly happy with his prize.

Another kid, a girl this time, approached the boy. Ethan stayed silent and went back to his corner. He didn’t want to intrude or anything. He’s a polite kid y’know.

She wasn't sure how she managed to do it, but the sixteen year old was somehow able to convince her overbearing father to allow her to come to Diagon Alley on her own today. It did take a lot of convincing, but he had eventually complied. There were certainly things that had to be completed today before she left to return home, which involved getting her books for next term, that was something of great importance. Maybe she might be able to manage purchasing Sebastian some treats as well?

Carrying her books, she made her way down the street trying to think of where to go next before she stopped at the store to buy her strange lovable pet snacks. She really wasn't used to this freedom, but she was definitely liking it. True, she did get that sense of freedom while she was at school, but she was still expected to write to her father every day. She did love her father very much & she knows that he means well, but she did wish that he still wouldn't treat her like she were still 11 years old. Perhaps that could be the next thing she might able to speak with him about?

Now, where to next? Oh, was that Sugarplums?

Letting the kids do their thing, Ethan managed to keep out of their conversation, and let his eyes wander and continue to people watch from his spot. The Slytherin realized just how much varied the people were in the wizarding world. Most look normal, some looked suspicious, others were...

...

Just plain beautiful.

Ethan almost swallowed the gum he was chewing as he realized who it was standing in front of Sugarplums. The most surprising thing was...she’s alone. It was, if he remembered it correctly, the first time he’d seen her picking her stuff up all by herself. Pushing those thoughts aside, Ethan got up from his spot, dusted himself, and approached his girl friend.

With a smile plastered on his face, Ethan took a step closer and offered his help. “Need a hand?” It didn’t surprise him to see her carrying lots of books more than the amount Hogwarts required. Oh and...did she know that he missed her? And that he still misses her even if she’s just inches away?

The possible thought of buying sweets was still in the girl's mind. But the question was, should she consume a lot of sweets or continue with her shopping like she was supposed to be doing? If she took any longer than her father would want, it would not take long before he would begin his search for her. So maybe it was best that she keep moving, yes? Yes-

But before she could even move she heard the approach of footsteps along with a voice. A very familiar voice that she had grown to know very well, not to mention a very comforting voice. The sixteen year old turned her head to see Ethan Mordaunt approaching her with a question along with his very friendly (charming) smile. As usual his question pertaining to the amount of excessive books she was carrying. With a very happy smile, she quickly nodded to him, almost as if she didn't really hear what he had said. "S-Sure.."

...And cue the rapid heart beat, which was happening right now. Along with possible rosy cheeks. Nothing too out of the ordinary.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squishy

Lux was craving gumballs.

Stopping by the exits, she placed her bags on the floor by one of the dispensers. Time to see what colour she would end up with, but she knew that in the end she would keep adding change until she got a blue one.

Taking out two knuts, Lux added them to the machine...and was rewarded with a pink gumball.

Okay, more change was needed.

Caleb was actually NOT getting candy for himself today, believe it or not. Nope. He was instead going to bring his little brother an extra bag of Jelly Slugs because - well, he was feeling nice. And Levi was super NOT annoying this summer like he had been the last few summers. Maybe he had finally matured at the ripe old age of six.

As he wandered over to the jelly slugs, something caught his eye. RED HAIR. He knew that red hair! A grin spread on his face and he hurried over to the gumballs, where no other than Lux Carrington was hanging out...apparently stocking up on the gumballs. Huh. ANYWAYS.

"Lux! You're alive!" he exclaimed. A bit bold, perhaps, but he had a lot of Slytherins to look after during the SPIDER DRAMA last term - he didn't have time to check the other houses too. But he was happy that Lux was here and not spider chow because THAT WAS GOOD! STUDENTS BEING ALIVE WAS GREAT!

Teddy wasn't sure how to answer that... "N...no," he stuttered, thinking. "Um... I just like to watch it and concentrate on how it all works." He felt his ears redden. He wasn't really sure why he did that, but it was something he had always done.

Teddy nodded to her currency question. "The bronze knut, that's the one." He smiled at her and pulled out another three knuts he had. "I only have these left. I got a galleon today for my birthday and got an ice cream with it." He had more at home, of course. He saved all the money he could for books and new quills, ink and parchment. When she pulled out two knuts he pointed to the coin slot and said "If you want a gum ball, put your money in there, then twist this knob." It was only two knuts, but he wasn't sure if she wanted to save that money or spend it or... heck, if she even wanted a gum ball.


After a while of silence, in which Teddy found himself plotting an escape route, the silence was finally broken. He felt himself relaxing slightly to the man who was speaking. But his name wasn't kid. Teddy knew this man didn't know his name, so he didn't mind, though. Teddy frowned. The thought of a trapped gum ball was just... maddening. "That is unlucky," he said, agreeing with him. Very unlucky. Teddy didn't like it when things didn't work, which is why he got so good at pulling things apart to figure out how they worked. Most of the time he was able to fix them, but it vexed him immensely when he couldn't. "Did you want me to try for you?" he asked, if the man really wanted a gum ball.

Teddy wasn't sure if his face had shown his disappointment with the gum ball. He shrugged, chewing it enough so that it shrunk and he was able to talk. "I always forget how... artificial they taste," he said. He always thought they would taste more natural. Like real fruit. They never did though. "I prefer chocolate frogs, actually."

Ten knuts, Lux was finally rewarded with the one she wanted.

"SCORE!!"

Retrieving the BLUE gumball from the machine, she smiled...and almost dropped it as someone practically yelled at her.

Oh.

It was Caleb.

"Yes, it's me in the flesh! Alive and mostly well." It was taking her longer to recover than Cinna, but then the Gryffindor was made of tougher stuff. She wished that she could bounce back so well, but at least she was doing better than she had been before.

Little man had 'tude, was what initially came to mind as his 'advice' was received. It was a valid question, because candy wasn't going to come without fair payment... though he'd be more than happy to give the machine a helpful smack if he thought it would help.

However, it appeared he'd been on the money with this one. Handy that.

"Yeah, you're welcome," Zeke replied, despite not receiving a 'thanks'. But now it was his turn again, he had knuts to deplete. Leaning against THIS machine now, Zeke waited for the boy to claim his candy before making a move. "You going another?" he asked.

Erm.

Maybe it was one of those situations where he HAD TO say thank you?

Fineee. Here goes.

'Thanks', he finally said. Hmm... why was he moving to this machine? Alex stared at the older guy. 'I don't think so' Enough embarrassment for one day, thanks. No more candy.

But yeah, the other guy had been helpful, he had to admit. Which is why Alex decided not to leave immediately. 'I'm Alex, by the way. And you Sugarplums-Gumball-machine-mastermind areee?'

Fjsidneujfjke! ...

Delayed response, but okay. Zeke just smiled to himself, shaking his head lightly. With delayed manners like that, the kid would go far... and not necessarily in the right direction. "Suit yourself, but there's no point in getting just one." Obviously. Slipping his knuts into the slot, Zeke turned the handle and watched as another gumboil spiralled out to the bottom. White. How dull. "It's the red ones you want," he informed, as he repeated the action again, another two knuts down and turning the handle.

The boys introduction was perhaps the most amusing he'd heard in a while, and he DID think himself a bit of a mastermind, just quietly. "I'm Zeke," he replied with casual nod before peering down to examine his bounty.

RED!

It was a good day.

Hmm.

The red ones, you say?

Alex looked back at the machines.

‘Alright, I think I’ll try some more’, he nodded, moving over to the next machine. This time remembering to put two knuts in, Alex waited eagerly for the candy. He turned back to Zeke momentarily as he introduced himself before drawing his attention back to the machine. Hmm. Green.

‘Sugarplums-Gumball-Machine-Mastermind-Zeke--- is this a good one?’ he turned back to the other guy. Was the green candy a good one? Cause you know, Zeke seemed to be a specialist in Sugarplums.

Alex expected him to know the answer to this question.

Ethan kept his hand stretched out, and just, forgot about the books that he was supposed to carry. Josie's face was so distracting, his smile may have looked creepy. The Slytherin blinked and realized he was being weird, and probably being creepy. He cleared out his throat, and got the load off of Josie's hand, and hugged her books close to his buffchest. "Hi." Seriously, why can't he just be talkative and loud and be himself when she's there? Why does he feel so awkward??!

The Slytherin did a quick scan of the area, and addressed his question back to his companion. "Is...your father around?" Hopefully, it won't raise any warning flags in Josie's head. He was just curious, that's all. Besides, if he was there, Ethan would love to meet him. Y'know, getting to know some of his friends' parents? He thought it'll be cool. Also, he needed to ask her a question.

Hopefully she’d say yes.


The slight frown? Yes, he didn’t miss it. What Ethan can say is that the kid in front of him could handle such situations without losing his cool. Did he see him nudge the machine? Yeah, he was that impatient. The Slytherin grinned and gave the little boy a thumbs up. “I’m all good. I got the gum eventually, see?” he said as he opened his mouth and pointed at the wad of gum. “But yeah sure, let’s try your luck.” The older kid fished out two more knuts out of his pocket and offered it to his new friend. “Hopefully the gum won’t get stuck in the dispensing wheel.”

And how old is this kid exactly? 20? Ethan didn’t care whether or not his candy tasted artificial or not. That kind of thinking didn’t change since the moment he could talk, until the present day, 17 years old and all. Being ‘of age’ definitely does not warrant a person to be fully mature in life, no? Nope. Not this kid. Well, yeah okay, maybe when it comes to fact finding, and detective stuff, he can get serious. “Oh you do? I like the muggle ones though. Their variant doesn’t jump around the place.” Seriously, chocolate frogs are maddening. Unboxing, unwrapping, and then it will jump off to places? Too much work when it’s supposed to be eaten and enjoyed. “By the way, you look old enough to attend Hogwarts...but...I haven’t seen you around in school. You must be a first year, correct?” And...why does he look...familiar? Probably he’s got a sibling back in the wizarding school? Yes? No?

The kid, Alex, was a good follower. Heeding his advice and indulging in more gumballs. "That's the spirit." Really, one could never have too many. They fit perfectly well in pockets, didn't go stale, and the quality couldn't be compromised by lint. It was the perfect travelling sweet. No wrappers to bother with either.

With the red one now in his pocket, Zeke continued to feed the machine, turning the knob until he yielded another... and another... yellow and white. Ugh. Maybe he could barter them later.

Alex had better results.

Smirking at the use of his new 'title', Zeke gave the boy a nod. "Green's the third best... you would want a red, blue or green... avoid yellow, pink, orange and white." Those were just a waste of time and assaulted the senses. What even was the point of a WHITE gumball? It was as if a dementor had sucked all the fun and life out of it. Lame.