Minerva smiled at the look on his face, she was glad she had a few people around that enjoyed her cooking a baking. Since Ethan wasn't there she at least got to do it for others. Taking the cookie she bit into it. hmm these would have been better with M&M's, she might just have to Owl her grandparents to send some at some point.

So she had forgotten. Maybe she should pull out her parchment, she didn't want to feel dumb in front of Mo. Not that she felt he would look at her differently, but her standards for herself were always high. Watching him do the circles she gave a weak smile, "Thanks, I don't know how I forgot that." She turned her wand in to clock wise circles over her bag. "Yeah wonder what plants we will be drying off." That thought alone freaked her out a bit. She as doing better with the plants, but one bubotuber or a flesh eater and she was going to be out of the greenhouse faster than a Gnome on gardening day.

[b] "Sure I'd love to practice a bit." She was there he was doing it anyway so why not practice while she was there. It wasn't like she had anything but studying to go back to the castle to do. "Up to you what you want to dry. I'm fine with either. " She looked at the cornstalks a bit and then to the dirt, yeah really either would work. Starting to think of the spell in her head she turned, "Now make sure I say this right, Siccus Aerous" Always helpful to have someone listen.

Her blue eyes snapped up at him as she tilted her head curiously, "Well yes I did have boyfriends before Ethan, but he is the longest guy I've dated, why?" What an interesting question to get from her claw friend. She wondered where he might be going with this, was he having Cat problems?

"I don't want to be accused of ruining anyone's corn maze," Mo brushed crumbs from his hands and face before picking his wand up again. Drying out the corn stalks, which were already winter-dry to begin with, wasn't the best idea and might get them ejected from the maze. Mo opted instead to point his wand at the ground and wet the dirt.

"Aguamenti," he made sure the ground was a soggy mess between the two of them before saluting Min with his wand. She could go first, 'cause he... was going to practice the incantation. Good plan, Min. "Siccus Aerous. Sick-us Air-oh-us." Sorta awkward in his mouth.

He leaned back on his hands and stared up at the pale blue of the sky above. Winter white, even. "D'you think it would be reasonable for Ethan to ask you not to be friends with your old boyfriends? Or really to go behind your back and tell them to spend less time with you?"

And now this girl was staring right back at her. Marigold eyed her, debating whether to ask for help navigating the maze. Or the maize. The maize maze, heh.

"Do ya know where the exit is?" she said before she could stop herself. Eh. She grinned really big at the girl, even if it was just to get help.

But really... Where was the right path?

Min looked towards the corn maze, hmm he had a point. She didn't know if there was some sort of charms on the maze or not, but maybe, so the ground would probably be best. "Ground is good then we don't have to get up." Not that she was lazy and the cold ground was making her shiver a bit, but nothing she couldn't worse than being out at quiddtich.

She watched as he wet the ground. What in Merlin's beard was he doing, saluting her? She couldn't help but giggle a bit, "Alright, but if I screw up you can't laugh." because laughing wasn't nice at all.. She was good at spells, but she still messed them up a time or two. Looking down at the ground she practiced the circles again to make sure she was doing them correctly, "Siccus Aerous" okay now she felt she had that down.

She started the circles over the wet ground and remembering to move her wand down and up, "Siccus Aerous" The water seemed to be drying a bit, but before it could fully dry the blondes blue eyes went back to Mo losing the concentration she needed for the spell. A laugh released from her lips and she shook her head, so not a Cat problem, but an ex problem. Well maybe it was Cat saying not to see the ex or maybe he had a problem with Cat ex's. How to proceed with this. hmmm

"Well...My situation is odd I guess. I have two ex's that I can say I really dated, not that little kid oh he's my boyfriend, but you know you don't really know what it means type of dating. One of them became one of my best friends, but the other.. well let's just say is a jerk. Him and Ethan never got along and I wish I would have listened to Ethan's concerns, because it almost broke us up. The idiot kissed me knowing darn well I was dating Ethan and happy with Ethan. So yeah.. I am not friends with him." She thought for a moment, "I'm not sure that answered your question though. I don't think Ethan would ever tell me who I can and can not talk to nor would he go behind my back. We have a very high trust factor in our relationship." Maybe that helped a bit more.

The puddle of water was running up against Mo's shoes, forcing him to pull back his feet and scoot back. He wiped water from his trainers before pointing his wand at the spreading puddle. If Minerva wasn't going to try out the spell first, then Mo was more than willing. And see? He wasn't distracted or anything.

"Siccus Aerous," Mo drew the two circles as he traced the edge of the puddle, watching as the water crept back and the ground dried up again. That... was awesome. Not exactly an Herbology necessity, but an honestly cool spell. Could he dry his hair with it? Dry his clothes? "I wouldn't ever laugh at you, Min. Trial and error is essential to truly learning."

He gave her a cheeky look, since he was giving her that Ravenclaw pep talk, and then a wave of his hand. She should give it a try. "Trust is important. Like... Cat knows I'm kinda jealous of her ex, but they've been friends forever and I wouldn't tell her not to see him. But y'know... Alice is still my best friend. You don't think that's weird, do you? We were friends before, and we're even better friends now."

Minerva watched as Mo did the spell and did it well, "Good Job Mo, you are a natural at this." Which didn't surprise her he was in Ravenclaw and from what she knew he grew up with wizards so probably saw the spell done before. "Well thanks for not laughing if I screw up. I shouldn't there isn't any reason to, but just in case." Now enough putting pressure on herself she listened a bit longer to Mo.


"If you trust each other there is no problem being friends with whomever you want as long as that friend isn't going to ruin the friendship. That's what I fell into, but I don't think you have anything to worry about." Did she think it was weird? "I dont' think it's weird at all, I think it's good that you can be friends. Both of you have obviously moved on to other people so I don't see any reason why you couldn't be friends." She didn't see the big deal if they were both just friends and no feelings attached.

Rewetting the ground Minerva mad it extra soggy before she pointed her wand and started doing the circles, "Siccus Aerous" She moved her wand around the wetness until the area seemed to be completely dry. See when she actually focused that didn't seem to hard at all. What else could they try and dry, "Want to try it on my bag?" She didn't mind it getting wet as long as she took out the parchment first. No need to ruin her class notes and study guides.

On her BAG? Mo was worried about what the hot air would do to it, but he nodded gamely and took the bag from her. He carefully removed her belongings from the bag, handing each book and roll of parchment and whatever over to Minerva until the bag was just an empty cloth satchel that wouldn't really be damaged by subjecting it to a puddle.

Or, in this case, dousing it in water. "Aguamenti," Mo drenched the bag before setting it on the ground between them. "It isn't like that. Alice is my mate. We get along fine. But... but West says he wants me to not be partners with her in class and do homework with her, on account of... it bothers him."

Mo's circles were stiff and his wand hold was tense as he once again cast. "Siccus Aerous." The warm air blasted around the bag, this time much hotter and more forceful than Mo intended. Did he smell something kinda burny? He dropped his wand in the dirt. "But I tried, Min. And she said she was disappointed in me. And I couldn't just ignore her, so we did one assignment together, and now... he won't talk to me. He said I'm a liar and he won't ever talk to me again." The end.

Minerva watched as he took everything out of her bag, wow did she have way to much stuff in it. Maybe she should think about cleaning it out at some point, but that seemed to be the story of the last seven terms. She watched as he we the bag and then listened to his words, that wasn't very nice of West did he not trust his friend and his girlfriend. "By the sounds of it West seems like he is either insecure about himself or doesn't trust his own girlfriend. If there isn't full trust then I don't know how someone could date a person." She never understood that. How two people could really be together if they always questioned the other person. She was glad she wasn't a jealous person.

All of the sudden Min was smelling something, was her bag on fire? She looked down it didn't look like it was, but it sure smelled that way. Watching with worry she saw him put his wand down and she took the bag. She had that bag since her first term. Her mother had bought her the bag, she had always thought about possibly getting a new one, but in the end always brought the same purple with butterflies bag. Pointing her wand she wordlessly did Aguamenti not to interrupt Mo talking. "Well that's just horrible Mo, I'm sorry. I don't know West horribly well, but from what I have seen he doesn't seem like a bad person. So maybe he had saw something super special between you and Alice and now he just feels threatened or scared by it, like he fears she might want to go back to you." Sounded about right didn't it? "If you really want to keep your friendship with both of them, maybe you should back away for a bit let them have their space. Once he sees you don't have to talk to Alice all the time maybe he will stop being so threatened if that's what it is." It was about the only advice she could think of for the situation.

Doing her two circles around the bag, "Siccus Aerous" she watched as the bag began to dry making sure to hold it enough and doing the circles at the right places not to burn up her bag again. This was actually a great spell to know, she still wasn't sure why she would need it for class, but it didn't matter, she loved learning new things.

Mo focused on the puddle under Min's bag, formed by all the drips coming from the fabric. Better to scorch the earth a bit than to set anything on fire. It hadn't gone unnoticed that she'd re-wet the bag after he used it. Mo poked at the dirt with his wand, turning up the mud and making a mess before he finally drew those circles. Circle one, circle two, all along the dirt.

"Siccus Aerous." He didn't like Min's advice. It offended him, in fact, because he'd been avoiding Alice like West said, and West wouldnt' talk to him and now Alice was hurt and Mo was losing all his friends because of a stupid agreement he'd made to West. Stupid stupid.

Using his shirt to clean the mud off his wand, Mo casually polished up the surface again. "I'm tired of dealing with other people's insecurity. I appreciate the advice, but... I can't do it anymore. Lose one or lose the other... either way, I lose." Mo shoved up to his feet and put his wand in his back pocket. "Thanks for your help... and the cookies. I'm gonna get going again." He wanted to be alone for proper sulking.

Minerva watched Mo, he didn't look happy and she frowned. She had upset him, that was something she really wasn't trying for. Now she felt horrible and when he got up she felt worse. "Mo.. I'm..." but he was already leaving and gone around in the Maze. She sat there alone for a few moments. Well that was great Minerva, you haven't been to social all term and the minute you try you screw up and upset a friend.. Good job!

She kicked at the dirt feeling horrible and trying to figure out a way to make things better. Maybe she could talk to West, no.. it wasn't really her business, but she still felt bad for upsetting Mo. Pointing her wand she wet the ground again, then started doing the circles, "Siccus Aerous She watched the area dry and then shivered from the cold. Well now that she was alone in the maze it was cold and lonely.

Getting to her feet she looked around.. Now which way was out?

Actually Mikey didn't think twice about the hand holding. They had done it before and it was Zahra, his best friend, so he didn't see anything wrong with it.

"I think dad would be rather proud to hear that. I think he's worried that mum's side is more of an influence." Not that there was anything wrong with that.

They pulled up outside the maize and he finally dropped her hand. "Do you want to go in there?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mell

Actually Mikey didn't think twice about the hand holding. They had done it before and it was Zahra, his best friend, so he didn't see anything wrong with it.

"I think dad would be rather proud to hear that. I think he's worried that mum's side is more of an influence." Not that there was anything wrong with that.

They pulled up outside the maize and he finally dropped her hand. "Do you want to go in there?"

SOMETIMES... Zahra was quiet. And this trip to the Maize had been a quiet one for the littlest Kettleburn. Not that she was really lost in THOUGHT this time. She was done thinking. It was kind of the opposite, she was literally not thinking at all and just overtly happy and content. NO THOUGHTS WHATSOEVER LA LA LA.

"Welll DUH. Don't be dumb. BYE."

And with that, Zahra was TAKING OFF INSIDE, head first, not at all worried about getting lost.

Which she would.

Promptly.

Immediately even. Two turns and she was already................

.....

"Uh oh."

And SOMETIMES, the youngest Kettleburn wasn't as smart as she thought she was. The moment she ran off and left him standing there, he knew that she was going to get lost.

When he asked, did she want to go into the maize, he had meant together. He should just leave her in there by herself. Teach her a lesson.

With a small groan, because he would never leave her, Mikey went in after her. He stopped at the first fork though and put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a handful of sweets. He carried these around because he never knew when he would run into Alexa.

The only problem was, there wasn't that many of them and if Z was further into the maize then dropping a trail of sweets was not going to help. It wasn't going to hurt either so he dropped one and continued on.

"ZAHRA!" One of these days he wasn't going to be around to get her out of trouble.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mell

And SOMETIMES, the youngest Kettleburn wasn't as smart as she thought she was. The moment she ran off and left him standing there, he knew that she was going to get lost.

When he asked, did she want to go into the maize, he had meant together. He should just leave her in there by herself. Teach her a lesson.

With a small groan, because he would never leave her, Mikey went in after her. He stopped at the first fork though and put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a handful of sweets. He carried these around because he never knew when he would run into Alexa.

The only problem was, there wasn't that many of them and if Z was further into the maize then dropping a trail of sweets was not going to help. It wasn't going to hurt either so he dropped one and continued on.

"ZAHRA!" One of these days he wasn't going to be around to get her out of trouble.

"WHAT?" TEeheee. Zahra had already plucked and shucked an ear of corn and was kind of happily sauntering along now. SO WHAT if she was lost? Wasnt that the point? ADVENTURE. Maybe she'd never find the end and have to sleep outside and fight a bear.

Bahaha.

Anywho.

"YOU TOO AFRAID TO COME IN, MIKEY BABY BOO BOO? I'm ALREADY at like....the END? You need me to come back for YOU?" Fat chance of that since she was L O S T and LOST good, but she'd try, no doubts about that. She'd shuck EVERY EAR OF CORN if he needed her to come back for him. "HEY TOUSSAINT. GUESS WHAT I'M THINKING ABOUT."

There was much eye rolling as Zahra's voice floated back to him. Pfft...he was not scared and even if he was, he certainly wouldn't let her know it.

"SO WHY IS IT YOUR VOICE SOUNDS AS THOUGH IT IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER? She couldn't pull one over him, he had known her for too long.

Did he want to know what she was thinking about? Probably not.

"YOU'RE THINKING HOW AWESOME I AM. AND BECAUSE OF THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET ME A TOTALLY WICKED BIRTHDAY PRESENT." Hint. Hint. His birthday was only around the corner after all. May as well remind her now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mell

There was much eye rolling as Zahra's voice floated back to him. Pfft...he was not scared and even if he was, he certainly wouldn't let her know it.

"SO WHY IS IT YOUR VOICE SOUNDS AS THOUGH IT IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER? She couldn't pull one over him, he had known her for too long.

Did he want to know what she was thinking about? Probably not.

"YOU'RE THINKING HOW AWESOME I AM. AND BECAUSE OF THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET ME A TOTALLY WICKED BIRTHDAY PRESENT." Hint. Hint. His birthday was only around the corner after all. May as well remind her now.

CAUGHT. So caught. Zahra cackled, because heheheh TOTALLY CAUGHT. HE KNEW. Bahaha. "CAUSE I CAME BACK FOR YOU. I WAS WORRIED." Bahahaha uh huh. No, not really. She was strolling along, picking corn, picking leaves, occasionally remembering she had a SWEET NEW TATTOO and stopping to look at it.

...

....

Uhm... no. Not what she had been thinking about. Though, he spoke lots of true facts there. HE WAS PRETTY AWESOME, for a Toussaint, and for a best friend...most of the time. And his birthday was SOON.

"NO. Ehhhh. WRONG. I was thinking about POPCORN. You know how it's MADE, man? Wouldn't it be COOL if this MAIZE turned into a POPCORN MOUNTAIN?" Preeeeeeeetty coooooool if you asked her.

Yeah right. He didn't believe that for a second and she knew that he wouldn't believe that for a second. They both thought that they were indestructible and it was a rare cause for them to worry about each other. "IF YOU KEEP TELLING PORKY PIES ZAHRA KETTLEBURN, YOUR NOSE WILL START TO GROW LONG."

Muggles and their weird stories.

Thank Merlin, she couldn't see him because he was currently pouting right now. She wasn't thinking about the birthday present she was going to get him instead she was thinking about...

"OF COURSE I KNOW HOW TO -"

Wait!

She wouldn't?

"ZAHRA? YOU'RE NOT THINKING WHAT I THINK YOU'RE THINKING, ARE YOU?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mell

Yeah right. He didn't believe that for a second and she knew that he wouldn't believe that for a second. They both thought that they were indestructible and it was a rare cause for them to worry about each other. "IF YOU KEEP TELLING PORKY PIES ZAHRA KETTLEBURN, YOUR NOSE WILL START TO GROW LONG."

Muggles and their weird stories.

Thank Merlin, she couldn't see him because he was currently pouting right now. She wasn't thinking about the birthday present she was going to get him instead she was thinking about...

"OF COURSE I KNOW HOW TO -"

Wait!

She wouldn't?

"ZAHRA? YOU'RE NOT THINKING WHAT I THINK YOU'RE THINKING, ARE YOU?"

"......COOL. LIKE AN ELEPHANT." Zahra took a seat right in the maize, right on the path, hoping Mikey would catch up with her already. He coudn't be THAT far behind right? ....Right? She cast an eye upward to make sure there was plenty of sunlight left.

Bahahaha

CACKLE CACKLE HAHA.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO CONJURE BUTTER YET. DO YOU?" Bahahahaha!

Only Zahra would think having a long nose would be cool. Other girls would think that the worst thing in the world.

He had been purposely walking slowly just to see if she would start to panic, but this was Zahra and she would merely find it funny that she was lost.

"Well not butter, no." he said as he rounded the corner and stood in front of her. "But I have managed a few spells." Thanks to Alexa. Mikey plopped down beside her and picked at a stalk that was close at hand.

"What would you have done if you got lost in here?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mell

Only Zahra would think having a long nose would be cool. Other girls would think that the worst thing in the world.

He had been purposely walking slowly just to see if she would start to panic, but this was Zahra and she would merely find it funny that she was lost.

"Well not butter, no." he said as he rounded the corner and stood in front of her. "But I have managed a few spells." Thanks to Alexa. Mikey plopped down beside her and picked at a stalk that was close at hand.

"What would you have done if you got lost in here?"

HEY! There he was! Zahra gave him the BIGGEST GRIN EVER. See? Why had he got his panties all in a wad? He found her, no big deal.

She abandoned the idea of Popcorn Mountain until one of them learned to conjure up butter. Though there was some... was butter FOOD? Maybe they should just "borrow" some from the elves. Hmm.

ANYWAY. He asked a serious question? Weird. Zahra scooted RIGHT OVER TO HIM, leg to leg. "Just waited on you to find me, I guess." Shrugs. "Why.....?"

Mikey pulled a leaf off the stalk and twirled it in his fingers. "I don't know." he shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes I think that one of these days we're going to find ourselves in a situation we can't get out of." Her especially. But they always took it for granted that someone was going to get them out of ansticky sp I t which is usually what happened.

He stopped twirling the leaf and tried to stick it up her nose. "Dad gave me a lecture at Christmas and I don't know, I was just wondering what you thought." Because he most definitely valued her opinion. Even if he never told her.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mell

Mikey pulled a leaf off the stalk and twirled it in his fingers. "I don't know." he shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes I think that one of these days we're going to find ourselves in a situation we can't get out of." Her especially. But they always took it for granted that someone was going to get them out of ansticky sp I t which is usually what happened.

He stopped twirling the leaf and tried to stick it up her nose. "Dad gave me a lecture at Christmas and I don't know, I was just wondering what you thought." Because he most definitely valued her opinion. Even if he never told her.

Oh.

Oh so this was a whole big serious thing. His DAD had LECTURED him. Zahra didn't take many things serious, but Mikey's dad was one of them.

"What did he say exactly? For you to just be more careful?"

Zahra tried to catch the leaf in her mouth instead. OMNOMNOM. Teehee.

"Yeah and my actions have consequences. I should think things through instead of jumping straight into it." Which was not fun at all but Michael respected his parents and what they had to say even if he didn't always DO what they said.

"He also made a point that I would be thirteen soon as though that was going to some sort of turning point in my life." Maybe it was. He HAD noticed some changes nothing he was going to share with Zahra though. And he was going to need new robes because he was sure that he had grown a few inches taller over the year.

"Don't your parents say anything to you about this stuff?" Or was it just his parents?

"SO. I was telling Gemini how he really needs to win you over and stuff and I'm pretty sure he's gonna try, so you've got to try too. Which doesn't mean hissing at him or ignoring him, okay? You're booooth my guys." Castor, too. "And I promise I won't try sit him on your head again, or put him in your lap. Absolutely promise." She was a rather promising girlfriend, if she was honest with herself. Promised all the things. Kept all the promises. Although the one about keeping her cat off of Coulson's head would be the hardest one for Elodie.

She thought it was an attractive addition to his hair.

Els loosened her grip on his hand as they got toward the maze, giving him a grin and skipping off into it. "Find me and you can have a lollipop, okay?" She wasn't twelve anymore, but everything was so serious about them recently, and she was over the drama and over the sad and over the acting like she was an adult and everything. "Maybe we'll share one."

Shares were cool.

Off she went though. Sorry boyfriend. A right and then a left and another right.

"Elodie. Hey. Stop-"

She was already walking off and of course he wasn't anywhere near done having this conversation. There was no way he was letting the little fur ball on his head. He didn't like animals. And just because he was Els' familiar, didn't mean he was about to change his perspective on animals; girlfriend's or not.

"We're not done having this conversation, Robertser!" he shouted in her general direction as he tried to catch up with her. Quickly, he was faced with the decisions to take turns and figure out the path she'd taken.

Unfortunately, he didn't know which way she had taken and quickly made his own path, taking the first left, then another left and a right. But no, that wasn't right. He'd hit a dead end. He sighed, ruffled his long brown hair and shouted for her.

"ELODIE. THIS ISN'T FAIR COME BACK." Whiny boyfriend that he was, he continued his shouts hoping for an answer.