(no subject)

[alsoagreengrass]

Removing the snow from atop the wooden picnic table had been easy enough and Scorpius, now with his robes properly charmed to repel water and insulated to protect him from the cold, is lying atop of it.

With an almost half-empty bottle of (pilfered-from-his-friend) Ogden's Old forgotten beside him, a fire curling in his belly, and an old, charred broom at his feet.

He had been working on a modified charm for the broom. It hadn't turned out as well as he would've liked, as evident by the charred (and still smoking) remains of bristles.

He's obviously not too bothered by the experiment gone wrong. Maybe the firewhiskey helped or maybe it's just one of those days. Peacefully perfect - or perfectly peaceful - and he can't be bothered to care.

He's just going to enjoy the oncoming night, gloved fingers curled loosely around the neck of the bottle.

[OOC: Back! Open until it scrolls.]

Comments

[makesthings]

Sameth is finally well enough to work again and so has spent a happy and long day in the forge.

He was vaguely aware of something going on outside and grins when he spots Scorpius,

"Hello."

[alsoagreengrass]

Scorpius sits up on his elbows to greet Sameth properly enough, grinning.

"Hullo. All right?"

[makesthings]

"Yes, took long enough but I am. What have you been doing?"

He fingers the burnt ends of the broom carefully.

[alsoagreengrass]

"Oh, right. You were feeling a bit under the last time we spoke, weren't you?"

He peers at Sameth carefully, appraising, before his gaze is turned to the broom. He shrugs, as best he can in reclining position.

"I was trying to modify the flying charm on it. Didn't quite go as well as I hoped."

He frowns, only briefly, and then flops back against the table with a content sigh. The bottle is offered, dangled by the gloved fingers in Sameth's general direction.

[makesthings]

"What were you trying to make it do?"

Sam takes the bottle and enjoys a long swig before handing it back.

[alsoagreengrass]

"I wanted to make it go faster," he says, putting his plans quite simply. "Mostly."

He gives a slight airy wave with the hand not holding the bottle.

"The limits of these old ones aren't all that great."

[makesthings]

"And it caught on fire?"

Sam settles down on the bench, very grateful for the long cloak he has.

[alsoagreengrass]

"Charms can be tricky."

Even more so after a drink or two. Though, Scorpius had waited until he was done with his experimenting to start on the Ogden's.

"You're very likely to hear about accidents every now and then. They've got a floor devoted to spell damage in St. Mungo's."

[makesthings]

"Most spells have their risked but were you just trying to make it faster?"

Sam trying to see if he can see how the spells work.

[smallgayjew]

Posner has only just ventured outside for the first time, and he's rather enjoying the fact that not only is it winter here, but there's snow as well. His curiosity is piqued by the person laying on the picnic table, and he heads over to check it out.

Spotting the charred broom, he asks, "Trying to start a fire?"

[alsoagreengrass]

"I wouldn't need a broom to start a fire," Scorpius says, matter-of-factly as he sits up to greet the newcomer.

He'd demonstrate, but he's had enough firewhiskey where his judgment isn't quite yet impaired and he's know starting one would be a very bad idea at the moment.

And he doesn't quite need to anyway, as he recognizes Posner.

"Oh, hullo."

[smallgayjew]

"Hello." He smiles as he steps closer.

"I thought perhaps you'd been trying to burn it."

[alsoagreengrass]

"No, not purposefully. The fire bit was an accident. I was trying to make it fly faster. Though I think I forgot to work around the braking charm properly and the two charms interacted negatively and - "

He gestures vaguely as if to say fwoop! -

" - And the twigs caught fire. Firewhiskey?"

The bottle is offered, dangled between his gloved fingers.

[smallgayjew]

"It's a flying broom?" This entire situation just got more interesting.

Without thinking, Posner takes the bottle and has a drink, coming up coughing and spluttering.

[alsoagreengrass]

"It was a flying broom. I don't think I'd try to fly on it now."

Aside from flying under the influence of firewhiskey never being a very good idea, the broom is in a sort of bad state at the moment.

Scorpius raises his eyebrow at the coughing and spluttering.

"All right?"

[smallgayjew]

"Um, yes. I'm fine," Posner manages after a moment.

"I'm...not much of a drinker, I'm afraid," he admits, handing the bottle back.

In fact, he's never had anything more than wine, but he doesn't really see the need to advertise that.

[alsoagreengrass]

"Firewhiskey can be a bit strong too, I suppose."

And Scorpius has been stealing sips of it since he was about thirteen so he's grown quite accustomed to it.

"The burning in the throat. Most don't like that."

[parkerlee]

You don't get this kind of weather in northern Texas. And as much as Parker is enjoying her first winter on the range, it's nice to be able to see some proper snow.

She has gone out for a walk to enjoy the cold and the snow and the scenery.

This is a bit of scenery she wasn't expecting, though.

Scorpius may have found that a concerned face has popped into his field of vision.

"Please, please tell me this isn't what it looks like?"

[alsoagreengrass]

Scorpius presses his lips together in a frown for a fraction of a moment and his eyes widen as he stares up at Parker.

"I will," he whispers, as she seems quite serious and such seriousness obviously requires low voices, "If you tell me what you think it looks like?"

[parkerlee]

"Like......."

Parker surveys the scene.

"Like you're sprawled outside. In the snow. In the cold. Getting drunk off your ass."

"After apparently having set fire to a broom."

There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation. Right?

[alsoagreengrass]

Scorpius blinks and then sits up on his elbows to survey the same scene.

It does look like that, doesn't it?

"'This isn't what it looks like,'" he says, dutifully.

[parkerlee]

Parker puts her hands on her hips and pins him with a look.

"Is it really not?" she asks. "Or are you just telling me what I want to hear?"

"What's in that bottle, anyway?"

[alsoagreengrass]

"Uhm."

As Scorpius sits up on the table more properly, he glances from the expression on Parker's face to the bottle in hand.

"In my, uhm, defence, the Ogden's came after the broom caught fire. So it wasn't that I was pissed and setting fire to brooms. And I'm really quite warm, actually. Because I've got charms on my robes so the snow isn't much of a problem and...and..."

And he's rambling so he just offers her s drink from the bottle with a shrug.

"Ogden's?"

[parkerlee]

Parker takes the bottle and sniffs.

And, by the look of it, is winding up to give Scorpius the reaming of a lifetime.

"Jesus H. Christ, Scorpius."

Parker doesn't know how effective charms to keep you warm are. And in this moment, she genuinely doesn't care.

"You're out here, drinking--which, by the way, lowers your body temperature--sacked out in the snow....do you have any freaking idea how dangerous that is? I realize that you're a wizard and an teenage boy and therefore think you are indestructible, but what the hell?"

By this point, she's gesturing rather forcefully with the hand holding the bottle.

[alsoagreengrass]

And Scorpius has scooted away from the side of the table where she's gesturing rather forcefully. He's flushed pink in the face, grimacing in the hope she doesn't get firewhiskey everywhere with all her gesturing, and staring at the frost-covered wood beneath him.

"I never - "

He huffs a sigh, hot breath meeting the cold or a hiccup of smoke from too much firewhiskey. He's also semi-aware he's only arguing back because of the firewhiskey too.

" - I never said I was indestructible. I mean, I did wait until after I was done experimenting before I had the firewhiskey, didn't I? It could've been loads worse if I hadn't. And I wasn't going to stay out here, I just wanted to see the - Well, you know."

He gestures vaguely toward the sky with an airy wave of his hand.

A bit more softly and apologetically, "It's a nice night, isn't it?"