Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kolyander 
Rylee was only mildly startled by Phantom's behavior but it was mainly due to having never seen the cat behave that way before. However it wasn't the cats fault she had never been around Neptune which was good for them both! "I'm alright, Professor," she replied softly smoothing her thumb lightly over her companions head. The rat had now managed to burrow himself in the crook of her arm which she had held against her chest. "He's alright. She didn't get to close to him." Close enough where Neptune knew the cat was there but not close enough to harm him. Rylee glanced at the door hearing the noise from the other side and giggled. "I promise to stop by a little later on today and bring you a treat and play with you for a bit if it's okay with Professor Marchand, how does that sound, Phantom?" Why, yes, she was talking to cat through a closed door.
The second year smiled and nodded. Sitting out here in the waiting area and talking wasn't an issue. What she wanted to talk about wasn't anything private anyhow. "Well I was hoping you could teach me how to permanently duplicate this cape," she showed him the red one from the night before. "And if I wanted to change the color would it stay the color I changed it? What if I wanted to shrink it down to fit Neptune here... would it stay that small?" She didn't the charms wearing off or anything. It was mainly the duplication charm she was worried about. Those she knew wore off after so long. "Is there a charm to put a design or something on the cape?" Like an animal or a flower maybe?
Gaston's worried expression turned into a slight smile when Rylee said she and her rat were alright. He eyed the rat burrowed in the crook of her arm.
"Sorry about her," he whispered to the creature.
"She's not going to hurt you, I promise." There was a loud bang as the door rattled. Phantom was meowing even louder than ever, and Gaston was worried he'd have to shout to be heard over the noise. He barely made out Rylee's next words... something about coming back with a treat for Phantom. At the sound of her words, the banging stopped, and Phantom's meows changed from disgruntled to pleading. Gaston laughed.
"I think you just said the magic words," he said. He turned toward the door and said to the cat,
"Did you hear that, Phantom? Rylee is going to come back later and give you a treat."
Gaston listened carefully as Rylee explained what she had in mind for the cape, nodding along in places. Oh, so that explained why the rat was here! He smiled.
"Well, I must say that's a very cute idea for the cape!" he said, and his voice dropped as he added,
"I wonder if Phantom would like her own cape too." He already knew she wouldn't, but it it was fun to imagine.
So... they needed to change the color, size, and design of the cape and find a way to duplicate it. The professor's mind was already formulating a plan.
"Unfortunately, all duplication charms will wear off eventually," he said,
"but I might have a way to make a cape for Neptune without duplication. Would you mind if we took an inch or two off the bottom of this cape? Then we could cut and sew it into a smaller cape... no need for shrinking or duplication." He paused for a moment.
"That was how I made the capes last night, by sewing them from pieces of the cape I had. Sewing charms don't change the makeup of the material itself, so they won't wear off like a duplication charm.."