Jaren raised an eyebrow a fraction at the discussion of Hebe as a metamorphamagus. That would make...three that he knew of. Gany, her sister, and Aileen.

And who said metamorphamaguses were rare? What were the chances of anyone knowing more than one of them?

His thoughts were interrupted by the carriage coming to a stop at a rather busy area. There were more carriges outside, though none (thankfully) pink, and within walking distance was the Metro (ooc: I am guessing that is some sort of monorail train, because I have never been to France).

Jaren swung open the carriage door and stepped outside to take in the surroundings and to let the others leave the carriage as well before continuing to their destination.

Metamorphagi? Metamorphaguses? Zekke's brain suddenly tied itself into one huge knot as it contemplated which would be the more appropriate plural form, his Latin training kicking into high gear. Also, weren't metamorphagi - errr... whatever - really rare? Wasn't that something that was hammered into his head ever since he started taking Transfigurations classes? But wait... Suppose it was genetic...? His mind ran in circles and on tangents; he'd have to write these thoughts down later...

Realizing they had just arrived at the station, he mentally kicked himself out of the train of thought and stepped out of the carriage and went to pay the driver in what looked to be French currency.

"So... onwards to the Louvre?" He inquired with a raised eyebrow. "Metro or bus?"

ooc: So i feel really stupid. I think I was reading too many travel guides or something because the Tube is in England, not in France. The Metro, however, is. So yeah... The Metro. I edited wherever the Tube was mentioned and changed it to Metro. Also, major apologies for my absence - I've had changes in my health regime and it's been packing a punch now and again.

ooc: A-ha! That's what threw me for a loop. I *did* take French classes and couldn't remember the "Tube" being mentioned in the transportation unit. Now that's cleared up...

"Metro," Jaren replied. "Unless you have some other preference."

He directed that last part towards Nadia and Ganymede, since Zekke didn't seem to mind either way.

Nadia hoped off the carriage looking around. Then looked around, as Ganymede followed out.

"I've never travelled by Metro," she enthusiastically confessed as a way to say she agreed. "It doesn't really make much a difference, does it? Just lead the way," she added soldier-like, "I'm following you!"

She took Ganymede by the arm to push her forwards. She didn't want to loose a second, she only could stay for a day or two and she planned on making worth every minute of it.


ooc: And they say I over-trouble myself on details.

ooc: *chuckles* Sorry, sorry!

Zekke chuckled. "Metro it is, I suppose. Off to the Metro Station, then!"

The Metro station was a rather short walk away and they arrived there in only a few minutes. If time wasn't so much of an issue, then he would have suggested walking, since the city of Paris was actually somewhat small, though compact. Six miles across wasn't a terribly long distance, was it?

But they were on a time constraint and with everyone being wizards and witches, he wasn't sure how accustomed everyone was to relying on their feet for their sole means of transportation, no pun intended.

As they entered the station, he pondered on the best option for tickets. He himself had a monthly pass because he might as well be considered a part-time Parisian, but what should the others get?

A one-day Mobilis pass? Or a Paris Visite pass?

If he remembered right, the Visite pass had a few extra bonuses tied to it and it covered ALL forms of Parisian mass transportation. That, and seeing as how often they'd probably take the Metro or take the bus, it was more economical than paying normal fare rates and more economical than the Mobilis pass.

Yes, yes... that probably would do.

ooc: Considering the length of time that Jaren's stayed with Zekke, would he already have a metro pass or something of the like? *doesn't remember if we said they did sightseeing on their own before or not*

With that in mind, he stepped up to the counter and bought the requisite number of Visite passes and collected a few maps, too, and handed them out.

"These will be good for two day's worth of traveling in the Paris area. You can ride any of the public forms of mass transportation - the Metro, the buses, tramway, nightbuses, whatever - and all you need are these two cards." He dug into his pocket and procured his pen and offered it to whoever snagged the pen first. "You all need to write your name on your card and write down your card's serial number on the ticket and make sure you have the cards handy when you're on the Metro or bus. The Metro operators sometimes like to randomly check to see if you have your tickets."

As he waited for the gang to finish filling out the information, he opened his wallet to check to make sure he had his own monthly pass.

ooc: Okay, last time, I promise! I did a little research on the Parisian mass transit system and came up with a few informational links to share. *felt bad about somehow mixing the Metro up with the Tube*

A map of the Metro system = HERE

Information on the Paris Visite passes = HERE

General information on the Metro = HERE

Enjoy!

Nadia couldn't help ogling about. In the end, she dropped Ganymede's hand not wanting to delay her, because Nadia every now and then would slow her track and slow Gany with her. It would end by irritating the girl, no doubt.

One would think Nadia was just born and dropped into the air in the way she kept staring with that 'very first time' kind of expression. The people even looked different. Though maybe that was her own weird impression. Finally, she regained enough sense to start lookign like a normal person, to walk like a normal person. After all, be marveled for about all did tire you some.

The metro was nearby, almost a disappointment for a curious looking Nadia. For a bit they stopped as Zekke seemed to decide on something, watching - the metro offers were they? Nadia frowned until, at last, Zekke seemed to have made up his mind. Later she would hand her a ticket of sorts, and pass, that Nadia took and pocketed without so much as glance at it.

She was even tempted to take her wand to write down what Zekke told them to before reminding herself that they were in the muggle area, plus wouldn't be too wise anyways. After writing the serial number and name she handed the pen to the next person. What a different way to transport, this French had.

And the tickets... had they been free or had Zekke paid for them? She stared at Zekke odly.


ooc: Please, don't I don't think I can read that map and stay sane, much less would ask you to!

ooc: Okay, okay, you win the battle of 'Most-Obsessed with Detail". And I guess Jaren does have a pass...unless they spent all that time in Zekke's estate trying to beat each other into submission at Risk. But you would bet by gum Jaren would insist on paying for it himself.

Already having a pass (though it had taken a bit of conversation earlier to insist that he pay for it himself) Jaren stood by and waited for the others to finish, staring at the map of the metro routes while he did so.

ooc: Ehehehehe... I dunno... seeing as how competitive they can be... Nahhh... I'm sure they've made a trip or two already, before... And I like details!

BTW guys... Family is going on vacation starting tomorrow, so I won't be back until the 13th. Late notice, I know and I apologize, but my parents didn't really tell me much earlier.

If you'd like, feel free to just move the RP along and I give you permission to move Zekke around as well. Have him follow you guys, point out a few places pass out snacks, go buy snacks, etc, you guys already know what he's like.

Just... no unnecessary trouble, neh?

"Everyone ready to go?" Zekke glanced at his pocketwatch and realized that the next Metro train would be leaving in five minutes. "You can finish filling out the information in the train - just don't lose it! Come on!"

He started heading for the turnstile that led to the platform for the train, glancing over his shoulder as he did so.

Slightly alarmed to be suddenly rushed, Nadia followed Zekke immediately to where he was heading. The station of the Paris Metro Line had a bright illumination and the most shown color was white and other such elegant tints. At first glance the doors and walls of the train seemed to be made of glass alone which made it look like various stores set one after the other. It was one spacious station and it had plataform-edge doors which opened by themselves once the train stopped. And, since it was not magic they were speaking about, it was what it that it made it so amazing a thing, even if Nadia already knew of this type of muggle technology.

Finally praying her eyes from the characteristic artistic design, moved by intertia, she reached the door leaning on the edge of the door with one hand as she turned around and turned to see where the other were to reach her as well.

ooc: No prob You're not the only one either

The metro was not fully packed, as it wasn't rush hour as of yet, but it was still fairly full of people. Still, there was a seat for all four of them.

And they were off. Jaren scanned the people around them as was his habit, as if expecting some Death Eater or similar to pounce out of nowhere and attack them on a Muggle train. He was completely calm despite his appearance.

:: Ganymede frowned, "Yes she is. But she knows how to hide it. We inherited it sorta. See, we had this cousin. Well, my mom only mentioned her once. She's really old and I guess her father was a muggle. But anyway, she was a metamorphaga also. She also had a weird name. I think its Nympha.. something." She sighed, "Hebe has such great control over it. My mom's always saying she's the stronger one. Thats why she invested into that stupid school for Hebe. She thinks I wouldn't of gained anything from it." Ganymede continued, a bit embarrassed. She never really talked about her own home life. She looked down as she got off the carriage and headed for the Metro.

Nadia had let go of her hand, so Ganymede charged forward onto the metro train. She felt a bit more relaxed, and hoped they would understand some of her decisions better. She wasn't exactly taken seriously at home. So, she acted strangely sometime. ::

As they all took their seats, Nadia felt some gloominess in the atmosphere. Well, maybe it was not gloom, the word. They all had fallen silent. In other circumstances she wouldn't have mattered it, after all... Zekke enjoyed silence and Jaren was always quiet. But the sight of Ganymede being silent actually set that awkward feeling - and of course, with the arranging, the sighting and Nadia's attention in everything but the nearest reality, she had completely forgotten about what they had been talking about minutes later.

It was when oggling at Ganymede in her quietness and trying to make sense of it that Nadia recalled the details. She thought, Nadia, that... those were delicate subjects and ones Ganymede might not want to talk about, but...

"Gany," she addressed the girl while the sighting of the city passed by over her shoulder, at the window. "Hogwarts is one of the most pretigious schools in all Europe. You might think it the other way round; it's not that she got a special school, it's that her needs responded better to ones in this other school - let me put it clearer.

"My sister and I discovered our powers at much different rate, her getting them younger. But, as she is also a metamorphmagus, she was sent to a special institute to master her metamophmagi magic over every other. Right now, Ailen has a great mastering that no metamorphagus at Hogwarts has BUT in all other areas... she only knows the basics."

She grimaced a smile, shrugging. "I think you are giving your sister too much credit. That she is advanced in metamorphmagi doesn't make her better in every other subject. Plus, your powers might not be in an especific area but a bit of everything - as philosophers says 'the man cannot swim like a fish, fly like a bird or climb threes like a monkey, but he still can do every of those things if only clumsily while no other animal can do none of the other activities'."

She smiled and winked at Ganymede as she ended her speech and waited for her to tell what she thought.

:: Ganymede listened careflly at what her friend had to say, and it made her feel much better. "I am way better at divination than Hebe. I guess I am good at Transfiguration." She said thinking about some of her positives. She then looked around, people were sitting down getting ready for the metro to move out. "I never been on one of these subway train thingys. Is it going to get rather loud?" She asked unsure if she should be prepared to stay quiet or yell. ::

ooc: By Backslash's post, I assumed they were already moving

Nadia looked about as well as the train moved. "I've only seen this by muggle TV -- Yes, we have a muggle TV at home. Happens when your father's job is to translate Wizarding Language to something muggles comprehend: you need to be informed." She shook her head. "Anyways. For what I gather, it depends on the place. Some places the engineering is not well kept so the matchine starts making noises, but in this case this train seems to be quite well kept..."

She was staring aruond again, then turned back to Gany. "Or, ah, you mean the people? That I don't know, how talkative French are." She shrugged. "Shouldn't matter too much, right?"

It was a few stops to their destination, so the train alternated from stop to start frequently yet smoothly. When the train was travelling an audible hum was heard, but it wasn't too unpleasant. It simply made it a bit more difficult for surrounding people to evesdrop, even unintentionally, on other people's conversations, so the Muggles around them paid no heed. Not like most of them understood English anyways, though it did earn them a few odd glances. In all, Jaren figured that the local French saw them as another bunch of teenage tourists let around by one tall local French boy who streaked his hair white.

He remained quiet, much like Zekke was, since both of them had taken the Metro before. In fact, Jaren had often taken the London Underground back home, when he was younger and even now. He found it slower yet less rocky then a ride in the Knight Bus. Besides, the Knight Bus didn't usually stop outside the Muggle library.

Eventually, several minutes later, the train ground to a halt at the right station. Zekke led them out and to the front of the Louvre, where they all purchased tickets to enter.

The Louvre sported a very high ceiling and a hard floor, with many paintings lining the walls. Jaren had been here once, when he was eight, and his lasting impression was that it had been very, very boring, because his uncle and Florence would spend what seemed like forever in front of one painting, talking about brushstrokes and whatnot, and all he wanted to do was move on to the next room.

It seemed like the scenario might repeat itself, though this time Jaren wasn't in a hurry to move along anywhere else. While Zekke pointed out a painting here and there and talked about its history with enthusiasm he stared at whatever the subject happened to be with mild interest. To be honest, he had little, if any, artistic sense. The Mona Lisa was the Mona Lisa. What else could be said about it?

:: Ganymede waltzed excitedly into the strange building, smiling and pointing at various paintings. She followed Zekke around like a puppy, making her own comments about each different subject. She never got out much when she was home, So this was an amazing experience. She saw a statue of a fertility goddess, "That looks like that ogre, Borr. Schools gonna be just frightening with him." She said to her friends with a small shudder. ::

Of course Nadia was being reckless. Nor her parents paid much attention to secrecy meassures (and mind, her father Gryffindorishly would keep reprimending them on the importance of the Statute of Secrecy when he himself wouldn't act so much of it, hipocritically). So it actually dawned over and over again that this was muggle area and not the place to talk or do anything related to magic. She was relaxing a bit too much, no doubt.

They wouldn't even walk their way home, Nadia kept thinking in her head, Father would barely use the car he brought, it looked like he only wanted to show off with it.

It was a much shorter ride than Nadia had expected, in no time they had to get off and were pretty much before the entrance of the famous Museum. From outside, it seemed not to have an end. It showed a magnificent structure and beautiful design. Even though Nadia was trying to admire it from books descriptions rather than her own taste. In fact, she wasn't sure she'd got any taste. She wasn't going to show that uneducated art sense either way.

As Zekke jumped into explanations after explanation, Nadia watched and heard with much interest. Most of the names, she couldn't even read them as the were in French so it was up to Zekke to explain ancient basins, paintings, statues and figures careved on the wall. She would be surprised if she found runes within all this. Plus she was sure this was the first museum she had been to which had plants inside.

From the inside, the Louvre looked not like a common museum since guarded by statues that looked like they might move. If her own nodding and staring wasn't uncommon enough, Ganymede was waltzing around the place pointing and commenting. Even Jaren in his apathy looked a bit out of place. This was a pretty circus-looking group, it was.

With much enthusiasm, Zekke led the way through the museum, walking backwards as he pointed out various paintings and sculptures. Over the years, he'd made many many trips - both mandatory and voluntary - to the museum and by now, could probably be considered an amateur museum tour guide.

It was strange, though, because the pieces he chose to highlight and the way he explained some things wasn't quite typical. Things that fascinated him were things that wouldn't really interest the typical tourist. There were no lectures on art theory or even art history.

Everything he explained somehow indirectly led back to 'magic' and how the muggles seemed to believe and not believe in it all at the same time. The magic of numbers, the magic of Da Vinci's paintings, conspiracy theories, the symbolism behind pictures and titles...

On and on they went, stopping occasionally to just sit around and take a break.

He had been a bit concerned that his companions would find everything boring and tedious, so he was pleased that the group seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Nadia and Ganymede seemed to be rather engrossed with everything being presented to them and asked questions and made their own rather astute observations as well and Jaren... well, Jaren was Jaren. From what he had gathered, Jaren wasn't too much of an 'artsy' sort of person; practical matters and ideas seemed to suit him much better. But despite this, he too followed along easily and Zekke figured he would make up for it later by a good game of tri-level tri-dimensional wizarding chess... or checkers... or chinese checkers.

He suddenly chuckled at the thought and wondered just how many activities he and the gang could fit into their visit...

ooc: Feel free to move their tour elsewhere and whatnot. Wasn't sure if anyone wanted to make any other comments concerning the Louvre, so I didn't move them just yet.

And the idea for tri-level tri/three dimensional wizarding chinese checkers came from the Star Trek fan in me that recalled a game of tri-level tri-dimensional chess game that Spock and McCoy had. *is a dork*

:: Ganymede stopped in front of a painting by Da Vinci. It seemed magical. She leaned over to her friends and whispered, "Was he a wizard?" He certainly seemed the type. The way he acted with Muggles was so strange. "Or perhaps a Squib? He tried to make a flying machine" She added in a even lower whisper. He had the look of an old wizard. She waited to see what her friends thought of the idea. ::

ooc: Steph...you're doing it again...

"Probably knew a few wizards," Jaren replied, speaking up for the first time in this museum trip. "I don't think he was one himself, or he would have turned up in one of our History books."

Then, suddenly and inexplicably, Jaren whipped his head around, as if he'd heard something the others didn't...but after a tense second or two it was apparent that it wasn't what he was expecting and he turned back, somewhat annoyed at himself.

ooc: If I had a plan of action for Nadia when visiting the Louvre, I fogot Let's move on.

Nadia titled her head at the painting but wasn't that sure. She was sure she hadn't read all though history books pictures or remembered them so she just shrugged it off, and was about to comment as she turned but her attention drifted at seeing Jaren react looking around. The thought of asking disappeared after a tense second, when he looked back to them again. Paranoid, the boy was, Nadia thought.

"How do you know he invented muggles matchines, Ganymede," she finally asked. "I know some muggle book authors but other than that I rarely remember muggles important people... oh, is that a sculture of a sphinx? I can see where you were coming from when you said muggles were always too near wizards. In past times at least. Wonders how the muggle population grew skeptic so easily after time..."

She stared at the figure of the man, most of them could be confused as wizards by the way they dressed. "Shall we move on?" she said as she stood. "I think I fancy a break. I'm hungry. Depends how are we in time." She glanced at her watch at this. She wanted to enjoy herself but couldn't shake out the feeling she was pressed against the clock.

:: Ganymede blushed, "I just.. heard it somewhere." She quickly turned to the sculpture of the sphinx. She then moved over to another part of the museum. She sort of strayed from her group. But she felt pulled by a painting in the corner. It had a picture of a man. He was looking straight at you. It reminded Ganymede of a portrait that hung at Hogwarts. She looked back at her friends. "Yinz come see this one!" She barked excitedly at them. ::

Nadia was already moving away when she spotted Ganymede leaving and stopping on her tracks, Nadia and the rest of the group were summoned by Gany. She moved to reach her and then looked up. "What? What's this?" she looked around, trying to pick what was Ganymede interested about.

Zekke was about to suggest that they move to their next area of interest when Ganymede spoke up. Jaren's comment had given him something to think on, but the museum was too public of a place to address the thought.

He headed to where Ganymede was and took a peek.

Jaren stared at what had gotten Ganymede's attention. The painting did...look familiar...perhaps he had seen it in Hogwarts. He hadn't paid attention to every single portrait and painting in Hogwarts--too many.

He then dropped his gaze to check the time--getting into the late afternoon. The museum would probably be closing soon. On cue, an announcement came over the PA system Muggles use in buildings in French that it was 10 minutes to closing.

"They're closing up for the day," Jaren informed the group. "We should get going."