Fountain

[sweetpinkpixie]

What might be a work of art, or is possibly what nightmares are made of, is the fountain outside the Leaky Cauldron. Large, gaudy and rather obnoxious, it is most definitely a center point of the area. Built of crumbling stone, the fountain is tall and contains three tiers. Starting at the bottom, the fountain has a three-foot high wall. In the center and serving as a support beam is a water serpent that rises from the pool and to the very top. Winged cherubs with wicked looks in their eyes hang off the serpent and dragons peer from around his climbing body. If it feels like the dragons and cherubs are watching you, it’s because they probably are. One cherub has been missing his head for centuries. Cherubs and dragons alike spit water in many directions, sometimes at different intervals, creating a beautiful display when sunlight catches the dancing water.

However, the fountain is not merely a great sight. Perhaps it is haunted, or maybe cursed, for the fountain has a tendency to spit water at people. Those who loiter too long may find their faces wet. Try to sit down on the edge without dropping a coin and you may find yourself doused with water. However – do not try to outsmart the fountain. Dropping muggle money won’t buy you any time. On the contrary, those who drop muggle coins will find themselves pelted with coins.

Oh, and just a warning. Don't try to stick your hand into the water, especially in hopes of grabbing some money from the bottom. Creepy things with tentacles would love to bathe with you.

[sweetpinkpixie]

It became even more abundantly clear that he had indeed interrupted a tender kind of moment which immediately set the metal charmer back on his heels a fair bit. Heels that were figuratively digging into the cobblestone street while his fingers tightened around his primary source of comfort. That smile was almost enough to put the world at ease, almost, but whatever comfort and bliss may have begun radiating from his and Freddie's palms pressed together faded into oblivion the minute their eyes met.

Mind was numb and lost in thoughts that had been buried for nearly a decade, the sight before him now was more than just a memory memory. It was sharp, vivid, and visceral despite the years. Eyes still sparkling with the same mischievous and gentle energy that had captivated him all those years ago Quinn both looked exactly the same as the day they disappeared as if they'd never existed in the first place and yet like an entirely different person, a complete stranger. The baggage of abandonment, the scars of war, the betrayal of trust all came to a head as his fingers dug into the back of Freddie's hand to still the tremble of rage that had begun to course through him. His thoughts, his heart, betrayed him but the Neo-Alliance had taught him through the savergy how to mask what he was feeling and thus his jaw merely set on his back teeth while silently chastising his eyes to pull themselves together and dry those crocodile tears that misguidedly thought they needed to make an appearance. It took great effort, but his square, chiseled featured harded like stone which meant all he had to get in check now was the galloping of that pesky muscular organ in his chest.

"Quinn?" Atlas replied stoically, his voice hoarse in spite of himself, caught between disbelief and something else—something darker, heavier - and his hand reached up to touch his cheek as a phantom memory cause it to uncomfortably tingle and burn. The wounds that had been stitched up over the years suddenly ripped open, a mirror thrust in front of himself that he had no intention of looking into and seeing his reflection. "Quinn," he repeated far more calmly this time as he slammed several mental and emotional doors closed, making no forward motion towards those outstretched arms of Quinn's. He couldn't, Atlas simply couldn't.

Harsh? A little. Cold? Not particularly in his opinion. But if he didn't feign ignorance he would lash out with his silver tongue. "Did we go to school together or something?" he inquired, his head turning to look exclusively at Freddie while sidestepping closer to him still. Freddie, the only person (along with Remy) he could trust now. Freddie, the only person (and Remy) who had stayed when everything else had fallen apart.

[NiallNIP]

Quinn blinked and dropped his arms.

Of all the scenarios Quinn had run through in his head, of all the responses he had thought up of this exact moment, that was...not one of them.

"Are...are you joking?" He laughed a little, but it was to stop himself from crying. It would've been better if Atlas had just...yelled. Screamed, kicked, pushed him in the fountain, something. This was the first person who had accepted him for who he was, the one person he had told everything to, about his parents and his thoughts and feelings. When they had been separated, Quinn just...shut down. Didn't speak a word his first three months at Durmstrang because there wasn't anyone worth talking to anymore. He had no rock—he had to figure out how to be his own. This was one of two people he thought about every single day since he'd left from Hogwarts, the other being his grandmother. He'd tried to run away with Quinn when they were twelve, they baked and did origami and looked at the stars, they had survived a bloody war together.

This was the one person who Quinn wanted to talk to about everything, because he knew Atlas would understand, because he had been there for so many major parts of Quinn's life.

There's no way all of that was just...gone.

"Kingsley. Quinn Kingsley," he reiterated, half disbelief, half desperation, played off as hilarity.

[Nordic Witch]

Summer was here and JT had a glorious hour to himself by the fountain while his father and sister were off at Madam Malkins to buy new clothes. JT had went through that same ordeal the other day with his mother so he was glad that he could sit next to the fountain with a new comic book to read today. Taking a seat on the fountain's edge the gangly dark blonde haired youth wasn't paying attention to the fountain statues and next minute he was doused in a large splash of cold water over his head causing him to spring up on his feet and yell out "Hey! That's not funny, it's cold!" Looking around accusingly after an attacker, but only seing the silent dragon and cherub statues JT huffed, shivering "Ugh that's wet." He felt like a cold drenched cat, and his comic book didn't look much better.

[sweetpinkpixie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordic Witch

Summer was here and JT had a glorious hour to himself by the fountain while his father and sister were off at Madam Malkins to buy new clothes. JT had went through that same ordeal the other day with his mother so he was glad that he could sit next to the fountain with a new comic book to read today. Taking a seat on the fountain's edge the gangly dark blonde haired youth wasn't paying attention to the fountain statues and next minute he was doused in a large splash of cold water over his head causing him to spring up on his feet and yell out "Hey! That's not funny, it's cold!" Looking around accusingly after an attacker, but only seing the silent dragon and cherub statues JT huffed, shivering "Ugh that's wet." He felt like a cold drenched cat, and his comic book didn't look much better.

After an hour wandering Flourish & Blotts and another half in Scribbulus, Iris was finally willing to admit that she'd slightly miscalculated how many blank journals she’d need over the summer. Slightly. In her defense, she hadn’t expected to completely fill two whole volumes in the first couple weeks alone, but Ancient Magic theories were an unforgiving spiral of insight that had to be recorded before they slipped away and all the bindrune guidance and insight Uncle E had offered likewise demanded thorough review. Also, she’d started a cross-referenced index system. And she needed separate ink for footnotes and sketches. The small-ISH paper bag from Scribbulus bumped against her leg as she walked, heavy with new ink bottles, a handful of quills, and a sleek green leatherbound journal she was definitely going to use responsibly.

She was halfway through cataloguing―internally for now but to be completed hopefully once she got home―the first five pages she planned to dedicate to bindrune hypothesis experiments and their possible correlations with leylines when the familiar slosh of the fountain reached her ears. Iris didn’t particularly like the fountain—she thought it too chaotic, like someone had commissioned a sculptor to bring to life every fever dream involving cherubs, dragons, and subtle malevolence. Still, its watery gurgle marked a halfway point between errands and the food stand she'd intended to visit next.

Until someone shouted.

Iris blinked up, surprised, just in time to see a very soggy JT spring up from the fountain’s edge, arms flailing and comic book dangling from one hand like a half-drowned Kneazle. Water trickled from his hair in sad rivulets. She stopped mid-step and arched a brow. Her lips twitched into a small, startled smile as she approached. "You know, you really do make an excellent case study in fountain hubris—though I’ll admit, you wear catastrophe rather handsomely." She tilted her head slightly, still a safe distance from the splash radius, eyes flicking toward the comic in his hand. "Is that salvageable?"

[Nordic Witch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Until someone shouted.

Iris blinked up, surprised, just in time to see a very soggy JT spring up from the fountain’s edge, arms flailing and comic book dangling from one hand like a half-drowned Kneazle. Water trickled from his hair in sad rivulets. She stopped mid-step and arched a brow. Her lips twitched into a small, startled smile as she approached. "You know, you really do make an excellent case study in fountain hubris—though I’ll admit, you wear catastrophe rather handsomely." She tilted her head slightly, still a safe distance from the splash radius, eyes flicking toward the comic in his hand. "Is that salvageable?"

JT's clothes were soaking wet, and his hair dripped water right into his eyes. Brushing the hand that wasn't holding the comic through his soggy curl's just as Iris came into view. How come the blonde of his dreams always managed to show up when he had gotten himself in a bit of trouble? Plastering on smile JT responded, doing his best to hide his shivering from his voice. "Why thank you my lady Iris. It's always nice to be called handsome even in a soggy state." Now where was his wand so he could dry his clothes? Feeling around in his wand holster, and not finding his wand JT glanzed down at the comic in his hand questioningly before holding it out to Iris. "Maybe you could give salavaging the comic a try? I need to find my wand. I think it slipped out of my holster when the fountain attacked me." Please don't let him have dropped his wand in the fountain? He really didn't want to have a new run in with the fountain's statues. JT would do it though if it was for his wand.

[FearlessLeader19]

Krittika had the clearest vision of that Fountain, of the Headless Cherub. Nothing could pry that away from her in that moment. One thing was for certain, however: it was not her goal to appear on the edge of the Fountain. Merlin knew that she had more important things to battle it out with a Fountain, of all things. It wouldn’t care if she accidentally sat or stood on its edge.

Very shortly after departing from the Examination Room, Kritti found her feet making contact with the ground. She allowed herself to ensure she had settled nicely, that her knees didn’t buck even though the impact had been almost subtle. Next, she checked for any Splinching but found none.

The most important factors of all?

The Ravenclaw was facing the Headless Cherub. And she had avoided crushing anyone nearby.

Excellent!

[sweetpinkpixie]

Iris had only just begun to truly properly assess the situation of JT being so soaked through, looking like a mythological warning scrawled in the margins of an ink-stained book still somehow managing that lopsided grin, when he offered her the comic with a knightly sort of chivalry that didn’t quite match the bedraggled curls dripping into his eyes. Or perhaps they matched perfectly. He looked like one of those wayward, waterlogged heroes from a tragic 19th-century novel—equal parts ridiculous and charming—someone who’d gallantly thrown himself into a river for honor or simply because he misread a map. All soaking sleeves and misplaced valor, with just enough charm to make you forgive the utter impracticality of it.

She tilted her head slightly, the corner of her mouth twitching as she reached for the comic. "Gallantry in ink-streaked desperation—charming," she mused, though her gaze drifted to the cursed fountain with all the suspicion of someone who'd read too many cautionary tales to trust the silence between spit-takes and pushed her glasses up just a tad to bring the architecture into deeper focus. "I’ll do what I can. No promises on reversing water damage, but I’m told I’m good at reviving near-lost causes." Her tone, lightly teasing, skirted the edge of something soft—perhaps unintentionally, perhaps not. She had just begun examining the comic’s warped pages—careful not to smear the ink further—when an impossibly loud POP cracked the air like a misfired spell. The noise jolted her spine straight and Iris stumbled with a startled shriek—JT still half-turned toward the fountain, comic still halfway between them. Momentum took over, and the next thing she knew, her hand gripped at JT’s shoulder as gravity betrayed betrayed her completely. A blur of robes that appeared out of nowhere, glimpses of a slightly familiar face she was certain she had passed in the corridors of Hogwarts on multiple occasions (when her own nose wasn't stuck in a book), the flicker of realization that this person had only just Apparated into Diagon Alley and there was no foul play involved...all were revelations that came too late. With a scalded squeak of surprise, Iris clung to JT as she stumbled straight into the fountain with a splash, the cursed water slapping against her back as her knees knocked against the stone.

Silence. Then a cherub snickered.

Iris sputtered, hair plastered to her face and glasses slipping down her nose, comic now a soggy, heroic ruin drifting in the basin beside her. She blinked, entirely deadpan, and shivered.

[Nordic Witch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

She tilted her head slightly, the corner of her mouth twitching as she reached for the comic. "Gallantry in ink-streaked desperation—charming," she mused, though her gaze drifted to the cursed fountain with all the suspicion of someone who'd read too many cautionary tales to trust the silence between spit-takes and pushed her glasses up just a tad to bring the architecture into deeper focus. "I’ll do what I can. No promises on reversing water damage, but I’m told I’m good at reviving near-lost causes." Her tone, lightly teasing, skirted the edge of something soft—perhaps unintentionally, perhaps not. She had just begun examining the comic’s warped pages—careful not to smear the ink further—when an impossibly loud POP cracked the air like a misfired spell. The noise jolted her spine straight and Iris stumbled with a startled shriek—JT still half-turned toward the fountain, comic still halfway between them. Momentum took over, and the next thing she knew, her hand gripped at JT’s shoulder as gravity betrayed betrayed her completely. A blur of robes that appeared out of nowhere, glimpses of a slightly familiar face she was certain she had passed in the corridors of Hogwarts on multiple occasions (when her own nose wasn't stuck in a book), the flicker of realization that this person had only just Apparated into Diagon Alley and there was no foul play involved...all were revelations that came too late. With a scalded squeak of surprise, Iris clung to JT as she stumbled straight into the fountain with a splash, the cursed water slapping against her back as her knees knocked against the stone.

Silence. Then a cherub snickered.

Iris sputtered, hair plastered to her face and glasses slipping down her nose, comic now a soggy, heroic ruin drifting in the basin beside her. She blinked, entirely deadpan, and shivered.

Well it was a comic he liked so he thought the desparation was warranted. JT smiled wide through all the wet, hoping that he didn't drip too much water on Iris by accident. "I'm grateful for whatever you can manage Iris. I just bought the comic a few minutes ago from F&B so I haven't even had time to properly read it yet." Which was why he wanted it to be rescued. However thoughts of comic's, and suspicious dark thoughts towards the fountain was sorta put on hold as a lot of things happened in rapid succession.

First there was a loud POPing noise like a huge firecraker blasting off, and next seconds Iris stumbled towards him with a scalded shrieck, grabbing onto him like a lifeboat on a stormy water as they both went tumbling straight into the fountain's pool with a loud SPLASH! The cursed water slapping him in the face, and back causing something hard, long and brown to hit JT right in the right ear caused acute pain to erupt. Sputtering out water JT surfaced blinking, and blinking eyes eventually locking in on Iris beside him assessing her for visible injuries. "Iris, are you hurt? What was that loud noise just a minute ago, do you know?"

Feeling around in his ear for the cause of the searing pain he was feeling JT gave off a little cry of relief when he identified the hard long brown thingy as his wand. Holding a steady hand out to Iris he asked, comic forgotten for now. "Shall we try and climb out of the fountain before the cherubs decide to really attack us?" Moving toward the fountain edge, slipping a leg over the side with the intent of jumping down JT said "I wish we were allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts..We could have dried our hair and clothes then."
Now they would shiver and freeze until their hair and clothes dried by themselves. Jumping out of the fountain JT soon after landed on the ground with a soggy plop and turned to wait for Iris to do the same.

[sweetpinkpixie]

Iris blinked the sting of water from her lashes, her breathing still a touch uneven as she took stock of limbs, comic, and pride—all of which had taken some degree of damage. She turned toward JT, who was blinking at her with that gentle concern of his, hair dripping like a rained-on stray kneazle and wand now miraculously clutched like a triumphant relic. She had no recollection of even drawing it, but at least there was some silver lining in knowing her reflexes favored self preservation.

"S’pose we’re lucky the cherubs didn’t start throwing coins," she murmured, brushing a sodden curl from her face with no real success. "Though I’m not sure what’s worse—an accidental dive into a cursed fountain or being hit in the head with wishing coins like some tragicomic omen." She accepted his hand as she climbed out after him, careful of the edge and the predatory glint in the nearest marble dragon’s eyes. Once upright, she gave him a once-over—the soaked shirt clinging in all sorts of narrative-worthy ways, water dripping dramatically from his chin—and arched a brow.


It was peculiar, incredibly so, the way he somehow kept stumbling into the exact kind of chaos that made him look like he’d walked out of the pages of some tragically charming serialized novel. One of those war-torn, soft-eyed characters girls were supposed to fall for after a well-timed confession or brush with death. Except JT wasn’t fictional, and she didn’t need to turn a page to know he would grin at her just like that...even while soaking wet and blinking through the aftermath of a fountain attack. The problem was that she remembered the exact moment at the End-of-Term Feast when she’d caught him laughing with someone and the feeling had been equal parts infuriating and unmistakable even for her to ignore. Like something had rooted itself in her chest, right beneath her ribs, and refused not to be felt. She had chalked it up to end-of-year sentimentality, but standing here now― watching water track slow, ridiculous paths down his jaw―that same feeling bloomed again...and it was unbidden and wholly inconvenient.

She folded her arms, mostly for something to do with them. "You know," she said, tone lofty and dry, "you really do look like a soggy Mr. Darcy right now. If Mr. Darcy were ambushed by haunted architecture and had a penchant for comic books." And speaking of, the blonde turned to retrieve the soggy, barely holding itself together, comic book from the water and held it up gingerly between thumb and index finger with both her hands. "We have no choice but to rely on more traditional methods for all that. Good thing the Sun is quite accommodating."

[Beitris Urquhart]

Text Cut: Ms. Joshi (plus the pair of younger teens - feel free to continue as if she dried them off if you'd like!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Krittika had the clearest vision of that Fountain, of the Headless Cherub. Nothing could pry that away from her in that moment. One thing was for certain, however: it was not her goal to appear on the edge of the Fountain. Merlin knew that she had more important things to battle it out with a Fountain, of all things. It wouldn’t care if she accidentally sat or stood on its edge.

Very shortly after departing from the Examination Room, Kritti found her feet making contact with the ground. She allowed herself to ensure she had settled nicely, that her knees didn’t buck even though the impact had been almost subtle. Next, she checked for any Splinching but found none.

The most important factors of all?

The Ravenclaw was facing the Headless Cherub. And she had avoided crushing anyone nearby.

Excellent!

Several paces beyond the bustling fountain was Beitris, her robes falling neatly into place with not a hem out of line. Her keen gaze swept the scene in an instant: the headless cherub gurgling water and the appearance of Krittika Joshi precisely where she ought to be. No splinching. No misplacement. No unfortunate entanglements with ornamental statuary. The noise that came with the arrival though... that was something the examiner made note of instantly.

However, the nearby splash—and the utterly sodden pair clambering out of the fountain—drew a slight narrowing of Beitris' eyes. She registered the cause-and-effect chain swiftly: startled civilians, the reaction that came following a loud Apparition arrival, and a collision of bodies. No immediate harm done, save for perhaps wounded pride, wet clothing, and a comic book that looked as though it had survived a minor monsoon. These all things the examiner noted on parchment.

She first approached the pair of teens that had taken a swim in the fountain. "Would either of you care to be dried off properly?" she inquired, lifting her wand with a subtle, almost exasperated air. "It would spare you the ignominy of dripping through the remainder of the Alley." If so, a jet of hot air would come out of her wand with a wave.

Her gaze then returned to Krittika, her priorities remaining clear. Despite the minor disturbance, the practical exam would continue. When she spoke again, it was with her usual brisk professionalism.

"Your next destination is the entrance of St. Oswald's Home for Old Witches and Wizards. You are to Apparate just outside the main gates, not within the grounds themselves," she emphasised, a slight hardening of her gaze suggesting that she had seen students botch this in the past. Precision and discretion were paramount, after all.

Beitris tapped her clipboard once before placing it at her side. "You may take fifteen seconds to prepare your visualisation. Apparate only when you are fully confident in your destination." A brisk pause followed before she added, "I will meet you there."

Without waiting for further comment, Beitris turned smartly on the spot and disappeared with a sharp, quiet pop, leaving behind nothing but a faint displacement of air.

OOC: Feel free to make a post here with your character departing via Apparition, otherwise please proceed to St. Oswald's Home.

[Nordic Witch]

SPOILER!!: Iris & Saving Lady

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Iris blinked the sting of water from her lashes, her breathing still a touch uneven as she took stock of limbs, comic, and pride—all of which had taken some degree of damage. She turned toward JT, who was blinking at her with that gentle concern of his, hair dripping like a rained-on stray kneazle and wand now miraculously clutched like a triumphant relic. She had no recollection of even drawing it, but at least there was some silver lining in knowing her reflexes favored self preservation.

"S’pose we’re lucky the cherubs didn’t start throwing coins," she murmured, brushing a sodden curl from her face with no real success. "Though I’m not sure what’s worse—an accidental dive into a cursed fountain or being hit in the head with wishing coins like some tragicomic omen." She accepted his hand as she climbed out after him, careful of the edge and the predatory glint in the nearest marble dragon’s eyes. Once upright, she gave him a once-over—the soaked shirt clinging in all sorts of narrative-worthy ways, water dripping dramatically from his chin—and arched a brow.


It was peculiar, incredibly so, the way he somehow kept stumbling into the exact kind of chaos that made him look like he’d walked out of the pages of some tragically charming serialized novel. One of those war-torn, soft-eyed characters girls were supposed to fall for after a well-timed confession or brush with death. Except JT wasn’t fictional, and she didn’t need to turn a page to know he would grin at her just like that...even while soaking wet and blinking through the aftermath of a fountain attack. The problem was that she remembered the exact moment at the End-of-Term Feast when she’d caught him laughing with someone and the feeling had been equal parts infuriating and unmistakable even for her to ignore. Like something had rooted itself in her chest, right beneath her ribs, and refused not to be felt. She had chalked it up to end-of-year sentimentality, but standing here now― watching water track slow, ridiculous paths down his jaw―that same feeling bloomed again...and it was unbidden and wholly inconvenient.

She folded her arms, mostly for something to do with them. "You know," she said, tone lofty and dry, "you really do look like a soggy Mr. Darcy right now. If Mr. Darcy were ambushed by haunted architecture and had a penchant for comic books." And speaking of, the blonde turned to retrieve the soggy, barely holding itself together, comic book from the water and held it up gingerly between thumb and index finger with both her hands. "We have no choice but to rely on more traditional methods for all that. Good thing the Sun is quite accommodating."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beitris Urquhart

She first approached the pair of teens that had taken a swim in the fountain. "Would either of you care to be dried off properly?" she inquired, lifting her wand with a subtle, almost exasperated air. "It would spare you the ignominy of dripping through the remainder of the Alley." If so, a jet of hot air would come out of her wand with a wave.

Hair continued to drip irritatingly from his sodden curls down into his eyes and face. JT did his best to brush the water away several times without much success. He was glad though when Iris climbed out of the fountain after him, and seemed fairly uninjured even if her pride probably had taken a turn like his had after the sudden dip in the cursed water fountain. After glancing over quickly at the dragon cherub suspiciously, and then back JT said "Let's put a few meters between us and the fountain Iris," taking a renewed grip on Iris hand that he was still holding, he gently tugged her with him away from the mischevious fountain. "I don't want us to get pelted with wishing coins. It hurts pretty badly just getting one thrown on your shoulder." JT knew that from past experience.

It was then that a blonde lady with no hair or clothing out of place came up to them, and offered generously to dry him and Iris clothes and hair. After a quick sideways glance at Iris he said for the both of them because let's face it JT was soggingly wet from head to toe and his clothes were cold and sticking uncomfortably to his skin and that wouldn't be getting better, any time soon. "Yes please, madam! We both would very much like to be dried off. Thank you so much for your generous assistance." JT stood quite still as the hot air charm swept over him in a flash, and dried him off from head to toe within a heartbeat or two. Suddenly dry he turned to Iris as the rescuing lady dissapeared without a trace "I hope I can still qualify as your shining Mr Darcy now that we are dry and warm. Can I perhaps interest you in a jelly slug or a chocolate frog?"