"Aaaw, do not sigh," he pouted gently, but then quickly went back to smiling. "I miss France. Such a wonderful climate there. But, I do agree that it is nice here. Are you excited for your classes?"

Stepping up to the door of the hut, Sierra raised her hand, ready to knock. She paused for a brief moment to make sure Evelyn hadn't ditched her, and then she turned her attention back to the door.

*knock knock knock*

Hopefully the groundskeeper was in today. She surely wasn't going to go on a manhunt for him out on the grounds. This little deal was going to be on her terms, too. Hopefully, at least... I mean, the man either wanted help with his tasks, or he didn't, right?

...and she either wanted her side of the deal, or she didn't, as well. *sigh* Had Stryker been a Slytherin?!

A rather quiet and uneventful walk down here, not that the girl minded at all...she instead took the opportunity to look around the grounds as she followed Sierra down to the groundskeeper's hut.

She had to admit, she was sorta jealous that some people had the amazing view of these grounds.

Pausing just behind Sierra, the She-Snake teen watched as she knocked on the door before crossing her arms just a bit more to keep the chilly weather out. Then again, perhaps she didn't want to live somewhere in the castle where it had windows. It must really be bad for them during the winter time.

Chad opened his door and peered down at the young females at his door. "Yes?"

When the door unexpectedly swung wide open and the groundskeeper appeared, Sierra swiftly turned her attention away from Evelyn and toward Mr. Stryker. *ahem*

She was no suck-up...okay, maybe a little, especially when she wanted something from someone..., but asking the man how his day was coming along didn't seem like a bad conversation starter. Besides, if he admitted that it was lousy and that he was in a bad mood, she'd do better to come back tomorrow or something. Or never, maybe.

"Hello, Mr. Stryker. I'm Sierra, and this is Evelyn. How are you today?" she asked. Eww.

Sierra couldn't bare the pleasantries, and she nearly winced upon hearing her own voice.

"Umm, okay, actually, we happened to be passing by and thought that with all these grounds to cover, you're surely a man that could use some help," she continued. She retrieved her wand and held it up, sort of showcasing that she was ready and willing to help. "Is there something we can do to give you a helping hand?"

You know, move a small rock or something? Clip a single weed?

Well that was unexpected. She half thought the groundskeeper would be out on the grounds or something. Not actually home.

Oh Merlin...Sierra said her name. Why? WHY must she do that?

"Good day, Mr. Stryker." she nodded pleasantly with a small smile after Sierra introduced them. At least she knew his name now. Stryker. Different yet easy to remember.

Teehee. Best just stand silently now since, Sierra was doing all the talking anyways. No need to waste breath.

Help? Chad grinned and leaned against the door frame, clearly amused by this. He had heard about the abomination that was the first flying lesson of the year. Heh. Well.

"Are you certain?" Because he would REALLY make them work for it.

Evelyn didn't like that smile he had on his face, or the way he was standing. That...that was almost a Slytherin posture! Nothing good could come of it.

Her smile may have faltered slightly, but she took a step up next to Sierra anyway, shrugging her shoulders some and gesturing to them both. Or it may have been the area around them that she was gesturing to. Or the air. Who knows. "It's why we're here." she replied, her own grin on her face. No, not a Slytherin grin. An actual nice grin.

Because on the inside, that's where all her Slytherin frowns, smirks, and glares were hiding, deeeeeeep down.

Sierra's face dropped to a rather expressionless stare once the groundskeeper's words had been allowed to sink in. He wasn't going to play this solely on her terms, was he? Actually, it didn't seem like he was going to play this on her terms at all. Frowning slightly, Sierra remained quiet as Evelyn stepped up beside her to speak.

With a glance to the side to fully listen to what Evelyn was saying, Sierra nodded once then turned her attention back to the groundskeeper. "What sort of help are you in need of?" she asked, lowering her wand back into its holster.

...because if he wanted them to clean the Hufflepuff dormitory, then the deal was just off. Sealed. No more.

"Stay here then," he continued to grin as he lifted himself off the side of the door and walked back into his house. He returned a few moments later, his hands hidden behind his back.

"The grass around the base of my hut is becoming rather unsightly. A real eyesore, if you ask me. Your job is to trim the grass, WITHOUT magic." There was another grin and he revealed what was hidden behind his back.

Safety scissors.

Safety first.

When Stryker instructed both Sierra and Evelyn to stay put while he apparently went in search of something, Sierra's eyes flickered to Evelyn, and she gave her friend a concerned glance. Something told her that they'd possibly gotten themselves into a situation they wouldn't be too happy with. If they hurried now, though, they could probably run off before the groundskeeper reappeared!

Apparently, the man moved fast, though, for he was back at the door with a pair of...uhhh, he wasn't serious, was he?!

Her eyes widened, and she took a hesitant step back. Wait, ...with those? But...why?" she asked, looking at the scissors as if they were unlike anything she'd ever seen before. "Surely, sir, you have to believe...those... won't do half as good a job as a wand could." She frowned at the safety scissors. This was so not what she'd had in mind when she volunteered to help. Suddenly, she felt like she was being punished when all she'd done was offer to help. Well, granted she'd had other motives than just trying to be nice, but even still...

Was Stryker a Muggleborn, or something?!

...and, could she change her mind now?!

He had thought of something for them to do already? Merlin that guy thought fast. Taking a deep breath as she waited, the Slytherin glanced at Sierra for a moment, raising a brow at the look the girl was giving her. Well? What did she expect!? For him to tell them to go pet the pumpkins and then all is well?

See, this is why Evelyn doesn't do things like this. Because, it ends up like this.

Nodding slowly at what Sierra was saying, she too was staring at the scissors as if...well, as if he were holding worms instead of scissors. The younger Slytherin had a point. "I don't even think those will cut parchment." she muttered, blinking at the dull tools.

She used a pair like that in...one of the classes she had, she couldn't remember, and Merlin would it have been easier to just use magic. Huh, so this is why he was grinning like that? And he just so conveniently had a pair of safety scissors in his hut...

Brilliant. NOT!

"These will cut JUST fine, Mademoiselles," he sighed, shaking his head a little. Children. Pfft. "Well, will you do it?" They had come to him after all.

Mademoiselle- Oh for Merlin's sake! This guy was French!? Evelyn didn't like French people.

Inwardly rolling her eyes and letting out a soft huff, she stared at those safety scissors before her gaze moved to the man. Darn her manners and common sense kicking in. They couldn't just walk up and ask to help and then...walk away because they didn't like the task at hand, even if that task looked to be only a form of amusement for the groundskeeper.

Taking a quick glance to Sierra and giving her a look, saying you either take those scissors or I'll hunt you down, Evelyn reached up and took the red pair of safety scissors, nodding her head at Mr. Stryker's question. "It's why we're here." she muttered. Unlike the last time she had said those words though, her voice had a monotone effect, as well as there being no smile on her face.

...Pffft. Groundskeepers...

Oh.

So he was going to allow them to choose whether or not they wanted to take on the task of safety-scissoring the grass? Well, in that case--Sierra voted no! No amount of house points was worth the humiliation of using safety scissors to slave over someone's grass.

So on that note, Sierra turned on her heels and moved down a step...

...and that was when she caught the look Evelyn was giving her. She paused just as she was about to step out into the grass and gave Evelyn a look, too. Sierra's look said, "Oh, come on!" Back still turned to the groundskeeper, Sierra just rolled her eyes at the situation in general. Of course she couldn't say anything to Evelyn now--Sierra had been the one to suggest they do this in the first place.

Stomping back up a few steps, Sierra met the groundskeeper eye-to-eye. "Like Evelyn said--it's why we're here," she remarked, taking the other pair of safety scissors. "Are we dismissed to begin the task now?" she added.

..and if Masterson's grass ended up looking like a maimed hippogriff, then it was no one's fault but his own! Magic would have worked loads better!

Chad grinned again at their displeasure. They truly thought that gaining points meant doing fun things? Kids these days. He turned and grabbed his coat of the hook next to the door and exited his hut. He then motioned for them to go ahead. "You may begin. I will be supervising. Just right around the base of the hut, yeah?" They should be THANKFUL that he didn't toss them into the Forbidden Forest with all the creepy crawlers.

Then again, they WERE slytherins. They probably would have enjoyed it.

...he was going to come with them?! But...Sierra had spent the last several minutes hatching a plan to magically wipe the grass out when the groundskeeper wasn't looking! Well, not wipe it out, but get the job done a lot quicker than it'd be getting done now.

She made a face when she knew he wasn't looking and then made her way down the stairs, safety scissors in hand. See if she ever--ever--volunteered to help any staff member again anytime soon! They were evil, especially the ones who made you cut their grass with muggle tools!

Hopefully none of her friends were looking! Maybe if she stayed behind Evelyn the whole time, they'd just see the older Slytherin girl and not Sierra. Maybe. Hopefully. Or not.

Not likely, at least. She was in a terrible mood now, so she found a spot along the hut's edge that was as far away from the groundskeeper as possible yet still within his line of supervision.

*saw saw saw*

That's what it felt like she was doing with the safety scissors. It took a good three or four attempts to finally rip the grass free of the ground. Yup. Maimed Hippogriff, that's what his landscaping would look like.

He was going with them? Supervising? Pfft. Evelyn didn’t need a babysitter, and she definitely wasn’t going to purposely do a horrible job. Merlin, she wasn’t stupid.

Right at the base of the hut.

It looked fine to her! Made the hut look, not so bare, but…whatever. Fresh air, the smell of freshly cut grass, having fun with scissors, birds chirping in the air… Merlin this was going to be boring. Sure, it was a nice chilly day, but it was boring. The job, was utterly boring. She was at least hoping they could help chop wood or something semi-worthwhile. This was just a punishment!

Rubbing her forehead, for a moment, she watched Sierra try and cut a piece of grass. See? SEE!? These scissors were useless. Glancing around the area to see if there was anyone that would be watching, which then this news of cutting grass would get around the school in a heartbeat, Evelyn bent down to the ground on her knees before turning and leaning against the hut itself. Might as well be comfortable.

Reaching over to a patch of rather tall looking grass, she took a small handful and pulled slightly so it'd be much easier to cut. Still took a few snips here and there but...well she finally got it cut. It was Mr. Stryker's fault it didn't look nice. "Mr. Stryker?" she asked, looking over to him, a smile forming on her face. "You don't by any chance have any music, do you?"

Snip.

Snip.

Aaaw, it was already looking sooo much better. Such good helpers. "Music? I have a radio. Will a radio be fine?" It was pretty quiet out here.

"No," Sierra thought to herself. A radio would not be fine.

Using magic on this blasted grass would be fine. She was in such a terrible mood now that no amount of music would make her feel any better. Speaking of which, how was Evelyn remaining so composed?! If Sierra didn't know any better, she'd think the girl actually liked doing such a task as this one.

*saw saw saw*

More grass-sawing with the safety scissors drew Sierra's attention away from the music talk and back towards the grass. She heard a little rrr-rip noise as more grass was pulled from the ground. She drew in a soft sigh then edged over to another section of grass.

*saw saw saw*

Anything would be fine. Him singing would be fine, but, Evelyn much preferred the radio.

Sniiiiiip

"A radio would be just fine." she nodded, hoping that he'd actually get it and not just laugh it off, saying they were going to suffer in silence. Pfft. She doubted he'd want to be standing for who knows how long in silence, with their frustrated breaths and sighs for the only sound to hear.

Heck, she didn't even want to listen to that.

Taking a peak over at Sierra...SNIP...the She-Snake let out a small giggle as she saw the frustration written all over the young Slytherin's face. See, now this made it more amusing. Just needed that music now.

Snip

Snip Sniiiip

With a nod of his head, he drew his wand from it's holster and, with a simple accio spell, a radio flew out his open window and into his hands. Chad then took a seat down in the grass and set up the radio beside him, turning it on. "Anything specific, Mademoiselle?"

Evelyn was a quick thinker, now wasn't she?! Asking about that radio had been a stroke of brilliance on her part! Once the groundskeeper had returned to his hut for the five minutes or so it'd take to retrieve the radio, Sierra was going to get a head start on the grass chopping by whipping out her wand and charming it all cut!

She even felt a small smile spread across her face. That is, of course, until an object suddenly came whooshing out the hut, whizzing by her head and right into Stryker's arms! Wait...what?! That was the radio?!

Why was it already out here?!

*SAW...SAW...SAW*

Sierra was doing some fierce grass-sawing now. Or, rather, she was cutting the grass the best she could with a pair of safety scissors! "What kind of music do you like to listen to?" she asked the groundskeeper. Maybe if she was polite to him, he'd let her go sooner rather than later.

*snip snip snip*

Well, that wasn't exactly what she was expecting. She had almost forgotten the groundskeeper was a wizard and could summon the radio instead. Must be all this muggle work getting to her head. She could only take so much of it before she starts thinking like one. Eeesh.

Slowing down her cruddy cutting of the grass, she eyed the radio for a second before her gaze moved over to Mr. Stryker as he settled himself down on the ground.

Pfft.

Moving back to sitting on her knees, she grumbled quite quietly to herself before looking over to Sierra. Wha...it's not like she was going to use a cutting charm on the grass if he went inside the hut. Never! But well, she couldn't do that now anyways. "I don't really mind what we listen to. Whatever you want I suppose." she nodded at Sierra first before Mr. Stryker.

..."Just nothing in French."

Pleeeaaaassssee.....snap.

Oops. Twig. Don't you dare break these safety scissors!

Chad crossed his legs and started to fiddle with the tuner dial on the radio, looking up at the youngest Slytherin. "Mmm, anything really. Just so long as it has a good beat." Oooh, some soft rock? He put the radio off to the side. "What do you listen to?"

Nothing in french?

"Is there something wrong with French, Mademoiselle?"