InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "It's all in the reflexes."

Garrick Ollivander (wand_lord) wrote in refreshrpg,
@ 2015-03-21 20:10:00

Entry tags:

! ic-ooc, 1998-march, x-character: augustus rookwood, x-character: claire rookwood, x-character: gabe ollivander, x-character: garrick ollivander

Who: Garrick and Gabe Ollivander, Augustus and Claire Rookwood
What: Wand harvesting day! (Don't YOU want to be an Ollivander, too?!)
Where: Various forests around Britain, Wales and Ireland
When: Friday, 20 March, and the following Saturday and Sunday
Rating: Low
Status: OCC / IC with optional setting up scenes between characters.

After picking up Gabe and having a quick bite to eat (presumably), Garrick went back to the Forbidden Forest to finish harvesting magical wood there. That's where best wood is to be found, and he doesn't trust collecting it to anybody else besides himself. Going deeper into the forest than Gabe has ever been, Garrick would've instructed his grandson on the finer points of identifying, selecting and harvesting branches from magic-infused trees, and then asked Gabe to try first hand what he'd learned. Before leaving, he would've paused for a small conversation with the centaurs, who were always a short distance away, observing what the humans were doing, but not interfering. Garrick would introduce the centaurs to his grandson, and have a mysterious discussion about the significance of the solar eclipse. There would be little time to space out or be idle around Garrick, who expects Gabe to keep pace.

Claire, who is related to the Ollivander's on his mother's side, was taught the process of harvesting, and was invited to help. She would be able to join in the expedition at any time she could manage, because Garrick takes into consideration her personal schedule. There are specific spells and incantations to cast while harvesting, which only wand makers know, and Ollivander's process is carefully guarded - nobody outside the close circle of family are taught the method. Augustus is invited to join, but his assigned task would be to assist Claire in the gathering, labeling, packaging and sending off by owl each of the branches that were collected by her.

Garrick would've given Claire a list the day prior, of the forests she and Augustus were to visit as well as specific times at which certain branches ought to be collected. More than a week before, Garrick had gone through the different areas and magically marked the specific branches of trees with the Ollivander symbol, which can only be seen after casting the correct revealing charm. The list would've included a detailed map to help her find the area where the tree was located - Claire would then have to use the charm to pinpoint exactly which branch Garrick wanted harvested. Garrick does not require such a map: his eidetic memory is all he needs.

Since it was an ideal day to harvest wood, there were other Ollivanders (NPCs) out today, as well as rival wand makers. There's a possibility that Claire and Augustus could run into a spot of trouble from these rivals.

Just before dusk, Garrick and Gabe would've met with Claire and Augustus in Scotland, in a forest among the rolling hills of the MacFusty clan's ancestral grounds, where Hebridean Black dragons freely roam. Garrick would set up a tent, which he got as a gift from a Moroccan witch who was grateful for him fixing her wand. It's not much to look at from the outside, but it's much larger on the inside (heh... Time Lord reference) and is lavishly furnished with rich Arabian carpets, ottomans, pillows, tables, lanterns, tables and palm trees. There is even a fully operational hookah in one corner. Food and drink is available (nothing exotic, I'm afraid, standard cold cuts, sliced bread, cheese, condiments and prepackaged nibbles purchased from the shop), but Garrick would claim to be too busy to stop for a break, and he's be off with Gabe again, unless there were protests. Garrick would be rather neglectful of Gabe's personal needs - - Gabe is a strapping young lad and Garrick is still running around in his 100's! There's no excuse to slack behind!

Garrick's last branch he wants to collect is one minute before midnight (from a yew for a wand that Garrick anticipates will be well suited for Dark Magic, actually). And then he will spend the night in the tent with Gabe. Claire and Augustus are welcome to stay with them. There should be no problem with dragons, says Garrick, because Hebridean Blacks aren't nocturnal.

They'll get to sleep in, but Garrick will be up before everybody else, quietly fiddling with the last few selection of branches that they'd collected, the night before. Garrick then takes Gabe with him to the shop for and exciting weekend of prepping and treating all the branches for their eventual carving. Fun times, fun times.

Oh, and Garrick makes sure that Gabe writes that report that McGonagall wanted!

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Augustus

sinevoce
2015-03-22 02:43 am UTC (link)

...of course, accompanies Claire, does what he is told, and does not say anything about how the inside of the tent looks like the set of 1001 Arabian Nights. He will, of course, trade glances with Claire when he can catch her eye, and the silent communications will undoubtedly be along the lines of:

Seriously?

I dare you to go for the hookah.

I'm not saying anything.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	afterrain 2015-03-22 02:43 pm UTC (link)
	She went for the hookah, eyes on Augustus, one brow slightly raised, managing to convey a smirk without actually smirking. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	sinevoce 2015-03-22 02:53 pm UTC (link)
	He'd raise his brow in challenge. Go for it, Claire. He has the best poker face in the business. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	afterrain 2015-03-22 03:04 pm UTC (link)
	Unfortunately true, but trying to get Augustus to crack is fun regardless. She offered him the mouthpiece when she was done, because fair is fair. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	sinevoce 2015-03-23 11:11 am UTC (link)
	Claire, you're awful, but he couldn't not let that challenge go. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	afterrain 2015-03-23 11:13 am UTC (link)
	Claire is wonderful and Augustus loves her. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	wand_lord 2015-03-22 03:04 pm UTC (link)
	Oh YAY! The hookah! Garrick is rather amused by the hookah himself, and when he'll use it when he finally takes a break that's longer than five minutes. It's become part of the family tradition. Garrick won't be around for this exchange, however... it's all Augustus and Claire. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	sinevoce 2015-03-23 11:12 am UTC (link)
	--see, all bets off now, Claire. (Reply to this) (Parent)

Claire

afterrain
2015-03-22 02:39 pm UTC (link)

Friday was a bit hit-or-miss for Claire, as she did have to work, but Saturday and Sunday were as devoted to the wandwood harvest as she could manage. She's not an Ollivander by name, but she's got the blood and the training and she's very good at what she puts her mind to, this included.

She was also concerned with making sure that Gabe was getting fed and allowed to take breaks occasionally, because yes, Grandfather, he's a teenager and you're older and very strong and wise and etc, but that's no excuse to be neglectful. If nothing else, she turned up in between her own assignments to hand both Gabe and Garrick sandwiches and give them pointed looks until they swallowed a couple bites at least.

She knows the tent. She's expecting the tent. The tent is still hilarious, though.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

Claire

wand_lord
2015-03-22 03:26 pm UTC (link)

I guess I ought to mention here what Saturday and Sunday's duties entail. <3

On Friday, when the branches were owled to the workshop, hired employees were instructed to carefully strip each of the branches of any extraneous smaller branches and leafs. They were then soaked in a Secret Family Wand Potion Bath, for 24 hours, to so that the potion may permeate the wood and strengthen and help bring out the wood's magical properties.

Saturday, Garrick removes each of the branches from the bath in the exact order from which they were placed, and inspects them carefully, to make sure the employees did a decent job (because yes, Garrick is finicky like that). He corrects any mistakes that were made. Then comes the fun part of peeling away any bark from the branches. I may add that all left over branches, leaves and bark are saved, because they are excellent for lighting magical fires (since the wood itself is permeated with magic). He sells these things to professional potion brewers, who swear that using magical wood to brew their potions make the finished product better.

The stripped branches, which are still labeled, are then placed on a shelf and rolled into a chamber in the workshop that resembles a walk-in oven (Looks like this, but more Wizardy). There, the branches are slowly dried, because carving green wood will result in cracks later. It'll be a at least two weeks before the wood is dried enough to carve.

Saturday will be busy, but by 7:00 pm, everything will be finished.

Sunday is tidying up and affords more time to socialize. Garrick will treat everybody to an ice cream from Fortescue's. Friday and Saturday, the shop was closed, but it reopens on Sunday, so Gabe will be told to help any customers that pop by (under Garrick's supervision).

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	Claire wand_lord 2015-03-22 03:27 pm UTC (link)
	Garrick does not think he's being neglectful! He's building character for Gabe! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	Additionally sinevoce 2015-03-23 11:13 am UTC (link)
	Augustus would probably have found some quiet time to get Gabe alone to a) make sure he was nourished (he's on Claire side on this one, Garrick) and b) follow up on his visions. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Additionally wand_lord 2015-03-23 12:30 pm UTC (link)
	Garrick wants to step in an indignantly say that between Augustus and Claire, it makes it sound like Garrick is a monster! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Additionally sinevoce 2015-03-23 02:15 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, Augustus wouldn't actually dare say anything -- he totally let's his wife fight those battles when it comes to her mad family :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

Augustus + Gabe (if we wanted to thread this)

olim_et_futurus
2015-03-24 03:17 am UTC (link)

Gabe sat near the entrance of the tent with a piece of wood in his hand for him to carve. The knife in his hand barely moved as he stared at the wood. The only movement came from his blue eyes shifting upward to gaze out the door opening. Every time he had been stopped to eat by Claire had ended with him taking one bite and then setting it aside. The Rookwoods could think what they wanted, but his Grandfather knew how to take care of him. Gabe's seer nature made it impossible for even the old man to get inside Gabe's head to know what was wrong or needed.

No one could tell him how to handle the things he saw. Not even the Divination professor, whom Gabe hated talking to about any of it. People like Professor Imago found glory and pride in their ancient gift, where Gabe only found trouble and hatred for it. Visions rarely came in the form of something happy or brilliant, they tended to be terrible things that he preferred not to see. How could anyone find that something to be proud of? He found himself lucky if he did not have an episode where he gave a prophecy unknowingly while he was awake, but rather tended toward dream visions too real to not haunt his waking hours or seeing them play out in flames. He was waiting for the day when a prophecy so strong came to him that he would speak without knowing or remembering that he had.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: Augustus + Gabe (if we wanted to thread this)

sinevoce
2015-03-24 11:17 pm UTC (link)

"Here." A small plate of cookies was foisted into Gabe's hands, the wood and knife he had been working with deftly traded. "Don't look at me, this is per instructions of the missus."

Augustus held his hands up in mutual helplessness and shrugged his shoulders as if to say, Don't kill the messenger before taking a seat beside Gabe and examining the wood he had swiped.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Augustus + Gabe

olim_et_futurus
2015-03-25 03:44 am UTC (link)

It took a second for Gabe to realize what was happening, his eye sight coming into focus and his mind returning to the present. He blinked up at Augustus with the question in his eyes. Another moment past before he looked down at the cookies and set them aside. "I'm not hungry."

With Augustus near him, he could not let himself be lost in his worries. Gabe knew that both Claire and Augustus had the best in mind for him. They had been like replacement parents while he was in Britain and his grandfather was lost in his work. Gabe never expected Augustus to be a father figure with him, Gabe had enough father figures in his life, but he accepted Claire's motherly worries.

"I'm sorry for taking you away from whatever better weekend you had planned." Gabe's voice was barely above a whisper. He usually did not talk about his visions, lt alone warn people, but what little he had seen had struck him in such a way that he worried for the safety of his family and friends. He told Draco far more than anyone. He had not meant to but the older boy had that way about him, even in writing, that Gabe could not stop himself.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

Gabe

olim_et_futurus
2015-03-24 03:02 am UTC (link)

Gabe is on edge the entire weekend. He keeps moving through his gathering, even with Claire giving him the motherly looks when she is around. Otherwise, he is quiet, which is not too out of the norm for the boy, but combined with being lost in thought and jumpy it likely looks suspicious for anyone involved.

Gabe barely even blinks or notices the tent, and keeps towards the door looking out into the woods as if expecting something.

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