Justin Finch-Fletchley (broken_winged) wrote in takingamulligan, @ 2010-04-14 15:10:00 |
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Current mood: | indescribable |
Who: Susan Bones, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and a brief appearance from Mr. Bones.
When: Evening, Easter Sunday, April 4 [backdated like whoa]
Where: The Bones Estate
What: After Easter dinner, Susan tells Ernie and Justin about her holidays so far.
Status: Completed log.
The Bones Estate where Susan lived had been in the family for more generations than she could name. They were one of the oldest pureblood families, right up there with the Blacks and the Lestranges, though infinitely more modern. The Bones family had always been open-minded and forward-thinking, and in the eighties, before her Uncle Edgar and his family were murdered by Death Eaters, Susan knew they had denounced the old ways entirely, and been cast off from society. Still, they considerable wealth passed then to Jon Bones, Susan's father, since he became the heir when his older brother died. He intended to share with Auntie Amelia, of course, but as there was no more Auntie Amelia to share with, and no more siblings left, Susan was in line to inherit it all. The grounds were large, if slightly wild with only the house elves to tend to them, and the estate itself was both impressive in size and decor. It was too empty with just Susan and her father, though, so she was glad at least that Ernie and Justin were coming to dinner. Even if she was dead exhausted and quite... out of sorts from the previous nights adventures with Aaron, and her father kept looking at her strangely, and she just knew he knew something had happened.
Still, Daddy had said nothing while they were cooking all day, nothing during dinner as they all made warm, polite conversation, and nothing still as he left to go check on his latest project in the potions laboratory he had in the basement. (Really, the basement was more like a dungeon, and the home was constructed so many years ago that it would have been used as such back then, but Susan preferred not to think of it like that anymore.)
That left Susan alone with Justin and Ernie for the first time since they'd arrived, and though she was about bursting with needing to tell someone what happened, she didn't quite know how to start. Or what on earth she would tell them once she started. Instead, she sat down (gingerly, as she had been all evening) on the couch in the drawing room they'd retired to so the house elves could clean up the dining room and kitchen unimpeded. She tucked her hair behind her ear and though she wondered if they'd noticed anything off about her during dinner, since certainly she'd been a little more tired and a little less cheerful than usual to the point that her father had been watching her with concern, Susan decided to play it casual. For now.
"So, um. Did you enjoy dinner? Was it totally worth coming over? I told you we cooked a lot of food," Susan commented with a smile that wasn't quite as bright as they were likely used to from her.
"No, it was really great, Susan. Really," Ernie said genuinely, at least for the fourth time since dinner had commenced. He'd only sampled about half of the actual dinner portion, but had tucked in well on the sweets.
Justin nodded along with what Ernie said, a warm, polite smile on his lips. "It was quite spectacular. The lamb was delicious, some of the best that I've ever had," he said truthfully, complimenting the dish that he knew Ernie wouldn't be able to speak for and leaving the rest open for the other boy if he wanted to elaborate later on his opinions on the meal. He was used to these sorts of meals and he tasted a bit of everything, his good mood left over from the previous day as well as the company allowing him to enjoy the food more and not think of the comparisons of previous Easter dinners that he knew he would have done if he had eaten with his aunt and her family.
"Thanks," Susan said sincerely. "I kind of hate how empty it is here at holidays. This place is too big for just me and Dad. I don't know how he stands it when I'm gone."
It was just an offhand comment, and not something that Susan, in that moment, felt too strongly about. She had talked about it with Dad, and he'd assured her it didn't bother him, so it was something she was adjusting to. Still, when Auntie Amelia and Dale had been around, the place had felt a lot more like a home than just a big empty building. She shifted to tuck her legs up under herself out of habit and then winced and froze, carefully dropping her leg back down and crossing them at the ankle like a lady. She fiddled with her skirt for a moment, but before she could even wait and see if either of them would comment on it, she folded her hands in her lap so she wouldn't fiddle.
"Do you want some to take home? Either of you. I mean, there's lots left, it wouldn't be a bother to have the elves wrap some up for you," Susan rambled. "Oh, and I did something completely, I mean, completely insane last night. Just. Um. I mean. That's why I'm a little... off. Maybe it's not as noticeable as it feels like it is to me. Maybe you had no idea and I shouldn't have said anything. Should I have not said anything? Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. Do you want me to go ask the house elves to set aside some snacks for you?"
Ernie blinked. "Could you just rewind a bit. To the middle of... er. That? What you just said?"
Justin nodded, finding it easier to focus on Ernie's question and making it more coherent than the thoughts going through his head because voicing those thoughts would be horribly impolite and you did not do that sort of thing at Easter dinners. "The 'completely insane' matter from last night?" he asked, part of his mind wondering that because of the way she'd been shifting if the stars had aligned and proclaimed yesterday to be 'The Day the Hufflepuffs Got Laid' day without notifying said Hufflepuffs.
Susan's face flushed red and she ducked her head forward slightly, letting her hair hide a bit of her face as was standard habit of hers when she was embarrassed. "Oh, well. Aaron and I, um, had some alcohol while we were out last night. And I guess things got out of hand?"
The next part was the hard part, and she willed them to guess so she wouldn't have to figure out how to say it.
Ernie's eyes widened. "You didn't! You'd --" Ernie sat back a bit as he examined Susan, his own success last night coloring his perspective on what she was driving towards. "He's your junior," he then said, more of a whisper as he leaned forward.
Justin's eyes widened as well. His previous train of thought seemed to be looking more and more appropriate to the situation. Which was a bit odd considering, but... Shaking his head, he shot a look over at Ernie. "There's nothing wrong with him being her junior. He's still an adult after all," he pointed out quietly, unsure how to ask the one question that was nagging at the back of his mind.
Susan dipped her head further as they spoke, her brows furrowing. What did Aaron being younger than her have to do with anything? Did they assume whatever insane things they had got up to, since Susan had not specified yet, were her fault because she was older? She began twirling her hair a bit around her finger as she thought, thought it didn't yet occur to her what exactly they had assumed.
A moment later, clear as words on a page, Susan realized what they'd assumed. "Oh! Oh my goodness! No! You guys, it's not... it's not that. We didn't... I mean, he'd never. He doesn't... we're just friends!"
"Oh." Ernie breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that the thought of Susan having sex bothered him. Well. Possibly a little, but it wasn't that he thought she shouldn't or he'd think of her poorly even if she had, but there was something that didn't sit right with him about her being with a younger man.
Moving on, Ernie pushed the thought out of his mind. "Alright. So you got pissed and... didn't have... you know. With Aaron," he prompted, stumbling over his thoughts.
Justin relaxed as he puffed out a short breath, relieved that he wouldn't have to figure out a way to politely ask if, considering the nature of the situation, either she or Aaron had remembered protection of any sort. Thinking over her words, he frowned slightly in thought. "Yes... You'll have to give a bit more to go on than 'things got out of hand'. Especially since there are many different ways that can happen when alcohol is involved..."
Susan closed her eyes for a moment and then covered her face a little with her hands and mumbled unintelligibly, "I got a tattoo."
It sounded even worse outloud, and Susan just could not believe she had something permanent etched into her skin. It would never go away, and Aaron had one to match. And never mind the rest of last night! She could hardly even believe what had happened, it didn't feel at all real. If not for the very tangible pain and the very clear memories, she would be far more inclined to believe it was all a dream.
Ernie's jaw dropped. For a second, he was too flabbergasted to speak, his bottom jaw attempting words and his voice just completely failing him.
"Tattoo of what?" he asked and if his voice could actually pitch, it would have.
Justin tensed at the word tattoo, his hands pressing against his thighs and his jaw tightening. Well, that was certainly out of hand... "Ah," he said shortly, hoping to God that she wouldn't be intent on showing them and would just be content with answering Ernie's question.
"Um, a blue butterfly," Susan said, but didn't specify where. She had a feeling they could guess just based on how uncomfortable she'd been all night. She stuck a piece of her blonde hair into her mouth and then started chewing. Without even meaning to, the next words spilled out of her mouth, "And then after we got arrested."
She wished she'd kept that part a secret as soon as she said it, because it wasn't just her secret to tell. That part was more about Aaron. What was done was done, though, and she shook her head as she babbled, "I've never... I've never done anything like any of that before! It was... terrifying, but also kind of... I don't know. Oh, I don't know. Anyway, I haven't told my father. I mean, obviously. Should... should I?"
"You were ARRESTED? Susan --"
Ernie stopped and popped off the couch to pace. It would be pot calling the kettle black if he was to start ranting about her behaviour while drinking - he was certainly not one to talk. And yet, that wasn't really stopping any of the thoughts going through his head - mainly involving whether or not there was something going on inside Susan he didn't know about and should.
"How did you get out of Hit Wizard custody without your father knowing? You're not exactly unknown and did you enjoy it?" he said, completely derailing off his previous line of thought to a new one. "It was terrifying but you enjoyed it?"
This conversation was just getting worse and worse... Justin sat tensely on the sofa as he shook his head. As if the tattoo wasn't bad enough... "Your father will find out about it eventually if you were taken into custody... Whether it's through the jail system or Aaron's family or from whoever bailed you out."
"No, um, no. It was just the muggle police. They picked us up in London and just held us overnight until we, um, weren't drunk anymore," Susan said, wincing with each word and looking up at Ernie, watching as he paced. She didn't know how to answer the question. Had she enjoyed it? Getting arrested, definitely not. That had terrified her. She'd cried a bit once Aaron fell asleep. And the tattoo had hurt. But before that? The rest of the night had been interesting. At the time it had seemed so funny. Now that she was sober, though, Susan wasn't sure she ever wanted to do it again. Any trace of a sheepish or embarrassed smile was gone from her face now, and it was clear she didn't find this it exciting or entertaining, really. "I don't think I enjoyed it. It was kind of scary. It was actually... it was really scary. Especially the getting arrested part. It was all just so... you know?"
"I really, really don't," Ernie said carefully and tried to steady his own heartbeat and calm his temper. "Especially the arrested part - and by Muggles?"
It was at this point that it really didn't matter if Susan told her father because at the moment, he was more than engaged in playing the part. "I honestly can't believe this of you, Susan. What possessed you to... gracious, get drunk, get a tattoo and then stumble into the Muggle world? Is everything -- is anything the matter?"
"Who is to say she wasn't drinking in the Muggle world?" Justin ground out, knowing that Ernie likely didn't mean it, but the wording rubbing his already jangled nerves. Puffing out a breath, he shook his head. "What on earth did you do to actually get arrested?" he added to the questioning. "You're likely damn well lucky that they let you out in the morning. Especially-" He swore under his breath as he ran a hand through his curls. "How old is Aaron again?"
"Everything is fine. I just... Aaron seemed down and I was trying to cheer him up, so we had a few drinks, just... just being silly, and then everything just didn't seem like that big of a deal and it just kind of snowballed," Susan explained, frowning as they both seemed disapproving. She looked between them, from the clearly agitated Ernie to the slightly calmer seeming Justin, though both boys seemed to be upset with her. She supposed she deserved it, it had been terribly irresponsible. But then again, they weren't her parents. She had wanted to talk about it, sure, but not to be made to feel even worse. Susan felt a little flare of defiance in her, but she kept it in check. She respected them both and she knew they cared about her too. They meant well, she was sure.
"It was all in muggle London. The drinking and the tattoo and all of it. And we didn't really do anything. It was a misunderstanding, that's all. We were just... we were picked up for public inebriation and taken to a holding cell," she explained. There had been more to it, something to do with perhaps public indecency, but she wasn't about to share that with them. That was Aaron's secret to tell. She lifted her chin then and there was a bit of anger in her face as she said, "And Aaron's only a year younger than me. He's of age. He's old enough to make his own choices. Do you have any more questions?"
"That doesn't sound like a misunderstanding, that sounds exactly what you should have been picked up for," Ernie said crisply as he sat down on the couch Justin was on. He looked over at him thoughtfully. "Is that what Aaron and Zacharias are doing this evening? Getting blitzed in London?"
It was a rhetorical question, really, and Ernie fell silent as he slid a hand over his mouth as he frowned into it. "You are so lucky, Susan. Gracious." Ernie thought about his voyage into inebriation and waking up with very little recollection, a black eye and bruised ribs without a shirt on. Nothing had seemed like a big deal at the time and he'd ended up... well, as Justin told it, completely inhibition-less. She didn't sound like she really regretted any of it, which wasn't going to deter her, but Ernie was glad of the former even to the detriment of the latter.
Justin shot a glare at Ernie for the crack about Zach, but let it be. They'd had that conversation and an understanding and really after a holiday dinner wasn't the time to bring up the questions that were in his mind. Shaking his head, he ran a hand through his curls. "He's right. You're lucky you just got that. Because if by a year younger than you, you mean seventeen, then, no, Aaron would not be of age. Not in a Muggle pub or a Muggle tattoo parlor. You're bloody lucky that all they did was hold you and that they didn't try and ring either of your parents or tried to drive you two home or decided to hold you until they could get a hold of your parents to come and pick you up. Especially since you must have been pretty damn pissed and disruptive if they actually tossed you in jail just for being inebriated in public, minor or not."
"We weren't-- Okay, maybe we were a little bit disruptive, I don't know. But it wasn't on purpose, and... look. I know it was stupid. And I know we were lucky. And I know it could've gone so, so much worse. I know, I know," Susan said, momentary anger passing. She deserved whatever they had to say to her, because she had clearly demonstrated that her decision making skills weren't the best right now. "But we're both all right, and they did let us go, and neither of us are hurt or anything, except for the tattoo which is... painful. But I mean. I didn't tell you because I needed to hear from someone else what an idiotic series of events it was. I'm already quite aware of that."
Ernie's lips were buttoned together for a few moments before he stood up.
"I'll be back in a few minutes," he said succinctly as he exited the room, going straight for the steps down to where he thought Mr. Bones to be. While he still wasn't terribly keen on the idea of Susan's dad experimenting on him, it was a useful excuse to be downstairs where, he was fairly sure, he'd spot something that would help the sting of her tattoo.
Pathologically helpful, Ernie thought as he wound his way under the floor he'd just been on.
Justin tensed and watched Ernie go, unsure why the other boy left or what on earth Ernie expected him to do in regards to this situation. Puffing out a sigh, he decided to focus his attention down on his hands because it was a safe focal point. "What did you want us to say then?" he asked tiredly, pushing the comments about the tattoo out of his mind because there was nothing nice he could say about that. After all, it was just a Muggle tattoo that she had gotten willingly. In the scheme of things, it wasn't that painful an experience.
"I don't know. I just wanted to tell you. Friends share things with each other, don't they?" Susan said softly. Watching Ernie get up and walk away had hurt a bit, and she felt like he was disappointed with how she had behaved. It felt like a dismissal, the way he walked out of the room so quickly, and now she looked at Justin as though she were afraid he would do the same. "What do you think about it, Justin?"
"Yes... Friends share things with each other," Justin said slowly, still unsure about the situation. "Friends also worry about before mentioned things when they happen to be getting drunk and going to jail, even if everyone is now alright and there is no harm done." Taking a deep breath, he kept his eyes focused on his hands as he tapped his fingers together. "Honestly? I think it was unwise to go out drinking in order to make him feel better, that either it would have been better to do in the privacy of either of your homes or that you stayed sober during the night because as you've already pointed out, when there isn't a sober party, things can get out of hand. At least in your own home, you're at home and it's your own private business. And as I've said already, I think you're lucky it didn't get more out of hand considering I'm not sure how well it would have worked if the police had tried to get to your homes and considering everything that has gone on, if the Ministry would have been brought in on the matter because of having to deal with Muggle and wizarding relations."
"That is all very true," Susan said, and she had been thinking much of the same things all night and morning. But what was done was done and it couldn't be changed now. "The what ifs are a bit condemning, yes, and clearly there are many things that should've been done differently, but Justin, I'm your equal, and neither you nor Ernie are in a position to reprimand me. Nothing terrible happend from a spot of stupidity. We both lived through it and are grateful for the lack of real catastrophe. Can't you be curious and concerned without making me feel so much worse about what happened? I'm sure when I tell my father, I'll get enough of that from him. If I tell him."
Justin's eyebrows went up in confusion as he stared at Susan for a few moments. "Because someone is your equal doesn't mean that you can't voice your concern and thoughts, especially when one's opinion on the matter is directly asked for," he said hesistantly. "If it were me instead of you, Ernie would be reacting the same way. I mean this is jail we're talking about."
He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair and looked up at Susan. "Right then, curiosity and concern without thinking about the unwise bits then... What did you have to drink? Anything particularly good?"
"No, I didn't really like any of the drinks. Oh, but there were these tasty little things that were like... I don't really know. They made me really warm, but they were sweet. They were pretty good," Susan said in response, smiling at Justin as she answered. Her smile faltered, though, and she shifted on the couch, looking at him sheepishly. "Sorry. I mean, you're right. I just... it wasn't... that bad, was it? I guess it was. It was insane. But I swear, I'm not going to make a habit of it."
"That's good at least. It isn't really something to make a habit of," Justin said with a shrug before he tilted his head thoughtfully. "It sounds like some sort of mixed drink. Was it an odd colour? Was it sweet like chocolate or sweet like fruit?"
"It was in a shotglass, and it was sweet like chocolate. It kind of tasted like coffee," Susan answered, sighing a bit. She looked across at Justin then and her exhaustion hit her again. She was craving comfort, or maybe reassurance that she hadn't turned into a completely different person overnight, that they were still as close as they'd been before. Susan had always been a pretty demonstrative person, and she thought a good hug went a long ways. She contemplated asking Justin for one, and though she figured it would probably make her feel better, she also wasn't sure if he'd think it was strange or not, given the circumstances. Instead, she asked, "One night of complete and out of character idiocy doesn't automatically make me an idiot, does it?"
"Ah. So likely chocolate liqueur and Kahlua..." Justin mused aloud, which could be a good number of shots. Breathing out a sigh, Justin shook his head. "Everyone has lapses in judgment," he said softly. "Especially when alcohol is involved. It doesn't mean that you're an idiot. At least the first time. If you were to continue to do the same idiocy over and over, then that might lead people to change their opinion of you."
Ernie reappeared, a bandage on one wrist and a vial in his hand. He set it in front of Susan, then took a seat back where he'd started on the couch with her. "For the tattoo. Gracious - did you--" he began to say to Justin, then stopped. Of course he knew, he'd been a muggle. The idea of being stuck with needles for fun and art made him slightly nauseous; the only needles he'd ever experienced was in hospital when they were trying anything to get the wound to close and though he could only remember it through a haze, it wasn't a happy memory.
"Needles. Really," he said breathlessly, rubbing his wrist absentmindedly.
Susan smiled at Ernie as he gave her something for the tattoo. Pain potion, probably, and she confirmed that with a quick glance at her father's label. Her smile turned brighter then and she pulled out the stopper and swallowed. Though it tasted a bit terrible, her father added a bit of mint to make it more tolerable. She set the vial back on the table before them, now empty, and looked up at Ernie, touching his arm lightly. "Thank you, Ernie. That was very nice of you to think of me. And are you all right? When I had to get them, they never hurt me for long, I swear."
Justin raised an eyebrow when Ernie looked like he was going to ask a question, but when Ernie cut it off, he figured that it wasn't that important. Or not something he wanted to discuss in the present company. Shrugging, he leaned back in the sofa. "Needles do what they need to. You get used to them when it's the only option you have. You come up with what works when you're not as lucky to have Healers as skilled as those at St. Mungo's." Granted, he was thankful for that. It was much nicer to recuperate at St. Mungo's while being fed potions and having spells cast on him rather than what he knew would have awaited him at a Muggle hospital with needles and sensors attached all over him and being pumped with fluids. Frowning slightly, he studied Susan carefully. "You said all this happened last night, right? If you're still hurting that badly, you should likely get it looked after."
"It's just really sore and it hurts to, um, sit on," she said and flushed. She hadn't quite mentioned where it was, though she was sure they'd figured it out. If not, she'd just rather spelled it out, hadn't she, that she'd gone and gotten a tattoo on her rear end. She felt completely stupid, really, but at least it was cute. Or, from what she could see, anyway. "I'm sure it's fine. I hope. I mean, the pain potion helped."
Ernie looked a little curious, then his eyes widened as he realised just where she got the tattoo. "Oh. Well. I suppose there could be er. More painful places to put it," he remarked a little uncomfortably. "I mean, well. Er. Forget I said that." Ernie blushed and looked down at his knees.
"There are more painful places," Justin said as he shifted uncomfortably about the whole situation. He was still mildly worried that if her wound was still hurting that it may be infected, but he also didn't want her to actually try and show it to them to make sure that it was alright. He had already had to deal with Nate's and he really didn't want to repeat the experience. Especially if it meant they'd have to view her arse to do that... "Did you have any other interesting drinks? Other than the chocolate and coffee shot that is."
Susan blushed as Ernie commented, and then covered her face, peeking out at the two of them from between her fingers for a moment. "Oh, I know, I know. Déclassé, right? Trust me, I know." She dropped her hands and shook her head helplessly. "At least it's not somewhere visible." She considered Justin's question then and tried to recall. She decided a list was easier, in order. "Well, the only other drinks I tried was some beer which wasn't very good, this pink thing that came in a bottle which was very good, those other shots, then um, some tequila? And then something this guy gave Aaron and I at this club place. I don't really remember what it was, but it tasted awful. It smelled like the stuff father preserves some of his ingredients in."
"It probably was," he said, a little snarkily if he was honest, trying to sit still while she described took some random drink from someone at a club. A muggle club where they wouldn't have known anyone... but Ernie bit his tongue. "That's how they make most extracts," Ernie added to smooth out the snarkiness, "I had to make a bunch when I was at my apprenticeship."
Justin's jaw tightened and he pressed his lips together to not blurt out what his first instinct to say was, especially since Ernie seemed to be trying for the civil conversation as well and no matter how stupid it was to take an unknown drink from a stranger at a club, it wouldn't help the civil conversation that Susan seemed to want if he blew up at her about how dangerous that was. So instead, he put on an amused smile and looked over at Ernie. "Oh, is that why we couldn't get you away from the apprenticeship then? Too many extracts to try," he teased before looking back at Susan. "You seemed to be blessed with a good tolerance then. Or a very good hangover potion."
She looked between them and then said, without rancour and feeling resigned to their opinions of her now rather than trying to disprove them, "It was small enough, and I watched the bartender make it. It had cranberry juice in it. And Sid gave Aaron one too, and his friend. It wasn't... I just meant I didn't know what alcohol was in it." She paused and then managed a little smile before she continued mildly, "Look, if I was a little reckless for just one night, I guess it was just to make up for every other night of my life when I did pretty much exactly what I was supposed to be doing. And I felt pretty awful this morning, but I was mostly tired. They gave me some water while we were, um, being held overnight, so by the time I got home, all I wanted to do was to sleep."
Susan paused then as she heard a noise in the hall, and she was sure she looked guilty as anything as her father walked into the room. He raised his eyebrows at her for a moment, and Susan tried to smile reassuringly, but then his eyes dropped down to the empty vial of pain potion on the table. Jonathon Bones turned his attention to Ernie then, and said, "I'll do some tests and see what I can find. I'll be in touch if I think I can help. I hope, though, that I didn't hurt you?"
Though she hadn't been sure if she was going to tell her father, she didn't want to put Ernie in a position where he felt like he had to lie, and so Susan began fiddling with her hair as she said, "No, um, the potion was for me."
Her father looked concerned, and Susan knew they'd have to talk. She sighed and got to her feet, smiling at Ernie and Justin. "Hey, um, thanks for coming to dinner. It was really good to see you both. And, you know. Thanks for all the talk, too. You're both completely right."
Ernie's mouth, open to reply, shut with a slight click. He looked at Susan oddly, then rose. "Good night, Mr Bones," he said politely, automatically as he still looked at Susan as if she'd lost her mind, "dinner was lovely."
Justin rose from his seat, his brow still furrowed in confusion from earlier at trying to figure out how to respond back to Susan's reply to his unspoken concerns. "Dinner was quite nice," he echoed to Susan's father. "The food was delicious. Thank you again for opening your home to us."
Susan hugged Ernie, and then touched Justin's arm gently since she knew he definitely wouldn't appreciate a hug. She knew they didn't understand. Probably anyone would say she was insane for even considering telling her father the truth, but she'd told him everything her whole life. He was kind of like her best friend, in a way. She'd never kept anything from him, and that was the truth. She'd even told him that she'd kissed Rhona, which no one else but Aaron knew. She knew there was nothing she could do or say that would ever make her dad stop loving her, and not telling him would just make her feel terribly guilty. Besides, wasn't being a grown up about making your own decisions and accepting the consequences?
She smiled at her friends and said, "I'll see you tomorrow on the train, I guess. Happy Easter!"