Susan Sto Helit and the Hangover of Doom

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

((RP open to members of Ravenclaw House))

Getting magnificently drunk had seemed like a good plan at the time. But even the granddaughter of an anthropormorphic personification can only drink so much before simply dozing right off, and somewhere after glass number six, Susan had fallen soundly asleep, curled up in the armchair in front of the fireplace.

She woke in the grey dawn, stiff and sore and with a head that felt indescribably awful. "'lo, Bilious," she muttered, trying to crack a joke, but the attempt only made the throbbing worse.

Adding insult to injury was the realisation that her memories of Tuesday's events were thoroughly undimmed. Clearly, to achieve an appropriate state of anaesthesia, a state of constant intoxication would be required ... and that truly wasn't Susan's style, so she was going to have to learn to live with it.

Enough of that; thinking about it drove the headache to blinding levels -- in the meantime, she was still wearing yesterday's grass-stained skirt and torn stockings, and she need to wash, and maybe see if they had any interesting hangover cures. She tidied up the bottles, picked up the Nimbus (at least she had that to be grateful for) and headed off to the dorms.

Comments

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Stephen Maturin had been up all night, poring over a growing stack of obscure mediwizard texts, none of which offered any explanation for what had or had not happened to him. He had found the remains of the cocaine which Sara'd given him some while back -- thinking sourly of the occasion upon which it was given -- and this helped to distance him from natural fatigue and unnatural emotional strain.

Hearing Susan enter the dorm, he looked up to make sure it wasn't anyone he didn't want to see. It was, instead, a woman he really hadn't met yet, and she looked to be in quite a state herself. He cleared his throat.

"Madam? May I assist you in any way? You look to be ... not quite well."

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

"...not so loud, please," she said in a very tiny voice. She blinked at him cautiously. "Sorry. My gods, alcohol makes me rude. I don't believe we've met. I'm Susan Sto Helit. Supposedly my things are somewhere up here, and I need a wash and something for a hangover."

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

"Stephen Maturin, at your service, and my apologies for ... being loud, I suppose. I have not been quite myself, lately. At any rate, I am a physician, for all the good it seems to be doing me now; and I can offer something small by way of relieving the crapula."* From one of the pockets of his exceedingly odd and shabby-looking robes (what godforsaken corner of Diagon Alley yielded up that garment?) he carefully extracts a vial of what appears to be some sort of powdered bark.

(( Yes, apparently "crapula" is either the 1800s word for hangover (http://www.alia.org.au/%7Ekwebb/Maturin/MMAD.html) or something Patrick O'Brian thought it amusing to claim was the 1800s word for hangover. *turns into a third-grader and giggles* ))

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

The contents of the vial reminded Susan of some of the medicines she'd occasionally been called upon to use for her young charges when they inevitably caught some sort of awfulness from their playmates. "That looks familiar," she said. "It's a pain reliever of some kind, isn't it? Dr Maturin, you're a lifesaver." She noted the stack of medical texts. "Were you a victim of the ... mischief the other day yourself?"

((Actually, that would explain where the word "crapulent" comes from, wouldn't it? Heh. Learn something every day, one does. It's still funny. *snickers*))

((Aha! Dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=crapulent) for the verification.))

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

If Stephen were a dog, his ears would have perked up. Instead, he appeared to become even more on edge than before, which was quite a feat.

"The mischief?"

(( And .. finally someone is about to tell him what's going on! ))

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

"Well, I don't fully understand it myself, being new and still getting used to things. But the best I can make of it from what Dr Winchester and Mr. Tea -- others told me is that apparently --" She pinched the bridge of her nose and looked very pained. "I can't believe I'm saying this. The god of love running around here? Eros? Was apparently responsible for, well, all that. People ... falling suddenly and inappropriately in love." Granddad and Death of Rats will never let me hear the end of this if they find out. "That's why I was trying to ... anaesthetize myself, really. Unfortunately the relief was merely temporary, and you can see the consequences."

((Heheh. Poor Stephen. I just read the subthread on Crowley's herbology post. And yes, Maturin/MacNair is a fabulously cracktastic couple. Also, much Stephen love. I'm reading Master and Commander and am getting thoroughly sucked into the goodness of those books.))

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

As Stephen listened to Miss Sto Helit's account of recent events, his wan face flushed with choler. He allowed himself one brief spate of creative polylingual cursing of the thoroughly unmagical variety. Then, with an air of grim satisfaction, he removed a silver ring from his left hand. He would have liked very much to hurl it somewhere far away from him, but tucked it away in the same pocket where he'd been keeping the willow bark he gave to his heavensent informant. Its owner would likely want it back, and was no more to blame than Stephen himself.

"Where is he? Eros, I mean."

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

The ring that Stephen removed reminded Susan of ... something. She'd been pretty far gone with the wine when the Hat hade made its announcement about annullments, and so she didn't remember the specifics, but she guessed that this was something her new friend would want to know about right away.

"Eros? Hell if I know, but a very long line is forming of all the people who want to get him for this. Although first you might want to ask -- there was some announcement about what to do about marriages performed under the, er, unusual circumstances."

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

"May the good Lord bless you and keep you, my dear. You have done me more good than you know." Stephen rose, perhaps too quickly; intending to right his situation immediately, he had misjudged his physical stamina, stretched beyond its limits by overexertion and the subsequent cocaine-fueled research marathon. He wobbled dangerously.

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

"It looks like you need this as much as I do," Susan said, indicating the willow-bark vial. "For which, incidentally, thank you very much. Will you be all right?" Ha, pot, meet kettle.

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

"Please keep it. It will do no harm; if you meet -- others in our plight -- " he grimaced -- "you may share it with them as well, without fear. For myself, the only panacea now will be sleep." And justice, as soon as I can obtain it.

((Oh, I do love Pratchett's sensible women! ))

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

"Oh, thank you. Good luck, Dr Maturin. I hope you can resolve matters to your satisfaction. I'll see you about, I'm sure." ((I wish I was half as levelheaded and cool as Susan IRL.))

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

"I do not think I can convey the depths of my gratitude, Miss Sto Helit. I hope I do see you when I am more fit for civil conversation. Indeed I shall do my best to ensure it."

With an awkward nod, the Doctor tottered off. To his own bed, thankyouverymuch.

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

Susan watched with some concern as Maturin made his way to bed; she did hope he'd be all right.

She still needed to find exactly where she would be living, get a change of clothes, and take a bath, but in the meantime, the first order of business was to take the willowbark.

[ewoodhouse.livejournal.com]

"Good day."

The pre-Victorian lady makes her way to the curious woman. Emma found her a bit strange and frightening at her sorting, and therefore avoided it. But now that she was in her house, and was one of the few adult women, it was imperative that they became friends. Especially since they may well be roommates.

"I am Miss Emma Woodhouse, of Highbury. I do hope that you have not lost your way."

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

Oh thank gods, an adult woman who appears to be of some sense. "Actually, I don't know that I've found my way," Susan replied. "I'm Susan Sto Helit; it's nice to meet you, Miss Woodhouse. I keep getting lost in this place. I need to find where my things have been put, and also a bath. I was beginning to think there were no other women in this House."

[ewoodhouse.livejournal.com]

"It is a pleasure. There is our prefect, of course. And I believe there's a little blonde girl running around. Oh yes, and some Egyptian woman passed out in the common room. But other than that, it appears that they do not wish to condescend to our company."

She frowns at the rudeness, but then smiles again.

"There are several spare beds in my own room; perhaps we shall get you settled there? I have never shared a room before. It is sure to be an adventure, is it not?"

Emma turns to lead Susan to her room.

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

"An adventure, yes," Susan replied drily. She follows Emma nonetheless, acutely aware of the grass stain, the ripped stockings, the untidy hair. She really does need a bath.

Emma reminds Susan of some of the girls from the Quirm College for Young Ladies: extraordinarily polished, beautifully-spoken, very concerned with appearances. Emma, though, seems like a much sharper utensil than some of the spoons and butter-knives who were Susan's schoolmates, and someone Susan could get along with. And possibly even befriend.

"So. Er, how's your experience been here? I'm still figuring things out, you see, and the fact that the, er, mischief started the day after my arrival hasn't helped."

[ewoodhouse.livejournal.com]

"Quite well, quite well. I have met some dear gentlemen in Ravenclaw, Mr. Winchester and Mr. Pierce. And of course Lord Wimsey. And those are just our housemates. I was concerned when I was sorted here instead of Slytherin that I would not meet many gentlemen of quality; I am happy to note that I was in error."

She opens the door to a well-kept room, with the bed near the window already taken. It has been decorated as elegantly as Emma can manage with her limited supplies, the bronze and blue Ravenclaw colors carefully matching the new tablecloth.

"I have also met several young ladies who, of course, require some guidance. It is so strange some of the ideas they have regarding marriage. I try my best. Otherwise I have had a marvelous time at Hogwarts, for my first week."

She fails to mention the Slug Club and Roland, but that's something she won't even tell her closest friends unless she is forced to.

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

"Mr Winchester? He's the doctor, isn't he? Er, not the nervous younger one, I mean. I met Mr Winchester last night; he seems like a very pleasant person." Susan decides not to go into the details of her meeting with Winchester, guessing, perhaps correctly, that Emma would find it somewhat appalling.

Susan looks around the room and nods, pleased. "This is lovely. You've got good taste, Miss Woodhouse. I suppose you get the, whatsits, the gnome-looking things, house elves? to bring up one's luggage? Once that's done, I think I'd like to have a bath."

[ewoodhouse.livejournal.com]

((Ok, thank you! I am always happy if someone helps me roleplay more accurately. BTW, do you remember if Hogwarts has baths connected to the rooms?))

"Indeed, he was one of the most pleasant individuals I had the honor to meet during my sorting. Does he not say just the most amusing things?"

She gracefully pulls back a chair at a small table, allowing Susan the option to sit. "And I am glad that you find happiness in our room. Please, feel free to do what you must to ease your homesickness. The baths in this castle are remarkable, you do not even need to wait for the water to warm. Isn't that the thing?"

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

((The diagram of Gryffindor Tower (http://www.hp-lexicon.org/atlas/hogwarts/atlas-h-dorm.html) in the HP lexicon doesn't show the bathrooms. I got the impression that you had to cart your stuff in a basket down the hall somewhere, though.))

"He does seem very funny," Susan agreed. "So far the residents of Ravenclaw seem to be uniformly pleasant."

Magic baths. Susan's skin crawls slightly at the idea; her yearning for normalcy gives her a bit of a fondness for the business of drawing the hot water and so on. But one has to adapt after all, and after the night she's had, not having to heat the water is probably just as well. "Thanks awfully for your help," she says. "I was starting to feel rather at sea here. I can promise you that I'll be a tidy and trouble-free room-mate, in any case. Years of governessing gets that habit under your skin."

As they're talking, Stephen Maturin's owl arrives. (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/182139.html) Out of politeness, Susan puts it aside to read later, perhaps in the bath.

[ewoodhouse.livejournal.com]

"Yes, well... I believe fine manners are among the characteristics of intelligence." She thinks of Johnny, but is too polite to mention him. Besides, other than interrupting her conversations with applicants to insult the candidate, he had done little to vex her.

"Oh, yes. The fowl reminds me that I have letters of my own to write. Perhaps I shall do so once we get you properly settled, hmm? Oh, you were a governess? How lovely. My dearest friend in Highbury is my former governess, Mrs. Weston. She is an excellent woman, falling little short of a mother in affection."

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

"Did she wallop bogeymen with a poker?" The joke -- which is only partially a joke, really -- slips out before it occurs to Susan that this probably won't make the slightest bit of sense to Emma.

Susan's luggage -- of which there is only a single trunk containing toiletries, a few sensible black dresses, charcoal grey skirts, white blouses, and some nightclothes and other intimates -- has been brought up. "I think I'll take that bath now and leave you to your letters. Thank you again, Miss Woodhouse."

As promised, the Ravenclaw bath is quite pleasant, and Susan settles into the hot water with considerable relief. She's starting to feel human again -- perhaps almost normal, even. Maybe things will be all right here after all.

[ewoodhouse.livejournal.com]

Emma looks at her for a long moment, and blinks several times in confusion. She then remembers to do the polite thing, and forces a laugh. "Ha. Ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha."

She curtsies again. "Good bye, dear Susan." After the lady is off to her bath, she sits at the desk. She places the quill in the ink, and begins to write several letters.

[5000yearold.livejournal.com]

Methos looked up from his book at Susan stumbled into the Ravenclaw common room. With an amused look on his face, he casually comments, "You had fun last night, didn't you?"

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

"I don't know if I'd call it fun, exactly," she said. Maturin's potion was having the desired effect, and she was beginning to feel less like her head might fall off if she moved too quickly. "I did accomplish the desired amnesiac state for at least a little while, but everyone's got to come back down to earth sooner or later." She sighed. "Oh well. I don't believe we've met. I'm Susan. I still can't find my way around this place properly; do you know where a girl can go to get a hot bath?"

[5000yearold.livejournal.com]

"Well, fun before the hangover," Methos amended. "Of course, one can imbibe without drinking to so much excess as to get a hangover too." Extending his hand, he added, "I'm Methos. Rather new here myself, but I do believe there are lavatories for such things in one or two places on each side of the dorm. Not being a woman myself, I wouldn't know where yours are located."

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

Susan shook his hand, not as firmly as normal as she was still feeling frayed. "Thank you. I'm afraid you're not exactly seeing me at my best. I don't normally drink so much either, but there were ... extenuating circumstances." She grimaced. "Are things always so chaotic around here? I supposed the other day was a special occasion, but I'd like to be forewarned."

[5000yearold.livejournal.com]

"I can't say that I've noticed things being so terribly chaotic, but I have heard that we're a house of drinkers, apparently. I'm guessing that if you can't hold your liquor now, you might well be able to soon enough."