Herbology Owls and RP

[its-me-joan.livejournal.com]

She may not be the smartest of the bunch, and she may not have had any idea what the answer to the riddle was, but Joan Girardi was a great motivator of people. So, she sent an owl.



It looks like we're all in the same group for Herbology. We should meet in the library to work out what the riddle's answer is. Here's the text of the riddle:


Though my 'beans' may look like ticks
eat them and you will be sick
My oil is used throughout the world
and hated by both boy and girl
My appearance is not standard, though
my genus is monotypic, so
Seek me where the ground is damp
you'll need my help to light your lamp


I'll meet you all there to work out the answer. Please come as soon as you can.

I know we can all get those House Points!

--Joan

Comments

[sharpest-pike.livejournal.com]

Steerpike was pretty sure he knew what the plant their group had been assigned was, but it would be interesting to see the others discuss it. He sauntered to the library, smiling.

[its-me-joan.livejournal.com]

Her head was down, looking through her book, searching for any picture that matches the one Professor Crowley had added to the bottom of the riddle. So far, there was no luck.

She can be heard muttering "my genus is monotypic. What does that even mean?"

[ewoodhouse.livejournal.com]

"It means that it has only one species." Emma Woodhouse approaches her, eyes flashing kindly.

"Hello, my dear. I do not believe we have met before. I am Miss Emma Woodhouse, from Highbury. Please allow me to assume that we will be working together today?"

[its-me-joan.livejournal.com]

"Oh." She looks up and smiles at the woman. "Yeah, we're in the same group. Hi. I'm Joan Girardi. From Arcadia. It's nice to meet you."

[ewoodhouse.livejournal.com]

"It is a pleasure." She curtsies and sits down. "Is this not a fun little project? It is much like the games we played at home. Charades... actually, the charades were more difficult. Though I must admit to not knowing the answer just of yet."

[its-me-joan.livejournal.com]

"Neither do I." She shakes her head. "I'm horrible with riddles. ...And charades, actually. I always forget what the hand motions mean."

[ewoodhouse.livejournal.com]

"...quite. Well, let us translate this, shall we?"

She looks at the riddle with a discerning eye. "While it is a clever little thing, it actually is quite straightforward. We do know it looks like a tick, it is poisonous, it is commonly found in households, it is monotypic, it is found on the ground, and it is used to help light lamps."

She nods, and glances at Joan.

[its-me-joan.livejournal.com]

She frowns at the riddle, thinking. "Light lamps...So...It's used to make a gas or oil of some sort? But why would it be 'hated by both boy and girl'? Unless...Could it be used as medicine, too? But it's poisonous. So that can't be it."

[sharpest-pike.livejournal.com]

"The difference between medicine and poison is often a mere question of dosage."

[ewoodhouse.livejournal.com]

"Well, perhaps it is a salve, then? Eating it would be poisonous, but it helps prevent infection? No child hates anything worse than a stinging salve."

[its-me-joan.livejournal.com]

She nods. "That's a good idea." She flips quickly through the pages of her book, looking up plants that were used to make salves.

((Sorry. I actually completely forgot about this ^_^;; *turns on e-mail comments so that doesn't happen again*))

[ewoodhouse.livejournal.com]

"And it is used to make fire", she murmurs to herself. "At home we use Castor Oil for that purpose. Does this oil come from any specific flower?"

[its-me-joan.livejournal.com]

She shrugs. "Maybe there's a castor flower?" She flips through the book to the appendix. "Castor...castor...Ah! Castor Oil Plant!" She flips the the page listed and her eyes scan over it quickly. "Oh! Listen to this. 'The name Ricinus is a Latin word for tick; the seed is so named because it has markings and a bump at the end which resemble certain ticks.' This may be it." She keeps scanning the page, then looks up and smiles at Emma. "'Although monotypic, the castor plant can vary greatly in its growth habit and appearance.'" She nods. "This is definitely it." She gives a happy smile. "We totally rock."

[ewoodhouse.livejournal.com]

((And sorry it took me so long to reply, I wanted to give our group members a chance. Well, that and I am a forgetful, lazy, terrible person. XP BTW, love Joan.))

"I do believe we have found it. However, what we rock, I am not sure. Oh, but Miss Girardi, you do have a quick mind. I am planning a gathering of the ladies sometime next month, perhaps you should join us?"

She leans over to look in the book. "But now we must find it. Wherever should it be? If it's hard terrain, this certainly seems to be the work of the gentlemen.

[its-me-joan.livejournal.com]

She shrugs, not entirely sure what Emma is talking about. "Sure. I'm up for a...gathering."

Work for the gentlemen? What is this, 1816?

She looks back down to the book. "It says here 'can often be found on wasteland, near railroads and has recently also been used extensively as decorative plant in parks and other public areas.' So, maybe if we look for it near the Hogwarts Express?" She considers the best way to go about this. "There are six of us in the group. Maybe three of us can go out looking for the sample, and the other three can stay and write the report?"

[ewoodhouse.livejournal.com]

"I believe that is an excellent idea, Miss Girardi. I will happily stay and work on the report. Although the walk might do me well, and it certainly does not seem that difficult... and we can have a nice little boat ride. Oh! Indeed, I am quite torn!

[its-me-joan.livejournal.com]

((Except there are only five in the group! I count good))

She nods. "I think I'll go out looking for the plant. I'm...not that good at reports." She looked around at the rest of her group, waiting for others to volunteer.

((Think I should make another topic for the reporting/scavengering? Bring it to the top, remind people of it))

[ewoodhouse.livejournal.com]

((Alright, that's a good idea. We only have about one day, right? My other RP in this group is sorta stuck, too. Emma will write the report, but if you need someone to rp with tomorrow, she'll also show up there.))

"Excellent thought, Miss Girdardi! And I shall stay here and write the report, so that we shall be assured some points! Oh, do dress warmly, now. And make sure to take a gentleman as an escort!"

She gathers her papers around her, and begins to write.

[m4rk-cohen.livejournal.com]

Mark, quite frankly, had no idea what the hell to expect in this class. At all. But he showed up relatively on time, camera in his messenger bag just in case. He settled down quietly next to Joan, offering a weak smile to the table and resisting the nervous urge to bite his nails. New people had always made him uneasy.

[its-me-joan.livejournal.com]

Joan offers a similar smile to Mark. "Hey. I'm Joan." She nods to the riddle. "Any clue?"

[m4rk-cohen.livejournal.com]

Mark gave a nervous laugh and shook his head. "Not a one." He made a slight face and wrinkled his nose. "I wasn't in the last Herbology class, so I'm afraid I'm not going to be much a help at all.

[reallymydear.livejournal.com]

Aziraphale had honestly meant to arrive on time- even a little early. But when he'd entered the library... Well. So many strange and mysterious tomes, just begging to have the dust blown off and nose eagerly buried within their pages. So it is a late angel who comes hurrying over to sit with the rest of his group, looking thoroughly flustered.

((Sorry for my... lack-of-being-here-ness! Turns out my art deadline is in one week, not two. So I'm going to be a little disappeary, as already evident.))

[its-me-joan.livejournal.com]

She smiles at him. "Aziraphale, you're here. You're, like, smart. Do you know what this riddle is?"

((No worries))