Helga took all that she could to focus on what Rowena was saying as she patted her hand. Her kids were at her sisters? Didn't she just see them earlier today or was it yesterday? Surely it had been some time this week she had seen them. No, no her bestie was right she realized suddenly. They weren't here but with her sister not far away and no doubt comfortable and safe as she hoped they would be. Yet it made missing them that much stronger as it dawned on her in her drunken state. They were all she had left of her husband, not just her pride and joy but also her cure when the heartache and loneliness began to rise in her heart. She missed him something terrible and as hard as it had been to give in and admit he was gone the more it hurt that wound in her heart that she and their children wouldn't see him again.
It was only a moment, long enough for her thoughts to drift into the subject before the sanity was replaced by the drunkenness' again and she chuckled a bit realizing her goof up. "Thats right. They are with my sister. It was either that or I was going to shrink them small enough to fit into the pocket of my apron but my sister didn't like that idea because I wouldn't find them once they were in my pockets with all the other stuff I keep in them. I guess she had a point and they are safe and happy with her for now" Helga said with a small light grin. While she didn't let it show on her face she was in favor of letting the subject matter drop before she succumbed to her emotions and instead of being a somewhat happy drunk to being a sobbing wreak of a drunk, a look she didn't want to worry her friends over what was causing it.
Helga did what she could to keep herself steady on her feet but she would have to owe a lot of that to Rowena and Godric holding her upright most if not the entire time as they navigated around the corridors. It was almost like the old days when the four of them got together before they had all the weight of stress on their shoulders with the school nearly complete. She smiled as Rowena kissed her cheek, coming to her senses enough to brace herself with some of her remaining strength when her best friend let go and headed away down a separate corridor. Helga thought she had said something about seeing them in a little while but before she could attempt to try and ponder the thought she heard Godric beside her speak followed by adjusting his hold on her. Ever the gentleman and good friend as they continued to walk and she leaned just a bit more on him and his offered help.
"Has Salazar ever let loose and just had some fun?" She asked after a few minutes of silence as they walked. Helga turned slightly to look at Godric beside her. "He is always so stiff, polished, and formal. I wonder if he ever lets go of that shield and seriousness to have a bit of fun and laughter. I mean more than just the teasing he does or the polite but still stiff chuckle once in a while. Just once I wouldn't mind seeing him just break out in a good honest laugh, the kind you can tell comes from the heart as well as the stomach. Would be kind of fun and amusing to see a care free Salazar don't you think? Would for sure maybe startle Rowena a bit since the two of them are the more mature of the four of us or so they assume. Whats the fun of maturity if your serious all the time, you still have to have some fun whether your a child or an adult."
Godric smiled, her observation about Salazar ringing mostly true. His best friend was rather stiff and stoic, the heaviness of his position both at home and, now, here at school a heavy mantle to bear at the best of times. It was rather the contrast to the (usually) much happier, light-hearted Godric; so much so that many people wondered how they could possibly be as close as they were.
"Oh my friend," he said softly, his arm tightening around her slightly in a sideways hug in order to reassure her. "He can laugh as much as I do at times, though it takes a great effort to get him there. He just feels, that as the eldest, he must be like this. He fears failure so much that he believes only if he plays the responsible, mature adult will he succeed at his part of our endeavor.It weighs as heavily on him as it does on you to see people well cared for - full, happy, and healthy.
"But, the stories I could tell you...there were many times over the last few years where I've gotten him to laugh and enjoy himself. Remember that time I found the dragon a bit north from here and I was lucky enough to escape losing only my eyebrows? He found that most amusing. Seems a bit cold-hearted, maybe, but I was laughing as well I assure you. The adventures we've had which I hesitate to mention in front of a proper lady but there have been many lighthearted moments. Just not many as of late." There was sincere regret in his voice on the matter but what could he do other than what he had been: play the fool to see if he could revert his friend to the immature young man Salazar had once been.
"Do not worry for Salazar. Young people can be so ridiculous sometimes. Maybe some youth will do him some good in the end."
When Helga felt Godric adjust his hold on her, she smiled lightly something more friendly and in tune to her drunken state. Unable to resist she began to sway just a bit, moving her feet a little more extravagantly until they were both shifting side to side like some kind of comical dance. It was amusing to her and well she hoped he was getting a jovial kick out of it as well. They hadn't had too many chances to have a little fun over the last few weeks, work had been the focus and the school a priority over fun and games.
She laughed as he explained further about Salazar, trying and failing to imagine him as a copy of Godric in the fun and humor department. True though he seemed to walk with a great weight on his shoulders, just as many first born children did. Her own eldest brother had been serious in his studies and it showed when out of the lot of them he had the strongest healing magic and therefor took over their family clinic once they're parents stepped down. She never did actually ask if that was what he wanted, knowing because he had been put into that role it had given her the freedom to seek out what she wanted and make the life she made for herself. While she would never know that weight she did somewhat understand the weight of failure, she didn't want to fail or let others down and pushed so far to put others before herself even if at times she ran herself near exhaustion. Maybe if she could remember this tomorrow, she would better adjust how she thought of serious Salazar, or as Godric said, maybe the students coming to learn from him would help their friend warm up and be a little more cheerful out in the open.
"You lost your eyebrows to a dragon? What were you doing, tickling the poor thing while it was sleeping?" Helga questioned as the turned the corner at a fork in the corridor. At least though it seemed he had gotten them back or they had grown back more like it. "I thought you of all people would know not to go tickling a dragon, especially if it was asleep." She exhaled a sigh but it was clear from the small smirk like grin she was only teasing Godric. They had all done something foolish every now and then, ok, maybe not so much Rowena as it was hard to catch her best friend slipping up from her proper perfect behavior but there was still time to see that happen. Helga would have to be a bit more sober before she could figure out how to make it happen though.
It was good to hear Helga laughing after the last rough few days and the particularly difficult meeting they'd just left. He chuckled as well, unable to help himself when she'd asked the question about what he'd been up to. His eyes twinkled as he pulled her to stop once they had turned the corner at a fork in the hallways. Looking down at his diminutive friend, he grinned and asked, "Well Helga, how else do you think we got our motto? Knowledge like that has to come from somewhere." Of course he was only teasing. The situation had been considerably more dangerous than he'd let on and it wasn't just his eyebrows that he'd lost but almost all the hair on his head, as well as the upper layer of his skin. It was only a testament to his personal fighting skills and Salazar's knowledge of healing plants that he'd come out as well as he had.
A little Transfiguration also helped hide quite a bit of the damage until it was healed. It had been Salazar's idea to just keep the eyebrows gone. Help spread the story of an invincible knight who could properly defend any students under his care.
With that, they continued on down the hallway towards Helga's room. At this point, Godric was hoping that Rowena would rejoin them because in all honesty, he didn't know exactly where her room was. No proper gentleman should know that sort of information, whether they were friends or not. It just wasn't seemly.
"Now where is that pesky door of yours? I was certain it was around here somewhere...?" His turned his head looking for her to point something out that looked familiar.
Helga couldn't help but laugh again, a small mild shake of her head following right after it. Leave it to Godric to give them the physical example of the odd but rather cleaver motto for the school. Given the chance she was sure he would volunteer to test things out himself should they come up with any more to add to the motto.
She had somewhat dropped back into her own mind as they walked along the corridor, her thoughts though fuzzy and unclear made it a challenge to focus much on anything. At least until she heard Godric beside her mention a door of some kind. Her door maybe.
"Are we on the first floor already?" Helga replied after pushing herself mentally out from her own drunken and tired mind. Granted she didn't think she was that drunk and chalked most of her current state to her over exhaustion. She glanced around the corridor for a moment, struggling a bit to find anything recognizable. "Wait, was my room on the first floor? You know, I may have forgotten that myself. I haven't slept in my room in a few days with so much needing to get done after all. I was sure it was close to the kitchens or was that another room? I don't think it was a normal door either, I remember deciding on something a bit more fun than just a normal door on the outside but also not something related to food cause I knew you would just tease me for going for something predictable."
Helga took a long slow look around the corridor, willing and pleading with anything in her mind currently not drunk to find the information in her mind. Granted she could make due with an empty dorm in her house just for the night, so long as she could get up before any of the students in her house to avoid letting them see her not at her best.
"I think it was a painting, one of the landscapes not a portrait and it had green hills maybe or was it a grand field? Maybe an ocean cliffside?" She said out loud as her thoughts grasped at information they could find. "It was definitely a beautiful Scottish view I would recognize in a heartbeat, tired or awake."
A painting hid her door? Well, that was interesting. To be fair, his was hid by a statue and then his office so he could hardly be judgemental about what the others had chosen. While it made his less accessible to his students, Godric was hoping that they would be much like him - independent and stubborn enough to want to handle emergencies on their own. If things were serious, they could tell the knight that guarded the tunnel lead to the common room who could easily reach him in a few moments time, something he'd relayed to them just before departing for the meeting.
But really, he had hoped they would take care of each other so that he wouldn't be as necessary for their well-being.
"Okay, so a landscape of some sort," he started looking around, the two of them proceeding forward. Rowena would know it. She could get back at any time and lead the way! For the first time, he regretted the inability to apparate on school grounds. It would make things much easier.
Come to think of it, why hadn't Rowena simply sent a house elf to fetch the item in question. They were capable enough when given proper instruction. They might have already passed the painting for all he knew. In her altered state, he seriously doubted that Helga would recognize things, even if she swore that she could. Considering she hadn't known they were already on the first floor...
How many landscapes could there possibly be in this place? Most of the paintings they had hung were of famous moments in history or else portraits of family members, friends, and other famous wizards. Statues and suits of armor but mostly empty landscapes should have been pretty far and in between.
"That one?" He guessed, pointing on that looked like a sunny clearing in a forest. It didn't sound like anything she'd described but again, there couldn't be that many of them around here. In fact, he wondered who'd decided to hang that one - until they got closer and he noticed little fairies dancing in the clearing. Hmm, so probably not that one.
"Hmmm" Helga muttered as she turned to the painting Godric hinted at. She stepped a little closer, studying it for all of two seconds before she became distracted by the tiny dancing fairies in the clearing and muffled a chuckle behind a smile. "Nope, not this one though it would have been a nice second choice." She turned to look at him, giving her head a very small shake no and then began trying to continue walking down the corridor a bit further.
She paused as they reached a four way split in the corridor, turning to glance down each of the three paths ahead of them. She was sure her room was somewhere nearby, close to both the kitchens as well as the Hufflepuff dorm in case she needed to rush to either location but with also some distance that she wouldn't feel the urge to be in either place once things got going. An idea from her bestie to help prevent what had unfortunately happened anyway. Still, if she could just get her mind a bit more out of the fog she could better find it better. Maybe with some luck Rowena would already be waiting at the painting and they wouldn't have to find it after all.
"I think if we passed the corridor to the kitchens we've gone to far but if we haven't then it should be somewhere close" Helga said as she looked down the sorter corridor to their right. There was just one painting down this way followed by a statue at the end. She moved closer to it, whether it was on her own or if Godric was still helping her along. The painting was of a landscape, a bright green grassy hilltop covered most of it in the front as well as several rolling hills in the background and just visible to one side with a peak at the rocky coast. The more she looked at it the more it seemed to come to life, the grass blades moved gently as a breeze blew across the ground and she could almost hear the faint cries of the gulls just beyond the hills as they searched for fish in the waves.
Gently she reached out a hand, her fingers grazing along the grassy hill as if she was running them through the blades. A melancholy look filled her eyes despite the warm smile forming on her lips. "I knew I would find it tired or not, I'd never forget such an important and familiar sight even if it was only one of three pieces I brought to help decorate the school" Helga said quietly. "I probably wouldn't have brought this one though to be honest. It brings back too much both to my mind and my heart but my children insisted on my taking it when I left them with my sister. I guess it was there hope it would be good for me to have it close by."
After securing a couple of vials of the hangover draught from Nurse Gudrun, Rowena picked up her skirts and hurried back through the winding corridors until she found herself on the way to Helga's quarters. Up ahead she spotted the pair shuffling along toward the familiar painting thus she hurried along until she was but a few steps from them, quiet as a church mouse. She dropped her skirts back in place, quickly smoothing them as though she hadn't been in quite a harried pace, and stepped up on Helga's other side, retaking her arm.
"Ah, I see you have found your way just as I knew you would," she said with mock cheerfulness. She was more concerned about Helga's condition than she was letting on, not having seen her this shknockered in quite some time. "I got what I sought out, so we'll be feeling absolutely wonderful tomorrow without a worry my dearest friends. Can I interest you in one Godric?"
Rowena held up a vial between her fingers for the knight to take if he so wished to. She doubted he would as he was somewhat a glutton for punishment when it came to imbibing alcohol. If she wasn't mistaken he'd likely find his way down to the tavern in the trading post to knock back a few more cups. Well, at least she could say she tried.
Godric was overly relieved when Helga found her painting. And, right on time, Rowena showed up to help their friend into bed. He certainly couldn't do it. Not that there would be anything going on between them. He cared about her like he cared for his sister so there would be nothing improper.
However, it was all about appearances. They couldn't afford anyone seeing him coming out of her room alone this late at night. It just wouldn't do.
He noticed the potion that Rowena held out to him. Likely trying to push a hangover potion on him. She did so often, thinking he needed it due to his late night trip down to the tavern. And yes, he had definitely thought about it - especially after the meeting they had just had. The celebration they were supposed to have been having went sideways so why not celebrate with twenty of his current closest friends for a night?
Taking the bottle from Rowena, he grinned, kissing them both on the cheeks, before bidding them both 'good evening' before heading down the hallway to leave the school.
Before Helga could too deeply sink into the memory belonging to the painting she felt a touch on her other arm and turned to see Rowena had found them. Thankfully at a good time too as she was beginning to feel a heaviness in her limbs as exhaustion pulled further on her physical state.
She looked at the small bottle her best friend held out to Godric, her brain trying to process what it could be as she replied the words in her mind. "That's not another prank you and Salazar are trying to pull on him is it?" Helga asked glancing at Rowena with a very faint look of concern. "Last time you said we would all be feeling wonderful tomorrow and gave him a potion, it ended up removing all of his hair including his eyebrows during the night. That may have been one of the few times I saw Salazar truly laugh with a matching grin."
To Helga's surprise, Godric seemed to take the potion without concern or wariness then bid the both of them goodnight with a sweet kiss to the cheek and he was gone away down the corridor. She watched him go though her vision was becoming a bit more fuzzy again then turned back to the painting. The key to her door was a little odd but for Helga it suited not just her, it also kept the memory from fading in her mind. Leaning forward she faced the grassy hilltop at the front of the painting and exhaled a small breath against it. The blades ruffled and waved as if hit but a breeze before the painting slowly began to swing inward reveling a small alcove and a dark wooden door. Straightening up she looked back at her friend as the pair made their way inside the room, the painting swinging closed behind them.
"Its really not going to mess with him is it?" she asked once they were inside her bedroom. "The potion isn't some sort of revenge prank from you and Salazar for something he did again right? He will take from it soon I'm sure with all our focus on the school now. He just had to get all this out of his system and I'm not as fun of a target as you to, I find it just as funny or stumble into it before he is ready." Helga continued as she plopped down onto the edge of her bed. It was odd that she was trying to defend Godric without knowing what it is he had done, normally at least she knew what he had done but for some reason it escaped her this time. Along with quite a bit of her mind actually now that she tried to rethink on the matter as she kicked off her shoes and nudged them under the four poster bed for now.
