Lunch away from Hogwarts (Dee & Caity)

[Caitlin Collins]

((We're coming from here))

Caity waited, sliding her new wand into the pocket where her old wand had been as Dee quickly tidied, then followed her outside so she could lock up. “Surely you don’t get many customers during term time,” she commented as D’rorah started off in the direction of a restaurant.

"Actually, I had my mind set on Italian. There is a very nice restaurant just a few blocks from here. They make their own fresh pasta."

“Italian sounds good to me,” she smiled. “I’ve never had much foreign food apart from Indian, obviously. You’re from America, right?”

She followed just behind the Ravenclaw prefect, feeling even shorter than she usually did next to the other, very tall girl. Although it would be very nice to have lunch without any thoughts about the so-called ‘Shadow War’, she doubted that was going to happen. One way or another, any conversation would probably turn that way.

They entered the restaurant and Caity let Dee take the lead in getting them a table – she had presumably been here before if she was advising this particular place for them to eat in.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

"No, we typically do not have many customers after the school year begins. They tend to be rather few and far between. However, there are some, so we must be open."

D'rorah made her way down the street to a small trattoria most people would never notice. There was no outlandish sign proclaiming the presence. Despite that, they seemed to be doing a good business. As they entered, a short Italian lady with huge hair and an even larger presence swept up to them from across the restaurant. "Buon giorno!"

"Buon giorno. Vorrei prenotare un tavolo per due persone," replied D'rorah in a crisply formal Italian. The hostess smiled widely and began to lead the way to a table in the back, chattering rapidly in Italian. D'rorah nodded and responded politely, but didn't attempt to engage any conversation further than the waitress' monologue.

Once she had left, D'rorah finally turned her attention back to Caitlin. "Well, this is the best Italian I have found since coming to Hogwarts, so I do hope you enjoy it."

[Caitlin Collins]

Caity was slightly taken aback by the Italian woman’s imposing yet jovial presence, but smiled at her nonetheless in greeting. She wasn't going to go and make herself look like an idiot by attempting to speak Italian and saying something completely wrong.

"Buon giorno. Vorrei prenotare un tavolo per due persone,"

Caitlin listened intently as Dee spoke back in the same language, picking out a few words she could guess the meaning of. She knew that ‘buon giorno’ was good day or good morning, something of that ilk, and that ‘un tavolo per due persone’ must mean that D’rorah was requesting a table for two people. After that, though, she understood next to nothing of the waitress’ rapid speech in her own language, and simply followed her and D’rorah to the back of the restaurant.

"Well, this is the best Italian I have found since coming to Hogwarts, so I do hope you enjoy it."

She smiled, slipping into her seat and picking up the menu. “I’m sure I will.” Glancing down at the menu, she realised to her dismay it was written completely in Italian. How on earth was she supposed to choose a meal she would like given that she couldn’t understand the menu, and it was very rare for her to have eaten any Italian dishes in the past – those she could remember having, she couldn’t think of what they had been called.

“Um, is there anything you’d advise?” she asked Dee, figuring that the older girl might point something out which she could choose. If not, she would just have to pick something on the menu at random and hope for the best.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah looked over the menu as Caitlin requested a recommendation. "Oh, nearly anything you select will be quite good, I am certain. Being a vegetarian, I have a few favorites on the menu. Though, if you wish for something with meat, I will likely be a bit less helpful in making a decision. Their gnocchi is excellent and the manicotti formaggio is also delicious." She flipped the page in the menu. "Of course, they also have simpler things such as small pizzas. If you give me an idea of what sort of food you are interested in, I am certain I will be able to make a more helpful recommendation."

She set her menu aside for a moment. "If it helps, I intend to have the eggplant neopolitan with a caprese salad." She watched Caitlin for a moment suddenly realizing the reality of the fact that she had invited her to lunch. She wondered if that meant she would be expected to make some sort of conversation. Suddenly, that wasn't sounding like such a great prospect. D'rorah was accustomed to eating alone, unless she happened to be joined by Dylan, or unless she was tutoring Cavan for his languages... those situations were easy. She and Cavan could discuss history and the translations he had been working on. With Dylan, she could discuss almost anything. With Caitlin... well, she was a bit of an unknown quantity.

[Caitlin Collins]

To Caity’s dismay, D’rorah at first did not appear to be going to offer any specific meal, meaning that she would have to just guess, but then the older girl continued.

“Their gnocchi is excellent and the manicotti formaggio is also delicious. Of course, they also have simpler things such as small pizzas. If you give me an idea of what sort of food you are interested in, I am certain I will be able to make a more helpful recommendation. If it helps, I intend to have the eggplant neopolitan with a caprese salad."

Caitlin blushed slightly and flicked to the back of the menu. Sure enough, there was a page titled ‘pizza’. It had completely slipped her mind that pizzas were an Italian food. Perhaps that would be the best choice.

“I think that pizza would probably be best,” she replied, glancing down the page in front of her. Now she had the task of choosing a topping she would actually like without understanding what any of them were. The top item would probably just be a plain cheese and tomato - that was usually at the top, from her little experience of Italian restaurants - and if D’rorah was a vegetarian she herself should probably choose something not involving meat. Memorising the Italian name for a cheese and tomato pizza, she closed the menu and sat back, searching mentally for a topic as an awkward silence began to descend. She realised that she knew very little about the lightfighters’ leader.

“How long have you been at Hogwarts?” she asked, with a vague idea that Dee hadn’t been going to the school since 1st year. It seemed that few people had, of those she had met and talked with.

Turning in her seat as the waitress reappeared, she waited for D'rorah to request her dish first. Although she stumbled slightly over the language, she did manage to successfully placed her order.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

"This is my first year at Hogwart's," replied D'rorah after having placed her own order. "Before I came here, I lived in New York and attended Falstaff's." She thought for a moment, not accustomed to making small talk. In fact, she couldn't quite remember the last time she had invited anyone along for dinner and had to face the issue of holding a conversation. "And you have not always been at Hogwarts yourself, correct? Where did you live before coming here?"

She took a sip from her water glass, listening as the ice cubes quietly tinkled against the insides of the glass. She was used to silence, so it didn't really seem too awkward to her. But she knew that conversation was expected, and so racked her brains for anything they might chat about. "What is the focus of your studies? Have you any idea what sort of career you might wish to pursue after Hogwarts?"

[Caitlin Collins]

“New York?” questioned Caity rhetorically. “What was Falstaff’s like compared to Hogwarts?”

D’rorah seemed a little distant, but that did not greatly surprise Caitlin – the Ravenclaw had always come across as slightly aloof from the general bustle of life at Hogwarts. But that didn’t mean that she shouldn’t try to make conversation; after all, she had been the one to be invited to lunch.

"And you have not always been at Hogwarts yourself, correct? Where did you live before coming here?"

“India,” Cait replied, a wistful smile coming onto her face. It had been so long since she had thought about the place with all that she had discovered in the last few weeks. “Hyderabad mostly. I had a tutor there, and I came back to England in the summer.”

Just as she did not ask Dee why she had moved to England, Caity did not offer up the information as to why she had returned to her home country. For all she knew, the other girl also had a reason that she would rather not discuss.

"What is the focus of your studies? Have you any idea what sort of career you might wish to pursue after Hogwarts?"

“I want to be a healer,” she explained immediately. “Both my parents work in the medical field, and some of the stuff I saw in India just convinced me that I wanted to do the same. What about you?”

Of course, Caity had an odd feeling that her idealistic view on life, such as helping whoever you could if they needed it, was going to be torn apart by this ‘Shadow War’. The smile on her face faded somewhat as, once again, she recalled the conversation in the Room of Requirement about Gat. If the others knew she wanted to help him then doubtless they would attempt to stop her, which was why she had not said a word about it or him since that day. Although she hadn’t actually seen him at all recently – not since the day in Hogsmeade, if she really thought about it.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

“New York?” questioned Caity rhetorically. “What was Falstaff’s like compared to Hogwarts?”

"Falstaff's was..." she trailed off, suddenly wondering why she felt such an attachment to a place where she had been ostracized and ridiculed through her entire academic career. D'rorah wasn't one to attach too much significance to what others thought of her (unless she needed someone to have a particular impression for her own purposes), but it did seem downright illogical to hold such a place in such high esteem.

"There were wonderful books," she remarked almost wistfully. "And private lessons with professors so that I could work at a faster pace than my peers. And there were challenging classes... never anything where several grades were compressed into one class unless a younger student worked up into the higher levels of the coursework." She had been that younger student, under her father's gentle but persistent insistance that her potential was limitless if she only pushed the boundaries of what her limits were. Realizing she was in a nostalgic frame of mind and not really finding it a comfortable place to be, she quieted and shifted her attention back to Caitlin.

She had been to India herself, traveling with her father. Though, she hadn't spent any great deal of time there. Isaac Philosophy was always moving on, always off in pursuit of the next international treaty or peace-keeping negotiation within the magical community to work with. His specialty had been in controversies caused by new research and methods of magic... as such, he had spent just as much time studying new research in order to defend it as he had spent forging new bonds of international communication.

"Healing is a very respectable profession," she remarked. "I suppose I will enter the International Council of Magic, much as my own father did. Perhaps even in his specialty of research. Or, I may go into research directly. Most likely, I will remain here as an assistant Professor after graduation so that..." she trailed off, realizing she was delving far too deeply into her own personal life by completing the statement. So that... I may be close to Mister Cooper while he finishes his studies.

She looked up, relieved to see that the waitress had brougth their meals, sparing her from having to complete her statement of search for some new topic of conversation.

[Caitlin Collins]

D’rorah seemed to hold a high attachment to her old school, although no more than Caitlin herself missed India and all the wonderful experiences that living there entailed. Of course, Hogwarts had its own redeeming features but the small matter of the Shadow Wars meant that she always had a constant worry at the back of her mind. In India, there had never been anything like that.

As Dee trailed off, Caity smiled at her. “You miss it then?” That was the impression she had gotten from the elder girl’s nostalgia, not knowing of the ostracism she had received from her fellow students. Apart from the language barrier at first, she had quickly been accepted into Vijay’s classes, and had felt more at home than she ever had in her old school.

"Healing is a very respectable profession. I suppose I will enter the International Council of Magic, much as my own father did. Perhaps even in his specialty of research. Or, I may go into research directly. Most likely, I will remain here as an assistant Professor after graduation so that..."

Once again, Caitlin misunderstood what D’rorah was trying to say. Distracted for a few minutes by the arrival of the food, she took a bite from the pizza and smiled. “You’re right, this is really good!” she exclaimed, taking another bite and remembering what they had been talking about. Lowering her voice so that no one would be able to overhear, she returned to what D’rorah had been saying.

“You said you were going to stay as an assistant professor – do you really think that all the... trouble... will still be going on when you’ve finished?” That was indeed a disturbing thought; Caity did not want to spend her entire stay at Hogwarts worrying about the Shadow Wars.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah nodded quietly as Caitlin exclaimed her praise of the pizza. She carefully forked into her ziti, bringing the delicious pasta to her mouth. This was a meal she would savor. It never failed to amaze her how ravenously hungry she became upon finally being presented with a decent vegetarian meal. She had seen enough sausages and meat pies and other various and sundry things she would never consider eating in abundance at every meal to last her several lifetimes. Pushing those images away, she turned her attention back to her own food, chewing slowly and quietly as she tasted every single bite that passed through her lips.

“You said you were going to stay as an assistant professor – do you really think that all the... trouble... will still be going on when you’ve finished?”

"Oh," replied D'rorah, realizing Caitlin had mistaken her trailing off for anxiety over the Shadow Wars. That was just as well, she supposed. Really, there was plenty to be anxious about in that venue. "Well, I suppose it is possible... really, we are merely part of a cycle which has been playing out for centuries now. I cannot say how long it may or may not take to reach a more permanent resolution." She took another bite of her pasta, contemplating Caitlin's question. She had always been taught to think of the role of Shadow Warrior as a life-long one. Even if they defeated the Mage, there would always be someone willing to step up and take her place. There would always be Shadows, Wraiths, Reapers and the like slipping to small rifts which would need to be dealt with when they became too troublesome. She wasn't sure if everyone really understood what she meant when she said the goal was to bring Light and Dark back into balance.

"Your role is not one which will simply end upon what we consider a victory. Our kind will always be needed to assist with maintaining balance once it is established. The enemy cannot be eliminated completely... if it were, we would accomplish their means by our own ends and be no better off for all of our struggle."

[Caitlin Collins]

Caity noticed that Dee seemed slightly surprised at her question and wondered if she had misunderstood, but left the thought when the Ravenclaw began speaking. She felt her heart sink as D’rorah proclaimed it “possible” that they would still be fighting in a year’s time. She had wanted this to be over as soon as possible, so she could get on with normal life at Hogwarts; apparently, that was not to be. It appeared that she still didn’t understand exactly how bad the situation was. A centuries-old battle between good and evil? It was like something from a book, a story – something fictional, not real! These sorts of things weren’t supposed to happen in real life! And they were talking about it over an Italian lunch, of all things.

"Your role is not one which will simply end upon what we consider a victory. Our kind will always be needed to assist with maintaining balance once it is established. The enemy cannot be eliminated completely... if it were, we would accomplish their means by our own ends and be no better off for all of our struggle."

Letting out a light sigh, Caity picked up her fork and took another mouthful, pondering over all she had been told. “So... this is going to go on for the rest of my life?” she asked quietly once she had finished chewing, not meeting D’rorah’s eyes. “No escape, no getting out of it.” It was a depressing thought, really. It meant that at some point she would have to at least hint to her parents about what was happening – there was no way she would be able to hide this forever. At some point they were bound to find out, and she would prefer for it to be on her own terms than by accident. “What about when we’ve all finished Hogwarts? What then? Will we have to stick around just in case something bad happens?” Will I ever be able to go back to India? she thought to herself.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

"Oh no, I have no intentions of remaining here for the remainder of my days either," replied D'rorah. "Just because we have been tasked with this duty does not mean we are not allowed to have lives outside of that duty. The Order has informants all over the world... the trouble now is centralized near Hogwarts, but it has not always been. In fact, I have a feeling that the only reason the Mage has chosen to open her main battlefront here for the time being is that we are all here. However, it would likely be safest for as many of us to remain close to one another as possible and for all of us to remain in constant communication."

She set her fork aside for a moment, pondering Caitlin's questions and pondering her own thoughts on the matter of the Shadow Wars for a moment. She wasn't sure she would escape from it if she could... but then, she had practically been raised with the notion of defending Light, though she had had no idea growing up just how crucial her role would be in the context of the Shadow Wars.

"Would you really abstain even if you could?" she asked finally. "With all that is at stake in the world?" She shook her head slightly. "There is an escape... it is all voluntary. No one can force you to fight if you truly do not wish to." She wasn't entirely sure she understood Caitlin's resistance to her duty... she herself had nothing to go back to at this point in her life. She had no family, no friends outside of the Lightfighters, nothing except her research (which was portable) and the properties she had been left as an inheritance (which really didn't need much other than an occasional visit to make certain they remained in order).

[Caitlin Collins]

Caity nodded, finally looking up to meet D’rorah’s eyes as she spoke. So she would be able to return to India, it seemed. That was a good thing. It was almost as if Dee knew what she had actually wanted to ask. Staying in constant communication seemed sensible, and it was likely she would have done so anyway.

"Would you really abstain even if you could? With all that is at stake in the world? There is an escape... it is all voluntary. No one can force you to fight if you truly do not wish to."

“No, I... I know I have to,” she replied quietly, eyes averted once more. “I know you need all the help you can get, that’s why it’s so important to convince Gat to fight with us –” Caity stopped for a few seconds, remembering the conviction with which certain lightfighters had been sure he couldn’t be dissuaded from his current allegiance. “I just...” Caity cringed and paused again as she tried to get across what she meant. “I wish it wasn’t me. And I know that if it wasn’t me then it would just be someone else, and that that’s selfish, but... I wish this wasn’t necessary. Any of it. I wish that there weren’t Shadow Warriors or Elemental Masters; I wish that we could all just live normal lives. And I know that’s impossible, but I can’t help wishing.”

Not sure of what else she could say to explain her reluctance, Caitlin miserably picked up the fork she had placed on the table and began to eat in silence, still not looking up at D’rorah. It seemed so easy for the other girl, as if she couldn’t imagine a life where she wasn’t fighting dark creatures. Glancing out of the window at the sun shining brightly down for once, she contemplated how ignorant the rest of the world was. They didn’t know about any of this. Life was simply for them. Like it had been for her in India. Upon coming to Hogwarts she had been able to tell that something was wrong, and had wanted to know what it was; how she could help. She finally understood the phrase ‘Ignorance is bliss’.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah nodded her head quietly as Caitlin spoke. She knew a similar sentiment was possessed by many of the others, if not all of them. Having experienced the horrors of what creatures of the Shadow Realm could do first-hand, she understood the sentiment, even if she did not share it. She knew that such balances were tedious and difficult to maintain and that, if this were not the issue at hand, there would be another. Possibly, there would be an even worse enemy to contend with, even though that really seemed impossible. She watched as Caitlin morosely turned back to her food and looked upon her own plate. Her dinner was nearly gone, attacked calmly by her ravenous appetite. She was thankful for moments like this, when things were quiet and she allowed herself a few minutes away from her studies.

The waitress, sensing that they were close to an end and noticing a lull in the conversation, approached with questions about dessert. D'rorah was actually considering it, knowing she likely wouldn't have a decent meal again for several days. Normally, she didn't care for sweets at all, but a decent meal had turned into a bit of an occasion. "Perhaps a tiramisu," she replied in Italian before looking to Caitlin.

"Miss Collins? Would you care to order anything for dessert?"

[Caitlin Collins]

Caitlin finished her pizza in silence, mulling over all she had just learned. Of course she couldn't leave the other lightfighters, especially when there was already disunity amongst them; with Gat working for the Mage, Alessandro missing and, of course, the matter of Zee having attacked Dylan.

Caity looked up as the waitress approached them and asked if they would like anything else to eat. D'rorah replied first in Italian, then turned to her.

"Miss Collins? Would you care to order anything for dessert?"

Normally Caity would jump at the chance to have Italian ice cream - after all, it was indisputedly one of the best makes in the world - but on this occasion she really had no appetite. Besides, she had no idea what Dee had said to the waitress, whether she had ordered anything, and didn't want to hold up the other girl if she wanted to get back to Hogwarts.

"No thanks, I'll pass," Caitlin replied, leaning back in her chair. She would soon find out if Dee had ordered anything. Remembering what the price had been for the pizza when she had read it from the menu, she retrieved her bag from the floor and got out ready the money to pay for it.