i hardly gnome her | mina

[Bran Fionn O'Dalaigh]

a little closer to grace.

october, 2021

THE GNOMES WERE ACTING ODD. Bran had heard of three instances were gnomes were seen stealing food from the kitchens, much to the horror of the elves preparing the meals there. Typically, they nested out by the Forbidden Forest, and they certainly did not swipe food from within the school halls. Along with a few break-in's to the greenhouses, Bran was convinced something was afoot. He set out with a backpack, a textbook with a chunky portion on gnomes, and a notebook for his findings. It was not the first time Bran had snuck out of the castle in search of adventure on his own, and it certainly would not be the last.

The small tent had no closing front flap, and had been swiped from a bedmate who had brought it with the intention of turning the whole dorm into some kind of blanket fort. It was enough to keep the cold out, and Bran hadn't even set up a fire in case it scared the creatures away. He was wrapped up in his coat, blowing into his hands for a good few hours after lights out before the wind even changed.

Hunkered down, his knuckles red raw, he saw the first gnome poke their head out with a titter. Bran had perfected his ability to blend in, pressing his belly into the dirt as he lifted a set of binoculars to his eyes hungrily. They tottered out in formation, though not as the textbook laid out. It was a rather clumsy parade, their squealing language jumbled as they spoke over one and other. Bran's head was hurting as he tried to decipher what had gotten them... drunk, almost. He waited until the last gnome stumbled out of its nest before he very quietly began to tail them through the Forbidden Forest.

There were many sounds that should have frightened Bran that night. How the forest seemed to breathe, or the odd howl could be heard intermittently from somewhere deep in the recesses. He was not stupid enough to venture out on a full moon, but it still made him flinch when he heard it. The gnomes were unfazed, and entirely consumed by their journey as they traced a path through the foliage. Bran kept his distance, but he was enraptured. He'd never seen the gnomes look so organised, while appearing so simultaneously out of sorts. They didn't even recognise they were being followed.

In the distance, a light could be seen warming the neighbouring trees. The gnomes noticed it at the same time as Bran, their high-pitched voices seeming to hum in reverence. A rhythmic call that was so jarring that Bran stopped to watch them scatter towards it, as if in a race for who could reach the light first. Bran picked up his pace at once, the binoculars swinging from his neck as he broke the treeline just moments after the last gnome. It was not some godly being, rather it was a warming spell that flooded Bran with so much heat that it choked him momentarily.

It was... a garden. Bathed in artificial light, the potted plants stretched along growth poles and dripped with dew. There was no variation in the plants, just a line of the same leafy bushels. Bran paused, his brain going into overtime as he saw a gnome squeal as it passed his legs and ferociously gnawed on the stalk of a nearby plant. Bran walked towards it, pressing a sticky stem between his fingers and frowning as he tried to remember where exactly he had seen such a thing before. And then it hit him all at once. "This is weed!" He gasped, his mouth dropping open in shock before he collapsed at the waist in great peals of laughter. The gnomes were getting high. 

mina pandora oliveira

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[mina pandora oliveira]

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Mina, for the most part, had kept herself in line and out of trouble for the entirety of her seventh year. So far. Considering she was only a month into it, there was time for that to change, but the plan was to make it seem like she was being a perfect child for once in her life. Like she had learned from her past mistakes and that there wouldn’t be any more follies or failures. Obviously there was hesitation on the part of the professors that usually caught her in the act of whatever her daily bad deed was, until she made it through the entire month of September without missing an assignment or being out of line. An ‘unprecedented change of maturity’, her Charms professor had stated when she turned in an essay before the class instead of taking the whole time to finish it like she usually did so it would still be turned in on time. The last few years had certainly been better than when she had been in her third year, aka the year she almost got the boot. Being the second flunky from the Oliveira family would definitely do the greater werewolf community a solid. That was sort of what was being held over her head these last two years of school, as if something that only afflicted half of her family mattered to her. Unless Sarah came rampaging back home during Christmas and bit her under the full moon, werewolf problems belonged to her parents and her older siblings. Not her, not Callisto, not Evy.

Now, obviously Mina wasn’t going straight-edge out of the blue. She had simply shifted her method of misbehaving. Got into gardening over the summer, having found a nice open area in the woods behind the family home. Gardening meaning growing weed for her own and Rue’s personal consumption. Selling at Hogwarts and getting caught that way would absolutely have them both expelled, and she wasn’t going to risk that this close to escaping it. At the same time, she didn’t want to give up on her little grow operation, and had managed to transfer a bit of it with her on the train. Magic made everything easier, especially in the hidden grove inside the Forbidden Forest. It was deep enough in that the average student wouldn’t stumble upon it when their curiosity led them into the woods, but not too far away that she actively had to hike to get to it. Sneaking out at night had never gotten her in that much trouble, and creeping out of the dungeons and onto the grounds was like breathing to her at this point. So the occasional stroll out to the forest after hours was fairly common. Tonight was one of those nights.

Mainly because some of her plants had been messed with. Based on the bite marks, it was a creature of some sort and definitely not a student, so she wasn’t worried about being turned in for growing pot. But she still wanted to stop whatever it was that was taking munches out of her plants. Heading quickly across the grounds and through the trees like she had done dozens of times since the start of the term, Mina wound her way through the woods and towards the hazy glow of her weed farm. The occasional crack of twigs or squeak of an animal hadn’t alerted her to anything or anyone, as that was fairly common within the forest at all times of the day. As she approached her garden though, she heard someone laughing.

The shiver that went through her as she stopped in her tracks immediately wasn’t pleasant. There wasn’t anything in the garden that indicated she was the one growing, but being caught in the vicinity certainly would be a dead giveaway. Trying to decide if she wanted to give it all up or not was too difficult to do in the moment, so she started backing up from the edge of the clearing to try and give herself space from whoever the intruder was. Which would have worked well until she felt her heel hit a root that was jutting out, and then proceeded to trip backwards over it. The perfectly timed string of swears that came out of her as she crashed onto the ground absolutely didn’t help her either.

Bran Fionn O'Dalaigh ● 728 ● Appointments by Julien Baker

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[Bran Fionn O'Dalaigh]

a little closer to grace.

october, 2021

HE WAS GASPING FOR BREATH, THE KIND OF belly laugh that hurt as good as it felt. Of all the scenarios Bran had considered to explain the gnomes odd behaviour, he had not in his wildest dreams considered that they might simply be... stoned. It was as unbelievable as it was humorous, and when his laughing ebbed he still couldn't tear his eyes away from the makeshift set up. Whoever had done it had put effort into their location. It was secluded, shrouded and utterly unappealing to venture for students and professors alike. Bran wanted to meet this criminal mastermind.

The grunt and clatter of a body hitting the ground made Bran whip around. His laughter dying in favour of caution as he was harshly reminded that he was, in fact, in the 'Forbidden' Forest. However, rather than a two-headed beast, or a giant spider, Bran saw a body crumpled clumsily on the ground at the edge of the clearing. He moved without thinking, his thoughts reeling with excitement. The mastermind in the flesh, surely. "Hey- Oi, wait a second!" He raised his crackling voice, leaping over a sprouting pot in an effort to close the space between them before the person could flee.

Up close, Bran realised it was a girl. He thanked his lucky stars he had not been tailed by a groundskeeper, or an equally curious professor. At even closer inspection, Bran realised it wasn't just any girl - "Mina..?" His brows lifted, his voice hushed as he offered her a hand to help her up from the ground. It should have been telling that, upon realising who she was, Bran was not all that surprised. "I suppose I should'a known..." He snorted, shaking his head in a mixture of mirth and admiration. "If anybody's growing a bloody skunk farm, it'd have to be you." And then he laughed again, a hard one that rattled his throat and dimpled his cheeks. 

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NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[mina pandora oliveira]

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The laughter cut almost immediately as she fell onto her ass and started cursing. Covering her mouth with both hands, the first thought that jumped into her head was that she was royally fucked. Whoever this person was, they were now going to find her and report back to the professors. Growing in an operation of this scale was completely different from the average stupid shit that students got up to. This was way past accidentally shrinking another student's ears or getting caught fooling around in an unused classroom. Those were dumb teenager things. But this? This was a real criminal offense in the muggle world, and she would definitely get slapped with the intent to distribute even if it was just for her and Rue. She was so close to getting out of Hogwarts too. On a scale of one to ten with bad luck, this was a twenty at least.

Except maybe it wasn't. She'd noticed the laughing had been male sounding, the voice that called at her as she sat sprawled on the ground confirming that. Even better, the person seemed to know her too (but who didn't at this point, for better or worse?). Her eyes adjusting as the figure stepped over her, she realized that she knew him too: Bran. A quieter kid - compared to her - in Gryffindor, Mina knew enough that she'd probably talked his ear off once or twice about something stupid and nonsensical that was ruining her day. Literally anyone would do in one of those situations, but she felt better now that she knew who the disembodied laughter belonged to.

She took his hand and used its leverage to get back to her feet, immediately dusting her backside off. Pine needles and clumps of dried forest decay had attached themselves instantaneously. "Swear you won't tell anyone," Mina said forcefully the second she was back in order. "I'm on a short leash already, O'Dalaigh. If I fuck up anymore, they'll toss me for good."

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[Bran Fionn O'Dalaigh]

a little closer to grace.

october, 2021

THE ADRENALINE OF CHASING THE FARMER, paired with the sheer hilarity of finding a weed farm on school grounds, really got Bran's blood pumping. His face was flushed with glee, pulling Mina to her feet and grinning madly. He didn't even realise she was chalk white with fear, her eyes wide and mouth pinched with suspicion. Once he did, his smile flattened slightly and he reared his head back in surprise.

"What- like report it?" He snorted, nose scrunching and head turning as he watched a few errant gnomes roll around the soil of a nearby bushel. "And have them burn the lot?" He barked an extra laugh of disbelief and crossed his arms, clicking his tongue as he did. "Not a chance." He assured her, turning his head back with that same grin. "This is the best thing that's happened here since Merlin knows when."

Bran didn't need Mina to tell him she was on a short leash, it was common knowledge who the school pranksters were. Mina was one of few who were often named and shamed. A real regular at evening detentions. In fact, he'd heard a rumour once that she'd been given a lifetime supply. Multiple students had been overheard musing over whether she'd be 60 years old, reporting to McGonagall for eraser bashing every night. He'd laughed at that, though not as much as he'd laughed at the stoned gnomes.

When Mina still did not look entirely convinced at his assurance, Bran stepped back. Using his left pointer finger he crossed his heart and lifted the silver pendant at his neck and kissed it once. "I don't make promises to Saint Francis for nothin'." He told her very sternly, though it split with a small, tentative smirk as he turned his head again. "You know, you've got real gnome problem on your hands." He informed her, running his tongue across his teeth. "Who knew they were all mindless hippies at heart." He raised his brows at her expectantly. "You should write that down somewhere, someone might wanna know someday." 

mina pandora oliveira

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[mina pandora oliveira]

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Yes, like reporting it, was the immediate thought that burst into her head as Bran started to talk. The newfound headache of someone aside from herself and Rue now knew of her 'garden' was a swirling mix of panic and anger. The dread mostly came from the fact that not everyone was tight-lipped at Hogwarts, and she didn't know Brian well enough to have an idea of whether or not he'd spill. A lot of people would say they'd never tell a soul but then do it the first chance they got. Mina knew that was the way things worked because she did it all the time. Whatever was beneficial to her (and to an extent, Rue as well) was how she proceeded. Which was also why she was in a boiling cauldron with the professors right now. At this point they just wanted to be rid of her. The feeling was mutual.

Bran seemed to be doing his best to try and convince her that he wasn't going to snitch, even swearing on some saint that she'd never heard of. She didn't know if that made it better or not. Placing a curse on him that wouldn't take effect unless he uttered weed and Mina in the same sentence would be far more efficient and put her at ease. Unfortunately she wasn't good with those sorts of spells, so that wouldn't work.

The gnome problem was definitely an issue though. She only took her glower off of Bran while giving the whole area a quick glance. It had definitely been ravaged by something, the culprits very clearly being the gnomes. They weren't exactly smart enough not to tell a curious staff member where they got their funny grass from either. "So what are you proposing?" Mina demanded, not really interested in the hilarity of doped up magical creatures. Not today, at least. Maybe once she repeated back the whole ordeal to Rue, then the two of them could laugh at it. But she still didn't trust Bran enough to keep it to himself.

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[Bran Fionn O'Dalaigh]

a little closer to grace.

october, 2021

THERE WAS A SCHEMING SORT OF LOOK TO Mina's fine-boned face. Alas, Bran couldn't tell if that was just how she always looked. Staring at him with narrowed suspicion. She didn't look convinced by his earnest promise, and that annoyed Bran a little bit. He was being truthful, Bran didn't make promises to the Saint's just for the fun of it. He didn't say anything, though, hoping his silence made her forget about the fact that he had a very independent mouth - one capable of spilling trade secrets.

Hiding his own satisfaction, Bran squared his jaw before he even considered answering. Leaning back on his heels and crossing his arms. All in a hopeful display of mischievous competence equal to Mina's prolific experience. "Well-" He cleared his throat for good measure, breaking her stern eye contact to look at the ambitious weed crop. "I'm pretty familiar with de-gnoming." He shrugged his shoulders, appearing almost careless. "We've had 'em plenty on my families land back home."

This was all a valiant attempt to garner Mina's attention, and maybe just a little of her respect. Bran made no such attempt to meet her trouble-making style at Hogwarts - as if he ever could. It was a little out of his range and ambition anyways. The discovery of the weed crops changed things just a little bit, though. It was a secret he wanted to be a part of. If only for the excitement of being involved. "I could help." He clarified, letting his eyes fall back on that clever, suspicious glare. 

mina pandora oliveira

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[mina pandora oliveira]

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De-gnoming...on her own that would have been a pain in the ass. She didn't have the physical strength to catch more than a few and toss them, and probably would have just let her garden go if it came to that. With O'Dalaigh offering to do it for her, well that changed a lot of things. Mina paced back and forth, pretending to think longer than she actually required to come to a decision on it. Bran could easily get this done, and she was sure the actual deal would require her splitting profits or giving him a little extra free of charge or whatever. Anything to keep his lips sealed.

Stopping in front of him, she gave him a once over, sort of hoping it would seem like she was sizing him up. Having felt like she lost control of the situation slightly, Mina didn't want him to think that she'd owe him one. "Alright farmer O'Dalaigh, what can you do then? Will they come back after a while or do I need to completely move everything?" This was where having access to the Room of Requirement or an unused greenhouse would have been better. Yes, they were both on school grounds and easier to get into, but at least then she wouldn't have to deal with pests like this. That included the gnomes and O'Dalaigh.

Help was good though, and she definitely needed it right now. "Alright. Fine. What do we have to do to get rid of them?" She'd never de-gnomed anything before so this would be interesting. Anything to save her plants and keep high gnomes from stumbling onto the school grounds.

Bran Fionn O'Dalaigh ● ### ● Song by Artist

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[Bran Fionn O'Dalaigh]

a little closer to grace.

october, 2021

BRAN WATCHED IN ANTICIPATORY SILENCE AS Mina paced a path into the dirt. Her face screwed in such a shrewd expression of concentration that he almost wanted to laugh. He pressed his lips together tightly, afraid if he even sneezed she'd be shaken out of her reverie and dismiss him without a second thought. Let her mince over it, he thought to himself, perhaps she'd convince herself it was a fantastic idea.

When she stopped, Bran tensed, hiding his humour by rolling his lips between his teeth. Thankfully, he wasn't banished from the place, and Bran allowed himself a little snicker as she called him 'farmer O'Dalaigh. "Bran's fine," He replied with a smirking mouth'. He supposed that was what he was, right enough. Was he supposed to be insulted? He wasn't sure, too pleased to be involved in something so plainly secretive. "Uh..." He took a step forward, swinging his gangly arms and narrowing his eyes as he looked at the little crop with narrowed eyes. He tried to envision his granda then, surveying their land like a wise old wizard.

"Just swing 'em, is a start." He shrugged loosely, grinning a dimpled smile at Mina. "The dizzier the better," He nodded sagely, clicking his fingers once before bounding across the space to inspect the first gnome hole he could find. It was poorly done, the plant was making them batty, he reckoned. Not even very well hidden, it was only a few meters clear of the crop they so desired.

"They might come back, I suppose." He muttered, reaching a hand into the hole right up to his elbow. It was all about the confidence, he heard his granda tell him him, as he caught the wispy head of a slumbering gnome and very quickly yanked it out. It wriggled lamely, weak from a drug induced slumber.. Of course, that didn't stop it from turning its great big boulder head from side to side, snapping a toothy jaw. Bran took one look at it, gleeful with success and swung it three times around his head before sending it sailing into the overgrowth. He watched it go with a long stare, before turning back to Mina while wiping the dirt from his hands.

"Don't move it," Bran said with a slight frown. "If you move it, you might get caught, right?" He shrugged his shoulders, pretending like he did this every day. He didn't. He thought he was being clever, at least, showing her that he was good on his word. "I mean, that's the traditional way to get rid of them, 'course." He sighed, turning his head to stare at the row of weed plants with something akin to fascination. "But, there are other ways to keep them away." Bran pursed his lips and turned back, catching Mina's eye with raised brows. 

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NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[mina pandora oliveira]

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Apparently there was more of a difference between magical folk that grew up in the countryside and those that didn’t than she thought, because she felt hurling gnomes through the woods was some of the most country bumpkin-like behavior she had ever seen. Her jaw was slack as she watched Bran reach barehanded down into one of the holes and produced a sleeping gnome, before winding it up in a whirly fashion and launching it off in a random direction. Wasn’t this like, creature abuse? She was no saint for quite a number of things, but this was easily the strangest way to deal with another living being she had ever seen before. Clearly she had slept through whatever class taught this. She had a habit of missing both Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures.

“That’s quite barbaric,” she said, flabbergasted, and giving Bran a rather incredulous look. But he had a point: if she moved the plot, the chances of being caught went up drastically. She couldn’t go further into the forest as there were rumored creatures in there that were far nastier than a handful of high gnomes. Giving him a hard stare as he continued to maintain that this was the normal way to deal with the little fiends, he did pose that there were ways to keep them away. That was more what she wanted to hear. Having to throw them around every couple of days made this whole pot growing business not worth it, especially if they were bound to munch on her supply every time they stopped by.

“What d’you have in mind then?” Mina asked. She could see a second gnome starting to squiggle out backwards from the same hole that Bran had produced the first one from. Obviously there were more to deal with, and she wanted to know before they had an idea of what was going on at the surface.

Bran Fionn O'Dalaigh ● 320 ● Song by Artist

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[Bran Fionn O'Dalaigh]

a little closer to grace.

october, 2021

IT NEVER OCCURRED TO BRAN THAT HIS OLD family farm quirks were anything other than typical. He'd swung his way through more gnomes than he could count, it beat smoking the holes, or cursing the ground. Tossing them had been a fun summer pastime. Unfortunately, this meant he was not prepared to be criticized for doing so. A little light headed from the spinning, Bran stopped to stare at Mina as she looked at him with a wide-eyed incredulity. He paused, blinking rapidly with his mouth parted for a huff of breath. His cheeks immediately filled with blood and he felt his skin prickle with embarrassment.

"I- I mean, it's pretty- People do it all the time!" He stuttered, trying to defend himself but feeling as if he were talking in circles. "It's a nationally approved method of pest control..." He mumbled, digging his heels into the dirt and averting his gaze. He bit on the inside of his bottom lip, feeling silly all of a sudden. He'd been too eager before, he chastised himself. Too excited to share a method he himself knew, and she didn't. Like he had a secret worth sharing. It was stupid, he realised, but at least she hadn't cried or nothing. "They're not hurt," He added, just in case she was gearing up to cry about it.

In the aftermath of his social faux pas, Bran felt sure he'd botched the whole scheme. Fortunately, Mina appeared to have thicker skin than he'd initially given her credit. She had a business like stance, so sure about herself that it made Bran nervous. Bran swayed slightly, brain ticking overtime as he realised his window of opportunity was quickly closing. "Uh, I'll clear out the ones in the nearby holes..." His head snapped around as Mina's eye was drawn to a groggy little boulder head poking up through the hole he'd just grabbed a gnome from. A partner, no doubt, that Bran made no hesitation to grab for. It caught his thumb in his eagerness. A nip that made him flinch and hiss, but not pause as he stepped backward and felt it vibrate with a furious squeal as he spun it a good handful of times before sending it sailing into the distance with an echoing cry as it disappeared.


"Once we've cleared the closest gnome holes and collapsed the hub we can uh, we can plant a perimeter!" He exclaimed, excitement starting to bubble under his skin once again as he started to think of all the intricacies of the challenge at hand. He started to pace, pulling out his wand and mumbling under his breath as he tried to remember the spell his granda had used to fill in the empty cavities. Thumb still smarting where it bled lightly. "I mean, there's Jarvey's too, but-" He stopped to bark a laugh, "That's barbaric!" Nodding his head as if Mina would immediately understand. "We can plant Everlasting Lavender and maybe even Squill bulbs if we can find the seeds..." Scratching at the back of his head with the tip of his wand, Bran was like a boy possessed. 

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NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[mina pandora oliveira]

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Mina wasn’t convinced. The nationally approved method for removal of garden gnomes was grabbing them by their legs, spinning them around, and then hurling them in a random direction? On one hand, it sounded absolutely stupid. On the other, she had sort of forgotten that she was included in the magical community, and their idea of fixing things that didn’t have a spell at the ready was usually something equivalent to this. Then again, she was the one growing marijuana the muggle way because she didn’t want any traces of magic in her plants. There was no telling what that could do to them.

While she didn’t know if she believed Bran or not on the condition of the gnome post-toss, the dizzying looking walk the one that had been thrown was now doing confirmed that it was at least still alive. There were hardly any students at Hogwarts who were malicious enough to actually want to hurt another living creature. The only one she knew of had been expelled years earlier and was her sister. Regardless, Bran was offering to take care of the gnome holes and then provided a plan on potentially walling off the area with a lavender plant and something else she had never heard of. She should have paid more attention in Herbology.

”You want a cut, don’t you?” she finally said after a long pause. That much had been obvious since he first proposed the idea of de-gnoming the lot. And the fact that he seemed agog about this operation of hers. Literally no one would go this far to help if they didn’t want in on it, or to get in her pants. O’Dalaigh was fine enough, but she wasn’t about to drop them just because he tossed a couple gnomes for her. ”If you put in the work, I might be able to part with some…” she offered without waiting for a response from him. That was only fair after all. That and it would seal his silence. If they were breaking rules together, she could always pin it all on him. No one at the school would ever believe that she knew how to de-gnome or plant a lavender bulb, or whatever it was he had just mentioned.

Bran Fionn O'Dalaigh ● 377 ● Song by Artist

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[Bran Fionn O'Dalaigh]

a little closer to grace.

october, 2021

BRAN HAD STARTED PACING IN HIS EXCITEMENT. Scheming was never quite his gig, but he found he enjoyed the theatrics of it once he was in the throes. His mind ticking over all of his favourite pest control solutions, things his grandpa would grumble about over a pipe of potent tobacco. A reminder of a simpler childhood he barely saw now that he was in school, he hadn't realised he'd missed the mess of it all. Not until he'd discovered Mina's little funk farm.

Skidding to a halt, Bran's flushed face blinked haplessly for a moment. Mina was suddenly very serious, she had a very adult look on her face. Arms crossed in preparation of negotiation. "Oh..." Bran breathed, his mouth flapping just a little bit before he grabbed his composure. "I mean... yes...?" He squinted, shoulders shucking up around his shoulders. Bran forced himself not to feel guilty as he licked his lips and took a careful step forward. "Your crop won't last the year the way its going." He reasoned, finding his cunning the more he considered it, because of course he deserved a cut. He just hadn't gotten to that part of the scheming. It wasn't as fun, after all.

With a snicker, Bran furrowed his brow and looked at Mina a little more intently as she continued. Like she'd be doing him a favour. Her face very serious, so serious it made Bran want to laugh. As if they weren't two teenagers in the Forbidden Forest, one of which had somehow manufactured a frowned upon psychedelic during school hours. And she wanted to offer him a cut. "I don't just want a cut..." He admitted with a very small smile. Crossing the patch to get very close to Mina's pretty, but perhaps a little naive, face. As if they were already scheming once again. "I wanna be partners." He quirked his brows at her, feeling almost dangerously confident in the company of a girl who sort of scared him 90% of the time. In for a penny...

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NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[mina pandora oliveira]

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’Fuck me,’ her internal monologue swore as it became apparent that she had just placed the idea in Bran’s head. She absolutely could have gotten away with handing over far less if she had kept her mouth shut. Mina seriously doubted that her plants would be gnomed to death now that she knew about the trouble the creatures could cause. Taking care of business on her own was sort of her thing anyways, especially with this. Obviously, Rue knew, but she wasn’t going to rely on her friend for assistance in every little side-gig she did. Especially when they had their potions to test. So believing O’Dalaigh about this was difficult. With a lot of work on her end, she could absolutely handle the gnomes on her own. It just depended on if she wanted it to be that way or not.

For a moment, she stupidly thought he was going to do it for free. The wry smile should have told her what he was actually getting at, and she already felt a long, deep sigh preparing itself to relent some of her crop. He got ridiculously close to her as he spoke, and she took a half a step back as his height became intimidating. She had absolutely zero physical presence when it came to standing next to him. ”Partners?” she repeated back, knowing that she’d heard him correctly. Now that he knew where she was planted, he could come by whenever he pleased and grab whatever he wanted. That wasn’t exactly what she wanted. She needed this to stay on the down low after all.

Staring up at him a little too seriously, Mina finally dropped her crossed arms. It was easier this way. Everything she had thought about previously still stood, with him handling the gnomes. The only difference was she’d be giving up more of her supply. On the other hand, if there was two of them, they could plant more to make up for that. ”Okay. I can work with that. Thirty-five percent goes to you, since I’m splitting mine with Rue already. If things work out over the next few months, I might bump it up to forty. Deal?” Mina said while shoving her hand out towards him.

Bran Fionn O'Dalaigh ● 375 ● Song by Artist

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[Bran Fionn O'Dalaigh]

a little closer to grace.

october, 2021

MINA MATCHED BRAN'S PROXIMITY WITH A measured step backwards, and he stopped. He wasn't trying to frighten her, just scheme. Which, apparently, he enjoyed very much. His family didn't have much in the way of extra cash, and when they did they certainly weren't sending it to Bran for ciggy's and Honeyduke hauls. He could use the petty cash, completely unattached from his ma and da's watchful eyes. "Partners." He said resolutely, that seem cunning little grin on his mouth.

Though she'd attempting to regain the upper ground, Mina still had to tilt her chin up to catch Bran's eye. Frightfully tall even as a hapless 6th year. He didn't realise the effect this could have, Bran didn't know the meaning of 'intimidating'. Mina's shrewd, pale face seemed to flick over a dozen emotions before it became flat in thought. Bran almost caved, his leg just beginning to jitter under the pressure when Mina's small hand darted out between them.

"Hm..." Bran hummed, trying to consider if he was being ripped off or not. He didn't want to seem too eager, so he rocked back on his heels briefly. "Room for promotion?" He quirked his brows, pursed his smiling mouth and finally grabbed Mina's hand before she could pull it back. They shook on it firmly, Bran noting that for such a small hand it had a hell of a grip. He refrained from shaking out his crushed knuckles when they let go, letting out a hearty little chuckle as he looked back at his cash cow. "So, you and Rue cooked this up?" Bran asked with a grin on its face that reeked of impression. "As in... Potions Prudence?" 

mina pandora oliveira

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!