alchemical blurb

[mswoods]

The following day, Sadde has Transfiguration in the morning.

She is all over it at lunch.

"Okay, so, Transfig is just about the coolest thing," she says first thing to the Ravenclaws as soon as she sits at the table.

Comments

[alicornucopia]

"Miss Sadde is wishing to be speaking to an elf, sir?"

The elf appears to be female, and she is wearing a pristine tea towel pinned with the Hogwarts crest, and not only her head but all of the significant individual features of her head are too big.

[mrwoods]

"It's mr. Sadde today," he says automatically. "And, erm, yes. I had a few questions."

[alicornucopia]

"Turvy is being here to answer Mr. Sadde's questions."

[mrwoods]

He tries to think about an appropriate order for the questions and decides to go with: "What do House Elves in general do? As in, specifically?"

[alicornucopia]

"An elf is finding Mr. Sadde's note while doing laundry, sir, and elves is also making food, and cleaning, and sometimes we is being asked to do other chores as needed."

[mrwoods]

He pauses to consider this. "Is this a species thing? As in, do all Elves do those things?"

[alicornucopia]

"Yes sir."

[mrwoods]

"Why?"

[alicornucopia]

"It is being our nature, sir."

[mrwoods]

He blinks. "Can you elaborate on that?"

[alicornucopia]

"What does Mr. Sadde mean, please?" the elf asks, tilting her head.

[mrwoods]

"Well, erm, what exactly does it mean for it be your nature? What parts of you make you all do that as opposed to something else? What would happen if you did in fact do something else? I don't think humans have any, er, behavioural traits that are 'in our nature' so I'm having trouble conceptualising, here. Even reproduction's kinda optional."

[alicornucopia]

"Turvy is not sure what you is meaning, still, Mr. Sadde, Turvy apologizes. Elves is doing chores because chores is what elves is for."

[mrwoods]

He blinks. "So the very idea of not doing chores is, what, unthinkable?"

[alicornucopia]

"We is not doing chores every minute of every day, sir, we is resting sometimes, and Hogwarts elves has summers with not much to be doing unless families is borrowing us, but elves is not quitting."

[mrwoods]

He nods. "Okay, then, I change my question to quitting being unthinkable. Erm, I'm sorry if I'm being offensive or something, I'm just really curious and really muggleborn. Er. What I mean is, what do you feel, inside, when you think about quitting?"

[alicornucopia]

"Turvy does not want to quit, sir, Turvy is a good elf."

[mrwoods]

He nods, slowly. "So... doing chores makes you happy...?" he concludes tentatively.

[alicornucopia]

Turvy does not look like this is quite correct, but she nods anyway.

[mrwoods]

Sadde is paying enough attention to notice. "What would you describe as your... emotions... around the concept of doing chores?"

[alicornucopia]

"Turvy is not being sure how to answer, sir."

[mrwoods]

"Can you try anyway? Even an uncertain answer with lots of qualifiers is better than my utter and complete confusion. You don't need to, though, if you don't want, or if it's too difficult."

[alicornucopia]

Turvy bites her lip thoughtfully, then says, "The most important thing for an elf is being a good elf, Mr. Sadde, and that means chores."

[mrwoods]

Okay, that's something. "How do you know that being a good elf means chores?"

[alicornucopia]

"That is how elves are, sir."