Be Ermintrude's listening ear until she's open to you, then ASK FOR A FAVOR. On a 10+ she grants it.

Ermintrude Cachalot invites you to join her on a gloomy week-end day. And it does end up being a day, from morning till night. Her usual crowd of hangers-on seems to have dispersed for end-of-term studies and practices, so you've come at a good time.

It takes Ermintrude until after lunch until she notices.

"Morgan," she says. "What is going on with your hair?" She peers through the great round lenses of her glasses and pushes back her limp, dishwater-colored hair from her prominent, high forehead.

"It's been like this since I dueled Emily Leopard," you say.

"Oh, that's right, you were telling me," Ermintrude says, blinking. "That was after you had joined Leontes. What a peculiar notion, switching Houses. Is one really better than any of the others?"

"Well," you say. "They do have different people in them. And if you like some of the people more than others, you might like one of the Houses more than the others."

Ermintrude waves her hand. "Oh, that's all very well, then," she says. "If you care about that sort of thing. But magic is magic, and books are books, and it doesn't much matter what House you're in for that. Though I would have stayed out of Leontes, all that dueling. Oh right, your hair."

And then it's back to the books, and to comparative magical history, and endless cups of tea from the ever-full pot in the House Draconis upper forms' common room.

You end up doing less of an appearance of interest than you were expecting, leaning forward and listening with actual keenness as Ermintrude talks about the way folk traditions and hedge witchcraft are picked up over time and worked into the body of work of guild magic and even academic magic. "I do have to admit," Ermintrude says. "That although magic is magic, different Houses do favor different traditions."

"Pardon me, Ermintrude," you say. "For all your interest in books and the history of magic and tradition, why are you in House Draconis? Not in House Minerval, where books and comparative magic are prized? Or even in House Beavertail, which is closer to some of the historical roots of herbalism and charms? Why Draconis?"

Ermintrude blushes. "I, ah, well. My boyfriend was going to be in Draconis. But he took ill and ended up doing something else altogether. And, well, as much one House as another. I think..." She sighs. "Well, my schoolmates in House really appreciated my work? So there never seemed a reason to go elsewhere?"

Flattery, you think. Ermintrude is a great big hungry sponge for flattery, and where better to get it than House Draconis. By doing her classmates' work for them.

"Yes, well," you say. "Fay and I really appreciated that reading group you got together."

Ermintrude beams. "I really worked hard to put that together," she says. "I'm so glad to hear that."

Eventually you're able to talk Ermintrude around to your special interest related to conjuring a spirit into your wilful hair so it actually does something useful to you rather than being an intermittent distraction.

⚃⚅ + 2 = 12.

When you ASK FOR A FAVOR, on a 10+, Ermintrude gladly grants you one.

"Well, that sounds like it would be interesting," Ermintrude says. "I think I read something about that in one of the Librarian's closed-stack books. I do need to settle on an end-of-term practicum, and perhaps I could make a project of you."

Gain a FAVOR from Ermintrude Cachalot of House Draconis.

You have a GOAL (-3 vs. CUNNING) to conjure an animating spirit into your hair so that it will act as another pair of hands, plus a +1 to Bravery and a one-time FAVOR.

You have +2 Ambition, -1 Bravery, +2 Cunning, +0 Diligence.
Your HOUSE TRAIT in Leontes is Bravery, and your HOUSE SEX MOVE is Charm.

Your FRIENDS are Fay Applebum (your girlfriend, really) and Grace Winterthorn.

You have 2 XP.

Possible Moves:

• Arrange with Ermintrude to work together in conjuring a spirit into your hair. Roll to ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL, using her FAVOR for a +2. Roll +CUNNING (+1) (+2 Cunning, +2 Favor, -3 Hard Goal).
• Track down Golondrina. It's been a while, but she's why you're in Leontes. Roll +BRAVERY(-1) to ENCOUNTER her, most likely with the intention to HAVE SEX.
• Go talk with Fay and see if she'll help with the conjuration. Roll to ENCOUNTER her, +BRAVERY(+1) (-1 Bravery, +2 FRIEND), and on a 10+, take +1 Forward on your conjuration or take +1 Forward to ASK FOR A FAVOR to help in case you struggle to ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL. Or maybe ask the same of Grace.