Becoming Acquainted with the New Roomie on Teppenpaw Commons

Gabrielle DiCarlo

November 22, 2008 11:21 PM

Becoming aquainted with the Fifth Year Girls' Dorms by Gabrielle DiCarlo

If Gabrielle were another person, coming to another school and having to be sorted would have made the fifteen year old feel like an eleven year old all over again, but as it stood, being who she was, she believed that she was meant to be at Sonora at this particular time in her life. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be here, but would still be at Salem or perhaps even somewhere else. She had to admit that her curiosity was piqued by the fates. She wanted to know what they had in store for her, what her purpose was for being here, but she had faith that she would find out when the time came for reasons to be revealed.

Until then she would try to make herself at home in the new school and more importantly, her new dorm room. It would be hard to do if it had a negative energy about it. Escaping various places in the school was much easier than escaping a room she had to sleep in. She wondered if it was sought with a negative karmic presence if the Head would allow her to switch rooms. She doubted she would be allowed though, unless by some miracle, the Head understood the importance of the cosmic force. Of course, maybe, if the room was negative, she could begin doing some good by helping to turn the room positive. Maybe it would even help her new roommates.

The subject of her roommates brought about thoughts of what they might be like. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, it appeared that she was the first one in the room. No, it was definitely fortunate she decided. It gave her a chance to feel the room. Walking to the center of the room, she sat cross-legged on the floor. She rested her hands lightly on her knees and closed her eyes. Slowly and steadily, she breathed in and out, allowing herself to fall into a sort of meditation. She allowed the life of the room to wash over her, to speak to her. Most would say she was bordering the brink of sanity to believe she could hear a room. She would merely stare back with the corner of her lips turned ever so slightly in amusement for it was silly to believe sanity existed.

After a bit of time, Gabrielle opened her blue eyes. The room was joyful. It spoke of its goodness. It was balanced with the world. It was perfect. She thanked the fates for being generous to her for ensuring that she would be sorted, even if she had to be turned yellow, into this House, so she could be in this room. She tried to be courteous and remember to thank them, however, sometimes she forgot. She had even cursed them once. She felt horrible about it afterwards, but she had been very angry and self-pitying. It had been a year ago when she had been diagnosed with diabetes. She didn’t understand why her? She had always been a good girl.

That was when her mother had explained that there was no good or evil. There was only positive and negative, and the world needed equal amounts. Gabrielle hadn’t understood it at the time and even now, she was still learning, but she trusted her mother. She hoped to be just like her one day. Her mother had been taught the ways just as her mother before her and so on for generations. Normally, Gabrielle didn’t care what others thought of her. After all, she was usually found coated in charcoal from sketching, but to be an authoritative guide to the unseen world was considered a great honor by her clan. They believed her mother was even more blessed for possessing magic and had great hopes for her since she did as well. She didn’t want to be a disappointment in the line.

She didn’t really have time to think about it right now, as she heard the door open. She offered the person a grin, before introducing herself, “Hi, I’m Gabrielle DiCarlo.” She never thought to not offer her last name since it was a part of her and she didn’t think much of it, but there were the few others that did. Mostly it was muggleborns, sometimes halfbloods, who had heard of her uncle Alessandro DiCarlo. He owned a famous international modeling agency called Heavenly Despair. They might have even seen her in a magazine near to him when she went with her father to Italy, but never as a model. She would never want to be art. She much preferred drawing it. She offered a hand, a couple fingers tips in her usual charcoal, to the girl. “This room has a lovely transcendent vibe to it. We’re very fortunate.”

Subthreads:

I'm sure they're glad to make your acquaintance. by Amber Carey with Eavan Valentine, Gabrielle, Amber

Becoming Acquainted with the New Roomie by Eavan Valentine with Eavan

0 Gabrielle DiCarlo Becoming aquainted with the Fifth Year Girls' Dorms 85 Gabrielle DiCarlo 1 5

Amber Carey

November 23, 2008 12:20 AM

I'm sure they're glad to make your acquaintance. by Amber Carey

The family would chide her for lack of ambition, but Amber was frankly glad that Eavan had gotten the prefect's badge and that she had been left as she'd been. She'd still talk an ear off anyone who'd let her except Geoff Spindler, who she still felt awkward around after their one failed date, but she didn't like the idea of being in the spotlight all the time. Being who she was - be it just 'one of the Carey girls' at Sonora or 'the first half-blood Carey ever' most everywhere else - put her there enough by itself.

Once she managed the jig - she'd been practicing for three days and teased by Gwen, who'd caught her on the first day and had no idea why she was dancing, for two - she entered the common room with a wide smile. Summer hadn't been bad, really, but she was glad to be back at Sonora. Having Cath and Meredith and her mother all in the same house so often had been weird, and Gwen had been...too much, at least for the weeks since that flurry of letters had arrived.

Amber crossed the common room and headed for the corridors and their dormitory. It had been a long day between making sure everything had been packed, eating breakfast with her father, his wives, his future wife, and her cousin, saying all the necessary goodbyes, and taking the wagon ride from North Carolina to Arizona, and she wanted to lie down now, if not sleep yet. The elves would have delivered her bags, so all she'd have to do was dig through the mess to find a gown.

To her surprise, though, the dorm wasn't empty. A girl was in it, one she'd never seen before. She took the charcoal-smudged hand she was offered and tried to process that bit at the end about transcendent vibes. "I've always liked it in here," she said with a smile, deciding that was safest. No need to be rude, even if she didn't know what Gabrielle was talking about. "I'm Amber Carey." She didn't often use her surname, here, but not telling it after Gabrielle told hers seemed impolite, and like she was hiding something.

After the collective "we're", she wasn't surprised to see a new bed in the room. Her luggage was at the end of hers, or at least the one in the position the one she'd always slept in had been. "Welcome to Teppenpaw," she continued, kicking off her shoes and sitting cross-legged on top of her yellow comforter. "We're kind of the nice House, so just holler if you need help with something and someone'll usually answer. Where'd you go to school before this?" Amber knew that came together slightly awkwardly, but she had to give the girl a little something to respond to, didn't she?

0 Amber Carey I'm sure they're glad to make your acquaintance. 84 Amber Carey 0 5

Eavan Valentine

November 23, 2008 12:29 AM

Becoming Acquainted with the New Roomie by Eavan Valentine

Eavan was exhausted. The wagon ride, the feast, and introducing the new firsties to Teppenpaw had taken a lot out of her. All she wanted to do was collapse on her bed. Maybe say high to Amber. But when she got in the room, she found a strange girl sitting in the middle of the room, smiling at her. The girl was uncommonly pretty and Eavan suddenly felt a little plainer than before she entered the room. Maybe it because she was actually thinking about it at the moment. Eavan hesitated before stepping closer and taking the girl's dirty hand.

"Hi Gabrielle. I'm Eavan Valentine," Eavan said in the most pleasant voice she could muster as she still didn't know why the girl was cross legged on the floor. Then she noticed the extra bed that had magically appeared in the room. "Are you a new student? And what do you mean by transcendent vibe?"

0 Eavan Valentine Becoming Acquainted with the New Roomie 86 Eavan Valentine 0 5

Eavan

November 23, 2008 12:39 AM

OOC by Eavan

Let me rewrite my post...Amber got hers in first :)

0 Eavan OOC 0 Eavan 0 5

Eavan Valentine

November 23, 2008 1:00 AM

More acquaintance making by Eavan Valentine

Eavan was exhausted. The wagon ride, the feast, and introducing the new firsties to Teppenpaw had taken a lot out of her. And because of her new job, she was probably going to find Amber already ready for bed. All she wanted to do was collapse on her own bed as well. Maybe say high to Amber and hope that she wasn't upset at not being named prefect.

But when she got in the room, she found Amber talking to a strange girl sitting in the middle of the room. The girl was uncommonly pretty and Eavan suddenly felt a little plainer than before she entered the room. Maybe it because she was actually thinking about it at the moment. Eavan hesitated before stepping closer and interrupting their conversation.

"Hey Amber. Hi? Are you new?" Eavan said in the most pleasant voice she could muster. That was when she noticed the new bed that had magically appeared in the room and the answer to her question became obvious. "I'm Eavan, by the the way," she said, to the new girl.

0 Eavan Valentine More acquaintance making 86 Eavan Valentine 0 5

Gabrielle

November 25, 2008 1:31 AM

Possible friend making? by Gabrielle

If there was any doubt to Gabrielle feeling at home here, the other girl’s words washed it away. After all, there was no reason to lie about the enjoyment of a room. While the room had energy, it did not have the same emotional realm as a living being, so it wasn’t as though its feelings would be hurt if it was disliked. It would merely cause a disruption to the state of those in the room, but, thankfully, this was more of a helpful room and it seemed as though the people of the House were as well judging by both Amber, who she took a fair liking to, and by the information she provided about Teppenpaw.

Before she could answer Amber’s question, another girl entered the room. She immediately recognized the girl, even if the girl didn’t recognize her. She was the one that had led the first years into the House. Deciding that she should probably get up off the floor in order to better converse with her roommates, she uncrossed her legs and stood up to offer her hand to the girl. “Yes, I’m new,” she answered with a smile for it was always polite to answer one’s question. “It’s nice to meet you, Eavan. I’m Gabrielle DiCarlo. I just transferred here from the Salem Institute.”

She moved over to where her bed and things were. She had yet to actually unpack any of it, but knew it was best to take out the essential stuff. Opening her trunk, she pulled out piles worth of sketchbooks and art supplies in an attempt to find her pajamas. She really should have organized everything better. Her mother was always telling her that one day she was going to regret just shoving everything in there. “Aha!” She exclaimed, finally finding the light blue pajamas with purple moons and white stars all over them. “I was scared there for a minute that I forgot to pack sleepwear.” It would have been a very likely thing for her to do.

Gabrielle glanced down to all of her other items strewn about the floor, before biting her lip and giving her roommates an apologetic look. “I should probably tell you I’m sorry now. I was in Caelum back at my other school, which was the creative house. I tend to be very involved with art and I’m pretty messy, sooo….yeah, I’m sorry. I tend to leave all my sketchbooks and other supplies all over my area. I’ll do my best to keep it clean though or at least out of your hair.”

She poked her head and arms back into the box to get the second thing she was looking for and pulled out a beautiful handmade quilt. Each square of it was either colorful or unique in some way. It had taken her hours upon hours to pick out each one. She wanted each one to have meaning. She had even made some of her closer family members pick out a couple. It gave connected her to her family even though she was far away. Leaving the rest of her stuff on the floor, she spread the quilt over top of the comforter. Looking at it, she got an idea. Her blue eyes shifted back to the other girls. “Oh, and if you ever want something made, I’d be happy to help,” she offered.

0 Gabrielle Possible friend making? 85 Gabrielle 0 5

Amber

November 25, 2008 9:02 PM

Oh, that would be nice. by Amber

Amber had no sooner shut up than Eavan came in, finishing the round of greetings she and Gabrielle had started. She smiled brightly at her roommate, hoping that would convey exactly how not upset she was about Eavan being a prefect instead of her, and then listened to Gabrielle tell where she'd come from.

She remembered hearing about how well - or as the case had been, poorly - the closing of Salem had gone over with the alumnus family patriarch, but for once it crossed her mind that a topic might not be exactly welcome in this moment's company, so she kept her knowledge of it to herself. She'd known next to nothing except that the school was no longer operational and that Virginian patronage of it was why the rest of the family attended Sonora, anyway. The topic went back to ground she felt steadier on quickly.

"Don't worry about it for me," she said with a laugh when Gabrielle confessed to being messy. "I'm, like, the worst slob in the world since I started living with my dad." It was still weird to realize she'd gone three years without setting foot in the house she'd grown up in, but then, it was still weird sometimes to realize she now knew her dad to pick him out of a police lineup.

At the offer to make something, Amber's eyes widened. "Did you make that?" she asked, pointing to the patchwork quilt now adorning Gabrielle's bed. "It's really pretty!"

0 Amber Oh, that would be nice. 0 Amber 0 5

Eavan

November 26, 2008 1:11 AM

Luckily we're a nice group by Eavan

Eavan had heard of Salem before, but had never been interested enough to find out more about the other American school. It was somewhere on the East Coast. "Nice to meet you too, Gabrielle." She smiled when Gabrielle began flinging her things out of her trunk. She and Amber will be getting along great. Eavan wasn't a neat freak, but her things were never thrown around the room for longer than a day.

But when Gabrielle pulled out a bunch of sketchbooks and pencils, Eavan grinned. "Hey, you draw? My brother is an artist!" Eavan didn't have an artistic bone in her body, but somehow Gabrielle having something in common with her favorite brother (though she'd never admit it) felt like Gabrielle and her had something in common. And apparently she was more artistic than Earl when Amber pointed out the patchwork quilt. It was like the one they had at home that her grandmother had made before she died. Eavan stepped forward and looked at it with awe. "That's amazing."

0 Eavan Luckily we're a nice group 0 Eavan 0 5

Gabrielle

November 29, 2008 10:25 PM

I like nice groups by Gabrielle

“You must be my slob sister, then, since I’m at least the second biggest,” Gabrielle joked, addressing Amber, though, it was nice to have someone understand her messy tendencies. At home, she had her own room so it didn’t really matter if she were messy or not, and luckily for her, among her parents’ very few rules, keeping her room clean was not among them. Though, she did make an effort to clean it before she left for school every year. This was mostly due to the fact that if she didn’t, she would come home to a mess where she couldn’t find anything rather than the organized one she had left.

Her attention was drawn once more to the quilt and she nodded, her brown hair spilling over her shoulders. She brushed it back, as she sat down on the bed, pulling the quilt into her hands. “Thank you,” Gabrielle said with a slight blush. She liked when people appreciated the work that she put into something, but at the same time, it was always awkward to receive compliments. One would think that she would be used to it by now since she was complimented enough on her looks, especially her blue eyes. To take the focus away from herself and more to the quilt, she pointed at one of the squares. “This one was picked out by my younger cousin, Logan. It’s my favorite.” On the patch was the constellation of Sagittarius on a shimmering blue background.

“Sometimes, I do crafts like this. Sometimes, I paint or do pottery. Mostly, though, I draw. I love to draw,” she told her roommates, which was probably completely obvious by the sheer number of sketchbooks and the way her face lit up. “I started off working on inanimate objects like tables and worked towards buildings. Now, I’m working on the human form. The face is really hard to do, because even if you get all the angles right, you have to try and capture the emotion within the person. I think I’m doing okay with it though. My dad helped me with it some over the summer.” She realized that she was rambling a bit and switched topics, “So, what about you two? What do you do for run? Tell me all about yourselves.”

0 Gabrielle I like nice groups 85 Gabrielle 0 5

Amber

November 30, 2008 7:39 PM

Good thing you're in Teppenpaw, then. by Amber

Amber laughed when Gabrielle lay claim to the title World's Second Biggest Slob. Appearances could be deceiving - Amber of all people knew that - but she was quite liking what she had seen of her new roommate. She looked over at Eavan, her expression apologetically amused. "We'll probably make this place a disaster area before June," she said. "Poor you."

She looked at the patch on the quilt Gabrielle pointed out, thinking it was a constellation but unable to remember what constellation. It had been a long time since she'd taken an Astronomy class, and her best moment in it had been the day she'd remembered that her middle name, though in fact taken from her Grandmother Carey, was also the name of an ancient moon-goddess. Memorization classes weren't her strength, if she had one. She couldn't see any evidence of it.

"Nothing," she said honestly when asked about hobbies. "I like music, and I can sing, a little, but that's about it." She wasn't sure she even had a talent for singing, but talent wasn't that important when her singing consisted of old Country songs and was all done with her mother. "Dad doesn't, uh, allow much when I'm at home, and I spend most of the year doing my best not to fail anything."

She didn't really like to think about that. Since the PURE business had started up, she'd spent her holidays under an odd form of house arrest; her father wouldn't even let her walk in the garden without Gwen along now, just in case an intruder found a way around the wards. Amber doubted she'd be the person whose hide her cousin thought about if there was a problem, but, as Andrew had pointed out, Gwen was at least legally able to use her wand outside of Sonora.

"I might join some clubs this year, though. I'm a glutton for punishment." This, of course, was a reference to CATS and all the associated studying. "What about you, Eavan?"

0 Amber Good thing you're in Teppenpaw, then. 0 Amber 0 5

Eavan

December 01, 2008 12:35 AM

We're the friendliest out there by Eavan

"Oh harhar Amber. I think if I can live with your mess for over four years, I can deal with double the trouble." Eavan said in a sarcastic voice she usually reserved for her brothers. After four plus years sharing a room, she felt comfortable enough to play around with Amber even if they weren't very close. In fact, maybe Gabrielle transferring might make them all closer.

Eavan leaned in closer to get a better view of the constellation Gabrielle pointed out. She would've never have guessed that that was a constellation. Astronomy was never her strong point and a few years without taking a class on the subject just made her worse. Eavan looked up when Amber started talking. She sang? How did Eavan not know that. It made her a little sad. And she didn't know much about her family except that she was a Carey. Earl told her about Gwen going crazy.

"Oh I don't do much either. Classes take up most of my time and if I'm not doing something for class, then I'm probably just hanging out with friends. The only singing I ever do is in the shower." Eavan smiled apologetically. Her life was rather dull.

"So what happened to Salem to make all these people transfer?" Eavan asked. She had noticed the amount of unfamiliar faces in the upper years and just assumed that they all came from Salem.

0 Eavan We're the friendliest out there 0 Eavan 0 5