Benji Rowley
September 20, 2007 1:31 AM
Surprise surprise! by Benji Rowley
Benji couldn’t help throwing a distasteful glance at the quidditch signup sheet whenever he passed by it. It was safe to say he was still touchy about not being able to try out. But, assuring himself that he’d blow them away next year, he tried to put it out of mind. Besides, there were always flying lessons. Not that he needed them.He made his way through the boy’s dorms and into his room. There was his luggage, still sitting beside his bed. So far Benji had bothered only to take out what he needed- toothbrush, hair gel, etc. - and a different outfit for each of the last few days. But he was starting to think he should make use of the drawers and storage space provided. So, though not enthusiastically, Benji finally began to unpack.
It was obvious that his mother had assisted in most of the packing. Everything had its neatly organized place in the bag, while Benji probably would have tossed whatever he wanted in without a second thought. Packed carefully in here were the rest of his clothes, his textbooks, all the supplies that he needed… and at the bottom, a small box covered in colorful wrapping paper. Benji set aside the quills he was holding and inspected the box, puzzled. Attached to it was a small, folded up piece of parchment. He opened it and immediately recognized his sister’s messy scrawl.
Benji-
Surprise! All right, you might be annoyed that I didn’t give this to you in person. But I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have accepted it. Besides, sneaking it into your bag was too fun to pass up. So to answer some of your questions after you open the gift: Yes, this is what I was saving up for all summer. No, you can’t send it back to me. It’s a gift. Now open it before you read the rest of this!
Following her directions, Benji tore off the wrapping paper. Then he understood. The small package inside advertised it’s contents: the MusicWiz. It was new, it was trendy, and it was expensive. Wizarding designers, taking a cue from the popularity of the iPod, had recently designed a modern music player for the wizarding community. Dad had mentioned it after editing an article about the latest trends on the magical market, and Izzy had started doing chores and yard work for neighbors ever since. How hadn’t he made the connection? Frowning, Benji continued to read.
You told me a while ago that your muggle CD player wouldn’t work at Sonora. (Not to mention it’s falling apart. Seriously, how long have you had that thing?) Anyway, the thought of you without some kind of music blasting in your ears is too weird. So enjoy! I haven’t really figured out how it works yet, but Dad did and he helped me put some songs on there that we thought you’d like. Everyone chipped in a little for it. Did you know Ollie has a hidden stash of coins? I wanna say he collects them because they’re shiny, but you never know with that kid. He might be the first person to start saving for retirement at age 6. Either way, he’s better than a niffler at finding all the loose change I’ve dropped. And I know, we couldn’t afford it, but just smile and act grateful.
Lots of love,
Izzy
Folding up the note again, Benji sighed. Izzy was right. He would have told them not to buy it in the first place. But, seeing as there was nothing he could do now, he allowed himself to rejoice a little inside. The idea of not having his CDs had been troubling him for a while now, and it was a relief to know he still had a portable music player. Plus, the picture of the device on the box made him curious. It was circular, less than a quarter of an inch thick, and small enough to fit in his palm. One face was heavy and metallic, the other resembled a mirror.
Now it just came down to whether or not they had picked good songs.
Benji went to lounge on one of the commons’ couches before opening the box. Inside was the MusicWiz, looking just as sleek as the picture promised. And that was it. No headphones, no directions, nothing. How were you supposed to turn it on? For several minutes, Benji tried running his fingers along the surface, pushing on different points, and even talking at it. His voice gradually rose in volume the more frustrated he became.
“Come on, do something!”
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Benji Rowley
Surprise surprise!
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Zack Dill, Alderaanian Prefect
September 20, 2007 11:16 AM
Can I help you? by Zack Dill, Alderaanian Prefect
Zack was passing through the common room. He rarely actually sat down unless Zoey was there first, but he passed through several times a day and always took a moment to look around to see who was there (usually because he was checking to see if Zoey was around). Today, though, his eye fell on someone with less height, age, and who was not a girl.This particular person was becoming increasingly frustrated with some kind of circular device. As one of Zack's fondest memories was disassembling his parents' television and putting it back together, he wandered closer, curious, just as the boy exclaimed, "Come on, do something!"
"What is it?" Zack asked, taking the seat next to the boy's. He looked like a first year (at least, he was young and Zack didn't recognize him from last year and he knew most of the Alderaanians by sight). Though Zack was still not quite five feet tall himself (just one quarter inch to go, though!), he was now sixteen and even his lack of height wasn't enough to make people mistake him for an eleven year old anymore. "Can I help?"
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Zack Dill, Alderaanian Prefect
Can I help you?
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Benji
September 23, 2007 11:01 PM
No... Yes... Maybe? by Benji
Typical. The latest in technology, and it already had a flaw… and a major one at that. Shouldn’t the geniuses at these companies be able to include a simple on/off switch? Benji found himself longing for the simplicity of his muggle CD player. Bent over the gadget, he was so focused on the annoyance that he didn’t notice someone had filled the seat beside him until they spoke.“What is it?” Benji’s head snapped up, his attention finally torn from the music player. The voice belonged to a boy who seemed like one of the older students, and the boy in question continued. “Can I help?” Ugh, how embarrassing. He must have voiced his frustrations louder than he had thought. Benji was not yet willing to accept his defeat; instead, he tried to cover it up.
“Uh, no thanks. Just messing with this music player.” Glancing down at the device, he frowned again and added, “It’s kinda… complicated.” He ran his fingers through his dark hair. The thought of trying any longer to figure out the MusicWiz was daunting, and enough to humble him at least for a moment.
“Here.” Benji held out the device for the older student. “Try it out.”
OOC – You’re free to decide how it works if you want to. :)
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No... Yes... Maybe?
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Zack Dill
September 24, 2007 12:01 PM
That's decisive by Zack Dill
A music player, huh? Zack wondered in some surprise. He hadn't thought anything like that worked at Sonora. Taking the item handed to him anyway, Zack gave it a good look-over and discovered it wasn't actually a CD or mp3 player after all. It was something else. Something that wasn't made by mundanes or, at least, not entirely made by mundanes.There was a magic component to it. Zack pulled out his wand and did a series of spells from DADA about identifying the magic being used. There was a pressure trigger there which would initiate that embedded enchantment which would start the mechanical processes of the no doubt mundane-inspired gadget. It was clever, almost exactly duplicating how some ancient curses worked. Perhaps DADA was good for something besides dueling and facing toothy clawed beasts after all.
"Here," he said, handing the music player back to the kid, "See that logo? Press and hold it for two seconds. That'll trigger the magics that make it start." What would happen after that, Zack had no idea. The embedded magics and technology were too complex for Zack's simple scrying spells to get anything more out of them.
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That's decisive
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