Headmaster Bulla

November 25, 2006 1:28 AM
The sorting for the year officially over, Manfred stood and waited for things to quiet down. The first years, as the tradition went, had each been given a chalice a clear, bubbling potion to drink as they entered the hall were and instructed to drink deeply. And, just like every other sorting in the history of the school, the result had been that the first years had all turned the main colour that represented the house they were to join; bright blue for Aladren, deep red for Crotalus, muddy brown for Pecari and sunshine yellow for Teppenpaw. The colour change lasted a few minutes only, but for the time it was in effect it tended to get some interesting reactions from the new first year students. It had been ever so since the foundation of the school and would ever be thus.

But now that that was over and the students settling into seats, it was time for the second important part of the Opening Feast.

"Welcome," he said when things had quietened down. "Welcome to a new year at Sonora Academy. To our new students, I am Headmaster Bulla. I hope that you enjoy your time here, work hard and do your new houses proud. To our returning students, I'm sure you've all had wonderful holidays and it is good to see you've all returned. I would ask Mr Zack Dill of Aladren, Miss Chrysanthemum Mathers of Crotalus, Miss Mia Kerova of Pecari and Miss Kaylie Brockert of Teppenpaw to all come to the front please."

He moved around the staff table, holding a small box which he opened when the four had arrived.

"Congratulations," he informed them in a quieter voice. "You have all been selected to serve as Prefects for your houses. Remember this is a position of both privilege and responsibility. You will have the power to give and take points, and will be expected to assist your Head of House if a situation arises. I'm sure you will all do us proud."

He handed them each their prefect badges, bronze metal embossed with the badge of Sonora and the word 'prefect' underneath then straightened himself up a little more to address the school once more.

"Congratulations to our four new prefects. Now, I expect that you are all waiting ravenously for the Feast. Wait no longer."

With a wave, the food started to pile up on the tables and jugs of drinks appeared, all ready for the students and staff to tuck in. Manfred, instead of returning to his seat paused a moment, just in case any of the new Prefects wished to say or ask anything.\n\n
Subthreads:
39 Headmaster Bulla Opening Feast 2 Headmaster Bulla 1 5


Lutece Anthony

November 25, 2006 7:52 AM
Lutece Anthony didn't know what she had expected from this so-called 'magical' school, but turning a deep red after drinking something odd was not it. The only positive thing about the colour change was that it seemed to be happening to all of those her age. Some were taking it in stride, so she assumed it was nothing major.

She drifted along with a few other deep red students to figure out where she was supposed to sit. Then with only a small bit of difficulty, she did so.

The difficulty could be laid directly at the foot of her wardrobe, actually. Underneath the forest green school uniform, Lutece wore a bright pink miniature skirt and a slightly midriff-bearing Hollister tee. Delicate silver earrings hung from both ears, and her blond-streaked brown hair was tied back.

Lutece's blue-green eyes flitted about skeptically. No matter how much her parents had insisted that she was going to a magical school, she still believed it was all a farce. Honestly. Magic was for those nerds at school who still played childish games like Magic: The Gathering and D&D, even at the lofty age of eleven.

Some people just had no sense of maturity. Like the designer of that trick with the drink, earlier. Discreetly checking her reflection in a small handheld mirror under the table, Lutece was relieved to see the colour subsiding. After barely listening to the rest of the Headmaster's speech, she turned to the person next to her and smiled charmingly.

"Hi! I'm Lutece Anthony," she said.\n\n
0 Lutece Anthony An interestingly coloured firstie 100 Lutece Anthony 0 5


Dolan Everwyld

November 25, 2006 9:18 AM
Dolan Everwyld entered the hall with a practiced ease. Then again, everything about him was practiced. His walk, his smile, his manners, his personality. After all, he was expected to show all the perfection of the Everwyld family name. He held back a snort at the thought, and sobered as he was given the special drink. Despite his family's confidence about his future sorting, he couldn't help having some last-minute reservations. After drinking, however, his shoulders visibly relaxed as he glowed a subtle red. Other than that small reaction, he did nothing but walk casually towards the table and seated himself.

He listened to the Headmaster's speech with studied but careful boredom. He didn't want to seem to care too much, but he didn't want to miss anything important and make any stupid mistakes later. Just in case.

He let his eyes take in the people at his table, and then let his gaze rest on the girl beside him, mentally appraising her. She had the air of the muggle world around her, and he noticed her checking her reflection surreptitiously in a small cosmetic mirror. He raised an eyebrow in acknowledgment when she turned and introduced herself.

He smiled as charmingly as he knew how. "I'm Dolan Everwyld, pleased to meet you." He paused as he was interrupted by the appearance of food on the table, then continued drolly, "And welcome to the world of magic!" \n\n
0 Dolan Everwyld Indeed 0 Dolan Everwyld 0 5


Lutece

November 25, 2006 12:42 PM
Lutece examined the boy critically, but swiftly. He seemed rather at ease, like he knew what was going on. Now, all she needed to do was to get that out of him without seeming as if she herself didn't know. Ignorance did no good for a power base.

She tried not to stare in astonishment as the food appeared on the table, seemingly out of nowhere. Lutece was fairly certain she had done a relatively good job of it too, considering the circumstances. Until Dolan said something about the world of magic.

"Oh puh-lese," Lutece said, helping herself to some chicken a bit tentatively. "You can't honestly believe that this magic stuff is true. My brother and sister don't even believe in that any more, and they haven't even hit the double digits yet."

\n\n
0 Lutece Or in thought? 0 Lutece 0 5


Dolan

November 25, 2006 1:37 PM
Dolan lifted one eyebrow in mild surprise as Lutece coolly disavowed her belief in magic. He quickly reassessed his first mental impression of her.

"Well," he said, keeping his tone friendly, "Call it what you wish. It gets the job done. And," as he helped himself to some of the savory dishes on the table, "that is really all that matters." He gave her another smile. "After all, it's better than school in the muggle world, isn't it?" He suppressed a shudder at the thought of going to a non-magical school. No, he was glad he was here. He would have never lived up to the shame if he had been the first Everwyld to not go to Sonora. He pushed away the thought. There was no room for doubts in his mind.

Instead, he turned to Lutece again, and casually offered her the basket of deliciously flavored breads. "Would you like some bread?" \n\n
0 Dolan As you wish! 0 Dolan 0 5


Lutece

November 25, 2006 9:23 PM
The boy raised an eyebrow at her. Lutece wondered what that was supposed to signify. Somehow, she doubted that it was utmost appreciation for her sophistication. Could this magic stuff be real?

No.

Then how had the food just...appeared like that?

No.

Then why had she changed colour, however briefly?

Lutece pulled out her mirror again, checking her reflection to assure herself that she was no longer glowing a deep red.

Right. Go with the flow, Lutece. Learn and conquer.

"Of course it is," she smiled at him, taking one of the breads. "Thanks. So, have you been in this 'magic' business for long?"\n\n
0 Lutece -laughs- Oh, lets not even <i>go</i> there! 0 Lutece 0 5


Dolan

November 26, 2006 5:11 AM
Dolan smiled at the change of emotions on her face as the girl took in what he'd said to her. He passed the bread to another student and thought to himself. It didn't make sense that this girl was here and didn't believe in magic. Everything, from the school acceptance letter, to their training, to their future job descriptions, were laden with magic. And it was rather apparent that she didn't come from any powerful wizarding family! However, he didn't doubt that to have been accepted here despite her disbelief and upbringing, she must have some considerable magic abilities. Once she got over this stupid matter of not believing in magic, that is.

He repressed a cough as she checked her reflection in a little mirror again, as if afraid her reflection might disappear. Was she vain? He sighed mentally. Girls who thought they were beautiful were the singularly most boring creatures on the planet, but at least they were generally easy to please with simple gallantry and unerring manners.

Her question interrupted his thoughts and he turned his gray eyes on her. "Actually, yes. My family has been in the magic business as far back as we can recall." He smiled at her, as if to encourage her. "Its not a bad business to be in, really." \n\n
0 Dolan And I really wanted to roll downhill, too! 0 Dolan 0 5


Lutece

November 26, 2006 7:34 AM
OOC: Sorry about the shortness of that last post! I was running out the door, and it looked so much longer on the entry form.

BIC:

At the age of seven, Lutece had sat herself down and given up her faerie wardrobe. By nine she was participating in an elementary cheer group, and last year she had gotten her first boyfriend. (Granted, he had to be conned into paying for her hot pretzel at lunch, but that was why she had broken up with him)

All of that had been in preperation for high school. Someday, with the right amount of practise and wardrobe, she would be the most popular girl in high school. Just like her sister Melissa.

And now? Somehow she doubted that this bizarre boarding school had a cheer squad. No, the food appeared on the tables without warning, the stupid covered wagon floated, and new students changed colour for no apparent reason.

Great.

She pulled out the stick--excuse her, wand--her father had purchased and began examining it closely, occasionally poking it at things. Why was it so special? Lutece looked over at Dolan as he answered her question.

"Oh, really? That's amazing!" she still didn't quite know what was going on, so she dug a little deeper. "So what exactly does your family do?"\n\n
0 Lutece -raises an eyebrow- 0 Lutece 0 5


Dolan

November 26, 2006 8:00 AM
Dolan cleared his throat as the girl next to him started grumpily poking things with her wand.

"Excuse me, but you might not want to do that. Setting things on fire by accident wouldn't make you all that popular at this school." He settled back in his chair calmly, but held his hand near HIS wand, just in case it was needed. His eyes held a glint of amusement.

"My family runs a lucrative business in customized flue powder." He paused, wondering if she knew what that was, and decided to clarify. "Flue powder is a magical powder that allows one to travel from one destination to another rather instantly via the use of the chimney. You'll notice that most wizarding households have large fireplaces. That's why. My family sells specialized kinds of flue powder, among other things."

[ooc...totally made up that job out of the air... hah]\n\n
0 Dolan Watch were you poke that thing! 0 Dolan 0 5


Lutece

November 26, 2006 8:20 AM
Dolan said something about setting things on fire with this 'wand' and Lutece looked at him as though he must be completely mad.

"Set things on fire? With this?" she said, scornfully. "It's just a stick!" Of course, at that moment, the 'stick' let off a flurry of orange and silver sparks. The timing was so impeccable that Lutece seriously considered for a moment that the 'wand' was protesting her description of it. But she then turned her attention back to Dolan as he described his family job, placing her wand on the table and eyeing it occasionally.

Customised Flew Powder? That was odd. Oh well. Travelling through fireplaces seemed awful (however would you keep yourself clean?!), but no more strange than anything else that had happened to her recently. She shrugged and laughed a bit.

"Well, my mom's a real estate agent, and my dad cordinates scifi conventions across the country. Nothing so interesting as 'Flew Powder', I'm afraid."\n\n
0 Lutece But its only a stick...right? 0 Lutece 0 5


Dolan

November 27, 2006 2:34 AM
"Well, if nothing else, at least its not boring," Dolan agreed about his parents' job. "Just you wait. It's NEVER boring here, either." Lutece's wand seemed to mirror his statement, as it let off a flash of sparks. He grinned behind his hand as she carefully put it down on the table.

"We'll learn all kinds of things," he continued, "like how to apparate, how to fight with magic, and how to change the shape of things. How to fly." This last was said with an intense gleam in his eyes; he, for one, was looking forward to trying out for Quidditch. He wondered how well Lutece would take to flying.

"And," he added, as he eyed her speculatively, "I've heard that there's a dance now and then too." He wasn't overly fond of dances. Boring things. But the rate at which she checked her reflection made him think that she'd enjoy such things. b \n\n
0 Dolan depends on if you say abracadabra 0 Dolan 0 5


Lutece

November 27, 2006 5:25 AM
Apparition? What was that? But she supposed she had already made enough of a fool of herself in front of Dolan; a bit more wouldn't kill her. Better to learn this stuff now then be embarrassed later, right? Even if it was dumb kid stuff.

"What's apparition?" Lutece asked, calmly sipping whatever liquid was in the goblet beforeher. And promptly attempting not to spit it out. Pumpkin? What moron would make a drink flavoured like a gourd of all things? Changing the subject sounded like an excellant idea at this point. "Do you ... wizards ... have any sports around here, do you know? I'm fairly good with soccer, if they have a team."

And then Dolan mentioned dances. She didn't suppose they would be like the middle-and-high school dances Melissa had told her about, with loads of food and decorations, and the latest rap CD playing in the background. She had already discovered that her cell phone didn't work (but then, who would provide service to a nutcase school in the middle of nowhere, acessible only by what seemed to be a flying wagon), and Lutece was getting the sneaking suspician that neither her iPod nor her laptop would either. "Dances can be fun," she settled for, then looked up at Dolan again. "What kind of music do you guys listen to?"\n\n
0 Lutece Allright, so it's a tempermental stick. 0 Lutece 0 5


Dolan

November 28, 2006 10:51 AM
Dolan was relieved that the wand was lying on the table and not pointing at things anymore. He turned his attention to Lutece. He got the impression that she was a bit lost in the magic world, however calm she might seem. His voice gentled; he knew how it felt to be a fish out of water, so to speak. He admitted to himself that he admired her composure, if not her disbelief.

"Apparition is the magic skill of transporting one's self from one location to another instantly. Since its a dangerous skill for beginners, it's not allowed until students are higher up in school years." He was about to continue on the subject, when he saw Lutece almost choke on the drink. He paused, mid reach for his glass, and then withdrew his hand. He grinned at her, wryly. Forewarned was forewarned, after all. "Not all things in the magic world are...wonderful," he added, unnecessarily.

He hoped the feast would be over soon. He couldn't wait to get to his room and set up his stuff. He was very particular about things like that. Almost obsessive compulsive about where things went and why. And wished he could fly and let out some pent up energy into the sky. So he almost grinned when she asked about sports.

"No soccer," he said, and rushed on before she could be disappointed, "But there's a sport you should definitely try. Its called Quidditch, and its played on broomsticks. Think of a particularly complicated game of soccer, add a couple more goals, more balls, add flying, and a lot of violence, and you've got Quidditch." He sounded almost breathless with excitement talking about it. It was the one thing that made him loose his carefully-controlled coolness. It was the one thing his parents allowed him to bask and loose himself in. As long as he did well, that is. And he usually did. He shook himself, and resumed his normal composure.

"As for music..." he shrugged. "Everything. I don't know much about muggle music, ah..." he paused, since he wasn't sure if she knew what muggle meant, "I mean, non-magic music, but I've heard that we have similar music. There's all variety though. The dances usually have more than one kind of music. Traditional, and a rock style." He smiled at her, and hoped that the explanation sufficed. \n\n
0 Dolan sorry for delay...flu sucks! 0 Dolan 0 5


Lutece

November 28, 2006 7:26 PM
Lutece had been pretty lost in Dolan's responses, excepting the one about soccer. 'Quidditch'? Sounded like soccer played on broomstick. She wouldn't especially mind if this all turned out to be real, so long as she at least got to play a sport. Plus, the way Dolan was talking about it, this 'Quidditch' sounded uber popular. Which meant that the players were, by default, equally as popular. If she could manage to play this game, it looked as if Lutece would be killing two rather important birds with one stone.

"Will you teach me?" Lutece asked Dolan. She was a bit irritated to show she couldn't figure it out on her own, but Dolan already knew she knew nothing about anything anyway. If one already knew, why not just keep it to that number? "Where do you get these broomsticks, anyway? Does the school provide them?"

The other Crotalus seemed fairly into this Quidditch thing, so it was a fair bet he knew how to play. And fly, for that matter. And if Lutece wanted to start playing, she supposed now would be the time.\n\n
0 Lutece Euergh. How can it not? 0 Lutece 0 5