Yay, indeed... on Cascade Hall

Headmaster Brockert

November 06, 2015 5:23 PM

Opening Feast by Headmaster Brockert

Ugh. Opal was pregnant again . Really, Mortimer had thought all that his son and daughter-in-law were trying to was get a boy and they had gotten one. Why in Merlin's name did they need another child? The woman was a moron and not cut out in the least to have so many kids so close together. He didn't mind having grandchildren generally speaking but no, just no. Not them. Not her.

Of course, his face remained stoic. He never ever showed the slightest hint of emotion, especially in such a public place. Last thing one wanted was to give teenagers ammunition. Just because none of them had been responsible for last year's incidents, didn't mean that Mortimer trusted them in the least. Besides, he wasn't upset, just a tad annoyed. And he was sure he always seemed a tad annoyed. Because he usually was.

As the first years filed in, he stood and began to speak. "Welcome to Sonora for the new first years and welcome back for all older students. In just a minute,first years will be receiving a goblet distributed by Deputy Headmistress Skies, in order to sort you into your houses. You will turn the color representing your house which are blue for Aladren, yellow for Teppenpaw, red for Crotalus, and brown for Pecari. Afterwards, you may join your house table."

Much like two years ago with Owen, Mortimer took a slight interest in the Sortings this year, with his niece Angelique coming in. Two years from now his oldest grandchild, Emerald would be here and though he would only admit it to himself-because Mortimer never admitted how he felt when he did feel something-he was looking forward to it. He hoped Emerald would be an Aladren, like he had been. She was quiet and bookish and did not seem to have inherited her mother's total lack of intellect.

Anyway, he noted Angelique's sorting and though he didn't smile-that wasn't an expression that Mortimer's face naturally made and when he tried, he looked like an animal about to eat it's prey and besides, it kind of hurt a little to do so-he was pleased with it. Angelique might have been silly and spoiled, but at least she managed to get a perfectly respectable house.

Once the first years had found their new houses, Mortimer said. "Would Arnold Manger and Ji-Eun Park please come up and get your Head Student badges. In addition I'd like to call up Clark Dill, Jake Manger, Chaslyn Brockert, and Lionel Layne to recieve their prefect badges. Congratualtions."

After they had sat back down, Mortimer announced. "This year's Midsummer event will be the bonfire. Now we will sing the school song." Which none of you will ever remember, he silently added as sheets appeared in front of the assembled mass.

Every day we strive
Learning to survive
Life’s hardships and to solve its mystery.
Learning to defend
Our honour and our friends,
Flying high to meet our destiny
We will stand and face those who want to harm us.
We won’t let the world transfigure, jinx or charm us
I won’t fight alone, as long as you are with me.
Sonora be my home, my tutor and my spirit
Vasita quoque floeat; Even the desert blooms.

With that, food appeared, students were free to converse, and he was free to enjoy his meal.

Subthreads:

I'm as cheery as my house color. by Aiden O'Neil with Tobi Reinhardt

Well, this is shows me how this year will go. by Emery Kijewski-Jareau

Fifth Year by Clark Dill with Lena Westley

After a somber summer by Jake Manger with Ginger Pierce

I want my home, not a house by Raine Collindale with Wu Peizhi

Brownies! by Benjamin "Hippo" Pierce with Theresa Whittaker

I guess it's Aladren for me! by Nevaeh Reed with Barnaby Pye

Culinary genius by Jamie Park with Shinohara Uzume

Yay? by Ji-Eun Park with Chloe Jareau, Chloe

Yay, indeed... by Arnold Manger with Ava Fletcher, Ava

Welcome to the family! [Tag: a first year Crot.] by Makenzie Newell with Daniel Fintoc

Here be dragons by Gabriel Valenti with Natalie Varth

Enjoying the evening by Jax and Gia Donovan with Joella Curtis, The Donovans

Librarian Seeks a Companion for Conversation by Librarian Amelle Nicchi with Professor Pye

Mixing it up. [tag: Duncan Brockert] by Liliana Bannister with Duncan Brockert

The jitters by Prof. Isis Carter with Nathan Xavier

Watching, waiting, commiserating. [tag: Charlotte] by Emrys Lucan with Charlotte Spencer, Charlotte

New year, new start! by Laila Kennedy

Third time's the charm! by Sammy Meeks with Chuck Fintoc

Let's eat, at least. by Dustin Newell

Keeping up appearances by Araceli Arbon with Chaslyn Brockert

Happy to be away, happy to be back. by Abigail De La Garza with Liac Reinhardt

Placid, as always. by Caelia Lucan with Alistair Johnson

The wonder years by Arne Reinhardt

Like mud by Cameron Dempsey with Kyte Collindale, Cameron

Off to an okay start. by John Umland with Theodore Wolseithcrafte

Happily returning. (Tag Jemima) by Owen Brockert with Jemima Wolseithcrafte

Second year will be fun, don't you think? (tag Louis Valois) by Emilia-Louise Scott with Louis Valois

Vermin, your'e all vermin by Medic Edda Eir with Selina Skies

Better late than never by Ingrid Wolseithcrafte

The Sociopath's Apprentice (Flashback challenge)) by Oliver Ferguson II

11 Headmaster Brockert Opening Feast 6 Headmaster Brockert 1 5

Aiden O'Neil

November 06, 2015 8:30 PM

I'm as cheery as my house color. by Aiden O'Neil

Aiden was a Fourth year now and even though he was still only an Intermediate level student, he felt like he was finally not one of the ‘young’ ones. He was a teenager. He had spiked in height and lost quite a bit of his baby weight. He still had his unfortunate teeth, but his mother agreed that fifteen was the age where he’d be allowed to get them fixed. Aiden was going to hold it to her.

Over the last year or so, Aiden had begun to realize what attraction was, who he was attracted to, and the possibility that someone might also be attracted to him. Only, he knew that no one could possibly be attracted to him as he looked right then. For one, he still had the weight on, but he was becoming more active by playing games outside, so he was losing at least that negative part of himself. For another, his smile. He hated it. Smiles were something people looked for and found attractive. His was no attractive and therefore, he was not attractive. Aiden wanted people to like him, more specifically, girls. There were plenty of girls in his school that were lovely to look at and a couple of them were his friends, but he was surely hoping that one of them would consider him as something more than just a friend.

Aiden grew up in the traditional societal Pureblood world. He was well aware of betrothals (his parents having their own arranged marriage as proof) and the fact that he might not have any say in his future bride should he get married, but he at least thought it’d be nice to have a normal time with someone before he had to worry about any of that.

He had arrived early along with everyone else. Apparently the orientation last year had been a success so the school was going to continue with it. Aiden didn’t really have much to do except unpack, so he did that and then hung around the Teppenpaw Common Room until it was time for the feast. Now he sat at his table by his friends and watched the sorting happen with the first years. It felt like ages ago when he had been sorted into his own house. His Aunt Tally sometimes asked about the house to see if had changed any since she was there, but it didn’t seem like it had any. He liked being able to share something with his Aunt, she was so cool. Whenever she had time off and he was home for the summer, she would take him to her home in New York City and treat him to whatever he wanted. It was always a great time and Aiden had been able to do that for a few days over the summer. It was a nice break from spending time with his family.

The speeches were over, the Head Boy and Girl and Prefects announced (Aiden was a little hopeful that he would be named next year), the song was sung, and now the food was on the table. Aiden tucked into some chicken and mashed potatoes (it was a long trip from New York and he was starving) while he listened to everyone around him chatting excitedly. “Anyone do anything fun this summer?” He asked around the table.

6 Aiden O'Neil I'm as cheery as my house color. 287 Aiden O'Neil 0 5

Emery Kijewski-Jareau

November 06, 2015 8:45 PM

Well, this is shows me how this year will go. by Emery Kijewski-Jareau

Everything for the last six years was leading up to this day. Emery knew in the back of his mind that he wasn’t going to get it. He knew it. He knew that his six years of being a part of clubs and concerts and everything else would mean absolutely nothing to the people of the school. His time spent on making sure his grades were spot on and that he was friendly and courteous to those around him would have very little effect on the voting because this school was rigged against him. The Headmaster was a Brockert. There were Brockerts running around the school everywhere. Arnold’s mom was married to someone who was associated with the Brockerts and was cousins to Brockerts. And if it wasn’t Arnold, then it would be Emrys because he was a Lucan and they were those societal types. They all stuck together.

He had been fidgeting all day waiting for this feast to begin. He had unpacked his trunk and flopped around his bed in the morning, then he had wandered around the school in the afternoon, and then anxiously waited for everything to start. He had noticed that Emrys had gone to sit with Charlotte, that wasn’t really knew, and Ava had sat not far from him, but that was about all he could note because the Headmaster was starting.

Emery listened impatiently as the evening began. The sorting felt like it was taking forever and then there was the speech. Emery concentrated so hard on the words, that he nearly missed the actually names. But none were his own. It was Arnold. Of course it was Arnold. His sister caught his eye and he knew she was concerned but he just looked away and directly into the line of sight of Ava, who seemed to be looking at him. Emery looked away and down at his empty plate. He tried to keep his face from looking too disappointed incase Arnold happened to also be looking at him.

Arnold, who had only just became involved last year had won the votes. How did people see him as sociable or personable over Emery? Why was it that no matter what Emery did, no matter how hard he tried, it just wasn’t good enough for anyone else? Emery had needed the badge to get a scholarship for college. With Angel’s hospital bills and endless medications and with their mom not working, their funds weren’t unlimited. Emery didn’t want to tax them with college tuition too. He knew the badge would have helped him with that endeavor and now that was lost to someone who wasn’t likely to ever really have to worry about money.

Emery knew he shouldn’t be so sour towards Arnold. Arnold had his own issues and Emery wasn’t quick to forget it, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t resentful towards him just the same. The guy got the badge and he had the girl he wanted, or so Emery had gathered. And all he had to do was do one club the year that his class was voting. Not Emery, who took all the classes and joined the majority of the clubs to get his name and face out there. Nope. Arnold certainly hadn’t needed to do that. Hell, he probably still would have gotten on the ballot anyway because people who hadn’t contributed at all to anything had found their names on the list (Chloe being the first to say that she had fallen into that category).

Not wanting to deal with people due to his mood swiftly falling rapidly into depression, Emery stood up, “I’m not really hungry. Catch you guys later.” He mumbled before heading out of Cascade Hall. He had no intention of going back to the common room, but he was in no mood to socialize with a group of happy chatty people. He needed to recollect himself so that when he was faced properly with Arnold, he could at least muster up a smile and congratulations.

OOC: Info on Ava and Emrys were provided by their author

6 Emery Kijewski-Jareau Well, this is shows me how this year will go. 259 Emery Kijewski-Jareau 0 5

Clark Dill

November 06, 2015 10:21 PM

Fifth Year by Clark Dill

Clark had arrived at Sonora with only a little residual nervousness left over from last term. Professor Skies had told him she hadn't told anyone, and nobody else had mentioned to him that they had seen him flip out at the Cascade Hall door and its 'not from around here' message. He could only assume Skies had told the truth, because nobody had come to talk to him about his origins, and she herself had only made an offer that he could come to her to talk if he needed to. She had appeared confused enough as she said this that he was left with the conclusion that the Satori had been vague enough that Clark's secret was still safe. That nobody had come for him over the summer likely meant that even after having time to think it over, she hadn't worked out its significance. And if the research team on the Satori had gotten anything else on him, they either hadn't understood what it was talking about either or else being an alien was protected by the confidentiality contract they'd been told about last year since there wasn't actually a wizarding law against being born in outer space.

Now back at the school, he was beginning his fifth year. He'd be taking the CATS at the end of the year, and he'd already begun reading study guides. He put away the one he'd been reading in the Hall until the Feast began as more people began to arrive. He greeted the people he knew and began to wonder again about the other hallmark of fifth year.

Soon enough, the Headmaster was making his speech and Clark held his breath in the moments following the call for the Head Students. Prefects would be next.

He let out a quiet laugh of relief when his own name lead them off. He'd wanted it, he had absolutely wanted it, but the relief was mostly that Oliver had not gotten it. He was sure that would have been terrible. He got up to collect his new badge with a big grin on his face. He'd worked hard to showcase his abilities and was glad the staff had recognized it.

Dad was going to be so proud.

Pleased, he returned to his seat, touching the badge every few seconds to make sure it hadn't fallen off during the walk back. Then the speech was over, the song was sung, and the food was out. Clark filled his plate, and smiled cheerfully at his neighbor. "Welcome back! Good summer?"

OOC: Clark's summarized interactions with Professor Skies last term discussed with her author.

1 Clark Dill Fifth Year 277 Clark Dill 0 5

Jake Manger

November 06, 2015 11:42 PM

After a somber summer by Jake Manger

Sonora felt different. Everything was different. Or maybe it was just him that had changed, snapped from his bonded innocence by a single shred of information, one sole outburst from his brother that gave away too much. Jake had no bounce in his step, no smile on his face, and no cheer in his body as he slinked off to his House table feeling completely un-Teppenpaw.

He watched the firsties shuffle off to their new groups with faint interest, envious of their happy innocence. The only thing he even reacted to was hearing his name called, which pulled him up in his seat a bit. It took all of his effort to actually get up and receive his new badge, sadness weighing down physicality. Jake had collapsed so tightly into himself that he didn’t even notice that Arnold and Ji-Eun had won Head Boy and Head Girl, a happenstance that previously would have sent his heart twirling about in his chest with boyish glee. But there was no glee now.

He didn’t feel much like singing, and he felt like eating even less. The dark-haired fifteen year old debated getting up and going to his room--the one he shared with Duncan by his own request--to be alone while he could. In the end, he chose to remain idle and miserable to avoid creating any sort of scene with his exit. And while his new badge was not among his chief concerns (he’d only gotten the darn thing because there were no other options), he supposed it would look bad for the new Prefect to walk out of the Feast.

So, with a hearty sigh, he opted to suffer in relative silence, his bright blue eyes somehow duller than normal as he observed his peers and professors socializing and eating in what one would probably consider a normal manner. Jake was not so vain as to assume he was the only person in the room suffering, but from his perspective looking outward, everyone else seemed so happy. He wished he was too.

12 Jake Manger After a somber summer 280 Jake Manger 0 5

Raine Collindale

November 07, 2015 1:10 AM

I want my home, not a house by Raine Collindale

Meeting Hippo had been nice, and it had helped an awful lot to allay some of the fears about how people at this school might treat her and her brother. But it didn’t mean that she really wanted to be here any more than she had before. She hadn’t spent all her life dreaming of the day she’d come away to school to learn magic. She had planned to learn it the way her family always had, picking up what was needed, as it was needed, learning from those around her. She already knew a bit - her mother always had her help out with potions and salves when people got sick. She liked learning that way. But that wasn’t thorough and proper, according to That Man from the government. Families were free to educate at home but it had to actually be an education, not just a hotchpotch of spells as they occurred to them. She remembered his dismissive tone. She was sure he’d even put a sneer on the word ‘home,’ even though their tent had just about everything a regular house did - just it was more foldable. So now she had to be in school, with lessons, and textbooks and rules, and learn all manner of things that she was never going to really need, all the while missing out on being part of her family. She had never been more glad to be a twin, so that at least she wasn’t alone in this. But as they approached the Cascade Hall, the little knot that had been in her stomach all day just grew and grew, because she knew that they were going to be split up.

Even after she took her sip of potion, and turned - as she had expected - bright yellow, she paused, waiting for Kyte. She couldn’t quite let go of the hope that he might come with her. It wasn’t like Kyte wasn’t nice. He was a sweet person who’d never hurt another, and he always tried to make people laugh. Almost everyone liked him… But as took his sip, he turned brown. She’d known it really, that he would. He was nice, but he was other things too.

He smiled at her encouragingly, and then he was gone. It felt like it took her forever to get to the yellow table. It felt like everyone was staring, and there was the added problem that her limbs all felt like lead. And she thought that she might cry, and with everyone watching that’d just about be the worst thing, because then they’d all think she was a baby. She slid into a seat at Teppenpaw table, her eyes shining. As the next people moved out of the line to sip the potion and join their houses, the tears began sliding down her cheeks.

The speech washed over her. She hid her face behind the song sheet to try to keep people from noticing that she was crying, trying to mumble a few of the words. When the sheets vanished, and the food appeared though, she really had no defence, and nor had she managed to get a hold of herself and stop. She wiped her eyes again, and sniffed as people around her began to help themselves to food, but she wasn’t really feeling very hungry.

13 Raine Collindale I want my home, not a house 327 Raine Collindale 0 5

Wu Peizhi

November 07, 2015 4:24 AM

I know the feeling by Wu Peizhi

Summer had been about as pleasant as Peizhi had expected. Given the relative absence of her favorite older brother, the relief of leaving Sonora had been considerably lessened. Bohai was her favorite thing about home, although she did also feel attached to her mother and other brother Huojin, but it was not with them that she spent most of her time. What time she was not with her father, she had been with her sister. And while Peizhi felt no ill-will for Serenity, spending time with her--a practical stranger--in America was not how she wanted to spend her summer.

All she wanted was Bohai. Like her, he was the silent type, although his was in a more brooding, mysterious, strong way. Peizhi understood that she was weak, but Bohai was her protector. He looked after her and did not require elaborate conversation to understand her wants and need. They were connected nonverbally and deeply in a way she would almost consider spiritual. But as punishment for her relative failure at Sonora, she was barely allowed to spend time with him.

And as she now returned for another year, she carried his image with her in her mind to help her try to be strong. The second year could picture clearly his striking appearance, the startling contrast between his rich brown eye and its bright blue counterpart, the scar that covered the latter, a reminder of some long past injury that had never really been explained to her. Peizhi had to do better. For him. She had to step outside her foolish shyness and try to make something of herself. She was here for information, for connections. She had to meet people.

She was not interested in the Sortings, the announcements, or the song. And truthfully, she was not terribly interested in the food, either, given that her body was now adjusting to the time change. Mostly, the Teppenpaw was just tired, which made her feel even more unsociable. And while she was not one to really treat herself with much generosity, she supposed she could afford a slow beginning. It was only the first day, after all, and she did have all year.

Her resolve to do nothing, however, was challenged when she took notice of the first year beside her. The girl seemed to be crying quietly to herself, suggesting how lost and alone she must have been feeling. Peizhi was a quiet, shy girl, but she also had a big heart, and she remembered being almost exactly there a year prior. Really, she still felt that way now. So with obviously concerned strain, she said quietly, “Excuse me. A-are you… alright?”

12 Wu Peizhi I know the feeling 316 Wu Peizhi 0 5

Benjamin "Hippo" Pierce

November 07, 2015 3:32 PM

Brownies! by Benjamin "Hippo" Pierce

The tour was pretty cool. He'd grabbed a map before it started and been able to follow their progress on it without too much difficulty. He felt pretty confident that he wouldn't get lost tomorrow, at least, not by poor navigation. Whether or not he'd keep up with the professors would teach them remained to be seen. Not that Ben was a bad student, precisely; he just didn't focus on his schoolwork as much as some teachers would like.

Unfortunately, the only sport Sonora offered was Quidditch, so maybe he wouldn't fall too far behind without Mom hovering over his homework to make sure he did it all before he went outside to play. Though she was going to make a horrible frowny face if he flunked anything, so he probably should at least try to do most of it even without her supervision.

But that was tomorrow. Tonight was the Sorting!

He'd stuck pretty close to Raine and Kyte since they were the only two people he currently knew in the school, so he saw them turn yellow and brown respectively before it was his turn. Though he knew those were the results they had been expecting, Raine still seemed a bit upset by them. Ben gave her encouraging grin and nod that he wasn't sure if she saw or not as she was watching Kyte head off.

Then it was his turn and he lost track of her in favor of the goblet the Deputy Headmistress was giving to him. Taking a sip, Ben make a face at the taste - he didn't know what was in it, but he was aware enough of what went into most potions that he imagined he could taste snake scales or something. Not that he knew what snake scales tasted like either, but that wasn't the point.

The point was that whatever was in it turned him brown.

"Whoo!" he cheered, pleased by his own expected House result and headed over in the same direction Kyte had gone before him. He'd have been glad for Teppenpaw, too, since that was where Uncle Derry and Aunt Reggie had been and they had nothing but good things to say about their old House, but he was excited that he'd get to see someplace new that no-one (except maybe Gramelia in a physical sense, but she was totally associated with Crotalus more since she'd been the HoH there) in his branch of the family had been before.

Taking a seat the Pecari table, he grinned brightly at his new Housemates as they joined him, then turned his attention to the Headmaster as he gave a blessedly short speech before everyone got sheet music. Ben had never been much of a musician so he was totally lagging half a word behind everyone else and making up his own melody as he sang enthusiastically despite his complete lack of skill.

Then there was food and no more formalities. Ben loaded up his plate with everything that looked yummy and even some things that looked healthy (though yummy selections far outnumbered healthy tonight) and addressed one of his fellow Pecaris. "Hi! This is totally great, isn't it?"

1 Benjamin "Hippo" Pierce Brownies! 339 Benjamin "Hippo" Pierce 0 5

Raine

November 07, 2015 11:28 PM

Does it get better? by Raine

A soft voice beside her asked if she was alright, and Raine turned to see that the Asian girl sitting beside her had noticed her tearful face. She bit her lip. She couldn’t well say that she was fine, thanks, because it was pretty clear she wasn’t. But she wasn’t sure what to say either… She knew she didn’t want to explain all about the man from the government, not to a total stranger, because she thought that, to most people, it probably made her family sound bad. Most people were used to all the rules and regulations, and thought they were right, proper and there for a reason. They’d side with the snooty official and think worse of her family because people always did - just like when law enforcement wizards turfed through their camps, no one ever believed that it was just cos they picked on folks like them. They always thought there must have been some reason, that they’d acted suspicious or the officers had had a tip off. People didn’t just go round bothering folks for no reason, everyone else said. Except, when it was them, that was exactly what they did.

“I just want to go home,” she replied quietly, a little anxious as to how this would be met, especially as she couldn’t explain all the reasons why she was so disoriented to find herself here. The girl wasn’t a first year cos her skin was its normal colour. She was probably all settled in and just about loved the place. It was normal to want to come school. Raine was going to be the odd one out for never having wanted it. “I miss my family,” she added, by way of trying to find some kind of explanation.

13 Raine Does it get better? 327 Raine 0 5

Nevaeh Reed

November 07, 2015 11:38 PM

I guess it's Aladren for me! by Nevaeh Reed

To say she was nervous was a bit of an understatement. The orientation had been pretty fun and not too concerning, and the girl she met, Tess, seemed very nice. But now things were getting real. Like super real. They would be Sorted into the Houses with which they would live for the better part of the next seven years, and if they didn’t fit in, too bad.

Her hand clenched around the end of Scout’s harness, and in supportive response, he nuzzled gently against her leg. And his reassurance helped, honestly, because it reminded her that no matter what, she had the good fortune of never being alone. Nevaeh would always have her partner.

As Deputy Headmistress Skies helped her with the Sorting potion, she couldn’t help but wonder if a particular staff member was watching her. She didn’t feel any sort of change, but evidently, her skin, normally a rich brown, had turned to a deep blue, as the Deputy Headmistress informed her that she was an Aladren and gently directed her to that specific table. The smart house, Nevaeh thought to herself. As Scout led the way, she wondered briefly if her birth mother was proud as she sat among friends, and if any of them knew.

She helped herself to an empty seat, letting go of Scout, who made himself comfortable beside her legs, one paw resting protectively on her foot. Nevaeh listened politely to the rest of the Headmaster’s speech, although the names of Prefects and Head Students meant nothing to her since she didn’t know any of them, and this Midsummer event thing also made little impression beyond the thought that a bonfire sounded nice. She didn’t join in the singing of the school song, though not for lack of spirit; it was just that, even assuming her copy of the sheet included Braille, she didn’t think she could read and sing what she read at the same time. Instead, she hummed along quietly, doing her best to follow the melody.

Now released to their meals, Nevaeh took a deep breath in through her nose. An interesting and unfamiliar food scent to her right interested her most, so to the neighbor in that direction, she smiled, “Hey, could you pass me that when you get a chance? I have no idea what it is, but it smells delicious.”

OOC: Mentions of DH Skies approved by her author.

12 Nevaeh Reed I guess it's Aladren for me! 325 Nevaeh Reed 0 5

Wu Peizhi

November 08, 2015 12:00 AM

Re: Does it get better? by Wu Peizhi

Wu Peizhi was a rather small girl. While most of her family members were fairly tall, she had not reached any sort of remarkable height yet. This girl was about the same size as she was, but something about her made her seem even tinier. Maybe it was the sadness that seemed to make her more compact as it weighed her down, like she was so out of place that her physical person tried to take up as little of this new space as possible. Whatever the reason, this new little Teppenpaw just seemed so teeny.

The second year’s heart broke for her as she elaborated on the cause of her sadness. “I just want to go home.” Peizhi was in the process of formulating a response when the girl added, “I miss my family.”

What was she supposed to say to that? Her English was developed enough that translating her thoughts was not the problem here; it was finding the right words at all. She definitely commiserated with the girl, having spent most of her first year (and expecting to spend much of this year as well) in the exact same position, counting down the weeks, days, and sometimes even the hours until she could get out of this place and return somewhere she felt like she belonged, among family who, while not always the most affectionate or kindest of people, generally accepted and protected her.

“It will, um,” she began cautiously, her hand hovering nervously in the space between them as she struggled between the urge to offer comfort and the fear of physical contact. “It will be better. Soon. School is a nice place.” Wu felt a pang of guilt, but she was not being truly dishonest. In her experience, the homesickness and anxiety did get better. It just never went completely away. And she did honestly believe that Sonora was nice. It just… could never be China, her home. None of her Housemates could ever be Bohai.

12 Wu Peizhi Re: Does it get better? 316 Wu Peizhi 0 5

Jamie Park

November 08, 2015 12:25 AM

Culinary genius by Jamie Park

Jamie had been looking forward to the feast for weeks, and the few hours he’d had to spend amusing himself whilst he waited had only sharpened his hunger. Whilst, in the back of his mind, he knew that he wasn’t getting fed any later than previous years, he almost resented the first years for making him wait. No one had done any of this hand-holding rubbish when they’d arrived, and they’d all been fine. Why were the last two sets of new first years so special and fragile?

The sorting and the speech weren’t that interesting. He hadn’t expected to get prefect, and didn’t really want it anyway. Sure,this would go on the list of ammunition his mother had, of times he’d disappointed her, but he was pretty good at tuning that out by now. Plus he’d spent the summer managing that expectation by mentioning how the school seemed to share the honours out, to avoid giving it to two people in the same family wherever there was another option. Whilst it was total bull, he thought his mother was primed and ready to blame the system, rather than her special, golden boy. The only thing that would be an issue for him would be if Shino got it next year, though then he figured he’d just call her a nerd all the time. And, given the other two choices in her house - perfect little ladies, whose families probably took tea with the Headmaster and donated heavily to the school - he didn’t rate her chances. He was a little suprirsed that Ji-Eun got Head Girl, given that it was basically a popularity contest, and all the other girls were way more outgoing than she was and a couple of them were totally hot. He wasn’t sure whether that would distract their mother or invite unpleasant comparisons… It could go either way

Once all that was over, the food appeared, and Jamie grinned broadly. Summer had been an almost uninterrupted stream of his mother’s wholesome home cooking, and he was sick of it. Tonight, the closest he was going to get to a vegetable would be ketchup or pizza sauce, and if he never saw another bowl of rice again it would be too soon. His eyes roved over the selection…. When he’d been in primary school, he’d had plenty of friends’ houses to go to, to gorge himself on pizza or mac ‘n’ cheese. But heading off to different schools had caused them to grow apart. He had relatively few people to hang out with at home. He’d thought a couple of times about sneaking into the city, going to mall, where he was sure there was good eating, but he only had wizard money and he wasn’t sure where to change it. He grabbed a hot dog from a nearby pile, although the bowl of cheesy chips was also calling to him… An idea struck, and he tipped the sausage out of the bun, lining it with chips and squeezing it to crush them up. He could remember doing this at a friend’s house once, when his mum had been out - they’d snuck into the kitchen and made chip sandwiches with soft white bread and salt and vinegar chips. It had been one of best things he’d ever eaten. This was going to be even better. He put the hot dog back in its bun, lathering the whole thing with ketchup, and bit in. It was good. The crunchy, tangy taste of the chips was perfect with the soft bread and soft, meaty hot dog.

“I think I may be a culinary genius,” he grinned to the person next to him. “Merlin, it’s good to have decent food again!”

13 Jamie Park Culinary genius 284 Jamie Park 0 5

Ji-Eun Park

November 08, 2015 1:03 AM

Yay? by Ji-Eun Park

Ji-Eun was more than a little nervous going into the feast. She knew that her mother wanted her to get head girl and she had always thought she wanted it too. Now though, she wasn’t sure whether the only reason she’d ever desired the badge was because it was expected of her and would make her mother proud. Over the summer, she’d started to question how much she wanted that. At least, when it was at the expense of getting to make her own choices. She guessed head girl was more about everyone else’s choices, and it wasn’t like it took anything away from her if she did get it, unlike following her mother’s decisions for her over university and dating. But it being out of her control made it an easier first step in disappointing her mother, and getting to see how that would pan out for her… Whether it was something she could deal with or not.

It almost felt better, deciding that she didn’t want it, because she didn’t think she’d get it. She, Chloe and Ava were relying on a lot of the same people to vote for them, but Chloe and Ava knew them much better than she did. And Portia Dobson would have the Pureblood vote. Apart from Arnold, and herself, she wasn’t really sure who she could expect to be in her camp. Maybe Atlas, because they did baking club together, but that wasn’t exactly going to tip the scales. Deciding that she didn’t want it though meant she could let go of the anxiety about what would happen when she didn’t get it.

At least, in theory. She still had butterflies which grew as the sorting went on. She still pictured the letter she’d get if she didn’t win it and, against her better judgement, still cared about it. She still crossed her fingers under the table as Headmaster Brockert began to speak.

Her jaw dropped open as her own name was called, and she almost forgot to go up to the stage. She wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry, although her face was probably too busy blushing and looking surprised to fit in either. She smiled at Arnold, at least certain that she was happy for him. As they left the stage, she felt him squeeze her hand and her smile widened, feeling that for all she’d achieved her mother’s expectations in getting the badge, there was a little element of subversiveness in ruling the school with her secret Western boyfriend.

She returned to her seat, smiling to herself, and trying to just enjoy something of the moment, and pretend that the debate inside her head over whether or not this was a good thing hadn’t just stirred itself up a notch now that she knew the result.

OOC - mentions of Arnold’s actions approved by his author

13 Ji-Eun Park Yay? 268 Ji-Eun Park 0 5

Arnold Manger

November 08, 2015 3:42 AM

Yay, indeed... by Arnold Manger

Arnold did his best to keep his eyes off the Teppenpaw table. He knew what Jake was like--what he was still like after a full summer--and given that it was literally his fault, he couldn’t stand looking at his little brother mope. He still didn’t understand how Jake could have not known about their father by now, but having been the one to break his somehow surviving naivety definitely didn’t feel very good. The saying went that ignorance was bliss, and Arnold had seen how first hand how incredibly true it really was.

His insecurities as a brother faded away as his attention turned to the announcements he had been waiting for: Head Boy and Girl. Arnold was completely terrified that he had no chance at the title, having only really gotten involved in things last year, but he hoped that he had always seemed like a model student. He was intelligent, polite, and never got into trouble. The only problem was that so were his roommates. But God did he want it.

He wanted it for a variety of reasons. For the prestige. To show himself he mattered, that he was a worthwhile contributor to the school. To make his mother proud. To demonstrate that he was good, that he was not his father. He wanted badly.

With eyes squeezed shut and fingers crossed tightly, Arnold braced himself for the news. When he heard his name called, he almost didn’t believe it. And the fact that they also called Ji-Eun inspired a dopey half-smile that quickly spread into a wide grin as he stood up and approached the Headmaster to receive his badge. It was a dream come true! Arnold and Ji-Eun, Head Boy and Head Girl! He could only beam at her, although he squeezed her hand on the way back down, before they had to separate to return to their tables.

Arnold hardly paid attention to the rest of the announcements or the song, too preoccupied by the urge to fidget with his new badge, making sure it was perfectly straight. It was only when he looked up to acquire his meal that he realized Emery had disappeared. For a moment, the redhead was puzzled. But then it hit him: Emery had wanted this too. And he had also wanted it badly.

All of his excitement drained away, his bright smile collapsing into a guilty frown. He wished he could say he hadn’t wanted to win it over his friend, but he did. The fact that he wasn’t upset about getting it only made him feel worse to have it. And if he had the chance, he would have voted for himself all over again. Knowing it made him feel worse and worse. Arnold was, it appeared, not a very good friend after all.

He sent a concerned look over to Chloe at Pecari, half-looking for confirmation for his Head Boy theory and half-hoping to have it refuted, both of which were rather overzealous to anticipate from eye contact across a room. Then he looked at Ji-Eun, not seeking anything but just because she had a habit of making him feel better. But beside him, someone spoke, and in his mental distance he did not completely catch what was said. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” he requested, pulling his eyes away from his semi-secret girlfriend and directing them to his neighbor.

12 Arnold Manger Yay, indeed... 261 Arnold Manger 0 5

Makenzie Newell

November 08, 2015 5:05 AM

Welcome to the family! [Tag: a first year Crot.] by Makenzie Newell

Makenzie aspired to be seen as foolish. Naive. Stupid. This was not in an uneducated way, of course. Her grades, excluding the tail end of last year, when her sleep had been interrupted by some bad dreams, had always been decent enough, a solid middle-of-the-pack report card that pleased her parents without raising any eyebrows. Though she had never won Most Dazed and Confused in the yearbook (although, ironically, both her roommates had), she aimed to at least be a candidate. In truth, she calculated her girlish silliness. She feigned her foolishness.

She was not a genius by any standard, but she was certainly smarter than she let on. This came primarily as both a gift and a burden bestowed upon her by her parents, who did not check corners before diving into Serious Adult conversations. And when she later asked questions, they were honest with her, providing their only child with the respect of an adult. She reciprocated this respect and in turn kept their secrets. But Makenzie knew things about this family, things Dustin certainly did not, no matter how high and mighty he behaved.

Part of this was why she was always so eager to return to Sonora, even if her cousin followed her here. At school, her only secret was acting like she had no secrets. There was nothing to keep because there was no one asking. Not this year, at least. The prior year had concerned her with the Satori running amok, but the Newell family was still safe. Skeletons stayed in closets. At Sonora, she was just a simple, silly girl with a good family name.

It was perfect.

Makenzie sat quietly like the Class Princess she was deemed to be, watching the Sortings, listening to the Head Students and Prefects, and celebrating the upcoming bonfire with the rest of her peers. And she sang the song at a polite volume, loud enough to add to the overall sound of the group without being too noticeable on the individual level. Thereafter, she gathered up a plate of her favorite food items, but before taking a bit, she noticed the still-red kid sitting next to her. Remembering how it felt to be in the first year’s shoes, she imagined they might like a conversation with a warm new friend. “Hello,” she smiled kindly. “Welcome to Sonora, and welcome to Crotalus. What’s your name?”

12 Makenzie Newell Welcome to the family! [Tag: a first year Crot.] 291 Makenzie Newell 0 5

Chloe Jareau

November 08, 2015 2:26 PM

A walk by congratulations. by Chloe Jareau

After the pool party ended, the rest of summer had quieted down for the Jareaus, but especially for Chloe. A few days after the party, their friend Travis had introduced her to his cousin, Ben and the four of them had spent their days together. Travis had decided to stay on the football team, so they often spent a couple of hours a day at Travis’s because he had a gym in his basement. Emery was always less enthused about a daily workout but since Travis and Ben were there to show him the proper way of lifting, Emery had really been able to make the most of his time with the ‘guys’. By the end of summer, Chloe was feeling confident in her clothes and it seemed like Emery was good about the muscle gain he had accumulated (he certainly wasn’t about to win any awards for strongest man alive, but he wasn’t so lanky anymore either).

Chloe felt better. She felt normal when she was with them. Ben distracted her enough with her thoughts and feelings that she didn’t wallow in self-pity for too long every night. It felt good to be with him. He took her out on dates. He was interested in her. They would spend hours in his car either making out or snuggling. She felt like this was how all seventeen year olds were supposed to be and it felt good to feel like she was one of them. She didn’t have to pretend with them. She didn’t have to fake being happy. She was just herself. They helped overcome the negative feelings for her through healthy interactions like the workouts instead of alcohol and drugs.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

Chloe was back at Sonora and with it, her fears, anxieties, and anger problems. She wasn’t ready to deal with Ji-Eun just yet and she already felt bad feeling that she had to ‘deal’ with her best friend, but that was how it felt. Chloe had already resolved herself to not telling Ji-Eun about what had happened to her this summer and that was going to eat away at her. But, the truth was, Ji-Eun had no idea what this felt like. Her biggest worry was the fact that Arnold wasn’t Asian (which was incredibly upsetting to Chloe because Arnold was perfect just as he was and Ji-Eun shouldn’t be using him like he was a dirty little secret that everyone knew about), what could she possibly understand about a mother who prefers drugs or a guy who attempted sexual assault? Nothing. Chloe didn’t need someone judging her or making her feel bad for her previous choices. It was better to just leave it in the past. Besides, if things started bothering her, she could talk to Ava about it.

She avoided Pecari when she arrived; instead, she wandered the school for a while. She watched the younger kids get excited about seeing their friends or the first years meet each other for the first time. There was an innocence there that she missed. When she was over that, Chloe went off to the owlry and sat amongst the birds while she wrote a letter to Ben. They had agreed to terminate any relationship they had, but they both wanted to keep in touch. Her mother promised to be the go between letters so that Chloe could still write to Ben and Travis.

She checked her watch and realized that the feast would be happening shortly. Chloe tied off the various letters and sent the owl off to her mother. There wasn’t much to tell them other than she had arrived and that she missed them, but it was a start and it had kept her busy. On her way back to the hall, Chloe did a quick review of herself in the girl’s bathroom. Her long blonde hair was still done up in soft curls, her makeup was still in place, and aside from a few minimal wrinkles, her dress was still clean. Draping her robe around her shoulders, Chloe entered the hall and found a seat at the Pecari table.

It was the usual boring stuff that went along with the feast. She clapped for Ji-Eun and Arnold, but her eyes traveled to her brother, who looked heartbroken. He caught her eye and then looked away. She knew how much this meant to him and it bothered her that no one else cared enough to see that. He deserved it. Maybe not any more than the others, but he definitely did deserve it. This was all politics and popularity contest though. With those against him, he never really had a chance over the others.

Arnold caught her attention and it seemed that he had noticed Emery’s absence. She didn’t really know what to do because her loyalty was to her brother and so she simply looked away but when she looked back, he wasn’t looking at her anymore but rather, at her roommate. Chloe rolled her eyes. Of course. The Perfect Princess steals the show.

It had already begun and Chloe did not have the stomach to deal with watching the two of them eye f*** the entire evening. Without much else to do and not really feeling very hunger (thanks to her mother packing a lunch for them while they waited out the orientation), Chloe decided she could use this time to unpack and unwind. As she walked toward the hall doors, Chloe stopped where Ji-Eun was seated, “Congrats on the badge.” She smiled. “You had my vote.” And that was the truth, Chloe had never wanted it and Ava was too preoccupied by her own issues. Ji-Eun had been the best option. “I’ll see you back at the dorms.”

6 Chloe Jareau A walk by congratulations. 267 Chloe Jareau 0 5

Ava Fletcher

November 08, 2015 4:36 PM

Potato! by Ava Fletcher

Ava’s summer had started out being kind of iffy. She had thought she would be spending most of the summer inside working on college prep, but as it turned out she had been able to go to a sleepover at Chloe’s after Chloe and Emery’s little sister’s birthday party. It had been a fun night for the most part and even the bits that weren’t fun weren’t unfun, they were just melancholic, nice but not happy enough to fairly call fun. And on top of it all she had sorted out the messy hormones which had plagued her for most of the past year and was feeling better about it.

So when she arrived at Sonora she was feeling really excited about seeing all her friends again. She wanted desperately to go down to the common room and find Arnold, Emery and Emrys and have a good chat but she also wanted to look pretty for Emery, a desire she had never really acted on before and so she took a shower and laid out one of her favorite sundresses. But, instead of actually going anywhere after she dressed herself she found herself too nervous to actually leave her room and ended up putting away all her belongings and then tearing her room apart again looking for her school robes which were required for the Opening Feast, but she only had one set that were perfectly clean and she seemed to have misplaced them somewhere. Eventually she just gave up and sat down on her desk, sighing at the mess she had just created.

“A new year and already you’re living in a pigsty,” she scolded herself and flopped down backwards, staring up at the ceiling and found patterns in the paint until it was time to go for dinner at which point she miraculously found said clean robes scrunched up under her trunk (how it had gotten there she had no idea) and raced down the steps, taking them two at a time until she reached Cascade Hall where she found one of her friends and sat down next to them in a rush just in time to hear Headmaster Brockert begin his speech as the first years were arriving with Professor Pye.

And in one simple sentence after the sorting, Ava’s giddiness faded. She eyes rushed to find Emery’s, feeling the blood rushing in her ears, worried that her face was flushing. She knew that Emery had wanted the Head Boy badge, she had voted for him, and she knew Emrys had voted for him too, she hadn’t even needed to ask but she knew he hadn’t wanted it for himself. The vote had been hard since all of their friends had been on the ballot but Ava had known she wouldn’t get it and she didn’t care about it besides that, but it had been hard since both Arnold and Emery had wanted the badge. In the end she had put Emery’s name down which was probably a biased move on her part but there it was.

She wanted to go to him and give him a hug and see if he was okay but then again she didn’t think she would be able to control herself if she did that. She was almost afraid to be around him. She didn’t know how to act, it would have been the first time she had really seen him since her earlier discovery of sorting out her feelings. She was terrified of someone guessing that she liked him and so instead she focused her eyes on a random food item down the table. Besides, she was sitting next to Arnold and she didn’t want to leave Arnold sitting all by himself on his first night as Head Boy so, she asked him to pass the potatoes.

“I really like mashed potatoes, don’t you?” she babbled, trying to keep the conversation away from the drama that was unfolding what with Emery being upset about Arnold getting the badge and whatever was happening over at the Pecari table which, after Arnold had turned to her after her request to pass the potatoes, Ava noticed Chloe getting up and stopping to say something to Ji-Eun. “They’re a starch, did you know that? Which is really funny because they grow like carrots, in the ground which might make you think it’s a vegetable but it’s not, it’s a starch. That’s why they’re so filling. Starches expand in your stomach once you eat them.”

When the potatoes reached her, Ava spooned a large amount onto her plate and shoved an enormous spoonful into her mouth, chewing quickly and swallowing just as quickly. She had to get her mind off of Emery—was he okay, wherever he was? She didn’t know. He had left the feast with her the previous year when she’d needed some air and she felt as though it were her duty to return the favor, but she didn’t know if perhaps he wanted to be left alone. And on top of that she cared about Arnold too and she didn’t want to leave him all alone what with Emrys at the Crotalus table and Chloe and Ji-Eun over in Pecari.

“And congratulations too,” she said cheerily, needing to get the words out there so Arnold wouldn’t think she wasn’t happy for him. She was, it was just…she’d rather it have been Emery who, after everything Ava had heard from Chloe’s mouth, was the beyond perfect candidate—caring, involved, intelligent. Not that Arnold wasn’t but…Emery had shown how good he was at being in charge, at taking care of people… “Would you like some meat? This looks particularly tasty, don’t mind if I do!” And she piled several pieces of meat on her plate, planning to eat until past she was full even if it meant she had a stomach ache later on because if her mouth was full of food and she was babbling nonsense then she wouldn’t accidentally let slip everything else that was on her mind—both consciously and subconsciously.

10 Ava Fletcher Potato! 258 Ava Fletcher 0 5

Gabriel Valenti

November 08, 2015 6:42 PM

Here be dragons by Gabriel Valenti

A few hours into being a wizard, all on his own in the magical world, and so far, so good. These kids didn’t seem so different from those he had grown up with, magic and weirdly formal greetings aside. He wondered if his official wizard name Gabriel Valenti, of the New York Valentis? But what other Valentis were there? Maybe he should be more specific, and say he was from Westchester. Maybe there were even more Valentis in Italy, his bisnonni Valenti had come to America without any other family. Anything seemed possible these days in this strange, new world.

Strange, but beautiful. Entering Cascade Hall, the pudgy boy did not bother to hide his awe as his jaw dropped, dark eyes wide with amazement. So this was where he’d be eating most of his meals for the next seven years. Not bad, not bad at all.

Handed a goblet, Gabe eyed it skeptically. He’d seen magic, and owned magic books and magic things ever since his family had gone school shopping about two months ago, of course. But he’d never had magic done to him. What would that even feel like? But it seemed to be some sort of rite of passage, and the other students seemed to be fine, aside from the whole color situation.

“Bottoms up,” he said in his New York accent to no one in particular, downing the drink quickly. By the time he lowered his goblet, his skin was bright yellow. So Teppenpaw it was. The friendly house made perfect sense to him, and Ma would certainly be happy he was sheltered from the influence of unruly Pecaris - the whole family had read all of the brochures prior to Gabe’s arrival. Well, his immediate family, anyway. Who knew the excuse his parents would make to the rest of their tight-knit family as to why their youngest son was attending a mysterious boarding school across the country.

Judging by the way he droned on with announcements, Gabe figured that a headmaster was pretty much like a school principal. Taking a seat by his fellow yellow first years, the clean cut boy in his very best robes paid just about as much attention to the headmaster as he would a school principal - next to none. Soon, they had the whole school singing some boring old school song.

He gasped slightly as the songsheets disappeared, unused to magic. He moved his fingers slowly, still shocked by the emptiness between them, his eyes turned to the feast in front of him. So what if he had eaten cookies on the way here, and appetizers at the First Year orientation? This stuff looked delicious! Gabe eagerly piled some chicken tenders on his plate, and feeling a slight pang of guilt, grabbed some veggies as well. So Ma wouldn’t have to worry.

“So,” he turned to the kid next to him with an easy smile, “D’you think they have secret passages here? Or dragons? Dragons would be cool, but where would you keep 'em?” Now that he was really here, any anxiety he had felt before faded away, replaced by excitement. Being a wizard now was sure to mean plenty of adventure in the year to come.

0 Gabriel Valenti Here be dragons 330 Gabriel Valenti 0 5

Ginger Pierce

November 08, 2015 7:17 PM

Is this not the time to tell you how wonderful mine was? by Ginger Pierce

OOC: Jake's correspondence and visible miserable-ness was checked with his author. The Teppenpaw girls' decorating party was assumed based on previous beginning-of-term habits and can be removed upon request if Lauren or Jemima object.
BIC:

Ginger was worried. Jake's summer correspondence had started out as it had gone over midterm: cheery and pretty frequent. Not everyday, of course (mostly, in Ginger's case, out of pity for the owl) but a couple letters had been exchanged each week. Then, abruptly, Jake's answers started coming much more slowly and they weren't nearly as enthusiastic. Ginger was confident enough in their friendship that she didn't think he'd lost interest in her (or gained too much interest in another girl, but his letters' tone was all wrong for that anyway), which left only the conclusion that something bad had happened to her friend. He hadn't said what, and she had let it drop when her first couple of probing questions were ignored. She figured maybe he either wasn't ready to talk about it, or it wasn't something he wanted to discuss by letter. She hadn't quite had the courage to invite herself to his house, and she wasn't sure she could have gotten away from her family obligations anyway even if he had made an invitation without her prompting him for one (though she certainly would have tried if he had said he wanted her to come).

She'd spent the orientation time as she had last term, reconnecting with her roommates and decorating their room for the year, but when it was time for the feast, she looked for her favorite (and most attractive) Quidditch teammate. "Hi," she said as she sat down across from him as she had last year. She'd grown a little over the summer, gaining a couple needed inches that would hopefully help with her Keeping reach. She'd also begun filling out in the chest area. Not a lot; she was skinny enough that she doubted she'd ever really have breasts like some women did. But they had expanded just enough to tell that she was no longer a little girl and to justify a training bra. She felt pretty grown-up and pleased about that.

Jake, on the other hand, looked pretty miserable.

She didn't pay too much attention to the sortings, not knowing any of the newcomers - though Mom did say one of the Boston Pierces would be among them this year, which was at least better than one of the New Hampshire Pierces, but she doubted she'd see much of him unless they ended up on the same Quidditch team since he was a Beginner and she was a newly minted Intermediate. Though, to be fair, she supposed she was no more older than him than Jake was of her. Two years seemed so much bigger looking down than up though. She just hoped Jake didn't think the same.

And when Prefects were named she applauded Jake enthusiastically even if he had been the only option. She still thought he'd be a great prefect and he would have gotten it if he'd had competition for the title.

"Hey, Jake," Ginger greeted again once all the speeches and singing was done. Asking about his summer seemed like too risky a proposition right off the bat so she instead opened with, "Congrats on prefect! You'll do great, I'm sure. You are always such a good mentor on the Quidditch team! And speaking of mentoring, we're both intermediates now! Was it really hard in third year with two older years in the class?"

1 Ginger Pierce Is this not the time to tell you how wonderful mine was? 302 Ginger Pierce 0 5

Jax and Gia Donovan

November 08, 2015 7:46 PM

Enjoying the evening by Jax and Gia Donovan

Summer had been pretty great in Jax’s opinion. Gia was more undecided on the subject. Jax had been able to practice boxing with some Irish man at the local club and it had been the best thing in the world to him. Gia didn’t understand why it was a big deal. He was learning to fight, how was this a good thing? But Mana told her that this was what Jax needed. He was always sulking and saying he needed to be better able to protect them. Learning how to fight, defensively and offensively, would make him feel better. Gia stopped asking about it after a while because then he would end up going on and on about what he was learning and it was all such a bore to Gia.

Still, it had been a long time since she had seen her brother really happy over something. And Jax was happy. The accent to the man who was teaching him how to box had the same accent as Jax’s father and it gave him a sense of home. He missed his father tremendously so being able to talk to another man, even about fighting, was an enjoyable experience for him. They were only working on the basics because Jax was young, but he promised that if Jax was still able to keep up when he was home for Christmas, that he’ll work on the next steps for boxing. Jax was going to use the MARS room that assisted with sports training to help him keep him in shape.

The journey to school was long as usually, but the Donovans had friends now and one of them happened to be sitting on the Wagon with them. Jax had seen Laila first sitting in one of the carriages. Normally, Jax would have found some quiet place for him and his sister to sit, but since he was in a good mood and Laila had not denied a friendship back when they were at the concert together, Jax was confident that she would not feel less inclined to their company. Jax led his sister in and they sat opposite to their friend. Gia kept the conversation going for the majority of the ride. He wasn’t sure how she seemed to never run out of things to talk about, especially since she had also kept correspondence with their friends.

When they arrived to Sonora, Jax and Gia said good bye to Laila before separating themselves to head to their common areas. Jax spent his afternoon unpacking and reading ahead in some of his textbooks while his sister spent the day unpacking and chatting mercilessly to her roommates, but she was most excited to see Sammy, her best friend and confidant. As soon as she saw her friend, Gia gave her a big hug). Unlike his sister, Jax did not feel this way towards his own roommates. Although he had no ill will towards Jack, Jax was rather suspicious of Barnaby and was still anxious to learn why it was that Barnaby was willing to keep his secret for him.

Soon it was dinner and the Donovans found themselves sitting at the Pecari table per usual. “Someday, you’ll have to sit with your own table.” Gia stated, smiling to her older brother. Jax just shrugged. Gia returned the shrug. Her brother needed to adjust again to the school and to the people. Eventually, if he ever actually spoke to his roommate, Jack, or some of his house mates, he’d feel more comfortable sitting with them. Until then, however, Jax was comfortable sitting with the Pecaris just as he always did.

Gia clapped and cheered for those who earned the badges and for the new students who were sorted. She wasn’t sure what the bonfire entailed, but she was sure that it was going to be fun! After the song was over (Jax did not participate, Gia did), the food appeared and both Donovan children went for the chicken. “How was your summer?” She asked the person nearest to them. She found reason to not converse with the others while having a delicious meal.

OOC: Sitting/Chatting with Laila was discussed with her author as was Gia and Sammy’s interaction.

6 Jax and Gia Donovan Enjoying the evening 296 Jax and Gia Donovan 0 5

Barnaby Pye

November 08, 2015 9:22 PM

And a rarely complaisant Barnaby too, you lucky girl! by Barnaby Pye

There are spies everywhere.

These words were the only ones going through the inherently suspicious Barnaby’s mind as he entered Sonora that afternoon. He had endured some rather uncomfortable run-ins with his older brother while around the estate that summer. Each time had been when no one else was home, as if Alfie knew that was the perfect time to show up unannounced. Each instance Alfie acted surprised that Father wasn’t home, each interaction there was a slim woman with a fair complexion and dark hair hovering besides Alfie’s elbow. There was a glittering ring on her finger and when Alfie saw him looking at it he made the excuse that he had gotten engaged over the summer and was there to introduce his fiancee to Father.

Barnaby didn’t buy it. He recognized that woman’s face from somewhere—he was certain he’d seen it on some paper in Father’s study, and besides he knew Alfie well enough to know that his older brother was not giving up his womanizing ways just like that in one summer, especially when he had such a harem of young professors to flirt with at school. (As if Barnaby didn’t notice the way Alfie talked to the other young professors versus the way he dealt with everyone else at the school). As he watched Alfie lead the first years into the room, Barnaby’s hand closed around the tiny vial in his pocket.

Tarquin had swiped some stuff from his Father’s supply room before he and Barnaby saw each other for the last time, he said. He was worried that the others would be trying to keep them from writing many letters to each other over the summer and so in addition to the multitude of tea leaves he had provided Barnaby with several vials of a serum which was promised to help Barnaby keep his thoughts to himself and away from the prying mind of his older brother who, under all circumstances, could not be trusted since he and Tarquin had later further investigated and found that the woman Alfie was with was listed under the faces of “not to be trusted” in Father’s files.

“In the end, we only have each other,” Tarquin had whispered under his breath to Barnaby as they parted for what would be the last time until the annual Christmas party Barnaby’s mother insisted upon having. It was a farce, a show to the rest of the world that the marriage between Barnaby’s parents was more than just a union for appearances (and that they could stand each other for longer than it took to get each other off), but it helped cement their image as a family versus an aloof father, a party girl mother, and the strange unsociable child.

The serum Tarquin had given him was an extract for him to ingest that would help keep people out of his mind. One drop would suffice, Tarquin had said, but Barnaby had taken a few drops back in his dorm room when he was the only one in there and had taken it with him to the Feast just in case. His fingers were itching to put a couple drops into his tea, but he didn’t dare, he couldn’t risk confiscation of Tarquin’s gift.

His main goal for now was to try and eat and then to get back to the dorms. His body was feeling tired and heavy. He had no energy to talk with anyone—if someone were to approach him he didn’t think he’d be very responsive. Besides, Tarquin had promised to write once he was Sorted and Barnaby wondered if the owl would come while he was in Cascade Hall. Logically he knew it would take longer than a few hours, but he also couldn’t remember the last time he felt this sluggish.

Barnaby’s hand fumbled for the teapot, one hand grasping tightly around one of the the ceramic cups that were available for the students to drink hot beverages out of. An intense pain began to form just about his right eyebrow in his temple region and Barnaby shut his eyes tightly unaware at how pale his skin had become, not even feeling the beads of sweat that were beginning to form on his forehead.

There are spies everywhere, the refrain echoed in his ears and Barnaby squeezed some lemon into the ginger tea. He highly doubted there was feverfew available at the moment but he was certain he could gather the ingredients he needed from the gardens or perhaps pester the praire elves into creating some sort of concoction for him. Although Tarquin distrusted the bustling creatures Barnaby had been all but raised by Father’s house elf and he had an unusual soft spot for the creatures.

A blue girl who was sitting next to him asked him to pass a dish that was to her right. If he had been so focused on his headache and the nagging feeling deep inside him that something was wrong he would have likely noticed that the girl hadn’t sung the school song—which would have automatically put her slightly higher on his list of first impressions than most. As it was his first impression of her was an very smiley girl who was willing to eat something that she didn’t know what it was.

Barnaby bit back the caustic reply that threatened to emerge about eating things when you didn’t know what they were—poison was always an option, after all, because last year his less-than-friendly attitude had gotten him in a debate with a first year when all he’d wanted was to be left alone. Better to grin and bear it, he thought to himself. Just get this interaction over with, the sooner the better.

And so he grimaced in response, a smile that would have looked friendlier if he hadn’t been in so much pain, and passed her the dish. “Here you go,” he responded, placing it right in front of her. “Let me know how it is?”

10 Barnaby Pye And a rarely complaisant Barnaby too, you lucky girl! 298 Barnaby Pye 0 5

Librarian Amelle Nicchi

November 08, 2015 9:24 PM

Librarian Seeks a Companion for Conversation by Librarian Amelle Nicchi

Amelle had honestly enjoyed her summer. Because of her success with school (summer was her official last summer before she received her degree, but it was for her internship and she felt confident with handling it quite well), her parents had lain off of bothering her about meeting men or finding a more appropriate career. This meant, it was a summer where the only pressure she was the actual internship. She worked in a school of children with behavior problems. They lived there year around because their parents were either gone or could no longer care for them. It was a difficult but having worked in Sonora for so long, the kids were the same, but instead of magic, they just use fists and words. It was a different atmosphere, but the kids were good, they just didn’t know how to handle life.

She felt rather fulfilled at the end of each day working with these kids. She’ll be sad to have to leave once she had completed the internship, but this was not exactly what her degree would be used for (should she pursue it).

Aside from her internship and finishing up her degree, Amelle was spending time with some of her old friends. A couple of them had started a small Jazz band and played in night clubs around the city. Amelle often went to see them play and a few evenings, they had asked her to join them on stage. She had never really done actually real singing in a band, but Amelle had humored them and it turned out, they sounded rather nice. Amelle even invited Isis to one of the performances and so they could have one of their catch up talks.

Amelle was really grateful to have found a friend in Isis.

One of the evenings where Amelle was merely watching the performance, a man had bought her a drink. She hadn’t thought much of it, but then he sat beside her and chatted with her. He was an accountant by day and a trumpet player in a band by night. His voice was deep and intoxicating and Amelle found herself drawn to him. He was quite charming. By the end of the evening, Amelle had agreed to meet him for drinks. Those drinks became a night cap. That night cap became breakfast, lunch, and dinner over the course of several weeks. They were keeping it light and fun because that’s all the two of them wanted and it was freeing.

Summer came to an end though and Amelle completed the requirements to obtain her Counseling degree. After a last evening out with her friends, Amelle returned to the school a day early to make sure the library was in top shape for the return of the students. Plus, she needed to readjust to the quarters once again.

When the students came back, Amelle stayed in the library to greet all the Aladrens as they came back and to be there in case any decided they wanted to check any books out earlier. Amelle really did enjoy working in the library, so she was rather conflicted on what to do now that she had a degree in Counseling. She supposed, for the moment, she would just sit on it until her parents started inquiring about it once again.

She would worry about that later though. For now, the Feast was starting.

With her wild curls semi-tamed, wearing a lovely purple robe and black heels, Amelle took her seat at the staff table, greeting her fellow coworkers as she did. She sat quietly in her seat throughout the ceremony and speech (it was always a quick speech, so there was hardly any time to become restless) and only turned to her neighbor once the food had appeared. “Looks like a good group this year.” She commented to make small talk. “Do you think the bonfire will include something else or just be a bonfire for the students?”

6 Librarian Amelle Nicchi Librarian Seeks a Companion for Conversation 32 Librarian Amelle Nicchi 0 5

Professor Pye

November 08, 2015 10:47 PM

Unlikely Professor Seeks Good Time by Professor Pye

Back to the daily grind, Alfie had thought to himself as he dressed for the first year orientation. He had been asked to conduct the orientation brunch and campus tour for the first years that year, despite it being only his second year as a full time professor at Sonora. He wasn’t sure why he had been asked, other than that Mr. Xavier, the groundskeeper, who had done it last year seemed to be busy with something or other—probably searching the gardens for any monster ahead of the school year which, in Alfie’s opinion, was a really good idea seeing as how well the previous year with the satori had gone.

However, he wasn’t sure what made him stand out apart from the other professors. If he was being completely honest, he was, quite likely, the least professional professor of them all. Not only did he not want to be there, but he frequented bars most weeknights and had conducted an affair with one of his colleagues. Never the less, perhaps it was his volunteering to help out with the beginners the previous year that had landed him the honor. Though he was a strict professor in the classroom, outside of the classroom he was much more relaxed—if not guarded, and was known to be able to have a good time. His younger brother, Barnaby, who seemed incapable of the word “fun” did not really like the more carefree side of Alfie.

That he was starting to feel soft towards many of his students was something Alfie never would have admitted. He was there to make sure the American youth of today got as full an education as possible, though Alfie cared less about the grades and more about the practicality of the job. Making sure his students would be able to adequately protect themselves when they were out in the real world against dark wizards and creatures who wished to do them harm was Alfie’s number one priority. Take home assignments had no place in his classroom—everything was practical, practical demonstrations, practical exercises, interactive memorization of facts (his favorite was when he pitted his intermediate students up against animated practice dummies where they would have to rattle off a list of important facts about the attacker they were going up against before giving a practical demonstration of what defense tactic they would use) appreciating the Advanced students in his class.

After dropping the first years at their designated place in front of the hall, Alfie took a seat next to his, dare he say?, friends. He was not nearly attached enough to any of the houses to be particularly proud that one of the Head Students had been picked from his House, but at the same time he knew it to be an honor and so nodded to Arnold Manger as he stood up to collect his badge along side Ji-Eun Park. He had only ever taught Mr. Manger, as he had only taken over the Defense position full time the previous year and Ms. Park had not opted to take the class.

“Most everyone seems innocent at age eleven,” Alfie said in response to Amelle’s remark about the new first years. “It isn’t until they get older that we can see their true nature. Never underestimate anyone.” He arched a brow. The manner in which he spoke was mainly hyperbolic and the majority of the staff should have been used to that by now. Alfie’s time as an Auror had caused him to be suspicious of everyone, even the eleven year olds under his care. “But the bonfire should be fun. It will be my first one so I really couldn’t say what else will go on. How was your summer? Salad?”

As he spoke he had been filling his plate with an overly-healthy looking medley of raw vegetables and offered the serving plate up to Amelle at the end of his bit.

10 Professor Pye Unlikely Professor Seeks Good Time 30 Professor Pye 0 5

Jake

November 08, 2015 11:46 PM

Probably not. by Jake

Ginger Pierce was just about the best girl Jake had ever met. She was incredibly sweet and had a laugh he was fairly certain could cure dragon pox. And, while certainly not the main thing he prioritized in girls, Ginger was so darn cute. Also, whether or not she realized it, she was remarkably talented, both on the Pitch (where she’d clearly made a lot of progress last year) and off. Jake adored her passion and spark. Her very presence was so warm that it often inspired his face to flush red.

But he didn’t feel like that right now. Maybe he was just too deep in his own self-pity to let himself feel much of anything else. Otherwise, her soft, familiar voice after such a harsh summer would have sent his stomach fluttering, making it difficult to think or eat. Jake already didn’t feel like eating as things were, but at least he could probably talk to her without feeling completely awkward.

He knew she meant what she was saying, but somehow, her praise felt hollow. The fifth year didn’t feel like he really was much of any of the things she said--a good choice for Prefect or a good mentor. He knew full well he’d won Prefect because there were no other choices, and as for Quidditch, riding the bench didn’t exactly make him leadership material. (Of course, his reserve status was something he had never minded before, but the well of self-loathing ran deep today.)

“Thanks,” he said anyway, although his intonation revealed whatever confirmation to his mood his lugubrious appearance had lacked. “I dunno, it didn’t seem too hard at the time,” he added in regards to her question. He had almost forgot they would be in the same classes now. Ginger was a third year now. “I had my brother, though. Arnold’s really smart.”

12 Jake Probably not. 280 Jake 0 5

Nevaeh

November 09, 2015 12:32 AM

I feel honored! by Nevaeh

There was no immediate reply, and for a moment, Nevaeh was unsure if anyone had even heard her. It was completely possible, considering the hum of chatter surrounding not only their table but every table, all the students either catching up with old friends or making new ones. Her request could have easily gotten buried in the other conversations all around them, or else her neighbor could have just been not paying attention.

Still, she allowed a silent moment in case the person was in the process of doing what she asked and just had replied nonverbally. That was also a strong possibility. If they had not seen Scout lying at her feet, it would be easy to not realize that Nevaeh was blind. She didn’t subscribe to the stereotype of her disability; primarily, she didn’t wear sunglasses to cover her eyes, which was generally a staple of blind people on television and such. So she permitted a moment to pass in relative awkwardness, most of all to avoid an even more awkward moment of repeating herself if her neighbor was already in the act of passing.

“Here you go.” She heard the plate clatter before her at last. “Let me know how it is?”

“Thanks,” she replied cheerily, fingers fumbling slightly to locate it and scrape some onto her own plate. Nevaeh was pretty good at navigating the world by now, having had eleven years to practice, but sometimes it was a little less than graceful. When she had enough on her plate, she took a bite, chewing happily at the pleasant taste. “It’s good,” she said after swallowing. “I think it’s turkey, or maybe some other kind of poultry. I like it, whatever it is.” Nevaeh grabbed a fairly large piece off her plate and handed it down to Scout, who sat up and received his share with fervor. “Good boy,” she smiled, wiping her hand off with a napkin before returning to her meal.

“I’m sorry,” she added a moment later. “I don’t think I introduced myself. Nevaeh Reed. And down there is Scout.” She pointed down as she offered the dog’s introduction. Certainly he had noticed Scout by now, and she always liked to give his name as well. He was her buddy, her partner in crime, and he deserved recognition in the conversation too. “What’s your name?”

12 Nevaeh I feel honored! 325 Nevaeh 0 5

Liliana Bannister

November 09, 2015 3:42 AM

Mixing it up. [tag: Duncan Brockert] by Liliana Bannister

Late, she was a late. A lady was never late—unless it was fashionably so, of course. But as much as she wanted to be a lady at that moment, Liliana didn’t particularly feel like one and it made her glad. She had never been very ladylike in her outward appearances. She was the tomboy cousin, she played in the dirt and she got up to mischief. But she had always secretly harboured a love for dolls and tea and nice dresses. She had secretly loved the dance lessons Grandmère had forced her into and as a young girl had always longed for the days where her parents and grandparents would force her into proper society. Up until she was about thirteen Grandmère had only slightly but non-verbally disapproved of the majority of Liliana’s actions, but her parents had been too busy with the move and their work and parties to actually do anything about it, and but the time she was fourteen and Grandmère was commenting about it to the rest of the family and all the aunts and uncles and the older cousins were mentioning things like how Liliana really ought to tone down her behaviour, Liliana didn’t care anymore. She had been allowed to run wild for so long that she didn’t really want to change for anyone—on her terms and on her terms alone.

Isaac’s betrothal to Portia had woken Liliana up from her scourge of acting out for a brief moment, but then as quickly as that appeared she had met Vetil and in him found all the reasons why she liked to act out. It was about breaking the mould of being so stereotypically stuffy, it was about having an open mind, trying new things—being liberal, to be explicit. But in the end even he had failed her. He had resigned himself to a life of corporate dinners and parties where the wizards talked business and the witches tittered on about the latest social disgraces. And not only that but he had committed himself with Myrtille of all people and then’d had the gall to ask Liliana if they could continue on in private because on some level he had developed feelings for her. No. She did not do feelings unless they had to do with—but no, she wasn’t thinking about that right in that moment, what she was thinking about was getting back to Cascade Hall and looking presentable enough and not arriving at the same time as Theodore Wolseithcrafte and hoping that no one noticed that they had both been missing at the beginning of the feast.

Since the Opening Feast was such a big deal and they were in separate houses and prefects besides, Liliana doubted anyone would notice and if they did, they wouldn’t comment because they would likely assume it was some official business as it was pretty well known that they were not friends. Before she reached the doors, she took a deep breath and smoothed out her hair and straightened her robes. After their brief time together in the MARS room, Liliana had gone back to her dorm and showered, using a drying spell on her hair and putting on a freshly washed and pressed dress to wear under the wrinkle-free school robes as it was still pretty warm outside, August having only just passed. After five years at Sonora, Liliana knew enough about deserts to know that desert night air could sometimes drop to frigid temperatures, but the school grounds were pretty regulated and besides, the last time she was cold Atlas had offered his sweater to keep her warm. The thought made her cheeks warm and the tingling feeling sent her through the doors of Cascade Hall, hurrying to her seat.

It appeared she had missed the Sorting which was fine by her because she really didn’t want to have walked into the room in the middle of all that. It would have been beyond awkward if that were the case, but thankfully everyone was already busy chatting that she planned on simply telling anyone who asked that she had slipped out earlier on to use the bathroom. It was plausible enough and she highly doubted anyone other than the professors would have taken notice as to whether or not she was there before the Sorting and even then it was entirely plausible that she had fallen asleep in her room—she had pretty much come straight from France and so had arrived at the school in the middle of the night for her. As she passed Atlas she squeezed his shoulder to let him know that she was coming back later and made her way over to Duncan at the Teppenpaw table. As excited as she was to see him, she didn’t think she’d be able to look Atlas in the eye after what she had done with Theodore.

“Hey,” she said, perching on the edge of the bench in a temporary manner. As a prefect she really ought to have sit at her own table but people sometimes moved around to talk to their friends even when they were sitting at their own respective tables and besides that Emrys Lucan always sat with his sister and his girlfriend so if he could do that she was certain that she was allowed to visit a friend for a chat. “How was your summer?” she asked conversationally as she grabbed a roll of the table and buttered it. She wasn’t that hungry and quite honestly would have rather just gone to bed early but she did want to at least show up so she could see Duncan and Atlas and perhaps say hello to Ginger and some of the other students with whom she had formed slight relationships with.

10 Liliana Bannister Mixing it up. [tag: Duncan Brockert] 274 Liliana Bannister 0 5

Natalie Varth

November 09, 2015 3:04 PM

Those are Real?! by Natalie Varth

Natalie had had a great time so far- she’d flown for the first time (and in such an unconventional way!), Joe Umland had kindled an interest in the flying sport they offered here, and she was going to be sorted into a house. Everyone she talked to seemed to think of the houses as substitute families, ones you didn't necessarily outgrow after seven years either. She could get behind that; all her siblings were adopted. Carter and Jerry were adopted through the foster care system on the recommendation of Janyl, her mother Marigold's friend and contact there. Amanda hadn't been part of the system but a street kid, and Andrea had been a patient in the pro-bono ICU her mother worked in. They were an unconventional family, even by their neighborhood's standards, but it made the housing idea here seem almost familiar. Different but similar in regards to whom would get along and work well with whom hopefully.

The speeches weren't interesting but the sorting was. She’d been told, very briefly, about the different houses and she'd suspected she'd fall into either Crotalus or Pecari. She was definitely a planner. She was also definitely a jock. When it was finally her turn to take a swig, though, she turned yellow. Nice. She was above all else simply nice. She hadn't really considered that as an outcome- wasn’t almost everyone nice? No, she knew that wasn't true no matter where you went, she wasn't that naïve.

There were even more speeches awaiting the captive audience after the sorting had finished but at least she was seated. One could pretend to pay attention to anything for up to forty five minutes given comfortable enough seating. Singing, though, was not her thing. She tried to sing along but she couldn't read music. What notes did escape her were off key but were drowned out by her fellow Teppenpaws. She heard a gasp when the music sheets disappeared and wondered if she had let escape her astonishment.

It only took a minute or so until she was reacquainted with the prospect of food though. Joe’s brother had told him the food was great- an opinion he shared with Natalie. The orientation had had great food, but this was in all senses of the word a feast. She never ate much at home- they weren't poor and they weren't stolen from as often as a lot of others but there wasn't a lot to go around, food wise especially. A pang of guilt came over her as she thought of her family. Even if she skipped eating at home completely, the others wouldn't have been able to have portions like this. Marigold especially. She was interrupted mid thought by a boy with a familiar accent next to her.

“D’you think they have secret passages here? Or dragons? Dragons would be cool, but where would you keep 'em?” Dragons!? Why had that never occurred to her? She looked at the boy, mouth agape and eyes sparkling. “Dragons are real?” she asked. Sure she was a witch now, sure the guides talked about things (a lot of which didn't make sense) but no one had actually brought anything as terribly shocking as dragons being real to the table. Shouldn't that be on a pamphlet somewhere? Welcome to the Wizarding World, where you can ride brooms and fly with Dragons. No, really. They're real.

After the boy’s response she mentally shook herself alert and continued. “Ah, neat.” Her cheeks turned orange, blood running up to meet her yellow face. “A-anyway,” she started again, clearing her throat and offering her hand, “I'm Natalie. I'm from Brownsville, New York. You from upstate or downtown or. . . ? Or actually are you from New York at all? I just assumed but I haven't actually been many places.” Her lack of knowledge wasn’t limited to just the magical but a lot of the world. She realized she must sound like an idiot but it was too late to take the comment back.

7 Natalie Varth Those are Real?! 331 Natalie Varth 0 5

Arnold

November 09, 2015 4:49 PM

What a stunning conversationalist by Arnold

It was Ava who had spoken to him, but it didn’t seem like he had missed much as she continued babbling about potatoes and starches. Arnold noticed the dish of them was within his range, so he passed them in her direction if for no other reason than to hopefully satiate her weird potato-lust. (And he did know that potatoes were starches and not vegetables, but not the bit about starch expanding in one’s stomach. In a better headspace, that might have been really cool.)

Ava was always a rather chatty one, he felt, but something about this babbling felt off, like she was uncomfortable. The way she swiftly shoveled spoonfuls into her mouth definitely went along to support that theory. If he had to put a source to it, Arnold imagined it was related to the Emery thing.

“And congratulations, too.” There it was.

“Would you like some meat? This looks….” And just as fast, it was gone..

She probably didn’t mean it.

Arnold and Ava were friends. They had the bond and respect that was fairly common between two artists. They were part of the same group. But there were splinters in that group, definitively stronger bonds between some members. Ava was without a doubt closer to Emery than she was to him. And Emery had not won. He imagined Ava was, in truth, rather disappointed.

He supposed he couldn’t really blame her. If she had gotten Head Girl over Ji-Eun, for example, Arnold would have been in a similar situation. But Emery was upset, which meant Chloe was probably also upset, and Ava was upset, and he assumed Emrys was too…. The redhead knew it was a fairly reasonable thing to be disappointed over, but he just wished some of his friends could be happy for him. He didn’t think he had really told much about all the reasons he had wanted this, but they were there, and he wished that was better understood. He hadn’t woken up one day and thought, Hm, I’d like to get Head Boy so that Emery can’t have it. It was more than that.

“Thanks, Ava,” he said anyway, his tone less than congruent to his words. “And no thanks on the meat. I’m not… I’m not very hungry, I guess.” He poked at the food already on his plate, fork prongs prodding but not lifting. Arnold glanced over to Pecari again, hopeful to find Ji-Eun’s silent support, and noticed her talking to Chloe, who was standing, apparently on her way out. Probably off to find Emery, he figured. Just great.

12 Arnold What a stunning conversationalist 261 Arnold 0 5

Lena Westley

November 09, 2015 5:34 PM

Not the CATS by Lena Westley

It had not been a good summer. Not at all. Lena had taken a seat next to Clark in hopes of being distracted but she didn’t want to provide any information or entertainment herself. What would she say? Olivier and I are basically taking turns ignoring each other, I’m in the middle of a psychotic break, other than that my summer was uneventful, how about you? Nothing light had happened- it was either extremely draining on her emotions or exceedingly dull. She used to do things by herself all the time, Olivier following behind, keeping an eye on her from a distance but now that was gone. When she left the house he stayed indoors; when she went in he went out. She’d tried to talk to him a few times but he’d given her the cold shoulder. Hurt and unable to act naturally she had done the same when he had approached her. Now neither one approached the other. They were actively avoiding each other.

Despite it being her fifth year Lena didn’t have many friends here. She’d met Clark early on and he was a friendly face and a good person to sit next to since he was also an Aladren but she hadn’t ever really talked with him. She knew he had a Dad, but had never heard him speak about his Mom. This wasn’t exceedingly peculiar nor did it raise any particular suspicion because Lena really hadn’t spoken to Clark about much personal which made him an unlikely candidate to spill her guts out to now.

“It was fine.” She could barely get the words out. Her throat was dry and tight, as if she had been crying a long time and was now in need of air. Of course she hadn’t been, at least not externally, but if the conversation didn’t switch off to him she would be right there. Crying in the middle of the hall. She feigned eating something and sipping from her glass until the tightness eased. “How was your summer, Clark?” she asked, hoping desperately that he’d answer with something more than a few words. She suspected Clark would mercifully give her a running dialogue but seeing as that’s what she was desperately hoping for, with her luck running the way it was, he might very well act out of character just to spite her. It wasn’t fair of her to think that, and it wasn’t what she genuinely felt, but she was so miserable she couldn’t even hope for a small mercy.

“Congratulations, by the way,” Lena followed up. “It looks good,” she said, gesturing to the new badge on Clark’s robes. She hadn’t been paying much attention to the ceremony given her being preoccupied with the tension with her twin but Clark was a sort of friend and she wanted to celebrate his achievement even if she wasn’t at all in the mood to.

7 Lena Westley Not the CATS 279 Lena Westley 0 5

Tobi Reinhardt

November 09, 2015 5:53 PM

As tranquil as a forest. by Tobi Reinhardt

For the most part Tobi thought his summer break had gone by without much event. Matti had become more evasive. In the three, about to be four years, Tobi had been away at Sonora his little sister had really grown into a person of her own. She no longer relied on him for everything as she once had when he was ten and she was four. She was still young and still needed her big brother to help her with things, but she was becoming more nd more like Arne’s darker side at an alarmingly fast rate and the worst part was that Tobi sometimes thought he was the only one to notice it. Certainly their parents were far too preoccupied with figuring out how they would house all their children in the summer and winter times when Tobi and Arne came home for break—the rest of the year Matti, Lukas, and Hugo slept in the expanded five-part bunk-bed of sorts their parents had created for the four oldest. Arne had been busy in town with the Mills brothers getting up to Merlin knew what, and though Lukas tried Matti was just too quick, too smart for him to keep up with.

The part that frightened Tobi the most, perhaps, was the relative ease with which Matti tried to maim their little brother. It didn’t happen too often, but it happened often enough that he saw it as a cause for worry. He knew things had to be different when he and Arne weren’t home but he wasn’t quite sure to what capacity. When he came home he tried to give Matti the attention she needed, and she seemed to be happier—Mother had certainly commented that Matti visibly cheered up when her favorite brother was home to play with her and take her on hikes in the surrounding forests, but it also seemed that she only ever attempted to do anything to Hugo on the school breaks. He supposed that was because during the rest of the year Father took Lukas into the workshop and frustratingly tried to make him understand things while Matti came up with new and creative ways to learn without being caught and when she wasn’t at school or spying on Lukas in the workshop, Matti was learning from Mother how to make jam while Hugo played on his own or with some of the Chinook children from down the way.

That particular summer Tobi and his siblings hadn’t gone to Germany to visit their father’s parents like they usually did. Father’d had an unsightly amount of work to get done—back orders and the like, and he and Owen had been struggling to keep up with the load. Sometimes Tobi had gone in to help them out, doing small tasks like minding the shop front while they worked in the back, or sweeping up. He had met a girl in that way but had not actually been able to muster up any sort of word to actually talk to her. In the end, that didn’t really both Tobi too much—he was more concerned with keeping his little brother safe from his little sister and stuff but enough girls around town had apparently noticed that quiet Tobi Reinhardt had grown-up because he had to listen to Arne grumbling about it whenever he came back to the house from town.

Perhaps the highlight of his summer, Tobi thought, other than spending his free time hiking and relaxing by the brook or on the beach was getting to go up to Seattle and camp out at Daybreak Star for Seafair Indian Days. It had been during a wonderfully hot weekend in July and Tobi had enjoyed hanging out near the drum circles and watching the beautiful twirling colors and wonderfully stomping feet of the dancers. Just being able to sit there and relax had been nice. Arne had been needed to mind their own booth there, but Father had sent Tobi out to inspect the handiwork of the various booths to see what sort of competition they had out there. Which, since Tobi didn’t support the ideology behind that, took to mean “take Matti out for fry bread and buy her a clip.” Which he did, several times over.

And now he was back at Sonora with another year to start. He had Liac and Arne and he had Aiden, and he had Laila. And occasionally he had talked with John Umland in class, and everyone he had met had been pretty nice to him—aside from Olivier Westley who had threatened him for no reason out of the blue which had startled Tobi since he’d thought the older boy to be of a more even-tempered manner, he’d certainly seemed so in class, that was. But Tobi longed for something more than just academia. He did well in his classes but he didn’t particularly enjoy school in the way he knew many of his classmates did. Nor did he enjoy friendships in the same manner. He found certain people nice and fun to talk to, others interesting to observe—certainly the female population was appealing to him but even then it was mainly aesthetics.

What Tobi actually craved was a space all to himself where he could just hike the days away. Perhaps run an animal hospital out of his house, become one of those hermits that the children in town liked to tell stories about. He didn’t mind the idea of that, in all actuality, he didn’t think he really needed a specific person to make him happy, so long as he had his family and his animals and his forest he knew he could be satiated. That being said, he didn’t mind company either and rather enjoyed that of his roommate, so he took a seat at the Teppenpaw table since he had gone for a walk in the Gardens by himself right after getting off the wagon and gave him a polite smile.

“My summer was quite nice,” he replied in his low, quiet voice. Over the summer his voice had started to crack and while as a child he’d always had a huskier voice than others, it had evened out and dropped a few tones even though it still cracked from time to time. Tobi’s manner of speaking was kind of that of a lazy, herbivorous bear (if such a thing existed). It wasn’t insistent, but it was patient with a sense of authority. He spoke with weight though he used few words. The opposite of his hyper-active brother, when Arne was in a good mood that was. “I hiked and I swam in the river.”

The short sentences did not mean Tobi didn’t like Aiden, on the contrary the pleasant smile on his face as he spoke and the kind look in his eyes portrayed his genuine feelings of comradeship with the other boy. “Have you ever been to the Northwest before?” he asked, pausing to let Aiden answer before launching into story-telling mode. Tobi either spoke in short, sweet sentences or longer, detailed phrases. The latter was usually when he was talking about his home landscape as landscape and nature held a very special place in his heart. “It’s wonderfully green, the trees and everything. It’s so lush, so full of life. A person can really feel alive up there. I could never trade that for the world.” The lazy smile on his face gave him the look of a boy well satisfied and he turned the question back around to Aiden. “And you? Was it a nice break?”

10 Tobi Reinhardt As tranquil as a forest. 289 Tobi Reinhardt 0 5

Prof. Isis Carter

November 09, 2015 5:57 PM

The jitters by Prof. Isis Carter

Isis felt her hands shaking and folded them in her lap, blocking from sight the physical symptom of her nerves. She told herself there was no need to be so anxious, that it was just another Opening Feast, but she knew deep down that it clearly wasn’t. Everything was different now.

The first years entered the room, and she felt her stomach drop out. Isis had sent all this into motion herself, but now that it was really happening, she couldn’t believe how dreadful it made her feel inside. She had gone specifically to the Reeds to talk to them about Sonora in the hopes of them sending Nevaeh, not only because it genuinely was an excellent school but so that she could be close to the girl, to keep an eye on her.

It was so strange to see Nevaeh standing not ten feet away from Alfie as he brought them back from Orientation, neither having any idea of the other’s relationship to her. Isis was literally watching as her two worlds collided. And while she hated how close it brought her old life to her new one, Nevaeh was the only reminder she could hardly say she minded.

Her biological daughter was the only good thing that ever came out of that life.

She watched the Sortings with more attentive concern than she had any prior year at Sonora. And as Nevaeh turned blue, she felt a sort of pride swell inside her, followed immediately by a slight terror that it meant her Head of House would be Alfie. Isis had not yet decided for sure if she would tell her friends about Nevaeh, but she was afraid of them finding out some other way, although she wasn’t sure how that could even happen. She hardly expected Nevaeh to go about proclaiming that the Potions professor had abandoned her at birth. The idea that if she told Alfie he could perhaps watch after her, however, did sooth her to an extent.

Isis paid as much attention to the announcements as she could, but she couldn’t seem to break her focus away from the Aladren table. It was still pretty hard to believe Nevaeh was even old enough to be in school yet. Maybe it was because she hadn’t watched her grow up, but the only image of her she had in her mind was the tiny baby she held once and then never again. Mother of the year over here, she thought sarcastically, although for her all her regrets, she couldn’t imagine doing anything differently if she could go back.

The music sheet popping up in front of her visibly startled her, but she caught up in the song fairly easily, singing quietly to blend beneath the other voices. When it ended, she set her sights on the food before her, hoping that eating something might settle her stomach and calm her nerves. “Could you pass me that?” she asked a neighboring staff member. But when she reached to accept the place, her shaky hand failed to grip onto the plate well enough. It slipped through her fingers and clattered onto the table, making a small mess in front of her. “O-oh!” she exclaimed. Isis began to clean it up before glancing to the same neighbor again. “I’m sorry. That didn’t get on you, did it?”

12 Prof. Isis Carter The jitters 31 Prof. Isis Carter 0 5

Emrys Lucan

November 09, 2015 7:12 PM

Watching, waiting, commiserating. [tag: Charlotte] by Emrys Lucan

Emrys was floating. When he had befriended Charlotte all those years ago in his first semester at Sonora he never would have thought that he would be sitting with her at the Opening Feast with her as his…well he didn’t know exactly what they were to each other but he did know that she liked him and she knew that he liked her. And everyone knew that they liked each other, and that was enough for him. He was afraid to be too aggressive, mainly because he really respected Charlotte not only as one of his best friends but also as a potential future life mate. He remembered back to Emery’s original disgust at the terminology Emrys’ grandfather had used to describe the need of Emrys to find someone proper and society to marry. Back then though he knew of his grandfather’s vulgarity, he had never really registered fully how awful the man’s mean streak had gone.

Now that he and Charlotte had actually gotten to the point where they had admitted their affection for one another he was tempting to let the rest of the progression of their relationship lie until she brought it up that she was ready to move on to the next stage. The last thing he wanted to do was push her into something she wasn’t ready for and have her resent him for it. He really liked her and as much as the slow paced relationship was killing him—there were so many things that could only happen in his dreams, so many things that whilst they hung out he wanted to just do, he was letting her call the shots.

So that day, when he got off the wagons, he went straight to his room to catch up with his roommates before the feast, knowing that whoever ended up getting the Head Boy badge would inevitably cause discord amongst them, and sent Charlotte a quick owl asking her if she wanted to eat dinner together so he wouldn’t have to be there when the world came crashing down. His penchant for eating at the Crotalus table and for declaring loudly, at many points in time to his various classmates that he didn’t really want the Head Boy position probably had disqualified himself entirely from most people’s minds and with that in mind he happily conversed with Arnold and Emery.

When he reached Cascade Hall he separated from his friends with one last parting look and headed over to Crotalus table to wait for the metaphorical hammer to fall. He found a space that would seat both him and Charlotte and waited for her to arrive. When he saw her walking in the door, he waved her over to where he was sitting. “Hi,” he said with a large smile., standing to greet her when she arrived. He was so tempted to hug her in greeting as he would have done Chloe or Ava or Ji-Eun but he wasn’t sure if that would be considered inappropriate since their friendship was at a different level. He twitched slightly as if to do so but reconsidered it and let his arms fall back to his sides from the slightly raised position he was previously in. “How was your summer? I mean, I know I wrote you a bunch of letters and stuff but letters are so different from being able to actually see you in person!”

Once they were seated again, Emrys looked down at his hands, his cheeks flushing slightly and he looked up quickly to glance at her and say: “you look really nice, by the way.”

10 Emrys Lucan Watching, waiting, commiserating. [tag: Charlotte] 260 Emrys Lucan 0 5

Laila Kennedy

November 09, 2015 8:13 PM

New year, new start! by Laila Kennedy

Laila Kennedy was not a prude. Over the summer she had figured out how to follow her mother’s rules only in their most literally way so that she could work around them and still stay out late or bend things around a little and she found that she liked it. She had hung out with Harvey Mills a few times but after word got around that the polished Laila Kennedy had gone to the church social with him, eyebrows were raised and Arne had started to hang out with the Mills brothers more frequently so Laila had phased herself out of that group and rejoined the girls who went to junior cheerleading camp and the boys who were playing junior varsity. The kids who were from respectable families like hers but who didn’t behave respectably, the ones who it didn’t matter what they did because the town would look the other way. There, she was safe because she knew things were only talked in hushed whispers and Mamma hated listening to gossips since she thought gossiping was a sin.

So Laila happily went to Mariah Seve’s co-ed birthday party and patiently played the adolescent games they broke out once the parents left them alone in the basement, like ‘spin the bottle’ and ‘seven minutes in heaven,’ she giggled over ‘truth or dare’ which had gotten much more explicit since the last summer she had played it with just the girls at Katy Lomer’s sleepover birthday.

But all too soon the summer was up and she was really sad to say goodbye to all her friends, lamenting her powers and wishing that she had never gotten them in the first place. She didn’t want to be a wizard! One would think that attendance at a co-ed boarding school in which boys and girls cohabited would be far more fun than a tiny little town where everyone was always watching everyone else, but for Laila (who dearly loved Turner’s Point) it was like being dragged away from heaven to be sent to a drab school where she was not very sociable.

In her first year she had befriended the awfully quiet Jax and by association the older Reinhardt boys. And by the end of the year she was friends with Jax’s twin, Gia and Gia’s roommate, Sammy too but it just wasn’t the same as being with Lynn and the Riley boys. Here, her best friend was the Teppenpaw Head of House, Mr. Xavier. In Turner’s Point she had the bubbly companionship of Katy Lomer and Jillian Chong.

Laila’s spirits were considerably raised, however, when after she was dropped off at the wagon depot and hugged her parents and brother goodbye, she climbed into the wagon only for the Donovans to climb in after her and sit with her. She was glad to not have to sit with Arne like she had the past couple times she had taken the wagon and happily talked with them, thanking both for their kind letters.

However, having to separate from them and go to the Crotalus dorms where she didn’t really have any friends other than Arne who she really didn’t want to hang out with was frustrating. But that meant she all the more excited to go to the Opening Feast. She was determined to make a friend in her own house smiling in a friendly manner to those who sat near her, blatantly ignoring Arne as he poked her roughly in the shoulder, feeling a nice sense of vindication as he eventually stopped and focused his attention elsewhere, likely growing bored with her lack of a reaction.

“Hello,” Laila said with a large smile to her neighbor. She was going to try her best to make sure that the new first year Crotali weren’t left friendless for awhile like she was. “Did you have a nice summer vacation?”

10 Laila Kennedy New year, new start! 318 Laila Kennedy 0 5

Amelle

November 09, 2015 9:30 PM

And has he succeeded? by Amelle

Amelle tried not to look bewildered by her comrade as she knew it was Alfie just being Alfie (Amelle assumed after being an Auror, a person was bound to be a cynic) but she couldn’t imagine someone actually looking at a bunch of eleven year olds and believing that they could do any harm aside from casual debauchery that comes with being teenagers. She didn’t say anything about her thoughts though because she was never quite certain if he was joking or if he was being sincere in his comment. Instead of answering, she hoped her smile was enough to cover her uncertainty.

She rested her head in her hand with her elbow on the table as she looked out at the students. She was still less than ten years older than the Seventh Years, but she felt like an old lady in comparison to them. She had a youthfulness that she had regained over the summer, but she knew would soon fade away. She was jealous of the fact that they were still so full of hope and all she cared about was finding her bed (which would sadly be empty).

“I don’t really remember the last one that we had. I want to say other things happened too, but most of these things sort of blend together for me.” Amelle admitted. She did enjoy the ball because she was able to dress up so nicely, but the fair and the bonfire were so similar that she didn’t really care for either one.

”Salad?”

Amelle looked down at the food and at his plate. His plate was full of vegetables. She frowned as she looked it over. Had he always been a vegetarian? Amelle wasn’t really a practicing Muslim (although she did try to be, doing her daily prayers , etc), but she did continue the dietary regulations, which meant that she didn’t really eat anything at Sonora that had been from an animal since she could not confirm that a Muslim did the slaying or destructed the animal correctly (sometimes her mother sent her packages that did contain proper meat). But she thought for sure that Alfie was a meat and potatoes type of guy.

“Did you decide that meat was the enemy or do you just really enjoy your vegetables?” Amelle asked, mostly teasing him. “Thank you.” She added as she took the bowl of salad from him and served herself a small helping of it. “My summer was actually really lovely.” Amelle said, sitting up in her seat in case the students looked her way and saw her slouching with her elbows on the table. “I officially earned my degree, I performed a few times with my friends on stage – which was really quite fun and surprisingly empowering, and I had a bit of fun.” The bit of fun could mean just about anything, but she’ll let him think whatever he chose too.

“And yours?”

6 Amelle And has he succeeded? 32 Amelle 0 5

Sammy Meeks

November 09, 2015 10:05 PM

Third time's the charm! by Sammy Meeks

Sammy was thirteen years old now. A third year. In the Intermediates classes. That was some sick stuff, bro. She didn’t particularly feel much different, aside from a few confusing impulses and emotions that she opted to ignore for now. Her clothes were fitting differently, though. Her chest hadn’t grown much--and, going off the genetics of her biological mom, she didn’t really expect it to--but she was beginning to figure out why guys and girls’ pants were sold separately. These stupid hips were not going into “boys” clothes anymore.

And she had broken the five foot barrier over the summer! If nothing else, the brunette was proud of that. She didn’t think she was ever going to be tall, but at least she wasn’t going to end up legally a midget. That was nice. (And if she ever figured out how to walk in them, high heels could probably do the rest for her.)

She spent most of the ~~bus~~ wagon-ride with her face in a notebook, sketching some ideas as they popped into her mind. Sammy wasn’t sure she was necessarily ready to share this information, but ever since the fashion show--the one she suggested--she’d been thinking about clothes. Her moms had always took a guilty pleasure in shows like Project Runway, mostly for the sass, but when they had it on over the summer, Sammy had taken a surprising interesting in them.

When the wagon arrived, she tucked her notebooks deep within her backpack and bounded eagerly for Pecari. She couldn’t wait to see Gia again after the summer. They hugged and chattered, and it reminded Sammy just why Sonora felt like home. Man, Gia was the best.

When it was time to go to the Feast, she somehow misplaced Gia and, while they were at the same table, she didn’t find her again until she and Jax were already seated farther down the table. Ah well, she thought casually. Plenty of time to hang out later. Sammy just made herself comfortable in her current position, waving down to them when she thought she had their brief attention.

She sat through the Sortings and announcements with mild interest. She was happy that Arnold guy who was nice to hear won Head Boy, but she didn’t really know most of the others. And a bonfire sounded pretty cool, but the end of the year was way too far off to make much of an impression on her. Sammy sang along to the song with moderate volume and enthusiasm, happy to be back but not a great singer. And then it was time….

FOOD!

Sammy eagerly set to acquiring her favorites, knowing by now the ins and outs of the House Elves’ cooking. Mama knew what mama likey. In her quest, her hand landed upon a plate at the same time as someone else’s. She was hungry, sure, but still polite, and retracted her hand. “Go ahead, you first,” she smiled. She gestured slightly to her already overflowing plate. “I’ll be okay while I wait.”

12 Sammy Meeks Third time's the charm! 310 Sammy Meeks 0 5

Dustin Newell

November 09, 2015 10:29 PM

Let's eat, at least. by Dustin Newell

After mentally debating for about ten minutes, Dustin finally decided that yes, he would attend the Opening Feast. He knew he was supposed to, but it was just so boring. Last year had been one thing--as a first year, he literally had to go, or else he wouldn’t be Sorted. But he didn’t know or care about the Prefects or Head Students, and the Midsummer event to be announced would be repeated several times throughout the year.

In the end, he only decided to go because it was technically required of him and Newells were not rule-breakers. Dustin was not the sort of boy to go looking for trouble, and in fact deplored trouble-makers, so if he had to sit through one boring evening, so be it. And, he supposed, there would be food, at least. He was stiff and reserved, but he was still a twelve-year-old boy. He liked eating.

He took his place among his fellow Aladrens, noting with mild amusement that the first years who turned blue were all girls this year. Dustin didn’t generally invest too much in the intelligence of females, his only real examples thus far in his life his fairly ditzy mother and aunts, his immature little sisters, and his cousin Makenzie. It definitely was no coincidence that there were more total male Aladrens than females. So it was interesting to him that this batch, while small, was all female. And one at least was, to his understanding, of a good family. Interesting, for sure.

The rest of the ceremonious aspects passed as uneventfully as he thought they would: without excitement. Singing didn’t seem dignified, so he did not join the school in the song. Dustin was just glad when it was time he could eat. “Excuse me,” he said to a neighbor. “Could you pass me that dish?”

12 Dustin Newell Let's eat, at least. 312 Dustin Newell 0 5

Gabe

November 10, 2015 2:52 AM

The search begins by Gabe

The girl sitting next to Gabe seemed equally as excited about dragons as he did. Excellent. A fellow first year and his housemate, naturally they would be friends. It would be cool if she also liked sports and adventure. He wondered off-handedly what the "nice" house did for fun.

In response to her question, Gabe put down his fork, left hand reaching into the pocket of his robe. His hands wrapped around the wand delicately, in respect for its power. And because, he had no idea how to use it yet.

“Alder wood, ten inches, springy,” he presented the wand in the palms of his hands with a very solemn tone, but his eyes began to twinkle and his voice broke with enthusiasm as he declared the last part, “And there’s dragon heart stuff in it. But I want to meet a real live one someday.” Easily the coolest wand ever, his siblings had been dutifully impressed. It helped that none of the siblings had possessed a real, working wand before. Nervous that he might cause the turkey to explode, Gabe carefully replaced the wand in his pocket.

The girl turned reddish for some reason, likely related to the excitement of learning dragons were a real thing. Gabe was glad to have informed her. He was no nerd, but if they were going to be wizards, it was important to know about all the cool stuff that came with it. She then introduced herself, and Gabe grinned - a fellow New Yorker! He had no idea where Brownsville was. But that was okay, because anywhere in New York was the best, as far as Gabe was concerned.

“Gabe, I’m from Westchester, just north of the city,” he clarified, refusing to accept his Manhattan cousins’ designation of “upstater”. Being careful to be proper (it seemed like people here were into that sort of thing) he used a fork and knife as he consumed his chicken tenders. Ma would be shocked. Gabe, however, was not shocked by Natalie’s admission of not having traveled much. With three kids, each with a schedule jam-packed with competitions and little leagues, the Valenti schedule was largely dictated by sports. This had led to extensive travel from Boston to DC, but not much else. Other kids at his old school had traveled all over. This was the furthest from home he'd ever been.

“What's Brownsville like?” he asked inquisitively as poured himself some iced tea, "besides, you know, no dragons."

0 Gabe The search begins 330 Gabe 0 5

Araceli Arbon

November 10, 2015 8:17 AM

Keeping up appearances by Araceli Arbon

Delphine stared into the mirror. Araceli’s face stared back. It was still an odd sensation, even after two years, to feel herself doing one thing and see someone else’s body carrying it out. She was no longer startled by seeing her younger sister’s reflection when she looked in the mirror - in fact, it had become stranger to see herself, usually making her jump before she remembered she was in a safe place where she didn’t need to have taken the Polyjuice Potion. But it still felt like a mask. She doubted it would ever stop feeling that way, because - essentially - that was what it was. But, as ever, it was perfectly in place. She hadn’t really expected anything else - Araceli’s small, round face was not going to be cracking, showing her longer thinner one, her height was not going to be distorting and shooting upwards. And in all other features, they were more or less the same. Large grey eyes, pale skin, shimmering blonde hair… But still, she liked to check. It helped her feel solid and certain, ready to face her audience…

She slipped into the Cascade Hall, taking a seat. She was a little relieved when Makenzie walked by and sat elsewhere. She was the hardest person to pretend to, having at least got to know the real Araceli a little before they switched places. Their other room-mate, Shino, was also a challenge but for different reasons. She seemed much more cynical than Makenzie, and Delphine wasn’t convinced that Shino fully trusted her. But that she could deal with. Makenzie’s sweet and trusting naivety was exceptionally useful but it also made her feel guilty. Shino, on the other hand, she felt she owed nothing to. She was more challenging to manipulate but equally there was no guilt on Delphine’s part for doing so. Well, not so much. On a basic level she cared about the deception she was undertaking, but a background level of guilt at her dishonesty had become the norm, and her feelings towards deceiving Shino were no stronger than that.

The other… challenge in her relationships was Duncan Brockert. He inherently trusted her version of Araceli, having never met the real one, although she had to be careful not to let too much of the real her out, as her sister would be swapped back in once she was better - once she was able to socialise with the grace expected of a young Pureblood lady. Duncan needed…. Needed not to notice that. The thought hurt her heart. The times she felt best were when she told Duncan things about herself. Nothing that mattered. Trivial stupid things, like what she’d thought of someone’s outfit or her opinion on Potions class… But her own, real opinions. She had to get him to care for Araceli but she didn’t know how to foster that feeling of closeness without letting him in a little, and letting him in meant a certain degree of being herself instead. It was messy and confusing. At least tonight, tired from the long journey, she didn’t have to worry about that, as he was at the Teppenpaw table.

She listened to the announcements, applauded politely and sung the school song, before settling into a meal. She noticed that Liliana Bannister broke rank to go and talk to Duncan and bit her lip. He’d assured her last year that he and Liliana were just friends but then, that had been last year. Perhaps the opinions she was letting him on were so trivial they didn’t even register with him. She wanted something more solid and secure. A relationship. She pushed aside the little voice that added ’for Araceli because she didn’t like the conflict she felt when she thought it. If she left it unspoken, even in her own head, it was much easier to pretend that it was because it went without saying, rather than because she was starting to doubt her own motives.

Still, there was nothing she could do about Liliana right now, except stab her broccoli slightly more forcefully than she had really meant to. She tried to focus on her meal, content to just get through dinner and get to bed, although she would be sociable if called upon to be so.

13 Araceli Arbon Keeping up appearances 290 Araceli Arbon 0 5

Theresa Whittaker

November 10, 2015 10:32 AM

This place keeps getting better! by Theresa Whittaker

Tess grinned as she felt herself turn brown; her prediction earlier hadn't been far out! Pecari sounded more fun than Teppenpaw too. She’d watched as Nevaeh was sorted into Aladren, slightly disappointed that her new friend (and her dog!) wouldn’t be in the same house, but at least there seemed to be plenty of other Pecaris in her year.

She’d enjoyed the tour of the school, the inside being just as impressive as she expected. No doubt she’d get lost plenty of times, but hopefully the teachers wouldn’t blame her when she was late for class. They had to cut first years some slack, right?

Nerves had struck briefly once more as she stood in front of the entire school, waiting to be sorted, but the waterfalls – waterfalls! Inside! – cascading down the walls had soon distracted her. And as she walked over to the Pecari table her attention was diverted by trying to remember who exactly had been put in her new house. She couldn't remember any girls, so would that mean she had a room to herself?

The idea of a bonfire sounded exciting – if it was going to be anything like Bonfire Night back home (no, not home any more, Tess corrected herself) it couldn't be anything but! She joined in enthusiastically with the school song, and then started helping herself to a wide range of food. Lunch seemed like so long ago!

Tess turned and smiled as she heard the boy next to her start talking. “I know, I'm so excited!” she replied eagerly. “I've been waiting to come here for, like, forever – well, not here, I always thought I’d be going to Hogwarts, but any magical school is brilliant! D’you think they’ll start us off with really simple spells or will we get to the fun stuff straight away?”

She paused, realising that she might have startled him with her barrage of enthusiasm. “I'm Tess, by the way,” she introduced herself. “I'm from Britain, as you might have guessed, but my family’s just moved over here.”

9 Theresa Whittaker This place keeps getting better! 338 Theresa Whittaker 0 5

Nathan Xavier

November 10, 2015 12:15 PM

Steady there by Nathan Xavier

It was another year and this time he was coming back from a summer on the Pacific coast. His apartment hadn't been particularly fancy, as he had followed his usual habit of subletting a college student's place while they went home between semesters. But San Francisco was a pretty area with plenty to do. He'd enjoyed visiting some vineyards and spending time on a rented boat out on the open ocean. It had been one of his better summers of late and he'd been sad to see it end.

He did enjoy his work and co-residents at Sonora though, so his return to his familiar haunts was comforting and reassuring despite the loss of his California dreaming. He'd intended to run the Orientation again as he had last year, but Alfie had volunteered this time and Nathan had been caught up with a gnome infestation in the West Gardens that had gotten out of control while he was away, so the DADA professor had taken on the task this year.

He hadn't disliked introducing the first years to the school - it had, in fact, felt pretty good to have some direct interaction with the students of other Houses - but honestly, he was kind of relieved. Public speaking was not his forte and while having an audience of eleven year olds was not nearly as intimidating as, say, addressing the whole school as Headmaster Brockert was doing currently, or even a full beginner classroom, he was just as glad he had escaped it.

He watched the Sortings as he did every year, with an eye toward remembering the new Teppenpaws that would become his charges for the next seven years. He kept a tally of how many had turned yellow - he'd gotten a good sized group this year - then applauded for the new Heads and Prefects. Jake would make a good addition to the Teppenpaw team, he thought, but he was a bit disappointed that Miss Dobson had not been elected for Head Girl. He'd been rooting for her, and he sent her a sympathetic look as the new badge winners returned to their seats.

He was ready for the school song when the sheet appeared in front of him. He had no great talent at singing, so he mostly just mumbled along with the words, though his timing was getting better though repeated exposure at this point. As the food arrived, he watched the Teppenpaw table for any trouble cropping up, not that he expected any, they were Teppenpaws after all, but he felt it was his duty to doso just in case.

He was just beginning to frown at one of the new little ones who was crying and wondering if he should do something or see if the second year who was just striking up a conversation with the girl could handle it herself without staff intervention possibly making things worse, when he was startled by Isis asking for a dish to be passed.

"Oh, yes, certainly," he agreed and complied with the request. She had less of a grip on the plate than he'd thought she had and dropped it. Nathan tried to help catch it, but he reflex wasn't fast enough and he just managed to get his arm in the way when the food spilled over the side onto him and the table.

"Uh, no problem," he assured Isis. "I'm used to being covered in plant matter," he promised. A wave of his wand proved he knew how to handle the clean-up, too. "Sorry, I thought you had that. My bad."

1 Nathan Xavier Steady there 28 Nathan Xavier 0 5

Daniel Fintoc

November 10, 2015 3:54 PM

Appreciating the welcome. by Daniel Fintoc

Daniel felt oddly nervous as he waited to take the goblet. Before now he had thought that what house he’d be sorted into was the least of his worries but now that it came down to it, he was full of anxious questions. Was he meant to be the first of his family to find themselves in Aladren, the intelligent house? That would most certainly draw some of his grandfather’s attention away from his beloved clever little Emilia-Louise who wasn’t even his real grandchild anyway, not that Daniel was jealous or bitter or anything. Or should he want to be a Pecari amongst the rest of his family, prove he was one of them as Chuck was and just as good? On the other hand perhaps it would be better to show he was his own person and capable of bigger things than the rest of the Fintocs, free of that unfortunate impulsive trait and big mouth.

Red. Daniel turned red. He was surprised, although it had been as much a possibility as the other three houses. Any colour could have been equally as surprising, a mix of them all seeming a thousand times more likely. Daniel was aware of the whole school around him as made his way to the Crotalus table but he made sure not to glance around too much for fear of meeting eyes with his older cousin. He wasn’t sure whether Chuck would be surprised like him but he didn’t really care to know. He was a Crotalus and it felt good. It was almost as though he’d suddenly discovered himself. He wasn’t stupid enough to believe that a house could define a person so to speak but it did feel as though he had just begun to build his own sense of identity, to understand which of his numerous conflicting traits were the most dominant. Being himself was something that had in a sense always been unintentionally discouraged by his family because he simply did not fit their way of life and now it was like he was being blessed with the opportunity to be nothing else.

Once the announcements and singing were out of the way, Daniel helped himself to the available food. His earlier hunger had returned and he was rather glad not to have totally pigged out at the buffet tables in the Garden because there was such a range in front of him that he was rather desperate to try a bit of everything, or a bit of as much as he could without looking crazy greedy. That definitely wouldn’t be a good first impression to make, especially now that he’d just made the decision not to fit any typical expectation of a Fintoc male.

He smiled when an older girl spoke to him, made comfortable by her warm tone. “Thank you, I’m Daniel Fintoc of the Colorado Fintocs.” Obviously his new feeling of individual identity didn’t go so far as to make him keen to remove himself from the Fintoc family entirely. He was still proud of his heritage and ready to show the family patriarch that he was worthwhile; one of his main aims was to return his family to the prominence that they had held in the wizarding world in the past. “I must admit I wasn’t expecting to be sorted into Crotalus,” Daniel commented to the girl who had already set him straight in his worries that Teppenpaw was the only truly friendly house. “Not that I’m complaining, of course. What year are you in- oh, sorry, I didn’t ask your name?” He was never socially awkward and thoroughly enjoyed engaging about conversation but there was just so much he wanted to ask the girl about life at Sonora, questions which he would probably find out the answers to himself very soon, that he was already getting ahead of himself, excited at the opportunity to find out more about the school from a non-family point of view, from a Crotalus.

8 Daniel Fintoc Appreciating the welcome. 333 Daniel Fintoc 0 5

Abigail De La Garza

November 10, 2015 4:43 PM

Happy to be away, happy to be back. by Abigail De La Garza

Abigail had thoroughly enjoyed spending the majority of the summer in Mexico with her vast extended family. Her first year at Sonora had not been disappointing but she had missed her parents frequently despite the constant letter exchange. When the end of the long break eventually came around, she felt marginally reluctant at being whisked away from those she loved most dearly again but at the same time she couldn’t deny the excitement that came with the prospect of a fresh new term. The second years had always seemed so old, the senior members of Beginner classes, but now that she was one Abigail realized they weren’t half as grown up and mature as she’d always thought.

She watched the first years take it in turns to sip the goblet with curiosity. They would be all be her classmates this year and some her housemates too. No one she knew was starting Sonora this year but no one she knew ever did because most of her cousins went to school in Mexico and the few that didn’t were significantly older than her anyway so had been and gone. Abigail did look out for any new students that were potential siblings of her classmates but there were no faces that stood out as familiar as far as she could see.

The Head Students and prefects were announced and she applauded enthusiastically along with the rest of the school. Even though she wasn’t familiar with the individuals on a personal level, she had heard the names and seen the faces (although not matched them all up yet) and knew that they must deserve their new titles else they wouldn’t have been selected.

Abigail was briefly intrigued by the Midsummer Event announcement and thought it sounded very fun and then it was time to sing the school song. She had a naturally good singing voice that had improved over the years due to her lessons so was happy to sing along with her peers wholeheartedly, although not confident in her talent enough be any louder than the students closest to her.

Once the food appeared, she began selecting some dishes and trying not to compare anything to the wonderful Mexican cooking she had appreciated everyday during the summer break. It was clear that she had spent much of the holiday outdoors in the sun as her naturally olive Mexican complexion was glowing more than ever. “Hi, would you mind passing me the black beans?” she turned to the person next to her with a big smile on her chubby round face once she was satisfied with the amount of Mexican rice on her plate. It was odd readjusting to using the English terms for familiar foods and trying to pick out dishes that were similar to what she was used to so that she could ease herself back into the American life, although Sonora always did exceedingly well in their variety probably because of the wide range of cultures that made up the student body. “Did you have a good summer?” she asked as she waited for the beans to reach her.

8 Abigail De La Garza Happy to be away, happy to be back. 315 Abigail De La Garza 0 5

Natalie Varth

November 10, 2015 5:47 PM

First Stop, Those Secret Passageways by Natalie Varth

The boy reached for something in his pocket, then presented the wand. Dragon heartstring. Wow. She'd heard of it when she received her own wand but at the time, maybe because she had still not been accustomed to magical creatures being real, she assumed out was done sort of plant. They made wands with kelp as their core after all. The boy's face shone with too much pride for it to be anything other than physical proof that dragons existed though and so she also looked at the wand in awe.

The boy put his wand away and she produced her own, from her right pocket. She almost bumped his arm as he returned his but thankfully noticed and was more cautious with her arm movements. She didn't want to jostle the boy- this wasn’t the football field. “That's awesome. Mine has unicorn hair,” she started, “which they said'll be good for a new witch like me.” She wasn't sure if they meant a witch of her age or someone new to magic since she was both. The core was the most suitable choice, though, as she was both compassionate and conscientious enough to not let the wand become melancholic, and the stabler the wand’s magic the better. Studious wasn’t her middle name but she was dedicated enough to ace things but for that a consistent wand was key.

Gabe introduced himself, and confirmed her suspicion of him being from New York. He asked about her hometown and she answered, editing the less tasteful aspects. She lived in a rough neighborhood, one where violence and larceny were common but she loved her home. It was because of where they lived and what they were exposed to that Andrea and Amanda had come to them. It also meant that Andrea, Jerry and even Carter had a harder time with bullying but all for foster siblings had seem and dealt with worse.

Unable to keep herself from talking about her siblings she asked if Gabe had any of his own. She missed them like crazy and it had only been a day, roughly. She hadn't traveled by port key but she had slept through most of her trip to Arizona. The wagons were the first time she really came to. She asked him if he missed them and if they'd ever been apart before. Then she asked him to pass her the iced tea.

7 Natalie Varth First Stop, Those Secret Passageways 331 Natalie Varth 0 5

Isis

November 11, 2015 4:40 AM

I'm trying my best. by Isis

Despite the assurances Nathan made that it was no trouble, Isis still felt rather bad about the whole situation. And while she appreciated his humor in light of her fumble, it did confirm that some of the dish had gotten on him. Nathan was a sweet guy--Head of the Teppenpaws for a clear reason--and she hated to trouble him. She liked being his friend; it was very different from her other friendships among the staff. With the posse of twenty-something staffies she had fallen into, she often felt wild and alive and young. Nathan, a fair bit older than her, didn’t make her feel like that. For perhaps the first time in her life, she actually felt… safe.

And, bless his heart, he was now apologizing to her for what happened. “Oh, you don’t have to-..” Isis started, changing her direction mid-sentence. “I mean, it was my fault. I guess I’m a bit… shaky.” She wasn’t one to express weakness, but since her attempt to hide her trembling had obviously failed when she dropped the plate, she didn’t have much of a choice but to recognize it. Of course, she wasn’t going to offer the true reason she felt as she did.

Her haphazard attempt to clean things up was blown away with a single wave of Nathan’s wand, and she felt a growing warmth of embarrassment in her cheeks. “And I guess I’m a bit scatter-brained, too,” she admitted weakly.

“So, um,” she diverted, carefully lifting another plate and adding a share of its contents to her own. “Did you have a pleasant break?” Nathan was too nice that she feared he might inquire more about why she was so clearly nervous, so she wanted to redirect attention, get it off herself. But even now, she couldn’t help but glance at the Aladren table, where Nevaeh seemed to be fitting in just fine. So maybe there was less to be worried about than she anticipated.

12 Isis I'm trying my best. 31 Isis 0 5

Caelia Lucan

November 11, 2015 1:51 PM

Placid, as always. by Caelia Lucan

Caelia was kind of embarrassed about the company that Emrys kept. Sure the majority of his friends were purebloods, but they weren’t as nice as some of the others in his grade. Caelia was sometimes astonished that Emrys had befriended Charlotte but not her cousin nor the other rather proper students in that year and instead had opted to hang around with his non-society friends. Yet on some level she was embarrassed because there was a deeper part of her that yearned for some level of non-propriety. She yearned for the Dance Club where she could enjoy the company and antics of the likes of Ginger Pierce without anyone commenting on it. She would never admit it to anyone but she missed Matthew and she missed how before Wesley and Emrys left the four of them would play together, how when Wesley and Emrys took off (Wesley was the only one who could make Emrys forget about his little sister) Matthew would stay behind and make sure she could keep up. But as Grandfather had said—Matthew was non-magical. He was certainly a fine playmate for their younger years, but he was a shame to his family and as a young lady Caelia really oughten not play with him anymore.

Her summer had been nice in that Mother had allowed her to stay with Grandmother for the majority of it. Caelia had been terrified that Kira and Kelsey would have to come over to see the house they had lived in before moving in with Grandmother to appease her after Grandfather had died. She had put that part of her life behind her, she no longer cared for those grandparents who were intellectual to a fault, to the neighbor boy who paid her too much, inappropriate attention. However, like all breaks, she had been required to spend at least one weekend with her other set of grandparents. She felt out of place there with her neatly pressed summer robes and white dresses. She had spent most of that time in her room, drawing and practicing her needlepoint. Once Father had come by to see how she was doing—she and Father had always got along best just like Emrys and Mother had.

While Morgana and Emrys shared a love for literature and more intellectual pursuits, Julian and Caelia enjoyed the finer things in life. It was Father who had allowed Caelia to wear the pastel, frilly dresses from infancy though Morgana had wanted more practical clothes—heavier fabrics that ripped less easily and dark colors that didn’t show dirt, for the toddler. If it had been any other child then Morgana would have had the right idea, but Caelia had always been quiet and careful, demure, even as a young child. And Caelia had not just inherited her father’s affinity for pretty things but also a set of his brains as well. Father wasn’t idiotic and he wasn’t stupid, but he was far less intellectual than Mother and though he had aspirations in the intellectual department which made him curious about the world and had helped him to expand his small mind, Caelia had been conditioned not to care for those things and instead her mind remained exercised and weak.

At least I have the practical aspect of magic down, Caelia thought to herself as she took her place at the Crotalus table. She had been tired when the wagons first arrived and so had decided to have a lie down when she got back to her dorm so that she would appear rested for the Feast. So once Caelia arrived back in Crotalus she had put away her belongings and hung up her favorite dress and her school robes so they wouldn’t be wrinkled, and drew the curtains around her bed to block out the light. She was feeling much better now, she had woken up and washed her face to refresh herself and carefully dressed before walking slowly and carefully to Cascade Hall because a lady was never late and a lady never ran.

Her blonde hair hung in perfect ringlets down her back—Grandmother Viviane had taught Caelia a couple of charms to help her with keeping her hair and her clothes neat while away at school and though she’d had some trouble remembering the words on her own at first, whenever she had been looking at the paper while performing the spell she had executed it almost perfectly and so her lie down had not mussed her hair. Caelia was very proud of this and as a result her already pleasant looking demeanor was even more so. “Hello,” she greeted the person to her left once the song sheets had disappeared (Caelia loved singing the school song, even if she didn’t understand a good many of the words in it, singing was something she thought was very dainty if done right). “How was your wagon ride? Not too rough, I hope.”

10 Caelia Lucan Placid, as always. 307 Caelia Lucan 0 5

Arne Reinhardt

November 11, 2015 2:34 PM

The wonder years by Arne Reinhardt

When Arne had heard that Harvey Mills had somehow duped not only his parents but also the state of Washington and the car dealership into all allowing to have a motorcycle he was beyond ecstatic. He had found himself a new hero. He spent the first few weeks of summer trying to figure out how to start hanging out Conner and his friends since even Arne wasn’t confident nor presumptuous enough to assume that a sixteen year old wanted to muck around with a twelve year old. When he heard that Laila had gone to the church social with Conner he was astounded—however innocent little Laila Kennedy had managed to snag an in to the crowd Arne most wanted to be with he would have no idea.

The Mills brothers were not the sort of person Laila either should have been hanging with nor the sort of person he thought she even wanted to be hanging with. It seemed to him like she was trying to prove a point to someone—but be that him or her mother he had no idea and so he had no choice but to use Laila’s friendship with Conner to his advantage. He didn’t particularly want to spend his entire summer with her since they already spent the rest of the year together and as much as he enjoyed her company he would rather have spent all his summer days mucking around with a group of junior-delinquents.

But as soon as Arne solidified his place with them, Laila ran off and began to hang out with those that Arne considered her people. Why she wanted to be surrounded by the likes of Katy Lomer he didn’t know. Tanya Spencer he could understand—she had started to develop a little earlier than some of the other girls and learned how to use this to her advantage. It still astounded Arne how just last summer Tanya had been flat as a board and now she had these perky, entrancing, wonderful things. Granted she would never give him the time of day but Arne had been sure to ask Laila why she didn’t look like that yet when she and Jillian Chong walked by him, Conner and Tracey Goldman at the corner store which earned him a hive five from both his boys and a glare from Jillian.

Now that he was back though, he was remembering that Laila was his only friend at Sonora and kind of regretted being so mean to her back home so at the Opening Feast he attempted to get her attention to apologize however there was no such luck there and so instead he let out a little huff. If she wanted to play like that then that was fine with him. He would focus his attentions elsewhere. There were so many pretty girls here for him to look at—he didn’t realize why he had never noticed this before and so he served himself up a plate and contemplated who to talk to.

The idea of actually talking to one of the girls kind of flustered him, but he was sure from exchanging stories with Conner and Tracey (both of whom had turned thirteen already) that he would be able to handle it. “Hey, could you pass that plate over there?” he asked his neighbor, gesturing to a plate that was just out of his reach but well within the area of his neighbor. “Did you have a nice summer?” he continued, figuring it couldn’t hurt to make other friends in case Laila decided to freeze him out for the rest of the year.

Dedication: for Arnold

10 Arne Reinhardt The wonder years 319 Arne Reinhardt 0 5

Ginger

November 11, 2015 3:08 PM

Okay, I won't bring it up by Ginger

Ginger felt her face fall as Jake responded without looking even a little bit cheered or buoyed by her words of encouragement and support. Worse, she was now stuck talking about school and classes - which she liked, don't get her wrong, but weren't really what she wanted to be discussing right now.

"Right," she acknowledged his advantage of having an older brother in the class. "Well, if I do have trouble, I guess I can count on you, right?" After going to Professor Skies' extra help sessions semi-regularly (which was easily the hardest class for her), Ginger figured she'd do just fine as an intermediate, but having a good excuse to meet up with Jake couldn't be a bad thing, in her opinion.

Many a fictional romance started out with study dates, and Ginger saw no reason why it shouldn't work in real life, too.

But first she needed to break Jake out of his melancholy and clearly the sidewise approach wasn't working, so she just asked outright, with genuine concern, "Is your mom okay?"

1 Ginger Okay, I won't bring it up 302 Ginger 0 5

Alistair Johnson

November 11, 2015 5:41 PM

Glad we haven't all gone crazy. by Alistair Johnson

Caelia Lucan was exactly the kind of girl that Alistair had always thought he wanted to end up with when he finished Sonora and whilst he still couldn’t deny that her great qualities still existed, his whole outlook on the entire female student body seemed to have changed in just a matter of weeks. His summer had been completely filled with none other than Joella Curtis, physically for much of the time but she’d still constantly in his mind during their brief spells apart. It was odd how he could suddenly develop such strong feelings for someone, although a voice in the back of his mind seemed to like reminding him that it wasn’t all as sudden as he chose to pretend. In his first two years at Sonora Academy he’d been bombarded with an abundance of beautiful girls to admire, some of which he had often hoped held some admiration for him too, but now he only had one on the brain and it was a strange and scary process but obviously marvelously wonderful at the same time.

Alistair Johnson was basically glowing, and when he smiled it was neither flirtatious nor sneering but actually the genuine happy kind of smiling people did when they were in love. Whether he was in love or not was an entirely different matter but “a fool in love” did seem a rather appropriate description of his current state of mind.

“My wagon ride went quite smoothly, thank you,” Alistair said in reply to Caelia’s thoughtful question. That wasn’t entirely true but he didn’t feel in the mood for complaining about such things, nor did he think that would make the kind of good polite conversation that she deserved. “Although I’m rather lucky in that I don’t have to travel very far at all. I came from my home in Phoenix,” he explained. “I trust your journey went well too? And your summer?”

He picked up a pitcher of juice and poured himself some before offering to do so for Caelia with a clear gesture whilst he listened to her response. How to talk about his own summer was something he knew wouldn’t be an easy task for him despite it being so enjoyable but he’d tackle that if and when that time actually came.

8 Alistair Johnson Glad we haven't all gone crazy. 306 Alistair Johnson 0 5

Shinohara Uzume

November 11, 2015 7:58 PM

More like a little piggy. by Shinohara Uzume

Uzume found herself wishing for nothing more than a cup of Kaede’s tea as the head master droned on about whatever it was he was trying to communicate through his monotone. Although she didn’t really have any opinion of the headmaster, his boring voice could soothe even the fussiest baby to sleep. Her eyelids itched to close for a quick nap, but she knew she had to power through just a little longer when her potion would kick in. She could have tried chatting with her fellow Crotali, but the idea of wasting breath on with Araceli put a bad taste in her mouth. Everything that girl did pushed her the wrong way, like oil and water.

She decided to distract herself by searching the room for the little brat the school thought she was dating. One thing she did enjoy about the Americans, was that they were slow to gossip, but after four years she supposed it was natural that they might think there was more to their relationship than pure amusement. Uzume looked around the Crotali at the Pecari table for her friend. She took her unusual enthusiasm to be because she had a souvenir for the little troll. It had been a long time since she brought back a present to a boy. She wondered what his reaction would be, since she was a girl after all.

As soon as the pre-feast business had wrapped up, she stood up and as fast as she could walk in a kimono glided over to the Pecari table. She wasn’t sure what the rules were but she had noticed two prefects doing the same, so she could always feign innocence and blame the ‘authority’ if she was reprimanded for switching to a different table. As she made her way to Jamie-kun’s spot, she noticed him doing what she could only explain as playing with his food. It was quite a site to behold. “What an idiot,” she thought to herself. It was one thing to go against the rules for the sake of fun, but this was just plain embarrassing.

“I’d say you look much more like a little piglet, and your food is anything but decent,” Uzume cut in from beside him.

“Are you going to shove over or do you expect me to stand the entire meal?” she asked trying to use some of the vocabulary he had taught her the pervious year.

0 Shinohara Uzume More like a little piggy. 0 Shinohara Uzume 0 5

Alfie

November 11, 2015 9:09 PM

It depends, how willing are you to come back to mine? by Alfie

Alfie enjoyed the librarian’s company. She was different from Isis and Tallec just as they were different from each other. He went to each for a different sort of company, while he clicked well with Isis and Tallec (the former able to match his cynicism step for step and the latter the exact sort of broseph that he needed in his life) there was something about Amelle that amused him. He just gave her a simple nod as Amelle smiled at him uncertainly. There wasn’t much else to say in that vein, he had expressed his opening, she had shared hers. He supposed it was a little ridiculous to be so suspicious of eleven year olds, but all evil doers were eleven once. He had heard tales, whispers amongst the family portraits that once upon a time his father had been wide-eyed and bushy-tailed and look at how that had turned out… But Alfie really didn’t want to think about his family’s history. History that until recently had been locked up in a corner of his brain, hidden so no one could find it, not even himself.

“Vegetables are good for you,” Alfie responded in kind, taking a nice bite of his salad as Amelle commented on his eating habits. “The steak comes next and I for one hope it’s a nice and bloody one!” He grinned at her, knowing that she couldn’t eat meat unless her mother mailed it to her. “You can have a bite of mine, if you like. I’m feeling magnanimous.” Her ‘bit of fun’ was the exact sort of thing that Alfie would have normally teased Amelle about. And he planned on doing it too—until she asked him about his summer and then, like he was in one of those dramatic movies that this one Muggle he had dated liked to watch, things started coming to him.

* * * * * * *
“I know it’s an experimental potion, but it could help, if it helps you remember things then wouldn’t it all be worth it?

* * * * * * *
“What do you know about your life before you were seven?” Urgency. “I have an Aunt Dehlia?” Confusion. “Do you know what happened to Cornelia?” Warning. “I don’t care!” Rebellion. …severe case of memory loss…not sure what we can do…not certain it was accidental…so tragic…might never be able to speak again…patient making extreme progress… “It was the right thing to do.” Consoling. “My son, my son.” Regret. And Alfie was five again, and then seven, and then he was twelve and confused why he was not making as much progress as some of his friends. And fifteen and partying away the night, and seventeen and cracking down, and then he was on the Auror team and living the dream. “It’s all right here,” he said hoarsely to Cecily as he handed her back the file. All of it. It was a memory charm, you were right, I…” he took a shuddering breath. He wasn’t going to cry, he had long forgotten how to do that, but he was shaken to his core.

* * * * * * *
And then a crystal clear image. He was just turned ten and Father had called him into his office for a talk.

“Now that you’re ten years old, Alfred, you’re old enough to learn about your family’s past.” Alden Pye stood up from his desk and walked around it to usher in the small boy who had been lead into the previously off limits room by a timid house elf. “Have you ever wondered by there are so many security measures around my office?”

It was all Alfie could do to nod as Father put his large hands on his small shoulder, steering him past the nunduu breath, past the bolts, past the various booby traps he was certain populated the entrance way. Father pressed his ring into a side panel by the fireplace behind the urn containing Mother’s ashes and pulled out an old book. “Don’t ever try to do this yourself, Alfred. When the time is right you, too can have a ring but until then you have to prove your worth. Can you do that?”

Alfie nodded again. Young boys yearn for nothing more than approval from their fathers and Alfie wasn’t any different.

“Flip to the bookmarked page. Read off the names for me, please.”

“Alden, Boniface, Cornelia, Dehlia, Edgar,” Alfie said slowly but surely. He lifted his head, forehead wrinkled, eyes confused. “Alden, that’s you. And Cornelia, I’ve heard you tell me stories about her, but where is she now?” Alden looked away for a brief moment.

“She’s dead.”

“And the others, are these your siblings? I’ve seen pictures of Edgar with Grandfather and Grandmother showed me a photo of you with someone who looked just liked you but she called him Bo. Why haven’t I met them before?”

“They’re all dead.”

“And Dehlia, is she dead too?”

“Your aunt Dehlia is very much alive though the outside world is not to know that.”

“I have an Aunt Dehlia?”

“Yes, it’s a long story. I will tell you another time, it’s getting late. I will call HOUSE ELF to take you back to your room and get you ready for bed. I’m too tired to finish this conversation.”

Alfie closed the book slowly and handed it to his father, daring for a slight moment to dart forth and press a kiss to his temple. “I’m sorry, Father, I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

For a brief moment he thought he saw a glimmer of gratefulness on his father’s face but it vanished quickly and suddenly HOUSE ELF was there, taking him away to his bed room, leaving Father to pace by the window, hands locked behind his back.

* * * * * * *
“I’m sorry,” Alfie said to Amelle now, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. “I must have zoned out there for a second, thinking about what your ‘bit of fun’ might have entailed.” Though his voice was shaky, he accompanied it with a saucy wink of his usual asshattery thus appearing slightly confident even if he wasn’t feeling his most confident in reality. “My summer went…difficult, some things came up but an old friend and I resolved most of it, I think.” He would never disclose the events of his summer to any of his friends at Sonora, not even his broseph, Tallec. “But hopefully the coming semester will be more smooth, no? Now, dish. Tell me all about this ‘bit of fun’!”

He batted his eyes in a quick manner, leaning his head on his hands like an enraptured schoolgirl. Though his mannerisms were full of jest he was obviously just teasing and not making fun of Amelle.

10 Alfie It depends, how willing are you to come back to mine? 30 Alfie 0 5

Cameron Dempsey

November 11, 2015 9:36 PM

Like mud by Cameron Dempsey

Cameron was unimpressed with the view that unfurled underneath him, and instead frowned as he kept his eyes on the sky ahead. Or, to be more accurate, the wagon and kids in front of him. Wagons, he decided, were stupid contraptions. Cameron wasn’t here for the view, the experience, or pleasantries. If he could make a few connections that would be good, but he doubted any of these wusses would be of much use. They weren’t mafia material.

He wondered how proficient his classmates were in their magical studies already. He wasn’t nervous- no, he was just. . . competitive. Not so competitive he actually wanted to try hard in his classes but enough so that he wanted to be able to intimidate people. But really, wouldn’t his name do that? The Dempseys were well known, a take action, brutal family that was known for their creative methods of torture and interrogation. Surely anyone with ties in the muggle world would have heard of them. His ego inflated and for once overestimating the children his age, Cameron suspected he’d be “rightfully” feared as soon as everyone learned who he was. He didn’t need to even be here- his future was set.

So why was he here? Not for the first time Cameron rethought about his plan. He wanted to show Dylan and Kevin up, he wanted revenge on them and he wanted to be top dog. All of those went hand in hand, anyway.

Cameron skipped orientation. He wandered off into the large hall with cascading waterfalls- it was aptly named- and stood against a wall. What was there to do. . . He only knew how to do a little bit of magic. Though the Dempseys were pureblood they never took advantage of it. Cameron was going to change that, he was going to make the family even more fearsome. Ministry of Magic be damned, they would be an even larger force to be reckoned with, he’d bring the Dempsey name even further into infamy. For now though he’d waste time by shooting little flaming ambers into the waterfalls.

It felt like an exceedingly long time before the rest of the first years poured in. Mixed in with them were students of various age groups, but already sorted they strolled past and took seats at their designated tables right away. Cameron slunk back into the line with an overly relaxed posture and attitude to match. He didn’t want to be here, on parade- he wanted to be recognized individually. He didn’t want to but he knew he had to. Otherwise he wouldn’t have a bed for tonight. He just wanted this ordeal to be over.

When it was his turn he drank and turned brown. That’s that, then. He took a seat at the end of the table, willing no one to talk to him. It was going to be a long seven years.

7 Cameron Dempsey Like mud 336 Cameron Dempsey 0 5

Liac Reinhardt

November 11, 2015 9:54 PM

Happy to meet you by Liac Reinhardt

Although Liac was usually bubbles of happiness (assuming Alistair wasn’t around) he was feeling more down than usual. Nothing had changed at all, and that was the problem. His younger brother Ulrich was supposed to be starting out his first year at Sonora, yet he had decided during their family trip to Germany, to stay in Germany with Mom’s family to pursue the clock making trade. Liac always figured that one of his siblings would go that route, but he always hoped it would be their sister. He liked the idea of his Dad changing the name of their shop to Reinhardt and Sons, but Reinhardt and Son just sounded stupid. He supposed Toddric the youngest of the Boston Reinhardt family would be able to be the other ‘son’, but it was still to early to know that yet.

He took a sigh as he watched the youngsters experience the first taste of magic from the sorting cup. Ulrich was supposed to be up there with them too, experiencing the greatness of Sonora, trying out for the Quidditch team, joining clubs… Liac sighed as the headmaster finished the speech. The end of the speech meant time to sing, Liac liked singing. He didn’t think he was very good, but it made him happy. A smile gradually grew on his face as he danced the line between good singing and annoying singing. He felt a little bad since his younger Tepp was really trying but he couldn’t help but have a little fun.

With that the food arrived in all its brilliance. Liac had been growing more and more since he had turned 14 and he was happy to oblige his growing apatite. He was just grabbing a corn muffin when his cute little neighbor asked to pass the black beans. “Black beans! That would go great with my cornbread,” he thought. But since she asked for it first he would wait until she was done before scooping some out for himself. His mother usually cooked German foods, which contained a lot of potatoes, but he liked rice and beans as well. Liac wasn’t really a picky boy, in neither friendships nor food. “Sure thing, cutie,” he winked, taking a second to roll up his sleeve before reaching for the heavy bowl.

“My summer was great,” he said glossing over the missing brother part. “I got to visit family, work on my metal-charming skills, and practice quidditch so I cant complain.” He set the bowl down between the two of them, close enough to her so she wouldn’t have to strain to reach it, but far enough away so it wouldn’t be complexly separating them. He wanted to seem friendly and inviting after all.

“Here you are…” Liac said pausing, “Umm, it seems your name has escaped me, which is horrible because I make it a note of remembering all the pretty witches names- especially if they are in my house” Ulrich or no Ulrich he couldn’t let this atrocity go on.

0 Liac Reinhardt Happy to meet you 288 Liac Reinhardt 0 5

Gabe

November 12, 2015 5:33 AM

Going off the map by Gabe

“Woah!” he exclaimed when Natalie announced her wand contained unicorn hairs in it, “Cool! I didn’t try out any wands with unicorn hair in them.” In truth, purchasing his wand had involved more of an interview than any wand-waving. A kind, plump lady with over-sized horn-rimmed glasses and silver flecks in her dark hair had offered him his first ever chocolate frogs (not real - thank goodness) and asked him a bunch of questions about his life. The boy wasn’t quite sure how this all related to magi...il she was able to pair him with a wand in under ten tries. His was a stubborn wand, and the dragon heartstring made it particularly temperamental. Its box had been gathering dust at the shop, and when it was presented, Ma had not-so-quietly stated that they could afford a newer one, thank you very much. But as soon as he took hold of the wand, it just made sense. Gabe couldn’t explain it, it just felt like he and what should have been an inanimate object came to a quick and complete understanding. The wandkeeper lady had mentioned something about how opposites attract, especially when it came to alder wood.

Gabe continued to clear his plate as Natalie spoke about her home. Compared to what she described, his quiet suburb, complete with many trees and a backyard seemed idyllic. He loved where he had grown up, the newly minted Teppenpaw had had an easy childhood, filled with little leagues and Sunday family dinners and fun. She mentioned her siblings, and this was something Gabe could relate to. Mattie and Ems were practically Gabe’s best friends in the world.

“I have two older siblings. Matt’s starting ninth grade, Emma’s starting seventh,” he explained eagerly, as he carefully passed the iced tea, “They’re the best - we do everything together - well, we used to,” here his smile faltered for the very first time as he came to the quiet realization that this wouldn’t be the case anymore. There had been many new firsts for Gabe in the two months since his birthday, firsts neither of his siblings or even his parents had experienced before.

“We play all sorts of sports back home - well, the non-magic ones of course,” he amended. Sports was a favorite topic of his, a happy topic, one sure to distract him from the fact that both Ems and Mattie had pitched in their little league tournaments today, and he hadn’t been able to go to either game.

“Have you heard about Quidditch?” Gabe assumed from what he heard so far that Natalie was new to magic, just like him, “It’s this sport wizards play- on brooms! In the air!”

0 Gabe Going off the map 330 Gabe 0 5

Natalie Varth

November 12, 2015 3:56 PM

Taking the passage less traveled by Natalie Varth

“Wow, so you’re the baby in the family.” Nat smiled, thinking of how everyone doted on Andrea. “You must get a lot of extra attention, everyone being protective and all.” Hopefully Gabe would agree and not take the comment offensively. Natalie only meant the best. She loved Andrea with all her heart and tried to protect her with all her might. For Andrea though there was another reason everyone was so attentive rather than just her title as youngest.

Andrea originally came to their household when Marigold overheard a conversion at work. The young girl in ICU had no relatives, the legal guardian had died in the car crash. There were other complications too, such as the girl’s pre-existing medical conditions. That's when Marigold stepped in and offered a solution, at least to the first.

Andrea wasn't healthy enough to play outdoors for very long. Asthma and fatigue prevented her from participating in games for long stretches of time. Natalie tried her best to include Andrea in the games she most enjoyed but realized quickly that, most often, her participation would have to remain off field in the spectators stands. Andrea didn't seem to mind, she was also a cheerful girl trying to make the best of things.

Natalie couldn't relate to Gabe's experience of playing with his siblings. Andrea was out of the picture, Amanda not interested, Carter also not interested and studying instead, and Jerry, well, he fell down and tried not to cry too often for it to be a regular thing. Other kids didn't like a crybaby. Natalie always distracted them and stood up for Jerry but the save wasn’t always welcome so Jerry had stopped full turkey pretty much.

When Gabe brought up Quidditch though she had something to say again. “I have! A boy I met at orientation told me about it! It sounds amazing, as soon as I learn to ride I'm trying out for the team. I probably won't make it but I'll be on it for sure some year!” Natalie was excited someone else was as new to the idea of flying as she was- maybe Joe had been the exception and most wizards and witches her age were unfamiliar with the activity so far as practicing went. Or maybe Gabe was in a similar boat to her.

“So how long have you known about magic?” Natalie asked, hoping he'd say relatively new. There wasn't anything wrong with her having just discovered this world, she knew, but it would be a comfort to hear someone else's story, especially if it was similar to hers. Gabe seemed to have similar interests to her, hopefully they'd be friends and if they were in the sane boat they could help each other learn about magic together. Outside of class. Where there was more adventure afoot.

7 Natalie Varth Taking the passage less traveled 331 Natalie Varth 0 5

Charlotte Spencer

November 12, 2015 5:48 PM

Approaching the boundaries. by Charlotte Spencer

During the summer Charlotte had received loads of advice from her dear mother on 'how to keep a wizard'. Much of the advice Adam later told her not to take to heart, but she appreciated her mother's sudden interest. Being in a relationship with Emrys was going much slower than she had anticipated, but it was what she'd wanted initially. At least, that's what she thought. Her brain was in such a muddle these days she hardly knew what she wanted.

In any case, Charlotte was too proud and proper to make any first moves and too shy to tell Emrys that she wanted to be a proper girlfriend, or at least figure out what that meant. Writing back and forth over the summer had its benefits, but she missed him terribly. The wagon ride seemed to drag on forever, but finally they arrived at the gates and she tried not to look too eager to get to Cascade.

This year she wouldn't have Adam by her side. Whilst in her earlier years she would have been nervous to even enter the dining hall, she now didn't need her older brother to cling onto anymore. She'd changed so much over the past few years, attending school overseas, and she was very glad for it.

After straightening Jack's collar and sending him to his house table, Charlotte looked at the Crotalus table nervously. Her blonde hair wasn't curled this time, but had grown longer to where it just reached the bottom of her ribcage. She'd tried to dress a little nicer for the Welcoming Feast as well with makeup and her favourite blue dress.

When she went to her table and found Emrys, her heart gave a delighted leap and she smiled brightly. "Hello," she replied, waiting for an embrace and standing awkwardly when it didn't come. She tucked her hair behind her ear and went to sit, slightly confused. "It was lovely, as always," she replied. "Travelled a bit here and there around England, but otherwise it was a quiet summer." His compliment made her spirits rise again and she smiled. "Thank you." She flushed suddenly. "I was... I was glad receiving your letters over the summer. It made the long months more bearable." Admitting such a thing was nerve-wracking, but she was glad she'd said it after the words left her lips.

40 Charlotte Spencer Approaching the boundaries. 265 Charlotte Spencer 0 5

Jake

November 12, 2015 6:06 PM

I appreciate that by Jake

Jake couldn’t help wondering if this was going to be a pattern. He recalled last year behaving oddly--for an entirely different reason, of course--and Ginger trying to shake him from it, and once again, here they were. It was clear that she wanted to cheer him up, and while the idea of her counting on him did both thrill and terrify him, he only nodded mutely, the ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips but making little progress.

“Is your mom okay?”

“What?” was the immediate, incredulous response. The fifth year paused. While off a little, Ginger’s surprising insight caught him way off-guard. He guessed she knew him better than he thought, or else something about him was easily read. “Yeah. Of course. Well, I mean, she is now. It’s just, like…” He took a deep breath, his speech increasing steadily as he went. “Have you ever put a lot of stock in somebody and then found out you were completely wrong? And that everybody knows it but you, so you’ve just been going about like some huge idiot for literally your whole life?”

He stopped abruptly, catching his breath. Then he sunk deeper into his seat, ashamed all over again. “I feel so stupid,” Jake announced. “I always thought the best of people because I didn’t think there was any other way, y’know? But I was so, so wrong.”

Jake looked up, and his eyes caught on hers for the first time, tarrying for just a moment before breaking away. “I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t have… unloaded that much on you. I’ve just had kind of a rough summer, I guess. I’ll be fine.” It was a lie, but it was one he had gotten rather good at telling. He’d delivered it to his mother a dozen times at least. But it was a lie, nonetheless, so if nothing else, he’d apparently improved in that department.

12 Jake I appreciate that 280 Jake 0 5

Chaslyn Brockert

November 12, 2015 6:08 PM

Tremendously relieved by Chaslyn Brockert

Chaslyn was tense. She was always tense, but tonight was worse than usual. Tonight was the Opening Feast of her fifth year, where her class was the one having prefects picked. She had to get it or else Mother would be furious with her, like she had been with Amity-and unlike with her sister, Chaslyn would be there in person to be berated over the holidays. When Amity hadn't gotten it, she was already at Aunt Alice and Uncle Robert's house.

Besides, she really did want to make Mother proud and happy. It was something Chaslyn strived for every day but always fell short. Always. Mother rarely ever complimented her to her face but sometimes would mention the fifth year's accomplishments around their family and that made her feel good. Like Mother was proud of her, like she'd done something right. While Mother never seemed to be as out and out mad at Chaslyn the way she had been at Amity all the time,she often did seem really disappointed and that bothered the Crotalus to her very soul. All she wanted was to please her mother and give her what she seemed to want most. When she didn't, she felt like the biggest failure on the planet.

From the moment Chaslyn had woken up this morning, she'd felt like butterflies were attacking her stomach. She'd barely been able to eat her breakfast and it had only been getting more intense as the day wore on. She had kept to herself on the wagon as usual-she wasn't on the same one as all her cousins, because she lived in Seattle and they lived in Colorado-and the lurching of it had not really helped much. Once they arrived at Sonora, she'd gone to her room to try and study or work on her sketching but had been much too distracted to concentrate.

Which was in fact another failure, her first of the year. For Chaslyn, failing didn't just mean not passing an assignment-which the mere thought of filled her with terror- it meant failing in Mother's expectations.

As the first years were sorted, she held her breath and didn't let it out until she heard her name called. She had gotten it! Mother will be so happy with me, Chaslyn thought, with a mixture of relief and excitement. She sat back down at the Crotalus table across from Araceli Arbon. "Can you please pass the mashed potatoes?" She asked the younger girl, feeling that for the first time today that her stomach was relaxed enough to eat.

11 Chaslyn Brockert Tremendously relieved 281 Chaslyn Brockert 0 5

Gabe

November 13, 2015 2:38 AM

When you see a fork in the road, take it by Gabe

Baby? Baby! Gabe’s nose immediately wrinkled at the word. It was a sensitive topic, particularly in regards to Emma - his older sister by sixteen months - who enjoyed calling him “Baby Gabey” whenever she thought he was wussing out or being childish. Like she was so grown up; she was still only a middle schooler. Mattie was in high school, practically an adult, and he never used that silly nickname. Well, he was a wizard now, Gabe reminded himself as he cut a slice of chocolate cake and put it on his plate. People trusted him with magic and spells. Definitely not baby stuff.

But Gabe was easily excitable, and Natalie said just the right thing to distract him from the offending word, “Me too!” he exclaimed, “Let’s practice together, invite that other kid, too!” Gabe passed the cake over Natalie's way. He was never one to leave somebody out. As far as he was concerned, everyone was a potential future friend. And if that didn’t work out, well, sports were excellent for playing out a good rivalry. As much as he might have read about Quidditch this past summer, he’d take all the help he could get to learn the sport in practice. Magic and potions and classes were cool and all, but sports, competition, now those were things his family could really understand. If he could get on the Teppenpaw house team, well, it would be more than just fun for the eleven year-old. It would do his family proud.

“Two months,” he replied simply to Natalie’s last question, before elaboration, “Since my birthday, in July. My parents have been reading everything they can about magic the whole summer. They’re accountants,” he added, as if this explained everything, “You?”

The boy was blissfully unaware of just how he had just defined himself to his housemate. If, in all their research, Gabe Valenti’s parents had come across the word “Muggleborn” with all its implications, their youngest child was blissfully ignorant. This would not have been the first time the Valentis had sheltered Gabe from the uglier things in life. And, with the knowledge they had armed themselves with in just the past summer, they would do everything within their power to ensure that this was not the last.

0 Gabe When you see a fork in the road, take it 330 Gabe 0 5

Raine

November 13, 2015 6:04 AM

No, I asked you that... by Raine

It would get better. School was nice. Raine nodded and tried her best to smile at the other girl. It was just… hard to believe. It was what people were meant to say, and what she had wanted to hear, and that in itself made it feel like might not be true. And she wasn’t even sure she wanted it to be. She didn’t feel like she should stop missing her family. Although, she knew really it was how that sort of thing went. Like when someone died. Over time, it hurt less, but it didn’t mean you’d loved them any less. You’d just learnt to deal with it. Then there was the fact that this girl was probably used to a life that Raine wasn’t. Even simple things, like living in the same place - even if it was away from home - for months straight. Doing homework. Having a schedule…. Raine was a total outsider to all those things and she didn’t know whether she could fit it without giving up feeling like herself. Still, she knew the other girl was trying to be friendly, and she didn’t want to seem ungrateful or drag her down. So she tried to smile.

She couldn’t help but notice the other girl wasn’t exactly local, and it crossed her mind as to whether she felt as much an outsider as Raine did, though probably for different reasons, Still, that seemed sorta personal, especially given that she didn’t even know…

“So, um, what’s your name?” she asked.

13 Raine No, I asked you that... 327 Raine 0 5

Kyte Collindale

November 13, 2015 6:28 AM

Hey roomie. Can you give me some advice about feelings? by Kyte Collindale

Kyte wanted to be excited for his sorting. He sort of was because it sounded at least kind of cool, even if he was still thrown by the idea of seven years living for months on end in the same place. But he knew Raine wasn’t happy and that made it hard for him to be happy too. Still, he was almost certain she’d end up in the Nice House, and then all the people at her table would be friendly and would look after her. Really, if they had to be split up, that was the best possible way.

He grinned in relief as she did turn yellow, as predicted, and tried to send some enthusiasm her way, even as he himself turned brown, his freckles suddenly standing out as light spots against the dark, instead of the usual opposite, and his floppy brown hair merging with the colour of his skin. Raine still looked pretty unsure about the whole thing as she made her way over to her own table. His own expression faltered a bit, although he did give Hippo a grin and a thumbs up as he also got sorted into Pecari. However, he didn’t go and sit with his new friend, figuring it’d be nice to meet someone new. Plus he wanted to sit where he could see Raine, to try and check on her, although she had sat more or less with her back to him. He wasn’t sure whether he was just basing it off her face when they were sorted, or whether his twin senses really were tingling but he didn’t think Raine’s back looked very happy.

He kept an eye on her through the announcements, getting a bit distracted when a piece of paper fluttered into his face, and making an effort to at least give the words a go. As the song finished, he definitely saw Raine wiping her face with her sleeve. He half stood…. The food appeared, and most people were breaking into it. An older girl from the Pecari table left, and that was enough of a cue for him to stand up fully, swinging his leg back over the bench. But then… then the girl next to her started talking, and Raine talked back, without any obvious increase in tears. It seemed he had been right in the assumption that the Nice House housemates would look after her… And at the end of the meal, he and she would have to go their separate ways. He wasn’t going to be able to look after all the time in this place, much as he wanted to.

“I think she’s crying - my twin,” he explained to the boy next to him, “But it looks like that other girl’s taking care of her. Should I…. I should leave them to it…. right?” he asked. For all he knew he had to step back at some point and let Raine stand on her own two feet (albeit supported by some nice Teppenpaws, to start with), he still needed some reassure to do what felt like abandoning his twin.

13 Kyte Collindale Hey roomie. Can you give me some advice about feelings? 335 Kyte Collindale 0 5

John Umland

November 13, 2015 11:36 AM

Off to an okay start. by John Umland

The students had been told to go to the Cascade Hall or to their common rooms, and technically, John had not disobeyed. His first stop after leaving the Gardens had been the Cascade Hall, where he had eaten a blueberry scone with lemon curd, wondered for a moment if the other Houses’ scones were matched to their colors or if the laundry goblins recognized the unquestionable superiority of Aladren to the other Houses and had acknowledged it in their fruit selection for all four tables, and then refilled his travel cup with tea before going toward his dormitory. When he got to the library, he’d said hello to Ms. Nicchi, started walking in the general direction of his common room, and then sort of...wandered off-track as he made sure everything was still where it had been last year. In the end, he'd settled into a seat in the Charms section and spent the afternoon working on the giant list of questions he’d formed over the summer that his family’s home library, however impressive for their house and income size it might be, hadn’t been able to give him good answers to.

It had been a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, but ended in him cursing fluently in his head as he hurriedly took his second seat of the day at the Aladren table, just this side of on time for the Feast and hoping devoutly that the Shrinking Charm he’d used on the travel cup to make it fit comfortably in his pocket would hold. The beginning of the Feast was usually about as interesting as watching paint dry, but this was no usual year. This year, he not only found the issuing of the badges extremely interesting, he also had to watch the Sorting. Only the complete loss of walking skills would have prevented him from watching the Sorting, and even then he thought he would have tried to convince the medic to loan him a gurney for a few minutes.

No such efforts were necessary, though. Just an awareness of what was going on around him when he was reading. That was easier conceptualized than realized, but he was seated and more or less breathing normally when the first years were led in.

John looked for and quickly found one first year in particular, a boy with dark blond hair who could have hardly looked less like John if he had tried even though they had both inherited all their mtDNA and who knew how many predispositions to things they would rather not have from the same source. Joe looked like he’d gotten through Orientation without any major physical or psychological damage, which was a good start, though John did notice him biting his lip when Professor Skies started administering the Sorting potion. It was a second later that John realized he was biting his, too, and made himself stop doing it. He had talked about how they were going to restore the Aladren Quidditch team to its former glory over the summer, but he honestly did not know where his little brother was going to spend the next seven years. Nor, if he was to be really honest, did he really know where he even wanted Joe to spend the next seven years.

There was no doubt in his mind that Joe could handle Aladren. He was smart enough to keep up and tough enough to survive doing so with his mental health more or less intact. Add in his social skills and Joe was someone who the House would no doubt help on his way to greatness if he joined its ranks. The same, however, could have been said of their sister, who John was certain would have been as completely and utterly miserable there as John thought he would have been anywhere else. Joe wasn’t as bad as either of them, but John still felt a lot safer saying that Aladren could make his brother successful than he did asserting that it would make Joe particularly happy.

The goblet was in his brother’s hand. Joe made a bit of a face, presumably at the smell of the potion (John remembered unwelcome associations to cabbage in the taste, but didn’t remember the scent now), drank, and almost anti-climactically turned bright yellow.

Teppenpaw it was, then. John very deliberately smiled, trying not to be too disappointed. At least Julian would be happy when she found out.

He didn’t pay much attention to the rest of the Sorting, but tuned back in once all the first years were seated so he could hear who the prefects were. One reason he had made up his mind not to be too disappointed if Joe didn’t join him was because he had a horrible feeling that life in Aladren was about to become a lot less pleasant, at least for him and his closest friend and ally within said House, but he refused to accept Ferguson’s badge as a done deal. The headmaster was…himself, probably five kinds of related to the guy and probably inclined toward him even if he wasn't, but the rest of the staff was surprisingly decent, so – Ha!

John applauded enthusiastically for his friend and for once appreciated his own tendency toward not sleeping well for the first few days at school. If there was trouble next door, John would either be awake or be easily woken and could help Clark dispose of the body without any fuss, or at least with moving dorms if Ferguson became truly intolerable. For now, though, John was hungry and only one song away from the food. He sang that song, trying not to over-think the lyrics or what people nearby might think of his singing voice too much, and then helped himself to some of the paella. The feasts were when he had the best chances of finding food he actually liked, and the dish did at least smell properly seasoned and smoked….

He tasted it and it was good. He smiled and had another bite, then reached for a pitcher of juice. He took hold of the handle just before realizing he had narrowly won a race to it. “Evening,” he said to the other student, his tone unusually upbeat for a comment that wasn’t about one of his current interests, as he poured himself a glass and then offered the pitcher to the other person.

16 John Umland Off to an okay start. 285 John Umland 0 5

Nat

November 13, 2015 4:31 PM

Speaking of forks (this cake)... by Nat

Natalie almost giggled as Gabe’s nose crinkled with distaste as she said the word baby. Guess I’ll have to steer clear of that word she thought, not managing to keep a tiny chuckle from escaping her grinning lips. Carter did the exact same thing when she teased him. She’d refrain from teasing Gabe she decided. After all he was passing her cake. A great big platter of decadent, chocolate cake.

“Me too!” came Gabe’s reply as the topic of Quidditch got underway.“Yeah?!” she asked excitedly, wanting to confirm his enthusiasm though it was never in question. The two were both visibly excited. “Sure, we’ll have to track him down and see if he wants to fly with us. He said his brother was in Aladren and already on the team. How cool is that!?” Soon Gabe and she could be flying over the Quidditch pitch, throwing baseballs around, having a merry time. Within time they would surely make the team. The prospect of making the team seemed more real after just having positive thoughts about it, never mind the fact that she had still never tried to fly a broom. Details, schmetails.

Natalie was glad to hear Gabe had so much in common with her. She explained to him how she’d only just learned about magic in the past few months too. Unlike Gabe’s parents, Marigold had not thought it necessary to read up on anything magical other than the necessary school supplies list and map of the school, etc. She’d skipped over the extracurriculars entirely. It wasn’t that Marigold didn't care but somehow Natalie got the feeling that Marigold had been a bit. . . strange about the whole thing but with there being no identifiable reason Natalie simply chocked it up to repressed emotions at Nat's going away.

7 Nat Speaking of forks (this cake)... 331 Nat 0 5

Ava

November 13, 2015 6:11 PM

I'm known for my talent with words. by Ava

Ava had been so worried about how Emery was feeling that she didn’t realize she had kind of dismissed Arnold and the honor he was probably really excited about. His dejected tone and the way he responded to her question took Ava aback for a second. She watched him poke at his food and suddenly she felt so, so guilty. Arnold was really nice—it wasn’t his fault that Chloe liked him and he was coupley with Ji-Eun any less than it was Chloe or Ji-Eun’s fault, it wasn’t his fault he had been picked as head boy over Emery, and it wasn’t his fault that their entire friend group had basically wanted Emery to be head boy. In that moment she felt incredibly guilty. Perhaps Arnold felt left out sometimes like she did most days. Both she and him were kind of on the outside what with Chloe and Ji-Eun being best friends and Emrys and Emery being equally close.

She frowned and watching him push at the food on his plate and then look over at the Pecari table where Ji-Eun and Chloe were talking. “You know, Arnold,” she said, her voice softer now, the guilt keeping her awkward babbeling at bay. Suddenly she wasn’t that hungry either and she pushed her plate away a little so she could turn and lean on the table while talking to him. “I’m really happy for you, I am. It’s really exciting and we haven’t been that supportive, have we?”

Ava wanted to hug him and tell him it would be okay, she wanted to gather all her friends together in a huge hug and pretend like none of the drama that had happened over the past couple of years had ever existed. “Just give them time, and Ji-Eun, she’s probably really excited to be head student with you. Won’t that be cute? You two will be the next power couple of Sonora!” Ava felt slightly guilty encouraging Arnold’s affections with Ji-Eun even though she knew how Chloe felt about them but Arnold was her friend too and even though she didn’t think Chloe had anything to feel about in regards to liking him, she also didn’t think Arnold or Ji-Eun had anything to feel about in regards to being together if they really did like each other like they said they did.

“Would you like some dessert, maybe? Because there’s not being hungry and then there’s not being hungry for dessert and I am always hungry for dessert,” unless I’m crushing so hard on someone I’m sick to my stomach, she thought to herself, remembering how she had felt a few times before when she’d thought about Emery with his Muggle girl last year. She reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder gently, offering hi a kind smile. “And I mean, they’ll come around, just give them time. I’m sorry I didn’t congratulate you right away, I didn’t think about how that would make you feel.”

OOC: Emery's Muggle girl is in reference to the kiss Emery had made up during last year's OF.

10 Ava I'm known for my talent with words. 0 Ava 0 5

Barnaby

November 13, 2015 10:50 PM

As you should. by Barnaby

Barnaby raised an eyebrow slightly as the girl seemed to have some trouble with getting the food onto her plate, but the turkey eventually made it’s way to her mouth and Barnaby watched as she reached below the table to feed the animal sitting there. If he was at his full capacity then he likely might have put everything together and realized Scout, as the girl called him, was a service animal. He had heard of those in the Muggle world before though he had never encountered a fellow wizard who used service animals in that way and so, to Barnaby, at least the presence of Scout might have indicated someone from a Muggle background.

“Of course it’s good,” he said in response, his voice not carrying as much bite as it normally did due to the nauseous feeling that was quickly rising within him. “The praire elves made it. Elves are fantastic cooks.” There was a slight tinge of respect, even of appreciation and pride in the manner Barnaby talked about elves, something that those who knew him better likely would write off as sarcasm since the rest of his being was just so utterly caustic. “We have a house elf at home, I’ve never had better food in my life.”

The ommittance of the full, proper introduction that so many purebloods used alerted Barnaby to Nevaeh’s social standing, if not her blood status however things of that sort didn’t particularly bother Barnaby. Certainly those of pure backgrounds had the prestige to merit good connections, but logically Barnaby knew blood didn’t mean anything. Anyone could have a brain, he could see it in the histories of the great witches and wizards. And good blood didn’t mean anything either—he’d heard the name Dempsey cross the lips of Father once or twice and had taken the liberty to look it up.

There was a Dempsey there that year, he’d heard the name during the sorting, but he had gone to Pecari (he really wouldn’t have expected anything more of the brutish clan) but it was the first one in years. “Barnaby Pye,” he said curtly in response, not feeling up to the full introduction, knowing that it didn’t matter anyway in present company and those who were so inclined to be turned away by such restrictions weren’t worth his time if they didn’t have the capacity to think on their own versus blindly following illogical directives.

“Third year Aladren,” he paused for a moment, grimacing slightly as another sharp pain made it’s way as though it were using an ice pick to pull out his right temple. “And from your blueberry skin I can only assume you’re a first year?” He opened his eyes and spotted a tea pot nearby. Perhaps a hot liquid would help, they had in the past so he didn’t see any reason why they wouldn’t now.

10 Barnaby As you should. 298 Barnaby 0 5

Cameron

November 14, 2015 2:42 AM

That's not really my forte by Cameron

His sister was crying. So? One, why did he care? Cameron didn't have sisters but he wouldn't miss it for the world if one of his brothers was crying. It would be preferable if they were crying by his own hand, but he'd accept it if he just had front row seats to the water works. Two, why was this guy talking to Cameron about it? Did he not hear his name during sorting? Did he not realize who Cameron was? Worst of all, did Cameron look as if he cared?

Cameron's mouth hung open, the glare he had started giving the unknown boy softening with disbelief. Now he wasn't just commenting on things Cameron didn't care about but was asking advice? How was he supposed to know? He'd never been in a situation where he was worried about someone. Well, not out of compassion. “How would I know, she's your sister. Normally you wouldn't even worry, right?” His face contorted with displeasure but for reasons he didn't understand himself.

Cameron had grown up in a family with no love except for the love of hurting others. Frankie Dempsey was crueler than Augustus, who’d built the Dempsey empire nearly from the ground. The Dempsey name had risen enormously in two generations- one generation by size and force, the second by reputation and innovativeness. Cameron aspired to continue this tradition and take charge as head but Kevin and Dylan had the advantage so far. They were crueler than Cameron in nature but when their mother passed away Cameron was raised against his natural inclinations. Thinking himself only a Dempsey and not an eleven year old, Cameron was determined to be bigger, badder, and better than the past two heads. And he would definitely tower over his brothers. How different this was, that this boy actually seemed to care for his sibling. What a wuss.

"What's your name." Cameron demanded. Why he cared he didn't know, but something made him ask it all the same. The boy wouldn't be useful to him, most likely. Maybe it was jitters, not being much of a wizard and all. Still it would be. . . he wouldn't go so far as to say nice, but reassuring to know someone. A contact, nothing more. Sure.

0 Cameron That's not really my forte 0 Cameron 0 5

Owen Brockert

November 14, 2015 3:47 AM

Happily returning. (Tag Jemima) by Owen Brockert

Owen was so happy to be back at school. He just could not wait to see Jemima again! They'd spent some time together over the summer and written back and forth a lot with him sending stories he wrote and her sending pictures she'd drawn-some of which were now hanging on his bedroom wall at home-as well as letters. Still, Owen generally preferred to be around Jemima in person and often.

That didn't mean that they'd spent all afternoon together before the feast though. As much as Owen would have loved that, he did understand that Jemima wanted to spend time with her roommates too. So he'd merely greeted her when she'd arrived-he didn't think he could completely wait until the feast-given her a hug, and went to his own room.

Now though it was time for the feast to begin. Owen eagerly scanned the Teppenpaw table for Jemima and found a seat across from her, a smile spreading across his face as he sat down. He could not be happier to spend time with his closest friend again.

Still, Owen remained politely quiet as the first years entered and Uncle Mortimer talked. He watched as his cousin Angelique was sorted as well as Tasha DuBois, another distant cousin he'd met on the wagon. He couldn't help but hope that at least one joined Teppenpaw. It was an amazing house where everyone was so kind. Not that the other houses were bad or he didn't like the people in them, it was just that Owen preferred to be around nice people and was proud to have been sorted there. To be considered nice. That meant more to him than being considered intelligent, respectable or adventurous, the last of which would not even have made a little sense.

Besides, he and Angelique weren't especially close, the way all of Grandfather's cousins' children were with each and Owen thought maybe if she was in Teppenpaw with him, they could get to know each other better. Even if he was primarily interested in talking to Jemima at the moment.

However, Angelique turned red and the third year felt a little disappointed, but not too much. His cousin was a very Crotalus-like person. Besides, with Jemima sitting across from him, he couldn't feel bad for too long.

Then Uncle Mortimer announced the prefects and Head Students, none of whom Owen really knew, not even Jake or Chaslyn. He clapped for them all anyway.

Once the song had been sung, he served himself some cheddar cheese soup and a burger, taking some garlic flavored aioli to put on it as well. He looked up and down the table and said to Jemima. "We really got a lot of first years this year." Crotalus and Aladren-which was apparently where Tasha had been sorted-didn't seem to have very many at all. Getting so many Tepps was a good thing though. Even if Angelique wasn't among them, it meant she had to be in a fairly nice year group and Owen was glad. He very much wanted that for her and everyone else, to be around people who would be kind to them.

11 Owen Brockert Happily returning. (Tag Jemima) 300 Owen Brockert 0 5

Emilia-Louise Scott

November 15, 2015 5:15 AM

Second year will be fun, don't you think? (tag Louis Valois) by Emilia-Louise Scott

Summer had not gone all that well for Emmy-Lou. Whilst seeing her mother and grandparents and the Fintocs and her darling eight month old little brother Walter had been thoroughly enjoyable, her father and stepmother had put a whole dampen on things during her stay with them. She was rather relieved to be back at Sonora where she had no family members to nag her and tell her what to do and where to be and how to behave. She still had Chuck of course but most of the time that was a nice thing. Chuck’s cousin Daniel (who was really her cousin too) was just entering his first year at Sonora Academy and a lot of the Fintoc family seemed to be riding on him being their first Aladren which Emmy-Lou had mixed feelings about.

Her first year at Sonora had been the start of a new chapter in her life and full of excitement and surprises and she’d felt every bit the newbie she had been in the beginning. Now that she was a second year she already felt much much older and more experienced in school life and was very much looking forward to what lay ahead. Running her own club was at the forefront of her plans, now that she was fully settled in she could allow herself such responsibility. Over the summer break she had found herself with a large number of different ideas but also considered the opportunity on continuing a club of which the leader had now left.

After watching the sorting of the first years and Daniel walking to the Crotalus table without so much as a glance in hers or Chuck’s direction so they could gage his reaction and listening to the announcements, Emmy turned to the food. She hadn't yet lost her slight puppy fat but she was an active person so was definitely not putting anything on and she was hardly the self conscious sort so she helped herself to various dishes with unfiltered keenness. Sonora feasts never disappointed.

She found herself sitting near to Louis Valois, a boy who was both in her year and house so she'd come to know him fairly well last term. Even so they hadn't reached the point where she thought she could describe him as a friend. Although she held a strong dislike for what she believed was atypically pureblood idea of only attempting to make friends with those who provided good connections, Louis Valois’ family fashion line did make him all the more of interest to Emmy.

“Hi Louis,” she smiled as she turned to him, pausing from serving herself. “Did you have a nice summer? I'm assuming you went home to France?” Emmy-Lou was rather curious as to what summers were like for the young Valois heir. She'd never been to France but she thought it must be beautiful there.

8 Emilia-Louise Scott Second year will be fun, don't you think? (tag Louis Valois) 313 Emilia-Louise Scott 0 5

Kyte

November 15, 2015 6:51 AM

Want some help with that? by Kyte

At first, he thought he must have misunderstood the other boy, or misheard him. Sure, Kyte had heard of people being mean, he’d even experienced plenty of it, but he was used to that being something directed at outsiders. This boy, if Kyte was reading him correctly, thought the normal reaction to a family member crying would be not to care. Or that was what he thought he’d heard, and he was really struggling to come up with another explanation, even though that idea was totally alien to him. Sure, siblings fell out sometimes, but deep down, everyone cared about everyone else. That was the definition of family, wasn’t it?

“Of course I’d normally care,” he said, trying not to sound hostile but feeling deeply unsure about this boy, “But normally I’d also be in a place where I could do something about it,” he added. Not that anything was really stopping him here. He could, if he wanted to, go see Raine, and that made him feel a little bit better. Ultimately though, there would be a point where they were taken away from each other and where he couldn’t follow.

“Kyte,” he returned bluntly to the other’s blunt enquiry, still keeping half his attention on his twin. “You?” he asked, matching the other boy’s tone.

13 Kyte Want some help with that? 335 Kyte 0 5

Louis Valois

November 15, 2015 7:36 AM

Now that we're no longer the youngest! by Louis Valois

“I…” Louis paused. A good summer?

“Is it possible to answer both yes and no?” he asked. “I did go home to France, which was great, but I'm not entirely sure parts of my summer could be described as ‘good’.”

Louis had no idea why he was saying this to Emmy-Lou. It wasn't like they were exactly friends – not that he really confided in friends that much. However, it was a relief to be able to complain about his summer to someone who knew about the wizarding world.

After a year at Sonora, with only short breaks spent at home, it had been a bit of a shock to Louis to be thrust back into the world of the French haute société. He’d never thought of the meetings and the formal dinners as being a chore, but suddenly being the ‘perfect heir’ didn't seem as important to him.

Louis had, surprisingly, found his escape in the muggle world. What had started off as somewhere to run to when he needed to be invisible to the wizarding world had turned into a place where he’d actually made some very good friends. Unlike his old friends, who were now at Beauxbatons, his muggle friends liked him for more than just his name (not that he’d mentioned the Valois part – the fashion brand was known in the muggle world too). The freedom from expectations and the ability to be nothing more than just Louis had been worth the fights with his father for disappearing when he was meant to be learning how to take his place as a Valois.

And there had been many fights. Within a month, his disappointed father had sent Louis away to spend the rest of the summer in the family’s small château in the Gers département, with nothing to do but spend the time swimming, riding, and reading – supposedly fun activities, but horrifically boring alone. When the end of the summer finally came, he’d been so glad to return to Sonora, away from the control of his father and the loneliness of August.

Louis shook his head slightly, returning to the present and to his conversation with Emmy-Lou. “It wasn’t that bad, though,” he said, a slight trace of bitterness in his voice “Just…just family problems, that’s all. I guess I’m not the ‘perfect heir’ everyone wants me to be.”

9 Louis Valois Now that we're no longer the youngest! 314 Louis Valois 0 5

Chuck Fintoc

November 15, 2015 10:41 AM

Charmed by food. by Chuck Fintoc

Chuck was starting Intermediate class this year and he knew it wouldn’t be easy but neither was it something that particularly bothered him because he had never been one to worry. He would simply do the best he could and treat the new term like the new adventure that it was. Although in his first year he’d been clueless and new and in his second his step sister Emmy-Lou had joined the school, this year was likely going to be the strangest because Daniel was starting. Daniel was his closest cousin in terms of age and growing up with him meant they were basically brothers so it was a weird thought that his home life was beginning to follow him to Sonora. He wasn’t sure whether to be pleased that Dan would receive the opportunities of a proper education, which was something even Chuck never took for granted himself, or worried that some of the more traditional yet seemingly radical to him pureblood society types would rub off on the impressionable young kid. Since it wasn’t in his nature to fret, Chuck went with the former of the two options, knowing that he’d still keep an eye out for his young brother-cousin-frenemy.

The announcements were never of much concern to him but the midsummer event being a bonfire did sound much more his thing than in previous years. Chuck joined in with the singing but he wasn’t all that keen, the whole time wishing he could somehow speed it up and get to eating. He didn’t have to wait long though because soon enough the food appeared and he was loading up the plate. Pretty much all his aunts were great cooks but Sonora feasts never failed to excite him, largely because of the huge variety and superb quality of the dishes that the homely meat-filled meals at the ranch couldn’t even compare to.

He reached for a dish, hardly watching what he was doing as his eyes scanned around for some cold ham. He realized a little late that he’d been going for the same plate as another student and they were already offering him first dibs.

“Thanks,” he grinned as soon as he noticed that the other hand belonged to Sammy Meeks. She was in his house and year and was the sort of girl that you couldn’t possibly dislike, at least he couldn’t but no doubt the more prejudiced purebloods would have different ideas. Ever since meeting her at the Opening Feast in their first year, he had found her a most amusing classmate to be around. And now she seemed her comical self as she gestured to her plate that was somehow already much fuller than his own. How she managed to eat so much and not show it puzzled Chuck but he laughed softly as he helped himself to the dish they’d both gone for then nudged it closer to her.

“I have to admit, the best part of being back is probably the food,” he commented, half joking half serious, as he served himself from the plate of ham he had located. There were actually a good number of things he loved about being at Sonora, including the people. With everything there were pros and cons but by now Chuck was used to being away from home for long periods of time and had his ways of dealing with the lack of cattle and horses and mountains to roam. “The Elves here really know their stuff. I wonder if I’d be able to take one home for Christmas.” Clearly he was no longer remotely serious but the thought of kidnapped a Prairie Elf was rather amusing. There were House Elves at the ranch but they didn’t do a great deal of cooking, more required for general housing keeping whilst the Fintocs worked outside.

8 Chuck Fintoc Charmed by food. 309 Chuck Fintoc 0 5

Emmy-Lou Scott

November 15, 2015 10:55 AM

We'll be top of the class! by Emmy-Lou Scott

Emmy-Lou was rather surprised by Louis’s out of character response to her question but took it in her stride, not displaying that kind of reaction. He seemed rather hesitant, as though he had a lot on his mind and was debating how appropriate it would be to share these issues or whether to lie and say everything had been great. He seemed to go for the truth but kept things vague. Emmy-Lou couldn’t pretend she knew the struggles and pressures of being the heir to a famous reputable family but she could probably relate to some of the things Louis was referring to. Although likely very different to his, Emmy knew exactly how common “family problems” could be amongst their kind of society with all sorts of expectations laid upon young children as though the adults were determined to stop them learning what “fun” was actually like. As a half-blood child born out of an unblessed scandalous marriage, she was used to being judged all the time no matter what she did but at the same time always been told to behave in ways that she didn’t want to, simply to please those that were already clearly displeased with her anyway. It was a difficult life for a young kid trying to uphold all the values and customs of pureblood society so Emmy empathized with Louis wholeheartedly.

“Don’t worry, I had a mixed summer too,” Emmy-Lou told her fellow Aladren, after taking a sip of pumpkin juice. “At least when we’re here they can’t control us quite so much.” She said this with a rather mischievous grin, hoping to rub some of her positivity off onto Louis. At the same time she didn’t want to pass off his evident problems completely. It was important to her that he’d made the decision to open up and share his despondency a little which was something he doubted he was used to doing. Emmy wasn’t so conceited that she thought her classmates .
saw her as the one to go to for help or whatever but she did assume that Louis didn’t really have anybody he felt he could really talk to and confide in. If she could be any aid to him whatsoever, she wanted him to know that and also that to some extent she understood the way he was feeling and that he wasn’t alone. “But hey, don’t beat yourself up for not being the person everyone wants you to be. We’re still kids after all; it’s OK to remind people that every once in awhile.”

“But talking of still being kids, I can’t believe we’re second years now!” she exclaimed, loving the way that being older,and therefore superior, sounded. She was quite pleased with her brief bit of counsel for the Aladren boy but couldn’t maintain such a serious attitude for long. Second year was just too exciting and if the prospect of a brand new term with a whole bunch of brand new classmates couldn’t make Louis forget his family matters for the evening, she didn’t know what could.

8 Emmy-Lou Scott We'll be top of the class! 313 Emmy-Lou Scott 0 5

Abigail De La Garza

November 15, 2015 11:23 AM

Well this is nice. by Abigail De La Garza

Liac Reinhardt seemed as nice in person as he was in looks and for some reason Abigail almost blushed as she thanked him for passing the beans. She put it down to the whole Quidditch Captaincy thing.

“That’s sounds really cool,” she said as he told her about his summer. It was always really interesting to know how people spent their holidays and what their families did for a living. Metal-charming sounded impressive and she thought it rather cool that Liac was already getting involved in work. She wasn’t entirely sure as he didn’t specify but she assumed that was the family business or something. “I spent a lot of time with family too, in Mexico,” she volunteered, helping herself to the black beans.

“My name’s Abigail,” she told him, not bothered that he didn’t know it but very flattered that he described her as “pretty” even if it was just him being kind. “De La Garza,” she added, although her last name was not one that many people considered all that important at Sonora. Her family were very well off, especially compared to her relatives in Mexico but they weren’t quite society. If they did mix with ‘that sort’ then it was usually for business. Although Liac played Quidditch, the Spanish broom company ‘Varela Escobas’ which her father and his brother had brought to America was not well-known for its racing brooms but more the general flying types that were not often used in sport. Abby was aware that there had been talk over the summer about Carlos De La Garza’s connections in Spain pushing to expand their production to make a name in broom-based sports like Quidditch.

“Do you think Teppenpaw might have their own team this year?” she asked. Although she’d noticed a fair number of first years turn yellow, she didn’t know how many Liac needed to make a team and was aware there was no guarantee of any being interested. Despite not being a great player of the broom sport, Abigail was comfortable up in the air and enjoyed casual games with her cousins sometimes.

“Oh and can I pass you anything?” she offered in return for the beans, knowing that with so much choice it was always likely that certain dishes of fancy were out of one’s reach.

8 Abigail De La Garza Well this is nice. 315 Abigail De La Garza 0 5

Louis Valois

November 15, 2015 11:51 AM

Well, I might be... by Louis Valois

Louis nodded at Emmy’s response. “True,” he replied. “That’s one of the reasons I couldn't wait to get back.” He neglected to mention that he’d actually also missed the school and his fellow students – Louis might be opening up a bit, but by no means did he consider himself soppy or sentimental.

He was a bit surprised he’d actually gone so far as to admit that his summer had been less than ideal to anyone, but somehow having talked about his problems (albeit briefly and in little depth) had already made them seem less significant. Furthermore, from what he knew of Emmy-Lou she was unlikely to tell everyone that the Valois heir was unhappy.

Louis smiled gratefully at Emmy as she reminded him that he was only a kid. “Thanks,” he said, really appreciating her attempt to help but not being that used to making long speeches of gratitude - or being that used to someone willing to sympathise.

He eagerly took the new topic that she offered. “Yeah, being second years may be exciting, but don’t forget that means we have to deal with younger kids in our lessons,” he pointed out. Louis wasn't really a fan of having to spend longer on topics in class than he needed, so the idea of sharing classes with potentially ignorant first years didn't sound that great. “I mean, you’ll probably love it, and enjoy helping them and being all friendly, but some of us are just too mature to deal with snotty little kids,” he added with a grin, conveniently ignoring the fact that he’d been one of the so-called ‘snotty little kids’ last year.

9 Louis Valois Well, I might be... 314 Louis Valois 0 5

Emmy-Lou

November 15, 2015 12:34 PM

Ouch. by Emmy-Lou

Emmy-Lou was always surprised that she actually liked Louis Valois, mainly because that typical pureblood arrogance still existed somewhere in him. Yet whilst he displayed this at times, it was with a witty element that many other kids lacked, so she could quite quickly forgive him because she just loved a sense of humour. There was always the thing of never knowing whether he was joking about things or actually completely serious but Emmy didn’t really think she wanted to know.

For someone she didn’t consider as a close friend, right now Emmy felt as though Louis knew her too well - at least in the sense that he had totally hit the nail on the head about her reaction to sharing classes with the younger year. The idea of being the one to do the helping out this time around sounded pretty cool. “Yes, but if you help them out then they’ll respect you and admire you,” Emmy-Lou pointed out with a grin, hoping she could somehow convince Louis to lend a hand to any first years in need. “It would help support our higher authority and status in class.” Now she was doing that half joking half serious thing.

“And who’s to say they’re all snotty kids?” she continued. “There might be some pretty girls in first year and what kind of gentleman would you be if you denied helping a damsel in distress?” Emmy was teasing him now because she had no reason to believe Louis even wanted to be a heroic gentleman or that he was even interested in pretty first year girls.

“But in all fairness it will probably be good to go over some of the things we learnt last year - especially the harder topics,” said the young Aladren. “And they do split the two years up a bit sometimes if we’re doing more advanced stuff, which I’m sure you’ll like if you’re really as allergic to firsties as you claim.”

She forked some potato in her mouth, making sure not to let her food go cold as she chatted away. The conversation had moved very swiftly from having slightly serious undertones to being awfully playful and she found it rather funny. Louis was rather funny.

8 Emmy-Lou Ouch. 313 Emmy-Lou 0 5

Louis Valois

November 15, 2015 1:27 PM

Sorry not sorry! by Louis Valois

Louis raised one eyebrow. “You are implying that they don’t already respect and admire me?” he asked, with a half-smile. This time a year ago he probably wouldn’t have been joking, but somehow the importance of ‘taking his place’ had lessened. That being said, he reckoned he was still probably superior in some way to most of the first years.

He laughed at the idea of ‘damsels in distress’. “I’ll leave the heroics to the Pecaris,” he replied. “Besides, damsels in distress aren't really my type – too much crying. I’ll pay attention to the pretty ones when – if – they can stand on their own two feet.” Louis wasn't yet particularly interested in girls or boys in a romantic manner, especially having been brought up with the idea that someday his parents would arrange his marriage, and that would be that.

He shrugged. “To be quite honest, it’s not really necessary to go over topics we learnt last year. We do already know them,” he added, perhaps somewhat arrogantly. “And it’s not like I'm allergic to firsties – I'm just being a gentleman and giving you the opportunity to smother them before I give in to my natural instincts and start patting their heads and teaching them how to tie ties.”

Louis enjoyed talking to Emmy. She was an amusing conversationalist and never took him too seriously, which was probably a good thing – most of the time he didn't actually mean to upset people, he just had a sometimes harsh sense of humour.

9 Louis Valois Sorry not sorry! 314 Louis Valois 0 5

Aiden

November 15, 2015 3:24 PM

As happy as a clam by Aiden

Aiden grinned happily to his roommate. Tobi was one of those guys that Aiden was never sure about. Like, did he like sharing a room with him, did he think of them as friends too, did he just play nice because of Liac, or did was he simply indifferent to Aiden altogether? Aiden would never voice any of these thoughts to his roommate though because, well, so long as Tobi continued to be nice to him, Aiden didn’t really see any reason to voice his concerns and make things awkward. Besides, his dad said that some people were just naturally quiet (Aiden thought that such a thing was practically impossible) and so, it was better to allow them that safety net than force them into talking.

He nodded as he listened to what Tobi said of his summer. There wasn’t much, but it was enough for Aiden to know that he had enjoyed it. At his question, Aiden shook his head. “The farthest west I went was to visit my Dad’s family in Texas.” He answered. Aiden thought Texas was so different than his home in New York. It was drier, hotter, busier, and bland in terms of scenery. It was so different than his own home area, which was full of woods, nature, and the color green. They only went for his grandfather’s birthday and for the holidays, but it never really seemed to change, even between summer and winter. It wasn’t terrible, it was just different.

The way Tobi described his home reminded Aiden of his own, but somehow Aiden’s home felt lacking. Aiden loved the way the trees surrounded his property and that it was endless amount of nature, including the lake and the distant Catskill mountains. But he wouldn’t describe it in the way that Tobi did. It didn’t necessarily feel alive even though it was alive, technically speaking. “I’ll have to go there someday. It sounds pretty amazing.” Aiden said when Tobi had finished talking. Even though Aiden questioned his roommate’s quietness, when Tobi did talk, he sounded so much like an adult that it always blew Aiden away.

“Oh yeah, it was a really great time home.” Aiden commented, still grinning. “My aunt took me to New York City to spend the weekend with her. She rarely has free time because she’s a Healer and always having to work, but she tries to spend time with me and get me to the city. Have you ever been?” Aiden asked. He knew a lot of people who have never been, including people who lived in New York State, but he felt like everyone should visit at least once. “And I also went to visit my Dad’s family for my Grandfather’s annual birthday party. It wasn’t as fun as my time with my Aunt, but it was good to see all my cousins.”

6 Aiden As happy as a clam 287 Aiden 0 5

Gabe

November 15, 2015 5:42 PM

There's always room for cake! by Gabe

Gabe felt a small and unexpected pang in his stomach. Had he not been eating all day, he might have mistaken it for hunger, but even as he cut himself a second slice of that delicious chocolate cake, he knew it was jealousy. How he wished he had a sibling here to show him the ropes, to teach him to fly! A sibling already on a house team was sure to be a major advantage. He’d learned so much from his siblings - Mattie was an excellent soccer player, Emma as strong a swimmer as any,and both precocious young pitchers. As for Gabe, he was extraordinarily average at each and every sport he played. But what he lacked in natural talent, he made up for in enthusiasm and grit. Even without his siblings, if he tried very hard, and practiced often, perhaps he could at least make the reserves this year. And maybe one day he could even invite his siblings to see him play.

“Once we have our first flying class, we should practice on our own,” he suggested, assuming that one intro class should be enough to get them started. Natalie explained that she was like him, her family had not known about magic, not before her last birthday. They were going to need to get in all the practice they could get before tryouts, if they hoped to compete with kids who could have been flying their whole lives. A small part of him realized that they were also competing with each other, but that didn’t matter so much to Gabe. Practicing with a friend seemed like a much better deal than practicing on his own, and they could learn from each other.

“D’you think most kids who grew up with magic fly all their lives? Is it like riding a bike for them?” he wondered out loud to his friend, a hint of worry in his tone. This would make a difference, it would be extra challenging for the two of them to make the team if they were competing with kids who’d been flying since they could walk.

0 Gabe There's always room for cake! 330 Gabe 0 5

Makenzie

November 15, 2015 6:35 PM

It's nice to be appreciated! by Makenzie

While she had no siblings, Makenzie had grown up relatively close with most of her cousins, all of whom were younger than her. She imagined one of them was about this boy’s age (their exact birthdays tended to fade together a bit in her mind), and unwittingly envisioning one of them in his position was part of what compelled her to greet him in the first place.

Daniel’s proper introduction only served to further the comparison. In fact, it rather made her want to glance across the room to Aladren’s table, where sat here cousin Dustin, a second year and a proper pureblood boy if ever she saw one. Hopefully, Daniel would prove more interesting than her rather boring cousin. Makenzie of course loved Dustin, but his attitude got on her nerves. Contrary to his belief, he was not an adult; he was twelve. And while he was the heir, Makenzie was older than him and did not answer to him.

Happily, she got the feeling that Daniel Fintoc (of the Colorado Fintocs) was not like that. The way he semi-babbled was a good indicator of that. “What year are you in- oh, sorry, I didn’t ask your name?” She chuckled lightly before replying. This kid sure was a cutie.

“Makenzie Newell,” she said kindly, “Fourth year.” Despite her blood status, Makenzie was not one for dropping locations for a couple reasons. Firstly, her and Dustin’s families both lived in Michigan, and dropping town names to differentiate was a bit ridiculous. Also, she was fairly certain that whomever heard the name Newell thought Michigan immediately, as both of their fathers as well as their grandfather and some odd generations back were known for politics. Additionally, Makenzie didn’t like broadcasting her breeding. The redhead preferred to let her demeanor speak for her.

“Do you like the school so far?” she asked. Obviously he hadn’t seen too much yet--probably just the Gardens and the Cascade Hall, but he had probably heard enough to start forming an opinion. And there was only more wonder to be seen from here.

12 Makenzie It's nice to be appreciated! 291 Makenzie 0 5

Cameron

November 15, 2015 7:41 PM

Only subconsciously (yes!) by Cameron

The boy seemed to be struggling with something; maybe he was slow. Cameron, not a very gracious sort, couldn't understand why the boy next to him was confused. Of course he also couldn't understand why he seemed to care about his twin. Oh. Maybe he was worried his play thing was being used by others. He could see that. Seeing someone crying by someone else's hand simply wasn’t as satisfying. Especially if that was your privilege.

But what a ridiculous and sentimental fool his classmate was. Of course he'd care? What sort of hippie village did the boy come from? It wasn’t just Cameron's own family but all over the world that siblings fought, gave each other a hard time, made each other's lives miserable. And Cameron had been ready to give this boy the benefit of the doubt, ha!

Cameron's face scrunched up as the so far nameless boy gave his name. Was that a name? Will, no, it definitely wasn’t but did this boy really have the misfortune of being named after a child's toy? Hippies. Cameron felt sorry for the boy, a feeling he was most unfamiliar with and even more uncomfortable having. Not knowing what else to do he actually responded to the hippie in earnest.

“You can still do something. It’s not like your legs are broken.” Cameron couldn't explain the blush that came over him. Was he, ugh, actually trying to comfort the wimp next to him? Clearing his throat, hoping the blood would also clear he continued “Plus after this you can meet up. You don't have to stay in your common room. Just let her know or, you know, you might not be able to reach her.” If the blush had receded at all one couldn't tell anymore, as Cameron blushed even more feverishly than before. He couldn't make sense of what he'd just done or why he'd done it. He needed help with his emotions.

OOC: Sorry Cameron is such an unsympathetic little squirt. He'll need lots of help coming to terms with being a normal person with healthy emotional changes

0 Cameron Only subconsciously (yes!) 0 Cameron 0 5

Caelia

November 15, 2015 7:43 PM

Craziness doesn't suit a lady. by Caelia

Alistair was smiling in a way Caelia didn’t think she had ever seen him smile before and while she thought it odd, she was glad that her house mate was in a good mood. Caelia liked it when people were happy. She thought that happiness was nice, and cheery, and those things made her happy in turn. There was something about Alistair’s smile that was somewhat familiar to Caelia but she couldn’t place it and so she chalked it up to general excitement about being back at school and returned his smile with a brilliant one of her own.

“Yes, thank you, it did. And my summer was quite nice,” Caelia started, nodding to let Alistair know that she would like some juice and she waited for him to finish pouring so she could take a sip before finishing talking. “Thank you,” she said, lowering her eyes in a bashful manner and smiling prettily. It was the proper way to interact with young wizards, her grandmother had taught her. Proper young witches didn’t speak boldly and they didn’t assert themselves. They let their polite manners and dainty looks speak for them. “Kelsey came to visit me and so did Kira which was quite lovely. Not at the same time as I would have liked but I also didn’t want to both Grandmother with too many guests at once.”

“I hope you had an enjoyable break too,” she continued, putting a little bit of butter on the roll she had taken—enough to keep the roll from being dry but not so much that it would adverse her figure. She was only thirteen but one did have to look out for things like that, Grandmother had always said. “Would you like some butter?” she had passed Alistair the rolls earlier when she had originally grabbed some and wizards, though they did have to keep healthy and in shape for their witches, didn’t have to watch what they ate as often as witches did, Grandmother had always said.

Perhaps once she would have found Alistair to be the perfect gentleman, the exact sort of wizard she could see herself ending up with. He was certainly attractive enough and he played Quidditch—was co-captain of the team, even, which was definitely an admirable trait. But he always hung out with Joella Curtis who was a female Quidditch player and not very lady-like in Caelia limited opinion. Besides, there was someone else who had begun to catch her attention even though she tried to shut that down and put it out of her mind, to focus on her schoolwork like a good little witch because one day Emrys wouldn’t be around to help her and she needed all the help she could get. Speaking of…

After Alistair had finished telling her about his summer, Caelia’s bit her lip, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink as she thought about what she was going to ask him. She hoped it wouldn’t be too big a favor, but she really did need the help, and better she find someone now before Emrys left and she was stranded with no hope. “Would you terribly mind helping me with some of my classes this year?” She shyly looked away, ashamed that she needed to ask for the help. Kelsey was so strong and smart and confident and so nice to Caelia that she didn’t really want to bother her, and while Caelia knew there was academic support for those who needed it, she really didn’t want to have to take those lessons—to officially be on some sort of roster that proclaimed her weak points was not something she wanted to do.

10 Caelia Craziness doesn't suit a lady. 307 Caelia 0 5

Emrys

November 15, 2015 8:10 PM

Navigating the boundary. by Emrys

Though Emrys noticed the awkwardness that arose after he failed to greet her with a hug, he chalked it up to being entirely his fault and he blushed deeply when Charlotte took a seat. He wholeheartedly agreed with Charlotte’s admission that the letters made being apart easier and the words made him so happy he never would have been able to hide the grin that split his face, her flush causing his heart to jump.

“Hearing from you is always the best part of my summer,” he said, a similar blush to hers rising in the tips of his cheeks as he looked away in embarrassment. “I, um, do you—” he cut himself off, terribly embarrassed that he was about to overstep the rules he had set for himself. No asking Charlotte to be his girlfriend until she showed that she was ready to take the next step in their relationship. He could compliment her, he could flirt with her nicely, but he couldn’t make a move unless it was at her (or one of her confidante’s) suggestion. “Do you want to have breakfast tomorrow?” he asked instead, covering for himself quickly, if not awkwardly. “ I mean, together, that is?”

Asking Charlotte to eat together in Cascade Hall was not the same thing as asking her on a date, he reassured himself. He was in the clear, he hadn’t betrayed her trust in him, he hadn’t overstepped that invisible line he was so afraid of crossing. He barely heard the head student and prefect announcements, his head was buzzing so intensely from the thought that next to him Charlotte likely was wearing underthings beneath her pretty dress, though he did clap as he heard the soft roar of everyone else’s hands coming together.

“Emery is going to be disappointed,” Emrys said, trying to clear those image from his mind as he turned to Charlotte to begin eating. Not only was it inappropriate for him to think those things of her as they were so degrading, but it was extremely inappropriate for him to imagine all kinds of situations he wanted to get the two of them into when she was sitting right next to him. “I am happy for Arnold though, I’m sure he’ll do well, but…” he trailed off as he watched his best friend leaving Cascade Hall. “I should go after him,” he said quietly. “Make sure he’s okay, but what if he wants to be left alone? I probably would if it were me, present company excluded.”

It was true too, had he been the one in Emery's shoes the only two people he thought he wouldn't mind coming to check on him would be Charlotte or his little sister. Charlotte because she had this way about her that just made him feel at home, and Caelia because she was his baby sister and always knew what to say to cheer him up even if she was a prejudiced pain in the butt sometimes. He turned to Charlotte in the way he had seen his father ask his mother for advice in social situations so many times before. “What do you think I should do?”

10 Emrys Navigating the boundary. 260 Emrys 0 5

Nat

November 15, 2015 8:16 PM

And improvement, especially in flying! by Nat

Gabe posed an interesting question, one Natalie hadn’t thought of. Was the wizard and witch version of riding a bicycle riding a broom instead? Was it instead of or in addition to? Was there an equivalent of training wheels? “I don’t know,” she answered honestly, “but part of me hopes so. I mean true it would mean we’d be extra far behind but think about how cool it’d be if we had a whole house of available tutors for flying! Plus, who doesn’t love riding bikes? If flying is as great – and how could it not be- we’d have no shortage of people to play with! Even if we don’t play quidditch, officially or unofficially, there has to be a bunch of other flying games we could play with them. We’ll only get better if that’s the case, I think!”

Natalie was lost in fantasies now of how great flying here would be. She and Gabe would have to play a lot of quidditch in order to make the team but that didn't mean they couldn't have friendly games of their own. She wondered if that was allowed, at least on the quidditch pitch. Sonora was so big though that surely they wouldn't have much difficulty finding a place to play if it wasn't.

“So my mom and I were looking at the school map and there's this really cool room that changes- shifts into whatever you want it to be! I think we should at some point go there, just to see what it’s like.” What she really hoped for was that Gabe would be interested in playing some of the games she was already used to, like football and soccer. The idea that maybe witches and wizards flew instead of biked made her question if they knew how to ride bikes. If not, what were the chances they'd know other “muggle” sports? If quidditch was the only sport she was able to play all year she'd go crazy. She really wanted to fly as well but it would be nice if there could be something else in between, just to break the routine. “So what do you think?”

7 Nat And improvement, especially in flying! 331 Nat 0 5

Tobi

November 15, 2015 9:44 PM

As cool as a cucumber. by Tobi

Tobi smiled, enjoying the compliment Aiden played to his home state. Washington was one of the most beautiful places he had ever been to. He knew he could get lost forever in the greenery, could spend ages watching the calm waters for jumping fish, could crouch in a blackberry bush to observe birds coming to pick at the ripened fruit. He had never wanted to leave, not even for Sonora, and had oftentimes found himself going for walks by himself in the Gardens or going to the MARS rooms to try and see if the water room would appear like the lake or the streams he had grown up around.

“Well, if you decide to make your way out there while I’m there you’re welcome to stay with my family,” Tobi said, the gesture completely sincere. The idea of Aiden coming to visit wasn’t a complete turn off, especially if they were going to try to expand their house (he didn’t know why they hadn’t thought to do that earlier). And being able to take his roommate around the area, showing him the forest and the hikes that Tobi held so dear to himself, it was a nice idea.

He hadn’t been to New York City before though he had visited the state as his mom’s family lived on the res in upstate New York. His family had taken a day trip once to the Big Apple but he had opted to stay behind, the idea of the bustling city with it’s bright lights and congestion not appealing to him. He’d faked sick—one of the first and only lies Tobi had told his mother, and wandered off into the forest instead with one of his older cousins who had missed the trip in order to prep for a lacrosse game later that day. He didn’t know how to tell Aiden though that the noise and overpopulation of such a large city wasn’t something he thought sounded like fun so instead he just shook his head politely, having communicated like this more than a few times before.

“My family enjoyed it,” he responded, diplomatically. “My younger brother, Lukas especially.” Sometimes Tobi worried for Luka, he never quite got things the way the others had and he seemed to be so easily captivated by things like the bright lights of a big city. He hoped that when they were at Sonora together Matti would take care of him since Tobi himself would have just finished his last year at Sonora by the time Luka was a first year.

“I always like to see my cousins,” Tobi replied. That year he had missed out on his oldest uncle’s children, but he got to see Liac year round anyway so that didn’t matter too much, and some of his cousins on his mom’s side had traveled out for the Indian Days pow wow. He looked around the table hoping for, but not finding as he’d known he wouldn’t, frybread. “Can you pass that bread over there?” It wasn’t fried but it looked thick and chewy so at the very least it would kind of emulate part of the frybread experience. “What do you normally do with your cousins?”

10 Tobi As cool as a cucumber. 289 Tobi 0 5

Jemima Wolseithcrafte

November 16, 2015 6:36 AM

Me too - we're like peas in a pod by Jemima Wolseithcrafte

Jemima had said at least a ‘hello’ to all her friends, and the dormitory she shared with Ginger and Lauren - the third year girls’ dormitory, which meant they were grown up and in intermediates - had been decorated. She felt settled back in, and more than happy to be there. She liked her home and her family, but Sonora was like a second version of those things to her, only with people she’d chosen for herself, and who had chosen her right back.

She made her way down the Opening Feast with a spring in her step, planning to sit with Owen, having already spent most of the time so far with her room-mates. She grinned as she spotted Ginger sitting next to Jake. She was fairly sure her friend liked him, and made a note that when they got back to the dorm they should talk about ‘their boys,’ as she thought of them. Whilst Owen wasn’t technically hers yet, he had agreed that it would be nice to get married when they grew up, so it seemed only a matter of time. And she was sure Jake would like Ginger back because Ginger was lovely, so it seemed a perfectly reasonable thing to call them in her head.

“Hi,” she grinned, as she found her boy, giving him another hug, even though it was how she’d greeted him earlier in the day. The rest of their conversation would have to wait, as the first years got sorted and the Headmaster made his speech.

“That’s good,” she smiled as Owen pointed out the number of new Teppenpaws. “Hopefully it’s a year of nice people then. And we might even get a full Quidditch team,” she added as an afterthought. Even though she didn’t really like the game a lot, it was important to some of her friends, and so she cared about the fate of the house team for that reason.

She helped herself to some cheddar cheese soup - it being one of Owen’s favourites had made it one of hers too as, besides being really yummy, it reminded her of her friend. Not that she really needed reminding when he was sitting right next to her but it was nice to have the association all the same. She scanned the table for interesting things to follow the soup with but couldn’t quite make up her mind.

“What else do you think looks good?” she asked Owen. During the holidays, the best day had definitely been her birthday, as she’d been allowed to choose places to eat out for lunch and dinner, and had been able to invite Owen along, so it had had pretty much all of the best things she could imagine. She had chosen sushi for lunch and Thai food for dinner - the latter of which was her all time favourite.

13 Jemima Wolseithcrafte Me too - we're like peas in a pod 304 Jemima Wolseithcrafte 0 5

Medic Edda Eir

November 16, 2015 4:14 PM

Vermin, your'e all vermin by Medic Edda Eir

Edda was in a right mood. Not only was she expected to sit here, welcoming new students and pretending to care that others had returned but her fellow staff members were infuriatingly unstable. For goodness’ sake, two should keep it in their pants, one should get a hold of herself, and Nathan was. . . Nathan. She was never going to like the meek groundskeeper she suspected. She didn’t sing, she didn’t toast with lesserlings, and she certainly didn’t enjoy feasts. This was a complete waste of her time. She hoped someone choked on a chicken bone- or something - so she’d have something to do. And, if she were perfectly honest, so she could leave this table. Edda visibly shuddered at the prospect of spending another hour around this unhinged group surrounding her. The headmaster was tolerable, she supposed, but she still didn’t particularly want to be in his company.

The children were sloppily shoveling food into their faces. Disgusting. Why were there so many every year? Why people procreated, creating the nasty little beasts, she’d never understand. From her perch she could see various abominable acts of gluttony; vermin guzzling butter beer, apple cider, and root beer like it was an elixir to keep their wastes thin; scrawny hobgoblins pawing the sweets, meats, and even the veggies like ravenous rodents; she couldn’t stand it. Was it too much too hope for that one would have IBS, have a food allergy, or come down with heartburn so bad that it would demand her attention? Really, it didn’t have to be anything serious, she was ready to spring at the first opportunity that presented itself.

No such luck, at least not yet. The pests seemed to be handling everything in their stomachs well, forcing her to remain seated up here. Ugh. As soon as the Head of Houses rose she’d be out of here.

OOC: As always, Edda's author apologizes for her rudeness. Don't let her unrelenting unpleasantness stop you from visiting the Medical Wing! Welcome first years and returning students alike! Special apology to Nathan- she does in fact have a softer spot for you than most.

0 Medic Edda Eir Vermin, your'e all vermin 0 Medic Edda Eir 0 5

Amelle

November 16, 2015 6:32 PM

Ho Hum, so forward! by Amelle

Amelle was typically amused whenever she was around Alfie. She never knew quite what to make of him. After she had found out that Isis and him had a sexual relationship (something she wasn’t sure had only been a one-time thing or something that was going on for months, but being as both weren’t the most open people about their personal lives, Amelle chose never to ask), Amelle had been less chatty with him than she had previously been because this being her first Big Girl job, she really didn’t know how to react to an intimate relationship between two coworkers.

But the she got over it. It was their business, not hers and it didn’t have to affect her in any way.

“Har har!” Amelle replied, but she did so with a little laugh. Being of Muslim decent meant she didn’t share the same privileges as some, but her friends were supportive of her, even if they cracked a joke from time to time. “Magnanimous is a great word though.” Amelle said, taking the bowl from Alfie and making her own dish of salads and vegetables while she waited for Alfie to talk about his summer went.

It took for a few seconds to realize that he wasn’t saying anything (she was distracted by the bean salad) and when she looked over at him to see if he had decided that his veggies were more exciting than her conversation with him, she found him gazing off in thought. She couldn’t decide if it was a good expression or a bad one, but whatever it was that he was thinking about was taking all of his concentration.

She said nothing though and continued to eat her meal for the evening. He came back to her with his usual flirtatious response which Amelle responded by snorting and shaking her head. “I’m sorry to hear that your summer didn’t go as wonderfully as it should have. It’s always nice to have a break for… this.” Amelle stated, looking around the hall. Being the Librarian, her hours were insane. She was up at seven to open for the Aladrens and it didn’t close until ten at night when curfew hit. The evenings were a little better because she always had help, but she still had to be available in case something happened. Essentially, her days were about fifteen hours long. Weekends were really her only real break from it. She still had to open and close, but she had for freedom during the day. She didn’t mind it, but it could be exhausting at times.

“Oh, just a little bit of ‘Tall, Dark, and Handsome’ with a Louisiana twang and a soulful charm.” Amelle teased. She really was going to miss that man. They had kept it light and casual, but he had definitely been a great part of her summer. “You didn’t have a voluptuous creature keeping you warm at night?”

6 Amelle Ho Hum, so forward! 32 Amelle 0 5

Alistair

November 17, 2015 2:06 PM

Call me a hypocrite, but I totally agree. by Alistair

“I’m glad to hear you had a good time,” said Alistair whilst he poured Caelia some juice as requested. He held Kelsey Atwater in high esteem and whilst her cousin Kira didn’t seem to have quite the same poise, there was something about their brief encounter in the common room that had stuck in his mind. He supposed he had just been surprised that a student at Sonora still performed accidental magic (even if she had only been a first year) because he couldn’t recall losing control for a very long time. Kira hadn’t done anything particularly terrible but Alistair had still been surprised because she was Kelsey’s cousin after all and he knew that Miss Atwater would never behave in such an uncontrolled manner. Even so, he hadn’t been so cruel as to further embarrass Kira Spaulding by confirming that he was aware what had happened and nor had he reported their meeting to Kelsey afterwards.

“I had very enjoyable summer too, thank you,” he replied to her comment, his mind working to come up with a good description of his break. Caelia Lucan’s opinion mattered to him and he was aware that thirteen could be considered a young age for the unarranged relationship he had with Joella, but at the same time everyone would find out about them sooner or later and he wasn’t ashamed of anything. “Yes please,” he accepted the offer of butter and spread a thin layer on his bread as he went on to talk about the summer. “I spent some time at home and also visited Joella in Tennessee and L.A.” Short and to the point but truthful which was probably better than making up cool stories to try and impress his pretty companion when he didn’t really need to anymore. “And I played a lot of Quidditch too, of course.” Ali was dedicated to his sport and he would never let anyone distract him from what was truly important.

Alistair seemed to sit up a little straighter (although he naturally sat tall and proud) when Caelia asked for his help with her studies. He was flattered by the request. There was something about helping others (or rather, certain others) that he really enjoyed, obviously not because they benefitted but because it was a way of showing his intelligence or superiority and worth. Since his first protégé, Ginger Pierce, seemed to be becoming more capable and independent, Alistair was glad of a replacement. That being said, these were not his only reasons for wanting to help his fellow Crotalus because in truth there were probably very few others at Sonora that he would rather spend time with than Caelia.

“Of course I’ll help you,” Ali nodded keenly. “It would be my pleasure. Are there any particular subjects you require more help in than others?” Although he considered himself a good allrounder academically, even Ali understood that he excelled more in certain areas of study than others. Care of Magical Creatures was hardly a strong point of his, not that he would admit such a thing to Caelia now, but if that was an area she required help in then he would try his best. Ideally she’d need help in all subjects though, so he could show off how well-rounded he was at everything. But of course that wasn’t the point; this was about Caelia, not him and to some extent he actually understood this for once. Perhaps it was a sign of his respect for her or simply that he was growing up.

8 Alistair Call me a hypocrite, but I totally agree. 306 Alistair 0 5

Joella Curtis

November 17, 2015 3:59 PM

Sorry, I may have just ruined it for you. by Joella Curtis

For the most part of the summer break Joella had been far too wrapped up in how wonderful having a proper boyfriend was to notice the weirdness of it. Not that having a boyfriend was weird in itself but it now occurred to her how quickly she had grown accustomed to no longer pulling a face when her extended family referred to Alistair Johnson as her boyfriend because they weren’t really teasing anymore like they had when she was younger. Back then romanticizing her friendship with Ali had been a joke because they were only kids and no one had ever thought Joella would think of her playmate in such a way.

Returning to Sonora to begin her fourth year seemed to pull Joella straight out of her summer dream and face the facts. She wasn’t going to be sneaking around and meeting in secret with the Teppalus Co-captain this term. Their new relationship would be public and the other students would have to like or lump it. Even so, there was something stopping Joella from having that carefree attitude about the whole situation and that was quite simply Quidditch. She remembered the guilt she’d felt last term about supporting Ali at his match whilst her teammate Liliana sat productively making tactical notes and not crushing on the enemy. What would the Pecari team say once they found out that she and the Ali were a couple? Joella wasn’t stupid; she new a lot of players hated her boyfriend as much off the Pitch as the did on, if not more in many cases, so they were sure to have opinions. But what worried her more was the idea of her teammates not saying anything (save a little judgemental whispering behind her back about her being a traitor)

The fourth year shook her head, quickly trying to erase such awful thoughts. She had the best team imaginable and she should have faith that they knew and liked her well enough not to resent her for who she dated. As far as she was concerned Jamie Park was very close with Uzume Shinohara from the Crotalus team. And there was Adam, who had been Captain but also best friends with Francesca Wolseithcrafte, who had been Captain of the Aladrens, and they were easily Pecari’s main rivals.

Joella tried to pay attention to the sorting but there was no one of particular interest to her so she waited politely for the announcements. She clapped the Head Students and prefects, especially enthusiastic when Lionel’s name was mentioned. It made her feel old watching one of favourite classmates from way back in Beginners walk up to collect his prefect badge. At the mention of the Midsummer event being a bonfire, Joella was instantly curious to know more. She’d enjoyed all the events over the past three years but this one already sounded like something she would very much enjoy.

Having sung along to the school song loudly, her natural confidence propelled by the mass of voices around her that should hopefully have drowned out any off-key errors she made, Joella helped herself to the wonderful feast that appeared in front of her. She looked up from the process of filling her plate when Gia Donovan spoke to her from across the table, smiling as it occurred to her that the younger girl and her twin brother would be moving up into Intermediate this term.

“My summer was great, thank you. I spent most of it with Alistair, you know him?” Joella replied swiftly and casually to the question, knowing she’d need to get used to being open with everyone in the school about her and Alistair being ‘together’. Not quite sure why she tacked on the last bit which only made her sound like a complete idiot because the Donovans were both in Alistair’s year so obviously knew who he was, the fourth year hurried on. “Did you two have a nice break too? Am I correct in thinking you live in Greece? The bonfire sounds exciting, don’t you think?” Okay now she just had verbal diarrhoea and she new for a fact that was not something Jax Donovan appreciated in the slightest.

Joella shoved a rather large piece of bread in her mouth in order to shut herself up, chewing rather indelicately (although at least still managing to keep her mouth closed) because of the overambitious portion, as she listened to the Donovans response to whichever of her numerous questions they chose to respond to.

8 Joella Curtis Sorry, I may have just ruined it for you. 295 Joella Curtis 0 5

Emmy-Lou

November 17, 2015 5:01 PM

You're ever so cruel. by Emmy-Lou

“It’s a wonder anyone respects and admires you when you say things like that,” Emmy-Lou laughed, any harshness that her words could have suggested taken away by the clear jesting way she said them. Even if Louis had just shown another side by mentioning his difficulties at home, she doubted he had lost the ability to take light banter on the chin.

“You seem to have the firsties figured out pretty quick,” she commented. “Hopefully they’ll be a bit more appealing than you give them credit for, otherwise I might have to join you in the Second Years Only corner.” Obviously she didn’t really mean that because if anyone was going to try and make the new students feel at ease, it would be her. She had a high level of self-confidence and was always doing her best to use that to the advantage of others.

The young Aladren giggled at the image of Louis patting the heads and tying the ties of a bunch of eleven year olds. It seemed most absurd and even if he was only half-joking in his dismissal of their new classmates, Emmy knew it was most unlikely that he’d go out of his way to help any of them.

She was mildly serious as she contradicted her housemate’s comment on continuing topics from the previous year but not so much to completely alter the tone of the conversation. “I think going over topics is important to reinforce your knowledge.” Emmy-Lou always stuck to her guns. Once she had an idea in her head, she would defend it all the way and that’s what she would happily do now if Louis Valois thought he had better concepts of learning than she did. “But if you think you’re too good for all that then do what you like,” she grinned cheekily, adding “typical Aladren” in a mutter just loud enough for him to hear, in spite of her overt dislike of stereotypes.

8 Emmy-Lou You're ever so cruel. 313 Emmy-Lou 0 5

Arnold

November 18, 2015 3:37 AM

I'd believe it. by Arnold

When Arnold was a first year, he didn’t really have any friends. And he didn’t go out of his way to make any, partially because his sister Sally was still here then and partially because he thought he didn’t really need any. He came into this whole thing thinking, in his perfectly rational little mind, that he could do this thing on his own. And by the time Sally was gone, Jake was here, toddling behind him just like he used to when they were little kids. So Arnold still didn’t need friends. So he didn’t really make any. Not initially.

He wasn’t completely sure how he’d ended up with a gang of friends that was not only recognized (and perhaps even envied) by the rest of the student body but also quite possibly the largest set he’d ever seen win the “Best Friends” category of a yearbook. The redhead had befriended them all, one by one, until before he knew it, he was actually rather popular.

And yet here he was, moping because his friends weren’t reacting to his victory the right way. Arnold still definitely wanted some sort of genuine happiness from his friends, but he realized now that having a bad attitude about it wasn’t going to change anything. Sounding sad and poking at his food was just going to make Ava feel bad too.

She said again that she was happy for him, and he believed her. And she spoke to him so openly and gently, bringing up the positives like she always did. Arnold couldn’t help but smile, at least a little bit. Being a “power couple” with Ji-Eun sounded both terrifying and amazing.

She interjected about dessert before once again reassuring him that everything would be alright. In fact, she even apologized for not congratulating him sooner. Something about her enthusiasm was so darn contagious, and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling back. “You wanna pass me that cheesecake?” He grinned. “That’ll make us totally even.”

“Wait, actually,” he added quickly, his tone in clear jest, “you also have to come back to the Art Club this year. You were planning on it anyway, right? It’s good to have somebody who I can count on to know what they’re doing.”

12 Arnold I'd believe it. 261 Arnold 0 5

Louis Valois

November 18, 2015 2:23 PM

Why thank you! by Louis Valois

“It’s my natural charm,” replied Louis with a wink. “People can’t help but worship me.” The statement would have been completely ridiculous but for the slight grain of truth it contained – Louis wasn't that bad looking, and unfortunately he knew it. In the future he would no doubt be asked to follow the family tradition of modelling for the Valois brand, something he looked forward to.

He sighed a long-suffering sigh. “I suppose they might be alright,” he conceded dramatically. “However, if they are all grim, I expect you to publicly declare that you were wrong.” Now that would be a funny sight – not that he reckoned the idea of a public announcement would faze Emmy-Lou, as she always seemed quite confident and sure of herself, a trait that Louis rather admired. He had little time for people who were overly timid or shy.

Louis grimaced at the idea of going over old topics. He was naturally quite intelligent (unsurprisingly for an Aladren!), with the annoying ability of being able to remember things quite easily. He always found it tedious to revisit things already covered, and would far rather spend his time researching something new and exciting. However, he knew better than to argue with Emmy-Lou on that point, merely responding with a grin, and coughing (in a rather unsubtle fashion) the ‘insult’ “Teppenpaw”.

9 Louis Valois Why thank you! 314 Louis Valois 0 5

Charlotte

November 18, 2015 6:58 PM

Where is the boundary? by Charlotte

Charlotte was a witch who was easily pleased with simple gestures. She loved being complimented and sought after and praised. When Emrys confessed that he enjoyed hearing from her, she felt embarrassed but extremely pleased. It was difficult navigating through these contrasting feelings. "I'd love to," she replied, careful not to sound too eager. She didn't want to overwhelm him by how much she liked his attention and spending time with him.

Getting breakfast together was casual, not a real date. They'd done those things before as friends. Charlotte wondered if he was ever going to ask her on a real date, if he would take the initiative she was waiting for. Was she waiting for it? Approaching dating was scary and she was afraid of messing everything up, as shy and insecure as she was. And he didn't seem to be in any hurry to take those steps forward which, to Charlotte, was both a good thing and a bad thing. He did fancy her, didn't he?

Emery was Emrys's friend and room-mate, someone Charlotte would eventually have to get to know. She knew that they were close, but suggesting to leave her for his friend was somewhat appalling. He wanted to go see if Emery was all right. As a friend that would be fine, but Charlotte wasn't simply a friend to Emrys anymore.

Or was she? He wouldn't be suggesting something like this if he really fancied her. Charlotte could almost feel her pride being crushed as these thoughts overwhelmed her. It was rather clear. Emrys didn't like her that way. He'd been the one to ask her on a date, but perhaps over the summer he'd changed his mind. It was normal of wizards, changing their minds, at least according to her mum. Maybe Charlotte hadn't written him enough or hadn't done enough to pique his interest. It was just the beginning of something new and already it wasn't going the way she had hoped it would.

What Charlotte really wanted was for him to stay, but other emotions conflicted. She wanted him to go at the same time and leave her alone with her feelings. As soon as he left, she would go back to her room and have a good cry over this extremely short-lived ... whatever this was. "You should go to him," she said calmly. "I'm sure he'd like a friend right now." It was the rational response and she applauded herself for keeping it together. Whilst Adam wore his heart on his sleeve, Charlotte was better at keeping up a facade in public. Though she looked delicate, she had mastered the art of hiding her feelings just like any proper pure-blood witch.

0 Charlotte Where is the boundary? 0 Charlotte 0 5

Caelia

November 19, 2015 5:45 AM

I could never. by Caelia

Caelia smiled prettily as Alistair poured the juice for her and nodded as he mentioned his time spent with Joella and the Quidditch he had played. “You two seem awfully close, childhood friends?” she said, her voice sounding wistful. The thought of going to school with her childhood best friend had been something that Caelia had always dreamed of doing but fate had stepped in early and dealt Matthew a terrible hand and Caelia had never spoken to him again. Sometimes she felt guilty about it though she knew that it was for the best. He was a shame to his family and it wouldn’t do for her to engage him in any sort of activity lest it reflect poorly on herself. “But I can’t imagine you needing too much practice playing Quidditch, I think you’re pretty good already.”

She couldn’t know if these words would inflate an already inflated ego or not, she simply paid compliments where they were due. Having never grown up around many Quidditch players other than Wesley and only ever going to Quidditch matches to support Alistair, her friend, Caelia really couldn’t tell good playing apart from bad playing. What she could tell, though, was if someone enjoyed what it was that they were doing, and as Alistair seemed to really enjoy his sport, she equated that to his being quite skilled on the Pitch. “Do you hope Crotalus forms their own team this year? Or have you enjoyed working with Teppenpaw?”

It was Caelia’s personal opinion that the Teppenpaws got a lot more flack than they ought to have. There was nothing wrong with being nice or wanting to help people. In fact, those nice, helpful types were the sort that Caelia wished to one day surround herself with. However, unfortunately it also didn’t seem as though there were many society types who were interested in the same things Caelia was interested in, in Teppenpaw and though she desperately wanted to be friends with Ginger Pierce because the other girl always looked like she was having so much fun, Caelia also knew she couldn’t break out of her role as the perfect society girl that her grandmother had taught her to be.

“Thank you,” she said graciously, her cheeks coloring a little more slightly than before. Was it appropriate to ask a young wizard to tutor her when the school offered academic services? Was it even proper? She didn’t know but she was also embarrassed to ask anyone’s advice on the matter. “I, um, well, I probably need help with all my classes. It’s not actually performing the magic that’s the problem, it’s just all the other things…”

Her forehead puckered slightly. She didn’t know how to explain what it was she needed but she hoped Alistair might have observed from class that she was perfectly proficient in actual magic. She had never had much of a problem getting a spell right and, in fact, fairly often she was one of the firsts to have managed a passable spell. However, she could not write essays for the life of her, she had endless trouble with homework questions, and remembering much of the background information was always difficult for her.

While Caelia didn’t have any issues with keeping track of social graces or who was related to whom, and she didn’t have much issue with remembering which spells it was did what, she could never get the spelling right and without Emrys’ help her essays and homework assignments were always a jumble. She didn’t know how to string words together in an intelligent manner and she could sometimes be a bit slow on the uptake of theory. If she worked at it, she likely could have been a smart girl—she had it in her genes nd her father had strived to get around his mental block. But she just didn’t have that same drive, having given up on herself intellectually many years ago.

“I think I do alright in Charms, it’s certainly the easiest for me but Potions really gets me the hardest, so that’s the one I think I need the most help with. How are you in that class?”

OOC: First sentence of paragraph two is the author reflecting on the situation and therefore is utilizing OOC knowledge.

10 Caelia I could never. 307 Caelia 0 5

Jamie

November 19, 2015 8:26 AM

You came to join the pigsty by Jamie

“Oh, I’m so sorry to have offended your perfect manners,” Jamie mock apologised, as Shino said his food wasn’t decent. “Rule breaker,” he added, scooting over to make room for her. The perfectly groomed little Crotalus, in the kimono that her proud whatever-Japanese-for-mummy-and-daddy-was had made her wear seemed like the last person who you’d expect to find breaking rules.

“Are you sure they don’t throw you out of your house for this kind of thing?” he added.

“How do you know you don’t like it if you won’t try it?” he grinned, pulling off a piece of the offending dish and dropping it onto her plate. He took another large bite, enjoying it all the more for Shino’s disgust. She’d probably find a way to retaliate and he wondered what the grossest thing she would find for him to eat here was. When they visited Korea, there were people steaming bugs on every corner. He’d even tried it once when dared by his cousin. Sonora was American, and catering to fancy crowd for the most part. He doubted it could throw much worse at him, unless Shino forced him to eat his greens or something.

“So, did you spend all summer being dressed up and doing pretty little dances?” he asked.

13 Jamie You came to join the pigsty 284 Jamie 0 5

Emrys

November 19, 2015 10:18 PM

I'm not quite sure--can you see it? by Emrys

Charlotte didn’t sound as though she was excited to eat breakfast with him tomorrow. Had he done something wrong? Emrys wasn’t sure. It could have been a number of things—purebood propriety that didn’t allow her to be overly excited, a new beau she had met over the summer and hadn’t the courage to tell him about yet, disappointment in him for not having made more of an effort to spend time with her instead arranging a friendly hangout as they’d had many times over… He tried not to show his unsureness though it likely slipped through his mask as he tried to smile reassuringly. “I’m glad,” he said, his voice genuine though slightly worried that she was over him.

When she agreed that he ought to go talk to Emery it was as if all his fears were further cemented. She didn’t want him around but…she had seemed so happy when he’d asked her out the previous year. He owed it to himself, to them (if there was a them) to give it at least one more try and if she wasn’t responsive then he would try to sit quietly and be a good friend all the while raging with jealousy as she found someone else to make her happy. It was just…her voice sounded so calm, so placated, as if she didn’t care that he was going to his friend.

It hadn’t been a test when Emrys asked her advice. He’d really wanted to know what she thought. It was a conversation his parents’d had many times over and as a result he’d assumed it was only natural that couples did that sort of thing together. But they weren’t officially together, perhaps it was too quick a move for her taste. Even though his mother was perfectly collected she always made it clear her opinion on a subject if it was that sort of thing his father was asking and vice-versa. But the way Charlotte responded, it was as if it didn’t matter to her either way if he went or not. And while perhaps that was a good thing—Emrys knew Charlotte to be a kind witch, it could have also been an indicator of something more.

Emrys’ stomach growled as he looked forlornly at the meal he was supposed to have shared with Charlotte. He was really hungry, but glancing around the room again he saw that all their other friends remained in their seats. Ava and Arnold were chatting, Ji-Eun and Chloe were having some sort of half-way standing, half-way sitting conversation. Was Chloe going after Emery? He didn’t know. And Emery could have been wanted to be left alone, that was also something he couldn’t be sure about.

“Are you sure it’s okay?” he asked, picking at a roll, reluctant to leave Charlotte, but now that he had suggested it, to not leave would appear to be uncaring—both of his friend but also of Charlotte’s opinion, after all he had asked her what to do. “Because, I was really looking forward to eating with you, but I don’t want to be a bad friend to Emery…” He looked over and saw the standing Chloe who looked like she was on her way out but had stopped by Ji-Eun to say hi to her friend. He felt ashamed for potentially ruining their first meal back together but he simultaneously didn’t want either of his best friends to be alone their first night back nor did he want to overcrowd Emery if he really just wanted to be left alone.

But there was no guarantee that Chloe would be able to get to Emery in time, especially if Emery went back to the dorm room where Chloe couldn’t get in. If Charlotte said yes, it was really okay then he’d give her a quick kiss on the cheek for helping him make his decision without feeling guilty and he’d go to Emery. If she said it wasn’t okay then, well he didn’t really know what he was going to do but he couldn’t leave his best guy friend hanging after such a tough blow.

Emery had worked really hard for four years to get the prefect badge and Emrys had gotten it after doing nothing. Emery had then worked really hard for two years after that to get the head boy badge and Arnold had gotten it after not doing much at all. The school had basically told him he was not good enough. It was neither his nor Arnold’s fault that they had gotten the badges and Emrys knew the redhead had to have been really pleased with the news, but still…if he could have revoked his prefectship and given to Emery then he probably would have.

10 Emrys I'm not quite sure--can you see it? 260 Emrys 0 5

Sammy

November 20, 2015 12:47 AM

We need some Lucky Charms over here! by Sammy

Chuck Fintoc was a super cool dude. He had been Sammy’s first ever magical friend after they met at the Opening Feast of their first year, and while they didn’t hang out nearly as often as they should have--seriously, what was the deal with that?--she definitely still considered him one of her friends. So while Sammy absolutely adored food and in fact her life mission was basically acquiring, masticating, and digesting, if she had to take a back seat and share the love, she was glad it was with Chuck.

“I have to admit, the best part of being back is probably the food,” he commented, and while she couldn’t exactly tell for sure if he was being serious or not, the brunette took him at his word as she nodded her agreement, her eyes widened by the seriousness and magnitude of her feelings. “The Elves here really know their stuff. I wonder if I’d be able to take one home for Christmas.”

Chuck was, by all sensible perception, probably joking, but the humor was pushed out of her radar by the utter coolness of the idea. “Oh my god,” Sammy replied, leaning forward eagerly.”Do you think they’d let me have one if I told them it was my birthday? Or what about on my actual birthday? That was be so cool-... Oh.” She paused suddenly, her tone switching. “I guess that wouldn’t work anyway, ‘cause my family’s Muggles. Dang.”

In her excitement over the Elves, she’d forgotten about the plate they’d both previously reached for, and, noticing it now where Chuck had left it for her, she acquired her meal, slopping most of it down on her plate but taking a rather huge chuck directly to her mouth. “So how was your summer?” she asked through the heap.

12 Sammy We need some Lucky Charms over here! 310 Sammy 0 5

Wu Peizhi

November 20, 2015 1:04 AM

Re: No, I asked you that... by Wu Peizhi

The girl’s smile and nod, though faint, gave Wu a bit of hope. She didn’t think anything she had said was spectacular, nor did she anticipate any extreme reversal in the first year’s demeanor, but even a minor improvement was progress. And that was something to feel proud of, both for the girl and for her. It felt nice to help out one of her newest fellow Teppenpaws.

She asked for her name, and it took the second year a moment to come up with her response, mostly because she was never sure how to introduce herself. A lot of Purebloods here specified their familial locations, but it was fairly clear from her name where her home was. She was just always confused about what order she ought to give her names; “Wu Peizhi” was what she was used to, but as far as the school, as well as all its Westerners were concerned, she was “Peizhi Wu”.

“Peizhi Wu,” she decided after some deliberation. “And, you?” Wu instinctively hoped for a fancy, society introduction, although she had her doubts that would come true. Not out of any ill will, just because it tended to make things simpler to just abide by the standards set forth for her, either by her father specifically or their society as a whole. Not to mention that before starting at Sonora last year, she had never even met a Muggleborn before.

“Uou are very nice girl,” she added before the other girl had time to answer her question. “I am sure you will find many friends.”

12 Wu Peizhi Re: No, I asked you that... 316 Wu Peizhi 0 5

Hippo - no, Ben - no, Hippo

November 20, 2015 11:19 AM

You are totally right about that by Hippo - no, Ben - no, Hippo

Ben grinned as Tess returned his enthusiasm. "I know, me, too! But not the Hogwarts thing." He'd always figured himself for a future Sonoran. Between Professor Pye and Tess herself, he was kind of surprised by the number of British people he'd met already, but he dismissed the though as unimportant.

"I'm Hippo," he offered immediately then remembered belatedly, as he had with Kyte and Raine, that this new school was probably his best chance to shed his nickname. "Or Ben," he added, not quite as certainly. He'd been Hippo since first grade. He was used to it. Ben was generally reserved for adults. "Whichever," he finished, deciding to leave it up to the whims of his new classmates. "I answer to both."

Shrugging of his own uncertainty about what he wanted people to call him, he focused on the question she'd posed, "They'll probably start us on simple stuff," he guessed, "but Uncle Derry said they do a lot of group work here so at least we'll get to talk with other people while we figure out the basics. I'm guessing that since you're new to the country, you don't have any relative already at Sonora?"

Spotting an delicious looking basket of buttered rolls on Tess' other side, he pointed at it and asked, "Oh! Can you pass me one of those?"

1 Hippo - no, Ben - no, Hippo You are totally right about that 339 Hippo - no, Ben - no, Hippo 0 5

Nevaeh

November 20, 2015 2:06 PM

I must've befriended somebody important. by Nevaeh

Nevaeh knew about Elves and things--her parents didn’t have any, sitting cozily in the middle class, where everything was tended to but nobody got any kind of servant--but she liked listening to this boy talk about Prairie Elves and his personal House Elf anyway. He seemed like someone who knew a lot of things, and sometimes, people who knew a lot of things wanted to share what they knew. That, to Nevaeh, was something that was very kind; they just wanted to share.

He introduced himself as Barnaby Pye, a last name was familiar for clear reason. There was a professor here by that name, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor whom she had met at Orientation, the one whom, if she was not mistaken, was also their Head of House. Barnaby also said that he was a third year, and Nevaeh thought that made sense. His voice sounded like somebody his age would, on the cusp of maturity. Just like most people had a general idea of someone’s age from their face, she was starting to get pretty good at guessing it by their voice, at least with younger people.

“And from your blueberry skin I can only assume you’re a first year?”

Nevaeh chuckled and glanced down at her arm, to little result, of course. “Heh, yeah,” she smiled. “You got me. So what do you think I should expect over the next few years? Were your first and second years good?” She knew in Muggle schools, the young people, the “freshmen”, didn’t always get treated super nice, and she was admittedly a little bit nervous about that tendency transferring over to the Magical schools, with first years taking the brunt of the bullying. Although Sonora did seem like a really safe, happy place. And if everybody was as nice as Barnaby was, Nevaeh didn’t think she would have anything to worry about.

12 Nevaeh I must've befriended somebody important. 325 Nevaeh 0 5

Ingrid Wolseithcrafte

November 21, 2015 12:39 AM

Better late than never by Ingrid Wolseithcrafte

Ingrid looked a little mussed as she entered the Cascade Hall. The perfect cure to the long, stiffness-inducing wagon ride had been to venture out into the gardens and climb her favourite trees. Although the gardens were more about neatly trimmed hedgerows and pretty statuary, she'd found a couple of spots last year that allowed her to indulge in her favourite hobby. Most of the bark stains were hidden by her robes, which she'd thrown on over the top of her tree climbing clothes, and she had washed her hands and face. The most tell-tale sign of her adventures was that her long brown hair was coming a little loose from its plait, although this was a common enough state of affairs with her as to not be overly remarkable.

She sat down at the Pecari table, eager for some food. She didn't really like Headmaster Brockert as a person. She couldn't imagine they'd have the slightest bit in common because he was really, really old and probably quite boring. But she did like that he kept his speeches short, which let them get onto the food. She clapped politely for the new Pecaris, the head students and the prefects, and sung her way through the song with a surprising degree of skill – Ingrid had a nice singing voice but it wasn't a gift she particularly put to use.

She grinned as a broad spread of food appeared before her. Unlike her nearest sister, Ingrid wasn't much of an explorer when it came to food – she preferred her adventures to be actual, physical things, and felt that food was just a way of refuelling. She helped herself to a lamb chop, with new potatoes and green beans. She was definitely a fan of a good, square meal.

Whilst Ingrid was friendly with almost everyone in her classes, it more in the sense that she was a friendly and outgoing person than having formed any particular alliances. And any of last year's second years she'd started to get to know would be in a different classes now (not that she thought that was a total loss in all cases – she'd partnered an Aladren boy in Potions who was totally close-mouthed and boring). She had the Quidditch team, which meant she didn't feel lonely, but she hoped to make some more friends around her own age this year. Regardless of this aim, however, she hadn't chosen any particular seat, near any particular person – just the first that was available.

“Hey there,” she grinned at the person beside her, “How's it going?”

13 Ingrid Wolseithcrafte Better late than never 322 Ingrid Wolseithcrafte 0 5

Theodore Wolseithcrafte

November 21, 2015 2:11 AM

Just about by Theodore Wolseithcrafte

Had it been up to him, there was every possibility that he would have skipped the feast in favour of more fun activities. However, Liliana had been glancing at her watch in a way that he at first thought was designed to tease him, and force him to persuade her to stay, but which he had eventually realised was serious. Given that this was a no feelings affair, he knew it wasn't right to feel snubbed and had done his best not to show it, but even if it wasn't that per se, he felt... perhaps a little let down, a little... doubting of certain skills, if Liliana was still able to keep half an eye on the time whilst she was with him. Now that he was thinking with other parts of his body again, he did find that most of it was on her side. His brain was arguing how poor it would have looked for him, as prefect, to miss the feast, and his stomach was very much in favour of attending too.

He had had a choice between a refreshing shower and being punctual, and had opted for the latter. Being late was so uncharacteristic that it may not even have been physically possible for him, even if there wasn't the added concern that other people would notice the break in his usual habits. He had regained his senses with a quick burst of cold water to the face, and then headed to the Cascade Hall, glad that he hadn't actually worn swimming attire to the MARS rooms, in spite of it being his excuse for meeting Liliana there.

A gradual feeling of calmness and normality washed back in as he watched the sorting, listened to the speech and applauded the badges, glad that it was Clark. Oliver was the right sort but he wasn't a good or worthy person. Clark was. It was odd how things like that could happen, in spite of upbringing.

He was glad of this decision to rush to the feast, as Liliana seemed to have gone down the other path. Had they both been late, it would have looked appallingly suspicious. He did his best to look suitably disapproving, partly for the sake of appearances, and partly in the hopes that it would annoy her if she noticed. She, of course, managed to one up him as usual. He had deliberately sat with his back to Pecari so that he wouldn't have to look at her during the feast, but as she entered she went and sat right in his eye-line at the Teppenpaw table. It was like her wearing orange to the Aladren-Teppalus game – an act borne out of genuine friendship, that was nothing whatsoever to do with him, but which Theodore – either due to egotism or lack of knowledge of Liliana's friendships – took to be a deliberate provocation.

He tried to focus on the food, though did a little too good a job of tuning out his surroundings, as he nearly knocked John's hand, which already had the juice he'd been reaching for.

“Good evening,” he returned, helping himself to the juice after John had finished. “Pleasant summer?” he asked. He hadn't always been sure what sort of topics one could broach with a person like John, but it did seem that the lower classes didn't have to spend their summer in miserable servitude, and generally seemed to afford a holiday or at least have pleasant memories to share.

13 Theodore Wolseithcrafte Just about 270 Theodore Wolseithcrafte 0 5

Selina Skies

November 21, 2015 4:15 AM

So long as you're not reaching for the rat poison by Selina Skies

Selina had thought that the worst thing about being a professor was having students the same age as her children. Not only had it made her feel old, but it was a terrifying spectacle watching all the bitching, drama and hormonal chaos, and imagining the parallel scenes that were taking place in her daughters’ schools. However, she had recently hit a new low. Colleagues the same age (or younger) than her children. Not only did it make her feel very old but it was all of the issues she’d witnessed in the student population but with added alcohol. As she watched her colleagues try to hide the signs of their obvious over indulgences, and blatant lust for each other, she indulged in the delusion that she had simply never been that bad when she was their age, and that maybe they were a particular debauched bunch and her daughters’ workplaces were nothing like this. Admittedly, she hadn’t ever acted out on any of the workplace romance (or random hook up) possibilities, so there would be that to be said in her favour, although she didn’t know that her junior colleagues had gone beyond lusty staring (of which she had done plenty in her time). She consoled herself with the fact that Krisalyn seemed to be well settled, with her nice, sensible fiance. Ema was a different story, but had been since she was fourteen, and it hadn’t taken any of her students or colleagues to open her eyes to the notions of what Ema might have been up to - the hair dye, the piercings, and the constant stream of loud, aggressive music that had perpetually accompanied her since her teenage years had given Selina plenty of worry on their own account.

Once she had sorted the first years, she took a seat at the staff table, next to Medic Eir. Although she professed not to being an expert on the social malfunctionings of her younger colleagues (for all that she observed them keenly, pretending to read magazines but listening keenly for gossip) she got the impression that the medic wasn’t one of that little gang. She didn’t know whether it was because she was that crucial other-side-of-thirty (Selina remembered well enough how it felt to be thirty - in terms of the sudden shift in partying stamina if nothing else - even though it seemed so young, and so inconsequential a difference between the two groups to her now), or whether it was shyness on the medic’s part, or the unsociable hours of her job. Selina felt a little bad for her - stranded in the middle of the young partiers, with whom she clearly seemed not to identify, or not to have been welcomed to, and the considerably older contingent that made up the remainder of the staff, there weren’t that many obvious friends for her here.

“Good evening,” Selina greeted politely. She was under no illusions that the two of them were going to become firm friends but there was no reason not to have Edda feel welcome and comfortable amongst the staff. “How was your summer break?”

13 Selina Skies So long as you're not reaching for the rat poison 26 Selina Skies 0 5

Owen

November 21, 2015 11:40 AM

Re: Me too - we're like peas in a pod by Owen

Owen nodded in agreement. It seemed so often that he and Jemima were on the same page in things and it made him so happy to have what could probably described as a real connection with someone. "Yes, I hope that means my cousin makes lots of friends." Obviously he had told Jemima about Angelique coming to Sonora this year.

He really wasn't that worried about her. Angelique from what he knew of her seemed to be very charming and that compared with a year with so many Teppenpaws who were nice by definition made Owen very optimistic about things. True, he didn't really have that many friends outside his own house, but that was more because some people in other houses not seeming very friendly. Despite them not being close, he thought of Angelique was a perfectly nice person and it would never occur to Owen that anyone should be intimidated by her.

"That would be nice, though admittedly, I sort of thought the inter-house cooperation with Crotalus was good in a way. I mean, just two houses fighting together for the same thing, you know?" Owen replied. "Still, I agree. " He didn't want to say anything mean about anyone but the Crotali on the team didn't seem like the easy to get along with sort. "I think most people will still be happier this way." He didn't really care about the game itself but he did care about people being happy.

He paused. "Unless of course Crotalus can't get a full team and Teppenpaw can." He didn't get the impression that Alistair Johnson would be very happy about that. There were only three Crotalus first years, and Owen knew full well that Angelique sure wasn't going to play. Even if WAIL had never been a thing, she was still very much a girly girl who disliked doing things that weren't ladylike.

"What about those?" Owen pointed to some...fried things. "They have to be stuffed with something. Should we see what?" He asked. Food was generally a more interesting topic to him than Quidditch. "Also, I think there's some Thai food over there." Owen helped himself to one of the "fried things" and put it in his mouth to find that it was stuffed with cheese. It was delicious but he could think of a way it could be better. The third year poured himself some garlic aioli and dipped one in. He ate it with a smile. Garlic always improved the taste of things!

OOC-What Owen was trying was fried cheese curds.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese_curd

11 Owen Re: Me too - we're like peas in a pod 300 Owen 0 5

Barnaby

November 21, 2015 4:07 PM

You know just what to say to a guy. by Barnaby

As his conversation with Nevaeh continued, Barnaby felt his headache slightly ebbing away. It was funny to think that having such a civil conversation with someone who, despite being sorted into Aladren, thought it prudent to eat unidentifiable foods the first time she was ever at somewhere would do anything for the migraine occurring in his head, but strangely enough it was working. Whether it was Nevaeh’s strange name that reminded him of a house elf’s or his gratefulness for the conversation having given him some relief from the terrible migraine he had been enduring, Barnaby found himself not becoming frustrated with the younger girl’s questions and answering them in a friendly tone despite himself.

Were first and second years good? Well, Barnaby didn’t really know how to respond to that. He certainly had not made any friends while at Sonora—not that he wanted them, either, though there had been that brief stint with Jack their first year. His classes went by alright but he had always chalked that up to his above average intelligence and ability to think harder, faster, and better than many of his school mates. And then there had been that whole matter of the satori the previous year—he had spent a good majority of the summer wondering how it was that the satori had spilled one his his secrets. He certainly was paranoid enough and had enough anxiety to feed a whole den of satoris for a month.

He would have chalked it up to the special lessons father had promised him once he turned thirteen but he had turned thirteen at Sonora the previous year and Father had been so busy over the summer that he hadn’t had a chance to divulge to Barnaby and instead promised that it would be something he could start to learn when he came home for the winter break. Further secrets about the family would be divulged at age fourteen, Father had reassured him, when Barnaby was old enough and mature enough to be able to properly understand and support his family unlike Alfie who had basically all but disowned Father.

“Good is a relative term,” Barnaby said slowly. “I think it all depends on who you are and who you surround yourself with, how you spend your time. And then, of course, last year there was that whole issue with the satori that bothered a lot of people but I wasn’t affected by it.” A reassuring smile, a blatant half-truth. “But you don’t seem to be freaking out about your skin so I’d say you’ll probably be fine so long as you’re not secretly a vampire in which case you’ll probably have to turn your wand in.”

His voice, a tone he had not used in a long while, was halted at first but as he spoke to her calmly and pleasantly he felt himself relaxing, feeling more at ease. He hadn’t felt at peace in so long, it was as if he couldn’t remember what it was like to loosen up. It had been almost equally as long since he had cracked a joke with someone that wasn’t Tarquin.

10 Barnaby You know just what to say to a guy. 298 Barnaby 0 5

Ji-Eun

November 21, 2015 11:46 PM

Wondering what's going on by Ji-Eun

Ji-Eun’s reunion with the dormitory had been uninterrupted. She had lain on her bed for a while feeling glad to be back and trying to be convinced that a year was a long time and she didn’t need to worry about that stuff for now. Eventually she’d even drifted off into a little nap, then woken up and unpacked. She hadn’t seen Chloe the whole time. She was a bit disappointed, but thought that maybe her room-mate had come back when she was sleeping and decided not to disturb her. She tried to quell the little voice that suggested the possibility that Chloe didn’t want to see her, or didn’t care about catching up as much as she did. It was silly, and a thing she had no evidence for. It was just one of those thoughts that, as a teenage girl, never quite went away when you thought that someone might be doing something without you.

She sat down at the feast, but there weren’t any pairs left, so she couldn’t save a spot for Chloe, which was a shame. As she began eating though, she saw her room-mate stand up and come towards her.

“Thanks,” she smiled, glad Chloe seemed happy for her. She even said she’d voted for her. Ji-Eun didn’t think Chloe would lie, and was genuinely touched - whilst also feeling a little guilty that she hadn’t thought to do the same for her friend. Though perhaps if Chloe hadn’t voted for herself it was because she genuinely hadn’t wanted it. Ji-Eun was about to ask the person next to her to move up and make space when Chloe announced that she was leaving.

“Oh...ok,” she nodded, confused by what seemed a bit of a mixed message. “Um.. is everything ok?” she asked. She couldn’t match this with Chloe’s comments about the badge, so - apart from the default sense of worry that came with such situations - she didn’t really think that could be the case. But Chloe’s family could be complicated for all kinds of reasons, and she wondered whether something had happened over the break that her room-mate hadn’t felt able to put into a letter. She didn’t outright ask if Angel was ok, not in front of everyone else, but it was the first thought that crossed her mind, and it made her throat feel tight. “If you want to talk, I can come with,” she added. “I’m not that hungry anyway,” she said, hoping that the noise of all the people chatting around them would cover the rumbling her stomach chose to make at that moment.

13 Ji-Eun Wondering what's going on 268 Ji-Eun 0 5

Araceli

November 22, 2015 12:16 AM

Be careful what you wish for by Araceli

“Certainly,” Delphine said politely, picking up the potatoes and passing them to Chaslyn. Chaslyn Brockert… Amity Brockert’s sister.

“Delphine...”

She still remembered Effie’s tone perfectly. The sudden shift. They were lying out on the big flat rock in the cove, sun-drying after a swim, head next to head, with their wet hair spread out, overlapping, intermingling, joining them together, bodies pointed in opposite directions. They’d been spotting shapes in the clouds but now Effie’s tone was suddenly serious.

“What is it?” Delphine turned her head slightly, finding her sister already looking at her. Her eyes were shining with tears. “Effie, what?” she insisted.

“Daddy’s decided,” she whispered. “I… I have to go.”

“No,” Delphine’s voice cracked, her own eyes mirroring Effie’s as they filled with tears. The subject had been raised at dinner last week, that the Arbons might abandon their tradition of home schooling. That with three daughters to find husbands for, there would be a need to expand their social connections, and that Effie might be sent to school, as a sort of ambassador for the family. At first the two sisters had quailed at the prospect of a year apart but the prospect of real school with other people was exciting. A year was manageable, and then they’d be together again. But then the blow had been struck. He would not consider sending Delphine. He still didn’t trust these mixed blood schools and the influence they might have on proper young people. One year would not be sufficient to measure its influence on Effie, and he would not risk them both.

Out on the rock, she had turned around, and she and Effie had wrapped their arms around each other and cried together. Effie had stroked her hair, and whispered comforting things. They would write every day. It would be the holidays before she knew it. They would still be best friends. Always. Forever.

But none of it was true. Effie wrote frequently, but it wasn’t possible to exchange a letter each a day. She hadn’t really expected it would be but however many letters they wrote it was a poor substitute for each other’s company. Christmas came slower than it ever had before, and when Effie came home she was full of stories of school, and about the girls she shared a room with. And, over the years, one name had come to the forefront, mentioned more than any other. Amity Brockert. It was true that Effie never neglected her sister in favour of this new friend - she wrote just as frequently, and when she came home they clicked back into place as if they’d never been apart. Except with more mentions of what Amity would have thought about this, or that, or what Amity had done. And Amity got to be with her every day. She got the side of Effie that Delphine had always had. And Effie called her ‘best friend.’

In Effie’s first year, Delphine had made a wish when she blew out her cake candles. Let Daddy send me to Sonora too. It had of course, come true. Only a few years too late…

And now here she was, serving her second sentence of forced separation from her sister. Had she never come to Sonora in Araceli’s place, she and Effie would be together again already. And, to top it off, who should she find herself next to, but Amity Brockert’s sister? She had no desire to replace Effie in her own affections, but it wasn’t as if she could even really connect with Chaslyn, even if she’d wanted to. She was never going to have a close friend here, just pretend and make them on behalf of Araceli. The only light at the end of the tunnel was the same as it always had been… Returning to a normal relationship with Effie at the end of it.

“Congratulations on the badge,” she said mildly, because it was the polite thing to say, rather than because she could actually find it in herself to care.

13 Araceli Be careful what you wish for 290 Araceli 0 5

Daniel

November 22, 2015 9:48 AM

Unfortunately I wouldn't know. by Daniel

Although he wasn’t one to obsess over names as such, Daniel was sure ‘Newell’ rang a bell and made the assumption that this vague recognition meant his new housemate could be an invaluable contact that would make his grandfather proud. He couldn’t be certain but even if he turned out to be wrong, the girl did seem very pleasant.

“It’s fantastic!” Daniel nodded enthusiastically, finding the walls of Cascade Hall alone most magnificent and distracting. The Gardens had been incredible too with so many different plants everywhere, despite the fact that they were supposed to be in a desert. He may have grown up surrounded by magic but he’d never had much opportunity to encounter all the extensive ways in which it could be used. “I’ve been looking forward to this for ages so it’s really amazing to finally be a student at Sonora,” he told her, expecting a lot of first years felt the same way. Considering how much he was awe of everything he laid eyes on, the young Crotalus wondered what it must be like for the muggleborns who hadn’t really experienced the wizarding world before. He didn’t know a great deal about those sorts of people, besides a few things that Emmy-Lou told him (which seemed all too strange to be true), but reminded himself that they were not the kind he needed to focus on befriending.

Mackenzie Newell was the sort that he was supposed to take an interest in, although she was quite a bit older than him so not a likely candidate for a close friendship. He wondered if she had any siblings closer to him in age but another question popped out of his mouth before he could ask.

“What are the classes like?” This was perhaps what he was most keen for. He’d done his best to read about the subjects before beginning school but it was difficult when a lot of it required practical application with a wand he hadn’t possessed until fairly recently. “Do we get to do a lot of practical work?” Although the eleven year old was interested in the theory of magic and stuffing his brain full of the kind of knowledge that Chuck would never retain, Daniel was also drawn to a more practical way of learning that he thought would be very much incorporated into the Sonora teaching methods. Of course, these were the type of thing he could easily ask Chuck or Emmy and he had done in the past but they were such odd characters when it came to their thoughts on education and could never give him the straightforward response he was looking for.

8 Daniel Unfortunately I wouldn't know. 333 Daniel 0 5

Alistair

November 22, 2015 10:50 AM

That's awfully kind of you. by Alistair

It was strange that Alistair could suddenly feel so reluctant to share details about his new relationship when faced with the prompt. Perhaps if it had been anyone else, a guy friend, then he would have happily bragged about the fact that he was dating Joella Curtis, boast that such a beautiful person had fallen for him, but this was Caelia and she wouldn’t be impressed, not that that seemed to be the only thing make him hesitate. “Yes, our families are good friends so we’ve known each other for a long time,” he confirmed, because it was true; the relationship they had today stemmed from a close friendship when they were younger. “But she’s my girlfriend now.” Was that an appropriate term to use? Then again, was the whole thing even appropriate? Neither of their parents minded, probably because they were young and pretty much best friends long before that so no one probably took it all that seriously. And even if they did, Ali’s mother would think it lovely and his father would be keen on anything that solidified their friendship with the rich Curtis family. As for Joella’s parents, it hadn’t escaped Alistair’s notice that they were becoming increasingly more relaxed about everything. Ivan Curtis clearly had a very different way of thinking to all of the family’s patriarchs before him and Ali worried that this would have devastating effects on the reputable old family name.

“Thank you,” he smiled slightly at Caelia’s compliment. He didn’t need people to tell him he was good to know so but it was certainly nice to have one’s skill acknowledged every once in awhile. Even if he did doubt Caelia actually knew what was good and what wasn’t, it was still especially nice to hear coming from her (not to imply that she wasn’t the complimentary sort by any means). “Although I wouldn’t say that I don’t need to practice; everyone has to if they want to get anywhere. Afterall, practice makes perfect and I do enjoy training.” Contrary to popular belief, Alistair Johnson didn’t think his Quidditch playing was perfect, although he was certain he couldn’t be far behind and believed himself exceeding all expectations for his age.

“Yes, I very much hope that we’ll form our own team this year,” Ali nodded in response to Caelia’s question. “Working with Teppenpaw hasn’t been ideal and nor has it been particularly enjoyable, especially since I’ve had to share captaincy with Liac Reinhardt.” He refrained from making any rude remarks on the older boy’s incompetency or general annoying manner because Caelia Lucan was a refined young lady who didn’t need, and neither did she probably want, to hear such complaints. The third year also failed to mention the fact that his favourite teammate was on the Teppenpaw side of their combined team, but that was something he tried to hide from himself most of the time.

As he spoke he glanced subtly down the table, scouting out potential new recruits to make up a full Crotalus team. He saw very few red faces which didn’t inspire him with confidence, although he did his best not to make this obvious to Caelia.

The Quidditch Captain nodded again as Caelia expanded on her requirements for academic aid. “So it’s the theory side of things,” he said, thinking that this was probably easier for him to teach even if he was actually more practically minded than he liked to pretend. It also explained to some extent why he hadn’t picked up on Caelia having difficulties with her classes. Unfortunately she thought herself fairly capable in Charms which was one of his best subjects, but that wasn’t to worry because he was very able in others too, of course. “I’m good at Potions,” Alistair replied with a smile when Caelia mentioned her struggles with Potions. Joella always complained about that class too, although he managed to stop himself stupidly saying this just in time. “Don’t worry, you’ll be top of the class in no time.” Considering he didn’t know where Caelia stood with her grades currently, he may have set himself a high bar to reach but it didn’t bother him. Words were just words and he would say anything to make girls like Miss Lucan give him one of those pretty smiles. “Or top of our year group, at least,” he amended after a moment. “We’re going to be Intermediates this year, sharing classes with the fifth years. It’s an odd concept, don’t you think?” Sharing classes with the fourth years wouldn’t be particularly strange because they’d been in Beginners with those people before but the fifth years were so much older and they were far less likely to know one another. Not that Alistair thought it mattered because the classroom wasn’t made for socializing anyway, of course.

8 Alistair That's awfully kind of you. 306 Alistair 0 5

Duncan Brockert

November 22, 2015 11:42 AM

Hey by Duncan Brockert

Duncan watched the first years enter the room for their sorting, spotting his cousin Tasha wave to him as she passed. He grinned as he waved back. Being that her mother, his father's first cousin Melora, had always loved traveling and refused to give it up completely when she got married and had a baby, they didn't see each other all that much but for some reason the eleven year seemed to just adore him. In turn, Duncan thought Tasha was a great kid and was really glad that she was here not at Beaubaxtons. Either Melora or Clifford Brockert had apparently prevailed over what ever the DuBois' family traditions were. The sixth year would believe it of either of them.

Plus, that meant she'd be here with Juniper next year. As Duncan's sister got older, he got more worried about her going to Sonora. Over the last few years, he'd realized just exactly how terribly shy she was. He didn't think there was anything wrong with that, but Mother had always put pressure on him to make-living- friends-preferably with the right people. He'd succeeded, though still missed his ghostly companions but he knew it would be so much harder on his sister to give up her equine ones for human ones,so Duncan was glad that Tasha would be here for her.

He saw her turn blue. That meant Aladren. Duncan wasn't sure how to feel about that as there were some pretty unpleasant ones. He supposed that was the case with any house but his own.

The prefects and Head Students were announced and he applauded, happy for Jake and Chaslyn in particular and firmly believing that Aladren and Pecari had picked the right people as well. Oliver Ferguson was one of those unpleasant Aladrens while Clark was one of the nicer ones in that house and Jamie Park...well, he was one of the unpleasant Pecaris. Duncan was happy for Jake's brother too.

“How was your summer?”

He looked up to face Liliana, one of his closest friends at Sonora, probably his first that wasn't related to him. "Pretty good." He replied. "Not really eventful. Saw my ghostly friends and my cousins came to visit before Tasha started here. " He nodded towards the Aladren table. "Don't worry, I doubt she'll be a Quidditch competitor." Duncan teased with a friendly smile.

11 Duncan Brockert Hey 271 Duncan Brockert 0 5

Ava

November 22, 2015 5:47 PM

Did you hear the one about the blonde theif? by Ava

Ava smiled as Arnold began to cheer up. My work here is done, she thought to herself, pleased with how she had turned around the situation. She looked around to see how Emery was doing, and to her horror, she couldn’t find him. She frowned, worried about what he might do—he’d really, really wanted to badge. She half wanted to go find him and see how he was doing, but she had just gotten Arnold to be happy again and since all the rest of their friends were off doing other things, talking to other people, she couldn’t just leave Arnold to sit by himself at the Feast especially on his big night. It hurt that Emery was hurting and she wanted to be there for him like she was being there for Arnold but she didn’t feel as though it were right to abandon Arnold otherwise her words might not seem as genuine and they really had come from her heart.

So, she pasted her smile back on after it faltered for a moment, her mind racing with all the horrible possibilities of what might have happened to Emery and passed Arnold the cheesecake. “Of course!” she said cheerily with a smile. “I’ll have a piece of that myself, actually, when you’re done with it. It looks delicious!” Having abandoned her steak and npotatoes because Arnold wasn’t eating and that made Ava feel not hungry too, she went back to her plate, determined to eat everything she had put there before starting in on the cheesecake Arnold was eating now. To waste food in favor of other, better food didn’t feel right to Ava somehow.

She rolled her eyes and laughed, Arnold moving her mind off of Emery for a quick second as he mentioned Art Club. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said. “I love Art Club, I hope someone continues it after we leave. It’s such a lovely club I don’t think I could imagine Sonora continuing on without it.” Even though it was a relatively new club in comparison to some of the other clubs available, Ava thought it might be her favorite. And despite she found that art was a personal activity, she did like being in a room full of creative people just having a good time and throwing paint around for fun.

The mention of art club was probably the best thing Arnold could have done to keep her mind off Emery. Even though she knew Arnold wasn’t trying to distract her and likely genuinely wanted to talk about art club, Ava was grateful for the topic change. Otherwise she would have spent the night worrying about Emery and being sad that he would never return her affections—he had just left Cascade Hall without saying anything to her. Clearly he wanted to be alone, without her. The thought hurt Ava’s feelings, but she would respect Emery’s wishes as she didn’t want to be a nuisance. “We should look for someone to replace you next year,” Ava said, continuing the conversation. “I say ‘we’ like I’m part of the authority in the club,” she laughed. “But seriously, if you ask someone to take over for you at the end of the year then art club will continue into the next year!”

10 Ava Did you hear the one about the blonde theif? 0 Ava 0 5

The Donovans

November 22, 2015 9:03 PM

No, you're still okay, for now. by The Donovans

Gia nodded when Joella brought up the Crotalus boy in her year while Jax only acknowledged this information by glancing at the boy in question. Neither really knew Alistair other than the fact that he happened to be in the same classes and that he was the Co-Captain of the Teppulas Quidditch team (or was for the last couple of years, who knew what would happen this year as either house could potentially have full teams this year). Jax didn’t really like him. He felt that Alistair was one of those people who looked down on them even though they had nothing to be embarrassed about. They came from money, but because of circumstances, they were not privy to it at the moment. The circumstances being himself. If Jax was out of the picture, Gia and their mother would be back in that lifestyle. He often thought about running away and allowing them that life. But he knew his mother would spend her life looking for him.

“I didn’t know you knew him.” Gia commented lightly as she ate her meal. It was true, she didn’t really notice the two together, but then, she really didn’t pay an awful lot attention to her classmate and Joella was in the Intermediates last year so, Gia had no reason to take note of the people she was associated with. She supposed it made sense that the two of them would hang out together as they both enjoyed Quidditch, but she didn’t think anything more about it.

Jax, however, stared at Joella rather suspiciously due to her sudden chatter. Jax knew that Pecaris liked to talk (he spent enough time around Sammy to make note of this), but the way Joella was talking without a breath between questions made Jax wonder what they were missing about this whole exchange. “Seattle.” Jax said. “We are from Greece, but live in Seattle now.” He explained. Jax missed Greece sometimes. Even though they moved from place to place because of him, it was still him homeland and he missed everything about it. Seattle was too different.

“It was a little boring.” Gia said, regarding their break. “Jax just stayed at the gym all the time with that weird Irishman-“

“-He’s not weird.” Jax interjected.

“And I had to stay home by myself while Mana worked.” Gia only had two friends back in Seattle, but they had gone on family vacations, so she hadn’t really had anything to do. Jax didn’t like for her to hang out with the neighborhood kids because he said that they make fun of her, but what else was she supposed to do? All she ended up doing was reading a lot of books and learning new recipes.

“What is a bonfire?” Gia asked. “Or, I mean, what do people do at bonfires?” She could work out what a bonfire was, basically a name for a fire, but she didn’t understand what the point of it was or what they were supposed to do with one.

6 The Donovans No, you're still okay, for now. 0 The Donovans 0 5

Chloe

November 23, 2015 6:57 PM

Please, don't worry your pretty mind over it. by Chloe

Chloe just wanted to get out of the hall quickly before her semi-decent mood was ruined by having to endure listening to Ji-Eun go on and on about her relationship with Arnold. Or assumed relationship with him? Were they even official? The way Arnold looked at her (the way Chloe wanted someone to look at her) was so obnoxious though that even if they weren’t officially, there was nothing open about it either. This term was going to be hard enough with her RATS exams and college applications, and everything else that any heartache she could avoid, the better.

She really did want to be happy for her friend, but Chloe wasn’t in the right state of mind to be that sort of support for her. She had too much going on in her life that was dark in her life that someone who seemed to never have anything remotely dark happen to them just bothered her so greatly. She knew it was wrong to feel that way and that is why she wanted to keep as much distance as she could with a person who shared the same space as her.

“Yeah, everything is fine.” Chloe said, giving Ji-Eun a smile in an effort to show her as much. “I’m just tired and my mom packed us a lunch before we left since we’d be here all day, so I’m not really all that hungry.” She shrugged. Once upon a time, Chloe used to be able to eat several plates full of food. She was sure her ability astonished some of her fellow housemates. But these days, food wasn’t a priority for her anymore. She ate, of course, but just a substantial less than she had before.

“You should stay and enjoy your evening. Celebrate your win for Head Girl and everything.” Chloe said. “I really am okay, don’t worry about it.” She appreciated Ji-Eun’s concern on some level, but right now Chloe was irked by it. The other girl had no idea the things running through Chloe’s head. Things that Chloe would never tell her. Things that Ji-Eun would never understand. Talk was not something Chloe was going to eagerly do with her roommate. Not anymore anyway. “I’ll see you later.” Chloe waved goodbye and turned to head out of the Hall. It was not the start of her seventh year that she was really looking to have and she knew her brother felt the same, but it just seemed to go along with the rest of things and Chloe was tired of fighting the current.

6 Chloe Please, don't worry your pretty mind over it. 0 Chloe 0 5

Liliana

November 23, 2015 7:11 PM

Hay is for horses. by Liliana

Liliana had always been so jealous of Duncan’s breaks. She did have a house full of ghosts like her friend did—she dd get to travel and she did have a lovely, loud, large family who always kept her entertained but sometimes, sometimes she just wanted to have an ethereal being to chat to, to ask questions of, to discover what it was like to be a ghost so she really liked to hear Duncan talk about his ghost friends—they had met one day trying to look for ghosts, after all.

“That sounds really lovely, I wish I had ghosts at home,” she said, echoing a statement she had intimated to him before a few times. “And I’m glad, Aldren doesn’t need anymore talent. I’d like to take them down again at least once before we graduate!”

Thinking of Quidditch, Liliana was embarrassed to ask Duncan about the prefects so she refrained from saying anything to him about the new picks, instead opting to look around the room to make sure Jamie Park hadn’t gotten the prefect badge. She smiled when she saw the badge pinned safely on the chest of Lionel Layne and allowed herself to relax a little. At least now there would be less opportunities to interact with the little brat though now that she was Quidditch Captain she was half dreading having to tell him what to do, unsure if he would listen to her.

“So how did you do on CATs?” Liliana asked leaning back into the table slightly and eating a small piece of the roll she had grabbed. “Are you keeping all your classes? I did alright—three Es, and O (in Defense) and an A, bet you can guess where that A was, but I can’t give it up this year even if I want to. And I’m going to have to work extra hard to get my Transfiguration grade up if I want to be do some kind of auroring. I know the goal is high but, doesn’t that just sound like such an exciting job to you?”

Liliana wasn’t really sure if she would be allowed to work or not—her mother and all her aunts were socialites who stayed home and planned events, and all her cousins were either dating or planning marrying or were engaged to similar witches. However Liliana wanted something more out of her life—she loved Defense Against the Dark Arts, she especially liked the practical exercises that Pye set them. She wanted her whole life to be like that, going on adventures and risking her life every day. It just sounded really fulfilling.

She didn’t mind either way what any other witch did—certainly her mother and aunts seemed like they really enjoyed their lives and even though Liliana found certain aspects of socialite life interesting (the dressing up and the beautiful decorations were always really fun to do) she didn’t quite think that was the life she was meant to live. She was meant for something more, she could just feel it, just as she was destined to have to eventually give up that dream along with her best friend and marry some stuffy guy just to make her parents happy and further her father’s business connections.

“How about you?”

10 Liliana Hay is for horses. 274 Liliana 0 5

Nathan

November 23, 2015 9:35 PM

Your best is the most anyone can expect by Nathan

As the interaction moved past the point of just passing potatoes, Nathan realized there was more to the dropped plate than just a poorly executed pass. Isis' hands were actually trembling. She overruled his apology and he didn't insist on taking blame that apparently wasn't his. His worry over Isis made him almost forget he'd been seriously considering going to check on one of his first years, especially since the young girl was being reassured by Miss Wu.

"I'm just more accustomed to messes," he guessed when she seemed flustered that she hadn't thought to use magic for cleaning up the spilled food.

He wanted to ask what had her so obviously on edge, but her question about his summer seemed a pretty clear indicator that she didn't want to talk about it. "I had an excellent break," he offered, allowing himself to be diverted by the subject change. It wasn't his place to pry into her business unless it started affecting the students.

"I found a place out in San Francisco this year," he continued. Suddenly uncertain whether or not she knew about his living situation - or lack thereof - outside of Sonora, he added, "I sublet a college student's place every summer. No sense in keeping a place of my own when I'm here so much of the year and I don't have any family counting on me to come back to them or anything. Just a couple nephews looking for visits every now and then. Anyway, I tried out San Fran this summer, and it was was fantastic. I might retire there." He realized belatedly that their age difference might make him sound even older than he was. He added awkwardly, "I mean, eventually. Not retiring anytime soon." Sadly. He decided not to verbalize that regret, though it may have been conveyed inadvertently through his tone anyway.

1 Nathan Your best is the most anyone can expect 28 Nathan 0 5

Arnold

November 24, 2015 2:05 AM

Probably not, care to share? by Arnold

There was something very liberating about discussing Art Club with Ava. For one thing, it was all quite obviously genuine. They were artists, and, he thought with moderate humility, rather good ones at that. Sharing a passion with someone was an easy route to friendship, and sharing friends had expedited that process even further. Arnold had gotten to know and trust Ava fairly quickly. His club--no, their club--had guaranteed that.

He liked the way she talked about it: like it was the be-all-end-all of Sonora even though he’d only established in the year prior. She couldn’t imagine the school without it, but it had been that way for years before (not the whole time, just since Evan Brockert graduated). “We should look for someone to replace you next year,” she commented. “I say ‘we’ like I’m part of the authority in the club. But seriously, if you ask someone to take over for you at the end of the year then art club will continue into the next year!”

Arnold chuckled. Ava was fun. “I mean, feel free to assume all the authority you want. I always kind of thought of you like an unofficial partner. My vice president.” He elbowed her playfully. “Not that I expect you to do any extra work with your title. You already help me set up before meetings, and that’s the most work of anything, really.” It was a great arrangement, really, and made his pre-meeting load a lot easier.

“But yeah, I agree. And I’ve been thinking about that a lot, actually,” Arnold continued. “I was thinking about asking Ginger Pierce if she’d do it. I mean, I know she’ll only be a fourth year when we graduate, but Jake talks about her a lot, and he’s never had anything bad to say.” Of course, Jake rarely had bad to say about anyone. He didn’t believe in bad. Or at least he didn’t use to, before Arnold had ruined things for him over the summer. “What do you think? Did you have anyone in mind?”

12 Arnold Probably not, care to share? 261 Arnold 0 5

Makenzie

November 24, 2015 2:33 AM

Aw, I'm sure we'll show you here! by Makenzie

Daniel Fintoc was, Makenzie decided, a breath of fresh air, especially in contrast to many little Pureblood boys (and of course, one in particular). His exuberance--“It’s fantastic!”--inspired the sort of grin that she couldn’t help but express. It was nice to see an eleven year old behave as an eleven year old; it was so rare these days in their social standing.

“It definitely is a great feeling coming here for the first time,” she agreed. At fourteen years old, she was about halfway through her schooling, but she still held close the memory of her first time entering Sonora. They didn’t have Orientation back then, so she was just immediately thrown into the fray, standing semi-nervously, semi-eagerly in line to take a sip of that potion and watch her skin change to match her red hair. It was something she didn’t expect to ever forget.

His inquiry about classes required a moment of thought before she responded. “Yeah, I’d say most of them are a lot of practical work,” Makenzie answered at last. “Most of Potions is actually brewing potions. Charms is doing charms. Defense Against the Dark Arts is… well, Professor Pye is a bit unpredictable, but there’s a lot of practical work done there too. He does like to give regular quizzes. And I won’t lie to you, most professors give out a decent amount of homework. You shouldn’t get too much in the Beginners’ classes, though.”

“That’s how classes are divided, by the way,” she added. “We’re a pretty small school, I think, so we don’t divide classes strictly by year. The Beginners level is first and second years, Intermediate is third, fourth, and fifth years, and Advanced is sixth years.” Makenzie paused, blue eyes blinking. “Sorry, that was probably a lot to take in. Did you get all that?” She did happen to be a chatty one, but she hoped her babbling didn't get in the way of his understanding.

12 Makenzie Aw, I'm sure we'll show you here! 291 Makenzie 0 5

Nevaeh

November 24, 2015 2:46 AM

Casual reminder that I am in fact 11. by Nevaeh

“Good is a relative term.” Well, that wasn’t a promising beginning, and as such, Nevaeh preemptively pursed her lips together. But when Barnaby went on, things didn’t sound so bad after all. He did have a definite point; being around unpleasant people would make her year unpleasant. That was basically common sense. He also mentioned the Satori thing, which Nevaeh had heard about, or rather, overheard about. She had possibly been listening from upstairs when Isis had talked to her parents about the whole thing, just to reassure them that the school was in fact safe and that she would be fine, “especially with me there.”

She wasn’t sure how she felt about that part yet.

“Do people do that?” she asked in regards to his comment about freaking out over the skin color, a laugh touching on the sentiment. “Well, that’s not really a problem for me, anyway. I can hardly see a difference.” Nevaeh lightly ran her hand across the opposite arm, glancing down at it to little result. Her blindness was not complete--she could see some--but the severity of its limitations was a major factor in her life. A factor that, since he had yet to establish it in conversation, she wondered if he hadn’t realized. “Oh, and I’m not a vampire, so no worries there, either,” she added cheekily, the nature of the afterthought almost seeming to imply that she was, or wanted to jokingly make him believe she was.

“I’m guessing you’ve found both the right and wrong people to surround yourself with?” Nevaeh commented, though the inflection implied a question. “Since you know so much, I mean.” She paused briefly but spoke again before he had the opportunity to answer. “If you don’t want to talk about the bad parts, that’s fine. I was just hoping you found some friends now is all.”

12 Nevaeh Casual reminder that I am in fact 11. 325 Nevaeh 0 5

Charlotte

November 24, 2015 4:35 PM

I think I see something... by Charlotte

Charlotte really liked that Emrys cared so much about his mates. It showed a positive aspect of his character and she wanted to support him. However, her initial reaction was not to support him but to keep him all to herself. She didn't want to eat alone and be left alone at the Crotalus table. She didn't want to be dependent on Emrys but she couldn't help it. And she didn't want Emrys to think her selfish and self-centred. Charlotte felt incredibly conflicted.

One piece of advice Adam had bestowed upon her in his new relationship was to always be tactfully honest. He found it refreshing, honesty, a characteristic not easily found in a world of calculating adults and their children. Charlotte didn't know where to draw the line between tactful and brutal honesty, but here she felt was the time to practise it. Growing up in a house full of children and younger siblings to cater to, she was used to being selfless, sharing when she didn't want to and taking the blame for mistakes her younger sister did. Was it all right to be selfish? At least a little? Would Emrys look down on her for it?

Charlotte didn't reply right away, instead putting salad onto her plate. "I..." Her voice wavered and her cheeks flushed as she kept her eyes on her greens. "I want you to stay, but I know you care about Emery..." As Charlotte found it humiliating to eat alone, something she'd once shared with Emrys years ago, he must know that she'd most likely go to her common room and unpack unless another friend happened upon her at the right moment. As she speared spinach with her fork, things in her head suddenly cleared. She gave a little sigh and speared another leaf.

The battle in her head was over. Charlotte looked up, decidedly confident and feeling proud for being so mature. "You should go to Emery," she said. As long as it was Emery and not Ava Fletcher he chased after she was all right with it. After all, friendship to Emrys was incredibly important, something Charlotte didn't quite understand from personal experience yet. But if it was important to Emrys, then it would have to be important to her as well.

0 Charlotte I think I see something... 0 Charlotte 0 5

Joella

November 24, 2015 5:06 PM

Let's see how long that lasts. by Joella

Joella was a naturally sociable person and could be excessively talkative when she was in a particularly happy mood so it wasn’t unusual for her to ramble on at feasts. Only everything was currently so out of place at this feast with the way she chattered on in an awkward manner that was so unlike her.

“Yes, our families are good friends,” she confirmed hurriedly to Gia’s casual comment. “That is to say, so are we - childhood friends actually. But we’re, um, dating now,” the last part was said with a quick glance towards Jax that sent a slight heat to her cheeks. The tone of Gia’s voice had made it obvious that she didn’t care, although not rudely so but in a way that suggested she wasn’t looking to gossip or judge. That being said, Joella could rely on the surety that Jax Donovan was not going to be doing any gossiping either. Yet it was something about the way he stared at her suspiciously that caused her to blush a little, much to her annoyance. She wasn’t the sort to be so flustered. Why did it even matter what Gia’s brother thought of her anyway? There was a voice in the back of her mind, reminding her that it was typical of the Aladren boy to do that hostile, mistrustful silent thing and that she was over complicating his meaning. That was probably the case as the fourth year Pecari was still caught in the rush of her words and thoughts, trying and failing to piece together some degree of intelligent conversation. At least she’d slowed down a little and emptied her mouth without choking or doing something even more disgusting with it.

Joella moved on quickly to the information they gave on their own summer, which was quite interesting to her anyway in spite of its briefness.

“Seattle,” she mused. “I’ve never been there, is it nice? I could imagine it’s very different to Greece though.” She hadn’t been to Greece either but made the assumption it had to be cool because it was abroad. It was also their original home so they probably felt better connected to it than they did the US. Joella enjoyed spending time at her family’s house in L.A. but going back to the farm in Tennessee was always so much more special.

“The gym?” Joella perked up at this, looking at Jax through slightly new eyes. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t noticed his good shape and nor had she made the assumption he had as little personality as he allowed her to see, but even so it was intriguing to get an insight into the mysterious boy’s life. “Do you like sport?” She guessed from the fact that he wasn’t on the Aladren Quidditch team that he wasn’t particularly keen on her sport but that didn’t mean his sport couldn’t be almost as nice to talk about.

Gia didn’t sound like she’d had a great deal of fun as a result of Jax’s focus on working out with some Irishman that Joella thought best not to question, although she was amused by the brief disagreement between the twins. Even so, Joella doubted her fellow Pecari’s summer could have been so boring as she seemed just the kind of person that had the ability to make anything fun.

“A bonfire is basically a massive outdoor fire,” Joella explained. “I don’t know what they do at bonfires here but from my experiences they're just super fun, informal events. When we have them back home, we basically cook and eat loads of food and sit around with blankets and hot drinks. Oh and we roast things on the fire and just generally chat and sing songs. Sometimes we even dance around the fire which is pretty funny.” She didn’t know what other people did at bonfires but reeled off her own memories. Joella hadn’t been to a bonfire in quite some time. There were some relatives they had in Louisiana who she recalled visiting for bonfires on Christmas Eve for several years but she’d been very young then so that was really stretching her memory.

8 Joella Let's see how long that lasts. 295 Joella 0 5

Ava

November 25, 2015 6:10 PM

She hid in a sack and said 'potato' by Ava

Ava beamed as Arnold said she was his unofficial partner. It was a high compliment from the re-founder of art club and her (dare she say it) best friend. “Well, you can depend on me for whatever it is that you need,” she said good-naturedly. “I really like helping out around the club. And I think Ginger Pierce is a great candidate for leading the club. Being a fourth year isn’t necessarily a bad thing either, it means she’ll have three years to run it and I can see it really growing under her leadership.”

Ava really liked the young Teppenpaw, she thought Ginger to be sweet and enthusiastic. She could barely believe that she would be a fourth year the next year but then again she could barely believe that come next September she would be (hopefully) starting her Healers training and being on her way to a job in her mother’s field. The idea of having such a large part of their lives in common and to talk about greatly excited Ava. She couldn’t wait to be seen as a colleague by her mother and graduation almost couldn’t come soon enough.

However she would miss Arnold and Emrys and Chloe and Ji-Eun and especially Emery. She loved her friends dearly and she was worried that though they would keep in touch they would barely see each other once they graduated. After having been able to see all her friends basically at any time of the day that she wanted to, she would not be looking forward to having to make new friends and leave her old ones behind as they each went off and pursued their various different paths in life.

“My only worry with Ginger is that she’s also on the Quidditch team and if Teppenpaw ever makes their own team she’s one of the older members. Eventually she will be assistant captain and then captain, will she be able to handle both?” It was a genuine concern. She knew Emery could have handled it, he already juggled so many clubs on top of his school work, but then again, Emery was something special. No one in their friend group had more than one major responsibility though some of them did participate in various different activities. In fact, Ava was a little concerned that Arnold would not have as much time to devote to the art club now that he was head boy but she did not voice that opinion.

“What do you think about maybe starting to give some of the older members more responsibilities over the course of this year and see how they handle them?” Though Ava felt Ginger was a pretty good candidate she also wanted to see how the other members could handle authority. “On the other hand, if she takes on art club now before Quidditch progresses to that point then she’ll likely already have a handle on the art club and not have to learn how to juggle two positions of leadership at once, what do you think?”

10 Ava She hid in a sack and said 'potato' 0 Ava 0 5

Caelia

November 25, 2015 6:35 PM

I am an awfully kind witch. by Caelia

A girlfriend? Already? Caelia was slightly taken aback. Though she had never gone through the whole ‘boys have cooties’ phase that many children went through between the ages of five and thirteen, she still thought they were awfully young to date. Certainly her older brother had never brought home a girl at age thirteen and declared her to be his girlfriend and although Emrys had some less than appropriate friends, her older brother was the role model by which she held all other pureblooded boys to since Emrys did very well in his choice of a romantic partner if Charlotte Spencer was anything to go by. Caelia herself had once, secretly, harbored a crush on her older brother’s best friend, but it had never gone past thinking the half-blood was a particularly attractive individual since though he was kind, he wasn’t pure enough to hold her attention in a more serious fashion.

Nevertheless, Caelia wanted to be happy for Alistair and Joella even if she did think they were a bit young to be romantically involved and so she smiled prettily at him in response. “That’s nice,” she said, mustering her best pleased tone for him One thing she was good at was masking her confusion and her discontent when she wanted to. It helped greatly in class when she didn’t want the non-purebloods to think that they understood magic better than she—a concept that caused her endless frustration.

Alistair’s humbleness only further ameliorated himself in her eyes. He was the perfect pureblood gentleman—smart, athletic, kind, modest. It was really too bad that he was dating so young—that was a sign of rashness which Grandmother Viviane had warned Caelia against. “This is very true,” Caelia said agreeably. “Practice is very important. I’m made to practice my sketching and music every day in addition to the etiquette lessons my grandmother gives me whenever I am home for the holidays.” Now that she was thirteen Caelia was proud that she knew how to serve tea properly and that she had been taught the partials for hosting parties among other things. The next summer she was looking forward to being able to learn more of the social graces needed for a young witch of her social standing.

Caelia frowned, however, at Alistair’s mention of the Teppenpaw co-captain. The Reinhardts had always seemed like decent people to her, but she agreed with Alistair that they didn’t sound like the best sort of arrangement to have to work with on a daily basis. They could be loud and the one in the year below them was certainly crude. Additionally Liac was a only a half-blood while the other two Reinhardts openly consorted with those of all blood types and almost flaunted their disregard for their good fortune to have been born with superior blood.

“It is the theory side of things,” she said, glad that she already spoke with a soft, demure voice so the less desirables wouldn’t hear her personal struggles with magic. She let out a beaming smile as Alistair conceded to help her with Potions at the very least though she was concerned he took her to mean that she only needed help with that. Well, no matter, she thought to herself. I have Emrys here with me this year and he can help me with the stuff Alistair doesn’t and then when he leaves I can see if Alistair will be willing to continue helping me with the other subjects too. “I highly doubt that I’ll be anywhere near the top of even our year group,” she said despondently, knowing that Alistair was just trying to be kind, which she appreciated. “It’s nice of you to say though.”

It was totally bizzare to think that she would be sharing classes with the people who had been third years when they were first years. She was especially concerned about having Jamie Park in her class. Caelia had heard rumor that he was a prankster and she had seen how he liked to show off when Pecari had played Crotalus the previous year. She was sure the concern showed on her face but she tried not to betray how she was feeling too much as no one liked a totally frightened witch. “It will be intimidating for sure,” she said, pleased that she had been able to use a word that Emrys had taught her the previous year when trying to help her with a completely uncharacteristic Defense essay that Professor Pye had sprung on them at the last minute. “I think I shall feel completely overwhelmed, I’m glad I will have smart friends like you and Kelsey in class with me though to help me through the rough patches.”

10 Caelia I am an awfully kind witch. 307 Caelia 0 5

Alfie

November 25, 2015 6:50 PM

Foward, that's me! by Alfie

Alfie was a particularly intuitive person. As such, he knew that Professor Skies, at least, was suspicious of the relations between him, Tallec and their female counterparts. He knew he probably flirted a little more than was completely appropriate for a work environment, but it was also the only way he knew he could keep his head (and his happiness) afloat while he worked this ridiculous dead-end job that he had been forced into. He was over-compensating for it now with Amelle, he knew, but that was all Cecily’s fault. She had turned up on his doorstep that summer with a case in hand and a set of clues and he’d had another taste of what it was like to be an Auror again and it had been glorious!

“Why thank you,” he said grinning devilishly as he ate some of his salad. “Magnanimous is a fantabulous word! I’m not just all great looks, I’ve also got a pretty fantastic brain!” He wouldn’t have been able to cut it as a professor amongst the rest of them who had all gotten to the point they were at by choice otherwise. He shuddered to think where he would have been placed if he didn’t have the brain he had, or if his brain had been more adversely affected by the horrible spells and charms his father had placed on him rather than killing him like his grandfather had killed his aunt, Cornelia.

When he came back to himself Amelle was sweet as ever and Alfie wondered if staying friends with her and Isis and Tallec was really such a smart idea. At least with Cecily she knew what she was getting herself into—she had chosen the Auror profession. His friends at Sonora, his colleagues, his students—none of them had chosen a dangerous life, that was why they were at a school. Well, one could argue that the students weren’t there by choice but then again if they really hadn’t wanted to go bad enough he was certain some of the more clever ones could have found a way out of it.

But was remaining in his civilian position really the best for everyone? Cecily seemed to think so. Alfie wasn’t sure but, as it had been when he’d been on the force, Cecily called the shots and so he had gone back to Sonora with his tail between his legs and a whole new set of acting skills designed to keep people safe and away from his secret. “Tall, dark and handsome?” Alfie asked, still teasing. “Apart from the Louisiana twang I’d think you were talking about me. I like to think that I’ve got charm. I don’t know if it’s soulful but I supposed you could tell me more about that, am I right?” He liked to tease people about their romantic encounters, mainly because he was such a promiscuous person himself and totally open to any kind of teasing anyone could send his way.

“And not just one ‘voluptuous creature,’ keeping me warm at night,” he said, continuing the tease. It was partially true. His loosely termed ‘friends’ weren’t there to ‘keep him warm’ but rather to release the pressures and the stressed of the day. They rarely stayed until morning, many of them sneaking out to get home before the sun came up and Alfie was perfectly fine with that. It was the ones who stayed the night and expected more in the morning that he couldn’t stand. He was not a relationship kind of wizard—perhaps once he might have been but that part of him was long since ruined and besides, to get involved with someone like that would only be to put them in danger and Alfie had been a Gryffindor. Gryffindors were all about self-sacrifice and keeping their loved ones safe, or so he had been told.

10 Alfie Foward, that's me! 30 Alfie 0 5

Barnaby

November 26, 2015 5:04 AM

This is true. by Barnaby

Barnaby didn’t really know how to respond to the well-wishes from this girl who barely even knew him. His head was still pounding even though the majority of his illness had started to fade by now, but he was to fascinated at this point to really care about tending to the migraine that was starting to build up in his temples. She could hardly see the difference? Did she see the world in odd colours? He wasn’t nearly in his right mind and he could tell there was something that wasn’t functioning completely right in his mind, but then again he really didn’t have the patience to figure it out.

Everything was jumbled, nothing made sense. He was almost enjoying the company of this first year. It was insane, it was— “I have enough friends,” he replied without fully answering her question. He couldn’t lie, something in him wouldn’t allow him to, but he wasn’t going to admit to the first year that by ‘enough friends’ he meant his best friend who didn’t even attend the same school as him and who was two years younger than him—Nevaeh’s age, in fact.

But her first statement was true, he had found the right and wrong people to surround himself with. The right sort was no one, other than the Donovans who Barnaby had to keep a close eye on in order to protect his assets he really didn’t want to be around anyone at Sonora, and even them he didn’t enjoy being around all that much. The wrong sort, that meant was pretty much everyone else. So instead Barnaby just kind of shrugged. “I guess,” he said as he poured himself some more tea and added some more lemon. He really didn’t want to have anything else other than tea at that moment and the tea really wasn’t helping all that much but…

His hands fumbled with the lemon, placing the lemon peel on his empty plate and went down to grasp the tiny bottle in his pocket. Did he dare risk it? He supposed he could just tell Nevaeh that he had medicine that he needed to take, but what if an older student saw it? What if a professor saw it? If Alfie noticed Barnaby adding something to his drink he just knew his older brother would be over at the Aladren table faster than he could say Tanacetum parthenium demanding to know what Barnaby was doing.

In the end, Barnaby slipped both hands under the table and blindly squeezed a couple of drops of the serum onto one finger, bringing the finger up to the table oh-so-carefully so as not to spill it, and stirred the hot tea. The beverage nearly scalded his pointer finger but the soothing feeling the serum would bring him was almost worth it and as the sour tinged drink touched his tongue he nearly sighed with relief. He could fix the panging in his finger later, for now he just needed to relax into the tea that was lying in front of him.

10 Barnaby This is true. 298 Barnaby 0 5

The Donovans

November 27, 2015 8:48 PM

Still going strong! by The Donovans

Gia nodded along listening to Joella explain her relationship to Alistair, “Oh, that’s nice.” She responded when Joella admitted that she was dating the other third year. Gia wasn’t sure if she was supposed to comment that in some other way, but that’s what came out. Gia hadn’t exactly looked at the opposite sex in any way other than friendships, so the idea of dating anyone at age thirteen seemed rather strange to her. Jax, however, had the corner of his mouth curved upward in a half amused smile sort of way. Her chattering made sense to him. She had been nervous (or excited?) to admit that she was dating someone. Why Alistair was beyond Jax’s understanding or why someone not in the same year as her for that matter, but attraction was something that was uncontrollable. Jax was only just beginning to realize this the more he took notice of the females around him.

“Yes” Gia said.

“No” Jax said simultaneously. Gia glared at her brother.

“It’s a lovely city, but like most places, it has its flaws.” She advised, frowning.

“We live in the flawed part of it.” Jax said, his voice flat to indicate that he wasn’t joking. Gia rolled her eyes.

“Ignore him. He’s just a grump.” Gia said, which earned a chuckle from Jax. “It is quite different from Greece and we do miss our home, but Seattle has been good to us too.” She stated firmly.

Jax looked at Joella blankly while he worked out her question. Sport? “I do not play any sport, but Sammy has been teaching me how to catch.” He said after a moment. “I’m training in Boxing for personal reasons, but not for sport.” He didn’t think it was necessary to explain to Joella that he picked boxing because it would be a great way of gaining strength, learning how to fight, and gain power. Most people wouldn’t understand the necessity of doing such a thing. If she wanted to know more about his reasonings, he would have to make up some lie about it since there was no way he was going to tell the truth about it. His only issue regarding that front was his stupid annoying roommate, Barnaby. But if Jax got enough power behind his muscle, he might have enough leverage to keep Barnaby from opening his mouth about it.

“Oh the bonfire sounds like it could be a lot of fun!” Gia commented, grinning widely at the prospect of the fire.

“I’m not dancing around the fire singing merrily.” Jax muttered. “That’s just odd.”

“Well, Joella and I will dance around the fire singing merrily and you can just watch and be a spoil sport.” Gia replied. Jax was surprised by her back talk as she usually just laughed it off or ignored him. She must really not be happy about spending the summer mostly on her own.

“So, have you and Alistair always been a couple?” Gia asked, changing the subject. “I’m not really up to date with, er, relationships here.” She advised, feeling a little dumb for that. She felt like, she ought to know more of the social standings than she actually did.

6 The Donovans Still going strong! 0 The Donovans 0 5

Emrys

November 27, 2015 10:42 PM

It's seems to be vaguely compromise-shaped by Emrys

Emrys frowned slightly as Charlotte didn’t speak for awhile, not even looking in his direction? He was worried that he had done or said something wrong, but as she began to talk he felt himself smiling in gratitude. Charlotte really was the most amazing witch. He laid a hand on her arm. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “I’m glad you told me how you felt.” Communication was really good in a relationship, Emrys thought, and their little conversation had just proved to him that Charlotte knew how to communicate and that he knew how to read her well enough that he could press her for how she was really feeling if she didn’t want to give it away.

“I’ll just go check on him real quick and if he wants to be left alone I’ll come back and we can finish dinner, okay? I have to come back to walk up with Professor Pye and the first years anyway,” he leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, his lips burning at the contact, his face flushing as he came away. He bit his lip in embarrassment at his pre-planned improper behavior. “I—er—bye!” He quickly stood and after sending Charlotte one last, longing look began to make his way through Cascade Hall after Emery. On his way out he saw Ava looking around for Emery and gave her a nod to show that he was handling things.

The entire walk up to the Aladren commons, however, was not quite as confident or as bold as he had acted with Charlotte. Emrys’ mind raced as he tried to think of what he would say to Emery. It had not been the first time his best friend had been slighted for one of his pureblood roommates. Just looking at the prefect badge on his chest made Emrys feel sick with shame. Neither he nor Arnold had really given the school as much as Emery had in terms of length, duration, and multitude of activities. Sure Arnold had started and maintained an art club which likely had shown many of their peers and the professors that the ginger could handle a leadership position, but Emrys himself was barely involved in school activities. He had only just joined the library assistant program even though he dearly loved books simply because he had never thought to before.

Emrys shook his head as he reached for the Birds of Prey book that would let him into the common room and frowned as he stepped in. It was still empty—it would be so only for a little while longer, and he wondered just how peaceful it was the rest of the year when the student body went home for the summer. Were the other common rooms as nice as theirs? Somehow he doubted it. He loved the soothing blue color and the bookshelves that surrounded the cozy room. However there was no sign of Emery there. Had his brief stop in the MARS rooms allowed Emery to leave the common room and go up to their dorm? It was possible and actually more likely that his roommate and best friend had opted to lie in his bed—his own bed was Emrys’ personal favorite place to sulk.

However upon arrival in the seventh year boys’ room Emrys noticed that Emery’s curtains were pulled tight. His hand still rested on the doorknob as he opened his mouth. He wanted to call his roommate’s name but nothing came out. What did this mean? Likely that Emery wanted to be left alone, Emrys thought. But then again, what if it was just so that Arnold left him alone. Perhaps it was Emrys’ duty as the best friend to pull aside the curtain and see if Emery was okay. But what if it didn’t have anything to do with the badge and was family related? Everyone dealt with grief differently and Emrys certainly didn’t want to make Emery talk about something if he wasn’t ready to.

In the end, Emrys sighed quietly closed the door, going over to his desk to write Emery a quick note. He cared, but he wasn’t going to pry. It was Emery’s business and he wasn’t going to force his best friend to be around people if he just wanted to lie in bed with the curtains shut and be alone. He used his special ‘silence’ quill so as not to disturb Emery and scrawled ‘”I’m here if you need anything” before leaving it on Emery’s desk and backing out of the room silently, letting the door shut soundlessly behind him not realizing the fatal mistake he had just made. Little did Emrys know that the breeze the door created when it shut would carry the note off his roommate’s desk nor that a well-meaning prairie elf would come by and clean it up before his roommate could see it.

When he got back to Cascade Hall, he would tap Ava on the shoulder, and whisper quietly that Emery had gone up to bed and not to worry about him, before going back to the Crotalus table where he would have a nice dinner with Charlotte, if she was still there waiting for him. He wasn’t quite sure how long he had been gone but his stomach growled and he hoped there would be enough food still around when he got back so that he wouldn’t have to make a trip to the kitchens and get something to eat.

OOC: Information about Emery taken from his library sign-up posts in which he said that he retreated to his dorm and then his bed with the curtains closed when people started coming to the common room and, presumably, the dorm room too.

10 Emrys It's seems to be vaguely compromise-shaped 260 Emrys 0 5

Oliver Ferguson II

November 28, 2015 2:26 PM

The Sociopath's Apprentice (Flashback challenge)) by Oliver Ferguson II

Oliver had decided to go visit his grandparents' for the majority of the summer. This served two purposes. One, he was away from his father, whom he found himself barely able to look at. He'd spent his whole life admiring the man and now Father had been knocked from his pedestal. Oliver was disgusted by him now and couldn't tolerate him knowing what he now knew.

Granted, it had been hard to look at Grandmother too, crazy people were hard to take. However, she spent most of her time locked up in her room, tended to by house elves and out of public view, so he had not seen too much of her. Oliver doubted she'd even realized he'd been there at all.

The other benefit, more importantly, was access to Grandfather's library full of dark spells and potions. Ancient tomes of the most powerful magic one could wield but few were capable of. It was only fitting that they'd ended up in Grandfather's possession since Oliver knew of no more talented wizard than he. In fact, as much as being around Grandmother creeped him out, her condition was a testament to Grandfather's skill with mental magic.

Oliver wanted that skill. He would have anyway even without the purpose he had in mind for it. Grandfather was all too pleased to share the gift too. The Aladren remembered back briefly to last summer, the conversation he'd shared with the older man.

Oliver gazed around his grandfather's study in awe. The knowledge contained here surpassed that in Sonora's library, he was certain of that. Sure, the library there was larger as was Grandfather's, but in here were the books Oliver was certain he'd need.

Suddenly a voice broke him out of his reverie "You, boy! What are you doing in here?" The implication in Grandfather's voice was that Oliver was sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

However, the fifteen year old wasn't afraid. He knew just what to say. "I was just...hoping to learn from you. I mean, there's no better wizard alive, nobody more powerful or clever. I want to know what you do, know all the secrets of how to use mental magic for my own gain. To get what I truly want in life, power." Of course, he left out the part about wanting to make his father like women, Oliver was no fool. Despite his disgust with his father, he wanted the man fixed not dead.

Grandfather made a facial expression that Oliver assumed was his version of a smile. He had one that made Headmaster Brockert's look warm and friendly in comparison. "Wonderful! There's no way these talents should die with me-not that I'm going anywhere for a long time-but you, my boy, are the only one of my descendents truly worthy. Your father never seemed all that interested no matter how hard I tried and I certainly wasn't going to waste it on some female or your pathetic drunk of an uncle. You shall be my apprentice from now on."

They'd spent the rest of the summer working together and Oliver had even been allowed to bring some books back with him. He had to keep them hidden though, despite how much it would be fun to intimidate his roommate with them, he couldn't risk them falling into the wrong hands.

Now though, it was time to put these thoughts out of his mind and focus on the feast. Usually there wasn't much that mattered to him, but he was a fifth year and that meant...prefect.

"In addition I'd like to call up Clark Dill.."

What! How could this be? It should be him standing up there with Jake,Chaslyn and Lionel getting the badge. This was unthinkable! He deserved it, he was brilliant and well connected and the Headmaster was some relative of his father's. Clark was nobody and he was weird on top of it.

Yet, Oliver would remain impassive, his expression betraying no emotions. He would not make a scene like someone of poorer breeding might.

But he sure was glad he'd taken those books.

OOC-Again I don't agree with anything Oliver says.

11 Oliver Ferguson II The Sociopath's Apprentice (Flashback challenge)) 278 Oliver Ferguson II 0 5

John

December 02, 2015 7:27 PM

It could all go downhill at any moment, though. by John

John nodded when asked about his summer. “Quite pleasant, yes,” he said.

A lot of it had been pleasant. Just the question brought up disconnected but agreeable images: hanging out with (and that one time blowing stuff up with) his old friends, going to church every morning, getting his first summer job, not getting fired from said job, and just…being at home, both his house and his whole neighborhood. Then there were the specific, larger incidents: his mother’s birthday party, his first visit to the university library, spotting a rarity while working on his great-grandfather’s roses in the mountains…

There had been other things, of course. Quarreling with Paul and Julian, for instance. Worrying about the state of his immortal soul and why morality had suddenly become...fuzzy, the first time he was ever in a bit of trouble. Those, however, were not topics he thought were Theodore-appropriate, and he doubted Theodore would find anything of interest in anecdotes from his mother's birthday party, so he declined to mention most of his thoughts.

“I got a lot of work done this summer,” he elaborated instead, assuming Theodore would understand considering time spent gathering and analyzing data ‘pleasant’. “I got access to a better library than usual, plus Mom talked her manager at our usual library into paying me to shelve books since I’m there all the time anyway, so I got some new – “ well, new to him, anyway – “books, and some new equipment – I brought most of it along, might be useful when science club starts back up. I’ll do it if Clark doesn’t have time now. How onerous are prefect duties, anyway?” This last question was added on abruptly, but was a subject of some interest to him since he felt safe assuming that he was exactly a year away from having them.

16 John It could all go downhill at any moment, though. 285 John 0 5