That finally means me! on Labyrinth Gardens

Grayson Wright

May 01, 2020 12:04 PM

Welcome to Orientation, New Students! by Grayson Wright

Professor Grayson Wright was, as he stood near where the wagons would land at any moment, not an entirely carefree wizard. Despite it being the first day of term, he had a great deal of work waiting for him in his rooms - for Sonora was not, unbeknownst he thought to his colleagues, his only source of income, though it was currently still the one he couldn't quite do without - and between him and that stood showing the new first years around, keeping them in a reasonable degree of order until they were Sorted, and then showing the new Aladrens around some more, after which he'd need to double-check his first lesson plans of the year and then go to bed so he could be reasonably alert when the first of those lessons was due to be taught. He was also somewhat anxious about one of his older students, who he would most likely not get much of a view of until it was also tomorrow, and...

He had never, he reflected, been one of those people who had to look very hard to find something to worry about. Things occurred to him all the time of their own free will. As the specks in the sky began to draw close enough that it was quite impossible to mistake them for vultures or whatever sort of bird managed to live in Arizona naturally, though, he put all these concerns as much aside as he could in favor of fixing a pleasant expression onto his face behind his glasses, and beneath the brim of a plain dark blue wizard's hat - not an item he expected the students would see again for many a day, but it did help with the sun in his eyes.

"Hello everyone," he said in teacher voice, projected just so, as students began to disembark from the wagons. "Hello there - good to see you again - First years! First years gather here, please! Everyone leave your luggage with the wagons - first years!"

He had mastered the trick, more or less, of making himself broadly heard over chattering crowds without damaging anyone's eardrums, but he still had a large banner over the entrance to the Labyrinth Gardens reading '1st Years Here' in tall letters, with the words 'Welcome to Sonora' beneath it in slightly smaller, if also over-large, letters. He briefly considered the application of Summoning charms to get the first years all together as more practical than this - human beings were a bit tricky, as Summoning Charms traditionally made their objects fly and human beings could not be charmed to fly, but their robes would pull them along without too much fuss, he reckoned - but stuck to approved methods, and thought he succeeded in getting them all, with the help of a few prefects.

"Hello, again, everyone," he said once the majority of the student body had moved away from the site, leaving him with the first years. "And welcome to Sonora Academy. My name is Professor Wright, and I will - among other things - guide you through Orientation today. Just through here, please, thank you..."

Beneath the banner was a gap between two dense hedges, both taller than most grown men who lacked giantish ancestry. A neatly gravelled path lay between them, and a short way along, it opened onto a hedge-walled courtyard, in which there was a central fountain and some stone benches which were permanent fixtures of the area and a few long tables which were not. On one of these tables, there were a number of dark green folders, equal in number to the students present. On another, there was a sort of finger-and-snack-food buffet, with lightweight plates and paper napkins available so the students could gather a few refreshments in one trip if they wished. On the third, there were several large apparatuses, each topped with a clear (and unbreakable) glass bulb which showed the color of the drink within, though they were also distinguished by written labels on their sides above the spigots which, when turned, would dispense the contents into glasses: pumpkin juice, apple juice, grape juice, iced tea, and plain water. There was also a box of ice with a scoop in it (charmed not to melt, a handy touch, if he, the Charms master at this school, did say so himself) and a number of clear cups.

"Come in, everyone, and please, everyone take one folder," he instructed them. "I'm sure many of you will want some refreshments after your journey, but if you can give me your attention for a few minutes first..."

Once everyone had a folder and was more or less still and quiet, he began near-reciting the same introductory remarks he had given to each new set of first years for several years running now.

"Welcome to Sonora," he repeated. "As I said before, I am Professor Wright. I'll be one of your teachers for at least the next five years, and possibly the next seven. Sonora is a seven-year school where you will receive a thorough education in magical theory and practice. Starting tomorrow, you will each take seven classes - Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Potions, Transfiguration, and flying lessons. I'll be your Charms teacher. You can drop flying lessons in your second year and begin taking additional classes in your third year, if you wish. In your fifth year, you’ll take your first set of major exams, the Critical Assessment of Talents and Skills, or CATS. After that, you will be allowed to drop some subjects if you want to, so you can better focus on your strengths and the requirements for careers you're interested in, though you’ll need at least two classes to graduate and three if you want to pursue your education in the magical arts further after you leave Sonora.

“In the meantime, we know that you may all have had different educations before you arrived here today,” he said, because this was true. Some might have gone to Muggle elementary schools while others might have had one tutor, a series of tutors, been taught by a parent, or even very little formal education at all. “Your professors all have office hours when we can give you extra help in our subjects if you need it, and Professor Skies, our Deputy Headmistress and your Transfiguration teacher, runs special sessions for anyone who needs help with reading and writing English, or needs other academic support. You can see times for those sessions in the schedules in your green folders.

“Outside of classes, you have options about how you spend your time. We have some student-run clubs and sports here, and you’ll see notices about meetings posted around the schools when they’re ready to start up for the year. Last year, a student started an Art Club, which proved pretty popular, and you'll have an opportunity to join the school Quidditch team and play against other magical schools. Breakfast is from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m, lunch is from 11:00 to one, and supper is five till seven, but you can find snacks and drinks there between those times as well. Curfew is at ten p.m., and at that time, you’ll need to be inside your Houses – those are parts of the building where your dorms are. They're all attached to common room you share with all the students, from years one to seven, who were Sorted into the same group as you . Sonora has four Houses, and tonight, at the Welcoming Feast, you’ll be Sorted into one of them by dipping the blank badges you have now into a cauldron. If your badge turns blue, you’re an Aladren – the House that values learning and problem-solving.” He might have sounded a little proud there; he was a former Aladren as well as Head of the House. “If it turns red, you belong in Crotalus, the House for people who like to be well-prepared for everything. Yellow means you’re in Teppenpaw, the House for our diplomats. And last but not least, if your badge turns brown, that means you’re a Pecari, the House for people who always land on their feet and are always willing to take a chance. All the Houses have other traits, though, so don’t worry if you don’t think any of those things sounds exactly like you – there’s a place for everyone here at Sonora.

“Your House will have prefects, who are older students who have been granted some authority because of merit shown in their earlier years, and a Head of House, who is an adult and a staff member – I’m the Head of Aladren, for instance. They’ll all look after you while you’re here. Your House can earn points based on things you do – excelling in class or in sports, or showing responsibility, or somehow helping the school community and showing leadership. The House with the most points at the end of the year earns the House Cup, and sometimes other privileges – Teppenpaw House has hosted the Cup for a good while now, but ties and upsets can happen at any time, so anyone can win.

“If no-one has any questions about all of that, you can mingle and get to know your classmates for a while and have some snacks until we begin our tour of the mansion. If you do have any questions, feel free to come see me – and welcome again to Sonora.”

OOC (Out of Character) Note: Welcome first years to Sonora! You can post a reply here to ask staff questions or meet your new classmates. This thread is intended for first year students to have a chance to try out posting and get acclimated to the site before we throw you into the big Opening Feast, which is open to the entire school population and can be a bit overwhelming.

Now, go forth, new first years of Sonora! Post, enjoy, have fun! Everyone here is happy to help out, so if you've got a question, put it on the OOC board or try to catch somebody in the Chatzy and we'll try to get you an answer as quick as we can. Have fun and we’re glad you could join us!

[Credit to Nathan Xavier's author for the content of this OOC notice]

Subthreads:

Looking smart. by Quincy Wright with Janis Rosemary Silver

People! by Valentine Duell with Bonabelle Row

That finally means me! by Philippe Delachene with Wally O'Malley

Oh my, this is all so exciting! by Aelia Astley with Lavender Brockert

I don't mingle by Bertie Jackson with Stanley O'Malley

16 Grayson Wright Welcome to Orientation, New Students! 113 1 5

Quincy Wright

May 01, 2020 12:36 PM

Looking smart. by Quincy Wright

Quincy was fairly well-accustomed to most forms of magic travel - he'd done side-along Apparation with his parents, he'd traveled by Floo, and he'd used a portkey before - so it was a bit surprising to find that his first trip to Sonora involved a method he'd never used before. Flying wagons, as it turned out, were just one of the many things his mother had been particularly hush hush about in an effort to make his experience as exciting as possible. Heidi Wright hadn't gone to Sonora herself, but she knew enough of the students who had, most likely including some of Quincy's classmates, that she was familiar with the process. Whatever she knew, she'd kept to herself though, and Quincy sort of hated her for it when they landed and he was more than a little motion sick.

He knew that motion sickness was just an inner ear disturbance caused by the motion he'd just experienced, but he didn't have any remedies readily available and was feeling a bit green when the professor - hey, another Wright! - began his speech. On the whole, the man seemed nice enough, and certainly straightforward enough. He looked smart, both in the sense of academia and well-dressed. Quincy was prone to forgetting that clothes were meant to look decent and generally wore atrociously mismatched items. Of course, being largely colorblind didn't help with that. Perhaps he'd change his mind and try out some of the easier colors, like the blues the professor was wearing. Or probably wearing. He thought he could probably rule out pink on principle, but couldn't be sure.

The speech went on a bit and Quincy reasoned that most of it would be covered in their packets anyway, so he tried to look about as surreptitiously as possible. Whatever the temperature charms were that were at work here had been done very well. It was interesting to think that a temperature charm was sufficient to completely change the flora of an area. Or perhaps there was more to it? Some plants required fauna as well; had they chromed that need away? Or imported the appropriate creatures and bugs for this environment?

But then the speech was done and this didn't seem like the appropriate time to start taking samples, as they'd probably be too smushed up or dried out by the time he was able to get his microscope out anyway, so Quincy made his way to the food table. He'd pick up his packet last, so he had two free hands. As it turned out, he wasn't the only student to head that way because . . . well, where else would they go? That was a bit annoying because there were just too many people, even in this small group, but that was fine. They'd probably all pair off and he would be able to think more about the plants and eat a sandwich and it would be fine. He should've knocked on wood, because another student approached him just as he turned away from the food table with a plate of snacks and a cup of grape juice.

22 Quincy Wright Looking smart. 1495 0 5

Janis Rosemary Silver

May 01, 2020 1:50 PM

Smart... Smart... Smart Alec? by Janis Rosemary Silver

As Janis sat on the wagon to get to school she kicked her feet and pouted. She wasn’t missing her parents by any stretch of the imagination. No she just didn’t like the rich folk who were now surrounding her and going to this high falutin magic school. They all thought they were so much better, but they couldn’t save themselves if the stars counted on them.

She’d fought with her parents again two nights ago. She didn’t want to go. The same routine since they’d first brought up the idea six months previously. She wanted to be like her older cousins. Trained on the circuit. She didn’t need the flash of this school, nor did her parents need to spend money for it. Her father had tried to patiently explain to her that it was for the best. That she would probably one day take over his now legal business, and he needed to know she was able to do that and talk with people she would meet at the school. Janis thought it was more just a reason for daddy to show that he now had money and could send his daughter to this school. It was just unfair.

Still the name rattled around in her head. The one her father had used to coax her in the first place and saying that she wasn’t allowed to bowl her half-siblings over. They didn’t know they had a half-sibling, statute and all that. Well, turtle shell to that. They were now Wizards and Witches, why should the statute of secrecy matter?

She didn’t know if it was a nick, first or last name. Fitzgerald could very well be any of those things. But she was excited to find out and become best friends with her siblings. That’s what siblings did right? They were best friends?

As she got off the wagon she looked around at all the students. One of these was her sibling. Was it that guy with the sad eyes but nicely dressed robs? Ooohh was it the beautiful girl with the scarred arm? That would be so cool! She hoped it wasn’t the one that was so… pink.

She followed the other first years. Judging them as they walked. All these little rich kids. And she had to spend the next 7 years with them? What if none of them were interesting? What if none of them liked solving puzzles or finding good places to hide oneself and things? What if they wanted her to wear a ball gown? Gag.

The teacher guy once again stood in front of them and began droning on. This guy was their Charms teacher? That wasn’t going to be a helpful, Janis thought. She hoped her other teachers were… more homelike. When he mentioned the houses, Janis’s mind went off. She was confused. Everyone was separated, but how did they decide? Was this based on something the teachers observed? Was this based on just randomness? Each house had traits, but how did one determine that? Janis knew it was probably magic, but she was someone who was prepared. Always. She also liked solving problems and landed on her feet. Those things seemed… intertwined. How could they determine such things. Was it like a terrible mood ring?

Janis had been lost in thought and hadn’t realized that the Professor had finished talking till the other students started moving around. Janis looked around momentarily to figure out what the last thing he said was. All she could figure out was others were getting some food, so Janis walked up to the table. She scouted, holding a plate with just a few grapes on it, looking for the nicest looking person and walked straight up to them. The nice one’s wouldn’t make fun of her or judge her for her cowboy boots or her scar if he could see it with her hair pulled back.

“Hey, umm… I didn’t hear the end, what exactly are we supposed to be doing right now? You know, besides eating?” She said, popping a grape in her mouth.

41 Janis Rosemary Silver Smart... Smart... Smart Alec? 1493 0 5

Quincy Wright

May 01, 2020 5:22 PM

What is me? by Quincy Wright

"Grapes are a good choice," he told her matter-of-factly, gesturing at her plate with his cup. "I think we're supposed to mingle, and get those packets at some point." He nodded at the table with the yellowish folders, one for each of them. "And he said there are older students in all the Houses that are prefects and are gonna help us if we want help during the year."

He rocked up on the balls of his feet, not sure how to continue - or end - this conversation. "I'm Quincy," he added. "Normally I'd shake your hand . . ." He shrugged, not feeling terribly bad about it. Shaking hands was such an odd thing to do anyway, why did people need to spread germs to be considered polite? They were all sharing one big table full of fingerfoods, so they were already spreading a lot of germs and bacteria and things. Quincy wondered whether germ theory had taken off in the magic world. He knew about it, so his family knew about it, but he wasn't one to question his parents' knowledge of science. That seemed like a rude thing to do and being grounded for arguing would only waste time he could otherwise be spending actually studying those germs. "Where are you from?" he asked flatly. That was what people were supposed to ask, right?

22 Quincy Wright What is me? 1495 0 5

Valentine Duell

May 01, 2020 8:23 PM

People! by Valentine Duell

Val was ecstatic. She was finally going to Sonora! Finally she was going to be around other ki.... students. They were students, not kids. She'd been packed for days and hadn't been able to wipe the excited smile from her face for just as long. She loved her parents dearly, and she was probably going to miss them terribly, but for now she just wanted to go. She had heard the tales of the place from her parents and Aunt Jhonice, the Quidditch matches, the trips to Tumbleweed, the balls and even the classes sounded fun! Mostly because there were going to be other people there, people her age!

When the wagons came for her, she barely waited for final good-byes while loading her luggage. There were hugs and last minute advice, Mama was always good for that. 'Being nice to everyone and being a good girl and reminding her to write after she was sorted.' Papa boosted her up into the wagon and off it went. She was on her way! It was a bumpy ride but she only felt mildly queezy as she watched the landscape fly past below them. It wasn't terribly long before the school came into view, the building grew as they approached and she could make out the sprawling labyrinthine gardens around the property. It looked amazing!

After the wagon landed and bumped to a stop, she scrambled to climb out. A man in an awesome hat was trying to get everyone's attention. She remembered Mama's advice and followed his instructions. There she found a banner welcoming her and the other new students. She walked under the banner and into the garden, as instructed she picked up a folder and listened to Professor Wright. His name wasn't one of the professors that Mama, Papa or Aunt Jhon talked about, so he must have joined since then. She wondered if any of the teachers were still around from their days here. Professor Wright seemed nice though.

Her ears perked up at the mention of clubs. She knew there was Quidditch of course, but an art club could be fun, maybe there was a game club as well! The house sorting would be interesting, she'd been wondering where she'd wind up, Crotalus like Mama, Teppenpaw like Papa, or maybe Pecari like Aunt Jhonice. She'd find out tonight, and then she'd have to write home about it.

Once the professor was finished speaking she looked around at all the students that were going to be her classmates. Who should she talk to first? That girl, or maybe that boy over there? Her stomach rumbled quietly, maybe she should get to know the food table first. There were people over there as well. She made her way to the table, picked up some food, tried to figure out how to hold the folder, food and a drink before deciding to come back for a drink later.

Equipped for adventure, she then turned to the next student she saw, walked and walked up to them, "Hi, I'm Valentine! What's your name?"

2 Valentine Duell People! 1490 0 5

Janis Rosemary Silver

May 01, 2020 8:26 PM

What is you? Are you not a person? by Janis Rosemary Silver

“Mmmm..” Janis said as she was slowly chewing the grape. She was hoping he’d offer up more than an observation about food they could eat. She’d already judged that bit from the mass of students who’d surged to the tables.

When he nodded to the table behind them, she turned her head to look. Got it, pick up yellow folders. Probably much of the information would be in those. Helpful. Then he let go a good piece of information. Older students could help us if we want help. Maybe one of them could help her find this Fitzgerald.

“Hmmm…” she said, still chewing her grape and nodding. She was now using the grape to see how much he’d tell her. Quincy. How much Quincy would tell her. She smiled at him while she finished chewing.
“No need Quincy. Thank you for the run down though. Oh here,” she raised her plat towards his and cheersed it. Tapping the side of her plate with his.

She was a bit shocked by his forwardness in asking her where she was from, and for a moment thought he might have alternative motives. Then she remembered that she’d gone to him, not the other way around. He looked more like he was going to go pick up the dirt or something when she walked over to him. Not that she’d hold it against him. Dirt could be fascinating, but maybe not the best time to do it.

“Janis,” she said, bringing her plate to her chest to indicate herself, “I’m from the Lost Coast in California. What about you?”

41 Janis Rosemary Silver What is you? Are you not a person? 1493 0 5

Philippe Delachene

May 01, 2020 8:32 PM

That finally means me! by Philippe Delachene

Philippe was super stoked. This was an Anya phrase, but it fit. He'd been waiting to join his sisters at Sonora for ages. He remembered he cried when Jasmine left the first time (he'd been five), but it hadn't been too bad when Anya was still around. Then Anya left, too, and while that meant he got grounded soooo much less often, and he'd had no brushes with death at all in her absence, either as a spectator or participant, it was undeniably lonely being the only kid on a big dessert ranch. He liked horses just fine, but they weren't his best friends like they were for Jasmine, and they weren't sources of endless adrenaline rushes like they were for Anya (or rather, they could be, but Philippe didn't live off of that the way his only slightly older sister did).

Instead, he'd spent most of his time with Dad, which was nice. Philippe loved his dad. He was the best parent in the world to him. But he was Philippe's dad, not his friend, and Phillipe wanted friends.

And now, finally, he could have a chance to meet some. But first he needed to get through Professor Wright telling him all the things he already knew because he was the fifth (and last) person in his immediate family to attend Sonora, and Philippe was quite good at asking questions and getting answers.

Eventually, the Charms teacher stopped talking and told them to mingle. And eat, which was nearly as important. Philippe had only come from California (and a relatively close part of California at that), but he was still starving. He got some cookies and ignored the table of green folders (he'd get it before he left; if he picked it up before then, he'd just put it down somewhere and forget where).

Then he picked another first year at random and said, "Hi." He stuck his hand out for a handshake. "I'm Philippe. Is this awesome or what? My big sisters have been going to Sonora for years and I have been waiting sooo long to finally be able to come here. Do you have siblings?"

1 Philippe Delachene That finally means me! 1489 0 5

Bonabelle Row

May 01, 2020 11:11 PM

I want to meet all of them! by Bonabelle Row

Bonny had a number of feelings about going to Sonora, in part because she had no idea what it would be like. She'd spent most of her life sort of helping take care of her father, and somewhere along the way, he'd forgotten to take care of her. It wasn't all bad, and she knew he really loved her, but she also knew more about how to pay bills and how to keep the fridge full of groceries and how to make dinner than he did, and she was worried about him without her. As a result, however, she had no idea what going to school with a bunch of folks who would make meals and do the laundry and all the other things would be like. Plus it was in America. She was used to the fact that she and her dad sounded different - he with his Irish accent and she with her central London one - but here, everyone would sound different than her for the most part. Uncle Killian would sound familiar, she supposed, and he had said there were some other staff and students who talked like her, but on the whole, she was going to stand out.

So naturally, she embraced it. An enormous blue bow ala Alice in Wonderland was clipped in the back of her hair and she wore a matching blue dress. It was simple and plain, which was just as well. The point was to feel good and look good, not look like a cartoon. She was a little disappointed to find out that Uncle Killian was not doing the orientation, but she wasn't sure exactly what he did, so she couldn't be too upset. Maybe he had a lot of work to do right now. Plus, it was kind of nice not being a niece right now, just a student.

She listened intently to Professor Wright's opening speech and dutifully made her way to the table with the green folders first, happy to have solid, paper information in her hands. A brain could only do with so much listening in a day, and it would be nice to have all the colors and letters to remind her of all this information later. She would probably have most of it memorized by the time she went to bed, but that wasn't because she was trying particularly hard, it was just her tendency. If she was going to confront a new thing, she wanted to be well-prepared. It also helped soothe her curious mind, and left little up in the air. She liked to play and run around as much as the next person, but uncertainty was not any sort of fun at all.

Which made mingling difficult. There was, of course, no way to be certain whether her new classmates would like her, or whether they would be problematic. If she was friends with someone who got in trouble a lot, she was more likely to get in trouble, and she might make Uncle Killian look bad. That was the last thing either of them needed. She wondered whether he would feel embarrassed at all if she were to be in one House over another, or if she started a debate club or something. Art club sounded okay, but it certainly wasn't her cup of tea. She hadn't spent eleven years of her life - her entire life - learning to communicate well, only to have that all go out the window because it was time to learn magic, too. Her whole life had been magic and no one would have expected her to throw that out either.

Before Bonny could make any decisions about who she might want to talk to or who she might want to avoid, she was approached by a girl named after a holiday. She thought it was rather fitting since she looked beautiful. She wondered idly whether the girl was named Valentine because she was born around the holiday, or . . . well the other options weren't things she needed to be worried about. That was one area she sort of wished she hadn't needed to help take care of her dad in. The responsible thing, and the responsible purchases to do the responsible things, were not her father's forte, nor her favorite things to take care of.

"Hi," Bonny grinned. "I'm Bonabelle Row. Or Bonny. Whatever." So far, this wasn't too hard. Hopefully things would keep up that way.

22 Bonabelle Row I want to meet all of them! 1488 0 5

Quincy Wright

May 01, 2020 11:27 PM

Oh, I thought we were doing a Jeopardy thing. by Quincy Wright

"I should warn you," Quincy said seriously when his new classmate looked over her shoulder to find the table with the folders. "They may not actually be yellow. Colorblind." He shrugged, a simple, contented smile on his face.

He accepted her cheers, although it was a bit confusing because they didn't really have anything to cheers yet. They were about to have a big meal and do big things, and that seemed like a much more appropriate time. He supposed this was akin to pre-gaming though, so sure, why the heck not?

When the girl - Janice? - said her name, Quincy did his best to commit it to memory. He generally had a pretty good memory, but he rarely used any of it on things like people's names. The exception of course when was half of the name was the same of his, and the other half was just a title. "Professor Wright" would be easy to remember. "Good to meet you," he said. "I'm not from too far away from there. Well, relative to the whole thing where there's people here from all over the world. I'm from Corvallis, Oregon." He raised a fist his glass as if to make another cheer, this one more sarcastic. "Go Beavs," he said, not at all interested in whatever Oregon State University's teams were doing. The school itself was world renowned for their agriculture and forestry science programs, their wave pool, the invention of the marionberry, and a bunch of other super cool stuff. Whatever he thought of their sports teams - and he didn't think very much about them - he did hope that he'd be able to go there after Sonora.

There was, of course, some concern that his mom knew this girl. If Janis was from California, she very well could be within his mom's work area. That was the benefit and the drawback to being a social worker and also a witch. There were, on the whole, fewer magical families than non-magical ones, and traveling between them was easier. His mom generally worked up and down the west coast, and he was pretty sure it was impossible that none of his classmates had ever needed a social worker's intervention. That didn't mean any of his fellow first years had, though, so he tried to keep that in mind and just be chill. Chill.

"Are you near CSUN?" he asked, not sure about the geography of most of California, let alone coastal areas other than maybe Venice. "They've got a great kinesiology program."

22 Quincy Wright Oh, I thought we were doing a Jeopardy thing. 1495 0 5

Wally O'Malley

May 02, 2020 11:25 AM

I guess so. by Wally O'Malley

Given how many times Wallace Saxon O’Malley had already been on Sonoran grounds in his lifetime, maybe it was a little silly to be nervous. However, there were two solid arguments (at least he felt so) that justified his nerves. For one, it was different being an actual student: classes, teachers, the opinions of his peers. Sure, he was less likely to get lost, and he already knew what the Cascade Hall looked like, but that wouldn’t help him with his interpersonal relationships or classwork achievements. Secondly, Wally was, to some capacity, always and at all times nervous.

Wally did at least have an advantage. He wasn’t going alone. He had Theo and Gabriel already there, and Lavender would be in his grade too. And he had Stanley. With his twin brother beside him, it made leaving home a little bit easier, although there were still a lot of goodbyes to be said. Wally was definitely going to miss his parents and his little sister, and he promised Mom he would write as soon as he got to his new dorm room to tell her what House he and Stanley were Sorted into. (He had a sneaking suspicion the Pecari alumna was optimistic about the legacy continuing, and while it was possible Stanley might end up there, Wally doubted he was going to follow in his mother’s footsteps in that regard.)

But perhaps the hardest goodbye was Grandpa Serapes. He wasn’t really Wally’s grandpa, but Serapes was Wally’s mom’s godfather, and ever since his health got bad, he lived with them. Grandpa Serapes had always been a quiet man, but the strokes he had suffered made speech a bit of a chore for him. But Wally didn’t always want to talk. They didn’t need to talk. It was a quiet bond. An understanding was there. He made Wally feel safe when he held him. Even as a baby, in Serapes’s arms, Wally never cried. It was his most favorite place to be.

He fought the urge to cry as he looked back at their house, one foot up the step to the wagon, his bag on his back. Fortunately(?) the moment was interrupted as Stanley gently pushed him forward and the boys climbed onto the wagon. Stanley seemed to enjoy the bumpiness of the ride, as if it were an amusement park attraction, but Wally felt a bit sick from the motion and counted passing trees out the window while he prayed for a swift arrival.

When they finally arrived, Wally did his best to listen to the professor’s introductions. He knew pretty much all of it already - and in fact had met Professor Wright before with Mom - but it was only polite to give the man his attention, although his stomach kept turning from the ride. When they were released to “mingle” (an entirely unappealing prospect), Wally strolled over to the snack table, hoping to find some crackers or something to help settle his insides.

He was about to walk away from the table when he heard a voice say “Hi.” Wally typically kept his gaze pretty low, but he looked up and could tell that this boy was addressing him. That was upsetting. The boy kept talking, and when he finished, Wally shook the offered hand. “Uh, yeah,” he said nervously, pointing to Stanley across the way. “That’s my brother, Stanley. And we have a little sister at home.” He swallowed, nervous there were still some undetectable bits of cracker left in his mouth and making him look or sound weird to this new person. “I’m Wally.”

12 Wally O'Malley I guess so. 1492 0 5

Aelia Astley

May 02, 2020 11:25 AM

Oh my, this is all so exciting! by Aelia Astley

To say that Aelia was excited would be a very big understatement. She had been waiting for this moment for so, so long and now, it was finally here. She was offically a Sonora student. A Sonoran? That sounded right. She was a Sonoran. Her brand new green robes made that clear and she had delighted herself by giving several experimental twirls at home, enjoying the way the fabric spun out with her. They had, of course, been made of only the best quality fabric (because the Astleys deserved only the best) but she didn't necessarily need to share that with anyone. She knew that not everyone had wealth to their name (a shame, really as luxuries were a necessity) and now, she was just like everybody else in their green robes (only hers were made of much finer fabric).

She bounded off the wagon when it arrived. The ride had been fun but rather bumpy and had left her feeling tossed about which wasn't something she was used to. Julius had warned her about it, though, and she had come prepared with a small hairbrush in her pocket which she withdrew now to tidy herself up. Presentation and appearances were everything.

Aelia knew lots of things about Sonora thanks to Juju (a childish nickname but one she used regularly for her brother) who had patiently answered any question she'd had, whether by letter or in conversation. It felt like she already knew the place inside and out, having amassed years of knowledge from editions of the Aronos (she had kept all the best editions which had been difficult because they were all very good but she wouldn't expect anything less from her brother). Despite this, she wanted to treat the whole experience as brand new because it was important to fit in.

'Fitting in' wasn't part of the Astley brand. Astleys were supposed to be the best, stand out and shine. Her brother was very good at being the best and standing out and her sister was very good at shining but Aelia hadn't fit into any of those and found that she'd rather prefer to be Aelia than another one of the Astleys. For years, she'd been 'Miss Astley' apart from to her closest family (she hadn't had many friends for they had to be deemed 'worthy' before being let in the front door) and she didn't want to be Miss Astley anymore. She wanted to be Aelia. Sonora was going to offer her that chance. She could be the best at being Aelia.

She paid attention during orientation to Professor Wright and quietly looked briefly through her folder which helpfully included a map of the school and her timetable and all sorts of useful things that were really unnecessary because of all her previously acquired knowledge but she'd use them nonetheless because this was an experience and one should try and use everything available to them to create the best experience possible. At the mention of an Art Club, Aelia grew excited and made finding the student in charge of the club one of her first missions. Aelia was skilled at many things in art but particularly drawing so this looked like an exciting opportunity.

When they were dismissed from their lecture (their very first one at Sonora!), Aelia wandered over to the refreshments table, helping herself to some orange juice. She turned to the person standing next to her and decided that this was to be the first person who she was going to try and make friends with at Sonora so, with her folder now safely tucked under her arm, she smiled and stuck her hand out, hoping to appear friendly and like somebody who would be a good friend. First impressions were important, as were connections.

"Hi!" she began in her most cheerful voice. "I'm Aelia. Isn't this so exciting?"

20 Aelia Astley Oh my, this is all so exciting! 1494 Aelia Astley 0 5

Valentine Duell

May 02, 2020 11:57 AM

Agreed! Let's get started! by Valentine Duell

Bonabelle Row, that was a neat name and Val could call her Bonny! She'd gotten to nickname status already! This was fantastic! She had to respond in kind, it was only proper. "Bonny," she repeated, always safe just to make sure it stuck, "You can call me Val! I like your outfit." She gestured, a little awkwardly with her hands full, at her own attire of denim jeans and a pale yellow sweater, "Mama and Papa told me about the wagon ride here, and thought practicality would be better than anything to fancy. Where are you from?"

The girl smiled at her new friend as more and more questions rolled through her head before a thought struck her. She looked around. "We should find somewhere to sit and talk and eat." Then she noticed that Bonny didn't have any refreshments yet, and her position between the table and her new friend.

"Did I stop you from getting some food? I'm so sorry." Val swiftly moved aside, worried that Bonny wouldn't like her now.... or didn't actually like her, was she just being polite while Val barred her way from the tables? What to do now? She cast her eyes about again and spotted some unoccupied benches. "Ummm.. well, I was going to find a seat. You're more than welcome to join me if you would like to." She gave Bonny a hopeful smile.

2 Valentine Duell Agreed! Let's get started! 1490 0 5

Janis Rosemary Silver

May 02, 2020 3:24 PM

Jeopardy?? You mean a danger of loss or harm? That doesn't sound like a fun game. by Janis Rosemary Silver

Color blind? “Umm no, they are green but I knew what you were talking about though,” she said matter of factly, no judgement in her voice. “Like the robes the Professor was wearing. Like umm…” she pointed to a giant bush near them. “Like the leaves of that bush.” This place had such a huge garden. It was a bit overwhelming. It was nicer than the farms her father had out in the forests. Cleaner too.

“People from all over the world? Didn’t know that, huh.” Janis hadn’t really thought about who all was coming here besides rich kids. She’d already been made fun of by some of her cousins that were closer to her age, but she promised she’d still join them on the circuit in the summer. Janis knew this was a nice school, but from all over? Did royalty send their kids here? Ohhh could she sell her parents products to future kings and queens? Was there anything against that here? She forgot where the jurisdiction of marajuana sales stopped. Though she imagined that it would not be looked highly upon.

Then he mentioned he was from Corvallis, Oregon. She’d been there often. The Ren Faire in Shrewsbury was part of the circuit, and she’d once gone and seen her cousins perform at the Corvallis Fall Faire. She hadn’t realized there were a lot of other Wizards around there.

“Oh ya! I’ve been there. It’s part of the circuit. The Shrewsburg Ren Faire is a place I’d go with my family every summer,” she said with a big smile. This kid was alright. She didn’t fully understand the whole colorblind thing, but she could look past that. Shrewsburg was always fun. The Muggles were always a hoot, and some weren’t even marks or her parents' clients.

“I never spent much time on the campus there, but I’ve met some of the students,” she thought back to doing runners for her father. Carrying bags to big houses with lots of Muggle students who were usually entertained that a girl had run up to deliver.

CSUN… Janis thought through the places she’d been. She didn’t know that. She knew the CSU Muggle schools. There were lots throughout California.

“I... “ Janis weighed whether she should lie. Quince sounded like he enjoyed the school, though she didn’t know what kinesiology was, nor could she pronounce it again without him saying so. But he’d been nice. The best way to work people was to build trust. The best way to build trust was to be truthful when it didn’t matter, so you could lie when it did.

“I don’t know CSUN. The only Muggle university near me I think is Humboldt. I dunno what people go there to study. I just know the campus is beautiful. So many trees amongst the buildings,” Janis thought that Quince might be a Muggle born, so she thought of the best way to bond with this boy who seemed to have a lot of information at his fingertips. Or at least paid attention. Both were valuable skills. “It’s like that space movie with the teddy bears in the forest. I saw it once at my cousin’s house who lives near where it was filmed.”

She felt it prudent to omit that she was at her cousin’s house because another dealer was threatening her dad so much that Janis had to be in hiding. Quince seemed nice and didn’t need to know. The key to successful manipulation was giving just enough information without giving anything of real value.

41 Janis Rosemary Silver Jeopardy?? You mean a danger of loss or harm? That doesn't sound like a fun game. 1493 0 5

Bonabelle Row

May 02, 2020 3:36 PM

I think we already have. by Bonabelle Row

"Did your parents go to school here, then?" Bonny asked, surprised. She supposed it made sense that people would go where their parents had gone, but the world seemed much too big to just stay in one place long enough for that to happen. "I'm from London," she added, answering Val's question. "And thank you. I like yours too. I look terrible in yellow; it looks really good on you."

Bonny was sort of surprised by how easy it was to talk to this girl. She didn't really have a lot of experience talking to people her own age, but if there was anything she was good at, it was following suit. She'd seen official letters, so she could use them as a template to write official letters. She'd been to a restaurant and used that meal as a template for whatever she'd like to try making at home. In this case, Val was her template for what a normal, mingling eleven-year-old was meant to act like. Apparently, it involved a lot of smiling and . . . apologising?

Oh the refreshment table was right there. Really, Bonny had just been looking around. She'd hardly known where to look or what to do and the folder had been her first priority. "No, you're fine," Bonny promised, taking a few small snacks and smiling at her new friend. She thought that she might burst if she took too many before they were all inside and she got to be sorted, and she sort of wanted to save room for the amazing meals Uncle Killian had promised her they'd have. Still, she was following suit. "Where do you want to sit?" she asked, eating a grape and glancing around to see where a good place might be, ready to follow Val if she found one first.

22 Bonabelle Row I think we already have. 1488 0 5

Quincy Wright

May 02, 2020 4:00 PM

I was thinking a game of show off and make money. by Quincy Wright

Quincy thought it was very funny when people tried to explain to him what color he was looking at by referring to other things that also looked exactly like the color he was looking at in the first place. He supposed it was helpful as a reference point; if someone said "green as grass," he would know that it also meant "green as the professor's robes and the folders." He just couldn't think of a time when he would ever need to know that.

"Yeah, it's got a good reputation," he shrugged, not sure what else to say about the school's student population.

He was surprised to find that Janis had been to Corvallis though. Really, it shouldn't have been very surprising. It was only home to the biggest university in Oregon, and considering how far away either the University of Washington or Washington State University were, OSU had most of the upper west coast well within its sphere of influence. He didn't know where Shrewsbury was or what exactly a Ren Faire was, but he was glad that Janis seemed excited. "That's fun," he smiled, happy to just listen.

"California State University Northridge," he told her, realizing he probably should have clarified that the first time. "Humboldt sounds really pretty," he agreed. He had heard of the school but didn't know their programs off the top of his head. But of course, a school's programs weren't the only reason to attend. Take Sonora for example. He was a little surprised that Janis referred to Humboldt as a Muggle university though. There weren't that many magical universities, relative to the number of Muggle ones, and lots of universities had programs for both or either. More than that though, he just wondered whether that meant she grew up around Muggles or not. Probably yes, right? Most people grew up at least a bit around Muggles.

"I don't know that movie," he grimaced. "Sorry. The area I'm in in Corvallis is just for magic folk, so there's not any cable or anything. I haven't seen many movies." He was quiet for a moment. Sometimes he forgot that conversations only were conversations if both parties kept it going. It was much easier to just listen and learn about stuff, or to just tell people about stuff, than it was to go back and forth. Then he had to come up with questions, and he didn't know what to ask about; that's why it was easier to just be told stuff and then he could ask about that stuff. "I've been to the theatre though," he added. He couldn't for the life of him remember what he'd seen, but he did remember the experience of going to the theatre and the smell of popcorn and all the lights. It was a lot of fun to do stuff like that with his mom and dad, even though they didn't get to very often. "Do you have a favorite movie?" It was a stupid question because it wasn't going to get them anywhere if he'd never seen it, but at least it passed the baton back to her for a moment.

22 Quincy Wright I was thinking a game of show off and make money. 1495 0 5

Valentine Duell

May 03, 2020 5:18 AM

Oh, right. Hooray! by Valentine Duell

A tidal wave of relief washed over Val, Bonny wanted to keep hanging out with her! She hadn't failed the interaction after all! She blushed slightly at the complement. As her new friend picked up some items from the food table Val nodded in response to her question, "Yes, Mama was a Crotalus and Papa was in Teppenpaw. Aunt Jhonice was a Pecari. They're all anxious to hear what house I get sorted into." She smiled, "They made me promise to write first thing in the morning to let them know. I was going to see if any of the teachers they talked about were still around as well. What do you think about the houses?"

Once Bonny was ready, Val led the way over to the bench she had spotted earlier and sat. "You're from London? That's awesome! What's it like there?" Then she paused, "What brings you over here? Do they have a school like Sonora over in England?" Suddenly realizing that the answer to that question might not be something that someone may not want to share with someone they've just met, she quickly added "Sorry, you don't have to answer that if it's to personal."

She considered changing the subject to cover her potential misstep, maybe asking about Bonny's family. Then that might fall into the same territory as coming to Sonora. Maybe she had left London to get away from a terrible home situation, maybe she was on the run from the law... hmm.. no, probably not. But you never knew. Instead she decided on a safer topic. She hoped.

"Professor Wright mentioned that the school has sports and clubs. Mama and Papa would both be sad if I didn't try out for the Quidditch team. What other clubs do you think or hope there are?"

2 Valentine Duell Oh, right. Hooray! 1490 0 5

Bonabelle Row

May 03, 2020 10:09 AM

cheers by Bonabelle Row

"That's exciting," Bonny commented, feeling both intimidated and grateful for Val's wealth of knowledge about the school. Bonny herself had asked questions and knew some things, of course, particularly after they visited Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Killian over the summer, but most of her time had not been spent learning about the school. In retrospect, that might have been poor planning. "You seem curious enough," she added, "maybe you'll complete the fourth and get Aladren." She smiled encouragingly to show that this was a perfectly fine thing to do. "I'm not sure where I'll be. It's hard to step back and think of myself as any of the things Professor Wright was talking about. They all sound great."

She followed Val to a bench and took a seat, grateful not to have to balance her food in one hand, drink in the other, and folder under her arm. As she settled, Val asked another question. She really made conversation very easy. "Yeah," she confirmed about her hometown. "It's . . . well it's home I guess, isn't it? Busy too. There are a lot of people in London. I've spent a little time other places but not enough to really know what it's like not to live there, yknow?" she frowned thoughtfully, never having considered that before. She liked to think of herself as worldly and adaptable, but she hadn't really experienced that much of the world. "They've got Hogwarts in Scotland. Most of the people nearby go there, but my uncle works here so my dad thought this would be a better fit."

Val asking about clubs made Bonny raise her eyebrows in surprise. Really, there weren't that many things they had to talk about yet, and even fewer since they were mostly going to be based in their limited knowledge of this big exciting thing that was happening, but Bonny was still a bit surprised that Val asked about exactly the thing she'd been thinking about during Professor Wright's presentation. Maybe this was a sign that they really could be friends long term? It was hard to say for sure now. Heck, it would be hard to say five years from now.

"I was thinking of a debate club actually," she said softly, gauging Val's reaction. "I like art and stuff, but it would be fun to get to learn how to communicate better, yknow?" Bonny loved the give and take of debate and the way that folks had to operate under this whole system of etiquette. She hadn't gotten to see very many real debates, but the ones she had seen had stuck in her mind as some of the coolest stuff she'd ever seen. "I've never flown on a broom before," she added, surprised that Val would already be vying for the Quidditch team. "Do you have a lot of experience?"

22 Bonabelle Row *cheers* 1488 0 5

Valentine Duell

May 03, 2020 11:54 AM

So... what next? by Valentine Duell

Valentine looked a little uncertain at Bonny's suggestion of becoming an Aladren. A theme of many of the stories she had heard had been of their underdog houses battling valiantly against the overwhelming Quidditch force of the Aladren house. They weren't bad, but they were usually presented as the antagonists. "I guess we'll see," was the best response she could give. She nodded at Bonny's description of London, "I know what you mean. This is the farthest I've ever been from home. It's all going to be so different. We'll have roommates and classes and clubs... It'll be great!"

"Hogwarts?" Val shook her head, "I can't say I've heard of it. Your uncle works here though? That's neat! Is he a teacher?" Val couldn't imagine what it would be like to come here if Aunt Jhonice worked here. What would she be in charge of? Probably not a teacher, maybe the Quidditch coach? She mentally shrugged not really being able to picture her aunt in any formal position in a school setting.

"A debate club?" That gave Val a moment's pause, "That could be fun..." she replied a little hesitation. However she did nod in agreement about learning to communicate better, "Communication is important. I... well, I'm just not sure about..." she sighed, "I don't know how well I would do at the confrontational aspects of social interaction. I haven't had a lot of experience along those lines." She looked down at her plate and ate a cracker. "Personally I'm hoping for a game club of some sort. Games are also good for social interaction."

2 Valentine Duell So... what next? 1490 0 5

Philippe Delachene

May 03, 2020 5:05 PM

This is great! by Philippe Delachene

Philippe was not surprised that Wally had siblings. People existed who did not, but Philippe didn't know many, so he thought it was a small percentage of folks. So chances were high that Wally had siblings. The bigger question was whether they were older or if they went to Sonora, and therefore might know his sisters and therefore Philippe had heard their name before.

What he wasn't expecting was for Wally to point to another first year.

His brows rose in surprise and he looked between them. Not identical twins, so that made things easier, but it was still kind of neat to have a brother in the same grade. Then he thought of Anya, whom he loved very dearly but secretly thought it was a mercy that she moved up to Intermediates this year, and decided to reserve judgement on whether that was good or bad until after he got to know both of them a little better, because that could definitely be a curse as easily as a blessing.

Though maybe being in Anya's class wouldn't have been so bad if it had meant he didn't have to be the only kid at home for two years.

It could apparently even be a curse and a blessing at the same time.

"Cool," he said, not specifying which part of that was cool so Wally could apply it to the part he thought was coolest. "I'm one of three, too. Anya's a third year, Jasmine's a seventh year. They're in Pecari and Crotalus, so I'm hoping to get Teppenpaw or Aladren to spread us out over even more Houses. I think I've got a good shot at either one. Sadly, we're one sibling short of being able to hit all four. But Uncle Daniel was an Aladren, so if I get Teppenpaw, that's at least family representation in all of them. Did any of your family come here before? Parents? Aunts? Uncles? Cousins? My parents were both Pecaris like Anya." Except neither of them were a thing like Anya other than their House placement. It made Philippe wonder if the other Houses were equally as wildly variable.

1 Philippe Delachene This is great! 1489 0 5

Bonabelle Row

May 04, 2020 1:39 PM

I guess we decide if we want to be friends or not? by Bonabelle Row

Bonny tried not to squirm at all the things Val was excited about because they were also the things Bonny was nervous about. But that was bound to happen sometimes. She supposed there weren't many things in life that she was just excited about and not at all nervous about. Perhaps she could learn to be a little of both. She was surprised that Val hadn't heard of Hogwarts, but supposed there wouldn't be any need to know of different schools in most cases. She couldn't name any others than those two off the top of her head and she'd been down for Hogwarts until her dad found out about Uncle Row working here.

"He's the guidance counselor," Bonny explained. She smirked a little at the thought of him trying to help her find a career. "I guess he'll always get to know my grades, eh?"

Not knowing how to feel about confrontation was precisely why Bonny wanted to learn about debating so badly, and she nodded with emphatic agreement. "Confrontation is so hard!" she agreed. "That's why I'd like a debate club. I figure I can't avoid it, so I may as well get good at it." It was her philosophy for most of life, really. She smiled at Val's much more innocuous suggestion. "A game club sounds nice. Do you have a favorite game?"

22 Bonabelle Row I guess we decide if we want to be friends or not? 1488 0 5

Janis Rosemary Silver

May 04, 2020 2:01 PM

Make money? You have my attention by Janis Rosemary Silver

CSU Northridge… Janis thought hard about that one. It sounded familiar. Didn’t one of her cousins talk about an earthquake there at some point? No, that was just the town. Oh! Janis realized where Quince was talking about.

“Northridge is in Southern California. Long way down. I don’t think I’ve been there. I think it is near Los Angeles. That is...” Janis did the math “like a six or seven hour broom ride from Humboldt.” She figured if Quince was muggle this might equate to car distances, if he wasn’t muggle, than it didn’t really matter cause he’d probably floo there or apparate if his parents had a license.

His next comment though cemented where he was in that binary, Wizard background. He didn’t seem too snooty though. Janis popped another grape in her mouth and chewed, trying to see what he would say next. He didn’t know the movie that happened in space and yet he was asking about favorite movies. Janis wondered for a moment if he was perhaps a bit slow. The more she chewed her grape the more she realized he just wasn’t good with socializing. She smiled. Not to worry new mar… friend, she could socialize as well for the both of them.

“Movies are ok. I enjoy watching them, but I like being outside better, maybe listening to the wireless when it is raining. But I love exploring the forest around my house and looking at the plants. Like here,” Janis took a step past the boy and pointed to some flowers growing at the edge of the hedge near them, “the fact that there are moondew flowers growing in a desert is just amazing don’t you think?” She bent down and picked it. She saw there was a bit of water on it and stuck out her tongue carefully licking it off.

Nothing happened, as usual. Then she looked up at Quincy. Oh, Merlin’s ghost in a bottle.

“Sorry. Old superstition I know, but who doesn’t want to fly without a broom huh?” she said tossing the flower back onto the ground.

41 Janis Rosemary Silver Make money? You have my attention 1493 0 5

Quincy Wright

May 04, 2020 2:11 PM

I don't know what your deal is, but you have mine. by Quincy Wright

Quincy nodded, not surprised that CSUN was too far away for Janis to know much about. He supposed not everyone had their sights on college already and California was huge so there was that. He couldn't imagine riding a broom for six or seven hours, though. That would be so uncomfortable!

He nodded some more when she talked about preferring to be outside because that was something he could totally get behind. She moved past him and pointed out a flower, which Quincy also thought was amazing, and then she licked it, which Quincy thought was real weird. But it wasn't the weirdest thing. For most of history, scientists got by by imbibing things or tasting them, and what was superstition if not the center of a magic-science Venn diagram?

"Don't apologise," he smiled. "Isn't it just so interesting to think about the history of that stuff? And then if you look real close or get it under a microscope, you can start to see how it might have started or where that all came from or why it works or doesn't. It's not like there aren't magic plants that don't do stuff that seems impossible, so who's to say that there aren't any Muggle ones either, or some that we just don't understand yet? I brought a sample of dirt from my mom's garden and I wanna compare it to the dirt here to see if there's any difference from having the weather charm up here." He looked up at the sky as if he might be able to see some sort of bubble wrap protection around them. "How'd you learn that about moondew?" he asked, terribly curious about oral tradition in science.

22 Quincy Wright I don't know what your deal is, but you have mine. 1495 0 5

Valentine Duell

May 04, 2020 5:55 PM

Is there even a question about that? by Valentine Duell

Val nodded as she ate another cracker with some cheese on it, "Mama and Papa made sure I knew how to ride a broom properly. They were both on their house's Quidditch teams here, Aunt Jhonice was as well. Apparently some of the games got rather intense between them all." She almost burst out laughing as she remembered one of their stories, "Apparently at one point they and Papa's friend, Jose the Pecari captain, had all made something of an alliance to take down the Aladren house which had been winning everything for years. It went alright until Papa's Teppenpaws had to go up against Jose's Pecari house and Aunt Jhonice nearly made a mess of everything!" She lowered her voice in a mock conspiratorially whisper, "Aunt Jhonice was not a good flyer and Jose assigned her the job of 'covering' Papa just so she'd be flying all around him to get in his way." She giggled, "It worked to, Pecari won that game. Unfortunately Pecari then lost to Aladren." she sighed, "If it had been Mama or Papa's teams up against Aladren, they would've won."

"The guidance counselor? That's neat," she giggled at Bonny's comment about her grades. "I guess he will. How well does he like you? Can you bribe him to keep anything from your parents that you don't want them to know?" She gave her new friend a wink. Then sighed, "It must be nice to have someone you know here." There was just a brief pause as she looked over the mingling students and then she smiled again, "I guess I do know one great person here, her name is Bonny Row and as far as I know, she's fantastic."

Val's eyes widened at Bonny's debate club logic, "You're right! Unfortunately. It would be nice to be able to avoid confrontation, but that isn't going to happen. I may have to join up as well." She still wasn't sure about it, but the only way to get better at something was to practice.

Then Bonny asked her a hard question. "I'm not sure..." she responded slowly, "We had game nights at home and some of Mama and Papa's friends would come over and it was just a fun time. I like the cooperative ones better than the ones where only one person wins and everyone else looses," she gave a bit of a sheepish grin, "See previous statement about avoiding conflict. When I play one of those, I don't try very hard to win. Not just to avoid the conflict, but if I win then I've made the other people lose. I don't like that much either." Then she brightened, "A little while ago, they switched over from playing board games to role-playing games. Those are great! All the players are working together to tell a story of adventure and saving people and stopping bad guys! Those are my favorite!"

2 Valentine Duell Is there even a question about that? 1490 0 5

Janis Rosemary Silver

May 04, 2020 6:46 PM

My deal is... secret. by Janis Rosemary Silver

He didn’t make fun of her. He didn’t seem to turn his back in disgust. If anything he became more interested. He let loose more words in a row than he had up until that point and it almost made Janis silent in response. Almost. Some of it was about microscopes, which was Muggle. Then he started talking about magic plants like he knew them. He was confusing. She couldn’t figure out what his ask was or if he was actually playing her for a mark. And he brought his own dirt? He was a curious kid. He didn’t seem like a spoiled rich kid.

A different bell went off in her head as he talked more about dirt. Her father had said that he hoped she’d make friends to help her as she took over his business when she got older. And now, right in front of her, was a boy who was into seeing how dirt affected plants.

“Do you really think the charms could affect the soil in a way that changes the plant life?” She asked. This was something she could possibly write to her dad about, give him a few ideas to help grow better plants. Maybe this going to Sonora wasn’t such a bad idea.

“Moondew? Don’t most witches and wizards learn about it? I mean, I guess I learned about it from my mom who put it in pro…” Almost told too much. “Um Potions. She also told me the old wives tale her mother used to say that if you lick the water off the petals and leaves, you can fly by night as well as by day. ” Janis paused as a thought occurred to her, “though that may have been only on full moons.” Her mom was sometimes on her own products when telling Janis stories, so Janis couldn’t be certain that the stories were an accurate retelling.

“Still, always gotta try. You never know when she might be correct right?” Janis went to reach for another grape and found that she had eaten them all. She hadn’t moved too far from the table, so she merely peaked to the side.

“Oh, cheese,” she said as her hand dashed out to grab a few slices and some more grapes. She quickly came back to stand in front of Quincy. “Do you think they have cows here?” she said holding up a piece of white cheese, “I mean, this weather charm is working pretty well. Painted Desert Cows. HA! I could see the labels now.”

41 Janis Rosemary Silver My deal is... secret. 1493 Janis Rosemary Silver 0 5

Quincy Wright

May 04, 2020 11:59 PM

Like spies and Aurors? by Quincy Wright

Quincy hadn't meant to say so much, but he was excited when it turned out that Janis wasn't put off by it. Deidre didn't like talking about dirt at all, so this was a way better experience even just after a few minutes with this girl. Maybe his sister wasn't representative of the entire female species. Which was good because that would be . . . oof.

"I think it's possible," he agreed, bending down to examine the dirt a little more closely. "Think about it. If it's only a weather charm, then these plants wouldn't be able to grow here unless they were imported. But I can't imagine they tore up the whole desert to match the plants, so if the composition of this dirt is different - say there's different levels of clay, sand, stuff like that - then that might change how the plants grow compared to their native environments where they would have the right weather and the right dirt. But they do still grow here, so either it's magical, or they had a great landscaper." He was regretting now that he'd left his sample pot in his trunk, because scooping up some dirt right now would definitely mean contaminating it before he could check it out. It would be better to wait and come get some when he could do so more carefully. Control the variables and what not.

Quincy stood up again, brushing his hands off on the front of his robes. "Sure," he agreed about moondew. "But it's different if you learned it from your mom, or your tutors, or your older siblings, or a book. Changes the way you think about things. Like the weather charm," he grinned. "You'll think about it differently because you talked about it with me than if you and Professor Wright over there had talked but it, right?"

Janis' idea that you should try stuff because the people who believed in it might be right was actually a super cool way to think about stuff. Obviously if there was a lot of evidence supporting one view over another, that should be taken into account, but no one could be sure about anything, right? 'Prove it' isn't part of the scientific method and wizards were generally not up to snuff on such things anyway. "Right," he agreed.

It was nice to feel like he wasn't being laughed at. Janis really seemed interested and, more than that, she seemed smart. Like she was actually thinking about their conversation and applying it to other ideas. That was pretty cool. "I hope they have cows here," he told her. "Care of Magical Creatures will be way easier if we're milking a cow instead of a dragon. Painted Cow Milk does sound like a good brand name. There we are! We'll have to go into business after we graduate."

22 Quincy Wright Like spies and Aurors? 1495 0 5

Bonabelle Row

May 05, 2020 10:27 AM

No one has ever wanted to be my friend before. by Bonabelle Row

Val's Quidditch story was terribly hard to follow, not least because Bonny didn't know who these people were that she was talking about. She and her father had watched their share of Quidditch games, but she'd never actually been in one, and she'd never even really been close enough to care who the individual players were. It was easy to just smile when Val smiled though, in part because she just looked so stinkin' happy, and that made Bonny happy. "Your parents met here then?" she asked. That was a lovely thought and she nibbled on a cracker while she listened to Val's answer.

Bonny wrinkled her nose and laughed at the idea of bribing Uncle Killian to keep anything away from dad. She wasn't sure she wanted to correct the 'parents' bit yet, but she could still answer the question. "I think he likes me," she smiled. "But I don't really know him very well. I'm happy to try to bribe him, for sure!" She blushed and couldn't help a grin when Val said she was a fantastic person. Maybe she'd really done it? First day and she had made a friend? That was a wonderful thought. "Thanks," she smiled. "I think you're fantastic, too." Bonny really meant it.

Val seemed very . . . impressionable wasn't the right word. Perhaps it was a side effect of just being generally open-minded? She had her thoughts and opinions on things, but was open to changing them if presented with a compelling counterpoint. It made Bonny happy to think of learning the art of debate with her.

She cocked her head at the idea of the games Val was talking about. In retrospect, she shouldn't have been surprised to not really understand what she was talking about. There weren't a whole lot of board games that were only two player, although they had a small collection of games at the house just the same. She'd gotten to play some card games with grandma and grandpa, but that was a bit different. Whether or not she wanted to tell Val she'd never played a board game . . . although she'd said she hadn't flown before and Val hadn't run off screaming, and she seemed much more invested in Quidditch than board games.

"I'd love to learn those," Bonny smiled. "I don't know what a role-playing game is, but I haven't actually ever played a board game before. It's just me and dad at home, and there aren't that many two player games. My grandparents taught me Twenty-Five this last summer though! It's a card game? They live in Ireland," she added by way of explanation. She herself certainly hadn't heard of what her grandfather emphatically reminded her was thae national card game of Ireland until she'd learned to play it, but it had been fun once she had.

22 Bonabelle Row No one has ever wanted to be my friend before. 1488 0 5

Janis Rosemary Silver

May 05, 2020 1:51 PM

Yep. Call me Agent Silver... by Janis Rosemary Silver

This Quincy kid was alright. She was finding that she rather liked him and though she knew he might be trying to pull a twist or a dupe con, but he seemed genuinely interested and was giving her great information. He was talking about the soil and the changes to the soil. She almost wanted to take notes so she could send it back to her father. He’d only ever spliced plants together, he’d never thought to combine magical weather charms to make the plants take on characteristics of different areas. Maybe they could start in the inside grow houses?

Learning better from one person than another was not something she’d thought about. If she had, she would have used that in her arguments about not wanting to come here. How could a boring Professor compete with mama or dad? Still, she couldn’t deny that she was learning something from Quincy.

“It could be that you are less boring than the Professor,” she said meaningfully, “or that you can talk to me normally cause you are my age.” Either option could be true Janis thought. It was probably more true that she’d made a leap in her brain.

Either way, she decided she needed to protect this smart brain in front of her. He’d already given her a lot of good information, she didn’t want him to get hurt. He seemed naive in a way, plus, she might be able to figure out if he was conning her or had some other ask in the process.

Then he mentioned dragons and derailed her concentration entirely. She hadn’t thought about the fact that they might actually deal with dragons. She kind of remembered her dad talking about Care of Magical Creatures, but she just assumed stupid animals like ... well cows.

“Wait, do we deal with dragons? I’ve never seen one before. That would be so cool… I thought Care would be more dealing with like cows I guess. You know, boring animals. But dragons? Have you seen one Quincy?” She got so excited she almost dropped her plate but caught the edge of it with her other hand and righted it.

Ok, this school was growing on her a bit. She wouldn’t tell her parents that, but there was at least one cool person she could talk to, and they might deal with dragons.

41 Janis Rosemary Silver Yep. Call me Agent Silver... 1493 Janis Rosemary Silver 0 5

Quincy Wright

May 05, 2020 2:04 PM

I'll be . . . SpyKid! by Quincy Wright

Quincy grinned. No one had ever thought he was less boring than a professor before. Of course, he liked class and listening to professors and teachers and things, and that wasn't a thing that came up in conversation a lot, but still. If he didn't think the professors were boring and he was even less boring, than he was doing pretty good. Also, no one had ever said that his particular brand of social interaction was "normal," so really, things were going much better than he'd had reason to expect they would. It begged the question of whether she was the weird one, but she was a girl and most of them seemed pretty weird so far.

The question about dragons required a bit more thinking. "I don't think so," he ultimately decided. "They're illegal, right? So I bet they don't have any. But we probably learn about them still." He hadn't considered whether the class would have animals like cows though. It was Care of Magical Creatures after all. But Magical Care of Creatures or Care of Normal Creatures were stupid names for a class. "Maybe gryphons or something? Do newts count as magical since they're used for magic stuff?"

It brought him back to a concept he'd been pondering for a while and he was momentarily lost in wondering whether magic was really anything different than just science. Considering the genetic piece, it seemed like it must be. But there was something to be said for the way that magic and science came together for potions and things. Perhaps there was a bit of each? Or perhaps it was all science, but magic was an element all its own. It would be odd that, because it wasn't like only some humans could study hydrogen or something.

He was brought back to the conversation by the sound of his name and he realized Janis had asked him a question about whether he'd seen dragons. It was odd hearing his name from someone when they weren't trying to get his attention or tell him he was in trouble. Deidre called him Q, so he didn't hear his name a lot otherwise. "Nah," he said, waving a hand. "My dad works in a book shop and he swears he's seen people come in with dragon eggs, but I don't believe it. They're so rare."

22 Quincy Wright I'll be . . . SpyKid! 1495 0 5

Valentine Duell

May 05, 2020 6:28 PM

Well, what's wrong with all of them? Their loss. by Valentine Duell

Val nodded as she popped a grape in her mouth, "Yup, they were in the same classes, snuggled at the bonfire, danced at the ball," she sighed, "It's so romantic when they talk about it." Then she looked around at the crowd of students again and then back to Bonny with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, "Do you think we'll have similar experiences?" Boys could definitely wait a few years yet, but still, statistically speaking... her eyes curiously roved over the crowd again.

The girl turned a few shades redder as she blushed at Bonny's compliment. "Thanks." Did she really mean that? It sounded sincere, and that made Valentine truly happy. She liked Bonny. As for her uncle, "So, step one will be to find out your uncle's weakness. With any luck, it will be his cute little niece as a whole. Alternatively, it will need to be something that some eleven year old girls can get a hold of... he's not into drugs or guns is he? That could get tricky." She grinned and winked playfully at her new friend.

"You haven't?" she smiled happily, "We are going to have some fun some time then!" Val was going to introduce someone to gaming! Well, if all went alright anyway. "I haven't heard of Twenty-Five, you'll have to teach me that one." She was going to learn a new game as well!

She hadn't missed Bonny's clue though. It was just her and her dad at home. She played games with her grandparents. No mention of a mother at all. That made her sad, she couldn't imagine a life without Mama. She'd have to be sure to be an extra-special friend to Bonny if she needed it.

"Role-playing games are neat because they are a mix of a game and play acting. Each player has a character and they decide what that character is going to do. One of the players is the 'game master', they run the rest of the world and gives the players a situation for their characters to deal with in whatever way they want to. There are rules for consistency and dice for uncertainty, it can be a lot of fun to see how everyone works together to tell a story."

2 Valentine Duell Well, what's wrong with all of them? Their loss. 1490 0 5

Bonabelle Row

May 05, 2020 6:41 PM

To be fair, there hasn't really been anyone to be friends with. by Bonabelle Row

Bonny looked around when Val did. It was really hard to wrap her head around being with someone she'd known forever, and actually sticking it out. Grandma and grandpa were the only ones she knew who'd done that. Uncle Killian didn't have anyone that she knew of, and she didn't remember mum at all. That wasn't to say dad hadn't tried dating again since he'd gotten his daughter, but that was not the same thing and Bonny was pretty sure Val wasn't wondering about that sort of thing. What her mum and dad had sounded nice, even if Bonny wasn't really sure what she was looking for when she looked around. "Guess we know one thing: we're going to have some sort of answer in the next seven years!"

Bonny really wasn't sure what to think of Val trying trying to use her as a pawn for getting at Uncle Killian. She was pretty sure that Val was joking, but she'd been a pawn enough times in her life not to prefer it now. Was this why friendships were so hard? Because you couldn't ever really know someone's motivations for sure? "No drugs or guns," she agreed, latching onto the easy part of Val's comment. "I think he likes baking. But you know almost as much as me. I only met him in the spring." It was easy to be open with Val, but she sort of did it because she wanted to see what happened. What would this girl do with personal information? It wasn't like it was annoying Bonny was trying to hide, but she wouldn't normally bandy it about, either.

"Deal," she said, happy to learn and teach games to each other. She suddenly really hoped they were in the same House, although she doubted she'd be so lucky. Also, she doubted that whatever the sorting soup was looking for was going to be finding the same thing in the two of them. "That sounds fun," she said. She wasn't really sure what play-acting was, except that maybe it was kind of like when she pretended to be her dad when she wrote letters to debt collectors and stuff? Or when she pretended not to notice things that her dad didn't want her to know about but wasn't very good at hiding? He was a good person and it was worth play-acting if it meant keeping the peace. He was her world and she knew that she was his. The knot of worry returned as she thought about what he must be doing right now and hoping it wasn't exactly what she feared it might be.

"How'd you learn all these different games?" she asked, curious to know more about Val's family, even though most of it didn't make sense so far.

22 Bonabelle Row To be fair, there hasn't really been anyone to be friends with. 1488 0 5

Valentine Duell

May 06, 2020 3:52 PM

I know that feeling by Valentine Duell

"Yeah", Val nodded, "There's plenty of time to find out." Uh-oh, had Bonny gone a little on edge there? She gasped internally as a streak of terror ran through her. Her missing mother! How had Val forgotten already? Bad friend! Bad friend! She mentally chastised herself. Must change the subject! Ummm... growing up magic or muggle? No! Family related! Umm... food preferences? Not great, but hopefully not bad. "Anyway," Val desperately tried to sound and look casual, "what's you favorite England food that you'll miss over here?" Yeah... that might work, she hoped.

She shrugged at Bonny, "I guess you'll just have to get to know him first. If you're lucky, you may not need to bribe him. If you do need to do some baking, let me know, I can help." She grinned, "I'm no expert, but I know the difference between flour and sugar." She thought for a moment, "I wonder if there is some kind of cooking club or class."

"Well.." she started and then realized the danger here as well. She would need to talk about her family, and that might make Bonny sad again. She couldn't see another way to answer the question though. "From my parents," she sighed, "Papa thought a game night with some of his coworkers would be a good way to get to know them better." She smiled, "He was right too. One of coworkers really liked games and had piles of them. It soon turned into an ever other week tradition."

She scrunched up her face into something resembling a frown. "The problem I had, was that all the kids that would come with their parents were either teenagers that didn't want a thing to do with me, or babies." Here she paused just a moment, "Granted, they were cute and snuggly, but not much fun to play with. So, I convinced the adults to let me play the games with them." She shrugged and grinned. "It was my only option."

2 Valentine Duell I know that feeling 1490 0 5

Bertie Jackson

May 07, 2020 10:24 PM

I don't mingle by Bertie Jackson

Bertie did not frown as they got off the wagon and Zara instructed him to ‘have fun.’ He was fully anticipating and intending fun. He was just sure she meant something vaguely along the lines of ‘be my definition of normal’ or ‘talk to people’ and he definitely did not intend to do either of those things if he could help it.

To be fair to her, maybe Zara didn’t really mean the first one. She was chill enough/disinterested enough in his existence (that was fine, the feeling was mutual) to leave it at those vague well wishes. He thought she might have just said it because it was what people said, rather than because she actually cared or meant it, and because apparently most everyone in his family was incapable of shutting up for more than two seconds whether they had something useful to say or not. Eva would have meant it. So would mom. They would have had long lists of behaviours that they suggested he engaged in in order to demonstrably prove that fun was being had. Ones which were, for the most part, in his opinion, utterly awful. So, Zara was alright in that regard. She didn’t really care whether he followed through on this directive to her satisfaction.

Bertie followed the man who looked like he was doing his exact best to live up to everyone’s expectations of what a wizard teacher should look like, keeping an eye on the other kids around him. He wondered how many of them were related to someone else here. He wondered how many had instantly worked out that he was. Zara was not, in appearance or demeanour, exactly a covert person to be related to, and it frustrated him that they potentially knew more about him than he did about them. He’d seen the slightly curly boy getting off the wagon with a pair of girls though. So there. He knew something about someone. He wondered if Curly’s two older (presumably)-sisters were as annoying as his own. They looked like they had the potential to be.

The first thing that happened was a speech. Bertie pulled an a6 casebound ruled notebook out of his pocket. He was not very interested in the contents of the speech, even though there were possibilities that the man would say things he didn’t know. Most of Zara’s commentary about school was social-based, and Bertie had not bothered to ask her a lot of questions, figuring he’d find out soon enough for himself, which was how he preferred doing things. Though things like what classes she did and what the houses were were basic enough that of course he knew them. He also knew that much of the information would be contained in the folders the man had indicated. That was not why he was taking notes. Any time that someone was speaking, and he was supposed to be listening, was a good time to practise shorthand. Technically, shorthand wasn’t much of a secret code. It wasn’t like a shift cypher where you could keep changing what it meant (and even those were easy enough to crack with the right information, such as the fact that ‘E’ was the most commonly occuring letter in the English language), and it was a universally agreed upon system, it was easily read by anyone else who knew it. Still, he figured, that was Not Many People. Within the general population, most people didn’t, and within the eleven to eighteen school age range, fewer still. The swirls and squiggles, the fact it looked - at a distance - writing-like but the closer you got, the less sense it made, and the fact that it was utterly impenetrable to those who didn’t know it all pleased him greatly. He’d been trying to teach himself for a couple of years, and had all the symbols memorised, he just needed the practise to get his speed up.

He scribbled and swirled his way through Professor Wright’s speech, already having fun. So there.

In fact, it was at the conclusion of the speech that his fun-having became endangered. He considered his next move. He would have liked to go over his notes but this was a high risk area. There was ‘mingling’ on the cards. Of course, the notes were likely impenetrable to other people, but - whilst he very much did like people to know that he could do things that they could not - that was a card he played close to his chest. Right people. Right time. Of course, if he didn’t look busily engaged with something, they were more likely to come and talk to him, and the day could go rapidly downhill from there depending on what type of a person they were.

He kept his head bent over the book for a minute more, letting the first wave of snack-gathering and pairing off pass, hoping it got the more eagerly overly social people paired off with each other. He closed the notebook, pulling the elastic that held its cover shut around it with a satisfying snap. He looked forward to learning charms and defensive magics that would allow him to protect the elastic so that only he could remove it. He could have asked his dad, of course, but where was the fun in getting someone else to do something like that for you?

With his notebook away, of course, that increased the risk that someone was going to choose to mingle at him, even with having allowed them some time to try to go after each other instead. And, sure enough, here one came. He hoped they were worth it…

13 Bertie Jackson I don't mingle 1497 0 5

Wally O'Malley

May 08, 2020 6:53 AM

I guess so. by Wally O'Malley

Gosh, he talked a lot.

Stanley talked a lot too, but that was Wally’s brother, and he didn’t ask nearly as many questions because he already knew the answers, so then Wally didn’t have any obligation to actually respond. This kid wanted his input. And he was very thorough - Wally noted how readily the boy was laying out his options. For example, when he asked about other family members, he was sure to provide a few examples of what sort of family members he was specifically looking for. Wally did like that coupled with the boy’s own response, it gave him a pretty solid outline for constructing his response. That was nice, at least.

“Um,” he started, like a winner, even though he clearly knew what to say. “We have kind of a big extended family, and they pretty much all have gone here. Our mom used to teach here when we were little. And she and our dad met here as students. Pecari and Crotalus.” He thought it would be clear by the order he listed his parents who was in which House, but Wally had an ongoing fear of being misunderstood, so he reiterated, “Uh, Pecari for Mom, Crotalus for Dad.”

Wally was always nervous, but he felt a little additionally on edge because he didn’t know this boy’s name. And now he wasn’t sure if the boy hadn’t said it or if he had just missed it somehow. But now he was deep in a conversation, and if this guy was actually anything like Stanley, he’d probably assume they were best friends now or something, but what if he never learned his name and just had to go through the next seven years hanging out with him and subtly calling him “Buddy” or “Dude”? At what point was it too late to ask? He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t live that way. So he mustered all of his strength and asked, “What was your name?” It was very tiring, and Wally hoped the rest of Orientation and the Opening Feast went quickly, because he very much wanted to go to bed.

12 Wally O'Malley I guess so. 1492 0 5

Stanley O'Malley

May 08, 2020 7:06 AM

Sure ya do! by Stanley O'Malley

Stanley Jacob O’Malley swaggered off the wagon he had earlier shoved his brother onto with an eager confidence. He had always loved Sonora - his parents met here and fell in love here, so that was pretty critical to his development, he would say. Plus, he had gotten to visit a few times as a kid when Mom was working here. He’d even been to a ball already (see that ladies? He was experienced). So nothing could ever throw him off his game. Nope, he had this crap on lock.

Of course, he was definitely gonna miss being home. He already missed lugging his little sister around - it was not an uncommon sight in the O’Malley household to have the call of “Dinner!” answered by Stanley rushing through the house in a dead run to the dining room with Charlotte riding on his back. Stanley and his little Lottie were always first.

And he missed his Dad. Dad was so much fun - he was just the sweetest dude. Stanley liked going outside with Dad and playing catch because it was way better practice. Mom always made it too easy with accurate throws, but Dad kept it challenging and made Stanley use his skills. Dad was so smart like that. Plus, Dad could turn into a dog. Sorry, Mom, that’s pretty hard to beat.

As he got off the wagons, Stanley recognized the professor waiting for them there. Stanley wasn’t great with names, but he did definitely remember meeting this guy once or twice with Mom, so he strolled right up to the man and gave him a celebratory high-five greeting. This was awesome.

He probably didn’t need to know any of the stuff Professor Wright - That’s his name!! - was saying, but even if he did, Stanley didn’t catch it. He was too busy focusing on not vibrating with excitement. Then he got distracted wondering if he let himself vibrate, whether or not he could move so fast that he vibrated right out of his clothes. That’d be hilarious.

The speech ended, and Stanley just stood there for a moment, processing the nothing. He did notice that a kid nearby had a notebook he was putting away, so that was pretty nerdy, but whatever, to each his own. It was about to come in handy, though, because he was probably the kind of smart kid who paid attention to stuff Stanley didn’t. So he approached him.

“Hey,” he greeted informally. “Did you just, like, take notes on the speech?” he asked with genuine interest. It wasn’t Stanley’s style, but there wasn’t even an ounce of mockery in his tone. “I spaced and didn’t catch it - what are we supposed to do now?” He extended a friendly hand to shake. “I’m Stanley, by the way. Stanley O’Malley.”

12 Stanley O'Malley Sure ya do! 1491 0 5

Janis Rosemary Silver

May 08, 2020 11:07 AM

SpyKid huh? Do you have nifty gadgets? by Janis Rosemary Silver

Quincy brought up a good point. Dragons were illegal ergo they would probably not learn about them here. Where if she were at home they might. Just more proof that if it was fun it was probably illegal in some way. Janis let out a huff. Well shoot, there goes that idea. She nodded that they would probably still learn about them, but where was the fun in learning about something if you couldn’t actually put your hands on it. Gryphons could be fun.

“I mean, newts are used in potions, so ya. A bit more boring though than Gryphons. We could also work on salamanders. There are the firey magic kind and the boring wet Muggle kind so we could work with those maybe. Still, it would be fun to work with dragons.”

She picked up a yellow cheese with some sort of flecks in it and popped it into her mouth. A mild look of surprise spread across her face. Spicy cheese? Probably should be a sign about that. Janis looked at the table, and there it was. And she nodded at it. Yep. She just didn’t see it. Her attention was diverted back to Quincy just as quickly though.

“Dragon eggs? Hrmm… ya,” Janis thought about the likelihood of Dragon eggs being in a random book store in Corvallis. That did seem improbable. It was more likely a scam of some sort that was being played on Quincy’s father. “Probably a Pig in a poke or some other gold brick scam,” she said out loud, not thinking about her surroundings. She popped another spicey cheese square in her mouth as she thought about how one would actually pull off a... what would it be called? Dragon in the Flagon? A Hatchel in a satchel? She liked Hatchel in a satchel. “That’s sad though. Maybe one day we will get to see one. That would also be cool”

Janis’ thoughts ran forward, made a sharp turn back towards the previous points in the conversations, and then made an abrupt stop, “I wonder if the soil that dragon eggs rest in affects them like the plants. Maybe you could microscope that!”

41 Janis Rosemary Silver SpyKid huh? Do you have nifty gadgets? 1493 Janis Rosemary Silver 0 5

Quincy Wright

May 08, 2020 1:37 PM

Unfortunately I left my SpyWatch at home. by Quincy Wright

Quincy considered Janis' words with some care. Most of his education thus far had been in Muggle schooling, with only supplemental information from his parents. But his mom was gone a lot and his dad had a pretty "normal" job as magic jobs went, and neither was prone to discussing the overlap between magic and science. He remembered learning about animal and plant taxonomy in third grade and it had been fascinating to him to think that there could be certain traits which were so unique to a subset of creatures or plants that it defined them as not a different subset. So what made boring wet salamanders and fiery salamanders the same thing? What was fundamentally the same about them? Of course, a lot of muggle information came from lore that had been passed down, unbeknownst to them, from magical sources. So perhaps they just thought the drawings in some ancient potions book looked kinda similar and that that's what Mr. Medieval Wizard was talking about. He was beginning to think that he would be hard pressed to choose a favorite class at Sonora.

While he was thinking, Janis ate some cheese. He liked that she didn't seem to mind him taking his time to think about stuff, even if it meant he was quiet at weird times. Lots of kids at school hadn't been so okay with that, and it was nice to get to share part of his knowledge with her and then learn about stuff she knew.

"Yeah... " He agreed. "Actually no. I have no idea what that means. I mean. I know what 'scam' means - and it probably was a scam - but what did you say about pigs and bricks?" It would be fun to see one, wouldn't it? He thought that Janis probably meant 'we' as in 'the student body at Sonora' but it was kind of nice to think that maybe she maybe meant him in some way. That he could be included. Particularly if seeing dragon eggs were part of that. He wondered what Sonora's study abroad programs looked like. Could they spend a summer someplace with dragons? Or intern with dragon keepers someplace? That would be fun.

Quincy grinned when Janis mentioned dragon eggs in soil. "I like you," he said matter-of-factly; facts were easy to deal with, so why shouldn't he say them? "I wonder if it goes the other way, too. Like if dragon eggs are put in soil that's pretty decent, is it more sulfuric or something afterwards? It might help plants grow there that are important for healthy dragons after they're born. Sort of... not self-propagating but kinda." He cocked his head and looked at his new friend curiously. "If we're not in the same House, I'll bring my microscope to the library sometime or something if you want to see. Have you ever used one before?"

22 Quincy Wright Unfortunately I left my SpyWatch at home. 1495 0 5

Bonabelle Row

May 08, 2020 1:44 PM

I'm so sorry to hear that. by Bonabelle Row

Bonny was a little surprised by the change of topic, but it wasn't all bad. Food was a better topic than boys and romance anyway. "Hopefully not too many. My uncle said that sometimes the prairie elves will make food from different places, especially if they know that there's a student who likes it, and so I might still get to have some of them. Plus we'll get to try new stuff from other parts of the world, too," she grinned. At the end of the day, Sonora was about getting ready for the next thing, and if Bonny had anything to say about it, the next thing was going to be a great big world, far larger than four ramshackle walls and a chain on the door.

The idea of food from all over the world tied in well with a cooking club. "Maybe we can make it all one big club," she suggested, stifling a giggle. "Call it like . . . the nations club. We'll do debate, and we'll play different games from all over, and we'll eat and cook food from all over, and it'll be great," she smiled. It was a really really nice thought. It was also probably not something Bonny was the right person to head up. Maybe Valentine would be good for it, though or they could do it together. If nothing else, a club of two could be fun, sans debate.

"I can't imagine having so many people in and out all the time," Bonny said, shocked by the idea of having parties in the house every other week. That wasn't to say people hadn't come over, but it wasn't anything like what Val was describing. "And you convinced them! See? You're already ahead of the game if we do get to practice communication stuff. Very diplomatic," she said with teasing approval. "I'm glad we met," she smiled, feeling like this year was going to be okay. She was going to make it be okay regardless, but now she wouldn't be doing that alone.

22 Bonabelle Row I'm so sorry to hear that. 1488 0 5

Philippe Delachene

May 09, 2020 1:26 PM

It's good when we can all agree on things. by Philippe Delachene

"Oh! That's neat!" Philippe exclaimed when he found out Wally's mom used to teach here. "My Uncle filled in for a couple years as the Temporary DADA teacher for a bit. Do you know Daniel Nash?"

"Awesome, my parents met here, too." He was pretty sure he said that already, but maybe not exactly in those words.

That was apparently not the only thing he'd forgotten to clarify. "Oh, sorry, I'm Philippe," he introduced himself, when asked to provide his name. He couldn't remember one way or the other if he'd said that already, so he couldn't say for sure if he was repeating it. "Philippe Delachene," he added, in case any of that extended family Wally mentioned had ever brought up either of his sisters, or maybe even his Dad, though that seemed a long shot. He was pretty sure Dad had been quietly reserved in school and hadn't had a whole lot of friends outside of Mom. He said his full name the way his dad and paternal grandparents said it, not the Americanized way his mother and sisters said it, though he'd left it in its American Accent when he'd said the first name by itself. The weight of how French his accent sounded varied from 'basically undetectable' to 'I was coached hard on how I'm supposed to say my name the right way' so that was as French as it got. He'd learned to talk more from his Dad than his Mom though, so some of his Dad's accent did carry through just a little.

Of course, saying his name the French way probably wasn't going to help Wally pick out his sisters, so he continued, "Making my sisters Anya and Jasmine Delachene," this time he said it they way they did, "if you've heard of them from any of your cousins." Though Wally hadn't actually said anything about cousins. Just a 'big extended family'. Philippe assumed this meant cousins. 'Big extended family' always meant loads cousins and complicated family trees with half-siblings in his experience, because that was like Mom's side. Dad's side had no cousins, and could not in any way be described as a 'big extended family' because it was exceedingly tiny due to a total lack of cousins.

1 Philippe Delachene It's good when we can all agree on things. 1489 0 5

Bertie Jackson

May 12, 2020 5:20 AM

Did I stutter? by Bertie Jackson

“Yeees, I did,” Bertie said slowly and carefully. His tone was a little flat but he was pleased with how he’d managed to not lose his cool after his ‘yes’ got stretched out and stumble over the rest of the words, even if he did sound slightly peculiar. Smoothness vs naturalness was a continuum and a trade off. Right now, he was in enemy territory, so he was picking smoothness.

The fact that the boy had asked about his note-taking pleased him. Even more so when the boy said he’d spaced out. Bertie clutched his notebook against his chest. It was full of secrets. It was full of knowledge that this boy didn’t have, written in a way that he wouldn’t be able to understand. Score two points to Bertie.

The boy’s first question was also one that he didn’t mind giving the answer to too much. What they were supposed to be doing now would be relatively obvious with about two seconds’ observation of everyone else. He did briefly wonder whether Spacey had that in him but it wasn’t exactly a secret that he was bothered about guarding too closely.

How to answer was a different matter. Spacey hadn’t given a lot to go off in terms of whether he was trustworthy. The only thing he’d really done was not pay attention to a teacher. Bertie could understand the temptation to do that if the teacher was stupid but he didn’t feel Professor Wright had sunk that low in spite of the hat.

“There’s -- snacks,” he stated, a small pause, barely noticeable before he got the word out. “Aaand you- folders,” he rephrased, realising that would be shorter. He gestured to where both the items were in case Spacey - or Stanley, apparently, hmm interestingly close… - wanted to go get either. And then stay there. Or work out that he was free to mingle. With someone else.

13 Bertie Jackson Did I stutter? 1497 0 5

Lavender Brockert

May 19, 2020 10:19 AM

I suppose so by Lavender Brockert

Lavender had somewhat mixed feelings about Sonora. On the one hand, she was sort of nervous because well, what if people didn't like her or if she had a roommate that she didn't get along with or she just otherwise didn't fit in. Lavender had spent most of her life not fitting in. Nobody had ever excluded her or been mean to her but all her playmates were boys. The other girls in her family were either older or younger. Most of her first cousins were adults aside from Gabriel and Piper. Even her big brother and sister were actually adults now. And her cousin Ryan even had children.

On the other hand, well, Lavender wasn't alone. She had Vlad, who was the best big brother in the world and Ryan's sons Wally and Stanley and her cousins Gabriel and Peyton. Plus, now she'd finally get the opportunity to meet girls her own age and hopefully make a really close best friend.

However, when the first years were gathered for Orientation, her heart sank just a bit. It looked like her class was one of those rare ones where boys dominated. Figured that would be her luck. Of course, later it could work to her advantage if there were any pureblood boys not related to her, but right now Lavender was just focused on having a female friend she could bond with and do girly things with.

Professor Wright began to talk, and Lavender tried to give him the courtesy of listening despite the fact that everything he was saying was stuff she already knew. His version of house traits was different from what she would have thought, minus maybe Crotalus which was hard to categorize anyway, since it had such radically different types of people in it. And, of the description Professor Wright gave anyway, it sounded the most like her. Lavender did like to be prepared. The unknown was sort of scary. What if the unknown contained mean people or bees, the latter of which she was allergic to?

Still, she really sort of wanted to be in Teppenpaw. That was the house her brother and sister were in-or rather had been, in Ivy's case- and her mother had been once Head of House in. Daddy had been in Pecari when he was a student and several of her cousins had been there too, but Lavender didn't think she would have much in common with them in general. She wasn't atheletic or adventurous or even silly like her daddy and some of her Pecari cousins. Nor did she think she'd land on her feet no matter what, though this had never been tested given Lavender disliked dangerous situations and tried to avoid them.

Spotting one of the girls heading towards the refreshments, Lavender decided to set out the same way. Besides, she was sort of thirsty anyway. Before she could say anything, the other girl introduced herself as Aelia and Lavender had a decision to make on how, exactly, to reply, whether to use the proper introduction or not. Because Aelia had not which meant she was probably not a high society pureblood and while using the proper pureblood introduction sort of made Lavender feel like a princess, like her cousin Serena actually was, she also did not want to alienate this girl. She wanted a friend. " Pleased to meet you. I'm Lavender." She replied. "It sort of is." Being here sort of made her feel grown up. "Do you know a lot about the school?" Aelia might be Muggleborn and Lavender would be able to help her." My brother and sister and all my cousins have been here. And my parents used to work here too." She flushed suddenly. "Sorry, I hope that doesn't sound like I'm bragging or anything, I'm just trying to make conversation. Which house do you hope to be sorted into?"

11 Lavender Brockert I suppose so 1504 0 5

Wally O'Malley

May 22, 2020 7:22 AM

I guess so. by Wally O'Malley

Oh thank God. For fear of being weird, Wally suppressed a sigh of relief, but his body physically relaxed. At least, to the extent his tense, wiry body ever relaxed. Philippe. Wally repeated the name in his mind exactly eight times to make sure he would remember it. The only thing worse than never knowing his name would be specifically asking for it and then promptly forgetting it again.

He didn’t think he recognized the name of Daniel Nash, but the other ones sounded familiar. “Oh, Anya’s friends with my…” Wally trailed off, hesitant. It was hard sometimes to describe how Theo was related to them. Technically, Theo’s dad was Wally’s mom’s godfather, which made Theo, like, his god...uncle? Or something? But that was weird and didn’t make sense to most people, so he awkwardly substituted, “..friend. Theo Spurn.”

He thought the other name sounded familiar too. Jasmine Delachene. His gut was pointing to Peyton maybe? But then also when Theo talked, he talked a lot, so there was a solid chance he had heard the name from Theo recounting Anya’s entire life story. In which case, Wally should probably have recognized Philippe’s name too. He hoped he was right about Jasmine and Peyton, then, because if he remembered her but forgot Philippe, he would feel quite guilty.

12 Wally O'Malley I guess so. 1492 0 5

Stanley O'Malley

May 22, 2020 7:31 AM

in total awe of your coolness by Stanley O'Malley

This kid answered kinda weird, Stanley noted with amusement. But he thought it was cool that he was taking notes already. This would be a good person to be friends with. Stanley often found himself staring but not really processing in school type situations, so this guy was gonna be great to have around to help him catch up on the notes and stuff. Of course, he also had Theo - Theo was super smart and already had a whole year of magic education under his belt, lucky guy - and Wally to help him out, plus Gabriel and Lavender, and Tommy coming soon, so maybe he didn’t need any more resources. But Stanley liked friends, and one more couldn’t hurt.

“Oh, cool, thanks,” Stanley replied. “Did you already get one of those folders? I can go grab one for both of us.” But he didn’t wait for the response - he just hurried over to the table, grabbed two folders, and darted back. He extended one to his new friend, grinning. “Oh, duh, I should’ve asked if you wanted a snack or something. I didn’t think about it, ‘cos I wasn’t hungry myself. But I can go back if you want.”

The bit about mingling with “someone else” that the boy had said was in fact completely lost on Stanley. He just thought it was redundant. Like, duh, you had to go mingle with someone else. You couldn’t really mingle with yourself. Or maybe you could, but people would think you were crazy, standing there chatting yourself up. That was a funny mental image. He would have to share that with Wally later.

12 Stanley O'Malley *in total awe of your coolness* 1491 0 5

Aelia Astley

May 22, 2020 3:19 PM

Making friends definitely makes it more exciting! by Aelia Astley

Aelia thought that Lavender seemed very nice and was pleased that her very first interaction with another Sonoran was a positive one. Positive interactions opened up all sorts of exciting possibilities. They were in the same year which meant that they would be classmates. Maybe they could sit together? It would be fun to sit with someone you already knew. If they ended up in the same house, they'd be in the same dormitory! Aelia had never shared a bedroom with anybody else before but it would be exciting to do so. She'd never had a sleepover so maybe this would be like one, massive sleepover that never ends. That sounded fun.

"Oh, I know lots of things about the school," she grinned, proud to share her knowledge. "My brother, Julius, is a fifth year in Crotalus. He's also the Editor of the Aronos, the school paper. I've read every edition."

She smiled, listening to the girl as she spoke. That was a lot of family connections to one school. Lavender must know absolutely everything about the place! Maybe even more than she did, especially as her parents had worked here. She could know things that only the staff knew. Aelia wondered if Lavender would tell her, if she did. Maybe not now but in the future, if they become friends.

"It's okay," she said, cheerfully, smiling. "It sounds really interesting that lots of people from your family have been here. It's like a legacy or a tradition or something."

She mulled Lavender's question over for a moment, frowning a little as she did so. She hadn't really given the Houses much thought and supposed that now was as good a time as any, especially as they'd be finding out soon enough. "Julius was sorted into Crotalus and I would kind of like to be sorted into there too because I think it would be nice to be with my brother but then, I'm interested in the other Houses and their secrets. I'm not really sure, to be honest. I just hope that in whichever one I end up, the people are nice. What about you?"

20 Aelia Astley Making friends definitely makes it more exciting! 1494 0 5

Lavender Brockert

May 28, 2020 11:55 AM

Agreed by Lavender Brockert

Lavender smiled at Aelia. "That's cool. My brother and sister are both Teppenpaws. Vlad's a seventh year and Ivy just graduated."Wait, your brother is the Head of the Aronos? My sister wrote for that! She was never into writing much before that but now she's studying journalism." Of course, odds were that Ivy would get married before graduating college but she might be a journalist until she had kids. Some people might think it was a waste of time for Ivy to go to college but the Teppenpaw alumna had always loved learning. In fact, Ivy enjoyed learning more than one of their few Aladren cousins did.

She didn't think she was going to be the same way as her sister though. Lavender very much wanted to meet her Prince Charming and have children. She didn't really have a burning desire to have a career of any kind.

Lavender nodded. "Pretty much everyone in my family has gone to school here, at least on my dad's side. But quite a few people on my mom's side have too." She added. " Of course, lots of them aren't here anymore, but my cousins Wally and Stanley are over there." She nodded in their general directions. "And my cousin Gabriel is a second year so he'll be in our classes. And my cousin Peyton is a seventh year like my brother. Oh, and I have a cousin, Martin, whose in fourth year." Lavender almost forgot Martin, who was the son of her first cousin also named Martin, sometimes. They weren't close.

"I understand that." She replied. "Wanting to be with your sibling. I sort of want to be in Teppenpaw just because my brother and sister were there but also, they're nice by definition and that's the most important thing. Like in any other house, there are nice people but also mean ones. And part of me wants to be in the same house as Gabriel, Wally or Stanley so I'll have them, but I don't see myself going into Aladren or Pecari. Gabriel is in the former and Stanley will almost certainly be in the latter. Peyton is in Crotalus though. " Lavender realized what she said about not seeing herself going into Aladren and hoped Aelia would not take that as an assessment of Lavender's intelligence. That was the thing with both Aladren and Teppenpaw. If you said you didn't belong in Aladren, people thought you were stupid and if you said you didn't belong in Teppenpaw, people thought you were mean.

And while Lavender thought Teppenpaw was a possibility, she didn't see herself in Aladren, but that did not mean she was stupid. And even going by Professor Wright's definitions, which she guessed was sort of similar to what she thought with regards to Aladren, problem solving and learning were not...well, learning was something she wasn't passionate about-though neither was Amity, and she had been in Aladren-and problem solving was something Lavender was far from adept at. Problems were something she avoided or someone else solved for her. Plus, there was that type of Aladren. The type her cousin Fabian Did Not Like, that thought they were smarter than everyone and that made them superior to others. Also, the scary ambitious type that would do anything to get ahead regardless of who they hurt. Lavender didn't think she liked that type of Aladren either.

"Crotalus is a good house though." She added. Crotalus got a bad reputation sometimes and it wasn't fair to make them out to be the mean nasty house when Pecari and Aladren had mean people too. Or could have. Lavender didn't know of any current Pecaris or Aladrens that were mean but only Teppenpaw was truly immune to nasty people.

11 Lavender Brockert Agreed 1504 0 5

Grayson Wright

Welcome to Orientation, New Students! by Grayson Wright

Quincy Wright

Looking smart. by Quincy Wright

Janis Rosemary Silver

Smart... Smart... Smart Alec? by Janis Rosemary Silver

Quincy Wright

What is me? by Quincy Wright

Valentine Duell

People! by Valentine Duell

Janis Rosemary Silver

What is you? Are you not a person? by Janis Rosemary Silver

Philippe Delachene

That finally means me! by Philippe Delachene

Bonabelle Row

I want to meet all of them! by Bonabelle Row

Quincy Wright

Oh, I thought we were doing a Jeopardy thing. by Quincy Wright

Wally O'Malley

I guess so. by Wally O'Malley

Aelia Astley

Oh my, this is all so exciting! by Aelia Astley

Valentine Duell

Agreed! Let's get started! by Valentine Duell

Janis Rosemary Silver

Jeopardy?? You mean a danger of loss or harm? That doesn't sound like a fun game. by Janis Rosemary Silver

Bonabelle Row

I think we already have. by Bonabelle Row

Quincy Wright

I was thinking a game of show off and make money. by Quincy Wright

Valentine Duell

Oh, right. Hooray! by Valentine Duell

Bonabelle Row

*cheers* by Bonabelle Row

Valentine Duell

So... what next? by Valentine Duell

Philippe Delachene

This is great! by Philippe Delachene

Bonabelle Row

I guess we decide if we want to be friends or not? by Bonabelle Row

Janis Rosemary Silver

Make money? You have my attention by Janis Rosemary Silver

Quincy Wright

I don't know what your deal is, but you have mine. by Quincy Wright

Valentine Duell

Is there even a question about that? by Valentine Duell

Janis Rosemary Silver

My deal is... secret. by Janis Rosemary Silver

Quincy Wright

Like spies and Aurors? by Quincy Wright

Bonabelle Row

No one has ever wanted to be my friend before. by Bonabelle Row

Janis Rosemary Silver

Yep. Call me Agent Silver... by Janis Rosemary Silver

Quincy Wright

I'll be . . . SpyKid! by Quincy Wright

Valentine Duell

Well, what's wrong with all of them? Their loss. by Valentine Duell

Bonabelle Row

To be fair, there hasn't really been anyone to be friends with. by Bonabelle Row

Valentine Duell

I know that feeling by Valentine Duell

Bertie Jackson

I don't mingle by Bertie Jackson

Wally O'Malley

I guess so. by Wally O'Malley

Stanley O'Malley

Sure ya do! by Stanley O'Malley

Janis Rosemary Silver

SpyKid huh? Do you have nifty gadgets? by Janis Rosemary Silver

Quincy Wright

Unfortunately I left my SpyWatch at home. by Quincy Wright

Bonabelle Row

I'm so sorry to hear that. by Bonabelle Row

Philippe Delachene

It's good when we can all agree on things. by Philippe Delachene

Bertie Jackson

Did I stutter? by Bertie Jackson

Lavender Brockert

I suppose so by Lavender Brockert

cheers by Bonabelle Row

in total awe of your coolness by Stanley O'Malley