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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
