WE'RE HERE. on Labyrinth Gardens

Grayson Wright

October 02, 2020 5:42 PM

Welcome to Sonora, First Years! (Orientation) by Grayson Wright

Another year, another orientation. As the tiny black dots in the sky resolved themselves into old-fashioned covered wagons as they came closer and closer to earth, Gray wondered where the time had gone since he had last done this. Objectively, he knew that last year had been as long as every other year, and subjectively, he knew it had felt like one of the longest years of his life at the time, but now….

Pity, he thought, that the House he was head of didn’t use passwords – he’d have set it to tempus fugit.

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

He had mastered the trick of making himself broadly heard over chattering crowds without damaging anyone's eardrums, but he still had, as usual, backed himself up with a large banner over the entrance to the Labyrinth Gardens: ‘Welcome to Sonora. 1st Year students here.’ The use of the numeral ‘1’ instead of the word was hopefully a clue to anyone who had difficulties reading English, and the size hopefully enough to attract the attention of even the most distractable of eleven-year-olds. He couldn’t say for sure that either made the task of gathering the first years any faster, but they certainly didn’t, he thought, hurt anything.

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

Beneath the banner was a gap between two dense hedges, taller than any first year who didn’t happen to have a giant among their recent ancestors. 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’ll be introduced to most major areas of magical theory and practice. Tomorrow morning, you will all start taking 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 elective classes in your third year. In your fifth year, you’ll take your first set of major exams, the Critical Assessment of Talents and Skills, or CATS, as we usually call them – at least if it’s not in a setting where we’re likely to mix them up with anyone’s pets.” He didn’t really expect even solid chuckles from the children for that one, though he thought it had been funny. “After you take your CATS, 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, or been taught by a parent, while a few might have 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 some choices for how you spend your time. We have some student-run clubs and a school-wide Quidditch team here, and you’ll see notices about meetings posted around the schools when they’re ready to start up for the year. Breakfast is from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m, lunch is from 11:00 to one, and supper is from 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 a common room you share with all the students from all seven years 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 Houses all have prefects, who are older students who have been granted authority because they showed merit 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 – some people like to think of their Houses as second families, though there’s many ways to look at them. 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 – one year, at the school ball, the winning House got to pick the first round of songs, for instance.

“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:

WE'RE HERE. by Augustine Reed-Fischer with Lorena Abernathy

Kicking things off right! by Rosalynn Tellerman with Tommy Jamison

The Start of A Year by Melanie Dusk with Billy Cobb

Hey there, wizard dudes by Oz Spellman

16 Grayson Wright Welcome to Sonora, First Years! (Orientation) 113 1 5

Augustine Reed-Fischer

October 02, 2020 6:11 PM

WE'RE HERE. by Augustine Reed-Fischer

Gus was STOKED to be at Sonora. After everything he'd heard - or more, everything he'd pried from Jazz's hands about it - he was pretty sure it was gonna be awesome. He was also pretty sure that if he never had to go on a flying wagon again, that would be okay. Brooms sounded fine when Jazz talked about them but flying wagons were like a highway ride in a nightmare. He didn't count himself as one to get motion sick too often but that had nearly done him in. The feeling was quickly forgotten when he saw snacks. Food! But first he had to listen to do the dude say a bunch of stuff.

It all sounded like pretty cool stuff but it was also the sort of stuff his sister had really been going on about. She was the one who was excited about color-coded schedules and stuff, and she was able to take electives as of last year apparently, so she was excited. Gus didn't really see why it was that exciting to take more classes, but she'd told him about some of the options and they didn't sound bad either. Still, he got to take flying lessons as a first year, so that was gonna be the best thing ever.

When the dude finally stopped talking (Gus had stopped listening way before the end of it of course), Augustine made his way to the snacks, figuring a finger sandwich was the sort of thing that would help his stomach settle and also be great. And then he got some pumpkin juice because it seemed weird and magical so that was fun. He knew dinner was coming soon so he didn't want to over indulge but also he totally did.

Nearby, another student was also getting some juice and he turned to smile at them after making sure he'd swallowed everything in his mouth. "Hey!" he said on approach. "I'm Augustine. Are you excited?"

22 Augustine Reed-Fischer WE'RE HERE. 1509 0 5

Lorena Abernathy

October 02, 2020 7:44 PM

But here is where exactly? by Lorena Abernathy

The covered wagon in which Lorena was riding thumped a bit when it landed, jostling the students from side to side. It made her think of the one time she flew on an airplane and it landed hard on the runway and bounced. Lots of people screamed when that happened and Lorena remembered gripping the armrest really hard. This wasn’t nearly as bad as that! The wagons, there were several of them, came to a stop and everyone started to climb out.

Lorena couldn’t look around fast enough to take it all in. She had decided that she was going to start a journal about her experiences at wizard school (she’d really do it this time) and wanted to make sure she saw everything and committed it all to memory for her journal.

A nice looking man with brown hair and glasses stood by a large banner with a huge “1” on it. Although he didn’t shout, he made his voice heard over the crowd of milling students. “First years, over here please. Leave your luggage with the wagons.” He must be the principal or teacher or someone in authority. He didn’t look scary, Lorena thought, but you never knew. She definitely wanted to stay on the good side of all the staff here.

He lead them between tall hedges, so tall she could t see over them even if she jumped. Even the tallest of the first years were no where near able to look over the top. The path opened out into a pretty garden area with a fountain and tables of food and drinks and some kind of folders of paperwork.

The man identified himself as Mr. Wright and he said he teaches Charms and is the head of a house. He talked a little bit about the classes they would start tomorrow and options for classes in future years. Lorena wasn’t able to take in all the information because she was so excited to be here and nervous and a little scared and thrilled all rolled into one big messy ball in her stomach. She did hear that there wou,d be help with classes if you needed it and the ability to maybe take extra class work. She really didn’t want to be teased for being a nerd and loving school, but she really hoped she could take extra classes so she could learn as much as possible.

She did hear him talk about the four houses and wondered which she would be in. They all sounded good to her And she just hoped that the cauldron really did know what it was doing and put her in the right class.

After the green folders were handed out, the first year students were told they could grab a snack and mingle. Lorena hated mingling! She just didn’t do well chatting in large groups of people. She was fine one on one or even with a couple of people but walking up and starting a conversation with some random person was definitely not her best thing!

She adopted what she hoped was a pleasant and friendly expression and wandered toward the snack table. People struck up conversations over food sometimes, right? She really wasn’t terribly hungry but maybe a little bit of fruit or a finger sandwich would go down ok. She put a few tasty looking little tidbits on a plate and stepped over to get a cup of juice. Pumpkin juice huh? She wasn’t sure if that sounded disgusting or delicious but had decided to try everything so she walked toward the container with the orange liquid.

As she approached, another student stepped up to fill his cup and looked at her. He was chewing something and swallowed quickly and then looked at her and smiled. Lorena was so happy that someone s,I led at her that her face lit up! “Hey” he said. “I’m Augustine. Are you excited?”

“Hi, Augustine! I’m Lorena. I’m don’t know if I’m more excited or nervous, but yes, I am, both!” Lorena let out a nervous giggle. Don’t giggle she thought. you never giggle, you silly girl. “Sorry, maybe more nervous. Are you named after Anthony Augustine, the soccer player? I don’t love soccer but he’s pretty amazing!”

“Do you know anything about Sonora? I really don’t, but I’m so happy to be here and can’t wait to start classes.”

She looked down and realized her hands were fun and there was no way she could while standing here. “Do you want to grab a bench so we can sit down to eat?” She asked Augustine.

48 Lorena Abernathy But here is where exactly? 1510 0 5

Rosalynn Tellerman

October 02, 2020 8:25 PM

Kicking things off right! by Rosalynn Tellerman

Rosalynn had been packed for days. This morning, she'd barely been able to eat her Cheerios. Her PBJ at lunch, however, had been devoured in nervous haste, as she worried that if she took too long to eat, they would miss the wagon, and she'd known her mother wouldn't let her skimp on two meals in a row. They'd made it to the Las Vegas wizarding transportation center with plenty of time to spare, enough so that even when the wagon arrived five minutes late, she hadn't yet started to worry that she had already missed it.

She'd given Mom and Dad big hugs good-bye, promised Dad she'd look for Scurry and Tuppy to pass on his regards, and steer well clear of Scrappy, then got her luggage loaded onto the wagon and climbed aboard.

Dad had never ridden the wagons for more than a test flight, but Sullivan had, and it was exactly like her half-brother had described: a little bit insane and a little bit boring. The first minutes after take off were kind of exhilarating and kind of terrifying, but then the monotony of travel set in. She'd been prepared though and brought along her Spunky the House Elf novel that she'd been reading, and was just glad she'd never been prone to motion sickness.

Soon enough, they landed - she was also glad Nevada was not far from Arizona and she seemed to be on the 'returning' leg of the wagon's route instead of the 'starting out' leg. She put her book away and got down. She was reluctant to leave her luggage in there unattended, but there were explicit instructions to do so, and this didn't seem to be the right time to start bucking the system. Dad had put a few weight reduction charms on her suitcase, but it was still large and bulky and the unpaved ground out here wasn't exactly ideal for rolling it around on its wheels.

She joined the group of other first years with a few backward glances at her lavender suitcase, just barely visible inside the wagon. The teacher person then escorted them deeper into the hedge maze - she'd heard a lot of stories about the Labyrinth from both Dad (who had been the groundkeeper) and Sully (who had been a Pecari, which apparently automatically meant you spent a lot of time outside or something? Even though Sully had never really struck her as at all outdoorsy? But he'd had a lot to say about the Gardens anyway and grumpily attributed it to being a Pecari. Maybe it had to do with that girl in his House that he always talked about trying to hide from.)

Anyway, the Labyrinth didn't look like it had changed a super lot, based on their descriptions, though one hedge looked like basically any other hedge to her, so she wasn't sure how well she'd be able to discern if it had. There was, at any rate, still a big hedge maze surrounding the school, and she'd be sure to report that in her letter home.

Professor Wright explained things, which was helpful, because Dad had never had a student perspective of the place, and Sullivan tended to digress into unrelated topics to what she actually wanted to know, plus he'd been graduated for years and years and things might have changed since then. So she listened attentively and hoped she'd remember the important parts. Luckily, there was a handout with a lot of the information, too, for later reference and review.

She had no questions, and still wasn't quite ready to try food, though her nerves had lessened considerably now that she was actually here, so she ignored the food table and instead approached one of her new classmates with a tentative smile. "Hi, I'm Rosalynn."

1 Rosalynn Tellerman Kicking things off right! 1520 0 5

Augustine Reed-Fischer

October 02, 2020 8:41 PM

Great question. by Augustine Reed-Fischer

Gus smiled when Lorena introduced herself. She didn't seem anything like his sister which was pretty great. He liked Jazz well enough but he also didn't think they would have been friends if they'd been closer in age anyway. As it was, it wouldn't be a problem anyway. They wouldn't even ever have classes together at Sonora if her math was right which it probably was because that seemed like the kind of thing she'd have done the math on.

"Nervous and excited," he repeated. Nervous wasn't really a thing he felt very often but he knew other people did. It was Marcus' and Jezebel's most common state of being. He blinked with surprise when she brought up a soccer player. That wasn't a connection he ever got but he liked it way better than his real namesake. He broke into a wide grin and shook his head. "I like that better," he admitted, not even thinking of lying. Lying was reserved for pranks and stuff and he didn't want to prank Lorena right now. "I'm named after St. Augustine." That was enough said about that since there was literally nothing cool about that.

He nodded again when she asked about his Sonora knowledge. "My older sister is here, and my cousin," he explained. "They're fourth years now and my sister tells me about school sometimes when she's home for breaks. But she likes the boring stuff so she hasn't really told me anything cool about it," he admitted. Although if Lorena was looking forward to classes, maybe she was into the boring stuff. That was fine, some people were. He supposed classes were probably gonna be pretty okay since that was where most magic happened here anyway though. "She wants to be a healer now. I guess it's like a doctor but magical," he said with a shrug.

"Let's sit," he agreed, grabbing another couple sandwiches and snacks and refilling his cup before leading the way to a bench. He balanced the lot of it on his folder which left some unfortunate stains on the green cover, but that was alright. When they were sitting down and adjusted, Gus took a happy chug of juice and then stuck his tongue out. "I don't know if that's actually good," he admitted. "Maybe if it was hot it would be better." He set the cup aside and took a bite of sandwich. "Where are you from?" he asked around his food before swallowing. "Actually, where are you from family wise? My sister goes here and my cousin goes here but otherwise my family is all Muggles." He felt pretty good that he knew that word, even though he thought everyone probably knew the word by the time they got to school because of the liaisons but still. "Jezebel and Dathan were big surprises."

22 Augustine Reed-Fischer Great question. 1509 0 5

Melanie Dusk

October 02, 2020 8:46 PM

The Start of A Year by Melanie Dusk

Melanie gripped the side of the wagon, desperately trying not to be sick. Apart from brooms, everything else made her motion sick. She cursed her sisters for forcing her on that Muggle rollercoaster when she was six. She had a fear of the air ever since. Though she did love Quidditch. She hoped she could play it here.

Staggering off the wagon, she followed the other first-years to where a man was standing. He introduced himself as Professor Wright and began talking.
Melanie didn't really hear anything, she was too busy trying to calm her stomach. She caught words like 'CATS' and 'Houses'. She perked up. One of her sisters had been in Aladren-but she couldn't remember which. The other had gone to Hogwarts. Ooh, wait, Professor Wright was head of Aladren!
As her stomach settled, she joined the other students in wandering over to the refreshment table.

Picking up a glass of apple juice, she glanced around. Everyone was talking to each other. Crossing her fingers - as best as she could since she was holding a cup - she went and joined them - doubling back to collect her folder which she had left on the table next to the apparatuses.

She couldn't wait to see the mansion!

50 Melanie Dusk The Start of A Year 1516 0 5

Billy Cobb

October 02, 2020 9:16 PM

Well... ain't this all sorts of fancy? by Billy Cobb

The whole family had come down the mountain to see Billy off to his new 'academic adventure' as they were calling it. Well, at least the near-by ones anyway. Ma, Pa and Sis were coming naturally. Gramps and Granny had heard and were insisting on going as well. Heck, even Uncle Jayne was tagging along, he claimed there was stuff he needed in town, but Billy wasn't sure that was the main reason. In short, Pa's truck had been full of folk running down the side of that mountain. Ma had even been displaced to the truck bed with everyone else to make room for Gramps and Granny up front.

The fancy dressed man had told Pa that Billy's ride to the school would meet them outside of town at one of Old Farmer Ben's fields. Rumor was that he was related to Ma somehow, but no one really cared enough to untangle things to figgure out how. Seems he had turned out to see the grand event as well. He'd probably been alerted by Uncle Jayne's singing and the straining noises the ol' truck was making hauling them all.

There weren't time for pleasantries, as they were climbing out Ma called out and pointed up at the sky. Everyone turned to look and watch dumbfounded as a wagon dropped outta the sky and landed in the field next to them. Well, Billy guessed this was his ride. Neat. He was off to do some adventurous schooling things! Or would be as soon as Ma let go of him... Finally he slipped from her grasp, ducked Granny's and vaulted onto the wagon itself. Thankfully Pa and Uncle Jayne had been stowing his stuff in the meantime. He was ready to go! The wagon was off and flying through the sky again and Billy grinned wildly as it sailed through the air. The rocking and bumping it made reminded him of the time Pa had needed to get the suspension on the truck fixed. It rode nice and pretty like this wagon for little while after that.

The excitement wore off soon enough though. How long was this trip? The school was in... Mexico? Naw, that didn't sound quite right. Well, time to do what he did when he was stuck in the back of the truck on those really long trips over to the state fair. Good times, but it was a heck of a trip. He pulled his hat down over his eyes and took a nap. The bumping of the wagon woke him up, it looks like they were back on the ground again, and what a place it was. He looked around and let out a long, low whistle.

He hadn't know he was goin' to a mansion school. The other kids around him were jumping down and another fancy dressed man, but a different one, was telling them to follow him. Alright, sure. First though he checked to make sure Archie was still with him and hadn't wandered off during the nap. Nope, he grinned. "Alright Archie, let's check this place out." He jumped down off the wagon, his still slightly oversized boots flaking off dirt from Farmer Ben's field. The coveralls fit a little better, but everyone else around him was wearing their dresses. He really hadn't been sure why he needed to have dresses to wear at this school, but the fancy man had been awful stubborn about it. Alright, he could compromise, he pulled the dress on but left it hanging open in the front. With that, he stuck his hands in is coverall pockets and followed the other new kids to where the fancy man was indicating.

The man led them into the oddest forest Billy'd ever seen. It was like walls made of trees, man magic was weird, flying wagons and tree walls.. what was next an indoor creek and waterfall? Hmm.. that might make fishin' a little nicer, probably less bugs. The tree walls gave away to a tree room? Someone had gone and made rocks that looked like benches and one in the middle had a stream shootin' up from it. He whistled again, magic was weird. Before he could look around much more, the man started talking again. He should probably pay attention. There were some neat things going on here.

His name was Professor Wright. That was probably good to know. Then he said a lot more words, he didn't follow a lot of them. He knew about cats though, there were always some prowling about the house. Flying lessons sounded fun, he was gunna learn how to fly! Ahhh.. the school was made up of four houses, that was why it was so big. That made sense. And he finally stopped, talking! That felt longer than the wagon ride. Now, he had said something about food... there it was! Probably... the table had some things on it that sorta looked like food. At least the other kids were eating it. He took a handful and munched away... gah... what kinda critter was that made out of? That sure tasted funny. He needed a drink to clear that... what were those?

There were... things, clear things, that were holding colored liquids. He moved to investigate. They were labeled... what were they for? One said water, and they were near the food so they must be drinks? They were some sort of fancy water pitcher like Ma had? Did you turn them over to get the drink out? They looked sealed up good. Just then a girl picked up a green paper looking thing nearby, was that the folder the fancy... Professor Wright had mentioned? Eh, that wasn't important right now.

"Hi there!" He called out to her in his most friendliest voice, "Do ya know how to get the drinks outta these things? I ate somethin' that tasted real funny and I'd sure like to get that outta my mouth."

2 Billy Cobb Well... ain't this all sorts of fancy? 1519 0 5

Melanie Dusk

October 03, 2020 12:28 AM

Huh? by Melanie Dusk

Melanie looked up with a jolt. A boy was talking to her.
"Um, sorry?" He repeated the question. Melanie glanced at the apparatuses.
"Oh! Those? Hmm, actually, how did I do that again?" That was Melanie's biggest problem, she had a terrible memory.

She racked her brain before she remembered.
"Aha! You press that." She held a glass under and pressed the button-like-thing. She had never actually worked one of these machines before, but her mother liked to fiddle around, and since there was a button there...well, she basically just figured that she should press that.

She turned to the boy, offering him a glass of pumpkin juice. She had never actually tried the orange liquid, but her sisters had both urged her to try it. They said that it was absolutely delicious, her mother agreeing.

"What's your name?" She asked, trying to be friendly. It would be nice if they could be friends. Her family didn't really live near anyone apart from her cousins, so she never really had a proper friend before. And anyway, she had always had her sisters and younger cousin, who was only a year younger.

But now she wasn't at home anymore, so she figured she might as well make sure she wouldn't spend all seven years at Sonora Academy lonely.

50 Melanie Dusk Huh? 1516 0 5

Tommy Jamison

October 03, 2020 6:11 AM

Let's get kickin'! by Tommy Jamison

Tommy had already said his goodbyes to his parents a couple days ago. It kinda sucked adding extra time onto his separation from them, but they decided it would be an easier transition for him if he adjusted his sleep schedule preemptively. Tommy had been bouncing between continents for most of his life; he and his parents were situated in England, but his primary babysitter, his big sister Sophie, lived with her family in America. It was easier to deal with the timezones since it didn’t really matter if he were kinda sleepy at her house, but given that he had to be up for classes tomorrow and a feast to make it through tonight, his parents and Sophie decided to ship him off her way for the conclusion of the summer.

That meant he got to ride the wagon with Stanley and Wally, though, so that was fun. Wally mostly read, and Stanley was, well, Stanley, but that was okay. Tommy liked spending time with his slightly older nephews. He absorbed their time together, appreciating the striking differences between them. Tommy considered himself something of a neutral between the two. He wasn’t shy like Wally, but he wasn’t bombastic like Stanley. Tommy was just Tommy, and that was okay too.

He listened to Professor Wright’s explanation of things, although he had also gotten some of this information previously, some from the boys but mostly from Sophie. She had the most unique perspective, having spent time here as both student and staff. That was pretty helpful, Tommy thought. He was most excited for Potions, having a background in that field, but he was honestly pretty eager to see what all his classes held. Really, he was eager to see what everything here held. It was one thing to hear of a place, and an entirely separate thing to experience it for himself. Tommy was ready.

Tommy was trying to decide if the gurgle in his stomach warranted a snack or if he wanted to just wait out the tour and pig out at the feast, but he noticed a girl walking up to him. At least, he thought she was. Oh, yup, she was. “Hi, Rosalynn,” he smiled back. She seemed a little nervous - most people did, actually - and it occurred to him that he was probably among the most relaxed in the vicinity. Tommy didn’t feel he had too much to be worried about, really. He knew the basics of the place, he already had friends here, he knew he was pretty booksmart and would pick up the lessons well, and he wasn’t overly concerned with other people’s opinions of him anyway. But he wasn’t so naive not to know that he was definitely among a minority. “My name’s Tommy.” He glanced at the refreshment table and decided he wasn’t too hungry, but he was a bit thirsty. “Can I get you a drink? I was just about to go get one.”

12 Tommy Jamison Let's get kickin'! 1518 0 5

Lorena Abernathy

October 03, 2020 7:02 AM

And A Few Answers by Lorena Abernathy

“Ooh, St. Augustine? The philosopher priest? That’s so cool! I was named after my grandmother, Lorena. She was a pretty special lady I think, but nothing famous like St. Augustine.” He seemed so happy that she thought he was named after a soccer player, but she thought being named after a saint was much better!

Lorena decided this was already better than going to her muggle school, where no one talked to you unless you were beautiful or obnoxious or both. It was so nice to sit here and have a conversation and nibble snacks. The panic she had felt at the thought of mingling eased up a bit.

“It must be nice to have two people from your family already here. They can help you through the rough spots and just be here for you. What dorm ... uh ... houses are they in? Do you hope to be in the same house with one of them?”

Lorena thought it must be wonderful to have a sibling who was in school with you. She thought about her brother, Jack, and decided maybe it wouldn’t be so great after all. He certainly wouldn’t be able to or interested in helping her with school or life. It made her sad that she didn’t really care for him and hoped that maybe as she got older they could find some common ground, although she kind of doubted that would happen.

“I think being a healer would be wonderful!” Lorena was excited at the thought. She hadn’t really considered that magic people had to work for a living or what kind of work they might do. “I’ve always been interested in medicine, partially because the sight of blood doesn’t bother me much.” Then, she added, because she thought Augustine would get a laugh out of it but also because it was true, “I am a sympathetic vomiter though, so that may not be good! What do you think you want to be? I haven’t even thought about that, since I don’t know much about the options.”

Lorena nibbled on her sandwich and looked around. Other students were gathered in little groups chatting and some were just wandering around. Mr. Wright was watching the gathering and occasionally a student would approach him. It looked like a lovely party rather than a bunch of students, new to a school, trying to get comfortable!

She sipped the pumpkin juice. It was icy cold and refreshing but it did have a flavor that would take some getting used to. “Oh I don’t think it’s bad at all, although it may not be my favorite drink. It’s a bit spicy, isn’t it? I’ll bet it would be really good hot.”

“Your family is all Muggles? That has to be nice; everyone on the same page.” She thought of her mother being so disapproving of her father’s magical abilities and how disgusted she looked when it was obvious that Lorena had some magic too. “My father is a wizard and my mom’s a Muggle. She was always uncomfortable with his magic so he tried not to use it at all. It wasn’t until I got my acceptance letter from Sonora that he started to really talk to me about magic and all. I knew he was magic because he used it sometimes when my mom wasn’t around to see. I think it is hard on him not to use it, especially to make things easier for Mom.”

“Jezebel and Dathan are your sister and cousin? Do you get along with them? I don’t get along with my brother much at all.”

48 Lorena Abernathy And A Few Answers 1510 0 5

Billy Cobb

October 03, 2020 8:23 AM

I mean... it's awful pretty here, ain't it? by Billy Cobb

Well, he felt a bit better, this girl seemed nearly as confused by these strange magical devices as he was. Billy smiled as she talked her way through solving the riddle that stood before them. Before to long, she had figured the thing out and was offering him a cup of what had been labeled 'pumpkin juice'. He accepted it with a grateful smile, "Thank ya miss." Ma would tan his hide if she heard he weren't being polite to these folk. They probbly had some sort of magical thingimabob that let 'em tell Ma an' Pa if he weren't being good.

He was takin' a good whiff of the juice she'd handed him, pumpkins weren't bad but this stuff smelled a little funny as well, when she asked him what his name was. Gosh, right, names. Momentarily forgetting the drink in his one hand, he stuck the other one out to the girl. "Billy Cobb, miss." He smiled wide at her, she seemed nice and smart to. Oh, what was that other part Ma had insisted he say? Right, right. "It's a pleasure to make your.. acquaintance." He very carefully sounded out as if they were strange words being pronounced in a foreign tongue. Then, much more colloquially, "What's yers?"

Then he remembered the drink still in his other hand and still a bit desperate to rid his mouth of that weird taste, he gulped down most of the juice. He coughed and sputtered as the pumpkin juice sloshed about his mouth. Lucky he clamped down on his mouth to prevent the stuff from spraying back out all over this girl. Instead he swallowed hard and sent it down to his stomach. "Gosh, that's... that's an interesting flavor." he looked at the remaining drink in his cup, then up to the girl. "What do you think of that stuff?"

OOC: Hi Melanie, it's great to be threading with you, I hope you're having fun! I just wanted to point out that your one sentence, He repeated the question., is a minor bit of godmodding (writing for another character). If you're not sure if what you want to write qualifies, swing by Chatzy and ask, it's also a good place to get permission for minor godmodding like that. Heck, swing by chatzy anyway, it's a fun place to hang out with the other authors, discuss ideas and work on collaborative postings as well.

2 Billy Cobb I mean... it's awful pretty here, ain't it? 1519 0 5

Rosalynn Tellerman

October 03, 2020 8:45 AM

Do you have a ball? by Rosalynn Tellerman

"Hi, Tommy," Rosalynn replied when Tommy introduced himself. He offered her a drink and she nodded, "Thank you, yes, a water would be good." She started walking with him toward the drinks, so he wouldn't have to carry it far. She could just get it herself, but he had offered and that was sweet. Still, there was no reason to make him carry a full glass of water halfway across the clearing when her feet worked perfectly well.

"I'm from Las Vegas, so my wagon ride wasn't as long as some people's, but it's still been a few hours since I left home, and I didn't think to bring a water bottle with me on the trip." A mistake she would not make again next time, she hoped, though honestly, she hadn't noticed she was thirsty until he'd asked about drinks. "Where are you from?" she asked curiously.

She eyed up the other drink dispensers as they got close enough to read their labels, but did not change her request. Grape juice was all right, but she was wearing her new school robes and didn't want to risk staining them before her first day of classes, and pumpkin juice just wasn't one of her favorite things. Besides, hydration was good when you lived in a desert, and plain water worked the best for that.

1 Rosalynn Tellerman Do you have a ball? 1520 0 5

Augustine Reed-Fischer

October 03, 2020 9:44 PM

The answers are the more interesting part, I think. by Augustine Reed-Fischer

Gus was surprised that Lorena knew anything about St. Augustine and was deciding more and more as they went along that she and Jazz would get on great. Of course, the age gap meant they might never meet, which was cool because then Gus could have his own friend. "I guess," he agreed about his family helping him. "But I don't think I want help. I'll figure it out. It's an adventure! And I don't know my cousin that well." After all, he was Jezebel's age and they'd only become close as families in the past few years since everything went sideways for them both. It wasn't like they looked alike or anything and people wouldn't know they were family if they didn't tell them. "Jezebel is in Crotalus and Dathan is in Teppenpaw," he said, remembering them talking about his own upcoming house placement. "I don't think I'd mind, but I'm not much like either of them. Maybe Dathan?" He shrugged. It wasn't a thing he really thought about, so he wasn't going to think about it now. Not when there was food to consume.

He grimaced for Lorena at the idea of being a sympathetic vomiter. "My mom says I'm not a sympathetic anything," he grinned, clearly not taking this too personally. "But I don't mind messy stuff. And there's four of us, so we get banged up a lot or someone's sick, and you see that stuff. My oldest brother is into science and does a lot of weird stuff that's pretty cool like that," he added, proud of Marcus even if Marcus didn't want him to be. He shrugged again at the thought of what he wanted to be. Thoughts. Those weren't things he left room for that much, so it was hard to say. "I dunno. Maybe the world's best Quidditch player or something." The fact that he had never played Quidditch wasn't going to be the sort of thing that would stop him.

A nod to agree that the juice would be good hot. For all that Lorena seemed too much like his sister in some ways, he thought she seemed mostly alright, too. She was agreeable at least.

Another nod to agree about family stuff. "I dunno if we're all on the same page exactly. Mom's really strict and my dad's pretty chill. Mom's really religious. Dathan's family isn't so much because our dads aren't, but we got mom and she's really religious. We're Catholic," he added, in case the name hadn't been a giveaway about which denomination he might belong to. Of course, he had a sister named 'Jezebel,' so there was always room for surprises. "Dad thinks magic sounds alright but mom doesn't like it much. She says it's too risky to just embrace it but the guy that told us Jezebel was going to school explained that if we don't learn how to do it right, we could blow up or something." He shrugged again. "I dunno. I just figure it's fun probly."

He wiggled his head side to side a little thinking of Jazz and Dathan. "I think we get on okay. Like I said, I don't know my cousin that well, and my sister and I aren't super close. But I get on with Patience and Marcus alright I guess." At least, he had. "I kinda do my own things. I had a lot of friends at school, so I didn't need to hang out with my sister much."

22 Augustine Reed-Fischer The answers are the more interesting part, I think. 1509 0 5

Lorena Abernathy

October 04, 2020 9:51 AM

But answers usually cause more questions! by Lorena Abernathy

“Patience and Marcus are your brother and sister too? But they aren’t magic?” Lorena thought about how it could be that one or two people in a family could have magic and the rest didn’t. She had a hard time getting her head around that idea. “Is anyone else in your family magic? Grandparents or anyone”

“I don’t know enough about the houses to have any idea which one I want to be in. I’ll just have to trust that the cauldron picks correctly.” I sure hope it does. the thought of being stuck in the wrong house for years just made her cringe.

“Quidditch sounds exciting! Are you good at it already?” She thought quidditch sounded pretty dangerous but exciting too. She didn’t know if she would try out for the team or not, but it might be fun. She had decided to shrug off her mother’s disapproval of things she might want to do so she just might try out! “Maybe I’ll be on your team with you and if not, I’ll certainly come watch you play!” Lorena didn’t want to seem pushy, but she hoped that she and Augustus could be friends.

“So, what do you like to do when you are at home in the muggle world? Did you like muggle school?” She thought about all the teasing and bullying she had put up with when she went to muggle school. “I hated it!” She blurted out, and then, embarrassed, turned her attention to her sandwich. “What’s in here do you think?” She said quietly.

“Does your mom think you can’t be magical and believe in God too? My Dad says magic is just another gift God gives to some people.”

She thought about the possibility of blowing yourself up if you didn’t learn the right way to do magic. She hadn’t thought about that, but it made sense. “I’d hate to blow myself up. Guess I’ll have to study really hard to make sure I don’t hurt myself or someone else! Of course I think school will be really fun. Certainly better than muggle school. I didn’t have many friends at school. Everyone teased me because I liked to study a lot.”

48 Lorena Abernathy But answers usually cause more questions! 1510 0 5

Oz Spellman

October 05, 2020 12:40 AM

Hey there, wizard dudes by Oz Spellman

Oz had no idea whether it would have been quicker to get to school than to the pick up station. It certainly felt like it might have been by the time they had dragged their suitcases on and off two different buses and then walked twenty minutes with them. But apparently only magic vehicles could go into the magic school so it didn't exactly have a stop on the city bus route. Plus, he only knew that it was in this state. It might not have even been that close to Phoenix. Apparently wizards really enjoyed being mysterious and non-specific.

They had made it though, through a little door that Mom only seemed to notice once they pointed it out to her, and now a fricking actual wagon was flying into view. Along with being mysterious, wizards seemed to like saying weird stuff, and when they had said 'wagon,' Oz hadn't been sure whether they literally meant a literal wagon. Apparently they did.

Mom gave Henry a hug, and Oz hovered, watching everyone else around them. It seemed like hugging wasn't completely frowned upon in the situation of going away for like, a really long time, so, he allowed a quick squeeze. There was just time for her to remind them to look after each other, and then they were scrambling aboard the wagon. It was already pretty full, and there weren't two seats together. So, he sat apart from Henry. Which wasn't unusual. At school, they weren't in the same class, and it wasn't like they hung out loads. Not lately. And mom obviously wasn't there when they were at school, and sometimes not when they were at home either. Sitting apart from his twin and watching his mom shrink into the distance wasn't really any more alone that he was most of the time so feeling sad or scared or anything would have been silly.

Oz was quickly distracted from what he wasn't feeling by the wagon lurching into the sky and by trying to look more excited than afraid. It was definitely cool. It was probably like a rollercoaster or a plane, right? He had never been on either but he had always wanted to try both. He shot careful glances at Henry, trying to check he wasn't gonna hurl or freak out or anything else embarrassing.

For them, the wagon ride was brief. Oz was glad they didn't live any further away. Shooting up into the air was thrilling but the novelty of floating along was just wearing off when they started to go down, and he wasn't sure what he would have done to amuse himself had it been any longer. But now there was down to look at, watching all the blobs turn into trees and a big building, but even that went on a bit long, but then they hit the ground with a bump and there was a whole bunch of stuff going on at once.

He shuffled across to Henry. Someone was telling them to leave their stuff. That was like the one golden rule at their old school - never leave your stuff unattended, at least not if you want it to still be your stuff, and free of doodles of a certain body part when you got back. And right now, they had a lot of stuff. A lot of fancy expensive books and weird stuff like cauldrons and boxes full of dried bugs and stuff. It had seemed like a lot when they were buying it, and it had looked like a heck of a lot when they had packed it into suitcases, along with most of their clothes (and felt like a heck of a lot dragging those along that morning). Given that they weren't exactly overflowing in possessions, the two over-stuffed suitcases represented most of what they owned. Leaving it definitely felt counter-intuitive, although there wasn't much that he was emotionally attached to in the bags.

"You got your cards?" he checked in an undertone to Henry. It probably wasn't something that needed checking because Henry was smart and careful but he also followed rules and someone had just told them to leave their stuff. And anyway, he'd promised Mom. And now they had to go meet a bunch of wizards. And some of them had known about magic forever and stuff.

"Try not to be a wimp, yeah?" he told Henry (using a slightly stronger word than 'wimp'). He lightly punched the top of Henry's arm and nudged him out of the wagon, scrambling after him but drfiting quickly as far away as he could within the confines of all being herded in a broad general direction.

The first thing he noticed was the well-loaded food table. Mom had taken the late shift at work to see them onto the wagon, and they'd had a bottle of pancake mix they'd been saving for a special occasion, and today had been it, and that really hadn't been that long ago. He was still pretty sure he could eat though, but he wasn't as frustrated as he might normally have been when the teacher told them not to.

They stood about for ages whilst Mr. Right (wow, he probably would have got a lot of jokes about that if he hadn't looked so thoroughly unlike someone anyone would want to get "romantic" with) said stuff. Oz knew some of the stuff. He had dipped in and out of the school material whenever a question crossed his mind that he felt he couldn't wait to find out the answer to. Though sometimes looking for the answer turned out to be so boring that he changed his mind.

Eventually, the guy was done, and Oz wasted no time heading for the snack table. Though it seemed like he wasn't the only one with that idea.

OOC - all references to interacting with Henry approved by his author.

13 Oz Spellman Hey there, wizard dudes 1514 0 5

Melanie Dusk

October 05, 2020 7:11 AM

Magical Pumpkin Juice by Melanie Dusk

Interesting taste? Well, Melanie would have to try it.

"My sisters say that is delicious..." She peered at the pumpkin juice and poured herself a glass. She sipped it warily and for a moment, a strange tingle crept up her spine. Melanie mentally kicked herself. What was she expecting? Pumpkin juice was obviously not like orange or apple juice. It was just so much more magical. Honestly, Melanie didn't know how to describe it. She wondered if she was the only one to feel that way. Her sisters had some explaining to do.

Pumpkin juice tasted very peculiar, but nice all the same. Actually, change of mind. She would thank her sisters instead.

"It's definitely an interesting flavor. My name is Melanie Dusk. I know, it is rather funny. Mother thinks someone changed our name in the past."

She hoped she didn't sound too boring.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance too." Did she say it right? She wished that her brain wouldn't always abandon her when she most needed it.

She drank a bit more of the juice but deciding that the flavor was too magical for her, put the glass down.

"Where are you from?" She asked Billy. "I'm from England, but I think my father was Asian." Oh well, she might at least try to make some conversation. She had never actually known her father, but often her mother would speak of him.

First things first, wasn't it? Or maybe it was something else...Melanie couldn't quite remember.

OOC: Hello Billy (that's your name, right?). Sorry about the godmodding, I am still adjusting to only writing for my character.
It is great to be threading with you, too! I haven't actually really explored Sonora, so I suppose I will swing by Chatzy now. Thanks!

50 Melanie Dusk Magical Pumpkin Juice 1516 0 5

Billy Cobb

October 05, 2020 6:17 PM

I've seen lots of magical stuff here so far. by Billy Cobb

Billy was no slouch when it came to figuring things out. Well, when it came to figuring some things out. One that that was always good to know is where and how to get food and water. He glanced distrustfully back over at the table with the strange vittles on it. Maybe he'd just gotten unlucky at first. Anyway, he'd watched the girl carefully as she had gotten the pumpkin juice from it's magical container. Now if that same trick worked on the one labeled 'water'... It did! He grinned wide as he successfully filled up his cup with nice clear water.

His new friend had said something and looked like she was contemplating her own drink. She had some of that strange pumpkin stuff now, and he nodded at her following comment and smile back when she gave her name. "You got sisters? I got one of them myself, a little younger'n me. The man that came to tell me that I needed this school'n said she'd probly be coming next year. Not sure how happy that made Ma and Pa." The shopping trip they'd gone on to get his school supplies had been tough. He knew they didn't have a lot of money lying around, they didn't really need it for anything, so why bother with the stuff? Another round of that next year... well, they'd have more notice to figure things out maybe. Plus, no one would be around to help out. Oh well, they'd manage.

"Interestin..." Billy repeated her description of the drink while giving the pumpkin juice container a wary look, "Yeah, I'd say that fit it alright." He took a drink of his water. "Anyway, Ma changed her name when she married Pa. She was a Bodine before that. Can't say I know any other Dusks, but I ain't known a whole lot of folk that ain't kin." He shrugged dismissively.

She changed the subject, "England?" He gaped for a moment, "That's real far away, right?" He remembered that from Pa's 'World Atlas' book he had. There were lots of places out there and that had been what got him started thinkin' about going out and explorin' more of the world. "What's it like? I'm just from the far side of Kentucky myself, 'bout as far up in the woods as you can get. But, maybe when I'm done with schoolin' here I'm gunna get out and explore lots of this world!"

OOC: Yeah, we generally go by whatever character we are channeling at the moment around here, so names get a bit fluid at time. Especially at the beginning of a new year. No worries about the slip, it happens. It's just something to be careful about. Swing back into chatzy again and hang out, someone there can probably give you the grand tour of the site if you'd like.

2 Billy Cobb I've seen lots of magical stuff here so far. 1519 0 5

Melanie Dusk

October 05, 2020 7:11 PM

A Little Bit About Herself by Melanie Dusk

Melanie smiled as she thought of her sisters.
"Yes, I have two older sisters. Evanna is the oldest, she went to Hogwarts, in Scotland. Estelle went here, so no-one came to tell us about Sonora. My cousin Rose is a year younger than me. I think she might go here, but Aunt says she is still thinking about it. I don't think she can bear having her daughter so far away!" Melanie fought down a giggle as she remembered her aunt's face when Rose told her she wanted to go to Sonora.

"England's pretty far away. Mother wanted to send me to Hogwart but Estelle persuaded her to send me here. She said that it would be good for a change of scenery." Melanie grinned. "I'm glad, too. I think I like Sonora. Still, Evanna was pretty mad at Estelle. She wanted me to go to Hogwarts."

Ooh, Kentucky? Where was that again? Melanie was never really good at geography. Mother had a small globe in her bedroom, though, and Melanie used to play with it. Oh, yes! Wasn't Kentucky in the United States?

"I want to explore the world, too," Melanie sighed wistfully. "But travelling is not exactly my favourite thing to do. I get motion-sick very easily. I think that when I finish school, I want to be a writer."

50 Melanie Dusk A Little Bit About Herself 1516 0 5

Augustine Reed-Fischer

October 06, 2020 11:02 PM

I don't usually take the time to ask them. by Augustine Reed-Fischer

Augustine shook his head, although he also wanted to nod it. "We don't know if Patience is or not yet," he explained. And that's all he was going to explain because Marcus and their family were nobody else's business. That was private. Granted, he didn't know what Jazz or Dathan had already told people, but Dathan was too nice to really talk about stuff like that and Jazz was too . . . well she was her own sort of private. That only seemed to be increasing over the past few years; sure, she'd talk about school, but asking about herself? Not a popular topic. "I don't know of anyone else," he added with a shrug. "Maybe great grandparents or something? But I've never heard of anyone else." It was weird to think about but he didn't really feel like thinking about it much.

"It will," he promised, grinning at the thought of sorting. That was another thing Jazz had talked a bunch about and this time it might actually be useful. "I guess it's a really good uh . . . soup? Potion! By a really good potion-maker. Jezebel says it's never wrong." She'd sort of said that like it should scare him into behaving better but he thought that it really just sounded like he was about to be sorted with some fellow awesome people.

"No," Augustine said about Quidditch, a little confused. "How could I? I've never seen people fly on brooms before. It sounds made up but I don't think my sister is creative enough to make it up. Have you played before?" he asked eagerly, his eyes lighting up with the possibility. He wasn't really sure why she'd want to come watch him play but wasn't totally opposed either if it made her happy. Whatever keeps your broom afloat or whatever, he guessed.

Lorena was kind of weird, he decided as she asked about just . . . another school. And then started talking about her sandwich. But she was kinda weird like Jezebel was weird, which meant she probably wasn't very confident because Jezebel was basically a mess. "Nah, I didn't like scho-- muggle school much," he said, forgetting for a moment that that was a distinction he needed to make. "I wasn't very good at it and didn't really want to be. Mostly I played games and did sports when I could." The thought made him a bit homesick, which surprised him, so he didn't mind talking about the sandwich. "Definitely food," he decided seriously, eyeing the sandwich as if it suddenly couldn't be trusted.

Augustine wrinkled his nose, considering the theological question. It wasn't one he really wanted to think about. "I think she's worried God will stop believing in you," he admitted, scratching his head. "Like you only get one power: prayer or spells. But I think she's just scared. I like your dad's explanation better."

He smiled a little when Lorena admitted why she didn't like school and stuff. "I think it's totally weird that you like to study," he said with a kind, easy expression. "But that's cool. So long as you don't try to make me like it, I don't care much what you do. You study, and I'll blow stuff up," he grinned. "On purpose though, not like the accidental kind."

22 Augustine Reed-Fischer I don't usually take the time to ask them. 1509 0 5

Billy Cobb

October 07, 2020 5:17 PM

Those things are great to know! by Billy Cobb

Billy did his best to listen while Melanie talked about her family, he really did. But there was a lot of things going on, well there were lots of people wandering around and talkin' and eating… some of that weird food... he pulled his attention back to the girl in front of him. She said she had two sisters, one of which had gone here before. That was pretty keen. She probably knew all about the place then. He, on the other hand, was going to get to find out all about it first-hand! It'll be just like explorin' some strange new land! But there may be a few things worth knowing... "Did yer sister say what the best vittles was around here?" He glanced, uncertainly back over at the food table, "I hope it's not all like that stuff."

"Hogwarts?" That was a funny name, "Is that another school like this one?" He knew the man that'd come to talk to them had a few schoolin' options around the U.S. He supposed other countries would need their own schools as well. He hadn't really gotten much of a say in which school, Ma and Pa decided on this one for one reason or another. Sounds like Melanie's Ma had decided for her as well, after a bit of influencing. He cracked a grin, maybe he'd talk Ma and Pa out of sending his sister here, she could go to one of them other ones, right? That Illversomething one sounded nice and far away.

"Ugh," he grimaced at Melanie's mention of getting sick while traveling. "My cousin Ralph gets like that to." He chuckled, "One time when we was ridin' into town, he came along. Halfway down the mountain he finally couldn't take it no more and sent his breakfast over the side of the truck! Pa weren't very happy at that let me tell you." The mirth subsided a bit and he looked Melanie over, "Good think them wagons are a nice smooth ride, huh?"

"You could do both," he suggested, "Go explore all sorts of new things then write 'em all up in fancy books an' such, right?" He gave her a grin. "For example," he looked around the strange tree walled room with the other kids and that teacher that was keepin' an eye on them. "What would you write about this place so far?"

As happens on rare occurrences, another thought struck Billy, "Oh, hey. Your sister came here right? Do ya know anything about the teachers?" He nodded toward the Professor.

2 Billy Cobb Those things are great to know! 1519 0 5

Lorena Abernathy

October 07, 2020 6:15 PM

But questions and answers equal knowledge by Lorena Abernathy

“I hope you are right about the sorting cauldron.” Lorena remembered a nightmare she had the other day. She had been sorted into the wrong house and the school told her they couldn’t change it because the cauldron made the choice. It had been terrible!

“I’ve never seen quidditch but my dad told me a little about it. It sounds really exciting for the players and the people watching. He told me that sometimes the players end up in the crowd!” Lorena’s eye sparkled at the thought. “I’m looking forward to seeing a quidditch game.”

Lorena had been wondering about something but didn’t know if she should mention it to Augustine. He didn’t seem to be the kind of kid who spent a lot of time pondering things. She gave a shrug. “Do you ever wonder how the schools figure out what kids might have magical abilities? Especially in all Muggle families. It seems a bit uncomfortable to think they are somehow able to watch you in order to decide.” Then she decided to lighten it up by adding “However they do it, I’m glad they picked me!”

“I love studying so much that it’s hard to understand how you don’t but I promise I’ll try not to make you like it.” She laughed at the thought. “I know, I’ll figure out why, what and how things explode and then you can make them blow up!”

“I wonder what happens next”

48 Lorena Abernathy But questions and answers equal knowledge 1510 0 5

Melanie Dusk

October 08, 2020 10:59 PM

Hmm... by Melanie Dusk

Melanie nodded.

"I think I would like to write a book," She said thoughtfully. She had always loved reading. Evanna was the one that encouraged her to read - Estelle preferred sport, and liked teaching Melanie fancy moves on a broom.

As for the teachers? Well, Melanie never really listened to Estelle's ramblings about Sonora. Of course, Estelle had always said that the teachers were 'very nice', but that was what all students said about their teachers...right?

"I have no idea, though Estelle says that the professors are all nice." Oh well. At least she knew SOMETHING about the professors. It would be strange if she had a sister that went here and she knew nothing.

"Hogwarts IS a rather funny name, isn't it? Evanna said that it was founded by Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff. I think in Hogwarts a hat sorts you into houses, I'm not really sure. I never really listened to Evanna."

Melanie smiled ruefully. More like she never listened to her oldest sister at all. She rather regretted it now, then she would have more to tell Billy. She decided she would send Evanna a letter later on.

"Hey," She piped up again. "Which house are you hoping to be sorted into? I want to be in Aladren. Estelle was in Aladren, and Evanna was in Ravenclaw in Hogwarts, which pretty much values wisdom too. I suppose the other houses aren't bad either, but I think I would like Aladren the best."

50 Melanie Dusk Hmm... 1516 0 5

Tommy Jamison

October 09, 2020 9:33 AM

I bet I know where to get one. by Tommy Jamison

Had Tommy been a more mature and reflective person, he might have found comedy in his own demeanor. Here he was, potentially the least stressed person at Orientation, casually offering drinks like he owned the place. That was a bit silly; despite his knowledge of Sonora, it wasn’t like he had actually ever been here before. He was just a calm, chill boy who happened to be a bit of a gentleman and liked to do things for other people. But this realization did not occur to him, because, as previously stated, Tommy was not especially introspective. He was an eleven year old boy.

He always had thought Las Vegas sounded cool - he had read about it here and there, and it sounded so exciting and brightly-lit. “I’m from London,” he said, trying not to sound disappointed even though his hometown wasn’t as cool. “But my sister lives in Colorado, so I just got on the wagon from there, so my ride wasn’t too long either.” He felt kinda bad for the people who had actually long rides. The wagon thing was cool and very On Theme™ for the school, but it was only cool for about fifteen minutes. Then it was bumpy and annoying and he kinda wished they would just get there already.

They got over to the drinks, and he took a quick glance at the other options and considered re-asking Rosalynn what she wanted, but she had specifically said water, so he got one of those and handed it gingerly to her. For himself, he got pumpkin juice. It was fairly infrequently that Tommy was not in the mood for something sweet. “Are you excited about school? I think it’s going to be really fun.”

12 Tommy Jamison I bet I know where to get one. 1518 0 5

Rosalynn Tellerman

October 14, 2020 10:30 AM

Great, so what game are we playing? by Rosalynn Tellerman

"Oh, London," Rosalynn repeated his city of origin, giving it a lot more excitement than Tommy had. She assumed, since he didn't provide a state, he meant the original London and not one of the dozens of American towns named for it. "I'd like to visit Europe someday. I've never left the States, though I've seen most of the western ones. I've got family in California, so I see that more than most of the others, but we did a summer vacation to Colorado once. It's pretty up in the mountains."

She accepted the water Tommy gave her with a smile and a proper thank-you, and took a sip. It was nicely cool and refreshing, so she took another one.

"I'm excited about school, too," she agreed. "It'll be nice to be around other kids and not have to lie about magic all the time. And it always came up, too, because my Dad is . . . well, he's kind of right on that line of what the Statute of Secrecy allows. Cuz he's a stage magician. Who is also really a wizard. And since he's a headlining act at one of the bigger casinos, and 'Tellerman' isn't exactly a common name . . . everyone asks me about him."

1 Rosalynn Tellerman Great, so what game are we playing? 1520 0 5

Tommy Jamison

October 14, 2020 5:50 PM

Kickball? by Tommy Jamison

It occurred to Tommy, perhaps a little too late, that he may have just done something far more serious than intended. See, he had an inborn habit of being polite. Gentlemanliness was definitely a part of his upbringing, but he was also just a naturally kind and helpful person. So it made sense to him to automatically offer to do something nice for Rosalynn, even though he had just met her.

However, it was only now that the implications soaked into his brain. Getting a girl a drink was, like, a boyfriendly thing to do, so was he dating her now? Had Tommy just accidentally gotten himself a girlfriend? It was too soon to tell, so for now, he resolved to just go along with it, although additional friendly gestures were not at all out of the question, which would only continue this cycle. Curse his friendly nature!

It was probably okay if he was dating her, though. She seemed nice, and she was pretty cute. And Sophie had met Ryan at Sonora when they were first years, and Tommy was pretty fond of his big sister. In a lot of ways, he aspired to follow in her footsteps, so if this was just another parallel between them, he supposed he wouldn’t mind.

“That sounds super cool,” Tommy said eagerly, and he meant it. “My parents are both lawyers, and that’s not nearly as fun. Nobody asks me about them. Pretty much everybody I know is magic, though, so we don’t have to lie about it. That must be hard.” Tommy wasn’t a fan of lying to people, so having to do it or go to jail or whatever seemed like it would probably be stressful. But he would never lie to his maybe-girlfriend, he vowed silently.

12 Tommy Jamison Kickball? 1518 0 5

Billy Cobb

October 14, 2020 6:25 PM

I agree by Billy Cobb

Billy nodded along as Melanie talk, he thought she'd probably be good at writing books. Most likely better than he'd ever be anyway. Ma and Pa had enough of a time getting him to sit still long enough to read them. He'd got his writing figured out, but there were more interestin' things to do with life. Exploring was one thing, now there was all the weird magic stuff to figure out as well.

"Professors..." Billy's face scrunched up a bit before he made the connection, "Right! That's another word for teacher, ain't it?" He gave Melanie a grin, "I guess it's good that they're nice. One of the book I read had a story 'bout a mean teacher in it, didn't sound very fun at all."

He nearly laughed as she listed off the Hogwarts names, "Well, that's a whole lotta funny names. I guess them folk can't be blamed though, their parents named them." he chuckled then thought for a moment at her question. "I can't say I'd thought much about it," he shrugged, "I guess I'll wind up wherever I wind up." He scratched his head as he tried desperately to recall what that fancy teach... professor had said about the houses. Nothing came, so he shrugged again. "I'm sure you'd make a great Aladren if that's where you wind up." He grinned at her again, "Granted I'm sure you'd make a great anything."

OOC: We can keep threading here if you like, but the Opening Feast has been posted over at the Cascade Hall, so there are more people to thread with there if you'd like to!

2 Billy Cobb I agree 1519 0 5

Melanie Dusk

October 15, 2020 5:52 AM

OOC: Not a Real Post by Melanie Dusk

OOC: Yes, I think I'll like to post over at the Opening Feast. It has been nice threading with you!

50 Melanie Dusk OOC: Not a Real Post 1516 0 5