Mortimer Brockert

May 19, 2024 3:22 PM
Another summer had passed, much like all the others. Although this year, there had been something that happened that while not affecting Mortimer personally, he still very much knew it was wrong and hated it. And this time, it wasn’t Eustace either though there was plenty of that too. However, that was almost mundane now since it happened all the time. That said, Mortimer could not wait for Honora to be at school and away from her father.

As for what happened this summer though, well, that was something for Icky and Imogen or more likely Cory to deal with, and all of them were more feelings people than Mortimer was. Though to be fair, even he would admit that was an extremely low bar.

Now, however-thankfully so he didn’t have to think about things that happened last summer that might involve feelings including ones he himself was trying to deny that he had, after all this didn’t involve his grandchild, just a grand-niece he actually kind of liked - the new students were entering and the returning ones had assembled at their house tables. “Welcome to Sonora for the new first years and welcome back for all older students. First years, you should have received a blank badge at the end of Orientation. You will dunk the badge in the Sorting Potion and it will turn the color representing your house which are blue for Aladren, yellow for Teppenpaw, red for Crotalus, and brown for Pecari. Afterwards, you may join your house table.” Mortimer watched as his grandson, Uriah, was Sorted.


After the first years had been settled, Mortimer continued. “Would Christopher Brockert and Phillip Carson please come up and get your Head Student badges." He continued. "In addition, I'd like to call up Nausicaa Scapetello, Robyn Lundstrom, Lyla Holland and Xarryn Bavol to receive their prefect badges. Congratulations.” Mortimer could not have been happier and more proud that Christopher had won, despite the fact that the boy looked slightly confused about it. It made Mortimer want to shake Eustace all over again. (Not that he’d previously shaken him, though if some nanny or someone had at some point, it would explain an awful lot. However, Mortimer had certainly felt the desire at many points.) Admittedly, he had really hoped Liesl would win too, since truthfully, he’d always sort of had a soft spot for her-granted, Mortimer’s soft spots were less soft than the average person but still he’d always been sort of amused by her love of horror-and he felt bad for the events of the previous summer, despite it not being his fault at all but he guessed Mr. Carson was fairly inoffensive.

Although he hoped two boys winning wasn’t a bad sign that misogyny was a factor. This had been a humongous worry when they’d gone to gender neutral Head Student elections, something that not even a remotely significant portion of the student population had wanted. Of course, Mortimer was admittedly pretty biased against the student who formed that petition, given that she’d been his granddaughter’s mortal enemy. As it was though, his grandson was chosen and the other person was not terrible so he had to just hope that two boys winning was just a this year thing or that Mr. Carson was just that good an option. He knew Christopher was.

As for prefects, well Mortimer had a bit more to complain about there. Olaf was perfect for the position. Nothing against Miss Scapetello, he had no qualms about her in general and she even had on paper qualifications that Olaf didn't, like running the debate club. In fact, there was even something about her that reminded him of Topaz, though he couldn't figure out what. It was just that Olaf was ideal. More ideal even than his other grandchildren. However, since there was a social aspect to the job that he was pretty sure the Aladren would hate, at least Olaf was unlikely to be broken up about not getting it. And there were no other options in Teppenpaw or Pecari. He probably would not have voted for Mr. Bavol if there had been since the boy was practically illiterate, though Mortimer supposed there wasn’t a lot of reading or writing involved in the job. He’d also acknowledge that it was the fault of the parents and not the student, that Mr. Bavol’s pre-Sonora education had been neglected. However,he felt nothing but pity for whichever CATS examiner ended up grading the Pecari’s written exam.

And Miss Lundstrom stuck out very little on her own, Mortimer mostly knew her by what her relatives were like and their actions, the drama with her brother and the fact that her mom fell into the category of being a pain in the backside. Interestingly, she also seemed to be friends with Samara Crosby, whose mother also fell into the same category.

Which brought him to Crotalus. Now, Miss Holland was perfectly fine for the job in general.From what he gathered, Olaf seemed to hate her less than the rest of the human race in general and that spoke well of her. Had Tawny Crosby not been every bit as bad as Mrs. Lundstrom in a different way, Mortimer probably would have voted for her.Except Tawny was that bad and if Mortimer had to deal with her, someone was going to pay for it.

Once the prefects and Head Students were back in their seats, Mortimer continued. “Our midsummer event will be the Concert. Details to be announced at a later date.” After all, the Concert didn’t always mean what Jason thought it did, where it was exclusively music. Obviously there were some acts in the last one that most definitely didn’t not qualify as such and he didn’t mean Isla’s puppet show either.

And speaking of potentially being very much not musical “Now for the singing of the school song..” Lyric sheets were passed around and the song began.



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


That done, he dug into his steak and bourbon.
Subthreads:

Aladren

Teppenpaw

Crotalus

Pecari

Staff
11 Mortimer Brockert Opening Feast 6 1 5

Araminta Fairthorne

May 25, 2024 3:24 AM
There was a lot Araminta wasn't sure about as she climbed off the flying wagon and followed the other first years. Some were big things, like how homesick she might be. The most immediate concern was what she wanted to be known as. She'd often been 'Minty' for short at home but her little sister was Mae and she wasn't sure she liked matching initials. The next question that was foremost on her mind was which house she'd be in. No one single option stood out... They all sounded a bit like her in some ways but not at all in others. Grandma said they were all good in their own way, but surely she'd be proudest and happiest if Araminta ended up in her own house, or in Aladren which Grandma had often cited as the closest parallel to her own house, Sal Salis, back when she herself had been a student absolutely forever ago.

The orientation session was surprisingly interesting. Even though she had grown up hearing about the school, that wasn't the same as knowing the rules she was meant to abide by or knowing her way around. She'd seen relatively little of the school, and of Grandma during the times she was working here. It would be interesting to change that, although a little strange that their first at-school interaction would be in front of a whole hall full of people.

Araminta passed the time until then in pleasant chit chat with her yearmates (deciding for now to introduce herself with her full name, figuring that would be easier to change later if she decided she did prefer her nickname) then made her way into the hall.

She didn't mind going up in front of everyone, having never minded volunteering for speaking parts in class assemblies, though it was a little unnerving given how much older than her some of the people were, and that rather than giving a well-rehearsed speech, she would be revealing her core personality features. Okay, perhaps she and the butterflies in her tummy minded just a bit...

Still, she tried to keep her head up as she went and dipped her badge. Her core personality was... brown. Pecari.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she glanced at grandma, trying to check whether she seemed disappointed, but she was smiling the same friendly, professional smile that she had for everyone. Perhaps a little more genuinely in Araminta's case. Araminta did her best to smile back and to keep smiling as she went to meet her new housemates, wondering whether it was her stack of half finished projects (personal ones, not school) and frequently changing hobbies that had landed her here.

She applauded the prefects, their names unfamiliar even if she'd heard stories about them, as grandma always tended to say 'a student' rather than name names.

When the food appeared, she helped herself to a creamy pasta dish and turned to smile at her neighbour.

"Hi. I'm Araminta. Nice to meet you."
13 Araminta Fairthorne Is it because I quit ballet? 1596 0 5


Lysandra (Lyra) Dreseller

May 25, 2024 10:20 AM
Lyra stepped into Cascade Hall, her eyes widening as she took in the splendor around her. The waterfalls cascading down the walls created a mesmerising backdrop and the air was filled with the gentle, soothing sound of flowing water, punctuated by the occasional murmur of awe from new students. Crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, casting a warm, inviting light that danced off the water.

Her heart raced with excitement and anticipation as she made her way forward, her footsteps echoing in the grand space. Despite the grandeur of the hall, Lyra felt a surge of confidence. This was the beginning of her journey at Sonora Academy, and she was ready to embrace every challenge and adventure that came her way. The hall was filled with students, each one generally seeming to buzz with nervous energy, but Lyra stood tall, her head held high and her eyes gleaming with determination.

When her name was called, Lyra strode up to the Sorting Potion with a confident smile. She took a deep breath, her fingers gripping her badge tightly. Without hesitation, she dunked her badge into the potion, watching as the liquid shimmered and swirled around it. Then, the badge turned brown and she felt a rush of pride as the brown hue confirmed her place in Pecari, despite knowing little about the house. With a confident grin, Lyra walked over to the Pecari House table, spotting a spare seat near the middle and she plonked herself down with a satisfied sigh.

Lyra watched with idle curiosity as the Head Students and Prefects were announced, the older students going up to receive their special badges, their faces a mix of pride and seriousness. They left an impression of responsibility and discipline that didn't particularly interest her. The concert sounded appealing though and Lyra thought that could be fun. Of course, that would be dependent on the details that were to be revealed at some undisclosed time. That was annoying. Lyra wanted to know more about that now.

The school song was of little interest and as soon as she glanced at the lyric sheet someone handed her, she tossed it aside. Hopefully, this wasn't an indication of what sort of music the concert would have.

Once the song was over, a hungry gurgle from her stomach reminded her that it had been a long day. Distracted from her thoughts, she glanced around the table at the array of dishes laid out before her. Her eyes lit up as she spotted a platter of roasted chicken, its skin golden and crispy. She reached for a piece, the savoury aroma making her mouth water. Beside it, a bowl of buttery mashed potatoes called to her, and she scooped a generous helping onto her plate. She dug in eagerly, savouring the rich, comforting flavors. As she ate, her eyes continued to wander around the hall, taking in the sights and sounds of her new home.

Lyra's attention snapped from her surroundings as the student sitting next to her spoke up and she turned slight to face her. Araminta had a friendly smile. Lyra quickly swallowed a mouthful of mashed potatoes and grinned. "Hey, I'm Lyra," she replied, still chewing a bit. "Nice to meet you too."

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and added, "Sorry, I was just really hungry. This place is amazing, isn't it?"
20 Lysandra (Lyra) Dreseller That just means you can try something new! 1600 0 5

Araminta Fairthorne

May 31, 2024 9:55 PM
“No need to apologise, me too,” Araminta said, indicating her own pile of pasta. She took a forkful. “I’m pretty sure the main point of a feast is eating,” she added, once she’d swallowed.

This girl was going to be her roommate. That was exciting. Sonora was a small school, so a roommate wasn’t guaranteed, but it was such a key part of the boarding school experience, and Araminta felt lucky to have one. She hoped they’d get on. People sometimes seemed to find her a bit much, but she wasn’t ever sure what she was doing to get that response.

She managed not to say ‘thank you’ when the girl complimented Sonora. She didn’t personally have a real connection with it yet, but she did feel like it reflected well on Grandma when people liked the school. Though maybe the girl just meant the waterfalls and fancy things they’d seen so far, which were to do with even older people.

“It is!” she agreed about the school being amazing. “I can’t wait to explore properly and discover all its secrets. And the MARS rooms look so much fun. I heard the water one can change into some really amazing places, like beaches and stuff! So even though we’re here, we can go to all these different places. We could plan a trip somewhere with the whole yeargroup!”
13 Araminta Fairthorne Exactly! 1596 0 5