Well, here goes...(tag Makenzie). on Quidditch Pitch

Isaac Douglas

July 05, 2016 2:16 PM

Well, here goes...(tag Makenzie). by Isaac Douglas

Isaac didn’t think there was a single prefect in Sonora who was looking forward to the occasion, but the fact remained that the Ball was going to happen and that all the prefects were required to dance at it. That meant they had two options: waiting until the day itself and grabbing another single prefect or going ahead and actually finding a partner.

Both approaches, Isaac had to admit, had their benefits and drawbacks. The downside of the first plan was that waiting meant taking the chance that no appropriate fellow prefects would also be left over, but on the bright side, if one was available, the prefect who did the asking had almost no need to worry about rejection. The downside of the second plan was that rejection, even painfully public rejection, was always a possibility, but on the bright side, one could just continue the asking-girls process until a willing partner was secured and he knew he was not going to end up alone when the music started, thus eliminating any chance of being That Guy Who Couldn’t Follow Directions. He thought the Brockert girls were both betrothed to people outside the school, so they at least had a good excuse for being Those Girls, but his male company in that category would likely be Wolseithcrafte and Umland, neither of whom was a guy Isaac really wanted to share a category with. Asking Chaslyn for a favor and hoping her future husband wasn’t the homicidally jealous type was his last-ditch option, but he thought he ought to at least try asking out partners he wouldn’t even have that problem with a few times before he took desperate measures.

Accordingly, Isaac had resolved over midterm to just get it over with. As long as he was careful who he asked, he only had to worry about injuries to his feelings, not injuries to his person or reputation, and Isaac had hopes of finding a partner before he had to resort to asking girls whose negative responses involved things like throwing drinks in his face, shrieking their refusals just to humiliate him publicly, laughing in his face, or otherwise creating a spectacle. Pecaris were, therefore, more options of last resort, possibly ranked even after Chaslyn. Anything untoward her future husband did to him would necessarily have to happen in the future where impolite rejections would happen right here and now, before all his peers. That sounded worse than something that might, most people being reasonably pragmatic even if they weren’t Crotali, not even happen.

When he had first remembered that prefects had to have dates at the beginning of the year, though, back before it had seemed at all urgent, his first thought for a partner had been Makenzie Newell. He’d hardly define their relationship as close, but he had, between Challenges last year and Quidditch and prefecting this year, spent enough time around her that he felt like he knew and liked her better than he did most people, and also thought those things meant there was a good chance she would actually say yes. Add in that she was pretty, that he thought they could carry on a decent conversation if they chose to or were for some reason required to remain together for more of the evening in question than the first dance, and, with her new athletic convictions, that he was pretty sure they were not going to cause each other any political problems, the only thing (aside from cowardice) which had kept him from getting it over with before midterm had been his concern that he might not be completely up on fifth year romantic politics and that he might therefore tread on someone’s toes inadvertently. Since evidence didn’t suggest that was going to be a problem, though, and she had since gained the additional bonus of being someone he was nearly certain his sister had no connection whatsoever to, he had resolved by New Year’s that she was going to be the first person he attempted to ask.

Even with his list of reasons this might well work, Isaac wasn’t confident enough to do anything in a truly public forum, so he made elaborate plans for how to do the asking in as close to a non-public situation as was remotely proper. He thought through several scenarios and waited to see which would prove convenient first. He considered asking before Quidditch practice one day, but, fearing that might throw their play off no matter what answer she gave, he instead waited until everyone was leaving the Pitch after practice to fall into step with her.

“Good practice, huh?” he said, just to say something. “Ah – I was wondering – “ no, he was not going to stumble over himself; he’d kept his composure through worse than this – “if you have a partner for the prefect’s dance yet.”

16 Isaac Douglas Well, here goes...(tag Makenzie). 273 Isaac Douglas 1 5

Makenzie Newell

July 06, 2016 6:00 AM

Please keep going! by Makenzie Newell

It was odd to think that not a week ago Makenzie had been attending balls and wearing gowns, and now here she was, sweaty and dirty in a jersey, her usually meticulously kept red hair tangled into a ratty braid. Even now it felt a bit silly, like she was infringing on some sort of forbidden, unconceivable territory reserved only for boys and the particularly brave or stupid of girls. But that was exactly the point, she reminded herself: to be somewhere she did not belong. Then again, though, each instance felt a bit less foreign, like maybe there was something natural about flight and sport.

There was just something nice about belonging to something. Makenzie was a fiercely loyal person, which manifested usually in her family life and with Araceli, but now she was starting to feel something for this team. They looked out for her, and she them. Perhaps quietly, they were all friends.

Because it was an unspoken thing, she was admittedly a bit surprised as she noticed Isaac Douglas catching up to her. Wondering if perhaps she was imagining it, she slowed her steps to see if he’d pass, but he did not. The fifth year looked at him with tamed skepticism as he started talking, but immediately her expression changed as he progressed. “Ah – I was wondering – if you have a partner for the prefect’s dance yet.”

Her eyes lit up, but she did her best to keep her general expression a bit coy (as a lady ought to be), calculated body language following suit, her arms linked at the hands behind her back. “No,” she answered. “Nobody’s asked me yet.” Bright eyed, she looked up at him. “Why?” she asked impishly, fully aware as to why he would be asking.

12 Makenzie Newell Please keep going! 291 Makenzie Newell 0 5

Isaac

July 06, 2016 11:59 AM

If you insist.... by Isaac

Isaac’s natural inclination was to flee the second it looked like there was the remotest chance that something was going less than perfectly, but two things kept him from doing so when he noticed that Makenzie looked a bit skeptical about his intentions in talking to her. The first thing was that doing that would look…really strange, strange enough that it might start rumors of some kind about him if she told her roommates about it or anyone else saw it, and Isaac didn’t want to deal with that. Passing RATS was quite enough to deal with in one year, he thought, without people thinking he was in love, insane, or just a creep. The second thing was that he’d been told, over and over again, not to do that, that carrying on with sufficient fake confidence could obliterate a lot of skepticism, and evidence did seem to bear his father out on that one. It was actually kind of amazing just how much people could get away with as long as they acted the right way while doing it.

He didn’t know if it was amazing that he was apparently going to get away with what he was doing at the moment, all things considered by the least anxious bit of his thinking, but Makenzie’s expression did change for the better as soon as he mentioned the dance. That was a good sign. So, in a way, was her failure to cut to the chase, even though it dragged out the unpleasantness. If she had planned to turn him down flat, he didn't think she would have taken the time to pretend she didn't know what he was getting at. Isaac couldn't see how she could possibly profit from doing that, so why would she do it?

“Because if you’d like one, I’d be happy to fill the role,” he said. “Would you like to go to the Ball with me?”

Being direct wasn’t much more fun than not running as fast as possible in the opposite direction at the first sign of trouble, but it had to be done. Coyness was, alas, a privilege primarily granted to witches. Wizards had to get to the point at some point unless they happened to be in somewhat unconventional relationships, and since Isaac wasn’t in a relationship at all, in the end, the proper forms had to be observed. At least his suspicions that this was going to work out were now even stronger than they had been when he’d first decided to attempt it in the first place.

16 Isaac If you insist.... 273 Isaac 0 5

Makenzie

July 08, 2016 3:04 AM

Oh, I do. by Makenzie

As much training and experience as Makenzie had in emotional and disposition control, as Isaac answered her, she could not repress her grin. This was perfect! Admittedly, she’d been a bit nervous about her prospects of getting a date since the year that happened to be a ball was also the year she decided to commit some self-sabotage on her reputation. She had never thought about it actually increasing her odds, but it had given her a chance to get to know Isaac a little bit better, to let him see her as a more dynamic individual capable of more than looking pretty. Maybe that was a good thing, something he liked.

And he was from a good family. That was the best part of it. She didn’t risk one-upping Araceli since the other girl would most certainly be going with Duncan Brockert, pureblood Head Boy, so Makenzie could go with someone proper too. It definitely didn’t hurt that going with Isaac meant that she had a date for the prefects dance, a genuine concern thus far. In theory, she understood why that custom was such, but it did put such a strain for romance on the prefects and head students; after all, not even the older students always ended up with dates, so it meant a bit of scrambling on behalf of those who did not have a relationship established at Sonora, or else have a platonic mate of the opposite sex with whom they could go.

“That would be lovely,” she beamed, her words remaining fairly formal but permitting a bit of her enthusiasm to leak into her tone, just so the smile didn’t come across forced, especially since it was in fact the literal opposite. “Thank you for asking me,” she added, her tone a bit more restrained as her smile fell back to a more normal curve.

12 Makenzie Oh, I do. 291 Makenzie 0 5

Isaac

July 11, 2016 8:51 PM

Then I shall. by Isaac

Isaac knew he was a mediocre talent at best when it came to most details of analyzing fine social cues and manipulating them, but he’d put himself against people who were far more talented than he was overall when it came to the interpretation of smiles. He expected Makenzie to smile in some way one way or the other, but even expecting her to accept his offer as he did, he was surprised when the smile he got looked…genuine. Either he was amusing for all the wrong reasons or this was going far, far better than he had initially expected.

Or, he allowed, both. After all, socially acceptable males, even ones with a few less than ideally-constructed shoots off the family tree, were a limited resource in general and at Sonora in particular. She could find him utterly ridiculous and still just be glad to have a potential date at all. Isaac couldn’t really imagine anyone being too excited just about the prospect of his company, after all. As she formally accepted the offer, though, he decided not to think about it too much. He had just met the first part of his obligation for the Midsummer Event and he didn’t even think that meeting the second part in a few months was going to be a completely unpleasant experience now. That was the important part and the one he was going to focus on. Choosing one’s battles and all that.

“Thank you for accepting my invitation,” Isaac said, with a brief, genuine smile of his own. His grandmother had always said that wizards ought to be more dignified, that smiling all the time was a young woman’s job, so fake smiling itself was not one of his best-developed talents. He felt like he should say something else now, continue the conversation until they got to the school at least, but he wasn’t sure what. If he said one thing he was too pragmatic, only asking because he had an obligation, but if he said another, he'd seem to presume too much. He had not really considered how much pressure there would still be even after the question was asked and an answer had been given. He hoped the thing he came up with was at least reassuring if nothing else. “I’ll make sure my dancing is up to par by midsummer.”

16 Isaac Then I shall. 273 Isaac 0 5