Just cloud watching on Labyrinth Gardens

Keme RunningBear

April 01, 2014 9:12 PM

Just cloud watching by Keme RunningBear

Keme sat on one of the garden benches deep within the maze. He often came into the gardens, mostly for running. That was something his sister had made sure to begin training him in. She said that if he were to be the best tracker and fulfill his destiny when it was his turn for his Spirit Walk, he needed to be healthy and strong. Archery kept his hunting skills in shape, which he practiced often in the MARS room (not so much this term considering the strange turn of events) and ran in the gardens. Last year, he had not been as kept with it as he should have been and his sister had noticed immediately. This term, purple clouds or not, Keme was determined to be better with it. He had finished his run alright and instead of going inside, he decided to spend a little longer of his Saturday afternoon outside in the hazy atmosphere.

This was KoKo’s first term of college and her first time away from the lands. She had decided to carry on with her design skills and really make something of herself. She had managed to obtain a substantial scholarship (of which she proclaimed it was her Blackfoot genes that provided such a sum) and gotten into a college out in New York City. She had been terrified, but excited about going and promised to keep in touch with Keme about her adventures.

Keme’s dark eyes scanned the sky for a moment. The owl he had attached his letter to had returned a couple of hours later with his letter still there. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out that whatever had happened to the professors was also preventing any communication with the world outside of Sonora. He wondered how long it would be before his family realized that something was wrong. He didn’t write often to his parents, perhaps only a couple of times a month, so he didn’t expect them to notice too soon, but Keme and KoKo had started correspondence together since he was a first year and it was really what helped their relationship. It wasn’t really sure how he would pass the time until he could have someone to communicate with once again.

This year was not going the way he had originally planned. He had planned on being more social, joining clubs, possibly starting his own club, all in all, really trying to get himself out there. He was fourteen and didn’t have a close friend here. He hadn’t meant for it to be like that, it just happened that way. Keme wasn’t very social at home either, but he had his set of friends. He didn’t have a roommate here, so he half wondered if that was why he hadn’t been able to work out fitting in.

Aside from his lack of social skills, classes were… not going as well as he had hoped. This was no fault of his own, of course, as the staff decided to take leave just as the school year was beginning. The older students, Heads and Prefects, seemed to be doing their best to keep order, but with all the pranks that were going on, he didn’t think they had as much control as they hoped. Keme was just hoping to keep his head down and avoid any wrath that might suddenly rear its head due to all the things going on. He was also doing his best to keep up with his studies by reviewing each chapter every day. He attempted spells and things as much as he could, but it had hard not knowing if he was doing everything correctly.

On his down time, like now, Keme spent some of it drifting between thoughts. Sometimes wondering about the staff, other times about his family. Most of the time though, he just let his mind wander. Today, he was thinking about archery and whether or not he should go practice when movement caught his attention. He refocused and realized that he wasn’t alone in the garden. “I’m sorry, were you here long? Am I in your way?” He asked politely.

6 Keme RunningBear Just cloud watching 249 Keme RunningBear 1 5

Ava Fletcher

April 03, 2014 2:44 AM

Mind if I join? by Ava Fletcher

It had been a few days without the professors now and Ava was beyond distraught. The prospect of having a medical professional at the school to whom she could talk to about her future had been exciting and after Medic Eir had been announced at the feast Ava had been just about ready to dash up to the teacher's table and talk to her then and there. Instead, however, she had waited patiently at the Aladren table, talked to a new first year, and gone to bed like a good girl should. The next morning, to her horror, when she arrived at breakfast all the teachers had been missing and when she'd run to the Hospital Wing to see if the Medic had been spared, even that was empty too. After that, she began to stay in the Aladren common room and the library, reading more books in that week than she had ever read before in her life. At least that's how it seemed to the third year. That particular morning, however, she was feeling restless. The clouds outside were still purple and being cooped up all day wasn't any fun. She needed a walk.

This wasn't the first time Ava had been to the Labyrinth Gardens before, but the last time she had been here it hadn't been so...strange. Granted she hadn't been paying much attention to her surroundings, but she didn't quite think that the sky had been purple. But it didn't matter, it was probably just a weird weather phenomenon, something she'd have to get used to if she wanted to be a traveling Healer like her mother, and she needed to get away from the other students and have some time to herself with fresh air. Besides, things seemed as though they were getting out hand- owls weren't able to deliver letter and students- a certain Crotalus in her year in particular, were getting restless, rowdy, and altogether prank-y.

Ava wrapped herself in her father's old flannel shirt and tied a sweatshirt around her waist in case it got chilly. It was days like this that she really missed her father and thought it funny that each time she ventured to the Labyrinth he always came to mind. As she started to get towards the center- or as much to the center as she thought she might be, she noticed another student sitting on a bench. She vaguely recognized him but couldn't be sure. He wasn't in her year, that much she knew, but his name wasn't coming to her. Ava stopped, unsure if to turn around or continue by him- he looked peaceful and she didn't want to disturb him.

In the end, she decided that she should leave and as she was turning to go, something caught her eye. It might have only been a leaf blown by the wind, but she still quickly whipped around and crept closer to where she thought she had seen movement. Before she got there though, the boy spoke.

"I’m sorry, were you here long? Am I in your way?"

She shrugged. He was very polite and she felt bad for disturbing his rest. "No, I'm not going anywhere in particular," she replied, though she wished she had a better answer than that. He looked friendly enough and Ava knew that if her Papa was there he'd have something interesting to say that would start a conversation. Her grandfather had always been very personable although it hadn't particularly rubbed off on her. From time to time striking up conversation with random strangers seemed like good ideas to her as it had last year when she'd talked to a seventh-year in the MARS room, a student whose name she didn't remember if she had even gotten. Other times they made conversation with her as Dimitri had during a quiz their first year there, but other than Dimitri she hadn't talked to many people.

Ava's eyes drifted towards the sky momentarily, studying the weird color and feeling as if she were in another world altogether. "What do you suppose is going on?" She asked, not addressing him in particular even though he was the only other one in the area. He didn't have to answer her question, she reasoned, he didn't know her and she was probably disturbing him. She'd asked the question rhetorically, if anything, trying to get her brain to start coming up with a logical explanation. "It looks gorgeous though, whatever it is."

She truly did like the color of the sky- if she'd had the foresight to bring a sketchpad or water colors out she would have sat down at the first bench she'd seen or even just on the ground to try and capture it. But then again, if she'd brought either of those out she never would have ventured this far into the garden and have met the older student.

10 Ava Fletcher Mind if I join? 258 Ava Fletcher 0 5

Keme

April 06, 2014 8:56 PM

Not at all. by Keme

Keme recognized the girl from their common room and he was pretty sure he had seen her in some classes, making her a third year. Having no roommate or close friends in the Aladren house, Keme had kept to himself. Sometimes, when he decided to spend time in the common room, he watched his housemates interact with each other. Although he couldn’t claim whether or not he saw her collaborating with anyone in their house, he had definitely seen her there. He couldn’t recall her name off the top of his head though, not that that meant anything. If she was starting classes with him again, he’d pick it up in roll call. He would pay attention to her now, especially since he found her a little bit appealing.

Well, he wasn’t in her way, so that was something. He had only taken a seat to catch his breath and enjoy being outside for a little while. He had long since caught his breath and the sweat from the run had turned cold against his skin. It wasn’t cold outside, but it was an indication that he had stopped running for a while now. If he had been in her way, he would have just left the area and let her do her thing. Since she didn’t seem in a hurry or in need of the bench he was on, he stayed seated.

When her eyes went up towards the sky, his followed suit and he found himself staring at the purple clouds once again. Her question seemed open-ended. As far as he could tell, no one knew what was going on. How the school was even still standing was amazing to him. He never had much faith in his classmates. Eventually, if the staff did not return, even the Head students wouldn’t be able to keep order. He can’t imagine those around their age taking kindly to being told what to do.

“My only guess is some sort of magic backfired.” Keme commented. He had no real thought on the color of the clouds. They were just purple. If he were honest with himself, he would say that they made the sky look angry. Grey clouds made it look sad, but purplish clouds, bruised colored clouds, looked angry. He didn’t say any of that though because he knew a sky could not have feelings and it would make him sound crazy. Also, she had just said that she liked the color. Putting an negative spin on the color might not sit well with her.

“I don’t know, however, how a backfired spell that causes clouds to turn purple and not allow owls in or out has anything to do with the disappearance of the staff.” He added. He really did not see a connection at all. They must have been related though because there was just too much of a coincidence. “What do you think will happen if the professors don’t come back soon?” Was anyone aware yet outside the school grounds? How long before they were? Too many questions and no way was there any answers.

6 Keme Not at all. 0 Keme 0 5

Ava Fletcher

April 16, 2014 4:25 AM

That's cool. by Ava Fletcher

Ava nodded, the idea of magic backfiring to create such an effect sounded about right. Though it had nothing to do with the workings of the body it was still an interesting concept to her. What kind of magic did the boy suppose it was? In her opinion it had to be a rather nasty branch. After all the teachers were gone and there was no way to find out if anyone knew what was going on as the owls could not fly out.

The boy, it seemed, had read her mind. "I don’t know, however, how a backfired spell that causes clouds to turn purple and not allow owls in or out has anything to do with the disappearance of the staff," he said.

Ava agreed. "It's got to be something really awful if it's down that line. It makes me think someone really has it out for our school..."

“What do you think will happen if the professors don’t come back soon?” The boy asked.

She shrugged. "I know that it's bad to think this way, and believe me- I don't wish ill on anyone, but I think it would be interesting to see if disease reaches it's maximum potency with no Medic around. I know it sounds a little morbid but it would be such an interesting scenario to be in, don't you think?" Ava hoped he didn't take that the wrong way and thought of her mother's job that brought her to the far reaches of the world where there were no Healers. Things could get pretty messy and Ava wanted to know what it would be like living like that.

Perhaps, though, he was talking about leadership, how the school would be run. "I expect the Heads to have it together and try and manage things. Whether that works or not, I don't know. Alicia seems to be very organized and put together but I've never talked with Thaddeus before. What would you do if you were in charge?" Ava asked, recalling a question asked by Rupert in DADA to her and Dimitri. She didn't actually know how she in particular would respond. She liked to think she would have it together but knew she probably wouldn't have done well. How did Heads and prefects get picked anyway? She'd have to figure that out in order to avoid being elected lest such an event happen again.

It was then that Ava realized she had been talking to an older student without having been introduced to him before. She vaguely recognized him from her first year of classes, which meant he was only a year older than her, but for the life of her she couldn't remember ever talking to him in class or hearing much about him. Perhaps she had just been too into her friendship with Dimitri to really pay attention to what was going on outside of their little world. She felt a little guilty for that.

"Nice to meet you, by the way," she said, hoping that this introduction would be casual. She had never bothered much with formality anyway, glad her mother had escaped from such traditions before having her, and decided that the situation at hand with the teachers missing really didn't need to be bothered with formality anyway. "I'm Ava, what's your name?" She took a seat next to the other Aladren and offered her hand.

That, however, was not the only realization the third-year had while sitting there in the Gardens with her housemate. "What do you suppose will happen when the professors get back?" She asked. "What will happen with all the traditional pureblood students? Will their parents be furious with the school, withdraw their children and their funding? And if that happens, where will everyone else go?" These were the important questions that needed to be answered. Given that the teachers did come back, she was sure the parents would be very angry and then all hell would break loose if it hadn't already. Certainly some students would be removed while the others would have to pay the price of their peers leaving and perhaps even causing the school to shut down. And with no Sonora there could be no hope for moving on to higher education and becoming a Healer, that was for sure. Ava sighed dejectedly.

OOC: Ava's probably being a little dramatic there at the end. My apologies.

10 Ava Fletcher That's cool. 258 Ava Fletcher 0 5

Keme

May 07, 2014 6:03 PM

Yes. by Keme

Keme didn’t say much about her opinion of the spells that caused the school. He really wasn’t sure if it was something dangerous or not. He figured, maybe a school full of teenagers could be dangerous, but they seemed to have enough food for the time being and it’s not like they couldn’t start a garden or something if they did end up running out. Really, it was just the people who misused their magic that was a concern for him. Anyone who found entertainment by using their wands against another person was a danger to them all. It was immature and clearly someone who had never had an ounce of responsibility. They were going to be the problem. Other than that though, Keme didn’t feel in danger from outside sources. If anyone was out to get the school, wouldn’t they have done so while the staff was gone?

He gave her an odd look when she confessed to what she was hoping to have happen while the staff was away. It was a rather Aladren thing to want, to study the effects of the situation, but it was also a little bit Pecari in her desire to see possible harm without the appropriate solution. “Not particularly.” He commented, though he held no negative tone in his voice at her thinking such things. “I really wouldn’t want to be in a confined area with a bunch of sick people and no way of healing them. That is just asking for trouble.” Keme commented. “Besides, most of the students here have never been sick longer than having to hold a potion to their lips. They wouldn’t know what to do with themselves having to suffer through it and I don’t want to have to listen to them in the process. You have a very strange wish.” Keme stated, though he looked genuinely amused by the thought of it.

Keme thought over her question for a moment. He knew that he would never obtain the Prefect badge. That would go to Francesca. She was involved in things more so than he was. She made herself known to people while he maintained a softer presence, hidden in the background despite his Nationality making him stand out in a different way. He would never get Head Boy either. Grades wouldn’t matter in that vote. That was all about popularity. That would go to someone like Adam or Charlie. Not to someone like Keme. He would never have to take lead with something like this and he was okay with that. At home, with his people, Keme could handle the leadership role. He was comfortable with them. They knew him and they understood him. He didn’t think people would listen to him here, even if he did have a badge on.

“Maybe panic at first.” Keme said honestly. “But, probably just what the Heads and Prefects are doing now. Try to keep order, keep up with classes. Things like that.” Keme shrugged. “I’m sure they are stressed though; it can’t be easy keeping order. I am glad I’ll never have to do it.” And he was. As sad as it was for him to acknowledge the fact that he would never be picked for those roles, he at least knew he wouldn’t have to worry about such things. His grandfather might not be pleased, but he was a good man and wouldn’t hold it against Keme.

His dark eyes followed her as she took a seat beside him and offered her hand to him. He took it and gave it a firm shake, something his father taught him. “Keme.” He replied. “It’s nice to meet you too.” He always found introductions to be strange, especially this far into their school life, but it was still necessary.

Her sudden change in topic surprised Keme into silence. Keme was a Pureblood, but he wasn’t sure if he was a ‘Traditional’ Pureblood as she had stated. His tribe was as pure as it could be after centuries of being with only magical beings, but the world outside his lands tended to overlook them because of their heritage. Keme’s grandfather was Chief. They had funds thanks to their goods that people require. He lived a rather comfortable life, but he was certain he was not ‘Traditional’. Did that make her not ‘Traditional’? Or Pureblood?

“I’m sure they’ll make a fuss. Maybe even demand a new Headmaster if they decide they need to blame someone for this.” Keme advised. “There might be a few who pull their children from the school, but I think the school will be fine. And if it isn’t, everyone else will just transfer to a different school.” He stated. There were several magical schools in America, but Keme would probably just finish his schooling back home with the other children. “But, if the magical parents who have a problem with magic going wrong complain so much that they remove their children, they shouldn’t have their children learn magic then.” Keme commented, looking slightly disgruntled. “Magic backfires. They are magical, they should have a better understanding of that.”

OOC: Sorry this took so long. I’ve been sick for 3 weeks straight and tried not to spend too much time on the computer. Also, if it helps, his name is pronounced ‘Kem-may’

6 Keme Yes. 0 Keme 0 5