Nathan Xavier
May 22, 2015 7:45 PM
First Year Orientation by Nathan Xavier
The school was trying something a little different this year. The flying covered wagons that brought the students to Sonora were arriving at each of the standard magical transportation centers around the country a few hours earlier. The pick-up schedule that was sent out with acceptance letters and supply lists had reflected this change in large letters and red ink so it would not be easily missed.So instead of arriving at Sonora just in time for the Opening Feast, they were instead landing on school grounds in the middle of the afternoon. This timing change was implemented to accommodate a new Orientation Program for the incoming first years.
So as student disembarked from each wagon in the Labyrinth Gardens, Nathan Xavier, the school's groundskeeper, was there to offer guidance on the new process.
"Welcome, welcome back, leave your luggage on the wagon, the elves will relocate your belongings to your rooms for you." In fact, even as he spoke there was the popping sounds of elf magic vanishing away the suitcases, trunks, and sundry other items packed into the wagon's storage cubbies. For the older students, the items would be beside their bunks before they even reached the school building. For the new first years, their things would be placed in a temporary storage room until the children were sorted, then delivered to their appropriate room during the Feast.
"New students, please head over there," he pointed out a large clearing around a circular water fountain where two buffet tables had been set up with many varieties of snack foods and drinks. A banner hung over the tables clearly identifying the purpose of the event, *First Year Orientation - Welcome to Sonora Academy!*
"We will begin a brief orientataion program as soon as all the wagons have arrived. Please mingle amongst yourselves and enjoy the refreshments in the meantime."
Once the new first years had departed, he turned back to the older students remaining. "Returning students, you may either get settled in your rooms for a few hours or socialize in the Cascade Hall until the Feast begins. There will be some pre-Feast snacks available there, too, if you get hungry. Please find your Head of House or a prefect to get your password." At least one from each House should be about the wagon landing zone for that purpose, himself included.
After all the wagons had unloaded and he gave the password to the final lingering older Teppenpaws who requested it, Nathan headed over to where the new first years had gathered.
He cleared his throat, cast a Sonoras charm on himself make himself more easily heard in the open space, and began.
"Your attention please. May I have your attention?" He repeated that as necessary until he felt he had achieved his goal. "Thank you. First of all, on behalf of all the staff," he nodded to the several who had stuck around to help him chaperone, "I'd like to extend a warm welcome to all of here at Sonora Academy."
"My name is Nathan Xavier, the school's Groundskeeper. I'm going to start with a quick overview of what you can expect here, then we'll break for a mixer so you can get to know some of your fellow yearmates and continue enjoying the food our Prairie Elves have prepared for you. Then we'll finish off the orientation program with a tour that will deliver you to the Cascade Hall, our dining hall, where we will then commence the Opening Feast and your Sorting."
He paused a moment to let them digest the itinerary, then launched into his 'brief overview' - which, admittedly, was not especially brief.
"Sonora is a seven year magical boarding school. You'll be learning five core magical subjects here including Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. For your first two years, you will take those five classes at beginner level. Beginner classes combine both the first and second year students, so as first years, you can work with students who were as new to this a year ago as you are now and see how far you can advance in just a year.
"In third year, you'll begin Intermediate Classes in the five core subjects, and be given the option to take whichever electives are being offered at that time. If you would like to study an elective class that is not offered, please speak to your Head of House - I'll get to those in a minute - and they can help you set up an independent study program. Intermediate classes combine the students in their third, fourth, and fifth years.
"At the end of fifth year, you will take what is called a CATS test. That's a Critical Assessment of Talents and Skills. It's a standardized tests most American magical schools administer at that time. Your CATS scores will help determine which courses you are allowed to continue into the Advanced classes as many require a minimum test result to continue in that subject.
"In sixth year, you will begin your advanced studies, and you may drop the subjects you no longer wish to take, though you must keep at least two. Advanced classes combine the two oldest years in the school, the sixth and seventh years. At the end of Seventh year, you will take another standardized test called the RATS - the Ridiculously Anal Testing of Skills - which, as the name implies, will be the most difficult test you will ever take in your entire life. Rest assured though, it has not yet proven fatal, so you should all survive it. Your results will, however, largely determine which college, university, apprenticeship, or entry level job you can get when you leave here, so do take them seriously."
"All right, that's academics. For general residential life, food is available in the Cascade Hall. There are specific times when breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served, but sandwiches, fruit, and snacks are available anytime between five am and curfew at ten pm. You may also request food from one of the elves. We have Prairie Elves working here at Sonora, which are a close cousin to the House Elves some of you may be familiar with. They handle the cooking in the kitchens, the cleaning inside the school, and help me with grounds maintence. They can be excitable but are generally very helpful to have around."
"Sonora has four Houses and each student will belong to one of them. Your House will be like your family here. You may earn points for your house during class and for exceptional behavior as well as some other activities. The House that accumulates the most points during the year will win the House Cup, which is a trophy displayed in the common room of whichever House won it last.
"The Four Houses are Aladren, Teppenpaw, Crotalus, and Pecari. There are a number of factors that go into determining which House you get sorted into, but to put matters into simplest terms, Aladren students are generally the ones who most enjoy learning, Teppenpaw students are generally social people, Crotalus students tend to be responsible, and Pecari students often like to try new things. There will, of course, be exceptions, so don't be too concerned if you get put in a House and don't believe you fit that single quality. And do try to remember there are smart people outside of Aladren and friendly people outside of Teppenpaw. No House has a total monopoly on their characteristics. You'll be living with each other for seven years. Get to know one another; don't just make snap judgements based on your classmate's House Badge."
Nathan took a deep breath, "Almost done, I promise. Extracurrularly, Sonora offers a variety of clubs. Keep an eye out for announcements on your House bulletins. Any student is welcome to create their own club as well if one does not already exist for your interest, you just need to find a staff advisor and a place to meet. Each House also has a Quidditch team, which is a wizarding sport played on flying broomsticks for those of you who don't know. First years are very welcome to join, so don't hesitate to sign up when the sheets go up. We're not a big school, so every House has openings this year." Aladren and Pecari had both graduated players last year, and Teppenpaw and Crotalus needed every body they could put on a broom if they hoped to have separate teams this year.
Nathan rubbed his hands together, "Okay, I think that was everything I wanted to cover. If you have any other questions feel free to ask me or one of the other staff here to help you. Now go mingle with each other, make friends, collect a map and the class schedule from the table over there, and I'll get your attention again when it's time for the tour and the Feast."
OOC (Out of Character):
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 a hang of the site before we throw you into the big Opening Feast next week, which is open to the entire school population and can be a bit overwhelming. So post, enjoy, have fun! Everyone is here to happy to help out, so if you've got a question, put it on the OOC or try to catch somebody in the Chatzy and we'll try to get you an answer as quick as we can.
Subthreads: The Orientation by Seven Grayscale with Ingrid Wolseithcrafte
Curiouser and curiouser. by Laila Kennedy with Dustin Newell
An unfamiliar social situation by Louis Valois with Arne Reinhardt
Isn't this exciting? by Emilia-Louise Scott with Micah Breckinridge
It only goes downhill from here. by Wu Peizhi with Kira Spaulding
Unsolicited pressure. by Abigail De La Garza
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Nathan Xavier
First Year Orientation
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Nathan Xavier
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Seven Grayscale
May 22, 2015 8:15 PM
The Orientation by Seven Grayscale
Seven found himself nodding slightly at the man's words. The...groundskeeper...is he? Nathan Xavier? He nodded in confirmation to himself.His gray eyes scanned the rest of the students who he assumed to be first-years and scowled. Surely, these people weren't who he had to associate with for the rest of his childhood. The thought did nothing to suppress his frown.
The Groundskeeper made his last remarks before dismissing the students. Seven witnessed several people walking towards the little snacks with hunger in their eyes. He ,on the other hand, headed straight for the maps and schedules. He'd have something to read and maybe drown out his peers who were already managing to annoy him.
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Seven Grayscale
The Orientation
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Ingrid Wolseithcrafte
May 22, 2015 10:05 PM
Have you got your bearings? by Ingrid Wolseithcrafte
Finally, finally she got to start Sonora. No longer would she be the stuck at home little baby. Ingrid was excited, though not really for the orientation or the feast - she wanted to play Quidditch, and she couldn’t help but feel impatient with every hour that stood between her and trying out for her house team…Still, the orientation might be ok. It was something none of her siblings had, which piqued her curiosity a little. The groundskeeper guy talked for way too long, telling her things that having three older siblings in school, she already knew inside out, and she fiddled with her long brown hair whilst he talked, retying the ponytail that had undoubtedly got messed up on the wagon ride. But there was food and a chance to mingle and make friends, both of which were things she liked.
She headed first to the pile of schedules and maps, knowing that she’d forget them if she didn’t get them straight away. Another boy was helping himself, and she smiled at him, her excitement reflected in her green eyes. He didn’t seem so cheery though….
“Are you ok?” she asked. Maybe he was homesick, or had felt wagon sick (she resisted the urge to edge back slightly) or just…. confused. She peered at him curiously, wondering whether he might be an overwhelmed Muggleborn. It wasn’t like she wasn’t supposed to speak to them at all - it was virtually impossible in such a small school - but she didn’t think she’d ever met one before.
OOC - Hi Seven, welcome to Sonora. Please remember there is a 200 word minumum for posts. Some things you could mention would be Seven’s physical appearance, why he feels the way he does about his classmates etc.
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Ingrid Wolseithcrafte
Have you got your bearings?
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Laila Kennedy
May 26, 2015 1:09 AM
Curiouser and curiouser. by Laila Kennedy
As a five year old, popularity comes with whose parent brings in the best snacks and who’s best at sharing. As an eleven year old, moving away from a familiar small, Muggle town after finding out one is a witch, it becomes a little more difficult. Growing up, Laila had not been one immune to being different. However, she had never imagined it would be anything as different as being a witch. Her poor mother, bless her soul, was probably having fits at that very moment, sending her daughter off to the dangerous world of magical boarding school. Laila smiled sadly as she looked out of the (flying!) wagon window. It was a weird feeling, leaving Turner’s Point for Sonora Academy. When the school official had first shown up on her doorstep she had been hesitant at first, reluctant to believe that the fits she’d been experiencing’d had anything to do with magic. Her parents had been even more astounded as she had never told anyone about the “fits” preferring to keep it a low profile in the nosy town that she lived in.However, something about the letter and the explanation was…reassuring. There was finally a reason for the odd things that happened to her when she got emotional, and she was going to go somewhere she could learn how to keep that in check. The entire time she was packing and trying to help her mother come to terms with it, Laila felt relieved. That didn’t stop her from trying to reassure herself though that it was all God’s plan for her, that this was the way things were meant to be and that it didn’t mean anything. She just wouldn’t be attending Our Lady of the Lake in the fall, like all the other Catholic students in town, that was all. Even thinking that felt weird, and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She felt as though the whole wagon was staring at her, as though they knew. Of course, that was silly—everyone here was magical, her being a witch wasn’t anything different, it was ordinary, and she was going to have to get used to that.
She raised her eyes and caught the gaze of the younger of the two Reinhardts. Laila made a face in response and looked back out the window though she was sure Arne was still staring at her as though trying to find something wrong with her appearance. She tucked a brown curl behind her ear, reaching her hand up to double check the headband to make sure it was perfectly in place and put her hands back down in her lap to smooth out the fabric of her dress. Her stomach turned as the wagon prepared to land and she closed her eyes, fingers clasping an imaginary rosary as she silently said a Hail Mary just in case something malfunctioned (because she still didn’t quite understand how magic worked) and the wagon crashed.
Nevertheless, the wagon landed perfectly fine and she disembarked and headed towards the water fountain around which the other new students were gathering. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she spotted the buffet tables and remembered that she hadn’t eaten anything since the previous night’s salmon dinner. Her fingers itched to take a plate and something to eat to tide herself over until the dinner that inevitably would have to be served to them, but politesse forced her to restrain herself. She stood a little off to the side, observing the other students, unsure as to who to talk to, half wanting to engage with Arne Reinhardt so that she’d have someone to talk to, half wanting to ignore his existence like she normally did.
After a moment’s contemplation, she made her decision, but before she could direct her feet in the direction she wanted to go, the man who had directed them towards the fountain cleared his throat. She carefully noted the various staff members he pointed out, hoping that she wouldn’t have a hard time remembering their faces and wondering which of them were teachers and which were in charge of feeding them. Then again, she re-thought, as Mr. Xavier went on to explain the classes and layout of the next seven years, that was how Muggles school worked, perhaps all teachers at magical boarding schools were required to know how to cook, she thought, maybe they took shifts. She couldn’t be sure—the whole thing was still new to her.
She nodded along politely as she listened, forehead puckering at the mention of House Elves and Prairie Elves. Elves were real? And she had just gotten over her belief in Santa Claus, a tradition her mother hated but her father insisted on and her brother still believed in. She sighed as Mr. Xavier continued to talk about things that went over her head. In the end, Quiddwitch and House Cup tournaments were all the same to her and she was still trying to keep up with all the various names he kept spitting out, but she did her best anyway not to look too panicked in case it gave Arne Reinhardt something to lord over her later.
When they were dismissed to mingle, Laila walked towards the buffet table, eyes searching for something familiar amongst the treats offered. She selected what appeared to be a small hand pie and picked up a glass of juice that was equally orange to the filling oozing out of the pie. Orange? She raised the cup to her lips tentatively and almost immediately sputtered when the liquid touched her tongue. It wasn’t a bad taste, in fact it was kind of good and spiced, but not at all like the clear, tart taste of orange juice that she had expected. Startled, she shifted to raise the napkin wrapped pie to her mouth. Pumpkin. She eyebrows lifted in understanding—the taste of the juice was similar to that of the pie and she smiled in a little bit of amusement—that the orientation was so Halloween in style was funny. Would every day of the rest of her life be like this, she wondered, like Halloween? The idea was certainly an interesting one to ponder over.
OOC: Not god-modding since Laila & Arne are both mine and come from the same town :)
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Laila Kennedy
Curiouser and curiouser.
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Louis Valois
May 26, 2015 12:09 PM
An unfamiliar social situation by Louis Valois
It had been an early start for Louis Valois that morning, to ensure all was packed before travelling to the Transportation Centre. His mother had stayed at home (busy planning a dinner party for business associates), and his father had left the Centre relatively quickly, not being the type to 'baby' his son. Left all alone, Louis had been horrified at the arrival of the wagon, being used to travelling in luxury. No one else was travelling with him, and it was a long few hours’ drive. He’d passed the time reading up on some more theory of magic, excited to finally be able to use a wand after years of waiting. Upon arrival at the school he was directed to the Labyrinth Gardens, where orientation was apparently to take place.Louis stood listening as the groundskeeper gave an overview of school life. Most of the information was already known to him – starting at a new school knowing nothing about anything would be nothing short of stupidity! He was slightly nervous about the large mass of unknown students, although he didn’t allow himself to appear anything less than confident.
When the groundskeeper had finished talking, Louis walked over to collect a map and timetable, not really sure who to talk to. His experiences of social situations normally meant people falling over themselves to talk to the young Valois heir, his father there to steer him clear of the less desirable contacts. Whilst now fully experienced in dealing with French wizarding society, Louis hadn’t yet met many Americans, and therefore had no idea which students were from suitable backgrounds.
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Louis Valois
An unfamiliar social situation
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Arne Reinhardt
May 26, 2015 4:07 PM
Ditto. by Arne Reinhardt
For Arne, coming to Sonora just meant one more thing he had to stay on top of in order to prove himself to his father. While Tobi brought home alright marks—never perfect scores, but never so low that their father was upset with him, just average—Arne was determined to prove himself to their father, prove that he had more talent than Tobi and prove that even if was was born second he was more deserving of the shop than Tobi. It was odd that an eleven year old be so obsessed with his future, but ever since Tobi had left the shop for Sonora and their father had said Arne picked up on the techniques faster than Tobi did, had felt as though he would at least get an equal share. Yet a floo call he overheard (sometime just before Tobi came home last year) between Father and Grandfather indicated that this wasn’t the case.He had spent the duration of the summer looking over Tobi’s old textbooks when he hadn’t been in the shop as he figured if he got ahead now and picked up the lessons quickly at Sonora, he would receive better marks than Tobi which would put him one step closer to showing that he was more deserving than his older brother who, in all reality, would have been perfectly happy living in a shack in the woods by himself, surrounded with animals and limited contact to the outside world save for floo calls from Liac. He scoffed. While Arne wasn’t a particularly materialistic guy, his version of the dream would have included the shop and actual contact with actual people.
And, though his stomach growled slightly when the grounds-keeper had let them go about their own business, he forced himself to walk towards the maps and timetables. He couldn’t depend on Tobi for directions if they weren’t in the same house as they’d have different common rooms and thus be walking to class different ways, and if they were in the same house he didn’t envision himself sticking around to listen to Tobi’s unsolicited help. He reached for a map and a timetable and turned to grab some food and maybe bother Laila, when he saw another boy standing by himself. “Hey,” he said in a rather gruff manner, rolling up the map and time table and stuffing them into the back pocket of his jeans next to his wand. “You don’t look like you’re from around here.”
In actuality, Arne had no idea where the other boy came from, but it didn’t really matter to Arne if the other boy had been raised in the garden they were standing in. It was something to say and besides that it sounded aloof enough for him that he didn’t really care. “So,” he said in a manner that likely sounded as though he were sizing the other boy up. “You trying out for Quidditch?” Since Tobi played, it was something he hadn’t really considered doing but the moment the words left his lips, Arne realized just how much he did want to join the team. He didn’t think he had ever really felt this driven to do anything since he’d discovered how much he liked metal charming.
OOC: Note, obviously since he’s only 11, Arne hasn’t actually been allowed to do magic in the shop, however he has been taught to do the other magic-less portions of the craft.
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Arne Reinhardt
Ditto.
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Emilia-Louise Scott
May 26, 2015 6:33 PM
Isn't this exciting? by Emilia-Louise Scott
Emilia-Louise had been waiting her turn for a long time and having her step-brother Chuck leave for Sonora the previous term had only made her evermore impatient to go to school herself. She had always seen Sonora Academy as a beacon of freedom on the distant horizon and now the time had come for her to seize such opportunities to expand her knowledge in ways that her father and his friends didn’t think necessary or appropriate for women and to mix with the sorts of people she was never given the chance to meet at home.Having a number of friends and relatives having been to Sonora, Emmy-Lou was by no means alien to the world in which she was entering. Even so, she still listened closely as the school Groundskeeper apparently tried and failed to keep things short. She learnt several things about the school that she wasn't already aware of or had simply forgotten. The school system she knew about but the first year could never remember what it was that CATS and RATS stood for, although she knew that they currently bore very little relevance to her. Emmy-Lou paid most attention to the mention of houses. She thought herself someone to enjoy learning and trying new things as well as to be sociable and responsible, which technically would put her in all houses and she couldn’t at all fathom how she would manage to be sorted. This didn’t worry her, though; if anything it made her rather excited to know she couldn’t be unsurprised whichever house she were to end up in.
The idea of creating her own club was one that instantly appealed to Emmy-Lou, although she reasoned that perhaps she should work on making friends and keeping up academically in her first year after having heard how difficult it was to balance too many things from her L.A. neighbour who was now entering her third year at Sonora.
When the Groundskeeper finished talking, Emmy-Lou did as suggested and grabbed herself a map and a class schedule. She glanced over these quickly before turning to a nearby first year. “Hi, I’m Emilia-Louise Scott,” she spoke forwardly, holding out her hand to shake the other student’s enthusiastically in a most unladylike greeting that would have made her stepmother faint. Emmy-Lou had been brought up knowing that she was supposed to curtsey and always obliged, admittedly begrudgingly, to do so at social events. But this was Sonora and she had no intention of behaving in the way her father desired when he wasn’t there to watch. “Isn’t this exciting?”
Perhaps if Chuck or Joella had been at the orientation, she might have thought better about her rather vehement introduction of herself but they weren’t and she didn’t think she’d been that bad anyway. She was a half-blood and she hated pretending to be otherwise when it was clear that everyone knew the truth. She had nothing against purebloods in general, having several close friends and family members of that status, and therefore was not opposed to making friends with them at Sonora but she wasn’t about to be too nice to the Alistair Johnsons of the world, the type who made it clear that they thought she was beneath them.
"I can't wait to try out all the different clubs on offer," Emmy continued without pausing for a response to her unintentionally rhetorical question. Perhaps it was excitement or nerves or a mixture of both that was causing her to suddenly be so enthusiastic towards the unfamiliar first year in front of her. "What about you?"
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Emilia-Louise Scott
Isn't this exciting?
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Wu Peizhi
May 26, 2015 10:17 PM
It only goes downhill from here. by Wu Peizhi
The first and only thought streaking across Peizhi’s mind was simple: I can’t do this. Of course, it was raw and untranslated, flavored with a home she had to leave behind in favor of this new foreign land. (How anyone could ever reach the point of thinking in a language except one’s native tongue was simply beyond her comprehension.) She was already homesick for China, for her elder brothers and her parents. For normalcy. Something.Being stuck with other people definitely would not quiet her storms. She was certain to always hang near the back of the crowd to ensure she would never be completely surrounded, as well as guarantee no one was staring at her. Peizhi was a very nervous young girl who desperately wanted to blend in and pretend she did not exist, but mismatching her almost entirely Caucasian year-group automatically singled her out as different. And if it wasn’t obvious enough, she knew the moment she spoke--if she spoke, of course, as the possibility of lengthy silence was entirely possible with her--her accented English would give her away; no matter how good she had gotten at the language, there were still obvious imperfections.
Usually Peizhi was a wonderful listener, but she found it difficult to pay attention to Mr. Xavier’s speech. Through no fault of his own, of course; Mr. Xavier seemed to be a lovely man, but she was consumed by these anxious thoughts. She had never even wanted to come to America, but given her half-sister’s involvement with an American pureblood, her father sent her to Sonora essentially to scope out their contemporaries. Of her siblings, Peizhi felt she was probably the worst possible choice, but given Bohai was an adult and Huojin was well through his education elsewhere. And according to her mother, she had also had the most luck learning English, a fact Peizhi so prided herself on. The silent one knew how to speak. The irony was palpable.
And speaking of speaking--the irony continued--Mr. Xavier was now done at last. Unfortunately, one of Peizhi’s peers chose to speak to her. It was no fault of their own, but the sudden new interaction jarred her enough to produce a tiny jump. The constriction of her muscles took away all her attention, so she missed just what the person said. As she composed herself, her shrinking posture making her appear even smaller than she was, she quietly and deliberately said, “I am very sorry, what did you say?”
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Wu Peizhi
It only goes downhill from here.
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Dustin Newell
May 26, 2015 11:03 PM
And curiouser still. by Dustin Newell
Pale green eyes darted scrutinizingly around their surroundings, the freckled nose beneath scrunched critically. Dustin thus far had found no apparent fault in Sonora, but he was very keen on confirming this opinion; after all, he, as the Newell family heir, deserved nothing but the best. And while she may not have held quite exactly the same level of importance as he, his cousin Makenzie, a rising third year Crotalus student, would not have examined as thoroughly as he intended to. Her standards were admittedly a bit lower than his own.He decided that he liked this Mr. Xavier well enough and would not have minded ended up in Teppenpaw, although from what Makenzie said, he did not see that to be a likely outcome. He anticipated joining her in Crotalus, and if not there, then Aladren. He tried to consider the possibilities logically and maturely, his two favorite ways to consider things, when contemplating his future Sorting, and in the end, he decided that it was not worth worrying too terribly about because no amount of worrying would change the end result.
So instead he remained calm, or at least calm by his own standards as he continued to monitor himself: Stand up straight. Arms to your sides. Chin up. Eyes forward. Appear attentive. And my God, stop slouching--you aren’t doing your spine any favors. Perhaps it was a bit hard on himself, but Dustin simply considered it a part of his high standards; they applied to himself as well.
Another thought occurred to him suddenly. Pay attention. But by this time, Mr. Xavier was done, and the first years were effectively released to the concessions and conversations they desired. Finding no one around who immediately drew in his eye, Dustin decided to turn to the snack arrangement. As he approached, however, he noticed a girl who appeared to be having some funny experience with her drink and snack. He glanced into her cup and noticed the orange coloration of the liquid. That could only mean one thing. “Excuse me,” he said politely, showing no hint of the excitement he felt. “Is that pumpkin juice?” If so, Sonora was winning some definite points by serving one of his favorite drinks.
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Dustin Newell
And curiouser still.
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Micah Breckinridge
May 27, 2015 12:53 AM
I've cautiously optimistic. by Micah Breckinridge
Micah didn’t really know what to expect with coming to Sonora. It was his first year going to a school instead of being tutored at home. He was glad that there was going to be an orientation to help him get familiar with everything. Shuffling his feet a bit, he tried to pay attention as the man who had introduced himself as Mr. Xavier began to go over all of the material, but it was hard to given how much he really wanted to look around. There were sure to be all sorts of stones here that he didn’t have back home, but that would have to wait until later. Now was the school’s time.He appreciated the fact that their guide went over the class structure. Though, he wished it included a little more detail. Would the education he had received at home be enough to ensure that he wouldn’t be behind before he even begun. His grandparents expected a lot of him. His father had been a disappointment to them despite the fact that his band Dark Syly was rather successful, but it didn’t meet the plans that had been laid out for him long ago. Now, it was up to Micah to uphold the family name. Grades were only a small part of that upholding.
The structure was easy to deal with. Micah could deal with structure. It was appreciated actually. He wasn’t really a go with the flow sort of guy. He lived by a schedule at home. He didn’t know how to live otherwise and it appeared that here would be no different. It was really a relief to have something so comfortable. Perhaps, he would even have enough time to be able to work on his collection. His ears perked up the mention of extracurricular activities. There might even be a club devoted to rock collecting. Then, he would be able to have someone to compare collections with. Maybe they would even live somewhere that had ones he didn’t have otherwise and they could swap them.
His fantasy was short-lived when they were told to mingle. That was always a dreaded word. Of course, he had the ability to be polite should anyone talk to him, but he had difficulty approaching others. Subconsciously, he picked at the bit of skin that met nail. It was a bad habit, but one that made social situations a little easier. He was saved from having to try when a girl introduced herself albeit a bit more forward than he was used to. Tentatively, he took her hand to shake, not really knowing how else to behave. “Micah Breckinridge…” he hesitated, his mouth left slightly open, before he added, “of the New York Breckinridges.” Expectations.
The brown haired boy tilted his head in curiosity. She was rather overenthusiastic, quite different from him. “I’ll have to see what’s available,” he answered in his reserved way. “I know that I’ll be trying out for Quidditch. I’m sure that there will be some other things too. My family believes in being well-rounded, I suppose.” It was the best way he could think of what was required of him. It wasn’t enough just to join a bit of everything, but to be exceptional at those things. “What do you think of the Houses? Any particular one you hope to get into?” He asked mostly out of politeness, but he pegged her for being Teppenpaw or Pecari. There was a chance that he could be wrong, but he though it was a fair bet and he wasn’t much of a risk taker. “I was drawn to the qualities possessed of Aladren and Crotalus, personally.”
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Micah Breckinridge
I've cautiously optimistic.
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Micah Breckinridge
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Laila Kennedy
May 27, 2015 5:28 AM
I’m guessing you’re no Cheshire Cat? by Laila Kennedy
While she was contemplating the idea of having Halloween every day for the foreseeable future, someone asked her a question regarding her juice. Her hazel eyes looked up and landed on the boy standing next to her. The first thing she noticed was his impeccable posture and she smothered the giggle the rose to her lips. She’d only ever seen boys with that good of posture at her ballet school, and even then they didn’t seem to stiff. Miss Theo had worked tirelessly to insure that her students perfect their posture and positions while still maintaining a natural air. Laila briefly wondered how the class was doing—even though she would have quit anyway had she stayed in Turner’s Point to take up cheerleading, she still would have at least seen the others around town, and the thought only made her feel especially homesick.“I suppose so,” she replied, not really sure if it was pumpkin juice since although she thought it did taste like pumpkin a little she’d never actually had that particular food in juice form and therefore wasn’t exactly an expert on what was and wasn’t pumpkin juice. She looked behind her and realized that she was standing in front of the drinks.“It’s pretty good, would you like some?” While talking she had glanced behind her and realized that she was in the way of the table. She turned so that she could grab the drink if that’s what they other student wanted, but didn’t make the shift too obvious so that in case he declined she wouldn’t look odd. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize I was blocking the drinks.”
After he answered her question, she stepped aside so that others could access the table if they wanted to, and she nodded in a slightly awkward manner. She didn’t really know how she was supposed to continue the conversation. Were magical boys just like regular boys? She didn’t really know since her only experience with magical boys had been the Reinhardts but then again she hadn’t known they were magical for most of her interactions with them and finding out really hadn’t changed their behavior at all except that Arne seemed to think it was okay to bother her more so than he’d done before which had already been an annoyance. She chewed her lip worriedly and looked around the gardens as though they might hold the answer to her stuck conversation skills.
“It’s real pretty here,” she commented. It was probably safe to complement the garden, she figured. After all, there was no way anyone could take what she’d said in a bad way and she really did think that the garden looked pretty. She looked back towards the boy and tilted her head while she observed him. His freckles kind of reminded her of her cousin on her dad’s side, Ryan, and his eyes were the palest shade of green she thought she’d ever seen in a face before. She blushed slightly when she realized she was staring, her cheeks tan from the summer she’d spent outdoors hiding the flush well, and looked away quickly.
“So,” she said, leaning back on her heels while she quickly fisted and then released the white dress she was wearing. It was probably one of her favorite dresses because of the beads that formed detailed circles and hexagons on the bodice. That some of the beads were pink didn’t even change her opinion on the dress even though she really didn’t care for the color because the majority were a pretty metallic-y gold. “Excited to be here?” It was kind of a lame question, she supposed, but there really wasn’t much else she could think of to talk about.
OOC: If Dustin said he wanted some juice you can assume Laila handed him the cup.
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Laila Kennedy
I’m guessing you’re no Cheshire Cat?
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Kira Spaulding
May 27, 2015 6:14 AM
That's what I expect too. by Kira Spaulding
Kira couldn't help but be really anxious about attending Sonora. Yes, she very much wanted to learn to control her magic but there was the social aspect too. What if she didn't make any friends? What if everyone was mean and snobby? Or if they weren't from a good family? If she befriended the wrong people, she'd come out comparing negatively to Kelsey again . It seemed to Kira that her cousin never did anything wrong and nothing she did ever measured up.And the idea of not having any friends, of being a social outcast did not thrill her. That would disappoint her family too. Plus, she'd be so lonely. Even though she had lots of cousins, Kira didn't necessarily want to only spend time with them. People would think she was pathetic and laugh at her. Besides, she had to admit that Kelsey drove her a bit crazy. She was so irritatingly blasted perfect that just being around her made Kira feel awful about herself.
Her cousin Fabian, who was starting this year with her, was a bit better, but he'd surely make lots of his own friends. Friends who might not want her around or that would be more interested in the same things Fabian was. Things that made one messy and dirty, things that Kira absolutely could not allow herself to be as a young lady even if these had been things that she personally enjoyed doing, and honestly, they really weren't.
She tried to listen to Mr. Xavier's speech, knowing it was what she was supposed to do. Pay attention to whatever any staff member said, it was what was polite and respectful. It was what she was pretty sure that Kelsey would do and so that had to mean it was the appropriate thing to do right? Kira didn't want to do anything wrong. Besides, she genuinely did want to know anything important that she needed to know about Sonora, in part to lesson the chances of screwing up later. The thing was though that Mr. Xavier's speech didn't...actually tell her anything she didn't already know. Kira had a brother and cousins here and cousins who'd graduated. Oh and her aunt and uncle used to work here and another cousin was the Headmaster. So she was pretty well versed on Sonora basics. In fact, given that Fabian knew pretty much everything she did, Kira would bet anything her cousin wasn't even listening. Or she would if gambling was at all an appropriate activity for an eleven- almost twelve, her birthday was tomorrow- year old pureblood girl from a proper family.
Still, she had to admit, the orientation wasn't a terrible idea. She didn't love socializing, based on the fact that she felt her every move being scrutinized and judged, and oh yeah, compared unfavorably to Kelsey, but on the plus side, well, given Mr. Xavier's comment about not judging anyone by their house badge, it was a chance to do that.
Now that Mr. Xavier had stopped talking, Kira did not quite know what to do with herself. She spotted Fabian going straight for the food, but did not follow him. Honestly, she wasn't all that hungry. She was a bit too worried about whether or not she'd end up making a fool of herself to have much appetite.
That's when Kira noticed the girl next to her, who looked...a bit like she felt. Miserable and scared. "Are you all right?" She said softly, still nervous about approaching but she looked a good deal less intimidating than most of the others and Kira needed a friend. She didn't want to be alone at Sonora, an outcast. Of course, this other girl could turn out to be a Muggleborn nervous about the magical world and then befriending her would be one of those mistakes that Kira made and Kelsey never did. Still, at the very least she could show the Asian girl compassion and kindness. It was the very least she'd want for herself right now.
The girl seemed to jump and she felt bad. Kira hadn't meant to startle her. "I-I asked if you were okay." She repeated. "I'm Kira Spaulding, of the Colorado Spauldings." She gave a self-conscious curtsy towards her yearmate. Her curtsies were just another thing that were never as smooth or flawless as her cousin's. She was rather worried the other girl would laugh at her for it, either because it wasn't good enough, or because the Asian girl wasn't from the sort of family who did those things.
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Louis Valois
May 27, 2015 2:06 PM
A tentative alliance? by Louis Valois
Louis looked at the boy who had spoken, whilst neatly folding his map and timetable and tucking them in an inner pocket of his robe. "I am actually from France," he replied, with a surprising and almost complete lack of French accent. Then again, being taught English since the age of four by a native speaker had helped with that. "Louis Valois." He held out a hand for the boy to shake, wondering if he would have actually heard of either Louis' family, or his family’s expensive and elite clothing line.Louis contemplated quidditch. He could try out for his house team, he supposed - he could certainly handle a broom with some skill, having learnt at quite a young age, and it might be good fun. However, he wasn't sure how much free time he would have, so perhaps that was a decision to be made at a slightly later date. Besides, the boy sounded as if he was interested in finding out potential competition, so Louis wasn't going to give him a definite answer. He’d have to wait and see – not that Louis had actually made up his mind yet.
"I might try out for Quidditch," he informed the boy. "It depends on how much free time I find I have. I assume you hope to join a team?"
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A tentative alliance?
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Arne Reinhardt
May 28, 2015 3:36 PM
Like a craftsman sort of thing? by Arne Reinhardt
Arne grinned and accepted the hand of the Valois boy. He vaguely recognized the name but as he had never really been one for knowing, or caring, who was who he figured it was probably the name of one of his grandfather’s clients. “Arne Reinhardt,” he replied, disregarding the formalities that he was sure would have mattered had Valois not been foreign and not accustomed to the American way of doing things.Besides, if Valois was from the sort of French society that appreciated fine art then he’d certainly know the Reinhardt name as the Reinhardts were an old German family of metal charmers who created all manner of things for the high end community and such formalities wouldn’t be needed. Over the years, the Reinhardts had moved over to the American continent, and were in the process of building up a client base. His father and one of his uncles had been the first two to move to the United States, their older brother being the only one who remained in Germany.
He shrugged, squinting slightly as a cloud moved overhead, shining sun directly into his eyes. “We’ll see,” he said. “It really all depends, you know.” On many things, he added in his head. No sooner had he realized his desire to play Quidditch than he came to the conclusion that it was likely he wouldn’t be playing at all if if meant being on the same team as Tobi. Arne tossed his head so that his shaggy brown hair moved out of his eyes without having to use his hand, but the mop fell right back into his eyes anyway and he left it—at the very least it helped to block the sun out of his eyes. “What made you decide to come here anyway?”
France was a long way off, he thought. He himself would have been content to stay home in that infuriating town, because anything was better than being locked away in a boarding school for seven years, but he supposed that was the only way for witches and wizards to be taught. The Floo networks would be overloaded with students flying in and Muggleborns would have a hard time doing their homework at home surrounded by Muggles.
He wondered what the ratio of purebloods to Muggleborns would be and where that would place him when it really came down to it. He was a pureblood so it certainly placed him out of the Muggleborn category, but he wasn’t society and he’d discovered a Muggle record store while dinking around town that summer and proceeded to develop an unhealthy interest in Muggle rock.
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Arne Reinhardt
Like a craftsman sort of thing?
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Wu Peizhi
May 29, 2015 9:13 PM
I'm glad we're in agreement. by Wu Peizhi
So far, so bad. Already, Peizhi was not presenting well. As if not hearing the girl’s initial question wasn’t bad enough, the fact that it was an inquiry of condition only furthered this nightmare. Was she all right? Of course not. The way she jumped could have indicated that without a verbal answer. But that would have been rude. This girl deserved a response, and Peizhi knew exactly what to say, no matter how hard it was for her to force out words.“Oh, yes,” she replied, forcing what she could of a smile. “Just a bit…” Peizhi paused, looking for the correct English phrase. “Out of sorts?” It wasn’t meant to be a question, but her lacking conviction for the statement tweaked the inflection. So as if she wasn’t already presenting her insecurities, her tone was now sure to give it away completely. So far, so bad, indeed.
The girl introduced herself as Kira Spaulding “of the Colorado Spauldings”, which was, she had learned in advanced, the way Western Purebloods introduced themselves. Peizhi supposed other Eastern families might have done so as well to provide location indicators, but there was only one branch of the family Wu, with only
“Of China,” she added after a little thought. The cursty
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Wu Peizhi
I'm glad we're in agreement.
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Abigail De La Garza
May 30, 2015 3:13 PM
Unsolicited pressure. by Abigail De La Garza
Abigail had always been a people person and the prospect of meeting so many new people her own age at Sonora was one that she viewed positively. Although she had masses of young cousins, she was very keen to make her own friends and meet a greater diversity of characters than those she had been exposed to at home.Her eagerness to begin school wasn’t, however, free from nerves and Abigail’s mind was filled with all sorts of worries. What if she did badly in all of her classes? She had no prior experience of using a wand and although she knew that the other first years would also have the same lack of experience, especially the muggleborns, but that didn’t help to reduce any concerns about the actual education side of Sonora that she held in the back of her mind.
Despite her love for socializing and hopes of friend-making, Abigail was also anxious about interacting with the other students. She was from a good family that many society people may know largely because the De La Garzas were the founders and managers of the American branch of the Spanish broom company ‘Varela Escobas’. It was only because of this that she had been to the occasional formal events which she knew were a natural part of life for the big society families. Away from business, the De La Garzas were not particularly well-known so were rarely invited to the more general social events.
It wasn’t as though Abigail was the first De La Garza to attend school in America since her elder cousins Dianna and Devonne had gone to Sonora years before, but the eleven year old still felt a slight pressure (one not prompted by her family but one she felt all the same) because she was the only of her large Mexican and Spanish relatives to currently be at Sonora Academy amongst a large number of offspring from important American families. It was difficult to ascertain how she should behave toward these people who seemed to have so many ingrained traditions and unwritten rules which she wasn’t all that familiar with.
Feeling slightly thirsty Abigail poured herself a drink of pumpkin juice after picking up a map and timetable, both of which would be highly useful she was sure. She turned around, dark brown eyes scanning over the other first years milling around the clearing. She knew she shouldn’t wait for someone else to approach her but instead initiate conversation herself as there were likely to be others less socially confident than herself.
“Hi,” she smiled at a nearby student when she caught their eye. "Did you, um, want some juice?" she offered as there was little else she could think of to say. It wasn't often that Abigail found herself uncomfortable in social situations and she put it down to nerves, hoping that her fellow first year did not think she was trying to play host in a place she was equally as new to as they were.
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Unsolicited pressure.
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Emilia-Louise Scott
May 31, 2015 4:42 PM
Optimism is always a good start. by Emilia-Louise Scott
Micah Breckinridge of the New York Breckinridges. He was definitely society, Emmy-Lou could very easily tell that much from the way he introduced himself. Yet he'd hesitated before tagging on the last part which the eleven year old chose to take as meaning he wasn't that kind of society who took far too much pride in stating exactly which branch of their family name they were from. Although she was keen not to use such an introduction for herself at Sonora, Emmy-Lou found herself wondering whether it would actually be best to identify herself as one of the 'West Scotts', rather than the Scott inhabiting the Eastern states of America who were, as far as she had always been led to believe, even worse than her own Scott family in terms of pureblood snobbery.Yet Emmy-Lou refused to judge the first year boy in front of her by his family name and background. From what little she could gage from him so far he was nice enough and she was willing to continue with a positive view of all of her yearmates until they chose to show her that she should be thinking otherwise. Although she thoroughly enjoyed a wide range of sport, Emmy-Lou had never taken to Quidditch or Quodpot, namely because of her fear of heights, but she nodded with interest all the same as he mentioned his plans regarding the former. She was also keen try out several of the clubs but most certainly not to please her family, although she didn't blame Micah Breckinridge for wanting to do so considering his might be far nicer than her own. That being said, Emmy-Lou liked her mother and maternal grandparents and all of the Fintocs, just not her father and his family and these were the people demanding the most of her.
"I rather like the sound of all of the Houses," she said in response to the first year's question. "They all sound fun in different ways." Admittedly she didn't fancy the sound of Crotalus quite so much as the others but didn't want to say, especially since Micah labelled it as one that he was preferable towards. "I have a friend and a stepbrother in Pecari but I don't mind if I'm not with them. Have you got any relatives here already?" She didn't know how much of a link there was between siblings and the Houses they ended up in but she thought that there must often be cases where they seemed to correlate.
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Emilia-Louise Scott
Optimism is always a good start.
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Dustin
May 31, 2015 7:49 PM
I'm fairly certain I'm just a young wizard. by Dustin
Given that his peer did not sound terribly confident in her confirmation that the beverage served was pumpkin juice, he assumed she was not of a magical background. He was pretty sure it wasn’t commonly consumed in Muggle culture, although he was not certain. That was all right with Dustin, really. He held no ill will toward Muggleborns; it simply meant he probably shouldn’t marry her, but given how far off even a betrothal was for him at this age, he wasn’t concerned. The Newell family was fairly liberal in that regard, it seemed.“I would like some, thank you,” he answered, happily accepting the offered cup. “And don’t worry about it,” he added in regard to her blocking the table. The brunet was actually rather glad to have this conversation, and had the path been more available, he might have simply passed her by. Dustin was not one to particularly seek out friends, and if he did, it would be more for societal gain than actually desiring company, but this girl seemed decent enough to have a conversation with here, especially given how nervous she might have been about coming to a new school.
“It’s real pretty here.” His pale green eyes glanced at their surroundings, and he smiled. This Garden--this school--was actually quite lovely, he had to admit. Dustin looked back at her and prepared to respond, but he noticed that the girl was somewhat staring at him, and he found himself a bit jumbled up. So instead of a verbal response, he simply cleared his throat and hoped she would continue. Which she did, fortunately. ”So. Excited to be here?”
“Yes, actually,” he responded honestly. “I’ve heard some pretty good things about it. My cousin Makenzie is a third year, and she’s very happy here.” He opted to exclude the fact that Makenzie was nearly always happy in her odd bubbly sort of way, instead letting the girl imagine the best scenario. It was the least he could do, he felt, to not weigh her down with his general skepticism of Makenzie’s opinions. “What about you?”
OOC: Assumption taken, thanks.
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Dustin
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Laila
May 31, 2015 9:54 PM
Darn and I was so excited by Laila
The boy she was talking to was rather nice and Laila smiled. Perhaps the sullenness was just an Arne thing—certainly Tobi seemed to be nicer even if he was extra quiet, and their younger siblings had always appeared to be decent enough kids. Laila smiled to herself—she was saying kids like she no longer was one. But then again, she felt much more grown-up today than she had felt yesterday and she figured that was probably because she was in a new place all alone and wouldn’t be going home for a long while. Was this what it was like to go to college? She asked herself.The boy explained that his cousin already was at Sonora and enjoyed it a lot. She nodded but was somewhat sad as she realized that this only reinforced her previous suspicion that he was familiar with magic—her first clue had been his familiarity with the pumpkin juice. “I think it will be nice,” she said smiling brightly trying not to show her worry. She had never spent the night at anyone’s house before, her mother believing that if she stayed under a secular roof even for a night it could end in disaster. Even getting her mother to be okay with Sonora had been a difficult battle, Leonora had only relented once she was assured that the official would try their hardest to get Laila to church every Sunday.
“You have a cousin here,” she said after a beat. “That must be nice, all I have are the Reinhardts but I don’t really know if I’d count them or not.” It was a difficult, awkward situation. She had certainly not been friends with Arne in school and Tobi had always been so reverent that it was hard to feel as though she could talk to him. Yet they were the only familiar faces amongst the crowd and she wasn’t sure how much she wanted to stay by Arne’s side. Likely she’d try to find him later on that night to clarify a few questions she wasn’t sure she felt comfortable asking anyone else, but other than that she didn’t know if she’d even see him around school that often. The class size seemed to be relatively small but even in their small class size back home she’d barely spoken to him.
She glanced quickly towards where Arne was standing in his typical ultra-casual pose, hands in his pockets, slouched and leaning against an invisible wall. She nodded her head and looked back to the other boy. “Nope, I don’t think I can count them at all. We’re too…”she searched for the appropriate word but all she could come up with was “different.” She smiled. “What house is your cousin in?”
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Laila
Darn and I was so excited
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Dustin
June 01, 2015 12:26 AM
Wizardry is more exciting than any cat! by Dustin
Having never interacted with someone of non-Pureblood origins, Dustin wouldn’t have had high expectations for what a conversation would be like. Of course, having nothing to go on, he would have had no expectations. He held no prejudice, but he also had no information. However, even with some information, he would have never expected a Muggleborn (or perhaps halfblood raised Muggle; he didn’t know) to be so smiley and nice. Dustin convinced himself rather thoroughly that was the reason he continued this conversation, not out of manners or because this girl had a pretty smile.Oddly enough, she still knew some people at Sonora, a family of students named the Reinhardts. The name sounded faintly familiar, to his surprise; in the back of his memory, Dustin could recall hearing the name pertaining to someplace Western. Or European. Or both? He knew all the families that immediately pertained to his family in the midwest, but he was still learning the names and roles of those elsewhere. He did his best to learn them, but it was going to take time.
He let the comment about being “different” confirm his suspicions on blood types but said nothing on the matter. “Makenzie’s in Crotalus,” he answered. After saying her name, it occurred to him that he hadn’t actually introduced himself. How foolish of a perfect heir! Even with the confidence her blood was not Pure, he was setting himself up with a bad precedent. “I’m Dustin, by the way,” he added in perhaps the most casual introduction he had ever given. He rectified that a moment later. “Dustin Newell of Michigan.”
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Wizardry is more exciting than any cat!
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Louis Valois
June 01, 2015 10:09 AM
Someone to talk to, for starters! by Louis Valois
Louis nodded at hearing Reinhardt’s name. He had heard of the family business – he thought his mother might have commissioned them to make something recently. Presumably this boy was from the same branch of Reinhardts, given his confidence when stating his name. Well, they were a pureblood family, and a useful one at that, so surely this was a conversation his father would not disapprove of. Besides, talking to someone was far more interesting than standing alone.Louis smiled wryly at Reinhardt’s question, remembering the long discussion he’d had with his father. The idea of being sent to Sonora had been surprising, as it was traditional in the Valois family for the heir to be taught at home, with the occasional Valois going to Beauxbatons, the school most of Louis’ friends from home attended. Furthermore, Louis was concerned that learning in a class (with other students) would slow his progress – although he’d had plenty of experience of teaching himself, so he supposed he could just continue to research areas of interest in his spare time.
Being at a school with lots of other students would be a new experience for Louis. No doubt muggleborns would attend, an idea that quite intrigued Louis, never having met one before. He felt vaguely sorry for them, not having been brought up with magic, and of course they had little hope of going far in the wizarding world without a known family name.
“What made me decide to come here? It was really my father’s decision,” he replied. “I would have been happy with tutoring, or even attending Beauxbatons, but he decided it would be…beneficial to have me attend a school in America.”
Here Louis paused, not quite sure what to say next but hiding the fact. This really was an unfamiliar social situation – what was one supposed to say to someone from a family he knew little of? However, confidence was always important, and a Valois was never at a loss. “So do you have any idea which house you will be put into?”
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Louis Valois
Someone to talk to, for starters!
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Laila
June 01, 2015 8:55 PM
I don't know about that... by Laila
So, the green-eyed boy's name was Dustin. It was a nice name, and it reminded her of the family's golden retriever, Dusty, so even if she hadn't been taught to not judge immediately based on her first impression (Arne didn't count, he'd had numerous first impressions, she tried to excuse herself to God) his name would have made all right with her. "Really?" she asked, the happiness showing on her face. "My dog's name is Dusty, well one of them, anyway. He's the sweetest dog I've ever had. I'm Laila Kennedy," she said offering her hand to shake. "From Washington."She had an aunt who lived in Michigan once, she thought, but then again it might have been Wisconsin and either way the aunt had ended up moving back to Turner's Point after a few short months of trying to live outside the town so Laila didn't really think it counted as actually living there--more like an extended vacation. No one ever left Turner's Point--except for herself and the Reinhardts, it seemed. But then again her mother was from Italy and the Reinhardts' father was from Germany, so it wasn't as though they came from the same expectations to grow up and remain in the little town.
"I'm not from a magical family," she admitted as she took another sip of the pumpkin juice. It was growing on her, it really was. And growing on her enough she was starting to think that she might try one of the more adventurous looking snacks. After all, she had already tried some rather gruesome sounded dishes when Nonna was cooking and she didn't think that the school would put something too outrageous at a welcoming feast especially if Muggleborns weren't something completely unheard of--that was, if she listened to what the school official'd had to say. "Is that like a big deal here?"
The school official had done his best to assure Laila that Sonora would be a nice, welcoming place to be and had also offered to try and make accommodations for her religious beliefs, but even though Laila was a generally trusting person she didn't know how much to believe the official. After all, lying wasn't supposed to be something that was okay, but the official had acted like it wasn't a big deal lying to Muggles about magical powers. The worst part of it all was that Laila's parents had decided that her younger brother was too young to fully understand everything and therefore they'd wait until he was old enough to explain to Gabriel where it was Laila had really gone. In the meantime they simply said she was away at a boarding school. Gabriel had been one of her best friends, he had always been prepared to take the dogs down to the beach or through the woods and he'd always been there if she wanted a hug or a laugh.
"The hardest part about coming out here for me is leaving my brother, I think," said Laila. "What about you?"
OOC: I swear I named her dog Dusty before I knew Dustin was a thing lol. I just have a penchant for choosing names similar to names other authors like haha
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Laila
I don't know about that...
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Arne
June 02, 2015 3:28 AM
I could work with that. by Arne
Arne raised an eyebrow to see where the fancy French boy was going with that particular comment. His family made money from their work, of that he was certain, but since the Northwest branch was only just getting started, they didn't have nearly as much money as his grandparents who though served a large client base still weren't quite of the society level that his conversation partner obviously was a part of. Private tutoring and what not. Arne nearly scoffed.However, Valois' next question made Arne shrug. Arne shrugged. He didn't know nor did he care where he was sorted. He was certain he'd be able to find someone in one of the houses to talk to--so long as it wasn't Teppenpaw. He really didn't want to go there. "It doesn't really matter to me," he responded. "So long as it's not Teppenpaw. What about you?"
He gave no explanation for his hatred towards the house, and let his eyes wander his classmates, wondering which of the students surrounding him would end up in his house with him. He could almost guarantee that Laila end up with Tobi in Teppenpaw, but he couldn’t be positive and he hadn’t wanted to say anything about it out loud to her in case he was wrong.
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Arne
I could work with that.
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Kira
June 10, 2015 9:37 AM
Agreement is nice by Kira
Kira nodded. "It can be difficult to adjust." She replied softly. It was nice to feel that she wasn't alone, that she wasn't the only one unsure of things. Not that she wanted others to feel bad but still, it did make her seem overall less intimidating then someone who was extremely social and sure of themselves who wouldn't understand how difficult things were for someone less so. Kelsey didn't understand and neither did Tristan. Granted, they-especially Kelsey-were selective about who they socialized with but that didn't make them unsociable just because they didn't especially have any interest in being friends with Muggleborns.It also would have been unbundantly clear to Kira that Miss Wu was not from America even if she hadn't explicitly stated that she was "of China" by how she said her name. Kira didn't know much about Asian cultures beyond things that were food or art related-by which she meant that she could tell when art was Asian looking-and that Chinese parents often had a parenting style similar to Aunt Jillian's-which would make her feel extremely sorry for Miss Wu if that was the case-but Kira knew full well that Americans of any ancestry didn't introduce themselves with their last names first. Quite honestly, she couldn't imagine a custom. She'd always been taught that it was rude to call people by their last names-yes, even Muggleborns if one had to speak to them- because it wasn't respectful and showed poor breeding and reflected poorly on one's family because it meant that they had let themselves go to that level, things Kira quite frankly didn't want to risk. She didn't want people thinking the Spauldings didn't teach their children basic manners.
Besides, to her it was extremely offensive to be called anything but Kira or Miss Spaulding...and she generally preferred her first name. Of course, she was also supposed to address people by a title such as Miss or Mr or Mrs until she was given permission to do otherwise unless the person was a family member-though she'd gotten them impression it was probably best to refer to the headmaster as such even though he was her mother's first cousin.
Either way, she was slightly relieved that Miss Wu's curtsy was as wobbly as her own, though it could have been attributed to cultural differences, while Kira really had no excuse. It should be as easy and natural to her as breathing by this point, the way it was for Kelsey, but it just wasn't. Still, either way, Kira doubted the Chinese girl was judging her or laughing at her, which was a good start.
She fixed Miss Wu with a genuine, albeit shy, smile. "Pleased to meet you. What brings you to America for school?" Kira asked. There were most likely a lot of magical schools in China.
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Kira
Agreement is nice
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Kira
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Wu Peizhi
June 15, 2015 8:46 AM
I'll agree to that, too. by Wu Peizhi
Peizhi recognized immediately how fortunate she had been to have her first conversation with an American be so pleasant (at least, up until this point; until it ended, there was still an opportunity for it to go sour.) Miss Spaulding seemed to be a very sweet young thing, especially since she not only had begun the conversation with concern for Peizhi’s well-being and continued it gently and patiently. She definitely appreciated the girl’s patience with her language difficulties. To translate one’s thoughts before being able to speak slowed conversation considerably, but thus far, Miss Spaulding didn’t seem to mind waiting.Miss Spaulding inquired about motives for her schooling in America, and once more, Peizhi had to pause to search her memory for English words. “My older sister is involved with an American wizard who went here when he was child,” she answered slowly. “Um, a child.” Languages were so difficult sometimes. “My father wanted me to come, ah… Meet the families?” The phrase scope out her peers would have been perhaps the most clear, but Peizhi could not find the words she wanted.
“I am sorry for my, um, bad answers,” she added, her head drooping slightly. Peizhi had very high standards for herself, and thus far, she was failing rather expertly. “My English is… not very good.” Second to not speaking, Peizhi just wanted to go home and speak Chinese again. She longed for her bedroom solitude, silent sparring the whispers she offered to Bohai, her eldest and favorite brother. She felt quite weary, physically from the travel and mentally from both being around people and straining to translate her responses.
And this was only just beginning. She still had to attend a feast with the entire school. That would certainly be trying for her. She intended to speak to no one and eat quietly until they were released, but the presence of the crowd was already making her a bit jittery in anticipation. How many days until midterm, exactly?
12
Wu Peizhi
I'll agree to that, too.
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Wu Peizhi
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5