Katherine Procter
March 17, 2014 10:46 PM
In My Own Little Corner, In My Own Little Chair. by Katherine Procter
[OOC: Of course I'm the first to post...I'm so impatient! Besides, when I get an idea in my head,bi have to jot it down, so here you go! Perhaps I am more enthusiastic than impatient. Oh, heck, I'm both!]Kitty was not sure if she was disgusted, horrified, awestruck, or some bizarre combination of the three as she fell (or, rather flopped) into one of the chairs scattered about her new common room with a stunned look on her face. Her golden eyes were wide with the myriad of emotions running through her mind as she tried desperately to take it all in as she absently twirled a lock of hair around her finger.
She did not care what Professor Skies called it. That thing called Gunter (or was it Gunther?) was a zombie. As in, a rotting-undead-brain-eating-nightmare-inducing-corpse from a George Romero movie. Only, this one had the ability to, apparently, force students to sleep in the hallway, unless someone else took pity on them. Regardless, Kitty was not looking forward to having to interact with it on any sort of regular basis.
Heh, she thought, Perhaps I will find a way in via the window. Kitty looked at the possible point of entry and immediately dismissed the notion. Not only was that completely ridiculous, it was probably guarded with some magical security measures that made it impractical.
And Kitty was nothing if not practical.
Kitty looked around the room and tucked the spiraled lock of hair behind her ear, trying to memorize every detail of this new place. While the Cascade Hall was beautiful beyond description, at least in her mind, this room felt more homey with its red and silver furnishings. It was pretty, too, in its own way. Kitty was mildly amused with the thought that her mother would have hated it. She thought bold colors like reds were masculine (which is why Kitty's rooms at home were furnished in airy pastels. It was pretty and girly, but Kitty found she was already beginning to favor the more lush surroundings Sonora had to offer).
She ran a hand down her face, then pausing mid-motion to look at her hand. A sigh slipped through her lips when she noted that her skin had returned to its normal color, and she smiled in relief. She would not have been able to bare it if she was stuck tinted red forever. Sure, this only meant that her blushes, frequent as they were, would be more obvious, but she waved the thought away as one would a fly.
Looking at the empty chairs that surrounded her, Kitty debated if she wanted to flee to the first year girls' dorm or risk someone unfamiliar trying to strike up a conversation (while this was still a calculated risk in the dormitory, down here ran the risk of older students picking on a new, clueless student). Katherine Sarah Procter, Kitty mentally scolded herself (although it sounded more like her nanny's voice). Remember the goals you set for yourself! Socialize, socialize, SOCIALIZE!
With those thoughts in the forefront of her mind, she sat up straighter and smoothed her robes over her lap, and waited for someone to claim one of the other chairs. While she was willing to work on the whole shyness thing, she still was nowhere near bold enough to seek someone out. If someone spoke to her, fantastic, but if not…
Well, it was only the first day. While she sat in comfortable (fine…mostly comfortable) silence, she found herself wondering if Olivier would makes his way to her side after their conversation at the Opening Feast. Her first magical acquaintance probably had no idea that she had never spoken so candidly (or so much) to someone mere moments after meeting him or her. This was a big deal to Kitty, as it even surprised herself. Sure, she rambled a bit (which was very much like her), but not the whole time (which was very much unlike her). Kitty felt herself smile a bit wider.
What is wrong with me? Kitty shook her head (literally) to clear her thoughts. She only hoped that Olivier was the one to find her because she had already spoken to him at the Feast, that was all. Familiar people, however recently acquainted, were always easier than new faces for her. Conversationally speaking.
Yeah…
…that was it.
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Katherine Procter
In My Own Little Corner, In My Own Little Chair.
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Katherine Procter
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Daphne Macaulay
March 19, 2014 4:21 PM
Not quite the fairy tale I had imagined. by Daphne Macaulay
While the beauty and magnificence of the Cascade Hall had impressed her, Daphne had not managed to swallow more than a couple of forced mouthfuls of food, and so the enormity of the day was beginning to overwhelm, rather than stimulate her. By the time she and the other first years had been introduced to the zombie that guarded their commons, the slender girl was beginning to wonder whether she had made entirely the right decision in coming here. It was so far from home (comparatively; she knew there were students who traveled a great deal further than from Nevada to be here, but Daphne had been able to walk from her house to her last school) and so very different from everything she had ever experienced... she supposed it was only natural to feel a little off-kilter, and she clung to that sanity-inspiring thought as brown eyes darted round the commons.Despite the brash, in her opinion, colour scheme, Daphne thought the accommodation looked very comfortable. Peculiar for the desert, but then the weather seemed to be controlled here, as the temperatures she had experienced so far were very comfortable, and the glimpses she had garnered of the gardens indicated that naturally occurring greenery was not an issue on school grounds. She hoped that the dormitory would be just as inviting, and she was eager to test out the bed that would be hers for the foreseeable future, but was aware that in doing so she might isolate herself from the rest of the crowd. Whilst Daphne had never been lonely in her own company, she didn't really want to make a name for herself as the loner in the group so early on in the year, if she could possibly avoid it. She was determined, then, to remain in the commons and socialise with her peers.
The only problem with this plan was that Daphne was not spectacularly talented at approaching strangers, nor instigating conversation. In fact, she was - even now - hiding her eyes beneath blonde bangs, and her fingers were tucked up in the sleeves of her sweater. However, a likely target had made its presence known in her field of vision: another girl, who had accompanied them from the Cascade Hall with diminishing red tint, identifying her as another first year, seemed to be sitting a little awkwardly on her own, similarly surveying the room, and perhaps, like Daphne, wishing that someone would come and talk to her.
With what felt like an immense effort, Daphne dragged leaden feet towards the other girl, and she tried not to breathe too loudly (her breath always seemed to come in gulps and gasps when she was forcing herself out of her comfort zone) as she lowered herself as gracefully as her suddenly wooden limbs would allow into a nearby seat. It was another few seconds before Daphne dared to raise her eyes to meet the other girl's, and another pause after that before she managed to utter a breathless-sounding, "Hi."
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Daphne Macaulay
Not quite the fairy tale I had imagined.
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Daphne Macaulay
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Katherine Procter
March 19, 2014 9:36 PM
Fairy Tales usually have a happy ending after the scary bit. by Katherine Procter
She was just about to give up and go to the dormitory when a blonde girl, whom she recognized as another first year sat close enough to be considered company, even though she kept her gaze ducked, hidden by blonde bangs. Kitty recognized that look. The one that said I'm horrified, but I'm trying. She was really good at hiding it, though, and Kitty only noticed it at all because she had so frequently sported it herself. After another beat, the girl raised her gaze and said a simple, "Hi."If this girl felt any of the same social anxieties that Kitty knew so well, then the utterance of that single word must have taken a lot of mental preparation. Kitty offered her a comforting smile. The blonde had a sweet face in Kitty's opinion, and as her roommate, she hoped this meant that they could build a friendship. That was an exciting concept (although scary, as Kitty has little experience with kids her own age).
"Hello," she replied, keeping her voice kind and not too loud. She remembered how taken aback she was when Olivier first spoke to her at the Opening Feast, and she was not about to do that to someone else…although it wasn't as though she had it in her to just strike up a conversation like that. Basics first.
And that was where Kitty began. The Basics.
Tucking the usual lock of chocolatey-colored hair behind her ear (she was looking forward to releasing it from its braided coils), bringing her honey-gold eyes to meet the other girl's brown. "I am Kitty Procter, and I'm from New Hampshire. What is your name?"
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Katherine Procter
Fairy Tales usually have a happy ending after the scary bit.
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Katherine Procter
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Daphne
March 22, 2014 5:49 PM
Is the scary bit over with? by Daphne
The girl replied with a soft 'Hello' and Daphne was relieved that her contact had been met with a positive response. It wouldn't have bothered her if her attempts at conversation had been rejected or obviously unwelcome, except for the waste in her efforts at summoning the courage to make contact in the first place. As it was, she had been favorably rewarded, and now had a name to put to the face of another of her roommates: Kitty Proctor (who, as if to prove Daphne's point about her journey only being long by comparison, claimed to be from New Hampshire)."I'm Daphne Macaulay," she answered the question, the decrease in her anxiety evident in the more relaxed tone of her voice. She even managed to smile a little, as she added, "From Nevada." She noted that Kitty hadn't used exactly the same formula as Chaslyn had with her introduction, but the inclusion of a state of origin still had her a little on edge. Not that, technically, she had any reason to be wary of the pureblooded witches her brother had talked about, but unfamiliarity had a habit of breeding mistrust, and Daphne was not immune to normal social behaviors. Of course, she was also perfectly aware that is was only logical - natural, even - for a group of strangers such as the current first years to find something to talk about, and why on earth shouldn't that topic be their home state?
"Do you..." she hesitated a little as she thought how best to phrase what it was she wanted to say. "Have any of your family been to Sonora before?" she asked Kitty. She was curious on this point, not simply to discover whether Kitty was a Muggleborn, like her, or from an old magic family, like Chaslyn, or something in between, but also she wanted to know whether other people's expectations of Sonora might differ from her own. As everything Daphne knew about magic so far had been learned - either directly or indirectly - from her oldest brother, she wondered whether she might have a skewed impression on some aspects. For example, she'd believed that Crotalus was the most respectable House, but having looked around at the Opening feast, she couldn't see that any of the other tables had been any less so... although the Pecaris might perhaps have been louder than the others overall.
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Daphne
Is the scary bit over with?
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Daphne
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Katherine Procter
March 22, 2014 11:25 PM
I'm sure it will be soon enough. :] by Katherine Procter
Kitty sighed when she felt the air between her and her roommate lighten. The blonde girl must be growing more comfortable. Kitty's hunch was proven correct when the girl's voice showed her lessening anxieties as she introduced herself as Daphne, and that she was from Nevada. Nevada? Wow."This is the farthest West I have ever been," Kitty shared, relaxing quite a bit, herself and smiling. "It almost feels like another country after New England!"
It seemed that sticking to the basics was a good ice-breaker. Completely neutral topics. None of the "Never Speak of These in Mixed Company" topics (politics, sex, religion…all three of which Grandmama had loved to talk about at the dinner table, much to the chagrin of Kitty's mother) were brought up.
The only topic more neutral was the weather, and that was only used in the most desperate of situations. Kitty was wondering what she could discuss next when Daphne surprised her by asking about her family's history at Sonora. Resisting the urge to twirl that lock of hair that was still behind her ear, Kitty thought about her response. Well, she couldn't lie, that was not an option. However, telling the truth ran the risk of turning Daphne off completely. Was she one of the sort that discriminated against magical (or non-magical) blood that Kitty had read about in the time between purchasing her school supplies and climbing aboard the magical covered wagon? Oh, I hope not! she thought, taking a steadying breath and preparing for the worst.
"I am the first to attend. Magic was never real to my family, well, unless you count my Grandmama, who was into 'the old religions' as she called it. She was really into crystal healing and tarot cards, those sorts of things. I found them fascinating, but Mother and Father disapproved. In fact my parents thought my acceptance letter was some sort of prank until the representative visited to help me with my supplies and all that. Although, it did explain all the strange things that happened to me when I was little. I'd cry and flood the room, just like in Alice in Wonderland!"
While she knew she was rambling, again (she was nervous about how her status was going to be accepted, after all), Kitty was happy to finally have it out in the open that she was Muggleborn.
The fact that she felt wound tighter than a piano string set to High G notwithstanding.
"How about you? Has your family all attended Sonora?" she asked Daphne in a friendly, while curious, voice. She hoped her nervousness did not show through (or that Daphne would not notice the little tremor that crept through). Kitty found that she rather liked the quiet blonde, and would hate to totally alienate someone so early on in the term.
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Katherine Procter
I'm sure it will be soon enough. :]
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Katherine Procter
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Daphne
March 24, 2014 4:47 PM
So long as we avoid all Wicked Stepmothers by Daphne
The comment that Kitty made about Arizona feeling like a different country made Daphne smile inside; it didn't feel all that different to her, and she supposed her nervousness would be substantially increased if she'd had to travel thousands of miles to get to school ... somewhere like the East Coast, for example. Even the Cascade Hall was somewhat reminiscent of the glitz of Vegas, to which Daphne had, from time to time, been exposed.In answer to her question, Kitty was good enough to add some detail to her answer, mentioning her grandmother and her family more widely, which helped a great deal in placing the brunette in Daphne's mental picture of magic vs Muggle. She didn't intend to go through even the first week, let alone her whole school career, making a big deal out of where people's magic had come from, but for the time being it was one of the few things she knew about the wizarding world, and so she clung to it with unrelenting fierceness. She also felt a little relieved to discover another Muggleborn in her midst.
Having smiled outwardly at Kitty's Alice in Wonderland anecdote, Daphne felt a great deal more comfortable in speaking when the question was directed back at her. "No, not at all," she said, keen to relay her own Muggle heritage to Kitty (but she didn't use the word, as she wasn't sure how familiar her counterpart might be with the terminology). "Only my older brother. We had never heard of magic, either, before he got his letter," she filled in some of the details, as Kitty had done. "He's graduated now, though," she added, to head off any questions she might ask about him that wouldn't have any bearing in the current situation.
Daphne had been careful not to mention her brother's name, or when he had graduated, because even though it was practically impossible for Kitty to know anything at all about him, she really was keen to make her own name for herself at Sonora, not live under her brother's shadow. Having three older brothers, she had always found it very difficult to exist in her neighborhood as her own person, separate from her family. This was the ideal opportunity for her to discover who she really was as an individual, and she didn't intend to mess it up for herself by introducing Linus at every term. She only felt inclined to add one more fact about her brother. "He was in Crotalus, too," she said, looking around the room again, still trying to process everything about her new location.
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Daphne
So long as we avoid all Wicked Stepmothers
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Daphne
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Katherine Procter
April 06, 2014 6:59 PM
Don't forget the stepsisters! by Katherine Procter
Kitty's relief was palpable. Not only was Daphne relaxing more (she had even smiled), she was also Muggleborn! The tension practically fell off Kitty like water. Perhaps she would be able to make a friend after all?Daphne mentioned a brother, who was also of Crotalus House (albeit graduated). How nice it must have been, to grow up with siblings, even with an age gap of any substantial amount. Kitty found herself wishing that she had had such a companion. To grow up with only adults as company was a constant source of frustration for the young girl. She hardly knew what it was like to run outside and play hide and seek, to climb trees, or to play with dolls with someone aside from her imagination.
"Do you have many siblings, then?" she asked. "Or just the one? I have none, you see, and I've often wondered what it was like." Kitty knew it was a silly thing to say, and nearly impossible to respond to. How was Daphne supposed to describe something she had always known? It was easier to describe life of an only child, perhaps. The loneliness, the necessity of a vivid imagination, the silence.
Kitty noticed that her blonde companion was looking about the room, obviously taking in every detail of their new home (at least for the next several months). She waved her hand, indicating their surrounds. "It's beautiful, isn't it? It's a bit bolder than I am used to; my room at home is pastels. However, it's lovely in its own right. In an old-fashioned sort of way."
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Katherine Procter
Don't forget the stepsisters!
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Katherine Procter
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Daphne
April 22, 2014 3:12 PM
*Shudders at the thought* by Daphne
Daphne found conversation came more easily to her as the two girls entered into a basic discussion. So far, Kitty seemed pleasant, and the sort of person Daphne would be happy to get to know. Chaslyn, who Daphne had met at the feast, seemed nice, too, and it seemed to be a common theme amongst all of them that they needed to relax more. hopefully, everything would feel more natural in the morning."I have three older brothers," Daphne revealed, in a tone that implied she was carrying a heavy burden with her status as both the youngest child and the only girl, but she smiled as she spoke, conveying that she was happy with the situation, and her exasperation was in jest. As an only child, Kitty couldn't possibly understand how it was completely tiresome yet at the same time quite brilliant to have so many competitors for their mother's attention. "You want to know what it's like?" Daphne laughed a little. "Like everybody thinks they can tell you what to do, because you're the youngest, and that you have to play the games they want and go the places they want because they're older than you," she declared fondly, smiling the whole while so that Kitty would know she was only semi-serious.
Luckily, Daphne's family were sufficiently well-off that hand-me-downs were not on her list of concerns. They did exist (it didn't make sense to throw perfectly good things away) but, being a girl, anyway, Daphne had suffered this fate even less than her brothers Johan and Philip. She had a couple of jerseys and sweatshirts passed down from the boys - she wouldn't exactly call herself a tomboy but everyone liked to lounge in comfortable clothes from time to time, right? - and some of their old books and toys, but the majority of her belongings were newly purchased at her requirement. "I can't imagine being an only child," she said to Kitty. She thought vaguely about the 'girls time' she spent with her Mom, and how nice it would be to have that all the time, but then what about when her Mom was busy? What did Kitty do, then?
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kitty said then, and Daphne nodded, looking once more around the room at its elaborate decor. That Kitty's room at home was pastel's didn't surprise Daphne; her own bedroom was decorated along a pale cream and coral palette. The striking colours of the Crotalus commons were certainly a change, but in no way oppressive. Old-fashioned seemed quite a good way to describe it. "I wonder what our dormitory will be like," Daphne thought aloud.
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Daphne
*Shudders at the thought*
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Daphne
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Kitty Procter
April 29, 2014 11:27 PM
I'd like to think we all have a fairy godmother by Kitty Procter
Daphne adored her family, Kitty could tell. She was such a sweet girl, and Kitty found that she really liked her. It was certainly strange to talk to someone her own age, and she was still mentally reeling that she survived talking to Olivier so candidly at the Feast.Could a friend be like the sister she never knew? Oh, that would be wonderful!
"Being an only child is often very lonely…and boring!" Kitty said with a sincere laugh. "My mother was a firm believer in schedules and following them, so I usually had something dictating my days. Except for Saturdays when I could do what I wanted. I usually spent the day reading or practicing piano and singing, or maybe playing make believe."
They admired the decor for a few moments, Daphne seemed to agree that it was beautiful, before the blonde girl mused, I wonder what our dormitory will be like?"
"I really don't know," Kitty replied. "Let's go see! I haven't seen my cat since we arrived!"
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Kitty Procter
I'd like to think we all have a fairy godmother
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Kitty Procter
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