Bad news.... (Tag Isaac or Parker) on Cascade Hall

Kir McLeod

October 06, 2019 4:47 AM

Bad news.... (Tag Isaac or Parker) by Kir McLeod

It probably was not appropriate for the headboy to swear. Still, that was exactly what Kir had done as he took the morning paper from the owl, unfurled it and the implications of the headline hit him. Some of the implications. A second one came hot on its heels and he swore again. He summoned himself a newspaper from the Crotalus table, wanting to see just how bad the damage over there was and- wow. He could actually feel his hand shaking and he wasn’t even-

Damage control. The concept filtered through the brain fog of sheer ‘this cannot be happening.’ He summoned the remainder of the papers that were lying discarded on the Crotalus table. He wondered whether burning them was a good step. He wanted them to not exist, not be so easily read, but he was aware that setting things on fire was probably going to attract attention or questions, and the rest of his behaviour was probably sufficiently noticeable and bizarre to make that a problem already.

Instead, he swung his leg over the bench, standing up from Teppenpaw table, and crossed over to Pecari, scanning the area for either Parker or Isaac, who could confirm whether this was just really, really bad or whether it was actually really, really, really bad. Spotting one of the people he wanted to talk to, he made his way over.

“Hi. Um… what state is Cleo from?” he asked, and from his tone, and the way he was frowning, plus the bizarre fact of the half a dozen newspapers clutched to his chest, it was clear this was not a casual enquiry.

(OOC - so as not to interfere with people’s mindsets/ability to post in the challenge, I’m going to assume this is happening afterwards)

13 Kir McLeod Bad news.... (Tag Isaac or Parker) 366 Kir McLeod 1 5

Parker Fitzgerald

October 06, 2019 12:23 PM

Finally a good day... I think by Parker Fitzgerald

Parker was feeling better. Since he'd gotten back to school he'd felt... anxious? Nervous? Uneasy? He'd felt something, and it wasn't good. He hadn't eaten as much as he had been, and he'd been working out harder in the hopes that he could quell whatever was happening. There was a tightness in his chest that just wouldn't go away.

At first he thought it was about Cleo. He knew she was dating Isaac, and that was... good for them, less so for him. He had felt the pangs of jealousy and slight frustration. He had put in so much work trying to understand and be there for her, without hurting her, and in a way felt that he would have been a good boyfriend. Then again, he'd realized while at home, he'd never even mentioned the possibility to her or asked. Plus, she wasn't his to claim. Still, it hurt in a way he couldn't describe.

But when he heard through the gossip mill that they'd broken up, the feeling didn't leave. If anything, it got worse. It lingered even after he'd talked to Cleo. Or really, been in her presence. It was obvious that she was crying a lot. So much that it made Parker wonder if Isaac had actually broken up with her, and not the other way around. Rumor mills being non-reliable. Cleo though was not answering any of Parker's questions. He had asked her about the break up. It'd been clear she didn't want to talk about. So Parker had pivoted and told her that he would be there for whatever she needed, whenever she wanted to talk. That's what friends did. But still something had been off. With her and with Parker. It'd been weird. It was different than when she was hiding the fact that she was a Veela from him, but still felt similarly uneasy. Parker hadn't liked it one bit.

But this morning had been different. Parker had woken up and stared out the window for a few minutes before realizing that he felt better. The sense of dread or tightness in his chest was gone. He'd practically skipped to the breakfast table and realized with delight that his appetite was back.

He'd piled his plate high with food and sat down to eat. A big smile on his face as he dug in.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kir see him and start to walk over. Parker assumed this was part of his Prefect duties, so he happily kept eating his food turning slightly as Kir approached.

At Kir's question Parker became confused. This was an odd way to start a conversation about Pecaris though maybe with Cleo being friends with many, Kir was just being cautious.

With a mouthful of food Parker responded: "Kawlado." He held up his finger and found his cup of juice to wash down his food.
"Sorry. Colorado."
Something in Kir's face made the uneasy feeling flood back into Parker.

"Why, Kir? What's wrong?"

41 Parker Fitzgerald Finally a good day... I think 1402 Parker Fitzgerald 0 5

Kir

October 07, 2019 8:06 AM

Victim or veela? by Kir

CW: sexual assault, victim blaming

Kir had mentally prepared himself for the possibility that Parker was going to say the thing he really didn't want to hear. He therefore managed not to swear.

"Oh Merlin," he muttered instead.

"You haven't been following the news?" he checked, wondering where to begin. Admittedly, if Parker hadn't seen today's paper, he would still be missing the vital piece of information which had made the dots join for Kir. Still, he thought newspapers plus Colorado was enough to call a certain story to mind for anyone who had been following...

"I... This morning, they're talking about veela and half veela a lot. And I wouldn't want Cleo seeing the kinds of things the papers they read in Crotalus are saying, not unprepared anyway," he made a move as if to drop the papers he was clutching on the table but thought better of it, deciding there were more things Parker needed to know first. "But... The reason it's all in there... For the last week they've been talking about this counselor's son who got caught assaulting someone. And they've just found out that the victim is half veela. A sixteen year old, and from Colorado. It's..." he didn't finish the sentence. He was pretty sure he didn't need to. There were plenty of sixteen year olds in Colorado, enough that he hadn't even considered the possibility that it was someone they went to school with - perhaps remiss, given Sonora's location. But once you added half-veela, it narrowed the pool considerably - perhaps not exclusively down to Cleo, but then there was Cleo herself, and the fact that she had been a mess since arriving back. She had broken up with Isaac (or he had with her, Kir had heard both versions) and had not seemed to be handling that well. Or that was what they'd all been assuming. But what if both things were consequences of something else?

With a sigh, he deposited the stack of papers on the table, though he would understand if Parker didn't feel like reading them right now. The topmost one was Kir's, on which there was the headline 'Blood status of Victim Changes Nothing' followed by the story

'The Brize-Nortons made a statement yeaterday evening, following the family lawyer investigating the background of the girl at the center of the allegations of attemped sexual assault by Blake Brize-Norton. The family's revelation that the victim of the alleged assault are half veela were trotted out as if this statement alone proved the innocence of Blake Brize-Norton.

All it proves is that racism is still alive and well in our communities, alongside victim blaming attitudes in the right wing press. The victim's blood status changes nothing about the fact that she was so frightened that she pushed Brize-Norton away using accidental magical. It changes nothing about the fact that she was in tears when accidental magic squad officers arrived. It changes nothing about her statements that Brize-Norton had been attempting to remove her clothes against her will.' The paper was folded over, the rest of the story obscured. Underneath it sat a stack of papers, all with the glaring all caps headline 'VEELA, NOT VICTIM' and the story

'Victory seemed closer for Blake Brize-Norton last night, after new information about his alleged victim came to light. The revelation that his alleged victim is no such thing but is, in fact, a half veela has got to be a kick in the teeth for the left wing press, who have been so quick to defend her, and to pre-emptively condemn this young man. Whilst this paper has every bit of sympathy for genuine victims of these horrific crimes, we have stood by the principle of 'innocent until proven guilty.' The left wing press surely now owes an apology to both Blake and other newspapers, having harped on about so-called-victim blaming. What about young Blake, who has seen his reputation called into question? Who may have had a promising sporting career blighted by this incident? Where's the sympathy for what he was put through?

This also raises further questions about how non-humans are allowed to interact with the rest of us. Given that veela are known, by their nature, to be promiscuous and to court the attention of men, can it ever be possible for it to be considered sexual assault when such a creature is involved?' The paper continued for several more paragrphs in much the same tone. Kir had had to stop reading at that point because he thought his blood might literally boil.

(OOC For anyone who wants to know what their character might be aware of, two further posts carrying information that has been in the papers can be found in Teppenpaw and Potions, both by Kir.)

13 Kir Victim or veela? 366 Kir 0 5

Parker Fitzgerald

November 18, 2019 8:56 AM

Someone is going to be a victim... by Parker Fitzgerald

Parker could feel his face tighten slightly when Kir asked about the news.

"No. I don't read much beyond the Qudditch pages. I don't get the reason the stories are important usually... why?"

Parker felt himself sink into the bench as Kir talk. Suddenly a lot began to make sense. The sudden breakup with Isaac, the disappearance of Cleo from Garden Club, where he could normally find her, even when she'd been in hiding a few years previous.

Parker picked up the first paper from the stack Kir had put down and could feel the blood rush to his ears. His jaw clenched as he read through the paper. His anger continued to rise as he picked up the next paper and read about Blake Brize-Norton. Cleo wasn't a helpless person, she wasn't some object or monster or "thing". She was a human with feelings. What was the problem of these writers?

Parker closed his eyes as he held onto the the paper pulling it tight. He hadn't felt this way since that time he'd gotten sick in the MARS room and literally exploded. He'd been working out and thoughts of his brother had come to him and it built up and up and up. Just like now, all other feelings and thoughts washed through him. He felt like he was going to explode. He looked back at the paper. Not reading, just seeing the image of the lawyer moving about.

Did people at his school actually think this about his friend? He'd been involved the dueling club after his last outburst and was now leading it, and he'd be damed if he wouldn't challenge everyone who thought this.

He looked up from the paper and spoke slowly."Thank you Kir. For telling me and for taking these away." Feeling every muscle, Parker then slowly stood up from the bench. "I think I need to talk to someone at the moment."

Parker picked up the one paper he'd been reading in one hand. With his other he took out his wand and waved it over most of the stack of paper setting them all on fire. Thought of food having long disappeared. Instead he needed fresh air, and a talk with Isaac. He'd not talked to Isaac about his relationship with Cleo nor really with her about him, but Parker was damned if he was going to do this on his own.

His face twitched slightly as he cluched the paper to his chest and pushed the door open to the hallway. His anger setting a determination in him. He never liked bullies, and he would damned if a bully was going to take down his best friend.

41 Parker Fitzgerald Someone is going to be a victim... 1402 0 5