Headmistress Powell and Headmaster Guido
October 02, 2009 4:18 PM
Sonora Academy Welcomes Rocky Mountain International! by Headmistress Powell and Headmaster Guido
It was a pleasantly warm morning; students at Sonora were unimpressed with having to wear their uniform robes on a Saturday, but this was a special occasion. The visiting staff and students from Rocky Mountain International had only just arrived by portkey to the edge of the Quidditch pitch, where the inhabitants of Sonora Academy had gathered to meet them. Headmistress Sadi Powell was the first to make contact; she walked up to the large group and shook hands with their Headmaster, Alessandro Guido. Then she took a couple of steps back again, and put her wand to her throat. Her voice, magically magnified, could fill the Quidditch pitch as she made her announcement. “Welcome to Sonora Academy. We hope you will enjoy your stay in the desert. Today there will be a series of activities for all students, which our prefects have been kind enough to arrange. There will be a buffet at lunchtime served in the gardens, and during the evening we will come together for a magnificent bonfire.” Sadi paused in her speech to allow for any response to this news to die down before she continued. “Tonight all staff and students will camp out here on the Quidditch pitch.” Tents would be erected later in the day; each tent would hold four students, and would be strictly single sex. The students would be free to choose their own camping comrades, although the Headmistress was hopeful there would be some inter-school sharing.Before the students from RMI had embarked, Alessandro Guido had given them a brief speech about their expected behaviour as visitors at Sonora. As he stood with Sadi Powell, he sincerely hoped certain students would take his words to heart. The man was excited that his students would have this opportunity; it felt, at times, as though the student body became somewhat set in its ways. Sandro was a firm believer in encouraging diversity, and sincerely hoped all the students would take advantage of this opportunity to step out of their ‘boxes’ and meet other young witches and wizards. As the students hesitantly began to mill about, Alessandro smiled and took a few steps forward in order to speak with Sadi. After months of planning, it was exciting for the event to finally be occurring!
Returning her voice back to normal, Sadi started to encouraged visiting staff towards a small table of light refreshments the prairie elves had laid out on the pitch. For her, giving the speech had been easy: it was the rest of the weekend that held mild concern. Although Sadi was sure all students would do their best to represent their school, it would be foolish to imagine everyone would get along swimmingly. Hopefully any scruples that did occur would be minor, and easily resolved.
Subthreads: *Insert Expletive* by Adam Brockert with Tripp Lemont, RMI 5th year
Ladies of the Fourth Year Tent? by Holly Greer with Cecily Smythe, Chelsea Brockert
Homecoming? Would this be the appropriate term? by Hyana Kamiya with Elly Eriksson, Caedence, Hyana
It seemed like a good idea at the time by Tanya Fayes [RMI Second-year] with Jose Hernandez, Tanya Fayes
Seeking Tentmates among the RMI guys by Saul Pierce, Pecari Prefect of Sonora with Darian
New people. Great. by Daniel Nash II, Sonora 2nd Year with Keith Blackburn [RMI 2nd year]
The moment arrives! by Eavan Valentine with Ivy Tallow, Eavan
Single attractive RMI female seeking attractive Sonoran! by Lia Harper, RMI 4th year with Annabelle Winslow (Sonora, 6th year), Lia
Looking for someone to share a tent with. by Pippa Brockert with Megan Macrae
Looking on the sunny side of life! And for a tentmate! by Simon Gallup [RMI, 2nd-year] with Jethro Smythe, Simon
I'm just too cool for words, yo by Kenny Watts [RMI, 1st-year] with Jaeven Dimitri, Kenny
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Headmistress Powell and Headmaster Guido
Sonora Academy Welcomes Rocky Mountain International!
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Headmistress Powell and Headmaster Guido
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Tanya Fayes [RMI Second-year]
October 04, 2009 9:49 PM
It seemed like a good idea at the time by Tanya Fayes [RMI Second-year]
Tanya Fayes blinked in the bright morning sunlight as she was suddenly jerked from safe underground RMI to the unknown Quidditch Pitch at Sonora. The second-year tried to smooth her brown hair- her normally smooth ponytail had gotten all messed up by the portkey, and wisps of hair were floating down around her face. She consoled herself with the fact that her school uniform at least looked nice, probably because she hadn’t worn it all year. But visiting another – possibly rival- school called for not wearing hand-me-downs.It was maybe a good thing that Headmaster Guido had made the visit mandatory, or else Tanya would have had to decide whether or not to go. Well, she could have not gone, but that would have required hiding in the passages or something like that, and Tanya hadn’t felt like taking the time to figure out how to do it.
Still, she did not feel entirely calm as she watched the ranks of green-clad Sonorites on the other side of the Pitch. Tanya had heard that Sonora was more… pureblood, so to speak, and she didn’t think that they would like her. There were Andreias in every school, of course, but RMI was, in general, pretty non-caring about that sort of thing. Which was good for Tanya. And she had no intention of letting anyone at Sonora know why it was good for Tanya, but the problem still existed.
And the Aquila was sure that there would be more Andreias at Sonora than at RMI. It was one of the main reasons she hadn’t wanted to go (along with the fact that it was something new and probably hazardous).
There was the chance that no one would care in the slightest and she would meet lots of new friends. Right. And she would love these new friends so much- and they would love her- that they would all have a fun sleepover in their tent.
And as the Head of Sonora explained how they would all be best friends and camp out in tents, Tanya’s heart sank. Outside? At night- it would be just like last time. Alone- outside. She couldn’t- just couldn’t- do it. Tanya did not want to go camping. Tanya Fayes Did Not Like Camping. It wasn’t even the specific action of camping; it was more the spend-a-night-outdoors sort of thing. Even though it was almost five months later, and Sonora was in the desert and therefore there would be no snow, and there would be other people, it was still practically the same thing. Even though it was almost summer, Tanya Fayes felt cold.
Tanya was now a girl on a mission. She had to find a way to get out of this place! Some reason- anything! If her owl had been there, she could have owled her brother and Nikolai could have Apparated over here and then Side-Alonged her out. But Ari was stuck back at RMI, so she was stuck at Sonora. For now.
The second-year was so busy trying to come up with a plan that she didn’t notice the person in green flying at her until it was too late. For some reason, a Sonora student slammed into her side and knocked Tanya to the ground!
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Tanya Fayes [RMI Second-year]
It seemed like a good idea at the time
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Tanya Fayes [RMI Second-year]
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Jose Hernandez
October 05, 2009 2:19 PM
Whoa! Sorry there! by Jose Hernandez
Jose was beyond excited about not only the Bonfire and the associated bonfire activities - there was an obstacle course! - but by the chance to meet new people. In honor of the occasion, he had treated himself to loads of sugar that morning. Standing still for Headmistress Powell's speech had been impossible - he'd perched up on his toes, vainly trying to see over the heads of the taller students, moved around and stepped upon older kids' toes trying to find an opening, and generally displayed every evidence of being an overexcited first year hopped up on pixie sticks.By the time the speech had finished, Jose had squeezed his way through the Sonoran crowd to claim a place right at the front. He drank in the sight of the unfamiliar students and a bright grin broke across his face while he bounced on the balls of his feet, muscles tensed to sprint into the group wearing a uniform different than his own.
He pulled at his own sleeves, un-self-conscious of their worn and battered state. They'd been Saul's before they'd been his - right down to the same Pecari House badge - and neither of them had been particularly kind to the robes. Instead, he was noticing their color and how accustomed he'd become to the green. They'd looked funny when he'd started last September, but now it was the RMI robes that looked strange to him.
Jose liked strange. That was why he was a Pecari, the House of Adventure.
Finally, Headmistress Powell stopped talking. Jose had no idea what she'd said, but figured it wasn't anything he hadn't heard before. If he had any questions about what was going on, Saul wouldn't be hard for him to find.
Jose took off across the space separating the two groups of students, fixed upon his intent to get the two groups of uniforms mixed up as quickly as possible.
He was a little too successful. One of his old hand-me-down canvas shoes with zero traction left on the soles slipped on the trampled grass of the Pitch and he careened directly into one of the guest students. They both pitched to the ground. His dark Mexican features didn't allow him to flush too brightly, but his face still felt warm as he climbed quickly back to his feet and hurried to help the girl back up as well.
"Sorry!" he exclaimed, mortified, his accent as American as his appearance and name were Hispanic. "Got excited and slipped and I'm really sorry! Are you all right?" He held out a hand, more as an offer to pull her back to her feet than for a handshake, but accompanied it with an introduction. "I'm Jose. Jose Hernandez." There were two Joses in the school, and if she reported him to a teacher, he didn't want Santoro to get in trouble for his clumsiness. "I'm really sorry," he said again, sincerely, hoping that repetition would make her unharmed and inclined against holding his tumble against not only him, but his whole school.
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Jose Hernandez
Whoa! Sorry there!
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Jose Hernandez
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Tanya Fayes
October 15, 2009 9:31 PM
Don't worry, I'm still breathing by Tanya Fayes
Tanya shrieked, arms pinwheeling, as she was knocked to the ground. She didn't hit all that hard, and she didn't land on her arm again- thank Merlin!- but it was still a somewhat scary experience. Maybe the world's Quidditch Pitches had it out for her, or something like that. But the one at Sonora had never met her before. Maybe it did this to all people. Maybe smushing your face against it was just its way of saying hello. The Sonorite who had knocked her over certainly was doing that."Got excited and slipped and I'm really sorry! Are you all right? I'm Jose. Jose Hernandez. I'm really sorry," the hyperactive firstie in front of Tanya said, somehow managing to combine super-excitedness and sincere apologizing-ness. Tanya's first impulse was to scream at and hex this kid- didn't he know what he'd done? She'd almost broken her arm again! True, she had been hit from the side this time, and hadn't taken any Stunners, but it was still
Oh no.
He was another ILYA. That was it. The excitedness, the politeness- it was all there. Tanya groaned and covered her face with her hand, trying to pass it off as a reaction to falling. Not another one! One Ilya was annoying enough- how could there be more than one in the world?
It was impossible. There had been an off-chance she could have met someone cool, someone who could get her out of here. But no. Tanya had run in to - well, okay, Jose had run into her- someone exactly like the cousin she was trying to avoid. Life was so unfair. Tanya sighed again, then after a moment, she composed herself, and accepted Jose's hand.
"It's okay, I'm not really hurt," the Aquila said resignedly, trying to show that she actually knew how to be polite. "I was just- startled, that's all," she said as she brushed grass off her now mud-stained uniform. And she had hoped to make a good impression.
"So..." Tanya really should introduce Ilya to this kid, or at least steer Ilya his way. Her cousin and her attacker would probably get along swimmingly, and having someone nearly as- more excited than he would probably distract Ilya. Then Tanya could make her escape!
Yeah. Right.
The girl searched for a topic of conversation. Noticing the badge on his robes- a sort of bristly gray pig thing- she asked, "So, what are the houses here like? You're a..." she tried to remember what Headmaster Guido had told them about the other school. Fumbling for words, she finished with "A peck-something?"
OOC: Sorry for the delay, RL was all like "Hey pay attention to me now!"
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Tanya Fayes
Don't worry, I'm still breathing
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Tanya Fayes
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Jose
October 16, 2009 3:15 PM
Whew. I was worried for a minute there. by Jose
Jose breathed out a sigh of relief when she confirmed that she was all right. When she'd rested her head in her hands, he'd worried that maybe she'd bumped her head in the spill and was maybe a little concussed, but he took her at her word when she said she was just startled.He helped her back up to her feet and then looked down at his House badge when she drew attention to it. "Yeah, a Pecari," he told her, giving the House its full pronunciation instead of just the first syllable she'd come up with. "We're the adventurous and adaptable ones," he added, giving the two traits most often reference in relation to the Pecaris.
"But some of use are more adventurous and adaptable than others. Sometimes I think we're the House that gets people that don't fit anywhere, cuz we've got everything from a Savannah Carey to the California Pierces." Both families were reasonably prominent, the former known for dark magic and questionable ethics and the later for far left liberal views and, um, questionable ethics, but more on the scale of gypsies, tramps, and thieves than than anything really dire. Of course, if the girl he'd run over wasn't familiar with most American Wizarding families, the comparison wouldn't mean much to her. He'd explain it if she asked.
"Then there's the Aladrens, who are the smart ones," he assumed every school had a smart House, so he didn't go into them very much. "And the Crotali are the, um, well, they're supposed to be rule driven, but that sound so boring and makes it sound like they're the good kids, which some of them are, and some of them aren't. They're nearly as diverse as Pecari, except they're more likely to break out into civil war. Crotalus has most, but not all, of the 'proper' purebloods, but there's more than just purebloods in the house, too, which is where the war comes in.
"And the last one is Teppenpaw, which has the really friendly kids in it. Teppenpaws are pretty awesome - almost as awesome as the Pecaris. Never met a Tepp I didn't like." On the other hand, he'd rarely ever met another person he didn't like, so that wasn't saying a lot, really.
He grinned at her. "What about RMI? What are your Houses over there?"
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Jose
Whew. I was worried for a minute there.
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Jose
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Tanya
October 18, 2009 5:49 PM
It's all good by Tanya
Tanya listened as Jose explained the Houses in Sonora. Pecari was adventurous, Aladaren was smart, Croatalus was "rule-driven" and Teppenpaw was "friendly." It seemed Jose was part Teppenpaw too, she thought. Again, like Ilya. Jose made references to families that she didn't quite recognize, but she could guess. For every Andreia Cardozo, the most uptight prissy pureblood ever, there was a Lia Harper, RMI's school... person-who-hooks-up-with-everyone. And Tanya guessed that RMI was even weirder, because Sonora didn't have all the muggle-borns in as well."I guess... our houses are kinda similar to yours," she said, in response to the boy's question. "I mean, Draco is the smart house, and Cetus... Cetus is supposed to be, like, calm and hardworking and stuff. Dracos are the ones who like learning for itself." No that Tanya didn't like learning- it was okay, most of the time, but sometimes it got kinda old. But from what Tanya could tell of Keith, her black-haired friend actually liked their classes (other than Charms). She'd be willing to bet anything that he was dashing over to the Potions competition right now.
"Lyra and Aquila are sorta close, but Lyras are generally more artistic, like theater or dancing or something like that. Most of them are a bunch of drama queens. Or anyone really weird. And then there's my house, Aquila," she said, smiling wryly.
"We're the problem house," that's for sure "or at least all of the pranksters are here. I guess some of us are weird, too, but in a different way. I don't really know why I'm an Aquila..." Well, she had left a box of tampered potion on the bed of that apple chick, but that was deserved. Tanya wasn't really a troublemaker, or, at least, none of it was really her fault. Tanya still didn't know why she was an Aquila.
I mean, I might have picked me as a Cetus, just because they're... quieter. Not that you're really that quiet. But Aquila people know what they're doing.
"Personally? I've always thought that being the prankster house is a really weak basis for a house. Plus, you're marked from day one. I guess in that case- anyway. There are a lot of troublmakers in Aquila. So it seems the houses are along mostly similar lines," she said, covering up her little slip there.
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Tanya
It's all good
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Tanya
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