The strategy of retreat on Library

Martin Crosby V

May 08, 2020 7:16 AM

The strategy of retreat by Martin Crosby V

While Martin was loath to admit much emotional connection (and therefore weakness), it was always sad to return to school and leave his family behind. His parents were just about the most tolerable adults he had ever encountered, which was admittedly a pretty low bar but still enough precedent to spoil him on most adults. Grown witches and wizards - especially professors here - tended to think they knew more things because they had more experiences. In Martin's humble opinion, that simply was not true. He was smarter and more mature than a lot of them. Most adults, he had gathered from his own experiences, were just big kids masquerading as “grown ups” and then absolutely fell apart under the pressure. But Martin wasn’t like that. He was already an adult. He had been for some time now.

He did miss his little sister when he was here, though. As much as he hated adults, he tended to hate children more, but not her. Not Samara. She was special. Maybe it was because she had him to guide her that she was developing so much more beautifully than other children. Martin didn’t consider himself especially arrogant, but he did have to give himself credit where it was due. He was a great mentor.

If only the students here would accept him as such. Instead, he found himself avoiding them most of the time. He had pleasantly interacted with Katerina at the ball, so he supposed that meant he had a friend now, but he was far more interested in books and logic than other human beings, especially ones his own age. So Martin found a better way to pass the time before the ball than sitting around in his dormitory catching up with his roommates. Instead, he sat quietly in the library, his nose in a book about chess strategy.

12 Martin Crosby V The strategy of retreat 1439 1 5

Jezebel Reed-Fischer

May 08, 2020 2:06 PM

That one hasn't worked for me. by Jezebel Reed-Fischer

OOC - internalized homophobia
IC -

By the end of summer, Patience still hadn't shown any magic, Marcus was still . . . Marcus, Augustine was as boisterous as ever, and everything was basically moving at the same pace as before. Except that it wasn't at all. Mom and dad were dealing with new challenges in their own ways, and Jezebel now had Dathan on her team. And she'd told someone The Thing and wasn't sure what to do about that. It felt really good to say out loud to someone, but it was a bit sad now to realise how good that could feel and also know she could never do anything about it all the same.

Whenever Jezebel was feeling this way, she'd tended toward the library. If anything, she could get ready for the next big hurdle, the next class, or the next . . . whatever. Maybe there were books about how to fix whatever she was. She wouldn't even begin to know where to look, and it wasn't like she'd want to be caught reading about it. She definitely couldn't bring it with her to the Feast. Still, there was comfort to be drawn from the aisles of dusty tomes and it was a good place to be alone. Except that apparently she was not alone.

A boy who was in the class ahead of her - although really they were in the same class now that Jezebel was also an intermediate - was sitting alone reading a book that Jezebel couldn't see the title of from here. Anyone who took the time to be alone and read a book upon their arrival back to school seemed like good company to Jezebel, so she grabbed the nearest book that looked vaguely interesting - Muggle Magic in the Middle Ages - and made for a seat at the table with the boy.

"Is it alright if I sit here?" she asked, gesturing. "I'll be quiet," she smiled. "Nicer to sit with someone else, though."

22 Jezebel Reed-Fischer That one hasn't worked for me. 1454 0 5

Martin Crosby V

May 09, 2020 8:03 AM

It was working for me until quite recently. by Martin Crosby V

Martin rolled his eyes. So much for his plan.

He looked up from the book to see who it was addressing him, since he didn’t inherently know the voice. He had done his best not to familiarize or fraternize with most of his classmates, although he was fairly certain she was in the grade beneath him. She wasn’t from a family he cared about, so he hadn’t committed her to memory, but he was pretty sure she had a J name. That was already more than he truly cared to know about her.

Still, he couldn’t be rude and outright tell her to go away, even though that was his inclination. And technically, she had as much right to be here as he did, no matter how much he wished she wouldn’t. Her sentiment was almost laughable, though: nicer to sit with someone else? Was she insane? The whole reason he was here was to avoid having to sit with anyone else. But as ever, fate had thwarted him and forced him into meaningless socialization. Martin suppressed a sigh.

“Of course,” he said, sounding sociable enough. He gestured to the chair farthest from him and returned his gaze to his book. He had nothing else to say and hoped J-girl maintained her promise of silence.

12 Martin Crosby V It was working for me until quite recently. 1439 0 5