9 Apr 2020, 22:23
April Flowers
Aly's favorite season of the year was always, always, always the springtime. Though she was also a fan of the cold winter months- after all, cold meant snow, and snow meant snowball fights, snow angels, snow forts, snowmen, etc.- winter was also simply a sad time. Everything was always so dead, the world so quiet, blanketed in thick, fluffy flakes of white. But when spring came again, the birds never failed to begin their sweet songs, the flowers always bloomed bright and cheerful, and the world simply came to life again. (Plus, her birthday was in the spring! That was always just a nice something extra.) That was why springtime, the most joyful part of the year, would always be sweet little Aly's favorite.
Spring of 2020 was no different from any other springtime in her eleven years and eleven months of age. Slightly warm as the March cold and bleak faded into a rainier April. Just over a week into April, however, the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were blessed with a particularly sunny day, and Aly simply couldn't stay cooped up in the castle while the weather was so beautiful. Instead of going to her regular lunchtime in the Great Hall, then, she left the castle and made her way down to the grounds for a walk. She could always eat later. And she always carried some sweets with her in her bag, so it wasn't like she would go hungry.
A slightly cooler breeze, a remnant of March lingering in the air like an ever-present ghost, played gently with Aly's light brown curls as she strolled throughout the empty greenery of the Hogwarts grounds. Since it was lunchtime, the grounds themselves were mostly empty, and Aly could spot only a few other students out enjoying the sunshine. She tilted her face up to the warm sky and closed her eyes so the sun wouldn't blind her, letting the warmth and golden light wash over her pale, freckled cheeks. Days like this were worth waiting the entirety of winter for.
When she brought her face back down and opened her eyes, her light green gaze alighted on something she hadn't seen before. Just across the empty field was a patch of white atop blades of grass. Aly squinted to try to make it out. Were those... wildflowers? Already? But it's only April!
An excited laugh bubbled out of her like an overheated potion spilling over the lip of its cauldron. "Who do I care?" she exclaimed to no one in particular, securing her satchel safely onto her shoulder and breaking into a joyful run. "They're still flowers!"
And indeed they were, a patch of white clover that looked as though it had just bloomed in the last few days. The creamy petals were fresh in color, complete with long stems and their trademark light green base that almost- but not quite- matched the color of Aly's eyes. Technically, white clover blossoms were weeds, but they still were beautiful so Aly hadn't a care in the world about it. She dropped to her knees along the edge of the patch, careful not to crush any of the precious blossoms, and slung her satchel off over her head.
After tossing it in a nearby patch of plain grass, Aly carefully arranged her legs and sat down next to the patch of flowers, tucking the excess fabric of her grey pleated skirt tightly underneath her legs. She wished she'd worn slacks today, but it was too late now- and plus, then the sun's warmth wouldn't have done any favors. She reached out and plucked one long-stemmed white clover, then another, then another, until she had a small but veritable pile of them beside her; then, Aly took one and tied a knot in its stem, slipping the stem of another into the knot before it was completely closed. She repeated this process with the same chain over and over until she had about a third of a proper flower crown in her lap, then reached to pluck some more flowers. Peacefully sitting down and making chains of clovers on a beautiful day like this was exactly what the world was all about, in Aly's opinion anyway.
WC: 708
| Aly Salinger's ency |
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STA 10 | EVA 14 | STR 5 | WIS 19 | ARC 7 | ACC 18 Charmer • Keeper’s Catch • Paragon of Health • Lovely Creature • Foulplay • Keen Eye who's afraid of little old me? |
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12 Apr 2020, 06:16
April Flowers
Haven was looking forward to the warm weather that spring brought along. It had been rather sad, waking up every morning to witness gray, dark, dreary clouds. But when she pulled back the curtains that morning, she was happily surprised to see sunshine blinding her. The young Hufflepuff pressed her face against the glass of the window, letting out a comical gasp when she saw something colorful in the distance. She could nearly scream. However, she was saddened by the fact that she couldn't go run outside in the warm air until later. But it couldn't stop her from going later. Haven dropped her hat into her school bag and ran to breakfast, not able to shake the excitement about the flowers she saw outside. It would be a great surprise to keep her happy throughout all her morning classes.
As usual, that morning's History of Magic class droned on until she nearly had to pry her eyes open. Once the bell rang, dismissing them from the last morning class, Haven practically flew from the classroom and to the Great Hall. She gained a few odd looks from the people who were gathering as she shoved a few sandwiches and what she hoped was an apple into her bag. A hat was shoved onto her head as she ran outside, her red hair making a trail behind her.
It smelled like spring outside, the rain from the other day seeping into her socks, making an unpleasant squishy feeling as she walked. She didn't mind it though, it was sunny! And there were flowers! Squishy socks were a fair trade for that, Haven had decided. She couldn't hide her smile as she breathed in the fresh air and let the sun shine on her face. A holler left her lungs as she ran down the hill. Her school robes got tangled in her legs, but she didn't care! Haven felt so free. Eventually, when she ran out of breath from running and screaming for so long, she plopped down into a patch of blooming clover.
After taking a minute to enjoy the beauty of everything, Haven fished a sandwich out of her bag. Once she sniffed it to identify the ingredients (turkey, cucumber, spicy mustard), she promptly devoured the triangle-shaped half. As for the thing she thought was an apple, she left it in her bag. She wasn't sure she trusted it quite yet. Or if she would ever. Until she found a way to get rid of it, however, it would remain in her schoolbag.
Haven hummed a little tune to herself as she observed the little clovers. They were adorable, how tiny they were. She picked one off the ground, but once she did, she squinted at something. Not the flower, but a figure slightly in the distance. Sort of a brown blob. Having nothing better to do, Haven went over to investigate.
Hand on her hat, she slowly inched forward, nearly tripping over a tree root as she did so. There weren't any trees in the vicinity, so she had no idea how she managed to do that. Somehow, she did. Things like that just happen sometimes.
As she got closer, Haven started to recognize the figure. She wore blue robes, a Ravenclaw, and was a first-year, just like her. What Haven couldn't remember was the girl's name or what classes they had together. However, those could be figured out later. If things didn't go well, she could always take her chances with the apple thing. But the Hufflepuff had a good feeling. Maybe it was just the sunshine, or maybe it was the sogginess of her socks, but it was good enough for Haven.
Not too close to be pushy, and not far away enough for it to be awkward was where Haven sat. Clearly, she was implying the want to start a conversation and she wasn't far away enough to be ignored. After approximately 5 seconds of waiting, or 5 hours, in Haven's mind, she took a breath, opened her mouth, and said one of the best conversation starters of all time. It absolutely could not go wrong, and many great conversations and relations had stemmed from the same sentence.
"So, how's the weather?"
WC: 708
As usual, that morning's History of Magic class droned on until she nearly had to pry her eyes open. Once the bell rang, dismissing them from the last morning class, Haven practically flew from the classroom and to the Great Hall. She gained a few odd looks from the people who were gathering as she shoved a few sandwiches and what she hoped was an apple into her bag. A hat was shoved onto her head as she ran outside, her red hair making a trail behind her.
It smelled like spring outside, the rain from the other day seeping into her socks, making an unpleasant squishy feeling as she walked. She didn't mind it though, it was sunny! And there were flowers! Squishy socks were a fair trade for that, Haven had decided. She couldn't hide her smile as she breathed in the fresh air and let the sun shine on her face. A holler left her lungs as she ran down the hill. Her school robes got tangled in her legs, but she didn't care! Haven felt so free. Eventually, when she ran out of breath from running and screaming for so long, she plopped down into a patch of blooming clover.
After taking a minute to enjoy the beauty of everything, Haven fished a sandwich out of her bag. Once she sniffed it to identify the ingredients (turkey, cucumber, spicy mustard), she promptly devoured the triangle-shaped half. As for the thing she thought was an apple, she left it in her bag. She wasn't sure she trusted it quite yet. Or if she would ever. Until she found a way to get rid of it, however, it would remain in her schoolbag.
Haven hummed a little tune to herself as she observed the little clovers. They were adorable, how tiny they were. She picked one off the ground, but once she did, she squinted at something. Not the flower, but a figure slightly in the distance. Sort of a brown blob. Having nothing better to do, Haven went over to investigate.
Hand on her hat, she slowly inched forward, nearly tripping over a tree root as she did so. There weren't any trees in the vicinity, so she had no idea how she managed to do that. Somehow, she did. Things like that just happen sometimes.
As she got closer, Haven started to recognize the figure. She wore blue robes, a Ravenclaw, and was a first-year, just like her. What Haven couldn't remember was the girl's name or what classes they had together. However, those could be figured out later. If things didn't go well, she could always take her chances with the apple thing. But the Hufflepuff had a good feeling. Maybe it was just the sunshine, or maybe it was the sogginess of her socks, but it was good enough for Haven.
Not too close to be pushy, and not far away enough for it to be awkward was where Haven sat. Clearly, she was implying the want to start a conversation and she wasn't far away enough to be ignored. After approximately 5 seconds of waiting, or 5 hours, in Haven's mind, she took a breath, opened her mouth, and said one of the best conversation starters of all time. It absolutely could not go wrong, and many great conversations and relations had stemmed from the same sentence.
"So, how's the weather?"
WC: 708
15 Apr 2020, 16:50
April Flowers
When Kaden awoke that bright spring morning, sunbeams blazed through the glass windows and lit up the entire room, the rays landing upon the young Hufflepuff's face. Kaden blinked a few times and groaned groggily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before they suddenly shot wide open. A smile as bright as the sunlight that graced his features formed upon his face as he realized this was one of my first sunny days of the season, and his favorite season no less: spring! Kaden nearly jumped out of bed and rushed to get ready despite the early hour, though he did slow down long enough to touch up on even the tiniest details of his appearance, finding his vain self staring in the mirror perhaps a bit too long before the sun's rays reminded him of why he was up so early in the first place. Shaking his head to snap himself out of his one of many moments of vanity, Kaden grabbed his bag and made his way to the Great Hall. The only class he had that morning was History of Magic, and frankly, detention was less boring than History of Magic, so after eating breakfast as quickly as possible without choking, Kaden nearly sprinted out the double doors of the Entrance Hall and onto the sunlit Hogwarts grounds.
Once the Hufflepuff was outside in the fresh spring air, he took a deep breath through his nose, exhaling with a soft smile on his face. This was the spring time he craved, not the rainy weeks that had preceded it and kept him and his classmates stuck inside. The cool breeze did nothing to deter him from finding a sunny spot to lay his towel (getting mud all over his clothes and hair from the wet ground wouldn't do, after all) and laid on his back on top of it, closing his eyes and simply enjoying the weather, not too unlike a pretty flower undergoing photosynthesis.
A few hours later, Kaden stirred again, realizing he must have fallen asleep at some point. Not that he minded, and he was pleased to see no Prefects had woken him up to force him to class. As if he could even fathom attending History of Magic when the weather was this beautiful! Kaden didn't bother to move from his position until he heard a familiar voice speak aloud.
"So, how's the weather?"
"Haven!" Kaden called out to his friend excitedly, bolting upright, grabbing his bag, and running over to her and the girl she was speaking to with a bright grin on his face. After greeting his friend, he turned his attention to the Ravenclaw who he didn't know quite as well, but had enough classes with to at least know her name and her general bubbly demeanor. Someone he figured he would make friends with easily, but just hadn't yet had the chance. "And Aly, right? I don't think we've ever really talked before, I'm Kaden! Nice to actually mee-" Kaden cut himself short, his eyes widening with glee as he saw the pretty white wildflowers the Ravenclaw girl was chaining together. Quickly sitting down in a similar fashion to Aly, all thoughts of the wet, muddy ground were gone as he plucked a few of the flowers and began chaining them together just as Aly was.
"I love flower crowns! They're so pretty!" Kaden exclaimed excitedly and more than a bit childishly. Many had tried to tell Kaden that flowers and flower crowns were "girly", but Kaden had never cared much for gender stereotypes, even if he didn't know exactly what the definition of a stereotype was at his twelve years of age.
Once the Hufflepuff was outside in the fresh spring air, he took a deep breath through his nose, exhaling with a soft smile on his face. This was the spring time he craved, not the rainy weeks that had preceded it and kept him and his classmates stuck inside. The cool breeze did nothing to deter him from finding a sunny spot to lay his towel (getting mud all over his clothes and hair from the wet ground wouldn't do, after all) and laid on his back on top of it, closing his eyes and simply enjoying the weather, not too unlike a pretty flower undergoing photosynthesis.
A few hours later, Kaden stirred again, realizing he must have fallen asleep at some point. Not that he minded, and he was pleased to see no Prefects had woken him up to force him to class. As if he could even fathom attending History of Magic when the weather was this beautiful! Kaden didn't bother to move from his position until he heard a familiar voice speak aloud.
"So, how's the weather?"
"Haven!" Kaden called out to his friend excitedly, bolting upright, grabbing his bag, and running over to her and the girl she was speaking to with a bright grin on his face. After greeting his friend, he turned his attention to the Ravenclaw who he didn't know quite as well, but had enough classes with to at least know her name and her general bubbly demeanor. Someone he figured he would make friends with easily, but just hadn't yet had the chance. "And Aly, right? I don't think we've ever really talked before, I'm Kaden! Nice to actually mee-" Kaden cut himself short, his eyes widening with glee as he saw the pretty white wildflowers the Ravenclaw girl was chaining together. Quickly sitting down in a similar fashion to Aly, all thoughts of the wet, muddy ground were gone as he plucked a few of the flowers and began chaining them together just as Aly was.
"I love flower crowns! They're so pretty!" Kaden exclaimed excitedly and more than a bit childishly. Many had tried to tell Kaden that flowers and flower crowns were "girly", but Kaden had never cared much for gender stereotypes, even if he didn't know exactly what the definition of a stereotype was at his twelve years of age.