27 Feb 2021, 19:50
Late Tidings
"We have to stop meeting like this" night after night by unhappy 'coincidence' Mathias would find himself in the Medical Wing immediately after the evening meal. A fresh scrape or bruise, Mathias was so very 'clumsy.' A lie of course, one that Mathias did not go to great lengths to hide. He had reasons, something to gain and a little bit of pain was a pittance to pay if that was all it would cost. "Eventually you will have to tell me why," the lingering question that remained on his lips all these months.
For want. For them. For an unfathomable goal.
The favored, gilded one. The most clever. The most unusual. The least ambitious. They would leave, but today they were late. Their companion, a waste of space really dallied. Pride was supposed to escort them back to their dorm, to 'keep them safe' with his nil skills. They ran off, probably following a butterfly or they became enamored with something pink.
In truth, he was jealous. He had plenty of reasons for feeling that way but lacked the power to do anything beyond grasp his resentment. Perhaps that was why he lingered too long, wandered the halls and left a familiar path. He would find himself lost, down a corridor he had not traversed before at a late hour. He had lost track of time, the burden of his thoughts pulling him away. So standing there in a torchlit tall he would stop and look around., The stone walls with great blocks of smooth, grey stone would be the same yet unfamiliar. Those looming, wall suits of armor that had been polished by unseen hands with care were not the suits he knew upon squat platforms in this lonesome corridor.
Mathias was one that appreciated these moments, these tired and tried days of contrivance. The solitary freedom that loneliness promised was negated by the revelation of unfamiliarity. There was security in certainty. In knowing. He preferred to be alone for the very reason he preferred to be among the familiar -- a distinct lack of variables. The same reason he prodded, to choose the reaction. To test boundaries in the presence of a safetynet. To simply know. Fear is often based in the unknown. It is easier to accept the pain of the flame, the knife or the fist when one knows what it will accomplish, when one knows it can be overcome, overpowered and... the true extent of its potential. Fear, true fear, not to be intermingled with phobias and paranoia of what our ancestors feared, of things too small to matter. Of the spiders and the dark rather than the eyes that see, the teeth that bite and the claws that tear. Of what can truly cause irreparable, irreversible harm and of how much harm is too much, when the price becomes too great.
That is why he did not like this place, this particular hall. He did not know where it led, where is came from as he had forgotten his path and more importantly what dwelled in this part. No windows, no way to regain his bearings, he would simply choose to return. To return from whence he came, to find a familiar place, be it a painting or a bust, a known face, a door worthy of recollection.
Yet time would tick onward, he was out past curfew.
This is a thread intended for @Alan Vanes and @Opeila Winters as requested for the purpose of granting me detention. I believe that there might also be involvement of @Pericles Dralt, but if I am incorrect on any of these presumptions, forgive me. I will also edit if there is more necessary or I made a mistake since I believe they had a specific intended scenario.
Permission for light godmodding if necessary (such as location, time, presence of others I have not addressed).
Event NPC
3 Apr 2021, 00:37
Late Tidings
@Mathias Pride
Opeila had lost track of the time. One moment it had been 7.30 pm, only seconds later- or so it felt- the clock showed 7.57 pm. And Opeila still in the library had not packed her things yet, neither had she brought back the books that had been piling up around her. Things like that rarely happened to the second year, she had become more careful. After the last year, she had started to avoid trouble, partly because of her grandmother's request in her last letter, partly because Opeila never wanted to be asked again to give reasons not to expel her and then be unable to answer.
Yes, today she would be a few minutes late... But.. If a prefect caught her hurrying back to the common room like three or four minutes late, they would be lenient, wouldn't they? At least most of them would. If she happened to be unlucky enough to run into a Jack Warren... Had enough time passed since Opeila punched him for him to let her get through with it? Well, she would worry about that if she got caught.
As chance would have it, Opeila indeed ran into a person. Or rather past them, only to turn back. It was no prefect though, but a boy around her age, maybe a little younger. His face was vaguely familiar, as it would be after sharing one common room for several months, but she couldn't connect a name with it.
The second year examined the child for a moment. Did he lose track of the time as well?
"Erm, excuse me?", she tried to get his attention. "You might want to get back to the common room before a prefect gets here. Curfew has passed a few minutes ago."
Did he get lost maybe? Was he unsure how to get back? "Are you alright?"
I'm sorry, this took me ages x.x Currently trying to catch up on my threads...
28 Apr 2021, 18:44
Late Tidings
He did not know the way. The way from whence he came or to where he was going. In search of a lost sparrow he did not care to find but was duty-bound to find, to lead and to protect. He was but an errand boy in this scenario, a role he took with acrimony. Mindless wandering would do nothing to meet his ends, so he would cease. He would stop and he would ponder.
Had she gone on further or had she already found her way back to the common room? In a building that houses hundreds of children, he would not be able to discern her passing. Find evidence, a strand of golden hair or footprints that would allow him to follow her path. He would have to find his way back and he would need to formulate a lie, a statement of reason in case she had never arrived. Something to place his cousin's mind at ease, to allay his wrath.
"Erm, excuse me?"
A voice would pull him from his thoughts. Was that her? A spark of hope followed by a crashing wave of disappointment when he discovered that his caller was some girl he had not met before. She would see his face fall upon casting his gaze upon her.
"You might want to get back to the common room before a prefect gets here. Curfew has passed a few minutes ago."
She warned him to which he silently nodded his head. It was past curfew. Hardly a deviant, at least a recognized hellion by his contemporaries or caretakers. He did not fear a tongue lashing, an isolated afternoon in a classroom or a few hours of manual labor. It would be more bother than it was worth for them to do so. An exercise of authority, an act of power. For those that lacked in so many other ways, making up for it by exploiting their limited authority was a pathetic expectation he would later use for his own benefit.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah," he admitted dismissively. "I am just looking for my girl friend," there was a pause between the words. Girl... then friend. "She ran off someplace and if I don't find her, Merlin knows what trouble she will get herself into and my cousin will make my life hell for losing track of her." A thin half smile, he had told the truth for once. An unusual phenomena that would not last for long. He knew her face, better than he would admit to those that asked for reasons he would not share. He had a laundry list of reasons to lie and he did so, knowing that she would know the name of the random housemate he took the name of.
"It's me Jack... Jack Burnett." The name chosen at random from the grouping of dormmates he endured evenings alongside of. Raucous, dumb, heathens the lot of them. Some of them did not even come from honored bloodlines. It was an embarrassment that the sorting hat found them worthy of sharing the same house but that was not 'socially acceptable' to complain about. He absolutely loves muggles and mud-bloods. They were not a waste of space, an embarrassment, a mistake.
"Got ahold of some polyjuice," he lied. Lies that in this instance had a reason. An intense need for self-preservation accompanied by a dark curiosity. "Decided to look like the best-looking guy in my dorm," although his bloated ego was not necessary the surname 'Pride' was there for more than show.
The name Jack was taken at random from his dormates (actually because he is stalking my threads). There were some lies that would prove necessary - the need for unreliable narrators. For breadcrumbs of truth and lies that would be falsely attributed to men besides himself. He had no issue with the impish teen he shared a dorm with. He seemed to be popular among the boys. What they all did behind closed doors when he put in his earplugs and sleeping mask were between them of course.
@Opeila Winters
Event NPC
29 Apr 2021, 12:55
Late Tidings
@Mathias Pride
Opeila sighed inaudibly when the boy told her that he was looking for his girlfriend. Or a girl friend. Whatever. He said that she ran off and that he would get in trouble with his cousins. God, what was it that made so many kids want to explore the castle at night? Opeila had only done it once in her first year. No... actually... three times? But not for the sake of exploring it, but rather because she felt like the ceiling of her dorm was about to crash down on her.
"Okay um...", she started. Maybe it was because he seemed young, maybe a first year, but she felt like she needed to help him. Besides... now that she found him out here, it was her business as well. Knowing how dangerous Hogwarts could be, there was no way she could just leave now. "How about we look for a professor or prefect and tell them that someone is missing?", she suggested.
The boy's next words came entirely unexpected. "Jack Burnett?", she repeated surprised. "Where did you get the potion from?" Opeila stared at the boy. Did he steal from professor Barlow? That didn't seem like him. "I was not aware that you have a cousin in Hogwarts. Who is it?" Though she was aware that the redhead was a muggleborn.
The Slytherin nodded. "And... what is the name of the best looking guy in your dorm?" She hadn't met the boy before and either he didn't know Jack at all, or Jack was extremely good at pretending to be someone else.
29 Apr 2021, 16:27
Late Tidings
So many questions. So very many lies. Why did she need to know everything? He was not one to end a charade so quickly or easily. No, he was the sort to grab a shovel and dig deeper.
She seemed to know him, Jack that was. A shame, he would be making his semi - innocent dormate's life more complicated. He gave the girl a cheeky smile when she asked where he had gotten it, a polujuice potion that is.
Another lie. "I got it from an older student." The smart thing would be to leave it there. But no, lies neededto be needlessly elaborate. "Was going to play a prank on my dormate. But then my girlfriend had a look at me, was happy" his ego if visible could be seen inflating "with the change and... was distracted by this moneymaker." He claimed. He lied. "We got into a fight," why was he adding more to the lie? He would not be able to answer the question if asked, it felt compulsory to have a full and complete story. "Something to do with how I never shut-up," he made a dismissive gesture with his hand. That part might have actually been true if Jack had a girlfriend. Oh well, this was all about to be Jack's problem.
Then she asked about his cousin. What was this, some sort of interrogation?
"My cousin?" He repeated, his brown slightly furrowed. "Vlaaaa..." his voice trailed off as he instinctively gave her a name but the syllables were drawn out. Not that name, no... another. "Vladislav? Yes, Vladislav... an upper classman, distant cousin. You would not know him." He quickly added to his claim. Did Jack have family here at Hogwarts. Hell if he knew. The boy was more muggle than wizard, that was for certain. Maybe he was related to a house elf, a distinct possibility considering his slight stature and alien-like (comparatively) features.
So who is the hottest?
Well, that was what he heard at the very least. Shame he preferred to lie rather than share the truth. One was more entertaining than the other by far. "Wouldn't you like to know," Hhe smiled broadly. "Not that he can afford more attention, but Matt." She could guess the surname from his personality surely. "Not that it matters, I need to find her before I can get back to my dorm," He shrugged.
It would be normal to ask her name but he had the feeling that he was already supposed to know it so he did not ask. Rather he would deflect. "Enough about me and my girl issues... why are you out late and which way might be the way back to the dorms?"
She seemed to know him, Jack that was. A shame, he would be making his semi - innocent dormate's life more complicated. He gave the girl a cheeky smile when she asked where he had gotten it, a polujuice potion that is.
Another lie. "I got it from an older student." The smart thing would be to leave it there. But no, lies neededto be needlessly elaborate. "Was going to play a prank on my dormate. But then my girlfriend had a look at me, was happy" his ego if visible could be seen inflating "with the change and... was distracted by this moneymaker." He claimed. He lied. "We got into a fight," why was he adding more to the lie? He would not be able to answer the question if asked, it felt compulsory to have a full and complete story. "Something to do with how I never shut-up," he made a dismissive gesture with his hand. That part might have actually been true if Jack had a girlfriend. Oh well, this was all about to be Jack's problem.
Then she asked about his cousin. What was this, some sort of interrogation?
"My cousin?" He repeated, his brown slightly furrowed. "Vlaaaa..." his voice trailed off as he instinctively gave her a name but the syllables were drawn out. Not that name, no... another. "Vladislav? Yes, Vladislav... an upper classman, distant cousin. You would not know him." He quickly added to his claim. Did Jack have family here at Hogwarts. Hell if he knew. The boy was more muggle than wizard, that was for certain. Maybe he was related to a house elf, a distinct possibility considering his slight stature and alien-like (comparatively) features.
So who is the hottest?
Well, that was what he heard at the very least. Shame he preferred to lie rather than share the truth. One was more entertaining than the other by far. "Wouldn't you like to know," Hhe smiled broadly. "Not that he can afford more attention, but Matt." She could guess the surname from his personality surely. "Not that it matters, I need to find her before I can get back to my dorm," He shrugged.
It would be normal to ask her name but he had the feeling that he was already supposed to know it so he did not ask. Rather he would deflect. "Enough about me and my girl issues... why are you out late and which way might be the way back to the dorms?"
Event NPC
7 Jul 2021, 13:43
Late Tidings
@Mathias Pride
Opeila really tried to keep a serious expression, she really did, but then she just couldn't hold back a laughter. There was no chance, really none that this was Jack Burnett. As little as they had talked it was enough for Opeila to know Jack better than that.
His explanation with the older student added up so far, it was possible that he got one, but his next claim was the most unjack-like thing she had ever heard. At least he seemed to have spoken to Jack before- the never shutting up was certainly no lie.
The answer that she got for the question of his cousin made her freeze for a second. Vladislav, the name the boy had just called her sounded like he had wanted to say something else first. Opeila had read books and so often she had slapped her forehead when characters quickly tried to cover something up and began to think about it mid-word. The first syllable seemed to have slipped out and it made the Slytherin cautious. How many boys with the first syllable Vla- lived in Hogwarts? Opeila knew only one and so far he had been involved in around three quarters of the dangerous events Opeila had experienced. Unless the boy was truly Jack Burnett and wanted her to think that. After the lethifold incident, Opeila could imagine that it was exactly the redhead's humor.
Maybe the boy was telling the truth, maybe Opeila was being paranoid- She would not ask further but she would definitely remember. Instead she smiled and nodded when he gave her a name- Matt.
"You know- Do you mind me calling you Matt then?... of all people in Hogwarts that I know, Jack Burnett is the last one who would get a girlfriend. I'm not going to say that you did not take polyjuice potion, how would I know, but whoever you are behind that appearance, it's not Jack Burnett." For a moment she thought about telling her classmate about this boy trying to impersonate him, Matt or whatever his true name was now. But then she decided not to care. This was not her problem, she would let Jack solve it himself, if her ever found out.
'Matt' once more said that he had to find 'her' before going to his dorm. "How about we find a prefect and ask them for help. Whoever 'she' is would probably get detention, but it's better than her running around the castle at night, it's not safe. But we should get to our dorms soon or it will be us in detention."
As a response to his question Opeila lifted her bag a little that had a few books in them. "I was in the library and lost track of the time." Nervously she looked up and down the corridors. If they remained here for much longer, they would definitely be caught.
"Look, let's go and alert a prefect or professor. I'm not keen on getting detention, but I can hardly leave you alone out here.", she asked him once more.
8 Jul 2021, 21:00
Late Tidings
"You know- Do you mind me calling you Matt then?... of all people in Hogwarts that I know, Jack Burnett is the last one who would get a girlfriend. I'm not going to say that you did not take polyjuice potion, how would I know, but whoever you are behind that appearance, it's not Jack Burnett."
She did not believe him. How many girls had this guy left an impression on? Well, that was not something to ponder at the present. "Sure thing," he replied casually. Easier for him to remember. He had other concerns, namely completing his evening errand. He had no fear of being discovered, he anticipated it. No, he depended upon it.
"How about we find a prefect and ask them for help. Whoever 'she' is would probably get detention, but it's better than her running around the castle at night, it's not safe. But we should get to our dorms soon or it will be us in detention."
Safety was putting it lightly, he frowned. "I might have to take my chances then" he replied as he looked down the empty hall. If something happened to her, he would be worse than a dead man.
What was she doing out here anyways? "I was in the library and lost track of the time." Yes, the most enthralling thing in a school of magic - Nerd. Sounded more like a Ravenclaw.
"Look, let's go and alert a prefect or professor. I'm not keen on getting detention, but I can hardly leave you alone out here."
He let out a half-breath, he was not going to go back to the dorms without her. Why did she have to run off? How did she run off? Wedge sandals were not made for running. "Detention does not bother me much," not that he had yet had the displeasure despite his disruptive mask. "But I will be more than happy to accept an extra set of eyes I guess," he relented with a slight slump of his shoulders. There was a divergence of orders and ambitions at this moment as he accepted 'help.'
"HELLO PREFECTS! PROFESSORS!" He shouted through cupped hands as he took a few steps in a random direction. "I am being a deviant! Deviating!
She did not believe him. How many girls had this guy left an impression on? Well, that was not something to ponder at the present. "Sure thing," he replied casually. Easier for him to remember. He had other concerns, namely completing his evening errand. He had no fear of being discovered, he anticipated it. No, he depended upon it.
"How about we find a prefect and ask them for help. Whoever 'she' is would probably get detention, but it's better than her running around the castle at night, it's not safe. But we should get to our dorms soon or it will be us in detention."
Safety was putting it lightly, he frowned. "I might have to take my chances then" he replied as he looked down the empty hall. If something happened to her, he would be worse than a dead man.
What was she doing out here anyways? "I was in the library and lost track of the time." Yes, the most enthralling thing in a school of magic - Nerd. Sounded more like a Ravenclaw.
"Look, let's go and alert a prefect or professor. I'm not keen on getting detention, but I can hardly leave you alone out here."
He let out a half-breath, he was not going to go back to the dorms without her. Why did she have to run off? How did she run off? Wedge sandals were not made for running. "Detention does not bother me much," not that he had yet had the displeasure despite his disruptive mask. "But I will be more than happy to accept an extra set of eyes I guess," he relented with a slight slump of his shoulders. There was a divergence of orders and ambitions at this moment as he accepted 'help.'
"HELLO PREFECTS! PROFESSORS!" He shouted through cupped hands as he took a few steps in a random direction. "I am being a deviant! Deviating!
Event NPC
9 Oct 2021, 22:38
Late Tidings
@Mathias Pride
He didn't care about getting detention. Great. Wasn't that not at all how she had planned to spend her evening? Opeila sighed. "Fine. I won't leave you alone and I'll totally blame you when we get asked why we're still out here." Was that fair? Probably not, but Opeila didn't care. As a second year who knew that dangerous things could move through the castle at night, she did carry some kind of responsibility, didn't she? She couldn't just leave another student outside alone, and she could hardly drag him into the common room.
Of everything that could have happened, this was not what the young second year had expected. While she still looked down the corridor, Matt started to yell behind her, making her wince and drop her wand. "Dude, what the-" Opeila pressed two fingers between her eyes, onto the base of her nose and tried to recover from the shock. "Yes, well, I guess this works too."
Someone had to have heard this, right? This had been loud enough to wake whatever was still around, so... what would find them first? Prefect, professor or something that intended to kill them? Opeila picked up her wand again but didn't put it away yet. Surely it wasn't the worst idea to stay alert after curfew.
9 Oct 2021, 23:09
Late Tidings
There were rules and he would abide by them, until which time as his fickle cousin moved on as he knew he would. For the moment, the girl was off-limits so he would not have his fun. A bit of exposition here, Vladimir had liked Opeila quite a bit. Her distrust for him had driven the teen off, not that Mathias was aware of this, only that Athanatos willingly lied in the letters he sent back home The ones where he had staked claim on Opeila and demanded she not be touched.
Vladimir was gnarled in a number of complex schemes, some of his making but some well over his head. He, or rather extensions of his family and political party were behind the 'train incident' that nearly killed him. Vlad was well aware of the impending attack on the Hogwarts Express. It was for that reason Mathias Pride and Jurgen Hess were conspicuously absent. Not that Pride or Hess knew specifically what was going to happen, they were instructed to find other means of transportation to Hogwarts. The problem in Vladimir's case is that it is impossible to keep a secret from a Legillimens.
He tired to warn the members of the last car as representatives from 'SCAR' allegedly broke into the train. A train that would be unseen by muggle eyes by an organization that should not have been capable of seeing the train if they were comprised primarily of squibs and other outcasted members of wizarding society. No, they were members of a nameless organization. Better called a political party really, interested in the consolidation and assurance of pure-blooded power and authority. Those cowboys were wizards, every last one of them. Dressed ridiculously because they did not know what muggles even wore. It seemed right enough, garish arrays of plaid, leather and bluejean.
It did not work advantageously for Athanatos, although how could he have expected another outcome? The boy interfered one time too many and if he was not careful, he would not have a future opportunity.
Mathias would start to shout that he was a ne'er do well ambling to hallways alte in the evening. That he was the cause for varied issues -- the discontinuation of a beloved book series, the reason why kittens hated some people, the cause for rain rather than snow on Christmas Day. in truth he had an objective for this late evening walk, he was playing errand boy for his cousin, an escort for Davenport that pain in his perfect ass.
He needed to play chaperone, Marion was like a particularly stupid pet that his cousin lacked the capacity to adequately care for. Or so that was what he thought. Further exposition necessary of course, Marion was as inhuman as Erin, worse in fact. A hag, she was not lost on her way to the common room. She was quite familiar in spite of the stupidity the frequently feigned. She belonged to those hags and he would not find her on this evening. By the time he gave-up and returned to his dormitory she would already be there, safe in her bed.
Vladimir was gnarled in a number of complex schemes, some of his making but some well over his head. He, or rather extensions of his family and political party were behind the 'train incident' that nearly killed him. Vlad was well aware of the impending attack on the Hogwarts Express. It was for that reason Mathias Pride and Jurgen Hess were conspicuously absent. Not that Pride or Hess knew specifically what was going to happen, they were instructed to find other means of transportation to Hogwarts. The problem in Vladimir's case is that it is impossible to keep a secret from a Legillimens.
He tired to warn the members of the last car as representatives from 'SCAR' allegedly broke into the train. A train that would be unseen by muggle eyes by an organization that should not have been capable of seeing the train if they were comprised primarily of squibs and other outcasted members of wizarding society. No, they were members of a nameless organization. Better called a political party really, interested in the consolidation and assurance of pure-blooded power and authority. Those cowboys were wizards, every last one of them. Dressed ridiculously because they did not know what muggles even wore. It seemed right enough, garish arrays of plaid, leather and bluejean.
It did not work advantageously for Athanatos, although how could he have expected another outcome? The boy interfered one time too many and if he was not careful, he would not have a future opportunity.
Mathias would start to shout that he was a ne'er do well ambling to hallways alte in the evening. That he was the cause for varied issues -- the discontinuation of a beloved book series, the reason why kittens hated some people, the cause for rain rather than snow on Christmas Day. in truth he had an objective for this late evening walk, he was playing errand boy for his cousin, an escort for Davenport that pain in his perfect ass.
He needed to play chaperone, Marion was like a particularly stupid pet that his cousin lacked the capacity to adequately care for. Or so that was what he thought. Further exposition necessary of course, Marion was as inhuman as Erin, worse in fact. A hag, she was not lost on her way to the common room. She was quite familiar in spite of the stupidity the frequently feigned. She belonged to those hags and he would not find her on this evening. By the time he gave-up and returned to his dormitory she would already be there, safe in her bed.
[Awaiting the Prefect]
Event NPC