Train Fumes PV Closed

"Who was that?" Jack asked as he leaned in through the compartment door, seeming more harassed than playful or teasing. "Boyfriend of yours or something?" His eyes darted about, as if expecting to see others in the compartment with Opeila, but other than her cat and trunk, the other seats appeared empty. He frowned. "Expecting anyone else?" He still remembered the group Opeila had gotten off the train with on the return back to Hogwarts the previous year.

The Welsh boy didn't seem to care that he was standing in the very narrow walkway and holding it up by taking up space people needed to get past him with their trunks. Some edged along and others managed by with more struggling. Many had more than a few harsh words for Jack, but the redhead didn't seem to hear. He continued to watch the empty seats in Opeila's compartment as if expecting others to magically Appartate into them.

His own trunk was clutched at his side and was jostled about as others tried to get through. At one point, someone bumped into him a little too hard and he dropped it, a stray foot - perhaps accidentally, perhaps not - kicking it into Opeila's compartment to be out of the walkway.

"Hey! Watch it!" Jack snapped with unusual surliness as he bent to pick up his belongings. Stumbling forward, he ended up crowding into the compartment himself.

@Opeila Winters, @Ruka Burnett-Tân, & @Kazuo Shimada

Apparently, he wasn’t any more hesitant to call the president an idiot to his face than behind his back, which I suppose you could say was candid of him - and the president didn’t seem the least bit bothered by it.

Kazuo’s entire focus was absorbed by the book he was reading. Glasses perched on his nose, the small light novel held open between the pinky and thumb of his right hand, he really wasn’t paying much attention at all to where they were headed. It was a remarkable skill, really, the ability to walk and read at the same time. A combination of peripheral vision and an uncanny sense of when people were too close to him. Usually he only enacted such a daring feat in the hallways at home or Hogwarts where he had space to maneuver away from potential collisions, not in the narrow walkway between train cabins. Despite his talent in this mysterious nerd skill, he likely would have tripped over or stepped on someone or something by now. Thankfully he had Ruka holding his hand, tugging him along as they headed towards whichever cabn their fearless leader managed to find. Preferably an empty one for just the three of them. Then he could continue to read in peace.

”Ah ha ha. Don’t expect too much, Doji. This fellow may look respectable compared to us, but he’s got a Lolita complex. His girlfriend’s in first grade.”

This book was so over the top. A guilty pleasure, he was actually enjoying it. So much so that he didn’t notice Jack stop. Therefore, didn’t notice Ruka stop. Which, inevitably, meant that he bumped into Ruka’s back. “Eh? Are we there?” He asked absently, attention still on the book. If he was given a response, he didn’t hear it as he wasn’t really listening for one. It wasn’t until he was jostled from behind by some annoyed student or other that he finally looked up from his book, if only to shoot a glare at the offending party for interrupting his reading. That was, of course, when he realized that they were blocking the pathway. Or rather, Jack was blocking the pathway. His gaze swivelled away from the other student to fix itself on Jack who had his head in a cabin. “Ne, ne, Burnett, are you doing a bloody inspection? Pick a cabin so I can finish my book.” He grumbled just as some other student, no doubt fed up with Jack’s existence in the middle of the hall, bumped into him. Jack’s response was surprisingly cranky sounding but he entered the compartment he had been staring into.

Kazuo glanced at Ruka, arching a brow in curiosity. ”Did I miss something?” He asked as he began to move toward the doorway, not wanting to block the way any longer than necessary. He ducked in behind Jack, glancing around, gaze falling on Opeila. Not an empty cabin. Had Jack been talking to her? Weren’t they friends-off at the moment or something? His brow furrowed in confusion. “Ohayo, Opeila-chan,” Kazuo greeted the girl with a polite smile.

Getting on the Hogwarts Express a whole month early felt strange, but Ruka felt himself looking forward to spending Camp with the people that mattered most to him. He'd been excited to see Kazuo again, even though the other boy was engrossed in a book he'd been reading, which had resulted in Ruka taking his hand to lead him down the train aisles. It worked well up until the moment Jack decided to stop and poke his head into a compartment to talk to whoever was inside; It resulted in Ruka stopping abruptly and Kazuo bumping into him, clearly not quite present on their plane of existence. It was because of that, that Ruka didn't consider it necessary to answer to the other boy's question of whether they were there yet already - Any words would most likely have been lost on him anyway.

Fuwafuwa, perched sleepily on his shoulder, gave a disgruntled hoot at the disruption of movement, and even more so when a particularly impatient student seemed to bump into them just after Kazuo had appeared to regain consciousness enough to complain about Jack holding up the entire train.

His brother's rather grumpy response to the student rushing past them took Ruka aback for a moment, and he turned to find Kazuo looking equally as confused as he felt. "Bad day, maybe," he told the other boy with a shrug to show that he had just as little of an idea of why Jack seemed a bit sensitive, considering it was him who had blocked everyone's path. At least, it seemed, the student's shove had been enough to push Jack into the compartment, and Ruka was quick to follow. Despite Kazuo having ceased to read for the moment, Ruka didn't let go of his hand.

Once they were actually inside, Ruka could see who was occupying this particular compartment, surprised that his brother had seemingly decided on Opeila's company. He wasn't quite aware of what their relationship was like, but he didn't think he remembered it to be very positive, so the choice seemed... odd. Possibly even uncomfortable. "Hey, Opeila," he greeted the girl with a smile nonetheless, brightening when his eyes fell on the cat she had with her. "Hi there, Loras," he cooed, wiggling the fingers of his free had in the cat's direction without actually petting him. Instead he pulled Kazuo to sit down with him, on the seats opposite Opeila and her cat, without waiting to see if they were actually welcome.

"Finally decided on a place to stay, did you?" he asked his brother with raised eyebrows and an amused but vaguely questioning look. He'd personally have preferred a compartment for just the three of them, but he wasn't going to make a fuss just to have his wishes met. Fuwafuwa let out a soft hoot, a grumpy sound saying she wasn't happy with all the rapid movement. Ruka reached his free hand up to pet her soft feathers. Having kicked his own trunk under his seat, he stared at Jack for a moment. "Come, sit down then, before the train starts moving. Unless you want to aimlessly stumble around some more."

@Jack Burnett @Ruka Burnett-Tân @Kazuo Shimada

Opeila didn't expect anyone to join her so soon and even if, Jack Burnett would have been one of the last ones she thought of. Surprised she looked at him, glanced out of the window again when he asked if that had been her boyfriend and then back again. "Wh- him? Hardly. A bit too old, don't you think? My stepbrother, Lysander.", she told her housemate. In the next moment he got knocked into her compartment.

The last time the two had talked had ended badly. Painfully for all of them, Flash, Jack and herself. That was it mainly that made her hesitate for only a moment, until Ruka and Kazuo appeared in the door as well and took the seats across her. "Ohayo, Kazuo.", she greeted the Hufflepuff back. He had left a good impression on her last year. "Hi Ruka!" Ruka greeted Loras as well, who tilted his head, staring at the boy with bright yellow eyes.

With the seats across her taken, Opeila pushed her cat off the seat next to her to make space for her housemate. "Come on Burnett, the train should start moving any minute now.", she said with a small but friendly smile, hoping for things not to become weird. Last year on Valentine's day they had all been on edge, but with a month summer vacations since they all saw each other, she hoped they had all calmed down a little. She had for sure.

"So... how have your vacations been? Ruka, when did you get an owl, she- he?- is adorable!"