A Quiet Retreat PV Closed

"Oooh...what'cha drawin'?"

A playful question carried on the wind as its speaker walked up to the large stone with his hands in his pockets. Jack had been studying the other boy for a while from afar, watching his wrist movements as he put pencil to paper. The Slytherin had determined the movements were too varied to be writing, so it was far more likely he was sketching something.

He guessed the Ravenclaw had gone out of his way to be alone, but Jack seemed to enjoy interrupting what time people thought they had to themselves. It was the ones who isolated themselves that he often found some of the most interesting because in being more private people, he suspected they had more private lives and therefore more secrets. That made them a lot more fun to mess with. It was also easier overall to learn about them when they were on their own.

"Is it true, then? That most Ravenclaws prefer books and individual activities to any sort of human company, even among those in their own house?" Jack asked his peer, casually folding his arms behind his head as he leaned over to get a glimpse of the sketchbook that had been set down. "Tsk, tsk..." Though he clicked his tongue in disapproval, he wore a boyish grin from ear to ear. "...That won't do at all."

@Jackson Kirkland

Jackson tensed when a voice spoke behind him, cautiously turning around. Of course, just when he thought he had some peace and quiet, somebody showed up. The boy, who seemed to be his age, had asked him what he was drawing. Jackson raised an eyebrow, a hand reaching up to fix his round glasses as he responded calmly. " That would be none of your business, it is my own personal sketches that i wish to keep private.

As Jackson spoke, his own wonders began to emerge. Why was this boy here? He must have known that Jackson wanted to be alone, so why had he come to bother him? Well, Jackson's first observation, was that this boy was obviously a Slytherin. That might have been the reason why he had decided to bother Jackson. But it's rude to stereotype, so maybe he was just trying to be nice? That assumption got thrown out the window, however, when the Slytherin began stereotyping Ravenclaws.

" No, not all Ravenclaws are like that. It's a little rude to group everyone together, don't you think? Most Ravenclaws do like books, yes, but we also value friendship and support. What if i said all Slytherins were purebloods, hmm? That's definitely not true. I've met plenty of slytherins who aren't pureblood. " Jackson explained, walking over to the boy, picking up his sketchbook and snapping it shut.

@Jack Burnett

The calm responses given by the Ravenclaw only caused Jack's grin to broaden. He didn't stop the other first-year when the sketchbook was picked up and closed, keeping his arms folded behind his head as he righted himself to better regard the auburn-haired boy.

"Oh, you think I was making assumptions about Ravenclaws," Jack noted with a laugh. "No, no...that's why I was asking if it were true. That's what other Ravenclaws have told me and I had hoped you would correct me if it wasn't. And you have," he acknowledged, "So thanks for that."

Plopping himself down onto the large rock the sketchbook had been on, he continued, "What else can you tell me about Ravenclaws? I hear they're supposed to be smart, but most of the others I've met have yet to convince me of that. You seem a little different, though." Tilting his head, Jack pointed out, "You said you value friendship and support. Do you mean you personally, or Ravenclaws in general?

"By my logic, that's not a very intelligent thing to value. In my experience, friendships and other bonds where you care about people are detrimental to one's health. It never ends well for anyone. Better to keep things simple and neat where you can burn bridges cleanly and quickly whenever necessary, wouldn't you say?"

@Jackson Kirkland

Jackson blinked from behind his glasses, realization washing over him. The boy had not been assuming anything after all. A stupid, silly mistake on his part. He brushed it off, nodding his head when thanked, acknowledging his thanks. The Slytherin went on to talk about the other Ravenclaws he had met so far, mentioning how they haven't proved their intelligence to him just yet. The boy even went as far as telling Jackson he was different from the rest of the Ravenclaws. He raised an eyebrow, confused at the proclamation. He was different? How so? Was it his wish to not only pursue knowledge just for the sake of it, but instead to use it to gain leverage in his later years? Was it that he knew that making connections in his early years would help boost his achievements later on in life?
When the boy questioned him on an earlier thought he had voiced, the one about friendship and support, Jackson thought for a moment and then glanced out towards the lake. Why should he justify himself to this boy? He had no reason to. Even so, the auburn haired Ravenclaw turned back to the Slytherin and decided to answer his question.

" I was generally speaking about myself, although not as much with the friendship part. I do believe it's nice to make acquaintances that may help you succeed, but i agree with your reasoning. They only cause destruction and damage. It sounds rude and stuck up, but I've only ever made friends if they can benefit me in some shape or form. If a person can support me in a way i need, i will use their support without hesitation."

@Jack Burnett

At the answer he received, both of Jack's thick brows shot up and he whistled, impressed. When the other boy was done, he regarded him again with a sort of peculiar smile, like he wasn't quite sure what to make of him. After a moment, he opened his mouth to speak once more.

"I may not be very knowledgable about the Hogwarts houses and I've still been having a hard time figuring out the differences between Ravenclaw and Slytherin no matter how many people I've asked," he admitted. "But from what I understand so far...your words sound like they would be more suited to a Slytherin than a Ravenclaw. So now, I suppose, the real mystery would be why you ended up being sorted into the latter instead of the former." Not that he expected the other boy to know that, much less tell him.

"Jack Burnett," he said, nodding his head slightly in greeting. Usually, in his interactions with others, he waited for the other party to introduce themselves or ask for his name before he gave it. In this case, however, he somehow felt like taking the initiative for once.

"I can definitely respect someone like you. I myself am the sort of person who's willing to scratch others' backs if they'll scratch mine - a favor for a favor - so if you ever need anything that I might be able to help with, just ask."

He chuckled softly. "As for having met Slytherins who aren't pure-bloods...you've just met another. I happen to be muggle-born, so I hope you'll pardon my ignorance on some matters. I like to think I make up for it with my knowledge on others, though," Jack added with a wink.

@Jackson Kirkland

Jackson watched as the boy smiled at him, and as he talked about the fact that he would make an excellent slytherin. Jackson nodded along, he himself quite confused at why the sorting hat had placed him in Ravenclaw. He had many traits of a Slytherin. Calculating, clever, calm. Those were all words people have used to describe him.
The Slytherin proceeded to introduce himself as Jack Burnett, and Jackson blinked his owl-like eyes as he continued on. Jack began to talk about how could respect Jackson, and that he was more of 'an eye for an eye' kind of guy. Jackson knew he could respect that in a person, and his eyes twinkled as he began to recognize Jack as an ally, maybe not a friend quite yet because.. well they had just talked about why, but an ally. And then something happened. Jackson smiled for the first time since he arrived at Hogwarts. Not a quick half-smile, no, a full blown mischievous one.

" Jackson Kirkland, it's nice to meet you Jack. Like you said, if you ever need a favor, i'll gladly be of some assistance." The auburn haired boy raised an eyebrow at the Slytherin, and offered him a hand to shake. " I'll keep that in mind, and hopefully teach you more about the wizarding world."

@Jack Burnett

@Jack Burnett @Jackson Kirkland

Selim was wandering along the lake, enjoying the breeze on his face. In the distance sat the forbidden forest, a subject he was rather interested in, honestly. What kind of creatures could he find in there? Combinations of two different species? perhaps something never seen before? Ghosts? Well, he supposed he saw ghosts every day, seeing as how the Bloody Baron wandered the Slytherin house being his usual creepy self quite often. Selim had seen him more then once during his midnight reading.

Still, sometimes he wondered if all the magical creatures that were just a mesh of two different animals were born from DNA splicing. An interesting theory, he thought.

He had decided that staying inside for lunch would be rather tiresome, taking it upon himself to meander around the lake. It was a nice day, though he did wish there was mist around, that always gave off a pleasant ambiance. Mist, fog, rain, thunder, all were weathers he quite enjoyed more then the obnoxiously bright days and dull endless blue skies most people seemed to like for some strange reason. Selim didn't take pleasure in being blinded by a massive ball of fire and gas lightyears away from the earth. The moon's eerie light was much nicer.

Sighing, he let out a yawn, resisting the urge to rub at his eyes and wipe away his hard-found foundation that covered the panda-like bags around his eyes. He was more lethargic then usual today, and quietly worried that he'd actually fall asleep tonight, and get a visit from the Sallow Man.

He shook the thought off, no use worrying; worrying lead to illogical thought processes, illogical thought processes lead to trouble.

Instead, he thought on the delicious food he was going to eat. In one hand, he held a bento box he made himself from the array of Japanese cuisine that occasionally dotted the spread laid before the students at each of their tables. Idly he wondered where to have his picnic, when he heard a familiar voice carry on the wind.

"The Fox is out and about? Wonder what trouble he's causing now..." he mused curiously, a small smirk dressing his face.

He decided to find out. He hadn't talked to the fox much in the past few days, too busy writing down an idea that hit him at the mysterious witching hour three days ago and planning out all the tiny details of said idea.

So he followed the sound of the voice, soon finding his favorite person of interest talking with a Ravenclaw boy by a large moss-covered boulder overlooking the lake. The redhead's back was faced to him.

Selim walked forward, steps silent, presence unnoticed. His clan training helped him with this, he was drilled for years on how to keep his presence minimal, as such training was a family tradition. It was tedious work, but now he was rather good at it.

Finally, he made his presence known by speaking up.

"What trouble are you causing now Fox?" his voice lilted with obvious amusement. Really, whenever the redhead caused trouble, he found amusement in it, mostly because of his sadistic streak.

He looked over at the Ravenclaw boy, smile turning from amusement to it's usual polite form that appeared when meeting someone he didn't know. "Good day to you."

Standing a bit behind his dormmate and off to the side, his slitted yellow eyes glinted in the pleasant sunlight, his cheeks had become tad colored due to the semi-cold winds, but otherwise stayed almost deathly pale. His bookbag was slung casually over one shoulder, as usual, splattered lightly with dried paint.

He examined the boy, eyes seeming to reveal no emotion other then a bit of curiosity. Idly, he wondered how the Ravenclaw had caught his dormmate's attention, the ones that did were often an interesting bunch, he assumed.

His appearance was generic, but still had a pleasant aesthetic; Unruly auburn hair, tall stature, comfy-looking clothes, and glasses that complemented his appearance quite well. Under one arm, he saw what looked like a sketchbook held in a secure grip.

Selim hummed, he himself actually knew how to draw, sketch, things such as that, he just never bothered to, it was part of his training as the 'future clan head'. A dumb reason, he thought. Really, writing Kanji was enough of an art in and of itself, which was good enough for him.

"I suppose I should introduce myself. Apologies for just walking in, I was drawn by the bothersome voice of my dormmate." he chuckled, then bowed shortly at the waist, a Japanese custom when greeting one's self. He had done the same with his two dormmates when he met them, "My name is Selim Faust."

He straightened after holding the bow for a brief moment, his polite smile seeming a tad more friendly.

After reading the Ravenclaw's body language, calculating, calm, Selim's eyes briefly shone with interest. He may have found another puzzle to figure out....

Though, he may be mistaken, he wouldn't know until he heard a response, read the micro-expressions, exactly what he did with the Fox.

Opeila was in a good mood when leaving the castle. She liked the winter. The cold was so much better than the heat. She always had to go to primary school by bus and she always hated the smell of sweating people in the afternoon...
Pulling her winter cloak closer to herself she walked down the grounds. It was almost quiet. Most students seemed to rather stay inside, it was the same with her parents. She always had to beg them to do something outside when it was cold.
Opeila walked towards the lake, looking at the reflection of the nearly white sky. She hoped it would snow the next days.
Smiling she picked up a stone and threw it towards the lake. One, two, three times it hit the water. She shook her head. She could do better. She threw another stone but after it hit the water twice, a long tentacle broke through the surface, quite close to Opeila. The eleven years old screamed and fell over her own feet while trying to back away. The giant squid. She shook her head again, breathing heavily. The huge animal scared the hell out of her. She forgot that she read about it in 'Hogwarts, A History".
Quickly she looked around, hoping that nobody saw her embarassing little accident. Bad luck. Three boys stood at the lake, she didn't see them first. She sighed.

Jackson was a bit startled when another voice spoke up, his eyes drifting over to where the voice came from. He had tensed up ever so slightly, still not used to talking with too many people. Jackson's iceberg-blue eyes landed on a boy around his age. There stood a black-haired slytherin, with yellow eyes. They almost looked like a snake's. Jackson thought briefly that maybe that was a connection to the boy's house, Slytherin. Jackson watched as the new Slytherin looked him up and down, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly. He wondered if this was a normal thing people do. He didn't interact with them that often, so he had absolutely no idea. Jackson tried to be respectful, but he had no idea what to do, because he had no social skills.
" Good day to you as well, and it's no big deal. You don't have to apologize for being curious. Being curious means that you want to learn and excel at life, and there is no reason to be sorry for that." Jackson responded, his eyes blinking owlishly at the newcomer. " It's nice to meet you, Selim. My name is Jackson Kirkland, i'm a Ravenclaw in your year." When he had finished speaking, a scream cut through the air. Jackson turned around, his face never loosing it's neutral expression. His eyes landed on a girl sitting by the lake. She had seemed to fall over, startled by the giant squid.

@Jack Burnett @Selim Faust @Opeila Seilun