3 Jul 2024, 02:11
Mahoutokoro Hex +1
He was at Hogwarts so often that the grounds felt familiar, though this time, it was once again transformed into something completely different. Never had he seen the quidditch stadium covered in snow, especially in the summer. The snow crunched below his feet -- an unfamiliar feeling, given that it did not snow in Mahoutokoro, and Kyoto hardly had snow that stuck. Grudgingly, he found the scene quite wondrous, though it was definitely too cold for his liking.
He gathered is newly-golden robes closer to his slender body as wind gusted by, politely declining the cup of hot cocoa, preferring to suffer the natural cold as one should, graciously. It was the way of the world. He would carry his magical briefcase towards the tent to which he had been directed, glancing at the variety of tents along the way without too much interest, though taking note as to what each might hold inside.
Akira stopped at the Winter Carnival #1 tent, noting its strangely festive wide bands of alternating colors. Rather garish, he thought. Not quite like some of the more natural or cabin-like ones he passed by. With a disgruntled sigh, he pushed open the flap and was almost blinded by the glare of colorful string lights, jarringly repetitive music, and -- ugh, what was that smell? He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the buttery stench, but nevertheless removed his shoes at the entrance, setting them neatly to the side as he typically did when entering homes.
"What the hell is this clown house." He muttered to himself. He set down his briefcase near the bed at the furthest corner, and set his sights on the criminal machine that was making that horrid smell. Corn kernels popped innocently, completely unaware of his glare and what he would do. He withdrew his wand. With a swift, small motion and whispered incantation, he tapped at the machine and it began to sputter. A stream of black smoke coughed from the poor thing, and then the popping sounds stopped.
There. That was one annoying thing eliminated from his environment. What shall he get rid of next? Cold, dark eyes swept the room.
Mentions: @Hanako Tone as Sara Kohana, @Jack Burnett as Ginyami Midorimori, @Raizel Voltrouz as Miharu Goto, @Fang Hui-Ming as Aryaan Shamsi, @Pax Zhang as Chiaki Hiroi, @Kim Sato as Hiro Bakugo, @Dan Palmer as Hadashi Hitoshi
Newly-obtained terrible presence in effect
3 Jul 2024, 11:38
Mahoutokoro Hex +1
Hadashi was growing very familiar with the Hogwarts grounds at this point. He did not know the interior of the castle that well, nor did he have a desire to try to; he had heard stories of students who attended this school getting lost in it. He doubted he would fare well, even with his intellect.Roleplaying as Hadashi Hitoshi from Mahoutokoro.
viewtopic.php?f=314&t=18342&p=293423#p293423
Outfit: Gold Uniform
He walked past the tents he saw, and accepted a cup of hot chocolate. He sipped it as he walked by, enduring the unfamiliar feeling of snow crunching underneath him. He saw several tent themes he would have enjoyed: A frozen palace, some place that looked like it was underneath an ice floe, and one that even looked like a luxury train interior.
Upon arriving at the one designated for Mahoutokoro, known as Winter Carnival, he entered. Immediately, he was assaulted by bright colors and lights. Gentle, fun music was playing through the air. Hadashi removed his shoes and stepped inside. It certainly seemed....
Hadashi reminded himself that he was trying to be less judgemental and more open-minded.
It certainly seemed... fun?
He noticed a buttery smell in the air, amd recognized it as popcorn. But upon looking for the machine, he saw it broken. Already.
"Ugh. In ths name of-"
Hadashi walked over immediately, and flourished his wand over the machine.
"Reparo."
In an instant, the machine was fully repaired happily resumed popping popcorn, that Hadashi helped himself to a bag of.
He then saw Shimizu-kun was here already.
"Ah. Shimizu-kun. Good to see you."
With a smile, he continued, "Gold robes really suit you."
Interacting with @Avery Chen as Akira Shimizu
3 Jul 2024, 15:47
Mahoutokoro Hex +1
Sara loved winter because most of the bright-coloured flowers were dead. Knowing this camp’s theme had him frowning (of joy!). It was a long journey and Sara hoped to find some cool place to settle down and to relax. Under thick bundles of his black jersey, opting to stuff the wretched pink robes in his backpack instead. This summer at least he was looking forward to a lot less colours blinding him. Going to the spring ball recently has made him this way. Although he no doubt had an interesting time with his new friend Emmalee, he wanted a break from bright colours just to rest his eyes.
With the offer of hot chocolate, he couldn’t imagine not accepting it. Eagerly taking the cup and letting it warm his palms. Going to the registry, he was about to join the Polar Express or the ice fishing tent. But turns out, he was already in an existing tent. Looking at the mere name of the tent made him clench his mug tighter. But on the way there, he managed to delude himself into thinking it’s not as it sounds. But it was only good while it lasted.
Stepping into the carnival hell hole, Sara almost dropped his mug of hot chocolate. So visibly distraught by every area of the tent. The other two occupants of the tent were overpowered by the spectacle of colours, that Sara couldn’t comprehend their existence for a moment. A deep frown etched on his face, narrowing his eyes each time his eyes landed on something new.
He wanted to cry.
Instead, he quickly tried to consume the hot chocolate. Probably a bit too fast than he should. Somehow managing to without burning his tongue. To be fair any sensation would be great at the moment. Anything to distract himself from the weeks of living in actual hell. It was only when he chugged down the drink that he realised he wasn’t the only one in the tent.
Empty mug gripped, dark eyes blinked back at whoever was watching. They could clearly see the line of chocolate still left on his lips. Softening his features slightly. After taking a second to compute, he straightened his back and used the sleeve of his jersey to clean up his upper lip. “..... hi ” he bowed down slightly in greeting. “... excuse me”. He walked away to the furthest bed in the tent.
He frankly had no energy to talk to anyone properly. His mind was going in different directions at once. Still distraught of his situation, he was in emergency mode. The two would see him place the mug on the nearest table, slump down on the bed, dropping his backpack next to him. Unzipping it and pulling out what seemed to be a…cat plushie..?
His back was facing them as if he wanted to hide from them. He simply hugged the plushie tight, unmoving, ignoring the faint smell of smoke in the air. A little more and he’ll probably squeeze it so much the plushie would actually pop. However, his logic remained that the more he hugged it, the less likely he would cry. And it actually worked. Sara was not particularly close to Hadashi or Akira. He admired them from afar, for sure. But at the moment when he’s about to cry- he prefers not to bother them with his flurry of unreasonable frustration. What he needed was to hug his emotional support plushie. Or a close friend. At the moment he only had one of those two things. And if that close friend doesn’t come soon, there is a good chance the plushie's not going to make it much longer.
@Dan Palmer@Avery Chen
3 Jul 2024, 17:21
Mahoutokoro Hex +1
Roleplaying as Aryaan Shamsi of Mahoutokoro | Clothes| Ency
To say that Aryaan Shamsi and Winter Carnival got along like a tent on fire would be incorrect -- there was entirely too little screaming and mindless running around, after all. No, Aryaan Shamsi and Winter Carnival got along like an Asian kid and a tent soon to be on fire.
The Mahoutokoro Seeker-turned-Chaser ambled in with all the urgency of a sloth. On vacation. Surely a pace that would win him no races, but that clearly was not the point. After all, there was a football perched above his head, defying gravity through a series of gentle head-boops. The rest of the Asian boy was also odd; an embroidered cotton Kurta, gold on white and entirely unsuitable for cold weather, thick leather boots, and a light shawl wrapped round his shoulders.
The scene that awaited him inside the tent was so oddly ludicrous, though, that Aryaan forgot to maintain his choreographed head-boops. The now-spurned ball, which had stuck to him loyally until now, exacted its revenge by bouncing awkwardly off his chest and rolling forward; coming to a stop right between the Gold robes, who seemed to be having a moment. Absurdly, Sara-senpai was off to the side on a bed, clutching a plushie like a child who had been grounded for several months for something as stupid and unjustified as bad grades.
Interesting and interestinger
"So," He started conversationally, strolling into the tent like he owned the place. On of the things Aryaan had learnt was that the best way to distract from a fire was to make a bigger, more urgent fire; and he would totally be employing that to try and be the center of attention fix whatever mess this happened to be. "Are we squaring off to see who's gold and who's silver? Because I'd obviously be pin-"
Aryaan stopped short as he came closer to the two duellists in the room. Hadashi senpai looked as he always did; composed if just slightly suffering from the hijinks of the rest of their bunch. Shimizu though.... there was something a bit different about him, and the energy that he was giving off; but Aryaan couldn't really put his finger on it. He squinted a little, leaning his neck forward to try and identify what was different about his yearmate.
"Bro!" He exclaimed finally. "Are you forreal wearing Sara-senpai's makeup??"
Fearless negates Terrible Presence | Aryaan mistakes Akira's Terrible Presence for makeup
The curtains fell. And the silence was deafening
3 Jul 2024, 21:05
Mahoutokoro Hex +1
| ———————— |
“behind every mask there is a face and behind that a story...” —date. [ 07/15/2024]——speech. [english - japanese]
( codes by uly. ) | ———————— |
Actions
Enters the tent and casts Snowflake Creating Spell
Tackles everyone with hugs
Hops on Sara's bed and hugs him dropping a snowball into his lap.
Enters the tent and casts Snowflake Creating Spell
Tackles everyone with hugs
Hops on Sara's bed and hugs him dropping a snowball into his lap.
| kim sato tone bakugo | sta • 10 | eva • 16 | str • 2 | wis • 10 | arc • 7 | acc • 17 sta • 10 | eva • 15 | str • 12 | wis • 7 | arc • 4 | acc • 17 |
PC ENCY iNPC ENCY |
4 Jul 2024, 12:08
Mahoutokoro Hex +1
Banner made by the lovely Hanako Tone
Summer Quidditch Game, if it wasn’t for that, she wouldn’t be here but as she has responsibilities and she wouldn’t let an opportunity to play Quidditch pass. Not to mention, it was taking place in the London Quidditch Stadium. Anything that involves Quidditch would always garner Haru’s attention as it is only one of the things that she genuinely loves. Unlike before, they weren’t assigned to random cabins but rather you could sign up with a bunch of people that you know. As someone who doesn’t know a lot of people even in their school aside from the ones in the Quidditch team, she just said yes to whoever wanted to include her.
And that is how she ended up here, in front of this oh so colorful and playful looking tent. It looks too cheerful and fun for this serious girl who barely knows any of those words. She checked the tent and then the assigned one to them and yes, this was it. There was no mistake and no joke, this is the tent that they are staying in much to her dismay. “It can’t be that bad…” she muttered. She would be lying if she said she was expecting something… perhaps more cozy as she was planning on reading a couple of books and studying some Charms.
Her eyes were met by brightly colored festive carnival decorations with lights adorning the ceilings above. The scent of popcorn looms in the air as the machine on the center continues to provide them with the said snack. They’ll be staying here… for the rest of summer camp, in this circus house. She can’t say she wasn’t disappointed because she is. It’s hidden underneath that calm and neutral expression of hers as she stood there to take in this sight. There were already others in there but she was far too distracted by the brightly colored inside of the tent to notice them all immediately.
Golden robes soon caught her attention, worn by two people with one of them being someone she recognized during that Quidditch practice match last summer, Shimizu-senpai but he was kind of different from the last time she saw him and looked rather not in the mood. If it was because of this tent then she understands. With him was someone that she doesn’t know but is probably another upperclassmen of hers. In fact, all of the people here were and it was quite surprising as she just agreed to join them out of whim to save herself from being put somewhere random.
There’s Kohana-senpai looking scary and maybe a bit adorable holding that plushie like some sort of lost child (still scary though) and then there’s Bakugo-senpai who she was just in time to see cast a spell. Snowflake creating spell and yes, guess it made this tent a lot more bearable than before. Shamsi-senpai is… just his usual self. As far as she knows, nothing unusual has happened yet. “Hello.” Haru greeted with her usual polite tone, giving them a slight bow before going on her way to settle her things near one of the free beds.❰▬▬▬❀▬▬▬❱Mentions »»» @ | @
Interactions »»» @Avery Chen as Akira Shimizu| @Dan Palmer as Hadashi Hitoshi | @Hanako Tone as Sara Kohana | @Fang Hui-Ming as Aryaan Shamsi | @Kim Sato as Hiro Bakugo
English ❭❭❭ #007870 | Japanese ❭❭❭ #2a4b7a
Ency | PC Raizel Voltrouz
STA: 10| EVA: 15| STR: 0| WIS: 15| ARC: 0| ACC: 16
Eva. Maneuvers I | Eva. Maneuvers II | Keen Eye | 'Cat's Grace | TBA
4 Jul 2024, 18:58
Mahoutokoro Hex +1
Banner courtesy of Hanako Tone, ty Hana
Japanese ~ EnglishReducio
She wasn't as sure her position would hold when she saw the tent that she had been signed up for. It was loud and bright and garish, things she actively tried to avoid, even from the outside alone. She couldn't tell if there was faint carnival music chiming from the tent or if her own head had placed it in the scene, but regardless the overwhelming cheeriness was beginning to annoy her, but she pushed it aside. Even if the tent wasn't her ideal choice (there was a plant-based tent option?!?!), she was sure that her tentmates would lighten up the atmosphere. Taking a breath, she made her way in.
Safe to say, Chi was thoroughly let down by the lack of enthusiasm that hung prominently in the air as she entered in the tent, and unfortunately, it wasn't too surprising when she realised who else was there. It was safe to say, aside from Tone, they weren't the... well... most cheerful group of people. Well, Shamsi was a known agent of chaos, but that didn't necessarily equate to cheer for all. Nonetheless, they were mostly who she would be competing alongside on the quidditch pitch, so she supposed it shouldn't have been overly surprising that they would be her tentmates.
Offering a small nod and smile if anyone glanced her way, she hesitated to find a bed as she counted up how many people had arrived. Akira, Hadashi, Sara, Shamsi, Tone, and someone she recognised briefly from the few training sessions she had been able to make, by the name Miharu. Including herself, that would be seven - leaving just left one more person to arrive.
PC: Pax Zhang || iNPC: Chiaki Hiroi
4 Jul 2024, 20:06
Mahoutokoro Hex +1
For all of his usual mannerisms - his smile, his politeness, his amicable demeanor - Ginyami was not his usual self. Or perhaps it would have been more accurate to say he was not his original self, as he had changed since last summer. Aside from having managed to finally re-join Mahoutokoro's quidditch team as first-string keeper, there were subtle things here and there that weren't in alignment with what he had been like in the past. However, as his changes weren't as obvious as Akira's gold robes or Sara's cat plushie, only those who were especially close to him would have noticed any difference at all, let alone guessed as to the reasons behind them.
For one thing, when the soon-to-be sixth year stepped into the tent after Chiaki and replaced his shoes with slippers at the entrance, he seemed to beam brighter and admire his colorful, overly-saturated surroundings with glee - unlike everyone else. While the original Ginyami might have selected a more subdued or less frivolous tent theme, this version of him seemed to be the one most suited to the carnival theme mood-wise; even more so than Hiro, who was usually one of the most cheerful and energetic students in the school.
However, not only had Ginyami selected this tent, but he'd selected every single Mahoutokoro student staying in it, for he'd signed them each up himself. For someone who was normally so attentive and accommodating toward others' needs and preferences, such an act seemed to be especially out of character. It was almost like he'd picked the tent theme least suited to the group's current overall mood - like he'd wanted to cause as much irritation, friction, and strife as possible. It was ironic how much misery such a happy-seeming atmosphere might have been causing...but Ginyami couldn't possibly have guessed that everyone would dislike the theme simply based on the preferences of their culture and schoolmates alone...right? And even if he had, what might have possessed him to be so spiteful that he would subject everyone to such a roundabout method of torture?
The sight and scent of black smoke immediately attracted his attention as black smoke in particular happened to be something he was extremely familiar with. He glanced over to regard the popcorn machine along with Akira and Hadashi who both had their wands out and held toward it. Ginyami raised a brow at them.
"My, my...it seems as though someone has been up to a bit of mischief in here," he commented teasingly with his well-practiced smile. "Whichever one of you it was, perhaps it might be wise to ask yourself...is that any way for a gold-robed student to be behaving? Breaking things meant for the use of all like a petulant toddler?" Chuckling softly, he shook his head and went to inspect more of their new temporary residence. "In any case, congratulations on having the gold robes, you two."
Unlike Hiro or likely any of the other navy robes, it was not Ginyami's goal to strive for a change to gold robes like Akira and Hadashi. He was of the opinion that proving he was the best only caused him more problems such as other schoolmates attempting to get more competitive and thus unnecessarily more hostile with him. Or his parents only pushing to expect more from him. And, of course, there was the pressure simply to maintain the gold for as long as possible.
It just wasn't sensible nor efficient and thus not smart in Ginyami's opinion to instigate any of those things, so he didn't try. Despite having thrown himself into academics since last summer and being certain he could have achieved gold easily if he so chose, he did not. Navy was good enough for him and it would have to be good enough for everyone else, too. Besides...even if he himself knew he was better than that, sometimes it was advantageous not to let everyone else realize the same. Being underestimated could go a long way when push came to shove.
Speaking of...if Aryaan Shamsi wanted to be underestimated, he was doing an extremely good job. Had Aryaan just asked Akira if he was wearing Sara's make-up? At least he'd had the courtesy to use the honorific of 'senpai', but of course it would have been the foreigner who would have assumed Sara wore make-up. Ginyami doubted any Japanese student would have been so utterly ignorant as to have made such a mistake, much less stated such a bold assumption as if it were fact.
That young man was far too openly arrogant to fit in among the more modest, decorous Japanese, especially for someone so lazy and lacking in ambition. With his impractical, foreign clothing and ridiculously flippant attitude, Ginyami would have liked to leave him out of that particular tent assignment if he could have, but considering how familiar the pink robed Indian seemed to have gotten with some of the other people he'd signed up, it might have been suspicious not to invite him. Ah, the things Ginyami did to play nice with others...
Then there was Hiro. Ginyami saw him hugging Sara from behind and suddenly felt his blood begin to boil. Sara was his classmate since their childhood. He was the one who had known Sara the longest out of anyone there and knew him the best. And yet there Hiro was, offering comfort and attention as if it wasn't exactly the same as he offered everyone else. As if being a friend to everyone didn't actually mean he was a friend to none of them. As if no one else could tell there wasn't more to making as many connections and attachments as one could other than simply wanting to get to know people.
But Ginyami wasn't fooled. He never had been. He had sensed that he and Hiro had been more alike from the start than Hiro knew, but he hadn't wanted to rush, push, or force things and thus hadn't tried to pry. He had hoped that, with time, Hiro might have been willing to open up to him like he had to Hiro. But unfortunately, that had never come to be. Hiro had always stuck closer to his precious clique of friends he called something absurd like 'snack-bash' than he ever had with Ginyami.
The upperclassman had waited as long as he could, but once last summer had come around, he had lost patience with nearly everyone he had held dear, including Hiro. He'd decided that if Hiro hadn't opened up to him by then, he likely never would. He'd just stay the same fake person and treat Ginyami the same as he treated everyone else, thinking him far too stupid to recognize a metaphorical mask when he saw one. Well. Two could play at that game.
If Hiro wanted his beloved 'snack-bash', then he could have them, especially since they were in his year. But as far as Ginyami was concerned, Sara was his. And if anyone thought they were going to take the quidditch beater away from him, then they had another thing coming. After what had happened with Valentin and Romeo, Ginyami was more determined than ever to make it very well known what was his. Not to mention just how far someone would have to go in order to oppose his claim. But he would allow them whatever moment they were having just then. For now.
As irked as he was to find that the beds on all sides of Sara were taken - the top above Sara's by Hiro, the one to the side of Sara's by Miharu - Ginyami wore a broader smile than ever as he set his trunk off to one side and moved up to claim the top bunk over Miharu's. "You don't mind if I take the bed above yours, do you, Goto-san?" he asked her gently, offering a warm smile. "If you do, I can most certainly move. But I had just hoped for the opportunity to get to know you better. We haven't had much time to talk since that lunch we had together some time ago and I hoped we would be able to more this summer, especially now that we're on the same quidditch team together." He remembered her fondness for quidditch well. "If you're willing, of course."
What he said wasn't a lie; it just wasn't the primary reason he'd picked that bed. But he wasn't about to ask to trade her for hers and betray the fact that he had hoped to stay as close to Sara as possible and that other people were preventing him from doing so. Anyway, if Miharu allowed him, this bed would be ideal in its strategic positioning for getting revenge on Hiro.
Ginyami smiled and nodded to Chiaki who seemed to have the good manners to provide the others with that much, at least - regardless of what he could tell of her true feelings from her eyes. She, at least, knew how to be outwardly courteous regardless of what she really thought and he appreciated her for that. However, he was also curious as to how long she would last playing that part over the whole summer. Only time would tell, it seemed.
"By the way, everyone," the navy-robed kitsune-eyed student spoke up loudly, turning to address the whole room, "What do you think of the Winter Carnival theme? Nice, isn't it? I thought since we get snow in Japan, it would make so much more sense to try something newer and more exotic instead, especially because we don't have decor or music or food like this back home. Don't you agree?" Which made total sense considering how much more minimalist the typical ideal Japanese aesthetic was. This place was, in contrast, practically the opposite in almost every way. "I'm so pleased everyone I put down could make it, so thank you for joining us. I'm certainly looking forward to spending the coming summer with you all and I do hope we'll get along."
In nearly all their group dynamics in the past, Ginyami had been the sort to usually try to keep the peace. By attempting to keep track of and tend to each person's wants and needs while simultaneously attempting to maintain a degree of harmony and balance, his role hadn't been unlike a mother as an older senpai to so many. However, something had definitively changed.
No longer did Ginyami seem to have the others' best interests at heart unless those aligned with his own. He seemed to harbor a new desire to test their resolve; to toy with them as if they were all beneath him. Despite his outwardly cheerful demeanor and the fact that the colorful circus theme had been his choice, Ginyami ironically might very well have possessed the darkest mindset of all the students assigned to the tent just then. His nickname, 'Yami', meant 'darkness' for a reason, after all, and he felt every bit of the darkness roiling in his heart as his veins and mind seemed to course with vitriol and venom. But misery always loved company...and Ginyami was determined not to be alone enveloped in his darkness that summer.
Note: Ginyami's Fearless negates Akira's Terrible Presence.
Akira Shimizu (@Avery Chen), Hadashi Hitoshi (@Dan Palmer), Sara Kohana (@Hanako Tone), Aryaan Shamsi (@Fang Hui-Ming), Hiro Bakugo (@Kim Sato), Miharu Goto (@Raizel Voltrouz), & Chiaki Hiroi (@Pax Zhang)
PC: Jack Burnett | iNPC: Ginyami Midorimori
5 Jul 2024, 22:41
Mahoutokoro Hex +1
“Hitoshi-senpai.” He would dip his head in acknowledgement of his dueling team senior. A hint of dissatisfaction flickered in his gaze as his senpai reversed the damage he had done to the popcorn machine moments before. And then it was gone, replaced by eyes that crinkled slightly in appreciation for his upperclassman’s compliment on his new robe color. “Thank you,” he said gratefully. “I can only hope to maintain it for as long as you have, senpai. Do you find the gold more difficult to maintain, or to achieve?” He asked, curious, and partly hoping to take his mind off of the unfortunately-functioning machination and the cacophonous crunching of his senpai’s new snack.
He found it curious that Kohana-senpai walked right past them with only a brief ‘hello’ before going to the far corner and sit facing away from them, not even unpacking. Was he ill? Why was he ignoring them? Kohana-senpai had so much energy when he bounded across the spring ball piggy-backing a girl not so long ago. Surely, he didn’t think that his Mahou peers deserved his energy or attention? How rude. After all they had been through during the Hexwizard Tournament. He would not forget this slight.
Then, the loudest person in Mahoutokoro entered the tent. Akira swore you could even hear Aryaan Shamsi breathe across the room. Akira narrowed his eyes in warning as the Indian boy came too close to his face for comfort. Akira did not like his personal space invaded.
Makeup? What was this boy going on about? But, he knew that one like Shamsi did not make sense to begin with. “Pardon?” Akira asked, with mild confusion. Better not to assume. But, perhaps the lights and smell of butter were driving him mad, but something pushed him to say more. Maybe he had finally achieved the golden robe status he had dreamt of, and no longer cared for anything else. Or, maybe because — even though he had finally achieved the goal of his childhood, it didn’t give him the satisfaction he had expected. The gold did not ensure that his parents would continue to be proud of him, it did not ensure that he would live a life of fulfillment or obtain any semblance of happiness in his life, whatever ‘happiness’ meant. It didn’t make him feel like he made much progress towards any pursuit of ‘happiness’. What the gold robe gave him was more eyes, and a higher rung to reach on the next bar upwards.
Gold robes showed him that something he thought mattered in life hardly did. If many things in life didn’t actually matter, what was he holding back for? F this. He returned Shamsi’s jest with an amused smile with a hint of a challenge. “Why, do you think I’m more handsome than usual? I could only hope to be as handsome of Kohana-senpai, with his defined features, but any comparison of my face to his dashing looks is enough to flatter me.” He didn’t feel like he had to be tame or reasonable in the face of Shamsi’s antics. You fight color with color and banter, he had learned from his now various interactions with Aryaan.
It was then that the culprit who had signed them up for this godforsaken tent waltzed in. And he seemed to do so with a cheery manner that was… different from what he was used to. The Midorimori-senpai of old would’ve thought to confirm their tent choices prior to making an executive decision himself. He would’ve tried to moderate the situation. This one here was taunting Akira for being upset. “Thank you for your kind congratulations,” Akira said, not meaning to thank him at all, given his odd choice in making them suffer. “I’m sure someone as talented as you would reach gold robes in no time if you set your mind to it.” He had seen Midorimori’s impressive performance in the Hexwizard Tournament up close. “In fact, I don’t think there’s anyone who has held on to the navy robe without changing to gold for as long as you have,” he said, masking his snub with praise. “I’m sure your mind has simply been occupied elsewhere, as with our summer camp signups, so perhaps it is our fault for diverting your thoughts, and impeding your studies. So thank you for your initiative and for thinking of us, Midorimori-senpai.” In short: If you hadn’t been wasting mindspace toying with our discomfort, you could’ve been spending your time bettering yourself. “The accommodations are lovely,” he would affirm, hoping to speak for the rest of the group as Midorimori asked everyone for their opinions of the tent, refusing to give the upperclassman more satisfaction.
He nodded hello to family friend Goto-san as she arrived, and then to Hiroi-san as she gave a brief smile in their direction. He couldn’t quite tell what Hiroi thought of him after their last encounter in the library, so his gaze lingered on her a while longer to observe, hoping she would respond by betraying some thoughts as to how she felt about him now.
Perhaps detecting everyone’s dissatisfaction with the tent, Hiro cast a snowflake spell. Bits of snow came down from above, quite refreshing. Akira lifted a palm to catch a few flakes. This was Hiro, always trying to satisfy everyone. He watched as the blond boy hugged Kohana and presented him with a snowball. This was Hiro, always trying to befriend everyone, treating everyone as if they were special. Akira scoffed inwardly. He had enjoyed being Hiro’s near-center of attention for some time, but that time had passed, and it seemed that Hiro had just as easily moved on to find more people to lob his displays of affection onto. He narrowed his eyes briefly at the two boys, then looked away hopefully before anyone noticed.
He waited to see whether Goto-san would accept Midorimori’s request to bunk with her. It was strange that he would single her out. He did not trust Midorimori-senpai anymore, and wondered if he should step in to distract. But, he would wait for her reaction first. If he sensed any ulterior motives on Midorimori’s part, he would have to intervene.
Mentions: @Hanako Tone as Sara Kohana, @Jack Burnett as Ginyami Midorimori, @Raizel Voltrouz as Miharu Goto, @Fang Hui-Ming as Aryaan Shamsi, @Pax Zhang as Chiaki Hiroi, @Kim Sato as Hiro Bakugo, @Dan Palmer as Hadashi Hitoshi
Newly-obtained terrible presence in effect
6 Jul 2024, 18:22
Mahoutokoro Hex +1
15.7.24
Morning
English & Japanese
Red ®: 112
Green (G): 95
Blue (B): 165
Like deflating an inflated balloon, Sara’s anxiety could very easily be soothed with the right people. Akira and Hadashi were not said people. And it would have cost Sara his emotional support plushie if Aryaan had not joined them. In a typical…Aryaan way. His shoulders were still tense as he hugged his plushie. Deciding he should turn around to face the group instead of hiding away. His furrowed brows softened slightly seeing his friend seemingly unperturbed by the clash of colours. Only to narrow his eyes in confusion again as he asked Akira if he was wearing 'Sara Make-up'. What on earth would that even mean?
Sara didn’t notice much different about the boy besides the new gold robes. Perhaps his robes were too shiny that Sara instinctively looked away. He wanted to ask what Aryaan meant by Sara Makeup, confusion written on his face as he looked between Aryaan and the newly appointed golden-robed boy. Was it a new line of cosmetics he was not aware of? That is a bold choice to use honorifics in a brand name. Surely he couldn’t be referring to Sara himself. Make-up had never been his strongest suit. In the end, he chickened out on asking what it meant. “...you do look nice today, Shimizu-Kun..” He commented briefly, almost in a gruff mutter. Very possibly it was too quiet for anyone to hear. He is doing his best to keep his shyness to a minimum, still having a tight grip on his plushie. Figuring it was nicer to just compliment the younger boy. Aryaan was much closer to Akira after all. He would know best if his friend decided to pat on a few powders and dabbed concealers, would he?
However, Sara regretted his words immediately the moment Akira challenged Aryaan back. “W-wait hold on I’m not..-”, his voice grew tense and shoulders stiff. His volume was a bit louder than earlier. An instinct was instilled in his bones to reject whatever compliments he was given, especially about his looks. Not computing why Akira would say that other than just in jest. It still wasn’t entirely comfortable being so openly described as good-looking. Though fortunate for Sara, he learned people took it less seriously than he did. “I don’t think…it’s anything bad..or related to…looks”, He spoke up somewhat hesitantly. “ You always walk with confidence, Akira Kun. It just seems more… sharp…”He complimented again, actually audible this time. He glanced at Aryaan in hopes he could explain it better or at least confirm it. To be frank, Sara couldn't be too confident about the difference. But if Aryaan pointed it out then it must have been more obvious to some.
Very quickly a few more people came in. Each brought a sense of peace as the familiarity soothed the tension in his shoulders. Chiaki joined in, seemingly deciding not to add to the noise in the room. Even nodded to them as she entered, which Sara very quickly returned with a soft wave before hugging back his plushie. He figured she wouldn’t be that excited about the carnival tent as well.
Ginyami joined as well. He was the most familiar face in the tent so far, and it did wonders for Sara’s stress levels. His primary instinct was to scoot to the side, in hopes he would take a seat closer to Sara. Wanting the familiar comfort of sitting next to someone he knew, as he had done plenty of times before. He could only manage a slight inch before freezing. Why would he do that? They weren’t in a classroom. Ginyami had more than enough capabilities to sit somewhere else. In the end, Sara didn’t speak a word about it nor did he think about why he wanted Ginyami to sit next to him. Silently hoping he wasn’t noticed. At the very least he could be relieved he seemed to be preoccupied with Akira and Hadashi.
Fortunately for the plushie, his grip loosened on it even more when Hiro joined. As the usual ray of excited sunshine, he is. It had always been a glaring contrast between how Sara carried himself. Many times he finds himself envious of how easily Hiro showed such…energy in his every being. Like he would do anything he can to help people without a second thought. As shown by how quickly he activated the snow spell. The snow dusted his hair and fell on his dark clothes. Feeling a bit easier to look around now that there were specks of white decorating the tent now. “ Thank you..”
Not a moment later, Tone hopped on his bed to hug him. Making him completely loosen his grip on his plushie as he froze for a moment. An uneasy yet gentle pool of warmth flowed through his chest as he did. And for a moment, his shoulders slightly loosened tension. The smallest twitch of his lips lifted slightly in what was almost a small smile. “Nice to see you here, Hiro..” he said gently. Before he could do anything else, Hiro dropped a..snowball on his lap? That was unexpected. Did he take it from the ground? Sara supposed it was nice of him to give him this.
Sara set aside his plushie on the floor while he inspected the snow, poking holes or pressing his thumbs against it before it very gently melted over the tips of his fingers. He nodded firmly at Hiro’s question about whether the tent was better with snow. Sara was ultimately grateful he had something to look at that wasn’t meant to blind the eyes. “ I appreciate it. Sorry..it’s melting a bit” he handed the half-melted snow in the two palms of his hands and showed it to Hiro. Blissfully unaware his earlier interaction with Hiro was being paid attention to by someone or two.
Miharu Goto joined as well. Sara didn’t manage to get to know her well apart from quidditch practice and that one short lunch they had. Sara naturally wanted to get to know her better. But he often couldn’t find the right words to talk to her. His shyness was one thing. Another was that she was just as quiet as he was. If not, even more. It fried his brain cells thinking what on earth to tell her that would incite a slimmer of interest. In the end, he was always too chicken to try. “..Hello, Goto Chan..” he retorted back, his voice gruff as usual but somewhat briefly gentle. Watching for a moment as she set her bags in a nearby bed before looking away. It was rude to stare too long, wasn’t it?
It was then that Ginyami went to Miharu and asked if he could take the bed above hers. The fact that let a sigh of relief escape Sara. Okay, so he wasn’t going to be too far. At least, if Goto Chan would allow it. Sara could find comfort in that fact.“Speaking of bunk beds…” he looked back at Hiro, “ Will you be taking..the bed above me, Hiro?”. He asked, more curious than hopeful. He felt Hiro would be fine anywhere, with anyone. Sara’s comfort depended on who was near him. But was he going to insist his more familiar friends be around him? No way. " I just ...sat here for a moment. I can sit somewhere else. No big deal".
With things happening around him, Sara was just about almost done with completely calming himself down. That is until Ginyami revealed he was the one who signed all of them up in this tent. Sara’s head turned in Ginyami's direction. An evident look of surprise on his face.“You..did this…?”, he uttered those words slowly, as if he was having trouble even understanding it. Sara really could have lived better without knowing that fact. In fact, for the briefest moment, he wished Ginyami never said anything at all. It was one thing for perhaps a random student to sign this all up as a prank. Sara was ready to harbour a short-lived grudge before letting go and accepting reality as it was. But for Ginyami Midorimori to do it? Someone, Sara knew personally? In all the years Sara had known him, he would have guessed Ginyami would prefer to politely ask beforehand or make an effort to know enough information about everyone to ensure a pleasant atmosphere. It was one of the things Sara admired. But suddenly this happened?
Something brief but sharp stung his chest for a moment. He couldn’t have purposely done this, right? Was Sara simply too used to assuming Ginyami was always a step ahead? Could he have just thought the other boy paid enough attention to him to know he disliked bright colours? That… quite stung. Of course, nothing was said out loud about it. Sara instinctively nodded along with Ginyami’s words about getting along in the tent. Hardly realising the snow that melted through his hands he glanced away from Ginyami for a moment, merely focused on his own trail of thoughts. It's not that Ginyami didn’t think of them. He was simply trying to bring a more livelier atmosphere they didn’t get in Japan. In a way, Ginyami was considerate. Perhaps he felt Sara was just…ready for this. Similar to the way Aryaan invited Sara to events Sara would never have seen himself participating. With that in mind, the earlier sting in his chest dissipated gently. Sara had known Ginyami for years. Sees him almost every day during school semesters. He wouldn’t annoy anyone purposely. Surely.
Regardless of the reason, it was enough to reaffirm his belief in Ginyami’s intentions. “Sorry.. I’m just.. Surprised, is all. It’s a nice tent, Yami”. It was easier to be genuine when he truly did appreciate Ginyami trying to give them a chance to enjoy something new. He’s trying something out. Sara could always set aside a bit of his discomfort for it. At the moment, it just seemed more important to Sara that Ginyami could be at ease. It seemed Akira seemed to appreciate the accommodations as well..probably. It was hard to tell. Akira’s sentence ended with a compliment but the rest of his words were…Sara couldn’t tell how he wanted to put it. Was it necessary to mention the robes? Again, Sara didn’t say anything. Deciding to focus only on the part about Ginyami thinking about them. Nodding briefly along Akira’s words, wiping the wet remnants of snow on his pants. There were already 5 people, way too many in one place. He was not one to say much in larger groups unless spoken directly.
@Dan Palmer, @Avery Chen, @Fang Hui-Ming, @Kim Sato, @Raizel Voltrouz, @Pax Zhang, @Jack Burnett
Last edited by Hanako Tone on 10 Jul 2024, 07:59, edited 1 time in total.