24 Jul 2024, 04:10
To Become
As he continued to navigate the crowded aisle, he observed that, even after minutes had passed, the flow of first-year students through the train's enterances had not slowed at all, though most of them appeared to be just as oblivious as Ari had been only a few seconds previously. Soon enough, he found himself humming, which he found to further enhance the calm of the ambience, calming his nerves and molding the chatter into a harmless background buzz. Now, Ari could look for an empty compartment. As he regained his senses, the first thing he noticed was the attire of the other inhabitants of the train. Some were sporting their newly bought school robes or muggle streetwear. Either way, Ari found their outfits of choice respectable.
The boy was immediately able to find a compartment that was, at least for all he knew, was empty, and with a determined push, he was able to nudge his way through a group of second-years and reach the compartment's door. As he slid it open, he let out a sigh of relief as he was able to find the room to be empty. Stepping inside, he placed his luggage on the storage rack that was held above the seats and he place his ukulele case on the large desk that was placed between the two rows of seats. As he got himself settled, he retrieved his ukulele and the journal which held all the songs that he knew how to play on the instrument. He sat himself on the left seat so that he leaned comfortably again the wall and that he used the rest of the seat as a foot rest. Ari, focusing on his surroundings and the sounds of the excited students outside of the compartment, flipped to one of the sadder songs in his journal titled "Before you go, Lewis Capaldi" and started to review it for a few seconds before placing it back down in his ukulele case. After a few seconds, he started playing the tune while closing his eyes, trying to get himself into the zone. As he played, his music seemed to attract the sunlight that streamed through the window, which only seemed to enhance the glow of his skin.@Alyss Gilmour, @Lev Makarov
Last edited by Ari Morozov on 25 Jul 2024, 23:55, edited 1 time in total.
24 Jul 2024, 12:26
To Become
September 1st, 2024:
The Hogwarts Express
Alyss grumbled to herself as she pushed through the aisle of the train, the steady stream of students continuing without any sign of stopping. All she was interested in was getting to an open compartment so that she could sit down and not have to worry about all the crowds.
The only problem she was facing: it seemed all the other students were thinking the same thing. She was getting to none of the compartments first. In fact, every time there seemed to be an open one, someone else either swooped in and took it before she could, or there already was someone in there, and she didn’t want to step into a compartment that had already been claimed. That would be awkward.
All these thoughts were running through Alyss’ head; that was, until she heard the music. It was beautiful, definitely a good bit sad, but beautiful nonetheless. Without even a conscious thought, she stepped forward and slipped into the nearest compartment, thinking the music was coming from there. It wasn’t. Alyss then turned around, and continued looking, determined to find this mysterious musical prodigy.
Although it did take a few compartments and some awkward stares, at long last Alyss stepped into the compartment. The music seemed to be flowing from the students ukulele, and a long last, from a few feet away, Alyss recognized the song. Humming along, though slightly out of tune, she felt.. ready. Like maybe hogwarts wouldn’t be so bad after all.
The boy didn’t notice her, never opened his eyes, so she took a moment to look around. At him, the luggage he had, and his open ukulele case. His hair fell in wild curls across his face, the sunlight falling onto him, causing face and hair to almost sparkle. Letting a small smile stretch across her face, she went to sit down across from the boy with hair like a lions mane and the wonderful musical ability.
24 Jul 2024, 13:50
To Become
Tears filled Lev’s eyes, threatening to spill. “I don’t want to go! I want to stay with you! My family..” He’d begged and begged and begged, and yet his parents had refused to listen and had forced him onto the train. The only thing his ‘tantrum’ had served to achieve was attracting the other people on the platform’s attention.
Now Lev was standing in the train passage, holding his luggage against his chest and making himself as small as possible, as to not bump into other people. The boy stayed there for a while, his eyes closed and his hands gripping tightly onto his bag. If it was up to him, he would have never moved, but eventually there were less and less people in the hall, and a tall red headed girl in a uniform walked up to him and basically dragged him over to a compartment.
Lev knew he was being stupid. It wasn’t that hard to simply enter a compartment. What really terrified him were the people inside. If only he’d been courageous enough to enter the train early and find an empty place, but Lev was a coward. The boy peeked through the small window, seeing another boy with a mane of curly hair and a girl with blond hair. Of course they must already be friends… Lev was tempted to find the bathrooms and stay there for the whole trip, but he could still see the girl from before looking at him from the other side of the passage. There was no chance to escape.
So Lev took a deep breath and pushed open the door. His eyes immediately moved to the ground as he moved the the opposite side of the compartment, as far away as possible from the other passengers. He was trying to be discreet, but his height immediately made him noticeable. Lev moved to the corner, his greasy brown hair falling in front of his face, as he stared down at the floor. He almost looked like a cornered animal, cowering in a corner.
The poor boy was so terrified that he hadn’t even noticed the ukulele the other boy was playing.@Alyss Gilmour,@Ari Morozov
25 Jul 2024, 03:16
To Become
By the time the two had entered, he was deep into the first chorus of the song. Even though he couldn't personally relate to the song, its melody and lyrics deeply resonated with him, establishing it as one of his favorable songs he capable of playing. As he continued to strum the song's pattern, the emotion and intensity increased in his voice, however not in volume; it began to become evident that the song was emotionally full; it was very difficult for one to hide the intensity and emotion that the original writer had poored into it.
Seperate from his music, he heard a rumble that heavily resembled the engine of the Train, whose commencing of journey provoked the thought how long the ride was within the boy's mind. Additionally, Ari could only appreciate that it wasn't his responsibility to make sure everyone got on the express on time. On another side of his mind, he had noticed the express' acceleration; he thought the hum and vibrations of the train added a satisfying background to the music that he had previously started playing a minute ago. However these weren't thoughts that he was to ponder at the moment, lest his perfectionism would be breached via a wrong note.
Once again came the feeling of the golden light that was cast from the large windows, whose intensity seemingly reflected the amount of emotion that he invested into his music. Overall, the environment as a whole had provided him with a rather cozy ambience.@Alyss Gilmour, @Lev Makarov
Last edited by Ari Morozov on 25 Jul 2024, 23:55, edited 1 time in total.
25 Jul 2024, 12:52
To Become
Alyss found herself absorbed into the music, swaying along with the flow of it, regardless of if she was off time. She completely forgot that there was a world around her to forget. This is why it took her by such surprise when someone else was essentially shoved into their compartment.
The other boy was tall, and yet he still hid himself in the corner. Alyss patted the seat next to her, and scooted over to make more space, signaling for him to come sit down. She hadn’t seen the burn scar on his face yet.
Waving him over with a smile on her face, you could visibly tell when she saw and registered the scar on his face. Her smile flickered for a second, eyes widening in shock. This only lasted for a fraction of a second before Alyss propped the smile back up onto her face and continued encouraging him to sit next to her. She didn’t want him to think she thought him disgusting because of his scars. She was merely shocked by the level of pain someone her age had to go through.
How had he gotten so hurt? What had happened to him? Did it hurt all the time? These thoughts ran through her head all the while, and she almost forgot about the music. But it was impossible to forget when it was right in front of her, playing through the beautiful melody.
Alyss closed her eyes briefly, listening to and getting lost in the music. It was a wonderful feeling, to let go of your thoughts, worries, and questions and to just listen. It almost sounds impossible. But it’s only impossible if you let your mind wander. So Alyss took a deep breath while listening to the music, prepping herself for the scars before turning back to the tall boy whom she assumed was her age.
“Hey.” She whispered, as to not disturb the playing of the music. “My names Alyss, what’s yours?” She continued in a low whisper, making sure to smile while she said this.
Last edited by Alyss Gilmour on 25 Jul 2024, 14:28, edited 1 time in total.
25 Jul 2024, 14:21
To Become
Eventually, Lev warily made his way over to the girl, wringing his hands together. He was still uncertain, but he couldn’t just stand there like an idiot. Lev sat down next to her, placing his shaky hands on his knees as an attempt to steady them.
He did notice the characteristic look of horror that passed over her face when she looked upon his scars, but he truly wasn’t that offended by it. That mix of surprise and pity, always followed him everywhere he went and over the years he’d grown used to it. He didn’t expect it to be any different in this school.
But even then, Lev subconsciously moved his hair in front of his face so it would somewhat cover the scars. It wasn’t that effective, but it comforted him.
As the girl apparently called Alyss started to speak, Lev looked at her through his brown hair. “Lev. Lev Makarov. T-that’s my name…” He also whispered, not wanting to disturb the other boy in the compartment. Lev’s eyes moved to him now, his shoulders visibly relaxing as he let the music wash over him. He could almost forget the presence of Alyss. Almost.@Ari Morozov,@Alyss Gilmour
25 Jul 2024, 23:50
To Become
However, as the song began to end, he felt it all slowly fade away. The wind lost its salty scent, the waves lost their purity, and the ocean's vast expanse started to shrink. As soon as it all had started, he strummed his last note and the last tree had faded into the blank space that was the deeper recesses of his mind. Comparable to waking up from a long, cozy nap, Ari kept his eyes closed for a few seconds, beginning to chase the feeling once more. Despite each attempt, they were for naught; the feeling was unreplicated and unreachable outside the realm of his music. Nevertheless, the feeling had come countless times before and he was easily able to recover from the momentary fatigue.
However a second problem had approached him the moment his eyes had fluttered open. The light had become too unruly for his eyes, taking him more than a few second for them to adjust to the new environment. Rubbing his eyes, he had decided not to Indulge into the urge of music. However, Ari did give himself an amused shrug of approval, deeming his own music acceptable. Finally, he had decided to adjust his position so that he was able to reach, put his ukulele in, and move his ukulele case off the table, and onto the floor.
The moment he closed his ukulele case was when he saw the other two people whose entry time was unknown to Ari. Immediately a look of confused overtook his face. He must've been much deeper into his music than he thought if he wasn't able to hear two other people enter the compartment.
Regardless, now he had to deal with other people. Even worse, they both seemed to be oblivious first years.
The two other inhabitents of the compartment was a girl and a boy. The girl had blonde hair and a stature not unlike his own. The boy, on the other hand, looked more interesting. He had prominant, numerous burn scars on the left side of his face, which only grew Ari's confusion on how he managed to burn himself that badly. However, his face continued to lack any looks of disgust, subconciously not wanting to remind the other of whatever he had previously went through.
"When did they get here?" He muttered his confusion to himself. But, he didn't want the others to understand.
Regardless, of what had happened during the time he was playing, he wanted to know what they thought of his music.
"Well?" He said in a flat, unamused voice "What did you both think?"@Alyss Gilmour, @Lev Makarov
26 Jul 2024, 02:37
To Become
Listening to both the boy and the music was easier than expected. Alyss caught his name, and she sent a grin his way. “Nice to meet you Lev!” Alyss whispered enthusiastically, trying to make him feel happy by almost radiating it to him.
Alyss then let herself listen to the music, getting to hear the last few notes hang in the air between everyone. The other boy, the one who’s name she didn’t know, say there for a second before moving to put his instrument away. It was when he closed his case that he realized he had company. She saw the brief moment of confusion flash across his face, and some muttered words in a language she didn’t understand. Maybe some slavic language?
He then asked them in a blank tone “Well? What did you both think?” Alyss, not picking up the social cues based on his tone of voice, beamed at him. He wasn’t very tall, perhaps even her height, so she didn’t feel intimidated in the slightest.
“It was beautiful! Where did you learn to play so wonderfully?” Alyss asked, genuine interest evident in her tone. “Oh and what’s your name? I’m Alyss, and I’m going to be a first year. What about you? You’re short enough that you’re probably going to be a first year too, right?” Alyss gushed, no filter to stop her from unintentionally insulting the poor boy.
It was then that she realized she wasn’t alone, and he hadn’t just asked her. “This is Lev, by the way! Isn’t he so tall?” Alyss just kept talking, not even registering if anyone else was speaking. You could tell in that moment that she kinda just acted. Without thinking. Having to keep silent for long periods of time wasn’t completely uncommon, but meeting new people who were stuck with her for an entire train ride? That was new.
Alyss kind of sucked at social interactions. She either talked too much or not at all, too thoughtlessly or not at all. It took her a moment for her mind to catch up to her mouth, and she realized: these people didn’t want to listen to her yammer on. Shrinking into the corner, Alyss felt her confidence and smile fall from her face. “Sorry..” She murmured, face falling. “I- I- You don’t need to answer all those. And I’m sorry, Lev. You can introduce yourself.”
This abrupt mood switch would take anyone by surprise. But Alyss had been through stuff like this before. They’d tell her it was fine, but as soon as they didn’t have to talk with her anymore, they wouldn’t. Alyss felt her face heat up, lip quivering, and eyes tearing up. Now they wouldn’t want to be her friends. But she wanted to be their friends.
Fighting back the tears, she flashed a quick smile up at them, as if saying she was fine. Scooting further into the corner, Alyss brought her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes, taking big quivering breaths, ignoring any eyes that were probably on her. The tears were slowly but surely going away. Although her face still felt hot, she felt more presentable. She opened her eyes and peeked at the two boys in the compartment, assuring herself that this time she would gauge their reactions before letting her mouth take the lead.
26 Jul 2024, 14:14
To Become
Lev hesitantly reached out towards Alyss, awkwardly patting her shoulder. “It’s ok.. P-Please don’t cry.” His voice was strained as he kept patting her shoulder over and over again, almost like she was a dog. “I don’t mind if you introduce me.”
In fact, Lev had even loved it. When the other boy had stopped playing his ukulele and muttered under his breath in russian, it was obvious he didn’t want them to be here. Lev had been terrified and had wanted to cover his face with his hands when the musician had actually addressed them with a tone that reeked of sarcasm. And yet, Alyss had simply answered him with her same enthusiasm and had even done the terrifying job of introducing himself for Lev.
He admired her. He wanted to be as confident and extroverted as her, so he was all that much more confused when Alyss teared up. Maybe he’d done something wrong? What else could explain such a stark difference in only a few seconds.
“I-I’m sorry..” Lev stammered out, avoiding looking at both the people in the compartment. “This is all my fault..” Lev just wanted to melt into the wall and disappear from this situation.@Ari Morozov,@Alyss Gilmour
27 Jul 2024, 02:29
To Become
"I learned from a family member." the boy answered calmly as he returned to his previous position, however, he instead focused his gaze on the two in the other seat. The girl didn't hesitate to add more to her question. "Name's Ari, and yes, I'm a first year." However, she didn't seem to care if anyone else was talking; she was certainly excited to introduce the other boy who inhabited the compartment.
Speaking of the Boy, who the girl had named Lev, he had seemed to have no confidence in himself, or in anything else, for that matter. His hands seemed to tremble just at what Ari had mumbled under his breath a few seconds prior. Due to this, his guess about Lev's character, while most likely not completely correct, seemed very close to the truth. If it was up to Ari, Lev would've needed to learn to have some self-confidence, even if barely any. It'd still be better than none. For most of his life, Ari had been prone to overthinking and setting absurdly high standards for himself, yet, confidence was among his most powerful strengths, therefore, he could only guess that Lev's lack of confidence had something to do with his past, specifically concerning whatever caused the terrible burn on his face.
'What could he have gone through?' He though to himself, turning his head so that he stared at the other side of his booth, allowing the sunlight to glow against the left side of his face.
After a few seconds, the girl, who had labeled herself as Alyss, started to copy Lev's matterisms: she wiped the smile off of her face, and seemed to shrink herself into the compartment's booth. However, Ari didn't bother to look back at them, but it did become an urge when he heard her start to cry.
Yet, fortunately for him, he didn't have to do anything, as the other boy took it upon himself to comfort the girl. It was almost as if the two have known each other way before this moment, it was the only explaination for their behavior towards each other. Additionally, he heard Lev mumble an apology to both Ari and Alyss, but, he couldn't imagine what he'd be apologizing for.
All of this only drew Ari to one conclusion.
'Are they seriously both scared of me?' He thought to himself. The further he thought about it, the more he started to seriously doubt the theory. The other boy had at least half a foot on him, and the girl was at least his own height. If anything, he should've been the intimidated one. However, he really couldn't be worrying about something like that right now. His teeth were already biting down on his tongue at the unpredictibility of the near future.
Perhaps he shouldn't be as cold toward the two.@Alyss Gilmour, @Lev Makarov