Finished More Than Blood Under The Skin PV Tesla Stone

30 Sep 2024, 15:46

Date: Sept 16

Sometimes Tes wondered just how smart she was when she did things like this. Sure, she knew she wasn't book smart, her grades and her dependence on her classmates' goodwill ensured that, but she at least thought that she would've learned her lesson after the last time someone she didn't know found out she was a werewolf and reacted about as badly as she could've imagined. Despite that, she had a hastily scrawled note tucked away in her pocket as she wandered towards the abandoned classroom on the second floor.

Her classes were finished for the day, and with the full moon the next day she should really be studying, seeing as she usually missed all her classes the day of and the day after the full moon. All the same, she couldn't bring herself to sit around listlessly, staring at a textbook and falling asleep in it without reading a single word. So, when she'd seen the scribbled note in the common room that morning with her name on it, as well as a hastily signed name of the note writer, she'd picked it up and put it in her robe pockets, planning on meeting the writer as soon as she could.

Making it to the classroom's door she opened it, peaking her head in to see if the other person, Emily, would be waiting like she'd said. She caught sight of the brunette that had actually been sitting near her at the dinner the night before, the one with Professor Iwasaki's surprise announcement. She'd seemed excited and good natured enough about the announcement, so Tes stepped fully into the room, pulling the note out of her robe pocket and waving it for the other Hufflepuff to see.

"Hey, I got your note! I'm Tesla, but you can just call me Tes. You must be Emily?" Tes stepped further into the room, shutting the door behind her and sitting on top of a nearby dusty desk. She didn't want to make any assumptions, and she still wanted to gauge if the girl was as positive in private as she'd been at dinner. With that in mind, Tes kept her tone intentionally light, none of the suspicion she felt curling like a rock in her stomach audible in her question. "So, why'd you want me to meet you here?"

⭑☾☀☽⭑
Interacting with:@Emily Shephard Mentioning: @Marcus Iwasaki Wordcount: 400 Color=#7D6608
❁❀ Tesla "Tes" Stone❀❁ Hufflepuff ^꧁Optimism is not ignorance^꧂
Stats: Stamina: 6 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 9 | Wisdom: 4 | ArcPower: 4 |Accuracy: 7
Abilities: Werewolf and Broken Broomshaft
Trunk

Tesla Stone⭑☾☀☽⭑ ⭑☾𖣂☽⭑Basil Blackwood

30 Sep 2024, 19:05

September 16th 2024
Gentle Snooping with @Tesla Stone
Mentioning: @Marcus Iwasaki
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics

Ohh jeez, there she is.

Emily's head whipped around at the sound of the classroom door opening, revealing Tesla Stone with the anticipated stride of someone curious and perhaps suspicion. She sprouted from her spot from the desk as she came into the room and padded over shyly to greet her with a nod of her head, acknowledging the fact that she took the time to come over and talk, which Emily was unquestionably grateful for.

"Hi...!" The butterflies practically flew out from the pit of her stomach and out of her mouth when she responded to her. It took her a minute to breathe out the nerves before she continued.

"O-Of course! S-So! I'm doing somewhat of a... an independent project. It's not really schoolwork related, but it does concern the school..." She was picking at her nails anxiously so much she moved her hands before her back to stop it. "And uh... It's about the prospect of getting along with half-human students and teachers..." She lowered her voice at the end, unsure of how Tesla would take it. She took a sneaking glance at her face to gauge her reaction before continuing.

"I'm... Guessing you've heard about the Head of Ravenclaw by now. About how he's... A werewolf and all... But it really got me thinking, about how well students can get along with someone who shoulders such a strenuous way of life." Some of the "Emily" flare was coming back into her voice, her passion for social philosophy and psychology creeping into her tone. "I--I was also pleasantly taken aback by some of the reactions in the room, including yours! I mean, I hope I'm not assuming anything but you seemed to be in favour of lycanthropes... As am I."

She scratched at a patch of skin on her hand. I guess what I'm hoping to do is... Get a few opinions from some other students on how they feel about mingling with dhampirs, werewolves and so on."

She glanced back at the floor timidly. "I don't see many people talk about how... Amazing it is to get along with outstanding individuals like them. I'm not surprised though with how touchy the subject matter is. But given your... enthusiasm from last night... I thought maybe I'd try asking you, just to hear your take on it."

This was probably the part where Tesla would respond with one of several options; "You what?", "You serious?" or maybe just walk out of the room then and there, wanting absolutely nothing to do with why a student younger than her would want to poke about with a topic as divisive as what she was proposing. Emily wouldn't blame her for any of those reactions. In fact, she was ready and waiting to apologise for seemingly wasting Tesla's time as she paused to hear her response.

_{Word Count: 543}

For The Know-How (Le Plot)
@Scout Fu-Hai - @AngelFyre McCubbin -@ Ruby Night - @Danielle Alden - @Renelle Dalton - @Simon Kincaid - @Colin McCoire - @Ophelia Northwell - @Ava Winchect - @Eugenia Karageorgiadi

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself

iNPC = Casey Stone

30 Sep 2024, 20:14

Tes listened quietly, tilting her head curiously as the younger Hufflepuff began with a stuttering and quiet explanation of why she'd invited her here. While her nerves didn't fully disappear, the other girl did seem to settle into a hurried and enthusiastic speech on the coexistence of half-breeds and other wizard-kind. Her words rang with the hope that Tes herself had had in the past, the hope that everyone could get along, regardless of birth or circumstance. She'd had difficulty feeling that enthusiasm since the summer before her second year, where she spent a full moon locked away and isolated, or a summer camp where students from another school had shown such aggression towards werewolves and students with muggle heritage during their quidditch matches.

She still wouldn't go telling her secret to anyone who seemed to have a kind heart like she'd done in her first year, but if this other student could help her turn the world into the one she dreamed of, one where people like her momma didn't get subtly shipped across the world to be shunned and jobless just for something they couldn't control... Well, she could at least meet her in the middle and express a similar enthusiasm and consider explaining her personal investment in their shared goals.

"So, correct me if I'm wrong but you had me meet you in a random abandoned classroom just to talk about relations amongst wizard-kind?" Tes asked, before cringing at the realization that her question could be seen as antagonistic. In reality, she was just trying to sum up what she'd been told, seeing as Emily seemed to enjoy using fancier language than Tes herself used. "Ah, not that that's a bad thing or anything! I've just found that in the past when these conversations happen, they're usually more accidental and I'm chatting about them in places like the common room or by the lake. Although, I suppose last night set a new precedent for how things at Hogwarts may be, going forward. After all, as far as I know the existence of Werewolf students at Hogwarts was one of those secrets that they tried to keep to only those who needed to know."

"That being said, I'd love to hear more about any of your plans for helping to unite the non-human students with the standard wizard students. In fact, I let my goals go for a bit, but when I was in first year, I really wanted to do the same thing! My momma is a 'wolf, and I'm friends with most of the 'wolves here at school too. Our generation is a bit better, but my momma got sent all the way from America away from her family to come here, and still struggles to find work in the wizarding community or afford her monthly potions, just because of how hard they can be to obtain in certain wizarding communities!" Tes paused to take a breath, realizing that she'd responded to Emily's excitement on the topic, hoping she hadn't overwhelmed the other student.

"Well, I guess that's all to say that I'd love to see our generation get rid of a lot of the biases people have seen in the past. By the way, I don't mean to be insensitive, but I don't suppose you're muggleborn? I hate to say it, but usually people who've never heard of half-humans before Hogwarts are either more accepting or just plain confused." Tes didn't want to hurt Emily's feelings with her assumption, but the other girl's enthusiasm for werewolves seemed to rival that of her own and Colin's, and the only way it could do that would either be that the other student was a 'wolf herself, which seemed unlikely, or that she'd never had a chance for fear to be instilled in her as a child in wizarding society. Or Tes was jumping to conclusions, which had led her down the wrong path in conversations with people before.

⭑☾☀☽⭑
Interacting with:@Emily Shephard Wordcount:655 Color=#7D6608
❁❀ Tesla "Tes" Stone❀❁ Hufflepuff ^꧁Optimism is not ignorance^꧂
Stats: Stamina: 6 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 9 | Wisdom: 4 | ArcPower: 4 |Accuracy: 7
Abilities: Werewolf and Broken Broomshaft
Trunk

Tesla Stone⭑☾☀☽⭑ ⭑☾𖣂☽⭑Basil Blackwood

1 Oct 2024, 01:54

September 16th 2024
Better Than Anticipated with @Tesla Stone
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics

Emily bit the inside of her mouth shyly. Yep. Tesla was probably thinking Emily was just being a naïve whatsit in that moment, but she complied with her question and graciously answered.

Whoa. Tesla just laid everything bare right then and there. Emily had been secretly hoping she wouldn't dismiss her so quickly but she never expected to gain such an inciteful perspective either. She'd be lying if she said she didn't find any of Tesla's words valuable. On the contrary, in fact. Too bad she didn't have a notepad to scribble a few words - at the same time, 99% of the reason she came without any materials was to ensure that this remained a friendly, casual chat, rather than an interrogation.

Emily absorbed every little detail Tesla was giving her. Nothing was left unaccounted for. The longer she talked the more uplifted Emily felt. It felt great to hear someone on the same wavelength as her and open to exactly what Emily was thinking. She kept smiling and nodding right until Tesla's closing statement, to which she jumped in to voice her own excitement.

"I completely agree...!" Her face dazzled with optimism. "I just feel like there's still a little bit of animosity towards the folks that are a little... Different."

Emily shrunk a little in her stance. This next bit could either fascinate Tesla or weird her out.

"I know a lot of people will try and find arguments for why half-humans should be seen as monsters and stuff... But I personally don't seem them that way at all! If anything, I have immense respect and admiration for them, for all the resilience they have in the wake of the hate and suspicion against them, as well as the needs they have to fulfil. It's a base instinct I think, one that some just have to live with to survive, like vampires needing blood to function. And werewolves... Having to undergo such a painful change and constantly having some kind of medicine hanging over their heads to maintain even a thread of humanity... I can't imagine the strain they must feel. As much faith as I have in the school to look out for these incredible individuals, whether it's werewolves, dhampirs, whoever... I just feel there could be more done for them. And that's what I want to uncover... A way to make these people feel more comfortable, to make them actually viewed as people and not as mindless beasts that some argue them to be just because they like to exploit their genetics or something..."

She sighed. "I just... Haven't figured out how to do that yet..."

_{Word Count: 507}

For The Know-How (Le Plot)
@Scout Fu-Hai - @AngelFyre McCubbin -@ Ruby Night - @Danielle Alden - @Renelle Dalton - @Simon Kincaid - @Colin McCoire - @Ophelia Northwell - @Ava Winchect - @Eugenia Karageorgiadi

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself

iNPC = Casey Stone

6 Oct 2024, 22:50

Tes nodded eagerly in agreement as Emily responded to her thoughts. "There's definitely animosity, and it seems to get better and worse, but nothing seems to come of it. To be fair, if there was an easy solution groups like SCAR wouldn't exist. Honestly, if they didn't hurt people to get their point across, it'd be a good organization," Tes shook her head sadly, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly as she continued, "I mean, you might have guess after my... outburst last night but I'm actually one of the werewolves here at the school. Honestly, the toughest thing is just the fact that people can get away with mean comments and there's not a lot that can be done if they're not hurting anyone."

Tes sighed, leaning back to prop herself up on her hands and stare up at the ceiling as she thinks aloud, swinging her feet mindlessly. "I wish I could help you come up with a way to make us more comfortable, but if adults don't know how to do it how can we hope to do anything? I'm not trying to be a downer, it's just that there's only so much that we can do. I come from a supportive family, and I still wish I didn't have to deal with this sometimes. Maybe all we can do is try to be supportive of people, like how you're trying to have these conversations with people like me?" She sighed deeply, looking back down at Emily. "You're real nice to think that people like me are cool, and want to include us, but it's a real tough situation. I mean, it honestly feels like people finally started to chill out about blood purity status, and that alone has been a long time coming! Now we want them to accept people that can actually be a danger? People like SCAR that have killed in the past? Tes looked at Emily, shrugging helplessly and hoping she hadn't taken the wind out of her sails, feeling guilty for her negative views on the girl's goals. It was just hard for her to have the same optimism she used to have about this topic, and she was still feeling a bit testy after the night before.

⭑☾☀☽⭑
Interacting with: @Emily Shephard Wordcount: 380 Color=#7D6608
❁❀ Tesla "Tes" Stone❀❁ Hufflepuff ^꧁Optimism is not ignorance^꧂
Stats: Stamina: 7 | Evasion: 6 | Strength: 12 | Wisdom: 4 | ArcPower: 4 | Accuracy: 9
Abilities: Werewolf and Broken Broomshaft
Trunk

Tesla Stone⭑☾☀☽⭑ ⭑☾𖣂☽⭑Basil Blackwood

8 Oct 2024, 01:19

September 16th 2024
Mark My Woof with @Tesla Stone
Mentioning: @Scout Fu-Hai and @Colin McCoire
Slightly Minor Mentions of @Rebecca Lark and @Astra Norrick
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics

Of course with something that sounds like it's going so well, it was bound to drop expectations sooner or later when Tesla brought up an unfortunate but relevant point of argument. Against Emily's relatively small understanding, she had heard about SCAR before, their work as a group that fought for equality for half-humans, though they're definition of "fought" was a bit too literal. Emily nodded shamefully. Tesla wasn't wrong.

"I know a lot of people will probably do what they feel they need to do to take what they're after..." The word "charitable" had been warped so often by organisations, nothing these groups did nowadays felt like they were genuine to their causes anymore, rather instead rushing to take what's theirs with their eyes closed off to the real consequences. "...But unlike SCAR, I'd much prefer to sit and listen to my fellow half-human buddies. A bit of patience, as tedious as it might get sometimes, goes a long way." She smiled again, hoping she hadn't lost Tesla. She knew she was probably sounding a little naïve, but this was why she was here... To start from the ground up.

And then the moment of truth arose. Tesla confirmed the sinking suspicion that one atom in Emily's being had been screaming for. Tesla was indeed a werewolf. A truth like that would've pictured Emily frantically buzzing about the room, exclaiming in various disbeliefs and excitement. Though all the reaction she had to that was another humble smile.

"Nothing wrong with that in my eyes," she said softly. "Heck, my best friend's a dhampir, so no need to feel wary...! As long as you're safe and healthy too, I won't have a problem at all!"

She let that sit in the air. Emily never kidded when it came to her friendship with other half-humans and all things similar. She didn't faff around in the Forbidden Forest looking for trouble with dark creatures one or two nights a week. She took this all seriously. That also included safeguarding her buddies, human and half-humans alike.

Which begged the question. Tesla openly claimed her lycanthropy, so what about Colin? The instigator behind the howling to begin with. His was by far the most demonstrative, so was he also...?

Not the right time to go searching for the elusive Slytherin lank to confirm a 50-50 suspicion. Emily was just starting to bond with Tesla; she could do with having a few more friends within her own House anyway. Not to mention the claims she was making were extremely valuable to her endeavour.

Though Emily's expression changed again when Tesla's argument came to a close, her bedazzlement slowly morphing into a face that gave off a low energy "Ohh..." She could see Tesla's reluctance for change, undoubtedly from a lack of patience of waiting for it to come to people like her. Come to think of it, didn't Emily hear something eerily similar to this before? Ah yes... Rebecca Lark and Astra Norrick said things superficially close to what Tesla was getting at - albeit for a much more weighted context. Emily cringed thinking back to that meeting. She didn't mean to stir up such mixed responses back then.

But with Tesla, she might have a chance to redeem herself now that she was hearing the testimony of a beloved half-human student.

"I'm not going to pretend I know what it must feel like to be ostracised and sneered at... Because I don't... At least, not from your stand point, but I know there must be a better way than to blindly pander to the crowd if actions aren't sincere."

She needed a minute to transfer her thoughts into words. This was where she failed last time with Miss Lark and Miss Norrick, where analogies did nothing to assist in her reasoning. If she needed to think carefully about how to form her next argument without Tesla thinking she was a child, it was now.

"Okay... D'oh... How do I explain this...?"

She chewed her lip as she searched for the right words.

"Change isn't going to happen overnight, as unfortunate as that is... We have magic but I'm afraid we can't snap our fingers and 'hey presto' success. And I know you don't want to hear me prattle on about patience and 'taking it one bit at a time.' In fact, it's probably an understatement to say that it all feels like screaming into a void, doesn't it? I know that feeling... I've had a lot of people tell me that it's impossible what I'm trying to achieve, that I'll only get myself hurt and I should just shelf this entire thing..."

And boy did it sting every time she heard it.

"We can educate each other in endless circles and have nothing happen. But the one thing that will wake people up is sharing feelings. Listening to each other. Maybe we don't have to understand but we can still separate the fear from the fact. And the fact is half-humans deserve more credit. You're not inherently bad people because of fangs or fur. I don't know how to say it, but it's like a psychology thing. We try and find things in new concepts and twist them into 'bad things' simply because they're foreign to us, since things are only scary because we don't know them too well. Does that make sense?" Emily bloody hoped so.

Her expression turned a little more hopeful however. "We're still young... So there's still time. Time to expedite change and shed light on the truth!"

_{Word Count: 1008}

For The Know-How (Le Plot)
@Scout Fu-Hai - @AngelFyre McCubbin -@ Ruby Night - @Danielle Alden - @Renelle Dalton - @Simon Kincaid - @Colin McCoire - @Ophelia Northwell - @Ava Winchect - @Eugenia Karageorgiadi

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself

iNPC = Casey Stone

28 Dec 2024, 21:08

Tes appreciated Emily's views on equality, even if they hit a bit too close to home in terms of Tes's own goals, despite her current pessimistic outlook. She couldn't help but let a grin out in the face of Emily's acceptance. "Well, I can't say I've actually met any of the dhampirs at the school myself, but it's good to know you're on our side."

She waited as Emily explained all her plans and feelings on the treatment of half-breeds, surprisingly patient for the normally energized girl as she truly did her best to absorb and think about what she was being told. She felt guilty for shutting her down just moments before, believing that Emily's feelings on the matter had been foolish fancy. However, what she was saying now sounded exactly like what Tes herself had argued to her mothers and grandmother in the past, before she'd finally hit a point where she didn't feel like there was anything she could do.

Wasn't that what she should really be fighting against? Her own feelings of hopelessness, rather than thinking about the entire wizarding society as a whole and becoming bogged down with her negative experiences. In fact, as Emily's words finally sank in, Tes found herself pressing her lips together tightly to keep them from trembling as she breathed in sharply and tried to hold back tears. Quickly swiping at her eyes, she grinned at Emily, sitting up and leaning forward on her perch on the desk.

"Yeah, you're right. That does all make sense. I'm sorry for basically saying this was hopeless. I don't know what came over me," she sniffed, standing up from the desk and beginning to pace as she felt re-energized, "Okay, I'm gonna stop being beaten down if I can help it! Everything that you just said, I've been trying to say for years, and it feels like I either run into prejudice from people not like me, or fear from the ones that are like me."

Tes stopped her pacing, turning to Emily and putting her hands on her hips in a posture her mum had told her was one of confidence, even if she didn't really feel that confident after her own big statements. "Do you have a plan? Sharing feelings is a great idea, but how do we actually do it in practice? We have to work together to make this happen, and I've got your back! I think we can at least make a difference here at Hogwarts, since we've got two sides of the perspective to work with," she finished, hoping Emily wouldn't find her sudden change of heart too jarring. After all, she was simply regaining the energy she'd lost over the last year and a half.

⭑☾☀☽⭑
Interacting with:@Emily Shephard Wordcount:450 Color=#7D6608
❁❀ Tesla "Tes" Stone❀❁ Hufflepuff ^꧁Optimism is not ignorance^꧂
Stats: Stamina: 7 | Evasion: 6 | Strength: 12 | Wisdom: 4 | ArcPower: 4 | Accuracy: 9
Abilities: Werewolf and Broken Broomshaft
Trunk

Tesla Stone⭑☾☀☽⭑ ⭑☾𖣂☽⭑Basil Blackwood

30 Dec 2024, 22:14

September 16th 2024
Mark My Woof with @Tesla Stone
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics

Emily honestly should have seen this coming. To ask someone to have faith when they themselves have arguably gone through too much to trust in change that could very well turn into a sludge of impatience was a bit much of her in the grand scheme of things. Poor Tesla had possibly gone through more than just what was revealed during Iwasaki's speech so go figure that she may be a bit more on the sceptical side of things when Emily proposed what would ordinarily be more than what a thirteen year old could chew, especially for something a socially divisive as werewolves being considered "true" people.

Though even after considering that, Tesla did have a glisten in her eyes. At first Emily's stomach twisted over the fear of maybe having upset her but the fellow Huffie quickly turned her expression into a much more hopeful one. One that immediately reassured Emily that she didn't just screw up her words like last time.

"Y-You really believe me in this? Oh my... That's...!"

That was just the thing she was looking for... To have someone to hear her out! To have even the tiniest bit of faith in her!

"Yes!" Emily punched the air in victory. "That's the spirit! Be proud of who you are! And if people can't recognise how amazing you are at heart, then that's their problem... Not yours!"

To be able to inspire Tesla had helped boost Emily's confidence in her ability to change perceptions on a whole school basis. On that note however, Tesla did ask a very good question...

"Do you have a plan? Sharing feelings is a great idea, but how do we actually do it in practice?"

"Ah... Well..."

Oh.

Emily hadn't quite figured that part out yet, which wasn't really something proud to admit especially when Tesla was right; actions speak louder than words, as it were, but to tackle the perceptions of the oceans of students and perhaps some of the higher-ups in the teaching staff, Emily needed a bold plan... Which she was still lacking. But she couldn't let Tesla down now. It wasn't like Tesla was trusting her because they were in the same House... Tesla had now put her entire hope, faith and future into Emily's hands!

Emily's foot tapped as she tried to cook up a response. Leaving Tesla out to dry would grain the optimism father than when they both found it. In the end only one thing came to mind, though she didn't bet on Tesla being too open to the idea.

Of course with something so comprehensibly complicated, word vomit was bound to follow.

"I guess... If we're to really show how resilient you lot are, we could show everyone the real "us". I'm human and so are you... But you're also a werewolf. I think what everyone needs to understand is that you're a combination of both. You're still yourself the rest of the month, and only a single night are you actually the wolf. If there was a way to show you when you're both at once... A wolf with a human mind..."

It was then that her suggestion drifted off quietly into nothing. Like that could ever be a possibility. No one would ever allow that. No one would ever want to trust in either Tesla or Emily ever again if they ever attempted it. How torturous to come up with an idea that could work but could never come into fruition. All that brain power for nothing.

Emily shut down her plan with a dismissive, conflicted shake of her head. "Sorry... I don't know."

Way to go, Shephard! Lying through your teeth by speaking through naïve optimism... Again.

_{Word Count: 651}

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself

iNPC = Casey Stone