Finished Blunt Edges Open

Date: November 18 Word Count: 709/200 Location: Ilvermorny

Mentions: Reducio @Casey Stone@Emily Shephard

English: #00b899 Spanish: #009919 French: #e69f3d Thoughts: Italics

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"Are you okay?" Lucy asked the boy who was next to her. He sounded upset and angry, and she felt like perhaps she should ask if he was okay. Those three words were considered considerably chatty for her, a farm girl who was shyer than the chicks. But something about his frustrated look reminded her of her own problems. Besides the scarring attack of the pyre, her brother and father were gone. Not that the pyre wasn't enough trouble on its own. Despite having fainted from fear when she saw the explosion, it was still horrible. She woke up to flames, fear, and death. The crowds that had made her anxious before were now making her extremely scared. The calming drought had made it so that she could make it through the attack, but it didn't fix long term. Her anxiety had been upped, and she had started having nightmares every night. Sleep had started to become overrated because of that, leaving her exhausted in her classes. The classes themselves...being bombarded with tons of people after her quiet life on the farm had been horrible. Combined with the paralyzing fear that people could find out that she was a werewolf and hate her meant....lots and lots of anxiety. She had never been so quiet in her entire life. Talking was scary, she might say the wrong thing or mention that she...don't think about it. Don't think about it. Lucy shook away her thoughts for what must have been the millionth time that day. The pyre had turned her nervous personality into a scared wreck. But back to the boy. He seemed a little less scared than her, but he seemed like he had gone through the events of the pyre as well. He just seemed to have gotten over them, instead of wallowing in the past. Perhaps she could learn a thing or two from him. If she ever said more than three words that was. Say something else to him! I can't seem like a scared idiot or else he might just think I'm weird like everyone else! I can't stand another odd look. "You seem...unhappy." She settled with. He seemed like a lot of things. Or like a lot of things had happened to him. The boy looked to be about her year, maybe a bit older. How could he look so fierce? So sad? So...almost broken. Like he was barely keeping himself together. Her brother had had that look towards the end...Don't think...But she couldn't stop herself from imagining her brother, sad and lonely, looking depressed. He would mope around for ages, hiding in his room and yelling at anyone who tried to talk to him. Her mom just said it was teenage angst, but Lucy didn't think so. This seemed more like something had happened. Her brother was usually the kindest person in the whole world. Him disappearing right after her dad...it was horrible. She figured that they had to be related in some way. People don't just disappear like that-even magical ones. After they disappeared, Lucy turned away from the world. She would stay in her room, sketching the farm animals for hours. She would turn away from the hole her missing brother had made in her heart, trying to imagine a world where he was still there. Practicing magic helped her keep her mind off things. She had been doing that a lot. She would work on her Charms spells for hours until she mastered it, trying to keep herself from picturing the pyre. Sometimes, like now, she would break and decide to try and enjoy school life. It usually ended up like now; a bunch of sad memories and extra worries. But the boy. Perhaps she could confide in another who was scarred, and help another where she couldn't herself. Or she would make it worse. Handling humans was not something she was used to, and she was still a horrible talker. Maybe this was why she was so scarred; she couldn't talk to anyone about it. Living in an actual barn made her social skills stink. Just this once though, she could try to help someone, and have a conversation. Hopefully this didn't end in more pain than she'd started with.

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November 18th 2024
Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics
Socialising 101 With Lucy Hills @Minnie Duke
Open to Other Interactions!

Whether people were starting to notice this little patch of land had slowly devolved into Casey's getaway spot, or that he was groaning too loudly in spite without realising it, it wasn't long for someone to come over to him.

Looking behind him he spotted a familiar looking girl. He remembered her from the bombing incident at Hogsmeade... Quite a sad point of reference for such a realisation when the two were already in the same year, albeit most likely in different classes a lot of the time.

"Are you alright?" she asked him. Casey nodded quietly. He could see the shyness painted across her face and demeanour. His tone instinctually softened.

"Yeah. I'm good."

"You seem... Unhappy."

Casey huffed out a laugh. He wasn't exactly known for being a smiley guy, so it's not like she was wrong. However, as strange as it might be for anyone to believe, he was actually in a better mood than he usually was. He was in the middle of coming up creative ways to catch the ass of a guy who might hold the key to learning more about Nick's whereabouts after all.

"I've been worse," he said. "And not to point the finger or anything, but you seem like to be down in bigger dumps than I am."

There were times Casey could spot moments where the girl was dissociating and jumping back in between eye contact. He could understand if it all boiled down to the events back in Hogsmeade. It was a terrifying experience for everyone, to put it lightly. No one just overcomes something like that overnight either. Still, Casey was genuinely wondering if it was just that which had her in an unsettled mood.

He patted the spot next to him. "Plonk down here. Take a load off. Enjoy the sun a while."

He shoved the ring back into his pocket as he awaited the girl's next move. After being a jackass all last year he wasn't going to expect her to loan some company.

But he made a point to Emily that he needed friends. If he couldn't crack the small talk, then forgiveness from the school would be a lost cause.

Not to mention it would be... Nice, to have talk to someone at school for a change.

Though how could he do that confidently when he couldn't even remember the girl's hecking name? Talk about a good start.

"Dunno if you know me, but I'm Casey."

_{Word Count: 463}

Stats: Stamina: 8 | Strength: 7 | Evasion: 7 | Wisdom: 6 | Arc Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Fearless| Poison Resistance

Date: November 18 Word Count: 491/200 Location: Ilvermorny

Mentions: Reducio @Casey Stone@Emily Shephard

English: #00b899 Spanish: #009919 French: #e69f3d Thoughts: Italics

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Oh gosh he's talking to me. Lucy took a deep, calming, breath. I did start the conversation, now I should continue it. She smiled at the boy, trying to tamp down her shyness. But her small smile dropped away when he mentioned how unhappy she was. I should have realized I couldn't try and be nice to someone without showing my own struggles. She sighed inwardly. Best get it over with. He introduced himself as Casey and told her to sit down. "Um...sure. Nice to meet you Casey. I'm Lucy." She said quietly. "I think I might have seen you in the halls? It's a big school, so I'm not sure." Casey had no idea how much she meant those words. Growing up on a farm, she had had almost exactly four people in her life. Her mom, dad, brother, and tutor. Then she was thrown into a whole school with lots of people. People she had to talk to, expecting to know all of their names. It was a nightmare, only she couldn't wake up from it. The only good part of school was learning spells. She could just concentrate on her books and wand, and then she would be alright. Keep talking! She yelled at herself, trying to bring herself back to reality. Talking and conversations just really were not her skills. "It is nice weather out I guess." She commented. The weather did seem rather nice, but she had just noticed it. Sometimes she was a bit too focused on her books and spells to truly notice where she was. The fact was, Casey was right. She wasn't happy. Her brain was stuck on the fear she had felt seeing the attack. Her sadness from her father and brother disappearing was more than lingering. And the overwhelming school and all it's people was a constant reminder of how shy she was. If her brother had seen her then, he would have been very disappointed. Michael was an amazing brother, and he tried to push her to be her absolute best all the time. He would have helped her through the fear and the crowds, told her to be more than just a shy girl. With him there, she could handle anything. But he had vanished without a trace, leaving her more alone than ever. How would she ever make it without his constant encouragement? Not to mention her horrible secret. But that wasn't something she could ever tell Casey. Or anyone. Ever. It would haunt her forever, the mistake she could never talk about. Lucy looked away, trying to keep her face from showing her emotions. Maybe she couldn't tell Casey everything, but perhaps some things would be good to let out. Her parents would want a less nervous kid to talk to during break, and she wanted to give that kid to them. So she turned back to Casey. "It's not like anything special happened to me."

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November 18th 2024
Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics
Socialising 101 With Lucy Hills @Minnie Duke
Open to Other Interactions!

He had a feeling he heard her name somewhere before. "Lucy... Yeah..." Well, that was a start. First name basis. Now to get through the rest of the conversation. About two years ago, Casey would've talked for hours on end to someone but with everything Nick related going on, he was finding it hard to put the effort in, instead shoving it all aside to find the bastard. Why couldn't it be like with Emily where she would cling to him until he gave in to be her friend... So that she could then continue to cling to him throughout their friendship?

Well, whatever. He was talking to her. She was talking to him. May as well try and keep that up, even if through the most conventional conversation tactic in the book.

"It's better than sittin' here in the fog, I'll tell you that. Sunshine makes a nice change... 'Specially after last month's 'excitement' with Hogsmeade." He mentally chided himself as soon as that left his mouth. Nothing like bringing up some unneeded trauma. Casey figured he was too used to being disappointed these days that he became numb to this kind of thing. How sad, particularly at the age he was.

Unless Lucy was one of those girls that got shy when a boy was in their vicinity, Casey noticed her eyes averting every time he looked at her. Silence befell them, yet he couldn't decide if it was comfortable or not. Neither of them really seemed to despise or be suspicious of each other, but it's not like they were really buddy bonding at the same time either.

"It's not like anything special happened to me."

"I'm gonna call bull on that," Casey said, though no harm or malice was in his tone. "Everyone's got somethin' no matter how big it is. It might seem small to you, but it'll be significant to someone else. Think of it like that whole "one man's trash is another man's treasure" thing..."

He repositioned himself so he was reclining further into the grass, soaking up the rays in his arms and chest. "So... What's special about you?"


_{Word Count: 407}

Stats: Stamina: 8 | Strength: 7 | Evasion: 7 | Wisdom: 6 | Arc Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Fearless| Poison Resistance

Date: November 18 Word Count: 346/200 Location: Ilvermorny

Mentions: Reducio @Casey Stone@Emily Shephard

English: #00b899 Spanish: #009919 French: #e69f3d Thoughts: Italics

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I'm a werewolf. Was the only thing she could think of. But she couldn't tell him that, no matter how "understanding" he was. Casey seemed to mean no harm, and Lucy needed to be more social anyways. So she had to think up a good lie about how "special" she was. If only he knew, he would reject her, like every other normal human. Part of her brain was still stuck on him talking about the excitement at Hogsmeade. How can he joke about that? He doesn't seem like an awful person to me. Maybe he just accidentally said it. She pushed back the nightmarish part of her brain, trying to focus on the conversation. Michael would want me to have a friend. He would tell me to buck up and start talking....I miss him. Losing the only other person who understood you was a huge blow to her. She couldn't even owl him from school. He was just...missing. But Casey wouldn't understand any of that, and she couldn't tell him, unless she wanted to look like a sappy idiot. "I used to live on a farm. Like, an actual, chickens and horses farm. I was home schooled, and I didn't have any friends. My only friend was my...brother. He-" Lucy stopped as a lump came up in her throat. She never talked about Michael anymore, and bringing him up now was too painful. "Well, I was lonely anyways." She continued after a pause. "I guess something special about me is that I'm smart. My tutor taught me French and Spanish, and I can do math and science pretty well. Not that it matters in a school for magic." There. A seemingly true lie, that was true, but didn't tell the whole truth. She had pulled it off. Okay, now I need to divert his attention from me...is this what normal conversations are like? I'm not so sure. Not that I'll ever know. She tried to look curious, and not like she was panicking on the inside. "So, what about you? I'm sure you're more surprising than you look."

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November 18th 2024
Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics
Socialising 101 With Lucy Hills @Minnie Duke
Open to Other Interactions!

There was a time before where Casey kept his woes and worries to himself, only dropping them suddenly in the company of his parents or into thin air, his voice carried by the breeze into areas where not another soul would hear him. Back then, who would want to? Nowadays however, the feeling of sharing the weight of whatever built up in his chest was better than he realised once he started talking.

With this girl, he hoped he could carry on talking and with the same similar demeanour she was projecting when he was having it rough, he felt like she could probably do with it too.

Casey nodded along as he listened to her talk. He even smiled a little as she delved into her home life a little bit. "Sounds a bit like me. Only without the farm, but rather a big open space out the back. I grew up in a neighbourhood in Portland, not too far from the Oregon mountains. I spent a lot of time hikin' up there. In a way, it was kinda like my playground. We found a tree that we kept for ourselves that was sturdy enough to tie a rope and tire on as a swing. One of mom's many treasures she found in her Muggle studies. Tree branches became monkey bars and then of course, the races up and down the slopes of the mountain among the bell heather and cattails."

Talking so freely liked this did both of them a favour in that moment. Casey always felt like he was a broken record when he would come out of his shell after burying himself back in once the previous human contact ended, but the feeling of being able to break back out again... It was great. And he could tell Lucy was getting something out of it too.

But then something something very familiar flashed in front of him, lasting long enough before Lucy quickly disguised it in her dismissal.

A brother.

Casey's mood flattened a tiny bit. He thought for sure he was past being angry at his missing family member but apparently not. He didn't want to pry though about Lucy's. If he knew anything, poking the bear about their brother was a big no-no. He should know, since it happened to him constantly and no matter what, he always got angry.

Though he simply said this, neither coaxing Lucy into explaining nor looking for sympathy himself either.

"I have a brother. A kick ass one at that too. And... I know a thing or two about bein' lonely as well. Especially when said brother decides to... Disappear for a while."

He picked at his nails, distracting his temper. Memories of Nick always brought back the worst of what he'd remember his peers telling him. That he'd never return. That he was dead. He would deny it every time. He didn't know if he was alive, but they didn't know either and the uncertainty that granted that last shred of hope was what kept his rationality all this time.

"I'd say that's as surprisin' as it gets with me, but surprisin' enough to kinda have somethin' in common with you it seems. Havin' a brother I mean."

_{Word Count: 591}

Stats: Stamina: 8 | Strength: 7 | Evasion: 7 | Wisdom: 6 | Arc Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Fearless| Poison Resistance

Date: November 18 Word Count: 508/200 Location: Ilvermorny

Mentions: Reducio @Casey Stone@Emily Shephard

English: #00b899 Spanish: #009919 French: #e69f3d Thoughts: Italics

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Lucy was starting to get more comfortable with their conversation. Casey seemed to know how she felt, and she could relate to things he felt. Then he started to talk about the conversation that she had tried to prevent. Brothers. The loss of her brother was sharply reminded, like a slap in the face. She had tried to ignore the fact that she had a brother for the past three months, and she didn't want to stop now. But maybe talking about him would ease the pain. "I'm sorry about your brother." She said politely. "Disappearances are the worst." She added. I wonder what his brother is like. Is he mean? He sounds mean. I would never call my brother a kick ass. Michael's face swam around in her thoughts, smiling and happy. So unlike the days before he went missing. He would pace around the kitchen in a frustrated way, then he would go to his room in a fit of rage. As she walked past his room to get to hers, she could swear he was talking to someone, and crying. She wished she had just walked in his room and asked what was wrong. Now she may never know. It was without her knowledge that tears started to drip down her face. When she felt the salty wetness of it on her tongue, she blushed and tried to stop, cursing her faulty eyelids. Lucy was really cursing her brother, and all the pain that he caused her. Underneath all the sadness and worry, she was really just mad at him. Mad for leaving without a note, mad for not even saying a simple goodbye. She just wanted him back, and with him a normal life. Her father would be back too, in her imagined fantasy. He would be smiling and asking about her day, not wrapped up in his usual bills and letters. He would have time to play farming games with her, instead of his usual bank work. Now, with him gone as well, she wasn't sure if it had been bank work. Perhaps he had gotten caught up in some evil magic society. Or maybe he had decided he hated his life, left, and then taken Michael with him. She really hoped it wasn't that. But underneath all the hurt and pain, emerged another feeling; hope. She still had hope of finding her missing family members, and hope of returning to her life. She knew she could still make it happen. All she had to do was keep searching, keep going. So keep going she would do. Outside her mind, Lucy's tears dried as she took a few deep calming breaths. There was no need to cry, she had no proof anything bad was going on. "Sorry about that. I just miss my brother....but I'm fine." Lucy said. I can't believe I just cried in front of Casey. He must feel so awkward. "This is really weird, sorry. I'm obviously not very good at having conversations." She ended, trying to make a joke.

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November 18th 2024
Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics
Socialising 101 With Lucy Hills @Minnie Duke
Open to Other Interactions!

"I'm sorry about your brother."

Damn. How long ago was the last time Casey heard that exact same phrase but with genuine sympathy? Never was the answer. He had heard the phrase, but no one that said it to him had undergone grief of any kind to truly mean it. And then they wonder why Casey gets so hot and bothered with them. Hearing it come from Lucy on the other hand, it sounded sweeter. Kinder. More meaningful. Maybe it was because Lucy could relate after being apart from her own brother, or maybe it was just a part of Lucy's soft-hearted demeanour that her statement simply didn't sting in the way everyone else made it. Either or, Casey was appreciative of the sentiment and sought to return it in kind.

"Yeah... Likewise. But if our brothers truly are the valiant knights we're picturin' them as, then the least we can do for them is carry on in high faith that they're still with us, in their own way... And that they still love us."

He trailed off when he saw tears spill down Lucy's cheeks. Of course. Who could blame her? Siblings will fight like cats and dogs every now and then, but Lucy's emotions were concrete proof that she really loved him. He could see her try to hide it and brush it off.

"Sorry about that. I just miss my brother....but I'm fine."

Casey politely shook his head. "I know you do... But you're not fine. C'mere..." He opened his arm out and shyly shuffled closer to her, his arm slinking round the back of her neck and taking her far shoulder. He left enough room to allow her to move on her own accord, or he could simply move away again if enough time had passed in silence. His ears felt warm at the contact. He wasn't the best person to go to for comfort, nor was he stellar at contact; Emily was different. She was the one that would hug him, a common trope that he resigned himself to every time, since well... It was Emily.

Comforting Lucy however... It felt rewarding, but still alien to him. Nevertheless, he didn't let go of her, especially when if she was struggling in that moment.

_{Word Count: 427}

Stats: Stamina: 8 | Strength: 7 | Evasion: 7 | Wisdom: 6 | Arc Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Fearless| Poison Resistance

Date: November 18 Word Count: 400/200 Location: Ilvermorny

Mentions: Reducio @Casey Stone@Emily Shephard

English: #00b899 Spanish: #009919 French: #e69f3d Thoughts: Italics

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Lucy was touched by Casey's effort to comfort her. He seemed mildly uncomfortable, but still willing to help her get over her problems. She leaned into his arm, breathing deeply and trying to calm herself down. She really needed to learn how to control her emotions when talking about Michael. Maybe the problem was that she was sticking her head too much in the clouds. She needed to realize that her reality existed. Then she could do something about it, instead of pretending it didn't exist. If she acted like nothing was wrong, her problems would only get worse. Hunkering down to reality was the only option now. Lucy had to start participating in life, no matter how scary it was. Next time, if a carriage blew up in front of her, she wouldn't faint. No. She would fight, and try to figure out how to help. That was how things got better. Realizing that a thanks to Casey was needed, she took another deep breath and tried to smile. "Thank you." Was all she really needed, or wanted, to say. The silence between them was not awkward, nor was it romantic. It was just a semi-comfortable silence in which Lucy gathered her thoughts up again. I wonder what he's thinking right now? Has his opinion of me changed? I hope not. He seems very nice, and like the first option to have a friend in...well, in nearly forever. I really want to take this chance, and finally have a friend. Michael would want me to have a friend. I want a friend. Casey hopefully wants to be my friend too. If him not walking away when she started to cry was any sign of character, then she maybe had the possibility of having a friend. What an attempt at conversation! "That's true. What you said about brothers. That they'll always be our heroes, our knights in shining armor." Lucy smiled, a true smile this time. Michael had never truly disappeared. He was still there as long as she remembered him, and kept him in her thoughts. Lucy finally pulled away, her moment of sadness all but forgotten. The kindness of Casey had fixed that, and given her something to think about. Something other than the sadness and anxiety that threatened to pull her under. Casey was definitely a character to get to know.

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