28 Jan 2025, 16:02
People who make handkerchiefs
January 26th, 13.48 in the middle of afternoon classes
Basically bolting out of the Charms classroom, the young Ravenclaw hid in one of the stalls at a girl's loo's. Plomping down on the close lided toilet, she drew her legs up, so that her shoes wouldn't be visible through the space between the door and tiled floor. By this point, it has become a known procedure to her, something she always did when she needed to disappear in the middle of the day. Or for today specifically, in the middle of afternoon classes.
After about five minutes, once the voices in the near corridor quieted down, Sabrina slid out of the loo's, making her way to their meeting spot: the Ballroom. Honestly, learning that Hogwarts had a Ballroom wasn't as shocking as it might have been earlier in the year - this school had dungeons and a whole room deducated to throphies, of course it had a Ballroom - what was a bit surprising through, was the fact that Avis wanted to meet there. Sure, there could be a lot done there, but it was still a bit too particular.
The room, just as many other rooms in this school, hid behind large wooden doors. Pushing it open, Sabrina slid inside. There were tall spotless windows on the far wall, alliminating the vast space in soft natural light. Just as everything in Hogwarts, the Ballroom was absolutwly glamorous. In awe, Sabrina took a few slow steps further into the room, looking up at the high ceiling.
Her shoes clapped against the - was it marble? - surface, interrupting the silence. Sabrina grimaced at the sound, feeling pretty out of place. Still, her smile returned as she looked to a side to see a painted ballerina in her golden frame, stretching . Not wanting to hear the echo of her own voice, Sabrina greeted her with a small curtsy, waiting for Avis to arrive.
Last edited by Sabrina Lyons on 27 Feb 2025, 07:42, edited 3 times in total.
29 Jan 2025, 01:14
People who make handkerchiefs
Avis was, yet again, in a rush as she bolted out of her classroom and up the Ravenclaw tower. She could have totally carried them with her, sure, but who really wanted to carry a parcel full of beetles with them throughout an entire school day? She was nervous enough keeping them in her dorm. Because what if they got out? What if they got out and crawled around her bed and in her trunk? Avis shivered just thinking about it. Bugs were not her forte. Nonetheless, she slipped into her dorm and - breathing a sigh of relief when they were all there - pushed the parcel into her satchel, as well as a bit of tape and more caramels. Always more caramels.
After packing her bag, she slipped back down the tower and into the halls, creeping forward, avoiding, suits of armor, with one hand on the parcel in her bag, wanting to rip it away every moment. She had chosen the ballroom, under the assumption that A. It would be empty and B. They would be able to see any escaping beetles before they managed to crawl into the walls.
She slipped into the room, as quietly as she could. It was a grand room, yes, but Avis' awe had lasted for all of 2 seconds the first time she entered the room, over three months ago. She was with a non-chalant face, then, when she stepped behind Sabrina and cleared her throat.
@Sabrina Lyons
After packing her bag, she slipped back down the tower and into the halls, creeping forward, avoiding, suits of armor, with one hand on the parcel in her bag, wanting to rip it away every moment. She had chosen the ballroom, under the assumption that A. It would be empty and B. They would be able to see any escaping beetles before they managed to crawl into the walls.
She slipped into the room, as quietly as she could. It was a grand room, yes, but Avis' awe had lasted for all of 2 seconds the first time she entered the room, over three months ago. She was with a non-chalant face, then, when she stepped behind Sabrina and cleared her throat.
@Sabrina Lyons
Avis Marlong | ”She won't cry or beg for help...she'll isolate from the world and fight her own demons so that nobody can throw it in her face later.” |
"The odds of hitting your target increase dramatically when you aim at it." Benji Marecos |
29 Jan 2025, 20:29
People who make handkerchiefs
Observing the ballerina, whose shoe was shooting up to the heigh of her head and back down without making a sound, Sabrina's mind travelled back a few days. Yet again, she was making her way through the glorious labyrint that was the school's library, walking past interesting titles and beautiful bindings to one of the less freaquented areas, picking up a simple-covered book that wasn't as boring as the title suggested. Sure, most of it was just repetation and nonesense, but once one got used to it, it could even be amusing.
She was actually just giggling against her palm at one of the overly complicated sentences when she found what she was looking for. Her laugh died down, back a little straighter as she willed herself to read faster. It's been a while since she's found something- about two weeks, actually.
The quiet thump of doors closing brought her back to present. The ballerina was spinning now. Sabrina only turned when hearing the grumble Avis made when clearing her throat.
"Avis!" she greeted cheerily, extanding her arms. She intended to hug her, but seeing her stern face she remembered that - right, it's Avis. Letting her hands slack again, she dragged one up to brace over her hip bone, leaning against it to a side, eyes falling to the other Ravenclaw's hand, disappearing into her bag. Securing something.
Brows raised, she met Avis' eyes again. "Took you a while," she commented, sounding almost reproachfully, "was starting to think you chickened out," she added with a smirk.
30 Jan 2025, 02:34
People who make handkerchiefs
"Avis!" Avis flashed the girl a sharp grin that quickly fell to her resting face as Sabrina moved as if to hug her, and Avis quickly took a small step back, giving the girl a proper nod of greeting rather than a cheerful one.
She cast a quick glance around the room and back to Sabrina before looking past the Ravenclaw to the ballerina in the painting, who was doing a move Avis recognized but couldn't name. For a moment, she pitied the ballerina. Who would want to spend their entire life dancing in a painting? That thought sent Avis down a tangent. She really didn't know much about the paintings. Could they have feelings? Could they get sore muscles? Could they die? She stepped past Sabrina and stopped in front of the painting.
But no matter. "was starting to think you chickened out," Avis snapped around, a proper marching snap; on the first half beat her left foot turned 60 degrees, and on the next half she snapped around. Maria and her had done a "marching show" when they had been younger, and they had spent hours on youtube searching up "professional marching." The majority of it had been lost, but Avis always kept the turns, as she appreciated the snappiness, and it helped her get in the mood for what was coming next.
She swept into a slight bow with one hand, holding the satchel (and her beetles) still with the other. "Coward? Nonsense." She strode past Sabrina to the center of the room, whipping out her parcel as she went, speaking as if she was an announcer at a cricket game than absolutely did not want to be there. "I present to you, the first annual Quad-Beetle-Tape-January-Moving-Get-To-The-End Race. She dropped her satchel to the floor before giving a little jump. As she landed, she folded her legs so her momentum didn't end until she was sitting in seiza.
She motioned the girl over, and reached into her satchel, pulling out tape. She ripped off pieces, taping a rough circle-octagon, about a meter in diameter. "The beetles go in the middle of the circle. The first beetle out wins. She opened the parcel so Sabrina could see four wriggling beetles. "I got enough for us each to have two. And naturally, we must name them." She then gave Sabrina a wry grin. "Oh, but how unfortunate, if we name them, they might become pets...then I would have two pets..."
@Sabrina Lyons
The apothecary says nothing about whether they are dead so I have taken the liberty of assuming they are alive, since you are boring and won't say dead animals can be pets:)
She cast a quick glance around the room and back to Sabrina before looking past the Ravenclaw to the ballerina in the painting, who was doing a move Avis recognized but couldn't name. For a moment, she pitied the ballerina. Who would want to spend their entire life dancing in a painting? That thought sent Avis down a tangent. She really didn't know much about the paintings. Could they have feelings? Could they get sore muscles? Could they die? She stepped past Sabrina and stopped in front of the painting.
But no matter. "was starting to think you chickened out," Avis snapped around, a proper marching snap; on the first half beat her left foot turned 60 degrees, and on the next half she snapped around. Maria and her had done a "marching show" when they had been younger, and they had spent hours on youtube searching up "professional marching." The majority of it had been lost, but Avis always kept the turns, as she appreciated the snappiness, and it helped her get in the mood for what was coming next.
She swept into a slight bow with one hand, holding the satchel (and her beetles) still with the other. "Coward? Nonsense." She strode past Sabrina to the center of the room, whipping out her parcel as she went, speaking as if she was an announcer at a cricket game than absolutely did not want to be there. "I present to you, the first annual Quad-Beetle-Tape-January-Moving-Get-To-The-End Race. She dropped her satchel to the floor before giving a little jump. As she landed, she folded her legs so her momentum didn't end until she was sitting in seiza.
She motioned the girl over, and reached into her satchel, pulling out tape. She ripped off pieces, taping a rough circle-octagon, about a meter in diameter. "The beetles go in the middle of the circle. The first beetle out wins. She opened the parcel so Sabrina could see four wriggling beetles. "I got enough for us each to have two. And naturally, we must name them." She then gave Sabrina a wry grin. "Oh, but how unfortunate, if we name them, they might become pets...then I would have two pets..."
@Sabrina Lyons
The apothecary says nothing about whether they are dead so I have taken the liberty of assuming they are alive, since you are boring and won't say dead animals can be pets:)
Avis Marlong | ”She won't cry or beg for help...she'll isolate from the world and fight her own demons so that nobody can throw it in her face later.” |
"The odds of hitting your target increase dramatically when you aim at it." Benji Marecos |
30 Jan 2025, 18:52
People who make handkerchiefs
As per usual, Avis didn't seem to appriciate even the hint of physical contact or - merlin forbit - affection, retrieving into a safe zone, aka out of Sabrina's reach. Folding her arms over her chest, Sabrina took a quick glace back over her shoulder, following Avis' gaze before her eyes were drawn back to the girl by the soldier-like motion she caught a glimse of. Focusing back on Avis she noted that, yeah, that was basically what she was doing.
Sparing a small snicker and an eyeroll at Avis' vehement refusal, she went after the other girl. She's been looking forward to seeing her again, having to stop herself from checking their book every chance she got - each time a bit more disapointed to find only useless and probably untrue facts about handkerchiefs.
To be frank, a sense of biterness started to take root. Sure, they never said they are friends but - come on! Maybe things with Avis had to be said out loud to be true, but the world doesn't play by Avis' rules. And since seeing each other on the train back to Hogwarts, they've barely interacted. Of course, Sabrina didn't iniciate conversation or anything else either, but it wasn't her turn to, so she would argue that she did have a right to feel a tad ignored and forgotten.
The almost bored tone the other girl adapted to anounce their activity didn't help, but the contents of said anouncement very much did. Realisation setting in, Sabrina's smile brightened. She didn't even try to stop the happy gasp when she layed eyes on their new pets. Because that is exactly what they were now.
"How unfortunate indeed" she agreed, ploping down in a criss-crossed position. Letting Avis setup the playing field, she pulled the satchel closer to herself, leaning over to peek into it. Four big beetles were roaming around, tapping their legs against the walls, testing their limits and undoubtedly trying to find an exit. They looked exactly like the beetles she's seen her mom crush and add to a potion a meriod of times. Without hesitation, she carefully scooped up two, cupping her palms to create a space to keep them in, bringing them closer to her chest.
"Sebastian and Blonde" she named them on spot, slightly wiggeling her fingers, watching them climb over them. She looked up at Avis with expectation, "and your soon to be losers?". She wasn't fully over the long hiatus, but the joy from their activity and seeing her again surpessed it by far, subduing it significantly.
Oi! I'll let you know that alive beetles are much more fun than dead ones
31 Jan 2025, 01:51
People who make handkerchiefs
Sabrina, it seemed, was miles more comfortable around beetles than Avis was. She had just picked the things up! Avis gave a slight shiver at the thought. Bugs were absolutely vile creatures, and the thought of holding one was disgusting.
To be clear - Avis wasn't afraid of bugs. She wasn't about to believe that the bugs could destroy her or such nonsense. They were just gross. Gross times infinity. They weren't scary, nothing was truly scary. It was just a matter of risk versus reward, and Avis was not touching a bug.
Rather than cup her hands as Sabrina had done, Avis gingerly reached into her satchel and, pinching the parcel with two fingers on each hand, pulled in out and laid it on the ground, still flat. "Sebastian and Blonde" Avis raised an eyebrow in questioning, but didn't comment on the names. "Mine are named Carā," she pointed to one of the beetles with a slightly greener spot than the other - "and Kāga."
She held out the parcel for Sabrina to put her beetles in, and once the Ravenclaw did so, she laid it in the middle of the circle, grinning at Sabrina. "Make sure you keep track of yours, incase it wins." She flattened the sides outwards, so the beetles were free to roam about and outside, pulling her hands away.
She squeezed her eyes shut a moment before opening them, forcing a devil-may-care look onto her face, and looking at the beetles, slowly scrabbling around.
@Sabrina Lyons
I was thinking just rolling for the winner, with one roll per beetle? You are welcome to do it if you like.
To be clear - Avis wasn't afraid of bugs. She wasn't about to believe that the bugs could destroy her or such nonsense. They were just gross. Gross times infinity. They weren't scary, nothing was truly scary. It was just a matter of risk versus reward, and Avis was not touching a bug.
Rather than cup her hands as Sabrina had done, Avis gingerly reached into her satchel and, pinching the parcel with two fingers on each hand, pulled in out and laid it on the ground, still flat. "Sebastian and Blonde" Avis raised an eyebrow in questioning, but didn't comment on the names. "Mine are named Carā," she pointed to one of the beetles with a slightly greener spot than the other - "and Kāga."
She held out the parcel for Sabrina to put her beetles in, and once the Ravenclaw did so, she laid it in the middle of the circle, grinning at Sabrina. "Make sure you keep track of yours, incase it wins." She flattened the sides outwards, so the beetles were free to roam about and outside, pulling her hands away.
She squeezed her eyes shut a moment before opening them, forcing a devil-may-care look onto her face, and looking at the beetles, slowly scrabbling around.
@Sabrina Lyons
I was thinking just rolling for the winner, with one roll per beetle? You are welcome to do it if you like.
Avis Marlong | ”She won't cry or beg for help...she'll isolate from the world and fight her own demons so that nobody can throw it in her face later.” |
"The odds of hitting your target increase dramatically when you aim at it." Benji Marecos |
1 Feb 2025, 16:45
People who make handkerchiefs
Despite catching Avis' questioning look, Sabrina didn't elaborate on her name choices, offering only a small shrug and smile. In turn, she gave Avis a similiar look as she introduced her own beetles. But, unlike the other girl, she followed up with words, "Nice names, got a reason for choosing them?"
Another difference seemed to lie in how the girls treated their new 'pets'. Avis didn't look as fond as Sabrina felt, not even touching them. A smile stretched out on Sabrina's face. Did Avis not like insects? It was sort of odd that she had brought them despite of it, but amusing to watch nonetheless.
She gently tilted her right hand, making both Blonde and Sebastian tumble onto her left palm, outstretching it so it hovered above the parcel. "Hey you guys," Sabrina sweetly greeted the other two insects already inside, fingers slipping into the parcel, letting their little legs tap against her finger pads "prepare to be smothered." she adds sing-songingly while letting her little competators slide down her hand, this time talking and looking up at Avis.
Holding her gaze and returning her grin, Sabrina only averted her gaze - to roll her eyes, obviously - when Avis spoke again ("Make sure you keep track of yours, incase it wins.") "Right," she scoffed, but actually looked down, the bugs already on a move, testing their newfound freedom, "right back at ya." Her gaze flickered up to her housemate then, the corners of her mouth falling. This whole thing was Avis' idea, so why did she look so bored? Uninterested. Crease forming between her brows, Sabrina looked back down. Kāga was climbing over Sebastian now, and Blonde somehow managed to turn on his back.
Okay, so Avis might not like bugs, that's okay - Blonde's tiny legs were wiggeling desperately up in the air - but it was her choice to write the note, to plan this and come. Her bug started to rock back and forth sideways, finally catching the momentum to get on his feet again. Sabrina curled her fingers into fists, biting down into her bottom lip. She intended to cheer and woo for her team, but didn't feel like it anymore.
ReducioCarā: 18, Kāga: 9, Sebastian: 11, Blonde: 15
2 Feb 2025, 01:42
People who make handkerchiefs
"Nice names, got a reason for choosing them?" Avis looked up at Sabrina and grinned. "Carā means bird in Nepali, and Kāga means raven. It's a call-out to my name. Avis means bird in Latin. She looked down at the beetles for a moment, contemplating, before looking back up at Sabrina, her eye twinkling. "My surname - Marlong - also means bird. My parents didn't realize that when they named me. I'm bird-bird." Sabrina having asked Avis' beetles reasoning, she couldn't very well not reciprocate the question. Besides, Sabrina's shrug and sly answer made her curious. "How about yours?"
She turned her attention back to the beetles on the ground. One of hers, it seemed, was attacking one of Sabrina's, while the other was making a slow beeline for the edge of the circle. A good strategy, in Avis opinion. She smiled a bit at the sight of Sabrina's other beetle upside down on the ground. She liked the bug then. When it was predictable, and controllable.
Carā, at this point, was almost halfway to the finish line, as Blonde managed to turn itself right and head towards the finish line. Sebastion soon fought off Kāga, slipping under the grey beetle and making its own way towards the line, though slower. Kāga brought up the "rear," (though the beetles we going mostly in different directions), seemingly tired with its tumble with Sebastion. Avis let out a quiet whoop as Carā crossed the line, before returning to her announcer's voice, though with a slight Nepali accent, a result of her first word being Carā. (Think close to a subtle Indian accent) "Carā crosses the finish line first, a result of her teammate Kāga's sacrificial efforts to slow down the opposing team!"
@Sabrina Lyons
She turned her attention back to the beetles on the ground. One of hers, it seemed, was attacking one of Sabrina's, while the other was making a slow beeline for the edge of the circle. A good strategy, in Avis opinion. She smiled a bit at the sight of Sabrina's other beetle upside down on the ground. She liked the bug then. When it was predictable, and controllable.
Carā, at this point, was almost halfway to the finish line, as Blonde managed to turn itself right and head towards the finish line. Sebastion soon fought off Kāga, slipping under the grey beetle and making its own way towards the line, though slower. Kāga brought up the "rear," (though the beetles we going mostly in different directions), seemingly tired with its tumble with Sebastion. Avis let out a quiet whoop as Carā crossed the line, before returning to her announcer's voice, though with a slight Nepali accent, a result of her first word being Carā. (Think close to a subtle Indian accent) "Carā crosses the finish line first, a result of her teammate Kāga's sacrificial efforts to slow down the opposing team!"
@Sabrina Lyons
Avis Marlong | ”She won't cry or beg for help...she'll isolate from the world and fight her own demons so that nobody can throw it in her face later.” |
"The odds of hitting your target increase dramatically when you aim at it." Benji Marecos |
2 Feb 2025, 17:15
People who make handkerchiefs
For some reason, Avis' explenation of her name seemed significant. With a smirk, Sabrina shook her head "wow that's.. a good reason, Birdie. Mine are just randomly chosen - Sebastian reminded me of the crab from The Little Mermaid with his color and Blonde is just -" she gestured to the light brown beetle "yeah".
Her somber mood was disturbed by Avis' cheer. "Sabotage efforts" Sabrina corrected, unable to keep her lips from forming into a smile "you have to admit that my team, in general, is better than yours. Even with casualties and obsticles, their colectual score was much better than yours" she continued defending her little beetles whose she was now picking up and placing onto her other palm. Blonde frantically moved around, probably shocked by the sudden change. Sebastian on the other hand seemed to be offended at his sudden lack of freedom, repeatedly trying to crawl under Sabrina's sleeve.
Although acomponied by a ghost of smile, Sabrina's words were somewhat strained. She was never the type to keep her emotions to herself, so, leaning forward to pick up Avis' beetles and placing them back down into her parcel, she looked up at the other girl.
"Hey, what took you so long?" She echoed her remark from before, now holding a different meaning.
Oi just reminding you that Avis is supposed to choose a nickname for Brie (I completaly fogot about that tbh)
12 Feb 2025, 22:36
People who make handkerchiefs
"wow that's.. a good reason, Birdie." Avis shook her head sharply. "Don't call me that." Avis was not, and would never be, one for nicknames. That was why she called her Sabrina and not Brie, Eonaria and not Nari. She couldn't explain why she did it, it was just another little piece of Avis. Which reminded her, she was supposed to pick a nickname for Sabrina.
Honestly, she really didn't want to. It would by hypocritical, to call someone by their full name the majority of the time, until randomly switching to a nickname. Nor did Avis have a good idea of what to call the girl. So instead, she resolved to ignore the fact, and hope Sabrina didn't notice.
"Sabotage efforts" Avis interrupted Sabrina with a petty wave of her hand. "Sure, sure, sure. Sebastion simply couldn't handle the strategies of Kāga" She smirked, at least until Sabrina's smile fell. Oh boy.
"Hey, what took you so long?" Avis looked up at the girl, briefly meeting her eyes. She spoke softly and gently, as if Sabrina were a china store and Avis were a bull. "Things happen. I wasn't able to get to Hogsmeade until break, and my parents weren't about to let me buy a whole bunch of beetles. And then when we got back-more things were happening." She hesitated a moment. "Classes, homework, duelling." Blood sacrifices. She paused once more. She knew what the girl felt like. She had felt the same way. The difference was, "It might take a while, but I'll always be back. I never forget." She snapped her gaze back away from the girl, her tone broken, lighter, as she began to pull the tape off of the ground from it's circle, bunching it up into her hand until she had pulled it up all up and had a ball large enough to gently chuck at Sabrina's head.
@Sabrina Lyons
I was really trying to make a nickname fit, but I just couldn't ever get it.
Honestly, she really didn't want to. It would by hypocritical, to call someone by their full name the majority of the time, until randomly switching to a nickname. Nor did Avis have a good idea of what to call the girl. So instead, she resolved to ignore the fact, and hope Sabrina didn't notice.
"Sabotage efforts" Avis interrupted Sabrina with a petty wave of her hand. "Sure, sure, sure. Sebastion simply couldn't handle the strategies of Kāga" She smirked, at least until Sabrina's smile fell. Oh boy.
"Hey, what took you so long?" Avis looked up at the girl, briefly meeting her eyes. She spoke softly and gently, as if Sabrina were a china store and Avis were a bull. "Things happen. I wasn't able to get to Hogsmeade until break, and my parents weren't about to let me buy a whole bunch of beetles. And then when we got back-more things were happening." She hesitated a moment. "Classes, homework, duelling." Blood sacrifices. She paused once more. She knew what the girl felt like. She had felt the same way. The difference was, "It might take a while, but I'll always be back. I never forget." She snapped her gaze back away from the girl, her tone broken, lighter, as she began to pull the tape off of the ground from it's circle, bunching it up into her hand until she had pulled it up all up and had a ball large enough to gently chuck at Sabrina's head.
@Sabrina Lyons
I was really trying to make a nickname fit, but I just couldn't ever get it.
Avis Marlong | ”She won't cry or beg for help...she'll isolate from the world and fight her own demons so that nobody can throw it in her face later.” |
"The odds of hitting your target increase dramatically when you aim at it." Benji Marecos |