Strange Circumstances PV Maximilien De Fostoncy Closed

Interacting with Gellert Schroeder (@Tristan Theramin)

Roleplaying as Maximilien "Maxi" de Fostoncy [x]
English | French

There might be some official activities in full swing out there, again. Probably, as his two outstanding tentmates weren’t around. He hadn’t really cared much about the camp itinerary when it was handed out at the beginning, finding the activities extremely dull without any particular reason to participate in them. It was nothing like last year. Really. He might have done better on track this time, and yet he’d never have those people around him anymore.

He woke up much later than usual, only to find that only himself was left in the tent. Stretched out on his waterbed and hands clasped behind his head, Maxi stared at the water ceiling for a moment, humming a random poem to himself. Nostalgia for the good old days struck him, and no, he didn’t have much to do to ease the stress. He had already finished exploring the tent thoroughly the days before, observing the fantastic marine creatures from the small underground cave, and it seemed of no point to get out and do broom racing training with the race just already coming to an end just a few days ago. As for reading or writing…that was fine, but still, he wasn’t exactly in the mood. Rubbing his eyes, Maxi lifted himself up from the bunk, and lightly jumped down. He tucked his wand into his pocket and clattered out through the icy floor, aimlessly wandering through the whole campsite.

He strolled through the open stadium, stamping on snow as he did. Observant dark grey eyes gazed around, scanning the crowd in fancy clothes (so there had been a ball?) - some were laughing, while some seemed utterly stunned. He was already at the other side of the campsite before he even knew it, when a silhouette bumped into his vision. It was a boy, whose platinum blonde hair was the only feature that could be seen from his angle, sitting alone in the snow. The scene was rather eye-catchy, and Maxi stopped, staring at the figure for a moment. It wasn’t long before his sensitivity told him that the boy wasn’t in a very good mood. Generally speaking, he was far from a what can I do for you person, and under most circumstances he’d just quietly make a detour just in case it was a tricky situation that he wouldn’t want to get involved in.

Yet the boy seemed…troubled. And he himself was troubled. A strange sympathy overwhelmed him, making him want to converse a bit with this stranger. Maxi sighed. Quietly, he tiptoed towards the figure, and sat down next to him. “Hi.” He said in English, gently with much friendliness. “I just saw you from there and I thought you seemed a little down…er, I hope you don’t mind me here?” He gestured a bit and smiled rather apologetically for not explaining the whole thing thoroughly. He wasn’t an eloquent speaker. He never was.

For a second Maxi was hesitant, but then he remembered that he hadn’t properly introduced himself which thankfully helped him out of embarrassment. “Maximilien de Fostoncy. Everybody calls me Maxi though, as Maximilien is rather a mouthful.” The only exception will be his family and his grandfather’s friends. In some way, Maximilien appealed to them as vintage and elegant, and although Maxi did approve of it, a shorter version was absolutely much better in such a modern era and couldn’t hurt, right?

by Winnie Harper

Outfit/Physical Characteristics Reducio Platinum blonde hair with blue eyes that look like water reflecting the sun and leather jacket and pants, with a white blouse shirt.	Languages German English Russian French	Age 16
Mentioning/Interacting @Lindsey Springhall as Maximillien de Fostoncy	Location London Quidditch Stadium	IC Date August 2, 2024

Strange Circumstances

xxxxxGellert blinked his thoughts away and returned to his senses when he heard the sound of a young man his age asking him a question. Gellert realized that whatever the nature of Len was, it always made him enter a melodramatic mood. Valentin Schnell drew out of him reactions and emotions far more agonising and far more transcendent than any other person. There was no explanation to the reason why interactions with Len seemed to transform his life into a dramatic experience worthy of a playwright’s imagination, but it did. He had returned back to his normal self the moment he had returned to camp, realising that his own obsession with love was far more than normal and could be considered an unstable construct of his own mind. Yet, the moment he had seen Valentin, Gellert had returned to the strange creature he had been eight months prior, a strange fae-like creature with emotions and wishes that matched Len’s own yearnings and passions.

xxxxxCompared to the rest of the population of the world, Valentin had a deeper experience of the world around him and every time Gellert returned to Len’s orbit, he somehow fell into that black hole of angst and yearning for another, his heart bursting open in ways that it normally did not. In fact, the mistletoe spin having ended, Gellert once again felt like he had returned to himself after a revelry or a dream-like state, as if he had not been in control of himself during the dance, as if the actions he had made had happened to him rather than because of him.

xxxxx“Hi. I just saw you from there and I thought you seemed a little down...er, I hope you don’t mind me here?” Gellert looked up and gently smiled, returning the kind gesture, “No, of course not, I do not mind. I quite appreciate the kind gesture of checking in on me.” There was a genuineness in his voice as his slight German accent affected the way his vowels were pronounced. He had a slight smile on his face as he felt the warmth of the person next to him. He was slightly surprised at the kindness of the stranger, willing to sit in the snow with a person unknown to him. As the stranger introduced himself, Gellert’s smile widened as his heart thumped with the excitement of meeting another person in the snow, “Nice to meet you, Maximilien de Fostoncy. Which name do you prefer, Maxi or Maximilien? It is quite a French name, are you from Beauxbatons?”

xxxxxGellert was a natural charmer, and it showed in his ease of conversation and interactions. There was a humour and lightheartedness to his speech. He introduced himself with a gentle smile, “If so, je m’appelle Gellert. Enchanté. Je viens de Durmstrang, C'est merveilleux de vous rencontrer. If you didn’t understand any of that, I apologise for assuming you’re French. My name is Gellert, and I come from Durmstrang, it is wonderful to meet you.” Gellert gave a humorous laugh as he joked around and lightheartedly made fun of himself. Gellert had an enticing personality that charmed the heck out of people he met, yet he had no inclination to do so when he had met Valentin Schnell. It was as if he had become an entirely new person that cold day in January, transforming into a snow sprite perfect to entice Valentin. He did not know why or how, but Len had sucked out of him something he had never expected to reveal to others before. “I’m German by the way. If you wanted to know?” This reminded him of another interaction with someone from Beauxbatons a year ago. However, that time, Gellert had been purposefully charming Henri in order to knock him down a level, although Henri had not known that. He had kissed the other's hand in that interaction, although he would not do so now.

Gellert Schroeder

Stamina: 10 Evasion: 10 Strength: 10 Wisdom: 10 ArcPower: 10 Accuracy: 10

xxx

Evasive Maneuvers Advanced Casting Cat’s Grace Charmer Nonverbal Casting

Interacting with Gellert Schroeder (@Tristan Theramin)

Roleplaying as Maximilien "Maxi" de Fostoncy [x]
English | French

Maxi breathed a quick sigh of relief when he was received warmly by the boy. The blond appeared to be quite an amiable fellow, and and once more, his keen sense served him well. He gave his hair a small ruffle and grinned at the boy who seemed to be about his own age.

“Maxi.” He answered unequivocally, without a hesitation. When it came to his contemporaries it was never an either-or question - he questioned that many of them could still recall his entire first name given how frequently he was referred to as “Maxi” by them - well, and he himself. His companion then went on to take a guess of his alma mater, and Maxi chuckled and gave a thumbs up - his French accented English might have sold him away, as well as the way he pronounced the vowels in his name. It was an even bigger surprise that Gellert, as how he had introduced himself, could understand French, so Maxi switched back to his mother tongue. “Nice guess. I’m in my sixth year.”

As a native French and frequent English speaker with British relatives, Maxi could detect that Gellert had a foreign accent in both languages, yet he couldn’t pinpoint the other boy’s native tongue. Gellert was rather a decent French speaker. “You speak French really well.” Maxi told him, then he caught some word that had undoubtedly drawn his attention. Durmstrang. That was…genuinely surprising.

He forced a question down, tensing his facial muscles to remain composed. Maxi glanced at Gellert again, chin resting on his own palm. Again, Gellert appeared quite different from the Durmstrangs he had encountered during Hexwizard or broom racing games - the latter were boisterous, powerful, confident, and extremely eager to conquer the entire globe. He acknowledged that those were pretty stereotypical, but he didn’t have many examples to give them a fair assessment. It was odd, but Maxi had hardly increased his social circle among the Durmstrang pupils in any way. Gellert was, well, a lot different from the image he had been seeing in his mind, having a friendlier texture and a much softer tone. This was truly eye-opening, and his interest quickly increased.

He knew that Durmstrang had Russian as their main language, but just like Beauxbatons they had students of a variety of ethnicities. Gellert helpfully added that he was, in fact, descended from Germany. Oh yeah. He did look like a German. “…it’s a pity that I don’t know German.” He admitted in English, a bit defeatedly. “Can do a little basic Spanish though, but still, way from multilingual.” Some of the Beauxbatons students spoke Spanish, and he was slowly picking up some thanks to his schoolmates.

Gellert’s wit and easygoing demeanor made him a delightful young man to talk to. Maxi felt much more relaxed around such a companion - actually, a lot of his schoolmates and friends seemed to possess a similar vibe, and it certainly helped him out of the situation of being embarrassed. Some had also told him about his own kind of aura despite it being slightly different, mostly in his looks rather than the way he behaved. And probably, decent looks didn’t help you to properly continue a conversation - Maxi dolorously found that he couldn’t decide what to say next to keep the conversation flowing, and while it seemed that Gellert could do it at ease, just mechanically answering questions the other proposed wouldn’t be what he wanted as it seemed very, very impolite.

And finally, he came up with something. Something he had picked up from his English cousins. “Well, er, the weather’s pretty good here today, yeah?” It might be a little awkward for him to start talking about weather - Maxi had always laughed at his cousins when they were constantly debating over if it was going to rain, but now, it seemed to be rather useful to break the ice.

by Winnie Harper

Outfit/Physical Characteristics Reducio Platinum blonde hair with blue eyes that look like water reflecting the sun and leather jacket and pants, with a white blouse shirt.	Languages German English Russian French	Age 16
Mentioning/Interacting @Lindsey Springhall as Maximillien de Fostoncy	Location London Quidditch Stadium	IC Date August 2, 2024

Strange Circumstances

xxxxx Gellert smiled shyly at the relief that seemed to emanate from Maximillan’s body and he was glad to have made an amicable impression. The Beauxbatons boy in front of him, ruffled his hair. Gellert wondered what a ruffling of hair could mean for the other, nervousness or enjoyment, but he gave a smile in return to the great grin that his companion gave, feeling a mutual excitement and warmth fill him deeply. Gellert chuckled and responded, “Maxi, then!” He nodded his head slightly in agreement, amusingly. He joked, “Then perhaps I should have a nickname as well then?” He smiled to show he was joking and teasing the other young man. “I am glad I was correct in my guess, or else, I would have been quite awkward in my mistake. Sixth year, the same as me then. Are you fifteen or sixteen, then? Thank you for your compliment. French is not my strongest language, but I am pleased you believe it is acceptable.” As he observed the facial expressions of Maxi carefully, for Gellert was an observant young man, he noticed a minute change when he spoke of Durmstrang. Perhaps there was some history there, Gellert wondered. When no remark arose from Maxi’s lips, Gellert tilted his head to the side and questioned light-heartedly, “Surprised? I am perhaps different from what you expect from our cold-hearted school?” Gellert pursed his lips and purposefully displayed a forlorn look, “My heart is broken. But I can still have fun with a broken heart.” Gellert smiled and winked, looking into the other’s eyes. “German, if you ever wanted to learn, I would love to teach you. I am always excited to teach others of my culture, if you would be willing to teach me yours.” Gellert smiled and nodded, reassuring the other that truly he would love to spend more time with this new acquaintance. Again, he was totally different than he was with Len, declaring love and dedication. This gentle, charming and flirty nature of his was back, strange to recognise, when hours before he had declared his love for Len. There was a pause in the conversation, so Gellert took advantage of it to examine his actions. Perhaps Len was right, that he should explore the world around him first to see if Len was truly the one. The conversation began with Maxi’s British question and Gellert could not help but laugh out loud and tease Maxi, “You learned that from the British didn’t you?” Gellert grinned largely and spoke in a purposefully posh British accent, “The weather is quite good today, is it not? Well, yes it is, my good kind sir, and how do you do?”

Interacting with Gellert Schroeder (@Tristan Theramin)

Roleplaying as Maximilien "Maxi" de Fostoncy [x]
English | French

He chuckled slightly at Gellert’s cheerfulness. “It’s okay. A less mouthful name is less a burden to everybody.” It was practically a pun, which nobody but Maxi himself could understand - when he was Maxi, he would think less of his legacy and responsibilities as Maximilien, heir to the House de Fostoncy. “A majority of people go for a shorter version of their full name, I believe. Or slight variations. Or something else that means a lot to them.” He said, thoughtfully, dark grey eyes gazing yonder. “It’s a nice chance of renaming yourself. A friend of mine used to call me Max for short…and uh, have to say I wasn’t really into that, so I convinced her into adopting Maxi instead.” And he was going to be helpful, maybe lending a hand on names. Believe it or not, as a part-time author, Maxi was used to naming. “For Gellert, Gell sounds okay…I’m not so sure about Lert though…” He stopped, a bit abruptly, scratching his head and smiling apologetically. “Sorry, got a bit carried away. Should have been your own choice and preference, really.”

Gellert was basically pouring words at him (in French, how considerate of him), and while Maxi was accustomed to being the listener, he tensed a little, slightly overwhelmed by the boy’s enthusiasm. While he could be as charming as any other French, people skills still weren’t his biggest strength. He squeezed out a smile and nodded, trying to show that he was, indeed, paying attention, and secretly took deep breaths to reassure himself out of the inevitable socialisation. “Sixteen.” He answered. “It’s good to get to know a peer.”

He felt that the initial panic of quick-paced conversations had slightly eased, under Gellert’s strong and confident presence. Maxi shook his shoulders a little, turning to meet the eyes of his companion. “It’s far better than acceptable. You really put great efforts in it, obviously.” He commented, truthfully.

“Er…” Cold-hearted. Yeah, the German had some observant vibes in him, apparently, but Maxi almost immediately regretted letting him catch his hesitance and skepticism. That was impolite, really. My heart is broken. - The other boy had said. Oh my, HEARTBROKEN no.

He hesitated for a second, wondering what to say. “…I’m terribly sorry.” He finally mumbled, quietly, ruffling his hair again - something he’d usually do being nervous. “I hope, er, it’s not because of my impolite attitude towards your school? ” He inquired, carefully, half serious and half joking.

Heartbroken but can still have fun? Then not exactly heartbroken, thought Maxi, which was a good thing to know. Nobody revolving around should be heartbroken in Maxi de Fostoncy’s stories (he preferred HEAs and strived for them), including himself - if they were talking about close relationships, then indeed, Maxi was no stranger to the feebleness when his loved ones drifted away. They slowly moved on, and to him it was nothing intense, but aching. A few faces in his head popped up, and Maxi stiffened a little - oh, how he envied Gellert’s easiness on everything - and then he let out a relieved sigh. It’s not time for reminiscing on his own past. “Oh, thank goodness. Certainly good to know you haven’t drowned in the case - I mean, being continuously heartbroken isn’t a fine thing to your health, be it physical or mental.” He chuckled slightly, lowering his head and blushing a bit for rambling. “Anyway.”

“Oh, deal, then.” Maxi had to admit that he was intrigued by Gellert’s offer on teaching him German, and him providing his French skills in return. “Sounds nice. I’ll certainly charm you with French.” He met Gellert’s eyes, cheerfulness and playful expectations lingering in the dark grey hues, along with a quick wink. “This will be fun. Mind you, I’m a quick learner.”

He nodded yet again at the boy after his attempt at keeping the conversation flowing, gasping slightly in admiration for his keen observations. “Oh yeah. My great aunt married an Englishman, and I am rather close with her grandchildren. Guess I’d picked it up from them.” Maxi observed the sky for a second, then turning back to focus on his pleasant companion, switching back to slightly French-accented English. “How do you do?” He chuckled, in return. “Have to say that the weather and I are both beaming, Sir Gellert.”

by Winnie Harper

Outfit/Physical Characteristics Reducio Platinum blonde hair with blue eyes that look like water reflecting the sun and leather jacket and pants, with a white blouse shirt.	Languages German English Russian French Thoughts	Age 16
Mentioning/Interacting @Lindsey Springhall as Maximillien de Fostoncy	Location London Quidditch Stadium	IC Date August 2, 2024

Strange Circumstances

xxxxx Gellert paused at the revelation of the soul that Maxi seemed to reveal with his comment, 'It’s okay. A less mouthful name is less a burden to everybody.' Gellert wondered whether there were burdens that came with identifying as Maximillian for the other. He would not comment on such a thought, though Len would have desired the piercing sword of truth. He did not believe Maxi was such a type. He conversed lightly, "Yes, well perhaps, with true names come closeness and bonding." He listened to the other as Maxi's eyes gazed forward. Gellert tilted his face to the right and a soft smile came on his face as he took in the sharp cheekbones and deep eyes upon his companion. He thought to himself, "Oh, he's beautiful." Gellert often found many people beautiful, perhaps an expected characteristic of his, with his flirtations and charming nature, but the last time he had met a student from Beauxbatons, he had charmed the other as retribution for pride, but Maxi was sweet and actually kind. Gellert let his tongue slip, "Have you always wanted to find a new identity? I do not believe you needed to, you seem to be a beautiful soul either way." He smiled sorrowfully at Maxi's suggestion that "Gell" be his nickname, although he chuckled at the suggestion of "Lert." Gellert gracefully agreed, "Gell was a nickname someone has given to me before, in fact. It means truth in the language they speak. Lert rhymes with the British name Bert, perhaps in a poem, it could be used, but it is quite grating to the ear for a nickname." Gellert giggled, his tongue sticking out for a moment. He paused for a moment when he noticed Maxi becoming overwhelmed, taking a break and smiling gently, to reassure him, and to make sure he was not overwhelming the other student. After the other seemed to calm down, Gellert answered the compliment gently, “French is a beautiful language, just as the people who speak it, it deserves my every effort.”
Soon after, Gellert realized that Maxi had taken his jest of heartbrokenness to heart instead of a tease and he sheepishly reassured the other, “I apologise, it was a jest that I was heartbroken, sorry that you took it so seriously.” Gellert brushed his hand through his hair with an embarrassed smile. However, when the other agreed to learn German from him, Gellert felt his heart speed up and his excitement shot through the roof and he forgot his sheepish embarrassment for the moment. He blinked when Maxi playfully added, “Sounds nice. I’ll certainly charm you with French.” He questioned in his mind, “Was that flirting? Or was that just in his mind? If it was, that would be wanted.” Gellert was shocked at the last thought, “Was this attraction forming this quickly when he should just be Maxi’s friend?” Gellert would test the waters as he could be completely mistaken and this could all be in his head. Gellert with wit, smirked and looked at Maxi’s eyes, “Quick learners are always my type of person.” Gellert smiled widely when the young man in front of him switched to English, with a great entry to check if the other was interested romantically. He gave a quick wink and if the other allowed he would take the hand of the other and give a fake kiss to the hand as a knight would to a lady. “And I would be quite pleased if I was the one to always make you smile.” Gellert put on a posh British accent, but the cheesy flirting was real for him. Was this a normal start to a possible relationship, rather than the poetic angst of his and Len’s first interaction? Was this the normality I wanted now that I realized I must give up on Len.?

Interacting with Gellert Schroeder (@Tristan Theramin)

Roleplaying as Maximilien "Maxi" de Fostoncy [x]
English | French

“…a new identity?” Despite his fluency in English, to be able to converse in his mother tongue added a lot ease to whole thing, making Maxi felt much relaxed and comfortable. “Perhaps.” He wasn’t sure if he was in the mood of sharing more, or Gellert would possibly want to listen. Not being a de Fostoncy? Tempting, he had to admit, especially when he felt pressured and strained by the so-called family duties. In fact, Maxi was a new identity he had been posing as, other than Maximilien, the perfect heir of the family. Though his sighs would only be heard echoing within his head, something he’d been keeping to himself - maybe apart from his mother, who shared a similar feeling with him - all these years, and he hadn’t yet decided if he’d talk about this openly in front of others.

“Why, thank you.” Gellert seemed to be comfortable with praising other people straightforwardly - were all Germans like that? - and Maxi smiled in return. “And those are interesting facts to know.” He chuckled slightly when Gellert mentioned rhyming, a must known thing for all poets (which meant including him), and Maxi was much delighted by this small interlude. And when he repeatedly complimented on French and her users, he couldn’t help but laughing a bit. “Again, thanks. My classmates and I are honoured.”

Embarrassments seemed to be filling the air when Maxi realised that he had misunderstood the German’s jest. “Oh, no need to be sorry. It’s good to know that.” He shook his head and replied, shoulders reliving as he hadn’t messed anything up.

His mood was soon lightened when Gellert looked at him and said that quick learners were always his type of person, and Maxi nodded approvingly. From parents to teachers to students to bosses, who wasn’t into quick learners? “You’ve got a good taste.” He gave a thumbs-up to Gellert, grinning merrily. “Being around quick learners can sharpen your own skil - uhhhhh no, I’m certainly not bragging myself, please don’t take it seriously -” He scratched his head, unsure how to convey his idea properly. “- had a few classmates that are quick learners, and I have to say I’ve learnt a lot from them.” He took a breath, looking at Gellert rather sheepishly, hoping that he wouldn’t mind his unmeant “boast” earlier. “And this is what I’m looking forward to through study sessions with you, Monsieur Schroeder, for surely you are a quick learner as well!” He declared and snapped his fingers, with a wide grin on his face.

His brow raised slightly as Gellert attempted to give a fake kiss on his knuckles - a brand new thing, bred as a proper gentleman he was the one doing such courtesies before and he was a bit surprised by the German’s straightforwardness - but he didn’t dislike this fun little act, so Maxi just let it go, and chuckled at his companion. Gellert Schroeder was pretty playful and fun-loving, wasn’t he? “Thank you.” Gosh, Gellert was a master of compliments, Maxi couldn’t remember how many times he had been thanking his fellow sixth year for flattering comments (in a good way, of course) today. “I hope the pleasure will be mutual. I have always considered meeting students from other schools a great opportunity for me to get to know different cultures and lifestyles.”

And all of a sudden nostalgia overwhelmed him, those former friends from other schools and his own who had lost touch during these years popped up in his head. Aurelia, Phyllis, André…his eyes went half-lidded with memories flashing through. He only had the recently-found-cousin Enzo around now, maybe, but that blond wouldn’t confide in him even a little bit, and they definitely weren’t friends. He let out a little puff, and, finally realising that he wasn’t alone after all, Maxi smiled apologetically to his newfound companion. “…sorry. Was missing a few friends who aren’t around anymore.” He mumbled, voice low.

Maxi straightened up, and looked into Gellert eyes. “I’m really glad to make your acquaintance, and I would love to get to know you more.” He said, firmly, smiling. “And I guess - there’s no time like the present. I’ll start, if you want - and in French. To help practice your listening.” And so he did. “I’m broom racer on my school’s team. I love writing. I write poems and various types of stories. My favourite subject is Charms, and…what are other facts you present when you are meeting someone?” He muttered thoughtfully. “I live in Lyon? I’m an only child? I’m currently not in a relationship? Summer is my favourite season?”

“I’ve run out of ideas. Your turn, Monsieur.” He made a dramatic gesture of surrender, smirking at the platinum-blond boy beside him.

by Winnie Harper

Outfit/Physical Characteristics Reducio Platinum blonde hair with blue eyes that look like water reflecting the sun and leather jacket and pants, with a white blouse shirt.	Languages German English Russian French Thoughts	Age 16
Mentioning/Interacting @Lindsey Springhall as Maximillien de Fostoncy	Location London Quidditch Stadium	IC Date August 2, 2024

Strange Circumstances

A new identity was always something that seemed strangely attractive to Gellert, to not be a Shroeder anymore, to not be the younger brother of Otto anymore, to not have to try to be their perfect son anymore. Perhaps he wondered, was it also the pressure of being part of a family that had such expectations for their heir that made Maxi desire to be someone else.
Gellert replied gently, with a slight forlorn look on his face, “I know a lot about wanting to be someone else. I definitely would enjoy not having made the mistakes I have made, perhaps having been the perfect son my parents want me to be.” He had no reason to share about this, but it flowed out of him, like an instinct, like a river flowing out of his heart. Maxi made Gellert feel comfortable, made him feel warm on the inside, in a way that made him want to smile, and want to lean his head against the other’s shoulder. It was like lava within his body that made him want to smile. He had not really felt this way before. “You are so beautiful” slipped out of his mouth before he was even conscious he was speaking. Gellert stared into Maxi’s eyes with a dopey smile and chuckled, “Hey, what can I say, I learned the language because I thought it was beautiful.”
Gellert smiled wide and reassured Maxi, “Yes, don’t worry, although I hope you would never actually break my heart.” Gellert’s eyes widened as he felt embarrassed at how much he was showing his little crush on Maxi. It was not really an actual crush as he had just met him, but it was definitely the beginning of one. “Sorry, that was a strange thing to say.”
When Maxi gave him the thumbs up, Gellert blushed and muttered a quick thanks, and he looked at Maxi with a yearning look, “Of course I have good taste, that’s why I like you, even though I just met you. ” It was a genuine statement, not overly flirty, but genuine. He already felt close to Maxi, even though he genuinely had just met him. He seemed like a lovely soul and was without a doubt, attractive. His eyes were like a grey and stormy night, that pulled Gellert closer and closer. He could stare at the other teen forever. Maximilian was beautiful, and Gellert felt this was true more and more as he talked with him, both inside and out. Gellert winked and smiled, “Even if you were bragging of yourself, I’d still like ya, but now you’re humble to boot. ”
Gellert took a breath in and leaned sideways towards Maxi, bumping his shoulders with what he hoped to be subtlety, although his breath caught when his shoulder touched the other, “I’m looking forward to them too. Although I would also be interested in more than just study sessions as well.” Gellert lowered his head sheepishly.
His lips tingled as he lifted his lips from Maxi’s hands, and his heart puttered. He could not breathe in a good way, like nothing else mattered. He smiled wide and his lips hurt from spreading too wide. “It was definitely a pleasure meeting you. I would be just as honoured to learn from your culture as well. Perhaps I could even ask for a bit of French food as well.” Gellert joked and asked about food, as, well, food from anywhere is good.
Gellert felt solemn as he noticed the slight sadness on Maxi’s face, “Oh, have they gone beyond the mortal realm? I am sorry to hear that, I grieve with you.” Gellert mistakenly thought Maxi meant they had passed away.
“Really, I am also a broom racer, that’s amazing, although that means I might have to fight against who I hope is a friend. I would love to hear your poems, they must be as lovely as the person who wrote them. I am not an only child, and I am also not in a relationship. I am from Herborn, Germany, although now I currently live in Durmstrang. Summer is my favourite season as well, but I have grown quite fond of winter at Durmstrang. ” And, I could hear you talk forever.

OOC

Crazy, I know someone who lived in Lyons, France actually

Interacting with Gellert Schroeder (@Tristan Theramin)

Roleplaying as Maximilien "Maxi" de Fostoncy [x]
English | French

A part of him shuddered when he heard Gellert discussing his feelings about not being the perfect son. He wasn’t entirely certain of the other boy’s blood status, but he guessed that parents who held high hopes for their children were similar regardless of their magical abilities. He nodded quietly, chuckling as Gellert once again (were all Germans this polite?) showered him with compliments. “That’s okay,” He laughed. “I’m not in the habit of letting people down anyway.” He had been striving to meet his grandfather’s standards for his entire life, and people often remarked on his unwavering devotion to whatever—or whoever—he was committed to. Gellert might have been joking, but he was being honest.

“Cool.” What was that, friendship at first sight? Nice. It had been a while since he had last made a friend, and it was reassuring to know that he was still capable of forming such connections. “Am I?” He raised his eyebrows in slight surprise and confusion as Gellert noted that he was being very, very humble. “It’s kind of a habit too, I guess. But thank you.” Okay, so he was thanking him again. It was…yeah, kind of a habit.

His muscles tensed slightly as he felt the blond’s shoulder bumping against his own, a subconscious reaction since physical contact hadn’t played a significant role in his family or past friendships. However, he soon relaxed, recalling that it was Gellert—a friend and someone he wouldn’t mind being close to. “Sure,” Maxi replied, his dark grey eyes shifting to the sky, before lowering to focus intently on the ground in front of him. “We can’t always study, after all, can we?” He chuckled. “I look forward to it, whatever it is.” When Gellert suddenly expressed his interest in French cuisine, Maxi couldn’t help but laugh (he felt guilty for his stereotypes, but in his opinion, German food was no better than British fare). “That’s even better. You definitely need to try French dishes if you haven’t already. No, you will be introduced to our best dishes. Guide: me.” He dramatically clapped his hands. “Deal.”

“Er, no—” He gestured, shaking his head a bit embarrassedly. “I’m sorry if I’ve caused any confusion. No, they are still perfectly alive. We just lost touch.” Well, at least he hoped and believed that they were living their lives to the fullest somewhere in the world. Best wishes, as always.

“Amazing,” he agreed. Back during Hexwizard, the majority of the Durmstrang team were Quidditch players—it seemed that the entire team was based on the Quidditch squad, honestly. At Beauxbatons it was the other way round; broom racing was by far the most celebrated sport on campus. A playful grin emerged. “Mind you, we are a very strong team. Ages ago, we won a racing match against Durmstrang.” That was the one he had been reading about when he suddenly came across Enzo’s name, which he had already let sink deep into the sea of memories—and thus re-found his cousin.

Anyway. Enough of this cousinship and back to racing. Quietly judging Gellert’s reaction, he decided not to say that he played the attacker role a lot in the games. Overall, broom racing was more of a solo thing most of the time, but physical confrontation and magical combat still happened from time to time, and Maxi was your man for spell casts. No extra burden on Gellert, though. He wouldn’t know it until they’d meet on track, at least not now.

What piqued his interest in Gellert’s revelations was that of his having siblings. “How many siblings do you have?” He asked, curiously. “The only ones I can deal with are my cousins. They are nice to be around, but we can’t see each other that often.” Maxi shrugged. His cousins all had a sibling who they could turn to for comfort, and even though he was in a relatively close relationship with every one of them, cousins were still not quite siblings. But still, sometimes he felt it better for his siblings to be unborn—at least they wouldn’t have to shoulder the dumb family responsibilities.

Herborn was an unfamiliar place, and Maxi had made up his mind to find it out on the map when he returned. “Winter.” He chewed on the word, trying to imagine what it was like in the foreign lands. “What’s winter—and generally speaking, life—like in Durmstrang?”