2 Feb 2025, 23:26
Too shy to talk, but too loud to stay quiet
Lottie plopped down on the bench in the courtyard. A stack of books she knew she would not read beside her. A pile of textbooks waited for her back in her dorm, these books seemed less daunting than the textbooks, that's why she had checked them out of the library. or at least that's what she was telling herself. In reality, Lottie had checked them out because she wanted to distract herself from the fact that still, months after coming to Hogwarts, she had made no friends. It made sense why she hadn't, it's not like she had talked to anyone in her classes unless she had been talked to first, and it's not like she ignored the smiles or waves of people who knew her from classes out of the crippling fear that they may have been waving at someone else.Feb 2nd 2025
Lottie had been fine with being alone in her dorm, it had been comfortable and a safe feeling. However, she knew it stressed her parents out that she had no friends. Her mother often asked if she had made any friends in the letters that arrived a couple times a week, Her father had begged her to try to talk to someone, to anyone, and build a connection, if only for the sake of her mother. Her sister, Olivia, had asked why she hadn't tried to make any new friends. Over the holiday break when Lottie had gone home, Katie, her other sister, had only sat silently beside her and understood. Sometimes it felt like Katie was the only one who understood Lottie, and it scared the small Ravenclaw to be away from her sister for so long. Katie had always been the talker, and Lottie was the one to observe and hide in her sisters' shadows.
But now it was february, and Lottie had been away from her sister for too long that letters just didn't suffice for conversation, you see, Lottie liked to talk, she loved to talk to the people she knew, such as Katie, or Olivia, or her mom and dad. But her hand could only write so much before it got tired, and her spelling was terrible, which made it hard for her to write long letters. So she had checked out the books so that she could look at them and feel guilty about not reading them, instead of feeling lonely now that she had no friends and wanted to have a interaction with another person.
(wc 419)
Previously Clair Fernandez
3 Feb 2025, 05:58
Too shy to talk, but too loud to stay quiet
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| ─── | Nasty habit.
Draven's hands shook from the cold and the shame of it, as he snuck out in the courtyard once again. He'd started, and he couldn't stop. Six months had gone down the river, the sobriety he'd vowed to keep, disappearing as soon as the first hit had entered his bloodstream and choked up his lungs. He imagined it. The muck trudging its way through his veins, blackening his organs. He imagined his teeth growing yellow, his clothes starting to smell. And he lit up anyway. The flame flickered between his fingers, first inhale of the cigarette a kiss from god. He wanted to cry. It felt so good. The taste, the smell, the feeling of smoke climbing its way into his head, settling between his ears, it made it worth it. Made it all worth it. Because why did it matter if it was cold? What did the snow on the ground have on this- this feeling of euphoria, of peace, of wellness that settled over him as he took his second drag. Merlin, he was disgusting. Sighing, the boy leaned up against the courtyard wall. At least nobody was there to see him. Nobody was there to witness his addiction riddled, junkie arse nearly sobbing from relief as he sucked on a stick which would kill him sooner or later. Nobody was there. Nobody at all. |
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@Lottie Laurent
@Lottie Laurent
Last edited by Draven Mirador on 5 Feb 2025, 14:06, edited 3 times in total.
ITS STILL RAINING. WHY IS IT STILL RAINING? sta • 13 | eva • 8 | str • 1 | wis • 15 |arc • 7 | acc • 9 |
4 Feb 2025, 02:12
Too shy to talk, but too loud to stay quiet
Lottie wasn't the kind of person to lurk. No, she liked to think of herself as more of a fly-on-the-wall person than a lurker, but maybe they are the same thing. either way, the girl wasn't trying to lurk when she noticed the boy. It was the smell she caught before she saw the actual boy.
Katie would have loved to see this, but alas, Katie was not there. So instead, Lottie watched the boy like the small little first-year she was. She stayed glued to the bench; part of her feared that he would spot her and shoo her away, but then again - she had been here first, had she not? and besides, it was not her breaking the rules.
The girl stared at him, her eyes wide and her heart beating fast. If Katie were here, she'd tell the boy off, tell him that it's wrong to be smoking, but again, Katie was probably curled up on the couch beside their parents and not even thinking about if older boys should be smoking on school property. Lottie continued to be as motionless as possible, an attempt at subtility. One that was probably not as great as she had convinced herself it was.
Lottie was deathly shy sure, but she also had a strong need to follow rules. Seeing the boy breaking rules was super conflicting to her because she wanted to tell someone so he would be prompted to stop, but that would also mean talking to someone and possibly causing some from of conflict or drama.
"BLERGAH" she yelped, turns out the entire time she had thought she had been so still and so un noticeable she had really been leaning forward to gawk at the boy, and now she had wondered so hard to herself that she had fallen right off the bench. She quickly righted herself and looked in the direction of the boy. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to - I mean I wasn't - I'm sorry I was staring" She finally finished, her voice slowly dying as she spoke, ending in an awkward crack. Her cheeks brightened with embarrassment. the entire time she looked at everything but the boy's face.
(wc 371)
@Draven Mirador
Previously Clair Fernandez
21 Feb 2025, 01:46
Too shy to talk, but too loud to stay quiet
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| ──. | |
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| ─── | so sorry for the lengthy time between replies, university likes to make me cry
The scent of death snuck toward the first year girl, dodging and weaving barren branches and mounds of snow. Curling around icicles, settling in her hair and across her clothes. She tipped forward (no doubt from the putrid smell), hands and knees landing painfully across the frozen cobblestones. Draven choked on his toke. The cigarette died underneath his fingers, snuffed out against the castle wall. He was quick about it too, dropping the roach in his pocket almost casually as he turned around to face the little girl. "Staring at what," he asked, the picture of innocence, as she stumbled to her feet. "Are you alright darling? That looks like it left a mark." He gestured towards her palms and knees. Red was dripping down her skin. A single drop of blood landed on the snow underneath her feet. "Here. Let me-" He pulled his wand from his sleeve. "Ferula." Clean bandages wound around her joints, tightening to a comfortable hold. He probably should have cleaned the wound first, come to think of it. But he supposed anything was better than giving the cobblestones a new paint job. "Say, aren't you supposed to be in class?" |
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@Lottie Laurent
@Lottie Laurent
ITS STILL RAINING. WHY IS IT STILL RAINING? sta • 13 | eva • 8 | str • 1 | wis • 15 |arc • 7 | acc • 9 |
28 Feb 2025, 13:24
Too shy to talk, but too loud to stay quiet
Lottie was stunned. She stood there staring at the boy; he was much older than her, and he seemed perfectly happy to be sitting out here smoking. She tried to hold back a cough, but as the smell of the smoke came closer to her face, she let out a small cough. "Uh, um, I'm ok," She replied as he used a spell to bandage her hand. She made a mental note to wash her hands well when she went back inside. "Thanks, that was, like, super cool," She said, watching a trail of smoke from the boy's cigarette.
"Class ended a few minutes ago, so I just came out for some fresh air." She looked around, nervous that someone might yell at her for talking to a rule breaker. "Are you even allowed to - to have that here?" she pointed at the cigarette. Her voice was not accusing; if anything, it was just nervous and almost curious. While she was a very timid person, people who were bold enough to break rules were interesting to her. The boy didn't seem like a threat so Lottie stayed where she was, but she still didn't make direct eye contact with him, instead she watch the smoke, the snow, her shoes, his shoes. Anything but his face.
(Wc 218)
@Draven Mirador
Previously Clair Fernandez
21 Mar 2025, 22:42
Too shy to talk, but too loud to stay quiet
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| ─── | so sorry for the lengthy time between replies, university likes to make me cry
"No, actually." Draven said. "I'm trying to quit." He slipped the wand back in his pocket, dusting off any soot which might have gathered on his pants by accident. "Smells nasty. Looks nasty. Don't start it, it's gross." He only had a couple left in the pack, but there was nothing stopping him from buying more. The trenchcoat he'd bought a couple years back still fit him wonderfully well, and it had fooled every shopkeeper thus far. He only wished wizards had nicotine lozanges, the way muggles did. SOME wizards must have tried to quit smoking, it was impossible to think that hadn't been the case. Perhaps he was simply unlucky, or not spotting them in healers shops. "It's easier to kick it gradually," he said with a shrug. "I don't think any professor would wish withdrawal symptoms on me. And if they would, perhaps some time being addicted to something would suit them well, don't you think?" He chewed on the inside of his cheek. He hadn't finished the cigarette, and it was tugging at the back of his brain. An unsatisfied ritual. "You shouldn't be around the smog," he said. "Are you planning on hanging out here for much longer, or should I go elsewhere to finish." |
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@Lottie Laurent
@Lottie Laurent
ITS STILL RAINING. WHY IS IT STILL RAINING? sta • 13 | eva • 8 | str • 1 | wis • 15 |arc • 7 | acc • 9 |
25 Mar 2025, 01:40
Too shy to talk, but too loud to stay quiet
☽⦙ Date | 2 February, 2025 ⦙☾
☽⦙ Thread With | @Lottie Laurent & @Draven Mirador ⦙☾
☽⦙ Hex Code | #810B2D ⦙☾
Honestly, patrolling the Courtyard was one of Dori's favorite areas. At least when the weather was nice. They couldn't help but be a little bit looser on really patrolling when it was pouring rain or freezing cold. At that point- if the students want to do mischief it was really on them for choosing such crappy conditions to do it in. However, it was early February and beautiful out though there was still a bite in the air that made Dori grateful for the thickness of the school cloak.⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛
Still, the bite of the air was still too cold for a lot of students which left the Courtyard a bit more abandoned than normal. They started to consider the possibility that it might be another easy patrol, and they might partake in a little bench rest to take in the weather and have a nice relaxing moment to themselves. They still did their due diligence, checking in particularly nice hidey-holes for typical trouble-makers and snoggers before heading to the area they liked to rest before moving onto their next area.
It was then they spotted a first year they didn't recognize, and someone that was barely more recognizable just for the reason of being older than the other girl and therefore Dori had at least seen him once or twice around the halls. But, his name escaped them. An interesting- duo. But who were they to judge.
They had started to move to a different bench in the courtyard when they smelled a particularly rancid smell, and saw the culprit in the young boys hand. They couldn't help the small groan that they made at the reality that this was not going to be as nice and easy of a patrol as they thought it would be. Briefly, they wondered if they could pretend like they didn't smell or hear anything, but quickly shoot the very lazy thought out of their head.
Begrudgingly, they approached the pair. "Hi there, couldn't help but notice your uh-" Well, shit. How did they handle this tactfully? The girl clearly hadn't been partaking, at least it seemed like it. She turned towards the first year, "I'm Dorion, Dori for short. I use they/them pronouns. I'm a prefect of Hufflepuff. Very lovely to meet you, and uh you as well." They gave a light smile to the girl, before turning towards the older boy. "Do you mind if we uh- maybe talk over uhhhh-" They looked around him, and pointed to a corner of the Courtyard that felt far enough away. "Maybe over there? That feels like as good of a spot as any." Quickly, they turned back to the young girl. "I really am so sorry for interrupting, I'll return him in a moment."
They would walk without waiting for his answer, and hope- that he followed because they really didn't want to have to be a firm prefect today. If Draven wouldn't follow, let me know, I'll change this. If he'd follow, they'd honestly kind of react with just kind of- a deep sigh. "Listen, you know that these aren't allowed on Hogwarts grounds. I'll let you finish- that one, but if you have anymore on you I'll need to confiscate them. And, you'll have to serve detention on this upcoming Saturday afternoon. I also hate doing this as much as you hate being caught, but you did pick up quite a smelly habit." They held their hand out expectantly for any additional cigarettes that Draven might have on him.⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛OOC Note
- Draven, you are being served detention as discussed in our owls. Please refer to my initial owl for a refresher on rules of detention. Your official detention thread will be posted on Saturday (March 29th).
- Lottie, unless you somehow implicate yourself in partaking in the cigarette you are not in trouble!
"I don't know whether to cry or scream or do both. It feels like I've done more than enough of both. And it feels like I haven't done enough." - Mason Deaver
Stamina 12 ∴ Evasion 12 ∴ Strength 5 ∴ Wisdom 12 ∵ ArcPower 10 ∵ Accuracy 15
Stamina 12 ∴ Evasion 12 ∴ Strength 5 ∴ Wisdom 12 ∵ ArcPower 10 ∵ Accuracy 15
26 Mar 2025, 06:29
Too shy to talk, but too loud to stay quiet
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| ─── | so sorry for the lengthy time between replies, university likes to make me cry
Well that about answered his question. Draven turned toward the prefect, something in his brain slowing to a sputter. Dorion. He'd seen the prefect around the past couple years. Always thought they had a nice sort of look about them, a gentleness he couldn't pin on most people. "Um, yeah," he said, words catching up with him a second later. He liked their hair. Trailing after them, Draven nodded towards the first year girl. 'See' he mouthed, raising his hands in surrender. Nasty habit. Maybe seeing him get scolded would have the little girl stay away from it. It was only after they were out of earshot that Dorion turned towards him. There was a weary air surrounding them, an 'i'm not getting paid enough for this' look in their eyes as they dropped their gaze to his cigarette awkwardly. Draven cleared his throat. "I was- actually. Hoping to talk to someone. About this." he said , words chosen carefully as he slipped the cigarette between his lips. He pulled out the rest of the pack, only three cigarettes still rolling about in it sadly. He'd been smoking off the owlery window. It wasn't good for the birds, and many of them had taken to giving him dirty looks. Taking his remaining cigarette out to speak, Draven cleared his throat. "I was wondering if- there's? Any sort of program in place? To help students with this sort of thing?" He scratched the back of his head uncertainly, fingers combing through his hair. There was ash on his sweater. "I've been trying to put these down all year, started vaping over the summer and didn't realize how addicted it got me." He handed the pack over to Dorion. His lighter, a simple white thing with 'HIGHLIFE' inscribed on it, followed. "But I can't get a vape in this town, I ran out of patches and gum, and I don't know what to do. With myself. Now." A red flush had spread across his cheeks as he talked. "Is there a...wizarding potion to help with addiction? A spell, anything?" |
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@Lottie Laurent | @Dorion Anderson
@Lottie Laurent | @Dorion Anderson
ITS STILL RAINING. WHY IS IT STILL RAINING? sta • 13 | eva • 8 | str • 1 | wis • 15 |arc • 7 | acc • 9 |
29 Mar 2025, 02:49
Too shy to talk, but too loud to stay quiet
Lottie looked at the boy directly in his face for the first time. "O-oh, ok. Well- my mum would probably murder me if I ever tried so..." her voice died out as she allowed the silence to sit between them. Lottie shrugged a little. "I I guess it makes sense to slowly quit instead of just stopping super fast." her eyes wandered to the ground where a few ashes from the cigarette had landed. "I guess it would teach them something about empathy," She agreed softly, although she wasn't sure she completely loved the idea.
Lottie nodded when the boy said she shouldn't be around the smog, "I guess that's true" She took a large step back, so she now stood far enough away to be away from the smoke but still close enough to be considered polite. "My dad says that second hand smoke is worse that smoking sometimes."
Just then a Hufflepuff prefect walked over and Lottie tried her best to look calm, not that she was guilty of anything, but still, prefects had the power to screw her over, so she didn't want to mess with them in any ways if she could help it. She gave a small smile back to Dori, they seemed nice enough and since Lottie hadn't done anything wrong, she didn't seem to be at risk of getting in trouble.
Lottie stood there awkwardly, watching as the boy and the prefect stepped out of earshot to talk, he didn't seem to be getting violent or upset and neither did the prefect, so she assumed it was ook for her to stay there in the courtyard.
(wc 275)
@Draven Maridor & @Dorian Anderson
Previously Clair Fernandez
31 Mar 2025, 00:41
Too shy to talk, but too loud to stay quiet
☽⦙ Date | 2 February, 2025 ⦙☾
☽⦙ Thread With | @Lottie Laurent & @Draven Mirador ⦙☾
☽⦙ Hex Code | #810B2D ⦙☾
Dori couldn't help but soften at the boys response. Usually when giving detention people would fight against it, get indignant, yell at them, proclaim someone else in the wrong. But Draven just seemed kind of- resigned to his fate, which was at least one sign that there was more to this.⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛
The rest came easily, as he was incredibly forthcoming with his issues. Dori's shoulders slumped slightly, their body seemed to lose the tension that it was holding of being super professional and put together as a prefect. "Oh- ok." They uh- didn't know how to really respond to someone needing help with addiction. Dori pocketed the lighter and cigarettes in their cloak pocket, before their hands clasped in front of them to keep occupied.
"Um- I don't think so, honestly. You're the first person I've even encountered in my six years here that smokes." She looked back at the girl, not wanting to keep him occupied for too long. "I'll look into it. But, if you need something before Saturday then go talk to the nurse at least. Or your Head of House, you at least don't have any items on you that would get you in trouble but- they might know more. Still, I'll- try and find something." They sighed, they had no idea how to deal with this in a muggle way or a wizard way. "Meet me back here on Saturday, after lunch, ok?" They nodded to him, before giving the first year left standing a small wave and heading off.
Dori had a lot of research to do.Dori has left the thread⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛ ⁛
"I don't know whether to cry or scream or do both. It feels like I've done more than enough of both. And it feels like I haven't done enough." - Mason Deaver
Stamina 12 ∴ Evasion 12 ∴ Strength 5 ∴ Wisdom 12 ∵ ArcPower 10 ∵ Accuracy 15
Stamina 12 ∴ Evasion 12 ∴ Strength 5 ∴ Wisdom 12 ∵ ArcPower 10 ∵ Accuracy 15