Celebrating the 'New' Year Early PV Fin

january 3rd, 2025		friday, evening
wc: 750		dhampir | terrible presence
interacting with: @Emily Shephard		mentioning: @Colin McCoire

"Emi, you don't get it!" Scout insists, poking one of her steamed buns with a chopstick. She... didn't hate Colin- at least she didn't think so. But there was just something about him that she didn't like, and it might have something to do with the fact that he's got those big heart eyes that are constantly ogling at her Emi. Also might have something to do with how he acts, she just can't stand boys like him!

It reminded her too much of herself in during year one... before things got bad.

Baishu stands, taking some of the dirty plates back into the kitchen. Their house isn't big by any means, and it's easy to hear his voice echo through into the dining room. "Scout, why don't you clean up some of the plates? Come help me. Let your friend relax for a bit."

She groans loudly, but stands up and starts grabbing at empty plates. She takes a final sip of her water before beginning the process of cleaning up. Even if she may complain that she doesn't like cleaning, there's something about the process of it that gets her going. It's fun, in a weird way, and makes her brain slow down for a little bit. Relaxing might not have been the best word, but it was certainly similar. Maybe... alleviating?

When Scout makes her final trip out of the dining room, Nina clears her throat. "No matter what Baishu may try to tell you, it's very important to focus on yourself before any kind of relationship. I'm sure your Auntie would agree." Her voice is sweet like honey, but there's a certain 'mom' edge to it. "You're a very strong girl, Emily. I can see why someone like you would get along so well with Scout, she might not say it all the time but she loves you very dearly."

She stands from the table, rounding it to whisper in Emily's ear- although before she does so, she peeks into the kitchen to make sure there's nobody listening in. "And thank you for being so accepting of my little girl, it means a lot to me." She whispers, only once she's deemed it clear to do so.

After Nina straightens her back, she calls out into the rest of the house, "Baishu, I'm going to pack up the rest of this food. Scout, why don't you go brush your hair and make sure Pebble will be okay while we're gone?"

Unlike her muggle-born husband, Nina simply waves her wand to make the food pack itself up. Why her husband stuck to his traditional ways when there was always a much simpler solution, she wasn't quite sure. But she didn't mind it all too much, there was something calming about him standing over the sink after dinner. She hadn't grown up with muggle movies, but the scene would often remind her of them. Especially the older films, even if it was usually the wife who did the cleaning.

Baishu rounds the corner, and there's a flash of red hair that splits by for a second (followed by the thundering of her feet against the stairs). He smiles brightly at Emily and her Auntie, before clasping his hands together. "Have both of you guys floo'd before? I'd offer to drive, but it's about an hour and a half to get to London. Much easier to floo. Ah... when you and Scout get a little older, you'll be able to just apparate- that was a game changer when I graduated."

Scout appears again, braiding one half of her hair. There are two hair ties sticking out of her mouth, and she tries to say something. It comes out more akin to a mumbled mix of sounds, and she huffs when nobody understands her. "So are we gonna floo to Diagon Alley? Do you remember that toy store we went to in the summer? I wanna go there and get a friend for Sandy. Is it far of a walk? Oh, oh, and then I was thinking that we could get ice-cream, too! Don't we usually finish dinner with sesame balls and almond tofu anyway? That's like dessert, and ice-cream is dessert... do you catch my drift?"

She ends her tirade by hugging Emily tightly, "Oh, Emi! I'm so excited to go shopping with you! Do you think we can go into the menagerie and look at the pets? We both have owls already but I wanna look at the cats! I'm so excited-"

"Yi. We haven't even left yet. Are you going to pass out once you get over there from excitement?"

"No!"

January 3rd 2024
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
Buddy Bonding! with @Scout Fu-Hai
Mentioning: @Colin McCoire

Emily's cheeks puffed out when she tried to conceal a giggle over Scout's stroppy fit about Colin. She really loved that about Scout though - not so much the constant shade Scout gave Colin - but her best friend's unwavering devotion and friendship that she shared with her. Emily waited eleven years to get a friend like that and it all paid off in the end to have been stuck together like glue with Scout. A dhampir as well. It couldn't get any cooler than that!

Too bad Scout didn't see much of that like Emily did. The penny will drop eventually and Scout would see how cool as a cucumber she is, Emily thought.

"I think we should get you two in a room together. Maybe then you'll see how nice he really is. You turned around on Casey, so why not give Colin a fair shot too?"

Emily knew not everyone can be friends... But they didn't have to be enemies either!

Emily soft teasing was soon distracted when Nina addressed her. Soon Emily was reduced to a timid mess, her cheeks glowing as Nina's words filtered through her ears. She was strong, she said. Emily wasn't quite the picture of "strong" with her basic build. She thought herself pretty average, physically and as a person.

Emily finally smiled brighter than before and snugged Scout like she had never done before. "I'd be nothing without Scoutie. She's one of the best things to have happened in my life. I'd never trade her for world."

Emily sealed her declaration with an Emi Exclusive peck to Scout's cheek. Scout was Emily's sword and shield. Emily was Scout's teddy bear. Emily finally let Scout go when she was sent upstairs to feed Pebble.

"Have both of you guys floo'd before?" Baishu asked.

"Flew?" "Auntie" blinked. "As on brooms?"

Emily creased her brow. "Flew-- Oh! Floo! Floo powder!"

"What the...?" "Auntie" turned a quizzical look to her ward.

"It's like a magic powder that teleports you to places... I think?" Emily looked equally quizzical at Baishu for a second opinion. "I've never done it before."

"Auntie" laughed nervously. "If it's magical then I've certainly never done it...!"

Scout came back in with half her hair styled. Even with a few hair bobbles clenched between her teeth, it still wasn't enough to stop Scout's chatterbox. Emily bit back another wave of giggles. Scout made everything she did entertaining.

She welcomed another Scoutie Snuggle. "I love cats! I'm pretty sure I have at least two whole shelves by now dedicated to cat plushies...! Had I'd not gotten Tavra, I'd probably would've got a cat..."

"Because there aren't enough cats in your room already, kiddo..." "Auntie" chuckled quietly to herself.

"Maybe we can look at the frogs and lizards too! Frogs are so cute and squishy... And lizards are so cool!" She looked at "Auntie" cheerfully. "We should get ourselves a cat and a frog too! The house will be full of cutie patootie animals!"

"Auntie" rolled her eyes playfully. "Somehow I don't think your parents would see it the same way as we might, petal. In fact, I'm pretty sure they'd fire me..."

_{Word Count: 527}

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

january 3rd, 2025		friday, evening
wc: 500		dhampir | terrible presence
interacting with: @Emily Shephard		mentioning: meow meow meow

Baishu chuckled, in all his years as being the gate between muggle and magic for Scout, he must've forgotten that floo powder wasn't the kind of thing they used in the muggle world. He must've been drifting further and further into a more magical existence. With Scout being at Hogwarts, and his wife not growing up with muggle artefacts... admittedly, it was getting harder to toe the line.

But that didn't really matter, because the floo system was pretty easy to use- at least he hoped so, he hadn't heard of any muggles misusing it on accident... and hopefully there was no problem having Emily and her aunt use it. But surely her aunt had already been to Diagon Alley, how else would Emily have been able to get her supplies for Hogwarts? Scout hadn't talked much of Emily's home life (only that it was mostly her and her aunt), so he didn't think that someone else would've had the time to take her.

What a waste of opportunity, he thought. Taking Scout to Diagon Alley for the first time to buy school materials was one of his peak fatherhood moments. It almost felt like buying your kids university supplies, or helping them shop for furniture for a new apartment. He couldn't imagine missing out on that, and to think that Emily's parents might not have cared enough to do that with her...?

He had always thought he wouldn't enjoy fatherhood, and it seems abysmal to him that Emily's parents might share that sentiment he had when he was a youth. At his age- and Emily's parents might've been even older than him- it wouldn't matter whether or not he wanted a kid. He had one, and even if he didn't want to be a father, he still had an obligation to care for that child.

"Floo powder, it's one of the ways us wizards travel, we keep ours in that box on the mantel." He didn't want to overwhelm Emily or her Aunt with information, so he tried to keep the explanation brief. "You put the powder in the fireplace, and then shout where you want to go- Diagon Alley. Yi?"

"I can't wait! I want to go shopping with Emily... I want to eat at restaurants with Emi... I want to look at the kitty cats and the lizards with Emi...! I'm going to buy my Emi so many fun gifts! Wah!" At her fathers prompt, Scout throws the powder into the fireplace. When she steps into it, she turns around and gives Emily a peace sign, and blows her a kiss. "Diagon Alley!" And in a flash of smoke, she's gone.

When Scout is completely gone, Nina quickly ushers Emily into the fireplace. "Don't worry, Scout will be waiting for you on the other side. Then we'll make sure your Aunt makes it as well. Now, you two don't go running off until we're all there with you, okay? And don't talk to any strangers, and don't let Scout go talking to any strangers... that's more for their benefit than hers."

feel free to godmod what happens after this point, and i'll get out a starter post in diagon alley.... at some point in time >:3

January 3rd 2024
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
Buddy Bonding! with @Scout Fu-Hai

What was Scout expecting? For Emily to not say "yes"? Emily could already picture the busy day ahead they would have. Shopping. snacks. Shopping. Some more shopping. A little bit more shopping. Some more snacks. More shopping. And then finally dinner and some last minute shopping before all the shops close.

Baishu explained the inner-machinations of Floo Powder. Ah! So Emily almost got it right the first time! She was in the same, similar ball park at least. She looked back towards "Auntie" who seemed just as bewildered as before she had it explained to her.

"So... It's a teleporting fireplace? Is that right?" she asked innocently.

Emily gave her guardian an encouraging smile. "Something like that! Think of it as magic fairy dust that can transport you from one place to the next".

Scout's eagerness quickly turned into a physical demonstration as she snuck into the mantel, a fist of Floo Powder in her hand. She disappeared in a blinking light and a sudden show of smoke, no longer standing in the mantel and out of sight completely.

"She's gone!" "Auntie" exclaimed. She looked to Emily for validation in her shock. The Huffie nodded, less bothered by the ordeal than her guardian looked.

"That's Floo for you..."

Nina then gestured for Emily to step forward. Emily swallowed.

Oh. My turn.

Emily ducked under the mantel and into the fireplace, lifting a handful of the travel powder as she settled into the space. She gripped her helping tight, stalling a little before Scout's mother encouraged her. Emily, still unsure of the whole thing, nodded reluctantly. "Right! Yes-- Diagon Alley... That would be a good start, wouldn't it...?"

She held her fist out in front of her, the powder still secure in her fingers. Emily shook her head a few times. She was so used to doing magic in school that she never fully processed the notion of doing it outside of it, away from Muggle-mania, in her civilian clothes and with "Auntie" present no less. After a long deep breath she threw the powder down, Diagon Alley's name calling out of her mouth and like Scout, Emily was nowhere left to be seen in the fireplace, or anywhere else in the Fu-Hai home when the smoke finally cleared. "Auntie" rubbed her eyes as if to confirm what just happened was real.

"My girl is gone!"

Yes. Yes she was.

And then Nina smiled knowingly at "Auntie" and the guardian swallowed as well.

"Me? N-No, no-- I'll drive-- I'll-- Okay..."

_{Word Count: 413}

Emily has left the thread. And the Fu-Hai home entirely!

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