21 Oct 2019, 20:39
Blue Boy
@Gem Stuart
Having wandered her way to a secluded part of the school grounds to have a day off from the rustle and bustle of unorganized school life, Adlai sat.
Setting her picnic basket down beside her as she leaned up against a tree reaching inside of it.
Swiftly she pulled out the miniature copy of the Quran her mother had convinced her to pack. She’d read it for about ten minutes before swapping it out for the book Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.
Once and a while an ant would find its way stop her page and she simple sweep it to the side until another ant emerged, the cycle repeating it self. She hadn’t been able to truly have time to herself for the past few days since classes and homework had been getting in the way. This silence was much needed.
At the very bottom of the picnic basket sat three balls of yarn and her knitting needles. She had promised herself that she would work on her friends gifts today but being in the state she in currently. That was very unlikely to happen.
Pinning her Hijab tightly to her head -to not let the autumn wind in- she began to get comfortable.
Having wandered her way to a secluded part of the school grounds to have a day off from the rustle and bustle of unorganized school life, Adlai sat.
Setting her picnic basket down beside her as she leaned up against a tree reaching inside of it.
Swiftly she pulled out the miniature copy of the Quran her mother had convinced her to pack. She’d read it for about ten minutes before swapping it out for the book Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.
Once and a while an ant would find its way stop her page and she simple sweep it to the side until another ant emerged, the cycle repeating it self. She hadn’t been able to truly have time to herself for the past few days since classes and homework had been getting in the way. This silence was much needed.
At the very bottom of the picnic basket sat three balls of yarn and her knitting needles. She had promised herself that she would work on her friends gifts today but being in the state she in currently. That was very unlikely to happen.
Pinning her Hijab tightly to her head -to not let the autumn wind in- she began to get comfortable.
Last edited by Adlai Rod on 21 Oct 2019, 21:52, edited 4 times in total.
Adlai Winifred Rod
21 Oct 2019, 20:56
Blue Boy
interacting w/ @Adlai Rod
"LAST ONE TO THE PINE TREE IS A BIG UGLY OGRE,"
The shouts of four young Ravenclaw boys turned heads, the quick patter of sneakers against cobblestone paths down the grounds. Gem wasn't sure who these kids were, but one of them had grabbed his arm and pulled him along with them anyway - he decided to play along, it couldn't be any harm. So he ran, he ran and ran and ran until he was out of breath-- until a young girl sitting near the center of his general path caught his eye. Well, good choice to sit in the middle of the goddamn walkway, he thought, stopping his running by twisting his body around. It was entirely instinctive, only so he didn't ram right into her and possibly kill her.
And so he threw his own sense of direction off and hit the floor right next to her. He didn't even get up at first, just laid on his back and stared at the sky like it would help him collect his breath back. He couldn't breathe, he'd had the wind knocked straight out of him. He turned on his side, curling up into a fetal position, and wheezed until he could catch just a lick of oxygen. It hurt, he'd had a nasty scrape on his elbow and cheek, but he didn't break anything. Or, it didn't feel like it -- adrenaline always seemed to make things a lot better than they really were.
"I'm- sooohhhh, fook," He coughed, sputtered, and wheezed, doing his very best to get a measly apology out. "I'm so sorreh, I joost lost me balance-" He sat up, rubbing his face with his scathed up hands, getting dirt and dust on his face. "I'm- ergh, sorreh. These lads- they ehm," he looked past the both of them, watching three yipping boys skip around, out of sight. He figured they couldn't give a damn.
He took the time to face the girl he took a dive for, blinking harshly to regain his vision. Young, wore a hijab, a pretty little lady. He huffed, sitting up so he wasn't on his knees, nice and criss cross. "I'm Gem, sorreh for the ruckus." If he had a galleon for every time he said sorry, he'd be rich. He swore it.
What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.
21 Oct 2019, 21:28
Blue Boy
@Gem Stuart
Adlai stared at him her almond eyes the size of chestnuts by now. “Why you apologizing?” She asked concerned for the boy who looked like he had forgotten how to breathe.
“Are you ok, do you need to go see the nurse?” She asked. Her accent was a strange mix between welsh and Icelandic, which caused some of her words to sound like a toddlers gibberish.
Adlai had always been a talkative girl, the one thing she rambled on most about was astronomy and all things to do with it. Her twisted tongue did not aid her in anyway with this trait of hers. At the most it dragged her down a path if “speak slowly,” and “say that again?”
“I can help you get there if you want, why were you running anyway?” The questions poured in. Although Adlai had told herself she’d relax today, that -much like the knitting- obviously wasn’t going to happen.
It wasn’t until she stopped poking at him did she get a good look of his face. His hair was shaggy, almost like her fathers. His eyes were downturned and doe like while his skin had hints of blue and purple from his lack of oxygen.
Adlai stared at him her almond eyes the size of chestnuts by now. “Why you apologizing?” She asked concerned for the boy who looked like he had forgotten how to breathe.
“Are you ok, do you need to go see the nurse?” She asked. Her accent was a strange mix between welsh and Icelandic, which caused some of her words to sound like a toddlers gibberish.
Adlai had always been a talkative girl, the one thing she rambled on most about was astronomy and all things to do with it. Her twisted tongue did not aid her in anyway with this trait of hers. At the most it dragged her down a path if “speak slowly,” and “say that again?”
“I can help you get there if you want, why were you running anyway?” The questions poured in. Although Adlai had told herself she’d relax today, that -much like the knitting- obviously wasn’t going to happen.
It wasn’t until she stopped poking at him did she get a good look of his face. His hair was shaggy, almost like her fathers. His eyes were downturned and doe like while his skin had hints of blue and purple from his lack of oxygen.
Adlai Winifred Rod
21 Oct 2019, 22:45
Blue Boy
interacting w/ @Adlai Rod
Well, she was nice, at least, Gem thought, bringing one of his knees up to his chest. He was feeling very instinctual today, proven by the fact that the moment he felt a wet stinging pain on his knee, his scratched up hand moved up to rub at it. Every time he felt the fabric rub too harshly against the newly discovered wound, he winced - and even then, he didn't stop. It was so strange, how that worked.
He knew his speech was bordering incoherent, but he gathered himself quick enough to be able to hear her talk. She seemed concerned, it made him feel a bit bad for all of this responsibility to come down on her- she probably just wanted to have a relaxing day, and here he came in, crashing around like a bat out of hell. Sheesh.
"Naw, no, I don' need ta go to e' nurse, I don't fink anythin' is broken," He said, finally catching his breath enough to communicate humanly. "Ehm, thanks fer the concern, though. I 'ppriciate it, could've very well died or sumfin' ov that ilk, ha." He offered a kind half-smile, brushing some of the moppy bangs out of his face, tucking them tight behind his ear so they wouldn't fall back in his face. That proved pointless, however, when they went right back over his eye when he looked down at his knee, tapping on it with the open palm of his hand. When he looked at it again, it was red. Blood. He couldn't quite tell if that was blood coming from his knee, or if his hand was finally bleeding due to the rocks and scratches he had all over it. He wondered if she would know.
"Wot're ya doin'?" He asked, craning his neck so he could get a peek at the book she had open on her lap, words he didn't recognize. "Wot's that book called? The one yer holdin'?" He was being a bit of a peanut gallery, but he didn't mind - he hoped she didn't either.
What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.
21 Oct 2019, 23:02
Blue Boy
@Gem Stuart
"Wot's that book called? The one yer holdin'?" He had asked her after assuring her he was alright.
“Oh, it’s the Quran.” she informed him holding it out for him to see the elegant Arabic writing.
“I was just reading. Would you like to join me?” She asked him not minding if he were to accompany her.
“I have another book with me, if you’d like to see that one.” Adlai offered knowing that he most likely didn’t know how to read Arabic like the majority of students at Hogwarts. She picked up her basket and moved it further to the side, giving him an attentive smile if he did decided to join her.
Looking up at him she could tell he was probably shorter than her, many boys were at their age, but she knew within a matter of time she’d be the one that was left behind in the growth category. This caused her to snicker in the back of her mind.
“It’s Eleanor & Park have you ever heard of it?” She asked not knowing if the boy was wizard-born, half-muggle, or a full muggle-born like herself. She still wondered who on Earth in her family line could her magical abilities originated from and wondered why the wizarding world didn’t have some of the same books, music, and art as the so called muggle world.
"Wot's that book called? The one yer holdin'?" He had asked her after assuring her he was alright.
“Oh, it’s the Quran.” she informed him holding it out for him to see the elegant Arabic writing.
“I was just reading. Would you like to join me?” She asked him not minding if he were to accompany her.
“I have another book with me, if you’d like to see that one.” Adlai offered knowing that he most likely didn’t know how to read Arabic like the majority of students at Hogwarts. She picked up her basket and moved it further to the side, giving him an attentive smile if he did decided to join her.
Looking up at him she could tell he was probably shorter than her, many boys were at their age, but she knew within a matter of time she’d be the one that was left behind in the growth category. This caused her to snicker in the back of her mind.
“It’s Eleanor & Park have you ever heard of it?” She asked not knowing if the boy was wizard-born, half-muggle, or a full muggle-born like herself. She still wondered who on Earth in her family line could her magical abilities originated from and wondered why the wizarding world didn’t have some of the same books, music, and art as the so called muggle world.
Last edited by Adlai Rod on 27 Oct 2019, 12:47, edited 1 time in total.
Adlai Winifred Rod
21 Oct 2019, 23:53
Blue Boy
interacting w/ @Adlai Rod
Gem took the book with utmost gentleness, keeping his index finger on the page, tracing the text as if it were sacred knowledge. He'd heard of it, never really got into it when it came to religion - still, he was sure it was a beautiful book with plenty of stories to behold. He held it back out to her, cocking his head with a curious twitch in the corner of his lips.
"I'll listen to ya read it, I... I've only got extensive knowledge in readin' English, unfortunately," he felt sort of bad that he couldn't keep up, but he quite liked being read to. It put him in a good mood, but before he could get any of that out, she asked him about her second book. He peered at it curiously, and alas, he had no draw towards it. Nothing. It must've been a more obscure muggle book, one he couldn't necessarily say he'd ever seen before.
"Uhp- naw, haven't seen tha' around, what's it about?" He found her to be a very comforting presence, not too hectic, kept a conversation going. "Sorreh, I... I'm- I like muggle culture, but I only know so mooch. Um... I usually onleh listen to their music, or... or their more popular books- ever heard of The Catcher in the Rye? That's me favorite book. Joost a brilliant work of literature, it is." He felt a more prominent expression of interest and joy come on when he mentioned his favorite book - how selfish. Still, he wondered if she'd ever read it. Maybe she had an opinion he'd give a damn about about Holden. He wondered. He was always wondering.
What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.
22 Oct 2019, 00:11
Blue Boy
@Gem Stuart
"Uhp- naw, haven't seen tha' around, what's it about?"
Adlai smiled, a pure genuine smile. ‘Someone to finally share with.’ she thought.
“Well Eleanor & Park is about to misfits who meet by chance in to late 1980’s, they connect to each other through comic books and eventually...well I don’t want to spoil all of it.” She said slyly.
"Sorreh, I... I'm- I like muggle culture, but I only know so mooch. Um... I usually onleh listen to their music, or... or their more popular books- ever heard of The Catcher in the Rye? That's me favorite book. Joost a brilliant work of literature, it is." He told her.
“Well lucky you, I just so happen to be a muggle-born and a muggle-born who has just so happened to have read The Catcher in the Rye. I thought it amazing, I could really feel Holden Caulfield’s emotions at some points. Near the end I’m pretty sure I cried.” She admitted to him.
Adlai had never been this happy in her life. Usually her friends and family would tune out her opinions on books and continue with the conversation they were having before.
“I also wouldn’t mind reading the Quran to you.” She added quickly gesturing to the spot beside her.
She had always been eager to make new friends, especially since she was in a whole new world with things she couldn’t began to fathom. And what better way to make friends then read the Quran?
"Uhp- naw, haven't seen tha' around, what's it about?"
Adlai smiled, a pure genuine smile. ‘Someone to finally share with.’ she thought.
“Well Eleanor & Park is about to misfits who meet by chance in to late 1980’s, they connect to each other through comic books and eventually...well I don’t want to spoil all of it.” She said slyly.
"Sorreh, I... I'm- I like muggle culture, but I only know so mooch. Um... I usually onleh listen to their music, or... or their more popular books- ever heard of The Catcher in the Rye? That's me favorite book. Joost a brilliant work of literature, it is." He told her.
“Well lucky you, I just so happen to be a muggle-born and a muggle-born who has just so happened to have read The Catcher in the Rye. I thought it amazing, I could really feel Holden Caulfield’s emotions at some points. Near the end I’m pretty sure I cried.” She admitted to him.
Adlai had never been this happy in her life. Usually her friends and family would tune out her opinions on books and continue with the conversation they were having before.
“I also wouldn’t mind reading the Quran to you.” She added quickly gesturing to the spot beside her.
She had always been eager to make new friends, especially since she was in a whole new world with things she couldn’t began to fathom. And what better way to make friends then read the Quran?
Last edited by Adlai Rod on 27 Oct 2019, 12:52, edited 2 times in total.
Adlai Winifred Rod
22 Oct 2019, 05:04
Blue Boy
interacting w/ @Adlai Rod
Gem listened very intently, his big eyes all sparkly hearing her speak. That book seemed interesting, maybe he'd ask to borrow it... compelling. When she had her opinion on the Catcher in the Rye, though, he nearly had a heart attack.
"Ya do?! God, finally! Everyone whose ever read tha damn thing always says he's annoyin'! But I think he's joost great, and his rambles and such? They're joost so interestin' to read! I-I dunno, he's just a character tha' really resonates wiv me. Maybe it's cos I'm a teenager or... or whatever, but I like him. I wish I was him, almost. I think I'll ask fer a red huntin' hat for me next birthday." His shoulders were all perky now, he was smiling like a mad man, too, but the way his eyes were big and buggy-- that's when you knew he was hooked into the conversation.
"Ya wouldn't? Cool," He scooted himself beside her, his arms folding over his lap, gazing at the Quran intently. He wondered, he wondered and wondered what kind of book it'd be- religious, obviously, but he was all curious about the content, the stories, what it taught the reader. He wondered if it was anything like the Bible, if it was monotheistic-- now he was excited. Of course, he thought with a smirk, getting yourself all riled up over a damn book.
What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.
22 Oct 2019, 13:00
Blue Boy
“The only annoying thing about The Catcher and the Rye is that I ended.” She commented before starting on a new passage. Adlai’s voice was nothing more than a soft warble. She didn’t want to disturb the other students on the grounds but wanted to be loud enough for the boy to hear her clearly.Interacting w/ @Gem Stuart
‘I never got his name did I?’ she thought.
“ ١ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا
رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ
نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا
زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا
كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّ
الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ ۚ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا”
رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ
نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا
زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا
كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّ
الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ ۚ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا”
This translated to-
“ O people! Fear your Lord, who created you from a single soul, and created from it its mate, and propagated from them many men and women. And revere God whom you ask about, and the parents. Surely, God is Watchful over you.”
But of course since the boy wouldn’t know that, but she didn’t give it a second thought and carried on.
“ ٢ وَآتُوا الْيَتَامَىٰ أَمْوَالَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا
تَتَبَدَّلُوا الْخَبِيثَ بِالطَّيِّبِ ۖ وَلَا
تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَهُمْ إِلَىٰ أَمْوَالِكُمْ ۚ
إِنَّهُ كَانَ حُوبًا كَبِيرًا”
تَتَبَدَّلُوا الْخَبِيثَ بِالطَّيِّبِ ۖ وَلَا
تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَهُمْ إِلَىٰ أَمْوَالِكُمْ ۚ
إِنَّهُ كَانَ حُوبًا كَبِيرًا”
This rendered to-
“ And give orphans their properties, and do not substitute the bad for the good. And do not consume their properties by combining them with yours, for that would be a serious sin.”
Though she knew exactly what everything meant she knew her new found acquaintance would not. Looking up from the book she turned her head to him.
“This whole chapter is call al-Nisa which means “The Women.” It’s basically telling how women were made and how they are to be treated among their families and peers.” She explained.
“The wording can be a bit confusing but after awhile you begin to get used to it and understand the meaning more and more. Or at least that’s what my Mum tells me.”
Adlai recalled the first prayers her mother had taught her when she was three. She couldn’t sit still on the prayer rug and was always asking her parents so many questions, occasionally climbing onto her fathers back as he prayed.
Surprisingly her father had originally came from a Catholic family before he converted to Islam not to long after he married. Thus, Adlai and her sisters had occasionally celebrated Christmas and sometimes Easter with their grandparents, on their fathers side.
Her mother’s parents didn’t think it was a good idea though, they said it would confuse the young girls but her mother never gave mind to them and their many failures of a warning.
Here is a link to a Quran recitation. If you would like for listen to it: Link
It’s not the same passage as Adlai is reading but it’s how I imagine her sounding.
Adlai Winifred Rod
3 Nov 2019, 19:20
Blue Boy
@Adlai Rod
It always struck Gem as incredible when someone was able to speak so fluidly in a completely different language. This one, though, this didn't have... well, english words, or latin, it was one in its very own. He watched her in awe, laying on his stomach, his elbows on the pavement, cheeks in his palms. He hadn't a clue what she was saying, but it was quite peaceful and... lovely, to put it short. He felt a lot less stupid when she explained the meaning behind the passages, though, and nodded attentively.
"It sounds... it sounds pretty! It really does." He sniffed, craning his neck so he could a peak at the words on the page. He felt his brain turn to putty, trying to understand what those characters said, but shook it off and crawled back into his original place. "I've.. I've heard ov this religion, but I never realleh thought ta explore it. Me mam, I know she studied it at one point, but I guess she never told me about it. I'll have ta tell her about this! I know she'll be elated ta hear about it. Uh- wot's your name, by e' way? I'm... I don't know if ya heard me before, but I'm Gem. It's nice ta meet ya."
What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.