19 Nov 2019, 18:10
Clashes of Confidence
Interacting with @Gabriela Marquez
Thomas had grown fond of the Great Lake since his arrival at Hogwarts. The gentle ripples of the otherwise idle water, the quiet sounds of wildlife around him, and the relative solitude all proved to create an excellent atmosphere for reading. As he sat down near the shore, humming an upbeat and light little tune, he procured his Astronomy homework and began work. Growing up the boy had always had a preoccupation with the stars, so Tommy was glad to find that he'd be studying them for his time at Hogwarts. Among his many goals, academic and otherwise, was to achieve an O.W.L. (specifically an O) in the subject in his fifth year (though that could be said about all of the subjects he was currently studying).
A peaceful expression broke out on the boy's face as he did his homework. It was in direct contrast with his typical scowl or impassive expression; it was clear that Thomas enjoyed studying, a fact that made him vaguely prone to bullies growing up in school. However, in the company of some of his less academically inclined friends, he remained fairly sheltered from genuinely mean-spirited teasing. Of course, it's not as if Tommy would've taken it lying down anyways. His sharp tongue often got him in trouble with the wrong people; often figured of authority.
After completing a particularly lengthy write up on facts about some of the planets, Thomas paused a moment to rest his quill hand. He reassessed his surroundings, finding that a lot more time had passed than he'd anticipated, and that the people who had once been sitting out there with him had largely gone back inside. So he figured, anyways, once he started an assignment it was difficult for him to take a break anyhow, and the detail that the work required meant that he spent (seemingly) agonizingly long on assessments at a time.
After considering the merits of his work ethic for about 0.5 seconds, he immediately got back to work in typical geek behavior. The star chart he'd been referencing was spread out on the grass, weighted down by some of his larger books. Between the homework and the blue robes, it was clear that Thomas was a Ravenclaw through and through.
Thomas had grown fond of the Great Lake since his arrival at Hogwarts. The gentle ripples of the otherwise idle water, the quiet sounds of wildlife around him, and the relative solitude all proved to create an excellent atmosphere for reading. As he sat down near the shore, humming an upbeat and light little tune, he procured his Astronomy homework and began work. Growing up the boy had always had a preoccupation with the stars, so Tommy was glad to find that he'd be studying them for his time at Hogwarts. Among his many goals, academic and otherwise, was to achieve an O.W.L. (specifically an O) in the subject in his fifth year (though that could be said about all of the subjects he was currently studying).
A peaceful expression broke out on the boy's face as he did his homework. It was in direct contrast with his typical scowl or impassive expression; it was clear that Thomas enjoyed studying, a fact that made him vaguely prone to bullies growing up in school. However, in the company of some of his less academically inclined friends, he remained fairly sheltered from genuinely mean-spirited teasing. Of course, it's not as if Tommy would've taken it lying down anyways. His sharp tongue often got him in trouble with the wrong people; often figured of authority.
After completing a particularly lengthy write up on facts about some of the planets, Thomas paused a moment to rest his quill hand. He reassessed his surroundings, finding that a lot more time had passed than he'd anticipated, and that the people who had once been sitting out there with him had largely gone back inside. So he figured, anyways, once he started an assignment it was difficult for him to take a break anyhow, and the detail that the work required meant that he spent (seemingly) agonizingly long on assessments at a time.
After considering the merits of his work ethic for about 0.5 seconds, he immediately got back to work in typical geek behavior. The star chart he'd been referencing was spread out on the grass, weighted down by some of his larger books. Between the homework and the blue robes, it was clear that Thomas was a Ravenclaw through and through.
Evasive Maneuvers II // Wandmaker // Terrible Presence
STAMINA 7 // EVASION 21 // STRENGTH 1 // WISDOM 15 // ARCANE POWER 15 // ACCURACY 13
Hex: #1C4587
20 Nov 2019, 08:22
Clashes of Confidence
Gabriela had headed down to the grounds again, alone. It was quite a long walk from her dormitory in the Slytherin common room, and she had set out as soon as she had finished her Charms homework, desperate to get away from the stuffiness inside.
Alas, outside, the heat of midday had come out in full force, and Gabby would bet that it was hotter out here than it was in there. Rays of the sun thrust itself at her face as if she were a magnet, and found its way to the rest of her body like a hungry, cold-sucking leech. The heat found its way to the grass as well, sending heat waves rolling off the lawn of green in a disorientating way.
The temperature was unbearable, and though Gabby knew she could go back to the coolness of the dorm’s, and perhaps start on her Transfiguration, she couldn’t bear to sit down for another minute, and she would, soon enough, succumb to boredom.
So Gabby had decided to fight the sun and stay out in the grounds for a little longer. She sat in the shade of a tree, her cinnamon-coloured legs sprawled out in front of her, and her fingers idly making criss-crossing lines in the grassy dirt. Her head was bent, away from the sun’s hot glare, and eyebrows furrowed, focusing on her drawings.
The sky was very blue; there was not a cloud in it. The castle was silhouetted against it in a dark grey line, seemingly far away, and there was the noise of chattering students as they wandered around the grounds, talking with friends. It made Gabby lonely to think that she wasn’t in one of those groups and furthered her boredom. She looked up, squinting against the sun, and surveyed the area, trying to find something that would capture her interest.
Not far away was a young-looking boy, thin, with neat brown hair. Papers and books lay around him, and a quill was held in his hand. She was about to turn around, already loosing interest, when she spotted the boy's robes, bright blue in the hot sun. Ravenclaw. Hatred rose to her head, she'd always had a sore spot for Ravenclaws. They were studious, when she was easily distracted, and got on her nerves quickly. But with nothing else to do, she stalked over, towering over the boy as she stood there.
"What're you doing?" she asked causally. "Homework?"
21 Nov 2019, 02:57
Clashes of Confidence
Thomas was startled from his focus, having not noticed the girl's approach. The rather abrupt inquiry out of the blue, and lack of proper greeting, did little to endear the Slytherin to Thomas. A small scowl broke out on his face as he responded, "Uh, yeah. Astronomy." He adjusted how he was seated to get a better look at the interloper, making no attempt to hide his displeasure with having to speak to a stranger.
Still, raised to be polite and courteous, he reluctantly eased up a bit and asked, mostly out of principle, "Who're you?" Tommy always had a certain disdain for small talk. Especially with people he didn't know. Especially especially with people who he didn't know who interrupted his studies. Against better judgment, he decided to continue on, "And what're you up to?"
The boy regarded her a bit cautiously as he sat, wondering and trying to discern exactly why this girl decided to bother him. The green robes made him wary, as he was more than aware of the stereotype associated with Slytherins and their potential for less than savory behaviors. All of these factors and preconceived notions, in addition to what he saw as a rude introduction, made for a less-than-excellent opinion.
Still, raised to be polite and courteous, he reluctantly eased up a bit and asked, mostly out of principle, "Who're you?" Tommy always had a certain disdain for small talk. Especially with people he didn't know. Especially especially with people who he didn't know who interrupted his studies. Against better judgment, he decided to continue on, "And what're you up to?"
The boy regarded her a bit cautiously as he sat, wondering and trying to discern exactly why this girl decided to bother him. The green robes made him wary, as he was more than aware of the stereotype associated with Slytherins and their potential for less than savory behaviors. All of these factors and preconceived notions, in addition to what he saw as a rude introduction, made for a less-than-excellent opinion.
Last edited by Thomas Baines on 22 Nov 2019, 05:24, edited 1 time in total.
Evasive Maneuvers II // Wandmaker // Terrible Presence
STAMINA 7 // EVASION 21 // STRENGTH 1 // WISDOM 15 // ARCANE POWER 15 // ACCURACY 13
Hex: #1C4587
21 Nov 2019, 06:22
Clashes of Confidence
"What am I up to? Nothing really," Gabby replied.
She started to draw again, this time with her foot, dragging the toe through the dirt, criss-crossing lines as if she were drawing up a nougths and crosses board. Still board, her eyes continued to drift, never focusing on one place for more than a second. She took in the Great Lake, shimmering in the room, the sky, blue and cloudless, and the people, moving in and out of the grounds.
"My name's Gabby. Well, my actual name is Gabriela. Gabriela Marquez. But nobody calls me that 'less they're a teacher, or if I'm in trouble." She added, answering the previous question.
She paused, not sure what to say next. Catching sight of a piece of paper that lay beside the boy, she observed it. An Astronomy chart, clearly. The paths of moons and planets was neatly drawn across the whole page. A slight feeling of anger rose up to her head. Gabby was horrible at Astronomy. An absolute nightmare to the teachers. Gabby found it hard watching the skies for such long periods of time, and would likely to cause trouble.
"You Ravenclaws sure like your homework, don't you?" she said, the spite clear in her voice as she spoke.
23 Nov 2019, 00:29
Clashes of Confidence
”I’m Thomas. Thomas Baines.” Though his friends often called him Tommy or Tom, it was his belief that this Gabby character hadn’t reached that level of familiarity yet. Nicknames were exchanged among friends after all, and though this stranger opened with hers, he felt no obligation to follow suit.
His expression darkened a bit with her offhand comment about Ravenclaws and homework. While it certainly wasn’t an untrue statement to say that Tommy enjoyed his coursework—and it wasn’t untrue to note that most Ravenclaws were probably similarly studious—there was something about the assumption that rubbed him the wrong way. It reminded him of a certain boy he met in the corridors a week or so prior, but far less benevolent.
In fact, to call it an offhand comment was inaccurate. Despite Thomas’ fairly oblivious nature, the vitriol in Gabby’s tone was easily discernible (especially in contrast with her original introduction). Unsure of how to respond, but finding that his mouth was already moving before he could stop himself, Thomas replied, “I like learning. I also happen to like getting O's. Conveniently enough, homework gets me both." He paused for a moment, adding onto his retort with a sharper tone, "Seems kinda dumb, being immersed in a totally different world, and to have absolutely no interest in understanding it. Then again, I suppose most Slytherins are too entitled to see how little they actually know."
Thomas spoke matter-of-factly, rising to his feet to assert his position. He was shorter than average, and certainly far from imposing, but the confidence in his body language and tone was unmistakable.
His expression darkened a bit with her offhand comment about Ravenclaws and homework. While it certainly wasn’t an untrue statement to say that Tommy enjoyed his coursework—and it wasn’t untrue to note that most Ravenclaws were probably similarly studious—there was something about the assumption that rubbed him the wrong way. It reminded him of a certain boy he met in the corridors a week or so prior, but far less benevolent.
In fact, to call it an offhand comment was inaccurate. Despite Thomas’ fairly oblivious nature, the vitriol in Gabby’s tone was easily discernible (especially in contrast with her original introduction). Unsure of how to respond, but finding that his mouth was already moving before he could stop himself, Thomas replied, “I like learning. I also happen to like getting O's. Conveniently enough, homework gets me both." He paused for a moment, adding onto his retort with a sharper tone, "Seems kinda dumb, being immersed in a totally different world, and to have absolutely no interest in understanding it. Then again, I suppose most Slytherins are too entitled to see how little they actually know."
Thomas spoke matter-of-factly, rising to his feet to assert his position. He was shorter than average, and certainly far from imposing, but the confidence in his body language and tone was unmistakable.
Last edited by Thomas Baines on 24 Nov 2019, 01:44, edited 1 time in total.
Evasive Maneuvers II // Wandmaker // Terrible Presence
STAMINA 7 // EVASION 21 // STRENGTH 1 // WISDOM 15 // ARCANE POWER 15 // ACCURACY 13
Hex: #1C4587
23 Nov 2019, 06:21
Clashes of Confidence
Thomas Baines. Gabby didn't think she had heard of that name before. She raked her brains, but doubted she would remember, even if she had heard of Thomas before. One of Gabby's numerous faults - she had a horrible memory. But, she was distracted from her thoughts when Thomas spoke again. What a boaster, she thought herself. Did he really need to mention that he gets O's all the time? But what really made her loose it was when he commented on Slytherins.
Slytherins had a bad rap, Gabby knew that. She could tell that the other houses didn't exactly think that Slytherins were the nicest, or the kindest. And she absolutely hated it. Anger rising, like molten lava, she exploded on the boy.
"Oh really?" She said, placing her hands on her hips in a business like manner. "Too entitled? At least we have a life outside our school work. You guys do realize that there's more to life than being smart and clever and right all the time, yeah? Having smart comebacks and knowing all the answers in class is good and all, but that doesn't matter when you leave school, does it? You guys will just be the smart-alec nobody really likes?"
24 Nov 2019, 02:02
Clashes of Confidence
Thomas' expression remained totally deadpan as the girl yelled at him. Her tirade was seemingly completely ineffectual, going in one ear and out the other. While it stung a little bit, because he was a little sensitive about his anti-social tendencies, Tommy let none of that hurt show on his face. It was a practice he'd grown accustomed to over the years.
Regarding her with the most infuriatingly neutral expression, Thomas waited for her to finish her outburst before responding levelly, "There may be more to life than what you listed, but that makes up a good 80% of it. Knowing the answers in and out of class has its perks. You can score pretty high on the OWL exams that way." His tone was just as confident as before, meeting her eyes easily despite the barely contained fury behind them.
He paused to reconsider her last point, struggling momentarily to find an adequate response. It was one of his many insecurities in truth, being the arrogant know-it-all, and his expression faltered significantly before his walls came back up. The boy even managed a cocky smile, though it was somewhat strained, as he retorted, "You're throwing stones from a glass house here, talking about being some kid that nobody really likes. I mean you walked up, disturbed my studying for literally no reason, and implied I was a nerd. To believe that I'm some sort of smart-alec for rightfully defending myself is such a self-absorbed perspective."
Regarding her with the most infuriatingly neutral expression, Thomas waited for her to finish her outburst before responding levelly, "There may be more to life than what you listed, but that makes up a good 80% of it. Knowing the answers in and out of class has its perks. You can score pretty high on the OWL exams that way." His tone was just as confident as before, meeting her eyes easily despite the barely contained fury behind them.
He paused to reconsider her last point, struggling momentarily to find an adequate response. It was one of his many insecurities in truth, being the arrogant know-it-all, and his expression faltered significantly before his walls came back up. The boy even managed a cocky smile, though it was somewhat strained, as he retorted, "You're throwing stones from a glass house here, talking about being some kid that nobody really likes. I mean you walked up, disturbed my studying for literally no reason, and implied I was a nerd. To believe that I'm some sort of smart-alec for rightfully defending myself is such a self-absorbed perspective."
Evasive Maneuvers II // Wandmaker // Terrible Presence
STAMINA 7 // EVASION 21 // STRENGTH 1 // WISDOM 15 // ARCANE POWER 15 // ACCURACY 13
Hex: #1C4587
24 Nov 2019, 20:26
Clashes of Confidence
Gabby was slightly taken aback by the boy's reply. Unlike her own speech, it had been spoken in a calm, rational manner. Thomas' temper hadn't been raised the slightest, and he didn't seem bothered by the remarks at all. Gabby creased her eyebrows in confusion, biting her lip as she began to think.
She couldn't triumph over Thomas if she continued doing what she was doing. The Ravenclaw would simply outwit her every insult with more rational, logical answers. No, she needed a different approach. Something that could beat his tactic. But what? Then, it came to her suddenly, so brilliant that Gabby couldn't help the corners of her mouth turn up slightly, in pure happiness. I'll beat him with his own tactic! she thought excitably. It'll be a bit like a debate, I'll beat his logic with logic of my own.
Then there was the issue of figuring out what to say, which proved to be a difficult challenge. She spoke carefully, lacing her words with the boredom and courage of a person well at ease.
"To be fair," she pointed out, "I called you a nerd because you called me, or you called Slytherins, entitled. So, if you think about it, I was defending myself when I called you a smart-alec. And I stand by what I said about smartness, I doubt it makes up 80% of life anyway, where did you get that number from?"
8 Dec 2019, 02:27
Clashes of Confidence
As Gabriela's face brightened considerably as she spoke, Thomas' brows scrunched up as he attempted to come up with a worthy retort. Eventually, he settled upon, "It was an estimate, really. Like, theoretically, if you were smart, you'd be in good shape about eighty percent of the time. Feel free to take that nitpick and run with it, though." Thomas' face flushed red, whether it was from suppressed anger or mild embarrassment that he was called out was ambiguous. He crossed his arms as his impassive expression sharpened into a glare, trying hard to keep his pride in tact. It irked him that Gabriela even bothered to mention the completely fabricated fact, and was hoping she'd let it slide for the sake of making his point.
"And on the topic of defending yourself, don't bother starting down that route. As if that comment about homework wasn't a dig at me being a geek. I certainly didn't start this argument, just on the record!" While not exactly the most mature or measured of responses, from Thomas' totally non-biased perspective, it was truth. Still, his voice rose slightly at the end, giving away his indignation in a subtle manner. Between that and his drastic change in body language, anyone capable of reading people would be able to tell that he'd been set off.
"And on the topic of defending yourself, don't bother starting down that route. As if that comment about homework wasn't a dig at me being a geek. I certainly didn't start this argument, just on the record!" While not exactly the most mature or measured of responses, from Thomas' totally non-biased perspective, it was truth. Still, his voice rose slightly at the end, giving away his indignation in a subtle manner. Between that and his drastic change in body language, anyone capable of reading people would be able to tell that he'd been set off.
Reducio
Sorry this reply took so long ;_; I just finished my semester, so I had a bunch of projects and exams for the past few weeks!
Evasive Maneuvers II // Wandmaker // Terrible Presence
STAMINA 7 // EVASION 21 // STRENGTH 1 // WISDOM 15 // ARCANE POWER 15 // ACCURACY 13
Hex: #1C4587
8 Dec 2019, 11:22
Clashes of Confidence
Gabby chewed at the inside of her cheek. The Ravenclaw had clearly won the argument. Even Gabby, with her limited debating experience, could tell. But she couldn't focus on her loss, now she had to focus on round two. How to reply? Stay smart, Gabby urged herself. And please, please don't say anything that will sound stupid.
"Okay, you're right about the 80% thing, she admitted, trying to sound graceful in her defeat. That wouldn't be very fair on your part. I can't expect you to pick a perfect percentage, and that would be mean and unfair on my part."
After her apology, Gabby paused to think. Despite the speech, she knew that she had to defeat herself as well. If Gabby left it on this note, the boy would think that he had won, which just wouldn't do. Another girl might've accepted her wrong doing, but not Gabby. She was too persistent, too competitive, to simply let it go.
"But your still wrong. You were the one who started it. What I said wasn't rude at all, and you know it."
Now, this wasn't strictly true, and Gabby knew it. She had spoken spitefully when first speaking to the boy, but she wasn't about to admit that. If she did, Gabby would be seen as the bad guy. Which I techinally am, she admitted to herself. But he doesn't need to know that.
"But I don't blame you. Since you're a Ravenclaw, and all. You guys just have to be right, don't you? None of you can just admit to defeat."