The Thunderbirds Meeting #1 Closed

@Gem Stuart @Timothy 'Tim' Blaine @James McMurtrie @Cormac McCarthy @Kerry Byrne @Emerly Pine

Rafa was impressing himself a lot today – his spells were getting increasingly better as time ticked on. His books, in fact, were halfway off the dirty floor, only getting higher as time passed. Cormac’s spells weren’t going too terribly, either; his quill was floating a few inches off the ground. He was currently working on his Mending Spell. Rafa was secretly glad Gem’s teaching was getting so far – his friend really was pretty spectacular.

For the next few moments, Rafa continued working on his Wingardium Leviosa Spell. Tim and Cormac seemed to have struck up a conversation. Something about the Houses, and being sorted incorrectly. Rafa was quite amused with this topic, though he was confident in the fact that he was a Gryffindor, through and through. Everything he did screamed Gryffindor – any old person could put two and two together. He could understand how Cormac would be confused about his house, though. A lot of people thought they had been sorted incorrectly – about half of his friends acted the exact opposite of their House stereotype. Cormac acted a bit different from his own stereotype, but Rafa wasn’t complaining too much. He was a funny little guy and made interesting company.

In the midst of their conversations, another familiar-looking Ravenclaw boy walked in. He must have picked up on the conversation, because he said, "It's not just Academics. They let nerds of all shades in – creative people, curious folks, those who think quick on their feet, plus a huge helping of freaks and weirdos. That's how Gem got in.” The guy hadn’t even said very much, and Rafa already liked his spirit. Plus, he already seemed to know Gem. Wow, small school. "Hey, maybe there's more to you than even you realize. I'm James by the way." For some reason, Rafa felt like he’d met this guy before. Maybe he had talked to him in the Great Hall or passed him in a corridor. Whatever the case, he couldn’t seem to shake the feeling of déjà vu.

“Nice to meet you, man,” Rafa told him, in a friendly sort of way.

"And this must be the Thunderbirds. Why are we meeting in a toilet?”

Oh, shit. He hit that question right on the head. Rafa bit his lip for a moment, nodding as if to say ‘Okay. We just went there.’ He was hoping to avoid this explanation for as long as possible, but now that the question had been asked so frankly, there really was no avoiding it now. “Um, well,” he said, putting a playful sort of look on his face, “There are these crazy girls, you know. They weren’t too happy about another club in town. You’ve heard of Jo Morgan and the Acid Pop Club?” Or whatever they call themselves. “Yeah, they’ve declared war on us, and,” Rafa waved his wand around for a moment, trying to find the best way to go about telling them. “Well,” he finally finished, “How do you feel about pranks?”

Before anyone could give it any thought, yet another voice entered the bathroom. "Hello?” the voice asked. “Anyone here?"

“Over here, man!” Rafa called back, his hand held up to his mouth to make his voice a bit louder.

interacting w/ @James McMurtrie, @Rafael D'Spacito, @Cormac McCarthy, @Kerry Byrne, @Emerly Pine & @Timothy 'Tim' Blaine

Gem was so caught up in his little thing, watching people try doing the spells, that he hadn't seen Cormac shatter the mirror until the noise of glass busting behind him hit him-- he hadn't jumped higher in his life.

"Jesus Mary an' Joseph! Cormac, maybe don' do that!" He wheezed, getting his wand out to fix it all over again. He didn't have time to really do that, seeing as a familiar voice rang out behind him-- James! He'd listened to him talk for a moment, until he was pulled in to the conversation.

"...plus a huge helping of freaks and weirdos, that's how Gem got in,"
"Aw, fook off, James! You aren't one ta talk!" He picked up pebble near the side of the sink, launching it at him so he purposefully missed. "Ravenclaw really does have loads of freaks n' geeks, you've joost got to find the right people... I know I did."

He hadn't listened to the conversation after that, fixing the mirror while he still had the chance to. Something about pranks, some question about why they were meeting in the bathroom, Jo Morgan, uh... whatever. He picked up his cat again, letting the fatass perch around his shoulders like an oversized scarf.

"Pranks?" Gem asked, a delayed response to one of the questions Rafa had thrown out. "Pranks fer wot? What kinda competition is this, anyways?"

Kerry heard someone calling him over and turned, looking for the source of the voice. That was a little bit ominous… a voice coming from somewhere in the bathroom. He inhaled nervously and walked closer to the group. He then found the group of boys, sitting and talking, and shifted on his feet. “Uh, hi… I was just… what are you guys doing here?” he asked, not wanting to expose what he had been doing just yet.

He then blinked, hearing the glass shatter from the mirror. He jumped back in surprise and looks over at Gem. “What… what happened?!” he asked, reaching out for Gem. He watched as the boy worked on fixing the mirror. Kerry looked around to make sure there was no flying glass anywhere that had hurt anyone. “Everyone okay? No one got hurt by the glass, did they?"

Then he saw the cat, and Kerry instantly was drawn to the pet, scratching it behind his ears. “Cute cat. What’s its name?”

He then looked to the others and asked, “Pranks? We’re talking about a prank competition?” He was nervous about such things but…. he also wanted to fit in and as long as they didn’t hurt anyone, he would be interested.

Since he had meandered back over to the goup with Gem's arrival, he returned the Gryffindor's greeting. "I'm Emerly Pine." he grimaced out another smile, looking around at the bathroom. It really was in bad shape, but how could anything be in bad shape in a magical school? He remembered hearing about something called scourgify that might come in handy now, but the only one he felt he was relatively good with was verdimillious. He was trying to get better at periculum, especially considering being able to signal for help might come in handy in a school frought with dangers as he heard Hogwarts was. There was also that other one, reparo, but-
One of the mirrors shattered and he instictively covered his face. He stared at it, open-mouthed, and then at the other, smaller Ravenclaw, Cormac. He pursed his lips and straightened, a mildly concerned expression on his face.
Maybe this was kind of a reckless move. Here he was, with a bunch of other First years it appeared, many of them practicing one spell after the next. He thought this would be more of a book reviewing sort of thing... They would have to practice eventually but he was still very much at unease with the whole concept of it all.
“How do you feel about pranks?”
The look of concern intensified on Emerly's face, and he was only spared blurting out a semi-disapproving response by another student entering and, after calling out to see if anyone else was here, finding them and Gem's cat. “Cute cat. What’s its name?”
"Really is, though," he grinned, losing track of himself, putting his quill back in his robes.

James snorted at hearing the name of the girls group, "Acid Pop Club? What, are they like a amateur Electro-punk band or something?" he laughed. "I don't mind pranks, as long as we don't go too mean with them. Confuse, don't abuse... that's what my b-... one of my friends used to say..."

He looked around for a place to take a seat, but the sinks looked as if they were barely designed to withstand the weight of the water that flowed through them.

"Is there like a change room in here or something? Maybe it'd give us some more floor space and something to sit on."

Just then, a timid-looking Hufflepuff boy appeared at the door of the bathrooms. The place was beginning to get a crowded and James wondered if there might be a place both safe from the girl's attacks, yet a more suited to studying. He looked over at a Slytherin boy with long hair who seem to recoil at the thought of a prank war.

James stuck out his hand.

"Hey, I'm James by the way. I don't think we've met before but I've seen you around.... it's Emerly right?"

He offered a kind smile, hoping to calm his nervous-looking peer.

Interacting with: @Gem Stuart @Emerly Pine @Rafael D'Spacito @Timothy 'Tim' Blaine @Kerry Byrne @Cormac McCarthy

Kerry had to laugh hearing the name of the girl’s club. “Wow, that is quite the name…” he smirks a little. “I don’t mind them either, long as no one gets really hurt by it.”

He looked over at James and said, “What was it about the bathroom that was the appeal? I mean… couldn't we use the Room of Requirement or something? Somewhere comfy to sit would be nice.” He too liked going to somewhere like the library that had comfy cousins and pillows and drinks with snacks.

Kerry held a hand out to the boy and said, “Hey, I’m Kerry. First year Hufflepuff… I just… I just met a painting out in the hall that… apparently I am related to.” He was still trying to figure out how that was possible. "I don't think I know anyone else here... I have just kinda been hiding out in the library doing homework and stuff." He looked around and asked, "So is this like a study group or something? Or are we planning how to take over the world?" Either way he was in, because making friends at Hogwarts was something that he definitely wanted to do. No man was an island, after all.

@Gem Stuart @Timothy 'Tim' Blaine @Kerry Byrne @Cormac McCarthy @James McMurtrie @Emerly Pine

There was a bit of variety to the reactions that Rafa got, but most of them, he noted, were a bit reluctant-sounding. That’s what he had been worried about. "Pranks?" Gem asked. "Pranks fer wot? What kinda competition is this, anyways?"

“It’s not really a competition,” Rafa answered, though he noticed that his voice seemed a bit unsure. He had reason to be – they were dealing with women. They should have a class of their own. “More of covering our asses, if I’ve picked up anything.” He shrugged. “For the most part, I just think the girls are bored, or whatever.” He hoped the air didn’t seem too tense. It hadn’t been his idea, or anything, but he was prepared to embrace it. He wasn’t too sure about everyone else, though.

"Acid Pop Club? What, are they like a amateur Electro-punk band or something?" James said with a sort of laugh. This relieved some of the pressure in the room (that Rafa felt, anyways). He let out a laugh himself. There was a bit of truth to that comment – the name was pretty ridiculous. Though, the Thunderbirds weren’t much better. Club names were so difficult to come up with.

"I don't mind pranks,” James continued, “As long as we don't go too mean with them. Confuse, don't abuse... that's what my b-... one of my friends used to say..."

Rafa caught the stutter in James’s comment, but decided not to press. He thought about his last comment. “Yeah, I can’t speak for the girls or anything, but don’t want anyone to get hurt. I’ve actually got a few friends in that group I’d rather not upset.” He gave a little shrug. “More of a friendly prank war – it’s no fun, otherwise. I’m sure if any of you are reluctant, I can talk to Jo or something. Maybe she’ll consider amnesty.” Though, the more he thought of Jo, the less likely that outcome sounded.

The boy sitting beside James stuck out his hand and introduced himself as Kerry Byrnes, sharing a few things about himself as he went. Rafa listened with interest, before answering. “Yeah, man, I bet that was exciting,” he said with a grin, shaking his hand firmly. He was talking about the paintings, of course. “As for not knowing anyone, I hope you can find a friend in me. I’m Rafael D’Spacito, first year Gryffindor. Call me Rafa.” He rolled the 'r' naturally - his accent had never slightly resembled that of the British. It had always been more Hispanic sounding, or American if you squinted. “This is a study club – The Thunderbirds. We’re not trying to take over the world. Yet,” he added with a bit of humor.

Kerry smirked at Rafa then and said, “Hey, if the girls are bored… we can keep them perfectly occupied.” He could think of all sorts of things that would keep them occupied… he had bugged his little sister plenty with all sorts of things that kept her busy. Of course it drove their father to be annoyed to no end, but that was the other part of the fun.

Kerry nodded to Raf and said, “It was… she was a professor here a long time ago… Herbology. Dad says that if I have any skill in me at all with plants it’s cause of her. I just didn’t expect to you know… meet her. She’s been dead for years!” He then heard the boy’s name and said, “Good to meet you, Rafael. Rafa…” he tried on the nickname. He heard the roll of the ‘r’, but he didn’t think much of it.

Smiling, he perked up at the words ‘study club’. “Oh yeah? The Thunderbirds is a pretty cool name. Better than ‘Acid Pop’. I mean, who are they kidding?” he chuckled at the girls’ club name. He then looked around and asked, “Okay, I have to ask… Why the lavatory?”

@Rafael D'Spacito @Kerry Byrne @Timothy 'Tim' Blaine @James McMurtrie @Gem Stuart @Emerly Pine

Cormac shook James' hand and smiled back at him. Yeah, maybe there was more to Ravenclaw than he'd originally thought. He'd seen him around the castle and seemed friendly and likeable enough. Before he could introduce himself to James, a Hufflepuff kid made his appearance. A chat on why Rafa had chosen the toilets as a meeting point soon ensued and Cormac felt his attention drift back to the floating writing tool.

Then, someone said something about ‘pranks’ and he instantly let the quill drop.

“There are these crazy girls, you know. They weren’t too happy about another club in town. You’ve heard of Jo Morgan and the Acid Pop Club? Yeah, they’ve declared war on us, and... Well, how do you feel about pranks?” Rafa said.

How did he feel about pranks? He felt about pranks the same way he felt about Christmas morning or candyfloss flavoured Berttie Bott's beans or the first day of summer holidays.

He'd heard about Jo Morgan and her worshippers. If it was a war they wanted, it would be a war they'd have. Cormac truly felt like he'd just won the jackpot.

He very much preferred to entertain his brain with prank-planning rather than spell practicing. Dozens of ideas started to flash through his mind. Some of the boys seemed quite worried they would end up setting somebody on fire or something, but Cormac knew well enough where the limits of a good ol' prank war were set.

Then, Kerry, the new Hufflepuff kid, spoke.

“Okay, I have to ask… Why the lavatory?”

“Man, that's club-rivalry 101. We've got to meet where the girls can't get us,” Cormac answered, grinning. “It's kind of tearing apart, but Gem here is wicked good at repairing spells.”

The Ravenclaw got on his feet and shook the dust off his robe. He came to stand by Kerry, facing the sitting group of boys.

“As for the prank war,” he started “if Jo Morgan and her minions are coming for us, I think we should be ready for counterattack. A family-friendly counterattack, that is,” he cleared his throat and continued. “In case you're interested in hearing ideas, I bought this beverage in the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes shop last summer, that, once you drink it, it makes everything you eat for the next three hours taste like rotten brussel sprouts.”

Gem had sort of tuned out of the conversation following, mostly looking for other things to fix up - it would be nice to work on reparo, since it was one he'd memorized well. Even then, the noisiness of the young boys around him sort of jutted him into listening (halfheartedly, anyway).

“Okay, I have to ask… Why the lavatory?”
"We've got to meet where the girls can't get us... it's kind of tearing apart, but Gem here is wicked good at repairing spells.”

It was hard not to smile after that, a bit bashful, but he said nothing. He stood silently, cringing whenever Basil kneaded his claws into his shoulders a bit too roughly. As much as Gem liked the idea of a competition, it seemed a bit out of nowhere. Had he had a rivalry with Jo Morgan, could that be it? It was always better to go in groups, but he liked it when he knew he was getting himself into.

"Wh- why are we assumin' Jo Morgan's comin' for us, though? Wos I just not payin' attention?" Gem interjected, if not a bit shyly. "It would be funny, to joost... go for a random group ov people fer the shits ov it, but... ergh, what's the deal wiv them? Joost cos they're a rival club?" He scratched the back of his head, the back of his hand getting swatted by Basil's fluffy, clawed paws. He was mostly looking to Rafa for an answer, stepping back towards James almost as if it were an instinct.