Errand Sign away!

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The rest of the night was quiet. She continued her painting, often depicting small details that wouldn't complete the painting if it wasn't there, people signing hellos to each other, the professor helping out the younger students and all that. She watched the scene unfold by its own and just quietly captured the scene through lasting strokes, though it didn't have quite the same effect as wizarding photos, it still left an impact to Tatiana.

She had always valued painting among her other hobbies, except for her violin though, which was what she mainly focused on. This was a special talent lent to her by her mother, her godmother told her. She said that her mother was very much like her, and at least Tatiana had inherited something from her that she could use for her own gain after getting abandoned.

She had mainly taught these techniques by herself, her godparents just fueled her confidence and supplies, even if they had to go to muggle stores just to get them. They always valued her talents, Tatiana appreciated their support and would do anything to help them.

After the last few touches, Tatiana set her painting to dry, placing it on the crafts table and wandering around to her own entertainment. She had learned a few signs that helped her explore the event by herself, a few “Excuse me”s and “Coming through” here and there was enough for people to understand, she even signed to some acquaintances on the way to get refreshments yet again, but the silence was still ...ghostly.

After the event, she planned to quietly disappear off to the corridors and back to her dormroom, where she planned to finish the rest of her unanswered homeworks that she left open getting ready for the event.

Speech — Thoughts

WC: 272

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September 23rd | Ball Room

Even though Milica greatly disliked social gatherings, she still found herself standing in the ballroom, which was decorated.. cozily. Now, the true reason she was here was because she was interested in sign language. She didn't care much for other people, but it would be greatly beneficial to be able to communicate without using her voice. Hence, her unexpected arrival at the gathering.

Before she had arrived in the decorated ballroom, she had been worried about the social part of the event. As she saw the notice on the door however, reading 'No verbal communication, be creative!', she gave herself a mental fist bump. The best events are the ones where you're not forced to speak. After making sure that she looked proper - her dark brown sweater was free of any dust or food crumbs and her skirt was straightened out - she walked into the room.

Inside, Milica noticed that the large space in the ballroom was filled with beanbags, pillows and tables. It honestly looked like quite a comfortable hangout spot. Walking around the room, trying to scan the environment, she found some games and art supplies. The BSL alphabet was also scattered across the room, which would be a way to communicate for those who wished to do so. Milica had to admit, the event was well set up and did look cozy.

A lot of students had already arrived before her. Milica noticed that some were painting, others were using the BSL alphabet to learn sign language, and some were even sitting in the bean bags attempting conversations using such language. What surprised her the most was the constant silence that was present in the room. It was quite calming, actually.

Now, luckily for Milica, she didn't have to embarrass herself by trying to use sign language to talk to someone, as there was no way people would try to speak to her. Instead, she decided to silently walk over to the scattered papers and collect some, before walking over to one of the bean bags and taking a seat right there. As she was wearing a skirt, she took great care in sitting down gracefully, like a proper lady. Once she was seated, she quickly glanced over at others who were also sitting in the bean bags, checking out the room, and started practicing some signs herself.

After many tries and puzzling with the different papers, she finally managed to sign "Hello, how are you". As she had no one to practice with, she just signed this to.. the air. She blanked out a little afterwards, taking comfort in her empty mind, before getting back into the papers. For onlookers, it must've looked crazy: as if she expected the air to respond.

When she was done toying around with sign language, Milica reflected a bit in her mind. She realized that it was quite fun actually, to be able to 'speak' without speaking. After this event, she was surely planning to go to the library to find out more. Perhaps she could even try to become fluent in the British Sign Language.

Word Count: 516

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OOC notes: none

Date: September 23

Interacting With: @Kaitlyn Connor and open to interactions.

Word Count: 524/500

OOC Notes: Reducio Speaking: b38900 Thinking: Italics

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Outift: Reducio A green tank top, ripped jeans, and her satchel.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

| Date: 23/09/25 | Word count: 524 |
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On the afternoon of September twenty-third, Frederick had just left his last class, lost in thought. Walking down the corridor on the fifth floor, where the lesson had taken place, he had to make a quick detour to the floor below before heading up to Gryffindor Tower, to empty his bladder.

He knew he had some homework to do, so he quickly slipped into the boys’ bathroom, took care of business, and came back out to continue on his way. But during that little detour, still on the fourth floor, he walked past the ballroom and noticed a sign posted on the door. Curious, he stopped in his tracks to read what it said: “No verbal communication, be creative!”

Frederick lingered at the doorway for a few more moments, trying to make sense of what the sign meant. Shifting his weight from one leg to the other, he let curiosity get the better of him, as usual. “I’ll just take a quick peek.” That was his thought as he opened the door quietly and slipped inside.

Once in the room, he was grateful for having entered so silently. The place looked quite different from what he had imagined, filled with beanbags, pillows, and tables, and already occupied by a few other students who weren’t making a single sound. Soon, Fred noticed that next to the door stood a small table with sheets of paper on it, each covered in symbols. He reached out to grab one before weaving his way across the room toward an empty beanbag beside a blonde girl in a pink floral dress.

As he walked over, Fred held the paper in both hands, skimming through it quickly. There, he found the information that explained better what the sign meant and what was going on. It was an event to communicate through sign language, and he had absolutely no idea how to converse that way, only with gestures. He often gesticulated while speaking, of course, but he was only understood because his words gave the gestures meaning.

Fred finally sat down next to the girl and, almost out of habit, blurted out a cheerful, “Hi!” He immediately shut his mouth, shaking his head with a laugh. Shrugging, with a half-guilty, half-apologetic look, he waved the sheet of paper in his hand and pointed at it, trying to say, without saying, that he didn’t know how to use sign language.

The boy settled into the beanbag, set his backpack aside, and ran his eyes across the sheet with the sign alphabet. He tried to find the letters that made up his name and how to say the word “hi.” Truthfully, he wanted to say much more, like: “My name is…”, “What’s your name…” and “Why is this non-verbal communication event happening?”, but it all seemed a bit too complicated. When he finally lifted his gaze back to the girl beside him, however, he realized she had come up with a better idea: she was writing some things down on a piece of parchment, and that, indeed, would be a perfect way to communicate without using speech.

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| Interacting with: @Ally Craig |

location: Ballroom

date: Sept. 23rd, 2025

speaking: 0042A9

thinking: 80A7FF

interactions: @Bree Grey

word count: 602

Isabella stood in front of the mirror in her Gryffindor dorm, gently adjusting the white bow she had pinned into her hair. She had let it fall naturally over her shoulders. Her dress was a pretty white one with light floral patterns scattered across the fabric. It flowed gently as she turned from side to side, checking her reflection. It wasn’t overly fancy, but it felt just right. Comfortable. Beautiful in a quiet way.

Her tote bag sat on the bed. Already packed. Inside, she had placed her water bottle, her sketchbook, and a small pouch with her favorite sketching tools. Pencils, erasers, and a few colored ones just in case. She gave everything one last check, slung the bag over her shoulder, and then headed out of the dormitory toward the ballroom.

When she arrived, the space looked nothing like the formal ballroom she had imagined. She had to give credit to whoever organized. She was pretty sure it was Mylo Atkins. She'd never met them before but she was very impressed. It was cozy and colorful, with beanbags, soft pillows, and low tables spread out across the room. There were areas for crafts, games, and chatting. It was clear that this wasn’t a traditional ball. This was something made for everyone, no matter what they liked. She immediately felt more at ease.

Near the entrance, there was a table with colorful sheets of paper showing the BSL alphabet. Isabella smiled softly when she saw them. She didn’t need one. She had learned BSL years ago at her muggle school. Some of the students there couldn’t speak, including her best friend, Luna. Luna had patiently taught Isabella everything she knew, and over time, BSL had become like a second language. Seeing it included in the decorations meant more than she could explain. It felt like a quiet reminder of home.

Even though she didn’t need a sheet, she still picked up three. One for Maddy, one for Vi, and one to keep for herself as a souvenir. She had invited both of her best friends Madeline Tomlinson, who she fondly called Maddy or Mads, from Hufflepuff. And Violence Bloodthorn from Ravenclaw, who she called Vi. The two of them hadn’t spent much time together before, according to what she knew, and Isabella wasn’t sure how well they’d get along, but she hoped they would. They both had that loud yet full vibe. They were both also a hint of trouble and mischief in their own ways but she loved that. Honestly, she couldn’t imagine going to the event without them. And the third sheet? She’d add it to her scrapbook later, maybe next to a sketch from tonight.

As students milled around, some working on crafts, others playing games or finger-spelling with friends using the BSL posters, Isabella paused for a moment. Unsure of where to go. Then she glanced at her bag. A small idea sparked. She made her way to a quieter corner of the room, settled into a cozy beanbag, and pulled out her sketchbook. The soft chatter around her filled the space like background music. With her pencil in hand, she began to sketch the room. The floating candles, the groups of laughing students, and the warmth in the air.

OOC Info: Outfit, tote bag and sktechbook
Pings: @Madeline Tomlinson and @Violence Bloodthorn @Mylo Atkins

Isabella blinked in surprise at the parchment Maddy slid toward her, then chuckled under her breath. That was so Mads. No dramatic flowery phrasing, no pretending she knew what she was doing. Just the blunt honesty of “I have no idea what we are doing.” Isabella loved that about her. he quickly tucked her pencil behind her ear and closed her sketchbook, satisfied with the lines she had managed to capture. The soft glow of the floating candles was already resting on the page, so she figured it was time to focus on something else.

Instead of letting Maddy run back to the entrance, Isabella reached into her tote bag and pulled out one of the alphabet sheets she had grabbed earlier. She unfolded it neatly and placed it right onto Maddy’s lap with a playful little smirk. She twirled her quill between her fingers for a second before leaning over the parchment to reply. “Did you really think I wouldn’t have one ready for you?”

Maddy rolled her eyes dramatically, but the corner of her mouth betrayed a small grin. Isabella laughed softly, shaking her head. “I'll teach you the alphabet!” Isabella wrote neatly. She leaned closer, catching Maddy’s hands in her own. She guided Maddy’s fingers into the shape of the first letter, her movements gentle but steady. She pointed to the poster and pointed back at Maddy's hands to show her that she was signaling the letter A, holding her own hand up for comparison. Maddy furrowed her brows, concentrating so hard that Isabella nearly burst out laughing. When she got it right, Isabella gave her a thumbs up, giving her friend’s hand an encouraging squeeze before moving on to the next letter.

One by one, they went through the alphabet. Sometimes Maddy got it right instantly, other times Isabella had to adjust her thumb or tuck in a stubborn finger. Maddy groaned silently, rolling her eyes or making exaggerated faces whenever she messed up, which only made Isabella grin wider. She quickly scribbled on the corner of the parchment: “You’re doing fine, Mads. Honestly, you’re better at this than you think.”

Around them, the room kept buzzing with cozy energy. Students sprawled on beanbags were attempting finger-spelling with each other, some laughing at their mistakes, others nodding seriously when they got it right. Someone had even started a game at the far corner, where you had to spell out the name of a magical creature before anyone else. Isabella knew Maddy would get competitive about it later. But for now, she was content just guiding her friend’s hands, step by step. She liked the closeness of it. Isabella thought to herself that maybe she’d sketch that face later, the one where Maddy’s brows scrunched like she was dueling with the alphabet.

By the time they made it halfway through, Isabella leaned back slightly, still holding onto Maddy’s hands. She picked up the quill again and wrote with a small smile: “See? Not so bad, right?” Then, after shaping her fingers together into the letter M, she added on the parchment, “This is one of my favorites because it’s yours!”

Maddy dropped her head into her hands with a silent groan, then peeked up at Isabella with a mock glare. Isabella laughed quietly, shoulders shaking, and squeezed her friend’s hand. She knew if Maddy could talk, she'd grumble about how sentimental Isabella was being. In that moment, with the candlelight glowing above, and soft laughter humming in the background, Isabella thought the evening couldn’t have started better.

OOC Info: Outfit, tote bag and sktechbook
OOC notes: Permission granted to slightly godmodd
Pings: @Madeline Tomlinson and @Violence Bloodthorn

Reducio Interacting with@ Frederick Buckley

Reducio Speaking or in this case Written Words - Sample Thoughts - Sample

Reducio Outfit: Pink Flower Dress

Tuesday | 23 September 2025 | Afternoon
Hogwarts Ballroom