Ink On Water
|
|
|
|
XXXThe late sunshine rippled lazily on the small waves on the surface of the lake, the water sloshing quietly against the shore. Tiny fish darted about in the clear water, their tail lashes occasionally stirring up a small billow of silt when they got too close to the lake bed. It was slightly warmer than usual for October, though the wind that picked up every now and then was rather chilly, especially as the sun was beginning to set.
XXXAkari sat at the shore in a relatively grassier patch, where the damp dirt couldn't get to him too easily. He observed the little fish with mild interest, looking further over the lake whenever he thought he saw a tentacle peek above the surface. So far, nothing. Hogwarts could be quite peaceful at times. The international students had arrived earlier that day, and Akari had slipped off to be by himself for a while. He quite liked Hogwarts, though he still preferred the majesty of Mahoutokoro's jade structures and cloud-cloaked towers better.
XXXFor a moment, he wondered what would end up happening this time, but quickly brushed it away. If you spent your time at Hogwarts being paranoid, why even come in the first place? Akari dipped a fingertip into the cool water, swirling it lightly. Some of the fish darted away, spooked, while a few inched closer, though still at a safe distance. A small smile formed on his lips as he tugged his navy robes closer to himself to make sure they didn't get wet. They had been fluctuating between dark blue and purple over the last month, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.
XXXAs he sat up a little straighter, he noticed another person standing near the lake out of the corner of his eye. Ah, a Hogwarts student. It wasn't someone he recognized from last year. Akari glanced up at the other boy just as the scent of acrid smoke reached his nose.
XXX...is this actually happening?
XXXHe pinched himself, his eye twitching slightly. The curly-haired boy looked no younger than he was, but here he was, standing at the lakeshore, smoking a cigarette. How is this allowed?! Well, it probably wasn't, but it shouldn't be this common. A thought occurred to him. If a second year like Gabriele can find a way to do it, then I guess this boy can do it too. I just didn't expect it to be so... open. "Honto--?" the murmur escaped Akari before he could stop himself. "Really--?"
~✩✩✩~✩✩✩~✩✩✩~✩✩✩~✩✩✩~✩✩✩~
Calming Presence is in effect, contacts in
| "The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire." | PC: Eonaria Kabukimono |
Ink On Water
Date. 27/9/2025 | Dialogue. #1E361C | Tag. @Akari Kabukimono
────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────
Ugh, people. That was the thought that had occupied the majority of Gabriele’s brain this day. Everywhere he went, there were new faces, people crowding in places where they had absolutely no business being. After a year, Gabriele knew the best places to go to be alone, but that was currently being ruined by a sudden influx of visitors. Students from all over the Wizarding world had arrived today in large groups, leaving him wonder how they planned to fit them all. Having a magical castle would probably solve most issues.
To escape the crowd, Gabriele fled down to the Great Lake for some peace and quiet. Compared to the previous year when the international students arrived for some annual autumn ball, Gabriele wasn’t as clueless. Apparently that was a thing? In the letter from his Japanese penpal, he'd mentioned something that happened at Hogwarts last year. Would Akari be among the visitors? Japan was kind of a far trip to make. He couldn’t remember much from first year, which probably sounded kind of concerning. Gabriele glanced down at the newly lit cig between his thin fingers. Maybe the cigarettes had made him braindead or something… So be it, he thought with an unbothered shrug and took another pull of his death stick.
The Italian had definitely not participated in any dance or party last year, that much he knew. Perhaps he would this year. Come and crash, make some poor bitch cry and then leave with a dramatic mic drop, since he would most likely remain without a date. Could he get one if he made some effort? Of course he fucking could, he just didn’t want to waste his time asking someone (and risk being rejected).
The whole month of September had been a disaster. Everywhere Gabi went tended to turn into a disaster anyway, but this time it was not in his control. From breaking his collarbone flying off of that broom— which wasn’t even that bad, he supposed– to getting absolute beaten the shit out of by Archer Duncan, then Aleks lowkey avoiding him ever since that time in the library… Still had no idea what that was about, but the phantom pain of having his nose broken was still lingering as a constant reminder of everything wrong with his life. He swore, he was fucking cursed or something.
Glancing to his right, he noticed some other dude sitting on a grass patch for the first time, catching him glancing his way. Huh. Guess he wasn’t the only one sulking down here. Probably depressed too, he thought, flicking ash onto the ground. “Fuck, this place sucks,” he announced, loud enough for the guy to hear. He kicked a few rocks into the lake, watching the ripples spread like they were personally mocking him. “You want a smoke, or something?” The Italian offered, because he was so fucking generous.
| Sta: 7 | Eva: 7 | Str: 5 Wis: 5 | Arc: 10 | Acc: 7 |
Ink On Water
|
|
|
|
XXXAkari liked nature, a lot. So much so that one might be able to call him a tree-hugger, despite the fact that he had only hugged two trees in his lifetime. Or was it three? He loved everything from the ecosystems to the flowering bushes to the birds-- well, especially the birds. Something about the cute little creatures made his heart swell up. And as a lover of nature, Akari knew a lot about how everything and anything impacted the natural world. Thus, just watching the ash land on the ground made something in the depths of Akari's soul cringe terribly. We are standing right on the shore of this lake, how can you toss such toxic chemicals and heavy metals to the ground like nothing?? The next rainfall would pick up the traces and carry it into the lake, where many magical creatures likely lived. Tales of the merpeople population in Hogwarts’s Lake conjured up horrible scenarios in his mind, involving a rebellion, perhaps...
XXXThat was probably a little too far into the overthinking, and Akari was not about to berate him on hypothetical scenarios of merpeople. He would likely get scoffed at, anyway. He just watched, partly astonished and partly horrified as the other student declared that this place sucked. Akari wasn't sure if he was referring to the lake or Hogwarts itself. "No... thank you...?" He said blankly as the boy offered him a smoke. The rocks hit the surface of the water, some of the smaller ones spraying out like tiny projectiles. The small fish immediately scattered, slipping into the depths of the water. A flash of disappointment crossed his face.
XXXWell, I guess there's not much more point to sitting here. "Do they allow you to do that here?" Akari asked, standing up and narrowing his eyes as he brushed off his robes. They surely didn't, but he wanted to get the boy's perspective on it. "Cigarette ash doesn't belong in this lake. The magical creatures certainly won't like it."
XXXAkari glanced back at the disturbed lake surface for a brief moment. "Also, you scared off the fish," he added in a slightly gloomier tone, dropping the stern facade-- not that it was very convincing in the first place. Perhaps he should practice that sometime.
~✩✩✩~✩✩✩~✩✩✩~✩✩✩~✩✩✩~✩✩✩~
Calming Presence is in effect, contacts in (red)
| "The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire." | PC: Eonaria Kabukimono |