22 Apr 2020, 21:39
A Friendly Chat
Tuesday | 14 April 2020 | 10:18 am
April was proving to be Aaron's busiest month at Hogwarts yet. Despite the fact that half of the month was made up of the Easter holidays, he was feeling pretty overwhelmed. His first real party here at Hogwarts (Willow and Alan's birthday) had been closely followed by a freak explosion in the common room. Not even a week later, he had his first ever Quidditch match against Gryffindor (even though it was unofficial, he had still put his heart and soul into it). And the day after that, he had thrown himself into planning for a Secret Blossom Ball with his friends. Three Hufflepuff friends had quickly blossomed into a committee of six first years, and they spent the end of last week hammering out the details. Then the weekend was focused on spreading the word about the ball. And Easter Sunday? Well, a gift-laden holiday morning quickly fell into chaos when Aaron had a run in with Rafael D'Spacito later that afternoon.
Point being, Aaron was feeling overwhelmed after the last two weeks, especially when he thought about the pile of homework untouched in his dorm. So, after breakfast, he decided to spend Tuesday morning doing a bit of Taekwondo. It was something his parents had signed him up for years ago when they realized he had real anger issues as a child. It was a great stress reliever, and did a lot more for him than the medication they had tried to put him on. The Great Lake had been his practice spot since September, so that's exactly where he headed on that particular April morning.
However, the martial artist's plans for a quick practice session came to a pause when he recognized a girl down by the lake. Santario Martin. She was a fellow first year and one of the few Slytherin acquaintances he had here at Hogwarts. A quick glance around the area revealed she was alone, so of course Aaron was going to go say hi. Surely, a friendly chat would brighten up both of their mornings.
As the Asian boy walked towards her, though, a thought struck him. Santario was a photographer. Her photos were amazing, and she had helped him with a gift for Willow earlier that month. What if she came to the Secret Blossom Ball as their official photographer? Balls had photographers, right? Even if they didn't normally, Aaron was sure Lydia would approve of the idea. With a photographer, he and the other organizers would have proof of how amazing the night was! And he'd have something to show Avery back at home. The idea put a huge smile on Aaron's face as he continued walking.
"Hi Santario! How are you?" Aaron said once he was within speaking distance. He wasn't sure if the dark-haired girl had noticed him approaching, but he had certainly gotten her attention by talking now. "Do you have a minute to talk?"
@Santario Martin
Last edited by Aaron Jones on 24 Apr 2020, 15:11, edited 1 time in total.
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
22 Apr 2020, 23:31
A Friendly Chat
Waves gently rolled themselves on and off of the sand surrounding the great lake. They were playing the game as to whether the water would bring itself far enough up onto the beach to wet her black and white converse. This year had been intense, and her memories of the lakeside weren’t exactly good either. “Next year will be better. She murmured to herself as she looked out upon the lake. This last year of school had been ultimate brooding, and today wasn’t much different other than the fact that she was trying to snap herself out of it.
Dealing with more than an eleven-year-old should deal with was not exactly something easy to snap yourself out of, though. Her best friend betraying her, the murder of her parents, having no one to talk to, and the impending dread of going back to France after the school year was over. Could next year truly be better? It seemed Hogwarts was just as crazy as her real-life, especially with the void spiders attacking them in the common room. Her peers who had been bit still hadn’t fully recovered, and she didn’t know when or even if they would.
A familiar voice saying her name drew her out of her head and pulled her attention in the boy’s direction. “Hello Aaron, of course, I have time to talk. I am well, how about yourself?” Her silvery voice greeting him, accompanied by a soft smile. Aaron had become an acquittance out of chance, and no doubt within time would become an actual friend. He seemed friendly enough, anyway.
@Aaron Jones
Dealing with more than an eleven-year-old should deal with was not exactly something easy to snap yourself out of, though. Her best friend betraying her, the murder of her parents, having no one to talk to, and the impending dread of going back to France after the school year was over. Could next year truly be better? It seemed Hogwarts was just as crazy as her real-life, especially with the void spiders attacking them in the common room. Her peers who had been bit still hadn’t fully recovered, and she didn’t know when or even if they would.
A familiar voice saying her name drew her out of her head and pulled her attention in the boy’s direction. “Hello Aaron, of course, I have time to talk. I am well, how about yourself?” Her silvery voice greeting him, accompanied by a soft smile. Aaron had become an acquittance out of chance, and no doubt within time would become an actual friend. He seemed friendly enough, anyway.
@Aaron Jones
Healing Sage: +30% healing | Prodigal Charms | Impartial | Fearless
Stamina : 10 | Evasion : 7 | Strength : 3 | Wisdom : 12 | Arcane Power : 10 | Accuracy : 15
Stamina : 10 | Evasion : 7 | Strength : 3 | Wisdom : 12 | Arcane Power : 10 | Accuracy : 15
23 Apr 2020, 02:31
A Friendly Chat
Aaron beamed as Santario agreed to speak. He approached her further and looked out at the lake. The twelve-year-old had ventured outdoors in his standard workout gear - a pair of grey sweatpants and a long-sleeved white T-shirt. The shirt was very breathable, so he was comfortable in today's nice weather. The view of the lake was as calming as ever, and Aaron took a moment to soak it in before he spoke again.
"I'm doing.. okay." His hesitation was barely noticeable, but he felt like Santario would've heard it. Rather than risk her feeling too uncomfortable to ask, he decided to explain. Not everything, of course, but the most pressing issue on his mind. "Well, I'm not too great with homework, and I've just been thinking about all that stuff the teachers assigned before break started... I haven't really worked on any of it yet," he explained, offering a chagrined look.
"But anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something completely unrelated to homework," Aaron said, wearing a big smile now so that she wouldn't focus on giving him advice or anything. He knew his best friends would help him with the schoolwork before break ended. It jsut sucked that he always had to rely on them for help. "Um- have you heard about the Blossom Ball being cancelled and all that?" he asked, curious if the dance was even on her radar.
@Santario Martin
"I'm doing.. okay." His hesitation was barely noticeable, but he felt like Santario would've heard it. Rather than risk her feeling too uncomfortable to ask, he decided to explain. Not everything, of course, but the most pressing issue on his mind. "Well, I'm not too great with homework, and I've just been thinking about all that stuff the teachers assigned before break started... I haven't really worked on any of it yet," he explained, offering a chagrined look.
"But anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something completely unrelated to homework," Aaron said, wearing a big smile now so that she wouldn't focus on giving him advice or anything. He knew his best friends would help him with the schoolwork before break ended. It jsut sucked that he always had to rely on them for help. "Um- have you heard about the Blossom Ball being cancelled and all that?" he asked, curious if the dance was even on her radar.
@Santario Martin
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
23 Apr 2020, 20:57
A Friendly Chat
Hesitancy, in his answer, was something she did pick up on. Years of being groomed by the de Clairmonts to pick up on any and all social ques possible, especially in adults tended to give her the upper hand with the other kids at Hogwarts who didn’t know how to hide it so well. He moved on quickly, however, with an explanation. She would nod along as he explained his homework predicament. She had done all of her homework except for transfiguration, a class she admittedly always put off for last.
She watched him curiously as his pace continued in a way that did not leave her a chance to offer advice or assistance. If he hadn’t been upfront about having an agenda, she would have assumed he had one. Ah- and there it was a question about the canceled blossom ball. Something she did not intend on going to even if it hadn’t been canceled. Memories of the masquerade ball played in her mind, and although she hadn’t been there for the main event, the events that caused her to leave still stung almost worse than if she had been. Ultimately, it was the night that led to the full discovery of the betrayal of her then best friend. And it left her with a broken arm.
“Yes, I had heard it was canceled. I can’t say I am surprised considering what happened last time Hogwarts held a ball.” There was no way he was here lamenting in the fact that he couldn’t ask her to go with him. They barely knew each other, and while it was normal in the pure-blood/rich world for children to be paired up at cotillions and other parties, she had a feeling he was not apart of that world. It was refreshing really; she wanted nothing more than to distance herself from that world. “Why do you ask?” The curiosity could be well noted in her question as she genuinely was intrigued by such inquiry.
@Aaron Jones
She watched him curiously as his pace continued in a way that did not leave her a chance to offer advice or assistance. If he hadn’t been upfront about having an agenda, she would have assumed he had one. Ah- and there it was a question about the canceled blossom ball. Something she did not intend on going to even if it hadn’t been canceled. Memories of the masquerade ball played in her mind, and although she hadn’t been there for the main event, the events that caused her to leave still stung almost worse than if she had been. Ultimately, it was the night that led to the full discovery of the betrayal of her then best friend. And it left her with a broken arm.
“Yes, I had heard it was canceled. I can’t say I am surprised considering what happened last time Hogwarts held a ball.” There was no way he was here lamenting in the fact that he couldn’t ask her to go with him. They barely knew each other, and while it was normal in the pure-blood/rich world for children to be paired up at cotillions and other parties, she had a feeling he was not apart of that world. It was refreshing really; she wanted nothing more than to distance herself from that world. “Why do you ask?” The curiosity could be well noted in her question as she genuinely was intrigued by such inquiry.
@Aaron Jones
Healing Sage: +30% healing | Prodigal Charms | Impartial | Fearless
Stamina : 10 | Evasion : 7 | Strength : 3 | Wisdom : 12 | Arcane Power : 10 | Accuracy : 15
Stamina : 10 | Evasion : 7 | Strength : 3 | Wisdom : 12 | Arcane Power : 10 | Accuracy : 15
23 Apr 2020, 21:26
A Friendly Chat
"Yeah, I didn't go to the masquerade, but I heard about it," Aaron said. Of course, during the discussions with his fellow planners, there had been some similar concerns. Pericles Dralt was a Ravenclaw Prefect (an unexpected addition to the group) who had a lot of knowledge about the previous events at Hogwarts. He had offered some warnings about their choice of venue (the Quidditch Pitch was pretty far from the castle, and if anything went wrong, how would they alert the professors?), but in the end, the group had come up with some emergency exit strategies. After hearing Santario's words, though, it occurred to Aaron that other people might have the same idea thinking that a ball would be too dangerous. Would people even come?
Aaron was brought out of his worries by Santario speaking again. Her curiosity alerted him to the fact that their efforts spreading the word had not quite reached everyone in the castle yet. He offered a crooked (nervous) smile as he cleared his throat.
"Ah, well- the thing is, there's going to be a Secret Blossom Ball. It's next Saturday on the 25th once everyone's back from break, and I'm part of the group that's organizing it.. we already have the blessing of a couple Prefects, and we're hoping to make it as safe as possible-" Aaron was really trying to sell her on the idea of the secret ball. He was confident she wouldn't tattle on them, but he was more concerned if she'd even be willing to attend. "I was hoping you might come and take pictures? Maybe?" Perhaps he shouldn't have been so direct, but he didn't want to beat around the bush for too long. "Only if you'd like to, of course. And even if you don't want to do pictures, you're still very welcome to come and just hang out and have a good time." At this point, he offered a hopeful smile. Even if she turned down the offer of being photographer, Aaron would still want to see Santario there.
@Santario Martin
Aaron was brought out of his worries by Santario speaking again. Her curiosity alerted him to the fact that their efforts spreading the word had not quite reached everyone in the castle yet. He offered a crooked (nervous) smile as he cleared his throat.
"Ah, well- the thing is, there's going to be a Secret Blossom Ball. It's next Saturday on the 25th once everyone's back from break, and I'm part of the group that's organizing it.. we already have the blessing of a couple Prefects, and we're hoping to make it as safe as possible-" Aaron was really trying to sell her on the idea of the secret ball. He was confident she wouldn't tattle on them, but he was more concerned if she'd even be willing to attend. "I was hoping you might come and take pictures? Maybe?" Perhaps he shouldn't have been so direct, but he didn't want to beat around the bush for too long. "Only if you'd like to, of course. And even if you don't want to do pictures, you're still very welcome to come and just hang out and have a good time." At this point, he offered a hopeful smile. Even if she turned down the offer of being photographer, Aaron would still want to see Santario there.
@Santario Martin
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
24 Apr 2020, 00:43
A Friendly Chat
“Hmm… Secret Ball.” She mused, and for just a moment, she was almost concerned that he was going to ask her to go with him, but then he continued asking her to take photos, and a smile brightened her face. She even giggled softly when he continued making sure that she knew going was an option even if she didn’t want to take photos. “I would be honored to be there taking photographs. In fact, if you let me in before the ball starts, I can get photos of the whole set up and then put myself near the front to get photographs of everyone entering as well.” She was excited, and it was clear as day with the way her sapphire eyes lit up.
She wouldn’t dress up as fancy as the rest of the girls, no doubt much to the horror of her grandmother. This was a secret ball, and she considered herself staff, and as such, it would be rude to outshine the actual guests. “Thank you for thinking of me. I would really be delighted to do this. Then I can make some kind of commemorative photo album for all who planned it.” Hopefully, this occasion remained fun and peaceful for everyone involved. An event at Hogwarts made it that it probably wouldn’t be, but the fact that it was secret gave it a fair chance. Either way, she would be prepared for the worse just in case.
@Aaron Jones
She wouldn’t dress up as fancy as the rest of the girls, no doubt much to the horror of her grandmother. This was a secret ball, and she considered herself staff, and as such, it would be rude to outshine the actual guests. “Thank you for thinking of me. I would really be delighted to do this. Then I can make some kind of commemorative photo album for all who planned it.” Hopefully, this occasion remained fun and peaceful for everyone involved. An event at Hogwarts made it that it probably wouldn’t be, but the fact that it was secret gave it a fair chance. Either way, she would be prepared for the worse just in case.
@Aaron Jones
Healing Sage: +30% healing | Prodigal Charms | Impartial | Fearless
Stamina : 10 | Evasion : 7 | Strength : 3 | Wisdom : 12 | Arcane Power : 10 | Accuracy : 15
Stamina : 10 | Evasion : 7 | Strength : 3 | Wisdom : 12 | Arcane Power : 10 | Accuracy : 15
24 Apr 2020, 02:34
A Friendly Chat
Aaron was ecstatic that Santario accepted the invitation. The best part was that she seemed just as happy to be given the opportunity. "Great! You can definitely come early, I'm sure the others'll be happy to see you there," Aaron said, smiling broadly at his fellow first year. "People are supposed to start arriving a little after dinner, so we'll be setting up for a couple hours before and during mealtime. You can come whenever." Aaron was so excited to deliver the news to the rest of the team.
"I'm just glad you agreed. Your photography will really make the night memorable," Aaron said, nodding along with his words. "And if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to come to me! I definitely owe you after this," he said with a playful grin. He caught her eye for just a moment, then looked out towards the lake again.
"I have a feeling today's gonna be a great day," he said, still smiling from ear-to-ear. This encounter had really loosened him up a bit. Homework was the last thing on his mind. Now, he was once again just filled with excitement for the Secret Blossom Ball. Aaron really wanted it to be a success, and he thought Santario's presence would definitely help. After a moment, he turned back to his Slytherin acquaintance and put two fingers to his forehead in a farewell gesture.
"Well, I'm gonna go for a bit of run around the lake. I'll catch up with you soon, I'm sure," he said, saluting goodbye. With that said, he turned and started to jog away, intending to get a warmup run in before practicing his Taekwondo routine.
"I'm just glad you agreed. Your photography will really make the night memorable," Aaron said, nodding along with his words. "And if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to come to me! I definitely owe you after this," he said with a playful grin. He caught her eye for just a moment, then looked out towards the lake again.
"I have a feeling today's gonna be a great day," he said, still smiling from ear-to-ear. This encounter had really loosened him up a bit. Homework was the last thing on his mind. Now, he was once again just filled with excitement for the Secret Blossom Ball. Aaron really wanted it to be a success, and he thought Santario's presence would definitely help. After a moment, he turned back to his Slytherin acquaintance and put two fingers to his forehead in a farewell gesture.
"Well, I'm gonna go for a bit of run around the lake. I'll catch up with you soon, I'm sure," he said, saluting goodbye. With that said, he turned and started to jog away, intending to get a warmup run in before practicing his Taekwondo routine.
@Santario Martin[Exit Thread (unless stopped)]
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
24 Apr 2020, 15:08
A Friendly Chat
Santario loved being behind her camera because it allowed her to blend into the background almost. Most people were focused on the camera, not the person behind the camera, plus then she could snap candid photos of people enjoying themselves. Maybe it would help lift her mood to see all the happy faces as well. “Sounds good. I’ll probably come shortly after supper. That way, I can get some shots of you guys setting up and of the area. You don’t owe me anything; this is honestly my pleasure. I love to take photos.” She was serious too. Though if he ever tried to pay her back in some way or another, she probably wouldn’t stop him, but she at least made an effort to let him know that he didn’t need to.
His smile was infectious as he stated it was going to be a good day, and she nodded in agreement with her own smile. “I agree today is going to be a great day.” She would need to go take stock on how much film she had and if she would need to owl her grandfather to send her more. Given that she hadn’t been taken many photos since the last time she got in camera film, Santario didn’t think she would need more, but you never knew. She would give him a slight nod down in response to his farewell. “See you around and have a good run!” It reminded her about when she used to run around the quidditch pitch for training. With that, however, she would start making her way back up to the castle and eventually her dorm to double-check that everything would be as she needed it to be for the 25th.
His smile was infectious as he stated it was going to be a good day, and she nodded in agreement with her own smile. “I agree today is going to be a great day.” She would need to go take stock on how much film she had and if she would need to owl her grandfather to send her more. Given that she hadn’t been taken many photos since the last time she got in camera film, Santario didn’t think she would need more, but you never knew. She would give him a slight nod down in response to his farewell. “See you around and have a good run!” It reminded her about when she used to run around the quidditch pitch for training. With that, however, she would start making her way back up to the castle and eventually her dorm to double-check that everything would be as she needed it to be for the 25th.
@Aaron JonesSantario leaves the thread
Healing Sage: +30% healing | Prodigal Charms | Impartial | Fearless
Stamina : 10 | Evasion : 7 | Strength : 3 | Wisdom : 12 | Arcane Power : 10 | Accuracy : 15
Stamina : 10 | Evasion : 7 | Strength : 3 | Wisdom : 12 | Arcane Power : 10 | Accuracy : 15