Winter Has Left Us PV Durmstrang Gang

Milo saw the person in front of them finish up with their order. He was basically vibrating up and down with excitement. The boy tilted his head as Nikolai and Hanzo answered his question as to what flavors they are getting. (1)"O, eto zvuchit khorosho!" His eyes quickly flicked back to the counter and he stood as tall as possible without getting on his tippy toes. The boy sneakily took a glance over the counter to see how they formed the ice cream into the little spherical shape. (2) "Tak kruto.." As the owner of the shop began to hand the ice cream to him Milo spotted a bottle of what looked to be chocolate on the side. (3)"Mogu li ya poluchit' eto?" He assumed the person didn't know Russian so he merely pointed at the bottle eagerly and they nodded. The boy's eyes lit up and he drizzle the chocolate substance which was for some reason hot over his oreo ice cream. You could say the boy had a sweet tooth, or at least really like chocolate.

The tall blonde went back to the table they had chosen and his amber eyes gazed around at his friend's face. (4)"Spasibo za zakaz Nikolai! Bylo by grustno, yesli by ya poteryalsya, tak kak ya dovol'no vysokiy." The boy shook his head a small cheeky smile on his face before sitting down. He dipped his spoon into the cup he was holding because he knew a cone would be too messy. His eyes twinkled as he tasted his first bite of the cold treat. A small sigh of content came out of his mouth once he finished the spoonful. The boy began to dig in hearing the chatter of Quidditch around him from his other friends who were talking at the table. He startled when Jan and Romeo came over to talk to him. "Don't sneak up on me, unless you want me to have a heart attack on the floor in the middle of the ice cream parlor!" His neck hairs prickled, Milo didn't trust people who came from behind since his incident with his father.

The boy reached out a hand to touch his back feeling the dip where his skin had been burnt and a scar had replaced his smooth back. Speaking of nightmares.. A few pictures flashed through his mind, mainly of his father and he held back his wince but couldn't stop a shudder but he could blame that on the frozen dessert. "N-nope I just couldn't sleep I was so excited." It wasn't exactly a lie. Milo wasn't able to sleep due to being excited, but he also woke up in a cold sweat from some very vivid images. Now that he said so you could really see the boy's exhaustion from the small bags under his eyes. "Haha I'm okay though I promise..just very excited, I hope none of you get hurt." The boy mumbled his concerns since he knew some of them were going to be playing against Hogwarts. He didn't like seeing his friends get injured and had a protective streak but didn't have enough courage or strength to stand up for them.

A small frown crossed his face and his eyes welled up with tears. Why am I always the one getting protected, I'm not some baby! He let out a huff of annoyance for letting them get in his head and worry about him. The boy looked back at his half finished ice cream and ate it rather quickly to block out any more emotions. An unsettling feeling crossed through him and he groaned when a cold shock hit his head. (5)"Kakogo cherta? Moya golova kholodnaya - eto bol'no! Glupoye morozhenoye.." Milosh clutched his head and bit his lip to make him think about something else but unknowingly bit it so hard that his lip starting bleeding as the horrible metallic taste slipped into his mouth. "Great.. uh can someone get a napkin for me?" He blushed slightly for having to ask for such a stupid favor. Gosh I really am a baby huh? Either that or I'm just freaking hazardous..

Translations

(1) Oh, that sounds good!
(2) So cool..
(3) Can I get this?
(4) Thank you for ordering! It would've been sad if I got lost since I am rather tall.
(5) What the hell? My head is cold- it hurts! Stupid ice cream..

@Lydia Cooper, @Adonis Thorn, @Rafael D'Spacito, @Evelynn Decipio, @Piérre Marchonné & @Elena Jangleton

Disappointment. Simultaneously the expression that had flickered across her brothers face with his faltering smile at her arrival, and the feeling that had sunk into the pit of her stomach as a result. Perhaps she should have been used to it by now. It seemed to be more and more common as the months went by that the happiness and care-free nature that seemed to pervade his aura would fade the moment she came into the room. As though she were some sort of vampyr to his energy.

It wasn't fair.

For the longest time, it had just been them two. Growing up, it wasn't as though there were any others their age. Not really, anyway. There were the other kids at that school that Hanzo went to, but she knew they hadn't ever been his friends. Far from it. She never really liked to talk about it, but she had seen the bumps and bruises he'd come home wearing, and the way they had looked at the pair of them whenever they arrived in the morning to drop him off, or in the afternoon when he was heading home. They were each other's company. Especially with how close they were in age, going through many of the same milestones roughly at the same time. She'd always felt she could confide in him. He was her best friend.

But she wasn't his. Not anymore, anyway, if she ever had been. Maybe she had been kidding herself when she thought that a trip away from home would somehow change that. To bring back the spark of adventure that they had imbibed together so many times. For the last two years, though, ever since they'd both started at Durmstrang, he'd been slowly drifting away from her. Making his own friends. Doing his own thing. Finding any and every reason to excuse the widening distance. She was scared of losing him. Couldn't he see that? Had he forgotten? They were supposed to be together forever… If he was going to run, it just meant she had to run faster. Should wouldn't let him get away.

The back of her neck prickled, hairs standing on end. Reflexively, Greta glanced around and caught the eye of Alec staring back at the pair of them. She broke the eye contact almost immediately, blushing as she dropped a dejected gaze to the surface of the table in front of her. That was… embarrassing… She should have known that of anyone, he might have been paying attention. She sat there, overly self-conscious and wondering what was going through Alec's mind, and more than a little unnerved that it felt as though he were able to look through her and read her every thought in that moment.

He hadn't even returned her greeting when she'd offered it to the group. In fact, none of them had. None except Nikolai, who had given her a nod and a handshake that had practically swallowed her own within his. One that she had returned with a light squeeze of his fingers before withdrawing and offering a sheepish, and almost apologetic, smile.

She'd barely sat down, already ready to slide down its seat and see if the floor could swallow her up, when the door to the ice cream parlour chimed merrily to herald the arrival of the last two of their group. With an understated smile and hesitant wave of her hand, she greeted the pair of them. "Ciao, Romeo," she uttered quietly, content that at least someone was willing to acknowledge her presence with something more than obligation or formality. Even her brother had ignored her in favour of saying his hellos to the ones who had entered after her…

Honestly… two years with this crew, and she still felt like an unwanted guest at times... Sometimes she had the impression that she was just their collective little sister. Unwanted, but permitted to hang about to… what? Appease her? Make sure Hanzo didn't get in trouble with their parents for not watching over her. Shoulder rose and fell in a drawn-out breath as she watched the rest interact with each other. She'd have liked to have properly given her well-wishes to Jan as well, but.. Well.. For one, she hadn't the faintest idea what he had just said. Not that she really minded. She liked to listen to his voice. Something about it was very.. Captivating… In a way. The accent when he spoke English. Alec's as well. But his didn't have the same sort of confidence or assurance that Jan's had. And didn't give her the same sort of fluttery feeling.

Her brother's voice snapped her from her thoughts, forcing her to straighten as though she'd been scolded. Brows furrowed as she leaned back against her seat, arms folding across her torso.

[In Norwegian]"Det var jeg ikke..." she murmured, almost outwardly pouting. But after he finished his thought, she couldn't help but soften, perking up with his suggestion. "Virkelig?" she chimed, face brightening with a smile that wanted to break through but was held back out of uncertainty. "Kan vi? Vær så snill?"¹

Whatever his actual thoughts on the matter, she wouldn't know. Hanzo had gotten up to head to the desk where the display of ice cream was kept. Or so she assumed anyway; she hadn't actually gone to look herself. [In Norwegian] "Takk for at du spurte meg hva jeg ville..."² she mumbled with a renewed scowl, glaring out after her sibling.

Like clockwork, as though addressing exactly her sentiments in that moment, Nikolai announced that he was likewise to be placing an order and asked for their requests. Crimson flashed across Greta's face as she turned slowly about to right herself in her seat. Had he..? No.. He couldn't have. She wasn't even sure she had actually spoken that thought out loud. He couldn't have heard her… right? But the guilt was painted plain as day across her features.

[In Russian] "Ehm.." She crimped her lips, chewing lightly on one as she made a snap decision. Then, looking up through doe-wide eyes. "Shokolad…" She requested, speaking just loud enough for him to hear. "..i maslo pekan…pozhaluysta…" Honestly, could she feel any more guilty? Hanzo should have been the one to ask her. And now she was having to rely on Nikolai who looked like he'd rather have done anything else than to play wait-servant. "Blagodaryu vas, Nikolai…"³

Then it was just her and Romeo left, the rest having gone to the counter to browse flavours and purchase treats. In the short time since his arrival, he had somehow established himself a little nook of studying, by the looks of it. Two books lay out on the table, and he was pouring heavily over one, wand out and turning idly between his fingers while his eyes silently roamed the pages. Somewhat strange, really. Weren't they here as a break? A reward, even, for their admirable performance in Quidditch back home to have the honour of representing their school here in this match against Hogwarts? She couldn't believe he could even relax his nerves enough to focus on whatever it was that he was doing.

"What is it, that?" Greta asked quietly, speaking a simple English phrase heavily laden with her scandanavian accent, the upward inflection at the end even more pronounced than would be normal for a question.

Milo seemed to come back to the table just as she inquired, however, chocolate ice cream in hand. It made her mouth water just looking at it, and the corner of her mouth curled into a faint smile at the notion that hers would be along before long. Her moment of pleasure was short-lived, however. As her focus shifted from the cone to the carrier while he spoke (something she didn't quite catch), she noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He looked exhausted. As though he hadn't slept a wink during the night. Even the small laugh he gave in the midst of his conversation seemed hollow and forced in a way. He might have been putting on a brave face for the rest, but to her it seemed like something was very off. She glanced away briefly as movement caught her eye. Rather than Nikolai, as she had hoped it might have been, it was only Hanzo and Alec returning with their iced desserts.

When she returned her attention to her upperclassman (Milosh), her lips parted as a sense of concern washed over her. If she wasn't mistaken, he looked like he was just about on the verge of tears.. With a crimp of her lips, Greta reached over to a nearby table to pull from a holder upon them some serviettes. In the moment when the boy had reached up to clutch at his head, ice cream had dripped onto the table below.

[In Russian]"Ty ne dolzhen yest' tak bystro..."⁴ Greta said softly, shuffling herself around from seat to seat around the edge of the table until she was sitting beside him. It was sort of strange. Despite him being one of the ones with whom she had the greatest age disparity, he was one of the ones with whom she felt most at ease in their little group. Setting the serviettes down — inadvertently fulfilling his request in the process despite not having understood his question — she made use of one to clean up the small spill.

[In Russian]"Ty v poryadke...?" She asked without looking at him, keeping her voice low so that only he would hear. "Ty vyglyadish' rasstroyennym.."⁵

¹ [Norwegian] "Well I wasn't…" | "Truly?" | "Can we? Please?"
² [Norwegian] "Thanks for asking me what I wanted…"
³ [Russian] "Ehm…" | "Chocolate…" | "…and butter pecan… please…" | "Thank you, Nikolai…"
⁴ [Russian] "You shouldn't eat it so quickly..."
⁵ [Russian] "Are you okay...?" | "You look upset.."

@Rafael D'Spacito, @Elena Jangleton, @Piérre Marchonné, @Lydia Cooper, @Adonis Thorn, @Annie Morgan

@Rafael D'Spacito , @Adonis Thorn , @Annie Morgan , @Lydia Cooper , @Piérre Marchonné , @Evelynn Decipio

(Russian): Getting a feel for the place

@Rafael D'Spacito, @Evelynn Decipio, @Elena Jangleton, @Lydia Cooper, @Annie Morgan, & @Adonis Thorn

General theories... proper incantations... Russian. Why couldn't these classes be taught mostly in Latin? Surely Durmstrang knew that they would be receiving students who were not purely from Russia. I've heard that they come from Iceland, some places in Ireland and Switzerland, and definitely locations from Germany. Even learning German would have been both beneficial and more useful in my studies, with my hopeless endeavors in understanding Russian. While my comrades spoke in their native tongues, I merely had to lower my head and nod silently along. I understood bits and pieces, mostly about Quidditch and mere formalities, but anything more complex than a few words in basic sentences completely flew over my head. I had answered Hanzo's greeting with a smile and a thumbs up. Nothing flashy, and certainly nothing in Russian.

Greta's greeting and soft-spoken words caused me to tear myself from the inked words, and I let out a deep sigh as I rubbed my eyes and smiled at her.

"Dark Arts, mostly. Some Russian study as well. I'm terribly sorry that I'm not exceptionally fluent in your native language." It was a source of embarrassment for me, really. I hung out in a mostly Russian clique, and here I was, stammering through most of my Russian, abandoning it at times to favor the what should be typical English language. "I'm hoping to get accelerated into the next grade, with you and Hanzo. Being a grade lower with 10 year olds can be... a bit... undermining at times." Despite myself, I frown, my brow creasing in a odd look of total concentration. Not for long, however, and soon I focus upon Greta again. "I'm just really lucky to have you all as friends. If you ever need someone to talk to, don't hesitate to ask."

Everyone else was getting ice cream... I didn't want any. I had never had a sweet tooth for one thing; for another, I didn't want to get too sluggish before the game. I would need to be as agile and prepared for any physical or mental altercation in my position of Keeper. But perhaps... Perhaps an Italian Ice couldn't hurt...

"Pardon me, Greta." A small nod, and I quietly stand, pushing my chair in before going to order. I received an odd look, perhaps because of my impeccable English tinted with slight Italian when I was surrounded by Russian individuals, but eventually the order was underway. I fiddled with the clasp of my scarlet cloak as I waited, and then chuckled lightly when Jan mentioned my little expedition to Flourish.

"Why, the books are the reason for the investigation! How long have we known each other, Jan?" I knew that the answer was, in fact, not very long, as I transferred just last year... but yet... I was the study buddy of the group. I was hardly found without a tome in one hand and my wand in the other. Ambition was a quality of mine, trumped only by my insistent desire to learn and discover more and more.

Returning to my seat, I tucked the Dark Arts book back in my bag and focused on my Italian Ice. Hydration would be important, and focus even more so. I was mentally and physically preparing myself for both, and though I would look calm and collected on the outside, I was already playing the mind game. No doubt alongside Hanzo, my Head Captain. "On the topic of game day: Don't forget to hydrate, everyone. We need to be at our best for the game. It takes about two days for any physical preparation to manifest itself; that means eat right, drink right, sleep right. This is Co-Captain Romeo talking." I smile almost playfully as I lean back in my chair, my gaze flicking around the table as I cross my arms, sipping slowly from my mostly ice concoction.

After listening to the tide of conversation for a bit longer, losing myself in the Russian briefly and internally debating if I should respond, I tap Hanzo's shoulder. "Hans. Could I pull you aside... to talk tactics at all? I think I know a bit about the team... from a certain little bird."

Of course I mean Piérre. "My Keeper twin has played the team a bit, and... shall we say; inadvertently let some important details slip."