A Dash of Chaos
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Reducio@Kai Taylor
ReducioCuriosity always leads somewhere.
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As Kai wondered if there'd be anything in the shop for Khione Diana smiled. Before laughing softly she glanced around the crowded shelves. "I suppose it's possible," she admitted. "Although I think she'd be much happier with a bag of owl treats than most of the things in here." At the thought of her snowy owl her expression brightened. "She isn't very difficult to shop for. I usually buy treats, and sometimes little owl toys or perch accessories if I find something suitable." She smiled fondly. "She seems happiest whenever she gets a bit of attention, though. If I visit the Owlery with treats, she usually forgives me for being too busy with homework."
Diana nodded encouragingly when Kai mentioned wanting an owl of his own. "I think an owl is a wonderful choice." Before returning to him her muted grey-green eyes briefly drifted toward one of the shop windows. "They're very loyal, and it's nice having them at Hogwarts. Even if you're having a difficult day, it's comforting to visit the Owlery for a few minutes."
For a moment she considered his next question. "There are students with all sorts of pets," she answered. "Owls, cats and toads are the most common because they're the traditional Hogwarts pets." She smiled thoughtfully. "I've also seen rats, rabbits, snakes and a few lizards. I'm not sure I've personally met anyone with a spider, but it wouldn't surprise me." Diana paused before adding with a small laugh "Hogwarts is full of interesting people."
Another quiet laugh was drawn out of her at Kai's story about overwatering the flower. "I don't think you're the only person who's ever done that," she said kindly. "At least you were trying to take good care of it." She rested one hand lightly against the shopping basket she was carrying. "A pet does take responsibility," she admitted. "You have to remember to feed them, make sure they're healthy, and spend time with them. But after a while it becomes part of your routine." She smiled softly. "I don't really think of it as work anymore. Khione's just family."
Her gaze then drifted over to the window again where witches and wizards continuously weaved through the busy streets of Diagon Alley. "If you do decide to get an owl," she continued, "I'd take your time choosing one. Don't worry too much about finding the prettiest or the fastest one." She looked back at Kai with a warm smile. "Sometimes the right pet is simply the one you feel a connection with." Curiosity returned to her expression after a brief pause. "Have you thought about what you'd name one?" she asked. "Or are you waiting until you've met the owl first?"
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A Dash of Chaos
As Diana talked about what she usually got for Khione, Kai also glanced around at the nearby shelves. He wondered what he even would buy for an owl from here, everything was so extravagant. “What sort of toys have you got for her in the past?” Kai asked curiously, he wondered what kind of things owls liked to play with.
Kai was glad to hear from Diana that she had not seen any spiders at Hogwarts. Kai was now mentally picturing walking through the halls of Hogwarts and passing students with pet spiders following them. It was not a picture he was ecstatic about, especially if the spiders were large.
He was surprised to hear from Diana that toads were common. He supposed toads were what you associated with like witches in muggle folklore, but why pick a toad over an owl or rabbit, or cat, or even a snake; but Kai supposed he shouldn’t judge. Perhaps some people really enjoyed toads or they had some special use in the wizarding world that he knew nothing about.
When Diana asked if Kai had thought about a name for his owl, Kai thought for a bit. While looking at pets he had briefly thought about the topic, but he had not really come up with anything he liked, and then his mind had wandered and never thought about it again. “Maybe it would be easier once I’ve met and chosen the owl to come up with a name.”
Kai turned back looking at Diana wondering “Was it easy for you to decide the owl you wanted once you saw Khione, and was thinking of the name instant too?” The decision seemed so permanent to Kai that he didn't want to make a mistake. He supposed he could just change it's name if he didn't like it after a bit but that felt weird and not right. Kai wondered if parents went through this when naming their kids, he'd never thought about it before. He could've been named something else completely, he should ask his parents about it one day.
Reducio@Diana Roberts
A Dash of Chaos
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Reducio@Kai Taylor
ReducioCuriosity always leads somewhere.
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As Diana thought for a moment she looked at the shelves in the prank store again when Kai asked about Khione's toys. "Nothing too complicated," she admitted. "She has a little wooden puzzle toy that I found in a pet shop. There's a treat hidden inside, and she has to figure out how to open it." A fond smile crossed her face. "She's surprisingly good at it. Although I'm fairly certain she learned how it works much faster than I expected her to."
Before continuing she gave a quiet laugh. "She also has a few small things she can bat around with her beak, and one of her perches has a little bell attached to it." Diana thoughtfully paused. "Although I'm not sure I'd call that one a toy anymore. She mostly uses it to make noise when she wants me to pay attention to her." Her smile slightly widened. "Especially if she thinks I've been ignoring her." Diana doesn't mean to ignore Khione it's just that whenever she's in the owlery and is reading a letter she gets from her friends or family she tends to forget about everything else. Of course sometimes when she's in her dorm this happens as well because she has homework to do. But when Khione gains Diana's attention she immediately gives Khione a treat or a toy and doesn't divert her attention from her owl.
Diana nodded in agreement at Kai's answer for naming his future owl. "I think that's probably the best way to do it." She rested her hand against the handle of her basket. "You don't really know what an owl is like until you've met them. You might have a name in mind that sounds perfect, and then you meet an owl who somehow doesn't feel like that name at all."
Diana's expression softened with the memory as Kai asked if choosing Khione's name was easy. "Actually, yes," she answered. "I remember looking at all the owls and wondering how I was supposed to choose one. There were so many of them." She gave a small laugh. "Then I saw Khione." Diana's gaze briefly drifted toward the shop window as if she could still picture the exact moment. "She was sitting quietly while most of the other owls were making quite a bit of noise. She wasn't trying to get anyone's attention. She just seemed content to watch everything happening around her." A faint smile appeared. "I think I was drawn to her because she reminded me of myself a little." She then looked back at Kai. "When I got closer, she tilted her head at me and just stared." Diana then softly laughed. "I remember thinking she had the most serious expression I'd ever seen on an owl."
"As for her name" Her smile became more thoughtful as she paused. "That took a little longer. I knew I wanted something connected to snow because of her feathers, so I started looking through mythology for ideas." Her eyes brightened slightly. "Eventually I came across Khione, the Greek goddess associated with snow. Once I found it, nothing else seemed quite right." Diana shrugged lightly. "So I suppose choosing her was immediate, but choosing her name took some thinking."
Diana glanced back toward the shelves before smiling at Kai. "And I wouldn't worry too much about making the wrong choice. A name can feel important because you're imagining that you'll have to know it before you meet them, but sometimes the owl makes the decision easier for you." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "You might meet one and immediately think, 'That's definitely the one.'" Her expression then turned amused. "And if you spend ten minutes trying to come up with a name afterward, that's perfectly normal too."
Diana looked toward the pet section of Weasley Wizard Wheezes where the pygmy puffs were before she added "Although I'd probably avoid naming one something you think you'll get tired of saying. You'll be using it quite a lot." She smiled. "Especially if they're anything like Khione and learn that their name means you're about to give them treats."
Curiosity returned to her expression as her gaze returned to Kai. "Do you think you'd want a particular kind of owl?" she asked. "A snowy owl like Khione, or are you more interested in seeing which one chooses you?"
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A Dash of Chaos
As Diana explained the previous toys and treats she got for Khione, Kai smiled, mentally picturing the owl trying to open a puzzle toy to get a treat, or pushing around a bell to get attention. When Diana explained how Khione was named Kai nodded “Mythology is a good idea for names, I only know some of the major names and figures, but Khione is a beautiful sounding name.”
Kai thought Diana’s advice on naming his future owl made sense. It would probably be much easier once he saw the one he wanted. He also probably should not come up with a really long or complicated name as that seemed tiring to say for, well ever. Kai wondered if that was why his name was so short and only three letters, surely his parents hadn’t named him because of that right?
At Diana’s question on if there was any type of owl in particular that he wanted. Kai thought back on his past visit to the Magical Menagerie. There were all sorts of owls there but the ones that had stood out to him had all seemed similar in appearance. “I think a snowy, arctic or great white owl appealed to me the most when I previously visited the Menagerie." Kai thought again about all the owls he’d seen before continuing “I didn’t see many really darker feathered owls so I think the snowy or white feathered type might be what I end up with but maybe I’ll find a different one that connects with me.”
Reducio@Diana Roberts Sorry for the delay
A Dash of Chaos
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Reducio@Kai Taylor
ReducioCuriosity always leads somewhere.
Reducio☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
When Kai mentioned that snowy and white feathered owls had caught his attention Diana smiled. "Then I think you might have already found a good starting point," she said. "Khione is a snowy owl, so I can understand why you'd like them." Her gaze briefly drifted toward the colorful shelves around them before returning to Kai. "They're beautiful, but I think the personality matters more than the feathers." She paused thoughtfully as she considered his words. "If you find one that you connect with, even if it isn't the kind you originally imagined, I'd probably go with that one." Diana gave a small smile. "That's what happened with me. I wasn't specifically looking for a snowy owl when I first went to the Magical Menagerie. I just happened to notice Khione." Before adding with a quiet laugh her attention briefly returned to the pygmy puffs. "Although I suppose finding an owl in here would be a little difficult. I don't think the shopkeepers would appreciate us trying to turn the place into an owl enclosure." She glanced around at the shelves filled with joke products and brightly colored displays. "Especially considering how chaotic everything already is."
Diana then shifted her basket in her hands as she made sure that none of the things she'd picked up would be falling out. "Have you looked at any other pets while you were in the Magical Menagerie?" she asked curiously. "You mentioned wanting an owl, but there were so many different animals there. I imagine it would be difficult not to at least look at the others." When Diana was there she looked at all the other animals. She once considered getting a cat or a bunny before her eyes landed on Khione and she decided right then and there that she'd get an owl. A small smile appeared on her face before continuing. "Although if you're anything like me, you'll probably spend more time deciding on the perfect name than you expect." She gave a soft laugh. "And then you'll probably end up choosing something completely different once you actually meet your owl."
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A Dash of Chaos
Kai thought about Diana’s question if he had considered any other types of pets other than an owl. Kai had not spent a ton of time in the Magical Menagerie, but he did manage to get a look at most of the other available pets. “I considered a cat, there were some both beautiful and cool looking ones that interested me, also some cute rabbits.” Kai paused thinking of the black midnight stalker cat he saw at the Magical Menagerie. Kai continued “I also saw the toads and rats but I’m not sure I’d want one of those unless there was some magical or wizarding practical reason too that I don’t know about."
As Kai thought about the remaining types of pets he’d seen he knew he definitely did not want a spider, “A snake seems both scary and cool, I read about parselmouths and uh, I don’t think I can speak to snakes so that ruled that out, and a fish seemed kind of well boring in comparison.” Kai glanced at one of the nearby shelves thinking if he forgot anything else he saw. He noticed the pygmy puff again, “Although I had no idea that these pygmy puffs were an option as a pet too, maybe there are other pets in stores I haven’t even seen yet. I was also surprised to not see that many dogs other than one type considering how popular of a pet it is in the muggle world.”
Kai looked back at Diana “I think having a cat, rabbit or even this pygmy puff as a pet would be nice, but the owls not only looked beautiful, but seem useful as well for delivering letters. But who knows maybe I’ll finally decide on a name and walk into the store set on an owl and end up seeing a spider I connect with.”
Reducio@Diana Roberts