The Tree of Encounter
@Morgan Faughn
Ever since I was little, I've always loved climbing trees; it's probably the only time you ever see me genuinely smile.
At first, I was apprehensive about Hogwarts. I thought it would probably just be a basic, simple school, with a very well-maintained garden and no trees. But I was wrong. The Hogwarts grounds are enormous, and there are plenty of trees I can climb. The leaves hadn't fallen yet, so I'd be camouflaged from everyone's view. I grabbed a cloak and a book and set off in search of a tree that would serve as my reading nook.
I didn't have to look for long. A beautiful, still-green tree stood before me. It was magnificent.
Without wasting a second, I climbed it, chose my branch, and settled down to read. When I was little and I played hide-and-seek with my brothers, back when we still lived in Japan, I used to change trees during the game to make sure I wasn't seen.
But my favorite time with trees is in April. That's when the cherry blossoms bloom. It's so beautiful that some visitors are completely captivated! I truly love trees!
And that's why I love reading perched in one of them. It reassures and soothes me.
The Tree of Encounter
Bag across his shoulder as he walked through the castle, Morgan was moving with the sole purpose of not wanting to waste the nice weather that was around the castle today. He had been stuck inside for the most part all week due to classes, no time at all to sit out in the courtyard or the grounds. The castle was nice and it was so big that the young Hufflepuff didn't mind being inside it because it was extraordinary but being indoors for too long always made him a bit antsy and perhaps a little claustrophobic.
Today though, the weather was very nice and as he made his way out to the school grounds, he took a deep breath as the sunlight hit his face, some of his stress easing slightly. Walking further out, he looked around the grounds to find a good place to sit and either read or work on homework, he hadn't decided yet. That's when his green-eyes landed on a large, rather beautiful tree that casted a good amount of shade.
Moving closer, he sat his bag down on the ground and sat with his back against the tree, taking out one of his books and then one of his journals filled with class notes. He heard a small rustling up above him but he just simply assumed that it was a bird or possibly even just the wind and went back to reading and going through his notes.
The Tree of Encounter
@Morgan Faughn
I was reading peacefully, perched in my tree, comfortably seated on my branch. The surrounding sounds reassured and soothed me. A rustle on the grass, approaching footsteps, the sound of a bag being set down, and then nothing. I quickly forgot what I had just heard and plunged my full attention back into my reading. A few minutes later, my back started to ache, and I remembered that my homework wasn't going to do itself. I stretched, and then, as usual when climbing down trees, I held on tightly with my legs and hung upside down, supporting myself only with my leg muscles. As usual, I expected to come face to face with the bare bark of the tree, but this time…
- Aaaaaah!
I came face to face with a young boy the same age as me. Out of fear, I accidentally let go of my legs and crashed to the ground with a low groan of pain. I should have known someone had moved in; the sound of footsteps stopping—you don't need to be a wizard to know someone had moved in. Anyway… the young boy in front of me was a Hufflepuff. He's quite shy; I remember no one noticed him. A bit like me, actually…
The Tree of Encounter
Having been working on his homework for some time, Morgan was completely focused on his books just enjoying the outdoors and all the fresh air. That's when he heard the sound of something moving above him and as he went to look, the young Hufflepuff just about jumped out of his own skin as he came face to face with a girl. Before he could process this, the young girl then fell with a thud to the grassy floor.
Unsure of what to do but concerned the girl had hurt herself he observed her carefully, looking for any wounds, and asked, "Ah are you... alright? Are you injured?" His voice was slightly softer, although still it's usual dull tone, but splashed with concern he reached out slightly, offering his hand to help her up. He did know a little first aid, and did have a very basic first aid kid as his mother refused to send any of her children anywhere without at least bandages as one could never be too careful or prepared.
Out of all the things he had expected to happen today, he hadn't exactly expected students to fall from trees. He observed the blue-eyed girl slightly, he was pretty sure he had possibly seen her before, a Ravenclaw... maybe , but he couldn't remember if maybe he had a class with her or if he had just seen her around. It wasn't exactly like he was always the best at remembering people but at this moment, his main concern was whether or not she was injured.
Dialogue: Morgan - #786012
The Tree of Encounter
@Morgan Faughn
I had a slight pain in my lower back, but nothing serious; it would go away after a good night's sleep. The young boy facing me was looking at me with concern. He asked if I was alright, then offered me his hand to help me up. I hesitated. Could I take his hand without him feeling like he was holding a monster? Would he realize I was a monster just from the touch of skin? Unable to stop myself, I muttered in Japanese:
- まあいいか。もし気づかれたら、逃げ出すだけだろうし。人が自分から逃げていくのには慣れているからね。これまでと同じで、私の人生に何の影響もないことだ。
Oh well. If he notices, he’ll just run off; I’m used to people running away from me anyway. It won’t make any difference to my life, just like all the other times.
I grabbed his hand and I sat cross-legged facing him. I rubbed the back of my head, wincing slightly in pain. I only had a tiny bump, nothing serious.
When I shouted, my voice was quite high-pitched, but when I answered him, it was back to my usual cold, bored, and rather deep voice for an 11-year-old girl. Normally, my voice should still have been soft, but it wasn't.
"It's kind of you to worry about me, but I'm fine, thank you. And you? I didn't scare you too much, did I?"
I tried to hide my fear that he would see I was a werewolf. Instinctively, I touched my scar. It went right through one of my eyes; I was lucky not to lose my sight at that moment. I could consider myself fortunate.
The Tree of Encounter
The blue-eyed girl said something that Morgan didn't quite catch but took his hand anyway and now sat in front of him. He noticed that she winced slightly, but she at the very least didn't look as though she was bleeding or extremely injured which was good. The wincing did not ease his concern much, however.
Eventually, he heard her speak again and noticed how she touched her face which was the first time he had noticed the scar on her face. It was fairly distinct and he was curious as to how she got it but he didn't want to intrude. After all, it wasn't any of his business and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.
Sitting back against the tree again, he responded to her, "Oh no, it's fine really, I'm alright. I just hadn't expected anyone to... fall from the tree. I'm glad you're okay... although maybe you should go see the school nurse, just to get a check up just in case." His green eyes carefully observed the girl in front of him, still checking slightly for any injuries or anything that could be slightly off, concerned still. Perhaps it was just a side effect of having a mother who was a nurse, growing up he had heard quite a few stories of people falling wrong and needing to be cautious otherwise you could get seriously hurt. It made him slightly more cautious and perhaps a bit paranoid when people got hurt.
The Tree of Encounter
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4. @Morgan Faughn
The young boy looked at me with great concern. I wasn't seriously hurt, and I was used to falls and injuries. After the werewolf attack, I had a much higher pain tolerance. So if I were hurt, I would feel it. In a deep voice, with my accent, I replied.
"Don't worry, I'm used to getting hurt. Why are you so worried?"
I didn't understand why he was so concerned. When I fell at home, my brothers would pick me up, give me a little pat on the head, and encourage me to keep playing. I learned not to cry every time I fell. I've strengthened certain areas, and now I hardly ever suffer from minor falls. The only places that hurt are the spots where the werewolf injured me. So, this little fall from the tree doesn't hurt me.
"Don't worry, I'm used to pain; it's nothing new to me."
He reminds me of my maternal aunt. She's a nurse, and every time we got hurt, she'd come over, lay us down on the sofa, and examine us from head to toe to make sure we were okay. I missed my life in Japan terribly, and remembering it made my heart ache.
The Tree of Encounter
Morgan's eyebrows furrowed together slightly as the girl said she was used to getting hurt and didn't really ease his concerns anymore. In fact, if anything, it only made him more concerned. He supposed maybe she meant she was just used to getting scrapes especially if maybe she climbed trees a lot, it's very likely she had fallen out of them a couple of times already. Morgan himself had fallen slightly from low branches while climbing trees before, although he had had to stop doing it when his mother was around as after spraining his ankle one time he did receive a caring yet stern rundown from his mother to be more careful.
"Well, it's just you fell out of a tree and you did wince a little which is why I'm concerned, I suppose. Also, sometimes if you've done something that could have led to an injury, it's sometimes better to get checked just in case," he responds, tilting his head slightly as he observes the girl in front of him before continuing, "It's better to be looked over and there be nothing wrong rather than there being something wrong but not getting checked out which could lead to a small injury becoming worse sometimes. That's what my mam always says at least."
Perhaps he was worrying a bit too much, after all he didn't know this girl really so he supposed maybe his concern could come off as a bit much. Averting his gaze slightly, his green eyes glanced up at the tree to the branches above. It was a good distance off the ground, after all, he hadn't even realized anyone had even been up in the tree. But, he supposed maybe he was worrying a little too much perhaps.