Only a Train-Ride Away PV Closed

Amara felt relieved when Miss Decipio, Evelynn had given her consent. She had wondered if she would be turned away, to be forced to look for at other compartments just so she could find a seat, a daunting prospect which was why she was both pleased and relieved that she got to take a seat with them. It would have been hard to do so, now that the train was moving and everyone else having settled somewhere.

Now with introduction over and the prospect of finding a seat was solved, it was time for her to settle down within the compartment "Thank you and yes, please" she spoke with regards to the offered help of storing her trunk. It wasn't that her trunk was all that heavy, she could lug it around but the stowing away was still a troubling thing to do and she didn't exactly want to take the risk of stowing it all on her own in a moving train as what if she toppled over, she would just risk hurting herself for no reason. So accepting help was a good thing for her to do, and glad that said helped had been offered.

With her trunk safely stowed overhead, Amara took her seat, somehow ending up seating next to Charlie across Evelynn and Aurelia. She fiddled with her robes before answering Evelynn's question "I'm not really a fan of Quidditch" or any sports for that matter. It wasn't that she had an aversion for physical activities, she actually does have an exercise regimen that she follows to keep herself fit and active, but there was just about being in a sport, of attracting people's attention that makes her uncomfortable and unsure. She wasn't one to like being the center of attention, and worse what if she would fumble about while being at it, she just knew she couldn't take it.

But back at the question and enough of her dilemma "It's my first time being really away from the family for a long time, so my family had planned on us going on a trip and spend some time together" and it really was a rare experience to have, a novel thing as Amara was much aware of how busy her family could get, so them planning a trip together was something she had been looking forward to.

She looked up at them, hand clutching her skirts as she did want to learn about their reason on not going as she had heard the camp was something many were attending, especially those who play the sport.

Already having risen from her seat, alongside Woodward it would seem as he had likewise offered help, Evelynn aided both the girls with their trunks. As much as she was able, anyway. In the tight quarters, and given that Woodward was both taller and stronger than she was, her assistance likely could have been more about moral support than any actual lifting. That said, she had inherited her mother's keen eye for Tetris and pointed out a couple of adjustments to help the trunks fit a little better in the overhead compartment. All in all, it wasn't long before their luggage was stowed and the four had found their seats, Evelynn and Woodward opposite each other near the window, Sylvr next to Woodward, and Roberts next to Evelynn.

As her gaze panned over her teammate, she felt a tinge of guilt. Although he had his moments where he slipped up with what was typical of him, she'd come to know him as ever the gentleman. Much like Flash in that regard. His deferential move closer to the window to make space for Sylvr without a second thought had made her smile, but she couldn't help but notice that he seemed a touch more withdrawn than usual. She'd even caught him glancing her way now and then, like she did to her mother when she had moments of uncertainty. As they didn't share classes, nor was she really privy to any of his interactions, she hadn't thought it would be any sort of concern. But now.. She was beginning to wonder if she should have sat next to him instead and left the other bench for the girls… Too late now, though, and rather than fixate on that wonder, Evelynn turned her attention to the conversation that had somewhat gotten off the ground before the luggage had interrupted.

"Sadly not.." Evelynn lamented, glancing to her new seatmate. "Are you?" She gave a mournful sigh as Roberts went on to comment that they were missing out. "I know.."

She really was missing out. When she'd first found out about the game and that there were to be visitors coming from out of country, and that there would be an entire camp of events surrounding the date, Evelynn had been thrilled. In line with her someone's plans for throwing the Gryffindor Slumber Party, it sounded like just the thing to erase the negative experiences of the school year and replace them with more positive ones. Something to redeem the Wizarding World that she'd come to view with no small amount of scepticism. Unfortunately, her mother had had other ideas. Before Evelynn could relay those exact reasons for her own absence, however, the Slytherin spoke up.

"Are you not?" Evelynn wondered, Sylvr's comment about her dislike of Quidditch catching Evelynn somewhat by surprised.

Sure, there were those who were ignorant of the game, but she'd never really known anyone to have a distaste for it. Perhaps that was a bit of ignorance on her own part. She supposed being a player and really only encountering those who did go out of their way to attend the games that she'd be unlikely to come across those who disliked it. Still, it left her feeling a touch dissatisfied to hear anyone less than enthusiastic about the sport she'd so come to love.

"Ah," she breathed in response to the explanation. Family. How familiar. "I suppose if you're not partial to the game, there's no loss for you, then, Sylvr. That'll be nice, though, to spend some time with the family."

A flick of her gaze towards Woodward then. Where Roberts had grinned at his mispronunciation of the foreigner's school, Evelynn had shot him something of a 'really?' look. She was just about to correct him, when her counterpart beat her to it, drawing forth from her a small chuckle instead.

"That's Woodward," Evelynn offered to Roberts, settling back more comfortably in her seat as the conversation picked up. "Charlie Woodward. Brilliant chaser, and even better co-seeker." She slipped him a furtive, inside-joke sort of smile.

"But why aren't you going?" Evelynn asked, addressing Woodward directly this time. "I thought you might have wanted to see the game. Could you not have just gone home after it was over? If it weren't for the fact that my mother is insisting I return home for extra classes, I certainly wouldn't miss it. I tried to ask for an exception, but she seems to think I need as much studying as I can get. Probably isn't satisfied that I didn't get straight O's or something…"

Or something like that…There was no need to bring up that the classes she would be taking had nothing to do with Hogwarts or what they learned there.

[font=century gothic]INTERACTING WITH @Charlie Woodward, @Aurelia Roberts, and @Amara Sylvr

[font=times new roman] It's Durmstrang. He felt himself flush in embarassment- although the look which his teammate shot him made him turn it into a bashful smile. He really wasn't much of a wizard, was he? Who'd name a school Drum-Stick?!

That didn't matter though, as he stood to help the girls' luggage into the lofty overheads, tucking away the furniture with the help of his fellow teammate. Afterwards, they'd all found themselves in seats, and settled back into the conversation without much break- the seeker seemed to spot his glances and shifts- although it wasn't like he expected her to know all too well why this was uncomfortable for him- they'd barely brushed on all that.

It seemed like the majority weren't going to the camp, which he fully understood, but Slyvr's comment on... not even liking Quidditch. Well, he'd been subject to the same before when he informed the students of his muggle school that he had no interest in playing tag football with them, which was apparently the highest form of crime an elementary school student could commit in the middle of Texas. To say you werne't partial to Quidditch in front of two quidditch players- rather good ones, at that- at least according to him, and their winning records which had begun to rise- was like telling the varsity team you'd never seen a game.

Which is to say, the comment took him aback slightly.

"Not even to watch?" He asked, genuinely curious. He'd never been partial to sports himself up until then- but it was magic sports! Who wouldn't like that? "I mean- it is a bit... violent I guess, with the bludgers and blatching- but it's magical! I mean, flying around and chasing after the little enchanted snitch-" He realised he might have gone off a little, on a tangent, and shook his head as if to dismiss his case. "But time with family is also real important, I get that." He concluded.

Evelynn was right, she didn't have much to loose out on the camp if she wasn't interested, he on the other hand was somewhat disappointed he couldn't really... stay to at least watch.

He was about to answer with his name to Roberts, who'd failed to catch it when he introduced himself to Sylvr, before the seeker cut him off- Charlie Woodward- Brilliant chaser, and even better co-seeker. He nodded a bit awkwardly. "I wouldn't say I'm brilliant, but I try." He returned her knowing smile, glad to see she was more aimiable to their matches together than... before... and leaned back, in an attempt to relax into the conversation. "Soon to be Third year, I'm from Texas." He then added, as if quidditch, year and his hometown were just about the only defining factors he could come up with to introduce himself with. "-and I'm not going 'cause I've got one non-refundable plane ticket and... given how everything is... if I wait too long I might be stuck in Europe all summer." He frowned, thinking of the painfully long flight he was going to be taking, alone he should add. They offered the floo network- but he'd rather get on a flying machine backed by empirical science than throw himself into the fire, as ironic as that was. "My mom bought the ticket and we aren't exactly... rich- so I'd rather not waste her last paycheck from the board."

@Amara Sylvr @Evelynn Decipio @Charlie Woodward

Aurelia listened intently at the others. She respected Evelynn and Charlie very much, they were on the Quidditch team, which had been a dream of hers since she was little, but she knew that the team was full... At Sylvr's comment, Aurelia was taken aback. She wasn't sure what to think of the Slytherin. Everyone she had met liked Quidditch, but she supposed it was due to the fact that she only hung out with people who had the same interests as her. And how could you not like it? The adrenaline rush of flying on a broom, the players whizzing past, the roars of the crowd, the sneaky snitch that always made sure the game was interesting and the rush of it all. Aurelia just couldn't understand. She agreed to everything Charlie said about the sport with frantic nodding. Suddenly, she realized that none of the people in this compartment would join her for the summer camp and she sighed sadly. She reckoned that she would have to find new friends there.

She listened to Evelynn introduce the boy, whose name was Charlie Woodward. She smiled as Evelynn complimented him and wished more than ever to have a team to belong to. She fiddled with her hair as she imagined soaring through the sky at the World cup finale, with the whole crowd cheering her on. Who knew, that dream might become a reality. She looked around the others, they didn't all like Quidditch, and not everyone was going to summer camp. So she should find something to talk about. "So what does everyone like to do? Any hobbies?"

Quidditch.

Amara was aware many of her peers, if not most of them has a liking for the sport, with some being avid fans. With it being intense, flashy and eye-catching, it was to be expected that many would be taken in by the sport. Amara knew she was part of the small minority that were not a fan of the sport. It wasn't that she disliked the sport, she just doesn't see herself playing it or see the total appeal of it.

In her opinion, Quidditch is a brutal sport that if you are not prepared enough could result to some dangerous injuries. Sure that it is eye-catching and flashy, with the players showing their flying prowess and capabilities but aside from that she doesn't see anything that would entice her to the sport. Sure the players are supposedly good athletes, one has to be in excellent condition to be able to play after all, but she could have an athletic body just be doing some exercises and strenuous activities.

There was also the rivalries between teams although fair play and sportsmanship are being played, but one could easily forget such a thing in the heat of the game. It is part of the strategy, to be smart and be a tad bit ruthless just to gain points, she is in no way saying it applies to all as this is just a conjecture of hers after all. But the thing that she doesn't totally agree on is the point system of the game. Minus the seeker whose sole purpose is to find the snitch, every other player has to do their best in order to score points, hard earned points which could be easily surpassed by catching the snitch thus ending the game. She finds it a tad bit unfair to be honest, a team has to work hard to earn points, to make sure they stay on top yet all of the effort topples over if the other team catches the snitch. In theory, to ensure one wins the game, snitch or no snitch, a team has to maintain a 150 point advantage against the opposing team, simple for professional players yet to ask that from students, no wonder the teams put a lot of pressure on their seekers to find the snitch to ensure their victory.

So yeah, she wasn't a fan of the game.

"No I'm not. I'm not a fan of any sports really" she addressed Evelynn before turning to Charlie "Every sports have there own form of violence, but yes not even to watch. But I do watch when it is Slytherin that plays" for house solidarity purposes but if it isn't Slytherin that is playing and she could get away with it, Amara would prefer to hole herself up in her dorm room to read a book or laze around.

And with how Evelynn introduced Charlie, Amara realized where she had seen Evelynn and Charlie prior to this meeting. The Quidditch team, of course and now she bit her lip, worrying a bit as she realized with the added fact that Aurelia would be attending the summer camp, she was sitting not only with Gryffindors but ones who likes Quidditch, two of them even play it, and she just told them that she didn't like the sport!

She was just glad at the opportunity brought on by the question raised by Aurelia. "I cook and bake" she spoke with a timid smile

For being quite the clever little witch, there was the odd time that Evelynn could be very dense. There had been a number of thoughts that had crossed her mind that may have been the reason why her teammate might hold himself back from attending the camp. Lack of interest, lack of confidence, perhaps a hovering anxiety about being forced to stay in a tent with potential strangers for a lengthy period of time to name a few. What she had not at all anticipated was what was soon delivered from her lips. Ginger brows shot up in mild surprise, only to slump right back down, creased, as the weight of the statement settled heavily onto her shoulders.

"Right…" She sighed, lips crimping. "I'd.. Almost forgotten, actually.."

While they had been encapsulated within the protective barrier that was Hogwarts and its surrounding grounds, the rest of the world had carried on. She hadn't been ignorant of the goings on outside their little world, of course. They'd even had an errand to offer what aide that they could to muggles afflicted with the current global pandemic. Her mother had also been keeping her somewhat up-to-date by letter. But those had diminished over time, and the contents of those that had continued had shifted to more positive topics. It had been a while since she had been forced to contend with reality. But it was into that harsh reality that most of them were now returning.

Of course he'd want to take advantage of the functional airports now, while he was still able to. Who knew when a resurgence would occur again and they would be forced to shut down once more. The rest of his commentary was left to pass with little more than a furtively quizzical glance. He had never struck her as the sort to come from a struggling family. In fact, given that he had recently flown into a game upon a new and rather advanced broom, she'd thought him to be rather well-off. What was more, it suddenly sank in that the most unusual part of what he had said wasn't the cost of the plane ticket, nor the time-sensitive nature of making use of it, but rather that he had to make use of it at all. For one reason or another, she'd thought him to be from a Wizarding family. Although now that she thought of it, there was absolutely nothing upon which to base that assumption.

"Hm?" The voice of the girl seated next to her pulled Evelynn from her barrelling train of thought. "Oh! Um…" The question caught up with her a second later, and as she hummed thoughtfully to herself while trying to conjure an acceptable answer, she glanced up and over to Sylvr as the Slytherin girl offered one up instead.

"I do as well, actually," Evelynn commented, smiling faintly. "My mother and I like to spend time together cooking and we'll often do some baking for the holidays as well. I play chess as well. Most of my free time is spend riding, though. Or playing violin. My mother wants to enrol me back into ballet again this summer as well, but I don't think I'll have the time for that on top of everything else."

[font=century gothic]INTERACTING WITH @Charlie Woodward, @Amara Sylvr, and @Aurelia Roberts