Hogwarts Summer Camp Stargazing

Interaction: @Santario Martin

Howard reached across the table with his long, pale limb to sort through the offerings the basket contained. Typical picnic fare, a shrug and a facial expression that said “this’ll do” would be his only response. Clawed fingers would pick out some of the cured meats...what the heck, maybe a few slices of cheese as well. It didn’t carry the desire that it had in his previous life, but tasted decent nonetheless. Howard would nibble away as he searched her eyes.

It wasn’t very often that he came across someone who was willing to maintain eye contact. Howard couldn’t really blame them. Most were either afraid or just reacting to the constant look of disdain he kept plastered upon his face, but every once in a while he would capture someone attention. The girl had kept her gaze on him even as he approached, her eyes offering an abundance of opportunities. They carried a depth that was uncommon for most her age. Most of all, the color called out to something within the teenaged Dhampir. A similar icy blue that ran in his family. An image of his mother’s eyes flashed through his mind, then a pang of sorrow. Then the girl would offer her name, washing the memory away.

“Santario...” He would repeat, letting the word slip off his tongue. “Interesting. Name’s Howard...not nearly as fun. So...Santario, what brings you out to such an evening? Surely you could have stayed back at camp if all you wanted was to sit alone. Avid stargazer?” His eyes would bounce up into the sky before rolling over toward Professor Kibitzer’s area, then back to her. “I’m hoping to get a reading. Well...once the pip squeaks are done.”

Interacting| @Howard White
Mentioning| -
Open to interactions

For a moment, it seemed as if he was lost in another time, another place, somewhere far away from here. It reminded San of the look that Vincent gave her when he visited her in the infirmary. Not quite the same, but close enough to know something was lingering. He introduced himself and followed with a question, though she would wait until he was done speaking before she spoke in turn. “Howard, in one instance Howard stems from the Old Norse meaning High Guard or even Warden. I think, if I remember correctly, in Germanic, it comes to heart, mind, spirit, hardiness, bravery…” She trailed off as she watched him. “Not so boring to me. Names say a lot about people. Fancy names can hide the dullest of people.”

She wasn’t necessarily calling herself dull, but she had undoubtedly met more interesting people in her short time in this world. “The night time is comforting. I sleep better when the sun is up, so I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to stay out all night. The stars are beautiful, don’t get me wrong, and it is true I’ve laid upon the roof back home many times watching them, but it’s the calm of the night I enjoy. The hush that falls over the land as everyone drifts off to sleep. That’s my favorite time. Though realistically, I should have known I would get none of that on this trip, and one of my tent mates is kind of annoying, so I figured if I was lucky, he wasn’t coming to this event.” It was mostly the truth, there was more to it but spouting it off to a strange boy she had just met was not something she was prone to doing.

“Good luck with the reading. All of the first and second years are going to flock to her since they can’t see her in class yet.” Though she herself only being a newly second year would not be doing so. Fate and destiny were not words Santario beleived in. She was guessing by the way that he looked that he was probably at least a third year, but she had been wrong before.

Outfit

Mentioning @Lydia Cooper
Interacting with @Carolyn Hunt at the second table

Aaron was super excited for tonight. He'd been looking forward to the stargazing event for the last couple weeks or so. His fascination with space and the stars and the moon had only just cropped up since having a few owls with his dad about a Space X program that launched recently. Apparently the first commercial flight launch from a non-government space program. Or something like that. Aaron wasn't a hundred percent on all the details, but he was really interested to find out more! Like... how high could a broom go? Had any wizards been to space? These were extremely important questions!

During the hour long train ride to the Grove Park Community Group - that's where Professor Equinox said they were going - he regaled Lydia with stories about the constellations he had studied the night before. He was retaining information about this stuff much better than anything he had studied for before - maybe because it was for pleasure and not for school. He was sure she probably knew some of this information from their astronomy lessons - the ones she always had to help him with - but she was humoring him, a fact he very much appreciated.

Once they got to the park area, he and Lydia went their separate ways. Apparently she was meeting up with someone (he guessed who, but didn't want to ask and confirm), which meant Aaron would be on his own. Probably not for long, though, because he had a natural charisma that made finding friends pretty easy. He spotted several familiar faces, actually. Santario was sitting at one of the tables, and Maria was over by the fortune telling station. They each seemed to be doing their own thing, though, and he figured he could say hi to them in a little bit. For now, he was kinda starving.

Before Aaron could find a spot to eat, he was passed a star chart by Annie Morgan, a fellow Hufflepuff Quidditch player. He was extremely happy about this fact, because he hadn't yet memorized all the constellations. This would be extremely useful. With the star chart in his possession, he looked around for a table with a picnic basket to settle at. His eyes lingered on the second table, where a girl had an open journal of some sort. Maybe she was excited for the stargazing and had brought notes!

"Hi! You're um- Carolyn? Right?" Aaron asked. He had an uncanny memory for names and faces, and he recognized her after having a year's worth of classes together. They had never really interacted before, but he was always down to make new friends! "I'm Aaron! Mind if I sit? We can eat together?" he asked, gesturing to the picnic basket in the center of her table. There was probably way more food than just for one person, although its not like he was just going to open it up without her permission.

Aida made a beeline towards Prof. Kibitzer's area, but when she arrived she found that a line had already formed. While Aida was excited about the opportunity to watch the Durmstrang v. Hufflepuff game, the most important thing she had come to the summer camp for was to ask for Prof. Kibitzer's divination services.

Aida had become a believer of divination ever since she had begun researching her geneology. She had read that a number of her family's ancestors were seers, although Aida was not one herself. Desperate to latch onto some shred of what she could still connect to in regards to her family, Aida wanted to see divination first hand. Furthermore, she had at least one very important question to ask Prof. Kibitzer.

Still, no matter how important she felt her mission was, Aida was a polite and patient person. Getting in the back of the line, she made herself comfortable by sitting down. Gazing up at the stars, she wondered how Alexander was doing. Of course, the stars had no reply and they continued to hang distantly. From that point on, as Aida waited her mind began to spiral away from the immediate surroundings, consumed by myriad hypothetical situations and questions.

Mentions: @Rosalind Kibitzer @Alexander Varellion
Open for interaction.

Carolyn was quietly working on her drawing, it was not overly realistic and it didn’t quite capture today’s night sky but she didn’t mind. She was never a big fan of accurate real time sketches. Instead, she preferred to give reign to her imagination. The starry night was simply an inspiration to her. I’m getting hungry, her brain registered absentmindedly. She was just about to add the finishing touches when someone interrupted her work.

The young witch slowly looked up to see the owner of the voice. She was a bit surprised someone would actually talk to her on their own accord but she was definitely happy. She promised herself she would approach more people during the summer camp but so far, she was failing miserably. “Oh, yes that is my name,” she confirmed the boy’s first question. Carolyn definitely knew him from classes but she couldn’t quite remember his name. Thankfully, she was spared the embarrassment since he introduced himself straight away.

“Nice to meet you Aaron,” the Ravenclaw finally remembered her manners. “And of course you can join me, there is plenty of space,” she smiled at her new companion. “You came at the right time, I was just thinking of grabbing some snack,” she admitted while pushing her sketchbook away so it wouldn’t get dirty. Then she got up, opening the picnic basket to peer in. Aaron was clearly letting her take charge of it, which was unnecessary since it was not hers to begin with but she found the gesture quite charming. “I think there is plenty of food for both of us. Feel free to grab anything you want. I would offer to help but I’m afraid sandwiches are not my forte. In fact, I’m pretty sure if my Korean grandparents saw me eating bread for dinner, they would flip out,” she chuckled quietly as she remembered the old couple. They were quite set in their traditional ways and always insisted on feeding her a proper meal. “You are from Hufflepuff, correct? Are you going to take part in the Quidditch Match?”

Interacting with @Carolyn Hunt

"Nice meeting you, too!" Aaron beamed at the girl as he watched her move aside her sketchbook. It was only now that he noticed it was for drawing, not for notes. His eyes only lingered on the paper for a moment, not wanting to seem like he was prying. Instead, he put his star chart on the table and focused his attention on the picnic basket, which Carolyn was opening. He peered inside it with her, impressed by the sheer amount of food that had been stuffed inside.

"Oh, you're Korean?!" he asked, a bit excited by the revelation. [IN KOREAN] "Do you speak it, too?" he asked in perfect Korean. He had not met another Korean yet at Hogwarts - or at least, none that he knew of. He suspected some of the people he saw might be, but with his fellow Asians, it was hard to narrow down a specific country.

As he spoke, Aaron was grabbing food from inside the basket and laying out some of the items. "I'm not much of a sandwich person either, but there's other stuff in here," he noted, grabbing some fruits and vegetables. He laid them the veggies and dips between them, along with the mixture of pretzels and nuts. At the bottom of the basket, he was excited to see a bunch of sweets. "Woah, look! Chocolate frogs!" he said, grabbing a handful and spreading them on the table. He was always very excited to see the cards inside, even though he didn't have a collection.

Aaron finally took a seat, and his dark eyes looked at Carolyn when she asked about the Quidditch game. "Yeah, I'm a Chaser for the Hufflepuff team," he confirmed proudly. "But this'll actually be my first official game, I only got on the team kinda recently," he explained, grabbing some pretzels and beginning to snack. At a moment when his mouth was free, he continued, "Do you like Quidditch?"

Interacting with @Lindsey Springhall

Mentioning @Anastasia Beckett

"Siblings? I have 5..." He said. Every time he had to bring up his family, especially of late, he felt especially exhausted. "I don't really have a good relationship with any of them, though. As for my relationship with my parents... Well, that's a long story."

He'd lost a lot of respect for his mum and dad over the school year, and that's why he was grateful to be at camp for half of the summer. Soon enough, he'd have to come back home to the Manor and deal with telling them how he's actively choosing to be a disappointment, which would surely be an atom bomb that the Reeves' family would surely never forget.

When the conversation dwindled down because of how lost in thought he was, the Hufflepuff girl asked another question."Um…sorry for asking, are you having a good time with your family?" Lindsey asked him, looking seemingly embarrassed by how forward she was.

It suddenly made more sense why she approached him. She could tell that he was in a somber mood, and she was just trying to help out. He put on a reassuring smile, unsure if he wanted to talk about what was going on with the stranger, but hoping to ease her mind so that she would feel less sorry for him.

"Oh. I'm... yeah. I mean, not really, but..." He trailed off, thinking of a way to restructure the conversation. "I was just writing a letter to a good friend that I miss a lot. She's stuck at home, and her family is a lot like mine, so I feel bad for her. Her parents are...ridiculous, to say the least.." He could come up with more colorful words for Ana's parents, but he decided to save it. No stranger wanted to hear that.

Interacting with @Aaron Jones

Carolyn froze the moment her second language reached her years. „Yes! Yes I do,“ she answered in perfect Korean. It felt like eternity since the last time she spoke it. To be honest, she was a bit before, not used to talking with strangers…especially the boys. This however, made her loosen up. It felt as if Aaron brought a little piece of home with him. “My father is Korean and my grandparents are too. My mum is British though. Your parents are Korean then?” She asked with a smile while helping her new acquaintance with setting the table. Carolyn never automatically assumed an Asian student shared her heritage. Surprisingly, there were plenty of them at Hogwarts but they could have come from anywhere. China, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam…truly, there were so many options. Not to mention some of them could be properly British at this point. She was a second generation Korean and she was taught all about her culture but that didn’t mean everybody had the same experience.

“Oh, I haven’t had many of those,” Aaron exclamation made her focus on the food once again. She loved sweets but she was taught not to eat too many so she had hardly any experience with magical candies. Chocolate frogs were the first ones she got to taste at Hogwarts though. “They really put a lot of effort in these,” she appreciated the selection once more.

Soon the conversation strayed to Quidditch. “Chaser? Really? That’s amazing. I so hope you’ll win the match. I'll be cheering on you guys,” she said smiling. “I have to admit, Quidditch is not my biggest passion,” she confessed begrudgingly. Many people looked at her funny when she said that so she was always careful when sharing said fact. “I’m more of a dancer myself but I have a huge admiration for the players and I enjoy supporting my classmates.” Hopefully, Aaron wouldn’t mind her not sharing the same dedication to the popular sport.

Interacting with @Eyre Reeves
Mentioning Airlia Winter

“I don't really have a good relationship with any of them, though. As for my relationship with my parents... Well, that's a long story.”
Lindsey’s heart began to beat faster when hearing this. She hoped that she hadn’t said anything that made Eyre felt bad——if the starting conversation of family made him so.
But, five siblings was indeed a big number. There were never many Springhalls in the world——most of them only had one or two children. She thought it would be fun with more peers to play with, but maybe she’s wrong. If you didn’t get along with any of them, one hundred siblings wouldn’t let you feel better.
Eyre mentioned a friend of his who had strict and ridiculous parents.
“She's stuck at home, and her family is a lot like mine, so I feel bad for her. Her parents are...ridiculous, to say the least..” he said.
Is this friend Airlia Winter? Lindsey wondered. She knew that Airlia’s parents, especially Mrs. Winter, was strict to their daughter. Maybe that’s the case for some pure blood families. Airlia was taught to be elegant, and beautiful, and this older Hufflepuff did it successfully. But could they be seen as “ridiculous”? Lindsey didn’t have a clue for this.
“Um, just wondering, is this friend’s name Airlia? Airlia Winter?” She asked, again pretty awkwardly. “Her parents…um, I guess they’re sort of strict and…interesting too.”
She tried to find a word to replace “ridiculous”. The Winters were just pretty strict, but maybe not that ridiculous. They seemed still had some softness apart from those ridiculous (true ridiculous this time) manners.

Interacting with @Carolyn Hunt at second table

"I'm the opposite of you, actually. Mum's Korean and Dad's Welsh, so it looks like we're both half!" Aaron said. He was really happy to meet someone like himself. From the way she had spoken about food, she probably had the same tastes as him. She probably enjoyed dishes like bibimbap, kimchi and bulgogi. All dishes that he loved and craved constantly while he had been at Hogwarts. His mother's cooking is the only reason he sometimes wanted to be home rather than here at summer camp, but no way would he have passed up the chance to play in a Quidditch match.

"Thanks!" Aaron appreciated her well wishes. He was a little nervous about the match, but his excitement generally overpowered the nerves. Carolyn seemed nervous to admit that she wasn't a huge Quidditch fan, and Aaron grinned at her with a slight shake of his head, "Don't worry, I know not everyone is a super fan." She went on to describe her passion for dance, and he continued to snack on his pretzels.

"Appreciate the support," Aaron nodded, with a smile. "If Hogwarts had a dance team, I'd support you guys, too!" His dark eyes fell on her sketchbook again as he reached for a strawberry.

"What about drawing, is that a passion of yours?" he asked, falling back to Korean. Aaron wanted to keep speaking the language. At home, he would speak Korean with his family often to keep it fresh in his mind. Being unable to speak it for so long, he felt a natural connection to this girl for giving him the opportunity. "Were you drawing the stars?" he wondered, gesturing to the star chart that he had brought with him.