A Quiet Birthday Fin.

Interacting with: @Sapphire Riddle

"Ah, I see... I've never gone to a therapist. What was it like?" In her opinion, going to a doctor or a therapist took some amount of courage. Then again, she'd never gone to a therapist, so Callista was actually sort of curious.

"I've never planned to meet up with anyone," Callista said with a smile. "I always just bump into them by chance. Well, actually, there was one incident where we arranged a meeting, but we ended up meeting accidentally anyway..." Coincidentally, the aforementioned meeting had also been in the owlery. Hmm.

A grin lit up Callista's face. "I love the Percy Jackson series! I've read all of Rick Riordan's series! Have you read the Heroes of Olympus, Trials of Apollo, Magnus Chase, or the Kane Chronicles series?" she asked excitably. "Honestly, Greek mythology is kind of weird. I'm assuming you're familiar with the story of Gaea and Uranus having their children, the whole mess with Kronos and the scimitar, and then the story of Kronos, Rhea, and their children?" She paused. "Hmm, I basically just told you the main points of the story. I thought it was interesting that it was basically one paranoid king after another, with their sons killing them and then taking over to become another paranoid king." Callista has a habit of rambling when it comes to mythology. She hadn't had the chance to meet anyone with the same level of interest in mythology as her, so you'll have to forgive the girl.

"You said you play music? What instrument do you play?" she asked curiously. Personally, she played the piano and the viola (which is not as well known as violin and its very sad ;-;). "I like instrumental music the best, but lyrical music is nice too. I don't really know what kind of music I like listening to, anything really. Although I enjoy anime music, I suppose. What about you?" Another pause. "Sorry again, I'm probably talking too much..." Although maybe that was a good thing for the shy Hufflepuff. She hadn't talked this much in a row with anyone else at Hogwarts. Sapph is a good listener.

Sorry for the late reply, I've been busy OOC.

Interacting with @Callista Lovis

"It was... not something I did of my own free will," she started. "But my... parents... had been a bit concerned by my behaviour, so they thought to bring me to an official appointment." Had it been her choice, she likely would have just let herself suffer in silence - not that it was the best course of action, but it was the one she had felt most comfortable with. Talking to people about personal issues was not her forte.

She nodded a bit, listening to Callista talk. And she was also excited to hear that they shared the same interest in the RRU. "Oh yes, I've read them all! I was a tad impatient waiting for the new releases, especially in the Trials of Apollo. Waiting for those was agony. And the Kane Chronicles is so underrated - the books are great!" She listened to the next spiel, already a lot more invested in the conversation. "Yes, Greek mythology is a mess. All of them are, really, but Greek is the most well known. Although shouldn't it be Ouranous, since it's Greek? Uranus is Roman," she commented.

On the topic of music, she nodded. "Yes, I play flute and piano. The flute was the first one I learned, but piano was quite easy to pick up when I did so," she said. "Do you play?" she questioned in between that and her next answer. "I can agree with that. And you can play instrumental music with or without access to your voice in most cases, I've found." It was true that she hated not having access to her voice, but she quite enjoyed simply playing. "I used to listen to anime theme songs to get myself to sleep. I find them calming, somewhat," she said.

She shook her head a bit, as she had talked quite a bit as well. "It's alright. I did as well, after all. I... get quite invested when the conversation is on something that I enjoy doing or hearing about," she said. Her voice wasn't often used this much either.

Interacting with: @Sapphire Riddle

Callista noticed the pause as Sapph said "parents". Perhaps she was not very close with them? It sounded as if Sapph had wanted to say something different. On one hand, it's not good to force someone to something, but on the other hand it was probably beneficial. "Do you... appreciate what they did?"

"Me too! I finally finished Trials of Apollo. The last book - Tower of Nero? - released a month ago. My mother sent it to me," she admitted with a sheepish grin. "I loved the Kane Chronicles. Sadly, I haven't reread them in a while. Although at least I'm relatively up-to-date on the Trials of Apollo series and the like. I still can't get over everyone that died..."

"Ouranos, yes, sorry about the slip. I'm more used to calling him by his Roman form, Uranus, although I usually stick with the Greek forms, since they're more well known. Do you prefer Roman or Greek? In my opinion, they're both okay, but I side with the Greek since they worshipped Athena. Minerva does not get enough credit. Do you have a favorite out of the 12 Olympians?" Surprisingly, her favorite wasn't Athena, although she would definitely worship Athena if she had lived in Ancient Greece.

Flute and piano. Respectable instruments. Callista nodded at Sapph's question. "I play the piano and viola. Well, technically, I play the violin too, but I don't own one. I started piano in... kindergarten I think? I took violin lessons as a required class, but I switched to viola in first or second grade instead." She nodded at Sapph's observation.

"I do too," Callista replied with a grin. She was glad that Sapph was interested, as she found that a boring conversation usually resulted from one or more of the participants being disinterested in said conversation.

Spoiler alert for future posts that may or may not contain information known only to those loyal readers that finished the Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and Trials of Apollo series.
Smaller spoiler alert for future posts that may or may not contain information known only to those that have finished the Magnus Chase and Kane Chronicles series.

OOC Note: I will insert [spoiler alert] in the text if I feel the need to do so.

I have finished all the books 'cept Tower of Nero (I'm about half-way through), so it probably won't be anything new for me.

"I... SUPPOSE SO," she began hesitantly. "I mean, it's not that I'm not very happy with them, but I've had a difficult time connecting the word "parents" with them since they weren't my biological parents." She shrugged, a look on her face that implied unsureness.

She then proceeded to listen once more. "Ah, yes. Tower of Nero. Sadly, I have not been able to read that one yet - I don't know if my father-" she was a bit surprised that came so easily to her "-really knows my taste in books yet, so I haven't gotten a copy. It's a shame it came out during the school year," she said with a wistful and awkward smile. "And yes, some of the deaths could certainly have some emotional impacts." She nodded along, agreeing that the Kane Chronicles was truly a wonderful series.

It wasn't hard to forgive the slip-up since the names of the Greek and Roman forms of Uranus were very similar. After all, there was only one letter removed/added. "The Greek forms do seem to have more memorable names," she said with a slight laugh. "And Minerva certainly does not get enough credit. My favourite Olympian? That would have to be either Athena or Artemis. I would gladly join the hunters," she said. The hunters were her favourite group. They were wonderful to see in action.

"That's neat. My sister plays the same two instruments, I believe. Both are fun instruments... I think. I can only speak for piano, but I've also seen people have a lot of fun playing viola. Of course, people wouldn't do something unless they liked it - or they were forced," she said.

Interacting with: @Sapphire Riddle

A look of surprise briefly captured Callista's face before vanishing just as quickly as it had come. "If you don't mind me asking... you're... adopted?" Callista said slowly.

"Mhm. Usually, I would buy it on the weekends, but since I'm in a boarding school..." What can you do? "I can lend the book to you, since I'm done with it," she offered. Well, that works. "I can probably get it from my dorm and give it to you after class today, if you're not busy." A true Hufflepuff bookworm as always.

[Spoiler Alert | Revealed in Burning Maze] "You really come to appreciate Jason a lot more after his death," Callista said sadly. [End of Spoiler] "Although that's usually a sign of good writing, if the readers feel emotional when a character dies, isn't it?"

Callista nodded in agreement. "I love Athena and Artemis as well, although I probably wouldn't join the hunters. I take it that means you're not interested in romance?" she asked with a slightly teasing smile. "My favorite Greek goddess would be Hestia, even though I know she's not part of the 12 anymore. That's kind of part of why I like her though."

"It's cool that your sister plays viola! I only know two people that play the viola at my sch- my old school, and they're not that good at it. Sadly, I know a lot of people whose parents force them to take on an instrument. It takes the fun out of it," Callista said.

Good to know. The spoiler alerts will be for those reading our role-play then.

Interacting with @Callista Lovis

SAPPH NODDED, A BIT SOLEMN. "Yes, I am. My parents died when I was a child, so I had to go somewhere." She wasn't exactly proud or happy with the fact that she'd required adoption, but it wasn't as if it was something she could help. "It wasn't terrible, but sometimes it got me into some... awkward... situations," she said. She didn't really know how else to describe it.

Sapphire nodded, a bit excited by the prospect. "That would be nice. I don't believe I have anything after classes today," she said. "Uhm, where would we need to meet up for that?"

She gave a slightly rueful smile. "Yeah, it sure is. It's really wonderful, if not sad when authors manage to capture such raw emotion in their writing. When they cause other people to feel that pain," she said. That kind of sounded depressing, the way she phrased it. "There aren't many authors I've read who could make me feel that much."

She laughed, a bit dryly. "Yep. I mean, people opinions change constantly, but I'm certainly not interested in romance when I can focus on things like school. And the weird adventures it drags us on," she said. "Hestia is nice. She doesn't get enough recognition either," the girl added. She was a fan of Hestia, but she was also a bit ashamed to admit that she also occasionally forgot about the goddess of the hearth.

"Yes, I doubt one would enjoy playing an instrument if they were forced into it," she said. "It really does take the fun out of it."

Interacting with: @Sapphire Riddle

"Oh." There was really nothing much to say on the matter of adoption. Callista would offer her condolences, but she wasn't sure how that would help anything. She couldn't relate much, so she didn't want to pry.

"I think the library would work," Callista said with a smile. "I usually head there after class anyway." Speaking of class, it was about time to start heading to her first class at 9. Based off of this schedule.

Callista nodded in agreement, but for her... "I can usually connect with most of the books I've read. Have you read the Michael Vey or Artemis Fowl series?" Those were two of her favorite series, apart from the RRU universe, of course.

"I wouldn't have thought that school could drag us on weird adventures, but now that I'm at Hogwarts, I might have to rethink that," Callista said with a slight smirk. "Hestia is way too underrated. Nico was the first to talk to her in ages. That's crazy to think about, even if it's fictional."

"I should head to class," Callista explained apologetically. "I'll get that book to you right before lunch, is that okay? It was great meeting you, Sapph." She stretched her hand out for a handshake.

If Sapph accepts the handshake, Callista would shake the other girl's hand gently. After a brief moment of hesitation, she hugged the older girl. The scent of honey, books, and that smell in the morning of fresh dew against grass was wafted from Callista. The hug was gentle but warm, and as Callista pulled back, she flashed a brief smile, a whispered thank you, and walked off.

If Sapph checks the pocket in her robes, she would find a small blue bottle with a dark blue substance reminiscent of a galaxy inside. Courtesy of Callista.

Callista has left the thread unless stopped. If not stopped, Sapph will post the concluding message.

Thank you so much for the amazing role-play, I loved participating in it with you. If you want to continue this thread, you can always stop Callista from leaving. And, of course, I'm always open to more threads with you!

Reducio

Interacting with @Callista Lovis

SAPPHIRE NODDED, RETURNING THE SMILE. "Yes, the library should work," she said. "I do as well." Books were like her religion, after all.

She hesitated, thinking for a second. "I've wished to read the Artemis Fowl series, but could never track down the books," she said." I don't believe I know of the Michael Vey books," she added. She also connected with the other things Callista had said, about connecting with the books. What she really meant was that rarely could she feel the pain of the characters so vividly.

Sapphire laughed a bit dryly. "Yes, I truly wish I had a heads up before coming here," she joked. She nodded. "She's much better than that," she agreed.

Sapph nodded in understanding. "I believe I have somewhere to be as well," she said. She accepted the handshake, then a bit surprised when Callista pulled her into a hug. She momentarily froze, stunned by how gentle it was. When was the last time she had been given such a short of affection? As far as her memories could reach, nowhere in her mental database could she recall a time. All she really knew was that it had been a while.

She gave a small smile when Callista thanks her, hoping to allow her response through that where her words couldn't.

It wasn't until she was halfway to her destination that she felt a small bit of added weight in her pocket, barely noticeable among that of her pens and pencils. She fished around in her pocket, searching for the unfamiliar item. Pulling it out, she was surprised by what she saw. Galaxy blues captured inside a small bottle. It was quite pretty.

Sapph smiled to herself.

Sapphire has left the thread
I thank you as well. I also apologize for any poorly written bits in this - mobile is not the best way to write a post.