28 Nov 2020, 20:21
Morning Delivery
Interaction with @Rose Moon
Hope you don't mind but we don't have an active thread right now with these two!
As breakfast began, Alina took her seat at the Hufflepuff table and got herself situated, bag resting next to her on the long bench. Most of the students that surrounded her seemed to still be half asleep, blinking and trying to keep themselves awake as some of the other students came bustling into The Great Hall.
Alina had been up - she had been up for some time. She had fallen in love with the sunrise many years ago and it had been quite the added benefit living at a residency school such as Hogwarts. If you awoke before the other girls, that meant you got a nice hot shower and time to get ready for the day without everyone crowded around the mirror at once.
She fixed her plate up with some eggs, fried tomatoes, some berries, toast with jam, and accompanied it with some pumpkin juice. Overhead the owls began to make their daily deliveries which she paid no mind to because she hadn't heard from her father since the third week of August and letters from her sister were few and far between. She also hadn't made any orders from anywhere recently to be expecting a delivery.
Still, a familiar dark owl caught her eye as she glanced up. Maybe it was the way he so majestically flew or maybe it was because he circled above her twice already but she was quite certain it was Bathrolomew, her father's owl! "Barty!" she called, quickly standing up and jumping up onto the long bench of the Hufflepuff table to gain some height despite her short stature. "Barty, is that you?!"
The owl lowered itself towards the table and once the brown paper wrapped package was set on the table it released its grasp on it and hovered toward the Hufflepuff girl. She pulled the sleeve of her cloak over her arm and held it out and the bird landed upon it, bringing it's head up to want to tap against hers the way a cat might. "It IS you, Bartholomew!" she said and instantly felt hope that her father was okay now that his owl had paid her a visit. "Do come again, I plan to write him again soon," she said and stepped down from the bench to watch the owl look at her with it's deep orange eyes.
Using her other hand, she grabbed a berry from her plate and treated the owl before gently patting his head. "Take care of yourself now," she said, wondering where he had been these last three months - where her father had been. "...And take care of him," she added in a soft whisper.
With one more pat the bird finished it's berry treat and he took to the sky with some of the other owls now finished with their deliveries and off he went. She watched out the entrance to the Great Hall for just a moment more before turning her attention to the package. On it was her father's handwriting: To my Alina.
Quickly she unwrapped the box to reveal two things. One was a framed photo of her, Bella, and their father, and attached on the other side was a small piece of parchment with a note.
Last edited by Alina Rosier on 29 Nov 2020, 21:45, edited 1 time in total.
Let your confidence shine, pretty girl.
29 Nov 2020, 21:00
Morning Delivery
Rose knew perfectly well she was technically supposed to be at the Gryffindor Table. And, yeah, she had been. But, as she was watching the owls come in while sipping on some orange juice, she caught sight of an owl delivering a package with- "To My Alina" in fancy blue handwriting. She almost spit out her juice.
Sure enough, it landed right in front of Rose's very dear friend, Alina Rosier. Alina proceeded to open it, talking to the owl that had delivered it, which was such an Alina thing to do. Rose squinted. What if it was from her dad? Her father had fallen out of touch with Alina near the end of the summer break, simply vanishing. So if she was to have an owl from her father, what would it say? Rose had been extremely worried about Alina's dad. Rose knew she looked up to him a lot, and really cared about his well-being.
More than that, Rose cared about Alina a lot. It was kind of early in the morning, so they still had time to talk before they went to class. Rose considered it- she would look awfully awkward over there. But maybe Alina needed her.
Forcing herself to her feet, Rose walked over to the Hufflepuff table, standing beside her friend. She wouldn't sit down. Then, she spoke quietly, "Alina, is... is that from your dad? What... what does it say?"
29 Nov 2020, 21:59
Morning Delivery
Interacting with @Rose Moon
Alina stared down at the framed photo with a smile. It had been taken mid Summer that y ear on a particularly chilly morning. Margie, their chef, had somehow managed to burn her pancakes and had gotten rather distraught over it until her father mentioned they'd just go out to eat at one of the local cafes for breakfast that morning - all of them: her, Bella, himself, Margie, and James who was her father's assistant. It was James that took the photo.
"Rose, hi! It is!" she said, amazed by it herself, still staring at the photo a moment longer before looking up to her friend and smiled. "It is! See?!" she pulled the brown paper packaging that was on the table near her over to show the tag. "That's definitely my father's handwriting," and he always used blue ink. That was a weird thing in their household since the girls could write. Their father always used blue ink, Bella always used pink, and Alina used purple. Even now at Hogwarts she turned in all her assignments using a purple ink quill. It was such a comfort to see that writing.
"Maybe it's supposed to be an early Christmas present or something," she added, thinking about the photo frame. "It doesn't say anything, just the photo." Alina looked back to the brown paper to see if she had missed a note or something inside but no, only the frame was included inside. She tilted it, just looking over the golden shimmer of the metal that surrounded the photo and in turning it that's when she felt the slight upraise at the back.
Her hand had caught the parchment of the note and she turned the frame over to reveal the note left for her. Do not go home. Same handwriting. Same blue ink. Now she wasn't feeling so comforted.
"I..." she paused and pulled off the note that had been held onto the back of the frame with just a small piece of clear tape but nothing was on the back. She then looked over the brown paper packaging one more time. Nothing. She turned the frame over and opened it up, nothing. That was it? Do not go home?
"I don't know whether I should be comforted that his owl is okay and that somehow my father was able to get this to me...or if I should be more concerned than ever," she sighed.
Let your confidence shine, pretty girl.
30 Nov 2020, 17:39
Morning Delivery
Do not come home.
Those were the lone, cruel words that were on the piece of parchment. No elaboration was given, no comfort that even though she wouldn't be coming home for the holidays for some unknown reason, that her father was okay, and that everything was alright at home, no need for her to worry about it. No reason why she shouldn't be coming home, and no reason why he had sent her this weird present with a short note. Just- Do not come home.
"... I don't know, 'Lina..." Rose murmured quietly. "I mean, I guess it means he's alive, right? And has access to that owl... and the picture as well. If he wasn't okay, I don't think he would be able to get the picture to you." But on the other hand, why wasn't Alina to come home? Was the house in danger? Did he think she would come looking for him? It sure sounded like something Alina would do, no doubt. "I really don't know, that's very weird."
She was going to tell Alina not to worry about it- don't worry about your father, who fell out of touch with you, completely vanished, and nobody knows where he is, not to mention he sent you a note to not come home.
So she vetoed that idea inside her mind, because who in their right mind wouldn't worry about their father in that situation.
"I'm sure he'll be okay. He's a very smart man, from what I've heard from you. Whatever's happening, if anything is happening, he'll get out of it."
6 Dec 2020, 18:44
Morning Delivery
Interacting with @Rose Moon
"Yeah, you're absolutely right," she said and nodded as she looked down at the picture. "He is a smart guy, probably the smartest I've known and obviously he's okay or he wouldn't be able to send this." With it being somewhat recent too that made her feel better because she knew this wasn't just some thing he picked up from his desk and sent it off. He would have had to have the picture made and it placed into the frame. That took time and it took thought.
She had made up her mind that he was okay - at least for that given amount of time. She had also made up her mind about one other thing. While the note specifically told her not to go home, which she assumed meant for the holiday break, she was certain that it was exactly the thing she would do. Her curiousity was sparked and she had to discover what was going on. She had to see her father or perhaps talk to James. She couldn't just stay at Hogwarts like Bella had decided to stay at Beauxbatons.
"What are your plans for the holidays?" she asked Rose, glancing to her now with a smile, glad that she had a plan for her course of action now for break. Before this she had been undecided.
Let your confidence shine, pretty girl.
7 Dec 2020, 17:10
Morning Delivery
Rose nodded, glad she had been able to make Alina feel a little better, feeling at least a little accomplished.
A little smile grew on her face. "You're not planning on staying home, are you?" Rose predicted. Alina wasn't known as the most obedient student or daughter in the world. And Rose guessed her curiosity was too overpowering for her to just be a good girl and stay at Hogwarts. She was also bound to be extremely worried about her father, who had randomly vanished. Alina would be able to go home if she wanted to- she could just owl some of the staff at Updown Court, which was her home (Rose was actually sure it was more of a castle than a house, though she supposed a castle could be considered a house) and tell them to meet her at the train station and bring her there. It would be all too easy to go against her father's wishes.
"I'm going home. For a few days around Christmas, I'm also going to go visit my extended family in America... And... I don't think I told you, but Eyre's staying over... The whole break," she informed Alina, feeling especially warm inside at the mention of her boyfriend.
"Is Bella going home over break?"