16 Oct 2020, 05:14
Back At Home
Cardiff, Wales
Friday | 14 August | lunchtime
Friday | 14 August | lunchtime
Being back at home was really great for Aaron Jones. Spending almost a whole year away from his family had been torturous in the beginning, but after Christmas he became pretty well-adjusted to boarding school. It didn't mean that he wasn't constantly missing his family - it meant he had learned how to deal with it. He had written to them more often and shared all kinds of stories of Hogwarts. And now that he was home and could tell all of his stories in person, there was one particular event that stood out the most.
The bootleg Blossom Ball that he and his friends had organized. Of course, he didn't tell his parents about it - leaving it at the fact that the Blossom Ball had ended up as cancelled. It was Avery who got the full story. Aaron's twin brother was a rule-follower through and through, but he was used to Aaron's antics. He was also captivated by pretty much everything that Aaron told him in regards to Hogwarts. It was kind of an unspoken thing about how Avery was really sad about not getting to go to Hogwarts - and Aaron felt rather guilty about the whole thing too. A year ago, he never thought there would be any reason he and Avery wouldn't be attending the same school. If anything, it would've been because Avery qualified for a really smart person's school. Then the whole magic thing came out and Aaron turned out to be the "special" one. It had caused a weird rift between the two brothers, but it hadn't yet manifested in full force. At this point in time, they were still in the ignoring-the-forming-rift phase where, when they were together, they chose to ignore the elephant in the room.
So as Aaron spoke of the monstrous vampyr mosps that had appeared and how he tried to fight them off, Avery was a captivated audience, asking all the right questions and reacting and laughing at all the right parts. At one point in the conversation, he spoke of wishing he had been there to see it all. Aaron mirrored this sentiment, and they had both gotten quiet. "I wish I could at least send you pictures-" And that's when it hit him. Santario had taken the pictures! And- And now that the bad parts of the ball weren't so fresh in his mind, he actually wanted to see some of them. He wanted to share them with Avery!
Another new development over this summer? His brother had a cell phone! Technically it was both of theirs, but since Aaron couldn't take a phone to Hogwarts - darn the stupid magical field that prevented electronics from working - they would be sharing it during the summers. It made catching up with all of his muggle friends a lot easier, but something equally as cool? During the train ride to King's Cross from the summer camp, he had found every friend he could in the hopes of compiling all of his Hogwarts friend's phone numbers. Not having an owl really sucked, but it turned out quite a few of his friends had phone's at home after all, or relatives with phones! Willow, Lydia, Maria. Even Santario, who is exactly the person he wanted to speak to today!
Sitting in his bedroom with cellphone in hand, Aaron dialed the number written next to her name. When the ringing stopped and someone picked up, he perked up quite a bit. "Hi! Is Santario Martin there?"
@Santario Martin
Last edited by Aaron Jones on 30 May 2021, 02:15, edited 1 time in total.
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
21 Oct 2020, 21:10
Back At Home
Today wasn’t just any regular day for Santario. Today was the day that she got her monthly care package from her Irish grandparents. They owned and ran a bakery in Wicklow, and every month like clockwork, she would get a parcel of baked goods, treats, and gifts. No one would outright say that she wasn’t being allowed to see them as her grandmother would never admit that she was that control, but she was only allowed to see them on holidays, and even at that, they had to travel to France.
When the old fashioned trill of a rotary phone filled the kitchen announcing a caller, Santario had been in the middle of unpacking her box, but the only other person home with her was the house-elf. So Santario hopped off of her chair and walked over to the telephone, and picked it up. “Good afternoon, you’ve reached the de Clairmont residence.” Her silvery voice greeted the caller on the other end of the line. It would be to her surprise that she was greeted by the voice of a young boy asking for her. “This is speaking.” She responded to his request for none other than herself. “Is this Aaron?” Santario didn’t think she had given her telephone number to anyone else.
When the old fashioned trill of a rotary phone filled the kitchen announcing a caller, Santario had been in the middle of unpacking her box, but the only other person home with her was the house-elf. So Santario hopped off of her chair and walked over to the telephone, and picked it up. “Good afternoon, you’ve reached the de Clairmont residence.” Her silvery voice greeted the caller on the other end of the line. It would be to her surprise that she was greeted by the voice of a young boy asking for her. “This is speaking.” She responded to his request for none other than herself. “Is this Aaron?” Santario didn’t think she had given her telephone number to anyone else.
@Aaron Jones
Healing Sage: +30% healing | Prodigal Charms | Impartial | Fearless
Stamina : 10 | Evasion : 7 | Strength : 3 | Wisdom : 12 | Arcane Power : 10 | Accuracy : 15
Stamina : 10 | Evasion : 7 | Strength : 3 | Wisdom : 12 | Arcane Power : 10 | Accuracy : 15
3 Nov 2020, 14:55
Back At Home
What luck! It was Santario who had picked up the phone after all. "Yeah, it is me!" he confirmed, his voice transitioning from the politeness a moment ago to happiness and warmth now that his friend was on the line. "How are you?" he asked excitedly, getting to his feet and pacing the room. "How is it being home and everything? Isn't it so strange being away from Hogwarts and everyone?" Aaron had found the transition back home quite odd considering he had spent almost ten whole months at school and summer camp, with just Christmas break in between. So he was so wrapped up in catching up with his family and having a good time, that feeling sad and missing his Hogwarts family hadn't really been on his mind. Plus he had been talking to Lydia (and surprisingly Maria!) a lot over the last few weeks.
"I forgot if you ever told me, but do you have any siblings? I have a twin brother - he's a Muggle obviously - and it's been so fun being home and being able to catch up with him again. And my little sister grew so much since Christmas!" Aaron was rambling at this point, as he tried to give and gain as much information as possible about their summers so far. He knew Santario had been at summer camp, meaning she would've gotten home around the same time as him: just a few weeks ago. "Can you believe that we'll be going back to Hogwarts in only a couple weeks?!" Aaron had stopped pacing to look at a calendar on the wall of he and his brother's room, noticing that September first was closer than he thought! Apparently his mind was all over the place today, as the purpose of his call still had not come up.
@Santario Martin
"I forgot if you ever told me, but do you have any siblings? I have a twin brother - he's a Muggle obviously - and it's been so fun being home and being able to catch up with him again. And my little sister grew so much since Christmas!" Aaron was rambling at this point, as he tried to give and gain as much information as possible about their summers so far. He knew Santario had been at summer camp, meaning she would've gotten home around the same time as him: just a few weeks ago. "Can you believe that we'll be going back to Hogwarts in only a couple weeks?!" Aaron had stopped pacing to look at a calendar on the wall of he and his brother's room, noticing that September first was closer than he thought! Apparently his mind was all over the place today, as the purpose of his call still had not come up.
@Santario Martin
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
1 Dec 2020, 16:29
Back At Home
As the caller on the other end of the line confirmed that it was indeed Aaron, she smiled a little. It was nice to hear a familiar voice. Most of the summer was boring though there would be a few good highlights when she went to London next week. She eyed a letter that she had received the other day from another school mate. “Yes, it is strange being away from everyone. Spending about nine in a half months solid at a place and then coming back home almost makes it feel like I am away from home.” While she was not friends with most people at Hogwarts, it was still more home than France was. And if she were, to be honest, a handful of people give or take that she missed seeing.
She listened as he told her about his twin brother and little sister; she would flinch at the mention of Christmas, something the boy on the other end would not be able to notice. “No, I am an only child, I have a few cousins, but I don’t usually see them unless it’s a birthday during the summer or for holidays.” Truth be told, she didn’t mind his rambling, and she was much better at divulging information if she was asked questions instead of just talking about herself. “It is pretty crazy that it’s such a short time because of summer camp. I go to London next week for shopping, and my grandparents have a few meetings while we are there. I think we’ll be back in France just a few days before I leave again for Hogwarts. Time really does fly, doesn’t it?”
While Santario had a pleasant phone voice, it was still a little obvious that she was not used to talking on the device. They only had it because of her grandparents' muggle contacts through the universities and politics since her grandfather was a Duke. “Anything interesting planned for your last few weeks?”
She listened as he told her about his twin brother and little sister; she would flinch at the mention of Christmas, something the boy on the other end would not be able to notice. “No, I am an only child, I have a few cousins, but I don’t usually see them unless it’s a birthday during the summer or for holidays.” Truth be told, she didn’t mind his rambling, and she was much better at divulging information if she was asked questions instead of just talking about herself. “It is pretty crazy that it’s such a short time because of summer camp. I go to London next week for shopping, and my grandparents have a few meetings while we are there. I think we’ll be back in France just a few days before I leave again for Hogwarts. Time really does fly, doesn’t it?”
While Santario had a pleasant phone voice, it was still a little obvious that she was not used to talking on the device. They only had it because of her grandparents' muggle contacts through the universities and politics since her grandfather was a Duke. “Anything interesting planned for your last few weeks?”
@Aaron Jones
Healing Sage: +30% healing | Prodigal Charms | Impartial | Fearless
Stamina : 10 | Evasion : 7 | Strength : 3 | Wisdom : 12 | Arcane Power : 10 | Accuracy : 15
Stamina : 10 | Evasion : 7 | Strength : 3 | Wisdom : 12 | Arcane Power : 10 | Accuracy : 15
12 Jan 2021, 01:31
Back At Home
Aaron nodded in agreement as Santario mirrored his sentiments about it being strange that Hogwarts felt like home now, but then he realized she definitely couldn't see him nodding. So he voiced his agreement with a simple, "I definitely agree."
An only child, though. He didn't recall learning that about Santario before now, but it made him curious. He had always wondered what it was like to be an only child, and considering he was brought into the world with a twin, he had never experienced that (unless you counted the few minutes that it took for his brother to be born after him). He wondered what Santario did for fun at home. She mentioned cousins, but she also said she only saw them during special occasions. She probably didn't go to muggle school, right? "Do you have friends in your neighborhood to hang out with then? Like before Hogwarts and now during the summer?" He did not consider that maybe she was home alone all the time, considering he had never experienced that himself.
Santario spoke of going to London the next week, and Aaron smiled as he took a seat on the edge of his bed, kicking his feet. It sounded like she had nice plans with her grandparents. Then she asked about his plans for the next few weeks, causing him to hop back to his feet and pace the room. "Well, normally in summers we would go visit my grandparents in South Korea, but there's this pandemic going on, so we can't travel there right now.. so nothing exciting really, but I'm happy to just hang out at home until school again!"
And it was now that the reason for his call came to mind, as he looked at his brother's bed on the other side of the room. "By the way, I was wondering if you still have those pictures, uh," he hesitated, remembering Santario's injuries during the Blossom Ball. Sure, Aaron had somewhat recovered and wasn't so upset thinking about it, but would she be upset if he brought it up? He had not considered that until this very second. "The pictures from that night?" he had stumbled over his words, ending up not even saying the proper event name. Who knew if she would know what he was talking about. He wanted to facepalm in that moment, catching his reflection in the bedroom mirror. He was frowning, having chosen to stay quiet until Santario spoke next. Why had he not considered this sooner? It's not like they had really talked about the ball since that day he visited her in the hospital. Sure she had forgiven him, but it's still a topic that Aaron had avoided for months after, and he hadn't even been hurt that night. He could only imagine how Santario felt about it.
@Santario Martin
An only child, though. He didn't recall learning that about Santario before now, but it made him curious. He had always wondered what it was like to be an only child, and considering he was brought into the world with a twin, he had never experienced that (unless you counted the few minutes that it took for his brother to be born after him). He wondered what Santario did for fun at home. She mentioned cousins, but she also said she only saw them during special occasions. She probably didn't go to muggle school, right? "Do you have friends in your neighborhood to hang out with then? Like before Hogwarts and now during the summer?" He did not consider that maybe she was home alone all the time, considering he had never experienced that himself.
Santario spoke of going to London the next week, and Aaron smiled as he took a seat on the edge of his bed, kicking his feet. It sounded like she had nice plans with her grandparents. Then she asked about his plans for the next few weeks, causing him to hop back to his feet and pace the room. "Well, normally in summers we would go visit my grandparents in South Korea, but there's this pandemic going on, so we can't travel there right now.. so nothing exciting really, but I'm happy to just hang out at home until school again!"
And it was now that the reason for his call came to mind, as he looked at his brother's bed on the other side of the room. "By the way, I was wondering if you still have those pictures, uh," he hesitated, remembering Santario's injuries during the Blossom Ball. Sure, Aaron had somewhat recovered and wasn't so upset thinking about it, but would she be upset if he brought it up? He had not considered that until this very second. "The pictures from that night?" he had stumbled over his words, ending up not even saying the proper event name. Who knew if she would know what he was talking about. He wanted to facepalm in that moment, catching his reflection in the bedroom mirror. He was frowning, having chosen to stay quiet until Santario spoke next. Why had he not considered this sooner? It's not like they had really talked about the ball since that day he visited her in the hospital. Sure she had forgiven him, but it's still a topic that Aaron had avoided for months after, and he hadn't even been hurt that night. He could only imagine how Santario felt about it.
@Santario Martin
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
12 Feb 2021, 02:59
Back At Home
When Aaron asked her if she had any friends that she hung out with outside of school, she shook her head, not that he could see it. “Hmm. No, not really. I have Kodby the house elf, my mom’s cat, my father’s toad, and I get to get a pet before school starts.” Most people didn’t talk about being friends with their house elves, but Santario really enjoyed talking to Kodby and didn’t treat him like he was just the help. “Sometimes when my grandparents have parties for their up and up friends, I socialize with their kids or grandkids, but that’s really about it. Nothing a whole lot of fun or anything.” What Aaron probably didn’t know was that socialize meant her grandparents often tried to match her up with these other kids trying to secure a good future relationship or marriage that would benefit both families.
“Oh, I’m really sorry to hear that you can’t visit your family right now. I hope you can soon, though. Do you still get to write to them?” Santario inquired curiously because if they could still send an owl or muggle mail, then at least there was still a way to communicate. Then there was a hesitated question, and she had a feeling she knew right away what he wanted to ask about. Santario patiently waited until he was able to get the question out. “I do still have the photos from the Blossom ball. I actually have something put together for you. I picked all of the best photos with people laughing, dancing, talking, and entrances and put them together in a little album for you.” By little, she meant a few hundred photos. “I could send it by owl tonight if you’d like? You’d probably get it sometime tomorrow. I’d just need to know where to send it. I originally planned on giving it to you while at school, but this works too.”
Santario made sure not to include any photos that involved tension between people. Anyone who looked at the pictures in the album she made him would only assume that everyone there had nothing but a fantastic evening. Aaron held enough guilt about the night in question, shame she didn’t think he fully deserved to carry, so she wanted him to remember the beautiful parts of that night.
“Oh, I’m really sorry to hear that you can’t visit your family right now. I hope you can soon, though. Do you still get to write to them?” Santario inquired curiously because if they could still send an owl or muggle mail, then at least there was still a way to communicate. Then there was a hesitated question, and she had a feeling she knew right away what he wanted to ask about. Santario patiently waited until he was able to get the question out. “I do still have the photos from the Blossom ball. I actually have something put together for you. I picked all of the best photos with people laughing, dancing, talking, and entrances and put them together in a little album for you.” By little, she meant a few hundred photos. “I could send it by owl tonight if you’d like? You’d probably get it sometime tomorrow. I’d just need to know where to send it. I originally planned on giving it to you while at school, but this works too.”
Santario made sure not to include any photos that involved tension between people. Anyone who looked at the pictures in the album she made him would only assume that everyone there had nothing but a fantastic evening. Aaron held enough guilt about the night in question, shame she didn’t think he fully deserved to carry, so she wanted him to remember the beautiful parts of that night.
@Aaron Jones
Healing Sage: +30% healing | Prodigal Charms | Impartial | Fearless
Stamina : 10 | Evasion : 7 | Strength : 3 | Wisdom : 12 | Arcane Power : 10 | Accuracy : 15
Stamina : 10 | Evasion : 7 | Strength : 3 | Wisdom : 12 | Arcane Power : 10 | Accuracy : 15
4 May 2021, 15:23
Back At Home
Before Aaron could ask further into her not having any kids to hang out with, Santario's mention of getting a pet completely distracted him. His dark eyes lit up as he thought about the pets she could get. "Really?! Do you already have one in mind? Can I meet them once we're back at school?" Aaron's family had never owned a pet - save for a cat when Aaron was a baby that he definitely didn't remember but had pictures of. Since seeing all the pets at Hogwarts, Aaron had started wondering if maybe he should have one too. It seemed normal of witches and wizards. But he also couldn't really picture deciding on one or taking care of it all on his own while at school.
"We don't write, but we do call! My mum showed them how video calling works - that's like calling how we are but with a picture so we can see each other while we talk," he explained this because he wasn't sure if Santario knew about video calling. He liked feeling knowledgeable about something and being able to describe things in a way that made sense (at least to him). Of course, it was entirely possible San was more knowledgeable in muggle things than he thought, but there was a chance! "It's not the same, but it's still nice."
Santario confirmed in the next moment that she had photos from the ball. Lots of photos, it sounded like. As she described the people laughing, dancing and talking, Aaron was subconsciously smiling at the thought. The good memories of that night outweighed the bad in his mind lately, so he was happy to hear that she had them. Aaron rattled off his address to her when she was ready, also explaining how he wanted to show his brother.
It was then that Aaron heard his mother calling him from the dining room. Lunch was ready. Aaron's stomach growled in response. As a growing boy who regularly did physical activity, he was almost always hungry at the mention of food.
"It's lunchtime here, so I've got to go. Thanks so much for sending it to me. Talk again soon?" he spoke as he left his bedroom and headed towards the smell of food.
@Santario Martin
"We don't write, but we do call! My mum showed them how video calling works - that's like calling how we are but with a picture so we can see each other while we talk," he explained this because he wasn't sure if Santario knew about video calling. He liked feeling knowledgeable about something and being able to describe things in a way that made sense (at least to him). Of course, it was entirely possible San was more knowledgeable in muggle things than he thought, but there was a chance! "It's not the same, but it's still nice."
Santario confirmed in the next moment that she had photos from the ball. Lots of photos, it sounded like. As she described the people laughing, dancing and talking, Aaron was subconsciously smiling at the thought. The good memories of that night outweighed the bad in his mind lately, so he was happy to hear that she had them. Aaron rattled off his address to her when she was ready, also explaining how he wanted to show his brother.
It was then that Aaron heard his mother calling him from the dining room. Lunch was ready. Aaron's stomach growled in response. As a growing boy who regularly did physical activity, he was almost always hungry at the mention of food.
"It's lunchtime here, so I've got to go. Thanks so much for sending it to me. Talk again soon?" he spoke as he left his bedroom and headed towards the smell of food.
@Santario Martin
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
30 May 2021, 02:08
Back At Home
Santario laughed softly at Aaron’s enthusiasm. “I think so. I might get a lizard. They are new in the shop, and I really like them from the pictures I’ve seen. And you can absolutely meet them!” Santario frowned a little when Aaron first said video call as she wasn’t sure at all what he had meant, but thankfully he went on to explain it. “Oh wow, that sounds like it’s a lot better than just writing letters! It’s like the interactive portraits but a real person!” She giggled a little with the excitement of learning a new thing.
Santario would quickly notate his address as he told her, ensuring that she had everything spelled correctly. “You are most welcome, Aaron! I will have it sent out first thing after lunchtime so expect my owl. Oh, and do not worry, they are really good at not being seen while delivering to muggle areas. He will probably find your bedroom window during the night in the next few days. Have a good lunch! And yes, call anytime!” She hung up the phone and giggle to herself a little more. Call anytime? That was so strange to say!
A couple of days later or so in the evening, Aaron would hear a tapping on his bedroom window. A large brown owl that looked positively like a grumpy old man owl held a package for him containing a smaller box of homemade cookies and the promised photo album full of blossom ball pictures and only the good and happy ones, on the inside cover written in emerald ink:
Aaron~
Remember to always cherish the happy times, come what may.
~Santario
Santario would quickly notate his address as he told her, ensuring that she had everything spelled correctly. “You are most welcome, Aaron! I will have it sent out first thing after lunchtime so expect my owl. Oh, and do not worry, they are really good at not being seen while delivering to muggle areas. He will probably find your bedroom window during the night in the next few days. Have a good lunch! And yes, call anytime!” She hung up the phone and giggle to herself a little more. Call anytime? That was so strange to say!
A couple of days later or so in the evening, Aaron would hear a tapping on his bedroom window. A large brown owl that looked positively like a grumpy old man owl held a package for him containing a smaller box of homemade cookies and the promised photo album full of blossom ball pictures and only the good and happy ones, on the inside cover written in emerald ink:
Aaron~
Remember to always cherish the happy times, come what may.
~Santario
@Aaron Jones
Healing Sage: +30% healing | Prodigal Charms | Impartial | Fearless
Stamina : 10 | Evasion : 7 | Strength : 3 | Wisdom : 12 | Arcane Power : 10 | Accuracy : 15
Stamina : 10 | Evasion : 7 | Strength : 3 | Wisdom : 12 | Arcane Power : 10 | Accuracy : 15