21 Aug 2021, 08:25
Slippery Stairs and Lost Letters
Reducio
Dialogue: Liana - #09621b
@Simon Kincaid
Date: September 4, 2021 (Saturday)
The first week of studies at Hogwarts had been a short one. September 1st having fallen on a Wednesday, there were only two days of attending classes before the weekend started. However, Liana had dutifully promised her Father to send a letter home with a school owl on the first day off, telling him how she fared so far. Thus, the young Slytherin spent the better part of the morning constructing a message to send to their home in Inverness. She went through no less than six drafts before she finally managed to come up with something Marcus Kerr would approve of - courteous and informative, with no 'emotional nonsense'. Which was quite a tough task for a young impressionable girl who has just started attending a school of magic.
She clutched the roll of parchment in her hand while climbing the owlery stairs, the stones they were carved from slick with the drizzling rain. It was still warm, the last echoes of summer that seemed weaker with every passing day, but the cloud cover made the day seem somehow dimmed. The girl's thoughts were lost in the memories of a few months ago, in the private, quiet marriage between Father and Lady Ophelia Lynch, now Kerr. The witch seemed to feel distaste for Liana. What would her next summer at home be like? Would there be a little brother or sister on the way or already there? And what would her own place be, when she was no longer the only heir?[font=Lucida Console]Dear Father,
All is well. I am proud to say that I have been sorted into Slytherin. The few classes that I have been to so far were not particularly difficult. I believe it is in large part due to the tutors you had generously hired for me. Defense Against the Dark Arts class was especially easy. Afterwards I skimmed through the textbook and found that the majority of the spells taught this year are already known to me thanks to the lessons with Mr. Blavatsky.
I hope all is well at home. Please pass on my greetings to Lady Ophelia.
Best wishes,[/font]
She was too far away in her own head to focus on the climb, and there were consequences for losing focus - just as she had been taught by Mr. Blavatsky. Liana's foot slipped on the wet stair and she fell forward, her hands instinctively opening to break the fall. She ended up with a hurt knee and bruised palms, the pain of this sudden impact so shocking that the girl took a moment to gather herself before trying to get back to her feet. When she finally stood back up, her knee protesting at the action, a sudden realization struck her. The letter was nowhere in sight. The redhead gasped, looking around her frantically. Would she have to go all the way back to the castle and write another one? She had promised to write on the first weekend, so she had to send it today! Her eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for the yellowish piece of parchment that she hoped didn't get too wet or muddy.
Last edited by Liana Kerr on 30 Aug 2021, 16:54, edited 1 time in total.
Tarja Akimovna Blavatsky || Kerr & Co. Banner Boutique
Prodigal DADA || Stamina: 5 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 1 | Wisdom: 9 | Arcane Power: 6 | Accuracy: 9
Prodigal DADA || Stamina: 5 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 1 | Wisdom: 9 | Arcane Power: 6 | Accuracy: 9
22 Aug 2021, 15:07
Slippery Stairs and Lost Letters
Meeting @Liana Kerr
Two letters.
The one in his right hand was addressed to his Aunt Maggie and inside the words told her every detail about a time in July over the past Summer. It told of when a man came to the house one night when she was doing a reset at work and he answered the door. It told of the mysterious man, asking for his departed mother of all people! It told of how the man seemed to study him and how he seemed objectionable in some way or another - and yet was well dressed and held perfect mannerisms at the same time.
The one in his left hand was addressed to his Aunt Maggie and inside the worlds told her not one single detail about a time in June over the past Summer. It told nothing of when a man came to the house one night when she was doing a reset at work and he answered the door. It told nothing of the mysterious man, asking for his departed mother of all people! It told nothing of how the man seemed to study him and how he seemed objectionable in some way or another - and yet was well dressed and held perfect mannerisms at the same time.
Simon had debated over which to send in his dormitory for so long that he snatched up both letters and thought maybe his trip to the Owlery would help him decide. It was morning, and a cool breeze seemed to flow along as he walked. It was much cooler than the prior day and perhaps it was rain that broke the heat because the stairs seemed to be slightly slippery.
He had just taken another step when down filtered a yellow piece of parchment, caught by that slight breeze. It seemed to almost sail straight for him, and he grabbed it before it could hit the wet stone below. There was writing on it and he only caught a little bit of it to see if it seemed something important before he stopped reading. He loved to know as much as he could about someone but by their choosing, not by spying. Obviously this had either been left up in the Owlery and forgotten, or it belonged to someone who needed it.
"Hello?" he called out. Simon then placed both of his letters in the same hand along with the yellow parchment and he made his way further up to the Owlery. It was there he saw the fallen redhead, probably coming to her just moments after her falling incident, and he immediately crouched down beside her. "Are you alright? Do you need any help?"
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
22 Aug 2021, 21:56
Slippery Stairs and Lost Letters
Reducio
Dialogue: Liana - #09621b
Interacting with: @Simon Kincaid
Tripping up on slick stairs was one thing - while a painful experience, it wasn't exactly difficult to just ignore the sting of the bruised knee or the chafed palms until they healed up. But being seen while tripping up - that was... embarrassing, to say the least. Despite her attempts at staying calm, the girl felt a flush creeping up her neck, reddening her face. She wasn't the athletic type, but she did not consider herself to be clumsy, either. And the last thing she wanted was to be seen as such by someone else. The boy's evident concern for her just made the humiliation sting even more acutely.
''Yeah, um, I'm okay, I just had a bit of a mishap,'' Liana responded with as much dignity as she could muster, which wasn't much at the moment. ''It might've had something to do with not looking where I was going. Unless the owlery stairs shift like the ones inside the castle - then I'm more than happy to blame them instead,'' it wasn't a particularly good attempt at a joke, the girl knew it before the words even left her mouth, but it was impossible to stop herself - apparently, her brain decided that the attention would shift away from her failure to climb evenly spaced steps if only she kept on babbling. Whether it would do anything improve the impression she was leaving on the stranger was only a secondary concern.
The redhead straightened up and did her best at leaning casually against the stone railing, trying to inconspicuously shift her weight away from her hurt knee. She took a calming breath and looked at the boy. He seemed to be older than her, perhaps second-year, but no more than third-year. Like as not, in a few days he won't even remember this interaction with a junior student. Hopefully.
''By the way, I'm Liana Kerr, first-year Slytherin,'' she introduced herself, probably giving way more information than was needed. Did people usually state their school year and house when making introductions, or was this an overkill? She really should have spent more time watching how other kids interacted socially, seeing as she so sorely lacked the experience in this field.
''I also seem to have lost the letter I wrote to my father,'' the first-year added as her eyes located the piece of parchment held in the boy's hand. ''And you appear to have found it. Can I have it back?'' she asked, reaching out her hand to receive the letter.
Last edited by Liana Kerr on 30 Aug 2021, 16:55, edited 1 time in total.
Tarja Akimovna Blavatsky || Kerr & Co. Banner Boutique
Prodigal DADA || Stamina: 5 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 1 | Wisdom: 9 | Arcane Power: 6 | Accuracy: 9
Prodigal DADA || Stamina: 5 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 1 | Wisdom: 9 | Arcane Power: 6 | Accuracy: 9
22 Aug 2021, 22:17
Slippery Stairs and Lost Letters
Introductions with @Liana Kerr
It was pretty evident that she didn't want to appear weak there and he would follow suite. While is normal response would be to either help her up or even extend out a hand, he didn't, - allowing her to get up on her own. She still seemed to be in a bit of pain though and he understood. These were hard stone steps that lead up to the Owlery.
He'd offer to help her to the Hospital Wing if needed, but that could wait. No use mentioning it and prolonging the situation more if that wasn't called for. Instead, he'd move on as she had when she made some introductions.
"Nice to meet you, Liana," he smiled, noting that wasn't a name he had heard before but he liked it. "Pretty name. I'm Simon. Simon Kincaid. Second year Hufflepuff."
She then mentioned the letter in his hand and it now was making perfect sense. Of course - yellow pieces of parchment didn't just rain down from heaven. Obviously she had dropped it when she fell and the breeze blew it over his way.
"First note home?" he pried a little but maybe he shouldn't. "I saw the first line about getting into Slytherin. It's a good house to be in," had a lot of good traits. He didn't know Liana's background though and what she might think of it.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
26 Aug 2021, 06:29
Slippery Stairs and Lost Letters
Reducio
Dialogue: Liana - #09621b
Interacting with: @Simon Kincaid
The embarrassed redness of the girl's cheeks gradually went away as it became quite evident that the boy was so socially apt that he decided to ignore her ordeal altogether. The first-year didn't lie to herself that the senseless babbling she'd issued just moments ago was successful in distracting him. More likely, it just tipped Simon off about how unwilling she is to be seen as helpless. Liana felt grateful for that.
''Pleasure to meet you too, Simon,'' the redhead responded to his smile with one of her own. ''Thank you. My name means 'to entwine like vines' in Latin. Mother said that's what the love for me did to her heart when I was born, and that's why she chose this name,'' she explained, wondering if she was oversharing at this point. The memory of her mother's words had surfaced unexpectedly and she just went with it. Now that she heard the statement out loud again, it didn't sound quite as sweet as it did back then to her six-year-old ears. There seemed to be something dark about this particular way of describing feelings. Was that why Mother let Marcus Kerr take over Liana's guardianship so easily?
She backpedaled from the thought before it went too deep. There would be time later to analyze it in solitude. At the moment there was a Hufflepuff in front of her who was treating her very kindly, and she shouldn't just zone out impolitely.
''Yeah, I had promised to send a letter on the first weekend and tell all the important details,'' she nodded. ''I haven't ever sent a letter before, although I'd seen Father sending his owl out many times.'' The truth was, the girl felt slightly anxious about approaching an owl, especially an unfamiliar one, for the first time. She had not been allowed to pet Father's owl Minerva, and that was probably for the better - the bird had been vicious at times, snapping angrily at their house elf when he was passing by. Probably would have snapped at Liana, too. ''I hope school owls don't bite,'' she added, hoping it sounded like a joke. Which it wasn't.
''Oh, yes, Slytherin is great to be in. I kind of chose it myself, I think. The hat also offered me Ravenclaw,'' there was a silly young girl's pride in the words, as if being proposed a particular house automatically meant one displayed all of its best qualities, which usually wasn't the case. ''Hufflpuff is a good house, too. Honourable and loyal,'' she said a bit sheepishly, the memory of straight up telling the hat not to sort her to Hufflepuff poking at her conscience.
Tarja Akimovna Blavatsky || Kerr & Co. Banner Boutique
Prodigal DADA || Stamina: 5 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 1 | Wisdom: 9 | Arcane Power: 6 | Accuracy: 9
Prodigal DADA || Stamina: 5 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 1 | Wisdom: 9 | Arcane Power: 6 | Accuracy: 9
1 Sep 2021, 12:51
Slippery Stairs and Lost Letters
Nice owls and not nice owls with @Liana Kerr
She spoke of the owls and how they hoped they don't bite and Simon motioned for her to follow him. "The group of owls that seem to gravitate toward one another over to the left hand side of the Owlery, I've found are the most calm. They like to stay together. The ones you'll find to the right are alright, but I've had a mishap a time or two, and the ones up there," he pointed above them to two, not even near each other, but each on their own rafter and seemed to be glaring down at them, "they really don't like to do much, not even for a biscuit. Sometimes though, they're unfortunately the only ones available and they're still very dependable. I tried to make friends with them about my third month in last year but to no avail."
He then lead her a little bit back towards the Entrance so they weren't directly under the two owl's prying eye. Better safe than sorry. "Ravenclaw would have been cool too," he agreed. "Honestly, I think there's good traits in all the houses. Each one has reason for someone to be proud in what was chosen for them. In my house, we seem to get a good handful that aren't so happy with the decision but I don't think they really think about it. I think Hufflepuff almost embodies every other house but then we've got that selfless factor on top of it. It's not a punishment by any means, but an honor."
"After you mail off your letter, you sure you don't need the school nurse to take a look at anything?" he asked, slightly concerned by her fall. After all, while there might not have been bleeding, that didn't mean automatically that she wasn't injured. It could have been a sprain or a strain and these stone staircases and corridor floors were not very forgiving.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)