A New Friend? PV Akira Shimizu Closed

Roleplaying as Akira Shimizu from Mahoutokoro
Outfit: Navy Uniform

Hogwarts was a strange place, living up to its strange name. Students were not ranked academically, making it difficult to know how to address your peers or form study groups. Uniforms only differed by houses, for which students were able to earn points as a group, but it seemed difficult for professors to differentiate their students' individual academic inclinations in any way to offer the appropriate support or encouragement on an individual basis. Akira could only imagine how awkward it would be to have to ask your friends where they stood in terms of grades, instead of being able to know transparently at first glance. Perhaps some might even lie about their grades, in order to seem more accomplished than they truly were, or pretend to be average as to selfishly prevent their fellow classmates from asking them for help. All in all, with no hierarchical system in place, how could one possibly correctly navigate and adhere to social norms?

There were other ways in which the Mahoutokoro student found the school confounding. He had embarrassingly tripped over one of the stairs while walking to the library. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that that very step disappeared on occasion. The staircases also seemed to move of their own accord, with a pattern he could hardly detect. When such hazards existed within a school, why is it that no one would fix those disappearing steps, or provide careful instructions on the patterns of staircase movements? The architecture was clearly a distraction that could detract from the students' studies.

Certainly, the school had its priorities all wrong.

His musings and frustrations brought him to the Great Lake, which he heard was renowned for its expansive views and tranquil environment. With a copy of A History of Magic in hand, he settled upon the perfect reading nook under a large tree, eager to learn more about the odd school in which he was currently a guest for two weeks. The calm waters of the lake spread out in front of him as he comfortably leaned against the tree trunk cross-legged. It was autumn, and a slight chill had settled in the valley of the lake, accompanied by a light fog. The grounds only looked more mysterious, framed by a gray sky above the hills. It was not a sight he was used to, as the ocean breeze at Mahoutokoro prevented any fog from settling on the island. In fact, tempests were a much more common sight than fog.

He had just finished a section on the Giant Squid, and closed his book. Perhaps a walk along the edge of the lake was in order, to fully immerse himself in the experience of Hogwarts. Getting up, he patted down the navy robes that he wore proudly as one of the most accomplished students of his year, heading towards the lakefront beach. He stopped where the waves lapped the shore, and gazed into the green depths of the water, expecting to see a large red tentacle, but there was none.

A figure came closer, and he turned to the voice of a girl. "Er- Hi! I-I'm Lizzy, Lizzy Solace. Are you an international student? From Mahoutokoro?" the girl asked, as if slightly embarrassed to approach him. The feeling was akin to being approached by a Mahoutokoro student in his year who was wearing a lighter uniform color and unsure how he would respond to their greeting, or perhaps a younger day student approaching him as an older first-year boarding student. He did not consider himself difficult to approach, but he wore his navy uniform proudly and it probably showed in his posture that he was someone a little...different. Which he certainly was the case, here, in Hogwarts.

He offered the girl -- who seemed his age in appearance, though she was just as tall as him -- a polite, encouraging smile. "Hello, Miss Solace," he responded with a dip of his head. "Yes, I'm Akira Shimizu from Mahoutokoro, but you can feel free to call me Akira. I'm in my first boarding year at Mahoutokoro. It's a pleasure to meet you." He made an exception here, allowing the girl to call him by his first name, as students here often found it confusing what to call him and he finally decided to do as the Romans did while in Rome. Akira studied the girl carefully, noting her red-lined robes, indicating she was of House Gryffindor, and a familiar book that she carried with her. "It seems that we have the same taste in lakeside reading," he mused. "How are you finding the book and the school so far?" he asked, assuming that she was a newer student to the school as well, by her age. It would be interesting to learn how Hogwarts students felt about their own school. Akira himself had many thoughts about the school, after all.

Lizzy was internally kicking herself for her stuttering. She knew before she had come over that she would most likely make a fool out of herself, trying to talk to this boy. To her surprise, the boy did not seem put off by her stutters in the slightest. "Hello, Miss Solace," he responded. "Yes, I'm Akira Shimizu from Mahoutokoro, but you can feel free to call me Akira. I'm in my first boarding year at Mahoutokoro. It's a pleasure to meet you." Lizzy was feeling a little bit better now. Could this boy potentially be her first friend at Hogwarts?

"It seems that we have the same taste in lakeside reading. How are you finding the book and the school so far?" Lizzy glanced down at the book he was holding and saw it was indeed the same as her own. What a coincidence. Lizzy thought. "Nice to meet you too, Akira," Lizzy replied. "And you don't have to call me Miss Solace. Lizzy will do just fine." She could feel herself blushing as she spoke. She didn't really talk to anyone. She had barely talked to anyone besides her brother and her teachers back home, and she certainly hadn't spoken to anyone here yet. However, this meeting changed that, and maybe with enough effort she could turn this rather awkward conversation (for her anyways) into more of a friendship.

"What a funny coincidence! I must confess I haven't read past the first few chapters in my book. I kept getting distracted, and letting my mind run wild. So far it is quite good though." Lizzy replied with a faint smile. "The school..." Lizzy sighed, thinking about her time there so far. She had just started classes and she detested those first few days where the professors just explained the rules and expectations. She came here to learn, after all. Besides that, she had been very alone with no one to talk to and no one she knew. Then there were, of course, the odd little quirks the school had. She didn't mind most of them, but some like the moving staircases really annoyed her. I mean really, how was one to find the way to their classroom when the route changed every time?

"Well, the school is pretty good. I mean, it's still the first few days of actually going to class, and the professors haven't really taught us anything yet. I did come here to learn after all!" Lizzy found herself spilling her exact feelings to Akira. "I don't know anyone here and the school has all these odd little quirks I am still struggling to adjust to as well," Lizzy confessed. She shook herself out of her little rant. "Sorry, that must have seemed quite overwhelming. What about you? Are you enjoying the school so far?"

Lizzy was embarrassed that she had poured out all of her feelings to Akira. He didn't need to be burdened with her struggles. She should have said she liked the school and asked about him. That was the polite thing to do. Lizzy was unapologetically honest though, especially when asked outright.

Roleplaying as Akira Shimizu from Mahoutokoro
Outfit: Navy Uniform

So, he was to call her 'Lizzy'. Calling someone he had just met by their first name with no honorifics was still something that he had to get used to, but he shall try his best to make sure that his mind remembered it and that his mouth could execute it.

So Lizzy-san hadn't read that much further than he did. He didn't find it that difficult to read about the history of magic from a British perspective, though he had to admit that he would pause every so often to glance at the lake and hillside scenery around them, since it was so different from the southern Japanese island on which his school stood and the lake was simply a majestic view in itself.

Lizzy-san seemed to pause as she pondered over her thoughts of the school. As he suspected, she was a new first-year student, who still trying to find her bearings. Akira was briefly surprised by the honesty, but he briefly remembered what it was like as a seven-year-old, going to Mahoutokoro day school for the first time. It was the school he had aimed to attend ever since he was a young boy, so he was emotionally prepared for the sights, the rigor, and the crashing sea and storms that the island stood against, but attending for the first time was still a new experience on its own. "It's alright," he said in response to her apology. "It's always difficult to adjust to a new place a first. I was prepared to attend Mahoutokoro when I was very young, but I'd never ridden a giant storm petrel before, so it took some time to get used to flying to and from school on a giant bird at seven years old." He remembered seeing the majestic Mahoutokoro bird land in his courtyard the morning he was supposed to go to school for his first day, and how he struggled to get on it. It gave him an even greater scare as the giant bird took off into the air, almost causing the young boy to lose his grip. He never knew he was afraid of flying until that morning.

However, Akira recognized some of his classmates who were from pure-blooded Japanese families like his, so not all his fellow students were new faces -- perhaps Lizzy was muggle-born? Or new to the United Kingdom? It didn't seem so, from what he knew of her accent. "It must be difficult not knowing anyone at a new school," he began, and wondered how he would address something like that. He was a rather independent studier, so it didn't bother him too much that he only knew a couple other wizard-born classmates his year at first, but he had his sights set on becoming a class representative this year, so he needed more presence among the student body for a successful campaign. "I tried signing up for clubs and sports when I could, just to get more involved, so I'm in dueling now. I think Hogwarts also has dueling, quidditch and broom racing too?" He knew that his fear of heights would dissuade him from the broom sports. At least he had his own wand and casting ability to protect him in dueling; on a broom, you were subjected to too many uncontrollable factors.

So, how was he enjoying Hogwarts so far? First of all, some of the students were overly-rambunctious, as he thought of Cody Stevenson, self-proclaimed Hogwarts spokesperson who spoke in circles at the Great Hall during the welcoming feast. His classmate Aryaan Shamsi only seemed to thrive in the loud environment, much forgetting his manners and causing Akira a headache. How was he to respond to this question? "The castle is very grand," he began. If a bit old and needing repair, it seemed. "I'm not too sure why some staircase steps are magically missing, but perhaps they just have a sense of humor?"He allowed a quizzical expression. But he didn't want to be rude. He must think positively, now. "But all the students and staff have been welcoming, so the hospitality has been great, and I'm really looking forward to the Samhain Ball," he added, hoping that made up for it.

@Lizzy Solace

Lizzy could tell that when she told Akira to call her by her first name, it was odd to him. She knew that Mahoutokoro had different customs than Hogwarts, but she didn't know how different. Lizzy didn't want Akira to feel weird by taking part in their customs instead of his own. He said that he had ridden a giant bird to Mahoutokoro and had started going to the school when he was seven. That did seem quite different from Hogwarts where they started at eleven and took the train to the school instead of riding a bird to and from school and home until age eleven. Lizzy also knew from research that the students at Mahoutokoro had robes that changed colors to reflect their academic ability. That seemed like a lot of pressure though. Lizzy prefered Hogwarts method of placing students into the houses that best fit their personalities. She wondered if Mahoutokoro did the same.

"Yes, Hogwarts does have those sports. I wanted to be in duelling, but there weren't enough spots by the time I even found the sign up sheet. Quidditch also sounds fun though. I don't know if I'd be brave enough to try out though. Being that high in the air, with nothing to catch you if you fell..." Lizzy trailed off. True Quidditch did sound fun, but she being muggle-born wasn't used to flying around on brooms. She'd have to make it through her first flying lesson before trying to play a sport on a broom.

"It is difficult not knowing anyone. I am usually rather independent, but it is nice to have one or two friends." Lizzy wished she was more adequate in the 'making new friends' category. "I mean, I didn't even know that Hogwarts existed before getting my letter. Maybe if I had, this wouldn't all be so new and surprising to me. I had no one to help prepare me for this, so it really is...interesting." Lizzy chose to say interesting and after saying it, it sounded like the perfect word to describe Hogwarts. It wasn't scary or crazy, it was curious. The students learning magic and the food appearing on their plates seemingly out of nowhere. The trick stairs, the ghosts, all of it was simply interesting.

Akira said the castle was grand and seemed confused at why the staircases were disappearing. Lizzy quite agreed the staircases were a pain. Akira just seemed like he felt out of place here. Lizzy was sure she'd feel the same way if she came to a whole new school with whole new customs and traditions. "I'm glad you think the hospitality is great," Lizzy began. "You do seem rather put out by the castle overall though." This was true, put out was definitely the word she'd use to describe his manner toward Hogwarts. "Tell me about Mahoutokoro. I've read some things about it, but really I don't know that much. Do you get sorted into houses like we do here?" Lizzy asked, hoping that helped him feel more at home or at least more at ease.

Roleplaying as Akira Shimizu from Mahoutokoro
Outfit: Navy Uniform

He shuddered visibly as Lizzy mentioned the possibility of falling off a broom from high up in the air. It was one of the main reasons he avoided broom sports like the plague. In truth, he would rather get his robes set on fire in a duel than fall off a broom. He knew the Fire-Extinguishing spell and could easily take matters into his own hands if he saw fit in a duel, but there was no stopping time yourself when you found yourself sailing back to earth from the sky. "Yes, I think I know what you mean," he continued as Lizzy trailed off. "During dueling practice, you would often get hit by a Knockback Jinx and would know what to expect, but no broom sport player ever practices falling from a hundred meters in the sky often enough to get used to it." Akira was still a relatively new duelist on the Mahoutokoro team himself, having just joined at the beginning of this school year when he became eligible for the magical sports, but he had signed up knowing full well that he would often get knocked unconscious if he was on the losing end of a duel. Dueling spells were quite powerful, after all. And the team needed members who were willing to have enough spells hurled at them to be knocked unconscious if that meant going for a win. Giving up when you've suffered damage without being knocked out would be quite disgraceful. To any muggle like our writer here, that would sound quite brutal and cruel, but it was simply the reality Akira had grown up with. It was easier to heal human bodies with magic than by natural means, after all.

"It is difficult not knowing anyone. I am usually rather independent, but it is nice to have one or two friends," Lizzy explained. Akira was slightly surprised by her honest admission. Rather, it seemed like a piece of personal information that one would divulge to a friend. He nodded slowly to show that he understood, at least to some extent. How displaced one would be, to be thrown into a school at age eleven where you didn't know anyone else. After all, not all magical schools began their education at seven years old like Mahoutokoro did. Being the rather cynical type, Akira didn't really have many people he would call 'friends' himself, but surely having someone you could trust and speak with for every class you took or each activity you participated in would make any experience more enjoyable.

So, it seemed that Lizzy-san was a muggle-born who was still trying to acclimate herself into a new, magical world, which made her lack of familiarity with Hogwarts students all the more self-explanatory. "You're muggle-born, Lizzy-san?" he asked to confirm, because their previous interactions had been so effortless that he thought he could've been speaking with someone who was wizard-born. He was surprised by how little he reacted emotionally to that fact. Why wasn't he startled, or embarrassed to be chatting with her? Most of his closer acquaintances or friends at school were at least wizard-born. The Shimizus were not often caught with muggle-borns in their social circles, after all, as the old pure-blooded families often congregated together. Was that out of a certain deep-rooted but not publicly surfacing discrimination against muggles and muggle-borns? He knew that his uncle, for example, often warned the youngsters in their family about the possible dangers of muggle society and how they could taint the wizarding world, and often made derisive jokes about muggles. So, it took him a bit by surprise that he didn't react negatively to this new piece of information about Lizzy-san. Perhaps, he found her honesty about her situation somewhat endearing and more humanly relatable than he thought it could be. Perhaps, unbeknownst to our young Akira, a small piece of his prejudices would be chipped away today.

Before he knew it, he started to speak, as if his mind no longer had full command of his tongue: "I'm sure that must be quite overwhelming, Lizzy-san. But, if you need help with anything confusing, feel free to talk to me," he offered. "It can be difficult to determine what's normal by wizarding world standards, and what isn't." After hearing what he just said, he clenched his teeth and almost winced as if scolding himself for a mistake. Why was it that he felt the need to offer his aid to a muggle-born? Surely, it wouldn't matter to him how a new muggle-born at a foreign school felt about her experience?

However, his conflicting feelings were dispersed as the conversation moved to his thoughts about Hogwarts, and how Lizzy-san realized he seemed a bit bothered by the castle. He gave a small laugh here, his usually stoic features cracking into a smile. "Well, I must say you're quite perceptive," he admitted. "Mahoutokoro is very different in its own ways," he began, eyes lighting up a bit more as he broached the subject of his own school, which he was quite proud of. "Many of its halls are made of pale jade, giving it a bright feeling, and the school sits on an island of its own. The beach and the ocean view from the mountain is spectacular. We aren't split up into different houses, but we have different colored robes to differentiate students by their academic achievement. Pale pink is the first color, then you'd advance to a darker pink as you progress, then lavender is for average-ranked students, purple is for above average students, and navy is for students with outstanding grades. Gold is highest-ranking color, and the one I'm striving for. My robes will turn gold if I can keep up my grades for a couple more months. We'll see in time if it happens," he mused as he broached the topic of his ambition. He could almost taste the feeling of victory on the day he would proudly wear gold.

@Lizzy Solace

Lizzy was relieved to hear Akira sounded just as scared as she was of brooms. She had thought for a while she was being cowardly, that she was the only one frightened of brooms and being that high up without anything to catch you if you were to fall. Everyone else she had met here seemed like they all wanted to take flying lessons first and they were practically tripping over each other to sign up for Quidditch and Broom Racing. She had begun to doubt being placed in Gryffindor for a while. If she was supposed to be braver than the other houses, why couldn't she fly without being afraid? Now, however, that Akira revealed his fear of flying as well, Lizzy was feeling better. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way. I'm starting to think most of the students are faking their fear of flying," Lizzy confessed. Dueling seemed like a much better option sport-wise. With Quidditch you just had to be the best at flying and throwing the balls through hoops or at the other players. In duelling you had to use your knowledge of spells, jinxes, and charms to protect yourself both offensively and defensively.

Akira then asked if she were muggle-born. "Yes, I am. From the way you asked and the way you've been talking, I'm guessing you are pure-blood or wizard born. Am I right?" Lizzy asked, inquisitively. Mainly everyone here had been fine with her blood status. She wasn't sure if the students at Mahoutokoro felt the same though. One Slytherin in particular had laughed at her, but a fellow Gryffindor explained to her that Slytherin and Gryffindor were stereotypically enemies. The Slytherins took any opportunity to make fun of the Gryffindors they could and her blood status was an easy target. That was what her fellow Gryffindor had said anyway. Lizzy was sure that there were at least a few Slytherins and Gryffindors who were friends, or at least got along well enough.

"I'm sure that must be quite overwhelming, Lizzy-san. But, if you need help with anything confusing, feel free to talk to me," he said, politely. Lizzy was touched by his offer. Not many students had offered to help the first years in general find their way around besides the teachers. Akira had been right, it was confusing and overwhelming. It was like being in a whole different world, which she supposed it was in a way. "Thank you very much, Akira. You have no idea how much that means to me." Lizzy truthfully thought his offer was very sweet and was very grateful to him.

When Lizzy asked him about his own school, he broke into a smile for the first time since Lizzy had met him. His eyes brightened and had a faraway look in them, he must be thinking about his time back in Mahoutokoro. He explained the academic robe system that Mahoutokoro was split into instead of houses like Hogwarts. "That's really interesting." Lizzy glanced at Akira's robes and saw they were the navy he had just described. "So, you have the outstanding grades? One away from the highest gold?" Lizzy asked. Mahoutokoro's standards and systems may be dramatically different from Hogwarts's, but that didn't make them any less interesting in Lizzy's opinion.

Roleplaying as Akira Shimizu from Mahoutokoro
Outfit: Navy Uniform

"That's exactly what I wonder sometimes, as well," he added as Lizzy confessed that she thought some students were merely faking their fearless attitude towards flying. Surely, they knew the consequences of falling off a broom? Maybe flying was just the 'cool' thing to want, when it really was nothing special in Akira's mind.

As the conversation flowed and they bantered back and forth, he didn't realize that he was slipping back into his Japanese tendencies, addressing Lizzy as "Lizzy-san" instead of just "Lizzy" as British decorum allowed. Perhaps, somehow, despite the fact that he suspected the girl was muggle-born, she still seemed to have some level of esteem in the young boy's eyes.

"Yes, I'm pure-blooded. The Shimizus are one of the oldest wizarding families in Kyoto," he admitted, still with just the smallest hint of pride, as he had been told to feel all his life growing up. Blood status was often a thing that was discussed in his family, after all. When he came home from school, and he talked about his classmates, his parents would often inquire about their blood status along with their names, as if they wanted to gauge who their son hung out with, and only curiously happened to encourage him to interact with those who were wizard-born. Still, he was slightly surprised that Lizzy-san was muggle-born, despite all the hints that led to his suspicion in the first place. Surely, not all muggle-born children could not be so pleasant? His young, somewhat prejudiced mind would wonder. "I didn't really think you could be muggle-born, considering how well you hold yourself," he admitted, not really knowing how it might sound or how it could be interpreted in a way that revealed this prejudice around blood status -- it was just how he thought, and as much as the disciplined boy tried, he wasn't always perfect in masking them, nor was he experienced enough to understand the effect of his underlying blood prejudice.

At the mention of his outstanding grades, Akira reddened slightly, almost cursing himself for the blunder he made to let such pride and ambition show in a blatant manner. Why couldn't he just have kept his mouth shut instead of revealing his ambitions and cementing his hopes in words that could be used against him if he ever failed to reach gold? How immodest he must have seemed! "I consider my grades to be satisfactory for the effort I put in," he said slowly, trying to cleverly smooth over his blunder. "But yes, if I were to maintain my grades, I'm one rank away from gold, which is often impossible to achieve." Hopefully, Lizzy-san didn't consider him arrogant.

@Lizzy Solace

Just as Lizzy had thought, Akira was pure-blooded. Lizzy had heard some rumors around the castle about pure-blooded wizards, none of which were particularly good. The rumors mostly circulated around how cruel pure-blooded wizards were to the of blood statuses that weren't as high as theirs. Akira was nothing like that though, a fact which Lizzy was glad of. After all, if he were, wouldn't he have said something after he guessed she was muggle-born? No, he was nothing like that. He was much kinder and more caring. Lizzy would have to make sure and put the students who spread those rumors in their place.

"Sorry?" Lizzy asked as Akira confessed he didn't think she could be muggle-born the way she held herself. Maybe Mahoutokoro had different customs and maybe pure-bloods had slightly different views on the blood statuses, but nothing gave him the right to say that. Prejudice against whoever for whatever reason was not something Lizzy tended to take lightly. "Just because I'm muggle-born doesn't mean I'm any less or anyone should think of me that way," Lizzy said angrily. "And here I thought you were different."

Lizzy immediately felt bad about her accusation and burst of anger directed at Akira. He had probably been raised to think like that. It in no way meant that she should hold it against him, or that she should take so much offense into what was most likely meant to be a harmless observation. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, I just don't take prejudices lightly." Lizzy hoped Akira would understand. She didn't usually lash out like she had just done. It had been partly his statement and partly her own fault on not thinking through what she said before she said it. Lizzy wasn't sure if she had grown up in the wizarding world, if she would have taken it better. It seemed really bad, if she was just going off the other students who had been victim of the unique prejudices to the wizarding world.

She tried to calm herself down, and listened as he tried to cover up how good his grades really were. Lizzy didn't consider him rude or immodest, after all, didn't everyone want to have top grades? It would be an honor to have grades that high, and she wasn't about to say otherwise. "Please. From all of the little time I have known you, I'm sure if anyone was to achieve the gold, it would be you," Lizzy said kindly. And she wasn't just saying that to make up for her outburst. She really did mean it. Akira seemed like the type of person who studied hard for each exam, and any grade lower than a 100% crushed him. Lizzy should know, that's exactly how she was.

Roleplaying as Akira Shimizu from Mahoutokoro
Outfit: Navy Uniform

He was taken aback by Lizzy-san's angry response. At first, it didn't even register for him what she was talking about and why she was reacting this way to what he thought was a compliment. Was there a different way in which his words could have been interpreted? He turned his last words over in his mind. Surely, it was praise? Considering how he said...

Ah. Something in his mind clicked. By saying that she held herself well 'for a muggle-born', implied that muggle-borns were to be held by lower standards than anyone else, for the pure uncontrollable fact of their blood status. As if muggle-borns were lesser-than-human in the first place, and usually behaved badly. For a moment, he panicked slightly, catching his breath because he really hadn't meant to imply that about the Gryffindor girl. She had been nothing but nice and friendly until he made that misstep, and he wasn't even quite sure how he was driven to think or say something like that.

However, it was Lizzy-san who actually apologized first. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, I just don't take prejudices lightly," the girl explained. "No, don't feel bad," Akira stepped in. "I- I don't really know what made me say that, but now I can see how it's unfair, and I'm sorry for making you feel like you were less for being muggle-born. If anything, I appreciate your honesty in pointing that out to me." Truly, he was glad that she had responded so vehemently. Otherwise he wouldn't have noticed this at all and would have caused another blunder somewhere down the road without even realizing such a perspective.

He furrowed his brow as he thought back to what she had said. Prejudice? So, was that what it was, giving a name to what he had been brought up to think into words? For just a bit, he wondered how many other ways in which his thoughts were considered prejudiced, in ways that he hadn't recognized before. If he thought deeply enough, or had the time to, the young boy would likely find several others... But that's a story for another day.

Soon enough, though, the conversation turned to Mahoutokoro and his ambitions. His usual, ever-stoic facial expression showed the faintest shade of pink as Lizzy-san expressed her faith in his ability to reach gold. "Thank you," he managed to say. "What about you?" he asked her, hoping to re-direct the conversation to the girl instead -- he was hoping to learn more about her, and he likely needed a break from all the blunders he was making in his conversation skills to recharge those conversational batteries. "What are you hoping to get out of this very new Hogwarts experience? I suppose you might've had the chance to say no to your admissions letter, but you're here now."