A New Friend? PV Akira Shimizu Closed

Lizzy felt incredibly bad about her whole outburst. She had never done something like that in front of someone she barely knew. Akira seemed like a nice boy who meant well, but it hadn't quite come out right. Lizzy knew that feeling well enough, she herself sometimes said something, but it sounded way different than what it had sounded like in her head. She was still so embarrassed that she had said something like that. It must have sounded bad on the receiving end of that.

Akira then apologized, explaining all the while that he hadn't realized how it sounded. It was just as she had suspected. He hadn't known how it had sounded on her side of things, just as she hadn't thought first about how yelling at him would sound on his side. It seemed like, in this instance, they were both at fault. He hadn't made her feel lesser though. At first maybe she had been taken aback, but really after she had processed it, she had realized it just made her upset. She didn't feel lesser, but she didn't want anyone else to view her that way. Was she not just as good in classes as a pure blood? Was she not just as good as one of them period? The answer to both was yes, she was just as good and she would not have anyone see her differently. "It's fine, I think we both are at fault a little. Who doesn't think before they speak sometimes?" Lizzy smiled at Akira.

She hadn't meant to hurt him by saying he was prejudiced. It was probably just the way he was brought up and Lizzy didn't hold it against him. He had told her not to feel bad, and she was most likely thinking about it too much, but she was just so upset that she had said all that without first thinking it through. Her brother always used to tell her to use her head because she had it for a reason, and it wasn't meant to be neglected. It was always after her temper or stubborn nature got the best of her. Lizzy had told him she would try to, and it usually worked. Lizzy hadn't actually had him tell her that for a few years, but this incident reminded her of it, and of how much she missed him.

Lizzy needed to get her mind off the subject, so she was glad when Akira redirected the conversation to her. He asked what she was hoping to get out of her Hogwarts experience. Come to think of it, she hadn't really thought about it. "I suppose I could've said no to coming, but it never crossed my mind. Getting my letter was like a dream come true," Lizzy confessed. "I guess I just want to learn everything there is to here. I want to make a few good friends, and I want to figure out what a good path after Hogwarts is. I suppose now that I'm a witch, there are very different career paths than what I was going for in the muggle world." It hadn't been a thought that crossed her mind much, but it was lingering now that she had expressed her concern. "What do you want to get out of your experience?"

Roleplaying as Akira Shimizu from Mahoutokoro
Outfit: Navy Uniform

His heartbeat settled back to a slower pace as Lizzy-san seemed to accept his apology. He really hadn't meant to imply anything else besides his positive view of her, and he was glad that she was so understanding. He had a feeling that if it had been someone else, they easily could've just scowled at him and walked away with their book to read elsewhere, or quietly simmered within while willing the conversation to die down so that they could leave and complain to their friends about how mistreated they were by a pure-blooded Mahoutokoro boy, without Akira even knowing what he had said.

He smiled wanly in response, a twitch in the corner of his mouth. Yes... He really needed to watch that mouth of his. He would consider this a lesson well-learnt, and he was glad that Lizzy had been so forthright with him, after all. "Well, I hope I can rely on you next time to call me out, if what I'm saying doesn't sound right," he encouraged her with a stronger smile. That's exactly what he needed -- an ally who he could trust to point out his flaws without judgement. In fact, Liana Kerr from the Hogwarts Headliner had reached out to him recently, asking for an interview for the school paper. Perhaps he'd have to ask Lizzy what she thought of that when it came out.

As the conversation moved to Lizzy, he listened intently, hoping to get some indication as to what the experience might've been like for a muggle-born to receive a Hogwarts letter. He'd really never had much opportunity to talk to muggles or muggle-born students at Mahoutokoro, he realized. Much of his childhood was confined to the community in which he had grown up with, and his parents' friends' children were his playmates and fellow study mates. Quite limited in diversity, actually.

From what he could tell, Lizzy seemed optimistic about new experiences and eager to learn. That was something Akira could very much respect. "I'm almost jealous that you'll probably get to learn twice as many things than any wizard-born student would learn from this experience," he mused. "If you're wondering about career paths, I'm sure you'll have a lot of time to figure it out. I think it's more freeing to not know yet. What you decide will ultimately be your own decision." Unlike his own path. "I doubt there's any point worrying about it now, when you're still getting exposed to your first wizarding world classes. But just thinking about it is a good start. Those with ambition and a commitment to doing things well are the ones more likely to ready themselves for success, are they not?" At least, that's what his father had drilled into him from day one. This conversation was getting very interesting to him now, perhaps because he never did an exercise such as this himself, with his limited professional options. "Is there anything you've found that you like to do, just in general? Whether they're hobbies or any new classes so far?" It was probably motivating to think about what one liked to do, whether it was arts and crafts, writing, potions, charms, care of magical or non-magical creatures, etc.

And speaking of his own hopes and dreams... "My path is pretty much set," he said plainly, almost with a shrug, because there was simply no question about it. "I'm taking over the family business in Japan. My father develops and manages real estate for wizarding shops and malls. Basically places like Diagon Alley here in the UK," he explained, hoping that made more sense. To be honest, however, he didn't really know what kind of work it entailed, specifically, just that he would do it once he graduated. Carry on the legacy, which was honorable, to be sure, but he did feel the slightest prick of doubt as to whether he would do it as well or want it as much as his father did.

OOC: Sorry it's a bit long! I got a little carried away with the hopes and dreams discussion :')

Lizzy looked down at the book in her hand, embarrassed as he said he hoped he could rely on her to call him out. She really hadn't meant to call him out.... well, yes, she had. She supposed she just meant that she hadn't meant to call him out in such a manner. Lizzy looked back up to give Akira eye contact as he began to speak.

Something he said sparked her interest. Would she really get more out of this experience than wizard-born or pure-blood students? Lizzy had never thought of her lack of wizarding world knowledge to give her more rather than less. She would be learning about all of these things that were so different from how she lived for the first ten years of her life. Lizzy would get to experience all of this-- this magic firsthand, instead of say, learning about it first from a parent or older sibling.

Lizzy was convinced from his statement that Akira wasn't prejudiced in the slightest. When he had first said the whole thing about her holding herself well for a muggle-born, she may have thought that he was. Thinking back on it now though, it might not have been what she had thought. He had said it almost like it was an instinct, a muscle consistently used to keep it working. That made Lizzy think, what if it were his parents and all the other role models in his life that caused him to think like that? Just then, when he had apologized and continued to talk to her so kindly, putting himself in her shoes to offer her advice, that made Lizzy think that it was just in his nature to be kind, no matter who he was talking to. None of their short-lived argument was truly his fault, she decided.

"Yes, I suppose if you start doing something early, you will be setting yourself up for success," Lizzy replied with a thoughtful expression. "But we all must remember to enjoy the little things in life. Life is full of surprises, both good and bad. We never know what will happen, so we must be ready for those surprises, but also enjoy life's challenges." Lizzy was surprised she had offered such deep and thoughtful advice. She had before, but only to her close friends and her brother. Maybe Akira was turning into one of her close friends. "You know, I read somewhere that we should live life to the fullest, because when we die, we'll be a long time dead. I know it's a little morbid, but it is true." Lizzy didn't remember, but she was pretty sure it was a work of Charles Dickens where she had read that.

"What I like to do in general? I've always loved to read and to write stories, both long and short. Charms, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, pretty much all of the classes I take here I like. I used to like going into the woods to explore, but I can't do much exploring outdoors here." If there was one thing Lizzy wanted to change about Hogwarts was the Forbidden Forest. She didn't care if there were dangerous things in there, she wanted to be able to enter the trees and discover all sorts of things in there. Too bad there were no suggestion boxes at Hogwarts, not that there were at her old school, though she offered her opinion on one of the teacher's methods once. That did not end well for her.

"My path is pretty much set," Akira revealed. There was a girl Lizzy once, well not knew exactly, but rather observed. That girl thought she had it all worked out. She planned to follow in her father's footsteps, much like Akira. The girl was many years older than Lizzy, so Lizzy was able to watch how that all turned out for her. She grew up and did what her father had done, but every time Lizzy saw her, she looked unhappy. Lizzy was willing to bet that the girl hadn't really wanted to follow in her father's footsteps, but was afraid of telling him that. "Akira," Lizzy began, "is that what you want to do?"

Roleplaying as Akira Shimizu from Mahoutokoro
Outfit: Navy Uniform

As Lizzy explained that one should remember to enjoy the little things in life, Akira paused. It wasn't something that Akira heard often. For most of his life, he had been encouraged to march resolutely onwards -- to strive for those full marks on his next test, to rush to his next lesson, to better himself every second of the day so that he could one day shoulder the large responsibilities passed down to him from his father. He had found some solace in flute practice, and in calligraphy, but even those lessons were taken in an effort to more efficiently exercise his mind to bear the stress and burdens that he would later put upon himself. Everything that he did was done for a reason; enjoyment was not necessarily the highest priority. There was only the disappointment of time 'wasted'.

It was a lot of deep advice from Lizzy to contemplate. Akira was not a vocal person, but somehow, he felt that he could possibly share his thoughts more freely with the Gryffindor girl, who was very honest and open herself.

So, Lizzy liked to read and write, and enjoyed many of her classes at Hogwarts. She seemed like a very curious girl who was eager to learn, and easily found enjoyment in learning. That was something Akira could appreciate as well. "Well, with all those varied interests, I'm sure you wouldn't have a problem finding a suitable job after graduation," he observed. "Maybe the only problem would be deciding what to do, because everything is interesting," he said with a small raise of one eyebrow in amusement. "Going into the woods to explore? That sounds like an exciting hobby," he mused. Although he could see himself going for a stroll down a forest path, he couldn't really see himself doing much else, like hiking, god forbid. Physical activity really wasn't his strong suit or interest. Nor did he hope to dirty his robes. "Why can't you do that here?" he asked, wondering what she meant by that.

As Akira illustrated the path that was laid out for him in life, Lizzy listened attentively to his matter-of-fact explanation. The tone in his voice was straight-forward with little emotion, quite unlike the way she described her love of reading and writing and other interesting classes. Like it was a chore and a responsibility, nothing else. It was just the way things were, and what was expected of him as their eldest son. Who was he to deny what his family had given to him?

So, it surprised him a bit when she asked him what he actually wanted to do. "What do I want to do?" he asked, turning the question around him in his mind as if it were a foreign object. He had never really thought about it, because it simply wasn't necessary. He was a model son, the parents of his classmates and family friends would say as they ruffled his hair: Akira-chan was dedicated, hard-working, obedient, a good embodiment of filial piety with a strong understanding of duty. "It doesn't really matter," he found himself saying, almost dismissively, before reprimanding himself for seeming so negative about a responsibility he should've taken with pride. Wasn't this all his family had worked for? Certainly, he had to provide for the later generations what his ancestors had built for him with blood, sweat and tears. Surely he had to be more grateful than that? "My family has had this business for generations. Each son before me has dutifully taken on the helm. Now, it's my honor to be able to carry on the legacy," he explained, "and I can only hope to do it well." Perhaps one day the young boy would learn that he could prioritize himself and be willing to let himself to voice and pursue his own interests, but today was unlikely to be that day, just yet.

"Well, with all those varied interests, I'm sure you wouldn't have a problem finding a suitable job after graduation. Maybe the only problem would be deciding what to do, because everything is interesting," Akira said. Lizzy had to smile at this. Everything did seem interesting to her, there were so many options and paths to discover, who knows which road she would end up taking.

When Lizzy had said she was upset by the fact she couldn't explore in the woods here, she had automatically assumed he would know what she meant. Though, he can't have gotten a chance to get to know everything here, like the boundaries the professors had set for the students. "Well, because the forest here is forbidden. It is literally called the Forbidden Forest," she explained. "Otherwise I would have gone exploring here ages ago." It was true, she would have been deep inside that forest before she had put her things away if it were possible. It was not though, and Lizzy regretted that daily.

Coming to the topic of what he wanted to do seemed to take him aback a bit. It seemed to her that Akira had never actually given his own wants much thought. He put others before himself, both out of kindness and honor. He dismissed it with a quick statement. As he continued to explain, Lizzy caught the word honor, just as she had suspected. Instead of arguing the point however Lizzy simply said with all honestly, "Whatever you choose to do, I'm sure you'll excel at it."

Akira seemed to disappear from this world and enter a land of thought, deep thought. He was like no other boy she had ever met before. Kind, honest, intelligent. She secretly hoped that when Akira left for Mahoutokoro, the two would be able to stay in touch somehow.

Roleplaying as Akira Shimizu from Mahoutokoro
Outfit: Navy Uniform

The forest was forbidden? His dark brown eyes glanced towards the trees far in the distance, wondering what sorts of horrors, suspicious beings, or shady activities were held within its depths. Surely, there had to be certain creatures in there for it to be forbidden to students? "Lizzy, I can see the appeal of going into a forest in the magical world, but there are likely to be dangerous creatures in there, so I would encourage you to be careful," he managed to advise, not quite telling her that she shouldn't, because that was ultimately up to her to decide, but he couldn't simply let this go without a fair warning in case she would get hurt. And he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he didn't caution her. "From what I've heard, creatures in the magical world can sometimes be more deadly than those in the muggle world." And he didn't want to see her hurt from not knowing.

He didn't suppose Mahoutokoro had a 'forbidden forest' because it sat atop a small island, making it easier for the school to control its local population of wild creatures that roamed the island's grounds, trees, and beaches. News of this forbidden forest at Hogwarts was new to him -- he really needed to get deeper into that history book -- and that added another line item to his list of dangers at Hogwarts. Really, he was bewildered by how long this list was, now.

"Just stay safe, okay?" he added, almost as if trying to seek some reassurance.

He wasn't sure if Lizzy was satisfied with his answer when he artfully evaded her question about what he wanted to do, personally. However, if she had any objections, she didn't press the matter, and for that, he was partly grateful. In the mindset that he had now, it was unlikely that the young boy could be persuaded to see otherwise. There was a balance between strict honor and duty to family, and the ability to focus on himself so that he could do his best and be his best self to help those around him. Perhaps he would learn that with time...

"Thank you for the confidence, Lizzy," he said in response, with a brief smile. The sun was lowering itself cross the mountaintops, and he realized that they had been by the lakeside for longer than he imagined. He probably ought to get back to the visiting students' cabins and begin working on a few assignments before dinner. "I might have to get back now, but it's been really nice getting to know you," he said with a hint of regret in having to part ways now. "Hopefully we can arrange another time to study together in the library, perhaps? Either way, I'm hoping we can keep in touch by owl once I leave Hogwarts," he said, hoping that Lizzy would not object to being pen pals.

Smiling Lizzy replied, "I know there must be all sorts of dangerous creatures in there, but that's something that makes it more intriguing." He probably didn't understand her enthusiasm towards danger. It wasn't danger really though, but more of the exploring and discoveries that drew the girl in. She wanted him to understand she realized. She wanted him to see things how she saw them, even if he might not agree with them. "Have you ever heard that we want things we can't or shouldn't have? It's like that a little. I learned at a young age how to defend myself from dangerous animals, not magical ones obviously, but muggle ones. I expect it's relatively the same for both magical and not though. Anyways, it's the concept of discovering new things for myself. I'm not waiting around for anyone to do it for me."

"Just stay safe, okay?" Akira cautioned. "Of course I will." And Lizzy meant this in all sincerity. His concern for her was really touching. Aside from this though, Lizzy realized that Hogwarts must seem very treacherous for the students attending, and he wasn't wrong. Forbidden Forests, mysterious corridors, dark basements, changing staircases, Hogwarts was a maze of peril.

When he thanked her for her confidence in him, she was a bit taken aback. No one had ever said that, or anything remotely close to that. Confidence for her was a confusing thing. Sometimes it was there, compelling her forward, but that usually only appeared with close friends, enemies, and teachers. Most of the time it was like a wisp of smoke, slipping through her fingers and never allowing her to get a good grasp on it. First meetings, a lot of important events, and several other things fell under this category. Lizzy said nothing about this though. She would always remember it, but would say nothing to Akira of it. Perhaps it would even cure some of her insecurities with confidence.

Then, he told her he would have to be getting back. She looked up, startled. Surely it hadn't been that long, it felt like mere minutes from the time she had gotten up from under the shade of the trees to approach him. The sun was, regretfully, setting, and it would be dark soon. Lizzy sighed softly, it had been amazing getting to know Akira. She had never met anyone quite like him, and she doubted she ever would. A surge of hope flared up when he mentioned stayed in touch through owls. "I would like that a lot," she admitted. "It has been nice getting to know you as well Akira." The two would stay in touch, and she was pretty sure the foreign students would have the opportunity to come back in the spring. Lizzy had a feeling that this was only the beginning of a great friendship to come.

Roleplaying as Akira Shimizu from Mahoutokoro
Outfit: Navy Uniform

He listened carefully as Lizzy explained the allure of the forest. 'We want things that we can't or shouldn't have'? Somehow, he felt that he had experienced that feeling before, even though it didn't logically make sense for him to have done so. Wasn't he a fortunate boy, to have come from a pureblooded family with status and a business built over generations? Was admitting that he had felt that way before an indication of dissatisfaction or ingratitude?

If he were honest with himself, Akira would realize that he fully empathized with Lizzy's feelings of wanting more -- of wanting to explore the many parts of the world for oneself and to live life to the fullest, with freed mind and soul to discover new interests and ways of living life. But there was no way that the boy could admit that to himself now, so he merely nodded to acknowledge he had heard her.

However, he couldn't help adding a few last words, murmured softly, almost as an afterthought to himself. "Well, if you're interested in exploring sometime, let me know and I might ask if I can tag along." He caught himself a little at the last second, after realizing what he had said. "Just to make sure everything goes according to plan, of course," he added hastily, trying to backtrack or at least cover up the eagerness that had managed to slip out on its own. Of course. No way he would want to go, otherwise.

But alas, it was time to head back. He gave Lizzy a small smile before they parted. "Great, let's keep in touch, then," he responded, giving her a slight bow of the head and watching her turn back towards the castle before he moved off towards the cabins, his mind still contemplating the engaging conversation that they just had. Somehow, it had been refreshing to meet someone who didn't hesitate to share their own perspective -- and one that was at times very different from his own. Certainly, this had given him a lot to think about... But that's what friends were for, right?

He glanced at the orange backdrop to the hills surrounding the castle, which beckoned to the foreign boy with its many mysteries and hidden adventures, waiting to be unearthed and explored. Hogwarts was beautiful in its own way, and he already knew that he wanted to be back in the spring.