Mentorship: Two Ways PV Callista closed

Interacting | @Willow Anderson	Dmitri, Opeila | Mentioning
Date: 12.18.2021	#000080 | Hex

Ever since she lost her duel to Dmitri and Opeila, Callista had been wrecked with guilt and a feverish desire to get better. Sometimes, giving it your best wasn't enough, and their duel more than made that clear. The only thing she could take pride in was that she had managed to hit Dmitri three times - the only times he had been hit in the entire match. But it wasn't enough. In a flash, Autumn was eliminated, and that left her as the target of the snakes' wrath. With a sickening twist of her stomach, she remembered the twin jets of blue light that she had succumbed to. Again, it was that spell that took her out.

It left a bitter taste in her mouth whenever she remembered it. Their match had been doomed from the beginning - a second and third year against a third and fourth year from the reigning champions? No one had believed they would win. Everything had gone exactly as expected - the Hufflepuffs put up a valiant fight, but they were quickly smothered by the older, more experienced duellists.

Callista didn't expect to win all of her duels, but she wanted the strength to be able to fight at the top. She wanted the strength to look into the eyes of her opponents and believe, really believe, that they had a chance.

She threw herself into her books, dedicating hours to studying. She stayed as late as she could in the library, reading up on spells she could use. She practiced the wand movements at night, when everyone else was asleep. She recited the incantations in her mind, aloud if she could. She watched with the keen gaze of a hawk, observing the older duellists. She did everything she could to get better.

Of course, Callista did all this independently. So when Willow approached her inviting her to have a practice session with her, the second year immediately blurted out an apology. Whether it was for doing her research or for losing her duel, she wasn't entirely sure.

Callista respected Willow a lot, being a prefect, her senior, and her duelling co-captain. However, that also meant that she became quite nervous when approached. After Willow had requested her presence - really, how could Callista refuse? - she spent the entire time stressing over whether she had done something wrong.

Clearly, if Willow thought there was a need to have an extra one-on-one training session, then Callista must be terrible at duelling. Maybe she was the flaw in the team, and they would be better off without her, but Willow was too nice to just kick her off the team. Maybe she's going to get a lecture instead of a training session. No, Willow wouldn't lie to me... would she? No, no, Willow wouldn't do that. Then maybe, she was trying to make Callista better because she sucked so much. That sounds probable...

Callistta spent a significant amount of time before the session pacing in her dorm, fidgeting with her wand and running through scenarios in her head. If Willow removes me from the team... If Willow gets hurt... If the room sets on fire... If the shadows come back... If I'm forced into small talk... If Willow interrogates me... By the time she had to head to the Duelling Room, she still felt unprepared, but her breathing was a little calmer than it had been.

When she arrived, Callista immediately spotted Willow, fashionable as always. Her own attire was simple - a pair of black leggings and a loose T-shirt. She fidgeted with her wand in her right hand, her left hand held up in greeting. "Hi Willow," she said softly. She gave Willow a small smile, but her body was tense, and she was still nervous about what was going to happen. Bracing for the worst, she waited with baited breath. Am I going to get reprimanded now?

Stats: Sta: 6 | Eva: 8 | Str: 3 | Wis: 9 | Arc: 7 | Acc: 7
Abilities: Perfectionist | ...
Actions: Feeling nervous and guilty, overthinking, the usual

☁ Interacting ☁
@Callista Lovis

Willow hopped down off of the piste, grabbing her wand as she did so. "We really got our stuff rocked last round." She positioned herself in front of two duelling dummies that seemed to be set up for her. "I really need to practice splitting my spell in two. I learned it last year with Lydia but, I'm far from perfecting it."

She crossed her arms, leaning onto her right leg before realizing that she didn't even tell Callista why they were here. "Oh! I'm so sorry. Um, I just wanted to get some extra practice in. I usually drag Lydia with me but..." She shrugged. "I feel like I don't know most of you on the team. So..." She gestured ambiguously at the duelling room. "I figured I should branch out in duelling partners. If there's anything you want to work on with me, you can and I can maybe help? We're kind of all learning together."

Willow turned on her heel, attempting to cast a split Knockback Jinx but her lines went all screwy and barely hit one of the dummies, missing the other entirely. "See what I mean?" She groaned thinking about her last duel mind already spiraling towards her last loss, "Santario was totally weird too, in my duel I mean, she was being so mean. Were the Slytherins mean to you or was it just my team?"

A small blush crossed her face, realizing how much of the room she was taking up with her energy. "Sorry, I get... really excited about this. I think that's kind of why I lost the last duel. I was trying to do the disarming charm at Santario and Sarah, and it totally backfired. I just- I was so worked up after I saw all the Hufflepuffs were down, and my girlfriend was there because she was on the Slytherin team. I really got in my head. Does that ever happen to you in duelling? Like- it feels like everything is riding on you to succeed?" Willow's eyebrows knit together in concern. She hadn't talked to anybody about her last duel really. About what was going on with her in the middle of it. She felt bad dumping it on one of her duellists, but she was also a friend in her house. So surely... this was ok? Maybe not. But it was already too late and Willow had already word vomited all over the practice room.

Credit: Scarlet Salvatore

Interacting | @Willow Anderson	Dmi, @Annie Morgan | Mentioning
Date: 12.18.2021	#000080 | Hex

With someone else, perhaps she might have tensed up even more. However, with Willow, her chatter soothed Callista's nerves and relaxed her shoulders. Once it became clear that her captain had no ill intentions, she listened with bright eyes, her curiosity taking over. Splitting your spell... Again, she thought back to her own duel, twin gusts of wind erupting from Dmitri's wand. If Willow could master it, it would give them an advantage in the next stage. "Being able to release two jets in itself is amazing," she whispered. Her fingers twitched, already feeling the thrum of wood brimming with magic.

"The Slytherins..." In answer to Willow’s (perhaps rhetorical) question, her voice was barely a mumble, avoiding Willow's eyes in favour of focusing on the unscathed dummies. Her stomach turned at the thought of those cold brown eyes and self-assured voice that poked and taunted at her defences. She didn't think it was because they were Slytherins, exactly; there was something about that boy - Dmitri Jones... It just rubbed her the wrong way. Or maybe it was just her nerves and the obvious age gap.

At Willow's apology, Callista's head shot up. It was so obviously wrong for her that someone like Willow - her senior, her captain - should have to apologise to her. "Oh, no, you don't have to apologise..." As she trailed off, her heart squeezed uncomfortably. It's my fault Willow got worked up, then... I should have done better, even if it was an unfair match-up. I have to-

"... my girlfriend was there..."

All thoughts screeched to a halt at that word. Girlfriend. It swirled around in her mind, echoing over and over again. Girlfriend. Why couldn't she escape that word? Why here, now, of all places? Girlfriend. No, no, don't go down that line. Someone's talking.

Callista blinked. Once. Twice. Yes, Willow. Willow was talking to her... about duelling? She was feeling guilty about something... It took Callista a few moments to remember what the conversation was, shutting out the memory threatening to flood her flimsy barriers. "A-ah, no- I mean yes?" Her face grew hot, a sunset pink creeping onto her cheeks. "Sorry, I didn't hear what you said after..."

A heavy pause came after as she realised that she should probably think about what to say before saying anything. Callista didn't want Willow to take this the wrong way, but she also wanted to learn. What exactly she was looking for, she didn't know. "Willow?" Another brief pause. "You have a gir- you have a... partner?" She couldn't bring herself to speak the word that had loomed over her each night, the word that she woke up remembering and the one that haunted her thoughts.

Stats: Sta: 6 | Eva: 8 | Str: 3 | Wis: 9 | Arc: 7 | Acc: 7
Abilities: Perfectionist | Beast Master
Actions: Listening, remembering some incidents, asking Willow a question
The "girlfriend" incident and a shameless plug

☁ Interacting ☁
@Callista Lovis

Callista reminded Willow of herself when she was younger. A little bit spacey and nervous about a lot of things. Willow was lucky with the people that she surrounded with herself that helped bolster her confidence, duelling and quidditch also helped with that. There were still parts of Willow that faltered in confidence, and she daydreamed a lot. But for the most part it was under control. The small smile that winded up on her face as she interacted with another version of herself couldn't help but show up. It was endearing.

The girl largely mumbled in response to Willow's first statements, so it was hard for Willow to make anything out but also respond to her. But she didn't mind carrying on the conversation for the both of them, even if she felt a bit bashful about commanding the conversation.

The young badger really embodied one of the traits of Hufflepuff, patience. So she was happy to wait and gently nod Callista on as she stumbled around with her words. An eyebrow quirked up when Callista admitted not hearing her after a certain bit of her ramble. It was quite bold to admit it, Willow would usually try and skirt around the subject and pretend like she had been listening the whole time. "I can repeat myself if you need me to? I know I can talk fast."

Willow was... a little surprised about the question. She didn't talk about Astrea often, but truly she thought it was kind of an open fact that the two girls were together. Was... Callista homophobic? Surely not, but Willow hesitated in answering and started to tread a bit light until she had more context. "Uh- yeah, Astrea, she's on the Slytherin team." Willow never had labeled her sexuality, she never really felt the need to. But the closest one that worked would probably be bisexual. "We've been dating since last February." She awkwardly shifted her weight back and forth between her legs. "Why do you ask?" She had an exit plan, the door was right there if this went poorly. But Willow didn't really think this was going to go the way her anxiety said it was gonna go.

Credit: Scarlet Salvatore

Interacting | @Willow Anderson	@Annie Morgan | Mentioning
Date: 12.18.2021	#000080 | Hex

Everyone was haunted by something, be it a memory, a thought, or a feeling. Or, well, considering this is Hogwarts, maybe a "someone," too. Callista didn't know what haunted Willow, but she knew what haunted herself, and this was an opportunity she couldn't refuse. She couldn't turn down the chance to learn about Willow and maybe answer some of her own questions as well.

She didn't notice Willow's change in atmosphere until long after she had finished. Astrea. Astrea? The name was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place a face to the name, almost certain they had never met. Last February... Almost a year, then. Callista brought a hand up to her chest, rubbing at the sudden pang in her heart.

There was a lot she didn't know, but Callista thought she would have heard something about her captain dating a member of the Slytherin duelling team. She had never been the type to listen to idle gossip, and with her very few friends, it seemed that none of them had deemed it important enough to mention. Then again, her "friend group" was almost completely made up of one person... that she had been avoiding for the past month.

Callista still felt vaguely lightheaded at the thought of Willow dating someone. Maybe I'm coming down with something... She didn't feel grossed out or anything like that, she was just... confused. She had grown up in a small town where everyone knew everyone, and she very rarely travelled outside it, except for special occasions. Her own parents never felt the need to discuss anything about the LGBTQ+ community, but when they did, it was almost always a side comment and seldom anything good.

The stigma around gay people was usually feminine men, but Callista had never heard anything about girls liking other girls. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about it, and she had certainly never considered it was something people could be. For the first time since she had learned about magic, she felt truly and utterly out of control.

She had grown up a normal fish in a small pond, and every so often, she would see glimpses of the lake, but most of the time, she just swam around in her pond. When the letter came, she had been abruptly dumped into a huge lake she had never seen before. Now, Callista had been deposited in an even larger sea, and she didn't know what was up and what was down.

Unable to comprehend by herself, she turned to Willow, hesitant but searching for something, anything, an answer to her confusion that she couldn't form into questions. It was only now that she sensed Willow's awkwardness. She saw it in her stance, she saw it in her eyes, and as she thought back, she heard it in her tone.

"Oh I'm so sorry, did I make you uncomfortable? I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry, please don't hate me!" Callista's words tumbled out fast and quick, the pauses between sentences blurring together into one large phrase. Her confusion from before faded into the background, panic taking the reins in its place.

It had less to do with fear of her image being tarnished and more to do with concern for Willow. Callista hated the guilt of hurting someone - especially someone she liked - and she really liked Willow. Now a messy bundle of guilt, panic, worry, and confusion rested heavily in her chest, and she didn't know if she could ever untangle it.

Stats: Sta: 6 | Eva: 8 | Str: 3 | Wis: 9 | Arc: 7 | Acc: 7
Abilities: Perfectionist | Beast Master
Actions: Panicking

☁ Interacting ☁
@Callista Lovis

There was nothing like this that so quintessentially captured the interaction between two confused teenagers.

Willow's eyes widened at Callista's outburst in response. Her wand quickly got tucked away into the pocket of her sweatpants. Soft hands were gently placed on Callista's, leading her to sit on the duelling piste. "Hey, I don't hate you Callista. I'm just confused I think." It only took a couple moments after Callista was settled for Willow to sit beside her. "I was just curious why you wanted to know about my girlfriend. You seemed uh.. surprised by it I guess."

It was then that it all seemed to click into place. Why Callista was always so nervous around Willow, why she got so flustered by the mention of her having a girlfriend, why she didn't want Willow to hate her. Callista wasn't homophobic, quite the opposite, she had a crush on Willow. Oh goodness. The young badger had never really known anyone to have a crush on her. There was one time in primary school a boy handed her a special Valentine asking to see her after school, but it turned out to a prank and she showed up to an already empty courtyard.

Even with asking out Astrea, she had no idea going into it if Astrea liked her back. With Jack, it was just kind of- known. Especially since he kissed her first. The idea that she would have an admirer, especially one of the duellists really threw her off. Willow started trying to do mental math on how to let Callista down easy so she didn't quit the team because she was an exceptional duellist. Not only that, Willow liked having her around.

"Hey, you know... we all sometimes have crushes on people." Brilliant start, relatability. This was how to do it. "I kind of had a crush on Astrea, I think since I met her. There was just something about her." Willow's shoulders lightly rose and fell in a mild shrug. "And you know- sometimes... we have a hard time telling someone, and they end up like- not having a crush on us back. But we're young, y'know?" Callista still had time to find the love of her life, even if it was not at 13 years old and with Willow.

"I'm sorry if I uh- led you on?" Willow wasn't exactly sure how she would've done that by... asking her to practice. "I just thought we could, like, get to know each other while practicing." One hand came up to twirl a stray piece of hair as she contemplated the situation. "I would uh- like to be friends if that's ok?" Willow still had one hand on Callista's and gave it a gentle squeeze with a light smile.

Nailed it.

Credit: Scarlet Salvatore

Interacting | @Willow Anderson	@Annie Morgan | Mentioning
Date: 12.18.2021	#5e638d | Hex

The physical contact jolted Callista out of her thoughts, and her shoulders immediately relaxed. She let the older girl lead her to the piste, more dazed than anything. A whispered apology barely made it out of her lips before Willow sat her down for a little talk.

"Hey, you know... we all sometimes have crushes on people."

Perhaps it didn't really go through the way Willow intended because Callista stiffened again at her words. Like an old record, the tape flashed back to that fateful winter day, flickering between past and present as she struggled to stay grounded. There was something so nostalgic about Willow's hand on hers, her voice sweeter than honey and her touch softer than freshly fallen snow.

And so Callista did what she did best - listen.

It seemed like Willow was trying to tell her something, but Callista couldn't quite put her finger on it. So she just listened, absorbing the information with the blissful ignorance of a 13 year old who hadn't yet been able to understand what, exactly, love is.

Love was something you read about in novels, a fleeting daydream you never considered in the first place. Love was for quotes and prose, the thing of fantasy and imagination. Love was the subject of endless chatter, but it always slipped through your fingers and out of reach. It was brighter than a star, dancing in front of you, but when you reach for it, it dissipates into mist, leaving you lost and alone in the dark.

Callista hadn't hoped to find romance in the winding halls of Hogwarts, but she found herself falling anyway with no way to know whether her feelings were really true love. Because what was the point in trying if it was doomed from the start?

"I'm sorry if I uh- led you on?"

Huh? Confusion spread across Callista's face, but she didn't get a chance to ask further before Willow continued. Her offer was so sweet, and the squeeze only made it worse. Her face lit up, a furnace burning hot on a cold winter night. It probably didn't help to assuage the notion that Callista had a crush on Willow, but she was just a naturally blush-prone person. Breaking the fourth wall a bit here ahem-

"I- I would love to-" The stuttering probably didn't help either, but although Callista was touched, she was still very confused. Her heart squeezed to the point where she just couldn't take it anymore. Her eyes wandered down to their touching hands, and as she took a breath, she let everything spill out.

"Willow, how do you know whether you like someone or not? What if you just like them as friends? Is it even possible to like other girls? I- I mean, n-no offense, but how- how do you know whether you like girls or boys or-? A-and what if you do like girls is that a b-bad thing?"

By the end, her voice was cracking, and Callista seemed to be on the verge of tears. Her voice was broken and vulnerable, the mask cracked and discarded. She was lost in the dark, trapped in her mind and hurting in her heart, and she was reaching out for something or someone to guide the way.

Stats: Sta: 6 | Eva: 8 | Str: 3 | Wis: 9 | Arc: 7 | Acc: 7
Abilities: Perfectionist | Beast Master
Actions: Welcome to word vomit Calli!

☁ Interacting ☁
@Callista Lovis

So maybe she was a little off base when it came to the assumption that Callista had a crush on Willow. Or if she was correct, Callista was really good at handling rejection. Either way what she saw was someone in front of her really struggling.

Willow's parents, Owena and Dorian, never held back in teaching their young sapling about the world. While her grandmother taught her most of the ways of witchcraft, her parents taught her the ways of the rest of the world. Owena was actually bisexual, and they had gone to one or two pride parades in London, Dorian proudly cheering on his wife. So when it came to Willow thinking she might like girls, she didn't really second guess it. There was no questioning or nights staying up staring at the ceiling trying to figure out what it means to like a girl. Most of the time she stared up at the ceiling, wondering how to ask out her current girlfriend.

She almost forgot that other people might not have that same experience. As Callista seemed to slowly break in front of her, Willow pulled her into a big hug. Squeezing her shoulders tight and humming gently in thought as she tried to recall any of the wisdom that her parents gave to her about this stuff.

"My dad always tells this story of the first time he saw my mom. They met at a huge meetup of Wiccan witches for one of the holidays we celebrate. The whole world kind of fell away and all he could see was her. The way my parents look at each other... is something I'm always looking for. A type of love that is just so, itself? It's just natural for the two of them." Willow pulled back, putting her hands folded in her lap. Her eyes sparkled with thinking about her family, and her heart ached a little knowing she wasn't going home for break this time.

"I'm still figuring out what a crush is, what it really feels like. But, for Astrea I always felt a sort of pull towards her. I wanted to spend more time with her, and I wanted to be holding her hand just all the time. I feel comfortable with her, like I don't have to struggle to be myself around her. But- it took me a long time to figure out that was a crush and not just really wanting to be her friend. My mom always says that love feels different for everyone. While my dad's world fell away, my mom's world became clearer when she fell in love with my dad. Or at least... that's what she says. So I think it's hard to really say how you know."

"But liking girls, boys, both, neither, nonbinary people, liking anyone really isn't a bad thing. It just means you have a lot of options open to you of who you love. Liking Jack, Jack Warren..." She paused and couldn't help but cringe at that relationship. "It felt a lot different than Astrea. " She went back to playing with her hair, twirling another strand. "Is this helping? Or am I making it more confusing? I've never really tried to... talk about this stuff."

Credit: Scarlet Salvatore

Interacting | @Willow Anderson	| Mentioning
Date: 12.18.2021	#5e638d | Hex

Callista's breath hitched as Willow enveloped her in a tight hug. It had been a long time since she had been hugged, and even if she was, it was never like this. It wasn't tight in a way that let her know she was safe and loved. It wasn't gentle in a way that let her know someone's heart squeezed for her. It wasn't one full of love and compassion and such overwhelming care. Not like this.

The young girl took a few moments to just treasure the moment, as if she had just been handed a fragile figurine. She drank it in like her first breath of fresh air, craving something she hadn't realised was missing.

When it ended, the absence of heat was so keen it sent a pang through her heart, but it would probably be too weird to reach out for another hug. Instead, Callista pulled her knees up against her chest. An spectator observing the girl might be tricked into thinking she had shrunk in on herself.

Like before, she continued to listen, a childlike wonder on her face. If anything, Willow's talk only added to her questions, but the analyst in her took in all the new information with glee. It wasn't a concrete answer, but then again, had she really been expecting one in the first place? Love was a complicated topic, and it was a daunting one for the thirteen-year-old.

For all her daydreaming, Callista had always been more comfortable with tangible things - things that made sense, like math and logic. The tales that took place in books were ones to admire, and they did well in sucking her in for some time, but she had always known that, if given the chance, she wouldn’t trade her comfortable life at home for one in her books. It was nice to dream about a better life, but for what price? Knowing what she knew now about the magical world, would she really choose to come if she was given the choice again?

Of course she would.

But love, in more ways than one, was a lot different than magic. Magic had rules and laws and restrictions. Love was more complicated than that, and once Callista got her hands on a difficult puzzle, she wasn’t going to let it go. “Willow, can I ask another question?” The words came slowly, not unlike a mouse poking its head out of its hole for the first time. Throughout Willow’s speech, she had picked up the pieces of her mask and held them gingerly in her hands, shards of glass that might cut her at the slightest movement.

Her words, although shaky, were more controlled than before. Nitpicking at the slightest mention in Willow’s words instead of attempting to tackle the bigger picture, Callista asked, “What are non-binary people?” She meant no offense, and anyone could see it - could hear it. It was in her eyes, wide and brown like a fawn’s. It was in her shoulders, relaxed and slight like a sapling just peeking out of the ground. It was in her voice, young and sweet like fresh rain on a summer’s day.

She was curious.

She was taking advantage of this girl in front of her who knew so much more than she did. There was a certain hunger in her that yearned for the knowledge that was just out of reach. It danced in front of her, little stars of information, but she couldn’t seem to catch them. And here sat a girl with blond hair and a nature so gentle it might collapse at particularly strong gust of wind. Here, perhaps, sat the answer to her questions, in the mind and heart of a 13-year-old girl.

“What does it feel like to love..?” It came in a whisper, a seeming afterthought to her previous question. The hushed tone might fool one not more acquainted with Callista, but here in this simple question sat the burning question that consumed her every thought. And maybe, just maybe, here sat someone that could help her answer it.

Stats: Sta: 6 | Eva: 8 | Str: 3 | Wis: 9 | Arc: 7 | Acc: 7
Abilities: Perfectionist | Beast Master
Actions: Asking questions