Humble Beginnings Arrival Thread Koldovstoretz

The second year sat on his haunches, not finding the energy within himself to bother with standing as the first of the foreign schools arrived. He hadn’t really bothered interacting with any of those from beyond the Urals during the preceding summer camp, and no matter what faces made themselves known, Nicholas McCowan doubted that anything bar the faintest slither of recognition would register. Still, being first made them the most interesting, even if the arrival was without relative fanfare. A small, rough pebble passed from hand to hand, its rough edges numbing his palms somewhat as he waited.

The arrival of those peculiar self-drawn carriages did not change his posture, nor did it change his movements nor mannerisms. It would seem that the arrival of those students hailing from Koldovstoretz would be rather disappointing. One of them would be chasing glory, and yet that future champion’s entrance was heralded with the same level of excitement as an uncle returning from an overseas trip.

Regardless, the sight of foreign students, each carrying a large suitcase did serve to satiate Nicholas’s curiosity. A curiosity that was only piqued further by the sight of one Erin Ryan among the crowd of Hogwarts students. The mere sight of the older blonde twisted the broom racing captain’s face into a grimace. Their sole interaction had seen him made a fool, a memory so bitter that he could taste it upon his tongue like bile. Yet, there was no point in dwelling on it, at least no point in dwelling on it to such a degree that it would provide her with greater opportunity to humiliate him. He’d no desire to be placed so far on the backfoot once more.

Instead, the second year found himself rising from his squat with a minor grunt of exertion, the pebble discarded. She would likely notice him in any event, she had arrived before him after all, it was likely she had even noticed him coming upon the gates. In any case, he had no intention of immediately being prey. No, that honour would need pass to another.

“Looking for your next victim?” Nicholas asked the fifth year idly, closing the gap between them. Not fully, he certainly had no desire to fall within range of one of her bone-breaking hugs again.

“Going to eat a Russkie now?” He added.

It wasn’t Valentine's Day any longer, he had no reason to fear the crude remarks of the older girl. Yet why did he feel the need to consistently remind himself of that?

@Erin Ryan

• ᴠᴀᴅɪᴍɪʀ ᴍᴀʀᴋᴏᴠɪᴄʜ ᴠᴏʟᴋᴏᴠ •
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Hogwarts School Grounds - 19th March 2022
Dialogue: "English" | "Russian"

Vadimir sat within the Thestral-drawn carriage, his blue eyes distant, as he watched the clouds go by. The whole trip so far had been one long boring trek, though even the Russian boy had to admit the floo transport use had been fun, at least the first time. After that had been disorientating, not to mention the bruised elbows and knees from the sudden thud at the end of both swirling vortex trips.

In comparison, the carriage ride was a lot more comfortable. In fact, Vadimir couldn't even remember the last time he had sat - let alone stayed - in something so nice and cushioned, with the seats all clean and upholstered and space to spread out a bit. The Russian boy found it a little much, still, his life had been on a poor farm after all, where the wants and needs were very specific and different. Vadimir couldn't help but wonder how much a carriage like the one he was in would cost, and what he could do with that money, instead of make a fancy transportation vehicle...

"How much do you think this carriage costs, Darya?" Vadimir asked his fellow passengers, before he glanced to Tarja Akimovna, one of his Koldovstoretz friends. "I bet just one of these could get us another whole student building..."

Vadimir suspected that arrival at Hogwarts would only reveal how obscenely rich most of the organization was, as the Russian boy had not physically been before, but had heard from others that it was incredibly large and expensively furbished. Whether that was from wealth, magic, or a combination of both, was unknown. But one thing was for certain, Vadimir already had a distaste for the Hogwarts - and even other schools, if he was being honest - students... liken as not, they were just all used to the lavishness and lifestyles they were given.

If only Koldovstoretz could get a fraction of that support, Vadimir thought, as his gaze shifted back out the window. I bet we could...

Suddenly through the clouds, below, the Russian caught sight of the legendary magical castle. It was massive, far beyond the scope he had expected, and his eyebrows raised as a result. He leaned forward, closer to the glass of the carriage, and looked out at the expansive school grounds and surrounding forest and the large lake...

"Look at that," Vadimir said, just short of spitting. "What ridiculously big castle... I can only imagine what the students are like. This should be interesting..."

The remainder of the trip was spent observing the school and listening to others in the shared space, as the carriage descended and eventually landed. The mysterious new location had finally been reached, as Vadimir opened the carriage door and stepped out onto the small foot rung; though with a larger step, he dropped to the ground with both feet and walked a few paces to regard the looming structure in the near distance.

Even more ridiculous, now that I can see it up close, Vadimir thought, his hands on both hips, as he cast a critical stare over the castle. All brick, fancy, and look at those stain-glass windows...

With a grunt, Vadimir turned around to the carriage and began to pull his suitcase free from the luggage storage. He did the same for Tarja Akimovna's suitcase, as he placed it at her feet, then turned and lifted his own again. He held it easily in one hand. On further inspection, there were even some nearby Hogwarts student onlookers, to which Vadimir glanced their way. Some boys and girls, they all looked soft and starry-eyed, so the Russian boy shifted his attention when none of them stood out as important.

"Am I the only one who expected something... more fantastical to be pulling these carriages?" Vadimir asked, one eyebrow raised, as he glanced to the front of the transport vehicle. But he shrugged, unimpressed. "Unicorns would definitely suit the extravagant castle theme of theirs, yes? Hah!"

Vadimir walked to stand a short distance from the carriages, to give other Koldovstoretz students space to gather their things, and also to be out of the way for when the transports started to leave. Though, regarding the weather, Vadimir looked around and noted it wasn't as cool as expected, as he mumbled:

"It's not as cold as I thought... didn't need to wear the coat."

The Russian boy was in the standard Koldovstoretz school uniform; he wore the white rubakha shirt, with red lining around the collar and sleeve ends, grey pants, thick boots and the thick dark blue kaftan coat over it all. The clothing was well-used, stitched in places, and repaired in others. Vadimir didn't really know what the plan was, in regard to approaching the school itself, so he simply stood still - suitcase in hand - and waited to see if someone gave instructions...

Interacting with:

Tarja Akimovna Blavatsky (@Liana Kerr) | Open to other Koldovstoretz interactions

Dialogue: English - #1b087d | Russian - #8f0000 | Finnish - #00804f

Interacting with: Vadimir Markovich Volkov (@Aurelius Leeds)
Mentioning: Fyodor Adrikovich Sapozhnik (@Maggie Hawkins)

Outfit: Koldovstoretz uniform (minus the hat and the coat at the end of the post)

Travelling via the Floo Network was wicked! Tarja needed to fight the urge to raise her hands up and let out a loud 'wheeeee' (would she be heard from the other fireplaces she passed?) as she spinned from Koldovstoretz to somewhere in Moscow, engulfed in emerald flames. Much like she did as a little girl when her дедушка grandpa took her to an amusement park that one time, and she rode in all the colourful carousels. And Floo was even more fun that that, only it also lasted way shorter. To her surprise, it turned out that three students got lost on their way to the cabinet center. Suckers! This was such a simple method of travel, how could they mess up merely saying the name of the place where they needed to be? She spent the unexpected break jesting about it with Vadimir Markovich and Fyodor Adrikovich.

The trip to London was far less fun - sadly, upon exiting the strange closet, she did not find herself in Narnia. It was just another dull establishment for international travel. At least they didn't have to spend too much time there. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet, waiting for her turn to get into the fireplace for the trip to Хогсмид Hogsmeade. Finally first in line, she grabbed a handful of the glittery powder and stepped in. "Chogsmyd!" she exclaimed with palpable self-confidence, throwing the powder down.

After the brief, merry ride, she stepped out of some sooty fireplace in a dimly-lit place that looked a whole lot like an inn. No other students were present, and no staff either. Only a middle-aged wizard at the counter, cleaning a dirty glass with an even dirtier cloth. He seemed unfazed by the sudden arrival.

"Ye alright there, lass? Travellin' alone?"

"Aa, no, I'm with my school. It seems I'm in wrong place? We were going to Chogsmyd- Hogsmyd? Hogsmid, I think." She shrugged and glanced around curiously.

"Aye, ye got lost, 'is ain't Hogsmeade. Thas alright though, fancy some water while ye wait t' be picked up?"

✦✦✦

When Tarja was located, she was having a lovely chat with the bartender, happily explaining all about Koldovstoretz and how it was different from most magic schools she knew of. It was almost a pity to leave so soon. Now in the carriage, mostly cleaned up to look presentable (though her clothes still bore soot stains in a few spots), she was thinking back to what a wonderful interaction that had been - completely spontaneous, unmarred by the need to keep up appearances and 'represent' something. Her train of thought was interrupted by Vadimir.

"Huh? Oh, it definitely costs a lot, just look how fancy it is," the girl responded somewhat distractedly, pulling herself back into the present moment. "Yeah, it could get a new student building, or proper brooms for everyone to learn Flying with." Priorities, you know?

Her friend did not seem to be admiring the castle at all, a sentiment she could understand, even if she couldn't exactly share it. This place was splendid, far bigger then what they had back at home, and she found everything here charming. The more ascetic Vadimir Markovich was focused on the pompousness of it all, considering of how the wealth could have been used better and how it was probably wasted on entitled ingrates here. He wasn't entirely wrong.

"Just wait until you see their Great Hall, and all the paintings they have everywhere in the castle. I heard that hundreds of house elves serve this place, too," she responded, trying to sound neutral so as not to annoy her comrade.

Ever the gentleman, Vadimir unloaded Tarja's trunk for her. She could have done it herself, although admittedly he was stronger - not something that could be said about most boys their age. "Thanks," she said simply, trying to brush a patch of soot she'd just noticed off the sleeve of her coat. It was no good. The blonde sighed and looked at the awaiting Hogwarts students. Should she say something? No such instructions were given. She waved at the locals, hoping this was enough, and turned her attention back to Vadimir.

"Maybe they're not that rich after all, if they can't afford horses for their carriages," she joked.

His quiet remark about the weather gave the girl an idea. She smoothly slipped the coat off her shoulders, folded it so that the soot marks weren't visible, and put it in her trunk. It definitely was warm enough to just wear a linen shirt and pants. Her head was also feeling sweaty under the fur hat; she removed it too, and slipped it into the trunk.

"True, it's warm, here. Must be because it's an island," she said vaguely, not entirely sure how exactly that worked.

Russian English French

Rosella hated to admit it, but she was excited to be returning to Hogwarts. She was getting the opportunity to see her friends again, one of the only times the group really saw each other all together. The trip to Hogwarts was not that exciting for Rosella, first the floo network to Moscow, someplace the Russian girl had not been in quite a bit of time. After that was the cabinets to London, Rosella did not like this as much and honestly was not looking forward to heading back, but she could deal with it. The there was the floo network to Hogsmeade. The girl was rather happy she had been working on her English, as she did not want to get lost in a foreign area where she could barely speak the language. She honestly was not the greatest at English, but she was getting there.

Finally it was the carriages to Hogwarts. Rosella was currently leaned back against the soft seats a sketchbook and colored pencils in her lap. She was not really listening to what the other students in her carriage were talking about, but every once in a while she would catch something they were saying. She noticed that a few were wearing their uniforms, in comparison to her shirt and jeans. She had opted not to wear the uniform, not caring if she got in trouble, as she would rather be comfortable while moving around for a few hours. It was not that their uniforms were uncomfortable, it was that she just did not really like wearing it consistently.

As she noticed they were close, she slowly closed her sketchbook and looked at the other students with a soft smile on her face. She wondered if she would meet any new friends while here. Quickly she slipped her suitcase out of the luggage and gently placed her sketching materials in while she felt the carriage pull to a stop. Other than the soft murmur of students, she noticed that it was rather quiet, at least they were not having a giant celebration for their arrival.

Hearing one of the younger students speaking about something more fantastical pulling the carriage, she looked over at them with a shake of her head. "You will discover that some things here are fantastic and others are just strange." With her suitcase in hand, Rosella looked at the the Hogwarts students, some lazing around while others looked surprised. The girl only hoped that her friends were here or going to be there soon.

Interacting With: ᴠᴀᴅɪᴍɪʀ ᴍᴀʀᴋᴏᴠɪᴄʜ ᴠᴏʟᴋᴏᴠ@Aurelius Leeds
Open for Interactions

Outfit

Trunk

The boy’s tongue pressed against the back of his teeth, the strain of the movement flaring the tendons in his neck. It was not the comment from Erin that prompted the physical reaction, but the mere fact that he’d all but opened himself up to it. He’d every intention of not being taken advantage of by the older blonde and, yet, she’d immediately responded with a retort that was so obvious that even someone as daft as he should have seen it coming. Nicholas’s cheeks coloured, the reddening ever so slight, a pale imitation of the burning cheeks that Erin had caused the last time the two had interacted.

He was taken aback for a moment, his shallow preparations for dealing with the Slytherin thrown to the wayside for the time being. The fog of frustration settled over his psyche once more, both with himself for bringing the unwanted attention down upon himself, and at the girl for being the source of such. Yet, there was a twinkling that allowed him to breach that mist, at least for a moment. Anger served as his anchor, not just with Erin, not just with himself, but with everything. Perhaps it was a hormonal imbalance, the rigours of youth were hardly kind, or perhaps it was directed at some person in particular, regardless of origin, Nicholas gripped that anger and grounded himself. There would be no bashing his head against the table, at least not yet.

The truth in Erin’s next words were lost on the boy, however. He’d never fully grasped the nature of the hags, nor the threat they’d posted to the school, nor of Erin’s involvement with the dark beings that had dwelled not so far from the safety of the castle.

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” His own understanding of her comment coloured his answer. Appetite for human flesh, clearly the only logical reasoning was that of metaphor. A crude metaphor, not in its delivery but in its meaning, he’d heard the utterly untoward things she’d said at the tea party, and what she chose to eat was entirely her own prerogative.

His blush deepened further even thinking back to that interaction, and then once more when she extended her hand toward him. An obvious jibe, an obvious insult, the scowl on his face betraying in no small part his distaste for the offer. Her fingers wiggled like worms, but he knew them for what they were, the vicious robin chasing after a meal. If anything could be compared to the humble earthworm, it would be his own fingers, pale and bony as they were.

“Going to try and break them like you did with that hug? God knows my shoulders are still creaking,” He asked in response, his neutral tone betrayed by both his scowl and cheeks.

It was an admission of weakness, and he bit at his tongue immediately after he’d spoken. As if searching for a port in the storm, his eyes were cast off from the girl and toward the arriving Koldovstoretz students. More than a few had dismounted from the carriage now, obviously conversing amongst themselves, the few words that carried over in a language that he most certainly couldn’t understand. Nicholas frowned as he looked them over, their uniforms, their language, even their very disposition seemed so foreign. And yet, that strangeness was still a sight more welcoming than the beauty with the heart of a beast with whom he’d elected to converse.

Yet, he could not truly shift his attention away from the girl. She seemed to get great joy out of toying with him, no doubt expecting him to fluster and hide his hands. In truth, that was exactly what he wanted to do. A few months prior, he’d considered hand-holding to be tantamount to a proposal, something he’d only done once, and with great nervousness at that. A lot had changed since then. Even his first kiss had been robbed from him, the experience stolen by a dose of love potion. So he did something entirely stupid and brave, his desire to claw for a shred of dignity driving him to play into the girl’s hands. She wanted him to jump away from the trap, he’d no desire to play the fool.

“Sure,” Was his choked response, the courage forced.

He did not want to hold her hand, not only out of fear of the implication, but also out of a desire to not feel his palm crushed to pulp. Yet he extended his hand to do so in any case, his intention grip as hard as he could. Naturally, he refused to make eye contact throughout the entire experience, his gaze remained fixed on the arriving students.

@Erin Ryan