3 Apr 2022, 23:21
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March had absolutely flown by for Aaron, but that's what happens when you're having fun, right? The last four weeks had been a blur of practicing his flying tricks, trips to Hogsmeade, passing notes to Aly friends in class, and trying to do better with schoolwork (Aly a certain Ravenclaw had influenced this particular activity). And of course the announcement of the Hexwizard Tournament at the end of February had Aaron very excited.
Last weekend the other schools had arrived and the Goblet of Fire was finally put out. Aaron had every intention of putting his name in, but he was still waiting for the right moment. And alongside the excited chatter of the tournament was the excited chatter of the upcoming Blossom Ball. Talk of who was asking who, the possibility of asking a foreign student, meeting someone new and dancing the night away with them. The same type of excited chatter that flooded the Hogwarts halls for every ball the past three years. But this time Aaron was actually paying attention to the chatter, and feeling nervous. He fully intended to ask Aly to the dance - she was on the planning committee and would definitely be attending - but every day he found himself too nervous to verbalize this desire to her. But the more time that passed, the more chance there was that some other bloke would see her charm and ask first. He needed to step up to the plate already.
Although he had pondered the worst-case scenario of her saying no, he had some hope otherwise. She was kind and charming and an all-around amazing person, and perhaps he was imagining it, but - well, he thought there was a good chance of her saying yes. He wasn't the only one requesting to hang out at times. He tried not to think too much on that, considering he might be too optimistic about the situation.
The fourteen-year-old's plan was simple - perhaps too simple? He had spent some time doing research and had a gift to present alongside the trick. So Aaron stood at the edge of the Training Pitch waiting for her with his broom in hand. He had foregone his normal beanie and had tried to make his hair look somewhat presentable. And he was wearing a nice pair of dark jeans and one of his blue Henley shirts.
Last weekend the other schools had arrived and the Goblet of Fire was finally put out. Aaron had every intention of putting his name in, but he was still waiting for the right moment. And alongside the excited chatter of the tournament was the excited chatter of the upcoming Blossom Ball. Talk of who was asking who, the possibility of asking a foreign student, meeting someone new and dancing the night away with them. The same type of excited chatter that flooded the Hogwarts halls for every ball the past three years. But this time Aaron was actually paying attention to the chatter, and feeling nervous. He fully intended to ask Aly to the dance - she was on the planning committee and would definitely be attending - but every day he found himself too nervous to verbalize this desire to her. But the more time that passed, the more chance there was that some other bloke would see her charm and ask first. He needed to step up to the plate already.
Saturday | 26 March 2022 | 1:00 PM
Finally, Aaron sent her a note and decided he would ask her at the Training Pitch. He and Aly had gone flying a couple times together - he showed her tricks, and they practiced her Keeper skills a couple times. Her encouragement meant that Aly had quickly become the person Aaron wanted to show new tricks to, so this request was not out of the ordinary.Aly, could you meet me at the Training Pitch after lunch today? I've been working on this really amazing trick that I want to show you! - Aaron
Although he had pondered the worst-case scenario of her saying no, he had some hope otherwise. She was kind and charming and an all-around amazing person, and perhaps he was imagining it, but - well, he thought there was a good chance of her saying yes. He wasn't the only one requesting to hang out at times. He tried not to think too much on that, considering he might be too optimistic about the situation.
The fourteen-year-old's plan was simple - perhaps too simple? He had spent some time doing research and had a gift to present alongside the trick. So Aaron stood at the edge of the Training Pitch waiting for her with his broom in hand. He had foregone his normal beanie and had tried to make his hair look somewhat presentable. And he was wearing a nice pair of dark jeans and one of his blue Henley shirts.
@Aly Salinger
Aaron has a Calming Presence.Your presence simply puts others at ease, if it is your carefree personality or the trust others have in you, the result is still the same. With you there, perhaps through your encouragement, your allies are able to better focus.
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
25 Apr 2022, 22:10
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Hex Colour:#38b6ff
Relevant Abilities: Charmer
|| Interacting with @Aaron Jones || mentioning @Dealla Prince ||
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Receiving notes from Aaron Jones, at this point, was nothing out of the ordinary for Aly Salinger. She'd grown close to the mischievous Hufflepuff over the past few months through their odd escapades, from their rather intense first meeting in early February to the way he'd saved her from getting in trouble after being late to a Herbology class - er - My, that was a month ago yesterday, wasn't it? Time flies. The badger and the eagle were quite good friends at this point, and though Aly did try (often, and futilely) to dissuade Aaron from getting distracted during class, she almost always ended up passing notes with him whenever they shared a space.
They could talk about anything - Aly was always intrigued to learn about Muggle culture from the Muggle-born, Aaron liked flying about as much as she did, etc. - and so often, by the end of a class period, their note parchment would be covered in scribbles of the two different handwritings. Aly's script was loopy and connected, halfway between cursive and print, and she often doodled little flowers in the corners of her parchments; Aaron's, on the other hand, was ... well, it was legible.
But the last three weeks - twenty-two days, to be exact - had been peculiarly nerve-wracking for the petite Ravenclaw. After a particularly interesting conversation - well, it was more like gossip, but after a particularly interesting encounter with her roommate and best friend Dealla in their shared Ravenclaw girls' dormitory, Aly had come to realise, in no uncertain terms, that she was beginning to fancy her new Hufflepuff friend.
It was terrifying, to say the least. She'd never fancied anyone before. Sure, people were pretty, but never in her life had Aly felt a blush rise to her cheeks at someone else's smile or laugh. She had never felt her heart skip a beat when someone brushed a bit too close. And though she had always loved a good hug, she had never felt the inexplicable urge to take someone else's hand or spend a bit longer in their arms than usual.
All of which she'd been experiencing lately with Aaron.
So when she got his note on Saturday, the 26th of March, asking for her to meet him at the Training Pitch to show her yet another of his skills - also not an uncommon request, as the two had been flying together every so often recently as well - an odd mixture of apprehension and excitement overtook her heart, sending it skipping at the sight of her name in his (barely legible) handwriting. Before she knew it, Aly was setting aside her parchment and trying her best to comb water through her frizzy hair to make it look at least somewhat presentable before hurrying down to the pitch.
She couldn't help but feel a tiny modicum of guilt, as she burst out the doors and speed-walked across the grounds towards the Training Pitch, at the ease with which she'd thrown aside her work. It was no ordinary homework, after all. Aly had been one of the students placed in charge of planning the Blossom Ball - well, they were calling it the Midspring Celebration, but it was the same general gist - and she still had so much to do. Flowers, decorations, meetings ... but she'd been running herself ragged for the Ball since the announcement of the planning committee. And you know what? I deserve a break. She ducked into the Ravenclaw locker room to grab her beloved Silver Arrow before finally getting to her destination.
Aaron was clearly visible at the pitch when she arrived, already waiting in an all-blue ensemble - Aly's favourite colour. And wait- did he comb his hair? Again, her heart missed a beat or two as Aly realised how nice he looked ... especially in comparison to her own appearance, as she was just in a plain Ravenclaw sweater tucked into a knee-length black skirt. Was there something going on today that she had missed? Aly racked her brain trying to think of something as she approached her most favoured Hufflepuff, but came up empty, and when she finally got to him, she tried to ignore the rapid-fire fluttering in her chest and stomach alike, giving him her brightest smile.
"Don't you look, uh, spiffy," she managed. "Got all dressed up to fly, or...?"
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gen1 Aly Salinger || gen1 iNPC Manu Macedo || gen2 Kahira Valerian || staff Aulis Vorozheykin
21 May 2022, 20:04
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As soon as Aaron saw Aly's form in the distance, he immediately felt his face go pink at the thought of what he was about to do. He glanced up at the stands where a familiar silhouette was located, then turned back to the Ravenclaw's approaching figure. In the time it took for her to get close, his face had cooled off and hopefully wouldn't betray what he had in mind.
"Hey," Aaron greeted, which was followed by Aly commenting on him looking spiffy. Self-consciously, the boy looked down at his clothes and hoped she meant it in a good way. Well, he couldn't imagine she meant it any other way. He lifted his eyes back to hers as she asked if he had gotten dressed up to fly. His rehearsed speech had gone flying out of his head the moment he made eye contact with the girl standing in front of him, and now all he could muster was, "Sort of." Her green eyes were always prettier than the mental image he had of them.
The Hufflepuff managed to shake his mind free just a moment later though when he heard a hooting from up above. He glanced up and saw Chae-rin circling the area, clearly prepared for what they had planned. Right. Now was the time. He lowered his eyes back to Aly. "Well, I want to ask you something, but first I want to show you my newest trick." It was then that he noticed she had brought her own broom, which made his face light up slightly. "Oh perfect, I didn't even think about that! Follow me?" Aaron mounted his broom and waited for Aly to do the same then led the way to the goal posts down at one end of the Quidditch Pitch. Perched at the top of the tallest middle one was Aaron's snowy owl. He had introduced Aly to the owl before, but it was probably a surprise that she was there. Aaron flew up to be in line with the middle hoop so he had a full view of the hoops, gesturing for Aly to do the same.
"I've been training with Chae to see if we could do tricks together," he explained. This particular trick he'd been training for a while, though he had repurposed it a bit for today. He could feel his heart pounding a bit more. He tried to shake off the nerves, trying to think of it as just another trick. He'd become very comfortable performing for Aly because she was a really good audience, but this time the ending was meant to be special. "All you have to do is stay here, alright?" he said, offering a small nervous smile as he waited for her confirmation. It wouldn't be a surprise if she could tell something was up - normally he was much more confident and excited to show her these tricks.
"Hey," Aaron greeted, which was followed by Aly commenting on him looking spiffy. Self-consciously, the boy looked down at his clothes and hoped she meant it in a good way. Well, he couldn't imagine she meant it any other way. He lifted his eyes back to hers as she asked if he had gotten dressed up to fly. His rehearsed speech had gone flying out of his head the moment he made eye contact with the girl standing in front of him, and now all he could muster was, "Sort of." Her green eyes were always prettier than the mental image he had of them.
The Hufflepuff managed to shake his mind free just a moment later though when he heard a hooting from up above. He glanced up and saw Chae-rin circling the area, clearly prepared for what they had planned. Right. Now was the time. He lowered his eyes back to Aly. "Well, I want to ask you something, but first I want to show you my newest trick." It was then that he noticed she had brought her own broom, which made his face light up slightly. "Oh perfect, I didn't even think about that! Follow me?" Aaron mounted his broom and waited for Aly to do the same then led the way to the goal posts down at one end of the Quidditch Pitch. Perched at the top of the tallest middle one was Aaron's snowy owl. He had introduced Aly to the owl before, but it was probably a surprise that she was there. Aaron flew up to be in line with the middle hoop so he had a full view of the hoops, gesturing for Aly to do the same.
"I've been training with Chae to see if we could do tricks together," he explained. This particular trick he'd been training for a while, though he had repurposed it a bit for today. He could feel his heart pounding a bit more. He tried to shake off the nerves, trying to think of it as just another trick. He'd become very comfortable performing for Aly because she was a really good audience, but this time the ending was meant to be special. "All you have to do is stay here, alright?" he said, offering a small nervous smile as he waited for her confirmation. It wouldn't be a surprise if she could tell something was up - normally he was much more confident and excited to show her these tricks.
@Aly Salinger
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
9 Jun 2022, 02:11
Ask
Hex Colour:#38b6ff
|| Interacting with @Aaron Jones ||
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Aaron looked much as if he was about to start talking, or rambling, perhaps - Aly was enough of a rambler herself to know that gleam in someone else's eye - but all he managed was a weak "Sort of" and Aly felt her heart drop into her stomach. Was something wrong? Perhaps he'd, somehow, found out about her flustered pulse and weak knees. Were weak knees even visible? Aly snuck a peek down at her knees, only to find that they looked pretty much the same as always, knobby and pale and peeking out from under the black skirt she'd donned. All right, well, I've only told Dee, and I doubt she'd go blabbing my business all about Hogwarts, so... perhaps I'm in the clear?
As the Hufflepuff's eyes darted to the sky, so too did Aly's, following his gaze upwards to see a cloud-white owl circling above. She recognised the owl as Aaron's, but couldn't recall her name - Shay, perhaps? Or was it Cade? - and wondered, for a brief moment, why an owl would be on the Training Pitch. Pets weren't allowed in Quidditch, though Aly had always pondered the possibility of training her fluffy grey cat, Dauncey, to bat balls at her for Keeper practice. Still, though, Aaron was all about broom tricks, and the idea that he'd invented a broom trick with his owl was new and interesting, so when Aaron bade her to jump atop her broom and follow him, Aly did so with gusto, dozens of scenarios zooming through her mind.
"Alright!" she chirped excitedly when Aaron told her to stay put, hovering on her broom about fifteen feet off of the ground. The smile he gave her was small - smaller than usual, perhaps forced, or nervous, or angry, or somewhere in between. An image of her boggart flashed into her mind from her horrid encounter with one during class a few weeks prior, and instinctively, her gaze zeroed in on Aaron, just to make sure he wasn't carrying a yellow carnation somewhere on his person. Then - just to make sure - she did a sweep of the stands, too.
"No yellow carnations," she mumbled under her breath; hopefully Aaron would be too far away to hear her. "No bleeding-heart flowers, no black roses, and nothing withered. Should be fine. Right?"
To symbolise that she was ready to see his trick, Aly gave Aaron a thumbs-up and forced a bright smile onto her face. Aaron had never let her down before. Plus, she rather enjoyed watching his wild broom tricks; surely she'd love this one, too.
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gen1 Aly Salinger || gen1 iNPC Manu Macedo || gen2 Kahira Valerian || staff Aulis Vorozheykin
30 Sep 2022, 08:09
Ask
When Aly agreed to watch from where he had instructed, Aaron shot her another smile - again, probably one that displayed his nerves, but he was trying to come off confident - then he pivoted in the air and flew higher up to the goal posts where Chae was perched out of Aly's earshot. "Ready, Chae? Just like we practiced, including the grand finale," he said, his owl's presence slightly reassuring him. This new phase of working her into his routines had made him feel even more connected to his owl than before. It was like she knew exactly what he wanted and her flying skills - being a bird and all - were fantastic. They had been flying together for years now, but this was the first time he was actively trying to train with her.
Feeling prepared at last, Aaron turned back to facing Aly, sending her a thumbs up to gesture he was ready. Then he got into position, made a hand gesture to Chae, and darted off. The three goal posts in Quidditch were three varying heights, and Aaron was starting at the lowest one while Chae was at the highest. In a synchronized pattern, the owner and owl each started flying in and out of the three hoops, gaining speed as they flew past each other but never colliding. It was a series of figure eights and loops and diving through the hoops.
A minute or so into the maneuver, Aaron flew through the tallest hoop, but rather than just flying through, he reached his hands up and grabbed hold of the hoop. Using the momentum of the broom, he held onto the hoop tightly and swung up and over several times like a gymnast would with a horizontal bar. It took a lot of upper body strength, but Aaron was no stranger to using the muscles that he trained nearly every day. After three loops, he let go and landed back on his broom, the momentum once again carrying him forward as he dove down towards the middle loop without hesitation. While he had been swinging on the goal post, Chae had been mimicking the movement on the lower post by circling the top of the hoop in a similar manner. As he flew down, she flew up and met him by the middle post and suddenly she curled up into a ball, her wings completely folding in and pretty much eliminating her ability to fly. Her momentum meant Aaron caught her in her balled-up form before she would be pulled down by gravity. Then the Hufflepuff tossed her gently through the middle hoop as if scoring a goal. As soon as Chae in balled-up form went through the hoop, she spread her wings again and started to fly. Aaron pumped his fist into the air and applauded his owl. It had taken a long time to figure out that part of the maneuver.
It was probably not the flashiest or most dangerous stunt Aaron had pulled to date, but it was just the beginning for his and Chae's performances together. Start small and work your way up. Still, Aaron was beaming for real this time as he turned his dark eyes on Aly, hoping that she was impressed by the whole maneuver. The pride at nailing the performance propelled him to follow through with his plan asking Aly. Grinning now, he flew down to the Ravenclaw's level while Chae flew off towards the stands at the same time.
"I got the idea for the part tossing her threw the hoops from watching you practice keeping," he shared excitedly, riding the high of another successful stunt. "I like watching you practice, you inspire me a lot- I mean, well-" had that been weird to say? That hadn't been what he rehearsed, but as he felt his face warm slightly, he powered through. "What I mean is - I like you, Aly," he said, doing his best not to look away from her freckled face. He tried to keep eye contact, feeling more confident as the words flowed. His broom had started to drift closer to her, and now he stopped close enough that the broom handles almost knocked into each other. "I think you're so amazing to hangout with, and being around you makes me really happy and inspired and sometimes you make me really tongue-tied just because you look at me, and I'm pretty sure all of that means - I really like you. So, I was wondering- do you want to go to the ball with me? As my date?"
Aaron had rushed through his words a bit, nervous that he wouldn't get through it all, but he did - he just hoped he didn't scare her off with his words as his heart thumped in his chest. Why did he say the part about getting tongue-tied? What an idiot thing to say. The rushing meant that Chae's timing was off though, and as she returned to flying overhead, an object finally fell. The grand finale. Aaron remembered to catch it only because Chae hooted from above, so he finally broke eye contact with Aly to pluck the flower out of the air before it fell past them. It was a rose. An orange one. He had read in a book that yellow was for friendship, and red was for love. Neither expressed what he felt for Aly, but then he read that orange could mean evolving a relationship to the next level and new beginnings. That's what he wanted. He didn't feel ready for red, but his feelings were stronger than yellow. Orange seemed like a good fit for this question of going on a date. "For you, if you want it," Aaron said, regaining eye contact and holding out the rose to her.
Feeling prepared at last, Aaron turned back to facing Aly, sending her a thumbs up to gesture he was ready. Then he got into position, made a hand gesture to Chae, and darted off. The three goal posts in Quidditch were three varying heights, and Aaron was starting at the lowest one while Chae was at the highest. In a synchronized pattern, the owner and owl each started flying in and out of the three hoops, gaining speed as they flew past each other but never colliding. It was a series of figure eights and loops and diving through the hoops.
A minute or so into the maneuver, Aaron flew through the tallest hoop, but rather than just flying through, he reached his hands up and grabbed hold of the hoop. Using the momentum of the broom, he held onto the hoop tightly and swung up and over several times like a gymnast would with a horizontal bar. It took a lot of upper body strength, but Aaron was no stranger to using the muscles that he trained nearly every day. After three loops, he let go and landed back on his broom, the momentum once again carrying him forward as he dove down towards the middle loop without hesitation. While he had been swinging on the goal post, Chae had been mimicking the movement on the lower post by circling the top of the hoop in a similar manner. As he flew down, she flew up and met him by the middle post and suddenly she curled up into a ball, her wings completely folding in and pretty much eliminating her ability to fly. Her momentum meant Aaron caught her in her balled-up form before she would be pulled down by gravity. Then the Hufflepuff tossed her gently through the middle hoop as if scoring a goal. As soon as Chae in balled-up form went through the hoop, she spread her wings again and started to fly. Aaron pumped his fist into the air and applauded his owl. It had taken a long time to figure out that part of the maneuver.
It was probably not the flashiest or most dangerous stunt Aaron had pulled to date, but it was just the beginning for his and Chae's performances together. Start small and work your way up. Still, Aaron was beaming for real this time as he turned his dark eyes on Aly, hoping that she was impressed by the whole maneuver. The pride at nailing the performance propelled him to follow through with his plan asking Aly. Grinning now, he flew down to the Ravenclaw's level while Chae flew off towards the stands at the same time.
"I got the idea for the part tossing her threw the hoops from watching you practice keeping," he shared excitedly, riding the high of another successful stunt. "I like watching you practice, you inspire me a lot- I mean, well-" had that been weird to say? That hadn't been what he rehearsed, but as he felt his face warm slightly, he powered through. "What I mean is - I like you, Aly," he said, doing his best not to look away from her freckled face. He tried to keep eye contact, feeling more confident as the words flowed. His broom had started to drift closer to her, and now he stopped close enough that the broom handles almost knocked into each other. "I think you're so amazing to hangout with, and being around you makes me really happy and inspired and sometimes you make me really tongue-tied just because you look at me, and I'm pretty sure all of that means - I really like you. So, I was wondering- do you want to go to the ball with me? As my date?"
Aaron had rushed through his words a bit, nervous that he wouldn't get through it all, but he did - he just hoped he didn't scare her off with his words as his heart thumped in his chest. Why did he say the part about getting tongue-tied? What an idiot thing to say. The rushing meant that Chae's timing was off though, and as she returned to flying overhead, an object finally fell. The grand finale. Aaron remembered to catch it only because Chae hooted from above, so he finally broke eye contact with Aly to pluck the flower out of the air before it fell past them. It was a rose. An orange one. He had read in a book that yellow was for friendship, and red was for love. Neither expressed what he felt for Aly, but then he read that orange could mean evolving a relationship to the next level and new beginnings. That's what he wanted. He didn't feel ready for red, but his feelings were stronger than yellow. Orange seemed like a good fit for this question of going on a date. "For you, if you want it," Aaron said, regaining eye contact and holding out the rose to her.
@Aly Salinger
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia