Take a Break! PV Isadora Everridge finished

28 Oct 2022, 21:36

^{Date: October 22nd, 2022}

Dora's begun to get used to Tesla interrupting her studying for some reason or another. After all, she's not the quietest witch to bunk with. Today, Dora was just re-reading a passage in her Transfiguration text to commit it to memory when her blonde bed neighbor came over to Dora with a large blanket slung over her shoulder. "Hey, Isadora! I was gonna go eat lunch outside, and I don't want to do it alone. Besides, you could probably use a break from studying anyways! Let's have a picnic. It'll be too cold soon, so we've gotta do it now!"

Maybe it was how tired her eyes were beginning to feel, or maybe it was the irresistible puppy dog eyes Tesla pulled, but Dora gave in with little resistance. She followed Tesla to the Great Hall and took a small amount of food. She wasn't really hungry, but she didn't want to make it awkward with Tesla the only one eating at their picnic. And though she didn't show it, she was quietly excited. She's never actually been to a picnic before.

Now, out on the grounds in the autumn air, Dora begins to feel more at ease. It's a bit chilly, but Dora likes it. "How does here look? It's pretty flat, and there's not a lot of people out now it's starting to get colder." Dora nods and Tesla spreads out the quilt over the grass. She does eye her plate nervously, not sure if school rules prohibit taking plates and utensils out of the castle, but Tesla seems to notice and reassures her. "We'll just return the plates at the end of lunch, it's no big deal." Dora considers this, then sits down the blanket, folding her knees under her and straightening the hem of her dress.

On her own plate is a croissant and some salad, and after Tesla takes a bite, Dora takes it as her cue to dig in. She takes a moment to enjoy the fall colors of the scenery as she eats. It is nice to take a small break, and to spend some more time with Tesla out here.

"It's nice to take a break once in a while. What were you studying for?" Tesla asks, and Dora's mind turns back to the page on Transfiguration. She'd gotten an E for that class, and a few others. "I'm revising my notes for a few subjects." She replies, "I need to bring my marks up." Her grandmother hadn't been impressed with her report card, and it's best to avoid that conflict in the future, so Dora's been determined to get all O's next time around.

_{Interacting with @Tesla Stone

Isadora Ramona Everridge - Word count: 333 - Color: #631679}

31 Oct 2022, 20:51

Tesla relaxed, facing into the brisk October wind. She loved the way the air started to smell crisp as it got colder, even if the smell of the browning leaves falling off the trees was a little more earthy and unpleasant. It seemed like Dora was enjoying herself as she started eating, looking out at the beautiful trees. Tes was glad, she'd been worried Isadora would've been too tense to enjoy a good picnic, but it seemed everyone could use a break outside every once in a while.

"I need to bring my marks up." Isadora had answered, and Tesla frowned in confusion. "I thought you had at least E's in all your classes? That's what I assumed at least. You're always working so hard I can't believe you'd have anything lower than an A, and that's not too bad at all! Tesla rushed to clarify that A's weren't bad, considering for all she knew Dora really was struggling in classes and getting even lower grades than her, even if that seemed impossible, "I know the only time I've gotten an E was that first class in charms! You really helped me out with my reparo there! My mums are just proud I'm passing, there were a couple times in primary I just wouldn't do the work and almost didn't pass," Tesla laughed sheepishly and grinned, thinking back to how much better her attempt at the spell had gone in the second class. She went back to eating, happy to keep talking about classes with Dora, as long as it didn't seem the girl got too stressed thinking about them.

After she'd finished off most of her food she fell backwards to lay down with a quiet "oomf". "Picnics are so nice! I really needed this. Although, I wouldn't really consider this a picnic. When it's warmer we'll have to have a real picnic!" Tesla rolled onto her side, smiling at Dora and reminiscing over picnics taken on her family's farm, "It's best when you bring everything in a basket so you can carry it all, and then you can also bring a ball or something to do. My family would always take the dog with us, and set up a huuuge blanket right at the top of a hill! That way we could eat with a beautiful view, and then afterwards relax and have even more fun! We don't really have that option here, but sometime we'll get that real picnic in." Tes rolled back onto her back, resting her head on her hands and crossing her legs, "I bet your family has really fancy picnics! Probably with cool drinks and chairs and everything!" She idly watched the clouds rolling by, tapping her foot rhythmically.

Tesla Stone⭑☾☀☽⭑ ⭑☾𖣂☽⭑Basil Blackwood

1 Nov 2022, 06:42

^{Date: October 22nd, 2022}

"I thought you had at least E's in all your classes? That's what I assumed at least. You're always working so hard I can't believe you'd have anything lower than an A, and that's not too bad at all! I know the only time I've gotten an E was that first class in charms! You really helped me out with my reparo there! My mums are just proud I'm passing, there were a couple times in primary I just wouldn't do the work and almost didn't pass."

Dora flushes a tiny bit at Tesla's surprise. Does she really come off as that smart to the other girl? And to hear that she helped with Tesla's Mending Charm.. "You did the work." Dora replies, proud of her, "You deserve good marks."

And E is a good grade, it really is. The problem is that good isn't good enough, at least not for her. But there's no easy way to explain that to Tesla. She's not allowed to share the reason her family expects more from her. Really, her grandmother is doing her a favor by pushing her so hard. But, she doesn't know how to properly explain that. Instead she just nods and adds, "I just want to improve where I can. Figure out what I don't understand."

Be a better witch.

The concept of primary school is interesting. Dora had always been home schooled, so she would sometimes wonder what it was like. The things she might have learned, or the people she might have met. Bradley doesn't seem to like it, always complaining about the boring subjects and teachers. But, Tesla talks about it with a smile, even recounting the trouble she would get in.

How would it have been, going to primary school with her?

Tesla finishes her food pretty quickly, especially with so much stacked on her plate. Dora realizes she's hardly touched her own, and takes a bite of salad as Tesla falls onto the blanket and grins. "Picnics are so nice! I really needed this. Although, I wouldn't really consider this a picnic. When it's warmer we'll have to have a real picnic!"

"What would you call a real picnic?"

"It's best when you bring everything in a basket so you can carry it all, and then you can also bring a ball or something to do. My family would always take the dog with us, and set up a huuuge blanket right at the top of a hill! That way we could eat with a beautiful view, and then afterwards relax and have even more fun! We don't really have that option here, but sometime we'll get that real picnic in."

It's a beautiful picture. Tesla and her family up on a hill, eating and talking and just having fun. Dora imagines her family is like Tesla, happy and kind, maybe kind of loud, and loving. And she has a dog, which seems so fitting. Tesla reminds Dora of a happy dog.

"I bet your family has really fancy picnics! Probably with cool drinks and chairs and everything!"

Dora looks up into the clouds where Tesla is staring, looking at how they form shapes. There's one that looks like a fish. "Oh, we've never done that. This is my first picnic." Dora replies casually, then revises when she remembers what Tesla said. "Well, not a real picnic. Still, this is nice. It's very peaceful out here."

"Your family, what are they like?" Dora ventures cautiously, not wishing to overstep bounds.

_{Interacting with @Tesla Stone

Isadora Ramona Everridge - Word count: 370 - Color: #631679}

9 Nov 2022, 17:34

Reducio

Sorry for the long wait! My bad if anything is confusing as well, I'm still getting back into the swing of writing and I kind of let it run away from me!

Tesla beamed as Dora complimented her marks, flushing with happiness, "Thank you! I'm really proud of them. I'm sure I could do better if I worked harder, but I'm giving it about as good as I've got!" Tesla listened to Isadora's reason for studying so hard, nodding thoughtfully. "I suppose it makes sense to want to improve if you can. The things that I care about I want to do the best I can, so I guess if you care about your grades so much it makes sense you'd want to learn all you can!" she grinned at Dora, a hint of mischief in her expression, "There is only so much improvement you can expect though without letting it settle into your brain and taking breaks. Which means we'll have to do something like this more often! Maybe it'll even help me get better grades as well if I'm letting my brain absorb the info!"

She basked in the sunshine and companionable silence with Dora as the two looked at the clouds. Dora really reminded her of a cat. Not necessarily the barn cats that either ran at the sight of her or hissed and spit if she tried to get to close, but rather the feral kittens that they raised in the house. They still needed their space and she couldn't push them too far or do too much with them or they'd get overwhelmed and scratch her or run away. At the same time though, they liked to pretend that they didn't like the treats or attention from her, even though they'd actually go along with it happily enough. Yeah, Dora reminded her of that kind of cat.

She was so caught up in the quiet comradery that when Dora admitted casually that she'd never had a picnic before, Tes was caught slightly off guard. She hoped that the real picnic comment simply meant that she'd never been on a picnic with a blanket and games and all the fun bits, but that she'd still had the chance to go with her family and have a good time bonding. She doubted it though. The more she thought about it the more the Everridge family didn't seem like the picnic and playing type.

"Well, we'll just have to go on more picnics so you can't say this is your only picnic! I really love being out here. The dorm is amazing, but it's not the same as being outside. There's so many things to explore, and it's even more fun to get to be out here and enjoy it with a friend!" Tes smiled hopefully at Isadora. She thought of the other girl as a friend, and she wasn't sure if she'd mentioned it before, but she wasn't sure if Dora considered her the same way. Maybe it was just like the cats she'd thought of before, they just really like to pretend they're not her friend when they really are.

Tes was always happy to talk about her family, and she felt a soft smile lighting up her face as she looked at the sky and spoke. "My family's great. I really miss them sometimes, but it's really nice to get to be around more people sometimes. We live pretty far out of town on a farm, so it's just the three of us out there a lot of the time. My mum Margaret is from America, so sometimes she says things in a funny way and I'll accidentally say things with an American accent on occasion too! Just some words though, and it always makes my other mum Rosa laugh. She's a muggle-born witch from England, so that's why we live in a more muggle centric area. Margaret's family is a pretty old wizarding one, and they moved here while she went to Hogwarts, but they're back in America now. She can't work in the wizarding world; nothing bad or anything," Tesla stopped to clarify, thinking of her mum's fear of working somewhere if they found out she was a werewolf, "but it means we just keep mostly to ourselves and don't visit the wizarding world all that often." Tes blushed, realizing she'd been rambling about her family for a bit too long. "Ah, sorry. I don't know how much you really wanted to know. We're all really close and we have a lot of fun though, so I'm happy to talk about them, even if you don't need my whole family history!" Tes laughed, "Someday I'll even tell you about all the animals we have! They're a lot of fun as well."

She rolled onto her side to face Isadora, asking, "What about you? What's your family like? You've talked about your grandmother before, but what about the rest of your family?" She laid her head on her arm, waiting patiently for an answer if Dora decided to share.

Tesla Stone⭑☾☀☽⭑ ⭑☾𖣂☽⭑Basil Blackwood

10 Nov 2022, 08:34

^{Date: October 22nd, 2022}

When Tesla calls Dora a friend, Dora has to take a moment to let it sink in. She realizes that Tesla really is her friend. What else do you call almost two months of studying together, eating together, sleeping near each other, and still looking forward to the other's company. But until Tesla said it, Dora wasn't sure she could believe it. She's never had a friend before, and she never thought she would. There's something exciting and intimidating about the revelation. Having a friend means there's the possibility of losing a friend. That one day Tesla may decide Dora isn't good enough and leave her alone again.

Dora tries to quash the anxieties, determined not to let any doubt show on her face. Tesla made a beautiful picnic and invited Dora to relax, and she is not going to ruin this nice day for her. She turns her head to Tesla, focusing on her and eagerly listening to her describe her family.

Tesla looks so happy when she talks about her mums and their farm. She didn't know Tesla lived so far out from the wizarding world, or that one of her mums is from America. When Tesla says one mum is muggle-born and the other is from an old wizarding family, Dora raises her eyebrows in surprise. It's not unheard of, not at all, but many of the old wizarding families Dora's family is acquainted with don't approve much of their children marrying muggle-borns. Some, she's heard tell, will disown their children completely. If Margaret's family is anything like that, she must be brave.

In any case, it's nice that Tesla has such lovely sounding parents. Tesla cuts herself off, but Dora wouldn't have minded if she kept going. She likes hearing about Tesla's life, and the promise of hearing about their farm's animals is very compelling.

"What about you? What's your family like? You've talked about your grandmother before, but what about the rest of your family?" Sometime in the last few minutes, Dora must have begun smiling. She only notices now when it drops away. Tesla waits, and Dora contemplates the best way to speak of her family.

"I live in my grandparents' manor with them. My mother travels a lot, so they take care of me while she's gone. My Uncle Harris and cousin Bradley also live there with us. My uncle took over my grandfather's mortuary business when he retired. It's very well-respected in the wizarding community." She tries not to go into too much detail, afraid the topic might disgust Tesla. "We also live out of the way. Not too far from London if we ever needed to go there for social calls or business, but most of the time it was just my family and I."

Reducio

Completely off-topic, I am listening to the Glee version of Somewhere Only We Know and it's making me cry. Glad to get that out there.

And your reply was great, I loved it! I don't mind a little wait.

_{Interacting with @Tesla Stone

Isadora Ramona Everridge - Word count: 443 - Color: #631679}

16 Dec 2022, 15:40

Tesla's joy getting to talk about her family seemed to be contagious, and she was more than happy to see a smile on Isadora's face, however small. She had seemed slightly shocked to be called Tes's friend, although Tes couldn't really tell. Isadora was very good at hiding her emotions, and she'd still seemed comfortable and happy enough to focus on Tes and listen to her talk.

She almost regretted asking about Dora's family when the smile disappeared, but Tes knew it was important to get to know people, and she wanted Isadora to be comfortable enough to tell her anything. Even if she missed the smile as soon as it was gone, and it seemed her family wasn't as comfortable of a topic. She waited patiently while Isadora collected her thoughts, and listened to her talk about her family, nodding along thoughtfully. A mortuary business? Her gloomy behavior makes even more sense now! Tes couldn't help but think, before feeling slightly guilty for the stereotype. Even if that didn't stop her from picturing a solid black mansion with rows of headstones in front of it, something like the dramatic towering home of the Adam's family, a show she'd watched when she was younger visiting the muggle side of her family.

"It must be hard not seeing your mother all that much, but it stills sounds interesting in your house! How old is your cousin? I'd love to meet them all someday!" Tes paused, wondering how nosy she was allowed to be. She wanted to know more about Dora's grandparents and family and what she meant by "social calls" and "business", but instead the morbid fascination with the concept of a mortuary was what she ended up asking about. "Does a mortuary business," Tesla carefully said every part of mortuary, sounding it out and realizing it was harder to say than Dora made it seem, "Mean that your family takes care of all the dead people? Does that mean you have dead people in your basement or something? Or do they go somewhere else and your family just tells other people what to do with them? Have you ever seen a dead person? I've never seen one myself, but I did help when we butchered one of our chickens for Christmas dinner one year, and that was super yucky!" Tes stuck out her tongue and made a dramatic face like she'd eaten something bad, and then broke down into giggles, smothering them behind a hand so she could listen to Dora when she spoke up.

Tesla Stone⭑☾☀☽⭑ ⭑☾𖣂☽⭑Basil Blackwood

18 Dec 2022, 07:12

^{Date: October 22nd, 2022}

When Tesla mentions her mother, Dora tries very hard to focus on the sky. Today's just not a day she thinks she can talk about her. Talking about Bradley isn't much easier, but that's mostly because she can't think of too many kind things to say about him. Grandmother wouldn't approve of Dora tarnishing his or any of the Everridge's reputations. Thankfully, Tes only asked about his age. "My cousin is only a year younger than me. He'll be enrolling at Hogwarts next year."

To Dora's surprise, Tesla begins ringing off questions about the family business. In her experience, outsiders find the details of mortuary magic too stomach turning to talk about. It's a little exciting that Tesla seems interested, as Dora finds her uncle's work fascinating. "Yes, my family does treat corpses. We don't store them in our cellar, though, we have a separate building on the property for that." Dora says completely seriously, missing the joke, "I've seen a few cadavers while helping my uncle. He showed me one once, a man who'd been in a flying accident. I've been a bit anxious of broomsticks ever since."

Dora thinks fondly back to her favorite place. "We have a cemetery, too, if people want to have their loved ones buried there. I've met a few ghosts, lovely people, and they move on pretty quickly. It's quiet most of the time, a nice place to stroll. There's this cat that frequents there, I bring him bits of food sometimes. He's pleasant company." Dora sighs quietly. "I miss him."

_{Interacting with @Tesla Stone

Isadora Ramona Everridge - Word count: 258 - Color: #631679 - Ency}

26 Dec 2022, 22:53

Reducio

Sorry for the wait! I have Tes starting to pack up and get ready to go. If there's more Isadora wants to talk about, I'm happy to do a few more posts! I just felt like it was time for some movement and action. Otherwise you can do one more and let me know if you're ready to finish this thread.

Tes wondered for a minute if Dora hadn't heard her bring up her mother again in a subtle nudge for more information, and briefly considered asking again, before she remembered her own momma's voice in her head telling her, sometime people hear you or understand the question, they just want you to mind your beeswax! That had been after some family friends had come over and Tes had asked a couple times when she was younger why they all had holes in their shoes. She liked to think she learned her lesson, so when Dora skipped straight to talking about her cousin she zipped her lips and hummed thoughtfully. "You two are so close in age you must be like siblings! I always thought I'd want a sibling, but my mums say I'm trouble enough as it is. Maybe I'll meet him next year! We can all hang out and have picnics after class! But only if you want, of course," Tesla clarified, "I'm sure you see him enough at home, and you don't need to see him any more than that!"

She listened with rapt attention as Isadora talked about the mortuary service. She seemed really interested in it, using fancy words like cadaver and talking about her uncle. Tes was really happy that Dora seemed to have something she was so excited about, even if it was dead people and Tes shuddered a bit at the mention of the man in the flying accident. "You seem really interested in it! I'm not sure I could really enjoy seeing dead peo- I mean cadavers though. I like flying on brooms too much and I think if I saw someone who'd been in an accident I wouldn't want to do it ever again! Not to mention that seems really scary to have to see them at all. So I think it's very brave of you and your family!"

Tes smiled as Dora talked about the cemetery and the cat. She really did seem like the type that would hang out alone in a spooky cemetery hanging out with a cat. Not that that was a bad thing at all, Tes thought it was actually really cool, but it certainly matched the gloomy girl in front of her. "I've never met a ghost before, aside from the ones around Hogwarts. Do they just... show up sometimes? Like they're trying to hang out a bit longer on earth before moving on wherever they're going?" Tes smiled softly thinking about the cat Dora was talking about, "I hope you get to see him again soon. He sounds like good company! Cats sometimes don't like me, which sometimes I get 'cause it's my fault, and sometimes I don't 'cause as far as I know I had nothing to do with it! Which is a bummer, because they're just so cute and funny!" Tes thought longingly back to the barn cats that would run at the sight of her, or hiss and spit and chase her out of the barn if she got too close. One day she'd pet them. One day. Maybe bringing them food would help! "Have you named him? I'll bet that cat really likes you."

Giving Dora a chance to respond and start to finish their conversation, Tes stood up and stretched, yawning and starting to pick up her utensils and plates. "We should get these back so they can be cleaned. Maybe we can study together a bit when we get back to the dorm? I think that was a long enough break, even for me!" Tes beamed happily, offering a hand up to Isadora. She was very happy they'd gotten to chat so much, and was hopeful they'd have many more days like this.

Tesla Stone⭑☾☀☽⭑ ⭑☾𖣂☽⭑Basil Blackwood