Books Books Books Errand

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Taking: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before- mystery draw and Fairy Tale by Stephen King- book exchange.

I had heard something about a book errand. I wasn’t a book person at all even though I was in Ravenclaw. I had really only read one fantasy series for fun, and that was Keeper of the Lost Cities. I loved the books. They were awesome. So naturally when I convinced myself to go to the event, mainly because I didn’t want to miss out, I decided to dress as the main character from the book, Sophie Foster. Even though she has blond hair, I put my mind to going as her. I could have gone as Biana, another character from the books, but if I were to go as her, then I would definitely have to wear a dress. Yuck. Dresses were the worst. Disgusting.

For my Sophie Foster costume, I found a pair of black leggings (yay) and a white shirt. I had already worn it for other things, and my mum had technically packed it for me to ‘make my own cute outfits’ which we both knew that wasn’t going to happen no matter what she did. Even if she paid me. Well, if she paid me at least a galleon I would. I knew that I would. I grabbed a black cloak which had been an essential school supply, and took a piece of parchment and made a pretend clasp out of it. It ended up being a blank triangle, mainly because I was not artistic. At all. I stood back, and admired what I had laid out. Perfect.

I climbed down to the great hall, which actually took me a little while. Not fun. I hated the location of the Ravenclaw common room, unless I was sending letters to Ava. That was part of the reason I was able to reply to her the same day or the next day. I knew she really enjoyed it because she always replied back. And, she freaked out when I accidentally forgot to reply because I need to spend every free second working on my transfiguration essay. The location sucked when you wanted to go outside. Why the heck couldn’t we just grab a broom from the shed, and hop on and fly out the giant window in the common room? It would put the window to use, wouldn’t it?

When I arrived, there were a few others there. I got a lay of the land, and noticed there was a book exchange and a mystery book draw. I guess there wasn’t much else to do, except talk to people, which I had done enough of. I was done with that.

I went over to the mystery book draw, and browsed all of the categories. I had no idea what to take. I ended up picking up one from romance, which was a category I had never ever read. I had no idea why, I just wasn’t really into it. I ended up drawing a book called To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. It seemed interesting enough, and I was actually kind of excited to read it. And maybe when I was done, I would send it away to Ava! She would love it! I knew it.

I only went over to the book exchange table to get a book for Ava. I grabbed Fairy Tale by Stephen King because it was the one that I found the least likely Ava had already read. I knew she would love the books. Or at least I hoped she would. There were a few other students around, all talking to their friends. I didn’t really want to talk to anyone, so I went back up to the common room and read my book.

@Mateo Sáez

Calming Presence in Effect

Though he wasn't exceptionally good at sitting down and reading a book on a daily or even weekly basis, Piérre did enjoy a good book the likes of Oliver Twist, There and Back Again (or; The Hobbit), Lord of the Rings, and Ender's Game. These he had had read to him in the past, through he didn't remember everything about the books, yet he had remembered the profound and the funniest moments in them.

Honestly... this was mostly just an excuse for the kid to have a social hour than anything else. Even if he wasn't going to get or give books, he could go in cosplay and have some fun.

And so he had. The boy was dressed up in seam-ripped clothes (thanks to his sewing kit) that helped to give him a more haggard appearance than usual, and with a loose piece of fabric, he wore it loosely over his eyes. The fabric itself was just thin enough that he wasn't completely blinded, allowing his keen eyes to peer through the partial shadow that it offered and letting him maneuver in a way that made him appear as if he were blind but was still able to use his sights to navigate his immediate vicinity. Under one arm was a small box, over his shoulder was a messenger bag, and at his side was Figaro, who was wearing a harness with small raven wings attached. Whenever Figaro moved, the wings themselves shifted on the cat's back in a way that made them look like they were flapping.

Piérre was of the belief that the character he was cosplaying was not one that was known well... but those who had read the book that he was attempting to copy would know that the character the Britalian was dressed as was none other than the blind Peter Nimble, the famous thief of his story "Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes". To avoid spoiling the best part of the book, this is all I can say of how Piérre had dressed similarly to his favored protagonist, but suffice to say that the boy was first inspired to cosplay as the blind thief because of his striking green eyes.

Breezing into the Great Hall with his messenger bag, box of unknown objects, and his cat dressed with raven's wings, Piérre grinned and beelined for the book giveaway. He was curious as to if they had any of the books that he had had read to him in his youth, and if there was, he would gladly give it a good home. You could say whatever you liked about the kid and his organizational skills, but Piérre's textbooks, notebooks, and indeed any kind of delicate object that he had ever owned was kept in pristine and careful condition from the moment that he had bought it. This was partially because he hardly ever used them... but it was also because he did hold a high respect for books and just felt an odd need to protect them if at all possible.

Lifting the blindfold so that he could read the titles, Piérre satiated himself by reading the titles and synopses of all the other books that people enjoyed. He also watched people coming and going in their costumes, confused at some, and recognizing only a spare few. One of the ones he did recognize, oddly enough, was the boy with the swan headdress; one @Kim Sato. That was the Headmaster's headdress from one of the most recent books that had been published in the past few years, one that Piérre had not been able to read yet. He remembered though, not too long before his first muggle parents had been killed, that he had picked up the first book in the series and found it highly interesting... that he had actual magic like they did in the book.

It was even funnier thinking about such things now, especially now that he was seemingly in a story of his own being written by the Storian itself.

Did anyone else feel that way, he wondered... That they were somehow being watched by some higher entity overhead that liked to pull them about and play little games with them?

Fate, maybe... but the boy was of the personal opinion that there was no such thing as Fate. Not really.

With a small smile, Piérre sat down at the table by the book donation, ready to snatch ones that he wanted to keep for himself like the thief that he was. Opening the little faux chest that he had brought with him, Piérre withdrew one of four truffles that were in there (three pairs, one of which empty, in colors of caramel gold and dark chocolate) and nibbled on it as he people-watched, ignoring his cat's requests by ways of mewling and rubbing that he too wanted some chocolate. With a sigh of resignation, Piérre dipped his fingernail into the caramel just a dab and then offered it to his cat. "Fine, you can have this, but not any more! It's bad for you, remember?" He reminded his familiar as Figaro immediately took to licking the roof of his mouth contentedly.

Ah... this was almost like being at a Comic Con. Not that the kid had ever been... he'd only heard stories and seen pictures...

Honestly, this was probably as close as he was ever going to get. May as well make the best of it. If he was able to, the kid would not wait for the book draw to happen. No. He would actually attempt to Steal a few books that he (hopefully) knew. Blindfolding himself again by tugging the fabric over his eyes, the boy would take into his hands each book and with nimble fingers feel for the corner and the weakest edge of the wrapping paper. Once he had done so, the boy quietly started to tear the edge just until the artwork on the front of the book, the title of the book, or just enough of the synopsis on the back of the book was clear enough to identify whether or not that he had picked one that he recognized or not. Two that he would eventually recognize after peeling back the wrappings of four of the shiny packages would be "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "The School for Good and Evil". The ones that he discarded he tried his best to tape back together, and if he couldn't 'tape' them, he placed them so that the ripped side in question faced downwards.

The half unwrapped "School for Good and Evil" and "Chronicles of Narnia" would instead be tucked swiftly into the boy's mokeskin messenger bag... never to be seen again by anyone else in the area.

Satisfied with himself, the boy ensured that the blindfold covered both his eyes, and he continued to people-watch though the shadowy cream fabric...

What a delight.

1,183 words
[OOC, yes, Piérre is actively trying to steal two objects;
Feel free to apply his ability "Cat's Grace" as seen fit.]

Usually, Dora would stay out of school events if possible. She'd only attended the Fall Ball by her grandmother's express wishes, and it had been a mixed basket. She has no intention of going to the Spring Ball if she can help it. And she's generally too busy studying to carve out time for one of these optional activities. But when she'd seen the advertisements in the library last week, something stirred in Dora.

A celebration of 'World Book Day'. Dora hadn't heard of this holiday before, but then, there's very few holidays her family actually celebrates. The advertisement promised a slew of activities in the Great Hall, some of which Dora felt inclined to attend. It wasn't a fast decision. She spent most of the week going over the pros and cons in her head, too anxious to mention it to anybody. It's only the day of March 2nd that she summons the courage to visit the Great Hall, just for a little bit, and observe what all is happening.

Dora isn't dressed up for the occasion, she doesn't want to stick out at all. In fact, she tries her hardest to blend in and not be noticed. Today isn't a day she feels like interacting with many people, even if her curiosity has gotten the best of her. When she steps inside the hall, she notices a lot of students who were braver to dress up, and some in their normal clothes. Then again, the others might still be dressed up as a character whose wardrobe is more casual. A character from Dora's favorite story, the Fountain of Fair Fortune, would certainly be more noticeable than that, however.

That's not the book she brought for the Book Exchange either, for a few reasons. One, because who would honestly like a children's book like Beedle the Bard? Sure, Avery liked it, but she's not wizard born so it was probably something more novel to her. If someone from the wizarding world received it, they would be disappointed. Maybe they would laugh about the strange girl who brought a baby book to donate.

And the other reason... Well, Dora just can't bear to think of giving away her copy, even if she's outgrown it.

The book she chose instead is one that was part of her Latin studies. Ovid's Metamorphoses, specifically Book X. It contains many Latin poems, including the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. It's a tragic romance that Dora finds fascinating, particularly for its depiction of the Underworld. Growing up with a mortuary next door fed the imagination when it came to ideas of what comes after death. The Underworld from Greek Mythology sounded like such a strange enchanted realm, and the poets would use it as a setting in adventures, romances, and tragedies. Orpheus and Eurydice, Dora supposes, might qualify as all three.

The Book Exchange table looks a bit busy at the moment, so Dora swings by the Mystery Book Draw first. She looks over all the color coded genres and settles on the Classics section. When she unwraps the orange paper, she sees a strange title. 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley. She hasn't heard of this one. Looking at the summary on the inside cover, Dora's eyes widen at the intriguing description. This certainly sounds interesting..

Her curiosity for the event sated, Dora decides to drop off her donation and head out. When she puts down her donated book on the table, though, another catches her eye. 'Beedle the Bard'? So, someone else brought a copy in? Even though it's so childish? Dora's face flushes, not sure whether or not she should be feeling this foolish.

'Did perhaps someone dress up as a character from the book?' Dora thinks, looking around the room and zoning in on a young girl in a black robe. That's not unlike Amata's outfit in her story... Though, perhaps it's a coincidence. Dora recognizes the girl, too, from the Owlery. Anna Blackrose? Dora's torn between approaching her to ask directly what the costume is from, and avoiding her and everyone else by leaving. Then Anna approaches someone else, and Dora takes a breath.

'She's busy. And, it's probably not what I think, anyway..'

Whoever put that book up there must have done it as a joke. That's all.

Dora exits the hall, her new book gripped tightly under her arm as she avoids the crowd.

Ethan slept soundly through the night until he was awoken by his cat meowing and nudging him. He groaned and tried to ignore his cat, burrowing deeper into his blankets. The last thing he wanted was to be bothered by his furry friend. However, the cat would not be deterred and continued to meow and nudge until Ethan finally got out of bed. He walked over to the cat and scolded it, “What do you want? Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?” The cat meowed in response and rubbed against his leg. Ethan sighed and relented, picking up the cat and stroking its fur. “Fine, I'll get you some food.” Shaking his head, he wondered why his cat always seemed to be so needy.

He gets out of bed and finds her sitting by her food bowl and looking up at him with expectant eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I'll feed you,” he muttered, scooping some food into her bowl. He tries to think of what he needs to do today. Oh yeah, he thinks, today is World Book Day. He remembers seeing a flyer for it. Mateo, the librarian, had put it up a few days ago. He's not really a big fan of reading, but he knows that he should at least try to celebrate it.

He thought for a moment before an idea came to him. He could dress up as his favorite book character! And who was his favorite book character? That was easy – it was the ginger cat (like his cat) from 'Puss in Boots'. He rummages through his closet, looking for anything that could resemble a costume. He finds an old orange sweater of his that would work nicely for the character's tunic and a pair of black pants that would do for the breeches. He put them on and then grabbed a pair of black boots and his black cape. Then he drew some whiskers on his face with some make-up. He put on a fake tail and ears. Now all he needed was a sword. He didn't have a real one, of course, but he found a long stick and tied a piece of string around it to make it look like a proper sword. And he was done! He looked just like the character from his favorite book.

He walked to his bed and pulled out The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery from his cabinet, yet another of his favorites. When he was younger, he would beg for his auntie to read it to him every night. He knew that he would always cherish the memories of his auntie reading it to him, but he wanted to share the book with someone else who would appreciate it.

He went to the door ready to go into the great hall, but his cat stopped him, “Oh, you wanna come along too?” The cat meowed in response. Ethan laughed and scooped her up, saying, “Sure, why not?” He made a little hat for his cat to wear, and then they set off for the great hall. He picked up the cat and carried her with him. It wasn't like she was going to be any trouble.

As he wandered around the hall, taking in all the different costumes, his cat remained close by his side. Students were dressed up as a range of different characters, from those found in classic novels to modern fantasy books. A table had been set up for a book exchange, and another for a mystery book draw. He went to the librarian, @Mateo Sáez, who had organized the event and said, “This is really cool, sir. Thanks for organizing it.” He then donated The Little Prince by placing it on the book exchange table. He hoped that someone would come upon it and enjoy it as much as he did.

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed that his cat was not with him. Ethan was surprised to see his cat carrying a wrapped book in her mouth as she walked towards him. His cat meowed and dropped the book at his feet, as if to say, Check it out! Ethan knelt down and took the book, unsure of what it might be. “Where did you get that?” Ethan asked his cat. He wondered where she had gotten it from and if she had been sneaking around the event without him knowing. He unwrapped it to find a copy of The Maze Runner. “The Maze Runner?” Ethan read the title of the book out loud. He looked at his cat, unsure of what to make of the situation. His cat meowed in response and Ethan got the feeling that she wanted him to read the book. He sighed and gently petted his cat's head. “I'll read it for you,” he said, “but you owe me big time for this.” He walked towards the long table in the great hall and placed the book down. He sat down and began to read. Every so often, he would glance at his cat, who was now curled up at his feet, and shake his head in disbelief.

OPEN TO INTERACTIONS
Ethan donated The Little Prince to the book exchange.
Kim Kardashian (his cat) Ethan borrowed the book, The Maze Runner, from the mystery draw.

Word count: 216/200
Totally word count: 853/600
Mentions: @Mateo Sáez thank you for putting this on!!! this thread makes me so happy!!!!
Interactions:
@Kim Sato
open to other interactions!!

Bailey walked over to kim, her heart racing. whyyyy am i like this?? she inwardly berated herself, not knowing what had changed, and why she now got nervous around her best friend. All of these feelings had really started after that one conversation with Hannah.. what did that boy do to my brain and whyyyy did he have to make me realize i don't always think of kim as just my best friend..... whyyyyyyyy hannah whyyy couldn't you just flirt with me like you did at the Quidditch game
Lamenting her realizing her own feelings for Kim, bailey fixed a happy and content smile on her face as she walked up to kim. She commented on his outfit, and he nodded, and said he liked his sense of style. Bailey smiled and said "well, your oufit, it looks good on you!!"
a typical bailey reply, as she was always complementing people, and making them feel important and special.
Bailey was reading, and fully engrossed in her book. She did notice that Kim's nose started to run, and that he was sneezing - looking up from her book, bailey looked around in search of a cat. surely twinkle didn't slip out again? she thought, worried for a moment that she was the cause of her best friends distress.

If one thought about it long enough, it was quite impossible to picture someone who was constantly on the go having a rather positive relationship with books. Enrico liked stories just as much as he liked the pink flowers in grandma’s garden. There was so much in a good story to enjoy. Before he received the invitation letter to Hogwarts, he used to enjoy getting lost in fiction and fantasy. One day he pretended to be a knight in shining armour picking roses for his princess in despair, the other, he was a fairy with bright orange wings and a star-shaped wand glittering forests and saving little animals.

Although he found the library a rather safe haven to wander off and learn more about the world which he still considered new, he hadn’t engaged in a good story in quite a while. The reason why was because he had his own story to live now, as a great wizard who attended a magical school. It was still unbelievable sometimes, and no matter how many times he pinched himself to wake up from such a beautiful dream, he remained asleep in it, and Merlin knew how much Enrico hated to wake up, so he was glad to remain dormant on this one.

But, there was talk of a rather unique event taking place in the Great Hall throughout the entire day, and the flyers were all over the Hufflepuff common room. A book exchange, Enrico had read and heard. It was the perfect occasion to give and receive something in return, with the addition of dressing up as one’s favourite character from one book or another. It didn’t take much thinking, although the twelve-year-old was rather picky and unsure of most things, he was rather certain on this one. Ever since he was six, the boy enjoyed reading a particularly long series titled “Beast Quest.” Each book featured the main character, Tom, finding and fighting different beasts under the control of a malicious antagonist. Although Enrico needed to be a bit creative, the boy might have owned clothes that were much older than him but he did not have anything from the medieval ages. His grandpa might have now that he actually thought about it. Or maybe one of the many ghosts roaming the castle… but that maybe wouldn’t work out given the fact that their clothes would probably just go through him.

But with enough time and pondering, Enrico searched through his messy piles of clothes to find a blue long-sleeved shirt made out of rich silk that he had gotten this past Christmas to sleep with. He also had baggy brown pants that made him look even shorter than he actually was, the pockets on the side took away from the medieval aspect, but one could simply just bat an eye. Around his waist, he buckled up a dark leathery brown belt that was ripped from the edges and had more holes than it originally did when first bought.

Tom, the main hero of the story, utilised a sword and shield to fight the monsters that he came across. Enrico knew that he’d get in trouble if he bothered asking any of the staff members for permission to steal a set from the guarding knights of the castle - and the possible idea of stealing them did cross his mind - but he controlled his urge to get in trouble and save himself from further more detention. So instead he opted to create ones made out of paper, and with some help from his fellow Hufflepuffs, he had managed to get it done. Magic made everything easier in the right hands (or wand). Had Enrico tried to do everything by himself, the dorms would be on fire by now.

Alas, he made it to the Great Hall in his crafty costume. In his hands, he held a single book from his favourite book series. It was book one of the Beast Quest which features a dragon name Ferno. This was a rather new copy - one he had gotten this past Christmas as well - he did throw a bit of a spoiled tantrum over receiving the same copy of a book he already had, but now he felt better about it as it wouldn’t go to waste. And Enrico was also very sentimental about things, so there was no way he was giving the original one he had gotten ages ago.

So, with his back straight and chest pumped, Enrico trotted his way to the donation area where books were being placed up for grabs. Along the way, he grabbed a fistful of whatever snacks were on the table. He took a couple of seconds to observe his surroundings and see what other fellow students had dressed up as. It was rather interesting to see everyone’s creativity shine through. Even the Head Librarian, who albeit was the organiser of the whole thing, dressed up as one famous detective.

While looking around, he spotted a set of books covered in colour co-ordinated wrapping that each represented a different genre. Enrico didn’t think twice to start feeling the books in a bright purple which meant that they fell under the fantasy category. The paper made a rather satisfying croaky sound that Enrico enjoyed listening to as he put it against his right ear. With excitement feeling his body and rushing through his fingers, he decided on one and not the other because it sounded better, and when he unwrapped it, his eyes glimmered in excitement as he found out it was a series he was very familiar with: The Chronicles of Narnia. This would surely get him back into reading!

Word Count: 946 Words

Rose had not been to as many social events lately. She had been dueling, of course, and she went to all her classes, but she had fallen out of her usual attending of things that required- y'know- interacting with people. She had been seeing her friends, so this is not all to say that Rose was completely lonely. She just stopped trying new things lately and meeting new people, and she had to admit that she had grown to miss it. This event was a little bit different; it wasn't extremely socially intensive, like some other events were, but it still gave her an excuse to go and spend time with some other people instead of just doing homework or reading by herself.

Even though she did love reading. Which was part of the reason why she was here. Rose was a self-proclaimed reader. Books were kind of a way that she could slip into another place, another reality. It was comforting to curl up with a book before bed, to sit next to a window on a rainy day, or sit outside against a tree and just get lost in a story.

The redhead knew that it sounded sappy. She couldn't even exactly pinpoint what she liked about it- it was just wonderful to read.

Rose entered the Great Hall, scanning the room. She saw her dueling partner, Kim, and would smile at him if he looked her way. She recognized a couple of other people, but the current attendants were mostly people she didn't know. Her silver cat, Chaska, was at her heels. She was just over three years old, and liked to follow Rose everywhere. Well, maybe not everywhere, but most places. Chaska was always one for adventure and new things, so she came along with Rose to the event.

The redhead wasn't wearing as elaborate as a costume as some of the other participants. First of all, there was no way she could pick a favorite character. Picking a favorite book would be one thing, but a favorite character? Practically impossible. One of her favorite book series was the Lunar Chronicles, a futuristic interpretation of classic muggle fairy tales. She was wearing a red hoodie and jeans, like one of the characters, Scarlet, in the books. The red hoodie used to be her dad's, but she had finally grown into it, and had started wearing it a lot of places. Scarlet was kind of easy to copy since she had red hair and wore clothes that Rose already had.

All that to say, Rose's outfit wasn't really elaborate compared to some people, but she still had the spirit. Kind of.

She walked into the hall. She hadn't brought a book of her own, so she couldn't participate in the book exchange. She guessed she would try and pull out a mystery book, to see if she could grow a little bit outside of her comfort zone and pick a random book to read. As long as it wasn't some informational book about anatomy or something, Rose was confident she could give it a try. She approached the mystery book drawing station. Chaska watched from the floor, her silver eyes on Rose. Rose picked up a book, evaluating it, though it was wrapped in paper. It wasn't super thick, so it probably wasn't a very long book, but she stepped back, peeling the paper off the book and opening it up.

The Girl of Ink and Stars, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. Rose examined it. It looked pretty cool, actually, as she looked on the covers and on the inside. She might start reading it later that day. This trip to the Great Hall had definitely not been a waste of time.

WC: 624

Open to Interactions. If not interacted with, Rose will hang for a little bit and leave

Action: Taking The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave