Rat Friends ♥ PV Monica Evans Locked

Dialogue: ✕ | Thoughts: ✕ | Quotes: ✕
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The wind blew gently over the grounds, a reminder that fall was coming to an end, soon winter would arrive, replacing the elegant colours in a thick white blanket of fluffy snow. Monica wanted to take as much chance as she could to be outside while the weather was still warm enough to not need her thick winter jacket. It wasn't that she hated snow, she hated layers... and snow brought cold, which in turn brought layers... so needless to say winter was not her favourite season.

However today, though the wind did bring a chill, it was still a nice temperature. Cool yes, but not cold, so Monica made the choice to spend the day outside. As she pondered over how she wished to spend her time, Kiwi perked up on her bed, scratching behind her ears while looking up and Monica. Monica smiled at her faithful rodent, "Are you wanting to spend the day with me?" She spoke softly, and leaned down to scoop up the creature..."Perhaps it would be good for you to get some exercise... with all the homework lately, I haven't had much chance to take you out for little play dates... what do you say?" Kiwi, of course, said nothing, but just stared up at Monica with her black pearl eyes. Her nose twitching, as she listened to Monica speak. "Perfect! Than it's settled!"

Monica placed Kiwi in her hood, and gathered some things from her room. She had taken time over the past few months to create little play structures for Kiwi. Most of which was out of cardboard and sticks, but it was easy to pack away, and the rat seemed to love it very much. Before leaving, Monica was sure to grab some treats she had stowed away, and was soon off to the courtyard for some time well spend with her rat.

Once she made her way outside, she felt the chill in the air, closing up her robe more seemed to be good enough to battle against the breeze. No need for a jacket yet... but soon.

Monica gazed around to find the perfect spot for training, some place away from the vast majority of people for Kiwi to concentrate. At last she settled down and began to build the small structures for Kiwi to climb on. Once her make shift play pen was built, she let Kiwi down to explore. Kiwi wasted no time crawling under platforms, or leaping around on the ground, having a grand old time, as rats do when they are playing. Monica laughed as she watched Kiwi bolt around her before jumping up to the highest part of the structure.

"Okay...Okay, lets see how much you remember." Monica said, grabbing a treat out from her pocket. "Spin Kiwi!" And the rat spun around before finishing on it's hind legs to retrieve the treat Monica held out for her. "Very good! Okay... now Dash!" Kiwi leapt away and began to dash back and forth in front of Monica 2 times before stopping for her reward. "Amazing! You have to be the smartest rat in the world!"

Before getting the chance to work on some more tricks, Monica heard a call coming from off in the distance, turning around she saw a girl picking up a rat. Kiwi leapt onto Monica's shoulder to get a view of what was going on. Right away Monica saw the girls rat reaching it's nose out in the directions of the treats Monica had, she laughed before standing up to approach the girl.

"Seems like your friend here has a nose for food." She offered a treat out to the rat (If the girl would let her) "Kiwi is the exact same, will go nuts over the smell of food, gotta keep a close eye on rats." Monica stroked the top of Kiwi's head as she spoke, Kiwi then licked Monica's fingers.

Looking at the girl Monica smiled and held out her hand, "Monica Evans...Always nice to meet another Rat mother." Though it seemed odd that not more students picked rats as their pet of choice. Monica loved the idea of a social animal that fit in her pocket, and wasted no time in choosing Kiwi as her animal partner.

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| 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Ciel Saskia |

saskia, ciel [pronounced seel]
she/her/hers
wc: 230
@Monica Evans

With how wiggly Ginger Ale was becoming, Ciel almost had a struggle with holding onto him. The strength he suddenly possessed when in the presence of food was shocking to her, but honestly, she couldn't be that surprised. After all, Ciel did spoil him.
Letting out a slight chuckle, Ciel approached the other girl and rat. She didn't recognize the other girl, maybe they saw each other once or twice in the hall? To be fair, Ciel was definitely not known for her superb memory. Ugh, just remembering of times when she had completely forgotten someone's name right after they told it to her- how embarrassing!
"Nice to meet a fellow rat enthusiast!"
Enthusiast might've been too strong of a word. Though she did absolutely love rats (and more importantly, loved Ginger Ale), they were far from her favoritest animal of all time. That spot would probably be taken by her horse. In some ways, though, horses and rats were similar. As in- they both love food.
"I'm Ciel, and this is Ginger Ale," she motioned to the grey rat. Ginger was too busy eating the treat Monica had offered to pay attention to anything his owner was saying. "Did you also get your little friend- Kiwi, was it-? At the menagerie? I remember being so nervous to go there, I had no clue what kind of pet I wanted!"

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Monica smiled as the small grey rat devoured her small offering, she smiled up at Ciel, "Nice to meet both you and Ginger Ale, that is such a cute name! May I ask what inspired you to pick it?"

Kiwi crawled down Monica's shoulder, scurrying on her arm, to be held in her hands. Monica looked down at her baby, smiling back at her, "I have not forgotten you, just because there is another cute rat here." Monica took out another treat to give to Kiwi, who curled up in a hunch position to consume it. "Yes I met Kiwi at the menagerie. I had no idea what pet to get, there are so many options!" She stroked the back of Kiwi's head as the small rat continued to eat, "But it was as soon as I saw her, I felt a connection. I knew she was the one that was meant to be my pet." She remembered how excited she was when she first held Kiwi, and talking with the shop owner to learn all she could about caring for a rat. "It's funny, the day I got her was the first day she ran away. Just in the Alley, jumped out of my hands and scurried off into the crowd. That is part of the reason I have spent so much time training her." She looked up at Ciel, "I am sure you know how scary it is if Ginger Ale ever runs away, they are so small, and quick! It was a miracle someone was able to stop Kiwi in the alley before she got too far." She lifted Kiwi up, her treat finished, and kissed the rat on the back of her head. Kiwi tried to turn around in Monica's hand in order to lick the side of her cheek.
"How long have you had Ginger Ale for? Have you done any training with him?"

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| 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Ciel Saskia |

saskia, ciel [pronounced seel]
she/her/hers
wc: 270
@Monica Evans

Monica seemed so experienced with rats and training them that Ciel felt a little nervous just talking to her. Honestly, it had been by luck that her and Ginger got along as well as they did. She hadn't expected to go into the menagerie and leave with a rat. Especially with how rushed the whole process had been- all due to Ciel procrastinating, no less.
"Well, actually..." she found herself trailing off, trying to find a way to word what she wanted to say. It was kind of embarrassing; with how little she really knew about rats. "I kind of got Ginger Ale by accident, per se." She drew her attention to Kiwi, Monica had mentioned there being lots of options at the Magical Menagerie, and Ciel definitely had to agree. There was no way she would have known that she wanted to get a rat, especially with how many magical animals there are.
"Honestly, I got him like a week or two before school started. I didn't prepare at all to get a pet. It's kind of my fault for not thinking ahead and all, but I was really rushing! I didn't really know anything about the wizarding world- much less how wizards have pets."
Ciel's rant told the truth, she really didn't know anything about the wizarding world she was thrown into. Normal people definitely didn't have owls or pygmy puffs as pets, and especially not in the small town she came from. Ugh- the lack of information she got was really the thing that messed her up the most!

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A thud hit Monica's heart, like a weight dragging her down into the earth. A muggle-born? Normally this would have filled her with joy. Since day one of her time at Hogwarts, there had been nothing but struggling to understand the Wizarding world, the costumes, the rules, the magic. Perhaps had Monica met Ciel two weeks earlier, her emotions wouldn't have hit her as much as they were now.

Monica tried to shove down her thoughts, her confusions. This day was to forget all about her family trouble, and just have a day to be... normal again. Yet even the mention of muggle, and she thought of her 'family'.

Her brain kicked in, and she spoke clear, and logical, "Don't fret, I'm--" She paused for a moment. "Grew up in the muggle world. I didn't know anything about magic either until receiving my letter." She kept every word nothing but fact. Not wanting to dive into anything further than need be.

"Though from what little experience I have as a second year, I can say that weather you know a lot or not, it doesn't affect you level to be able to care for a creature. Just takes the will to learn, and time to bond." Gazing down at her small Kiwi, her eyes shimmering in the light back at Monica, Monica thought of all the countless hours she spent with Kiwi, how in this moment, Kiwi felt like her only family.

Monica looked back up at the girl and Ginger Ale, "Would Ginger Ale like to play in the make shift play structure I made for Kiwi? Perhaps I could even help you begin to train him if you would like?"

It was nice to have the company, even though ever fibre of her being wished to lock herself in her room, but that wasn't appropriate right now. Nor would it be of any actual help. Being outside, and drowning herself in social distraction is what Monica needed at this time.

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OOC Note:
Sorry for the late reply, I have been busy with work, and then got sick for a good week.
| 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Ciel Saskia |

saskia, ciel [pronounced seel]
she/her/hers
wc: 250
@Monica Evans

Upon mentioning her status as a muggle-born, Ciel couldn't help but notice the slight 'off' look on Monica's face. What was that about? At first, she had thought that maybe Monica wasn't too fond of muggle-borns- Ciel had learned that some people didn't like it, for whatever reason. But at the mention of the other girl being born in the muggle world as well caused Ciel to quirk an eyebrow.
What had gotten her so worked up all of a sudden?
"Oh, uh, cool." Ciel said, choosing to ignore the odd situation. "My parents weren't even freaked when they heard I was a witch, but god if my mama didn't wanna yell at me the second I had brought home a rat for a pet..." Ciel trailed off, laughing slightly. Oh boy, the look on her mother's face could have killed a man, with how upset she was at Ciel.
"Also... you made a play structure for Kiwi? At Hogwarts? that's so cool! I have a little room area at our barn that's solely for Ginger- don't worry, the cats can't get to it!- but I never thought about making one at the castle." After all, it did seem like a whole lot of work to make a whole area for a rat in the school. Where would you even get half of the stuff you need? Oh, maybe Monica asked her parents to owl her stuff, that would be pretty smart!

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Monica smiled at the blonde girl, her mother had a very similar reaction, a rat was not the most common pet in the muggle world, and to be honest Monica couldn't care less if the same was true in the wizarding world. She loved Kiwi, and that was that. As Monica listened to Ciel talk, she petted Kiwi, who was slowly drifting off to sleep while the two girls talked. It was... nice, having such a normal conversation with a new person. And Ciel felt like a safe, friendly person.

"Yeah...My mum was less than thrilled with the rat choice, but... it seems that they don't have much to say about the Wizarding world..." Monica paused, wondering if she would see her family for Christmas this year? Never before would such a thought enter her mind, but since receiving that letter from her sister... she wondered if her family still loved her or not. Monica could feel tears building in her eyes, she quickly blinked them away, adding with a laugh, "Seems it's all too much for them to handle so Kiwi is the pet I stuck with!"
Monica hoped the conversation would just continue... that she could remain in this bliss of idle talk, about so many things, and yet at the same time, nothing at all. It felt safe keeping the conversation so light.

A beam of pride shone over Monica's face at the mention of her play structure. It was true, it took a lot to make this a reality, but it was the best project she could have asked for. It was rather fun, trying to find all the materials she needed to construct it. Finding random things around the school, digging in trash cans, and deconstructing some of her own toys from childhood to complete it, but worth all the effort. "Isn't it great! Took me so long to construct the thing, but it really has helped make this castle feel like home even for Kiwi! If you think Ginger Ale would like it, I could help you make one for him." Monica thought about creating a second structure, that could combine with hers, creating a massive play structure, but Monica dare not impose such an idea on the first year... Not because she didn't want to, but in this moment of personal life drama, she was unsure if anyone wanted to invest in her... if her own family didn't care to.

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| 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Ciel Saskia |

saskia, ciel [pronounced seel]
she/her/hers
wc: 270
@Monica Evans
Sorry for such a long wait, I took a break for a bit, but I'm back and better than ever!

"Oh, right, you grew up in the muggle world too- does that mean both of your parents are muggles too?" Ciel was curious. From how Monica was talking, she was kind of dodgy about the subject. If she had grown up in the muggle world, wouldn't it just be easier to say she was muggle-born too?
Rats would probably be one of the easier wizarding pets, Ciel thought. Cats were picky, and toads were slimy, owls needed lots and lots of care, pygmy puffs were cute but... what the heck even were they? They were almost off-putting when Ciel saw them for the first time. The intense shades of pink and purple... she was gonna have to start getting used to things looking unnatural.
"I don't know how much Ginger would like having to exercise a whole bunch, he's a lazy mister," Ciel picked up Ginger and made him eye level. The rat didn't seem to mind either way. "But would you show me your rat palace? It sounds so cool- is it in your common room? You're a Slytherin, yeah? Isn't your common room under the lake? Does Kiwi like it?"
Ciel didn't mean to bombard Monica with questions, but she was suddenly fired up. If she went off on one tangent, she'd probably end up forgetting other questions to ask. But was the Slytherin common room really under the Great Lake? Was that even safe for someone to sleep under such a heavy body of water? Maybe first she should learn if the rumors were actually true or not!

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Monica took a breath, it would seem she couldn't avoid the topic with this girl, so better to just shove down whatever emotion was bubbling up, engage in pleasent conversation, and deal with her internal after math later when she had some privacy. Looking back at the girl, Monica lifted her lips in a slight smile, "Yes they both are Muggle-born," Keep it simple, she was always able to talk about her parents in the past, nothing had to be different about it now in this moment. "My fa--um, dad, is a professor at a university, and Mom..." Monica fought to stay fully engaged in the conversation, "She ah, owns a bakery... she is very talented with sweets." Finishing the sentence felt like a anchor landing on her shoulders. In truth, Monica had no idea who her parents were anymore... It felt as though all she grew up to know about them was a lie, and now she was left wondering who she was... Who was the woman that gave birth to her? And why was adoption her choice?

Shaking her head, Monica listened as the questions started pouring out of Ciel's mouth, Monica smiled, relieved that the conversation had shifted. "Oh yeah, we are down under the lake. At first it was a little freaky, looking out the window you don't see the sky, or nature, just the depths of water. And you can hear the echos of the sea creatures swimming around." Monica was now putting on an acting, making it all seem far scarier than it was in reality, "Sometimes I lay awake in my bed, wondering if the walls would ever cave in, and our dorm would be lost to the Great Lake." She smiled, trying to hold back her laughter, "But for now it holds strong and is safe... I would imagine some spell is involved to keep the water outside of the castle or something. As far as Kiwi is concerned, no different than a house. Doesn't seem to an issue for her."

Monica stroked Kiwi's head, the small rat nuzzling into her hand. "Perhaps I could bring out Kiwi's full play area! I don't thing we can visit other houses dorms, but I could bring it out here, and see if Ginger would like a try in it?"

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| 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Ciel Saskia |