Still Unwritten
Date: 02/23/23 | Time: Evening
───────────────────────────────────The trek up the stairs to the owlery had become a somewhat familiar path over the last few months. Trudging up the steps considerably slower than she typically would, Avery heaved out a quiet sigh. She knew she should be thrilled to write home. And she was! She loved being able to fill her mother and brother in on all of the new experiences each week brought. Well. Most of them, at least. Some events had been deemed best left off for their own sake.
The letter clasped tightly in one hand drew her attention once more as she continued up. It was slightly crumpled from how tightly she'd been gripping it, the sight prompting her to relax her grip on it. The letter from her mother had arrived earlier in the week. It'd been fairly standard, simply updates on the farm and some of the neighbors as well as reminders to eat enough and drink water. She'd dragged her feet a little on answering. Having slipped away from the common room earlier to finally write a response out, the first year had immediately made a break towards the tower.
It wasn't even necessarily that there was anything in the letter that she was dreading. It was what she'd left out. The question she'd held back the last few replies, in fact. She already knew the answer, so it wasn't even necessarily needed. But the desire to ask was summarily outweighed by the knowledge that another letter with the same answer as the last handful of times would sting just as much as it had previously.
It's only when she crests the top of the stairs that she stumbles to a halt. Avery blinks. The Hufflepuff stares across the first floor at none other than her best friend already amongst the owls. Talk about the odds. Her grip on the letter tightens ever so slightly as she pushes through the doorway and adopts a small smile. "Hope I'm not intruding," she tosses out easily in lieu of a greeting.────────────────────────────────
𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Alma Stoll
*Light godmodding permission given for first post
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Last edited by Avery McCall on 12 Apr 2023, 22:38, edited 1 time in total.
Still Unwritten
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𐮙─────────────────────𐮙 ༻1.03.23༺ 𐮙─────────────𐮚 |
Dialogue: X | @Avery McCall
The owlery was a space that Alma had been subconsciously avoiding…basically all year. Apart from the occasional short note to her parents so that they knew she hadn’t caught fire or fell from the Quidditch stands, (although there had been some close calls), she hadn’t wrote to her parents much at all since her admission to Hogwarts.
It wasn’t until her very recent acceptance to the Hufflepuff Dueling Captaincy team that she realized it was time to communicate in some way. She was so caught up in excitement and telling her school friends that she completely forgot that she should mention some of this to her parents.
So here she was, sitting on the floor of the owlery with at least twelve crumpled up papers in her bag: the remnants of many failed owls. She had chosen a spot that was (hopefully) free of any owl droppings or feathers…but she was definitely still considering changing her jeans when she got back to her dorm.
Just as she got frustrated once more and tore yet another scribbled paper out of her notebook, she heard someone coming in. Her head snapped up, ready to apologize and leave immediately to give the other person some quiet time. That’s when she saw her best friend walk in and her shoulders got to relax just a bit as she let out a sigh of relief.
“Yes, as you can see i’m very busy,” she giggled sarcastically, opening up her bag and showing the other first-year the hoard of crumpled papers. “Wanna sit down? I’ve been trying to write this owl to my parents for the last half hour. I could use some company.”
She smiled at her best friend in hopes that she’d stay with her. The last thing she wanted was to be left alone another hour in writing block. “Mind the droppings though - you know I love owls, but they don’t exactly clean up after themselves.”
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Just don’t let the good life pass you by ♫♪
Still Unwritten
Date: 02/23/23 | Time: Evening
───────────────────────────────────With the initial shock of running into Alma finally wearing down, Avery takes a moment to fully take in the scene. The freshly torn sheet of paper, the bag full of who knows how many other attempts at writing, her best friend's hopeful request. A small smile slips free. While sitting on the floor of the owlery wasn't exactly how she saw her day going, let alone a possibility she'd entertained before, she caved immediately.
"Always happy to offer up some company," she chuckles, striding across the room towards Alma's side. Crossing her legs, Avery drops down in one smooth motion beside her best friend in a spot that looks to be the most clear. "Even if it involves owl droppings." She sets her own partially crumpled letter in her lap before leaning forward to rest both elbows atop her crossed legs. The first year tilts her head slightly as she regards Alma, a faint smile ever present.
"You look well on your way to writing a novel." Avery nods towards the bag that held the crumpled pages. Her own attempts at writing home often yielded the same result. Whether it be difficulty actually describing her time and experiences away or dread of the eventual reply, the reasoning seemed to shift every time. "Everything alright? Or, at least, theoretically alright?"────────────────────────────────
𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Alma Stoll
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Still Unwritten
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𐮙─────────────────────𐮙 ༻1.03.23༺ 𐮙─────────────𐮚 |
Dialogue: X | @Avery McCall
Alma chuckled at her friend’s quip and playfully rolled her eyes. “Yeah, a novel called ‘How NOT to Write an Owl to your Parents’. I feel like i’m never gonna get this finished.” She sighed and ripped the millionth half-written page out of her notebook that had been staring at her, tossing it into her bag with all the other spoils.
She looked back at her friend - Avery was always good at telling when something was wrong. It was like a sense they had; a best friend sense, where you could just immediately know when something’s up. That also made Alma realize she couldn’t really lie to her - she’d know that too.
“Theoretically, I suppose so. I guess i’m just having trouble communicating with my parents. I haven’t really told them anything about my stay here, and it’s nearly halfway through the year!” She picked her quill back up and all she could scribble down was “Dear Mom and Dad” before she yet again ran out of ideas.
“I guess it’s just easier when i’m not really around them. They’re always too busy at each other’s throats to pay much attention to me anyways, so maybe they’re better off not hearing from me?” She sighed again and looked at her paper. Looks like she wasn’t getting anywhere with this anytime soon.
“What about you though? What brings you up here so late, troublemaker?”
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Just don’t let the good life pass you by ♫♪
Still Unwritten
Date: 02/23/23 | Time: Evening
───────────────────────────────────Avery snickers quietly at the joke, eyes dropping to watch as yet another page is ripped from the notebook. She'd have to make a mental note at looking into stocking Alma up on more writing supplies at this rate. The sentiment was certainly shared though. "Fair. I never realized just how hard it was to write letters until I came to Hogwarts."
Shifting so that she could pull her knees close to her chest and rest her chin atop them, Avery quietly regards Alma as her friend gathers her thoughts. She remains patient, cracking a small smile once her best friend begins to share what's troubling her. The strength of it dims a little as Alma continues, but a small uptick at the corners remains.
"I get that," she starts after a moment. "Parents can be pretty bad sometimes at showing that they care. I guess it doesn't necessarily mean that they don't, just makes everything a little harder." Avery turns her head slightly to rest her cheek on her knee and look towards her friend. Her shoulders lift in a small shrug even as she offers up a faint smile. "They'd probably still enjoy hearing from you though, even if it's just a watered down version of everything. I think it's more the thought than anything else."
The redirect of the conversation back on her manages to catch Avery momentarily off guard and she sits up. Resting her arms across her knees, she turns her attention back to the crumpled letter. "Bit of the same boat I suppose." She gives a slight wave of the letter to show Alma. "Spent a few days trying to write a letter home and finally managed something decent enough. Definitely a little light on the details all things considered, but it'll hopefully keep my mom happy enough," she adds with a small laugh, intentionally leaving her father out of the equation. "She'd probably like them more often, but." Another subdued shrug.────────────────────────────────
𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Alma Stoll
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