13 Dec 2018, 07:38
メリクリスマス(Merry Christmas)
December 12th, 2018
18:45/6:45 PM
18:45/6:45 PM
Despite nine years on British soil, Aoi was far from used to the traditions of the western world in regards to holidays. Besides, she had firsthand experience with Christmas that many children here lacked. A day that wasn’t a holiday in Japan, but still celebrated in its own way. She would bring her culture here to Hogwarts and invite the entire school to come should they choose to or even desire it. Honestly, she didn’t expect the party to be a hit, but maybe a few would show up here and there. And if not, she would celebrate by herself, and that would be enough if not a little depressing.
The slim woman looked around her classroom. All the desks and chairs had been removed, save her own. A smile graced her lips in satisfaction of the work she had completed. She had decorated by hand, no magic. The Muggle way she supposed. Work done by hand always seemed more worth it, more satisfying. The feeling couldn’t be beaten. In one corner she had set up a white tree. No lights, mostly due to the lack of electricity at the school. Plenty of decorations though. Aoi had hand folded multiple paper cranes, and neatly hung them on the various branches. She had spaced them out perfectly, in her mind anyway, creating a pleasing aesthetic. She had also made little lanterns, in a myriad of colors ranging from red to violet. There were also some bulbs featuring prominent aspects of Japan, like one precious one featuring Mt. Fuji.
Along the back side of the room were long tables. Upon the tables were cauldrons filled with oil. They would be heated for the deep frying. On silver platters, one could find various parts of chicken, such as wings, legs, breasts, and thighs. Then in little decorative bowls, Aoi had set out Buttermilk, Breadcrumbs, Tempura, and Flour. She also brought a wide variety of spices. White and Black pepper, Onion powder, Garlic cloves and powder, Cayenne pepper, Paprika, and Tumeric. She had other surprises awaiting the children later as well, a dessert she was sure they would enjoy, and memories she hoped they would cherish.
Aoi had even decorated herself. She wore the traditional outfit of Old St. Nick, although a bit more skinny on the slight Japanese woman. Her hair was dressed up in a tail, with snowflake hairpins holding it together. She was the image of serenity, patiently waiting to entertain the kiddos.
Hopefully at least a few had seen the notice on the bulletin board. It’d be such a waste of food if not. She certainly couldn’t eat it all herself. She had decided to hold the party far before Christmas to give students a chance to attend. Many would leave for the holidays, her included. Maybe Cy would have time for the party. Aoi had precious little time with her sister since they had begun working as Professors. A pity really, one that hurt her heart. Holidays were for family, and sometimes she missed the side she had left. A part of her loved them deeply, but the pain of the past could not be reconciled. Not yet anyway. There was no time to dwell on the past. Life is the present and she wouldn't miss it. Aoi sat on the top of her desk as the House Elves brought in the tables the kids could sit and eat upon. She nodded and flashed a smile at the small beings. “Arigato”, came her voice, the elves used to her kindness by now. Now she waited.
Arigato= Thanks
Sometimes, making the wrong choice is better than making no choice. You have the courage to go forward, that is rare.
13 Dec 2018, 08:52
メリクリスマス(Merry Christmas)
Interacting With @Aoi K. Risa
Just when Elena has thought that the Christmas season couldn’t get better, she’d found a notice near the History of Magic classroom. As a naturally curious child she’d gone to take a look at it, and found out that her favourite professor, Aoi Risa, was hosting a Christmas Party at the History of Magic classroom.
How could Elena resist going to the party, she loved the classes, and especially the teacher herself, she’d even invited Professor Risa to her birthday party, much to the confusion of some of the other partygoers. Elena didn’t mind though, she’d invited her favourite people in the world, and that was enough for her.
One of the things the blue haired girl had discovered over time was a love for slightly showy clothing. It seemed a weird habit for her to pick up, but now she just couldn’t resist making themed outfits for every occasion. Halloween, then Oktoberfest, and now she’d dug through her closet to find the perfect outfit for the occasion.
She started with a collared button up red tank top, then found the perfect pair of red and white stockings hiding at the bottom of her drawer. She’d pulled out a gold knee-high skirt, with little snowflakes on it, and after a long deliberation between three different jackets, had finally decided to Hell with it and gone with white fingerless gloves that reached up to her elbows, and a small white cardigan that only reached to about a quarter of the way down her arms. Elena was still clearly not used to the idea of choosing beauty over comfort as, even though her boots were red, they were clearly a pair designed for stomping about in the outdoors and not going to a party. Still, she wore that and her startlingly blue hair done up in a bun, with a single gold hair clip.
Elena decided to head out early in case anyone needed help setting up. She silently wished that charms taught warming spells before Christmas. She braved it though, and showed up at the classroom with time to spare, and only slightly blue fingers.
After standing there and trying to hear if there was anyone else inside, she eventually decided to just walk in, so she carefully opened the door and slipped inside. Elena noticed Risa sitting at her desk and almost skipped over in excitement.
“Hello Professor Risa! I’m sorry if I’m a bit early, I was just really excited. The classroom looks beautiful! I love the decorations, I especially love the paper cranes, did you make them yourself?” Elena looked at the Professor with excitement and curiosity.
I'm weak my love.
22 Dec 2018, 08:44
メリクリスマス(Merry Christmas)
interactions with @Elena Jones and @Aoi K. Risa
Talia loved Christmas.
Come on, who couldn't, with the fairy lights and the snow and the christmas trees and the scented candles and the food and the presents and the... you get the point, what's not to love about Christmas? And, it being Tal's first Christmas at Hogwarts, the little girl was thoroughly enjoying it. The grounds looked absolutely beautiful with the snowfall, the decorations throughout the castle were stellar, and everything just looked perfect, as if out of an aesthetic magazine.
Upon roaming the corridors absent-mindedly one day, for no apparent reason at all, Talia had stumbled apon a wild Puck, who invited her to some sort of Christmas party that Professor Risa was holding. Talia swallowed her irrational fears of social events and accepted it graciously, not sure what she was getting herself into.
That night she'd stayed up for hours anxiously thinking about the party, but no matter. The girl would go, she had pinky promised her friend, and Talia Piper never ever broke pinky promises. Of course, with the invite and the anxiety came the planning. Considering that the school was practically the definition of a Christmas aesthetic itself, little Tally figured she was obligated to dress to fit the occasion.
Tal was by no means at all any fashion guru or anything. Her definition of style was a pair of her quite honestly iconic fuzzy socks, and something colorful and cozy. And maybe a scarf, though the idea of scarves was still confusing to Talia. After all, it was a weird rectangular cloth, but yet it could be folded, twisted, and tied into so many different forms. The idea of a shapeshifting clothing item was intimidating to the little girl with the huge imagination. Maybe all scarves are actually animals, or monsters, she thought. That concept was later eliminated due to the reasoning that if a scarf was alive, why would it waste its time clinging onto humans' necks?
Scarf conspiracy theories aside, Talia picked out a socially acceptable Christmas outfit. That is to say, something that wasn't a reindeer costume like the brunette's heart so desired to wear. It was an oversized red and white Holiday-themed sweatshirt, complete with a reindeer and snowflake pattern, some loose flannel pants, a fake reindeer antler headband, some grey moccasins, and of course, fuzzy socks that looked like reindeer and a dark green scarf wrapped around her neck loosely. Her hair was frizzy and lightly curled as normal, and she wore her glasses, large oversized gold circular frames.
The petite little girl walked the festive corridors toward the designated party location, shyly pushing open the door when she arrived. After surveying the room, her wide hazel eyes looking over the area observantly, she saw Puck and Professor Risa among the stunningly decorated room, complete with food. Tal loved food.
Walking over to them, Tal snuck up behind Puck and hugged her, giggling. She then waved to the professor kindly.
"Hiya, Puck! Hiya, Professor! This all looks so... so pretty! Merry Christmas!" she exclaimed happily,
with love, talia
calming presence ♪ stamina 3 ♪ evasion 9 ♪ strength 1 ♪ wisdom 9 ♪ arcane power 9 ♪ accuracy 9
26 Dec 2018, 07:10
メリクリスマス(Merry Christmas)
The Abandoned Toilets. The Owlery. The Quidditch Pitch. The Training Grounds. Various areas around the Lake. Wolfie could be found everywhere she found that she was hard to find. All to satisfy her lust for the cigarette. Yet try as she might, and she did try, she was smoking less. In between classes, professors, prefects, ghosts, and even other nosy first years, finding opportunities was difficult. As a result Wolfie's appetite was returning to what it should have been for a growing girl. More even. As if her body was trying to make up for lost meals. On busy days more chocolates entered her stomach than cigarettes did her lungs.
So Wolfie found herself at the entrance of the History of Magic classroom reeking of citrus. She looked over the scene before entering. Indeed there was food. As advertised. And an assembled cast.
Aoi the professor. A poise few hostesses could match: the usual worried fussing making sure everything was perfect was absent. Everything was already in place. As if the room had come that way. But it hadn't. Just a short while back the stage had been a very different one. Corralling first years that could feel the oncoming winter break in the chill of the air to instead ponder the known origins of magic had transformed to a Christmas party.
Another girl. Wolfie had spotted her at the sorting ceremony, the hall, and about classes. Hufflepuff had been her sorting, but you didn't need to be a hat to place her house. You could tell within ten seconds of observing the girl. From her feet to her head she exuded that affection for the others that characterized almost most Huffies in one way or another. Even in her shyness she couldn't hide it. Moving about taking two steps so you just had to take one.
Her name. Wolfie had heard it before of course, but she couldn't quite recall it at the moment. Her name made Wolfie think of baby powder. No talcum powder. Yes, it sounded like something close to that. Tal. That was it.
And Elly. The first person Wolfie met from Hogwarts. Or more accurately the first Wolfie met that would eventually be from Hogwarts as they had met on the platform to get there. Food was enough to get Wolfie to enter the classroom. Both Elly and food worked too.
Wolfie bounded in with a gait that would have made her father frown and for the final few steps she took a leap to find herself behind Elly and Tal. She wiggled her eyebrows in recognition at both of them then looked at the professor.
"Yeah yeah looks great Professor. When do we eat?" Wolfie said as she picked up a lantern. She began turning it about and looking at it from all angles.
So Wolfie found herself at the entrance of the History of Magic classroom reeking of citrus. She looked over the scene before entering. Indeed there was food. As advertised. And an assembled cast.
Aoi the professor. A poise few hostesses could match: the usual worried fussing making sure everything was perfect was absent. Everything was already in place. As if the room had come that way. But it hadn't. Just a short while back the stage had been a very different one. Corralling first years that could feel the oncoming winter break in the chill of the air to instead ponder the known origins of magic had transformed to a Christmas party.
Another girl. Wolfie had spotted her at the sorting ceremony, the hall, and about classes. Hufflepuff had been her sorting, but you didn't need to be a hat to place her house. You could tell within ten seconds of observing the girl. From her feet to her head she exuded that affection for the others that characterized almost most Huffies in one way or another. Even in her shyness she couldn't hide it. Moving about taking two steps so you just had to take one.
Her name. Wolfie had heard it before of course, but she couldn't quite recall it at the moment. Her name made Wolfie think of baby powder. No talcum powder. Yes, it sounded like something close to that. Tal. That was it.
And Elly. The first person Wolfie met from Hogwarts. Or more accurately the first Wolfie met that would eventually be from Hogwarts as they had met on the platform to get there. Food was enough to get Wolfie to enter the classroom. Both Elly and food worked too.
Wolfie bounded in with a gait that would have made her father frown and for the final few steps she took a leap to find herself behind Elly and Tal. She wiggled her eyebrows in recognition at both of them then looked at the professor.
"Yeah yeah looks great Professor. When do we eat?" Wolfie said as she picked up a lantern. She began turning it about and looking at it from all angles.
Strength: 5 Agility: 15 Control: 5 Stamina: 5
30 Dec 2018, 02:51
メリクリスマス(Merry Christmas)
A few errant children had made their way into her classroom for the party. The social woman lit up a little, despite the few that had appeared so far. She had hoped for a decent sized party, and a part of her fretted that she had overprepared. There was quite the large amount of chicken waiting to be cooked, not to mention the dessert she had planned. If only four or five kids showed up then she’d have to get the excess to the House Elves. And at that point, an idea sparked in her mind! How many people gave the hard-working elves of the school anything decent? Well, perhaps a few did, but she would use this as an opportunity to share the goodwill of the holiday and show a little appreciation.
The first of the children bounded over to her. It was Miss Elena, the precocious Slytherin who seemed to fit the ideals of her house. A quick thinker with high ambitions. Aoi didn’t move from the top of her desk, her legs crossed as she balanced on the edge of the lacquered wood desktop. “Hello, Miss Jones. Welcome to the party. Thank you for your generous compliments, it was quite a bit of work. And yes, I did make them myself, a holdover from my school days with friends. I used to fill bags upon bags of them and hand them out to friends.” Her crisp London accent rang out in the still mostly empty room. Not that was an issue, it was her classroom after all. “I’m happy to see you decided to come. Interested in Japanese culture then? You’ll not find a better authority in all the school I’d wager.”
As she spoke another child had entered, coming up behind Miss Elena and hugging her, soft giggles escaping her as she did so. Miss Piper, it seemed had come to the party as well. “Thank you, Miss Piper, and Merry Christmas to you as well! I was just remarking on my native culture. Are you also interested in learning about my homeland?” Aoi stood at this point when yet a third child entered. Aoi had yet to learn the name of the most recent guest though. Teaching seven different years of students at once did put a strain on her ability to remember everyone. Aoi was sure she’d have the girl’s name down by the end of the night though. After all, it didn’t seem like there would be that many guests whatsoever at this point. But that was ok too. It would allow her to give more individual attention to those who had elected to make an appearance.
“Hello Miss ……” she trailed off to let the girl fill in the blank for her. Aoi observed her analyzing a single paper lantern. “Food is at will. You are free to bread your chicken at your leisure. Then simply cast an incendio spell at one of the pots of oil. You have a few options,” she remarked as her hands moved around in quite the active body language, “including corn oil, canola oil, and olive oil.”
Aoi moved over to the table to demonstrate. “Now, if you’ve yet to learn the spell, don’t fret. I can cast it for you.” The woman pointed her slender finger absently, a burst of flame erupted out to rest below the cauldron, licking the copper hungrily. The magical flame didn’t take long to elevate the oil to a boil, the air in the liquid rapidly attempting to escape with the pressure changes. She reached over and selected a wooden bowl, made from a tough hardy bamboo, and began creating a breading. “If you’d like to learn a little bit of language today, I’ll teach you a few simple nouns here and there as we go. I’ll be sure to write them on the chalkboard should you wish to remember them at any point.” Aoi grasped an egg from its cradle in the carton. “Tamago”, she remarked while indicating the egg. As she spoke a piece of chalk began drawing a symbol on the board.
卵=egg
The Professor gently cracked the egg, letting the white and yolk slip along the inner curve. She summoned a wooden spoon to her hand and beat the egg lightly. In a separate bowl went a few various spices, such as freshly ground garlic, salt, pepper, onions, and panko flakes. Aoi carefully chose a piece of chicken breast, choosing a smaller option to fit her smaller appetite. As she dipped the breast and let the excess egg drip off, she thought about using presenting “chicken breast” as a word but decided against it. It was a bit more complex than the single symbol for “egg”. “Panko is a particular favourite of mine. I highly suggest you try it with your selections.” She let the breast fall slowly onto the panko breading mixture. A gentle pinch on an edge of the breast allowed her to flip it over, letting the mixture grasp onto the chicken, the egg acting as a glue of sorts. “And now, we fry it until it reaches a golden brown color on the outside”, she narrated as she gripped a pair of nearby tongs, “and be sure to give it a quick check that the meat has turned white, we don’t want any pink in there, just to be safe.”
The chicken descended into the boiling oil, which screamed with a hiss at first contact. “Now girls, I’ve had an idea and I would love if you would assist me with it. By no means do you have to, but I’m sure the recipients of this idea would be most appreciative. If you would, I’d like to you make some chicken for the House Elves that work around the castle, nigh ceaselessly, for us to be able to enjoy life here as we do. I believe this small, yet immensely huge to them, gesture is a fantastic way to spread goodwill. What do you three think of that?” Aoi grasped the finished golden brown breaded fried chicken from the cauldron with the tongs, placing the finished product on a plate waiting on the table. She turned back to the girls, stepping to the side to display the finished food.
The first of the children bounded over to her. It was Miss Elena, the precocious Slytherin who seemed to fit the ideals of her house. A quick thinker with high ambitions. Aoi didn’t move from the top of her desk, her legs crossed as she balanced on the edge of the lacquered wood desktop. “Hello, Miss Jones. Welcome to the party. Thank you for your generous compliments, it was quite a bit of work. And yes, I did make them myself, a holdover from my school days with friends. I used to fill bags upon bags of them and hand them out to friends.” Her crisp London accent rang out in the still mostly empty room. Not that was an issue, it was her classroom after all. “I’m happy to see you decided to come. Interested in Japanese culture then? You’ll not find a better authority in all the school I’d wager.”
As she spoke another child had entered, coming up behind Miss Elena and hugging her, soft giggles escaping her as she did so. Miss Piper, it seemed had come to the party as well. “Thank you, Miss Piper, and Merry Christmas to you as well! I was just remarking on my native culture. Are you also interested in learning about my homeland?” Aoi stood at this point when yet a third child entered. Aoi had yet to learn the name of the most recent guest though. Teaching seven different years of students at once did put a strain on her ability to remember everyone. Aoi was sure she’d have the girl’s name down by the end of the night though. After all, it didn’t seem like there would be that many guests whatsoever at this point. But that was ok too. It would allow her to give more individual attention to those who had elected to make an appearance.
“Hello Miss ……” she trailed off to let the girl fill in the blank for her. Aoi observed her analyzing a single paper lantern. “Food is at will. You are free to bread your chicken at your leisure. Then simply cast an incendio spell at one of the pots of oil. You have a few options,” she remarked as her hands moved around in quite the active body language, “including corn oil, canola oil, and olive oil.”
Aoi moved over to the table to demonstrate. “Now, if you’ve yet to learn the spell, don’t fret. I can cast it for you.” The woman pointed her slender finger absently, a burst of flame erupted out to rest below the cauldron, licking the copper hungrily. The magical flame didn’t take long to elevate the oil to a boil, the air in the liquid rapidly attempting to escape with the pressure changes. She reached over and selected a wooden bowl, made from a tough hardy bamboo, and began creating a breading. “If you’d like to learn a little bit of language today, I’ll teach you a few simple nouns here and there as we go. I’ll be sure to write them on the chalkboard should you wish to remember them at any point.” Aoi grasped an egg from its cradle in the carton. “Tamago”, she remarked while indicating the egg. As she spoke a piece of chalk began drawing a symbol on the board.
卵=egg
The Professor gently cracked the egg, letting the white and yolk slip along the inner curve. She summoned a wooden spoon to her hand and beat the egg lightly. In a separate bowl went a few various spices, such as freshly ground garlic, salt, pepper, onions, and panko flakes. Aoi carefully chose a piece of chicken breast, choosing a smaller option to fit her smaller appetite. As she dipped the breast and let the excess egg drip off, she thought about using presenting “chicken breast” as a word but decided against it. It was a bit more complex than the single symbol for “egg”. “Panko is a particular favourite of mine. I highly suggest you try it with your selections.” She let the breast fall slowly onto the panko breading mixture. A gentle pinch on an edge of the breast allowed her to flip it over, letting the mixture grasp onto the chicken, the egg acting as a glue of sorts. “And now, we fry it until it reaches a golden brown color on the outside”, she narrated as she gripped a pair of nearby tongs, “and be sure to give it a quick check that the meat has turned white, we don’t want any pink in there, just to be safe.”
The chicken descended into the boiling oil, which screamed with a hiss at first contact. “Now girls, I’ve had an idea and I would love if you would assist me with it. By no means do you have to, but I’m sure the recipients of this idea would be most appreciative. If you would, I’d like to you make some chicken for the House Elves that work around the castle, nigh ceaselessly, for us to be able to enjoy life here as we do. I believe this small, yet immensely huge to them, gesture is a fantastic way to spread goodwill. What do you three think of that?” Aoi grasped the finished golden brown breaded fried chicken from the cauldron with the tongs, placing the finished product on a plate waiting on the table. She turned back to the girls, stepping to the side to display the finished food.
Sometimes, making the wrong choice is better than making no choice. You have the courage to go forward, that is rare.
30 Dec 2018, 08:58
メリクリスマス(Merry Christmas)
§
"I suspect I won't Professor, and I'm very interested." Elena's eyes sparkled as she smiled at the professor. Suddenly she felt arms around her and a familiar laugh, Elena's smiled grew a bit wider, "Hey there Tally! I'm glad you made it, it's so good to see you, or well, get hugged by you I guess."
Elena was then surprised by someone unexpected popping up, it was Wolf. The girl was one of the few things that comforted Elena in this place filled with carefully manicured lives. Wolf's nature, quick thinking, and the way she dissected people had made the girl feel like less of an outcast. Ruby had been able to scan and figure out everything about Elena, but was still a pureblood, and a kid at heart. Even though Rorie understood where she came from and could see Elena's scars, she couldn't quite understand them, "Heya Wolf."
Wolf, now Wolf was different, she'd run away and seen the world. More of it than anyone their age should, which was another reason Elena understood her so much. They couldn't ever take back their memories, or their scars, they couldn't mend the more fractured pieces of them, at least not quickly.
Tal was sweet, through and through. There was pain in her eyes sometimes, it was well hidden but there, and Elena hoped one day she could help ease it, or at least the blue haired girl could know what was going on. Curiosity killed the cat, and it would likely also kill Elena. At least, without friends it would, and Elena was used to the idea of ending up all alone. No matter how much she hoped that wouldn't happen. No matter how many friends she made, or how much she knew people cared, it seemed like a fact of life. Water is wet, the sky is blue, Elena Jones will end up alone.
"Tamago." Elena muttered to herself, noting the pronunciation and symbols of the word, and glanced up at the board to look at the writing. The girl carefully took note of every step in making the chicken, not wanting to mess up, she was used to being good at things like this, and sort of wanted to impress the professor.
"I'd love to help out professor! That's a great idea." Elena beamed, she'd always thought the whole House Elf thing was really weird, it didn't feel quite right. Especially to a girl that didn't like to ask for anything, it took enough self-convincing to ask Professor Sky for help finding a book, and it took multitudes more to ask the house elves for anything. It just didn't seem right to her, especially since some of the students had little to no care for the elves themselves, which reminded her a little bit of the darker things she knew from where she used to call home.
I'm weak my love.