Country Roads PV C. Jewelweed, U. Takahashi, K. Foxglove Reopened

Costanza had been to King’s Cross a few times before and every train she boarded used to fill her with excitement for the vacation ahead. But this was a first. Dread. Paranoia. Anxiety. She trailed behind her parents, eyes trained on the floor in front of her. Every time she had a feeling that Irene turned back to make sure she was keeping up, the girl made a show of sighing deeply and put on the most pissed expression she could muster. Her complaints were all Irene had heard since Costanza was told she would be attending Hogwarts, and the girl wouldn’t be surprised if Irene was excited to be rid of her.

She was wrong, of course. Her mother was hurting, probably more than her. And in the back of her mind, Costanza knew that. But when she saw Irene’s confounded expression after she ran through the platform walls, or when she heard her dismayed whisper to Malachi, Costanza’s eye twitched.

Irene didn’t like any of this. She didn’t want her daughter to go to a boarding school all the way in Scotland. Not after everything that had happened. Yet, she didn’t speak up. It infuriated Costanza that her mother didn’t even want to fight to keep her home after destroying the family. She was so vexed by it, that when the time came to say their goodbyes, she shrugged off her mother’s attempt at a hug, gave Malachi a passing glance, and left them behind on the platform.

But the second she stepped onto the train, Costanza regretted it. It was like all the feelings she had kept pent up over the past few months came straight for her all at once. All it took was one look out the windows of the train to see her mother’s devastation. The woman hurried away from the edge of the platform and back through the magic wall with Malachi rushing behind her. Costanza’s heart ached. She pressed her forehead against the wall of the train, gritting her teeth as the tears she didn’t want anyone to see came spilling out.

A call from behind her to get moving shook her out of that state and she shot the person a nasty glare. Maybe they felt bad once they saw her red eyes, or maybe they didn’t care. Costanza certainly didn’t. She got straight back to business, shoving her way through the thin corridor and not giving a damn if someone called her out for painfully elbowing them. Somewhere along the way, she dragged the back of her fist across her face to dry off any tears. And she discovered that there seemed to be no empty compartments for her to drown her sorrows in alone.

“This seat open?” She didn’t wait for the boy to answer. She picked his compartment because he was only one person. Maybe she would get lucky and no one would join them. Maybe he wouldn’t talk to her. Maybe she’d never have to see his face again after this train ride. The thought process was enough for her to enter the compartment, kick her trunk under the bench, and take a seat across from him on the side closer to the door.

TIME | 10:46 DATE | September 1st, 2023 INTERACTING |@Pyxis Hellebore @Costanza Jewelweed @Kaito Foxglove

“ I'm gonna pop your bubblegum heart ” 00:35⠀─── ◉ ───────⠀02:34

Chanel two piece set| OUTFIT #B68EA7 | DIALOGUE xxx| MENTIONING

She seriously underestimated the amount of students still hunting for a cabin on this huge ass train. The narrow aisles were flooded with children of different ages, each looking weirder than the next (she swears she's seen someone's nose take the shape of a pigs), all with their trunks, shoving each other, some on purpose, others stopping along the way to apologize. Luckily for Ula, she didn't get hit by any trunks, for she made sure to put on the meanest expression imaginable, almost making passers-by merge into the walls of the walkway. Nonetheless, she had to raise her voice to a few "Move it!" as the students seemed to love stopping in the middle of the chaos just to say hello to a classmate.

Her hope of finding an empty compartment was long gone, she needed to find one that wasn't so crowded and fast, for her patience was wearing thin. As she scanned the interior of the cabins with her dark gaze, she noticed one that seemed to be occupied by a young boy and girl. From what she could tell, it appeared to be the just two of them. Bingo, thought Ula, smirking to herself. She almost bolted towards the door, nearly knocking someone over in the process, hearing a loud "Auch!" behind her, to which she paid no attention.

Pushing the compartment door open, she made sure to ignore the two, her eyes focusing on her future seat up ahead as she asked, "You wouldn't mind if I sit here, right?" Not waiting for an answer from either of them or caring about coming across as rude, she plopped herself opposite the boy by the large window, pushing her hair behind her shoulder as she did so, almost smacking the girl with it in the process.

Finally, settling her attention on one of them, her dark eyes scrutinised the boy she was sitting across from, raising her perfectly shaped eyebrow at what appeared to be his expensive attire. He looked well-dressed for a twelve year old, to say the least. Classy button-up, shiny shoes and…is that a Pini Parma jacket?

Before she could turn her attention to the girl next to her, she felt the presence of someone else enter the compartment.

9/1/23
@Pyxis Hellebore @Costanza Jewelweed @Ula Takahashi

Kaito never considered himself as someone who was clingy with his mother. He loved her a lot and looked up to her all the time, but with the knowledge that most of the private schools near Andover accepted boarders, it was obvious that he would have to leave her some day soon. That day was finally here, but instead of accepting a scholarship to some prestigious secondary school, he was heading off to learn how to become a wizard in Scotland, which was more than a maximum of sixty minutes away from their home. So as the two of them walked through Platform 9 ¾, his grip on her elbow got progressively tighter.

“I’ll see you in just a few months, okay?” Maja cooed, gently removing his fingers and directing them to the handle of his trunk.

“That’s too long,” he pouted in response as he looked down and kicked at nothing.

“Honey, you’ll be back for Christmas. And I bet you’ll like it so much that you won’t even want to come home until summer.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Love you too,” and she gave him a big kiss on the cheek before gently nudging him towards the train. He took her hint and moved on, not daring to look back for fear that he would go running over to give her a hug. That would be too embarrassing, even for him.

But as soon as he entered the train, the boy cursed at himself for not parting from his mother sooner. The place was absolutely packed. Kids were hanging around, spilling out of compartments and loitering in the aisle. Before he could tell them off or push past them, the ones that saw him walking up cleared the way for him. Not this again. And not here too. Before anything else could transpire, he hurried forward down the aisle, looking for an open seat.

Once away from the larger groups, he slowed his pace a little. Clearly that was offensive to the person behind him as she bulldozed her way through him.

“Auch!” he yelped as her suitcase went over his toe. But the girl didn’t seem to care and without looking back, she slipped into a compartment. Puzzled, he righted himself and walked down the aisle too, peeking into the girl’s compartment. There were only three people sitting in there and he had noted that most of the compartments before theirs were packed with five or six people. This was the best it was going to get.

“Mind if I sit here?” he asked, stepping into view and placing his hand on the door frame for balance. The overwhelming scent of rich hit him immediately, but he stopped himself from shifting uncomfortably in his thrifted ensemble. “Every other cabin is packed and I’m thinking if we’re four, we can ward off anyone else who tries to come our way. Sound good?”

@Costanza Jewelweed @Ula Takahashi @Kaito Foxglove

September 1st, 2023

Things went from one to one too many before Pyxis could even blink. He wasn’t daft enough to believe he could have gone the entire trip without company, and he even preferred to have someone to talk to, preferably someone who could help him understand exactly what was waiting for him at Hogwarts. What he didn’t anticipate was the most odd mixture of personalities congregating in the space before him, and he wondered if he’d been lying awake in bed all night just to have this train experience feel like pulling teeth.

First came a girl who looked as sad as Pyxis felt when he died after reaching the final two in Fortnite. Her eyes were red and she had obviously been crying. Clearly she’d been harboring some anger too as she kicked her trunk so hard that Pyxis jumped. As she settled into the seat furthest from him, his training came alive. He wanted to ask if she was okay, if she felt down because she was leaving her family. But the look on her face told him that he shouldn’t pry. Maybe he’d get his silent train ride after all.

No. That’s not who I am.

“Hi—”

Second came a girl with as little care for his opinion as the first. Gosh, don’t people have manners anymore? But, Pyxis assumed, not everyone had the privilege of being whipped into shape by etiquette trainers like he did. Then he actually paid attention to the second girl as she wordlessly descended across from him - another fan of the window, it seemed. She was decked out in what had to be Chanel and her shiny shoes mirrored his own. She radiated rich. Is that what I look like? The thought made him simultaneously want to shrug off his jacket and wear it with pride.

Seeing as neither girl introduced herself, Pyxis thought he sould try again.

“Nice—”

Third came a boy - Thank goodness - who asked for permission to sit - Praise the gods. The decency he had to ask reinstated Pyxis’ faith in humanity. The boy had one hand placed on the door frame and the other on his trunk, looking effortlessly like a cool kid. Pyxis listened to the easy way in which he spoke and almost fist pumped at having such luck with what was hopefully the last person to enter the cabin. He motioned towards the seat next to him and nodded.

“It’s all yours. I can’t imagine being crammed in here with more than four, though,” he finally talked without interruption. He’d wait for the boy to take a seat before clearing his throat and continuing, looking around the cabin at his companions for the day. “Well… hey guys. My name’s Pyxis. Are you all new too? New as in, er, first years?”

Listening to trunks being rolled and dragged on the other side of the threshold and the unbearable bubbly chatter bleeding into the space around them, Costanza felt like shrinking deeper into her seat. She was never one to feel out of place in a crowd, but the atmosphere of this many people had suddenly become overwhelming. She pressed herself into the cushioned material and shut her eyes tightly, hoping to not be bothered by anything.

Then the spare spoke, attempting to say hello. Her eyes flew open and she fixed him with a nasty glare. But before she could say something she regretted, someone else barged in.

The new girl took a page out of Costanza’s book as she took a seat without waiting for an answer from the two inhabitants of the compartment. It almost made her feel bad for the similar way in which she interrupted the boy’s privacy. But the girl sat without another word, so Costanza decided that she didn’t mind her. The boy could use some lessons in quiet time however, as he opened his mouth to yap again before a figure at the door cut in.

She looked to this new boy after he nicely asked permission to join them. How annoying. He had a certain security with the way he spoke. Costanza wanted to deck him. She also wanted to assertively tell him to go on his way, but the first boy welcomed him in. She watched as people moved past him in the hallway. Many of them peeked in like they were considering asking if their compartment had space.

“Get in or piss off,” Costanza sat forward and added to the boy, Pyxis’, beckon. Before he took the seat across from her, she would slide her feet forward to take up a little more than half the room on the floor despite being obviously shorter than the guy. Once he was all settled, she leaned back again and closed her eyes, releasing a deep and audible sigh as Pyxis introduced himself. Was it too much to ask for some peace and quiet? “No one asked for your name, buddy.”

TIME | 10:55 DATE | September 1st, 2023 INTERACTING |@Pyxis Hellebore @Costanza Jewelweed @Kaito Foxglove

“ I'm gonna pop your bubblegum heart ” 00:35⠀─── ◉ ───────⠀02:34

Chanel two piece set| OUTFIT #B68EA7 | DIALOGUE xxx| MENTIONING

It turned out that Ula found a bit of pleasure in watching another person – or rather the bitter girl sitting next to her, berate the other two occupants of the compartment.

Ula opted to let a smirk grace her pretty features as she leaned back into her seat and crossed her arms, clearly amused by the entire interaction. She took notice of the fact that the resentful girl seemed to be ready to strike at anyone who all but breathed wrong in her direction with the way she spewed words laced with venom at the newcomer. Is it the time of the month?, Ula thought to herself, tilting her head to the side as she observed the girl. No, it seemed to stem from far deeper ground. Emotions, what a waste...well atleast she provides some form of entertainment, Ula concluded. Still, Ula couldn't help but to meet the boys gaze, who turned out to be the first name on the girls hitlist of the day, mouthing a simple
"Period" his way in hopes that he'll use her suggestion as his retaliation. She loved creating chaos when the situation presented itself.

The girls second target was the wealthy boy seated across from Ula, at whom she couldn’t resist snickering as he received his own dosage of a toxic comment for doing nothing more than introducing himself. What was his name again? Pixie or Pixel? Either way, Ula didn’t care enough to remember even after he introduced himself moments before – things that didn’t interest her we’re simply not worth remembering. Yet, Ula decided to give the boy what he wanted as she abruptly introduced herself as well, "Ursula, but Ula will do." She was not in any mood to be making friends right now, but she wasn’t keen on being referred to as anything else if Pixie decided to yap for the rest of the voyage. She sincerely hoped her choice to introduce herself wouldn’t encourage him to do so, but she had her suspicion arise the second she uttered her name. Ula scowled at her decision. "Yeah, first year at this godforsaken school, might try to get myself expelled by the time December rolls by though, so not for long," she added, a poker face she grew so familiar with over the years, finding its way back on her face.

9/1/23
@Pyxis Hellebore @Costanza Jewelweed @Ula Takahashi

Of main interest to Kaito was the girl who apathetically rolled her suitcase over his toe. He observed her even as the only boy in the compartment agreed to have him as a seatmate, weighing what would be funnier or more beneficial to him. In the end, he decided that exposing her here would not be the right choice if he was going to be trapped in a metal box with her for most of the day, so he stored that memory in his mind for a future opportunity should he need it.

He turned to the boy then, ready to pull in his trunk and get the awkward mingling out of the way. The other girl in the compartment — who looked like she had a rough time on the platform — piped up in a mean voice, but all Kaito did was fix her with a wry smile and heaved his trunk into the storage while avoiding the girl’s extended feet like a sensible person. Once he took his seat, he pushed his feet forward as far as the girl would allow him, eventually settling on letting the tips of their shoes touch if she refused to move. He’d done as she said, so he hoped that she would turn her negativity elsewhere.

His gaze returned to the bulldozer and he was surprised when her eyes met his. She mouthed something to him and he squinted just enough to make out "Period". It took him a few seconds of interpreting to understanding what she meant, and he brought his hand to his mouth to stifle the laughter that threatened to interrupt Pyxis as he introduced himself. He took a look at the cranky girl and scoffed when she directed her vitriol towards Pyxis.

“Nice to meet you, Pyxis,” he turned his attention to who was obviously the friendliest person in the compartment and stuck out his hand for a shake. “And you too, Ula. Cool names, both of you. Got a name, Cranky?” he asked, nudging the girl’s shoe with the tip of his sneaker. “I’m Kaito. Kaito Foxglove. And also a first year, if that’s what we’re calling it. I’m not sure what the correct terminology is.” Realizing his lack of understanding of what he was walking into, he raised an eyebrow as Ula talked about wanting to be expelled. “Oh… I don’t know much about Hogwarts. Is it — is it that bad?”

@Costanza Jewelweed @Ula Takahashi @Kaito Foxglove

September 1st, 2023

“Get in or piss off.”

Dear God, what did I start here? Should’ve just left the minute someone walked into the cabin. Pyxis watched on hesitantly, wondering how the lad would take that comment, but the boy just gave the cranky girl a mocking smile and entered the cabin without another word. Pyxis immediately began taking mental notes. This guy knows how to keep his cool. I could really learn from that. He knew that if he was in that boy’s position, his reaction would be much more expressive, either stammering in panic or anger. Despite the hours of etiquette lessons, taking insults or resentful comments in stride was not one of his strong suits.

Oblivious to the game of footsie happening next to him, Pyxis waited for the names of his new companions. He received them in the form of anger, Kaito, and Ursula. Gladly reaching over to take Kaito’s hand, he gave a brief shake and then reluctantly turned his attention back to the opposite side of the cabin.

“Lovely to meet you both,” he replied after clearing his throat at the venomous girl’s dismissal of his name. “And you too… Cranky.” Was he stealing Kaito’s quickly-placed nickname? Yes, he was. But Pyxis quite sure the other boy would not mind, seeing as he seemingly felt the same way about her as he did - unsure and very amused. At least, that’s what Pyxis told himself. In reality, that type of attitude scared the bejesus out of him. He was thankful to be in the presence of the other two cabin occupants who would hopefully overpower Cranky’s obvious bad vibes.

“Yeah, First Year is the correct terminology… Actually, don’t quote me on that. It’s what everyone was saying during the summer camp.” At that comment, Pyxis gave each of their faces another look. Cranky with her closed eyes, Ula and her posh demeanor, Kaito’s friendly nature. Yup. Didn’t see any of them at the summer camp. Did they receive their letters after the camp or just chose not to attend? Pyxis made his guesses based on each of their personalities before tuning back into the present as Ula spoke about expulsion with the straightest face he had ever seen. “I mean… the summer camp was pretty cool. Nothing bad at all,” he reassured Kaito, “Unless that’s their way of luring people into a false sense of security.” After chuckling at his addition, he addressed Ula directly. “If you don’t mind me asking, why do you want to be expelled?”