The Best of Both Worlds PV Mamori Anezaki Closed

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LIBRARY
2024-09-27
@Mahlioz Evethisawe

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It felt surreal to Mamori that the storm at the had subsided and it was already the end of the first month at Hogwarts. Sports and club sign-ups had dominated those early days, with him throwing himself into Quidditch tryouts, signing up for the Dueling Club, and even dabbling in some magical creature care workshops, leaving him with barely a moment to breathe. But now, with everything settled and everyone he knew locked away in their dorms to focus on assignments, Mamori found himself with nothing left to do except ᅳ Merlin forbid ᅳ studying. He had spent the last week complaining about how busy he was, but now, on this quiet Friday afternoon, with nothing but his Potions assignment looming over him, he felt strangely out of place. The library appeared to be a decent sanctuary, though, so he roamed up and down the aisles, pretending to look for something of interest. At least, that's what he told himself. In truth, he was just procrastinating, avoiding the pile of unread textbooks and the wretched Potions essay due Monday. As he wandered the maze of shelves, trying to quell the encroaching feeling of academic responsibilities, something caught his eye. Seated in one of the tables was a student he did not recognize. A Slytherin, judging by the green-lined robes. It was the item in her hand that really caught his attention, definitely not a quill ᅳ far too sleek ᅳ nor was it a wand. Sleeker, metallic, and clearly a muggle product. Mamori had grown up hearing about muggle items from his father, but he hadn't come across this particular one before. Curiosity flamed, drawing him closer before he even realized he was moving. Approaching from the front, Mamori tried not to be too conspicuous as he leant in for a better look. The girl seemed quite engrossed in her work; her hand glided smoothly over what he knew was a muggle notebook. He hesitated for a second, wondering whether he should really disturb her. But curiosity won out. “Heeeey,” Mamori started with a smile, trying to keep his tone casual and non-intrusive. “That's an interesting… uh, thing you're using. I've never seen anything like it before. Is it one of those muggle inventions?” He scratched his head, a hint of puzzled interest on his face.

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september 27 2024 | after classes

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English | French | Thoughts

@Mamori Anezaki

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LIBRARY
2024-09-27
@Mahlioz Evethisawe

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Mamori blinked in surprise when Mahlioz jumped at his voice, and a brief flicker of guilt passed over him. Maybe he had startled her a bit too much. But her quick recovery helped him relax, and when she handed him the pencil, he took it as an invitation to try it out. Curiosity piqued, he clicked the back of the pencil experimentally, watching the small piece of lead emerge from the tip. "That's... brilliant!" Mamori reacted with a growing smile, turning the pencil around in his hand. "I mean, I’ve seen regular pencils before — my dad uses them sometimes — but I had no idea muggles had advanced them this much." He gave the button a deeper push, watching as the lead smoothly retracted this time, and let out a low whistle of approval. “This is way better than worrying about sharpening or getting ink all over your hands.” Feeling a bit too eager, Mamori clicked the button several more times, pushing the lead out further than he probably should have. He didn’t think much of it as he gently pressed the pencil tip to the notebook, but with the lead sticking out too far, a soft snap followed as it broke clean off. He stared at the blunt tip for a moment, blinking in surprise. “Uh… oops?” he muttered, expression shifting from curiosity to mild panic. Unsure of what to do, he clicked the button again, expecting more lead to come out — but nothing happened. He tried again. And again. Still nothing. Frowning, Mamori gave it one last hopeful click. This time, a tiny sliver of lead popped out, only to fall out completely, too short to stay in place. Now officially panicking, he looked down at the pencil like it had defied some unwritten rule of magic. "Wait… did I break it?" He then looked back at Mahlioz, clearly flustered. "I didn't mean to ruin it! I’m so sorry! How do you fix it? Does it need… a spell or something? Or ᅳ wait, is there a muggle way to fix it? Like a toolbox?"

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september 27 2024 | after classes

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English | French | Thoughts

@Mamori Anezaki

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LIBRARY
2024-09-27
@Mahlioz Evethisawe

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A wave of relief washed over Mamori as Mahlioz calmly explained the situation. He knew there had to be a way to fix the pencil, but panic had set in earlier ᅳ after all, it wasn't exactly ideal to break someone else's belongings, especially after only knowing them for five minutes. Wide-eyed, lips almost voicing a "wow," he watched Mahlioz reload the pencil, one hand unconsciously cupping his chin as he marveled at the ingenious way a few simple movements could restore the tool to perfect working order. Taking it back gingerly, Mamori pushed the button once more, a small smile breaking out on his face at the sound of the satisfying click and seeing the lead emerge again. Finally getting his chance to use it properly, he flicked his wrist and etched a quick line on a spare bit of parchment he'd brought along. He let out a soft gasp at the smooth glide of lead ᅳ a stark contrast to the familiar scratch of his quill. Mamori then grew even more excited at Mahlioz's explanation about how different types of leads were for different purposes and could be interchanged. "Merlin's beard, that's genius! You can change what you're doing just by swapping the lead! It's like having multiple tools in one, without all the hassle." He could easily see why Mahlioz favored it; the practicality of a single adaptable tool was undeniably appealing. As he handed the pencil back, a thought struck him. Sure, he wasn't exactly known for his diligent note-taking in class, but to own one of these...it just seemed so right. Practical, yes, but mostly cool. And who knew? Maybe it would even inspire him to jot down an idea or two during lessons. "Hey," Mamori started, a touch of eagerness in his voice tempered by politeness, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but do you happen to have a spare one of these? Or perhaps know where a first-year like myself could get one?" He paused, realizing he should probably introduce himself properly. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Mamori Anezaki, just started at Hogwarts this year." "If you do have an extra, I'd love to buy one. These seem truly useful." He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a gold coin, holding it out tentatively. "Would a Galleon cover it? For the pencil and some spare leads?" he asked, trying to offer it as payment. The moment he extended the coin, Mamori suddenly felt unsure about the appropriateness of his offer. Money had always been somewhat of an abstract concept to him; brought up in a well-off wizarding family, he'd never really had to ponder the value of things too deeply. "Is that... not enough? Or too much? I'm afraid I'm not very good with prices," he admitted with a sheepish laugh, meeting Mahlioz's emerald green eyes with a blend of intrigue and slight embarrassment.

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september 27 2024 | after classes

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

English | French | Thoughts

@Mamori Anezaki

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LIBRARY
2024-09-27
@Mahlioz Evethisawe

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Mahlioz's question made Mamori pause, his mind whirring as he considered the implications. It was, he realized, a genuinely intriguing point — something he had never pondered before. "We don’t really have anything quite like pencils for sketching in the wizarding world," he furrowed his brow, thoughtfully stroking his chin. "We usually use enchanted quills for drawing. Some can even change color mid-stroke, which is pretty neat." His thoughts drifted to a related memory. "Come to think of it, I've seen my dad doodle with regular pencils before. He's Muggle-born, you see, so he sometimes does things a bit differently from other wizards. But even he never really mentioned sketching as a proper art form, and I can't say I've seen anyone else around me doing it either." He shrugged, movement accompanied by the soft rustling of his robes. "It just occurred to me," he went on, eyes suddenly lighting up with inspiration, "sketching in the wizarding world is mostly just preparation work for paintings. You would do a sketch of a magical portrait or landscape, but generally you wouldn't stop at the sketch alone." He then let out a soft chuckle, "Maybe that's why we don't have a lot of sketch artists around? We might be missing out on an entire artistic field." As the topic of pronouns came up, Mamori gave a brief look of consideration again. The idea of someone being referred to as "they" felt unfamiliar to him, though he understood what she meant. It reminded him a bit of how Japanese ichininshō worked, with 「僕」boku, 「俺」ore, and 「私」watashi, but reversed in a way. He hadn’t encountered this concept in the wizarding world, so whether it was something new among upper-year students or from the Muggle world, he was curious. "Got it, she/they, thanks for letting me know. I use he/they...I think that's right?" When Mahlioz fished out the pencils and proffered him a choice, Mamori was taken aback. He hadn't expected such generosity from someone he'd just met, especially a Slytherin. Despite his best efforts, he realized he'd been harboring a slight bias against Slytherins, an unfortunate holdover from the old stories about the cunning purebloods he'd grown up hearing. But in this moment, that bias evaporated completely. “Really? That's incredibly kind of you!” he exclaimed, tone replete with real gratitude. His eyes flitted over the pencils and settled for a while on the orange one. Within him, a small voice murmured that it would not be suitable to take her only orange pencil, even though his fingers were itching to try it out. “I’ll take the green one,” he said, eyeing her Slytherin robe. “It reminds me of you, the gifter of the pencil. The green fits — Slytherin and your eyes.”

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september 27 2024 | after classes

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

English | French | Thoughts

@Mamori Anezaki

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LIBRARY
2024-09-27
@Mahlioz Evethisawe

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The thought of sketching with ink at first felt wrong to him, like trying to catch smoke in a bottle — too rigid for something meant to be fluid and free. But then Mamori smirked, recalling Mahlioz’s laugh and how his dad might counter that argument. “I thought the same thing at first, but honestly, my dad would definitely disagree with us.” he said, a bit more playfully, “my dad is a Magizoologist. He does these really detailed illustrations of magical creatures. Sometimes plants too, for studying their morphology.” He paused for a moment, as if recalling the countless times he’d watched his father work. “It’s all about understanding the fine structure — every little scale, feather, or leaf vein drawn out in perfect detail. Since he works closely with his wizarding colleagues, when he’s doing illustration for work, he sticks to ink and quill. And, well, he actually prefers it. Says the finished product looks more refined.” He then scratched his head as if trying to explain it better. “With magical ink, you don’t have to worry about it smudging or drying too slowly. It just… works. The lines stay crisp, so it’s easier to add intricate details without messing things up.” He paused, considering Mahlioz's question about other artistic fields in the wizarding world. “Well, there’s magical sculpture — some statues can move and even talk. And then there’s music, of course. Enchanted instruments can play themselves, and some wizards compose melodies that have magical effects when played.” He tapped his chin as he brainstorms, searching for more examples. “Oh! And there’s also magical photography. The pictures move, as you’ve probably seen around Hogwarts. It’s pretty cool, but I guess it’s not exactly the same as what Muggles would call ‘art photography.’” Mamori then shifted back to his earlier thought as he heard Mahlioz mention that she’d only ever seen paintings “Yeah... most wizard artists seem to aim for the big stuff, like paintings or sculptures. They get famous for creating these grand enchanted pieces. I think that’s another reason why they lack interest in sketching — it’s all about making a big impression with the final product.” He then hesitated for a moment after hearing “digital art.” The term tugged at his memory, reminding him of his dad’s occasional mentions of Muggle technology. “Digital art… I’ve heard of digital stuff before, like computers and cellphones, but that’s about it. Is it like drawing on the screens of those things?” He tilted his head, his curiosity clearly piqued. “How does that even work?” Mamori’s grin widened as Mahlioz mentioned the pink pencil. “Haha, it’s fine,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “It might not even be pink next year, just in case you’re wondering. I actually dyed it myself, not a Metamorphmagus or anything — though, Merlin, that would make things a lot easier.” He laughed lightly, tugging at a strand of his hair. “So if I turn up next year with purple or green, don’t be too surprised. Just me having a bit of fun.”

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