━━━━━━━━━ Basil ━━━━━━━━━ ┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓ Year Three Ilvermorny Horned Serpent ┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛

Roleplaying as Casey Stone from Ilvermorny

Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics
@Basil Blackwood

Casey shrugged. "Magic was easier". Yeah, yeah. That definitely checks out and Casey wasn't going to deny it himself either. While his mother was certain Muggle essence lingered in their modern blood, something that neither truly shocked nor disappointed Casey, he was still very much weighing on the side of the scale that embraced magic a lot more.

"Yeah, I get that. Magic comes in and saves the day with the majority of problems we run into back home. Though I will applaud Muggles for makin' use of the tools they're given in place of somethin' they don't have. They're quite the... Uh, what's the word... Resolute? Nah, nah... Oh! Resourceful! That's the one...! Muggles are quite the resourceful bunch. I mean, I'd consider them smart if they're able to use their hands and heads to fix a problem without wands and potions".

Casey shrugged again when he saw Basil's expression. He didn't look like he was unbothered by the Ways of the No-Maj, but Casey could tell he wasn't exactly rivetted by them either. But he did seem to perk in interest at the sudden discussion of werewolves.

Casey's lips thinned into a straight line as they pressed together in thought. Everything that Basil was saying was definitely reaching Casey's ears, though that wasn't to say he found what he was hearing very pleasing.

"Hmm..." Casey wasn't entirely sure how to put his thoughts into words. His "Shit Happens" side of things was clashing with the undeniably sad and admittedly cruel way of life towards the aforementioned species. "I guess that's just how the cookie crumbles..." He mentally chided himself. That made him sound like they deserved it or something. "I mean-- Years of stereotypin' and paintin' them as monsters when they clearly have human blood and skin on the side has just warped society to be spiteful towards them. Hell, even in the daylight where nothin' is gonna happen between them, they still give werewolves a narrow eye".

He rolled his eyes at the crystal clear hate he'd always hear about being targeted at werewolves or being written about in the papers. He wasn't sure how he'd be able to sympathise with them - being human and all - but he knew an overreaction and unwarranted targeting when he saw it.

"Perhaps if they actually engaged with them more and learnt more about 'em then ghost stories about werewolves gettin' their vengeance or whatever wouldn't be so common. People would probably be able to recognise that werewolves are just human sized retrievers".

_{Word Count: 426}

Stats: Stamina: 8|Strength: 7|Evasion: 7|Wisdom: 6|Arc Power: 6|Accuracy: 7
Abilities: Fearless |Poison Resistance

Basil had to admit that Casey had a good point. He might not think that no-maj technology was all that interesting, but it was remarkably impressive that they did as well as they did without magic to help them. "Ah, you're absolutely right. They are certainly resourceful. I'm also not questioning their intelligence, after all, they have to go to incredible lengths to achieve what we can easily. There's simply only so much time in a day, and I'd prefer to spend it studying something that will help me in class or in the future," he conceded, hoping that Casey would understand that he wasn't trying to be combative, he simply believed no-maj technology was a waste of time if you weren't actively being benefited by it.

Basil was thrown off by Casey's immediate defense of werewolves and by his turn of phrase as he expressed his dislike of the stigma against the lycanthropes. "How... the cookie crumbles?" Basil muttered to himself, brows furrowing. What did a cookie have to do with the rights of half-breeds?

"You're right on the fact that people shouldn't need to fear or hate them, but they're not the same as everyone else, and there's no changing that. Someone attacked by a lycanthrope in human form can still suffer ill effects from their scratches or bites, and there are some that quite eagerly lean into their feral nature," he paused to explain, "I've heard there's entire societies of them that choose to live in the woods without any other human contact, rather than trying to assimilate back into wizard society."

He couldn't help it, his skin prickling as he suddenly felt defensive of his grandmother and her views, the very things Casey was calling ghost stories. He didn't appreciate the way Casey was so ready to accept werewolves at face value, and ignore the very real danger they held. He didn't know the way they very nearly tore his family apart before he was born. Sure, they shouldn't be hated, but they weren't harmless little dogs, and it was insulting to lovely retrievers to imply it. Something in the back of his mind recoiled at his own reaction to Casey's view, but force of habit took over as he replied with more vitriol in his voice than he intended, "They aren't just some innocent pet and they shouldn't be compared to one. They aren't evil, but there's a reason they have been classified as monsters and beasts for generations. I don't hate them, they're just other people, but they do have a history of attacking people, whether on purpose or by accident. Many can't afford their wolfsbane potions, which makes them a hazard to society. It's just not safe to interact with the poor things, unless you can verify they're properly controlled.

He hadn't meant to but as soon as he finished his reactive reply, he winced and looked at the ground as he realized he'd quoted the very thing his grandmother had said when she'd been bringing his cousin to their estate for a month. He didn't think he really believed what he just said, and didn't know why he'd reacted so strongly when only moment before he'd been acknowledging that he thought his grandmother was wrong. It was as though what Casey had said had resonated with Basil, and the thought scared him more than he'd admit. He wanted to apologize, but it wasn't proper to take back what he'd already said, so instead he pressed his lips into a thin line, cheeks burning with embarrassment.

⭑☾𖣂☽⭑
Interacting with:@Casey Stone Wordcount:600 Color=#3C692A
Basil Blackwood Ilvermorny ^꧁Courage is not always seen^꧂
Stats: Stamina: 7 | Evasion: 8 | Strength: 1 | Wisdom: 10 | ArcPower: 11 | Accuracy: 10
Abilities: N/A
iNPC

Roleplaying as Casey Stone from Ilvermorny

Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics
@Basil Blackwood

Ah right. Casey had an overseas Muggle-born buddy to teach her some Non-Wizard World slang. Makes sense that Basil had a complete face blank when Casey tried to put some of what he learnt into practice. He scratched the back of his neck, chuckling lightly. "It's a Muggle sayin'... Kinda means like, "Just how it is" or somethin' like that".

But then Basil totally flipped his switch just as Casey finished.

"Whoa, okay..." Casey held his hands up in mock surrender. Who would've guessed that the timid, smart boy would be so hot and dusty about werewolves. Casey could only imagine the field day Emily would have, sitting this kid down and giving a twelve hour lecture on "The Humanity of Werewolves" or something like that. Casey himself was admittedly on the fence about the whole halfbreed thing, but even he had honour and respect for them on the whole.

"Alright, alright, I get it," Casey said, remaining relaxed. "I didn't say you had to hug and kiss 'em or anythin'. Just pointing out the fact that there's probably a lot more we gotta learn about 'em, that's all. I mean-- my friend sees good in 'em past all the fur and biology. I trust her judgement and that's good enough for me to give the fuzzballs a chance".

Probably because she's just a little too infectious to refuse...

"I get that wolfsbane is expensive and hard to produce, but surely that's incentive enough for people to bust a little harder to help 'em out?" Casey always found that a bit too coincidental. Wolfsbane was one of the hardest potions to get some hands on and it just so happened to be the "barrier" between man and wolf in werewolves. Casey clicked his tongue. Something about it sounded unironically cruel.

Basil suddenly fell quiet, looking almost ashamed with his outburst. Casey shrugged. He was voicing an opinion he was allowed to. Although, if Basil was alluding to anything through his face and posture, it was letting Casey know that it wasn't just some indoctrinated fear that Basil was speaking out with.

Casey hummed and patted Basil's shoulders. "It's not a crime to hate on the animal that does the deed, you know. Just don't hold it against the human that's forced into the backseat when it happens".

_{Word Count: 387}

Stats: Stamina: 8|Strength: 7|Evasion: 7|Wisdom: 6|Arc Power: 6|Accuracy: 7
Abilities: Fearless |Poison Resistance

Basil still couldn't grasp just what a tasty snack had to do with the way things were, but at least Casey seemed to take his awkwardness in stride. Even when his confusion turned visceral and digging, Casey simply stayed relaxed but stood his ground. It threw Basil off, too used to either icy coldness or timid concession during arguments in his home. It was nothing like the firm but kind retort from the other boy. If he had gotten snippy like that with anyone in his family, he would've either been told off outright or agreed with.

Basil looked down, hackles lowering and shame rising at Casey's reaction. "I, um, I guess you're right. I shouldn't have gotten so upset. I really don't know why I did... I'm sorry," he whispered, scuffing the dirt with his foot. "I guess I just can't think of them as two different entities, when it's all the same person. The wolf and the wizard, that is. I feel like it's their responsibility as well to get their wolfsbane and make sure they're keeping others safe, but I never thought about how hard it is for them to actually do that."

Keeping his eyes on the ground he pressed his lips together, tacking on, "I just don't know what we're supposed to do about that. And until it's possible to know that they're in control every month, there's no reason to try to assimilate them into society. It's a danger to them and us," looking up at Casey, he shyly makes eye contact again, "I don't hate them though. I really am sorry for my outburst. It's just been stressful with all the changes and everything around here."

⭑☾𖣂☽⭑
Interacting with:@Casey Stone Wordcount: 200+ Color=#3C692A
Basil Blackwood Ilvermorny ^꧁Courage is not always seen^꧂
Stats: Stamina: 7 | Evasion: 8 | Strength: 1 | Wisdom: 10 | ArcPower: 11 | Accuracy: 10
Abilities: N/A
iNPC

Roleplaying as Casey Stone from Ilvermorny

Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics
@Basil Blackwood

Basil had a few fair points. Casey could imagine Emily agreeing with him, but only to a point... Which itself wasn't very far into the argument. And to be honest, Casey felt inclined to side with her on that front.

"We should still care," he said quietly. "Even if we don't quite fully understand the furry bastards, we should do all we can to help them. Hell, they probably want free of their inner beasties just as much the common werewolf hater does".

Though even as the words left his mouth, Casey couldn't help but find himself on the same wavelength as Basil, minus the implication that they were all monsters. Werewolves were complicated creatures, housing a savage beast every thirty-ish days before it rises and wreaks bloody chaos for a single night. Casey nodded to himself as he pondered some more. Yeah, he could definitely see the potential for destruction. But why forsake the human for that? It all sounded a bit much, didn't it?

In the end, after struggling to further find the right words to justify his sentiment, Casey shook his head. "You can think how you see fit. I doubt there's a dent in the human populace that would disagree with you. If anythin' I think you're bein' kinder than those who despise them with all their heart... Heh. In that regard, you're bein' nice enough to think of them like that".

Casey poked Basil's arm without force. "Don't be sorry. I suppose it's taken a while for the dust to settle after everythin' that's gone down over the last few months".

A tiny thought tickled Casey's brain and he laughed half-heartedly. "Strange huh... Werewolves can change yet the human race remain stubborn as ever, refusin' change and instead challengin' the world with bombs, curses and anythin' else that can start a fire".

_{Word Count: 307}

Stats: Stamina: 8|Strength: 7|Evasion: 7|Wisdom: 6|Arc Power: 6|Accuracy: 7
Abilities: Fearless |Poison Resistance