PET Looking Back to Step Forward SOLO

[font=century gothic]WHEN: [/font]July 2, 2020 | Morning
[font=century gothic]WHERE: [/font]Diagon Alley | Magical Menagerie
[font=century gothic]WHO: [/font]Evelynn (and Janus)
[font=century gothic]WHAT: [/font]After having stayed the night at the Leaky Cauldron with her mother, Evelynn is given permission to pick out a companion as a special graduation gift

The tinkle of a chime accompanied the relenting creak of hinges as the door to the menagerie pushed inward. From the street of Diagon Alley beyond, Evelynn stepped into the store, bathed in the soft glow of a morning only just beginning to rouse. In the seconds before she closed it behind her, the telltale sound of activity filtered in across the hearth: cart wheels clacking against the cobble, the chatter of shoppers making their rounds, the whooping of children and their imploring tones attempting to cajole their guardians to acquiesce to — more often than not — ridiculous requests. With the school year over and summer holidays now upon them, Diagon Alley was sure to have a spike in activity. And this day, Evelynn was among that crowd.

As the door clicked back into place, bringing with it a brief shutter of darkness until she acclimated to the dim interior, Evelynn was greeted by the melody of an entirely different sort. Low hoots from owls perched at convenient vantage points to the entrance were the first to welcome her, followed shortly after by the mewling and chatter of various cats, the guttural croaks of toads, and other vocalisations that soon melded in to each other. Far from sounding like any sort of anxious alarm, the animalistic cacophony carried with it a sense of warmth. It was like a symphony, one that played just for her on her arrival in celebration of the reason for her presence.

Taking a moment to survey the small shop, butterflies emerged to flutter in Evelynn's stomach just as the corners of her lips pulled into the faintest hint of a smile. There could be little doubt in just how excited she was to be here. All throughout the previous year, she had stood on the sidelines watching her peers interact with their pets. Animals of all variety could be seen wherever one wandered about the castle and school grounds. It had hardly bothered her, nor could she quite say she'd been jealous, per se; but as the months had worn by, a definite sense of longing had settled in her core whenever she bore witness to the pairings. Cassie had always been a presence among the most consistent in her life. Parting from that mare was always one of the most difficult aspects of attending Hogwarts.

This had been especially the case in those months as winter melted into spring and continued towards summer. Evelynn may have done well to have had something other than the thoughts swirling within her own mind to keep her company. Although she generally craved human contact — if not to be the direct centre of it, then to at least be witness to whatever excitement unravelled about her — she had grown weary of it after the Blossom Ball. Difficult couldn't even begin to describe any social encounter that had followed. When energy to maintain a façade of confidence and positivity had run dry, she'd turned to avoiding it altogether. Perhaps a pet might have instilled some regenerative affection.

There had been no such companion, however, and perhaps now was not the time to mull over such thoughts of could-have-beens. The past was the past, and she had taken great steps to move forward from that void. She had come to a place of acceptance, resolving to face those issues squarely that had previously left her bereft. But… even still… she was bound to hesitate from time to time. Perhaps it would be prudent to bring something with her to support her one way or another as she attempted to harness the courage she endeavoured to model.. But what?

Stepping forward into the heart of the menagerie, Evelynn dropped her hands to clasp lightly, one over the other, to hang against her lap. She was in no particular rush. Although board had been secured by her mother at the Leaky Cauldron for the night with the intention to leave in the morning, there had been some murmur of needing to run a few errands for work, and so Evelynn had been left to peruse the shopping alley. So long as she stayed within sight of the inn. They would take their leave in an hour or so. Which left her plenty of time to ponder on her decision.

A decision she would have to make with care. In a manner of speaking, anyway. Tanks of glass were passed by with nary a sideways glance. Be they filled with scaled reptilian, hairy crawler, or hydrophilic amphibian, Evelynn paid them little mind. Curiosities they might have been, and perhaps a talking piece at a gathering, they were hardly useful. Well, perhaps not entirely. She supposed a spider could be used to frighten someone, and a snake to bite. But that would be circumstantial at best, and she couldn't think of when a spell wouldn't just suffice instead. Plus, she rather liked the idea of something at least a modicum more bulky to be able to fawn over with ample affection.

It would be towards the lines of aviary and feline friends in the waiting that Evelynn's steps carried her without a shred of hesitation. Although the Pygmypuffs technically served as something larger and more than willing to absorb any and all adoration, their bright colours and strange appearance were not particularly comforting to the cub. It would have to be one of the other two varieties. It would make the most sense as well, given how easily either could blend into her home environment. Really, it was a shame she couldn't simply catch and tame one of the barn cats or owls that already made their home within the stables. But these, she supposed, despite supposedly being nothing more than normal critters always seemed to carry about them an air of higher intellect. Could being in the mere presence of magic imbue some shred of the extraordinary upon the otherwise mundane? It was a curious thought. Would anything happen if she were to bring one of her family pets to school?

For a moment, she actually considered saving the galleons she'd be spending here to test the theory. Then discarded the notion as quickly as it had come. Surely that would be too unkind. It had been a traumatic enough experience for her to attend Hogwarts. She couldn't imagine how a creature might be impacted to be thrust into a strange world with different rules than by which they'd survived until now. Perhaps that plunge would actually be the end of them. No, she wouldn't do that.

With a breath to clear her mind and re-centre her considerations, Evelynn released her hands to swing them back around to clasp behind her instead, turning on the balls of her feet to survey her options. A particularly lovely Ragdoll rose, sapphire blue eyes training up to command attention as it mewled and rubbed its cheek against the cage. Suppressing a smile, Evelynn stepped forward just enough to lower herself to a crouch and slip fingers through the bars to reward it with a scritch under the chin. Cats were a common sight in the Gryffindor common room. Without even a shred of effort, at least four came to mind. Surely there'd be no harm in adding another..

But as she bobbed from cage to cage to administer her attentions to the whiskered wares, it was to the perches above that her attention always drew, and eventually, she retreated entirely to lift her chin to the birds. It had been such a novel thing, the first time she'd seen them in action swooping in through the open windows at breakfast to drop parcels and letters to weary students attempting to nourish themselves over breakfast. She'd head of carrier pigeons and had seen demonstrations of raptors in flight for hunting, but never had she seen something quite so spectacular. And the way that the owls just knew to whom they were supposed to deliver. How, exactly, was beyond her.

Owls were just so.. Useful. With her spike in communication with peers via correspondence in the recent months, she'd certainly made good use of them… And.. Admittedly, the idea of not having to trek to the owlery was an alluring one. Plus, she would be able to send and receive letters whenever she pleased, not bound by the limitations of whatever curfews would waylay them in the year to come. Not to mention, it would provide her a means to stay connected over the holidays… A quick chuckle expelled through her nose betrayed how ridiculous it now seemed that'd she'd possibly consider anything but an owl. It was the logical choice. Perhaps not quite as readily present as one of the other critters, but by no means incapable of affection in its own way. And surely more practical.

She needn't even attempt to puzzle out how, exactly, to go about deciding which owl would be good. The moment she'd come to the conclusion of which variety of animal, the low resonance of a commanding hoot called out from the corner. Her gaze swivelled in the direction of the summons in time to see the rustling shuffle of a moderately sized brown owl rousing itself from slumber. It fluffed itself once, twice, then straightened slowly, languidly turning its head about to catch her gaze. Void-like eyes nestled in a bone-white mask stared unblinkingly at her. What could possibly be going on behind that silent visage, Evelynn couldn't possibly know. She was left with the sense of being judged, her soul laid bare before the scrutinising gaze of the avian. Mouth parching in an instant, she swallowed in an attempt to instil some semblance of moisture. An urge to look away gripped her, tendrils of unease stirring in the core of her belly. She dared not, however. As unsettling the leering was, it felt.. Significant in a way.

Not daring to break the connection, she turned to square herself towards the bird, resuming the clasping of her hands against her lap, feet together, and head cocked a sliver to the side. The very image of pleasant propriety. She held the gaze, permitting its assessment of her to continue unhindered. Time seemed to stand still in that moment, and she lost track of it in an instant. One minute… ten… an hour. It could have been any of those for all she knew. The world seemed to fog and haze around her as her focus honed in; as she, too, took the time to return the assessment.

It was a beautiful specimen. Not the first barn owl she'd seen, of course. There was a mated pair that had taken up residence in the loft of her stables at home, although they'd been absent for the past year now. Those two couldn't hold a candle to the elegance of this one, however. Their feathers had been mottled, dull. This ones shone with a subtle brilliance of health, not a one askew. Clearly the owl — or perhaps its keeper — took great care in its appearance. Nor did it distract easily. The symphony of animal noises continued around them, but it maintained its attention only for her. There was a cunning about it as well. Understated, reserved. As though it knew things others would only ever be able to guess at. And it held itself with a poised confidence. She might have thought of him as lord of the owls with its commanding presence, had it not been for the fact that she'd initially overlooked him entirely. As though its presence had been insubstantial until such time that it wished to influence the moment.

Just a unexpectedly as the owl had made itself known, it gave a single hoot as though having made up its mind about something. Then, after a brief shuffling of its feet, it flexed its wings and swooped gracefully down to the counter, once more turning an anticipatory gaze upon Evelynn. It wasn't to be her decision, she realised then with a bit of a start. It wasn't she who had entered to select her companion. Much like it had been with her wand, it was she that was to be selected. It fit, though, she supposed. If it was to be an owl, what better an owl than a barn one? Had it known? Could it tell she held an affinity to such a structure? Was there something it had seen in her? Would that she could listen to the thoughts of an animal. Was there spell for that? Nevermind.

"So this is how it's to be, then?" she mused, casting the owl a look of bemusement. The timely appearance of the shopkeeper had meant little time was wasted at the counter before she had counted out the coins to pay him, added to the total a few necessities for care, and collected her new possessions before heading for the exit. "Very well."

A new companion. With the closing of this year, she would be stepping forward into the coming unknown. Summer would provide a soothing transition from one chapter to the next, and hopefully ample opportunity for her to acquaint herself with this creature that had decided to bind itself to her. Did it know what it had signed itself up for? That it would be the harbinger of words both black and white as she reflected on the past and set her sights ahead to continue to build upon the foundation she had only just begun to lay in the last few months? That he would, if all went well, serve as the vehicle of change?

"I was going to name you Artemis," she admitted, still thoughtfully regarding the owl as her own mind circled in rumination. Feathers erected to give the owl an appearance of dissatisfaction, accompanied by a quiet clicking of his beak in what was clear rejection. "No," Evelynn chuckled, tilting her head. "I quite agree. Not suitable at all."

A pause as she considered an alternative. "Janus." She nodded, the name feeling right even as she said it. "Yes. I will call you Janus."

Janus chittered approvingly.

Word Count | 2,356

What animal do you wish to purchase? Barred Owl (to be RP'd as a Barn Owl)
What do you want to name it? Janus
Is this a boy or a girl? Boy
What is your pet's date of birth? January 28, 2018