12 Apr 2018, 23:08
Catching Fire
╔══════════════════════════════════╗
in our bellies:
fire fire fire
& sometimes
not much
else.
fire fire fire
& sometimes
not much
else.
╚══════════════════════════════════╝
Days like these, after classes have ended and there was not much stress on her shoulders, Sabrina was often found on the Grounds. She didn't like the indoors very much, so when she had the chance it was often that she would be outside. The Spring sun felt nice on her skin, and the light breeze blew her short locks of hair back behind her shoulders. It was the beginning of Spring now, and the happiness of that fact settled into Sabrina's bones. She wasn't one for the winter - rather, she hated it.
The winter cloak that the redheaded girl used to carry along with her was long-forgotten. Now, a simple blazer over top of her white button-up shirt and pleated black skirt was all she needed. Warmth was here, and she didn't need to layer up anymore. It was a relief, especially considering the extra weight a winter cloak adds.
The girl was pulled out of her hazy thought process when she approached a fallen tree. It had stormed recently, and it honestly surprised her that no one had removed it so far. More specifically, that her father hadn't removed it yet. She was surprised that so far, no one has compared her to her father, let alone mentioned the fact that she was related to the Groundskeeper. It was not something she was ashamed of, if anything she was happy to be near her father. She did assume more people would prod at her for it though.
Sitting down on the trunk of the tree, Sabrina let out a sigh. So much was on her mind - especially with the end of the year nearing. In two months, it will be June, and time for her to say goodbye to Hogwarts for a few months. It was only three, but still it seemed like forever. She loved the Scottish castle - it had become her home. Her dormitory was her safe place, and she had made friends with a plentiful amount of people. She didn't want to leave, if she was being honest.
Then again, of course she missed her mother. She hadn't seen her since winter break, and now that was further away than summer break. Going home could be both a blessing and a curse - it would definitely be different spending the summer with her mother. Would that mean that she got to spend more time with Reid too, if she didn't travel? That would be a huge difference, considering the last time the two hung out during the summer, Sabrina ended up with her fingers in a splint.
Just as the girl was about to get up from the resting position on the tree trunk, a flicker of black and white caught her eye. It had scattered into the hollow tree underneath her, and she stood up with a jolt, looking to the tree with a look of confusion imprinted onto her features. What was that?
The winter cloak that the redheaded girl used to carry along with her was long-forgotten. Now, a simple blazer over top of her white button-up shirt and pleated black skirt was all she needed. Warmth was here, and she didn't need to layer up anymore. It was a relief, especially considering the extra weight a winter cloak adds.
The girl was pulled out of her hazy thought process when she approached a fallen tree. It had stormed recently, and it honestly surprised her that no one had removed it so far. More specifically, that her father hadn't removed it yet. She was surprised that so far, no one has compared her to her father, let alone mentioned the fact that she was related to the Groundskeeper. It was not something she was ashamed of, if anything she was happy to be near her father. She did assume more people would prod at her for it though.
Sitting down on the trunk of the tree, Sabrina let out a sigh. So much was on her mind - especially with the end of the year nearing. In two months, it will be June, and time for her to say goodbye to Hogwarts for a few months. It was only three, but still it seemed like forever. She loved the Scottish castle - it had become her home. Her dormitory was her safe place, and she had made friends with a plentiful amount of people. She didn't want to leave, if she was being honest.
Then again, of course she missed her mother. She hadn't seen her since winter break, and now that was further away than summer break. Going home could be both a blessing and a curse - it would definitely be different spending the summer with her mother. Would that mean that she got to spend more time with Reid too, if she didn't travel? That would be a huge difference, considering the last time the two hung out during the summer, Sabrina ended up with her fingers in a splint.
Just as the girl was about to get up from the resting position on the tree trunk, a flicker of black and white caught her eye. It had scattered into the hollow tree underneath her, and she stood up with a jolt, looking to the tree with a look of confusion imprinted onto her features. What was that?
Last edited by Sabrina Hurst on 13 Apr 2018, 18:45, edited 1 time in total.
today you are the fire
& tomorrow you will be the sea.
13 Apr 2018, 05:57
Catching Fire
Reducio
We can make this an RPG+ if you want. It'd be a fun challenge.
Also I wrote the majority of this when I was tired-drunk at midnight.
Also I wrote the majority of this when I was tired-drunk at midnight.
The sky was a gorgeous, hazy orange as Anatole sat on the castle steps, exhausted from a long day's work.
Well, maybe work was the incorrect word. Considering the fact that most humans did not call ushering a violent student to the hospital, finishing a competition with a so-called rival, and discovering secret passageways alongside strangers work. It was more play.
Then Anatole was exhausted from play.
The sun flashed right in his eyes, so he squinted, shielding them from the magnificent ball of light. It was a stunning view, looking out over the rolling hills and mirrored lake. The shadows reached taller than the mountains, stretching across the plains.
And still, Anatole was exhausted.
He longed to write a letter back to Patricia, hoping that one day he would receive a letter back from her. She would've loved living in a castle, with its winding towers, elaborate gates and spiraling roofs. Oh, yes, and she would have thought the ballroom was divine. This whole school had just been so...her.
He longed for a sense of company, of companionship in this empty field. Anatole was sure someone from inside would look out the window and feel compelled to join the lonely boy. It would be the right thing to do, anyways.
In the distance, Anatole spotted a silhouette. A girl, perhaps, sitting on a downed tree. Was she moping? Lonely, like he was? Concerned about something, that she thought the sunset could assist her? It was too bright, and Anatole was even burning up from having his cloak wrapped tightly around him. Anatole still refused to take it off, even though it was the perfect weather: not too chilly, not too warm. Perfect.
Giving up on his earlier notion, Anatole rose to his feet, leaning against the wall for balance. Still shielding his eyes, he walked toward the figure, crossing his fingers and shutting his eyes. She should be nice. She has to be nice.
Anatole had almost made it to the horizontal trunk when a thing...he wasn't sure what...just leaped in front of him. Black and white, diving from one direction to another and disappearing into the darkness and shadow. The Gryffindor let out a scream, afraid it could jump onto him at any moment.
He gulped, noticing the girl had risen as well.
Ah, finally he recognized her.
13 Apr 2018, 19:51
Catching Fire
⊱ ━━━━━━━━━━.⋅ εïз ⋅.━━━━━━━━━━ ⊰
Had that been a skunk? That was the only animal she could think of that was black and white. Unless it was a honey badger, like Hufflepuff's house mascot? She had the curiosity to peek into the trunk, but at the same time, she wouldn't want the skunk to get angry with her, and make her stink. What Sabrina also noticed though, was the scream that didn't come from her. She looked over to her right, seeing another Gryffindor. A boy, one she recognized from the Newspaper. It was her duty to know everyone on the team, at least. That's what the Writer-in-Chief was supposed to do, right?
"Hey, uh.. Andre?" She suggested, but it didn't seem like it was the right name. She knew it was one that she didn't hear all that often though. "Anatole," She settled on, grinning sheepishly, "Sorry about that, I'm still learning names," She mentioned, waving off the fact that she had gotten his entire name wrong. She would learn it eventually, at least she could say that much. "Did you see what that was?" She asked curiously, looking back to the log that she had previously been sitting on.
Her curiosity peaked again, and she furrowed her eyebrows as she circled to the open end of the log, bending over and putting her hands on her knees so that she could peek inside. It wasn't well-lit, but the silhouette of a creature could be seen inside. A hole in the log allowed sunlight to pour through, bringing the tail into light. The black fur with a white stripe confirmed it; this was a- "Skunk!" Sabrina announced, backing away from the log slowly. She definitely did not want to be sprayed, and she doubted that Anatole would like it very much either.
The Gryffindor girl looked over to Anatole then, and rose her eyebrows up slightly, "Do you think it would attack us?" She asked, genuinely concerned. That much showed through the tone in her voice. Her British accent was one she was used to by now, but for anyone foreign to it, it would sound like it had changed in thickness as well, growing stronger. She furrowed her eyebrows together, forming a crease inbetween them. She didn't exactly want to be attacked by a skunk. Were they even hostile?
She wouldn't know, considering she never really listened to what her dad said about them when they walked through forests. She was much too excited about bridges and creeks and she always wanted to exit the path so that she could go play on the playground or jungle gym. Those walks were great, and she wished she could have them at Hogwarts as well, but the Forbidden Forest looked nothing short of intimidating. It was one of the forests you would expect to be in a horror movie - one that Sabrina definitely didn't want to star in.
today you are the fire
& tomorrow you will be the sea.
19 Apr 2018, 15:33
Catching Fire
The girl's head turned toward her as Anatole covered up his mouth, embarrassed by his girlish squeal. It was certainly uncharacteristic of him to scream at the oddest things, and it certainly wasn't like a Gryffindor to do it. So first off, he felt a little bad, especially since he recognized the redhead in front of him. "Sabrina....Hurst? Writer-in-Chief, right?" The back of his mind was angered that he had no inspiration for the jokes column, and his heightened nerves took advantage of him in front of this "important figure". He couldn't tell her how he was feeling...could he?
However, he tried to loosen up. It would be an even worse impression to let his inner tension be revealed. Thankfully, she didn't look like the one to tease. A subtle nervous laugh came out when she stumbled over his name. Andre? He was glad his parents didn't name him that. "Yeah, Anatole, that's it. Hit the nail right on the head!" Another anxious chuckle. It was awkward, screaming in front of his boss, even though she was the same age as him. "It's okay. Names are confusing." He approached her once she asked where the thing went. "I, well...I saw it leap under my feet, and I think it went down into that hole."
His eyes grew as the girl knelt down, less formal than he had expected. She peered through the hole, curious and pensive. Her eyes lit up as she finally recognized the dark figure. Anatole blocked the sun on accident, peering through the hole in the top. "Seriously? A skunk? I never saw those back where I lived..." He twisted his head, unable to locate the signature stripes. Wildlife wasn't Anatole's favorite, but he liked messing with them. They were like people: their reactions were deathly hilarious.
Her eyes darted back toward her like precisely calculated laserbeams. "Well, we can see if I do this. Watch out!" He took a stick from the ground, tapping it not his hardest but definitely not his lightest. The skunk erupted in its scent, drenching Anatole partially. He coughed, shaking his head. "We found out, didn't we?"
For a moment, Anatole forgot Sabrina was his boss.
However, he tried to loosen up. It would be an even worse impression to let his inner tension be revealed. Thankfully, she didn't look like the one to tease. A subtle nervous laugh came out when she stumbled over his name. Andre? He was glad his parents didn't name him that. "Yeah, Anatole, that's it. Hit the nail right on the head!" Another anxious chuckle. It was awkward, screaming in front of his boss, even though she was the same age as him. "It's okay. Names are confusing." He approached her once she asked where the thing went. "I, well...I saw it leap under my feet, and I think it went down into that hole."
His eyes grew as the girl knelt down, less formal than he had expected. She peered through the hole, curious and pensive. Her eyes lit up as she finally recognized the dark figure. Anatole blocked the sun on accident, peering through the hole in the top. "Seriously? A skunk? I never saw those back where I lived..." He twisted his head, unable to locate the signature stripes. Wildlife wasn't Anatole's favorite, but he liked messing with them. They were like people: their reactions were deathly hilarious.
Her eyes darted back toward her like precisely calculated laserbeams. "Well, we can see if I do this. Watch out!" He took a stick from the ground, tapping it not his hardest but definitely not his lightest. The skunk erupted in its scent, drenching Anatole partially. He coughed, shaking his head. "We found out, didn't we?"
For a moment, Anatole forgot Sabrina was his boss.
29 Apr 2018, 19:45
Catching Fire
Sabrina nodded her head eagerly as Anatole asked if she was the writer-in-chief, "Precisely!" She replied, her tone chipper. She wasn't exactly a happy-go-lucky type of gal, but she didn't quite have a reason to be anything but happy at the moment. It was hard to bring the girl's spirits down, though rude people always seemed to put a damper on her mood. Thankfully, Anatole was not one of those people. "How's your article going?" She asked, kind of curious. She hadn't really been getting updates from the team recently, but maybe she should take initiative and begin asking for them.
A giggle escaped the girl at the boy's lingo, finding it slightly amusing. Hit the nail right on the head? That was a saying she hadn't heard before, and yet she felt like she should have. She was glad he didn't hold it against her that she got his name wrong on the first try. It definitely saved her the embarrassment, and a small smile settled on her face for now. He was a nice boy, she decided, someone she could probably befriend without worrying too much about it.
After standing up from peering into the log, she turned to Anatole, who seemed just as curious as she was about the skunk. She wasn't too intrigued now that she knew what it was, though. She didn't want to stink. "They are pretty cute, but-" Before she could warn him about the spray that would protrude from the skunk if they frightened it, Anatole had tapped a stick on the log, making a loud Clunk! sound each time he tapped the stick on the log. Sabrina took a few more steps back - she was not going to get sprayed too. He could be alone in this one.
And then it happened - a puff of green came out of the hole in the log, dousing Anatole in its stench. Sabrina's nose crinkled up, and she shook her head at the boy, her red hair swishing from side-to-side as she did so. She cringed a little bit as he spoke afterwards, and she nodded her head in agreement, "I guess you could say that.." She trailed off, her eyes trailing over the boy's appearance. For some reason, she always assumed that when a skunk sprayed you, your clothes and skin would also turn green. This seemed to be false, she decided, as she took in the details of how he looked - normal.
But the smell that came along with it was obnoxious, even though it hadn't covered him fully as far as she could tell. From five feet away, she could smell the signature smell of skunk. Her previous smile had tugged down into a frown, "You stink." She stated, and suddenly - unexpectedly - she burst out into a series of laughter, "Oh Merlin, it smells so bad!" For some reason, this was just completely hilarious to her. He would probably have to have a two hour long shower just to get the smell to come off. Or what was that vegetable people claimed bathing in covered up the scent? She wanted to say potatoes, but she wasn't quite sure. It could also be tomatoes. They sounded the same to her.
A giggle escaped the girl at the boy's lingo, finding it slightly amusing. Hit the nail right on the head? That was a saying she hadn't heard before, and yet she felt like she should have. She was glad he didn't hold it against her that she got his name wrong on the first try. It definitely saved her the embarrassment, and a small smile settled on her face for now. He was a nice boy, she decided, someone she could probably befriend without worrying too much about it.
After standing up from peering into the log, she turned to Anatole, who seemed just as curious as she was about the skunk. She wasn't too intrigued now that she knew what it was, though. She didn't want to stink. "They are pretty cute, but-" Before she could warn him about the spray that would protrude from the skunk if they frightened it, Anatole had tapped a stick on the log, making a loud Clunk! sound each time he tapped the stick on the log. Sabrina took a few more steps back - she was not going to get sprayed too. He could be alone in this one.
And then it happened - a puff of green came out of the hole in the log, dousing Anatole in its stench. Sabrina's nose crinkled up, and she shook her head at the boy, her red hair swishing from side-to-side as she did so. She cringed a little bit as he spoke afterwards, and she nodded her head in agreement, "I guess you could say that.." She trailed off, her eyes trailing over the boy's appearance. For some reason, she always assumed that when a skunk sprayed you, your clothes and skin would also turn green. This seemed to be false, she decided, as she took in the details of how he looked - normal.
But the smell that came along with it was obnoxious, even though it hadn't covered him fully as far as she could tell. From five feet away, she could smell the signature smell of skunk. Her previous smile had tugged down into a frown, "You stink." She stated, and suddenly - unexpectedly - she burst out into a series of laughter, "Oh Merlin, it smells so bad!" For some reason, this was just completely hilarious to her. He would probably have to have a two hour long shower just to get the smell to come off. Or what was that vegetable people claimed bathing in covered up the scent? She wanted to say potatoes, but she wasn't quite sure. It could also be tomatoes. They sounded the same to her.
today you are the fire
& tomorrow you will be the sea.
3 May 2018, 02:10
Catching Fire
Anatole brushed off the nervous beads of sweat drizzling down his forehead. She had asked about his column for the Gryffpost...which he hadn't started on...and didn't plan to anytime soon. The deadline was approaching, but he couldn't find a funny bone in him. Maybe it had just broken and he forgot to go to the hospital wing. Was that how it worked? "Yeah...I think it's going well...a little bit of trouble here and there, but...eh?" He shrugged, a strange grin crawling up his cheeks. He had just bent the truth to his "boss". Sabrina was still on a higher rank in his mind, and it would take a bit more getting used to.
Slowly, he watched her head peer into the hollow log, trying to spot a camouflaged skunk in the shadows. The sunset wasn't a great time to look, and especially for a dark animal like a skunk. He had learned back in Muggle school that their color, along with their scent mechanism, were two things they used to defend themselves against predators. What were those called again?
Almost typed Professors instead of predators...oof!
But oddly enough, she kept cautious. She knew what she was getting into, and by the time Anatole had provoked the animal, she had backed away. The log rolled and crunched with every time he whacked it. The more he thought about it, the more stupid it was to shake a log to get a skunk out. Who would do that to a skunk? Certainly everyone who knew the consequences...
Anatole's preconceived notions of a skunk's squirting were interesting. When a skunk, well, farted, did it make an odd sound? Did they close their eyes and force it out, or was it natural?
Well, all of the boy's questions were answered when the ominous olive cloud arose from the log. He shut his eyes, afraid the scent would make his eyes water. Why didn't he expect this? Ugh! Another embarrassment in front of someone important. Maybe he had tried too hard to impress her. He coughed, hacking out some spit as he took an accidental whiff of his robes. For a moment, Anatole puked in his mouth. "Eugh! I really, really, hate to say it, but you're right!"
No matter what he said, there was one thing he still felt like he couldn't say. Sorry. Sorry for smelling so bad in front of you? No such thing.
He coughed again, meeting eyes with her. "D-Do you know how to get me out of this mess? Should I...take off my robe?" Oddly enough, he did take off his robe as he said it. "My shirt? Do they wash these?" Once again, there was one thing he couldn't stop thinking of.
Oh God, I sound so stupid.
Slowly, he watched her head peer into the hollow log, trying to spot a camouflaged skunk in the shadows. The sunset wasn't a great time to look, and especially for a dark animal like a skunk. He had learned back in Muggle school that their color, along with their scent mechanism, were two things they used to defend themselves against predators. What were those called again?
Almost typed Professors instead of predators...oof!
But oddly enough, she kept cautious. She knew what she was getting into, and by the time Anatole had provoked the animal, she had backed away. The log rolled and crunched with every time he whacked it. The more he thought about it, the more stupid it was to shake a log to get a skunk out. Who would do that to a skunk? Certainly everyone who knew the consequences...
Anatole's preconceived notions of a skunk's squirting were interesting. When a skunk, well, farted, did it make an odd sound? Did they close their eyes and force it out, or was it natural?
Well, all of the boy's questions were answered when the ominous olive cloud arose from the log. He shut his eyes, afraid the scent would make his eyes water. Why didn't he expect this? Ugh! Another embarrassment in front of someone important. Maybe he had tried too hard to impress her. He coughed, hacking out some spit as he took an accidental whiff of his robes. For a moment, Anatole puked in his mouth. "Eugh! I really, really, hate to say it, but you're right!"
No matter what he said, there was one thing he still felt like he couldn't say. Sorry. Sorry for smelling so bad in front of you? No such thing.
He coughed again, meeting eyes with her. "D-Do you know how to get me out of this mess? Should I...take off my robe?" Oddly enough, he did take off his robe as he said it. "My shirt? Do they wash these?" Once again, there was one thing he couldn't stop thinking of.
Oh God, I sound so stupid.