Errand closed Sweet Dreams, Fellow Insomniacs

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Word Count: 215
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"Looks like I'm first," Katie said, more to herself than to anybody else. She waa super excited for this sleepover in the astronomy tower, and she anticipated that it would be a lot of fun. She noticed the 'take one' note on the books, and did, given that she'd always enjoyed reading.

Katie was wearing a silky, but warm and comfortable Slytherin green top, and silky, but again, warm and comfortable Slytherin green bottom for pajamas. Her ponytails were also already taken out, and her hair was slightly messy, but she'd thrown it up somewhat haphazardly into a bun on top of her head to hopefully keep it from getting in her face too much.

Katie anticipated tonight would be a lot of fun, bit since no-one else had arrived yet, she decided to go lounge on the large plush cushion near the chairs they usually sat on for lectures. She flipped open the new astronomy book she'd gotten, and decided to read it while occasionally glancing up to see if anyone else would enter. She hasn't gotten there insanely early, but if course, somebody always had to be first when it came to arriving at a location. Unless of course everyone got they're at the same time, but that would be weird and awkward.

Action: taking an astronomy book, sitting down on a large cushion, and reading it while checking to see if anybody else had joined yet

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@Evelynn Decipio

Valentine is severely affected by Leonardo Chiadovini’s Terrible Presence.

It was as if a veil rested on the mind of the Gryffindor First Year as he sat in silent contemplation. Then, the flicker of a shadow over his face roused him from his slumber.

Almost as if waking from a dream, Valentine’s eyes opened languidly once again as he returned from his state of failed meditation. He reached for his wand reflexively, then paused. There was no threat around. He was in the observation deck of the astronomy tower, one of the safest places possible. Still, though, he was disquieted. The distinct feeling of loss touched his soul, but he could not place it. The boy rubbed his eyes wearily. He was confronting nightmares he could not face, dreams he could not recall. Getting up from his folded sleeping bag, Jackson Valentine went to the curved glass window to ponder on the thoughts that hounded him.

He stood alone, overlooking a sprawling castle complex beneath where children had already been shepherded to their respective dormitories. There were lights, lights everywhere. A sign of life and hope, the kind that came with every new generation of young wizards. He smiled meaninglessly at that thought. Something felt missing, but what exactly it was eluded him. His gaze traveled forward through the darkness of night, searching for something he could only see.

Word Count: 220

Actions for this Round: Brooding

Michael didn't have a normal life. His first memory was sitting in the large manor that his parents had gotten from his paternal grandparents. It was raining, he knew because that day he watched his parents come back from a night of dancing at another gala. He was walking then but didn't talk much, as he rarely heard anyone talk. He walked to his parents, smiling at their return. His empty stomach growled as this was a year before he would get a house-elf. He had been all alone, his sisters being spoiled by his father's parents even then. He said his first word. A small one. "Hi" it was innocent, but his parents didn't notice and continued on with their lives.

To this day, it is believed his first word was mama, because of his mother's false claims to others. Who would correct them? As that quiet child found an apple to sustain him, he didn't think of the importance of the word, just the memory, of being turned away. Dismissed.

Needless to say, the boy never got comfort when he needs it. When he fell, he learned to get right back up. When he cried, he was the one to tell himself that he'd be okay. When he had nightmares, he had to learn that the beasts wouldn't get him.

The first time he didn't sleep under the same roof with his parents was the day after he was bitten. He woke up to pain in his leg, and his grandparents by his side. He smiled and said nothing to the shock of his family. What 5 years old wakes up in pain and does call for their mom?
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Weeks after the 'accident', as it had been called, the boy still woke with nightmares. He would cry out at first, before cupping his mouth with his hand as no so silent sobs racked his body. His grandparents would immediately be there, much to the horror of Michael, not wanting to bother them.

Bit by bit, they taught him that if he felt scared, sad, or angry, that they were there to look after him. It only took a month, for the small boy to climb into their bed when he started to feel sicker and sicker. He still didn't understand what he was.

The first time he had turned, he had the potion, yet they didn't worry too much about him hurting anyone, as, after hours of cracking bones and the boy's eye-piercing screams, they looked into their basement to see a small wolf whimpering in its sleep.
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It only took the night he was moved back to his parents for years of comfort to be undone. That night as he got up to go and be comforted, he stopped himself out in the cold hall leading to their room. What was he doing? They weren't going to help.

He spends the next couple of months reteaching himself how to deal with himself again. Until he found out the best thing to do, was just not sleep. So he spent his nights reading, his full moons he would take the potions he was sent, from where? He never knew.

When he got to Hogwarts, he would stay up reading, only sleeping when he couldn't keep his eyes open. So when he heard there was a way for him to do such, and not have to sit in silence, he jumped at the chance to join.

He hurried to the Astronomy Classroom, a pillow in his grasp, hugged to his chest, as he clenched a blanket in his small hand. He had his bag, full of books to last him all night, slung over his shoulder. He hummed as he moved to a clear spot, laying his stuff down, and sitting down, and beginning to read.

WC:642

[font=century gothic]INTERACTING WITH @Jackson Valentine | MENTIONING @Leonardo Chiadovini [/font]

It wasn't every day that the students were permitted to remain on the wrong side of their dorm entrance beyond curfew. All the less frequently so since the implementation of the heightened restrictions imposed the year prior which had continued into the new school year. It had been—and remained to be—terribly inconvenient. She could understand not being allowed to roam the halls until the small hours of the night, but to be precluded even from staying in the safety of Gryffindor tower's common room was of great annoyance. Rarely one to be able to sleep the night through, the common room had become her nesting ground for the great majority of her first year. Whenever sleep eluded her, she would escape to its quiet solitude while the rest of her peers slumbered and work on her assignments in peace. This habit had been forcibly broken with that new mandate.

Of course, ever since her appointment to Prefectdom, Evelynn had enjoyed a might bit more freedom. With obligations to do her part to ensure that other students were holding to the rules and not wandering when and where they ought not to be, no longer was she entirely beholden to the rules of curfew herself. In fact, for the most part, she had been able to return to her earlier habit of holing up in some dark and secluded corner of the commons with a text, reading through her notes and lecture material under the guise of keeping an eye out for miscreants. The only negative to this was that if ever there actually was someone attempting to sneak out, she would then have to break momentum from school work to actually address the infraction.

Thus, when it was announced that there would be a little "sleep over" at the Astronomy tower, Evelynn jumped at the opportunity. Permission to study through the night in a quiet location under a canopy of stars, all the while not having to divide concentration between educational and prefectorial obligations? She couldn't think of any reason to deny it.

Her arrival to the event had been on the earlier side. Although she had detoured on her way in order to patrol past her dedicated corridors, she had wanted to make her appearance prior to most. Not only did this allow her nearly first choice on prime sleep over real estate, but it would mean going relatively unnoticed. A polite, "Good evening, Professor," had been cast towards Professor Chiadovini in passing, followed by a deferent bow of her chin and, "Thank you for allowing us to use of your Observatory". She hadn't lingered long, however, certainly not long enough for any meaningful conversational exchange unless the professor had specifically asked her to tarry a moment.

* * *

The moment she was able to do so, however, she would break off, bee-lining for the stairs that would carry up to the Observatory (but not before passing by that very seductive pile of chocolate frogs on the professor's desk and swiping one for herself).

She had also paused by the bookshelf. The aroma permeating the tower had immediately caught her attention on arrival. Lavender had been easily identifiable, but the other scents, not quite so. Her steps had nearly carried her straight past the display, but a glint of light upon the little phials had given her pause. Closer inspection revealed them to be little bottles of essential oils, presumably, and she smiled as a light touch of her fingertip to card angled it enough for her to read the scrawled "Take One" upon its surface. The question then, however, was take only one? Or one of each scent? With a cocked brow and a cursory glance over her shoulder, she elected for the latter, palming a vial each of lavender, cedarwood, and bergamot. They tinkled pleasantly against each other when slipped into her shoulder bag.

Finally, with a cup of hot chamomile tea in hand, Evelynn passed by the roaring fire on the second floor and settled herself in a pile of plush pillows to assume what would be a night of introspective thought and reading. Now and then, her mind would pull away from the content of the lines and wander up to the heavens, eyes tracing out whatever constellations she could identify, or reflecting back on her Astronomy lectures to test application of her learning. Now and then, a student would filter upstairs as well, many having arrived in sleeping wear and with sleeping bags. She felt a little out of place in this regard, having worn her regular black school robes over a pair of black leggings, woollen socks, and a chunky beige woollen sweater. There was little question that she certainly was not here for the slumbering part of the sleepover. Nevertheless, she kept to herself, shifting between her reading or simply listening to the sleep-related lectures drifting up from the classroom level below, or the stories being told by students about the fire.

It wasn't until some time through the night that this pattern changed. The stirring of a boy drew her attention. Perhaps it shouldn't have. After all, it wasn't uncommon for those that had attended to wander about now and then throughout the duration of the event. This one, however, hadn't seemed to be one of the ones here to socialize. He'd been one of the ones to bring a sleeping bag and had settled down into it relatively early where he'd remained in apparent slumber. Or if not slumber, attempting to slumber, perhaps. Quiet and still, nevertheless. This time, however, he'd risen, going so far as to make his way to the edge of the observatory to peer out the glass. Something about him had pulled Evelynn's gaze to trail after him, narrowing in their scrutiny. It wasn't the sort of gut feeling that suggested that he was up to something, but rather that there was something troubling him.

Eventually, with a curious tilt of her head, Evelynn allowed the great book in her lap to ease closed with the barest whisper of rustling pages and set it aside. Her tea, which had long since been drained of the last of its dregs, she set upon its surface so as not to accidentally knock it in the dark and shatter the china and its delicate blue rose patterning. Rising, she clasped her hands to hang loosely behind her and approached the boy.

"Rather a nice night tonight, isn't it?" she commented absently, stopping abreast of the boy with a meter or so between them. She didn't turn to look at him, nor address him specifically. Instead, she simply inserted herself into his peripheral space and mirrored his stance of contemplation to peer out across the grounds herself. "Makes you wonder just how much more impressive it might be to be out on a broom rather than locked here in the tower behind glass. Could you imagine just sweeping down across the glass surface of the lake, just the reflection of the moon to guide you? Just lovely, I should think."

[font=century gothic]Evelynn has Fearless, and thus is not impacted by Professor Chiadovini's Terrible Presence | ERRAND PROGRESS[/font]

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@Evelynn Decipio

Valentine is severely affected by Leonardo Chiadovini’s Terrible Presence.

Somewhere out there in the endless cosmos, Valentine thought he saw the flicker of a dying star. A testament to limitations, that even the mightiest of suns would set with time. Or a figment of his expressive imagination perhaps. He found himself longing to trade the smell of parchment and plywood for the familiar places he had known for eleven years prior. Then... an altogether more pleasant scent caught his attention. Subtle, light, with a hint of sweetness to suggest whom the scent belonged.

Was that Lavender?

His harsh, metal gaze softened as Evelynn’s voice smoothed its way into his mind. He listened without meaning to, immediately recognizing the fiery silhouette of his senior in the corner of his eye. As she spoke to him, her words painted before him a narrative of a great mirror beneath them that stretched as far as the eyes could see. And in its reflection, a ball of white light, an object of cosmic proportion. A reminder that while many things about his world had changed, some remained as constant as the moon. It was a beautiful image. He was surprised it had taken her prompting for him to conceptualize it. But now that he saw it, he felt his despondency gradually slipping away.

She would never know, but where she saw a serene night sky, he saw an empty abyss that he filled with his thoughts.

“I think I’d walk,” he replied while turning his head to face her. “It would be a waste to rush through something as beautiful as this.”

There was an unapparent stiffness in his limbs as the feeling of constant unease continued to linger over him, but he wouldn’t allow his misgivings to prevent him from playing the part of the gentleman. A well-mannered smile graced his lips as he greeted the Prefect.

“Enjoying the night?”

Word Count: 305

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[font=century gothic]INTERACTING WITH @Jackson Valentine | MENTIONING n/a [/font]

One can never quite be certain just how an intrusion into private thought will unfold. There had been plenty of other students who had chastised Evelynn for putting her nose where it didn't belong. She always thought that to be a little closed-minded. Who was to say where one's nose did or did not belong, really? Never had her wanderings gone to levels of trespassing. Nor did she ever have to go out of her way to acquire the information that was revealed to her, when it was. She simply happened to be in the right place at the right time (or anticipate where the right place would be and place herself there), and to ask the right people the right questions. Even still, there were those that stiffened at the thought of catching the attention of someone driven by curiosity.

This moment, for example, could have been met with one of many different reactions. Although she had attempted to approach with pleasant indifference in an environment that was intended to be inclusive to the student body, the personal bubble extending from the dark cloud over Valentine's head was only all too visible. There was no mistake that his contemplation at the curved window was meant to be a private affair. One into which she had imposed without hesitation despite an appearance of doing so by coincidence. Rather than rebuffed for her trespass, however, she was welcomed. Not only had he acknowledged her commentary, he had replied. Moreover, by the corner of her eye, she could see him turn towards her as he did.

"I always do enjoy the night," she replied serenely.

But her mind had dismissed that question and answer the moment they had been spoken, instead taking stock of his earlier reply. I think I'd walk, he had said. She wasn't sure what sort of reply she might have expected. Perhaps just a quiet agreement, or a subtle nod. Perhaps nothing at all. But to walk.. She pressed her lips together and lifted her gaze further to the moon as though perceiving it properly for the first time that night as she allowed that imagery to play out in her thoughts.

"Yes, I suppose I could see the appeal," she acquiesced, tilting her head thoughtfully as she reverted back to the previous sentiments. "I'm not sure I would agree that a flight would make it rushing through. Rather, it simply changes the perspective and the experience with the rush of adrenaline. Of course… you could also make it a slow flight. It needn't be at a quick speed."

She maintained her gaze upward through her languid musings, verbally working through her thoughts to his reply and choosing not to look back towards him. He'd have to suffer her moonlit profile instead.

"I always like to take to the air when I'm needing to work through my thoughts. I think for me, there's something about being above the ground, looking down upon it all that helps me to sort it all out. Like detectives that lay out all their evidence in various arrangements on the floor only to stand upon a stool and peer down for a bird's eye view trying to find new patterns," she continued pendulously. "But my mother… she likes to walk. Or sometimes not at all, instead just taking to lay upon the ground and gaze up at the ceiling or the sky. She says it helps to ground her and allow her to feel more connected to the earth and more centered in her thoughts. To stop her mind from spinning."

She paused there for a moment, reflecting on the dichotomy between herself and her mother, the whisper of a smile touching her lips. Before the silence could span to a point of prompting too significant a reply from the boy, however, she rolled her head just enough to be able to peer at him from the corner of her eye, and asked, "Is that why you like to walk?"

[font=century gothic]Evelynn has Fearless, and thus is not impacted by Professor Chiadovini's Terrible Presence | ERRAND PROGRESS[/font]

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@Evelynn Decipio

Valentine is severely affected by Leonardo Chiadovini’s Terrible Presence.

Valentine remained silent as Evelynn rambled. If not for the moment and atmosphere they were so precariously suspended in, he would have given some indication to the fact. Instead, he waited for her to finish, casually shifting his gaze to look a little past where she was standing; such that when she turned to peer at him, she might've caught the sudden twitch of his eyes as they refocused on her once again. Maybe she would get the message, but at the moment, it wasn't something that bothered the younger boy to a great extent.

"It's good exercise," he corrected her. "Besides, I don't ride a broom very well."

Flying classes were definitely not his forte. He was a duelist, not a quidditch player.

The night was chilly. Valentine slid his hands into his pockets for warmth. With each breath he took, thick wisps of condensed vapor left his lips. It was on terribly beautiful nights like this that he was reminded that the world was always far more perilous than it seemed. Even the constant moon which he had previously acknowledged was now a symbol of danger. There wasn't any other way to explain why some of his peers went missing on Full Moon nights and returned the day after looking like they hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. What did he make of it? That the world he once knew was something he'd have to relearn all over again.

It was blissful to be like Evelynn's mother, in that she could have one look at the sky and feel a connection to the earth. Ever since he had learned that he was a wizard, Valentine felt hardly connected to. . . Anything, really. He was like a drifting cloud in the wind, just an object being acted on by forces out of his control. How else was one supposed to react when confronted with the truth that everything they knew about reality was a lie?

He felt an urge to tell her these things, just like on the Hogwarts Express. He didn't know what it was with this girl, how she somehow managed to pry information from him without trying to. The last time, his unchecked mouth had landed them both in an altercation with Rafael D'spacito. Maybe it was her natural curiosity that prompted him to oblige her desire for information. It was certainly something that a younger version of himself could relate to.

"Do you know many Muggle-born kids at this school?" he finally relented, offering a hint about the thoughts that troubled him.

Word Count: 428

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Interacting: @Logan Baird
_{Permission given by Logan Baird to slightly godmode Logan Baird}

Henry should have been in his dormitory sleeping by now but instead he was heading toward the astronomy not for class but instead for a sleepover. From what Henry has been in from and still was rather confused by it however the twelve year old was walking toward the tower of one of his favorite classes at Hogwarts with his best friend by his side because of his best friend. Henry looked over at Logan as a small smile spread across his face before he spoke " I still can't believe you force me to this, aren't you the one convincing me not to get into trouble but here were are wandering around the castle at night what if someone or something attacks us? Or something else happens? Or a fire breaks out?"

Fires were the most prominent thing at Hogwarts at least in Henry's opinion and the know it all twelve year old figured out that around 90 percent of the times it was from a Hogwarts student that casted incendio or incendio duo whichever the end result was destruction and injury.

The twelve year old was a geek and loved reading learning but he also suffered from anxiety minus another thing or two like his werewolf condition that barley any of the hogwarts students knew about besides from his best friend walking besides him and a few others. However that still didn't put his mind at ease as he was walking toward the astronomy tower still the worst possible situations flashing through his mind at every possible second as he turned toward Logan before starting to ramble

"Did you know Hogwarts is suppose to be the safest place and that the walls are enchanted with different protection charms and defenses in case of emergencies like if someone or something tries to get into the school or if the school is under attack. Which the was under attack during the second wizarding war which took place at Hogwarts and yes it was the defeat of Voldemort but the school was still attacked and people still died! How do you think the school protected the younger students at the time and do you think it will happen again? I mean the slytherin dormitory was invaded by spiders last year and the hufflepuff dormitory was attacked as well, right robin? Then their was all the times that there was fire incidents at the school mostly caused by students around 90 percent I'm pretty sure. Then there was the lockdown which how did they even protect the students with fury problems and what was the lockdown even about? Is it even safe to be at here at night and isn't the percentage of danger happening around-"

Cutting himself off as the twelve year old saw he was rambling and letting his anxiety break through into his words. Henry took a deep breath as he noticed that they were nearing the astronomy tower so the boy looked at his other side at his orange feline friend; Loki who walked by his side in a comfortable matter that made Henry jealous. The twelve year old wished he brought his messager type bag to at least his faded greenish jacket but didn't instead he wore a set of blue pajamas that were slightly to big for him since they did belong to his older brother and also held tightly in his left hand was his wand that force to recall different spells and their possible uses for that night depending on different situations.

Stopping at the bottom step of the stairs leading to the astronomy tower Henry would look toward his best friend before speaking " I'm not scared okay," however a part of him knew that she knew better and could sense that he was from his constant ramble so Henry dropped the act as he spoke again " alright I'm a little scared and my anxiety may be acting up but there are just so many things that could wrong and-" stopping himself before he started to ramble on again Henry took a deep breath before he would open his mouth and speak again " I won't continue talking about the bad and what could go wrong, promise robin that tonight would be nothing but fun!"

Henry offered his best friend a smile before his eyes drifted back toward the stairs before he took a breath and would follow Logan and Loki up to the stairs leading toward the astronomy tower.

No matter when or how long it would take, once Henry would step into the classroom a odd yet pleasant sense of relief washed across the boy as his mind concentrated on astronomy and the classes he had there while Loki took a seat by his side before starting to flick his tail a bit.

Henry would glance toward Logan with a bit of a smile before speaking " want to find spots then?"

Word Count: 826/800
Status: Completed