Tripping Over Robes PV Anja Murtaja Closed

Great Hall

HEX CODE #075e64

@Kage Suzuki

Anja had a vain hope that perhaps today’s breakfast would be different from most. However, as always, breakfast at Hogwarts was never different.

She was walking up to the Slytherin table for breakfast, idly considering some Transfiguration homework that was outstanding, when a Gryffindor girl came bashing into her. The girl looked half-asleep, wandering like a zombie through the rows of tables. Anja had seen the girl coming before she hit her, and thought about how these Gryffindors were always rolling about like they owned the place.

The impact itself wasn’t that hard, but it was what the girl had done to stop it that hurt. She had thrust her hand out to stop the impact, then drawn it back sharply (for no apparent reason), hitting Anja in the face. Just as quickly, she sprung up again and dusted herself down, before beginning to walk onwards without offering Anja a hand. Anja thought she heard the girl mutter something under her breath — probably an apology. She pushed off from the ground and straightened her Slytherin robes, then marched up to the Gryffindor. What was it with Gryffindors and bashing into things — especially people? Was it engrained in their minds to

“Excuse me,” she said. Her tone wasn’t polite, but more menacing, and as she spoke she tapped the girl on the shoulder. “I didn’t hear what you said. You wouldn’t mind repeating it, would you?” She smiled coldly, squaring her shoulders.

Great Hall

HEX CODE #075e64

@Kage Suzuki

Interacting: @Anja Murtaja

Great Hall

HEX CODE #075e64

@Kage Suzuki

“A cephalopod, you say?” Anja repeated, eyebrow raised. “Well, at least a squid is more dignified than you — you can’t even walk without tripping, it seems.” Her tone was cold and calculating, displaying knowledge without strain, but it didn’t seem to get to the girl. She was staring at Anja with some kind of intensity, a strange look on her face. I can only imagine what you are thinking, she said to the girl in her head. Honestly, Gryffindors seemed to be some kind of other species, with rudeness and overall animosity to anyone not part of their house programmed into their brains. No wonder families usually stayed within Gryffindor — it seemed to run in the blood.

Anja sniffed disapprovingly. She had a strange way of telling what someones blood lineage was. Probably all that time hanging around shady purebloods, she thought. Something was bound to sink in, and she was only glad it was cunning instead of smoking or other bad habits. She wasn’t one for blood supremacy, but if it got her out of situations without questions asked, she would utilise it.

Putting on her best Slytherin sneer, she remarked pensively, “Was your mother the mudblood, or was it your father?” Hatred of others had always come easily to Anja, and the silky malice that laced her every word was not entirely false.

Great Hall

HEX CODE #075e64

@Kage Suzuki

Interacting: @Anja Murtaja

Oh well...
"Perhaps, but just to be clear, squids don't have to wear robes, and they can't trip in water either." Suzuki replied in a monotone. She really did not want to be wearing these robes.

“Was your mother the mudblood, or was it your father?”

Suzuki didn't blame the girl. She was a Slytherin, after all. It was in their blood.

"My mother is a pure blood." She wasn't 100% sure about the man that was supposedly her father, but she assumed he was a muggle. "I don't know who my father is, and neither does my mother. But we're assuming he's a muggle."
It was the truth. Suzuki was a pretty good liar, but she was sure this peacock could sniff out lies easily.
It was probably in her blood, too.

Honestly though, even if the house mascots weren't quite accurate, Suzuki did know one thing; most Slytherins, while not all were the same, the majority had similar traits.

Is blood really that important?
It was a question that was asked by probably a lot of people.
Technically, they were all half bloods, weren't they?
Half their mother, half their father.

Actually, they were like all a millionth bloods, or whatever you call it.
Because in their mother's blood, there's their mother's mother's blood and their mother's father's blood and so on forever and ever.
Maybe not forever.

Close, though.

Great Hall

HEX CODE #075e64

@Kage Suzuki

Anja was surprised by the Gryffindor’s willingness to open up to her. It didn’t seem like she was lying, either. She narrowed her eyes at the girl, calculating how much harm it would cause if she made another inflammatory comment. Inside, she thanked the girl for not making a scene. She had to respect her for that. Checking that she had all her things, she made for the Slytherin table. Before she had went too far, however, she turned back towards the girl.

“Join me,” she said, “in the spirit of inter-house unity, you can come and have the stiffest, most socially stuffy meal in your life. I hope you remember your manners.” Inter-house unity be damned. Mostly, Anja just respected the girl on a low-key level. She doubted that the girl would actually enjoy breakfast with the snakes, and a lion in their den would cause some ruckus. Even so, the chaos would be something to see. Besides, a little staunchness would do wonders for the girl — perhaps she’d even figure out how to wear her clothes properly. High hopes for a redneck, her mind whispered. She smiled slightly. Maybe the girl had depth yet, and even if she didn’t, she would have gained information on the lions’ den.

Anja walked forwards again, taking her classic seat at the Slytherin table — at the end closest to the main doors, but right at the end, as if to show she was above the childish squabbles that happened even within the composed house. She really wasn’t, but how to assert herself was one of the first lessons her father had taught her.

Great Hall

HEX CODE #075e64

@Kage Suzuki

Interacting: @Anja Murtaja

“Join me, in the spirit of inter-house unity, you can come and have the stiffest, most socially stuffy meal in your life. I hope you remember your manners.”
Suzuki couldn't help but picture the girl standing on a big cliff overlooking the ocean, hands spread, robes billowing out behind her, yelling. Join me in my search for mudbloods that I may torture~

She didn't have to be so formal.
It was probably in her blood.
"Alright..."

Suzuki imagined what a ruckus she'd cause if she, a Gryffindor, sat down at a table full of peacocks. It's break. And I don't think it's... Whatever it's called, school hours. Don't mind if I do...
Suzuki took off her robes and tucked them under her arm, revealing the fact that she was wearing a flak jacket and a navy shirt. Navy sweats.
No proper black pants and polo that were part of the school uniform.
Casual clothes.

Suzuki didn't mind the uniform, honestly, it was just the robes she wasn't used to.

Anyways, she'd be better without the robes. That way, no one could tell she was a Gryffindor.
However, it didn't occur to Suzuki that neither of them knew each other's names.

It didn't really matter, though.

Great Hall

HEX CODE #075e64

@Kage Suzuki

Anja looked at the girl in slight horror. She had sat down at the Slytherin table, of all tables, and taken off her robe. Underneath, it looked as if she was wearing some kind of Muggle clothing. It wasn't as if Anja never wore any — it was occasionally practical, but at the Slytherin table? This girl had some nerve. That's what she was sorted into Gryffindor, she thought. Anja could see others at their table had begun to turn towards them and stare, and she realised she was too.

“It’s a little bold, isn’t it,” she said, “just taking your robes off like that. It might be the holidays, but I did tell you to remember your manners.” Anja couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten with someone else without formal robes and all those manners. The one exception to this rule was her brother, but he’d left so long ago that she only had the image of what he was like instead of the fact. Anja turned to her food, picking up her knife and fork before taking a bite. Hogwarts food was usually delicious, but somehow her thoughts had turned its taste to ash in her mouth.

Anja turned back towards the Gryffindor. “What’s your name?” she asked — rather straightforward for a Slytherin. Subtlety was one of her strongest suits, but she felt that it might be lost on the redneck before her. Nonetheless, was it a mistake to let down some of her mask towards the girl? Even if it was the holidays, was she planning on making friends with the girl?

Great Hall

HEX CODE #075e64

@Kage Suzuki

@Anja Murtaja

To be honest, she didn't really know what she was doing either.
She didn't really care.
And about manners... She was usually polite and respectful towards teachers and all that, but usually, she did what she wanted.
Of course, she'd take the consequences in mind, but she still did what she wanted to do.
Most of the time, nobody was there to stop her.

"Last I remembered, it's still break. The rules say we only have to wear the school uniform during school hours. Unless you can't tell time, I've still got freedom." Suzuki sighed. She really needed to fix her sleep schedule. It was messed up.
Suzuki poked around at her food, and ate a spoonful. She wasn't a picky eater- she'd eat whatever she was given, but sometimes, she just wasn't hungry.
Suzuki missed the katsudon her aunt made in Japan. Her aunt wasn't a great person, but the food she made was excellent. Some yakitori would be nice, too. Cold soba- delicious. Suzuki's eyes became slightly glazed over, meaning that she was preoccupied.

“What’s your name?”

Suzuki nearly answered with the word katsudon, but she managed to stop herself before her mouth opened. She remembered the thing about the sleep schedule, and blinked.

"Just call me Suzuki." Suzuki said. Just then, in her mind... Am I gonna stay in this gigantic castle for break?
The answer was yes, probably. Wasn't like she had anywhere to return to. Suzuki forced in another spoonful of food, making sure to keep her elbows off the table.

Great Hall

HEX CODE #075e64

@Kage Suzuki

Anja had to smirk a little at the Gryffindor's boldness. There was a certain respect you could earn from a Slytherin — but it was hard earned. So far, no one had earned Anja's utmost respect in this way, but this Gryffindor was coming dangerously close. "I'm sure you still have freedom. If that's what you want to refer to life as." Anja's response to the girl was cryptic — perhaps beneath the Gryffindor bravado, there would be a small intelligence. If she tried hard enough, she might even make it to the meaning behind Anja's words.

"Hmm," she said, after the girl said her name. "Suzuki. May I ask where you come from?" May I ask. Of course, she expected an answer. However, she wasn't sure if she would get one from the seemingly wilful Gryffindor. That was another very annoying thing about these rednecks — you had to spell things out for them. You couldn't simply ask them to do something perfectly logical, like shutting the door on a screaming bunch of students, and expect them to go ahead and do it without having it spelt out for them in bubble letters. Unlike Slytherins, who would only contest for good reasons.

Anja turned back to her breakfast and sipped her tea. She couldn't say that she'd had many more interesting breakfasts than this. Once again, her thoughts turned to friendship, and to political relations. Would it be useful to have this Suzuki on her side? Or was this just a waste of time, and, in that case, should she simply go back to studying wandlore and the sparse amount of Ancient Runes she had access to?

Her tea was cold. Maybe she would get some more.

Great Hall

HEX CODE #075e64

@Kage Suzuki