Finished Forgive my indifference… PV Samantha Salwis

@Eun-ji Lee Hunt

Every time she placed a foot down the sound traveled through the owlery. Along with the sound of flapping wings and squawks of the numerous owls, the sound of her footsteps reached Samantha's ears. The owlery was quite a peaceful place and the young girl would have loved to study the if only it wasn't so dirty.

The brunette was wearing a green shirt, a light blue vest, and grey sweatpants, not really the best outfit. She had just picked random items from her closet, as she wasn't the type of girl to waste her precious time picking an outfit. Maybe if she would have somewhere special to go she would have taken a little more time, but she was only going to the owlery to send a letter home.

She had written extremely small because she didn't want the letter to be too big for the little owl who was supposed to carry it. Samantha had started writing smaller since she had gotten Amenadiel. He was one of the tiniest owls she had ever seen (she hadn't seen a lot of owls though), so she had also made her letters smaller. Her parents had complained a lot about it since they had a hard time reading the small letters, but Sam kept writing small since she loved the little creature too much to put him up with extra work.

Before the young girl had even reached the top of the stairs she already called out her pet's name. "Amenadiel, my little angel, where are you?" She hoped he would hear her and come out from wherever he was. Most of the time just calling the owl's name worked, but sometimes she needed to bribe her pet with food before he showed up. Food was Amenadiel's one true love and he would do anything for it, that was why Samantha had been able to train him so easily.

Luckily the little owl had decided to greet his owner right after she had heard her voice. The little brown owl landed on Samantha's extended hand, much to the delight of the brunette. Hello little one," she said in a soft voice, while gently petting the owl on his back and face, "Are you ready to deliver a letter? It is for my parents, can you do that?" If somebody would have told Samantha a year ago she would be talking to an animal, she would have told them they were crazy. She had never liked animals and had always found it weird that people talked to their pets. To be honest, she still disliked animals, except Amenadiel. He was too perfect, amazing, smart, and beautiful to be disliked by anybody.

At first, the young girl had been too focused on her owl to notice the other student in the owlery, but now she did. It took her less than a second to recognize who the older girl was and when she did a big grin appeared on her face. "Hi Carolyn!" she said, still unaware of the name change. Samantha waved and quickly made her way over to the other student, while still having Amenadiel on her right hand. "How are you? Are you also here to send a letter?"

Blue in English, Red in Korean

Eun-ji didn't see Samantha come in but she definitely heard her. She recognized the voice since they talked couple of times but the witch didn't have any desire to repeat that today or any other day for that matter. I should get out of here quickly, she mused to herself. Unfortunately, the young girl noticed her before she could do so and started walking towards her. This wasn’t going to be easy...

To make matters worse, the second year called her Carolyn as she greeted her. Eun-ji couldn't really blame her though. She did avoid most of the people this year and so not everybody knew about her name change yet. Once again the witch considered coming up with some lame excuse and leaving immediately but she was not done here and it would be wiser to tell Sam sooner rather than later. They were in the same house after all. "It's Eun-ji now...not Carolyn." She corrected the girl without offering any further explanation. "And yes...I'm sending a letter home." Eun-ji side eyed Mordred who was still sitting by her side, obviously not interested in the exchange at all. What else would I be doing here? It’s not like I have an owl of my own. Although I suppose I could be writing to somebody else. She thought as she fed the last treat to the school owl. Soon enough the feline jumped on the timber beam and nudged the bird gently with his nose. Haneul hooted in response, already used to the greeting and gently pecked back before finally taking off with her letter. Mordred knew better than to approach unfamiliar owls but these two seemed to become friends rather quickly. He did bond with some others too but it was clear he liked Haneul the best.

With the barn owl gone, Eun-ji finally looked in Sam’s direction. What a cute owl. She could feel the corner of her lips curling upwards. The raven-haired witch may have become more indifferent towards people but she would always have a safe spot for animals. Stopping the smile before it could properly form on her face, Eun-ji looked at the brunette. Strange... "Yours? I was under an impression that you are not very fond of animals." She conveyed her thoughts aloud. She assumed so based on her reaction last year when she met Mordred for the first time. Eun-ji didn’t want to linger for too long but she was curious enough to ask. Were this in the past, she would not be this direct but many things have changed since then. She still made sure to sound polite of course but her tone lacked the usual warmth she used to have. It tended to creep back in from time to time, when she was talking with someone truly close to her heart but there were very few of those in her life now and she intended to keep it that way.

@Eun-ji Lee Hunt

Eun-ji? What is Eun-ji now? Samantha was confused, until the older girl added that it wasn't Carolyn anymore. "You changed your name? When did you do that? And why did you do that? I don't think I have ever heard of the name Eun-ji, it is a nice name though! Where did you get that name from?" Samantha talked extremely fast and didn't give Eun-ji time to answer any of her questions until she had asked them all. With a big smile the young girl waited for the answers, she would love to learn more about the name.

"Me too!" she said excited, not that it was a reason to be excited. Not many cared if somebody was also sending an owl home, but for some reason Samantha did. Maybe it was because it was Carolyn, no Eun-ji, who she looked up to. When the cat jumped onto the beam, Samantha took a step back and moved her hand on which Amenadiel sat a little closer to herself. She did not trust cats near her owl. She was afraid the cats would attack her pretty owl, even though none had ever done that.

However, the cat didn't seem to harm the other owl, the owl actually seemed to like the cat. Samantha watched the two animals interact a little confused as to what was going on. She watched the barn owl fly off and when she couldn't see the bird anymore she focused on the cat. She watched him closely, as she still did not trust him.

"Yes, Amenadiel is mine! And your right, I don't like most animals, but Amenadiel is different. He is sweet, beautiful, and just amazing, there is no way I couldn't like him. Just look at his little face!" Samantha held the little brown owl in front of Eun-ji as she spoke with love about the eastern screech owl.

Like a proud mother, she showed her pet to the other girl. "Do you want to hold him?" she asked with a great smile. It would be good for Amenadiel to be held by somebody else than her and there weren't many people Samantha would trust with her pet. Except for Vivian, her parents, and her sister nobody had ever held Amenadiel. Samantha was sure that she could trust Eun-ji so she was happy to offer the older girl her pet.

Blue in English, Red in Korean

It seemed like Samantha either didn’t notice or elected to ignore any changes in Eun-ji’s behaviour. The witch wasn’t sure whether she should be happy or annoyed by said fact but didn’t have time to dwell on it too much. The younger girl launched into a rant, asking way too many questions all at once. “It’s my Korean name. I just made it official during summer break and I don’t wish to be called Carolyn anymore.” It may have not been an answer to all of the questions but it was all she was willing to give. There was a history to the name, it had its meaning and there was a reason behind the sudden change but Eun-ji didn’t want to disclose any of those. It was a dangerous territory. Especially now with all the horrible events still fresh in her mind.

Unlike her, the second year actually sounded excited about her letter and the raven-haired girl wondered whether that meant the issue at home was sorted out without any major drama. She would not ask though, she didn’t want to bond with Sam. Well…she is still here, which means things obviously turned out okay in the end. Her brain evaluated quickly. For a moment, Eun-ji stayed quiet though she did frown a little when the other girl took a step back away from her cat. Did she think, she was not responsible enough to know she shouldn’t take a cat that can’t behave around owls to the Owlery? You know…the place literary filled with said birds? Eun-ji sincerely hoped NOONE would be that irresponsible. Still, she would not comment on the gesture. It seemed like an unnecessary effort.

“…I don't like most animals, but Amenadiel is different.” This on the other hand warranted some kind of answer. “What makes you say that? I can assure you most owners think the same and a lot of them are right to think so.” Mordred was one of the complicated pets but even so, he quickly accepted that he shouldn’t be mean to other people and even let them pet him if they weren’t particularly unlikable in his opinion. In fact, at this point there were plenty other students he was very fond of and he was always gentle with any animals. Eun-ji didn’t have to train him in that regard at all. She would not count him among the perfect pets but her dog Morgana definitely was and she had seen plenty others that would fit that category. “Maybe you should give them a chance first. You are being a bit unfair.” It felt both strange and relieving to be this direct. The Ravenclaw tended to tiptoe around other people’s feelings in the past but that suddenly felt like way too much effort. To be fair she didn’t mind people that didn’t like animals for a reason. Flash was like that too but he indeed had his reasons and wouldn’t get a pet before that mind-set changed. However, Sam got one now and so it felt strange that she wasn’t willing to change…at least a little bit. “Amenadiel is a pretty name though.” She relented eventually after looking at the cute owl. Eun-ji was not here to teach the second year. She was not her family nor her friend and so she had no right to comment on her habits or behaviours.

The offer to hold the bird was tempting. The older girl hesitated for a moment. She wanted to leave but she never got a chance to hold an owl before. Well she did… once in an owl sanctuary but that was many years ago so except the short interactions with school owls, she didn’t get to properly meet any. “Sure…If he allows me.” Eun-ji offered her arm as she said this, not doing anything else so Amenadiel actually had a choice not to interact with her should he be afraid. Damn it, why was she so weak when it came to pets? She was supposed to keep to herself this year. Well…at least it’s clear how much she loves her pet. Eun-ji assessed contentedly upon seeing Samantha’s proud face. That was important.

@Eun-ji Lee Hunt

Samantha didn't notice the change in Eun-ji's behavior nor did she realize the older girl maybe didn't want to talk about her name anymore. Samantha didn't think she would ever change her name. She liked it a lot and she was used to it. "Alright, I will call you Eun-ji then. I do think it will take me some time to get used to your new name. Sorry if I accidentally call you Carolyn. Also, why did you change your name? Don't you like the name Carolyn? I do like the name, but I also like your new name!" She had asked the question before and she really wanted to know the answer, so she had asked it again. If Eun-ji wouldn't answer her question this time, she would let it go and not ask about it again.

Eun-ji wasn't as talkative as Samantha, but it didn't bother the young girl. She could talk enough for the both of them. The brunette was a little offended when Eun-ji asked what she meant with Amenadiel is different. Didn't the third year see it? Didn't she see how perfect the little owl was? How small, yet so strong he looked? How the brown feathers of the owl were perfect camouflage to hide in the trees? "Just look at him!" Samantha said as she held Amenadiel in front of Eun-ji's face. Samantha wanted the other to see all the perfect and amazing things about her owl, even though most of it was just in Samantha's mind. There was nothing special about the little owl, he was just like the other eastern screech owls.

If anybody else would have told her to give others a chance first, they would be forced to Samantha rambling on and on about why she shouldn't. But it was Eun-ji who told her this, it was the girl who had sung a song for Sam when she couldn't sleep, it was Eun-ji who had given her advice when she didn't know what to do. To the brunette, Eun-ji was this older, wiser girl, who gave great advice and she looked up to. Samantha looked very serious as she was thinking about what Eun-ji had just told her. Was she being unfair? Had any cat ever hurt Amenadiel? Not that she knew of, maybe she was being a little unfair. Still being stubborn and unwilling to admit she might be acting a little unfair, she just answered with: "Maybe." She looked down at her feet, unwilling to look at the older girl. She perked up when Eun-ji complimented the name. "Yes, it is! My sister came up with the name."

"Of course, he will allow you!" she said certainly. "Just make sure that your hand is stable. Because he is a little owl he will sit on your index finger." She showed the other girl how she was holding Amenadiel. The brown owl sat on top of Samantha's index finger. "He is not that heavy in comparison to other owls and he always sits very still on my hand, so there is nothing to worry about." Samantha was talking to the other girl, but secretly she was also talking to herself. She was a little nervous, but she didn't show it.

"Okay, here we go." Samantha brought her hand to the same level as Eun-ji's hand. She turned her hand so Amenadiel's back was facing the older girl and gently pushed the owl back. This forced the little owl to step back onto the hand of Eun-ji. The older girl would feel the little paws of the animal wrap around her finger and the weight of the creature on her hand. The little owl turned around on the unknown hand, so he was looking at the girl who now held him. He tilled his head a little to the left, trying to figure out what was going on. He moved a little, but after a few seconds, he sat still.

Samantha had carefully watched every movement of her owl and only retreated her hands when the little owl sat comfortably on the hand. Just to be sure the young girl had kept her hands close to her pet, in case he didn't want to sit on Eun-ji's hand. Everything had turned out fine and a smile appeared on Samantha's face. "You can pet him if you want! You can pet his back, belly, and on top of his head." She didn't want the older girl to pet Amenadiel's feet or face, because he didn't like that.

Blue in English, Red in Korean

Eun-ji didn’t comment on the name change any further despite Sam’s numerous follow up questions. Surely, the other girl would understand that she was not willing to elaborate…well eventually she would…right? To distract her, the older witch decided to focus on the cute owl instead. It seemed to be working. Interesting… Samantha was apparently very good at filtering any changes in her behaviour or the way she dressed. In all honesty, Eun-ji was almost jealous.

There were more things to learn about the girl however. The raven-haired witch was starting to see a pattern here. “Maybe...” She repeated the girl's word with slightly raised eyebrows. It appeared the second year could be quite stubborn and it took her some time to process different opinions. Still at least she was willing to consider them…that was a step in the right direction. The raven-haired witch knew many individuals that couldn’t even do that much. “Well… do try to meet some other pets too. I’m sure you find some that you’ll adore and Amenadiel might be happy to make new friends too. Although careful approach is a must, it's not good to deprive him of social interactions entirely because you are worried.” It was the only other suggestion she could give her. From there on it was up to her how she would approach the situation in the future.

Eun-ji was still feeling a bit on edge but the offer to hold Amenadiel helped a bit. Animals always calmed her down. "Just make sure that your hand is stable. Because he is a little owl he will sit on your index finger." She listened to the instructions attentively but wasn’t really worried. “That’s okay, I do ballet. I might not look like it but I have some muscles and I can hold a position.” That much was true. She was thin and probably looked quite fragile but she was anything but. Ballet was tough and you had to build enough muscle to be able to do it. True to her word when Sam passed the bird to her, Eun-ji’s hand stayed perfectly still until he appeared somewhat settled. Samantha was indeed very lucky. Amenadiel was obviously a well-behaved pet. "You can pet him if you want! You can pet his back, belly, and on top of his head." Did she want to pet him? Of course she did. Searching in her pocket, the older girl found a lost treat she didn’t give to Haneul and offered it to Amenadiel. If he took it, she would pet him afterwards otherwise she would hand it to Mordred. It was meat anyway so it didn’t matter, who ate it.

Eun-ji had chosen the belly as the best option for pets. It was a place where he could see her hand approaching. It was also her instinct not to go for head first. She didn’t know about owls but other animals usually didn’t like to be pet on the head by strangers so it was natural for her to avoid it. Mordred stretched his neck to see the bird his owner was currently holding, clearly very interested. He did not get closer though since he knew he should not do so without permission. He was in no way interested in Samantha but at least he did not give her a dirty look like he did last time. We have to appreciate the baby steps as well. She thought proudly. “He is very nice. Take good care of him.” In the past, she would offer help, should she need it in future but that would not happen this time. Well…what now? How long was she supposed to stay? Was it already too long? Eun-ji wasn’t sure. She felt like she should leave, like each passing minute gave the younger girl idea that maybe they were friends…or could be in the future and that could not happen. You have to come up with something soon, she reprimanded herself as she was gently petting the owl.

@Eun-ji Lee Hunt

Telling Samantha to give other animals a change was already very risky, but telling her to try to meet some other pets was a no-go. Samantha looked at Eun-ji like the older girl was crazy. "No, I don't think that will ever happen. Or maybe it will when I have hit my head and can't think straight anymore." If something was on her mind, Samantha would not hesitate to say it. She was just like her dad, very direct and not afraid to be honest.

Eun-ji reassured her by telling her she did ballet. Samantha wasn't sure what doing ballet had to do with holding her owl until the older girl explained it. After the reinsurance from Eun-ji, she felt a little better. After Amenadiel was sitting on the hand of the older girl all her worries disappeared. Samantha glanced between her owl and her friend, as Eun-ji fed her pet.

When Amenadiel saw the treat he didn't waste another second and ate it right away. "You have found the key to his heart, this little one loves food, just like me," she said with a big grin. Samantha was very happy to hear that the older girl also thought her pet was nice. "I will take very good care of him, he deserves the best!"

As soon as the food was gone the little owl didn't pay any attention to the third year, who was now petting his belly. His head was turned away from the girls. To Samantha's surprise, the brown owl was looking at the cat, who also seemed interested in the other pet. After looking at the other animal for a couple of seconds, Amenadiel turned around on the hand of Eun-ji so his back was turned to her. He was moving his little head like he was dancing, but actually he was trying to focus his sight and have a better look at Mordred.

At first, Samantha assumed that the actions of her pet were a sign that he was afraid. In his short life, he had barely seen any cats, so it would make sense that he was scared of the other animal. But it didn't take long for her to realize her pet wasn't afraid. If owls were afraid they would make themselves smaller by pressing their wings to their body and their eyes would narrow. None of this was happening with Amenadiel, so she knew her first assumption was wrong. Instead of being scared, the little owl seemed curious. His wings were lowered, which was a sign he wanted to fly off.

Samantha realized that Amenadiel was interested in the cat and wanted to fly off. She wasn't sure if that was such a good idea, but before she could do anything her owl had already flown off. Eun-ji had stopped petting him as soon as she noticed him moving, which gave him the freedom to fly off to the other pet. The young girl felt her heart drop as she saw her owl land just two meters from the cat. "Amenadiel no!" she yelled as her pet slowly walked towards the cat.

Premission to sligthly godmod Eun-ji given by the writer

Blue in English, Red in Korean

Upon hearing Samantha’s reply, Eun-ji simply sighed like a disappointed mother. She was stubborn but it was not the older girl's responsibility to change that. Honestly, she wouldn't even care that much had Sam not owned a pet herself. Everybody had a right to like or dislike animals. It was when you had one and wasn't eager to learn more about others when Eun-ji started to see a problem. Whatever…let someone else care for once. I don’t have the capacity. As long as Sam took good care of Amenadiel, she would not intervene anymore.

It was kind of nice hanging around a different pet for once. She loved hers of course but it has been some time since she got to interact with another. It was not that she didn't want to. Unlike Samantha, Eun-ji was very eager to do so but their owners is what became a problem recently. She did not want meet new people. "Most pets do. Very few refuse a treat unless they are extremely choosy or skittish." Speaking of skittish, Amenadiel was apparently starting to have other ideas. He didn't look scared but judging from his body language, he was definitely up to something. "What's up, little guy?" She asked the owl curiously and immediately ceased to pet him. It only clicked in her head once the bird spread his wing and headed towards Mordred. Ah so he is a curious one. I was right to ask Sam to let him socialize then. She really hoped his owner would see the error of her ways eventually.

"Amenadiel no!" Her fellow Ravenclaw called out in panic. Eun-ji knew her cat however and she was not worried in the slightest. Grabbing the other girl's hand, she threw her a stern look. "Hush...you are going to scare them." Mordred seemed to be extremely happy to see the owl’s interest. Still he looked to his owner for approval first. "It's okay. You can say hi." This was enough for her furry companion to refocus his attention on this new friend. He would take few steps at the time. Letting the feathery creature approach him first. Once he was close enough, the silver cat lied down as his owner taught him to do in these scenarios. The witch thought it would make him look less like a threat to other animals and it usually worked. Only after Amenadiel seemed done with any initial investigation, would Mordred raise and gently nudge him with his nose. This was his way of saying "Hi, nice to meet you." and Eun-ji always found it rather adorable. "I would not take Mordred here if he didn't know how to behave around owls. They are fine." She told Sam with utmost confidence.

Interacting with @Eun-ji Lee Hunt
Mentioning @Elsian Cox

After one step towards her pets, the young girl was being held back. Samantha could feel Eun-ji's holding her head, making her unable to save her perfect little owl from his doom. Within a split second the brunette turned her head and looked at the older girl with a shocked face. Her blue eyes moved between the other girl and her hand. What was the older girl doing? Did she want Amenadiel to get hurt or something?

Samantha gave Eun-ji an angry look when she was being told she would scare the pets. She didn't care about scaring them, she wanted her angel to be safe and far away from the cat. Realizing that she hadn't looked at her pet for three seconds, Samantha turned her head back to the two animals afraid that hers had been hurt.

Luckily that hadn't happened. The little brown owl actually seemed pretty happy with his new friend, but that didn't stop his owner from worrying. Only when Eun-ji's words about Mordred being able to behave around owls reached Samantha's ears, she calmed down a bit. Eun-ji would never do anything to purposely hurt her or her pet.

Still, trusting the owner didn't mean trusting the pet. It hadn't been that long ago that right here, in the owlery, she had been attacked by somebody else his pet. But Eun-ji wasn't the spider boy, she wasn't a wand thief, and most importantly she wasn't an idiot like that boy. Samantha completely trusted the older girl.

Even though it was incredibly hard for the young girl, she took a step back and kept a close eye on the two animals. Eun-ji was right, maybe Samantha shouldn't deprive her pet of social interaction. After all, she loved meeting new people and making new friends and maybe her pet did too. She won't let him near any spiders, because they are dangerous and crazy like their owners, but it wouldn't do any harm to maybe sometimes let him near other pets.

When the cat bowed for the little owl, Amenadiel hopped a little closer. He wasn't scared at all and only seemed interested in the other creature. The owl tilted his little head to the right, trying to get a better image of the cat. The tilted head gave the owl a curious look like he was trying to figure out what was going on. When the cat gently nudged the little owl with his nose, the emotion on Samantha's face changed from a worried look to a fascinated one. She wouldn't say it out loud, but it was quite adorable.

As Amenadiel started to hop around the cat, Samantha finally turned her head away from the two animals. She didn't address the fact that she, despite her protest earlier, allowed the two pets to be together. She would never admit she was wrong. It seemed like the two pets enjoyed each other company and Samantha didn't want to interrupt them just yet. She only allowed the two creatures to play, so she could have a chat with Eun-ji.

Samantha hadn't talked to the older girl in a while, but she had always seen them as friends. "Are you going to the ball?" The fall ball was just around the corner and maybe they would see each other there again. Even though her first Hogwarts ball had been a mess, Samantha still looked forward to her second one. Hopefully, she would be able to have a great time dancing and with her friends.