A rivalry brewed within Logan Thomas following his departure from King's Cross Station. The wonder associated with his entrance into a foreign universe versus the first time he's truly been separated from his family, going to a place they would never be allowed to follow. A notion that would plague any 11-year-old, more so for one that would begin this journey alone.

You're a friend away from a better day. Some of the last spoken words from his parents kept this badger to be chugging along with the steam trumpet of the Hogwarts Express. Logan was too determined not to be sad to allow the emotions to invade his peace of mind. His mission for the day was simple, find a companion, even if only for a few hours. There was a wealth of fellow first years to survey, surely someone would come around to share his shoes.

There's no temporary fix quite like materialistic luxuries. The spacious cabins populating the the Hogwarts Express contained plenty of leg room for a boy his age, comfortable seating and a large window to view the countryside's beauty. The absence of Ser Bunnington wasn't ideal, but the knight was better off in his caged chambers for safety.

Look good, feel good. Look good, feel good.

Being approachable was as simple as emitting a positive vibe, at least for the type of friend Logan would seek. Finding an empty cabin, he took a seat with his back to the glass, one leg crossed over the other. His trademark cornrow dreads slicked back with a pleasant smile. For anyone that passed by, he'd issue a nod of confidence. "Sup. Name's Logan." He'd repeat this line to several peering strangers that passed along looking for a cabin. After enough awkward side-eyes, a change of approach was obviously necessary.

Just be yourself, Lo. You're enough.

Logan was anything but, an anxious child in search of approval was not a recipe for natural behavior. In order to relax, a companion must first be acquired. He would change up his posture once more, legs propped up on a table situated between the cabins seats, that might resemble the favored side of a booth table at a restaurant. Anyone who doesn't want the booth side is a liar.

As people continued to pass by, his hope began to dwindle. Though his spirit remained, issuing silly lines, such as... "You can sit here if you'd like, for a fee. Clicking his tongue with an upwards nod. Or, "Looking for a home? Let me show you 'round..." Motioning around the small cabin with an open palm, exuding confidence. Though with enough rejection, his confidence devolved into a short, but still positive... "Hey." Eventually, someone would have to sit with him due to overflow.

@Reena Delgado

☁️ outfit: [x]☁️

Reena stood at the Train station, her mother helping her tuck her hair into a baseball cap. "For safety reasons" she said, which didn't assure Reena about anything. Really, it was so if she freaked out and changed the color of her hair, it would be mostly hidden. Reena didn't understand why her mother wanted it to be hidden. It wasn't anything bad, it was something she was proud of. Who else could change their appearance at will? Not many, she would assume. And who wouldn't want to show it off? It wasn't something like a halfbreed- it wasn't something people wrongly hated. Why do people hate? Hating will only make things worse. As well as hating, nerves made things worse, too.

You didn't need to have normal worries along with anxious thoughts of starting something new. Honestly, if people got nervous over anything new, society would not get anywhere. All of this surprised her mother. Her mother had thought that Reena would be a nervous wreck... which offended her slightly. Her mother tried to save her self by claiming that Reena "had thrown a fit in preschool-" which Reena widened her eyes and threw her hands up. in PRESCHOOL mamá!¹" That was how many years ago? Reena would've counted to prove her point but her math skills are way down the drain. So she didn't even try. Her mother sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her daughter's ear. "I love you." Reena gave her mother a kiss. "Love ya too!" Then she turned to her dad.

He gave a broad smile and held his arms out, to which Reena leaped into. He closed his arms and lifted her up, wishing her luck and saying some awful dad joke. "Dad, that's awful. What will you do without me? soon you'll get the idea that you're funny!" Her father knew this was her teasing. He shook her head and set her down. "Excuse me, I am very funny. Did your mother ever tell you how we met?" Reena took her bag from her mother while rolling her eyes playfully. "Yeah, she was traveling and you cracked awful jokes or something?"

Her father nodded. His smile turned fake for a moment. Hiding his worried face. "But really, Reena. be careful. The wizarding world is-" Reena turned her head, but never got to hear him finish. Her mother had cut him off with a look. "No need to worry her!" Reena shrugged her spun on her heel. "Not worried!" She grabbed her luggage and waved to her parents. ¡Te quiero!


She walked off, heading to the train with a bounce in her step. This new thing? Just an adventure. Something that happens. She walked onto the train, passing students of all ages. Some were showing each other cool tricks with their wands. Some were showing off pets. She twirled around to dodge people and bumped into more than half of them. She opened a compartment and peeked inside. Inside was a boy, sitting on his own. He looked cool, and he said 'hey' as she walked in. She grinned. " hey! What's up?" she chucked her luggage into the rack before flopping into a seat.

There was a way to lose oneself in a negative idea that batters your soul and duplicates a string of others that aid said idea. Yet all of them are so far from the truth, which isn't realized until you acknowledge the real problem. For most that battle the consistency of mental instability, said problem lies there within. You against you. Logan Thomas was young and inexperienced with the natural feelings that come with leaving your family behind to enter an unfamiliar world. Yet he would be the last child on this train to let those emotions defeat him.

We have a way of allowing rejection or avoidance from others symbolize an issue with us. Logan Thomas knew better, those that avoided his cabin or gave him a suspect stare held the keys to their elusion, and it had absolutely nothing to do with him. The boy's gaze fell upon the window as less and less bodies traveled through the train's centered passageway, signifying they must have been close to the departure time. Even if he was to spend this train ride alone, he would do it with a smile.

Just in time before the wheels began to roll, a girl entered his cabin with a warm grin. "Hey, what's up?" She seemed self-assured, optimistic, unworried, and most importantly...friendly. An energy the boy would cling to if she allowed it. A friend away from a better day. Appears the gods held their own reward for overcoming the momentary battle of not feeling wanted. She would not know it, and perhaps never will, but she was recognized by Logan as a savior this morning.

Like he, she had darker features and a few inches of height on him. Her skin had a light olive glow, sporting a baseball cap, an item that offered immediate relatability. Logan's battle would swiftly shift from unwanted to calming the nerves. He stood up from his side of the cabin, repeating "Oh you know, just another day. I'm Logan by the way." He said confidently, but a glimmer of pain invaded his smile. Bro, why are you standing right now. What, you gonna salute her or something? He quickly sat back down with a series of easy going repetitive nods. "Nobody's using that side." His way of saying she can sit across and not next to him, PDA and all, they were still eleven.

Actually, was she eleven? Her confidence and height implied she may be a few years his senior. "You a first year too?" Not hesitating to end that curiosity. He paused, giving her a few moments to store her belongings, answer his questions and offer any of her own before making a comment on her cap. "So do you play baseball? And what team is that?" He spoke cheerfully and confident, Logan clearly wasn't for one for silences. He could almost hear his sister yelling at him to shut up and let her chill for a second.

But Logan was Logan, and if people didn't like that, that was their problem.

@Reena Delgado

☁️ @Logan Thomas ☁️

The boy seemed quite content with having company, a good sign from the start. Someone who sulked or carried a negative air was never fun to be around, especially in a small compartment. The boy stood up and introduced himself as Logan. He carried a confident stance, another good thing. Her friendly grin doubled in size as she held her fist out for a fist bump. "I'm Reena!" She hide her laugh as Logan awkwardly sat down with a series of nods. She tipped her chin in return and sat across from him. "Well, actually my name is Irene but that's such an old lady name. You can call me whatever you want, whatever is easier to remember." The boy reminded her of some of the boys on her hockey team, funny and chill.

She began to realize this wouldn't be an awful ride after all. Logan was a cool person to meet, and someone she would remember with a smile. He was the first person she met on her way to Hogwarts, after all. She was beyond excited. When he asked if she was a first year, she nodded. "I am! I can't wait! " She flashed a grin at him, something she did often. Even if she had braces, she wasn't ashamed to show her smile. Some people called her metal mouth and all that, to which she would happily agree with. She took off her hat, forgetting she was supposed to be hiding most of her hair. Whatever.

If she accidentally gave herself yellow hair what's the worst that would happen? Logan would notice? So what? "Nah. I do play hockey and basketball, though!" Despite this, she was still familiar with baseball teams. "This is the Los Angeles Dodgers. My dad used to be a big fan of them." Baseball wasn't much of a popular sport in the UK, but she still knew the teams. She read about them and found magazines about them. Logan's question urged her to ask him the same thing. "Do you play any sports?"

He seemed like an athletic sort of kid, or at least someone who would try any sport if dared to. He seemed like someone who would try things just to impress. But she wasn't the best at guessing things about people. However, so far he was really cool. Thank god he was social, some weird people were shy around her. On merlin, shy people creep her out. They just go about their day, observing and talking only in stutters. How? Reena always has so much to say. If Logan had been shy, Reena would of been very very bored.

"Oh, by the way. Have you tried any of the candy yet? I haven't but I heard they're VERY good." She was super excited to try as much candy as possible, especially since her mom wasn't here to watch the sugar she ate.

Logan was in that awkward middle ground of trying to play it cool, but also offering a formal introduction for Reena as she referred to herself. Fortunately she gave his standing purpose, meeting her fist with a gentle bump and a visage fraught with enthusiasm for his new acquaintance. Yet not to completely conceal the momentary flickering eyes that signaled his internal debate of being himself vs. appearing cool.

Her amusement implied she didn't care either way, putting the boy at ease as he sat back down. "Yeah, Irene sounds like that aunt that knits with a couple cats in the background." He spoke with a hint of a jest, playfully shrugging his shoulders. "Naw, Irene is cool. I'll call you Reena though." Logan pointed with an attempted serious nod infiltrated by self-amusement. The kid thought he was hilarious despite the goalie on his soccer team that occasionally just asked Logan if he could please shut up in moments of teasing. That didn't stop him. "Some call me Lo." An open invitation for Reena to address him as such.

Talks shifted to her status as a first year despite her significant height far above average for an eleven year old girl, and a positive outlook for school that Logan desperately needed injected into himself. After all, it was an exciting adventure, many of his age would crave such an opportunity. With Reena around he felt he could bury the anxiety and ride alongside her enthusiasm.

"Damn, who's your mom, Brittany Griner?" Not hesitating to display some of his sports knowledge, though left Logan biting his inner cheek, realization that her height could potentially be a source of insecurity. "No, but really, you could probably ball on me. The soccer field is where I go to work. My dad said I could be on Newcastle United one day if I work hard enough." An attempted save with a modest smile that faded to reveal a glimpse of a delicate fear, his potential as a soccer play may well be squandered where he was headed.

Though her status as a sports enthusiast would swiftly resonate within Logan, the boy lived and breathed soccer and respected other sports as well. It was a huge part of his upbringing, and Reena seemed much the same. What were the odds he shared so many similarities with the first student he's met, someone was looking out for him. "Not only play, but live and breathe soccer. My dad's a professional scout, I haven't gone a day without it. I follow basketball a little bit, Luka Doncic is my favorite player." Having seen him live during a trip to Spain when he was 7, Logan has followed the professional's path to the NBA and continued to root for him. "Who do you like, and what's your position?"

Reena went on to mention candy, a foreign concept for Logan. "They have candy here? I won't lie, I don't get much of that...bad for my teeth and endurance my parents say." Logan shrugged in slight disappointment, though the structure and diet was good for his discipline, part of him wishes he had more opportunities to simply be a kid. "Wouldn't say no, though. What, you have some?" The boy offered a mischievous smile. Ah, candy, the drug of choice for children worldwide.

@Reena Delgado