Tell Me More PV Casey Stone Fin

Roleplaying as Casey Stone from Ilvermorny

Another Typical Audience with Zyair Ona'je @Scout Fu-Hai

Casey's Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics

Diabolo. Cigar Boxes. Clubs. All he needed was his Unicycle and Flower Sticks and he'd have his entire repertoire of street circus equipment with him. Though he didn't know how he'd go about carting around a Unicycle with a 28 inch wheel with him, much less where to put it back in the Cosy Cabin tent. He wasn't too set on carrying around light coloured Flower Sticks either if they were only going to get dirty at the tailed ends. Bog-standard hand manipulation toys would have to do. Casey wouldn't complain though. He had a sinking feeling he'd need his best toys to keep his temper and depression in check while far from home.

And sure enough, with only mere days into camp he had managed to find himself more pissed off than ever. He couldn't even risk thinking back to what had happened the other day without blowing up into another frustrated stupor. No better way to focus all that energy than into his equipment. Flip Catching had never been easier as his strings came down to capture the Diabolo between his two sticks, the yo-yo spinning as it lands, the friction almost heating up the string. Cigar Boxes weren't really the best for burning off anger - stiff and tense hands were no good for boxes that required steady hands for balancing. But they were damn good for winding down and getting calm. Made for more impressive Body Catches and twists.

Then there was juggling. Undoubtedly the most addictive for him. With little effort his hands slipped under and over, side to side as a stream of manipulation and tricks ran off him like it was nothing. After so long it was practically a force of habit; if it wasn't balls he'd juggling, it would be pencils, beanbags, glue sticks. Anything he could get his hands on if he ever felt fidgety.

On a particularly chilly day, wrapped up in his blue jumper and a wind breaker over the top, he stood with his equipment behind him as he continued juggling, lost in his own thoughts. Nick ought to be proud of him for staying on course with this little street circus hobby he picked up. And all it took was for the bastard to go missing and pick it up as a tool for grieving - at least that's what his mother called it when she introduced the idea to him.

It was then that he heard someone address him, with the same familiar string of words he was always met the instance someone caught him at his circus antics. Ordinarily, an eye roll and a huffy tone would accompany Casey's usual "No shit, Sherlock," answer. But after the scuffle he had with the two girls a few days before and that look he saw in Emily's eyes, he decided he'd at least try being nice. "Try" being the operative word. Then again, given the shyness of the boy that's approached him, he figured there was no need to be hostile at all in the first place.

"Yeah, a bit. Just shy of a year now. But no, not shows." Short and simple. Any more and Casey would find his irritation building back up. There's only so much he could take answering the same question over and over again.

_{Word Count: 602}

Stats: Stamina: 8 | Strength: 7 | Evasion: 7 | Wisdom: 6 | Arc Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Fearless| Poison Resistance

july 18th, 2024		thursday, afternoon
wc: 350		zyair ona'je - uagadou
interacting with: Casey Stone | @Emily Shephard		mentioning: meow

To say the tension could be cut with a knife might've been an understatement. Zyair had never considered himself much of an emotion's kind of guy, but if he stood too long next to this boy he might actually see the air get darker.

"I see."

Articulate in his speech, he kept his response to a minimum. He wanted to take just a split second to assess over the situation. Does he keep asking or does he say 'that's cool', and move on with his life? Chichi would be positively thrilled if Zyair learned a trick or two, but he didn't want to get on this boy's bad side. From the one sentence he's said, Zyair can already peg him as the type of guy to appreciate simple and short responses. Straight to the point, something Zyair can respect.

"Did you learn it for someone?" He asks. "A little sibling?"

He might've been projecting a little bit... okay, a lot, but he couldn't help himself. If there were someone learning a skill that was seen as highly entertaining in order to entertain their younger sibling- that would be a good thing, right? The boy (who Zyair recognized the accent as American) would be like... relatable? What was he even thinking, what if this American had just learned it for fun? Or even worse, what if he had learned it for someone and it was a touchy subject?

"I only ask..." he trails for a moment, was there even a point in telling his reasoning? "I have younger sister's, they'd be thrilled to see someone like you perform." Zyair really was thinking of bringing the twins to a circus. He wasn't sure if there were any Abidjan, but it was a pretty big city so even if there weren't any nearby, he could find a show that was only a bike ride or quick car trip away. If only he lived in a more magic-centric area, then they could just floo.

Roleplaying as Casey Stone from Ilvermorny

Same Conversation, Different Day with Zyair Ona'je @Scout Fu-Hai

Casey's Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics

Yep. Casey had this coming. The second this boy came over marvelling at his knack for throwing things and catching them in fancy ways, he could easily predict what was coming next. Still, he made himself a private point to try and remain nice about it. While Casey was unequivocally getting sick and tired of all the mindless praise - most likely a personal grievance since he never liked getting attention - he could tell when people were being sincere and when others were playing it up just for the sake of a reaction.

"Taught myself," he continued. "Mom's a muggle expert and introduced all this stuff to me. She even managed to get me small booklets for tricks and stuff. Though for the most part, I've learnt how to do all this on my own."

Casey was never a boastful lad, but there was always a little part of him that would come back to remind him to be smug as hell for being able to learn all that street circus by himself. What some muggle street performers would take years to learn, he had managed to do some in a matter of months, even days. He'd never be better than the best out there but come on... Pretty eye-catching for a 12 year old, no?

The mention of the boy's sisters - as Casey had now learnt - no doubt went unnoticed nor unsuspecting that they would want a viewing of Casey's prowess... As would every neighbour and their kid and their best friend back home.

"If you've got 30 galleons, I'll do a whole birthday party," he joked. He tossed his juggling balls back in the air, effortlessly seaming into his Cascade. With how... amusing this conversation was going, Casey was feeling brave to bite the bullet.

"So what do they call you then?"

_{Word Count: 357}

Stats: Stamina: 8 | Strength: 7 | Evasion: 7 | Wisdom: 6 | Arc Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Fearless| Poison Resistance

july 18th, 2024		thursday, afternoon
wc: 300		zyair ona'je - uagadou
interacting with: Casey Stone | @Emily Shephard		mentioning: meow

"I think 30 galleons might be underselling yourself."

Zyair didn't know much about circus economy, and he most definitely didn't know a thing about showbiz pricing, but 30 galleons for a whole show seemed low, didn't it? How much did concert tickets go for again? He had seen some prices upwards of thousands of francs, but that wasn't too fair of a comparison, especially with how the economy was.

"Your mother is a 'muggle expert'?" That... was certainly one way to put it. It wasn't like muggles were some extinct species, they were just normal people without the ability to cast spells. "I take it you don't have much experience with them by yourself, then?" That fact really wouldn't surprise Zyair, if true. Most of the wizards and witches (young and old) that he had met so far were either very integrated in muggle society or completely out of touch with it.

He liked to think he was a happy medium.

Zy had always known he was a wizard, his mama was a witch, his sister was a witch, he had never considered himself deprived of magical culture. Though he also lived in a muggle city, it wasn't like spells could be casted at any moment, and he most certainly couldn't do something like fly a broom or try to make a potion. Most of (if not all) of his friends in and out of school were muggles. He was in tune with both magic and non-magic, at least he thought.

"My name is Zyair, I go to Uagadou." This would now mark the third or fourth time he's introduced himself in such a way- with the exception being that this time, he dropped his last name. "You're American, aren't you? Your face is familiar. I think I've seen you with the Ilvermorny students when our schools meet at Hogwarts."

Smooth, Zy. You scared off one person by knowing their school, good on you for not scaring another.

Roleplaying as Casey Stone from Ilvermorny

Being Surprisingly... Friendly? With Zyair Ona'je @Scout Fu-Hai

Casey's Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics

Perceptive, the boy was. Either that or he was good at establishing the obvious. Casey didn't mind though, partially too engrossed in his "throwing-things-in-the-air-and-catching-them-again" routine to really form a strong opinion either way. The boy was a good guy with no malice, that's all he could say for sure. Thing is, he reminded him a little too much of someone else...

"Heh, yeah well... Well spotted mate. Seems there are more of my school here than I actually realised. Seen a few of you Uagadou-ians wanderin' the camp grounds myself. Would've thought there'd be more of ya, being reknowned yourselves and all. And I'm wizard-born. I know a few things about muggles but the rest kinda... lose me a little."

That was nice enough, right? Certainly the most effort he's put into social interaction in a good long while without the need to feel snide when he suspects someone is getting too close to him. Who would want to get attached to his depressing attitude anyway? He could already easily name at few people on one hand alone that felt the weight of what he was carrying inside him and how it rubbed off on them. Not a recommended course of action to hang around Casey Stone when he was still stuck on the fourth out of the Five Stages of Grief.

He did a few over-the-shoulder throws with his right hand - his left hand was still needing some practice without it looking messy - definitely not trying to show off.

"I take it you're here for the 'good times' like everybody else, eh?" he asked absentmindedly, his attention still mostly focused on the three coloured balls in his hands and in the air.

_{Word Count: 334}

Stats: Stamina: 8 | Strength: 7 | Evasion: 7 | Wisdom: 6 | Arc Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Fearless| Poison Resistance

july 18th, 2024		thursday, afternoon
wc: 400		zyair ona'je - uagadou
interacting with: Casey Stone | @Emily Shephard		mentioning: scout

Right, wizard-born. Zyair wasn't sure what the difference between purebloods and wizard-borns were, weren't they both just born in magical families? Maybe in English they used different wordings for blood purity. But that wasn't important to Zyair, since he had always been a non-standard pureblood. Normally they knew nothing of muggle society- how interesting it must be that someone wouldn't know a thing about light switches or microwaves.

"Not surprising," he commented, "I take it one of the things you do know are circus tricks. Circuses aren't inherently magical, I don't think." There must be magical circuses, right? Would they even be safe? Zyair can imagine the distress and chaos if they used magic creatures instead of lions and tigers. What if a dragon got loose and set the tents ablaze? Or even worse, what if a spell backfired and hurt people?

He'd never take his sisters to a show like that.

"I don't know much about the entertainment culture outside of my home country." He admitted, shrugging. "Maybe I'm wrong and Americans do magic shows often? The inherent chaos of them seem very much in tune with the history of the country- ah, no offense." Did Americans get offended by those kinds of comments? Zyair would think they're funny.

He shrugs off the boy's question, "Isn't everyone? I take it that's why you're here." Initially he was going to go to summer camp because his mother urged him, and then it was to spend time with his sister before going home, and then it was to meet with Ariam. Though now, it was too see if he could spot the red-headed Hogwarts girl, Scout. There was no aspect of her that Zyair found uninteresting- what wouldn't he give for another conversation with her?

"Unless you're trying to solve some secret mystery of England's Summer Camp?" He asked, half-jokingly. The rumors and stories surrounding both the country of England as well as Hogwarts (which was the hosting school) meant that there were probably quite a few students who attended solely to snoop around the Quidditch Stadium to see what they could find. "You do seem like the kind of guy to solve mysteries."

Or the kind of guy to create them- though Zyair would never say it out loud... this boy definitely seemed like he would fight someone if given the chance. He seemed pretty athletic too, so he'd probably win.

Roleplaying as Casey Stone from Ilvermorny

International Relations and Suspicious Line-Crossing With Zyair Ona'je @Scout Fu-Hai

Casey's Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics

Casey slowed down his Cascade now that his concentration was shifting gradually towards his conversation with Zyair. For better or for worse, he wouldn't know for sure until they parted ways. While still facing his airborne equipment he continued to answer Zyair's barrage of questions earnestly, as nicely as he could manage.

"For the record, mom sent me here thinking it would be good for me," Casey explained. "I swear to God, she's treatin' this more like a spa appointment or a doctor's visit than a 'fun time' at camp..."

Though at the end of the day, Celeste Stone's last words to Casey about summer camp were indeed that it would help him work out his emotions if he had a change of scenery. With his brother missing it transformed everything that Casey once knew and loved a bitter reminder that his older half was gone. Having recognised that, his parents knew summer camp was their best bet to help Casey heal, even if Casey himself couldn't appreciate it for himself yet.

"I reckon there's plenty of magic tricks in the Wizarding world, though I've been pretty pre-occupied with muggle magic to really notice. Finding coins behind people's ears and disappearing under table cloths. That kinda thing. Thank my mom for all the research she does while she's working..."

His tricks were now slowing down, bringing his juggling balls to a simple Windmill before alternating between Columns and Cascades. A little bothersome for him that a stranger was able to break through him so easily just with a mild-mannered conversation. On the other hand if it was helping Casey's mood - something else which he didn't want to admit - then he wouldn't push Zyair away. Yet. Not unless he somehow touched a nerve either intentionally or not.

"Unless you're trying to solve some secret mystery of England's Summer Camp? You do seem like the kind of guy to solve mysteries."

Aaaand there it was. Casey lost his Cascade streak when he let one fall into the snow upon hearing Zyair's words. He turned around slowly, looking at the Uagadou kid with a cynical look. How did he...? Did he do that on purpose? Or was it just another innocent interrogation?

"What do you know...?" Casey asked guardedly.

_{Word Count: 429}

Stats: Stamina: 8 | Strength: 7 | Evasion: 7 | Wisdom: 6 | Arc Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Fearless| Poison Resistance

july 18th, 2024		thursday, afternoon
wc: 350		zyair ona'je - uagadou
interacting with: Casey Stone | @Emily Shephard		mentioning: meow meow meow

"That's sweet." If only Zyair could say the same. His mother had been very upset to see Zy go, though he wasn't sure if it was because she'd actually miss him or because that meant she'd have to find someone else to take care of his younger sisters. But she was excited that him and Eba could spend more time together, she had always said it would be good for the two of them to get closer as brother and sister. "It's nice that she cares so much about your well-being. I think my mama was more concerned with who was going to babysit the twins than she was about me going to another country."

'What do you know?'

"Pardon?"

The line of questioning caught Zyair completely off-guard. What in the world was this kid even talking about? Was he actually some sort of investigator looking into the mysteries surrounding Hogwarts and London? Talk about an unintentional but spot-on guess, even for someone as perceptive as Zyair. How was he supposed to know some random American kid was a bona fide wizard-born detective?

"Forgive me, what are you talking about?" He asked again, giving the boy an incredulous look. To say Zy was confused would be more than an understatement. He didn't actually think some random preteen could be a magical detective, but maybe they had less regulations in America than they did in Africa. Could a child even be so smart as to solve mysteries? "Are there actual mysteries at Hogwarts? I thought it was all nonsense. Rumors and whatnot."

Zyair was blanking on what could be an actual secret that was meant to be kept from the students, both international and in attendance. Maybe they were keeping some monster underground that they were feeding house-elves or something like that. "I'm having a hard time imagining they'd hire a twelve-year-old boy to solve those, though."

Unless he was... what was the word... on commission? Zyair wasn't too sure if that was how it worked, but couldn't you just pay any old guy to complete a task and call it 'for commission'? Would anyone actually commission a literal child?

Roleplaying as Casey Stone from Ilvermorny

International Relations and Suspicious Line-Crossing With Zyair Ona'je @Scout Fu-Hai

Casey's Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics

Oh... That's what he meant...

Casey sighed and his guard gradually began to drop. For a second he thought Zyair managed to read his mind and ultimately predict everything Casey was going through. Evidently not if Zyair was yapping on about Hogwarts and nothing Oregon or Nick-related. A relieved hand ghosted his hair as he faced away to take a breather, before turning back to Zyair with a renewed look of withdrawal.

"Nothin'. Don't worry 'bout it. Besides, Hogwarts is probably too shrouded in mysteries to even start solving 'em. Like trying to add bleach to a concentrated stain but it won't come off. Wars and Death Eaters and all that crap. At least that's what my dad used to say in small talk... I don't actually really know all that much about that stuff though. Figured mom wanted to shelter me from that in case of fearmongering or something."

Yet Casey had been hot and dusty for the past year over a missing person with no leads, no investigations, nowt. A part of him couldn't shake the same familiar feeling of being sheltered, as if there was something he didn't know but the world knew. Yet at the same time it was impossible for such to be the case. Everybody he knew had given up the search. Unquestionably because of his love for him, Casey wouldn't fall victim and give up denial. He'd persevere and get to the bottom of it. He just needed a lead first.

A half-humorous laugh left him. "World's so frickin' infested with deceit..." he mumbled.

_{Word Count: 312}

Stats: Stamina: 8 | Strength: 7 | Evasion: 7 | Wisdom: 6 | Arc Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Fearless| Poison Resistance