August 9th 2024
Reconciliation Begins with Casey Stone
Emily's Speech:#cfa120
Casey's Speech: Bold #257379

Emily made her way to the far side of the Quidditch Stadium late that afternoon, her hands tangled between her arms where she tried to keep her digits warm. Camp was almost at its end yet it remained just as chilly as it had been since the start of it. In spite of the cold however, Emily was eager to reach the other side of the stadium. She walked past the food stalls where the scent of home bakes and hot food wafted as she went by. She weaved in between tents to climb through the grounds, catching glimpses of conversations as she passed the walls of the student housing before she eventually saw the large tree she was instructed to meet him at.

She still couldn't quite believe it. He wanted to meet with her. Casey... Of all people. Just the other week they were squabbling with each other. Now he wants to have a civil discussion with her? Her mind was still completely boggled when she found his note stuck to the side of her tent last night. After everything they had been through together, Emily never pictured Casey wanting to chat with her.

Anyhow, she caught sight of him lounging against the fence that encircled the pitch, playing with his hands and minding his own business. Pretty much the exact same spot where she found him after his slip from the tree branch a few days before. She approached him quietly until he noticed her, sliding off the fence and looking at her. But not out of menace or threat. Not out of disdain or irritation. Not even out of coldness or blankness. He looked... Strangely calm. It wasn't enough for it to be unsettling, but it was certainly something new for Emily to see.

"Good. You're here." Even his tone was different. "I wanna chat with you."

Emily nodded, showing no signs of objection yet remaining quiet as not to appear "clingy" as he last described her. "I know..."

She watched as Casey paced a bit, seemingly lost in thought in how to progress with their "elevator talk." After barking up each other's trees - even though it was really Casey who did most of that - they were both struggling to speak up confidently. Emily held back to save herself from more smoky remarks whilst Casey kept his almost silent to reduce the chances of getting hounded by the Hufflepuff's incessant want to "help."

They kept averting eye contact whenever one looked at them and vice versa. What the hell were either of them supposed to say?

"So, um... About... Everything... I just... Well..." She had forgotten who's fault it was at this point. This whole thing bore a mixture of exhaustion and depression for the both of them. The tired energy was evident in Emily's lack of willpower to even speak up. They ended up facing away from each other, the uncomfortableness between them palpable in the air. Why did Casey want to talk if there was nothing to talk about?

Then all of a sudden, Emily found conviction to talk. "Look I... I don't want to be seen as bothersome or annoying or anything like that. Back then, when we first met... You reminded me of how good it felt to be with others like me... Other wizards. I'd felt withdrawn a little after coming home for the summer because I knew I would be with people who just would really get it." Her parents instantly came to mind. "I just got excited and wanted to get to know you... But I ended up pushing you away instead... And I'm sorry I did."

No response came from Casey. Not even a breath. Emily exhaled before slowly walking away.

What was the point...?

"Wait."

Emily stopped, looking past her shoulder. Casey was still facing away from her but she could hear some willingness to speak up from him. Casey massaged his fingers as he tried to process his thoughts.

"I... It goes without sayin' that I'm not good with other people. I just get frustrated and impatient and..." He sighed. "I dunno..."

Except he did know. Sort of. "Every time you came up to me, looked at me, talked to me... I thought you were trying to attack me."

Emily's eyes were saucers at that statement, her voice incredulous. "What...?"

Casey raised a hand to stop her. "I know, I know... But... For an entire frickin' year I've been hounded by people who think they know me. Because they knew who I was before--" He cut himself off, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Emily proceeded with a cautious step forwards. "It's about what was in your photo, right? I could tell before... When you saw me lift it out of your pocket."

Casey said nothing, refusing to look back. Emily pressed forward once more, her expression soft and without intimidation. "Who was he...? The fella in your photo I mean." Casey ignored her.

"I won't tell anyone if that's what you're worried about..."

"You wouldn't frickin get it!" Casey lashed out. Emily didn't flinch however, having grown immune to it this far into their relationship... Whatever that meant. She edged closer to him with the same pacifist intent. He could see that. That brief window of weakness when she lent him her shirt back at the tent was a glimpse to a side she wanted to get through to.

"There are things I don't talk about... But that doesn't mean I can't listen to someone else." She gazed softly. "If we try to handle things ourselves all the time, who are we meant to lean onto when we need it...?"

"I don't need help. I don't want sympathy for anything. I'm fine...!" His voice cracked at the last part, which gave way to the crippling façade he had kept up for nearly a year, his facial features caught as the façade and his thoughts battled for control.

Emily went in for the finisher, the weight of her question baring every ounce of curiosity and empathy.

"He's your brother... Isn't he...?"

And thus the wall had crumbled. An exhale left him as his eyes glistened with tears. He stood there looking at the snow as he let them fall onto the snowy surface below him. After a while he covered his face, his hands roaming his cheeks and eyes as tears slipped through the gaps in between his fingers. Not a peep came out of him save for the rustle of his clothes as he tried to contain the spillage of his emotions.

"That frickin' twat... His damn fault for goin' missing... Because of him, all this has gotten so frickin'...!" He groaned as he eventually calmed down. He sunk to his knees, defeated as the shell of his façade disintegrated into nothing. He couldn't hide it anymore, lest from Emily, who came over to sit with him as his feelings overwhelmed him. Everything was suddenly becoming a lot clearer. The cold hugged their lower halves as they sat in the snow.

Silence overcame them once more before Casey finally looked at her. "You really ain't gonna try and argue about this?"

She shook her head. "You can just talk. And I will listen."

Casey couldn't fathom how... Comforting it was to hear the sincerity in her gentle voice. So after a final minute of quiet consideration he came around and took a breath.

And like a river, the words ran out of his mouth like he had rehearsed it all this entire time.

_{Word Count: 1336 (Good Lord...)}

For The Know-How (Le Plot)
@Scout Fu-Hai - @AngelFyre McCubbin - @Ruby Night - @Danielle Alden - @Renelle Dalton - @Simon Kincaid - @Colin McCoire - @Ophelia Northwell - @Ava Winchect

Stats: Stamina: 7 | Strength: 6 | Evasion: 6 | Wisdom: 8 | Arc Power: 7 | Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

August 9th 2024
Words Laced with Emotions with Casey Stone
Emily's Speech:#cfa120
Casey's Speech: Bold #257379
Casey's Thoughts: Bold Italics

Once Casey's mouth opened, he didn't shut up. He didn't take a breath. He didn't stop to look at her to see if she was really listening. He could just tell with how it felt with her sitting close to him, with her legs crossed and bundled up in her gilet and hoodie as she kept her focus on him.

The longer he talked, the weight of passion and love behind his words as every memory, every fact, every tiny detail that he could spew about Nick was laid bare before the both of them. Emily could tell, from the slightly curved shy smile she leaked when talking about how Nick would ruffle Casey's hair when he was a little boy, to the admiring glint in his eyes and voice as he rambled about Nick's goodness and bravery. Emily was sitting there utterly enthralled as Casey kept going, like she was hearing a bedtime story.

Good memories were shared. Bad memories were shared. Brotherly moments were shared. Brotherly arguments were shared. Casey must have been talking nonstop for at least half an hour before he took even a ten second break. Everything that the façade had tried to hide within the last year was flowing faster than a waterfall. He was being more honest and emotional with Emily than he had ever been with his parents, let alone his school peers. That was saying something given the height of his barriers with them compared to his classmates.

And when he was done after talking straight for forty-five minutes... He cried. Not ugly sobbing or howling in sadness. Just unrestrained tears as they leaked uncontrollably, his face and body stewing in still silent anguish. Anguish that his brother was gone, anguish that he had no clue to whether or not he was still alive, the reasons for all this pain. Pain that he forgot how it truly felt like until now. Emily saw him and his true colours, right then and there. She kept to herself, letting his tears rinse away the last of the bitterness that had kept him isolated for a year. At the same time though, she was finding it hard to contain her own tears that were threatening to roll down her face. How very like her to cry alongside another.

When he was done he fell silent once more. Casey's face was red and raw, not helped by the cold air biting at his skin. Emily hoked around her pockets until she happened across a clean tissue which she gave to Casey, whom took it without question, tidying up the crust and goop around his nose. Casey sniffed before finally getting some semblance of calm back into his voice.

"So now you know... About him. About why I'm so frickin' angry and... Upset," he admitted. Emily nodded, confirming everything she heard was what she wanted to know. All of a sudden she felt immense guilt for being so up about his business the first time they met.

Casey looked at her and saw the array of emotions she was feeling, a sense of realisation as he saw that she really did sit there and listen to him the whole time. Guilt, empathy, sadness. She remained quiet as she processed it all.

"You ain't gonna say anythin'?"

"I said I wouldn't. Remember?"

Casey's lip curled upwards. "Heh... Well now you can." He turned a little more towards her. "We've already established I don't want sympathy, so instead of showering me with sorries and things about "life bein' tough," tell me somethin' about you. Anythin' you want."

"Me? But there's really nothing special about me."

"Yeah there is. You're Little Miss No-Maj. Muggle-born. Tell me somethin' about your Muggle family or somethin'."

Emily rolled her eyes. "You've spilled your guts about your missing brother and all you want from me is to talk about my mum and dad like it's Circle Time at school?"

Casey smirked as he lounged across the ground. "C'mon. Surely there's somethin'. Even if it's generic, I'll listen." Anything to forget about the fact that he had just bawled in front of the person he was afraid to accept help from was what Casey was meant to say.

Emily sighed, failing to see the appeal in her own family - aside from "Auntie" of course. Nevertheless she complied and began talking. Casey sat there as he intently listened to her, the same way she did for him. He raised his eyebrows at her parents' societal jobs and normalities - or whatever was meant to be seen as "normal" for them anyway - his face twisted into a mix of smiling and amused smirks over her upbringing, her school life before Hogwarts, her preferences. And then there was the thousand word long spiel about "Auntie" and how Emily lauded every fibre of her. From that, Casey could tell she cared for someone as much as he cared about Nick.

"I guess we both got someone we'd die for, eh?"

Emily chuckled. "I guess... But I was kind of thinking more on how... Lonely, we both are. I mean, you said earlier you kept to yourself after your brother vanished, right? And I always felt a little out of place because of my background and my Muggle-ness... We've relied on someone even more precious than our own parents to feel good. It's hard not to feel bad on how much "Auntie" has had to put up with..."

Casey saw the click in her point and nodded half agreeably. "Yeah well you got friends at least, right? Like the Knocker of Jinxes back there and your House mates."

Emily laughed. "Scout's incredible. She's everything I want to be... Strong, fearless, someone who only needs to say "no" once. Though I feel like I've caused all kinds of trouble for both you and her just by existing..."

"You talkin' about the fight...?"

Emily's neck shrunk into her outfit shyly. Casey remembered the incident as clear as day. He suddenly laughed. "Scout's her name, yeah? She's got the making of a duellist if she can cast spells like that." He rubbed the back of his now-healed shoulder where the jinx landed on him from back then, both pissed and impressed at the outcome.

"Well she is a duellist for the Gryffindor team so... You're not wrong."

Gryffindor... That explains a lot.

"She's practically been the eyes on the back of my head since day one," Emily continued fondly. "But I can't have her protecting me forever... So I put my name down for the Hufflepuff duel team too."

Casey coughed on his spit. "You?"

Emily nodded earnestly. Casey repeated. "You...?"

Both of them shared a light-hearted laugh.

"I guess there ain't nothing wrong with sweet and strong." Casey's smile was becoming bigger and more open the longer they talked.

"Alright, Little Miss No-Maj... You've got me hooked. Tell me more."

_{Word Count: 1231}

For The Know-How (Le Plot)
@Scout Fu-Hai - @AngelFyre McCubbin - @Ruby Night - @Danielle Alden - @Renelle Dalton - @Simon Kincaid - @Colin McCoire - @Ophelia Northwell - @Ava Winchect

Stats: Stamina: 7 | Strength: 6 | Evasion: 6 | Wisdom: 8 | Arc Power: 7 | Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

August 9th 2024
Words Laced with Emotions with Casey Stone
Emily's Speech:#cfa120
Casey's Speech: Bold #257379
Casey's Thoughts: Bold Italics

It was incredible on how much time passed with the two of them just talking, the afternoon sunlight making its way for the rolling clouds for the impending evening ahead. Back and forth the pair exchanged small facts and stories about each other. They made each other laugh. They made each other cringe. They made each other go "whoa...". And while they were both still nervous to call it "banter" or building a friendship of sorts, they were both in silent mutual agreement that there was something amicable building between them.

They had evolved from sitting on the cold snowy ground beneath them to juggle passing with each other - Something which surprised Casey with how quick Emily grasped it - using the balls he received from the Enchanted Exchange. While Casey could do it blindfolded, Emily kept glancing between her hands and Casey every now and then as she tried to concentrate on passing and continuing their chat at the same time.

Their conversation poked into everything about themselves until they were nearly sure they could recite everything about each other like the backs of their hands; Emily learnt that Casey was good with his hands (as evident by their passing), liked outdoors as she did and was into grunge - no doubt introduced to him by his Muggle-enthused mother. Conversely, Casey learnt Emily was very appreciative of all things retro, a big animal lover and was more on the spiritual side of thinking, noticing the stones she carried in her pockets.

"Do they really protect ya and stuff? Like magic?" he asked.

"Not magic, per se... It's more like a sense that there's something or someone watching over you through them. Depending on the stone, they can give you protection, strength... Maybe even some emotional healing."

"Huh... And your Aunt introduced you to that?"

"Auntie? Yeah."

"Yeah, your Aunt. That's what I said."

"She's not my actual aunt. We're not blood related, remember?"

"Ah right... Seems like a nice lady though."

"So does your brother."

They kept at the quickfire questions and answers until their arms got tired throwing and catching to each other, where they sat back down against the Quidditch Stadium fence, parking their rears along one of the few patches of ground that wasn't dominated by the artificial snow across the campsite. They sat and soothed their sore throats after all their excessive talking.

"Anything else you wanna know?"

Emily tapped the ground in thought. There wasn't much else she could really know. They could probably write a full dissertation about each other after all they've talked about. Then suddenly, one last question came to mind.

"Got any deep secrets? Anything that no one else knows? But only if you want to share..."

Casey smirked. "It ain't much of a secret after all I've blabbed on about him earlier... But I'm gonna start my own investigation to finding Nick. If adults won't do jack about it, then I will. Regardless of what I might find."

Emily watched him admirably, the brotherhood in him gleaming back at her. Though her look was laced with concern. "How will you even start?"

"From the beginning... Duh. I'll take a look at the camp where my brother and his mates were the day he went missing. I doubt I'll find much since it's been a whole frickin' year... In which case I'll look into the deaths and attacks of his mates as well. He's still alive, gal. I can feel it in my core."

Emily saw the love and devotion to Casey's brother in his eyes and nodded confidently in agreement. The bonds of brotherhood were strong. "I believe you."

"So what about you, Little Miss No-Maj? Any deep dark secrets or ambitions hiding underneath that squishy layer of ya?"

What's with everyone calling me "squishy" these days...?

Emily chuckled. "Not really..."

Except.

"Well... On the last day of school... At Hogwarts... I was out walking in a part of the school we're not supposed to go."

Casey arched an eyebrow, his tone half mocking. "Wow, that's very dark. Never took you for a rulebreaker."

"That's not my point. The part where we can't go - the forest - it's filled with dark and magical creatures. Creatures that people are sceptical of. Afraid of. I want to help people see past that, to see the goodness in these creatures. That they're not monsters."

Casey regarded her with a suspicious look. "You're talking about goblins and elves and such, right? You're gonna get hate for that from some people."

"I know... But it's worth it when I want to safeguard the wellbeing of half-humans and other magical creatures, the same way I want humans to be at peace..."

"The day humans are peaceful will be the day I grow wings." Casey scoffed. "Violence and magic ain't even the half of the divide, gal. It's the heritage people love to spill hate on. Purebloods are the high and mighty bullies in the social chain. Some are a bit less uptight these days, but as soon as someone calls you a "Mudblood" you're better off kicking them and running. That's before the crap that's dished out to half-humans."

Emily cocked her head. " What's a "Mudblood?"

Casey looked at her quizzically before dropping his confusion, shaking it off with a hand. Some things weren't worth repeating for someone's sake. He responded warningly."It's a word you don't wanna hear at all in your lifetime in this world. Let's put it that way."

Emily fidgeted with her fingers, a little put off by where the conversation had went. "Do you think half-humans and creatures..." She trailed off. Going by her face, Casey finished her thought for her.

"Can't really say... Some are good. Some are bad. A bit like us really. Everybody on the planet is a hodgepodge of morals and murders... But I think it's noble you wanna help 'em. If they can learn from us, we could probably learn from them too."

That brightened Emily right up, with Casey scratching the side of his head awkwardly. When was the last time he lifted someone's spirits? He couldn't remember even if the world depended on it. He really had been stewing in a loathing mindset for a long time that he had almost forgotten how good it really felt to share a smile with someone.

"I think we click quite well, you know."

"Yeah?"

"Well good things proceed the bullshit, right?"

"You mean you really want to... Be buddies? After everything that's happened?"

The Ilvermorny boy held his hand up, fisting it into a ball. "We'll call it Even Stevens." He smiled. Emily beamed as she fist-bumped him back. Finally. Finally! They were on the same page. They were... Buddies! Emily couldn't resist throwing her arms around him in a tight bear hug, smothering him. Casey groaned at the weight of her.

"O-O-Okay! Okay! I get it... C'mon gal... You're crushin' my lungs..."

The late hours of the afternoon had washed over them by then. Yet the two continued to sit there; well, Casey sat there while Emily snugged him to death, beyond thrilled that she finally made a friend out of him. When the sun had set, the two got ready to depart for their tents.

"Had I'd known this would've gone well sooner, I wish we could've spent more time together," she admitted.

"Yeah well... It's called summer camp for a reason, gal," Casey said matter-of-factly. Then again even he was a little disappointed their time together was limited with the end of camp on the horizon. It was hard for him to let go of the only thing that's helped him open up after so long.

"We'll write, yeah?

"Of course!"

Casey nodded before untying something from around his waste and tossing it in Emily's direction. Catching it, she unravelled it to see the t-shirt she lent him ages ago.

"Thanks for the fit." He straightened the rest of himself out before heading back in the direction of his tent, Emily following suit with her own.

They exchanged glances. Casey winked. Emily gave a thumbs up.

They were in agreement they were buddies now. Took them long enough.

Casey walked back contently as if breathing air for the first time. Emily grinned. Their energy shared across the field as they parted ways.

_{Word Count: 1493 (New Best!)}

For The Know-How (Le Plot)
@Scout Fu-Hai - @AngelFyre McCubbin - @Ruby Night - @Danielle Alden - @Renelle Dalton - @Simon Kincaid - @Colin McCoire - @Ophelia Northwell - @Ava Winchect

Final Note: Finally done setting up the main stage... Now the main event of the story can begin!

Stats: Stamina: 7 | Strength: 6 | Evasion: 6 | Wisdom: 8 | Arc Power: 7 | Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace