30 Jun 2025, 19:26
Like a statue
┏━━━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━━━┓❀° ┄───╮
Jules C. Pollux
╰───┄ °❀
Outfit:
Reducio
WC: 289
┗━━━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━━━┛
Jules had lost count of how many hours he and his sister had been standing there in the shop of Madam Malkin trying out robes and standing still to allow the staff to take their measurements and adjust the parts that didn’t fit properly.
The sun was highlighting his delicate features and his blonde eyelashes, slightly curled to prevent the sun rays from annoying his teal eyes, and under that light his ginger hair could almost look golden in some points. It wasn’t hard to spot those ethereal features, almost non-human, once the young kid was observed for a while.
A small sigh left his lips as he rose his left arm once more to show how the fabric was slightly pulling on one side, and from just a glance to his sister – who was rising the opposite arm to show how her robe was just a tad too big for her – he could tell she was just as bored as he was. The good perks of having a twin, he thought. They could simply understand each other with a glance, even though this case was already obvious.
“Mom, for how long do we have to stay here? We’ll overgrow these robes anyway.” he complained to his mother, who was browsing the items while waiting for the twins to finish their adjustments and place the order. “Then we’ll adjust them again.” she replied with a giggle, returning short after to the browsing. Jules sighed again, and tilted his head trying to peek at the other kids who were also shopping for the upcoming school year.
“I wonder if they are having as much fun as I'm having right now.” he sarcastically thought, sighing again, almost accepting his boring fate.
OOC:
Reducio@Lucille Rosenhart
Last edited by Jules Pollux on 5 Aug 2025, 13:49, edited 1 time in total.
30 Jun 2025, 20:50
Like a statue
Lucille had just finished getting her robes, and was standing close by her mother's side as she continued to browse. Ordinarily, Lucille might have gotten a little impatient, but she was content to observe all the other students frantically purchasing robes. She was glad they had come here a little earlier and escaped the rush.
Her eyes fell on a pair of siblings getting their measurements done. They looked like twins, but there was something odd about them. In a good way. Lucille found her eyes kept drifting to the pair, and she felt the urge to speak to them. She wasn't exactly sure why; they simply seemed like interesting people.
Her mother noticed and smiled down at her. "Go ahead. Go say hello," she encouraged.
"Mother, they're getting their clothes. They surely don't want to be bothered," Lucille protested, although it was clear as day that the pair were not exactly enjoying the process of getting their robes.
"Whatever has to happen, will happen," Lucille muttered under her breath and left her mother's side. She tried not to approach too swiftly; that was a bit too forward, even for her; and instead browsed as she walked. When she neared, she looked up as if she'd just seen them.
"Oh, hello! Are you Hogwarts students, too?" A stupid conversation starter, to be sure, but Lucille wasn't sure how to start talking without it coming across as strange.
Her eyes fell on a pair of siblings getting their measurements done. They looked like twins, but there was something odd about them. In a good way. Lucille found her eyes kept drifting to the pair, and she felt the urge to speak to them. She wasn't exactly sure why; they simply seemed like interesting people.
Her mother noticed and smiled down at her. "Go ahead. Go say hello," she encouraged.
"Mother, they're getting their clothes. They surely don't want to be bothered," Lucille protested, although it was clear as day that the pair were not exactly enjoying the process of getting their robes.
"Whatever has to happen, will happen," Lucille muttered under her breath and left her mother's side. She tried not to approach too swiftly; that was a bit too forward, even for her; and instead browsed as she walked. When she neared, she looked up as if she'd just seen them.
"Oh, hello! Are you Hogwarts students, too?" A stupid conversation starter, to be sure, but Lucille wasn't sure how to start talking without it coming across as strange.
Reducio
WC: 237
Mentions: @Jules Pollux
WC: 237
Mentions: @Jules Pollux
| sta 7 eva 7 str 6 wis 5 arc 6 acc 4 calming presence |
30 Jun 2025, 23:04
Like a statue
┏━━━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━━━┓❀° ┄───╮
Jules C. Pollux
╰───┄ °❀
@Lucille Rosenhart
Outfit:
Reducio
WC: 422
┗━━━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━━━┛
His mind started to drift off after a few more minutes, automatically rising an arm or a leg when requested, but thinking about something else entirely. There was nothing to do, nothing to talk about and nothing to go to, only the boredom of being like a statue for the staff of the shop, patiently waiting for them to finish taking all the measurements they needed.
The twins shared another look before getting called again by the staff for not staying still enough, as they were starting to move around and sigh a bit too frequently, and Jules decided to let his mind wander, see if all that boredom could have been translated into some form of art.
Maybe a poem? A drawing? Something else entirely? He was still trying to figure it out when the soft voice of someone interrupted his train of thoughts, making him shake his head for a moment to mentally return to the shop and leave the creativity behind for quieter moments.
“Oh?” he asked curiously, looking around to meet the gaze of another child around their age, who must have been there for the same reason as them: to buy school supplies in advance, before the late bloomers could rush over the last few days before the departure.
“Ah, yes. Well- not yet.” he quickly corrected himself, as he quickly looked at his twin for additional support. Non that he needed it, but the sudden appearance of the girl and consequent need for conversating with her naturally made him look for his sister’s presence, almost as it was reassuring for him to know that she could have taken the lead any time.
“We’re starting next September. And you?” he added, slightly raising his voice to be better heard, as his first words were quite low in volume. He was ready to return to his boring activity, but the staff member that was taking his measurements seemed to have finished earlier than the one following Jules’ sister. They said he was good to go and could wait for his sister in the shop, as she needed some touchups, and was quickly dismissed from there. Quite frustrated, he frowned at where his sister was, not appreciating to be forced to spend some time without her, and then he turned to the girl that had just appeared.
“Want to keep me company?” he asked, tilting his head. He knew he should have started learning to live without his sister constantly next to him, especially during that summer before the start of their new life at Hogwarts. So, why keep waiting for it, and not just start in that moment?
OOC:
Reducio
1 Jul 2025, 08:12
Like a statue
Lucille was relieved to see that the pair seemed to be kind. The boy was done quicker than his sister, and he seemed hesitant to leave her. She wondered if that was what she would be like, too, had she not had the large age gap between her and her siblings. She had spent far too much of her childhood on her own, usually only seeing her siblings in the summers when they weren't in school. That didn't mean they weren't close, of course, but seeing this pair, she already knew they were closer than she and her siblings were.
She gave the girl an encouraging smile as she was left to deal with the annoying process. "Good luck! They took a long time with my measurements, too," she said, sharing her frustration.
"Oh, sure. I don't seem to have anything else to do either," she said in response to the boy when he asked for company. She nodded towards her mother. "That's my mother. She's shopping, now, and God knows how long it'll take her," she explained, turning to the boy. She was relieved to find a fellow 1st year. They would probably see each other at Hogwarts again, and it would be nice to see a familiar face.
True to form, Lucille started to talk about everything and nothing. "I'm Lucille, and I'm a 1st year too! I'm glad to find another one, considering we'll probably be seeing each other at school again. What house do you think you'll be sorted into? Personally, I think I could be a Gryffindor. Not for any particular reason; I just think I would fit in there the most." She felt like she was beginning to ramble on about herself, which truly wasn't her intention. She liked getting to know people, but she had a strange way of it. Quickly, she inquired more about him. "Anyway, what's your name? Where are you from? All those traditional questions," she said with a little laugh, amused.
Time for the moment of truth. The boy would either find her odd and annoying, or interesting. Good thing Lucille hadn't talked about how she had snuck up to speak to them, but she had a feeling she would get to that very quickly. The only thing Lucille could ever hide was other people's secrets; her own were practically nonexistant.
She gave the girl an encouraging smile as she was left to deal with the annoying process. "Good luck! They took a long time with my measurements, too," she said, sharing her frustration.
"Oh, sure. I don't seem to have anything else to do either," she said in response to the boy when he asked for company. She nodded towards her mother. "That's my mother. She's shopping, now, and God knows how long it'll take her," she explained, turning to the boy. She was relieved to find a fellow 1st year. They would probably see each other at Hogwarts again, and it would be nice to see a familiar face.
True to form, Lucille started to talk about everything and nothing. "I'm Lucille, and I'm a 1st year too! I'm glad to find another one, considering we'll probably be seeing each other at school again. What house do you think you'll be sorted into? Personally, I think I could be a Gryffindor. Not for any particular reason; I just think I would fit in there the most." She felt like she was beginning to ramble on about herself, which truly wasn't her intention. She liked getting to know people, but she had a strange way of it. Quickly, she inquired more about him. "Anyway, what's your name? Where are you from? All those traditional questions," she said with a little laugh, amused.
Time for the moment of truth. The boy would either find her odd and annoying, or interesting. Good thing Lucille hadn't talked about how she had snuck up to speak to them, but she had a feeling she would get to that very quickly. The only thing Lucille could ever hide was other people's secrets; her own were practically nonexistant.
Reducio
WC: 392
Mentions: @Jules Pollux
WC: 392
Mentions: @Jules Pollux
| sta 7 eva 7 str 6 wis 5 arc 6 acc 4 calming presence |
1 Jul 2025, 21:01
Like a statue
┏━━━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━━━┓❀° ┄───╮
Jules C. Pollux
╰───┄ °❀
@Lucille Rosenhart
Outfit:
Reducio
WC: 454
┗━━━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━━━┛
Sending one last glance to her sister, he ultimately turned to the girl who would have kept him company in wait. It wasn’t of course the first time he had to spend some time without Agnes, yet he looked a bit weirded out for the first few minutes of interactions with the other girl.
“They did?” he asked, tilting his head once more, with a soft voice and a small frown in his eyebrows, a light sigh in his lips that he quickly shushed away to avoid looking too rude or not welcoming enough to the girl. He wasn’t the warmest kid at first glance, but surely, he didn’t want to look unlikable or arrogant, so he tried to tone down his initial and natural caution to look more tamed.
He nodded and drafted a smile when she confirmed she would keep him company for the time he had to wait, a small and delicate smile, almost dollish. He turned to look at the girl’s mother who was shopping not too far from his own mother, and with a nod in that direction he replied “Ah, mine too. We’re rarely here in Diagon Alley, to be honest.” Implying that she would also have kept browsing for a while, leaving the kids some time to chat.
Jules was quite amused by the chattiness of the other girl – Lucille was her name – and very much relieved that she was taking the lead of the conversation. He didn’t have too many problems conversating, but was still lacking from that kind of bravery it took to place the first questions.
“I’m Jules. She’s Agnes.” He replied once she had finished talking, pointing at his sister who was still in the middle of the measurements. “Hm, my house… I think I might be a good fit for either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff.” He considered, thinking about the qualities those houses valued the most. He looked at Lucille once more, almost as if he was studying her body language more than her words. “I also think you might be a good fit.” He smiled once more, widening the smile at his consideration for her. Maybe it was simply because she went up and spoke first to him, but something was telling him she would have been a great Gryffindor.
“Ah, we’re from Scotland. Not really, um… we moved there some years ago.” He quickly explained, as if he was almost forgetting that part of the question. The more time was passing, the less timid he looked, and also the constant glares in the twin’s direction were significantly less. Somehow, Lucille had piqued the interest of Jules, who waited just a few seconds before asking “What about you? Where are you from?”
OOC:
Reducio
1 Jul 2025, 21:18
Like a statue
Lucille nodded eagerly as he responded to her questions. He seemed a little bit aloof to her, but his replies were engaged and fleshed out. Lucille had long since learned that, when it came to her haphazard approaches, it was best to focus on how much the other person was talking and engaging with her, rather than the expression on their face. After all, only one of those was an indication they wanted to converse more, and Lucille was of the firm belief that if someone didn't want to speak to her, they could quite easily say so, or seem disinterested, or feign being busy, and all manner of other things. She had made up her mind that her life, at least, would not be spent fretting about whether people wanted to talk to her or not.
"Likewise," she said after the boy had finished talking, before suddenly realizing he didn't know what part of his words she was replying to. "I mean that I hardly come to Diagon Alley. Not that I'm from Scotland," she said with a little laugh. "Far from it, actually. We live in Wiltshire, and my mother comes here to London a lot for work, but she usually doesn't want me in her hair, for obvious reasons."
She paused for a second, which was a little rare for her, and seemed to look the boy up and down. He was right, she thought, he did seem like a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff. Perhaps it was his measured responses, or his evident loyalty to his sister, that made her think this. Whatever the reason, she agreed with him. "I see what you mean about your house. Pity I'll have to defeat you in the house cup, though," she said, almost dismissively. "And yes, that is a personal threat," she commented, eyes glinting with amusement.
He seemed a bit braver now about the conversation, and Lucille hoped her lighthearted joke would be taken well. The last thing she would want is for him to shrink back into the reserved manner he seemed to keep.
"Likewise," she said after the boy had finished talking, before suddenly realizing he didn't know what part of his words she was replying to. "I mean that I hardly come to Diagon Alley. Not that I'm from Scotland," she said with a little laugh. "Far from it, actually. We live in Wiltshire, and my mother comes here to London a lot for work, but she usually doesn't want me in her hair, for obvious reasons."
She paused for a second, which was a little rare for her, and seemed to look the boy up and down. He was right, she thought, he did seem like a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff. Perhaps it was his measured responses, or his evident loyalty to his sister, that made her think this. Whatever the reason, she agreed with him. "I see what you mean about your house. Pity I'll have to defeat you in the house cup, though," she said, almost dismissively. "And yes, that is a personal threat," she commented, eyes glinting with amusement.
He seemed a bit braver now about the conversation, and Lucille hoped her lighthearted joke would be taken well. The last thing she would want is for him to shrink back into the reserved manner he seemed to keep.
Reducio
WC: 347
Mentions: @Jules Pollux
Mentions: @Jules Pollux
| sta 7 eva 7 str 6 wis 5 arc 6 acc 4 calming presence |
1 Jul 2025, 23:04
Like a statue
┏━━━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━━━┓❀° ┄───╮
Jules C. Pollux
╰───┄ °❀
@Lucille Rosenhart
Outfit:
Reducio
WC: 539
┗━━━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━━━┛
Yes, he was definitely warming up after the first minutes with Lucille, even if that spontaneous curiosity was always in his gaze, delicate and never too nosy, but present. He had always met other magical kids throughout his life, but they were almost always children of family friends, or cousins. The downsides of always being homeschooled, in few words.
But anyways he was somehow keeping up with the conversation, letting Lucille take the lead and propose topics to talk about and replying back with a warmer tone now that he was building up some confidence for himself, getting a bit of energy from the girl’s voice that was louder than his.
“Huh?” he asked confused, initially thinking she was also from Scotland, or maybe that she also moved where she lived not too many years before. His gaze deepened for a few seconds, trying to investigate her words before the clarification, but he soon understood she meant something else entirely. “Ah, right.” He giggled as well, showing better his unusual features under a few strands of ginger hair that were covering a bit his face, that he promptly moved to look better at Lucille.
“Uhm, Wiltshire…?” he repeated after her, not being familiar with the place. Although he had moved to Scotland enough years before to be part of the country, apparently he still had some troubles with the geography. But he didn’t care to appear ignorant by asking her to tell him more about where she was from, as it was told to him multiple times that it was instead a sign of curiosity.
He could relate also to the mother not wanting her child too much in her way during work, and therefore replied “Mine too, especially when she is researching.” With another small giggle by his side. He probably replayed the sentence in his head, because he quickly realized he didn’t provide any context to that. “Uhm, ‘cause my mother is a researcher. She studies magical creatures.” He explained with a slight pride in his voice. Again, not too noticeable, just a tiny bit that might have been caught by an attentive ear.
Lucille confirming that he was a good fit for both houses initially made him smile once more, but the next words shrunk that smile in what was at first a confused gaze. “Wh-” he started to say spontaneously, words blocked by his mind that caught the joke immediately after. “Pft, we’ll see about that.” He then corrected himself, with a timid smirk that suggested amusement in his mind, even though the cautious layer was still present somewhere. “Me and my sister are unbeatable when we’re together.” He continued, assuming that they would have been sorted in the same house. It must have been that way for sure, right? At least, that’s what he thought.
“I’m a good student. And my sister is good at sports. We’re gonna get so many points for our house.” He kept saying, a lot more confident now that he could mention his sister, a good way to help him with confidence when Agnes wasn’t phyisically near him. But then he changed his tone, returning to a softer and nicer level to ask “And you? What’s your greatest strength?”
OOC:
Reducio
2 Jul 2025, 06:58
Like a statue
Lucille's ears perked up when he said his mother studied magical creatures. That was her aim in life, too, and she wished she could hear some stories his mother might have about her work. Funnily enough, those words had made her more excited for Hogwarts than the rest of their conversation. She couldn't wait to see how many interesting people she'd meet. She sensed that this was not the time to ask him to regale a story his mother might have told, but she hoped they might see each other in the future, perhaps when they had more time, and Lucille could ask him all these questions.
Her brow furrowed as she took a second to think. "Greatest strength?" she repeated. "I'm not quite sure. Fear doesn't come easily to me, and I'm great at public speaking, I think." She looked up at the boy and, once again, she felt compelled to speak further. She wasn't quite sure why, but it was an odd feeling.
"This might sound strange," she started after a few seconds and, for the first time since they had started speaking, there was hesitation in her voice. "But I saw you and your sister from across the room and felt compelled to speak to you both. I'm not really sure why that happened."
She looked down at the floor, at the pattern on it and, it seemed for the first time in their conversation, Lucille was experiencing awkwardness. It didn't last very long, though, as she took a deep breath and then smiled up at the boy. "I suppose that's a credit to how interesting you both are," she joked, her tone returning to the light, easy one that had been present during most of their conversation.
Her brow furrowed as she took a second to think. "Greatest strength?" she repeated. "I'm not quite sure. Fear doesn't come easily to me, and I'm great at public speaking, I think." She looked up at the boy and, once again, she felt compelled to speak further. She wasn't quite sure why, but it was an odd feeling.
"This might sound strange," she started after a few seconds and, for the first time since they had started speaking, there was hesitation in her voice. "But I saw you and your sister from across the room and felt compelled to speak to you both. I'm not really sure why that happened."
She looked down at the floor, at the pattern on it and, it seemed for the first time in their conversation, Lucille was experiencing awkwardness. It didn't last very long, though, as she took a deep breath and then smiled up at the boy. "I suppose that's a credit to how interesting you both are," she joked, her tone returning to the light, easy one that had been present during most of their conversation.
Reducio
WC: 290
Mentions: @Jules Pollux
Mentions: @Jules Pollux
| sta 7 eva 7 str 6 wis 5 arc 6 acc 4 calming presence |
2 Jul 2025, 14:47
Like a statue
┏━━━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━━━┓❀° ┄───╮
Jules C. Pollux
╰───┄ °❀
@Lucille Rosenhart
Outfit:
Reducio
WC: 383
┗━━━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━━━┛
Jules looked at Lucille more vividly when she looked particularly interested in his words, a bit curious to understand why the mention of his mother being a researcher intrigued the girl so much, but as he didn’t hear any questions about it he also decided to stay silent, keeping their friendly chat without thinking about it too much.
His teal gaze remained on Lucille’s face while she was thinking about how to answer his last question, a gentle gaze that didn’t want to press her into answering immediately, but still very present and attentive on the topic. She was certainly looking brave enough not to fall for fear easily and judging on how she went straight up to talk to him she looked also pretty good at public speaking.
“Oh, that’s convenient.” He commented with a small smile, and moving his gaze away – almost as if a bit of shyness came back to him – he replied “I can’t really speak in public, I mean-” stopping for a second to adjust better his wording, correcting himself with “I can, but I won’t look confident.” And that wasn’t hard to tell. He knew how to talk to people, what to say in order not to look weird or dumb, but he wasn’t that great or confident at it. “But I’m great at reading people.” He quickly added, almost as if he wanted to balance something bad with some good quality of him.
The next words Lucille spoke intrigued him a bit more, turning again to face the girl with a more concentrated look in his eyes, difficult to understand whether he knew what she was talking about or not. “Oh, like…” he started, but quickly dropped the sentence looking for the right words. “…like some sort of charming sensation?” he finally asked, tilting his head once more as a sign that he was trying to see himself in Lucille’s shoes, even if his voice suggested it wasn’t the first time he was hearing about that kind of sensation.
“Ah, thanks… people usually tell us we look like dolls.” He giggled, and apparently he quite liked that comparison, also relieved that the girl quickly left that slight awkwardness she showed for that brief moment that he particularly felt, almost as if the feeling was his own.
OOC:
Reducio
2 Jul 2025, 15:54
Like a statue
She tilted her head, almost looking confused, when he mentioned that he wasn't quite good at public speaking. She had assumed he'd be well enough, considering he certainly wasn't the shyest person she had ever met, and she had met quite a few due to her habit of approaching and talking to whoever she pleased. It was quite common for her to think this way; in an all-or-nothing perspective, and she was working on changing that. She perked up when he mentioned he could read people well.
"Oh, I'm terrible at that," she replied with a laugh. "I suppose I'll do the speeches, and you can let me know if people liked them after. I certainly wouldn't know the difference between polite applause and a genuine one." She laughed a little, the thought probably more amusing to her than it should be. Lucille had the tendency to laugh at anything and everything, always making light of most situations.
Reflexively, she frowned when he had referred to her approach as a charming sensation. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?" she said almost immediately, as if by instinct. She didn't know why she had such a response to the phrase. To her, charmed implied that she hadn't had a say in the matter, although, of course, she knew that's not what he meant, but she couldn't help but feel it at those specific words.
She shook her head, continuing. "Sorry," she said with an awkward laugh. "I mean that, sure, you could describe it that way, but it was more like..." She paused, searching for the right words. "It wasn't like I just had to come speak to you. I think I was just a little bored and you seemed like the most interesting people here. The reason, I can't say, but it's quite common for me to just decide to say hello to people, and I just felt compelled to bestow that honor upon you today." That last sentence she said in a mock haughty way. She hoped her rant of explanation would suffice, although she wasn't entirely sure it had made sense. Halfway through, she had felt as if she was beginning to ramble, and now, she wasn't sure if she had gotten her point across.
"Oh, I'm terrible at that," she replied with a laugh. "I suppose I'll do the speeches, and you can let me know if people liked them after. I certainly wouldn't know the difference between polite applause and a genuine one." She laughed a little, the thought probably more amusing to her than it should be. Lucille had the tendency to laugh at anything and everything, always making light of most situations.
Reflexively, she frowned when he had referred to her approach as a charming sensation. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?" she said almost immediately, as if by instinct. She didn't know why she had such a response to the phrase. To her, charmed implied that she hadn't had a say in the matter, although, of course, she knew that's not what he meant, but she couldn't help but feel it at those specific words.
She shook her head, continuing. "Sorry," she said with an awkward laugh. "I mean that, sure, you could describe it that way, but it was more like..." She paused, searching for the right words. "It wasn't like I just had to come speak to you. I think I was just a little bored and you seemed like the most interesting people here. The reason, I can't say, but it's quite common for me to just decide to say hello to people, and I just felt compelled to bestow that honor upon you today." That last sentence she said in a mock haughty way. She hoped her rant of explanation would suffice, although she wasn't entirely sure it had made sense. Halfway through, she had felt as if she was beginning to ramble, and now, she wasn't sure if she had gotten her point across.
Reducio
WC: 378
Mentions: @Jules Pollux
Mentions: @Jules Pollux
| sta 7 eva 7 str 6 wis 5 arc 6 acc 4 calming presence |