The Purpose of Paperbag Chan PV A. Rod Closed

Walking about the school grounds had become a new favorite pass time of Adlai’s when she didn’t want to do her school work or when she didn’t want to knit. Though by wandering about she slightly hoped she would bump into a familiar face, an old face, or in this case a paper bag.
Adlai had met the odd and mysterious Papa MacarooOni during the schools trick or treating activity and strangely hadn’t seen him sense.
She knew for a fact though she’d recognize him the next time she saw him because not just any one wears a paper bag on their head. That is unless he no longer wears it after the night of costumes and candy. If that is the case she wished she could have seen his actual face, but that is not in the past.
Though the paper bag did make things much easier for her when she spotted the boy.
“Mac?” She called out as she slowly made her way to him, not wanting to startle him. She feared that if she came on to quickly he may fly away like a bird at the sound of a hunters riffle. The only thing Adlai was hunting however, was some decent company.

[font=PT Sans]“ Rod! “ as if she had screamed at him instead of the soft tone she actually used, Hanako sprung up to his seating position anxiously-almost frightened at the new arrival. It was not in his bones to get easily spooked. But when faced with one like Adlai Rod, it was easy to be on guard. Without thinking through, he hastily attempted to cover the emerald colors of his school necktie, shielding it from the gentle gaze of Rod’s brown irises. Only after he realized he was still wearing the paper bag did he calmed down. “ Oh, what’s the point...Hello Rod..” he greeted in a tired tone as he laid himself back to his previous relaxed posture. He had nothing to hide as long as he wore Paper bag chan. Which also meant he had everything to hide.

“Here to ask when your extra muggle sweets are coming~? I knew you’d come around and realize the wondrous magnificence of extra candy~”. He jested, a smiling face hidden by the darkness of the mask. He knew full well the girl had no interest in his previous bribery but it was the only conversation he could think about for now. After all, Hanako Tone didn’t like talking too much, but Papa MacarooOni did.


“ Hey… I’m not used to seeing you in uniform” he noticed the yellow house colors she adorned. “ Hufflepuff, hm? Is that why you choose to be a minion on Halloween? Already know you look good in yellow~? Still a better choice than my costume, for sure.“ He complimented, internally shocked how naturally flowed through his tongue. When you create a new identity, it feels like starting out fresh, weaknesses and strength unknown. How the idea of that both scared and eased him. As if testing the uncharted waters of the power of this new identity, he was so close to asking her to sit down next to him. Too bad he decided against it.
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@Adlai Rod

@Hanako Tone

Watching the boy jump as he frantically hid something Adlai put her hands up in defense to somewhat display that she didn't mean him any harm, and that she of course was harmless. Once he seemed to realize it was here however, he relaxed in a way.
He then began to speak, still sounding a bit panicked to her.
Adlai smiled, "You know I'm not interested in the candy Mac. I just haven't seen you since the party and I was wondering how you were doing."

Looking down at her uniform she nodded to his remark. "Yellow isn't my favorite of colors but it seems to make up a majority of my wardrobe. That costume was put together quickly so I can see why you would think that." She ended her sentence with a giggle before looking at Mac herself.
"If it's worth anything I think the uniform suits you. You look very "official business" like."
And that he did. He reminded her of her father whenever he would dress up in a suite and tie so that he may attend his own "official business," though she never knew what it was and her mother never told her. Of course having a wild imagination her and her sisters all came up with wild conclusions.
One of her favorites being that their father was secretly an undercover spy. That of course, was highly unlikely.

"I'm surprised I haven't been able to find you. Even if our class schedules were very different I assumed that we would have least bumped into each other during lunch or dinner. Then again I could have just not been looking hard enough...I'm sure at some point I'm going to need to get glasses. Even just looking at the professors boards is becoming a difficult task."

[font=PT Sans]“ A suit and tie can do wonders for someone’s general vibe, definitely “ he chuckled at her choice of words. ‘ business-like?’. It’s the first time someone has ever described him as a ‘ serious ‘ type. It was hard to come by with a childish face like his. “ As handsome as I am, are you not very skeptical of this? “ he lifted up the hem of his necktie, displaying the green colors he previously attempted to hide. “I knew a little too early that our house doesn’t have the best reputation among students. And..understandably so..“ While he’d love to blame the majority of Slytherin students that were either emo, having friend issues, and/or family issues. He’d like to joke that there was no one in Slytherin that breathed without at least one of these but even without those same issues, he couldn’t be confident people wouldn’t be automatically warry at the sight of the green colors they adorned.

“Some may say snakes and badgers don’t mix too easily.” Despite the topic, there was no obvious malice from the boy. It was up to Adlai to interpret his intention on bringing up the Slytherin animosity. While he didn’t sound nor looked liked he was ready to pounce on her if she said something wrong about his own house, there was a glint of curiosity in his eyes.


“ ….pdfttt “ he tried to muffle out his laughter. “ Maybe I just don’t wear this paper bag during class?” It highly amused him she still had no asked for him to take it off. If it were him, he would’ve torn the paper bag off just to satisfy his curiosity. Yet, she seemed almost respectful of this eccentric clothing choices. How naive.

“You were..looking for me?” he repeated, as if he hasn’t fully believed she had actually done. Then again he wouldn’t peg the girl that believed his bullcrap name to be someone that lied about it. Once realized that, his shoulders heightened, his shock evident even if 98% of his face covered. “ Sorry, I’m just... I prefer quiet spaces like these. I rarely come out of my room so it’s understandable we’ve never bumped into each other “ he tried to change the subject to ignore both the fear and the relief that came with the words Adlai said. ‘ I tried looking for you ‘. To have someone going out of their way to look for him, was a foreign experience. Even with Percival, he would at times feel as if he had been the only one of the two that chased the other. “ But hey, if it makes it easier for you. You don’t have to seek me out anymore. I’ll be the one to find you “

‘ Oh lord that sounded cringy’ . He hid a playful grimace behind his mask. He wasn’t lying about finding her instead. There was no way he’d be able to face her as Hanako Tone. Thank god he didn’t have any secret clubs with her or something ha ha ha.

“ You should really get an eye doctor. Never trust those people in glasses stores. They just want you to buy their stuff. Oh- wait aaaaaa” “I sometimes forget my world is magical now. Are you a muggle environment kid, Rod? Because if you aren’t then I’m not sure what would be the best magical way to heal your eyes. Do wizards even have oppatotmoging- ..” “ opth-tha-mo-lo-gist ?” “ hehehe. Totally could pronounce it “

He sucked in his breath, an unfamiliar sense of nervousness wash over him as he debated on what to do next. Against his better judgment, he patted the empty spot next to him. “ It’s quite awkward to talk to you when you’re still standing. I feel shorter than I am already~”. Making up an excuse sounded better than offering her a seat because he wanted to talk more. The powers of paper bags are amazing. Hanako offering a seat to someone he didn’t need? That’s because at the moment he’s not Hanako, he’s Papa MacarooOni. The child that didn’t use his issues as an excuse for his unlikable personality.[/font]

@Adlai Rod

@Hanako Tone

As boy put his tie on display the girl squinted in curiosity at the colors, "Ah, I see. You're a Slytherin." Adlai was seemingly unbothered by this as the vast majority people she had interacted with before were Slytherin. She did know that some had unexplained prejudice towards the house though she did not understand it, as it was unexplained.

She then listened to him as he spoke of how some say members of theirs houses didn't get along. To that she wrinkled her nose, "That's ridiculous. I don't think your house has anything to do with how well you get along with someone, I think it is a matter of who you are as a person and who the other person is."

"How would I know if you don't wear the mask in class, I've never seen your face." She added, a twinge of humor in her voice. As much as she did want to know who exactly dwelled under the paper bag she didn't want to cross any boundaries and thus she was wait until Mac was ready.
Mac then went on to tell her that he preferred quieter places and that he scarcely left his room. Adlai nodded. However, she did wonder how exactly he got his school work done if her didn't leave his room. She also wondered what his dorm mates thought of him. Nonetheless, she wouldn't press the matter.
"We can look for each other, yeah?"

"No I'm not from the a magic family...well extended wise yes but ménage wise no," She had never met her great grandfather but she knew he was a wizard and that her great grandmother was a witch. She is also well aware that her great aunt is also a witch. However, her grandparent and parents had no magical achievements. Her sisters on the other hand she had no idea. Dorothy, her first sister, was already ten years old now so if she didn't posses any magical talent now would be the time to show it. Johana, her second sister, was now 8, which was around when Adlai first expelled her uncanny talent.

"An osteopathic?" Adlai asked assuming that is what Mac meant. "I'll have to ask my parents about it during the winter break. Though if I do need glasses I'm sure I won't get them until the summer time." Adlai didn't mind it too much though as she could simply ask her professors if she could move closer to the board so that she may see it better.

"Your not as short as you may think you are, you know?" Adlai said as she took up his offer and sat next to him, though not too close since she wasn't sure if he was the type to want to keep his personal bubble in check at all times. "Before you know it you may be taller than half the people at this school."

[font=PT Sans]
“ ‘I see you’re a Slytherin’? “

The oddly calm way she answered it as if she were explaining the weather surprised him.“ That lacked agitation” he pointed out bluntly.

"That's ridiculous. I don't think your house has anything to do with how well you get along with someone, I think it is a matter of who you are as a person and who the other person is.”

Perhaps he hasn’t talked to enough people? Did Slytherin animosity died down over the summer or something else? He was certain the Slytherin reputation had more than just bullies and traditional pureblood only ideals to have it poof away. “ So… you’re saying you think your house alone isn’t enough to determine someone’s character? While that may be true, each house does attract a few rotten apples. Different ones, but rotten apples none the less. Let’s see.. Gryffindors attract..obnoxious apples... Ravenclaw attracts arrogant apple...Hufflepuff attracts doormat apples...and Slytherin… Slytherin Slytherin Slytherin..” he thought about it for a moment. It was hard to choose just one bad attitude he could find among his Slytherin peers. “ S e l f i s h a p p l e s ~” he finally said, his eyes oddly gleaming into Adlais.

He was extremely selfish. Selfish for taking out his frustration on Henry when he did nothing wrong. Selfish for taking up Dee’s time to teach him about something that was never even her problem. Selfish for hiding himself with Paper Bag Chan just so he could feel at ease at the expense of Adlai’s blind trust. Yes, selfish truly did suit him the most. The best part is he didn’t even feel that bad about it. It felt better when there was nothing in his subconscious that said it otherwise. “ Who knows, Rod. Maybe I’m the rotten apple you should look out for~?” once again, there was no malice in his tone, just ..curiosity. It was a genuine question that almost seemed like it already had its answer.


“ Psfftt, yes I suppose you’re right. The professors would’ve stopped me for distracting the class with this charming paper bag” he prided smugly, chuckling lightly at his own joke. “ As long I wear this, I hope you can only imagine how handsome I am behind his mask hehe” he placed a peace sign near his eye ( or where his eye should’ve been) in a cutesy manner that was ruined by the paper bag’s face.

"We can look for each other, yeah?"

“ I-” Hanako paused, his racing thoughts stopping him from forming a sentence. Didn’t she get it? He didn’t want to search for her all the time because that would mean he would seek her out when he’s Hanako. Something he could never do if he wanted to keep his peaceful moment. Couldn’t she just be satisfied with him looking for her? On the other hand, was he getting shy because she insisted on being fair? Hanako definitely didn’t deserve this fairness but .... did that mean the same for Papa? He didn’t want to lie or gave her hope nor tell her he didn’t want to do that. He hoped his lack of answer wouldn’t scare her off. He just needed her to stay still. Like a silent present where he didn’t need to worry about the future nor the past.

She started talking about her family without going much into detail, an action that Hanako highly appreciated. More so on the fact that Hanako could not confidently exchange his own long family history. Because there were either none or too few memories to share. “ Ospatetoo- uh...whatever you said before, yes!” he beamed, unbothered that he was not using much brainpower to repeat the complex term. “ That’ll be a relief. It’s good to take care of your eyes. Sight is a spectacular thing to have. Imagine all the handsome faces you might miss out on if you don’t have it. Imagine my face you might miss out!” he gasped promptly “ Oh no we can’t have that “ he chuckled, before the dark cloud called regret loomed over him. He shouldn’t have said that. Did he want to show her his face? No matter how much he thought about it, the idea of it made his heart sank. “ T-that is if I ever get the courage to show you “ he interjected hastily “ I- I’m very shy- no- insecure! Yes, super insecure about my face. I really don’t like to show it to anyone. Not even my closest friends know it”. Lol, what close friends, he thought in a heartbeat. Percival had definitely earned himself a tittle as Hanako’s friends, but that’s Hanako- not Papa. Papa doesn’t have many friends either but that’s beside the point. The conclusion is that there was no way he was going to show his face.


"You’re not as short as you may think you are, you know?” She said before calmly taking a spot next to him with a little bit of distance between them. He silently thanked her. “Before you know it you may be taller than half the people at this school."

Hanako burst out laughing at that statement. “ HAHAH! Oh- oh やれやれ〜 hahah..what a dream~” he heaved out, his breathing slowly coming back to a normal pace. “ Still have yet to find someone I don’t need to look up at when I talk to them, you know? Even you! You don’t need to give me assurance that I’ll get to be taller. I heard I got my height from my grandmother. She was stuck in the same height of 154 up until he got old and grey. My mom thinks I got her genes haha…” his laughter felt more dead by the second. “A-anyway, don’t worry about it. I like being short- kinda. It’s safer to sleep on a tree with this height. And..I can get discounts for kids below 12. I would say I’m more adorable if I’m more on the short side, but that’s already a default thing I have so~” he grinned impishly. He was a bit desperate to get his mind of his mother. What better way than to talk about something else?

" So...you seem to know a lot of Slytherins. Is there anyone you might want to find out a bit more about? Unless they're in the girls dormitory, I can maybe provide some fun little facts you might not know about said slytherin~" he offered sweetly. " Oh- no this time I'm not asking you anything in return. Well- if you don't count your own company as a reward." he certainly didn't. Adlai's company was a confirmed treat. Just something that Hanako didn't deserve.

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@Adlai Rod

@Hanako Tone

"Selfish apples? My oh my, you seem to know a lot more about apples than I do, Mac." She said rather teasingly. Though he was right, a few rotten apples can soil the bunch but Adlai had always decided to ignore those rotten apples or at the very least get to know them because not all rotten apples are as rotten as some people think.
"You, a rotten apple? I don't think so." She teased once again. To her knowledge of Mac he didn't seem to be one who would cause trouble, after all he didn't like crowded places and preferred to be alone. Thus, how could such an introvert cause trouble? Cheating on tests, maybe, but unlikely since Mac seemed to be a very learned boy.

He then went on to laugh about how the professors wouldn't have allowed him to wear the paper bag during lessons, as it would be a bit distracting to some students, at least those who didn't know how to mind their own business.
"As long I wear this, I hope you can only imagine how handsome I am behind his mask hehe."
He then held a peace sign to where she could only assume his eye was. Other metal lined smile appeared. "Ah, well to your disappointment I have not lingered long on the idea of what you may look like, but it has crossed my mind once or twice." She explained. To her, she thought it was not her place to ask what his face looked like since she had a way of sympathizing with him, only she didn't cover her face, she only covered her hair.

She had long sense answered the curious questions of classmates who wondered what her hair looked like since she first began to wear it at the age of eight. Those who pressed further from the simple questions she merely scared away with the phrase - "If you want to know what it looks like you'll have to marry me."
Strangely the notion of romance often makes elementary school kids sick to their stomaches, which Adlai never understood as she had only ever saw it as a beautiful thing, something her parents and grandparents had, and one day she hopes to have.

Allowing her mind to come back to the present moment as Hana bellowed out hearty laughter when she tried to console him about his height. "Well, nonetheless, you may be surprised as you get older. A boy on my block started last year at 149 cm and is now a whole 163cm." she added as his laughter finally calmed down. "I can't imagine those growing pains though, makes me start to hurt just thinking about it." She rubbed her right knee with both hands as she said this as she remembered the growing pains she experienced not long ago, she was surprised she even made it to her next class with how much her legs had begun to ache.

Mac then pointed out that she looked to know a lot of slytherins, she merely nodded. "I do. In fact I barely know anyone from my own house. I tend to be less sociable when I'm tired, which is mainly the only time I am ever in my houses common room or dorm." she explained, "...I don't think I even know my dorm mates names...I should probably start learning them..." she muttered right after with guilt.
"As for your offer I have merely one question, how is Flash Holmwood?"

She had not seen the young man since a few days before the Halloween ball, and she had not sought him out since, sense she was afraid he would be busy with not only school work but with his girlfriend, Anastasia Beckett. She still had no idea what the girl looked like or what her personality was like, but she had to be someone very special for Flash to take a liking to her and Adlai only wished the best for them even if it still pains her very much so to think about it, after all she liked Flash very much, even though they had met each other only a few times.

[font=PT Sans]“That in fact I do, Miss Rod “ he insisted on his knowledge of rotten apples. You had to know a lot about them if you are one of them, right? So convinced he was one by default, he took a bit of surprise at Adlai who said she did not see him as such. “ Why is that?” he asked, slightly more solum and softer than his prior tone. “ We have only met once or twice, but you already made that assumption about me? Expectations can lead to disappointment you know? What if.. “ he paused “ If.. I’m not what you thought I am?” he averted looking directly into her eyes, fear he may calculated more than he needed from her eyes alone.

“ You haven’t?” he questioned “ Not even once? I thought most people would be curious as to why I choose to hide my features. Perhaps I’ve been scared permanently on my face? Maybe a dark part where I can control someone if they were to look at me in the eye? Come on- I don’t believe you never thought about it” he huffed childishly in a pouty like mannar. It’s not that he wanted Adlai to think of him. No. Not at all. He was just baffled that she was less curious than she should be. After all he had been curious about her. Why must he be the only one?

As she talked about height and the pains of growing too quickly, he chuckled. “ That’s quite a lucky lad you know there~. If you mention the pain involved in growing height, I think I’ll be satisfied with my own.” Not a lot had assured him like Adlai did. He was more than ready to laugh along with anyone who made fun of his height. Silly him for thinking he could prepare his usual response when Adlai was the one talking. The thought of being tall had him grinning under his paper bag mask. Oh how he’d like to physically look down on others for once. He was so deep into his daydreaming he was half listening to Adlai. But once the word Flash Holmwood came up, he was so surprised he choked and had to take a minute to regain his posture. “ Holmwood!?” he yelped- unable to show Adlai his dumbfounded face. “ The one who jogs in the morning like he’s better than all of us? “ . That was not the only thing he thought of the Slytherin boy. They weren’t close friends for sure but he stuck out from the rest of his faceless roommates because of that...cursed Valentine week.

Nevertheless, he was astounded to see Adlai acquainted with Holmwood. No matter what angle he looked from, the two looked odd together. He was completely different from her! Although, if Hanako used that excuse- it’ll backfire on him as he was certain that Flash had much more things in common with Adlai than Hanako did. Starting from their politeness, perhaps? Patience? Flash did respond to Hanako’s silliness with a cool exterior. “ He’s my dorm mate” he replied with a lack of tone. “ He seems.. Healthy...why do you ask?” He was tempted to ask how she knew him as well but he decided to save that for later. He fear he may not control the unpleasant feeling in his stomach if he asked right away.

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@Adlai Rod

@Hanako Tone

"Well I like to think I have a good judge of true character," she started, "but you've also given me no reason not to think of you as a bad person. You've been honest to me, and are generally polite, unlike others I've met you've said you'll seek me out instead of it being the other way around..." slowly she trickled off all the reasons why she believed Mac was a good person. Then again she believed there was good in everything, which was another trait her lovingly coddling parents instilled in her.

"I've thought of it a least twice but only while I was looking for you, since I wasn't sure if you'd be wearing the mask but that was the only time I thought about it and besides I'm sure you look like a perfectly regular boy under there," she said giggling at his wide imaginative terms of what he may look like. "Even if you did have any or all of those qualities I would still be your friend."

Adlai's eyes rose when Mac practically jumped at the mention of Flash, were they not on good terms? "He jogs? I can't even make it up the stairs without being winded." She joked hoping it would balance Mac out. She didn't pay attention to the part where he said that Flash thinks he's better than other people.

"Um well, I like to think of him as a friend. I haven't seen him in a while though." Her head lowered as she began to fidget with her fingers. "Last time I saw him he was working really hard but he looked miserable...I just worry that he's burning himself out is all..."