14 Jun 2020, 21:32
What Are We Doing Here?
June 15th, 2020
Elspeth had avoided the Trophy Room for most of her first year. It wasn't a principled stance, the room just didn't have anything to offer her other than very shiny pieces of metal gifted to people long gone that she didn't know. Her mother, as much as she'd loved being at Hogwarts in her time, wasn't an illustrious student so there was nothing for Elpseth to go to and remember her by. So it was June by the time that she found herself wandering aimlessly, looking for something to do and ended up in its hallowed halls.
The Trophy Room was not unlike a museum, full of things to look at but not touch and nothing that had much of anything to do with you. There were banners hanging from the walls and all manner of trophies and plaques strewn about, some in glass cases and some just lining the perimeter of cabinetry on the floor. Each one was labelled with its intention and winner, though some of the oldest trophies there had faded over time and were hard to make out.
Elspeth's shoes clicked on the stone floor as she walked in circles, taking in all of the history. Or, well, not really taking in much history if she was being honest with herself. She was still mostly aimlessly walking and just sort of glazing over what she could see. Maybe it was because the trophies were so... inert. They must have been lovely prizes to win in their time, but sitting in this room now all they resembled was so much scrap metal to her. Something was lost without the people who'd won them standing there to tell the tale of their hard work.
She sighed. Hardwork hadn't really been the name of her game this year. Or, it had been but it hadn't exactly produced the kind of results she'd been hoping for as a first year. Another reason why the room lacked appeal to her - it was entirely out of the realm of her own possibilities now and she didn't quite see the point in surrounding herself with reminders of how inept she was. A large glass case stood in front of her, housing a granite dais upon which a large silver trophy sat.
In a moment of frustration (not at Rigglesworth, who she had never heard of in her life) Elspeth pushed her whole hand up against the glass to leave a large, smeared, smudge on it. Her face, scrunched up in a misplaced sense of annoyance at poor Rigglesworth and his Crew team, was reflected back at her in the trophy's gleam. She looked distorted, like in a fun house mirror, and she wasn't entirely happy with what she saw.Winner of the Great Lake Crew Competition 1925
Team Hogwarts led by Captain Elias Rigglesworth
Last edited by Ancien sorcier on 26 Jun 2020, 18:18, edited 1 time in total.
|| t r u n k ||
Stamina: 4 | Evasion: 6 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 4 | Arcane Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6
Stamina: 4 | Evasion: 6 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 4 | Arcane Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6
25 Jun 2020, 08:11
What Are We Doing Here?
Amara wasn't the curious sort, she was diligent and serious but there were times when her curiosity had been peaked and she wanted to know about it. These bouts of curiosity had led her to some instances and circumstances in her life which were often mundane and trivial yet she relish in them as her curiosity was sated. Her life was akin to a monotony, ones that had routines and predictability, it is with these infrequent bouts of curiosity that somehow bring up interesting matters and liven up the monotony that is her life.
For the most part of her first year Amara had kept to herself, her innate awkwardness and social issues prevented her from truly connecting with other people. It was a saddening thing for she had wanted to at least gain a friend for the whole year she stayed within the halls of Hogwarts but alas, that simply wasn't meant to be. So she had endured a year of only having acquaintances and no friends to speak of to her concerned family. They had often encouraged her to speak up, to try and interact with others and she wanted to but she just doesn't know how to.
So her days at Hogwarts became as monotonous as her home life, only here she didn't have her family close to cheer her up when she feels sad and down. Sure they send her daily owls so she wouldn't feel lonely and miss them but it simply wasn't the same, actual and personal social interaction is different from those that are written. For written interactions meant that you could revise and adjust to ensure you've done it well, that you've delivered your words as perfectly as you want it to, something that isn't possible with live interactions.
Some would say that is what tact is for, but one can't be tactful when it comes to nonverbal communications. One can't say they are tactful when they flinch or go rigid when people enter their personal space. They can't say they are being truly honest and truthful when their gazes avert or dart about. Tact is a verbal thing and sometimes it even fails when one is startled or has to react quickly.
Hunkering down on herself, Amara decided to chase her wayward thoughts away and just focus on where she was going. She had been aiming to go to wander about the castle, hoping to discover some new place but as she had left the common room she was in utter loss on where to go. So she decided to just walk about until she would find herself in some place.
And that was how she wound up in the Trophy Room, a few steps behind a girl in Ravenclaw robes. She wondered if she should speak up, unsure if her presence would be welcomed but her family had always encouraged her to try and interact with people and this was an opportunity to do so.
"Hello, is something the matter?"
For the most part of her first year Amara had kept to herself, her innate awkwardness and social issues prevented her from truly connecting with other people. It was a saddening thing for she had wanted to at least gain a friend for the whole year she stayed within the halls of Hogwarts but alas, that simply wasn't meant to be. So she had endured a year of only having acquaintances and no friends to speak of to her concerned family. They had often encouraged her to speak up, to try and interact with others and she wanted to but she just doesn't know how to.
So her days at Hogwarts became as monotonous as her home life, only here she didn't have her family close to cheer her up when she feels sad and down. Sure they send her daily owls so she wouldn't feel lonely and miss them but it simply wasn't the same, actual and personal social interaction is different from those that are written. For written interactions meant that you could revise and adjust to ensure you've done it well, that you've delivered your words as perfectly as you want it to, something that isn't possible with live interactions.
Some would say that is what tact is for, but one can't be tactful when it comes to nonverbal communications. One can't say they are tactful when they flinch or go rigid when people enter their personal space. They can't say they are being truly honest and truthful when their gazes avert or dart about. Tact is a verbal thing and sometimes it even fails when one is startled or has to react quickly.
Hunkering down on herself, Amara decided to chase her wayward thoughts away and just focus on where she was going. She had been aiming to go to wander about the castle, hoping to discover some new place but as she had left the common room she was in utter loss on where to go. So she decided to just walk about until she would find herself in some place.
And that was how she wound up in the Trophy Room, a few steps behind a girl in Ravenclaw robes. She wondered if she should speak up, unsure if her presence would be welcomed but her family had always encouraged her to try and interact with people and this was an opportunity to do so.
"Hello, is something the matter?"
Interacting with @Elspeth Gollens
I am who I am no matter what others may say.
26 Jun 2020, 19:19
What Are We Doing Here?
Elspeth jumped a little at the sound of another student's voice. She'd thought she was alone in the room, but had been so involved in her own thoughts the sound of them entering hadn't registered to her. Quickly, she pulled her robe's sleeve over her hand and started to wipe the glass case with her forearm. The dark black fabric absorbed most of the oil from her handprint, though there was still a faint outline she was sure the house elves would appreciate the chance to remove. As she turned around released her fist, letting the sleeve go - though it had been pulled low enough that it hung past her fingertips and gave the impression that she'd bought robes a few sizes too big. Like a child dressing up in their parents' clothing.
"Oh! Sorry, I uh... I thought I was in here alone," she stood there in the awkward silence for a moment, staring at the stony floor and trying not to feel the hot sting of embarrassment burning her ears in the presence of the Slytherin girl. Of course the one person who had to walk in and see you like this was a Slytherin! You're going to get such an ear beating now. Like you don't already feel bad enough about being a dumb Ravenclaw. Elspeth darted her eyes around the room, trying to find something to divert the conversation to, and also to try and roll the tears away before they became noticeable.
"I was just on a walk. I um, I haven't been here before," she turned toward another cabinet on her right, sneaking a quick pass of her robe sleeve past her eyes to dry any mist that had pooled there, "So interesting learning about -" she scanned the cabinet quickly, "Antoine Myrtle and his... ew, his slug breeding trophy? Why is there even a trophy for that?" Elspeth was sufficiently distracted from her feelings now, and genuinely curious and disgusted about what, exactly, a slug breeding competition would even look like. It was a bronze plaque, with a series of flobberworms etched into the metal like a kind of grotesque and slimy border. As much as Elspeth loved animals and bugs, flobberworms managed to still be too boring even for her.
"Can you imagine having just a, like, pile of gooey flobberworms and then taking them to be judged?" she said it both toward the Slytherin, and also just sort of absentmindedly to herself and the universe. Elspeth had a bad habit of losing track of a conversation when she was barely into it, but was slowly figuring out that if she was always talking to herself out loud a little bit, she could fudge her mistakes a little and make it seem like she was trying to engage others. Of course, it also meant that sometimes she was just alone and talking to herself. But that was a small price to pay for appearing relatively normal in front of her peers.
Interacting with @Amara Sylvyr
|| t r u n k ||
Stamina: 4 | Evasion: 6 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 4 | Arcane Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6
Stamina: 4 | Evasion: 6 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 4 | Arcane Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6