27 Feb 2020, 21:43
On A Mission
Sunday, 1 December, 2019 | Late Morning
The first weekend of December brought several inches of snow and a drastic drop in temperature with it. Although this would cause most people to stay tucked inside by the fires in their common rooms, it wasn't going to stop Aaron from getting some fresh air. If he couldn't get outside at least once a day, he started to feel suffocated by the castle. He'd been living there for a couple months now, but he still preferred the openness of the grounds, no matter the weather.
As he sat in the Great Hall eating a late breakfast, the restless first year contemplated how he could take advantage of the weather. He'd obviously need to go grab his winter cloak and gloves before heading outside, but what would he do once he was out there? Snow was made for group activities, like sledding and snowball fights. It'd be tough to convince anyone to leave the comfort of the warm castle, so what could he do on his own in the snow?
Aaron jumped slightly when the Fat Friar appeared through the wall he had been staring at. The Hufflepuff ghost flew by and struck up a conversation with an older student farther down the table. As he watched the two talk, he noted how rotund the Friar was, and the silvery-grey appearance of the ghost reminded him of the snow outside. He's kinda like a fat snowman… Oh! A broad smile found its way on Aaron's face, and he quickly abandoned his almost-done porridge.
Snowman building was something he had done a lot with his brother, and last year, they had even started teaching their little sister how to do it. It could be a solo or a group activity. There was a very particular set of materials needed to make the perfect snowman, and Aaron felt like he was on a mission.
What followed was a half hour of gathering resources. He went to the Transfiguration classroom to gather spare buttons (which were used for spell practice), he went to the lost and found to find some spare scarves, and he went to the kitchens to ask for some carrots. The house elves were more than happy to accommodate his request for the vegetables, and they even gave him a spare crate to carry all of his items in. Finally, he went back to the Hufflepuff common room to get his winter cloak and gloves on. Then he carried his crate of supplies through the castle, calling out to anyone he saw that might be interested in joining him.
"Building snowmen in the courtyard! Everyone's welcome!" his Welsh accent echoed through the halls as he headed for the courtyard with his crate of goodies. Aaron was referencing the students' favorite courtyard off an Entrance Hall corridor. It was a heavily trafficked spot because it was a shortcut to a lot of classes, so everyone who heard him probably knew what courtyard he was talking about.
When he finally arrived, the ground was piled high with lots of fresh snow. There couldn't be a more perfect spot for building snowmen, because they would be on display for all the students to see. Plus, there were a few bare trees at the edge of the courtyard that could contribute to the snowmen's arms. Aaron waded through the snow to drop the crate of materials at the center of the courtyard, so anyone who wanted to join could grab from it.
For now, it was just him in the courtyard, but that didn't upset him. Aaron immediately set to work, forming a huge snowball and then rolling it along the ground to gather more snow. It was about the size of a small boulder when the first other student came wandering outside. The black-haired wizard paused in his work to smile and wave them over.
"Hey, welcome! Do you want to build a snowman?! I've got lots of stuff for it!" Aaron gestured to the crate of supplies as he called out.
Last edited by Aaron Jones on 2 Jul 2020, 22:20, edited 1 time in total.
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
27 Feb 2020, 23:22
On A Mission
Winter was Lydia’s favourite season, together with Autumn. She loved how everything becomes white with the snow, how every sound Ian absorbed by it, creating a dreamy atmosphere.@Aaron Jones
That Sunday morning she had woken up a little bit later than usual, ready to revise some of her notes, but when she had noticed the massive amount of snow outside, she decided that it wouldn’t have hurt to spend some time outside.
When she got at the Hufflepuff table for breakfast there weren’t that many people, so she’s sat by herself and munched on some toasted bread with jam as she sipped her cup of tea.
As she finished eating, her attention got captured by her friend Aaron, that had just gotten up from the table and was walking excitedly outside of the room.
“I wonder where he’s going,” she thought as she sipped some more of her tea.
Once she was done with breakfast, Lydia got up from the table and after carefully closing her coat and putting on her scarf and hat, she walked outside of the castle.
Once outside, she started walking around, enjoying the sound of her boots on the fresh snow.
There was a light wind blowing, that made her cheeks become red in no time. She kind of liked that feeling, if she was being honest.
She walked around by herself for more than half an hour, and then she decided to go back to the Hufflepuff common room to drink something hot.
But as she walked through the courtyard, something, or better someone, caught her attention.
Aaron was by himself, piling up snow and rolling a really big ball with it, different scarves and hats and carrots spread all around him.
She immediately understood what he was doing, and she decided to join him.
“Hi!” Lydia greeted him, a smile on her face. ”I would love to!”
She quickly put on her gloves, and then started helping Aaron push around the snowball he was working on.
“I think if more people will join, we might be able to do a giant snowman!” She exclaimed excited, her eyes sparkling with happiness.
"Everything beautiful is ruined eventually."
|| PART VEELA || ALLURING || LOVELY CREATURE || SCREAM
28 Feb 2020, 04:03
On A Mission
When Lydia accepted his invitation, Aaron's smile doubled in size. He liked Lydia. She was kind and tried to look out for him when it came to schoolwork. They had bonded over Lays crisps one night in the common room, and they'd been friendly ever since. As she pulled on her gloves to help, Aaron turned back to the task at hand.@Lydia Cooper
"I hadn't even considered that! I was thinking more like a snowman army, but maybe we should do just one huge one... or we could do both! Like the giant one is leading the littler ones," Aaron said, equally excited. The idea of covering the courtyard in snowmen with one giant one towering over the rest was growing on him. Maybe they could even make little baby ones, too! But if it was an army, it wouldn't involve babies... hmm...
As they pushed the base of their giant snowman around, Aaron was actually surprised by how insulated his winter cloak and his gloves were. They were keeping him nice and toasty as he handled the ice cold snow. The only part of him that wasn't covered was his face, which he knew was probably bright red. He didn't mind it, though.
A thought struck him as he was thinking about their potential snowman army. "Hey, you know the song 'Frosty, the Snowman'? Do you think it's a popular song here in the wizarding world, too? Or would they probably have their own version?" He knew Lydia was a muggle-born like himself, so he valued her opinion on this particular topic.
In the back of his mind, Aaron was also hoping that more of the people he'd seen in the halls would join them soon. An army wouldn't be possible with just the two of them.
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
28 Feb 2020, 04:31
On A Mission
Interacting with @Aaron Jones, @Lydia Cooper
Willow was on her way to grab a later breakfast than normal. Winter seemed to sap the energy right out of her, making her more sleepy and sluggish than normal. Her blonde hair looked like it hadn't even been brushed yet, and she was still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Her tie was haphazardly thrown around her neck and barely tied. She almost ran into a boy running through the halls with a crate, yelling something about making snowmen in the courtyard.
Her family would always make snowmen together during the first snow that would actually stick together. Her grandma in her older years would sit inside by the fire and watch, but it was still a good time. She was always bundled up so much that she could barely put her arms down, for her parents always worried about her catching a cold in the cold. Maybe if she built some snowmen, she could feel like she was at home for a bit.
Quickly she forgot about the breakfast she was going to get, and turned around against the crowd and heading to get her winter clothing from her room. She donned a pale pink hat, some pink gloves, her school winter cloak, and some pink winter boots before heading out to the courtyard. She quickly spotted two students making what looked like the base of a snowman and ran over as best she could in the deep snow. "Hiya! I'm Willow! Can I join you with the snowmen?" She absentmindedly created a snowball, just to check the texture of the snow, and it really was the perfect day for building some snowmen.
"I don't know whether to cry or scream or do both. It feels like I've done more than enough of both. And it feels like I haven't done enough." - Mason Deaver
Stamina 12 ∴ Evasion 12 ∴ Strength 5 ∴ Wisdom 12 ∵ ArcPower 10 ∵ Accuracy 15
Stamina 12 ∴ Evasion 12 ∴ Strength 5 ∴ Wisdom 12 ∵ ArcPower 10 ∵ Accuracy 15
28 Feb 2020, 17:56
On A Mission
“Yes! Let’s build an army of snowmen and their giant leader!” Lydia exclaimed excitedly.Interacting with @Aaron Jones , @Willow Anderson
She loved building snowmen and having battles with the snow, so she really couldn’t turn down this amazing opportunity.
“Of course I do!” Lydia said with a wide smile when Aaron asked her about “Frosty the snowman”, “I’m pretty sure they have a magic version, but maybe we could ask to the other students when they’ll join us. Someone must know something about it,” she continued as she piled even more snow on the existing ball.
When she looked up from the snow, Lydia noticed a girl approaching them and she smiled.
“Hi!” She greeted her, as she noticed how pretty the other girls hat, gloves and boots were.
“Nice to meet you Willow! I’m Lydia, and this is Aaron!” said then the red headed girl as she gestured towards herself and her friend.
“Of course you can join! We were thinking about building and army of them, with a giant snowman a as leader,” Lydia explained before adjusting her hat over her head, “I love your outfit! It’s so pink!”
She had always loved the colour pink, and every time that she would see someone with something pink she couldn’t help but tell them how nice they looked. “Pink makes everything better” was kind of her motto, back in the muggle world.
Lydia really hoped that Willow would have liked the idea of the snowmen army and would have joined them.
The more people there were, the more snowmen they would have been able to build!
Last edited by Lydia Cooper on 29 Feb 2020, 08:13, edited 1 time in total.
"Everything beautiful is ruined eventually."
|| PART VEELA || ALLURING || LOVELY CREATURE || SCREAM
28 Feb 2020, 18:22
On A Mission
At this point, he and Lydia's snowball had a diameter of over a meter, inching closer to the first years' height. It was getting a little bit harder to push it, but they were still managing. Aaron wondered how big they should go, but his thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of another student. He stopped pushing for a moment to greet her. He recognized her vaguely from classes and the Hufflepuff common room, so he knew she was a first year like he and Lydia.@Willow Anderson & @Lydia Cooper
"Nice to meet you, Willow," Aaron said, after Lydia had introduced them. His reddish-blonde friend began gushing about the newcomer's pink outfit. His little sister really liked pink, but it was definitely a girl color. He didn't have much of an opinion on Willow's outfit, aside from the fact that she looked very warm and matched from head to toe.
Aaron's winter cloak was black with silver fastenings, and his gloves and boots were black, so he was kinda matching, too. Just nowhere near as colorful.
"Yeah, if you join us, it'll make this a lot easier! You can join us making the really big guy, or you can start making your own regular snowman, if you want," he said with a big smile. He resumed adding snow to the giant base as he continued speaking, "Willow, did you grow up in the wizarding world? Lydia and I are both muggle-born, and we were wondering if there's a wizard song equivalent to 'Frosty, the Snowman.'"
Aaron was starting to realize what a great way this was to make friends. If even more people joined, soon he'd have an army of snowmen and an army of friends.
Last edited by Aaron Jones on 28 Feb 2020, 19:03, edited 1 time in total.
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
28 Feb 2020, 18:29
On A Mission
Interacting with @Lydia Cooper @Aaron Jones @Willow Anderson
Wearing an all-white outfit wasn’t the best of ideas. Not only was the weather really snowy and the entire castle was covered in the same never-ending pattern, but Euphaustus’ skin itself blended in with the atmosphere just as much as the snow itself. Mostly everyone used to pick on him for looking like a vampire, but he didn’t have pointy, sharp teeth. Others used to ask if he was dead - ever since arriving at the castle, the ghosts started to think he was one of them, and when he broke the truth down to them, they were in utter shock. Moaning Myrtle had her heart broken once again.
As the cold, freezing wind blew by, the scarf around the boy’s neck nearly flew away. Thankfully, it was gently warming his neck, tight enough for it to not actually fly off. No plans had been invested for the bone-chilling Sunday. Euphaustus thought of trying to help the elves with their daily deeds, but laziness had taken over. The warm soup he had for the morning didn’t energize him, if anything, it made him want to sleep more. It was precisely right then when he had decided to move around and get himself going rather than sit around and do nothing all day.
Students of all ages trotted by the hallways. Ghosts breaking the laws that mere mortals couldn’t achieve on Hogwarts grounds, as they flew in and out through the thick stone walls. As his feet tapped on the cobblestone floor and came in closer to the outside, the courtyard, a clearer view crossed his path. There were students outside, enjoying themselves to the atmosphere December provided. Christmas was only just a few weeks away. A stroke of jealousy hit the boy - how much he wished to join them. Make some new friends, which would not only immediately result for something to do, but also for the days ahead.
But then it soon hit him, that it didn’t have to be a wish - he could make it happen! A cheeky smile crossed his face, as he started his walk towards them, his hands keeping warm under his armpits, his white gloves didn’t seem to come in handy today… no pun intended.
What they were up to; he didn’t know. But he was about to find out soon enough. Sneezing while on his way, the boy finally arrived, his face red due to the harsh cold, the tip of his nose screaming in crimson. He could have sworn someone mentioned snowman.
“Snowmen?!” He jumped in, not wanting to startle anyone, “have any of you heard the tale of Bilbo? He was a snowman too.” Probably no one ever actually heard of such fictional character, because Euphaustus had just made him up. “I heard that he comes out every night whenever the weather is freezing cold and takes the bad children away before Christmas for punishment!”
That was a very delightful way for him to introduce himself.
“I’m Euphaustus,” he grinned, waving his head rather than his hands, to greet them.
“I take it Y’all are trying to make one of your own? I can help, if you wish. I could tell you how not to summon Bilbo while at it!”
29 Feb 2020, 06:39
On A Mission
Interacting with @Lydia Cooper, @Aaron Jones, @Euphaustus Boppity
She beamed with excitement as she was welcomed into the group, and a small blush spread across her face when Lydia complimented her outfit. "It's nice to meet the both of you Lydia, and Aaron. Pink is my favorite color so it kind of dominates my wardrobe, if there was a pink robe I'd wear it." She observed the situation, watching their base of the giant leader seemed to be going well so she started on the army. She used the snowball she had already made and started rolling it into formidable snow army men.
"I'm a muggle-born too, Frosty the Snowman is honestly one of my favorite songs around this season! So, I don't know a wizard equivalent but I feel like Frosty is pretty magical anyway." She didn't even know if wizards celebrated Christmas, or if they celebrated something else like her family. "My family actually doesn't celebrate Christmas, we celebrate the Yule or Winter Solstice. But we still love all of the songs that come on." She loved that she got to celebrate different holidays than everyone else. It helped her feel unique and strengthened within her family relationships and sense of self.
Suddenly she turned her head around, searching for the other voice behind her that mentioned snowmen. If it weren't for the stone walls of the castle behind him, she could've completely missed him as he blended in with the snow. "Hi Euphaustus! I'm Willow, this is Lydia, and Aaron!" She pointed at all of them (even herself) as she introduced them. "I've only heard of Frosty... but do you want to help me build the army part of this snowman battle field?" She quickly returned to what she assigned herself as, she had to make sure she fulfilled the work order to have a proper snowman army.
"I don't know whether to cry or scream or do both. It feels like I've done more than enough of both. And it feels like I haven't done enough." - Mason Deaver
Stamina 12 ∴ Evasion 12 ∴ Strength 5 ∴ Wisdom 12 ∵ ArcPower 10 ∵ Accuracy 15
Stamina 12 ∴ Evasion 12 ∴ Strength 5 ∴ Wisdom 12 ∵ ArcPower 10 ∵ Accuracy 15
1 Mar 2020, 20:54
On A Mission
Lydia listened to Aaron and Willow chat, and she got incredibly curious when the girl told them that she celebrated the Winter Solstice and not Christmas.Interacting with @Aaron Jones , @Willow Anderson , @Euphaustus Boppity
“That’s so interesting Willow! How do you celebrate it?” she asked her as she straightened her back.
By that point Lydia’s face was a cute bright pink from the cold wind, her scarf messily wrapped around her neck to keep her as warm as she could be.
A sudden voice made her turn, and she was surprised to see a very pale boy, dressed all in white. He almost blended in with the snow, but at the same time that gave him an interesting look.
“Hi!” She greeted him, a smile on her face.
When the buy mentioned a Bilbo, Lydia’s mind went to the Hobbit from the “Lord of the Rings” books.
“The only Bilbo I know is a Hobbit from the Shire. But your Bilbo sounds like a scary snowman! Is it a wizard Christmas Story?” She asked him, genuinely curious.
Euphaustus intrigued her, he looked different from all the boys in the school, and he looked friendly. She had the feeing she had already seen him somewhere, perhaps in one of her classes, but she wasn’t sure.
“What? We could actually summon a creepy snowman?” Lydia asked surprised, not sure if that was actually a thing, “well, we would love if you could help us! I’m sure that with you we’ll be able to create a lot of snowmen, and hopefully none of them will try to bring us away in our sleep!”
Once she finished speaking, the girl smiled wide and then she started accumulating more snow over the first giant ball.
"Everything beautiful is ruined eventually."
|| PART VEELA || ALLURING || LOVELY CREATURE || SCREAM
2 Mar 2020, 16:01
On A Mission
The base of the giant snowman was about the same height as the first years now, and it was wide enough to almost be a perfect sphere. They still needed two more snowballs on top, and it was dawning on Aaron that it would be a difficult task if they were all super big. But surely, if they all worked together, they could lift the next two snowballs up on top. Maybe they would need a ladder? Where could they find one of those?@Lydia Cooper, @Willow Anderson, @Euphaustus Boppity
"The Yule Winter Solstice?" Aaron repeated, turning his attention back to newcomer Willow. Lydia asked how she celebrated it, and he was interested in the answer, too.
Before he got into the new task of creating the second snowball, Aaron heard yet another voice and glanced over his shoulder. He almost thought he had imagined the voice, but it kept talking about an evil snowman. Aaron finally made out that there was a very pale boy in all white, almost blending in with the snow. His appearance was as shocking as the story he was telling.
Bilbo? What an odd name for a snowman. And he stole children?! Aaron felt a chill down his spine that was unrelated to the weather. Willow introduced them all to the newcomer, Euphaustus. Aaron couldn't help thinking he gave off a weird vibe, especially with the odd way he was acting (he was waving his head rather than his hands!), but he put on a smile in greeting anyway.
"Everyone's welcome to join," Aaron confirmed, waving at the new boy with his gloved hand. He was starting to realize that the boy and his distinctive look was vaguely familiar. In fact, he recalled that Euphaustus was actually another Hufflepuff! That meant he was probably not a bad person, maybe just a bit weird. Like Aaron's dormmate Sean.
"Yeah, we definitely don't want a snowman who's going to come to life in the middle of the night," Aaron said, backing up Lydia. "Is there some sort of ritual we'd have to perform to not summon him?" he asked, sounding the slightest bit skeptical. He was still getting used to being in a world of magic, but it was still hard to believe that the story of Bilbo was anything more than a children's story, like Santa Claus.
After speaking, he gestured to Lydia that they should start on the middle ball of their giant snowman. He set to work forming it with her help, still unsure how they would get it on top of the giant base.
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia