24 Oct 2020, 07:21
Smile, My Dear
@Opeila Winters
Backdated to October 4, 2020
What had it been, less than five days? If Alexander remember correctly, they had arrived at Hogwarts on September 30th, so indeed, it'd been nearly five days. Five days of—well, he hesitated to say hell, but he could come up with nothing positive either. Acceptable, then.
Today, the silver-haired boy had decided that he'd had quite enough of the rowdiness of his tentmates at the Campgrounds. One would think Durmstrang students knew how to hold themselves but then, what could he truly expect? They were only kids at the end of the day, and kids did as kids would. His temple throbbed at the idea that he'd have to return to that in a few hours' time though. Really, could have this school provided any better accommodations? Perhaps something indoors, like a proper host would do.
Alexander wasn't quite sure why he still had expectations of anything by now.
At the very least, the campus was decently well-kept. The wizard walked gracefully through the field, the red of his uniform bright against the natural backdrop. He wasn't sure where he was going, but then, it didn't matter. He had no business with anyone now—whether his feet took him would certainly suffice.
He clasped his hands behind his back as he continued, straightening his back slightly more. There was no need to remind him that he represented Durmstrang here—there was not a second that he allowed himself to slip as it was, the smile always tucked just under his lips. Perhaps Hogwarts students were just as foolish as Durmstrang ones, but wixes were observant, more than he knew to feel safe. Keep the smile, and any situation was redeemable.
His feet brought him to the end of a Great Lake, the shoreline waving into the trees. Alexander noted this as the place they'd emerged, in true Durmstrang fashion, lined up carefully aboard several boats. It was outdated, but tradition is as tradition does
Glancing at the surface of the lake, he caught his own reflection. Again, the strands of his hair had refused to lay flat, so he'd left them, deciding that the softness they gave him was something he could use. Appearance-wise, it was all something he could use, one way or another.
Allowing his feet to start once more, Alexander floated along the lakeshore, eyes roaming the landscape. It was quite funny, he thought, that a school that fostered murders had such idyllic scenery.
[ Home, they said. I should like to go home. ]
STA: 6 | EVA: 10 | STR: 3 | WIS: 9 | ARC: 5 | ACC: 10
STA: 6 | EVA: 10 | STR: 3 | WIS: 9 | ARC: 5 | ACC: 10
15 Nov 2020, 22:13
Smile, My Dear
It was sunday. No classes. A whole day of free time. And it really was only free time, Opeila had done all her homework on Saturday already. It was because of that, that she decided to go down to the lake. Her fear that the lake would awake unwanted memories, she had proven wrong weeks ago. It was still a nice place to go to, a good place to let her thoughts wander, but stay realistic. That made it different from being alone in her common room. Being buried under tons of stone, in a room where you couldn't open a window... It was depressing.
The lake didn't awake bad memories. On the contrary, going there, wrapped int Flash's coat rather reminded her of safety. Here no one would touch her, right? ...Right?
Loras had decided to follow her outside. For quite a while the two of them just walked next to one another, until Opeila picked him up and pressed him to her chest, wrapping the coat around both of them. Loras was not used to cuddling. The moments where he was human friendly became more often now, but he still was careful and sometimes aggressive towards people.
But today he let it happen.
It was not like Opeila was sad or something. She had learned to control her emotions a little better, but sometimes it came back to her. Everything she repressed weighed on her chest like a heavy stone she couldn't shake off.
Rubbing her cheek against Loras' soft fur, she let tears come up and run over her face. Summer was over by now, it immediately felt cold on Opeila's face. It was only when she almost reached the lake, that she saw that someone else was there. Someone she could tell was no Hogwarts student.
Opeila had not really spoken to any of the foreign students. No- that was not quite true. At summer camp, she had indirectly talked to this boy, Slava, but not really. He and a girl from her house had pranked her with donuts filled with hot sauce. While it for sure had been funny, Opeila would not deny that, it had been somewhat humiliating. Maybe it was because of that experience she had stayed away from at least the Durmstrang. If it was public knowledge now, she at least didn't need to hear about it again.
But now she was here and she would definitely not turn back. That would be rude, right? She tried to subtly remove all the signs of tears from her face and straightened a little.
Loras' big eyes would also examine the boy.
"Hello.", Opeila said. Her voice was steady, thank god. "Erm, I am Opeila Winters. You... I'm sorry, I don't think we've met before. I'm guessing Durmstrang?"
She had heard the stories of Durmstrang, the school that didn't accept muggleborns. From her own house she had seen that it was often the purebloods who smiled the least. Who wore a mask all the time. And the boy's face looked very much like that as well.
Maybe Opeila was prejudiced. Or maybe she just got better at oberving people. Well, she would find out one way or the other.
@Mars T'ien
The lake didn't awake bad memories. On the contrary, going there, wrapped int Flash's coat rather reminded her of safety. Here no one would touch her, right? ...Right?
Loras had decided to follow her outside. For quite a while the two of them just walked next to one another, until Opeila picked him up and pressed him to her chest, wrapping the coat around both of them. Loras was not used to cuddling. The moments where he was human friendly became more often now, but he still was careful and sometimes aggressive towards people.
But today he let it happen.
It was not like Opeila was sad or something. She had learned to control her emotions a little better, but sometimes it came back to her. Everything she repressed weighed on her chest like a heavy stone she couldn't shake off.
Rubbing her cheek against Loras' soft fur, she let tears come up and run over her face. Summer was over by now, it immediately felt cold on Opeila's face. It was only when she almost reached the lake, that she saw that someone else was there. Someone she could tell was no Hogwarts student.
Opeila had not really spoken to any of the foreign students. No- that was not quite true. At summer camp, she had indirectly talked to this boy, Slava, but not really. He and a girl from her house had pranked her with donuts filled with hot sauce. While it for sure had been funny, Opeila would not deny that, it had been somewhat humiliating. Maybe it was because of that experience she had stayed away from at least the Durmstrang. If it was public knowledge now, she at least didn't need to hear about it again.
But now she was here and she would definitely not turn back. That would be rude, right? She tried to subtly remove all the signs of tears from her face and straightened a little.
Loras' big eyes would also examine the boy.
"Hello.", Opeila said. Her voice was steady, thank god. "Erm, I am Opeila Winters. You... I'm sorry, I don't think we've met before. I'm guessing Durmstrang?"
She had heard the stories of Durmstrang, the school that didn't accept muggleborns. From her own house she had seen that it was often the purebloods who smiled the least. Who wore a mask all the time. And the boy's face looked very much like that as well.
Maybe Opeila was prejudiced. Or maybe she just got better at oberving people. Well, she would find out one way or the other.
@Mars T'ien
27 Nov 2020, 09:32
Smile, My Dear
@Opeila Winters
───── ⋆ ─────
RPing as Alexander Baron
He had only gotten a few moments of peace staring at the rippling water before footsteps came up behind him. Ah. How could he have forgotten. It was Sunday, and if he had free time, that meant any other scu—wix could be crawling around here, relishing in their freedom.
Planting the soft smile back on his face, he turned. He was right, of course. There was a girl who'd come up behind him, not bothering to announce her arrival. Alexander was getting tired of the mannerisms of these people.
He gave her a once over, eyes gentle as they swept over her form. Hmm. Slumped shoulders, curled inward, clutching her arms in front of her, even though he'd noticed her effort to straighten. He thought he saw just the faintest hint of tears, but that might have been a trick of the light. What was she thinking, going out like this? Didn't she know the aura she gave off, meek and depressed? It was hardly productive, hardly classy, better fit for a recluse than a student of Hogwarts. She was a student of Hogwarts, right?
Alexander gave her a smile, eyes crinkling at the edges.
"Hello, my dear," he replied. He'd been so distracted by her ghastly appearance that it was a surprise when he met the wide-eyes of a cat staring up at him. Unbeknownst to him, his shoulders relaxed just a little, the twinkle in his eye just a little bit softer. Perhaps... perhaps he could forgive her for a bit of her posture.
Alexander brought himself back to the moment at hand, listening quietly to her introduction. Opeila Winters. Winters. No one he'd heard of before. Probably not someone he needed for the future. She wouldn't be of much use.
"Miss Winters, then. It's a pleasure to met you. I'm Alexander Baron, and yes, I'm a student at Durmstrang. A sharp one, aren't you?" There was no malice in his tone as he said this, all coming off completely genuine. Never mind the fact that he was wearing an exuberantly bright red uniform belonging only to Durmstrang students. It wasn't as if anyone with eyes could tell exactly which school he hailed from.
"May I assume Hogwarts for you?" he asked, tipping a head in her direction, serene expression on his face. Alexander was decently sure only a student of Hogwarts could look so... miserable. Then again, he assumed Illvermorny and Beauxbatons weren't much better. Still, this was their grounds, and Opeila looked familiar with it. It was a strong conclusion, he was certain.
Alexander's eyes flickered down to the cat still perched in her arms once more. Then, he raised them to hers, smiling slightly.
"What brings you out here on this fine day?"
[ Home, they said. I should like to go home. ]
STA: 6 | EVA: 10 | STR: 3 | WIS: 9 | ARC: 5 | ACC: 10
STA: 6 | EVA: 10 | STR: 3 | WIS: 9 | ARC: 5 | ACC: 10
3 Dec 2020, 20:45
Smile, My Dear
@Mars T'ien
The boy greeted Opeila and immediately his gaze wandered to Loras, who was still staring at the stranger, now meowing quietly. "The pleasure is mine, Mr Baron.", Opeila answered. She got control over her emotions again, nothing reminded of the tears that had been on her face a minute ago. A moment of weakness, quickly erased.
He called her a sharp one. Opeila only shrugged. "I've heard that before, I won't agree, nor disagree." She had no idea wether she was shrap or not. For that she ended up close to death a little too often in her last year, didn't she? Or did that fall under a different category?
She nodded at his assumption that she was from Hogwarts. "That is correct."
He asked her what brought her out here. Opeila decided to answer honestly. She hated that she was considering to lie about everything at this point, but after her coincidental meeting with the charming Vladimir Athanatos brought so fatal consequences, Opeila had a hard time trusting anyone. Except Flash. He knew so much, he could mentally destroy her if he wanted. But he did not.
"Fresh air. There's been a lot on my mind lately that bothered me and I find fresh air always helpful to clear my head a little, while my common room is rather dark and leads to claustrophobic feelings. For me at least. Also my Loras here enjoys watching the lake." She looked down at the cat for a moment. "How about you? What is your impression of Hogwarts so far? Is it very different from where you are from?" Opeila couldn't remember hearing or reading anywhere, where Durmstrang was located. Only that it was a cold place.
The boy greeted Opeila and immediately his gaze wandered to Loras, who was still staring at the stranger, now meowing quietly. "The pleasure is mine, Mr Baron.", Opeila answered. She got control over her emotions again, nothing reminded of the tears that had been on her face a minute ago. A moment of weakness, quickly erased.
He called her a sharp one. Opeila only shrugged. "I've heard that before, I won't agree, nor disagree." She had no idea wether she was shrap or not. For that she ended up close to death a little too often in her last year, didn't she? Or did that fall under a different category?
She nodded at his assumption that she was from Hogwarts. "That is correct."
He asked her what brought her out here. Opeila decided to answer honestly. She hated that she was considering to lie about everything at this point, but after her coincidental meeting with the charming Vladimir Athanatos brought so fatal consequences, Opeila had a hard time trusting anyone. Except Flash. He knew so much, he could mentally destroy her if he wanted. But he did not.
"Fresh air. There's been a lot on my mind lately that bothered me and I find fresh air always helpful to clear my head a little, while my common room is rather dark and leads to claustrophobic feelings. For me at least. Also my Loras here enjoys watching the lake." She looked down at the cat for a moment. "How about you? What is your impression of Hogwarts so far? Is it very different from where you are from?" Opeila couldn't remember hearing or reading anywhere, where Durmstrang was located. Only that it was a cold place.