25 Jun 2019, 05:50
Workin' on Empty
The library doors were roughly shoved open as Ziba huffed past a bewildered Ravenclaw who hadn't been expecting to almost be smacked in the face at that moment. She muttered a quiet apology before continuing to stomp her way through the corridor. Her knapsack swung wildly from side to side as she tried to adjust the strap on her shoulder, stuffing her books inside with more aggression than necessary. She'd just spent the last three hours of her afternoon trying to finish up a Potions assignment that was due tomorrow and her slow progress was beginning to take a toll on her. There was still the History of Magic essay to write as well and she needed to find time to perfectly execute the new charm she learned by the end of the week. Ziba thought magic was supposed to be fun and exciting, not confusing and complicated and full of reading old, dusty books. Hopefully, a change of scenery would help her calm down.
As soon as Ziba stepped out into the sunlight, she could feel her frustration beginning to fade, but only a little. There was a light breeze which meant the day wouldn't be too hot, causing her to fall asleep. That was always a good thing. She headed down to the Great Lake, every step further away from the library helping to lift her spirits up. The sound of the waves softly lapping along the lake's shores were comforting and she quickly found a tree with a thick patch of grass by its trunk to plop down on. For a moment, as she settled against the bark and admired the view before her, Ziba forgot why she'd been so upset just minutes before... until she looked down at the books peeking out of her bag.
With a barely restrained whine, Ziba slowly took out her books, parchment and quill. She knew she was being a big baby, but she didn't care. This sucked. It took her a bit of fidgeting around to find a comfortable way to perch everything on her crossed knees. She whined again, a little more obnoxiously this time, when she reread a particularly difficult question from her assignment. This really, really sucked.
25 Jun 2019, 06:47
Workin' on Empty
A leaf twirled and danced in the air as Casper lazily waved his wand around. The weather had been nice enough lately and the dark and suffocating walls of the castle had driven him outside. The rays of sun shining through the canopy of leaves the breeze playing with his hair reassured him that he had made the right choice -- ditching the neat stacks of homework he had left in the Ravenclaw common room. Plus, climbing up in the tree had given him the perfect view of the Quidditch field to watch the tiny specks on brooms whizzing through the clouds. It was, on the whole, an entirely perfect afternoon.
But a loud whine from below made the leaf he was levitating fall squarely onto his face. At first, he chose to ignore it, thinking it might have been an echo from the owlery or the creak of the bough beneath him, and he picked the leaf back up, muttering to himself, "Wingardium leviosa." Again, the whine came back, louder this time and Casper nearly toppled out of the tree trying to see where the noise was coming from. It was a bit of a shock seeing the girl resting against the trunk, looking to see if anyone else was around. Just a few upperclassmen hanging close to the shore and some resting on the grass.
He shifted himself in the tree, propped up on his elbows and leaning out on one of the branches to get a closer look at the book she was reading, squinting hard, "Having trouble?"
But a loud whine from below made the leaf he was levitating fall squarely onto his face. At first, he chose to ignore it, thinking it might have been an echo from the owlery or the creak of the bough beneath him, and he picked the leaf back up, muttering to himself, "Wingardium leviosa." Again, the whine came back, louder this time and Casper nearly toppled out of the tree trying to see where the noise was coming from. It was a bit of a shock seeing the girl resting against the trunk, looking to see if anyone else was around. Just a few upperclassmen hanging close to the shore and some resting on the grass.
He shifted himself in the tree, propped up on his elbows and leaning out on one of the branches to get a closer look at the book she was reading, squinting hard, "Having trouble?"
Stamina 5 | Evasion 10 | Strength 2 | Wisdom 6 | Arcane Power 9 | Accuracy 8
25 Jun 2019, 08:05
Workin' on Empty
"Having trouble?"
Ziba jerked at the sudden voice, especially because she wasn't expecting anybody to be talking to her from above her head. She looked up in search of the speaker and spotted a first year boy casually perched on one of the branches, peering down at her work. She couldn't quite remember his name but she was sure she'd seen him before.
"Oh, hello," Ziba spoke, "I didn't know anyone would be here." She craned her neck, further emphasizing how high the boy was compared to her spot on the ground. "Or up there, I guess. What are you doing up there? Were you spying on me?" Shifting the book in her hands so that he could get a better look at it, she continued to speak to him like it was perfectly normal to carry on a conversation with a random boy in a random tree. "Now that you mention it, yes, I'm having trouble. I just don't understand Potions!" With that, Ziba began to point out different areas of the text to the boy. "What's the difference between slicing and splicing? What does it mean if a wormwood plant is more silver than green? How am I supposed to remember all these recipes and ingredients? Where do you even find lacewing flies?"
25 Jun 2019, 21:50
Workin' on Empty
"Slicing is to cut something apart while splicing is to join two things together. Wormwood naturally turns more silver during its flowering season." Casper rattled on in an uninterested tone, reciting from memory of the potions textbook he forced himself to memorize over the summer before school started. He fought back a yawn as he played with the leaf in his hands, ripping it into tiny pieces and trying to sprinkle it onto the girl below. " As for lacewings you could probably find some closer to the forest, but trying the potions storeroom isn't a bad idea either."
Casper shifted from where he lay, pocketing his wand and sliding until he hung from the branch, swinging and landing on his feet beside her. He tried to hide a hiss of pain as he realized he had scraped himself on the rough bark, wiping his hands on his robes
"And I wasn't spying. " He huffed indignantly, crossing his arms and leaning against the trunk and watching the waves ripple against the shore. The sparkling light that reflected on the water blinded him and he had to look down at the grass, blinking out the sun spots in his eyes.
Casper shifted from where he lay, pocketing his wand and sliding until he hung from the branch, swinging and landing on his feet beside her. He tried to hide a hiss of pain as he realized he had scraped himself on the rough bark, wiping his hands on his robes
"And I wasn't spying. " He huffed indignantly, crossing his arms and leaning against the trunk and watching the waves ripple against the shore. The sparkling light that reflected on the water blinded him and he had to look down at the grass, blinking out the sun spots in his eyes.
Stamina 5 | Evasion 10 | Strength 2 | Wisdom 6 | Arcane Power 9 | Accuracy 8
26 Jun 2019, 05:42
Workin' on Empty
Before Ziba knew it, the boy was giving her all the answers in an almost bored fashion. Insecurity spiked through her at how easily he spoke on the topic but she shook it off and quickly began taking notes. Her pride be damned, she just wanted to move on and finish this assignment already. As she wrote, she noticed bits of dry leaf falling on her and her paper. She shot a quick glare up at the boy before turning her head back down to finish writing. She'd get him back for that later.
"Well," she began simply as she examined her notes once he'd finished answering, "you know your stuff, I'll give you that." The sound of his feet hitting the ground caught her attention and she turned to get a better look at the boy now standing before her. He had dark hair and seemed to be a bit on the shorter side, and when he looked up with an indignant huff, she saw the freckles that sprinkled his face.
"Who are you?" she asked, her tone more curious than questioning. "More importantly, do we have potions together? Because if Professor Nagal makes everyone partner up for an assignment again, I want to make sure I have a partner who is actually helpful."
26 Jun 2019, 08:40
Workin' on Empty
"That depends," A smile curled his lips, as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, nodding to the notes scrawled on her page, "You're not just gonna copy down everything I say are you?"
Casper did always kind of hate sitting alone in that class. Potions was boring enough as it was, but watching everyone else group together and finish their assignments twice as fast made it that much worse. Of course, he couldn't ever remember seeing this girl in class. Although he was never great at remembering faces and sitting in the back of the room did not give him much of a vantage point. And she definitely looked like the type of student to sit in the very front, raising their hand for every question.
"I'm Casper. Kilgore." He said, giving her a thin smile. Briefly, he wondered whether he was supposed to offer his hand for her to shake. Thinking better of it, he slouched down into a sitting position beside her, hugging his knees to his chest. He cleared his throat, looking down at his shoes, noticing every scrape and scuff. "Is there anything else you didn't get from the lecture? Nagal can be a little confusing sometimes."
Casper did always kind of hate sitting alone in that class. Potions was boring enough as it was, but watching everyone else group together and finish their assignments twice as fast made it that much worse. Of course, he couldn't ever remember seeing this girl in class. Although he was never great at remembering faces and sitting in the back of the room did not give him much of a vantage point. And she definitely looked like the type of student to sit in the very front, raising their hand for every question.
"I'm Casper. Kilgore." He said, giving her a thin smile. Briefly, he wondered whether he was supposed to offer his hand for her to shake. Thinking better of it, he slouched down into a sitting position beside her, hugging his knees to his chest. He cleared his throat, looking down at his shoes, noticing every scrape and scuff. "Is there anything else you didn't get from the lecture? Nagal can be a little confusing sometimes."
Stamina 5 | Evasion 10 | Strength 2 | Wisdom 6 | Arcane Power 9 | Accuracy 8
28 Jun 2019, 04:23
Workin' on Empty
Ziba ignored the slight flush of her face when the boy pointed out the new notes on her parchment. "You were talking too quickly so I just started writing it down," she said a little too defensively, "and I was going to reword it. Later." Good save, Zi.
The boy introduced himself as Casper Kilgore, a name she thinks she remembers hearing called out during the Sorting Ceremony. Ziba felt a twinge of jealousy. How was he only in First Year and already so confident in his studies? Was he a pureblood? Was he in Ravenclaw? Worse, was he a pureblooded Ravenclaw with a snobby personality?
But when Casper took a seat next to her almost shyly, asking what else she wanted to know, she realized he was genuinely wanting to help. So she smiled back. "I'm Ziba Soames," she said, "nice to meet you, Casper."
Looking back down at her assignment and examined what else she needed to complete. "I think there's a mini essay that I need to write about five essential things that every Potion Master must know." She looked up, her eyebrows scrunched in thought as she tried to recall the memory of her last class. "But I don't remember what he said during that lecture," she said, then gave a sheepish grin. "Think I dozed off a bit if I'm being honest. He tends to drone on sometimes, don't you think?"
28 Jun 2019, 08:41
Workin' on Empty
"He tends to drone on sometimes, don't you think?"
Oh right. The essay. The essay sitting in the common room, blank and untouched. That essay. Five essential things that every Potions Master must know? Yeah, Casper remembered that lecture. More specifically he remembered counting every stripe on the Potions teacher's tie. Twenty-seven, if you didn't count all the ones he couldn't see, "Hah... yeah."
"Um." Five essential things. That was so vague. He had already offered to help and now he was going to look like a complete idiot if he didn't say anything. Quickly, he fumbled for the next best answer, "Well... Obviously he's looking to see what you think is most important to know in Potions. I'd write about the patience you have to have and the concentration required..." He tilted his head to the side, trying to come up with anything else that might sound right to a professor, "How you need to be a perfectionist and follow the rules to the letter, but be willing to work around mistakes when needed. And..."
He silently moved his mouth, subtly counting his fingers, "... And it's always a good idea to keep a bezoar nearby when trying a new potion?"
Oh right. The essay. The essay sitting in the common room, blank and untouched. That essay. Five essential things that every Potions Master must know? Yeah, Casper remembered that lecture. More specifically he remembered counting every stripe on the Potions teacher's tie. Twenty-seven, if you didn't count all the ones he couldn't see, "Hah... yeah."
"Um." Five essential things. That was so vague. He had already offered to help and now he was going to look like a complete idiot if he didn't say anything. Quickly, he fumbled for the next best answer, "Well... Obviously he's looking to see what you think is most important to know in Potions. I'd write about the patience you have to have and the concentration required..." He tilted his head to the side, trying to come up with anything else that might sound right to a professor, "How you need to be a perfectionist and follow the rules to the letter, but be willing to work around mistakes when needed. And..."
He silently moved his mouth, subtly counting his fingers, "... And it's always a good idea to keep a bezoar nearby when trying a new potion?"
Stamina 5 | Evasion 10 | Strength 2 | Wisdom 6 | Arcane Power 9 | Accuracy 8
30 Jun 2019, 06:56
Workin' on Empty
Casper's sudden lack of confidence as he answered told Ziba he probably listened as much as she did during that lecture too. Still, with a little amused smile, she dutifully wrote down everything he said. It sounded right, anyway. Once that was done, she leaned back to examine her paper. She had the outline of the essay now and she could easily fluff it up to meet the length requirement later.
"Casper," she said, turning to her new friend with a bright smile, "you just saved me hours of work." Before she could stop herself, she threw her arms around Casper in a tight hug. "Thank you thank you thank you!" she thanked him before letting go. "I was ready to start crying because I'm so behind on my assignments but you just helped me catch up in no time and now I have time to play today!"
To think that just an hour ago, Ziba was pulling her hair out and ready to call it quits because of a standard Potions homework. She didn't know why the topic was so challenging for her. What would happen next time she received a similar assignment? Would it be just as hard as this time? How was she going to survive the rest of the term? She sighed, troubled once more. "I just don't know why I can't get it right," she confessed, more to herself than to Casper. Sometimes she worried about how she was going to become a full-fledged witch when she was having this much trouble with the basics and it scared her to think she'd never be good enough. But she wasn't ready to admit that out loud.
1 Jul 2019, 04:28
Workin' on Empty
As Ziba threw her arms around him, Casper fought the urge to push her away. When she did pull away, thanking him, he let out a small breath of air he didn't realize he'd been holding onto, "No problem. It's no problem." He said, letting a smile flicker briefly across his face, "Anytime."
He watched her deflate, sighing and mumbling to herself. Casper knew how difficult the schoolwork could be. The wording in the textbooks always seemed to over complicate themselves on purpose and while the teachers at Hogwarts did their best to explain and teach, it was impossible to pay attention. He noticed her troubled look and reassured her as best he could, "You'll get used to it. It probably seems really difficult right now but that's just how it is learning something new. Just like muggle school, y'know?"
With a crinkle of his brow, though, he remembered that some wizarding families didn't send their children to muggle schools; especially purebloods. Casper glanced back at her. It's not like you could tell if someone was pureblood just by looking at them and he definitely didn't know too many who were. He hesitantly asked, "Did you... did you go to muggle school at all? Or were you home schooled?"
He watched her deflate, sighing and mumbling to herself. Casper knew how difficult the schoolwork could be. The wording in the textbooks always seemed to over complicate themselves on purpose and while the teachers at Hogwarts did their best to explain and teach, it was impossible to pay attention. He noticed her troubled look and reassured her as best he could, "You'll get used to it. It probably seems really difficult right now but that's just how it is learning something new. Just like muggle school, y'know?"
With a crinkle of his brow, though, he remembered that some wizarding families didn't send their children to muggle schools; especially purebloods. Casper glanced back at her. It's not like you could tell if someone was pureblood just by looking at them and he definitely didn't know too many who were. He hesitantly asked, "Did you... did you go to muggle school at all? Or were you home schooled?"
Stamina 5 | Evasion 10 | Strength 2 | Wisdom 6 | Arcane Power 9 | Accuracy 8