The Lake

[Lissy Longbottom]

Graphic credit: Felixir

The large freshwater lake of Hogwarts is located just south of the castle. About half a mile wide in diameter, the lake dominates much of the school's landscape, a steely and ominous mass of icy water in the winter, yet an inviting and refreshing sight once the weather starts to heat up. On one of its banks, a towering beech tree stands sentinel, and is a popular location to meet and relax. Castle-side of the lake stands the boathouse.

You may swim in the lake, but be careful, and also mindful of the creatures that reside here. Merpeople, grindylows, and the Great Squid, to name but a few, call these watery depths their home. You would do well to leave them in peace. If they feel like it, they'll come to you; the Giant Squid, who goes by the name of Bartholomew Henry, has been known to bask in the shallows on sunny days.

OOC: Please do not RP for the Giant Squid.

[Chelliephone]

When the weather was nice, sitting by the lake side was one of his favorite activities. Truthfully, seeing Bartholomew Henry had been a highlight so far of his Hogwarts journey, and sitting by the lake was the easiest way to hope maybe it could happen again. Considering he wasn't a Slytherin, anyways, given they probably had the more opportunity from all of the students. Evan brought down a large blanket to lay on the grass, leaning back on it and putting his hands behind his head to stare up at the clouds.

It wasn't often he did this. Just... relaxed, and looked up instead of in a book. It was actually rather refreshing, and exactly what he'd thus far been hoping his sixth year could be like. New perspectives. New experiences.

Maybe that would give him better insight on figuring out himself and what was next. More and more he was realizing there was a lot more to life than academics, a thought that was entirely welcomed but... reality.

[emjay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelliephone

When the weather was nice, sitting by the lake side was one of his favorite activities. Truthfully, seeing Bartholomew Henry had been a highlight so far of his Hogwarts journey, and sitting by the lake was the easiest way to hope maybe it could happen again. Considering he wasn't a Slytherin, anyways, given they probably had the more opportunity from all of the students. Evan brought down a large blanket to lay on the grass, leaning back on it and putting his hands behind his head to stare up at the clouds.

It wasn't often he did this. Just... relaxed, and looked up instead of in a book. It was actually rather refreshing, and exactly what he'd thus far been hoping his sixth year could be like. New perspectives. New experiences.

Maybe that would give him better insight on figuring out himself and what was next. More and more he was realizing there was a lot more to life than academics, a thought that was entirely welcomed but... reality.

Karleigh headed outside, eager to enjoy the nice day. She knew what Scotland weather could be like so she wanted to make the most of it while it was still nice out.

She only had a vague plan in mind. Her parents had allowed her to start taking winged horse riding lessons recreationally over the summer in addition to her continued dance lessons, so she thought about visiting the barns to see if she might be allowed to take one of them out for a ride. But it was simply an idea and she was not set on it. In fact, Karleigh thought she'd lean into her Gryffindorness and try to be a little impulsive. Just see where the day took her.

And so far the day was taking her past the lake and towards a yearmate lounging on a blanket. "Hi, Evan," Karleigh smiled as she approached. "Nice day, isn't it? That looks relaxing." She wasn't sure exactly what he was doing, but he did seem to be unbothered, at least from initial appearances.

[Chelliephone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emjay

Karleigh headed outside, eager to enjoy the nice day. She knew what Scotland weather could be like so she wanted to make the most of it while it was still nice out.

She only had a vague plan in mind. Her parents had allowed her to start taking winged horse riding lessons recreationally over the summer in addition to her continued dance lessons, so she thought about visiting the barns to see if she might be allowed to take one of them out for a ride. But it was simply an idea and she was not set on it. In fact, Karleigh thought she'd lean into her Gryffindorness and try to be a little impulsive. Just see where the day took her.

And so far the day was taking her past the lake and towards a yearmate lounging on a blanket. "Hi, Evan," Karleigh smiled as she approached. "Nice day, isn't it? That looks relaxing." She wasn't sure exactly what he was doing, but he did seem to be unbothered, at least from initial appearances.

It was rather interesting while laying out and looking up to see all the different shapes that clouds could form. If he remembered correctly, there was some Divination theory about this as well but... nothing that he was interested in enough to study. Sorry, Professor Euka. Looking the clouds over, he silently gave them each an assigned shape while watching them pass by.

Having just established one that somewhat resembled a Pokemon, that he could not remember the name of, he was distracted by someone saying his name and turned his head to the side. Spotting Karleigh, the Ravenclaw propped himself up a bit and smiled at the Gryffindor girl. He realized she was one he'd not spent much time talking to, despite the same year. "Hi Karleigh. It's not bad, I was just admiring the clouds and enjoy the day. Want to join?" He'd brought a giant blanket, so there was plenty of space.

[emjay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelliephone

It was rather interesting while laying out and looking up to see all the different shapes that clouds could form. If he remembered correctly, there was some Divination theory about this as well but... nothing that he was interested in enough to study. Sorry, Professor Euka. Looking the clouds over, he silently gave them each an assigned shape while watching them pass by.

Having just established one that somewhat resembled a Pokemon, that he could not remember the name of, he was distracted by someone saying his name and turned his head to the side. Spotting Karleigh, the Ravenclaw propped himself up a bit and smiled at the Gryffindor girl. He realized she was one he'd not spent much time talking to, despite the same year. "Hi Karleigh. It's not bad, I was just admiring the clouds and enjoy the day. Want to join?" He'd brought a giant blanket, so there was plenty of space.

At the mention, Karleigh looked up at the clouds. Luckily they were not the dark storm cloud type, but instead they were the big white fluffy kind that were fun to watch and make guesses of the shapes.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind that," she said with a bigger smile, returning her eyes to Evan. "I'd like the company." And there was plenty of room on his blanket so she took a seat next to him and looked up again. "Are you trying to identify the shapes? We should point out what we see.." Sounded like fun to her. "Oh look, that one looks like an abraxan just about to take flight," she said pointing out one cloud lazily floating overhead.

[Chelliephone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emjay

At the mention, Karleigh looked up at the clouds. Luckily they were not the dark storm cloud type, but instead they were the big white fluffy kind that were fun to watch and make guesses of the shapes.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind that," she said with a bigger smile, returning her eyes to Evan. "I'd like the company." And there was plenty of room on his blanket so she took a seat next to him and looked up again. "Are you trying to identify the shapes? We should point out what we see.." Sounded like fun to her. "Oh look, that one looks like an abraxan just about to take flight," she said pointing out one cloud lazily floating overhead.

Evan returned her smile, nodding his head in agreement. Company would be nice. And it would be nice to know more of his year mates a little better than he did already. The people he knew was a fairly small handful, and even then a lot was limited to his own house. It was easier to visit in the common room given there and the library had been primarily where he spent his time. "I agree."

Looking back at the sky, Evan gave another nod at her question, before pointing out the one he'd been looking at prior. "I don't know how much you know about muggle tv programs or games, but there's a franchise called Pokemon. That one looks like a Charmander to me." The name came to him as he had started to explain it to Karleigh. How had he forgotten one of the most common? "You're right! What do you think of that one over there?" He moved his finger to show a different cloud. "It looks kind of like a teacup."

[emjay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelliephone

Evan returned her smile, nodding his head in agreement. Company would be nice. And it would be nice to know more of his year mates a little better than he did already. The people he knew was a fairly small handful, and even then a lot was limited to his own house. It was easier to visit in the common room given there and the library had been primarily where he spent his time. "I agree."

Looking back at the sky, Evan gave another nod at her question, before pointing out the one he'd been looking at prior. "I don't know how much you know about muggle tv programs or games, but there's a franchise called Pokemon. That one looks like a Charmander to me." The name came to him as he had started to explain it to Karleigh. How had he forgotten one of the most common? "You're right! What do you think of that one over there?" He moved his finger to show a different cloud. "It looks kind of like a teacup."

Karleigh looked over to where Evan had pointed and knitted her eyebrows together before glancing back at him curiously. "No, I don't think I've ever heard of Pokemon.." Or... Charmander, was it? "Is that like a fire salamander?" At least the end part sounded similar, so that was her logical leap. Karleigh knew about some muggle entertainment, but this was not one of them.

She leaned back on her arms and tilted her head to the sky once again, contemplating the next shape that Evan pointed out. "It kind of does look like a teacup," she agreed with a wistful smile. "Maybe a teapot will drift by too. Or we could have a whole tea party of characters." Abraxan and Pokemon included.

[Chelliephone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emjay

Karleigh looked over to where Evan had pointed and knitted her eyebrows together before glancing back at him curiously. "No, I don't think I've ever heard of Pokemon.." Or... Charmander, was it? "Is that like a fire salamander?" At least the end part sounded similar, so that was her logical leap. Karleigh knew about some muggle entertainment, but this was not one of them.

She leaned back on her arms and tilted her head to the sky once again, contemplating the next shape that Evan pointed out. "It kind of does look like a teacup," she agreed with a wistful smile. "Maybe a teapot will drift by too. Or we could have a whole tea party of characters." Abraxan and Pokemon included.

He wasn't too surprised, usually more so when people did know of it. "It's essentially just a bunch of creatures that were drawn based of combining elements with different parts of animals." Like if memory served, Pikachu, the most popular, was an electric squirrel. He smiled at her guess, nodding his head. "Pretty much. It looks kind of like a cute baby dragon." And then kept getting more dragon like as it aged.

He chuckled softly as she mentioned perhaps a tea pot would happen by for a tea party, and nodded. "An abraxan and a mythical muggle creature would certainly make for quite the guests." A centaur would have been much easier. Glancing around at the other clouds, and spotting none immediately that jumped out at him, he turned his attention towards her. "How was your summer? Are you happy to be back at school?"

[emjay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelliephone

He wasn't too surprised, usually more so when people did know of it. "It's essentially just a bunch of creatures that were drawn based of combining elements with different parts of animals." Like if memory served, Pikachu, the most popular, was an electric squirrel. He smiled at her guess, nodding his head. "Pretty much. It looks kind of like a cute baby dragon." And then kept getting more dragon like as it aged.

He chuckled softly as she mentioned perhaps a tea pot would happen by for a tea party, and nodded. "An abraxan and a mythical muggle creature would certainly make for quite the guests." A centaur would have been much easier. Glancing around at the other clouds, and spotting none immediately that jumped out at him, he turned his attention towards her. "How was your summer? Are you happy to be back at school?"

Karleigh paused to think about Evan's explanation and tried to form a mental image of what he described. "So.. more like a hippogriff or chimera?" Those were creatures essentially made up of other creatures in the most basic sense and it helped her to better understand what he meant. "That sounds cool." Especially the cute baby dragon - not that a dragon was made up of other creatures, but she did like the mental image of it. It did sound cute.

Karleigh laughed softly as Evan agreed with her cloud tea party thoughts. "It's fun to imagine it, at least." She looked for more clouds too, kind of avoiding his eye at the question. "Oh, you know," she shrugged, managing a smile. "Summer is always good. Nice to have the freedom and just feel carefree under the sun." She really did mean that, even if the first part of her summer had been disappointing and hurtful. "How was your summer?" She turned to look at him.

[Chelliephone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emjay

Karleigh paused to think about Evan's explanation and tried to form a mental image of what he described. "So.. more like a hippogriff or chimera?" Those were creatures essentially made up of other creatures in the most basic sense and it helped her to better understand what he meant. "That sounds cool." Especially the cute baby dragon - not that a dragon was made up of other creatures, but she did like the mental image of it. It did sound cute.

Karleigh laughed softly as Evan agreed with her cloud tea party thoughts. "It's fun to imagine it, at least." She looked for more clouds too, kind of avoiding his eye at the question. "Oh, you know," she shrugged, managing a smile. "Summer is always good. Nice to have the freedom and just feel carefree under the sun." She really did mean that, even if the first part of her summer had been disappointing and hurtful. "How was your summer?" She turned to look at him.

He paused to consider before deciding they were pretty similar and nodded his head at her comparison. "Yeah, pretty similar." They seemed to get less interesting the more people had created, but there was only so much creativity people could probably come up with. There was probably over 1000 of the creatures designed by now, though that also might have been an exaggeration. "They were a fun franchise as a kid."

He didn't often let his imagination run free, preferring facts, but she was right. Creativity was fun. "That's true." Evan did not know Karleigh well enough to establish if her words were 100% genuine or if her smile was faked, but he certainly hoped she truly had an enjoyable summer. "Freedom is nice. Did you do anything fun with yours?" His summer? It had been.. good for the most part. He'd had a lot of fun at his best friends house, but there was also all of the things that had happened. "It was good. Saw friends, spent some time with family. I wish I'd given a little more of my time to catching up with my brother but there's next break."

[Deezerz]

It was a nice chilly day, perfect for Serena’s new robes. Her grandparents had sent it to her for her birthday and the weather made it a great day to try them out. Of course, the weather didn’t make it ideal for a picnic, but Serena was out here by the lake, setting one up.

She set up a blanket and charmed it to remain warm. Lisa would be joining her soon and Serena knew her well enough to know she’d freeze. It’s been a while that they’ve actually hung out. If Serena wasn’t out on the pitch, she was training in the room of requirement, and if she wasn’t there she was in the library, studying for OWLs. So she made space in her schedule for some Lisa-Serena time.

After making sure the hot chocolate was still nice and warm inside the basket she brought with her, Serena sat and gazed out into the lake while she waited.

[Watson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deezerz

It was a nice chilly day, perfect for Serena’s new robes. Her grandparents had sent it to her for her birthday and the weather made it a great day to try them out. Of course, the weather didn’t make it ideal for a picnic, but Serena was out here by the lake, setting one up.

She set up a blanket and charmed it to remain warm. Lisa would be joining her soon and Serena knew her well enough to know she’d freeze. It’s been a while that they’ve actually hung out. If Serena wasn’t out on the pitch, she was training in the room of requirement, and if she wasn’t there she was in the library, studying for OWLs. So she made space in her schedule for some Lisa-Serena time.

After making sure the hot chocolate was still nice and warm inside the basket she brought with her, Serena sat and gazed out into the lake while she waited.

Lisa was looking forward to spending time with Serena. It was always something she look forward to- even with Serena confessing her feelings to her. The confession, while Lisa had not reciprocated, humbled Lisa greatly. She had never had anyone tell her that they liked her and it really meant the world to her. And what was better than the confession was the fact that they could be friends after it.

“Hi!” she waved as she approached her red headed friend. Lisa was bundled up today and came with a bag full of blankets, cookies, and gifts. She had waited to celebrate her birthday until they were together and Lisa had done her research. The petite Nam was ecstatic for Serena to see her Quidditch-esque gift because she wasn’t a Quidditch expert or expert fan; however, she was learning the best places to find quidditch gifts for her two friends.

Pulling the neatly wrapped present out of her bag, she jumped before taking a seat next to Serena. “Haaaapppy Birthday. I wanted to give this to you in person.” Lisa was stoked. She had asked for help in making this one of a kind replica of Serena at a Quidditch match. Her cousin had of course helped her out it all together.

[Deezerz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Watson

Lisa was looking forward to spending time with Serena. It was always something she look forward to- even with Serena confessing her feelings to her. The confession, while Lisa had not reciprocated, humbled Lisa greatly. She had never had anyone tell her that they liked her and it really meant the world to her. And what was better than the confession was the fact that they could be friends after it.

“Hi!” she waved as she approached her red headed friend. Lisa was bundled up today and came with a bag full of blankets, cookies, and gifts. She had waited to celebrate her birthday until they were together and Lisa had done her research. The petite Nam was ecstatic for Serena to see her Quidditch-esque gift because she wasn’t a Quidditch expert or expert fan; however, she was learning the best places to find quidditch gifts for her two friends.

Pulling the neatly wrapped present out of her bag, she jumped before taking a seat next to Serena. “Haaaapppy Birthday. I wanted to give this to you in person.” Lisa was stoked. She had asked for help in making this one of a kind replica of Serena at a Quidditch match. Her cousin had of course helped her out it all together.

At the sound of Lisa’s voice, Serena turned around and smiled at her friend. Don’t get her wrong, Serena didn’t regret ever confessing her feelings to Lisa. Sure it sucked because her heart was all broken and sad, but she valued her friendship enough to be honest—and they bounced back, which was the positive in this situation. Another positive was that her tummy no longer went flippy-floppy. Everything was back to normal.

Patience eventually paid off? Maybe her therapist had been right all along.

“Hiii,” Serena chimed. She smoothed the blanket before Lisa sat down to make sure the warming charm was doing its job. “I—“ Oooh. What? Her birthday? THAT was sweet. “Thank you. This is really kind.” Serena took the gift. “What is it?” Should she shake it?

[emjay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelliephone

He paused to consider before deciding they were pretty similar and nodded his head at her comparison. "Yeah, pretty similar." They seemed to get less interesting the more people had created, but there was only so much creativity people could probably come up with. There was probably over 1000 of the creatures designed by now, though that also might have been an exaggeration. "They were a fun franchise as a kid."

He didn't often let his imagination run free, preferring facts, but she was right. Creativity was fun. "That's true." Evan did not know Karleigh well enough to establish if her words were 100% genuine or if her smile was faked, but he certainly hoped she truly had an enjoyable summer. "Freedom is nice. Did you do anything fun with yours?" His summer? It had been.. good for the most part. He'd had a lot of fun at his best friends house, but there was also all of the things that had happened. "It was good. Saw friends, spent some time with family. I wish I'd given a little more of my time to catching up with my brother but there's next break."

It was straining her neck to lean back for too long, so Karleigh sat up a little and just turned to look at Evan, now that there was a lull in the drifting clouds. "Maybe you could show me sometime," she suggested with a smile, meaning this Pokemon stuff. If he had any of the merchandise, that is. It sounded pretty interesting.

She nodded in agreement as her smile turned wistful. The freedom of summer was nice. Sometimes she wished that summer never had to end. The sixteen year old thought for a moment of all the things she did - minus that one unfortunate incident that she banished to the back of her mind. "Oh sure, I had plenty of fun," she answered truthfully. "I danced a lot. I started at a new studio this year and it was pretty cool. I did a competition and also got a part in Cinderella." That was the summer ballet put on for the public this summer. "And my parents let me take some winged horse riding lessons finally this year." She'd been wanting to do that for a long time. "So it was pretty busy," she added with a laugh. And busy meant she could ignore hurt feelings for the most part.

And it sounded like Evan had a fairly busy summer too. Karleigh listened as he told her of a few things he did as well. "Spending time with friends and family is really important," she nodded, feeling that true of herself as well. "Is your brother older?" Or at least she got the impression that he didn't go to Hogwarts from how he worded things. But she didn't really know his family. And the thought made her miss Darren since he'd graduated last year and this would be the first year without her older cousin.

[Chelliephone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emjay

It was straining her neck to lean back for too long, so Karleigh sat up a little and just turned to look at Evan, now that there was a lull in the drifting clouds. "Maybe you could show me sometime," she suggested with a smile, meaning this Pokemon stuff. If he had any of the merchandise, that is. It sounded pretty interesting.

She nodded in agreement as her smile turned wistful. The freedom of summer was nice. Sometimes she wished that summer never had to end. The sixteen year old thought for a moment of all the things she did - minus that one unfortunate incident that she banished to the back of her mind. "Oh sure, I had plenty of fun," she answered truthfully. "I danced a lot. I started at a new studio this year and it was pretty cool. I did a competition and also got a part in Cinderella." That was the summer ballet put on for the public this summer. "And my parents let me take some winged horse riding lessons finally this year." She'd been wanting to do that for a long time. "So it was pretty busy," she added with a laugh. And busy meant she could ignore hurt feelings for the most part.

And it sounded like Evan had a fairly busy summer too. Karleigh listened as he told her of a few things he did as well. "Spending time with friends and family is really important," she nodded, feeling that true of herself as well. "Is your brother older?" Or at least she got the impression that he didn't go to Hogwarts from how he worded things. But she didn't really know his family. And the thought made her miss Darren since he'd graduated last year and this would be the first year without her older cousin.

With the sky suddenly looking clearer, Evan moved himself to a seated position as well, noticing the sun had the air feeling warmer than he had expected and pushing up the sleeves of his jumper a bit in order to compensate for that. He'd picked a good day to come hang out by the lake. The shining sun had created an almost ethereal look to the top of the water, disturbed only by the occasional bug trying to land on the surface. The ripples created after that were rather fun to watch as well, now that the winds had quieted and there was no point to staring up at the sky any longer. Evan thought back to long ago when Ingrid mentioned patterns being some of the most interesting things to draw, and for a moment he found himself agreeing with her. Turning his attention to Karleigh again, his head tilted. "You'd be interested in seeing them?" It was just a silly muggle franchise. But he knew there was an older Ravenclaw who was obsessed and had packs of cards still with him. He could probably ask to borrow.

Ah, so Karleigh was a dancer as well then, and actress? Evan briefly wondered if love of the arts was something all the sixth year Gryffindor girls seemed to have in common, but he refrained from asking. If his sister's had taught him anything, it was showing any interest in mentioning a female it seemed to cause miscommunication on his own personal feelings about that person. "That sounds like fun. What genre of dance do you usually do?" It occurred to him than it might not have been acting she meant so much as a part dancing. "Is dance something you're hoping to pursue after school?" It was a question he found himself asking a lot now, probably in an effort to look for ideas since he still had next to none. "Horse riding sounds like a lot of fun. Did you enjoy it?"

Friends and family was important, but he probably should have spread it out more amongst them all. He tended to forget how big his extended family was, until it was start of term and he realized how little time he got with so many of them. "It is. Next summer is already busy with the same. My cousin proposed to his girlfriend this past summer so next it'll be their wedding." He was a little bit looking forward to it, he generally liked all the time he got to spend in Korea. Just... hopefully this engagement actually stuck for Chin-hae unlike the last. The thought of Noah had a bit of a smile, as he nodded his head and turned towards her. "Yeah, he actually used to be in your house when he was still here. He graduated..." He had to think now, when had Noah been gone? "End of second year." Was it weird Evan still missed having him here? Despite having been a student at Hogwarts longer without Noah than with.

[Watson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deezerz

At the sound of Lisa’s voice, Serena turned around and smiled at her friend. Don’t get her wrong, Serena didn’t regret ever confessing her feelings to Lisa. Sure it sucked because her heart was all broken and sad, but she valued her friendship enough to be honest—and they bounced back, which was the positive in this situation. Another positive was that her tummy no longer went flippy-floppy. Everything was back to normal.

Patience eventually paid off? Maybe her therapist had been right all along.

“Hiii,” Serena chimed. She smoothed the blanket before Lisa sat down to make sure the warming charm was doing its job. “I—“ Oooh. What? Her birthday? THAT was sweet. “Thank you. This is really kind.” Serena took the gift. “What is it?” Should she shake it?

Lisa smiled MORE at Serena’s greeting. This was all normal and jolly and light. When she sat down, she hadn’t expected the blanket to be warm. Oooh nice and cozy. She offered her friend a silly facial expressions with eyebrows wiggling. “A heating charm. How fancy.” Giggling, she held her breath next as she waited to see Serena’s reaction to her gift.

Was her heart racing? Her palms were.. sweaty?

She hoped she liked it.

“A surprise! I had my cousin help me make it.. Just be gentle. It’s a replica of a moment… Oh! I can’t tell you more. Open it!” It was a moment that Lisa had captured on film at one of Serena’s matches and she hoped her recreation of the moment in oils had done it justice. Behind the painting was a framed photo of her and Serena being silly from their first year.

It was a treasured memory of hers.

[Deezerz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Watson

Lisa smiled MORE at Serena’s greeting. This was all normal and jolly and light. When she sat down, she hadn’t expected the blanket to be warm. Oooh nice and cozy. She offered her friend a silly facial expressions with eyebrows wiggling. “A heating charm. How fancy.” Giggling, she held her breath next as she waited to see Serena’s reaction to her gift.

Was her heart racing? Her palms were.. sweaty?

She hoped she liked it.

“A surprise! I had my cousin help me make it.. Just be gentle. It’s a replica of a moment… Oh! I can’t tell you more. Open it!” It was a moment that Lisa had captured on film at one of Serena’s matches and she hoped her recreation of the moment in oils had done it justice. Behind the painting was a framed photo of her and Serena being silly from their first year.

It was a treasured memory of hers.

Serena laughed softly at Lisa’s face expression. “Just for you, m’darling,” she said, mimicking her friend’s expression. It was nice to feel at peace. Less than a handful of people here provided her with that. Serena wasn’t one to wear her emotions on her sleeve, but she was trying to do better and demonstrate her gratitude.

Did Lisa seem nervous? That piqued Serena’s curiosity.

Being gentle with the gift, just as Lisa requested, Serena opened the gift. To leave this Dos Santos speechless was quite a feat, and it’s exactly what happened. “Lisa…wow…” She smiled, her stomach twisting just a tiny bit. “This is beautiful. How…when did you capture this?”

Sure, her family takes a ton of pictures of her during games, but Serena didn’t like seeing them. It was weird. Why were so many pictures needed? This…this was beautiful. She turned it and a picture behind it caught her eyes. “It’s us!” And they were so little. “Lisa…” Serena couldn’t finish. She set the gift down gently and threw her arms around Lisa. “Iloveit.”

[Kolyander]

Keighley was so used to spending nearly all of her time with her big brother Jude that it felt strange whenever she wasn't with him. He had been so down lately and she knew that her presence was helping him. How could it not? She was the bestest sister after all. They always had the best time whenever they were together but she also knew that he needed time alone as well... and so did she.

Which was how she ended up here. Outside near the lake. It didn't matter that it was January and most others thought it was freezing out. That's what a good placed heating charm was for. Out here she had all the space she needed to practice some of her MMA. Not to mention the fresh air did wonders for clearing ones mind.

First she was going to start with something simple. Just some deep breath exercises to get herself focused and ready. Inhale. Exhale.

[emjay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelliephone

With the sky suddenly looking clearer, Evan moved himself to a seated position as well, noticing the sun had the air feeling warmer than he had expected and pushing up the sleeves of his jumper a bit in order to compensate for that. He'd picked a good day to come hang out by the lake. The shining sun had created an almost ethereal look to the top of the water, disturbed only by the occasional bug trying to land on the surface. The ripples created after that were rather fun to watch as well, now that the winds had quieted and there was no point to staring up at the sky any longer. Evan thought back to long ago when Ingrid mentioned patterns being some of the most interesting things to draw, and for a moment he found himself agreeing with her. Turning his attention to Karleigh again, his head tilted. "You'd be interested in seeing them?" It was just a silly muggle franchise. But he knew there was an older Ravenclaw who was obsessed and had packs of cards still with him. He could probably ask to borrow.

Ah, so Karleigh was a dancer as well then, and actress? Evan briefly wondered if love of the arts was something all the sixth year Gryffindor girls seemed to have in common, but he refrained from asking. If his sister's had taught him anything, it was showing any interest in mentioning a female it seemed to cause miscommunication on his own personal feelings about that person. "That sounds like fun. What genre of dance do you usually do?" It occurred to him than it might not have been acting she meant so much as a part dancing. "Is dance something you're hoping to pursue after school?" It was a question he found himself asking a lot now, probably in an effort to look for ideas since he still had next to none. "Horse riding sounds like a lot of fun. Did you enjoy it?"

Friends and family was important, but he probably should have spread it out more amongst them all. He tended to forget how big his extended family was, until it was start of term and he realized how little time he got with so many of them. "It is. Next summer is already busy with the same. My cousin proposed to his girlfriend this past summer so next it'll be their wedding." He was a little bit looking forward to it, he generally liked all the time he got to spend in Korea. Just... hopefully this engagement actually stuck for Chin-hae unlike the last. The thought of Noah had a bit of a smile, as he nodded his head and turned towards her. "Yeah, he actually used to be in your house when he was still here. He graduated..." He had to think now, when had Noah been gone? "End of second year." Was it weird Evan still missed having him here? Despite having been a student at Hogwarts longer without Noah than with.

"Sure, why not?" Karleigh replied with a smile and half shrug. "I mean... if you have some of the toys or games." That Pokemon stuff sounded kind of neat, but now she hesitated. Was it for little kids or something? Hearing the words come from her mouth made her wonder, and now she probably sounded silly for asking.

Karleigh smiled wistfully and nodded as Evan commented on her dancing. "Just ballet. I've been dancing for more than ten years now." More like thirteen years. "I like to keep my focus there so I can be really good at it." She knew some of her friends who were also into dance moved into more or different genres, but ballet was most important to her. "That's what I hope, at least," she replied with a tiny smile as he asked about her after school plans. She was just worried that she wasn't good enough and then she wasn't sure what she would do. Her smile grew as they talked about winged horses though. "The most fun! It's a little bit scary in the air," she admitted. "But I really liked it a lot and I'm hoping I'll be allowed to ride them here too."

Summers always seemed busy, but a good kind of busy. "Wow, that's really exciting." She couldn't think of any weddings she had been to. Maybe when she was really little and couldn't remember. None of her own cousins were quite old enough for that themselves yet. Her smile faded a bit at the mention of second year. Second year had been bad and she tried not to be reminded of that, instead simply nodding. "Oh okay... I don't think I knew him." Which would make sense if he was that much older than them.

[Watson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deezerz

Serena laughed softly at Lisa’s face expression. “Just for you, m’darling,” she said, mimicking her friend’s expression. It was nice to feel at peace. Less than a handful of people here provided her with that. Serena wasn’t one to wear her emotions on her sleeve, but she was trying to do better and demonstrate her gratitude.

Did Lisa seem nervous? That piqued Serena’s curiosity.

Being gentle with the gift, just as Lisa requested, Serena opened the gift. To leave this Dos Santos speechless was quite a feat, and it’s exactly what happened. “Lisa…wow…” She smiled, her stomach twisting just a tiny bit. “This is beautiful. How…when did you capture this?”

Sure, her family takes a ton of pictures of her during games, but Serena didn’t like seeing them. It was weird. Why were so many pictures needed? This…this was beautiful. She turned it and a picture behind it caught her eyes. “It’s us!” And they were so little. “Lisa…” Serena couldn’t finish. She set the gift down gently and threw her arms around Lisa. “Iloveit.”

Impersonating the great George Takei, she looked at her best friend and wiggled her eyebrows in response before adding the appropriate response of “Oh My….” She covered her giggle with her hand as Serena said the heating charm was just for her. Now she get absolutely special. “You’re always so caring and thoughtful.”

“I asked my cousin Cora for help but as I was thinking of the BEST gift ever… she reminded me of this game and it was too perfect not to mimic…”, she paused, looking to Serena to gauge her reaction. “ Cora’s the artist… she simply coached me,”

She smiled at Serena’s reaction. This photo was her favourite memory of the two of them. “Now you’ll have this memory sealed. This was a month or so before you saved me from Healer Poppy… Imagine us looking at all these photos as seventh years… If we’re sentimental now, imagine what we’ll be then!” she teased.

[Chelliephone]

SPOILER!!: Karleigh

Quote:

Originally Posted by emjay

"Sure, why not?" Karleigh replied with a smile and half shrug. "I mean... if you have some of the toys or games." That Pokemon stuff sounded kind of neat, but now she hesitated. Was it for little kids or something? Hearing the words come from her mouth made her wonder, and now she probably sounded silly for asking.

Karleigh smiled wistfully and nodded as Evan commented on her dancing. "Just ballet. I've been dancing for more than ten years now." More like thirteen years. "I like to keep my focus there so I can be really good at it." She knew some of her friends who were also into dance moved into more or different genres, but ballet was most important to her. "That's what I hope, at least," she replied with a tiny smile as he asked about her after school plans. She was just worried that she wasn't good enough and then she wasn't sure what she would do. Her smile grew as they talked about winged horses though. "The most fun! It's a little bit scary in the air," she admitted. "But I really liked it a lot and I'm hoping I'll be allowed to ride them here too."

Summers always seemed busy, but a good kind of busy. "Wow, that's really exciting." She couldn't think of any weddings she had been to. Maybe when she was really little and couldn't remember. None of her own cousins were quite old enough for that themselves yet. Her smile faded a bit at the mention of second year. Second year had been bad and she tried not to be reminded of that, instead simply nodding. "Oh okay... I don't think I knew him." Which would make sense if he was that much older than them.

"I don't but there's an older Ravenclaw whose been drawing them. He offered to draw one awhile ago so I'll ask and show you. His art work is pretty good too." Something about he planned to be an illustrator. Evan had asked for his help previously too when he'd been starting to try to draw on his own too.

"Ballet is beautiful." And it was smart of her to narrow her focus. "I'm sure you're really good then. That is a lot of your life to have dedicated. You must also really love it?" From what he could tell, ballet in itself was addictive. His older brother having once also considered a career in dance specifically ballet, before settling in Healer studies. "It's weird to think we're so close to having to start to square all that away isn't it?" He smiled a bit even if inside it was all still panic. He didn't even know what school to go to, there was nothing really drawing him to anywhere. Though maybe he could find something in Korea and live with Halmeoni for awhile. "That sounds like it would be exciting! I hope they let you."

Weddings were becoming weirdly frequent in his family. Although they were probably coming close to a close with the Nam faction soon the only ones unwed. At the comment, he nodded his head figuring she probably hadn't. And also sorry he'd brought up that year to begin with. "He was a bit older. Do you have siblings?"

[emjay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelliephone

"I don't but there's an older Ravenclaw whose been drawing them. He offered to draw one awhile ago so I'll ask and show you. His art work is pretty good too." Something about he planned to be an illustrator. Evan had asked for his help previously too when he'd been starting to try to draw on his own too.

"Ballet is beautiful." And it was smart of her to narrow her focus. "I'm sure you're really good then. That is a lot of your life to have dedicated. You must also really love it?" From what he could tell, ballet in itself was addictive. His older brother having once also considered a career in dance specifically ballet, before settling in Healer studies. "It's weird to think we're so close to having to start to square all that away isn't it?" He smiled a bit even if inside it was all still panic. He didn't even know what school to go to, there was nothing really drawing him to anywhere. Though maybe he could find something in Korea and live with Halmeoni for awhile. "That sounds like it would be exciting! I hope they let you."

Weddings were becoming weirdly frequent in his family. Although they were probably coming close to a close with the Nam faction soon the only ones unwed. At the comment, he nodded his head figuring she probably hadn't. And also sorry he'd brought up that year to begin with. "He was a bit older. Do you have siblings?"

"Oh... well, okay, if it's not too much trouble," Karleigh answered with a smile. She really did think these pokemon things sounded interesting but she didn't want anyone to go out of their way either.

Karleigh smiled wistfully and nodded in agreement. She thought ballet was really beautiful too. "I mean.. I think I'm pretty good. But there is always room for improvement." She also knew that she wasn't the best dancer in her peer group or she would be getting better parts in shows and winning more competitions. But she was good... just could be better. "I do love it though. Or I probably wouldn't do it as much. It really is hard work." The amount of people who didn't realize that fact was staggering to her. "It is really weird to think about being close to being done here," she agreed again with a nod. It was in fact a little scary to think about and she tried not to consider it too much. "Do you know what you want to do after Hogwarts?"

"No, I'm an only child," she replied at the question. "I have a few cousins our age that I'm pretty close to, almost like they were my siblings. Maybe you know them? Jane Creed, she's in Slytherin, and Henry Hembree, he's in Hufflepuff." They were in the same year, so it was likely. And also Darren, but he graduated so she didn't mention him.

[Uncle Moose]

In an odd turn of events, rarely seen standing. There was Yumeki Kawatani on both of of his feet and taking in the sights of the Great Lake not far off from the Beech Tree that sits on the edge of the lake. The breezy spring weather kept him awake and focused. He looked down at his feet where...yes only just a moment ago he was sitting and relaxing...also laid his shinai.
Yumeki picked it up off the ground and slung it over his shoulder. He inhaled deeply before releasing the breath.

The 4th Year Gryffindor then took the middle-level posture stance and went through the motions practicing his Kendo techniques.

Just do this practice and he go and take a nice long nap at the Beech Tree.

[sweetpinkpixie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Moose

In an odd turn of events, rarely seen standing. There was Yumeki Kawatani on both of of his feet and taking in the sights of the Great Lake not far off from the Beech Tree that sits on the edge of the lake. The breezy spring weather kept him awake and focused. He looked down at his feet where...yes only just a moment ago he was sitting and relaxing...also laid his shinai.
Yumeki picked it up off the ground and slung it over his shoulder. He inhaled deeply before releasing the breath.

The 4th Year Gryffindor then took the middle-level posture stance and went through the motions practicing his Kendo techniques.

Just do this practice and he go and take a nice long nap at the Beech Tree.

His lack of horizontal orientation was perhaps why Mitsuki did not immediately recognize him, her senpai. Though, to be fair, her attention was currently fixated on follow the path of a whimsical white butterfly...and she had been doing so for the good part of an hour now all across the grounds. It had started just as she was about to enter the greenhouses for an assignment...but the flight of the butterfly had interrupted her step and she had forgone meeting with her partner. Surely they would understand her absence, it was not unusual.

Her step a cross between a skip and a glide, the Ravenclaw stopped when the butterfly decided to soar out over the lake. Should she follow and get wet or should she despair and remain on the shore? It was a paradox and the wind was not helping, though the belated recognition of Yumeki-senpai was perhaps all the sign she required.

No despairing.

She knew his stance, impossible not to considering who her uncle was, and she did not wish to interrupt him midpractice....so she just stared at him.

[ArianaBlack]

Jasper was fully recovered from his injury. It hadn't even been that bad, okay? He totally could've played without using his right arm, but in the end, he did listen to all the advice given. But ONLY because there was no way in hell that he'd risk missing out on the summer season.

But being out a week meant he was a week behind in his training and he needed to get back on track before the end of the term came around. He was already one of the youngest on his team, it was important that everyone knew how seriously he took the sport.

And so, here he was, Jasper Amir Botros, Quidditch Legacy, with his most prized possession in hand (custom-made top-of-the-line the best-money-(and nepotism)-can-buy BROOM). But because he was no amateur, he set up camp in a clear grassy spot so that he could start with some stretches before ever mounting his broom. He knew what he was doing. His dad used to play pro.

Hands aboooooove the head and to the right. That's the good stuff.