Strider | Gryffindor | Sixth Year | Seeker
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Post by Dirk Strider on Jun 25, 2014 5:01:03 GMT
Frigid autumn airs battle incandescently against the diminishing season of the sun as September awakens to mark yet another year of Hogwarts accepting students under its wing of hospitality and experiences for a 10-month magical learning journey away from the comforts of home. It is just minutes before 11:00 AM and the Hogwarts express has steamed into a halting stop at the bustling Platform 9 ¾. An icy bite no longer holds its sting on buzzing students scampering from their luggage to their friends. A feeling of a renewing continuation brimming with warm soul and an overall nostalgic excitement that had aged considerably through the summer all begun to swim between the dozens of black robes and different voices of various bloods and tongue. The howling steam machine presented on the metal trail allows the thick mass into its doors all the while hacked puffs of charcoal breath into the chill of the risen sun, clashing into quiet shades of gray overhead. A familiar whistle was decrescendoing into the growth of chatter humbly being shared between groups that varied between a new face with another new set of eyes to blissful soulmates reunited by the start of a school year. Hearts were racing and fears were being faced as students begun to cram. Everything was moving just as beautifully as it has been for decades in the past and many more to come. It feels like a new era for many, though for others, it is to return to an old home called Hogwarts.
[[Though most OOC portions in reply are not accepted, I wanted to take this opportunity to not only clarify some matters, but to thank you guys for sticking with us and dedicating your time to make this not only amazing in the roleplay, but for us as well.
As far as matters go, what you see above is just about the expected minimum length-wise of any reply, give or take. Your starters should be longer than your average reply. Anyone (but professors) may join anywhere from now until the 28th so long as your application has been approved and you've met your demands. Assume the express to begin moving at 12PM Central. If you've missed the timespan of Platform 9 3/4, create a starter as if you did enter and presume as you would. If you've any questions, add it in brackets in your reply here or message either Mandy or myself. Links for personal reference are here and here.
Keep in mind that this thread comes to its end on the 28th and to please have fun!]] |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2014 5:25:28 GMT
Standing at the end of the bustling platform was Karkat Vantas, looking ruffled and grumpy as ever in his muggle clothes. He's in his usual clothes, a pair of tight black pants and a long grey sweatshirt keeping him warm in the autumn chill. His equally grumpy looking owl was in his cage by his feet and his heavy trunk sat on charmed crab-like legs behind him, occasionally shifting its weight or being jostled by the other children and their families. While he and Kankri lived with their grandfather at the castle, he'd sent the two of them off to board the train like everyone else as part of "tradition" and to "set an example for the younger students" and other complete pigshit. Kankri WAS sort of obligated, though, being this year's Head Boy. Predictably, his brother had already wandered away to chew some poor dumbfuck out for doing something "potentially reckless" or whatever. Of course Kankri probably would have felt obligated to point out their misdemeanor even if he WASN'T Head Boy now, but that was beside the point.
The point being, of course, that he was alone right now and freezing his fucking ass off. He had his robe in his bag but he hadn't wanted to wear the shitty thing where muggles- or as Kankri insists on calling them, non-magical humans or NMHs, whatever- could see him. He didn't want to push into the throng of students hurrying to get on quite yet, though, not wanting to get pushed or touched or pressed up against in the crowd. He'd wait until it thinned out before hurrying on board and finding some of his friends.
Until then, he contented himself with doing his best to stay warm and shield poor Dumass from the winds. With his arms shoved up under his armpits and his hood pulled up to cover his ears and nape, he was at least not in danger of catching any cold. Hopefully. Dumass was bearing the chill without complaint, but he still looked irritable being tucked up inside his cage. The black eagle owl, his eyes shining an aggravated red up at Karkat, was not exactly good with cramped spaces. He preferred sitting on Karkat's head (the fucker, those goddamn talons HURT), or being out and about. Independent little shit.
He grumbled at the bird under his breath, waiting to see if any of his friends spotted him hiding at the end of the platform or hoping to god at least one of them saved him a roomy seat. Preferably Dave, though Eridan and Sollux would be a welcome sight. Either way he'd board the train as soon as possible without any damn hassle, with good company to boot.
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Gryffindor | Sixth Year | Prefect | Keeper
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Post by Dave Strider on Jun 25, 2014 12:49:00 GMT
Being hounded with constant questions wasn’t exactly the most enjoyable way to start off a morning, but it was normal protocol on the days that Bro bid his Strider-lings farewell as they left the nest once again for the Hogwarts school year. It was only until after Dave gave sufficient answers to Bro’s draining and hyper-specific Q & A that he was given his goodbye bro-hug and official OK to start heading into the Hogwarts Express Station. Dave could respect being prepared to kick ass at all times, but Bro really needed to cut this shit out with the prolonged ordeals when he was this tired. Maybe he should have listened when Karkat told him to start going to bed earlier in preparation for morning classes. But then again, he would have never finished his SBaHJ Summer Special, and that would have been a damn tragedy for any lamentable proletariat affected by such a loss- Dave had fans to please, come on now.
As he made his way over to the train, large suitcase and rabbit cage being pulled behind him, he glanced around to see if he could spot any of his friends. However, the group of students around the train growing exponentially in size had made that task rather difficult. Dave reached down into his sweatshirt pocket, petting his small bunny, Goliath. Well, Goliath for short. Her full name is about as long as this train. She was asleep, as she had grown accustomed to doing in his jacket pouches over the years while he worked on his music or comics. He muttered down at his pocket's small pill-shaped lump, "Looks like you got the right idea. Time for us to bounce. Both figuratively and literally. Because you're a bunny. That's kind of your thing." The tall blond parted from his brothers, who looked like they may have been trying to find certain people themselves, and headed toward one the train’s many entrances.
Once inside, Dave slung his suitcase and cage up onto the overhead luggage bars, and trudged over to the nearest empty compartment. He slid the door open and closed with ease before flopping onto his back across the bench seats, debating on whether to catch some shut eye or not. He figured that his friends would find him if they really wanted to interrupt his beauty sleep that badly. His decal-covered suitcase makes him easy to track down, and that’s about good enough to be considered meeting them half-way, he thinks.
Sitting up and flipping the hood from his black sweatshirt on over his head, he re-realized for the millionth time how glad he was that the Strider clan opted to wear shades. They made it that much harder to see his tired- and possibly soon to be sleeping- eyes. With this, minding Goliath, Dave slid further down into his seat and against the windowed wall, propping his long legs clad in light grey sweatpants up on the bench across from him. At that moment he made the decision to change into his uniform right before they get there, he really hated wearing that thing every day. The tie was bogus and seriously, who even wears sweater vests. It’s not even a dress code enforced ironically; it was just straight up old-fashioned drapery fit for the bolder and more radical Amish. Holy haberdashery Hogwarts, what are you doing.
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Ravenclaw | Sixth Year | Co-Announcer
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Post by Eridan Ampora on Jun 25, 2014 21:01:12 GMT
It was cold as hell outside. Eridan knew that, and he’d come prepared in a nice sweater and an always present scarf though not the one he was typically seen wearing, this one was a solid navy and soft as hell. He like many of the other students he saw running around voted out of wearing the school’s uniform so early in the morning. He glances behind him and sure enough Fef’s already run off without telling him, he sighs. That girl was going to give him so much stress, not that he didn’t give her the same drama sometimes. A screech from behind him draws his attention to the bird cage resting atop his charmed luggage trunk. He walks back over to it and bends to reach his fingers through the cage to pet the crested owl inside. “I knoww, I know Clio. Life’s hard but you gotta stay in there for a wwhile. It’s torture I’m sure.” He mumbles to his bird of prey while scratching her feathers. “You’ll be fine. Once I get us in a compartment I’ll let you out for a bit, ok?” He presses a kiss to the cage while Cliodne fluffs up her feathers and screeches again. He’ll take that as an agreement. Eridan stands up and adjusts the scarf around his neck before scanning the crowd.
Typically he didn’t have to board the train since his father basically lived at the castle anyway but his family +Fef had just got done visiting his grandparents in Ireland so this was a thing he’d have to do this year. There were too many people for his liking really. He scans the crowd for any of his friends which was harder than it sounded since all of his friends were kind of short and well, he didn’t have many…he was also keeping an eye out for people he DIDN’T want to see. Avoidance was a thing Eridan did well. Speaking of people he did want to see though, Eridan spots a very familiar black mass of hair. Being tall was so handy sometimes…all the time. Being tall was always handy. Eridan trots over to the short grumpy boy, his trunk smoothly floating after him. “Hi Kar.” He smiles and quirks an eyebrow at the shorter. “You cold or somethin’?”
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Gryffindor | Sixth Year | Beater
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Post by John Egbert on Jun 25, 2014 21:57:34 GMT
Hogwarts. Every year he goes, every year he comes back, and every year it still feels in every way like a dream. John Egbert learned he was a wizard a few years ago after he... Well, who cares about details, right? Yeah! John Egbert is a healthy sixteen year old boy living with his cousin, Jake English. He'd lie to say he didn't love living with Jake, but it really wasn't the same as living with Dad. But hey! At least Jake doesn't bombard John with cake to eat and pies to the face almost every day. It's not peaceful though, considering how Jake can be! Random adventures and sudden fisticuffs and all that! It's fun though, for the most part!
What's even more fun though is the fact that the new school year at Hogwarts is starting, and John couldn't be more excited or terrified. It's a weird feeling. He's so happy he could cry, but also so scared that if he didn't use the bathroom earlier, he might have ruined the car seat. Yeah, that would be a little awkward. Just a little though. He's done worse things that are best not mentioned, though they were great pranks nonetheless. Why was John so thrilled and so... not? Mainly because it's Hogwarts. Sure, he gets to learn magic and all sorts of cool-as-shit things (that may or may not help with said earlier pranks), but some of the teachers and overall... -things- in that school are a little scary. Not that those things stop him from being on top of his grades. He has a dad to make proud!
He looks over at Jake, a wide and pretty goofy smile practically glued to his face as he pets his over-sized salamander, Casey. Hey! She USED to be an owl! Until transfiguration class got her in John's second year. Oops? Not that he really minds, though! It was more of a spell gone totally right! He treats Casey like his own daughter sometimes, which others may find weird, but he stopped caring about that a long time ago. Just like he stopped caring about all the teasing about his teeth and height (he's a late bloomer, so shut up). He isn't even that short! He's just. Uh. You know. Normal sixteen year old boy height! Which happens to be 5'6'' in his case, but still. Totally normal! What was he doing again?
He blinks in confusion, then looks over to Jake and boom! Light bulb! "Jake, when are we going to get there? Are we almost there? How many new students and prank victims do you think will be there? I'm so ready for this year! Same team or not I'm going to kick your ass in Quidittch though. I've been practicing!" Practicing meaning he had dreams where he was the best flier in the world of Quidittch. Hey, a kid can dream can't he? Anyways, whether the sudden outburst of questions was annoying to Jake or not, John doesn't care. Normally he loves trying to get under his cousin's skin, but he has bigger things to focus on right now. Like the fact that they're pulling up to the train station. He doesn't even know if Jake replied or not because he hopped out of the car as it was parking. He looks around, breathing in the smell of smoke being emitted from trains, the crisp cool air nipping at his bare arms and legs.
John never minded the cold since he grew up in Washington, but a few years before his time in Hogwarts he and his dad moved here to be closer to Jake and other family members. John later found out it was also because Dad wanted to see John attend Hogwarts once his magic was discovered. Sadly, he never got to see John face to face after said magic was discovered. The sudden thought brings John's spirit down a bit, but he perks up, holding Casey like a baby. "Sorry, Casey! You need to go in your crate or we could get in trouble!" Casey makes a small grunt in disapproval, but she goes into her cage without a fight. Few! She may be daddy's little girl, but she still has some serious claws that John likes to avoid whenever he can.
He gets all of his luggage onto a cart, wheezing a little. Maybe he packed too much? Pf, yeah right. You can never have too much stuff, and yes he does plan to keep telling himself that. At this point he's too excited to speak, bouncing a little as he walks, pushing the luggage cart towards the platform. When he sees the pillar, his smile widens and he waits for Jake to be a few feet behind him before bolting into the pillar. It feels weird, moving between the two worlds, but at the same time there's really no feeling. Maybe he's just weird? Nah, that can't be it (he knows he is, deep down). Once he's on platform 9 3/4, he's surrounded by students and parents alike, bustling to get on the train or to say good bye. He wonders if any of his friends are here yet? Hopefully he'll find them on the train! He looks around, feeling a ball of energy growing in the pit of his stomach. He's ready for this school year and everything it has to throw at him. Hey, maybe he'll even get a girlfriend this year! That should be on his goal list. Yeah. He'll add that once he's on the train and sitting down. For now, he waits for Jake to come through the wall, pulling Casey from her cage. She crawls up his arm and makes herself comfy on his shoulder, making a noise John assumes is a happy one. Heh. She's so cute! When Jake comes through, John waves him over, bouncing a little. He stops bouncing when Casey makes a hissing noise and digs her claws into his shoulder, but he keeps waving. "Jake! Over here! Are we going to sit together on the train?"
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2014 23:21:00 GMT
Another year at Hogwarts and Cal was already feeling the oppressive drabness starting to infect them. It was bad enough that most adults and families felt the need to only wear shades of grey and black in order to look 'professional'. Cal felt like a colorful little blossoms among all the wizardly penguins in the stations, or that's what they resembled the closest (they couldn't think of anything black, grey, and swarming aside from penguins).
Cal hated the uniform but wore it only because they'd been conscripted into it by school policy, so while they were at the platform they'd wear a bit of color and change on the train to Hogwarts. They had spent their entire summer enjoying color and dressed as they had the entire time: wearing whatever the hell they pleased. Glittery purple eyeshadow, plastic accessories including pink, yellow, and red clips and bows, two layers of patterned knee-high socks, and to top it off a polka-dotted tulle skirt. Unless you knew Cal and their eccentric tastes in fashion, you'd assume they were a young girl. Maybe a loony Ravenclaw with no sense of fashion or 'turn it down'. (Cal's theory was 'go big or go home' when it came to clothing, colors, and accessories. Not only did they look good, but the multiple layers of shirts, socks, and skirts were warm).
Cal ran to the platform alone, dragging a wheeled suitcase behind them. They had gone to the platform alone, as they always had--no guardians in sight and no escorts asking them if they knew here they were going. In fact, Cal's parents hadn't been seen in public for quite some time but its not like Cal cared. In a perfect world, adults would go jump off the closest cliff.
But none of that! None of those negative angry thoughts for now. Starting off the year positive was a personal goal of their's. Always put the best foot forward and all that. They scanned the ground of students, debating about who to sit with on the train. Cal wasn't the most popular Slytherin (even among Housemates), so they'd sit with all sorts of people. Most of them hated the idea of sharing a space with Cal so they ended up alone most often....nope. Nope. No bad thoughts. This year, they were going to find someone to sit with.
Boarding the train, Cal spied a Strider. Which Strider was this? Rounded shades so this one was perhaps Dave, the one who looked so frightened at the sight of Cal. Also a grump at times so not him. He also saw Karkat (nope. also a grump) but then Cal's heart went aflutter when they saw Hal Strider. Yesss! Cal bounced over and only hoped that the other Strider was in a good mood. If not, they would move on and see who else was around. Maybe that adorable Eridan was around too (though they had a habit of running in the opposite direction whenever Cal appeared).
"Hellooooo, Haaaal!" Cal giggled. "What's the story, mourning glory?"
Hee hee hee. Puns. And no one would be able to get it.
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Gryffindor | Sixth Year | Chaser | Captain
GT: Well i...well yes! Its not like im *object* to the idea of...us. GT: Hes my best mate!
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Post by Jake English on Jun 26, 2014 1:55:46 GMT
Apprehension was certainly not Jake English’s usual first reaction when thinking about returning to Hogwarts, but something about this year made his gut churn with uncertainty. He loved the school and all the lessons taught to him, how magic could be used and manipulated to assist him in all his ventures, and the absolutely brilliant world he’d become exposed to, but after last year’s departure...he was unsure. Over the course of the summer he’d griped to both Roxy and Jane about the tiff he and Dirk had gotten themselves into and consequently only made himself more frustrated as the weeks went on. Now, when he knew in a matter of minutes he would most likely crash into the guy...well, he wasn’t exactly excited.
It wasn’t even really the fight that had pissed him off so badly. Dirk was supposed to be able to tell him anything and everything, and Jake to him in return, but there was something Dirk, ever eloquent and loquacious, just couldn’t say, and it bothered Jake to no end. He’d snapped at the blond and after further enthused bickering, the two had left for summer break. He wasn’t honestly angry per se, but he was certainly bruised and more than a tad wounded by the words they’d both lashed. Guilt twisted at his insides, but there was no way in hell he was going to apologize first. If Dirk had really meant the things he’d said, then...then fine.
Jake was idly picking at Archimedes’ feathers, his precious pygmy owl, when John’s excited tambor brought him out of his melancholy thoughts. For once in a long time, he didn’t share his cousin’s bright enthusiasm, but he offered up an amused smile all the same, at least catching a bit of his energy. ”If you seriously think you’re going to beat my sorry arse, I apologize, mate, but you’re sorely mistaken, practice or not.” Quidditch was the one thing Jake felt legitimately skilled at, and he mused over if he should head down to the pitch tomorrow morning to help clear his head. Flying always calmed him down, he didn’t have to worry about much while suspended in the air besides losing his grip, but by now the task was second nature to him.
It didn’t particularly matter if John had heard his retort or not, Jake was glad his cousin was so eager compared to him, and he delicately handled Archimedes in his cage as he clamored out of the vehicle, not wanting to fuss the poor bird. Taking care of his luggage took only a matter of moments to put on the cart before he headed off after John, first saying his farewells and giving a tight hug to his parents, muggles who he didn’t want to chance being unable to pass through. He waited until the muss of black hair vanished behind the bricks before taking a deep breath and charging head on toward the pillar, holding the air in his lungs before passing through the other side, the act always making his stomach flop. There were some things about the magical world he just wasn’t yet used to. Looking around a bit, he found the waving doofus and headed on over, checking to make sure Archimedes was okay as he went. John’s question relieved a bit of stress from his mind, he hadn’t been sure if he would be able to sit in his usual car and he didn’t want to sit alone, so he gave a small grin and a nod, elbowing his cousin’s side. ”Of course, if you don’t mind, after all. Anyone in particular you feel like sitting with?” He felt more than a tad guilty for potentially skipping out on his friends, but if anyone were good at running from confrontation, it was most certainly Jake English.
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Post by Aza'zel Makara on Jun 26, 2014 2:50:42 GMT
The Grand (Mothafuckin) Groundskeeper stands looming in front of the Express eyes peeled for his young friend Mituna. He rode the train from Hogwarts to the platform like every year to accompany Tuna on the train ride. The first time it was on Astris's request but by the second time, Aza'zel had grown to liking the boy and marking him as a friend. Therefore, it is now customary to see the looming visage of the groundskeeper with the younger Captor. All around him, he sees fresh and old faces hurrying onto the express, storing away their luggage and reuniting with friends, gabbing about their summer escapades and their plans in lieu of the new school year. He uses his yearly trip to fetch Mituna as a bit of a scouting excursion too. Making sure to note any individuals, he could train in his particular line of work. As well as those he can tell will be problems. While he may be standing tall, stiff, and looming like some heinous statue his eyes are keeping a keen watch, leering at crowds of nearby students studying each face and making note of any peculiarities. He watches the strides of the newer students noting of prior injuries or disadvantages in their step. As a lion stalks a herd of wildebeest and looks for the weak links, the stragglers, the injured and sick, the Grand Groundskeeper watches the new herd with intent. Picking out those he can tell will not be missed as they stand, alone and unattended. The first years that could be hunted and caught with ease and made use of if he needs a live one for his plots. Those who seem moldable and could easily be turned into his own little proverbial fly on the wall, except you know they live longer than a week, are humans and not flies, and are sitting usually in desks and not on walls. Sadly, he does not see a single person that seems to be of a darker inclination. He was hoping that his mother would listen to him and send some of the younger family members his way. She obviously once again ignored him. He is sure it is for a perfectly good reason because his mother is the best and knows best. Why else would she ignore his requests for anything other than her knowing better? She has always known better and predicted his shortcomings, if he would have listened to her more he would probably be without this grin, but he isn't going to beat himself up over it because it does have its pros. Such as, scaring first years shitless, scaring people in general shitless, and being an excellent conversation topic, if you know he had someone other than Astris and the three children he has befriended to talk too. He could talk to Kabnel, but most of their exchanges are strangely quiet, at least on Aza'zel's end, Kabnel speaks but much of their conversation is through body language and cues. He finds it strange that his biggest threat to his "professional practice" is also the only person he connects with on a deeper basis. He snorts, the sudden movement scaring a few first year who must have actually likened him to some creepy statue, all of this motherfucking deep thought is riling him up, at this rate he won't make it the ride back without a violent incident or twelve. He wishes that these kids would hurry up and that Mituna would hurry the fuck up. This waiting is making him antsy. He shuffles in place wondering if he should go look for Tuna when he spots his friend and garden-buddy Jade Harley has however arrived and is working to get her luggage onto the train. For once he actually moves to help, lumbering over to her knocking over a few first years who, unlike the older students, have yet to realize that GGK does not move out of the way you move out his way. He goes about picking up her bags and stowing them and with a grin he says " WHY HELLO AGAIN JADE. I hope your summer was motherfucking wonderful and had many a RIGHTEOUS moment. HOW ARE YOU ON THIS FINE MORNING, SISTER? > )"
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2014 3:36:00 GMT
Another summer had gone by for Jade and nothing interesting happened. She spent most of it indoors catching up on all the things she missed on TV and the internet; hours spent streaming, torrenting, downloading, gaming, and listening to everything she could. Once she came to Hogwarts, she'd be cut off. Not even the holidays could alleviate her from missing certain (very) muggle things. Wizards were interesting and all but they never seemed to grasp the concept of riveting science-fiction docudramas and cop shows quite like muggles did. She also theorized a lot more about wizards and muggles and all the differences in-between. She had typed up several riveting theorums about wizards being a subspecies of regular humans capable of interbreeding but so far it was all specula - but specula was so fascinating!
Jade had these thoughts to turn to because she was bored. Pushing through the same crowds again, dragging her heavy suitcases full of books and papers and other things she was going to need for the year. Well, it wasn't just books for school but also some things to keep herself entertained: manga, theoretical physics, nuclear physics, other muggle stuff she knew would get her scoffed at. And plenty of yarn, fabric, and a few gardening tools. She liked to keep her own for gardening buddy who--
By the squeal of first years, she guessed that her buddy was on the way. She smiled up at the larger man. He was definitely intimidating but he wasn't as frightening as people seemed to think he was. Quite the opposite really, or maybe she just bonded to him because he reminded her of her father (or the fuzzy memories she had of the also intimidating man).
She smiled at the GGK as he picked up the bags. "My summer was great! I got caught up on shows and games so the only time I was out was when I was tending to my plants. Grandpa was off doing something or other." Jade had no idea what. The man liked to go off for months at a time. She had only seen him once toward the end of August for three days and then disappeared again for another adventure, or whatever he did in the meantime. "How was your summer? Discover any rare plants?" She waggled her eyebrows. "Have a summer romance?"
The love life of her friends was always a ripe place for discussion.
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Ravenclaw | Fifth Year
TT: Buckle yourself in, cowboy. This is going to be one hell of a bumpy ride.
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Post by Hal Strider on Jun 26, 2014 3:36:30 GMT
Hal Strider wasn’t in the fucking mood to deal with anyone. He’d been bombarded with Bro’s usual round of questions and an extra set just for him, being the youngest, and was now dragged into a mass of chittering and relatively loud people, neither of which particularly brightened his day. Lack of decent sleep merely added to the grouchy concoction, making him a groggy, irritable force to be reckoned with. Pity to the poor soul that dare try irking him in such a state.
He’d been awake for most of the night tossing and turning in his bed, anxious about the returning school year. His nerves were due to a close friend of his, Roxy Lalonde one specific person, not that he’d mention any names for fear of unintentionally disclosing private information, and the knot in his stomach only tightened as he loaded onto the train, luggage and pets in tow. He’d glimpsed Dave boarding from this entrance and intended to follow him, only to be halted by an irritatingly chipper voice. Of course.
”Not to be blatantly rude or anything, but it seems this isn’t the hour to be bugging me,” he snapped at his classmate, offering them a glare over the tops of his shades. ”I suggest trying again at another time, or else there’s a 96.37% chance I’m going to hex your ass.” Cal wasn’t a specific target, they were generally pretty neutral, but to be fair, Hal’d curse just about anyone at the moment. Not wanting to cause a scene (fuck no, he was too tired for that bullshit), he pushed his way down the aisle, mentally apologizing to the frazzled hedgehog currently curled up in his pocket.
Reginold was its name, adoringly bestowed upon the small creature by Dave (thank god it wasn’t something ridiculously long and abhorrent), and it generally resided somewhere on the youngest Strider’s person, whether it be a pocket, his hands, or a school bag. The little prickly ball of love was a huge comfort to the equally prickly ball of blond teenage boy, and Hal enjoyed him immensely, often letting the hidden little creature cling to his fingers while in class. Behind the pair, a cage was loosely secured atop Hal’s luggage, inside perched a white barn owl adoringly called Adette. She, like both Reginold and Hal, was rudely awoken by the jostle and din of boarding, and grumpily peered around at the students as they passed, feathers slightly ruffled, although she would be quick to groom them back to their usual elegant nature once seated inside Dave’s compartment.
After a few more frustratingly loud minutes, Hal finally found where his brother had stored himself and unabashedly walked inside, not caring if he disturbed his possible sleep for the moment as he would be soon to join him, anyways. After loading his bags onto the storage shelf, he closed the car’s door and settled beside the other Strider, comforted by the sound of Adette cooing softly as she fixed her appearance. Gingerly, he pulled Reginold out of his pocket and set him atop his abdomen, knowing fully well his beloved hedgehog would simply curl up where it sat, neither of them up to running about after that hectic escapade as they both closed their eyes.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2014 4:11:01 GMT
Well Hal's not in the greatest of moods. Cal should figure being its, well, him. Cal stuck out their tongue at the Strider. "Fiiiine, I won't pluck at the mourning glories. But you should know: hexing puppets will only lead to bad luck! Haa haa!"
They laughed at their joke. Cal didn't stay for conversation. He rarely did. Too busy with his own little circle of friends and their own little dramas. Cal could smell a good drama brewing and especially this year was going to be interesting. They could taste it. Well not taste taste it but they could tell electricity when it was going to happen. Not like they'd ever be a part of the fun really. Always hanging outside the circle fit best. There was no way in and once you joined no way out. Tied down like an abhorrent adult to the connections of others. Tied down with black threads of fate, dragged down into gulches of maturity. Doomed to stay together with the people you met in the circle and doomed to stay that way. Breaking away? Who heard of that that? It'd be like cutting off your fingers to spare the hand.
They'd rather end things than drag that way, but why bother the Striders in the first place?
Oh, enough of that! Cal shoved away those thoughts and went bouncing into another one. The Striders were grouchy grumps right now and they weren't going to be much fun. They'd have to find another person to sit with. Oooh. They should find Eridan. Eridan is always fun! Wait, was Eridan even here yet? Cal wasn't sure. He decided to wait about and pounce whenever he saw the adorable little guy.
The best part about being a puppet was how little people paid attention to you. Or how much they didn't want to see you.
So. Cal waited.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2014 4:28:03 GMT
Karkat huffs out a breath of icy air when Eridan comes over, steam rising up from his nose like a poor imitation of a Hebridean Black dragon, though his temper was just as bad as ones. While he was grumpy at the circumstances and his surroundings, however, he didn't have any particular grudge against the youngest Ampora. He gives Eridan a mildly friendly grunt, shivering and looking up at him from under his hood. The bags under his eyes were as heavy as ever, and he'd needed no real prompting to wake up that morning on time as he'd already been up and about since predawn as he waited to see his friends. Not that he particularly looked forward to seeing some of the more unpleasant assholes that also called Hogwarts home for ten months out of the year (or more, in some of his friend's cases) but it was worth the aggravation they- and sometimes his friends themselves- caused him. While he and Eridan weren't exactly bosom pals, he had missed him and his juicy gossip. His emotional problems and dumb mistakes with relationships, not so much. But you always had to take the good with the bad. There was no one that knew that better than him. "Hello, Eridan. And gee, I don't know n-numbnuts. Let me just whip out my hyp-hypothalamus and check! Jesus fuck why is everyone so slow? Wait, the crazy ass murderclown just opened a damn p-path, let's go! Before these other swarming cretins get in the way!"
He only hesitates a moment before reaching out and grabbing Eridan's sleeve, pulling him forward in a strong grip despite his short size with a single minded focus. He had picked up Dumass with his free hand, his luggage scuttling behind them as they boarded the train. He's so relieved to finally be out of the danger zone, even if he had to dodge and slink past other kids onboard to finally find a damn compartment. He didn't let go of Ampora's sleeve the entire time, essentially kidnapping him for the train ride. He'd probably lure Thollux in with him, too. There was some stupid dumb joke about catching bees with honey in there but he didn't exactly want to think that one out, preferring to go about peeking into each of the compartments until he found what he was looking for. Or rather who. He pushes the door to the Striders' compartment all the way open, his crab-like trunk skittering in behind him and crawling under the empty seat by the window. "There you are. Fuck, I was getting ready to start swinging the damned cage at people if I didn't find you soon. Oh, and hey Hal." He adds gruffly.
He finally releases Eridan, moving to settle in where he wouldn't have to worry about anyone on his one side, putting Dumas's narrow cage beside him and opening the feathery asshole's carrier. The bird pecks at him for his remark about swinging his cage, making him squawk and then growl when it hopped up onto his head and started to make a nest out of his messy hair. "You're such a dick..."
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Post by Eridan Ampora on Jun 26, 2014 5:46:01 GMT
Eridan chuckles, it was fun being able listen to Karkat rage again. So long as it wasn’t angry and directed at him it was fun to listen to. “Hello ta you too, Kar.” He adored being able to see the small grump again though being around him typically meant being yelled at multiple times for some sort of dumb mistake or stupid thing over the course of the next 10 months. At least he was getting better about making dumb mistakes…right? Yeah, of course he was. Eridan yelps as he’s suddenly being dragged off in the direction of the train. Well, they had to get on the train anyway. “Kar! God—“ He grumbles and scowls but allows himself to be dragged though he makes sure that no real strain is being put on his sweater…he didn’t want it to stretch ok.
Eridan comes to a halt in the middle of the compartment, wide eyed and a little confused. His trunk scurries and bumps into Eridan nearly knocking him over. Eridan stumbles forward but catches himself and takes a breath before ushering his trunk into an empty storage space and freeing the cage from on top of it. Cliodne hisses angrily at the sudden jostling and ruffles her feathers in irritation. “Ah, shit. Sorry, lovve. You’re fine, shush, calm yourself.” He coos to his owl and sets her down in the seat beside Karkat, he eyes the two Striders in the compartment before sitting down and placing the bird cage on his lap before opening it up and letting the bird hop out and onto his arm. “Hello, my pretty girl, see noww you can relax. You’re not gonna be stuck in that awwful cage again for quite a wwhile.” He smiles and presses a kiss to her head to which she only pushes up against him and makes a sort of noise of affection.
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Post by Dave Strider on Jun 26, 2014 6:45:11 GMT
“Such a dick? Wow, rude. So this is how you treat your bro after not having seen him for an entire Summer.” Dave gave a small twitch of a friendly smirk, eyeing both the bird nesting in Karkat’s hair and the tall redhead that sat next to him. It’s been a while since Dave had talked to Eridan, however now was not the time for gossiping amongst the Kardashians over there. It was time for sleeping.
See, Hal knew what was up. As soon as he had come in he crashed next to Dave. Well, against him now. He kept sliding across the seat and down Dave’s arm, almost as fast as Karkat had slid the door to the compartment open. Or maybe Hulking-out and tossing the door to the side like a napkin full of an unfinished sample straight into a trash can at Costco is a better way to describe it. But, the empty metal cans, so even a piece of recycled paper with a half-eaten kosher meatball made an unnecessary and obnoxious echo. Shalom, meatball. Shalom. Seriously, though, for such a little dude, Karkat sure was loud. He didn’t seem to notice that Dave was nearly asleep though, bless these shades.
Dave looked down at Hal, whose head was pressing into the side of his forearm. Oh man. Look at this picturesque moment. This is like those stock photos you see in text books and picture frames in those stores where everything is a dollar or less. If only phones were allowed at Hogwarts. Seriously, how is a dude supposed to get his selfie on without one? Does the school know what kind of brotherly tenderness was going on here, the sentiment was off the charts. Like at least a 10 on the Richter scale. Enough to induce havoc and cause an entire country to evacuate. Marshall Law is even taking effect. Why is this happening to us. Is God sending us a message. This can’t be good for the future harvests. Like what is even going on. You mean you hope it’s Godzilla but you hope even more it isn’t Godzilla because /oh wait/, you don’t have your phone to capture the moment. #We’reNeverMakingThisHappen. Hogwarts ain’t doin’ shit for the Vine….Unforgiveable.
Though, speaking of Asian references and brothers, Dave wonders where Dirk is. He can hear the sound of the train’s whistle blowing, which means that his ass better be on board. He could obviously see Dirk’s apprehensiveness about today, and he knew in one way or another, it had to do with Jake. His brotherly sense are tingling, maybe he’ll look for him soon to check on him.
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Post by Dirk Strider on Jun 26, 2014 19:09:45 GMT
Dirk Strider could easily, easily, be seen as dull. As much as this was not true of his persona, this feeling that sprouted deep in his chest and was rooted widely in inner dissension, could only be described such such dullness. Perhaps a dreamy haze would be a better terminology for the vague emotion the Strider carried. He felt himself slow in the race of time and relation and had quickly numbed to this carniverous seed of growing pang within his drumming rib cage; hollow and withdrawn. To admit that things were not in his grasp anymore, this was a terrible struggle for the Strider, as it probably would be for any Strider. Struggle or not, it was true. These feelings were ardent yet asphyxiating; rung around his neck as his worries stitched themselves into the cafard image of a crumbling heart upon his shoulder. Dirk had been left to his own devices.
He was becoming cold and out of reach, to put very simply. It was difficult to elaborate on much at this point. In his eyes, these aches were fine if it was only on him, he would tell himself. It is what has been the norm in his mind. But watching his friends, the quartet with such ineffable bonds, to observe the three from withering sidelines and discerning how each hid away parts of them through the shallow pixels upon a computer screen in the fiery months, it could only be described as hurt, a term the Strider did not often allow himself the privilege of until the summer.
And he could only sit and absorb the bitterness that was spit so venomously from a significant someone as it was left as their only goodbye before break. There was only one person he allowed these feelings from, but never did he expect such vitriol of his own character to be torn apart by the one he bloomed forth to. There was only one significant other to him that could have punctured through his barrier so deeply, and that, to the Strider, was just sad. What was even sadder was that his sentiment still remained for the person. And even after all of this, the saddest part of Dirk’s summer sob story was that after his long online apologies a week after their 5th year let out, he couldn't bring himself to say anymore to Jake, and the two stayed in silence for the break. Oh, Jake...
And so, clementine orbs stared with indifference into the crowd bustling into the express, or rather, focused on nothing in particular. The pressure points in his joints were aching and stiff, fingertips pulling slightly at the ends of his neutral sweater. Nothing really phased him that day. He gave a small wave to his brothers that quickly went ahead of him before his legs subconsciously took him forth to melt with the crowd in front of him. He did not slide through the small spaces in between students as he usually would. He really had nothing to see that was important enough to convince him to push through the crowd as impatiently as he usually would. And so, he blended. Maybe not too casually as his growth spurt had smashed against his last (and hopefully final) pumps of puberty over the summer. The only difference was that he did not speak a word. What he had left of him out of the worries through his night, it would be given graciously to Roxy and Jane. Roxy had kept quiet when Dirk asked how she was and was keen on changing the subject, and Jane had been seemingly paranoid as ever, more than what her character would allow.
Soon enough, he was being crammed with the last students buzzing about to find a seat in the front train car. He found himself not searching for anyone in particular, more having his one usual place in mind for whatever reason. The ride home from their 5th year resounded in the back of his mind as if it was the produce the terrible growth in his chest had to offer. It made his habit of going to where he usually would a lot shakier, so he slowed his pace once he met a small clearing in the narrow rows.
Minutes of swerving through students came and went until he met where his brothers’ resided. The blond reached forth to skim the frame of the booth, opening his mouth before quieting himself and squinting a tad. Dave was his Vantas friend and Hal was out. His eyes softened at the sight. It wasn’t his place. He’s had enough of being where he shouldn’t, and this came as a reminder. What is he doing stalling like this? He had the girls to seek out, and, and to see what Roxy had on her mind, and to see what Jane had been dealing with, and to go where the four always met at, and…
…and…
And nothing else. He didn’t need to say anything else to anyone else.
Finally finding his way to the end car, his temperatures dropped. His lips thinned, and his brow furrowed just slightly. The sight of it empty took a stab at his own emptiness, deepening the void that opened itself with his slashing regret and stretching the abyss gouging his usual self. The roots in his chest had thinly vined tightly around his ribs and draping downwards into his gut, now giving his core a strangling, clenched wrap. This was what their friendship resulted in after the summer. What damage was done showed quite clearly in the sight of the sanctuary the four shared; it now empty and cold. He was cold. A chill nothing the frigid outdoors could compete with. It was an embedded, deep inner feeling that all toppled into his throat and aching fingers and this. This wasn’t how things were supposed to be, and yet the harrowing condensing in his gut pulled him forth into the booth, knees giving into his weight as he sat himself against the window as he silently let his head rest against the window. Brilliant conversations that took place in this exact area still rested in the corners like a venomous sting dying down. There was none of the same warmth that was once bubbling with so much heart to spare here. He missed Roxy. He missed Jane. He missed Jake. He did.
The saddest part of it all was that not a single thing reflected onto his face. Just an emptiness.
...
“This is not how things…”
He cracked out slowly, having no attempt or power to fill the area by himself, now frowning in the stillness, fingers idly running across the small table in front of him. His voice was low, and for once, quite melancholy.
“…are supposed to be.”
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