Open A Game For The Skilled

[Louis Vernier]

Louis was glad to be back from his break, however he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous for the year that was ahead of him. There were extra classes that he had to take now, and whilst they interested him, he was a little unsure about whether or not he could keep up with the workload. Nonetheless he opted to try his best. He knew that if his older siblings could do it then he definitely could. The boy also knew that he needed to occupy himself with other things so that he wouldn't become too stressed, and so made sure to bring his set of gobstones again so that he could practice more and play. He was getting better at the game, and honestly was just eager to show his skills off to his classmates. He wanted to practice a bit first however, and so took his game of gobstones to the student lounge so he could do so. He placed it on the coffee table and sat down on the floor next to it before setting up the board and the stones. He practiced by himself flicking the stones onto it, then attempted to roll his own stones off the board, to which he was doing quite well. He didn't know why, but he really loved the game, and hoped that soon enough he could find some like-minded people.

 

[Finn Madison]

Finn had been trying to get out of his shell more recently, and a big part of that was just... spending less time hiding in his dorm. He had made his way down to the lounge hoping to get some painting done, but as soon as he entered the room his interest was pulled in an entirely different direction, canvas and paints forgotten in his arms as he approached the boy who had caught his attention. "Oh hey, do you want someone to play with? I love Gobstones." He said with a small smile, hoping he wasn't interrupting. Knowing his luck, the boy was waiting for someone else to return, and had no interest in playing with Finn. It was worth a try at least, it had been ages since he had had a proper game.

 

[Louis Vernier]

Louis couldn't help but love the game of gobstones. He was really getting the hang of it, and so many other people were also interested in it, making it easier for him to make some more friends. The boy looked up from his practice when an older Ravenclaw spoke to him. He was carrying paint supplies, but seemed to be distracted by Louis' game. The Hufflepuff smiled at him. "Yeah, you can play. I was just practicing. I'll start a game for us." He cleared his stones from the board, giving the boy 15 and keeping the other 15 stones for himself. "What were you going to paint?" he asked out of curiosity, hoping he hadn't disturbed him too much.

 

[Finn Madison]

Finn grinned when the younger boy accepted his company, settling into the seat accross from him. "Thanks. I'm Finn." He said cheerfully, accepting the stones he had been dealt. It had been a while since he had had a proper game of gobstones with anyone, and he hoped he hadn't lost the knack. He was a bit surpised when the younger boy asked about his art, giving a small shrug as he glanced at the canvas he had set down next to him. "Oh, I hadn't decided yet. Just gonna mess about." He shrugged, smiling. "It can wait."

 

[Louis Vernier]

The boy introduced himself as Finn, and it was then that Louis supposed he should introduce himself too. "My name is Louis." he told him, glad that the older boy was happy to know him on a first name basis. Louis nodded as he told him about his canvas. "That's cool. Wish I could paint or something." Louis always wanted to pick up something, like an instrument or a paint brush, but those things never came naturally to him, which was definitely a shame as he was sure he'd be able to get more friends if he had some talent. "I'll go first then." He flicked one of his stones onto the board, watching as it rolled towards the middle, not quite making it there but close enough.

 

[Finn Madison]

Finn smiled when Louis introduced himself, giving the younger boy a small nod. He couldn't help a tiny chuckle when the boy said he wished he could paint. Shaking his head, Finn gave a small smirk. "Wanna know the secret to painting?" He asked, leaning slightly closer and lowering his voice. "Just pick up a paintbrush and start painting. It doesn't have to be of anything, it doesn't have to be perfect, but once you've started you're a painter, and nobody can stop you." He smiled. When he had been younger Finn had focused more on realism, but his move into abstract impressionism and neo-expressionism had been freeing, the moment he realised his art could just be however he wanted it for himself and nobody could tell him different. He nodded slightly when the younger boy started the game, watching his first move carefully. "Nice one." He responded, picking up a gobstone of his own and rolling it across the board in turn, watching as his shot fell even wider of the center. He was well and truly out of practice.

 

[Louis Vernier]

Louis's interest was piqued when Finn offered him the secret to painting. He nodded, a little taken aback at how easy it was. "But what's the point of doing it in you're not very good?" he asked, figuring one couldn't call themselves a painter if they weren't actually good at it. He heard that abstract art was rather subjective, but what determined whether or not it was good? It was a confusing subject.

Louis watched as Finn took his first turn and his stone didn't roll as close to the centre. The Hufflepuff figured he was getting quite good at the game then and this really boosted his confidence. He picked up one of his own stones, flicking it onto the board and aiming for the boy's. It was a little too overpowering however, flying straight past the older boy's stone and almost to the other side of the board. "Oops." he said with a shrug, a little embarrassed at that manoeuvre. "I guess that's an example of what not to do." He chuckled a little, hoping Finn would see the funny side of it too.

 

[Finn Madison]

Finn chuckled slightly at Louis' question, shrugging. "Well, fun is the main point." He said with an easy smile. "But it's also about the journey. You probably weren't very good at walking the first time you tried it either, you know?" He shrugged lightly. "Gotta be bad at something for a while to be good at it later."

Finn watched Louis take his turn, blanching a little as the shot started, though he couldn't help a small laugh of relief as the gobstone missed his own. "Good strategy though, almost got me." He smiled, picking up a gobstone of his own. He hesitated as he studied the board, considering his angles. It would be easy to go for the gobstone Louis had just rolled, but he didn't quite trust his own aim. So Finn aimed for the center again, getting closer this time, but still not quite there.

 

[Louis Vernier]

Louis nodded as Finn continued talking about art, comparing it to learning how to walk. "That's pretty woke." he said, having heard the word from a group of people before. He hoped he used it in the right context. It definitely was a very deep way to look at it, and Louis wondered if perhaps all artists had the same mindset. Maybe that was why Louis hadn't bothered trying - because he simply wasn't woke enough.

Louis smiled as Finn complimented his shot. He knew it was bad, but was happy for the compliment as it definitely encouraged him. He watched as Finn simply aimed for the middle again. "Oh that's pretty good too, definitely better than last time." he told him, hoping he could also be encouraging in return. When he flicked his stone again this time, he also aimed for the middle, sighing a little as it just didn't get as far as Finn's. He would just have to try again next time.