Cherry Blossoms

[Cadell Owens-Lee]

Cadell had never been to Japan before. The thick white blankets of snow were new to him and the busy streets on such a cold day seemed unusual. Where Cadell came from, people stayed inside when it was crisp, but in Japan the parks were full of children playing and not one seemed to care about having to wrap themselves up from head to toe due to the weather. There were just a few more days until Christmas and already there were Christmas trees wherever Cadell looked. He had never seen trees so bright, and the boy just smiled as he walked the streets with his family, happy to spend some time away from school and just do whatever he felt like.

The first place they were off to were the Japanese Gardens. Cadell knew it would be full of muggles and so he kept his gloved hands in his pockets, trying his best to behave just like them in hopes that he wasn't going to be too conspicuous among the crowd. The smell of cherry blossom trees were the first to stand out as the Ravenclaw entered the gardens. The sight of the bright pink flowers captivated Cadell who wandered over to the trees first, taking it in. Nearby there were people taking pictures and he wanted a picture beside the trees too. He walked over to the Japanese boy who was taking them and spoke. "Would you mind taking a picture of me too?" he asked, hoping he hadn't intruded on them too much.

 

[Ren Yukimura]

Winter was a beautiful time of year in Japan, and one of the only things Ren liked about the country. The blossom trees were flowering and the chill in the air mixed with a blanket of snow covering the ground made for the perfect atmosphere. It was both tranquil and nostalgic at the same time, reminding Ren of christmases spent with his grandparents as a young child. Where he didn't have the responsibility of an 'arranged marriage' and he didn't resent his family for making him move schools and change his entire life to cater to it. He could easily lose himself in the image of the trees while bundled up in his thick, woolen coat and take photos to remind himself of what had been a happier time in his life.

So that was what he had done for that entire day, and why he ignored the chill that crept through his entire body as he immersed himself behind his camera lens, focusing on capturing every aspect of the world around him. He was kneeling in the snow, focusing closely on some fallen blossoms when someone approached him. He looked up from his camera, eyeing the boy curiously before deciding to take a picture like they wanted. It would distract from the task at hand but Ren had no qualms to practice taking photos of people instead of nature. With the way his life was going, he would be trapped in a fashion photography job by his parents anyway, so he figured it wouldn't hurt to get some practice in. "Yeah, sure, I can take a photo of you." Ren answered, smiling politely. "Where do you want the photo to be taken?" He asked, standing up from the ground and looking from his camera, to the boy.​