Happy or Sad

[Carson Ives]

Carson Ives was glad that it was summer break. He was exhausted. He always tried hard in his studies, and it made having a social life difficult. It was not as if many people wanted to talk to him anyways. Nothing he said was taken seriously, and that was how Carson liked it. He did not need any extra weight on him. He was tolerable of his siblings at the most. He was the youngest, so he was always the butt of their jokes. Diedra and Kylie made sure of that. Kylie had moved out! It astonished him how she still managed to irritate him despite the miles in between them. The boy sat in his room scribbling in his notebook. He was preparing for the second semester of his second year. Next year, he had to choose electives. Elisa was pushing Care of Magical Creatures. Gary wanted him to choose Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Carson assured them that he would take all three, but he was no Hermione Granger. None of said electives were interesting to him. It was normal for parents to be biased. Kaeyinn had warned him. His parents had done the same thing to his older brother. Carson had thought that he would have been different. He was the youngest, and he had been through the most. He was the only one that had a chance at finding out who his real parents were. The rest had just been simple cases where all their files had been lost, or their biological parents' whereabouts couldn't be traced.

Carson knew that he should not have such thoughts about his siblings, but it was true. He was, indeed, the sibling with the most potential. He never voiced this opinion. If he had, he would be left by the only family he knew. So, he lied to them all. It was so that they would keep him. Carson would not handle abandonment well. He could not let them throw him out. He did not understand that Elisa and Gary would never put him out or give him away. They genuinely treated him like their own child. It was just the boy lying to himself. Carson threw his notebook to the side, and he grabbed his jacket as he walked out of his room. He needed to get out of the house. He wasn't thinking straight because he had been cooped up in this house like an owl. He told Gary that he would be back in thirty minutes or so. The man looked worried as he prepared dinner. Carson had a weak immune system. It worried his parent whenever he went outside by himself. In an effort to sooth their father's anxiety, Diedra offered to tag along, but Carson was already out of the door. The Ives did not live far away from the Konstablerwache Farmer's Market. He always went walked to the market whenever he needed to clear his head. He bought apples or other things that his family liked to eat. His mother loved pretzels, Kai loved donuts from an elderly vendor, Diedra loved apples, and his dad only bought the fish. Ambrose, Kylie, and Ambrosia did not matter because they were graduated and no longer lived with the family. Kylie was still in Germany, but Ambrose and Ambrosia were elsewhere. He had a bit of pocket change, so maybe he could buy something Gary could add to dinner! Carson smiled. Thinking about his family made him happy and sad. After all, they were only human. Magic did not change that, much. "What should I get?" he asked himself looking around the market. He weaved skillfully through the many people. He often went unnoticed, but it did not eat at him.
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[Kimberlyn Ives]

The summer breeze brought the smell of flowers and cut grass to Kimberlyn's nostrils, and a smile to her lips. The young brunette woman walked carefully over the small patches of cobblestone that she always crossed with on her trips to the market. Kimber stopped for a brief moment to drop off some freshly made bread at an elderly neighbors house. The woman had recently lost her husband, and since then Kimberlyn had been making it a point to stop in and make sure she was alright. For the life of her, Kimber couldn't understand how someone could get so attached to one person. Her brother would probably be a wreck if he lost his wife, but the young woman had no one like that. In fact, she had never really dated anyone seriously before - she just wasn't interested in things like that. Her upturned smile faded into a round lipped expression as she whistled a small tune, her heeled boots clicking in time to the beat of the old song she whistled. it was an old tune, nearly fifty years old, Kimber loved old music like that. She hoped that it never died out. Finally reaching the market place, the woman's brown orbs scanned for the first market area she would look for. She knew she needed more veggies and meats, but her stomach rumbled for sweets as well.

Kimberlyn's eyes finally settled on something, but it was neither produce, nor sweets. It was a young boy who was weaving his way through the market; the boy looked remarkably familiar. Kimberlyn took a few strides, saying her excuses and giving polite smiles that became more aggressive the more she got jostled around. She watched for the boy, who was relatively easy to spot once she was sure of who it was. Finally, after clumsily weaving through the crowds, she stood behind him, looking over his shoulder for a moment, silent. To those walking by it must have seemed strange to see an older woman approach so close to someone, not knowing that they were relatives. "Shopping for Gary?" She asked with a smile on her lips, the cheer evident in her tone. Kimberlyn now stood beside Carson, glad that it really was him. Had it not been, this situation would have been more awkward than necessary. Standing beside him she also looked, a basket on her arm to carry what she needed, and most likely whatever Carson needed. The young woman couldn't help it, when it came to her family, specifically Gary's family, she spoiled them.

 

[Carson Ives]

Carson had gone back to looking at the various foods at the market. He still had to move around quite a bit of people to see what looked interesting. He hoped to God that Gary was making bibimbap. It was his absolute favorite. Like his father, he loved fish like a true Korean. He was not as in touch with his heritage as much as his parents wanted him to be. Carson did not want to be bound by a race or ethnicity. He was simply human, and going into the details complicated things further. In a way, he was glad that he did not know much about where he came from. It was as if he was not chained to being a specific type of person. He stopped to look at dried fish that someone was selling. He was sure that his father would want some for later, but it was too expensive. Gary was going to have to wait for dried squid.

Carson took a few steps away from the station and nearly bumped into a woman. He smiled at the sight of his aunt. He thought she was really pretty. He was not as pretty as his mother, but he hoped that every child felt that way. The boy shrugged. "You could say that." he smiled. He gently grabbed Kimberlyn's wrist and pulled her to his previous location. "Can some dried squid? Dad has been wanting it for awhile, and I don't have enough money." he asked politely. Kimberlyn was one of the few people he did not feel the need to lie to. She was honest with her feelings. Therefor, he would be the same. Sometimes she was a bit too cheery for his liking, but no one was perfect. "I can get you something if you want. I saw some nice necklaces back that way." he pointed the opposite way of where he wanted to go. He realized his fib and mentally scolded himself. It was a habit that he had no serious intention of breaking. He could always say that he must have been mistaken. The white lie was an easy fix. He knew how much his aunt liked necklaces.
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[Kimberlyn Ives]

Kimberlyn's smile was wide, her eyes upturned at the corners. Her thin lines of eyeliner framed her eyes, emphasizing the size of them. Kimber took a step back, making sure that Carson did not run into her. She wanted to surprise him, not send him to the infirmary. "Or are you using this as an excuse to get out of the house?" She raised a dark brow at the boy. "I used to do that all the time, any excuse to get out of the house and read in peace." She smiled at the thought. She'd had a secret hiding place years ago, up in an old barn loft tat belonged to a neighbor. After she fell through the floor she wasn't allowed back though. Her parents kept a close eye on her after that. With that broken arm, though, she had much more time to read and study. It brought her to top of her class at Hogwarts Scotland - with the only class she was failing being Herboloy.

Kimberlyn broke from her thoughts as her nephew grabbed her wrist, leading her along behind him. She followed diligently, curious as ever to see what the boy wanted to show her. She smiled at the kindness Carson was showing toward his father, glad that Gary had a son with such good manners. If she only knew the lies Carson told sometimes, perhaps she would be more wary. "Of course I'll buy it, don't worry." She said with a grin. She reached out and grabbed it, putting it in her basket. "Is there anything else you need? I've recently closed the deal on another artifact and got a bonus, so I have plenty of money to help you out with." Kimberlyn was overly giving now a days, as she had more money than she knew what to do with. She had saved all of her life, so it wasn't unusual for her to make those offers. She lived in a one bedroom apartment that was hardly any money, and groceries weren't a big deal. She had no significant other to shop for, and she didn't go through a lot of food. Perhaps that's why her bag jingled when she walked. Besides that, she had a wealthy start to life, which helped anyone with their dreams.

 

[Carson Ives]

Carson was confused. Did he have to have an excuse to be out of the house? He had no problem telling his siblings to shut up or make a scene for no reason. Carson just nodded. "Yeah. I have no other way to handle my siblings other than walking out the house." he spoke with a hint of sarcasm. He did not mean for it to come out so rudely. He withheld his urge to roll his eyes and stomp off like a drama king. Kimberlyn thought of him as a bit more mature than the others. He did not want her to think he was a big baby. He loved how big Kimber's eyes were. He was sure that half of it was makeup, but she was the member that looked the least like Gary. His mother never stopped trying to dress her up or play matchmaker with her. His aunt was like a life-sized doll.

Carson smiled. She must have planned to come over later. Gary was always happy to see his sister, as was everyone else in the family. Carson began to think if he needed anything else. He had not even planned on buying anything for himself. He wanted grapes. Grapes were always good. "Let's get some more fruit. I already got Diedra some apples, and I got a pretzel for Kaeyinn." he said. The Ives' liked a abundance of fruit in the house. It was a simple and healthy sweet treat. Carson linked arms with his aunt. He didn't need her getting swept away. "What new thing did you get?" he asked. He honestly did not like muggles. He thought that they were scary, but he was willing to listen to his aunt talk about her obsession. How was anyone able to live without magic. Carson could not even wrap his mind around it.
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[Kimberlyn Ives]

Kimberlyn barely batted her thick, brown eyelashes at Carson's sarcasm. The boy was a teen, and frankly she was even more rude than that when she was his age. Regardless, Kimberlyn did chide him slightly, "I only meant that when i was our age, I would do anything to leave the house. I was the youngest child, and was always under a strict rule." She stayed next to the shorter boy, her heels clicking on the cobblestone lightly as she took her strides to match his. It wasn't hard to stay at the same tempo as the boy, she had short legs that took short strides as it was - she figured height ran in the females of the family. Kimber skimmed her eyes over the items, gripping the basket firmly as they passed by more people. Her bag ad been loosened enough to throw over her shoulder, the young brunette not trusting of the passing strangers in such a crowded market place. The last thing she needed was for someone to steal from her and run off.

"Fruit sounds delicious." She said with a smile, happy with how healthy the boy had chosen to eat. Kimberlyn had no idea where he got the healthy behavior from. Her brother seemed ever willing to try the new sweets she made. She took his arm, walking the same swinging steps with him as they made their way through the market place. "Well, I haven't got anything yet. The museum is flying me to New Zealand for a week or so to pick up a set of old dinosaur bones. They'll be taken back to the museum and we'll decide if they are authentic or not." She said with a smile. Just thinking about it made Kimber extremely giddy. She loved travelling, but even more, she loved going to places where muggles were everywhere. They stopped at the fruit, and Kimberlyn waited for him to pick out his fruit. "How is school?" She asked, having not liked Beuxbatons when she visited. Kimberlyn was the only member of her brother's and sisters not to have attended the school.

 

[Carson Ives]

Carson was somewhat relieved that his sarcasm went unnoticed. But, he did feel a bit sad that Kimberlyn had not responded more dramatically. He was all for theatrics. His parents would jest that he should be an actor. Carson simply scoffed at the idea. Acting was such a muggle occupation. There was no way that he was going to take on anything muggle. This was where he and his family differed. Elisa and Gary had kind of set him up to dislike muggles. They had taken him to a muggle hospital, and he felt like he was being tortured. He never wanted to come in contact with a needle or machine again. "I know how to deal with my problems." he stated. He did not need Kimber to try and sympathize with him. Yes, they were both the youngest, but that did not mean anything to Carson. She was an adult. Adults and teens would always butt heads at some point in time, and Carson did not want to have any expectations of his aunt because he did not want to be let down.

Carson just shrugged. It was delicious. He loved fruit. It seemed like a family trait to love fruit. When he was younger, it had been all he ate. He vaguely remembered the taste of mangoes out of all things when the Ives found and adopted him. "Why can't you decide if the bones are authentic without transporting it somewhere else? And, what are dinosaurs?" he asked. He had never heard of dinosaurs before. They sounded stupid. He was not excited about the answer he was going to receive. They came to the fruit, and Carson picked out a few mangoes, bananas, and a pomegranate. Carson rolled his eyes and pretended to examine the two mangoes in hands. He knew that dreaded question was coming. Carson never had trouble in school. He just did not have any friends. No one wanted to be around a liar. "My friend Angela is supposed to be coming over to visit in a day or so." he breathed smoothly. His aunt did not know that Angela did not exist, and she did not need to be at the house when she "came over". He put the fruit in his aunt's basket. "Do you need anything?" he asked. He did not want her to ask anymore questions about school or friends.
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[Kimberlyn Ives]

Kimberlyn gave a playful eye roll, large lashes batting slightly as she did so. He was always so dramatic, couldn't he just be calm for once. The way that Carson acted sometimes caused Kimber to forget that her nephew was still young, barely a teenager. He also was forgetting who Kimberlyn had been raised by - her parents were much more strict than Gary she imagined. "I never said you didn't, Carson." She replied, still kind, but firm like a mother. "You do really remind me of myself when I was younger." She finished her statement, walking with him, strides matching his easily. It became a bit cooler by the fruits, many of the baskets sitting over ice to keep them cool. Not that it was particularly warm out for this time of year. There were fewer flies than average, Kimberlyn thought. she wondered if they used something to ward them off - muggle inventions like that were so fascinating. The brunette smiled, picking out a few things for herself as well. She enjoyed making snacks to keep when she stayed in the terminals - they were often fruit or nut based. She wasn't always concerned with her looks, but how could she continue to learn about muggles if she didn't keep healthy?

"Well," Se responded cautiously. "As a historian for both kinds of people." She spoke softly, hinting at both magic and muggles, "We like to test them at the ministry sometimes, to make sure they are not dragon bones." Her voice was barely a whisper, and there was no way anyone heard her. Even if they did they would think she was just feeding a young boys imagination. The only two who knew it was real at that moment, was them. "Then we can place them in the museum accordingly." She stated with a simple shrug. Kimberlyn glanced at Carson. "That doesn't answer my question, but i'm glad you're making friends." She remarked, unaware of Carson's lies about his friend. She shook her head no at the boy. "No, i think I'm ready. Would you like any sweets or anything else?" She asked, counting out some coins in her bag to pay for the items that her small basket held.