Open The Writing Circle

[Susie Lagowski]

It was three o'clock in the afternoon, and Susie was sitting on the lawn near the lake. All around her she had spread out cushions, blankets, and bowls of snacks, ready for the arrival of her classmates. Who would turn up? The flyer she'd spread around the school had said that all ages were welcome. The only requirement was that attendees were to bring something to read out. It could be something they'd written, or something they enjoyed - a poem, a piece of writing, a journal entry. The sky was the limit. And even this requirement was optional, really; Susie didn't mind if anybody wanted to come along just to hear other people read. She just hoped anybody was going to turn up at all.

 

[Lilith Ilves]

Lilith was excited, so very excited about this writing circle thing whatever it was. They were supposed to bring something to read out or something, she didn't really know had only seen Susie putting up the flyers and said she'd be there. "Come on Antares it'll be fun!" She said dragging an all not so pleased looking Eoghan behind her, but she had decided it could be fun and good for him to socialize, besides she didn't really want to go alone with the possibility of a lot of new people she didn't know around. "Hi!" Lilith said with a warm smile as they reached Susie and her comfy set up. "I brought a friend, I hope you don't mind." She smiled nodding towards Eoghan.

@Eoghan Blyth

 

[Victoria de Lacey]

Tori didn't really know what this was supposed to entail, but she wasn't about to skip out just because she was unsure. She hadn't really been sure what to bring though, opting instead for some old homework because honestly she didn't write things, well she wrote letters she supposed but she wasn't about to read any of those out, they were personal. She caught sight of Lili too, and waved at her as she walked up, spotting Eoghan with her. "Hey Soos, I didn't really know what to bring so I brought some old homework, if anyone else has a better idea please let me know because I was very confused by the flyer actually." She said, before grinning at Eoghan and Lilith both. "Did you bring a book Yew?"​

 

[Cyrus Thorne]

Cyrus had been on a mission this year to be a bit more social, though it didn't come naturally to him. He'd managed to get on the Quidditch team, so that definitely helped, but when he saw flyers around about a writing circle, he had agonized over whether he should go or not. On the one hand, it would be nice to meet more people who liked to write. On the other hand, writing was something very personal to him. It wasn't something he shared easily. Sharing some of his poetry with Rosalind had been hard enough, and she was his friend.

Eventually, he had managed to pick out one poem he wouldn't mind sharing with people, and he had copied it on a separate piece of parchment. He didn't want to take his notebook with all his poems with him, just in case. He headed over to the meeting spot outside, seeing a few younger students. He hesitated. "Hello, is this the writing circle?" He asked a little shyly.

 

[Eoghan Blyth]

Eoghan glanced between Lilith and Susie as though the Ravenclaw thought this was the first time he'd ever met her. He knew Susie, and it was because he knew Susie that he didn't want to be here. She'd made him feel like a fool last time they'd spoken. He grinned when he spotted Tori though, "Obviously," Bringing a book was the only way he was going to get through something like this. It just so happened he could kill two birds with one stone. He'd met most people in his year, however when an older boy joined them he found himself feeling a little defensive of his friends. Not because he didn't trust him, only because he didn't know him. "What's your name?" he asked, surprising himself.​

 

[Miranda Dawes]

Miranda needed to branch her writing out from just writing for the paper. She wanted to write some more creative works, but in her role as co-editor she couldn't exactly focus on her own creativity. Her job was more to facilitate everyone else's and get the facts straight. So seeing a writing circle sparked her interest, and she went down to the lawn with her notebook in hand. Everyone seemed a bit younger, so she wondered if she misunderstood. Miranda ended up standing a little closer to the one slightly older boy - Cyrus, if she remembered correctly - and awkwardly raising her hand in a small wave. "Um, hello, this is the writing circle, right?"

 

[Susie Lagowski]

Susie couldn't believe her eyes. Not one, not two, but five people turned up all at once. She had hoped her friends would come, but a terrible voice had kept on insisting they wouldn't. "Lili! Tori!" she said, springing to her feet to offer them hugs. Then, with a little less enthusiasm: "Hi Eoghan." She didn't know anybody else's names, but she was thrilled they'd turned up. "Yes! This is the writing circle. I'm Susie, Susie Lagowski. I am your host for today. Sit down! I brought cushions. And snacks. Just don't eat them all before everyone's here, 'cause I had to sneak them out from lunch, and I can't get any more. What are your names?" She smiled at the older Ravenclaws.

 

[Lilith Ilves]

Lilith smiled as Tori too arrived right after them. Giving Susie a hug she then looked at the older Ravenclaws. "You are Cyrus right? We are in the Quidditch team together." She smiled to the older boy making sure to poke Eoghan in the ribs for his bluntness of asking for the name. Lilith sat down waiting for others to gather around and start, she was a little nervous having never shared any of her writing yet. She liked to write, but in secret it wasn't that she wouldn't want to share her writing but it was definitely more personal to her.

 

[Miranda Dawes]

Miranda wondered if mentioning she worked on the paper would give any of the writers pause. She did recognise Eoghan, however, so it wasn't like it was a great secret. Probably who her mother was was more daunting, but Miranda never lead with that. "Hi, I'm Miranda," she said simply, thumbing the corner of her notebook. "What sort of things do you all like to write?"

 

[Victoria de Lacey]

Tori hugged Susie back hard, feeling the need for it after the recent weeks she'd had and her conversation with Lili, she was still trying to work out the best name for her after receiving one of her own. "I also actually did bring some snacks with me," she added, pulling chocolates and lollies out of her pockets, if she wasn't going to contribute creatively (and lets be honest she wasn't very creative really) then she could compensate financially or with food at least. "Oh of course, how silly of me to ask such a question," she said, teasing Eoghan a little, she definitely considered him one of her best friends and that had happened entirely by accident, maybe it was because he was one of the first people she met? Along with Susie of course. "Glad to have you both!" She said, looking at the two older Ravenclaws she was only really peripherally aware of.​

 

[Cyrus Thorne]

Cyrus felt a sinking feeling of dread as he realized all the younger students knew each other and were friends. Had he misunderstood the flyer? Thankfully, another older Ravenclaw joined. He knew her by name but not much else. And then the girl organizing it introduced herself and Cyrus felt a bit better. He nodded at Lilith. "Yes, hi Lilith." He said, realizing he did know her from Ravenclaw. He took a seat on one of the cushions, putting the rolled up parchment with the poem he had written next to him on the grass. "Nice to meet you all. Er, I write poetry." He said in response to Miranda's question.

 

[Eoghan Blyth]

Eoghan did his best to smile at Susie if not just to be polite, but the underlying feeling that he'd just been overshadowed with Lilith's introduction was looming. He watched as Lili reminded him that the older boy's name was Cyrus, and while Eoghan realised he vaguely recognised his face it was good to be able to put a name to him. When Miranda joined them too, he knew her from the Hogwarts Monthly. It was a bit strange really, a group as big as this and now his boss was here too? Eoghan shuffled away from the trio and headed toward Tori, feeling most comfortable when he could lower his head into homework instead. Besides, Lili already seemed to know everyone here so it wasn't like he needed to stay glued to her side.​

 

[Susie Lagowski]

Susie was relieved Lilith knew one of the older students already. They would all become best friends in no time, she was sure, but it was always daunting joining a group of people you didn't know. Especially (Susie assumed) when they were all younger than you. "Nice to meet you," she said, offering her hand to those she didn't know. Was that too formal? Well, she was a club leader now, sort of - there was nothing wrong with formality. As long as she kept her head held high and acted like she knew what she was doing, nobody would think she was awkward.

"I write stories! Well, I journal too, but trust me, nobody wants to read that." The last two pages contained nothing but descriptions of her favourite professor's eyes. "Does everyone have something to read? It can be a story, a poem, or homework - sure. Why not? It's writing - it counts. Oh! Hey, nice, more chocolate. Thanks, Tori." Susie sat down cross-legged on her pale blue cushion. "OK, I think we should start. Who wants to go first? Maybe tell us what you're reading, and why you picked it, and then start. And remember to keep it short. Like, five minutes tops. 'Cus there might be more people coming, and I said this would only be an hour."

 

[Lilith Ilves]

Lilith kept a smile but swallowed thickly. "I can go first... If that is okay?" She asked with a voice smaller than usual, it was causing her a lot of nerves, but she figured it'd be better to be the first one so it was forgotten faster. "I write stories and poetry oh and my name is Lilith and today I brought a poem, one I wrote about my grandmother and my best friend, how they sort of well you'll hear." She spoke faster towards the end, feeling her hands slick with sweat. Deep breaths you are fine. She told herself before taking out the parchment.

Clearing her throat she focused on the text and began.
"Home? What a strange word, I always thought mine was with you.
But then you left, promised to come back, but never did.
I searched for you, in the stars, in the seas and in my mind.
Slowly as you started to fade, I met him.

His eyes like the stars I kept looking at.
His eyes that sparkle like the sea.
And his words that echo yours, maybe you did come back.

Maybe my home was never meant to be with you.
Maybe you were just preparing me for him, because those eyes?
They are what I'd like to call my home."
Lilith slowly looked up from her paper, a nervous wreck her voice had grown bigger and smaller through the poem, it was strange yet nice sharing it. "I just once wrote it but yeah it is about my grandmother who passed and then finding safety in a friend and reminders of her within his words and who he is." She explained with a smile, looking to no one in particular.

 

[Victoria de Lacey]

Tori caught Eoghan moving toward her, she didn't question it and immediately made space for him. She was used to peering over his shoulder for things so this was hardly a new development, though usually it was her going to him, it was nice that he was coming to her, even if she wasn't sure why. He wasn't what she would normally consider shy but she'd noted he had been trying to open up to more people recently and she'd been trying to encourage that, though she acknowledged it could be difficult. She gave him a little fist pump, letting him know she believed him him, before turning her attention to listen to Lilith's poem. It seemed really sweet, but not really being a fan of poems in general, she certainly couldn't have said whether it was good or not. It sounded good, if that meant anything, but she often found them weird, but she wasn't really a reader anyway. "Wow," she said, grinning.​

 

[Eoghan Blyth]

Eoghan had heard a number of Lilith's poems before but never this one. Even if he knew the story behind it and what it meant. His cheeks flooded with a red flush as the Ravenclaw began to read out her poem, if not only because who else would anyone think her best friend was if not him? Lilith was now here telling practically everyone that she considered him to be her home. Maybe it was arrogant to think that, and even more to say that, and so the second year just kept staring silently over Tori's shoulder, eyes fixed to the pages in fear of looking up to see anyone looking at him. Perhaps he could get away with some of the students not being able to make the correlation, but certainly their friends would know what it meant. Eoghan was doing his very best to concentrate on the words and how pretty they were, but above all he hadn't realised he'd practically frozen to the spot. ​

 

[Victoria de Lacey]

Tori looked at Eoghan to see his reaction to their friend's poem, and she frowned at the trapped look on his face. She looked between them, trying to figure out what was going on, but she clearly was missing pieces. "Yew, are you okay, what's wrong," she asked quietly, turning her head only slightly but trying not to draw attention because that wouldn't be what he would want right now, so whilst she spoke, she kept her eyes on Lili, but looked around slightly to see if anyone else was going to read something next.​

 

[Miranda Dawes]

Miranda listened to the poem with a placid smile. She couldn't help but wonder if this girl - Lilith, apparently - had either found a boyfriend, found Jesus, or fictionalised a boyfriend in the way young songwriters often did. According to her dad, anyway. Or maybe had complicated feelings for a supposed best friend. She seemed a bit young, and Miranda privately thought comparing one's grandmother to a guy with beautiful eyes was a little odd. But the words were lovely, and she clapped lightly when Lilith finished. "Oh, that was beautiful," she said, encouragingly. "Very...enlightening." Did Eoghan tense up a bit? Was he the beautiful eyes? Or was she just imagining things? Miranda made a mental note to share this with Aleja. She had some horror she'd been working on, but it didn't feel like the right time.

 

[Rosalind Montgomery]

Rosalind came down a bit late, not actually sure if she qualified for the group. It wasn't like she was really a writer, but she did love reading and maybe that counted for something. Maybe she could meet some really cool talented people, make some friends. That was what was most appealing - secretly Rosalind wanted to be part of that crowd, of the artists, those she considered cooler than her. She took a seat, realising everything had already started. "Sorry I'm late," Rosalind said with a shy smile. There seemed to be a bit of an odd energy around the group. Maybe someone shared a particularly moving piece of writing or something. "Did I miss something good?" she asked, looking around at everyone and finally recognising Cyrus, to whom she gave a big smile.

 

[Cyrus Thorne]

Cyrus listened as Susie sort of organized the meeting, a bit surprised apparently reading homework was allowed. Then Lilith stepped up and read a poem. He listened, impressed and a bit surprised at how personal it was. It sounded very serious, and he couldn't help wondering who it was about. He suddenly felt a little silly about his own poem, but he knew he didn't want to read any of the ones he had written about Kairi over break. It was to embarrassing. "That was really nice." He said a little hesitantly. He was quickly distracted when Rosalind approached and her returned her smile. "Rosalind, hi!" He said, happy to see her. He scooted over a bit to make room for her.

 

[Susie Lagowski]

Susie hadn't actually expected anybody to want to read first, and was ready to open up her own notebook when Lilith surprised her by volunteering. "Of course you can," said Susie, nodding encouragingly. Lilith had picked a poem she'd written herself, and it quickly became apparent the words were very personal to her. That took bravery, Susie thought - baring your soul in front of everybody, sharing something so heartfelt and emotional. As soon as she was done, Susie made sure to clap loudly. "Lili, that was amazing. 'Eyes that sparkle like the sea'. Isn't that a cool metaphor? Or, uh, is it a simile? Anyway, I think it's beautiful."

She smiled as yet another person arrived. "You missed Lili's poem, but that's OK! Maybe she can read it again later. What's your name? Come sit. We're reading out stuff we wrote to the group. I mean, it doesn't have to be something you wrote - I brought two things, just in case, and one of them is a page from my favourite book. Who wants to go next?"

 

[Lilith Ilves]

No. Coming here had been a mistake and as people spoke about her poem Lilith only managed a smile a weak one at that as her mind started to wander. The compliments of the older Ravenclaw sounded especially pointed to her, albeit it could be her own anxiety talking more so than the tone of the girls. Lilith fell into a comfortable pattern of traveling through her thoughts as the others continued, she really did not like group gatherings as much as she had hoped she would. Most of all she had not liked attention on her so she was glad to have gone first so everyone could focus on others for the rest of the time and she could just dream her time away, feeling like just leaving right now would have been rude.

 

[Cyrus Thorne]

A small silence fell after Susie asked who would go next, and Cyrus hesitated a moment before raising his hand. "Um, I can." He said softly, instantly regretting that he did. But if a younger student could share such a personal poem, Cyrus could share this one. It wasn't nearly as deep. "Like I said I write poetry and, er, I wrote this one over break." He said, taking a deep breath before starting to read.

"The sun sinks low, the waves a golden light.
The sea feels quiet, calm but bright.
Colors fade, shadows grow tall.
The world feels big, and I feel small.

The salty breeze flows through the air,
A gentle ruffle of my hair.
The day slips away, the stars will glow,
The sea will be there, steady and slow."

He felt his cheeks burn by the time he was done and he kept his eyes down on the paper, hoping more than anything that someone else would jump in quickly.

 

[Rosalind Montgomery]

Rosalind settled in beside Cyrus, introducing herself briefly before listening to Cyrus' poem. She watched him with bright eyes, enjoying how cool it was that he did poetry. She guessed the girl before had shared a poem by the context clues and she was a bit sad she'd missed out. Maybe Rosalind could ask her about it later. As Cyrus finished, Rosalind perked up. "That was awesome, Cyrus!" she said excitedly, starting to clap and expecting everyone to join in. Even though she'd read the poem before it was cool to hear him say it out loud.