We Just Got The Start Wrong

[Regina Tennit]

The pop in Regina's hips as she walked was nothing new to be seen in the halls of Durmstrang. The rather tall brunette had just turned fifteen, and there was something about being so close to graduating - two years - that made her feel more adult. She had already finished out her classes for the week, and was allowed now to dress as she pleased. She of course stuck with a pair of flats, as being 5'8" meant she didn't need heels. She'd seem like a part-giant if she work anything over an inch of heel. That would get her ridiculed more than her mixed-blood status already did. However, much like her older sister, she had picked up on the ability to shrug off any insults she received, well any about her blood status. Perhaps that was what changed her the most over the break. She had thought long and hard while travelling with her freshly graduated sister, and realized that perhaps she shouldn't worry about what the other students said. After all, she was already on the fast track to success as it was. With another flip of her hair over her tanned shoulders, Regina smiled. Something about the day in general made her feel confident, and it helped that the weather seemed so beautiful. Spring in Europe was always beautiful it seemed - at least when it wasn't raining.

Regina cross the courtyard, the jacket she had been wearing now thrown off her shoulders. She approached a bench, one she commonly sat on to eat her midday snack, but saw that someone had made it there before. She thought she recognized him, but really couldn't be bothered to remember his name. Regina put on a smile though, not one to try and make enemies. If someone wanted to make enemies with her that was their problem. She kept her bag on her shoulder, and her jacket was slung over her shoulder as well. She needed to keep her stuff in her hands in case he said she couldn't sit down. She noticed the small tree he had with him, but didn't think anything of it. Being that she sometimes carried around large books and other class related things, she could only assume the mini-tree was the same thing. After all, he was probably studying to be a Herbologist. Regardless on why he had it, Regina spoke up, "Hi, do you happen to mind if i sit with you?" She asked, holding up her sandwich to show him, indicating that she wanted to sit and eat. She hoped he said yes, if not she might have to pck the bench that seemed to still have rain on it - or perhaps someone had watered the bench on accident when watering the lawn. Despite the reason, a wet bum was not on Regina's 'things to have today' list.

 

[Emmett Lancaster]

Resting back against a bench, situated around an old concrete fountain out across the vast grounds of Durmstrang, Emmett sat alone for what was the first time in quite a while since he'd started his education at the school. Usually, the fifteen year old would surround himself with others, generally hanging out around the castle, diving in the lake or doing laps around the pitch in an endless competition to see who the best flyers were. Today however, he'd broken off from his usual group after receiving an owl from his sister at Hogwarts New Zealand. He wasn't sure why she didn't just transfer over to Durmstrang and join him. Their parents had abstained from enrolling her when she was of school age, thinking the environment may be too harsh for her to grow up with. In his opinion, she was too harsh for Hogwarts. Plus, he missed seeing her, as irritating as she could be sometimes. It was the one thing he looked forward to when it came to holidays. It felt as if the last one had passed by too quickly. He'd been helping her out a lot when it came to her new job at Ollivanders, and she'd been helping him solely by exercising his knowledge of the subject of wandlore, a subject he'd been studying as a sort of side-hobby when he had some time to himself. Which wasn't too often. The young wizard had high aspirations of becoming a wandmaker after graduating. It was such a complex and mysterious branch of magic and he saw it as a bit of a challenge attempting to unlock some of its mysteries for himself. Emmett had even started to raise an elm sapling, the same wood his wand was crafted from, in hopes to carve his own wands from it once it matured.

Getting comfortable on the bench, Emmett sat the pot containing his sapling to one side and unrolled the parchment his sister had sent to him, containing endless and complicated questions about wands and their traits, questions he didn't even have answers to with what little he knew. Dawn, his pet half-kneazle, curled up beneath his seat. The wizard absently scratched her behind the ears as he read, eyes skimming through his siblings familiar neat handwriting, the total reverse to his appalling scribbles that he tried to pass off as words. Slow and steady may win the race, but Emmett didn't have the patience when it came to writing. He was in the middle of a sentence when a voice cut through his focus, directed toward him. The brunette looked over the parchment in his hands to acknowledge the girl standing before him, her hands full and looking ready to sit down. She was kind of pretty, and tall, a feature he found attractive in women. He recognised her from a few classes, but they'd never been introduced or interacted before. He thought he knew her name though. Rachel? Rebecca? Something like that. Clearing his throat quickly, he responded. "No, I don't mind at all, feel free." he gestured at the free space beside him and shuffled over toward the edge, giving the girl more room to sit.

 

[Regina Tennit]

Now that Regina's brown eyes could settle on the lad in front of her, she took in his appearance. While he wasn't the most attractive guy she'd seen, she felt relieved to see he didn't look like a predator. His eyes were not narrowed, his voice not rude. He had a certain air of quietness to him, and she was sure that she'd seen him around before. The fact that she had a plant beside him gave the brunette mixed feelings though, as Gee wasn't sure if he was going to use it for good or evil - after all, she wasn't even sure what the plant was. Glad to know he was allowing her to sit with him. Regina smoothed her skirt down, making sure it still reached her knees as she sat. As a tall, thin teen she struggled to find skirts that were long enough to fit her modesty level. She often had her adoptive mother get bigger skirts tailored so that she could retain her modesty and dignity. Once seated she crossed her legs, and opened her lunch bag, pulling out a very ripe, red apple. Her entire lunch consisted of fruits, as she refused to eat meats at the time. Her parents said it was of course just a phase, and they were probably right, as she'd only been holding strong for a month. She found that every day she craved meat less and less though.

Regina took a bite from her apple, the crispness of it crunching as she bit down. Her lipstick rubbed off slightly on the skins and flesh of the apple, but she didn't mind. She'd ingest it one way or another after all. She would just have to reapply it later - or maybe she'd just go back to her room and get into some pajamas. She could curl up with a nice books, or something along those lines. After finishing her bit, she realized how rude she was being, now that she was sat down. "I'm sorry, I didn't even introduce myself!" She said with a laugh. "I'm Regina." She remarked, not bothering to extend her hand. The Durmstrang student didn't normally just shake hands with someone, unless they decided on it first. She rather preferred to keep other's germs away from her - that wasn't to say she was a germaphobe. Though her younger sister teased her and told her she was, just because she always had hand sanitizer in her bag. And more in her dorm, and at home she had different scents in her room. She was just a clean person.

 

[Emmett Lancaster]

Once the girl had seated herself, Emmett couldn't help but spare a brief side-along glance toward her, though he acted as if he were thinking about what to write next. The fact that she carried around a bag for lunch seemed...strange to him, as someone who either ate in the hall with the other students or went to the kitchens to order around the castle's elves as soon as he was hungry, there was never a need to carry food to eat later. With servants to make their meals for them, who needed a lunch bag? Her choice of an apple didn't seem too filling either. Was she one of those vegetarians, only eating fruits and vegetables because oh no, animal cruelty and things? As a meat enthusiast, he couldn't stand people on their high horse all about pro-animals and pro-life. People like that existed in a fantasy world where everything was perfect and animals were friends and they rode unicorns into the sunset. The reality of it was that nature just worked in such a way that the weak were meals for the strong, and humanity - wizard kind especially - were the ultimate predators. It was survival of the fittest, and the people against that were not fit for this world.

Or maybe this girl just really liked apples and he was over thinking it.

Returning his gaze to his parchment, the fifteen year old continued to write, scrawling across its papery surface with quill, its plumage long and black as coal. He'd initially wanted an Augurey feather, as his wand's core contained that of the Irish Phoenixes, but their feathers repelled ink, making the use of them as quills impossible. As such, he was always careful not to bring his wand into too close a proximity to his writing equipment. He wasn't sure if he should consider the trait a flaw, but it did give his wand more personality. He and his friends often compared theirs, who had the longest wand, who had the rarest core, who could cast the most powerful spells. Emmett didn't have the most inches, but it was how he used it that mattered. Though his was only ten inches, he could still impress most of the girls with his spell-casting, whereas one of the boys had a fifteen inch, but poor dueling skills.

Barely a few words back into his letter and eager to finish and rejoin the gang, the brunette recaptured his attention with her sudden introduction. Emmett looked back up, tucking the quill behind one ear. "Hey, yeah, that's cool. I haven't introduced myself either." he responded, leaning over and extending his hand. "I'm Emmett. I think we have History of Magic together, and I'm pretty sure I've seen you down at the Pitch a few times. Do you fly often?" he asked with genuine curiosity. He wasn't certain if he'd versed her in any matches before, though it was difficult to remember who your opponents were when you were speeding through the air.

 

[Regina Tennit]

Another gentle caress of the wind moved Regina's waves. Her oddly sacked lunch in her lap. She only bagged it to make it a convenient carry. She didn't much like eating in the kitchens, and often times just took a few small things from them. Sliced meats, tuna, apples, things that allowed her to make a sandwich and a side and step outside. After all, she would look quite peculiar if she walked out with a whole turkey in hand like they served during meals. So instead she asked for smaller bits, and skipped larger meals. This of course began a few nasty rumors about her eating habits, but as a strong quidditch player it was obvious she did not lack any sort of nutrition. She just preferred to be healthy, which meant that she chose not to eat any fast food in the muggle world or any junk food overall. Though she did have a soft spot for the muggle candies, the ones that had candies on the inside but were chocolate eggs. Not that the name mattered, as she took another bite out of her apple. She didn't need those little chocolates. Instead she wanted to focus on her company, the man beside her. She glanced sideways at him, and it seemed his was thinking about whatever he was writing. She felt a little guilty for interrupting when she thought that. After all, she enjoyed her own silence from time to time, hence why she enjoyed her meals outdoors.

The silence was nice, there were birds out somewhere that she could hear. She pulled out her sandwich wen her apple was half gone and continued to munch between the two things. The smells of the courtyard assaulted her nose, but she minded not, as they were mostly pleasant scents. There was a bitter smell of the grass, and a sweet smell of some sort of blooming flower. Then her attention diverted from the peaceful silence. Her observations falling back on the brunette before her. "It's nice to meet you, Emmett." She said to the man before her, glancing down at his hand. Not wanting to be rude she shook his hand, careful to now only eat with the hand that hadn't touched him. She didn't think he was gross, or that he was dirty - she just knew how many germs were carried by the human body. And that was a number she didn't particularly want to double from a handshake with a man she barely knew. She laughed slightly. "Yeah, I remember you." She said, an image coming to mind of sitting behind him on more than one occasion. She nodded when he asked. "Yeah, I actually play on the team." She took another bite and chewed it slowly. She gave him some time before asking him a question. "Do you like quidditch at all?" Wondering if he ever watched the games or not.