Winter Blues

[Cedar Dunn]

This time of year, Cedar couldn't help missing the fall. It felt like it had been cold forever, and the trees looked so harsh and barren through the student lounge windows. Cedar missed being outside in the falling leaves, just the right amount of sun peering between the clouds. There being nothing to do but staying inside and working on homework somehow made the homework feel even less inviting. Cedar was proud of his decent grades, but right now studying just felt like a chore. Giving up on his essay for the moment he put his books and notes aside, leaning his chair back.

This year was really his last chance to slack off, too. Exams and whatnot aside, next year Acacia would be starting school, and he would have his little sister around, to be a good example to. She had never been quite so studious, and Cedar knew their parents were expecting him to help turn her around. It would be a lot of work. Better to enjoy lazy days like this for now. He briefly considered looking for some friends to hang with, but he knew they were down in the library, studying, and Cedar didn't really want to go down there literally right after deciding not to. Instead he looked around the lounge, seeing if anyone else he knew was around, and looked like they felt like chatting.

 

[Jeong Mun]

Jeong loved winter, he enjoyed snow most of all but that wasn't in the cards today. Still, he happily wrapped up in multi-colored hats and scarves when needed, though today he would stay inside. Jeong wasn't too serious about his schoolwork, though his parents often wrote him about his grades. There were much better things in life than studying, though. Like music, playing games, or flirting. He just wanted to spend some time with someone else today, just chilling. Jeong had several groups at school he could easily fit into whenever he wished, as he was just the sort of person that adapted to whatever group he happened to be with. Because of this, he could get along with most people in his year. It wasn't a real connection, but it was enough.

As he entered the lounge, he noticed a boy from his dormitory. He and Cedar had never talked much, but since Jeong had discovered he liked boys, he had definitely noticed the other boy in a new light. It could be interesting to talk to him one on one, as Jeong usually made sure he was hanging out with multiple people. It was easier to be in a group for the boy. But he knew Cedar well enough to feel at ease around him. With a smile, he plopped down next to him. "Hi Cedar, what's up?" He asked him with a small wave.

 

[Cedar Dunn]

Cedar was relieved when he saw Jeong approaching. He gave the boy a friendly smile and wave, glad to have some company. "Hey, Jeong." He said happily. "Not much, just bored of all this homework. Wish we could go outside, huh?" He sighed, glancing out the window again before turning his attention back to his roommate. "What's up? Did you do alright on that Charms quiz the other day?"

 

[Jeong Mun]

Jeong laughed when Cedar said he couldn't go outside, that was the opposite of how he saw it. "We can go outside, just nobody wants to." He said with a shrug and a pout. "I would, but then I'd be on my own out there and that's boring." He laughed again, cheerful and carefree. "I'm bored of homework too, I wonder if they make it boring on purpose. There are so many more interesting things around here than stupid homework," he gave Cedar a sideways look with a slight smile, as if to let him know he was one of the more interesting things around. The question delighted him, because he knew what to say to it. "Well, it depends on what you define with alright. If you ask me, I did alright." He pauses with a grin. "But if you ask my parents, teacher, classmates or anyone else, I probably didn't do alright." He sighed. "I don't know why everyone else cares so much about my grades. Aren't they mine? But it's not like my parents really understand anyway. They just want me to do well in anything I do."

 

[Cedar Dunn]

Cedar laughed a little. "Really? I can't stand when it gets this cold, I just wanna hibernate in a pile of blankets 'til summer." He smiled, leaning back in his seat a little. He nodded in agreement about their homework. "The worst thing is like, the subjects aren't even boring. It's magic, you'd think the homework would be like, the most interesting thing ever. I guess it's just the nature of homework to be boring even when it rules." He laughed at Jeong's joke about his grades, nodding sympathetically as he turned the subject more serious. "Same. My parents think I slack off way too much even though like, I'm doing fine in classes. They keep going on about needing to be a good role model for Acacia but like... I'm doing fine! Parents take all that stuff way too seriously I reckon."

 

[Jeong Mun]

Jeong smiled at his friend. "You just haven't experienced the joys of winter! It's so much fun to be outside in the cold, your cheeks get all flushed and so does your nose, and while they get cold you soon forget about it." He poked Cedar's nose lightly. "And snowball fights! I can't wait for snow." He sighed longingly, imagining the ground covered in the white blanket of snow. "When its snowing we have to play outside together, okay?" He asked eagerly. The subject of homework made him laugh because he agreed completely. "I know! Even for Charms we have to read boring things, it's so stupid." He sighed. "I didn't even know about magic before I came here, so it was a bit disappointing to find out you could make things float, but also had to write essays." He sighed, rolling his eyes. He was surprised to hear Cedar's parents thought he wasn't a good role model for... his sister? "Acacia is your sister, right? Will she be coming to school soon?" Jeong asked brightly. "So adorable, little first years." He said happily. "I still remember how tiny I was and how overwhelmed I was with everything." He smiled. " Good times, even if it was terrifying at the time."

 

[Cedar Dunn]

Cedar pulled a face, unable to hold back a laugh when Jeong booped his nose. "I think I'll stick to the indoors, I'm not such a fan of getting all cold and wet." He hesitated. "I could be convinced to join a snowball fight though. It might not be so bad with you." Jeong was always fun to hang around with, and there was something appealing about messing about with the other boy in the snow. He laughed at Jeong's comment about homework, nodding. "Right! Learning magic should be awesome, it sucks how much boring stuff's involved!" Thinking about Acacia here so soon was strange, and admittedly a little difficult. His parents had been talking about her strangely, and Cedar didn't know what to think. "Yeah, she's my little sister. She should be here next year. I dunno though. My parents keep going on about how she doesn't have any sense of discipline. I'm worried they're gonna send her to some weird private school or something. They don't think this place is strict enough, it sucks." Cedar laughed a little, listening to Jeong talk about first years. "Man, this place was so frightening in first year. Everyone looked so much older, and I was so sure they knew everything in the world about magic already, it's so weird being that old now."

 

[Jeong Mun]

Jeong's expression went from sulky at Cedar's insistence at staying indoors to bright and happy as he said it might not be too bad if it was with him. He clapped his hands in excitement. "Yes! You won't regret that, I'm like a champion at having fun in the snow. Or fun in general, to be honest." He said with a grin and a wink. He hoped Cedar would be up for having fun of more than one kind, as he wouldn't mind kissing the other boy in the snow or something. He wasn't quite sure if it would go that way, but he didn't think he'd mind.

He listened with interest to Cedar talk about his little sister, wondering why his parents were being so hard on him. He didn't know the specifics about his grades, but they couldn't be that bad. "If this place isn't strict enough, where are they sending her?" He asked, curiously. "I thought all schools were pretty much the same, and I wouldn't call this one 'not strict' anyway. Your parents sound kinda silly." He told him with a small shrug. He laughed when Cedar said he had been sure he knew everything about magic already. "Really? Imagine the opposite, though. Knowing nothing at all about magic." He snorted. "I spent most of my first year pretending I magic was just having a superpower, as I thought superheroes were way cooler than wizards."