Open With Experience

[Elliot Briar]

Open after Kiersten posts with Adorah

Elliot didn't have the chance to set aside a lot of time these days for getting out to Brightstone, but he'd made an effort for the weekend. Not only could he use the break, but it'd been too long since he and Adorah had gotten a chance to hang out properly. It didn't help that she'd also picked up her own prefect duties this year, and Elliot could commiserate how the extra responsibility piled up, especially during OWL year.

He was glad the weather was nice, Spring truly setting in, and he spent a moment just enjoying the fresh air in the park as he waited for Adorah to meet him. It'd been tempting to bring something to work on, and even as he sat there Elliot had to fight the urge to mentally organize something for the Wild Patch or the team, but for once Elliot was determined to just some time out with a friend and not work.

 

[Professor Adorah Zumwalt]

Adorah was glad to have a day to take off from studying and her prefect duties and just relax. She didn't know the last time she had focused on herself or even hung out with a friend that didn't have some other motive or task behind it. The Ravenclaw was excited to talk to Elliot for the first time in a while. Life gets busy, especially once you're a prefect, and some things just kind of take the back burner. She walked through the park and saw Elliot nearby. "Hey, Elliot! I'm glad we were able to meet," she greeted.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot smiled when Adorah joined him, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, glad the weather's warmed up again too," He added, tilting his head to wordless ask if Adorah wanted to walk with him through the park before tucking his hands in his pockets. "How's OWL year treating you so far? No meltdowns yet?" He asked, mostly kidding, though he knew he'd had a few close calls of his own last year.

 

[Professor Adorah Zumwalt]

Adorah followed Elliot at a strolling pace through the park and agreed that the weather was a nice addition to the weekend. She felt like it was easy to get stuck in the castle behind her books and not enjoy the fresh air the grounds offered. The Ravenclaw laughed a little when she heard the word meltdowns. "No, not quite yet," she started, smilling. "It's going okay. Definitely more responsibilities but I'm trying to just stay organized and not worry about things I cannot control," she added with a flourish of her hands. "How about you? You're in an exam free year!"

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot gave a huff of amusement when Adorah mentioned not having any breakdowns 'yet'. "Still early, but glad you're staying on top of it. It's easy to get overwhelmed." Most days, even without OWLs looming over his head, Elliot felt like he had to keep a running tally off all the things he needed to get done just to stay sane. He hoped Adorah was a bit better at coping with all the stress than he was and actually remembered to breathe without having to write it down on a planner. "That's smart, the prefect stuff's pretty knew, but it's not so bad once you get used to it. Though let me know if you have any questions, by the way," He said. He was still proud that Adorah had been picked as a prefect too. Honestly, he didn't know what her grades were like, but Elliot had always felt like she had a good head on her shoulders. "You say that, but I can't help but feel like it's just an extended run up to NEWTs now. But at least that gives me a lot of time to prepare. Especially since I've got Quidditch to worry about too," He said, resisting the urge to drag a weary hand down his face as he reminded himself about the upcoming game.

[sorry I'm slow RIP]

 

[Professor Adorah Zumwalt]

OOC: I'm always behind so no judgements.

Adorah was somewhat thankful to hear that she wasn't the only one struggling. She hoped it got easier after school or if it would be like this all the time for the rest of her life. That seemed like too much to handle. She probably could think of a million questions while she was doing prefect things, but they disappeared quickly after. However, one did keep popping up. "Actually, I do have one that you might be able to help with... how do you appear... authoratative?" She knew that wasn't the word she wanted, but it was the best way to describe her problem. "I'm short, and I'm not exactly a leader or anything. These first years are resilient and don't take me seriously." Elliot seemed to have that figured out even though he was more of a gentle soul in her mind. The idea of taking her NEWTs had not quite hit her yet since she had been so worried about OWLs for the past four years. The pressure seemed intense. "I guess it's a good thing to have an extra year, but then again, maybe it's a bad sign they want to give you two years just for those exams. And I will be cheering you on during the game as always!" Even if their houses played each other, Adorah liked to remain unbiased and support her friends that were putting in the effort and putting themselves at risk from those nasty bludgers.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot raised his eyebrows in polite interest when Adorah admitted she did actually have a question, though he immediately nodded in commiseration when he heard what it was. "I'm still trying to work that one out myself," He admitted, scratching at his cheek as he mulled it over. It felt exceptionally difficult to act as an authority figure with the Quidditch team. With his track record in games last year, Elliot didn't really feel like he had the skill to be allowed to be telling anyone what to do on the team and he felt like it showed when he spoke to them. But with the Wild Patch things were easier, and he liked to think that helped bleed over into his prefect duties. "I think it helps if you try to come across as like.. Reasonable? If you can remind yourself what you're saying to asking of the younger students is a fair request I feel like it helps you be able to talk more confidently. If that makes sense," He said with a shrug. "Maybe I'm just getting old, but I swear the younger kids are way more bold than I'd ever dare. So maybe don't let on if you're scared of them," He added with a laugh, remember the fight he broke up last year with Aonghas' little sister. He was certainly scared of them at times.

"It does feel like the exams are always hanging over our heads," Elliot said wearily, trying not to think about the NEWTs too much. He wasn't trying to get into any sort of crazy difficult ministry job at least, but Elliot still wanted to do as well as he could. "Thanks, I think we'll need it against Slytherin," He said with a smile.

 

[Professor Adorah Zumwalt]

Adorah nodded along as Elliot tried to provide her with advice. The problem was that she was one of the youngest of her family and was used to being told what to do. The only person she ever tried to order around was Juniper, and that ended fairly quickly because her sister was so hard headed. And her nieces and nephews were still young enough that it didn't quite matter. When the Hufflepuff commented on younger kids, she gave a half-hearted laugh. "Right? I would never do half the stuff they did. I think the biggest 'rule-breaking' thing I've ever done was sneak to the kitchens my first year. And I felt so bad about it," she giggled and sighed. She wasn't sure if she had met any that scared her yet, but that was very likely the more she patrolled.

Exam talk was beginning to stress Adorah out and she tried to slightly change the subject. "Yeah, but I guess they just want us to get good jobs, you know? Or at least show that we try? I don't know. I don't think muggles have it this hard." In all honestly, she didn't know how hard muggles had it, seeing as she was homeschooled her whole life. Her older siblings had attended school for a while, but most of them were taught by her mother once they were in high school.