Annette Waters and the Bracelets of Devotion {HSHC} IC

[Esprit15]

Lauren takes her schedule and a plate of food, and quietly sits near some of the current Ravenclaw Quidditch players, comparing schedules. She had already planned her classes out, and even helped make sure she shared classes with some of her teammates who had trouble, so that they could work together.

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Skill (+1), Do Your Best (+2, +2 to all people using their strong roll), Practiced Grace (Auto 4)

I’d try to finagle Athletic, but I’m pretty sure that flying is a first year course, and the ability requires actually doing the activity, or just being tied to it

[Forum Explorer]

Hmm, if I skip on the first day, I wonder if I can convince my proffessor that I dropped out? Carmen muttered to herself as she read her schedule.

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I got nothing. Skill (weak roll -1)

[Zelphas]

Faith walks distractedly to the table after accepting her schedule, scanning over her list of subjects. With the O.W.L.s this year and plans for future careers coming up, she knew that even her (mostly excellent) grades would be tested, so she needed to be prepared. Healing seems like a productive field, and Alchemy is a requirement. I spoke about Alchemy with--no, focus on this now...

Spoiler: OOC

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+1 for Strong attribute, +2 for Do Your Best (thanks Lauren!), -2 for Thaw Out; +1 is my final bonus.

[Lentrax]

Lauren takes her schedule and a plate of food, and quietly sits near some of the current Ravenclaw Quidditch players, comparing schedules. She had already planned her classes out, and even helped make sure she shared classes with some of her teammates who had trouble, so that they could work together.

Spoiler

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Skill (+1), Do Your Best (+2, +2 to all people using their strong roll), Practiced Grace (Auto 4)

I’d try to finagle Athletic, but I’m pretty sure that flying is a first year course, and the ability requires actually doing the activity, or just being tied to it

Professor Flitwick, moving up and down the table, the top of his hat being the only real indicator where he is, finally gets to Lauren. He hands her a scroll of parchment, taps it with her wand, and then remarks, "Quite the list this year, mm? Trying to keep your options open for careers?"

At that moment, you hear a muttered, "Really? Divination? And in the morning? Uggh."

Risking a quick glance over toward the Gryffindor table, you see a slightly disgruntled, yet remarkable beautiful Annette holding her own piece of parchment. You look down and see that your own divination lessons, with Professor Firenze are right away in the mornings.

Faith walks distractedly to the table after accepting her schedule, scanning over her list of subjects. With the O.W.L.s this year and plans for future careers coming up, she knew that even her (mostly excellent) grades would be tested, so she needed to be prepared. Healing seems like a productive field, and Alchemy is a requirement. I spoke about Alchemy with--no, focus on this now...

Spoiler: OOC

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+1 for Strong attribute, +2 for Do Your Best (thanks Lauren!), -2 for Thaw Out; +1 is my final bonus.

"Alchemy? No, no. That is N.E.W.T. level here at Hogwarts, my dear," says Professor Flitwick. "Now, I do hope you are prepared for a rather difficult year. O.W.L prep is not easy."

Hmm, if I skip on the first day, I wonder if I can convince my proffessor that I dropped out? Carmen muttered to herself as she read her schedule.

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I got nothing. Skill (weak roll -1)

"Hah!" A voice guffaws next to you. You recognize the voice, a really annoying girl named Zelia. "You know you can't drop a subject until after O.W.L.s"

[Esprit15]

”Yeah, still not really sure where I want to go or what I want to do, so I’m just taking a bit of everything and seeing what sticks.” The girl’s ears perk up as she hears her crush’s voice. Looking around and seeing that class wasn’t particularly busy, with most students just comparing schedules, Lauren heads over to Annette’s table. ”Hey, sounds like we share a class or two.”

[Forum Explorer]

"Hah!" A voice guffaws next to you. You recognize the voice, a really annoying girl named Zelia. "You know you can't drop a subject until after O.W.L.s"

You're adorable, Carmen says, smiling as she ruffled Zelia's hair. But ya got a point. It's not the first day I should be skipping. The boring BS doesn't start until a week or two in.

[Zelphas]

Faith blinks up at Professor Flitwick in surprise. I did not know that Professor Flitwick was an accomplished Legilimens. Or was I inadvertently speaking aloud?

"Of course, Professor," She states calmly, choosing to ignore the slight pinkness on her cheeks.

[Lentrax]

”Yeah, still not really sure where I want to go or what I want to do, so I’m just taking a bit of everything and seeing what sticks.” The girl’s ears perk up as she hears her crush’s voice. Looking around and seeing that class wasn’t particularly busy, with most students just comparing schedules, Lauren heads over to Annette’s table. ”Hey, sounds like we share a class or two.”

Do we? Well, I can’t say that it bothers me. I mean, I got a tour over the summer, but I can’t say I know my way around all that well. Maybe since we share so many classes you can help me out for a while?

But before Lauren can answer, Professor Flitwick comes up to you again, pressing something hard into your hand.

“Oh, Miss Taylor! I almost forgot! Coleridge and his family have moved to Hong Kong. Which means that this,” You look down and see the blue embossed Ravenclaw Quidditch Team Captain’s badge in your hand. “Is yours now.”

You're adorable, Carmen says, smiling as she ruffled Zelia's hair. But ya got a point. It's not the first day I should be skipping. The boring BS doesn't start until a week or two in.

Zelia mumbles something as you ruffle her hair. You think it sounds like, “I’m older than you are,” but you can’t make it out.

Faith blinks up at Professor Flitwick in surprise. I did not know that Professor Flitwick was an accomplished Legilimens. Or was I inadvertently speaking aloud?

"Of course, Professor," She states calmly, choosing to ignore the slight pinkness on her cheeks.

“Oh, not a problem at all. I know how so many, as they get along in their coursework start to think about how to make money. And with alchemy, you literally do, make money. There is at least one other student interested in the subject, and I think with at least one or two more, we can persuade someone to teach it next year. Well, I must be getting on, I have a first year charms class to get ready for!”

And with that, Flitwick vanishes in the crowd. But you hear his voice over the general din of students, “Oh, and you should remember to congratulate Miss Taylor! She’s the newest Quidditch Captain!”

[Esprit15]

”Yeah I-“ is about all the girl can manage before being interrupted. As the badge is shoved into her hands, the most that Lauren can stammer our is “I’m the- no, this is a joke, right? I’m not really the most senior player, am I?”

[Lentrax]

“Perhaps not,” Flitwick squeaked. “But I am hardly going to name a Beater as our Captain, am I? No, I think you’re the girl for the job. So, the team is yours. Good luck!”

Spoiler: Ravenclaw Quidditch

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The current members of the Quidditch team are:

Keeper: Henry Valda, Fourth year.
Chaser: Lauren Taylor, Fifth year.
Chaser: Samantha Greenwich, Third year.
Chaser: Open.
Beater: Amanda Cumberland, Sixth year.
Beater: Open.
Seeker: Open.

[Forum Explorer]

Carmen dismissed Zelia from her mind, and walked away from the breakfast table. If she was going to bother with her classes today she might as well get there early. Her hand began drumming against her leg as she walked, a familiar restlessness building in her bones.

[Esprit15]

”Well... did not expect that kind of responsibility this semester... alright. Well, we’ve got some holes to fill, guess I’m going to be scouting out new talent these coming weeks.” Despite the optimistic words, Lauren’s tone clearly carries nervousness at the new responsibility. “Are you much of a Quidditch player, Annette?”

[Zelphas]

Faith internally notes Flitwick's comment on "at least one other student" interested in Alchemy. Hmm... this may be worth developing.

She nods politely to Flitwick again as he leaves, looking over to spot Lauren in the crowd. Finally, she catches sight of the other Ravenclaw... sitting next to Annette. ...I will have another class with her; she is in my year, after all. I can speak with her then, Faith quietly decides, slowly finishing up her breakfast.

[Lentrax]

Carmen dismissed Zelia from her mind, and walked away from the breakfast table. If she was going to bother with her classes today she might as well get there early. Her hand began drumming against her leg as she walked, a familiar restlessness building in her bones.

Carmen begins heading out into the castle. As usual, there are whispers and pointed looks cast her way by those who think they know anything about the strange girl.

”Well... did not expect that kind of responsibility this semester... alright. Well, we’ve got some holes to fill, guess I’m going to be scouting out new talent these coming weeks.” Despite the optimistic words, Lauren’s tone clearly carries nervousness at the new responsibility. “Are you much of a Quidditch player, Annette?”

Me? Not really. I mean, I used to play with some other kids when I was younger, but I was never really that good....

Faith internally notes Flitwick's comment on "at least one other student" interested in Alchemy. Hmm... this may be worth developing.

She nods politely to Flitwick again as he leaves, looking over to spot Lauren in the crowd. Finally, she catches sight of the other Ravenclaw... sitting next to Annette. ...I will have another class with her; she is in my year, after all. I can speak with her then, Faith quietly decides, slowly finishing up her breakfast.

Faith finishes eating, and seeing that the time was getting on, decides to head toward her first class for the day.


And so the day goes, some classes you are sharing with Annette, some you don't, but the one where you all find yourselves in the same room with her again is toward the end of the day, when you are listening to Professor Binns, who unsurprisingly, just continues his History of Magic Lessons from where he left you off last year. After about three minutes, you see that half of the class has fallen asleep due to his monotonous voice, half of those that are left are doodling or passing notes, or just keeping themselves awake by any means possible.

And then, there is Annette. She seems to be one of the few who is actually unfazed by the droning voice of Professor Binns and is paying attention to his topic for today, the Goblin Insurrection of 1307.

Spoiler: Scene 7

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Get Annette's attention, and stay out of trouble. This is an Opposed Allure roll, Highest total gains 3 VP.

[Esprit15]

The only way Lauren would likely be able to get her attention is to stay out of trouble, so the girl does just that - studiously take notes for class.

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Allure, no modifiers

[Zelphas]

Growing up in a Muggle household, Faith actually had a natural interest in History of Magic, even if Professor Binns was severely... lacking in presence. Despite his lackluster teaching style and his utter inability to deviate from his set patterns, there was one aspect of teaching in which Professor Binns excelled: he was a living (or rather, a once-living) history textbook, having memorized his dates and times so thoroughly that his notes were nothing more than a formality at this point.

Accordingly, Faith attempts to take advantage of that encyclopedic knowledge when she can. She takes careful notes and generally keeps her head down, but occasionally when Professor Binns pauses between paragraphs of droning text she softly interjects with a brief clarification question, always on the point at hand. If Professor Binns simply doesn't notice her questions or ignores them, she is unperturbed; she jots down the question at that point in her notes to look into later and continues with her diligent note-taking. Having spent four years prior to this in Professor Binns' class, she knows that he would rarely respond to questions, but he did seem gratified when a student showed a genuine interest in his subject, and Faith tries to build that storehouse of gratitude when she can.

Spoiler: OOC

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Allure; +2 for Thaw Out (after this, Thaw Out ends).

Attempting to activate Connections, suggesting that Faith has been quietly asking for clarification and generally showing an interest in Professor Binns' classes for most of her prior Hogwarts career, and so his more expansive answers to her questions are able to (very slightly) liven up the class and paint Faith in a good light.

If Connections activates, total of +4 to the roll; if not, total of +2 to the roll.

[Forum Explorer]

Carmen was sleeping in class. As a matter of fact, she had completely slept through her own History of Magic class, and was technically not supposed to be there at all. Still no one bothered her in her corner, an enchanted quill dutififully taking down an abridged version of Biggs lecture as she slept.

Spoiler: OOC

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Allure, no modifiers.

[Lentrax]

The only way Lauren would likely be able to get her attention is to stay out of trouble, so the girl does just that - studiously take notes for class.

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Allure, no modifiers

Even though Annette wasn't that far away, Lauren decided to play it safe and take notes. Which means that, while she didn't catch Annette's attention, she at least has a good chance of passing this section of her History of Magic OWL if it comes up during the exam...

But! It doesn't take long, before she is surrounded by the other Ravenclaws. And they all have only one question on their minds When are the Quidditch tryouts?

Carmen was sleeping in class. As a matter of fact, she had completely slept through her own History of Magic class, and was technically not supposed to be there at all. Still no one bothered her in her corner, an enchanted quill dutififully taking down an abridged version of Biggs lecture as she slept.

Spoiler: OOC

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Allure, no modifiers.

The two hours pass by so slowly, and you awaken feeling incredibly refreshed... and completely alone. Apparently, no one bothered to wake you up, and you didn't hear the bell toll to mark the end of the class.

Growing up in a Muggle household, Faith actually had a natural interest in History of Magic, even if Professor Binns was severely... lacking in presence. Despite his lackluster teaching style and his utter inability to deviate from his set patterns, there was one aspect of teaching in which Professor Binns excelled: he was a living (or rather, a once-living) history textbook, having memorized his dates and times so thoroughly that his notes were nothing more than a formality at this point.

Accordingly, Faith attempts to take advantage of that encyclopedic knowledge when she can. She takes careful notes and generally keeps her head down, but occasionally when Professor Binns pauses between paragraphs of droning text she softly interjects with a brief clarification question, always on the point at hand. If Professor Binns simply doesn't notice her questions or ignores them, she is unperturbed; she jots down the question at that point in her notes to look into later and continues with her diligent note-taking. Having spent four years prior to this in Professor Binns' class, she knows that he would rarely respond to questions, but he did seem gratified when a student showed a genuine interest in his subject, and Faith tries to build that storehouse of gratitude when she can.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Allure; +2 for Thaw Out (after this, Thaw Out ends).

Attempting to activate Connections, suggesting that Faith has been quietly asking for clarification and generally showing an interest in Professor Binns' classes for most of her prior Hogwarts career, and so his more expansive answers to her questions are able to (very slightly) liven up the class and paint Faith in a good light.

If Connections activates, total of +4 to the roll; if not, total of +2 to the roll.

Faith, dutifully taking notes, is amazed, as always, by the history of the Wizarding World, and the lengths they have gone through since they started having to disappear from the eyes of their fellow humans. It was sometime in the second hour of the class, right after Professor Binns answered a question you had about why one of the thirteen Mugwumps of the European Philosopher's Society would have disputed the opinion of the other Mugwumps about the cause of the goblins' claims of unfairness, that it happened. A parchment flower, a lily of some kind, you think, floats into your lap. When you pick it up, it begins to unfold itself into a note written with a neat hand.

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Never pegged you for a history nerd. Nothing wrong with that, but I mean, c'mon, this stuff is so ancient, it doesn't even matter anymore. But then again, from what Ive seen, you're busting your ass in every class. Why? It's the first day, is it really worth it to try so hard already?

Annette.

P.S. If you want to reply, wipe the letter with your wand, write it down, and then give it a tap on the star in the corner while you say my name.

Looking at the parchment, you do indeed see a little star that looks almost like a doodle drawn with a color changing ink. As you look at it, it pulses, and shifts color as it draws in on itself and then expands out again, this time in a different pattern.

[Esprit15]

With a sigh, Lauren closes her book, mentally playing forward what she wanted to say. ”This Saturday - when there are no classes and so we have plenty of time and nobody feels rushed. I want to be able to judge everyone at their best,” Lauren says to the small crowd of black cloaks with blue badges. “So rest up Friday night. Tryouts will start first thing in the morning. For those who are seriously interested, practices will start after last class next Monday, so plan accordingly. I don’t want to take on someone who seems talented but won’t be able to handle balancing classes and immediately getting to practice after that.”

[Zelphas]

Faith pauses from her careful notes to examine the lily appearing before her. Her lips twitch, once, as she takes out her wand and quietly wipes the paper. Surreptitiously placing the paper over her notes as though it were a loose sheet of parchment, she bends her head to write once more.

Spoiler: Faith's reply

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Certainly it doesn't matter anymore to most witches and wizards, but many goblins still hold grudges from the rebellions. A goblin enemy is a long-lived foe, one I would prefer not to face.

The O.W.L.s are this year, and one's career choices depend almost entirely upon one's O.W.L. scores in Hogwarts, it seems. Besides which, I have a--

Faith pauses for a moment, then shakes her head.

Spoiler: Faith's reply (continued)

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I have a enjoy learning; I am a Ravenclaw, after all. And what better place to learn than in class?

Faith

[Forum Explorer]

Carmen stretches her arms and yawns. She glances at the time. Huh. Well I guess I'm skipping today after all. she said, shrugging. She wandered from the classroom, and began to head off.

[Lentrax]

With a sigh, Lauren closes her book, mentally playing forward what she wanted to say. ”This Saturday - when there are no classes and so we have plenty of time and nobody feels rushed. I want to be able to judge everyone at their best,” Lauren says to the small crowd of black cloaks with blue badges. “So rest up Friday night. Tryouts will start first thing in the morning. For those who are seriously interested, practices will start after last class next Monday, so plan accordingly. I don’t want to take on someone who seems talented but won’t be able to handle balancing classes and immediately getting to practice after that.”

"All right, Lauren. We'll hold you to that!"

Faith pauses from her careful notes to examine the lily appearing before her. Her lips twitch, once, as she takes out her wand and quietly wipes the paper. Surreptitiously placing the paper over her notes as though it were a loose sheet of parchment, she bends her head to write once more.

Spoiler: Faith's reply

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Certainly it doesn't matter anymore to most witches and wizards, but many goblins still hold grudges from the rebellions. A goblin enemy is a long-lived foe, one I would prefer not to face.

The O.W.L.s are this year, and one's career choices depend almost entirely upon one's O.W.L. scores in Hogwarts, it seems. Besides which, I have a--

Faith pauses for a moment, then shakes her head.

Spoiler: Faith's reply (continued)

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I have a enjoy learning; I am a Ravenclaw, after all. And what better place to learn than in class?

Faith

The letter floats off, and you wonder if anyone is noticing it making its way back through the air. Or if they even care... It is History of Magic, after all, the class is practically famous for your ability to do pretty much anything so long as no one else comes into the room.

Which is why, after another few minutes, yet another lily lands in Faith's lap.

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You can't start a sentence like that and then just cross it out! You have a what? A condition? A disability that prevents you from not studying everything in front of you?

[Zelphas]

Faith shakes her head again, this time in mild annoyance. She considers for a long moment, then wipes the paper and begins to write.

Spoiler: A What?

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It was a mental slip. I had a name to uphold. Not anymore.