5 replies to this topic

[Alistair Bauldaugh]

Dear Alistair,
I’m glad to hear that your schooling is going well, however I urge you to be very cautious while walking about the school while that large spider you mentioned is on the loose.
That aside, here is the music box you requested that I send you. It, of course, is a re-creation of the box you are used to seeing, but I made sure to include the specification you wished for.
I do hope this girl enjoys the gift.
Please write more often,
Father

Alistair tucked the note his father had sent along with his parcel into the pocket of his trousers. In his hands, the small box that had been owled to him was wrapped up. He had taken a quick peek, to make sure that it hadn’t been damaged during the delivery, but it seemed to be in perfect condition. Inside the box, the shiny white porcelain exterior of the egg-shaped gift had tiny painted gold designs of flowers. There was a line that could be seen all the way around the egg, which was where the top half was severed from the bottom. He had taken the top off to make sure that it worked well too. Indeed, inside was a tiny raven, which took flight as soon as a soft melody began to play. It flapped its wings as it flew just an inch or two above the half an egg. As soon as Alistair replaced the top half of the cold shell, the music stopped.

Yes, the music box was absolutely perfect. Carefully making his way from the owlery down toward where he thought the Ravenclaw common room was, Alistair began his search while thinking about the new trinket in his hands. He had been perplexed for weeks about what to give Cerri in return for the wonderful gifts she had given him. As the thought occurred, his hand moved protectively toward his pocket to feel the heavy metal pocket watch that rest there. He had been in the process of writing his father to ask his opinion when it occurred to him that he had a very nice possession that sat on the mantle at home. That particular music box had come from his father’s workplace, and played music from all around the world and had little dancers inside that danced to the music. He had always loved it, and thought Cerri would too. But he couldn’t dream of giving up something that wasn’t solely his, so he had asked his father if it would be possible to make this special one instead.

Pulling himself from his thoughts, Alistair looked about his surroundings. A heavy feeling descended upon him when he realized for the first time that afternoon that he was alone. Immediately, the image of a giant spider, twice the size of his frail body, leaping through the air at him came to mind and nearly made him drop the parcel. Worse than that, he heard something. It’s just another student he told himself. Maybe Cerri. A brief feeling of warmth spread through him at that thought. “Who’s th-there?” He questioned the noise. He hoped that someone rather than something would respond.

[Cerridwyn Glynn]

It was hard to keep Cerri sitting still, well unless she was reading or studying.  Sure she was a nose-in-book kind of person, but only to topics she was interested in.  As it had been, she had finished a bit of studying in her Common Room for one class she enjoyed only to have picked up her Herbology Text, stare blankly at it once or twice and finally close it as if her work was complete.  She had been cooped up in the Tower too long for her likings.  She needed to get out, take a walk, stare at a few paintings....something, anything to avoid Her Herbology work.

Walking through the halls, she had discovered a locked door.  Her wild curiosity had gotten the better of her.  Something important must have been behind the door, otherwise it wouldn't have been locked.  What was it?  Maybe that was the fountain that Toren had spoken about.  Maybe it did exist.  That had sparked a wild idea to her.  The day was relatively relaxed and most of the students were doing their own things.  Now was the time to investigate the boys bathroom as previously described by Toren.  Yes, yes, she had told Toren he was supossed to accompany her but the timing seemed so appropriate.  Right here and right now.

The Fourth Floor was amazingly quiet.  Cerri didn't think she had ventured here when it was empty.  Not that it was empty, there was just no one in her random line of sight.  Quietly she crept opening the door to the boy's lavoratory.  She could only hope no one was in there.  How scandalous it would be if she walked in on someone.  Honestly she had never seen a boy's room.  She could only guess it was laid out the same as the girls.  But as she walked in, it was immediately different that the room was, indeed, not the same.  Taking her hand away from her eyes as she entered the dreaded location of business, she was in luck...no one was here.  An immediate sigh of relief passed through her a little more relaxed now than a few minutes ago.  As she looked around the room had nothing but typical things...there was not a fountain at all within, unless you counted the sink or the great bath.  Somehow a fountain of youth harnessed by plumbing and architecture did not fit the idea of what it was supossed to be.  Slipping back out she decided she had best get on with her Herbology work.  It was probably safer than roaming the halls with a large spider on the loose.

Back up the staircase she ascended.  Cerri could not wait until she learned a more advanced version of levitate to keep from taking all those steps one after another after another.  That's when the thought occurred to her.  ~What if, since I can't levitate a person with the wand, I levitated an object that a person was standing on.~  The thought came and went.  Surely, that's been thought about before, right?  If it had why wasn't it in use.  She tapped a finger against invisible air.  Fueled with an idea to investigate, she increased the speed up the staircase to the tower.  She was headed to her Common Room and the dreaded Herbology Textbook that she haphazardly tossed aside on the satee.

Coming off the staircase there was a person roaming the halls.  Dressed in his usual Hufflepuff rainments, Cerri recognized the boy immediately as Alistair from behind.  His dark curls gave him away.  Alistair was holding something that had most of his attention, some sort of parcel.  She leaned in briefly to try and see more.  Just then she pulled back and hide behind the corner of the wall.  Alistair seemed to stop and look about, like he was being watched.  ~Of course.~  She rolled her eyes at her own moment.  Of course he felt like he was being watched, because he was.  Pulling free a simple coin, she tossed it, hoping to get his attention in another direction.  Whether he fell for the new noise or not didn't matter, she was all ready sneaking up behind him.

“Who’s th-there?” The boy asked as she was closing in behind him.
"Maybe it's Nearly Headless Nick."  She whispered hoping to get a rise from her friend.

[Alistair Bauldaugh]

Calm down this very instant! The small voice inside Alistair roared. Regardless of the noise coming from another person, that blasted spider, or a dragon, he was standing where he was and he had a very breakable item in his hands that he would not allow to be broken. Just then, a very quiet sound, much unlike that of Nearly Headless Nick, rang through the hall. But the fact that it was a voice and not a snarl made Alistair’s confidence level boost substantially. However, someone seemed to be wanting him to be convinced by their antics, and he really had nothing else to do until he found Cerri or someone who could lead him to them.

Holding the box firmly in his left hand, Alistair pulled out his wand. He desperately hoped that he wouldn’t need it. He also hoped that a professor didn’t come along. Magic wasn’t permitted in the corridors, even with the spider currently running loose. “Hello?” Alistair asked with more assertiveness in his voice. He looked about, unable to locate anyone. He decided to move toward where he thought the noise had come from. There was a secret stairwell hidden somewhere along this hallway, perhaps someone was hiding in there.

[Cerridwyn Glynn]

It couldn't be helped.  A loud childlike laugh came from the otherside of the corner, the hidden side.  Cerri was standing there.  She tried for an awfully long time to hold it all in, but like the popping of a balloon, once started she could not stop.  It was just too much to see Alistair standing there first bothered and curious and then scared and brandishing his wand as a line of defense.  At this point she was now leaning against the wall trying to gain her own composeur.

"Oh, oh.  I am so sorry.  I-, heh..."  Cerri started to speak before the image of him standing there with his wand out got the better of her.  She could just imagine his wide eyes and gapping mouth.  That's when the laughter bbegan again, but this time she was better suited to keep it at bay.  Cerri stuck out one of her arms beyond the sightline of the corner as if she were holding a white flag of surrender.
"Don't shoot.  Friendly spellcaster here."  She spoke between laughs before sticking her second hand out.  Slowly, a squinted face worried she would be hexed by her friend joined the two hands.

"Everything all right?"

[Alistair Bauldaugh]

Giggling… No, laughter! Whoever had been making noises about Alistair was now flat out laughing, no doubt at him. He tried desperately to push back the blush that was creeping onto his pale face. But almost the moment it began, Alistair was able to recognize the laughter. With a mixture of surprise, embarrassment, and joy Alistair shouted “Cerridwyn!” Though he was very happy that he had in fact found the person he had been searching for, he couldn’t help but realize that he looked ridiculous to her. Nothing out of the ordinary he told himself.

Swiftly, Alistair turned about until he saw Cerri revealing herself from around a corner. Grinning widely he responded, “Everything’s just fine.” He of course didn’t admit that it was all the better that Adrian was nowhere to be seen.

After a minute or so, with little else being said, the weight of the egg in his hand, which had been forgotten in his temporary panic, registered again. The boy felt rather silly as he tried to figure out how to say that what he was carrying was for her. He tried desperately to grasp the memory of when she had given him his gifts. He remembered that they were in a bag, which he has asked about. Darn it all, he didn’t have a bag! Too late to change that. Deciding that the only option that he had was to hand it over, he did so.

“This is for you,” He blurted out, holding out the box with his left hand while he tucked away his wand with the other. “I’m sorry it took so long.” He apologized.

[Daniella Cruz]

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