Get Over It

[Rea Fines]

It was about time things in the castle stopped being so weird, or so that was the mindset that Rea was in at the moment. She was moving through the castle with a purposeful expression on her face. She was up and about an hour early this morning, which meant that she was up at the same time that people from other houses would normally get up. Unsurprisingly; she didnt see any other Emerindyl students out and about and so when she entered the Giolden Hall she found the table that ran the length of the Golden Hall, beneath the Emeral Green flags; to be quite empty and void of attention from any of the other students whom had gathered and were now enjoying their breakfasts while they waited for whatever the day had in store for them.

Rea came to the Emerindyl table with a thoughtful mind and an even more thoughtful expression about her. Today they had classes, just like any other day of the week, though today things would have to start being different again. It had been a week and a bit since Finnias Mark had died, and while she thought it was appropriate to be respectfully solemn, she thought things were going a little bit far at this point and some people just needed to ease up and let life wash over them again. They had all spent far too much time thinking about the alternative to the point where even Rea had stopped wanting to talk to people because she was afraid of what they might be interested in talking about.

Another interesting topic of discussion that she was also eager to steer clear from was accusations. She had already heard the rumours of Jay Rastan's involvement in the murder; flying around the school. She would not adhere to the rules of gossip. She was not interested in it in the slightest... even if she did think Jay was a little odd.

[Mariana Torrenne]

Mariana had been sitting at the Saphricorn table waiting for this moment all morning. It was true that she too had heard some rumours circulating about certain suspects surrounding the murder that had occurred in the school a week ago. While Mariana had chosen not to discuss the subject, there were certain things she could not accept, as a Saphricorn and one of those were the topic of one of her own housemates being suspected. Not Just that, but she had a vested interest in this particular suspect and she was eager to find out who was starting such ghastly rumours.

She had been waiting for an Emerindyl because she had found that the rumours had started there. She was more then a little hurt but knew she really could not expect much else. Rumours weren’t really a Ruberagon thing, unless they were designed purely to hurt someone, and while this did, it seemed more like gossip then anything else. Ameraid’s would not touch a rumour such as this one; while they would be interesting in finding out who was the cause of this act of horror; they would probably have better and faster ways of finding out something about someone without resorting to rumours.

This left the Emerindyl house. Talking as they did, pushing the blame onto someone else as usual. Mariana would not accept it of anyone in the Saphricorn house and thought that if anyone wanted to be talking about a friend of hers in the fashion of accusing them of such an evil crime, then she would want to find out who was saying it and let them know it might be prudent to keep their fat mouths shut.

“Good morning,” she said in a serious fashion as she came to sit across from Rea at the Emerindyl table. It was not unheard of that a Saphricorn would eat with an Emerindyl, but no food appeared in front of her when she sat down. She had chosen to target Rea as she had noticed how the girl had been moving around the castle as if she had had enough of everyone’s mourning. Why was she so ready to pass off a murder, and draw attention from it? It was a big deal after all.

[Rea Fines]

Rea understood a gaze of purpose when she saw it and so understood that Mariana obviously had something to say to her and so stopped to greet her with as nice a smile as she could muster. She couldn’t help but feel that she had just been ambushed; even if it had only been by one Saphricorn; it was an ambush none the less. She could smell it. Rea did not let this deter her from her breakfast though.

The food that appeared around her was wholesome and warm, like anything she would be eating any other time of the year; a time of mourning should not be about ruining your twelve-week diet and so she would continue as if nothing happened. She smiled at the Saphricorn even though it was quite apparent that the occasion did not call for it in the slightest.

“Hi there!” she smiled at the girl serenely, she was a rather plain looking Saphricorn, but then how many of them were anything else. That was not the point though, the look this girl was giving her was unwelcome, and Rea would only retort if she felt it necessary. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe we have met?”

She wondered how the discussion would launch, though Rea did also not plan to let her meal go cold and so grabbed a piece of wholemeal bread and spread avocado across it while she waited for the Saphricorn to respond.

[Mariana Torrenne]

’Hi There?’ how dare she think she can talk Mariana as if they were friends, if what Mariana believed was true; was in fact the case, then the two girls were far from being friends. She looked across at the Emerindyl and decided at once that she was a very rude girl, the way she just began to maul her food while Mariana was clearly standing in front of her waiting to have a serious discussion.

The very nerve of it.

“Hi,” Mariana replied to her, though the greeting was a lot more formal sounding and she did not want her to think for a moment that she was anything less then serious. She leant onto the table in front of her, clasping her hands together. She looked a lot like the policemen she had seen in movies; sitting there with a perp she was about to interrogate.

From what she had heard, and from all the watching she had been doing since she first heard that ghastly rumour flying around the manor; Mariana had believed that Rea Fines was the origin of it all. She was planning initially to ease into the conversation and hopefully get a confession from her.

All of this had changed when she finally laid eyes on her target, her breathing became heavier and she felt ready to pounce, “So…” she began her strength failing her just a little bit, “What’s new?”

[Rea Fines]

Rea had the distinct feeling something was going down right here and now, Mariana seemed to want to talk business though Rea was not interested in doing so if this meant her meal would be interrupted. She thought Mariana would have gotten to the point, though was a little disappointed when she came to realise Mariana was not as upfront as she first appeared to be.

“A lot of stuff is new,” she smiled sweetly, “The day is new, the air is new… smelling, the food is new also, and if you don’t mind, I would like to continue eating it before it gets old,” she didn’t mean to sound catty which was why she proceeded to smile throughout the whole transaction. She was not going to help Mariana along at all; it would be the Saphricorn’s responsibility to get on with the point of this apparent interrogation.

“Are you not eating this morning?” Rea asked her as she took in the girls apparently plump figure. It was surprising that even though she was obviously trying to intimidate her, she expected someone of that size to be eating even now. “It’s all quite fresh still,” she smiled as she spread a slice of toast with some honey and ripped it off to proceed eating it politely.

A second glass appeared, this one had a breakfast juice in it unlike the one that was already by her plate, she drank from it before continuing, “And what is new with you this morning?”

[Mariana Torrenne]

“No I don’t mind at all,” were the words that sprouted from her lips, though her mind was saying something quite different, ‘How dare she! That horrid little rat of a girl, how I would like to stick my wand through your eye just to prove a point!’ she smirked slightly realising her pun and had almost forgotten for a moment that she had used her minds voice to say it, and not her out-loud voice.

“Enjoy your meal, you never know when it might be your last,” Mariana said to her, though she squeezed her eyes shut in a shuddering motion. Why had she said that? It was not funny in the slightest, and she didn’t mean anything by it, only that if she found out Rea was behind the rumours she might lock her jaws shut which would render her capacity to eat… incapacitated.

“That came out wrong,” she said, deciding she had better correct herself before the rumours started being directed at her, “What I meant was, you never know when someone might need to shut you up for telling lies and spreading rumours,” again she knew this was not quite the right thing to say in her out-loud voice and she winced again, ‘what are you doing? You stupid girl,’ right before thinking, ‘Why did that insult come in the form of my mothers voice?’

She decided that at this moment she might want to be quite clear with Rea, rather then making it sound like she was going to murder her… which she wasn’t at all, she had no intentions on doing it in the slightest. “What I mean to declare,” she started deciding her words before she let them out this time, “Is that I am a little upset about the rumours flying around at the moment about Jay Rastan, and when I find out who started them, I am going to have to teach them the pain of hunger, as by the time I am finished with them, their mouths will be incapable of the act of speaking, which by relation will also stop them from eating,”

She didn’t know why her conversation was always leading back to food… she blamed it on their setting.

[Rea Fines]

“Are you for real?” Rea said as she lowered her spoon and looked up at the fat little potato nosed git threatening her. She knew that was what was meant by it, despite what the Saphricorn might thing, there was no one lower then she and her house when it came to a scale of intelligence. Rea merely stared at her listening intently a thousand thoughts going through her head. She wasn’t sure whether she might want her wand in her hand before she began her rebuttal. She became suddenly aware that there were none of her friends around, though she was quite adept in defensive spells, she still had not mastered a decent disarming hex.

Rea sat back on her chair looking up at Mariana and thinking it might be best to fight her with words, she didn’t need to pull her wand out unless things got out of hand, which she was sure they wouldn’t. She did wish one of her friends would approach them though. If for nothing else, she could certainly use the moral support.

“For starters… you” Rea said finding that she was unable to recall the name of this ugly little troll. “I don’t even know you, which means you don’t even know me, which means you don’t know what I am and am not capable of, which means you have no grounds to accuse me of starting anything, secondly, every rumopur has a basis of truth in it, if it didn’t, then no one would find it plausible, so for the moment, I have no issues with believing them and charging around the school like a hag out of hell is not going to endear your little murder happy friend in anyone’s eyes,”

Rea was glaring at ugly little Saphricorn.

[Lara Watt]

Lara had just been minding her business on her way to breakfast over an hour ago when the heavens had decided to just open up and pour down, and before she could even react to cast as impervious charm to keep her dry, she was drenched. So after returning to her cabin, changing, re-straightening her hair magically she was now on her way again to breakfast, which a impervious charm cast just in case of a repeat performance. Even after all this hassle she had thought she would probably, as per usual, be the only Emerindyl up this early, but as she walked into the Golden Hall her eyes automatically scanned her house table and notice Rea sitting there with a Saphricorn.

’Strange’ Lara thought to herself with a shrug as she made her way over to the pair of girls sitting there. As she approached she heard the last sentence out of her Fellow Emerindyl housemate’s mouth, quirking an eyebrow as she sat down at the table she immediately reached for a plate and bowl and started to look through the everyday options to see if there was anything special or different to usual.

“Morning” She said in a open greeting to both girls, before reaching to her left for a few pieces of fruit to start on. It still amazed many of her housemates or anyone she ate with just house much food she could put away and still look on the thin side of body shapes, she had always been this way, eat heaps and never gain anything due to burning all the energy off.

“Don’t believe I know your name. I’m Lara. Lara Watt” She said with a nod and small smile to the Saphricorn girl, still unsure why she was sitting at the almost completely empty Emerindyl table when the Saphricorn table had many house members and was in its usual loud swing of things at meal times.

Taking a dainty bite out of her juicy red apple, she looked at the two girls who seemed to have less than friendly looks on their faces as they regarded each other. Waiting for a few moments for the tension to ease from the situation, but seeing as it didn’t seem like it would anytime soon. Lara took the only plausible action she could think of at the moment and decided to join in on the conversation, so she turned slightly to face Rea and the Saphricorn.

‘Who are we calling murder happy this early in the morning?”

[Rea Fines]

“She just threatened me,” Rea told the older Emerindyl girl. She didn’t know a lot about Lara Watt though Rea and Elouise were the best of friends and she had heard some things about Lara that made her seem to be a decent enough sort of person. That with the added news that Lara was on the Emerindyl Quidditch team this year lead her to believe that she had to be a fairly good support link to have, especially when someone from another house was threatening you, even if their threats sounded like verbal vomit.

“We’re talking about Jay Rastan,” Rea spat with dislike. She didn’t have anything against the boy personally, though she had heard the rumours just like anyone else, and she could not help but feel there must be some basis of truth in them. He had been one of the first to show up back at the castle after the duelling, or so that is what she heard. And a lot of people had been so surprised to see that he had not enrolled to perform in the duelling competition; he was always strutting around the castle trying to prove his worth, the competition would have been a brilliant way to do it.

And even if he didn’t want to perform because he was against the idea as his non-pure-blooded friends could not come to the venue, then why did he simply not show up at all and go to the three broomsticks with the rest of them. From what she had heard Mariana had been at the three broomsticks, and the two seemed almost inseparable until recently.

But then Rea had heard something else that she found interesting. Mariana had left the three broomsticks early. She had over heard some Ameraid’s saying that Mariana should have witnessed something surely for she had left the three broomsticks with the story that she had forgotten her farming duties in Saphricorn common. That had to be a lie. What Saphricorn shirked their duties when animals were involved. Especially when it came to feeding them.

And now Mariana was standing in front of her threatening to shut her up if she did not stop telling people Jay Rastan had something to do with the murders. Obviously she didn’t want anyone to hear the way she was speaking with Rea because if she had then others would be putting two and two together just as Rea was doing now. Mariana was not only protecting Jay Rastan because she liked him, it was because she was an accomplice. Rea had to tell someone.

“I’m warning you Saphricorn, you are now outnumbered,” Rea said to her as she stood quickly drawing her wand on Mariana. She knew now that Mariana had to have been an accomplice to the murder. There was no other explanation for her disappearance at the three broomsticks. No one had seen her since the following day, and now she was threatening bodily harm to anyone who mentioned rumours about Jay being the murderer.

“Stay back, I know what you did, you helped him didn’t you,” Rea said as she held her wand firmly. “I am going to tell someone,” she said as he eyes narrowed. Should she do it? Should she? Perhaps she should, “Stupefy!” she chanted as a red light shot from her wand;

[Lara Watt]

Lara couldn’t help but choke on a bite of her apple and snort in laughter when she heard Jay Rastan’s name mentioned. Obviously Rea and Mariana meant some other Jay Rastan, not the somewhat strange Saphricorn boy she had known growing up. The boy who brought her flowers when her pet mouse ran away when she was seven, of course he had grown up and they had grown apart a little but the mere idea of Jay Rastan killing someone made Lara wonder what the world was coming to. Chewing quickly and swallowing, all the while remember her perfect table manners, she looked between the two with a quirked eyebrow.

But before she could say a word edgewise Rea went on warning the Saphricorn that she was out numbered, while Lara thought before finishing breakfast was too early to be duelling, if the Saphricorn girl pulled her wand first then Lara would be forced to back up her Emerindyl housemate. But it seemed Rea was faster on the draw or perhaps just a bit paranoid because the red beam shot from her wand towards the other girl. Lara stood up, her own wand sliding from its holster on her forearm and into her waiting hand, prepared to revive the girl need be as the red beam was moving to her in what seemed like slow motion.

“Rea, Jay Rastan wouldn’t hurt a crup. He is a little peculiar at times but my Jay wouldn’t hurt an animal let alone another human. I grew up with him, I know him like I know myself” Lara said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, her wand was idle in her hand as she waited. “So I doubt this girl help him because I refuse to believe he did it, maybe she does know something though.”

Lara didn’t know why but even a silly rumour like this she felt she should try to dispel for the sake of her old friend. She would deal with it later but now she was currently a little more worried about why it seemed like out of the blue she was firing a stunning spell off at the Saphricorn girl.

[Mariana Torrenne]

((Wow, I guess I wwasnt the only one to take a break after deathly Hallows))

Mariana stood back with her arms crossed, It had been true, she had threatened this girl, but could anyone blame her? Rumours like the ones circulatting about Jay Rastan were permenantly damaging to someone. It was one thing to talk about someone being with a person behind someone elses back, and even something laughable to mention someone being the possible theif of something petty, but to tell rumours about someone being a murderer... that was just dispicable and Mariana for one would not so readily back down when it came to discussions on the part.

She was pleased ot see that Lara, at least, appeared to be on Jay's side. Mariana would have admitted intimately that she had expected this Emerindyl to come to Rea's defense, sticking with ones house as was normal for all houses. But then at the same time, she didnt really appear to be sticking up for Jay as much as she was more laughing at the joke of it all. Mariana was slightly indignant about the whole thing, but for the most part seeing Jay had another ally was enough for her.

She looked at Lara and then to Rea, "Remember what I said Emerindyl," she was still glaring at her, and it might not have been the smartest thing to do with such company around, but it was certainly something she felt was neccessary, "I will not tolerate you telling evil lies about my friends or anyone else who does not deserve it, you lay off Jay Rastan, and you tell anyone who likes spreading your foul little lies to do the same,"

She didnt even walk off. Mariana was one to stand her ground. She maintained her level gaze.

[Lara Watt]

((Considering Mariana didn’t mention the stunner that was shot at her, I’ll just say it was a missed shot then? I haven't even read that book yet- I'm boycotting it.))

Lara was more than a little relieved to watch the stunner shoot over the Saphricorn’s shoulder. That would have been an interesting but problematic situation to explain given the stats of the trio, two Emerindyl students and what would have been an out cold Saphricorn student.

“Heh, lay off Jay Rastan..Heh. Don’t think he would mind being laid on..” Lara said chuckling to herself finding it all very amusing before looking at the other two girls and sobering slightly. “Oh, um, I take it that it’s too early for dirty jokes then...?”

If she hadn’t been too busy trying to lessen the tension that was surrounding them she would have kicked herself for being so crude in such mixed company. The thought passed her by as she returned her thoughts to the situation at hand.

“You know it was probably just some little Ruberagon second years trying to start a little trouble at the worse time, ever think of that? I mean, following a rumour down the line to its original source is never reliable, nobody will admit they started it and could just pick a name out of the blue or name someone who just walked pass them.” Lara said, with a shrug, lifting her apple to her mouth and taking another small bite.

On later reviewal on the situation, Lara would laugh herself silly at the picture they presented, three students with their wands drawn, one of them with a wand in one and a apple in the other having just made a failure of a low brow joke, two glaring at each other with wands in hands. Quite the photo friendly picture of what a poor combination of short fuses and early mornings could equate to in the Halls of Koalingo.

“And now I think of it, when it all boils down and is proven to be false, just like a tonne of the rumours floating around at the moment, I wouldn’t want to be the other everyone was talking about making false accusations and threats over something as trivial as a simple misunderstanding. I doubt anyone would,” Lara said, looking at Mariana in a knowing way, while she may not know the girl she had to at least appreciate the way she was standing up for Jay and what she believed to be right, even though bravery and confrontation weren’t exactly Saphricorn house’s most publicised character traits.

That as well as she decided being the oldest she should probably put a stop to all this silly she said, she said rubbish before it gained more of an audience or attention than it already had.

“Now has everyone said what they wanted to say or is there more?”

Lara looked between them both with an almost warning looking, daring them to start the argument or snide comments back up again. It was at these times Lara felt as if she should perhaps look into sleeping in and being late like a lot of the other Emerindyl’s, they tended to avoid this sort of drama most of the time.

[Prof. Charlotte Mandelstein]

((I am guessing it is more that Mariana is not playing close enough attention to her fellow roleplayers, Miss Torrenne, please pay more attention from this point forward, Or I will be forced to sight you for mis-posting))

“Miss Fines!” came a shout from the opposing end of the hall where the entrance doors stood currently wide open. In marched a hassled looking teacher with a look of pure fury present on her face. Professor Mandlestein rarely got angry with her students, but dueling in the dining room, in open public where younger students were easily influenced. She would not accept this, especially from a sixth year. And was that a seventh year standing there as well, this was very clearly a case of two Emerindyl students picking on a Saphricorn.

She never thought she would see such a thing.

“What is the meaning of this?” she demanded of the girls as she approached. Her voice had reached an unnaturally high pitch as she barked this question at the three of them. The few students that had already been watching this little altercation had doubled instantly at the sight of the professor shouting. She didn’t like people who looked on when others were getting in trouble, but then at the same time, she could not blame them for being curious, even if some of their motives were slightly more sinister.

Her thoughts drifted momentarily to the Ruberagon table.

“I trust the three of you are quite aware of the school rule against dueling in the school without it being a subject of learning overlooked by a professor,” she demanded of them. It was not so much of a question as it was a statement. The girls had all been in the school for over half a decade, so it would have been folly for one of them to try to say they did not know of such a rule. Professor Mandlestein sidled up to Mariana as if reinforcing her defense. The girl had not attempted to curse the Emerindyl’s back, which lead her to believe the Emerindyl’s alone were responsible for the bullying.

“Never, In all the time that I have taught at Koalingo, would I have thought I would witness Emerindyl students ganging up on a Saphricorn,” she thought she would let out a little of her fury at the matter before she gave any of the girls a chance to respond. Normally she was a rather nice teacher, and she didn’t expect that any one of the girls would have an issue with her before this moment. And so when she asked for it, she expected truthful answers.

“Well? What have you to say for yourselves?”

[Lara Watt]

Having bit into her apple for the last bite while the teacher began her tirade, held up her index finger in the universal sign of ‘won't be a moment’ while she chewed down the bite, tilting her head to the left slightly looking at the Herbology teacher while she formulated her answer and put her wand back in her pocket. Picking up a napkin from the table and placing down the core, she gently dabbed at the corners of her mouth before placing it down on the table top.

“By definition isn’t duelling at Koalingo constituted as two consenting parties, exchanging defensive and offensive spells as learning in the curriculum and also as a way of formal challenging between students, which is forbidden in the hallways and without a teacher to oversee the match? Or am I wrong?” Lara said, not intending to be a smart alec but rather just curious to exactly when the rules in the student guidelines had changed. She had been bored one afternoon so she decided to read it from front cover to back. Twice.

Lara for the life of her couldn’t figure out how the teacher deducted they were in the wrong automatically from what could be seen. Sure there were two Emerindyl’s, both had wands out, and to be technical one of them had fired off a stunner, in self defence, at the Saphricorn, who for her part was standing there arms crossed, glaring daggers at them and her body attention screaming anger and dislike towards Rea, and perhaps slightly towards Lara as well.

“What do we have to say for ourselves? How the hell did I get dragged into this is what I want to know! What I mean to say Professor Mandelstein is the situation as I came across it was these two were having a disagreement over Jay Rastan’s alleged activity in the recent tragic events” Lara stated calmly believing that stating the facts was the best way to deal with the matter at hand and the Professor.

“Some heated words were exchanged on the topic…” Lara decided to pass over the part where Rea attempted to stun the Saphricorn girl all the while telling the truth. “I was eating my apple while ready to back up Rea if need be as she had been verbally threatened by this Saphricorn girl”

Lara shrugged before picking up another apple from the place she had assembled before the disruption, waiting for someone else to speak.

[Prof. Charlotte Mandelstein]

“Do not get smart with me Miss Watt, or you shall find yourself in detention from here until Christmas,” Professor Mandlestein spoke sternly to the seventh year. It was a rare occasion that a student would be as stupid as to try to be a smart ass to a teacher, but when it happened Professor Mandlestein only ever found that she lost a lot of respect for the student in question. It was totally uncalled for, “I have already given you the definitions of what is acceptable in the school charter for dueling so keep your personal definitions of the school rules to yourself,”

She looked at the other two girls as it became apparent that Lara had little more to do with the altercation then being a nosey little git whom; while she went on about school rules and tried to contradict the teacher to make herself seem smarter; had made the mistake of ‘backing up’ a fellow house mate in an argument rather then coming straight to a teacher.

“Calm yourself Miss Watt, I asked for explanations, not the rants of a child,” she said as she decided that at this moment she didn’t think too much of the Emerindyl seventh year. This surprised her as she rarely spent time disliking her pupils, in this moment though she was willing to make an exception. The child had attempted to argue with her, and that was definitely not acceptable and certainly not expected at Koalingo Academy.

“Verbally threatening a fellow student?” Professor Mandlestein turned to Mariana looking as angry with her as she was thus far at the sight of Rea’s magical attack. Was Lara silly enough to believe that Professor Mandlestein had not seen the attempt at stunning the Saphricorn pupil? It had been the sole act that had jolted her attention into this little stand-off.

“Nevertheless a verbal threat has never been the cause for attacking someone with a stunning spell Miss Fines,” The Professor didn’t know who she was angrier with. It seemed both Mariana and Rea were in fault in this scenario, and Lara being there had only elevated the issue.

“I don’t suppose the two of you have anything to say that I haven’t just heard from Miss Watt?” she said, now with her hands on her hips and looking stern enough to melt ice with her eyes.