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Post by Mariana Torrenne on Apr 10, 2007 18:55:39 GMT 10
Mariana was whistling a muggle tune she doubted anyone who was not muggle born would know, though she also knew that anyone who was muggle born would indeed know it well. She was walking across the dusty roads that navigated between the several story high dormitory houses that made up the Saphricorn farming village.
Chickens clucked here and there pecking at the ground for seeds that would never become anything more then chicken manure. The birds that could fly twittered in delight at the sight of the soggy earth that had not completely dried after the morning dew. There were worms that were not quite completely hidden and offered a buffet.
Mariana smiled at the sight of the horses waiting eagerly. It was mid morning and she had been told that on weekends the horses were not to be fed until around ten pm, which was good for her as it meant she could sleep in. she moved into their enclosure and was immediately nuzzled by Beau, the big black Clydesdale that never did anything but was something more like a big dog. She would never tell him this though, it would be a massive hit to his ego.
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Post by Jay Rastan on Apr 24, 2007 23:58:49 GMT 10
Nobody could ever question Jay Rastan’s dedication.
Especially to quidditch or his women. Especially his quidditch.
Having been up since he watched the sunrise from his balcony of his room, Jay had already risen and showered before Phil the Parrot had come to disturb his sluber, he had meditated for two hours, put in a hour of studying, and cleaned his broom with a wax, polish and clipping of the twigs and recalibration of his personal settings. Deciding to wait until the fog cleared before going for his morning run that had now become part of his daily routine, he had started on his other daily physical exercises a hundred push up and a hundred sit ups in the morning and another hundred of each in the evening. He still had his targeted bludger pratice rostered for late afternoon. Jay refused to leave it to luck to win the cup this year and he would lead by example. So he was in perfect condition, mentally, physically and spiritually.
Standing in front of the duck pond, and doing his warm up stretches, Merlin forbid he hurt something and not be in tip top condition for quidditch. Seeing as the air had had a colder nip to it in the past few days from a rain just passed, Jay was forced to wear track pants and a wife beater instead of his customary attire consisting of basketball shorts. Jay had gone to take a step when a loud quack caused him to jump before looking down to what was five ducks looking up at him in wonder.
“Hey fellas” Jay said and chuckled when he received a quack in response, taking a few steps before he would start jogging before turning it into a run he heard rustling of feathers and the scuffle of feet, only to turn around and notice the ducks had decided to follow him. Decided to watch this play out, Jay decided to talk backward and keep a eye on them, sure they would lose interest in him after a few meters.
They didn’t.
“You guys want to come with me, ey?”
Quack, from the same duck as before.
“Okay well you have to keep up then. Be warned I sing...”
Quack.
Jay started to walk faster backwards and the ducks waddled quickly after him, he started into a slow bouncy jog all the while watching him. He passed the horse barn, the pig pen and was starting to get to some of the open paddocks.
“I’m going to start with my song”
Quack.
“I’m calling you Boris since you seem to be the leader. When I point to you guys, I mean, ducks have to quack, got it?”
All of the five ducks responded to that with a united quack.
“Smart ducks, aren’t you? Okay here we go..” Jay said with said with a chuckle. “She ripped my heart out and left me out in the cold”
Jay pointed and was rewarded with a loud quacks, this was so much fun he had lost track of where he was just focusing on his little following. Not really singing but calling out in a military as a squad leader to march troops.
“She told me she met another guy, more guy than me”
Quack.
“As if there’s a guy more man than me!”
Jay punched his fist into the air and the ducks gave a quack then jumped.
“I didn’t cry, I did whine, I got drunk and passed out on the ground.”
Quack.
“She ripped my heart out and left me in the cold”
Quack.
At this point Jay was laughing so hard at the whole idea of the waddling ducks understanding him, he wrapped one of his arms around his stomach as he let out his hearty laughter, so very carefree and light as he was almost bent over by the force of it. Jay couldn’t help but think about how good it was to laugh out loud and not have to worry about weird looks. The ducks seemed to think his laughing because they broke out in their own little grunts and snorts while looking up at him. Taking deep breaths, Jay looked around to get his wits about him, when he noticed a very familiar figure next to the Beau the clydsedale.
“Hey Mariana!’ Jay called out, only to receive another quack from Boris.
That was how Jay stumbled across Mariana on this fine morning, slightly out of breath, with a large stupid grin on his face, and giving her a big wave from his side of the fence, trying not to laugh at Boris the Duck’s antics, as he admired the beautiful view that he was afforded; a girl, a horse in the foregound with a few other horses, trees and hills all forming the background.
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Post by Lady Sylvia Saphricorn on Apr 25, 2007 10:50:27 GMT 10
((Sorry to interrupt, but as this thread has only just begun, please remember to play it as if it has occurred after the EVENT. Thank You))
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Post by Mariana Torrenne on Apr 25, 2007 14:35:49 GMT 10
’A smiling face, what a pleasant change in the weather,’ Mariana thought to herself as she finished scooping the Lucerne into the horse’s feeding dishes before she moved away letting the big black beast stick his humongous nose into the bucket to sniff it before the sound of flat teeth grinding grass met her ear. She patted him behind the ear and crooned to him softly before turning away to pay her attention to Jay.
She wondered, as she watched him if he would want to talk about last weekend. She hadn’t spent a lot of time with any in her house and had probably neglected her friends a lot more then they might be comfortable with, though none of them had said anything to her yet which led her to believe that perhaps they thought her reactions were perfectly normal.
A lot of people were out of their comfort zones since the death of the Ameraid boy though. “Ouch,” Mariana grabbed her head at that thought as a sudden migraine stabbed at her brain. She didn’t appreciate it one bit and had to stop and lean on a fence post as darkness came across her eyes. She didn’t like the pain at all and pushed all thoughts of any deaths from her mind.
“I’m ok,” she held up her hand in case Jay was worried about this reaction, she thought he might be and opened her eyes to find her sight returning to her. “It’s all good,” she confirmed as she blinked in the sunlight, things seemed suddenly brighter then they had been previous to her little episode.
“I think you have some fans,” she chuckled as she looked down at the ducks that had been following him. The quacked at her in a way that wanted her to jump the fence and snuggle them all. They seemed so cute. He seemed as cute. She had never seen him act this way with animals before, and she found it all very endearing.
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Post by Jay Rastan on Apr 25, 2007 16:31:47 GMT 10
“Are you sure you’re alright? Maybe you should sit down; maybe I should get you some water. Do you want some water or some food? I could gate Valpot to get you some? Do you need to get to the hospital wing?”
Jay fired of question and suggestions without stopping for a breath only to be stopped when she had raised her hand and said she was alright. Jay gave her a weary once over, as if looking for some outside explanation of why she had been, in what seemed to him, sudden pain.
“If you’re sure you’re alright I’ll have to take your word on it…” Jay trailed of as he put on hand on the top railing of the horse enclosure fencing and pushed himself up and over it and landed with a slight thud on Mariana’s side of the fence. Beau looked up from his breakfast, looked at Jay before going back to his meal deeming him not worth of his attention while there was still food to be consumed. Boris and the other ducks watched their leader just the fence.
Quack
“Yes Boris, what can I do for you?” Jay asked, holding up his index finger to Mariana to show he would give her his attention in a moment. Boris gave another quack and tapped the fence with his beak. “Oh! You want in as well. Hang on.”
Squatting down to the bottom of the fence where there was a gap large enough between the wooden panels. Lifting Boris through the gap first, he proceed to do the same to the other four ducks, each giving a quack in thanks as Jay put them gently on the ground, and straightened back up and took a few steps towards Mariana , and sure enough even though it was a few steps his entourage followed him and stood like a honour guard around him, with Boris in the lead.
“You know, when I was like eight years old my father said I would have to fight of the birds off at school. I don’t think this is exactly what he meant” Jay said, with a chuckle and giving the girl a playful grin, which became slightly lessened when he continued. “I haven’t see you around much lately. I saw the back of your head in the corridors but before I could call out to you, you had disappeared. You alright about all that?”
Jay knew he didn’t need to explain what he meant by ‘all that’, Mariana was a smart girl she would know he was talking about Finnias Mark’s untimely demise. Having looked around for her but never getting a chance to talk or check in with her had given him the irks, he had made sure all the other Saphricorn students were alright, as much as they could be about what had happened.
“Just know I’m here if you want or need to talk about it, or anything at all. Like why the sky is blue or whatever. I can do deep and meaningful conversations, I’m not just a…” What Jay just wasn’t he never got to finish as he felt a tugging on his pants so he looked down to find the source of the tugging to be Boris.
“Yes?”
Quack.
“Indeed how rude of me. Mariana this little fellow is Boris. Boris this is Mariana.” Jay watched as the duck puffed out its chest and quacked. “I haven’t named anyone else yet but I think ‘Boris’ Bandits‘ seems very suiting, don’t you guys think? So this is Mariana.”
Jay just chuckled and grinned happily as he watched his guard look at him questioningly then walk over and walk around Mariana’s feet as if giving her a once over, before giving a united quack.
“Looks like they approve of you”
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Post by Mariana Torrenne on May 3, 2007 20:42:30 GMT 10
“Thanks, no, yeah, no, no really its ok, no thank you, thanks but no, no really its all good, no I am not hungry, and please no I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I increased the work load of your house elf” she raised her hand at this moment and held a rueful smile on her lips, “Really, thank you, but I will be fine,” she said though it was a little bit of a lie, she still felt a little dizzy.
She knew he was concerned for her, and she found the whole thing very sweet, but she didn’t want to bother him too much, all the same, she didn’t really mind him giving her a once over while she paid as much attention to his features. Was it wrong to be thinking like this right now?
She watched him jump the fence and marvelled at his ability to do it. She knew she could never lift herself half way, though he did appear to have a much more impressive upper body strength then she did and so that was alright. When he landed she was a little worried Beau would be spooked but he seemed not to care about Jay in the slightest, “Thank you, I am flattered by your concern but I assure you I am fine, it was very brief and just as fleeting as this,” she prodded him gently in the centre of his chest and smiled.
She heard the duck quack and watched as Jay started talking to it. She even found it cute how he politely asked her to be quiet so that he could pay attention to her. She even suppressed a giggle when Jay seemed to know what the duck wanted. She watched him crouch down and lift the duck through the fence until they seemed surrounded by ducks. She didn’t think Beau would mind, though she thought there might be a reason they normally could not get in there, almost as if it might have been designed that way for this very reason. But then who was she to know such things, she had only been looking after the horses for a month. She looked at the ducks with a smile, they were all very cute.
She smiled widely as if she was about to laugh, but held it back with a glint of humour in her eyes. So his father said he would have to fight of the birds, huh? She thought things were going great. He was being cute which was a major plus and he hadn’t mentioned Finnias Mark.
But then he did.
Her smile faded straight away and her breath caught as if she was about to say something but thought better of it. Her face soon looked sorrowful and she looked away to the ground before pushing the gate open without grabbing Beau’s brush. She had forgotten to brush him, but it was not what was on her mind at the moment.
She stopped on the other side of the fence and looked at him. She opened her mouth to speak again and closed it again with a bit of a sigh this time. There were tears in the corners of her eyes but she couldn’t speak and she wouldn’t allow them to start gushing or anything. Why did he have to ruin the mood, this had been such a lovely day not five second before it.
The duck took his attention again and she thought that she might walk off while he was not looking, but she found that she was being pulled back in by the ducks themselves. She looked down at them and watch Boris puff out his chest. It was a very clever thing for a duck to do and she laughed through the watery wells she had for eyes but she couldn’t help the depression that was setting even now. She bit her lip and looked at the ducks.
“Well then,” she smiled at it as it gave her the approval she was apparently supposed to be looking for, “Well then I guess I also approve of you,” she smiled at it and the tears dried. Slowly, but they did dry all the same.
“Your entourage is as cute as their leader,” she smiled at Jay meaning him, but knowing it was a safe remark as he might think she was referring to Boris.
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Post by Jay Rastan on May 13, 2007 19:28:15 GMT 10
((I already apologise for this post....))
Mariana had unwittingly just stumbled across one of the very few weak points Jay Rastan had. He was extremely ticklish in the centre of his chest which was exactly where she had incidentally poked him unknowingly and caused him to give a yelp then shudder, all while having a some what goofy grin plastered on his face, while he raised his hand to rub his chest where she had poked him.
“Very fleeting indeed, and don’t you know its bad manners to prod someone who is ticklish, maybe I should return the favour and find out if you are the same way inclined perhaps…’ Jay trailed off with a smirk and a devilish glint in his eye as he wiggled his fingers to illustrate his point clearly and leaning forwards to her.
Jay had watched as after he had offered his service as being a confidant of sorts to Mariana and her reaction to it. He really wasn’t that bad of a shoulder to cry on or even a leaning post, he listened patiently, didn’t interrupt and always tried to help the best he could. To say he was more than slightly hurt by her reaction was dead accurate, he tried to hide it from his face but some of it flashed across unbeknownst to Jay before a worried looked plastered over his face when he notices the sheen that her eyes had taken. He presumed from unshed tears, although he quickly reminded himself she could have just had hay-fever but the look on her face made him strike that thought. Watching as she opened and closed her mouth a few times Jay felt some deep, and highly unusual, want or rather need to just hold onto her and tell her everything would be alright, promise her it.
But he didn’t, nor could he. She would probably go running for the hills if he ever did anything of the sort. Jay felt dejected upon realising this before minutely shaking his head and watched as Boris and his Bandits seem to cheer up Mariana slightly, but Jay could notice certain things that showed that she was not entirely alright with everything, whether it be the past events of a week ago, barely days ago or the pain she had been in only moments ago, her slightly slumped posture or quick glance away spoke millions of words without a voice. Either way Jay was worried about the girl, may more than he should have, but he didn’t stop to analyse that more than the surface value.
“Yeah well, Boris thinks his quite the stud, don’t you mate?” Jay said, his grin returning although he was still worried. Boris quacked happily looking between the two teenagers. Jay couldn’t help but think the duck would be blushing and wearing a bashful grin if he could at the compliment from Mariana, never for a moment thinking she could mean him, but he returned her smile none the less. “Looks like Boris here might have to give me some pointers on women; he seems to be doing well enough with you”
Jay gave her a wink to go along with his previous comment as he walked out to where Mariana, Boris and his Bandits stood on the other side of the fence, closing the gate behind him and took stance next to his fellow Saphricorn member, giving her a playful nudge. Beau finished his breakfast and looked over at the motley group on the other side of his enclosure, giving a snort then sigh he took of happily trotting; Boris and his Bandits seemed to be playing a game of tag between the legs of himself and Mariana.
“Is it just me or are all the animals on the farm seem a bit…special to you?” Jay said nodding to the ducks before laughing as his right ankle got head butted.
All the while as the surrounds had changed and banter exchanged between the two students, Jay had been scrambling his brain for a way to try to cheer up this girl who was his friend, or rather what was she, more than acquaintance but would she regard him as a friend as he regarded her one. Jay wasn’t comfortable not knowing where he stood in things or with people but now didn’t seem the right time to bring it up, if ever really. Jay briefly entertained the thought of just becoming used to not knowing.
Mariana Torrenne had found ways to confuse Jay Rastan by just smiling than almost any other female of the species.
“You know it’s alright to cry, don’t you? Given everything you don’t need to hide how you feel about things….I mean…”
Jay knew exactly what possessed him to say that, the way she looked with her watery eyes yet in solid defiance not letting them fall. Now it was said, it was out there and now he pretty much it would probably result in a slap to the face or something equal or more painful but something made him say it. Try to make her understand that she didn’t have to be strong, and unaffected for anyone.
“What I mean is…”
Everything went silent, to him anyway, the scuffling of webbed feet on the dirt pathway, the sound of trotting of the near by horses disappeared like a fog had rolled in and taken away everything but the girl that stood before him, the back of his mind seemed to find this oddly familiar for some strange reason. Clearing this throat, Jay inwardly cursed himself knowing what he said next could be taken many ways, and made him feel incredibly vulnerable.
“What I mean is I’m here for you if you want me around for however long you want me around”
‘Now would be a great time to open up and swallow me up…’ Jay thought as his piercing gaze finally faltered from where he looked into her eyes as he had said his sincere worlds to Mariana. Looking at the ground and his shoes, he scuffed his runners awaiting a slap to the face or something.
Anything.
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Post by Mariana Torrenne on May 17, 2007 9:15:30 GMT 10
((It's not quite as long as yours but its early and I am tired)) Tears welled in her eyes as she moved towards him. He was on the other side of the fence, and so her first reaction would have been to bury her face in his chest except that now he was on the other side of a barrier and it did not seem appropriate to open the gate and pounce on him. It even sounded silly in thought so Mariana remained motionless as she looked at the boy and his ducks. He was very cute, and he seemed so sincere. “I’ll be ok, I have never been the kind of person to hold back anything I felt others should understand about me,” That was a lie, she never let anyone know how she felt about anything if she knew that in turn it would put them out in anyway or make them feel like they owed her something; comfort; time; whatever else. She knew though that Jay was offering to be an ear, and she could not be more grateful for it. She was a little concerned that this might have something to do with him being a sort of leader for the Saphricorn house rather then him actually feeling he might want to help her specifically because he felt something for her. Boys were so like this, they could never tell you straight just how they felt, and it always made things difficult. Normally Mariana was a bold sort of person, but this was a pool she was not willing to plunge headfirst into until she knew what lingered beneath the surface. She looked away and rubbed her eyes knowing they felt as if there was something in them. She didn’t want to cry, it made her feel ghastly. Sometimes it made her feel good, like she was letting all the bad stuff out. This time though it was not the way, this time it felt like depression was clutching onto her with it’s hell-born talons ready to carry her away into the darkness. She then noticed that she had perhaps upset Jay by not opening up to him; it was not that she didn’t want to. Truth be told she didn’t known exactly what it was that was making her be the way she was. She was upset about the murder of course; everyone was. More so though she was struggling with something inside herself; something that didn’t make any sense and it annoyed her to no end. “I appreciate that you are there for me Jay Rastan, your presence if comforting,” she smiled, though it was not a happy smile it was obviously one that said more then the words that precede it. “Thank You,” she reached a hand through the fence and placed it on his jawline gratefully. She smiled at him with gratitude and then let her hand fall as she turned.
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Post by Jay Rastan on May 18, 2007 3:36:15 GMT 10
Jay hadn’t been exactly sure what to expect from his little admission, outburst, blurt, comment. He wasn’t sure what it was but he knew that he didn’t mean to make her cry, nor make her turn away. That was not his intention in the slightest, he knew he wasn’t great at expressing his affection towards people, sure his family were prim, proper and very traditional, you shook the male relative’s hand as a sign of affection and welcome and his female relations were shown with a kiss on the cheek for the same reasons. But as far as affection or comradely between people his own age, jay just shook everyone’s hand and may have, on rare occasions given a girl a hug, usually only if they hugged him first.
Simple put Jay was a drowning duck.
For some reason her saying she didn’t hold back on what she thought others should know about her made him raise a eyebrow, while he thought over the truth of this to himself. As much as he knew, Mariana kept things to herself just like everyone else did; it was what people did to save exposing themselves to the chance of being vulnerable or a easy target to someone else. Jay decided perhaps it was best to leave that alone, perhaps he was best to just leave her alone, obviously she didn’t want or need his help, she was making it perfectly loud and clear to him. He thought of conjuring her a clean disposable sanitary napkin or handkerchief but she did seem to want any attention brought to her tears, shed or otherwise.
Then she did something unexpected, Jay watched her with what could only be described as interest as she place her hand on his jaw as she said thank you. Jay’s eyes looked down at her hand on his face and then travelled up her arm to her face but before he could even contemplate saying something or even reacting the hand on his face fell away as she started to turn away.
‘Do something you idiot! Say something! Anything!’ Jay’s inner voice yelled at him, he could almost picture a minute caricature of himself jumping up and down screaming at him in speech bubbles, perhaps even flashing a rude finger gesture in anger. He fought not to laugh out aloud due to the serious nature the conversation that had been taken place left little to no room for any laughter. When another thought struck him as he opened his mouth to say something to the girl.
“I appreciate that you are there for me Jay Rastan, your presence if comforting,”
Running this statement over in his head a few times he came up with only one conclusion, after he had put himself (and his feelings, although he would deny such) he had be rejected. Shut down. Rebuffed. Turned down. Discarded. Shot down. Torched. Any metaphor would do, it was all the same outcome.
“Ouch” Jay muttered to himself, his face was a mask of puzzlement and bewilderment. He was utterly confused by this girl. She says she doesn’t want him, other than a friend after he puts what he thought was obviously his intentions, very clearly, at least he thought. And then she touches his face with counters the statement. And that smile. Oh that smile, he obvious must have read more than what he had originally thought to meant the opposite of ‘You’re a total idiot Rastan, how could I be interested in someone like you’.
Boris the ever observant drake, was looking between the two humans, and although he didn’t understand a word of what was going on, he could notice a sort of sadness about the pair and given the cheerful and fun boy that he and his little squadron had followed. He only remedy to this situation was to give a loud quack, pull on the boy’s pants and not in the girl’s direction and nudge his head against the boy’s leg.
Jay looked down at the drake’s antics; his sad facial expression was enough to make the animal stop nudging it’s head against his leg, but Boris kept looking in the direction of Mariana. Jay let out a huge sigh, his fringe blowing back with the force the exhale. Jay was deeply messed up inside, between wanting to talk to the girl hold on to their budding friendship, and the bitter part of him that just wanted to run off and run to the point of exhaustion instead of sulking. It was a raging battle of tug-a-war and Jay could almost feel it going on in his head.
“Look Boris, when you like a lady, duck or human regardless, and she shoots you down, hard, you don’t stick around to watch it on repeat in slow motion on your Omnioculars. You turn and leave with whatever little dignity she left you with.” Jay said, his voice was quiet but probably just loud enough for Mariana to hear him, not that he knew. “You just have to move along. Its probably best you and the guys go back to the pond”
A sad quack was his response, Jay couldn’t help but understand if the proud looking drake did understand him to some degree. Picking up the drake, Jay gave him a smile although it quickly slipped from his face.
“I’ll come by tonight with some bread and your even meal”
Quack.[/i]
Jay put the bird with web feet back on the ground and with a departing quack each, they started their trek back to their pond and a leisurely pace. Standing up and brushing his hands on his pants before he looked back at the girl over his shoulder wondering what to do. Say goodbye and take off on his run or should he just leave her alone like she seemed to want.
All he ended up doing was standing there with his back half turned to her and let out a noise in his frustration with the world as a whole.
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Post by Mariana Torrenne on May 18, 2007 8:25:21 GMT 10
((What a delicious place to leave it))
*Thread Closed?*
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Post by Headmaster Elwyn Emerindyl on May 19, 2007 13:37:26 GMT 10
((Ten Points to Saphricorn for this thread. Well done Guys!))
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