Tweak

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Tweak says, "Remember you're a Womble! "

Hunter Dale (loyal_hunter) wrote in noctemrp,
@ 2012-07-04 12:01:00

Entry tags:

character: hunter dale, character: natasha romanoff, location: serenity village, thread: complete

WHO: Hunter and Natasha
WHAT: Hunter tries to escape the 4th
WHERE: Steps of the library, Serenity Village
WHEN: Weds afternoon
WARNINGS: TBD

Hunter had snuck away from the Fourth of July celebrations, early in the afternoon. The food, the noise, and the people, had never been his thing, but with his father being who he was, he and Fawn were always expected to make an appearance. It had been that way since they were small children. Wandering over to the library, Hunter scowled, as he pulled at the doors and they didn't budge. Bloody public holidays. Apparently it was fine for every ice cream shop from here to kingdom come to stay open, but the library was a no-no.

Hunter found a blessed patch of shade, that fell over the steps of the library, and sat down. He leaned back against a pillar, closing his eyes and trying to mentally block out the heat.

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loyal_hunter
2012-07-04 09:03 pm UTC (link)

"There are many things that I would do, to live in New York," Hunter replied. "Many of which would get me in trouble with the law, I'm sure. The music, the museums... I'd rather pass on the crowds, but it is New York, after all."

He took in what she said about the town, as he looked out over what little he could see from the library steps. Fresh produce didn't exactly seem like the most valid reason to choose Serenity Village over New York, but the other part, yes. As someone who had never assimilated very well, he could understand that.

"You'll manage easily enough I'm sure, though you may want to stop taking advice from your mother. Have you been sorted yet?"

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ms_fortune
2012-07-05 12:23 am UTC (link)

"Would you still want to live in New York if you were in a... less fortunate area?" she asked. "I'm in Brooklyn and for me to get to the Broadway district or the museum district, I have to take a few subway trains. Or just walk a while." She did know the shortest routes, but he didn't need to know that. Not just yet. Looking at him, she already assumed he would get eaten up in such a place.

She tensed and grimaced at the mention of her mother. She looked away, mumbled, "Easier said than done," under her breath, and kept it at that.

At the mention of the sorting, she shook her head. "I assume the Headmaster will just do so with the first-years. I haven't been sorted yet and I have no clue where I'll go either. I have been asking for others' opinions on the houses." She looked at him again and offered a faint smile. "Care to give your thoughts? What house are you in?"

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loyal_hunter
2012-07-05 12:30 am UTC (link)

Hunter shrugged, as he thought her question over. He hadn't stayed in the less fortunate parts of New York. Having money meant he didn't have to. It still sounded better than Serenity Village for the rest of his life.

"I'm in Hufflepuff," he replied. "We're known for our loyalty, hard work, acceptance, and depending on who you ask, we're known for being pushovers. It also ends up being a bit of a catch all, for the ones who don't fit anywhere else."

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ms_fortune
2012-07-05 12:47 am UTC (link)

She rolled her eyes as he shrugged. She considered herself right in her assumption and felt a bit smug at that. Letting a sigh pass from her lips, she held her head up and offered, "If you're ever in the area, or just want to visit, I'll be your guide. You're better staying in a hotel, but you could at least know the best eateries around and some of the more... scenic sites. If you're into Japanese cuisine, I know a great place that's very cheap. A few blocks down from it is the Gershwin Theater." She knew little things like that. She also knew the best bookstore, which held cheap, rare books inside, and even the best parks.

Hearing about Hufflepuff, she frowned. She could see herself in it as a catch all, but otherwise that didn't sound like the house for her. She wouldn't exactly call herself any of those qualities he described. Still... "Thank you. It's nice to hear about another house from anything other than Slytherin."

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loyal_hunter
2012-07-05 12:52 am UTC (link)

Hunter gave her a rare smile, at the offer. If he was going to run a museum, New York was one of the best places to go after school, depending of course on what Fawn planned to do.

"Thank you, I may take you up on that," he said, angling his body to get a better look at her. She was a pretty girl. He could always tell when he was supposed to find a girl attractive, they just never made him feel much of anything.

"I was supposed to be in Slytherin, you know. The damn hat pretty much insisted. I just refused."

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ms_fortune
2012-07-05 01:05 am UTC (link)

She wasn't surprised. Why should she be? It seemed Slytherins just gravitated towards her. It was too coincidental with how often it happened. Was it fate or some sort of message? Maybe Slytherin was the house she belonged in.

Curious, she asked, "Can you do that? Can you just refuse till you get the house you want? Why didn't you want to be in Slytherin? Is their reputation questionable?"

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loyal_hunter
2012-07-05 03:40 am UTC (link)

"Well, I don't know if everyone can," Hunter admitted. Most people were surprised to hear that the hat had given him a choice, or rather, had given into his demands.

"I really didn't care what house I was in, before I came to school. I actually thought I might be a Ravenclaw. But my sister, Fawn, she was sorted first and the hat sent her to Hufflepuff. When it tried to send me someone else, I just refused. I said that I would take my sister and go home, unless we were put in the same house."

Now that he had a few years behind him, Hunter could see that he would have been better off in Slytherin.

"I think I would have done well there. Slytherins do have a bit of a reputation as manipulative, which can be misinterpreted as evil. It's certainly not all of them."

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ms_fortune
2012-07-05 04:19 am UTC (link)

"Your sister?" That must have meant he had a twin. She listened, nodding every now and then. She couldn't help but arch an eyebrow when he described Slytherins. He was still a Hufflepuff, even after the way he manipulated that hat? The hat must have considered it better to have the two together rather than both of them leaving the school.

"Manipulative isn't such a bad thing," she said. "If you want to survive, manipulation is required."

Natasha sunk down to sit by him. She couldn't take standing any longer in the heat. She rolled around the idea of the different houses in her head yet again, but it still didn't make sense to her. She was so used to a school uniting all the students and working with each one. "Why is there such a need to divide the students into different houses? Why is there no focus on individual talent? Or on group efforts?"

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loyal_hunter
2012-07-05 12:47 pm UTC (link)

Although he was still quite wary, Hunter had already decided that Natasha wasn't an immediate threat. She seemed very different from most of the other students at Hogwarts, and he considered that a good thing.

"The Slytherins aren't the only manipulative force at Hogwarts," he explained, with a small scowl. "They say that they put us in Houses to create a more intimate family atmosphere, but we all really know it's to make us compete with one another. Quidditch, the House Cup, House points... It's a socially acceptable way to pit us against one another."

At this point, he was just venting. He checked himself, trying to hear the small voice in his head that told him when he was going to far; the voice that sounded like Fawn.

"It's a shame my sister isn't here. She would be able to tell you all of the lovely things about school and the Houses. I'm more of a pessimist, I suppose. Or a realist, depending on who you ask."

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ms_fortune
2012-07-05 08:55 pm UTC (link)

So there was competing, just in groups. The idea made her shudder. She worked better alone. She didn't work well with others. Her old school didn't really train her for group work. Even then, she didn't even like to work with others. Everyone else slowed her down.

She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "It's fine," she reassured him. "I'm much of a realist myself. I'm not that much into that optimistic frame of mind." She looked around at the scenery and noticed a flyer for the founder's ball. An idea went off in her head.

"Oh, your sister will be at the Founder's Festival, yes? I'm sure I can hear more about Hogwarts then. Is she entered in that competition?" It might be a relief to hear if one girl wasn't in that competition. That seemed to be all anyone could talk about recently.

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loyal_hunter
2012-07-05 10:56 pm UTC (link)

By now Hunter had decided that he liked this new girl. She would be an interesting addition to Hogwarts, even if it seemed like there was zero chance of her being placed in Hufflepuff. She seemed more like a Slytherin, but one who hadn't been tainted by the bullying House system.

"She will be there," he agreed. "We both will. Our parents insist on it."

At the thought of his parents, Hunter's manners kicked in. He extended his hand.

"My apologies, I should have introduced myself earlier. I'm Hunter Dale."

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ms_fortune
2012-07-06 02:05 am UTC (link)

She took his hand and shook it. "I'm Natasha Fortune. Pleasure to meet you."

So they were both going and because of their parents. She had seen in other journals people talking about the same thing, people complaining about the Founder's Week ball and something about escorts. She had to admit, a part of her was curious, even if it all wasn't her cup of tea.

"Is this Founder's Week something the purebloods do? Is it mandatory? Or fun?" If it was something purebloods did, she would have to make sure her mother didn't hear of it.

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loyal_hunter
2012-07-06 06:05 am UTC (link)

Hunter gave a small huff, debating whether to give her the bare bones truth or not. She seemed like the kind of girl who could handle the truth.

"They say it's for everyone, but everyone knows that's not really the case," he sneered. "Every year a pureblood wins Miss Serenity Village and the halfblood families get pushed to the side. The vast majority of girls from pureblood families are basically forced to enter by their parents, to try and find a good match. Fawn, that's my sister, has managed to avoid it this year. If you like parties it would most likely be fun. I don't."

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ms_fortune
2012-07-08 07:00 am UTC (link)

"Pureblood girls are forced to enter?" She felt her skin get clammy as she shuddered. She definitely wasn't letting her mom know then. She knew her mother would have forced her to do the same. "Good thing only I come by this area.

"A party like that doesn't sound like fun." She really didn't like parties anyway. She frowned, remembering how excited that girl on her journal seemed for her to come along, but she still couldn't picture it as fun. "I'll probably go to please someone, but what is it? Just watching a bunch of people dance? Sounds like a blast." She rolled her eyes. Why was she going again?

Oh right, that girl that wanted to be her friend. Natasha was damning her for being so charming as she thought of how miserable the party was going to be.

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loyal_hunter
2012-07-08 11:40 pm UTC (link)

Hunter couldn't help but wonder if Natasha was talking about a boy, when she mention going just to please someone. It seemed like everyone from fifth year up was pairing off, as though their lives depended on it. He couldn't understand why it was so important to everyone to have a significant other

"You should do what I do," he suggested. "Find a corner, hide, and listen to music or read a book. At least that's what I do under Fawn or Etta find me and force me to be social."

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ms_fortune
2012-07-09 04:50 am UTC (link)

He knew Etta too? It figured, with the hair and all. She covered her mouth and started to laugh, because it was true. Etta would do just that. At least she knew what to expect when she went. After just talking with her in her journal, she wasn't surprised by anything with her.

"If I go, you might have a better chance of hiding. Etta wanted to show me around, so she'll be far more focused on me than you." She smirked at him, something sneaky and sly, like she had a plan up her sleeves. "Unless I, how you say, 'throw you under the bus.'"

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loyal_hunter
2012-07-09 02:03 pm UTC (link)

At first when Nat began to laugh, Hunter was thrown off. Most of the time, when people laughed in his presence, it was at him. His mind settled and he relaxed, as he recognized the true reason.

"The ginger brigade," he laughed softly, shaking his head. Etta could be a pain, but at least she was consistent. At one point or another, she had tried to get every redheaded student at Hogwarts to join their little group.

"You can try all you want to throw me under the bus, it won't work," he informed her with a smile. There was no doubt to him now that she was a Slytherin. He would pay every student a Galleon if he was wrong. "You're new, which means you're far more interesting than I am. Even when she does rope me into things, I get boring and she looses interest quickly. It's really Fawn she likes to be with, I'm more of a... hanger-on."

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ms_fortune
2012-07-09 02:59 pm UTC (link)

"It's a brigade now? I only heard about the sisterhood. She's been holding out on me." She thought she was teasing, or it would count as such. Natasha never had much experience it things like that. She was sure (but didn't care) that she sounded awkward.

She tsked him. "You're not off the hook so easily," she informed him. "I'm not going to suffer alone. I'll make sure Etta drags you along with us... you know, being apart of the ginger brigade and all."

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loyal_hunter
2012-07-09 06:39 pm UTC (link)

It felt odd, to have a conversation with someone new. All of the people that Hunter could consider friends, he had known forever, or at least since he started school. It felt nice, in a way.

"I do believe it's only the brigade once I join in," he clarified. "But only because I steadfastly refuse to be a part of something called a sisterhood, as I am clearly not a girl. Whether you like it or not, Etta will find you at the party, just like she will find me. I suppose we should just grin and bear it, as the saying goes."

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ms_fortune
2012-07-10 05:20 pm UTC (link)

"We'll end up doing that, that's for sure. She seemed happy for me to go. Disappointed that I wasn't entering, but I see no reason to do so." If it meant her visiting and being her friend, she supposed it was the least she could do for the other so-called ginger.

She glanced down at her bag, then back up at the sky. "I didn't realize it was so late," she said, shocked that the sky was turning darker and it was slightly cooler outside. "I should probably head home."

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loyal_hunter
2012-07-10 08:04 pm UTC (link)

Hunter couldn't believe he had gotten so wrapped up in a conversation that he had lost track of time, but when he looked up toward the sky he could clearly see that Natasha was right.

"Damn," he said suddenly, remembering that he was supposed to meet Fawn for the fireworks. He would never find her in time now.

"I'm sorry to have kept you so late," he said, standing up from his spot. "Though it was a pleasure to meet you. Given our mutual friend, I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."

Hunter was surprised to find that he was almost looking forward to Founders Week now. Not quite, but almost.

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ms_fortune
2012-07-16 08:37 pm UTC (link)

"It's okay," she said, standing up. She gave him a slight nod and a faint smile. "It was a pleasure to meet you as well. I'll see you at the upcoming festival." And with that, she left. She considered it a good thing that she was meeting more and more students from Hogwarts. It didn't seem like September would be so bad now. She had acquaintances now. That was certainly better than going to a new school knowing no one.

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