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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Dec 8, 2009 0:50:54 GMT -5
[blue]"How can we retrieve your brothers if we do not return?"[/blue] she asked in response to his question about going back. [blue]"I am quite capable of defending myself,"[/blue] she added, to assuage his fear. She had faced far worse than one angry man in her life. And if things became dangerous... the weight of the swords strapped to her waist was reassurance enough that she was adequately prepared for whatever she might encounter. In any case, she thought it unlikely that a man who resorted to beating up children in order to demonstrate his power would prove much of a threat.
As Tommy took her hand, she felt him flinch. To his credit, he didn't try to pry with questions. Instead, he silently handed back the cloak she had loaned him. His surprised stare was not met with any answers. They didn't have time for that right now. She fastened the cloak about her shoulders. Going through the castle would be tricky... it would be far too easy for someone to see them. And, though D'rorah wasn't worried she was doing anything wrong, the time needed to stop and answer questions might be more time than Tommy's brothers had remaining.
She looked down as he asked where his brothers might go. [blue]"I know of a school... it is far away, in China. However, the people there are wonderful... and you will all be safe there,"[/blue] she replies. She had no broom, and she couldn't fly with Tommy in her animagus form. [blue]"Come, we must make haste,"[/blue] she directed as she tugged at his arm, simultaneously using her wand to disillusion each of them as they began the run down through the levels of the castle to the front entrance. She moved as quickly as she thought Tommy was able and then stopped as they reached the edge of school grounds.
[blue]"I am going to take you along with me in an apparition. Just hold tight and we will be there soon."[/blue]
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Tommy Bryce
Gryffindor
[red]1st Year Gryffindor[/red]
You bend and you bruise me while you try to control me
Posts: 104
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Post by Tommy Bryce on Dec 8, 2009 7:31:07 GMT -5
Tommy gulped, nodding in acceptance at her logic that they couldn't fetch his brothers without returning. He wasn't sure about D'rorah's ability to defend herself though... and he certainly wasn't secure in his own ability; he'd never successfully managed to defend himself from all his father's blows before. The best defensive option was simply to hide, but having to hunt for them made his dad even angrier so then if you were found, it was even worse. But she was right, they needed to get Nick and Shane out of there, so it didn't matter if he or D'rorah got hurt in the process. Well, it didn't matter if he got hurt. D'rorah was another matter, but she didn't seem too concerned about the idea.
She looked as though she noticed his flinch but said nothing about it, even though surely she must know why he had done so. This time she did accept her cloak back though, perhaps because she knew she couldn't argue that he needed it more than her.
He blinked in surprise at the mention of China, thinking back to the globe Nick owned that was in his and Shane's room. China... that was on the other side of the world! When she had said she could take them somewhere where they could be safe, he had been envisioning maybe somewhere back in England, not in a whole other continent! [red]"But we don't speak Chinese!"[/red] he replies, rather concerned about this whole prospect, although completely ready to admit that anything would be better than the current situation, so long as they could stay together. That was another thing... visiting them in China would be very difficult. And she had said 'all'... maybe she intended that they could all go to school there, and that he wouldn't stay at Hogwarts? That made sense, though... he couldn't just leave them in a new place alone, however safe she said it was. But that was in the future, they could discuss that afterwards.
He followed as she tugged at his arm, ignoring the feeling of the disillusionment charm as it ran down him and limping slightly as he ran due to the stiffness still in his leg from jarring his knee earlier. He wished he could go faster and could sense that D'rorah was running slower than usual because of him, but there was really nothing he could do about it. He was out of breath by the time they reached the edge of the Hogwarts grounds, but nodded seriously at her words, his hand tightening around hers and his eyes squeezed shut as he waited.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Dec 8, 2009 11:50:12 GMT -5
Do not worry, D'rorah responded to Tommy's despair about not speaking Chinese. [blue]"Nearly everyone there speaks English. The teachers will make whatever accomodations their students require."[/blue] It was the one place she felt safe sending them... as well as somewhere she doubted their father would think to look for them. The education offered there was stellar, and easily tailored to the children being served... and D'rorah could certainly spare the money for their tuition, as she didn't imagine the Bryce brothers were, themselves, independently wealthy.
She could tell Tommy was making a valiant effort to fun as fast as he could. Had he been smaller, she would have simply carried him along with her, but not knowing just what sort of situation she might encounter upon reaching the Bryce home, she was reluctant to add the additional exertion of carrying Tommy into the equation.
When the finally reached the edge of the school grounds, her hand tightened more firmly around his and she apparated with him with a crack. Within moments, they were near Tommy's home, though she couldn't be certain which one specifically was his... her magical intention, however, had gotten them within a close walking distance.
She followed Tommy, a critical eye assessing the home for potential escape points and evacuation routes. [blue]"Which rooms are their rooms?"[/blue] she asked quietly, preferring to go in some way other than the front door. If she could avoid confrontation with the father, so much the better until the brothers were safely away.
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Tommy Bryce
Gryffindor
[red]1st Year Gryffindor[/red]
You bend and you bruise me while you try to control me
Posts: 104
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Post by Tommy Bryce on Dec 8, 2009 17:34:11 GMT -5
Tommy nodded at her words, still a little uncertain about going to a whole other continent but his mind focussed more on rescuing his brothers for now. Had he known that there was the matter of tuition fees he probably would have been a little more concerned – owing people money meant that they had something to control you with. He had learnt that lesson when he had borrowed a few galleons from an older boy living in Hogsmeade so that he could help Nick buy a kite that he wanted, but had then been unable to pay it back. That boy had ended up constantly taking whatever he was carrying around with him about Hogsmeade, and when he had learnt not to take anything he had transferred his efforts onto Shane and Nick. Eventually Tommy had ended up just taking money from his dad's coat pocket to make him stop, which had resulted in a rather heavy punishment.
Tommy couldn't help but gasp as they apparated, his head spinning as they landed and his feet almost giving way under him. He glanced around hurriedly, recognising the street immediately and tightening his loosened hold on D'rorah's hand as he remembered running away from here such a short time ago. He hesitated, then pulled her along to the house midway down the street and on the right.
He released her hand to quickly scramble over the fence as he had done before, shaking a little by this point, and motioning for her to follow. [red]"It's up there,"[/red] he whispered, pointed to the window with a dimmed light visible that was next to the convenient tree branch he had used earlier. Just because the light was on, it didn't mean either of them were awake. Shane had been afraid of the dark for years, so the light never really went off in their room.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Dec 8, 2009 20:16:46 GMT -5
D'rorah steadied Tommy as they reappeared near his house, feeling how shaky he was. She should have known to expect it, but her father had often taken her in side-along apparition when she was young, so she sometimes forgot to consider that others were not accustomed to it. When she deemed he was firm enough on his feet to walk again, she followed along at his direction.
It was the house midway down the street on the right... it looked innocuous. She never would have guessed that the sort of turmoil Tommy described might lie within. She thought she saw him tremble as he motioned her to follow over the fence, neatly hopping over it and landing on light feet. She looked up to see the window with the dim light, noticing that there was a perfeclty positioned tree near it that could be used to climb up.
She leaned down to him, her voice a low whisper. [blue]"I will climb up first. You follow after me, but hold back if I ask you to,"[/blue] she instructed, not wanting to put Tommy into a dangerous situation if something untoward was currently playing out in the room. [blue]"You are here so that your brothers will have a recognizable face they trust to follow. If anything happens, I expect you to remove yourself from the situation so that I may handle it. If you end up in your fathers hand, you will only risk your own safety and make it more difficult for me to safely retrieve your brothers."[/blue] She gazed into his eyes, searching for understanding. [blue]"You have dealt bravely with all of this so far... I only ask a bit more Gryffindor bravery from you and soon you will all be together in safety again."[/blue]
Waiting for some acknowledgment or understanding, she then began to swiftly climb the tree, her eyes sharp as she waited to see what scene she would be entering into.
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Tommy Bryce
Gryffindor
[red]1st Year Gryffindor[/red]
You bend and you bruise me while you try to control me
Posts: 104
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Post by Tommy Bryce on Dec 8, 2009 21:59:17 GMT -5
All ready to begin climbing up the tree, Tommy was surprised when D'rorah leaned down to speak to him. He had assumed that he would be going up to fetch them and then bring them down with him, but apparently she wanted to go first. He doubted his father would be in there at this time of night anyway – or at least, if he was then it would be very obvious the moment they got up there. His dad was smart enough to cast muffliato charms to prevent the neighbours seeing, but he never worried about making sure the curtains were shut fully. Tommy could see from down here that there was an easy enough gap to peep through. But he certainly hoped that his dad had fallen into his usual drunken stupor by this point and was fast asleep, otherwise his brothers would have been having a horrible last few hours. He listened carefully to what she was saying, confused a little. It sounded like... like she just wanted him to run away if his dad got near. But he couldn't do that again, he couldn't just leave his brothers and her to his father's mercy! Apparently it would make it more difficult for D'rorah to rescue Nick and Shane, but he still didn't know how well she would be able to manage that on her own. He sniffed at the mention of him being brave, not really seeing his actions so far as being very Gryffindor-ish. He waited for her to climb the tree then followed as she reached the branch beside the window, clambering up quickly enough himself having done it so much before. He crept forward, reaching out and finding the window still open from earlier today. Peeking through the gap in the curtains, there was no sign of his dad. Instead, Nick and Shane were curled up in one bed together, looking rather worse for wear. On the windowsill he could see a bowl of red water and a blood-stained bit of white cloth, and a chair was propped up against the door to prevent anyone getting in without them noticing. Although it made his guilty grow exponentially again at leaving his brothers like this, it was reassuring that Nick could look after Shane properly. He reached forward to grab the bottom of the window, pushing it slowly upward with an agonising squeak that seemed far louder to his ears than it surely was. About to go in, he hesitated and looked at D'rorah to see whether she wanted to go in first. This might be his house, but she was the one who was helping them. ((Woot! 900th post! ))
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Dec 9, 2009 15:22:59 GMT -5
D'rorah could tell by Tommy's reaction that he didn't quite agree with her point of view on his being brave... nor on getting himself to safety if things were difficult. She could only hope that the retrieval would go smoothly and quietly. With any luck, there would be no one in the room upstairs besides the two brothers.
As she reached the window, she peeked through quietly, seeing two figures curled up in one bed together. They looked as though they had been saddled with their own share of the father's anger and D'rorah felt her heart twist. She still couldn't imagine how anyone could deal with children in such a way. Pushing the thoughts aside for now, she brought her focus around to the issue at hand. She could see the bowl of water on the windowsill as well, and gazed at it regretfully, seeing the red tint to the water along with the blood-stained bit of cloth.
She also noted a chair propped against the door. At the very least, they would have some warning if the father awoke and decided to come upstairs before they were all able to escape. She winced at the sound of the window easing open. Despite the spell the murmured to try to contain the noise, it seemed earth-shatteringly loud in the night stillness, though she was certain that was only a trick of her own perception.
D'rorah nodded to Tommy to enter first. The father wasn't in the room, so it would be best for him to enter first, so that the brothers would hopefully be less likely to perceive her as a threat. Once he was through, she stepped through herself on silent feet, years of martial arts training having helped her develop the ability to move stealthily. Standing behind Tommy, she crept up to the bed, waiting for the children to stir, a finger pressed to her lips in the hopes they would not scream or otherwise make too much noise to risk waking their father. She was certain they were quite familiar with maintaining silence so as not to disturb him... from the looks of things, these childrens were veterans of the temper of the horrid man who could be almost anywhere in the house right now.
[blue]"Let us move quickly and quietly,"[/blue] she instructed once she had gotten their attention. [blue]"Take only what you absolutely need... you will not be coming back here. I have come to take all of you together somewhere safe."[/blue] Her voice was a hushed whisper. She made certain to state that they would all be together... something told her the boys would not react well at all if they had any idea they might be separated. And certainly, she did not wish to see them separated either. [blue]"I will answer all of your questions as soon as we are safely away."[/blue]
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Tommy Bryce
Gryffindor
[red]1st Year Gryffindor[/red]
You bend and you bruise me while you try to control me
Posts: 104
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Post by Tommy Bryce on Dec 10, 2009 22:29:07 GMT -5
Tommy scrambled through the window at D'rorah's direction, just about avoiding the bowl of water but falling with a muffled thump onto the worn, blue carpet. He hesitated, glancing about and listening carefully for any sound from below or across the holiday. His dad was probably either asleep on the sofa downstairs or he might have made it to his bed, but he heard no movement. Clambering to his feet, he looked around for a closer look at the room. He could still see the sugar from the sweets he had brought earlier that day littering the carpet. Shane's bed looked as though it had been used for a short time, although that could be deceiving – he rarely made it in the mornings and tended to drag the duvet all over the house with him when he was cold. Turning his attention to the two boys curled up, Tommy went to kneel beside them.
He reached out one hand to gently shake first Shane, then Nick awake as D'rorah came through the window, much quieter than him. As Shane's eyes fluttered open, they widened at the sight of him and then he sat up quickly, flinging his arms around his older brother. [yellow]"Tommy! You came back! But dad said – "[/yellow] He trailed off as he noticed D'rorah behind him, shrinking back slightly as Nick sat up. Nick's reaction was a little less enthusiastic, noticing her presence immediately and frowning in her direction. [green]"Who's she?"[/green] he muttered, glancing at Tommy.
[red]"It's okay, she's here to help us,"[/red] Tommy assured them, turning his head to her as she begins to instruct them. He stood up and then back, examining what injuries he could see, and the guilt beginning to grow inside of him. There were several scratches on Shane's eyebrow while a black eye was beginning to rise. Other than that he didn't appear too badly hurt – as opposed to Nick. A raised cut on his neck from the knife was clearly visible, and Tommy tried not to think too hard about what might have happened had his father pressed a little harder with the weapon. More purple bruises littered his arms and bare chest, while a makeshift bandage created with his pyjama top was wrapped around one arm.
Shane hesitated, looking up at Tommy again until he nodded and then turning to run across the room with softly pattering feet and reach under his bed, pulling out a small cardboard box filled with oddments – photos, a blow-up football, a few books, the Aston Villa hat an old friend from Birmingham had gotten him for his birthday years ago. It didn't fit him now, but he kept it anyway. It was all the things that Shane didn't want ruined, since he had learnt long ago that anything left out in the open was liable to get thrown out or possibly thrown at him. Nick picked up much less, and his eyes were on D'rorah the whole time. All he held in his hands was a large notebook that looked very well-used and a framed, moving photo of himself, Tommy, Shane and the younger boys' mother. A section of the photo had been cut out, although a hand reaching in to wave on one side could be seen occasionally.
[green]"So where are we going?"[/green] Nick asked abruptly, still glaring warily at D'rorah and wondering why she had been brought along in the first place. After all, they could take care of themselves.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Dec 11, 2009 10:35:30 GMT -5
D'rorah couldn't help but be touched as Shane flung his arms around Tommy. However, as soon as he caught sight of her, he shrank back. She supposed she couldn't really blame him... his experience with older people thus far wouldn't exactly have been pleasant. Nick, however, seemed immediately put off by her presence. She hoped Tommy's reassurance would be sufficient to ensure this would all happen smoothly, and she was quite glad she had had him come along, though he hadn't been particularly keen on the idea.
She watched Shane run across the room and gather up a small cardboard box as they were instructed to gather the things they needed. She watched as Nick, similarly, gathered a very small amount of things to take with him, wondering what the notebook might be, but definitely not of a mind to pry.
As Nick asked where they were going, D'rorah tensed, thinking she head movement downstairs. She stayed absolutely still, hearing footfalls moving around. [blue]"We are going to a school,"[/blue] she remarked quietly, tensing further as she heard the footsteps begin to come up the stairs heavily. [blue]"You may ask all the questions you wish when we have arrived there, but we should leave now,"[/blue] she whispered somewhat urgently. She didn't want to get into an altercation with the boys' father with them there... not only would she be forced to protect them, but she worried they wouldn't trust her if they saw her hurting the person who had been hurting them for so long.
Not waiting for any further answer as she heard the steps coming closer, she moved with a quickness developed through years of training and grabbed hold of each brother. It would be a difficult apparition, but she was certain she could manage it. Concentrating on the extra bodies going with her and the place she wished them to all be transported, she apparated them all with a soft crack just as a heavy hand fell upon the door to the bedroom.
A moment later, the motley crew appeared in the middle of an empty stretch of land.... mostly sand and rock. It was already early morning where they appeared. [blue]"We are in China,"[/blue] she remarks finally. [blue]"Near the city of Yinchuan. I know of a small school here where you can all board."[/blue] She looked to Tommy. [blue]"You may stay as well, or you may return to Hogwarts... that is your choice. But first, let us all begin making our way to the school."[/blue] She glanced around with her eyes and her mind, making sure there was truly no one present before carefully casting a Patronus Charm. The large silvery gryphon pranced in front of her protectively before winging off in the direction they were headed. Hopefully, Master Xiu would be able to send a carriage to meet them... otherwise, they were all in for a very long walk.
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Tommy Bryce
Gryffindor
[red]1st Year Gryffindor[/red]
You bend and you bruise me while you try to control me
Posts: 104
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Post by Tommy Bryce on Dec 11, 2009 23:25:03 GMT -5
Seeing Shane wobble slightly as he held the box, Tommy reached out for it, taking it from the smaller boy and balancing it in his arms so it wouldn't fall to the floor. Not only would it create an unnecessary mess that Shane would insist on piling all back into the box before leaving, but the thump caused by it could quite easily wake his father. Quieter things than that had woken him before.
Of course, it seemed that there was no need to make any noise – a mere moment after D'rorah spoke again of the school she was planning to take them to, Tommy could hear movement downstairs. He tensed up, turning his head towards the door, and as the heavy footsteps were heard on the stairs similar reactions occurred in his brothers; Shane's face immediately went pale and he stepped closer to Tommy, one hand reaching up to grab hold of his arm, his small fingers clenching tightly. Nick had less of a reaction, flinching slightly and tensing but still obviously aware of the approaching figure.
Shane yelped aloud at being grabbed so suddenly without warning and Nick also flinched, then glaring at D'rorah and twisting his arm slightly to try and get away, fortunately not succeeding. Tommy, holding Shane's box as he was, was not really in a good position to struggle. He jumped nevertheless at the apparition even with his prior experience, and fell to one side as they landed, Shane's box of treasures falling to the stony sand below his feet but luckily staying the right way up. Shane, still clutching at his arm, also managed to fall to the floor while Nick just about managed to keep his feet, although he was swaying a little.
Once all were on their feet again, the attention was back on first their strange new surroundings, then D'rorah's words when she spoke up. Shane's eyes widened at her last words to Tommy, turning to his brother with a desperate expression on his face. [yellow]"No, don't leave us here!"[/yellow] he begged emphatically, hanging onto his older brother's shirt. [yellow]"And you can't go back to Hogwarts, dad will know where you are! He'll come find you and hurt you!"[/yellow]
Tommy hesitated for a moment. He liked it at Hogwarts, but that didn't matter when it came to his brothers. They came first. And Shane was right about his father coming to find him... Staying here sounded like a good idea, at least for now. [red]"Don't worry, Shane, I'm not going anyway,"[/red] he assured his little brother.
The patronus sufficiently distracted him from the idea of having his brother leave again, Shane gasped at the sight of the silver animal he didn't recognise, attempting to reach out to touch it and sighing in disappointment as it flew off. Nick had more important matters on his mind than the sight of magic, though. [green]"How far is this place? And why are we in China anyway?"[/green] he asked in a rather demanding tone, glaring up at D'rorah as if he still hadn't forgiven her for barging into their house and taking them on that horrible ride that was apparition – even if it had been done with all intentions of helping him.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Dec 12, 2009 15:43:02 GMT -5
D'rorah could clearly see when she mentioned Tommy returning to Hogwarts that the idea would not go over. Shane's desperation was clear to her. She had thought that might be the case, which was why she had already assumed all three brothers would end up staying here. Tommy soon enough confirmed the decision, earning a nod from D'rorah.
As Nick spoke up in a demanding tone, D'rorah looked out over the horizon. [blue]"I would say were are nearly sixteen kilometers away, at present,"[/blue] she replied in a contemplative voice. [blue]"But I intend that a carriage will meet us soon enough. We are here because there is a school here... a very good school, in fact. And I know that if I bring you here, all three of you will be able to remain together and the instructors will work with you to accomodate your needs... and you will receive an education comparative to what you would have received at Hogwarts... perhaps better, in fact, as not all of the students are magical, so your spellwork classes will allow you more individualized attention than they would have at Hogwarts."[/blue]
She looked at Nick. [blue]"It is a safe environment. I do not expect your father will be able to find you here. However, if he does, the others here will see to your safety."[/blue] She began walking, expecting they would follow along with her. [blue]"I know it has been a difficult night for all of you, but when we arrive, you will be able to eat and rest. The people are kind as well."[/blue] She continued walking. [blue]"This is the only school I know of where all three of you would be together... most schools do not take the older students as well as the younger ones."[/blue] She looked up as a team of horses appeared in the distance, moving at high speed with a carriage in tow.
[blue]"That was much faster than I expected... I suppose we will not have to walk as far as I thought we might."[/blue]
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Tommy Bryce
Gryffindor
[red]1st Year Gryffindor[/red]
You bend and you bruise me while you try to control me
Posts: 104
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Post by Tommy Bryce on Dec 12, 2009 23:53:01 GMT -5
Nick's eyes widened in shock as she said how far away it was – although he didn't know how a mile compared to a kilometre, it certainly sounded a long distance. [green]"What's that in miles?"[/green] he asked, still in that demanding voice. He settled a little at the news that a carriage was on its way, but still wasn't happy about the idea of having to walk so far. [green]"And how soon is it going to meet us?"[/green] he added impatiently. He fell silent at a glare from Tommy, who was now stood again with Shane's box full and back in his arms.
Shane had his eyes on D'rorah in a kind of entranced fascination, and had done ever since she had cast the patronus. He had never seen such magic used before – their father rarely used his wand except for tasks such as lighting the fire, and fortunately hardly ever thought to resort to magic when he was angry with them. At the mention of schools not accepting older and younger students together, his expression turned to puzzlement. [yellow]"Tommy's not old!"[/yellow] he objected aloud, looking up at her indignantly. The fact that the people at the school would protect them if their father found them was reassuring, but he still didn't want his brother leaving them again to go back to a place near to their dad.
As they began walking, Shane was almost immediately lagging behind, his shorter legs meaning he had to take more footsteps than the others and already worn out from the events of the day. [yellow]"My feet hurt..."[/yellow] he moans after barely five minutes of walking, continuing to stumble on anyway. [red]"Just keep walking, Shane,"[/red] Tommy encouraged him, although he was tired as well from all the running about and climbing, not to mention his injuries. Nick walked silently and without complaint, although his injuries had not been healed at all and an expression of pain appeared on his face whenever he put his right foot down.
A few minutes later Shane looked up in relief as D'rorah expressed surprise at how fast something was, his expression lightening immediately as he saw the carriage. [yellow]"Look, look!"[/yellow] he exclaimed, tugging at Tommy's speed and pointing excitedly, his energy apparently back now with the new development of seeing horses cantering towards them with a carriage in tow. He had never seen such a sight before.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Dec 13, 2009 11:02:20 GMT -5
D'rorah looked at Nick as he asked how far she meant in miles. [blue]"That would be ten miles, Mister Bryce,"[/blue] she replied absently. She didn't care for his tone of voice... but he was obviously not having a good day. She would give it to him for now... the instructors and monks at the Monastery would soon enough find some way to have that straightened out if it persisted. She didn't answer the question about how soon the carriage would meet them... she wasn't entirely certain herself how long it would take to arrive. Unfortunately, this was as close as they could apparate... a fact which was mostly a safety precaution. It was much easier to protect against an enemy if you had warning it was coming, rather than allowing them to suddenly appear right at your gates.
D'rorah looked back at Shane in time to see him watching her, seemingly entranced. She wondered what she had done or what about her appearance would warrant such a look, but found that it soon enough fell away while she was talking about schools. [blue]"He is older than you are,"[/blue] she replied. [blue]"Which would normally place him at a different school."[/blue]
D'rorah looked back at the others, slowing her pace deliberately so as not to leave them too far behind. She knew their night had been hard, and likely their day had as well. In any case, it was quite late for all of them... and the youngest one especially seemed to be feeling the walking. They were all troopers, even if Shane did grumble a bit about his feet hurting. She could see that Nick had some pain in walking, but didn't htink he'd react too well to her help if it was offered.
She smiled slightly at Shane's excitement over the approaching carriage. She didn't realize that something as simple as a team of horses could be so exciting... but then, she supposed this was rather like some sort of adventure to one so young. D'rorah was relieved to see it... she felt like a horrible taskmaster, prodding three exhausted children across this open, barren space. It was a stroke of good fortune that Master Xiu had so quickly sent the carriage to meet them. She hung back with them, waiting as the carriage approached at high speed. There was no driver... the horses were well trained, and had managed to find D'rorah completely on their own. [blue]"Alright, everyone into the carriage,"[/blue] she directed quietly. [blue]"I daresay Master Xiu will have a hot breakfast waiting, as well as someone to help with your injuries as soon as we arrive."[/blue] She reached out to help the youngest first, helping to steady him as he got up into the carriage. She waited for the other brothers before climbing in herself, taking the seat left next to Shane. As soon as they were all settled, the carriage set off for the Monastery, at a much more moderate pace than it had approached them.
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Tommy Bryce
Gryffindor
[red]1st Year Gryffindor[/red]
You bend and you bruise me while you try to control me
Posts: 104
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Post by Tommy Bryce on Dec 17, 2009 13:38:05 GMT -5
Nick's eyes widened as D'rorah translated the distance into miles, his face gaining a shocked and rather outraged expression. [green]"Ten miles?"[/green] he demanded, staring up at her and stopping his feet as if in protest. Shane stumbled to a halt, happy for the pause and leaning his head against Nick, his eyes flickering closed. Nick, seeing that stopping wasn't going to do anything constructive, scowled and stomped forward a few more steps before returning to walking normally when he felt the stamps jarring his injured leg even more.
Shane sighed and forced his legs to continue moving but lagging behind still despite D'rorah slowing her pace. It had been a very long day and his muscles were aching from the earlier damage, while his stomach was finally protesting against the amount of sweets he had bombarded it with. Even though the sun was shining down here, his body clock was telling him it was several hours past when he would normally fall asleep. Tommy, although much more used to walking due to the sheer size of Hogwarts and getting to classes every day, fell back as well to walk besides Nick, murmuring quietly to him. [red]"What happened to your leg?"[/red] he asked quietly. Nick shrugged his shoulders. [green]"It's not much, I just twisted my ankle when I was trying to get away... fell down the stairs,"[/green] he admitted after a few moments, his cheeks turning slightly red.
He helped Nick up into the carriage once D'rorah had assisted Shane, climbing in after to sit next to the elder of his brothers, smiling across at Shane who was peering around curiously. He turned his attention to D'rorah as soon as she sat next to him. [yellow]"Why will we be having breakfast? It's night time..."[/yellow] he asked, with no real concept of how the different time zones operated, having never gone abroad himself. He gasped as the carriage set off, almost sliding off the seat but managing to push himself back onto it, turning his head back up to stare at D'rorah.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Dec 19, 2009 4:02:08 GMT -5
D'rorah watched Shane look around the carriage curiously. It seemed everyone was much happier now that the carriage had arrived and there was no more walking to be done. As Shane turned to her with his question about breakfast, she had to think for a moment how to explain. As the carriage lurched off, she reached out to help catch him as he almost slid off the seat, but found that he soon enough managed to push himself back up. Thinking for a moment, she returned to the issue of his question.
[blue]"Well,"[/blue] she began, holding out her hand and murmuring a spell to project a small facsimile of the earth and the sun... nowhere near to scale, but good for demonstration purposes. [blue]"This is the earth,"[/blue] she said, pointing to the blue and green ball. [blue]"And that yellow one over there is the sun. If you look at the earth, do you see how it spins? Well, when the earth spins, light hits different parts of it,"[/blue] she said, pointing to the areas lit by the light from her fake sun. [blue]"Wherever the sun hits, it is day time. So you see, this edge is where the sun is rising, and over here is where the sun is setting. So, while here in New York, it is just sunrise... over here in India the sun is already setting for the day. So, because the sun rises and sets at different times all over the world based on where it is, different places have different times."[/blue]
She stopped the rotation of the earth relative to the ball about were she figured it would be for the time of day and pointed to the area near where Hogsmeade would have been. [blue]"See, where we just left, over there in Scotland, it is dark still and time for bed. But now,"[/blue] she traced her finger around the globe to China. [blue]"We are all the way over here, and the sun is rising already... so here, it is time for breakfast,"[/blue] she replies, looking to Shane to see if he understood. [blue]"Do you see?"[/blue]
[blue]"Of course, you will be allowed time to adjust to the new time here... so you will be able to go to bed if you are tired. Master Xiu is a very nice man and I have known him and the other people where we are going for many years. They will do everything they can to make sure you are all comfortable and safe."[/blue]
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