Letter home (Olivia/Open)

[Susan Matthews]

An icy breeze blew through one of the many open stone windows and Susan tugged her robes closer in attempt to keep what little body heat she was emitting from escaping. She was thankful for the short walk from the common room to the west tower, where the owls were housed. She'd finally completed her letter moments earlier along with the night's homework. Less than a half and hour before curfew, Susan was determined to find a suitable school-owl to borrow for the message to her family.

Susan didn't often write home, for fear of burdening her family. She didn't received letters either, because her muggle parents did not own an owl for mailing purposes and couldn't be bothered to write back before the school-owls chose to return to Hogwarts. Nonetheless, here Susan was, rifling through the sleeping owls, searching for one ready and able to make the flight home. After several scratches and hard pecks to the hand and face, Susan slumped against the cold stony wall. She was careful to avoid sitting directly on the ground, where the owl droppings were scattered.

Frustrated and pained from the various scratches that stung much like paper cuts, Susan opened her letter and read it again for the hundredth time. It was strange to writing so formally to the people she'd known all her life. She couldn't help but lie a little as well. She spoke of the tons of friends she was making and loads she was learning. She didn't mention the pending war at hand, or her newfound status as a Shadow Warrior. Her parents didn't understand the basics, how was she to explain how they were all in danger from the Shadow Mage?

Susan flipped the parchment over to read the post script again. Specifically for Andrea, Susan had attempted to be more friendly. She gave a few details about her dorm mates, and Aunt Kristy, and even the masqued ball. As she read the final line wishing her to "wbs"--write back soon. She began to doubt that her little sister would even bother to read the message. She considered crumpling up the letter right then and there, but then Susan recalled the several days it had taken to choose the right words to say, and decided against it. She remained crouched by the floor, mustering up the courage to rifle through the vicious owls once more.

[Cavan Mikal Weiss]

Cavan had realized that he hadn't written his mother in almost a week and realized that she would start worrying if she didn't hear from him soon. It was late and Tad liked to spend time with the other owls at the school when he was busy studying. He hurried up the stairs, thankful he wasn't wearing his school robes, as he would have fallen to his doom otherwise. He wanted to get the letter out as soon as he could, it wouldn't do to delay and since D'rorah was missing, he wanted to be back in his common room where he belonged, by curfew.

He nearly tripped on the last step, barely catching himself before he ended up face first into the floor filled with owl mess. He laughed at himself and scanned the dimly lit tower when he noticed Susan crouching against the wall looking over a letter. "Evening." He chirped to her before making an odd clicking noise with his tongue, which seemed rather random.

It was only a few moments before a small, light brown, elf owl swooped down from higher in the tower and landed gracefully on his shoulder, tilting it's head slightly to the left with interest at Susan. The owl flapped it's wings, staying perched on Cavan's shoulder and ruffled it's feathers. He found himself giggling at his owl's antics. "Alright?" He asked her, his owl still puffing itself up.

[kellylynn92]

The moon light was shining through the West Tower as Olivia climbed the stairs in her night gown. Olivia had been up all night writing to her family and putting a lot of thought into how to tell her family everything that was happening to her at school. The stairs creaked like a squeaky mouse and Olivia hated that sound so she tried to walk very quietly. Olivia stumbled once or twice because the stairs were very old and Olivia was really clumsy.

As Olivia finally reached the top of the tower she began scrambling for the perfect owl to send to her family. She tip toed around all the owl droppings and watched out for air borne droppings. Looking for owls was exciting for Olivia because she didn't do it often and she loved animals. As Olivia was searching for her favorite owl she triped over something and landed her hands in a pile of owl droplets. When she stood up disgusted by her dirty hands, she realized that it wasn't something, it was someone. It was her best friend and cousin Susan. She had not seen Susan in a while and was very excited to see her.

Olivia wiped her hands off on the closest thing to her. She leaned over to greet Susan when she noticed someone else in the tower. Olivia's mind wandered from Susan to this mysterious person. She said "Hi, who are you?" in a very puzzled ,but excited voice Olivia loved meeting new people. Then she remembered her cousin and leaned over and said "Hey there Suz.... how have you been?!" As Olivia waited for answers from both the other people in the tower she looked for some way to clean her poop hands.

[Susan Matthews]

With a quick breath of air sent up, Susan succeeded in temporarily removing her bangs from impeding her vision. She heard the footsteps long before she saw the person to whom they belonged. As the person climbing the tower revealed themselves, almost tripping and falling, Susan flinched and almost fell over herself. Fortunately, she remained crouched near the floor, the letter still safe in her hands.

"Heya," Susan said in response to the greeting from Cavan. She didn't make any motions for more conversation, because, to be honest, she wasn't entirely in the mood to be talking with anyone at the moment. She stayed in her current position watching as Cavan made to call for his own personal owl. For an instant Susan was jealous, wishing she had her parents had wizard money to buy her an owl, instead of stationary that she rarely used.

The motions of Cavan had distracted Susan from recognizing another person as they entered the tower as well. She kept her eyes on Cavan's owl and pondered how best to answer his question, or better put, his single word posed as a question. Before she could made a proper reply, she was suddenly shoved to the floor as someone tripped over her. "Hey, I--" Susan exclaimed as she found owl poo smushed all over the knees of her jeans. She stood up immediately, to see who had been so clumsy as to have put the safety of her letter in jeopardy.

Remembering her letter, Susan found it thankfully safe a ways off. She carefully picked it up, examining it for traces of owl waste. Finding none, she folded the parchment carefully and placed it in her pocket before turning to find who had caused the ruckus. When Susan's eyes fell upon Olivia, she sighed. Who other than her cousin would manage to trip over a large object, such as a person. She flinched again, this time at the mention of her nickname. "Suz". Only her family called her by this shortened version of her true name, which reminded her again of the task at hand.

"Alright, I guess," Susan responded to Olivia's question. She assumed her answer would suffice for Cavan's word-of-a-question as well. Already sickened at the scent of the owl waste smeared on the knees of her pants, Susan retrieved her wand and pointed to each knee and muttered a quick, "Scourgify." Recognizing a similar sense of disgust with Olivia, she then turned to her cousin and sent a Tergio in the direction of her hand, easily removing the owl droppings from the surface.

When that was done, Susan gestured to Cavan, "Olivia, this is Cavan," and then the other way, "Cavan, my cousin, Olivia." She stood awkwardly between the two, half of her wanting to continue rifling through the school owls, and the other half wanting to slump back down against the wall, further pending the sending of her letter.

[Cavan Mikal Weiss]

Before Susan had had a chance to respond, a third person entered the owlery, he turned as he heard her approach, the squeaky stair giving her away, and wondered to himself why she was wandering about the castle, in this weather, in her night gown. He absently wondered if he'd mistaken the time, but decided the perhaps the girl had been turning in early and then remembered a letter that needed sent. After a moment's consideration, he turned back to Susan for a response. He was normally much more talkative, but she seemed a bit down and he didn't want to saturate the air with gibber jabber.

"Heya."

It seemed to him that Susan seemed to be a little down, which whether he knew a person well or not, he didn't like to see, he wondered what was bothering her. Cavan hadn't been watching the other girl, not wanting to be overly nosy in either direction, as it turned out, he should have been paying at least a small amount of attention as during her tip-toeing through the room, she's tripped over Susan, not realizing what was happening until it was too late.

"Hey, I--"

He cringed as Olivia landed hands down in the muck that covered the floor and Susan's knees were smushed down into the floor. He watched as Olivia wiped her contaminated hands on a nearby perch stand and made a note to steer clear of it in the coming days.

"Hi, who are you? Hey there Suz.... how have you been?!"

"Alright, I guess."

He watched silently when within moments, Susan was retrieving her wand and casting a quick Scourgify on each of her knees before being kind enough to cast a Tergio on the other girl's hands.

He lifted a brow in her general direction, unable to help comparing his mannerisms to those of this obviously older girl. He wondered if perhaps she and he had switched the way they were expected to act when no one was looking. He felt much more mature than her in that moment. Before he got a chance to speak, Susan was introducing them, he smiled to her gratefully.

"Olivia, this is Cavan, Cavan, my cousin, Olivia."

He nodded in greeting to Olivia, not offering a hand like he normally would have done. Even with a Tergio cast, he was not one to test fate, he'd keep his hands poo free tonight. "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Olivia and to see you outside of class Miss Susan." Tad hooted at them from Cavan's shoulder and he gave the little owl a pat on the head, "Tad is pleased to meet you both as well." He gave his owl a treat and looked at the two girls, "Did you ladies need help getting an owl that's flight ready?"

[kellylynn92]

Even though it was still early Olivia was in her night gown and now hunting for an owl. She felt that she had to get this letter out by tonight. It was just that important. Olivia hadn't told her family about school in over a month. She thought they might be getting worried. Although Olivia had only one main focus at the moment, she was very excited to see Susan and to meet Cavan. As Olivia started some conversation, she noticed something odd in Susan's response.

"Alright,I guess"

Olivia was a little confused at this response. She said "You guess?" in a very perplexed way. Now, Olivia was a very happy person all the time. Normally, Olivia could cheer just about anyone up and that's why she had to ask "Whats the matter Susan, you look down?" Olivia just wanted to help out her cousin. For Olivia family was the most important thing, no matter what. She was always willing to listen and help.

While waiting for a response from Susan, she remembered Cavan. Olivia simply said "It's a pleasure to meet you too!" She said this in a hushed tone because she was still recovering from the embarrassment of her fall moments ago. Now, she was embarrassed also by her wardrobe.

Olivia thought it was a very gentlemen thing of Cavan to help assist Susan and herself. Olivia graciously excepted the offer of Cavan's help. Although Olivia was a cults and a little childish she was always up for talking about anything. That's why she ask "Cavan, tell me something about yourself." As Olivia shuffled through the owlery enjoying the night air. She found the perfect owl. He was fat and beautiful. Olivia's mother loved the fatter owls, they made her laugh.

That's when Olivia noticed he was flying higher and higher. She needed some help getting him down. Olivia asked Cavan" Can you, maybe, help me reach that fat one way up there...please." Olivia was never could at asking for help. She liked being able to do things on her own, but she asked Cavan any ways. Hopefully he would help her out just this once.

[Susan Matthews]

Cavan was extremely polite to both her and her cousin, for which Susan was grateful. She wasn’t too familiar with Cavan, but she had the feeling he was a nice kid. She certainly wasn’t in the mood to deal with anything other than polite at the moment. Susan eyed Cavan’s owl as he greeted the two girls as well and wished she could have smiled. Despite her current sad disposition, she did find the small elf owl rather cute. Another time maybe, she decided.

She remained quiet as Olivia’s turn to speak came around. Susan neither smiled nor frowned as Olivia gave her reaction to her own noncommittal answer. She should have known better than to try to get away with an “I guess”. She studied her cousin with the shining blue eyes, and in an instant she knew she wouldn’t understand. Olivia had once been her confidant. Susan remembered staying late telling secrets for the sake of have secrets to share. Although it couldn’t have been more than a month or two ago, Susan felt this year things had changed significantly.

As she was not a part of it herself, Olivia remained a student at Hogwarts, unaware of the war that was brewing around them. Susan looked into her cousin’s innocent shining eyes, and didn’t have the heart to explain her destiny or current preoccupation with things other than school work. Instead, she remained silent for the time being; only raising her eyebrows skeptically as Olivia turned to accept Cavan’s help with the owls.

Susan knew she couldn’t evade Olivia’s nosy personality for long. Susan gently walked away from their gathering. She remained within talking distance, but ventured far enough to be “looking for an owl”. Distracting both herself and the others, Susan nervously turned the letter over in her hands. Her chest was tight as she contemplated sending the letter again. Originally she’d planned to simply send it, and get it over with. Quick and easy.

What she hadn’t intended on was running into others who might be sending letters this evening, least of all Olivia, her own family. Cavan, Susan wasn’t too worried about. He was uninformed when it came to the goings-on in her family. Olivia, on the other hand, was a part of it. Susan avoided Olivia as her cousin made her attempt to catch hold of the pudgy owl, the one furthest away from where they stood. Susan was glad Olivia asked for Cavan’s offered help, as Susan was now afraid to ask.

She was caught in a whirl wind of “to send or not to send”. The hundred or so owls perched around the tower all seemed to stare at her. “Who,” they asked. Who are you, Susan? She finished for them, who could not speak in human words. And the answer, Susan did not know. Who was she, who could not send a letter to her own family without fear of disapproval? Who was she, who could not tell her own cousin of her undeniable future? Who was she, who could not accept help from a willing friend?