This thread serves as the ship and whatever port the Solus, a magical research ship, may be.
”Home” Port: Galway, Ireland. Electronics technically works on the ship, but interruptions are very common. WiFi "Solus Network". Password: "whatsW1F1" Post is received and delivered every other Tuesday, weather permitting, by Kaywinnet, a specially trained brown pelican.
Floo: not connected Apparation: To the main deck, but it’s probably very difficult while at sea.
Deck layout Rooms: 1: Azim/ Nceba (Captain's Quarters) || 2. Alys/ Annie || 3. Miles 4. (empty - currently extra storage) || 5. Kendall/ Lee || 6. || 7. Skip/Weslyn || 8. Jade || 9. Kayden || 10. Harmony/ Jaelah
The Solus is primarily a research vessel for marine habitats for magical creatures, although it also charts waters for curses and treasures, and occasionally trades with friendly merpeople colonies. While not all members of the crew are magical themselves, all members are related to and aware of magic.
Beginnings: Captain Azim Aindrias was a journalist working in Tyre when he first proposed the idea of the Solus, combining his passion for sailing and his sister, Annie’s, passion for magizoology. He got Annie’s mentor in marine magizoology on board (literally) and won a grant from the Winchester Foundation in the United Kingdom to fund the first few expeditions. Friends and friends of friends he’d made in the wizarding community around the world made up the first crew, which set sail for 4 months in 2037.
The team's research has since contributed to projects and papers in magizoology and cursebreaking. They take grant funding from private investors on a project-by-project basis. From 2040-2049, the Solus was able to reliably support a crew of around 12. While voyages are usually only a few months, there have been extended voyages that have them at sea for over six months. All voyages are framed by weeks or even months of preparation and work on shore. Alysanne and Annie have also published several art books of their travels.
Crew and Plots:The primary research team on the ship is the magizoology team. Initially led by Annie’s mentor, a renowned magizoologist and conservationist, the team has been led by Annie Aindrias since 2041. From 2047 on, differences in approach and vision have caused conflict between Annie and new magizoologist Ciel, leading to a high turnover rate in non-familial crew.
Everyday life aboard:In order to maintain a sense of work and life while living aboard a ship, each person aboard has "on-duty" hours which might go towards their primary work, various everyday chores, or just relaxing time when they might be called upon to help with something. Off-duty hours can be expected to be uninterrupted. The only time off-duty crew are called upon is in an emergency all-hands-on-deck situation.
Many evenings crewmembers might just gather on deck and tell stories, play music, drink wine, play cards, etc. On nice days crew might just go for a swim or, if far enough from shore and other ships, play broom games and duel.
Shore leave is arranged at every destination mid-voyage; between voyages, shore work and preparations can last up to several months-- during this time crew are welcome to stay aboard or commute from another residence.
addaellis
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addaellis
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 4:31 pm
╔═════════☁═════════╗ ℂ𝕣𝕖𝕨 ╚═══════════════════╝
CaptainAzim Aindrias (48, muggle) -- University of Tyre (journalism) (npc)
charismatic, friendly, understanding. Knows a bunch of random facts and people.
First MateHarmony Aindrias (20, halfblood) -- Hogwarts (Gryffindor) -- Joined 2047
knowledgeable, well-traveled, speaks a dozen languages and always has weird snacks.
2046 - 52 (magizoologists), 2056 (cursebreakers)-in training (Various people) 2037- 2048: MagizoologistSarfaraz Yousuf (muggleborn) -- Dar Ar-Rikham (merfolk magizoology) (npc)
2037 - 2041: Head MagizoologistWilliam Dautreve (pureblood) -- Beauxbatons (Angelus, now Head of the Beasts Division) (npc) 2037 - 2039: Head CursebreakerJae Sook “Liane” Park (halfblood) -- [Korean magical school] (npc) 2037: CookFinch (house elf) (played by addaellis)
Open to other positions! PM addaellis if you have ideas for an unlisted role
Last updated for the 2059 Year [18 May 2023]
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 4:38 pm
╔═════════☁═════════╗ ℙ𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝕍𝕠𝕪𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕤 ╚═══════════════════╝ (Left open so people can make up details. This record will be filled in for reference as we go)
July - November 2037 -- (Maiden voyage) in the North Sea (Galway, Ireland to Edinburgh Inverness, Scotland ?? -- Cape of Africa ?? -- Conservation trip to the Great Barrier Reef. 2046 -- Six month voyage in Thailand Summer 2050 -- cursebreaking-centered voyage around the Faroe Islands 2055- 2056- various short trips
addaellis
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addaellis
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 4:42 pm
༄ reserved just in case ༄
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 7:20 pm
✶☁DUANAIRELIANEAINDRIAS-EVERA fourth year || Gryffindor || halfblood Art Club mapmaker || Cooking Club snacker || Quidditch chaser irregular attendee of any club events _______________
It wasn't even noon yet and Aire was stressing out. It had started off with sneaking into the captain’s quarters to swap one of her uncle’s ties with another one of a slightly different pattern. Escaping outside onto the balcony though, she overheard her aunt and uncle discussing the dire crew situation onboard.
Aire knew that there were tensions between Annie, her ami, and Ciel, the other magizoologist on board. She had also noticed that there was always new magizoology and cursebreaking crew around now. A little turnover between different projects was normal though, and Aire had always figured that spending most of her year at Hogwarts and part of her breaks with her dad or grandmother had been why she was so unaware of the new crew. Even when she was on the ship, half the crew was family or basically-family, and it didn’t matter that there was one unfamiliar person involved. It wasn’t like Aire was particularly good at meeting new people after all. What she didn’t realize was that nearly every trip was turning into lines being drawn across the deck and water, non-familiar crew dragged into tensions that made them stay on shore next time the Solus set sail. The high turnover was stressing everyone--especially Annie, who took even longer than Aire to get used to new faces.
Then there was funding. Fewer projects meant fewer funds meant fewer crew meant fewer opportunities for projects. They were whirlpooling. There was this multi-year grant...but apparently the amount of work required for this new multi-year grant was more than just two magizoologists could do, even if the rest of the crew pitched in when they could, and even if they were getting along. Captain Azim never doubted his sister, oddities and all. He never doubted anyone on their crew, and he never turned down a project he knew they could handle. Hearing him consider rejecting a multi-year grant, when they were already scraping the barrel for commissions and crewmates--it was jarring, in a way that terrified Aire.
Duanaire slid down the rigging, wandered along the edge and popped herself on the bow of the ship, feet dangling over the edge right above the silver The Solus painted on the side. She overlooked the Galway port her sea-home called home. She had this quarter’s Poetry Anthology in hand, but was distracted thinking about this crew problem. They needed a new magizoologist, someone friendly, smart, and who wouldn’t just leave immediately after this expedition. Someone who could understand her ami Annie’s eccentricities and work patiently. Someone who loved the sea as much as she did, and got along with the crew like family--someone who could join their crew-family, not just tour around and visit.
The latest couple of non-consistent crew--two magizoologists-in-training, a cursebreaker and a merchant--had just left. Ciel was at the foot of the gangplank saying final farewells. Captain Azim was at the shore office, waiting for someone who had answered his latest call for crew. Aire turned away and faced the sea, reaching her consciousness into the gentle waves as she tried to understand what she could do. Lir, please, wash up some good person before we set out. Someone who loves the sea, who won’t fall prey to jealousy. I’ll...I’ll say hello, and introduce them at dinner. Properly. I’ll share my cauldron cakes. And Harmony and I won’t prank them. Or we will, whatever they want. Just...give us someone to keep the crew from tearing itself apart.
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settingThe Solus, Galway Port. End of June 2052 || with Everyone working in the background. Just her and the sea appearance 5'1", lithe || wearingnice clothes for shore status Adult problems are terrifying. _______________ //OOC: Feel free to have Kendall wave or say hi or something XD Could be a "Well didn't find the office but here's the ship" kind of thing!
MJ Spooks
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Some say our dreams are a distant road Down which our hearts would like to go But I have always stayed in place Under that old illusion that it's safe You said, "The ship in port is the safer one, but it's not the reason it was made." So forgive me if I wander off And forgive me more if I just stay ☁✶ ~"The Ship in Port" by Radical Face.
spaceKendall was trying very, very hard not to stress out, but it wasn't exactly going so well. Normally, he wasn't a particularly anxious person. He had plenty of negative traits, but anxious was not one of them. Unfortunately, on the rare occasion where he did get anxious, it tended to manifest as anger. He'd been working on that, really, and it'd been going pretty well, especially since he'd graduated and reached a point of his life where he no longer felt like everyone looking at him was seeing a girl. Unfortunately, that was not quite relevant to his current predicament. And, to make matters worse, this was a predicament in which his temper was liable to royally screw him over, should he let it get the best of him.
spaceHe paused his semi-frantic pace, closing his eyes and forcing himself to take a few deep, calming breaths. It was no big deal. He would find the office. It was around here, somewhere, and he would find it, or else find someone who could direct him to it. He rolled his shoulders, cracked his neck and knuckles, then opened his eyes again. He scanned the area, looking for something, anything, that might potentially indicate the direction he needed to go.
spaceHe didn't find the office, or a conveniently placed map. But he did spot a docked boat, with the name "Solas" emblazoned on the side. He was supposed to go to the offices, not the boat itself, of course, but that was in fact the name of the boat he was applying to work on. Which meant that someone hovering nearby, or on board, had to know where he was supposed to go for this bloody interview. Or, erm. Meeting? Was it an actual interview? He still wasn't sure. He'd dressed appropriately, in any case. Not super formal, because this didn't exactly feel like the sort of job you wore a three-piece suit to interview for. But he had on a nice shirt and a pair of decent slacks, which Lee had helped him pick out. He looked professional. He hoped, anyway.
spaceHe strode towards the boat, catching sight of a figure settled on the bow of the ship. He waved, hoping to get the girl's attention. It wasn't until he'd already gotten it that he realized how young she was, and how potentially awkward that could be. He blushed and cursed slightly under his breath, then called out,"Erm, hullo, I'm hoping maybe you can help me?"He chewed the inside of his cheek for a second, arm dropping awkwardly to his side."Uh, assuming there's not two Solas...es... docked, uh, I'm looking for your, um, captains? offices? Er..."He floundered. He knew a lot about marine life; not a lot about boats. He liked boats, of course, but he hadn't spent much time on any."Er, I'm interested in the, uh,"a quick pause to look and see if there were any muggles nearby who might overhear him,"Er, research position?"he settled on. What if there were, in fact, two ships of the same name, and this one was crewed by muggles? That seemed unlikely. But, maybe it happened? Would get confusing, sure, but who knows how well-regulated this stuff was. Not him, that's for certain.
spaceHe had to suppress his agitation; he wasn't annoyed at the girl, just at the situation, and a little at himself. He didn't need to go making bad impressions; if this was the right boat, she was probably the daughter of somebody who worked on it, losing his temper in a way that might be construed as at her, over nothing, would not do him any favors."Uh, could you possibly point me in the right direction?"he asked, a little desperately, because the more flustered he got, the more he wanted to hit something. This did not bode well.
✶☁DUANAIRELIANEAINDRIAS-EVERA fourth year || Gryffindor || halfblood Art Club mapmaker || Cooking Club snacker || Quidditch chaser irregular attendee of any club events _______________
Aire had no sooner opened her eyes and looked back at the shore when she saw a man waving at her, walking towards the ship. She glanced around to make sure he wasn’t just shielding his eyes from the sun or waving at…a bird or something. She waved back tentatively.
The man seemed nervous as he asked for directions to the office. Or lost? Aire pushed off the ship fluidly, landing with a roll and popping onto bare feet a few feet from the stranger. She checked with a tap that her wand was still clipped securely under her shirt as the man looked warily about before saying he was looking for the “research position”. No way? That was too fast!
”Um, yeah. She’s the only Solus docked,” Aire confirmed, before remembering she had just made a promise to say hello to any potential new crew. She was not in the business of breaking promises to ancient sea gods. ”I mean, hello!”
Duanaire screwed up her courage and took a step closer, ready to throw her book at his head and run if he turned out to be a weirdo. She tried to project some kind of...charisma? Confidence? Aire generally reacted to new people like Annie, but she needed to channel anyone--anyone--else on the crew. ”You’re looking for Captain Azim-- Captain Aindrias, right? The office is...just over there,” she said, pointing back up to the row of beachfront stores, particularly at an unassuming shop with “Repairs” over the door. A real repair business, run by the Aindrias adults’ muggle mother, but also a front for the Solus’s research offices. ”It’s the white door on the blue wall. Two minutes from here….was the fireplace broken again?”
There. She had successfully given the new guy directions. Aire wanted very much to crawl below deck now. No, wait, she needed to make a good impression. He had literally washed up and been waveing at her. If this all wasn’t a sign, she hadn’t learned anything from divination. Courage. Be friendly. It went against all of her instincts to sneak and blend in and be unnoticeable and unmemorable, but people didn’t like unmemorable, and she needed Mister Fancy Shirt Lost Dude to like her and the ship. ”Ah-- You’re early though, right? It’s really only a two minute walk, so would you like some cake in the meantime?” Was that creepy? She wouldn’t trust random strangers that offered her cake..well, maybe…. ”Sorry, I’m Captain Aindrias’s niece. My name’s Aire. I uh...am still in school. But out for the summer! Are you more into research like ‘cute water creatures’ research? Or ‘sunken treasure’ research? What was your name again?”
Aire suddenly wished she had paid better attention to who Uncle Azim was meeting today. What if this was all an elaborate trick by some muggle conspiracy theorist? Had she said anything too weird? Had she just broken the Statute of Secrecy?!
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settingThe Solus, Galway Port. End of June 2052 || with Everyone working in the background. Mister Fancy Shirt Lost Dude appearance 5'1", lithe || wearingnice clothes for shore status Wow that was fast + trying to be memorable. Good memorable. + screeeeech _______________ //OOC: ----
MJ Spooks
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Some say our dreams are a distant road Down which our hearts would like to go But I have always stayed in place Under that old illusion that it's safe You said, "The ship in port is the safer one, but it's not the reason it was made." So forgive me if I wander off And forgive me more if I just stay ☁✶ ~"The Ship in Port" by Radical Face.
Harmony was like the sea, full of salt. When the Andrias family, her parents, asked her and Aire about adopting another kid, She was excited for another sibling (another because Aire was basically her sister), but she figured they wouldn’t get the kid until September, when it was time to go back to school. The last thing Harmony expected was the child to be there as soon as they got off the Hogsmeade train. She definitely didn’t expect the child to look identical to her mother... their mother. Although... they had discussed it several times during Hogsmeade weekends, she just didn't expect the replica of their mother. She didn't expect the timing.
They had re-arranged their sleeping arrangements for this new kid, and Harmony didn’t enjoy having to share her room with a third girl. Her favorite thing to do was to say there was a password on their door and no one could enter, Jaelah would run off to find the password or get the parents, but Aire would say gibberish and be let in.
That was how their summer had gone. Avoiding the small child, and complaining... and doing summer studies. They were sitting in their room with a chair blocking the door handle, preventing Jaelah from joining the cousins.
“Ugh. Can we return her Aire? I need there to be a return policy on the small child.” She’s not even half our age, I didn’t realize how obnoxious she could be. Was I this annoying when I first joined the crew? I know there’s only a year difference, but gawd.”
╔══════════════╗ Where: The Solus With Whom: Aire Thinking about: ugh. Small humans. Wearing: black shorts x stabilized peg leg x gray sweater ╚══════════════╝
addaellis
_____
Posted: Fri May 07, 2021 10:36 pm
✶☁DUANAIRELIANEAINDRIAS-EVERA fifth year || Gryffindor || halfblood Art Club mapmaker || Quidditch chaser irregular attendee of any club events _______________
Usually on a day with good weather, Aire would have dragged Harmony out to hang out on deck, but Aire was in trouble for dumping Pompion Potion into last night’s curry. Personally, she thought everyone walking around with a pumpkin head was hilarious, but there were others on crew who were less amused. What was actually disappointing was how Aunt Nceba had figured out it was her instead of Harmony almost immediately. Darn.
There was also the little girl running around deck now. Aire hadn’t really minded when the girl was brought up, and had even looked forward to having a new pranking target on board. But Harmony seemed annoyed, and Harmony was Aire’s best friend. Plus Aire was less than thrilled their parents had decided all three girls ought to share a room. Harmony was one thing--they were close in age at least-- but Jaelah was...nearly a decade younger than them and didn’t know anything. It was like 24/7 babysitting. Luckily, it was easy enough to prank Jaelah.
Aire was hanging off her bunk, flipping through her old sketchbooks and her moms’ art books as she and Harmony chatted. ”You weren’t annoying,” she hummed immediately. She thought back to when Harmony first joined the crew. Aire remembered being nervously excited and maybe awkward, but never resentful. Well. Maybe resentful of sharing her room, but she liked having a bunk bed. Aire glanced over at the new bed in their room with a frown. The room was bigger to accommodate another child, but she still wasn’t used to Jaelah. ”I mean, you didn’t know anything about ship life, which I thought was kind of obnoxious, but I remember you joined me in a prank your first week. What was that...rearranging the dishes? Hiding Miles's Quidditch knicknacks? When did we build the box fort?” She dropped the book next to Harmony with a thoughtful expression. ”Did you even know how to swim when you first came onboard?...Wait do you think we need to show her how to swim?”
Huh. Now they she thought about it, why had it taken so long for Harmony and Aire to be friends? And why couldn't Jaelah just...be like Harmony?
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settingSpirit Squad room, The Solus || with Harmony appearance 5'2", lithe || wearingloose muslin top and sweats status reminiscent _______________ //OOC: I feel like there's something OOC or wrong with what I wrote so let me know if you catch it
Stefan Lee Salvatore
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Soon may the Wellerman come To bring us sugar And tea and rum One day, when the tonguing' is done We'll take our leave and go. ☁✶ ~"The Wellerman" recorded by Neil Colquhoun. Cover by Caleb Hyles, Anthony Vincent, Jonathan Young, Pellek, and NateWantstoBattle.
Harmony had begun just batting at Aire’s hair from the bottom bunk, and then pulled out a box of her silver hair dye and had begun mixing it, she had been wanting to add something different to her hair... ”Box fort was pre-squid, so probably like. Winter? I didn’t know how to swim.... if I had I wouldn’t have fallen prey to squid, I think I could have out swum it.” Did they need to teach Jaelah how to swim? Or was that the job of the parents?
”I don’t think we became good friends until you left for Hogwarts, the ship just got so quiet and lonely without our back and forth prank wars. If we tried to prank Jaelah as hard as we pranked each other, she’d probably run off in tears. Maybe when we get back from Hogwarts next summer if she can’t swim we’ll teach her. Let’s give her a year to get her sea legs before we throw her into the sea.... but maybe lets make sure she has a note to stay below deck during a storm.” Harmony chucked at that, ah if only little her had known better than to stand on the deck.
Harmony put on her gloves and took the brush, she began lightly putting some color on the ends of her hair before looking at Aire’s head just hanging there... why test a new color on her hair? She took a gob full of the dye on her fingers, rubbed it between her palms, and ran the silver dye through Aire’s hair ends, if Aire hated it, they could easily cover it up with another color if they could get more.... or convince an adult to spell it? Was there a spell that could pull hair dye out of hair? Would scourging pull dye out of hair? Hair was an object after all..... after she ha”You’re about to go into OWL charms, pop quiz Aire. Will scourgify get silver hair dye out of your hair?”
╔══════════════╗ Where: The Solus With Whom: Aire Thinking about: ugh. Small humans. Wearing: black shorts x stabilized peg leg x gray sweater ╚══════════════╝
addaellis
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Posted: Tue May 11, 2021 11:22 pm
✶☁DUANAIRELIANEAINDRIAS-EVERA fifth year || Gryffindor || halfblood Art Club mapmaker || Quidditch chaser irregular attendee of any club events _______________
Aire’s chest froze a second when Harmony casually mentioned the squid. ”Don’t try it,” she said quietly. ”If you get caught by a squid again, flipendo it in the eye. Those things can be fast.”
Aire turned over when she smelled hair dye. Harmony was messing with the cream again. Aire sniffed deeply, then settled back down, head and hair hanging off the edge. Her hair was getting too long. She wondered if it was pretty long. Not that she particularly cared about being pretty! Not at sea anyways.
Harmony continued undeterred, saying it wasn't until Aire left for Hogwarts that Harmony missed her. Giving Jaelah a year to get used to things sounded like a plan. Aire vowed silently to make sure if there was a storm while they were on board, she was picking Jaelah up by the scruff and locking her below deck. What happened to Harmony was never going to happen again.
”That sounds like a good plan,” she said out loud. ”Maybe with a year apart from us she’ll figure out how she fits in and how to be a proper part of the crew,” Aire added. She thought about it a little more--surely Uncle Azim would be showing her everything and everyone else on the crew would find things to teach the little girl just as they had taught Aire when she was younger. ”Until then, I think pumpkin head and passwords are enough for her young little self.”
Harmony started fiddling with Aire’s hair and Aire stopped fidgeting, letting Harmony work on whatever surprise she was working on. Her little cousin offered up a Charms pop quiz and Aire groaned. Studying was one thing. OWLs studying was another. She threw an arm over her eyes but thought about it. ”Scourgify specifically? If you did it right now, yeah probably? But after it sets probably not. There are potions that can wash it out though, that run straight through the magical no-fade dyes. And I’m sure there’s a charms version. It’s another scouring charm. Uhhh...Grab me last year’s textbook? Somewhere in my trunk.”
Aire didn’t really want to know, but now that she was thinking about it, she wondered if using a different scouring charm to clean the deck would do something that could potentially be funny. Plus she knew there was a soap-in-mouth charm that would be funny if Jaelah ever picked up a sailor’s mouth.
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settingSpirit Squad room, The Solus || with Harmony appearance 5'2", lithe || wearingloose muslin top and sweats status reminiscent _______________ //OOC: Still feel like there's something OOC with what I wrote so let me know if you catch it
Stefan Lee Salvatore
_______________
Soon may the Wellerman come To bring us sugar And tea and rum One day, when the tonguing' is done We'll take our leave and go. ☁✶ ~"The Wellerman" recorded by Neil Colquhoun. Cover by Caleb Hyles, Anthony Vincent, Jonathan Young, Pellek, and NateWantstoBattle.
Harmony chuckled when Aire said to use flipendo to get away from a squid, ”Do you suppose “I’m sorry I was being attacked by a squid” is a good reason to get away with under age magic?” Surely that was a dire enough circumstance that they wouldn’t get in too much trouble, but what if they were super strict about that.... would the under age magic charms even be detected so far out to sea?
Harmony went to her own trunk and pulled out a plastic bag, and wrapped the bottom half of Aire’s dyed hair in it. If Aire wasn’t going to stop her, she might as well treat it right. As she went back and dug through Aire’s trunk to find Aire’s Charms text book. Why hadn’t Aire given Harmony the textbook already? Well... they weren’t studying or anything so it probably didn’t make a difference. She wished that they were at school, it would be so much quicker to spell the book to the top..... aha! She finally found the charms book and brought it over to Aire, throwing it on the top bunk.
”Am I horrible to say, I hope that she doesn’t replace me to the Aindrias’s? She was literally born to be the better version of me, my parents had her because they failed so drastically with me. What if with good parents, she actually does become better than me.... what if she makes them all hate me...” She shook her head, she shouldn’t be mentioning this to Aire. It was something she should have just kept to herself, that would have been better anyways. If she didn’t have an attitude and was on her best behavior... maybe the Aindrias’s wouldn’t return her to the orphanage for the better younger version.
She went back to Aire’s trunk to dig out the fourth year potions book, and began looking to see if there were any cool potions mentioned in it, maybe she would be better off waiting until they went to Diagon Alley, see if there were any brew you own hair dye potions books, maybe that could entertain her during her summer breaks.
╔══════════════╗ Where: The Solus With Whom: Aire Thinking about: ugh. Small humans. Wearing: black shorts x stabilized peg leg x gray sweater ╚══════════════╝
addaellis
_____
Posted: Sat May 15, 2021 11:20 pm
✶☁DUANAIRELIANEAINDRIAS-EVERA fifth year || Gryffindor || halfblood Art Club mapmaker || Quidditch chaser irregular attendee of any club events _______________
Even though she had been serious and somber just a moment ago, Aire couldn’t help but giggle when Harmony asked if fighting a squid was an appropriate reason to do underage magic. She made a deep, serious sounding voice. ”’Ahem, no, not acceptable. What if a fish saw you and found out about magic? The horror!’” In her normal airy voice she added, ”I’d do magic all the time if my ami and your dad didn’t mind the whole illegal thing. Lir knows Ma doesn’t care. Imagine how much more we could do! I wouldn’t even need to sneak anywhere to play pranks on people.’
Harmony got up and did something else with Aire’s hair. Aire heard rummaging before a book flopped next to her. She picked it up, careful not to move her head overmuch. She was just starting to flip through the more niche cleaning spells when Harmony started talking again.
The frown came back. ”That won’t happen,” she said immediately, but Harmony continued, saying how Jaelah was supposed to be some better version of Harmony and her parents--it took a moment for Aire to realize Harmony meant her birthparents-- thought they’d failed with Harmony. ”No. That won’t happen,” she repeated quietly but firmly.
Aire stared at the charms book, but she wasn’t studying or even really reading. Why had Harmony said Jaelah supposed to be the “better version of her”? Why did she think her birthparents had “failed” with her? Why had she called them her parents? Weren’t Uncle Azim and Aunt Nceba her parents? Didn’t Harmony feel that way? Didn’t Harmony see Aire as her real cousin? And why was she worried that Jaelah could actually be better than her? In what? Sailing? Swimming? Magic? Quidditch? Being the bestest prankster-in-arms a girl could wish for? Why would Harmony think Jaelah would want people to hate her? How could Harmony think anyone on the crew would hate her?
Maybe that had to do with the tensions between some of the adults on board. If her ma or ami were mad or particularly involved, Aire usually kept to herself and Harmony, or hang out with Mr. Fancy Shirt Not-so-Lost guy, because he actually stuck around, and she needed to make sure he didn’t jump ship. But they were a crew and a crew was supposed to be family. If the adults’ complicated arguing was making Harmony feel like they could possibly hate her, then suddenly Aire had a much bigger problem than making sure Mr. Fancy Shirt didn’t run off next shore leave.
Or was it an adopted thing, where Harmony felt like she couldn’t fit in and couldn’t be a “real” child? Why...why were people allowed to just decide to give up on a kid and have a new one? People weren’t homework assignments you could just forget about. Was Harmony sad or jealous whenever they stayed with Aire’s dad or stepmother on shore? Or her grandmother? Aire had always assumed that Harmony saw Aire’s giant, complicated family as her new giant, complicated family.
The thoughts kept swimming through her head. Finally, Aire snapped her book closed and reached down, tapping Harmony just above the peg-leg knee to get her attention. Aire was still quiet, figuring out her words. Finally, she took a deep breath and spoke up. ”First of all, I’m pretty sure you’re better than her because you’re you and you’re my best friend and cousin. Like, real cousin. Real family. Not just we-have-parents-that-are-related family, but people we won’t give up on. That’s your parents. That’s me. That’s my ma and ami. And I’d even say my halmeoni and dad count. Plus Grandma Aindrias. Lir, even Miles counts. My whole big complicated family is your whole big complicated family, Harmony. And family--real family--doesn’t just give up on each other. Jaelah can’t ‘replace you or to the Aindrias’s’ because you’re an Aindrias. I guess she is too now… but she’s not replacing you. She can’t.
“Second, no one on board hates you. Two point five: I’m super sure your parents don’t hate you and couldn’t hate you because you’re literally the daughter they always wanted. Like do you see how proud Uncle Azim gets whenever you say you’re going to be the next captain? He lights up like a bay of mareel. Two point...uh eight. I don’t think Jaelah hates you. I think she’s obnoxious and annoying, and maybe a little stupid, but if people hated other people for being smarter or cooler than them, they they probably hate everyone. And finally, if we find out someone hates you, you should make them walk the plank. Or at least pretend to.
“All of which brings me to point uh...C. Your birth parents suck.”
Aire stopped there with a nod and sighed. Hopefully that all made sense. Because if it didn’t, she was going to have to tell Aunt Nceba that Harmony had symptoms of insecurity or something and Aire wasn’t a tattletale.
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settingSpirit Squad room, The Solus || with Harmony appearance 5'2", lithe || wearingloose muslin top and sweats status treating Insecurity _______________ //OOC: Mareel is a bioluminescent sea organism.
Also I figured it out! This is where and with who Aire is comfortable and I’ve never had a scene where she’s perfectly at home. So it felt weird for me, but it still is in character. Yay!
Stefan Lee Salvatore
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Soon may the Wellerman come To bring us sugar And tea and rum One day, when the tonguing' is done We'll take our leave and go. ☁✶ ~"The Wellerman" recorded by Neil Colquhoun. Cover by Caleb Hyles, Anthony Vincent, Jonathan Young, Pellek, and NateWantstoBattle.
As Harmony was flipping through textbooks, she felt Aire tap on her leg and she glanced up, and Aire launched into a somewhat-organized lecture, which had Harmony smiling at the end of it. ”You went from first, second, two point 5, two point 8 then to C. My only concern is you missed a few points. But also, if that’s how your notes are in class it’s no wonder you don’t know what could get this color out of your hair.”
She closed the book and looked up at her cousin, ”You’re right, you are my family. All of you are. And I love spending time with all of the fam. It’s just. I spent the first five years of my life with the birth givers, it’s weird to think they just... aren’t in my life anymore. They taught me how to read, my letters and numbers. But... Mom and Pop taught me how to really live, you taught me how to have fun.” She pulled the bag off of Aire’s head, ”I just hope that they didn’t get too far into Jaelah’s mind about how to live life.... I guess I should be thankful that the Aindrias’s took Jaelah in too... she doesn’t have to go through orphanage life.”
Harmony looked at Aire’s hair, had the color taken? Was it too soon? She hadn’t set any timers.... ”Your hair may be silver, be the same color, or may fall out completely, not really sure on this one.”
╔══════════════╗ Where: The Solus With Whom: Aire Thinking about: ugh. Small humans. Wearing: black shorts x stabilized peg leg x gray sweater ╚══════════════╝
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Adventurer's Club Rookie 
