Chezka

The Nine

Finished! :)

Natalia Bishop

Full Name:
Natalia Bishop
Age:
17
Gender:
Female

Appearance:
Due to the intense daily regimen she was put under since she was a child, Natalia is a paragon of physical fitness; her lithe and slender figure belies her strength. In contrast to her aloof façade, she is particularly meticulous with her appearance, and unabashedly takes her time to make sure she is always presentable. She stands at five foot four, and when not tied up in a bun, her hair falls in waves just past her shoulders.

Role:
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence

Personality:
They say actions speak louder than words, and this is especially true in Natalia's case. If she had her way, she'd much prefer to let her actions do all the talking. Having spent most of her life focused only on her honing her abilities, Natalia missed out on practically everything else, including, perhaps most notably, developing her social skills. The girl has no concept of the intricacies or subtleties of language at all, and has a habit of taking things too literally. Sarcasm and any sort of word play go right over her head. She also can't read social cues all that well and may come off as inappropriate because of it. People often mistake Natalia's apparent stoicism and aloofness as some sort of display of arrogance, but really, it stems from her social awkwardness. She just doesn't know how to react properly. It's almost funny how all semblance of her gracefulness disappear the moment she opens her mouth—as it turned out, the only time she ever stumbles is when it's over her words.

Natalia usually seems like she's in her own world, but she's not scatterbrained by any means. Instead, her mind is always working, taking into consideration everything in her surroundings. She never acts without thinking things through, and everything she does is deliberate and calculated. Compartmentalizing was something she was taught at an early age so her emotions never get in the way of her actions. And on a different note, Natalia has proven to be a bit on the gullible side, as well, considering she has no trouble believing in the most ridiculous of stories as long as there is a slightest chance it may be true. Because she is straightforward and frank, arguably to a fault, and she assumes others are like her as well.

History:
Natalia was born in a small city in Washington, to ambitious parents who yearned for fame and fortune. As soon as she could walk and talk, her parents began pushing her, forcing her into different classes and programs in order to find her niche as soon as possible. They raised her to strive for perfection above all else, and drilled into her that anything less than the best was unacceptable. When Natalia had not shown any promise in academics nor any innate talent with music, they had been sorely disappointed, and had even unfairly punished her for it. They had resigned to the fact that she was doomed to a life of mediocrity, but then they found her calling.

It started with ballet. Natalia had asked to take it up on a whim—after all, what child could refuse the temptations of a pretty tutu?—but they never expected their tiny and scrawny daughter to pick it up as easily as she had. Her parents were quick to identify, and subsequently exploit, this newly discovered natural ability. They learned that it wasn't only ballet that she could learn effortlessly (gymnastics, other types of dance, and a variety of sports were all within her capabilities) and completely invested in nurturing her gift. Natalia's childhood was thus nothing but a haze of strict daily regimens and hours upon hours of training. She was made to forego traditional schooling in favor of her specialized classes, and for a decade now, training and competing was all she's ever known.

Others:
- As to be expected, Natalia learns and remembers best by doing. Also, academics are so not her forte.
- She has participated in, and won, numerous international ballet and gymnastics competitions. Currently, she also has two third degree black belts.

The Nine

Interesting concept! I'd like to try out for Bodily-Kinesthetic if that's alright. :D

Hogwarts: We Are Now

Caitlin stopped immediately upon hearing a familiar voice call out to her, and she grinned widely in greeting as the Ravenclaw walked beside her. "David!" she exclaimed happily, briefly leaning in for a quick one-armed hug. He was a welcome sight, and his presence helped distract her from imagining increasingly grim (and highly implausible, not that her panicked mind realized this) scenarios that always ended with her getting thrown off the train. She blinked in confusion as David mentioned something about not acknowledging him, and it took her a moment to realize what he had meant. Thinking back on it, there were five people in that compartment, but she had willingly chosen to block out the fifth member just because she didn't like the implication.

"So that was you with those two," she said, eyes unconsciously narrowing at the mention of his fellow Ravenclaws. "I was hoping not. I don't want them influencing you too much." It's not like she actually hated the two, though; it was more a… slight dislike by association or something like that. But whatever it was she felt, she knew that wouldn't have been the case if only they hadn't played around with her friends.

"But that doesn't matter. It's really good to see you again!" Caitlin said, perking up again as she changed topics. After taking a moment to gently pat Singer on the head, she continued walking along the corridor, still searching for a proper compartment that wasn't too full with people or animals. Since they were so close to departing, it was getting harder to find an empty one. David had then started talking about that project of his that he'd been working on for as long as she knew him, and his infectious excitement got her all keyed up as well. She was always glad to hear his progress.

"Oh, that looks familiar," she said after examining his drawing for a good half a minute. It was a little harder to identify because it was hand drawn, but she made the connection eventually. She didn't know what it was called, but she has definitely come across it before. Caitlin hopped excitedly. "I think I know where it's located. Mum pointed it out to me before. I can take you there—"

Caitlin stopped abruptly, hand instinctively moving up to clutch at David's sleeve while he had an encounter with a Slytherin. An odd sensation had washed over her, sending something like a foreboding chill down her spine, and it could only mean one thing: they were about to depart. Her ears perked at the distant sound of the train slowly roaring to life, and her face paled immediately. Caitlin pulled at David's sleeve, urging him to move faster, the frenetic look on her face enough to let him know what was up with her. "We should probably sit," was all she could say as she stumbled inside the nearest compartment, not even bothering to check if others had already claimed it. She just really needed to not be standing when the train moves, or bad things might happen and she didn't know if her shoes, or the corridor floors, could survive it.

Once inside, Caitlin slunk down in the seat and took deep, calming breaths that helped stabilize her stomach for the moment. She turned to David, desperately needing a good distraction. "So how was your summer?"

Hogwarts: We Are Now

The train ride to Hogwarts was her least favorite part of going back to school. Seriously, how could she enjoy staying inside such a cramped room—one which she can't escape at all unless she wanted to fall to her death? Caitlin was lucky to have forgone it last year, having spent the whole summer with her mum on the outskirts of Hogwarts. Her mum was researching the local beasts, particularly those of the XXXX classification. Now that was the best! Not only did she get to hang out with a colony of kind Centaurs, she even got to ride a Hippogriff all the way to the castle to join the others on the first day. And of course, part of the appeal was that she never had to step foot on that blasted means of transportation at all. She looked at the vehicle in question now, puffing out steam and looking all too daunting. Caitlin wondered if she would ever get over this (vehicle-specific) motion sickness of hers, but it currently seemed very, very unlikely.

She stalled for as long as she could, nervously pacing and blatantly ignoring the teasing from her housemates. Who's ever heard of a Gryffindor afraid to ride a train? They joked, although, to her defense, she wasn't scared. She was just apprehensive. That's completely different, isn't it? Half a minute passed before she finally got fed up with stressing out—it wasn't something she usually did—and she dashed inside, ignoring the protests of her stomach. The train wasn't moving yet anyway, so she should be just fine. Juuust fine. Brilliant, even. Yup. She ended up taking ten times as long as the average student to board Hogwarts Express, but hey, that was faster than the previous times. It might not seem like anything to others, but managing to step inside the train was a feat in and of itself. Going against what her instincts were telling her was incredibly hard, she'll have you know.

Caitlin sighed as she continued along the corridor, brows furrowed and a scowl on her visage, already dreading when she finds a compartment to sit in. They felt like cages, really they do. There was hardly enough room for one to walk about, never mind four! The thought made her huff, and she looked like a sulking child as she went through each compartment, searching for the nearest available seat. During her first year, she had taken so long to decide where to sit that the train had started moving before she could settle in. Suffice it to say that results were not pretty at all.

There was a lively compartment filled to the brim with people that she passed by, and she shuddered at the total lack of space. She would have carried on her search for an empty one, but two of the students in there had caught her eye, and not in the good way. Caitlin stopped right at the entrance, looking at the two younger female students before making a face at Roy and Remington, the artist and her rival on the Quidditch Pitch. Both Ravenclaws were quite famous (though she liked to think they were more infamous) as serial flirts. She has many friends who've been victims of them both, much to her dismay.

She burst in their compartment and pointed at the young redhead and the younger blonde, then looked to the two older Ravenclaws. "Too young," she said without preface, squinting her eyes in a sort of glare. Then she left as suddenly as she had burst in, continuing her search for a seat once more.

Hogwarts: We Are Now

@TheUnknowable: I didn't have anyone in mind! I left it vague so it could be anyone who wanted to interact.

Hogwarts: We Are Now

It would have been easy for barely eleven, rather tiny Emma Snow to get lost in the crowd as she was dropped off at the King's Cross. The place was bustling, and everyone seemed to be rushing to their destination. She was all alone, too. Her father had been out of town filming and her mother was in the middle of an important case, so it was all up to her to figure out how this so-called Platform 9 ¾ worked and where it was located. It wasn't like this was any different from usual, though; her parents were always too busy to share little moments like this with her. She was used to it.

Upon arriving inside, Emma had asked the officer at the front of the station for directions, but he had merely given her a look of disdain and began to shoo her away, mumbling something about not wanting to mingle with abnormal creatures. He was about to leave, but she had tugged at the man's shirt and looked up at him with slightly watery puppy dog eyes. She started sniffling, and that was all it took to change his mind. The officer begrudgingly led her there and even pushed her trolley for her.

"Thank you, sir," she said, smiling sweetly. The officer grumbled and gave her a noncommittal nod before walking away.

Emma's smile vanished as soon as she was no longer in the officer's field of vision. She stood a few feet away from the platform, watching as other students went through, her lips curving into a small pout. Now, getting a surprised visit from someone who claimed to be a magical Professor in some magical school and having him tell her she was magical, despite not having any known descendant with such capabilities (though it wasn't like they were close with their family, anyway), was exciting. It explained all those eccentricities that were all too common in her childhood and introduced her to an entirely new world to explore. Her trip to Diagon Alley was fun; she had gone there alone, but she left with a handful of new friends afterward, including the most adorable spoiled cat ever. After all that buildup, of course she expected more, like super secret passageways that need specific wand movements and incantation to unlock. But so far, getting onto the train seemed a little underwhelming. It was all a lot less grand than she would have liked, though she supposed going in between two platforms was a cute touch.

Shrugging, Emma followed after an older student who had just been roughly elbowed. Huh. So magical people could get bullied too. She thought they would just use magic to settle things, but it seems some things weren't as different in the wizarding world as she thought. Going through the platform was as adequate as she imagined—nothing too exciting, but still a new experience. Unlike the other students, her steps were slow and deliberate, and she lingered momentarily in between, just to see what it would be like. The other side of the platform was just as bustling, crowded with teary-eyed parents saying goodbye to their children, and after she had gotten her luggage all set, she was quickly being ushered onto Hogwarts Express.

The train was already filled with students of all ages, and even more were filing in, looking for seats. Emma passed by one compartment that had seemed like an aviary, although she supposed she was exaggerating. There were only like, two birds. She thought of joining in, to get a head start and find new friends, but as her Monty started clawing at his cage, seemingly eager to jump out at the raven, she knew it might not be the best idea. Emma instead turned to the compartment just across, which had only one other student inside.

Hogwarts: We Are Now

Emma Snow

Name: Emma Snow
Age: 11 (1st year)
Gender: Female
House: Slytherin
Magical Heritage: Muggleborn

Backstory/Personality:
With a famous movie star for a father and a sought after lawyer for a mother, Emma Snow hadn't the most normal of childhoods. She grew up in the spotlight, around paparazzi and journalists who couldn't wait to ruin her parent's reputation. Sure, she never wanted for anything, but having to feign diligence and modesty when all you wanted to do was pull a prank on the silly paparazzo who thought he was hiding in the bushes was hard work. She might have preferred being poor and left to her own devices (nah, not really, but the sentiment is there). It's almost funny how none of that mattered, though. Because at the end of the day, she was magical, and in the magical world, her parents were only another pair of muggles and nothing more.

Eleven years of living in scrutiny did have its perks though, as did living with parents who were essentially professional liars for a living. Emma learned to deal with people early on, and she figured out how to get want she wants. Charming and genial, there's no one she can't win over after a conversation; or at the very least, she would have certainly left an impression by then. It didn't matter if it was a good or bad one, as long as she's left her mark. Even though she seems like a typical childish eleven-year-old at first blush, she actually listens rather well and always seems to know how to respond. She uses her youth to her advantage and hides behind an air of innocence and playfulness to lower guards and expectations. It has come to her attention that many are quick to forgive a naïve child anything, especially one who takes up flattery like a second language, and so she doesn't mind playing up the saccharine sweetness if it benefits her. However, unlike one would expect, Emma doesn't particularly mind if her true, more devious nature is found out. That doesn't mean she stops her cutesy act around them, though; to her, the only difference is that those people are now aware that there's actually a mischievous core hidden underneath the sunshine-y exterior she displays.

Long story short, Emma is someone who does as she pleases. She sees a bright future ahead of her, although the crucial details are still blurry right now, and she is willing to do whatever it takes to obtain it. Just like her parents, she wants to become renowned one day, in both the wizarding and muggle world. She isn't particularly interested in academics, but she is incredibly competitive and she works hard in her classes if only so she could beat someone (especially a prideful Ravenclaw) to the top. Any sort of competition is often the best way to motivate her, and she unwittingly falls for it every time.

Personal Items and Pets:
- A silver digital watch that has connected stars for a strap. A gift from her parents that she treasures.
- Wand: 9 inch, springy ebony with a dragon hearstring core.
- Pet: A munchkin cat called His Highness Montgomery (or Monty)

Special Gifts and Abilities: Perceptive and a keen listener, she learns best by listening and watching others. She has excellent echoic memory; although she may struggle if the information is written, if she hears it or has someone explain it to her, she will comprehend and memorize it very easily. Emma's got a nice singing voice and is also fairly engaging for someone so young; she tends to get away with a lot.

Caitlin Jones

Name: Caitlin Jones
Age: 15 (5th year)
Gender: Female
House: Gryffindor
Magical Heritage: Pureblood
Quidditch Position: Chaser

Backstory/Personality:
If it weren't for the undeniable fact that she is indeed human, one could easily believe that Caitlin is a wild animal. It might have something to do with living in the wilderness with her magizoologist mother most of life (up until her first year in Hogwarts, to be more exact). She had a father at some point, but she never knew him and her mother keeps changing her story about his whereabouts. Her favorite was that he was a werewolf who's currently living in some secluded woods to protect his family. Caitlin grew up to be a purely instinctive creature, relying mainly on intuitions and quick reflexes to get by, as she learned to do from the many magical creatures she has come across. Her impulses drive her, and she spends little to no time thinking anything through. She believes that unnecessary pondering only hinders one's actions (after all, wasting even a mere second is enough for the predator to devour you), and has thus subscribed to a 'do now, think later' sort of mindset. It doesn't matter if her actions yield consequences—she can always deal with it later—as long as she accomplishes what she sets out to do. Caitlin is also very straightforward and blunt, unwittingly tactless in that her words hold no malice but are still otherwise hurtful. She sees no point in sugarcoating the truth or spreading white lies to spare feelings; as far as she's concerned, honesty is really the only way to avoid any complications. Even now, she's renowned for her brutal honesty, but those who have come to know her have gotten used to it.

Among strangers, Caitlin is wary and constantly on guard, immediately on the offensive at even the slightest provocation. She tends to be more hot-blooded toward those she's more unfamiliar with, and is wont to openly show when she dislikes someone. Among friends, she is incredibly protective and affectionate. Once Caitlin considers someone a friend, her loyalty remains with them forever. She will do anything for them, even if it means putting herself in danger. Her years in Hogwarts have made her slightly more civilized (emphasis on slightly), and she's less socially awkward than before, but she still has many a misstep and continues to learn every day.

Personal Items and Pets:
- A necklace with a feather from a Jobberknoll enclosed in a small vial.
- Wand: 11 inch, inflexible Sequoia with a Hippogriff feather core.
- Pet: Rhapsody, a Jobberknoll (the fledgling of her previous pet and the owner of the feather in her necklace) who is rather nosy.

Special Gifts and Abilities: She has quick reflexes and pretty good intuition; while she constantly struggles with school, she possess above-par athleticism born from years in the wilderness. Caitlin is thus understandably most at home outdoors, climbing trees and strolling through forests or walking barefoot in the fields. Her best subject is Transfiguration and she shows great potential as an animagus.

Free Winds

Has our ragtag crew disbanded? D':

Mirroring Worlds, Reflecting Possibilities

Hope you have fun as well, despite the storms!

I just got back from a mini-vacation as well (because I apparently really needed one). Went all the way to Florida for some Disneyworld and Universal fun. :3 Have you guys ever been? Diagon Alley was amazing!

Mirroring Worlds, Reflecting Possibilities

"Oh god. Beans and toast? Good thing I'm here, because I am going to make sure you buy proper meals." Emmy followed him out the door and down the stairs, and poked him on his side playfully once she caught up to him. "Old men need to start taking care of their health, you know."

After promising to remind him about his song, Emmy hooked her arm around Keir as they strode out to the street, humming his song with him. They passed by Mrs Abney down the road, talking to the baker across the street. She only caught the tail end of the chatty woman's conversation, but Emmy was sure she was ranting about the loud dog who unfailingly howled at 3AM every day. She could hear it from her flat, too. Mrs Abney laughed as she saw the two of them heading off, and Emmy pointed at him and winked. "See? Just saved him from death by overstudying."

It was a lovely day outside, and although the sun beat down on them, there was a gentle breeze that prevented the day from being too hot. She checked on Keir, just in case he would start to melt or something (hey, you never know, what with his super pasty complexion, he could just start catching fire right there and then!), and nodded happily to herself when he seemed perfectly fine. He even looked like he was enjoying their little walk to the park.

When Keir asked about her job, Emmy looked up at him giddily, obvious excitement glittering in her eyes. "It's top secret, okay," she said in a hushed tone, although her eagerness to tell it seemed contradictory to her words. "I just got the lead on a musical film. We won't start shooting for a while, but I am incredibly excited." She practically squealed in delight when Keir started going on about wanting to be involved with her music, and even though she hadn't been sure if it was merely an offhanded comment, she knew she will be taking him up on his offer.

Emmy stopped right as they arrived at the park and walked in front of him. "I'll hold you to that, Mr Moray," she said impishly, extending her pinky finger. Childish as it was, pinky promises were something of a long-standing tradition between the two of them, just like their secret knock. A testament to their even longer-standing friendship. "I'm close to having an EP in the works, and I can't do it without the genius musical styling of the one and only Keir Aodhan Moray."

She twirled around before he could start his modest spiel on how he isn't as great as she made him out to be (which she just did not believe) and walked ahead of him, scouting the area. The park was mostly empty at this time of day, and there were only a handful of people about. Emmy thought about just having a nice, leisurely stroll to give Keir a bit of an exercise, but then an idea struck her. Might as well spice things up. "Enough job talk. Let's have a bit of fun, shall we?"

One of her American friends and costar from her romcom film had told her about geocaching, or as he had put it, modern-day treasure hunting. She blanked out on the specific details—something along the lines of logging and trading things; her friend tended to talk a mile a minute, and it was hard to keep up—but she got the gist of it. Use app, follow map, find treasure. Easy! It seemed like a good way to get the studyholic focused on something else. Emmy pulled out her phone and after explaining their game, quickly showed Keir the app, which had listed coordinates for caches that were near them. She picked the one closest to them; according to the description in the app, it shouldn't be too far.

"I'll check by that tree over there. I think it looks suspicious," she joked. "Check over there."


It was probably an exaggeration, but Cyrill could have sworn his skin was starting to burn under the intensity of the sun as he stepped foot outside. It took him a moment to adjust to the brightness, and even then, his face was still scrunched in obvious discomfort. Gah, this was what happened when one stayed cooped indoors for weeks at a time. Sullenly, he pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, preferring to suffer the heat from the thickness of his garments rather than the prickling heat of direct sunlight. Phaylin fell in step right behind him, and he turned to her when she started saying something about flying.

Before he could get a word in—even though all he was going to say was 'sure'—Phaylin had already dragged him along. A gust of wind formed from underneath them, propelling them upward and sending them flying within seconds. Cyrill swallowed and visibly paled, but said nothing, afraid he might lose the breakfast he'd just had. It seemed he would never get used to Phaylin's preferred means of transportation, no matter how many times he'd already done it. Each time he thought he would be prepared, but he never was. Cyrill noticed it was slowly getting easier to withstand, however, which meant Phaylin was right in thinking she was getting better. He could still remember the first time she took him flying, and that was uncontested, one of the worst days of his life.

"Sure," was all he said when Phaylin suggested taking turns. Even if she was getting better, he still would rather not risk talking too much. Flying and retching weren't the best combination. He tried to concentrate on the woods before them instead, trying to figure out where he would be able to obtain some bloodroot. They were usually found in dry woods and thickets, near steams on slopes or food plains. That means it shouldn't been too difficult to find, and the path Phaylin to looked promising.

Cyrill's mood had lightened some thanks to the tranquility of the area (and the shade, of course), and he was admittedly getting excited. He could feel the gears slowly moving again after a week of stillness, and he was already looking forward to experimenting with other ingredients to bring out the different properties of the bloodroot. As he followed Phaylin, he randomly grabbed at the leaves of certain plants that were within reach and examined them. They walked in silence until Phaylin finished harvesting some leaves, after which she offered to switch roles as lead. Cyrill nodded and surveyed the area they were in, trying to picture the map of the woods in his head. They were deep within the woods now, and they'd just passed a small closed-in cavern that served as the halfway checkpoint.

"The area looks undisturbed," he said as he lead Phaylin northeast, to where a river was visible. "So unless they've been really careful to leave tracks, it might just be us today."

Cyrill stopped when they reached the river and traced its path up a rocky slope, continuing eastward; that seemed to fit the bloodroot's habitat to a tee. He beckoned for Phaylin to follow as he climbed the slope, his clumsy movements a telltale sign that he is unused to such physical activities, and almost stumbled over an unstable holding. Cyrill grumbled to himself as he finally managed to heft himself up and dusted his cloak, refusing to look back at his friend and face her jeering. Maybe he should brew that potion he made for Old Weston again, the one that boosted one's strength. He hadn't realized how out of shape he was lately and—

"There you are," he muttered to himself as he found some bloodroot just by the river, his thoughts quickly interrupted. He carefully plucked a handful of plants, careful to preserve their roots. After filling most of the empty vials he'd taken, he finally got up and turned to Phaylin again.

"About that waterfall of yours. If we follow the river, it should take us there. What's so interesting about it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. His curiosity mirrored hers; it seemed he'd been out of touch of the goings-on this past week.