Module #4 - "MINGLING" - Fall 2020

[Prof. Sindor Aloyarc]

Welcome to the Module 04 "Mingling" thread! This is about getting to interact with one another as classmates, particularly about themes from the lesson and your corresponding class work if that speaks to you. Those who post their Monologue or Manifestation may provide helpful prompts for discussion points. While you're welcome to mingle as much as you like, each of your first three 50+ word posts you will receive 5 points. When submitting your work, please let me know if you've posted once, twice, or three (or more) times so I can confirm participation. As a fun option, you may choose to Role-Play these interactions though are not required to. If you do, please take a look at this RPGuidelines page for some helpful tips.

As students head through the Showroom to meet their schoolmates in the class beyond, one or two at a time they walk up to the door and find a note has been posted:

MEET AT THE LAKE ...

... Outside, a light flurry has started while Sindor and February are sorting thermoses of cocoa.

"Welcome to winter everyone!"

Upon seeing a few glances, Professor Aloyarc acknowledges there really hasn’t been too too much snow collecting yet and goes on to say that "While this little outing would likely be better suited to next month, we will all be busy with exams by then and I figured it'd be a fun way to spend some of our time leading up to what I imagine will be long hours ahead."

"Perhaps take a moment of silence and appreciation to remember Polaris Black for those of us who knew her. For those who didn't, maybe send out a breath of gratitude for this fantastic person who passed on a few months back. Giving thanks for the hours upon weeks upon years of time, creativity, and friendship that countless numbers of students and staff (including all who are no longer with us here at HOL in one way or another) have put in as the fuel keeping our castle alive these past two decades so that this group of us could meet here together today."

Nearby the container filled with cocoas there are a variety of different kinds of sleds stacked up which warrant their own confused looks. "Forgive the irony of me using a bit of magic during this non-magical class, but part of my journey toward appreciating Muggles more and more every day with their unique abilities is enjoying them in contrast to what we are uniquely and gratefully able to do ourselves. For example..."

Sin gives a quick poke of his wand in the direction of a nearby hill beside the Black Lake. Immediately the area begins to fill up with snow, sneaking its way down to the lake and freezing over the top layer a ways out.

"What a miracle it is for us to have these abilities. Perhaps some of the discussion today could revolve around what it would be like to lose the gift of magic. Waking up everyday living life without it. What do you think that would be like? Or is there anything that Muggles themselves would similarly feel 'naked' or at a sudden disadvantage without having access to every day?"

Looking around, Sindor remembers "Oh, and magic aside, it's a pretty chilly day so we've brought out a pile of cocoa beverages. Don't be shy! Anything from piping hot white, milk or dark chocolate can be found among these thermoses, and some of them are labeled with additional flavors such as peppermint or raspberry."

"While there's no pressure to participate in anything that doesn't suit you, feel free to grab a sled and head up the hill to enjoy a little fun! You'll slide right down onto the lake. As you can see, the newly formed ice goes out quite a bit so there doesn't need to be any worry about falling into the water on the other side. That being said, by all means also go ahead and give the ice a test or go exploring the surface area if that's appealing or makes you feel safer!"

Sin turns, "Did that case of ice-skates wind up making it out here with us yet, Feb?"

[February Fortescue]

"They sure have, Sin. I was afraid they'd be a bit late, but they're right on time " February opens the box of ice skates and and begins exchanging her boots for bright pink skates she finds especially appealing. Ice skating is one of her favorite winter activities, and she's thrilled Sindor has created a place for them to skate and allowed them time to do it. This is such a great class!

While she's lacing up her skates, February begins to think back on the previous year. "I really miss Polaris!" she sighs. "She was such a huge supporter of HOL. She signed up for all of my classes and activities and made me feel really valued. She was one of the first people I got to know here. She was truly one of a kind."

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Was that hot cocoa she smells? Tarma wonders as she approachs the lake (having walked into the empty classroom and totally didn't see the sign because she'd backed into the door to open it because she was carrying stuff in her arms and then there was NO ONE in the class?! and so she walks back outside -- after putting down her stuff -- and looks at the sign. Oh.)

Yes, it certainly appears to be the fragrance of hot cocoa on the air (which seems strangely colder - was someone doing magic?) as she got close enough to listen to Sindor and February talking. She only clearly catches what February says, though.

Oh. Polaris. Tarma stops for a moment, sad. Then she goes closer, to the good smells and conversation. She nods a greeting to Sindor and February and anyone else there.

"I was just thinking of Polaris, at the end of November" she says, looking for a cup into which to pour some lovely hot cocoa. "It's funny, though, a good memory." She grins. "Polaris wanted to send in things to Hufflepuff, for the Games Tent, and I think she forgot to send them in until the last minute. So somehow I was looking for something from her - a last minute submission of things."

Having found a heavy duty ceramic mug, she opens a thermos of dark chocolate and pours it into the mug. "I like having good memories of her."

[February Fortescue]

February smiles, thinking back to her warm memories of Polaris "I remember accidentally overlooking her BINGO response during Magical Creatures BINGO. and she never held it against me. Not only that, once I saw her card and that she had the correct answers, I saw she and Sin had tied for first place! She was so excited, and told me she'd never won anything before! That made me feel good.

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

"Yeah" Tarma smiled, sipping at the hot cocoa. "She was sort of brilliant, too, and always so creative."

"We just finished an activity, in HOLLERS, which was conducted in her honor, Critter Corral. Well, Creature Corral." Tarma grinned into her cocoa, smiling at an inner joke/memory. "She's had this idea of something to do and had gotten all the stuff together, but somehow it just didn't jell. Scarlet decided that she wanted to get it to happen and orchestrated everything. It was awesome and fun and .... there was one person, Will, who did all the things (he's part of HOLLERS so knew he'd not get points or anything) because he wanted to do it for Polaris. That's what Polaris is about. We at the Wizarding Times did a page, too, in her honour. Sirius created it -- it's so lovely. Did you see it?"

[February Fortescue]

"Yes, I did see the WT page Sirius created in honor of Polaris, Tarma." February smiled, remembering. "It was very well done."

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

"Wasn't it?"
The cocoa was gone - magically? And Tarma refills her mug.
"I'd given him some images for use for it, thinking he'd do it 'one' way. And lo and behold, he was just so determined to make it wonderful - and he did. And did it entirely other than what I thought he'd do." She laughs. "Sirius is sort of brilliant that way."

Tarma looks around at the beauty of the winter scene. "Have you actually ice-skated here?"

[February Fortescue]

"No, I never have, but it looks like great fun! Come on, Tarma, let's go!" February heads off to ice skate

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Tarma laughs, and follows February, casting a look towards Sindor and the others.

"I've never ice-skated; do we get to wear cushions front and back, just in case? And elbow-pads?"

[Prof. Sindor Aloyarc]

“Yes, absolutely!” Sindor chuckles, “Wanting to be all padded up is the same way I feel about things like skiing and snowboarding, or skateboarding, etcetera. I’ve never really tried them on for size, but I feel like I’d want LOTS of extra precaution.”

He finishes lacing up his skates and takes to the ice, thinking how grateful he is for everyone who made Polaris’s ‘Corral’ activity possible. “CCC was so special,” Sin says, getting his bearings a little. “I’m so glad I got to participate. It was both incredibly fun and such a special way to honor Polaris.”

[Brianna Caedmon]

Brianna ran towards the class, her Slytherin scarf wrapped around her to ward off the cold from the light snow that had started. Orion and Cleo were both running behind her, seemingly unbothered by the cold weather, and enjoying the chance to use up some of their energy. When she finally got to the class, she murmured an apology about being late before helping herself to some milk chocolate and toffee flavoured cocoa.

Having caught part of the conversation Sin was having, she said "I didn't know Polaris well, but I know that every interaction I had with her was always lovely and that she was a real inspiration for me at HOL. I'm incredibly grateful for all of the hard work she put into HOL. I'll miss her. It's lovely that CCC was able to happen.".

[Prof. Sindor Aloyarc]

Sindor’s eyes brighten as Brianna pops out into the scene with her adorable little fur-babies sliding out onto the ice and scrambling around over each other.

“No apologies necessary! This change in location was such a last minute decision on my part. Barely found February in time to have her help me make the transition! I had a feeling there would wind up being some staggered entrances.”

He catches some flurrying snowflakes on his tongue. “The toffee cocoa is amazing isn’t it?? Mine’s a dark chocolate coconut, which is my usual go-to, but I’ll often change it up with some toffee or mix them both together. It’s SO delicious!!”

At her mention of Polaris, “I do wish in so many ways I could have had more time with her, but on the other hand I feel honored to have gotten the span I did while I could. She was quite a special one, for sure! I like to think of her next chapter being on-to some pretty fantastic things elsewhere, and from some other perspective totally enjoying how CCC got along! It was quite a beautiful presentation.”

[Brianna Caedmon]

Brianna smiles as Sin greets her and reassures her that there is no need to worry about being late "Yes, it's really delicious! Toffee is one of my favourite flavours, though now I'm tempted to try the dark chocolate coconut too!".

She takes a pair of ice skates and begins lacing them up. "I agree it was really quite beautiful, and I also wish I could have had more time with her, but like you said I feel honoured to have gotten the time I did have." she pauses for a moment to remember Polaris, looking up into the flurry of snow. Eventually, she looks back down at her skates. "I'm not really sure how to skate, I've tried a couple of times before at ice rinks and spent the entire time clutching onto the walls, hopefully I won't fall over!".

[Prof. Sindor Aloyarc]

Sin, who has been skating back and forth a bit, skids to a halt, relaying “I’ve had rather weak ankles my whole life, which always effected me in dance classes to a degree without totally pulling me out, but I did take some ice skating as a young boy and as fun as I found it, I never quite got used to the fact that my ankles always hurt after in a way that was never quite so bad in other activities.”

He starts to make little diamond shapes moving ahead with his skates, open and closed, open and closed, pushing himself forward. “This was always my ... ‘pineapple’ move, they called it to us kids ... that I liked, cause I could do it forward and backwards.” Which he now begins to demonstrate “Whereas actually ice skating backwards has somehow always escaped me, haha. I can’t really imagine myself ever having gotten too advanced at any rate, I’ve never enjoyed ‘tricks’ in choreography. In large part cause I get freaked out. Like people doing flips in gymnastics, or risky/complex partnering moves in dance, or crazy spinning jumps in ice skating. I’ll leave it to others please and thankyou!”

[February Fortescue]

February overhears the conversation and stops by to share her experience.

"I tend to get light headed and dizzy for no reason. It's really odd. I can spin to the point of craziness and it never bothers me. I've even had tests done in a muggle hospital where they try to make you dizzy, and to me it was like a fun amusement park ride and I begged to go again! But I lose my balance walking. I also cannot walk heel touching toe without toppling over. So I can spin, but I have to watch simply skating in a straight line!"

[Brianna Caedmon]

Wobbling slightly, Brianna tentatively stands up on her skates and makes her way over to the ice. "I was diagnosed with dyspraxia when I was three or four years old, so my co-ordination and balance are generally absolutely terrible. Still, I really enjoy trying things which require those things anyway and just seeing how it goes- I find that as long as I don't mind falling over and can laugh when I do it's usually fine! Also, there are actually ways to fall safely- or at least more safely- that I've learnt in martial arts, so I don't get hurt as often as I used to!".