All I've Found (Bianca)

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Okay, so something was going on. Brandon knew that the moment he got an owl announcing his blind date going geocaching. It sounded like fun, but he was certain he hadn't asked anyone to sign him up for a date and he certainly hadn't done it himself! Someone was either messing with him and this was a prank or ... well, he didn't know what the other option was. He had to go, of course, because if it was a real thing, he didn't want to leave his date alone. Brandon couldn't stand someone up. 

Funnily enough, Brandon was supposed to meet his date outside the office for the Matchmaking Service, and then their adventures could start from there. So there he stood, looking from side to side as he waited for his date to show up. At least it was free and it sounded like it would be pretty fun, something he could do even with his fingers that still didn't always do what he wanted them to.

Bianca Alia Rivera

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The moment that Bianca first landed in London along with her aunt, she was in a horrible mood. But the second she heard the beautiful British accents come out of hot guys and girl’s mouths, she was instantly better. So maybe that was why she had signed up for the stupid blind date thing that had come in the mail early in the week. Plus, it meant that she could dip her toes in the British population pools, and maybe even come back from summer break with stories of her conquests over the holiday to those friends that also decided to further their education at Hogwarts. So that day she made sure she was pampered, even painting her nails a deep red color before going about her business. While she knew that the date would be nothing fancy, primarily because it was some kind of treasure hunt thing from what she researched about it, she knew that she had to impress the person with her causal look.

So, she dressed in black short-shorts, a red tank top that flowed a bit in the back, and even paired that with her favorite black flats. Her make-up was done to perfection, her lips as red as her nails, and her brunette hair was thrown up in a messy bun, the blonde tips that she still sported sticking out in certain places. All in all, she looked perfect, and she quickly documented it with a selfie and the duck face.

Then, with perfect satisfaction upon her face, she gave a little humph before leaving behind her room and her aunt’s home before heading towards the offices where the Matchmaking Services was located. That was where the paper told her to wait for her date, so that was what she would do. With each click of her shoes, she grew closer and closer to the location, her eyes narrowing in on the fine piece of booty that stood before the services, right where the paper said to meet. Slowly a seductive smirk appeared on her lips as she grew closer, “Hello?”

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347 words ;; @brandon

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The annoying thing about meeting right outside the offices for the Matchmaking Services was that there were tons of people milling about. How was Brandon supposed to spot the person he was meeting? He knew she'd probably be dressed nice, and obviously heading this way, but there were lots of shops past this one and lots of witches that looked nice. Oh, this was so annoying. He probably found it more annoying than he anticipated because he was also nervous. He'd never been out on a blind date before and so he really didn't know what to expect. 

He heard someone say hello nearby and turned to face her, an easygoing smile on his face. "Hi," he greeted cheerfully. "I'm Brandon." Man, he was about to make this awkward, wasn't he. "Are you ready to go ..." he paused, looking down at the parchment in his hand. "Geocaching? I'm not really sure what this is, so it might be a little interesting," he admitted. Of course, he looked up geocaching, but it seemed a lot like looking for a needle in a haystack ... except it wasn't an actual needle, it was more like looking for junk in random places. He chuckled, trying to hide his nerves a bit as he focused on the girl in front of him instead of his thoughts. "You look very nice," he complimented honestly, hoping it didn't sound awkward. Ugh, he was no good at this.

Bianca Alia Rivera

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His smile was dashing as he greeted her and she found her grin growing fuller, how did she get so lucky to snag a cutie her first time in London? Brandon—well Brandon was a cutie, dare she say it. “Bianca,” she said with her American accent, not even bothering to put out her hand to shake since he didn’t do it either. Now, she knew what they were supposed to be doing, but she didn’t exactly know the entirety of it. She had looked it up the moment she got the letter about it but didn’t mean she understood what to do. Especially since she was somewhere foreign to her, so she didn’t exactly know locations yet. But hopefully, Brandon knew London like the back of his hand. He, however, didn’t seem to know what geocaching was either and she found herself laughing, “Neither do I…this is the first I’ve heard of it if I’m completely honest.”

It was true, she had never really heard the term before their, and it had struck her as something odd, surely America had this type of adventure, didn’t it? It was then, pulled from her thoughts by his words, that he commented on her looking nice, and her grin grew wider, “Thanks,” she said enthusiastically. “You don’t look so bad yourself,” she concluded with a rather flirtatious smile; "So—ready to get this party started?"

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@brandon

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She was still smiling at him, which was a good sign right? He hoped that it meant this wouldn't be too awkward, though he knew there were no guarantees on that. "Oooh, you from America?" he asked curiously when she introduced herself. He couldn't tell from her greeting, but once she said her name it was obvious she wasn't from London. Was she one of the Ilvermorny students going to Hogwarts next year? He laughed when she said she didn't know what geocaching was either and Brandon laughed with her. "Well good then! It means that we can figure it out together and we'll just pretend like we know what we're doing." That was good. At least he wouldn't embarrass himself by not knowing how to do something she liked to do. 

At least his compliment had the desired effect and she was smiling and complimenting him back. He shrugged a little, "Thanks." She was really pretty and he was almost sure that she was flirting with him, but he also wasn't good at this sort of thing so he pretended like he didn't notice. He wasn't good at flirting. He nodded at her question. "Yup! Let's get started. Looks like we have to go ... to a park?" he asked, looking down at the parchment. "Or I guess there are other options. Do you want to start kind of easy or just go for it?" He was good with either, which was why he gave her the choice.

Bianca Alia Rivera

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“Yup—I’m transferring to Hogwarts from Ilvermorny,” she said with a smile on her face, though it wasn’t because of the transfer but more because he took note in something that hinted at her Americanism. The smile only grew as he laughed, it was a rather interesting laugh, one that she found intoxicating. She too laughed along, before nodding her head, “That sounds perfect,” she said with a nod as he mentioned figuring it out together and pretending that they knew what they were doing. It was then that he looked at his parchment, mentioning that they have to go to a park first, and she nodded her head as she grew a bit closer. She had her parchment but completely ignored that fact. “Let’s just go for it, I like a bit of a challenge,” she said with a small flirtatious smirk on her face. “So, the park then? Wanna lead the way, ‘cause I have no idea where I am going,”

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@brandon

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Brandon nodded and smiled when she said she was transferring to Hogwarts from Ilvermorny, the american school. "You'll like it there, I'm sure," he told her, almost confident she would. It kind of depended on how much she liked her school, but out of the two schools he went to, Hogwarts was his favorite. Maybe he should ask her about it ... once their date got started. "Sure, follow me," he said, lifting an eyebrow at her as he turned and gestured in the direction they needed to go. The park wasn't far away. He chuckled softly. "I'd be a little surprised if you did know where you're going, since you haven't been here that long," he teased back. Then his mind returned to his previous train of thought. "Do you think you're going to miss your other school this year?" Brandon asked curiously as they walked. The park really wasn't far away, but they could still talk on the way.

Bianca Alia Rivera

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“I’m sure I’ll like it as well, from what I heard it’s quite…interesting and lively. Do you attend Hogwarts?” she questioned, wandering if she would see the cutie within the walls of this supposed castle or if she’d have to write him to see him again. She hid the pout that she so wanted to show; she had a feeling that he didn’t but prayed that she was wrong. They looked to be about the same age, so if she was lucky, he was still attending Hogwarts, and they’d be in the same year. He quickly told her to follow him, and she did just that, laughing when he said that he would be surprised if she did know where she was going. “One day I will,” she said with a smile on her face. It was then that she was asked about missing her old school and she shrugged her shoulders, “I guess—but most of my friends are attending Hogwarts, so what is there to miss?” she questioned. Sure, she’d miss living in the States, but she already lost all the family she has besides her aunt, so she would have had to come over to Europe eventually.

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@brandon

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Brandon couldn't help but smile when the girl said she was sure she would like it. "I did," he told her, not really wanting to elaborate, but also feeling like he'd be lying if he didn't give her a short run-down. "Until I moved to live with my Dad. Then I went back last year for the Triwizard Tournament." He laughed, "My life is weird, but Hogwarts is great. I loved going to school there." He smiled when she said that someday she'd know where she was going. "I'm sure you will," he agreed. He didn't think England was too confusing. He shrugged at her next question, "Home? Or things you're used to?" He wasn't sure what else she would miss. "Maybe I'll have to write you after you've been going there for a while." That didn't sound like a bad idea, and he was interested.

@biance

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“Oh—so you didn’t graduate from Hogwarts? Or you did…but only returned during the tournament school year?” she questioned, not sure what he meant by moving with his dad only to come back last year. Did he come back and graduate with Hogwarts or was he with a different school that attended Hogwarts for that single school year? If it was the latter, did that mean he was part of the attack on those other Wizarding School? Was he one of the survivors? She didn’t ask this, scared to bring up bad memories if that was the case, and instead left her question at that. If he wanted to tell her, he could, but she felt the need not to push. Bad memories are never meant to be pushed. “Then I’m sure I’ll love going there as well,” she said with a smile. She began to frown, “I mean I guess I’ll miss the simple things of home. But my mom died when I was young, and then I just lose my father, so I don’t have anything to miss back home anymore. I mean both of them are buried there, so I guess I’ll miss visiting their graves, but other than that, I would have come to London eventually anyways…” she trailed off, biting her lip to stop her from talking. It was then that he said that maybe he'd write her when she’d been attending Hogwarts for a while, and her face instantly lit up, “That would be great! I’d love that,”

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@brandon

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Brandon made a face when she asked more questions, then laughed. "Sorry, it's confusing. I graduated from Durmstrang, I just went back to Hogwarts with the delegation that was there for the tournament. Does that make sense?" He hoped she understood what he was trying to say, but even if she didn't their date would still be fine. Brandon smiled and nodded when she said she was sure she would love the school, then going on to explain she would miss home a little. He frowned as she explained about her family. "I'm sorry to hear about your family," he said after a moment. While Brandon definitely didn't have peace in his family, he hadn't lost any family members yet, so he didn't really know what else to say. He nodded when her face lit up, glad he could help her, even if it was just a little bit. "Good. I'll be sure to write you then," he promised.

Bianca Alia Rivera

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Bianca nodded her head, “No—no it’s okay, that does make sense. So, you just went for the Triwizard Tournament thing I heard about?” she questioned before realizing something, “Wait—does that mean you were one of those survivors from the attack on Durmstrang and that other school?” she questioned with wide eyes. She had heard about it, from around the wizarding world and her aunt, it was one of the reason many parents of those from Ilvermorny were scared to send their children to Hogwarts for the next term.

She shrugged, her eyes slightly shiny – however, she remained silent, unsure what to say, but her emotions changed quickly when he promised that he would write her, she smiled. “Great—I’ll be looking forward to your owl when the term starts,” she said with a true and real excited smile.

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@brandon

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Bianca confirmed that he was making sense and Brandon's smile was one of relief. He hated confusing people and figured that it would make a bad impression on a date, though he was really just looking for friendship here. "Yeah, I went there for the Tournament. Obviously I wasn't chosen though," his smile was rueful, until she brought up the attack. Memories from the explosion burst into his mind and he closed his eyes for a moment, forcing them back. When he looked back at Bianca his smile was gone, but that seemed natural to him. He nodded, "Yes, I was one of the survivors." He could have expounded, but he didn't know what else to say about it. 

He could tell her emotions were getting the better of her and didn't say anything. He didn't want to embarrass her, after all. He smiled when she did, though. "I'll try to make sure you don't have to wait too long," he teased, trying to lighten the mood. Brandon didn't really want things to be too intense. He looked around them, realizing that now they'd reached the park where they were supposed to be looking for something. "Okay, so now that we're here, where do you want to start?" he asked, willing to let her take the lead.

Bianca Alia Rivera

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She nodded her head, smiling as he quickly stated that he was there for the Tournament, though adding the bit about not being chosen caused a small laugh to leave her lips. But then, as his smile disappeared and turned into something that looked like he was upset, she bit her lips, wanting to apologize for bringing it up but his eyes shut instead as he spoke the words that he was one of those people that survived. She swallowed deeply, and shook her head, “I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have brought that up,” she breathed out wanting to move on from the topic onto something else quickly.

Which seems, that he had quickly done so, lightening the mood with his teasing before turning back to their task at hand. She was so into talking to him that she hadn’t realized they were at the park, at least, until he asked where she wanted to start. She frowned deeply, “Uh—hm...” she breathed out, quickly looking around. “I don’t think they’d hide anything in plain sight, that would be too easy…maybe something more difficult. Is there a pond or something around here? Could be in the shrubs that are usually seen around water,” she said with a shrug and bite of her bottom lip.

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@brandon

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Brandon could tell he made her feel bad, even though it wasn't intentional. He wasn't used to talking about the attack. That was probably because most people were too nervous to bring it up to him, which wasn't surprising at all. He shouldn't have responded that way. He never wanted to make her feel bad. "No, no you don't need to be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong," Brandon insisted, shaking his head. "I'm just ... I haven't really talked about it much so it took me by surprise. You're fine. Really." He gave her a winning smile, hoping that he didn't just ruin the date. He didn't want to lose a potential friend because he was being too sensitive.



He watched her, smiling as she decided what they should do and nodding as she started explaining her thoughts. "That's a good idea." He thought for a moment. "Oh! Actually, I think there's a pond over here," he said, reaching over and tugging on her hand for a second before letting go. She'd been facing the opposite direction from him, so why not? He just needed her attention and, quite honestly, wasn't thinking about his actions right now. He was starting to get excited about the hunt. The pond came into view. "Okay, here we go. Want to search together or divide and conquer?" He smiled up at her.

Bianca Alia Rivera