Never Gonna Not Dance Again (Idele)

[reina watanabe nakamura]

Mid-July 2028

The best thing about having passed her OWLs was that Reina knew that she never had to deal with Potions again. She could focus on the subjects that actually mattered to her and what she wanted to do for a career in the future, and she was one step closer to becoming a dragonologist like her parents. For the immediate future, though, she was content to ride the wave of relief that came from being free from school for the first time in what felt like an eternity. She had left Castelobruxo mid-year according to its academic calendar to start the school year at MAGIC, so it was almost like having one school year that went on and on.

Fortunately, Reina was staying at Hogwarts for at least another academic year, continuing with her education into NEWT-level studies at LIFE. Until it was time for her to move into her new dormitory, she had been staying with her parents in Diagon Alley, and she was eager to go to all of the shops that she hadn't been able to visit while she had been confined to the Hogwarts campus and Hogsmeade.

With her newfound freedom, Reina decided to walk around Diagon Alley and the nearby Horizont Alley. Reina found that she had so many options of places to go and things to do that she had strolled back and forth down the street two or three times by that point, trying to figure out where to start. She knew that she was far too old to be playing with toys, yet it was a window display of various marionette puppets at Pilliwinkle's Playthings that ultimately held her attention. Unable to help herself, she watched as the enchanted puppets moved stiffly up and down.

idele venn vector

[idele venn vector]

━ i move so far in time ━

PASSING HER OWLS WITH FLYING colours obviously should have pleased an ordinary child. But for Idele Vector, passing her OWLs was simply expected out of her, especially with the mother she had. Harmony Vector never expected anything less out of her children and wouldn't stand for it if Idele's grades, participation or even the feigned enthusiasm slipped.

Luckily, things were following Idele's original plan and even her summer plans lined up with the future. Deciding to continue her studies into NEWTs for the upcoming term, the youngest Vector had found her way to convince her eldest brother, Archie into tutoring her for areas of studies she found she lacked on. That and Vectors found it easier to study math-based subjects, which was perfect for Idele as Archie was the Arithmancy Professor at LIFE.

Like other students, Idele was spending time in her family home in the lead up to prepare to move into the dormitories. Though with her brothers being home and her mother being rather annoying - as usual truly - the redhead decided to spend more time outside compared to being at home. Coming back from a studying session with her brother at a nearby cafe, Idele decided to go on a little stroll before the time she knew her mother would start to panic because she hadn't arrived home.

Walking through Diagon Alley and upwards to Horizont Alley, Idele was the type to usually keep her eyes down on the ground, but with a few summer displays taking up the windows of various stores, she couldn't help but come to a stop in her steps to watch the marionette puppets in the Pilliwinkle's Playthings' window. Toys, dolls and anything of that kind weren't really the Vector's thing as she gave up dolls and such a long time ago, being told to focus on her own beauty instead of the beauty of a plaything.

Noticing a girl at the window, Idele recognised her as Reina Nakamura, a girl who had transferred in and was sorted into Gryffindor. Idele had heard a bit about her parents professions and the mention of dragons was rather interesting, but she felt too awkward at the time to stir up conversation, so why not try to change that now? "Hey..Reina right?"

| reina watanabe nakamura |

[reina watanabe nakamura]

Mid-July 2028

Relatively speaking, there weren't very many people who knew her in that part of the world, so Reina turned around from facing the window display when she heard someone ask her if her name was, in fact, Reina. Although she had been entertained momentarily by the puppets on display, she wasn't the shop's target demographic, and she wasn't upset at having been pulled away from the window. She knew the redheaded girl who spoke to her because they had been in the same year at MAGIC, although they hadn't been in the same House.

For a considerable portion of the school year, Reina had assumed that the other girl's given name was Adele, but it was actually Idele. Luckily, she wasn't sure that she had ever referred to Idele by name in conversation, so that had kept her from some potential embarrassment. She guessed that she could have used her being a foreign transfer student as an escape route; it might have worked, maybe, though she spoke English fluently.

"Yeah. Reina," Reina replied to Idele once she was facing her, nodding her head. She didn't really know too much about Idele, other than that she shared her surname with one of the professors who taught at LIFE. From what little experience with her she'd had, Reina guessed that Idele was on the quieter side, whereas she… wasn't always. She tried not to get in trouble and call even more attention to herself as the new girl at Hogwarts, but she had been told off by her teachers at Castelobruxo for being too chatty plenty of times in the past.

Without having to worry about being disciplined for holding a conversation in their current setting, however, Reina was free to continue speaking. And so she did. "How is your summer going, Idele?" she asked, removing any doubt that she didn't know Idele's name by that point.

idele venn vector

[idele venn vector]

━ i move so far in time ━

FEELING RATHER RELIEVED SHE HAD gotten Reina's name right, Idele gave her peer a small smile, slightly turning as well just as Reina did so. It never really occurred to the Vector that she didn't really know Reina all too well, but that was one of the slight drawbacks that came from being in a different House. Sure, they shared classes together, maybe greeted one another a few times, but that was it.

The immediate difference between the two came from the ways they presented themselves. Even from first impressions from when Reina had first transferred to MAGIC/Hogwarts altogether, she was bold, holding an extroverted personality. Whereas Idele - despite her mothers attempts at changing her attitude - was more introverted, shy to speak up unless spoken to. Hell, for all Merlin knows, that was probably one of the stemming roots of her trauma.

"It..could be better." She spoke honestly, breaking into a slight wider smile. "Been spending it with extended family..tutoring..avoiding home I guess...How's yours going?"

| reina watanabe nakamura |

[reina watanabe nakamura]

Mid-July 2028

When Idele answered her by saying that her summer could have been better, Reina immediately felt bad for her. It seemed as though she hadn't had much free time to enjoy herself, and her bringing up "avoiding home" didn't sound too great, either. Though Idele didn't explain what she meant by that, Reina could infer that there was likely some sort of trouble in her home life that was motivating her not to want to be there.

Luckily, Reina couldn't relate. Though she was still a teenager and didn't always agree with her parents, for example, she had no reason to be afraid of them or to be desperate to get away from them. Likewise, she had no intention of going wild or doing anything inappropriate, but she didn't think that it was wrong to take a break while they had the chance. It wouldn't be long before they would be back at Hogwarts, and although LIFE would allow them some more freedom, they still had schoolwork awaiting them.

Fortunately for Idele, there was still time to remedy the apparent lack of excitement in her summer; Reina just had to figure out what to do and when to do it. They obviously were too old to spend their time running through a toy store, but surely there was something nearby… as long as Idele wasn't going to get in trouble with her family, that was.

"My summer has been good," Reina replied to Idele. (It had been a lot better than hers sounded, at least.) "Do you want to do something?" she asked, not sure if Idele had somewhere else she needed to be.

idele venn vector

[idele venn vector]

━ i move so far in time ━

NOT FEELING ENTIRELY IN THE mood for a therapy session, Idele felt rather relieved when Reina didn't press further for details. She could help but feel bad when it came to revealing the truth, nor was the Vector the type to unload her problems generally. She had enough walls and guards up that even the smartest therapist would probably have a rough time. Feeling the atmosphere turn a little awkward, the redhead continued to force her smiles, hoping Reina would mistaken them as genuine.

The offer to do something together would usually frighten the introvert but given her boredom and the want (or more so need) to stay away from home was far greater. "Sure!.." She began, rather cheerfully. "I take it you..don't wanna go in the toy store?.."

Sure, Idele was soon going to be a grown adult and whatnot, but who didn't love a plushie here and there?

| reina watanabe nakamura |

[reina watanabe nakamura]

Mid-July 2028

"Sure!" Idele's reply was almost immediate. Reina anticipated that she was going to suggest something that they could do, but instead she asked, "I take it you… don't wanna go in the toy store?"

If Idele didn't think that it was too childish of them to go into the toy store at their age, then Reina didn't have a problem with it; she had just assumed that Idele wouldn't be interested in it. Along with the various dolls and plush toys, there was probably something in the store that was appropriate for teenagers. (Puzzles were fun if they were at the right level of difficulty, for example.) Even if there wasn't something for people their age, so what? Going to look at toys wasn't so bad. They weren't planning to go into a business that specialized in the Dark Arts.

"If you want?" Reina told Idele. She wasn't going to argue with the idea. Maybe it would be a lot of fun, and they didn't have to go far.

idele venn vector

[idele venn vector]

━ i move so far in time ━

DESPITE ALMOST REACHING THE AGE of sixteen, Idele was glad and always open to admit she loved toys. She loved all kinds but found the most comfort from a plushie. One that was just as soft to lie on as if its purpose was to be a pillow also.

Somewhat relieved that Reina offered for the two of them to go inside the store, the Vector nodded eagerly, already moving towards the door, pushing it open and holding it for Reina. In her younger years, Idele had visited this store plenty of times, especially with her brothers who were always fascinated by the toy sets.

But coming with someone she knew from school and at an older age no doubt felt way better. "Woah.." She found herself saying, lips forming an 'o' shape as eyes wandered amongst the store.

| reina watanabe nakamura |

[reina watanabe nakamura]

Mid-July 2028

Before entering Pilliwinkle's Playthings, Reina couldn't remember the last time she had been inside a store that was specifically a toy store. A lot of the time back home, she just played with whatever happened to be in reach outdoors because it was more convenient, and it didn't make her much of a difference. Of course, she had dolls and plush toys from when she was younger, but she—or her parents—hadn't bought anything like that.

She wouldn't be able to say that anymore, though. Pilliwinkle's was absolutely a toy store, with shelves and displays of anything and everything a magical child might want with which to play. Reina nodded to Idele in thanks as she held the door open for her. The Castelobruxo transfer student hardly knew where to look, and Reina, too, wandered off in awe.

As for Reina, she gravitated to a display of action figures that were among the most realistic she'd seen. When she saw that they didn't seem to have any figures of the Quidditch players from South America available for purchase, though, she turned her attention elsewhere and spotted a plush Peruvian Vipertooth that was practically begging for her to buy it.

Without intending to, Reina squealed a little, immediately picking it up off its shelf. It was too cute!

idele venn vector
OOC: Retconning slightly from this point relative to Idele's actually being a year younger than Reina, and I will absolutely forget if I don't write it here! 😅

[idele venn vector]

━ i move so far in time ━

WHILE IDELE HELD SOME KIND of...resentment against her mother, for the lack of true affection, being seen as third best as well as the overall judgements about Idele's likes and interest...the youngest Vector still felt fortunate and happy to have a child-like instinct whenever she was close-by to a toy store. That was one thing Harmony Vector didn't play about with her children. And it was ensuring they had the grandest of gestures within their gifts or toys that they grew up with.

Somewhat following behind Reina as the two of them sought out different kinds of toys, Idele somewhat wondered off to a shelf close to where the older Gryffindor was standing. Before her was the cutest cat plush, which oddly reminded her of her own cat.

Turning as she heard a squeal from the older girl, Idele smiled softly. "What?..Did you find something good?.."

| reina watanabe nakamura |

[reina watanabe nakamura]

Mid-July 2028

Although Reina had planned to go into the toy store for a little while without making a purchase, the expectation of not spending anything at Pilliwinkle's Playthings because she was a teenager had fallen by the wayside. She knew her parents wouldn't really mind her using her spending money on a plush toy, especially not a plush dragon. Looking in the little beady eyes of that toy Peruvian Vipertooth, she just couldn't say no.

When she realized the noise that had escaped her mouth, Reina hoped that she hadn't startled Idele. From being at Hogwarts, she had learned that she sometimes had to tone down her reactions around her peers. She knew that it wasn't their faults, though. If she had been there when so many bad things had happened instead of safe and sound at Castelobruxo, she was sure that she would have frightened more easily, too.

Luckily, Idele looked pleased rather than scared. "What?" she asked, smiling. "…Did you find something good?"

Reina held out the plush Peruvian Vipertooth in front of her to show it off. "It's a Peruvian Vipertooth! Look at him!" she urged the younger girl with a laugh. "He's perfect!"

idele venn vector

[idele venn vector]

━ i move so far in time ━

KNOWING THAT IF HER MOTHER was around, Idele would either have the opportunity to buy whatever plush she wanted, or be refused and told to grow up a little. Though, upon her bed back in her mothers Hogsmeade estate, various plushies sat comfortably against the youngest Vector's pillows...so maybe her mother would think differently...

Bringing her attention back to Reina, Idele couldn't help but not keep the grin off of her face. Eyes scanned the Vipertooth while the Vector's smile only grew wider at Reina's excitement. "He's so cute!.." She agreed, looking over the plush once more. "Are you going to get it?" Idele only hoped for a similar reaction of her own whenever she found something she even remotely liked...

| reina watanabe nakamura |

[reina watanabe nakamura]

Mid-July 2028

Idele was smiling at the plush dragon, too, which reassured Reina that she hadn't totally lost her mind for gushing over a toy at sixteen. "He's so cute!" the Ravenclaw exclaimed in agreement with her. "Are you going to get it?"

"Yeah!" Reina nodded eagerly. "Peruvian Vipertooths are the best," she explained. She had been around them her whole life because of her parents' dragonology work, so it was like having a little bit of home with her. It was easier, safer, and far more legal than having a real dragon—even one that size. "It's very accurate, too, for a toy," she laughed. Sometimes, things that were supposed to be dragons really didn't hold up to looking at all dragon-like. "I would expect maybe a Welsh Green or something," since those were more "local" (and easier to make a plush out of, arguably), but it was nice.

Though Reina was already beginning to think through possible names for her little dragon, she looked at Idele. "Is there anything you like?"

idele venn vector

[idele venn vector]

━ i move so far in time ━

"HOW CAN YOU TELL?" The curious Vector asked before continuing. "That it's a Peruvian Vipertooth? Of course it has the name and all but...is there anything else to them?.." Reina went on though, saying that it was accurate for a toy and it was as if a light bulb had switched on in the Vectors mind. Similarly to how the Vector family had its quirks and special talents...the youngest Vector felt it was safe to assume that Reina's family were in touch with dragonology.

Idele didn't want to guess of course, but given the older girls interest...it was still a safe assumption. "I'm..not really fussy..I tend to like the same things but...usually cute stuff kind of call out to me.." From the assortment of other plushies that sat well on her bed back at home, they were all different kinds of animals...Maybe another animal would have been cute for her.

| reina watanabe nakamura |