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last online Apr 23, 2024 17:16:58 GMT -7
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Dec 31, 2016 13:08:40 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2016 13:08:40 GMT -7
To say the least, although Christmas itself had been wonderful, Tatiana was glad that the Yule Ball was over. She wasn't sure if she had ever taken so much Calming Draught before for the purpose of making it through a single event. There hadn't been anywhere to which she had been able to cling for safety's sake, and being a Krum had felt like having a giant arrow pointed straight at her. The safest decision that she had made was to float between groups of people as discreetly as she could. Finding one familiar face in the crowd, tagging along with them, and then ricocheting off to the next person she recognized had given her the appearance of being busy.
Luckily, the concussion and other injuries that Tania had suffered after falling from her broom had been easy enough for the nurses in the Hospital Wing to heal, or she would have been in agony all night. She had done a number on her broom, too, though her father had told her that it would be no trouble at all to get her a replacement. With her regular routine not set to resume until after the first of the year, she was crossing her fingers that she might be among the first to own one of the newest models of 2024.
Until then, however, she had some time to kill. Walking out towards the lake—and, with it, the Durmstrang Ship—Tania thought that she might see if Daniel was there. He was either there or cozied up with Irina somewhere inside the castle; in the latter instance, she wasn't about to bother them. The lake was thoroughly frozen over, almost as though it would have provided a shortcut. Tania wasn't about to risk that, so she kept going in the usual way.
She didn't want to violate the Durmstrang students' privacy, so she stopped short of the ship itself. The nearest person to her was a girl who had her back turned in her direction, but—as far as she could tell—she was a Durmstrang student and not one from Hogwarts. With the girl's back still towards her, Tania decided to see if she knew where Daniel was. “Excuse me,” she began, “but do you know if Daniel Hoh is around?”
@maria
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last online Apr 23, 2024 17:16:58 GMT -7
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Dec 31, 2016 20:34:42 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2016 20:34:42 GMT -7
Maria had been enjoying the holidays, especially the ball. That had been fun, and to no surprise she'd left with someone other then her date. The whole season had been great, at least until she'd gotten a letter from her grandparents. They'd written her about a Romani boy they wanted her to marry. Obviously she'd responded immediately, rejecting completely. Now, response sent she stood out side the ship holding the letter in one hand and her other under it. A moment passed and her hand burst into flames, engulfing the letter and turning it to ash.
That was when she heard a timid female voice from behind her. Her hand extinguished and she turned. Young, dark haired. Asking for Daniel Hoh. Interesting. She tilted her head. "Daniel? Hmmm I don't think so. I could help you find him though, why do you need him?"
@tatiana
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last online Apr 23, 2024 17:16:58 GMT -7
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Jan 1, 2017 1:20:47 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2017 1:20:47 GMT -7
Tania had barely noticed the letter in the hand of the girl whom she had asked about Daniel, until, at least, she saw that the letter was no longer there. She had been looking up, more focused on the back of the girl's head than on what—if anything at all—had been in her hands. Then, the girl turned around and tilted her head.
Whatever Tania had expected her to look like was not what she got. All she had really seen was the girl's hair, which was long and dark (not unlike her own), and not her face. Looking at her more closely now, Tania saw just how strikingly pretty she was. She was truly gorgeous, in fact.
“Daniel?”
Embarrassingly, it took Tania a moment to remember that it was because of Daniel that she had ventured out to the Durmstrang Ship. The girl answered that she didn't think that he was there, though Tania felt less concerned about that than she might have been.
“I could help you find him, though,” offered the girl, into whose eyes Tania was now looking and trying not to make it so obvious. “Why do you need him?”
Saying that he was her sister's boyfriend would make her sound pathetic. “I—” Tania stammered out, looking away from the girl. “Never mind,” she said quickly. She could always come back later.
She turned to leave then and cursed under her breath in Bulgarian, not realizing that she was speaking her thoughts aloud. “Tya e khetero,” Tania reminded herself; there was no use in getting her hopes up, when—with a face and a body like that—the Durmstrang girl must have been straight.
@maria
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last online Apr 23, 2024 17:16:58 GMT -7
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Jan 1, 2017 13:46:42 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2017 13:46:42 GMT -7
This younger girl had the most adorably dumbfounded expressions on her face, it made Maria smile a little with amusement. She typically saw similar expressions from men when they first felt the brunt of the Veela charm. Being half Veela, Maria's charm was particularly more potent then several of the other students that were quarter or eighth Veela. The charm didn't necessarily work on women though, but that didn't mean they couldn't be affected by the physical aspects rather then magical. It was actually kind of cute, the way the girl seemed so flustered by Maria in that moment. The way she just stared at Maria before finally managing to look away as she tried to muster up a response.
Maria twirled a lock of her dark hair between her fingers, thoroughly enjoying the girl's embarrassment. That smile turned into a full grin though when the Bulgarian came out, as as if she was thinking aloud. Or maybe she though Maria didn't speak Bulgarian. Unfortunately for her, Maria did. Not as well as Elias, obviously. But Maria had a knack for learning languages. Bulgarian being one she'd learned from her cousin. "Are you sure you want to know the answer to that before you even know my name?" Maria answered confidently and smugly, wondering if it might make the little mouse squirm a little when she realized Maria had understood her. Maria had little preference when it came to companions. "It's Maria. And no, I'm not." She finished in English, still grinning widely as she continued to twirl her hair.
@tatiana (Don't wanna use a translator, purple will be Bulgarian.)
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last online Apr 23, 2024 17:16:58 GMT -7
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Jan 4, 2017 17:24:28 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2017 17:24:28 GMT -7
Tatiana had only gone a step or two in the direction of the castle, but it was the girl's use of Bulgarian that made her stop and turn back around. She watched her, mesmerized by the hair that she curled around her finger, and stayed put. The girl asked if she had wanted to know the answer to that before she even knew her name. Tania was left to shake her head, feeling so compelled, although she was certain that the question was supposed to have been a rhetorical one.
She knew that she must have looked like an absolute lunatic—and she felt like one, too—but she continued to listen. (There were worse things than looking stupid in front of an attractive girl, weren't there?) The worst part was that—from what she had said—Tania was beginning to get the idea that the Durmstrang girl wasn't straight.
“It's Maria,” said the girl in English, introducing herself, as well as answering what she had said before. Maria. Tania wasn't sure if she wanted to forget that name or commit it to her memory, but there was something so undeniably striking about her. “And no,” Maria added. There was part two. “I'm not.”
Still focused on that lock of hair, it took Tania a moment to put the pieces together. When she did, though, she didn't know what to make of it. Apparently, Maria wasn't straight, and appearing foolish was what she got for assuming otherwise.
Not wanting to ruin what slim chances she had left, Tania tried not to allow the thoughts that were racing through her head to control her actions. She thought about what her sisters would do in the same situation, not that either of them liked girls. “I'm Tania. And you're really pretty…” she replied. It was just so difficult not to say the first things that came to her mind; it was like Maria had left her tongue-tied and without a filter.
@maria
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last online Apr 23, 2024 17:16:58 GMT -7
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Jan 4, 2017 20:41:12 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2017 20:41:12 GMT -7
Again, dumbfounded stupor was the vibe Maria was getting off of this girl as she turned back and stared at her with wide eyes. Really, you'd think this girl had never seen a pretty face before! The look was so much cuter on this girl though rather then the boys that typically got it. The girl was a complete and total stranger, but that had never stopped Maria before, so why now? The girl took a minute, but finally managed to stumble out a response to Maria's introduction, and Maria grinned widely. "Thank you Tania." She intentionally made sure the girl's name rolled off her tongue as smooth as silk. "You're pretty too." Of course Maria knew she was pretty. With the amount of work that went into her appearance, but also the physical and magical characteristics of her Veela blood? But, it was nice hearing someone say it so blatantly, without Maria having to work them up to it.
Maria dropped her hand from her hair, letting that lock rest over her shoulder as she took a step closer to the younger girl. "You aren't from here, are you? Your Bulgarian was far to good to have picked it up from one of us, I couldn't even hear an accent." Maria started. No, if she had to guess, this girl must speak Bulgarian with a native on a regular basis at least.
@tatiana
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last online Apr 23, 2024 17:16:58 GMT -7
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Jan 12, 2017 17:51:00 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2017 17:51:00 GMT -7
There was something about Maria's reciprocated compliment that made Tania blush. She continued to listen to what Maria had to say, captivated by her all the while. “You aren't from here, are you?” Maria asked, and Tania saw that she had taken a step towards her. Maria commented that her Bulgarian had been far too good for her to have picked it up from one of the Durmstrang students.
Tania nodded her head. “I am Bulgarian,” she said, although her emphasis was almost timid. She didn't know why; never once had she been ashamed of where she was from. “I was born in Vratsa, and then my parents' jobs brought us here.” There was no need to say who her parents were; Maria would know as soon as she found out her last name.
“You?” Tania wondered after a pause. She didn't think that Maria was Bulgarian, although she spoke the language well. There were students from all over Europe—even some British ones—at Durmstrang. “You aren't Bulgarian, are you?”
@maria
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last online Apr 23, 2024 17:16:58 GMT -7
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Jan 19, 2017 16:52:43 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2017 16:52:43 GMT -7
Awwww, Tania was blushing. Just was a little compliment like that. Was the girl shy? Or just not used to such comments? Or was she just always this flustered? Maria hoped it was the last. Easily flustered usually meant they had little to no experience when it came to flirting and advances. Maria thought it was pretty fun when they really didn't know how to handle her subtle advances. Hey, even now you couldn't really call her make an advance. Not yet at least.
Ah, She was Bulgarian. That'd explain it. Maria just smiled and brushed her hair off her shoulders. "Really? That's fascinating." She slowly responded, her words thick. "It must be nice having us Durmstrang students around then. We aren't all from Bulgaria, but Durmstrang hosts all the students from the country. You probably get to see some old friends.... Though..." She paused for a moment tilting her head and lighting tapping her chin with the tip of her index finger. "Daniel couldn't be one of them. He's German." And Maria happened to consider Daniel to be one of her only friends, if she was being honest.
Her hand dropped as the question was returned, an eyebrow slowly raising. Then, she started to grin. "No, I'm not. But I've spent quite a bit of time in Bulgaria, visiting my cousin." Elias technically wasn't Bulgarian either. "I'm Romani." Maria was pretty sure that Tania would know what that was. There was a huge Romani population in the country, but they had a pretty bad reputation. But hey, Gypsies had a bad reputation everywhere. "I was born in Brazil, but currently live in Sweden." She added, as way of explanation with a shrug.
@tatiana
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last online Apr 23, 2024 17:16:58 GMT -7
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Jan 19, 2017 22:01:12 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2017 22:01:12 GMT -7
Maria said that she found it fascinating that she was actually Bulgarian. Tania didn't know what to make of it but nodded her head a little in agreement with the older girl's statement. She went on to say that it must have been nice to have Durmstrang students around at Hogwarts, and Tania had to agree there. “You probably get to see some old friends…Though…” Maria didn't sound terribly convinced of something and tapped her chin. “Daniel couldn't be one of them. He's German.”
“I've known him forever,” Tania piped up, feeling the need to prove that she had known Daniel Hoh for her entire life. “My mum is German.”
As for her origins, Maria explained that she was Romani. She wasn't Bulgarian, but she had spent time in Bulgaria to visit her cousin. “I was born in Brazil, but currently live in Sweden.”
Tania nodded. “Brazil?” she repeated, fascinated. “Did you choose Durmstrang over Castelobruxo?” She didn't know much about the Brazilian wizarding school, but it was supposed to have a good reputation, like Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons.
@maria
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last online Apr 23, 2024 17:16:58 GMT -7
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Jan 20, 2017 8:25:27 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2017 8:25:27 GMT -7
Maria's eyebrows rose as the father passionate retort from the girl. A few moments and then she started to smirk a little. She didn't know everything about Daniel, they were both pretty secretive. But she knew enough to have a pretty good idea who this girl was though. Or, at least who her family was. Daniel had always been writing his best friend, a year older that attended Hofwarts, at Durmstrang. "You're a Krum, aren't you?" It made sense. Not only that, this girl had a few similarities to Daniel's girlfriend.
Maria shrugged at the schooling question. It wasn't too surprising. Folding her arms across her chest, she took a few steps so she could lean against the nearest tree. "No. I already lived I Europe when I enrolled. It wouldn't make sense to try to attend a school over seas." Her smirk softened to a charming smile. "But enough about my boring life. I'd rather talk about you. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"
@tatiana
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last online Apr 23, 2024 17:16:58 GMT -7
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Jan 20, 2017 13:30:51 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2017 13:30:51 GMT -7
“You're a Krum, aren't you?”
Tania nodded; she couldn't exactly deny it, and Maria had put the pieces together on her own. “Yeah,” she smiled. “Tatiana Krum.” She held her head a little higher. There was no need to explicitly state that she was a Quidditch prodigy; Maria could draw that conclusion for herself, seeing as Irina was the only one of them who didn't play the sport.
Maria explained to her that she hadn't chosen one school over the other. She had been living in Europe already, so it didn't make sense to go all the way to Castelobruxo. Tania understood that. She had gone to Hogwarts instead of Durmstrang, obviously.
“But enough about my boring life. I'd rather talk about you. Why don't you tell me about yourself?”
Often, the conversation ended up turning to her parents. Talking about herself was something at which Tania didn't think that she was very good, especially not when put on the spot. “I…” She didn't want to disappoint Maria, which led to her words coming out in a ramble. “I'm, um, in my fifth year. I'm a Beater for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. My sister, Ripley, plays Chaser for Hufflepuff, too. My other sister, Irina, doesn't play Quidditch, though… Um, our brother, Nikolai, is the Seeker for the Appleby Arrows. He graduated last year, and he's a brilliant player—almost as good as our dad. Speaking of him, I'd like to play professionally before I graduate. Um, I mean, it isn't really up to me, though I'm on the Quidditch pitch every chance I get.”
@maria
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last online Apr 23, 2024 17:16:58 GMT -7
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Jan 20, 2017 15:16:20 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2017 15:16:20 GMT -7
Maria's smirk grew a little smug as her guess was proven right. It still didn't answer why she'd been looking for Daniel but at least made it more understandable why a girl her age would be looking for him. "Tatiana is a very pretty name. You should use it more often." it was only a guess, but since she's introduced herself as Tania originally she must mostly go by the nickname.
Or was adorable, the way Tania stumbled out a response. It was almost like watching a puppy trip over its own feet as it tried to play. Maria was smiling, almost happily. Fifth gear wasn't too young, only two years below her own. "That's nice. But I'd really like to know you, not your family. And more than just quidditch." Most of Tania's ramble had been about her siblings, after all! Maria shifted, and slowly sat down on the ground at the base of the tree, and pat the spot next to her. "Why don't you sit down for a minute? We can talk while we wait for Daniel."
@tatiana
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last online Apr 23, 2024 17:16:58 GMT -7
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Jan 22, 2017 13:30:14 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2017 13:30:14 GMT -7
“That's nice,” acknowledged Maria, “But I'd really like to know you, not your family. And more than just Quidditch.”
“Okay…” Hesitantly, Tania sat down in the grass beside where Maria had seated herself, leaving a gap of space between herself and Maria for her own comfort. She wondered what Maria wanted to know about her. Most of her life revolved around Quidditch—playing it, watching it, discussing it—and the sport was what had been keeping her from losing her sanity. How was she supposed to be interesting enough for someone so beautiful and… unique? Maria had said that her full given name was pretty, but she didn't know how she could compare.
Tania stretched out her legs and looked down at them, found a few blades of grass upon which she could focus, and took a deep breath. Once she had exhaled it, she began to speak. “Um…” She hadn't even thought of what to say. Was Maria really that interested in her? Maria probably didn't want every last detail of her life, but what if she chose to include wasn't as interesting to her as she thought? “I…”
It wasn't normal to share that she felt afraid of just about everything, but what was more central to her life at the moment? Everything she did seemed to revolve around whether or not she had taken her potions and whether or not she had taken enough of them. That was her identity: Quidditch, sprinkled with some anxiety, with a pinch of homosexuality that she kept hidden from her parents.
“I'm sixteen…” Tania didn't know where she was going with that, but it was something about herself. “I'm gay…” (In case Maria hadn't figured that one out on her own.) “And I play Quidditch.” There. That was three things out of the way already!
@maria
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last online Apr 23, 2024 17:16:58 GMT -7
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Jan 22, 2017 17:30:18 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2017 17:30:18 GMT -7
Maria smiled as Tania took the spot next to her on the grass. Farther away than Maria would have liked, but Maria had little in regards to personal space. She knew not to push it though. After all, Tania was still pretty much a stranger. A very cute and innocent stranger. The girl was so adorably nervous and timid. Very different from most of the students Maria was pursuing on an intimate level. They had more of a back bone, to make it... well, challenging. Tania was a doe eyed brunette that was frazzled by the mere sight of a pretty face.
Maria shifted on the grass to stretched her legs out and leaned against the tree as she waited for Tania to come up with an answer. It took a while, the girl having to start twice before finally getting anything out. And when she did? Well, it was something that Maria basically knew. Fifth year could be fifteen or sixteen. The gay part was pretty obvious. And the Quidditch... Well, she'd already said that. But at least all three points were just about Tania. "That's better." She praised softly, almost as if you'd praise a pet. She held out her hand, to shake Tania's if she was willing, and smiled. "Nice to finally meet you, Tatiana." She let Tania's name roll off the tip of her tongue like honey. "I'm seventeen. Also gay. And I like watching pretty faces play Quidditch." Typical Maria, giving very little information about herself but sounding as if she was pouring her heart out.
@tatiana
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last online Apr 23, 2024 17:16:58 GMT -7
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Jan 31, 2017 22:25:45 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2017 22:25:45 GMT -7
“That’s better,” Maria encouraged her, and Tania was happy to know that she had said something more interesting this time. She held out her hand to shake, and Tania did, sure that it would have been clammy if not for the cold weather. “Nice to finally meet you, Tatiana,” Maria told her, as though she had been looking forward to that moment. There was something about it that felt strangely comforting to Tania, who continued to listen to what Maria had to say.
The Durmstrang girl was seventeen, which she probably could have figured out for herself. Being in their final year of schooling, most of the visiting students were, naturally, seventeen, unless any of them had celebrated their birthdays since their arrival at Hogwarts. She was also gay; again, that made sense, though it was nice to have the most obvious confirmation of that fact.
“And I like watching pretty faces play Quidditch.” Usually, straight girls fawned over Quidditch-playing guys. Tania had never known a gay girl to be interested in the sport for the sake of having “eye candy”, so to speak, though she didn’t mind it. Boys had occasionally had the guts to catcall her, but that was different. Out on the Quidditch pitch, she was there to play, and it was her hope that the boys with whom she had to share the pitch had grasped that. She wondered if the way that she was feeling was how they felt when they had girls throwing themselves at them. Maria seemed more genuine than that—she didn’t seem like the type of person to claim that she was into Quidditch and then ask tens of questions about it.
Tania smiled, wishing that she had been gifted with creativity in addition to her athleticism. “I like that, too,” she said, before realizing that what she had said had made no sense. She was the Quidditch player here! “I mean, I like pretty faces,” she corrected awkwardly, “to, um, watch me play.”
@maria
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