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last online May 17, 2024 8:01:10 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Feb 15, 2017 10:43:18 GMT -7
Post by mina pandora oliveira on Feb 15, 2017 10:43:18 GMT -7
@brandon Things might have been a little strained with Callisto after that one event where Mina may or may not have found letters concerning her sister and one of the students situated at Hogwarts. For whatever reason, she had decided to take it upon herself to figure out exactly who this Dancing Boy was. She didn’t know how she’d manage it, but from one of the letters she managed to snatch up for her own perusing, the boy had stated that he was a musician. There were only so many places a musician would go on a weekend in Hogsmeade. Thus, Mina, with her Saturdays off now, decided it would be a fun little game to play: Find the Dancing Boy. The other tidbit she remembered of the letters, which wasn’t much because of her drunken, goofy, stupor, was that there were a few names mentioned in them. Daniel and Brandon. Didn’t help much since those were rather average names, but if she came across a person singing or doing music stuff with one of those names, then she had her Dancing Boy.
The plan once she found this boy? She hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. For one, she simply wanted to get a glimpse of him and see what Callisto was going after. Obviously her responses to the letters weren’t in the drawer of the nightstand, so Mina had no clue how gross her sister’s flirting was, nor was she interested in finding out. This probably wasn’t any of her business, but it was way too interesting to let go. So off to Hogsmeade she went, early enough in the morning that she could ask the shopkeepers a few questions about musicians. Apparently there was a music store there that was pretty popular with some of the students. Somehow that had missed her observations during her seven years at Hogwarts, so it was brand new territory that she was about to enter. Pushing the door open to Dominic Maestro’s, Mina was glad that the bell jingle was different from Flourish & Blotts. Stupid bell drove her insane. It was quiet the impressive shop, for all intents and purposes. If she was the slightest bit musically talented, this would have been the store to go to. Perusing the aisles, she decided to look around and wait for a little while in case anyone came in. If it was dead after a few minutes, she’d simply bring up the names to the shopkeeper. Surely he would know the more popular musicians at the school.
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last online May 19, 2024 8:47:02 GMT -7
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Feb 15, 2017 20:57:37 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2017 20:57:37 GMT -7
It was the Hogsmeade weekend and while Brandon had plans for later, he was going to start it out the way he always did- with a trip to Dominic Maestros. He loved this place. He loved the variety of instruments, the fact that the owners didn't mind if he tried out instruments without buying them. It was the perfect place for someone like him, for a musician. Besides, every time he entered the store it brought to mind happier times when he and Zander could just play with one another, without a care in the world. Things were different now, for both of them, but they were still moving along. Still good friends. Today he came into the shop alone. He was surprised to find someone else already there, but he wasn't going to disturb the woman. He nodded to the shopkeeper and made his way over to the guitars. This was normally the first place he visited when coming here, after all. He picked up one and started messing with the strings, tuning it so that he could play a little something. Hmm. Maybe he should wait. If the woman was looking for something to buy, he didn't want to bother her. Brandon paused for a minute, trying to decide whether he should play or wait. mina pandora oliveira
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last online May 17, 2024 8:01:10 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Feb 15, 2017 22:29:49 GMT -7
Post by mina pandora oliveira on Feb 15, 2017 22:29:49 GMT -7
@brandon Mina was rather surprised to see that this store still held things like CDs and records. Muggle items weren’t always too common, but seeing as they were starting to become outdated themselves, maybe that made a difference. Obviously Hogwarts students would have a hard time getting a CD player to work on grounds, but a record player could probably manage if it was old enough. She had a laptop of course, needing to be caught up with the times, so there was no reason to really have either a CD or record player, but it was still cool to see them around. The pleasant sounding doorbell rang again, and Mina almost forgot to look up at the person that had entered. The selection of instruments and music here was quite the draw for her, especially since so much of her life these days was spent inside clubs of all sorts.
Eventually she found the time to tear her attention away from the CDs and look around the store to see who it was that had entered a few minutes earlier. Peeking around one of the racks of sheet music books, Mina spotted a boy sitting a few feet away, doing something with a guitar. Interesting. Moving quickly up the person at the cash register, she whispered quietly, “Is that guy a Daniel or a Brandon?” There was a nod to the second one, and Mina knew she had her sister’s Dancing Boy. Now it was time to have fun. Crossing to the other side of the store where the boy was situated, Mina took a seat across from him. “You any good? I’ve seen some pretty decent acts out there.”
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last online May 19, 2024 8:47:02 GMT -7
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Feb 17, 2017 13:37:51 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2017 13:37:51 GMT -7
Brandon was entirely focused on the guitar in front of him. After thinking about it for a short while, he decided to not actually play, but to pretend like he was. Use the chords and do everything but actually strum the guitar so he could practice. It didn't matter if others couldn't hear the music, because just by playing the notes, Brandon could hear in his mind what it would sound like. He froze when he heard a voice in front of him, looking up and smiling when he saw the woman that was walking around earlier. Why did she want to talk to him? He shrugged, "I do fairly well," he told her noncommittally. He didn't want to brag, that wasn't Brandon's style. "I can play for you if you want?" Brandon made the suggestion a question. Some people insinuated that they wanted to hear more music, but when it came down to it they weren't really interested. He wasn't sure if that was the case here or not. mina pandora oliveira
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last online May 17, 2024 8:01:10 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Feb 17, 2017 15:08:49 GMT -7
Post by mina pandora oliveira on Feb 17, 2017 15:08:49 GMT -7
@brandon He played fairly well…that was rather modest. Like she had just said, she’d seen enough shows to know that the good musicians held themselves a certain way. This was no different. He was deliberately not playing, probably so he didn’t disturb her. Or maybe he actually sucked at it and was too embarrassed to have an audience. Hopefully the former. “Fairly well is better than not at all.” This boy was pretty normal. To snag Callisto the way he did, there had to be something interesting about him. Maybe her sister was actually into musicians all along and had simply never disclosed that information to her. That was probably a tactic to keep Mina from dragging her out to clubs and venues every night of the weekend.
“Go for it. I’m interested now.” Mina smiled at him and grabbed a chair that was nearby, planting herself firmly. From what she had read in the letters, he had a way with words and music. But to win over her sister, he needed to win over her first. Whether he knew it or not, this was one of the highest level of tests Mina could do on someone. She had done the same thing with Ophelia a few months earlier, although that was under different circumstances. Flirting through letters was far different than actually having a child; but it could end up in the same place one day. “No preference either. Try to impress me, like we’re on a date or something.” The other test was loyalty. She was somewhat interested in figuring out if he would mention anything about Callisto or not. Probably not, but it was still worth a shot. She’d get to those hard hitting detective questions later on, if she didn’t scare him off first.
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last online May 19, 2024 8:47:02 GMT -7
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Feb 20, 2017 11:44:15 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2017 11:44:15 GMT -7
Brandon nodded and smiled when she said that playing fairly well was better than not at all. He did much better than fairly well, of course, but he didn't know her and didn't want to brag too much. He didn't really know why she was talking to him so he didn't know what else to say. Then she told him to go ahead and play for her. Brandon thought for a moment, trying to think of something that would be a good song for right now. Quite honestly, most of the songs flitting through his head were love songs, songs that Callisto was making him think of, which was more annoying than he cared to admit since he wasn't playing for her. He didn't want to sing a love song for a stranger! He was about to ask what kind of song she'd want when she said she didn't have a preference either. Brandon chuckled and shook his head a little bit as he tried to think of something again. "I don't normally play for people on dates," he told her easily as he finally decided on a song. He started playing chords before playing a pretty well-known muggle song. It was a bit older, but he didn't care. He took a deep breath before starting to sing. The song was slower, calm, and he didn't know what this woman would think about it, but he didn't care. He was playing again and he loved it. He smiled as he played and watched her, curious to see her reaction as he sang and played. mina pandora oliveira (OOC: "I Won't Give Up On Us" Haha, in reference to Callisto, obviously )
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last online May 17, 2024 8:01:10 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Feb 20, 2017 23:59:42 GMT -7
Post by mina pandora oliveira on Feb 20, 2017 23:59:42 GMT -7
@brandon [ SUZIE for your viewing pleasure] Mina waited silently as it looked like he was deciding what to play. She had put him on the spot after all, so that was the least she could do. His laugh and the shake of his head caught her slightly off guard, adding that he didn’t normally play for dates. She found herself raising her eyebrows slightly. This one was good. Real good. No wonder Callisto seemed to have melt for his words. What could he have possibly down at that ball thing to manage to pull this all off in one night? That was pretty impressive, even for her. Crossing one leg over the other and leaning back in the chair, she closed her eyes to listen to the song. This boy wasn’t just a decent guitar player or singer, he could do both. Had her sister managed to see this? Technically she wouldn’t have been a date either, so she would have fallen under the same category as Mina. As it came to a close, her eyes snapped back open and she clapped quietly. “Impressive. Good thing I’m an exception to that rule of yours. Otherwise I would have missed out on that. If you could dance too, you might end up wooing even the most stubborn of them.” Oh, she knew he already had, and that’s why it made all of this that much better.
If only Callisto was here to hear that. Mina would have paid money to see the mental debate going on in her head. It would be like the Great Wall of Callisto crumbling as this rather attractive boy sang a song all about her. She knew her too well, so obviously what was coming out of her mouth would be the exact opposite of what she was really feeling. Even though Mina had only seen the boy’s letters, it didn’t leave much to the imagination to what her sister was saying. Letting her one leg back to the ground, Mina leaned forward in her chair slightly. Now it was question time. “So you’re not in school still are you? Kind of hard to tell with all the people around for the tournament.” That’s what was going on right? She had paid enough attention to what her sister was doing work for to get the general gist of it all. “And you certainly don’t look like a student…but I’ve been wrong before.” Mina was stupid sometimes, but this was hopefully the last question that would absolutely solidify that the boy was the one in the letters. “I’m Mina by the way.” She smiled, offering her hand out to him.
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last online May 19, 2024 8:47:02 GMT -7
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Feb 21, 2017 17:55:35 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2017 17:55:35 GMT -7
The woman closed her eyes as he played and it was kind of nice for Brandon to not be able to see her thoughts in her eyes. Granted, he knew he was good. That was why he recorded with Zander recently, but he didn't like bragging about it and he didn't want random women to think he was a show off, though he wasn't quite sure why he cared so much. As he finished the song, her eyes opened and she showed appreciation for his song. Brandon smiled and laughed, accepting her praise graciously. She started talking about dancing and Brandon wondered if he should tell her he was good at that too, but it seemed like too much so he just shrugged, "I do alright on the dance floor."She was still watching him, which was an interesting thing for Brandon. Most of the time after people heard him play, they didn't stick around to talk long. Especially if they were on their own. Girls seemed to have more courage in groups, but this one had plenty to spare it seemed. He smiled when she asked if he was still in school, wondering why she cared but answering her all the same. "I'm in my last year. Technically visiting from Durmstrang for the tournament." He added the technically in there to try and staunch the questions that were almost certainly about to come. Everyone always asked how he spoke such good English until he explained things. He'd probably still have to, but he was used to it. He extended his hand in return, "Brandon," he told her. "And what brings you out here to Dominick Maestros at this time of day?" It should be her turn to talk a little, shouldn't it? mina pandora oliveira
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last online May 17, 2024 8:01:10 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Feb 21, 2017 23:08:39 GMT -7
Post by mina pandora oliveira on Feb 21, 2017 23:08:39 GMT -7
@brandon [ SUZIE for your viewing pleasure] He did alright on the dance floor. Mina’s mental checklist of things that she knew about the boy in her sister’s letters was starting to fill up. At this point she was pretty sure that she wasn’t wrong. It was kind of hard to happen to find someone with the same name as the one she had seen in the letters that also played music. She was having fun though. The boy seemed particularly normal, so it was a wonder Callisto even managed to talk with him. Or maybe that’s what it was. To Mina, this boy was average, unassuming, had a few good talents, and that was it. To Callisto, that was the complete opposite of every personality of their siblings. Things were starting to click with each question. The other possibility was that he just happened to bring the top of his game during the dance and caught an older Ministry worker off guard and decided to roll with it. Given a quick glance at some of the earlier letters, it definitely seemed like he was teasing Callisto quite a bit. If only she had the letters her sister had sent…on second thought, Mina preferred to keep the contents of her stomach where they were supposed to be.
The boy answered her question about school, indicating that he was in his final year at Durmstrang. She couldn’t remember which one that was, but it certainly was not Hogwarts. “Was that your choice or your parents? I don’t really know how the other schools work…” For once in her life, she didn’t need to lie about that. It was a little confusing that he was acquainted with the shopkeeper so well, being from a different school and all, but musicians were a little different in general anyways. Outgoing was the word she was looking for. He then answered with his name, Brandon, and Mina smiled slightly, holding the grin she so desperately wanted to show like her life depended on it. She knew the dancing boy’s name before her sister did. This was wonderful! “Pleasure to meet you Brandon.” She replied, shaking his hand.
So now he wanted to know why she was there, did he? She very well couldn’t come right out and say that she was there to find him. There were a number of ways that could be completely misinterpreted. “It’s been a few years since I graduated and I had work off so I wanted to come back and visit. Turns out security is a little tighter than it used to be, so all I could do was wander around Hogsmeade.” That was almost a truth. If she hadn’t run into him then that was probably how she would have spent the rest of her time that day. “Plus I have younger siblings in school still and was hoping I could sneak up on them.” They would more than likely kill her if she showed up unannounced like this.
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last online May 19, 2024 8:47:02 GMT -7
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Feb 25, 2017 11:25:46 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2017 11:25:46 GMT -7
Brandon smiled at her question. It was a pretty common question for him to be asked. He shrugged a little. "I went to Hogwarts until my sixth year. Then I went to live with my Dad and ended up going to Durmstrang last year and this year, except I'm back here again." Would that be enough of an explanation for her? He wasn't sure. Some people liked to ask for more details, others didn't care and he didn't want to bore her by telling her something she wasn't really interested in knowing. He smiled, "Nice to meet you as well, Mina." He didn't really know why she was talking to him, but Brandon was always up for a conversation. He enjoyed meeting new people and making friends. He nodded when she started talking about the added security. "Yeah, things are more intense than they were two years ago, even," he agreed easily. He cocked his head to the side curiously when she mentioned having siblings at school. "Who are your siblings?" Brandon asked. Something about this girl seemed familiar, but he was pretty sure he'd never met her before. He would have remembered. mina pandora oliveira
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last online May 17, 2024 8:01:10 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Mar 1, 2017 22:53:22 GMT -7
Post by mina pandora oliveira on Mar 1, 2017 22:53:22 GMT -7
@brandon So he used to be a Hogwarts student. She couldn’t say she remembered him all, but two years could do that to a person. There was also the added fact that she only cared about what was going on directly around her in school, and if Brandon here wasn’t one of those attached to her by the hip, then there was no way she was going to know who he was. Still, at some point in time they had probably walked past each other in a corridor or something. “Was it worth it then? Going to Durmstrang for one year, I mean.” Mina would have kicked and screamed if she had been sent off to another school. From what she knew of Durmstrang, it was relatively hardcore compared to Hogwarts, and then that French school was full of rich, pompous kids. They probably would have both tossed her out second term first year. She would have been able to bond with Sarah over that one.
“Oh I agree.” She added to the factoid about things being more intense. Her lifestyle while at school wouldn’t have exactly fit in with this environment. Granted, she probably would have preyed on the foreign students quite a bit. There had to be a handful of interesting ones in the bunch. “I graduated two years ago, so I can attest to that.” Acting mature like this was kind of weird, but seeing as it was all a ploy to get information it wasn’t as bad as it could be. Of course she made the mistake of mentioning her two younger siblings still being in school. That was a can of worms that she had been hoping to avoid, but Brandon had asked the question nonetheless. “You probably wouldn’t know them. Older brother is a professional Quidditch player though, and one of my older sisters is a…well, I think she’s a stripper, but for her sake we’ll call her a professional dancer at a club.” Mina wasn’t exactly sure what to think about Sarah, seeing as they were easily the most similar yet had varying views on how things were to be done. Fun and play existed for both of them, but Sarah was dangerous to everyone and Mina was only dangerous to herself.
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last online May 19, 2024 8:47:02 GMT -7
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Mar 4, 2017 22:23:20 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2017 22:23:20 GMT -7
Brandon shrugged when she asked if it was worth it. "I think so. I got to get closer to my Dad, for one thing, but I also got to learn about a whole new culture. Didn't make as many friends as I did at Hogwarts, but it was definitely a learning experience." If he had to choose all over again, Brandon would probably choose to go to Durmstrang for a year, but he wasn't entirely sure about that either. Brandon nodded when she agreed that things were more intense. That was probably why she was hanging around Hogsmeade, because it was so difficult to get into Hogwarts right now unless you were a student, teacher or professor. "Oh," he said when she told him that he wouldn't know her siblings. He wasn't exactly sure what to think when she started explaining more about her family. It was interesting, but why was she telling him this. "So what are you up to here at Hogsmeade today?" he asked with a curious smile. mina pandora oliveira
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last online May 17, 2024 8:01:10 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Mar 10, 2017 16:16:28 GMT -7
Post by mina pandora oliveira on Mar 10, 2017 16:16:28 GMT -7
@brandon “Well, family and learning is important isn’t it?” Mina internally cringed at the thought of the second comment. Learning. Like she had ever taken that seriously in her life. The only time learning had been important to her was when she needed to find information out about people or what was going on around her. Other than that, it didn’t really matter. Family on the other hand…she knew what that was like, and she couldn’t blame Brandon for wanting to take the chance to get closer to his father. Quite touching actually. “But now you’re back. Must be somewhat surreal being here for a different school though. Seeing people you know from two vastly differing places in the same place and interacting with each other. I know it’s strange for me to be back after just a few years…”
What was she doing in Hogsmeade? She couldn’t really answer with her true intentions, since that would be creepy, to say the least. “Finally had a Saturday off from work and decided see if anything had changed around here.” That was kind of the backup plan if she hadn’t found Brandon, so this was good. She wasn’t technically lying to the boy, and even she was, she didn’t see any problem with that. Things were on a need to know basis, with only her knowing what they were about. “I work in Diagon Alley, so seeing different shops is a relief sometimes. Plus it’s fun to watch all the kids walk around without a care in the world.”
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last online May 19, 2024 8:47:02 GMT -7
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Mar 11, 2017 22:48:52 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2017 22:48:52 GMT -7
This was quite honestly probably one of the strangest conversations Brandon ever had with someone, but that didn't make it a bad thing. At least it was interesting. He nodded at her question, "Yeah, pretty important," he agreed aloud. Then he was nodding again, "It is ... surreal is a good word for it. Everything is completely different, but at the same time it's all the same. At least, it feels like it's the same, and then every once-in-a-while I run into something that proves things have changed."She answered his question and Brandon shrugged, "Has anything changed?" Not enough that he noticed, but then again he never really paid attention to much in Hogsmeade, other than the music shop. Sure, he went t the other stores occasionally, but not enough to notice any differences, if they existed in the first place. "What do you do in Diagon Alley?" he asked. Maybe that's why she seemed so familiar, maybe he went to her shop sometime. mina pandora oliveira
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last online May 17, 2024 8:01:10 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Mar 21, 2017 22:02:35 GMT -7
Post by mina pandora oliveira on Mar 21, 2017 22:02:35 GMT -7
@brandon Had anything changed since she was last around Hogwarts? The simple answer was yes, but at the same time it really hadn’t. “I don’t think this year is a fair way to look at it, with the tournament and all that. Maybe I’ll stop by again sometime next year and see how it’s like on an average day.” The main difference was how many students were around. She had never seen this many people in Hogsmeade, and from what she could see of the grounds, it was the same over there. Obviously she couldn’t enter the school without permission, but she was more than positive that other accommodations had been made inside the castle for the increase in the student body. “There are a few new stores around here though, which is a nice change of pace.”
Her statement about working in Diagon Alley was probably a mistake. What if Callisto had divulged that she worked at Flourish and Blotts? Stating so would immediately give away who she was, and Brandon seemed like the sharp kind. “Oh nothing glorious really. I just work in one of the shops. I was abroad until the summer, so that was all I managed to find. Hopefully I’ll move on from it sooner rather than later.” In actuality, Mina had no intentions of leaving the bookstore. She quite liked the quiet nature of it, other than when there was a rush for school books or the newest edition of a home charms book. Those were always a pain. “So what do you plan on doing after you graduate Brandon? Music? You might make all the girls swoon over you if you play anything remotely close to the song you just did.”
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