River smiled to her friend. "How are your kitties? Happy to be on land?"

"wouldn't that be awesome?" River said honestly. She loved the idea.

"Yep. I love animals very much," River replied.
She nodded. "Its understandable, still glad you gotta bring them. I brought all mine but I didn't have anyone to take care of them and plus, the ducklings are babies and Max hasn't ever been separated from me. I enjoy our boat trip too, though it did get slightly boring in the middle parts."

"Oh good," River said to Terry. "Well Good luck Terry, I'm putting my name in as well. How come you aren't Merlin? just happier to cheer?"

River shrugged. "I dont mind a bit of bragging or smack talk." Was it bad that River was pleased Terry got on his nerves?

"you where banned?" River asked very surprised. "What did you do Seb?"

Terry thought Kai had the most hilarious reactions so she giggles as he gets excited over the sorting hat. "Well as long as we know it's just a hat not someone turned into a hat but when the hat is in your head it doesn't suck your brains but analyze your personality, talents, and inclinations. The hat sometimes talks as he decides which house to choose. But if you think that is funny, you should hear the hat sing- every year he sings a different song before sorting the students into their houses. I don't know which house you would be sorted into but it would be cool to know. I would like to know in which house I would have been chosen here too."

"Well, she can predict the rain like all augureys, but I am not sure if that would be considered a trick.." Rain said, in answer to Niamh's question. "I've also taught her to follow me when I fly on my broom" she grinned. "She's a fairly quiet pet though, really" she explained as Fade continued sleeping. Rain noticed that Niamh didn't seem to think much of the salmon either, but that was all right. Seafood was not everyone's cup of tea, after all.

Rain listened with interest as River described her tomb adventures. "I think I might have been a little scared at first too! Oh wow, you think of scary stories while you are exploring? I think I would give myself a fright doing that," she giggled. "Oh my, the booby traps do sound scary! I am glad you were able to get out in time. A magic carpet sounds really cool! I enjoy flying too, but I use a broom," she explained. "We'll have to make you a badge," she smiled, "I have a few friends who are clever with those kinds of things! Unfortunately, my talents do not extend to anything artsy." She chuckled, "Fade does have cute snores." Rain stifled a giggle while River was hovering, she was clearing having a good time.

Rain grinned at Teresa, "Thanks, I do like my name. I think Teresa is a lovely name too, though. I'm glad that you found a nickname that suits you!" She chuckled at Terry's eye roll, "Well, he's special to River, at least!"

"I'm looking forward to meeting lots of new people, too!" she smiled at Merlin. "We will have to show you around the grounds later. It is quite a big school, even more so since you all arrived, since it expands as needed. I can't really say how it compares to Hogwarts, since I have only ever gone here, but I hope you enjoy the castle and your time here with us," she grinned.

[img align=left]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/269197.png[/img] ((OOC: How were you planning to sneak the scarf of sexual preference in?? Lol not to say that wouldn't be totally awesome)) Lydia nodded her head in goodbye to Seb (), purposely trying to avoid the subject of his rejection from the tournament. "Make sure to check out the owl tower! You get the best view from the top of the mountain up there." She waved him off.

Merlin nods and smiles to a boy who greeted him as he left the area.

"At least I have mom, dad, and Gabriel to look after my pets. I just can't leave my Spellz and well poor Thunder is very attached to me as well, literally." Merlin giggles. "The little ducks are very sweet, its good your brought them, I didn't got bored on the boat. I relaxed and read a bit, and dream of flying."

"Thank you River, good luck to you too. I guess we'll be fighting for that cup." She had her hopes up to be chose champion.

Merlin shrugs. "I'm not very competitive unlike Terry here and I mostly wanted to come for the adventure. I wouldn't mind competing but I know some have more desire to do it than me so I better let them have the chance to do it. If I put my name in they have less chances to be pick, more people less chances."

"Well I guess its your choice River." Terry said. "I think you are not putting your name cause you are scared." She tried to bug Merlin.

"I'm not scared, I just don't need to prove myself or my skills. I know what I can and can't do - I don't need eternal glory. I'm perfectly fine just being another student." He shrugs.

"If you say so." Terry smirks.

"Thank you, Terry is definitely better." She nods in agreement. "We all have different needs."

"That is pretty neat! I want a house that expands too so when my friends come over we are not so tight. I'll talk to mother about that, we need it since our house is not so big. I'm sure I will enjoy it, I tend to like most things but the little I've seen so far is good, only thing is they need more vegetarian food choices, hot dogs is not food. Not for me at least." He blushes slightly hoping he didn't offend anyone.

[img align=left]http://i.imgur.com/ozsKJW2.png[/img]

Corvus laughed a bit upon Kai's () comment when he made the comment about taking over the school. "We'll see how it turns out.", he replied, "and your name sounds pretty cool, too. People tend to be somewhat biased towards people with, well, fancy names."

Corvus poured himself some black tea and mixed it with a splash of milk. He didn't mind sitting here and listening to other people's conversations, though he looked up when a boy with silvery-white hair joined the table. () As River had already asked the question whether Merlin was only here to cheer for his school or actually participating, there was no need to ask that question as well, and he had answered it quickly so he decided to join the discussion regarding the sorting hat. "I wonder about that as well. The hat sounds really cool and almost all-knowing. Imagine how advanced the magic it contains must be if it's still present even though the creator is presumably gone from this world for over a couple of centuries." He took a sip of his tea

(OOC; Graduation party lasted longer than expected, sorry. xd so I'm catching up a bit right now. :'D )

Lenore nearly chokes on the coffee when Seb slams his cup down. "What could you possibly have done to get banned?!' She shouts before remembering to hush herself. "And what kind of concealment charms did you use? I could give you some good ones." She adds in a whisper with a small wink.

((Ooc: I just got out of a conference and can be here more. Anyone can feel free to drag Lenore into conversation. I'm not trying to ignore people, just didn't have opportunity. And what on earth is a Scarf of Sexual Preference? Now I'm curious loll))

Seb drug a hand over his face and groaned at Lenore’s outburst. He turned around unable to ignore her shout. “I snuck into the records room, alright? As soon as I touched the filing drawer it got really hot and started whistling, and before I could run my feet were stuck to the floor!” He realized he had shouted the last part and turned a bit red. “They made a way bigger deal out of it than they needed to. I wasn’t planning on changing anything, just looking up my… My parents.” Seb knew very little about them and had a hard time trusting his uncle's stories. Supposedly his parents had attended the Academy and Seb wanted to read about their achievements for himself. Maybe decipher where they went and why they left him behind.

(( +everyone because of yelling XDD // The Scarf of Sexual Preference is a Very Potter Musical reference. A very hilarious (but very poor sound quality) production you can watch on youtube. There is also a Very Potter Sequel. It makes for a few hours of entertainment I would say. ~ I have no idea but as soon as the hat was mentioned it was the first thing I thought of X3 ))

River giggled. "Well I like the feeling of being a little scared. And there's some muggle movies with mummies in them so its fun thinking about those. No one hardly ever survives. Oh I love my magic carpet. You can have a ride on it, I brought it with me. I do pottery and paint it, but that's about all my art skills. i'm kinda a sporty person."

River giggled as well, knowing his snake lived on him. "aren't they? They sleep beside me, so sweet. Flying is the best!"

"Good luck Terry," River said, "You'll need it."

"Oh," River said wishing she hadn't said anything. "I'm sorry."

( and everyone)

Lenore's smile fades as she listens to Seb's explanation. "Oh. Um...I'm sorry you got caught. Knowledge shouldn't be hidden." she adds seriously but quietly, almost as though speaking to herself as well as the boy. She tentatively touches his hand and offers a small smile.

((Oh, I see!))

Zala finished her tea and got up to go to bed for real this time. She turned to Lynnie to apologize and tell her they'd talk more over breakfast if she'd like to. When she approached the exit she shook her head softly while Seba explained why he wasn't able to champion the school . She patted his back as she passed him on her way to the dorms. Perhaps the headmistress would allow him a look at the records if he would ask politely. She made a mental note to ask her herself and hopefully that would be enough.

She quickly made her way to the back corner of the dorm and found her cat Mara exactly where she had left her hours ago. The lazy thing never seemed to move, contently napping the days away or finding the right soft grassy places in the herb garden covered in shadows. Zala stroked the cat's multi coloured fur. She felt excited for the coming weeks knowing she now had to show the world how strong the Alexandrian Academy could be. She changed into her night shirt and slipped under the covers. Mara padded over to lie down right next to her and curled up on her new spot.

((everyone, good night ^_^))

“Oh I would love to ride a hippocampus!” Lynnie said to Zala(). “That sounds amazing! Mom deals with land creatures and I’m only allowed to help with certain ones. We’ve had several that I enjoy though…Nifflers, Kneazles, a Granian who has been with us about a year now. His leg was broken when he came to us but now he’s fast as lightning. We also have a hippogriff and a baby griffin, but I’ve only recently been allowed to help with them. We have pastureland as well as forested area with the foothills of mountains, so not only is there room but we try to make sure that each creature feels at home in the sanctuary.”

As Zala said good night, Lynnie smiled and told the older girl she’d look forward to talking more. Then she tried to focus on the others again. When Merlin () responded to her, Lynnie smiled. “It’s still a cool name and the falcons are gorgeous birds and very intelligent.”

Bran returned to the group with a new drink and a bit more food. Sliding back into his seat, he was in time to hear the questions being asked of Seb ()and he sat quietly, listening to the answer. He bit his lip and gave the other boy a sympathetic look. Bad enough that it had happened, but then to have it dragged from you in front of virtual strangers was rough. He watched Seb take his leave…or at least try to. Shaking his head at the other boy’s response to Lenore, Bran couldn’t really blame him. “Hey, Seb, if you’re up for a bit of a hike, take the path to the left after you go out the main door,” he suggested quietly. “It leads up the mountain a little ways, but there’s also a cool grotto with a small waterfall and pond. Pretty cool place to relax.”

(trying to catch up a bit...and probably failing lol)

Teresa nods. "That hat is more than meets the eye and its a treasure in Hogwarts, it's funny how it moves its mouth." She was thoughtful. "Well the hat was enchanted by the founders so when they were gone the students could be chosen by the same qualities each admire in a student. So four great wizards magic was given to this hat."

"Really? Spellz likes to sleep on top of me too yet sometimes it sleeps on his sitting place. I can't imagine a day without Spellz, he is my best friend, well in animal form don't want to make my human best friends feel bad."

Terry smirks, she liked River's confidence. "Good luck to you too, I'm not going easy on anyone."

"There she goes, you won't scare River - she is brave and strong. I'll be cheering for you just because you may represent our school but I'll cheer for River because she is awesome."

Terry rolled her eyes. "Oh my, love is so unrealistic."

[Edit] ((OOC: For Leaf ))

"Thank you Lynnie, I like my name a lot too especially because its related to nature. You see I love the land and its creatures very much."

Lynnie nodded and said, "I love animals too. I don't know if you overheard me and Zala talking or not, but mine and Bran's mom is a magizoologist." The younger girl studied Merlin a moment and then asked quietly, not wanting to pry or make Merlin uncomfortable, "Is your love of the land and its creatures tied to your family heritage?" Her sharp eyes hadn't missed the pointed tips on Merlin's ears.

River waved to Zala. "Night, sweet dreams."

River wanted to talk to Bran and Lynnie more but honestly had no idea what to ask. She twirled her hair with her wand as she thought of what to say.

"Well animal best friends are different and something about having an animal sleeping with you just makes you feel safe, warm and loved."

"I wouldn't expect less," she said happily to Terry.

River beamed with Merlin's praise. "Thank you Merlin. I will do my best!" She giggled. "Well Terry, unrealistic maybe but hey, its still a good thing."

"Cool, well I want to be a dragonologist and my guardian is both a magizoologist and dragonologist so I have learn with him some." Merlin shift a bit and then said. "My love to the land and its creatures comes from my heart, I have grown in a forest so I feel close to the land and its creatures, they are friends."

"I always feel at home and safe with animals and within the forest. I hope there is forest here in the castle or I may get depress. I've never been on a place with no forest." He suddenly looked nervous, what if?

Terry smiles. "It wouldn't be fun otherwise if its too easy it would feel fake and this is real." Terry wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not, for her being blind by love didn't seem like a good thing. "I'm not so sure myself. I'm thinking that if I don't see someone's faults because I'm blinded with feelings then it can't be so good in the long run. Call me unromantic."

"Me too," the teen said. "Well if there isn't, Bran mentioned there's other places to explore...but I'd think with mountains you'd have a forest." She looked at Bran. "Are there forests nearby?" "Exactly, have to give it our all." River shrugged. "I'm not unrealistic, everyone has faults."

Lynnie nodded and didn’t comment any further about Merlin’s possible elf blood. “Yes,” she said quietly, “growing up with animals means your heart is involved with them. And they become true friends.”

“Sometimes it’s easier to get closer to animals than it is people,” Bran spoke up. “And often times you can trust them more as well.” He took a swallow of his drink and then nodded at River’s question. “Right outside,” he said. “The castle is pretty much surrounded by forest, but the thickest part is behind the castle where the trees climb up the mountain and there are trials to explore.”

"Yeah, I love my animals and they are great friends," River said fondly. "My ducks follow me around all over the place and Max is almost always on me."

"Oh excellent! I'll have a great time exploring then," she said happily.

"There are some mountains with no trees and just full of rocks." Merlin sounded sad with this idea.

"Well maybe my fault is being too realistic then." Terry said to River. "I can't be sure of the true answer because everything has more than one answer."

"There she goes, don't let her start." Merlin giggles and she sighs.

"Exactly." Merlin said to Lynnie. "I totally agree, that's exactly the way I feel." Merlin said. "Not that I don't trust people, I do." Merlin eyes lit up immediately, there was a huge forest all around them, thick and full of possibilities! "WONDERFUL! Now I know where I will be spending my time while here, well most of my time I have to cheer for Hogwarts." He whispers. "And River, my favorite champion."

"I heard that Merlin, you should be cheering ONLY for Hogwarts champions!" Terry quickly protested and gave River a sad look. "Besides, you still don't know if she will be choose by the goblet of fire."

"Oh please, of course she will and you are lucky I didn't put my name there or you would have missed your chance." He laughs hard and she frowns, Terry was not amused. "Oh please, chill - I'm joking. Of course I'll cheer for Hogwarts!" Merlin looks at Bran. "So, can you show me the way to the forest? I would love to see it before bedtime, start making connection with the land. I can't wait to hear and learn all its secrets."