Carlos calmed down again when Seb apologized. He was highly protective when it was about Smith but at the same time he wasn't someone to usually hold a grudge for long. "Surprising, eh?" he then said. "How come?" Carlos grew up in a city where there were many rats on the streets of course but there were also quite a few people, mostly younger ones, keeping them as pets. Meeting someone around his age who felt uncomfortable with this choice of a pet was something entirely new for him. "You know, Smith is nothing to worry about. He is not only smart but also very neat and tidy. Believe it or not, he loves to bathe and shower and he even cleans his paws after a meal."

Just like he wanted to show that his human told the truth Smith, who had just finished munching a little bit of hot dog, began to clean himself. Not in a very elegant way due to his round belly but hey, he tried his best at least.

Lenore seemed to be in a world of her own, so River let her be, after all she was adjust to the strange smells of this side of the world herself. "Oh, nice choice. Corners are good." Zala didn't appear to be in a conversing mood.

"Hello Terry," River said brightly. "Oh, I can make it even brighter," the girl said with no remorse.

River smiled at the boy who welcomed them. "Thank you very much. I'm excited to be here. My name's River Alcott."

"Is Smith your little guy's name? I love it. I brought my pets but they are all asleep by now I'm sure. It was long and it got a little boring. But I did enjoy bird watching on the ship.

She giggled at Seb while he enjoy the hot dog. River chose to come for a far different reason, but she wasn't about to voice those reasons without prying. She was also pleased when Seb defended her hair. "Well, I don't know, Terry," she said smiling, "I do wear my hair in straight lavender and straight teal so I wouldn't say your hair is boring."

[img align=left]https://i.imgur.com/atSPkyg.png[/img]"4A! 4A! 4A!," a boy chanted as he exited from the fireplace, arms pumping in the air. However, they quickly and awkwardly fell down to his sides. "Oh, we're not doing that. Okay," he noted, mostly to himself as he glanced around. Malachi Musa, otherwise known as Kai to his peers, followed the flow of students up the stair to where the dorms were. He entered one of the rooms and started cutting around other students to find a bed to claim. One of the beds had the name Sebakhin assigned to it and immediately, Kai grinned and claimed the one next to it. The name Malachi was inscribed on the nameplate. "Find sleeping quarter and get a nest. Check and check," he said aloud as he back-flopped onto the bed, getting a feel for it.

After a minute of just staring at the ceiling, the fifteen year made his way back down and to the Great Hall to find food.

"A pleasure Sebakhin, I'm Terry, well Teresa but I prefer Terry."

Teresa looked at Carlos and smirks after listening to his talk about a rat. "I hope my Prince won't find Smith delicious." She said seriously but was meant as a joke, yet she was terrible at making jokes and people always thought she was just being mean.

"I cannot imagine such horrors Miss Alcot, brighter than it is." Her eyes grew wide. "I may need sunglasses then." She smiled. "Oh, Teal is my favorite color but not too bright teal, just like my headband. I also love burgundy, like my hair. I like dark colors mostly, I guess they can be dull but gave me peace. For some reason bright colors make me nervous. Sorry if I sounded rude."

[img align=right]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/268167.png[/img] As she had already finished eating dinner and the Hall grew more densely packed with people Zala decided to call it a day. The noise was getting too loud and after seeing several of her fellow students happily mingling with the crowd she felt there was no point in staying any longer. Zala stacked her dirty dishes neatly and downed the last of her lemonade, the sweet freshly squeezed kind. She pushed her plates to an empty spot on the table and stood up. "Bath time..." she announced softly and left the table.

Zala quickly returned to the dorms and noticed most of the beds had been claimed. She padded down to hers in the far corner and absentmindedly patted her cat. Mara meowed at the attention and turned around before settling in a curled up ball. The girl rummaged through her luggage and found her evening bag containing her favourite bath salts and shower creams. She tied her hair up in a tight bun and took her lavender scented shower cream and towel with her to the bathrooms. Zala spent quite some time relaxing in the bath and returned in a thin night shirt. She sat down next to her cat with a book on medical aspects of algae, seaweeds and other aquatic flora.

and others ((ooc I'm off for tonight))

Millie walked out of the dorms and walked down to the Entrance Hall where her cousins and aunts were waiting for her. "Amelia! It's so good to see you!" her Aunt Katherine said welcoming Millie into her arms. You'll have to tell us everything once you're settled. Go get something to eat and meet some other students. Girls, I know you're happy to see your cousin, but we need to let her meet some other students . We'll catch up with you soon, okay Mills?" Millie nodded and gave her aunt another hug and cousins a hug before walking to the food table.

Millie approached the table feeling uncertain. She really wished one of her cousins had come with her. Other Hogwarts students were already talking to students from 4A and Ilvermorny. She took a glass of lemonade and a few cookies while looking at the other foods, feeling uncertain what to take. She could feel people waiting to approach the table, so she grabbed several different things and took them with her.

After the food table, she wasn't sure what to do. She couldn't find her cousins in the crowd so she started to much on the chocolate chip cookies and sip some lemonade. She turned to say hello to the closest person to her but no sound came from her mouth when she opened it. She ate and drank while shifting her weight back and forth and looking for her cousins

(anyone else)

[img align=left]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/268414.png[/img] Lydia came running form around the corner to the Great Hall, still a bit sweaty and fatigued from her workout.

"Nice banner!" She nudged Ivy's elbow as she ran by, wondering if she knew Ivy well enough to have done that. The self-doubt went as fast as it came when Lydia heard one of the Alexandrian students chanting "4A!" (). She made sure to take note of his face and try to meet him later on during the events. He seemed like an interesting person.

Lydia was rushing because she had lost track of time, missing the initial arrival of students; it looked like nearly everyone was already settling into their rooms and eating. She recognized a student who she knew from class or Quidditch or somewhere. She couldn't remember from where that she knew him, but she was pretty good with names.

"Hey, Corvus, right?" She said as she tapped him on his shoulder. "How long has everyone been here?"

While talking to Corvus, she couldn't help but notice that a fair number of these international students were, well, attractive. Lydia wondered if she should brave the wave of students to go grab food or just sneak back to her room for a peaceful and much-needed nap.

Since the Alexandrian girl()…Zala she’d said…didn’t seem very talkative, Bran nodded at the brief introduction and said simply, “Nice to meet you,” before leaving her to listen or talk to the others if she wanted.

When River () and then another girl () commented that hot dogs tasted like pigeon, Bran had to ask, “You’ve eaten pigeon? I would have thought that it would have tasted like chicken…since they’re both birds, I mean. Weird that they taste like hot dogs.” He watched as another Alexandrian joined them, this one a boy(), and had to smile at the easy interaction between the students who were familiar with each other.

He was glad that Lenore () was enjoying her pie, but noted her look at his own slice. “Try it sometime,” he smiled. “It’s not as bad as it looks. I’ve loved apple pie all my life and when I first came here I thought it was weird too, but hey, it’s apple pie so I had to try it. And it’s actually good.”

Bran turned to Terry () as she spoke to him. “Nice to meet you, Terry,” he said. “Ravenclaw? That’s the one that Lynnie would want to be in if she ever went to Hogwarts.” His sister, hearing her name, looked over and nodded eagerly.

“Oh yes, Ravenclaw must be wonderful!” the younger girl said. “And blue is one of my favorite colors.” Upon hearing about Terry’s cat, she said, “The poor darling, such a shock to him. Hello, Prince,” she crooned softly to the feline. “Maybe I can talk my brother into sharing some of his fish with you, hmm? Would you like that? Since for once he’s talking more than he’s devouring food.”

Bran gave Lynnie a look and said, “There’s more fish on the main table, you know,” but he slid his plate over to Lynnie so that she could feed Prince if Terry allowed it.

Lynnie laughed as Carlos () suggested a skateboard for Smith. “He would be even more adorable on a skateboard, Carlos,” she declared, and with a smile gave the rat the apple treat. She was just leaning back with a smile when a bit of conflict started. Personally Lynnie hated conflict, though her brother seemed to either live for it or find a way to put his foot into it. She silently eyed the Terry girl. How could anyone not love River’s hair? Lynnie wondered.

Bran was a bit surprised when Terry commented about River’s hair. How could a person with purple hair consider the pastel rainbow too much? Still he kept quiet for the moment.

It was Sebakhin who earned a sharp look from Lynnie even more than Terry. After all, he’d all but said things about Smith and that was nearly the same as saying them about Carlos and well…Lynnie turned her attention to her own food to help quell that thought. Carlos probably thought of her as nothing more than a pest like Bran did so she kept her mouth shut, but smiled as he defended Smith. She had to nod at the points he made in favor of rats. She was glad when the misunderstanding passed without further incident and wrote it off as a cultural difference. No doubt there would be plenty of those and that, Lynnie knew, was one reason the tournament was held in the first place so that they could all have a better understanding of each other.

Bran was glad to see that after apologies everyone seemed alright. He smiled as Rain() joined them. “Hi, Rain. Of course we don’t mind. We’re just getting to know each other.”

Looking back at Terry, the boy said, “You wanted to know about Ilvermorny? Maybe we’d better start with what you already know and then I can try to fill in the gaps if I can.”

(sorry it's so long everyone. I'm playing catch up after work)

"Hello," the teen waved, "I'm River." (To Rain) She wondered where Kai was. She giggled. "Oh I'll make sure you have sunglasses then. I love teal! You're fine." Waving to Zala, she wished the girl a good night.
"Oh yeah," River said mildly to Bran, "its a delicacy. Isn't called squab in America?

(anyone else in the same place XD)

Terry spotted Millie looking awkward near the table and decided to call on her. "Hey Millie! Come join us and meet the other students, we didn't come here to jump on our feet did we?" The girl go closer and she introduce those she remembered the name. "This is Branden, River, Carlos, Sebakhin, and I honestly don't know the others names, my apologies."

She nods to Brandon. "Well then Lynnie has a very good taste in houses because Ravenclaw, despite what other houses may say, is the best house in Hogwarts. So don't believe the Griffindors and Slytherins who think they are the kings of the school." She nods to the girl. "The best color is in our house too, really red is nightmare and that yellow from Hufflepuff gives me nightmares. Not that I don't love my housemates, I'm sensitive to colors." She awkwardly explained. "You can try feed him, I already did but he was scared, maybe you can convince him."

"I have read a bit about it on my way here, the boat was so boring to be honest and I can't even think we have to return the same way again, so I honestly don't know much. What house are you in?"

To River she nods, having sunglasses will be her best bet with the girl. "Teal is a beautiful color, reminds me of the sea."

Millie heard Terry call and Wave her over. She smiled and made her way over. "Hi everyone. I'm Millie." She gave a warm smile and nod to the group. "I'm a 4th year Hufflepuff" she added.

She heard Terry mention the yellow from her house color gave her nightmares. Millie looked down at her plate and took a drink from her lemonade

"I'm looking forward to exploring the castle grounds soon. I've heard they are beautiful" She said to no in particular (anyone else)

Rain smiled, "Hi River, it's really nice to meet you! I love your hair, the rainbow colors look beautiful," she said, quite fascinated. "Are you enjoying your meal?" she asked, then took a bite of her salmon and rice. Fade fluffed her feathers and started to preen. Rain grinned at her bird, "I think she's becoming more used to the crowd."

Rain grinned as Millie joined them, "Hi Millie, I'm Rain, a 6th year Thunderbird. This is my augurey, Fade." She petted Fade gently, and took another bite of her meal. "I'd be happy to show you around the grounds later!" she offered. "They really are lovely, I spend a lot of my free time exploring them."

Bran considered River’s question and nodded. “Yeah, I think so, though I’ve never had any.”

Lynnie shuddered slightly at the talk of squab. “It’s horrible that they would raise the poor things to only a few weeks old and then slaughter them just because the meat is the most tender then,” she said. “I couldn’t bear to eat anything like that.”

“Lynnie’s a vegetarian,” Bran informed the others. “Her soft heart won’t allow her to enjoy fried chicken, steaks, or even hot dogs. She eats leaves instead,” he teased his sister. “And I eat her share of any meat around.”

Rolling her eyes, Lynnie said mildly, “Barbarian.”

Looking back at Terry, the younger girl, “I’m Lynnie by the way and thank you for permission.” She held out a bit of fish. “Here you go, Prince. Wouldn’t you like to try a bite?” she asked softly, leaning closer to the wary cat.

Bran smiled at Rain and said, "We're just munching and comparing notes on the different schools, so you're in the right spot."

As Terry called over another girl, he smiled and said, "Welcome, Millie. Nice to meet you. I'm Bran. And yes the grounds are great. We're sort of planning a bit of an exploring expedition tomorrow if you'd like to go."

“Look on the bright side,” Bran said to Terry. “It will be a few months before you have to make the journey back. As for what house I’m in, that would be Thunderbird. It’s known as the house that represents the soul of a person. If you are chosen by the Thunderbird, it means you have an adventurous nature and that fits me.” He smiled. “Horned Serpent, Lynnie’s house, is probably the closest to Ravenclaw. It represents the mind and generally the scholars are sorted into it. Then there’s Wampus for the warriors who favor the body and Pukwudgie for the heart and the house of the healers. We’re different from Hogwarts in that we’ve been more inclined to accept everyone, even from the beginning, including No-Majs, since the school was co-founded by one. Lynnie and I are pure-blood, but there are plenty who are half-blood or No-Maj born. Of course there are some pure-blood families who have ties with the old country and are more disinclined to accept others, but it’s not as prevalent here as I’ve read it used to be at Hogwarts. Though I believe that’s changed considerably since the Second Wizarding War there?” Bran looked at Terry for confirmation.

"Hi Rain (), it's nice to meet you. She's lovely. I have a calico cat named Cleo but I left her home. She likes to wander around the castle, so I didn't want her getting lost or getting in trouble. That would be wonderful, thank you.

My cousin, Jackie Brown is a 5th Thunderbird. Do you know her? Her sisters, Cassie and Lauren are in Wampus. Do you know them?" she asked "They told me I would probably be sorted into Thunderbird"

"Hi Bran (), it's nice to meet you. That would be great, thank you. I'm really looking forward to looking exploring. I'm adventurous as well. I love to travel and I'm planning on becoming a curse breaker when I finish my schooling."

((ooc - going to be logging off for the night. I'll respond to any posts when I get home from work late morning/early afternoon))

[img align=left]https://i.imgur.com/atSPkyg.png[/img] The teen was almost hopping in place as he waited his turn in a queue of students grabbing plates from a stack. As soon as he was able to reach it, he yanked a plate from the top and dashed over to grab some food, squeezing himself in between other kids. The boy grabbed a couple of fish sticks, but then buried it under a pile of salad mostly for the illusion of eating fresh and healthy. He drizzled some ranch on top of the greens, but it was really for his fish.

After getting his food he leaped on top of a chair. He stood their with the posture of a meerkat as he surveyed his surrounding for familiar faces. "YO! You guys ABANDONED me!," the 4A student yelled across the Great Hall before jumping down from the chair and making his way towards his friends.

(and of course, all else)

“Later Zala.” () Seb waved as she went. If he was being honest with himself he knew he was jealous of her ranking. But all the more reason to stay on track with his own studies. If such a short person could do it, certainly he could as well.

“Hello there.” He turned and waved hello to the girls, Millie and Rain. ( ) Again he was somewhat surprised to see the bird perched on Rain’s shoulder. But he was going to have to get over it. Apparently lots of the students here had pets they were quite fond of.

Regarding Carlos and Smith again, Seb shrugged once more. () “Never met a person who was friends with a rat, I guess.” He considered. “Then again, I knew a guy who had a few cobra. To each his own… Isn’t that a saying?” Seb watched as Smith began to wash his face, and he smirked when the rat brushed his hair backwards giving the appearance of a mohawk.

Before he could formulate his next thought, Seb heard a familiar voice hollering from across the hall. () “Was wondering where you've been.” He muttered under his breath mostly to himself before putting a hand to the side of his mouth a hollering back. “Took you long enough! Come say hello already.” Seb crossed his arms and shook his head in mock disdain. Truthfully he was relieved to see so many of his friends had completed the journey safely.

((and anyone else in range of course n.n))

At Millie’s question, Bran nodded. “I know them,” he said. “And personally I think Thunderbird is the best…not that I’m biased or anything.” He winked. “A curse breaker would be cool. I’m going to try for auror myself.”

Lynnie glanced up from trying to entice Prince to eat at Millie’s comment about her pets. “You have a Cleo too?” she asked with a smile. “I have a lark named Cleo.” Then her eyes widened as a boy jumped up on a chair and yelled across the room.

Bran turned and grinned at the Alexandrian boy on the chair. “Friend of yours?” he asked River and Seb with a grin.

The teen giggled. Terry's look told her everything. "I feel the same way, I love the water. Really I was well named."

"Hi Millie, I'm almost 15 and am Practiced."

"Nice to meet you as well Rain. We both are water names. I love your bird. Think I could pet him? I have pet ducklings and a monkey. "

River didn't reply to Lynnie, not sure what to say. She almost told she was half blood but kept quiet.

"Kai, you goof," River said with a laugh, "have you been scoping out the food all this time? Bring me anything good?" She eyes his plate teasingly.

River smiled at Bran, but it didn't reach her eyes. Curse breaking again...

[img align=left]https://i.imgur.com/atSPkyg.png[/img] Kai slid into an empty space, setting his plate of mostly salad down. "I don't know...are you pescatarian? I just got salad...some fish sticks. Or at least, I think they're fish...," Kai replied to River. "I saw some tasty looking meatballs that I might return for later. But no, I just got here. I lost my shoe this morning. Took me forever to find it. Then had to wait in line to get here. Then had to go get my bed. Seb! Gonna be right next to you, bro," addressing Seb for that last part. "Then just got here like some minutes ago and the line for food is long. This place is packed," Kai took a look around as he made that statement, then realize there were strangers with his friends.

He held a hand in the air and did one slow wave motion. "Hello," he greeted the rest of the group, his hand turning into a peace sigh. "I'm Kai. From 4A, Alexandrian Academy of Awesome Awesomeness," he introduced himself. "I'm Seb's and River's friend. And Zala's. I think I just missed her. Darn. Oh well, they all suck anyway cause no one waited for me," Kai shot his friends a look. "So I'm here to make new ones," he grinned as he stabbed a fork into a fishstick.

(+everybody)