Some Kind of Adventure? ((Sicilia))

[Kia Brightstar]

Kia sighed, hugging her knees to her chest forlornly. Seeing Kia in a sad mood was a rare occurrence. But something was niggling at her senses, almost as if something was trying to tell her that not all was right with her world. But that was ridiculous. She had resolved to keep Ciaran as a friend, nothing more, nothing less; she had arranged to meet with Adam and Kae in Hogsmeade in a few weeks, when Adam was free to bring her little sister with him. Nothing was wrong. Kia shook her head, shook the foreboding thoughts from her mind, and left her corner of the common room in favour of wandering the corridors for an hour or so. She had been doing that more and more over the past month, Kia mused, using her own wit to amuse herself and practically avoiding the crowds that sometimes flooded the common room. That had to stop. Avoiding the things she loved was an almost obvious sign that something was bothering; a subtle sign but one that would be picked up on. She didn't want people asking her what was bothering her, Kia scowled viciously. Not when she couldn't answer them because she didn't know herself. How stupid. Not even knowing what was bothering her.

Kia blinked, slowly stopping as she realised that there were no people around and, in the background, there was a faint sound of thunder. A thunderstorm? Oh, Kia certainly hoped so. They were oh-so much fun to watch. This one didn't sound very close, but she should be able to see it if she sat on the windowsill of the window at the end of the corridor. Finding themselves lost might have been an issue for anyone else, but Kia didn't mind, not in the slightest. Right now, she didn't want human company. It would be welcomed as warmly as one would welcome a dragon breathing fire with a distinctly ferocious glint in its eye. Summer thunderstorms weren't really that unusual, not when the temperature was as stifling as it was now. Perhaps the weather was as annoyed as Kia herself was. Being exposed to a nonstop heatwave wasn't natural, Kia grumbled silently as she boosted herself up onto the windowsill. Not natural at all.

The thunderstorm was rather far away, Kia observed remorsefully. But it reminded her of home; snuggling in her mothers arms and feeling like nothing would ever harm her and then, later, acting as a safety blanket for her little sister, who feared storms with an intensity Kia couldn't comprehend. Flashes of light and rumbles of sound couldn't hurt you. Ah well. Kaelyn would grow out of it, Kia reassured herself. It certainly didn't run in the family, for her aunt, uncle and cousin would watch thunderstorms from a spot on the hill and only retreated inside if the lightening came too close or if the rain soaked them so much they began to sneeze. Her mother certainly hadn't been afraid of storms and her father...well, Kia didn't know, if she was honest. He wasn't around long enough during the summer for her to ask, let alone notice of her own accord.

Footsteps. Kia raised her head, turning to face the direction of the footsteps. Her mood had mellowed, somewhat, and she would accept human company if the person decided to join her or stop to talk to her. It was neither Maryn nor Ciaran, that was the first thing Kia noticed. Instead, the girl was slightly older...Ciarans age, perhaps. Not in fourth year, Kia knew that for sure. Yeah, probably Ciarans year; fifth. Doubtful that she was a Gryffindor but Kia didn't really care, lifting a hand in a friendly greeting. "Enjoying a stroll or are you trying to find some kind of adventure?" Kia grinned lightly, swiveling round to face the girl properly rather than twisting her neck round. "I'm Kia."

[sisi]

Leaning on the frame of the largest window in the dormitory, Sisi's shockingly blue eyes narrowed into an annoyed glare and a sigh escaped her lips. Maybe it was a good thing that she checked before going out to practice on her broom stick. The approaching storm wasn't too close, but rain was just beginning to fall. Sisi wasn't a fair flier. In fact, she down right horrible, but her dreams of being a pro-Quidditch player were too strong for her to quit. Practice is what she needed. Lots and lots of practice... However, she was still rather bad and even the mildest of bad weather was probably enough to make her crash more than usual.

Another sigh and Sisi accepted the cancellation of her practice session. She set down her broom next to her bed and undid the buttons of her cloak as she dressed down to her school outfit. Letting out her dark hair from it's pony tail, Sisi sighed with sudden relaxation. She loves letting her hair down, but there was still something unsettling. She had planned on hours of practice to get her closer to her dream of being a Quidditch player. However, that wasn't going to happen. There was still that feeling that she was getting bored...

"Ho appena bisogno di una passeggiata," Sisi said to herself with a little smile on her face. She nodded and turned, heading straight out the door of her dormitory. The distant sounds of the thunder storm made her wonder if Madame Bissell and her mother were in the midst of it. Sisi looked out the windows as she passed them, wondering what life was back home right at that moment. madame Bissell, although not her blood, was just as close to her as a granddaughter is to grandmother. Another sigh and Sisi felt the small pangs of homesickness. She wondered if Captain Bissell was out to sea again or if her mother had ever received word from her real parents in Rome. Sisi remembered how she would ask her mother about her real grandparents, but Vesta would stick up her nose and repeat "Che la famiglia?" until Sisi would nod and apologize for bringing it up.

Her wanders brought her to a corridor she hadn't been to since her first year. She bit her lip, wondering where she had wandered off to this time and tried her best to remember where she was. A voice next to her startled her, however, and a small yelp came from her mouth. The voice seemed friendly and as Sisi looked over, she noticed a girl sitting on the window sill. What had she said? Something about an adventure. Sisi calmed down quickly and smiled, friendly.

"No... not an adventure, although that would be nice. Just a stroll for me." Her voice matched her eyes, intense and friendly. The girl introduced herself as Kia and Sisi smiled again.

"Sicilia, but everyone calls me Sisi." She held out her hand for a hand shake.


((OOC: translation- I just need a walk and what family?))

[Kia Brightstar]

No one would be flying today, Kia noted cheerfully. That meant Ciaran wouldn't be practicing and when Ciaran wasn't practicing, his little crowd of fans couldn't fawn over him and yell compliments into the air. Her eyes narrowed slightly, showing a small amount of menace. If those idiots distracted him so much that he fell out of the air then she was going to main each and every one of them. Not that she was jealous. Not at all. She had his friendship and that was more than they had. The thought warmed her, bringing an almost smug smile to her face for a few seconds. She did have a bit of a jealous streak, Kia admitted sorrowfully, but it was only because she felt strongly for him, even if it was only sometimes that she allowed herself to admit that to herself and even more rare that she said it out loud.

It was quiet. Kia frowned lightly. She didn't like quiet. Quiet irritated her, almost put her to sleep for lack of better things to do. She needed entertainment, needed fun and excitement. What was the fun in living a boring life and then dying without ever having achieved at least one true thrill of excitement in your lifetime? Adults so often lost their spark of life, their sense of fun, when they grew older, Kia knew. She had seen it happen in her Father and was just waiting for it to happen to her cousin. Adam, a strong and reliable adult? Kia paused then grinned at the thought. Adam could no more be a true adult than a baby could. And Kia was grateful. She didn't want to lose her fun-loving cousin. Not when he was so often the only person who actually understood her and what she needed to survive.

"No adventure. How disappointing." Kia grinned at the girl easily. "Maybe we should go and hunt one down! We could go and find some bandits from long ago or discover the cleverly hidden treasure caves of a secretive old dragon." Kia turned her back to the window, facing Sicilia squarely before shaking her hand. "But strolls are sometimes more relaxing than an adventure," Kia finished quietly, leaning her head back against the cold glass of the window.

((Short, I know and I'm sorry-sorry but exams are here and I'm ridiculously busy with studying. Roll on Tuesday!))

[sisi]

Sisi felt a snort come from her nose. It was one of those amusing, half-laughing snorts. She smiled though. This girl was a funny one. Long lost bandits? Sisi seriously doubted herself in a duel against a bandit. However silly, Sisi was finding that she liked this stranger. An adventure was a far away wish, nothing more, and Sisi wasn't sure how she would take one. Her biggest worry was learning how to fly, not going off to find trouble. She smiled, none-the-less. The girl was amusing and made Sisi feel comfortable. A friend in the making?

"Yes. I like walking. It's very relaxing, I find." She said with a twinkle in her unsually blue eyes.

((You think yours is short...))

[Kia Brightstar]

People called her silly and immature, Kia reflected thoughtfully. But she, in return, called them old and boring. At least she, in her silliness and immaturity, entertained people; made them smile and laugh. The one thing she had learned about her mother, from a source other than her memories, was that the woman, with blonde hair and a smile so like Kia's own, had lived to make people laugh. From a memory so distant that Kia half-wondered if it were a dream, she had always been able to hear her mothers laugh; so excited and infectious that it seemed like someone had just given her the greatest pleasure in her life. That laughter always seemed to fit in with the single picture Kia had of her family before her mother had died, her, a young Kia and her father. The only time she saw her father smile was when she looked at that picture; saw all three of them waving out at her, giggling and teasing each other, hugging.

Kaelyn had such a connection with their mother, one that Kia wished she shared. No, they didn't look similar and Kae had never known her mother but they had the same face. For the first time, Kia acknowledged why her father had never showed much love to Kae. If she looked so much like their mother, so much like the woman he had loved and still loved, then looking at Kae would be like looking into the face of the woman he still adored. Her sister might not deserve to wonder why her father didn't like her and fret other whether he blamed her for the death of his wife, but Kia could understand it. After all, hadn't she pushed Kae away for the same reasons?

"Mmhmm," Kia hummed in agreement. "Walking is relaxing, whereas adventures can be rather stressful, I believe. But I find flying relaxing as well, though I'd never join the Quidditch team." Kia grimaced, adding an over-exaggerated shudder. "Too much pressure. All those fans cheering and booing? No thanks. It'll build confidence when your team wins but I don't know how the players stand it when they lose." Kia almost frowned, silently promising to drag herself and Maryn to the next Gryffindor game, just to cheer Ciaran on. Then again, Kia reconsidered, Maryn would just give her that awful knowing look and grin at her. Maybe it would be better to go alone, but Kia hated alone. It was just so...lonely.

[sisi]

Sisi felt her lips curl into a friendly smile. She could sense a very silly, outgoing nature from the Gryffindor, which only made Sisi like her more. She was in need of friends and only the silliest and craziest would do. She listened as Kia rambled about walking, adventures and Quidditch. This made Sisi chuckle a bit. The girl was amusing. She went from one topic to another in less than a second. It wasn't too hard to keep up with her, however.

She chuckled a bit again, "Yes, Quidditch... I love Quidditch. I've always wanted to play, but..." she trailed off. She wasn't anything close to a good enough flyer to play, "I'm, uh... not very good at flying." She said the last bit in something close to a whisper.

She felt herself already drifting off into a day dream, even as she stood there with Kia. She was on the field, a Quaffle in her hand, everyone shouting 'SISI! SISI! SISI!" as she scored the winning goal. She sighed, a smile on her face. It was true, a chaser couldn't win a Quidditch game, that was the seeker, but this was her day dream and anything can happen in day dreams.

[Kia Brightstar]

"I've never been interested in Quidditch myself, but I can understand why people would be. It's such an adrenaline rush, hearing people cheering and knowing that they want you to win, and that they're supporting you. Personally, I don't have much of an interest in flying, unless it's to relax.As I said before, all that pressure can't really be good for a person. I can imagine the pep-talk of an over-enthusiastic captain. Win or die." Kia mimicked, lowering her voice for the impression of the captain. Why she felt the need to make the captain a boy, she didn't know, but it made a better impression than not changing her voice at all.

"What does it matter if you're not very good at flying?" Kia asked bluntly, her manner unusually brisk. "If your dream is to become a professional Quidditch player, or even to just be a great player then there's no reason why you can't improve. It'll take hours of practice and you'll be thoroughly sick of Quidditch after a harsh training regime but it's certainly possible." Kia grinned, her eyes lighting up with a genuine belief in what she was saying. "You can't just let your dreams die because you can't be bothered to make the effort to be the best in what you want to do. I'm not the greatest gymnast ever and very few people even know that I do Gymnastics but I still try my hardest to succeed because it's something that I love more than anything, even if it's not what I want to do in the future." Kia tilted her head, blue eyes fixed on Sisi's face searchingly. "So is 'I'm not very good' that good of an excuse now, hmm?" Kia questioned laughingly, serious even though her tone and face were joking.