Yearly Ritual (Open)

For the last four years, after Winter Hols, Pieter Popov did the same 3 things before boarding the ship. The first was he waiting for his father to leave, which usually happened quickly for that man usually didn't like to stand around waiting. Merlin, he barely said goodbye, leaving Pieter standing alone in his cloaks in a sea of people.

Then he would flutter around to other students, gossiping childishly or comforting the first years. This usually took up most of his time, for he knew a lot of gossip and he just loved to talk. English, Russian, German, it didn't matter, as long as he could speak.

He was about to do the last step, wait for his Mother to arrive, when he remembered she wasn't coming this year.

Dead people usually don't come and visit.

"Oh, well," He sighed, his smile staying intact. Maybe he'd take a picture for the family instead this year. Send it to his sister or something.

Then he was ready for more boring knowledge to be given out in Durmstrang.

"And mind who you consort with," Kendera mimicked her grandmother's voice rather snottily, pushing her way through the crowd. She'd wondered why her grandparents had actually wanted her home for Christmas, this year. A match-making dinner! Stupid, selfish old bat, the girl thought uncharitably.

Someone bumped into her, causing her to run into someone else, her hair turning red and her eyes dark in response. Doesn't anyone watch where they're going??

Faye slipped onto the ship as she had done everytime before - alone. She was use to being alone, after all it was how her family prefered she was, none existance.

What she did mind though was the water. She gave a nervous glance over the railing feeling her stomach go in knots. She really did not like being on this boat, or any boat over the water.

As she weaved through the crowds of people, struggling with her own trunks and ignoring the happy families - maybe she cared a little bit - she stumbled into someone and as her small nature dictated, fell right back onto her bottom.

"Sorry," she mumbled blushing and not looking up at the person.

Standing in the middle of the crowd, Pieter's thoughts were interrupted up a strange girl running into him. He dropped his baggage and almost fell over a small first year. Apologizing to the young one, Piet picked up his bags and turned to the girl.

"Heya, you bumped into me," He said, almost too happy about it, "It's no problem though, I just don't think that First year liked it very- Hey!"

Pieter tugged one of the girl's locks. "Your hair changed color! That's so cool! I wish my hair could do this- I'd make it blue. No- black!"

Pieter laughed heartily, then noticed the other girl on the ground. He bent over and wrapped his rather large hands around her waist. Placing her on her feet, he brushed her off with a smile. "You look better when you aren't on the floor! But.. so do most things. I wouldn't eat a sandwhich that was on the flo- Hey! Where are my manners?"

His mind corrected his misbehaviors by reminding him of thepolite things to do. He grabbed both girls ands and placed a soft kiss on both, smiling warmly.

"I'm Pieter Popov. My dad owns a firewhiskey company! Who are you two?"

"Sorr-" Kendera had began when the boy started in on a rather long string of dialog. The strand of hair he was holding turned black and curly until she tugged it away from him. So, there were still people who didn't know about the 'walking kaleidoscope'.

She watched him a bit dubiously. The Popovs. She'd heard of them.

"Kendera James," she replied a bit flatly. "I'm the Krauses' granddaughter. Yes, my grandmother is the Della Krause, the Arithmancy expert."

It was what her family was known for, as far as pureblood families were concerned. Well, and her fathers side were all from a long and dignified lineage, which now ended with Kendera. She was the only heir to the British James' estate after her father's murder the previous summer. People tended to care more about the Krauses, however, so Kendera didn't bring up her father's side of the family.

Faye was completely flustered for a moment as the boy reached down to pick her up and then proceeded to dust her off as well. He was a complete stranger and he seemed to be paying her more attention - postive attention - than anyone in her life did.

His bubbly reponses to everything also were a bit confusing.

Nervously she tucked a strain of her hair behind her ear and gave a nervous laugh, "Thank you?"

She only felt more flustered as he proceeded to kiss her, and then the other girl. This was certainly how no one else she knew behaved.

Faye stood quietly to the side as they both introduced herself, thinking that she might have heard both family names back in her home, but she couldn't be certain. Nobody bothered to inform her of anything of such importance, and she hardly cared.

"Hello Pieter, Kendra," she said softly glancing up at them bashfully for a moment before looking at her feet again, "I am Faye Hansoff."

Pieter smiled and nodded at both the guys, his attention bouncing between the two as if he was a puppy, not a fifteen year old. He decided to look at the dark haired one first, since her background interested him.

"Arithmancy? That's so cool!" He said, "I wish someone in my family was cool like that! Well, I guess my dad could be, but he's, like, all business and I loathe him!"

Finally, he looked at the other girl, whom wouldn't look him in the eyes.

"Did I scare you? I'm sorry, Faye!" He patted her shoulder, laughing, "I talk a bunch and I'm told I am extremely energetic and that freaks people out sometimes!

"I don't understand why though, I just like talking a lot! Maybe its because my family is so big and if I don't talk, I'll be forgotten! Or maybe I'm just weird, no?"

Pieter said these serious things with a bright, unchanging smile.

"Its alright," Faye said softly as he apologized. She took a deep breath and made herself look up and at him while she spoke. "I like it, I am just not use to it. My family is more... reserved." More like arrogant pricks she added in her head.

As soon as she was done speaking she looked down at her feet once more. God she was such a freak - couldn't even socialize properly.

"You are no weirder than me," she mumbled not really sure if she wanted the others to hear her or not, "Just at the other end of the spectrum." SHe bit her lip and looked up once more with a shy little smile, "You talk to much, I barely wish to speak at all." Well, it wasn't that she didn't wish too, she just got so nervous half the time she couldn't.

Her brow srunched in confusion as she thought of something, "Whats Arithmancy?" She blushed feeling rather - no completely - stupid not knowing something that everyone else seemed to, but... well, she had spent her whole life that way so it wasn't a completely new feeling.

"No problem!" Pieter chided, "Quiet is more of a girl thing anyway! My sister is reserved too, but she's also a freakish snot! My brothers are sort of quiet too, but I don't speak with them a lot..."

Pieter punched her arm in a friendly way, but still harder than intended. He shrugged it off thought; stuff happens. He waved his right hand as he talked, his bag weighing down the left.

"Don't worry! Talk as much as you want!" Then he asked a question, but Pieter wasn't too surprised. Probably just a mudblood.

"It's the magic concerned with numbers. Bunch of charts and stuff," He shrugged and pointed to the other girl... Kendra or something. "She can explain better,"

Roman walked up to the three students,

"Is everything alright? There were a couple first years complaining about an accident up on the deck," he said in his thick German accent.

He looked around at the group and realized that he recognized all of them.

"Guten tag, Faye, Kendera... and you're Pieter, no?"

This was so different from his first year here, where everyone seemed so strange and menacing. Roman realized that for once, he was actually confident, and not just pretending to be.

Kendera grimaced as Faye referred to her as 'Kendra'. She supposed there would always be someone calling her the wrong name.

"I don't like Arithmancy," she stated levelly when Pieter suggested she could give a more rounded explanation of the art. "It's dull, so I never paid it much attention. Charms are much more interesting, and useful."

The girl turned to the newcomer, giving a slight nod of recognition. "Hello," she said, trying to remember if were him she had gotten into trouble with pretending to be Dominik Furst when she was ten, or somebody else. Her grandparents took part in too many social gatherings, so Kendera tended to lose track.

Pieter grabbed Roman's hand and shook it energetically.

"Yes, I am Pieter!" He smiled, "I'm the one who threw that massive party last year on the Pitch!" Oh, he was proud of that party; he barely even got in trouble. Now, if he could only pull it off again...

"Do not be so dull about it, Kendera! It is a fun class! I take it every year and I love it! It's almost as good as potions! Charms are useful, as long as you remember them, but potions you can use a book!"

He continued to blab, almost hitting the other boy with his bag.

Faye winced a Pieter hit her arm rather hard, but the boy seemed too nice to have meant it intentionally so she tried to be subtle about rubbing the sore spot.

"How old is your sister?" she asked softly, figuring it was only polite to continue some sort of conversation. She gave him a half teasing smile as another thought came to her, "And if your sister's a 'freakish snot' but sort of like me, does that make me a 'freakish snot' too?"

She nodded her head as he sort of explained the answer to her question, "Oh." She bit her lip as she stored that information away for later. She may not be told things that often in her life, but what she is taught, Faye had always been good at remembering.

Faye gave the new comer a glance and then a shy smile as she realized she recognized him.

"I am fine, thank you," she spoke softly as always. She paused for a moment as she searched her brain for his name. She knew she knew it, "Hello Roman."

Roman's hand was assaulted by Pieter, and he could feel the blood rushing from his fingers.
This boy would be an excellent swordsman. If he doesn't know how yet, I should teach him. I need a dueling partner, he thought to himself.

Pieter continued to talk, and Roman had to sidestep his bag a couple of times. He tried to recall the information about the other two that he had lost over the summer.

He remembered Kendra from way back when he was ten, they had attended a party together. He smiled fondly at the memory, thinking how his mother was still reprimanding him for his behavior. He also remembered there was something strange about her, but he had never worked up the courage to ask what it was.

Then there was Faye, who he remembered as being sweet, shy, and clever. He supposed Faye was one of the few people who never really annoyed him, which he appreciated.

Roman looked up at the sky and frowned, "We should probably go belowdecks. I think it's almost time to take off."

Mykah was frowning as she saw all of the other chilrden waving to their family and friends, and felt a deep twinge of jealousy. Mykah hadn't had a family for a few years now, ever since she became like her mother, but ten times worse. She glanced at her red hair and saw it turn dark slowly. No! Not now! Mykah screamed inside her head, not wanting this to happen before she had even got to school. For the first time in years the deep brown slowly turned into the flaming red that she loved. With a smile she walked down and saw four people talking.

"Hello," she said brightly to them, with a strange accent with a mix of Russian, German and a bit of English in there... Only one of them was in her year but she didn't know him that well. "I don't really know many people so could I travel with you?" she asked. The reason she didn't become friends with people was that in the end, the 'other' side of her would come out and do something that would turn them all away.

"Take off?" Faye asked nervously, looking over at the edge of the water. She really didn't like it, or the boat. She had forgotten it for a moment but now... "Would it be safer below decks? What if..." she wasn't even sure what, 'What if' she was thinking of.

She looked over as yet another person showed up, and tucked her hair behind her ear nervously. Another person she did not know.

"Hello," she said, glancing over and then back at the ground. "I am Faye."

Roman thought for a moment, he hadn't had much experience with the ocean, but it didn't bother him much. Faye, however, seemed extremely nervous.

"I'm sure we're perfectly safe wherever we are. It's just that... I think we should find a cabin so that we don't have to stand the whole way. You don't get... seasick, do you?" he asked nervously. He had an uncomfortable experience with a seasick passenger his first year.

He looked at the new arrival, who looked older than him, but he didn't recognize her in the slightest.
"Hi, my name is Roman."

"Beeilung! We won't be able to get a cabin if we wait much longer!" his typical need for punctuality was beginning to kick in.

Pieter patted Faye's back and reached arounded to touch Kendera as well.

"Of course you aren't a snot!" He smiled, "Most people aren't, so I assume you aren't either! Most people are real nice once you get to know them!"

The new girl seemed interesting; a mixture of accents caught his attention.

"Sure! We'll all sit together!" He decided, leading the way down the stairs, "It'll be great!"

Faye smiled and actually managed to look up at Pieter for the whole comment and her own reply, "But you don't know me. I could be a snot, and you just haven't figured it out yet." She gave a tiny laugh, surprising herself at the ease the teasing joke had come out of her.

She shook her head at Roman, "No, no not sick... I just don't-don't..." she trailed off and looked at the water once more, "I don't like water. I can't swim." Among other problems, she added to herself. She wasn't entirely sure what it was about water that she didn't like... but she just, didn't.

Faye had no idea if they would be late or not, she didn't really pay attention to that, but Roman seemed confident enough about it, and she certainly didn't want to be left alone on deck, near that water, so when Pieter took off, obviously taking charge of getting a cabin, she was very quick to follow. She had to resist a childish urge to grab onto his bag to avoid getting lost. She just settled for following closely behind.

If water was involved, it was the only place Faye did not like to be alone.

The girl gave a quiet laugh. It was him. It had been before Kendera had given up on insisting that she really wasn't called Lidwina except by her grandmother. The Ritter boy had seemed pleasant enough at the time. Unfortunately for him, he'd gotten caught up in the mischief she caused walking about in Dominik's skin. Kendera might have felt bad about that bit, but Dominik Furst was the biggest prat she had ever met - furthermore, it was most amusing to see him deny that he'd caused the trouble when so many had 'seen' him do it.

"Hello," Kendera murmured as an older girl joined them. "Kendera." She glanced about, hair taking on a bluish sheen. No Adrian. No Kat. No Charles, either. Depressingly enough, they were the only friends she really had. If they were even here.

Her attention returned to the people around her in time for the thirteen-year-old to duck Pieter's hand. What was with people and touching, anyway? She'd never been touched so much in her life before coming to school and she still wasn't all that keen on it.

"The ship can't sink," Kendera said, directing the words to Faye. "Just like it's the only boat that can reach the school. It's probably one of the safest ways to travel in the world."

Sighing, the girl decided she might as well follow. She had nothing better to do, except read, so she supposed she could try being social for a change.

Cicely was did not even wave at her parent had put her on the ship. She did not seemed to wave at the both of them she flat out hate her father and such things. She seemed to limp across the deck quietly she was new to this student and what not and she limp through the ship work and she been hospital before she got on the ship.

Yeah she was doing just fine limping one left foot and she want out of hospital so that her parent would not have to visit her and so she could get far she could with her parents. There was hate and she was part veela and such thing and she held her secret within her and she was not about to tell anyone what down with her parents such as the abuses and such things.

She was so quiet and such thing and despite being part veela she was quiet and she had some of things books that where important to her. She open her book to read up on some thing and such things.It would take truth potion for her reveal what went on with her father and such things because she won't tell anyone what was going but despite abuse she was still beautiful. She would just she fall down the stairs and that she was clumsy.