House is not a Home (Open)

Aquila Turrow grumbled to himself as he wandered into the common room. Really the place didn't seem all that different than Hogwarts in just plain function. He didn't really see why is stupid parents would make him switch anyways.

He waltzed over to a chair and plunked into it staring gloomily at the wall, and unconsciously flexing his hand so the white bite marks on it so they would stand out.

"Yeah Mom and Dad," he mumbled petulently, "I feel sooo much more safe now. Thanks for that."

He sighed and looked around the room at all the people he didn't know. He wondered if that kid, Pieter, he had met was around but shook his head. It wasn't like they were... he shook his head again not knowing where he was going with that thought.

"Maybe I'll jump off one of the towers just to spite them."

Paloma Poots walked into the common room just in time to hear the boy's last words.

"Thinking about jumping off towers, eh?" She questioned, plumping down on one of the couches. She looked carefully at the boy, he might have been her age, or perhaps a bit younger. Paloma raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you a little too young to be attempting suicide?"

Quil smiled, "I never said I'd jump off one of the ones high enough to kill me... just miam a bit."

He leaned back with a grin, "It wouldn't be the first time I free fell."

Paloma smiled curiously at the boy, "Really? Huh, you are one strange kid. I like you."

She got up, walking over to where he was seated and sat down next to him, "I don't recall seeing you around here. Not that that says much, I don't think I recall seeing half the Durmstrang population around, but still." She held out a hand, "Paloma Poots."

"Why thank you," he said with a grin, "I pride myself on strangness, I'm glad you have taken notice."

He took her hand "Aquila Turrow. You shouldn't recall see me around cause I wasn't. If you had, then you might in fact be losing it ever so slightly."

"Strangeness is a good thing to have," she replied with a smile, letting go of the boy's hand and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You should never take life so seriously, no one gets out alive anyway."

"So, you're new here," she stated, "Where from?"

"I never take anything seriously," he quipped with a grin, "Ask my brother it drives him crazy."

"Jolly old England," he said with a grin and a bow, "I've been exiled to your school for 'My Own Saftey'."

He shook his head and scoffed.

"I think I should take my own advice sometimes," she muttered, and asked out of curiosity, "You have a brother? Younger or older?"

"England," she sighed, a warm smile plastered on her face, "Ah, my England."

"I do, I do," Quil said with a grin and then rolled his eyes, "Older as he likes to remind me on a plethera of occations."

He raised an eyebrow, "You're england? I was not aware I was having a council with the Queen."

"Those older siblings, always bragging about it," she stated. "My sister does it all the time."

"Well, not the Queen. Just the princess," she smirked, "Kidding, I'm not that important to England. Actually, I'm not important at all, but that's not really the point. Yes, I'm English."

"Really," Quil shook his head like it was the sadest thing he'd ever heard, "Something should be done about those darn older siblings."

"Well then, we have something in common," he grinned impishly, "How did you end up here instead of hogwarts then?"

She shrugged, "They'll die first, anyway."

"My dad," she explained, "He got a promotion at the Ministry and was sent here right before my 1st year. It was 'Goodbye Hogwarts, Hello Durmstrang' for me. My sister was old enough to stay at her mate's in England. Stupid older siblings."

She looked at him, "What about you?"

"Me?" he shrugged and leaned back, "Its a long story that involves a string of incidents, the last of which involving a biting book, some posioning, annnddd my parents deciding a change of school would be safer."

He gave a grin and a laugh, "The usually really."

Paloma looked at him in disbelief, "But you're... what? A second year? How much trouble can a second year cause?"

Aquila smirked, "Oh you'd be surprised."

He leaned in and whispered conspirtoarily.

"You see I'm not just any second year... I'm Aquila Turrow - [i]that]/i] my friend changes everything."

Paloma grinned at the boy, "Try me. Go on, I want to hear some of what the amazing Aquila Turrow did at Hogwarts to get him transferred."

Remembering one of his earlies comments, she added, "Did you jump off any towers there?"

"No, I didn't jump off any towers... nor did I fall of them either," he paused for a moment before shrugging, "But I probably would have had I been given enough time."


He paused to think about it.

"Really, I think my parents really over reacted on this one," he siad with small pout that turned into a grin. "I mean it was like I died or anything... the healers just said I almost did - completely different."

Paloma's eyes widened, "Alright, what did you do?"

She shook her head and laughed, "You really are suicidal, aren't you?"

Aquila laughed and shook his head, "You'd think I would be wouldn't you. No, I just have a sydrome I like to call "Act before thinking'."

He gave an impish grin before shruging, "Its not that interesting really. Saying outloud in fact all sounds rather lame, I just ran into a rather bite-ie book, that turned out to also have a healthy dose of posion in it."

He shrugged, "Did you know if you don't get posionous things checked out quickly they become rather leathal?"

"Act before thinking.." Paloma repeated, "Well, I have this other one called 'Think before acting', but I'm trying to change it. Though I have no idea how."

"Oh that is so lame," she mocked, "not even a bit exciting. I really do think jumping off the towers would be more fun."

"I sort of guessed," she said, "Did you know if you use your brain for things other than plotting your death you might actually survive your Durmstrang years?"

"Thinking before acting is highly overrated," Aquila said with a grin, and a wave of his hand, "Come to me, I shall teach you the ways of letting go of this think you people call reason and thinking things through - I've personally never done it in my life."

Quil grinned and shook his head, "I know, it is highly lame. I wish I had had an opportunity to do some cooler things before I left the place. Parents just get in there, meddle and ruin everything." The young boy refrained from mentioning the last 'cool' think he had done with Dame... that one had not ended all that well at all.

"I do not use my brain for plotting my death," he stated with a tone of high offence before laughing completely, "I just don't use it at all. Besides, it was like I knew the bite was posionous..."

"Maybe I do ought to loosen up a bit," Paloma shrugged and bowed, "Yes, Master."

"My parents used to do that a lot with my older sister. I wish I had an opportunity too," she said, "I don't want life to go by without me having done anything fun."
Though I don't want to ruin my relationship with them by becoming like Alice, she thought.

The girl shook her head, "There's your problem. Your poor brain's probably begging to be used. How can you do that to him? He's there for a reason and you're hurting his feeling, Mr. Turrow."

Aquila nodded, "See your problem there is your spending to much time wishing, thinking - if you want to truely do this right, you got to not think about it. Just go for it, seize the day and all that kind of crud."

Quil laughed and shook his head.

"He'll get over it eventually, after all what else can he do? I'm the only head he's got."

Paloma laughed, "Carpe diem. Your wish is my command, sir."

"For now," she said, "Just you wait until the day brains create legs. He'll walk right out of you."