The Riddle (Open)

J. J. had been wandering the streets of Azorat, winding her way out of the pathways the lead from her mentors house getting the lay of the land. It felt odd to not be at home or at school but...

Freeing too.

She had gotten herself to a break in the pathways, and deciding she needed a break too plopped herself onto a near by bench, watching people pass as she soaked in the summer sun.

The young girl began to hum a tune to herself as she got lost in her thoughts.

Paloma walked around the streets of Azorat, the day was beautiful. Really beautiful. There were no clouds up and the sky was a beautiful light blue.

She smiled, happy summer had finally come. She decided to sit down and relax a bit, and saw a girl sitting in a bench nearby.

She looked happy and nice, so Paloma shrugged and sat down next to her.

"Hi," she greeted the girl.

J. J. looked up from her thoughts to see a girl she estimated to be about her own age. She gave her a nevervous grin. She looked nice enough, but she couldn't say that she had ever full re-gained her trust of other people just yet.

"Hello there," she greeted with a nod, before glancing back around her. The street was busy enough, nothing too bad could happens she supposed. She relaxed just a little bit.

Paloma laughed a bit when the girl looked around the street, seeming a bit nervous. "Relax," she told her, "I'm not going to kill you or anything. Though I don't blame you for being careful, some people are just . . . bad."

"So, what brings you here?" she asked.

J. J. rolled her shoulder and attempted some calm, "Sorry, I just... there are a few things I have to work with."

She gave the girl a hesitatant smile.

"It jsut seemed like a good place to end my wanderings for the day, and you?"

Paloma nodded, "I understand."

She shrugged, "Nothing else to do. Beautiful day, so why not walk around for a bit." And to get away from home, she thought. If her parents were already a bit frustrated from seeing her sister, when she got that stupid grade for the Care of Magical Creatures exam, things got worse.

She shook her head, she was getting sick of it. She wasn't perfect, she would never be.

J. J. looked around her and nodded, "It sure is that. There is nothing quite like summer. It might be my favourite season."

She shot the girl another looke for a moment.

"Are... are you alright?"

Paloma smiled, "It's mine too. And Spring. Not really a fan of cooler seasons. Which pretty much sucks, living somewhere so cold."

She hadn't even realized she'd done something, so lost in her thoughts. "Oh, uh, yeah," she lied, "I'm fine."

"I do not mind the cold... there is a time for cold to be sure but... I do get tired of it. I also think it makes this whether all the better to have to suck up some cold, don't you?"

J. J. looked at the girl for a moment before nodding, "If you are sure then."

"Oh, totally," Paloma said, "It makes me even more excited for summer."

"I'm sure," she assured her, "So, are you from around here?"

J. J. nodded her head and leaned back in her seat.

"No not really. I live kind a far from here actually... or well I use to... or am supposed too.." she shook her head, too tired to think of the proper grammatical term to use. "But I'm staying with my Mentor for now, and she does live near here."

Paloma frowned a bit, trying to understand her, but nodded after that.
"You have a Mentor, that seems pretty cool," she noted, "Is it?"

J. J. smiled, "I guess it is; I don't know... she's been my mentor since I started Hogwarts... which I guess wasn't all that long ago, but... its just sort of something I don't really think about anymore."

She humed abit before adding, "But it is cool to know there is someone you can always go to. Mentors are good for that."

"Oh, you go to Hogwarts, then," Paloma noted, "That's awesome, everybody is always saying such good things about the school."

"And I guess that's enough time to really get to know someone, even though it might not be that much," she said, "You're- what? Thirteen, fourteen?"

"I wish I had one," she sighed, "It must be nice knowing you can count on someone for whatever you need, someone you can tell everything to."

J. J. smiled, "I don't know. I like it... but its really the only school I know so I may be a tad bit bias."

She gave a little laugh.

"I'll be thirteen in a month," she gave a small smile, "Joys of a late birthday."

"Well I don't know if I can tell Miss Mad everything but... if I ever need something... I know I can go to her for it."

Paloma laughed quietly, "We're all a bit biased when it comes to our own school, don't worry."

"Happy early birthday to you, then," she smiled, "Mine's in January. Always so freezing I can never have a party outside."

J. J. laughed, "Good to know."

"Thank you," she smiled slightly, "I don't really know if November is really all that much better."

"It's not as cold," Paloma said, "That's for sure."

"So, what's Hogwarts like?" she asked, blocking her eyes from the sun.

J. J. nodded to that point.

"Oh... I imagine its like any other magical school.... or school," she gave a small smile, "You always run into a few hitches when you trap children together for a long time."

"That's true," Paloma agreed, "It's the same in Durmstrang. There's always some drama."

"I guess that's the bad thing about living with a bunch of teenagers for months," she pointed out.