Sophia, even on her days without her uniform and knowing she would be outdoors always dressed her best. In her rooms at night she got away with more casual attire, and enjoyed being secretive about. However, the small little break in weather of the day had open a few buttons on her overcoat and braid her hair away from her face.

It would be good to get outside, and though it was still winter the sun was out and warmed enough that it made the outdoors just fine. With the promise to Lucas to be outside the week before, the weather hadn't given them the chance.[1], but today looked perfect. With strict instructions to pack their own lunches she gathered her little troop of friends for an outdoor day that was well needed.

"Come along then, let's wait for everyone to get here." She told them to meet by the doors at 11:00am, they would hike to the lake have lunch then explore some more, and keep the hope that nothing horrible happened. Yet, this was Hogwarts, and with it being their first year...lessons did need to be learned.[2]

1.	See Absit Omen Weather Page
2.	Bwhahahahahah

This was a great day! There weren't any classes and the weather was nice and they got to go hiking. Rowena had even gotten to sleep in, avoiding such morning fates as attention-hungry kittens. Boudicca was curled up in her arms at the moment, purring and nearly asleep.

A nice change from batting at Rowena's hair, at least. Rowena grinned at her sister, then reached up to carefully adjust her cloak around her shoulders. Hopefully that wouldn't wake the kitten up. She didn't need claws in everything. "Who is coming?"

She looked around, but didn't catch sight of anyone else. "I hope it stays nice out! Do you think we'll have more letters when we get back?" She couldn't help her excitement.

Sophia took one look at her sister and arched a thin brow, "Are you really going to hike in that dress? Though as lovely as it is, Rowena you better have pants under neath that." She smiled at her sister, and reached out for the little kitten. "I left mine in the dorm, she wouldn't survive this. She doesn't like to get her paws dirty."


"Who is coming?"

"Lucas, Thales, and I think our cousin, but I'm not sure. I kept the invite small. Lucas wants to see if we can see the mermaids. He's doing a lot better now. He seems to be putting his thoughts back into school." Sophia shrugged at the question of the letters, "I don't know, I haven't had the chance to reply to the last so I hope not."

Lucas was so happy to be doing something outside for a change. He had been inside for way too long. He needed to get some fresh air and wanted to stretch his legs. He was hopeful that they would see one of the mermaids in the lake today. That would make his day for sure.

Lucas walked up to the girls and couldn't help but smile when he saw Sophia. She looked great outside of school clothes. Today was going to be one of the best days he'd had in a long time. He just knew it. He had been looking forward to this for a while now.

"Hey guys! I hope you're ready for today! We're going to have so much fun. You two look nice," he said with a smile. He had gotten a little closer to them over the past month since their family had been helping him some. He liked hanging out with the girls too. He loved hanging out with Thales and all his guy friends, but around the girls he kept his manners and didn't feel too pressured to come up with some amazing prank or anything. He could just be himself and have some fun. He was glad Sophia had suggested doing this.

"The dirt will brush off. I didn't bring anything that could get dirty." Rowena gave her sister a teasing smile. A history of getting dirt on things meant that most of her clothing had been prepped for such possibilities. Which then led to her not worrying about getting dirt on them and the occasional bit of mud on the carpet. Poor Krix.

Boudicca lifted her head and yawned, showing her little set of sharp, white kitten teeth. Rowena patted her kitten softly. "Boudicca's tired of being cooped up. She'll behave." The kitten started to purr, as if in assent, and seemed quite undisturbed by Lucas' appearance.

Rowena seemed a bit more startled, and jerked her head around, though she managed not to jump. "Hello Lucas! Thales isn't with you?" She looked about for the other Ravenclaw boy. Those two seemed to be together a lot. "And thank you very much." A curtsey with kitten in tow seemed impractical, so she settled for a friendly grin. Lucas looked very Muggley. Especially with that hat.

"Nice?" Sophia asked him with a bit of a sarcastic tone, "Lucas. Books lined up in a row organized by the alphabet look nice, a gentleman would say that a lady looks, radiant...wonderful...splendid." Some habits in the youngest Knight would never die.

"And I am looking forward to this. The fresh air will be...nice," She arched a brow at Lucas, before agreeing with her sister, "Yes. Where is your counter part? I hope he isn't late. We have much ground to cover."

Thales was happy. He loved mornings, and this one in particular promised to be a wonderful one, he thought while walking to Hogwart's entrance. They would go hiking, and see mermaids! Thales never saw a mermaid before, so this whole deal was going to be an adventure!  He waved merrily towards them group as soon as he could see them.

"Hello! I hope I'm not late!", said Thales while walking towards the group.

Indeed, things were looking up, thought Thales, the sun was shining, it didnn't look like it's going to rain that day, and Lucas was there too!

"I was told there was going to be mermaids, is it true?", Thales asked the three of them, " I never saw mermaids before! Anyone here knows mermish? Maybe I should've gotten a English-Mermish guide book, hum..."

He thought for a few moments, before looking at the group again. He hadn't perceived their clothes! All of them were so... stylish! He looked at his clothes again.

"I had no idea you would dress up so... elegantly. I hope my clothes are alright for the occasion..."

A bag of junk was poking Paetyn uncomfortably in the back as he ran up the stairs from the cellars to the ground floor. Stuffed inside were treats from the kitchens (a perk of having dorms so close), a sleeping bag (just in case they stayed out too late), and a first aid kit (who knew what the group of kids could get up to). He ran through the giant doors at full speed and barreled down the lawns toward the gaggle of youngsters.

The young Huffler was dressed in khaki pants and a brown shirt. Around his shoulders was his plain black Hogwarts cloak, and if anyone had the nerve to tell him that his outfit simply didn’t match, he ignored them. Who cared about fashion when you could just dig around in the dirt and hang out with family? When he reached the group of firsties, he was a bit out of breath, but managed a giggle for his overdressed cousin.

“Oh, come on! It looks like Uncle Tarron picked out your clothes! Don’t you have like… normal stuff?” He asked Sophia. He didn’t mean to be rude, but realized that it was possible his chipper demeanor could have been misconstrued. “I mean… you look pretty, like always, but won’t it be a little hard to hike in?” Then he turned his attention to the boys and the rest of the group, “Uhm… so are we gonna venture into the forest? I hear there are unicorns in there! I’ve always wanted to ride a unicorn, but do you think that they might ram us with their horns? My wand has a unicorn tail hair in it… do you think that’ll make them like me more?”

The crisp, chilly morning air meant that Rou did not make his morning trek to the lake prior to Sunday breakfast. Having spent the better part of the morning simply reading in the library prior to breakfast, where he ate generously so he would not need much lunch, Roland Dylanis now opted to exit the castle and make his way toward the lake, where he often enjoyed the serenity of the waters and the peace of the morning air. It was a bit warmer now, but definitely not warm enough to warrant removing his shoes and enjoying the grass.

The boy paid no heed to the small group of students he passed by near the Great Hall's doors, instead ducking his eyes and making his way down to the lake. Once there, it was a simple matter of removing his small Converse shoes, his socks, and plain Hogwarts cloak(the only thing he used to identify himself as a student during weekends) before setting down upon his favorite rock, spending a few moments taking some deep, sweet breaths of air while the sun began to push closer toward the center of the sky, marking the time as close to eleven in the morning. Removing his customary small cube of pine wood, Rou drew out his father's old silver-and-steel knife and began to make small cuts upon the block, continuing his breathing exercises while conceptualizing in his head what he wanted to make from this block.

After some minutes of carving the rough shape of a snowy owl, Rou's ears perked up as he heard a small group of voices approaching. Taking a glance back, Roland's face turned a bit grim knowing that his sought-out solitude would soon be broken, as it would be impolite if he just got up and left in a hurry just because some folks approaching. Instead, Rou busied himself working on the details of his owl, specifically the finer features like the eyes and beak of the bird.

"One must always give others proper manners, Roland," the boy muttered to himself, quoting a lesson on dealing with other people given by his grandfather.

As her little gaggle of ducklings all started to gather, Sophia organized them by making a mental list. It was a good number, and the air was perfect for the hike. Now they could press on, and with a touch to Lucas' shoulder she smiled,

"Ready?" She asked, knowing that this was really for him. He needed out of that castle so bad, and Sophia was excited to see him happy again.

At that moment her cousin came up and started right in on how the two were dressed and she shook her head, "Of course he picked out our clothes, Paetyn, he's our father. It's proper, and if it's what Rowena wishes to wear, I'm certain she will be just fine. Considering she could probably still take you down, even in a dress."

“Uhm… so are we gonna venture into the forest? I hear there are unicorns in there! I’ve always wanted to ride a unicorn, but do you think that they might ram us with their horns? My wand has a unicorn tail hair in it… do you think that’ll make them like me more?”


Sophia put her face in her palm, and put a little pressure between the bridge of her nose, "I suppose there might be. But I truly doubt you of all people could be quiet enough to even get near a unicorn, let alone ride one." At this rate, with as much noise as they were making they would be lucky to even see birds.

Once the fellowship of the three Ravenclaws, 1 Hufflepuff, and 1 Gryffindor started on their trek it wasn't long before they stumbled upon Roland Dylanis, looking rather grumpy and forlorn.

"Mister Dylanis, hello. We are going on a hike," Sophia looked over the boy while pondering a moment what to say next, "I'd invite you, but unfortunately you need your shoes."

Lucas sighed as he was reprimanded for trying to give a compliment. Never good enough. No matter what he did or what he tried to say or how he tried to say it, Sophia always had something to say about it. In a weird way, he was starting to get use to it happening. He didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing. Thank goodness Rowena asked about Thales. Before he could open his mouth, he heard his counterpart coming up and smiled.

"There he is. Right on time." He shrugged at Thales' clothes. "I think you'll be alright. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I just put on my muggle clothes. They seem to be fitting for something like this."

There came Paetyn running up. He looked like he was ready for an all out camping trip! They weren't camping tonight. This was just a hike! He guessed it was better to be prepared than to leave something at home, though it seemed to be a bit overboard. He was super excited about this too it seemed. It would be nice to have his personality around. Maybe he would keep Sophia distracted. It seemed he was doing that job rather well too judging by Sophia's reaction to him and he couldn't help but laugh a little at it.

He nodded and smiled at Sophia touching his shoulder. He was happy to finally be outside and with so many friends. He needed this and he could tell it would be a good day. They walked up to Roland and he looked at the sculpture. It was really good! He rolled his eyes at Sophia's comment about the shoes.

"You can come if you want to. We're all dressed different. That is if you want to leave your sculpting. It looks great so far."

"Mister Dylanis, hello. We are going on a hike," Sophia looked over the boy while pondering a moment what to say next, "I'd invite you, but unfortunately you need your shoes."

Rou briefly chuckled to himself as he turned his face down and contemplated his toes for a bit, wiggling them some as he reached around and grabbed his Converses and socks. He could have put himself to the test and hiked barefoot, but this group intrigued him enough to make him want to do something different today. Though he didn't really feel like verbally replying to her. Sound funny, though, when she addressed him by an honorific like "Mister."

"You can come if you want to. We're all dressed different. That is if you want to leave your sculpting. It looks great so far."

Rou paused in the middle of putting on his socks and shoes to look down on his small owl sculpture that he had set aside. He didn't quite know what to say to the boy's sentence. The only compliments he ever got were vague notions of his success and nothing more. Licking his lips a bit as he contemplated what to do, he was finally able to give a weak response.

"...thanks," he said quietly, almost as if he was whispering he was so shy, before he continued putting on his shoes. Once he finished, Rou stood up and scooped up his owl and his dagger in one hand, opting to compromise and continue the finer work while hiking with these fellow student. He didn't quite know why he was going along but... change isn't always bad.

"Cousin Paetyn! You came!" Rowena managed not to bounce up and down, but she grinned widely at him and pulled on her owl pendant to draw attention to it. "I'm sure we'll find something interesting, even if it's not a unicorn." They had so many people, so many eyes to look out for things.

"And I like my clothes. They're very sturdy." She tapped a hand against the heavy fabric of her cloak, and was then promptly distracted by Roland and his carving. "Is that an owl? It's nice. I almost asked for an owl for Christmas, but I like my kitten."

Boudicca purred in her sleep at that, and Rowena couldn't help petting the kitten and smiling down at it.

Sophia pinched Lucas' shoulder at the eye roll, and glared at him a little. She would keep her tongue quiet as this really was his day, and she wasn't about to go ruining it because what he was doing. It was playful banter, and he needed it. Today, she was going to let go of everything she was holding in, and just be a child for once. Being outside in the fresh air and away from the castle with the laughter of her friends, was more medicine than any of them expected. Perhaps, Roland would think so too,

"Mister Dylanis, I do hope you don't mind to hike. You are very welcome to join. We are hoping to catch a glimpse of a mermaid or even a Unicorn," Though with a glance back at Paetyn, she figured that wasn't going to happen. "Paeytn has even prepared to spend the night it seems, though I doubt that will be the case." She smiled at them both and put her hair back over her shoulder,

"Are you sure you are up for this?" She asked Roland with her perfect little brow arched.

Thales looked at the sculpture that Dylanis was working on. It was very well made, he thought.

"Nice sculpture, Roland!", he smiled at Roland. "Maybe one of the creatures we meet might give you inspiration for your next work, hm? I'd love to see a mermaid statuette, or unicorn, or any incredible creature we get to see...", he smiled to himself daydreaming about the possibilities.

What kind of creatures would they meet? Thales wondered. Maybe unicorns? The Forbidden Forest had all kinds of fascinating animals, and with a bit of luck the group would make a detour towards it. Though, even if they didn't enter the Forbidden Forest, he supposed they would get to see some interesting things at the lake. The giant squid was always a sight to behold, and maybe they would meet a mermaid! Who knows? Maybe even a little trip to their home! And then they would become friends, and would exchange information about their cultures! Did mermaids have any kind of magic? Thales couldn't remember, but even if they hadn't, to encounter people with different takes on life was always fun, and he could be sure that- He then remembered he forgot to bring the Mermish-English guide book or dictionary.

"Did anyone remember to bring the Mermish-English dictionary so we can communicate with the mermaids?", Thales asked, not wanting to get his dream crushed.

He stood there looking hopefully at the group. Someone must've brought it, right? ...Right? Apparently not. No friendship with mermaids today. He looked down for a moment.
They still had a shot with the unicorn, he guessed.

"Well, alright.", said Thales looking up, decided. "Let's find that unicorn later, then! We just have to be a little sneaky when we go to the forest,let Sophia and Rowena at the front to attract them, and me and Lucas can look around for unicorn tracks!"