Clouds

[Emile Terrance]

(Emile has no friends yet. Please help.)

It had been awhile since Emile had spent any time outside, the cold had kept him inside. Emile's temperature already ran a bit under, and getting cold was a lot worse than other people made it seem. But it was March, and finally a somewhat decent day had come around. With his thickest cloak around him, Emile was laying in the grass and looking at the clouds above. It was his favorite game as a child, to lie on the roof of the bar and look at the clouds, where Simone couldn't find him.

[Kent Clarkson]

Kent was walking around the lake, having nothing much to do, when he saw Emile on the other side of the lake. Kent watched and his eyebrows shot up as Emile laied down on the grass. Kent thought he had fallen, and he ran around the lake when he saw that Emilie hadn't stood up.

But when he reached Emile, he realized that he was lying on the floor on purpose. "What're you doing?" Kent asked, panting slightly.

[Emile Terrance]

"I'm watching the clouds," Emile smiled shyly, still looking up at the sky. Nothing had come up as too distinguishing, only a sheep-like haze to the east.

Emile wasn't a good socializer, and could barely sputter out words when other people were around, especially if they were male. Something about guys paralyzed Emile, intimidating him beyond measure. But Kent seemed like an alright person to talk with, not anyone who could push him around. After his encounter with a Slytherin boy in his third year, Emile was certain to not speak to anyone unless it was an apology for getting in the person's way.

[Kent Clarkson]

"Oh," Kent said. Sure, that made sence. Granted, the sky had more hazy clouds than those puffy shape making ones, but whatever floats your boat. "That's cool."

He knew Emile didn't talk to many people, but Kent didn't really mind. "Mind if I join you?" he asked with a smile.

[Emile Terrance]

Emile looked up at Kent with a surprised expression. Not many people liked sitting in the grass in the cool March air and looking at what seemed like abstract art. But Emile was almost happy to have company, "of course. You're Kent, aren't you?"

Of course Emile knew his name was Kent, but it was politer to ask. It gave people oppourtunites to offer nicknames.

Emile pointed up to the onecloud a few feet right of the point directly above them. "It looks a lot like the squid, doesn't it? Minus a few arms?" Emile asked shyly, keeping his eyes focused above him.

[Kent Clarkson]

"Right, and you're Emile." Kent smiled as he laid down next to the older boy. Kent was always up for making new friends. At the orphanage, kids were always comming in and out, the only way to keep from being sad about those who left is to be happy that new friends could be comming in.

"Yea, it does," Kent said, smiling. He knew just from seeing him arround the common room and at dinner that Emile was a shy kid. "That one there," Ket pointed at one to their far left." looks like a hippogriff with it's wings spread out, see it?" Kent asked.

[Emile Terrance]

Emile was surprised that Kent knew his name, but he didn't want to say so out loud. But he began to smile very softly. "Yeah." He wasn't sure what to say next. Emile didn't know what people liked or disliked, and that's how a lot of conversations started. He didn't want to start the first conversation to a new person and end up in disagreement. Things like that made Emile so uncomfortable that he'd almost start shaking.

"A hippogriff," Emile nodded. "I've always wanted to ride one of those. But I've always thought I'd fall off."

[Kent Clarkson]

"That would be really cool," Kent said. "I've only ever seen Hippogriffs at the Zoo. I hear their a bit to dangerous to have in a class like in Care of Magical Creatures," he continued. They watched the sky for a while until Kent rolled onto his stomach, deciding to get to know Emile more.

"So what else do you do besides look at clouds?" Kent asked curiously.

[Emile Terrance]

"I've never seen one," Emile admitted quietly. "Only in the Care of Magical Creatures books. I've never been to the Zoo. I think I'll go one day just to really get a feel of how animals look. It's hard to understand when all you have are illustrations."

"What do I like to do?" Emile thought for a few seconds. "I guess I like to read a lot. I don't have a chance to really do much else besides that and keep an eye on my sister. But books are always good to have around." Emile counted on books to get him out of his own predictable life and into a world where he could do something important and noticeable, rather than stay ordinary.

"What about you?" Emile asked, still looking up at the clouds, too afraid to glance at his new comrade.

[Kent Clarkson]

"That'd be fun, we should go, to the Zoo," Kent said grinning. He liked the zoo, both muggle and magical. He used to go to the zoo with the orphanage all the time.

"I read too!" Kent said. "Mostly just comic books though, I don't really study that much," he laughed. Truth of the matter, he got decent grades, and thats all that mattered.

[Emile Terrance]

"Would you want to?" Emile said sounding a bit more excited than usual. "What does it look like? How do they keep all the animals happy and contained?"

"What's a comic book?" Emile asked, studying a large cloud that looked sort of like a tangled snake. "Is the one with pictures instead of words?"

Emile had always been what his father had jokingly called a "middle aged child". His quietude had been mistaken for a sense of seriousness. Therefore, he was treated much more like an adult than any other child he knew. Emile liked knowing that his parents trusted him, but it was hard not to want to be able to run around in the muddy fields or something along those lines.