[OPEN] Introductions and Mind Games

The exchange students were arriving from Hogwarts, and as much as Scarlett was interested to see who was arriving, she had decided to wait a little ways down from the ferry so that if anyone got lost or perhaps didn't come over with any of their friends, she could give some sort of assistance. If nothing else, she could get an idea of who these new students would be. One never knew if someone could be helpful for them, and Scarlett was most definitely the sort who wanted people to know her and feel they were friends with her. That would up the odds of people choosing to help her when she needed them. If she needed them.

So she had settled down on a bench by the front entrance, looking out over the area of the lake in front of her. The shadow of the circular dormitory buildings meant that the sun wasn't warming her skin the way she wished it would. But she wore long sleeves for a reason, so she couldn't really complain.

She could see the ferry approach from afar, so she took out her pack of cards, shuffling them and laying out a game of solitaire on the bench beside her legs. Scarlett was thoroughly content to sit and see if anyone interesting came along.

Kasey Woods walked up from the ferry dock. She had tired of waiting for the hogwarts students and now sought something new to entertain her. As she walked she hummed softly to herself under her breath her mind ticking over the strange events that had being occurring at Ilvermormy lately. At first a few students had approached her and her brother Leo thinking maybe they were up to some masterful joke. But the strange flickering lanterns and sudden darkness wasn't because of some joke, though Kasey and Leo had never given the students who asked them a straight answer. No something was going on at Ilvermorny but that hadn't stopped the hogwarts exchange. Kasey self consciously feels for her wand in her pocket wondering how long the hogwarts exchange would continue if someone didn't figure out what was happening soon.

Her humming broke of suddenly as she approached the bench where Scarlett sat, "checking out the fresh meat?" Kasey asked as she stopped beside the bench.

The crowd pushed and pulled Casey like the currents of the ocean they had just escaped. Casey felt a small squirming sensation in her stomach, but she seemed to have held up pretty well - one student was already puking on the bank, a stone-faced Ilvermorny student holding back her hair for her with an irritated expression.

Casey, one of the shorter of the students, was being shoved along quite unkindly, and she was worried for her mouse Edgar, who was curled up in one of the pockets of her long jacket, so she shoved her way out of the crowd, dragging her small trunk behind her, the knapsack bouncing on her back.

She practically tripped into the company of two Ilvermorny students, but straightened up, her stone face not changing expressions.

"Hey."

Scarlett looked up as Kasey approached, lifting her hand into something resembling a wave. It wasn't quite right, of course, because she had her spare cards still held in that hand, but it was something at least. Something about Kasey looked off. Or perhaps the girl herself felt off. It wasn't as though the staff and the grounds hadn't been acting strange lately, so she couldn't put it past Kasey for being the same. Scarlett just hoped that, once the students had all arrived, things would quiet down.

Surely it was just from the stress of the upcoming events?

Scarlett smiled at Kasey's question, but it was an almost secretive one, as though they shared an inside joke. "Something like that," she conceded. Sweeping the cards left on the bench into her hand, she made room for the other girl to sit if she wanted to.

Kasey didn't have much time, though, considering a girl who was clearly not from Ilvermorny rocked up and greeted them. Sort of. Scarlett wasn't sure if it was a comment made out of frustration because of the people pushing the brunette around, or if she had really planned on saying hello. Either way, Scarlett knew better than to ignore this girl. Connections were sometimes all one had, and she intended to have a lot of them.

"Hello," she replied, leaning down and tucking the cards into her right boot, alongside her wand, which peeked out. She left it, though, and sat up to look at the stranger again. Scarlett would guess - safely, she figured - that this girl was younger than Kasey and herself. After all, the two Ilvermorny girls were in the same year, so it wasn't hard to make that guess. "I would wager that you're new," Scarlett said, leaning to the side to look at the things that their new classmate had brought with her.

"Do you need help?"

Kasey grinned at Scarlett's response and would have sat down had the younger Hogwarts girl not appeared. On first glance to Kasey the the other girl seemed rather uncertain of her surroundings and from the stoney expression on her face somewhat standoffish. Kasey smiled at the girl, honestly she wouldn't be surprised if most of the students coming here for the exchange were getting away for something or seeking some sort of adventure.

"We could show you to the dorms if you like" Kasey added to Scarlett's offer looking at the girls trunk. Honestly it would be easier to charm the thing to follow rather then drag it. "My name is Kasey by the way, Kasey Woods" Kasey introduced herself figuring it might be a good place to start.

Sofia and Anthony trotted towards where the ferry landed bringing the students from Hogwarts across the lake to their little island. This was the first time the twins had witnessed the arrival of exchange students. Excitement ran though Sofia's body as she watched to see who would come off the boat. Maybe a new friend?
Glanceing over at her classmates who also stood watching Sof noticed a few girls from the year above her greeting the first girl who had stepped off the boat. Maybe not a friend with them so close by. "Go ahead anth. I know you wish to greet them. I'll wait here." she said pushing her brother ahead of her.

Casey felt so on display. She wondered how many of the other Hogwarts students felt like pilgrims landing on an alien planet, expected to be diplomatic and peaceful, expected to interact and intermingle. She just wanted to get to classes, get to normalcy.

It was all apart of getting away.

"You'd win that bet," she responded to the first girl who spoke to her. The girl's eyes found Casey's things, and Casey found herself tightening her grip on the trunk's handle. It seemed she was feeling vulnerable. Which meant it would come out in aggression and distance. "Thanks, I'm fine."

The other offered to show her to the dorms and Casey nodded her agreement to the plan and the found herself snorting at the coincidence. "Casey," she parroted, nodding to indicate she shared the name. "Casey Weasley."

Kasey smiled, easy enough name to remember. "Well then we'd better get moving otherwise the place will get cramped quickly" she said looking down at the growing crowd of students on ferry dock. Kasey didn't offer to take the girls trunk. She had seen Casey's hands tighten on the handle and didn't want to overwhelm the younger girl by trying to get too close. Besides Kasey knew if she was in the girls place she wouldn't want help carrying her own trunk. Then again Kasey was rather independent in that way. She turned back to Scarlett, "want to come for the walk?"

Scarlett smiled at the girl's reaction, understanding despite how casual she looked and indeed felt. It wasn't in her nature to get stressed if people turned her down. Her future career would be built on patience, and it was time to practice. The only exception would be when her friends or family did something that offended her, of course. But her family was fairly broken already, so there wasn't a great deal of wiggle room left there.

"I just meant we could show you to the dormitories if you'd like," she explained, though still smiling widely. "I'm Scarlett Duffy," she added, not quite catching onto the mimicking that Kasey had done. Scarlett had heard once that mimicking someone made them like you more, but she honestly wasn't sure that she could be fussed. It would work out however it worked out, in the end.

As they started along towards the school, Scarlett caught sight of Sofia and lifted her hand to wave at the other girl. "Anthony around?" She called, trying to continue on with her friendly front. "Come up round the castle with us if you like, Sof."