SPOILER!!: Mackenzie
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stefan 
Aside from the fact that his silence and quiet demeanour were misunderstood, Mackenzie found it even harder to expand his circle of friends. He'd been contemplating this, even comparing himself to his older brother Noah who had no trouble whatsoever in making acquaintances. It wasn't the problem of house prejudice, because that was so 1900s, but it was the fact that he had trouble trusting people's intentions. How Noah seemed unfazed by the risks of offering one's friendship to anyone who has eyes and ears to entertain him, Mackenzie wouldn't know. But perhaps, he thought, he could start by giving other people a chance this term and dip his toes in socialization. Maybe the idea of a sleepover wasn't as bad as he thought. In fact, he'd heard stories from his own parents about their shenanigans when they were in school. They did utilize the Room of Requirements, one of which they used to build a giant blanket fort with all sorts of pillows, which led to the inevitable (and legendary) pillow fight, Hogwarts has seen in generations.
Mackenzie quietly smiled to himself as he listened to his companion. "Then maybe you could tone it down a bit," he started, tilting his head wondering if he sounded offensive. "I mean, showing affection to a pet is great... a must even. But you know what they say, too much of it isn't really good for either of you." the pet becomes more clingy, the owner becomes distressed, and the endless cycle of it begins. "Besides, creatures of any kind must be able to have their own freedom from humans once in a while I think," he paused as he chewed on his inner cheek, "It's the least we could do since we have them caged, and not out there in the wild, which technically where they belong." he briefly imagined himself in the shoes of the snakes, but Mackenzie was also quick to inwardly cringe at what he just said. This was probably why people thought he was boring. He could go on and on and on about philosophical things. Sass with extra S's? "Sassssssy name," he said in an attempt to humour the girl. "Hopefully I get to meet yours too. Professor Paton's pretty cool about reptiles, so I'm certain you'll get a pass from her." And she's a cool professor overall.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Vera... Sasssss's mum," he said with a hint of a smile and gently shook her hand. He'd let go of her hand, hiding his awkwardness in the process and looked around them. "Do you have any other pets aside from a snake?"
If she'd been a Legilimens, Mackenzie's thoughts would have just wanted her to immediately introduce him to her twin Vasco. They didn't talk about it much, but she didn't see him spend much time with anyone outside of their group. Which worried her, given their group was primarily Gryffindor's and he was the lone Ravenclaw. She didn't think he'd been able to expand his social circle much either, though she supposed she had not considered the fact that maybe he didn't
want to. He was naturally quiet and while he could have just preferred quiet and some solitude, his extroverted twin couldn't even imagine it. But maybe someone also observant would have been a good match for someone similar.
Truthfully, he was not the first person to tell her to tone it down. Though he did hold that particular honor when it came to being perhaps an overly affectionate pet owner. "Yeah... you're probably right. And if Sass is coming to school with me it's probably a good idea to do that now since she'll have more time around me." As opposed to just 3 months here and then 9 months (more or less) gone.
"Why wouldn't it be good for me though?" She was not attempting to argue his points, but rather just understand this particular one. Wasn't having a pet and spending time with them supposed to lower heart rates or whatever? Or maybe that was just petting a cat or something. Being encaged when they were supposed to be in the wild made sense. Particularly when she considered the fact that even for herself she always craved more adventure. Hogwarts was not a 'cage' per se, but they did have boundary restrictions and she was always pushing those limits so that she could explore more. It was kind of a shame that Sass didn't get that same freedom.
"Do you think we as humans are kind of evil for domesticating some creatures to be our pets?" Because if she was going to think about it more, she might have concluded the answer to that question was yes. Did that mean she was going to go home and set Sass free? Absolutely not, damage was done and that was one spoiled snake that might not be able to make it in the wild. But... still, perhaps it was a shame that had been her life from the beginning. As for finding Mackenzie boring? She did not currently. Snakes were something of interest to her so if he wanted to talk about those until she was blue in the face, she could do that. And while she might try to follow along with other conversations and topics... well, she could make no promises. But that was a
her problem, not him.
He'd certainly correctly sussed out her type of humor, because when he also added the extra s's she couldn't help but give a small giggle.
"I thought ssso." She replied cheekily, before giving a nod in agreement. Calling Hady cool about reptiles was probably an understatement, but she certainly understood where he was coming from.
"I feel pretty good about it. I'm going to go home and send her a letter." Asking her the next time she brought Logan around to see Vasco just seemed like a crossing some type of line.
She returned the shake to the hand gently before taking back her hand. Any other pets?
"We have a family crow. His name is Raven." She couldn't remember which of them had decided on that name for him now, but it still amused her a bit.
"What about you? Is Ruby a sole pet or are there others in your house?"