With the capture of Verandi Farley and several high-ranking Trossach members, the British wizarding world has finally caught a break. The rate of rogue werewolf attacks have started dropping at a steady rate and, hopefully, things will stay that way. The Ministry is starting to loosen some restrictions, like not arresting werewolves standing on the street for loitering, however there’s still an obvious power imbalance between wizardfolk and werewolves.
The Cotswolds pack are continuing to advocate for the rights of werewolves and petitioning to change the legislation that has been set in motion by the current Minister for Magic, whilst the remaining Trossachs members are trying to stay out of the spotlight and keep a low profile… for now.
Whilst the British wizarding world seems to have calmed down, the same cannot be said for over in Northern Europe where a rebellion of magical creatures has risen. The state of things has gotten so bad that the European Ministry has enacted protocols to protect those under eighteen whilst their adult witches and wizards fight to keep control of their countries.
Students from Durmstrang have been sent to Hogwarts to keep them safe and those not old enough to attend school have been sent to live with relatives or designated British Ministry officials outside of Europe for the time being.
Will the low rates of werewolf attacks in Britain continue? How long will Durmstrang students stay at Hogwarts? Will the creatures usurp the wizardfolk in Northern Europe? Only time will tell.
SEPTEMBER 2019 It's been a very long, eventful summer in the wizarding world. A baby was stolen, several high ranking Trossach members were imprisoned, and werewolf attacks have drastically dropped as a result. What will happen now school has returned?
MAY 2019 An attempt to capture the beta of the Trossachs has been launched. Were the Aurors successful in their mission? Go read more here!
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Jan 8, 2020 4:27:00 GMT
Leif didn't sit which left Astrid on the floor, staring up at him but she didn't bother moving. She was comfortable, the floor was kind of her vibe more so than chairs because she wasn't restricted with how she sat - she could sprawl out any which way without the arm of a chair blocking her. "The last time I was here we did shrooms," she remarked, before realising that probably wasn't the most comforting sentence for Leif to be hearing. "Don't worry, I won't give you some." Maybe it was inappropriate to be joking when he was so spooked, but her lips twitched nevertheless.
"I promise I didn't do that I purpose, man. I thought you were asking for a smoke to chill out and relax. I mean, you're not the first Ministry worker I've lit up with and I doubt you'll be the last," she said with a simple shrug before assessing him. He'd never smoked before, ever, and so she supposed she was kind of his guide in a way. "It's different for everyone, but that type of strain's meant to make you mellow out and just... relax. You'll probably get the munchies at some point, or even fall asleep. It's pretty harmless stuff and now that you're not in public... well, you can't get into trouble in private from anyone."
Leaning back on her hands, Astrid hummed for a moment before saying, "By the by, I can decide what's a bad decision on my part. I don't think I'll regret being friends with you." If she did, it was easy enough to rectify - she'd just stop hanging out with him but she didn't foresee that happening unless he did some pretty bad to her. "I haven't got many friends anyway, only one grumpy Ministry guy and a few coworkers. Suppose that's what happens when you get involuntarily committed, then disappear for a few years." Losing her friends, almost all of them, had been rough but Astrid understood it... kind of. She supposed it was hard to know what to say to someone who'd had a breakdown of sorts.
Lief's eyes went wide at the mention of mushrooms. He'd already smoked pot. He didn't need to smoke mushrooms too. Was that even how mushrooms worked? Or...did you eat mushrooms? When she said she wouldn't give him any he nodded and said, "I think that would be best. Won't your friend be cross that I'm here? I mean...I don't think I'd particularly like a stranger in my house without knowing about it."
He looked dubious about her explanation of what to expect. Still, there wasn't anything he could do about it. He felt like a sailor moving into an oncoming storm. Leif didn't exactly like not feeling in control. "I'd like to take care of Thor before the effects...settle in. Do you think there's any tuna I could have here? And a washcloth and some mild soap. He's a bit of a mess and the alternative would be licking him clean and..." he started chucking at the thought. "Let's be honest that's just...that's just silly." As suddenly as he started laughing, he stopped, looking horrified. Was that drugs? He needed to take care of the kitten, and fast if that were the case.
"My only friends are my cats," Leif admitted sheepishly. "And there's a bookstore owner I'm...somewhat familiar with. He thinks my name is Liam, though...I haven't had the heart to tell him he's wrong and he's been calling me Liam for three years now and I just don't think it'd be polite at this point. I'm in too deep, but the alternative is going to a different book store and I don't want to do that. Not sure why I told you that..."
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Jan 11, 2020 1:38:10 GMT
"Man, I said I wouldn't give you any - chill out. That's, like, level two friendship shit. We're still at level one," Astrid teased, before he was asking if Zoe would be 'cross' that they were crashing here for a bit. The thought of the Australian woman with her hands planted on her hips, shouting at Astrid for daring to bring a stranger into her space, had her laughing at the absurdity of it. She... couldn't even imagine it, her friend was like... Astrid levels of cool with most things, not phased by much at all. "Nah, Zoe'd be sweet with it. She's the Head of Hufflepuff - kindred spirits, we are - and she'd understand why I had to help a guy in need. She's cool like that. 'Sides, I don't have a place of my own outside of Hogwarts yet and unless you wanted to meet my mormor - my grandma - or one of my other family members... it's probably the best place, yeah?" "You don't ask for much, do you?" she said, before climbing to her feet and waltzing into the kitchen. There, she started raiding the cupboards until she found a can of tuna which she pushed into his hands on the way to the bathroom. But then she was laughing so hard she nearly tripped over because Leif was talking about licking a cat clean and... well. "Are you used to licking -" She cut herself off before, okay, maybe not so appropriate to be asking the poor guy who'd probably spontaneously combust at the question. Oops. "I suggest not doing that, yes." Moving into the bathroom, she searched high and low until she found a washcloth and... a bottle of soap which she brought out to him, a bright smile unfolding on her face. "Ta-da. Show me your excellent cleaning skills."
"Oh, dude," Astrid said lowly, shaking her head at the admittance that Leif had just been going along with the guy calling him the wrong name for three years. "We need to get you some confidence and, like, stat because you can't just let people call you Liam." This time as Astrid sat back on the floor, she didn't stay on her bottom for long because she was moving to lay back, staring up at the ceiling. "We should go there one day and I'll call you Leif really loudly, man, and then you'll be sweet. He won't call you Liam again - or I can just tell him Liam's the English version of Leif and you're finally embracing your Scandinavian roots - a side effect of my awesome company, by the way."
Leif raised an eyebrow at the mention of levels. "There are...levels of friendship? Like...like a game? Or would it be more like a test? Oh god, I bet it's like a test! What happens if you fail the test? Is it a written exam or...wait a minute...I've never had to take a friend test. Oh god does that mean I've never had a friend? Do I get a chance to study first?" Leif didn't realize that the drugs were kicking in and had stolen the part of his brain that prevented him from saying everything that came to mind. It was going to be a mess.
Leif was still chuckling when Astrid made a quip about licking a different kind of cat and, somehow, he didn't seem phased by this. "I have, but I don't do it it without permission." He paused, realizing what he had just said and the horror was clear on his face. "I...I am so sorry." He fixed his face sternly into a blank expression as he started to clean Thor, occasionally cooing words of encouragement to the kitten.
Leif was on the ground and using a towel to dry Thor off and he shrugged. "I mean...Liam isn't a bad name. I wouldn't be opposed to this bloke actually knowing my name. It's just...he's so friendly so I'm in too deep. Plus I think I've always sort of embraced my viking-ness. Not that I've ever pillaged and raped. Most vikings were actually farmers, which most people tend to ignore. Not that I want to be a farmer. I can barely keep a house plant alive to be honest, though that's more the cats' fault. I got a fern once and the cats had ripped it apart in the space of a day."
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Jan 29, 2020 1:57:12 GMT
"Yeah, man. Of course there's levels that directly relate to drug use. Level one: smoking pot, level two: magic mushrooms. Who knows what level three and above hold, maybe it's totally wild," Astrid said before throwing her head back and laughing, braids swinging down the line of her back. "You can't fail - it's not an option. Once you're my friend, we're mated for life. It's a very serious matter." It was amusing, teasing Leif like this, but eventually she leaned forward to gently cup his elbow so she could look into his eyes with utter sincerity. "There's no test. Don't study. Just go with the flow. You'll do great."
The noise that escaped Astrid's throat next could only be described as a cackle because wasn't that fun to know. "Don't worry, I don't do it without permission either," she said with a wink, her hand knocking about in the air as though she was batting away his apologies. "You only need to apologise if you're, like... mediocre at it, and even then... there's always room to improve." Unlike Leif, she wasn't phased at all by this conversation. What was there to be embarrassed about? Having sex was natural if one chose to partake, and she didn't think there needed to be any shame linked to the act of enjoying each other's bodies and experiencing pleasure at all.
Astrid was assaulted with... a whole lot of information about Leif suddenly, and she blinked for a good few seconds before she said, "You just need the right kind of plant. A sturdy one... maybe away from the cats when you're at work. You'd be an excellent plant papa, that I'm sure of." She didn't actually have any evidence to back that up, but that didn't really matter, right? "So is that a no, we're not going to go chill at the bookstore?"
"So...it's like...being in a cult?" Leif asked before he seemed to drift back into himself, only for a moment. "Oh god. Not to say you're like...a cult leader...unless you are. That would be a bit...well, concerning. You don't seem like a cult leader. Bloody hell, what was in that cigarette? - joint? Is it just designed to make you stupid? Not to imply that you're stupid. To imply that I'm stupid."
"God, I hope I'm not bad at it," Leif said, forgetting himself again. "I mean...most blokes just assume they're good at it, but I think I'm too self conscious to be that self assured. Plus I'm afraid of the fact that women...fake it. Not that I blame them, mind you. That's more of a personal issue though."
Leif considered her offer for a moment before sitting on the ground and scratching Thor's chin. When the cat mewed, asking to be let go of him. He watched the kitten scamper off to explore and reached longingly out to the kitten. "Don't leave me little one," he begged, sounding entirely pathetic, which was fitting. "I don't want to go shopping right now. Can we eat chocolate? Or a cake? Or a chocolate cake? Taht would be beautiful like diamonds."
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Feb 11, 2020 10:37:04 GMT
Leif's next words literally had Astrid laughing aloud because, "If I were in a cult, it'd be one revolving around something much cooler than recreational drug use, and I definitely wouldn't be the leader. I get distracted and off-topic too easily, so I'm not a one goal in mind type of girl." The laughter definitely didn't disintegrate as Leif plodding on talking, and she shook her head. "It's a joint of pot, and I think you're just saying the thoughts that are, you usually on your mind but you don't voice for fear of sounding stupid. But, y'know, I kinda dig it if this is how your mind operates."
"See, that's the thing though. Women fake it because they're afraid of hurting men's feelings and really... that shouldn't be what they're worried about, you know? Like, women shouldn't be afraid to voice what they do and don't enjoy. They deserve to get something about of the experience too," Astrid said with a thoughtful hum, followed by a one-shouldered shrug.
"I didn't mean right now," Astrid replied, before pivoting herself around so she was able to plonk her head across Leif's lap. She was going to take the golden opportunity whilst it was presented itself. "Mmm, chocolate. Let's accio chocolate. Have you got your wand? Can you accio some out of the cupboards? I don't even know if there's some in there, but hey... worth a shot!"