A Fine Day (Ashleigh)

[Carman Jones]

Ipswich Academy was unlike any other school in the area. The muggles merely saw it as one of the most pristine schools in the state; one that was far too expensive for their very small wallets. But the students that did go there were fortunate, indeed. Well at least in the eyes of the muggles. For this wasn't a school full of stuck up prissy kids who thought themselves above the rest of the people in the state. This was a magical school. This is what the muggles didn't see.

But school was school and this one was just like the rest: It still had classes. Carman sat on a bench in the sun out in the small courtyard adjacent to the Conally Wing. It was a peaceful place that was rarely visited and was, thus, a good study place. On her lap was her Astronomy book opened in the middle and her crystal blue eyes scanned it avidly. Her OWLs were that year and she couldn't believe they were this close. She was wondering if she'd have enough time to study enough for them, let alone pass them.

Sure she paid attention in class but there were those times she skipped studying for that test to practice with her father. Carman assumed he suspected something but apparently had some confidence in his daughter that none other saw. She was dedicated to only a few things: Her battle experience and school. In that order. A sound nearby shocked her from her concentration, making her jump slightly, and she looked around for the source of the disturbance.

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[Ashleigh Jennings]

For six years now, Ashleigh has walked the grounds of Ipswich Academy, with a proud smile on her face, as if it was some big accomplishment. She knew that it really wasn't that big of a deal, but to be in a school, where something as simple as magic was explained was much more then she could have ever wanted as a child. The things your parent's told you about, but you never quite believed them. Well, those dreams that were dreampt when you were a child, slowly had a way of becoming reality here at Ipswich, and Ash loved it.

Of course, she was sent to the house of Black, not that she minded, she always had that will of wit about her, and given her mother went to the very same skill and was sorted in the very same house, it came to her with no surprise. Especially since today someone could see Ash walking through the courtyard, her nose clearly marked in a book, as she walked a shy stride. Now normally, for someone with grace, this would be an easy thing to do, since the land stayed unchanged for the six years Ashleigh attended, but Ash had no grace, therefore she shouldn't have been trying to multitask, especially if it meant not watching where she was going.

So when she walked into a bench, toppled over, slammed to the ground, it didn't come as much of a surprise, as it would to some. So sprawled on the ground was a girl of sixteen, a small smile laced on her lips, as she looked around for anyone who could have caught that fatal mistake. It was then that her bright green eyes landed on another soul. A girl who looked around the same age, though she couldn't have been in the same year, because Ash knew a majority of her class. Forcing herself to stand up, she rubbed her backside, before looking to the girl, "I suppose that will leave a bruise, aye?"

Her eyes rolled softly as she moved forward a little bit, to pick up her bag and books that were scattered on the ground from the fall. "Sadly, this happens a lot, falling I mean. Well usually not over large objects, but ones that go unnoticed," she shook her head slightly as she talked, "Anyway, I'm sorry if I disturbed you, it truly wasn't intentional." Her words, polite, unlike how her brother would have handled the situation, "I'm Ashleigh, by the way."

[Carman Jones]

Of all the things that someone could have tripped over, the last thing anyone would have expected was a bench in plain daylight. Now if it was some dark dungeon where the lights were skim to none and there were things littered all over the place then, yeah, one might believe that a person could trip over a large bench. But, alas, it wasn't a dark dungeon. Far from it, indeed.

But what she saw, though it was kind of sad, almost made her double over with laughter. It started out with a small snicker, a twinkle of amusement in her eye. She knew it was wrong to laugh at a person who might have just gotten injured but she just couldn't help it! Finally she burst out in a hearty laugh that made her loose grip on her Astronomy book, causing it to fall to the ground with the pages bent and folded haphazardly against the pavement at her feet. This only served to make her laugh harder.

"Yeah I bet that'll bruise," she giggled and tried to stop her laughing at the poor girl. "I'm sorry but that was just way too priceless. Are-" she laughed a little more before continuing, "Are you alright? That must have been quite the fall." Still giggling, Carman picked her own book up and set it on the bench next to her before getting up and walking towards the girl who introduced herself as Ashleigh. "Pleased to meet you," she replied to her, wiping a tear from her eye. "I'm Carman. Pleased to meet you."

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[Ashleigh Jennings]

It was probably a sad sight, to see someone trip in daylight, over something that was quite large, and Ash knew that if she was the girl, she too would have laughed. Maybe that was why Ashleigh gave a small giggle as well, because moments like these were priceless, and so unexpected. Well, usually Ash was tripping over things, but to another eye, an eye of someone who was more or less normal, the incident would call for more then enough pure hysterical laughter.

Ash also figured that normal girl's faces would flush with color, to show embarrassment, but Ash was far from a normal teenage witch, so she gave a small smile as the girls book fell to the ground. For a Black house member, Ash was rather reckless, and unintelligent, and that itself was something to laugh at. How she ended up in the house was something she would never know. So as the girl continued to laugh, Ash stood patiently, small soft chuckles leaving her lips as well, before she finally heard the other girl's voice.

She rubbed her backside once more, and although it wasn't in pain as of now, she knew by tomorrow morning it would feel like it was breaking. "Don't sweat it, any average person would laugh," her words pronounced, as a smirk fell to her lips, she ran a hand through her brown locks, before she finished with, "It's not everyday someone trips over a bench." Then concern was voiced in the girls words, though laughter could be found as well, "Oh yeah, I'm fantastic, I just fell over a bench, but oh you know, something like this really brightens up you day," the words were spoken with sarcasm.

"But, no I'll be fine. I mean, I trip quite a bit, like I said before, so I'm sure the next time you see me I'll be falling over something much bigger," she rolled her eyes, somehow wishing the words were false, but deep down Ash knew she was probably right. She snickered slightly as the girl wiped her eyes from tears of laughter, "Well it's nice to meet you as well, I wish they were under better circumstances," she mumbled the last part softly, before brightening back up to say, "but I'm glad to have entertained you, and taken you a way from your studies." Ash gave a hesitant grin, before shrugging and looking toward the book that sat on the bench not too far off, "What were you studying, if you don't mind the curiousity?"

[Carman Jones]

As the laughter died down, a small twinge of guilt rose up. She just laughed at a girl's misfortune right in front of her face. Though the girl was right, any normal person would have burst out into laughter and wouldn't have stopped for a good hour. After all it wasn't every day that someone falls face first over a bench that was right in front of their face.

But then again she wasn't one of the normal kids that attended Ipswich Academy either. Though she was normal in the fact that she was a witch, she was kind of an outcast for the fact that she used muggle fighting along with wands. Her daggers were her prized possessions and she knew and mastered some of the more pristine muggle arts. Karate and Tai Jutsu were only a couple of the ones she knew. But very few people knew that about her unless they saw her train or in battle. Needless to say she was quite the effect on the battle field.

Carman chuckled, "Well it wouldn't be very smart to go running into something larger than yourself. Last I heard inanimate objects usually won in a state of impact with a living thing. But that was only the last time I heard. Might've changed." She shrugged as if to say it wasn't a pressing matter but that it was an interesting one. "Oh, Astronomy," she replied, scrunching her nose at the thought. "OWLs are this year and I'm nowhere near ready." Carman looked back at her book on the bench and sighed. "I'll probably be able to pass Defence but that's pretty much it. Sadly enough."

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[Ashleigh Jennings]

Ash was glad that the laughter slowly died down, but as she grew older, she was more than less, accustomed to the laughter. Everyone did it, didn't they? So it didn't hurt her, nor bother her, sure it got on her nerves when it reached a certain point of insanity, but most times it hardly ever reached such a point. Besides, Ashleigh was sure her presence was quite entertaining to those who have yet to experience it, after a while, it sort of grew old.

Despite her being a witch, she took on many of the muggle traits, ones she took from her mother's side. Of course her blood was pure, both her parent's held wizarding background, but that didn't mean they weren't adapt to the world in ways muggles were. In fact Ash found herself apart of muggle productions more then those of wizards for the mere fact that her parents liked them. Normally this wasn't odd, if one of your parents were muggle. Then again Ash didn't mind, she picked up many traits, habits from them, that she normally wouldn't have. Little did Ash know, that Carman to had traits muggles were accustomed with.

"Oh, no, you're quite right, they do usually win the impact battle. Though me being myself, I like to think I scared it off, I mean, I sure wasn't going to back down, I have far to much pride to do such a thing," she said with a chuckle as she looked back to the bench that had in fact sat unmoving since Ash and its run in. Shaking her head softly at the bench her eyes fell back to Carman. "Ew, OWL's horrible little suckers, I must admit" she paused slightly as she thought back to hers, "Well it came quite naturally to me, but I did study and cram a lot, that might be why. Though it feels great to have a clean go this year, nothing to worry about yet. You should know that the exams are looked down upon as if it's death. Truthfully they aren't that bad."

She bit her bottom lip hesitantly, hoping she wasn't pushing the girls buttons. The last thing she wanted was for Carman to be upset or feel as if Ash was bragging, for in fact she wasn't, she was just glad to have them over and done with. "But really, I'm sure you'll get them just fine. Defense was pretty nice, though I'm not sure how much it'll be changed on this exam. Astronomy wasn't that hard either," she thought about the last statement, and smiled slightly, if there was one thing that Ash loved, more then anything, it was the stars, and well, maybe she'd be able to help the girl sometime. "You should really study astronomy at night, I mean that's what I did it was always easier to relate when it's above you," her words given with a smile, debating on whether offing her help would justify as a good thing, or play out as a bad.