One Million Reasons | OPEN

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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2019 15:31:42 GMT -5

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[attr="class","redqueen"]Just Give Me One
[attr="class","tweedles"]Nilla liked to think she's come a long way since her childhood, grown in more ways than just the physical. She was better about controlling her anger, or she thought so anyway, and she'd even been rational in her approach to starting her business--even if starting one in the first place was a little irrational. Being an amputee--not really, as she'd never had that part of her leg to begin with, but that's how people saw it--made her journey both easier and more difficult. Easier because there was a certain level of respect garnered when customers realize that she was as good as she was despite her 'disability', and more difficult for much the same reason. Some customers saw her missing leg as an obstacle that made her stronger, and therefore a better instructor, while others saw it and thought it made her weaker somehow. Honestly, Nilla didn't care either way, but one group paid her more money while the other didn't think she was worth it. It paid to know who belonged to which group, especially if she had any hope of actually opening a studio for self-defense instruction. Sometimes though, when she had to face down a client who respected what she had overcome but didn't respect her actual profession, someone who only thought paying her to teach their child some half-arsed variation of karate would get them brownie points among their other rich friends for being such a humanitarian to hire someone oppressed--those times she had to remember that everything would be worth it in the end.

Visiting Safe Harbour was one way for her to remember the reasons for doing what she did, especially when she felt like there were a million reasons to give up. Remembering everything she'd accomplished despite her rocky start made her feel like she could make it through this rough time a little longer, made her feel like she could accomplish what she set her mind to. She was doing it for kids just like her, the ones who grew up in tough situations and had to learn to make their own way, because she certainly wasn't going to have anything handed to her. If she made enough now, saved up enough to get a good client base and a record of higher payment, then she'd have the freedom to take on pro-bono clients who deserved the education she was offering.

She was watching the kids play, a faint smile on her face. "A million reasons right there," she sighed.

[attr="class","rabbit"]418 - @ OPEN - Outfit
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2019 21:29:38 GMT -5

Allisyn liked to help out where she could and that extended to helping at Safe Harbour when she could. Most of her days were spent at the academy but towards the afternoon and evenings when she wasn’t dining out with friends, she was at the orphanage helping out where she could. This involved helping the children there with their homework or with their reading, she didn’t mind any of that. She loved to spend her time there. If anything, it reminded her why she had studied education and had worked to become a teacher and now worked as a principal. It gave her so much joy that she could easily go harping on about it for hours but she almost always stopped herself before she went too far.

Allisyn had thought that every child regardless of their background or their family status deserved an education and she strived for that at Peverelle’s and she knew that not everyone at the orphanage would have that chance but they wouldn’t have the same drive or initiative that children living with their parents had. She had hoped to change that perception. It was not going to be an easy task but she was trying her best. Many orphans felt like they were abandoned and they didn’t deserve to be adopted, yet many of them were yearning for just that. If Allisyn was still married she was sure they would have discussed adopting. They had wanted a big family but their jobs had taken precedent and they eventually had drifted part and mistakes had happened that had resulted in their divorce.

She had moved past all that now but she couldn't help on reflecting on what could have been. She kept herself distracted plenty by coming here or spending it with her friends or fussing over Ellen or Lawrence. It meant she didn’t drown herself in too much of the past. It was the past for a reason after all.

The woman had come here after finishing her things at the school. She had brought along some books with her at the request of the house parents. It was a simple request and she saw no harm. She wasn’t depriving Peverell’s of their books. Allisyn had ordered extra last time and brought those with her today.

After she had finished reading to some of the younger girls she had let them colour in while she went to the bathroom. On her way back she ran into a young woman standing in the hallway. ”Hello there….” She greeted, seeing that none of the house parents were around. She turned her head to where the young woman was looking and too smiled, the kids seemed to be racing their cars and were very competitive at it
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2019 16:53:56 GMT -5

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[attr="class","redqueen"]I Only Need One
[attr="class","tweedles"]Starting a business from scratch when you had little more than the clothes on your back and a diploma from Hogwarts wasn't easy, and it certainly wasn't fun. Nilla knew she could live comfortably enough working like she was for the rest of her life, but it wasn't the life she wanted. She wanted to leave a legacy, to empower young people to find their strengths and build off them, to teach those that needed it how to defend themselves against those that wished them harm--be they friend, family, or foe. In order to do that, however, Nilla had to forgo most luxuries in order to save as much money as possible, allowing herself just a few small comforts each month in order to preserve her sanity, things like a meal from a restaurant or a new item of clothing outside of necessity. Although there was that one month where she was so busy with clients that she forgot about luxuries entirely. That was a good month for earnings, even if she'd been exhausted for the entire time. Still, another month like that wasn't something she'd turn her nose at, though it wasn't something she could endure more than once every so often. At this point, she was maybe halfway to her goal, too far to give up now.

What little money she had from her parents--two unknown entities, Nilla wasn't even sure if they were alive or dead--had been put away in a vault to accrue interest. An emergency fund, if you will. Nilla refused to use it to start her business. Not because she didn't want to, but it was a pride thing. It felt too much like taking the easy way out, even if she was sure her parents wouldn't begrudge her the use of it for such a thing. Well. Mostly sure. She'd want her own kids to use any money she left them for whatever they needed it for, and she assumed her own parents would feel the same, but how could Nilla really be sure without knowing them? It was a sore spot, to be sure.

Still, for all that Nilla missed the idea of what her parents may have been like, part of her knew they probably gave her up for a good reason. Hopefully. Whether because they didn't want her or because they couldn't keep her safe, there had to have been a good reason for them to leave her on the doorstep of an orphanage. Thinking about it only made her sad, though. "Oh! Hello!" she shook herself out of her maudlin thoughts. "Are you a volunteer here or...?"

[attr="class","rabbit"]437 - @allisyn - feeeels
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2019 20:14:02 GMT -5

With having no kids at home for most of the year, Allisyn was happy to take some time to spend it with the children at Safe Harbour. While this meant she was spending her whole day with children, the woman was hardly bothered by it. Since losing her magic, she had to find ways to occupy her time since she was unable to travel wherever she pleased, whenever she wanted to. But she was able to come here as she pleases and she was welcome here. Allisyn knew it was her position as the principal of Peverell’s that helped her get where she was. She simply loved being around children and it made her reflect on when her own children were little.

Juliet still needed her mum for some things but for the most part, the teen was very independent and Allisyn looked forward to having her youngest home. Coming here to Safe Harbour meant that she was able to help with homework or to just listen to the stories of the children. The woman was aware that some of the stories may not be the nicest stories as Orphans sometimes had the very sad backstories but the woman was not there to judge. Sometimes children only needed an ear and she was happy to provide that.

She was encouraged to learn that the children here did take part in activities that were outside of school work. It meant they had a rounded upbringing like other children. Orphans at times did feel like outsiders so them being able to partake in extracurricular activities brought them more in line with other children.

The woman smiled at the younger lady and nodded in reply to her questions. ”Yes, I’m a volunteer here, I’m Allisyn Oneil. Normally I’m the principal of Peverell’s Academy but some evenings I’m here to help the children with homework.” she smiled, as she looked over the younger woman, trying to work out why she was here but she could supply the answer herself.

”Would you like to meet the children while you wait for one of the house parents to arrive?” She had no idea where either of them was but meeting the residents of the orphanage would definitely help the time pass.

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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2019 11:40:38 GMT -5

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[attr="class","redqueen"]One in a Million
[attr="class","tweedles"]Safe Harbour would always feel like home, in a way, because Nilla had spent so much of her life outside Hogwarts here. Now that she was on her own, living in her tiny flat with only the bare minimum of necessities for furniture and appliances, it felt...lonely. She was so accustomed to the constant hum of chatter and activity from living with group of people, even the soft susurrus of her roommates breathing had been comforting, in a way. Without those sounds, Nilla had a difficult time adjusting to life on her own, mainly in falling asleep, but that affected the other areas of her life in turn. Eventually, she had caved in and bought a radio that played ambient sounds for her monthly splurge, and ever since she's had minimal issue falling asleep alone. Now, the nightmares were a different story, because those had plagued her regardless of where she slept or who with, but she could admit that they had become a bit more frequent since she began living on her own. In those cases, Nilla liked to keep a few Dreamless Sleep potions around when she could afford it, and she used them sparingly even then. Not many understood why she lived like she did when she made as much as she made, but if she had any hope of starting a lasting business, she needed to take her time to build a solid client-base and a reputation for fair prices and the only way to get a proper place to host that business was to save as much as she could as fast as she could for a down-payment. Her youth was not in her favor where that was concerned, because few banks liked giving loans out to someone so young and inexperienced, but Nilla was more than prepared to fight for what she wanted.

The invitation to meet a few of the kids took her by surprise a bit, because there were more than a few familiar faces among the crowd of children playing. "Oh, I'm alright, thank you though," she declined with a small laugh. "I used to be one of them, not so long ago, and as sad as it is, there are still a few familiar faces here. More than I hoped there would be." Adopting older children wasn't something that happened very often, Nilla knew, but she had hoped a few brave souls might be drawn to the task. Merlin knows she would have given anything to find a family that would keep her. "I'm Vanilla Thompson, but everyone calls me Nilla."

[attr="class","rabbit"]431 - @allisyn - Ayyyyy
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2019 16:51:15 GMT -5

Allisyn had never felt obliged to come here just because she so happened to be a school principal. She did so because she knew she wanted to help people and this was one way she was able to do that with the children who lived here. She didn’t look down on them because they were orphans but it broke her heart to think they may have been placed here by choice of their parents or they may have lost their parents. But she knew the last thing the children wanted was sympathy. They wanted to be loved and to be shown compassion and to be given a chance. That was why Allisyn was here. She was here to give them that.

Helping them with their homework was not the biggest of gestures but she knew that even the smallest bit of assistance would even make them happy. It would make them feel like their peers who had parents at home who would help them with their homework. She enjoyed spending them with the children here and listening to their stories. It brought back memories of her own children when they were younger. Now they were all off making their own way in the world.

Allisyn was proud of her children and all they had achieved. She tried to give them their own space, it was much easier said than done though. However, being here meant she was trying to give her three their space. She wasn’t at Ellen or Lawrence’s flats making sure they ate properly or that they kept their homes neat. She had tried to teach them to look after themselves when they were growing up and now it was up to them to put all they had learned into practice.

Her youngest was still at Hogwarts and she was glad that Juliet had not fallen sick, it would make her worry more with being so far away from her and not being able to look after her. But she was well and was enjoying herself at school. It was one less worry for Allisyn for the most part, she hoped her daughter was eating well and keeping on top of her school work

She smiled and nodded at the younger woman. So she had been here herself once, it was also good to see happy stories come out of children who had been in orphanages when they were younger. Allisyn realised what she meant when she said she recognised some of the children here. Older children were less likely to be adopted. There was nothing wrong with them, most people just went for babies or toddlers. ”Nice to meet you Nilla, I’m Allisyn O’Neil, I’m the principal at Peverell’s, I’m here helping the kids with their homework, what brings you here?”