it's not so sunny through the rose tinted glasses (BRYCE)

[Karina Bass]

Karina was beyond excited as she Apparated outside the return address Bryce had so kindly put on his last letter, despite them using owls. Of course, it had been for their own benefit, since she'd never have known where to show up and it helped to know of an exact location because even after six months of obtaining her license (with one failure which she pretends didn't exist) she still found it an unsteady means of travel. Regardless, she was here to meet him. It had only been a week or two since school closed for the holidays, and already she was on an outing. She usually saved this time to spend with her family. But she didn't find any regret as she walked up to the main door of the house and knocked once. As enthusiastic as she was, her upbringing was deeper engrained than that.

Taking a step back, she smoothed down the top she'd put on and waited. Bryce was somebody she was looking forward to seeing since she'd waved him goodbye at the train station. Having started talking to each other only at the beginning of the previous term, she already felt as close to him as she did to her other friends. In fact, she enjoyed being around more than she did running around the corridors, in search for new people to talk to. Tucking a stray lock of hair back, she automatically grinned as she heard footsteps on the other side of the door.

The moment it opened, she exclaimed, "Tada! Here I am!" in a loud voice and then, instinctively, threw her arms around him in a hug. "Can you believe that? I'm finally seeing your house. This is so exciting."

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((outfit))

[Bryce Towler]

Karina Bass. That pretty much summed up how Bryce was feeling at that moment, just that name. Since he boarded the train home from Hogwarts, he knew that somehow he would see her before school started up again all the way in September. That was too long of a wait. True, they had only begun really talking at the beginning of the term, but already he loved just being around her, something Ainsley loved to point out. They had always been in the same house but as she was one year above him, they had never really talked that much until just now. Not that he minded that at all. She was..fantastic. So when he got home, it only took him a week before he was already inviting her over, putting a return address on his letters.

He quickly puled a shirt over his head, smoothing it down before quickly running a hand through his dark locks, the complete opposite of his brothers blond hair. Fritz was out...doing whatever Fritz did in the middle of the day. He was probably passed out on his bed from last night, but he couldn't be to sure. To check, Bryce would have to walk all the way upstairs and frankly that was too much of an effort. He could try shouting his name, but the odds of Fritz waking up were slim to none. But his mind wasn't on that of his sock clad feet glided over the wooden panel as a knock filled the house. A wide smile filled his lips before his hand reached the doorknob.

A mock face of surprise filled Bryce's features when the sight of Karina Bass filled his vision. "So, you did make it?" he asked, teasingly in surprise. "I'm in shock, really," he teased before he wrapped his arms tightly around her, a small laugh leaving him. He happened to notice not only how great she looked but her hair smelled amazing as well. Once he dropped his arms from around her, he stepped back to let her into the house, an arm waving her forward. "By all means, welcome to the Towler residence. We believe in keeping it clean...or stuffing everything out into closets and rooms no one goes in.So, I wouldn't open any closet doors you see," he chuckled, shutting the door behind them. "I'm not sure if Fritz is here, checking meant fighting my way into his room and that's just too much work, so we'll just avoid it...Or I could owl him," he said, the last part causing his lips to twitch into a smirk. "So how've you been, Karina? How's summer faring?"

[Karina Bass]

"Of course I did, you idiot. Why wouldn't I?" she laughed, shaking her head at the absurd thought. She always made it a point to get to her commitments and meet up with whichever friend she could. If she knew from the start that there's a one percent chance she might not make it somewhere, she never even bothered saying yes to somebody for a meeting. It was something her parents had taught her well - be late if you absolutely must, but don't ever absent yourself unless it outweighs importance. So far, she'd never been faced with a real emergency (except that time she'd been getting ready to go to Danni's house and she'd found out her uncle had died, so she'd cancelled) so she'd never cancelled. Unlinking her arms from around Bryce, she smiled at him again before entering the house.

"That sounds nice," Karina giggled. "It's a very excellent housekeeping strategy, one I employ myself when I stay in the dormitories. Somehow, I have an easier time remembering where I've tossed stuff instead of where I've arranged it. " She raised her eyebrow at his words and then cheekily pretended to twist the doorknobs on one of the doors they passed. She didn't actually open it; she had better manners than that. But she did wink at him. "I make no promises, Mr. Towler. I'm known to be extremely curious and the kind of girl who will ransack your house before you even know it."

"Owl your own brother. Very creative, but no, don't bother. Let's just not know if he's around - the suspense makes it interesting." Twirling one strand of hair with her fingers, she eyed the house with much curiosity and interest. She absolutely loved going to new places and exploring people's homes. As creepy as it sounded, she simply felt honored every time anybody felt they could trust her enough to let roam the halls of their safe place. She tried to imagine a young Bryce waddling through these halls, still unsteady on his feet as he learned to walk; him running around with happiness as his acceptance Owl arrived; perhaps bringing another girl to show her the place; the number of times he put up Christmas lights to celebrate his birthday along with it. Pulling away from her dreaming, she turned to him. "It's been brilliant, except I may have got a little bored. It's a little sad, really. What about you?"