Inner Peace and Owl Supply Shopping

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YiXue had admittedly been a bit stressed with the school shopping rush. It was difficult to find some books and even more difficult to find certain supplies. Part of her wanted to just give up and scream...

But that was not the Zhang way, and her parents would not be very proud of her if she broke down over something as trivial as Hogwarts prep. So, before she entered the Emporium to pick up some supplies for her elf owl Zen, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Calm down, YiXue," she said. "Your inner-witch is restless. Let her rest... let her rest. Just find your happy place. Pretty mountains... nice, cool streams, fragrant flowers... all you can eat chicken wings. There... your happy place is found." YiXue then took a deep breath, opened her eyes and smiled. "There, that's better."

She then stepped in and was happy to find there was plenty of owl items and food left for her to buy. That was a nice change of luck.

"See, when you seek positivity, YiXue, positivity finds you," she said. "Now to shop for your precious Zen." YiXue headed over to the food section and began there.

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Shen was in Diagon with his family when his little sister decided she wanted to be the one to buy the owl treats. Grinning, his father had told him to come into the store and get them and she should take Shen with her for proof she did it herself. The serious eleven year old nodded and went and caught Shen's hand pulling him along by leaning into the direction she wanted to go. "Da-Xia, do not appear so hasty it is bad fortune to rush all the time!" It was said in Cantonese, but he knew she had heard him. She slowed down her pull but still pull and Shen walked along with his little sister shaking his head.

As they entered the store, she stopped to ask him where they were. letting him lead, he led her around the counters till they got to the set of shelves with treats on them. "Which ones should I choose?" He smirked only a moment before he said "Well, think like an owl. They are predators," he said, seeing a face he remembered seeing in the dorm before and waving as he saw her coming closer. YiXue was a very pretty young woman from the next year, but all Hufflepuffs were family. he figured if he was to meet a girl someday who liked him it would happen when it was supposed to so no reason to chase after it.

After all, that was how his parents had found each other.

"Yes. Does that mean they sell mice here for them?" Shen nodded and made a face over his little sister's head as he reached out to point something else out on the label. "Yes but if you look here you can see there is mice in the ingredients. But think more of our own owl Zi-dee. Is she a forest or field hunter?" "Um...field?" he nodded and applauded softly for her. "Very good, Da-Xia! So, which of the one on this shelf are found in fields?" As his little sister searched he turned and smiled a greeting at the older girl. "Hi there, have a good summer?"

@yixue

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YiXue was looking over the selection of owl food, wondering if she should stick with the usual brand or try this "fantastic" new brand that they were advertising. She almost went for it, then thought that the ad seemed a bit too boastful and the company who made it might have been full of themselves. Plus, her usual brand was a little less expensive and reliable.

"What does your inner-you tell you, YiXue?" she said, closing in her eyes. "The stuff that hasn't killed your owl so far or the stuff that stuff that the advertisers are making out to be Merlin's gift to owls. Focus and make the wise choi... AAAAH!"

YiXue was startled when she heard the voice say hello. She turned and smiled though when she saw it was Shen. She gave him a big hug, the fact that he startled her no longer being an issue.

"Hey buddy!" she said. "Er... I mean hello mate of the mortal plain. My summer's been enlightening with the meditation retreat and all. How about yours? I trust it has been fulfilling. Shopping for the family owl I see." YiXue then smiled and waved at Shen's sister. "She's just adorable."

@shava44

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He grinned at her with a slight blush when she hugged him; he could not help his reactions as a male of the right age, but he really did try not to make others uncomfortable. "AH, it's no problem. Buddy works just fine," he said feeling a tug on his sleeve. "It's been a good summer, hang on Da-Xing just a moment," he said to his sister before adding "I'm looking forward to classes again though." He certainly did not mean to avoid family, but at the moment he looked slightly pestered.

"Yes?" he said to his little sister. "These two. But this one also has a grey label. Does that mean it's a field creature too?" He nodded, grinning as he affectionately ruffled her hair getting a grin in return; she had been nervous about the stranger, but relaxed completely now. "Very good! And yes it is, so I would suggest you look at buying one of these three definitely." He glanced back at his housemate with a sheepish shrug.

As his little sister moved back to her very important decision he said "She is, she just starts this year and she is all nervous. Dad is letting her choose the treats and suddenly it's the most important thing of the morning." He grinned and then asked her "So, a meditation retreat? I bet that was interesting. Did you learn a lot?"

@yixue

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YiXue chuckled at the buddy line.

"Okay, buddy it is," she said. "Sorry, we call each other mates of the mortal plain at the retreat, so it's a hard habit to break when I come back home. And I agree, I look forward to having my mind enhanced with magical knowledge... though I am so glad I don't have to take History of Magic this term. I know it's important, but I could really get into it. Know what I mean?"

YiXue smiled at the exchange between Shen and his cutie pie sister. She then nodded as Shen spoke of her being nervous about starting Hogwarts this year.

"Well, with any luck, she'll be sorted into Hufflepuff and we can help her along," said YiXue. "I think I'm going to go with the brand I know for Zen. This new brand seems waaaay to overrated."

YiXue then nodded about the retreat.

"Oh, it's so amazing and time there just changes you- physically, mentally, emotionally," she said. "You should come with me one year. My parents would just adore you." YiXue herself has noticed how handsome Shen had gotten. Yes he was a year below her, but that didn't mean that she couldn't find him attractive, or even date him if their friendship began to become something more.

@shava44

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'Mates of the mortal plain?' That was more then a bit wordy. "Hmm, a bit of a mouthful certainly. Maybe some word that fits in the mouth easier? Something more soft, a bit compact, and grounded that means something similar would work better. I know half the time I come out of a meditation I always have trouble speaking for a bit, trying to hold onto the feeling." Something Indian-like he suspected, but he didn't know that language all that well. She spoke about the difficulty of the History class and he nodded slightly with a thoughtful smile.

"I guess my issue is I find it good to understand where we came from, but it could be taught in a much more interesting manner. And not need memorizing I think so much." Then again Shen didn't have quite as much trouble with it as some did, but it was far from a favorite class. He watched his sister go to pay, very carefully counting her coins in her hand and biting her lip. He spoke to his friend from the side of his face as he did so, a look of protectiveness towards his little sister. "We will see. Were we ever that small? She seems too young to be coming along..."

A glance at the one she chose and he nodded; of course it depended on what her owl liked really.

"You should let me be there to watch. I have a way with animals. Zi-dee is picky about things outside of her normal food groups. My father's owl Zai loves to try new things and expand his experiences. Zi-dee is a lot less interested in newer things, but she is also very young still. Does yours care much for newer experiences?" Shen knew animals tended to 'tell' him more then most people, or maybe he had just learned how to read their body language better. Who cared about the difference, the animals certainly did not.

"Oh? that would be interesting, I've never gone to a class with it." His face brightened at her as he looked directly to her face. "Oh really? I would like that." Maybe a touch of blush in his cheeks; would they be near her parents place during the retreat?. "You will have to tell me about them first so I know what I'm walking into. But yes! When is the next one?"

@yixue

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That was another cool thing about Shen. He loved meditation too. Handsome, smart, sweet, and he loved meditation. No wonder YiXue fancied the boy so much.

"I enjoy saying it, don't get me wrong," she said. "But I still think 'buddy' is more appropriate for my good mates like you."

YiXue nodded about the History of Magic thing.

"Oh I agree one hundred percent!" she said. "I mean there's some fantastic things to learn in there, which makes me want to enjoy it, but... total snoozefest sometimes. And I hate remember dates too. I mean, our history goes back thousands of years. That's a lot of dates!"

YiXue then sighed when Shen asked if they were ever that small.

"I remember my First Year here," she said. "I just walked around for the first week with my mouth gaping open getting used to everything."

YiXue shrugged about Zen caring for new experiences.

"I'm not really sure," she said. "He seems to like the food I buy him. Maybe it's more me. I don't want to risk making him sick and all that. I love the little guy. He's like my bird soul mate or something."

YiXue was pleased that Shen was interested in going, even blushing herself a bit.

"Oh there's not much to tell," she said. "They moved here from China a few years before I was born, opened the Retreat, and have divided time between Home Life and that, given membership payments for the Retreat is their income.." She then whispered to him, "But they let me bring my mates for free as long as I only bring one or two at a time." She then spoke at normal volume again. "The Retreat is open all year around, but I only go when I'm home. So maybe Christmas Holidays?"

@shava44

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He actually glanced at her again when she mentioned good buddies. Maybe a little skip of a heartbeat; so there was more then he had thought might be possible? A certain odd feeling ran through him at that, not sure what to say next to that. He had always seen a division between years in some way even if slight in Hufflepuff, but 'buddies' sounded more then just friends in her mouth. He said the word softly to himself liking the sound she had given it and was distracted by his little sister coming running back over shouting "I DID IT SHEN!! Look!" She proudly displayed the can at the same time Shen saw one of his older sister's poke her head in and glance around.

"Great! hey! There's Qi! Go show her!" he said pointing and giving Qi a look which said 'please please can you take her?' and as his little sister turned and saw Qi, he saw Qi's eyes go to his friend with a raised eyebrow which said he would be asked later. However, her enthusiasm was unfeigned at the excited display of the can of treats. Shen turned back to YiXue with a relieved look saying "Sorry about that, she's cute but she has no barriers either." 'Our' history meant more then just a few things to Shen but he grinned and nodded. "Yes the dates doesn't make sense at all. It would be better to just look up dates as needed to keep things in order."

A rueful look as he remembered his first year.

"Ah yeah, I had a hard time with that too. It always seemed like school would last a lifetime back then,now I can see an end in the future and I find myself not liking the concept that all this could end." Time was...evil in it's own way, but a glance back at her face as his two sisters exited the shop told him there might be a chance of some compensations. Looking more interested as she mentioned the owl again he nodded. "Remind me to have a talk with him when we get back. I might be able to help you learn something more from him then." He would be happy to have an excuse to hang out with her more and if it helped her too, then that would be even better right?

And never had a girl's blush seemed so interesting to him before. Another skip.

Surprised however at hearing her parents actually ran it his eyes widened. "Oh really? Your family runs it?" Oh this was very good news! His hands got a bit sweaty oddly enough as he said "That's great news, YiXue, what a nice thing! Sure I would love to go at Christmas, we don't do much during that time anyway at home." He could only imagine embarrassing questions he would get back from his mother. For once he might have trouble keeping his mind clear of distractions. "Have you had many friends interested in meditation?"

@yixue

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YiXue glowed at the positive energy coming from Shen's sister. She missed having such energy.

"It's fine," she said. "I just know I'm going to love her at Hogwarts."

YiXue then nodded about the dates.

"I agree again," she said. "You and I are definitely on the same page about a lot of things. Great Puff minds think alike!" She then offered him a high-five.

YiXue sadly had to agree with the next part as well.

"I know what you mean," she sighed. "Two years for me. I'm not sure what I plan to do after I graduate. I can always help with the Retreat and all I guess, but I kind of want to start my own center for magical enlightenment."

YiXue nodded and smiled when Shen offered to talk to Zen.

"Sure, but you can chat with him at Hogwarts," she said. "Zen's my personal owl and I'm bringing him with me as usual."

YiXue beamed when Shen said he'd love to come to the retreat over Christmas.

"Great!" she said. "Oh you'll love it!" She then shrugged when he asked about her having other meditating friends. "I've helped some people here and there, but a lot of times they don't stick with it. But what can you do, right?"

@shava44

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Watching her run to his sister, Shen chuckled. "I almost worry about her showing up in Hufflepuff. I may get woken up early a lot by someone with questions about everything," he smiled remembering the many early morning launched tackle/hugs. What was it people called those things? Oh yes. "Every few mornings I still get 'glomped' by her when she forgets to look first before jumping on the bed." He turned back in time to get eh high five with his own, smiling broadly. The fact a woman a year ahead of him thought he was on the ball was a very good feeling.

Nodding at her words he looked perplexed for a moment.

"I'm not sure I can decide yet. As much as I do well with creatures, I think I'd rather that be with my own pets. Everyone uses charms too. I may try to find a teacher in Feng Shui and see if I can do that the most. " he did find that very interesting, and he maybe could teach Tai Chi on the side? Neither was really magic so much as past magic in a way, a different way of seeing magic, but he had a while to choose still. Something else (or someone) might have some effect on his future still. "After all, that works in either world, muggle and wizard."

Being given permission to spend some time with her owl also made him smile. Seeing her excitement about his visit he held up a hand as he grinned. "I still need to ask my dad, but I don't think he will have any problem with it. I'll need to spend a few days at home though, probably near the beginning first to see my family first." Leaving him more time around her near the end of break. And oh did he understand about people not sticking with things! "Often there is nothing you can do for that. Meditation is attractive to some and not others, but staying power is something a lot of people do not have. If it doesn't become a habit however they may pick it back up again one day in the future."

@yixue

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YiXue laughed at the idea of Shen being woken up by his sister in his dorm.

"Well, she won't make a habit of it if she gets in trouble for wandering into the male dorms," she said. "I'm sure she'll not bother you as much once she makes friends there. And you know how easy it is for Puffs to make friends. I liked you the first time I talked to you."

YiXue smiled and nodded concerning his plan.

"Sounds like you have a lot of good options," she said. "And you have three years to work it out, so don't worry about it."

YiXue seemed cool with Shen wanting to see his family a bit first. She was big on family too, so she understood perfectly.

"That's totally okay!" she said. "Just let me know when and we'll get you set up. The Retreat's not too far from where you and I live anyway."

YiXue liked the way Shen explained how meditation worked for some and not for others. The boy was so brilliant, she wondered why he hadn't been placed in Ravenclaw. She was glad he was in Hufflepuff though. Seeing his handsome face in the Common Room made her day.

"That was very well said," she told Shen. "I'm glad you're into it though, seeing I just like being around you in general." She then had an idea. "Hey, let's buy our stuff and go get lunch. I'm pretty hungry."

@shava44

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Shaking his head he sighed then turned back to her giving her his full attention knowing his sisters would be safe enough. "Oh ha, she would never see a problem with coming in to wake up her brother, that is what I am afraid of. I think she blatantly ignores privacy for her own advantage." He grinned and blushed slightly at other thoughts before he answered he part as well. "And I you. You impressed me from day one." Maybe it was a bit too direct, but he wasn't one to hide what he knew was true.

He was no Ryan who hid his feelings in case someone got hurt.

As they spoke about the future he nodded, wondering how things would actually play out. "There are a lot of things which will influence that in the next three too I am sure from people to situations. I think it is always important to remain flexible for those surprise opportunities." Such as having a girlfriend and learning new things. The reminder that they lived not far from each other also got a smile out of him. "Just a few days, When mother finds out where I am going she will grill me on the details."

The biggest 'detail' being right in front of him. He tried to carefully grab the back of his jeans to wipe his hands off to prevent the clamminess from staying around from nerves. His face definitely blushed at the compliment, but mostly because she said it not another. "Thanks! Your opinion means a lot! I'm glad we have something in common to talk about too, besides our heritage." A glance at the shelves and he motioned for her to lead. "Go right ahead, I was here mostly for her. While you check out I'll run tell my father what's happening and meet you at the door, okay?"

Limping quickly to the door, he stepped out in the street, saw his sister and headed for the group, pulling his father aside and whispering frantically about time. A wise look, some very knowledgeable eyes, and a nod gave him permission. Of course the story would spread before he returned he was sure, but he would deal with that later. Hurrying back to the store, he was within sight easily when she came out and waved as he limped closer. It was in times of hurry he regretted his leg the most, but could deal with it. "Everything is good! Where would you like to go?"

@yixue

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YiXue blushed when Shen said she impressed him from day one. He was so adorable to her at first, but now she saw this handsome, mature young man in front of her, and every time he complimented her, there were butterflies in her stomach.

"Thanks," she said. "And I'll try to keep your sister on her side of the dorms."

As Shen spoke of the opportunities that might come in his three years, she realized that after she graduated, he would have an entire year of Hogwarts left. She frowned a bit at that.

"You know I'm going to miss you your last year," she said. "But there's always sending owls and hanging out during the Holidays. You've really made Hogwarts memorable for me." She couldn't help herself and drew in and kissed him on the cheek.

She beamed when he agreed to go to lunch with her, but she felt bad when he rushed about. She knew it was tougher for him to get around like that than others. When he was heading out, she quickly stepped over to him, holding the bag with her owl food in it.

"Hey, take it easy," she said softly. "I'm in no hurry. I think a nice, easy walk with you to the Leaky Cauldron would be wonderful." She then offered her hand for him to hold. They were good mates. Why not hold hands?

@shava44

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When she blushed at his compliment, he determined to do more then that later. Just because. Chuckling he said "That would be appreciated. Every little bit helps." When she spoke about his last year he nearly hurried to reassure her. "We can meet on weekends too! And the Owl--" He dropped off mid sentence as she kissed him, eyes wide. One hand came up to touch his cheeks as he turned bright red, a crimson color he had never had on his face before, but his smile was wide as he stared at her. "Uh...I'm positive the next two will make up for the third, YiXue..."

Oh my, was it really that warm in here?

Shen felt way distracted, She had kissed him. On the cheek! She liked him! And wanted to spend time around him! And oh my Merlin! Lunch!

Normally cool and collected, it was hard to remain that way when the first kiss from a girl outside his family was on his cheek. Emotions ran loose in his head as he hurried back from talking to his father, his mind very distracted. As she told him to take it easy he tried to slow down his heart and said "Okay, hold on a second." He breathed in, then out, then in slowly, then out slowly, then one more round much slower.

Turning back to her he said "I'll try not to, but you see, I am in a hurry." He lifted her hand as she held hers out for him and said "You see, I delight in being around you too, YiXue." He bent down and kissed the back of her hand, caressingly soft as if she was fine china. As he looked back up his eyes were sparkling, his cheeks still reddish. "Yes, let's take out time. I want to savor this..."

@yixue

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YiXue wanted to laugh at how Shen reacted to the kiss, but couldn't. She instead found herself quite pleased that he seemed to like it. She had never seen his face so red. She would have to make sure to do that more often.

"We'll make those two years as special as possible," she said softly. "I have a feeling we're off to a great start."

YiXue waited patiently as Shen caught his breath. As she said, she was in no hurry and the last thing she was going to do was rush him. It would kill her to know she caused him to pass out or something.

"Of course, sweetie, whenever you're ready," she said, ready to help if he needed it. Shen then beamed when he kissed her hand. The exchange of kisses made it obvious. She liked him a lot and vice versa. The year was definitely off to a good start, and they weren't even at Hogwarts yet.

"So do I," she said when Shen said he wanted to savor this time. "But it seems like you and I will be having lunch together a great deal. You're the sweetest, most handsome guy I know, and I want to be around you as much as possible." She followed that up with another kiss on the cheek.

@shava44

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