Abraxan Arcade

Abraxan Arcade
moonstraw city

One of the first establishments founded in Moonstraw, Abraxan Arcade caters to all of the energy-filled teenagers hailing out of Hogwarts. While the front of the store is dedicated to console gaming, selling a wide range of games from the adrenaline-filled action-adventure and first-person shooter games to the beautiful roleplaying and life simulation games. Beyond the storefront is the bustling arcade that the place is popular for. Teenagers usually fill the space, crowding around one another and cheering as they compete for high scores.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

Howl's busy today so Maya doesn't have her usual shopping partner, but the dress she wore to the function was a hit and now a cute heir to some wizarding empire is chatting her up on Witchagram, so he deserves an award for helping her pick it out. She should be at Kwikspell Tutoring setting up an appointment with someone but what her parents don't know won't hurt them. Besides, she passed fourth year! How hard can OWLs be?

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

As a Pure-blood raised in an essentially technology-free world, she had never played video games before. At least not any that she couldn't play on her phone, which she had only had for the last few years after realizing almost everyone at Beauxbatons had one. To sum it up, technology wasn't her thing unless it meant posing for Witchagram and writing semi-interesting captions. But some of the other kids at the Backpackers Hostel suggested looking into the place and bringing a game back for them to play on the console they had there, so she entered the shop with a head full of curiosity.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

This place seems fun, Maya thinks as she browses the aisles but there are *so* many games to choose from and she wants only the best for her friends. Maybe she can ask her parents if they can just buy the whole store so she doesn't have to choose? As she's mulling over the possibility in her head, Maya spots Chrys and her eyes go big. She *knows* her! "I *know* you!" she says, walking right up to the other girl. "I followed you on Witchagram and you never followed back so I unfollowed out of spite – " She's probably oversharing, but Maya's always been blunt and talkative. The excitement in her voice makes it obvious she doesn't really care about the slight to her ego. " – but you're so pretty and I ended up following again and... I'm Maya!" She's grinning now, beaming with the intensity of stadium lights.

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Her eyes widened and she froze, listening to the back and forth that the other girl - now identified as Maya - was going through. "Oh, *désolée*, my apologies... I don't pay attention to my follows as much as I probably should." She had certainly learned that this week. First Arthur and now her. "But I actually think I do follow you, no?" She did look familiar and Chrys would be lying if she didn't admit that Maya was pretty. To check, she grabbed her phone out of her pocket and opened the Witchagram app, searching for the other girl's account.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"I'm @mayacalendar. Y'know, it's a pun on those ancient dipshits who said the world was going to end in 2012." she says enthusiastically, "Oh, your accent is *adorable*. You're French, right? I love that. So cute." It's been less than five minutes but it's obvious Maya is rather hyperactive. "What'cha doing here? You're Chrysanthemum right? Like the flower?"

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

"More like Belgian, Dutch, whatever. It doesn't really matter." She chuckled, typing in Maya's username as she spoke. She didn't really have a huge sense of national pride. "Did you know that in 2020 they said their calculations were wrong and the world would actually end then? Still wrong, but it's interesting!" She smiled, glancing up at the other girl and shrugging her shoulders. Chrys flashed her phone at her. "Hey, I followed back at *some* point! I knew you looked familiar." While turning off her phone and sliding it back into her pocket, she continued, "Just call me Chrysie or Chrys." It was difficult keeping up with her, but she also liked talking, so she didn't mind.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"I'll follow you later." she says, excited at the prospect of meeting someone new. "Don't you go to Beauxbatons? Didn't expect to see you all the way out here. I mean, I didn't expect to see you at all, period, but like – you feel? This is too cool."

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

While listening, she had a hard time not cracking a smile or laughing. Maya was so energetic and chatty. It wasn't a bad thing by any means, but she was shocked. You don't see a lot of this at Beauxbatons. "I do. Well, I did, but I'm transferring to Hogwarts! France got boring I guess." She smiled and pushed a strand of hair behind one of her ears. *Yeah, that's the reason!* she thought to herself. "And my parents did a couple years at Hogwarts and they both liked it more than Beauxbatons, so why not give it a try?"

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"I transferred to Hogwarts just last year," she tells her. "It'll be fun being the new kid for a while, I guess, then you'll have to deal with all the paintings that'll up and talk to you out of nowhere, scaring the living shit out of you, not to mention – *won't stay still for a Witchagram shot*." She emphasizes the last bit, it's clear how much she's tried getting a particularly pretty background to just stay in place. "And the moving staircases too! Such a hassle."

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

She raised an eyebrow, grinning with amusement. "I mean, I met someone in Hogsmeade the other day that said the portraits are nice. They seem interesting, too! The few portraits we had at Beauxbatons were snobbish old French people." She scrunched up her nose for a moment before laughing. "Is Hogwarts really so bare of cute photoshoot spots that you *have* to resort in standing in front of paintings?" It seemed like an over-exaggeration to her and she sympathized with those poor paintings. If she were them, she wouldn't want to stay in the background of some 40s teen's Witchagram post.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"Oh, Hogwarts is *gorgeous*. The scenery's amazing! But the paintings are so preetty too!" she says, excitedly. "I'll show you around once you transfer in! It'll be fun. I mean, we'll get a lost a lot because I barely know my way around, but that's the fun of it, don't you think?"

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

She laughed, not really at Maya's excitement, but out of how much happiness it filled her with. Her head was a little overwhelmed by the speedy conversation, but her heart was heavy from the positive energy. She grinned at the promise of having another Hogwarts tour guide, or rather she supposed a *friend*. "I would love it if you did that! I'm good at memorizing places I think, but Hogwarts sounds...so unnecessarily complex. It's like whoever designed the school actually hated students." It was of extreme curiosity to her. She didn't understand the place and was afraid she wouldn't learn all of its secrets before leaving it. But with the promise of getting lost with Maya, an idea that actually quite satisfied and excited her, she had a feeling she wasn't going to miss out on any sense of adventure.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"Truly!" she exclaims in agreement, "It's so weird. Ilvermorny wasn't like that. Then again, I studied there longer so maybe I just got used to the campus." She shrugs. "What was Beauxbatons like?"

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

"Beauxbatons is *gorgeous*. There are the magnificent gardens surrounding the castle and one of them has this impressive fountain dedicated to the Flamel family." She gestured with her hands, trying to demonstrate its large size. Her eyes were glowing. It was obvious that she loved Beauxbatons and she knew deep down that she would miss it, but she was trying to not regret her decision to transfer. "Little Wood Nymphs sing to us while we eat and during the winter, the dining chambers have ice sculptures. It's...*merveilleux*." She finished with a grin.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"Sounds like it was a tough decision to transfer." she says thoughtfully, "Ilvermorny was so dreary and boring... Y'know they used to teach us in class that once upon a time, it was just a shack and it seems that their ideas in terms of design haven't really upgraded since then." She giggles. "Even if Beauxbatons was beautiful, I'm sure you'll enjoy it at Hogwarts, though! I thought I'd hate having to move, but it was actually pretty great. Hashtag no regrets and all that."

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

The smile didn't slip from her face, but Maya's comment did make her a little sad. It was true and things were all too complicated to explain to her. Frankly, she doubted she would tell anyone why. "We had an American exchange student at Beauxbatons and she complained about it *all* of the time. It sounds drab." She laughed, then inwardly cringed over the other girl using hashtags in real life. "I'm sure I'll like it! I'm hopeful, but there's...no way you just said that." She scrunched up her face, raising her eyebrows up and towards each other.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"Hey! It's true." she says, giggling. "Y'know, I transferred from Ilvermorny because of this whole issue that I thought I'd never hear the end of." Maya's always been super candid about her past. "My friends got me high for the first time and I flunked my midterms. My parents were, like, *so mad*, so they transferred me here. But y'know, I know so much better now! That whole mess was even more dumb bitch energy than I'm used to radiating. I mean, I still get high sometimes but like, I actually pass my subjects now! Which is good. And my parents aren't as on my case anymore." She's super rambling at this point, but she's always been talkative. "I don't know. I just really like the idea of a fresh start. So yeah, no regrets!"

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Her jaw dropped slowly before she realized and shut her mouth. It was difficult to keep up when she was so hung up on..."You *smoke*?" Her parents had joked about smoking as young adults, but had insisted that that that wasn't something they were okay with her doing. "I mean, not that it matters!" Chrysie still wanted friends and she had really liked Maya so far.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"Just the one time back then!" she defends herself, though she doesn't really see the big deal. "And a couple more times as of late." She grins cheekily. When Chrys clarifies it doesn't matter, Maya feels relieved. She wouldn't have really cared, but it'd suck if she lost a new friend over this. "It's okay if *you* don't, though. Like, it's fun, but I'm probably gonna die earlier or something."

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Chrys would mention that her parents did in their youth and are perfectly fine now, but that seemed like an invasion of their privacy. "I don't think so *especially* with how physically resilient witches and wizards are to illness." She shrugged, but smiled. Maybe she did want to try it some day, but she would rather follow her parents' guidance for now. "Do you play quidditch?"

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"I do, actually!" she says, excited. "Do you? Quidditch wasn't really popular in the US, but then I moved to Hogwarts and I saw all these people playing and the idea of hitting rabid balls with a bat towards people I don't particularly like sounded pretty fun. So I tried out and I got a position as reserve beater on the Gryffindor team!" She grins. "You should try it too! Hogwarts Quidditch is super fun. Legit!"

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

She laughed and raised her hand to cover her mouth, amused by Maya's description of quidditch. "It isn't very popular at Beauxbatons either, but we still have teams. My parents are huge...*spectatrices* of the sport and thought it would be healthy to get me into a sport as a kid, so I've played most of my life." It wasn't her big passion, but she did enjoy it a lot. "I play as chaser! Maybe beater on a bad day. What about you?" Maybe she was checking out the competition, or her future teammate. It depended on where she was sorted.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"Beater!" Maya says excitedly, "I'm hoping to make the official line-up this term. If I do and you get sorted into Gryffindor and join the team, then I'll protect you with my life." She crosses her heart exaggeratedly. "Swear it."

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Her heart swells. It sounds like something Emmy would have told her when they played for Bellefeuille and it hurt her heart to hear someone else say something like that. On the outside, she just grinned. "But if I'm *not*-" which she didn't think she would be even though her father, a former Gryffindor himself, had insisted she would be, "- then we will have to become sworn enemies."

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"Forbidden love's always the best kind," she jokes, winking as she lets her fingers skim through a collection of games, trying to look for a game Howl might like. "What house are you hoping for anyway? Or at least, where do you think you'll end up?"

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

She swallows hard when Maya winks at her, quickly turning down to look at a different rack of video games. At this point, she had kind of forgotten what she had come here for...Oh, right, the people at the Backpackers Hostel. "My mother says Gryffindor. My mother says Ravenclaw. My aunt said Slytherin - which, how cruel." Chrysie wasn't inherently biased against Slytherins, but her aunt (and namesake) was. She still thought that was out of a deep-seated hatred for her mother and the fact that her parents never married. "I don't really know, or care. It just decides which colors I swear sometimes and where I sleep."

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"I hope you're in Gryffindor, then!" she says, "So we won't have to be sworn enemies or anything of the sort. The only hassle, I think, is when you're dead tired and you have to go all the way up the tower. Ravenclaw's worse though – imagine, if you can't solve the riddle at the door, you're just going to stay locked out until someone else comes along! What a hassle!" As someone who's never been good at intellectual things like that, the idea that no one in Ravenclaw has even complained about the system still baffles her. "No matter what house you'll end up in, though, there's no way you're getting rid of me. We're friends now, right?"

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Chrys has no problem making friends from one conversation. When she gets an impression of someone, it usually sticks. "Of course we are!" She responded with a grin. "And you're right. I really hope I get into Gryffindor. It seems like that's where all of the cool people are." Even though she *just* said she didn't care where she ended up, she realized that maybe she kind of did. In the end, it would be fine either way, but she was thinking more and more that maybe she had a preference. "What year are you going into anyways? I'll be in fourth."

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"Fifth!" she replies, not really caring about the difference. She's so close with Billie and Billie's in the year above, so this shouldn't be a problem either. It's *one* year and if Chrys ends up in Gryffindor then they're still going to see each other all the time. "I'm *so* not excited for the school year ahead. I'll have to take OWLs and I'm... not very good at school." She admits the last bit a bit nervously. If Chrys mentioned her mother thought there'd be a chance she ends up in Ravenclaw, then maybe that means she's like, really smart."

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

She didn't mind either. Some of her good friends had been in different years than her at Beauxbatons and despite the fact that they weren't very good friends (which had nothing to do with the age difference), they were fine. "I could help you with studying? I'm good at just about every subject and like...mildly okay at some of them like what even is the point of History of Magic?" Even someone as smart as her could tell that they didn't need ~~eight~~ seven years of history lessons. If they really cared, they could cram it in the first three years at the most. It wasn't even that she wasn't good at it. It was boring, so she had no shame in letting her marks slip in it. She rolled her eyes and laughed, "I mean, if someone is going to repeat history and become a master of the Dark Arts, they will do that regardless. Finding out that someone else lost that battle isn't going to make those kinds of people hesitate from going down the same path."

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

Shit, so Chrys *is* smart. Hopefully Maya doesn't say anything stupid to scare her off. "I'm actually pretty set on that front already," she explains, "My friend Billie is in sixth year and she's sorta made it her mission to make sure I get at least one O on my OWLs or something. But it's nice of you to offer." She smiles. "We should study together sometimes. I mean, all I'm gonna do is annoy you but... It would be a nice way of hanging out." Nerds liked that right? Being academic together?

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

Her heart swelled. No one had ever wanted to actually study with her before. The closest she had gotten out of anyone yet was Arthur seeming enthused about being her Potions partner and that wasn't what she was looking for. "We should! And I don't know if just one O is anything to write home about, but...still if you ever need addition help, I'm here." Plus what kind of smart person name is Billy? Then again some people called her Chrys and that was a stupid boy name too, so she should shut up and not say anything on the matter until she actually met the girl.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"One O is more than enough for me. Seriously, I'm a basket case." she says. She feels like her parents would be ecstatic even if it was in a dumb subject like History of Magic (which, ew, no thanks). The way Chrys responds looks like Maya made the right call offering – so nerds *did* enjoy this kind of stuff. Noted. Maya's mind is already getting all excited thinking about what gift she can bring for Chrys the first time they hang out. Which reminds her of her gift for Howl... "Oh! I just remembered – am I bothering you? Like, are you here to get something?"

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

It had been so easy for her to forget why she was here that throughout the conversation she had to keep reminding herself. The last thing Maya was doing was bothering her. "No, no! I mean, I was asked to look for something, but I don't want to spend my money on it." She worked pretty hard for it, after all. She had sold quite a few knit plushies and she didn't want to throw that on a game just because the other kids at the hostel wanted one. "I might still buy it...That seems like the nice thing to do." She smiled. She was a little more fortunate than the other people at the Backpackers Hostel, so maybe it was the least she could do to help out around there other than clean. "What are you here for?" Maya didn't look like the type to go shopping for video games, but people always surprised her.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"Want me to buy it?" she asks, without hesitation. "It's no big deal. It can be my *aw-we're-friends-now!* gift." She grins. "Oh, my friend Howl is really into video games and I basically dragged him around Moonstraw for an entire day so he could help me get ready for this social function that my parents were making me go to, so I need to make it up to him somehow." She looks around the endless selection of games. "I love buying things for my friends, too! So it's a win-win."

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

"Er, no thank you." Her family was well off and even though she was going to be spending her own money on this and not her parents', she was still taught to not take 'hand outs.' Trying not to be so serious, she chuckled. "A social function? How proper. My parents love dragging me to philanthropy events and things of the sort, and while of course I love helping others, those events are always so self-serving." Her parents had certainly gotten that way in their older age. It was weird to see them like that, but she only assumed it had something to do with the two of them going through so much as children.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

"I've gotten away with not attending most of them because of school. Or well, lately because they're all the way in America." she explains, "But my parents were setting up the latest installment in their whole amusement park franchise in Moonstraw – y'know the one that just opened? – so I've been stuck here the whole summer." She tries not to sound like it's a bad thing, so she quickly adds. "Which isn't that terrible, because hey! I got to meet you and a whole bunch of other people."

Chrysanthemum von Mirbach

gryffindor, sixth year
ateleia

It didn't bother her that much that Maya didn't seem to like it here. It wasn't her homeland, so why be offended? "I heard buzz about that! I haven't gone yet because I haven't had anyone to go with, but it looked pretty when I went past it." It made a lot more sense to her now knowing that Maya was filthy rich. Your family isn't necessarily poor if they own an amusement park business. "But you're right! We met from this and that's certainly a positive." She said, grinning and bringing the back of her hand underneath her jaw.

Maya Crawford

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

Before she can respond with another compliment, Maya's phone goes off with a call from her mom and she can already hear the sermon in her mind when she inevitably has to tell her parents that no, she didn't show up to the Kwikspell meeting with the tutor they hired. "Shit, I have to go." she says, frowning, not really wanting this to end. "But I'll see you in school, yeah? It'll be fun. I'll sneak you into my dorm room and we can hang out and go on adventures everywhere." She grins.