As summer was nearing its end Humphrey found himself looking forward to the coming year at the academy. Even though he hadn't made many friends there somehow the place had still ended up feeling like home. The classes were great, and there was always something to do if you looked for it. Before classes started though, Humphrey was going to make sure he enjoyed himself. Which was why he headed down to Laguna Beach to enjoy a beautiful summer day. There was a cool breeze that helped with the heat and he found himself smiling as he walked towards the cliffs. Walking up right to the edge, he then took a seat and looked out over the horizon, wondering what was in store for him this year at Merlin's.

After looking out over the ocean for a little while he got up and made his way down to the pier. Humphrey had the urge to dip his toes in the water to cool off a little. While he was walking towards the end of the pier he noticed somebody already there, and hoped they wouldn't mind a little company. It was kind of calming hearing the sound of the waves breaking against the shore, and he found himself glad he'd come out here today. His summer had been pretty boring for the most part, the only interesting things happening at Scrivenshaft's where he worked. That would change though when school started again.

Reaching the end of the pier, he bent down and untied his converse before slipping them off along with his socks. Humphrey set them aside and then sat down on the end of the pier, dipping his feet in the ocean as he did so. "Hope you don't mind a little company." he said, turning to look at who was there. She seemed vaguely familiar, and he thought he'd seen her around the academy a few times. Didn't know her name though, or anything about her other than she went to the academy with him.

While he watched the ocean he found himself wishing he'd brought his swimsuit along with him. The water was a nice temperature and it would be a great day to go for a swim if only he'd have thought of it earlier. Humphrey briefly considered trying to transfigure something suitable but discarded the idea, Transfiguration had never been his best subject and he'd probably end up ruining his clothes instead. Kicking his feet back and forth in the water, he let himself slowly relax. Something about the cool feeling of the waves lapping against his feet was comforting to him, and he found himself smiling a little.

When she said she didn't mind, Humphrey nodded. "Thanks, this is a nice spot." To his surprise she sat down next to him and slipped off her flip flops, and he figured she must have thought his idea of sticking his feet in the water was a good one. Looking at her, he tried to remember a name but still couldn't place it. He was fairly sure they had a general potions class together so he was sure he must know it, but it continued to elude him. His eyes moved back to the ocean, watching the ripples from the steady breeze across the water.

Startled out of his thoughts by her question, Humphrey looked at her again. "Yeah, I go to Merlin's. I'm in the Dragon Training program. You go too, right? I think we may have a potions class together." Reaching out his hand to give hers a shake, he replied. "I'm Humphrey, nice to meet you Ariel. It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" he asked.

Humphrey let his mind wander as he looked out across the ocean, finding himself watching the clouds slowly drift by. For some reason he had always loved the water, it was just calming to him. He promised himself to do some swimming while the weather was still warm enough to enjoy it. Out of nowhere he found himself feeling a little sleepy and yawned, then leaned back to stretch a little. It was probably the sun getting to him a little, he figured. Leaning down, he filled his hands with water and splashed himself in the face to help wake him up a little bit. After all, it wouldn't do to fall asleep after just meeting somebody.

He automatically smiled back at her, giving her a firm handshake before letting go. Humphrey was glad he'd walked down here today, Ariel seemed nice. Looking over at her, he began to wonder why she'd come out here. "Any particular reason you came down to the beach today? Or just enjoying the last little bit of summer we have left?" he asked her. Of course, you didn't always need a reason for coming down to enjoy the beach on a lovely day. Sometimes he found his way down here for no reason at all, other than it just felt like the thing to do.

Thinking over her question, Humphrey tried to figure out a way to describe the dragon training program. "I love it, really. There's a lot of studying, learning how to take care of them and the differences in the breeds. When you get to work with the dragons it's really scary, but also pretty cool I think. Glad I picked it, think it's the right fit for me. Now potions I could never do. Horrible at them. Do you like it?" he asked in turn. If he hadn't done dragon training he thought he might have tried to be an auror, but he was happy with his choice.

The comment about soaking up the sun made Humphrey smile a little, and he gave her a nod. "Now that I can understand, it's beautiful up here but the weather can be frustrating. Soaking up the sun doesn't work well for me though, I just try to avoid getting burned." he said with a chuckle. Tanning was never going to be something his pale skin would go along with. He didn't really mind all that much, but he did always have to remind himself to protect his skin with sunblock if he was going to go swimming. "I guess I came because the water's always been calming for me. Next term is starting soon and even though I love the program I always feel a little nervous. A lot of it is probably pressure I put on myself to do well. Being around water...it helps." Humphrey admitted. Usually being this open with someone terrified him, but Ariel felt like a person he could trust.

From the way she said it Humphrey could tell she really would love to meet a dragon. She wasn't in the program, sadly; however, maybe he could ask the teacher if there'd be a way for her to meet one. Probably unlikely, but there was no harm in asking. "Maybe you will get to meet one. Something tells me you'd enjoy it." he commented. Seeing the smile spread on her face at the question was good to see, Ariel had found the right place. "Intense is a good word for it. Having to be so precise and perfectly focused for it to work right is a challenge. Definitely a useful skill, though." he said. Potions was a skill he'd worked hard to get better at, in hopes that with enough practice he'd be able to brew the Wolfsbane potion for himself. Most months he still tried, but it was more out of habit than anything. The ones that complex would always remain out of his reach.

Out of nowhere he heard her comment on the universe being vast and couldn't help but agree. "Yeah, it really is. It's kind of crazy to think about how much time it would take to reach just one star." Humphrey replied, imagining it. He had read science fiction where it could happen, but it was still a lot to comprehend. Her question about the weirdest thing he'd ever done at the academy immediately sobered him and he stilled. Immediately he thought of the first full moon he'd had at the academy, and when he'd gone swimming the morning after. How he'd been found by Tess, the sibling of a professor, and she'd helped bandage some of his injuries. That was definitely top of the list, but he wasn't sure if he could tell her that. "Umm...one time I explored a supposedly haunted cabin in the forest. Never figured out if it was or not, but there was definitely some funny things going on there. Somebody else came out there too, we talked a little bit." he told her, going for something a little less strange than telling her he'd had wounds attended to by what had essentially been a stranger. "What about you?"