gooseberryhigh | EMERGENCY GROTTO PARTY

EMERGENCY GROTTO PARTY

The student body has been left with no choice but to focus and get work done, and by the time Friday arrives, many of them are suffering. They need an outlet, and everyone knows where the best outlet on campus is.

The Grotto is always warmer than you expect it to be, and spring is slowly creeping in. It's no longer so miserable to hang around outside, as long as you know how to dress. The bonfire in the center is large and ambitious, making for a comfortable party. Alcohol is widely available to anyone who wants it, and some thoughtful students also made sure there was plenty of water and soda.

Around the fire are a series of "thrones" (crudely decorated chairs stolen from the lodge) and crowns for the birthday kids: Clementine Decourt, Ravinder Dhaliwal, Leonardo Fiori and Olivia Sanchez. Each of them is handed a strong daiquiri made by [potions student volunteer] that's emitting glowing smoke and tastes delicious. Ravi and Olivia are told they can't be on duty as chaperone prefects because it's their birthday weekend! (Ravi then tells Diego he doesn't get to make that decision, and Diego finishes his birthday drink for him. 😢)

Inside the stone building, things get downright cozy. Many students sit down on blankets and pillows to keep themselves off the cold dirt floor. A circle gathers around a single glass bottle, and kissing games take place on and off throughout the night.

WHAT'S GOING ON

Although this is being posted on Thursday, the party is actually happening Friday, March 3, 2014.

There's no quidpong this time!

The tents were not dragged out for the occasion!

The prefects are still following their earlier system, but prefects, feel free to handwave that there are enough people in all roles.

» Before the Party: Oh. My. God. It's been days since the journals have been operational. How are you surviving? Are you going to go get drunk to cope?

» Around the Fire: The large bonfire is warm and romantic. Pull up a log and grab a blanket, make some s'mores, or dance to the party music. There's a karaoke setup for anyone who feels bold enough to sing along. If you don't care for music, there's beer and soda in the ice chests, along with bins for empty bottles and cans. Don't litter. This isn't your home. Some bold students are even doing body shots as the temperature climbs into the 50s today.

» Inside the Building: This may be where the kissing games are taking place, but there's still some room to just snuggle and chat.

» Kissing Games: This is where to post your character's reaction to their Spin the Bottle and Seven Minutes in Heaven Assignments!

Spin The Bottle: Everyone sits in a circle and takes turns spinning the bottle to find their partner. Anyone who squeezes in (or happens to be accidentally standing behind a gap in the circle) gets a shot at a kiss. People can leave and enter the game at any time. Participants will be encouraged by their drunken classmates to kiss on the mouth.

Seven Minutes in Heaven: "Heaven" is a narrow, closet-sized room adjacent to the main party, and is dark except for some cracks of light from the door. (The "door" being a heavy wooden board that's propped against the doorway and magically "locked" for seven minutes.) You can use your wand to get more light, but really, you two should be making out.

RULES
1. Today, Spin the Bottle and 7 Minutes in Heaven are buffet style. Post your character to this comment, and other people who want to kiss them may.
2. If characters get up to anything more racy than PG-13, please fade to black on that! This includes sexually explicit conversations. Many people track IC/OOC posts, so please have consideration for your fellow players. Talking about sex is fine (and part of the flavour of a teen game), but there's no need to get into detailed descriptions of anatomy or sex acts.

» The Woods: It's better to not go near the woods tonight, don't you think? Prefects are still standing as chaperones to keep people from wandering off.

» After the Party: At midnight, prefects will be clearing the party and guiding everyone home. Don't walk back alone! Anyone left at 12:30 AM when the second wave of prefects hits the Grotto will be written up for punishment.

» QUESTIONS, COMMENTS & CONCERNS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Reid ends up in the kissing circle more often than not, and he's been drinking so he's less talk and more action. He thinks if he kisses other people, he'll stop thinking about his most recent one at the masquerade.

(He's wrong.)

When Xavier is elbowed for a second time that night, his head feels dense and foggy and useless. Oh yeah, he hates being drunk. Whoops. He squints at the bottle, pointed once again straight at him. Tyche, cruel mistress.

"Fuck's sake." He says.

Zav glances at Reid. Ugh, of course it had to be the guy who's been giving him the stink eye all night. Awkward. What's that dude's deal? Xavier's eyes wander toward the door. Maybe he should just leave. Look at this guy, though. Staring like that. With those cheekbones. Jeez. Rude. Wait, legs, why are you walking over toward him? Do you want to get punched?? Brain, stop this right now.

"Don't look so mad about it, dude." Zav's West Virginia twang is pronounced, his irritation less so. He pops a couple of skittles in his mouth and extends the bag out to Reid, "How 'bout a nice consolation prize, instead?"

Edited (it was incredibly important that I add the word 'though' to this. #immersion) 2017-03-03 12:59 (UTC)

Oh god fucking damnit.

This is just about the worst thing that could happen when you're seventeen and confused and have extremely limited experience with strong emotions. When Xavier joined the kissing games, Reid almost left, but then thought it would look suspicious if he did. And then he spent too much time awkwardly staring at Xavier, so it would definitely look suspicious if he left. Fuck. He should have at least scooted away from the circle.

He can really hear Zav's accent tonight. This guy dresses well. Reid does not. He swallows hard. "I'm not mad," he corrects. He sort of wants to kiss him but that's a bad idea. Can people recognize one another from kisses?

But Xavier doesn't want to kiss him anyway. Not now that he can see his face and who he is. He holds out his hand for the familiar candy, feeling... feeling a little...

"It's cool, sure, I mean. Whatever, right?" Nice. You really expressed yourself awesomely, Reid. He abruptly decides he's going home after this.

What are feelings? What is brain? Xavier tilts the bag, dumping a handful of skittles into Reid's waiting palm.

"Well, in that case," He leans in abruptly - clumsily - and plants a peck on the tip of Reid's nose. It's not clear if that's where he was aiming for, but whatever. You do you, Zav.

Reid smells familiar. But Xavier's brain is pretty well into drunk memory territory now, and he also smells mostly like teen boy. Xavier offers him a drowsy smile. "Have a good night."

"And, be excellent to each other." He tells the rest of the participants before standing and wandering off. Didn't Jesse say something about a back flip contest? Where'd that guy go? Did he figure out his teleporter?

Reid is left standing stock still, pale face lit up by an uneven blush. He can't even speak as Xavier wishes him and the rest of the group well. He balls his hands into fists (one of them is going to be sticky from the Skittles melting against his palm), and stares down at the dirty floor as Xavier leaves.

"I feel sick. I'm going home," he announces to... whoever in this fucking room is actually his friend. Reid turns and, just like he promised himself, storms out of the Grotto building. He's not supposed to walk back alone but fuck it, try and stop him. Reid's always been selective about what rules he follows and that's not about to change because the forest kidnapped some guy. (Reid immediately feels a little bad for that dismissive thought about Ulysses, despite his mounting frustration.)

Edited (making reid less articulate lol) 2017-03-03 18:42 (UTC)

Sy's mostly sober when he sees Reid storming out out of kissing games with his head down, making a beeline for the path back to the school grounds proper. He's been mostly sober all night, and god fuck willing, it's going to stay that way for him and for his teammates, especially since he made a point not to bring Quidditch beer pong and all.

Point is, he has no trouble catching up with Reid before he completely vanishes into the trees. "Dude," Sy says. "The fuck's up with you?"

Reid hears Sy coming up on him, but doesn't stop walking. He sullenly throws his handful of Skittles off to the side without slowing down. By the time Sy reaches him, Reid's wiping his hand off on his jeans.

"Nothing," he snaps. He already knows Sy's going to see through that. Reid's a shitty liar and Sy always cares too much about him. "I feel sick. I'm going back to the cabin."

EMERGENCY GROTTO PARTY

Reid Wainwright

Reid & Xavier lol

Reid & Xavier not uncomfortable at all

Reid & Xavier I apologize for my son's unacceptable behavior

Reid & Xavier he's doing better than Reid so good job buddy

Reid & Sy attempting to be a bro

i read that as them collectively trying to be "a bro"

you will be bruhsimilated

between the two of them they have exactly enough friendship to make up one (1) bro

why patterson/wood is superior bromance reason #8437: 1 bro + 1 bro = bromance

Reid & Sy