gooseberryhigh | SLEEP UNDER THE STARS

SLEEP UNDER THE STARS

Ms. Whittle and Mr. Thorn are waiting outside of Coppertale for students to show up for the outdoor sleepover. Everyone checks in with both their prefects as well as staff, and if Ms. Whittle's a bit lax, Mr. Thorn is definitely not.

The sky is clear, and with each passing minute the stars get more and more impressive. Almost hypnotizing. It's a warm, pleasant night, perfect for camping. You should feel plenty safe, considering how many Aurors and teachers are out looking after you. In fact, it seems like even Anon is present, although his appearance seems to upset the Aurors. It's only thanks to Mrs. O'Hare that they agree not to chase him away.

Riley Stamper stays up into the early hours of the morning having an intimate conversation with Chloe Shepherd. However, the next day learns that their conversation partner was either not in attendance, or asleep the whole time.

Hazel Keating is up very late watching the stars, their friends having long since fallen asleep, when movement in the nearby forest catches their eye. It's a group of what must be people, three or four of them, but they're moving oddly, and their proportions are hard to make out in the shadows. They giggle and whisper, and when they see someone watching them, they gesture for the student to join them. "Look what we found," one says in the voice of Micah St. Clair. "Come on. Look. We found something really interesting. You'll like it." There's the sound of crunching leaves, and the figures freeze unnaturally. Too still. Through the trees, the bright white shape of a moose approaches, lowering its antlers meaningfully. The figures waste no time scattering into the woods noiselessly.

The student feels a wash of Anon's petulant annoyance with the mimics, like he's a young prefect on duty, before he returns to his patrol.

RULES

Everyone will check in at 10:00 PM in the flower fields outside of Coppertale. They must also check in with their prefect. If you fail to check in with both in a gambit to sneak off somewhere else, you'll be in trouble.

There will be June constellations visible. Astronomy students can point them out with ease.

There will be hot chocolate or lemonade available, and some light snacks, but everyone is assumed to have eaten dinner earlier.

You may sleep near anyone you like. There are also tents available if you don't want to be exposed to the elements, in which case those sleep up to four.

Ms. Whittle has convinced Mr. Thorn to not stop young couples who are clearly just here to make out under the stars. Don't get frisky, though!

Attendance is optional, but Astronomy students can earn extra credit for attending.

Everyone will be woken up early at 9:30 at the latest, and breakfast will be served in the lodge.

» STARGAZING: Before going to sleep enjoy the beautiful stars and look for some constellations. Alternatively, tell a cutie that the brightest stars are the ones you see in their eyes. ♥

» ANON'S APPEARANCE: There are so many more Aurors around than there used to be, and it's the same case tonight. This would be fine, ordinarily, but tension grows when the shape of a slim, white moose is seen wandering through the trees around midnight. Mrs. O'Hare gets into a hushed argument with the highest ranking Auror, demanding they leave Anon alone.

» GOODNIGHT: Quiet time is at 12:00 AM, so settle down in your sleeping bag or grab a tent. You may sleep near whoever you wish, but tents only sleep four at a time.

» OOC: QUESTIONS, COMMENTS & CONCERNS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The sound of Lucas crawling to her side has Hazel starting just the slightest amount, and it takes a moment for her gaze to move from the trees to her fellow junior. She shifts into a squat, letting out a low, quiet sigh, even as her lips remain quirked into something of a wry smile.

"...mimics, out by the trees. Anon got rid of 'em, though."

There's a momentary pause in her words as she considers sharing a bit more - ultimately, she figures she might as well. It's not like it's that personal, or surprising, that they'd try to lure her out with a friend.

"Still trying to get people to come to them, like we're dumb enough to fall for that shit. One sounded like Micah."

Edited (nooo I was not yay Lucas!!! -3-) 2018-06-15 02:10 (UTC)

Fiddling with his glasses, Lucas blinks into the darkness, watching the treeline. For a split second, he thinks he sees him - the miner. But that's just in his head. It's always in his head. And it pops up at the worst times.

He dips his chin, staring pointedly at the ground while he recollects himself. For a long moment, he's silent. He's never had a direct run-in with one of those mimics, as far as he knows. From what he's gathered, they're cruel, they're...chaotic. But, what do they want? Almost absently, he asks, "You ever want to, you know, just follow them, though? See what they'd do?"

Watching as Lucas looks down, Hazel frowns, wondering what he's thinking and wanting to ask... but he speaks again, and his question hits her enough that that train of thought is lost for the time being.

"There's a tiny part of me that's curious, but... what I really want is for them to come to me. So I can hurt them and not feel bad about doing something stupid like following them." Though her eyes flit to the woods for a moment, they're quickly back on the boy beside her, because there's a growing mix of unease and protectiveness welling up in her. "You wouldn't go, would you?"

He nods, slow, thinking. And it's another few seconds before he speaks again. These stops and starts in conversation are pretty standard with Lucas, who crawls too carefully over all the things in his head searching for words when he can't just lie or make a joke.

"I..." It's a start. Of course Lucas Kowalski wouldn't follow a bunch of mimics into the woods just because they'd asked him. Just like Lucas Kowalski wouldn't climb the ornery oak. Or try to tackle a ghost. Or sneak into an auror camp. Or the forbidden section of Hogwarts' library. Of course, right?

He looks at Hazel, squints a bit. He should lie. He doesn't. "Might. If I had my wand. If someone was in trouble." He gestures vaguely at his head. "We make up what we think they'll do to us in our heads, right? Awful stuff. But, do we really know what they want?"

Hazel is patient, doesn't push or interrupt, even though the fact that Lucas's initial 'I' is followed with a trailing off that makes her incredibly worried. At least what follows is a bit better than she was anticipating, because it seems somewhat measured and well-intentioned.

"Yeah, I'd go, if I thought someone was in trouble. And I know that. So they know that." Which scares her, a lot; it would be so easy for them to lure her into the woods. After a moment, Hazel shifts to lean into Lucas. She's not sure how he'll feel about it, but physical contact has always been reassuring for her so she's going to try.

"Maybe they'd just put us to sleep, like Anon did, but.. it doesn't really matter how technically awful it is, does it? It wouldn't be good in the end. They could just want to be us so that they don't have to live in the woods or whatever. But I don't want one of them to be me. To go home to my parents and my uncle."

At the sensation of touch, Lucas tenses, but barely. Without pause, and surprising himself, he moves. Careful, hesitating, he stretches out his arm, shaking out his wrist - and the rows of colorful friendship bracelets secured there by Bash - and drapes it over Hazel's shoulder to pull her close, for comfort. Just a couple of scared kids, aware of all the danger in front of them and unsure of what to do besides move forward. Move forward and be brave.

He swallows. "I'm worried about that, too. But... nothing's going to fool all forty of us. Someone would figure it out. Our families will be safe." He pauses. "One week left, anyway. We'll make it."

The reciprocated contact is nice, and Hazel realizes quickly that she needed it more than she thought. There's a bit of shifting and fidgeting as she gets comfortable, and she tucks her legs under herself before settling into Lucas's side. Then she sits momentarily in silence. Her gut instinct is to say something bold and self-assured, like she'll make sure that nothing happens, or that she'll save them all if she has to, but having an arm around her shoulders dulls some of that bravado. She feels like, for the moment, she doesn't need to fight for the boy at her side.

"Yeah. Someone would figure it out." Here, again, she goes quiet, considering telling Lucas what Jade had told her about her mimic encounter, though she quickly thinks better of it; she doesn't want to betray the other girl's trust. It's not her story to tell anyone.

"Just a week. And then we can take the summer to unwind."

SLEEP UNDER THE STARS

Hazel & Lucas

Hazel & Lucas

Hazel & Lucas

Hazel & Lucas

Hazel & Lucas

Hazel & Lucas

Hazel & Lucas