gooseberryhigh | AFTERMATH & DEPARTURE

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AFTERMATH & DEPARTURE

AFTERMATH & DEPARTURE

Mr. Merrill, still half-asleep, hikes up the hill to Azurcrest to run the last middle-of-the-night headcount. Inconvenience turns to fear as he discovers that half of his students are missing, and the other are in a sleep so deep he can't rouse them.

The unresponsive students are taken to the atrium for Healer Mufferaw to tend to, and Agent Larke is already contacting the MACUSA. The government descends on the school, with Aurors and Hitwizards to lead search parties. They head out immediately to scour the woods for the missing students. Heads of House confer with one another and the agents about the emergency, and decide parents need to be informed about the situation immediately.

There's no sign of any missing students for hours. Furthermore, there's no response from the apparently comatose children in the lodge. Not until 7:14 AM, anyway. The students that weren't taken begin to stir, and within minutes Agent Larke bursts in, clearly having ran all the way there. She announces that the missing students have been found, and are being escorted to the lodge.

Agent Larke had been organizing a new search party when Ivy Templeton stumbled out of their cabin, still half-asleep. It was discovered that inside the cabins, all the missing students had mysteriously reappeared in their beds.

All of the missing students are taken to the lodge by Aurors and Hitwizards, and a thorough headcount is done. Meanwhile, emergency Healers and Healer Mufferaw do thorough checks. The MACUSA representatives interview all the students individually. Students are only in the lodge for about an hour and a half before the order comes down: evacuate students and staff. Students are to be released to their families immediately. Personal belongings will be delivered to their homes at a later date.

The school buses are familiar, but the mood of the bus ride home after summer break isn't quite the same. They don't deliver students to their doorsteps or international stops, but to a staging area in Logan, hidden from Muggle eyes, where countless fearful relatives wait to take their children home.

HOW THIS WORKS:

All dreamers have been rescued. All rescuers have reunited with their friends.

The seven students who took part in the Finding the Heart adventure also wake up at the same time. To their friends, it will seem like they disappeared for 15 minutes max before everyone wakes up. To the seven students, it will seem like they were gone for hours.

Everyone will wake up after 7:14 AM. Ideally, they all wake up at the same time, but if you'd like to put it a bit later for dramatic purposes, you may.

Your character will be picked up at a staging area in Logan by a legal guardian, or escorted by a MACUSA agent to pre-arranged international transportation. If your character has only Muggle relatives, MACUSA will transport them to and from home.

If you are a rescuer or dreamer:
- You will wake up in your own bed, unless for some reason you want your character to wake up in someone else's bed. e.g. Gabi can wake up in the Ribbonfin soph girls' cabin, or she can wake up in the Ebonhide soph boys' cabin with Bash and Wyatt, since she was with them.
- You will keep all injuries you incurred during the event. However, you will not have any traces of ghost blood on you! Or ghost viscera of any kind.
- You will be wearing what you had on when the event ended, i.e. your pajamas and the clothing given to you by Brother. If you gave something away to another student during the event, e.g. a jacket, that other character will be wearing it instead.
- You will have all objects you started the event with, i.e. things in your pockets, unless you dropped them or gave away those items to an NPC. Then they're gone forever, sorry!
- You will not have any objects you picked up during the course of the event. This includes rocks, twigs, and personal items like Diego's crucifix, Sy's captain's badge, etc. All that stuff was imaginary! Those objects still exist in the real world.

If you are a non-participant:
- You will wake up on a cot in the Atrium. Please assume you are decently dressed. You will see Healers checking on other students, and government Aurors guarding the room. Your Head of House will tell you that you were moved here for observation because you were discovered in a state of deep sleep and no one could wake you. If you ask about your other friends, your teacher will admit that they've gone missing and the MACUSA is here to find them.
- Mere minutes after you've woken up, you will all hear from the Aurors that the other students have been found in their cabins.
- You have no memory of your roommates leaving the cabin, or being moved to the Atrium. You slept straight through the night. You did not have any dreams.

» MORNING: You wake up. You're in, well, a bed. It may or may not be your own, and the people you were with when you were in the other world may be with you.

» AFTERMATH: As soon as the staff realize that all the missing students have been found, everyone is promptly escorted to the lodge. Campus is crawling with MACUSA presence, and hitwizards and Aurors alike lead the students to the lodge. Everyone is looked over by emergency healers, and give quick statements to the authorities.

» BUSES: Understandably, everyone's families are impatient to get their children back. Students are hurried onto buses to be taken to a relay point outside of the anti-apparition zone, where their families will be to take them home.

» OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS & CONCERNS

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"Seems to me we all look far better than we could," Dimi says brightly, arms already stretching to include Tess in this ridiculous, oily group hug. This shit never happens at Hogwarts. And, setting aside the bullshit death forest for the moment, Dimi decides he's really glad he came here, to Gooseberry. "Wonderful to see all your beautiful faces first thing in the morning."

Now, finally, after being picked over by emergency healers and interviewed by MACUSA agents does Ursula understand the gravity of the situation they'd all been in. Being told you could have died is something of a surreal feeling, or it is for Ursula. She doesn't really know how to process the information, so it's just been filed away for safekeeping now and instead she'd slid on her metaphorical armor and responded to the agents with an exasperated "Are we done now?" Not quite the same effect as usual when delivered in silk pjs with messy hair.

She's also heard enough murmuring by now to realize that Ferdie and the others hadn't simply gone for a long hike through the woods. When she spies him, quietly working, she moves through the sea of students to join him. She places her hand on his shoulder lightly to alert him of her presense, none of the usual edge in her voice. "Hey. You disappeared."

Edited 2017-07-07 12:54 (UTC)

Here's another hyper-articulate response: from Zach's corner of the room, a soft, but emphatic, "Wow."

Essie has never woken up to so many enthusiastic voices before. She's still got Diego's jacket on. It could kind of really, really stand to be washed. She pauses for a moment when she sees Micah. But the other Micah wouldn't have been throwing himself into a hug with Jeffy.

Pulling herself up onto her knees on the sofa, she gives a tired, relieved grin to all of the boys. "No one's dead," she says emphatically. Something about those final moments with Brother has left her feeling confident that this is the truth. She wants to see Mina, Diego, Pippa, and all her other friends, and soon, but there's no need to go busting any doors down. They're all safe; it's over.

Edited 2017-07-07 13:45 (UTC)

It feels like fireworks exploding across every inch of his skin and Lucas involuntarily runs his fingers over Bash's arms, up to his shoulders, in surprise - resting his hands, light and shaking, there when they arrive. This is...acceptable. Wait, correction: more than acceptable - great, preferable, a desired outcome, something to do more often in the future.

"No, it's fine," Lucas says, expression serious. He doesn't even realize he's bending down when he does it. "I'm just so glad you're okay." That last bit comes out rushed, clipped at the end - caught - because Lucas is slipping his hands up into Bash's hair, pulling him closer, and urgently pressing a kiss to his lips.

With his head a churning jumble of heavy, unrealistic (and sometimes realistic) fears, Xavier's skin prickles, numb. It's hard to move, joints resisting every attempt at motion, but sliding into the seat next to Reid warms him at his core. Loosens him. A bit like sitting by a bonfire on a bitingly cold night.

Xavier carefully takes Reid's hand in his and does a bit of a pretzel maneuver, lifting it up over his own head, then using the newfound space to slide into the crook of Reid's arm. He rests his head on Reid's shoulder and focuses on the muffled sound of his breathing while he stares at their knees. It reminds him of his dream.

"I'm excited to meet your family," Zav says, picking one of the scary thoughts out of the sea of his head - anything that's not last night - and trying to untangle it into something less terrifying. It kind of works. He drapes an arm over Reid's stomach, feeling drowsy, half expecting an adult to wander by and warn him to leave some room for Jesus. "And also to eat pizza. In Chicago. With you."

Because she's indulging Jade in this, Ari gets the most mischievous grin Jade is capable of. She raises one eyebrow and glances out the window like she could see Essie's poor parents, their targets, from here. "Oh, I doubt it. They'd regret that immediately." (She sounds proud of this.)

But it brings to mind again the uncomfortable truth that she and Ari wouldn't be able to see each other all summer. Jade wouldn't be seeing anyone. She feels very alone already, but covers for it by letting out a short exhale, like she's impatient at how long this bus is taking. "Are you going to be in England all summer?"

Two months suddenly feels very long.

Actually, breaking down doors is still very necessary. Or at least, that's what Jade appears to believe. She'd woken up only a few minutes ago, and the first bed she'd checked was Essie's. Jade would never, never admit later how deeply her stomach had fallen upon seeing her empty bed, and determining the other beds didn't have her missing friend in them either.

Without a second thought, still wearing pajamas and formerly immaculate white sneakers, she runs at full tilt toward the boys' cabin, just grateful that really awful preternatural weakness didn't seem to have a hold on her anymore. She's fully capable of charging the door, and waving her wand around, like she's trying to summon the boys to arms. "What are you doing?! Stop HUGGING! You have to help! I can't find..."

But Essie's right there, on their couch.

The panic slides off Jade's face, and she looks exceptionally sheepish before tucking her wand behind her back. "Just wanted to make sure you were awake."

It's not a great cover.

Ferdie hates that he flinches just a little when someone touches his shoulder. ("See how weak you are?" jeers that mocking not-Micah from deep in the mines. That'll stick around.) But it's Ursula, who he saw last safe but newly rescued. It's good to see her. "I was just trying to get in on the trend. Disappearing's popular right now." He stops, shakes his head. "Not funny yet. Sorry. How are you?"

i can post a starter in a few hours when i get home (3/4ish EST) but if either of you gets ~inspired~ in the meantime then POST AWAY!

The mystical reassurance that everything will be okay is great and all, but Nia's building walls in her head the moment she wakes up. Shoving this new, highly personal information about six other students into the back of her mind and bricking it over on the walk to the lodge, a storm cloud hanging over her. She hopes they will do her the same courtesy.

When MACUSA sits her down on a cot in the atrium and ask for a statement, though, it all rushes out - the dream, the woods, the mine, the moonstone; and then, unable to stop, the fear of the school closing, and her scholarship and her father and, oh god, her mother - until it feels like there's nothing left of her but skin. Thick skin, at least. But, otherwise empty.

She should get up. She should be useful. But she just sits on that cot when the MACUSA reps leave her and Nia lets her head slump into her forearms, instead.

When I realised she was going to wake up alone, I... laughed. SORRY PIPPA. AS IF THIS NIGHT/WEEK/INDETERMINATE PERIOD OF TIME WASN'T BAD ENOUGH.

Despite her strong sense that everyone was okay, or even better, hearing directly from Diego, it was nothing in comparison to actually seeing them. From the moment they'd started wading through all the adults, Essie had been on the look out for Mina, Diego, Pippa, Bash, and Wyatt. She hears Bash's voice first, but it's soon joined by Pippa's, and no one is going to stop her from shoving her way through the crowd to get to her best friend. (See ya, Lucas!)

"PIPPA!!!"

Her arms are around Pippa, holding her close, as soon as the other girl is in reach.

Oh. No, that's better. That's much better than talking. Like - totally an excellent plan. He should maybe give some serious consideration to never saying words again if this is the alternative that's currently being offered.

And maybe he looks a bit ridiculous - up on his toes before he's had much time to think about it, fingers knotting themselves into the collar of Lucas' shirt and pulling down and forward and whatever way closer is - like one of the questionably-clad women on the covers of his dad's trashy romance novels. It's maybe not his best look. But whatever. Way worse things have happened. There's empirical evidence and everything.

"I still wanted to," Bash manages, sort of breathless and not making any move to give either of them terribly much space. "I maybe worried. Like - a lot."

She feels every bruise and every pained limb as she walks through the Atrium, gingerly brushing her hair away from her black eye. The soft skin around it is tender to the touch, and she can't help but run her fingers over it. She walks away from one of the MACUSA agents, biting the inside of her lip and striding as confidently as she can through the pain. Borgins do not care for the questions of Aurors. There are many things they don't understand. But Sylla doesn't understand much of what has happened either. She tells them of the entity that she fought, of the forest and getting separated from the other girls, but the decision to stay hushed on the mirror and the scissors weighs on her mind as she finds a corner of the room, a space on the wall.

With a sigh, she slumps against it and sits with her legs crossed, tucking her boots under her and wrapping her coat around her like a blanket. She looks out at the other students, resting her head against the cool stone wall. Something solid and real seems to help, and she wraps her arms around her bare legs.

It's all a lot of fuss from strangers. She only wants her family to fuss. She only wants to go home.

LMAO. No kidding, no kidding. Essie is weirdly okay because she got Closure, but I imagine once they all get on the bus and have to part ways again it's gonna start hitting her.

Dimi and Sylla can talk if you want!

You betcha! I 👀 that starter.

Yeah, I imagine it's going to be weird for everyone to be whisked away so abruptly from Gooseberry before they can process it, and like... especially for people like Pippa who won't have anyone to talk to face to face about it.

And without anyone to talk to over the journals either. :C

"I need something to put in this chapter of my documentary. Plus, when am I ever going to get such good costume details on Aurors?" But Micah lowers his camera, so he can look at Calvin with his own eyes. He looks tired. Most of them look tired, but Micah still remembers how determined Calvin had been. They'd been in the mine for hours, but Calvin still picked up that shovel and got to digging.

He didn't lose that purposeful pride until Micah's face aimed a derisive look at him, and Micah's voice gleefully announced to all how much Calvin missed being a bully who treated everyone badly. How much easier it had been. Safer. More rewarding. You'll be glad to go back to it, won't you, Calvin? You won't even hesitate that long.

Micah exhales slowly. "Can I take a picture of you?"

Edited 2017-07-07 16:58 (UTC)

THAT TOO. (I forgot this all technically happened over a week ago, haha.)

Essie pulls herself away from her friends the moment she hears Mina's voice. Look, she loves you guys, and she's so happy you're all safe and alive, but she hasn't seen her sister since before the nightmare had started. It's not hard to locate her sister thanks to that booming voice and the freshmen (..sophomores?) scattering out of her path.

"Mina! I'm over here!" she yells, hopping up and down in the crowd and waving her arms, and then she's moving towards her. It's the first time since she woke up that the tears are threatening to spill over. She still hasn't been interviewed or looked over, but good luck to anyone who tries to rip her away from her family ever again.

If Pippa thought she was all cried out, she was wrong. She presses her face against her shoulder to blot her tears, since there's no way she's letting go of Essie. "You're okay. We're okay." She sounds faintly disbelieving. Now that it's over she doesn't have to be strong or optimistic, and she can allow herself to admit that deep down she was afraid they wouldn't succeed.

Pippa exhales shakily, and it turns into a laugh even though she's still crying. "I was so scared when you just -- you just disappeared, Essie, and we didn't know -- where did you go?"

The trauma continues.

Essie probably sent a very heartfelt "I MISS YOU!!!" owl to Pippa that hopefully made its way over by now. She's a terrible letter writer though, so it was honestly probably just exactly that.

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Page 10 of 15

AFTERMATH & DEPARTURE

Senior Coppertools' Cabin

Ferdie & Ursula

CHICKABRO HQ

CHICKABRO HQ

Lucas & Bash

Reid & Zav

Ariadne & Jade

CHICKABRO HQ

Ferdie & Ursula

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

Nia (Open)

Re: OOC - Did U Wake Up Somewhere Weird?

CHOO CHOO BABYTRAIN (SEARCH PARTY & ALL PERMUTATIONS, RESCUEES)

Lucas & Bash

Sylla & Open

Re: OOC - Did U Wake Up Somewhere Weird?

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

Re: OOC - Did U Wake Up Somewhere Weird?

Re: OOC - Did U Wake Up Somewhere Weird?

Micah & Calvin

Re: OOC - Did U Wake Up Somewhere Weird?

Morales-Trans

CHOO CHOO BABYTRAIN (SEARCH PARTY & ALL PERMUTATIONS, RESCUEES)

Re: OOC - Did U Wake Up Somewhere Weird?