MONTHLY BONDING: CAMPING

[goosemods]

MONTHLY BONDING: CAMPING

It's a windy October day, and the entire school is packing up to go on a camping trip. This month's monthly bonding is going to force even the most indoors-loving students out into the wilderness for one night.

There's a rumor going around that the trip is clearing out the students so that MACUSA agents can search campus without the students around. This will have to remain a mystery, however, as nothing interesting happens before the hike gets underway. Quentin Youngblood sets up some magical audio surveillance in their cabin, but when they get back the most interesting thing they recorded was the sound of two raccoons fighting outside. However, they do hear footsteps on the walkways outside the cabin. It could just be staff doing patrols.

Natalie Prince struggles on the long hike and ends up lagging behind, but on the bright side gets to walk with Mr. Covington who's bringing up the end of the group. As everyone's setting up camp, Dinah Dixon suddenly shouts either in fear or excitement: it's Brother! ... Oh, wait, no, that's just a normal moose. False alarm.

CAMPING RULES:

• Dress appropriately for the weather. It's autumn up in the mountains, and it's beginning to feel like it.
• No large electronics of any kind. Alas, Mr. Thorn has been overruled during this particular trip, since it's not actually an OE event. You may bring your gadgets.
• Buddy system at all times. Do not go off on your own.
• Don't leave the trail.
• Respect your tent-mates. If Thorn suspects there's a problem, he's stepping in.
• Lights out is 10:00 PM. All students must be quiet with lights off after this hour.
• You must help carry the group's equipment.
• Clean up after yourself.
• All the rules that apply on campus apply here, kids! The only things you're escaping are your uniforms and classes.
• If you act up, you're being sent home early with Mr. Covington and will face IC repercussions.
• Thorn is serious about making sure you kids learn how to survive in the great outdoors without your wands, and therefore insists all the set up and take down be done without magic. He doesn't humor any arguments about wandless magic, either. "Those are the rules. Now get to it!"

HOW THIS WORKS

• Students will leave Friday afternoon and hike out to a large camping area. The trip is about a an hour and a half long hike, but it's low impact and everyone takes a break in the middle for snacks.


• Upon arrival, tents are set up. It's two or three people to a tent!


• Tent assignments were made with a combination of student requests and random assignments. You can choose whether your characters asked to be put together, or if staff assigned them by chance.


• Couples are not prevented from being in the same tent. However, the tent walls are awfully thin, and the campground is crowded. Hanky panky at your own risk.


• Each year has its own campground and fire, but you can wander and mingle with other years.


• No magic is allowed when working on setting up camp and survival skills.


• Students will return Saturday morning. Ebonhide will have to miss their Quidditch/Cheer time on the pitch, but Mr. Thorn will arrange with their captains to give them some choice extra practice slots next Saturday.


• Students who don't have sleeping bags, pillows or camping gear will be provided with school loaners.


• Students may bring their familiars so long as they're able to travel safely. Familiars that remain behind will be tended to by staff.


• Staff will come through and do a head count at curfew (10:00 PM) when everyone must be in their tents or at the fire pit. Midnight is quiet time, and everyone will need to be in their tents with the lights off.


• If your characters want to sneak around and trade tents, there's a chance of being caught if it gets too widespread. Chances are, though, you can get away with it.


• Assume that the locations of the tents and campgrounds correspond to the layout of the table that's just below this list.


• EACH YEAR WILL EXPERIENCE A UNIQUE SUPERNATURAL EVENT. There will be places to react below.

SENIORS:

Veronica & Riley	Iliya, Ulysses, & Mackenzie	Avery & Sofia
Saira & Phoebe	Ferdinand, Reid & Cameron	Phineas & Yancey
Adeline & Sybilla	Reece, Jonathan & Sylvester	Lachlan, Jaime & Ennis
Oscar, Dominic & Webster	Roxanne & Rosemary	Olivia & Clementine
Casey & Casper	Kurt & Chloe	Antonia & Ursula

JUNIORS:

Ariadne & Jade	Joanna, Samantha & Evangeline	Sebastien, Lucas & Ramon
Fern & Charlotte	Gabriela & Victoria	Madison & Ruby
Calvin & Micah	Milo & Bianca	Cole & Austin
Regan, Isabelle & Paige	Estella & Jefferson	Zachary & Solomon
Hazel & Susana	Todd & Spencer	Heathcliff, Cassius & Ira

SOPHOMORES:

Archimedes, Hieronymus & Griffin	Natalie & Antigone	Peyton, Grace & Corrigan
Violet & Carolina	Rupert & Quentin	Concordia, Marie & Tuesday
Nisha & Dinah	London & Paris

» THE HIKE: Although it takes an hour and a half, the hike is low impact without many hills, and it's very scenic. The mountains are full of fall colors, and it's perfect scarf and sweater weather.

» SETTING UP CAMP: Mr. Thorn encourages everyone to participate! Help dig a fire pit! Learn to put up a tent! Prepare dinner!

» EVENING: Everything's winding down, and many students have retreated to their tents. Others linger by the fire. Mr. Covington makes some (non-alcoholic) hot apple cider or hot cocoa for anyone who's still up.

» IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT: SENIORS: A beautiful teenager in a tattered suit, lace shawl and what looks like a mask from last year's masquerade wanders through your campground, leaving newly bloomed violets where his bare feet touched the ground. If you're awake (one character per player), you can come out and meet Anon in person. He will answer the first 5 questions asked, but... it's Anon, his answers may not be useful. Staff are exasperated by this news, and MACUSA agents will want to interview you. Anon needs to be reminded to keep his distance.

» IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT: JUNIORS: Pearl visits your year's campground, and wanders through the tents at night. If you're awake, she will trade with you through an opening in the tent flaps. Give her something valuable, and she'll reward you with something of hers. (One trade per player.) Later in the evening, Peter can be heard coming to collect her. In the morning, members of staff insists all students who made a trade give up their items to MACUSA... unless you hide your prize.

» IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT: SOPHOMORES: Late at night, everyone remembers Mr. Merrill coming through and checking on them individually now that he's finally caught up with the group. Sheesh, that's a long walk, kids! He's a little too quick to tease them, but it's easy to assume he's tired and that's why he's not his usual gregarious self. However, in the morning, he's nowhere to be seen. Mr. Merrill never arrived last night. So who was that..?

» MORNING: The staff are tired and a little frustrated by what happened last night, but this is just what happens at a magical school, right? This is Gooseberry now. Time to pack up and hike back to campus.

» OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

Comments

Bad Kids Defy Death

[godzillabutworse]

This hike is just, like, a walk? And that's ... kind of boring? Like, okay, sure, the trees are the color of fire and the sky is clear and bright blue and beautiful and it's all gorgeous? But, um, wow. Gonna need more than a Bob Ross painting to keep this child occupied. Nisha props her hand over her brow to scan the surroundings. Where's the adventure?

It takes a moment for the dots to connect, but she eventually spots just what she's looking for and with a skip in her step, she jogs to catch up with Tuesday. Nisha starts their interaction with a light, friendly elbow to Tuesday's side. Because that's just who she is. "I spy with my little eye," she says in a low whisper, nodding just off the path, to a pine tree of some sort with big, sturdy branches. "Something a little more challenging than a stroll." Nisha wiggles her eyebrows.

Bad Kids Defy Death

[tues]

Tuesday’s dragging her feet, about a millisecond away from complaining to the person closest to her that this is Clearly is just an exercise to make them look dumb because they’re walking in definite circles. They’re probably going to end up back at Ebonhide. This is taking Forever, and she’s restless.

And then,like the angel on her shoulder she definitely is, Nisha’s there with a better suggestion. Tuesday’s eyes light up instantly, taking in the tree with a scholarly nod. “A Little more challenging.” She concedes, and then snaps her head to grin at Nisha fully. “Race you there?”

Bad Kids Defy Death

[godzillabutworse]

Ah, yes, camping has finally gotten interesting. Nisha's smile goes wide, big enough to be both lightly evil and goofy. Tuesday's always up for this stuff. Perfect. She gives a nod and then crouches, like she's prepping to spring off.

Not that she's going to be a good sport about a foot race.

"Threetwoone--GO!" Nisha blurts without warning. She pushes herself forward with a great leap, and sprints toward their very climbable target.

Bad Kids Defy Death

[tues]

Tuesday, fortunately, is prepped and ready for cheating and other such nonsense. Go sees her long legs shuttling her forward, finally good for something. She barrels throygh the pack of other students without much courtesy, because they should know to get out of the way while she’s hurtling herself through the air. As always when she’s about to do something stupid, her grin is downright maniacal. She lets out a loud laugh and throws her arms up to catch the lowest tree branch, vaulting herself up with surprising grace. And there she pauses, finally remembering this was a race. She looks for Nisha both at her head and feet. “Did you make the Top yet?” Tuesday calls, regardless of whether or not she can see her in plain view.

Bad Kids Defy Death

[godzillabutworse]

"Almost there!" It's a cocksure declaration that comes from below, punctuated with a grunt as Nisha jumps, arms extended. She's smaller and slower on her feet, but once she's left the ground, she's in her element. So, her hands catch a branch and she's up and around and propelling herself up to a second branch in a flash.

But once she's there, she just kind of hangs, like an only-slightly-larger-than-average gibbon. A stray thought occurs to her, and she seeks confirmation: "I heard at Gooseberry you get the climb that big angry tree in the middle of campus in February!"

Bad Kids Defy Death

[tues]

Tuesday grins in partial victory, but oh no, the race hasn’t been won yet. She stands on her toes and pulls herself up to the branch above Nisha. She swings around, and hangs by her knees to face the other girl, like this is a natural conversation position. “Yes. You take a ribbon up as high as you can go. And it’s supposed to symbolize true love, but So Many broke bones last year. I can’t Wait”

Bad Kids Defy Death

[godzillabutworse]

"Damn," Nisha says, hanging by one hand now as she points a finger in Tuesday's face, speaking with absolute surety. "Broken bones are, like, super romantic, dude." She hefts herself up onto the branch she's been dangling from and reclines on it. "Way more romantic than a ribbon? Like, a ribbon's nice and all, but LOVE is PAIN." Or something like that. Nisha probably is not qualified to talk about love.

Bad Kids Defy Death

[tues]

Tuesday thinks Nisha's smart. One of the smartest people ever, probably. So her assessment of love seems correct. "It Is. That's how you know they're really dedicated. I want someone to break a bone, for me. I Hope I'm in love in February." This might be the blood rushing to her brain, but it feels like a viable hope, and she lets out a soft sigh as she sits up on to the branch, doing a casual push up with no hands in process. "And I'd make sure the ribbon got all the way up,of Course."

Bad Kids Defy Death

[godzillabutworse]

Nisha laughs, a deep "Ohohoho!" Or, rather, as deep as her tiny frame can manage. The sound of having a "great" idea.

She's back up on the balls of her feet before she speaks, again. "If we DO have true loves by then, we should..." And then she springs up to the next branch. "Like totes race to the," she grunts as she pulls herself up and over. Draping her midsection across the branch, legs and arms both dangling. "Top!"