Errand Group Seven: Tricks, Treats and Tales PV | Group

Matthew was the first to arrive to the cosy autumnal fire pit that had been set up for his assigned group. Small embers danced in the air out of the larger flames like fireflies that spread warmth all around the little area. Stumbling towards one of the logs he spread a tartan blanket over them squinting to see through the carved eye holes that obscured his vision significantly. The logic of coming wearing a full sized pumpkin on his head that he had hand-carved now had become utterly lost on him and he simply had to pray to Merlin that either the rest of his group were similarly crazy about the season or that he would go unrecognised.

Halloween had always been by far Matthew's favourite holiday. It was a moment where you could be anyone you wanted and the young boy had often wished to be anyone but himself. Not to mention trick or treating and the joy of making costumes and decorating their flat. Without his dad for creative input he hadn't quite managed to fabricate a costume of any significance this year and so had opted for the aforementioned pumpkin which although carved by a well practiced hand was not exactly the pinnacle of achievement. The rest of his outfit consisted of a black vintage leather jacket, t-shirt that said 'Happy Hal-Glow-ween' as 2 dancing skeletons upon it glowed in the dark and black cargo pants. Still he was determined to enjoy the celebrations proper costume or not, after all Halloween was already the most magical holiday and being in the most magical place in the world could only increase its perfection.

Enjoying the atmosphere as the light flames send soothing rushes of warmth through his clothes he looked about and took in the majestic sight of the castle silhouette that towered high above them reaching far up into the dark sky. Sun having set around an hour before let the flame lick through the air and illuminate its shadow in fiery glow. There was an almost protective feeling to the backdrop that let him view the castle in both figuratively and literally a new light. Just as autumn was a period of change between winter and summer he hoped the castle could continue to change in the view from his previous year as it was had already begun to.

Piled around him sat an array of supplies for making s'mores but not wanting to start without everyone he just grabbed a chocolate and attempted to shove it in his mouth only to find his hand meet a large protruding pumpkin. Minute by minute this idea was seeming like worse and worse of an idea. Slyly slipping his hand under the pumpkin he tasted the delights of the slightly melted chocolate and hoped that it was a sign of the good fortune tonight would bring. Last year he had spent the holiday alone but this time around he was determined to do it right.

Interactions: @Matthew Campbell Mentions: @Brookline Quinn | @Ruby Night | @Sage Willows | @Violeta Roux | @Minnie Duke

Date: 30th of October Location: Grounds

Outfit: x

- Group Seven: Tricks, Treats and Tales -

Once again, it was spooky season. Cass felt like the month had gone by so fast. How was it October already? It felt like they had only just hopped off the train. This wasn't right at all. Soon it would be November, then December, then Christmas, then third year, then sixth year, then graduation, then job time, and then rest home. Clearly the answer here was to come up with a plot to stop time, or just slow down a bit. Cass was becoming a very busy person. With editor duties, being a dueling co-captain and now being a prefect (they still had no idea how that had happened) the thirteen year old seemed to have something on at least every day. And when they didn't have duties to do, they were off bugging their friends (and people who had yet to admit that they were their friends) or causing chaos somewhere.

Cass quite liked it actually. Being alone and bored was a big nope, not happening, lets go find something to blow up instead. Their preferred lifestyle was one where not very much deep thinking was required. It certainly reflected in their actions sometimes. Tonight, their activity of choice was the fire pits that had been set up all over the ground. It was quite something to see from the second floor, little pinpricks of cozy light with students gathered around looking like stars in the sky. It was even more impressive up close as they walked out the doors towards them. A sign-up sheet had popped up in the common room earlier that day, with promises of spooky stories and s'mores to be devoured. What had slightly surprised them was the randomised groups, but they put their name down anyway. There was no one they wouldn't want to be with. In Cass's eyes, everyone was a friend who had yet to admit they were friends with them yet.

They spotted a familiar face in the organiser as they walked down @Koko Riddle and waved as they walked down. They must remember to go tell her how awesome the Quidditch game had been sometime. Or right now! But. They probably should make it to the campfire first. Only one lonely silhouette was there so far, and they looked like they could definitely benefit from some company. Continuing their walk, their feet made lovely crunchy noises on the carpet of leaves. Very cozy indeed. The whole set-up was pretty nice actually. Once they arrived at the fireside, they ploinked themself down on a log right next to the boy. Hang on. They recognised him. From the carriage ride when term had started! They grinned. "Hi!' they chirped "It's you again!".

The carriage ride had gone absolutely fine of course. What other way would it have gone? It was awesome, school was awesome (if you didn't count classes), this fire was awesome, this boy was probably awesome as well as long as he didn't turn out to be a massive nerd, and it would be even more awesome if other people would turn up or the boy would hurry up and respond because waiting sucked and Cass didn't like waiting, no thank you, start now please.

Total wordcount: 533/600

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┌─────────────────────────────────┐ .─ DATE | October 30, 2024 DIALOGUE | speach/others . ── ...─INTERACTIONS | @Cass Ito, @Matthew Campbell └─────────────────────────────────┘

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─────Halloween, such a lovely holiday. Ruby enjoyed it very much, dressing up as somebody completely different for a night, and having an excuse to eat as many sweets as you like, the crisp autumn air and going for a walk in the woods. She had been looking forward to this for a while, and now finally the day had come. She looked in the mirror in the bathroom, carefully overlooking the make-up she did on her face. She was quite happy with it. She took inspiration from one of her favourite muggle Halloween movies, The Nightmare Before Christmas. It wasn’t such a scary story, but she had always liked the magic and cheer behind it, combining the two holidays she liked the most. She took a last look at her vintage gothic dress in black and white, and decided it was time to join the celebrations. As she stepped outside the castle, she could already see all the little firepits that had been spread out over the grounds, inviting her in. It looked so cosy from a distance, and Ruby couldn’t wait to get closer. The scent of burning wood filled the air, mingling with the aroma of cinnamon and apple, making it feel festive. She could feel the excitement bubbling inside her as she made her way to her assigned spot. She spotted two other students already there, their faces lit up by the firelight. One she recognised as Cass, she had encountered them before, and waved at them. The other boy had a huge pumpkin on his head, so she didn’t know who it was or if she knew this boy already. She stifled a giggle at his creative costume. They had made themselves comfortable around the fire, so Ruby decided to join them. She had to give credit to the one who decorated this, it was absolutely stunning. The leaves on the floor and the logs around the fire made it cosy and inviting, and the pile of sweets for s’mores almost yelled at them to be eaten. She couldn’t help herself. She picked up a piece of chocolate and chose one of the logs around the fire. Hi, guys, what a perfect evening to be here. Ready for some Halloween fun?

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┌────────────────────────────────────┐ .─ STATS Reducio Sta 7 ❀ Eva 6 ❀ Str 5 Wis 8 ❀ Arc 6 ❀ Acc 8 ABILITIES Reducio Healing sage Non-Human enthusiast OUTFIT Reducio ITEMS Reducio Wand Chocolate frogs . ── └────────────────────────────────────┘

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banner by Ernest Baird

date- October 30th 2024 location- grounds

interacting/mentioning- @Ruby Night, @Cass Ito, @Matthew Campbell, @Koko Riddle wc- 623

As a witch, it might have been stereotypical for Sage to love Halloween. Though, really, who could blame her? The nice weather, the delicious food, getting to stay out late, it was all perfect. Plus, as a kid born in the fall season, it meant getting closer to her birthday.

The second she heard about the Tricks, Treats, and Tales event, Sage just knew she had to sign up. While it wasn't technically Halloween yet since it was only the 30th- although she had heard about some place in the United States that celebrated Halloween early, which she thought was crazy- she decided to dress herself out slightly like it was Halloween. She braided her hair, brushed on a tiny bit of purple eyeshadow, lined her eyes with eyeliner (not recommended), and wore her warmest cloak, the letter tucked her its pocket like it always was. It was always with her, hovering like a lost spirit around her. Needless to say, she definitely felt like she was in the Halloween spirit. Maybe it was because of the horror that letter brought her.

Lots had happened since last year. She was pretty sure most of it was good. She was prefect of a house she still sometimes wondered how she ended up in, editor on the paper, on the Quidditch team again. She was feeling pretty accomplished for only being a second year.

But some crap happened over the summer too. Crap that she didn't want to talk or think about. But it just kept pushing itself back into her head and nagging her to make her think about it. It was mostly about the letter. The stupid letter that Sage wanted to be rid of forever and never have to think about how much that letter hurt to read. As much dislike she had for Christopher, she didn't want him and Cassie to divorce. Then she would truly feel empty. Maybe being prefect, editor, and second string beater could distract her from all that.

Once she got over her thoughts, she left the common room after preparing herself to get in the Halloween spirit. She wandered out to the grounds, standing a few meters away to understand what they were doing. There was a fire- thank God she wouldn't freeze- and some treats that she would definitely be eating for most of the event.

Sage could see a few people already there, Ruby who she knew from planning summer camp, Cass who was her fellow prefect, and some kid wearing a pumpkin on his head. Interesting. She glanced over at Koko, the prefect hosting the event, but didn't talk to her. She joined the rest of them by the fire.

"Thank God there's a fire; it's so cold." After taking a moment to warm her hands, Sage turned to her group. "Hi, Cass, Ruby, and... kid with a pumpkin on their head." She paused to send him a strange look; how would he eat? "Um, if anyone doesn't know me, I'm Sage. And I'm mostly here for the snacks." She pointed over at the treats.

She stood from where she temporarily sat herself and grabbed some marshmallows. Sage didn't find a stick or anything to cook over the fire with- she hated burned marshmallows. She popped some into
her mouth.

"Anyone got any ghost stories to share?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows.

If she was being completely honest, Sage had never really heard a ghost story before. Since she lived with Cassie, they didn't have a TV and Kora was still too young for horror things anyway. She wasn't really sure how she'd react to scary things anyway. Maybe it would terrify her. Then again, Sage did lots of things that terrified her.

Date: October 30

Interacting With: Reducio @Brookline Quinn, @Cass Ito, @Ruby Night, @Sage Willows, & @Violeta Roux

Word Count: 519/600

OOC Notes: Reducio Speaking: b38900 Thinking: Italics

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Outfit: Reducio A Hufflepuff sweater, green jacket, and her satchel.

Interactions: @Matthew Campbell | @Ruby Night | @Sage Willows | @Minnie Duke Mentions: @Brookline Quinn | @Violeta Roux

Date: 30th of October Location: Grounds

Outfit: x

- Group Seven: Tricks, Treats and Tales -

It seemed that more people would be gathering around the fireside tonight. Cass waved as they recognised Ruby, a girl that they had known since first year, make her way over. "Am I ever not?" they grinned in response. She was followed by Sage, who Cass also waved to. Cass didn't have a criteria about the people they waved to. All were welcome at the fireside, as long as they didn't attempt to steal the snacks that were clearly all theirs. Ghost stories though. Cass was no big fan of ghosts, for obvious reasons because they were just kind of creepy and old and why were they even here at a school hundreds of years after they had died. Did they fail the year and become doomed to spend eternity here? They shuddered. What a scary thought. Maybe they should study just a tiny bit more this year. Only a tiny bit though. Studying was boring, and boring things were terrible.

"Not me" they said "But I would love to listen to some! Or just any stories. As long as they aren't boring". Looking for some snacks to go with a story, Cass turned their eye towards the lovely selection laid out before them. Even if some of it was a bit random. What were the sticks for? Oh. Marshmallows! This was perfect. Selecting a few unlucky victims from the pile, they stuck them on a skewer and positioned it over the fire while they talked. The only problem with marshmallows was that they took way to long to toast. Who had the patience to just wait the two or three minutes for them to become perfectly golden-brown? Certainly not Cass. They tapped their foot against the log, hoping someone would volunteer a tale while they waited to devour the squishy goodness currently toasting.

Although a tale was not volunteered, another girl made her way over to the group. Once again the waved, almost dropping their skewer into the fire when they did. Whoops. That was close. Having to restart would have been terrible this far in to the toasting process. "That's alright" they said "We all just got here as well". She looked sort of vaguely familiar Cass might be meeting Minnie at Scouts Halloween thing in the forbidden forest! Hasn't been decided, so being vague but they couldn't quite place where from. "Yes! Share with us the tales" they said, briefly putting on a very fancy voice but being unable to keep a straight face while doing so. Right, they should introduce themself. Even if most of the people here should already know them, it was only nice. "I'm Cass. Cass Ito. Although a lot of you know me already" they said.

Total wordcount: 968/600

As Brookline hurried to scramble to get ready, she realized that she was going to be late. She tied her long brunette hair into a messy braid. Then pulling on some black flair trousers, she grabbed her Ravenclaw robe-it might be cold tonight- and slipping her wand in her sleeve, she trudged out in the broken Halloween Eve night. The night was a little bit scary, it reminded Brookline of the first time going into the Forbidden Forest back in September. She might never go back there again, after the horrors she encountered in her mind. Today was no different. Although Brookline would soon discover the night was not so scary.

As the Welsh Ravenclaw walked closer and closer, the fire pits scattered across the Grounds, it was as comfy as campfires at home. Luring her in, Brookline walked to her group with a slight stupor, as her robe spilled out behind her. Once Brookline got to her group, she realized mostly everyone was there. Oh shit. What am I supposed to do? She listened before she spoke. She waited for a while until some students spoke, starting Brookline out of her thoughts.

“I'm Cass. Cass Ito. Although a lot of you know me already,” A kid with short black hair had said.

Brookline glanced around before she said, “Hello, guys! Sorry, if I’m late, perhaps reading on Halloween Eve is not a smart thing to do. Well, I’m Brookline Quinn though a lot of people call me Brooke.” Sage was there... and the rest were people she passed through the halls. Brookline sat down near the fire, warming her cold hands. She loved Halloween but when she saw the signups, of course she wanted to do it, but now all she wanted to was curl up in her bed, reading a book about healing. Maybe this would change her idea about holidays and how they should be spent. Last year, the only holiday she did was Christmas with her family. New Years was not available, for Brookline was booked. To read. While Halloween, last year, she could of dressed up, but did she feel up for it? Nope.

With the arrival of a rather exuberant bunch he knew almost none of Matthew let go of a fear he hardly knew he held. A fear that someone he had already made an enemy or bad impression on may show. Luckily neither had been the case other than potentially Cass but their interactions had simply been confusing thus far and despite his masterful disguise there was a semblance of recognition that made it seem like the young snake recognised his house mate pumpkin be damned.

As for the rest of the group everyone seemed quite pleasant and although many scampered through late they all watched as the fire grew and lit up the night around them in a beautiful ember. There was a warmth in the flame just as there had be to each members individual greetings. At first Matthew had simply bobbed along his Pumpkin mask to each of them as they turned but when everything seemed settled he finally began to pull the pumpkin from its perch and revealed a floppy mess of brunette curls that had more than a few pumpkin seeds littering throughout.

Smiling up at everyone he said, "Hello, I'm Matthew Campbell. It's a pleasure to meet you all. Hey Cass!" before smirking gently at the one familiar face of the bunch. "I'm afraid I don't really have any scary stories of my own but me and my dad do a horror movie marathon every Halloween, my favourite film is The Shining if any of you have seen it! There's a guy that goes crazy and attacks his son and wife with an axe and an elevator full of blood and even a creepy old ghost in the bathtub. Dad always used to calm us by saying 'things like that didn't exist.' You should have seen his face when he found out they did!"

As always when speaking of his father, Matthew's face was beaming with a prideful smile that gave his brown eyes a warm chocolatey undertone speaking of their love for one another. Staring at the faces of those around him he wondered if any of them were also muggleborn and had seen movies but unlike his first year he was hopeful that even if they hadn't he wouldn't let their opinion of him affect his own. For his opinion on himself was the only thing that mattered. As small worries began to creep in he considered donning the pumpkin once more but inevitably fought his mind to face the storm.

This is horrifically late I'm sorry