Are There Gulping Plimplies..? open finished

IC Time: 12:07pm, October 13th, 2024

XXXJoseph was starting to look quite miserable now. Eonaria wasn't sure if it was the water still dripping from his clothes, making him look like bedraggled, drowned rat, /j but he clearly wasn't fit to stumble to the castle by himself.

XXXAlso, her feet were getting numb.

XXXJoseph shook his head vehemently, nearly stumbling again. "Whoa," Eonaria squeaked. She had no idea if she was supposed to try and catch him or avoid getting fallen on. The Hufflepuff protested her suggestion, stopping suddenly in the middle of the sentence. His facial expression almost looked... guilty. Eonaria squinted at him. "Equal to...?" She echoed. She was fairly sure he was about to say 'equal to turning myself in,' which was... puzzling... "Are you in trouble for something? Did you escape down to the lake in order to flee an enraged professor?" The idea was rather lucrative, especially since she was sure first years could not escape professors for enough time to jump into the lake. Then Eonaria nearly tripped on nothing as she realized: "Wait a minute. Are we even allowed to touch the lake?"

XXXShe paled even more than she already was. When I waded in that lake, was that also breaking the rules?? It's a good thing no one witnessed our catastrophe!! Eonaria felt like she should be walking faster, as she usually did, but her freezing calves were beginning to catch up to her. Just keep going, just keep going... why are the Hogwarts grounds so big??

XXXOf course, Joseph didn't look any better. He was a lot worse off than her. Eonaria kept glancing back at him as they finally began to draw close to Hogwarts. "Are you really sure?" She definitely wanted to help, but her shoulders were also kind of constantly cold. Eonaria knew if she gave it to him, she'd probably get hypothermia or something. Well... how cold does it need to be to get hypothermia...? "This accursed wind just had to camp here today," she muttered.

.・-: ✧☾♩♪♩♬　. 。・゜✭・.・✫゜・。.　♬♩♪♩☽✧ :-・.

Interacting With: @Joseph Sims

Almost. There.

Joseph winced, his vision blurring as another sudden gush of wind slammed into him, sending another chill coursing through him. The magnificent castle ahead wove in and out of focus, like his reflection in the Great Lake right before he had plummeted in. In hindsight, maybe his little expedition in the lake hadn’t been the brightest of ideas. Just maybe. Not that he would ever admit it. Joseph would much rather take a second perilous dip in the Great Lake than give Eona the satisfaction of chiding him with a classic “I told you so.” Not a chance.

He needed rest, and desperately. But first, he’d have to complete this gruelling trek.

Eyes watering from the cold, Joseph pressed on, his jaw slack to maximise oxygen intake. He didn’t know how many more steps he could take before his body succumbed to the cold, or how long more before his legs permanently fossilised into stone from exhaustion. It didn’t matter. He’d keep walking, and whether or not he made it to the castle, well, Joseph didn’t have space left in his brain to worry about that. Step by step, he could feel his energy being sapped from his feet, leaving him to work with whatever little remained. He could do it. He was so close now, he was not going to give up.

The soft, grass-padded ground gave way to something harder, something more concrete. Joseph blinked, not daring to believe his situation. He had made it. The cobblestones beneath his feet were uneven and cold, but they were unmistakably real, solid proof that he had arrived at the foot of Hogwarts. Relief washed over him, mingling with a dizzying wave of exhaustion. His knees buckled, but he forced himself to stand tall, leaning gratefully against a nearby pillar. He was not going to collapse, now that he was right here, right when victory was just an arm’s reach away.

Of course he collapsed. The exhaustion, the fatigue he had been putting on hold the entire duration of the journey crashed into him like a wall of bricks, knocking him off his feet. The Hufflepuff boy lay sprawled on the ground, cheek pressed against the smooth, cold cobblestone floor. Ahhhhh. It felt so good, not having to support his body weight with whatever had become of his aching feet. He could stay lying here until the end of time, if not for the fact that Eona was probably a few paces away, likely ready to alert the whole school about his predicament.

“Yay, we did it,” Joseph muttered, managing a grin as he gazed upwards, winded from the draining traipse back to Hogwarts.

@Eonaria Kabukimono

IC Time: 12:09pm, October 13th, 2024

XXXThe harsh wind had made Eonaria's mouth very, very dry, an absolutely horrible feeling. She was vaguely aware of Joseph trudging alongside her out of the corner of her eye, but at this point, they just had to get back to the castle. Hogwarts was so close...

XXXShe brushed her hair out from behind her ears, letting them cover the sides of her head. Built-in insulation, Eonaria thought to herself with a slight grin, though it kind of hurt. The cold was definitely making her delirious.

XXXShe could feel her steps become a little firmer as they gained traction on the cobblestones instead of sad-textured grass. However, just as the stones melded together into an actual floor, the Hufflepuff besides her just collapsed. Eonaria yelped slightly, spending some of her remaining energy to leap out of the way- not that he was anywhere near falling on her, though. "Whoa," she huffed, desperately trying to moisturize her mouth. It was like licking gravel. Joseph mumbled something along the lines of "Yay," causing her to chuckle slightly.

XXXEonaria preferred lying down on the pleasant floors of her own home, rather than the dusty cobblestones of Hogwarts, but just this once couldn't hurt, right...? She sat down beside him, taking a moment to try and soothe her aching lungs. Once her breathing returned to a more-or-less regular rate, she glanced at Joseph. "You good?" Eonaria asked wearily. "Do you need help getting to the Hufflepuff common room, or maybe the hospital wing?" Thankfully, in the shelter of Hogwarts, the wind was constrained outside.

XXXSuddenly, she was very aware of the fact that they were two first year students, collapsed in a hall, and one of them was in no state to be going anywhere. Eonaria grimaced, putting her hands in her pockets. They were pretty numb, as well. Her fingers touched the canister of fish food in her pocket, and she tried not to smile again. Seriously, why was she smiling?

.・-: ✧☾♩♪♩♬　. 。・゜✭・.・✫゜・。.　♬♩♪♩☽✧ :-・.

It felt wonderful. Refreshing. Rejuvenating even - almost as though the exhaustion clinging to his limbs was magically seeping out of him, drawn into the cobblestones beneath. He tilted his head, eyes widening in mild surprise as he noticed Eona beside him, shoulders slumped, her breaths deep and heavy. She looked just as worn-out as he felt.

A pang of guilt struck him. How had he been so blind all this while? He should have known, the trek back to the castle had drained her just as much, yet she had continued to stay by his side, offering help, offering comfort, most of which he had dismissed with irritated indifference.

Biting his lip, Joseph pushed himself upright, ignoring the protest of his aching muscles. He managed a grin, fixing his gaze on the weary Gryffindor girl next to him, as she croaked out a final offer of help. Oh god, she sounded even more tired than she looked.

"Hospital wing?" Joseph breathed, flexing his fingers as the numbness began to fade. "No need for that, I'm already feeling better just resting here," he muttered reassuringly, tracing a finger along the smooth, chilly floor. "Besides, you look like you could really use a little rest yourself."

He sighed, gulping in a mouth of fresh air. What a day it had been - wet, wild and completely draining, but memorable nonetheless. He'd never felt so grateful to be indoors - to simply sit and breathe. But he couldn't just stay here forever, not when he was still wrapped in his soaking wet clothes. He needed to change, fast.

"Well, until next time, Eona," he said, rising to his feet, driven now by the prospect of a cosy afternoon unwinding in the common room. Flashing a final wink in her direction, Joseph turned and walked away, disappearing from sight.

~End of Thread~