Errand Autumn Cleaning PV Group 2 Fin.

If you asked her, she wouldn't admit it, but the truth of the matter was the Ruthie was here for the money. She felt guilty for the new owl her parents had gotten for her and she was already saving for an even better broom she would use in second or third year. But this was the problem with coming from a working class family: money did not come easily, if it came at all. Hopefully, when her mother's research came out in the summer, the family would be better off. But even then, people tended to be more interested in charms or curses than in plants. As for her father's income, that was all dependent on the catch of the day. But it was time for Ruthie to contribute. Perhaps she could even pay for Darby's owl pellets all on her own. And that was she readily accepted Gris's task. It seemed simple enough: racking leaves. Easy money, or so she hoped.

She walked out onto the grounds, with her cloak in her arms, thinking it would probably just end up in the way of the task. But not unlike the herbology errand last month, she felt she'd rather be safe than sorry. Despite the fact that the grounds were vast, Gris was easy to spot once Ru got out there. After all, you don't easily forget the girl who saved your best friend's life. The way Gris attempted to karate chop that giant--Merlin, was that something. In many ways, Gris was someone she looked up to, but she also knew she'd never be that brave. And she'd certainly never be a martial artist. That seemed like something that required discipline and training. Still, she was grateful to have Gris for a friend rather than an enemy.

"Gris! It's good to see you!" she pipped as she walked over to the older, waving as she trotted along. Nearby, she noticed a young boy, also with an arm raised. Looking him over, Ruthie thought she might have seen him in the common room or a class, but never to speak to. Still, he looked friendly enough as she overheard him introduce himself to the Gryffindor Prefect. Since Gris explained this was a group task, she felt she ought to introduce herself as well. "I'm Ruth," she said to the boy, "Good day for this, eh?" Normally, she might have been more enthusiastic, but since the ball, she natural extroversion had seemed to wane. Still, she hoped to appear friendly. That would go a long way to making such a simple chore fun.

WC: 432

•••

Sylvie's scuffed up shoes clicked against stone as she skipped along the long, paved path to the specified meeting place of their group. It was a lovely day for yard work, she had to admit. Autumn always had been her favorite season. The changing colors of the leaves and subsequent sea of orange and yellow hues from their fall was beautiful to hqer. The air was crisp and chilly, but it hardly bothered her, equipped with her scarlet and gold sweater and scarf. She didn't know how long she'd be out here, so tucked away in the pocket of her robe was a pair of black gloves as well, just in case. It wasn't necessary, of course, as she knew gardening gloves were to be worn. But! Perhaps she'd stay a while after their work was through.

She'd been told they'd receive a monetary compensation for this little task, which to Sylvie was wonderful news, as she had... Very little of that with her, unfortunately! It was a shame, as there were so many lovely little things she wanted to purchase. And boy did she really want a cat... Or maybe she could save up for a new broom to use in her later years. A little money went a long way at only eleven years old.
Once she finally made it to her destination, she discovered there were a few people already there. She hadn't met them, at least not yet, but that was fine with her. The only familiar face was that of her prefect, Griseldis. "Hi, everyone."

WC: 260

Bridget briskly made her way across the leaf-covered grounds of Hogwarts, hurrying to arrive on time to the errand she had signed up for. She didn't know who she was going to be in a group with and honestly wasn't too thrilled about working as a team--in the past she had almost always done errands solo. However, she could work as part of a team, if Quidditch and soccer when she was younger had proved anything, and meeting new people wouldn't necessarily be terrible. Besides, the extra sickles would be useful.

As she neared the cluster of students that was growing, Bridget noted her surroundings. There were innumerable decaying leaves in an assortment of reds, oranges, yellows, browns, and everything in between and a slight breeze that caused the hem of her robe to fly up a bit. Luckily the day wasn't too cold, but they would be moving anyways so they would warm up.

Doing her best to hide her apprehension, the Slytherin approached the huddled students. Apart from the prefect who had organized this whole thing, she didn't really recognize anyone--the group seemed to be made up of younger students. Or, at least she thought she didn't know anyone. Upon closer inspection and racking her brain for the memories, Bridget realized that she had seen the blonde-haired girl before. The Ravenclaw had been with Thora tending to an injured student and Bridget had levitated a tablecloth to try and give them some cover. In all honesty, the short girl wasn't sure what to make of this information. They still hadn't actually met, and besides, the Masked Ball didn't bring up good memories. Speaking of things she wanted to forget, for a moment the red of the leaves turned a liquid scarlet and Bridget had to close her eyes for a moment to forget the pool of blood she had seen that fateful night.

So, what to do? Everyone seemed to be introducing themselves and she didn't just want to stand to the side awkwardly until someone asked her name, so she decided introductions would be a good idea.

"Um, hi. I'm Bridget," she said, hopefully not interrupting anything. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, still feeling rather out of place. The sooner they got started, the better.

Word Count: 383/1000

This wasn't Alexx's first rodeo. She'd cleaned the grounds before- way too often. Hell, this used to be one of her patrolling areas! If she wasn't cleaning these grounds from Merlin knows what (leaves, in this case), she was sweeping naughty students off them just as quickly. And she might have thrown her hands in the air, proclaimed that she wasn't Hogwarts' maid. However, there were sickles involved. Where there was money, there was Alexx. That much was for sure.

She looked around at those who were supposedly helping her. Out of all of them, she knew Bridget, but she couldn't say those two were friends. Alexx did Incendio her half to death, anyway. But it was all in good fun! Alexx wanted to win, and she did. Say what you must about her, but through it all, even if she is a shitty spell-cast, she didn't give up a fight.

Other than Bridget, whose name she only knew thanks to the duel, she didn't know these kids. There was once a time when she knew damn near everyone. Not a face went unrecognized; that's how it was being a Prefect. But those days were over. Alexx still knew a handful of people, being the Chief Editor and all. But those communication lines only extended so far.

Lazily, almost even a little apprehensively, Alexx grasped a rake in one hand, slipping on some protective gloves as well. Her eyes flickered between the rest of her group, and she grumbled a slight "Bonjour," to the rest of the participants before moving on. Alexx wasn't here to socialize, she was here to work. She wanted to take those damn sickles and leave.

This would have been a lot different if her friends had been doing this. Even mere acquaintances, such as Serena, who, if Alexx recalled correctly, was previously in an errand with her that involved cleaning. Though, Alexx wasn't certain there was money involved in that one. Once again, where there was money, there was Alexx. She wouldn't do half the stuff that she did if it weren't for a paycheck. While they weren't reliable and steady, man! She was just happy to be paid!

WC: 364

@Pericles Dralt @Ruthie Greer @Bridget Collins @Sylvie O'Niell @Alexx Séverin

Her time enjoying the Autumn sight didn't last long because she just saw a Ravenclaw boy who already enquired himself a pair of good quality Dragon-hide gloves and boots. He sure is well prepared for the errand. Griseldis thought with a smile and waved at him to come over. "Hello there, Pericles. I'm really glad to see you here and it seems you already prepared yourself for the errand, that's good. I'm Griseldis by the way but you can call me Gris instead, might be easier for you to remember." She introduced herself to the young Ravenclaw and reached out her right hand to him for a friendly handshake. "So before you start raking, we still need to wait for the other four students to come."

A few minutes of waiting, Griseldis saw another Ravenclaw but this one was someone she knew very well, it was none other her favorite "Blue Bird". "Ruthie! Over here!", She was still worried about Ruthie after what happened at Masquerade ball, it was like a nightmare for her and for most of the students who got involved there. Honestly, Griseldis was surprised when Ruthie sighed up for the errand. She could only hope that her errand might help her cheer up a bit. At least, Ruthie was happy to see her. "It's also good to see you too." She gave her a quick hug and let her go immediately. Then she watched Ruthie greeted her fellow housemate, Griseldis was sure they would get along well. "Hi, everyone!", a Gryffindor girl's voice got her attention, made she quickly turn around then she greeted her with a smile, "Hi there, glad to see you here. But before we begin, we still need to wait for the last two students." She also reached out to her hand and would give her a handshake just like she did with Pericles. Another few minutes has passed, the fourth student arrived, it was a Slytherin girl and she introduced to them as Bridget. "Hello, Bridget. Happy to see you here. I'm Griseldis, but just call me Gris please." She would still do the samething by giving her a handshake.

And finally, the last student arrived. She was the Chief Editor of the Hogwarts Newspaper Team, Alexx Séverin. She watched how the older Slytherin already found the tools for the cleanup, lazily went to grab a rake and later trying to slip on some protection gloves. She greeted them by saying a simple hello in French, Griseldis only knew Chinese and English, but she did learn a few French words during her time in the Muggle school. But unlike the others, Alexx already wanted to get started before Griseldis could explain to them about the task. "Erhmm...well...", she turned to face the other four with an awkward smile, "Thanks to our dear Chief Editor over there, now you all know where to find the tools. The task is quite easy, just clean up all the fallen leaves here. I'll be leaving you here to work and hopefully..." She looked at Alexx and looked back at them, "You guys can work together as a team. I have to leave for a while but will come back to see the result. I wish you all a happy Autumn Cleaning." Griseldis waved the group good-bye and even gave them a thumbs-up before leaving the area. She wanted to be positive that both groups are going to do a great job through their teamwork.

OOC: Now you all can begin to clean up those fallen leaves and while doing your errand you can interact with each other, be a bit playful and jump in a pile of leaves, collecting leaves or you can even be lazy and use spells but don't use the Fire-Making spell for the love of Merlin! Anyway, be creative! Another important note, after you reached 1000 words, yes, you pretty much completed the errand BUT you must IC wait for everyone in the group to finish their task and do not leave the thread. There will be a final interaction with Griseldis when she returns to see the group's success.

It wasn't long before the three remaining members trotted along to their group, forming a wee team to set about cleaning up the grass below. They were each new faces for Ruthie. The first was a friendly Gryffindor, who greeted everyone immediately. This wasn't particularly surprising as Ru had generally found members of the brave house to be more extroverted. Ruthie smiled softly and raised her hand to offer a wave. The next introduction seemed somehow more nervous. At first glance, the Ravenclaw did not recognize the speaker, but squinting slightly, she could see the ballroom again. She was one of the people who'd tried to help. And that was when a lump seemed to well up in the back of her throat, and she felt herself step back and away from the girl called Bridget. It wasn't deliberate, or even thoughtful. Bridget was probably a very nice person, but Ruthie was avoiding people who had anything to with the ball. It was easier that way. Frankly, it was surprising she'd come out to see Gris, and Gris was her friend. But perhaps that was the one thing that trumped fear: capitalism. As for the final member of their group, she was clearly older and somewhat determined. She wasted no time at all grabbing gloves and rake, before greeting them all curtly in French. This might have normally put Ruthie off, but in her current state of mind, it didn't bother her. It was like how she was going through her days--task by task, no more.

Having said that, it was nice to receive a hug from the Gryffindor Prefect, whom she hadn't seen since the Prefect had saved her life. In fact, it was the second hug she'd gotten since then, the first being Lark when she'd gotten picked as Reserve Keeper. Hugs were strange now. On one hand, she avoided them, that feeling of closeness. On the other, she desperately wanted them back, the knowledge that she wasn't alone. It was good that Gris' hug was quick; she didn't want to be accused of favoritism.

Gris didn't need to point out the tools as the Editor, as Gris introduced her, had already done that for them. Nevertheless, Gris explained the task and that she would be returning later when the task was complete. Ruthie breathed out. That was good. Maybe they could talk. After all, she couldn't be the only one waking up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night after all that had happened, could she?

But that was a question for later. For now, she had to focus on the task at hand. After a nod of acknowledgement, she went over to grab herself a rake and pair of gloves, just as the older girl had done earlier. Next was to figure out where to begin. She spied a short but wide yew tree to her left with its leaves left down underneath its branches like a soft blanket. It was perfect. The first year walked over silently on her own, grabbed the rake in her hands, and started to collect the leaves in a wee little pile. She looked up for a moment to see if anyone was headed her way. The company would do her good, but unlike before the ball, she would not seek it out on her own. It didn't really matter how they accomplished the raking, just that they did.

WC: 572 | Total : 432 + 572: 1004. Errand complete!
NB: I have chosen to give Ruthie PTSD following the ball, which is why she exhibiting some anti-social behavior in this post. Please know this is of no fault of your own or your characters. You are still welcome to interact with her, but I wanted to provide an FYI herewith.

Bridget shook hands with the friendly prefect, Gris, who had set the errand up and noted the names of the students she'd be working with. But it didn't take an expert to tell she was distracted between her weak, rather forced smile and distant expression. It was a marvel she retained anything said at all as her brain seemed to be stuck on repeat. Her mind's eye kept seeing the blonde-haired Ravenclaw, whose name she now knew was Ruthie, have her stormy grey eyes meet Bridget's hazel ones. And then she had backed up without warning with a seemingly frightened look in her eyes. It was as if she was scared of Bridget.

But why? The snake's appearance was far from unnerving--sure, she often looked somewhat cold and unapproachable but especially due to her petite stature she was far from threatening. So had something Bridget had done previously set the first year off? As far as she knew, apart from the Masked Ball this was the first time they'd seen each other. Nothing surfaced in her mind to give a feasible explanation for Ruthie's backing away from her. It wasn't as if she needed the younger student to like her, but it was really, really odd...

Her attention to what was happening around her returned with the newest arrival to the errand group. The Slytherin internally groaned. Why Alexx? Of all people of course it just had to be her 3rd year housemate. Sure, there were worse people and Bridget had to give Alexx credit for being a pretty good Quidditch player (much better than her, anyway), but after the duel the other girl had annoyingly won Bridget was holding a pretty major grudge.

Luckily, Alexx didn't seem to care for a conversation as that was the last thing the brunette wanted. In fact, the older girl grabbed some equipment and got right to work. Gris sounded slightly disappointed that she hadn't gotten to show them the supplies, but after a few quick instructions she left them to their raking. Pulling on the provided protective gloves and grabbing a rake, Bridget dragged one of the compost bins over to her own area where she could work by herself. After all, she was sort of avoiding Alexx and Ruthie looked like she wanted some space, not that Bridget would know what to say to her regardless. Even if Ruthie didn't want to work alone, the Ravenclaw definitely didn't want to even be near Bridget. The Slytherin couldn't help but feel a bit hurt. Not knowing what she'd done wrong was proving to be awful.

She distracted herself by working as hard as possible on the mindless task, yanking and pulling at the decomposing leaves until she had accumulated a large pile. Then, she grabbed armfuls of the herded-in leaves and dumped them into the compost bins. Of course, there was probably a magical way of doing the task and she had brought her wand, but childhood instincts kicked in. Besides, it wasn't as if doing it the Muggle way was hard and there was no risk of her spell backfiring. Upon completion, she started over again in a new area, heaping the autumnal foliage into an even larger mound. As she moved, the warmer she got and eventually Bridget discarded her robe on the low branch of a leafless tree.

The brunette was vaguely aware of time dragging on, but she didn't mind. She was here to help out and although raking wasn't thrilling it wasn't an excruciating task either. The money would, after all, be well worth it and who knew, perhaps she would even meet someone new should they initiate the conversation. And even if no one said hello, being out in the beautiful autumn day was an appreciated escape from the stress of everyday life.

Word Count: 638
Total Word Count: 383+638= 1021/1000
Word Count Completed!
Note: Bridget is still open to interactions.