Reducio

Every night I lie in bed
The brightest colors fill my head
A million dreams are keeping me awake

The Spectacular Spectacular tents are, indeed, spectacular. They're held in crimson red and bright gold, the exterior made of a shimmering, velvet-like fabric. Topped by a spinning golden windmill, there seems to be faint cabaret music playing on the wind. The heart-shaped archway with glowing lights invites you to step inside and explore.

The colour theme continues inside, crimson velvet and gold brocade, and is as lavish as could be. Tassels, fringes, and beadwork cover almost every inch of fabric, and thick velvet drapes cover the ceiling, surrounding a massive diamond chandelier that sparkles and reflects light everywhere, spinning slowly by itself. Feet sink into plush carpet with every step.

The opulence extends to the grand four poster canopy beds, draped in velvet, with intricately carved patterns on the frames and mattresses so soft you could sink into them. The nightstands hold small crystal lamps for light, casting sparkling lights onto nearby fabric.

Full length mirrors around the tent reflect more decadence: Fountains of alcohol-free champagne in different flavours next to trays set with tartlets and fruit to snack on. A grand piano invites the occupants to play, and is enchanted to take song requests if no one feels obliged to do so. Every night, just after sunset, a small firework goes off right under the central chandelier.

August 11
After the welcoming feast

Dee was tired. Dead tired, fall-into-bed-and-sleep-for-twelve-hours tired, is-she-asleep-or-in-a-coma tired. She and Mad had arrived at the London Quidditch Stadium early this morning, hours before most of the other summer campers were set to arrive, so Dee could help her fellow committee members prepare and make sure everything went smoothly. Upon meeting up with Peri and Eve, the four had chosen a tent for their group to stay in for the next few weeks, so they could drop off their trunks before they got to work. Said group consisted of the usual suspects when it came to Dee - herself, Mad, Peri, Aly, and now also Eve. Madhup had invited Amina, who had agreed under the condition that she could bring her best friend, to which Dee had shrugged and nodded; one more Durmstrang student would maybe even out the balance of the tent. Finally, Aly had suggested asking Manu to join them, at which Dee had perked up and agreed enthusiastically. (She'd never skip an opportunity to tease the Brazilian girl, and she'd promised to kick Manu's butt once again during last year's camp, a promise she had yet to make good on.)

They'd settled on one of the Spectacular Spectacular themed ones - while Dee wasn't the biggest fan of the colour combination, those had the softest beds, and free chocolate strawberries. (Dee had spent a decent amount of time daydreaming about both of these things.) Then she'd sent off Mad with the mission to direct Amina to their tent, who would then hopefully let her friend know, and Aly had been planning to meet up with Manu anyway, which should then cover their entire group. Meanwhile Peri, Eve, and Dee had headed off for last-minute preparations, which had seamlessly transitioned into the first day chaos of handing out itineraries, answering questions, and helping people find tents once students begun arriving in waves. (She wasn't sure what the others had been doing in the meantime, but she imagined Aly had been hanging out with Manu, and Mad had maybe taken a nap in those impossibly soft beds. It's what Dee would've done, to make up for their early start.)

Not that she hadn't been enjoying herself; anyone who had met Dee knew that she liked bossing people around, and her social battery was likely solar-powered, as it never seemed to run low. Still - after a long day of apparating one from one place to the next, talking to staff and students, and making sure everything went off without a hitch, followed by the traditional welcoming feast, Dee was physically exhausted and ready to sleep for a good twelve hours.

"Someone make sure I don't run into a wall or a tent, please," she yawned, rubbing her eyes. "I wish I could just apparate straight into my bed, but considering how tired I am, I feel like that might go terribly wrong." Fortunately, their tent was on the near side of the campgrounds, which meant she only had to make it past the long side of the stadium without falling asleep on her feet, although she hoped her friends would guide her in the right direction if needed. "Hi darlings, we're hoooome~" she sing-songed as she stepped through the entrance heavily draped in velvet into the brightly illuminated crimson and gold interior of their tent. Most of their tent mates should be back here by now, right?

@Madhup Hexum | @Aly Salinger | @Pericles Dralt | @Evelynn Decipio
@Amina Petrovic | @Aaron Jones | @Manu Macedo

At this point, Aly was just trying to get the ever-pervasive taste of Mandrake leaf out of her mouth. At least the actual object had left her tongue, but even now, two days after having pulled it from her lips, she could still taste its bitterness dancing over her taste buds; because of this, she'd developed something of a sweet tooth (well, even more than normal) over the last forty-eight hours, trying to wash the flavour from her mouth by constantly carrying a pack of Drooble's. It was this that she was chewing as Dee wandered into the tent after the Welcome Feast had finally concluded - the feast had, for once, been an event which Aly hadn't particularly cared about attending, instead choosing to meet up with her pen-pal and international friend Manu, from Castelobruxo, wander about with her, and then hang out here in the otherwise empty tent for the last half-hour or so. Aly had recognised most of the luggage as belonging to several of her closest friends - Peri, Eve, Dee, and Dee's boyfriend Madhup - but there were two sets that were unfamiliar to her. Someone had invited someone, and Aly couldn't wait to meet them.

In the meantime, the Ravenclaw popped the large bubble that she had been blowing, used her tongue to pull the wad of blueberry stickiness back into her mouth, and then shoved it to the side; only then did she sit up and wave to properly greet her best mate. "Hey! There you are," she called out across the tent with a cheerful (if blue-tinged) grin. "And without Madhup? I was beginning to think Manu and I were going to have the tent to ourselves. Oh, you remember Manu, right?" Aly pointed to the girl who had taken up residence in the bed on one side of Aly's - the other, of course, having been claimed by Dee's most recognisable things. At least, they were recognisable when you spent most of each year living in a bunk bed next to them. The Brazilian girl on the former bed had wild hair nearly as curly as Aly's, and they had accidentally matched with their white-themed outfits; it was exactly this why Aly had been drawn to Manu in the first place, really. Despite their differences in personality, they had just always seemed to be so in sync - as if written by the same pen. "My pen pal? From the trip to Beauxbatons back in February?"

To the Castelobruxo student, she offered the same question: "Do you remember Dee? Now I know I've told you bunches about her, even before the Beauxbatons trip," Aly gushed. "My best mate and roommate from Hogwarts." A thought occurred to her, and she cocked her curly head to the side. "Didn't you two duel one year, now that I think about it?"

@Dealla Prince, @Manu Macedo, @Madhup Hexum, @Pericles Dralt, @Evelynn Decipio
(also tagging @Amina Petrovic, @Aaron Jones) | August 11^th, 2025 | outfit | #C47DDB
paragon allies: dee, manu | lovely creature & charmer affect everyone

Interacting with @Aly Salinger, @Dealla Prince

STA 12 | EVA 13 | STR 6 | WIS 14 | ARC 10 | ACC 16
The Muggle Condition | Fearless | Advanced Casting
Wandmaker |Perfectionist | Spell Spread