A Tilted Afternoon Open

Percival was still lost in thought as he walked through the corridor, a heavy pile of books in his arms because he had lost his satchel. The last class of the day had gone better than expected, though he could not stop replaying the spellwork in his head. He still needed to practice his pronunciation, and his wrist movement had apparently been “too stiff,” as well, according to the professor. How anyone was supposed to move their hand in such precise loops while also focusing on the incantation was beyond him, but he was determined to get it right eventually.

He then sighed and made a mental note to practice later, perhaps somewhere quieter. He liked getting out of the Castle to explore the grounds, which had more than enough space for him to practice.

That was when he heard a sharp crack of glass breaking.

Before his mind had time to process it, someone collided straight into him. The impact knocked the air right out of his lungs as both of them went tumbling to the floor in an awkward mess of robes, limbs, and scattered books.

“Ow…” he groaned, blinking rapidly as he tried to piece together what had just happened. He propped himself up on one elbow, noticing a faint shimmer of liquid all over him and the cobblestone around him, “What is—” The rest of his question never made it out. A wave of dizziness suddenly washed over him, cutting his voice short. His vision tilted from one side to another, the world spinning slightly to the left before it evened out again. “Wait… w-what?” he muttered, trying to steady himself.

He looked toward the girl who had crashed into him, realizing she looked just as dazed. “A-aaare you alr-right?” he managed. He then reached for the wall to brace himself, missed entirely, and stumbled forward again, right towards her for the second time.

What was happening to him?

@Cecilia Merrick

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date: 16th september 2025 ──location: courtyard, afternoon dialogue: #588F45 ──mentioned: @Percival Rocier

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Merlin’s beard, that wasn’t a wall! The realisation had struck Cecilia a moment too late. In an instant, she found herself colliding with an unsuspecting wizard. The impact left her sprawled on the cobblestone and was swiftly followed by a dull thud to her skull. “Ow!” she yelped, clutching her head as the culprit – a book – fell open into her lap. “Bloody book,” she groaned, her eyebrows furrowing as she tried reading the title, but to no avail. Then another book splashed into the small puddle nearby, followed by the dull slap of several more. The scent of ink mingled with parchment and old stone as some pages began to soak up the liquid whilst others fluttered about in the breeze. This was a disaster. She could no longer hear the rustle of robes across the cobblestones. Was there no one around who could help them? Or perhaps there was simply no one who was willing to help them. Dread crept over her when she realised they would have to sort this out themselves. Her vision swam once again and the cobblestone floor seemed to tilt more violently than before, like she was on a rocky ship during a terrible storm. Cecilia had no clue whether the effect was from the draught or from hitting her head and quite frankly, she did not care. She simply wanted to make it stop. She closed her eyes briefly, hoping that the floor would be stationary again. However, her efforts proved futile when she reopened them. From what she could make out, it seemed like the boy had somehow regained his footing. Cecilia narrowed her eyes, trying to identify the poor soul who was entangled in this mess. His voice sounded unfamiliar, so she safely assumed that they had not met before. Unfortunately, that would be the only safe call she would make. “I’m… fine,” she lied blatantly as she pushed her palm against the cobblestone and tried to stand back up. Her legs shook as her vision blurred once more, like a camera out of focus. She then stretched out both of her arms in an attempt to stabilise herself but immediately staggered. “I’m sor–” she began to apologise but was promptly cut off as the young wizard stumbled right into her and dragged her back down to the floor. A sharp pain resonated through her skull as their foreheads collided and she let out another pained cry. Why is his skull so thick? She wondered bitterly as she rubbed her forehead. Her hair was now tousled, with a few loose strands barring her tilting vision. “Perhaps… we should stop moving,” she suggested after a few jagged breaths. Their current state was less than ideal, but she was feeling fresh out of ideas. Mortified, she clenched her fist as heat crept up her neck. Years of dance lessons and fencing drills were undone in seconds by a potion that robbed her of her pristine balance. Though its effects were temporary, her humiliation would undoubtedly be eternal.

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──notes: permission given to Percy for light godmodding

word count: 504──

The second time they fell was even worse than the first. Percival’s knees hit the floor hard, and by the time he realized what had happened, he was half-sprawled on top of the girl he had already crashed into once. His face turned crimson red in an instant and he didn't quite know what to do or say, “I... I’m s-sorry!” he stammered as he strambled to push himself off her as fast as he could. But the movement only made his head spin harder, and for a second, the whole corridor seemed to tilt again.

This was a nightmare.

He finally sat back on the floor, his breathing uneven and his focus completely shattered, as the world continued to spin. His books were scattered everywhere, and it seemed like one of them had even struck the girl right in the face.

Ouch.

“You’re right,” he said after a moment, “We should probably stop moving.” The thought of standing up again made him dizzy just thinking about it. His head still throbbed from where they’d collided, and the shimmering puddle near them was starting to look suspiciously magical.

He then turned to the girl again with pink cheeks, “I’m really sorry about that,” he said somewhat timidly, “I didn’t mean to—” Whatever he was about to add was cut short when another voice spoke up.

Percival immediately blinked up at the boy approaching them, momentarily lost between confusion and embarrassment. Zion’s first few words didn’t even register until he realized how ridiculous they must look on the floor, both of them covered in ink and potion residue.

Then Zion’s tone changed when he understood the situation better,“I don’t think we’re okay,” he repliedwith a groan, “Everything’s kind of… spinning.” He looked between Zion and the girl beside him, “Was it the potion?" He glanced down at the liquid again and swallowed hard. “Maybe we should… not touch it anymore.”

@Cecilia Merrick