ERRAND Starborn Wonders mass thread The Lyrids Meteor Shower

Date: 22/04/26	Location: Grounds
Interacting With: @Julia Evans@Bree Grey	Outfit: x

Word Count: 363

Starborn Wonders

L A A S Y A

A week ago Laasya had noticed a sign up sheet pinned on the billboard in the common room. She was curious to what would be on it. All the time, various events were happening around Hogwarts no matter the month. Maybe the sign up sheet was for a game. Or for a craft event. Or someone was planning on sneaking into Hogsmeade which Laasya was not supposed to do as she was only a first-year and did not want detention. Luckily the sign up sheet was not for that. Instead it was for something actually legal and very fun. It was for the Lyrid Meteor Shower. She had to sign up of course, she really enjoyed astronomy classes. So on the 22nd of April, all the kids were counted and led out of the great hall where they would walk to the area of the event. It wasn’t near, it was an hour long walk. But that didn’t mean Laasya didn’t enjoy herself. She scanned the terrain, looking at all the animals plants and the overall scenery. Eventually, the group reached the area. It looked like it had come right out of a postcard with the scenery, flora and fauna. The people who had organized this wonderful event were their Librarian, their groundskeeper, their Charms Professor  and a Ravenclaw prefect named Elena Clark. There were a bunch of tents at the site; some were wizard ones which had all the basic needs of comfort. But Laasya really wanted to try out the muggle tents which required manual work to pitch up. After what seemed like a million hours, she got the tent to stay upright. She looked around the site; it looked like mostly everyone had come with their friends. Laasya had not thought about inviting anyone to come with her. Well, she couldn’t do anything now. She’d maybe be able to meet someone she knew or find a new friend. Just then, she noticed someone she knew. “Jules!! Hi!” She met her on the first day of school and they did plenty of things together. “Want to visit a bonfire? We could do the librarian’s first, I hear she’s saying something interesting!”

M A N J U N A T H

ooc notes: stats: sta-7, eva-8, str-4, wis-7, arc-2, acc-7 action: abilities: Prodigal Charms Banner by Veda Lunar

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Mentions: @Mikaela Hendricks

WC: 745/600

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Hex code: #0050b4

OOC note: Starborn Wonders Errand. All godmodding approved by RP partner.

꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ ☾☼☽ +:｡.｡　 ༺❀༻　｡.｡:+☾☼☽ ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱

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x

Skylar hums to herself contently as she walks along side her best friend. Mika has gotten significantly chattier than the first time they met, so Skylar takes that as a good sign. However, despite her friend's cheery ramblings, Skylar can tell that there is something weighing on her mind. Mika had been more withdrawn and quiet during the morning, and though she appears to be happy now, Skylar notices her smile does not reach her eyes. But despite the off-mood her friend is having, Skylar decides to put it aside for now. Mika will reveal to her soon enough, and all she has to do is wait. So together they continued down the hike path, the sun slowly setting behind them. When they finally reached the campsite, Skylar cannot help but let out a breath she had been holding. The scenery was nothing short of beautiful, the area surrounded by proud standing pine trees. Behind the towering woods are grand cliffs in the distance, mountains stretching farther than the eye can see. Around them were various camp fires, all for the different activities taking place. One particular campfire caught Skylar's attention. Obviously, it is the one and only — snack station. Skylar's face immediately brightens as she spots the toasted marshmallows, a favorite of hers. Mika also seems to be particularly interested with the cookies, so Skylar happily tugs along her best friend to grab a bite. "Well, is this not heavenly?" Skylar chirps, her mouth stuffed with marshmallows. She had almost burned her tongue from how eager she was to eat it, but Mika had the foresight to slap her hand away. No matter though, because Skylar was not even deterred the slightest. "And you know what was worse? I go to dinner and there are coconuts. Coconuts, Sky. I really deserve a golden star just for not throwing all my breakfast right there and then." Mika narrates with a pout. Skylar lets out a laugh of amusement as they continue to the campsite. They decided to venture to a calm corner of the area, wishing to enjoy the peace of stargazing. There, an unarmed tent greets them. Or at least Skylar thought it was tent. When they first heard about the event, both girls had requested a tent from their parents. Skylar's parents, unfortunately, did not have one. Mika's dad was happy to lend them his muggle tent though. And so here it sits... in its unremarkable glory. Skylar watches as other students set up their wizarding tents, ones that she is more familiar with. She blinks back at the messy heap in front of them. Skylar furrows her brows as she wonders how she is supposed to set up the tent. The magical tents she had before just needed a spell and it would set itself. This however, looked more complicated. Skylar turns as she readies to ask her friend about the tent, only to notice Mika fell oddly silent. She seems to be lost in thought. Skylar opens her mouth to ask what is wrong when Mika finally spoke. "So, uh... have you... have you talked to your parents?" Skylar pauses as she was half way through her bite of cookie. Though Mika offers no further explanation, Skylar knows exactly what she meant. The Leaky Cauldron. Skylar and Mika had decided to go to Diagon Alley one weekend, after getting approval, to shop for outfits for the upcoming ball. However, while they were greeting each others' family, Skylar's parents seem to have known Mika's mother... who was dead. And so one secret lead to the other, and both the kids found out Mika's mother, Mariah, never truly died from a heart attack. She died from a Basilisk when she was on a mission for Skylar's parents. Mika had broken down then and there, sobbing quietly in the bathroom. Skylar had went to find her, and together they held each other until the other stopped shaking. When their parents found them, they had promised to reveal the truth later. It has been three weeks, and she still gotten nothing. Well, not completely nothing, but not as helpful as she had hoped. Swallowing her her cookie, Skylar shakes her head in reply. "No, not really. My mother merely sent an owl that this is sensitive information and must not be shared through owls." Skylar states with a shrug. Taking a pause, she tilts her head curiously at her friend. "Why? Did something happen?"

x

x

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

𝜗𝜚⋆ 𝜗𝜚⋆ 𝜗𝜚⋆ 𝜗𝜚⋆ 𝜗𝜚⋆ 𝜗𝜚⋆ 𝜗𝜚⋆ 𝜗𝜚⋆ 𝜗𝜚⋆ 𝜗𝜚⋆ 𝜗𝜚⋆ 𝜗𝜚⋆

Elwyn looked back at the girl with his mouth wide open. “An astronaut? That’s when you go up in space and look at the moon and stuff, right? That’s so cool! Where did you hear about it? I always wanted to work with animals but that’s probably because of my parents? Is someone in your family an astronaut? That would be so cool!” He lied down on the grass next to her, looking into her eyes. She was admiring the Moon so he looked up at the sky too instead. “When is this shower starting again?” The boy squints up at the dark sky, pointing at something. “That looks weird. Is that an alien?” He didn’t forget Aurora’s question. He knew it was a silly joke, but he never got to answer it. “I think they exist, but I don’t think they’re evil like they say they are. They’re just..exist on another planet. Or a star! If you think about it, to them we are the aliens. Do you think they exist?” They chatted for a while and suddenly, around midnight, one of the organizers put out the fire and told everyone that they should start inspecting the sky for the Lyrid shower. Elwyn jumped up in excitement, but immediately sat back down, remembering he can’t see the meteors clearly if he was standing. He took a seat next to Aurora and stared back up at the sky. He was calm now, waiting patiently to see one of the shiny things. He was bouncing his legs without realizing. “Now I want to see an alien too. It would be so cool.” Yes, the boy was delusional. Very much so. But how groovy it would be? Groovy..Only his mother said such things. He saw a little light in the sky and perked up. “Hey, did you see that? Was it a meteor? Was it?” He pointed back at the starry night, excited and hoping Aurora saw it. It was dark, no campfire now. And it was chilly for sure, he offered half of the blanket he brought to his friend. “It’s very cold, here.” He gave her a lopsided smile with closed eyes. He was glad he came with her.

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Reducio TIME AND DAY Night, 21/04/26

Reducio MENTIONS @Skylar Blue

Reducio OUTFIT

Reducio WC 281

Reducio OOC NOTES Coded by Melissa Blake

I shook my head almost instantly.

"Oh, no, nothing! It's just... uh..." Oh Saints, here came the nervousness again. Now all that I needed was start with the stutter again. 'Loser.' Said that annoying voice. "Well, my pa is actually pretty good at avoiding my questions and all..."

I finished with the sticks and began pulling the fabric of the tent up.

"But don't you think it's curious how our parents were friends in here, too? Curious and weird, though, cause ma never talked to me about your parents..." I hummed. "Well, being honest. she barely told me about Hogwarts." A shrug.

Turns out mom was even more mysterious than I thought. She said she was pretty well known in here, and she had lots of friends. She never called them by name, now that I think of it.

Anyway. One of the supporting bars slipped from my grip, and I dodged it just a second before it hit my head. I picked it up back and continued my chore.

"I think it's fate. Maybe a sign. That there's something they didn't finish and now we have to. Saints have a weird way for these kind of things, y'know?" I said, finishing with the tent and taking a step back, evaluating my work.

Well, at least it wouldn't fall in the next minutes.

Stamina: 6 | Evasion: 6 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 7 | Arc Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6

Banner by Laurie Holmes (deactivated and now @Briar Anderson)

Denise was glad that Ophelia Vanderbilt gladly agreed to the nicer wizarding tent.

After embarrassing herself with the marshmallow incident, she watched as Ophelia walked to Elena Clark, the prefect of Ravenclaw, to ask a question. Denise wished she had that bravery and courage.

Soon, Madame Doukas was telling the story of the Olympian god Hermes, along with the tale of Orpheus's lyre.

She heard of it before. Yes, Christianity was the dominant religion in the British Isles, but Greek mythology still played a huge role in its culture and metaphors, for example, in many of Shakespeare's works.

It was gifted to Orpheus, hence how the Lyre of Orpheus got its name from Apollo, who was his son.

It could enchant anything, and the most popular tale with this Lyre of Orpheus was when Orpheus tried to use it to get his wife Eurydice, who died in the underworld, with the condition that he not look back at her.

In classic Greek mythology fashion, of course, he looked at her and became a tragic hero.

Denise wasn't exactly the most fascinated about this particular tale in general, since well, Orpheus had only one condition and she felt like he was rather a jerk for looking back. You can't love someone if you can't trust them. Denise thought, why bother?

"What do you think about this story?" Ophelia Vanderblit asked.

The question snapped Denise out of her thoughts. "Well..." Denise tried to respond carefully, not exactly sure whether the fellow tentmate's relationship was to Greek mythology.

"Well, I think it's ok... I mean, I don't hate it, but there are just other tales in Greek mythology that resonate with me. I mean, we are young, so I don't really understand romantic love, but if you heard about how Orpheus used the Lyre of Orpheus to get his wife, Eurydice, back with only a simple condition using the lyre's powers, to not look at her, that was rather easy."

Denise didn't know if this comment would be controversial, "I guess, he didn't trust her, so he did look at her and lost her forever. But honestly, you can't love someone if you can't trust them."

Midnight was approaching, and Denise was excited; she couldn't help it, the meteor shower would start soon.

STA [7] | EVA [5] | STR [5] | WIS [7] | ARC [5] | ACC [6]

Mentions & OOC Notes:

Reducio

@Ophelia Vanderbilt

Sorry for the very late response again

Until that day, Joseph hadn't known what a meteor shower was. 

The phrase had always mystified him. Meteor shower? Sure, maybe comets got all dusty and dirty from streaking through outer space – but still, it'd never occurred to him that some galactic bath system existed. According to Pam though, such showers were supposedly SUPER rare events. Good for them. At least the cosmic rocks got their little breaks from their old boring orbits.

Something nudged against his palm, and Joseph flashed his pet rock, Astra, a soft grin. Astra got plenty of showers too. Courtesy of Joseph of course, complete with scrubbers and soap and unnecessary devotion. Maybe nature would teach him a lesson or two on rock cleaning today. Bring on the interstellar shampoo!

“It sure is crowded here today,” Joseph said, mostly to himself as he stepped in line with his gold-haired friend. The great hall was now crammed with students, strolling, whispering, gathering, eyes keen with anticipation.

No familiar faces. Other than maybe that boy over there with the sketch pad. Where had he seen him?

“Joseph.” Pam’s stomach let out a sickening growl, and he knew her need before she said a word. What a fabulous friend he was. “Um lemme see… here,” he said, fishing a clump of chocolate from his side pocket. “It’s a couple of weeks old and–” he chuckled at the withered look Pam shot it “--it’s a wee bit deformed. But hey, chocolate is chocolate, right?”

A glob of melted chocolate dripped down his arm in enthusiastic agreement. Joseph beamed. 

For inexplicable reasons, Pam still accepted Mr. Disfigured Choco. Maybe it was for the best that he left out the part about smushing it in his pocket while rolling about in bed. Or the fact that his pockets also doubled as little personal landfill sites.

The trail led them out into the grounds, the uneven path dipping and weaving around rows of pines as the groundskeeper kept talking ahead. But Joseph was only half-listening. The wind whispered softly through the trees, and the leaves gave in to a gentle rustle. A flurry of life, somewhere among the overgrown grass. Nature was so alive, like it had its own quiet conversations when no one was paying attention. 

If only the curfew didn’t exist. He might’ve wandered these trails every night.

“I do have a camera, but I left it in my trunk-” he added quickly, before Pam got her hopes up. One couldn’t expect him to supply BOTH snacks and equipment. “It doesn’t matter anyway, does it? We could always come back another day.”

When Pam didn't reply, Joseph glanced away from her, focusing instead on the evening sky. Mister Sun was beginning to sink below the horizon, bleeding gold through the mountains in one very dramatic “good night”. He’d be back tomorrow. Back to brighten everyone’s day, quite literally.

Joseph couldn’t help but give him a subtle wave.

At last, they reached a plateau hidden up in the mountains, and the stargazers burst into action, scrambling to set up their tents on the rocky ground. A bonfire crackled nearby, the scent of something soft and toasted drifting through the air – marshmallows, probably. Pam caught his arm.

“Seriously? Still thinking of food?” Joseph asked, giving her a playful nudge he hoped wasn’t too forceful. “Hmph. Almost as if my choco offering wasn’t enough.”

She did have a point though. It was getting really late, and marshmallows were starting to sound really irresistible.

“Fine,” he said, trying not to sound overly interested. “C’mon let’s go.”

He led the way to the bonfire, the heat already brushing faintly against his skin. The plateau had come fully alive now, laughter and excitement spilling over the groups of clustered students. All waiting for nightfall. 

Bending low, Joseph jabbed at a bunch of apple slices with a stick, then held them up to the flame. One slipped out and landed at his feet with a pathetic plop. Joseph sighed.

“So…” he said, propping his chin against his palm as he settled down, now facing Pam. "You were saying…? About the moon and all this… meteor shower stuff."

@Pamela Graham

Despite being raised a pure-blood, the times she'd read muggle books were a-plenty. She remembered picking up a book in her father's study that had to do with 'space'. Although the book wasn't much for her liking, a few words stayed with her, one being 'meteorite'. It was a luscious word, and she had tried to put it in every sentence the following weeks after reading about it. Then, it had gone to the back of her mind and she never thought of it again. Until a week ago, when notices about a supposedly rare meteor shower that could be spotted on the 21st. Evidently, like others, she was curious, besides, they got to go out of school and onto a mountain! Maisie took up the idea with her brothers, whom she was closer to after their sister's death. They agreed the three of them would go together as a family.

On the day, Maisie was so excited that she could hardly contain herself, and had trouble concentrating in class. When the last bell dismissed them for the day, Maisie ran down to the Hufflepuff common room as fast as she could, nearly tripping over someone in her haste. She brought her school satchel, which held a loose shirt and sweatpants for the night, her toothbrush and toothpaste and a book she checked out the day prior with information on space. She donned herself in Hufflepuff clothing, and put her hair in a ponytail, to keep the hair off her face in the mountain wind. She pulled her robe over her head, and thrusted a handful of candy, before making her way to the common room, where she would meet her brothers. She waited for a while, listening to the excited chatter around the room, occasionally fixating her attention on one group, before losing interest. She didn't mind—it was nice listening to people. It made the room feel full and lively. Her brothers came to her, and the three made their way to the great hall. She exchanged pleasantries with her brothers. The castle was big, and they had few classes in the same area for them to interact much on a daily basis. It took a while for them to warm up to each other, but soon they were laughing as they joined the stream of students entering the hall.

As they were counted, Michael kept an arm around her, which he hardly did, but Maisie liked it. Siblings unite over things, and after becoming one of five instead of six, Maisie wanted to be closer to her living siblings. Some of her brothers' friends joined them, chatting loudly and sharing jokes—some of which Maisie did not understand, as they had to do with students their year. The walk was long, but the scene was worth it. It looked like a fairytale—tall pine trees and little animals who were curiously speculating the trail of students. They started going upwards and Maisie's legs were starting to get tired, when at last the sloping ground turned flat again. Her brothers joined in the half-hearted fight in claiming tents, and they put their things into a nice tent. It was a magical tent, and though small inside, would be big enough for the three. In any case, they would be outside most of the time.

It wasn't too dark, and after dropping down her things, she exited the tent. There were large bonfires with activities or food around them, and people were clustered there. Ultimately, the three made their way to the bonfire with food. They had fun choosing the plumpest marshmallows and putting them on sticks, before holding them close to the fire, turning them once in a while to let them be roasted evenly. Sandwiched between crackers and chocolate, the marshmallows looked even more appealing. After eating three of these heavenly marshmallows, Maisie turned her attention to the other delicacies arranged. She stuck slices of apple onto a stick and roasted them, letting the apple become soft and caramelized, before placing them in her mouth. After the three consumed more than enough food, they say down, sleepy and content, in front of the bonfire that featured the second year Ravenclaw prefect, Elena Clark, as she informed them about the upcoming event. Sitting there in the grass, eyes on the flickering flames under the dimming sky, Maisie was soon sleepy. She leaned her head on Michael's shoulder. She wasn't exactly following the conversation, and sometimes fixated on certain words. But she did gather, from the information that did manage to get into her head, that meteors were comet particles, and today's phenomenon was a very rare thing in history, occuring every sixty years or so. How lucky she was to be able to witness history.

She must've nodded off, for the next thing she knew was her brother's gentle tapping at her arm, murmuring something about 'it's time'. He hauled her up, and they sat outside their tent. Their tent wasn't up front, yet it would not matter, as they all shared the same sky. The girl sat between both brothers and one of Matthew's friends. Together, they watched the sky as trails of comet debris—a one in sixty years—lit the night up.

The dawn approached as the goddess rode her silver chariot to the day's end. Her brother stood by the window in his chambers, awaiting the special occurrence. A lover's kiss to the underworld, as he sailed to meet his beloved. All the stars looked at their brother as he made his journey known. They all sang as they prepared him for the occurrence.

The lords and ladies of the sky assembled at the stadium to take part in the event. A little seer, named Ava Lynn, had dragged the child of death to sign up to see the lover's journey, a week prior. It also happened to be the seer's birthday.

The Lyrid Meteor Shower. The di Angelo had watched every meteor shower before this, every year, beside her father as he told her the myth of the lyrid. The raven had watched many lovers cross the sky for their loved ones, and many wise stars cross the sky to attain another life. Many poems, books, and odes were read. Yet it fascinated her time and time again.

It was soon time for the students to begin their part of the journey. Marcella quickly packed a bag filled with snacks: marshmallows, English muffins, sweet bread, things to make s'mores, and some hot chocolate. She also brought some tea and iced drinks, in case Ava wanted something cool to drink.

After packing everything, the raven moved on to ready her cat, Talia, for the event. She dressed the princess so she could stay warm and gathered her up in her arms. The two gathered in the great hall for a headcount. Later, they made their way to the Hogwarts grounds. Taros Quintero, the groundskeeper, gave them information about different types of plants and creatures based on their habitat. The early evening of Ava's birthday was a cool one. Taros encouraged the children who lagged or were tired to walk further. Marcella liked the groundskeeper quite a lot. He was a nice and kind man.

On the way, Marcella went on telling the tale her father told every time.

"This constellation is named after the lyre that was once owned by Orpheus, a musician and poet whose music was said to soothe any wild or bring joy to any heart. The god Apollo gifted the lyre to Orpheus. After his wife, Eurydice, had died, Orpheus travelled to the Underworld to get his wife back. He played the lyre to soothe the god of the underworld, Hades, to win back his wife, Eurydice. However, upon Orpheus’ death, Zeus sent an eagle down to claim the lyre and placed it in the sky. The surrounding area of the constellation Lyra is sometimes depicted as the eagle carrying Lyra into its place."

Marcella had grown up with many tales told to her. Many that involved their patron, Lord Hades. Having grown up in a family with both Italian and Greek ties, they were expected to know the myth behind every thing. Why ants were made? Well Zeus didn't want some dude to steal from some dude. How did Winter and Autumn come to be? Because Persephone went back to the underworld after her six months with her mother, Demeter. And since Demeter was very sad, she refused to grow the crops. And so on, the tales go.

They soon reached their destination. Many tents filled wherever the eyes touched. Both wizarding and Muggle ones dotted the land. Her emerald orbs lit up as she looked at each and every one of them. She had camped in both the types of tent. When her famil and she was feeling adventerous they'd decide to challenge fate with a muggle tent.

The di Angelos would entertain one another with tales that they have known and recently discovered to pass time.

Ava inquired about Marce's choice. "A wizarding one, maybe? How often have you camped in that?" Marcella chose that because of Talia. Who lazely gazed at the people surrounding her. Marce was pretty sure Talia would appreciate some luxury and comfort. Once they chose the tents, they started working on setting it up. Marcella has had prior experience in setting the tent up, so along with Ava's help the had set the tent up in no time.

Quickly, Marcella set up a bonfire so they could make some s'mores.

James Adams walked with the students his hands deep in his coat pockets as they followed the mountain trail that went past the castle grounds. The cold night air hit his face. He could smell the damp earth, pine trees and fires that were burning somewhere ahead. The students around him were talking quietly their voices mixing with the sound of boots on gravel and leaves.

To be honest when James saw the note about the trip on the board that week he almost did not bother with it. They were going to watch the stars and camp in the mountains because of a meteor shower. It sounded like one of those school trips that teachers love to make students go on saying that being cold is good for them.. After hearing people talk about it for a few days James ended up signing up without really thinking about it. Now that he was actually there he was starting to think that it was not an idea after all.

As they climbed higher it got quieter. Hogwarts disappeared behind cliffs and trees. Soon all they could see were a few lights far, below them. For once the usual noise of the castle felt far away. No banging doors. No loud hallways. No Peeves making a mess somewhere above. Just quiet. Something close to quiet.

James looked up at the pine trees swaying in the pale moonlight. A cold wind blew through the trees sharp enough to hurt his face. It felt kind of refreshing after his long walk. When they finally got to the campsite James let out a whistle. The place looked almost too good to be true. Big fires were burning in the dark and tents covered the ground under the stars. Some tents looked magical. They seemed big for how small they were. While others looked like they were made by non-magical people, simpler and more exposed to the cold.

James quickly picked one of the tents. He was curious about it. He thought it would be fun to try camping like a normal person instead of having everything done for him. He threw his bag inside. Went back, to the fires, drawn in by the smell of roasted marshmallows.

Students were already around the campsite. Near one fire Helen Doukas was sitting with people listening as she talked about old myths and stars in the sky. Another group was around Elena Clark. She was excitedly pointing up at the stars. Answering lots of questions about space. Taros Quintero had a bonfire going. People around it were laughing sometimes as he told stories about the mountains. He also talked about creatures that were deeper in the forest.

James was hanging around. He was near all three groups but not with any of them. He went over to one of the fires. Got a skewer. He put a marshmallow on it. Then he held it over the flames. His cold hands started to feel warm. He breathed out quietly. His shoulders relaxed. It felt like they had been tense for a week.

“If I drop this " he said to no one in particular. He was looking at the marshmallow. It was turning golden. "Does the five-second rule still work in the mountains?”

Some students laughed. James smiled a little. The marshmallow almost fell off. For a bit everything felt easy. There were no exams. No homework. No one was expecting anything from him back at Hogwarts. All he had was air. He could hear people laughing. There was firelight. The sky, above them seemed endless.

As the hours went by the temperature got colder so the students had to move to the bonfires or go back to their tents to find blankets and warmer coats. James sat down near the edge of the campsite leaning on a rock and staring at the dark mountains around them without really thinking about it.

Then at midnight the people in charge turned off the lights. One by one the bonfires got smaller until it was completely dark on the plateau. People stopped talking. Got quiet as they lay down on blankets sleeping bags or the cold grass and they all looked up at the sky. The stars were really amazing when the fire was not shining.

James lay down on the grass put his arms behind his head and stared up at the sky without saying a word. The sky went on above the mountains and it was full of stars that were so bright they did not look real.

Then something happened.

A silver line went across the sky.

Then another one.

Another one.

The Lyrid meteor shower made the sky look beautiful with flashes of light and the meteors looked like sparks falling from the sky and people at the campsite let out gasps.

James was smiling before he even knew it. It was not the kind of smile he usually had on his face when he was, at the castle.

It was a smile.

For a time nobody said anything and that was okay.

Mentions -	Dialogue | Thoughts	Date - 22/04/26
@Tina Carille @Angel Dayes @Dido Bleaklane @Veda Lunar @Audree Jia	Others dialogue	WC - 273

Lily was surprised to find that she was really getting into the evening. The campfires were. People were telling stories and that made the whole field feel different. The walk, the unpacking and the nerves about her tentmates all faded into the background, replaced by the steady comfort of sitting outside beneath a sky full of waiting stars. She liked that feeling immedietly. It reminded her of the quiet moments she loved best. Reading out in a tree, lstening to the rain against a window or sitting outside staring at the sky until her thoughts went away. And to her surprise she settled into the evening quite readily.

She listened carfully and took in every detail about the meteor shower. She loved knowing that what she was watching was a rare occasion. There was something about legends being tied to the stars themselves, as though the sky had its own memory. She found herself smiling at the thoughts.

When she finally moved toward the snack table, she felt lighter than she had all evening. The marshmellows, chocolate and graham crackers seemed like the perfect kind of campfire treat right now. By the time she sat back down near her tentmates, she was already feeling more at ease. It was funny, how quickly a place could start to feel familiar when there was firelight, food and laughter involved. She found herself joking and enjoying herself with those around her.

Watching everyone around her, Lily felt quietly glad she had come. She did not need the evening to become anything else. It was enough that it felt peaceful and shared. That alone made it special.

✰ c'est la vie ✰