Sleep Yoga Errand Finished

Interacting With: @ Griseldis Edelhardt
Mentioning:@ Hjørdis Jensen

Sleep Yoga, it was the last thing Alan would think could be combined effectively. The young lad had been planning to go due to recent events having read that Yoga was good for relaxing the mind. From secret balls going to deadly tea parties, Alan was at the end of his limits, not wanting to discharge his pent up worries to his friends, in particular, Griseldis. Having seen the announcement for it, Alan had already mapped out his route and even planned out what he was going to wear a couple of days in advance. In the days prior, his best friend Griseldis had sent him a message saying that she too was going to attend, this both excited and worried Alan that this Sleep Yoga session was more than just an evening of relaxing before bed. Regardless of what he felt, Alan had committed himself to attend, knowing full well that Professor Jensen was going to be presently relieved him of some worries.

Eventually making it to the Rehearsal Room, the room had filled up quite quickly with more than a handful of students. Alan arrived wearing his robes on top of his pyjamas fearing that people would laugh at him along the way as these wear his favourite set. Alan placed his school robe near the wall; the young lad is wearing a bright green onesie with black sandals which resembled one of the Ninja Turtles, in particular Michaelangelo. The boy's first instinct was to find his friend Griseldis quickly, seeing an empty spot near her he quietly moved into position not wanting to disturb those who were already performing the stances Professor Jensen was demonstrating. "Hey Gris" he whispered "Glad you're here, see I'm dressed for the occasion too. Ninjas do this too heh." nervously grinning attempting to block out those who were eyeballing him was difficult for Alan. The boys fear for crowds always hindered him from attending crowded venues or events.

Stumbling slightly Alan did not want to lag behind the group, taking several deep breaths in the upright position as was instructed by Professor Jensen. A moment of performing this seemed to calm Alan as in this thoughts; he reassured himself to forget about everything for a moment although difficult he was less shaken. The Sleeping Sawn pose was next, looking towards everyone and the Professor first before attempting, performing the pose, looking over his partner Gris who seemed to be naturally gifted at Yoga. Remembering that Gris knows Tai Chi, Alan felt at ease that he was doing the pose right. Unfortunately inexperienced and not as flexible Alans left leg didn't go up as high at first causing it to ache. Attempting to readjust the posture, Alan finally started to feel lighter, his mind no longer wondering but feeling calm and relaxed; the tension that had built up seems to be disappearing for a moment.

Alan had slept rough this past couple of months since the disastrous ball; His parents had been sending letters daily after being told non-stop spiking his anxiety had caused him to write an angry to his Nan. The young lad felt regretful for having to take out his frustration his understanding. Grandma told him Yoga might be the best thing for him aside from her trademark desserts. As Alan maintained his pose, the drowsiness was beginning to set in, his eyes drooping feeling that good night sleep was finally coming to him.

WC: 574/1000

Interacting with @Atlas Reid
Mentioning @Hjørdis Jensen

There was never a poor time for a feast and with all the chaos they had endured over the past couple of months, Ethen felt as though he deserved some time to truly enjoy the food. Even as Atlas rattled on about some fancy yoga she wanted to do, Ethen was only partially listening and nodding along as he hoped that he would be able to continue gorging over the pile of food. But to his dismay, he had agreed to something that was not entirely focused on food.

Not wanting to let Atlas down, Ethen quickly changed into a loose hoodie and sweatpants. Feeling admittedly very comfortable in his new clothing, he met up with Atlas and joined her in the Rehearsal room. Mats covered much of the floor as people readied themselves. Meandering to the center of the room after Atlas, Ethen was increasingly curious as to what this yoga would entail. He heard the word sleep tossed around and was not above an organized nap but he assumed that it was not a glorified naptime. Stretching out on his mat, Ethen felt as though it would do for a makeshift bed but saw no one else in a comatose.

It began quickly with some breathing exercises. Although he wanted to just try holding his breath, Ethen followed the prompts to in and exhale. Clearing his mind was as simple as ever. There was generally little going on in Ethen’s mind beyond hunger and a general laid back desire to find fun. Each breath only solidified his mind’s void as he sat in the soft silence of the room.

Even had they just sat there breathing for an hour, Ethen thought he would enjoy the day but Hjørdis then began to lead the group into a new position. Ethen tilted his head at the first position before awkwardly trying to force his own sore and battered body into the position. He shared none of the grace but eventually worked himself into position and nodded at his achievement as he again began his breathing exercises.

After doing both sides, Ethen followed the instructions to slowly rise. Trying to focus on rolling his body back into position, Ethen glanced around snickering to himself about the somewhat absurdity of all these people bending themselves in curious positions. Keeping his back straight, Ethen attempted to bend down to touch the ground as she had done. There was little hope. He could almost feel the food in his belly being pressed on as he wiggled his fingers towards the ground.

As Hjørdis began demonstrating the lizard pose, Ethen chuckled and turned to Atlas. “I think I might break from this one,” he smiled to the girl as he slowly began weaseling his way into position. With only a few grunts of overstretching, Ethen got as close as he could to mirroring the position. Switching to the other side after a short time, Ethen began to think about pretzels. “Pretzels are like yoga masters I think,” he informed Atlas through a few grunts. Maintaining a mix of balance and safe stretching was proving increasingly challenging, yet enjoyable.

WC: 533/1000

Open to Interactions
Interacting With: @Ethen Emrys
Mentioning: @Hjørdis Jensen

Hjørdis had a calming voice as she walked around helping the students with the first position. She sounded like she would sit down with you and talk about anything but at the same time if someone were to hurt or try to hurt someone she loved she would come down on them aggressively.

Atlas loved that about her, She was Head of Slytherin and yet she carried with her the demeanor of a Hufflepuff. Smiling to herself, Atlas slowly started her roll up as she heard her back cracking gently as each vertebrate stacked on top of the one before it. Letting out a sigh of relief, Atlas still felt hindered by her injuries but for now the yoga seemed to be helping to loosen her up and help her mind to stop pounding.

The next position seemed easy in context but as Atlas stood up and rolled her body down she was quickly discouraged to see that many of the students could touch their toes while Atlas's hands stopped just below her knee. Stretching her arms out further she wiggled her fingertips thinking that she could just maneuver her way to more flexibility, to no avail. Giving up, Atlas dangled her body as she grabbed her elbows and softly swayed. Hearing the professor's voice right up next to her, Atlas heeded her words as Hjørdis instructed, "And exhale, let go off the tension... relax, inhale for me... and exhale again... Good, much better,"

With each exhale, Atlas could feel her body getting heavier as she allowed her neck to rest from carrying her head feeling it gently sway with her body. As she had started the next pose, Atlas watched as Ethen contorted himself into the position, clearly feeling his dungeon injuries more as he stretched out his back and legs into the lizard pose.

Grumbling to herself, Atlas mimicked her best friend as she inhaled sharply feeling her shoulder throbbing as she shook her head. Finally getting down in the position, Atlas hoped she was able to hide her tightness with grace as she slowly moved to the other side, accommodating her unusable right arm. She should have just been in bed resting and recovering but that was so unbelievably against her personality that she slogged through each position wanting to make it to the end.

“Pretzels are like yoga masters I think,” Ethen whispered to Atlas as she couldn't help but smile. "I absolutely agree. After this we should try to make our own pretzels...however pretzels are made." Atlas replied as she shook her head playfully. "Your thoughts always seem to make me hungry, Tebo. Let's hope we don't have to position ourselves like pretzels or I'm fairly certain my arm will just fall off and I'll have to drag it to all my classes like a dog." She joked as she attempted to keep her voice low to not have them be yelled at in the middle of the yoga session.

Dealla had never tried yoga before, but she found she rather liked the calm, peaceful atmosphere that was filling the room, the quiet only interrupted by Professor Jensen's even voice and the occasional whisper or giggle.
This time, she had actually heard of the activity beforehand, instead of just stumbling into it by accident, so after dinner, she had gone up to her dormitory to chance and tie back her hair in preparation. She was wearing shorts now, made of a soft yellow fabric, which she usually wore for sleeping, and a simple white top. The hallways were chilly enough that it had prompted her to hurry in this light attire, but the rehearsal room was at a comfortable temperature, and soon her muscles would have warmed up enough to stave off any chill.

With the natural flexibility that kids that age still possessed, she didn't have much trouble with the poses, and she did enjoy the slight pull and stretch in her muscles as she bent down to touch the ground, her legs straight. While she couldn't manage to put her entire palms on the ground, she wasn't that far off, either.

Listening to Professor Jensen's words, Dee swayed slowly from side to side, taking slow breaths, in and out. This was... calming. It made her always racing thoughts slow down a bit. In contrast to some of the other activities which had been fun to do once but would probably not be picked up by her as a regular hobby, she could actually imagine doing this more often.

When Dealla had entered the room earlier, there had only been a few faces she recognized around, and none of her closer friends, so she had just chosen a spot at random to settle down. Usually, she might have started chatting up the people near her, but she seemed to have a habit of doing errands not quite the way she was supposed to, so she decided to behave, for once, and not disturb the quiet of the room.
That resolve lasted exactly until she looked up to see Ileen enter the room, while she was trying to follow Professor Jensen's demonstration of how to shift from the current pose into the next position. Only barely stopping herself from calling out to her friend, Dee lifted a hand to wave at her energetically instead and maybe draw her attention that way, but had underestimated how much this would throw off her balance, in between poses as she was.

Nearly toppling over to one side, it took Dee a few seconds to catch herself and come into a stable position again, and when she lifted her gaze to look for Ileen, the other girl had already chosen a spot somewhere else.
Dee frowned in thought while she tried to adjust to all the little details of the pose that Professor Jensen was describing. Ileen's mat wasn't all that far from hers... and there seemed to be a free spot near her. Maybe Dee could just sneak over there between the next two positions?

Word Count: 512
Mentions: @Ileen Knight, @Hjørdis Jensen
Open to interactions

The atmosphere in the rehearsal room was wonderful, every student seemed to try and follow the carefully given instructions.

Her breathing was so relaxed, off and on like waves. Following its path, further and further into a tranquil state. When she had completed her routine of ten breaths, she repeated the Sleeping swan position on her other side. She bent her right knee now and brought the sole of her foot to her left inner tight. Then she lifted herself a little and extended her left leg behind her. While leaning on the pillow again she rolled her shoulders and neck, shaking them loose.

Just as the professor had instructed, the veela tried to roll back up. As she imagined it, it gave quite a pleasant feeling. When she straightened back up again, she felt a little crack. She blushed at the sound and pretended nothing happened.

Then the next position was explained. The standing forward fold was a position true to its name, as they all were expected to fold their torso and reach for the ground. Rose looked at her fellow yoga mates again and followed the instructions. As she folded herself forward and tried to reach for the ground, her fingertips were just a few centimeters above the ground. She ground her teeth and tried again. But it was to no use. Rose pouted disappointed, then decided she would try the other variant of the position. While bending down she grabbed her elbows with the opposite hand. This was quite easier and the veela liked this position a bit more. Then she began to gently sway from side to side, following her breathing. The waves she had been imaging from the beginning of the lesson emerged again. Inhales and exhales followed each other in a relaxed pattern. Then it was time for another position.

Rosalind thought the next position couldn't be too hard. She extended her leg into a lunge position and placed her right hand next to her right foot.

When the professor passed her she instructed her. "Turn your toes slightly out," Rose looked up and adjusted her toes into a better position. Then they were informed to rest their elbows on the ground. The silver-haired beauty looked at the blocks and pulled them over. 'Better to try than to fail,' she thought. Then she rested her arms on them and tried to keep her hips square. She closed her eyes and relaxed, breathing in and out.

As the veela was focusing on holding her position, she felt something fuzzy brush her bare feet and circle her light leg. As she looked at the culprit the girl smiled and tilted her head slightly to see better. The little devil was purring and bobbing its head against her leg, slowly circling upwards. 'How cute,' she thought.

To be able to pet the Bengal, she went back to the lunge-like position. Then she carefully offered her hand and try to stroke the tiger-like feline. When it was satisfied with the number of pets it had, it trotted off to find another victim. Rosalind smiled as she saw the feline strut away.

Wordcount: 804 + 524 = 1328
Errand completed.

Thank you for letting Tiger loose! @Alan Vanes Permission was given to everyone, to have the feline come over and beg for attention.

"You are all doing wonderfully. Especially if this is your first times," She acknowledged as she walked around, knowing that the students would likely think they were bad at it if they were not as flexible as their peers or unable to do something that others could do. But the truth was, everyone was different. Yoga was all about practice. But these steps were particularly gentle, to avoid being too hard for people to do. They could bend less than others, stretch less if needed. They shouldn't push their bodies beyond its capabilities. The point was to relax, not hurt.

It was great to see students turn up in their pyjamas. People were ready to sleep. "Do not push yourself. Gentle stretches, take deep slow breaths, embrace the sounds around you," She instructed. There were a few whispers here and there, which was fine, at times. Other times, it was silent.

"For the next pose, you can get against a wall or ask a partner to help you out..." Hjørdis could not help but smirk a little at Caradoc's reaction. He was such an old man. She moved to him, "Mind being my volunteer?" She asked him, since she needed someone to demonstrate the next pose, "Sit down facing me, lie onto your back. When you are ready, I'll need you to lift your legs slowly." She instructed him, trying to hide her smirk - because this was highly entertaining for her.

"Once your partner lifts their legs, just lift them up and help keep them upright. Be careful not to push on them. Let them dictate the angle. For those on the floor, you want to try and have your legs perpendicular to the ground. With your palms facing up, rest your arms to the side of your body. Hold this for 15 seconds and then you can swap." She instructed, demonstrating by standing to the side of Caradoc's legs and holding them upright with her forearm against his ankles. Since he was quite a bit heavier than her, she used her shoulder to help keep them up.

After fifteen seconds, she looked at him, "And lower your legs slowly," She instructed, preferring them not to just drop. She smiled and nodded a thank you to him before attempting to move back to her mat, "Switch with your partner so both of you stretch..." Hjørdis explained as she just sat down on her mat and waited for them to complete it. Well, that was her plan until he came along and decided it was her turn. She shot him a glare, before sighing and obliging. It was partner work, after all and the demonstration worked both ways. As such, she demonstrated how to lift one's legs slowly - without kicking your partner in the face. Though... Maybe her partner actually deserved to be kicked in the face. But since there were students around, she behaved.

Once they were ready to continue, "You can continue to lie down on your back once you've completed it. We will be going into the before-bed bridge," She instructed, laying down herself, "Bend your knees, with your feet flat on the floor. Your arms should be extended by your side again. Then once you're ready, keep your shoulders down on the ground and engage your abs. Imagine a rope attacked to your belly button that is pulling you up from your abs. Press your heels to the ground and lift your hips and back. Hold this position for eight to ten breaths and then lower gently." She explained, whilst demonstrating to the group. She was turned sideways to the room so they could see what she was actually doing. "Once you've completed this, just stay lying down..."

Hjørdis lay on the ground for a few moments before sitting up and looking around. She waited till everyone was ready to proceed, "And sit up now. We'll do the seated forward fold. Which is similar to what we did before but please don't force your head to touch your knees." She warned, trying to avoid people from forcing their bodies more, "Start by keeping your legs stretched out in front of you, put them together. Activate your feet by flexing them. From the hips, bend forward as much as is comfortable. Please don't force it. Reach towards your toes with your hands or as far as you can whilst being comfortable. You do not need to touch your head to your knees. Just bend a little. And hold this position..."

After some time, she continued, "And release..." She instructed, moving cross-legged. She waited till they were ready for the next step.

Yoga Post in this post: Up Against the Wall*, Before Bed Bridge and Seated Forward Fold
* This pose can be done with a partner if required.
[Permission given by Caradoc to godmod]

More and more people show up for this Sleep Yoga event. After Cash sat down on the many vacant mats, Mars commented on the young Serpent purple dyed hair. "Thanks"Cash unconsciously touched their hair. They got a bit taken aback when Mars called her Cash. The new nickname that rolled out from Mars is a nice change. Not many people called them that.

Then when they listened for another instruction for the Yoga from Professor Jensen, Ivy walks into the room. The Gryffindor wave at them and they wave back. It seem Ivy waved to another person in the room. Cash scanned their eyes and saw Alan Vanes. The third year student accompanied by his cat. Professor Jensen told what to do for the next pose.

After then green eyes girl done their Sleeping Swan Pose, the got up slowly and rolled their spine slowly. The cracking sound that coming from their back, made Cash grimaced. They never knew their back would be that tense. "Holy"Cash muttered under their breath. Professor then show - more like instructed - for the next pose.

Slowly the Slytherin fold towards and tried to touch their toes. Cash finally can touch the mat with their hands. Cash smiled at their accomplishment. "Sway a little less, Miss Ironwoods"Told Professor Jensen when the woman reach to where Cash situated. Cash steady themselves. They did not realize they got excited a tad too much. Cassie chuckles at that.

Professor Jensen said to another student to inhale and exhale their breathing. Cash followed suit. Professor Jensen then told the participate of the room for the next pose. Slowly they looked up and copied what the white hair woman said. Before they done the next pose, Mars offered them if Cash need any bricks to aid for the next pose.

"I think I can manage it but better save then sorry then. Sure. Thanks for the offer, Mars"Cash stated to the other wix and not far from both of they wixes, Cash heard a small voice. Cassie look at where the sound came from. They saw one Elspeth Gollens situated some mats not far from where Cash and Mars at.

Cash then turn back their attention to Professor Jensen. One leg stretched out behind and their other leg bend forward. Creating what looks like Lizard. Both of their arms situated on top of the mats and Cash smile when Alan's pet wondering around the room. The cat begging for attention. With one hand they support their body weight while Cash other hand petted the cat.

"You are so cute"Cash told the cat. Cash more a dog person but their second favorite animal is cat among others. The cat then walks by to another person. Professor Jensen told to hold the position, instructed to inhale and exhale. Cash done the same thing for their other side. Professor Jensen throw out a compliment that all of them done wonderfully.

As a first time Yogi, Cash dare to say they good at this thing and would not oppose if in any other time an opportunity like this would arise. Professor Jensen then said do not pushed themselves to all the occupants of the room. When the white hair Professor told the room to embrace the sound around them, Cash yawn.

The quietness of the room and adding with Professor Jensen's voice, lulled Cash to sleep and they feel relax. Their eyes feel a bit heavy but they know the session not done just yet. Professor Jensen then told the room that they can ask a partner or can get against the wall for the next pose. Cash want to ask Ivy's help but the young lioness situated a bit far from them.

Cash then move to an empty mat that near a wall. They lay down on the floor and lifted their legs against the wall both of their arms rest to the side of their body. Cash hold their position for 15 seconds. The next pose it what called before-bed bridge. Cash listen attentively for the instruction that Professor Jensen said.

They bend their knees and both arms face up between their body. They situated both of their shoulder in the right angle. They do not want to do this pose wrong and cause an injury. Cash lift up their abdomen slowly to the air and inhale while doing so. When Cash do their pose right, Cash exhale their breathing.

Cash hold out the position for eight to ten breaths then bring their hips down slowly. The relaxation that Cash felt is amazing. They look at their left and right, some of their peers struggle but it is understandable. For the next pose, Professor Jensen requested for all the attendants to sit up. Cash done what they have told and wait for the next instruction.

Cash then stretched out both of their legs in front of them, they put their feet together and slowly sinking themselves forward. When Cash doing the pose, their lower back muscle stretched. There is a subtle pain in there but not too painful. They grab both of their calves first then slowly they run their hands until they can grab their ankles.

Cash then grab their both of their ankles. When their head touches their knees, Cash inhale and exhale their breathing. Then tentatively put both both of their arms, palms facing down on the mat and hold the position. They count until 8 to 10 breathing. When they done this they yawn again. This yoga poses help their body relax a whole lot more.

Then Professor Jensen told them to release the position. Cash looks up with both of their feet still stretches out, the put both of their hand between their body to support their body weight and wait for the next step.

Word Count : 394 + 970 = 1364 / 1000 for Errand Completion

ERRAND COMPLETED

interacting with N/A
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She had not been paying attention to anything at all. Lizzie had walked into the room and plopped herself down on a mat without even bothering to look at the people around her. She had only really come for the house points. Secretly, she also knew she needed to do some yoga but she would never admit that out loud. It made her feel childish even though she basically was still a child.

She was just sat there for a while until she noticed a few students in the first position. Lizzie widened her eyes and scrambled into position. She bent her left knee and brought it towards her right thigh. She lifted her body slightly and extended her back leg behind her. She placed her head on a pillow that was below her and sighed. This position was very comforting and relaxing. She breathed for around ten seconds and then rolled her back up and switched legs.

She repeated this two times and let out another sigh and grinned. She was loving this errand a lot and it defiantly would be one of the things she would want to do again in the future. Maybe she could even teach a yoga class. It did really help peoples mental health.

She got out of the position ,rolling her back and standing up, and pushed some hair out of her face. She had obviously not realized how much the hair was going to get in her eyes. She took of a hair band from her wrist and quickly grabbed her hair in one swoop and tied it up with a few strands framing her small face.

She blew the strands a bit with no success and did some stretches that would make her relax her muscles even more. The sleeping swan pose would defiantly be a recurring pose in Lizzie's new yoga routine which she was planning to do around every month.

She reached forward with her arms and heard a little crack. She stifled a small giggle. It must have just been one of those times where it just happens and nothing can stop it. She looked around to make sure no on had heard her and continued to move into the next pose.

"Okay. I can do this." She mumbled to herself a bit. She split her legs a bit with her heels facing straight forwards. She had learned from an early age that bent ankles and heels could stump growth and not help with walking habits. She did not want bad walking or bad posture for that.

Lizzie then bent over and stretched her arms out reaching towards the ground. She bounced a little bit until her fingertips reached the mat. The Raven grinned and swayed a little bit. The short girl defiantly was flexible and it was so much that she could have taken up gymnastics and even trained to be a professional one. Except, music had taken over her life stopping that other dream she could have had.

She took and deep breath in and exhaled out. It was defiantly helping her. It was like she was washing away all of her worries and wrong doings which was quite a lot. It was lifting weights that she had been burdening for a while and it was making her feel so much lighter. She felt really good.

She then watched as the other students went into the next pose. She stood up and brushed down her legs quickly while taking her right leg and placing it behind her and placing the knee on the floor. She lent foreword and placed her elbows on the mat and sighed. Her left leg was in the shape of a right angle. She looked up to see other students going to get bricks.

She smiled and blew some strands out of her face yet again. She had found it quite easy to get into the position and did not want to get out of the position only to need to get back into it. That was just a big waste of time.

While Professor Jensen talking and walked around the room, Lizzie took another deep breath in and then let it out quickly. She had defiantly become relaxed in only just a short amount of time. It was like magic. Not magic and spells they used. Actual magic and miracles that even the Witches and Wizards of Hogwarts found enchanting.

After noticing people were changing position, Lizzie got out of the Lizard pose and went onto the floor with her back on the mat. She sighed and lifted her legs putting them against the closest wall. She looked around and saw a few people with partners. She hadn't even given herself the time to who was organizing the errand let alone look at all the time as well.

She placed her arms on the floor with her palms facing upwards. She breathed in once again and closed her eyes. Waiting for fifteen seconds and then sat up looking around at everyone else who had just swapped. She noticed Cassie and Mars but did not want to distract them. They looked very focused in what they were doing at that moment.

She laid on her back once again and lifted her hips up. She placed her arms on the floor and with facing her palms upwards. She took a deep breath in and out again. "This is pretty easy." She mumbled her herself. She took a few breaths making sure to keep her shoulders on the mat. Lizzie slowly lowered her pelvis and stayed laid on the ground sighing quickly.

She looked around quickly knowing she could continue but only wondering if other people needed help or anything like that. She didn't noticed anyone struggling and she slightly shrugged her shoulders while sitting up and crossing her legs. She changed her attitude towards the yoga drastically and started to pay attention to what the professor was saying.

Lizzie smiled slightly and continued to do the poses throughout the rest of the session.

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word count : 1010 words
Complete Errand

Mentions: @Dealla Prince Tiger the cat of @Alan Vanes @Hjørdis Jensen

Ileen enjoyed the familiar stretch in her muscles as she followed the instructions. Of course she had lost a bit of her flexibility, but it worked better than she had thought. It was nice to do some sort of physical exercise and combined with the meditative type, yoga was exactly what she needed in that moment.
She automatically blanked out everything around her and concentrated only on Professor Jensen's voice. Her thoughts drifted away and she started to relax. How much she had missed that! Completely being with her mind and body – undisturbed. The only other thing she noticed was her heartbeat and the air entering and leaving her lungs.
She only was distracted once when Alans cute cat Tiger walked by and stopped in front of her with a soft meow. Happy that she had drawn his attention, she reached out to stroke the tabby-cat. “Oh, do you remember me? How are you doing?”
Trying to keep her balance she scratched the cat between the ears. A soft purr made his body vibrate and Ileen had to smile. Animals were amazing. They didn’t care who you were, how much money you had or what your blood status was. They judged you by your actions. Well, cats were sometimes simply divas who were also mean to you if you treated them well. But everybody had a bad day sometimes…
But not this cute fellow. He seemed to enjoy the stroking and Ileen managed to do the exercises half focused while she interacted with the cute animal. Tiger stayed with the young Slytherin for a moment, but then he mewed again and sneaked on, probably to pick up caresses somewhere else.

When her Head of house announced that they could do the next pose in pairs or against the wall, Ileen sighed. She really wasn’t in the mood to talk to a stranger at the moment. Yoga relaxed her, but it also made her sad. Even If she wouldn’t admit it, she missed her home and her dad a lot in this moment. These thoughts also brought back up the disappointment, the feeling of betrayal and loneliness.
Angrily she pulled her brows together and gritted her teeth. This had thrown her off balance. She'd handled it so well the last few days and now this. She didn't want to miss him. She wouldn't even think about him – but here she was, at the edge of the Rehearsal Room and had to fight with the emotions she had resolutely pushed away for so long.
Struggling with her temper, she took a deep breath and looked around. Maybe she should just try it with the wall. That would be just fine.
Already halfway on her way to the wall, Ileen spotted a familiar face. Was that Dee? Had she been here the whole time? And how could Ileen have missed her? Relieved she waved to her best friend and a weak smile appeared on her lips. If there was a person who could make Ileen feel better, it was Dee. Trying to make eye contact the young Slytherin would give her a signal to do the next exercise together.

Total Wordcount: 1022

Aida showed up to the rehearsal room already primed for sleeping, even in public, after another week of sleep deprivation. She was continuing to suffer from recurring nightmares and was not finding respite from exercise or schoolwork. The little white witch had failed to find effective counseling though she was frankly afraid to sleep. This week especially she was beginning to fall apart, lapsing into microsleeps and occasionally hallucinating memories and daydreams while trying to stay upright. Maybe the nightmares would not come if she were to sleep in public like this. Maybe the stretching would help somehow, or provide some kind of placebo. Somehow maybe she could set things right, even if temporarily.

Breathing in and out, Aida focused on the sensations of her body. Why couldn’t the blackness of sleep stay empty for her? Why did it have to teem with such frightful visions? Aida noticed her attention slipping and she squeezed her fist to try to stay focused. The pillow in front of her looked inviting. Shaking her head, she again tried to focus on putting herself though the sleeping swan pose maneuvers. Aida was pretty flexible, like her wand, and so the pose itself was not that difficult. Trying to hear through the haze in her mind and understand the basic instructions that were being provided, however, did not come as easily. She did really want to sleep, but then the next pose was already being introduced by the time Aida became aware of what was going on again. Was she turning into an insomniac? Even folded over like this, Aida was increasingly caring less about staying awake. It was entirely possible that she could fall asleep even bent up in a crazy position and wake up with a very unhappy set of muscles.

The next position they did was the standing forward fold, and Aida blankly bent over and put her hands flat on the floor. Her eyes batted as she tried to not topple forward from inattention. Her higher faculties were not being stimulated, which was probably the point in order to induce sleep. Every once in a while a corrective instruction was issued by the professor, but if Aida was being talked to then the words did not materialize through her brain’s fog. As the other students had gotten deep into lizard pose, Aida looked around with a start and realized that she had fallen behind. She began trying to copy the person to her right, then looked back over at the person to her left to verify that the position was right. Something about lizards. She liked lizards. Her brain was becoming absolute mush.

Sinking too far into the pose, Aida’s muscle began to shriek loudly at her through its pain. She backed off of it and for a moment she had regained some amount of mental clarity. She looked around at the students around her and up at the professor. Aida would not be able to run from sleep forever. Even if this class made her have a dream-less slumber, it would not last forever. Yet, Aida lacked a permanent solution. As the pain subsided, the mental fog began to sink back in. Somehow her legs had gotten up against a wall. Insomnia was funny. Aida laughed a little, but she was unsure if she had done that out loud or only in her head.

"Do not push yourself," came a voice. Aida did not like the suggestion. She had to push herself. She had to stay awake. Or maybe she was pushing herself in the wrong direction? Certainly, in some direction, Aida should be pushing herself. The intended meaning of that command would never become clear to her. Suddenly someone was approaching, apparently looking for a partner for the next move. Aida did not even really know who it was, but this unexpected interaction was enough to make her clearly hear the instructions for the position and do her part to help. "Let them dictate the angle," came the voice again. Without hearing the context, Aida knotted up her eyebrows. Then it was time to switch and Aida accommodated mindlessly. Once the other person had gone back to their mat Aida laid down on hers, hoping that now the bogies would have been frightened away enough to justify sleep, but the class was not yet over.

"We will be going into the before-bed bridge," Bridge? Bed? Aida looked around and saw students getting into another position. She copied her peers as best as she could. "Imagine a rope attached to your belly button that is pulling you up." Aida obeyed, and literally imagined a rope. The higher meaning of the statement was lost on the utterly sleep-deprived child. It was quite a frightening image. It was like that spider in the forest that had her by its silken threads. How was this going to help? Maybe it would replace one nightmare with a less horrible one, supposed Aida. "Once you've completed this, just stay lying down..." Aida did not understand the tactic, but she would stay laying down and feign death. Maybe the giant spider would save her for later rather than immediately try to dispatch her. Sleep began to descend onto the girl as she imagined the hairs on the back of the spider standing up stiff and the glassy shine in its many marble-like eyes as they looked down on her.

"And sit up now. We'll do the seated forward fold,” interrupted a voice. Aida bolted upright. There was no spider, just a room of people. Apparently doing yoga. Yes, that was where she was. Not the Forbidden Forest. Aida copied the students next to her as she moved into the forward fold.

Then there appeared to be a pause, as if the instructor were waiting for people to be ready for the next set of moves. However, Aida’s resolve was flagging. At some point this warped sleep-deprived reality became not much better than the nightmares that awaited her. She was surrounded by people right now. Surely if things were coming to attack, there would be some safety in numbers, right? The line between imagination and reality was simply gone at this point for the exhausted child. The white-haired child rolled onto her back and took up ‘shavasana’ (corpse pose) without any need for instruction. There could be no more running. The dreams would hunt her down even if she tried to not sleep for days… So Aida let them come. However, this time at least, the child was simply too exhausted to dream anymore. Even if the class were not over, Aida was knocked out cold. This would be her last yoga pose for the night.

Word count: 1,120
Thread effectively left, due to being really deeply asleep.