Hogwarts Summer Camp Stargazing

Interacting with @Miranda Everest
Mentioning @Rosalind Kibitzer

Miranda had taken the opportunity afforded by the brief pause after she announced her presence to take a close look at the fortune telling stall. The amount of objects laying scattered around it was astounding - Miranda hadn't even known there were that many ways to predict someone's future. Although, it was possible some of them were just props, but still...it was a pretty cool-looking set up.

She refocused on the other girl when she started speaking, a smile growing on her face. "A...group reading?" Miranda knew she probably looked surprised, but didn't seem able to fix her face. "Why not? Um. But what are we going to ask?" A glance over at the fortune-telling stall afforded no answers, not that she really expected any anyways. Seriously though, what to ask?

Miranda never really put much thought into the future. For her it was mostly keep going, survive one day, then move to the next. Learn as much as you can, then never bother with studying because you're confident you know enough to pass the next test. Well, not really, but close enough. The next test, the next exam - that was about as far ahead as she looked. You could blame her parents for never scheduling any future events as the cause of her lack of planning.

Therefor, instead of suggesting any ideas of her own, Miranda simply waited until Jess specifically asked her. If she didn't, great, if she did, Miranda was confident she could think of something.

Interacting with @Miranda Everest
Mentioning @Rosalind Kibitzer

Like many fortune tellers, Rosalind had become quite good at reading people. Even in the dim candlelight she could see the sweat glistening on Howard's face before it dripped off - the woman wrinkling her nose at the sight. His veins looked as though they were about to pop. But she misread his sigh of relief as a sign that she was happy with his reading, rather than relieved that she hadn't zapped him off to Azkaban. "You're very welcome," she said simply, watching @Howard White depart. A most curious little Hufflepuff. Thankfully for him, there was another approaching that would clear him out of her memory.

Rosalind watched incredulously as @Piper LaMotta sat down and pulled her scarf over her own eyes, blindfolding herself. The older woman couldn't help but laugh at it, disrupting the serenity of the starlit scene. The serious tone that Piper held when asking for her reading combined with the absurd visual was just too much. Professor Kibitzer lifted a hand to her mouth and coughed, trying to cover up her outburst as some kind of coughing fit, to spare the girl's pride. No doubt the young Hufflepuff had some sort of intent behind blindfolding herself. Maybe she thought it made for better readings.

In any case, the older woman wanted the poor girl to avoid making a spectacle of herself. She picked up her deck of cards and held them out to Piper, smiling out of the girl's sight. "A general reading? Just draw three cards and lay them out on the table in order, left to right. Very simple," she instructed. Either she would wise up and take the scarf off of her face, or amuse the professor by blindly reaching out into the dark to try and find the deck of cards. Both options would satisfy her.

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

Closed to interactions except for @Illowy Magnard

Illowy explained her rationale for being unwilling to fly and Ruby's eyes lit up with understanding. It was logical, and the instinct of self-preservation was healthy—perhaps more sensible than some of their classmates who were willing to do anything for a dare or simply a thrill. The prefect nodded. “So I guess you just need someone around who can cast the Slowing Charm on you, or you just need your wand. Is the same fear present during the actual flying classes where there's less of a risk of falling?” Ruby herself had not been blatched before, but she hadn't been first string for long, so it made sense. Was she afraid of falling? She supposed she was, but she knew that if she did hit the ground, the nurse would be able to bring her back to health.

While Illowy was talking about the spells, Ruby continued to share in the enthusiasm, the wide smile not leaving her face as she listened carefully. “That's fascinating,” she said, and she meant it. There wasn't even the slightest hint of sarcasm in her tone. She looked at her companion with some respect and admiration—not idolising her or mentally placing her far above Ruby's own level in a way that would make it awkward to be around Illowy, but the gentle appreciation for someone who pursued their goals, someone who was dedicated. It was reassuring to find a student who was so involved in the pursuit of knowledge, who she seemed to share an interest with.

“I read ahead in our textbooks within our year, but I haven't really gone above and beyond and worked on actually performing fourth year spells like you have. It's great that you're doing that! I read a lot; I definitely spend a lot of time in the library doing some research. It helps me relax a little and it's also interesting to me, mostly regardless of the topic.” She was grateful for the Slytherin's offer to help her with spells if she needed it, and while Ruby didn't think she was bad at spellcasting, she would still consider taking her housemate up on that. Experimenting with the spells or trying to perfect them was always good, and she had a feeling that she wouldn't mind spending more time with Illowy.

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

@Rosalind Kibitzer, @Alaric Equinox & @Dealla Prince

Roz Vision:

She would feel as if someone had sucked the air from her lungs. There was this burning hunger, this desperate sensation that would fill her core with dread. She could try to suck in the air she hungered for but there would be no respite. She would feel it, this pain deep in her chest throbbing in cadence with her heart. It felt as if someone was squeezing it tight in their hand. In truth she was not moving, but in her mind's eye she was living and experiencing this pain. She was moving and reacting but the world only saw the old woman frozen in place with eyes glazed over.

She would look down and she would see it -- this darkness that was enveloping her, ensconcing her in shadow. The pain was blinding, enough to leave even the most steadfast bleary-eyed. Something would rip from her body, tearing her asunder. Like a snake or a spider molting in quick motion once the was covered in the inky black. What emerged looked like her but wrong. The features too sharp, the eyes too dark. The 'impostor' would mouth something to Roz but she could tell what what said. She/It would saunter away and extend its hand to something out of view. Roz could see one thing for certain, those nails resembled talons better than nails.

Interacting with | @Dealla Prince

As the two girls made their way over the area thinking about where to go next, Ileen had to grin. This event was actually kind of fun. Normally, she avoided such happenings since as soon as there were more than five people involved something stupid or awful happened. But tonight?
Tonight there was good food, beautiful scenery and fate had given them the permission to jinx all idiots. A fond grin appeared on Ileen's lips as she looked over at her best friend. It was always great fun with Dee. Their friendly banter and the silliness they always pulled off made the young Slytherin laugh more than anything else. She was grateful that she had been persuaded to come along. And also that she had dragged Dee to Professor Kibitzer.
And just in that moment as the girl with her fatalistic attitude was about to reconsider her opinion that every group event was doomed, something happened. Ileen wouldn’t even realize what was going on. To her, it was just her best friend stumbling. She neither saw the broken bottle, nor heard the voice as Dee tripped and fell.
Her heart jumped violently, even if she could not yet understand the seriousness of the situation. Reflexively, Ileen's hands shot forward to save her best friend from falling. "Watch out!"

Action: Trying to grab/catch Dee and save her from falling

Ability: Sixth Sense
Stats: Sta:5 | Ev:7 | Str:3 | Wis:7 | Arc:6 | Acc:7

Interactions | @Ileen Knight | creepy disembodied voice

Dee scrunched up her nose, her eyes twinkling in amusement. "Me, provoke him? I wouldn't. He's the one who always starts things. I just defend myself. Also, that was a terrible pun." But her eyes belied her words, gleaming with mischief, and, well, if she had a list of priority victims for hexing - which she of course didn't - Raincoat would admittedly be rather near the top of it.

"I don't know," she replied to Ileen's suggestion of getting some more strawberry-shaped ammunition, and followed her best friend's gaze over to the picnic blanket they had occupied earlier. "You tell me, since you decided to take over our evening agenda." But, as it turned out, they didn't have to make a decision right now, anyway.

One moment she was walking - just walking, for Merlin's sake, who expected something to go wrong there? - in the next, it felt like something had taken hold of her heel, catching her off balance, and then she was falling.
She might have tried to catch herself, regain her lost balance, but the odd thing that had ensnared her heel, whatever it might be, wasn't the only thing that happened.

For one, she caught sight of something gleaming in the sparse light of the moon and the red lanterns around. It looked like... glass shards? Sharp and pointy, twinkling innocently exactly where she was currently falling, hands outstretched to brace herself.

And then,

"Not your year Prince."

The voice wasn't familiar, although it knew her name, but that wasn't the odd thing. There hadn't been anyone close to her and Ileen - not close enough to fit with that small voice, sounding as if it should be right next to her.
Caught between the instinct to catch herself, and the realisation that she was going to slice herself open in just a moment, Dee did the one thing that made the least sense in the situation, but that people tend to do when someone calls their name: She turned her head, trying to spot who was addressing her in this most inopportune of times, only to see what she really had already known - it didn't seem to belong to anyone.

Thankfully (maybe?), Ileen's reflexes worked better than her own, and she would try to save Dee from her tragic fate. Her best friend’s hands grabbing her would jerk her out of her less than advisable distraction, and she’d try to cling to her friend instead of tumbling to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Action
Dee.exe has stopped working
(Clinging onto Ileen if she touches Dee, observation check otherwise)

First Year Stats
Sta 4 | Eva 7 | Str 3 | Wis 8 | Arc 6 | Acc 7
Ability
Evasive Maneuvers

Rosalind might not have been speechless, but she didn't say anything more. The girl's uncanny ability to pick cards up from a deck without looking was unusual, but not quite impressive. She couldn't help but smile out of the girl's sight as she saw the smirk on her face, amused by her cockiness. "Yes, like that," she said, concealing a quiet sigh in hr chuckling. These children were truly bizarre. looked down at the table, examining the cards that had been drawn and making sure they were all in order. She did lay them down quite precisely - better than some of the children did with their eyes open. Well done. "Now, then..."

The professor had not expected anybody to gain any insight on that night under the stars. The readings were a game - something fun to amuse the children with, but without any of the weight of a true performance of Divination. The actual performance of the arts was taxing - and best saved for when someone had questions worth answering. Her experience in education had taught her that it was quite rare for anyone to have a question worth answering before the age of 16 at the very least. So she kept to 'general readings', rolling bones and spouting out whatever vague connection she could draw on the spot.

Usually she had some sense of it coming on, but not today. She was suddenly seized by some unseen force, the cards falling from her fingers. She felt the air rushing past her lips, trying to hold it in and sputtering, sending a spray of spittle across the table in the direction of poor Piper. There she stood - blind to the world as she experienced her dark vision, an impostor tearing through her body. It lasted uncomfortably long, although there is no comfortable duration for something like that to last. Onlookers would only know it was over when she came back to reality - suddenly rising to her feet, Piper's cards unread.

"That will be quite enough readings for one day," she said, glaring down at the girl, not that she could see the look on the professor's face. "If you have something you need to know, figure it out yourself!"

She sucked in the cold air, taking deep breaths as she tried to rebuild some of her composure. Her angry outburst was just a method of recapturing control - to distract from her moment of absence, a sudden and frightful presence. She hardly noticed Ileen and Dealla having their stumble to the ground - nothing new for that pair to be clumsy. Rosalind clamped her jaw shut, taking harsh, fast breaths through her nose as her eyes scanned among the students.