Ashley Coulson
19 Dec 2020, 22:52
I Will Die A Popsicle
@Paisley Brown
@Calypso Starling
Ashley stood, shivering in the courtyard. She was going to die a popsicle. She could barely hear the chattering of her teeth over the noise of the howling wind and the insistent pitter-pattering of the freezing cold rain. She wanted to go inside. She would die happy if she could just go inside. Where it was warm and safe, and where books and cozy blankets and fires and hot tea were waiting. Where the stupid elements didn't want freaking kill her. But no. Ashley would not let herself. She had promised herself that she would go outside for half an hour everyday. And Ashley took promises, especially to herself, very seriously. So she would stay out here. For - Ashley checked her watch (waterproof, thank heavens) - twenty-eight more minutes. Sighing, she looked up at the sky. It was dark and grey, letting the rain come gushing down like the worlds biggest waterfall. Merciless. Okay, Ashley thought to herself, I'm gonna make the best of this bad - no, wait, scratch that - terrible situation. She bounced on her heels, yanked her sopping red hair into a ponytail, unfogged her glasses, and began to run around the courtyard. If she was going to suffer, she might as well go all the way, right? Ashley actually liked running. Back in Scotland, she was on a track team. Well, until she got pulled out because she broke her ankle. Twice. But it was still fun! (Not the ankle part, the running part.) This, though...this was not fun. But on she ran. She ran past wet benches and wet tables and wet trees and wet everything. At least she was shivering less. Ashley yanked the hood of her pale blue raincoat off of her head and let the rain pound over her. It couldn't possible make her more wet than she already was. And hoods were annoying. Ashley ran faster and faster. She felt as though she could outrun anything. Take that, rain! She found herself grinning. I can take whatever you throw at m- BAM!
Aaaand . . . back to being miserable. Of course she had fallen into a mud puddle. Why had she thought that nature liked her? Ashley lifted her hands. Covered in mud. Feet - covered in mud. Legs, arms, head - covered in mud. Ashley groaned. Ugh. Slowly, she stood up and glared at the mud puddle at fault. She looked like the Loch Ness monster or something. She moved her limbs. Nothing was broken, thank goodness. Ashley got up and started walking (not running!) back towards Hogwarts. Suddenly, she heard a gasp. Ashley turned and saw a figure standing not far away from her. Oops. Now she was going to give someone nightmares. Sighing again, she walked over to the person. With any luck, she would be able to explain.
@Calypso Starling
Ashley stood, shivering in the courtyard. She was going to die a popsicle. She could barely hear the chattering of her teeth over the noise of the howling wind and the insistent pitter-pattering of the freezing cold rain. She wanted to go inside. She would die happy if she could just go inside. Where it was warm and safe, and where books and cozy blankets and fires and hot tea were waiting. Where the stupid elements didn't want freaking kill her. But no. Ashley would not let herself. She had promised herself that she would go outside for half an hour everyday. And Ashley took promises, especially to herself, very seriously. So she would stay out here. For - Ashley checked her watch (waterproof, thank heavens) - twenty-eight more minutes. Sighing, she looked up at the sky. It was dark and grey, letting the rain come gushing down like the worlds biggest waterfall. Merciless. Okay, Ashley thought to herself, I'm gonna make the best of this bad - no, wait, scratch that - terrible situation. She bounced on her heels, yanked her sopping red hair into a ponytail, unfogged her glasses, and began to run around the courtyard. If she was going to suffer, she might as well go all the way, right? Ashley actually liked running. Back in Scotland, she was on a track team. Well, until she got pulled out because she broke her ankle. Twice. But it was still fun! (Not the ankle part, the running part.) This, though...this was not fun. But on she ran. She ran past wet benches and wet tables and wet trees and wet everything. At least she was shivering less. Ashley yanked the hood of her pale blue raincoat off of her head and let the rain pound over her. It couldn't possible make her more wet than she already was. And hoods were annoying. Ashley ran faster and faster. She felt as though she could outrun anything. Take that, rain! She found herself grinning. I can take whatever you throw at m- BAM!
Aaaand . . . back to being miserable. Of course she had fallen into a mud puddle. Why had she thought that nature liked her? Ashley lifted her hands. Covered in mud. Feet - covered in mud. Legs, arms, head - covered in mud. Ashley groaned. Ugh. Slowly, she stood up and glared at the mud puddle at fault. She looked like the Loch Ness monster or something. She moved her limbs. Nothing was broken, thank goodness. Ashley got up and started walking (not running!) back towards Hogwarts. Suddenly, she heard a gasp. Ashley turned and saw a figure standing not far away from her. Oops. Now she was going to give someone nightmares. Sighing again, she walked over to the person. With any luck, she would be able to explain.
Last edited by Ashley Coulson on 20 Dec 2020, 16:16, edited 1 time in total.
20 Dec 2020, 16:35
I Will Die A Popsicle
Paisley didn't think a single soul would be out in weather like this. It was a miserable, wet day. From inside the castle she watched, twirling her wand in between her thumbs. She hummed a tune to herself happily. She enjoyed gazing out the window, lost in her own thoughts. That's why she was startled when she saw something move outside. It appeared to be a girl running.
What on earth is a student doing out in this weather? She wondered. She thought they might be running from something, and the more she looked, the more that conclusion made sense. She pulled on her coat, put on a hat, and tore open the door. Her inner Gryffindor had kicked in, and she was ready for adventure. She would save the student from whatever was making them run so fearfully.
A heavy wind immediately blew the hat off her head, back indoors. She watched it go, thinking about putting it back on. It's not worth it, I have no time to lose! She walked outside and was soaked within seconds. She held her wand out in front of her. "Lumos!" she called; her own voice sounded far away. The light of her wand did barely anything.
She was contemplating turning back and going back inside, but then she saw something that looked like a mud monster. She gasped, wiping the sopping wet hair out of her face to get a better look. The form was familiar, and she recognized the student who had been running by the window only moments before. She walked up to them, squinting. "Who are you? What're you doing outside in weather like this?"
"Making a lark of the misery" - TS
20 Dec 2020, 23:07
I Will Die A Popsicle
Reducio
For context, see thread Stars and the Sunrise here.
@Ashley Coulson
@Paisley Brown
Cal shivered as she pulled on her wool sweater. Even in the dorm room it was freezing. She had been lying in bed (the only way to get warm today), reading, when she had remembered that she'd left her flashlight on the bank of the great lake the morning she and Ashley had discovered the Thestral. Normally, Calypso loved the rain, but today it was some driving, otherworldly force that seemed in its very nature, vengeful. Internally grumbing, she had resolved herself to walking all the way down through the castle and to the lake to retrieve the light. It was the only one she had (why, oh why had she not brought a spare?) and she didn't want it to get ruined by the monsoon. Plus, as the day progressed the rain would probably only worsen.
Five minutes later, all bundled up, Calypso exited the portrait hole and started to descend the school's many staircases.
On the second floor, she happened to glance out a window, and did a double-take. Down in the courtyard, a figure similar to hers in size barreled through the downpour, while another figure of similar build charged out a door and toward the first silhouette.
What the..? Cal's face scrunched up in bewilderment. Who could that be? Why in Merlin's name are they outside in this terrible storm?
Taking the stairs two at a time now, scenarios running frantically through her mind, the young Gryffindor rushed to reach the ground floor.
Arriving at the door to outside, Cal hesitated for just a moment, then steeled herself and stepped out into the courtyard.
And what a sight to behold.
The first figure was still running through the rain, determinedly, seemingly oblivious to the second person (a student, Cal assumed), who was jogging after them, now with a lit wand. Neither of the two had noticed Calypso. The second outline spoke. "Who are you? What're you doing outside in weather like this?"
But wait. Cal recognized that voice. It was Paisley Brown, her fellow Gryffindor First Year and friend she had met on the train. And she recognized that red-brown hair of the running figure. Ashley?
Cal walked closer, and determined that yes, it was her Ravenclaw friend.
"Hey! Ash?! Paisley?! What are you two doing out here?!"
Last edited by Calypso Starling on 5 Jan 2021, 03:16, edited 1 time in total.
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be
insane by those who could not hear the music."
Ashley Coulson
21 Dec 2020, 17:46
I Will Die A Popsicle
@Paisley Brown
@Calypso Starling
Ashley came to a halt, panting. The person in front of her looked confused. They held a wand glowing with light, but Ashley couldn't quite make out who it was. Her glasses were covered in mud, so she had to take them off. And without her glasses, she was almost blind. Like, really. But then the person spoke.
"Who are you? What are you doing outside in weather like this?"
Ashley recognized the voice. "Paisley?" she asked. She had met Paisley on the train. They didn't run into each other much at school, however, because Ashley was in Ravenclaw and Paisley was in Gryffindor.
"It's me, Ashley. Ashley Coulson? We met on the train. I had a bit of an . . . accident. I kinda fell in the mud while I was running because of this stupid promise thing and. . . well, it's a really long story and I look and sound insane. So, basically, I fell, got covered in mud, and my glasses are not functional at the moment. Oh, and it's pouring rain and everything wants to kill me, not to mention I forgot my wand inside. How are you doing?" Ashley's teeth were chattering. She never talked this much. But if it kept her mouth from getting frozen in place, so be it. It was only getting colder outside. Snow was coming, she could feel it. And once the temperature dropped below freezing, she would freeze, too, because she was soaked. Before Paisley could answer her question, another voice echoed nearby.
"Hey! Ash?! Paisley?! What are you two doing out here?!"
Ashley recognized that voice, too. "Calypso?" she called. She had met Calypso and Flourish and Blotts. She was in Gryffindor like Paisley. Why was she out here as well?
"I'm out here because I made a promise to myself, and I don't know why Paisley's here. What about you?" Ashley started walking over to Calypso, looking carefully for mud puddles. "I'll try not to run into you, but I can't really see very well right now," Ashley yelled over the sound of the wind. Suddenly, a howl pierced the night. It was lonely and sad. Ashley stopped. "What . . . what was that?" she shrieked.
@Calypso Starling
Ashley came to a halt, panting. The person in front of her looked confused. They held a wand glowing with light, but Ashley couldn't quite make out who it was. Her glasses were covered in mud, so she had to take them off. And without her glasses, she was almost blind. Like, really. But then the person spoke.
"Who are you? What are you doing outside in weather like this?"
Ashley recognized the voice. "Paisley?" she asked. She had met Paisley on the train. They didn't run into each other much at school, however, because Ashley was in Ravenclaw and Paisley was in Gryffindor.
"It's me, Ashley. Ashley Coulson? We met on the train. I had a bit of an . . . accident. I kinda fell in the mud while I was running because of this stupid promise thing and. . . well, it's a really long story and I look and sound insane. So, basically, I fell, got covered in mud, and my glasses are not functional at the moment. Oh, and it's pouring rain and everything wants to kill me, not to mention I forgot my wand inside. How are you doing?" Ashley's teeth were chattering. She never talked this much. But if it kept her mouth from getting frozen in place, so be it. It was only getting colder outside. Snow was coming, she could feel it. And once the temperature dropped below freezing, she would freeze, too, because she was soaked. Before Paisley could answer her question, another voice echoed nearby.
"Hey! Ash?! Paisley?! What are you two doing out here?!"
Ashley recognized that voice, too. "Calypso?" she called. She had met Calypso and Flourish and Blotts. She was in Gryffindor like Paisley. Why was she out here as well?
"I'm out here because I made a promise to myself, and I don't know why Paisley's here. What about you?" Ashley started walking over to Calypso, looking carefully for mud puddles. "I'll try not to run into you, but I can't really see very well right now," Ashley yelled over the sound of the wind. Suddenly, a howl pierced the night. It was lonely and sad. Ashley stopped. "What . . . what was that?" she shrieked.
21 Dec 2020, 19:31
I Will Die A Popsicle
"A promise?" Paisley echoed, clearly confused. "Was the promise to freeze to death before age 12? Because if it was, I think you're doing a pretty good job. And I do remember you. Nice to see you again, Ashley. Just to be clear, there was no monster chasing you, right? I thought there was...so I came out here..." she squirmed with embarrassment, wondering how she could've been so stupid.Interacting with: @Calypso Starling @Ashley Coulson
When Calypso walked up Paisley waved, recognizing the girl from the train. "I thought something was chasing Ashley, so I came out to help!" she explained over the wind in a loud voice. She felt the air grow colder, and she shivered. She suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the Ravenclaw, and she pulled off her coat, offering it to her. She didn't need it, she could stand the cold better than most. "Ashley, you must be freezing. Here, take it. It's got the Gryffindor crest on it, but it's better than nothing." she handed it to her, glad she was still wearing long sleeves beneath it. Her toes were starting to lose feeling. She could see the castle in the distance, but it seemed so far away.
She heard the noise and looked around. "I don't know! Was it close?" she called, raising her wand and looking around. She didn't see anything through the weather. "Do either of you have your wands?"
Reducio
The coat
The shirt beneath the coat
"Making a lark of the misery" - TS