...Nothing to See Here! Errand PV Ethen Emrys

Ethen had taken his fair share of damage throughout the year from Quidditch and he was still stressing over his classes but any opportunity to let out some steam seemed like an incredible idea. When he had heard the news that the rather, curious, groundskeeper had said that the students would be allowed to travel to the grounds and destroy plants and dig holes as they pleased, Ethen couldn’t resist. It was a chance for glorious war against the shrubs that had long taunted him.

He was tired from the long year but he got himself ready for the day of chaos. Pulling on his pants and a long sleeve shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, Ethen had crushed some berries into makeshift war paint and smeared the juice across his face in long streaks. He had commandeered from the Groundskeeper a pair of shovels for he and Atlas to use. He knew they were allowed to use spells but he felt there would be something satisfying about viciously attacking the dirt with the shovel.

Pacing on the ground around the shovels and waiting for Atlas, Ethen could already see a plethora of holes but there were still plenty of plants left standing. Enemies to him for the day. Some students looked to be peacefully plucking out weeds and other small plants but Ethen would leave such tasks to those students. There were larger plants to desecrate and if he was to be slain on that battlefield, he would rather be remembered for his great duel against the shrubs than some dandelion-based ambush gone wrong.

Scooping up a shovel, Ethen plummeted the blade into the soil and hoped on it to allow the metal head to sink in deeper. While perched on the shovel, Ethen took another sweeping glance for his partner in crime. Finally catching a glance of the girl, a wide smile plastered itself across his face. He still felt a slight flutter of excitement whenever he saw the girl gave a wave as she called out. “I could not let the other students know my -” He was suddenly cut off as the girl kissed him and he happily enjoyed the moment. “Plan,” he finished as they pulled apart.

Peering at Atlas, the smile remained fixed on his face before laughing at her dedication to the cause. Hopping off the shovel, Ethen gestured to a distant patch of shrubs and flowers that were well pruned. “We will be launching our assault to the West my love!” Ethen bellowed. “We may not survive, but we will take them with us. OOMAAAALOOOOMAN!!!” he cried as he ripped his shovel from the ground and charged off towards the patch of well-kept plants.

Viciously, Ethen swung the shovel down and hacked into the shrub splitting some small branches and cascading leaves into the air. The attack was barely effective but he would not let it get to him. Without missing a beat, Ethen dove the shovel into the soil at the base of the plant to try and begin severing the very roots that held it in place. The soil was tough and it took all of Ethen's might to get the blade of the shovel to begin biting into the meander roots that lay concealed just below the surface. It would be harder than he though to fell the shrubs but the flowers beneath his feet that bordered the shrubs did not share the luxury of the shrub's mighty defenses. It was Ethen's hope that after uprooting this patch, he and Atlas would be able to dig a great hole, the likes of which would never be filled in by the Groundskeeper but he knew that was a mere dream while he was in the heat of battle.

WC: 635/600

With the adorable entranced look Ethen gave Atlas after her kiss, all of the end-of-the-year stressors were melted into the ground beneath her feet. All that mattered now was defeating the plants and making a mess, two things the mischievous pair were pros at.

Watching as Ethen charged toward a decorative shrub, she felt a laugh curl around her lips as he failed to uproot the beast in a single blow but she admired how he never gave up. Looking around the grounds to make sure his war cry didn’t draw the attention of well-behaved students, Atlas felt an idea pricking her mind as the leaves from the shrub were shaken free from their home.

“Major Emrys! Be careful! It appears these species are well stocked with ammo and their armor appears to be difficult to penetrate without finding a weak point!” Looking down at the leaves that had scattered between her and Ethen, Atlas pursed her lips to stop a laugh as she got back into character. “They almost got me sir! We need cover!”

With that, Atlas knocked the tip of her shovel into the dirt as she pressed the bottom of her foot down on the top of it to push it into the ground more before she let out a large war cry heaving the dirt into the air far behind her.

Wasting no time, Atlas continued to dig the hole as she looked up to see Ethen attempting to uproot the shrub. “I’ll work on getting us some emergency cover but don’t be a hero Major! If you need backup call for it! We will defeat these heinous shrubs before they have time to call for more troops!”

Turning her attention back to digging, Atlas couldn’t help to keep stealing looks at Ethen as she was thankful that even though they had elevated their friendship to a relationship they had kept their same goofy bond and elaborate imaginations intact. Her biggest fear was that dating would remove the obscurity from their hangouts but this day proved to her that her fears couldn’t be further from the truth.

Word Count: 796/600