Twirl the Flagon — Group 1 Summer Camp '22

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As June opted for the kiss on the cheek, Ramzy's cheeks flushed some more before she performed the action and was quick to sit her behind back down in her seat. ' Surely... the game has to be over... what the heck kind of fun even is this? Making a bunch of children become nervous wrecks... or maybe I'm just the nervous wreck? The bottle seemed to have made its way around before she had it again. 'Oh... you have got to be kidding me.... really?!' Ramzy stared down at the bottle and debated quitting the "game" right then and there, but she didn't want to seem like a wuss for lack of better words. She sighed softly and flicked her wrists more gently on the bottle before she awaited her fate.

The bottle spun...

And spun...

And spun...

And spun...

Before, Ramzy was starting to get a bit fed up with the waiting as she slammed her hand on top of the bottle to get it to stop in its place. She looked down at the neck of the glass and then followed it up to Bubba, one of her tent mates. 'Ugh... I should have let it spun some more...' Ramzy put a smile on her face as she politely looked at Bubba. She didn't have much interaction with the lad except for the time in the tent where he basically insisted on breaking her rule of calling Ramzy by her first and last name. Well Bubba... how about a high-five? Ramzy held up her hand towards him as she shrugged a bit to herself, ' Surely a high-five is completely harmless... but then again, with him, I guess you never know.' Ramzy thought to herself as she awaited his hand.

WC: 295

Interacting with: @EmmaLee LeDames Mentioning:

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Date: 28th August 2022 Outfit: x

Was there something wrong with her? Did she have something in her teeth? On her face? In her hair? She was sure she didn't, so why in the name of Merlin did all of her partners up and leave as soon as her bottle landed on them? Honestly, she tried her hardest not to let it show, but it still wounded her pride quite a bit. Did she just look like a really mean person? Is that why no one wanted to hug her? Sure, she was blunt, stubborn and opinionated but they were good qualities to have, were they not? She knew her worth, and she didn't think there was anything wrong with that. Plus, there was no way they'd be able to know her personality from a glance, and she's fairly certain she looked like a nice person. So why did she seem to have terrible luck this game?

Adelaide couldn't help the frown that appeared on her face as she watched the game continue. She wasn't really paying attention though, and was busy wondering whether she should just leave instead. Being rejected every time you offered to hug someone left quite a big bruise on the ego and it made the game a lot less fun. If she left, she'd probably have more fun back in her tent curled up in her bed or on one of the couches, reading a good book. Her tentmates are probably also playing this game right now, so she'd more than likely be alone.

Though, her plans to leave the game quickly dissipated as she noticed the bottle had landed on her. She didn't want to make a break for it now and leave this girl feeling rejected just like Adelaide's felt the last two rounds. The blonde's face brightened as the girl offered her a hug, "That'd be nice," she smiled gratefully, "I do think I give pretty good hugs," she chuckled before standing up and wrapping her arms around the girl. She squeezed the girl before breaking the hug and sitting back down, shooting one more grateful smile at the girl. Well, at least she had finally gotten a hug after two failed attempts.

June stared at Bubba McGarry, her blood starting to bubble and boil, anger flooding her body. Was this some sort of cruel joke? Was he trying to draw out his rudeness, his insolence? June took a deep breath, looking the young Ravenclaw directly in the eye. "You've spoken plenty to me, McGarry," June tried keeping her voice down, not wanting to draw more attention to her and, by proxy, The Situation. "I'm sorry if what I said struck a nerve with you, but you were completely inappropriate in the way you responded. Completely." She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to form words in her mind, but nothing was clicking together the way she wanted it to. She sighed and opened her eyes, her expression stern. "I have nothing more to say to you."

June turned away from the boy, it being her turn to twirl the whatever. Her face was calm, the picture of confidence, but a careful observer would see her tight grip on the bottle, spinning it with such force that it spun for an almost uncomfortable amount of time. As she waited, she reached out for Maggie's hand, squeezing it. She needed to feel tethered to reality, grounded, and Maggie Hawkins almost always made June feel more at ease.

When the glass bottle finally rolled to a halt, the neck was pointed at one particular incoming first-year. June sighed, unsure if it was better or worse landing on someone you were at least a bit familiar with. June let go of Maggie's hand with a squeeze and stood, facing Finnegan. "I'd like a hug, if that's alright." For a moment, June was grateful for the context of this ridiculous game, as it gave her an excuse to seek out being comforted in front of others. While Bubba hadn't technically threatened June, it was still probably the most violent thing anyone had ever said to her. The idea that someone not only would want to set June's environment ablaze (and then, by definition, her as well), but say it out loud to her that they wanted to do so was vile. June pulled Finnegan into a tight embrace, squeezing her eyes shut as she let the anger drain out of her mind. It was going to be okay. Everything was going to be okay.

This was absolutely infuriating. What had he said or done to her? She seemed to have an excellent memory which obviously meant it would've been something horrible. He said plenty of horrible things on a semi-regular basis but almost all of them had been in jest. This was clearly different, but what had he said? If he had said it in anger - such as, as he liked to term it, The Bitch Soliloquy - he definitely would've remembered it, and the satisfaction that undoubtedly came from the delivery. He could see the fury in her eyes as she turned away. All he could think to do as she turned away angrily was call, "If you're still mad about whatever I said that's fine and I'm sorry, but please tell me because I genuinely don't remember ever talking to you." His voice carried enough to hear but it was not full of anger, it conveyed genuine confusion and now, alarm, that he'd said something genuinely horrible.

There was nothing he could do about it now. It was time to spin again. Would he get a turn this time? As it went around the table he dodged bullet after bullet. Well, almost all of them, Bubba looked over as Ramzy, a soon-to-be first year from Conspira-Sea, walked up to him. This wasn't very nice! She just wanted to give him a high five. Not even a hug! How was he supposed to feel about that? He did his best to screw up his face in a manner that wasn't clearly distressed. Instead, he feigned offense, "Really? All I rate is a high five?" He said, mock pouting. "Well, if it's a high five you want, a high five you shall get, Ramzy Rossi!" And with that, he gave her hand a firm, but not painful slap, he then swung his hand down low by his side. "And on the rebound?" He asked as he waited for her to reciprocate.

Once he'd finished with Ramzy, he went back to the flagon. Damnit, he was finally going to spin for himself! As he actually spun, he wondered why he was doing this to himself. What fresh hell would this round bring? He spun the flagon. It seemed to spin in slow motion. It could've spun for hours, round and round she goes, where she stops, nobody knows. Except, somehow, he knew. His luck this night was so shit it could've only landed on one of two people. An eternity later it stopped. On Maggie. When it rained it poured.

Bubba had an idea though, he knew there was only one possible outcome to this. He would turn the other cheek this time. Bubba walked straight up to Maggie and laid it all out for her. "Look, I'll make a deal with you. I genuinely, do not know what I said to June, I do not remember ever talking to her before tonight. So." He paused, scarcely believing that he was about to be this stupid, "I'll make you an offer you can't refuse." He paused again, gathering the testicular fortitude, "If you tell me what I said, because it was clearly horrible - and even not knowing what it was I feel absolutely horrible about it." His voice was not accusatory but one of general concern and alarm, his facial expression practically screaming 'I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DID'. "If you do that," he pointed to his unslapped cheek, "I will give you a free shot to even it up, one shot: slap, punch, spit, whatever, with no repercussions. Just tell me what I did so I can try to make it right."

Interacting: @Maggie Hawkins @June Selwyn Mentioning: N/A

Dear reader,

August 28, 2022

xxxxxxxxWell, you know, leave it to a guy called Bubba McGarry to upset your best friend beyond belief. It didn't surprise Maggie at all. If she opened up a dictionary and looked up the word Bubba, she was sure to find, right next to Hubba Bubba Bubblegum, the words 'terrible, horrible, no good, very bad'.

Still, if Bubba's interaction with June had the girl squeezing Maggie's hand for dear life, desperately seeking solace from someone with whom she didn't share any positive feelings or memories with, maybe he wasn't all bad. Maggie had half a mind to send Bubba a message after this was all said and done. Thank you, McGarry, for inadvertently making my best friend rely on me! Really appreciate it. Sent in the form of a howler, of course, to ensure that he knew his bounds and had it in his mind to respect them.

After all, a 'thank you' for the accidental positive consequences of one's actions did not mean friendship.

Obviously, all good things had to come to an end. And end with... a hug? Hugging a boy? The boy she'd been looking at earlier?

Maggie watched as June attached herself to Finnegan, arms dangling loosely at her sides. Huh. The big ball of rubber bands in her stomach was starting to unfurl. It was massive, giant, stretching itself at the corners and threatening to explode any moment now, raining busted rubber bands and broken feelings all over Maggie's insides like someone's messed up idea of confetti.

Bubba McGarry was almost preferable to the hug. He--Finn--just seemed so close, so snide, so ridiculous. Sure, he wasn't saying anything inflammatory. Nothing to truly grind Maggie's gears. It was just vibes, the energy he was giving off.

"Okay, well, you did. Are you implying that she's lying? Because she isn't lying," Maggie pointed out. He had spoken to June before. He had something to say and Maggie wasn't exactly in the business of letting jerks get the last word. Or any word, for that matter. Still, though, the idea of being allowed to get another good hit in with permission, lessening her chance of getting scolded by a prefect or supervisor, was enticing enough for Maggie's resolve to crumble into nothingness. "I guess I just don't understand in what world you find it okay to let my best friend know that you'd light her tree on fire. Try to make her feel bad about your sister. Newsflash, that isn't my business and frankly, I just don't care about your personal qualms, yeah?"

Then, steady as she goes, "Lemme get a shot at that other cheek."

INTERACTIONS | @Bubba McGarry, @June Selwyn

@Finnegan Conner | MENTIONS

As Bubba waited for Maggie to make a decision he just wished she'd get it over with. She seemed to be taking an interesting interest (yeah, I said it) in Finnegan as he moved in for a hug on June. He was half tempted to try to yell him a brief warning, he was unsure if a kiss on the cheek was the power move in this situation. Still, Finnegan was no longer his problem (and he prayed to any and all deities who happened to be listening at that time that he wouldn't be sorted into Ravenclaw), Maggie was his problem. Maggie, who apparently took strength training with Hulk Hogan because that slap had really hurt, much as he tried not to show it. He suddenly regretted his offer of a free shot. He didn't think any amount of bracing would save him from this one.

Then, she finally made a decision. He knew the signs, he'd seen them before on every other person he'd annoyed. The crumbling resolve, with the initial offer accusing him of prevaricating - he made no effort to defend himself, it wouldn't have mattered - it was all just part of the process of building up steam before releasing it like a tidal wave of righteous anger.

And then he finally heard it, and all the color drained out of his face faster than the beer from a keg at a frat party. He had said what? No, no no no no no no no. He would never even joke about that. Joke about it? Hell, he pretended to have never had a sister. The only soul he'd told about it at Hogwarts was George, and he didn't think George would release that information. He'd said he would've set her tree on fire? Bubba would never have made a joke even in the vicinity of that. As the color drained from his face, a look of outright horror and alarm would affix itself to his face and at the moment he was sure it would never come off.

He stood there, mouth moving but nothing coming out. He must've looked like a goldfish. He tried to talk but his throat and mouth had gone drier than the Sahara. He finally managed to get something out. It was simply, "Oh shit." He was coming very close to fainting and he probably looked it because at that moment, it all came back to him. The missing ten minutes of memory, like Nixon's eighteen minutes of incriminating tape, flooded his brain. "I..." He stammered, a look of deepest shame coming over his face, "I remember... I remember everything." There was nothing left to do but take his medicine.

"Do whatever you want, I deserve it."

Interacting: @Maggie Hawkins Mentioning: @June Selwyn @Finnegan Connor

MODERATION POST—Round IV

It seemed to be a common trend among the tents that the event of Twirl the Flagon was beginning to devolve into something... else. While some had dissolved into fights of jealousy, or the spreading of curses, this one seemed to have touched upon hidden hurt and personal revelations. Several of the students would find themselves in conversation between the spins, slowly peeling back layers of hazy memory and partial information to reveal the truth below for everyone present to witness.

EmmaLee LeDames was one such individual who watched on with enough interest to track the progress. That said, she did make a valiant attempt to remove herself from its core, focusing on the game. Apparently all of the boys had been deemed unsuitable as matches going forward. Fortunately for her, the bottle had landed on Adelaide Barlowe who seemed to have the worst luck of the lot when it came to partners taking their early leaves. A hug was on the table, and Addie would have to break from her mental spiral as to what was wrong with her to react. Rejection was a difficult beast to face, and it was no wonder that she had thought about leaving. But perhaps a hug was just the remedy. Moving into it freely, the two would share a sweet moment.

June Selwyn, on the other hand, had diverted from the game, her attention more on Bubba than the bottle. She had quite a bit to say to him. All of which danced around the content of a topic to which he seemed entirely oblivious. But she would soon cut off, deciding a game was more compelling than a grudge. Good for her. Her hand would sever from Maggie's as the bottle came to land on Finnegan Conner, and the lucky lad would find himself the recipient of a surprisingly earnest hug. In the name of the game, it would be returned, probably with a healthy dose of relief that June and Maggie evidently hadn't been scheming to slap the lot of them.

Ramzy Rossi's cheeks would flush red at the touch of June's lips. Her thoughts would spiral into questions as to how this game was fun given the nerves (that was the fun!) but she would persist anyway. Clearly those present were nothing if not masochistic. Another spin, and it would land on Bubba McGarry. She would at least maintain a polite air (unlike some) and offer him a high-five. And would be met with total indignation. A high-five!? How dare. He was clearly kiss-worthy. Or so he liked to think. But if condemned to hand-slapping, he would make it memorable with the rebound!

Then it would come to be his turn to spin again. Tatsu Fate would laugh in his face as the bottle came to land on Maggie Hawkins. Instead of a kiss or a hug or some other creative interpretation of otherwise fairly simple rules, he would offer her a trade. Information for pain. Seemed like a good idea. And Maggie was keen to take it, finally filling in the blanks with some (still) cryptic information. It would be enough to jog his memory, at least, and the shame would be on full display. So would Maggie's retaliation.

THE BOTTLE HAS CHOSEN AGAIN!

Reducio

@Finnegan Conner spins the bottle, and lands on @Adelaide Barlowe
@Maggie Hawkins spins the bottle, and lands on @June Selwyn
@Ramzy Rossi spins the bottle, and lands on @EmmaLee LeDames
@June Selwyn spins the bottle, and lands on @Bubba McGarry

Additionally:
—The order of the spins listed is not necessarily the order they happen ICly, nor do they have to be posted in that order.

Players have until Midnight on Sunday, August 21st to post