20 Aug 2022, 15:36
Snake in a Cage
Marisa wasn’t sure why she ever thought it was a good idea to ask a couple of older Slytherin boys where the nearest girls’ lavatory was. Really, she should have known better. The thing is, she didn’t pick up on the mischievous grins or the overly honeyed tones in their voices until she was standing in the doorway of the most horrifying space she’d ever seen in her life, thinking back on the brief exchange and wondering whether this was meant to be some kind of joke. Her eyes darted from the rickety wooden cubicles to the dirty, cracked floors to the creepy shadows on the walls and yeah - there was absolutely no way she was going in there.
Except, well, those boys were still standing there at the end of the corridor, watching her and snickering to themselves and if she turned and bolted in the opposite direction like she so desperately wanted to, then they would win. Marisa had only been a Slytherin for a very short amount of time, but already, her pride refused to let that happen. It was perfectly reasonable for a First Year Hufflepuff to be afraid of a creepy, disgusting lavatory, but Slytherins, at least in Marisa’s mind, were held to a higher standard. She couldn’t allow herself to be branded as a snivelling little mouse in a den of Snakes, so she tampered down her disgust, squared her shoulders, took a deep breath and stepped into the nightmare.
Goosebumps travelled up her arms and prickled at her scalp as she gingerly made her way across the cold, filthy space towards the sinks. Why had this place been allowed to fall into such a horrid state of decay? Marisa had used other lavatories in the castle and none of them had been this disgusting. Was there some kind of curse on the place? Her entire being recoiled at the thought of touching those dirty taps with her bare hands, so Marisa scanned the room for something to use. No toilet paper to be seen, no towels - nothing she would risk touching anyway. She really didn’t want to dirty her robes either. Maybe there was something in that cabinet over there?
The cabinet door wasn’t all the way shut, so Marisa nudged it open with the tip of her shoe and peered inside. A moment later, there was a sudden gush of wind at her back and Marisa yelped as it pushed her forward. The cabinet didn’t look big enough to fit a whole person inside, not even a small first year girl, but the space seemed to magically expand as Marisa stumbled into it, until the door shut behind her with a decisive click. There was muffled laughter, followed by footsteps running away, and then silence.
For a few seconds, Marisa couldn’t move or even make a sound. Terror clawed its way up her throat until she was choking on it, her head spinning, heart pounding. “No, please…” she gasped out in a strangled tone and turned around as quickly as the tight space would allow, her disgust momentarily outweighed by her fear as she clawed at the door, searching for a handle. There was nothing. Nothing but a cracked, dusty slab of wood and - oh Merlin was that a spider web? Marisa choked on the foul air. She was trapped. Trapped in the dark, filthy cabinet.
“Help!” Her voice was flimsy and barely audible. She sucked in a shaky breath and tried again. “HELP!” Pride now forgotten, she banged against the door with all her might. “Someone, please! PLEASE!”
Except, well, those boys were still standing there at the end of the corridor, watching her and snickering to themselves and if she turned and bolted in the opposite direction like she so desperately wanted to, then they would win. Marisa had only been a Slytherin for a very short amount of time, but already, her pride refused to let that happen. It was perfectly reasonable for a First Year Hufflepuff to be afraid of a creepy, disgusting lavatory, but Slytherins, at least in Marisa’s mind, were held to a higher standard. She couldn’t allow herself to be branded as a snivelling little mouse in a den of Snakes, so she tampered down her disgust, squared her shoulders, took a deep breath and stepped into the nightmare.
Goosebumps travelled up her arms and prickled at her scalp as she gingerly made her way across the cold, filthy space towards the sinks. Why had this place been allowed to fall into such a horrid state of decay? Marisa had used other lavatories in the castle and none of them had been this disgusting. Was there some kind of curse on the place? Her entire being recoiled at the thought of touching those dirty taps with her bare hands, so Marisa scanned the room for something to use. No toilet paper to be seen, no towels - nothing she would risk touching anyway. She really didn’t want to dirty her robes either. Maybe there was something in that cabinet over there?
The cabinet door wasn’t all the way shut, so Marisa nudged it open with the tip of her shoe and peered inside. A moment later, there was a sudden gush of wind at her back and Marisa yelped as it pushed her forward. The cabinet didn’t look big enough to fit a whole person inside, not even a small first year girl, but the space seemed to magically expand as Marisa stumbled into it, until the door shut behind her with a decisive click. There was muffled laughter, followed by footsteps running away, and then silence.
For a few seconds, Marisa couldn’t move or even make a sound. Terror clawed its way up her throat until she was choking on it, her head spinning, heart pounding. “No, please…” she gasped out in a strangled tone and turned around as quickly as the tight space would allow, her disgust momentarily outweighed by her fear as she clawed at the door, searching for a handle. There was nothing. Nothing but a cracked, dusty slab of wood and - oh Merlin was that a spider web? Marisa choked on the foul air. She was trapped. Trapped in the dark, filthy cabinet.
“Help!” Her voice was flimsy and barely audible. She sucked in a shaky breath and tried again. “HELP!” Pride now forgotten, she banged against the door with all her might. “Someone, please! PLEASE!”
WC 600
@Regina Miller
Do not underestimate me, for someday, I shall rattle the stars…
Sta 5 | Eva 4 | Str 2 | Wis 10 | AP 7 | Acc 7
Sta 5 | Eva 4 | Str 2 | Wis 10 | AP 7 | Acc 7
21 Aug 2022, 15:02
Snake in a Cage
| I'm crazy but you like that, I bite back | Outfit | 15/09 |
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| ──. |  Terrible Presence is in effect. |
.── |
Whereas the old reclusive, uptight Regina would have spent her free period on a Thursday afternoon cooped up in the Gryffindor common room with her nose glued to a book or rewriting her study notes, this new wayward version of her demanded to quench the thirst for exploration in order to best determine her future plans which may or may not would involve her ticking off her rule-breaking list and infuriate her 'babysitter' @Evelynn Decipio as much as possible.
Thus was the reason Regina was currently snooping around the second floor, appearing nonchalant to douse any suspicion from outsiders as her feet took her past the infamous abandoned toilets. She wasn't planning to secretly concoct any mischief in there today, of course - that was only for after curfew nights with @Sophia Nelson where she'd request the younger Ravenclaw to brew her some potions for nefarious purposes that the blue-haired girl need not to know. However, Regina's steps came to a halt when a faint sound came out from inside the grimy lavatory. Spiritual phenomenons at Hogwarts weren't uncommon at all, and as a Pureblood she'd met her fair share of magical ghosts herself. She thought it was yet another one of the school's spirits weeping, but the immediate banging noise and the terrified cry for help quickly proved otherwise.
If it had been in the past, Regina wouldn't have batted an eye and moved on. After all, whoever had got stuck in such a place clearly brought it upon themselves by being gullible, and eventually somebody charitable enough would come along to save the poor fool. The raven-haired witch was no longer a stranger to the awareness of cruel pranksters found among the students of Hogwarts. However...the frightful scream. The thought of being trapped without anybody coming to save you. It reminded Regina, uncomfortably, too much of her own punishments delivered by a dastard father back at the manor - grounded inside her locked bedroom without company for days on end. And it was only because of this projection that prompted Regina to step inside with her black and silver aspen wand drawn, a whispered "Lumos" lighting up the darkness of the dirty lavatory. [d20 : 5] + 8 = 13 (success)
There, she thought, a shuffling cabinet where somebody was struggling to escape from within. And at this point, even if she felt exasperated at how easily she caved in to be 'nice', it was too late to turn back. It would have been justifiable if Regina had pretended she didn't hear anything from outside and walked away. Now that she'd deliberately found out the source of the distress, she'd might as well rescue the poor idiot.
"Whoever is in there, stay still," She said firmly. "I shall get you out."
Judging by the grubby state of the cabinet, Regina wasn't going anywhere near it, let alone touch it. The white light at the end of her wand faded as she pointed at the door and casted "Alohomora" with precision. There was an audible 'click!' as the spell succeeded. [d20 : 12] + 8 = 20 (success)
"You can come out now."
Thus was the reason Regina was currently snooping around the second floor, appearing nonchalant to douse any suspicion from outsiders as her feet took her past the infamous abandoned toilets. She wasn't planning to secretly concoct any mischief in there today, of course - that was only for after curfew nights with @Sophia Nelson where she'd request the younger Ravenclaw to brew her some potions for nefarious purposes that the blue-haired girl need not to know. However, Regina's steps came to a halt when a faint sound came out from inside the grimy lavatory. Spiritual phenomenons at Hogwarts weren't uncommon at all, and as a Pureblood she'd met her fair share of magical ghosts herself. She thought it was yet another one of the school's spirits weeping, but the immediate banging noise and the terrified cry for help quickly proved otherwise.
If it had been in the past, Regina wouldn't have batted an eye and moved on. After all, whoever had got stuck in such a place clearly brought it upon themselves by being gullible, and eventually somebody charitable enough would come along to save the poor fool. The raven-haired witch was no longer a stranger to the awareness of cruel pranksters found among the students of Hogwarts. However...the frightful scream. The thought of being trapped without anybody coming to save you. It reminded Regina, uncomfortably, too much of her own punishments delivered by a dastard father back at the manor - grounded inside her locked bedroom without company for days on end. And it was only because of this projection that prompted Regina to step inside with her black and silver aspen wand drawn, a whispered "Lumos" lighting up the darkness of the dirty lavatory. [d20 : 5] + 8 = 13 (success)
There, she thought, a shuffling cabinet where somebody was struggling to escape from within. And at this point, even if she felt exasperated at how easily she caved in to be 'nice', it was too late to turn back. It would have been justifiable if Regina had pretended she didn't hear anything from outside and walked away. Now that she'd deliberately found out the source of the distress, she'd might as well rescue the poor idiot.
"Whoever is in there, stay still," She said firmly. "I shall get you out."
Judging by the grubby state of the cabinet, Regina wasn't going anywhere near it, let alone touch it. The white light at the end of her wand faded as she pointed at the door and casted "Alohomora" with precision. There was an audible 'click!' as the spell succeeded. [d20 : 12] + 8 = 20 (success)
"You can come out now."
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@Marisa Fraser
| sta • 9 | eva • 11 | str • 4 VICIOUS⠀PREDATOR wis • 12 | arc • 11 | acc • 12 | Prodigal DADA | Perfectionist | TP THROUGH⠀THE⠀YEARS LC | Nonverbal | ability |
22 Aug 2022, 12:04
Snake in a Cage
Marisa couldn’t breathe. Oh, Merlin, she couldn’t breathe! She was going to die in this horrid place and no one would ever find her because no reasonable person would ever touch this vile little cabinet and they wouldn’t even notice the smell of her decaying body amidst all the other revolting odours, so she would just be trapped in there. Forever. “HELP!” she cried, throwing her body weight against the door with as much force as the tight space would allow. It was hopeless. There was no one around to save her, and even if there was, would they even hear her screams?
Then, just as Marisa was about to lose all semblance of hope and succumb to a full blown panic attack, there was a voice from outside the cabinet. A promise of rescue. The rush of relief was enough to make her weak in the knees and she hiccupped out a breathless little sob, squeezing her eyes shut against the overwhelming nausea and dizziness. “Please, please, please…” Marisa whimpered desperately, her fingers curling against the wooden door, not even caring about the dust and grime getting under her nails.
As soon as the lock clicked open, the traumatised redhead came stumbling out of the cabinet and collapsed at her saviour’s feet, greedily gasping in lungful’s of less-than-fresh air, her small frame quaking with terror. A spider dropped from her hair onto the back of her hand, but Marisa didn’t react to its presence, too busy trying to get her pounding heart and breathing back under control. Spiders weren’t her favourite thing, but they were very low on her list of fears, and in the wake of being trapped in a small, dark and filthy cabinet, the tiny eight-legged creature seemed especially insignificant. Regardless, it crawled away before the room had even stopped spinning.
Embarrassment spread across Marisa’s skin in a full-bodied flush. She knew how ridiculous she must seem - a stupid little first year, crying because she got herself stuck inside a cabinet. Pathetic. If her mother could see her now…
Swallowing back the lingering nausea, she picked herself up off the floor with shaky, unsteady movements and started patting at the dust and cobwebs now covering her robes. It took a few moments for her to trust her voice enough to speak, and even longer to gather up the courage to look up at her saviour, blue eyes still brimming with tears. Sniffling softly, Marisa pushed the hair back from her face and wiped her sleeve across her flushed, tear-stained cheeks in an effort to make herself appear less pathetic in the eyes of the older Gryffindor girl.
“Thank you. I just came in here to wash my hands. I never imagined the cabinet would try to eat me,” Marisa admitted with a wobbly smile, her voice still a bit raspy from the crying and screaming. She quickly dropped the older girl’s gaze and looked down, self-consciously tugging at her robes. Thank you didn’t seem sufficient, considering this person literally just saved her from her very worst nightmare, but Marisa didn’t know what else to say. Her tongue didn’t seem to be on the same page about that though.
“I mean, it didn’t literally try to eat me. At least, I don’t think. There were these boys out in the corridor - I probably shouldn’t have asked them for directions, but they seemed so friendly and the thing is, you see, I got some ink on the side of my hand here and I don’t know how I didn’t notice it earlier, but I saw it while I was coming down the corridor and I wanted to wash it off, but I didn’t know where the nearest lavatory was. This castle is so big and the stairs move all the time. I got lost on my way to the Great Hall just the other day…” Marisa rambled nervously, blushing and cringing on the inside, because she knew she should probably stop talking, but the words simply refused to stop coming.
Then, just as Marisa was about to lose all semblance of hope and succumb to a full blown panic attack, there was a voice from outside the cabinet. A promise of rescue. The rush of relief was enough to make her weak in the knees and she hiccupped out a breathless little sob, squeezing her eyes shut against the overwhelming nausea and dizziness. “Please, please, please…” Marisa whimpered desperately, her fingers curling against the wooden door, not even caring about the dust and grime getting under her nails.
As soon as the lock clicked open, the traumatised redhead came stumbling out of the cabinet and collapsed at her saviour’s feet, greedily gasping in lungful’s of less-than-fresh air, her small frame quaking with terror. A spider dropped from her hair onto the back of her hand, but Marisa didn’t react to its presence, too busy trying to get her pounding heart and breathing back under control. Spiders weren’t her favourite thing, but they were very low on her list of fears, and in the wake of being trapped in a small, dark and filthy cabinet, the tiny eight-legged creature seemed especially insignificant. Regardless, it crawled away before the room had even stopped spinning.
Embarrassment spread across Marisa’s skin in a full-bodied flush. She knew how ridiculous she must seem - a stupid little first year, crying because she got herself stuck inside a cabinet. Pathetic. If her mother could see her now…
Swallowing back the lingering nausea, she picked herself up off the floor with shaky, unsteady movements and started patting at the dust and cobwebs now covering her robes. It took a few moments for her to trust her voice enough to speak, and even longer to gather up the courage to look up at her saviour, blue eyes still brimming with tears. Sniffling softly, Marisa pushed the hair back from her face and wiped her sleeve across her flushed, tear-stained cheeks in an effort to make herself appear less pathetic in the eyes of the older Gryffindor girl.
“Thank you. I just came in here to wash my hands. I never imagined the cabinet would try to eat me,” Marisa admitted with a wobbly smile, her voice still a bit raspy from the crying and screaming. She quickly dropped the older girl’s gaze and looked down, self-consciously tugging at her robes. Thank you didn’t seem sufficient, considering this person literally just saved her from her very worst nightmare, but Marisa didn’t know what else to say. Her tongue didn’t seem to be on the same page about that though.
“I mean, it didn’t literally try to eat me. At least, I don’t think. There were these boys out in the corridor - I probably shouldn’t have asked them for directions, but they seemed so friendly and the thing is, you see, I got some ink on the side of my hand here and I don’t know how I didn’t notice it earlier, but I saw it while I was coming down the corridor and I wanted to wash it off, but I didn’t know where the nearest lavatory was. This castle is so big and the stairs move all the time. I got lost on my way to the Great Hall just the other day…” Marisa rambled nervously, blushing and cringing on the inside, because she knew she should probably stop talking, but the words simply refused to stop coming.
WC 673
@Regina Miller
Do not underestimate me, for someday, I shall rattle the stars…
Sta 5 | Eva 4 | Str 2 | Wis 10 | AP 7 | Acc 7
Sta 5 | Eva 4 | Str 2 | Wis 10 | AP 7 | Acc 7
22 Sep 2022, 19:01
Snake in a Cage
| I'm crazy but you like that, I bite back |
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───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
| ──. | Terrible Presence is in effect. |
.── |
The older Gryffindor raised an eyebrow condescendingly as she listened to the girl babble about the consequence of her naivety, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. This was why Regina didn't like associating with first-years all that much - the majority of them were much too gullible to even make it past the first month at Hogwarts. Strange occurrences always happened within these walls - sometimes even borderline dangerous - and they could range from harmless pranks to lethal incidents. It seemed this little Slytherin had just got her first taste of it.
"An advice to survive in this castle. Never listen to strangers, especially nefarious older years. You shan't get very far in Hogwarts if you start blindly believing whatever people say. Sometimes this place can be a battlefield," Regina said as she eyed the girl up and down critically.
Well, at least it was a mere 'locked up in the closet' joke, and not some dastardly 'exploding crackers in people's faces' one. Merlin knew Regina had seen her fair share of harmful pranks around the school. Now that she'd saved the poor idiot, she was inclined to be on her way and let the young Slytherin mull over her first lesson in survival. However, the sight of her red hair (the colour she loved on @Faye Simmons) and innocent blue-green eyes (resembling @Sophia Nelson, though the latter's shade was more vibrant) somehow made Regina grew hesitant to leave her alone to the mercy of the gigantic magical castle. It appeared that she was much too fond of redheads, and she had yet to determine whether or not this was a good thing.
"You are on the second floor. These are the abandoned toilets, nobody ever comes here anymore if not to brood or to concoct some mischievous schemes," The older teen explained, then turned on her heels and glanced at the Slytherin over her shoulder. "Those boys tricked you because you are too gullible. If the ink bothers you that much, I can show you where the real lavatories are, on the fourth floor. What is your name, little Snake?"
"An advice to survive in this castle. Never listen to strangers, especially nefarious older years. You shan't get very far in Hogwarts if you start blindly believing whatever people say. Sometimes this place can be a battlefield," Regina said as she eyed the girl up and down critically.
Well, at least it was a mere 'locked up in the closet' joke, and not some dastardly 'exploding crackers in people's faces' one. Merlin knew Regina had seen her fair share of harmful pranks around the school. Now that she'd saved the poor idiot, she was inclined to be on her way and let the young Slytherin mull over her first lesson in survival. However, the sight of her red hair (the colour she loved on @Faye Simmons) and innocent blue-green eyes (resembling @Sophia Nelson, though the latter's shade was more vibrant) somehow made Regina grew hesitant to leave her alone to the mercy of the gigantic magical castle. It appeared that she was much too fond of redheads, and she had yet to determine whether or not this was a good thing.
"You are on the second floor. These are the abandoned toilets, nobody ever comes here anymore if not to brood or to concoct some mischievous schemes," The older teen explained, then turned on her heels and glanced at the Slytherin over her shoulder. "Those boys tricked you because you are too gullible. If the ink bothers you that much, I can show you where the real lavatories are, on the fourth floor. What is your name, little Snake?"
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@Marisa Fraser
| sta • 9 | eva • 11 | str • 4 VICIOUS⠀PREDATOR wis • 12 | arc • 11 | acc • 12 | Prodigal DADA | Perfectionist | TP THROUGH⠀THE⠀YEARS LC | Nonverbal | ability |