Summer Camp Cabin of the Basilisk Closed

Interacts with Skye Blackwood
Mentions: Professor Galim, Verla Harness 

Dinah had been waiting downstairs for the rest of the people in the cabin to make their way down. It seemed she was one of the first to return. She settled herself standing off to the side of the main room, avoiding eye contact with the teacher, Professor Galim. Although she seemed fair (if not stern) Dinah preferred not to interact too much with the teachers for fear of being told off for something - even when she was completely innocent of any crimes. 

Interacting with Dinah Dragensail and Professor Maya Galim, Mentions Verla Harness

"Well, it's a little intimidating. I don't know a lot of people, so I guess I'll just have to find a way to manage," Skye replied to Dinah. She leaned against the cabin's wall, examining the people who came downstairs. First was a girl with blue eyes and bright, wavy red hair. Freckles dotted her nose, and she seemed to be pleading for something with the professor. In her hand was a bowtruckle that she seemed very attached to. She looked on the verge of tears.

A few more girls came down after her, but no boys. Huh. Her gaze darted to the professor when she spoke. A basilisk? That was easy. She looked around, but no one seemed to know the answer. How could they not? Didn't everyone know? Then she realized that she was probably the only one who spent time reading in the library when she was free. After all, she was from Ravenclaw.

Skye raised her hand. "Professor, a Basilisk is a giant serpent, also known as the King of Serpents. It can be bred by hatching a chicken egg beneath a toad. It is a known wizard-killer that cannot be domesticated due to its immense powers. Since the Basilisk is still a serpent, a Parselmouth may place a Basilisk under his or her control," she said confidently. Then she realized that she had probably given herself the official title, 'nerd.'

The chill wind woke her up and for a split second she didn't know where she was. Her face was buried in the blanket she had brought with her to watch the bonfire and she noticed a little puddle of drool. Mumbling she stretched and looked up, expecting to see other students, but with horror she realized, that she was laying here alone. She scrunched her nose when the thick smell of burnt wood reached her. From the bonfire nothing was left except a lazy cloud of smoke which could barely be seen against the dark night sky.

"Shit," she mouthed and jumped up, whipping away the remnants of her saliva in the corners of her face. "Shit, shit, shit!" She had been falling asleep and missed the end of the fire, and with it the walk to the cabins. While she rolled up the blanket and reached for her rucksack containing some of her things, she was looking around in hopes to see...somebody. However no teacher or students was near her. So she just began wandering around.

"Cabin of the Unicorn? No that's not it. Lethifold? God damn it!" She wasn't even entirely sure in which Cabin she had been sorted. She could remember some names that were called in the beginning, but after that everything went blank. When she reached the first cabins she looked for some name plates standing in front ever house, squinting her eyes in order to see better. She didn't know if she was allowed to use magic. Technically she was at Hogwarts, but still, it was holidays.

It took her a while, asking every face she met, if they were missing a cabin member. "No, we're full, try that one over there," had been the answer to almost every question. It was completely dark when she reached a small cabin, that looked as if it would collapse the moment she entered the door.

With a sheepish and appologic grin she passed the door, entering a wide but dark room. "Hello?" she said almost like a whisper. A professor, who she didn't recognize was talking to a girl, and some others were standing around both of them, listening to what they were saying. She couldn't say if they noticed her entering.

With a quick glance she registered a fireplace to her right and some stairs to her left. She still held the blanket in her hands. She had bunched it up and it was now a big ball in her arms, almost hiding her entire upper body. With slow steps she approached tow girl, one of them had short hair. Her red robes identified her as a Gryffindor. "Sorry?" she began, eyes still at the professor. "Is this... eh," silently she repeated the cabins she had already visited till she found the one that was missing. "Basilisk. Is this the Cabin of the Basilisk? Are you missing a member?" She really hoped she had found the right place.

A headache was slowly coming about in Maya's mind. It was getting late and before her was a child who wanted to keep a creature. Not a special blanket or a camera, or anything normal, but a creature who she tore away from natural society to fill in her own lonliness. Pathetic.

During the girl's tantrum, Maya wondered how many of these howlers did the other professors got? Rolling her eyes, she thought about how out of all the children she was housing, she had to have had one that was in a deep connection to a creature. Maya wanted the thing out of her cabin, but she had no idea of the girls past for her to really connect so much. She raised her head, her nose up in the air, and her eyes casting down at the little red-headed girl. But unlike other teachers, Maya keeps her morale and does not change it for the whining sounds coming out of the girl before her.

"Keep in mind that you're also taking that creature away from its duties in this world. We've had fires and other harsh treatments to the trees in this forest. You will release him before bedtime, do you understand? If I find that you've kept him, you will see to detention or worse," she said, sternly.

Not taking any more from the girl, her focus turned to the Ravenclaw who seemed to have quite a bit of information prepared about the Basilisk. Her eyebrows raised. "טוב מאוד*, Miss Blackwood," she said, her accent thick when speaking in Hebrew. "Now, who were--", Maya was interrupted by a girl who walked in late.

It did not anger her as she was told that there would be stragglers around the forest finding their way. Looking at the girl, her red lips creased into a smirk. "Miss Kingsleigh, nice of you to join us. All muggle devices are to be given to me at once and please find a room upstairs." She stated.

Maya looked to the rest of the girls in her cabin. "You have the rest of the night to yourself. Lights out at eleven and wake-up is at seven. See you in the morning."

With that, she left the den where the girls stood and went into her room. She had something planned for them, but rather in the morning than at night. It was best for them to get to know each other now as the games she had in mind required that dynamic.

- There is no posting order.
- Only 4 posts per person, thereafter, it will be considered 11pm, and lights are out.

*Translation for the Hebrew above: Tohv Meh-ode -- Very good

Interacting with everyone

Skye bit her lip impatiently as the professor chided a red-haired girl about something to do with a bowtruckle. But she smiled when Professor Galim praised her. Just then, a shaft of light entered the room. In the doorway stood a short girl with dark hair and green eyes. She shuffled in and asked Dinah if this was the correct cabin. Skye rolled her eyes. Why were some people so clueless? Her train of thoughts was cut short when Professor Galim dismissed the students.

When Professor Galim left, Skye blinked. What? No introduction? No icebreakers?? No, that would definitely not work out. She reached into her pocket. Perhaps she still had it?

Skye looked around. "I guess we'd better get to know each other better." She removed her foldable version of the Wizard's Chessboard out of her pocket. "I have Wizard's Chess, if anyone is interested to play with me.." Skye paused, and her gaze shifted to the floor. "..Or not. Does anyone have more interesting games? Exploding Snap maybe?"

She looked around, hoping for an answer. Perhaps the redhead with the bowtruckle would want to play with her. Surely there had to be someone, right? Her cheeks flushed slightly when she realized that she may have just embarrassed herself.

Evelyn was very well aware that she should have been downstairs by now. It was taking her a little bit longer than the rest of the girls to really... well, settle in, she supposed. This cabin gave her the creeps. Not in the sense that she was legitimately frightened, don't be ridiculous. But the whole vibe it gave off just made her feel uneasy, you know? She lingered in her room a little bit longer than everybody else, figuring that taking a little bit of extra time to unpack some of her belongings might help her settle in.

"... It would be nice if we had windows," she sighed, whispering to herself as she thought out loud.

The windows would have certainly been lovely. Evelyn would be honest, she didn't really pay a ton of attention to each of the cabin names when she was signing up for this summer camp program. She just thought that the Cabin of the Basilisk sounded cool. Sure, snakes were more of a Slytherin thing, but she could appreciate them too. She just heard the name of the cabin and decided it sounded neat. In hindsight, not a great way to pick where you stay, but hey, give her a break.

After convincing herself that this creepy cabin is as fine of a place to stay as any, and unloading her belongings, and staring at the ceiling for a solid five minutes, Evelyn finally left the room. As she was walking down, she paused. It had just dawned on her how no-nonsense Professor Galim seemed to be. Evie wouldn't be in trouble for being a bit late to come down though. ... Would she?

Quickly darting down the staircase, she started speaking before she even looked around the room.

"Sorry, I know I'm late. I just lost track of time Profess-" She cut herself off as she glanced around, realizing the professor was no longer there. She must have stepped out, or their introductions were already done.

"... Were we supposed to give our Muggle stuff to her already?" She asked everyone else tentatively, slowly scanning the room.

Evelyn sighed. This wasn't a good start for her in this cabin. She usually felt like she was really punctual, she wasn't sure what had gotten into her. She'd just hand the devices to Professor Galim in the morning, as much as she didn't want to. But rules were rules.

Evie glanced over at one of the other girls. It seemed like she was trying to break the ice with everyone. "Wizards chess sounds fun if you'd like to play that, but I'm open anything really." She smiles. She may be late, but she could certainly try to play it off. "I don't have any games with me I'm afraid."

"I will never forgive you!" Verla ran off sobbing into the woods, where it was permitted. She curled into a ball and hugged the bowtruckle in her hands. She felt awful. She knew it was for the best, but she felt like everyone was out to get her. The professor would rather have him die from fires and other hazards? He's supposed to protect trees from being cut down, he can't do much other than that. 

She laid there for what felt like hours. Then she sat up, and opened her hands, the bowtruckle had fallen asleep. This was the time to let him go, she knew she had too. She made a little bed for him in the grass made on leaves and moss. and laid him down, then picked up the bed and put it deeper into the woods so he couldn't look for her. Then she walked out of the woods and found a lot of people staring at her.

She looked down, walked back to her cabin, laid in bed and cried silently. She wanted this memory to be over already, but it would never end. She hated and regretted coming tonight, only because she wanted to bond with actual people.

She felt herself loosen up, the tension leaving her body, when the Professor greeted her. She finally had found her cabin, and it was perfect. There were no windows! The whole room was closed up, with some sparse lamps as light source. After living an entire year in the Slytherin dorm, with its huge windows and vast sight of the ground of the lake, this cabin was a blessing. The Professor seems nice enough at first impression, although Marcia had no idea who she was. She was teaching an elective subject, Marcia was sure of it, but other than that she was clueless. 

"I ... uh ... I will look for a room then," she said to the Gryffindor girl and vanished up the stairs. It had been no good start, but she had experienced worse. With a faint smile she thought of her first night in her dorm, where everyone was ignoring each other. At least that would be different, so she hoped.

The stairs wound up to a hallway, with doors on each side. Some doors were closed, indicating that they already had been taken. In fact, most of them were closed, so she took a shot with the first door to her left, right besides the stairs. Her blanket still in hands, she shifted them a little in order to get her hand free, and knocked a few times. Although she waited a few seconds, no one responded, so she felt safe to enter.

"Hello?" The door was just a small plate of wood, giving way into another small and simple room, with just a bed and a trunk. Once again there were no windows. Her light source was a glowing ball, similar to what she had seen already, bathing everything in somber light. Though she was alone, this was a nice change. A few more flowers here and there would make it perfect.

She didn't bother with unpacking and rather threw her bag on the bed, which was now hers. The blanket was from the dormitory, but she guessed nobody would miss it the nex weeks, so she placed it at the end of her bed. The Professor had said, that they were supposed to give up all their Muggle devices, but Marcia didn't think she meant things like the blanket. Other than that she had just clothes, books and some dried plants. Nothing that would be considered of Muggle origin.

Nevertheless she thought hard about everything she had packed in her bag, just in case. "Nah … there's nothing." With a shrug she chose to change into more comfortable clothes. She still wore her robes, but since she had no intentions of leaving the cabin for the rest of the day, she exchanged them for a pair of leggings and a long hoodie, with her wand stashed in the pocket in front of her belly.

Bare feet she found her way back down the stairs. The Professor was nowhere in sight, but the other girls were still there, except for one. She didn't notice her coming up into her room, so she wondered, if there was another hidden floor in the Cabin where she had vanished to.

"I don't have any games with me I'm afraid," Marcia heard a pale Gryffindor say and came closer.

"Games? Yes, let's play some games!" She wasn't tired at all, given that she already had slept during the bonfire. She had her hands hidden in the pocket, turning her wand in her fingers. She knew no one and was nervous, but didn't want o show it. "Why don't we play Giants, Wizards, Elves?" With a shy smile she tried to hide the fact, what a stupid name the game had, but she didn't invent it. Her dad had told her about it and as far as she knew, it always had been called that way.

"It's like rock, paper, scissors," she started explaining, "but instead of making some hand gestures, you act it out. As Giant you make yourself big, arms raised, and growl deep." While she spoke she showed them arms high in the air how it is supposed to look like. "Wizards are a bit shorter. Wave a finger as if it's your wand and do a spell. Please no accidental magic. And Elves are the smallest. Crouch down very low and make some high pitched elf noises." Once  again she mimicked what she just had said, and realized how stupid she might look, but she uphold a faint smile and continued. "We make two groups. At three each group will act one of the figures that they decided to go with. Giants squash elves, Elves outsmart Wizards and Wizards zap Giants. If one group wins they can try to grab the looser, while the losers need to run. Tagged players are in the other team now."

She let her eyes wander through the Cabin, which wasn't that big, but you could still run a little. "Or we just play cards, I'm fine with both. Oh, but real quick: Can someone tell me what's the name of the Professor?" She had been speaking in a low voice, just in case the Professor could hear them. No need to embarrass her even further.

Directly interacting with Marcia, but within earshot of everyone

Skye smiled when a pale Gryffindor opened her mouth to reply. But when she simply said that she did not have any games, Skye's mood fell again.

Just then, the redhead with the bowtruckle ran out with a shout. Questions filled Skye's head. What was she doing? She peered to look through the door which had been left open. The redhead was on the ground, crying. She cradled her bowtruckle until he fell asleep, then made a bed for him. She then made her way back, looked around, and went upstairs without another word to anybody.

Skye focused her attention back to what was happening, pushing the incident out of her mind. Just then, the dark-haired latecomer spoke. "Why don't we play Giants, Wizards, Elves?" she asked. Subconsciously, Skye raised an eyebrow. She didn't mean to be rude; it was just a habit when she was perplexed. The girl started explaining the game. It seemed rather childish, but would probably be kind of fun. After all, there was probably no one who wanted to play a serious game with someone they barely knew. Wouldn't it be better to have fun?

Just then, a yawn escaped Skye. Maybe it would be better to get to bed, then figure all this out in the morning. After all, it had been a long day. "That's a great game, err.. may I know your name?"it was rather odd for Skye to ask for the name of the latecomer in the middle of a sentence. Usually, whatever she said was well thought through to prevent unwanted embarrassment or humiliation.

Once again, a yawn escaped her lips. But this time it was smaller and Skye could cover it up, faking a cough. She didn't want anyone to think she was an early sleeper. Just then, the girl asked, "Can someone tell me what's the name of the Professor?"

"The professor's name is Professor Galim," she lowered her voice to answer the girl's question. "And maybe we should go upstairs and play a less.. physically exerting game. I think I speak for everyone when I say it's been a rather long day," Skye said, brushing a strand of loose hair from her face.

I'm suggesting a shorter game because of the 4 posts per person rule.

Mentions Verla Harness. Interact with Skye Blackwood, Marcia Kingsleigh, and Evelyn Rowe.

Upon receiving permission to keep her camera, Evianna could not suppress a wide smile. She wanted to hug Professor Galim for it, but she worried that the stern woman would rebuff her. Instead, she exited the cabin and snapped a picture of the outside. Clutching the developing film, she moved to enter the cabin again, but was nearly knocked down by the other redhead girl. The stranger was sobbing and cradling that bowtruckle in her hands.

Evianna briefly wavered between going and comforting the girl and entering the cabin again, but ultimately decided to let the girl have a moment to herself. She ducked into the cabin, only to find some of the others conversing.

"... Were we supposed to give our Muggle stuff to her already?"

A quiet brunette had piped up, but none of the others answered her. She hadn't been around for Galim's orientation, so Evianna could only assume she'd arrived late. "Yes, we were," said Evianna in a low voice. She then moved further into the room and to the fringe of the group, who seemed to be discussing what games to play. One had suggested "Giants, Wizards, Elves," which sounded to Evianna like a magical variation of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Another mentioned playing a game that was less strenuous. Evianna tended to agree more with the second speaker. "We could sit in the beanbags and play Would You Rather," Evianna suggested, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. Speaking to strangers had always made her uncomfortable, even among children of her own age. She needed to get over that.

The redhead glanced over at the beanbag in which she'd deposited her book. That looked a lot safer than playing with a bunch of strange girls, but Evianna had spent the whole of the school year being non-social, preferring to spend time in the library or the Ravenclaw common room. She needed this. Maybe if she repeated that thought often enough, she'd believe it.