A Fall and a Helping Hand PV Renelle D. Closed

Autumn. The season bought with it a longing to get away from the unreal things of life, out into the forest at night with a campfire and the rustling leaves. It faded in like a softly sung hymn. Looking around, there was a rosiness to the leaves that wasn't there only a week ago, and soon the hills will be aflame, a riot of gold and red. For that brief time, one could watch each leaf as it makes its final dance to the earth, the welcome mat for winter laid out. It symbolised a transformation into cozy sweaters, wooly socks and plaid shirt days. Perhaps it was uncharacteristic for an eleven-year old to prefer this chilly, breezy weather to the balmy summer, but she couldn’t help it.

Strolling along the edge of the infamous Great Lake, Renelle took in a deep breath, enjoying the coolness of the fall air. There was perhaps an hour until dinner, and she was planning to spend the rest of that time here, in the serenity of the lake. There was no one else in sight, -not surprising, considering how it was a weekday- which was how she liked it. As she continued her path, the leaves crunched under her feet.

Suddenly, the Ravenclaw realised that her scarf was suffocating her. It had simply been wound too tight around her neck earlier, in her haste get out of the common room. Frowning slightly, the girl reached up and pulled it off, intending to rewrap it in a more comfortable manner.

That was when it all went wrong.

Maybe she has been holding the piece of cloth too loosely, perhaps it was the sudden sharp gust of wind— at any rate, that was when the scarf escaped its owner’s hands, blowing away merrily, eventually coming to a stop smack in the middle of the lake.

Well, this just sucks. As she watched the scarf slowly sink deeper into the dark depths of the water, Renelle dryly wondered how on earth she was going to get that particular article of clothing back now. The first and foremost problem was that she couldn’t swim, and even if she could, going for a dive in the lake in this weather would most likely result in hypothermia, at the very least.

Almost accepting her scarf’s fate, the girl was just about to turn back into the castle (she was certainly not in the mood for a walk now), when something gave her hope to this horrible situation. Leading into the middle of the lake, there was a trail of stones, just big enough to step on. True, it was extremely likely attempting to cross the lake on them would cause her to fall into the murky depths of the water, but she didn’t see what other choice she had.

Setting her resolve, Renelle carefully laid one foot onto the small rock, then another. At first, it seemed like everything would go according to plan. But she should’ve known that it was impossible to delve into the middle of the giant lake on tiny stones, and expect a positive outcome.

Rocks were slippery, she discovered. Especially when they were in the middle of a lake. Right when she was nearing the middle, her foot slipped, and Renelle fell into the Great Lake. Almost immediately, a rush of water engulfed her. She tried to struggle and break back to the surface, but it was impossible when she had no basic swimming experience. Death by drowning. What a way to go.

Interacting with @ Allen Kristiansen

Renelle had never given much thought as to how she would die. Why would she? At only eleven, her mind was more preoccupied with other matters, such as school, socialisation (or in her case, lack of), hobbies… Death seemed so far away, like a distant phrase from another world. How wrong she had been.

As the girl flailed around in the freezing water, she panickedly attempted to draw up any sort of swimming knowledge she might have come across in the past; or just a way to stay afloat. She was a Ravenclaw- they were supposed to be smart. But it was indeed shocking how difficult it was to properly think when one was drowning.

Suddenly, she felt something- or perhaps someone take hold of her right arm, swinging it over an object. And she felt herself being pulled forward. It was all such a blur, but eventually, her body met what appeared to be solid ground. Coughing up water, she laid there for a moment, catching her breath. What just happened?

With some effort, Renelle mustered up the strength to sit up. Almost immediately, she realised that all her clothes were wet, and the evening air was freezing. Great. Now not only did she loose her scarf, everything else she was wearing was ruined as well, and a horrible cold was inevitable.

And- who was it that rescued her? Focusing on her surroundings for the first time, her eyes fell on a boy on the shore next to her. From his wet clothes and nattered demeanour, it was only too easy to place the pieces together.

What do you even say to someone who just saved your life? The customary hi was almost laughable, but bursting into a grateful monologue seemed a bit awkward as well. Upon close inspecting, the boy was maybe around her age, a first or second year, with unnaturally pale skin and dark hair. He seemed to have removed his robes before jumping into the lake, making it impossible to determine which house he was in.

Taking a shaky breath, Renelle grimaced. “Uhh.. Hi.” Her eyes flickered to the ground, inwardly dying of embarrassment. She was not good at this. “…Thanks.” A fresh gust of wind sent her flinching by the coldness. If she didn’t want to get hypothermia, she really ought to get inside soon.

Interacting with @ Allen Kristiansen

Reducio

OOC note: Permission to lightly godmode was given.

Renelle wasn’t sure why, but she had expected her saviour to be a lot less nice than he was. Not that she was complaining, of course, but from the dark hair, chalk-white skin, and… a very prominent scar on his neck (what was that about?), the Ravenclaw had formed an image of someone quiet and expressionless. Neither of which the boy was.

In fact, he seemed a bit too pleasant. Flashing a huge smile at Renelle’s well-being, he went up to put his robe back on, covering the mark on his neck with a scarf. She had always scoffed at the stereotypes associated with different houses, but maybe they’d had some truth in it. Hufflepuffs really were nice.

But apparently not the smartest. As the awkward silence continued on, the boy suddenly asked Renelle who she had came to be in the lake. Upon hearing that, she stared at him incredulously, which was probably not the best way to act toward someone who had just jumped into a lake for her. Seriously though, it was kind of a stupid question.

“Oh, just going for a swim.” she said sarcastically. “I thought the water seemed nice so I decided to jump in.” The moment those words were out of her mouth, Renelle regretted it. What was up with her today? Normally, the first year was not this satirical. In her defence, though, she did just almost drown.

“Sorry.” Renelle quickly added. “I shouldn’t have said that.” She paused. “And to answer your question, I was trying to get my scarf. It got blown to the middle of the lake.” And like the idiot she was, she went after it.

Speaking of which, the Ravenclaw glanced back toward the Great Lake, the direction of her scarf. Definitely not getting it back now, was she? Oh well, at least Renelle didn’t have any sentimental attachment to that particular article of clothing. And from what it had just put it through, she kind of hated it anyway.

Interacting with @ Allen Kristiansen