Hogwarts Explorers Club-First Meeting! Club

Not interacting with anybody specifically
Mentions @Donnovan Perrywinkle , @Finn Valois and @River Dewlight
OPEN to interaction

Ruka had spent his time waiting, having taken off his shoes and letting his feet soak a bit in the water, eyes wandering across the lake as he let the rumble of other group members arriving pass him by.
It was only when Donny finally announced the start of the tour, that Ruka finally looked up at the two boats they were able to choose from. He stood up, taking his shoes in his left hand as he marched over to the large boat - Donny's.
He could see a girl he recognised from somewhere, and a boy he didn't think he knew, both of them boarding the same boat he was intending on getting into. He waited a moment for both of them to sit down, before he lightfootedly jumped into the boat, keeping his balance without issue. He made sure to keep his shoes in his hands as he looked between the boy and the girl, trying to figure out where to sit. Both of them seemed friendly enough but Ruka eventually settled for sitting next to the boy, enough space between them to not seem too creepy, but close enough to show that he was open for a chat. However, for now the boy seemed busy watching the group getting onto the boats, so Ruka only put on a little smile, offering the girl at the opposite side a smal wave, as he sat down, put his shoes next to him and waited patiently for the tour to start.

Ruka borded the large boat

@Lavinia Cloven

They're creepy? Isaac thought in pleased surprise. Wait until Beth heard about how real merpeople looked, the look on her face would be priceless.

Suddenly, he heard Donnovan's voice calling order. Finally, it's going to start! In excitement, he quickly flung his rock into the water, getting to his feet. Donnovan moved towards the larger boat, while Lavinia, the other club leader, went to the smaller one. He was surprised to see River and Finn file off to the larger boat, along with another boy he didn't recognize. Why was everyone choosing the big one?

Shaking his head in dismay, he peered between the boats bobbing on the shimmering water. In his opinion, the smaller boat was the more interesting one. It rocked much more in the rippling currents, and had some amazing markings painted on the side. He thought he could see a sea dragon, outlined in green paint against a white backdrop. Wasn't this an explorer's club after all?

Quickly, Isaac ran to the bank, adrenaline giving him extra speed. Skidding on the pond dirt, he practically jumped into the smaller boat, causing it to rock even more. A bit of water sloshed into it, but he ignored it. A little wetness wouldn't hurt anyone.

Settling down, he smiled cheerfully and said to Lavinia in agreement, "This is the cooler boat."

Isaac joins the smaller boat squad

"Okay, everybody! The tour is starting, so if you have anything you wish to drop at that tree, feel free Or if not, we can start boarding these two boats! Er, Lavinia, could you control that smaller one over there, you know help? Oh and arc, thanks mate!" Donny said, and Emile's eyes immediately lit up. He felt extremely excited. They would finally begin touring! 

Then came the decision: the big boat, or the smaller boat? Yes, the big boat seemed more safe. It was larger, and probably wouldn't rock as much. On the other hand, the small boat rocked more, which could really help you experience the water. And it had cool designs. It would probably also be closer to the water. Emile thought for a moment before deciding that the smaller boat would probably be a better choice for what he wanted to do–get writing material about the lake and about how water feels. Everything about water he could possibly do. Being as close to the lake seemed like a good plan.

It also seemed that most people were choosing the larger boat. Probably because it seemed safer, or their friends were boarding it. Emile saw that only Isaac and Lavinia, one of the leaders, had boarded the smaller boat. Emile shrugged and followed Isaac onto the boat, while he also heard Lavinia call the boat the cooler boat. This boat did seem to be cooler, at least in his opinion. He felt more like an explorer on this boat.

As soon as he got onto the boat, he felt it rock a bit. It felt weird, but in a good way. He liked the feeling of being at sea, even though he was only on the lake. He scribbled some notes down in his journal then turned to Lavinia and Isaac and smiled at them with a thumbs up. "Small boat squad!" He said happily, then immediately thought That sounded so stupid. Nevertheless, he was happy he was here, and was looking forward to the exploring they were going to do.

Reducio

Emile boarded the smaller boat.

Donny watched as people quickly made their decisions of which boat to board as he stood, and gestured where to sit. "Step right up everyone! Our Journey awaits!" Donny said, looking over the trees as the water glistened along the newly made ripples. "I've always wanted to say that!" He whispered to Ruka and Finn, the first of most to board his boat. "Once everyone settles, we'll all sail across the lake. It'll be a nice time to socialize, and learn about the school, and this ancient lake, and creatures that dwell beneath! If any at all of you have questions, I'll be free to answer. I've done my bit of studying!" said Donny, waiting on edge to get started.

Donny grabbed his wand, pointed it towards the basket beneath is seat, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" and just like that, the contents of the basket flew up and scattered in the air, and into the hands of the members. The contents being paper airplanes with special messages, and answers for the upcoming trip. He would soon ask questions, and some may or may not use his guide to answer. The message contained...

Those who dwell deep within, a riddle waiting for minds thick in thin,
To answer all that pondering ponder, Listen in for this whimsical wonder.
Answer with the following clues, and listen close for what your mind might loose...
 

• The one with 2, not 6 or 8 , the mollusk that dwells with a prominent head. What is this? 
• This angry creature will drag you down, these viscous little water demons prohibit you to follow your journey. 
• This creature may look graceful, but within the green tangled comes a monster, unleashed from the stables.
What are these creatures, only the bright might know, follow along on our journey, or else your mind might blow!

  


       

Elizabeth was shocked at how fast everyone ran over and boarded the boats. And I thought I was excited, she thought, suddenly even more excited to be among so many enthusiastic adventures. "C'mon, Illowy," she called and began hurrying toward the boats.

When she was near them, she stopped and stared at them a moment, trying to decide which one to board. On the one hand, Donny was their leader and knew more than any of them about the adventure that awaited them. On the other hand, Elizabeth had enjoyed the conversation she was having with those who were in the smaller ship. The Hufflepuff began walking to the smaller ship, then stopped, seemingly changing her mind. The bigger ship is safer, she thought, remembering her propensity for getting onto trouble. She began walking to the bigger ship, and then stopped again as the voice of young Simba from the Lion King came to her mind: "I laugh in the face of danger, hahahaha!" With a quick nod, she changed her mind once again and hurried over to the smaller ship.

The girl frowned as she stood by the smaller boat. Being on the small side for her age, Elizabeth usually found it hard getting on and off boats. However, she had seen Isaac's spectacular leap into the boat and decided she might as well try it, too. She stared intently at the boat. "One, two, THREE!" she said, and began her sprint toward it, feeling the wind whisk through her hair. She jumped and spread out her arms while she was in the air, imagining she was an eagle about to land in the most spectacular landing in the history of all landings. She landed in the boat square on her feet, but then..."Umph!" she cried as she fell over due to the boat's rocking and continued forward, falling back into the water with a big splash. So much for the perfect dismount.

Reaching the surface, she grabbed onto the side of the boat, coughing and sputtering, but otherwise unharmed. "Can you give me a hand here," she sheepishly asked.

@Elizabeth Linscott

"One, two, THREE!"

came a shout from the shore, and Isaac craned his head at the last moment to see a girl soaring through the air, blonde tresses waving in the breeze. In a split second, he recognized Elizabeth, and felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. Oh no.

The Hufflepuff hit the boat for an instant, but lost her balance, falling over. It sent up a spray that shook the boat, splattering water everywhere and soaking the people standing inside. Like a rock, she plummeted a bit before bobbing to the surface.

Her leap started off well, but as she flew through the air, it quickly became apparent that she would end up falling into the lake, making the boat much too unstable. Sometimes, he wondered exactly how Elizabeth escaped injury when she seemed to invite trouble all the time. Well, at least she's okay. I think. Trying his best to stifle his laugh, he helped grabbed her hand, pulling her into the boat. With her sheepish expression and dripping clothing, she looked a lot like a very sodden cat instead of a majestic eagle, and very peeved about her misfortune.

"You okay?" he asked for confirmation, a grin sneaking onto his face.

After getting settled on the ship, Emile took out his journal and started to document all that had happened so far. Mostly it was about how the ship felt. Rocking, moving in the water. It was a new feeling, but it was still kind of fun. Who knows? Maybe he would end up writing about a sailor. This could fare him well. In the midst of his writing, he also heard a voice he recognized. "One, two three!" It yelled. He immediately knew it was Elizabeth. They had just been talking before.

Along with Isaac, Emile's head perked up and turned towards where her voice came from. Was she okay? He ran to the side of the ship where everyone else was boarding and watched as she tried to jump, but then fell over and into the water. "Oh god." Emile said to himself. 

He looked over at Isaac as Elizabeth reached the surface of the water. "Do you think she's alright?" He asked, walking over to him and where Elizabeth was in the water. 

"Can you give me a hand here," the Hufflepuff said, in an embarrassed manner. Emile smiled at her sympathetically and put his hand out. "Isaac, will you help me pull her up?" He asked. He wanted to make sure that he wouldn't drop her. He didn't want her to have to go through all of what just happened again. 

Emile looked around the small boat to see if there might be anything they could use in place of a towel. Maybe he could give her his cloak? But he didn't really know the material..maybe it could get ruined. He turned to Lavinia, the boat's leader. "Lavinia, by any chance do you have any towels? We have a bit of a problem here." Said Emile, motioning towards Elizabeth. 

Donny heard the "Cur-plunk!" and the distant shuttering, someone had already fallen in! Before he could do much, Isaac came to Elizabeth's aid, pulling her up, and asking around for some more help. "Never mind!" he said, bending over and pulling some extra robes out of his bag. He ALWAYS comes prepared. "Here, 'its not much, but it should suffice. Anyone else with...I don't know a drying spell? All I've got is Incendio, but never after the blossom ball flames." he said, rubbing his face and tossing the warm robes over Elizabeth. 

"It's considerably warm, so there's a chance you might dry off. Try, squeezing some o' that lake water out, maybe?" he asked, patting down her shoulders, and looking down into the water. "Everyone else, we should be good to leave soon as we all board." he said, gesturing for the absent minded people standing off to board. He was very eager to begin, adventure could not wait! But something always seemed to go wrong here at Hogwarts. Some sort of bad luck always lingered in the midst of something great. Something...well, almost great.

Everyone who hasn't posted boarding, please do so soon. I DO NOT want to keep people waiting for this. Thanks!      

Elizabeth lifted her arms up for the others to grab hold of and felt herself being hoisted out of the water. “Thanks,” she said appreciatively before spying Isaac’s grin sneaking across his face. “Yeah, yeah,” she muttered, feeling her face grow warm, though she did have to admit, it was kind of funny, or would be once she was dried up.

This was the second time she had made acquaintance with the lake, and like the last time, she began shivering. It was getting warmer, but still a little cool, and the wind didn’t help. She heard a voice to her

“It’s considerably warm, so there’s a chance you might dry off. Try squeezing some ‘o that lake water out, maybe?”

It was Donny, and he had come prepared. “Thanks,” she said again, taking the robe. At his advice, she began wringing out her shirt the best she could, then pulled off her shoes and did the same, watching as the excess water made little ripples when the landed. When she was satisfied she had done the best she could, she took a seat and pulled the robe around her. It was larger than she was, and wrapped around her quite nicely, already making her feel warmer. She looked over at Isaac, a small smirk on her lips. “You know, Isaac, you should consider me lucky. I felt something brush against my leg as I was in the water. Maybe it was the giant squid.” In reality, it felt more like seaweed, but she’d let him think she had a small brush with fame.

@Elizabeth Linscott

"Really?" he asked, looking seriously surprised. Glancing again at the water as if he could see the squid, he began to lean over the boat. It tipped treacherously, tilting closer and closer to the water's surface as he shifted his weight to the side of it. A small creak groaned from the wood, and he squinted at the water. "I can't see anything," he said, face inches away from the top of the current. It was dark and murky. He thought he could see a faint movement of something beneath the water, but whether it was the squid or some seaweed he couldn't tell. By then, the boat was tilted almost completely to the side and was threatening to flip over.

Giving Elizabeth a slightly suspicious look, he wondered why the squid hadn't pulled her under. If he were a squid, he'd be pretty angry if someone fell in his lake and hit his tentacle. Maybe it was a scaredy cat.

Well, there was only one way to tell. With a sudden movement, he dunked his entire head beneath the water, and more of it sloshed into the boat. It took a few moments for him to be able to see around the cloud of bubbles, but everything was still silty. And all he saw was seaweed.

Unfortunately, he had leaned over a little too far for his own good. With a slip and a startled shout, Isaac fell straight into the water headfirst, spluttering wildly. Panic slammed into him hard, and he began to tread water, trying to remember the old swim lessons he had. The last thing he wanted was to drown.

Gasping for breath and absolutely drenched, he gave Elizabeth a look of deep accusation. "I bet you didn't even see it at all!"
If there was something he didn't like other than being yelled at, it was being tricked.