Of Slumber parties and Secrets PV Closed

"Need a light?"

Koko almost jumped at the sudden noise behind her. "O-oh! Yes, please!" she exclaimed, suddenly overjoyed to have someone to help her search. "Andrew... I guess I'll stick with that unless I'm writing it." Her logic didn't make sense to many people, but she didn't usually call people by a nickname unless it were less syllables.

"There's a large pile of good, dry firewood over there," Koko said, motioning vaguely to where the other girls were headed. "I think we should collect from that." Yes, make it as though it's just a thought, not a decision. That's much kinder.

So she would begin to walk, beckoning Andrew towards her. She couldn't go far without the light carrier, anyway. She sighed. If only she'd taken enough Charms classes to learn Lumos. "If we need to shave the wood, I can do it, but I'd rather not." Of course. She didn't want to get in trouble. She did have a knife, one she had taken from Kaegen Deathmote, second year Ravenclaw, but she wasn't going to use it unless she had to. "Still, though, I hope we don't encounter anything too dangerous." Koko glanced back at the other Slytherin, suddenly unsure of whether or not she should go and get the firewood. She hesitated, waiting. "Well... Cute rat," she said, noticing the creature snuggled into Andrew's hood. She could have already bought a cat, but she didn't want to sell anything. It would be best to just wait...

Interacting with: @Koko Riddle

“Sure, let’s check it out.” At the girl’s [Koko Riddle’s] suggestion, Andrew (and his lamp) proceeded to accompany her in the direction where the other two girls were headed, supposedly where dry firewood was located. At this point, it hadn’t occurred to Andrew to ask [Koko] for her name, since his mind was more occupied on finding wood, as well as on the alert as Andrew’s eyes scanned his surroundings, making sure to watch his step in the process.

“Thanks.” He chuckled, turning his head around to cast a corner-glance at the plump rat who was weighing down his hood. “Her name’s Penelope. But I like to call her Pin-pin. Or Nelly, well, that’s the usual nickname for a Penelope, but I don’t really call her that.” He could spend hours rambling on about Penelope, but Andrew caught himself, figuring he ought to say something that the girl could comment on as well, in an attempt to converse with her. “Do you have any pets? At home, or at school?” He asked, keeping the mood light.

Andrew looked over his shoulder, down the way they had come. Through the trees, the campsite clearing was still visible from where he stood. “As long as we can see the campsite, then we’re good,” he affirmed.

He hoped the dry firewood location that the girl [Koko] was motioning to wasn’t too far away for them to reach. Getting lost in the woods (especially on a cold night) wasn’t exactly on Andrew’s list of to-dos.

ACTIONS: Searching for/picking up firewood

MODERATOR'S POST

@Persephone Nicholas did not wish to be left alone. She quickly sought out another, a girl called Blaire who had also picked up one of the lamps. Although it was dark, she could make her out with the light emanating from the new lamp that she had acquired. @Blaire Newton told her that they should venture into the woods a bit more, as they couldn't access dry wood from where they were. With that, Blaire wondered off down towards the pile that she had seen earlier. Persephone had paused for a moment. She wasn't sure why but she could have sworn that she thought she saw something move not too far away from where Blaire was heading. Blaire had not seen it. Perhaps Persephone was imagining things... But she was sure she saw something move between the bushes.

@Koko Riddle braved heading into the woods alone. She struggled to see in the darkness, as she had not taken a lamp with her. However, she could see two spots of light coming from Blaire and Persephone's lamps and so, walked in their general direction. She tripped on something, though she could not actually see what it was as she made her way over. Luckily for her, @Andrew Vance was her knight in shining armour. Well... the kid with a shining lamp and his pet rat. The pair followed behind Blaire and Persephone. Koko focused on watching them and walking towards the pile that she thought they had seen. Andrew attempted to flirt with her. Or you know, just be sociable. As he looked around, he spotted a small piece of firewood not too far from him. He went to reach for it, spotting a footprint near it.

[quote]Blaire looked back over her shoulder once again. The girl wasn’t following her any longer. Shrugging, she crossed over the threshold into the forest. Her eyes darted around her, checking for any signs of something strange. Not seeing any signs of immediate danger, Blaire took another few steps forward. Underneath her feet she could hear the muffled sounds of twigs snapping. Turning her head slightly, she could have almost sworn she heard something rustling in the foliage. Shaking her head, she tried to calm herself down. ’It’s all in your head. Only your imagination. The professors are within earshot if something were to happen. Blaire tried telling herself, as she made her way towards the pile of wood.

Not far off behind her she noticed two other students lingering along. She felt a little bit more at ease. With others so close she could cry out if need be. Feeling a little more confident, she quickened her pace. The quicker she gathered this firewood, the quicker she could leave this creepy place. Blaire was ready to be back at the campsite, surrounded by other people. Raising the lantern a little higher, she kept her eyesight zoned in on the pile of wood ahead of her.

Every few feet, Blaire turned and looked over her shoulder, making sure she could still make out the others in the distance. Finally, she reached her destination. Kneeling over the pile she set the lantern on the ground next to her. Slowly she began scooping up the wood. It was definitely dry, perfect to start a fire with. She tried to move quickly, but there was a lot of firewood, and she kept dropping some pieces. Blaire wanted to make sure she brought as much as she could. She didn’t want to have to come back for a second trip. With her arms full she couldn’t hold the lantern. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness in the forest. Sighing, Blaire decided to abandon the light source and carry on without it. Spinning in a circle, Blaire finally headed off in the direction she was sure was towards camp. There was light and laughter coming from that way. With her arms full, she couldn’t walk quite as fast as she did before. Focusing on not spilling anything she set off towards her destination.
[quote]

Interacting with @Koko Riddle

“I’m from London.” Andrew kept the random small talk going to pass the time, if Koko was interested. Flirt?! C’mon, can’t a guy talk to a female without being judged?! (glares at Moderator) “What about you? Where are you from? Do you have any pets? I have two cats and three fish back at my house, in London. I wish I could’ve brought my cat Duchess to Hogwarts, but my parents didn’t want me to take Duchess away. Kinda glad they didn’t, otherwise I wouldn’t have met Pin-pin.”

Casting the glow of the lamp on his nearby surroundings, Andrew kept an eye peeled for any other potential firewood he might come across, while he and Koko were en route to where the other girls [Persephone and Blaire] were heading. Pretty quickly, he spotted what looked like a good piece of wood to use. Andrew stooped down to pick up the small piece of firewood with his left hand, feeling that it was dry enough to use. The light from his lamp allowed him to see a small radius of what lied on the ground. While reaching for the firewood, his eye caught what looked like a strange imprint on the ground, and he held out the lamp, hovering the light over it so he could see the footprint clearly. With his prized firewood in one hand, he stood up and took a step towards the footprint, standing over it and studying it with a curious yet puzzled stare. Andrew would fall silent for a moment as he contemplated whether or not the footprint was cause for alarm or concern, temporarily breaking off his chat with Koko, if she noticed Andrew’s sidetracked gaze.

ACTIONS: Analyzing footprint. Collecting firewood.