Truth or Dare — Group FIVE Summer Camp '22

Japanese ~ English

Reducio

Word Count: 260

Interacting: @Hanako Tone as Kohana Sara

Date: August 14th 2022

Somehow, it was already the middle of August. Chiaki felt like she'd managed to do barely anything so far, and so much had been happening around her. However, she was more than content to sit and enjoy the beauty of everybody having fun and making good memories than to participate herself. She had her own friends to do that with. At least, she thought she did.

Taking in all the amazing set that had been constructed for the event, Chiaki awkwardly snuck onto the ship, hoping to be mostly unnoticed. There was definitely what felt like a large excess of people on board, many of which she had no idea who they were.

After placing her name into the cannon, it spat out a multitude of other names, and Chiaki found herself reaching for the one closest that fluttered by her head.

"Kohana Sara," she mumbled, smiling to herself at the familiar name.

A Japanese student, like her. Thank God.

Looking around for the individual, her brain began to tick as she formulated a question to respond to the truth she had been asked to give.

It seemed to take ages as there were so many people, but eventually, she found the person in question. Deciding to not embarrass them as much, she spoke to them in Japanese.

"Hi! I am Chiaki Hiroi, and I believe you are...Kohana Sara? My question for you is... who would you ask out, out of everyone here, if you had to?"

Action: Asking Sara a question >.<

Next round: Truth

This summer camp wasn't as bad as she had expected it to be and the huge effort that the organizers had taken to make the scenery look as fantastical as it did had helped a lot with making the girl happy to be there. It was the perfect place to daydream about stories that might have taken place on the ship. Even though she knew the ships probably had the events taken place on, she still found it a lot of fun to think of how the sweat of her hard-working crew under the strict rule of their captain had hit the ground, how the heavy weight of a chest filled with gold would leave its mark as it was dragged along by a pirate who returning to his ship after a battle or how the ship had been filled with young ambitious people on their way to a new and better life.

Before claiming a chair Elizaveta would get something to drink and some simple finger food that wouldn't ruin the adorable white summer dress she was wearing. From the place she was sitting, she could easily see the chests, which she had hoped to be filled with gold when noticing them at first, and the clothes that they contained. The blonde would have loved to wander around a bit more but she had already taken a seat meaning her little trip around the ship would have to wait a bit longer. Instead of walking around, she let her eyes wander. When the Russian girl realized that the only person she really knew was Charles Alluring, a wave of disappointment hit her. She wasn't ready for another round of "you're not worth it", so she planned on avoiding talking to him and looking at him for longer than 2 seconds. Or maybe... Maybe she could prove she was worthy by showing him she wasn't afraid of any dares! Yes, she would show him how brave she was!

Thinking the small canon in the middle was just there as a prop, she was really surprised when the group had to load their names in it and the little thing ended up shooting the pieces of paper back to the students. Staring at the paper she had received, Eliza tried to think of a good question she could ask. Her first ideas, what's your favourite colour and do you have any siblings, were pretty boring but were all she could think of. What was a good question to ask a random student you have never met before? When she didn't have an idea for a question after a few minutes, she started to stress out a bit and decided to just find the person she had to ask the question to first. "Chiaki Hiroi?" she started calling out the name as she walked through the group in search of the other student while trying to avoid Charles.

When she finally arrived at the other student, she began to stammer. "What-" she had started her question without knowing what she was going to ask, "is, er, your name-" she stopped as she realized she already knew her name. "I mean, what is the name of your-" she started her question again, trying to save her horrible question, "your stuffed animal?"

Last time, it had bee on steady ground but now, they were on a ship bobbing up and down. Elena just hoped no one would give her the challenge of walking the plan. Adding water to this equation only made things worse no matter how you looked at it really as she clambered onboard the silent, still ship glancing around. Still, the girl supposed there was worse ways to spend a summer sincerely feeling sorry for those who perhaps did not do as well on wate-borne vessels. She defintely did not want to be near anyone who would be exhibiting the symptoms of seasickness, a very undesirable image painting a fresh image in her head as Elena shuddered at the thought silently glad in the fact that for the intial round at least, she had chosen to go with a safer option.

Her ears rang as the cannon rang out with a resounding roar, the brunette hoping her name went to someone reasonable trusting the object. Funnily enough, it happened to do just that as her eyes widened at the person she was tasked with tracking down in this group of ruffians. Elena knew Bloom having shared a few pleasant moments with her and she thought there couldn't be a better person, a smile crossing her face as the girl found her. "Bloom! Boy, am I happy to see you." The Gryffindor said grinning and laughing in a combinaton of the two feeling instanetous relief at the fact. It wasn't some total stranger who would probably think up some weird and impossibly feat for her to achieve but rather, someone who knew her well and was comfortable with more as the first question graced the air.

She made a face at Bloom's proposed question. "I don't suppose there's a third option, is there?" The girl asked as she thought about her prospective answer while pondering something to fire back at Bloom humming to herself. "Okay, here's something. "What's one useless or unimportant skill you would love to learn anyway?" Elena asked firing back with her own question after a few moments of basking in silence. Oh, there were plenty of options out there, she was sure but every person was interst as her eyes glinted conspirationally keen to find out just what sort of things her friend dabbled in.

Next Round: DARE

Arriving a little late, he entered the ship and scribbled out everything he was to put on the paper and was glad to see that he wasn't too late to participate in the game. Some had already been given their truth or their dare, or had given their truth or dare to be conquered. Miles wasn't sure he was as prepared for this as he hoped to be, and he got a name - Greta Fransson. Dare.

He'd give it a moment to try and think of something worthwhile. Did it have to be the best dare ever? No, but he also didn't want it to be lame. Still, knowing he didn't prep ahead of time led him to believe that his dare would sadly, most likely be lame.

As he thought about it, a girl came up to him stating his own dare. He was to go up to someone random and tell them his honest first impression of them. Kill two birds with one stone, he figured, and so he asked a person or two and soon he found Greta Fransson.

"Greta," he said as he approached. He took a moment to just survey her over. It was the Durmstrang students who seemed to know her so he assumed she was probably a student from there. He hoped not on the hexwizard team or else he'd be currently staring at one of his opponents. "Your green eyes are as lovely as the rolling tide of the ocean." Living in the Pacific Northwest, he saw this hue a lot in the Pacific and the coastline was one of his favorite places to be. "I've got your name for your dare and I dare you to...pretend to be a cat until you're approached for your next turn."

Lame? Yea, a little, but it could have been worse! Miles was glad that he achieved both his own dare and dished out his own.

Interacting With: @Henry Knight as Charles Alluring @Hanako Tone as Sara Kohana (but Winnie is dumb and thinks his name is Senpai)

Outfit: ꕤ

Mentioning: @

Date: August 14th, 2022

Pumpkin was an odd cat. Most felines would try to scurry away if their owner insisted on carrying them abroad a ship, but Pumpkin seemed content to purr in his owner's arms as the pink clad girl carried him abroad. He snuggled beneath the girl's chin as she carried him over to the canon, only to jump and claw her arm when it sounded and she received her crumpled paper.

"Oh shush, it's fine." She scratched the cat under his chin, but his claws were already ripping holes into her pink dress. He mewled in reply. "Lets see who we have give a truth to... or a dare, if they're the fun sort."

Charles Alluring. The name sounded familiar but she could not quite place him (stating such because we have not completed the Quidditch match yet). It definitely sounded like something from a storybook, something a fairytale prince would be named. Hopefully the guy lived up to his name, or Winnie would be severely disappointed in his parent's naming abilities. He had selected dare, so that gave him some points.

"Charles Alluring?" She called out, whether or not he responded, she would also offer his dare to him. "I dare you to close your eyes and spin in a circle, whoever is in front of you when you open your eyes you will have to serenade."

She was about to call out and ask if anyone had received her name when a large figure stood in front of her and almost leered at her. His smile reminded Winnie of a cute little fox. Oh. OH! Aw, it was her friend from Matt's new school... Sara Senpai was his name, or so she assumed it was because that was what Hiro had called him. Technically it was correct since Sara was her senior, but she had no idea it was a title and not a name.

"Hi Senpai! You drew my name? That's awesome!" She felt a bit of relief too. There was no way a friend would make her do something terrible. She managed to pull Pumpkin's paw off of her shirt and made him wave at the older boy. "This is Pumpkin, by the way."

She blinked in surprised when he asked if it was okay to dare her. Wasn't that what the game was all about? "Backwards? I can try..." She paused to try and word her next statement correctly. "Pick this round... What did you...? Dare or Truth?" She frowned, her brow furrowing. She sounded more like Yoda and less like she was speaking backwards. "This works, does it?"

Percival had not long boarded onto the wooden hull of the ship, silent and thinking deeply about something as he walked to the end of the bow to look out into the far horizon of water. He didn't really know many people on the ship, other than @Winnie Harper who was probably annoying some of the students who had visited. Either way, it was peaceful up here. He just hoped one of the visitors didn't give him a stupid question to answer.

Sure enough, an unfamilar voice spoke up behind him. Gray turned his head slightly and looked to the boy who called him Peter, a small eye roll from the lack of thought he was showing "Yes, I'm Percival Gray..." he mumbled, before turning and leaning back first against the wooden barrier stopping them from falling off the edge. Nodding slightly, he listened to the boy's question and didn't hesitate to say the name he had been thinking since the question started

"@Matt Pride... that's who I'd like to forget," he said without hesitation in his voice. With that, the boy left as fast as he arrived. They'd need to do better than that if they were going to catch him off guard. Either way, he'd better go see what was going on. He couldn't stay here and be lonely all day.

That wasn't entirely true, there was one more thing he had to do before going off to do his own thing. Just after he had come onto the ship, he had received the person who he was going to dare, which seemed to be a student from another school. Gray was never happy when they came to Hogwarts, most if not all took advantage of Hogwarts and did what they wanted. That's why he had mainly avoided them since starting school. They simply could not be trusted.

Looking down at the piece of paper once again, he mentally said the name to himself and spotted a boy that matched the description. Taking his time, Gray walked up behind him and tapped the boy two times on the shoulder "Louca correct?" he asked sternly before he even turned around, his eyes looking to the floor before looking back up to him.

"You see that gum on the floor there? the one that's just below your feet? touch it with your tongue" Gray said without hesitation. If the boy really wanted a dare, he'd be getting a proper one. He expected the same for him, anyone who had the guts to choose dare would soon be regretting it if they ever had Gray.

The pureblood folded his arms and motioned his eyes to the dry and nasty looking gum on the wooden floor, urging him to get it over with "Go on, this was your choice after all."

Charles had become like family to Valentin, and with that bond came an instinctive protectiveness. Yet, Val couldn’t tolerate overprotectiveness either. Watching the blonde’s face in reaction to his dare, the seeker came to regret his well-meaning suggestion. It looked like Charles was holding back, as if he already wanted to hold himself in reserve for someone… and Val realized he didn’t actually have that firm a grasp of Charles’s social life after all.

"This is only a dare, for fun but instead of flirting what about climbing something or jumping from the ship?” squirmed Charles. "I meant, flirting isn't that much of a test of bravery when instead we can jump off the ship or-"

The boy’s words confirmed Val’s suspicions. The captain had made a misplay based on weak information-- yet, maybe Charles wouldn’t have to commit to it. Before Val could reply, however, little Greta Fransson bounced right up to them, forcing Charles’s hand in committing to the dare. To help protect Charles’s pride, Val couldn’t intervene anymore either.

"Relax and talk of your beater is it? While I fulfill your dare," smiled Charles. "Wish me luck."

Blushing slightly, Valentin saluted away his chaser to wish him success, whatever that might mean given the new context… Silver-violet eyes would still watch over Charles in case he suddenly needed backup.

The little Valkyrie spun to face Val, positively sparkling with excitement. "You picked truth! So I want to know… For whom does your heart burn?" she asked with melodramatic mischief.

Before Val could answer, however, the Ilvermorny champion approached Greta. Smirking, Val gathered that the boy had no way of hearing nor understanding what he’d said about him earlier. Yet, not even Val was expecting the swirl of compliments that Miles delivered to Greta next. The little Valkyrie herself looked over at Miles and pawed at Valentin’s elbow without looking at the seeker. Her face showed the tell-tale shell-shocked look of, “I don’t know what it’s saying, help…” Putting his arm around her shoulder like a big brother, Val translated Miles’s words for her into German.

“He says, ‘your green eyes are lovely like the rolling ocean tide.’ He drew your name and he dares you to pretend you’re a cat until next round.” Valentin cocked his head back at the boy. He would have to keep an eye on him, too.

“As to answer your question,” continued Val, returning his watchful gaze to Charles’s fate. “For whom does my heart burn, eh?” The lanky seeker squeezed Greta softly before releasing her and putting his hands on his hips to look up high into the sky. The feathers on his captain’s hat fluttered in a passing breeze as his eyes skipped around through the wide open blue, looking just as if he were hunting for the snitch.

Was Greta’s a dangerous question? There was no doubt that Valya would answer it, one way or another, but what were the consequences of mercilessly laying out the truth now? Closing his eyes, Val decided to make it dangerous. Let’s be honest, he thought, and consider all the options anew as if anything were possible.

Yefim and Mikael had been the first friends Val really grew close with. Valentin’s left hand grasped the golden ring on his right middle finger and spun it around and around in thought. What was Fima to him? Thinking back to the Fall Ball they’d attended together, dressed as a pumpkin and the golden snitch respectively under the theme of “round objects,” Valentin chuckled. Fima was a pure, singular vision. He was the justice the world needed, the audacity and strength and dangerous edge people required in order to find liberty where the malfunctioning system failed them. Yefim was beautiful, ruthless like a sword, and innocent. Val knew he never wanted to be without him. Yet, even if Erin weren’t in the picture, Val’s love for Fima had no more romantic an underpinning than a ship and his sailor. For however much of a soul a vessel might have of its own, Valentin supported Yefim’s heroism with as much reciprocation from Yef as a pirate repairing his boat. It wasn’t as if Val’s strategy and perceptions were not key contributions to his team, but even in his capacity as the eyes of the champion, theirs was a very particular and special kind of relationship beyond conventions of romance.

What of Charles, the jacked British bomb Val was so fond of? No, the troubled blonde was like a younger brother to him. They were on the same side of the glass, and Valentin owed Charles for saving his life, but in the end they were like family. Kim Sato? Nah. Not his type. Lysander was more attractive, but Val knew little about the new recruit even after all those training hours. He wouldn’t mind joining the fencing club, though, and getting to know his chaser better. Johannes, the adorable full-hearted night owl, was fun as hell and certainly a keeper, their keeper, but sparks had never flown between them before. Kolbeck? Certainly Val could appreciate his rock-and-roll vibe, himself being the son of a wrock star, but even after catching the boy in his arms at the last ball, Val had never really gotten to know him.

So, considered Val. What of Mikael? Misha, kaderlem. What of you? Valya opened his eyes and began seeking through the sky again. They were truly two sides of one coin, the twin rivers of blood flowing into Yefim’s greedy mouth, bound by their ruby red blood forever unified in the sacrificial bowl. Mikael was the shadow to Valya’s light, fundamentally inseparable from him. While Valentin could barely contain his extreme sensitivity, a beam of white spilling everywhere at the speed of light, Misha was void and peaceful and dark like deep space. His power was quiet, like the ocean’s. Even when Mikael was not there, Mikael was everywhere. The boy haunted Val. To this day, even, Valya couldn’t deny his unconditional love for him, for Mikael was not only a shadow. Within the black-hearted boy, the purest spark of gold glinted somewhere in his night. Valentin never gave up on Mikael. Yet, it was the painful disjuncture between himself and the traditionally tight pair that was Misha and Fima which had driven Val to dance with the thunderstorm that day. Mikael was a frozen flame. However much Valya sat with him through the boy’s dissociations, no matter how readily Valentin would give his life for Mikael’s, when had the boy ever shown love in return for Valya’s? Recklessly adoring enough not to care, Valentin accepted that the black hole inside Mikael might steal away his starfire one day, whether the other boy cared or not. There was a romance to it all, but in the end, theirs was a celestial dance beyond the sphere of a human relationship.

In his mind, Valentin returned to that moonlit June night in the pitch. No matter how many people Valentin adored, nor how loving his fans and friends and family nouveau, was there not one that stood apart from the rest?

“My mother commissioned an augury for me before she died, little Neuntöter red-backed shrike,” Valya told Greta. “The prophecy said my ‘wild heart’ would be tamed by someone pure and infinite. Can you see the answer to the puzzle? I wish to see the truth, what’s really there, and just how blind I have been all this time. Indeed, my heart is burning. Every day, I am in flames. Do you believe in destiny, little bird? I can’t stomach it, the thought that I’m not really in control of myself and only a toy of forces greater than myself. What’s more, I am afraid of excusing away my responsibility, so I choose to only believe in making destiny for myself.” The seeker pressed his hands together and held them against his mouth and nose, like some sportsman’s prayer. “If we are all so fragile, if immortality is impossible and defeat only around the bend, then let me try making my destiny with Romeo Marchonné.”

Valentin closed his eyes and sighed, taking himself back to the day of the big game.

"Who the hell do you think I am, Val? I don't let go. Never."

The beater clenched his lightning-scarred fist.

"Take my hands from me before I even consider letting go."

Valentin's heart ached for all the lost time they could have had. Every moment they were together, Valya felt more complete. Why had fearless hell-chaser Val been holding back for so long? Even before Romeo knew about the estate, Valentin could have made his move. The seeker had always studied him, ever since they’d joined the quidditch team years ago. Yes, Val had always watched him, and no one questioned it because Valentin watched everyone. It was when Val could no longer bear to watch that was more significant, ever since that dance with bloody Hanzo. Only after Romeo returned to the team was Val willing to consider him again: the Norwegian simply hadn’t been taking care of Rome and, in Val’s mind, that lost Hanzo the privilege he had won from being faster.

Losing that race always hurt speed demon Valentin, who had always been faster than his peers to move into new stages of his life. Yet, he’d also learned-- the hard way-- when to match pace with others. Thus, even when Hanzo was gone, Valentin was afraid for the fragile possibility of a future with Romeo. Val couldn’t let himself go so fast that he’d shatter it all.

“I was too slow the first time around, and not bold enough thereafter. I am lucky to even have another chance, to have survived this long. I can’t afford to wait anymore. It’s time for me to ask him, don’t you think?”

Val reached out for little Greta to give her a big hugging spin before setting her back down.

“Anyway, what do you think of this guy, Miles?” passed Valentin in German. “Don’t think I’ll let someone less than godly take you away.”

If Miles was still there, Valentin would look at him with icy, skeptical eyes with his hand on Greta’s shoulder. The seeker’s English rang out clearly with little perceptible accent, for his little display for Charles before left him yearning to flex his linguistic improvements even harder: “If you think you’re worthy of Durmstrang’s valkyrie, beater, you’re going to have to prove your greatness before you can get through me. If you deign to hurt her, I and my Horntail brethren will rain hellfire down upon your soul.” Grasping the brim of his captain’s hat without taking it off, Valentin bowed at Ilvermorny’s champion with a smile. All of this talk of romance left him itching for a fight.

Stats: STA 8 ✦ EVA 13 ✧ STR 2 ✦ WIS 15 ✧ARC 1 ✦ ACC 15 - Ency
Abilities: Keen Eye ✦ Charmer ✧ Evasive Maneuvers ✦ Fearless