When they'd enrolled for the Amortunnel as a group, Mikey had brushed it off like it was nothing, just another camp activity to attend, no big deal. But now that the sun had begun to set, the more that carefree facade began to crumble. Standing guard at the hedgeway's end beneath the rain of lantern light across the roses, he could sense his stomach making uneven flips.

It wasn't that he didn't want to be. He did. More than he was willing to admit, anyway. But there was something about knowing Avery was on the other end of this little escapade that helped make everything strike that much harder, the smells, the sights, even the sound of music drifting faintly inside the tunnel. He couldn't help but picture the ride, flipping through instances in his mind where they'd both laugh and others where he'd be too flustered, mucking up sentences to even make a sound.

When the hedge opened and in she came, all that daydreaming still hadn't prepared him. The soft sheen of the overhead lights caught in her hair, brightening it a shade, and he felt that little thump in his chest that stopped him remembering what followed. "Hi," he said, softer than he meant to, his mouth curve into a small, self-conscious smile. "I guess it's time."

He got in the gondola first, holding onto the side with one hand to keep it from rocking back and forth, and then reached out with the other hand to her. Her fingers slip into his with a knowledge that stretched the moment, and he does not release her until she is curled against him. The cushions groan beneath them, and the thick scent of roses surround them, blended with the earthier smell of dust in the air from the busy campground.

For an instant, he simply stood there listening to the waves breaking off the boat, the vibrating warmth of the magic violin. "So… here we go," he whispered, his tone so low that it was in danger of being drowned out by the music. The gondola thrust into the first set of drapes. They came out into a painted spring dawn fields spilling to the horizon, petals drifting lazily from nowhere above. Weeping willows stooped over the water, their dainty green arms skimming its surface. Somewhere out of reach, lovebirds were singing. Mikey let out a slow sigh, the kind you let out when you're not certain you've been breathing at all, and gave her a sidelong glance, attempting to take her in without appearing to notice.

26/8/25 • english • japanese • action: entering thread • @Emma Wynn

Camp was almost over. Quidditch was in only a few days, 4 to be exact. And for some reason Botan found himself at a... date night? He had signed up for a bunch of random events this year at camp, because a part of him wanted to get a the full "camp experience." But the other part of him wanted to run back to his tent or somewhere all by himself where he could read his book in peace.

Botan sighed and hopped in the line that was forming to enter the ride. He didn't know who his date was, where she was from, or how old she was. This really was a blind date. Botan waited, adjusting the collar of his leather jacket. He was wearing his usual, a leather jacket, black pants, black combat boots and and a black shirt. With him, he had his wand, a bit of loose change, mostly sickles and knuts, and his small journal he took everywhere.

As the line moved along, he began people watching. He spotted many students meeting back up, chatting and laughing. One of his bad habits was eavesdropping, and he heard people flirting and began to question himself. Why was he here? He bit his lip, knowing it was too late for him to back out. Only a wimp would quit, he told himself. The line moved, and he moved with it.

After loads of waiting, Botan was finally close to the front. He spotted students climbing into boats, meeting their partners, and floating into the ride. Botan glanced around, trying to stuff down his nerves. He wanted to make a good first impression even though he had no desire for a relationship. When he first saw his date, he forced a slight smile on to his face, which was rare. He ducked his head to make his way into the ride. He plopped down on the cushions of the ride, and greeted his date.「こんにちは」 hello, he said in his native Japanese. "Hello." he quickly followed, understanding that his date would probably not understand Japanese. "I am Botan."

Fearless | Foulplay | Savior | Rapid Reviver
Stamina: 9 | Evasion: 15 | Strength: 7 | Wisdom: 8 | ArcPower: 5 | Accuracy: 10

(+4 from quidditch wins i, ii, iii, iv)

The gondola touched off and the effortless feeling of the decor leading the riders onto the boats was replaced with a self-playing violin, heart puffs, and the seat itself. Once they crossed the threshold of the tunnel itself, the scene transformed into one that was less sensory-overload and more captivating. The spring theme really reminded him of spring, Ripley thought, as he looked up at the weeping willow gently grazing the boats hull.

Summer had accepted Ripley's gift with a word of warm gratitude and he was elated. He hoped it would be as much a memento for her as it had been for him after the trip. Many a time he had felt its smoothness when reaching into his bag and now it was with this girl. Wait, he had she said something just now? There was so much going on with the boats soft rocking, the melodies of songbirds overhead, and Summer's leg beside his on the couch. Hogwarts, she had said. His brain took a second to ricochet her words into his conscious mind. Was he a student. Brushing the willow's pendulous branches away from the pair, Ripley answered:

"I'm not at Hogwarts yet. I mean, I'll be starting this year. Are you a student there?"

As he says this, the gondola passes out of the spring section and into the summer scene. The mostly quiet spring morning is replaced by a beach scene that contains...everything. As if an artist wanted to capture the shore but couldn't decide what to leave out. Ripley looked around blinking several times...

"Is it just me, or is this a bit much? Jellyfish, those weird fish flying around, whale song, and that violin is still playing! I wish I could turn it down so we could just talk."

As if to try to avoid the myriad distractions all around, Ripley turned his upper body toward Summer and focused all of his attention in her direction, his deep green eyes patiently waiting for her to respond.

𝓐ugust 26th.

It would be five days till the end of August, five days till she'd set foot on the rumbling locomotive back to Hogwarts. Five days to the end of Summer Camp. Walking along the gravel on her way back to her tent, Ruth tightened the cardigan around her torso. The sun had long since dipped down across the horizon, hidden amid the shrouding pine that previously cast long shadows across the ground. Once a benevolent shade of pink and orange, the sky had been repainted in dark, blue hues, stars dusting the night canvas. Her eyes gazed up at them, admiring the faint shimmers until her neck began to ache.

Time, Ruth thought to herself as she kicked at the loose pebbles under her feet, passes so fast. Dawn, Evening, Night. Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow. With all the activities in the past few days, it felt as though the month was almost over in a mere blink of an eye. She just...didn't want the day to end yet.

Mild chatter and bustling caught her attention as she rounded the path, and the Hufflepuff found herself facing a trickle of students entering a walkway illuminated by glowing flora. The scent of sweet rose and gardenia tickled her nose as Ruth approached curiously. There was no sign as to what it was, and Ruth could hardly recall the itinerary at this time of the day. Before she could find out, she was shuffled along down the line as the queue grew steadily. But, she tried to protest, only to be shushed by a beaming operator.

Was this her wish ambiguously coming true? Frowning to herself, Ruth ventured through the looming walkway. Despite the unknown beyond her, she found respite in the flowers. They were pleasant, a silent but comfortable accompaniment as she traversed deeper in. What was on the other end surprised her, yet it was deemed expected. Floating on the calm waters of the bayou was a gondola whose ancestry may have been derived from those cliche Valentine rides that were always present in carnivals. And since the camp was carnival themed…

Ruth moved towards the boarding area for a closer inspection, only to stop short as a presence emerged from the other end of the walkway. The boy was tan, and his dark hair was a gradient in the sky, though on a closer look, it might have been a rich brown in daylight. The rims of his glasses glinted against the shimmering pink bottle stuck onto the bow, and when he looked up Ruth noticed that the iris of one eye was more pronounced than the other. She smiled at him, growing increasingly awkward as she grew aware of the situation they had stumbled into. Or at least, the Hufflepuff. Ruth was unsure of how the other had gotten here, but seeing as there was no way back, might as well take the first leap forward.

“Well…” she broke the silence first, swinging her arms slightly as she bounced on her heels. “Er, guess we should, er, head into the gondola, huh?” She chuckled nervously, inwardly cringing to herself. Had she ever been this nervous in her life? Calm down, Ruth chided to herself, then brought up a hand to shake. “Ruth Fairchild, Second Year Hufflepuff. Er, Hogwarts,” she added, just in case.

CAT'S GRACE EVASIVE MANEUVERS

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𝐒𝐭𝐚: 𝟔 |𝐄𝐯𝐚: 𝟏𝟎 | 𝐒𝐭𝐫: 𝟒 | 𝐖𝐢𝐬: 𝟗 | 𝐀𝐫𝐜: 𝟒 | 𝐀𝐜𝐜: 𝟖

Action: Interacting with @Jarden Ardelis

---thoughts • speech • 380 words • outfit

Date: Aug/26/25 | School: Tenũsa | Location: Summer Camp! |Outfit: ✦ | Word count: 420
- Filipino - English - Thoughts -

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xxxAnd there she was. The person he would be spending the evening talking to, most surely being more awkward than necessary. But it helped just slightly that she seemed nervous, too.

xxx"It is wonderful to meet you, Ruth. I'm Jarden, in my second year, as well. From Tenūsa. And yes, I suppose we should."

xxxUsually when he was nervous his speaking got a bit more manner-like. Which was odd, he would have thought it would break up a little more, with a lot more filler words. But no. Just utterly formal and not at all fit for a casual conversation between two people who did not even know each other.

xxxShe seemed nice enough, pretty green eyes, though Jarden might have been a little biased as that was his favourite color. She had dark black hair, too while he was in the business of clocking features so he would not have the unfortunate luck of forgetting her name. Jarden did that a lot, in all honesty, he didn't remember half of his school mates names.

xxxBy the way she rocked on her feet while she talked he concluded that Ruth was a nervous fidgetter, just like him. Though, he usually just knocked one ankle against the other till he realized and then stopped. Or maybe she was just one of those people in constant movement, Mayah was like that. It made his head hurt, sometimes.

xxx"Let's hop to it, then?" Usually he refrained from using contractions of words, but he felt he had been spending too much time with Graci who used them like they were the newest best thing. It was also an over compensation for the overly proper tone of his speaking earlier.

xxxHe stepped onto the boat, gathering back his balance for a moment before holding out his hand for Ruth. Growing up with three sisters would hopefully teach anyone to have some manners. Hopefully, at least, otherwise there was no hope for you.

xxxJarden had never done too well on boats, much preferring brooms or something he had more control over. He was not a control freak... just cautious. Mayah called him a coward, but Jarden never minded, one of them needed to be slightly responsible, supposedly. Balance was also something much appreciated in his life. But alas, who was scared of a little boat and water?

xxxNot me, that is for sure. This is going to be great and I am not going to make a fool of myself. If luck is on my side.

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↳ Interacting With: @Ruth Fairchild
↳ Mentioning: @N/A
↳ OOC: He's very awkward, if you hadn't noticed.
↳ Action: Stepping onto the boat and being a gentleman???

"It's a production, for sure," Ripley agreed, smiling at Summer. They rode in silence for a short time.

"My gran went to Ilvermorny. Whenever she talks about it, she gets this goofy smile on her face," he said. Expecting a jovial response, he was a little surprised that there was a sad, far-off look in Summer's eyes, like watching a ship bearing your family disappear into a cold and foggy morning.

"You," he started, "don't like your school? The pair of them were quiet once again. The gondola drifted gently through an archway into the next section. This was a more subdued scene then the overfull summer escapade. Here was a sunset, lights dimmer, orange hues, dark trees and little candles all around. Other than the hokey pumpkins, the fall decor was, dare it be, romantic? Ripley made out the words "TRUTH" and "KISS CHECKPOINT" shining in the tiny glow of minuscule flames. Kiss checkpoint? Not likely! If he surprised this girl who he'd just met with a kiss, especially when she was lost in thought, he'd have to swim home! But this vibe wasn't going to do.

"Never mind," he interrupted, "we don't need to talk about school or anything else if we don't want to. We can just be ourselves here. Two strangers who met by accident, or fate, maybe. Summer and Ripley, Ripley and Summer. It doesn't sound too bad, does it?" The words "CONFESS HERE" stood out to him in the candlelight.

"I...I'm going to be starting Hogwarts this year and I haven't told anyone this, not even my parents but, well, I'm scared," Ripley stops and gazes at Summer, then something closes inside and his eyes flit from worry to a cordial confidence, "...but lets us not talk about all that. Let's have a happy time in this tunnel, shall we?"