Library Lock-In Ravenclaw Closed

Cecily smiled as the other girls introduced herself as Cecily as well, already imagining how confusing this could get. It was only a few minutes into the night, and she already knew two people more than she used to, which was was big for her as she had not interacted with a plethora of people since coming to Hogwarts. Midas seemed a bit awkward, and the other Cecily a bit shy, but apparently all Ravenclaws were the same, as she related to both.

Cecily wove her way between tables and readers, keeping to the outskirts so as not to get ambushed by any other overly-friendly housemates. Upon reaching the food table, Cecily eagerly took in the massive amounts of sweets, cupcakes, biscuits, and other snacks.

Grabbing a biscuit, Cecily ate it in silence until Midas and Cecily began talking. The other Cecily mentioned her lack of friends, and Midas seemed to empathize. Midas soon steered the conversation towards the Lock-in, and asked what they thought might happen tonight.

"Well, Adam's been dropping some hints that he and Phaedra have planned some awesome activities for us, but he won't tell me what. I'm sure it will be fun, whatever it is!" Cecily said, still only kind of mad at Adam for keeping it a secret. "What do you think, Other Ceci-- uh. Oops. I'm sorry, I've been thinking of you as 'Other Cecily', just because I'm Cecily and it's kind of weird to think about someone who has the same name as me because then I feel like I'm talking about myself-- I'm sorry if that's kind of weird. It's weird," the girl cut herself off sheepishly, embarrassed at her awkward slip and even more awkward attempt at a cover-up. She should just sew her mouth shut, that would solve a lot of problems. "Um...is there anything I can call you that sounds less like I'm speaking in the third person?" Cecily laughed as she realized that this was already confusing, and was only going to get worse. She felt bad as soon as she heard her words, for they implied that Cecily Queen was the one that had to change her name and therefore was lesser, but that was not how she meant it when she spoke. Hey, their similarities might be used as an advantage at some point in the future, but at the moment, it was just strange.

Cecily decided to grab a cookie from the snack table and politely ate quietly. Cecily shrugged as Midas asked what they thought would happen. She agreed to what Cecily Quinn said, about fun activities. She smiled and chuckled, as Cecily Quinn became confused about the names.
"This will get confusing," Cecily said, laughing. "I think it's really funny we met each other at this Lock-In! I mean, of all people! I'm so surprised I ran into you!" Cecily smiled and looked at her feet. "You can call me Cici if you want. Sometimes my family calls me that," Cecily shrugged again.

Then Cecily noticed another girl (Eri Windstone) go and sit down by herself to read a book. Cecily excused herself from Midas and Cecily and went over to the girl.
Let's hope she says yes and comes over to us, Cecily thought nervously. What she was doing now, was a little out of her comfort zone.
Don't make it awkward, don't mess it up, don't stammer, just relax Cecily told herself under her breath and she approached Eri.

"H-hi there, my name is C-Cecily, well you can call me Cici if you want," Cecily began, remembering how it would probably be easier to introduce herself to someone as a different name than Cecily so it wouldn't get confusing.
"Uh, if you want, you can join me and two other R-Ravenclaws and the snack table. We're just talking, and I n-noticed you seemed a bit lonely. Of course, if you're interested in your book, then it's fine."
Cecily smiled nervously at the girl, her hands and lips shaking.

As the brunette was reading she saw someone come over to her. Quietly she put the book away and turned her attention towards the girl. It was a bit hard to watch since she seemed so nervous so Eri smiled at her. "I'm Eri Windstone. Sure I could come over. I need some more friends. It's nice to meet you, Cecily." She said as she put her book into the bag she had slung over her shoulder. Maybe this would be fun after all and not just another thing she can say she did.

Eri stood up and looked around. "Do you know many people in our house? I know a few just not a lot." She said to the girl. It looked like things were getting better for her today. She was making some friends today. Now she wondered what the games that were planned for everyone to play would be. Hopefully something fun. Any game might be fun if you have the right people to do it with. So hopefully the games planned would keep everyone entertained and possibly bring friendships her way. Though maybe it will be a fun time to remember and hopefully do the next year.

Cecily smiled at Eri. "I-it's nice to meet you too, Eri. You're right, the more friends the better, I guess," Cecily agreed, looking down at her shoes. She couldn't help it. She appeared way to shy.
I guess they'll have to get used to it, and I'll have to be better at it, Cecily thought.
She led Eri to the snack table, which was a little ways away. Cecily nodded, ready to answer Eri's first question.
"Well, not very many. I try to meet as many as possible, but as you just have expirenced, I'm... um... shy." Cecily continued, "Pretty much all of the people I have met from Ravenclaw are really nice and understand my nervousness. I really think all Ravenclaws can relate to each other, or at least most of them." Cecily shrugged.
They made their way to the snack table. When they got there, Cecily introduced Eri.
"Um, Eri, this is Cecily Quinn and Midas Jones. Midas and Cecily, this is Eri Windstone." Cecily smiled at the group she was in. They all seemed very nice, and Cecily was happy she found a group to be with.

"So, how is school going for everyone so far?" Cecily asked, turning to Eri, Midas, and Cecily.

Adam waited off to the side of the library's entrance, waiting intently for any stragglers that might not have arrived with the rest of the group. He and Phaedra had decided to cap the event off at 25 students, so as not to overwhelm themselves, and though he didn't know how many were milling about the shelves, if they didn't start soon, they would run out of time. Nodding at his fellow Prefect, he walked quickly over to the middle of the room and hoped he wouldn't have to yell too loud. It was a library, after all -- yelling just felt wrong.

"Hi again, everybody! As much as I hate to interrupt your conversations, it looks like all of us are ready to get the night started, so we're going to go ahead and do that! You'll have plenty of time to talk throughout the night. I'm sure you've noticed that not quite everybody is in here, but if they get in late, we'll fill them in. Now, let's get this show on the road! Everyone grab a seat -- the floor is fine, but if you want a chair, you can drag one over -- and I'll introduce the first game."

He and Phaedra had decided to start with an icebreaker activity. It had been the most logical starting choice, as they weren't sure exactly who knew who, and it would be fun to learn a little more about their classmates before the end of the school year. He'd spent a week asking around for suggestions and had thought about consulting one of the professors, but had decided against it in the end. He didn't want to bother them with such a small thing, and besides, he wasn't even sure if they knew any of those games in the first place. Finally, he'd narrowed it down to three options, and from there, the choice had been pretty easy. It wouldn't take much explaining, but it would hopefully keep the first-years entertained and occupied until the rest of the night's events could begin. Smiling at his housemates, he joined them on the floor.

Pulling a small inflatable beach ball from the pocket of his robes, Adam tossed it between his hands while he described the game they'd be playing. He was sure the beach ball would attract a few confused glances, but its purpose would be revealed shortly. It was a relief to finally have it out of his robe; he hadn't thought it was going to fit in the pocket in the first place, and it had been bothering him from the moment he'd arrived in the library. This wasn't about the beach ball, though, it was about the game, and he had to remind himself to focus. This night couldn't go wrong.

"Alright, this game is pretty simple. It's called 'Quick Thinking', and hopefully you'll all like it. This ball is going to be passed across the circle, and when you get it, you'll have to describe yourself in three words. Seems normal enough, right? The catch is that you have to say the first three words that come into your head. It can be a hobby, an interest -- anything you think of that's about you. I'll start us off real quick, and then I'll throw it to someone else for their turn." Tossing the ball a short distance above his head, Adam caught it and called out three words of his own. "Italian food! Blue! Uh...tall!"

While not the most descriptive choices he could have made, Adam thought that had been an adequate example. Smiling with just the slightest hint of embarrassment, he checked the faces of his housemates to try and gauge their enthusiasm. "Remember, the most important part is that you don't think about it. That way, you'll have a nice change before the end of the year. You can throw it to anyone you want, and if you don't know their name, just ask. Ready?" Looking around the circle for a target, he sent the ball their way and called their name. "Jeronimo!"

OOC RULES

1. Limit replies to one per person -- the game will do this naturally, but it will be easier to sort through and read. Going off of this, please make sure to "pass" the ball to someone new each time.

2. You do not have to wait for Phaedra to respond to this post to start the game, but respect the actions of the person before you -- in other words, if they pass it to someone else, don't post your reply yet.

3. The 200 word limit does still apply during this game. If you find yourself struggling, try reflecting on the meaning of the words after you call them out, or have your character comment on what he/she has learned. I believe in you!!

Have fun!

Jeronimo watched the ball spinning in the air as it approached him. Why was he first? He didn't even have time to think of his words. This was actually pretty unfair, the other kids would have more time to prepare than he did-

Extremely stressed, Jeronimo could see the multi-colored ball encompassing his vision. The boy winced as he slapped his forearms over the ball.

"What," he managed to say.

Yeah, great start, Jeronimo.

Actually, if it was taken as a sort of ironic fashion, then it was pretty clever! Right? “What”. The thing that identifies him is “what”. He’s a confusing entity, who made strange comments and was constantly criticizing things most people took for granted! And how boring is “odd”, you know?

“Uh uh uh... Guitar.”

Jeronimo scowled. Yeah, he played guitar. This would’ve been interesting information if he’d BROUGHT his guitar. Beautiful thing. Córdoba nylon. He was learning classical guitar. But he couldn’t play it anyway, the guitar head was chipped, so if he wanted one, he’d need to buy a new one. Hey, actually, Jeronimo could repair that with the Mending Spell now.

WAIT, HIS MUM COULD HAVE REPAIRED IT WITH THE-

“Uhhhhh Correct Boulder.”

Finally. Something workable. People will have NO idea what that means.

“Errrr Emma.”

Jeronimo deftly tossed the beach ball.

The game sounded fairly easily, but Emmaline had hardly had time to think of her words. At the thought of Italian food, she wanted to say Italy, but she went with another nationality. She looked at the beach ball as it hurled towards herself, catching her by surprise slightly. 

"Oh, crap." That had been meant to be kept to herself. "Volleyball, Spanish... umm.." The last one had been troubling for her. The brunette was tempted to say some sort of other sport or random nationality that had nothing to do absolutely with her. 

What else could she possibly say that would be, well, school-friendly? She tapped her foot, racking her brain harder than she should have. It was about her, but why did she care about the thoughts of her house members? She only knew a few, and some she hadn't had exactly a good first impression. 

If it was plausible (which it was) the colors of the ball were probably distracting her thoughts. "Ar- Acrobatics?" With all the room in the library, she could easily flip around... and knock a few things over in the process.

"Midas," Emma said hitting the beach ball upward in his direction with a fist. 

When he heard this name called, Midas wasn't exactly sure why. He hadn't really been paying attention to what Adam had said, just something about naming three things that describe a person, as well as something about a ball. "Wha-" Looking up, he saw a rather large beach ball heading towards his face from the direction of another girl. He raised his hands up and barely managed to catch the ball, and it teetered within his arms due to its size.

"Umm..." Thinking fast, he shouted "Animals?" He had always liked animals, spending the majority of his childhood with them for friends. That would seem rather obvious to pick that for one. Right after, he quickly continued with "Reading!" and "Umm, Music!" Wow. What a generic set of words that describe many other people in the world. Absolute genius. Midas enjoyed reading his books, and he had even brought along his favorite, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them along to the lock-in! He also enjoyed listening to music, as well as sometimes playing the piano. Oh well. They were too generic in the end.

Midas quickly looked around. He saw a familiar face and shoved the beach ball into her direction. "Cecily!" However, right before the ball left his hands, he remembered there were two of them and quickly followed up with "Q-Quinn!"

Maybe he should start listening to what was happening.

Cecily looked up as the beach ball began its slow arc towards her, Midas calling her name. She had been trying to think of words, but nothing came to mind and now she was running out of time to think. The first word that popped into her mind was "wildebeest", and now that was all she could think. But where did that come from? It had nothing to do with her at all! Perhaps it was her subconscious relating her personality to a wildebeest, but Cecily doubted it, as she didn't know enough about the creatures to relate herself to them.

Ummwildabeestwildabeestcantyouthinkofsomethingotherthanwildabeestwhatareyoueven-- She was usually calm under pressure, but not ten-plus-eyes-on-her sort of pressure. Ten wasn't a lot of people, but it was a lot for the reclusive Ravenclaw, as she was generally not that great in social situations to begin with. Now she had to think under a time crunch, with people staring at her, and she hated it.

Please don't say "wildebeest", she prayed as the beach ball landed in her outstretched hands.

"Wil-- um, reading?" Yep, already off to a great start. "Awkward." Case in point. "And, um, creative?" Very generic, but it worked. Although, now that she thought about it, saying "creative" wasn't very creative of her. The irony made her giggle a bit-- not that she was a giggler, usually, but it was late and she got weird when she was tired.

Mostly friendless, antisocial, claustrophobic, introvert... Now that she was out of the pressure, Cecily could think of real words that weren't animals. Not that she would say many of those in front of near-strangers, even if they were housemates participating in a house-bonding event.

Looking around at her fellow Ravenclaws, Cecily tossed the ball into the air. "Cecily! Uh, Queen!" she said, pushing it in the direction of a familiar face.

Cecily jumped as the other Cecily called her name. She let out a little scream, clearly startled. Cecily was not really paying attention to other people around her, but trying to think of words to say. She jerked her head up and saw the beach ball spinning towards her. Cecily caught it, although she almost fumbled it.

How embarrasing! Cecily thought quickly as the ball landed in her hands.

"Uh... Um... Reading!" Cecily almost shook her head at that word. Reading! The past 3 people have said that! But then again that does describe me. Cecily thought again, with an image of her going down to the Great Lake carrying her two favorite books. She almost driffited off into her happy thoughts, but snapped back into focus. She needed two more words!
"Coconut Ice!" Cecily called out, looking around the room. There were lots of eyes upon her, and Cecily could feel her face getting hot. At least that one was an okay word. Cecily thought again. For a second Cecily had an image in her mind of her sweet grandma handing her pink and white candies to her. She snapped back into focus again and stared hard at the beachball.
"Um. Luna Lovegood!" Cecily blushed as she looked back up again. All eyes were upon her. She didn't know very many, and almost all the ones she knew had already had their turn. "Eri Windstone!" Cecily cried, throwing the ball up in the air. She hardly knew Eri, but didn't know anyone else's names.
As she let go of the ball, Cecily sat back on her chair. That was very stressful, Cecily thought to herself, smiling.

{OOC} Sorry for not replying sooner!