The Summer BBQ Open Closed

Interacting with @Catriona Staverly

The spoon with the salad stopped midway to her mouth and she hastily put it back to turn and see who requested a sudden interaction. Meenauh wasn't the type of people, who attracted others for a conversation. She would prefer not attracting others further on. The voice behind her back was soft and way too young to be there.

She turned around and saw a girl with the expression of horror on her face as if Meenauh was a devil or something. 

"Hello, Catriona. May I be of any..." she started her interaction, but then she remembered the expression. That was the expression of a fresh new student finding a way through the halls of Hogwarts on their first day. No friends, no parents around, no anyone. She used to see a lot of them ten months ago, "Wait, are you?" she cut her interaction with a question, but then she thought again: it wasn't possible to be a first-year in July as the Sorting was supposed to happen in September and students couldn't come earlier... could they? And then she realised: "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, that can't happen, I hope they didn't," she started to mumble to herself and put her plate on the side of the rock she was sitting on.

"Don't tell me, Catriona, that your parents sent you earlier to Hogwarts? Well, don't tell me Hogwarts allowed students to arrive at Hogwarts earlier. For Merlin's sake, why would they do it to children?" she directed these questions to Catriona and pointed at the other side of the rock, inviting her to sit down.

Interacting with @Erin Ryan

Raine raised her eyebrow as she chuckled. "Your doctor? Arc knows his way around herbs and potions, sure, but I wouldn't call him a doctor."

'And he's my nerd.' she thought petulantly to herself as she kept her friendly smile on her face. Though inside she was raging at the older girl.

The girl's name was Erin. She had never heard of her until today but she could tell that the girl was a walking bag of confidence. Her aura just screamed 'I'm a bad bitch and I know it.' She was very pretty, but it was more of a beauty that Raine figured came with puberty and maturity. Maybe one day she would be as pretty as Erin Ryan. But for now, she was a bit flustered as the next question came from the older girl's mouth.

You got a thing for him?

Hesitation. That was what Raine was doing as she tried to gather her thoughts and answer the girl properly. "I-I-I don't know what you mean. Arc is my best friend. We grew up together. I-I don't have a-a thing for him," she stuttered out, blushing slightly. Why would she ask that? Did she have a thing for Arc? She did mention that he was her doctor. What did that even mean?

"You're right, he's better with books than with people most days, but he'll still 'notice' me because we're friends," Raine continued to watch Erin do pull-ups on the branch and wondered if the girl would accidentally fall on her. Or purposefully fall on her. Either way, the Gryffindor took a step away from the tree, still hiding in the shade of the tree as she looked fondly in the direction of Arc.

Erin's routine was not going to be disturbed, she could talk and get stronger. She needed to get stronger, it was her only option. "Liar," Erin replied as the girl stammered a denial. Arc was his name, that was an important thing to know. She climbed into the tree like a spider monkey, a veil of leaves serving as her barrier to the world as she looked in the same direction as Raine -- at Arc. Was he still alive? He better be. 

"Hey Arc, did you know this girl has a thing for you!" Erin shouted from the tree. She was pointing at Raine but her clever attempt at stealth by remaining within the branches of the tree made it impossible to see the young girl's pose. Erin had no romantic interest in Arc, he was just her nerd. Yes, she had staked a claim on him and she would protect him probably. At least until it proved to be too inconvenient for her. Whoever this weirdo was, she looked weak, even a nerd like Arc could take her on if she proved to be dangerous, evil or associated with the death witches. Raine had Erin's approval for now.

"Don't be a nerd, get out from under the Headmaster and date her or something!" The Slytherin demanded, her disembodied voice carrying further than just Arc. Yes, Erin was smartly hidden in the trees. Nobody would notice her up there with her loud shouting voice embarrassing yet another student. 

Interacting with @Meenauh Silmataurea

Catriona smiled slightly and moved to sit down next to the girl. She nodded at the other girl's words. "Yeah... My parents, or my mother actually, did. She wanted me to make friends before I got plunged into Hogwarts life," she said, moving her arms to emphasize her point. Catriona was certain her mother thought she would be some popular Quidditch star who everyone loved. Ha, she could barely hold a conversation with another person, let alone throw things while balancing on a broom. But her mother was adamant that she at least try.

It's not my fault Mum was popular and sporty and smart when she was a student, Catriona found herself thinking. Her mother was always attracting people, wherever she went. She could make friends with a grocery clerk and get herself invited to their wedding in five minutes. Catriona couldn't help but feel she could never match up.

At least her father understood. But he'd still agreed to send her to school early, despite his sympathy.

Realizing she'd been quiet for too long, Catriona spoke again. "I don't mind much actually. This way I get to check out the Library before everyone else does!" Was that too enthusiastic? She probably sounded like a looser... "What's your name?" she added hastily, hoping the other girl wasn't put off.

Bloom could feel that there was something odd between the two of them. What it was and why she had no idea. She usually found Dymphna to be filled with excitement and glee when she saw people she knew. Perhaps something more happened at the Graduation Party that she had no idea about. Shrugging it off, Bloom gave Dymphna a sad smile.

"I WISH I KNEW!" she screamed, feeling defeat. Bloom had signed up for a cabin a day before but was unable to be with people she knew such as Dymphna because they either were in a full cabin or they had not signed up yet. Bloom was bummed because the cabin she happened to be placed in was a haunted house with Erin Ryan. "I'm in a very interesting, scary place... I think there's an opening if you wanted to join, but it is with Erin Ryan...," Bloom said, rolling her eyes.

Though Bloom found some comfort in herself when it came to staying at the haunted 'cabin'. She was going to be spending most of her time outside the cabin as it was so it did not matter if all she had to do was sleep there.

"Who are you hoping to cabin with?" she asked, wondering if Serena or even Reid's name would pop up. Was there something going on with her and Reid? Not that Bloom was jealous or anything, for she was just curious.

Open to Interactions!
@Carson Miller @Maggie Parker @Dale Kurt

It took him a moment to realize that he was being spoken to, even when he heard his name. Carson was waving him over, and it would be rude to ignore him. "Carson, hi!" He managed, even if his mouth was still full of barbecue. Somewhat flustered, he downed his food before he walked over to join them with his plate in hand. He greeted the three of them with a smile. Maggie was there, of course, alongside Mac's fellow 'dragons', Carson and Dale. Why, all they needed was one more person and their whole cabin would be present.

Whrn Carson asked Mac where he had been, a soft pang of guilt ran through him. It was a crying shame, really; he'd hardly seen his bunk-mates at all since he'd joined their cabin. Mac spent a lot of his time outside, and on top of being an early riser, that left seldom opportunity to socialize with the other dragons. "Yeah, sorry about that," he said as he looked down at the ground, shuffling his shoe across the dirt as he spoke. "I really ought to spend more time with you guys."

At Carson's suggestion, he nodded. "That sounds like a great idea. This food is incredible. No one should miss out on it."

@Carson Miller @Mac Murphy @Dale Kurt @Meenauh Silmataurea
open to interactions!

Maggie shrugged, “That’s cool,” she said, and Carson nodded, heading back over to the lake where everyone was swimming. She grinned at Mac and Dale, “Do you want to grab a table?” she asked, scanning the scene for a table big enough to fit both of the cabins. As she did so, she recognized a few faces, one being Meenauh. “Hey Meenauh!” she waved at the girl in passing, a grin on her face. She knew her through Cabin Wars, as she had been helping Maggie plan out the whole thing. Maggie, spotting a table, quickly speedwalked over and set down her food, Mac and Dale following suit. “So,” Maggie said, a smirk blossoming on her face, “are you guys ready to pull the best prank in Cabin Wars?” she laughed, somewhat evilly, as she thought of the opportunities Cabin Wars held for pranking. “We are allies, y’know?” she said, clarifying. As the two cabins, Kelpie Corner and Dragon’s Den, had once been a big group, it seemed only fitting that they were allies in the epic prank war that was to take place over the summer. “I would invite you guys over tonight,” she began, “but Kelpie Corner is having a sleepover.” she quickly added, so she wouldn’t offend either of them, that, “But we should have a huge sleepover tomorrow night! That would be so awesome!”

Interacting with @Catriona Staverly

"Well, making friends among children in the same position as yours would make it much easier to make friends. And I'm talking about arriving together on the 1st of September in anticipation of being sorted. Your mother didn't think it through, I guess," Meenauh was somehow furious. Furious at parents who look for ways to get rid of their children, covering it with "for their own good" and "socialisation" nonsense.

Briefly interacting with @Maggie Parker

Suddenly her fury was interrupted by someone who called her over by name. She turned around and saw a girl waving at her. She could bet she was a fellow Gryffindor as she saw her during classes and in the common room, but she couldn't recall her name. She waved back with a thin smile and turned back to Catriona.

Back to interaction with @Catriona Staverly

"Well, she didn't send you to Hogwarts, dear. She sent you to the Summer Camp. There's no way we are allowed to the castle as the school year has ended, so I'm afraid there's no Library for you to access earlier," she sighed as she could understand completely what the girl felt at that moment, "But I have quite a lot of books in my pouch," she opened her pouch and pulled out the History of Hogwarts, apparently the most popular book on the Hogwarts Express, "Here you are. This should keep you entertained for quite a while. I have many more in my trunk, so ask me if you'd wish to read something else," she put the book right next to the girl not to interrupt her meal, which she apparently hasn't even touched yet, "I am Meenauh. Like 'me' and 'now', a Gryffindor, if that change anything."

It was the first time ever she referred to her as a Gryffindor. Has she accepted that? Was that second voice in her head a Gryffindor voice? Things changed quite a lot during her first year. Who knows what else the next year would bring on the table?

"Which house do you expect of being sorted in?" she asked the girl and continued to eat the potato salad.

Marissa had.. had.. an interesting summer so far. For the most part she just locked herself away in her dormitory, away from everyone else. She wanted to catch up on a lot of new series and movies, since she barely had time to do so during school hours. But now all of them were over.

Another reason was because everything seemed to be deja vu. It made her feel paranoid. But she decided to adventure out anyway. So Marissa entered the area where the BBQ was being held. Deja vu. Everything seemed so familiar, which made Mari feel as if she had gone crazy. Maybe her mind did finally break. The Hufflepuff sat by herself, making daisy chains as she waited for the BBQ to be ready.

Interacting with @Meenauh Silmataurea

Catriona could tell the other girl, Meenauh, was angry, possibly more so than Catriona was herself. It wasn't that she wasn't upset at her mother; she was. But she knew her mother though she was doing what was best for her. It didn't make her feel any less discombobulated.


At Meenauh's words about the Library, Catriona's face fell. She couldn't help the disappointment that flooded her, but she cheered up when she saw the book Meenauh had given her. Or let her borrow, really. She smiled at the other girl, oddly touched by the action.

"You're a Gryffindor? What's it like having a talking portrait for a door? Are your bedposts really carved lion heads?" Catriona was sure that last one was an exaggeration from her mother, but she asked anyway. "My mum was in Gryffindor. Dad was in Hufflepuff." She could feel excitement rising in her, despite her discomfort at being in a new environment. Hogwarts was truly a magical place (no pun intended) and she really couldn't wait for September 1st.

Realizing she'd zoned out slightly, she answered Meenauh's question. "I think I would probably be in Hufflepuff... or maybe Ravenclaw. I'm definitely not brave enough for Gryffindor or cunning enough for Slytherin... I'm pretty boring, really." She found herself absently fiddling with the book's spine. "I think Mum wants me to secretly be a Gryffindor. Catriona found herself laughing a little. "Maybe in an alternate universe." She paused for a moment. "And thank you for the book, Meenauh. I really appreciate it."