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Interacting with @Cecily Quinn and @Adam Harringtom
Closed to other interactions

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𝓡ooted to the ground in shock, Amadea looked around at all of the things that were available for them to do. There were telescopes, plenty of food for everyone, stories told by the professors, and and comfy blankets to sit and watch the stars. She was glad she had given the decision to Cecily; choosing between all of these amazing options would have been too much for her.

Amadea grinned as Cecily chose food; her stomach rumbled, almost as if on cue. "Perfect!" she said. It had been a long train ride and Amadea was ready for some dinner. She led Cecily over to where the baskets were and grabbed two, one for her and one for her friend. She then sat down at the closest picnic table, excited to see what goodies were packed inside of the baskets. As she slid the lid open, she saw a plethora of items inside of the basket. There was every possible ingredient that could be put into a sandwich, as well as some Honeydukes treats and other small snacks. Amadea's stomach rumbled again.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "They really put everything we could ever need in here!" she said to Cecily, glancing over to see how she was faring with her basket. "Honestly we could probably have just shared one," Amadea added. There was so much food. But of course, she was also glad to have it all to herself. There would be plenty of food leftover for a snack later in the night or she could bring it back to the campsite and have food for a midnight snack.

Amadea pulled out some turkey and bread, grabbing lettuce and tomatoes to put on top . As she built her sandwich, she looked up at Cecily, ready to open her mouth and begin catching up with her friend. It had been so long since they had time to have a long conversation with each other. Just as she was about to do so, Amadea spotted a mess of blond hair laying a few feet away at the other end of the picnic table. Amadea had been so caught up in her basket that she hadn't noticed anyone else was sitting at the table. As Amadea spotted the boy, she realized it was their good friend Adam Harringtom. Immediately, Amadea felt a pang of guilt that they hadn't invited him along to their stargazing event. Technically, Cecily had been the one to reach out to Amadea, so it wasn't like she had been the one initiating the plans. Plus, Amadea had spent the last week with Adam in their tent...which was an interesting experience to say the least. As much as Amadea was looking forward to having a girl's night with Cecily, she also knew that blatantly ignoring Adam would just prey on her conscious and ruin her night anyway.

"Adam!" she said, waving the boy over. "Come join Cecily and me!" She patted the bench next to her. It would be nice to catch up with both of her Ravenclaw friends; the squad hadn't hung out in the longest time, not since the relay race. She couldn't wait to hear what was new in their lives.

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Dmitri thought extra hard about what possessed him to come to the Stargazing activity tonight, as he pulled away--grimacing--from one of the large telescopes. Not one part of it even appealed to him. None of this was his choice.

Nothing ever went his way this year.

His aunt had to have an important job over the summer. The summer they'd have to go back to the Philippines for the first time since the incident three years ago and she had to leave him alone.

So it was either this or mope in his tent, isolated with his morbid thoughts. The boy tried so damned hard not to have them, but as the days went by, and the date of his homecoming came closer, it only got more difficult to stave them off.

Dmitri growled under his breath as he stared vengefully at the distant, twinkling lights in the vacuum of space. Why would people even want to spend precious time to stare at those useless things? The soft, melancholic feeling that the stars evoked in others only sparked a bitter resentment in the Slytherin boy. For him, they were just huge balls of fire and gas, slowly consuming themselves until they eventually burned out in a fiery death. A bright, brilliant, blazing light snuffed out at the drop of a hat. A light that, with its desire to burn even brighter, only consumed itself faster, bringing its end ever closer from its efforts.

Some even say that the stars you see might not actually be there. Some would have already been long dead--long since destroyed, broken, gone--and no one would know it.

Dmitri averted his eyes.

The sun was better. It was bright, substantial, there. What you see was what you get. No lies, no shams, just light, and truth. You could trust the sun to rise in the east and set in the west.

The sun made sense.

The older Slytherin scuffed his shoes on the soft ground, kicking pebbles in his boredom. In Dmitri's daily life of confusion and uncertainty, the sun was a welcome respite.

A soft breeze carried with it the scent of the woods--and a piece of paper that clung to the boy's leg. Bending over to discover one of the charts a Prefect handed out a while back, Dmitri looked in the direction from whence it came and saw a boy sprawled out on top of a picnic table. He appeared to be intensely focused on the heavenly bodies above his head, detached from the world down below.

The boy was familiar. And before he could even think about what he was doing, Dmitri was beside the picnic table, hands outstretched, the piece of paper held gingerly between his fingers. He cleared his throat before enunciating hesitantly, "You dropped this..."

His own boldness startled him. It was far from his personality to initiate a casual conversation with a stranger. Maybe it was the foreign environment, or maybe it was his stress and anxiety, but he just did something he had never done before--talk to strangers without a barely-concealed hostility.

And he was kinda scared.

Interacting with @Adam Harringtom
Open for Interactions

Interacting with Professor Kibitzer
Open to all Interactions!

Stargazing.

Were people really going to this event to stare at stars or was it about the opportunity of romance that can steam from hanging around the picnic areas? Bloom wanted to stargaze, but not for the reason of hooking up with anyone. She was sincere in seeing how many constellations she could find in the sky. She remembered reading about how some constellations were out during certain seasons. She wondered what constellations were out tonight.

Bloom, who did not own a lot of clothing and accessories, wore plain jeans and a plain black long-sleeved shirt. She heard that there were blankets during this event and she hoped to snag one while looking at the stars.

Walking to where everyone was "stargazing" she saw that most of the areas were taken. However, luckily, she was not a bit cold. It was a beautiful night and the stars were completely visible in the nighttime sky. Bloom looked around and wasn't able to see those that she knew off the bat. As she was slowly walking around, she overheard a couple students speak to the Divinations Professor, @Rosalind Kibitzer. It seems that Professor Kibitzer was giving free palm readings.

Should I...? Bloom questioned. Would knowing her future help her out of her funk? What if it was not what she thought it would be? What if Professor Kibitzer was a fraud and everything she says in a positive light does not come true? There were always so many unanswered questions when it came to seer magic. But realistically... What was the harm?

Bloom sat at the table and looked at the professor. It looked like she was finishing up two students. It seemed that one of them had an unfortunate reading. Bloom gulped and let out her hand. "Professor, do you have time to see what is in store for me? I-" Bloom didn't know how to tell the professor that she was not herself anymore and she wished she be a first year again where there were no problems and life was naive. "Please," she added.

Bloom looked at the other girls, and then looked down at her hand, scared of what may be shared.

The blaze of fire hovered into the night as the haze around them supplied a thin layer of smoke, providing a gloomy atmosphere to the clear night sky above. Percy appeared from the Pure-blood tent dressed in smart clothing, even if it wasn't for a special occasion. While he made his way day the long row of tents, the weather seemed calm and forgiving for once. It seemed to cater for the occasion and gave the kids a sense that summer was well underway.

Tonight's activity was stargazing, an event that greatly peaked his curiosity to know the great unknown behind the stars. He heard off some of the students that the stars sometimes gave off a formation, ones that had a meaning or something like that. Personally, he didn't know any but maybe some of the teachers would indicate it to them. Eventually, a space in front of him emerged to present the stargazing area. Percy had to admit, the teacher outdid themselves on this one. Along the sides were benches that the students could sit on and in the middle were comfy red blankets. As well as this, they also provided what looked like small telescopes for the kids to play with.

Percy stopped on the edge next to a bench and gazed around the area, looking for somewhere to sit and chill until something else came up. Not far was a free blanket, so he took it upon himself to sit down and use it before an undesirable snatched it. The Slytherin boy took a quick gaze around him before carefully laying himself onto his back to look up to the clear night sky, where the stars glittered brightly down to them. His thoughts were pretty much the same for the past few weeks, ones that riddled his mind. For good reason too, because he was finding it harder to convince himself to do it compared to actually putting it into plan. Whatever he decided, negatives were bound to come out on both ends.

Interacting with @Lindsey Springhall

Mentioning Airlia Winter and moping about Anastasia Beckett again

“Um, just wondering, is this friend’s name Airlia? Airlia Winter?” She asked him. “Her parents…um, I guess they’re sort of strict and…interesting too.”

Eyre shook his head. "No, her name is Ana. We've been friends for a long while, but this summer her parents are being especially brutal." He explained. Eyre had been friends with Ana for long enough to experience how utterly strict they could be, but he hadn't recalled a summer where it had been this bad. Granted, it could've been worse, but he was sure that they weren't cutting her any slack this time.

"Is Airlia a pureblood, by any chance?" He said, his tone turning from casual to dripping with muffled frustration. "That's usually how it is.. Pureblood parents are always coming up with excuses to flex how strict they can be." He explained, fumbling with the now-empty Chocolate Frog box as he tried to keep himself from ranting. To suggest that Eyre was only slightly cynical of his parents after his first year would be an understatement. In fact, per Ana's advice, each time he thought of them he kept looking forward to telling them off as soon as he got home, regardless of how steep the punishment was going to be.

He decided to change the conversation, in fear of getting any more heated.

"...Enough about me, how was your first year of school?" He asked her. "I don't think that I've ever seen you round before..."

May had completely forgot the Blossom Ball. And she had gone to say hi to Aaron. She took a deep breath, and looked at him going away. She didn't understand. She had just helped Lydia to, the castle. She couldn't understand why he was so- mad at her. She looked at Alan and Carolyn, thinking that they would hate her now. "I didn't mean to- you know- make him go away."

It was jealousy, that was all. The boy now hated her because he would've had been more than fine taking care of his best friend alone. Plus, the stress had made him twice as mad at her. She didn't want to be the bug of a conversation. Nevertheless, she shaked Carolyn's hand with a warm smile. "I had forgotten that Aaron and I weren't exacly friends. It's odd, since he is my captain, yet, I feel like we're going to be real friends one day. I'm sorry to have interrupted your conversation. I didn't mean to." she smiled at Alan and the Korean girl, hopefully, they would return it.

"Sure. I'll be more than happy to." she said, and sat down. She glanced back at her co-captain, and sighted once more.

@Percival Gray & @Dymphna Teague

Nell had finally arrived at the site of the stargazing. She decided it would be nice to go and relax. Nell loved anything to do with the moon and stars, so it might also be a fun night for her. Earlier, Nell had received a chart of some constellations that would be seen tonight. Nell set it aside for she really wanted to be relaxing, not frantically searching for a constellation. She had decided to dress somewhat warmly tonight, not sure of the temperatures as they were always subject to change. She wore a light sweater, denim shorts, and some white shoes that were surprisingly comfortable. Nell found a red blanket a took a seat on it. She got her first good look at her surroundings. It really was a fabulous setup. She glanced up at the stars in awe. It looked amazing up there. Nell stood up quietly and sat at the picnic table, peeking inside the basket. There was cheese, fruits, and pretty much anything you could think of! It was amazing. Nell wasn't extremely hungry at the moment, so she disregarded the food for now. With that, she sat back down on the blanket at watched the sky happily.

OOC note: Apologies for the delay. As it turns out I am quite a popular woman, I'll set up a queue so each of you can find out how you die in due time.

The queue: Maria Dee | Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood | Bloom Silverton

Professor Kibitzer chuckled as Elspeth tried to diffuse the solemn mood that her first request had put into the air. The children were all wrecks this summer, and it was no surprise why - the last few months had been a roller coaster for everyone. These kids weren't equipped to deal with it. Even Rosalind found it difficult to cope some days with all the disasters, but what was life if not a long series of survived disasters? The woman took the girl's hand and traced along the lines of her palm, murmuring something before setting her aside to be spoken to later. She was here to tell fortunes, not give therapy.

With that problem set aside for later, her eyes scoped out young Maria Dee approaching the table. The professor steepled her fingers, looking down at the Hufflepuff as she eyed the table. She would have seen her brief reading for Elspeth earlier - what could she have gleaned from such a quick glance over the girl's palm? Nothing, or maybe everything. Divination was a polarizing subject - skeptics tended to disbelieve every part of it, while enthusiasts dove headfirst into the murky waters of fortune-telling. "Do you have a question as well, miss...?" the professor wondered, beckoning @Maria Dee to take Elspeth's place as the other girl departs.

As @Carolyn Hunt passed, Rosalind gave the girl a brief look and a nod. It was nice to see students waiting their turn rather than clambering over one another for a chance at hearing what their future might hold. Young people had such a vast sea of possibilities for their future, and not an ounce of patience to wait and see what happened. It was irritating. So many young people had flocked to her already. @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood got a glance and a nod of acknowledgement, the professor mentally counting her as 'in line'.

@Bloom Silverton got a less cordial acknowledgment. "I will have time when I have given some to these other students who have so politely lined up," she said, nodding forward at the orderly row of hopefuls that had arranged themselves before her. She didn't hold a grudge, but she did shoo Bloom to the back with a flick of her wrist. "Now, then - I see we have something of a line forming... how about this - one question, one answer, then you let the next student by for theirs. . You can choose between your hand or the bones. I don't intend to crystal-ball gaze unless one of you is boring and I need to pass the time." Maria could tell the professor was definitely an American by the sound of her accent - it made her sound even angrier (or maybe that was just her voice.) The professor stared at @Maria Dee, expecting a question - or for the young girl to get out of the way.

Interacting with @May Moonstar, @Alan Vanes, and @Carolyn Hunt
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How long had it been since Mars had properly seen the stars? God, they'd forgotten how beautiful they were, the globes of gas that only twinkled through the atmosphere of a planet. A modifier, a redirection, the same way water breaks light, makes the images underneath is swirling depths seem wavering and unstable. Perspective, perspective. Sometimes, that was all it was about.

But enough with that. They'd done enough thinking to last a lifetime in just the last few days, stress building into a painful lump in their temples as August slowly approached. Right now, they'd let the cool night air wash it all away. The stars were out after all, and to them, they always promised a refreshing chill and a good night's sleep.

Picking their way across the area, they glanced appreciatively at each of the stations the professors had set up, obviously care put into each of them. Maybe on a different night, Mars might have gone and poked around, but right now, there was nothing they wanted more than just—to be alone.

Alone? A deep wave washed through Mars' chest. They stared at the ground beneath their feet, trying to blink the feeling away. The thought shouldn't hurt as much as it did. They'd spent hours alone before, simmered in gentle silence, the emptiness only a comfort that wrapped itself around their shoulders. But now, now—the images of their brothers' faces seemed to flash before their eyes. No. Alone was one thing. Lonely was another. And this kind of loneliness was dragging them down, holding fast, clawing at their throat in an effort to force them to stop breathing.

Mars gritted their teeth. No. Not today. They looked up, scanning the crowd for anything, anyone. Just—someone to fill whatever void that letter had cut into their heart. Unhealthy? Probably. But there was nothing else they could do.

Finally, they noticed a small group huddled around the second table. An Asian girl, a boy with a cat, and a small witch all chatting with one another. Carolyn, Alan, and May. Mars might have staggered over for all they knew, stopping one the way to pull themselves together. When they looked back up, there was nothing but a small smirk and crossed arms to show.

Carefully, they came to stand in front of the three.

"Carolyn," they smiled, nodding their head at the quiet girl, "Alan, May. Hi." Wow, it was like taking attendance. Laughing softly at their own thoughts, they glanced back at the group.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Mars shifted their gaze up to the canopy of stars above. It really was beautiful. But maybe, maybe a sad kind of beautiful, the way rainy days photograph so well. All they could think about was that they might have been able to spend today looking at the stars with Plato in their lap, Urian and Sandor pointing out the constellations while Julius told small stories to a drowsy Nereus. They wondered if their brothers were looking at the sky right now, seeing the same stars and thinking the same things. Funny, how the sky could seem so happy one moment and so sad the next. Perspective, really. A modifier, a redirection, a letter crumpled in the trash that should have disappeared from their mind a long time ago—but had not. It was all about perspective.

Dragging themselves out of the spiral starting to form, they mentioned to the group with soft eyes and a gentle voice.

"It sure is beautiful tonight.