One last midsummer event with my roommate on Labyrinth Gardens

Headmaster Brockert

July 13, 2014 4:48 PM

Scavenger Hunt. (nm) by Headmaster Brockert

Subthreads:

I would prefer not to be thought of as a scavenger by Effie Arbon, Crotalus

One last midsummer event with my roommate by Thaddeus Pierce II with Evan Brockert,Aladren

An attempt at verbosity by Theodore Wolseithcrafte, Aladren

11 Headmaster Brockert Scavenger Hunt. (nm) 6 Headmaster Brockert 1 5

Effie Arbon, Crotalus

July 14, 2014 6:43 AM

I would prefer not to be thought of as a scavenger by Effie Arbon, Crotalus

The majority of the activities at the Bonfire did not appeal to Effie. She most certainly was not going to gorge herself on cheap, nasty food to the point of nausea or beyond, and she wasn't likely to get on a broom in front of her peers. Her father had no particular problem with her flying but she knew people here might think ill of her. The other races sounded a little fun, but it very much depended to whom one was tied and how dirty the sack was, along with how much dignity it was possible to maintain whilst completing either activity. She rather suspected the level to be somewhat low.

There was one activity, however, which had caught her attention. A scavenger hunt. Effie had always enjoyed being outside and appreciating the natural world around her. When she was younger, nature walks had been a frequent occupation of her and her sisters, along with setting each other lists of things to spot on their journeys from the house down to the cove where they swam. From the description provided, the scavenger hunt sounded much along those lines, and so she headed to the Labyrinth Gardens.

As the interested parties gathered around the start line, she scanned the crowd for appropriate team mates. Perhaps some people would be rushing for those of the same house, given the reward of points, but she would much rather attach herself to someone whose company she found appropriate. She was here to enjoy the challenge, not to win it. Spying such a face, she made her way over.

“Would you care to work together? I always feel these things are better enjoyed with company,” she proffered.

13 Effie Arbon, Crotalus I would prefer not to be thought of as a scavenger 238 Effie Arbon, Crotalus 0 5

Thaddeus Pierce II

July 18, 2014 10:03 PM

One last midsummer event with my roommate by Thaddeus Pierce II

Every midsummer event for the last seven years, Thaddeus had done something with his roommate. This year would be no exception. There was, of course, the overnight tenting, which they'd do together as they had for the last bonfire, but this time there were events during the day as well. Thad could have opted to do something with Alicia - they were officially betrothed now, so it wouldn't be unexpected - but they would be living the rest of their lives together while Thad and Evan were now at the very end of the seven long years that they had shared a home. Thad wanted to spend this last day with his best friend.

After the Headmaster announced the field day events, they had come to a quick consensus that they would try out the scavenger hunt. Thad thought it sounded like the one that would afford a graduating Head Boy the greatest amount of dignity while competing in it, plus he thought it seemed right up Evan's alley, too, since his roommate habitually spent a fair amount of time wandering the Gardens looking for art supplies.

Arriving at the Gardens, there was a small wait while the other students coalesced into teams, but eventually, the game began and the two seventh years were given a list of items to find in the Labyrinth. "So," he began, looking over their list of objectives, "Do we want to have a plan or just wander around the gardens hoping to come across some of this stuff?"

He felt a remarkable lack of competitiveness. Maybe it was that he had already achieved everything Sonora could give him - Head Boy, a trophy in the Trophy Room, a fiance, a solid academic record that should get him into any university in the wizarding world - and he had nothing left to prove. Maybe it was that he had grown and matured enough that a few mere house points no longer seemed to matter in the grand scheme of things, even if they might alter whether or not Aladren won the House Cup. Maybe he was too exhausted after a year of madness to get worked up over something relatively trivial.

Or maybe it was just Evan finally rubbing off on him.

1 Thaddeus Pierce II One last midsummer event with my roommate 213 Thaddeus Pierce II 0 5

Theodore Wolseithcrafte, Aladren

July 19, 2014 1:48 AM

An attempt at verbosity by Theodore Wolseithcrafte, Aladren

Theodore suspected that the populace of Sonora expected all the Quidditch players to flock towards the egg and broom race. And whilst it was possible that he could (the events did not overrun each other for the precise reason of maximising participation) he was already quite resolved in his mind that the scavenger hunt was the only activity that held any appeal for him that day.

He enjoyed Quidditch in part because it gave him an adequate excuse to be alone. Going out for a fly was considered socially acceptable, as was walking or jogging by oneself, both of which he also did. It allowed him to take time out away from the hubbub of school life without anyone thinking of him as socially inadequate; he wasn't just being avoidant, he was engaged in an activity. He had never been quite sure what was so appalling about simply enjoying being alone but it was rarely accepted. People misunderstood it, assuming there had to be a desire to join in but that the person lacked the skills or confidence to do so. Such misguided people then had a mercenary tendency to show you mercy by roping you into whatever loud and irritating activity they were engaged in. Quidditch threw him together with other people and occasionally forced a spotlight on him, but being Keeper, he was usually well out of things. It made him a part of things without overwhelming his need for solitude. He therefore saw little appeal in a race, which would be a one off cacophony of fumbling and ineptitude.

The scavenger hunt was a chance for a long walk, or a run, through the gardens. It was a way of being a participant in the field day, instead of merely an observer, but which engaged him in something close to his habitual activities. He lined up at the start, deciding not to set off immediately at a run and risk looking preposterously competitive. It wasn't out of concern for being the first to finish, he just enjoyed it. Perhaps once he had broken apart from the pack a bit he would jog a while.

He gave the list a cursory glance, planning to study it in more detail once he got away from the group. He was better at formulating ideas when he was alone; the start line was crowded and he felt pressured by the sensation that people were evaluating him. He folded his list exactingly into quarters and placed it in the breast pocket of his shirt. He was mentally mapping a route into the gardens and was feeling content and confident in his plan, until he was interrupted by a voice piping up at his side...

OOC - hopefully it's apparent that I'm trying to make this a contender for the vocabulary thread, so would appreciate wordy replies!

13 Theodore Wolseithcrafte, Aladren An attempt at verbosity 270 Theodore Wolseithcrafte, Aladren 0 5

Evan Brockert,Aladren

July 20, 2014 2:08 AM

Kinda sad, huh? by Evan Brockert,Aladren

It felt kind of weird to be graduating Sonora. Things were going to be different, and while Evan had a tendency to take things as they came, not to really get upset about that much, he was still...going to miss it here. When it came down to it, other than having to be on time for class or get locked out in some cases, there was absolutely nothing and nobody that really bothered him enough to not want to be at school. Evan knew some of his older siblings and other relatives had ended up unhappy, that school had damaged them but he'd been lucky. He had a best friend and no real enemies. He was even becoming more attached to his betrothed.

Of course, him graduating was most likely having a much more profound effect on his mother than on him. The Aladren could still remember how badly she'd taken it when he'd gone off to Sonora in the first place. Evan was the youngest of all his siblings, the baby of the family. He would probably end up staying around home for another year, working on his art, for her sake. It wasn't as if he would be getting married for at least another year, as Lucille would still be in school. He didn't feel the need to go to an art school or anything either. In fact, the idea of going to a school for art seemed a bit ridiculous to him. Who needed to be taught art? It was inside a person, waiting to get out, expressing who they were. That couldn't be taught by an instructor.

And maybe Evan hadn't accomplished as much as some, but he'd done enough for himself, been successful by his own standards. He felt he was happier for it, not ending up stressed out in the process. The seventh year had never been the most competitive of people, never really feeling like he had much to prove, other than the thing with Nora and Art Club a couple years ago. That had truly hurt him-and it had been really unnecessary.

In fact, the one goal Evan had now, the one thing he felt he really still wanted to learn and most likely would need lessons in, was to become an Occlumens to keep Nora, who was working to become a Leglimens, out of his head. He quite honestly didn't entirely trust her. Not that Evan necessarily thought she was a horrible person, but his thoughts were his own and it was up to him whether or not he wanted to share them with people.

There was one other thing he really wanted to make happen, and that was an art gallery at Sonora for student art. The thing was that, well, it was true, he wasn't the most organized person. Evan really wasn't someone who made much happen and mostly he was okay with that. He supposed he could use family connections, something some people might scorn, but truth be told, it was how lots of things got done and he didn't want to use them for nefarious purposes that benefitted only him. An art gallery would not only be to display things Evan had done, but all students regardless of who they were. It would be something that celebrated artistic accomplishments of all students, and he quite frankly couldn't see anything wrong with that.

He lined up with Thad, preparing for the scavenger hunt. It did, quite honestly, appeal to him the most out of anything. The Aladren wouldn't mind eating hot dogs, as from the point of view of someone who didn't eat such things on a normal basis, they were almost an exotic novelty, but he didn't know if he wanted to eat that many of them. Plus, it wasn't something Evan could do with his best friend and soon to be former roommate. He knew he'd be seeing a lot less of Thad than he currently was, and while guys typically weren't supposed to be sentimental, he couldn't help but feel a little bit...sad about that. Even if they kept in touch, which was quite likely given their places in society, it was not the same as sharing a room and the other seventh year was probably the non-family member Evan was closest too, more so than Lucille.

They'd always done things together at the Midsummer event as well, and so this last time was not going to be an exception. Later, the two would share a tent of course, even if they met up with other friends at the fire itself, but it would be a lot of fun to participate in one of the games together too.

Evan blinked. Thad was going to be okay without a plan? Obviously he didn't have one himself, that almost never happened but his friend seemed to really like them. He peered down at the list. "Well, I mean, I'm obviously okay with just wandering. I actually know where some of this stuff is though. Of course, some of it's nowhere near each other."

11 Evan Brockert,Aladren Kinda sad, huh? 212 Evan Brockert,Aladren 0 5