Selina Skies

May 06, 2023 10:23 PM
Right now, it was Selina’s job to celebrate the end of term. And that was what she was doing. The incident with Xavier was as resolved as it could be, in that he had been sent away for further treatment, and the steps that had led to this happening had been investigated. It was never easy when something went badly wrong. In some ways, it became all consuming—for several days, dealing with the fallout of the incident had been Selina’s number one priority, and normal responsibilities and previous carefully scheduled plans had had to be roughly shoved aside to make room for talking to parents, investigating the incident, arranging counseling sessions… But at the same time, life didn’t stop. The rest of the world did not grind to a halt because of one person’s emergency. Being deputy head was always like keeping a series of plates spinning, and even this didn’t mean the rest got put away or could be allowed to crash down. There were exam procedures to run (with a tiny, overlapping hitch of removing one of the candidates from the roster), there was the bonfire to arrange. Selina’s heart hurt, but those feelings had to be packed away in the interests of keeping everything moving. Rather than having an acute attack of tears or sorrow, she carried it like a chronic weight throughout the week—the deep, dragging and ever present sensation of something being very wrong. The feeling spiked whenever her mind circled back around and actively thought about the situation, but then she put it away again.

It was both on her mind and distant from it as she prepared to welcome students to the bonfire. This was about everyone. It was a celebration. It needed her attention. But the ritual she’d been trying to work out had only just crystalised in the last few days, and she couldn’t say how connected it was to recent events.

“Good evening,” she greeted the assembled students. “Welcome to the end of term bonfire. As usual, we will have food available, including items you can cook over the small fires around the edge. We will be reserving the large fire in the middle for setting positive intentions.” Selina indicated the large bonfire in the middle. Around it, at a distance, sat smaller ones to make cooking easier, and so as to not muddle the purpose of the main fire—if fire was power and purity, then shoving a baked potato or a marshmallow into it wasn’t really appropriate. “Whilst fire can be destructive, and can be used to burn away things you want rid of, in many cultures, fire is seen as offering power. The idea of burning a wish in fire is said to transport the idea out of this realm, and lend it strength. Tonight, you are encouraged to make a wish on behalf of a classmate.” This was the part that had come to her in the last few days. The idea of setting a positive intention using the fire had been knocking around her mind for a long time, but teenagers often wished for selfish or unrealistic things for themselves—wishing someone would date you didn’t respect their free will, and wishing that you could get the best grades in the class couldn’t work if everyone wanted it. Not that the wishes would really have the power to make those things happen, but it didn’t feel like a positive act when Selina had so many concerns about what might be wished for. Hopefully, by transferring the focus to other people, they would give it more careful thought. It also carried a message of caring and community, which felt like a stronger message to send. “This ritual is optional. You may choose not to participate, or to offer wishes for multiple people. Other than that, you are free to enjoy the fire, socialise with friends, and enjoy the snacks.

“As a reminder, it’s a minimum of three per tent and no maximum. Please register your group with an adult by eight pm so we know that everyone is accounted for and can start assigning tents.

“Enjoy your evening.”
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13 Selina Skies The Bonfire - Make a Wish 26 1 5

Nausicaa Scapetello

May 08, 2023 9:46 PM
What was wrong with these people? Nausicaa had wondered that to herself countless times since she had arrived at this place that claimed to be a school. Most of the times she could manage to come close to rationalizing things, but this...? No, she just couldn't. Up until now, it had been an abstract thing, like a terrible painting that didn't make any sense, but people kept looking at and commenting on how great it was. People that didn't know anything. Now she stood on the pitch with her arms crossed looking over the madness before her. Thankfully the terrible school uniforms were not required. She could dress properly, well as much as possible for such an occasion.

There were tents everywhere, there were fires around the place. Fires and canvas, what could go wrong? Nausicaa rolled her eyes skyward, shook her head and approached. They honestly expected her to sleep in a tent on the ground? Was she supposed to cook her own food over a fire as well like a neanderthal? The Deputy-Headmistress talked, and apparently yes. Yes she was supposed to sleep in a tent and cook her own food. This was downright outrageous. Fire was power, that she understood. Making wishes for her classmates? Why... no, wait. She could do that.

Nausicaa obtained a paper and quill and quickly wrote a note in her flowing handwriting. 'I wish for all of my classmates to come to their senses and be reasonable people.' She folded it and tossed it into the fire. It wouldn't do any good, but she could always hope. Now, off to more important matters. When she had first heard about this nonsense she had checked in with the staff and confirmed that she could reserve a tent for just herself. What would be worse than sleeping on the dirt? Sleeping on the dirt with two other people in the same area. No thank-you.

Once the terrible sleeping arrangements had been taken care of, she was forced to investigate the dining selection. It did not look promising. Cooking her own food was completely out of the question, that was simply not something someone of her position did. There were a few options that didn't require cooking, but they were mostly side dishes, and eating only those would not be particularly satisfying. She wondered if she could convince someone else to cook her something? She really hated to go with the 'poor me, I've never done this before, can you help me' routine. It made her look foolish and incompetent. What she needed was minions that would do whatever she said without questioning it, and she hadn't found any of those yet. She glanced around her to see what options she did have in unwitting lackeys.
2 Nausicaa Scapetello We are doing what now? 1561 0 5