InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "BLUE PILL"

Gooseberry Mods (goosemods) wrote in gooseberry,
@ 2017-01-08 10:16:00

Entry tags:

! ic/ooc, ennis harper, henrietta gray, irene lovelace, philippa nightingale, ravinder dhaliwal, sylvester stoker

BLIZZARD

The snow in the morning is heavy, and as the day wears on, it only gets worse. The walk to the lodge is miserable, and Ebonhide and Azurcrest have the worst of it with long distances and steep hills. Visibility is too poor, and the wind is too strong, to make sledding a safe or appealing prospect. The snow piles thick on the trees and clings to everything, and the lodge's entryway and locker area is caked in mud and snow from students shedding their coats and boots before heading to dinner. Rumors circulate that there's going to be a blizzard tonight, and everyone crosses their fingers for classes being cancelled on Monday. No such luck. By the time dinner rolls around, most students are in a poor mood.

There's one more piece of bad news: The staff have determined that all students must spend the night in the lodge to wait out the storm.

In the middle of the afternoon, a blizzard sets in, stranding all the students in the lodge after dinner. The teachers pull out enough sleeping bags and couches for everyone to get comfy enough to spend the night.

That evening, Philippa Nightingale sees something outside in the snow, looking through the windows at the end of a long hallway. A teacher assures her that it was just a bear, but Pippa is certain the arms and legs were too long…

That night, Cressida Quayle swears she saw someone outside the window—or at least, the shape was humanoid. Theresa Noble hears someone trying to open a locked door into the lodge. Hazel Keating on the third floor hears something walking around on the roof.

» Dinner: The storm begins to rage outside, and after some deliberation, the staff determine it'll be safest for everyone to remain in the lodge overnight. They're expecting a complete whiteout, and it would be unsafe to allow students to move freely about campus. For the sake of this event, assume all characters were at dinner. No exceptions.

» Third Floor: In order to stay entertained, a bunch of students hang around in a sitting area on the third floor. This obscure dead end hall has a few couches and arm chairs, and two window seats. Up here, there's limited adult oversight. There's also a door that opens out onto a balcony. If you want to do anything against the rules, such as drinking (don't get visibly drunk, and remember you're limited to what you had on your person at an average dinner) or smoking (better sneak out onto the very snowy balcony so the teachers don't smell it), this is your place. Remember, you're still within reach of teachers and certain prefects who will report you.

» Third Floor: Truth or Dare: Taking place on the third floor in the little sitting area, a group of ever-changing students play truth or dare out of the sight of teachers.

» Second Floor / Library: Snow and a complete lockdown aren't going to keep dedicated students from hitting the books. The second floor is the quietest tonight, and will be the best place for private conversations.

» First Floor / Atrium: If you're ready to call it a night, or just want to be somewhere quiet to lie down or cuddle, the atrium has been filled with sleeping bags and pillows. Everyone is provided with an oversized GOOSEBERRY HIGH shirt in house colors to sleep in.

» Night: You know you're safe, but it doesn't feel safe. Even the bravest students feel unnerved, and sleeping alone doesn't sound very appealing. The best place to be is in the Atrium, surrounded by your peers, with someone you care about right next to you.

Reply to this comment with your character, and describe to us what they're worried about. The mods will inform you if they could or couldn't sleep. Students who can will fall asleep before midnight and have a restful evening. Students who can't will find themselves restless all night with their fears on their mind.

» OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

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	Micah & Cole colemoss 2017-01-08 02:51 pm UTC (link)
	"Hey buddy," Cole returns, giving his friend a small but genuine smile that lasts until the suggestion surprises him and he blinks dumbly back at Micah. Still, if the other boy starts toward the sleeping bags, he's sure to follow. "Okay. If you want. Um. Which ones?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Micah & Cole

auteur
2017-01-08 03:48 pm UTC (link)

That's a promising question. Already Cole is less laser-focused on the anglerfish-like shine of Coralee Wong if he can be thinking about other girls right now. Nice nice nice nice.

"Any girls you want to talk about, man. This is a free-form girl talk. Or... boy talk. What do you call it when it's boys talking about cute girls? Bro-to-bro. Mano a mano." Micah is already getting off-track. Focus, St. Clair! "What's your type, anyway?"

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Micah & Cole

colemoss
2017-01-08 07:26 pm UTC (link)

Still looking mostly confused, Cole shrugs his shoulders. He doesn't know what it's called when boys talk about cute girls. He doesn't doesn't know what his type is either. Honestly, he doesn't even know what context Micah is wanting to talk about cute girls in; he's really missed the point. "Okay. But. What about them, though? The girls?" he asks after a considerable pause.

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Micah & Cole

auteur
2017-01-08 07:44 pm UTC (link)

Micah shoves a sleeping bag into Cole's arms, and finds one for his own too. Also, shirts! Ribbonfin green for Cole, Azurcrest blue for Micah. Gotta represent.

"The girls," Micah echoes, as if "girls" are a complicated metaphysical concept and they're about to get engage in some nitty-gritty philosophical discussion here. "As it so happens, I'm considering girls again. It's a first step. An important first step, taken after the realization that pining hopelessly after your impetuously chosen first love is bad. Terrible. Awful. Ridiculous. I mean, what do you even know about love when you're fourteen or fifteen, right? Right freaking now is a terrible age to decide you're in love with someone."

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Micah & Cole

colemoss
2017-01-08 10:51 pm UTC (link)

Taking the shirt and the sleeping bag from Micah, Cole follows the other boy to an empty space on the Atrium floor where they can set up for the night, but doesn't immediately begin unfurling the sleeping bag. Instead, he hugs it to his chest and looks at his friend, his expression slowly softening into a frown. "First love. You...mean Calvin?" he asks quietly, uncertain but obviously concerned. Is Micah upset? He doesn't seem upset, though.

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Micah & Cole

auteur
2017-01-09 01:50 am UTC (link)

Does Micah ever seem upset? The answer is no! Because getting upset is completely uncool, man. Micah is FAR TOO COOL AND CHILL AND FUN to ever get upset about anything!!!

"Calvin," Micah sighs. "What a joke I've been, hey buddy? He and I spent the entire winter break together, you know. It's like, two weeks, no one else around, golden romantic opportunity right at your feet." If there's more to that story, Micah's not telling it.

Instead, he ends up just crashing onto one of the Atrium couches, his sleeping bag still in his arms. He sits, resting his chin on top of his bundle, and looks at Cole. "Are you still in love with Coralee?"

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Micah & Cole

colemoss
2017-01-10 01:23 am UTC (link)

There seems to be more to this story and Cole waits for Micah to continue...only to have the other boy retreat to one of the nearby couches instead. He blinks and follows quickly behind him and joins him there, unable to ask what Micah means before he's changed the subject. To Coralee. His expression seems lose all sense of certainty, but he gives a small nod without any hesitation. What he feels is confusing...but he knows he still feels it. For a moment, he's quiet, then he recalls what Micah had just said a moment ago and asks, "Do you think that's bad? And terrible and awful and ridiculous?"

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Micah & Cole

auteur
2017-01-10 02:51 pm UTC (link)

Micah sighs loudly. "No." He grabs for Cole's arm and pulls him until he's settled on the couch next to Micah. "Who am I to tell you to ignore what your heart tells you, man? People have told me that, and I just ignored them, and you know why? Because no one can argue that someone isn't in love, when they feel they're in love. No one else can tell you that your heart doesn't really want what it wants."

He leans his head against the back of the couch and just looks at Cole for a moment. Micah's oldest friend. His best friend, even, if Micah were capable of being anyone's best friend in the times he's acting so flaky and self-absorbed. He should've been there for Cole the second this Coralee mess started.

"I'm worried, though," Micah says, in an uncharacteristically subdued voice. "I don't think she's very nice to you."

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Micah & Cole

colemoss
2017-01-10 06:29 pm UTC (link)

Cole doesn't react much as Micah pulls him over; he just goes and sits where his friend wants him to sit and looks at him with the same unsure expression. He listens and leans into the sleeping bag still folded in his arms. "I just want it to be like before," he admits quietly once Micah's done, "I just want her to like me. She doesn't, but..." Then he gives his head a small shake. "You don't need to worry, though. Coralee's nice to me. She said I was sweet. She said I was talented. She made macaroons just for me and those are her favorite. She's nice." As he explains this, a small smile surfaces on his face and there's just enough hope in that eager expression to suggest that he thinks maybe she likes him more than he thinks she does or that she might change her mind about him. Whether intentional or not, Coralee Wong has him wrapped around her little finger.

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Micah & Cole

auteur
2017-01-10 09:42 pm UTC (link)

Micah listens without interruption. He's not adept with people—he never has been. Someone else in CAMPS would be able to explain the duplicitous machinations of Coralee Wong and how she can make Cole believe she's being nice while treating him like her sophomore slave. Someone else can explain the compliments and the macaroons. Micah doesn't get any of it.

But he does get being head over heels over someone who doesn't even like you. He gets how hard it is to let go, even when you know it's irrational.

"Do you remember when my..." Micah's jaw clenches. Even having resolved to talk about it, it's a struggle to get the words out. Even though Cole already knows about it. Even though it's the two-year anniversary of it happening. "Do you remember what I was like in Ilvermorny, right before we came here? Of course you remember. Rhetorical question. I'm setting the scene. Lights, camera, etcetera. Okay, okay, this is already sounding like a total non sequitur, but just stick with me, buddy! Okay. So." (Be serious for one second, Micah.) "I... never told you this, but I thought I'd get... stuck like that. When we got accepted to Gooseberry, I decided I'd never be like that again. So I'd try and try and try to be happy and not think about it, but every time someone looked at me like... they felt sorry for me, or they didn't know what to say, it just came back. Every fucking time. I wanted so badly just to feel normal again, and I couldn't."

He takes a deep breath, looking away for a moment.

"Then... first week here at Gooseberry, when I was trying and trying and trying, this boy just told me off for being annoying. He was unbelievably awful about it. I mean, man." Despite everything, Micah smiles at the memory. "No one had been that much of a jerk to me in months, and it made me feel... normal. It made me happy. And this boy... Holy shit, I fell head over heels for this boy. I didn't know anything about him except that he was your roommate, and he was pretty cute. I still didn't know anything about Calvin until like... last month?" Micah presses a hand to his eyes, and sighs. "I think... I think I was afraid that if I wasn't in love with Calvin, I'd go back to feeling like... before. Feeling like I didn't feel anything at all."

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Micah & Cole

colemoss
2017-01-11 02:00 pm UTC (link)

Cole does remember that last year at Ilvermorny and how devastated Micah had been by the death of his brother and how much he had changed for a while. Throughout all of that the two of them had remained friends, but there had been a lot of silent nights just sitting in their dorm together without more than a dozen words passing between them and it had been difficult to see his friend suffer. To not be able to understand. To not be able to help. Even now, that's hard to think about. He's about to agree that he remembers, but closes his mouth again when the question is deemed rhetorical. He continues to listen, hugging the sleeping bag more firmly and mostly forgetting about Coralee. He's just trying to understand what his friend means and what he felt; he thinks he does and it makes his heart hurt. He'd known that Micah had changed again after coming to Gooseberry, been more like he had been before Caleb's death, and that he'd sometimes even seemed like an exaggerated version of the old Micah. Like a caricature. But he hadn't understood why and he feels hopelessly stupid for a moment. Like he let his friend down. But. That's not what he wants to talk about.

"So. It wasn't about Calvin," he says slowly, voice like hesitant steps out onto a pond that may or may not be fully frozen, "But Calvin made you feel something that you needed and that made you think you loved him? You were just...confused?" Micah had seemed so certain, though. So determined and so devoted. If feeling like that can be wrong, he doesn't know how anyone can ever tell they're in love. He chews on his lower lip for a moment, then asks softly, "Do you still feel like that? Like you've got to try to be happy? Like you'll go back and it'll be like before?" While he's understanding some of what Micah's saying, it's clear that his mind has left his own situation far behind. He's concerned for his friend, but he's not seeing the parallels at all.

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