Gooseberry High

I'm sick of cold. The roof is icy. Even the trees are icy.

It's cold in Chicago, it's cold in the mountains.

Sy, I'm practicing tomorrow after Charms, and I know you've been losing it over parties and pretending you're a socialite or whatever so you should come too even though it's fucking freezing.

The team should just all come. I missed [...] I missed everyone I guess.

First day of classes and I'm actually sort of enjoying myself. I don't even know who I am anymore! It happened, Addy. You warned me, but I let it happen!

Going to Potions tomorrow will probably get me back to normal, though.

[Warded to Vee]

So! I know we were planning to do cheer stuff after class today, but I was feeling sort of [...] funny near the end of Animagus Studies. Not bad funny. Just sort of twitchy and tense and weirdly alert funny. I can't explain it. But I think I've almost got it. I feel like I've almost got it.

Think we could practice instead? I know, mark it on your calendar, I'm asking you to study! But I really think I'm close and if we could figure out how to choreograph all that Fall Out Boy stuff you like together, this should be cake. I'll totally make it up to you! Unless we actually do get it, then being a super cool ~ANIMAGUS~ is enough, right? What do you say, oh beautiful and brilliant and benevolent Vee?

[Warded to Rafael + Leo + Quinn]

Should we get together and plan for Operation Dances with Foxes?

[...]

That's the swing dancing practice. Quinn and I named it.

[...]

I can't tonight because I'm working with Vee (I think I might have something cool to show off later! be prepared!), but soon? This'll be great, guys!

Holidays are exhausting. Glad to be back at school.

Hope everyone had a good time, though.

[Ivy & Laurel]

Did you manage to sneak out for the party?

That was the first day of our last semester ever.
We can start all the "Last ______" countdowns now.
But maybe don't.

[Warded to Casper]
Hi. I wanted to tell you that I talked to Ms. Rhee today. She told me about the fight with Solomon. I'm not here to lecture you about it. People I trust told me I didn't have to worry about it happening again, I believe them. I don't expect me to tell me why it happened.
If you need to throw bludgers at my head for an hour or two, I can do that instead.

[Warded to Solomon]
Hey. Ms. Rhee told me what happened with Casper over break.
I don't know exactly why, I just know it did, and I wanted to make sure you were all right. I know physically, yeah, but fights are a lot to deal with. Especially if you don't start them.
I know I'm not the easiest person to talk to. But if you want to, or aren't comfortable in any situation in the team in the future, you can tell me. I'll listen.

( A small package wrapped in sparkly red paper and tied with a green bow is delivered by Asher's cat Bridgette to Avery )

OMG OMG OMG GUYS!
Guess who just made a successful animagus transformation?! (Hint: A blonde and a redhead were involved ;D)

If you guessed me and Ty, YOU'D BE RIGHT!!!! Eeeee! Just proves how much you can accomplish getting two cheerleaders together to pep each other up, right? I CAN'T BELIEVE IT STILL.

I'll let you all take some guesses as to WHAT we turn into (if you happened to be hanging around the third floor classrooms and managed to somehow catch us in the act, no spoilers!) :)

Apparently, I have deeply shamed our (questionably) good family name by having only ever invited friends back home when it's the holidays and we have the Big Top broken down.

My mother insists that we put on an utterly poor show of it - and, furthermore, that it's completely ridiculous for someone who lives in a traveling show to have friends that have never even been to a real circus before. And while I can't exactly argue with her, I honestly hadn't really thought too much about it.

So consider Gooseberry informally invited to Nox during Spring Break.

And free funnel cake. Ibu said to add that.

[ooc: forward dated to the morning of the 3rd, because I'll miss it being at stupid work. XD As per the plot post, Tabs got her acceptance letter at breakfast, screamed, and then blushed profusely and apologised to anyone she pissed off/shocked.]

OH MY GOD. IS THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENING

OH MY GOD.

[...]

I GOT IN!!!

I always miss how the Divination Tower makes me feel when I'm away for little a while. There's something about that smell of incense and old books and a thousand cups of brewed tea. There's something about all of the relics and the star charts and the divining tools too. I can't explain why it helps me focus or why it makes my mind clear, but it does. Sometimes I wish I could do all of my studying here instead of in the library or back at the cabin, but that would probably be taking advantage of Mr. Chettri's kindness.

I'm really going to miss all of this.

[...]

And I guess this is all just a very long-winded way of saying sorry I'm late and I'll be home soon, Azurcrest. I didn't fall into a snow drift or anything; I just got caught up in my studies and having tea with Mr. Chettri. Though, I do still have about twenty minutes until curfew.

[Warded to Diego]

I meant to mention this to you before, but I guess it slipped my mind until I came back to Mr. Chettri's class today. I did a reading with the bees before the break and the result was actually fairly clear. But [...] sort of strange too? It left me with the sense that I'd see my parents soon, but far from home. Here or near here. And it felt like being with them -- warm and protected and supported -- but outside of that there was some tension and anxiety. Like things weren't quite right just outside of that. What do you think that means? I'd be happy to see them, of course, but why would my parents come all the way out here? Maybe because the triplets decided to apply to Gooseberry? But they didn't say anything about that.

Maybe it was all just wishful thinking or being homesick, though?

I mentioned it to Mr. Chettri a little while ago and he looked surprised and then sort of flustered and said he didn't know what that meant. He didn't offer to talk through it with me or anything like he normally does. [...] I hope I didn't upset him by staying in the Tower so long today.