SKI WEEKEND! Day 1

[peckishmods]

to helvetia!

what's up?

It’s frigidly cold this morning when students gather in town to load onto buses for the big ski trip this weekend. After boarding and a final head count, everyone is off, chased by a light snow that ramps up the higher into the mountains they climb. Out of the holler and headed southward, Peckenpaugh’s students are in for a bit of a bumpy ride as flurries give way to a total white out. It’s two hours of wintry driving before the buses arrive in the magical half of Helvetia, West Virginia.

The view is gorgeous, a winter wonderland spilling out across the hills. A shop-lined cobblestone street winds up into the hills to the main resort, a tiny hamlet of swiss chalet houses unto itself. Around all that? Acres and acres of hills, slopes and even ramps for winter recreation. Snow-capped and decorated for the season, Helvetia is so breathtaking, it takes a minute to realize: the seniors never arrived...

visuals!

volunteer slots!

While unpacking Uriah Hatfield opens a drawer and a dang boggart pops out, revealing their greatest fear to their roommates. Great start to the trip (Happy Friday the 13th). Their roommate/chalet-mate 💯 Presley Mondragon steps in and banishes the creature with an expert Riddikulus. Mr. Purcell hears about the fiasco later and awards Presley with 5 points to their house.

💯 Tony and 💯 Adrian each lose 5 Points for their House(s) for decorating the balcony of their chalet with an anatomically correct snow person. Honestly worth it.

Well, Elflock Liquor might’ve been closed, but thank god the wizards out here in Helvetia have a liquor store, too. This evening Wyatt Webberley and [CHARACTER F] head on down to stock up at the liquor store. The moment they walk in, an age line at the door causes them both to grow beards, but Wyatt kind of works it. (If they can get a thread to six replies, consider the trip, somehow, a huge success.)

roommates list!

CHALET 1

• Adrian
• Eddy
• Skip
• Tony
• Wyatt

• Armani
• Chanel
• Honey
• Laszlo

• Elijah
• Harrison
• Lionel
• Nico

• Desmond
• Patrice
• Presley
• Uriah

CHALET 2

• Claudia
• Holland
• Maisy
• Merlin
• Val

• Felicity
• Fiona
• Lydia
• Pax
• Scarlett

• Constanza
• Echo
• Magnolia
• Ramona

CHALET 3

• Bijou
• Cedar
• Hawthorne
• Willow

• Mary Grace
• Trudy
• Xenia
• Zadie

• Atlas
• Gideon
• Josh

CHALET 4

• Audrey
• Freya
• Fred
• Jupiter
• Kermit

• Imogen
• Poppy
• Viola
• Winter

• Aristotle
• Fitz
• Maverick
• Tybalt

how this works!

⬥ Students left Peckenpaugh bound for magical Helvetia, West Virginia at 10AM. With the snow, the bus ride should take about two hours.

⬥ Juniors and sophomores (and freshmen) arrive at the resort at ~12:00 PM. They're able to settle into their rooms, claim a bed, and explore a little bit!

⬥ The first day of the ski trip leaves most of the afternoon and evening open for students to explore the grounds. After you've gotten your stuff set in, get some skiing and sledding in if you want, hit the shops or grab a bite to eat.

⬥ A second post will go up on Saturday featuring a day on the slopes (with RNG games for sledding/skiing and more emphasis on that portion of the resort, so don't worry if you want to get up to some serious winter sport threading) and then a cozy evening party with an ugly sweater contest. Day three is our return trip, plus another surprise.

⬥ Curfew is 10:30PM so get back to your assigned chalet by then! Head counts are done shortly after that.

⬥ What about the seniors?! The seniors will get to the lodge eventually! After a spot of bad luck on the ride in (Happy Friday the 13th), the senior class is currently stranded on the side of the road and needs to figure out how to get out of this jam.

• No matter what, seniors will arrive safe and sound, just a few hours later than everyone else!


• This is a bonding experience! We’ve split the senior class into groups and given each group a prompt. This prompt is not a puzzle or task that needs to be solved/completed, but rather something specific for your characters to thread or discuss over the journals.


• The group that has the most activity relating to the senior stranding by Monday, December 16th will be awarded with a spook in the pcal in January. How are we calculating activity? Well…
  • Throughout this weekend, any narrative tags made under the Trouble header on this IC/OOC by seniors within their group will be worth 5 points.
  
  
  • For Friday, December 13th only, any journal posts made by a senior, pertaining to the senior stranding and tagged with "* event: senior stranding" are worth 5 points.
  
  
  • Throughout the weekend, any comments made by seniors on a seniors stranding tagged post will count for 1/2 point. Reaction icon comments will not count for points.
  
  
  • We'll tally the numbers up next week and announce a winning group.
• Click here for groups and prompts!

  GROUP 1: Fred, Freya, Josh, Kermit, Maisy, Tony
  PROMPT: Group 1, you're on tire duty! Staff needs help digging the bus out of the snowbank. Listen to Mr. Stirling curse under his breath as he fiddles with the engine. Watch Ms. Kwan find it highly amusing.
  
  GROUP 2: Elijah, Imogen, Mags, Merlin, Val
  PROMPT: Mr. Trullinger's taking Group 2 out on a "nature hike" to figure out just where they are. Turns out, y'all are in Lepidopterite country. There's a settlement nearby — that explains the anti-apparition. The Lepidopterites are not open to outsiders, so Mr. Trullinger leaves the kids outside the town to go in and ask for assistance.
  
  GROUP 3: Claudia, Constanza, Echo, Harrison, Nico, Trudy
  PROMPT: Group 3 fixates on survival, gathering blankets, casting warming charms, accounting for food. They're in the middle of discussing where to find water and build a camp fire when Ms. Kwan wanders over and suggests that it'll only be an hour or two at most, why don't you kids quiz your friends on their upcoming midterms?
  
  GROUP 4: Audrey, Holland, Jup, Lionel, Xenia
  PROMPT: Group 4 swears they just saw something HUGE moving in the forest! Ms. Dorkins won't let them investigate any further. Maybe they can distract her and sneak past. Maybe they can convince her to join them.
  
  
  

locations!

⬦ PACKING & BUS RIDE: Peckenpaugh is using four standard magic buses to move its kids from Elflock Falls to Helvetia, one for each year. These enchanted vehicles move a bit faster than normal, passing by muggle traffic with ease, but with the weather it still takes about two hours for the first buses to arrive at their destination. Rows of seats comfortably sit two to three students, and the back of the bus is always wilder than the front. Grab a window seat if you can, the snow and scenery on the drive is lovely.

⬦ SENIOR STRANDING: Elflock Falls is barely out of the rear view when the snow starts to really pick up and before long it's dumping on them. For the most part, aided by magic, this just means it's slow going, but the senior bus hits a patch of bad luck and black ice. The magic school bus swerves right off the road and into a big fluffy snow bank. Thankfully, everyone is unharmed, but with no cell service, no GPS, and (as Mr. Stirling learns the hard way) finding themselves in an unknown Anti-Apparition zone, everyone's going to have to pitch in or sit tight to get this bus back on the road.

⬦ THE LODGE: The centerpiece of magical Helvetia’s ski resort is its lodge, a massive wood structure with Swiss-influenced architecture. Upon entry, visitors find themselves in a warm and warmly lit lobby decorated with boughs of pine and wintry garlands of berries, fitted with furniture fashioned from old ski lift parts. The front desk is alternately staffed by a harried-looking college aged witch and an extremely low key sasquatch throughout the weekend, both of them happy to help with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Adjoining the main lobby is a restaurant and bar — you can spot the staff at the bar in the evenings, but you have to be over 21 to sit there. Sorry kids! Beyond the restaurant is a cozy reception room with tall windows and a fenced-in balcony overlooking the slopes and an absolutely massive fireplace fashioned from copper, iron and stone. There’s a basic amenities shop, in case you forgot deodorant, and a heated indoor pool, hot tub and sauna also host to a fantastic view of the mountains.

⬦ CHALETS: Four chalets have been reserved for students, large wood-and-stone buildings in the Swiss style with wrap around balconies on the second and third floors. Each one is decorated in Peckenpaugh colors with string lights and large banners welcoming the teenage guests to their homes for the weekend. The interiors are all roughly the same, three floors with five total bedrooms (each with its own bathroom!), vintage and antique alpine furniture and ski lodge equipment repurposed into more modern furniture and decor. The common area on the first floor of each chalet features a comfortable, cozy seating area with fireplace, kitchen and dining area.

⬦ THE SLOPES: Helvetia's magical ski resort spills out across acres and acres of tree-dotted hills and mountains. It features slopes rated green circle (easy) to the expert-level double black diamond. Magical ski lifts lit by bobbing magical lanterns carry skiers up from the bottom of the slopes. There's even a fenced in area specifically for large donut-shaped sleds that seat up to four. Once you ride to the bottom of this sled hill, the sleds are enchanted to carry you right back up again for another go.

⬦ AROUND HELVETIA: The magical side of Helvetia is a great deal bigger than its teeny tiny muggle counterpart, but it’s still comparable to Elflock Falls. The area is considerably more upscale than Peckenpaugh’s home town, with expensive outdoor supply shops, a couture boutique and a couple of very fancy looking restaurants. Not the sorts of places that like teenagers poking around, but there’s still plenty for students to do and see! Magical Helvetia has many shops that are kid friendly, a chocolatier/cafe, a restaurant known for its raclette dinner and street carts peddling warm rosti. Roads are cleanly shoveled and the streets are lit by both lanterns and string lights. Despite the cold, a live goblin band is playing outside one of the taverns, filling the tiny town with music. The snow has slowed to a light flurry by late afternoon, and the big fluffy flakes hold steady well into the night.

⬦ OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS!

Comments

AROUND HELVETIA

[peckishmods]

AROUND HELVETIA: Winter Shops in the Wrong Store & Open

[damnnearkilledem]

The wizard behind the counter is leering at the teenager wandering around his boutique. What does she think this is, a Wiz-H&M. This isn't fast fashion, missy. It's clear from the glare he levels across his shop at the back of the blonde's head (is that...a twig? In her hair??) that he is trying to psychically will her out of his store.

Whether she's oblivious or delighting in being an inconvenience, Winter is smiling. She lights her fingers curiously on a cashmere scarf draped on a coat rack and, enchanted with the feel of it, pulls it off to examine it more closely. As she turns, scarf still in hand, she bumps into someone and quickly tries to make it seem like her clumsiness was purposefully. "What do you think of this?"

AROUND HELVETIA: Winter & Presley Shop in the Wrong Store

[infamously]

Presley's hands are firmly in his pockets when he enters the couture boutique. He knows already that he can't afford anything from this place—the pretentiously minimalist display window made that clear enough—but he can never resist looking at beautiful clothes. He's doing his best to convey an air of trust fund nonchalance as he scans the sleek winter coats, and ends up walking right into Winter's path. Or she in his. This is definitely Winter's fault.

"I think you need to pay attention to where you're going," he says archly, but his gaze catches on the scarf in her hands. "It's—" Lovely. Soft. Probably twenty dragots, at least. Presley's hands twitch in his pockets. "—fine. Brown is flattering on everyone."

AROUND HELVETIA: Winter & Presley Shop in the Wrong Store

[damnnearkilledem]

"I'm not specced for spacial awareness," Winter says back, half deadpan, half startled out of her, like she got the think and speak wires in her brain momentarily crossed. Then, with a more apologetic nod to Presley, "Sorry."

She arches a brow, a smile faintly sneaking across her features as she processes his reaction to the scarf neither one of them could possibly afford. "Not a fan of goat wool, Presley?"

AROUND HELVETIA: Winter & Presley Shop in the Wrong Store

[infamously]

"Not a fan of excess," he corrects, as though there's anything excessive about a nice cashmere scarf. As if it's believable at all that Presley doesn't love being excessive in everything he does. He's frowning a little as he looks at Winter, although it's unclear if that's because of her awkward apology, how she's handling the scarf, or just Winter herself.

All of the above, Presley decides. He looks at the coat rack instead. "I wouldn't have pegged this as your kind of style."

AROUND HELVETIA: Winter & Presley Shop in the Wrong Store

[damnnearkilledem]

Winter buys that response. Presley has always seemed very practical, and a beige-ish strip of fabric that costs more than some cell phones is sort of the antithesis of practical. She nods again, watching his distaste with rising apprehension, stress pulling her shoulders tight.

So of course she decides to double down on being relentlessly herself.

"It's very s-soft," is a perfectly normal thing to say, but somehow when Winter says it, with her eyes wide and almost giddy with wonder, it's weird. For emphasis, she squishes the scarf between her fingers. Then, her gaze flicks over Presley's shoulder, to the store clerk and his white knuckle grip on the counter. She gives a very slight tip of her chin in that direction, and then murmurs, "Mostly, it's funny how upset he is that I'm holding it."

AROUND HELVETIA: Winter & Presley Shop in the Wrong Store

[infamously]

Presley doesn't need to look to guess how upset the store clerk is. No doubt something akin to the way his relatives stare at him whenever he visits Ithaca with his mother, like they're keeping track of where they'll need to disinfect afterwards. Presley takes on the most judgmental-looking sneer he can manage as he glances at the clerk, then turns away again, with a dismissive eye-roll.

His hand slips out of his pocket, and moves to catch the dangling end of the scarf in his palm. He feels it with his thumb, carefully, like he doesn't want to make any more contact with this bougie scarf than he has already. Winter's right. It's very soft. "I've seen nicer," Presley declares, not bothering to whisper.

AROUND HELVETIA: Winter & Presley Shop in the Wrong Store

[damnnearkilledem]

The edges of that faint smirk bending Winter's features twitches up more obviously, a little crooked. "You're absolutely right, Presley," she replies, a bit like she's occupying some character and not being herself. "How silly of me."

She's not sure that Presley is precisely game for these sort of antics, but his response is signal enough for Winter. With just a touch of glee she moves to hang the cashmere scarf back on its hook. Brushing an elbow against Presley in the process, she grins openly now, "We'll just have to keep browsing."

AROUND HELVETIA: Viola at the Goblin Show & Open

[tristfully]

The snowflakes are just beginning their turn from sugar-fine to cotton-soft as Viola steps out from the cafe and follows the alluring sounds of live music to the courtyard encircled by shops and taverns. Instinctually, she hugs the shadows between the street lamps and hovers on the edges of the crowd, enviously observing the dancing couples. When she spots a classmate, she smiles to herself and breathes a silent sigh of relief. She weaves through the dancers, twisting her shoulders to avoid jostling anyone and pops up suddenly at her peer's side. "They're very talented," she pushes up on her toes to lean in close and inform her new companion.

AROUND HELVETIA: Viola & Desmond at the Goblin Show

[opsia]

Desmond sticks to the edges of the crowd for different reasons, finds a place to lean that's out of the way of foot traffic and tucked into a corner. It's just that he's got food in his hands and no desire to lose it to anybody's elbows. And, all things being considered, the thing he's best at in a crowd is disappearing into it.

But when Viola appears next to him, he lifts his chin and regards the milling people with slightly more interest. There's a bar down the street back home, with guttery lightbulbs and gouges scratched into the floor from bar stools being slid back and forth. It's loud and cramped and it seems like there's always smoke hanging in the air, even if Julie won't let nobody smoke inside. Griz sings there some nights and people dance, sure. But it ain't nothing like this. So.

"Yeah." He takes a while with it, waits until he's not talking through a mouthful of rosti and shifts so his arm presses all light into Viola's shoulder. "They look like they're havin' a good time."

AROUND HELVETIA: Viola & Desmond at the Goblin Show

[tristfully]

Viola presses back, hungry for the warmth, or the contact, or maybe the rosti. Who's to say? She crosses an arm over her chest to hold back her hair as she leans over his food, inspecting for bacon bits. It's impolite but she doesn't think Desmond will mind. She flicks her eyes up, still invading his meal's space, and asks, "Are you having a good time?" The question is genuine, even if she is a little preoccupied by his potato pancake.

AROUND HELVETIA: Viola & Desmond at the Goblin Show

[opsia]

If it were anyone else, he might tug his food in closer to his chest. Might screw up his face and huff through his nose. If it were certain particular someones, he might even stab them with his plastic fork. But it isn't anyone or someone, it's Viola - so he just tilts the whole thing to give her a better view of wherever the bacon might be hiding.

Desmond grins. "Got no complaints. Company's nice."

AROUND HELVETIA: Viola & Desmond at the Goblin Show

[tristfully]

The slightest frown inflates her bottom lip when she spots meat mixed among the potato shreds and she straightens, leaving Desmond to enjoy his food unmolested.

"You're here alone?" she asks. The twinge of surprise in her voice is politely feigned. While she certainly wouldn't be stunned to find Desmond out and about with his roommates or even on something like a date, she knows he isn't one to require attention all the time. It's one of the many things she likes about him. "Well, I'm glad that I ran into you."

AROUND HELVETIA: Viola & Desmond at the Goblin Show

[opsia]

The frown is noted and Des mumbles an apology before tilting the rosti level once more. He hadn't really given the whole ingredients list a hard look when he ordered, just pointed to something and looked hopeful. Results were pretty decent.

Then he lets out a laugh, not much in the way of sound, but there's definite amusement to the short huff of air through his nose. "Not anymore." He spears himself another bite, looking out toward the press of people. "I mean, wasn't complimenting my own company or nothing." He knocks his shoulder against hers again, pressure still light. "What're you up to?"

AROUND HELVETIA: Viola & Desmond at the Goblin Show

[tristfully]

She waves away his unnecessary apology and shakes her head, encouraging him to continue eating. She was just on her way to find her own food anyway, which she tells him. "I thought I would find a grocer," she explains, pushing herself up just slightly on the balls of her feet to scan the storefronts in the courtyard. "I'm like a sailor to the siren song though," she gestures to the band.

AROUND HELVETIA: Nerd Dinner Nerd Dinner (Open to Nerds++)

[necrodanseuse]

There's several ways to experience a fun weekend in beautiful snow-covered slopes. There's people everywhere outside, adrenaline-rushing down a hill. But she'll do that tomorrow. There's other people canoodling in hot tubs, and others in a charming town eating some charming cheese.

But as everyone's so kindly pointed out, it's midterms next week, and Chanel has a plan. If she studies tonight during dinner, she can ski at least a little tomorrow. So Chanel, who is also picking at raclette (it's French so she thinks she should like it,)is really nose-deep in her Hermeticism book. The word searches inspired her. When she hears someone approaching, she doesn't even look up. "If you spill anything..." she warns, absently, yet somehow still fervent. She cannot have greasy flashcards.

AROUND HELVETIA: Nerd Dinner Nerd Dinner (Open to Nerds++)

[girl_in_the_moon]

Exhausted from racing down the slopes, Fiona collapses beside Chanel. "You shouldn't be studying. We're here to have fun," she teases. Not that she can blame Chanel. It's been hard for her to put her nerves about midterms out of her mind and fully relax.

AROUND HELVETIA: Nerd Dinner Nerd Dinner (Open to Nerds++)

[necrodanseuse]

She doesn't even look up, but does tap at the planner sitting next to her. If Fiona would like to look and see, she'll find Recreation pencilled neatly in at 8pm, which it isn't yet. "I have coloring sheets and cheese." She argues, which is true. "I can only take so much fun at once."

AROUND HELVETIA: Nerd Dinner Nerd Dinner Cheese Dinner

[quidditched]

There actually had been an intention to leave Mickey back at school, but she'd come into his life as a stowaway and that apparently hadn't changed. Swiss town. Mouse. Cheese. The first foray into tourism had taken a pretty obvious route.

Spilling is really only a secondary concern with Mickey around, and when Eddy settles into the seat across from Chanel, she makes a beeline down his arm and across the table to.. the flashcard in Chanel's hand, standing on her back legs and attempting to nibble the edge.

His hesitation around Chanel after the cupcake fiasco seems to have subsided. Mostly. "Finished the coloring pages already?" Studying is, in fact, also on his weekend schedule. Somewhere. Maybe after he breaks both his legs skiing.

AROUND HELVETIA: Nerd Dinner Nerd Dinner Cheese Dinner

[necrodanseuse]

The little mouse and its owner are some of the few beings Chanel would take a break for, even for a few seconds. She smiles up at Mickey's owner, and it looks a little relieved, she can't help it. It's been strange, having Eddy be strange at her. She's terrible at waiting.But he's here, now. Voluntarily, cupcakes and all. And she responds by giving a small offering to the mouse, poking a little piece of bread at her nose instead of the card she seems to be contemplating. "Oh, I'm saving those for before bed." She explains, but nudges the packet of Claudia-given papers the same way she offered the bread, "But you should do a word search while you wait for the waiter to come back."

Forced multitasking is, surely, sign of a good friend.

AROUND HELVETIA: Nerd Dinner Nerd Dinner Cheese Dinner

[quidditched]

Eddy's smile in return is awkward, but similarly relieved. Chanel is something. There's probably a word for it. But finding the right word for things isn't among Eddy's talents. Good friend works. Feeling strange around Chanel was just.. strange. Not good.

He tuts softly at the exchange going on at Chanel's fingertips. She spoils Mickey as badly as he does. The offered piece of bread is eagerly taken into Mickey's tiny arms and she's temporarily diverted from gnawing on pressed wood pulp. For now. The bread's unlikely to last long at the rate she's going.

Chanel had already scolded him for being weird, but having her immediately ready to shove study papers at him is reassuring. He glances down at the papers, then back at her, eyebrows raised. "Not your whole weekend plan, is it?"

AROUND HELVETIA: Nerd Dinner Nerd Dinner Cheese Dinner

[necrodanseuse]

It's all right, there's plenty of bread. And when Eddy is looking in literally any other direction, Chanel scrapes off a little piece of cheese and makes the baby mouse her very own raclette dinner. They all deserve to celebrate. She covers for herself poorly by taking a dainty forkful into her own mouth.

"Not entirely." She reassures him, tapping at her planner for proof. "I'm going to stop studying at 8 tonight, and I'll get up early tomorrow, but nothing after that until at least after the party. I'm having fun." The way she intones this suggests that fun, too, is a chore.

AROUND HELVETIA: Nerd Dinner Nerd Dinner Cheese Dinner

[quidditched]

Funny how Mickey somehow keeps adding more to her little feast. The corners of Eddy's mouth quirk with amusement, but he doesn't say anything. Chanel's treats are rewarded with a tiny excited nose sniffing around her fingers and when the waiter swings by, Eddy's sure to order enough to make up for the tiny bottomless pit.

"Well if it's penciled in, you gotta," he agrees, leaning forward to inspect her planner, everything carefully laid out. "Should I come back at 8?"

AROUND HELVETIA: Nerd Dinner + Hydration

[lockit]

"I'd never," Ramona promises. Then, she sets down a precariously over-full cup of water directly in front of Chanel. Straw included.

"Drink water. Dry brains are dumb brains," she reminds her. She proceeds to down her own glass of water like it's medicine. An absolutely joyless experience. Ramona's been studying since last Tuesday and she finally feels like it might be catching up to her. She's finally going insane.

AROUND HELVETIA: Nerd Dinner + Hydration

[necrodanseuse]

Once Chanel's certain a stray move won't render her study station a flood, she nods in thanks, and doesn't protest at all. It's a good reminder, anyway. She has been at this a while, and cheese has so much sodium. She takes a dutiful sip out of the straw and retracts to see that Ramona's still going. Still going for an impressively long time, actually. She picks up her cup and tries to catch up, but cannot approach her roommate's speed.

Her eyebrow raises in some concern, but also some pride. She knows this look. She's had this look. When she quips, it's with empathy. Promise.

"Dry brain, darling?"