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: 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: Winter & Presley Shop in the Wrong Store

[infamously]

Presley's oh-so-snooty expression flickers when Winter's elbow touches him. He dislikes casual physical contact except in very specific controlled circumstances, but spite is always a more powerful motivator than discomfort.

"Excellent idea." He lifts his elbow, offering her his arm like an obnoxiously wealthy teenager might do. "Everything here is just so quaint, no? Like that little cafe! We can go for a hot cocoa, unless... you'd like to try on anything here...?"

He's not looking, but he likes to imagine the clerk now completely red-faced with rage.

AROUND HELVETIA: Winter & Presley Shop in the Wrong Store

[damnnearkilledem]

As though she weren't the one who took the lead and ran with it, Winter pauses to gawk at Presley's offered arm. Just a second. Just long enough to look perplexed, maybe surprised, and then lightly embarrassed as understanding dawns.

But, in the name of trouble, it's easy to get back on track. She hooks her hand around the offered arm daintily. "Oh, a fashion show," she gushes, hushed-but-not-really as her eyes scan the back of the shop for the most expensive-looking item. "I saw these riding robes over in the far corner there that are almost as nice as the ones you have back at school."