|
|
Arriving Early
Author: Jared
Date: 10-12-13 20:14
Etta had arrived fairly early to Emrys Fest, wanting to get a good spot to put down a blanket. She also wanted to pick up some residence hall information. Though the office isn't open today, there are racks of brochures, pamphlets and forms lining the wall outside the office in charge of assigning rooms.
Sitting on the blanket, reading one of the brochures, she looks up from time to time, watching for some of her friends. The first to show is Marjani. Etta, Marjani, and Alexa are looking to room together their first university term. They'll probably continue rooming together after that but whether it's on campus or off they don't know.
After spreading out a blanket to slightly overlap with the one Etta has put down, Marjani sprawls on the throw of Gryffindor colors bemoaning getting up so early on a day she very much wanted to sleep in.
Etta nudges her with a foot. "If you'd slept in and come whenever you managed to roll out of bed, you'd grumble about having missed the opening acts."
"Your point?" Marjani's arm thrown across her face to block the morning sun muffles her voice somewhat.
"You aren't a morning person."
"If course I am; or, rather, I would be if mornings came later in the day."
"You do realize that this means every course you need the first term will only be available before 11 am."
"If that turns out to be true, I shall consider your comment just now the equivalent of a hex and seek revenge."
Laughing, Etta gets up. "Since you are holding down our spot so well, I'm going to walk around and have a look at some of the vendors before this place becomes packed."
She leaves Marjani half-snoozing on the two blankets to roam around, both to see what vendors are here this Emrys Fest and to see if she spots anyone else here early that she knows.
Bronwyn and Kate at Emrys Fest
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 10-13-13 07:57
Bewitched launched into one of their most popular songs, drawing lots of cheering from the crowd gathered around stage two. The band members and their instruments were covered in glitter, which caught the sun and twinkled like thousands of tiny stars. Bronwyn hummed along to the familiar tune as she made her way over to stage one, which Sitar Hero, a new act to Emrys Fest, had just vacated.
Her friends and family of Dynamic Duo were in the process of setting up for their set, scheduled for 1 PM. Bronwyn tried not to get in their way as they got everything set up just right, but she did chat with them a little bit. Maggie, her intern, flitted about with bottles of water in her hands. It was her job to make sure all the performers got whatever they needed. So far, she seemed to be enjoying herself.
After making sure there weren't any problems on stage, Bronwyn went back into the crowd to search for her husband, who was drinking beers with Hunter sans Venetia (apparently their third date really had been their last, but being the big Emrys Fest fan she was, she was probably somewhere in the crowd), Orion and Desi, who was actually there as a guest and not pulling auror duty.
She slipped her arm through Toby's and beamed at him, completely oblivious to the fact that someone nearby was watching the pair very, very closely.
Meanwhile, Kate stood in the crowd with Johanna, Gus, Felicia and Baltus. Tessa was supposed to come too, but she hadn't fully gotten over her illness. Last weekend Kate had been too sick to attend Quidditch Con, where she had planned on meeting up with Mark. From her friends she found out that he had never shown up either. The plan was for them to meet today at Emrys Fest, but so far Mark hadn't made an appearance. Kate was starting to get worried.
"Maybe he overslept," Johanna suggested.
"But it's lunchtime," Kate said, frowning. "I know he sometimes sleeps in, but I've never known him to sleep past noon. What if something happened?"
"He seemed very irritated in his letter when he wrote us about not coming to Quidditch Con after all," Johanna remarked, looking at Gus, who had also been irritated that day. He kept looking around, as if expecting to find his father with his half-sister in the crowd.
"But he didn't say what happened or what was bothering him?" Kate asked.
Johanna shook her head. "No, and maybe I was just reading into something that wasn't there. Maybe he just didn't want to go because you were sick."
Kate chewed her lower lip. Bewitched had just finished their big hit and were debuting a new song. Kate hardly heard it, though. Her eyes scanned the faces in the crowd, those she could see at any rate. Sometimes somebody shifted in one direction or another, allowing her to see past to other groups listening to and swaying with the music. It was exactly during one of those instances, when the crowd parted slightly, that she finally found Mark. He was with another girl, and they were kissing.
(Anthony) Ready to Rock
Author: Beck
Date: 10-13-13 10:04
With the sounds of Bewitched still going in the background and the crowd cheering or singing along, Anthony prepped for Dynamic Duo's set. He strummed the strings of his bass without amplification, listening carefully (albeit with difficulty due to the noise) to make sure his instrument was perfectly in tune.
The band had done quite a bit of practicing in anticipation of their set at Emrys Fest and had even prepared a couple of new songs. Fitting in band practice on top of their already busy schedules had proven difficult on some days, what with work and family obligations, but the group had made it work enough to feel comfortable about today's performance.
Anthony looked over at his wife, Plum, who stood center stage and seemed to be thinking over lyrics and melodies in her head. He couldn't help the goofy smile that spread over his face as he watched her. She always looked gorgeous in his opinion, but today she looked amazing. She looked like a rockstar.
His gaze swept over the crowd next. The grounds were very full, so locating Alex wasn't easy. Anthony knew he was out there somewhere with the Reese-Emersons, but he didn't know where to look.
He did spot some of his colleagues roving the crowd. Various aurors were on duty, on the lookout for trouble. None was anticipated, but one never knew when or where something might happen. Watching his fellow aurors patrolling the grounds put to mind a recent press conference Director Thicknesse gave on the status of the search for Berthold Beatenberg and the failure of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's prison bus' maiden voyage.
There was something about the new director that Anthony didn't quite like, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what that might be. Although Thicknesse had said an exhaustive search was underway for the missing fugitive, the very same who had killed his predecessor, there was something in his manner that made him seem less than trustworthy on that matter and others.
Then again, maybe it was all in Anthony's head. So many wizards were under scrutiny these days, thanks to the rising darkness in the world, that it was almost difficult not to look at everyone a little too closely. Besides, why would the Minister agree to post someone like Thicknesse in so lofty a position if the wizard couldn't be trusted?
The fate of the prison bus had already been decided. Its use would not end, even though it had already done that which its use should have prevented––cutting down on interceptions, such as when Hattie Harsnip was rescued by her followers en route to Azkaban Fortress. Instead, trainings would be held on proper safety and security while using the bus and more law enforcement personnel would be assigned to each transport from this point forward.
As for wizard Hans Freitag in custody over in Europe, Anthony still didn't know very much. It wasn't his case and much of the investigation was on a need-to-know basis.
At the close of their set, Bewitched exited the stage, waving to the crowd as they went. Then all eyes turned to the other stage, where Dynamic Duo got ready to rock.
Having A Good Time
Author: Plum
Date: 10-13-13 18:41
Being six and a half, Alex Lancaster is not as self-conscious as an older child might be. That many of the adults around him are dancing serves to add to his energetic gyrations. That Plum and Anthony are currently on stage also has him very loudly singing along. Both Laura Reese and Alex's cousin Jordan Hodges have gotten photos of Alex's exuberance as had Plum before having to split away for the Dynamic Duo setup and sound check.
From her position on stage, despite the throng crowding close, Plum can see Alex some of the time. At one point she fixes her gaze his way and gives him a sign that she sees him. His happy response puts even more happy energy behind the rest of the song. She's so glad there are plenty of people in Alex's, Anthony's, and her lives that Alex can be at Emrys Fest having a grand time even while Anthony and she are on stage. If Kody's parents weren't here, there are others. Kordelia. Jordan. Several of Anthony's siblings. Daria Matthews. Emerald Green. Ophelia Bennett. Even Justin Hodges would have helped for the time she needed to be busy with Dynamic Duo. Plum feels blessed to have such a vast support system.
Emerald and Ophelia with Drake have been very helpful today. Justin convinced his parents to let him attend Emrys Fest. As long as he was going to be here Plum thought it a good time to introduce him to some Hogwarts students around his age. Emerald's brother and youngest sister are fourteen, the same age as Justin. Ophelia's cousins Heather Rabnott and Eden Jenkins are both fourteen and her cousin Marlow MacDougal will be fourteen before the next Hogwarts term begins. While that is a lot of females, there is at least Hunter Green, plus they can all introduce him around to even more of their classmates.
Justin is at that very moment meeting one of Hunter's friends, Madoc McGonagall. The three young men are in line for butterbeer, enjoying Dynamic Duo's set, and trying to peg which Hogwarts house Justin will be Sorted into. After paying for the butterbeers, Hunter states, "Maybe Jade would be better at figuring it out." Justin knows Jade is Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor for Hunter and Madoc but he's still trying to figure out from their various questions what exactly that means. Out of the blue Madoc asks, "Do you two think you could get me a complete set of Dynamic Duo autographs?"
Justin shrugs. "Yeah, probably. I'll ask Plum." As he's saying this Hunter is nodding along, probably thinking it's no problem to ask his sister who dates one of the band members. Justin then asks, "Big fan are you?"
"A fan, yes, but I was thinking about my brother's reaction."
Having siblings himself, Justin doesn't feel the need to say more. He understands perfectly.
One of this siblings, Jordan, is who Justin is staying with for the weekend. Last Justin saw of his brother, he was over near Plum's friends who are keeping an eye on Alex while Plum and Anthony are involved with being members of Dynamic Duo. Jordan's been flirty with that older girl Kordelia but Justin knows his brother well enough to know it's just flirting to be flirting and nothing serious.
Plum's starting on the band's last song. In a few, a band that has gotten some airplay from time to time back home is taking the other stage. Justin likes the songs he's heard so is looking forward to hearing Dragon. He takes a swig of butterbeer then asks Hunter and Madoc a Quidditch question as they continue to meander, stopping from time to time for the pair to introduce him to someone else.
Support
Author: Johanna Steele
Date: 10-14-13 07:17
People moved like busy ants from one stage to another and into the several booths with food and drinks. Music was playing but it seemed like everything was happening at a parallel world because Johanna had put aside everything else to focus on Kate, whose face was pale and her eyes had no life, as if a dementor had just passed by.
"Are you sure it was Mark?" Johanna asked her. "Maybe it was someone else who looked like him…"
"No. I am sure it was him. He was wearing a shirt we bought together on a trip to Hogsmeade. Now it makes sense why he has been acting weird lately…"
Johanna hugged Kate. She couldn't believe Mark had done this to her. She never really thought he would be the kind of person to cheat, but she admitted she would not care if he had done so with someone else. The problem was he had hurt Kate who was her friend. It was not hard for her to pick a side and she was already planning on ignoring Mark from this day on.
Moments later Gus joined them, shaking his head.
"No sign of him…or the girl."
He had wanted to find Mark and confront him, against Kate's wishes. But Gus was stubborn and he still tried to search for him but without any success. Johanna had not seen Mark and the girl but Gus ,who was taller than all of them, had no difficulty to spot them too.
"You are way prettier than her," Gus told Kate, trying to console her.
Kate gave him a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. She was still very down, of course. Johanna wondered who the girl might be. Did she attend Hogwarts? Did Mark really like her? What was going on? Felecia arrived on that moment with Baltus, carrying drinks for everyone. He didn't seem very pleased to be missing the shows on the stages, but he was carrying Felicia's orders without a protest.
"There was no hot coco, so butter beer will have to do," Felicia said. She wanted to fetch a comfortable drink for Kate, her way to support her.
It was clear that Johanna, Gus and Felicia were taking Kate's side on this, although Gus still seemed to want to meet with Mark, searching for a justification. Johanna didn't need one: what he had done was unforgivable.
"Thank you," Kate replied, holding her glass but she didn't take it to her lips.
"Baltus, can you go fetch us some napkins?"
Relieved for being dismissed, Baltus walked away from the group and Johanna had the feeling he was going to take his time to comeback.
"So how we will make him pay? Anyone knows a very nasty spell?" Felicia asked.
She and Gus soon started to discuss hexes and curses between the two. Johanna just looked at Kate who seemed amused by this and shrugged her shoulders. Of course in the end they would not hex Mark, because they were all adults here. Besides, what if Kate forgave Mark? That could be a possibility, although she really hoped her friend wouldn't do so.
One thing was for sure: if Mark Farnon went to their encounter he would not find a friendly committee waiting for him.
(Mark) Hate Me
Author: Isolde
Date: 10-14-13 09:49
"So, tell me more about yourself," purred the witch pressed against Mark's side, leaving no doubt whatsoever that he belonged to her and that all other girls needed to look elsewhere.
The witch's name was Clio, and she spoke with a thick, Scottish brogue. She was very pretty, and a few years older than Mark. She hadn't attended Hogwarts when she was school-aged; instead, she'd been home-schooled with other wizarding children in her village. She had enrolled in St. Emrys two years ago and was studying curse breaking.
"There's not much to tell," Mark replied, steering Clio away from the crowd, looking over his shoulder as he went.
He had only met her today, right there at Emrys Fest. It had been his plan all along to find someone he could use to make breaking up with Kate easy on both sides, or as easy as breaking up could ever be.
Mark had thought long and hard about how he would end things with Kate. An option had been to tell her the truth, that his parents had given him an ultimatum and that if he didn't drop her, then they would drop him. A part of Mark knew that Kate would accept that reason, even if she didn't like it and and even though it would still cause her heartache.
But the nagging thought that his reason would lend to the hope that they might eventually reunite bothered Mark. He didn't want to leave Kate hanging for however long it took for him to establish himself. It might take years for him to have enough money to support not only himself but Kate, if she would even still want him by that point. The knowledge that his parents would never approve of her, even later in life, also made him think it was better that they go their separate ways.
And how best to do that then to make her hate him. As soon as he'd set eyes on Clio, he'd known that she was the one for the job. He'd positioned himself where he knew they would be seen, and if not by Kate directly, then by someone else who knew them. Gossip tended to spread like wildfire, after all.
Mark had been too busy making out with Clio to notice the exact moment when Kate saw them, but later, when he'd looked for Kate himself, he'd noticed her upset expression and the way her friends rallied around her to know it was done. He and Kate were over for good now.
Work and Play
Author: Carys
Date: 10-14-13 12:14
Carys wound through the crowd with her camera, taking photographs of the fans singing along to the music and the members of Hocus Pocus, currently performing on stage one. When she thought she had gotten enough shots, she made her way back to the red and white checked picnic blanket where Griffin and Tristan lounged. Juliet and Jude shared the neighboring blanket. It was solid green and nearly blended in with the lawn.
"Mummy, why do you always have to go take pictures?" Tristan asked.
"It's for the newspaper," Carys replied, settling in beside him. She put her camera down on the blanket and explained, "There's going to be an article in the school newspaper about Emrys Fest. One of my pictures will accompany the article."
"Just one?"
"Maybe more than one," Carys said. "I'll have to see if any of them are good when I develop them later."
"Does it bother you, having to work today?" Jude asked.
Carys shook her head and turned to him. "This really doesn't feel like working. Besides," she went on, picking up her camera again and angling it in his and Juliet's direction, "some of the pictures are for my personal use."
Jude and Juliet struck a pose with their arms around each other and smiled.
Carys smiled back and snapped the shot. Then she put the camera back down and said, "I guess I really don't have to be here, on behalf of the newspaper, I mean. But as I was planning on being here anyway, I thought I could take some pictures too."
"She's so dedicated," Griffin remarked with a grin.
"Such a do-gooder," Juliet agreed, teasing Carys.
"Not always," Carys admitted, thinking back to her darkest days, but those were long behind her and her life was pretty good now. She looked at Tristan, who was watching a line of ants in the grass, and at Griffin, who smiled at her. She smiled back and then turned her attention back to the stage, where Hocus Pocus continued their set.
Taking A Break From Being A Band Member
Author: Charlie Weasley
Date: 10-14-13 15:42
Tangerine Dagger is nearly through the approximately forty-five minutes allotted to each band. Charlie has finally been able to return to where Hendrika and their three children and Kellan MacFusty and Blythe Mumps with their two have staked a spot. For awhile before Dragon had to get set up on stage 2, the band members were doing a meet and greet type thing at the booth where Dragon paraphernalia is available. Shortly after getting ready for their set it was time for Dragon to go on. They'd performed a mix of old and new songs, the crowd well worked up by the previous acts.
After they'd finished and cleared off to make way for Spellorama there'd been fans to wade through while signing autographs and posing here and there for photographs. At first, the time seemed to fly until the last ten or so minutes before he was able to break away and rejoin his family and friends. Those last minutes seemed to drag by for some reason.
Now able to relax, at least for awhile, Charlie is on his back holding two year old Ava straight up over him, zooming her around as she giggles. Artie and the younger of Kellan's and Blythe's children, Sumner, have exerted so much energy already today both are passed out, oblivious to the din around them. Looking as though he might nod off himself, Kellan is in a lawn chair, a lager in hand. Schuyler, Eugenia MacFusty-Mumps, Hendrika, and Blythe are walking around, taking everything in. Or, more likely, the two kids are running ahead then stopping to impatiently wait for their mums to catch them up.
His arms starting to ache a little from holding Ava up for so long and flying her about, Charlie sits up then stands, putting Ava on his shoulders. Keeping a tight hold of her, he continues making her giggle as he dances around to the last Tangerine Dagger song before The Mermen go on.
First Time at Emrys Fest
Author: Rowan Westwick
Date: 10-14-13 16:16
Rowan, Beatrix and Ash stood in the thick of the crowd at Emrys Fest. For the Westwicks, it was the very first visit to the university campus, which hadn't even existed in their previous lives. Willow had come with them too but had wandered off to spend some time with her friend Amorica Wenlock, who had a very big family, many of whom were there at the concert.
In the year Rowan had come back into her life, she had heard some of the bands performing at Emrys Fest on the WWN, so she had become familiar with some of today's music, which sometimes was quite different from the styles she remembered from a quarter century ago. Being so much newer to the modern world, Ash wasn't as familiar, and almost like an older generation person complaining about the rowdy youth, Ash wasn't sure he cared for the modern sound. Maybe it would take some getting used to.
The group had started out with Ash on one side of Rowan and Beatrix on the other, but over the course of the afternoon, Beatrix wound up on Ash's other side. Rowan saw plenty of couples making out here and there and had no desire whatsoever to see Beatrix and Ash follow suit. Then again, she didn't get any indication from her brother that he was interested in Beatrix, whereas her interests in him were as obvious as could be.
After a while, Rowan started to get very thirsty. She was tempted to ask Beatrix to make a run to the concession stand, if only because she worried over what might happen if she left Beatrix alone with Ash, but then she decided that Ash could take care of himself. She asked them if they wanted anything and then set off across the grounds to where long lines snaked in front of booths offering drinks and snacks.
Rowan queued up behind a wizard without realizing she knew him. When he turned so that she saw his profile, her eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't seen him in about a year, when Elgiva took her and Willow to Diagon Alley for school supplies. Before that, she hadn't seen him in 26 years.
The wizard standing in front of her was Logan Meade, her old crush, and her brother's former roommate. She wondered what he would think to know that she was standing right behind him, if he even remembered her. He would certainly remember Ash, though. Would he recognize him by sight, however? Maybe.
As tempting as it was to tap Logan on the shoulder, Rowan stayed her hand. The line inched forward, little by little. Rowan studied her former crush, taking in how much he had changed and how much he still reminded her of the boy she remembered. She wondered if he was married or had children. His hands were in the pockets of his jeans, so she couldn't check for a ring.
Then they were at the front of the line. Logan was called to one register, and then Rowan was called to the other. She ordered three butterbeers, and by the time she turned around, Logan was walking in the opposite direction, carrying a tray of nachos in one hand and two ice-cold butterbeers by their necks in the other.
Rowan watched him for a long moment and then went to find Ash and Beatrix. To her relief, they weren't making out or even holding hands. They were both simply listening to the music.
Rowan passed out the butterbeers and then turned to her brother.
"I just ran into your old roommate, Logan Meade," she said. "I didn't talk to him. I don't think he even knows me anymore, but I recognized him. He looks the same, only older."
Ash seemed to take a long moment to process the information. That he might run into someone he used to know had always been in the back of his mind, but the reality of it happening nevertheless shocked him. He and Logan had been decent friends.
He seemed to collect himself and smiled at Rowan. "Weren't you obsessed with him?"
"No," Rowan sullenly replied. "I was not obsessed. I just had a tiny crush on him, that's all."
"Right." His face grew more serious. "I think I should like to talk to him eventually, but I don't think I'm ready yet."
"I don't blame you," Rowan said. "How can you pick up a friendship after nearly thirty years when one life has moved on and the other was frozen in time?"
Ash didn't answer. He sipped his butterbeer and said, "At least some things haven't changed. Butterbeer still tastes exactly the same."
"Ooooh, the Mermen are coming!" Beatrix suddenly screeched. The Mermen had fit bodies and tended to go on stage without any shirts on their backs. They looked oiled down, as if they had just climbed out of the water.
All the girls in the crowd started shrieking hysterically, even Rowan, who had never realized that the wizards who sang the WWN hit "Tangled Fins" were that drop dead gorgeous. With Beatrix and Rowan on either side of him, jumping up and down and screaming at the band, Ash felt like he needed a pair of earplugs. He quietly sipped his butterbeer and watched the Mermen do their thing on stage.
Didn't Need To See That
Author: Sage Porter
Date: 10-14-13 17:20
Sipping from his new favorite drink, something called hard lemonade, Sage sways in time with the song filling the air of the university grounds even though it's not one he's heard before that he recalls. Beside him Savannah stands with an arm around the waist of someone she'd met at the Magical Match speed dating he, she, and Esperanza attended. His name is Loudon, from Germany, and a St. Emrys student. So far he seems nice enough though Sage would be the first to amidst he's not spent all that much time with the chap.
Ezra is here with the girl he's been dating for awhile now and Esperanza is on here on a first date with a bloke she knows from a couple of classes. They ran into each other recently and he admitted he'd been working up the courage for a long time to ask her out. Sage is odd man out but given the nature of Emrys Fest, so many people milling around, he's not given it much thought.
Until now.
In the process of turning from one stage to the other as one act ends and the next musical group begins, Sage catches sight of Georgia Copperpot and a group of her friends. Most days Sage has come to terms with their breakup even if he never fully understood Georgia's reasons for calling it quits, but some days he misses her and her quirks a great deal.
Seeing her now, Sage feels the twinge. He's taken a step, then another, in her direction, though he has no idea what he'd say beyond hello. His steps are stilled almost as soon as they've begun, the realization hitting him that not only does Georgia appear to be here with a date but her date looks like one of the members of Tangerine Dagger. The bassist he thinks.
Sage turns back to facing the stage, taking a deep pull on his drink, wondering how he long it will take him to gradually work the others away from Georgia, her friends, and her date so he can better put her from his mind.