Tent Quiet, Never Heard of Her PV Closed

@Crystal Jagger
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Mars gazed outward at the sea of tents filling the lawn. Wixes in blue, red, yellow, and green robes alike mulled around the canvas structure, meeting friends or peeking curiously into the flaps of open tents. They breathed in a gulp of the fresh London air. Well, here they were.

It hadn't been that hard to get here in all reality. Even though they'd decided—or really, had been forced to decide—not to go home so late, it was a simple matter of just following the right group. If they really had to, they'd go talk to one of the professors at a later date. For now, they had to find somewhere to stay.

Pushing away the worries that had started to seep into their mind, they wandered around the camp. The question of August was for a later date. The question of now was now. They had absolutely no idea which tent to pick.

The Ravenclaw watched as a couple of witches met up, giving each other hugs and patting each other on the shoulder before one popped her head out of a nearby tent and beckoned them in. Professor Jensen had said that each of the tents were up for grabs rather than being assigned, so it seemed that many friend groups had already gotten together and piled into a canvas structure. Ha, friends.

It was a weird question, asking Mars if they actually had friends. Maybe, had they been a different person, they would have said yes. This year had proved fruitful; the wix had—whether they'd wanted to or not—managed to meet quite a few people they didn't actually mind spending time with. There were faces amongst the halls that they were willing to smile at, people for whom they were willing to stop and chat. Maybe that should have been the very qualification of "friend."

But to Mars, the matter of one wasn't quite so simple. They still felt as if there was no one they'd actively seek out should they have a problem, no one they trusted well enough to share the thoughts that swirled and spilled around their brain. Maybe it was just in their nature; no matter how friendly they seemed or how easily they took to a conversation, they never dedicated all of themselves to any interaction. Mars was guarded and wary and by now, shoving parts of themselves deep into the crevices of their mind had become second nature. They wondered absentmindedly if there'd ever be someone they'd want to give the full version of themselves. Wondered if anyone would want it.

But all these ponderings were giving them a headache. The Ravenclaw had enough to worry about without the question of "friends," so they shoved the thoughts away and scanned the camp again. One of them had to be free. Hell, they'd sleep in a tent alone if they really had to.

Finally, brown eyes landed on a tent in the distance, a rather subtle one—other than the fact that it was strung with fairy lights. A hammock and a picnic table were nestled near it as well, a lamp that hung in the tree's branches swaying in the breeze. From the looks of the closed flap, no one had gone in yet. Perfect.

Mars made their way over, one hand resting on the duffle bag that was slung over their shoulder. They paused at the front of the tent to admire the marigold that adorned the entrance. Then, pushing open the flap with the back of a hand, they stepped inside. Their shoe clicked a single time on the ground as they went stalk still. There was someone in here.

"Crystal?" they asked.

Interacting with @Mars T'ien

Crystal turned around at the sound of her name, the voice sounding oddly familiar. Her eyes locked onto Mars, and she smiled. "Mars! Oh my gosh, I didn't expect to see anyone I knew here!" She quickly jumped to her feet from the beanbag she was sitting on, running over to the wix. Crystal was obviously fine with meeting new people, it was a welcome thing. But she didn't mind living with people she knew for a period of time. She nearly gave them a hug, but quickly restrained herself. Even though the two had hung out before, she didn't really know if Mars likes hugs. "I'm happy to see you again, seems like we have a habit of running into each other. I'm hoping you are choosing this as your tent?" she asked, unsure if they decided.
She wanted them to stay, it would be a fantastic way to get to know the wix better. Her eyes went towards the bag they held, making her remember something she brought with her. She glanced back over to her stuff, placed on the top of one of the bunks. "If you want, I have some treats my mom baked. Banana bread, lemon cookies, and croissants. They should last for the camp, as long as we don't binge eat them," Crystal mentioned, pointing to one of the larger bags. She had a few up there, but most were rather small. Books in one, coloring tools in another, anything she might want to keep herself entertained. Camp should keep her busy enough, but there might be some days she just wants to stay in. "So, what are you most exited for?" she asked Mars.

Interacting with @Crystal Jagger
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Mars couldn't help but smile at their friend's familiar face. They picked up their guitar, lugging it inside with their duffle bag slung over the other arm. The Ravenclaw couldn't help but be grateful they were a light packer—it was hard enough getting around with a guitar case with just one bag. They didn't want to imagine what it was like to have multiple. Mars was fine with weekly laundry trips if it meant they didn't tear their arms off every time they moved.

It was good to hear someone so excited to see them. The sorrow of not going home had dug into them and they'd spiraled hard into a place they didn't enjoy in the slightest. But maybe with a friend around, it would be easier to ignore, easier to push away, and bury deep within them.

Friend. It was still a weird word, a strange taste in their mouth. But they really couldn't help but use it.

The wix laughed as Crystal rushed over, noting that she stopped herself from giving them a hug. They were grateful for that—right now, physical touch only brought up memories of their family's faces, and they'd had enough of those for all of eternity to come.

"I'm glad to see you too. For once, fate is helping out, huh?" Mars responded. It was measured, still heavy, but it was genuine, "And yeah, if it's okay with you, I'd love to stay here. Gods know I'm exhausted."

The Ravenclaw glanced around, seeing two bunk beds. They hauled their stuff over to a lower one, not having the energy to climb to the top. They were about to plop down when Crystal mentioned something about food. Mars probably looked like an owl with the way their head swiveled at those words.

"Did you say food?" They wandered back over to Crystal's assortment, picking out a piece of banana bread after a moment of deliberation. After stuffing it in their mouth, they muttered, "You better tell your mother I love her."

Chewing quickly, Mars swallowed, clearing their throat just enough to respond to Crystal's question.

"Uh—" Mars choked, coughing a few times and doubling over before righting themselves again, "Ah, sorry about that." They smiled sheepishly. The Ravenclaw reached into their back pocket, pulling out the itinerary.

"Mmm, I'd have to say the Chess Match," they replied, "I've wanted to duel since I got here and know they're finally letting us!" Was it probably a mistake to let children hurl literal fireballs at each other? Probably, yes. Did Mars care? No, not at all.

Whiskey eyes scanned the page, taking in the events. Subconsciously, they flinched at the idea of going to some of these massive events. "I'll probably skip the barbeque," they mentioned. Looking at it, arts and crafts weren't something they really wanted to do either. But stargazing? God, they'd missed the stars. And the London Tour sounded fun as well. Maybe it would bring them a little closer to home.

"I guess I have to go to the Quidditch Match though, huh?" they asked. Mars stopped mid-thought when they realized they'd been talking for a while. "How 'bout you, Crys?"