come_sailaway | JUNE EVENT: CAMP

JUNE EVENT: CAMP

early on June 10th, Friday's morning announcements end with a request for everyone going on the latest excursion to meet her in the atrium. she seems in noticeably better spirits than she had been last time, and she leads them cheerfully to the tender. once they are all aboard, and the door is securely shut, the interior fills with gas, and, perhaps, their last thought before they slip into unconsciousness is "oh shit, not again."

passengers wake up on a rickety old school bus, driving down a dirt road surrounded by woods. what is it that they notice first? that, no matter what they were wearing before, they are now wearing a camp t-shirt and legitimately horrifyingly short shorts? the overstuffed backpack between their knees? the words "take one down and pass it around" dying on their lips? the fact that Friday is absolutely driving the bus?

or, maybe the fact that it's already slowing down, pulling up in front of a massive wooden sign, saying:

CAMP AION

when they get out of the bus, Friday is the one to divide them up into their cabin groups, and she is the one to give the counselors their very official-looking clipboards and whistles. she explains that they are in charge, and that she will be back to pick them up in a week, and... very little else. she responds to nothing outside of whatever is on her unseen little script, and she gets back on the bus shortly after, leaving them there.

welcome to camp. let's make some summer memories!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

1. (closed to Max... though Skully is welcome to harass them)

Being asked to attend the dance (that she's absolutely convinced they're all going to die at) with Malcolm is filling her with enough anxious anticipation, not helped by the fact that Ava doesn't actually know how to dance. Outside of the occasional bopping around her own room in private. She's aware there are different styles, to the different sorts of music, but beyond that she's at a loss.

"It can't be more difficult than fighting," she comments uncertainly to Max, who's agreed to provide her with some lessons.

2. (Aquarius cabin, but I guess others could join if interested!)

In an attempt to take the feedback she's received from her cabin mates into consideration and salvage her reputation as probably the worst counselor at camp, Ava's organized a little group hiking trip. She's packed her bag with plenty of water, and has a colorfully doodled map.

"That's where the treasure is hidden," she tells Ginko, pointing to the X. "And that's where the bonfire's supposed to be." She's taken Sharky's word for it that he's gotten that handled.

"Does everyone have everything they need before we go?" However many people it is that agreed to come along, that is.

Treasure, huh. Ginko peers at the map with a raised eyebrow, but doesn't otherwise comment on how... uh. Homemade it looks.

"Sounds good." He's got everything he needs--which is to say, he's emptied out his backpack of any extra clothes (probably in a messy pile on his bed) and packed a bunch of granola bars and water bottles. Definitely more than he himself will need, but he's assuming everyone else won't pack enough.

She's been clearly spending too much time with the pirates. And more time burying the treasure (stuff to make s'mores with at the bonfire) than making the map. So yes, it's a rush job.

"Great," she tugs at the straps of her backpack. "If anyone has to pee, you'll have to go in the woods"

"Well ideally neither of us die at the end of this." His tone light, because this is going to take all his attention and then he can't focus on the shorts or the shirt he's wearing today which is at least black but has a cutesy image of a grinning sun with sunglasses shining on a forest. All the trees are smiling. There is a bear. The bear is also smiling.

"Or kill anyone else on the dance floor. That's the primary goal of dancing afterall."

"I might, of embarrassment." It's a rather cute shirt, in Ava's opinion. Her opinion that she politely keeps to herself, because she knows Max has suffered enough. And he's doing her a kindness, with all this. Even dressed in camp wear, he's still the fanciest person she knows.

"I can't make any promises. You know me, Ava, crusher of hearts. And probably of feet."

"I think were that possible most of us would have already." He spent three days frozen in the forest attempting to impersonate a shrub out of embarrassment of these stupid shorts.

"That's why you are practicing, with someone who does not have a heart and is made of metal. My feet will remain unscathed." Though not for lack of trying from the ridiculous Crocs he was wearing earlier. Once he actually looked through his bag he found another pair of shoes which are still ugly but at least fit his feet better and he's not walking like a dog in boots.

"Now." He puts his hands on her shoulders and moves her into position across from him. "You stand here. And I stand here."

He's about the same height as her, which is nice since usually he's so much shorter than everyone. He also has no idea what kind of music is played at dances during camping, but he assumes there'll be at least a few slow songs.

"You have nice legs," Ava insists. Her own are a bit scraped up, but whatever.

She looks down at his shoes, and with as little fashion knowledge as she has, can tell his feet are plenty scathed. But will not comment upon it! That's probably the first rule in dancing. Not insulting your partner.

Ava allows herself to be adjusted into position, it doesn't feel too unlike preparing to spar. But all she can mentally do is calculate how to best break the hold, throw him down. She fights that urge. "I just stand here," she repeats.

He shakes his head at the compliment because he feels like he looks like metal sticks holding up a body. The figure he cuts in a fine suit is loads better than this nonsense. No one shold be seeing this much of him unless they're both naked.

"Relax, this will be easy." He says as if he doesn't have years of practice and is teaching someone who has trouble touching people without going intangible. Granted if she does throw him down he will still teach her how to dance, more as a punishment than a help though.

"Correct. Well, not just stand there, you will have to move eventually, the goal of dancing is not that we are statues at each other." He puts his hands out palm up, "Slow dances are simple, you will mostly sway back and forth. This hand we hold and your other goes on my shoulder."

Time to do this Ava.

Relax, okay, she can do that, a slow release of breath through her nose to show just how much she's relaxing. Her stance remains rather frozen though, braced as if waiting for a blow. Until he remarks about not being statues and she becomes painfully aware of how stiff she is, bouncing slightly on her heels to loosen up. Swaying, she can do swaying.

Placing a hand on Max's shoulder, she looks at him uncertainly, the other one squeezing his hand a bit too tightly. "How close are we supposed to be?"

She is relaxing the same way that a boxer would in the ring. Which is to say: not at all. That slow breath is convincing no one, least of all the Omnic standing there. He chuckles and squeezes her hand. "You're doing fine so far."

This is proving to be both harder, but far more endearing, than he'd expected.

"About this far." He puts his other hand on her waist, closing the distance until there's only a respectable gap between them. "Generally when humans do this you would slowly get closer as the song progresses, but we don't have to practice that part."

For further date tricks she'll have to look elsewhere as Max is not a master of the yawn and stretch to wrap an arm around someones shoulder.

The reassurance is enough to allow Ava to lower her guard somewhat, even as Max steps in closer. It's not indecently close, of course, but certainly closer than she typically allows anyone. It helps that it's him, and she squeezes his hand back appreciatively.

"Oh," she comments, tucking that little tip away for the actual night of the dance. "So other than not stomping feet, is there anything else to avoid?"

Ten minutes late with nary a Starbucks in sight, in sweeps this guy. He doesn't even say anything, just plops himself down on the nearest available surface for him to sit on. At least he isn't too late!

"Don't mind me," he says, "It was either this or staring at another fake maple tree for hours on end."

"Not really, avoid feet and colliding with anyone else. Don't overthink this." He says reassuringly, before they suddenly have a visitor. Max manages to stay right where he is and not spring back from Ava like they've been caught red handed doing evil villain things. Instead he glances over at Skulduggery, just waiting for him to say something snarky, but you know what - world's okayest wingman over here is going to help Ava learn to dance whether or not a sarcastic skeleton gives commentary.

"Do you have any advice to add?"

"I overthink everything," Ava protests, except those times where she panics and acts out impulsively. But. She overthinks that after the fact, so it still totally counts.

She gives Skulduggery a bit of a wave, except her hands are occupied with holding Max's, so it's done with her head and swing of her pigtails. "Thought you might've gotten lost in the infinite forest loop," Ava accuses, clearly pleased to see him.

DANCE LESSONS, HIKING TRIP

HIKING

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Dance time!

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BONFIRE TIME (AQUARIUS + OTA) - a party thread inside a party thread!!

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