dreams come true

msufriday​:

SHE IS A TEA PARTY EXPERT. okay, not really. more like a self-indulgence expert. what more is a tea party than grandeur indulgence in its finest? and what mom knew best—next to relationships and love—was how to indulge herself. now, in comparison to the excessively extravagant china tea set mom has back home, mokseong’s setup didn’t quite measure up. but it was still plenty cute and the candy bar looked divine. not to mention the view—her eyes survey the area; a quiet blossoming sensation unfurling in the crux of her chest.

                pretty face upon pretty face upon pretty face upon biceps upon pretty face.                                                                                                                         amazing.

speaking of: her eyes shoot back into her pretty little head at the clear chime of a familiar voice, reigning in her focus to fixate on the girl in front of her, eyes wide and attentive like a meerkat while she speaks on. then, a rival-the-sun grin. “oh! hi!” friday chirps in greeting, arms instinctively winding around hazel’s waist for a quick hug (careful of the things in her hands) before pulling back. “i haven’t seen you all day—i was wondering why my day seemed so gaunt.” she jests, eyes lowering to the pastries in hazel’s hands; mouth forming a small ‘o’ at the sheer number of them. tempting, but so was the new silk slip she just bought. 

“well you know homebaked goods are always better than store bought—” lowers her voice into a whisper here, only half joking. “but don’t tell honeydew i said that, i don’t want my customer card revoked.” her head whips around while she speaks, scanning for an open table. “but, we can share! or, i’ll just watch you eat—let’s go sit over there!” friday moves to pluck the plate out of pastries out of hazel’s grasp, freeing a hand for her to grab and squeeze—tugging her friend along to the open table underneath the fairy lights.

“did you just get here? did you get a tea reading already? i was gonna go but i got distracted by the candy bar—” friday takes a breath, pulling a chair back for hazel before easing into the seat over. “but then i’m also scared like what if i get something like the grim?” she grimaces. 

                                                                   “yikes.”                                                                                                         imagine that.

msunate​:

why someone would arrange a party like this, or who would even do it, nate isn’t sure of. it is a pretty strange theme for a costume party, and it’s not even october yet, so why are there even costume parties going on? still, he had been invited, and despite his initial thoughts had been about how weird the party would be, he wasn’t about to turn a party with an us president theme down.

his choice of costume is completely random, really. despite being american, he doesn’t know all the presidents too well. the recent ones, sure, but when it comes to ones before clinton, he’s sort of blanking. it’s not like they teach you much about the presidents at ilvermorny. so when it had come to picking his costume, he’ll be honest and said he had searched up who the presidents even were, then picked a completely random one off the list, ending up at franklin d. roosevelt. 

he’s surprised at how big the turnout is at this party. it’s not really the kind of thing you’d think would be popular, but who knows, maybe people found it funny. scanning the room, nate looks for someone he knows, someone to talk to, and his gaze lands on hazel kim, the suseong captain. as she’s the first person he’s seen that he would dare say he knows, he decides to approach her. 

“hey, sexy,” he greets her — not as an attempt to hit on her, it’s more of a joke between the two of them. he looks over her costume, trying to figure out who she’s meant to represent, but again, his knowledge on the us presidents fail him. she’s probably meant to be someone before his time. “weird party, huh? so who are you meant to be?” 

despite how much effort she was putting into trying to think up a reason that could explain why she was here, hazel was ultimately drawing a blank. she had been invited, sure—but for the most part, she had largely written the invitation off as some silly joke. and yet somehow that hadn’t stopped her from looking further into the party, even going so far as to research the past presidents of the united states. truthfully, however, ‘research’ had little to do with her decision—she’d left her costume up to chance, opting to spin a wheel rather than pick a president for herself.

“hey, sexy?” she greeted back instinctively, eyes widening out of surprise as she somehow hadn’t seen the excessively tall man approaching. hazel hadn’t expected to see any people she recognized here, but if she had to guess one person that’d be here, she probably would have guessed nate. “yeah, totally weird. but i’m actually... not that surprised to see you here, honestly,” she admitted, a soft chuckle slipping past her lips as she gazed up at him.

msucallie​:

those who really knew callie knew that she can be competitive to a fault. it’s in her blood and anyone who happens to be the opposite of her in any sort of sport would usually get a good taste of it by the end of any game. hazel knew that well. after all, the two of them used to be rivals back in the day when they had both played for separate quidditch teams back in hogwarts. of course, the two of them have become close friends since then. it’s just moments like these when they’re pitted against each other that they reignite those same old competitive spirits. 

“you’re buying time.” callie spoke carefully, her eyes flickering briefly up and down suseong’s captain as if trying to prepare herself for her next move. the weight of the paintball rifle was nestled firmly against her shoulder, her grip firm onto it as the weapon creaked with every shift of her body. callie knew the majority of hazel’s strategies and with the way she kept provoking conversation, she just knew the other was trying to distract her. “i don’t know who you’re trying to fool here, hazel. you should know by now that i’m pretty quick when it comes down to it. any sudden movements and i’ll know…”

callie paused just for a second as she listened to her teammate’s proposition. honestly, it sounded too tempting to pass up. unfortunately, this was warring territory. even if they didn’t shoot each other, someone was bound to come along and shoot one of them in the back if they weren’t careful. “yeah, that does sound fun.” the younger of the two agreed, a thin grin forming on her lips. “but–” she took a shot at hazel. “you’re not exactly the most trustworthy when you’re the enemy, haze. we both know that as a fact.”

for a brief moment, it seemed almost like hazel’s ploy was working perfectly. but then, there was a ‘but’ from callie, and hazel knew that she was in danger—only it was too late, and callie had beaten hazel at her own game. “you shot me,” she acknowledged in mild disbelief, amusement slowly returning to her features as she pieced together what had happened. truthfully, she couldn’t even find it in her to feel upset—shocked, maybe, but at the end of the day, she respected callie’s play.

hazel lowered her weapon, her entertained grin shifting into something that resembled a smirk. “do me a favor, will you?” she asked, readjusting her grip on the rifle. “keep that same energy for the quidditch season... i don’t want hwaseong to see us coming.” and with that, she began to turn around, only something stopped her halfway. she couldn’t let callie get away with any of this, even if it had made hazel proud. and so she quickly turned back, flashing the girl a quick grin as she raised her paint gun, aligning callie in her sights before pulling the trigger.

“right, well—now that that’s out of the way...” her voice trailed off as she began to turn once more, her smile growing in intensity from the excitement. “what do you say? ready to show professor song what we think of her?”

msulevi​:

‘i know, thanks,’ sounds exactly like something he’d say, and levi can’t help but grin, torn between amusement and something else. a hint of pride, maybe — that he’d rubbed off on her in those weeks they’d spent together. “you’ve been spending too much time with me.” he says it like he hadn’t straight up ditched her for a week or two, but that doesn’t make it any less true. for the better part of his summer break, he’d taken her everywhere. he’d spent his birthday with her. he’d invited her to look at apartments with him — mostly because his mom had insisted he’d at least look for one, but he’d wanted to spend it rolling around in the hay with hazel, so why not combine the two? now that he’s thinking about it, levi realizes how ridiculous that is. it’s no wonder she’d expected more from him when he’d basically treated her like his girlfriend.

but she wasn’t. but she’s not. and now he’s looking at her mouth again, the curve of her smile. something in his chest tightens uncomfortably. this is exactly how he’d felt towards the end of summer, the reason he’d up and left her without as much as a ‘cya’ in the first place. it’d clearly not been a clean getaway — they usually never are — but all of this felt like he hadn’t tried to leave in the first place. that whatever he’d felt had instead been frozen in place until seeing her had dethawed it all again. ha. ha ha. great. now where’s the nearest exit?

the bottle of firewhiskey in front of him is already half-empty. maybe if he just kept drinking he’d stop thinking. he doesn’t like it. thinking sucks. head full, thoughts shitty.

he’s grateful for her distraction, even if her question throws him off. ‘anything you’d like to get off your chest?’ yeah, that weird feeling he’s experiencing. “do you consider me an ‘old problem’?” the tone of his voice implies that he’s joking, but levi really is curious. maybe she’s about to make an attempt at a clean slate, trying to figure out if he’ll be part of it. maybe she’s about to throw his ass in the trash the minute the clock strikes twelve and she’d invited him out for one last hurrah. wouldn’t that solve his problem, too?

but if that’s the case — does it even matter what he’d tell her? “so… i can say anything i want and you’ll forget about it by the time it’s midnight? alright.” he knows that’s not how it works. he knows that he shouldn’t. of course, this doesn’t stop him from leaning in closer, his mouth near her ear. “i really want to kiss you.”

"well, now, still trying to make up my mind on that,” she admitted, hoping that her tone would give him the implication that she was joking. deep down, however, hazel wasn’t so sure. outside of these walls, levi had his own problems to deal with; he had other people that hazel believed he would choose over her in a heartbeat. and yet here she was, her features adorning a faint smile as she struggled to let go of the summer they had shared, and the hopes of a future she had been foolish enough to develop. maybe levi was a problem, and she was simply too stubborn to learn her lesson. the thought left a bitter taste in her mouth, which she did her best to wash down with another sip of chocolate liqueur.

“now, come on,” she insisted, gently pushing levi’s shoulder as she waited to hear what he had to say. there’s a part of her that wondered if she was just looking for any excuse to touch him—to be near him—and a playful shove should seem innocent enough to fly under the radar.

and that’s when he started talking again. at first, hazel simply nodded her head, eager to hear whatever stupid thing that levi would try to come up with. as the man began to lean in closer, however, hazel felt her chest tightening as her heartbeat began to quicken. kang levi... what exactly are you trying to do?

his next words send a shiver down hazel’s spine. he wanted to kiss her? a few hours ago, she would have denied him outright—but in that moment with levi, his lips so close to her skin... hazel knew that she had already lost all sense of self-control.

as much as she wanted to say no, she knew that she couldn’t. there was a part of her that wanted this—whatever it was—too badly to deny it. all that was left now was to give into him. what did it matter if she’d regret it later? all that she found herself caring about was here and now. and so she turned to face him, the space between their lips becoming almost nonexistent. there was no turning back now.

msulevi​:

“can’t say i blame them.” he shrugged, obviously not too fussed that no one else had come. “i’ve got quite the presence, it’s no wonder they’re scared of me.” he’d play along, because at this point it was obvious that she hadn’t invited anyone else but him. if she had, he’s sure they would’ve showed up just to make sure levi didn’t try anything on her. but that just prompts the question of why. why had she invited him out? he thought he’d be the last person she’d wanted to spend any time with, especially alone, despite their conversation of attempting to be friendly at the carnival.

would he still have come if he’d known about it beforehand? part of him wants to say no. their summer fling had been just that — a fling, right? he didn’t want to give off the wrong impression; that he wanted anything more than what they’d already had. because he didn’t. so, yeah, part of him wants to say no, he wouldn’t have. the other part knows he’s lying. “you look nice, by the way.” oh, he’s definitely giving off the wrong impression.

“you’re welcome. glad you like it.” so what if he’s feeling a bit tongue-tied at the sight of that smile of hers? it’s normal. it’s not like he hadn’t seen it before, either — he’d been on the receiving end of that look of fondness enough times during the summer. it hadn’t affected him back then either, nope. if he’s averting his eyes, it’s because he has to… blink. yeah. he cleared his throat, quickly taking a sip of the firewhiskey he’d ordered when the bartender came back with his order. the burn tickles his throat as he swallows, exactly how he likes it. yeah, he needed that.

speaking of needing a drink. “you want a drink? first one’s on me. after that i’m too poor to even look at the menu.”

"i know, thanks.” she almost wondered if she would come across as arrogant, but hazel had found herself at a loss for words—a pompous response was better than none at all. the light tint that befell the girl’s cheeks betrayed her confident words, however, leaving her to hope that levi wouldn’t be observant enough to notice. there was absolutely no reason for her to feel shy—this wasn’t a date, and she didn’t expect it to be. they were just two friends—was friends the right word? more like rivals or acquaintances—who happened to have history together. whatever they’d shared during the summer was over, and hazel was okay with that... wasn’t she?

she smiled fondly at the keychain once more before safely stashing it in her handbag, making a mental note to find a permanent home for it later. at levi’s offer of a drink, hazel thought for a moment, mulling over her options as she drummed her fingers atop her lap. “how nice of you,” she finally responded, humming quietly to herself before reaching a final decision. “well, i could go for something sweet... maybe some chocolate liqueur, if that’s alright?”

as the bartender got to work on her order, hazel turned her attention (and thoughts) back to levi. why had she invited him here? surely there must be a reason, but nothing she could think of even began to make any sense. whatever they had going between them had reached its end, and hazel had come to accept that. after all, levi wasn’t the sort to commit to anyone, so why should she ever be selfish enough to expect him to change just for her? despite having accepted this, however, hazel had still wound up here, with no company aside from the one man she had promised herself that she’d try to avoid. would it have been so difficult for her to have instead cut her losses and moved on? 

hazel thanked the bartender as he returned with her liqueur, taking a small sip as she braced herself for whatever conversations that might follow. but what could she possibly say? hey levi, sorry that things are awkward between us—it’s only because i miss our time together? not even hazel was desperate enough to have that conversation.

msueve​:

“a bit earlier? well, that doesn’t sound like enough. it’s one of nature’s greatest gifts to mankind, why don’t you have another cup?” to punctuate her question, she takes another sip from her own before gently placing it on the table she was seated at, turning to look at hazel with a slightly more genuine smile this time. “why, you do realize this is a tea party and not a pity party, right? let’s not dwell on it, what’s in the past must remain there. we’re having a nice time now, hm?”

eve knows that not many people like being around her, but she doesn’t care since she can say the same about them. but, every once in a while, there are those like hazel who seem to be drawn to her despite her thorny exterior. these are the ones that she feels like she can spare a bit of her time to. they’re more worthy. she prefers the strong ones, not the ones that cower away with their tail between their legs like a wee puppy dog. “oh, i don’t doubt it. i was just thinking— nothing you’d want to hear about. so, i must ask, what were you up to? what made you decide to approach me? if you had anyone else to conversate with, i’m sure you would’ve. so… what’s on your mind? something’s troubling you.”

hearing that eve was having a nice time came as a relief to hazel, though she doesn’t intend to let herself relax anytime soon. she had interrupted eve, after all—she believed it to be the least she could do to at least make it worth the younger’s time. “right, best not to dwell,” she confirmed, not having acknowledged eve’s suggestion about tea. maybe she’d get another cup in a bit, though she currently found herself in no hurry. still, though, she was tempted. it smelled divine, and she recalled that the taste was even better.

hamin eyed the bumper cards sceptically. was he really in the condition to move himself up there into the air and navigate the vehicle when he could barely stand straight with how little the spells and potions seemed to help him nurse his hangover? he swore to himself to never drink this much again but all he could do now was suffer through it.

seeing a girl walk up into his direction he half expected her to greet him and ask to ride the bumper cards together.

all the male could really do was to just look ahead again and hope she wouldn’t approach him with that kind of intention.

the idea of flying bumper karts was appealing to hazel, as she adored spending time in the air—usually on a broom, but why not change things up a bit? besides, after the weekend she’s been having, she felt like she could use an opportunity to blow off steam. what better way to forget about her troubles than to crash into people high above the ground? and so she found herself approaching the bumper karts, hesitating momentarily as she spotted hamin, who she recognized from quidditch as well as their shared clubs.

event starter for @msuhazel​

kangdae was preoccupied. this cute little puffskeins had caught his eye as soon as he stepped foot in the petting zoo, ah it was good to be surrounded by creatures again, he missed being back in the farm.

but his time with the puffskein was soon interrupted when he felt a glare prickling at the back of his neck.

he turns to see the suseong quidditch captain eyeing him from across the petting zoo.

“hazel can we not do this in front of the puffskeins?” he sheepishly questioned.

while the tea party in the garden was a close second, the petting zoo had to have been the activity taking up most of hazel’s time at the carnival. she felt at home with the animals, as if she were surrounded by friends she had known for years. this feeling was only amplified as she made conversation with any creature that made eye contact with her—they didn’t talk back, obviously, but hazel still felt as if they were sharing a connection. at times, she almost wondered if she should have majored in magical creatures instead of charms.

nahyun doesn’t get it. what was this supposed to tell her again? she tilted the empty cup, brows furrowed and one raised in utter confusion. was this telling her she was about to get hit by a ball? or that a broom would fly into her face? a fortunate event was about to happen?

the freshman had no idea. placing the cup down again she jutted her bottom lip forward, humming in deep thought. this whole reading thing was too hard for her. she definitely didn’t have any talent for divination at all.

so far, hazel had spent a considerable amount of time in the garden—mostly on account of the pastries—but also because there was something about the peaceful aura that she couldn’t get enough of. who she shared tea with changed over time, yet she was still here—enjoying her time with whoever else she could find, eager to connect with others over something that they could both appreciate. after all, who doesn’t like tea and pastries? if there even existed such a person, hazel considered herself lucky to not know them.

msulevi​:

it’d only been about a minute or two since levi had sat down at the bar, ordering the usual from the barkeep when he heard a familiar voice. despite himself, he laughed. he’s not sure they’re at the stage yet where he can laugh at the fact he’d ghosted her, but the whole thing is so odd it’s kind of funny. “very tongue in cheek there, haze,” he turned in his seat to look at her, though he’s not sure how discreet his once-over of her outfit was (it wasn’t — even the bartender saw him blatantly checking her out).

“i’m glad you invited me, too.” he did. it’s… nice to be around her. “is it just going to be us?” he kind of thought the invitation had been for some kind of party with her friends and fellow house students to celebrate her birthday—it probably would’ve been awkward as hell considering most of them most likely knew he’d been an ass, so he’s not exactly looking forward to that. but — they’re not there and he is. and hazel looks like that. damn. they could stay gone.

realizing there’s something he’d almost forgotten about, levi digs around on his front pocket to take it out and gift it to her. “got you a present, nothing too fancy. this was kind of a last minute invitation.” the look he’s giving her is one filled with intent — it’s obvious he’s still wondering why she invited him out at all. it’s a silver keychain with a pendant of the quidditch goal posts hanging from it. a bubble the shape of a quaffle erupts from the hoop when he shakes it around; obviously it’s also spelled to work as a miniature bubble wand. “didn’t bother wrapping it though. i won it at the carnival and thought of you.”

oops. that might’ve been information he hadn’t wanted to share, so levi cleared his throat. “it—uh. it blows bubbles.” thanks, mister obvious.

for a moment, hazel hesitated, lightly biting her tongue as her mind searched for a proper response. would it be awkward for her to admit that she had only invited levi? especially if he was to consider the timing; she had invited him out to a bar the night before her birthday, and that wasn't the kind of thing that would just fly over levi's head. the man was annoying sometimes, sure—but he wasn't stupid. obviously there had been a reason as to why she would invite him of all people.

hazel nodded, not yet bringing herself to speak. hopefully her lack of a response would lead to them being able to change the subject, as hazel would rather not dwell on the fact that she had wanted levi here, rather than any of her other friends. that was, she planned to keep quiet, up until the point she thought of a joke that she decided was too amusing not to share. "well, i invited a whole list of people, but... they decided not to come once i told them that you'd be here." she was teasing him, her disarming smile making it clear that there was no malice behind her words.

she doesn't bother fighting the affectionate smile that played at her lips as she watched levi explain his gift. so... it was nothing special given the last minute invitation, yet he'd had it for her since the carnival almost two weeks ago? this realization caused a reaction that resembled butterflies in hazel's stomach, despite the fact that she had tried her best not to read into it. "oh! would you look at that, it does blow bubbles," she said, warmhearted laughter rising up from within her.

msutaeyeon​:

           this carnival had truly been something because taeyeon actively taking part in all the events ( multiple times ) and actually having a good time?? definitely seemed hard to believe. despite her whining and protesting , she’d tagged along to the rides and hung out with some friends , and simply let herself go a little.

            that had to be the only explanation as to why when hazel asked to ride the TEA CUPS , the toseong student nodded her head without even realising it but the closer they got and she saw what was happening , her eyes widened and she looked at hazel pleadingly. “ —- uh , it’s safe right ?? ” sure , when she’s flying in the sky on one broomstick , safety is not an issue but spinning teacups? now that’s just taking it too far. 

           “ i’m trusting you right now , hazel and if i die… there’ll be no one else to blame. ” it wasn’t that she was scared of the ride , she’d just never been and not knowing what to expect was terrifying. but hazel mentioned how no one else would go with her and she looked cute and taeyeon couldn’t say no and cut to now ; her hands clasped on the railing before looking at her partner in crime and grinning as adrenaline pumped through. “ i’m not ready—-  AHHH —- ”

with so many thrilling activities scattered throughout the carnival, it had been difficult for hazel to track down many of her friends in the spaces in between. that was why it came as a relief when she had spotted taeyeon, practically latching to her side as she explained that no one was willing to ride the teacups with her—she left out the part that it was difficult to find someone to ask, as that was beside the point.

“you’re not going to die,” she reassured, amused laughter passing her lips. a few moments later, hazel found herself returning a grin in the other’s direction, heart pumping as she braced herself for the ride to start. the timing was perfect—naturally the ride would take off the moment taeyeon expressed that she wasn’t ready. hazel matched taeyeon’s scream with a hushed yelp of her own, a childish grin now etched into her features.

msuwill​:

the carnival was pretty fun, if will was being entirely honest with himself. he always loves a good occasion to cut loose and focus more on exciting, light-hearted activities opposed to studies. truthfully, going back to school had been the last thing he ever wanted to do, so he relied on stuff like this to keep him enthused, helping him continue pushing on. no matter how mind-numbingly boring it could get, he knew his purpose was greater than his frustration.

but, another thing that helped him push through? drinking. even though butterbeer wasn’t exactly what he ever had in mind, this was also a competition, and he tended to get highly competitive. it seemed like a good time, so he was all in. he notices a girl standing incredibly close, eyeing her with an amused grin until she finally notices him. immediately, laughter begins spilling from his lips and he nods. “hey, no apologies needed, i wasn’t complaining.” she was very pretty. “you would be absolutely right. butterbeer. emphasis on the beer. it has a little kick, right? you taste that?”

hazel was relieved to hear that the man was okay with her invasion of his personal space. the amusing thing was, it seemed almost as if he welcomed it. he was attractive, she’d give him that much—only she wasn’t here to flirt, no matter how entertaining something like that might sound. so, rather than dignifying his first comment with a response, hazel simply laughed it off, affectionately rolling her eyes. she was going to go out on a limb and assume that he was a hwaseong student, but that was just an educated guess.

msuliwei​:

    Liwei had see the female around before, though he hadn’t exactly met her. It was mostly just passing by in the halls of the school while he was on his way to the library or even to his own room. It wasn’t that he wasn’t friendly or anything, more like he was always too busy to really stop and speak to anyone really. He had to make sure to keep his focus on his studies rather than becoming distracted by others, however for the two days that the carnival was happening he decided to take a small break after being dragged out by his friend. He would just have to work harder later when it came to his studies, also make sure that he didn’t let his father find out he had slacked off for this little event going on.

    He smiles gently at her words, shaking his head. “I’m no lifesaver really, just glad to help out in any way that I can.” Liwei raises a brow at her words, waiting until she’s finished speaking before he chuckles softly. “Alright, I’ll be right back. Just give me a moment.” He says this before he makes his way over to the honeydew stand. A few moments later he returns with the sweets, holding one out towards her. “Here you go. I’m Liwei by the way.” His tone is soft as he speaks, realizing that he hadn’t even introduced himself before. Better late than never right?

'just glad to help out in any way that i can'. how was it that she had managed to randomly pick the perfect student to help her? the suseong prefect genuinely seemed like one of the kindest men hazel had met as of late, which she felt was befitting of her own house. it was moments like these that she felt the most pride in her house—second only to the way she felt after winning a quidditch match. she wondered: did the prefect keep up with quidditch? truthfully, he didn’t seem the type, though hazel had been wrong about people in the past.

msusihwan·:

he tilts his head, a little confused when he heard that she had returned the fish. “oh, are we supposed to toss it back? i didn’t know that.” then again, he doubts he’d have the heart to keep the fish out of the water either. he thought they’d be given a bucket of water, maybe bring them into a fish tank or something. now that he thought of it better, that’s probably not the brightest idea. they deserve to be one with the sea.

a gasp slip past him, eyes widening. “oh my god, seriously? that’s so sad.” as much as he likes to believe that all charms are beautiful and breathes life into mundane things, he knows that some aren’t like that. “i want to say that’s cheating too, but i guess there’s not really a rule for this, is there?” it’s not like the students will be following that rule either, especially not when this is a carnival and they want to have fun.

his attention is brought back to his rod when he feels a small tug. he’s blinking, confused. “i think i caught something? uhhh… i don’t know what to do?” should he pull? should he wait? he’s a complete beginner.

hazel enjoyed the fact that they could have such a relaxing conversation. there was nothing at stake here—no greater meaning to the activity that required an exhaustive amount of thought. they were able to take the moment for what it was, talking about what felt like nothing at all as they stared out at the calm waters below them. it was almost freeing, in a way—a perfect bonding experience that she could share with her team’s keeper.

“you’d think it would be cheating, yeah?” she replied, her lips sinking into a subtle frown. “i mean, it’s not exactly fair to the fish. at least when they get hooked, they’re the ones that make the decision to take the bait.” even with this way of thinking, hazel still couldn’t see herself keeping a fish after catching it; they deserved to thrive in the water where they belonged.