( mingle ) field day + camping trip!

[officialnotice]

FIELD DAY & SCHOOL TRIP

JUNE 8TH

FIELD DAY

With the current school semester coming to a close and summer vacation on the horizon, school administrators have elected to end the year on a high note with an invigorating Track and Field Day at the park, in order to better foster fitness and health in the children (outside of their government mandated physical education classes, anyway).

The event is, of course, open to the community at large, whether you have a current affiliation with the school or not. Because, well, everyone could stand to get up off their couches for an afternoon of running around in the sun. Or, in the case of residents with a particular sun allergy, under the shaded tarp canopies that dot the field here and there with healthy snacks, drinks, and some of the less expansive games available today (such as, oh, a nice sedate beanbag toss).

Wayward Pines thrives on the inclusion of all varieties of people, after all. Even those that aren't, strictly speaking, people at all.

All of the most recognizable games are available, of course: sack races, relay races, three-legged races, any sort of race you can think of, really; flag football and dodgeball with soft spongy balls to keep anyone from getting too competitive (the school nurse is on hand just in case though); a massive tug-of-war rope that spans nearly the entire field; and water balloon and blanket tosses. If you're not too sure what the latter is you can ask Linda at the makeshift juice bar and she'll be all too glad to explain for you.

Actually, on second thought, don't ask Linda anything. Don't give her the satisfaction.

JUNE 8TH - 9TH

HELLO MOTHER HELLO FATHER

While most of the citizens of Wayward Pines disperse back to their homes or jobs as Field Day draws to a close, the students, teachers, and a small handful of volunteer chaperones simply relocate the festivities to the campground in northeastern forest for a two-night camping trip. The evening of the 8th and the first half of the 9th run smoothly enough; tents are set up, marshmallows are toasted on an open fire, sunblock and insect repellent liberally applied, a thin veil of nostalgia and bonhomie settles around the entire event and people are in generally good spirits, despite the... excitement of last month.

All in all, it's a pretty great day. Of course, something's got to give.

There's no warning, no steady build up or slow decline. On the afternoon of the 9th, between one breath and another, the power to the fence surrounding the town increases exponentially, and anyone more than 100 yards from town feels suddenly exhausted and de-powered. And unfortunately for the students and staff trying enjoy a weekend of nature and simplicity, the campground falls squarely outside of that 100 yard perimeter of safety.

The camping trip is called to an abrupt end, and most of the camping gear is left abandoned while everyone drags themselves slowly home, but perhaps even more troubling is the question that's on everyone's lips (whether they choose to risk actually saying it aloud or not): why did it happen?

And what does it mean for the future of Wayward Pines?

MOD NOTES

This is a catch-all for any and all threads pertaining to the field day or the school camping trip! This includes the point at which the camping trip is rudely interrupted by the Precautionary Measures event. You're welcome to make your own logs for the rest of the Precautionary Measures event, as there will not be a catch-all for this one. The next mod log will be going up on the 19th!

PLEASE INCLUDE IN YOUR TOP-LEVEL SUBJECT LINE: Character Name, date, location, and open or closed, to help keep things a bit more organized.

If you have any questions regarding this event, feel free to ask them here.

Comments

[dendrites]

[ please, gladiolus, this girl has brought the off! bucket-sized citronella candle too. she is cute and she is a little absurd, but, you know, some of her old habits are coming back to her so she's just going with it.

she lets her shoulder bump his, knee to knee, and it takes some doing not to just reach for his arm like she wants to. why she hesitates this time, elsa isn't sure. but they are here and sharing a space once more and elsa could not be happier, even if she is inherently an indoors person. but – and we will admit it right now – it's because she thinks of him when she thinks of outings such as this one. ]

I brought the spray, if you'd like some. I do hope that it is sufficient enough to avoid bug bites at night. [ lips pursed to the side, she rests a hand over an exposed calf, running it down her leg until it meets her hiking boot. ] I suppose I'll put that from my mind for now.

Are you having fun?

[dadiolus]

( she is cute and a little absurd but he's pretty sure that everyone else is going to be gathering around that bucket-sized candle come full dark. full dark, and out come the beasts of the night, which just happen to be mosquitoes roughly half the size of your face with the intent to divest you of all of your blood.

… does that sound like a cheesy fucking horror film tagline? it should. but anyway.

he would not have minded in the slightest if she'd reached for his arm — and he would have let her have it without so much as a thought to anything else — and there is an idle moment in which his eyes follow the pass of her hand down her calf, and he has to catch himself from lingering too long. because. gladiolus amicitia, now is not the time. ) I'm good, but I feel like I should warn you. They're always gonna be attracted to the sweet stuff whether you hose yourself down or not. ( oh my god make him stop get him out of here this is too much.

but here he is, elbow braced against knee, chin resting in hand, mouth pulled to the side in an easy smirk that is more fond than anything. ) Am now. It's fun watchin' all the newbies try to pitch their tent.

( and no, that was not a metaphor. it is actually amusing as fuck to watch these morons try. )

[dendrites]

[ oh, please.

it is a very good thing that elsa is a sucker for it, blushing before she can stop herself – and, has heat subsided somewhat in her tent? interesting. ] You're too much. [ huff! but there will be no shooing of any dear friends because she would much rather have him around. she gives his shoulder a little shove this time, momentarily shifting out of her otherwise proper posture even as she sits with her legs folded ]

Don't be mean, Gladio! Not everyone takes to the outdoors as well as you do, myself included. [ she presses a hand over her heart. hence her overpreparedness, okay. she raises her eyebrows and Looks at him with a sideways nod to the others on the other side of the tent canvas. ]

I may go for a walk later, enjoy the sunset.

[dadiolus]

( look. he knows better in most instances — there is such a thing called tact that he is occasionally possessed of — but around her, it's a bit difficult to keep some things to himself, even if they're as simple as making horrible attempts at not-quite-flirting by way of the corniest comment possible. but good grief, she's cute when she blushes, and he can't exactly say he's sorry about it.

he snorts a small laugh, nudging her back, just a little. ) S'not bein' mean! Just … observant. Or somethin'. ( honestly, he's been pleasantly surprised by how well everyone is doing, elsa included. there's nothing wrong with being over-prepared when it comes to the outdoors, better over than under, all things considered, and he's. proud, really. even though he knows this isn't her element.

we all know it's ice. earth surely belongs to somebody else. ) You're doin' okay, y'know. And not to commandeer all of your time out here, but if you're lookin' for a nature guide on that walk, I'm your guy.

( oh good grief. GOOD. GRIEF. )

[dendrites]

I wouldn't mind any commandeering on your part.

[ in fact, she welcomes it wholeheartedly because she has to admit to herself that she likes when he not-quite-flirts with her and makes her blush and sits that close as if this is exactly where they are meant to be. she is at odds with her strange feelings of displacement and that fondness she feels for this place, for him.

shyly, ] Would you? Walk with me, I mean? [ spoken as if she is fifteen and asking him to hang out after school, even if he had made the offer in the first place. ]

I could learn a thing or two out here, especially from you.

[dadiolus]

( well, at the very least, it isn't like he's about to assume that she would prefer to spend most of her time with him out here — but hearing that affirmation might just bolster the reserve of his courage he'd come out with in the first place, and he doesn't bother hiding the grin that threatens to split his face in two.

the shyness that creeps into her voice when she asks is so damned endearing that. god. it kind of reminds him of when they're first started spending more time together after school, or at least he thinks it does, those long hours stretching the last ring of the bell to the curfew that neither of them had much of a habit of adhering to, and of course he nods in agreement, because how in the world could he ever think to say no to her? ) 'Course. Whenever you wanna go, I'm there. I think the sunset's gonna be pretty … pretty. ( look. we know you've never been all that eloquent, but come on now. )

I mean, y'know. ( sighs. )

[dendrites]

Yes.

[ she laughs but not at him. it's because they're both so – juvenile right now. as if they're both fifteen instead of fully capable people in their twenties. it feels new to her in a way, though at the same time this kind of banter feels exactly how it felt eight or so years ago, arranging to meet at her locker, walking shoulder to shoulder to main street. ]

I might be prepared, [ she continues, touching the tips of her fingers to his shoulder, ] but I'm not quite at your level of comfort here. And I could certainly use a friendly face on this jaunt. When is the best time to catch the sunset?