It's Hot; Lets Swim

[Merrill Piper]

Merrill was actually happy class was back in session. Over the winter break she had felt obligated to go visit her family. This year they happened to be in Italy. However it wasn't for a nice family vacation; it was to hunt down a werewolf. The family had tracked the thing down to it's home town to take care of it. Merrill hated every minute of her vacation. So as soon as she had been dropped back off in New Zealand she had gone around, and begged for a job. The only place that would hire her was the Apothecary. So on her breaks she would go each day, and sweep up the store, water the plants(that Dallas would allow her to), and take care of any customers that happened to come in. She hoped that soon she would have enough saved that she could stay at an inn over breaks instead of joining her family on their hunts. The spark of rebellion had invigorated Merrill. She had more energy than she had in ages. So after class Merrill rushed straight down to the lake. Packed neatly in her bag were a towel, some snacks, and a few deflated pool toys she had convinced her brother to buy for her over break. The young witch picked a nice shady spot underneath a tree to lay out her towel, and set down her bag. She had planned to eat lunch first, but it was so hot out, and the lake was calling to her. Thank-fully she had planned ahead and worn her swimsuit underneath her uniform. Merrill stuffed the clothes inside her bag, kicked off her shoes, ran for the lake, and jumped in making sure to make as big a splash as possible.​

 

[Anthony Blade]

Anthony Jackson found himself heading down to the Lakefront, it was a crazy hot day and it wasn't fun to be cooped up inside the school. He had put his board shorts on, and he was planning to go for a swim. As soon as the term had started, he'd wanted to come for a swim since the heat was setting in. He smiled as he spotted someone nearby, and chuckled when he saw her jump into the lake. Anthony took off at a run, took his shirt off as he grew closer and threw it outside. He jumped into the lake, and came up close to the girl. "Hey there! I'm Anthony! Good day for a swim, aye?" He said with a smile and a wink.

 

[Merrill Piper]

Merrill opened her eyes under the water to make sure she could see where the surface was. She had heard a boy had drowned in the lake last year, but didn't know the details. She was able to push the sad thought away as she broke the surface, and took a deep gasp of air. The young Gryffindor managed to flick her long blonde hair out of her face just in time to see a boy jump into the lake with her. Merrill thought she recognized him as a student from her year, but she couldn't be sure. He was either in Slytherin, or Hufflepuff. "Yeah! I couldn't stand being cooped up in that stuffy castle another minute!" she said with a laugh, "I'm Merrill." she added. Merrill dipped her head under the water to help slick back her hair. She wasn't used to it being this long. Her parents had always made her keep it at a manageable length. "Bet I can jump farther than you can!" she proclaimed before swimming to shore. Merrill went all the way back to the tree to get a running start, and jumped into the lake as far her legs could take her.​

 

[Anthony Blade]

Anthony loved being out in the sun, and the lake felt absolutely amazing in the heat that they were facing. Better yet, Anthony seemed too have made a friend and she was fairly pretty, though it was far too early in his life for him to be considering a relationship or anything like that. He would take his life as it happened, and just keep doing his best at Hogwarts. For now, it was his day off, and he was having a lot of fun in the Lake with his new friend. He watched as she challenged him and then began to take a running start towards the lake. "We'll just see about that!" He wasn't one to back down from a challenge, so after she had jumped in at a pretty nice distance, he ran up to where she had jumped from and took his best jump, determined to defeat Merrill.

 

[Solomon Mordaunt]

Solomon had already been sitting by the edge of the dock, his toes trailing irregular patterns into the water below, when he'd noticed Merrill. They were an odd pairing when it came to their friendship, she seemed to have so much more energy, whereas he took everything at a snails pace. There was no need for rush. Where she would run and jump into the lake, he was the type to slowly wade into its depths. The boy decided to leave her to her fun, as she seemed more than content on her own and hadn't appeared to notice him so much farther down the lake, until he noticed another boy approach her. He couldn't hear their exchange, but when Merrill spoke to him and ran to get back into the water, the other boy pursued her. It was difficult to tell whether she were trying to get away from him, or it were a game the two were playing, but Solomon for one had never seen them together before. The Slytherin quietly pushed himself off the edge of the dock and paddled in his friend's direction, wishing his shapeshifting abilities could just extend to giving him a fish tail to make swimming easier. There was no telling what he'd find if he could just become a merman as easily as he could alter his features. "Hey, Piper." He greeted as he approached, stopping to float on the spot. "What's up? Is this a friend of yours?"
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[Merrill Piper]

Merrill felt herself crash against the water, and sink deep towards the bottom of the lake. The young girl opened her eyes to try, and see which direction the surface was. She swam up as fast as her legs could take her. Finally when it felt like her lungs were going to burst she broke the surface. Merrill turned around, and faced the shore just as Anthony leapt from the bank. To her dismay his longer legs carried him just a few feat farther then hers had. "Rematch!" Merrill cried out. He probably couldn't hear her under the water, but he would get the message soon enough. She began swimming back to shore when all of a sudden Solomon was there. The girl had been too distracted to see him swimming towards her. "Hi, Sol!" Merrill greeted him as she swam closer, and gave her friend a hug. "Well we just met, but I guess he's a friend now. This is Anthony, and Anthony this is Solomon." Merrill introduced the two once Anthony was back up above water. "We're having a contest to see who can jump the farthest. You should join us!" The prospect was exciting. Solomon, and Merrill never really did much besides harvest ingredients or read together. Doing something like this would be a nice change.​

 

[Anthony Blade]

Anthony hesitated slightly when a newcomer approached, he had seen him from afar when he had first came outside but hadn't felt the need to say anything to him. He seemed to be protective of Merrill, as he at least knew her and seemed to be friendly towards her. He gave him a smile, holding out his hand. "Hey, I'm Anthony! It's cool to meet you Solomon!" He said with a grin. He liked making friends, and even though the typical thing for Hufflepuff's was to be shy he was far from it. "Rematch, aye?" He said to Merrill, a devilish look in his eyes. "Ladies first, then." He said with a smile. Today was turning out to be a good day.

 

[Solomon Mordaunt]

Solomon returned his friend's hug whilst she introduced her new friend, though he would argue they were acquaintances at best, an opinion he chose not to voice. The Slytherin didn't readily make friends. Still, he put on a smile as Anthony introduced himself, if only to be polite for Merrill's sake. "It's a pleasure." He responded, taking the boy's hand to shake. He seemed friendly enough at least. "I don't think I'm any good at jumping. I'm happy to just watch, make sure no one's trying to cheat." He suggested, unwilling to make a fool of himself and be upstaged by some stranger who may have likely been more physically capable than he was. He was content to simply float to the side and see who could make it farther.
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[Merrill Piper]

Merrill was so happy that Anthony, and Solomon seemed to get along. While she easily made friends, and loved to be around others, Solomon was more withdrawn. She was a little disappointed, but agreed that having a judge would make things helpful. When Antony suggested ladies first Merrill hopped out of the lake, and ran back to the starting tree. She would have to run as fast as her legs could carry her. Run like theirs a wold on your heels. she told herself. The young witch used the tree behind her to push herself forwards into a sprint. She ran so fast her legs hurt, and when she reached the edge of the water she pushed off as hard as she could managed. Merrill stretched out her legs in front of her hoping to get just a little more distance. She was sure she had gone further than last time. Hitting the water made a huge splash, and she sunk down below. The coolness felt good on her skin in the hot New Zealand weather. Merrill held her breath, and swam up to the top again eager to see Anthony's next jump.​