#3 Dare to try [OPEN]

The days always seemed to pass so fast when he wasn't paying attention. In hind-sight, Quinn realized he really should have been paying closer attention to what he was supposed to be doing and not let petty excuses and distractions keep him busy, but his mind always had a way of trying to turn his attention away from uncomfortable activities. Classes and homework were all busy-work, and at the end of the day, he would never dream of skimping on them, but that didn't stop him from realizing he had a lot more time then he would have liked to admit to dedicate towards important activities and schoolwork that wasn't necessarily either of those.

Maybe it was still the beginning of the year. Quinn had only been through three classes so far, and the days were still slow, and peaceful. Well, relatively, given that some... certain members, even of his own house, had a habit of finding trouble as quickly as possible. But already he found himself stressing when he realized, belatedly, that he had managed to put off and so easily lay aside the scroll he had requested from Snape so early and so eagerly.

It hadn't been long enough for the professor to truly call suspicion or refuse him, at least Quinn hoped, and certainly in the grander scheme of the year barely any time had passed at all, but he had meant to try to get it back to the professor as soon as possible. Really he had hoped to do it in the same day if he could. That was perhaps ambitious of a sort, but if he had just stayed focused he might have been able to manage it. If nothing else, he could have most definitely gotten it done before now. But now it was already afternoon again, and time was slipping by.

Quinn sighed. Truth be told, he wasn't sure he was looking forward to going back to Snape, early or late on this assignment. But he could use it, and if he kept himself together and showed he was willing to put his heart into it, it might make the Professor more amiable towards him. Or at the very least, a bit more forgiving in their sternness. He needed the work, one way or another, and he needed to make sure he was doing everything he could this year. This was the big year after all... he wasn't just broadening his horizons, he was going to be trying to determine his future. It was important he took in everything he could now.

No, Quinn was definitely going to have to keep himself to a consistent task list. And before anything else, he needed to finish collecting ingredients for the potions professor to prove he was willing to devote himself to the labs, and he needed to get to Professor Sprout and see if this time he couldn't manage to get that finicky charm under wraps.

There hadn't been any motivation or reasoning behind choosing to go to any one place over another on the grounds to start getting the ingredients that were on the scroll, but Quinn had been drawn to the lake, and after some hesitation at the students already clustered by the shores and some wandering, to the savannah on the far side where it was decidedly much quieter most of the time, by the water.

Something had always been so... calming and tranquil about water, and if he started in the grassy area close to the shore, he thought he could scour up some of the bushes and mushrooms that grew there, and then maybe work his way back picking about the lake itself. After that... perhaps anything else he needed he could get closer to the main buildings of the school, rather than all the way out here.

Besides, there was something just... so nice about the Savannah itself. Quinn had always enjoyed the long quiet trek to get to the far side of the Black Lake, and the quiet tranquility of the lone towering beech tree. It could be... appreciated. Soaked in. That was not to say he wasn't taking care as he watched the grass underfoot as he walked, just to say that he was enjoying the moment even as he did so. He was eager to find any ingredients he could and keep moving, but he was in no extraordinary rush of course...

A yell, quiet, or perhaps a ways away, startled Quinn a moment however, and he paused, slightly alarmed, as azure eyes glanced towards the lake and the shore where he thought it came from. It didn't sound like it had been a cry for help, but it seemed concerning none the less, and hesitating a moment, he frowned before starting towards it, an eye on the ground to make sure he didn't trample anything he needed or pass right by some brittlebrush or mushrooms as he moved closer to the water.

Avery sat up, her hair still wet and dripping. She glared at the company who intruded on her quiet moment, but sighed and let him be. The older boy seemed to be minding his own business, though she had no idea what he was looking for. So long as he left her alone, she saw no reason to talk to him.

She felt rather self-conscious about her next dare now though. Avery's stubbornness won over. She'd removed her socks and shoes, and given them a wash in the lake (having stepped into mud by accident). She sat on a dry patch of grass near the shoreline, staring at her banana for a moment. May as well get it over with. Maybe it wasn't too hard to peel?

And as she soon realised, it was actually very difficult to peel a banana with her feet.She had to clench her fists and push them against the cool grass to resist using them. She wriggled her toes and...It just wasn't happening. Not at first, but then she figured it out. Avery's confidence grew as she finished peeling the banana, though of course she had no intention to eat it because no matter how clean her feet may seem - just no. Ew. So, so gross.

Feet weirdly tired, she let the banana fall and grabbed it with her hands. She broke bits off and tossed them with as much strength as she could (to avoid getting up and moving closer to the lake) to plop into the water. She discarded the peel and lay back down, intent to watch the clouds again. Though she paused to look at the Hufflepuff, resisting trying to find out what exactly he was doing there.

After picking the mushrooms and looking around, none others stood out in the mud. It seemed only those two had grown in that particular patch of mud. He could try further along the shore, but it was a bit of a walk and even from a distance he could see it most likely wouldn't result in much.

When scanning through the grass for anything, he'd notice a mushroom near a patch of tall grass nearby. It was in good condition and certainly worth picking, though that would be the last ingredient he'd be able to find at the Savannah that afternoon.