1000 hours. Angkor Wat, Cambodia.



Raine Almasy sank to the ground, balancing herself on a heap of ancient stones covered in verdant moss. It was sweltering but the ruins smelled pristine, fresh from a monsoon shower. Statues blacked by time stared calmly down at the damp earth, and colossal roots grew across walls; all in unusual harmony with Angkor Wat's structures. She glanced at a crumbling archway - several classmates wandered in the clearing beyond - and then slung her bag around to dig for a bottle.

It puzzled her that any place in the world could be so ridiculously humid and yet still require them to drink as much water as they had in Egypt last year. Not to mention the 7 hour jetlag[1]. Jetlag without the jet. Portkeying into the Siam Reap airport was not so glamorous as the muggle equivalent.

The redhead tilted her head back to take a quick sailor-like swallow of the mineral water. When she lowered it, a pair of footsteps were approaching through the arch. Gracie and Alex.

"Water?" she tucked a red curl behind her ear, trying to ignore a swallowtail butterfly that had just alighted on her knee. "I have an isotonic if you prefer."

1.	Southeast Asia is 7 hours ahead of GMT.

"Be betta off witha wat'r." Xavier told the girls as he came up behind them and settled on a stone nearby. He was definitely feeling the need for the refreshment with the increased humidity. He had managed to sneak a flask and a different kind of refreshment into his luggage but even he wasn't stupid enough to drink while they were out hiking and exploring the ruins and it had nothing to do with the increased chance of getting caught. The alcohol would dehydrate as fast as the weather was like to. He took a bottle out of his own pack.

Xavier shifted in his cargo pants trying to get comfortable. He was wearing a knee length set with a light coloured muscle shirt that was like to be drenched in sweat by the time the day was through and a pair of good hiking boots. The last thing one needed in a place like this was inappropriate footwear. His dark hair was already plastered to his forehead and his scruff of a beard glistened both from the sunlight and the sweat that was collecting in it.

He scratched at his chin, "Neva' though' 'bout how sweaty this thin' wuld be."

Shade sat down across from where Raine and Xavier were sitting, he was seriously regretting his choice of clothing for this trip.  Sure he was wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt, but he had chosen the worst color to wear in a hot and humid climate... black.  He reached into his -also black- backpack and pulled out a bottle of water and drained half of it.  If he kept this up, he would be out of water before he knew it.[1]

1.	It's short, but I didn't know what else to say.

Behind Gracie and Alex, came Slytherin's sweetheart. Between the two, Eli had an obvious favorite. One was a lovely, lewd, life loving human being. the other was a grumpy, world-hating, Eli-judging cockatrice.  Still, Eli was convinced that Alex secretly was fond of him. That was most definitely not the case, but no rational argument could convince him otherwise. Oh, and there was a third-- Raine-- who he gave a mildly excited wave; the enthusiasm was dulled a bit by the fact that he was quite upset with this particular Almasy. For leaving.

He had just gotten used to separating Raine from the memory of Sanya, and now she wasn't coming back for their final year.  The last year she would've had with her classmates. To Eli, it was the most important year. And she was skipping out on it.

At the sound of Xavier's voice, Eli looked over his shoulder. "Oi, Xav. " And then Shade appeared as well and sat down by Red. "Shade. How about we three have a contest? Hn? To see who can grow the best facial hair on this trip? We each put in a galleon and the winner gets the pot. No magic. If you give in and shave before the contest is over, you lose." He looked at the Nightshades, "And you three, you can pick the winner."

The trip was bound to be hot and uncomfortable enough without the added facial heat. Good thing Eli brought every single water bottle that had been in his house-- just in case someone else had forgotten one. Most were empty, but that was because there was a certain spell called aguamenti that would remedy that situation. To be fair, those who did forget their bottles deserved to be aguamentied in the face for their idiocy.

"The winner will also have five free slaps for each loser that can be used at any point until we graduate. With no repercussions. A slap bet."

Looking as cool as a cucumber– or at least, a great deal cooler than some of her fellow travelers appeared to be– Gracie nevertheless accepted Raine’s offer, tipping her head back so as not to touch it with her lips. Cooling charms– subtle ones– laced her clothes, keeping them from sticking to her skin, but they did exactly jack for thirst. She couldn’t help but sigh happily as cool liquid swished around her mouth, and grinned at Xavier as she handed the bottle back, wiping at her chin with the back of her hand. “No shit,” she grinned, but not unkindly, and shook out her colorful hair.

With the arrival of Eli so close at their heels, however, Gracie spun around, endowing her fellow Slytherin with an even brighter grin, one borne not only out of friendliness but true affection. Chill, swag, reliable for a laugh as well as armed with the craziest laugh, Eli Amherst was by far one of the girl’s favorite Housemates—and clearly for good reason. As he named his terms, she watched the proceedings with a rapidly growing grin until it became a full-fledged bark of laughter.

“Putting the fate of your cheeks in my hands again, Eli?” she teased, backing away– and, without looking, lightly stepped onto the slab of rock behind her. Instead, she looked to Alex and Raine, amusement lighting up those green, green eyes, a hand propped imperiously on one hip. “What say you, ladies? I’m in.”

Whether it was 10 a.m. here or 3 a.m. back home, Gracie was as awake as ever, a slow-burning but steady buzz of excitement humming beneath her skin—keeping her much too wired to catch a good night’s sleep, but until she found herself flagging at an inopportune time (–tripping, perhaps, over a rock such as the one she stood on now), the Slytherin was keen on making the most of it. Half a world away from home with some of her closest friends, surrounded by ancient, sprawling ruins, the sweltering heat frizzing up her hair… It was all she could do not to climb the trees half-draped over the ruins, onto the roof for a better look at the figures masterfully carved into the walls.

The poppies on her arm practically glowed at the thought of it, a stark, burning red through the wispy cloth of her shirt.

Shade downed the rest of the water in the bottle and shoved it back into his backpack.  He looked towards Eli and said, "Sure, I will take that bet." In all fairness, he would most likely lose the bet, he hadn't grown that much facial hair at all, but he was never one to pass on a bet, after all they would be gone for awhile, he might actually start to look like a young man instead of a prepubescent teenager.

"What about you Tawse? You in?" he directed towards the Slytherin.  They never really had a reason to talk, but Shade felt it was efficient to at least be on speaking terms with everyone he came in contact with.  The only problem with this trip, would be the girls.  He knew that on more than one occasion he would be rendered speechless by a female because of his shy nature.

Xavier gave a nod to each of the boys as they joined the group. Eli had become a close trusted friend along with having been his dorm mate for the past six years. The two were now even bunking together for the duration of the trip and Xavier was actually rather happy with the arrangement. Shade on the other hand he barely knew despite having been in the same classes for years. He also gave a happy nod and a wink when Gracie joined in.

As the slap bet was presented Xavier smirk grew into a large grin. He never was one to turn down a bet, especially not one of  Eli's slap bets. The had become . . . legendary, "oh yea, Ah'm in."

He scratched at the stubble he had been calling a beard. He was only slightly worried how he was going to fair in this bet. He had only been able to start growing facial hair for a few months now and this was as far as he had gotten but he doubted Eli and baby faced Shade could do much better.