 elephant-astic•wanderlust•stay in the ninedaaays the original Taco Belle•look at the flowers✿
Being at the far end of the rope meant that Mariana watched as each member of the team disappeared from view in front of her as they moved on into the thickening mist. It was an eerie thing to witness, though the slight movement of the rope in her hand reminded her that they were still there, still with her. It was comforting in a way and it allowed her to focus on the task at hand. "Yes, it doesn't seem to be suffering from anything out of the ordinary," The brunette agreed, the little flora she could see in much better condition than she had imagined it would be when she first approached the castle. Strange, that. If the mist wasn't impacting the plant life, why was it-
...
No. No, that couldn't be. That wasn't...no. No, it didn't make any sense. Something..something was very, very wrong here. "It's not real!" Something was causing this...something had to be..the alternative was too frightening to face. "This can't be real. It has to be the mist."
People were panicking, she was aware of that now, wondering if they were seeing what she had seen, what she couldn't unsee. She heard Archer's cries, his desperate pleas for them to run, but they couldn't leave him. She wouldn't. Even as every part of her was urging her to do the opposite, Mariana held fast to the rope and tried to think. THINK, MARIANA.
Quentin said something about pulling him, but Mariana couldn't see them, couldn't get her hands on a rope to help. It was frustrating and she felt powerless. "Someone help him pull, please!" Why had she agreed to help with this? Why did it have to be them? She'd give anything to be back in the greenhouses right now, soil covered gloves and the comfort of plants. She knew what to do there. She didn't know what to do here and the dread that filled her to the brim was almost too much to take.
"Expecto Patronum!" It was the only thing she could think to do, the only spell that came to mind in the moment, her field mouse bursting protectively from the tip of her wand, bright and comforting against the doom and gloom around her.
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