Location: Entrance of Camp, Cabin Area,
and the Main Hall
Interacting With: Jane Ellingford and Asher
Croft
Mentioned: Alec Spencer
Outfit: 1 plus a lightweight, grey sweatshirt
Eleanor stepped out of Rain's mother's car, glancing around as she did. She touched the wrist of her prosthetic arm, making sure the sweatshirt was covering it. Despite loving her new arm, she felt uneasy about all the new campers who might stare at it. At least she had it on and wasn't left with just the stump of her wrist. The dark haired girl walked around to the trunk, where she retrieved her backpack, violin, and one of her bags. She could try and carry the other one, but she doubted that would end well. Instead, her cabinmate and good friend Rain picked up Eleanor's remaining bag as well as her own bags. The older girl was an even six feet tall with an athletic build. Carrying three bags was no problem for her.
As the two walked, they passed numerous campers. Some were friends, others acquaintances, and of course there was always a group of newcomers readily identified by their confused faces or young age. Eleanor was torn between looking at the ground to avoid eye contact and keeping her head up so as not to fall or run into anyone. As she walked, she kept her gaze to the ground, only looking up if someone seemed to be coming very close to her.
The two arrived at the cabin they had shared since Eleanor's first year at camp. The other two girls that had previously stayed with them had graduated and thus were no longer attending the camp. Rain set her bags on the bottom bunk, as it was too much of a hassle for her to climb onto the top bunk without hitting her head. Knowing that Elle wouldn't be throwing her bags onto the top bunk, Rain set her friend's bag beside the ladder. Elle set the bag she had been carrying next to it, before gently setting her violin down on the ground. After taking off her backpack, she tossed it up onto her bed.
"Are you going to unpack or go to the Main Hall?" Elle asked her friend. Rain began unzipping one of her bags as she answered Elle. "I'm going to unpack before going. I'll catch up with you eventually. Don't get into too much trouble." Eleanor chuckled and left the cabin. Like herself, Rain was one of those Grey Team members who had a habit for appearing out of thin air. There was no doubt in her mind that her friend would show up in the Main Hall later. Just how much later was the real question.
Eleanor began the walk to the Main Hall. Other campers were flooding the area. Some were going to their cabins, others to the Main Hall. Some just stood in small groups, talking as the world around them passed by. Eleanor stood for a moment, listening to the snippets of conversation that caught her ear. It was mainly greetings and occasional gossip which carried from the teens' mouths. Though she would normally stay to listen to the campers around her, she was intent on finding Asher and Garret to show them her new arm.
The young woman began to weave her way through the sea of campers on the path which lead from the cabins to the Main Hall. She slipped between groups of people and dodged oncoming traffic. A group in front of her caused her to slow her pace. Not wanting to wait for the snails in front of her, she quickly walked around them. She kept up her quick pace so as to clear her distance from them. She did not want to be engulfed by them and be forced to maneuver around them again. As she turned her head to make sure she had cleared the group, she ran into the back of another camper.
Eleanor let out a soft, "oof!" Facing forward again, she found that she had run into a brunette whom she did not recognize. "Sorry," she told the other girl before quickly walking away, cheeks feeling flushed. Well, that was embarrassing. Of course, it was just an accidental bump in reality. But in her mind, she'd just left a terrible impression on the poor girl who happened to be standing there. Hopefully the girl wouldn't be mad at her and come after her later. Elle really didn't need or want to deal with that.
Once at the Main Hall, Eleanor diverged from the other campers. She preferred not to be stuck in the horde entering the main doors. Instead, she decided to go in through the backdoors of the basement level. The doors were unlocked, as staff had been busy moving things into the Main Hall in preparation for this year's events, injuries, hungry campers, and piles of papers. It seemed that not a soul was on the basement level at the moment, giving the young woman a chance to experience the calm before entering the storm that surely awaited on the first floor. She let out a small sigh, preparing herself for the overwhelming amount of people she was about to face. Of course, she'd likely only talk to a handful of them, while others she would politely say "hi" to before breezing on in search of one of her good friends. But the thought of being in a crowd, a group of people that might make fun of her or stare at her because they didn't know her yet was still unsettling. Eleanor was painfully aware that she would always be different than everyone else, leading to a sense of isolation.
Perhaps Alec will be upstairs if I can't find Garret, Asher, or Ash, she thought to herself as she walked to the staircase. He'd been kindly helping her to overcoming her anxiety with crowds, which really had made a difference. It took baby steps, but she felt ten times more comfortable being in a room full of people as she did when she first came to the camp.
Fortunately for her, Asher was relatively close to the stairs to the basement. Eleanor made her way though the throng of students standing between them. When she finally reached her friend, she couldn't help but hug him. She was not typically one for physical contact, but she was overjoyed to see her fellow Grey Team member. "Asher!" she cried as she embraced him, her head resting perfectly below his. After letting go of him, she held up her left hand. "Look, I got a new arm." She proceeded to begin showing him the different gestures and positions it was able to perform, a significant improvement from her previous hand which could only open and close the fingers in one movement.