New friends
It didn't take much time for Marlene and Dorcas to rejoin the group for dinner. Marlene promptly took a seat next to Sirius. "Care to spill the beans on how you landed here?" she asked with a cheeky grin. Sirius, ever quick with a comeback, retorted, "Seriously, did you forget to shower before showing up? You reek. Good lord."
"I was hungry, cut me some slack, will you?" Marlene fired back, serving herself a generous portion of spaghetti.
"Well, I'm not anymore. Jesus Christ, they should lock people who smell like this up," Sirius remarked. His comment prompted Marlene to retaliate by flinging a spoonful of spaghetti at his face.
"Let's not throw our food, peeps," the tall girl from earlier interjected, accompanied by the guy who rode at the front of the group.
"Yeah, Marlene. Let's not throw our food," Sirius agreed, his words followed up by the rather childish action of sticking his tongue out. "When did you even get your tongue pierced?" Sirius grinned and shrugged, indicating that was all she was going to get out of him.
The two counselors that had approached sat down with them both. "You must be Marlene, then?" The guy with the glasses offered his hand. "Name's James." Marlene eagerly shook his hand. "Yeah, I am." James couldn't resist a jab, "Fashionably late, I see. Hope you didn't get lost on the way here."
James' snarky comment earned a surprised look from the girl counselor. Marlene took her appearance in.
"I have a cream that can help heal your piercing," she offered, nodding to the infected eyebrow piercing the girl was sporting. "Ah, this is someone I can get behind," she grinned, shaking Marlene's hand as well. "I'm Alexi. You know, I'm totally digging that lip ring of yours."
Before Marlene could react, the woman who had welcomed her upon arrival stepped outside, her voice cutting through the chatter. She called for everyone's attention, expressing her relief that everyone had arrived safely. Marlene's focus, however, was diverted as she playfully attempted to kick Sirius' shins under the table, eliciting a quiet yelp from him.
But then, something intriguing captured her attention.
"To help everyone settle in and break the ice, we're going to do a sing-along. Alexi, I hope you brought your guitar?"
Then, the woman's tone shifted, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "To help everyone settle in and to break the ice, we're going to do a sing-along. Alexi, I hope you brought your guitar?"
"Oh my god. You were in on this, you filthy snake?" James exclaimed, his expression a mix of mock betrayal and amusement as he turned to Alexi, who raised her hands defensively.
"Was not! This is as much of a surprise for me as it is for you!"
Marlene watched the exchange with a grin, finding the banter between them entertaining.
"Did you also bring your breathtaking voice?" chimed in the tall guy Alexi rode next to on the ride, his voice laced with playful teasing.
"Who is that?" Marlene whispered to Sirius, her curiosity piqued. "Remus. He's the farrier, but to me, he's mostly just very hot," Sirius replied with a smirk, his eyes flicking towards Remus with a hint of admiration.
"Oh my god, you're so gay, it physically hurts me," Marlene teased with a laugh, leaning closer to Sirius. He responded with a playful roll of his eyes. "You have no right to speak at all. Hush."
As they bantered, Marlene couldn't help but notice the buzz of excitement around them. Conversations about the upcoming sing-along filled the air, adding to the lively atmosphere of the camp.
Suddenly, Marlene felt a tap on her shoulder, causing a brief jolt of surprise. She turned to see a girl with vibrant red hair standing beside her. "Hiya. I'm Lily," the girl introduced herself warmly, her smile infectious. "I was wondering if you would be up for sharing a room with me and my friend, Mary." She nodded toward another girl nearby, who offered a friendly wave.
Marlene's grin widened at the invitation. "Oh, yeah, we have to share rooms. I forgot. Totally!" She eagerly accepted, extending her hand to Lily. "I'm Marlene, by the way. Nice to meet you both."
"You know what? We'll show you the room we're staying in," Lily proposed with a friendly grin. Eagerly, Marlene followed both Lily and Mary, the trio engrossed in conversation about horses and the various personalities at the camp. They quickly reached a consensus that they liked James and Alexi. Lily's cheeks flushed a little when Mary pointed out that James was precisely her type.
Marlene provided updates on Sirius, but details about Regulus remained elusive, as Sirius preferred not to discuss his family. When it came to Barty and Evan, Marlene dismissed them as "two little pricks who could be funny sometimes, rarely." Having paid little attention to Peter, she relied on Lily and Mary's assessment, taking their word that he was nice.
As they approached their room, they stumbled upon Alexi engrossed in a conversation with a girl with stunning long blonde hair and an ethereal face. Mary, with a warm smile, inquired, "Do you already have a room to sleep in?"
Alexi, seemingly caught off guard by the interruption, retorted, "What? Sleep? No. I don't sleep. The city needs me. I'm Batman." Marlene burst into laughter, while Lily and Mary appeared a bit taken aback. The blonde girl countered with a smirk, "You're not mysterious enough to be Batman."
This sparked a spirited discussion between Alexi and the blonde girl, leaving Marlene, Mary, and Lily to enter their room, still chuckling at the unexpected exchange.
The room they entered exuded coziness and a homey atmosphere. Marlene wasted no time and headed straight for the top bed of one of the bunk beds. "I'm claiming this. This one is mine," she declared, tossing her bags onto the chosen bed. Mary, securing a bed for herself, pointed out, "There are enough bunk beds for us all to have the top bunk."
"So," Lily grinned at Marlene, "now that we have adopted you, what song are we requesting for the sing-along?"