The Masquerade Ball Event Closed

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Entering the ball with @Rosie Parker

There was a moment where Dymphna almost decided not to go. Too much happened in the previous years - both times the ballroom had been set on fire and she heard rumours that someone spiked the punch. Not to mention that any time there was a school-wide event, something went wrong. Not even a school-wide event but at the Second Year Graduation Dance too! That was partly her fault or at least, that's how she felt about it. Would tonight's ball be like all the others?

Dymphna was already dressed for the occasion in a light green dress with floral details. A few butterflies were placed sporadically throughout. Her hair was in loose waves as usual and her mask was simple. Despite the Masquerade theme of this ball, her dress was the statement piece. On the outside, she was very well put together in what her Great Aunt Dior suggested she wear, but on the inside, she wasn't ready at all.

Her nerves were getting the best of her already. Where was Adam when she needed him? Somehow, without even saying a word, he could make her feel better. They hadn't made plans for the ball however. Dymphna would be going stag. The last ball with Sebastian wasn't exactly a date either, merely showing some hospitality towards a fellow Irishman. There was still something about boys that wasn't exactly appealing.

She didn't even ask Reid if he would be attending, only assumed he wouldn't. Why would anyone after what happened before? Why wouldn't the school stop having dances altogether? Before she could get herself even more worked up, an angel appeared. Rosie seemed to float down the staircase towards her and they entered wordlessly together, Dymph almost trailing behind her. Upon entering, she facepalmed at the armour. Headmaster Lear had outdone himself this time.

A nervous laugh bubbled up out of her and the blonde let herself relax. Perhaps this ball wouldn't be so bad. When she finally spoke, her voice held no trace of how she was feeling. "Cute dress, Rosie. Pink's a good colour on you." It was a colour she might have gone for herself if her auntie hadn't chosen for her.

Dale looked in the mirror once more, he straightened his suit once again and readjusted his mask, his hair was still as messy as always, and there was no time to try to fix it. Dale had been looking forward to the masquerade ball for weeks now, he was going Lark, but only as friends…. Dale assumed, he hadn't given it much thought, and he wasn't about to think about it now, some things are best-left unclear.

He checked himself once more in the mirror, he sighed and walked out of the abandoned bathrooms, he didn’t want to use the regular ones, since a lot of people were in there doing the same things as Dale. he started to walk over to the ballroom, last time he went to a party it ended with him being on fire, hopefully, this time would be different.

He arrived at the grand doors of the ballroom and entered the ballroom. It was really well decorated, the only thing that struck Dale as off was the band playing, sure he expected there to be live music, but he thought it would be more like an orchestra and less of a… heavy metal band. Maybe Dale had the wrong opinion on the headmaster.

He scanned the room looking for Lark, she didn’t seem to be here yet, that was fine, Dale was just happy that he wasn't late, there were already quite a few people, Dale couldn't really make out anyone he knew, mostly due to the masks. Dale could also spot out some people from Ilvermorny, not that he knew any of them. It struck Dale that maybe if his parents didn’t move to Britain from America, he would’ve gone to Ilvermorny, he wondered if Ilvermorny was very different compared to Hogwarts.

Dale found a nice table to sit down and wait for Lark to arrive and tried to drown out the bad music with his own thoughts.

Open to Interactions!

RPING AS:

Owen Morrison - text color #B45F06

he's literally just wearing a black suit with a black mask, nothing notworthy haha

MENTIONS:

@Emma Hill, @Gem Stuart, @Lark Flaer, @Catriona Staverly, @Elzabeth Gillan, @Asteria Kurokawa, @Lamik Fillestar, @Thora Larkston, @Jake Morris, @Erin Ryan, @Adlai Rod, @Miko Limof, @Rowan Bane, @Koko Riddle, @Dymphna Teague, @Dale Kurt

Owen pulled at his sleeves, shifting his weight from side to side as he waited. He'd agreed to meet Emma at the Ball, but she hadn't shown up yet. It wasn't like he was nervous or anything, though. Never.

He wore the simplest thing in sight: a literal black suit with a plain black mask that was currently propped up on his head like a headband, pushing his brown hair up behind it. It was uncomfortable- plus, it's not like any of these kids knew him, anyways.

"You don't think she-" Owen asked, turning his head towards Don and Hunter, who were waiting with him for their dates. His gaze caught on the door though, lingering there for a moment before facing Don and Hunter.

He and Emma had a, well, rival-like relationship, and at times, Owen wasn't sure if Emma even liked him. Hell, the only way he'd gotten her to go out with him was winning a date with her through a quidditch match. He was convinced that he'd won her over, though, and he would be pretty surprised if she didn't show up. It's not like she, Vi, or Del were lste either- most people were arriving at this time.

Speaking of, Owen preoccupied himself by gazing around the room, observing the other partygoers. Besides him, Don, and Hunter, he saw two other Illvermorny students. One was a boy a bit younger than Owen, he was pretty sure his name was Novus. He only knew because the boy was a bit of a myth, being a half-blood and all. The other was a girl he thought he faintly recognized, but he couldn't remember her name or anything, only that she went to Illvermorny as well.

One Hogwarts student that stood out to him, and everyone else, most likely, was a small blonde kid wearing a bright orange pumpkin costume. Owen nudged Hunter, nodding towards him with an amused grin on his face.

"I can already tell- Vi and Del are gonna love that kid." he laughed, thinking of the other half of their group. One kid wore a piece of paper with eye-holes cut out of them as a mask, something Owen admired- he'd have done the same if he could've gotten away with it without Emma scolding him.

There was a tall, muscular-looking girl who looked like she could beat the shit out of Owen by sneezing at him. She had purple hair and a flowy green dress on, and Owen would've thought she was stunning had she not looked like she wanted to rip someone's face off. Another girl wore an intricate white mask, that almost looked like it was made out of ice. He saw a boy in a deep purple vest, along with another boy in an all-white suit with gold accents. One girl wore a dark green dress with tiny gems sprinkled across the bottom, and another wore a light green dress with flowers scattered across it.

Point is, the Hogwarts students had gone all-out. Owen didn't feel bad about his choice, though, simple was fine with him. He'd never really been notorious for caring about clothes and style, and he wasn't about to start.

"I'm gonna go meet some Brits," Owen announced, "I'll be back with some tea and biscuts." He laughed, his horrible British accent making the already over-used joke ten times worse.

He walked over to a table where a boy in a plaid suit was sitting alone. He had brown hair, and an intricate silver mask that covered half of his face. He looked nice enough, so Owen approached him with a smile.

"What's up?" he asked, "You go here, right?"

Open to Interactions

Serena slowly walked down the stairs towards the ballroom. She had decided to wear a pair of silver, strapped heels, which she was starting to regret. Serena had never worn heels before, and by how hard they were to walk in, this would probably be the last time.

When she had heard about the news of a masquerade ball, Serena had to resist the urge to squeal. She had always wanted to go to a masquerade ball. The masks, the gorgeous dresses, the dancing! Oh, it was going to be so wonderful! Serena had immediately run off to owl her parents, asking for them to send her an outfit for the occasion.

And send an outfit they did. Serena was so pleased to find that her mum and dad had sent her a gorgeous floor-length, sleeveless yellow dress with a black bow and black flowers scattered throughout the gown. Also inside the package was a matching yellow and black mask that covered the top half of her face. Serena was excited to show off her house pride and to twirl around in her dress.

Back in her dorm room, Serena had decided to style her blonde hair into loose curls that cascaded down her back. While it had taken a long time for her to get her hair just how she wanted it, the end result had been worth it. After throwing on a small amount of make-up, Serena put on her mask and left for the ball.

While on her way to the ballroom, Serena couldn’t resist humming the melody of “Masquerade” from The Phantom of the Opera. It seemed fitting for a night like tonight. Only hopefully, no phantom would gate-crash, insisting that his opera be performed.

When Serena finally entered the ballroom, she couldn’t help but gasp. It was everything she had dreamed of and more. The decorations were beautiful, and while the music wasn’t quite what she was expecting of an event like this, Serena found herself tapping her toes to it. Spying the refreshments table, she walked over, grabbing a cup. Taking a sip, Serena was surprised to discover that it tasted like Dr. Pepper, her favorite.

Serena grabbed a couple of cookies from the table before making her way over to one of the small tables. Taking a seat, the blonde continued to sip her Dr. Pepper and munch on her cookies. Serena couldn’t wait to see what the rest of the night had in store.

dNPC Astrid Kovac | @Bridget Collins@Thora Larkston | Open to other Interactions

She wasn't used to the mask. While she had been to plenty of parties, none of them had been masquerade parties. She also wasn't really used to the magic aspect of a ball. She was sure they could incorporate it somehow into a party, but she wasn't entirely sure how she would notice. She glanced down at her dress. If this was really supposed to be a Halloween dance, she could at least say that her costume was a modern take on the Little Red Riding Hood. If no one cared, then, well, no one cared. She realized that she was probably overthinking the entire thing.

Astrid followed some girls in. Deciding that she needed someone to converse with, she caught up to them. Despite the masks, she was pretty sure she had seen these girls around. They were certainly Ilvermorny students, as she hadn't really talked to that many Hogwarts students. A little ironic, considering she came all this way to meet more Ilvermorny students.

"Hi, it's Astrid. I feel like I recognize you, but I can't really... Masks sure are good at their jobs." She laughed softly, glad the mask could hide her blushing.

"I'm sorry if you'd rather I'd leave you to peace, but I was behind you when coming in, and I really liked your dresses. And the recognizing thing." She shrugged, not really knowing how to continue. It seemed the two had started a conversation, so she was glad she hadn't overheard any of it. Proper manners and all that.

@Lark Flaer @Maggie Parker @Gem Stuart @Catriona Staverly

Rping as Hunter Reys

Hunter looked around the ballroom with curiosity, it seemed everything had been well thought out and those who were already here were already enjoying it. His friends were already at his side, waiting for their dates to walk through the door. Owen was having a bit of a crisis when it came to his since they had a bit of a complicated relationship but Don seemed to be holding it together considerably well for it being, well, Don.

Although he would have normally been goofing off with the guys to try and distract them, he was nervous himself. With any other girl, this would be a different story but Vi really meant something to him and he didn't want to come off as something he wasn't tonight.

Once Owen left to get some drinks Hunter tried to preoccupied himself with the other people's costumes. Some of them had gone all out with the dresses and masks and others had stuck to simplistic styles. If he had any say in what he was wearing he probably would have been in the simplistic group but his parents had mailed the suit and mask, saying it was a set his father had warned to a party when he was Hunter's age.

The suit fit him well enough for it being someone else's, it was tight in some places and loose in others but it could be way worse. His mask, on the other hand, was a whole new story.

Luckily he could see through it, but the material and intricate design on it called too much attention to him. He just hoped he didn't look as weird as he felt.

"Don, be honest, do I look stupid?" Hunter turned towards his friend, spreading his arms out so he could see him fully. Now was the time for the brutal honesty Don could give out and Hunter was prepared for it. "I look like a rich jerk right?" Hunter sighed.

So many new faces were entering the ball and at quick speeds as well. Miko could hear the usual British accents, some Scots and Irish people here and there but there was a new and different accept that was quite noticeable among the crowd.

Americans.

Yes, he had forgotten about the arrival of the Ilvermorny students. Most had a pretty obvious opinion about Hogwarts and that it was full of snobby rich Brits but that was far from the truth. Miko knew there was a large amount of diversity if you could count some French people, some Irish people and a lot more Scottish people as diversity. The Americans had exactly that, Americans. Oh and lets not forget the Canadians which are basically just more timid Americans.

Ew. Americans.

If it was not clear already, Miko had a strong dislike for Americans but for a kind of good reason. No it wasn't really but in his opinion it totally was. They were obnoxious and rude, being quick to put labels on others which was extremely annoying. And what about there school? Some stupid house names! If they even were houses! Maybe there was a reason for Miko to dislike them, maybe there wasn't but either way he did.

--
Rowan had entered the room and even through the mask the Hufflepuff immediately recognized him. Except for one thing. Leg braces? That was honestly surprising as the doctors had said he might not be able to ever walk again. It was adorable watching the other male walk with extreme difficulty across the floor but Miko made sure nobody would bump into him from afar. Still being timid, even around Rowan of all people he stayed in his spot, silently observing people.
 There was the poor kid in the pumpkin costume which was extremely stylish, honestly Miko loved the boldness in the kid. Kudos to him. Then there were the usual flashy outfits and yada yada, most kids speaking amongst their clique like groups. Miko was in a bit of a trance until Rowan walked over to him and made a comment.

"Ello Rowan!" Miko grinned and waved cheerfully at the Gryffindor, stifling a laugh as he saw how terrible Rowan was walking. The Hufflepuff outstretched his arm just in case the other male needed support and smiled kindly at him. What a sight, his suit was perfect and his mask too, everything was amazing. Then again Rowan was the kind of person everything and anything looked good on. Miko was sure if Rowan dressed up in a trash bag he would still look great.

With his free hand/arm he reached behind him to the table and grabbed a cup of the punch, taking a sip. It tasted exactly like butterbeer though it wasn't quite butterbeer. Quite wasn't even the word, it wasn't butterbeer at all! The punch looked like punch but tasted exactly like his favorite drink. What a bamboozle! 

Miko's face showed his utter surprise at the punch, even though he was familiar with the magic he just didn't expect it with the punch especially since last time it was just normal punch. Well, other than the potion it had in it. 

He chuckled at Rowan and nodded. "I see you have re-acquired the skill of walking once more. And flawlessly, may I say." Miko teased the other boy playfully and chugged the rest of the weird punch, nodding proudly with himself afterwards.

Open To Interactions

Illowy was apprehensive about this dance, to say the least; especially considering everything that had happened to her at the Blossom Ball, but that was certainly not what she was wanting to think about tonight. Tonight, she just wanted to have fun and enjoy the first party of the year. Especially given the theme of the night. Her family certainly wasn't known for their subtlety, and that was increasingly evident when she entered the ballroom.

Illowy was never one to drop the ball after being given the green light to go ahead and go all out; and she couldn't lie, she felt like a princess in such a pretty dress. If anything, she was using tonight as an excuse to play dress up. Getting to wear a mask only added to the excitement as she glanced around the room at some of the first students starting to trickle into the party.

Everyone aside from the poor soul who was dressed as a pumpkin for some reason was absolutely dressed to their best, each outfit hinting at some aspect of their personality. The room was an array of colors of suits and dresses and this was certainly Illowy's sort of party. With pale eyes, hidden away behind her mask, the girl tugged her gloves up a bit as she tried to see if she could recognize anyone beneath their own masks... perhaps that was the one drawback of such a ball; having no idea who was who, or who to talk to.

The second year chewed on her lip a bit before starting to wander off, eventually coming to a wall to press herself against until she might spy someone she knew (far too proud to admit she was nervous to talk to a potential stranger).

✼ ✼ THIS IS A DOUBLE POST ✼ ✼
Both are open to interactions : Mentions listed in each post below!
First Post for Lark Flaer ---- Lower Reducio Post for dNPC Genevieve Davis

Lark Flaer

Interacting with @Dale Kurt @Maggie Parker (Owen)

Rushing in heels was something impossible... and made Lark curse her decision to even try the darn things... Her Gran had insisted and stated they were more ladylike than the things she called boots which had become her staple footwear since her father bought them a year ago. Not that the shoes had made her run late that was due to worrying and fussing with her outfit. and Elz had assured her she looked fine.. although the makeup she had attempted to put on thanks to the girl's night still felt awkward. Lark tried to let it go, figuring it was more so she just was not used to seeing herself so... different.

Walking to the ball had felt like FOR.EVER. Originally she had hoped to walk with , Elz and even Charlotte... but they had been nowhere to be found in the Common Room. Worrying about Dale waiting for her, Lark had set out on her own. Cursing a couple of times as she stumbled along the halls before deciding to take the shoes off and put them back on right before the Ballroom door. She was already immensely embarrassed for the time it had taken her to get ready, cutting into the Ball's starting time...

"I hope Dale isn't angry..." Lark huffed to herself, placing a stray strand of silvery blue hair back in place. Elz had helped with her hair and Lark would be forever grateful. There was no way she could have done this all on her own.. her friends were really beautification witches.. if that was even a thing! Reaching the door to the Ballroom, Lark bent down and placed her shoes back on carefully. This night could not end in her breaking an ankle and hospital wing trip...

Entering the room the girl's jaw dropped. It was... she had no words. Beautiful. Stunning. Gorgeous? She had absolutely no words. None... nothing to compare this to. All the food... a band! Goodness. There were a number of students already enjoying the festivities. Some she thought she may recognize, yet with the masks who knew. She was used to seeing everyone in their school uniforms for the most part anyway. This felt exciting but scary all at once... Was that someone in a pumpkin outfit? Lark eyed the small pumpkin and gave a slight smile as she made her way further into the room. Feeling more confident with her mask sitting securely over her face feathers tickling the side of her cheek, Lark scanned the room for Dale. The girl's heart thudded against her chest as she straightened out the edges of her buttery golden dress. Her Gran had outdone herself finding this.. apparently it had been her mother's... Her mother.... Tears welled in the girl's eyes but she fought them back. She couldn't think about it right now... Tonight was not the night for crying over her mother. Her mind instantly began to compartmentalize all different emotions and focus on the task at hand. Finding her date! Had it been a date? Dale had rushed off after asking, she had gone through an entire roller-coaster of wondering just what type of asking he had done. Was it a date date? Or... friend date? Why were boys so hard to read. Panic started to trickle over her as she realized they were all in masks... duh... How the heck was she supposed to find Dale in the horde of others??!

Golden eyes scanning the room they finally settled on a handsome young man sitting by himself, a fancy mask donning his face and familiar messy brown hair. Excusing herself past a couple of other students to make her way to the tables, dress flowing around her ankles 'Oh Merlin's beard.. please don't let me fall on my face...She thought as she started for the table watching as an older boy in a black suit and black mask stood next to where Dale was. She guessed it was one of the Illvermorny students?

"Hey stranger!" Lark laughed a smile crossing her lips as she winked at Dale. He looked amazing, very well put together! It still felt like a dream to even be here let alone ASKED BY A BOY. Friends or otherwise. Lark felt like she was floating, all of the nerves dissipating entirely as she stood in front of the boys. Turning to the other boy she felt a wave of confidence wash over her again, this whole mask thing was really helping. Holding out a hand she greeted him. "I'm Lark, nice ta meet you."

✧༺♥༻∞　　∞༺♥༻✧

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Entrance Post for Genevieve Davis

Reducio

Interacting with : @Catriona Staverly -- Mentions : Hunter @Elzabeth Gillan and Don @Gem Stuart

This was insane. Genevieve's nerves were going nuts! Her hands had been shaky the entire time she had tried to put her makeup on, thank God for Delia.. Not to mention stressing over where in the heck to go in Hogwarts to try and dye her hair that had faded back to it's blonde color. This trip didn't really allow for her to have packed enough hairdye... didn't wizards have spells for this sort of thing? Ugh.Instead she would have to settle on a temporary dye for the night, better than nothing.

Standing just outside of the door to the Ball, Vi felt her stomach flop. Hunter was definitely inside.. the boys would have been ready way before her and Delia. Even if they had spent time getting ready there was no way the girls hadn't been preening for far longer. Where had Delia run off to anyway? Glancing around her blue eyes blazed trying to find her partner in crime. They were supposed to hit this shindig together, slow-mo entrance and all.

Evie would wait for her bestie before making their grand entrance, their best 'let's do this' shared looks prior to entering. Hair swishing, pointed judgy-judy side glances, shoulders back stride and all in their absolutely finest. It wasn't Illvermorny but they still had to make some sort of entrance standard to the ones back home. What the hell was the point of all this makeup and fancy formal wear if not to flaunt. No matter what anyone else claimed they were there for.
ooc: Leaving this entrance open to more from dNPC Delia Finch

Vi had to hand it to these guys.. they really did a decent job with the decorations. "Nice." Nodding in approval she looked to her friend. "Wonder where the boys are at?" Giving the room a once over she tried to find the rest of their group. A lot of other students were already here and many were dressed to the nines... while some where.... A laugh split from Evie's mouth, she slapped a hand to her lips trying to hold it back. Nudging Delia with her elbow she motioned towards the wall. "Get a load of Peter Pumpkin over there." She almost couldn't hold back another snort of laughter. Poor kid. Fighting the urge to walk over and see what that was all about, Vi returned to hunting for the one thing she was really there for. Not that she wouldn't make time for some fun but priorities...

"They can't be that far off.." Suddenly she began to get a nervous tingle through her arms and legs. Crossing her arms over her chest, she shifted her weight to one hip thankful that she had chosen to wear her converse for the night. With the length of her dress no one would notice her shoes... not that she would keep them on the entire night if Delia had anything to do with them dancing. Adjusting her raven jeweled mask, Evie looked to her friend. "Del, I might lose my mind. Pinch me..." Catching sight of the boys not far off, Don and Hunter seemed to be chatting. He looked amazing, as always... but this was different. All the air flushed from the girl's lungs as she looked Hunter up and down. Wow.. Vi's heart felt like it might burst from her chest, a bird fighting against the sides of a cage, a tickling nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach. Nerves. A stupid smile plastered itself across her face. "Del.." Tearing her gaze from Hunter across the way, she locked eyes with Delia. "Don't let me screw this up. Not like everything else, ya?" She would never forgive herself if she did.

𝔼𝕧𝕚𝕖'𝕤 ℂ𝕠𝕤𝕥𝕦𝕞𝕖

Reducio

Interacting with @Oswald Vanigton and @Jake Morris Open for other interactions too!

Dan walked into the ballroom, and was hit with an amazing sight. No offence Maggie, but, while hers were indeed impressive, these decorations dwarfed hers. It was absolutely stunning.
He was also hit with an alarming amount of people. There were SO MANY.
He'd never been to a party this size.
He had to force himself to be calm. He had a great outfit, and the appropriate mask. He did everything right, this was-
.....Also the first time he had ever been on what was technically a date. And one with another boy. Dan could feel his face heating up, as it entered a blush.

No no no NO. None of that.Everything is fine.

This was also to be the first time that Dan had ever seen Americans that weren't toting cameras, fanny packs, and the most god awful fashion sense he had ever seen. And this was coming from a kid who never combed his hair in his life, and next to never wore any footwear.
And tonight was no exception. In a ballsy move, Dan had arrived in his full outfit, but in bare feet. Sure, most everyone would know who he was, but then, all they would have to do is look at his hair, or hear him speak for more than three seconds and they would know who he was anyway. So he saw little point in trying to hide his identity with shoes, especially when they would just make him maddeningly uncomfortable in a setting where he was already nervous and uneasy.

He looked around, and that was when he noticed something very strange, and entirely out of place. Something that both made him want to laugh, but also made him feel really bad. There was a little one by the punch bowl, a first year, clearly. But instead of a lavish outfit and a mask, he was dressed in a pumpkin costume...
Dan figured out what happened almost immediately. Either he didn't ask for clarification of what a Masquerade Ball was, or some arse-faced bellend told him that was what he was supposed to wear.

"Hey uh, Ozzy? I'll be back inna minute, kay?"

Dan didn't exactly wait for an answer before heading over to the boy. When he arrived, however, he was shocked to see that he wasn't the only barefoot person here. And he thought he was going to make a statement by being the only one to do this.
Eh.
It wasn't really that important. To be honest, he'd only thought of the non-conformist message thing six days after he had already decided he wasn't wearing shoes to the ball. If anything, THIS kid was making a more profound statement about it.
Or rather..... he could be.

"Psst. Yer sposta wear a mask, lad."

Dan subtly slipped his wand out, and waved it once. As he did, a little thing materialized on the table in front of the boy.


Wait no... That wasn't right. It was supposed to be pumpkin based, yes, but it was supposed to be elegant and-
Ah ta hell with it. It was cute, and went well with his costume. Apparently, Dan was not capable of conjuring an elegant mask. Just simple cute ones. Whatever.

"If anyone asks, or starts to make fun of ya, you can say yer makin' statement. Just put the mask on ya so they dont throw ya out."

Dan got two cups of punch, one for him, and one for Ozzy. He sipped at his, and was so surprised by the taste that he almost dropped both. This "punch" looked nothing in the LEAST like Cherry Coca-Cola, how did they manage...
Oh god whatever.

"Sorry 'bout that."

He held out Ozzys punch cup. GOD he looked so cute, mask and all. Regardless of how nervous he was, Dan still managed not to have his hand shake.
....He hoped.
Still, it would not be hard for someone to detect the tells of being nervous and shy. Dan's voice was rising and lowering in volume, sometimes whispering, sometimes not, he was pretty sure his voice was trembling on occasion, and-
Yep he was shaking a little.