modern culture is rubbish (sort of) private

The clip of her shoes along the third-floor hallway was brisk and sharp. Kat had perhaps misjudged how long it would take to get from the library to the Ravenclaw Tower and then to the Trophy Room, especially considering that latter liked to move around a fair bit. It was because of this fact that she was still wearing her uniform, something that she usually wasn't so inclined to. Her outfit was kept safe in the bag she'd bought with her, encased in a plastic covering.

From the sixth floor to the third, what a load of nonsense, moving staircases and all. Her long legs weren't good for nothing, though, and Kat was soon pushing the door to the trophy room open.

"Hey!" she said quickly, securing the door closed behind her and hastily unbuttoning the fastenings of her robes. Her voice echoed in the almost empty room. Cloak pooling at her feet, she span around. Gem was stood on the opposite side of the room, near one of the many cabinets that the trophy room housed. There must have been hundreds of awards in here, ranging from shields to cups and plates to medals. The display cases look fit to burst, each trophy gleaming bright and proud within the glass interiors. "Sorry, came from doing some homework. Lost track of time. Anyway, how are you?" She stuffed her robes into her bag, rolling up the sleeves of her school shirt, before looking up properly.

Oh. She hadn't seen Gem in a while, but she hadn't expected him to... change. Or change so rapidly, maybe. He was taller than when they'd last met. Slimmer. Maybe he would wear more stripes now. His hair was longer, too, framing his face quite nicely. From an aesthetic stand-point, the boy had made a remarkable improvement, although it would have been rude to say that, so she didn't. Instead, she opted for:

"You look well."

That, as a statement, was quite ironic, when the next thing she noticed, with eyes wide in alarm, was the cigarette dangling sheepishly from Gem's mouth, trailing smoke. The first thought that came to her mind was that her father would certainly disapprove of the current situation. Smoking was probably one of the worst ways you could offend Alistair Cobwebbe. Levi was caught one time last year and had his broom confiscated for the rest of the Summer holidays. Boys were also a big offender, of course, but at least boys didn't give you cancer. Well, lung cancer.

Feeling a little awkward, Kat glanced away and muttered, "That's really bad for you..."

Even still, she had to admit that he looked pretty cool. And grown-up.

Reducio

This is her fit btw (I did a whole thing look)

@Katherine Cobwebbe

When Gem heard the beginnings of clicking shoes echoing through the trophy room, he was ready to crunch the cigarette in his palm and pretend nothing was there, but when he saw a mop of short, choppy hair, he relaxed a bit. It was a little funny, seeing her in her uniform, in spite of the fact he saw her basically every day for Transfiguration wearing said uniform, but... well, still.

He noted her halt, when she got her eyes on him. She wasn't the first to notice, but definitely the first to make him red in the face and sheepish about it. He wasn't sure if it was the beginnings of a crush, or maybe just because her opinion on him weighed heavy on his conscience, but her reaction seemed... good. Good enough that he didn't feel the insistent urge to throw himself out of a window, anyway.

"Thanks." He wasn't sure if he should say it back, but she didn't really give him much time to feed her a complement back, as she already express concern for his brand new, sparkling habit.

"Yeh," He mumbled, reaching up to pull it out of his mouth, licking his lips. He had to think about whether or not he should offer that to her, because he didn't condone bad habits young, but at the same time, a puff or two wouldn't hurt- and she seemed... not so grossed out by it, so hell, why not? "You wanna try it?"

He felt like a poster boy for peer pressuring. He was the opposite of cool, sure, but his weird need to make Katherine feel impressed by him made him want to jump out of his skin and go live in a forest or something. Christ.

Ah. This was a predicament. The toxic stick sat tantalisingly between Gem's fingers, smoke unfurling from the end. The room was cold, and the only light came from a window on the far wall, illuminating the fumes quite prettily. Kat chewed her bottom lip, mulling over her choices. In a way, she wanted to do it just for the sake of doing something wrong. Almost like a big fuck you to everyone that had ever pissed her off. She was so good at home. So well-behaved. Surely one time wouldn't hurt...

Her movements were mechanical, as she reached forwards and plucked the cigarette from Gem's hand without another word, the flame on the end faltering as she did. The warmth shouldn't have been so surprising, but her lips felt like they were burning when she put the cigarette, with no time to hesitate, to her mouth, sucking through the end. It was a desperate attempt to replicate what she'd seen so many film stars do.

The smoke sat in her mouth. Psychologically, it was very difficult to take it any further, as though she were breathing underwater. Inhaling something that wasn't air felt very wrong. She managed though, gulping unsteadily. It would have been useless to even try to prevent the coughing fit that ensued. Eyes watering, she massaged her throat with each vibration.

"O-h my God!" Kat managed to choke out. Taste-wise, it was what she'd expected. Chemical. Sharp. With her throat so dried out, all she could think about was a glass of water. Heat rose in her cheeks when she looked back at Gem. "How do you even do that?" Her laughter came from both embarrassment and the thrill of their situation. Eager for another attempt, she pulled the cigarette back to her lips, straightened up, and crossed her other arm over her stomach.

@Katherine Cobwebbe

Gem knew she'd cough her lungs out once the smoke reached her throat, and watching her actually do it made him crack a grin and almost laugh. Almost. She seemed just as shocked about the outcome as he did, wheezing and laughing -- he felt like he could laugh too, without being rude, so he did. An impish giggle, was how it was often described by his dad. He agreed, but he wished he hadn't.

"Ya get used to it after a while!" He snorted, covering his cheek-splitting grin with the back of his hand. He almost laughed even louder when she brought the cigarette back up to her lips... and like nothing had happened. Well, he hoped she wouldn't get a nicotine addiction, but it was also sort of cool, how she straightened her back out like that and pretended like nothing happened. She was kind of... made for this, the rebellion. Them smoking inside said plenty.

"Another drag, aye? Wouldn't your pops be angry at you fer that?" He nudged lightly. He felt weird mentioning it though - and even if her dad wasn't there, it sort of scared him to know that... well, she had such a harsh father. He hoped she was a good liar. "Anyway, ehm... you owe me an outfit runway, laa. Show me what ya got, won't you?"

Kat urged her body to suppress the shallow cough that came with her second drag. Inhaling it was, again, something that she had to force herself to do, as her brain desperately tried to reject the sensation, but it came much more smoothly this time. It felt as though someone had wrapped her chest in a warm blanket. The headache, that she didn't even realise she had, ebbed away. Seeing Gem smile at her expense was... oddly nice. She grinned back.

"Another drag, aye? Wouldn't your pops be angry at you fer that?" Her smile broadened at those very words. Yeah, if he knew, he'd be absolutely fuming. Mother would probably scorn upon it too, but her father would give her a proper bollocking. Eleven and already having a smoke: problematic indeed. Gem was a bad influence.

"Yeah. He'd probably scream the house down," Kat said proudly. Gem was quick to remind her of the purpose of their meeting, so she took another brisk drag, leaning more into it as though she were about to hand it back to him. The cigarette was given back gently, before she snatched her bag up, heading towards a curtain on the other side of the room that she could change behind. On her way, she exhaled the poison. "I made the dress, with Levi's help. He knows a lot of spells that are useful for that sort of thing."

She pulled the velvety curtain over herself, leaving only her feet on show, and hastily slipped out of her uniform. She took great care with the black dress as she stepped into it, pulling it up so that it grazed her knees. The boots were an important part of her outfit, as was the leather jacket. She thought dressing everything down was quite stylish, really, especially when the mask was such a beautiful, fragile thing. With some finality, she strapped the delicate choker round her neck. It was just like Kat, to have bought everything, showing Gem exactly what she planned on looking like for the actual ball. That was, except for the earrings. She still hadn't decided on those.

"Ta-da!" she exclaimed, pulling the curtain away from her. Doing her best mock-runway walk towards him, Kat mimed flipping her imaginary hair over her shoulder.

Reducio

@Katherine Cobwebbe

She'd really gone all out with that velvet curtain and all, it made his eyes sparkle a little bit. He sucked the nub of the cigarettes out, crushing it between his finger once the flame died out enough, waiting for her get dressed real quick. He was sure it'd be real gothic, but he could never be so sure - it was pretty punk rock for a punk rocker to dress all nice and pastel-like. Trying to imagine her wearing something like that killed him.

When she came out, though, that was when his eyes really got all big and shiny. She looked incredible.

"Katherine!" He crooned, making a twirly motion with his finger, "You look amazin'!" He stepped around her, grinning at the leather jacket and the boots-- she had everything! And man, did it work. He wasn't sure if he was in love with her or the outfit.

That was the thing about girls. Every time they did something pretty, no matter what it is, you fall in love with them. Girls. Jesus Christ. They drove him crazy. They really did. Gem was sure he'd been dying, he didn't know where the hell he was right now, but he was somewhere floaty, right in his stomach and his head.

"Wow. Just wow, and ya did this yerself? All of it? I can't believe that, Kat. You look amazing, just stunnin'!" And she did. She really was stunning. He was staring, he knew it, but he couldn't help it - the whole getup was just... great. It was greater than great, so great he couldn't even put it into words. And he was a big fan of words.

Kat felt a little bashful, as Gem stepped around her. Whilst his gaze wasn't analytical, it was still a little embarrassing, being examined like this. She folded her arms over her body, fighting the foreign self-consciousness that came with being scrutinised. She was sure that her outfit was impressing him at least, judging by his reaction, but even if it didn't have the same effect on anyone else, she still felt wicked. Wearing what you pleased was cool, even if it rubbed some people the wrong way.

"Wow. Just wow, and ya did this yerself? All of it? I can't believe that, Kat. You look amazing, just stunnin'!". She felt her neck flush at the compliment. It was nice to have something that she'd worked hard on appreciated. She was still getting used to sewing, which was a fiddly process that required patience to master. It was a skill that she'd never learned as a child but something that most of the muggle-borns or half-bloods were able to do.

"Yeah! I'm really happy with how it all turned out. Reckon I'll look, uh, smashin'." She had tried to mimic him, and was smiling cheekily. Funny word that: smashing. Still feeling a little flustered at the attention, she made to turn the conversation elsewhere. "Anyway. You. Gem. Let's sort you out, yeah?"

She started towards the bag he'd brought with him, and began rummaging through the clothes. "Have you got a suit? I think you'd look really handsome in one. A lot of the boys are dressing formal, or so I've heard." By the looks of it, Gem hadn't bought a suit at all, although a lot of his items were things that she thought he'd look very nice in. Denim jackets (and a leather one), dark coloured jeans, and some jumpers that were quite cute too. Stripes! Excellent! His trainers were super, and seemed to reflect him well, although Kat herself would always opt for boots. Moreover, some of the clothes he'd brought seemed... vintage-y, which was pretty cool. She picked up the leather jacket and joked, "We could match!"

@Katherine Cobwebbe

Smashing. That was such a funny word, he'd have to use it now that she reminded him of its existence. He was a little surprised how quick she was to have moved the subject to him and his outfit (or outfits). He liked the definition of smashing, excellent - wonderful.

"Oh yeh! I lost a lot ov weight, right? So Leland, he says hi by e' way, sent me some clothes he never wore, and I fink they're real cool." He stood over her, watching her pick around, rummage through the clothing items. A suit... he never wore a suit, which was surprising, since his dad's career might often need him wearing nice clothes... but hey, he never owned a suit in his damn life. He wondered if that was a bad thing. He silently saw it was an achievement, but he didn't say it out loud in the unlikely case that Kat would see it was a bad thing, and instead watched her go through his clothes, picking stuff out.

He'd been digging into his pocket for a mint when she pulled his new leather jacket out, his eyes getting all big and excited - that was a bloody good idea, he hadn't even considered it!

"Aye, sounds great!" He chided, reaching over to hold it between his fingers, swinging it around like a ghost were wearing it and dancing. "Mm, maybe this would look good wiv the striped turtleneck, right? An' the boots?" He squatted down to pull through some of the clothes, and even found a little bag of jewelry with bracelets, earrings, and some... makeup, huh? Weird. Still, he got an idea from it. Ideas were always fun.

"You know... it would be kinda wicked if we both wore makeup, joost some simple eyeliner." He'd always seen men in magazines wearing makeup, it wouldn't hurt to try it some, right? Just some eye stuff? He felt like he'd look like a real dunce with lipstick so he could throat that idea behind his back, but the eye stuff... he couldn't see a real problem, and his face would be covered anyway, so... hey, why not? He bet would look excellent - smashing - in some thick eyeliner.

Still, his insecurity for having Bad Ideas kicked in, and he backtracked quicker than you could say 'Leviosa'.
"It's joost a suggestion, though. That's all." He sniffed sheepishly, going through some more of his clothing items, ones his dad had given him before he even came to Hogwarts... some of it was cool, there were even some more necklaces tangled up together at the bottom of the bag.

Kat nodded quickly at Gem's subdued outfit suggestions, privately hoping that she was encouraging his creativity. The turtleneck would squash him a little, sure, but the Ravenclaw boy was almost the same height as her by now, so it wasn't such a terrible thing. Personally, she always liked to leave her neck and collar bared, but she didn't want to push him too far. The lack of hesitation as he opted for stripes was a good enough sign for her. It was tempting nurture the prospect of skinny jeans, but maybe that was pushing her own preferences too much.

When Gem crouched beside her, she peered over his shoulder, watching his fingers browse the contents of the bag he'd brought with him. As he retreived a case of jewellery and make up, Kat felt a pang of envy. If he was good at that sort of thing and she wasn't, she just might die of jealousy. "You know... it would be kinda wicked if we both wore makeup, joost some simple eyeliner." There was an instant excitement at those words, but it quickly faded to disappointment when Gem shied away from the concept, taking on an air of embarrassment.

"That sounds fabulous! I wish I'd come up with that Gem!" Kat reassured him, smiling widely and plunging a hand into his collection. There was quite a lot, and she found herself eyeing a dark purple lipstick. "Where'd you even get all this? Wait! Leland? That's my guess at least. He seems like the sort." She pulled out the eyeliner he suggested. Cats were her namesake, in a way, so maybe she could try a winged look. It wasn't that she hadn't ever made the attempt, of course, but her previous failures mostly turned her away from the subject. Still, she really really wanted to rock this look.

Feeling experimental, she pulled the lid off and leaned forward on her knees towards Gem. "Don't do any jerky moves, this isn't really my area of expertise," she said, holding her tongue between her teeth. Not wanting to unnerve the poor boy too much, she added, "You can always wash it off after." Finally, she pushed the tip to the corner of his eye, tracing a clumsy curve over his lid. Well, it wasn't going to look fantastic, but she'd let him deface her afterwards.