Event Blossom Ball - Underworld

@Zykeal Lane

Opeila had only taken a small sip from this weird drink, whatever it was. It tasted alright, but Opeila simply always had second thoughts about unknown liquids. And then she heard a very familiar voice behind her.

"Oy love, looking lovely my friend."

Opeila's mood brightened in a second. Maybe it was the drink, maybe it was the prospect of spending a normal, not awkward evening with a friend who was nothing like Vladimir or Percival. This particular friend could even make flirtatious comments without Opeila feeling too awkward about it. Asking him to accompany her to the ball had been a spontanous idea, but Opeila had not started to regret it since.

The Slytherin turned around to face Zyk and... was speechless for a moment. Opeila knew that the theme was rather special and Zyk's outfit was nowhere inauthentic, but she still had not really expected him to show up bare-chested. Most of the boys at Hogwarts did not seem to have that confidence. Opeila got over her surprise quickly and grinned. "Same goes to you. I like those.", she said and pointed at the armlets. Those were definitely not real gold, so, knowing of Zyk's talent in woodcarving, he most likely made them himself.

Zyk pointed at her drink and asked her if she would live after it. Opeila eyed the glass in her hands and shrugged. "I honestly don't know. It smells weird, but tastes alright. I just decided not to care tonight. This event is approved by professors, so I doubt that this will do anything but maybe... make steam come out of my ears in a minute or so." Others were drinking the stuff too, so they would all be fine. Hopefully. "The ball has barely started ten minutes ago. I would give it another ten before the first fires start to burn." Opeila was unsure, why she was so calm at the thought. Maybe the drink was calming the students to stop them from doing stupid things?

The second year did a playful spin as Zyk examined her outfit. Not all greek but enough to fit in, right? "That sounds like an amazing plan, God Zyk. Fun and no fires at all.", Opeila responded to Zyk's next words and smirked. Just being a goddess for one nice night and not having to deal with drama? For that she would even agree to be Goddess Pei, if that was what it took. Opeila took another sip.

Action: Continue drinking

Rolling his eyes at Mathias' lie about him practicing naked, Jack sneered at Ruka and laughed when the Gryffindor said he liked an audience too much to spend so much time talking to himself. He looked slightly startled at the mention of practicing kissing before making a disgusted face at Mathias. He wasn't about to argue, though; not when there was no point in arguing with a reason-lacking fool.

Fortunately for them, Mathias' attention seemed to be drawn elsewhere for a time. Jack didn't bother glancing over to see who it was who attracted it or what for until he heard a shriek and saw the flashing of a camera. Even then, he only needed a single glimpse before wincing painfully and looking away again. He could have done without that particular image burned into his memory. At least he had a number of other people to distract himself with while he tried to forget what he had just seen.

He bowed upon hearing Amelia's introduction of herself and explanation of Winnie's 'dragging her over'. "Thank you for the compliment! Well, it is true I'm part goat," he chuckled lightly at Amelia and Winnie, wanting them to know he wasn't offended by Winnie's statement, even if it had been a tad confusing. Ruka, too, brought up the story of the girl who fell in the lake which enlightened Jack to Winnie's identity even more.

The fact that both girls seemed much less familiar to him than many other students made him suspect they might have been first years. They didn't seem older than him, so they must have been younger. Smiling, he added, "As the story goes, Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, cursed me so that I am half goat, half god, and can only become full goat or god on two conditions." He leaned in closer, as if telling a secret. "Only if I can love someone and someone can love me in return could I ever be fully whole. However, who could love a being like me when my own nymph mother ran screaming when she first laid eyes upon me?"

It was then Ruka suggested they be moving on. When Jack glanced at him, he was surprised to see his face had gone ruddy. Why? What was the matter? He had seemed fine making rebuttals and rebukes a moment ago. Did he not like Winnie? But no, if he was introducing her, it sounded like they were friends. What was going on?

Regardless, Ruka was right. It was probably best to leave that place if Mathias planned to return. Jack didn't want the other boy interfering in their conversations any more than he already had.

Before he could move, though, a familiar young woman in an appalling outfit (if it could even be called that) came trudging barefoot through the crowd. It was Erin. Jack stopped and stared. But then she saw the display between Levi and Mathias and also seemed disgusted, moving on before he could even think to approach her.

"What a maenad," he breathed, sighing and shaking his head at her passing. Perhaps later he could find her and talk to her. For now, though, they had to find their own way out of the Underworld and into the realm of Springtime.

Jack glanced back at the group that had congregated about them to find that Winnie seemed to have managed to recompose herself a bit. He grinned at her pronouncement that she was a flower nymph and nodded in acknowledgement, bowing again. Was she...okay? Maybe there was something strange in the drinks again. "Um...are you alright, Winnie?" he asked. "Do you want to stop and rest, or do you think you'll be able to move on with the rest of us into Springtime?"

Goodness, he hadn't realized his costume would have left quite the impression it seemed to on others. "Thank you," he told her with a flattered smile. "The pleasure of meeting you is all mine. Please, I'd be honored if you would join us! And just call me 'Pan'. Mr. is way too formal; more than I deserve."

His...date? What date? Blinking, he turned to look at Eden. Oh. That date.

Jack's grin faultered when Eden called him by his first name - half surprised he knew it, half displeased he dared to use it. Then his gleeful expression grew wicked. "Ah, well...I'm sorry to say this stunning flower isn't my date this evening," he told Winnie. "Far too arrogant and shallow for my liking. Pretty enough on the outside, but you know...things are so often not what they seem." Jack reached out to pat Eden atop his white-haired head like a dog before finally turning away.

"But you two seem to be hitting it off quite nicely," he said to Amelia, pivoting to face her. "Perhaps you would care to be Gardener's date for the evening instead?" His goat eyes flickered mischievously between the pair of conversing first years.

Wearing:

Reducio

Open to interactions
Interacting with: @Mathias Pride, @Eden Gardener, @Ruka Burnett-Tân, @Amelia Faye, & @Winnie Harper
Mentioning: @Erin Ryan & @Levi Drakos
Action: Trying to get away from Mathias and head into Springtime with Ruka and Winnie while annoying Eden Gardener and teasing Amelia
Abilities: Prodigal Charms Learner; Binding Mark
Stats: Stamina: 6 | Evasion: 7 | Strength: 3 | Wisdom: 10 | ArcPower: 7 | Accuracy: 7
Inventory: Pan pipes & wand
Post Tracker: [1] [2] [3]

Open to Interactions
Mentioning: @Howard White

Falentra wasn't sure if it was just her or whether it was busier than any other ball she had attend. The Courtyard itself was quite spacious with a stunning view of the night-sky above and yet for some reason there seemed to be more of a squeeze tonight. It wasn't too much of an issue. Falentra was used to being enclosed or having to barge through crowded place now, to mingle and acknowledge her peers was becoming like a breath of fresh air.

For once she wasn't accompanied by Howard, her ex-boyfriend, so entering alone was somewhat awkward and uncomfortable and made that so-called fresh air become like somewhat of a thick fog that she struggled to pass through. In previous situations she would normally have had a tight grip of his hand to help ease the tension she felt rising however tonight she would have to endure the pain and push on through. A nice drink would probably be a good start. A shame they didn't have an alcohol lying around to make it even better. Or did they. It was definitely a thought that had already crossed her mind.

The slim-fitted satin dress and metal chains that hung loosely around her frame was quite the unusual choice. Not so much the colour, but the style in itself was more revealing and had a more feminine touch. It was beautiful and elegant despite it all. It had even crossed her own mind that she could have had a few heads turned. A thought she never thought she'd hear herself say.
Some may have wondered why she had decided to go 'all out' tonight with not only the dress, but the shoes and nails. The golden snakes that hugged around her ankles was a small detail to allow those who were not from Hogwarts to acknowledge her house that she proudly represented. The long, claw-like nails however were strange to say the least. It didn't so much fit in with the overall outfit. A clear base that looked to be accompanied by blood would sit within the nails. Maybe it was a small detail dedicated to Howard, or maybe she just did to get a few dirty looks. That was always a good enough opportunity to start a fight, or start a conversation, if she wanted to be good.

A hand rested against a hip, tapping lightly as she observed the crowd now that she had made her way beside a table that held a large bowl of juice. There was a part of her that wanted to dive into the crowd in a hope that she would spot one of the few people she actually got along with but for now keeping her distance from her peers was a good enough start. Maybe she could spot someone from here or be spotted being that she was alone in one of the more spacious areas.

Abilities: Fearless

DRESS . SHOES . MAKE-UP . NAILS

Mentioning @Kit Paine as Eris Livius and her freakish photography taste
Interacting With @Paige Grant as Nikita Lebedev & @Mathias Pride or "Percival Gray/Percematt"
Open to Interactions (so regrettably)

Despite showing early symptoms of God-knows-what, Levi was not immune to the strong grasp of fear. The two had a mutual respect for one another, but it was times like this when it wrapped its hands around his throat and squeezed until the weight toppled all to one side. This circumstance was unprecedented (housed in innocence until Percival Gray here left the oven on), but the choking feeling, the sensation of his airways shrinking and shriveling, it was not. In fact, they deflated with ease, having done it for years.

Few things could break the reverential bond between the two, but one of them, the very same that dropped him to the cold, unforgiving floor of the Owlery, was things he couldn’t explain. That which could be explained could be used, abused, changed with the desire of his lips and nature’s eyes. However, things like those trees, things that do not count his teeth, were forces apathetic to the brunet’s allure. Things still, defensive, robust, and worse, out of reach. Until Levi found a human with bark clawing at their ankles, or himself let the roots ride his calves, there was little he could do but fear.

He could manipulate Percival, but then again, he couldn’t. Whatever God-knows-what was maturing within Levi, Percival’s God-knows-what was baser. That was proven by the fact that their mouths were intertwined and not the beams of light from their wands.

If it ever struck Levi—dread, monotony, distress—his mother was always there with a strict wall of love, embodied in various rules and discipline. Yet, it was also in their time together, sewing flower crowns such as his own of golden blossoms and watching her soap operas. Characters kissed often in those shows. In the background, there would be soft yet theatrical melodies to carry the scene along, and the actors would entangle themselves in one another like circus acts. Suddenly, the screen would have a glowing cherry tint as though the character’s hearts were bursting outward. Levi would gag. Kat would hush him. Somewhere, Evan would sigh. It was a whole ordeal.

This was nothing like that, save for the orchestra becoming increasingly louder. The only tint was the cerulean flames he wished would light them both on fire, and all the extras were staring in horror rather than awe of the summertime love from soaps. (Why me?) Both of their eyes were opened, and Percival had his fleshy demon thing jammed into the bastardly kid’s mouth, hands wrapped around his neck and Levi prayed they wouldn’t move anywhere except away. (Why me?) Several hours passed before anything changed, Levi frozen and Percival for whatever reason, choosing now to unleash his hidden desires. (Why me?) There was thin line between love and hate, and either Percival really loved him, or loathed him. Levi would be going with the latter.

A white flash. The afterlife?

(Why me?)

His hands were firmly on the taller boy’s chest but not quite pushing, tense and rusted at the hinges. It was a miracle (a humiliating one, at that) when some incoherent sass was sounded and Percival was yanked away from Levi by Nikita, final “romantic” pressures pushing him over the edge, and immediately onto the cold ground. Every meeting between the two ended with Levi scrambling on the floor for his fallen wits. It had to be the next day. The ball had to be over. But the orchestra was pulling a right horror-move, and still grew more melodramatic with each measure. The boy’s face and hair were quickly dyeing themselves crimson.

"Sorry I did not see you there Miss."

“You were looking at her!”

"It is a pleasure to finally meet his big sister,"

“Stop laughing!”

"Name's Matt--"

“YOU DAMN LIAR!”

His date—his oh-so-perfect-but-sadly-tall date—put a shield over his honor with her fight. Nikita snapped at Percematt, insulting his face in a way that would make a normal enemy’s heart flutter but only relieved Levi. At least she knew this was no boyfriend of his, not some stud he regularly snuck into the closet to smooch. But why would he lie about his name now? Where was that getting him?

Nikita had done enough. Any further and the brunet boy would officially have his date fighting his battles for him, a crime more serious than perjury, murder, even the dreaded tax evasion. She could stand down now, go back to the corner and look especially stunning by improving her posture and putting a smile on that face. Sure, this was no evening stroll on the beach for her, nor for anyone cursed with that image in their minds, but this was Levi’s battle. His lips, his war.

He began to struggle to his feet. “Let me hand—" It was before he even got the words out that Nikita had balled her dominant hand up and crashed it into Percematt’s sinful jawline without opposition, leaving reddening and likely sensitive skin behind. The impact itself was loud and reeling, leading Levi to make a note not to be too blunt with her this evening. Although it brought the boy great delight to see Percematt get what he deserved and not have to dirty his hands and reputation by his own ill-judgement, the discontent stood its ground. Levi was horrified.

And the newly accusatory Percematt? Basically unaffected. This bloke was fucked up.

Metamorphmagus
Stats Stamina: 4 | Evasion: 6 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 5 | Arcane Power: 5 | Accuracy: 6
Action Seeing the afterlife.

Winnie felt her cheeks heat up again at Eden's comment. Someone who looked so good was complimenting her? She couldn't believe it! "Thank you... It was my mother's." She explained with a soft smile. "She has always loved anything to do with flowers, and when she heard about the blossom ball... She modified it for me by hand. She's very crafty. The flowers were created by her as well." She added, assuming Eden would appreciate the effort and the amount of work that must have gone into the dress. He looked as if he appreciated fashion. Well, that was an understatement, he was quite possibly the most fashionable person Winnie had ever encountered.

"That's a fair point, I don't know much about Greek mythology but I do know about Persephone! Demeter was Persephone's mother. Persephone was abducted the god of the underworld, Hades. After her disappearance, Demeter grieved for her daughter so much that the seasons ceased and life on earth started to die. Hades agreed to return her to earth, but only if Persephone would agree to spend one third of the year with him!" She had remembered the story well because it had been so bitter sweet. Also, she was a young girl and forbidden love was appealing to her.

Winnie's eyes flickered down to stare at the cup of punch that Ruka had handed her. It did look a bit... Odd? Perhaps someone had spiked the punch. Her eyes roamed back up to the friendly face of Amelia, and she smiled. She was still a bit tense after her mistake, but at least they were moving passed it. Being someone who did not pick up on social ques, she had no idea how annoyed her personal hero was with her closeness to his brother. If anything, she was happy that he wanted to get close to her, so long as he wasn't annoyed with her.

But then... There was Pan. Or perhaps Jack was his name. She had heard Eden using it? But he seemed to be very in character right now, so she did not want to break his creative process. He looked so much like her hero, but different... She really wanted to reach out and touch the vines that decorated his head, but she was unable to with Ruka standing in her way. "T-Thank you, M... Pan." She caught herself in time, half tempted to call him goat again, especially since she felt faint when he started telling her Pan's story. Her cheeks burned bright red again when he leaned closer, automatically leaning in as well. They were so close, she could practically count his eyelashes. Could he heard how loud her heart was beating? What was wrong with her? And then... "How could someone not love you?" She said without thinking. "Even if you were a real satyr, I would love you." What did she just say? "I MEAN. S-Someone would easily love you." I LOVE YOU! PICK ME!

"W-What?! I'm fine." She insisted, "Besides... I belong in spring, do I not?" She gestured at her outfit with a sheepish smile. He said no date. No date. He didn't have a DATE. "I'm so glad! I mean-... I actually don't have a date either..." She hinted shyly, hardly registering the comments towards Eden. "S-So now we can spend the night together. I mean... ALL of us can." Yes, good save, Winnie, you're getting better at this! "Shall we head into the festival?"

Action: Holding a drink, awesome at being social.
Stats: Stamina: 6 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 5 | Wisdom: 7 | Arcane Power: 7 | Accuracy: 5
Inventory: Purse/Clutch | Wand

Interacting: @Rhea Miller as iNPC Ophélie Moore, @Samantha Salwis Mentioning: Everyone

Outfit: Artemis (see above collage) Hex: #839ca5 (to match her caricature as the moon goddess)

"She had magic in her eyes even the stars envied."

Calypso had always loved the moon.
When she was little, she used to sit by her bedroom window when her parents thought her asleep, watching the celestial orb glow calmly in the velvet sky. She had wondered how many people in how many places were looking up at that same moon that she was. She figured it made her connected somehow, to those unknown souls sharing her moongazing from distant places, no matter in how insignificant a way. She loved the way that, regardless of what chaos was taking place down on the blue planet, the moon was a constant, up there on it's heavenly perch. It didn't always appear in the same form -crescent, whole, gibbous- but nonetheless it was there. When her older sister, Anastasia, passed away two years prior to Cal's enrollment in Hogwarts, it was the moon she often turned to for comfort. A large space rock was an odd companion, really, but the young Gryffindor didn't mind. After all, she was, herself, a bit of an odd girl.

Another thing Cal loved was Greek mythology. Despite it's many, erm, eccentricities, she appreciated the outlandishness and whimsy in the tales; a type of magic so different from the brand she knew. You would not be surprised to learn that her favorite of the Greek deities was Artemis, wild goddess of the moon. Needless to say, when the girl learned the theme of this year's Blossom Ball was to be Ancient Greece, she had no trouble deciding which god to emulate.

She wore a floor-length Grecian dress of a soft linen, simple, yet elegant. One of her dorm mates had assisted her in doing her long brunette hair up into a low bun, accented with flower-like hairpieces. On her feet she wore a pair of silver sandals, and resting on her collarbone, a delicate silver moon pendant. Her finger was adorned with a moonstone ring, and she carried a small, beaded clutch where she had stored her wand and one of her books, reducio-ed to fit. She never went anywhere without something to read. A half mask of a deer, her goddess's sacred animal, covered the upper part of her face. Long, graceful antlers protruded from it, and Cal hoped the mask gave off a mysterious, masquerade-ball vibe. She thought about bringing her bow and arrows to complete the look, but they weren't playthings, and she wasn't sure projectile weapons would be allowed at the school dance. Better to skip that. Calypso wore no makeup. Other than Halloween costumes, she never did. Though she had no problem with other people participating in this custom, Cal felt herself a bit young to wear it.
To be perfectly honest, the twelve-year-old felt a bit silly for a moment, before she walked into the courtyard. She had never been one to give particular care to her appearance, and could sometimes be found wearing her school robes on the weekends because it was simpler. So dressing up like this almost made her feel like a five-year-old who had gotten into her mother's things, playing at being grown. However, as she ventured into the Underworld, she saw that many of her peers had donned costumes as peculiar as hers -or more so. One boy [@Jack Burnett] was dressed as the god pan, and had even fashioned himself a pair of clip-clopping hooves.

But, though the many festive outfits were indeed fascinating, they were not the primary object of Calypso's focus. No, this was the eerie, almost otherworldly -or should she say underworldly- quality that had been given to the Courtyard in which she now stood. The place was almost unrecognizable. The cover of late evening cast strange shadows about the area. Ominous-looking fountains spewed different coloured liquids, and some of the other students appeared to be drinking from them. Though she knew that, in theory, the drinks wouldn't do anything harmful, this was Hogwarts. It was never wise to ingest unidentified substances. She would not be taking part in this activity, no sir.

Cal found herself drawn to a corner almost entirely shrouded in blackness, save a small dancing bluebell flame. The way the cobalt light danced reminded her of a will-o'-the-wisp.
She stood there for a minute, surveying the Underworld and those who dwelled within. The girl had not taken a date -for Merlin's sake, she was twelve!- but planned to meet up with some friends once inside the Ball. For now, though, she was alone. It was fitting, she supposed, as Artemis herself was sworn to maidenhood, and often roamed the night in solitude.
There were quite a few people lingering in the Underworld. Two somber-looking teens engaged in some kind of intense lovers' spat (Cal would definitely be giving them some space), a girl dressed as the gorgon Medusa interacting with an excitable peer with a camera (they seemed content on their own without her joining them), a group of loud, rowdy friends exchanging laughter and insults (she would rather not), and two students standing over by the juice fountains talking; among a few others. The pair by the fountains both seemed nice enough, one with wild curly hair and a warm smile, wearing a flowery white gown, and the other with hair a shade similar to Cal's own, sporting a simple Greek dress and sandals, along with a more elaborate flower crown. From what Calypso could tell, their conversation was just beginning. She could continue on into the more lively part of the ball, but she knew it would be loud and chaotic in there, and she wasn't quite ready for that yet. Better to stay in the Underworld for a little while, where, despite the sinister atmosphere, it was quiet, and somehow oddly peaceful.

Cal walked over to the two, a smile on her face. They seemed to be talking about the punch. "Hi! Um, do you mind if I join you? I'm Calypso. From Gryffindor." There was a pause, and Cal realized how strange she must look in her deer mask. "Oh, oops, sorry." She removed the mask, and noticed a silver bracelet inscribed with the words "they/them" on the wrist of the kid with the curly hair. "Cool bracelet! Are those your pronouns?"

Calypso hoped it wasn't too forward of her to just barge into their conversation like that.

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Action: xEntering the Underworld, interacting with Ophé and Samantha,
not drinking the punch.

Post Tracker:
[1]

Reducio

Stats: Stamina: 6 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 3 | Wisdom: 9 | Arcane Power: 7 | Accuracy: 5
Abilities: None, as of now.
Word Count: 1,053

Note#1: The writer of Ophélie Moore has confirmed OOC that their character is wearing the they/them bracelet.

Note #2: Sorry if my writing's a bit bogged down by descriptions, adjectives, and tangents, I'm tired.

|Interacting|
@Winnie Harper @Jack Burnett @Amelia Faye
|Mentioning|
@Eden Gardener @Erin Ryan
|Open for Interaction|

As the bothersome Slytherin boy moved away to instead... go and kiss someone it seemed, Ruka had no reason to pay him attention anymore so instead he could focus fully on the group that had gathered around the flowery boy who seemed less than pleased with their company.

Having pressed himself between Winnie and Jack to prevent any more physical closeness between them, he must have seemed like a lunatic with his arm outstretched and his cheeks reddened. It was Amelia who commented on his behaviour first by questioning if his handling a torch was at all safe. He gave her a wry smile, twirled the torch between his fingers once and tilted his chin up. "I know what I'm doing," he told her confidently because if there was one thing he was certain of then it was that he had a way with fire.

However, Amelia's safety concerns were not very high on his list of priorities when Jack had no qualms about telling Winnie all about his tragic story about being doomed to never find love, and Winnie appeared to take it as an invitation to profess her own affections. Oh no. Oh no no no, this was horrible. This was... Ruka took a deep breath, expression slightly pained as he gurgled up a useless sound. Winnie and Amelia wanted to stick around too, like this brief, awkward encounter hadn't been bad enough already.

It seemed, though, that Jack had no issues with that suggestion, so Ruka managed a jerky nod himself. "Yeah we can stick together," he agreed in a tight voice, slowly pulling back his torch to make sure he wouldn't actually set anybody on fire. There was no need to start a repeat of last year's Blossom Ball. Not yet.

Suppressing the way his breath rattled, Ruka was distracted for just a moment by Erin's arrival, looking sloppy and strung out and yelling about Death Witches like she was a drunk party girl on one of those trashy reality shows he had had the misfortune to see bits and pieces of while channel surfing in Cardiff. He blinked in vague confusion as he looked after her, then shook his head to turn his attention back to Winnie, Amelia and Jack. This was the group he was stuck with for now, then.

For the first time he found himself hoping Jack would find someone to lure him somewhere Winnie wouldn't be able to follow once they reached the Springtime area. Or maybe Ruka could lure Winnie somewhere... There were so many possibilities to make someone disappear out on the Grounds, were there not?

Blinking in terror of himself, Ruka shook his head off the thought, plastered a smile on his face and grabbed for one of Jack's hands with his free one, disregarding any conversation that might have still been going on. Talk wasn't important right now. "Great!" he proclaimed loudly, far too loudly, and if he hadn't been holding a torch he would have slapped his own thigh for emphasis. "Let's go then!"

Pulling on Jack's hand, it took everything Ruka had to not actually hug his brother's whole arm to himself. Instead he just tried to tug him in the right direction. There were gonna be more distractions in the other area. More people. Maybe Winnie could find someone else to profess her love to. Maybe monster insects would come to distract her.

The night was still young.

|Action|
- Trying to move on to a brighter future

|Stats and Abilities|
Stamina - 7 || Evasion - 9 || Strength - 4 || Wisdom - 12 || Arcane Power - 6 || Accuracy - 7

The Muggle Condition || Advanced Casting || Perfectionist

Lil Outfit Doodle

|Post Tracker|
1 || 2 || 3

Nikita didn't find this boy funny. Okay, maybe a tiny bit? But she didn't enjoy him being here. Anything she wanted to say was said by Levi, except in a nicer tone. This boy had some nerve.
And some good humor. Under any other circumstances, she might like him. Except these right now she was just hanging out sith her "date" and trying to enjoy herself. Well, that wouldn't last for long as she anger boiled as the boy kept talking.

" You're lucky it was him speaking, my chose of words would have been very different." When she punched Matt, she was angry. But as soon as she saw him fall back her heart dropped. He hadn't even defended himself, probably being stupid and thinking she wouldn't hit, or it wouldn't hurt.
That was his own problem.
Never underestimate a girls power when Angry. It's just stupid. Boys never seemed to learn that.
What the hell WAS wrong with her? She tried to speak. But nothing cAme out of her mouth. Just a sound. She didn't know what to say.
Why did she keep hitting people? Sure, this guy deserved it. The bruise was something he deserved. Right? She looked at Levi, who looked horrified.
She stayed silent. She knew she took it way to far. She had stepped in the way of Levi and Matt's... whatever they had going on and most likely made it worse.
Well.
That was unfortunate. She wanted to apologize, but she didn't know how. She looked at her shaking hands and turned away from Matt. "Maybe it's just ok your face. Gives me bad vibes." Was all she could say. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry.

She turned to Levi.
" I am very sorry. That I did that. I lost it. Sorry. It wasn't my thing to fight-"

Action: Dying on the inside | outfit

STA 6 | EVA 6 | STR 8 | WIS 5 | ARC 5 | ACC 5 | Obnoxiously Strong

──── ♛ ────

Outfit: coming soon Open to Interactions

Interacting: @Gabriella Haworth Mentioning: everyone

This was it. The event Rhea had been waiting for.

This was what Hogwarts was all about, right? Not boring lectures and frivolous magic tricks presented only to please little children, but danger. Conspiracies. Allyships and rivalries. This was the fight she craved, the terror she longed for, the trials she had been waiting with baited breath to endure. Not... that she knew exactly what to expect, but last year's ball had been a beautiful, horrible disaster, and honestly at this point contastrophy seemed unavoidable. What else was going to happen? Dancing? No. She belonged at Hogwarts, not only for her magical abilities, but for her knowledge of her own greatness: a trait she shared with most if not all great wizards, and perhaps even magic itself. If that was true, then, well... if there was one thing she knew about herself,

she was not going to resist a spectacle.

And of course, for all immement spectacles, one needed to look spectacular. Rhea had accomplished that feat, and with the knowledge of that fact, she held her head high as she strolled into the Underworld. Adorned in a Greek chiton with a golden piece of twine around her waist, as well as a massive helmet that partially blocked her vision (matched with golden armbands, shin-guards, and shoulder-pad... things), she was the image of a powerful war goddess, and very clearly not to be crossed. Beneath the helmet she donned a full face of makeup, which effectively sharpened her features and brought out the cold, hard cruelness in her eyes. A terrifying specimen, to be sure.

The most obvious choice was to go as her namesake, the ancient Greek mother of gods Rhea. Her father had a special attachment to Greek mythology and as a result Rhea (little girl, not titan) knew almost all there was to know about the subject. It was one of the only things that the two had in common, and basically their one basis of connection. It also meant the Rhea was incredibly excited about the theme. However, the only thing that Rhea (titan) and Rhea (child) had in common was a name, and she wanted a different figure in Greek mythology to emulate. Zeus was of course off the table, because fuck Zeus, and a few choice others were also easy to rule out in the beginning. Eventually she decided that there were too many Greek gods, goddesses, and other possibilities, so going with a general "scary god" ─ an odd combination of Hecate, Ares, Apate, Hera, and particularly Athena ─ seemed reasonable. It worked, too. Rhea felt more godlike than she had in ages.

Well, she thought, what else was there to do now but make friends?

She had stood, shrouded in shadow, absorbing the darkness, for a while. Simply to survey the way that everything was turning out. A boy had kissed another boy, then been punched in the face, and ─ ok, though Rhea didn't say anything, there was a lot to unpack. Firstly, it had clearly been some sort of joke, a way to humiliate the poor unsuspecting victim, because ha-ha, gayness was probably the funniest thing this twelve-year-old could possibly think of. Not to mention the boy on the receiving end had not consented to the kiss. That was not okay in any regard. Bloody hell, had Rhea appreciated watching the redhead's fist connect with the kisser's jaw, and oh had she smirked broadly when he fell to the ground. The fucking idiot deserved it.

There was a possibility that the kiss had been genuinely romantic, but from her perspective, it seemed unlikely. Rhea was a certain pessimist and therefore went with the option that the kisser was a terrible person.

Anyway, that had been some time ago, and Rhea had long since lost interest. She disappeared into a shadowy corner, away from everyone, and listened to various smatterings of conversation here and there whilst absentmindedly picking at her nails. Smatterings? That couldn't be the right word, could it? Ah well.

Still, other than the kiss... nothing exciting was happening. No one appeared to be trying to kill them; no swarms of mosps had filled the Underworld, no armed wizards had burst in with wands raised to attack, nothing was putting them in danger. Why? Merlin, why were they still safe? It made no sense, and it was boring as hell.

She considered literally walking up to one of the ball's planners, a Ravenclaw first year named Ariel or Adelaide something, and demanding to know why everything was going so well, but was thankfully saved from certain humiliation when she heard her name being called. The source was a girl whose appearance was hard to make out through the darkness, but whose voice she recognized. Gabriella Haworth. Someone that made Rhea's stomach clench with embarrassment to merely think about and whom she certainly did not want to approach. But hey, at least maybe she'd have some answers about things.

"Here!" Even if her voice was muffled slightly through the helmet, she had already made it halfway to where Gabriella (hopefully) was standing. Finally coming up short in front of the Ravenclaw, she lifted up her helmet, and tucked it into the crook of her arm, forcing a little smile and studying the shadows slipping over the girl's skin as opposed to her actual face. "Hello, Haworth." It wasn't that they even left on bad terms, just awkward ones. Awkward in the sense that Rhea had tried to make a painting and it had turned out horribly, whereas Haworth's had been beautiful. That was the sort of humiliation that her dignity couldn't withstand. She had left the scene with the mindset that the two were friends, but the more it brewed in her mind, the less she payed attention to the final interaction and the more she payed to the rest of the incident. Specifically, the embarrassing confidence she had felt mixing the colors, and all the paper she'd wasted being terrible at this craft. It was bad. Everything, it was bad, and Haworth probably had no respect for her whatsoever.

That being said, Rhea's appearance tonight was nothing if not intimidating, especially the makeup that accentuated her harsher features beneath the helmet. So maybe she could regain some composure after all.

Action: entering thread
Rhea's post tracker: [1]

Fearless | Sta 6 • Eva 6 • Str 4 • Wis 8 • ArcP 5 • Acc 6

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Graphic by Leonard Oaksworth

Interacting with: @Evelynn Decipio

Apparel

Excitement. If Marshal were to choose one word to describe the unruly mixture of emotions that writhed in his chest, that would be it.
As he finished adjusting the artificial beard so that it sat just right upon his face, he scrutinized his appearance one last time in the bathroom mirror, wondering if any outward effects could be seen of the nerves that he felt on the inside. Though the fluttering beat of his heart could mainly be accredited to his excitement at the prospect of accompanying Evelynn to the Ball, it was not unaffected by the anxious thoughts that crept about his mind, nor the swift waltz of the butterflies inside his stomach. Yet, despite all of that happening within, there appeared to be no evidence without, save for the subtle tremors that plagued his hands as he placed them on the countertop.
One deep breath flowed through his lungs, then another, and then a third. He stared deeply into the eyes of his reflection, reminding himself of the reason why he had been looking forward to this dance more eagerly than any events of its kind in the past. As he did, the hazel color of his eyes seemed to melt away, instead revealing the stormy gray gaze of the girl he had chosen to spend the night with, the same gaze that had enraptured him as Eve accepted his rose, and the invitation that came with it.
In that moment, the elation he had experienced upon hearing her answer returned, filling him again with anticipation and spurring him out the bathroom door.

He hurried to the Gryffindor Common Room, where the two of them had agreed to meet at a designated time before proceeding to the Ball together.
Once there, he plopped himself into an armchair that afforded him a clear view of the stairs leading to the girls' dormitory, from which he expected Eve to emerge. He noted the odd sensation of wearing a toga, specifically the pointed lack of pants. The outfit was rather... breezy.
The young boy had not spent a full two minutes considering the nature of his attire before he caught sight of his date, gracefully gliding down the stone steps.
As he tried his utmost not to stare too obviously, he found himself feeling drastically under-dressed. His outfit, an almost comical parody of the god Poseidon, appeared as more of a Halloween costume than anything else, especially when compared to the elegant nature of Evelynn's apparel.
Having been forced by his mother to read more books than he would ever have looked at otherwise, Marshal did know a good bit about Greek mythology, and almost instantly recognized what the girl was dressed as. The Ceryneaian Hind, a great deer with golden antlers and a dappled hide.
She pulled the look off flawlessly, showcasing the golden antlers with more grace than a mythical hind ever could. Her skin, dressed with makeup to recreate the dappled nature of a hind's pelt, shone with a radiance that Marshal could only compare to the midday sun.

He stood to greet her with a sheepish grin, feeling more than a little silly with his wig of long, white hair and the golden trident he held in one hand. Previously, he had found the idea of wielding such a weapon to be cool; now it just seemed ridiculous.
Though he refrained from sharing his true thoughts on Eve's appearance - as he was afraid it might scare her straight back up the stairs - he did gently inform her that she looked beautiful tonight.
Following that immediate exchange, he attempted to lead her from the room, only to be stopped and informed that there were some very important things they needed to talk about first. The conversation that ensued thereafter consisted of him listening to what might be equated to a doomsday prep list.
Evidently, this sort of thing was not taken lightly by the students here. Opeila had pulled him into an abandoned classroom prior to the Masquerade Ball, specifically to ensure that he was prepared to protect himself against imminent death, and now his date to tonight's event was essentially doing the same.
He supposed he should be somewhat touched that she didn't want him to die, at the very least, but the whole thing was starting to feel like another of their tutoring sessions, and he wasn't exactly keen to let that part of their lives seep into the night.
Sure, the last school dance had ended with ghosts barging onto the dance floor and spreading riddles about paintings that had been stabbed to death, not to mention the train incident, but this was a new day! Surely the Headmaster and Professors were prepared to prevent a similar occurrence this time around. What could possibly go wrong?

Finally finished with Evelynn Decipio's Preparedness Guide: Magical Doom and How to Avoid It, the two of them made their way to the courtyard.
Upon entering the area designated the Underworld, they hadn't sufficient time to survey their surroundings before learning of a set of trials and the competition involving them.
"Well, I guess you were right," he chuckled to Eve.
Big shocker there, he thought sarcastically.
"You mentioned tests of some sort, and there you have it!"
He cast his gaze about the area, taking in the somber surroundings. Between the music and the decor, there was a distinct lack of light and joy.
Leaning a bit closer to Eve, he said in a low, joking tone, "Do you get the feeling that whoever designed this part might be a bit depressed? If they weren't before, I'll bet they are now." Spotting one corner that lacked illumination entirely, save for a flickering blue candle that seemed more eerie than comforting, he pointed a finger that way. "That seems safe."
In fact, nothing about this place seemed safe, and he was already loving every minute of it.

Finished scanning the area, he figured he had waited long enough. "We've got to do the trials, right? Show them all who's boss?" He turned a knowing look on Evelynn and performed a small bow, facetious in intent. "And by that, of course I mean that I'll support you while you demolish the competition. You know I'm not exactly a professional when it comes to anything magical."
The boy sincerely hoped she would agree to go through the trials with him. They seemed to offer the highest potential of fun, as far as he could tell. But he wouldn't participate without her; after all, she was his date, and it wouldn't do to leave her without company. Not that he wanted to in the slightest. Trials or no trials, the best part of this event was standing right beside him, and he would treasure her presence for as long as he could.

Action: Entering the Underworld with Evelynn

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Permission to godmod Evelynn given