Event Blossom Ball - Underworld

interaction status [OPEN]
interactions [--]
mentions Stefan, Timofey, Viktor (NPCs)

dialogue in russian, unless specified otherwise
text colour #4d5c7f
post tracker 1

You know, when Johannes got the dubious but rather interesting information of Hogwarts' Blossom Ball theme, he'd didn't think that it would be so- eh, how you say- extravagant for what was essentially the wizarding equivalent of a middle school-maybe high school dance. Then again, his expectations were unrealistically low for any self-respecting host so maybe he wasn't the right person to judge. Themed events, as cool as they could be, were a hassle to put together, both for the organisers and the attendees. Looking at the reputation Hogwarts was trying to build up, he got the feeling something big was going to happen.

Our dear Mr Johannes Sauer, ever one for theatrics, had never been the type to back away from a challenge and this event was no exception. At least the chiton he had gathered about himself wasn't as stuffy as the regular pureblood-standard formal suits he sometimes was forced into- bit breezy if he went without regular underclothing beneath, but that's where sleeveless tops came in. Tank top thermal baby! Actually, it wasn't really hisoutfit completely- a third of the time his clothing had been taken from a friend of his, and who had these just lying around?- but it fit and he was wearing it now. Stefan, the unfair bastard, looked fucking great even before all the finishing touch fussing Johann himself had to do, though edging on an awkward line in terms of body language. Faced with so many people in such a comparatively little space, the German didn't blame him. Those two first years had already up and left them all. Hopefully, they wouldn't get into too much mortal trouble, if at all.

Unfortunately, unlike certain people, Johannes needed a bit more TLC to feel acceptable to the public, if only to garner reactions. Yes, he had shaved his legs and busted out the golden eyeliner for this shit and no, toxic masculinity got nothing on him. Date having or not, he had the bulk of the wizarding junior world to make a statement with and he was going to feel fucking fabulous doing so. After all, he wasn't above having the best time he could before the chance (inevitably) slipped away and my god did they like to run for the hills. It was almost worth the actual hell that had been teaching Timtams and Vicky how to paint nails and toughing through Stefan's attempts at wrangling his unruly curls into an 'artfully chaotic' state under a flattening laurel. Clearly not made for volume-holding hair. Who decided bringing a comb would work better than a brush?

Decked out in heavy fabric and velvet night, the warm cloak on his shoulders was a grounding weight in the face of his no-doubt-coming social flounders in the art of first confrontations. He didn't start actual conversations- not properly, without expecting a 50-50 chance of being ignored- and he sure as hell wasn't going to start there and then. Maybe it was the sheer amount of people already in attendance or the enclosed nature of the courtyard versus the high-ceilinged ballroom, but things seemed a bit more suffocating than he'd remembered last ball. The "Underworld" was a passage between the Spring Festival and Trials.

Now, Johannes didn't like to boast his brain often outside of prank planning but that didn't mean he didn't have anything in that head of his. He connected the dots pretty quickly between coordinating appearances and arrivals- If they voluntarily entered themselves into the Underworld, they were basically cosplaying as spirits dressed in Greek clothing, wearing human skins, drifting along to their afterlives. Take the trials and get acknowledged by the higher-ups- or in this case, the ball-organisers- or keep mingling indefinitely.

The singular presence of his crew, though separated they were- Stefan at his back like a nervous guardian and the two first-years he barely knew gone to the wind- calmed some restless part of his soul, a scratching uneasiness that had held him a hostage last time behind his veneer of nonchalance. The rookies he wasn't close to at all, but to be fair he didn't usually form relations with younger years when they were at that tentative place in life when they could drift off quickly. Not nearly as close as the main group Johann had the privilege of being in with so many he called brothers in arms, but at least not total strangers. When it came down to it, they were all just little bastards in training.

Supposedly, being semi-representative of Durmstrang to all they met meant that they couldn't be so overt about their antics- personally, Johannes felt that a bit dull- but that didn't mean much when the night was just beginning. Ah well, he could have his fun later when the night's events kicked into high gear. Shake off that straight-lace costume and pull out a few wild cards from a deck of disaster, stuff like that. For now, his Hellhounds could be civil. Ish. As civil as they could be, barely kept in check like this.

Action: Entering Underworld

Abilities: Foulplay, Charmer, Evasive Maneuvers
Stats: Sta 7 | Eva 8 | Str 8 | Wis 6 | Arc 7 | Acc 9

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Graphic by Leonard Oaksworth

Interacting with: @Evelynn Decipio

Apparel

If Marshal had known about the extensive stock of items within Evelynn's bag, he might have been more anxious. The way he saw it, Evelynn knew everything there was to know about everything, and always had a plan for any given situation. And to be fair, that was exactly how she had made herself appear in the time they'd known each other. From their first meeting, the red-head had always provided answers to his questions. She had helped him learn things that, previously, had seemed daunting to even think about. She always knew what he needed to be taught, and how it should be done, even on the days when he was distracted beyond all reason.
And in the scariest moments of his young life, when he was powerless to save himself, unable to do fix his own dire situation, she had been there. She had been the one to show up, to help. Once again, his mentor had known exactly what to say, what to do to drag him from the brink, and breath life back into his fading soul. Evelynn had saved his life.
So, considering everything that she now represented to the first-year, he could hardly be blamed for the belief that she was infallible.

As it stood, save for a slight mount of awkwardness where his outfit was concerned, he was feeling utterly cheerful; more so than he had in a while. The warm weather of the new season was here, curling around the festivities and staving off the cold of the night. The mood in the air was rather somber- no, content; and that feeling permeated his breast as the word drifted to his ears, from the mouth of she who made him feel safe, despite the inherent darkness of the setting.
A warm spark of amusement flashed in his eyes as Eve explained away his implied compliment, apparently refusing to accept that she had a keen mind simply because she had unraveled the riddles. "Right, right," he played along with a nod. "Because all of that was so simple to figure out. Meanwhile, I was busy solving the riddle of which jam to put on my toast."
The memory of those breakfast meals spent scouring the Ball invitations left a smile tugging at his lips. Like usual, he had been utterly useless, but had immensely enjoyed her company nonetheless.

The spark of amusement in his hazel eyes quickly changed to one of restless enthusiasm as his fair companion appraised him with a smirk. Evidently eager to test her mettle in the trials as well, she responded to his inquiry with affirmation, and moved to take hold of his elbow. And of course he wasn't going to stop her, instead reveling in the tender sensation of physical contact, slight as it may be.
Indifferent to the fact that he most likely appeared as a star-struck fan, eyes fixed upon the back of Eve's head as they were, he allowed himself to be pulled blissfully through the crowd, all of his cares melting away as he was led to the testing grounds.
"Of course I'll be fine!" he exclaimed cheerily. "Not sure if you know this, but I've been spending some time with a great tutor, and now I know everything!"

Action: Following Evelynn to partake in the Trials

Post Tracker: X | X | X | X | X

Banner Credit: Sylvain

Outfit

The day had finally arrived, whether Katrina was eagerly anticipating it or deeply dreaded it, either way she wasn’t so sure. Ever past ball to date that Katrina was aware of had ended in disaster. Sure, there was still plenty chance that this ball would be different, but Katrina wasn’t counting on that, she was dearly hoping it would though. This Third Year had high hopes, for once she was going to enjoy part of the ball instead of waiting around anticipating something to go wrong.

There was a part of Katrina that was regretting deciding to attend. Her best friend had urged her to not go, made some really valid points, and the two of them had gotten into their first ever fight over it. Katrina was adamant that she was capable enough to keep herself safe and knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she had decided not to attend and someone she cared about got hurt and she had done nothing to help, and the other part of her was desperate for a fun night to give some sort of light to the wretched year she had had so far.

Katrina had spent the last hour and a half getting herself ready, an uncommon thing for Katrina, and she was rather pleased with her end result. Her guardians had told her that if she drew something that they would find a way to make it a reality. As soon as she knew the theme for the Blossomball, she had poured through every Greek book she could find, compiling her desired design into one solid idea. It was an intricate dress, one with a bronze corset, loose flowing sleeves, a thin trail behind her, and a very whimsical ‘Greek goddess’ design. Her guardian mother had spent an assumed large amount of time finding the pieces and putting them together. Katrina had then hand sewed a holster for her wand in one of the trails on the side of the skirt. The end result was amazing, she pulled on some heeled boots and slipped a thin crown over her head to complete the look. The only thing left was magically redoing the teal streak in her hair, straightening her hair, and applying some makeup (which took the longest since she was extremely lacking in skills and had to redo it several times until she was satisfied)

At last, she arrived, more than ready and with her fair share of butterflies. Last ball, Katrin had been accompanied by Adonis, while she hadn’t been able to enjoy the ball so much with some sibling drama and her and Adonis’ relationship piddling away, Katrina had gone a while without thinking of any boy in the same way. Then she had met Jan, there was instantly something about him that had drawn Katrina in and they had gone so far to keep owl correspondence the past few weeks. They were to attend the ball together tonight and Katrina felt a smile find it’s way onto her face just thinking about it.

Katrina was later than she’d hoped she would be and already the area was filled to the brim with students eager to attend the Greek themed blossomball. Katrina kept her eye out for Jan but it was a tad harder than she had anticipated. She arrived at the place they had arranged to be and stood around, eyes darting, looking for that familiar face. Katrina was welcomed with a pleasant surprise, Jan seemed to materialize before her, easily slipping through the crowd to meet her.

The way Jan said her name sent a shiver down her spine, “Jan” Katrina couldn’t have not smiled if she tried. His fingers trailed over her dress, stirring the butterflies in Katrina’s stomach into a whirlwind frenzy. He complimented her and Katrina felt a warmth rise to her cheeks, “And you look quite handsome,” Katrina said this in a light tone, but he really did look exceptional, deep black robes with silver accents and a stretch of fabric over one shoulder, his hair was swept to one side and there was a black pendant around his neck. Katrina had to glance away before she started blushing harder, hopefully her red hair would hide the rosy tint.

Katrina accepted Jan’s arm, her anxiety relaxing and tense releasing, “Lets,” Katrina let herself be mostly guided along, enjoying the almost tranquil darkness. It was an exceptional set up and it was hard to believe that she wasn’t actually emersed in the dark Underworld. A few times Katrina found herself looking at Jan, amused by his fascinated gaze. For the first time in a long time Katrina realized she wasn’t worrying, and to keep that realization from spoiling her experience she looked back to Jan.

Jan noted that they certainly knew how to go all out, “We do indeed,” Katrina said with a smile, enjoying herself thoroughly.

Action: Entering the Ball

Michael rubbed his arms as he walked into the party, feeling horribly overdressed yet still naked. He wasn't used to his legs being on show, no matter how little it was. He looked around in wonder at first. He had been to balls, but never. . costume or balls with themes that weren't Hoilday based.

Michael was always told that it was late than to be absent and due to his hair being super tangled by its growing length, he ended up pushing his way down through people. As he arrived at the courtyard he figured that there was a more somber tone about it, the music seemed rather dark for a party but Michael could see light farther off in the distance.

He sighed, waiting to wait on his date or at least find him but the pull of the trials being too strong. The small boy smiled slightly as he walked to the first one. "Maybe this will be fun" he mumbled.

Maybe he will get out of the ball without another meltdown like the last one. Oh, how a boy could only hope for something as good as a night without trouble or worry. Michael took a deep breath as he walked on.

[205 words of Roleplay]

Moderation stuff

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Action: Doing the Trials
Stats:
Stamina|8
Evasion|4
Strength| 6
Wisdom| 3
ArcPower|5
Accuracy| 4
Heath points: 800/800
Special Race: werewolf

Interacting with@Evelyn Folse
Open to new interactions
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Actions: Introducing herself to her new friend

The blue flame caught her attention, Vivian was just looking at the blue flame intensely as she had nothing else to do. She could have just stayed inside her dorm or she could have studied for the final exams. Why is she wasting her time here? She was not able to find anyone she knows here as it was now so crowded. She had a lot to revise but she is standing there simply looking at the blue flame.

She noticed everyone dressed up in Greek theme but she did not. She just informed her mother about the ball but did not say anything about the dress code, it was not a problem as many wore different costumes and she also mentioned that she was not willing to enter then but her mum sent her a dress and heels. Vivian is so angry at her mother for sending her heels, now she was so scared to even take a step, and the crowd here scared her more. She even thought to leave this place but she already spent more time dressing up, doing makeup and now did not want her work to get wasted.

Just when she was about to have her last sip of the punch, Vivian heard a voice of a girl. She turned to look at her, the girl looked adorable in the pale periwinkle dress and also noticed she did some work to her red hair. “Uh, hi, you look lovely” she said to the girl and smiled at her waiting for her to continue what she was about to say. Does she need any help from her? She is always ready to help but thinks that no one is in the situation to get her help. Vivian got to know the girl’s name and tried to memorise her name.

“Hi Evelyn, I am Vivian Fletcher, I am a Hufflepuff too.” said Vivian in an excited tone as she was happy that both were of the same house. Vivian continued “ I have seen you before but I don’t remember where.” she did have a vague memory of seeing Evelyn before. Vivian was glad that she doesn’t have to spend the night here alone and that she got someone to talk to.

Interacting with:@Vivian Fletcher
Open to new interactions.
Actions:Introducing herself to a new freind

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Evelyn stared into the blue flame as she waited for the other girl's reply--if she replied at all. Maybe she sounded a bit desperate for friends, but with everything going on with Bev at home she was desperate for something. Letters didn't quite cut it.

Evelyn was quite sure she had seen the other girl somewhere, but she couldn't quite remember where. Oh well. The other girl--she believed her name started with a V--also seemed to not be dressing to the greek theme. Evelyn was immensely grateful. Her sister had sent the dress and shoes, along with the hair ribbon (and suggestions on how Evelyn might wear it.) That was typical Alison, but, Greek theme or now, Evelyn loved her dress.

The other girl spoke up, confirming Evelyn's thought of her name starting with a V. She was Vivian Fletcher, also a Hufflepuff. Evelyn smiled, glad this girl was a Hufflepuff like herself. "Oh good," she thought, "I'll have someone to talk to and go to classes with and, well everything! You're getting ahead of yourself, you don't know about any of that yet."

Even if she didn't she was still grateful this girl was in her own house.

"Thank you," she said, "You look lovely as well." She smiled slightly again, "Yes, I remember you as well. Probably from classes..." She did have a vague memory of seeing Vivian in one--or more--of her classes, but she couldn't quite remember anything else about the girl.

"It's so creepy here, yet, it's gorgeous too. Really I don't know what to think of it." She said, as she peered around the room. It made a shiver run down her back, but the kind of a scary ride or movie--one that she enjoyed, of course. The blue flame in particular was especially fascinating. "This is my first ball; though, I've heard dreadful stories about the others. I suppose all we can do is hope they don't happen tonight. I don't think they will, everyone would be a bit more cautious wouldn't they? But all the same. I suppose I should awfully dark. Or like I'm jinxing. Sorry."

She looked down at her feet. That probably wasn't the best way to introduce yourself to somebody, she wished she could sink through the floor. Or get a do-over. Unfortunately, neither of those options were possible.

Banner Credit: Violet

As Approved iNPC Iris Fields Mentioning: No one yet

Outfit Interacting: No one yet

Iris wasn’t nearly as excited to go to the ball than she thought she would be. Iris didn’t have a date or someone she had planned to meet, she didn’t really have a cool outfit like others she saw, and she wasn’t even sure what it was all about. The fliers she had for the ball had seemed pretty ominous and she wasn’t so sure about it all anymore, apparently last time there had been a bunch of chaos which wasn’t really her favorite anymore. Regardless, it wasn’t like she wasn’t going to attend, her grandmother would have a fit. Instead, Iris semi-grudgingly decided to attend.

Iris had managed to borrow a dress from another Ilvermorney girl who had thankfully been around her size. The dress was fairly pretty, it was flowy and a gentle off white color and was rimmed with pretty green floral designs. Iris had gotten herself a golden band bracelet, threw on some quick makeup, and followed the mass crowds to the Blossomball. Iris didn’t look as ‘perfect’ as her grandmother would have insisted she to be, but Iris was plenty pleased with her look and wasn’t really intending on using this night as an opportunity to show off for the Kingston family after all.

To be honest, the first area was kind of spooky. Iris overheard someone talking about it being the “Underworld”. Should she have done Greek mythology research before attending? (her author should have but oh well) Iris followed the trails of people eyes wandering around, there was something about the ‘underworld’ that was sort of unnerving. The real ball area wasn’t too far away but Iris still hung back a little, conversations echoed rather well in here and eavesdropping, as rude as it sounded, was quite enjoyable to pass the time when one had nothing to do.

Then Iris heard of something about Trials. She stopped to listen to a few students, pretending to adjust her dress (which did in fact need a bit of adjusting). Apparently, there were a bunch of things you could do to get points and if you did all of the things you could get crowned King or Queen. That sounded exciting. Besides, when was the last time Iris had been able to adventure like that? She went in search of the first of the trails. This certainly changed her idea of the night and she couldn’t help but feeling excitement rise up at the mere thought of these ‘trails’. Hopefully they didn’t need Greek knowledge to complete!

Action: Doing the Trials!