Gala of Mysteries Fall Ball

Pet Snake Present In Thread

Parseltongue & English +

For a few years now, the tactic of going in a ball solo was his preferred method. Planning dates beforehand were for losers who need assurance that they won’t be alone and latch onto someone. Hanako though? He had enough confidence to know he’ll have fun. He is the fun. That is, until some catastrophe befalls them and people have better things to do than fall for his whimsical charms.

This year though, he had the unfortunate luck of catching a little too much of Jack Burnett’s attention. It has been a few months since he made Hanako room with him, and it’s been a mess. If it was simply rooming with Burnett, Hanako wouldnt have minded. It was the consistent surveillance he was under that got under his skin.

Since the year started, Hanako hasn’t had any sort of peace, or fun for the most part. Whenever he tried to sneak away and see someone that could take his mind off things, a damned fox was always in the background ready to pounce, bite, or yip to ruin the mood. It infuriated Hanako so much that he actually held back from having his usual fun. Some flings were fine to forget, they were boring anyway. It was just one in particular thats..

Hanako shaked his head whenever he thought of her. So what if they exchanged numbers over the summer? If they weren’t at this chaos magnet of a school that doesnt allow smart phones, she wouldn’t be the only person he’d text that often right? Right? Riiiiggghhtttt.

@Eun-Ji Lee Hunt

Speaking of Eun-ji…. He’s been unsure how to approach her as often as he did last year. Thank to Jack’s.. Meddling, Hanako didn’t want to subject her to such annoyances. But that did result in an evident lack of just..hanging out with her. Which he was not… well he- tried not to think about it. She’d understand, of course. It’s not like she was bawling her eyes over it. At least not that he has seen or noticed. He certainly wasn’t bawling over it. Not when he had his hands full with Jack and now this new cursed void of black fluff he brought along with him. Which was the marvelous thing about their relationship. They enjoyed eachothers company but.. not to the point where something like ‘not meeting up as often’ was a concern.

Anyway where was he… yes.. Jack and his surveillance. It annoyed him when Jack suggested they go together, as friends. This might have worked if they were 2nd years, but as 6th? Thankfully Burnett made a good point about messing with people. Come on, it’ll be fun, he says. Like old times. Hanako would have rejected it under any other circumstances. But he knew what Jack really was asking when he suggested this. You can make it difficult or easy for yourself. Eitherway, I will tail you one way or another.

With that in mind, Hanako decided fine - he won’t make it difficult for himself during this ball. At least.. Until Jack becomes enough distracted for Hanako to slip away to the best of his ability. He could try, at least. But damn.. Foxes and their keen senses. So annoying.

He may or may not have projected that annoyance onto poor void kitten, Salami. Dressing her up as if she was a doll, and pretending he wasn’t having fun with it. Making the argument that she was going to ruin their aesthetic if she just came to the ball without anything on. Even having a back and forth with Jack about exactly what she would wear. Hanako insisted on a red polka dotted bow. Jack is a hater and insisted on anything other than that. They compromised and managed to fit Salami in a bat costume.

He knew she wasn’t pleased. He didn’t care. Whenever the kitten tried to hopelessly take the wings off, Hanako stopped her. Eventually she learned she wasn't going to be able to take it off. Not with Hanako around.

Cu Sith was much more behaved. The 6ft long emerald gazer snake followed by Hana’s side, having less problems with her small top hat than Salami’s bat wings. Probably even envious Salami can wear costumes like that without having it slide off when she moves.

@Mathias Pride Pride & @Winnie Harper

Entering the ball though, it seemed Hanako’s wish for something else to gain Jack’s attention came true pretty fast. A public proposal? How morbid. Everyone knows public proposals are just a way to pressure people into staying in a relationship when its possibly on the verge of collapsing. But what did Hanako know about their relationship? Apparently Jack knew more. Or he was doing it for shit and giggles. Hanako saw him decide to venture right towards the couple. He didnt even need to ask what Jack was doing. Knowing him for 5 years, he could only know it wasn’t anything good.

“ Cu Sith.. go back him up. Do whatever you feel is right.” He whispered to Cu Sith before standing up again, watching the snake follow the fox from a distance.

Hanako smiled to himself, eager to finally get some air, bring out those pick - up lines he’s been thinking of using. And almost stepping onto the small fluffy void with bat wings that was apparently still by his side when he was about to take a step away. “ GAH! WH-what the- stop doing that!” he scolded the meowless cat. Moving like a damn shadow everywhere. Why didn’t she just follow Jack? Did running in a crowd scare her? Did she know the bat wings would hinder her? Was this some wicked trick of hers to get back at him for dressing her up. God, he never signed up to be a damn babysitter. At least Cu Sith was independent at an early age. “ Fine.. fine.. I suppose Jack will nag me if I let you get into the middle of that..” he frowned, picking up the smal kitten. Well.. more like..grabbing, really. Making sure she was a distance away from his face and outfit. He’d be damned if he got cat fur on him this early in the ball.

As always, she simply let him. Not even a small meow of protest.

“Hm.. I suppose… , you could help me find a date or two” Hanako mused, acknowledging the effectiveness of using a cute pet as a conversation starter. However, instead of an attractive stranger, Hanakos eyes first noticed a familiar face. One that unconsciously brought a small smile to Hanakos face. At least before it turned to a cheeky , definitely-up-to-no-good smirk.

“Starkeyyyy~” he waved, with the hand that wasn’t holding a small black cat, before making his way to the boy. Did Wyatt think they could go another few months without doing much talking to each other? Nahhhhhhh. But Hanako liked that, at least. How they didn’t have to be so physically close to feel comfortable with one another. Okay well most of the time, at least. Hanako couldn’t yet make him too comfortable all the time. Where's the fun in that? “ A little surprised to see you here. I thought balls aren’t your thing. I’m not complaining. I'm so glad you’re here though. Here” he would try to hand over the small black cat to Wyatt’s arms/hands.

“ You're her uncle now.” Much better than just staring at a wall, right?

The cat couldn’t be more than a few months old. Apart from the bat wings, theres nothing truly remarkable about her. Her green / gold irises looked up at Wyatt, as if inspecting him. She didnt protest being near him, but she didn’t seem to love it either. In fact, if Wyatt decided to hold her, he’d recognise the cat pretended it’s bones somehow became jelly, flopping onto his hand/arm as if she was nothing but a puddle. Or some..fluffy dish rag. Similar to what they say ragdolls do when they’re picked up.

Permission to godmod Jack Burnett and his menace of a cat, permitted fully by the Jack's player.

SNAKE ACTION: If Jack drops the ring in front of Cu Sith, she will swallow it. Yum

Consumption: Able to consume an item for safe-keeping up to the diameter of a softball and the length of a wand. This can be used to steal something or to hide something. This can be regurgitated at the owner's command. Larger items cannot be swallowed by larger snakes for safe-keeping, the item would be destroyed. No, you cannot swallow a player, they will get nauseated and vomit (also we do not let you murder players). ( from magical race information )

Character Action: n/a, pushing babysitting responsibility on @Wyatt Starkey

Stats

Reducio

S t a m i n a : 11
S t r e n g t h : 3
A r c a n e : 15
A c c u r a c y : 16
E v a s i o n : 6
W i s d o m : 10

Abilities

Reducio

-1st, 3rd and 5th Parselmouth Abilities
- blindvision
- perfectionist
- wandmaker, Rangarou Hair, Rose wood.

This was incredible!

Novalie stood in the Great Hall, completely stunned by how everything had transformed. She wasn’t exactly an expert on old films or fashion from the 1930s to 1960s, but tonight, it felt like she had stepped into one of those worlds she’d always imagined! Sure, the girl had usually zero interest in things regarding style - her brother’s hand-me-downs were good enough - but the atmosphere around her, the decoration as well as the dressed up people, were captivating, like something straight out of a detective film. In her head, she could already picture herself chasing down criminals and solving thrilling mysteries. Her brother always told her not to get too caught up in those fantasies, especially if they included being a cop, but here? It felt like the perfect backdrop for a game of make-believe.

Novalie glanced at the girls beside her. Evpraksiya, one of her closest friends, walked with grace. The Ravenclaw to this day couldn’t believe she wasn’t part-Veela with her captivating beauty and that enchanting laugh. And her generosity -
Novalie looked down at her outfit, a sharp black-and-white suit she’d chosen the moment she saw it. Evpraksiya had offered her all sorts of glamorous dresses, complete with jewelry and accessories, but the suit was what had felt right. She’d even added a tie and a black hat to complete the look. Novalie wondered why someone as feminine as Evpraksiya even owned a suit, but figured it was probably just a rich family thing and shrugged it off.

Next to Evpraksiya was Alyss, a girl Novalie had met for the first time earlier at the get-together. She seemed sweet and her green dress was so perfect it made Novalie think of a Disney princess. Not any one in particular - just the kind that could pull off that kind of regal elegance effortlessly.

As they scanned the room, Novalie - who had transformed her fiery red hair into a soft blonde for the occasion - searched for more familiar faces. The three of them exchanged knowing glances before Evpraksiya and Alyss went off to socialize themselves. They’d meet up later for the game anyway. What was it called again? Whispers in the Dark? Yeah, that was going to be awesome!

In high spirits, Novalie wandered deeper into the hall, eyes immediately drawn to the buffet. The food looked intriguing, though before she could decide what any of it resembled, she spotted a familiar figure nearby. Her face lit up with a wide smile as she walked over to him, skipping all formal greetings as per usual.
“You’re wearing a suit like me! It’s like we coordinated or something.”, she said with a laugh, pointing at his outfit. The girl didn’t care that most of the boys were also in suits - it was still a fun coincidence in her mind.
“Looks good on you.”, she added, tilting her head to study him.
Most of the time, she only saw Eric in his Gryffindor robes, since they mainly bumped into each other during class. Over the last few weeks, they had grown closer, especially during Charms, where they shared a lot of stories and laughter. She was genuinely glad to have met him - he was such a kind person and tonight, he looked especially mature in his suit.

Her deep green eyes sparkled with admiration.
“Too bad you can’t wear suits to class. I wouldn’t be able to look away from you!”, she teased with a grin.
It wasn’t like she needed much of an excuse to get distracted in class anyway, but having Eric wear something like this every day would definitely make it even harder to stay focused!

Open to interactions!

hex: #173518

Perhaps looking in a different direction was a poor choice, because he soon found himself making eye contact with Hanako Tone. He was holding a familiar little black cat, Burnett’s pet, but he wasn’t with Jack. In fact, Wyatt couldn’t see Jack at all. Briefly looking over Hanako’s shoulder and around his general area, Wyatt couldn’t make out the iconic red mop of hair among all the floating heads. Of course, Tone couldn’t resist making his way over, and Wyatt was glad for it.

They’d been through a lot, but Wyatt, as always, kept his distance. Aside from the odd nod or “hello” at meals they hadn’t spoken. Their last meeting—real meeting—was quite enlightening, and while Wyatt didn’t intend for it to be enough to let a good handful of months of near-silence pass them by, that’s what it came to. It was more than typical for them, but he was slightly disappointed. Did Hanako still duel? He’d have to observe a match one of these days.

“Tone,” he greeted in reply. If there was any trace of annoyance in his tone, it was only for the sake of playing around with Hana. His fellow Slytherin’s mischievous grin proved that his new roommate was really rubbing off on him, not that Tone was new to trouble. Wyatt was sure it only… intensified with their new arrangement. He’d have to ask how that came about one of these days.

“Don’t tell me your kidnapping days aren’t over,” he teased with a small smirk, eyeing the small cat in Hanako’s arm, his expression disbelieving. “Burnett let you take her to this thing?”

Wyatt’s smirk turned down a bit upon Hanako’s questioning of his presence. Not in offense, though. He was well aware of his own distaste for anything to do with a Hogwarts ball. They were often more dangerous than they were worth, and even being there that night set Wyatt on edge. He would, every so often, break eye contact to give the room another once-over, just to make sure there were no hags or mosps or fires or fights or… whatever else there may be, whatever else he may need to run from.

He considered why he’d decided to come, before offering “Only two more years left, no? Why not.” It was a statement more than a question. There were countless “why not”s, he just chose to ignore them. Kinda.

Before he was finished with the last syllable, he felt a cat hastily, but not violently or harmfully (thank Merlin), placed into his arms. Briefly, he weighed the possibilities, all the different ways Jack Burnett may react to Wyatt Starkey handling his cat. Most of them were not great. With two hands, Wyatt held the little cat out in front of him, studying her. They made eye contact, her green eyes speckled with gold boring into his soul, inspecting him as much as he did her. But she didn’t startle, going limp in his hands. He may have mistook her for a stuffed animal had he not been carrying her himself.

Hanako said he was now the cat’s uncle. Deciding he’d hold onto her for a little while, he reoriented the cat into a more comfortable position for the both of them, holding her almost like a baby in his right arm. He was still slightly paranoid, and wanted his left hand free in case he needed his wand.

“I’m not sure that’s your title to give. Besides, how will you find someone to dance with without your wing-woman,” Wyatt argued, giving one of the tiny bat wings a light tug. It was silly to dress her up. Wyatt wondered if the cat was uncomfortable in the costume, but she gave no sign of it. He felt the vibration of a single soft purr and wondered if she’d fallen asleep, but looking down, the cat was wide awake. “What’s her name, anyway? I must’ve heard one of you call to her, but I don’t remember.”

Action(s): Talking to Hanako, meeting a cat

Abilities: Parselmouth, prodigal DADA, fearless
Stats: Sta: 12 | Eva: 12 | Str: 4 | Wis: 9 | Arc: 9 | Acc: 10

Mentioning: Jack Burnett
Interacting: @Hanako Tone, Salami da cat

It wasn't as if Jack hadn't entertained the thought of biting Mathias, but ultimately he decided he didn't want to sink his teeth into something that foul. Thus, he ended up concentrating his efforts elsewhere.

When Winnie knelt down, the fox's hazel eyes peered into her blue ones intently; far more intently than any wild animal would have. His jaws remained clamped on the bit of metal in his mouth even as his gaze remained locked on hers. Belongs to you? he thought, making the laughing noise foxes tended to make around her hand. You don't really look like you want it. Maybe I'll just...'take that off your hands' for you...

As soon as Winnie had withdrawn her finger, effectively slipping the ring off herself - whether she meant to or not - the fox made another laughing noise and darted off into the crowd without looking back. Had that been real horror he'd seen on her face before he split, he wondered? Well, time would tell. It wasn't as if he planned to go very far, anyway.

As he raced through legs, hopped over feet, brushed by ankles, and swept past gowns, the fox kept an eye and an ear out for the people who had surrounded the couple. Nearby, a couple of first year girls (Delaney Collins & Nabi Park) lingered around the scene Winnie and Mathias had made. He had watched them and followed their gazes to Winnie's face prior to his darting forward to fetch the ring and had known the girls had seen the kind of look Winnie had been making.

Why, then, hadn't they done anything like spoken up? Couldn't anyone see she needed help? Why were people so cold and uncaring? Was it a psychological phenomenon like 'the bystander effect' with a 'diffusion of responsibility' or something like that?

Whatever the case, it made Jack sigh inwardly. He supposed he couldn't blame people for wanting to stay within their own little worlds. He knew that was safest; to not reach out to others or try to make connections. He'd known it since before he'd started attending Hogwarts. And yet...there he was, sticking his long fox nose into others' business again. He told himself it was out of boredom and for the sake of entertainment, but...if that were really the case, that would have meant pretending he didn't imagine that Mathias Pride might have been a threat and he dared not do that.

Not that he didn't think he couldn't take him on or else Jack wouldn't have even contemplated the idea of what he had planned in the first place. It mattered not to him whether Mathias decided to chase after his animagus self or simply ignore him and find a replacement ring to put on Winnie's finger. He would instigate a new, more direct encounter between himself and Mathias soon enough.

In the meantime, he streaked past people until he came across the snake that had swiftly been tailing him and dropped the ring in front of her. He waited until she snatched it up in her own jaws and swallowed the thing before continuing on his merry way, hurrying past Wyatt and Hanako before disappearing into the throng of people.

A few minutes later, Jack reemerged in his good old human form wearing film noir attire and keeping his hands in his pockets with his fedora pulled low over his eyes. He walked over to Wyatt and Hanako as casually as if he had already been a part of their group and was just returning to them from a trip to the lavatory.

"I didn't 'let him' take her to this thing," Jack cut in, absently reaching out to scratch the kitten behind her ears without even realizing it. "She won't stop following me around, so I asked him to keep her from stalking me all night. In exchange, I'd keep from stalking him...as much."

He then turned to Hanako. "Hey, you," the redhead said with a half smirk.
"You want a date? I'll give you a date. Come here."

And if Hanako was, indeed, brave enough to come close enough to meet Jack's satisfaction, Jack would lean close to whisper his own plan and proposal directly into Hanako's ear. Now that they had Wyatt to babysit, Hanako's talents could be useful in other ways and Jack knew it.

'No one would dare', huh? Who better to challenge Mathias Pride than someone with no friends?

@Delaney Collins, @Nabi Park, @Wyatt Starkey, @Hanako Tone, @Mathias Pride & @Winnie Harper

Interacting with @Aamon Athanatos ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Mentioning @Winnie Harper, @Mathias Pride & @Jack Burnett
Metamorphmagus: Not Active ♥ ♥♥♥ ♥ Outfit: 60s Reporter (Long Skirt, Blouse, Glasses, Flats, Camera Bag, Hat with Flower)

♥♥♥ Distracted by the food, the photography and the elaborate decor, Xiomara had not really noticed the other people around or even that Aamon's lovely smile had dropped from his face or changed. She remained blissfully unaware, trapped in her own world and thoughts as she found herself appreciating the food, good company and general vibes.

The sound of laughter burst out of her mouth as her eyes crinkled up, her cheeks showing both dimples as she threw her head back in laughter at the thought of a photo of Aamon sneezing. She had no idea if the camera had captured it or if it had been a second too late but she was looking forward to seeing them developed. Besides, she did not really want a perfect photo of the two of them looking presentable and polite. She wanted this. The little moments, emotions and memories captured. There was no such thing as a bad photo in her opinion. If anything, it would remind her of this funny moment in the future.

"Well I'm looking forward to getting these developed even more now," Xiomara said in jest. Nonetheless, his plea tugged at her heartstring and she pulled a mock expression as though she was pondering the matter, "I suppose I could promise not to publish it into the Headliner for you," She teased. In truth, she had no intention of keeping it if he did not want her to. Most likely, she would give him the photo so he could do whatever he wanted with it.

As she stuffed her face with some snacks, she turned to ask him if he had tried the cupcake or wanted anything when she noticed he was already eating something. She hadn't seen that item on the table but had been very distracted by the brightly decorated pieces so she figured she had just missed it thus far. "If you like pure sugar, this is pretty good-" She added as she pointed to one of the snacks on her plate that she had just swallowed the other half of.

She took a huge bite of the cake before her attention was drawn to something happening on the floor. "Woahisthathappening-" She mumbled to herself, still with her mouth full with wide eyes as her ears heard a few unexpected words spoken rather loudly. Xiomara had never been to a ball before - or any event as fancy as this - but she certainly did not expect to hear someone ask another person to marry them. They were still school children, surely?! Following the voice, she spotted a boy down on one knee in front of someone else that she also did not recognise. If she had to guess, they were seventh years that had been dating but neither of them were people she actually knew.

With little hesitation, she shoved the plate of food onto the table quickly, grabbed her camera and quickly started to take a few shots. It might not be 'news' worthy (she had no idea if it was or not, in fairness) but she figured that the happy couple would probably appreciate having this moment captured. People liked the option of having photos, right?! But maybe it was super newsworthy too, she had no idea. If the girl said no, Xiomara figured she could just throw the photos away since he probably would not appreciate a reminder of his rejection.

Xiomara watched the girl, snapping a photo of her face as she adjusted the camera to focus on her. The lights looked wonderful in the background of the shot. The girl was not overly excited or smiling like she had seen in the movies that her mother was fond of. However, it was likely a surprise and this was the look of surprise on her face. It seemed like the girl said yes - so she must have been happy - but in such a dignified way that Xiomara was assuming they might have been from a family were it was seen as rude to start squealing with excitement.

The eleven year old took a few photos of the romantic scene in front of her, "I wonder who they are..." She muttered to herself rather than Aamon now that she had finished swallowing the cake in her mouth. Despite being a reporter and being naturally curious to find out who they were - which she needed to know if she was going to send them these photos anyway! - she had zero intention of disturbing their sweet moment. If nothing else, she was sure she could find out later and give them the photos once they had been developed or even ask for an interview if she planned to write the article.

Xiomara also assumed Aamon knew neither of them. He was in her year, after all, why would he know some random upperclassmen? "Aw, that was cute, wasn't it?" She asked, completely oblivious to the actual situation, as she turned back to Aamon, "Though I don't think I would have expected that to happen," She added as an afterthought. Marriage was not really a concept she had thought about but her mama was unmarried and she was waaaay older than the students in Hogwarts so she figured it was just an old person thing, rather than something she would ever see in school. Even the romance movies were set like, outside of school, right?

"I guess this event might be great for the Headliner stuff," She added before pausing as she tilted her head, "Is that a fox?!" Xiomara suddenly blurted out as she spotted one near the happy couple, confused as to why there would even be a fox indoors. They were menaces! They went through the bins and left all of the rubbish everywhere. The amount of times she had to help her grandmother pick it all back up in the morning was ridiculous! Hogwarts was either very weird or very interesting, she had no idea which yet but her first month had already been, well, something for the lack of a better word.

Turning to her company once more, "Today is going to be a weird day, isn't it? I don't think I'll ever get used to the oddities of Hogwarts," She joked a little, not quite grasping how bad some of the previous events had been. There was already a dark vibe cast over the mood of the ball with the recent incident that took the lives of some professors and students that a lot of these people would have known but those who lived continued to live their lives unaffected by it all. Proposals, random creatures around, who knew what today held in store for them? At the very least, the fox wasn't attacking anyone viciously and the proposal was a nice happy moment so maybe today would be a good weird day.

Stamina: 7 | Evasion: 7 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 5 | Arcane Power: 1 | Accuracy: 6
Race | Abilities: Metamorphmagus | Minor Appearance Shift/Skilled Transfigurer
Items: Wizard Camera, Notebook, Pen and a large Bouquet

━━━━━━━━━ Basil ━━━━━━━━━ ┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓ Year Three Ilvermorny Horned Serpent ┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛

Basil would've honestly skipped the ball if he didn't think his grandmother would be disappointed in him for missing out on a chance to socialize with other "appropriate" students, or in other words, tried to talk to other pureblooded students in hopes of spreading his family's business around. He was wearing what he normally wore, which ironically fit the theme well with his button up black shirt and light brown vest, along with a small bow in place of a tie around his neck. He should've known better, considering Halloween was one of the few holidays his family actually enjoyed together, but the ball was a lot more spooky than he'd expected. What looked like blood was smeared on the floor, and there was an entire table of food that appeared to be old muggle food, and he found himself inching away from that as the jiggling of the "jello" as it was labeled made him feel slightly ill.

Trying to navigate through a crowd of people larger than he'd ever seen, with almost every major wizarding school in attendance, he felt panic rising in him. He was still shaken from the incident five days before, where he'd just been trying to follow instructions, and instead had become involved in a large attack on the students around him. He'd heard most of the victims were half-breeds. That made sense to him, as of course their unfortunate state would be punishable by death in some people's eyes. Going off the way his grandmother described it, being cursed or born a monster was a fate worse than death as it was, so maybe for some it had been a mercy in a terrible way. The sinking feeling in his stomach told him that didn't feel true, though.

He was quickly pulled out of his thoughts as someone bumped into him, both of them stumbling at the surprising impact. "Oh, uh, hello. I suppose so. Although I met you first on a bench, if I remember correctly," Basil replied, shuffling his feet and glancing at Lucy, speaking barely loud enough to be heard over the crowd, "I'm really glad to see you're okay, Lucy. I was worried about you. Um, I was about to go outside for some fresh air, but we should talk again later. Uh, bye."

He'd barely give her time to reply, glancing at the girl next to Lucy, face burning at his awkward greeting, before turning on his heel and all but running out into the courtyard. Little did he know, he'd be taking himself somewhere worse than the ball, into the spooky maze outside.

Date | 19th October 2024

Open to Interactions

The wait wasn't long, as expected from Jun, she would arrive just in time, just as a smooth jazz started to play by the enchanted orchestra. The nuances from those notes sounded as charming and sharp as her cousin, as if the phantom band knew who had just arrived and saw it fitting to start to play that music. Mey smiled at that thought, when a light floral scent flew around her, evolving her in a familiar embrace of cherries, vanilla and delicate spring breeze. Mey smiled at the young girl who was now walking towards her.

Jun was dressed in a gray women's three-piece suit, comfortable, but no less elegant and sophisticated than a fine dress. It was the way she posed, the way she walked, that like Meyra, would not hide their polished background, both born and raised amidst the wealth and privileges of a pureblood family. Even if both their parents never had strong prejudices against the non-magical, status was something important to maintain. Appearances, the show of a refined education and values was something to not be discarded, especially in occasions like this one, a large gathering of people coming from every corner of the wizarding world. Meyra knew it, even with her own mother's more rebellious soul, that there were limits never to be crossed. Even now when she and her best friend carried a curse and a secret - a far more darker creature living under both their skin - there were limits, never to be crossed.

Meyra, was leaning against the wall with her knee bent and one of her shiny black shoes resting next to the old stone, her dark brown leather satchel crossed over her chest and resting at her side, one hand inside the pocket of her suit pants and the other lightly tugging on her beret hat, as a gentleman would do in a salute to his comrade, "Lady Mochizuki," She said, a smile spreading across her face, "Konbanwa." Good evening.

Finally pushing away from the wall, Mey straightened, rearranging her satchel at her left side so it wouldn't be bothering her movements. Following her cousin's gaze, she let her hazel eyes fly over their surroundings, "Interesting is a good word." Mey replied to Jun, her smile slightly fading when she felt her heart tightening in a light grip, as she saw the discomfort still lingering between them. The young Gryffindor couldn't blame her cousin, it had been a tough year for both of them. Their family had been shattered, bonds painfully chiseled, all that, in a single night. Like a bruise that would never be completely healed, a memory that would never fade, a reminder that even if something seems indestructible nothing is unbreakable, specially when it comes to matters of the heart and one's soul. If only a single night was enough to put all the pieces back together...but Meyra knew, with painful realisation, that not even a million nights would suffice for things to go back how they used to be.

The red marks spread and dragged on the floor suddenly made her breathing heavier, as a quick painful punch to her chest. Flashes of memories crossed her mind. A puddle of blood spreading from Jun's unconscious body, a pair of yellow fangs threatening to rip her apart, the smell of something burning mixed with the scent of iron, of life being drained, of life being lost. Meyra shook her head, as if she was snapping out of that spiral of thoughts that were beginning to drown her once again, as happened more often than she would ever admit.

She knew that Jun had asked her a question, in her subconscious there was her small voice, as if emerging from the backstage of the horror play that had just been performing in the eyes of her mind. Mey's green, amber gaze focused again into reality, as if a veil of fog had dissipated and now she was able to see clearly again. She lifted her eyes from the marks on the floor and looked again towards her cousin, "Yes," her voice slightly hoarse, a whisper slowly gaining its normal strength, "of course." She replied. Her words more like a reaction than a coherent response, to a question she wan't sure she had understood.

Mey gave a small step further, when from the corner of her left eye, she saw a pink figure, like a flash of bright colour, walking to the room as if owning the place. The young girl didn't recognised the young man, but was sure he was an older student by his appearance. The only thing in particular she noticed, other than the excessive confidence with which he walked his steps, was his high absolutely- no-sense of fashion. Or at least, that was her opinion, when he just reminded her of a human flamingo. “There are people who really love attention...isn't it?” Mey told Jun, whispering close to her cousin's ear, as she followed the boy with her eyes, seeing him approach a beautiful girl with long fiery red hair., "Poor girl, could have better taste." She said with a smirk falling in a playful mood.

But her attention towards the couple would be rudely interrupted and she felt something collide with her back. Mey quickly turned to look at what had so abruptly bumped into her. Her eyes widened, at a figure of a young girl with light brown hair and warm brown eyes. "Are you okay?" She asked, half concerned, half upset with the incident. Okay that she always preferred to keep to herself, but she was far from being invisible! The boy, with a frail appearance, that had also been her victim, looked even more embarrassed and uncomfortable with the whole situation than the real culprit. Meyra barely had been able to exchange a word with him, as he quickly vanished from the room, leaving behind just a "uh, bye." and the image of flushed cheeks.

Meyra was in the middle of raising her hand to wave back her goodbyes to the boy, when the sound of people cheering and enthusiastic applause came, "What have I missed?" She asked Jun, again turning towards the crowd. The pink young man was kneeling in front of the red-haired girl that looked like she was about to faint. Was it all excitement and over joy? "He proposed to her?" Mey asked in shock to her cousin. It was usual for purebloods to have such arrangements from early age, but being this bold and propose in public? Mey grimaced at the idea. She definitely wouldn't want to find herself in the other girl's position.

And as if in line with her current of thoughts, a wild red fox appeared, snapping the girl's attention from who was now her fiancé - Meyra supposed. She saw the stealthy and agile animal leap towards the girl with sky blue eyes and soon it was running away, mixing with the group of people surrounding the couple and crowding the place. She remembered seeing a fox like that before... wasn't it at the Slytherin table? Close to that idiot that called her a Griffindork on her very first day? Anyway...maybe someone jealous of the soon to be bride and groom. An old boyfriend, girlfriend perhaps? The party had just began and the drama was already unfolding. Meyra chuckled to herself, amused with the whole situation, "Maybe we can start with that table?" Meyra asked Jun, calling her cousin's attention towards her again and pointing at the table with what looked like a funny and very creative type of food. "Are those muggle things?" She asked in a mutter, contemplating what was there displayed, as she started to walk towards all those curious treats.

Actions: Entering the Great Hall Trunk: Accio! Inventory: Enchanted Satchel | Ever-bashing Boomerang | Exploding bonbons | Dungbomb | Wizard Camera | Magic Lantern Race: Werewolf Stats: Stamina: 6| Evasion: 7| Strength: 7| Wisdom: 3| Arcane Power: 0| Accuracy: 7

Interaction: @Jun Mayumi Mochizuki | @Minnie Duke | @Tesla Stone
Mentioning: @Mathias Pride | @Winnie Harper | @Jack Burnett | @Colin McCoire

Open to Interactions

Uri had only been at the ball for a few minutes and had been taken in by the various 'space foods' set out in front of him. It looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie and honestly, he hoped it would be better than a lot of it looked. Still, it was a party so he had to try something. First, he took a cup and filled it with an orange liquid he was fairly certain was Tang. Next, he started to look for something to eat. He decided he was definitely not going to eat the creamed spinach because it
honestly looked like a plate of grass clippings. He wasn't exactly a typical kid in that he did like some vegetables such as green beans and carrots, but the grass clippings just weren't it.

He started out by grabbing a couple of chocolate-covered peanuts (both blue, naturally) and tried them. They weren't peanut M&Ms but they weren't half bad. He supposed if he were an astronaut and it was all that was available he'd be ok with it. He washed that down with some Tang, which was somehow good, and then found his next selection. He grabbed a cracker from the clear plastic package and then took out a tube of cheese spread (it looked more like something soy sauce would come in at a Chinese restaurant). He had just applied the spread and picked it up when he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

He turned around and saw a familiar face and became instantly excited. She looked adorable in her dress and... were those bees in her hair? All thoughts of modesty left him and he immediately shoved the cheesy cracker into his mouth so he could pull her into a hug while at the same time exclaiming (still with a mouthful of cracker), "SIOBBY!" before roughly swallowing it and breaking into a wide smile which lasted only for a moment as he could tell he was about to cough. He quickly released her and drained the cup of Tang before the coughing fit would start.

He regained what little was left of his composure and broke into a wide smile once again, beaming at her, "You look so pretty!" He didn't even care that her dress didn't match the theme she just looked so cute. He then looked up at the bees in her hair and couldn't help himself, "There seems to be quite a buzz about you these days," he said with a wink.

Action: Getting very excited to see his homette

Interacting: @Siobhan McCarty
Mentioning: N/A

October 19, Evening of the Gala. Action: Eating a variety of food
Outfit: Pastel yellow slacks, vest, tie, shoes, and silk headscarf. White button up.

Reducio

Tes strode into this year’s ball far more confidently than she had her last few balls. No more stuffing herself into uncomfortable dresses or struggling with makeup. Oh no, the muscular girl had asked her grandmother for a suit for this event. If was a compromise between the two of them; Tes agreeing to clean herself up and dress to match the occasion but doing it in a way that was true to herself, rather than her grandmother’s wishes. The finely tailored suit Tes wore consisted of fine silk slacks, and a white button up shirt with a silk vest and tie over top and matching finely shined leather shoes. All but the shirt was a beautiful pastel yellow, including the silk scarf covered in elegantly embroidered flowers wrapped around Tes’s hair. The vest complimented her broad shoulders and narrow waist, giving her a masculine cut, but the bright colors and flowers on the headscarf and vest added a distinctly feminine flair. Tes loved it, and she felt confident as she grinned in excitement at the decorated great hall.

It had a truly spooky theme while also fitting in with the 1960s time it was going for. The only issue she found herself faced with was the lack of people she’d planned to meet. There was a commotion of some older students that she ignored, until her sights caught on a group of younger students. All three of the girls standing there had been ones she’d seen in the group going to the shrieking shack. Werewolves, like her. Two were from Hogwarts, although she hadn’t talked to them much, and one had only been there for that month, clearly from another school.

Approaching with a grin she flagged the attention of all three of them. “Well, hello there! I’m Tes, a third year Hufflepuff here at Hogwarts. I seem to recognize you all from somewhere, if you catch my meaning,” Tes greeted, winking unsubtly as she implied their previous acquaintance on the full moon.

She gestured for the Ilvermorny student to join her, as she began to wander towards the food tables with the two Hogwarts girls. “You don’t mind if I join you all for a bit, right? I don’t have anyone to meet here, and it'd be nice to spend time with folks that I have something in common with," she asked, giving a cheeky grin as she flashed her scarred wrist where the bite marks were hidden under her shirt. She quickly approached the table with what seemed to be a variety of muggle themed food, most of which seemed vaguely unpleasant to Tes, but she was nothing if not brave. She tried a few bites of several of the foods, from the jiggly jello to the bland astronaut food.

By the time Evelynn arrived in the Great Hall, the gala seemed to be well underway. Peers and foreign visitors milled about the transformed space in all manner of finery, most appearing to be doing just as she was, taking in the scenery and scanning those present. The Gryffindor was known to dress to theme, historically taking great care to present a fashionable and striking appearance, and this occasion was no exception.

A black satin gown enveloped her like the arm-length gloves with which she'd paired it. Although it flared down from her hips, the little black dress cinched at her waist and dropped off her shoulders in a sharp deviation from her usually modest attire. She wore very little by means of jewelry—only a pair of dark chandelier earrings that whispered at her otherwise bare neck. The curls of her hair had been tamed elegantly for the style of the time, pinned beneath a black wide-brimmed lady's hat. Her makeup leaned towards the dramatic, dark smoky eyeshadow to make the silver of her eyes pop, and deep red lipstick. The whole ensemble made her look older than she was. And as a final touch of rebellion against herself, she had chosen not to hide her scars, the most notable of them being the lichtenberg figure that ran from the base of her neck, across her right shoulder and down her arm until it disappeared beneath her glove.

Sticking to the noir film theme, she had gravitated towards the role of femme fatale. Evelynn wasn't here to patrol and monitor, nor prioritize the protection of others at the expense of enjoyment. This time, she had forsaken past duty in favour of experimentation, and if that meant dressing the part of a desirable dame and having to seduce someone for a dance, then she would. To date, her dates had often been more like business arrangements to pursue some other motive under the guise of companionship. Those whose motives had been more simple had either found themselves quickly enthralled by someone else, grown bored the moment they'd arrived, or failed to make an appearance at all. They lay in stark contrast to the experience of a dance expected for someone her age.

For once, she wanted to know what it was that she was missing. Though, as she serpentined her way through attendees, it was looking increasingly as though this occasion may have been following in the same footsteps as those where she'd been stood up. She'd thought going with a fellow Gryffindor would have minimized that risk. They could walk down to the dance together, after all. But a lengthy linger in the common room without the arrival of her date had raised the question of whether there'd been a miscommunication and that perhaps they were supposed to meet at the dance itself. The more faced she noted and dismissed, however, the more she was beginning to doubt he was here either.

Perhaps he'd changed his mind..

Heaven hath no fury like a woman scorned, and as insecurities scratched at her resolve, ire of abandonment began to seep prematurely into the crevices. Her stalking of the hall took on a distinctly sullen overshadowing, although she tried to distract herself by studying the various decorations. The table of decade-divided food received a distinct pass from her, but the rest of the efforts were aptly appreciated. She lingered by the obituaries to peruse their contents, swept her gaze across the various artefacts accenting the central tables, passively noted the plastered film posters. She didn't see as @Aly Salinger took her early leave to head for the Haunted Halls...

Every moment that ticked by sapped Evelynn of just a bit more of her resolve to be present. For all those in attendance, virtually none of them struck her as familiar. Finnegan and Becca were nowhere to be seen—although perhaps she should have been pleased by this. No sign of Dealla; no glimpse of Aly. None of her dormmates.. Perhaps she was just... early? Surely they couldn't all be absent. Or was her presence really so undesirable that they would all abstain from an entire school function just to avoid her?

Not that her search was always so easy. The ebb and flow of the fog made peering through the haze more than a little difficult. But when the fog parted, Evelynn was presented with a veritable horror scene. Students had gathered in a loose ring, many craning their necks for a better view, or whispering amongst themselves. It wasn't to them that Evelynn's gaze was fixed, however, but rather to the pair in the center. On a knee, dressed in a mockery of pink that clashed with his auburn hair, @Mathias Pride held out a ring. Before him, a vision in white, @Winnie Harper looked on as though trying to keep herself together. Evelynn stared on in a daze as Winnie failed to say no, as the ring was placed on her hand, as he rose to whisper something in her ear and the two exchanged inaudible words with each other, as a fox of all things—no doubt an animagus—darted in to nip at Winnie's hand before darting off again, the horror on Winnie's face when it did...

And all Evelynn could do was stand there, smoldering in her core, countenance void of expression. From everything that had been shared in Circinus that summer, for all the speculating and cross-examination and affirmation of realities, with all the reassurance of support and recommendations of action, Evelynn wanted nothing more than to push forward through the throng of students and shake the Strawberry blonde back to her senses. For a fleeting moment, she even entertained the idea of abandoning her night as a lady in favour of a feline feast. The worst part about it were the brief glimpses of lucidity, when Winnie's responses seemed forced and faltering. It would have been one thing if she'd simply been dosed to forget again. That could be undone. Explanation could be provided and rationality re-instilled.

But if Winnie was acting this way despite awareness of her own duress... What was to be done then? Evelynn couldn't very well interrupt the moment. Not with a hundred witnesses to an apparent consenting moment. She would garner no favours in pitting herself against both Pride and Winnie and everyone else whose perception was no doubt crafted by the carefully manicured moment. It would be in nobody's interest to act now. Not without more information and a better understanding of the various angles and motives at play. So Evelynn stood there on the periphery, nails biting crescent moons into her palms as the farce played out before her.

Reflexively, her gaze wandered, a subconscious pull to seek familiarity, an ally amidst the brewing storm. On the far side of the room, her eyes fell upon a fair complexion, one that she would—at this point—be able to recognize in any crowd. And she saw red. @Pericles Dralt had arrived with all his typical flair, suave and collected, every bit the young heir he always presented himself to be. Accompanying him was a beautiful young woman, raven hair flowing in gentle rivulets across bare porcelain clavicles, a fashionably modern dress cut of crimson cloth defying the dated theme. They strode confidently from the entrance, hand in hand. Evelynn couldn't pull her gaze away from the pair.

There was a calm collectedness about the girl. There always had been. She was the sort of girl who excelled academically, while also reaching the heights of any activity she chose to set herself upon. She was polite and refined, a perfect picture of grace, clever and compassionate. And she was pureblood—the Hunt heiress. Like a fire in the night, @Eun-ji Lee Hunt glowed with a radiance to overpower even the likes of Winnie. Although it didn't seem to quite reach Evelynn, where an empty sort of cold nipped at her through the fabric of her gown. It was Flash all over again. It had been she who'd attracted his attention back then as well. Shortly after they'd started spending time together, he'd had less time to spend reviewing notes or compiling investigative data. Soon enough, his friendship with Evelynn had been forgotten entirely.

It suddenly made sense. Pericles' odd behaviour, the way he'd been pulling back and finding excuses to avoid their usual engagements to instead spend time elsewhere. She'd sunk her claws into him, too. It was fine. He could do whatever he damned well pleased. Who was she to tell him who he could or couldn't see? What did she care if he decided some pompous princess was more to his pureblood liking than the noblood Evelynn had admitted herself to being this summer? She didn't need him. She didn't need Aly. She didn't need any of them. But Winnie did. Pushed to irritation and unable to just stand by any longer while thoughts swirled in a cacophony within her head, Evelynn cast aside the previous decision to remain impartial and strode forward. She would shoulder her way through students if she had to in order to pierce the circle encapsulating the to-be-weds. Evelynn was tired of being cast aside and abandoned. The least she could do was to refrain from doing the same to Winnie.

"Winnie!" Evelynn called out, adopting an closed-lip, but adoring smile. Sliding up to the younger eaglet's side, she slipped her hand through the girl's elbow and leaned in to give an air kiss to either cheek. Her gaze slid from Winnie to Pride, expression still pleasant as she continued, "Quite the unexpected surprise. I suppose congratulations are in order. And very smart of you to propose now. We both know how enthusiastic Winnie is about celebrations. A wedding is sure to require mountain of thought and preparation. And with O.W.L's this year and career planning and N.E.W.T's in the years following, I wager planning will have to take a backseat for a little while. Plus..." she leaned lightly against Winnie, and flashed her a crooked smile. "I can only imagine your dream venue has a waitlist several years long." To Mathias, she turned again, eagerly inquiring, "How did you requisition permission from her family? Did you take them to dinner? No doubt they must be so thrilled to have so prestigious a match. And what a momentous occasion, to skirt the tradition of pureblood pairings."

Moderated Action: n/a