Hogwarts Summer Camp Welcome BBQ

Interacting with: @Meenauh Silmataurea

Hjørdis resumed eating in the hopes that the conversation was over. Mostly because she was not entirely sure that the idea of Caradoc liking her was a good one, nor one she ought to entertain. In fact, she really ought to stop it entirely. The whole concept was simply unprofessional and would only result in pain - most likely on his end, rather than hers. She was protecting him, if nothing else. Well... That was what she would tell herself. She sighed softly, trying to push the thought out of her mind. This was not the time nor the place to have to worry about such things.

In silence they sat, her mind wondering over these matters that were likely trivial to most but not her. Observing the scene around her, she noticed a lot of unfamiliar faces among the crowd. Students from other schools, it would seem. It was kind of nice to see everyone interacting in a much friendly way than the tournament. At least now, here, they could be friends. What happened on the pitch was a different story entirely.

Her attention was brought back to the conversation when Meenauh spoke up again. Right. They were back to the topic of love. The very topic she was hoping to move fast and forget about. "Thank you, Miss Silmataurea," She returned, taking the compliment before sighing softly. Her silver eyes flickered to the skies above. It was a beautiful day, "I do not know if anyone experiences love in the same way to be able to describe it. I would imagine it is different for everyone, based on what they most desire and value..." She added after a moment of thought.

Love was very hard to describe, after all. Whenever you asked someone, they put an emphasis on something different. Some described it through physical symptoms, others through feelings that differed. It could be that sense of peace and belonging for one person whilst for another, it was those heated passionate moments. Not that she was an expert on love, by any means. In fact, she was probably the worst person to ask.

"I presume you mean in a romantic way?" She questioned, given that most people had some sort of love in their life - whether it was a love for their family members, a guardian or a friend. "Yes..." She replied, not sure how much Meenauh wanted to know. It seemed like a long time ago now but yes, she had fallen in love in her life before.

Outfit of the Day

Roleplaying as Durmstrang iNPC Arjan Oberoi

Stamina: 12 | Evasion: 1 | Strength: 15 | Wisdom: 3 | Arcane Power: 7 | Accuracy: 10
Abilities: Obnoxiously Strong | The Martial Artist | Spell Spread

Interacting with: @Phaedra Stavrou and @Katrina Walker

Oblivious to her utter disgust in him, Arjan was happy to just continue the conversation - the smirk on his lips never quite fading as he listened. Well, somewhat listened. Really, talking was more his forte than listening. But he watched her mouth move as nodded as though he was listening, and intently paying attention. Most words likely went in one ear and right out the other. But this time, he was actually attempting to listen. Mostly because it was Phaedra Stavrou, and she deserved some attention. At the very least, he knew she was worthy of his time and attention.

"The kebabs look rather tempting, I'll have to give it a go," He replied, eyeing up her plate of food. Right, he was a little hungry. He frowned a little in thought as she mentioned something about halloumi and burgers. Halloumi... Was that a meat? No no, a vegetable... Arjan felt like he should know this but he could quite recall what it was, "No, I don't think I've had the pleasure. Is it nice?" He opted to go with, trying to go for the diplomatic response before he outed himself as not knowing what it actually was. He did not want to look like a complete idiot in front of the smart nerd - who proved to be a nerd when she asked about school. Sigh. Of course. School, what a fascinating topic.

Despite the fact that he really did not want to get into a conversation about studying, Arjan entertained the conversation - simply because it was Phaedra. He smirked, hiding his boredom of the conversation already, "Oh? What would you like to know? Are you interested in relocating to join me? It's certainly got a better reputation than Hogwarts in many ways - and a far better majority," He added, hinting that how Hogwarts allowed far too many 'mudbloods' or 'half-breeds' into their mix. It was a shame, really. Purebloods were, naturally, the way forward. Whilst this was not a conversation he wanted to have on his summer break, there was quite a few reasons he preferred Durmstrang, in truth.

As they were speaking, another girl arrived - clearly interested in his devastatingly gorgeous self. She introduced herself as something or other Walker. He was not really paying too much attention. The surname did not jump out to him as a pureblood one, which was disappointed. She was kind of cute, really. It was a pity. "Arjan Oberoi, Durmstrang," He voiced, attempting to stay civil - although his usual cocky smirk had faded a little. She seemed awkward and clearly confused by the fact that she thought one of them went to Ilvermorny. It baffled him a little, given that even he knew that Stavrou went to Hogwarts. How would anyone miss the beauty? She might have been a bit of a nerd but she was pretty, that was enough.

OOC: I apologise that Arjan is a meanie T__T

Interacting with: @Percival Gray & @Maya Galim
Open to Interaction

Zahid was pleasantly surprised when he did not had to wait for long for the first student to approach him. The boy was a Slytherin, if he remembered correctly. He gave the boy a nod in greeting, “Good evening, Mr.Gray.”

Seeing as Percival seemed more inclined to eat his food in silence, Zahid went back to relaxing and taking in the atmosphere. As his colleague approached, he waited to see what she would do – sit down with them or walk past? He was a bit surprised at her moving his jacket to the side. She could have simply sat down next to it and still be in a perfectly comfortable conversational range, but he hardly minded on way or another. “Good Evening, Professor Galim.”

Arching a brow at the boy's comment on his food, Zahid hmmed. “Not to your liking, then? Well, I suppose it would not be as good as one made by a proper cook.” He was fairly sure that the burger was not the worst burger, let alone the worst in history – for one it did not smell nearly as bad as … no, there was a reason he'd shoved that memory away. But the upcoming second year was still young, so mayhaps it was the worst burger the boy had ever tasted. “Do you have a certain preference for Burgers?”, he asked the boy out of idle curiosity.

Outfit: x x

RPing as Milena Sergejevna Orlova
Dialogue Colours: English ⸙ Russian

⸙ Open to Interaction ⸙
Interacting with: @Kateri Karr & Maksim Preobrazhensky (@ Ami Procoppio)
Mentions: Vyacheslav Preobrazhensky (@Ruby Cazarez) & @Saskia Nicholson

While waiting for the professor to solve the puzzle, the surprise she'd promised them, Milena turned to return Maksim's greeting with her voice full of prim and proper politeness: “Hello, Mr. Preobrazhensky.”

Whatever she may think of the boy, it would not do to be impolite – especially in front of Hogwarts people. After all, they were representing their school (and their families). After thanking him for his compliment on her dress, she turned her attention back to the Professor though she did take note that he seemed to speak about the other girl [Saskia] with his brother [Vyacheslav]. As she could not make out their words, however, she refrained from even sending a proper disapproving look their way. No need to draw attention to their behaviour.

As the professor held out the frozen treats, a slow blink of surprise slipped through Milena's aloof facade. That was not something to drink. Still, it wasn't like she was about to say no to an unexpected treat like ice cream – especially not as they seemed to actually have crème brûlée flavoured ice cream, if she recognized the popsicle in the professor’s hand correctly. As far as she'd been aware, that had mainly been a Russia-, well, a Moscow-thing. A small grin would peek through as she took the ice-cream offered to her, and her “Thank you!” sounded more lively than her words before. Following the professor’s example, she threw the packaging into the trash bin, before starting in on her treat.

She would still have to pick a soda (or water) before she left the stand, after all, she'd come here for something to drink – but first: ice cream.

Hair ⸙ Dress

Finally, after a bit of awkward begging for attention, someone saw her. It was an odd thing, groveling for attention, but she didn't let any of that show. Her face wasn't smiling, but it wasn't particularily unfriendly either. She was more observant, lips slightly pursed, eyebrows raised a touch. Her hands were placed behind her back, posture leaned back, slightly inviting-- or, at least, not pushing away.

The person who approached seemed a bit hesitant. Iris idly wondered why, nodding toward the space beside her. The person wasn't her normal company, but it was better than being ignored completely. Hopefully others wouldn't think she was having a private conversation, in fact, Iris was hoping she could be part of the larger group that was to her side soon.

They introduced themselves as Cash, Iris nodding along scrutinizing the newcomer. Not in a rude or obvious way, just to take into account possible popularity or if they were worth her time. Iris honestly never meant or realized she was rude, she was just so focused on being liked by everyone that sometimes she stepped over lines without realizing it.

"Iris Fields; Ilvermorney Thunderbird; just graduated third year," Iris' words were short and clipped, Norwegian accent slipping though a bit. There was an air about her of confidence and superiority. Cash seemed to be worth her while, but no reason lowering her standards for any passing person.

Open to Interactions
Mentioning: Other Group of Talking People
Interacting with: @Cassandra Ironwoods
Text Color: BF8080

--||o||--

Katrina was a bit put off by the boy-- Arjan. He seemed to look at her as if she was a piece of fancy china that was chipped. Pretty, but not worth it. She bit her lip hard, it seemed people from the other schools were far more forward after all. She straightened her back, giving herself a fake air of confidence, she knew exactly what to do, let a smirk pull at her lips, cock her head slightly, raise her eyebrows a touch. Then it seemed like she was a comfortable extroverted girl. A flawless imitation of bravery and confidence she didn't feel in the slightest.

Katrina quietly waited for an opportunity to gain the approval of the two. As soon as she could add something worthwhile, she would. But until then, she had to look at least somewhat interested.

Katrina knew she should eat something, her bad habits from this year nagging in the back of her mind. She really wasn't hungry, she would force herself to eat something in a bit, not yet though. After her run from this morning, she knew she hadn't eaten enough calories, maybe she would have a burger after all.

Open to Interactions
Mentioning:
Interacting with: @Phaedra Stavrou || @Serena Towers as iNPC, Arjan Oberoi.
Text Color: 80BFBF

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

@Ariana Walker | @Ivy Bellamy | Alexei Petrov [@Anastasia Beckett]
Now open to interaction [limited people though ;D]

Lizzie felt as Ariana grabbed her wrist. She weakly smiled and closed her eyes. She really did want to get out of there. Being in a big crowd was quite scary sometimes. Normally crowds were her calling, but when it involved compliments and flirting all of her confidence slipped down into the dark abyss.

She nodded her head quickly and looked around as a familiar name was spouted into the air. "Ana? The girl that set me on fire? That Ana?" Lizzie laughed loudly and slapped her knee lightly. The thoughts of the older girl that had accidentally burnt her robe was quite funny. One second they were both scared about a fire and the next they had been exchanging names like old friends.

"I'm sure if Ana was here we would already know about it." Lizzie said nodding her head as Ariana told him that it was Ivy. The blonde had to admit that they did have a massive resemblance and they also reminded her a bit of Opeila as well. Obviously, it was just a coincidence and there was possibly no other explanation other than they looked quite a like.

Lizzie looked towards the girl who had formed a nice relationship just the day before, "Yes, that's Ivy." The girl nodded her head quickly, "I suppose we could still be friends though" She pointed out to the Dumstrang student. It had been a big relief to know that they both didn’t really need to have a grudge against each other and could possibly start over.

The Ravenclaw then grinned at everyone in the circle of people and nodded towards Ari, "Yes, I would do with some more fruit." Lizzie looked down at her bowl which was now empty, "I need to be more healthy." She made sure Ari had let go of her wrist before skipping off towards the tables of food again hopefully with her friends travelling along behind her.

─────────❖─────────

INTERACTIONS @Anastasia Beckett [Alexei]︱@Ariana Walker @Lizzie Verdine

MENTIONS everyone else

"Hey, it's my first time wearing these shoes. Cut me some slack," Ivy laughed, kicking her feet up slightly to show off the white Vans. She wasn't quite sure what had compelled her to wear them, but she thought the shoes complimented her blue-and-white dress rather well. "And for your information, I was doing my hair, not my shoelaces," she snipped teasingly, running her fingers through her ponytail.

Her grey eyes widened as the boy they had been talking to suddenly addressed her as "Anastasia" and begin speaking rapid Russian. There was no doubt who he thought she was, and Ivy sighed softly, waiting for him to be done. At first she thought the resemblence and being mistaken for her was funny, but now it was getting a little annoying. Ana was nice, but very different, and she made a lot of enemies. "Goodness," she muttered under her breath to Ariana and Lizzie, who seemed to be highly amused by his blunder. "I am going to dye my hair blue after this."

Ariana corrected Alexei, laughing as she did so, and Ivy smiled thinly, not really sure what to say. She looked over at Lizzie and frowned slightly, noticing that the blonde looked a little overwhelmed. Was Alexei the cause for this? There were a lot of people who were stopping by to talk... Ivy tried to catch her eye and tilted her head in the opposite direction to Alexei, silently asking if she wanted to leave. She wasn't really sure where she and Lizzie were at this stage, but the Ravenclaw seemed to be friends with Ariana, and that made her Ivy's friend by proxy - besides, the chat they'd had together yesterday had definitely helped mend their relationship a little. "Yes, let's go get some fruit." she agreed, glancing over at Lizzie with concern. "Nice meeting you, Alexei."

Once the boy was out of earshot, Ivy opened her mouth to ask Lizzie if she was alright, but she had broken free from Ari's grip and was already hurrying towards the table. "Is she alright?" she asked Ari in a murmur, still walking. She kept an eye on Lizzie, not wanting to lose her in such a large crowd."She seems a little..." Here she paused, not sure what word to use. "Off. If you know what I mean. Did something happen before I arrived?" Although, what could happen in such a large crowd and with Ariana by her side? Of course, large events like these were cursed in Ivy's opinion, but if something truly bad had happened, she would have heard about it by now.

They caught up with Lizzie, and Ivy smoothened out any concern on her face, replacing it with a bright smile as she skewered some fresh fruit onto a wooden kebab stick. She didn't want to make her friend even more upset, especially since everyone could see them right now. "Hey, after we get some food, do you guys want to go sit down? There's a few picnic blankets and logs over there."

─────────❖─────────

Listening to and interacting with @Hjørdis Jensen

Leaving the thread unless Professor Jensen would like to make it even more awkward.

MODERATION POST

From this point on, darkness begins to set on the field. The sun is slowly disappearing while a near full moon is getting up. Out in nature, there'll be lots of stars to notice above. Not as many on a more remote location such as you would find on the stargazing event. But still enough to bring your attention to. You'll hear guitar music being played without any singing, more like a background tune for ambiance. Caradoc will be seen playing his instrument in silence whilst enjoying the newly lit fire. You're all welcome to join and start talking with one another or perhaps share a little song. The barbecue would slowly be closing shop, unless @Gargott Dunaid was insistent on enjoying his own meal a bit longer. @Kateri Karr might bring over their cooler to the fire or perhaps leave it in its regular place, it was ultimately her choice. @Saskia Nicholson was free to join in and help any of the three professors or perhaps she decided to getting a few things cleaned up, leaving a little less work to be done after the event. Or perhaps any of these three had a taste for music themselves and decided to join in with Caradoc.

Interacting with: @Zahid al-Benghazi ibn Masoud & @Percival Gray
Mentions: @Caradoc Browne & @Gargott Dunaid
Open to other interactions!

It was quite a different reality for Maya to see Professors engaging with their students. It made Maya think about her time in school. Her professors were never as engaging. They had a mission the minute first years entered the doors of Ugandou: have them leave as the best they can be. That had a lot of strings attached which were professors as tutors and strict mentors. There was never any personal interactions, at least not what she witnessed.

"Professor Zahid," she replied back from his greeting.

Watching Professor Zahid really interact with the student sitting next to him was a delight to see. It was inspiring and something that Maya was working on herself. She had one very close mentor who she was close with, but it wasn't a professor from her school. It was a man she met when she was very little at a grocery store who she trusted and they became friends. His name was Professor Schine. He was a retired professor from the Hebrew University, and much later, she learned that he, too, was a wizard. If she was going to work on engaging with students on a personal level, she would think, "what would Professor Schine do". To Maya, he was like a father to her, teaching her all about different cultures around the world. It wasn't until after the Lebanon War and when she came back from her line of duty that she came back to an empty apartment. He had passed away, but in his will were many cultural books and a red cloak.

Perhaps this was why it was difficult for Maya to just jump into conversations with students. What if they connected with her? And G-d forbid, something happened to her. How would they handle it? It took her awhile to get over the fact that she did not have a Professor Schine anymore. However, Maya wearing her red cloak reminds her that he is always around. It was no secret that the red cloak is all she wears, but her secret stays with her in her reasoning as to why she wears it nearly everyday.

The edges of Maya's lips began to curl into a smile. Perhaps she would try and add to the conversation herself. Maybe a bit of "muggle" culture would enlighten the boy to try new things.

"I recommend alligator or ostrich burgers if you're willing to try something new one day," she said nonchalantly, her Israeli accent thick. Her brown eyes looking at the small boy, still smiling. She remembered traveling after she was done in the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) and how she tried as many foods as possible. Granted, at home she followed a religious dietary law, but it was no point in traveling the world and learning about different cultures if she could not have their food. Maya had quite a spread of "taboo" foods in her life. Maya couldn't want to teach her students about different muggle foods around the world. She would most likely share with them all she ate and where.

In the middle of their conversation, it seemed that Caradoc and Gargott, the Keeper of Keys, were beginning the next portion of the BBQ. Maya stayed where she was. She had a good view of the vicinity and did not want to get any closer to the fire. The last thing she wanted was to smell like charcoal. It was hard to get out of clothing.

The song that Caradoc played was lovely. It was ambient sounding and Maya could feel herself feeling quite relaxed and at ease the more he played.