Magical Masquerade: The entrance

Mask design by the lovely Alyssea Brown

❂ ⌜ Series of Unfortunate Shenanigans ⌟ ❂ ❂ April 13, 2024 ▎ 4:00 PM ❂

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Spring Ball, if her memory serves her right, was her very first ball and let's say that it sure lived up to its reputation. She had heard rumors about how any events hosted by Hogwarts would go wrong and they sure weren't kidding. That was one of the days that she probably almost died… okay, maybe that was an exaggeration but it sure did put her life in danger. There were other events that she had experienced something similar, that cookie decorating event being on top at the moment as it is still quite fresh.

One would think that she had learned her lesson by now, to never attend any of these and to stop putting herself in danger but… no. Well, she would've skipped this Spring Ball as she isn't exactly in the right mind to be joining such a joyous gathering. She would rather be in a place where she could be alone and have some peace and quiet rather than getting overwhelmed by a ton of people and loud noises. In a place where she could just zone out as time passes by.

Yet here she is. Why? Her friends, that's why.

Raizel had always put her friends before her. She only has a few, close ones, that is and those that she previously met and had formed a friendship with never came back or broke her trust. Others were simply people that she hasn't seen for quite some time now. Those that remained mean a lot to someone that is having trouble finding those that could stick around for a long time. Zach Zaphiere is one of those friends. He was one of her opponents during a random 1v1v1 duel back when she was still so focused on duelling and who knew that friendship would bloom between them.

Zach had asked her to come and he also wanted to drag Alyssea Brown, one of her friends and turned out to be her cousin, to the ball in which Raizel kind of agrees on rather quickly. She always finds it hard to say no to Zach. The boy had been nothing but kind to her so accompanying him is her way of repaying his kindness and a little bit of distraction might help her take her mind off of her problem, even if she has this feeling that this Spring Ball might add more to it . It could be thrilling, especially for Raizel who is always up for it despite the dangers. Although this time, perhaps she should control her hot-bloodedness, recalling how she handled the trouble they faced during the cookie decorating one. She was reckless and looked where that got her. Hopefully, she could but… no promises. After all, there might be another time where embracing it is their only way out in a situation.

In any case, she joined Zach in pestering Alyssea which she doubts would work at the beginning. To her surprise though, she gave in and even gave them a mask for the masquerade ball which Raizel had totally forgotten was the theme. It was the only missing thing for she already had her suit ready, a gift from her grandfather who was still trying to get into her good side. It was red and black in color with gold intricate designs paired by a black slacks, leather shoes and it came along with a cape with a matching color scheme that could be worn over the shoulder. It was too fancy for Raizel’s liking but what could she expect from her Pureblood Grandfather. In a way, she was glad that he was still treating her kindly despite her own blood status, giving her these expensive looking clothings even if it's not matching her taste. At least it wasn't a dress.

Once Raizel was ready, she headed down to the Quidditch Training Pitch where the ball was taking place, surprised by the fact that it wasn't happening near the great lake like the previous ones. The committee must've learned from the time when students almost drowned.

She was supposed to meet up with Zach and Alyssea here and if she were to be honest, the moment she arrived and saw the increasing numbers of people, she had half the mind to go back and tell her friends she suddenly doesn't feel well but she fought the urge and went on to find them. It wasn't that hard surprisingly enough and Zach was already heading towards… the bush? Curious.

“What's going on?” She asked Alyssea as she arrived and soon took note of that wooden board. She frowned upon the sight of the riddle, not really in the mood to be doing brainwork right now as she came mostly for the sole reason of distracting herself, not solving puzzles. Lucky, there's a Ravenclaw with them, even more lucky since other folks seem to have the same idea with most of them heading where the Honking Daffodils are.

Raizel crossed her arms before pulling out her wand from her pocket. Should she just burn these bushes? That'll make the search easy. No, that would be devastating and she'll feel bad for the committee who had worked hard on this event. There's also the choice of cutting them but, no, same reasoning as before. She could, however, play around with other spells, trying her non-existent luck with some that wouldn't cause any harm or damage. She would join the search through those bushes but there's a lot of them searching already. How many keys did they even hide there? Surely there's only one.

Wouldn't it be funny if someone went up to the entrance and casted Alohomora to unlock it. Knowing Hogwarts though and with how they would want for these… little adventures to be solved, they probably had anticipated students doing just that and put a charm on that lock. But looks like they were successful in catching most of the students' attention with that riddle since she hasn't seen anyone try out a spell.

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▪ ▫ ◙ Diaglogue | #800000 ◙ ▫ ▪

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◘ ◘ ❂ Interactions: @Zach Zaphiere | @Alyssea Brown | @ ◘ ◘ ❂ Mentions: @ | @ | @

Outfit Reducio

Items Reducio Wand Enchanted Satchel Potions: Antidote to Uncommon Poisons x 2, Bruise Removal Paste x 4, Muffling Draught x 2

STATS AND ABILITIES STA: 6 | EVA: 7 | STR: 3 | WIS: 8 | ARC: 8 | ACC: 8 Prod. Charms | Perfectionist

Action Trying to help Zach by using Accio (Key) at the Honking Daffodil Bushes

Ｐａｉｇｅ ★ Ｍａｌｌａｒｙ
𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 ║ 𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐰

𝘅

Ｋａｉ ★ Ｌｅｄｇｅｒ
𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 ║ 𝐒𝐥𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧
(dNPC)

➷ Magical Masquerade➶

𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑: Kai Ledger (dNPC)
𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 792
𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚎 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐: #320ced
𝙺𝚊𝚒 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐: #30914e

Paige stared at her dress that lay on her bed. She felt as though it was too bland when it came to the colouring. It was a Masquerade Ball after all; weren't they supposed to be colourful? Perhaps she was being delusional. She sighed. Her dress was quite beautiful. It had a white undercloth that spilled out at the base, creating a flowing effect. The gown was lined in black crinoline, which ruffled at the top of the corset. Although it felt scratchy on her arms when they swayed beside her, it sure added to the dress. To complete this look, Paige put on a tight black choker with a silver heart pendant. Hearts weren't usually something she wore, mostly because of her style, but the choker sure did stand out.

She turned around in front of the mirror, already beginning to judge herself. She wasn't used to wearing dresses. In fact, she hadn't worn a proper ball gown since the Fall Ball back in 2023. She fished through her jewellery box, pulling out a pair of gigantic silver hoops. It was only at the start of the year that she had gotten her second holes pierced, which excited her, but they still stung whenever she changed earrings. But this was a special event and her plain sleepers weren't enough for this. Instead, she poked a pair of matching heart earrings in. They sparkled in the light.

Paige wasn't too fussed on her hair. She would just leave it out. Her hair was naturally wavy anyway, so brushing it would be all she needed to do in order for a magical hairstyle. However, wavy hair meant extra knots and frizz. She curled her curtain bangs; the only proper thing she did to her hair.

She searched around for the black and white mask she had previously bought. It would be difficult. Paige wore circular glasses on a daily basis, so having to take them off to wear the mask would definitely be a challenge for her. Contact lenses would be her only hope if she wanted to maintain clear vision for the day... but having sensitive eyes wasn't fun.

Makeup was next, and of course, she went for a grunge look. She patted on a very mild foundation; one that matched her olive skin colour. Afterwards, she applied a small amount of black eyeshadow around the outside of her eye, blending it lightly to create a faded effect. She then applied eyeliner, attempting a bat-winged style. Having shaky hands was a big setback. Mascara was the last step for her eyes, and that was probably the easiest part too. After this, she spread a sparkly lip gloss over her rosy lips, and packed her makeup kit up.

She was finally ready to meet her boyfriend, Kai. They had previously planned to go to the ball together. A date if you would. She walked down the corridor in her platform boots. Kai was standing there, leaning against the concrete wall. He was holding something behind his back - hiding it. As soon as he saw Paige, he brought the gift in front of him and gave it to her. Flowers! A delicate bunch of white roses. Paige smiled and thanked him, taking the flowers from him and smelling the sweet aroma. "You look beautiful by the way," Kai blushed, holding onto his elbow awkwardly. Paige smiled, "and you look exceptional too!"

Kai was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with a collar that sat loosely around his neck. It drooped over his black pants. He never seemed to dress neatly; always having his shirt untucked. But it looked good, no doubt. His hair was always done messily, with brown and blonde highlights. To finalise his look, a silver cross necklace and white pearl necklace was added around his neck to accessorise his outfit as well as rings on almost every finger. Kai held out his arm and Paige linked onto it, and they began walking outside.

Their surroundings were decorated with the pinks, blues, greens, and many more colours of the Spring flora. A small letter greeted them. Paige's expression suddenly went from an excited look to a nervous, shocked look. And she suspected Kai's was the same. For on the letter, nothing but a riddle was listed. A riddle in order to find the key to the Ball entrance. Paige shook her head as she sighed. Kai looked over at her, "any... any ideas on what it could mean? I'm completely stumped!" Paige thought hard for a while, before a light bulb appeared above her head. Not literally. "Well..." she began, looking back down at the sheet of paper. "That... the Toot-Toot can mean... uhm- the Honking Daffodils? I mean, it makes sense..." she said, shrugging. Kai shrugged too, "worth a shot!"

Open to Interactions English || Russian

April 13, 2024 - Masquerade Ball

For good or bad, and Stephen generally thought it was for the good, the space race seemed to be heating up once again. Part of his new, muggle, homeschooling curriculum on the side consisted of S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) blocks of study which excited him enormously. There was a world of science to choose from, so Stephen had gravitated towards a focus on Robotics -- space robotics to be exact.

His morning had been spent working a solution to dampen a significant vibration on a mechanical arm in a SIROM (Standard Interface for Robotic Manipulation) contest entry due towards the third weekend in August. He had been happy with his progress on his design for a reconfigurable, multi-functional robotic arm until he hit a snag a month ago with the discovery of the vibration. It had vexed him quite a bit in his free time, the little of that that he had these days, but after this week's strained meetings with EmmaLee, he was more than happy to have a project to move his thoughts away from the undercurrents there.

If he allowed it, he would just spiral on the subject of EmmaLee, and that would do neither of them any good. She was clearly agitated, with him and/or with their situation, but he had no idea what to say or to do to make any of it better. She still seemed to be happy to see him, and he was most definitely happy to see her, but those initial feel good moments whenever they first met up, which had been rare over the course of the week, evaporated quickly into polite, stand-offishness.

A dark cloud seemed to color everything now associated with her when his mind went there, and he just knew a cloud hung over her head, too. Worse was that he knew it was all his fault and that distressed him. He didn't know what to do about any of it, so burying his distress was easy to do when he could turn it upon a problem he knew he could actually resolve eventually, like a problematic vibration. Well, a mechanical one anyway.

So dampening mechanical vibrations had been the name of his game this whole day. He hadn't even eaten a full meal, though he would not have been able to answer that question if he had been asked about it. Hunger disappeared when his mind was deeply engaged, as did his sense of time. Last time he checked it had been 11:43 a.m. He stretched and glanced at his watch to find it was now 3:27 p.m.

How did THAT happen!?!

He rapidly put his research notes and books in his trunk and hurried to get his Masquerade outfit together. He had really enjoyed the medieval theme last year largely because he simply enjoyed cosplay in general, but this year he was even more excited by his costume. For a guy who loved space and its futuristic, sleek, clean, no-fuss-no-muss aesthetic, he loved a steampunk aesthetic even more. He and EmmaLee had decided not to divulge to one another what their costumes would be, so his mind was now racing to chase that dark cloud away. He refused to be an Eeyore tonight when so much fun and intrigue lay before them.

As he checked himself over, he was pleased with the result. He wasn't sure how easy or difficult it would be for her to recognize him, but tricking her wasn't his goal. An evening of the fun connection they once shared was his goal. Winging it wasn't probably the best plan to achieving that goal, but anything else he had thought to do felt too forced. So winging it it would be.

When he approached the Quidditch Training Pitch, he did check to make certain he had his broom in his pocket, which he did. After last spring's Ball, he had vowed to never go anywhere without it just like he would never go anywhere without his wand. Lesson learned. The hard way.

There was a sizeable group of people at the entrance, and they all seemed to be looking in the flower bushes for something. He gave a cursory glance to the crowd, checking to see if EmmaLee popped out to him, but in that moment she did not. As he made his way to the Entrance and discovered a locked door and a riddle, it became clear what everyone was doing with the flower bushes.

Plants were not especially his thing. That was Miles' forte. He could have pointed Stephen to the correct flower immediately. Honking daffodils seemed to be the logical answer, but since a daffodil was not a rose, Stephen pretty much did not know what a daffodil even looked like. Everyone seemed to be looking at that one particular bush type with the yellowish white flowers, so that is where he would focus his efforts as well.

How ridiculous would it be to get stymied by a flower riddle this year after navigating that maze so easily last year? As he peered into the cups of the flowers, looking for a key, he wondered if what awaited him tonight wasn't going to be a more complicated maze than anything he had yet encountered.

"Hope not," he said just above an audible whisper to himself, unaware he had even done so.

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Trunk
Sta:10 || Eva:8 || Str:8 || Wis:10 || ArcP:5 || Acc:7
Perfectionist 1 & 2 || Evasive Maneuvers
Interacts/Mentions: @EmmaLee LeDames
@Simon Kincaid as Miles Thatcher
ACTION: Searches Honking Daffodils for entry key

Date: April 13th 4pm

Mentions/Interactions: @Lorcan McCoire and open for interactions!

Word Count: 275/200

OOC Notes: Reducio Speaking: b38900 Thinking: Italics

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Outfit: Reducio Action: Helping Lorcan search the bushes Stats: stamina: 4|evasion: 7|strength: 1|wisdom: 7| arcane power: 8|accuracy: 3 Abilities: Metamorphmagus Trunk: Accio!

Date: 13th of April 2024 Time: 16:00

Interacting with: @Mahlioz Evethisawe

Thoughts: Teal Speech: Cayenne

Irina stared at herself in the mirror - not bad for her first ball! She couldn't take much credit for the outfit as Idril and Madam Malkin had put together most of it, but she felt pretty chuffed that it was definitely . . . her. The idea of wearing a dress had been just a tad mortifying and heels even more so. 'The day I wear heels is the day I die,' she thought, turning from the mirror and leaving her dorm room. She paused, considering her thought. 'The day I wear heels will be the reason I die.'

When Mahlioz had first told Irina about the ball, Irina had attempted to replicate her friend's clear level of excitement. Mahlioz had talked excitedly about the mask she had bought in a muggle shop and some type of shoe Irina had never heard of ('Conversing or something?'). Fashion had never been Irina's forte. Firstly, she was terrible at deciding what looked good and secondly, if she were to wear something nice, the likelihood was it would get ripped, stained or muddied within the first few minutes. But seeing Mahlioz's excitement, Irina had sworn to herself she would make an effort, not least because Mahl was her best friend and even if balls weren't Irina's choice of activity, they were looking forwrad to it.
To Irina's surprise however, the days preceding the ball began to fill her with a new excitement and anticipation. She was filled with a little excitement at the prospect of dressing up and from the chatter going around school, there was a treasure hunt! Mahlioz's mirrored excitement soon became her own and by 4:00 on the 13th, she was ready . . . just.

Irina tore down the stairs, grumbling to herself that she should really start aiming to be early for things - one could only dream. She emerged from the school and rushed through the groups of students making their way down to the Quidditch Pitch. Once she arrived, she paused for a few moments to look at the beautiful trees creating a magical pathway before turning around to try and find her best friend.
Only then did she realise that when people wore masks to hide their identity, it meant she could no longer see their identity. "Ahh, dungbombs." She muttered, spinning foolishly in a circle at the many people surrounding her. She momentarily considered yelling for Mahl but after considering this option, knew that they would probably find it a bit embarrassing.

Still unable to find Mahl, Irina headed towards the riddle pinned to the tree, pausing a few seconds before heading over to the honking daffodils. Thanks to her Mum being a herbologist andMahlioz showing her what a car was over the Summer, Irina was pretty confident she knew what the answer was. She headed towards that area and spotted a familar head of hair, curly and a deep, rich brown. Grinning, she ran forwards and have her friend a tight hug, before releasing her and shouting, "I love your outfit! It's completely gorgeous!"
She was completely wowed by how beautiful Mahlioz looked. She seemed to have perfectly captured the essence of floral mystique. Mahlioz had always struck her as a very pretty individual but the mask and stunning outfit ('Damn, it's like I'm friends with a Fairy-Pirate!'), Irina was truly gobsmacked. "Seriosuly Mahl, you look beautiful."

She then joined Mahl in the hunt through the bush for the box.
"So uh, what's this I hear about there being sweets in the boxes?

Actions: Joining Mahlioz in the hunt for the key in the honking daffodil bush.

Stamina: 5 || Evasion: 4 || Strength: 6 || Wisdom: 7 || Arcane power: 8 || Accuracy: 5
|Wandmaker|

Basil couldn't wipe the magical day from his mind. Not that he wanted to of course. Devon was the most amazing person ever to walk the earth and you could not convince him otherwise. Basil grabbed his satchel and straightened his vest. Deep breath Basil. Basil thought, taking a deep breath and grabbing his corsage for Devon and carefully placing it in his satchel. I told her I would be there at 4:00, right when it started. So she should be there soon. Basil made his way down to the quidditch training pitch from the campgrounds and noticed a sort of commotion. People were looking in bushes and talking to each other without going into the... Wait- the gates are closed! Basil realized. Basil looked closer. A note on the gate was posted. Toot toot? Hogwarts people can't do anything the normal way can they? Basil knew the answer immedietly. His parents where plant maniacs after all. Maybe I can show Devon my awesome-niss by getting all the clues quickly. Now where are the honking daffodils. Basil wondered, looking around. He spotted one and quickly walked over to it then squared down at started looking in the bushes for some sort of key or even another clue.

Action: Squating by honking daffodils and looking for any clue or key
Stamina -6|Evasion -5|Strength -4|Wisdom -8|Arcane Power -5|Accuracy -7
Steady Flyer

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speech • #427c9a thoughts • italics others • #ffffff

april 13th, 2024 • date quidditch training pitch • location spring ball • thread

The spring ball would hopefully be much different than the fall one. It seemed to Ophelia that many people agreed with her, though for varying reasons. For her, the last one hadn't been very fun, and she wished not to repeat it. This time, she was still going with her friend Topaz, but that wasn't just it. Now, she friend from the Hogwarts Express, Quinn, was coming along as well.

Ophelia waited patiently at the Quidditch Training Pitch for her friends to arrive. The peacock-themed outfit that she'd picked out for herself was pretty, no doubt about it, though it wasn't the most comfortable thing, especially when she was standing still. If she was doing something, her mind wouldn't be focused on the itch of the dress and the annoying weight of the mask on her face.

How about I start looking for this key thing while I wait for Topaz and Quinn? It seemed a reasonable idea, and something that would keep her occupied. The riddle that had been given to everyone seemed easy enough. A flower that goes "toot toot." Ophelia didn't know much about plants, her biology focus was on animals, but anyone could decode this clue, right? Tooting and honking a horn meant the same thing, so it obviously was the Honking Daffodils, right?

Everyone else seemed to believe so. While Ophelia and a few others were standing still, most of the others who were ready to get into the ball were searching the Honking Daffodils for the sweet boxes and the key.

Sighing, and silently cursing herself for choosing such an uncomfortable dress, Ophelia knelt and began searching.

interactions • @Topaz November @Quinn Brook + open! mentions • @ stats • sta 6 | eva 5 | str 6 | wis 7 | arc 6 | acc 5

273 • word count xxx • outfit perfectionist • abilities

action • looking through honking daffodil bush

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Interacting with : Reducio @Quinn Brook as @Basil Murphy

Outfit: Reducio

Notes: Reducio Speech: #3CB371 Thoughts: italics Devon: #8e19d7

Devon was giddy and happy. Today was the Spring Ball at Hogwarts. Basil had asked her out to the ball! And it was yet another excellent chance for her to be her normal social self, assuming she didn’t devolve into more stuttering around Basil. ‘He is so cute! I’m glad he asked me. Ah, I’m so happy!’

From her part of the Ilvermorny section of the Camp Grounds, she took her time to get ready in her nice purple dress and sandals. A little make-up to make her freckles more noticeable. Very few accessories. Of course, her lavender and vanilla perfume. She recalled that he mentioned to be there for 4:00. ‘I’m not one to be late. I don’t particularly care about the social norms involving late arrival or early arrival. I personally hate being late,’ she thought.

Devon made her way to the Quidditch Pitch, her mind flooded with what was to happen tonight. She noticed the commotion near the entrance to the ball. A note on the gate gave them a clue as to what was going on. ‘This seems like an easy clue. Is this meant to be a challenge to enter the ball … I am in Horned Serpent, so I should be fine. Maybe I should have insisted to walk here with Basil. I’m sure between us, we’d have no problems solving any additional riddles. Anyway, I better find an unclaimed Honking Daffodil bush,’ she thought.

Turning on her heel, Devon went to the first honking daffodil bush she could find. Before attempting to look, she recognized the boy next to her immediately by his red hair. She leaned over to where he was. “Why hello there, handsome. Aw, you’re in a bad position for this. I was hoping to fall in your arms. Not topple both of us into a bush,” she giggled. “But, let me help search for the key, too,” she smiled at Basil, before starting to search the bush in front of her.

Reducio

Note: 332 words

Action: Searching a honking daffodil bush for the key.
Stats: Stamina: 5 | Evasion: 6 | Strength: 5 | Wisdom: 7 | ArcPower: 7 | Accuracy: 5