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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“But blowing away those flowers isn't the answer." Raizel answered the boy with a face palm. Usually, she would be the one causing chaos and she wasn't expecting for Zach to act this way. The boy is the Ravenclaw prefect and for all she knows, he had always been in his best behavior. Hunger, funny what it makes you do. “Guess I'm just used to casting spells.”

She too wanted to say something back to the older student as wasn't expecting to be called out for trying to stop someone from causing harm which is kind of discouraging. See? Not like she attacked him, she only disarmed him. Goes to show that whatever you do, there is always something that others will see as inappropriate in a situation. “We'll keep that in mind, Ms. Decipio.” She replied, keeping her tone as polite as possible despite the slight annoyance. She still respects the older students and for all she knows, she would just lose in an argument. Older people know best? Right? What fun. Maybe next time something happens, she'll just watch if it's just gonna earn her something like this.

Raizel watched as Miss Decipio went on her way, letting out a sigh once she was out of sight. Lovely evening? This? A detention is probably a lot more fun than what's happening tonight if you ask her, especially now. Is she gonna voice that out? Of course not, that'd be too rude of her so that'll stay within her mind. “Looks like the entrance is open. Let's just keep going. You're hungry right? Maybe we can just wait for Alyssea there.” She told the Ravenclaw boy as she kept her wand in her coat's pocket as she probably won't be needing that unless she's defending herself in which she hopes won't be necessary as she doesn't want this night to get ruined more. It's start didn't make a good impression on her and it already set her in a bad mood then add the fact that trying to do good earned her a scolding. That added more to it.

Eyes scanned the area, tons of folks had already gathered before she even knew. She knew there were a lot of people around already but she was so focused on helping Zach that she didn't even notice how much it had grown since the time she had arrived. It was hard to recognize anyone at this point, not like she was even trying to see if there are people that she knows though. She turned her head to see if her friend is on his way before leaving the area.

▪ ▫ ◙ 440/200 ◙ ▫ ▪
▪ ▫ ◙ Dialogue | #800000 ◙ ▫ ▪

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◘ ◘ ❂ Interactions: @Zach Zaphiere | @Alyssea Brown | @Evelynn Decipio ◘ ◘ ❂ 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 Leaving the thread towards the main ball area.

13/04/24

"english" "portuguese" "spanish" thoughts

outfit + hair

@Bloom Silverton

Howard continued to meander around. His bright red eyes peeked through his masquerade mask as he watched his fellow Hogwartians interact with each other and their shared environments. That crimson gaze would get lost in the thought as he took it all in. His last ball. Like all the others the party planners had gone all out to provide them with a magical site for fun and festivities. It filled him with a sense of joy and warmth with just a slight twinge of sadness. However he would shake away any melancholy and that was made all the easier when a familiar scent filled his sensitive nostrils.

Howard would turn to see Bloom as she approached. He smiled brightly at the sight of her. The simple, yet elegant dress was a perfect fit for her and his heart swelled with love as their eyes connected. Who knew what the future had in store for the couple, but tonight he would enjoy their time together in the fullest. “No, I haven’t even tried to be honest. I figured they got it covered.” Howard’s arms would reach out for her and if she allowed he would pull her in close. A closed lipped, but lingering kiss would find her if she wanted it. When they parted his eyes would shift back toward the crowd. The younger students all seemed preoccupied with the challenges and Howard was perfectly content letting them figure it out.

The hum of a swarm of bees and the cracks of spells would fill the air around them. Chaos to the ears of most people in the world, but nothing out of the norm for witches and wizards. A grumble from his own belly echoed Bloom’s words as they were both hungry. He had skipped lunch knowing full well he would be stuffing his face this evening and thankfully they would not have to wait long. Without further ado the gates to the ball were open. “Come love, let’s eat!” Howard would offer his arm to her before moving on the the ball area.

Action: Moving to the ball

When Elsian had begun making the outfits for the ball it’d been with a single mindedness that he rarely showed. One that, more often than not, made him forget about other things. Like masks for example. Luckily he had someone like Dorion as a partner. His wonderful, handsome, amazing boyfriend who was as dependable as they were crafty and had taken it upon themselves to make 2 wonderful masks to go with the outfits.

If he hadn’t already fallen for the other, the humble, borderline shy way they’d shown him the masks, looking wonderfully made and each a perfect match to their future looks, well…He was pretty sure he might’ve confessed then and there. Alas, Dorion had thoroughly bested them in the confession department so all Elsian could do was try to keep up and hope to stubbornly keep their attention.

Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly when it came to the 2 of them, the masks wouldn’t be the final surprise when getting ready for the dance. That would’ve been too simple and Elsian had realized Dorion was nothing if not a perfect match to his apparent need to go above and beyond.

Still, out of everything Elsian truly hadn’t been expecting to end up victim to a makeover. Well, maybe victim was too strong a word since he’d willingly been a part of it but his original surprise still stood! Elsian honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d worn any type of makeup, if ever? His memory on the subject was faulty at best. It was simply something the boy didn’t have the will or energy to even pretend at attempting, even for the dances. However that’d changed once Dorion had offered, promising to make the 2 of them match, and Elsian didn’t dare refuse, nor would he want to, upon realizing it gave him another excuse to be near them instead of being told to go away when he inevitably got in the way of their own attempts at doing their makeup.

Not that he had, thank you very much. How was talking flirting aloud getting in the way?

Either way, in the end Elsian truly knew little to nothing about makeup. Dorion had done it all for him, and in the process, done an absolutely amazing job in his humble opinion…but again…he rarely wore it.

So the first time he’d gone to rub at his eyes had been an honest mistake. One that’d been immediately corrected and luckily stopped by the adorable little, “eep!” Dorion had startled him with. Dorion had made it very clear that he was not to do that again, going so far as to say-

“Brownie, I spent a full hour perfecting that so help me Goddess you ruin it before anyone else gets to see it.”

That said, the rest of the so-called ‘close calls’ were very much on purpose.

It’d become something of a small game for the Gryffindor. Slowly raising his arm after a yawn as if to rub at his eye every few minutes as they wandered towards the ball together while waiting for the makeup to set or something, whatever that meant. Either way it meant Elsian had all the time in the world to be a nuisance just to see if he could get another adorable or funny reaction from the Hufflepuff, all while struggling to keep a straight face since he couldn’t bury his smile in the others neck this time.

It’d for sure ruin all their hard work and Dori might actually kill him if that happened.

Sadly he couldn’t keep his poker face going forever. And all it took was a noise that sounded like something between that adorable eep and an annoyed gasp for the boy to break into a guilty laugh.

Elsi dutifully took the small shove Dori aimed at him with good humor. The aggressive hand holding the rest of the way to the ball to stop his silly prank was a win though. “I wasn’t actually going to ruin your work Creampuff.” He swore, an unashamed smile on his lips as he pressed a chaste kiss to the hand he held as if in apology.

“Not after you made me so pretty~” He teased.

Though he could hardly hold a candle to Dorion. They looked magnificent.

It would have been a shame, hiding their work behind a mask, if the masks themselves weren’t just as perfect. As it stood, Elsian was rather fond of both looks. That said-

Pulling them along he stepped off the path and around the corner, just off the path and out of the way from the other guests walking towards the newly opened up gates where the rest of the ball guests had already gathered and spoke.


“Do you think the makeup’s fine now?” He glanced towards the entrance knowing it was about time for the masks to go on. “It is a masquerade afterall. It’d be a shame to ruin the mystery so fast when we have these,” he held up his own mask up playfully in front of his face, “amazing new identities~”

Masquerades were, after all, meant for secrecy and surprises. At least in the beginning! And Elsian knew that the best way to enjoy a theme like that was to commit. To pretend to be another person and see where the night took you; who you danced with, or spoke to left to chance unless you were clever enough to guess or recognized their voice. Knowing who everyone was defeated the point, without the mystery there was no other point in a mask, it just became a silly, fun accessory otherwise.

So it was funny, that even with a mask, even if they’d made a secret of it, he had a feeling they’d have found each other much too quickly. Recognized one another far too fast just based on the shade of their eyes or picked the sound of their laugh over the noise for there to be any real challenge or game to the mystery. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t at least pretend to hide away from the rest of the world for one night.

And selfishly, Elsian was rather fond of the idea.

It wasn’t until Dori said it was safe that he went to put the mask on. But then he paused, lowering the mask for a moment as if afraid to ruin it somehow.

“Dori, could you help me with my mask?”

“Y’know since,” he began, gently pushing the mask into the others hand as he stepped closer, “you’ll kill me if I ruin your work before everyone sees how perfect I look.” He teased, batting his eyes with a smirk.

Jack's hand had only just grown comfortable resting lightly against Meenauh's hip before she had turned and pulled it away. Although the boy in the sheer blouse knew he tended to lay it on thick, he didn't see any harm in it. In fact, it seemed to give Jack an advantage over Meenauh in their little tête-à-tête. The squirming ideas in his head favoured heavy-handedness over subtlety. No matter how Jack had decided to attack the heart of the Lioness, he had not expected the girl to turn to face him. That glint in Meenauh's eyes only read as mischievous, and her luminous smile dazzled the boy momentarily. A playful challenge if he had ever seen one. Playing the game of chicken had never stopped him before, and dancing to their own rhythm was hardly an ask. "Perfect, I'll lead." As he spoke, he raised his hand to lead the girl into a twirl.

Jack, unbothered by the threat of embarrassment, only let his actions dictate his acceptance of her challenge. Jack's movements were fluid and graceful as he twirled Meenauh, and it was clear that he had not lost much in the time away from his mother's torturous ideas of culture. With a smile that could only be described as devilish playing against his lips, the boy pulled himself and Meenauh nearly chest to chest, leaving little room for modesty. The boy's actions were deft, with every step as if on ice. Once again, his hand was rested purposefully around the Lioness' waist, as was traditional of a waltz. The dance was as simple as slow - quick - slow. The wave-like motion of the dance was almost hypnotic, with both dancers on the balls of their feet, twisting around an imaginary box. The boy's chin was lifted, looking down his nose at his dance partner. It was a way to force himself into standing taller, thus making him look more masculine. With every turn, Jack could catch glimpses of Meenuah's dress rippling and swaying with every motion. The grace with which the navy fabric billowed and cascaded against her form nearly mesmerized the boy.

Slowly, as the boy brought their waltz to a soft yet steady close, Jack dropped his chin to look Meenauh directly in her eyes. Unbeknownst to himself, the soft rumbling of timpani began to rumble in the back of his skull, like oncoming thunder for a storm yet to pass. "So it turns out that we both can dance?" The words were posed as a question, but the playful rhetoric was evident. Attempting to respond would be utterly futile, considering Jack has already sped past that point of subtlety. In stark contrast to his ordinarily verbose and over-dramatic self, he let a soft tenderness overcome his touch as he cupped her face with his free hand. His right hand was conveniently placed at the small of her back, drawing her closer.

Tilting his head, he could feel the warmth of proximity, and his pink roses for lips parted slightly. Her lips were only mere moments from his, heart pounding in his chest, but even more so was the sound of the drums and timpani rattling inside his skull, only growing in fervour. The music was back. The quick draws of a violin's bow against string began to sting a grand entrance. The rumbling in his ears stopped him only milliseconds from what he wanted. Yet the fates, who deem life and death, had not intertwined this moment into his future. As an accompaniment to the trilling bow, the softest tinkles of a piano underlying the staccato percussion booms. Jack hadn't noticed the faint static growing from his fingertips, as if the blood within his body was being siphoned from his feet. Any thoughts of the curious feeling of his hands falling asleep were quickly overshadowed by the introduction of horns into the symphonic that was drowning out any noise not inside of his own head.

The expression of anticipation and excitement held firmly against features only moments ago was gone, and only a placid, cold, quiet serenity remained. A stoney gaze solidified in his eyes, stealing away the fever and spark that usually rested behind in his dark eyes. The music began to swim calmly as the percussion died down to let the string section take control of the melody. The young man's hand dropped from his dance partner's face and back. Only a short mumbling of something inaudible escaped the boy's mouth before he turned heel and walked away.

The dirt. Something was there. It had to be uncovered. Use your hands to unearth it. The dirt. Something was trapped beneath it. It needs to be free. The dirt.

The dirt.

The.

Dirt.

Dig.

Interaction with @Meenauh Silmataurea
Action: The Dirt. The dirt. The. Dirt. Dirt. Dirt-
Interact if you dare.

Outfit:

Reducio

Stats:

Reducio

Sta 7 | Ev 17 | Str 12 | Wis 5 | Arc 7 | Acc 10
Fearless | Charmer | Animagus

• ────── • ────── •

Phelan wasn’t quite sure how he felt about the upcoming ball, if he were being honest. He wasn’t too into events with lots of people. He actually kind of despised them. But Matilde was really excited about it, so he had decided to humor her.

The boy’s process of getting ready was simple. He didn’t bother putting much effort into it, but did comb his usually messy hair for the occasion. His father had sent his outfit before he had left for Hogwarts. He couldn’t help wondering who had picked it out. The blue jacket happened to be his exact favorite color.

He sighed as he left his current residence of the Hogwarts campgrounds for the castle. The boy’s lack of effort to be punctual was fortunately made up for by his oddly effortless sense of time. He found himself waiting for his friend at the bottom of the stairs, patiently, as he knew by now that she was certainly not known for being timely.

Somehow, he knew she was there before he saw her. Maybe it was because he sensed her watching him, or maybe it was just like that with the two of them. Matilde came down to meet him. “Hi! You look nice,” she said, admiring his dapper outfit.

“So do you, like a fairie,” he said, because it was true, and he knew she’d love it.

Matilde pulled him with her down to the quidditch training pitch. They arrived, and the boy took a look around.

Phelan suddenly realized the two had not been paying attention to the proceedings of the event for quite a while. “Er, Tills, I think we missed a couple clues,” he said. They had been so busy talking, neither had been paying attention to the hunt for the keys.

“Oh no, you’re right,” she said, looking disappointed. “Did you hear the last one?”

Before the boy could respond, a key shot out of the bushes and into the last keyhole. “Damnú air! darn it” he said. “Well… shall we?” He held out his arm to Matilde, mock-gentlemanly, in an attempt to distinguish the disappointment of missing the hunt.

She grinned at him, and slapped his arm away teasingly. “Let’s go!”

• ────── • ────── •

Action: Entering the ball
Abilities: None
Stats: Stamina: 5|Evasion: 7|Strength: 5
Wisdom: 6|Arcane Power: 6|Accuracy: 6
Inventory: Wand, creme colored handkerchief, pocket sized copy of The Picture of Dorian Grey, by Oscar Wilde, stuffed in his pocket

@Vladimir Athanatos

It only felt right to attend her last Hogwarts ball.

A masochistic thought, perhaps in hindsight, but there was something simultaneously sobering about it. Seven years, and she hadn't missed a single one. Call it Stockholm syndrome, or consistency, but she never failed to show. It was a phenomenon in and of itself- especially for someone who couldn't even pretend to remain consistent with her company. Just when she thought she was out of the fire, she found herself in front of a mannequin working diligently away at her next ball dress.

One last time, Xailah thought, as she ran a string of crystalline beads through her dark, cascading hair. They hung on the tresses like raindrops on a window, only these droplets remained suspended in motionless downpour. In the mirror she eyed one of her roommates, Meenauh, who was dressed to the nines and making her way out of the Thestral Thicket dormitory. Meenauh attending a ball was a rare, albeit mostly unsurprising occurrence. Meenauh attending a ball looking ready for a possible meet up with a date, however, was an entirely new mystery for the pint-sized Sherlocks of Hogwarts to pick apart.

Xailah would never find out who was waiting for her friend outside the Gryffindor commons, because by the time Meenauh had exited the lion's haven, she was just securing herself into her hand-beaded bodice of pearl and opalescent moonstone. Like many of her designs and work to follow, it was a laborious seeding but well worth the reaping. Now if only she could get it to survive the night. Donning a feline-like mask draped in a ghostly white veil, she would add the last finishing touches to her ensemble: ten claws for her hands- bejeweled and metal, and metallic clasps to warm her her bare areas of skin. A censer would be the last thing she reached for- a curious object seldom seen outside the dormitory, or the quiet places around the school. Unknown to most, if not all of the student body, she used it for ritualistic practices. Tonight, it was less of a religious accessory; acting instead as a more natural alternative to Febreze, as to thwart off adolescents who hadn't yet learned to properly use fragranced sprays or deodorants.

The Fall Ball had been attended with a cherished member of the Gryffindor racing team, Della Barfield. Xailah had happily chaperoned the girl throughout the night- and truthfully, she had a great deal of fun doing so. She had no intention of seeking company tonight, which she was more than content with; and yet, she would still find herself in the mix with others. Vladimir Athanatos, bane of Hogwarts, was an immediate standout; mainly because he was one of the few people at a masquerade not wearing a mask. He had always been very peculiar, so there was no use in pondering why he lacked one. He likely had his reasons. Had he worn one though, he probably wouldn't have caught Xailah's eye as fast as he did.

A fragrant white smoke smelling of sweetgrass, trailed alongside the Gryffindor as she snaked through bodies; scouting out her person of interest. She did not stop to rudely gawk at him. Vladimir may have been a beast (or some other unholy amalgamation- but that really wasn't anyone's business), but this was no zoo- even if it could have been easily mistaken for such. He deserved some common courtesy, maybe even some light conversation that didn't end in him being slugged. She paused right where she would have otherwise passed him by, taking post at his shoulder (while keenly maintaining some distance). He would be given no introductions. No "hello". But, he was regarded with civility all the same. He was no friend, but he was nothing to despise either.

"You clean up well-" the lioness eyed him casually- passively- her tone hinting at neither interest nor cheekily veiled sarcasm. Just observation. "-for a man who should be six feet under." The latter, a remark he had to be tired of hearing by now. Yes, yes, he should have been dead several times over. It was old news. Boring news. But, news all the same. It would be brought up endlessly, so long as Vladimir continued to "live". The matter would not be touched on more.

Her conversation was less polite chitchat and more so a list of things she had come to notice. And to say there was a lot to notice about Vladimir was an understatement. He drew attention, even when he didn't mean to. Especially when he didn't mean to. In fact, Xailah had initially noticed him because of the distance he first maintained from the core gathering of guests, before moving to join them (and due to the fact that he stood taller than pretty much... everyone). "I've seen you at past dances before. You always linger around the fringe first, watching." Her eyes wandered to the outskirts of the landscape, catching the occasional scavenger hunter or two digging fruitlessly through bushes. "Why?"

She likely knew the answer.

Still, she'd ask anyway, and from it would come another inquiry. This one was a detour, a swerve into personal territory. Her gold hues seemingly flitted to the surrounding lights, but in reality, she was looking past them toward the castle that was nothing more than a stark streak against the darkening sky. "You had a chance to leave this all behind and start life anew. Why did you come back?" The opening of the quidditch gates pulled her attention from Vladimir, her tone changing briefly. "Once they are in, there will be no way out." They, as in, the partygoers. It was an eerily familiar statement; she had anticipated such a fate once, many balls ago. Watching the first few ballgoers trickle into the pitch, she'd cock her head but would not return her gaze to Vladimir. "Tell me, what should we come to expect tonight? Spiders? Shadows? Half-giants?"

Having a My Immortal dress up sequence, arriving, pestering Vladimir.

Possibly open to limited interactions. But keep in mind this character is mostly here for combat and main story-related stuff.

||Dress||
(Use your imagination I haven't been able to draw one yet- it's white although it appears to shift into darker colors when she moves between lighting, and her ensemble resembles a sphinxlike creature. While she may be recognizable through aura and stature alone, keep in mind she is masked. She is carrying a ritual censer emitting incense.)

Reducio

Metamorphmagus (-5 DC to all transfiguration spells, +2 to stealth actions, 50% chance to recognize transfigured things/people)

-Blindvision (can see in the dark! Immune to all things that limit/remove sight)
-'s Grace (super sneaky, +2 to stealth actions)

Stam 12 | Eva 17 | Strength 2 | Wis 16 | Arc 4 | Acc 17

Dress
Hair
Mask
Shoes

She was very surprised to hear this, but she thought that they would not let anyone literally drown to death.

"I think you will be a very good pet owner. Although my interests are reptiles and mice, if you need help, I can help you find a book about owls whenever you want."

She was sincere when she said this. She thought they would find a book about caring for owls in the library if we wanted it.

She agreed with what Alejandro said. What they were looking for had to be in the rosebush.

"You're right, red roses represent love, but for some, they also represent grief and blood."

After saying this, he saw the crowd heading towards the door. When he looked carefully, he saw that the door was open. She couldn't help but feel sad, she wanted them to open the door.

"I guess the treasure hunt is over. But I wish we had found the key."

After saying this, she felt .a slight anxiety Maybe Ale had someone waiting for him/her and when they entered, they would have to leave with the friend he had just met. She was sure her hair had turned grey.

"Is there anyone you are waiting for? So for ball. Do you have a partner?

She asked as she walked towards the door.

Action: Asking if @Alejandro Garcia has a partner while walking towards the door