The Enchanted Maze Spring Ball '23

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Bailey was happy she had found someone to befriend, and to hopefully distract bailey from ... nope not gonna think about kim she thought, mentally rebuking herself.
Focusing upon her new friend again, bailey smiled when he said that it was a pleasure to meet her as well. That gave her a warm feeling in her stomach, the glow of knowing she had found a new friend.
Bailey invited him to join her in the maze, and he was.. excited, a tad too much maybe, but it was sweet all the same. He extended his arm, and Bailey gracefully accepted it. She smiled at him, linked her arm through his.
They entered the maze together, and bailey was once again felt a warm glow of happiness for her new friend and companion.
"we shall!! i do not think that it will be a hard maze, but i do think we'll have to solve it. lucky for you, at the fall ball there was a maze and i got through it as one of the fastest people - mazes are not a difficult feat for me!! though in heels.. that may be a small problem, but i am sure i'll survive."
Bailey and Botan chatted about their lives at home, and though the boy did talk about his life some, he let bailey have the general lead over their conversation, which she did not mind. She could ramble for hours about her life at home, being homeschooled, her brothers, taking the train to taekwondo almost every day, all her summer trips to Poland and such.
They exited the maze, and Botan signed up for the Knights tourny, something bailey had thought about signing up for, but had decided not to. She smiled, and accepted Botan's offer to stay and watch him.
"i'd love to stay and watch!! i am sure i have friends competing, and im sure i'll find someone i know to sit with!! good luck!!"

bailey has exited the maze

Reducio

Statistics, Abilities, & Items

Stamina: 6
Evasion: 6
Strength: 7
Wisdom: 8
ArcPower: 6
Accuracy: 7

Martial Artist
Calming Presence

¤ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 ¤

¤ | Ω | ¤

Nec Temere, Nec Timide. Durmstrang Institute's

Romeo Giovanni Marchonné [6'6" | 198lbs]

"English." "Italiano. Italian." "Russian."

| Faint Scar on Left Eye & Mangled Right Ear | \ Fingerless Glove on Right Hand, Bite Scar on Forearm / | Lichtenberg Figure on Right Arm and Down Back |

Valentin Schnell, Ginyami Midorimori, Maila Aurora Laine, Slava Preobrazhensky & Amina Petrovic
@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood, @Jack Burnett,@Beatrice Dupont, @Ruby Cazares & @Ileen Knight

It wasn't that I was losing confidence or the will to keep myself going, it was simply that I was struggling to keep my footing in the realm of negotiating this particular social engagement. There were plenty of rising temperatures, my own included, and things just kept heightening from anxiety to spiraling to self-blame and everywhere in between and beyond. As irritating as it was to observe Ginyami taking everything rather calmly, even I had to acknowledge that it was likely the best course of action in this moment; at least when it came to trying to negotiate these tumultuous waters. By now, we had come to a complete stop insofar as trying to navigate the maze. This was more important. Whatever was happening outside of this maze didn't compare to what was happening right here at this very moment between the lights that came from my lantern and from Ginyami's own Lumos.

The more that Valentin spiraled, the more I also began to feel my hackles heighten and my anxiety levels rising. I didn't like when anyone was anxious or high stress because I tended to follow; it was a reaction that was partially formed thanks to my brother's antics, and it was a subconscious reaction that had never fully left me in peace. Even without overhearing Ginyami's words to Valentin, it was by Valentin's reactions alone that let me realize that whatever they had been exchanging had something to do with the Christmastime Chaos... but I couldn't bring myself to make any level of retort to any of Valentin's words. He needed to let himself spill his soul. Any attempt on my behalf to speak up during this highly emotional and much-needed outburst would be lost to the chaos. It was better to let him express himself, to simply be here and help to weather the storm that came after his words. He needed this. It was good that he was doing this.

Even the greatest commanders needed to have the comfort of letting their screams peter into the wind when they had no place else to share their sorrows.

It was important to protect what you loved, to protect and to keep what was most righteously yours, and even as Valentin apologized to me profusely again and again, I glanced to the ground and tried to come to grips with the perpetually unravelling state of this conversation... especially when Valentin revived the memories of the previous summer... The first time that I had tried my best to gently push away his affections in lieu of trying to focus on the other, more pressing matters that I could detect before me in that moment. I hadn't been ready to try and form another close relationship that soon; so many of my former friends had simply fallen away from me at that point in time and I had been totally unsure of how to reapproach the challenges of attempting to rekindle even the most basic of those relationships. Valentin had quickly become my closest friends in those months, the one that I had felt most comfortable around and the person that always seemed only an arm's length away at all times whenever I needed an ear to talk to.

Of course I wasn't stupid. I knew fully well what new and changing dynamics had been swirling between us, what tricksy whims of fleeting emotion were manifesting in delicate gossamer threads no thicker than spider's silk the more and more Valentin and I interacted with one another. I was not a mind-reader or an individual who was particularly adept at detecting sarcasm or the undertones of a underhanded comment, but body language and the way that individuals held their eyes when they looked towards me and I back at them happened to be my forte. If eyes were the windows of the soul, then I was one to sear through them unwavering and discerning; that was why I rarely broke eye contact if I could help it, and it was why I looked away now. I knew full well that that saying went both ways; just as I was able to detect feelings and some level of inner thoughts from others by looking into their eyes, I knew that they could do the same to me. This was my primitive Legilimency and Occlumency in work; my only defense against those who would read my mind and attempt to turn my thoughts against me, even as feeble as it was.

Of course I knew that Valentin held deep feelings for me. I saw it every time we spoke. I don't think I was capable of pretending that I didn't... though I had tried once or twice to no avail.

My hand tightened once more on the lantern's pole, and my left hand squeezed the leather straps that secured the shield on my arm as I closed my eyes. My thoughts began to spin about in the silky darkness; a small void that was just separate enough from the real world to let me try to think for ten seconds. I... I had no words to respond to this situation with. What was the right way to say this? I didn't want to hurt Valentin, that had never been my desire. I didn't want to lie to him either, though. Both of these options left me painted into a corner, with my back against the wall and with seemingly no way to approach in a way that would not paint me as a terrible, terrible person. I didn't want to lose my friend, didn't want to lose someone that...

Ginyami's chilling laugher caused a small ripple of cold to run its course through me before my brow furrowed in attempts to swallow my heart that had decided it was a good idea at that moment to leap right up into my throat. Maila's words were kind and correct. Yet, I knew that she had no way of knowing that this person that she condemned so righteously was in fact myself. My eyes opened again as I heard Ginyami bring up a kiss.

Ah. Yes. I should have guessed, I suppose. It made sense, and I had no angers concerning it. Perhaps it would be for the better, for Valentin anyways, to find someone that would let him make them happy... but to also make sure that they made him happy too. Yet, Ginyami had asked a question of me that demanded an answer, and Valentin had finally fully unveiled everything that had been unspoken both between us and from literally anyone else that had even known even the slightest thing about either of us.

Quietly, I returned my gaze back to Ginyami, my gaze steady but stern. I wanted to look directly at him when I spoke, to let him know that he had my full attention as I spoke to him. "I find myself curious what you've heard, then." I replied evenly, slipping off my helm as I combed back my hair again, feeling heat starting to build from the weight of the armor despite the cooling nightfall inbound. Damn me.

"What I want right at this moment is to have a nice evening where drama is not on the agenda for the night." I said basically. That, at its most simplistic, was exactly what I wanted most. I was tired of drama circling around friendships and relationships and alleged love lives and dark curses and sibling or family strife. I was fourteen years old, too young to be expected to deal with a lot of life's issues. I hardly understood taxes, let alone should I be expected to navigate these sorts of issues on the daily. Forget magic (which in and of itself added another layer of complexity to daily life, to be sure), this level of consistent stress would be enough to make even a sane person lose their mind. What part of a "calm evening" was not resonating with anyone other than my own desires? "But I get the feeling you're expecting from me something more along the lines of what I want out of the relationship with Valentin that I've been 'obfuscating'."

My eyes didn't waver from Ginyami. The answer was very simple. It was too simple, so simple but something that I had tried to conceal for so long because I feared what lashback I could receive if I confessed it. It felt strange to speak it out, to say this truth which simultaneously didn't quite encompass all my feelings on the matter. "There is nothing going on between us." I replied chillily. If he wanted something out of me, perhaps he could take a little bit of satisfaction out of this. "Any rumors you've heard to the contrary are half-truths at best."

I could already feel Valentin's disappointment in me, the prickling on my back that signified that I had misspoken and had only succeeded in putting my foot in my mouth. What I had said was not a total lie; it was true that we were not an accessory. But similarly, what I had said was not the whole truth. There was a lot more to it than simply saying that there was nothing going on.

Finally dropping my gaze away from Ginyami, I turned the helmet in my hand so that I was looking into where eyes would peer out of it. I observed the scarlet plume as if would give me answers or some sort of resolution to the things that I knew I needed to say. To say that I had a connection to this armor was an understatement. It wasn't simply because of my nationality that this costume held particular significance. Every day was a war. Over the strangest thing, as well. Something so basic, so simple, so thoughtless. Even if I did love Valentin, even if I wanted to... "I'm Roman Catholic. We don't believe... we don't believe in that." I spoke as quickly and concisely as I could, shaking my head before donning the helmet again.

There, I had said it. I had gotten it off my chest in its entirety. If nobody had known until this moment in time, now they did. Both my brother and I had been raised Roman Catholic from very young ages, and while it had become excessively difficult to continue practicing our faiths after our introduction to the world of magic we had still done as best as we could. In fact, only recently had Lent ended for us. Val had likely noticed that on those Fridays between late February and this early April that I selected fish as my preferred protein; it was something I kept under tabs and not of particular interest to anyone except myself. I kept a Bible in my study table...

It was as polite as I could manage in this situation short of producing a situation that could prove highly messy and undesirable to everyone else in the vicinity. It was something I didn't want to flaunt, it was something that I was scared of telling anyone else who was close to me. I wasn't oblivious to the ways that my faith was viewed. I knew that to many we were controversial, to many we were fearmongers and in some cases were perceived as hypocrites and bigots.

I felt my heart sink the longer I let these thoughts and those condemning ideas clash in my mind. I was... I was fully prepared to hear whatever it was that would come for me. I had spent this long with my skin like iron and my mind set like steel. I had... this wasn't the first time that I had to tell myself these things. I had my faith, I had my beliefs. They had carried me through thick and thin, they had helped to support me just as much if not more than other people had. It was something I held near and dear to my heart, some level of sanity in a world gone mad; something that I could always know was mine. While I struggled... I did hold something in my heart, and the worst part was that while I did know it was wrong, I couldn't stop myself from continuing to feel such things subconsciously.

Valentin was my friend... but I wanted to defend him so much more than I ever could a friend. He was beyond my brother... beyond a stranger.

"I apologize for potentially gaslighting you. I would never wish that on any of you." I wanted to cut through the madness and the confusions. "I never meant to deceive you. If I did... I'm sorry, and I understand if you think I'm a God-awful person now."

The perceived upside down words of my shield stared back up at me in their arc, their saying in white paint speaking back to me. Sis vis Amara Ama...

Valentin's wand was glowing almost as bright as Ginyami's Lumos with the power of its hedged-in magic.

"Sis vis Amara Ama. Latin: If you wish to be loved, love." I spat to myself as if it was something to sneer at. It wasn't... it truly wasn't... but I wasn't sure of what else to do at this point anymore.

To prevent Valentin's wand from exploding, however, seemed the right first action, and with a release of the lantern (causing the light to go out) and a simultaneous dropping of my shield to the ground with a clattering, my dominant right hand tried to take Val's wand. Attempting to curl my entire hand around Valentin's, I lightly exerted pressure and tried to tug the implement towards myself in an attempt to sever his attention and thereby protect the poor length of wood from certain destruction experienced by many of its predecessors. Now I didn't make eye contact, my brow furrowed as I was fully focused fully on deescalating this part of the escalated state. One thing at a time... and if I couldn't...

Well, truth be told anywhere seemed better than here at this point in time.

"Cast a spell now, or give the wand to me." I spoke calmly, fully expecting a flipendo the likes that my brother gave me at this time last year. Valentin was shorter than me by a few inches, so my head was slightly bowed over his own turbaned one. "Any spell you like." Oh how similar this circumstance was once again; sensing demons on the horizon. Emotions that had to be purged. Despite myself, a bitter smile. "Perhaps it would have been better if I had just stayed away."

I was ready for the worst. For point blank range, I was ready for the worst.

Action: Trying Not to Ruin the Night (Failing) | Trying to Prevent Val's Wand from Exploding

Reducio

Stats:

Ω Stamina 9 | Evasion 8 | Strength 15 Ω
Ω Accuracy 15 | Wisdom 9 | ArcPower 0 Ω

Abilities:

Ω Obnoxiously Strong | Perfectionist I | Martial Artist | Healing Sage I Ω

Inventory:

Ω Holstered [Redacted] Wand | Medicine Notebook | Enchanted Lantern Ω
Ω Peacetied Italian Longsword | Duro'd Roman Scutum Ω

A careful observer might see a lithe figure cutting through the shadowed maze. A prince of the shadows. He was clad in a dark tunic cinched tight around the waist, the flickering candlelight glinted gold from the crown atop his head. Delicate embroidery lined the seams and sleeves of his clothes, almost seeming to swirl like black pools in the dim lighting as he stepped lightly over the gnarled roots.

The outfit wasn't actually his, technically. Rebecca had found it at the beginning of the year tucked deep within his trunk, along with a note from his father.

In case of a special occasion.

The dressrobes were clearly a holdover from a time when 'Loops' had been a name in good standing amongst pureblood circles, before his great-grandparents had left the Black Forest and come to settle in Britain. He had thought all of those sorts of heirlooms had been sold a long time ago, it was strange that his father would have decided to keep these for so long.

Under normal circumstances, Rebecca wouldn't be caught dead wearing an overpriced rag, but in a fit of utter boredom he'd decided to try it on. With the crown, it did rather fit the theme of the dance, after all. What he hadn't expected was that he'd been utterly transformed from 'gangly city kid' into a debonair young Lord. He'd spent an embarassingly long time gaping at his reflection in the mirror.

At this point in the evening, the hedgemaze had lost its inviting charm and had taken on a more forboding air. Rebecca stepped lightly through the twisted path, nimbly avoiding the grasping roots and gnarled branches that seemed to writhe in the shadows. He held no obligations this night, there were no ears he would be forced to whisper flattery into or an arm he'd be expected to hold. His movements were free and unhindered, with only a vague desire to watch Jannette fight in the tournement later on.

Even so, he had no idea where to even find the tournement. In fact, there were no sort of signs pointing the way or even other ball-goers he could ask for direction. Being alone did not bother Rebecca, nor did the darkness unsettle him. The shadows suited him after all, and Rebecca had found comfort in twilight during his misadventures exploring the castle past curfew.

He could ignore the whispers hidden in the rustling leaves meant to lead him astray, but he stood still as soon as he heard the footsteps approaching. Two foreign students emerged into view from around the corner, but something was wrong. It was too dark to see properly, but the girl stumbled in place, only barely catching herself on the other boy's arm.

Something shifted in the darkness behind the pair of them, a dark creature that seemed to swallow the dim light of the floating candles leaving only pitch black in its wake.

Rebecca immediately moved into action, slipping his wand out and holding it aloft. This unseen creature was using the shadows as a cover for attack, but the darkness was his domain! He focused carefully, ignoring his racing heart.

"Lumos!" he quickly hissed. Rebecca raised his wand as a knight would raise their shield against evil.

@Duvessa Ember as Angelique Semeline @Bailey Glade as Lloyd Thomas, briefly mentioned @Jannette Applebottom

Reducio ACTION: cast lumos at the Shadow STA | 4 | EVA | 9 | STR | 2 | WIS | 6 | ARC | 7 | ACC | 7 ability: Charmer

Reducio

"What I want right at this moment is to have a nice evening where drama is not on the agenda for the night," said Romeo, and Valentin lowered his head. It was a denial, like so many lambastes his father had dealt him.

You must stop being so emotional, Valka. Such weakness will get you and those you loved killed. Valentin could quote Hugo verbatim and even duplicate his exact German tone with how many times he’d heard the shut-downs. Do not let your emotions control you. You are not a beast but a Man. Think only of what you want, and how you plan to get it. Emotions must never enter the equation. Realizing his fists were clenched, Valentin forced his fingers to straighten out. Yet, his hands only trembled harder as he heard his own scolding echoing in his head yet again. You aren’t the person they need. What people want is the Frost Captain, cool-headed and unbreakable, someone they can use or at least not have to endure. Hear him, Valik. Listen to Romeo. Your drama is a flaw, a fault, and you are ruining the evening for him, probably for everyone. For once, try to learn what you have heard so many thousands of times. You have to change. People need someone else; change, or face oblivion alone.

"There is nothing going on between us," Romeo continued. "Any rumors you've heard to the contrary are half-truths at best." The legionnaire took his helmet into his hands and stared into the voids of its eye holes. "I'm Roman Catholic. We don't believe... we don't believe in that."

The second denial lanced Valentin’s heart like war shrapnel. We don’t believe… don’t believe in that… Amethyst eyes closed as burning like lava poured through the insides of Valya’s chest all the way down to the bottom of his stomach. The kind of person Valentin was, the love he felt with more fervor and dedication than anything, the moments of serenity and unity and adoration, were apparently all a lie. We don’t believe in that… that… It wasn’t as if Valya hadn’t known Romeo to be Catholic. It was one of ten thousand things Valentin had studied about #4. Yet, never before had its doctrine sliced him so ruthlessly to the core. For as sacred as Valya believed his love to be, now Romeo could not even call it by name, but merely as “that,” as if it lay even lower than Voldemort’s reviled name. Perhaps that was how Romeo saw Valentin’s nature indeed. Weren’t those wretched feelings vile, corrupting, evil, leading to pointlessly destructive action? Twice denied, twice damned.

"I apologize for potentially gaslighting you. I would never wish that on any of you." Romeo’s voice was full of honest conviction. "I never meant to deceive you. If I did... I'm sorry, and I understand if you think I'm a God-awful person now." As much as his co-captain meant his apology, it meant nothing to Valentin. Even static made more sense at such a moment, since at least Valya could relate to its formless chaos. A feeling like hot, black tar festered and bubbled up from the imploded pit inside the seeker’s gut, not unlike corroding from the inside out. Valentin felt no point in even shaking his head anymore. Romeo had made it abundantly clear that they could never have a future together, and this was simply a more complete delineation for the benefit of all – such a one as Valentin was a sinner, not to be copied, not to be affirmed.

Valentin’s trembling hand began emanating smoke as his flesh smoldered against the crackling wand.

"Cast a spell now, or give the wand to me," struck the third denial. This way that Valentin was – he was not allowed to be. Romeo would not permit it. The co-captain that Valya so trusted to show him when he was wrong… he was now denying Valentin to even hold in the emotions driving his arcane power. After all, the dangerous feelings, the tainted devotion, the sinful passion of Valya’s deepest heart were the source of the seeker’s magic – unacceptable. It had to be shut down. Just look at what Valentin had done to Mikael. The boy's half-molten face was scarred to this day – how much of Mikael’s psychological collapse was the fault of Valya’s unholy magic? It wouldn’t have been the first time Valentin’s bloodline had brought calamity, either. This was why he was a blight, him and every one of his slithering ancestors. This was why his predecessors had needed to receive such strict reproductive control: monsters like Valentin were only to be used like the beasts they were. Of course the king must always shackle the realm’s dragons, lest anarchy reign. Such hysterical serpents could never be allowed freedom. To give them any leeway for self-determination was sure to spiral out of control, like Valya's emotions now.

The frost-haired şehzade began to laugh. Valentin’s people had given him power, instating him not only as captain but as champion, surely with faith that the white king’s reason would rule supreme. What did his people want? Somehow, Romeo’s hands were over his on the burning wand. It hurt. Yes, it was burning. Yet, a whisper of memory came to Valentin, one of his people saying quite the opposite…

As for being emotional, that is what makes you who you are. That is what we and everyone who knows you loves about you. Everyone makes mistakes and you should be allowed to make them. You are being far too hard on yourself.

Shaking his head in a wild, thrashing attempt to pull away, Valentin found himself too weak to escape Romeo’s colossal grip. Ginyami’s words are a sugarcoated trap, practically lies. I asked him many times to never spare me the truth. This is why I can’t make mistakes. I’ve never been good enough. I’m not right. I’m… I’m not what they really want and need. Romeo wouldn’t twist the truth, and I… don’t I trust him?

"Perhaps it would have been better if I had just stayed away."

The one person I thought I could always trust… denying me, damning me three times. It’s over. I can’t do this anymore.

The seeker’s heart ached as it tore itself asunder, and still Valentin shrank in around the smoking wand, encircling it closely with his body in the hopes of blocking as much of the threat to Romeo as possible. Yet, with Romeo's hand tugging at the wand in his hand, a piece of Valentin deep inside melted. He had a co-captain for a reason, whatever it meant. He supposed it meant this after all. Releasing the wand and allowing Romeo to take it, Valentin would let go of any spell casting and let everything fizzle out. There was one person he could ever really surrender to, and now he wouldn't fight it anymore.

Statistics: STA 8 - EVA 15 - STR 3 - WIS 15 - ARC 1 - ACC 15
900/900 HP (Paragon of Health buff declared by Slava Preobrazhensky ally)
Abilities: Keen Eye - Charmer - Evasive Maneuvers - Fearless
Free Actions: Reaching the pinnacle of his existential crisis, letting Romeo take his wand
Location: In the hedge maze with his party
Inventory: Silver Arrow, exploding wand
Attire: Şehzade war general outfit including a light cloak, gold ring, amethyst ring on a silver chain tied to his belt, silver hoop earring, Turkish dagger (peace-tied with a sapphire-blue silk ribbon)

Post Tracker: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

English & Japanese

Aƚƚιɾҽ + Pԋყʂιƈαʅ Dҽʂƈɾιρƚισɳ

Reducio

A relentlessly ruthless military commander and front line combatant. He had no badges of honour to show off on this stash, but his build wouldn’t encourage anyone to carelessly mess with him, if they wanted to. Such is the fate of someone with a naturally intimidating aura. His clothes only enhanced what was already intimidating about him. His hair kept its usual buzz cut, but it seemed he had let it grow up a tad bit. The only eye-catching thing ( apart from his heart racing features ) is the red stash across his chest. It being the only thing that didn’t seem to follow the dark colour scheme he was going for. His stance and posture look confident as he walks around, but he was anything but.

His sunglasses tucked between the fabric of his chest pocket.

꠸ꪀρᥴ ꫀꪀᥴꪗ

Hmmmm…what should his opening be? Should he say hello in english? Or spare him the slightly nerve wrecking future if she asks where he came from because of his accent. Surely if she did that, he would start stumbling over his words as he always did. Although the answer was as simple as the question. Yet, he simply just doesn’t do well with conversations. It helped that he predicted it, but it didn’t quell his nervousness about it.

Should he just immediately start off with a suggestion that the flowers may be more familiar with another language? But the greeting! How could he greet anyone without greeting them first? Greetings were a piece of cake for even him. And yet here he is, struggling with his decision and paralysed, as if someone had blasted him with the binding spell. This was… a tad bit humiliating. What was the past few years for then if not to help him overcome this shyness of his. At this point, he would be standing as he had done earlier and the girl would’ve just moved on with her life and search another area. He wouldn't blame her.

In fact, perhaps some part of him wished she would leave. At least she would have made the decision for him to stop dwelling on such a small matter. All this debating was making his head woozy. He let out an irritated gruff under his breath and pressed the base of his fingers to his forehead, giving it a slight message.

Iɳƚҽɾαƈƚιɳɠ


Oρҽɳ / Cʅσʂҽԃ
Fσɾ ιɳƚҽɾαƈƚισɳʂ

Mҽɳƚισɳιɳɠ
@June Sewlyn


Aƈƚισɳʂ
Entered the maze, trying to come up with the courage to talk to June Part II . Still…not being able to talk to her.

Iɳʋҽɳƚσɾყ
wand(currently not equipped) & sunglasses(currently not equipped)

Sƚαƚʂ + AႦιʅιƚҽʂ
ꜱ ᴛ ᴀ ᴍ ɪ ɴ ᴀ : 5 | ꜱ ᴛ ʀ ᴇ ɴ ɢ ᴛ ʜ : 14 | ᴀ ʀ ᴄ ᴀ ɴ ᴇ : 10 | ᴀ ᴄ ᴄ ᴜ ʀ ᴀ ᴄ ʏ : 8 | ᴇ ᴠ ᴀ ꜱ ɪ ᴏ ɴ : 14 |
ᴡ ɪ ꜱ ᴅ ᴏ ᴍ : 3

ᴛᴇʀʀɪʙʟᴇ ᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴄᴇ + ʟᴏᴠᴇʟʏ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ + ꜰᴇᴀʀʟᴇꜱꜱ + ᴇᴠᴀꜱɪᴠᴇ ᴍᴀɴᴇᴜᴠᴇʀꜱ ɪ

Posts (so I don't cry about not being able to find it later)

Sara's Posts: I . II . III . IV . V . VI

Story Progress Posts: I. II . III . IV . V . VI .VII. VIII. IX . X . XI . XII . XIII . XV . XV . XVI . XVII . XVIII . XIX . XX

It wasn’t like you could go back in time. You can save yourself from trauma. Introverted starting to act up, did they truly know what it was? What is something that is truly expected? Who knew?

It is now officially night time. The sun is no longer setting, the maze was dark. They wanted us to truly find a way around, they would need to be creative.

People would be subject to the penalty that came for those who still lingered in the maze. Those who were lost, unfortunately, would also be cast off to the side- into the island of misfits so to speak. Puffapods were already emerging- but it wasn’t the only thing escalating. A fanged geranium would slowly emerge- making its presence known in front of a young Hufflepuff- André.

Fanged Geranium Attacking @André Lebedev
FG Accuracy: [d20 : 3] + 4 = 7
A Evasion: [d20 : 20] + 7 = 27
Result: André successfully dodged the attack.

But the geranium would fail to strike the boy, nor even graze his skin just a little bit. As a matter of fact, André had performed excellently in their dodging skill, seemingly catching the Geraniums attack and moving out of the way! Impressive skill to have- or maybe he was just lucky.

And not only was Geranium André’s only encounter, but he was also attacking the now-evolving Shadow with a light spell. Creative. “Lumos!” would’ve been called by two people, causing the shadow disconnecting herself from Angelique Selemine @Duvessa Embers to shriek loudly in pain- carrying the sound through the maze, every corner would’ve heard the shadow shrieking.

@André Lebedev - Casting Lumos against Shadow
WDC9
Wisdom: [d20 : 17] + 8 = 25 (success)

@Rebecca Loop - Casting Lumos against Shadow
WDC9
Wisdom: [d20 : 13] + 6 = 19 (success)
OOC Mod Note: The Shadow’s stats are now halved. As an additional "benefit" so to speak- Angelique is now enveloping her- blocking her vision.

For OOC Consideration
Welcome dear travelers to the Spring Court! May the maze treat you well as you step through. Tread lightly and watch your step! A few rules to follow, lest you be shunned by the Court.

◉ You must be indexed (have your name on the list here) to participate in the Ball.

‎◉ Each character is allowed one action per round.

‎◉ Kindly include your actions on your post so that it could be easier when moderation has to be done.

◉ The Spring Court is separated into two main threads, the Enchanted Maze and the Royal Banquet. For ease of moderation, leaving and entering a thread require a full action. Clearly write if you are entering/leaving, and specify which thread you are entering if moving to the other. You are able to move through an area and post an arrival to another area within the same round.

◉ To access the Royal Banquet, you must enter through the Enchanted Maze. This is the same for leaving, unless you are participating in the Knights Tourney (Kindly be sure to explain all of your actions and include a conspicuous place on your post for your character's statistics and unique abilities. It's okay if it's on banners. This is done for moderation purpose.). The Tourney is adjacent to the Royal Banquet within the Maze.
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◉ There are magical and muggle plants within the maze. Do be careful as the night continues...
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◉ The Knights Tourney is a side activity adjacent to the Royal Banquet inside the Maze. You do not have to participate. Sign ups are officially closed.

◉ Moderation posts will occur weekly on Saturdays.

Maze Moderators: Ashley Dinero Montez and Clark Baird

Locations/Official Threads (Part of the Ball): Royal Banquet | Tourney Sign Ups

Reducio

OOC Note: Every action chosen was done with rolls in the roll channel. The rolls are a bit confusing to not spoil the fun. If there is any question regarding what is happening, please feel free to owl the Ball moderators. If you notice any typo, please reach out and we shall make further edits. Other than that, Good Luck for the night, don't die

Writing as approved Durmstrang iNPC Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Preobrazhensky
Interacting with: Amina Petrovic (@Ileen Knight) and Valentin Schnell (@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood)
Mentioning: Romeo Marchonné (@Piérre Marchonné), Maila Aurora Laine (@Beatrice Dupont), and Ginyami Midorimori (@Jack Burnett) (indirectly)
Open to interactions

Amina decided her dare for him would be to parade her around on his back and “joust” with someone else, making Slava laugh. “As you wish.” He had no problem making a fool of himself if it made his friends happy or entertained. Life wasn’t worth wasting on seriousness when there was joy and jokes to be had, and he would go to great lengths just to make his loved ones smile. And Amina was just a friend, he had no problem with vague flirting and teasing and even the possibility of a kiss. It meant nothing, really. It was just youths messing around.

But it seemed the night had other, more serious intentions, as Amina explained that the noise the group had heard was a voice that said “don’t hurt me”. That was certainly concerning. Luckily, Amina provided relief by joking quietly to Slava that she would protect him with her life, poking fun at what, to the naive pair, seemed to be dramatics from the others. He giggled and nudged her in the side. “Don’t let them hear you. Maybe you’ll be forced to declare your undying loyalty and adoration for them too,” he teased, volume equally quiet for once. If only they knew what their companions had suffered through, the experiences that had given them a very valid sense of danger and concern that prompted what seemed “dramatic”. But they didn’t know, and Slava would remain blissfully unaware, believing it was all just a game.

Different theories were proposed for the source of the weird voice, with Amina suggesting it was the maze itself, Maila offering the explanation of a lost student, and Romeo asking what kind of magic could’ve caused it. Amina began speaking to the maze and Slava watched curiously, but unfortunately nothing happened. “Well, it was worth a try,” he offered encouragingly. But for every playful moment that was shared, seriousness seemed to follow. When he turned to see what Valentin thought, he saw the boy was crying, and while he tried desperately not to listen to what the white-haired boy was saying out of respect for his friend’s privacy, they were physically too close for him not to overhear, especially as the speech grew more passionate. Slava had no idea what the context was for some of it, but his friend was clearly hurting, and he couldn’t just stand by awkwardly, as bad as he was with tact involving other people’s emotions.

He took a small step to get closer to his friend, making sure his presence was known so as not to startle him. Not that he thought he would anyway—the boy was very observant, which was what made him such a good seeker, although maybe emotions could interfere and one could never be too careful. «Входящий,» “Incoming,” he mumbled, wrapping the visibly upset boy into a warm hug. From what he had discovered throughout their friendship, Valentin seemed to enjoy physical affection nearly as much as Slava did, but he had never really been around him when he was so upset and had no clue how well the hug would be received. But he wanted to try anyway. He knew he himself would have appreciated a hug when upset—it was grounding, comforting, and a tangible sign that someone cared.

He released the boy, looking into his eyes with care evident in his own dark ones. “Valya. You are very dear to me, but I don’t think I should be hearing this unless you specifically choose to share it with me. Know that you are loved, my friend, and if you ever need hugs or a distraction I would be there for you at a moment’s notice if you asked. But I am no good with words, and these friends are, and I don’t think this is my business. I’ll come check on you later, okay? But I think for now I should go. I won’t be too far.” He sprinkled some glitter onto the other boy’s hand with a small smile. He never knew what exactly was best in social situations, and he knew he wasn’t great at comforting people or saying the right thing, but his heart was pure and the fact that he cared deeply about his friends was obvious. He moved towards Amina. “Do you want to come with me?” he whispered. “I don’t think we are making this situation better, but maybe we can go see about that dare…” Whether she came with him or not, he would slip away from the group, off to explore the rest of the maze and hopefully see about that banquet that had been promised.

Statistics: STA 8 | EVA 9 | STR 13 | WIS 6 | ARC 5 | ACC 18
Abilities: Evasive Maneuvers I & II, Broken Broomshaft, Charmer (Allies: members of the Durmstrang Quidditch team and Maksim Preobrazhensky (if he joins), so opponents everyone else), Paragon of Health (Allies: Valentin Schnell and Amina Petrovic)
Action: N/A
Free Actions: Chatting to Amina, concerned about Valentin. Leaving the group but not the thread.

Maze: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4
Banquet: 1

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So, André’s mom was from France, which meant he probably spoke French, and Hannah did too. Her Veela grandmother was from France, Hannah had been there only once, but it was very pretty.

”Really? That’s so nice!My grandmother is actually from France. Do you speak French yourself?” she asked, knowing that her talkative self had escaped.

As they stood, André answered Hannah’s invitation to explore the maze. It would be nice to not be alone anymore. ”Yeah, let’s hope so. I think I wouldn’t escape alone, at least until the end of the ball, or maybe even the next school year.” a chuckle escaped, and a few seconds later she covered her mouth. Hannah was usually not very funny.

The boy asked Hannah two questions: her year and her house. Two questions she would answer quickly. Even though at the start of the year she didn’t want to be a Gryffindor, here she was enjoying it.

“To answer your questions, I’m a first year, Gryffindor. What about you?” she asked looking at him.

It was nice to have company. And the maze got even darker as they explored, but luckily, the boy pulled out his wand.

That, is a smart move she thought looking down, making sure she wouldn’t trip.

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Roleplaying as Ginyami Midorimori from Mahoutokoro
"English | Japanese"

Valentin's words about learning to shoulder the damage for his dear ones earned a shake of the head from Ginyami. He really thought the other boy took too much upon himself, especially for the sake of others. That he would condemn himself for choices that others made confounded the Japanese teen. If one really tried, they could easily find ways to blame themselves for anything, but then how could Ginyami combat that? If anything went wrong in any situation, was Valentin going to be certain the responsibility lay with him?

"Perhaps there might have been things you could have done better, but we survived and we managed it together with the help of one another. I would say that counts for something," he told his peer. "You are dwelling on what you did wrong, but there were things you did right, too. Like telling us where you were going. Otherwise you might not be standing here with us today."

The seeker went on to apologize to Romeo for failing him. To hear that Valentin had wanted to make at least one person happy, that one person being with Ginyami with no regard for himself, caused the Japanese boy's mood to darken as numerous conflicting emotions began to well up and mix within him like a potion gone wrong.

"If you didn't consider your happiness separate, why say 'at least one person should come out of this with what he wants'?" Ginyami wanted to know, though his voice was low and calm. "That suggests only one person to me. Not two people unified in happiness. Regardless, is it not true that you regret it? What we did? Is that not why you keep apologizing?"

Ginyami stiffened to hear part of Valentin had died the day of the Bash and looked away. Perhaps the white seeker did speak the truth, but at what price? His happiness? Why else had part of him have to die?

"I aspire to unite, in happiness, in love... but like anyone, I struggle. At minimum, I want you to be happy, and the best would be for me to revel in that just as much. It takes work to bring the relationship farther, but I've tried... if only you could know how hard I tried. What I lament is that I haven't succeeded so far, and in my failure, my sacrifice comes with regret at its worthlessness. It was a gambit that has yet to pay its due, and so I am sorry for my failings..."

Romeo faced Ginyami then, their gazes locking, and mentioned he was curious as to what Ginyami had heard about what he wanted. He removed his helmet and expressed his wishes to have a nice evening devoid of drama. Of course he must have known, as Ginyami did, that it was a bit late for that. It probably had been since Amina had playfully swooped down and planted a kiss on Valentin's lips. So Romeo went on to say he got the feeling that Ginyami was expecting something more along the lines of what he wanted out of his relationship with Valentin. And then he icily declared there was nothing going on between him and his co-captain.

What is or isn't going on between you two is not the same as what you want, Ginyami thought, dark, narrow eyes glittering calculatingly as they stared into the electric blue of Romeo's. You just side-stepped the question with an answer to a question no one asked. And you want us to make particular inferences from your non-answer to come to an answer of our own. Is that your game?

But why? Were there too many people present for him to say what he really, truly wanted? Was it because he, Ginyami, was there? But no, it seemed consistent with what Valentin had said about Romeo having rejected his confession of feelings instead of reciprocated. What it wasn't consistent with was what Ginyami had observed about the way Romeo interacted with and treated Valentin ever since he had met him. There had to be something else. Perhaps it was something like the selfless reason of not having wanted to accompany Valentin to a pureblood ball while being someone of no importance, but there had to be a reason.

The Roman warrior had shifted his attention from Ginyami to the helmet in his hands. Then he mentioned his religion and how, as a Roman Catholic, he 'didn't believe in that'. Ginyami raised a brow. Is that so? He hated to think of how Valentin might have been taking the statement, but he forced himself to look. The Durmstrang champion had shut his luminous starlight eyes as if against the words themselves. His pain was almost palpable.

Guilt soaked into Ginyami as he recognized himself as being at least part of the reason Valentin was being torn down a second time. Had he not demanded to know what Romeo wanted, even if he hadn't been the only one, perhaps Romeo wouldn't have felt cornered enough to produce the responses he did - responses that were clearly searing Valentin like white hot iron now. Perhaps that was why Valentin didn't seem to notice the difference when his skin was literally being seared by his crackling, heated wand.

"Val? Valya, your wand!"

Romeo then apologized and, not long after, dropped his shield while allowing his lantern light to go out. He tried to take Valentin's wand, which was very obviously about to explode or something similar, and told its owner to cast a spell or give the wand to him.

Valentin's laughter caused the hairs on the back of Ginyami's neck to stand on end. "Valya? Valentin, please, you are burning!" The albino teen struggled to pull away from Romeo at first, but soon curled up around the wand as if to try to block its imminent explosion. Ginyami darted forward, attempting to grab Valentin by the bicep to pull him away, but he didn't end up needing to. The seeker gave up the wand to his co-captain before anything more dangerous occurred.

Nevertheless, Ginyami reached to gently take Valentin's newly empty hand that had held the wand to check it for injury. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again when Slava came forth mumbling something in a different language. Carefully releasing the hand he had taken, Ginyami took a step away to allow Slava to hug the quidditch captain and talk to him with words of care and comfort. Before long, though, Slava was saying he should take his leave for now and said he wouldn't be far as he made his own way through the maze.

It was a shame. Ginyami would have liked to get the cheerful boy better and he thought Valentin could have definitely used more of his positivity just then, but if things were getting too heavy for him, it couldn't have been helped. Ginyami would have very much liked to hug Valentin himself, but something - years of formal behavior? Embarrassment in front of Valentin's other friends? Fear that he might make things worse like Amina's kiss had? All of the above? - kept him from doing so. It was so strange. He hadn't cared about what it had looked like when he had been caught with Valentin by Kim and Hiro at the Thrills Bash, but after seeing what Amina's kiss had done to the albino teen, Ginyami didn't want to risk taking what Valentin didn't want to give.

So, instead, he went back to Valentin's side and gingerly tried to catch his hand with his own. Surely that, at least, wouldn't be too much, would it?

"Valya...that was a stupid thing to do," he whispered softly, referring to when Valentin had tried to use his body to take the brunt of whatever damage his wand had been about to cause. Despite Ginyami's chastising words, though, there was no malice or anger in his tone. There was only sorrow and concern. "I don't understand how you think it's alright to keep putting yourself in danger but it isn't alright for others do the same for your sake. Isn't that being a little hypocritical?" he sighed. Now probably wasn't the time, though. If Valentin hadn't removed his hand from Ginyami's attempt to grasp it, the Japanese boy would raise it to his lips to kiss it lightly.

Action: N/A
Free Action(s): Talking, observing, kissing Valentin's hand if he's allowed
Interacting with: Valentin Schnell (@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood), Maila Aurora Laine (@Beatrice Dupont), Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Preobrazhensky (@Ruby Cazares), Romeo Giovanni Marchonné (@Piérre Marchonné), and Amina Petrovic (@Ileen Knight)

Open to Interactions

Post Tracker: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

Note: Post has been edited to include a response to Ginyami from Valentin that was written by @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood who said I could include it in this post.