Wonderland Waltz
Marietta told herself firmly that it was perfectly normal for others to hang out with their friends at these things, rather than seek new ones out. After all, balls were supposed to enjoyed by everyone and friends often made these things better. She wouldn't begrudge them that, that would be wrong of her. Even if that little tea party that was being set up looked cool. She decided it was okay to feel sad about being lonely. 'No it isn't, you have no one but yourself to blame. You are perfectly capable of walking up to anyone here and striking up a conversation. You choose not to because you're a coward. If you weren't so scared of falling on your face socially, you wouldn't spend all your time talking to a stupid cat.' Hissed one of her many voices. She knew it was true, but that only made it sting more. It wasn't like she hadn't tried when everyone was new and didn't have friends. The problem was nobody had stuck. She even had that boy who straight up runaway from her once. Marietta shuddered. Taking a nice long swig of the hot chocolate to calm herself. Then she stroked Jello's fur thoughtfully. She would do it. She was going to walk over to someone and talk to them.
At that time though, somebody in a splendiferous Mad Hatter costume came to stand in the center of the gazebo. Marietta wrinkled her nose, she'd never been fond of these 'dance royalty' things. Sure the winners were really happy, but it made two out of, what? Twenty people happy. the rest made to stew in the fact that they were somehow lesser than those that had won. Even if the losers weren't lesser than! Merely lesser known. 'You're such a spoil sport, the losers probably don't mind and you're just projecting. Marietta winced, this was... equally possibly true.
Her silent tussle with her mind was interrupted though, as chandeliers came crashing down. Marietta panicked, scooping up Jello and jumping away as the Black Clubs table, the very table she was sitting at- caught fire. Marietta gaped as what sounded like over a dozen different spells flew through the air. Mostly extinguo by the sounds of it. She looked over to the first year that had cast extinguo on the black clubs table. 'Wow even a first year is quicker on the uptake than you are.' Whispered the same voice that had been bugging her all night. 'I'm only two years older than her, that is by no means suprising, or a comment on my abilities.' She thought firmly back. Making a mental note to thank the younger girl once things had settled down.
Marietta wanted to do something to help but she was unsure of how much help she'd really be, so she just, hung back and watched everyone else deal with it. Nothing but a bystander.
At that time though, somebody in a splendiferous Mad Hatter costume came to stand in the center of the gazebo. Marietta wrinkled her nose, she'd never been fond of these 'dance royalty' things. Sure the winners were really happy, but it made two out of, what? Twenty people happy. the rest made to stew in the fact that they were somehow lesser than those that had won. Even if the losers weren't lesser than! Merely lesser known. 'You're such a spoil sport, the losers probably don't mind and you're just projecting. Marietta winced, this was... equally possibly true.
Her silent tussle with her mind was interrupted though, as chandeliers came crashing down. Marietta panicked, scooping up Jello and jumping away as the Black Clubs table, the very table she was sitting at- caught fire. Marietta gaped as what sounded like over a dozen different spells flew through the air. Mostly extinguo by the sounds of it. She looked over to the first year that had cast extinguo on the black clubs table. 'Wow even a first year is quicker on the uptake than you are.' Whispered the same voice that had been bugging her all night. 'I'm only two years older than her, that is by no means suprising, or a comment on my abilities.' She thought firmly back. Making a mental note to thank the younger girl once things had settled down.
Marietta wanted to do something to help but she was unsure of how much help she'd really be, so she just, hung back and watched everyone else deal with it. Nothing but a bystander.
Reducio
Open to interaction!
Stats: Stamina:8 | Evasion:8 | Strength:3 | Wisdom:7 | Arcane power:7 | Accuracy:7
Ency: Link!
WC: 528
Mentioning: @Draven Mirador @Skylar Blue
Action: Taking a swig of her hot chocolate and moving away from the table of Black Clubs, towards the bushes.
Stats: Stamina:8 | Evasion:8 | Strength:3 | Wisdom:7 | Arcane power:7 | Accuracy:7
Ency: Link!
WC: 528
Mentioning: @Draven Mirador @Skylar Blue
Action: Taking a swig of her hot chocolate and moving away from the table of Black Clubs, towards the bushes.
One step is all it takes to start moving. One mistake is all it takes to start falling. One pair of gloves is all it could take to turn a miserable life around. | Also playing Miryam Mbasssi
Wonderland Waltz
________________________________________________________________@Hazel Nelson AKA Tourist Girl
Action: Casting the Extinguishing Charm (Extinguo) on gazebo fire
Axel sees the flash of hurt in her eyes and feels a tiny bit guilty about being so cruel to her. He noticed her blinking her eyes to hide the emotion, an action he knew very well, considering his did it himself rather often. The guilt gnaws at his stomach, growing heavier. Why was he so mean about it?! Then Hazel responds to his rudeness saying she isn't a brat and trying to have fun. He can't look at her, feeling remorseful for a change.
The guilt grew some more...
After he starts to apologise, Hazel seems very ready to accept his guilty apology. He swallows before a massive BANG!
His hand is held tightly by Hazel's, her skin soft and warm. But more importantly, she was closer to him, close enough to smell the floral scent of her perfume. The scent seemed to kick Axel into alert. This girl had probably spent hours getting ready for this ball only for him to act like this. He tugs Hazel slightly closer as chandeliers start falling. Glass is dangerous.
His eyes widen as fire appears suddenly at most exits. He then feels Hazel get heavier. Limp. She's fainted?! Fuck... What do I do? What do I do? He thinks desperately. He awkwardly holds her so that her head is upright but arms dangling towards the ground like lost appendages.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out his wand. "Extinguo!". Despite his personality, he looked quiet heroic, wand drawn and saving Hazel like a damsel-in-distress.
Last edited by Axel Brooks on 16 May 2026, 08:49, edited 1 time in total.
HOLIDAY MODE: No connection for 7 days as I'm on a boat
Pc: Emiline Hunter
Wonderland Waltz
Colin babbled on about Olivia having a whole line of guys wanting to dance with her but she didn't really believe him. He also mumbled something about girls being so weird sometimes. Then he lowered his voice so low that if it weren't for Olivia's increased hearing she wouldn't have heard it.
"And ye might even get a snog or two later, eh Livia?"
Colin laughed heartily but Olivia couldn't do anything but stare at Colin, her face red.
"No," she just said. "First of all no, second of all who would ever want to snog with me?" she asked Colin sincerely. She had never had anyone point out how pretty or cute she was like Colin had but it didn't really count because Colin was Colin.
After Emily's sudden appearance and lung-crushing group hug, Colin emphasized once again how much he loved 'Eyes of Sky'. "I do love you, Emily Shephard!" Colin exclaimed and Olivia felt with a small stab in her heart that no matter how dressed up or how hard she tried, she was still an outsider. As if she was looking at Colin, and at Emily, and the ball through a thick window. She didn't fit in there and no dress in the world could change that.
Then Colin woke Olivia from her thoughts with a big grin. He pulled out his wand and cast a spell that made flowers rain down on Olivia and Emily. Olivia forced herself to smile at Colin as the flowers got stuck in her hair. She made no attempt to wave them away. She simply couldn't bring herself to.
Olivia barely registered when someone started advertising this year's Spring Royalty. But then something felt wrong, very wrong…
"Em! Liv! Watch out! The chandeliers are falling!"
Olivia looked around when Colin called out and saw the chandeliers starting to fall. She instinctively pressed herself against a pillar and her brain had gone into full panic mode. But just as she was about to duck, the chandeliers stopped. Still trembling from head to toe, Olivia let out a little breath.
But the chaos was far from over.
Fire appeared here and there and Olivia quickly backed away from the gazebo. She heard several students around her draw their wands and start trying to put out the fires. But she had never really gotten the hang of that spell, and besides, she was too scared and panicked to do anything at all.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Colin grab Emily's hand, she also saw several other couples holding hands or protecting each other. But she just stood there, all alone.
She really shouldn't have come to the ball. She should have just stayed in the safety of her dorm. Without thinking, she started running towards the exit but when she was a few meters away, she saw that the fire was there too.
Bang!
Olivia wasn't very used to high heels, so in her panic, she had tripped and landed hard on the ground. Her palms burned and she thought she had scraped her knee. Her breathing was hard and labored and she felt tears burning behind her eyelids.
Wc: 530
@Colin McCoire @Emily Shephard
Notes: Oh my god, why am I doing this to Olivia? Might some kind soul help her? (Just owl me before so that we're clear)
Last edited by Olivia Williams on 14 May 2026, 18:31, edited 1 time in total.
| Olivia Williams - Gryffindor | Whether you're a werewolf or human, love is still love. Betrayal is still betrayal. |
Wonderland Waltz
Outfit:
Reducio
Joseph's shoulders relaxed as Eona reached for another pepper popper, munching away eagerly. Great. So she did like the pepper snacks. These ones specifically, with the cream cheese filling and the sprinkle of-- oh, why did he care? The information wasn't even remotely useful, anyway. He turned away, as a brush of heat crawled up his neck.
More students filed into the courtyard, and his eyes lit up at a familiar face. There! Avery! His Gryffindor buddy was swaddled in a delicate scarlet dress today, leaning back against the doors. Maybe waiting for her date. That Ravenclaw boy she always hung out with. What was his name again -- Mickey?
Then Joseph spotted something else, and his jaw fell limp. "Oh. No way."
Someone in a huge green owl outfit, complete with the derpiest pair of sunglasses he'd ever seen. "Looks like I've been out-weirded," Joseph chortled, adjusting his cuff as he accepted Eona's glass of iced tea. "Need something more creative next time. Maybe a headless seagull. Or a-"
The glass slipped. Joseph's stomach dropped, eyes widened as it hit the floor, exploded into a shower of shards and spilled tea. Of course. Of course he messed up AGAIN.
"I- I'm sorry," he stammered, fisting a clump of feathers jutting from his shoulder. "I'll find a way to... clean this up..." Between his hammering heart and Astra’s silent judgement… maybe Lindsey had been right, maybe he really was a horrible date after all.
The music drowned out and a voice cut through the air. All eyes were drawn to a figure in an oversized hat, shadow stretching across the white gazebo. An announcement. Perfect time.
Still, something felt wrong. Then Joseph figured what: the floating chandeliers. Overhead, lights flickered and the ornaments teetered violently, casting shifting shadows across the courtyard. “Knew it,” he muttered, as Mr Silly Hat finally fell silent. A sharp crack. Then without warning, the chandeliers dropped and hurtled down down down towards the ball-goers.
Screams, crackles, and a burst of heat nearby, far too close for comfort. Joseph uttered his aunt’s favourite string of Scottish curses, most of which he didn’t entirely understand. It didn’t matter. Not now.
“It’s fire! Get back!” he cried, voice cracking as he tugged at Eona’s arm. Flames licked across the floor, inching towards the table and its precious pepper poppers. His eyes stung. Wonderland had collapsed into a mess of smoke and panic.
Calm down. Think, Joseph, think.
He couldn’t put out the fire, not with his miserable arsenal of spells. What could he do? Turn a matchstick into a needle? A good load of use that would be. Unless…
Joseph’s eyes snapped towards the table. Soup. Pumpkin soup. It wasn’t his best idea, maybe not even a good idea. But… it was an idea.
Something seized hold of Joseph - the same force that had sent him diving into the Great lake in search for gulping plimpies. Snatching the nearest bowl, Joseph hurled its contents towards the flames.
Action: Interacting with @Eonaria Kabukimono and @Astra the Rock, pouring pumpkin soup on the fire.
Mentioning: @Avery Gray @Fire Davies
Stamina 8 | Evasion 3 | Strength 5 | Wisdom 6 | Arcane Power 6 | Accuracy 7
Owl for interactions! :>
Life is like a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans; you never know what you are going to get.
Wonderland Waltz
date: 19 April 2026
time: evening
location: courtyard
roleplaying as livia machavariani
sta: 2 | eva: 10 | str: 0 | wis: 8 | arc: 8 | acc: 8
terrible presence
sta: 2 | eva: 10 | str: 0 | wis: 8 | arc: 8 | acc: 8
terrible presence
Almost as quickly as Livia and Hayato had arrived, chaos erupted as flames spread throughout the ball. Screams filled the air. Livia heard spells of all sorts being cast – largely attempts to nullify the effects of the flames. The fire, though, did not bother her; her first thought was that, perhaps, this was not so unlike a forest fire, where eradication of something was necessary. Fires did not often start without probable cause.
Despite her apparent calm, and despite her intrigue for the glowing orange danger, she recognised that she, as a spindly child, lacked the strength to survive a fire should it spread towards her. A fleeting analytical glance towards Hayato would suggest the same of him – neither were clad is thick muscle; neither were built to fight flames. But Livia would not fan them, either. Instead, she let her vision rake over the situation at hand. Yes, indeed, many students were casting spells to do with water. The last thing anyone wanted was a flood, though – moderation was of the utmost importance. Thus, Livia sought other opportunities. One presented itself in the form of @Hazel Nelson.
The girl, though largely unfamiliar to Livia, struck her as someone perhaps even weaker than her. This was an opportunity not only to be useful, but also to show off. 'I am going to attempt to assist that girl,' Livia said to Hayato as she drew her wand. Then, pointing it at the falling figure of the girl, she incanted, 'Levioso.'
The intention would be to transport the girl away from the worst of the flames by utilising an advanced levitation charm. Whether it would work or not would reside in the hands of fate.
@hayato ichiyagi.
1. definition from oxford languages.
note: mentions of hayato & hazel were agreed upon.
outfit:
Reducio
action: attempting to cast levioso to move Hazel Nelson out of harm’s way
| [staff] jessamine lancaster even you cannot conquer the sun. | marina alacrán [inpc] her hair is kinda wild and free. |
Wonderland Waltz
Linda wasn't really planning to attend the ball after performance. However, it was expected that the results would be announced here and so she entered the place. The fire mess that met her wasn't what she expected to see. She sighed and looked around to search for Quentin. By some reason she was more interested in finding him first than to cast extinguishing spells.
She stayed wearing dress from her performance rather than finding time to change clothes for the ball. Her hair had some flowers in them and it was the only change from her performance outfit. After finally noticing Quentin, Linda started to approach him. The moment we just enter and it looks like this ball has quite some fires. She spoke softly with unsurprised sad look. She had hoped that it could be just as peaceful as the performances were. However, it seemed like it was in school's tradition to have some sort of disaster happening at the ball.
What should we do till the announcement of the results? She looked at him waiting for the answer. She had no plans so was interested in what he wanted them to do now. For a second she was wondering if her bestie was somewhere here. A quick glance around and she didn't notice her. However, she still wasn't sure if she just didn't notice Rey or her bestie simply wasn't here.
She was curious to know the results. Even if she didn't get enough votes, she'll stay feeling happy. That much she decided already during her performance. However, she definitely couldn't deny that having crown for Quentin and her would just feel more special. She smiled at the thought.
@Quentin Gagné
Action: entering the ball after performing for Spring royalty
Will is able to change even the lines on our palms
| ✮Célestine de la Croix-Valmer✮ - staff account | -ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ-Kaya Rose Bennett-ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ- - first iNPC account | Ryusei Ishikawa - new iNPC |
Wonderland Waltz
Banner by and matching with @Verity Engels
✥──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────✥
Erast had to consciously make the effort to relax his shoulders when swivelling to face Verity. He held his jaw tightly. The girl looked stunning. Dressed in a bold outfit that could have only been tacky on any other person, Verity Engels managed to maintain her air of elegant refinement. He felt almost embarrassed to stand by her as the match to her outfit, feeling plain in his own attire. He briefly looked over her shoulders, which were covered by a black cloak. Worry bled into his fretting, wondering if the blonde had caught a chill on the way.
"Not at all! I just got here,” Erast returned a nod, his signature fox-like smile melting his previously blank expression. "We decided on a great theme, I feel. Matches well with the roses." Extending his arm as his etiquette lessons had taught him, he was about to offer her his arm for the both of them to enter the courtyard when a shoulder jammed itself into his back. He stumbled slightly, a pinprick of frustration bursting through the calm atmosphere. He turned, and there stood Milica Vranekova. A fellow prefect, with one of the most severe expressions he had ever come to encounter, with a sullen aura to match. Milica, who happened to be Cecilia’s good friend and their invite to the ball. Whatever annoyance mellowed out at the thought. “Oh dear, are you okay?” He straightened his vest and went to check on the Slytherin girl, but then came the stick prodding the beast. Lovebirds? His under-eyelid twitched. “Ahaha, I wouldn’t dare. We are all here as friends, no?” Erast waved his hands in playful dismissal, trying to dissipate the awkward mood to keep civility. He felt a surge of respect for Verity as she greeted Vranekova amicably despite her flushed face at the comment, truly stronger than he was.
Suddenly, the voice of Rosaline Everhart drifted over, and Erast perked up. “Rosaline! Our work is finally showing rewards, right?” His smile brightened. Then he turned to Leo Noxley, whom he greeted with a polite nod, “And Noxley. Glad to see you.” The question about Frederick Buckley made him hum. He scanned the entrance parameters, sighing with a fond chuckle, “Maybe Cecilia and him are off pranking a poor soul again.” The thought made him slightly jealous. That must be fun.
Before he could suggest that they enter the ball first, the world flashed white. A spine-chilling crash rang in his ears, and a blast of heat charged at him from behind. Erast whipped out his wand. Fire roared from within the courtyard, a menacing, dancing destroyer swallowing the nearby greenery. He gritted his teeth, subconsciously inching in front of his friends. Suddenly, a lick of searing pain erupted from his ankle. “Extinguo!” Erast hissed out the spell at the fire crawling at their feet. Beside him, Verity stood level-headed, confident as she wielded her wand fearlessly against the nearby flames. “Haha, must be. Quite an interesting guest list this season,” Erast laughed airily at her teasing, but his smile remained strained. There’s an attacker amongst them. The sneaking fear sank into him. His governess’s cautionary tales began floating up into his head. Surely, no sane assassin would crash a school dance to take down a pawn. Surely not.
Timely mercy he often was, Frederick Buckley came speeding over with his broom in his hand. “Always in time for the big boom, huh, Fred?” Erast mirrored the boy’s light-hearted humour, stepping over to swiftly stomp out the fire threatening to bite onto the Gryffindor’s broom’s bristles.
✥──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────✥
Action:Casting EXTINGUO (and being paranoid about being assassinated)
Mentions:@Verity Engels, @Milica Vranekova, @Cecilia Merrick, @Rosaline Everhart, @Leo Noxley, and @Frederick Buckley
Wonderland Waltz
born to be kings, princes of the universe -- give or take, the girls' thought process
| xxxxxx | xxxxxx |
| xxxxxx | A certain amount of nostalgia was inevitable whenever another last came for Dee's time at Hogwarts. The last first day. The last Halloween, last Christmas, last trip to another wizarding school. Her last broom race (and hopefully last win!) was still coming up; closely followed by her last round of exams, and then, presumably, her last ride in the Hogwarts Express. Her last mention in the Headliner, she thought cynically, was hopefully already done. (When had the newspaper that she'd once proudly reported for turned into a trashy tabloid? But no use worrying about it now.) Not all of it was bad, of course - she was looking forward to the freedom after graduation. She'd be able to visit Madhup whenever she wanted, for one. Nonetheless, she intended to make the most of all her her lasts while she had the chance, and that included dancing with her boyfriend at her last ball, and winning a crown with her best friend while she was at it. Part one of that was already a resounding success (despite rocks put in their path by said trashy tabloid), as evidenced by Dee's arms, currently on Madhup's shoulders, and Mad's hands on her waist. She was also fairly confident in the crown, and not just because her name dictated she should wear one; in her completely unbiased opinion, Aly and her had killed it at the pageant earlier, and they had the win basically in their royal pockets. Everything was going smoothly. A normal ball, perhaps, for once? But alas, it could not be, not even for their very last ball at this school. Upon the announcement that the spring court royalty was about to be crowned, Dee unwound her arms from Mad's neck with a wink, and twisted around to try and spot her platonic soulmate in the crowd. It shouldn't be too hard; despite her lacking height, Aly's impressive head of curls usually made her stand out, in addition to the fact that she was accompanied by someone who was significantly taller than her and of course looked absolutely stunning tonight. She wound her way through the crowd towards the gazebo, assuming Aly would do the same, but instead of her best mate, Dee spotted disaster, even if the mild, rather mundane kind. Chandeliers rattling and clattering and falling, then fire raining from the sky. Erumpent potion, perhaps? Within moments, chaos reigned, with multiple fires breaking out across the courtyard. Dee barely paused in her stride. An eyeroll and an exasperated sigh was the most reaction she had to spare before she slipped her wand from her sleeve, second nature to the former duellist. Wands were drawn all around her as well, but she'd been at this school for long enough to not trust the skills of her peers. If you wanted something done right, you'd rather do it yourself... or be ready to shield yourself from the consequences of the actions around you. |
xxxxxx |
mod action: if the gazebo fire is still burning: cast extinguo at the gazebo fire
otherwise: cast pluvia velo to shield herself from the thunderstorm if matt & colin succeeded
sta 7, eva 16 str 4, wis 18, arc 10, acc 22
evasive maneuvers | charmer | perfectionist i + ii | spell spread | restricted potions | apparition
charmer affects everyone except aly & mad
@Aly Salinger | @Madhup Hexum
dealla prince & aly salinger for spring royalty: the package de-al!
otherwise: cast pluvia velo to shield herself from the thunderstorm if matt & colin succeeded
sta 7, eva 16 str 4, wis 18, arc 10, acc 22
evasive maneuvers | charmer | perfectionist i + ii | spell spread | restricted potions | apparition
charmer affects everyone except aly & mad
@Aly Salinger | @Madhup Hexum
dealla prince & aly salinger for spring royalty: the package de-al!
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
Wonderland Waltz
English | Français
interacting: @Linda Ramirez
open to any interactions
Quentin was exhilarated from his performance during the royalty event. At this point, he wasn't even concerned about winning—he was just happy he had finally mastered that flip. He may even do a few more here at the dance. But first he needed to find Linda.
And like always a flash of red hair alerted him to her presence. Unfortunately the red of her of hair was unusually hard to see since it was mingling with some kind of flaming red backdrop at the entrance to the ball. Flaming? Flames? Oh, merde shit, the ball was on fire. Linda reacted calmly and wondered about the results of the spring court. That was like a Hogwarts student—used to this sort thing somehow. Sometimes Quentin was worried it was part of the curriculum for the Scottish school to traumatize their students. In fact, a few times he had asked Linda to move to France for her safety. But she had a family and she wasn't an adult and she wasn't fluent in French etc.—the classic excuses.
Regardless if she was trauma-bonded to this school or not, Quentin was bonded to Linda, so he grabbed her hand tightly. He was frozen. The flames were frighteningly familiar to those that covered Hogsmeade in the aftermath of that day. "Linda. We aren't be attacked again. Right."
action: just standing still eerily close to the entrance flames
sta 15 - eva 8 - str 15 - wis 5 - arc 6 - acc 15 |||| Calming Presence - Muggle Condition - Fearless - Lovely Creature
also Della Barfield | Ruckus Weems
Wonderland Waltz
| E | ✧  ✧location. hogwarts courtyard date. 19th of april, 2026 mentions. @Camille De Varenne;   Esme was absolutely no stranger to formal events, all the parts and ingredients that made up glitz and glamour alike. Sparkling chandeliers and sparkling champagne — the hum of chatter and click of polished shoes on marble floors, caterers hidden in kitchens and waiters buzzing about with silver trays. She was, similarly, no stranger to the refined guests that would frequent the ballroom at her family’s estate: the suits and heels and dresses that twirled and mingled and networked. Whatever the balls at Hogwarts were, they were not that. Leave it to the faculty of one of the most renowned wizarding schools to absolutely fail at recreating any of the pretty things that galas and balls came with. Esme wasn’t necessarily a fan of them — they usually brought a certain shakiness and stage fright that she wasn’t keen to repeat on a weekend spent with a friend like Camille — but she would admit, decorations and dresses could still be fun. Now, clad in an expensive blue and white dress, lace white tights, and jewelry that could buy a middle-sized townhouse in the centre of London (including a certain diamond bracelet), Esme was coming to the realization that there would be little fun to be had here. She shouldn’t have had her expectations any higher than ground level, really. The first ball she had attended at Hogwarts was also… middling, for lack of a gentler word that would still remain honest. She did not blame it on the Hogwarts faculty then; not too much anyway. There were two people she did blame, however: Cecilia Merrick and M-... well, to expect Esme to remember that little stain’s name was far too much. Now, however, she was no longer locked in a room with perhaps the two worst behaved, nausea-inducing, scheming young women in all of Hogwarts, and the event still left much to be desired. For one, what Camille had already noted — what self-respecting black tie formal nighttime event had a buffet set up with some of the worst food choices she could have imagined? Two, the other guests around weren’t her first choice for company, either. Though she was yet to run into the pest masquerading as a human girl (and a Hogwarts student and sports captain, no less — surely, a harrowing achievement for a deficient roach such as this one) that was Cecilia Merrick, it did not mean the rest of the Hogwarts student her and Camille had mingled with were much better for company. She had seen Livia around, but found herself too busy otherwise to actually speak with her; something that was not assisted by the rather, ah, mixed feelings that she knew her companion to the ball held towards the girl she considered such a kindred spirit. Conflicted feelings on companions had seemed to be a theme, lately. Esme chose not to dwell on it. At least the decorations were pretty. Though she still felt out of place, a rose among thorns — in this case, a high class designer gown in a sea of outlet mall school dance dresses — the roses that decorated the walls and the tables set up in the courtyard remained enchanting. It was hard to mess up fresh flowers in the middle of spring, it seemed, though Esme wasn’t sure if she wanted the bar to be this low for a school she had recently been coming around to more and more. She watched, with mild sympathy, as Camille got rid of his drink and found the least offensive looking thing amongst the (Merlin save both of them) buffet. Before they could find a place to sit, some person with the most hideous hat Esme had seen… ever, got up on stage and began to announce the results of the Spring Royalty pageant. With ease, she linked her elbow with Camille’s, quick to follow him towards the stage. Though the title held no real weight, after some conversation with Camille and others, she did concede that it would have certainly been nice to have the evening turn out; and, well, having witnessed the competition, she could scarcely name someone else more deserving of the title. Before the speaker could, however, announce the name of the winners — be it her and Camille or some above average imitation for their own sheer talent and showmanship — there was a loud crack. Esme heard it before she could see it. Before she could process what was unfolding. The sound boomed through her ears, made everything from the ground to the most delicate of bones hidden underneath layers of tulle and her own skin vibrate and soon, shake. The lights of the chandeliers she had just been internally calling gaudy flickered. Her brow furrowed and she looked up just in time to see them fall. It was immediate — one second everything was fine, and before the sickening crack of glass had stopped echoing in her ears, she stood, frozen, watching them fall; and before that was over, the sound of the explosion disrupted any sensation she could even begin to try and process. Esme blinked, and the ball was on fire. The gazebo, some of the tables. The entrance she remembered keenly walking through minutes ago, then feeling underwhelmed, engulfed by red and orange. Esme’s mouth suddenly fell dry. Her fingers snapped together, one gripping the fabric of her skirt, and the other, Camille’s hand, trying to keep her balance among the chaos. Her mind seemed too blank for her liking, and she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know what to do, and she was keenly aware of the fact she didn’t know what to do. Esme took a deep breath, immediately faced with the acrid stench of smoke that did not help in achieving a clear head, and only a mild coughing fit. Still, slightly back on track, she did not decide to worry over the indignity — in all the chaos, she had faith no one would have noticed. People were running amok, casting spells, hexes, jinxes; none of it she wanted to be a part of, really. Straightening her back and forcing the pneumatic springs that her joints had turned into to release, she merely nodded.There was no reason to get her hands dirty, after all. Moving away from the commotion with Camille, Esme would only pull her wand out to murmur — voice still slightly shaky, but returning to her usual inflection — “Pluvia Velo,” and raise her wand above her head. Best not get caught by any of the more… overeager voluntary firefighters the student body had turned into.  action. casting the umbrella spell (pluvia velo). stamina. 5 evasion. 4 strength. 2 wisdom. 7 arcane power. 5 accuracy. 7 abilities: alluring wc. 1107 notes. banner made by yours truly. cece gave me permission to call her a deficient roach (i promise). ✧✦✧ |
H |
thales amaro. second year castelobruxo quidditch. |
katherine townsend. professor of charms, former thunderbird. |