The Seven Schools Open Closed

"The pleasure is all mine, Schnell-san," said Ginyami, and as Valentin’s smile broadened the seeker’s Tatar eyes curled upwards at their corners.

“Charming.” The reply to the reply was intentionally off-tempo compared to the easily anticipated responses of canned social interactions. Valentin hoped this would come across as more genuine, as compared to following the predetermined dance steps he had been taught from his earliest days. Valya enjoyed their debonair foreign-language game, yes, but he was more interested in genuine human connection in the end. He now wanted to get to know who the black-haired vulpine boy really was beyond the surface presented to polite society.

"'The White Seeker of Durmstrang', you say? You must be quite distinguished to have earned such a title. I hope I have the honor of watching you play some time. And I am certain we can be of benefit to each other in the department of amusement."

Valentin waved away the compliments with one hand and, with a lean forward, Valya's keen silver-amethyst eyes dug ever deeper without a word. Yes, this was indeed entertaining. There was something behind the other's eyes, like an invisible flicker, and the intrigued falcon needed to find out what it was.

"How very kind of you to be curious about my interests! As it so happens, we seem to share a common one. At least, if you are as enthusiastic about Quidditch as your title as a seeker implies you are."

Leaning back in his chair to stretch out his back only to lean back in with interest, Valentin’s head angled to the side. So the boy liked quidditch. This was good. Anyone who couldn’t tolerate the topic was unlikely to enjoy the company of Durmstrang's obsessive quidditch captain for long. Valya’s right hand descended to the table top, long white fingers tracing the wood’s natural designs as he listened to Ginyami explain the meaning behind his name. Glancing back up, Valentin caught the hint of surprise behind the fine lines around the boy’s dark eyes. It seemed there was something to it, even though the seeker’s question originated in pure curiosity. Nothing to it, he said? Valentin chose to accept the answer at face value and wrote the meanings of the boy’s name into memory without probing further.

"If I may ask, does your name have a meaning in your culture?"

Eyes falling to a fixed point on the other boy’s sleeve to enjoy the rich darkness of its blue, Valentin nodded. “Yes. ‘Valentin’ comes from Latin’s 'valens', meaning powerful, vigorous, healthy… influential…” The seeker’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if remembering a concern. “It is found in the English words ‘valiant,’ ‘prevail,’ and ‘equivalent,’ but as a name it is found across Europe… popular in both Russia and Germany, where my parents originated. There is also a martyred saint, Valentine, who married couples when a law forbade it– the emperor of Rome believed marriage was bad for recruiting fine soldiers…” Trailing off with his words, Valentin’s eyes drifted to the side as sadness tinted his alabaster face. It was the expression of a boy personally affected rather than of a poetic historian. Indeed, it was like catching someone’s face reacting to a strain of music that no one else could hear. Quickly, though, and with a pair of blinks, the boy tapped his fingers on the table and looked back up as if to place himself back into the flow of conversation. “The word ‘Schnell’ is German, meaning ‘fast.’”

Digging back into Ginyami’s eyes, Valentin considered again the unusual choice of “silver darkness.” He couldn’t help but wonder if there were myths similar to the colddrake in Japan, too. It was probably unrelated, he concluded, but Valya’s nose flared as if catching an intriguing fragrance. Just as quickly as the expression had flickered over his face, however, the quicksilver boy sat back in his chair with a heavy sigh. Something was troubling Valentin indeed, and more than just the toil of sitting in the otherwise slow-paced dining hall. That he was as animated as he was suggested he found Ginyami’s company quite interesting and enjoyable.

“What is it you like about quidditch?” asked Valya without elaborating. “How is it at Mahoutokoro?" An amethyst glint shone off Valentin’s eyes as they flicked away to the boy’s hands, examining their shape. The words of others carried through the air, and the captain recognized the voices of one Jamie Ziegler and, more boisterously, Durmstrang's champion, Yefim Rumyantsev. It seemed that Yefim was engaging in verbal swordplay with those around him, but did not seem in need of Valentin at the moment. The rest of the conversations did not catch his interest. Listening to Ginyami's reply, tall, thin Valya slid his torso halfway over the table and folded his hands under his chin to rest his head atop it. “Is your school taking you where you want to be?” Then, just as Valentin was beginning to get comfortable in his new resting position, one Hiro Bakugo called out his name.

"Val! Hey guys! Mind if we sit with you? This is Akira Shimizu. He's my friend and current roommate while we're at Hogwarts." The calico beater’s pink hair called back Valentin’s memories of their meeting at the previous ball, and Valentin pulled himself back up off the table. Although glancing briefly at Ginyami in the hopes of reading his reaction to Hiro’s arrival, Valentin had to make a judgment call on the spot based on Ginyami’s previous behavior. Concluding that being polite would probably be the best outcome for Ginyami as well, Valentin nodded and gestured to an open seat with his off hand.

“Of course, of course. Please.” Valentin’s hand wrapped around the back of his own chair as he turned to face Hiro, with a short bow to Akira. “Congratulations on your victory in London, Hiro. I enjoyed watching your game, although I felt your pain at the end there.” A wry grin foreshadowed a silent chuckle that bounced around in Valentin’s chest as he recalled all the very many times he had, himself, been blatched without a saver. “What an interesting strategy your opponents had.” Voice tinged with humor, Valentin stopped short of mentioning specifics out of consideration for the vanquished. Then, silver-hyacinth eyes returning to Ginyami, Valentin laid his hands back on the table. His lithe fingers weaved together as if focusing, and the smile and gleam in his eyes suggested the seeker didn’t intend to end the conversation with Ginyami yet... not if the other was interested in continuing.

Stats: STA 8 ✦ EVA 14 ✧ STR 2 ✦ WIS 15 ✧ARC 1 ✦ ACC 15 - Ency

Abilities: Keen Eye ✦ Charmer ✧ Evasive Maneuvers ✦ Fearless

@Kim Sato as Hiro Bakugo –@ Flash Holmwood as Yefim Rumyantsev – @Avery Chen as Akira Shimizu – @Jack Burnett as Ginyami Midorimori

Date: 10/05/22 | Language: Russian / English | iNPC: Nikolai Ryzhkov
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─────Craning his neck a little to look up at the taller first year, Kolya releases a thoughtful hum. He casts another quick glance out across the various students that have taken to the hall before looking back to Yasha with a smirk. "I mean, it's neat and all. But feels a little like they're compensating for something." He offers a vague gesture up at the bright display of fireworks as yet another arrival steps into the hall. He could definitely see that getting old fast. There were a lot of visiting students after all.

Leaning forward to rest his elbows atop the table, Kolya rests his chin in the palm of one hand as he surveys the hall. "I just hope it stays as figuratively quiet for the rest of this trip," he states, glancing back over to Yasha as he speaks. There wasn't a whole lot of faith placed upon that hope. This was Hogwarts, after all. The stories told of the school were enough to dash any hope of that. Not that some of the visiting schools seemed too intent to keep the peace if the drama happening across the hall was any indication.

"It is nice to have some time to travel and see other schools, at least. Weather has been nicer so far if nothing else." The first year flashes Yasha a smirk. Gotta take what you can get if nothing else. It was still a little baffling that these students had an entire castle in which they spent their schooling. A bit excessive, to be honest. "How about you, Yasha?" he asks, using his free hand to gesture to yet another bright display of fireworks. "Have they managed to wow you yet?"

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𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @EmmaLee LeDames as Yasha Volkov
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Open for interactions.

EmmaLee laughed a little about Stephen's apparation comment and nodded as he seemed more or less unconcerned with his lack of answer. That was a very good attitude to have and she wasn't sure if she would have the same one, to be honest. She would probably fret quite too much about whether or not they received it or just ignored her. If ignored she would definitely get her feelings very hurt. She felt like people should be forthright and just express that they don't want to interact with you, rather than ignoring you. Well, as Stephen said, he would see the next time he found her. EmmaLee just hoped it went well for him. He was too nice of a person to not at least get to know.

"Well, I hope you find out and I hope she is receptive to your friendship at least, and you couldn't be crashing anyone's fun in the slightest." She said with a wide smile as she reached for a pumpkin scone that has caught her eye on the table. "I would be delighted to dance with you, although I'm a little rusty from when I lived in New York. I haven't really danced with anyone except Minx in a couple of years." She chuckled a little at herself and took a small bite of the scone as Stephen explained his outfit. It did sound rather dashing, like it would go well with his brown hair.

"It's not weird at all that you like you own outfit." She said with a small laugh. "It sounds like you will clean up rather well in it. Funnily enough, I'm wearing blue and white as well, but more of a navy. It has little black stars all over it, too and I am truly excited. I have to refrain myself from just wearing it to class all the time." Her blue eyes twinkled with excitement as she talked and she covered her grin with her hands as if to try and physically contain it. She paused for a moment in thought, then chuckled a little again. "Although, it probably makes me seem like more the fairy godmother than the princess." She paused for another moment as she thought about his white hair comment.

"Y'know to be honest I have seen a couple of other students milling about with white hair, but I don't think any of them are as short as me." She said, looking around as if to confirm before turning back to Stephen. "So, I mean, you could just look for the shortest one." She gave a funny little smirk and a shrug and then gasped as the older boy told her about the dragon from the last ball. It would definitely be amazing if they did something like that at this one. Maybe another wish contraption.

"That sounds beautiful! I wish I could have been there. Maybe they will do something fun like that this time." She said, pouting in a joking kind of manner that said she was sad to have missed it, but not too upset.

"It is quite what I hoped it would be and much more." She answered, straightening up and putting her pale hands to her cheeks, eyes twinkling in excitement again. "The classes are challenging, especially when you haven't had much sleep, but the castle is gorgeous and there are so many thing about it to explore. I don't think you could search the whole thing in your entire life time, but I have found a couple of good friends to explore it with. " She said, talking faster as she got more excited. "How has your first month of school been? Are you enjoying being back to school, or was summer too short?"

Another round of sparks caught Yasha's attention and finally the, admittedly lovely, Oksana waltzed through the cascade of sparks. He stuck his hand up in wave at her, then smirked a little as she looked around and right over his head. She turned towards a pair of Beauxbatons students. He would catch up with her later, at least now he knew where she was. Intending on making sure he didn't lose her again, he turned back to his conversation with the Kolya boy and sat down across from him.

"Yes. I do so hope that it will not be going on for the entirety of dinner. Be nice if it had some sort of off switch." He mused as more and more people arrived. Yasha noticed that, per the trick of the door, it also shot off sparks when people left. What would happen if you just propped the door open? Would it continuously shoot off fireworks or would they stop? What would happen if you opened the door just repeatedly as fast as you could? Yasha gave a snorted little laugh at the thought of either of those possibilities, then brought his attention back to Kolya's complaints.

"I would agree that hoping for a quiet visit to Hogwarts is probably out of anyone's hopes, but I think that just exploring the castle and the grounds would probably prove very entertaining. Maybe talking to a ghost or two. That would probably wow me, the castle just being the castle and not really any kind of show that they think they can put on." He chuckled, a little mischievously. "I intend to be as actively unimpressed as I possibly can be. If only to show some Koldovstoretz pride and solidarity."

Roleplaying as Ginyami Midorimori from Mahoutokoro
"English | Japanese"

When Valentin dismissed Ginyami's compliments, the Japanese student decided they had little effect on the statuesque young man. He must have gotten them all the time, after all. The formalities must have been stifling for him, too, so Ginyami decided to abandon them altogether. He, like Ginyami, seemed to already be well-versed in the ways of polite, high society and perhaps he wished to avoid more of the same. The intense way Valentin leaned forward with his elegant, profound stare combined with his new, straightforward questions suggested as much, anyway.

Ginyami tried to read the body language of his peer as well as he could when Valentin angled his head and leaned back in a languid pose. Though he seemed interested in the fact that the Mahoutokoro student also enjoyed quidditch, he said nothing of it. His focus quickly seemed to shift to Ginyami's brief bout of astonishment and the fox-faced boy's vague notion that he needed to be wary of the sharp-eyed Durmstrang Seeker was only reinforced. He couldn't be careless around this one; that was for certain.

Valentin obliged him by explaining not just the meaning, but the etymology and history of his name in elaborate detail, fascinating Ginyami. He noted the pale teen's narrowed eyes and then later his melancholy change in demeanor as he trailed off toward the end of a sentence. Did it trouble him to recount such things? Ginyami had little time to wonder about this, though, as Valentin rapidly recomposed himself before continuing with the meaning of his surname.

"All of that sounds rather fitting for a talented quidditch Seeker. It seems your parents named you well," Ginyami stated with a serene smile. But then Valentin sighed heavily, sitting back in his chair, and the dark-haired boy grew curious. "Is something the matter, Schnell-san?" he asked, unable to help his automatic addressing by Valentin's last name followed by the usual honorific. But then the Seeker was asking him more questions, one after the other. Ginyami chuckled lightly at this; he hadn't expected his peer to be so enthusiastically inquisitive.

"I like that in quidditch, no matter how badly it seems one team might be losing, the tables can be turned instantly with the right skill and tactics. Not to mention luck," he added with a grin. "As for Mahoutokoro, I am sure every student believes his or her school to be the best, but ours is truly wonderous. I could not have asked for a better magic school to attend." He inclined his head, gesturing toward Valentin with an upturned palm. "And you? What do you like about quidditch and how do you fare at your Durmstrang?"

Almost before he realized what was going on, a familiar voice called out to Valentin by a shortened version of his name. Ginyami's squinted gaze rose to take in two of his fellow Mahoutokoro students; Hiro Bakugo and Akira Shimizu. Beaming ever more broadly, the upperclassman raised both arms in welcome. "Hiro! How fortunate you could make it. And in navy blue robes, no less; I'm sure they were not that color the last time I saw you. Congratulations! Shimizu-san, good of you to join us as well!" To his surprise, it seemed Valentin was already well-acquainted with Hiro. What a small world! Then again, with them both being on their respective schools' quidditch teams, it made sense that they would have run in the same circles.

Ginyami listened to the boys talk, learning as he regarded them each and noting the micro expressions that crossed their countenances as they spoke. Before long, though, he felt the same starlight-colored eyes shining on him once again and looked over to meet them, both amused and pleased by the message they soundlessly conveyed. "So you already know my precious kohai (underclassman)?" he asked Valentin, playfully reaching over in an attempt to drape the sleeves of his navy robes around Hiro in an embrace. "Pray tell, how did you two meet?"

Interacting with: Valentin Schnell (@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood), Hiro Bakugo (@Kim Sato), and Akira Shimizu (@Avery Chen)

Languages: Portuguese & English

“Oh little Sherlinho,” Raul’s smile was genuine and boyish as he responded to his diminutive schoolmate, “Or Sherlito I suppose, they speak Spanish in Honduras or Belize or wherever, it doesn’t matter what he meant. What matters is how I feel.”

He didn’t particularly care what the older boy, the Durmstrang champion, had to say, nonsense about purity and his lack of a need for manners. Truthfully, Raul found himself agreeing. Why bother providing those who were lesser with a semblance of respect, they should know their place. Where whatever-his-name had erred though was that he’d incorrectly placed himself at the top of the totem pole, he was supposed to show reverence to the children from Castelobruxo. Durmstrang was an upstart school, young and entirely too focused on practical magic, the sort of thing that any monkey-brained fool could do. No, the Russian was right in his thoughts, he simply misunderstood where he sat within hierarchy he must have so envisioned.

“Well put,” Raul answered, his smile widening.

He threw his cup with a lazy lob, releasing both receptacle and liquid in a singular motion. His intention was clear, to hit the boy’s chest, ideally causing the purple liquid to stain and splash him. A bit of discomfort caused by being hit by a thrown object would certainly serve as a bonus.

Raul had come to Europe with a singular goal, to put people back into their rightful places, and to remind them exactly who he was and what his school represented.

@Marius Brown & @Flash Holmwood

𝙾𝚄𝚃𝙵𝙸𝚃: Reducio Durmstrang Uniform

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▪ 𝙴𝙽𝙲𝚈 ▪ ▪ FELIX ▪ KOLBECK ▪ ▪ DURMSTRANG iNPC ▪ FOURTH YEAR ▪

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𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂: Reducio @Flash Holmwood as Yefim Mentioning:

Felix had thought another trip to Hogsnot would mean another fucking trip on that Merlin-forsaken boat. Yefim might have helped him learn how to swim, but he would never get used to the way the damn vessel rocked and bobbed through the water. Thankfully the ministry had smartened up and realized how impractical primitive forms of travel were, especially when they would spend so much of the year visiting the Scotland highlands. Portkeys might have been as stomach twisting as riding a boat, but at least the travel only took seconds.

He might have attempted to skip dinner, or at least ditch his uniform for his preferred wardrobe, but he was trying his best to be a supportive friend (ugh), so he would don the traditional crimson red uniform and clap when Yefim's name was called, and raise a brow at the display of his muscle tone. He dug into the various foods offered afterwards, sticking to any foods that did not have meat in them. He was planning to keep to himself and then head back to the cabin for so much earned reading time. He would not give the various people he found to be incorrigible the time of day. He would not even glance in their direction. He would---

Watch as Yefim decided to engage in tense conversation instead. Sigh. Felix was all for a verbal jab at the expense of others, and he was painfully aware of how physically confrontational his friend could be, that was one of the reasons he had decided to befriend him in the first place; protection, but even he had to admit that sometimes... It was a bit excessive. He rolled his eyes and shoved another bite of pumpkin pie into his mouth as he watched some girl (@Beatrice Langstreth) call him a monkey and some tiny weasel-faced guy (@Nicholas McCowan/Raul) spout nonsense at him in a language Felix could not understand. Why the hell were they speaking in a foreign language? Couldn't they at least speak one of the three languages Felix actually knew? Ugh, the nerve of the lot.

He was content to stay as a observer until things got physical. His wand was already out of its holster by the time the mysterious liquid had been spilled, his reaction time in part thanks to his years spent on the dueling team. A spell would rip from his throat before he could think twice. No one fucked with his family. "Immobulus!"

Reducio

Results: 29 wisdom & 11 accuracy

The spell was perfectly cast, but unfortunately his accuracy was off likely due to his quick draw and quickening heartbeat. His mother would have been both proud and furious. Whether or not the spell hit his opponent, Felix's main goal was to divert his attention away from Yef. (Nick, I am obviously leaving you to roll your evasion lol.)

Open to interactions.

Ilvermorny | Second Year | Thunderbird

♫♪.ılılılllılıll |̲̅̅●̲̅̅|̲̅̅=̲̅̅|̲̅̅●̲̅̅| llılılıllılılı.♪♫

"The pork-key thingie almost made me barf, but it was still awesome," Jamie replied. "What's appart-rating, though?" His appetite certainly hadn't been shaken. By this time, two-thirds of his plate was gone, and he was already reaching for more pasties. British food was pretty dang good.

It seemed EmmaLee was also lacking a date to the ball. Jamie grinned and held up his hand for a high five. "Single pringles, dude! I like the sound of that." It was always best to just forget the pressure of romance and go solo, in his humble opinion. All the crushes he'd experienced had gone south real fast. Stephen had not yet escaped the entanglements of affection, however.

Jamie wrinkled his nose at his friend's lamenting. "Dude, she ghosted you? I'm surprised, since you're so charming, and handsome and stuff. You should come hang out with E and me! Us single pringles gotta stick together."
The boy bit into a cookie (wait no-- a biscuit) and continued. "Right! There's like, a fairy tale theme. Of course you'd be going as a prince, Steef. I dunno what I'm gonna be, though."

Suddenly, there was a sharp jab on his shoulder.
Jamie yelped and quickly spun around-- only to see his twin sister standing behind him. He sighed and slowly lowered himself out of his pseudo-karate stance. "Oh. It's you."

"It's me!" Melissa chirped. She thrust a large box into his arms. "Mom told me to give this to you after we got settled." She beamed and tossed her long curly hair over her shoulder. "While I'm here, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"
Jamie ignored her and suspiciously picked up the box. "What's in it?"
The box bore no marking except a neon yellow sticky note reading: Try this on for size... Have fun at the ball, hon!- Love Mom and Mama

Melissa shrugged. "How should I know? Are you gonna open it?"
"Duh." Jamie muttered. He popped open the lid, reached inside, and pulled out...a pair of tights? "What the hell?"
A snort from Melissa. "Oh my god, is that your ball costume? You're gonna look so stupid."
Jamie flushed, turning the same color as his hair. "No I'm not!" He unraveled the rest of the costume out of the box and dumped it onto the floor. Along with the green tights, there was a brown leather tunic, a belt, pointy boots, a feathered cap, and, most interestingly, a real bow and quiver full of arrows.

Jamie perked up slightly at the last few items, but he still had no idea what his parents had gifted him. He turned to Stephen and EmmaLee, perplexed. "Do you two know what this is?"

♫♪.ılılılllılıll |̲̅̅●̲̅̅|̲̅̅=̲̅̅|̲̅̅●̲̅̅| llılılıllılılı.♪♫

@AngelFyre McCubbin | @EmmaLee LeDames

What did this kid think of Durmstrang? Of Yefim? Of his own school and the students in it? Yefim would not learn, as he spoke in his native tongue. It was just as well, because undoubtedly Yefim would not care. All that mattered was that the drink that the Wussybruxo had been holding was jettisoned towards him, just as the prophecy had foretold. Yefim would be grinning, not moving an inch to dodge it. Given all the things throw at, ignited on, and coming out of Yefim during his champion announcement, this would be but a puddle in the oceans of attempted insults. That, and a call to violence.

Suddenly, yet not entirely surprisingly, Felya* jumped up from wherever he was, easy to make out in the crowd due to his bright and beautiful red robes. It felt good to see his fellow red dragon stand up for what was right. Yefim had a knack for pranks on the fly, and figured it would be pretty funny to dunk this kid's whole head in the punch. Yeah, that was funny. Whether Felya succeeded in holding him still or not, Yefim would grasp for the slippery snarker. He would go in for what an American might call a football tackle, charging forward with his shoulder to scoop the guy up.

Yefim grapples Raul
Evasive Maneuvers II: [d5:4] (miss)
Yefim accuracy: [d20:3] +14
Raul evasion: [d20:3] + 15
-> miss

Somehow this kid was able to get out of the way, even though Yefim was perfectly practiced in this kind of move. For a moment, Yefim thought back on all the shrimps he'd ever scooped up and body slammed. Those were good times. Why wouldn't this one get with the program?

@Winnie Harper (as Felix Kolbeck)
@Nicholas McCowan (as Raul Correa)
*Felya is a nickname for Felix
Open to Interaction