Event Midspring Celebration

As Pax said something about liking his current hair color, Hiro smiled.

"You have good taste!" He said with a wink before disappearing into the crowd again.

When he eventually returned to the Great Hall, he was dressed in a trendy white, floral-embroidered, long sleeve single button lapel suit that was quite beautiful.

A pair of white slacks completed the outfit. What was even more amusing was the fact that Akira's style actually matched his. And considering Hiro had picked his outfit out before his 'friend', it was Akira that was matching him and not the other way around. He couldn't wait to see the look on his face when his date saw him again. Hiro was quite interested in finding out what the other ball-goers were doing now, as he hadn't had time earlier to check around.

Mathias, Winnie and Akira had been taking up all his time.

And then he'd run into Adelaide and Pax on his way to get changed out of his ripped dress.

Well, now that he'd changed, he had time to check out the others! Hiro was bound and determined to meet and greet everyone at the ball, although it would be quite a feat to manage. But even if he didn't end up achieving his goal, there was always next time. If he took part in the Hexwizard Tournament, he'd be back and could probably sneak a few more names under his belt. And then also when Hogwarts held celebrations or events in the future.

There would be multiple chances!

Upon returning to the Great Hall, Hiro grabbed a skewer of meat and devoured it.

Unfortunately Hiro had missed out on the food fight started by one of the Durmstrang members. Or else he would have zeroed in on them. The others were too far away for Hiro to see what they were doing at the time, other than one. Someone apparently had cast a weather charm at the ceiling and a storm cloud covered up the multi-colored lights and fireworks above. But just as quickly it vanished, probably from someone casting a nice counter-charm.

Damn.

Hiro made a face. He'd been gone for a short period of time.

Or at least what had felt like a short time, and already he felt as if he'd missed out on alot!

He picked up a few pieces of sushi and ate them, stopping to grab a crêpe as well and then made his way through the crowds towards the back of the room. Why the back? Because that was where people would need to go in order to get to the festival grounds. Therefore, they would need to pass by him. And as a result, he could target whoever looked interesting enough to try and stop. Music played, filling the hall with noise as students started to dance.

Hiro might be annoying when it came to singling people out and talking to them, but when it came to dances, he was actually somewhat respectful. He would wait until they stopped, or looked as if they were heading to the festival area or the refreshment tables, before he intertwined himself into their business. One thing was for certain, he needed to step up his pace before the games started. There were still so many people to meet and greet! It was nuts.

Maybe he should just breeze by everyone and pop in here and there.

No, then he wouldn't be able to get all their names.

A sigh escaped his lips. He'd just have to do the best he could in this situation. But it seemed as if luck was with him. A girl a short distance away seemed to be alone. Perfect. Hiro made his way towards her, only to get blocked by a short boy dressed all in red Edward Smith, making a striking appearance. He was currently vomiting slugs out of his mouth. There was also a girl Clair Fernandez standing next to him, wearing a red dress which matched the boy.

Probably his date? And off to the side nearby was a boy Oliver Hart who looked older than him, in a black shirt and suit trousers. He seemed to be staring at the two. Hiro put two-and-two together. The red-suit boy had tried to cast the slug-vomiting spell, which had been reflected back on him by the black-suit boy. Or the black-suit had casted the spell on the red-suit and it had gone through. At least, that was the impression Hiro got from the scene here.

Another girl wearing a dress trimmed with flowers Haley Rose stood nearby and a boy in a suit and a bow tie Louca Dufort stood next to her. Hiro let his eyes flicker from one person to the next and decided to greet all five of them at once. And also bring his original target Bailey Glade into the group too. "Hey, you two having fun at the ball?" Hiro asked with a smile, addressing the flower-trim girl and her bow-tie date. He looked off to the side a bit.

And waved to the black suit boy nearby.

"You wanna come join me?" Hiro asked with a smile.

It should be obvious he was talking to Oliver Hart because he was staring directly at him.

The other girl Bailey Glade wasn't too far away either and Hiro raised a hand and waved at her. She looked vaguely familiar for some reason. Where had he seen her before? It only took him a matter of seconds before it dawned on him. "Ah, Bailey!! Over here!" Hiro called out, having remembered her name finally. Now, all that remained was the red couple. Yes, he'd nicknamed them that until he found out their names. They were only a few steps away.

After all, they'd blocked him from getting to Bailey earlier.

Well, technically it was just slug-vomit boy.

Once everyone had gathered, Hiro gave them all a big smile. "It's nice to meet new people! I'm Hiro. What are your names?" He asked, waiting for replies expectantly from them all. If everything went according to plan, he'd be meeting and taking down the names of five new people and reuniting with the other one. There was nothing like gathering together a group of people and getting to know everyone! This was the best part of the event.

@Bloom Silverton@Howard White

The ball had not gone exactly as Kamila expected. Surprisingly she was still having a good time. The advent had been packed with unexpected twists first Kamila had chatted with an older student from Hogwarts, then some other older student interrupted hers and the first older student's conversation, and currently she was standing in the middle of the dance floor glaring at the two of them.

Standing straight and still was not easy but Kamila was managing to do it. Even when some other couple ran directly into her. "Watch where you are going!" Kamila muttered as they passed her. That little incident had fortunately for Kamila not drawn to much unwanted attention to her presence.

After ten minutes of standing there and nothing interesting happening. Kamila left her position and stepped closer towards the other two (Bloom and Howard). She knew a Hexwizard champion wouldn't stand around and watch things happen around them. Kamila no longer cared about Bloom or Howard or how either of them felt. She proceeded forward closer to the two of them but kept herself hidden behind other people so that neither of them would be able to see her. Once Kamila was close enough for them to hear her she began to speak, "Hello, you probably didn't think you would see me again after you left me there," Kamila paused a moment to take in their expressions as they tried to understand words in a language they probably didn't speak coming from a person that they couldn't see.

OOC Note: For clarification, Kamila is hidden behind people so she is not visible.

Erin was a rather simple target. Simple in terms that any reasonable person would have fled. Would have reacted to his presence with anger, but he was met with characteristic indifference. Further evidence of her alien nature. While some might say, there is nothing wrong with being "different", often being different is the indicator that something was wrong. How fast the school was willing to forgive and forget, to turn a blind eye to the supposed losses. They knew for a fact that there were hags near the school. They knew for a fact that Erin was somehow infected by something, that she was perhaps about to become a hag. He was left to pose the question none dared pose - what if she was indeed a hag? What if she was a scion of their wicked line? A dedicated servant still?

Why was everyone so willing to shrug their shoulders and just go on with their day!

"Well, true," he had seen her the years past. Dressed in rags and forgetting the convenience of a shower. A fifthly mess and a train wreck on a 'good day'. No, the girl knew no shame. "But I still do," he countered simply. "I have --" something I need to say.

"HESS!"

Galton would interfere, it was one of the Gryffindor's uncanny talents. Galton knew exactly when to interfere and insert himself at the most inopportune moment. It was as if he was watching and waiting for him to make contact, to draw his blade and bring it to the throat of his target. Before he could slice, plunge his blade and break their flesh he would just show up loudly. His frustration spoke for him more than his heart, he was in fact quite fond of the oddball teen, present dueling star for their house. He was trusting and friendly, a bit too friendly and trusting as evidenced by the impasse they found themselves at during the Fall Ball. That people were inherently good, not selfish heathens that had learned to control themselves not for the sake of society but for the sake of themselves. Society was built on a basic contract that if you do 'wrong' that you will be 'punished' and this consequentialist fear was more than enough for most as long as their basic needs were met. As long as their religious mythology did not command them to do terrible things. As long as what was theirs, or what they felt was theirs was unmarred.

He would force a smile for an old friend. A friend he might be able to be again once he forgave him for the terrible things he still had to do. "...Gaaalton," he announced with some hesitation and a poorly feigned expression of happiness at their untimely reunion. A nervous laugh.

"Jürgen! DUDE!" Galton made sure the dead would know that he was reuniting with Jürgen on this day. Shit. He took a half step to the side away from Galton unconsciously and a bit closer to Erin at the same time.

When he finally next to Jürgen, Galton would begin. "Jürgen... Wha - why? How? Where have you even been? How could you stand against me like that?! I thought we were friends. You didn't even listen to me! I had to cast at you."

Galton was talking slower than usual. Very unlike him. He only got seven sentences out in a single breath. Perhaps he had given up candy for Lent.

"Hi Erin. Nice dress." Any suspicion that this was not in fact Galton was gone the moment his ADD exposed itself.

"I... I just want to know why, Jürgen."

What could he say to all of that? That Galton was a soft-hearted fool that put everyone at risk trying to save her and continues to do so by meddling? That he was sent to another country and therefore another school because his cousin committed parricide, more specifically familiaricide in commutatione eius possessio. Pride coveted, it was painfully obvious, what his cousin had and what his cousin would become and took the opportunity afforded to him. No, he could not tell the truth, the whole truth.

"Look Galton," he turned towards his fellow Gryffindor, former perhaps present friend. "I am sorry," he partially meant it. He was sorry for what those events had done to their relationship. He liked Galton, they were good friends and had good times together. He never had to try and be more than he was, he did not even need to be as much as he was. It was easy and sometimes easy was nice. "I was scared, I acted rashly and I don't know what came over me," he lied. "I was out of my mind and things have been chaotic ever since that day," a partial truth he admitted. "My cousin was cursed with the darkness and he ended up in St. Mungos shortly after the ball. He died near Christmas, the cure did not get to him in time." The fact that the cure was discovered weeks earlier was a fact that was not lost on him. Nobody thought to reach out to him, the overly secretive youth that did not have a profound interest in adults. A lot of them did not know, with the exception of the school nurse of course who was inundated with students that were in the school in need of the cure. Vladimir simply fell through the cracks. His peers, most at least in his house, knew of his affliction but not one of them reached out. To his eternal shame, he too failed to reach out. There was always a little more time. The message was already sent. They are working on it. He knew that there was something wrong, that he could have and should have double-checked and he chose not to. A moment of laziness cost someone their life and to his great shame he also benefitted from his cousin's death.

"My parents did not let me come back after Christmas break," he explained. "Been at Beauxbatons since," his shoulders slumped a bit as he eyed the girl next to Erin. A short, little thing. What was it with wizards and struggling to breech the five foot barrier? "Look, friend... I would love to take the time to make this up to you, and I will" he added empathetically. He actually meant that, but not the sort of making it up where he did not murder someone but rather the sort of making it up where he finished what he stated and saved their lives.

"First I need to make things right with her," he gestured towards Erin.

Fascinated Samantha listened to Lucia explain a little about the Korean name, it was really interesting. She now knew that the boy's name was Ye-jun, but now she had even more questions than before. It was like if you answered one of Samantha's questions, two would return. Before she could ask them, Ye-jun explained a little more. Looking up to the boy to listen to him answer her question, Samantha realized that all these students were so wise. Lucia and Ye-jun could explain the name and Eun-ji was the wisest of them all and gave great advice. The brunette was glad to be surrounded by upperclassmen who could explain everything to her.

If he grew up in a Korean family, from what school was he then? Knowing one of the schools in Asia only allowed students from Japan, she wondered if Ye-jun went to that school. She could ask him once he was done talking. Eun-ji wasn't a Lee before this summer? The young girl was a tad confused when Ye-jun told her about Eun-ji. She could understand Hunt Lee sounded weird, but the things he had said before didn't make any sense to her. "You weren't a Lee this summer? Or you were? Why did you change your last name?" she asked Eun-ji with a questioning look in her eyes. "I mean I know you changed your first name, but I hadn't thought about your last name," she said, now all her attention focused on her friend.

Samantha remembered she still wanted to ask Ye-jun about his school and turned her attention back to him. "From which school are you? And do you like it here at Hogwarts? Have you been here before?" She wouldn't understand it if he didn't like it here, Hogwarts was great, what was there not to like?

Eun-ji seemed confused by her question, even though it wasn't a very complicated one, she was just asking for a specification about when 'next time' was. The older girl wasn't coming up with a time? That was weird, Samantha always made sure to come up with a specific time, maybe it was the Dutch part of her that wanted to be able to plan ahead and wasn't super spontaneous. Dancing wasn't such a big deal, but it would have been nice to know when, so she could look forward to it. After all, she did want the dancing to happen and she didn't want it to just be a promise that one day they would dance but never end up doing it. The only moment when Samantha wouldn't come up with a time was when she didn't want to do it.

The realization hit her like a sledgehammer. Eun-ji didn't want to dance with her. It was painfully clear to Samantha now. Why hadn't Eun-ji just told her that? The look on Samantha's face had been questioning before but after the realization, she was clearly hurt. If Eun-ji would have just told her she didn't want to dance with her it would have hurt a lot less. She was quiet, which was very unusual for her, as she processed what this meant and was trying to think of what to say or do. Normally, the young girl didn't even have to think of what to say or do, but now, she had no idea what to do and just stood there quietly as the conversation moved on.

The disappointing and sad feeling slowly faded as the night continued, but it was still there, lingering, waiting to pop up again. As the conversation moved away from the dancing via the food to the comb, Samantha began feeling a little better. Eun-ji probably just didn't want to dance tonight, nothing personal, right? Sam had been able to convince herself of that, but after asking about the date she realized it wasn't true. Lucia had told her nicely that she should probably spend most of the time with her date, but Eun-ji seemed convinced that she should spend her whole night with her date. She wanted to believe what Eun-ji said, she really did, but Samantha couldn't close her eyes to what was now extremely obvious. Eun-ji, the person she looked up to so much, didn't want to spend time with her.

The smile disappeared from her face and the twinkle in her eye was replaced by a little tear, waiting to roll down her cheek. Her friend, or whom she believed to be her friend, reminded her that she shouldn't make her date wait. It wasn't a friendly reminder, she realized now, it was a way to get her away without literally saying it. Samantha was honest, straight to the point, and she expected other people to be that too, which lead to her being blind to a lot of things. Whenever something was on your mind, you should say it and not force the other to look for weird vague hints to how you might be feeling. Samantha looked up at Eun-ji, while the little tear slowly made its way down her chubby cheek. "Be honest, you don't want to dance with me, like ever, right? You want me to go away, don't you?" she asked, her voice shaking as she looked at Eun-ji. Only people she cared about could hurt her and Eun-ji was one of them. Waiting for an answer, she bit her lips as she could feel the tears quietly roll down her cheeks.

Clair stepped back, more jumped back, this was something new to her, she had heard her sisters saying about people vomiting slugs, but never had she seen it with her own eyes, not until now.

As Edward brought up the slugs, He was also speaking, that could be no fun, trying to get you message across while bringing up slugs at the same time.

Part of what he had said was Russian, and Clair could not understand it, the other part was broken up, between slugs, but what was English and understandable Clair was able to peace together.

More then his date? That could only mean one thing, and that one thing was making her heart flip flop, no if she had been in his place she would have waited till there was not slugs flying out her mouth to ask, but nonetheless he had asked, so she would give him her reply.

Pausing to find the right wording she thought for a quick second, and then decided to keep it simple,
"Yes Edward, yes."
Ew, that was worth a cringe, but whatever.
This was a moment she had thought would never happen and it was here, at last.
It would be even better once Edward had stopped bringing slugs into the world.
(wc 215)
Action: saying Yes.
Stats: (in the banner)
Closed to interactions
@Noah Jupe as Edward Smith

Interacting with @Santario Martin/@Howard White/@Galton Lansdale/@Serena Towers/@Winnie Harper (Felix)

Attire

Percival couldn't help but have a smirk in the corner of his lips when Howard offered him a quick fist bump. It wasn't in his custom to do that kind of thing, he preferred handshakes more than anything. Although, considering White had gone above and beyond to help him he couldn't do anything but oblige with a quick fist bump to not leave him hanging "We're doing good Howard, hopefully it keeps that way for the rest of us"

On the other hand he couldn't act the same way to Galton, the obsessive sweet eater who disrespected San's looks. When Gray first bit back, he was expecting the boy to walk off in a strop. Yet, to his surprise he instead used it as a way to think about getting sweets on his plate even more. Gray didn't look impressed at first by his sarcastic nature, or honest truth . However as he kept talking an amused smile spread across his lips like he saw the funny side of it "Well then, I expect to see a plate full in the next few minutes Galton. Don't let me down" he replied with stern sarcasm of his own, before shooting a gaze to his girlfriend Serena.

Gray immediately shot a look to the 5th year, who seemed taken back by the claim. She made her own statement by how he was treating San as a damsel and fighting her own battles. In some ways she was right, and he perfectly knew San could look after herself. But since San had been recovering from her whole ordeal with the hags he couldn't help be a little more protective over his the girl he loved "I know that Towers, that's why I don't regularly do such a thing. San is not a damsel and never will be, she's strong enough to get through anything..." he said with a slight smile to his date beside him "I don't see a problem standing with a friend now and then, especially after what happened to us both recently" he said with a narrowing of his own eyes. The thing he admired from her was the positive comments of her dress, which certainly looked beautiful this night.

Offering a short wave to White and one to Galton, he lowered his hand and glared at Serena as she walked off. He'd just have to show her a thing or two when they met on the broom racing course...

Percival looked back to Santario as she gave him a talk in Irish, one that made him frown slightly as if he had just crossed a line "Gabh mo leithscéal as sin, is mian liom go raibh dea-am agat" Excuse me for that, I just wish you had a good time he said softly before looking over to the dancefloor with a new found smile "Tá an ceart agat, déanaimis damhsa" You’re right, let’s dance

Reaching over to San's hand he grasped it in his and carefully guided her to the dancefloor, making sure to avoid the others who were busy doing the same thing. Taking a step back, he gave her a wide, warm smile and bowed to the girl. He had been longing for this moment for as long as he could remember being with San. After all the hurt they had both went through, they deserved a peaceful moment like this.

Violet in English, Red in Korean and Blue in French

Ah…I made a mistake. Ye-jun realised rather quickly. He didn’t quite think that one through. Of course, by mentioning Eun-ji’s added last name, he inevitably created opportunity for more questions. Giving his cousin an apologetic look, he reluctantly let her take care of the answer. They were poking at a sensitive subject with that one but Sam couldn’t have known. Eun-ji probably didn’t mention the reason for her name change to many people. If she did, they could find out about their grandma passing and the boy was fairly certain that was not something she wanted to talk about. Ye-jun haven’t seen his grandma for several years and he wasn’t there when she died so it was much easier to deal with the loss. His cousin wasn’t as lucky. She was half raised by the old couple and it felt like she had yet to process the fact that they were no longer going to be there for her. This was unfortunately not something he could fix for her.

With nothing to do and Eun-ji fully occupied with the younger girl, Ye-jun dared to steal one more Kimbap. As expected, his cousin didn’t notice and if Lucia did, he would just put a finger to his lips in a clear "Pshh" gesture. It was okay, the Hufflepuff would keep his secret for sure. “Hm?” Oh, he was being asked a question now. Well at least it’s a simple one. “I go to Beauxbatons. We moved there because of my mother’s job before I got my letter so I ended up going there instead of Hogwarts.” He wouldn’t go into further details that surrounded his sudden move to a different country. For a stranger, this simple explanation would do. “It’s my second time here and I do like it. It is certainly different from our school but not in a bad way.” Ye-jun was sure many of his classmates disagreed with the sentiment but he honestly couldn’t care less.

The short conversation that followed about the dancing and dates should have been nothing more than a means to say goodbye. Unfortunately, judging from Sam’s face, it did end up being much more than that. Perhaps the girl wasn’t as oblivious as he thought. She seemed to collect herself for a bit but then something broke in her and suddenly she was crying. Oh dear… Ye-jun was not equipped to deal with that and he knew for a fact that Eun-ji wasn’t either. The girl in question sighed, this time not even attempting to hide it. “Ye-jun-ah would you take Lucia for a dance? I will join you soon.” The boy wanted to protest at first but he was not daft. It was clear this was something she needed to deal with on her own. Him and Lucia just awkwardly standing around wouldn’t really help anything. And so he nodded, offering the blonde his arm. “Shall we?” he asked. Thankfully, Lucia didn’t protest either probably reaching the same conclusion as him. (godmodding approved by Lucia due to her absence)

Interacting with @Samantha Salwis, @Lucia Fox and Ye-jun Lee
Conversing with the group then sending Lucia and Ye-jun away to have private chat Sam

Blue in English, Red in Korean

Eun-ji wasn’t mad at Ye-jun for mentioning her last name change. Clearly, he didn’t realize how interesting that would be to Sam. He knew her circumstances and understood why Eun-ji did so but he forgot that others didn’t know as much as he did. “Technically, I was a Lee before. My father’s last name is Lee but my parents are not married so it wasn’t in my papers. When I decided to change my first name this summer, it simply occurred to me that I could use the opportunity to add my father’s last name as well. It just felt right to do it.” The witch shrugged. There was no reason to explain that she in fact pondered getting rid of her mother’s last name and why she wanted to do that. That would lead to a spiral of questions she did not want to answer. Explaining that she wanted to carry both of her parents’ names should make plenty sense as it was.

When the topic moved to dancing, Samantha’s mood seemed to sour. Was she finally picking up on Eun-ji’s hints? Admittedly, the older girl didn’t expect for it to have such a big impact on the girl. She couldn’t fathom why her fellow Ravenclaw wanted to cling to her so desperately. What was so special about her anyway? Still, for a moment it looked like Sam was able to cheer up a bit, talking to Lucia about the magical comb and all that. It wasn’t until the date advice came to play that the girl’s expression changed again and she ended up looking positively crushed. Did I over do it? The witch wondered for a moment. She did want Sam to see reason for quite some time but in all honesty, this was probably not the best time and place to make it happen. Well…what’s done is done. The younger girl was crying now and Eun-ji wanted nothing more than to run away, however this was her mess and she didn’t like leaving her mess unattended. “Ye-jun-ah would you take Lucia for a dance? I will join you later.” There was no need for the two to get involved. It would only make everything more awkward.

Once the duo was gone (goddmoding of Lucia permitted due to her absence), Eun-ji sat down on the wooden bench. “Sit,” she told to the other girl. She would not force her to do so if Sam decided to keep standing but it felt like a better option, considering her emotional state. Pinching the bridge of her nose, the witch tried to think about what to tell her. Sam wanted her to be honest but Eun-ji wondered if she could really handle it. Despite trying to push her away, the older girl took no pleasure in hurting her feelings and she didn’t want to ruin her evening either. It didn’t matter what she wanted however. The deed was done and the Ravenclaw had to deal with the consequences. “Look…you are a lovely girl but I’m not eager to make more friends right now. I have enough on my plate as it is and I am done with being someone who is needed by others.” Perhaps she was being too honest but she figured Samantha deserved that much at least. After all, she did nothing wrong. It was all Eun-ji. “I don’t regret helping you and if we ever end up in a dangerous situation I will do it again but the thing is, I would do the same for anybody.” That was an honest truth. If there was emergency, the Ravenclaw simply had to help. Such was her nature. “You probably think I’m a good person and I used to think so too but things happen and people change. Don’t waste your time on those that are unwilling to give you theirs in return.” Was she giving her an advice again? Well…she supposed one last time wouldn’t hurt, right? “You are not wrong to want to lean on someone and be friends with them, you were just unfortunate to pick a wrong person this time. There are plenty good kids at Hogwarts, I’m sure you’ll find someone better soon.” Eun-ji genuinely hoped that would be the case.

*Healing Sage *Perfectionist * Death Defiance • Sta 7 • Eva 8 • Stre 4 • Wis 10 • Arc 8 • Acc 9
Inventory: wand, tissues, band aids

Interacting with @Lindsey Springhall, Maximilien de Fontoscy
Mentioning Regina Miller and her siblings, @Faye Simmons (vaguely)
Colour code - #00364a - #9a244f
English | French | Spanish | German

"𝕭onne soirée à toi également, Have a lovely night as well" Henri gave the other French boy a polite smile before refocusing back on the young lady in front of him. She was certainly not an eyesore when she smiled, her features were lovely and radiant just like Maximilien's. Henri idly wondered if it was a family thing. It was mostly for his enjoyment, of course, because even though he wasn't fond of people deep down, he could still appreciate beauty when he saw it.

Henri supposed it wouldn't hurt to...cultivate their connection into something more than just mere acquaintances. He was standing to gain an important variable, after all.

"Of course not. I've been waiting to dive in the feast Hogwarts has prepared tonight," The boy grinned, falling into leisure steps alongside Lindsey with his hand respectfully on the small of her back. Henri avoided the punch entirely--he had an inkling feeling that it tasted as sweet as it looked (he could never stomach anything sweet) and there was always a possibility that someone could have spiked it. He wouldn't put it past anyone mischievous enough to cause trouble in such a manner--there were so many people gathered here, so many potential troublemakers to steer clear of. Instead, Henri reached out for the cranberry juice for himself as he lifted his glass with a quirk of his lips in response to Lindsey's cheers before taking a small sip.

"Hogwarts certainly has its own charm, as well as the students," He replied. "Not as lavish as the Académie, but I suppose not all schools are prone to flaunt their wealth like we do, haha."

It was meant as a light-hearted joke, but the true meaning was hidden between the lines. As Henri was secretly a vain and conceited person, he was naturally the same regarding his pride for Beauxbatons. It was the reason he casted his name into the Goblet in the first place, to take a chance at representing l'Académie and showed these Englishmen that the French mastered their magic like a form of art, and thus they were far more superior. Besides, Hogwarts had birthed Dark wizards after Dark wizards. It was a miracle that they were still able to maintain a good reputation after the nineties.

"All of my cousins are attending Hogwarts. Regina is the only cousin I am close with, her siblings are much older than us and are only a year or two away from graduating."

Henri's cold grey eyes were fixated on his glass as he twirled the crimson red liquid around, his lips curling slightly at the mention of his darling relative. Yes, they were close indeed, for they shared the same darkness and ambition...even though Regina's ideals seemed to have shifted a bit because of that Mudblood she'd been getting cozy with. But it was a no issue, in the end, because Henri knew that darkness wouldn't be snuffed out no matter what. They were one and the same, no one else would be able to understand them more than they did each other. She'd come to her sense soon enough--Henri would make sure of it.

The Bourbon Heir was pulled from his internal musings when Lindsey started munching happily on a biscuit. His eyebrow quirked amusedly as he took another sip of cranberry juice. Lindsey sure looked adorable with that delightful expression on her face. If he wasn't a high-functioning sociopath, he would have genuinely thought it as incredibly endearing.

"Unfortunately, I don't have much of a sweet tooth," Henri chuckled. "I dislike sweet things. But your voice is definitely an exception, ma lady."

He ended the sentence with a wink. A little bit of playful flirting wouldn't hurt to set the mood.

WC: 617

STATS

STA 6

EVA 7

STR 5

WIS 8

ARC 6

ACC 8

HEALTH: 600/600

ABILITIES: Lovely Creature & Charmer

ACTION: N/A

“I didn’t hear from Nikita after she met you–strange you’re always the common denominator in my relationship attempts going wrong,” Levi accused him. A rare instance where Pride was not at fault. Nikita was a ugly brute of a girl, like having a guardian orc in a dress. She was perfect for Levi.

"How many damn fake relationships are you going to accuse me of interfering in?" Matt snapped. Levi had just the one girl, not necessarily a 'girlfriend' but a date that seemed to want more from Levi than he wanted to give. If he did step in and screw them up, he would have done Napoleon a bloody favor.

“Miss me that bad?”

"I don't miss you at all you damned freak!" Mathias shouted. "You taste like a cavity, have the personality of a store mannequin and you're the one that came to the ball with my girlfriend. So who is missing who here? We don't even like each other, your obsession is weak and your efforts are as relevant as piss in a stream." He tried to leave, but a spell was flung in his direction that he ducked to avoid. He struck back, probably Drakos he might have reasoned if there was time for thought. For petty considerations.

He had knocked Winnie back, off her feet she went as she crashed into the floor several feet away. It was unintentional, not the attack of course but the target. He could ameliorate his conscience with the fact that she had cast first, even if it was a miss and even if in truth there were few that could truly get hold of him if he did not wish to be caught. Yet still, this was not how he wanted the evening to go. The altercation was something that he could not avoid, Harper's willful nature would never allow it. This, however was something that did not need to transpire. Crap.

There was no time to wallow in regret. He had a scene to make, a lie to maintain. In truth he was rather fond of Winnie, not that it was ever his intention to find her kindness and fidelity to be anything more than a weakness that he could exploit but he found a rare warmth in her intentions. Yet whatever growing affections he might have had for her were in conflict with his ambitions. He was in the end a pureblood, and while not the heir apparent, a scion of a prestigious bloodline that had for generations honed its members to have a certain set of skills. Marriages were not out of love, even if there was a sense of commonality, companionship and of course tolerance that was maintained between them, it was a life without true affection and rather the perpetuation of an ideal, the growth of their family, their power and of course their ultimate potential.

"HI. I'm FINE if either of you were worried."

"Don't worry, we were not worried," Mathias announced carelessly. it was not meant to reflect compassion or care, his sentiments were separate from his actions. He was focused on his alleged ex.

"Mattie, stop... Please. This isn't like you."

She really did not know him in the least did she? This was very much like him. He was not some passive victim, he made things happened. He was confident and capable. He was better than mot and he was very much aware of this fact.

"T-This isn't like either of you."

She also did not pay much attention to Levi did she? Levi was obviously no "better" than him, but they had similar inclinations. For drama, for manipulation. They were both selfish and self-centered, they were ambitious and they did not take losses with grace.

"Listen to yourself! Bloodline? Legacy? ... Height? I... I have none of those things either."

He did not make eye contact, he could not bring himself to. "So what," he huffed. He did not care how tall she stood, what sort of blood she had or what legacy she would leave in her wake. He did not need her to bolster him in those ways.

"You're saying that's all your relationship was? Is that what I was to you too? A distraction? A pawn?"

"I--" He was going to obviously deny it. Not that she gave him a chance to give the answer she was begging for.

"If you're saying that's all I was... We... We both know you're lying. So... Just... Tell me the truth. Tell me what's gotten into you. I think... I think you owe me that much."

"Why can't you just stop?" He snapped. "You're fine the way you are. If you offered me no gain, then why the hell was I ever with you in the first place?" A real shitty way of saying 'I like you' because 'you have nothing to offer.' "Yet you seem fine with a downgrade," Levi. "If you're going to replace me, you can at least find a quality replacement, like a pet ferret or a can of cat food," he complained. Not that he was innocent in the matter but in truth Winnie was here with Mathias' alleged ex. "You're the one that came here with my mistake," he gestured towards his claimed former paramour. "A guy that has literally nothing on me, from blood status to wealth to height," he furrowed his brow. He was in truth frustrated. "With a school full of people you can't honestly tell me that there was nobody else hat you could have went to the ball with," he griped. Was he jealous, perhaps a little. he did not consider Levi to be adequate competition but he was miffed that somehow in spite of all of his failings he ended up being this perennial thorn in his side.