Cupid's Cookies Errand

Iris looked around as she headed into the area. It looked like she was among the first people to arrive. She sighed and glanced around again at everything there was to do.

She walked past all of the rose petals and then leaned down to pick one up. She smile grew. She couldn't believe that so much time and effort had gone into this event. Plus free tea? Who could pass that up? She put the petal back down and found a free spot at the most empty table.

She looked at the cookies. The plain ones. Then she realized that she was meant to decorate them and she grabbed a cookie and some other decorative supplies and got to work. Her cookie was going to be pink and red in the spirit of the upcoming holiday. She was never much of a creative or artsy person so she didn't know how it would turn out but she would definitely try her best.

As she worked as hummed to herself. Her fingers were working surprisingly delicately and she was spending a lot more time and effort on this than she thought that she would. So much so that she was surprising even herself.

WC: 203

[Open for interactions]

It was quite late, not long before sunset. It was Saturday, 14 February. Dominica thanked the gods that it was a weekend, so all the cheesy couples could leave the castle to celebrate the holiday in places like Hogsmeade, or anywhere else but not in her watch. She was not a big fan of this celebration. All the vibrant pink and red hearts hung around the castle, the white owls flying about at breakfast delivering love letters and invitations to dates to various students – it all annoyed her. She would have much preferred to see romantic affection in small doses every day, rather than have a vast quantity forced upon her in a single day of the year. Valentine’s Day, to her, was simply another day of the year – in fact, a rather awful one – when people once again chose to display their conventional acts of endearment publicly. She wondered why such a holiday was not dedicated to knowledge or rationality, with the whole day devoted to learning and improvement. She supposed it was simply a matter of interest, and this day — 14 February – did not interest her at all.

She was making her way to her dormitory. She had seen many people wandering around the castle, even as curfew approached, so she wanted to avoid the crowds by spending time in her dorm in the dungeons, perhaps picking up a new book or practising some Wizard’s Chess, an activity she had recently become very interested in. Before heading down, however, she stopped at the bulletin board to check for any new announcements for the upcoming week of school, since the second semester had just started and she did not want to miss anything. Instead of news, she noticed a red and pink notice pinned to the board. The colours immediately stood out, and she internally recoiled at how much she disliked them. That was when she noticed a trail of rose petals leading away, seemingly out of the castle and onto the Hogwarts grounds. She debated whether she should follow them, but the petals intrigued her, and she promised herself she would not participate in any of the Valentine’s activities she so despised – she would simply see where the roses led, as she always enjoyed a little mystery.

First, however, she had to put on her coat, as it was rather cold outside, with snow covering most surfaces of the school grounds. It was still winter, so she ran back to her dormitory to get dressed. After wrapping a thick, warm scarf around her neck and putting on her cotton coat, with her loyal satchel, which she always carried, thrown over her shoulder, she made her way up from the dungeons, back to the bulletin board, and finally followed the trail of messily scattered petals.

Like a path, they led her outside the castle, just as she had expected. The cold did not frighten her; she simply pulled her coat tighter around herself and continued to follow the evening’s mystery. The sun was setting, casting warm-coloured shadows across the grounds. As the girl walked, she glanced around briefly but did not stray from the petal trail, thinking the sky had been painted the perfect colour for this tacky romantic holiday.

After following the trail of petals, she finally saw what could only be her final destination – a sight she had never imagined herself witnessing, or even approaching in a ten mile radius. The lower grounds before her were decorated with frills and bows, filled with warmly lit candles and tables both large and small, covered in white and pink tablecloths and crowded with sweets, pastries, tea, and who knew what else that was probably far too sweet to be healthy. As she gazed down at the lawn where everything had been prepared, she was about to turn away. But something – some strange, unknown feeling inside her – stopped her. If she had followed the trail from the bulletin board all the way down here, chasing some kind of mystery – or what she had told herself was a mystery (because, honestly, she should have known it was just some tasteless celebration like this) — she might as well go along with it. Maybe she would even enjoy some of the banquet?

She made her way down to the celebration area. She felt as out of place as she ever had. She stood in the midst of everything, awkwardly eyeing the stations of small round tables for couples or close friends, and the long table, seemingly for those who had come simply to spend some time among others. She went to the long table and looked around, quietly observing the people chattering and laughing all around her. God, she really should not have bothered with this nonsense; she could be soundlessly playing chess with herself in her dorm. Yet, as she watched everyone around her, playing with herself seemed even more pathetic than she would have admitted in any other situation.

Open to interactions
Ency link - Here!

Natasha walked to the courtyard for some time alone. Just to think and do what she likes. But she was met with a pink trail leading out of the courtyard. Intrigued she followed it. It led her to near the Great lake. As she approached the area, she saw some sort of tea party. Lots of roses and pink - frilled tabletops decorated the area. A few people were already seated and drinking tea. Some were decorating a little cookie. She hadn't expected this, but on the offer of free cookies and tea, she sat down at one of the tables.

She didn't like the colours and all, but the food was the thing she had come for. Was this meant for some occasion? Valentine's day perhaps. Well, she had never actually done anything for Valentine's Day. It wasn't something she was particularly interested in. The cookies looked good though. She picked one up along with some tea.

The tea was hot and steaming. She blew on it a few times before putting it to her lips. It was still scalding and burnt the tip of her tongue. She kept it down and looked to her cookie. She had brought a few icing packets as well. What colours should she do? Maybe red and blue!

She carefully traced the outline with the red icing. Then she made a blue star. It looked a bit like a muggle movie, Captain America. Her parents were obsessed with Marvel and made her watch all those muggle superhero movies. Her favorite was Spiderman. She decided to do the next one with a black spider on it.

After icing both of her cookies, one Captain America and another Spiderman, she had to make the decision of which to eat first. Hmm... she wanted the Spiderman to last longer, but it looked more delicious.

Before she decided, she realised she had forgotten the little decorative things. They were shaped in hearts of red, pink and white. She put white hearts on the Captain America cookie and red ones on the Spiderman cookie. Two cookies done.

In the end she ate the Captain America first. In all her hurry, she had forgotten the tea! It had gone cold by then and she drank it all up. She slowly ate her spiderman cookie and watched the people pass by.

A girl sat next to her on one of the tables. She had black hair and blue eyes. Her clothes were a beautiful shade of black. "I wish I had something like that." Natasha thought to herself.
She made to get up after finishing her cookie. But she wanted to stay. Maybe decorate some more cookies. They tasted good!

STATS -
STAMINA - 6
EVASION - 4
STRENGTH - 4
WISDOM - 7
ARCANE POWER - 4
ACCURACY - 5

Abilities - Parseltongue

449 words

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Upon seeing the little event on the bulletin board he considered it for a small while, while trying to avoid any other student crowding it. Naturally, he had absolutely no friends-- or romantic interests-- that he could go to the event with. Nor would he be interested in going with anyone even if he had either. Really he had absolutely no reason to even bother with the event. The only thing making him hesitate was the free cookies. He rarely got to enjoy sweets most of his life, and honestly most he tried were too sweet. Perhaps these would be different?

Well, there was that, but admittedly another reason he was debating going was the fact that he was trying to be 'socially acceptable' and going to small events and existing alongside crowds was technically being social. Scratching the back of his head he sighed, frowning faintly as he muttered a few things in his mother tongue. Even if he didn't enjoy the cookies, perhaps he could spend his 'social' time doing some more sketches. He'd been lagging behind on his art due to focusing on schoolwork and being too tired at the end of the day to stay up late.

Absently scratching at the scar on his jaw, he thought on it for a few more moments, his innate reluctance to be anywhere near other people was certainly strong this time around. The last event he'd been to had been quiet, and focused around things he enjoyed, like reading and learning new things. This one was focused around 'Valentine's Day', a holiday for couples, or, if you wanted to stretch it, class camaraderie, two things he had nothing to do with. Sighing lightly he tackled with the decision a bit longer before finally giving in to the 'right' thing to do. Though he did add a bit of a cavate to the choice; if there were no spots he could relax in alone without being in sight of everyone, he'd turn around and leave. It seemed like a fair addition to his decision after all.

So with a brief frown, he followed the cheesy trail to the event, peeking into the area warily for a few heartbeats. Unfortunately, upon scanning the scene he did realize there was a place he could hole away in and draw in relative peace. The pillows under the canopy, while taken up by some friend groups, had plenty room for him to tuck himself out of everyone's way. The friend groups probably would barely notice his existence given how engrossed they were in their own little circle of companionship. Letting out a slightly grumpy huff, he moved to the spread of cookies, snagging a few for himself before trodding over the the pillowscape and finding a nice corner for himself where he began to sketch away in his sketchbook contently. There were a few pieces of art he wanted to finish up luckily, and getting them out of the way seemed like a perfect opportunity to pass the time and take a break from existing.

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Notes: 508 words

Tags: @Hanako Tone@Jack Burnett

Text Hexcode: a80049

Encyclopedia Link: Here

STATS

Reducio

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40/40
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Stamina: 6

Evasion: 10

Strength: 5

Wisdom: 6

ArcPower: 3

Accuracy: 10

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Abilities | Sixth Sense

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Marcella has very few friends at Hogwarts. But she doubted whether any of them considered her close enough to accompany her to the event. So Marcella decided to go alone; she was too curious about the event to dwell on the lack of friends she had. So Marcella quickly rushed to her dorm to comb her hair and tame her appearance. After successfully deeming herself appropriately groomed for the event, she grabbed a couple of books from her trunk and walked over to the Great Lake. She took a deep breath to steady her heartbeat. She hoped this event would allow her to make more friends. Marcella wasn't exactly extroverted, but she loved socialising, having grown up with a few friends.

As she approached the area, which looked super cosy. And the SWEETS! Oh god they looked so mouth-watering. And their sweet scent perfumed the air with a comforting scent. Tables of various shapes had frilly tablecloths spread over them, complementing the mood of the setup perfectly. Marcella walked over to sit around a small round table, took out her journal and started writing her thoughts about the events. After journaling for a while, she ate some pre-made desserts. Sweetness exploded in her mouth as she devoured dessert after dessert. On the table, alongside the pre-made desserts and tea, was a large tray covered in plain heart-shaped cookies and a plethora of different frosting colours. There were small containers of sprinkles and sugar set in lines as well, one for each guest.

Marcella quickly got to work with her cookies, she made five different one all based on her favourite TV shows and books. She made a Spider-Man one, 'cause she loves him too much, a witch cat one, a Batman one, a historical one, and a Greek one. But she was soon faced with a dilemma on which cookie to eat first. After pondering over her options, she settled on eating her Spider-Man cookie first.

The event had brought Marcella an odd calm, despite having no one to keep her company. It felt like old times, when she used to visit her grandparents during the weekends. She'd take out her environmental journal and jot down her observation. The common element is that both now and then, she is alone. And despite that, she wasn't lonely. And she didn't necessarily hate being alone either. But despite everything, she was eager to make more friends.

As the darkness blanketed the sky, candles were lit along each table, engulfing the area in a warm glow. A gramophone began to play gentle string music. After swaying to the music a bit, Marcella detached herself from the crowd and made her way over to her dorm room. Her eyes felt heavy with exhaustion. As soon as she went to her dorm, she fell onto her bed and drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

Speech -- Thoughts

Pam had nearly stepped on a section of rose petals as she was returning to the Hufflepuff Common Room from her trip to the library. As she stopped for a millisecond, feet suspended midair, she felt a shimmer of annoyance. Who on earth does that? No, look out, don't step on that. She steadied herself against the wall, as her foot landed on the opposite side of the petals, forming a step about thrice the size of her normal one. Pain shot up her ankle. Oh, did I just twist that?

She turned around to look at the subject of her pains, already having some words to say to the person who'd thought that was a good idea. However, curiosity replaced annoyance as she noted that the petals seemed to have been shaped like a line, leading around the corner of the corridor and disappearing somewhere.

What is this? Are we meant to follow it?

Pam had already made up her mind even as they question formed in her mind. It wasn't like she had something to do. She'd planned to go back to the dorm and have an hour with her book. This was fine though. She could quickly take a look and return. It wouldn't take too long.

The flowers led her through the school grounds to the Great Lake. Interesting choice of flower. Is this some sort of Valentine's day thing? The thought made Pam grimace.

The petals opened to some sort of a cozy tea party. Pam's eyes widened as she took in the designs and colors. It was pretty, and also clearly a Valentine's Day themed event. Pam internally groaned. It wasn't like she had any love-interest. She literally had no reason to be here.

The smell of food drew her closer anyway, and Pam headed towards a large table, decorated with a plethora of sweets and cups, obviously for tea. Pam wasn't a fan of tea, so she moved past the cups, stopping at a tray full of plain heart-shaped cookies and colored icing. Pam lit up at the sight.

Oh? I can work with that. Maybe make some for my friends.... Or for myself.

She grabbed as many as she could without seeming weird, and then marched over to the section with the comfortable-looking cushions and sat down, humming softly as she got to work. She already knew what she was gonna make. Years of baking with her father had already trained her in this specific subject. She finished drawing a pair of tulips on the first cookie and then looked up, spotting the boy she'd coincidentally sat across from.

She hadn't noticed him earlier. She smiled softly, "Um, hello. Sorry for intruding. I hope you don't mind my company." She risked a glance over at the large table again, and shook her head, "Way too many people over there."

Iris watched as many other students started to trickle in. She now had most of the spot around her taken up. She focused on her cookie more intently. Suddenly she felt as though she was being watched more closely.

Her strokes became rushed and what was originally going to be a beautiful cookie, or at least that's how she pictured it in her head, became more of a lump of red and pink and an explosion of edible glitter. She stared down at the monstrosity she had made. She shook her head at herself and then quickly looked around to see if anyone has seen the mess that she had rushed and created.

She gulped loudly and then quickly ate the cookie to hide the evidence. It was the first and only thing that she had thought of in order to make sure that no one saw. The explosion of frosting made each bite unbearable and made her mouth dry. But she gulped the cookie down anyways, and then looked around to see if anyone saw. She hoped that no one did but she had no way of knowing for sure.

She grabbed another cookie and focused more intently. She wanted to do better thing time. She first started by outlining the outside of the cookie with red and then using pink on the inside. It was already turning out better.

WC: 231