The Mistletoe Spin Group #9 Summer Camp 2024

It'd be a lie to claim that Dee hadn't been the tiniest bit disappointed that apparently every single one of her tent mates including most of her close friends had been assigned to the same group for this dance - except for her. She'd been whinging about it the entire day while they'd been getting ready, the lips Aly had so carefully painted for her twisted into a pout, taking turns clinging to Aly and to Peri before their ways had split. Because all five of them were going the same way, and she was not.

But then, maybe this was exactly what she needed. A night away from her friends, of their too-knowing eyes, a night of dancing with (and kissing?) strangers. Not that she was usually much of a dancer, especially not in heels, but Aly had promised with a wink that was a little too conspicuous that she'd be fine, whatever that meant. A night in which she could stop thinking so much.

Despite Dee's teasing and joking complaints, Aly had done an incredible job with her "makeover" although she'd rolled her eyes when she'd seen the dresses Dee had brought. None of them had fit the theme, of the camp or of the dance. It was summer, and corsets seemed uncomfortable. So now she was wearing a fire-inspired dress that combined a short jumpsuit with flowing, sheer chiffon skirt and sleeves, hair falling in careful curls over her shoulders, and whatever Aly had done to her eyes, it made the blue positively glow.

She immediately realised what Aly had meant when she stepped onto the chequered dance floor and was whisked away in steps she wasn't aware of herself, spinning and twirling below candles and mistletoe, passing from partner to partner. There were a few familiar faces, after all, even if she hadn't spoken to most of them in years. Theo received a slightly sharp-edged smile when their steps took them past each other, and Dee resolved to accidentally step on his feet if they ended up dancing later - provided that this spell would let her, that was.

When the song ended, she was slightly out of breath, but grinning brightly up at the boy who was holding her hand as they came to a still. Tall and dark-haired, he seemed to be ignoring the theme almost as thoroughly as she was, dressed all in black with steampunk accents and fingerless gloves. "Well, that was fun," she observed, pushing a lock of hair from her face. "I'd compliment your dancing skills, but considering I usually have none, I'm not sure that applies. So instead, I'll say I like your jacket, it's really cool." Near them, two guys seemed to be taking the theme of the ball very seriously, judging from the very enthusiastic smooching that was going on there. Pausing for a moment at said partner's comment, Dee glanced upward just in time to see a very drippy looking candle floating above them. "Oh! I know I went with a fire theme, but I wasn't planning to cosplay as an actual candle." Letting go of her partner with one hand, Dee slipped the wand out of her dress - where was it hidden, considering most of the fabric was sheer? Not many options - and pointed it upwards. "Pluvia Velo!"

The dark-haired boy seemed to be thinking along similar lines, spinning them gently to the side and out of the candle's way, and Dee blinked, then smiled, appreciative of the gesture, small as it was. "So you're saying you want my dress ruined later this night?" she quipped, amusement shining from her eyes.

Except that he didn't seem all that interested in her dress's state after all, his eyes wandering around the room instead. For a moment, Dee considered whether she should be offended, then instead just followed his gaze, trying to figure out who was so interesting. "Your friends?" she asked, curious. He had an American accent, so... Ilvermorny? "You know Theo?" The judgment of his friends' taste received a grin in return, didn't they all think like that at times? She knew for one that Aly had judged her taste rather sharply. "Are you better at that, then?"

Questions followed by questions from Dee, some more, some less serious, but they were finally countered by one of her slightly distracted possibly American dance partner with a likely better fashion sense than hers. She shrugged, a small, delicate gesture. This time, her eyes were wandering. "Because of my friends, mostly," she replied, which wasn't technically wrong. "My best mate is one of the organisers. She's had her fingers in the planning of the dance, actually." That she'd had mixed feelings about attending this camp and skipped out on most of the other activities so far wasn't something she felt necessary to mention. "How about you? Are you competing in any of the sport matches?"

Action | Casting the Umbrella Charm over her and Johannes against the candle wax

Dancing with Johannes Sauer (@Astrea Soleil Neptune)
Mentions | Theodore Duncain (@Opeila Winters), @Aly Salinger (permission to godmod) and the tent gang.

Stats | Sta 7 | Eva 16 | Str 3 | Wis 15 | Arc 8 | Acc 20
Evasive Maneuvers | Charmer | Perfectionist II | Spell Spread | Restricted Potions
Charmer affects everyone present.

Group 9

MODERATION POST

Needless to say that this group was off to a great snog - er, I mean start! A great start! As Madhup Hexum and Felix Kolbeck end up under the mistletoe, fifteen and nine become twenty-four with a spectacular display of sucking face that draws multiple attentions from around the dance floor. If people didn't know it was a kissing game before, it's probable that they do now.

There's a fair amount of talking - from Manu Macedo and AJ MacAllister, from Greta Fransson and Theodore Duncain, and from Johannes Sauer. Boring! You know what's not boring? Casting spells, and Dealla Prince and Tristan Theramin seem to be right on the money with knowing how to liven up a party. Wait, what do you mean they're just avoiding wax?

Anyway, Dealla successfully casts the Umbrella Charm to protect her and Johannes from the dripping wax of a candle above, and Tristan fixes his and Rett's wax problem by freezing the candle above them, which turns into a block of ice on the dance floor. Luckily, it's cold enough that it won't start melting onto them. Dodged a bullet there - or, I suppose, some hot wax.

The music starts back up again, and the spell whisks everyone away to find a new partner... and by the time the violins fade out once more, each skilled dancer is paired with someone very new, in a situation that is either also new or vaguely familiar...

THE DANCE FLOOR HAS SPOKEN:
@Dealla Prince and Madhup Hexum (@Pericles Dralt) end up under a candle… that is dripping wax on them!
@Allister-Jameson MacAllister and @Tristan Theramin end up under a candle… that is dripping wax on them!
Felix Kolbeck (@Winnie Harper) and Greta Fransson (@Evelynn Decipio) end up under a candle.
Manu Macedo (@Aly Salinger) and Johannes Sauer (@Astrea Soleil Neptune) end up under a candle.
Everett Brooks (@Dorion Anderson) and Theodore Duncain (@Opeila Winters) end up under the mistletoe!

For any questions or concerns, please owl the moderator of this event, @Aly Salinger.

Also and very importantly, please make sure your action is clearly visible and separated from the rest of your post. Preferably put it in a quote at the bottom but as long as it's separate that's fine. I would also appreciate an inclusion of any stats and abilities you may have in your posts. Makes it much easier to mod!

Johannes (@Astrea Soleil Neptune), Felix (@Winnie Harper), Manu (@Aly Salinger), Greta (@Evelynn Decipio)

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	Madhup had transitioned perhaps too easily from snogging to sidetalk. Eagerly as he turned to petty distractions from the tribulations of life, i.e. playing Chaser and Keeper with his tongue and Felix's face, preserving Greta's honor took priority. At least one among them had to contribute favorably to Durmstrang's repute, and it sure as hell wasn't going to be him. Speaking of bad influences, Johannes was a kindred spirit in daredevilry and bravado. Madhup was comfortable with dropping his guard under the Hellhound's watchful eye, which he sought to meet before glancing back to Greta. Are you seeing this too? the look seemed to say. Felix would have not one but two teammates at his disposal if matters turned messy. The only physical interaction he enjoyed more than kissing was beating the tar out of someone, and he was under the impression Jo shared that sentiment, too. Manu was an outlier, Mad reasoned, unlikely to stoop to involving herself. Surely she'd let them get away with it, at the very least.... Her smirk was met with fingers wiggling in a cheeky hello from across the way. Before parting from Felix, the notorious cheater suggested "You know, the dance spell is weak. You could, I think, go to a place you wanted to be at. Or to a person you wanted to be with." As the spell reignited and Mad was pulled away from his first mistletoe victim's arms, his sing-song voice faded into the distance of the dance floor. "Only a suggestionnn ...." Maybe Felix would take his advice and play the system. Maybe Mad deliberately danced off course, and that was how he wound up across from a stunning girl in red. As he looked into @Dealla Prince's impossibly blue eyes for the first time, Madhup decided on the spot that ten years from now, when they were saying their wedding vows, he would tell a story about how he rigged the dance just to talk to her. Hers was one of the few faces in their group which he hadn't recognized. They whirled together like molten gold and the fire that softened it, ending at an abrupt halt in one another's arms. The Chaser looked up a little too eagerly only to see impending wax rain. "Damn." Whether the mutter was aimed at the threat to their outfits, or the absence of mistletoe, was open to interpretation. Regardless, Madhup wasted no time in pulling the back of his sherwani overhead. He huddled close, using the coattail as an umbrella for them both, tenting Dealla in the faint fragrance of amber and musk. Mad sported an inquisitive smile for the new bird. Notably on better behavior with a stranger, he decided he would hurdle any language barrier it took to establish conversation, beginning by nonchalantly asking: "Hogwarts?" A thought struck, and with a wry grin he added "Not Quidditch, I hope?" Madhup could justify the scandal of falling for an international witch, but not if she played for an opposing team.
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𝙾𝚄𝚃𝙵𝙸𝚃: Reducio

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▪ 𝙴𝙽𝙲𝚈 ▪ ▪ FELIX ▪ KOLBECK ▪ ▪ DURMSTRANG iNPC ▪ SIXTH YEAR ▪

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𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂: Reducio @Evelynn Decipio as Greta @Pericles Dralt as Madhup @Opeila Winters as Theo

When he pulled away from his fellow Chaser, Felix could only blink down at him in surprise. "What...?" He felt his heart drop, flashbacks to when he had kissed Arjan and the older boy had called him a 'four out of ten'. Panic rose in his throat, and he almost lashed out angrily at his unsuspecting partner. Until it seemed #9 had hit the nail on its head.

Despite his flirtatious comment about Felix being a sour beauty, that was. If a scowl was what Madhup wanted, he'd give him one— No, there was no reason to be an asshole to the mischievous chaser. Felix had to stop— Ugh— lashing out just because someone annoyed him. He tried to give the boy a knowing look, but his confidence was dwindling.

"Sorry, I'm uh... meant to keep an eye on her." He actually wasn't. No one had tasked him with such, but he couldn't admit that without admitting seeing Greta with these... Less thans, was really pissing him off. "You're right; I'm distracted. I'll have to make it up to you when there aren't ten men with eyes on our Valkyrie. Maybe after our Quidditch game tomorrow."

He gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing as his gaze fixed back onto the couple across the room. If looks could kill, surely the American (Theodore) with bad taste in fashion would have dropped dead by now. Felix was starting to wonder if he had purposefully bought a shirt two sizes too small to show off whatever he thought passed as muscles. He also seemed oblivious to the tension building within Felix, and continued his conversation with the little Valkyrie, his hold on Greta too familiar for Felix's liking. The sight fueled something within his gut, making his stomach churn with a mix of protectiveness, anger, and... Something he couldn't quite place his finger on.

"You know, the dance spell is weak. You could, I think, go to a place you wanted to be at. Or to a person you wanted to be with." Madhup had said before the spell whisked him away.

Just where did Madhup get off saying out-of-pocket shit like that? It wasn't as if Felix had feelings for Greta. He did, just the FRIENDSHIP kind of feelings. That was why he wanted to protect her from all the dumbasses who just wanted to use her naiveté to their advantage. Even as they were caught up in the damn auto dance again, he had his eyes peeled on her. Just why the hell did his breath hitch at the sight of her? How the tilt of her head exposed the delicate curve of her neck, the twinkle in her sea green eyes, how her tresses framed the delicate features of her face, the compassion she had for her friends, and her radiant spirit.

It seemed spells did not need to be broken, because he and Greta would end up forced together with Felix's arm wrapped firmly around her waist. "Uh... Hey." Was all he could push himself to say. His throat felt dry, it hadn't before. DAMMIT! Madhup had gotten into his head. UGH. He wasn't SUPPOSED to get flustered around Greta, she was just his friend. Who happened to have very soft hair and smell like wildflowers... Wait, why the hell were his fingers stroking through her loose curls?

He was almost terrified to look up, but he only saw a candle bobbing above them. Phew. "A candle. Now you don't have to worry about kissing me." The Swede tried to joke to break out of how jittery he felt.

Fuck, he didn't want her to follow the rules of this dumb game. He took in a breath, his brows furrowed as he stared down at her. "Actually, Pärla Pearl... You shouldn't kiss anyone here. I mean, none of these guys are good enough for you. Don't lower your standards for them. I'm only saying this because I'm worried about you... I know you're a bit of a hopeless romantic, and I know this is rich coming from the guy who has been complaining about relationships and heartbreak for the past fucking year, but someone like you deserves an actual fairytale, a guy that will treat you like a Princess. I'm not talking about sweet talkers because it's really fucking easy to use honeyed words and promise you bullshit, but... You should be with someone who shows up for you."

Durmstrang | Year 7 | Height: 5' 2"

Russian‏‏‎ | Swedish‏‏‎ | Norwegian‏‏‎ | English

A hint of pink coloured her cheeks as Theo's (@Opeila Winters)eyes swept from her face to take in her appearance before returning to catch her eye, deepening to red at his complement. "Eheh..." Lips pressed together to stifle her timid chuckle, a hand pulling back to tuck a lock of curls that had been knocked loose by the energetic dancing back behind an ear. "...thank you." Any embarrassment would be short-lived, fortunately, as the American switched to speak on his perception of the camp.

"Me too!" Greta chimed, eyes lighting with adoration. "Hogwartses are very very creative! It was big surprise to see snow when I arrive at Summer Camp! There must have to be big enchantments to keep all of London Stadium so cold! It is like....heim (home)." She tried to keep the English going for as long as she could, pausing here and there to try to think of the word or how to phrase something, but largely getting across what it was she was trying to say. But ultimately, stuck on the word for 'home', would slip over to German, offering a sheepish smile as she did so. "Mir geht’s ziemlich gut. Ich bin wieder im Durmstrang-Quidditchteam. Spielst du immer noch? Vielleicht spielen wir morgen gegeneinander." (I'm doing pretty well. I'm back on the Durmstrang Quidditch team. Are you still playing? Maybe we'll play against each other tomorrow.)

She would only have time enough to hear Theo's answer and final sentiments before the music started up again and that incessant need to dance returned to the forefront of her thoughts. Years of attending these sorts of events had finally put the two together, but fate would deny them the mistletoe, smirking at their near miss and pulling them from each other's arms before they could really catch up properly. Of course, it was only the beginning of the night. Who knew what the rest of it would have in store for them, and if nothing else, Greta now knew that he was present at camp. There was always tomorrow. Or perhaps the day after, given that Quidditch would most certainly take priority. Nevertheless, there would be other opportunities to see him again. That was enough to keep a smile on Greta's face as she moved from one person to the next as the compelling music drifted overhead, giggles peeling all the while.

When the music stopped, she found herself peering at a— "Koby!" (@Winnie Harper) She grinned, bouncing up to give him a hug around his neck in reply to his very lame "Hey." . "This is so much fun~!" Her breaths came quickly, eyes wide with delight and excitement, face flushed pink from exertion and exhilaration of the dance. Sobering somewhat from Felix's initial silence, faint lines appeared between Greta's brows. "You're not cross with me are you," she asked a bit sheepishly, knowing full damned well that she had signed up just about every one of the Horntails of her own volition while hand-waving the specific details of the event. "Are you having fun? You look like you've had some fun," she suggested with a teasing glint in her eyes, fingers reaching to smooth out some of the wilder bits of his hair that must have loosed during the dancing. More accustomed to taming her curls with lavish braids rather than pinning it up like a debutante, she could only imagine what her own must have looked like.

A slight tug drew a curious eye, and she glanced to see Koby's fingers stroking through those very curls. It wasn't like hadn't messed with her hair before, of course. With a mind of its own, she'd awoken a time or two to him complaining about her trying to strangle him in his sleep with her locks and pushing her hair away from him in the night. But this... wasn't quite like that. Seafoam green eyes flicked back to him questioningly, only to see him glancing up. Only then did it occur to her to do the same, almost forgetting the point of this whole event, red already climbing to her cheeks before realizing it was just a candle. And in that moment, she wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed. Not that she had much time to ponder that before her fellow chaser had to make a joke about it.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, dropping her gaze to him, a frown on her face. "Why would I have to worry about—" But she cut herself off as he unloaded onto her. "I—what?!" Her mouth fell slack, confusion and irritation and a touch of indignation colouring her features. "What do you mean I shouldn't kiss anyone here??" She echoed. "How do you know none of them are good enough?!" Not even entirely sure who all was here, Greta glanced around. Honningbie was with some dark-haired girl—a VERY PRETTY dark-haired girl. There was another couple of boys under a drippy candle, neither of whom were familiar to her. Joho was with another foreign girl—also quite pretty and whose style gave Greta the distinct impression that she and Joho would actually probably get on pretty well. And then Theo with a nice looking boy under a... mistletoe. Greta's gaze lingered there for a moment before memory served to pull her back into the present, turning her onto Felix as she stepped back and crossed her arms.

"You're not being fair! Everyone here looks nice! And what about Joho? Or Madhup?! They're your brothers! How can you say they're not good enough! And Theo is nice too! Why shouldn't I kiss him if we end up under a mistletoe." Her voice was rising a bit, certainly loud enough that anyone who cared to listen in to their conversation would be able to hear. "I am NOT a hopeless romantic."

Yes she was. Fists balled as as she pushed them down to either side, accompanied by a small stomp of a heel into the tile floor. Though the resolute indignation tempered somewhat as he went on. She really didn't want to hear what he had to say. He had no right to tell her what she should or shouldn't do, who she could or couldn't kiss. As much as she loved him for just trying to look out for her—she knew he meant well—it hurt. Niche.. Boe.. they had used honeyed words, the sweetest of talkers, with tokens of appreciation to secure her attention, but they had shown up. While they could. It wasn't Niche's fault that he was older than her and had ambitions to pursue that kept his attention elsewhere. Or that Boe had to return to Castelobruxo after the summer and probably hadn't been allowed back again or something since she'd never seen him at a function again after than. And for Theo... it hadn't been his fault either. She glanced back over to him. It was Greta's parents who had put an end to that before it had ever gotten started, banning her use of the family owl to send letters, ensuring eyes be kept upon her whenever she was away from home to monitor proper behaviour.

"You can't just go saying nobody here deserves it. What if I don't deserve them?" She had been the one to run away, to hide, to cow in fear of parental expectation. "You don't even know these people." A pause, before genuinely asking, "Do you?" Another glance about, gesturing to the general floor, "How is anyone supposed to show up for anyone if they're not given the chance?" she pouted. "What does that even mean?"

Action: getting upset with felix

𝙾𝚄𝚃𝙵𝙸𝚃: Reducio

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▪ 𝙴𝙽𝙲𝚈 ▪ ▪ FELIX ▪ KOLBECK ▪ ▪ DURMSTRANG iNPC ▪ SIXTH YEAR ▪

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𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂: Reducio @Evelynn Decipio as Greta

Hell hath no fury like a pissed off witch.

Felix knew this well, he had Lin Kolbeck as a mother after all, and she was terrifying enough to stare down a damn tsunami. Upsetting Greta, however, was vastly different in that Felix actually gave a damn that he was upsetting her. The teen boy could only balk down at her at first, surprised by her sudden lashing out. He was a typical man, not understanding a woman's desires, otherwise he could have foreseen that telling a girl over and over again that x, y, and z weren't good enough for her would not end well.

"Greta, please..." Felix took in a sharp breath, his mind working on overdrive to somehow fix the problem he had made before the entire damn ball heard the little Valkyrie screaming at him. A tiny 5-foot-something girl with a towering, meaning looking, tall Swede hovering over her? Yeah that would look real fucking dandy. He wasn't on a direct flight to punchville or anything.

"I just care about you, I don't want you to get hurt--" Her accusations cut through him like a knife, settling on his shoulders like anchors, it was all he could do to stay off of his knees to beg her forgiveness.

Panic rose in his throat, like a relentless creature demanding its release. Its sharp claws ripping through the barriers he had built after stepping onto this cursed dance floor. Everyone leaves. No one wants you here. You fucked up again, dumbass.

When the Norwegian turned on her heel and tried to stomp away from him, he would trail behind her, a hand instinctively shooting out to grab her wrist, spinning her body towards him until she all but crashed back into his chest. The loose curls framing her face looked like a celestial halo, like she was an angel who had lost her way to heaven. And there he stood, venom in his throat, poisoning his mind and tainting his worldview.

"Don't leave." He pleaded, though his heart warned him not to pull her down to his level, to clip and pluck her wings bare and refuse to let her soar.

She was saying more to him, but he could only stare at her face, watch her lips moving. It hurt his heart to see her like this. He wanted it to stop, wanted her to quiet down so he could think. So he wouldn't end up hurting her more. George spoke a lot too, sometimes he'd kiss him to make him stop. His free hand raising to frame her face, his thumb stroking over freckled skin, his cold blue eyes flickered down to her mouth. He closed the gap between them, capturing her lips in a ravenous, desperate kiss.

Permission to godmod Greta given by her writer.

threading as Johannes Sauer
speaking in english(!!) unless specified

Under the protection of a magical umbrella and away from the danger zone, the two were well-protected from the fashion horrors of hot wax on fabric. “I mean…” Suddenly coy, Johannes had not quite intended to imply anything untoward but was equally unwilling to withdraw his statement. “Up to you. Who amongst this group is going to be your lucky winner?" He gestured teasingly to the rest of the gathered dancers, offering nearly all of them as possible options for the night. From Johannes' brief gatherings, his partner had a sense of humour, was good at magic and dressed quite prettily despite everyone's deliberate ignorance of the theme. The other would have no issue picking up some rather friendly acquaintanceships if she'd like to.

Without meaningful communication (and icebreakers. He hated icebreakers.), this entire game was turning into a washing machine of assumptions. In his own accent's defence, Johannes had international school, American tutors and social media to blame. His partner probably wasn't American based on her accent, but it meant he was one step closer to checking off his bucket list. “So that’s his name…” He mused, far less concerned for Theo himself and more for Greta. At least she seemed to be having a good time, oblivious to the three Quidditch players evil-eying her partner like real dragons protecting their precious treasure hoard. “No, I only know of Theo." Johannes caught Madhup's eye, sharing as much mutual judgment without being too obvious. Yeah, he saw that and he didn't like it. Durmstrang was a hothouse for celebrated aggression and grit but at least they knew to keep their hands to themselves.

Yet there was probably a reason why his partner connected the acquaintanceship dots. "Why?" He couldn't begrudge her (incorrect) assumptions, but the idea of only knowing that guy out of the whole circle seemed stifling. "Is he your friend?" Johannes' attention flicked back towards Dealla, tilting his head in interest. Now that they'd had some conversation, he had more of a basis for possible school origins. Dealla seemed English enough, was Theo also from Hogwarts? He couldn't really two-factor authenticate his guesses but it would be Durmstrang's worst nightmare if their darling Greta got together with a Hogwarts student.

No offence to (some of) its students, but full offence to the Scottish school. The grounds were a practical graveyard of childhood innocence-- actual roaming ghosts not included. Spilt blood and leftover magic probably fertilized the Whomping Willow to make it so needlessly aggressive. Johannes had flown through Forbidden Forest once (years ago when he used to be a broom racer), but once was enough to justify his poor opinion. Why did they have a giant squid and selkies in the Great Lake except to flex on every other international school? So what if it was working!? It was still another aspect of unnecessary danger?? Sure, one could argue that the subzero wasteland of Durmstrang's outer campus was basically also hell on Earth... But after first year, they weren't actively sending kids on survival fetch quests! Letting Greta get cosy with Hogwarts guys was like marrying her off to a pack of wild boars armed with a Boy Scouts survival kit and fifteen different ways to magically incapacitate a snake.

(Okay, that was a bit dramatic. Deserved but dramatic. His point still stood... The other wizarding schools were also dangerous, but it was an open secret amongst the students that Hogwarts had far surpassed the threshold of ???.)

And maybe, just maybe this extreme opinion was influenced by his own experiences at both Hogwarts and London. Experiences that happened to be with both Ilvermorny and Beauxbatons guys, both of which Durmstrang was meant to clash with tomorrow... Dealla had hit the nail on the head, likely expecting better out of the protective Hellhound. “Me, better?” He wished! It would have made his life a whole lot easier if he hadn't been suckered into playing Russian Roulette with his feelings. “I’m just as terrible actually. That’s sort of half the reason why.” A secret romantic at heart though he was, Johannes would be the first to confess his awful track record. Unfortunately for Greta's excitement, this event was likely far from the cure.

Considering Dealla spoke less about her own ambitions for summer camp and more about showing up for her best friend, it would be safe to assume that being roped into things was a universal experience. Either way, Johannes was glad that he'd gotten a decent conversation partner to start the event off. "Pretty cool! Tell your friend that they did a good job." Checkerboard floor and dripping candles aside, the area was surprisingly well-decorated and well-lit for what amounted to a giant field outside of a stadium.

By tomorrow morning, they'd be flying in that arena like they had been preparing for all year. It was going to be a blood bath. Hopefully, they had competent healers on standby because Ilvermorny-Beauxbatons was going to need it. He and Romeo could handle Durmstrang's boo-boos, but he trusted in the team enough to recognize their own relative safety. As Dealla turned the questioning back towards him, he nodded at the reminder of their imminent game. "Quidditch. I’m the keeper for Team Durmstrang." As sunny as anyone could be dressed in chains, all black and eyeliner, Johannes was quite obviously very proud of his team. Who wouldn't be? The former Sárkány, as positively brutal as they could be, embodied everything decent about their militaristic school. Emboldened by the proximity to three(!!!) of his delightful teammates and ever conscious of their limited time, he took it upon himself to act as a temporary wingman. "If you'd like to come by and spectate tomorrow...? You don't have to agree but I think some of my teammates would get along with you."

Action: More conversation...? Maybe this isn't so bad.

Mod Information

Reducio

Statistics: Sta: 10 | Eva: 17 | Str: 10 | Wisdom: 9 | Arc: 8 | Acc: 18
Abilities: Foulplay, Charmer, Evasive Maneuvers, Rapid Reviver, Blindvision, Wandmaker*, Lovely Creature

Charmer Allies: @Greta Fransson, @Felix Kolbeck, @Madhup Hexum

Wandmaker Information

Reducio

Dragon Heartstring
- Dragon Like Power: +3 to arcane power when casting spells with this wand.
- Accident Prone: 5% chance that the intended spell will rebound on the caster. Non-targeted spells such as counters, healing, and some utility spells that have no target or are self-targeting cannot rebound. This is not prevented by the Perfectionist ability.

Cedar Wood: "Spells performed against this wand owner's enemies (those who have specifically crossed them) tend to be more painful."
Romanian Longhorn: "When their owner is passionate about something, the spells that successfully go off tend to be more dramatic."

Outfit Reference

Reducio

Dee's eyebrows shot up and her lips twitched as she followed Johannes' gesture, eyes scanning the other dancers. "Entirely my choice, eh? I'll take that as a compliment." Really, there were quite a few familiar faces in the crowd. Fewer that she would let mess with her dress, though, or expected they'd want to. Well, she was more than willing to go with the assumption for the sake of it.

"Let's see..." She started pointing at the other dancers and pairs around the room. First up was a fellow Hogwarts student, one of the few on the floor. "Don't know him really, so can't say. Cute enough though, so if he's not too dull, maybe (Tristan)." A slight shift to indicate his partner. "Doubt he's interested in me - I forgot his name, but I think I called him princess last time we spoke (Everett)." Onto the next pair. Unknowing that she might be entering dangerous waters here, Dee nodded at a pretty girl with light hair. "She seems cute, but already preoccupied (Greta)." A short pause as her finger pointed at Theo, her eyebrow twitching. "Mmn. No." That ship had sailed months ago.

The next face she had apparently missed during her earlier scan, and she blinked, pleasantly surprised. "Oh, I didn't know AJ was back! Should catch up with him at some point. I guess he's cute?" Momentarily distracted, she hesitated, then her eyes jumped to his partner, and she grinned. "Kicked her butt in duelling twice, I don't think she likes me much (Manu)." Was she having too much fun with this, and perhaps also taking the question a little too seriously? Possibly. Next up, the pair that had been making out earlier and was now intensely staring at... Theo? "Also kicked his butt in duelling before, last year, so unsure how he feels about that (Felix)." Only two people left who hadn't received a superficial off-the-cuff judgment yet. "Very flashy outfit, I guess I can respect that. Also pretty cute from what I can see, so maybe (Madhup)."

Finally, she turned back to the boy still sharing an umbrella with her. Her face twisted into a thoughtful expression, head tilted and a finger coming up to tap her chin. "Are you offering?" She held onto the show for a moment before it dissolved into a grin. "We'll see what the night brings, eh?"

Independent of his opinion of her and her dress, Johannes seemed to have his own opinion of Theo, and Dee raised her eyebrows, quizzical, her eyes darting back to Theo and his partner. "Yes, Theo, so I assume that is not the friend you meant. The pretty blonde, then?" Which made Theo the bad choice in question. Connecting a few dots, her eyes jumped back to the other guys who seemed so incredibly interested in the pair. Huh.

The question about the status of her relationship with Theo drew a blank look, which was quickly followed up with a shrug and a flat "Yeah." And they were, still friends, but being strung along for months on end had sucked the comfortable effortlessness that had drawn her to him originally out of their friendship.

Their time was running out at this point, and after a promise to convey his compliments to Aly, she paused at the invitation to the Quidditch match the next day. "Well, if they're flying, I doubt they'll have much opportunity to get to know me," she quipped, smiling. "But throw in an invitation to whatever celebration you'll have if you win, and I'll consider it."

Sadly, or luckily, depending on the partner, the concept of the Mistletoe Spin was not conducive to longer conversations. Kind of like a mix of speed dating and musical chairs, Dee was spun away again in moments, resisting only for a second to call out a quick introduction: "I'm Dee, by the way!" Waving at Johannes as the spell tugged her up and away, encouraging her to twirl and hop, she passed from one hand to the next. This was fun, was this what dancing was always like? Maybe she should give learning it another shot. If she could dodge several spells at once and make it look good, dancing couldn't be that hard, right?

She was laughing when the spell (or was it?) led her into the arms of one of the more unknown faces in the group, although not quite as unknown anymore after the quick gossip session during the round before. One of Johannes' presumed friends, the one with olive skin and dark eyes and the extremely golden outfit, they finished the last few spins of the song together. A little breathless, her carefully arranged hair likely starting to revert to its natural, more untamed state, Dee grinned at her new partner, and opened her mouth... just before he pulled his coat over both of their heads.

"Um." She blinked, raising a dark eyebrow in bemusement. Their faces were close in their impromptu tent, creating a sudden sense of intimacy away from the general jumble of the dance. Not that she was complaining; after all, he'd been one of the few maybes during her earlier assessment, and he was still cute close-up. Smelled nice, too. Hm. "What are we hiding from?" she whispered. "Hate to break it to you, but I think your outfit isn't the best camouflage. Too... shiny." Which it was. Bright and golden from head to toe, it was the visual equivalent of someone yelling I'm here, look at me. They could probably hang him up and use him as a mirror ball, although he managed to pull it off rather well.

"Hogwarts," she confirmed, sketching a small curtsy in their rather close quarters, lips twitching in amusement. "And very much not Quidditch. I'm a duellist." She paused, a small frown flashing across her face before she corrected herself. It still felt odd, almost disorienting, that duellist didn't apply to her anymore. "Well, kind of in between sports right now. Going to be Hogwarts' star broom racer next year." Even if it would take some rather excessive flying practice to get her there.

She shifted slightly, raising a hand to brush a strand of hair from her face in what was not quite a nervous gesture, but almost. Close as they were, it mostly resulted in her bumping her elbow against the stranger's chest, and she gladly took the cue to focus on the present again. Those dark eyes helped with that, too. "And you're... not duelling. Durmstrang, right?" She raised her eyebrows again, just a touch of mocking in her voice because school and sport were apparently his primary two categorisations for new acquaintances.

Action | Just enjoying the company~

Johannes Sauer (@Astrea Soleil Neptune) | Madhup Hexum (@Pericles Dralt)
Mentions | Literally everyone present, I'm sorry.

Stats | Sta 7 | Eva 16 | Str 3 | Wis 15 | Arc 8 | Acc 20
Evasive Maneuvers | Charmer | Perfectionist II | Spell Spread | Restricted Potions
Charmer affects everyone present.

@Dealla Prince, Johannes (@Astrea Soleil Neptune), Felix (@Winnie Harper), Greta (@Evelynn Decipio)

┏		┓
	Not only was the blue-eyed girl tolerating his complete disrespect for personal space, she was cracking a joke and calling him shiny. The Chaser brightened. Linguistics was one of the only non-physical studies which Mad excelled at. He mentally dredged up all that he knew to converse on her level, resulting in by-the-book dialogue that sounded more proper than the one speaking it. A limited vernacular combined with formal sentence structure; English wasn't his first language, but he was fairly fluent in it. And by Stribog, did he have a lot to say. "None of this-" he gestured down at himself with his chin "-is meant to be hidden. But the wax is dirty, and your hair is nice." Madhup flashed a winning smile, hoping the shade he'd cast them in didn't detract from the way his gunmental green eyes popped with the guyliner he borrowed from Johannes, or the fact that he had like eight mustache hairs now. Ignoring whatever globs of wax pattered against his coat, he instead appraised her dress, remarking "You look like fire. Not to be played with. Respect." An audible sigh of relief was breathed when she clarified she wasn't on an enemy Quidditch team. He would have had to call off the hypothetical wedding, otherwise. Even though she was from Hogwarts, and mentioned she was more "between sports", she smiled easily, radiating wit and confidence in a way which resonated with an integral part of his personality. She knew she was going to be the best at a sport she hadn't even started. He really liked this one. "The star?" Mad echoed through a smirk, lofting an eyebrow. "Then maybe you can help me. I was captain in a race yesterday." He'd done a fine job at it too, putting a rock in the pockets of each little kid he was put in charge of, telling them to throw it at any anyone that got ahead. "I am one of the best Quidditch players between our schools, but racing was a different animal. I want a 'star' to tell my plot- plan?-" strategy "-then I can understand better." "Out-of-pocket shit" was on-brand for Madhup. Felix's claim of being assigned to keep an eye on Greta had earned him a knowing smirk. Assigned by Cupid, maybe, Mad had ventured to tease. He literally danced away, gleefully leaving Felix to fester... until he heard Greta's voice rising over the dancefloor din. She was barking about not being allowed to kiss under the mistletoe, and apparently, homeboy had called her a hopeless romantic. Cute as she was, Greta was the furthest thing from hopeless. Mad's attention was wrenched away from the fiery Hogwarts girl, widening when he caught Durmstrang's lil' Valkyrie clenching her fists and stomping her foot. It was an adorable tantrum-esque gesture that was endearing in almost any other context, but here, he feared it meant something damning for Felix. Still hovering over Dee, yet clearly concerned for whatever was going down with his teammates, Mad lamented under his breath, "Shit! My Swedish... she talks too fast when she is angry." Tension rose. Mad looked ready to bolt, but cast a reluctant glance to and from Dealla, hoping matters resolved themselves before the music pulled him away again. Felix made a move and the wide-eyed look was traded for a smug-ass smirk. Madhup sighed and pressed a hand to his heart, still tenting the coat overhead with one arm. "Ahhh, sundar... I gave him some courage," he remarked proudly, as if Felix had Dementored the bravery right from his face, happy to stake a tiny claim of credit in the unfolding spectacle. He was confident that wasn't about to backfire. Smile suddenly contrite, he looked back to his dance partner, tilting his head with an apology. He knew how irritating it was to have someone's focus shift off of his incredible self mid-conversation. "Sorry, priya. They are my team. I'm in this." Invested was the term he was looking for. Sticking a thumb towards Felix, he further justified "That one? Heart sick. He whines in his sleep like," here Mad mimicked a miserable, high-pitched impression of Felix "Ohhh, Greta, I am so lonely all the time because I do not let anyone love me!" He grinned toothily and rolled his eyes. "This is good for him- for both. I'm proud."
┗		┛

Using coat to keep wax off of self & Dee

♢ Date | 2 August, 2024 ♢
♢ Interacting With | Theodore Duncain^{@Opeila Winters} ♢
♢ Hex Code | #C08838 ♢

As a newly single teenager, Everett was trying to get back on the market after having his heart possibly shattered into a million pieces. Though, he would never admit it. To everyone else the relationship didn't matter and he was totally chill about it. Honestly, it had given him several ideas for novels, poems, songs, several notebooks full of- really- whatever came to his mind. These were subsequently burned to destroy the evidence of having vulnerable feelings.

This is to say, when he saw the opportunity to maybe kiss boys he went for it. There was a regency theme, but he had simply forgotten his spare regency suit at home, a shame. So instead he wore a peach floral button-up, of course with two buttons undone, navy slacks, and matching loafers. He had some silver accessories like rings, a couple of layered necklaces, and small silver studs in his ears. Over the summer he had finally been able to pierce his ears, despite his mom thinking this was a teenage whim that he would regret later. Truly, she was treating it as if he was getting a large nose piercing. His hair was still dyed a yellow-blonde, though dyed was a strong word... because it was magically changed. He was trying to be more relatable to non-wizardborns.

Still, he wasn't expecting the chaos that he was about to step into. Such as, old flames, and an old catfish situation. Shit. Maybe- just one dance and then he would leave before any drama. But as soon as he stepped onto the dance floor he was swept into the magical dance that everyone else was, which was actually quite fun. Rett was a fairly competent dancer, his mom insisting on lessons when he wasn't in school. Dancing was a prime activity for rich parties of people that pretended to like each other. As he ended up with a random blonde the first round, he took the time to look around at the horror-fest he had lightly danced into.

The first person he had laid his eyes on was Felix. A certain boy that he had- catfished. Kind of? He pretended to be a metamorph of his girlfriend at the time and it was additionally at a ball that he was attending with his own boyfriend. It was- chaos. And awful. But honestly, kind of fun. Hopefully he didn't remember Rett since it was so long ago. However- he blanched when he saw Johannes. A boy he had crawled over a table and really- just- made out with during one of these accursed summer camps. It was then that the dance switched the partners. Shit, he was just begging for the magic not to pair him either of those boys. Especially the bastard that didn't respond to any of his devoted, sappy, disgusting letters that he sent across seas. He was an absolute ass and seeing him at all was too soon.

But, luckily he was paired with one of his best friends. "Hey Theo. Seems like magic has destined us to kiss, hm?" Rett leaned in, his eyes fluttering closed to give his best friend a smooch on the lips, but at the very last second swerved to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Got you, anyone here you're interested in?"

Action || Giving his best friend a little smooch on the cheek!