The Mistletoe Spin Group #1 Summer Camp 2024

Hans' sentiment had meant more than words could express. By calling Nikolai by his chosen name it marked a new level of resect and understanding between the two of them. Truly this was the brotherhood they should always have had. Then there was his nickname, Nikolai knew enough about etymology to translate and although it was laced with enough sarcasm to overdose on there was a playfulness to it that made it clear it was born out of adoration. A new name had been the very catalyst for all the joy his life had recently been acquainted with so he held it in high esteem. Not to mention that in terms of creativity Hans had nailed it he truly was the Eisprinz.

A slight pang of disappointment followed the silence of Hans deep thought over his question. Not from the response, it was abundantly clear that Hans did not feel as Nikolai did given his attraction to the opposite sex, but from his avoidance of the question. Was thee Hans Jenssen too chicken to share his crush or did he simply not trust Nikolai enough yet with such information. It was hardly his fault it he didn't and yet Nikolai wondered if every step forward would still be met with another one back. Given time he was sure they would grow into the bond but knowing Hans' displeasure at emotions and since he himself had shed enough tears already today he allowed the boy to deflect. Despite knowing in the days that followed he would suffer in the regret of not goading his companion further.

Using mischief to his advantage Hans turned the conversation on its heels and wished to lead, the clearly superior, dancer in a spin. Head cocked in surprise he considered the offer knowing Hans would never let him forget the moment if he accepted. On the other hand, however, Nikolai was never one to back down from a challenge. The decision was made for him when the wand was pointed at him in a menacing taunt, his heart couldn't help but flutter the way it always did before a duel. The tantalizing thrill of the threat highlighting his eyes in a dangerous glow, a hunger for the sport deep in his electric eyes. "Dont tempt me with a good time, lets not forget who the duellist is here, broom boy." Allowing him to spin him around he used the momentum to flick the tails or his coat up picking up on the momentum dazzling the space as the small silvery ornaments of the outfit sparkled under the soft glow of candlelight. It had all the flare and elegance of a ballet performance but ballet was not all grace it required a great deal of strength and merlin forbid he deny that element from Hans.

As the spin came to a close he pivoted on his foot leaving himself perfectly in place to land an elbow straight to his cocky dormmates' gut. With perfect connection he watched as Hans folded into himself hand clutching at his stomach as the wind was knocked straight out of him. With the return of the music Nikolai barely had time to complete his assault but as the floor twirled him away he shouted back, "How's that for sharp." from this distance he couldn't be sure but in the hazel eyes of his friend he swore there was a flicker of pride followed by a rupturous laugh. Holding the stare for as long as he could the moment ended and all Nikolai could do was smile wildly his heart soaring higher than he knew possible.

As the dance settled and a new partner was picked by the mysterious enchantment he found himself in front of another charming girl with dyed blonde hair styled to perfection on this special night. Her eyes were as bright and electrically blue a his own, there was no denying her beauty. About to introduce himself in the gentlemanly bow he so often used his eye caught sight of the flowering plant above and chuckling slightly he smirked towards the girl, "Good Evening Miss, Nikolai Volka at your service. I have been informed that this means we are meant to kiss. A plant is not consent, however, so I shall leave the choice up to you." Nikolai's stubborn boisterousness forbade him from not throwing a playful glance at her. He may not be attracted to girls but the game was afoot and Nikolai was never one to shy from the chance to win.

Nikolai's Stats Sta • 6 | Eva • 9 | Str • 1 | Wis • 9 | Arc • 6| Acc • 9 Fearless | Advanced Casting Russian | English

Translations

Action Free action propositioning Kiera

Reducio

Thoughts : Italic
Color : #031b7c

☆ Interacting : Reducio @Atticus Drake

☆ Outfit : Reducio

☆ Date : Reducio 2nd of August 2024

Surprisingly, Elena was quite enjoying the ball. She couldn't stop herself from smiling ear to ear as she danced with various partners, her starry dress twirling around her. She pushed her blonde hair behind her shoulder and bowed to the brown-haired girl - she still didn't know her name - one last time as the music stopped.

She looked up, slightly panting, grinning. The sky was simply breathtaking, and she took a minute to calm herself, looking around. After a few seconds, she felt the now familiar push announcing a partner change, and she felt her body move across the chessboard.

She found herself in front of a brown-haired boy - a tall one; she had to tilt her head to look him in the eyes - wearing an elegant robe. Feeling that it was the right thing to do, especially with that dress, she slightly bowed, nervously smiling.

"Hi. I'm Elena Clark, from Hogwarts," she smiled, trying to appear confident. Or at least I will be from Hogwarts in September. As she was trying to stand correctly, she suddenly felt something above her head. Please, tell me I'm wrong. She raised her eyes higher and glared at the mistletoe with disbelief. Stop following me, stupid plant.

She looked back at the boy, and realization suddenly hit her. She was under the mistletoe. With a boy. A light blush spread across her cheeks as she cleared her throat, looking away. What do I do? I managed to dodge the kiss with Cass - bless them for thinking about the hand kiss - and the French girl, but I don't have any more ideas...

She instinctively gripped the hem of her dress, playing with it as a new idea began to form in her mind. I don't know if it's a good idea. Oh, damn it. Clearing her throat, she looked back at the brown haired boy. "Um, seems like we're under the mistletoe," she said, a little awkwardly. "If you agree, I could, um, kiss your cheek ? If you want to, of course, I don't know if it's a good idea and-" She started talking really fast to hide her awkwardness. Why did I ask that. The confidence she felt at the beginning of the night had washed away, and a light pink was colouring her cheeks.

ACTION :
kissing Atticus on the cheek if he agrees

Group 1

MODERATION POST

Mods are short but sweet this week. Sorry!

No actions from this group.

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:
@Atticus Drake and Hans Jenssen (@Archer Duncan) end up under the mistletoe!
@Colby Vidler and @Ernest Baird end up under a candle.
Nikolai Volkov (@Matthew Campbell) and @Elena Clark end up under a candle... that is dripping wax on them!
Ruby Angèlique (@Kiera Roseline) and @Cass Ito 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!

Removed from the Spin:
@Charisse Woods
@Giulia Nisi
@Elisa Shakestra
@Kiera Roseline
If you have not posted yet in the Spin, you have been temporarily removed from the event (e.g. you will no longer be matched with partners). This is to make it fair to those who are being consistently active. If you come back later and wish to be active, you may rejoin at any time, but note that you'll be #dancingonyourown until the next mod post.

Interactions: @Elisa Shakestra | Ruby Angèlique @Kiera Roseline Mentions: @Ernest Baird

Date: August 2nd Location: London Quidditch Stadium

Outfit: x

- The Mistletoe Spin -

Last Round

Their lovely candle transformation spell sort of worked. It was no longer a candle, but it remained in the sky. It seemed Ernest would not be getting a very strange present this time. When the music started back up again, they watched the matchbox rotate away as they danced. It would certainly make an interesting thing for someone to end up under. They weren't upset that it hadn't quite worked- the current theory was that they just hadn't thought about whatever spell was sticking the candle in question up there. How to get rid of that was completely beyond them- they had only been in school for a year after all. But if you asked them, the matchbox added to the atmosphere perfectly.

The music slowing distracted them from their thoughts, and they once again recognised this new partner. Pancake thievery seemed to once again be the theme here, since they had also met this new girl at the same time as Ernest. Or to be precise, a few moments after. She was also one of their tent mates, and now that they saw her from closer they realised that she was the blond that Ernest had been staring at. Now that was interesting. They were very aware of the possibility that he could have been staring at her for any number of reasons, but like usual chose to believe the most dramatic one. Where was the fun in realism? Glancing up, they were surprised to see that where they had stopped happened to be under the Mistletoe.

Well that was surprising. "Elisa!" they said with a grin "It seems I'm collecting tent members today. This makes it the second time in a row I have stopped with one". They had no desire to create unnecessary drama by asking if she wanted a kiss, mistletoe or not. Besides, she was another one of their friends. They stood by their philosophy that it would just be weird. Just to follow the "rules" of this dance, they gave a fancy little bow and offered her a kiss on the hand.

This Round

When the music started again, they wore a grin once more. This dance was going wonderfully, even if all they had done was stop and chat with a few friends. They did wonder where all the rumours of terrible things that happened at Hogwarts balls came from, though they supposed this didn't really count as one. Maybe all the drama here was in some of the older students groups? No one seemed determined to prove their honour by challenging someone to a dramatic duel over their families complicated history. Normal people would probably think of that as a good thing.

When the music slowed, they felt like they were almost getting used to the timing of things now. It had been a few dances, though they weren't exactly counting. Certainly nowhere near enough dances! They for one still had plenty of dancing left in them. Though they would probably say that if they had just run a marathon. If there was one thing Cass had, it was energy. Goodness knows where they got it from, since they seemed to be up all night and all day. Never just sitting around either- if you didn't see them up to some kind of mischief, you weren't looking hard enough.

After one last spin, Cass came to a stop besides a brown-haired girl slightly taller than them. It also seemed like the Mistletoe had followed them once again. At least it wasn't another dripping candle, though they could think of many more creative ways to dispose of one. If only they knew an explosion spell. Then nothing and no-one would be safe. Right, they needed to say hello to the girl. And probably think of a new way of kissing, in case she didn't want one on the lips. Though a kiss on the hand was turning out to be their signature thing, it was getting a little repetitive. A kiss on the cheek seemed to basic and boring for their chaotic tastes though.

"How are you enjoying the dance?" they asked with another grin. Their current plan was to wait for the girl to make the first move. If she wanted a kiss they would accept it, but they would be just as happy with one on the hand or none at all. The only kiss they would object to would be a kiss of someones knuckles (being punched in the face), and as far as they were aware they had no prior history of annoying this girl too much. Unless she just liked to punch people? "I'm Cass, Hogwarts second year" they said to the girl who they had yet to determine's opinions on punching people.

Action: No moderated action currently!

Reducio

Thoughts : Italic
Color : #031b7c

☆ Interacting :

Reducio

Nikolai Volkov (@Matthew Campbell)

☆ Date : Reducio 2nd of August 2024

☆ Outfit : Reducio

Despite Elena's good will, her partner seemed frozen, not even deigning to answer her. She huffed, a little annoyed, while the Charm made her twirl. A strange silence reigned over the dance floor; only the delightful music and the dancers' feet were heard in the cold night. Why is no one talking?

As the music ended, Elena bowed one last time towards her muted partner. When she got up, the Dancing Charm took control again, making her cross the chessboard diagonally. Like a bishop, she thought, amused. Luckily, the mistletoe branch that had been following her since the beginning of the ball seemed to have found new victims. "Good riddance," she chuckled. Feeling free again, she cracked a smile as her good mood returned.

The night started to settle, and the starry sky was breathtaking. Elena loved the dress color she had picked; it matched the night sky perfectly. Feeling a little cold, Elena raised her face towards the delicate snowflakes falling, twirling down into the stadium. Some got caught in her blonde locks, others settled on her dress. She laughed, pushing her hair behind her shoulder.

When the music finally slowed down, she found herself facing a splendid icy blue costume, adorned with beautiful floral patterns and a white handkerchief. She tilted her head - why is everyone taller than me? - and met striking blue eyes, a light blue as cold as northern glaciers. The boy had platinum blonde hair and a royal posture. He seemed confident, but Elena thought she caught a hint of sadness in the depths of his eyes. It made her wonder about his story, her curiosity taking over.

She smiled and curtsied at him - she had now taken to and liked this habit - a little intimidated. The music started over, the charm making them dance. "Hi ! I am Elena Clark," she said. "Pleasure to meet yo- " Her sentence was cut in half by a sharp pain in her left arm.

She winced, raising her eyes towards the levitating form above their heads. Oh, what now? A candle floated mockingly, orbiting around them. Elena frowned, thinking she was hallucinating, but she quickly saw a drop of wax dripping straight towards them. Fighting the Dancing Charm, she moved them a foot aside, dodging the burning wax. She huffed, examining her arm. A red mark stood out on her light skin. If she was in pain, she showed no sign of it.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at her partner. "You're okay?" she asked, slightly worried. We should cast a freezing spell on it, or something like that."I haven't started my first year at Hogwarts yet, so I'm afraid I'm of no use against this new threat." Her tone was light; she found the whole situation amusing. The one who thought about this was definitely feeling mischievous.

After his attempts were met with nothing but silence Nikolai was left with nothing but his own thoughts which seemed to tremble worrying what the rest of the night would hold in store for him. Would his newly found brother leave him from his revelation or would it bring them closer than ever before. Luckily he would not have to think for long as the music picked up once more dashing him off like a glistening comet of ice shimmering through the enchanting night.

It wouldn't take long before he was faced with yet another pleasant young lady who seemed to have exquisite taste from the elegance that draped over her in a display of similar icy perfection only with the backdrop of dark blue paired with sparkles creating the very vision of a starlit sky. Dancing together they merged beautifully in a sapphire twist of light that drew the very breath around them until finally they stopped eye to eye. Any pangs of disappointment he worried over were instantly undone as the honey haired girl curtsied at once and introduced herself before he even had a chance to catch his breath. It was a pleasant surprise that gave him time to admire the rather endearing girl in all her glory from the light glistening through her locks to the small beauty mark that framed her perfect smile just above the chin.

Unfortunately the fates would continue to plague his pairings with misfortune as the lovely looking girl winced in pain as the hot wax that had already interrupted one of his matches had once again decided to intervene. Yet despite her age the girl was positively amused by the whole affair and it brought a fun spirit to her that he utterly relished to be met with. Letting her moved him aside they dodged yet another assault but sick of the nonsense it was time to draw his wand. Surely there was a hundred different options for what he could do and many made far more sense than what he settled on, but Nikolai was not out for proper solutions, on the contrary if she wished for fun he would present a far more silly spell to fit the occasion.

Replying to her question with a devilish smile painted across his charming features he said in his blended mixed accent "What is a little bit of fiery rain, perhaps all we need is an umbrella" with a mischievous grin that lit sparks in his cold pupils he took his wand and with a precise flourish a transparent umbrella appeared above them while he looked down at the girl and let a small chuckle fall from his lips warming his very presence. "Perhaps I may now introduce myself to you Ms Clark. I am Nikolai Vol'ka proud member of Durmstrang and I assure you the pleasure of meeting you is all mine." Bowing low in his perfected greeting he had mastered many years ago he moved with a swift grace before returning to face her once more face warm and looking upon her with a kind sense of joy.

Nikolai's Stats Sta • 6 | Eva • 9 | Str • 1 | Wis • 9 | Arc • 6| Acc • 9 Fearless | Advanced Casting Russian | English

Translations N/A

Action Casting the Umbrella Spell, in an attempt to shield them from the wax

Reducio

Thoughts : Italic
Color : #031b7c

☆ Interacting :

Reducio

Nikolai Volkov (@Matthew Campbell)

☆ Date : Reducio 2nd of August 2024

☆ Outfit : Reducio

Elena found her new partner absolutely charming. Her grin never wavered, even as the hot wax dripped around them, matching their steps. The platinum-haired boy looked confident as he drew his wand, seeming to weigh his options. He finally settled on one, his eyes carrying a glimmer of mischief.

Elena watched him with keen interest, tilting her head, eager to see what the Russian - judging by his accent - boy would do to counter their common enemy. In one swift motion, he produced a delicate transparent umbrella above them. Elena's eyes sparkled as she let out a loud laugh, watching their new shield stop the burning wax. What a wonderful idea.

Elena lowered her gaze to meet the boy's icy stare as he introduced himself as Nikolai Vol'ka from Durmstrang. Durmstrang ! I’ve heard so much about it, yet so little. Her eyes glimmered with curiosity as she nodded and smiled. "Although I appreciate the politeness, please, just call me Elena," she said softly. "The umbrella was a lovely and efficient idea," she laughed while glancing at it. "Thank you for protecting us, Sir Vol'ka."

They kept dancing, the candles casting a halo over them. "So, are you enjoying the summer camp so far?" she asked with a smile as they kept dancing. "I mean, 'summer' camp. It looks more like a snowy field than a sunny beach. Not that I don’t like it, of course."

ACTION : Dancing and talking

Group 1

FINAL MODERATION POST

Mostly silence comes from the second dance-floor, though there are a few small actions. Cass Ito is chatting with their partner, as is Elena Clark; Nikolai Volkov successfully casts the Umbrella Spell, a transparent protection sprouting from his wand-tip to protect himself and his dance partner. As per H.io rules, you may only use magic spells that are in your trunk and cannot use "pre-first-year magic" without any spell attached to it, and therefore Elena's attempt to make the snowflakes bigger is an auto-fail.

The music has faded out, for good this time, and the enchanted instruments drift slowly to the ground. It seems that the event is over, officially, but will the dramatics continue? Only time will tell...

THE DANCE FLOOR HAS SPOKEN:
@Colby Vidler and Ruby Angèlique (@Kiera Roseline) end up under a candle... that is dripping wax on them!
@Elena Clark and @Cass Ito end up under the mistletoe!
Nikolai Volkov (@Matthew Campbell) ends up under the mistletoe! #dancingonyourown
Hans Jenssen (@Archer Duncan) and @Ernest Baird end up under the mistletoe!

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

This is the last "paired moderation" post, aka the last time you will be paired with a partner. The music has faded out and the event is technically over. Next Saturday, August 17, I will do one last moderation for any spells/actions that have been cast in this round, and that will be the end of moderations for this event, though you are welcome to continue RPing in this thread following that.

Removed from the Spin:
@Charisse Woods
@Giulia Nisi
@Elisa Shakestra
@Kiera Roseline
@Atticus Drake
If you have not posted in the last three rounds of the Spin, you have been removed from the event and were not matched with a partner for this final round. You are welcome to continue RPing as if you have been here, but you have simply been dancing on your own.

Roleplaying as Hans Jenssen, all dialogue in English unless specified

The following few rounds had passed like a blur after Nikolai’s revelation, each partner underwhelming in their monotonous step-ins and step-outs of floor-induced dance. Adorned with kisses or not, the Mistletoe Spin was very much still a game and therefore adrenaline was as fickle as they were in athletics. Yet Hans must admit, the German would not have allowed this once-in-a-lifetime honour of the Hogwarts-hosted event to slip through his fingers, and as always, he would go out with a bang.

Therefore as the waning moon crept up the darkened sky and the end of the game must have neared, Hans found himself, after the music had picked up again and once more having been spun around by the enchantments, face to face with an unremarkable boy, pale-skinned and incredibly short. With his 5'5 stature, Hans had to actively bend down to look the 4'3 boy in his azure eyes, seemingly dull in comparison to Nikolai's icy storm. Not in the mood to do so, he simply flitted down those coffee brown eyes in an attempt to meet Ernest's and in all actuality, failed. Instead, without the illumination of expected candlelight, the German glanced upwards and in his horrification, was met with a sprig of mistletoe once more. While Hans would not have minded delivering a kiss to the what must have been bare pre-teen of a boy, the mechanics were a separate matter considering the extreme height difference. Instead, he simply waved his hand as if the gesture was aimed at a much younger student rather than his peer and grinned, greeting Ernest with, 'Hey there.' Swallowing back the tease of little dwarf, Hans lowered his head slightly in acknowledgment and was glad to be greeted back with confidence that made up for at least a portion of what he had lost in height. 'The name's Hans, from Durmstrang.' At the thought of his school, Hans' gaze flitted towards Nikolai to find him enjoying a dance on his own, causing a smirk from the boy.

@Ernest Baird

Delighted that the spell managed to protect the duo successfully he smiled playfully at the young girl who hovered below him in her dazzling dress. Elena as he had been instructed to call her seemed like a most charming person and he was more than happy to have had the chance to protect her especially given her inability to yet perform any acts of magic. How difficult the days had been before Durmstrang when the young Volkov air wished nothing but to satiate the need, the yearning desire for magic and yet was unable.

When her laughter filled the air and she deemed him Sir Vol'ka he couldn't have felt more blessed. There was a light energy to her smile that pulled him in and her youth brought with it the innocence of a untarnished heart. It was of great importance to the Russian that she had addressed him by his chosen name despite her lack of understanding and it only proved to enamour him more to her. Dancing with all the delicacy and grace of their shared talent he answered her question with eager eyes and never ceasing joy. "I believe this so called summer to be the warmest I have ever experienced, despite its aesthetic. By the old gods it has certainly been my favourite for I have been blessed with such joy this summer. Moments much like this very one in which I have begun a conversation as a new Nikolai and in return been met with such authenticity and kindness. I believe this summer may have changed my very life as farcical as it may sound."

As the music began to slow and change tune he knew there were precious little moments left before he would once again become a slave to the enchantments of the floor and be taken from the pleasant company of Elena. Thus squeezing her hand comfortingly and pulling her into a spin he released her into the clutches of the spell saying, "Thank you for a most pleasant dance fair Elena, I should be honoured to share one again in the future!" The second he let her go and the dress picked up on the momentum he felt his own feet draw him back into the melody of magic. Soaring across the floor his white hair depicting him as the most graceful swan he took pleasure in the comforting rhythms and felt the steps came as naturally as if they were his own.

When he finally came to a halt he found himself entirely alone. A company he was all too familiar with and while some may have cowered away from such a fate Nikolai was not one to bow to the shackles of fear. Staring up at the firelight above he reached up and attempted to grab the plant. Whether he succeeded or not the boy began to dance to the melody of his heart, feeling all the emotions of the night and letting them whisk him into a waltz like movement that started out unaccompanied but soon developed into a most intricate solo piece. Thoughts of worry flittered across his mind but equally were fought off by feelings of pride. The boy was alone, as he had been for so many years and yet now that meant something entirely different. While his isolation remained the same his view of himself had not, and with his growing family he knew that he would never be lonely again.

Until the music faded to a complete stop he allowed his feet to lead him wherever they desired and as the final tones stopped he found the music in his heart did not. The rhythm of his heartbeat had been permanently altered and it now sung a song of freedom unburdened by the cage that had imprisoned it for so many years.

Nikolai's Stats Sta • 6 | Eva • 9 | Str • 1 | Wis • 9 | Arc • 6| Acc • 9 Fearless | Advanced Casting Russian | English

Translations N/A

Action Taking the mistletoe and dancing with it