Gala of Mysteries Fall Ball

October 19th 2024
Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics
Getting Chatty with Amber Frost Hart @Reyna Evergreen
Mentioning: Miles Thatcher @Simon Kincaid and Kaya Rose Bennett @Linda Ramirez

Despite this girl's flustered reaction, Casey couldn't help being taken aback at how much she was springing at him so quickly. A few of the names she spilled out were well-known to him, being the trendy cool kids they were. Miles in particular. He remembered him from being on the the same team for the Water Race back at summer camp... And also as one of the many unfortunate souls to get caught in the crossfires of a cowardly bombing incident. At this point, the tune sounded familiar. Come to think of it, wasn't Amber a member of his team as well? Huh... No wonder she looked familiar when they first bumped into each other. The same might actually go for Kaya as well.

"So you're Miles's lucky lass, eh? Looks like you managed to score pretty good, I mean, good looks and all that jazz."

Not that Casey was the slightest bit jealous. He was happy enough being lucky to hang out with someone who he could keep up with at even the most basic level; even if Emily was a bit more saccharine and energetic than he was when it came to being social. The fact that Emily happened to dress in the admittedly nicest outfits he's seen her in was just coincidence.

"Still, maybe he outta pick up the pace and not keep his partner waitin'. Same goes for mine... Wherever the hell she's got to."

Probably preoccupied with that event she said she signed up for.

He covered his ear again, the same paranoid sensation stinging through him before it passed as quickly as it came. He sighed when he removed his hand from his head, shaking it in disappointment.

"Guess I'm still not quite one hundred percent if I'm getting angsty over a healed injury..." Casey took it all back after complaining about bug bites for so long. Those were a walk in the park compared to getting bonked by a bench of all things.

"I dunno 'bout you, lass, but someone's gonna hafta pay for what they did back in Hogsmeade... And to us."

_{Word Count: 402}

Action: Chatting and venting to Amber

Stats: Stamina: 8|Evasion: 7|Strength: 7|Wisdom: 6|Arcane Power: 6|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Fearless |Poison Resistance

English • Spanish

sta • 7| eva • 6 | str • 9| wis • 6|arc • 5 | acc • 7

Keen Eyes

open to interaction

entering ball and greeting Zyair

@Scout Fu-Hai as Zyair Ona'je

October 19th, evening

She was running late, the exact thing she hadn't wanted to do. But, alas, her dress proved to be much more difficult to put on than she planned for. Her silver heels were already pinching her feet as she raced to the hall for the Ball. Hopefully she could beat Zyair there. She didn't want him to think she was lazy.

She had picked out silver shoes with a slight heel on them, giving her more height than her normal short stature. Her navy dress reached the floor and poofed out in a beautiful skirt around her. It'd be a miracle if she kept from tripping the whole night. On the other hand, Sabrina Ortega felt very bonita pretty.

Unfortunately her goal to get there before Zyair went wrong, too. Though it was nearly impossible to see through the crowds, she found him there already, alone. Sabrina ignored the slightly stressed on his face and walked over to him suddenly feeling silly in the masquerade mask she was wearing.

"Hi!" she said once she was next to him. She thought he looked cute. Not that she didn't always thought he looked cute. Not that she meant- argh why was everything so confusing?

"Um, how are you?" Panicking to stop her nervousness, she slipped into Spanish. "Te ves muy guapo. ¿Quieres bailar o algo así?" You look really handsome. Do you want to dance or something? She didn't speak a translation to him. Mostly because she was so flustered that she forgot, and because she wanted to see how he'd react.

This was going to be the best night ever.

Date: October 19th, 2024 Interacting/Mentioning: @Uri Davies

Speaking: #b284be Thoughts: #c9a0dc Translations:

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ "Mystery is as mystery does... Whatever is whatever was..."⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Siobhan waved his worry about his insult to her name off with a polite wave as she sipped her tea. She was about to make another comment when he offered her some of the chocolate covered peanuts and she took a step back.

"Oh-Oh- No thank you... I'm allergic." Siobhan said making sure to give herself a wide berth from the offending legume and danger to her immune system. She wasn't so allergic that she would require medical attention but she would break out in unsightly hives and a rather annoying cough. She wouldn't want to spoil the night by turning into an itchy patchy mess.

Her ears perked up when she heard him both agree to joining her in the Whispers game as well as his impromptu offer to dance. While she liked dancing -in her room far away from the eyes of other people- she wasn't knowledgable of what one may consider "proper ballroom dance" and she didn't want to embarass herself. Especially in front of her peers and Uri- she had done that plenty over the last year and she hoped it wouldn't cause a repeat.

She realized she had been holding him hostage for an answer. She slowly nodded thinking about the reprecussions of choosing to dance or choosing to not dance. Looking at him, she could tell that he was somewhat expecting a positive answer out of her so she added some confidence to her nod.

"I would love to- But I'll attest that I am not a dancer... I don't really know how." Siobhan shrugged as she took a small napkin off the table and wiped out the remnants of her tea in order to put her teacup away in her dress without staining it with the drops of tea left. As a percaution, she pulled her wand out from her other pocket to cast a quick "Scourigfy" on her hands hoping to prevent an allergy attack. That was the last thing she needed and would signal an early end to her evening at the ball.

"Would this dance happen before or after the game? The night has only just started so I wouldn't mind waiting- If you'd like... Or- well, whatever works!" Siobhan smiles feeling the softest of warmths emerge across the bridge of her nose and the tips of her ears. The red looked cartoonish against her purple and white outfit. As she spoke one of her bees landed from her hair onto her shoulder, simply because it could.

She watched the little enchanted bumblebee as it floated around her hair and somewhat above her and Uri. She hoped it wouldn't fly off- she had spent a long time explaining how exactly she wished that these hairclips to be enchanted. Plus they added to her outfit and without them she felt like just a splatter of color rather than a cohesive painting of the 1960's. She would feel more out of place if she wasn't able to at least make sense visually.

"Sorry- I don't have any control over where my bees fly off too. But they aren't real and shouldn't sting you. Besides, bumblebees don't sting- they simply exist to pollinate and enjoy their lives. I absolutely love bumblebees. They live all over my garden at home-" Siobhan giggles as she turns her attention to her bees as they fly not fully aware that she was rambling.

Inventory
-Wand
-Siobhan's personal teacup
-Lavender Syrup
-Enchanted hairclips

sta 5 | eva 7 | str 7 | STATS | wis 6 | arc 4 | acc 6

Action: Cleaning her hands to prevent an allergy attack
Abilities: Healing Sage

𝙾𝚄𝚃𝙵𝙸𝚃: Reducio

│ │ │

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

│ │ │

𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂: Reducio @Evelynn Decipio as Greta

"Huh?" Felix's brows furrowed as Greta echoed his words, before the obvious slapped him in the face; he was speaking English before, "Shit, sorry. I just default to English here."

"No, not corn, you adorable little—" CRUPPIES. The mix-up of 'maize' and 'maze' was far too endearing for him to ignore, and a smile curved onto his lips. For a moment, as brief as it was, the tension that had been pulling at his nerves like taut strings eased. "A maze, uh... like a labyrinth? Twisting paths, lots of hedges, fancy pond in the middle or something... The point is that we could be alone for a while, and I could make sure idiots with wandering gazes don't try and hit on you."

His eyes scanned the crowd; it was packed full of jittery first-years spinning around, chipping excitedly over what might have been their first ball. Then there were the usual wannabe grown-ups, kids wearing dresses designed for women ten years their senior. He locked eyes with one of the younger students (@Sanguinius Demarest) for a second; a miniature wannabe Dracula with a Taylor Swift themed breakup accessory flapping dramatically behind him like a walking red flag. What the fuck was up with his expression? Had he drunk soured milk or was that just his default setting?

With an amused smirk, Felix turned his attention back to the crowd of students. This wasn't the time to worry about the toddlers that waddled around; he already had a shadow of his own to deal with—Hans was enough of a handful without adding to the chaos. (@Archer Duncan).

The Swede was a bit concerned when he saw a circle starting to form, but he was thankfully tall enough to peer over several of the munchkin's heads to see what all the fuss was about. His face paled when he saw a guy kneeling with a ring. He recognized the couple from a fall ball experience a few years back when he had been mauled by the girl for some reason or another. His first thought was that pureblood parents were insufferable because there's no way the walking linguini noodle had willingly proposed to the screeching banshee girl.

"Looks like some pureblood engagement shit." Felix dismissively told Greta since she was likely too short to see over everyone. "Nothing says ‘I love you’ like parental pressure." He joked, starting to walk away from the spectacle, lest she get any ideas... Dear Merlin, what if Greta saw and started getting fanciful ideas inside her head about pureblood arrangements? His mother had already sent her some of her own jewelry.

His throat tightened at the thought, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he tried to steer Greta toward the entrance. "Let's get out of here before the cheering gets any louder."

Action: Will leave so long as Greta follows.

Colin was excited for the ball! The broom race earlier had hyped him up and he was eager for whatever chaos and mayhem this year's Fall Ball could bring! Wild mountain trolls, hag dolls, dementors --- Colin didn't care what he would have to face, he just wanted to be in the middle of whatever action there was going to be! He had already made sure his enchanted satchel was packed and secured to his belt; his sleeves were rolled up so that he would have quick access to his wand, sheathed at he was always was on Colin's right arm. He'd eaten already and had made provisions to bring some snacks and water with him, just in case!

"OWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Colin entered the hall, not as if he owned the place, but because he owned the place! His pond scum green eyes gleamed at the prospect of adventure and his long pale hair flowed behind him, bounding as he skipped into the hall! Tonight, he sported his usual kilts, dark green, and a matching green vest. His white shirt was loose fitting by design, as Colin had terrible luck keeping shirts through an entire duel or adventure. Usually they just ended up torn, bloodied, burnt to cinders or eaten by acid. Anyway, his Ma was not keen on his shirt repair and replacement expenses and had warned him that he'd have to go to school without if he destroyed any more!

Anyone astute enough to pay attention to Colin's varied scars would notice that he's sporting a new one on his neck, obtained earlier in the summer. With the top couple buttons undone, this scar was bared to all to see.

As he entered, he scanned the room. Not many familiar scents or faces as of yet had entered the place. He didn't even pay his cousin, Cursa, any mind. The American boy was watching from a short distance away. Whether by accident or on purpose ... well, who's to say? One girl was a familiar sight to him. He passed by some red haired kid before giving her a flamboyant bow. "Miss Illowy Magnard! Good to you here, lass! Ready for chaos?" He liked Illowy. She wasn't afraid of him. More to the point, wasn't afraid to rein him in when he needed it. He respected her for that. He flashed her a brilliant smile, showing off all his fangs, before turning towards the tables laden with what could only be as assortment of muggle food.

A couple first years were already tucking in, awaiting their doom! A Gryffindorque girl and her Ravenclown twin, but dressed very cute! They were with some other kid he didn't know. But! What caught his eye (and nose!) immediately was the girl in the bright banana yellow suit!

"Tes!!" he called out merrily and skipped over to his mate. "Fancy meeting you here, eh?" He gave her a smart clap on her shoulder in greeting. He could tell by her accent that she must be American. He nodded towards the Ilvermorny girl. "Ayo! Having a blast yet?" he asked. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the red haired boy stiffened considerably at the mention of the word "blast". Odd that, Colin thought. He looked from the firstie twins back to Tes. His eyes widened. "Tesla! You're not actually eating the food are you!" Of course, she had her gob stuffed with some suspicious looking muggle food. "What if it's poisoned? Doesn't anyone remember last year? All the cursed punch and potioned food?"

Colin shook his head, smirking. Of course, the ickle firsties wouldn't know!

"My name's Colin by the way! McCoire." He bowed with a flourish towards the Ilvermorny girl and the firsties. "Are you guys here for the dancing? Or are you here for the chaos? Me, I'm looking for the chaos!" He nodded quickly towards the older Slytherin girl. "By the looks of Miss Magnard over there, something big is going to go down tonight. I want to be in the middle of it again!"

Colin looked around the huge room. "Mind you, this fog is totally not sus! Who knows what won't happen tonight!"

Mentions: @Illowy Magnard | @Tesla Stone | @Meyra Lancaster | @Jun Mayumi Mochizuki | @Minnie Duke

He was able to read a subtle reaction from her when he offered to partake in the fun and games and then also tacked on his offer to dance, but he couldn't read it. He hoped that he hadn't overstepped, the idea had just popped into his head and it seemed like a good idea at the time, but he was a master of overthinking things and was afraid that he'd put her off and offended her.

This was one of two competing ideas in his mind, the other one being more along the lines of 'what the hell was I thinking' because he wasn't a proper dancer. He had never been trained or anything, he just moved with the music and tried to enjoy the experiences. He was afraid that he was now setting impossibly high expectations for himself - even if she did agree to dance, it would just be a huge disappointment.

Fortunately, his internal turmoil was finally resolved when Siobhan said yes, and - even better in his mind - she told him that she didn't really know how to dance either. As soon as Siobhan cleaned her hands, he took the two chocolate-covered peanuts in his hand and ate them before taking out his wand using Scourgify on his own hands. "I uh... I don't know how sensitive you are so this seems a safe thing to do," he said as he smiled up at her before he put his wand away. No one in his family was allergic but his best friend from his time before Hogwarts was allergic so he'd learned to be careful. He certainly didn't want to be responsible for Siobhan having a reaction.

He could see Siobhan go a little red when she asked him if he wanted to dance now or later. He thought it was really cute and realized she was probably having some of the same inner turmoil as he was. He decided he probably shouldn't leave her hanging and quickly said, "Whenever is fine with me, we can just dance whenever the mood hits us," he said with a smile.

Uri listened intently as she told him about the bees (both fake and real) and found it rather fascinating. Being a city boy, he had no experience with gardening or bees. Herbology had been interesting for him because it was the first time he'd done anything liked that, but he quickly became comfortable and adjusted to it. As he was listening to her and absentmindedly watching the bee hover over them, another one flew over and landed on the lapel of his suit. He couldn't help but make another pun and, putting on his best gangster voice remarked, "Marone, I've been bugged!"

Action: Being his awkward self

Interacting: @Siobhan McCarty
Mentioning: N/A

━━━━ SERAPHIC ━━━━

Evpraksiya M. Y. Vinogradova LOVELY CREATURE Reducio User is distractingly beautiful, +2 to DC STATS STA 7 │ EVA 8 │ STR 0 │ WIS 7 │ ARC 5 │ ACC 8 ACTION; Evpraksiya enters ball, socalizes

(adj.) Angelic, Sweet

───────────────────────────────────────────────────── 2024. 10. 19. | sundown....

OPEN TO INTERACTION

Eric was still debating what he was even doing here. At the gala. Without really a reason for being here at all other than...curiosity? Nonetheless, at least the food was good. He was currently munching on something that initially intrigued him by how it looked, not having expected it to taste sweet by any means but he was not complaining either. Just as he was about to refill his plate and try some new snacks he heard a very familiar voice turning a bit to notice Novalie.

Throughout the time leading to the gala, him and Novalie have gotten surprisingly close to being quite the duo of friends here. It was odd, since their personalities were quite starkingly different whenever they were not around each other that is. Lately even Eric has noticed quite a bit of change in his own temper, most likely due to the sunshine-y and slightly hyperactive Novalie.And even more so, he found himself not even minding it really. The time spent with the Ravenclaw student was actually quite fun in thinking back now. Gobstones, talking about each other's lives outside of school grounds, debating what they could do with the abilities they each had, the list could easily go on.

He shook his head a bit as if to dispel him getting lost in his thoughts again. "Hey, nice seeing you around here." What really at first began as more so curtsy and him trying to be polite, actually became quite genuine. He was indeed glad to see a known face around and someone he was more accustomed to talking to and even was enjoying the interactions. He chuckled a bit as she said that they coordinated almost to wear suits. Well he didn't really think through his decision that much in depth here. "You look good in that suit as well.And I guess if we were allowed to wear what we wanted to class everyone would come dressed as if every day was a gala. Either that or in more casual comfortable clothing." He was not a particular fan of the robes either, but he didn't dislike them per se. It was mostly a neutral feeling. Right, uniform that had to be worn, nothing much more than that.

"You would get distracted anyways." He commented as if he knew very well how Novalie was. And in a way he was not really wrong either. But one thing was certain, in the classes that they did participate in together, it was almost impossible for either to fully focus if they sat next to each other. Uniform or not, that was irrelevant at this point. "So what are your plans for this event?" He asked at some point picking something new to taste test from the multitude of snacks. Oh geez that was too sweet. Far too sweet. And just like that Eric finished the snack in another bite before deciding not to touch them again, going back to his earlier choice which in contrast was more of a fruit like subtle sweetness. He was a bit picky when it came to snacks yes... "I saw something about a game" Was it Whispers in the Dark? Something along those lines. "Did you sign up for it? Shall we give it a try?" Someone write this in a damn calendar he was for once suggesting something fun to do by himself without having Novalie suggest it first or convince him to go.

Roleplaying as Hans Jenssen

Should Hans have been glad he picked the black suit over the red one? It seemed fitting. And if he was in a mood to jest, he would have added how much of an honour it was for the ball organisers that he was adhering to the dress code. And if he was in a mood to jest, he would have been thinking about the delightful night ahead instead of replaying memories from days before. Yet no matter how he pushed himself to let in some light on such a bleak situation, his past attempts at salvaging spirit with humour had not involved mass murder. And now... they were somehow expected to enjoy themselves? He wished he could, if only he could. They had overestimated his abilities of self-deception.

Slipping into the Great Hall, tonight was the first time when he found no necessity to be the centre of the spotlight. After all, it was not a particularly honourable spotlight to let shine upon him. He needn't have been the focus of attention anyway. Not when a crowd had already circled around some commotion that had taken centre stage. A marriage proposal, it seemed, boy on one knee and girl accepting (shocker). Oh wow! How grand! As if he gave a shit! Hans' gaze slipped away quickly as he lost interest and swept across the room, eyes not catching on any particular detail of interest. The splatters of fake blood might have made for a charming imitation of a 60s murder film, but in light of recent events, it felt like nothing but a tauntingly cruel joke. While he was expecting no Darth Vader to send a lightsaber through his stomach, fingers fixed his collar in a semblance of casualness. Caution had never been a trait of his carefree guise, but this time, it was not uncalled for.

Hans guessed he was just sour today. He read somewhere that it happens when one had just witnessed a terrorist attack.

Food usually provided some kind of solace, more or less, and for such a chic gathering, he was expecting only the most high quality of catering. However, contrary to what the planning committee had expected from him, curiosity was not a priority today. Raising a brow of disdain at the organ shaped cakes and glasses of blood-coloured punch, Hans briskly turned his attention towards the final table. Disappointingly, even the apple in his bag was a better choice of nourishment. Scrunching his nose at some American sort of frühstücksfleisch labelled SPAM (and don't even get started on the "jello salad" beside it), he might as well have lost his appetite. Good Lord, it can't be too difficult to magic up some schnitzel, can it?

At the very least, he was sent the blessing of company. Stood with a similar look on her face was none other than the flaxen-haired Astrid Olsen, looking in distress as they all still must have been. Giving the Seeker a light tap on the shoulder, the German hoped some socialisation could do them both some good. At least it would have been more productive than withdrawing into a pit of sorrow. Convincing himself to fix up his mindset to at least deliver some positivity, if not for his own benefit than hers, he composed himself and greeted her with a grin much unlike his usual one.

'Hey Astrid,' he said, mustered smile still coming off strained. Studying her dejected expression - one that came at no surprise, he sighed, half mourning himself and half still remorseful that he had tried to stop Nikolai from rescuing more people, 'It feels impossible to find anything enjoyable these days, doesn't it? This school is just...' He trailed off, a rare occurrence of words having left him. In an attempt to distract Astrid - and who was he kidding, himself as well - from such miserable thoughts, he glanced towards the buffet table then back to the Norwegian's empty hands. Hans could not blame Astrid's aversion toward's Hogwarts dastardly choice of foods (seriously, a skull-adorned cake after the death of 28 people was not exactly considerate), so instead of pushing her to try one of those macabre cupcakes, he pulled out a Snickers bar. 'I suggest you eat. It will make you feel better.'

Sta: 8 | Eva: 10 | Str: 5 | Wis: 5 | Arc: 2 | Acc: 10 | Fearless | Charmer

Charmer affects everyone but Nikolai Vol'ka (@Matthew Campbell), Valentin Schnell, Johannes Sauer, Felix Kolbeck, Greta Fransson, and Astrid Olsen (@Anastasia Blackwood-Varney)

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ ʚɞ ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

After a few minutes, Oakleigh decided to head back to her dorm. There was nothing left for her now. After all, things had just bummed out. All the commotion around had been tuned out by her as she just... didn't care. The decorations were beautiful. She could admire them all day.

But she didn't want to. Besides, her hair started to frizz with all the humidity with everyone in the room. She decided that she would find the girl that she was drawing later in time. Besides, she wasn't done with it yet. She carefully put her sketchbook and drawing supplies back in her bag. She took her camera that was battery powered and took a photo of the ball. She wanted something tangable to keep. They weren't in it. Half of her was glad she missed them, the other half regretting she did. She took another photo, waiting it to develop. She put it in the front pocket of her bag, making sure it was in there neatly.

She stood up from the chair she was sitting in, making her way through the crowd to leave. She hadn't even met other students from another school. Why even bother anyways.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ ʚɞ ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

OAKLEIGH HAS BEEN STOPPED

Notes: Reducio If you want your char/inpc to stop her, plz owl me. Maybe Oakleigh can have a better night. STATS | stamina ◦ 6 | evasion ◦ 7 | strength ◦ 5 | wisdom ◦ 7 | arcane power ◦ 5 | accuracy ◦ 5

Date: Reducio Oct 19th, 2024

Mentions: Reducio @Sanguinius Demarest @Elena Clark (I love you Elena OOC. Promise!!)

word count: 200/200