Gala of Mysteries Fall Ball

"McCoire, its a party. Don't make me save you tonight." That's how Illowy had issued her warning moments before. Colin didn't know her well at all, though he knew enough. She was a seventh year. She wasn't dead and she wasn't a hag. She didn't appear to be traumatised. Illowy had survived six and a half years of Hogwarts and still came to the ball with glint of amusement in her eye. He felt this deserved respect.

He reckoned that they would all find out soon enough if they survived until the morning.

Clearly she had heard him talking with Tes and the others. "Well, Meyra Lancaster! If you're here to eat, I shan't stop you! I reckon you'll learn soon enough lass! That muggle food looks pretty sus." He cast a quick glance over towards the red haired Ilvermorny boy. "Just the kind of thing they lace with forgetfulness potion --- or maybe even a love potion! Heheh."

"I haven't the slightest idea what you mean," Illowy said. Colin smirked. "I'm doing exactly what I always do at parties. I meant what I said before, McCoire. Why not do what normal people do, go find yourself someone pretty, and dance the night away. Its not healthy to anticipate trouble."

Colin gave Illowy another mischievous smile. "Perhaps!" he called over to Illowy. He felt certain he'd get a smack for his impertinence: "We can always dance later! After the place has burned down!" Colin knew deep down that he had been shaped by the disasters of previous balls. He was in no way interested in these things as social events any more. For him, they were just another way to satisfy the rush! He craved the excitement and could hardly wait for trouble to start. In a lower voice, he said: "It may not be healthy to anticipate trouble, but I'm happy to face it down when it shows up."

As the fog deepened, Meyra got out a magical lantern to see if she could shed some light on the situation. Colin wasn't sure what was up with the fog. It didn't affect his nose any, but it sure made seeing what was going on more difficult! He couldn't see Illowy or Cursa anymore, and they weren't too far away. Tes and the twins and the other girl were fading into indistinct shapes. He couldn't see anyone else in the place at all. "What say we try to clear the air a bit!"

Colin reached up into his right sleeve and got out his wand. There was no apparent source for the fog, but maybe a stiff breeze would help clear things up a bit! "VENTUS!" Colin called out, pointing his wand into the fog and twirling it clockwise.

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

Open to Interaction

The sound of confusion struck Greta to silence, his expression suggesting that she had said something very stupid. She averted her gaze, ears quickly blazing pink with embarrassment. Time stretched in silence, the wait until his subsequent understanding feeling like a lifetime. "No, no..." she murmured in counter to his apology, chewing at her lower lip while rubbing a hand against her neck. "It's not you. It's my fault... I practice and practice--or try to--but I'm still not very good at speaking British.." There had definitely been improvement in her command of the language over the years, but compared to most of the other Durmstrang students, she may as well have been a toddler just learning how to talk. To her detriment, she often relied on them to speak on her behalf or translate for her. It was easier that way.

It was easy to forget her inadequacy, though, when she was with Felix. He never seemed to badger her about it, always patient to clarify a misunderstanding. Once again, he shifted seamlessly back to Swedish as though the task were as simple as breathing, apparently unbothered by the need to help her understand. She glanced up with awe, always so impressed by how clever he was to be able to do that, and how much he knew. Her chest fluttered to see the smile gracing his features, and for a moment, she couldn't peel her gaze away. Against the backdrop of a chandelier and dressed in finery with his hair allowed to fall naturally to his neck, he just looked so princely. He could have picked anyone to go with him to the gala, and for some reason he'd asked her. Gooseflesh tingled at the back of her neck and across her arms, a fresh wave of heat rising to rouge her cheeks.

"...I love you..."

The words were like being hit in the face by a bouquet of roses thrown through a haze of falling petals. "You...What?" Greta blinked, frozen for a moment, certain that she could not have heard what she thought she'd just heard, and too scared to breathe lest she break whatever mirage she'd somehow stumbled upon, but also feeling like she was about to be sick for just how much her belly seemed to have started coiling in and about itself. It was then she realized she'd been staring and most of what he'd said had gone in one ear and out the other, the past minute or so finally managing to push its way through her brain fog of infatuation anchor her back in reality. Still wide-eyed as his previous words almost seemed to play back in four-times speed, she followed his gaze to...a wall of students. She couldn't see anything beyond the full gowns and overlapping bodies. Nor could she quite puzzle out what Felix had meant about 'parental pressure'. But from the direction of his attention and the way he was definitely not focused on her, it was very apparent that she'd obviously misheard him. "Uh... nevermind."

He started to walk away, steering them in a less populated direction. Greta went along with it, and at the suggestion to 'get out of here', she couldn't help but bite her lip to temper an impish little grin. "Where did you want to go?" she wondered, chancing another glance up to him, but only for a second lest she get distracted again. "To the maze? Are you good with directions? Are there monsters? Is it going to be scary? What if we get lost?" she inquired, partly genuinely curious for the answers, but mostly following a train of thought that seemed to spark a certain buzz of excitement. "If we can't find our way out, we'd get stuck in there all night together.." she suggested, directing all her might into NOT looking sidelong at him despite how badly she might have wanted to see his reaction. In doing so, however, her gaze happened to drift past him to a far table just briefly. But it was enough.

"CAKE!" Eyes flew wide, face immediately alighting with a gleeful smile, thoughts of heading for the haunted maze temporarily forgotten. In the blink of an eye, depleted dopamine reserves would prompt her search of sugar to replenish their stores and the bright eyed Norwegian would be drawn hook, line, and sinker to one of the tables boasting an impressive three-tiered cake. Once again, teeth would anchor her lip as she roamed the various desserts and delectables, mouth already salivating at the prospect of savouring their sweetness. Her path would stop abruptly, though, posture jumping upright as a hand moved to point almost accusingly towards a tray that looked more like it should belong at a party for the dead than a gala for the living. "What is that?" she inquired a bit loudly, finger directing attention to a muggle TV dinner.

STA 5‏‏‎ |‎ EVA 20‏‏‎‏‏‎ | STR 1‏‏‎‏‏‎ |‎ WIS 12 |‏‏‎ ARC 12‏‏‎ |‏‏‎‎ ACC 20 Perfectionist, Calming Presence [Durmstrang], Lovely Creature Spell Spread, Wandmaker [Thunderbird], Fearless

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Health: 500/500

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Post Tracker: F1, G1, F2, G2, F3, G3, F4, G4, F5, A1, I1, G5

Pet Snake Present In Thread (but not near owner)

Parseltongue & English +

_{gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous banner made by @Wyatt Starkey}

“Tone” is just a very Starkey way of replying. Something Hanako can’t find himself getting bored of anytime soon. “Kidnapping? Please, as if I even wanted to kidnap this menace.” Hanako managed to say before Jack butted in, transforming to his human appearance. Without even a hello to Wyatt. He supposed after being in the same dorm for 5 years, they were above basic boring greetings. He glanced around, unsure if he managed to meet up with Cu Sith or not. Did she even do anything? Oh well, she was smart. She’ll return to him eventually.

Jack reached near Salami to scratch behind her ear, telling Wyatt about their little deal. Which honestly, surprised Hanako in a way. If it were not Jack that admitted it, Hanako wouldn’t have really explained that tidbit to Wyatt. Maybe it was too obvious to say otherwise. Living in the dorm together.. Surely Wyatt had seen Jack and Hanako suddenly spending a lot of time together? (Though most of it was not consented by Hanako.) But wouldn’t using the word ‘stalking’ just invite more curiosity and questions? Well.. just because people had questions, didn’t mean Jack was going to give answers anyways. Hanako was.. Uncertain if he should explain more to Wyatt.

How does one explain the reason why Jack has been doing what he was doing? Hanako could barely make sense of it himself. To most people it was like Jack developed a huge crush on Hanako and didn't want anyone else near him. But he knew it wasn’t that simple. Burnett wasn’t the type to make it easy for anyone to fully get his intentions to why he did things. If he had tried to explain it to Hanako, the Japanese boy still wouldn’t get it. Jack encouraged people to twist his words, look for loopholes, find the puzzle pieces. Hanako wasn't even entirely sure he wanted to know the answer. So here they were, in this arrangement. Where one day they’d tackle each other to the floor, and the other- they’d arrive as a pair for a ball, or arguing what outfit would fit Salami the most like they were freaking co-parenting it or it.

Still…would two heads be better than one? Wyatt was someone… Hanako had yet to piss off so much that their relationship would be forever stained. Plus he knew.. A little too much about Hanako. Vice Versa. And while Hanako felt tempted to tell him about Jack, maybe it was too early. Regardless, maybe he’ll be surprised. For now, he’ll let it be unless Wyatt asked further.

Thankfully, it seemed that was the only bits of conversation Jack wanted to be apart of. The insistence that this was a simple exchange. Which Hanako was frankly, fine with. Wyatt then answered about his reasons for being at the ball. “‘Why not’?” Hanako tilted his head a little at Wyatts unexpected answer. “Since when did you care about living life to the fullest?” he teased.

Hanako then released the small kitten onto Wyatt’s grasps. Neither protested. In fact, Wyatt even seemed more considerate of the cat than Hanako had been all night. Even changing its position to have it be more comfortable in his arms. Like a little furry baby with jello strenght bones.

[this vibe, but younger cat with bat wings costume]

“This thing helps. But I don’t need it to find a dance partner.” Hanako scoffed with a cocky tone that he was sure Wyatt was used to by now.

“Salami. God knows why he chose to name it that. Tried to ask him about it and he just mentioned ah.. Someone named.. ‘Sara’? I'm assuming it's related to them or whatever, but when I said I don’t know who that is, he just ignored me”, he sighed with a shrug, giving Jack a side eye and a smirk as he said so. As if he wasn’t there just listening. Through perhaps part of Hanako hoped now would be a time to tell the history behind Salami’s name.

@Pericles Dralt & @Eun-ji Lee Hunt

That was the last of his happy-ish mood, however. Whatever Wyatt may have responded with, or Jack may quip in, would receive less than half of Hanako’s attention span. If any of them followed his line of sight, they’d meet a pair just entering the ball. Nothing too special. Just one of the many couples in hogwarts, wearing flashy matching attire that made them look like they came from a movie set for some classic romance movie from the golden age of cinema. A keen eye however, could notice the flash of annoyance that crossed Hanako’s features the longer he looked at the pair.

Red.

Again.

He was really beginning to despise that colour.

A sort of unexplainable quiet anger began to brew in Hanako, despite his attempt to hide it. Looking away briefly from the couple as if they were nothing but another decor in the background. Alas, the prickling in his chest ensued. Ridiculous. Of course she had plans for another date. Hanako almost wished it was still with that dumb quidditch player from Mahoutokoro. At the very least, Hanako was assured she didnt see him often. And their date seemed to end so horrendously that if they ever were to have a 2nd, it would only be expected if it went in shambles again. But him.

Hanako couldn’t help but try to see her chosen date. Unconsciously fixing his own posture, as a sad attempt at mimicking the grace that oozed out of Dralt. A similar aura to Eun-ji, which was what attracted Hanako to her in the first place. Only when it came from Dralt, attraction wasn’t the word for it. Mocking, maybe. Odd, he was just there with Eun-ji, and Hanako suddenly found everything wrong with his attire today.

Ridiculous.

Hanako was so content being certain that Eun-ji wasn’t bawling her eyes out since they haven’t had time to spend together, that it slipped his mind that she may not even be thinking about him at all. It didn’t worry him much when he stopped seeing her during duelling practice. But now that he thought about it, he hasn’t seen Dralt either. Was this the reason? She picked up some boy and she didn’t bother to tell him about it? “ Tch. What a waste”, he mumbled out under his breath before deciding to fully return his attention back to the group. Just in time to see Jack lean in to suggest a date.

Bingo

There was his remedy.

Eun-ji didn’t wish to be his distraction for tonight? Fine. He could comply.

Hanako didnt hesitate to listen in on the plan, letting out an amused scoff when he did so. “ You might get us both killed, you know that right? You’re crazy”, But in all honesty, a fleeting thought passed by that he’d rather deal with that potential risk than turning his glance back at Eun-ji with snotty fancy Mr Dralt. But he tried to tell himself it wasn’t worth the energy putting into Jack’s plan.

@Haven Bohannon

That is… until he heard a somewhat familiar shriek resonate from across the room and moving closer towards him. As he locked eyes with the hufflepuff, he hoped his eyes were deceiving him and it was just another strawberry blonde girl. One that he preferably didn’t kiss out of spite and got an earful from her since then. Upon her arrival though, contrary to the greetings Hanako was used to when it came from her, she was rather.. Tame. Distracted, actually.

And out of nowhere she lore drops some stuff about her cat that no one asked her for. And Hanako came to the saddening realisation that this was in fact, Haven Bohannon. On the bright side… Salami really was a chick magnet. Hanako took note of it. Next time though, he would have preferred if the cat bought attention to anyone else but this particular girl.

Did Hanako felt guilty for making her cry and stealing her first kiss? Somewhat. It would have been easy to get a slap from her and get it over with. But no, she just had to hold in her anger. Hanako was certain she still felt it. Not that she was ever good at hiding it. Coming from the lovely glare and curt way she greeted him. “ Haven” He replied, his politeness faux. “You’re looking well”. Well, this was fine. Hanako wasn’t opposed to annoying her. Its much easier to do than asking for forgiveness, afterall.

See, his question is , if she wasn’t good at concealing her anger, why doesn't she just ignore him like the plague? Hanako understood not being able to let things go. But at least he knew to pretend the source of his anger didnt exist. Case Study A : Rainwood.

But hey, perhaps she just got fueled from her anger towards him. Must’ve been more exciting than what she usually got in that den of goodie two shoes they call Hufflepuff House.

Only issue is how was he going to explain to Wyatt what happened? Surely he picked up the vibes by this point, yet he was the only one so far in their little group that was unaware of just why this random Hufflepuff girl seemed to detest Hanako so openly. Yet, at the same time - would Starkey really be that surprised?

“I changed my mind. Let’s have fun” he told Jack, turning back to Wyatt for a moment to give him a cheeky grin. “ Thanks for taking the babysitting job, Starkey. We’ll be off now. I’ll leave Cu Sith in your care too, if I don’t return” he winked playfully at the new babysitter before turning back. Jack was quite lucky he knew how to have fun. Considering all the annoying things he’s been doing since the start of the year.

@Matthias Pride @Winnie Harper and..... anyone else at the ball, really

He moved away from the group as he made his way nearer to where the oh so lovely newly engaged couple. “MATTHIAS”, Hanako called for, the loud exasperation evident in his tone. His face scrunched into what people can pick up as devastation. A total flip from his earlier smirk. But hey, unless someone was watching, how would they know? . “Mathias, after all we've been through together, how could you do this to me? Why would you pick her?! What? Just because we were a secret, it was less special?!” Hanako liked to believe he had pissed enough people to be able to pull off a heartbroken/pissed persona off. Just remember how Haven reacted and x10. Easy. Dramatic hand movements, huffing with each word - as if the anger from this betrayal is barely contained. And in a few minutes, perhaps even crocodile tears could come in play. “This is the path you want to take? Denial?!”

SNAKE ACTION: Swallowed Ring . Yum. Going into hiding (somewhere)

Consumption: Able to consume an item for safe-keeping up to the diameter of a softball and the length of a wand. This can be used to steal something or to hide something. This can be regurgitated at the owner's command. Larger items cannot be swallowed by larger snakes for safe-keeping, the item would be destroyed. No, you cannot swallow a player, they will get nauseated and vomit (also we do not let you murder players). ( from magical race information )

Character Action: n/a : accusing Matthias of being a cheat (with jack) . Awaiting his oscar

Character Mentions: @Jack Burnett

Stats

Reducio

S t a m i n a : 11
S t r e n g t h : 3
A r c a n e : 15
A c c u r a c y : 16
E v a s i o n : 6
W i s d o m : 10

Abilities

Reducio

-1st, 3rd and 5th Parselmouth Abilities
- blindvision
- perfectionist
- wandmaker, Rangarou Hair, Rose wood.

Roleplaying as Lee Ye-jun from Beauxbatons – Encyclopedia

Violet in English, Red in Korean and Blue in French

Ye-jun had been contemplating whether to attend the ball for a very long time. He didn’t bother finding a date and those, who asked him to be theirs, were politely refused. Yet here he was again. He wasn’t even sure why. Perhaps it was simply because he was bored or that he already missed the two previous ones. Either way, he was here so he might as well explore for a bit.

The wizard originally wanted to go with Eun-ji but she apparently already had a date. A very platonic one. He asked her why she didn’t have a proper one, but the girl deflected the question masterfully. It’s been six years and she had yet to try dating. It was baffling to him. After all, she was beautiful, smart and skilled at many things. Although...he was being a bit hypocritical considering he never really dated properly either. For Ye-jun though, it was mostly because he had trust issues when it came to romance. Eun-ji had trust issues of her own, but they were very different. In the end, it was probably just that she had no time for it or… what was it she said that one time? “Love is a luxury I can’t afford right now.” The statement made him uneasy however he knew there was no point in prying. She was not going to elaborate on that one.

At least, her partner for this ball seemed like a decent young man, according to how she described him. The witch didn’t tend to exaggerate and only gave credit where credit was due and yet Ye-jun was still worried. It felt like his cousin was slipping away. Not just from him but from everyone. Slowly slithering into a darkness, hoping no one would notice. But he did. He just didn’t know what to do about it. The only thing Ye-jun could do, was hold onto her using her father as a hostage. His uncle was living with them now and so Ye-jun was the best source of information Eun-ji had at the moment. He was not happy that she had to be separated from her dad, but in a way, it was actually helpful. Perhaps that was why he was here. To keep an eye on her.

Ah…I came late. His brain supplied when he noticed Eun-ji and her date already leaving, most likely to join one of the ball games. They were not hard to spot. Even from the distance, the two of them were quite eye-catching. He could see the ivory haired man leading his cousin safely through the thick fog and let out a sigh of relief. He did look pretty reliable so Ye-jun felt no need to bother them. “Mathias, after all we've been through together, how could you do this to me? Why would you pick her?! What? Just because we were a secret, it was less special?!” The hell? What kind of soap opera scene did he stumble on?

The Beauxbatons student grimaced as he turned to observe the source of yelling, who obviously didn’t have an ounce of shame in his body. To his surprise, he recognised this one, he had the “pleasure” to bump into him before. Shaking his head, Ye-jun’s gaze shifted back to his cousin just in time to see her step falter. Though she did continue walking, the fingers of the hand, which was not hooked to her partner, twitched. Eun-ji did well to mask all of it. Anyone who wasn’t paying close attention to her movement would have missed it alas, Ye-jun was watching and he knew her.

Others might have not realised this but whenever Eun-ji felt a particularly strong emotion, her fingers twitched ever so slightly. A tiny movement most people would discard as an unimportant momentary tic. To Ye-jun, it was anything but unimportant. Both of them used to live in under one roof as kids so he got to learn all the small details about her body language. She was even better at hiding her emotions than back then but old habits die hard. It was confusing however. What was the cause of the twitch now? His cousin was not easily startled so he doubted that was the reason. Then was it something the obnoxious boy said? Why? Why would she care? He didn’t seem like a person Eun-ji would hang out with. Ye-jun didn’t know the Asian boy well but he saw enough. Their brief meeting at one of the balls, the mistletoe-kissing event he happened to witness as he was passing by and now this. The boy seemed like the kind of person that behaved carelessly to the point, where ended up hurting others. Eun-ji was a person, who didn’t let it show when someone hurt her. All of her pain always bottled inside, locked securely. It would be the worst kind of combination Ye-jun could imagine for her. “No. What a ridiculous idea…” He mumbled to himself in Korean. It was probably nothing.

Mentioning: @Hanako Tone and @Pericles Dralt
OPEN TO INTERACTIONS

Open to interactions!

hex: #173518

Dying a fiery and violent death, he may have anticipated, but babysitting Jack Burnett’s cat? That wasn’t a possibility on his radar at all. Jack had appeared so instantly even Wyatt, who was checking all the entrances and exits of the building every other minute, hadn’t been able to see him coming. Strangely, yet typical for Burnett, the boy didn’t open with any greetings, nor even the clearing of his throat. He was just there, all of a sudden, responding to Wyatt like he’d been standing beside them all along.

Conversation moved so quickly Wyatt hadn’t the time to question Jack. As much as it sounded like he was annoyed with the kitten, commenting that she wouldn’t stop trailing him, his body seemed to move on autopilot to give her ears a scratch when he arrived. It was a gesture Wyatt felt the once-limp cat respond to, leaning into the touch. It seemed like Burnett genuinely needed someone he trusted to look after his cat, but why would he be worried about her “stalking” him if he was just walking around the hall? Unless he wasn’t. It was Jack Burnett, of course there was going to be some little scheme.

Hanako finally responded, giving Wyatt the long-awaited name of the kitten in his arms: Salami. What? It was Jack, he really shouldn’t waste his time on solving that mystery when there were surely far more pressing matters, but… What? Hanako clarified it was based on the name “Sara”, which only further confused Wyatt. How did naming a cat after a food item pay tribute to an exceedingly regular name? The only similarity between the two was the first letter? Wyatt wracked his brain for any Saras he and Jack may know, but he couldn’t think of one. Perhaps it was sentimental. Whatever.

“Sara and Salami are two very different words,” he pointed out, perhaps quite obviously but he was just not understanding. He was making a small attempt to be playful, but the connection wasn’t there.

All of a sudden, Jack was inviting Hanako to dance. After all the strange things he knew about those two, he wouldn’t put dancing at a ball past them, but this just seemed like an excuse for a clean exit. Wyatt was still holding the cat, though. He looked down only to find the jet-black kitten was staring up at him already. Was he going to be holding this thing all night? The answer was in her eyes: Probably.

Since becoming aware of his parselmouth identity, he’d wondered if there was a way to talk to other animals. This isn’t a lead-up to him meow-ing at the kitten in his arms, hoping for a response. He was just curious. If snakes could speak and have more complex thoughts than people imagined, couldn’t cats? It was probably a lost cause, trying to read this kitten, as communication went both ways. He wouldn’t be able to talk to snakes if he didn’t know their language. In this case, he didn’t know cat. He tried to read her face all the same, squinting and turning his head slightly as a puppy would an unfamiliar object. As well as he could disguise most of his feelings, he was never good at masking curiosity.

It almost seemed like Wyatt disappeared. Hanako and Jack were muttering among themselves. Wyatt looked down once again at the cat, who was diligently watching her owner. It almost seemed as though she’d jump after him if he decided to leave, just as Jack had feared, so Wyatt’s hold on her became a bit more firm. Salami was going nowhere. He gave her a few scratches behind the ear for her troubles.

He’d soon learn that the most dangerous thing about holding a cat was, apparently, approachability. Wyatt heard a shout that involved the word, “cat”, but he foolishly assumed that people, however much they liked animals, could keep a respectful distance from animals. And their impromptu handlers. But no. A girl was rapidly—like, rapidly rapidly—approaching. How she didn’t trip over her dress at that pace, Wyatt had no clue. She wasn’t wearing heels, though. That must’ve given her an advantage.

All at once, she was speaking and petting the cat and though Wyatt desperately tried to follow every word he ended up getting lost in the alphabet soup of a conversation starter. But it wasn’t exactly a conversation starter. The cat might as well have been floating in mid-air, suspended by nothing but hopes and dreams the way she made eye contact with her, and none with Wyatt. This was preferred. Wyatt’s expression was currently one of surprise, shock, confusion. Damn Jack Burnett for having such a conspicuous entrance Wyatt forgot to check if anyone was approaching. Now look at this mess.

During the girl’s speech, in part because he wondered if anyone else was going to come to the petting-zoo he forgot he was running, but also due to the fact that the girl had approached very loudly and he was slightly embarrassed at the attention it may have stirred, Wyatt’s head was on a swivel. He checked a few times for any onlookers, and saw that the damage was pretty minimal, save for a boy dramatically pointing in his direction. He couldn’t see who or how many people he was speaking to, but he hoped the boy wasn’t directing ball goers to the cat like a carnie sends patrons to an attraction.

He’d been staring at a wall so peacefully before Hanako Tone had come along. This was more interesting, sure, but if Wyatt could transform into some sort of winged insect, animagus style, and fly away from the whole situation… he imagined he’d be more comfortable. The only thing that grounded him was when she said her name, and Wyatt responded with his own: “Wyatt.”

Overwhelmed, Wyatt didn’t notice until Hanako spoke, but there was some obvious tension between the girl—Haven, she said—and Tone. Shocker. She’d met his compliment with a glare that made Wyatt nervous by proxy. Something else he’d have to ask Hanako about. Almost immediately, Hanako decided he’d changed his mind about Jack’s offer to dance, spun and left, telling Wyatt he would indeed be watching Salami for a little while. Worse, Cu Sith may have been another animal he had to babysit. That snake just wasn’t right. A little too… malicious for Wyatt’s taste.

“If you don’t return? You’re dancing with Jack Burnett, it’s when you don’t return,” he corrected, catching a wink from Tone. He reflexively cringed at the wink, and in a moment, Tone was gone. Wyatt brought his attention back to Haven, trying to remember all she said.

“This is Salami, she’s Burnett’s cat. Not sure how they got her into this costume but,” he held her out with two hands, in a demonstration of sorts. Completely unphased by the shift in position, her legs swayed side to side in the air, her demeanor staying absolutely calm as she looked at Haven, “she seems pretty agreeable.” He returned her to her place in his right arm, curled up all snug.

Wyatt wanted to question her on that interaction with Hanako, but as he opened his mouth to do so he heard shouts, a little far away, but from a very recognizable voice. He’d just been talking to him. Hanako Tone was in the center of the ballroom, yelling at Mathias Pride for denying his true love. Tone sounded so betrayed, and maybe because he already felt Jack was up to something before, but mostly because he knew Tone would never put his emotions out like that in such a public setting, he knew the plan was a go. Whatever it was. Leave it to Tone to make a spectacle, but what for?

Regardless, it was truly impressive. Wyatt hated to admit it, but Hanako really had a talent for chaos in a way he would never understand. If he and Vale Ashwood teamed up, they could probably rule the world. Or end it. Or both. What skill. Back to Haven.

“Well, then,” he said, really at a loss. “You’d really have to take up any play date requests with Jack, but I’m not sure when he’ll be back from… that. Wait– you said you’d dress up your pygmy puff as yourself for Halloween? How do you– what does a pygmy puff costume even look like?”

He felt the urge to be more severe, maybe take a step back and criticize Haven for her lack of understanding of personal space, or for petting an animal that may have been dangerous or did not like a stranger’s touch. But he was truly curious about that pygmy puff costume and he didn’t have the energy to fight tonight. A broom race’ll do it.

Currently babysitting:

Action(s): Talking to Haven

Abilities: Parselmouth, prodigal DADA, fearless
Stats: Sta: 12 | Eva: 12 | Str: 4 | Wis: 9 | Arc: 9 | Acc: 10

Mentioning: Aodhan Shaw, Vale Ashwood, Mattie Pride
Interacting: @Hanako Tone, @Jack Burnett, Salami da cat, @Haven Bohannon

October 19th, 2024	Great Hall
“English”	“Gaelic”

Alyss gazed up at Nabi, startled by the height difference between them. Although Alyss was aware that she was quite short, it was rare that the gap was this large, especially among those who were her own age. Alyss did, however, expect the eyes upon her, moving up and down, ever examining. It had been something that she had noticed in Hogwarts that was different from home: everyone’s first reaction was to look you up and down, as if testing to see if you were worthy of their time.

Nodding at Nabi’s introduction, Alyss let her face fall back from the more friendly smile she had been using frequently into a softer, more thoughtful smile. It was the one she used when Alyss didn’t want to be grinning at her counterpart, but also still wanted to look nice enough. This was something that she had realized earlier in the year, that her resting face made her look very judgmental. And although Alyss most certainly was, she didn’t want it to be quite as broadcasted as it had been in her earlier years, so she was learning to default to this kind of expression instead.

“Ah.. a shame. It looks great on you.” Alyss offered, trying to sound just as well versed, confident, and elegant as Nabi did. “Thank you for the compliment,” Alyss replied, looking more bashful. She really loved the dress, and given that it was probably the nicest piece of clothing she owned, it was the young girls pride and joy. “I chose it specifically for this occasion!” Alyss could feel herself getting excited, cheeks reddening, and eyes shining. She was beginning to show through the mask of trying to be elegant, and the real, joyful and enthusiastic Alyss was showing itself.

Alyss had always felt uncomfortable in her own personality, and so very often when meeting new people tried to almost.. make up another persona that they would like. However, Alyss had a very strong personality, so oftentimes they didn’t get through one full meeting before Alyss started becoming more and more extroverted and silly and possibly reckless, depending on the setting. “Yes, this is my first ball! I’m especially excited for the murder mystery portion! Did you sign up as well?” Alyss began, just overall acting a lot happier and approachable than earlier in their conversation. She was using her hands to talk, gesturing here are there as she asked to emphasize her excitement. No longer did she seem even remotely elegant, though now she was a lot more confident, however noisy.

Reducio

Abilities:
Fearless

Stats & Trunk:
sta 6 • eva 6 • str 2 • wis 7 • arc 7 • acc 7
Trunk

Interactions: @Nabi Park
Interaction Status: Please owl for permission first!
Action: Talking to Nabi!!

Reducio

The Dress:

Sonya talking: #6600ff
Interacting with: @Anyone

Stamina: 6 Evasion: 4 Strength: 9 Wisdom: 4 Arcane Power: 4 Accuracy: 3
"Why use magic in a fight when you can just use your fists? No magical person ever expects it." - Sonya Herrera.

Action: N/A
Stats: STA: 12 | EVA: 9 | STR: 16 | WIS: 7 | ARCP: 3 | ACC: 15
Inventory: Wand, Broom (Silver Arrow), Flask with Firewhiskey
Abilities: Martial Artist | Muggle Condition | CALMING PRESENCE (allies when in range: Amina Petrovic, Illowy Magnard) | Beast Master | LOVELY CREATURE | FEARLESS

𝙾𝚄𝚃𝙵𝙸𝚃: Reducio

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

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𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂: Reducio @Evelynn Decipio as Greta

He had to bite down on his lip to stop from laughing. There was no way that Greta had just said she couldn't 'speak British'. Why was everything she did so damn endearing? It was so fucking distracting too. Even an idiot could see why Greta had so many idiots on their hands and knees begging for an ounce of her attention. "English," he corrected gently, his smile widening a bit.

"Considering it’s your fourth language, I’d say you’re doing awesome. How many of these Brits can say they know even one other language, let alone four? I wouldn't beat yourself up over it, Greta, screw anyone who makes you feel like you're less than." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, but his stomach did an uncomfortable twist at the thought of anyone looking down on her. He'd punch them, or hex them, how dare anyone make her feel less than.

She had softened his usual scowl, and, his nerves starting to melt away, he felt more at ease around his date. Perhaps it was because he remembered Greta was also his friend and he didn't have to be nervous around her. "Besides; you'll always have me around to help translate anyways," he continued, peering down to offer the girl a playful smirk, "and for what it’s worth, you’re pretty cute when you speak English."

The Swede hadn't noticed how spaced out Greta had become, or he would have insisted she get sugar in her system ASAP. His eyes flickered back to her when she questioned what he meant, "Huh?" Had he started to speak English again? He hadn't thought so, but sometimes he swung between languages without realizing it. What had he said last? The part about parental shit?

"Oh, I don't love you because of parental pressure, Greta." He tried to explain to her without thinking, in a hurry to explain so she didn't have her feelings hurt.

Blinking downwards at his date, realization struck him like a bludger to the face. What had he just said? WHAT HAD HE JUST SAID?! "... Fuck, I mean—that's not... You're my friend and I do love you, but—" Holy fuck, holy fucking shit, what was happening?! He needed to STOP TALKING before he dug himself a deeper grave.

He took a steadying breath, mortified eyes wide. Why was Greta making him stumble over his words like this? It hadn't been this way before and now he looked like a fucking idiot. "I just mean that if I were to tell someone I loved them, it sure as hell wouldn't be because my parents told me to."

To say he was relieved when Greta started talking about the maze again would be an understatement, "Why would it be scary? Aren't mazes supposed to be fun?" Was she that worried about getting lost? "If you're really that worried, I can try to carry you around the maze. Unsure if you'll be able to see over my hat."

When the Norwegian suggested the two might get stuck together all night, the Swede had to glance away to try and hide the blush that raised in his cheeks. Dammit, cruppies, cruppies—he hoped the dim lighting hid his reaction.

He took a moment to respond to ensure his brain didn't short-circuit again, "I guess I'd have no choice but to—" but he had apparently taken too long because the Valkyrie had a 'squirrel!' moment and was b-lining it towards the table of food.

With a fond smile the usual grumpy Swede watched her eyes light up as she looked over the confectionaries before settling on a rather gruesome looking TV dinner. "What the fuck?" He picked up a fork to prod the plastic tray before taking a step back, "I don't know, but don't eat it. It looks like the kind of food they'd feed prisoners in Azkaban." Was the drab meal what Hogwarts was feeding their students? No wonder so many of them were dickheads; they were probably hangry.

His eyes landed on a rather brightly coloured cupcake, and he was quick to snatch it up and present it to Greta. "Here, red 40 is still probably better than whatever that is," he joked, offering her the sweet.

As adorable as Greta was when she was chowing down on her favourite foods, the Swede really wanted to spend some quality time with her. He was trying to remember what dates were supposed to do when he realized the girl might want to actually dance at an event that was built around dancing. It wasn't his favourite thing to do, but his mother had forced him to take all those classes and he wanted his date to have a good time. "We should dance after you're done eating."

Action: N/A.