Absolutely โ€œFantasticโ€ Open


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Happy Birthday, Ruth Fairchild.
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Date: 01/02/2025
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Mentioning: N/A
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๐“žh, to step away from being eleven. Ruth always found birthdays, especially hers, exciting. They were the rare opportunities of celebration, of optimism that she wouldnโ€™t have been able to experience without the special reason for the occasionโ€”growing older. While not exactly a milestone, Ruth viewed birthdays as a reminder to look back at how far sheโ€™d have come from one age to the next, all the successful accomplishments, all her memories. It was a mix of excitement, gratitude and introspection for her, albeit overwhelming. This year, it felt different.

For the first time in her life, she was celebrating it away from her family.

Knowing Hogwarts, it would be the first of the next six, seven years. She couldnโ€™t bear the thought. It was slightly shocking, a little disheartening. But she wasnโ€™t going to stop that from making today her day. Optimism didnโ€™t hurt, even if Ruth Fairchild wasnโ€™t used to being so optimistic. Her spirits were high, bouncing out of bed, getting ready for the day ahead. Thank goodness for her, the First of February fell on a weekend, which meant a rest from classes and a possible day to herself. Being twelve! A year to go before she reached the stage of adolescence, which she wasnโ€™t sure whether or not to be excited for. Her older siblings, especially Rita, are constantly experiencing mood swings, which she blames on being a teenager. Ruth shuddered at the thought, already bringing herself to eat the breakfast in front of her. Ruth had enough control of her temper as it is. She couldnโ€™t possibly imagine how much worse itโ€™d get.

The fluttering of owls alerted her and she craned her neck to watch the daily letters and packages arrive. Despite herself, Ruth found her hopes brimming. Perhaps sheโ€™d get something for her birthday? Ruth hadnโ€™t received any early presents, and she could only hope that her gifts arrived on time. She was sure that sheโ€™d receive something. After all, with or without special events, her family back at Bath was constantly raining gifts upon her. That didnโ€™t make the day any less special, of course.

Her day dreams and ponders of what she might receive was interrupted when a letter dropped out of the sky, the owl swooping past and swiftly dropping it before her. It was red, which was surprising. Oh, well, thatโ€™s nice. Ruth eagerly reached for it, setting her bowl of oats aside. A birthday card! A photograph! A painting, maybe! Whatever it was she couldnโ€™t resist it, her fingers brushing against the envelope only for it to dance away from her. Wait, whatโ€”

The envelope tore itself apart and screamed in the highest pitch, โ€œHAPPY 12TH BIRTHDAY, little RUTH! ITโ€™S AARON, IN CASE YOU HAVENโ€™T NOTICED. THAT MAN FROM DRAGON ALLEY- or was it Diagon Alley? - SAID YOU WOULD PROBABLY HEAR ME!โ€

Ruth froze, shocked as the envelope came to life, bearing her older brother's voice. How hadโ€” wait, is that a Howler? She winced as she heard the source of where he had gotten it from. โ€œYouโ€™ve got to be kidding me,โ€ she muttered under her breath, remembering the day they had gone there to buy some school supplies. This was why he was so interested in the post office?

โ€œITโ€™S VERY SAD THAT YOUโ€™RE NOT HERE TO CELEBRATE, BUT HEREโ€™S SOME CONFETTI TO CELEBRATE MY LITTLE SISTERโ€™S GRAND DAY!โ€ And with that, it hacked out confetti as it sputtered the lyrics to โ€œHappy Birthdayโ€ in Aaronโ€™s tone deaf voice before exploding with a pop, the remaining shredded, coloured paper raining down upon the Hufflepuff witch into her food and to those around her.

Ruth felt her cheeks flush to a darker shade of red as she wiped some of the confetti off her face, and it wasnโ€™t because of the cold. That was so embarrassing. She couldn't bring herself to look up as she muttered apologies to people who said close, stuffing her mouth with oat meals as an excuse to do something. All she wanted to do now was flee, but that'd cause more of a scene.

ALMOST EVERYTHING
๐“he sun rises for everyone, not just those who chase it.

Absolutely โ€œFantasticโ€ Open
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Date:
1st Feb. 2025
Location:
Great Hall
Interactions:
@Ruth Fairchild
Mentions:
@Ira Thornfield
@Mamori Anezaki
โ‹†โบโ‚Šโ….โ‹†๊™ณโ€ขโ…*โ€ข โ€ข*โ† โ‚Šโ‹†โ‹†๊™ณโ€ขโ…*โ€ข โ€ข*โ† โ‚Šโ‹†โ‹†โบโ‚Šโ….

Speech -- Thoughts

Ruth Fairchild was a menace.

Pam was going to break her bones with an iron rod.

Because she still couldn't believe that the girl hadn't told her when her birthday was and Pam had to figure out like three days before the day in question. Alright, I should have considered asking her, but all the same. Like the audacity. The girl was meant to be her best friend! How dare she not tell her?! Then again, Pam couldn't remember telling Ruth or Ira her own birthday so she probably shouldn't be too mad.

Admittedly, Pam felt better as she was greeted by some shouting with Ruth's name as she made her way towards the birthday girl. It sounded suspiciously like a howler. Ooh, Ruth doesn't like loud noises. I hope whatever, or whoever it is makes her deaf. Yep, she was definitely feeling vengeful. However, the fact that Ruth's birthday was so close to her own had come as a very pleasant surprise. Like, they were both February girls! As far as Pam was concerned, February was the best month to have a birthday in! Although, she had no idea why she thought that way-- I totally do. I'm just biased.

She walked up on the girl, using the meagre sneaking skills she had developed since she had stalked- no, followed- Mamori Anezaki through dark hallways, and wrapped her arms around Ruth's shoulder, hoping to her by surprise, "Happy Birthday girl!!!" she chirped, hugging her tightly and probably smothering her in said hug. Then she inclined her head at the box she had placed on the table next to her, and whispered softly, "I made you a cake because I didn't have time to go out and buy anything." she squeezed her tighter and added, "I will kill you for that by the way."

โ‹†โบโ‚Šโ….โ‹†๊™ณโ€ขโ…*โ€ข โ€ข*โ† โ‚Šโ‹†โ‹†๊™ณโ€ขโ…*โ€ข โ€ข*โ† โ‚Šโ‹†โ‹†โบโ‚Šโ….

"I'd rather be heartless, than have my heart in pieces"
-Calming Presence- The Muggle Condition
iNPC: Hikari Fujimoto

Absolutely โ€œFantasticโ€ Open
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Calming Presence Is In Affect
Date: 1st February 2025
Breakfast was never a fun time when you were trapped surrounded by people who you could barely stand and even more so when the few friends you had from your table were barely functioning. So when the appearance of a screeching boy pierced the room with a howler Matthew couldn't help but shoot up with excitement. It was clearly a sentiment the majority of younger students resonated with as many began clambering over tables to see what the commotion was.

As the spectacle begun Matthew peered over to see a very mortified Ruth Fairchild dying of embarrassment as the most bounding screams filtered from the letter showering her in birthday wishes for all the world to hear. Snickers began to form around him as the table began to whisper insults and make jest at her and her brothers behalf. An endearing gift turned sour by their ignorance he slammed his hands on the table and with all the seething venom of a real snake he hissed, "If any of you say another word I will personally hex you and you'll learn just how little blood matters in spellcasting." Matthew was quite used to their accusatory stares and cruel words but he wouldn't allow Ruth to experience the same.

When the mutters died down and his grip on his wand could lessen he stepped directly over the table caring little for the opinion of his housemates and started sprinting over to where Ruth sat hopelessly embarrassed stuffing her face with oatmeal while another Hufflepuff girl desperately tried to coax her out of her mortification by threatening her with a worse fate. Laughing upon his approach Matt placed a cauldron cake down in front of her with two candles poking out the top that he had lit with his wand on the way over. "Happy birthday Ruth, seems Aaron bet me to the mark but I agree with everything he said. Would you like a second round of happy birthday, I could even sing it on key?"

In a familiar expression Ruth had seen on countless occasions during their pranks Matthew wore mischief on his face like it was born there. Jesting with Ruth had become one of his favourite activities and he would be there to support her through the social divebomb her brother's actions had caused. In moments like this the young Slytherin wished he himself had a sibling even though he was sure he'd have felt just as horrified had he been in her place. Aaron's love was pure and his heart meant well and Matthew would be damned if he let anyone foul such a lovely display.

Smiling at the other girl he didn't know personally but had heard plenty of stories about from Ruth during their adventures he said, "Seems we had the same idea with a cake, well you can never have too much I suppose!" Matthew was nothing but charming when he spoke and taking a seat across from the girl he couldn't help but laugh watching the pitiful look on Ruth's face. Always skilled at calming the situation he spoke softer than his usual boisterousness, "Come on Ruth it was cute I swear, give it five minutes and no one will even remember it!"


Interacting with @Ruth Fairchild & @Pamela Graham

Nikolai Volka // "Light, light: do not go
I sing you this song and I will sing another as well." // Matthew Campbell

Absolutely โ€œFantasticโ€ Open
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ISSUE โ„–. 001
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๐”‡๐”„โ„‘๐”๐”œ????? ๐”‘๐”ˆ๐”š๐”–
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FIVE KNUTS DAILY EDITION
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โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•
FEBRUARY 1st
BREAKFAST
GREAT HALL,
HUFFLEPUFF TABLE
@Ruth Fairchild,
@Pamela Graham,
@Mamori Anezaki,
& @Matthew Campbell
โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•
HEADLINE:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RUTH FAIRCHILD
โ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒ
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Breakfast has been an important part of Aurelia's day; seeing as if one did lack adequate sleep last night for studying and finishing their homework that week, a good, hot mug of cocoa really mends the bags under her deep brown eyes, figuratively speaking, as the warmth the beverage provides is enough to knock her awake. Personally feeling like the undead that recently dug out of its grave, Aurelia left the Hufflepuff Common Room at a slow pace, letting other Hufflepuffs exit the Cellar first. It is Saturday, and her tasks for the week are already finished. Her mind calculated the amount of work she had done while she dragged her Mary Janes up the staircase.

Aurelia Valentine loved familiarity, as it means the probability of something unfolding unprecedented is lower. Considering this fact, of course, she always makes a point of sitting beside Ruth Fairchild or Pamela Graham; sometimes Mamori Anezaki, if the world permits, as they rarely talk, and that sense of familiarity plus the fact that the chance of them speaking is lower makes her very comfortable in his presence. However, today, Aurelia sat beside Ruth. Giving the other young badger a tight-lipped smile as a form of greeting, she busied herself by putting toast and eggs in her golden plate before sipping hot cocoa from a steaming mug. She had this slight intuition that perhaps this day will be marginally betterโ€”overturning the tediousness the last week of January provides.

Upon hearing the hooting of the school and messenger owls as well as the flap of their wings, Aurelia figured she had to move her plate and mug to prevent the landing of the owls from the publications she subscribed to on her food. There are times that they purposefully land on her plate just to steal a nibble of her toast. Placing another toast, she pulled her plate just in time when an owl smashed itself right on her part of the table. Sighing in frustration, she withdrew her money pouch from the pocket of her jeans. โ€œMy dear,โ€ Aurelia started, as she deposited five knuts in the pouch tied around the owl's talon. It released printed parchments right beside her plate, which she immediately took after curling her finger and scratching the owl underneath its greyish beak. โ€œGood job. However, try not to fracture a skull. I try to pay and feed you for your delivery service, so no need to do such theatrics.โ€ The owl only tilted its head as though in wonder before nipping one of her toasts and leaving her table with a hoot.

Taking a bite from her toast, her deep brown eyes scoured the headlines of the Daily Prophet. Nothing too controversial to mention, as they still talk about the terrible incident that happened in Hogsmeade, which wiped out the authorities in position from other Wizarding schools, as well as unknowing students they share the same carriages with. A horrible tragedy and totally unprecedented, as it is still completely unresolved. Her heart skipped a particular beat, as this incident was initially brushed off by the other students. However, she believed it was horrendous enough to be something that required discussing, as no one just randomly ambushes and attacks carriages with prominent figures riding them unless there's an issue underneath the surface.

If anyone actually bothers to hear her opinion, she initially believes it is only a ruse, a sort of trap to diminish and retract the rights of half-breeds that is permitted to enrol and study in wizarding schools, or even have the right to own a wand.

Her train of thoughts immediately dispersed from the confines of her distracted mind like a puff of smoke when a screeching, agonising voice boomed from beside her; the sound reverberating around the Great Hall, making her believe that the very foundations of the castle shook and threatened to shatter the large, kaleidoscopic arched windows of the area that protects them from the wintry weather. With widened eyes, Aurelia turned to Ruth with her mouth slightly agape as a red envelope danced on their platter, singing and wishing the badger beside her the happiest birthday in the highest pitch it could possibly muster. Before she could even process the fact that today was Ruth's birthday, the envelope exploded with a joyful pop, the remnants of it now littering the food, along with Aurelia's.

Gobsmacked, the first words that came out of her mouth were, โ€œM-My eggs,โ€ her tone slightly disheartened. Pamela Graham suddenly appeared at their side of the table, immediately grabbing the birthday girl with a hug. Already sober, Aurelia straightened in her seat. Before she could even greet the girl, a Slytherin boy approached the Hufflepuff table to happily greet her. The young badger rubbed her hands together, waiting for the boy to be done chattering his heart out. Unfortunately, she didn't know that it was Ruth's birthday; if she did, she would have scrounged up something to give.

โ€œHappy birthday, Ruth,โ€ Aurelia greeted with a slight smile decorating her face.

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โ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒโ–ƒ

memento mori; memento vivere

[ the golden girl; the harshness of such warm light ]
[ aurelia valentine, the golden girl ] โ€  [ lucien de montfort, the deranged artist ]
Visit Lourine's SMITTEN shop for handmade pfps with DISCOUNTโ€”FREE for AI pfp users.

Absolutely โ€œFantasticโ€ Open
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February 1st, 2025. The start of the month. Back in December, Kim had first met Ruth during winter break when Kibล had kept on bothering him to go out and explore. Ruth had wanted to bake some meringue cookies at the time and she'd enlisted him and another girl, Avery to help her out with them. Over the time between then and now, Kim had discovered Ruth's birthday was actually today.

Since his depressive state was now over and he felt more like himself as each day passed, Kim decided to try and return to some semblance of how he used to be back in the past. One of which was to celebrate all the birthdays of those he knew with surprise gifts for them. Ruth was someone Kim had only recently met and interacted with but she seemed like a nice person. Like his parents reminded him often, making connections was very important. It didn't matter who they were.

As long as the witch, wizard, squib, halfblood, halfbreed or muggle could be used for something in the future, that was all that mattered. Well, Kim didn't agree with this kind of reasoning. He didn't like making connections just to use them for his own purposes. The duelist wanted to make connections because he liked the one he was interacting with and not because of any kind of ulterior motive.

Since Kim didn't really know Ruth that well yet, he wasn't entirely sure what to surprise her with when it came to gifts. But the fifteen year old did know one thing, she liked sweets and cookies. Therefore, Kim opted to make Ruth a set of multi-colored macarons. The duelist had made them before and they had come out quite well according to everyone who had consumed them before in the past.

He was also known at Hogwarts as the Prince of Sweets. Might as well live up to his name for the firsties and give them a taste of the sweets made by the Prince.

Reducio
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After having made the macarons, Kim cleaned up and placed them gently into a large, square black box and carefully placed the lid over the box. The outside was solid black with no marks or designs at all, which was intentional since Kim didn't want anyone to know what was inside. The whole point was to not know and open it and get surprised by the contents! Kim placed a red bow on the top.

Kibล sensed Kim was about to go somewhere and came over to slither up his leg and wrapped himself around his upper arm, resting his body and head against his shoulder. It was his favorite place. Sometimes he even tended to coil around his neck too. He wasn't entirely sure where to find Ruth but the Great Hall was as good a place as any to search first. After all, many students tended to go there.

Mostly to eat but sometimes to socialize too.

Even on weekends they could be found there. As Kim entered the Great Hall, a howler shouted out above the Hufflepuff table, calling out the name of the girl Kim was looking for. Ah, how embarrassing for her, he thought to himself with a shake of his head. Going from the contents, Ruth's brother was either not from a wizarding family or just wasn't used to it yet because he couldn't be a pureblood.

No purebloods or wizarding families would NOT know about Diagon Alley. If this Aaron WAS a pureblood or wizard-born, the only possible explanation would be that he'd been joking about D.A. Since Kim didn't know either Aaron or Ruth well enough, he had no clue. But if Aaron wasn't a pureblood or wizard-born, it stood to reason that Ruth must either be a half-blood or a muggle attending here.

Unlike Kim's parents, Kim didn't discriminate against others. He was the type who judged people on their actions, not anything else. As the howler chucked out some confetti as Aaron sang 'happy birthday' in a tone-deaf voice to Ruth and then exploded into more confetti after it was over, Kim came up to the table. He took a seat near Ruth, who was looking downward probably to hide her red face.

Setting his square black box down beside him, Kim glanced down at the girl. She was being 'attacked' by her friend, who was another familiar face that the duelist recognized as being Pam. He gave Pamela a smile, yes Kim was getting better at smiling lately although it was still a new thing for him. "Yo. Pam, right?" Kim said, giving his trademark greeting to her. "You know Ruth too?" Kim asked.

Two others gave Ruth birthday wishes but Kim wasn't familiar with either of them. They both seemed like nice people though, the boy defending Ruth from potential bullying and the girl seemingly more laid back. Those were his first impressions at least. They could turn out to be completely different from what he thought. Or maybe he'd actually hit the jackpot as well. Kim turned to face Ruth.

"I'm glad I found you here now. I wasn't sure where you'd be today, but thought I'd go here first to see if I could track you down. Happy Birthday, Ruth." Kim told her and picked up the black box with the red bow on top to place it directly in front of her. "Wasn't sure what to get you, so I decided to bake these for you. Don't worry, it's not a cake. I'm sure you'll have lots of cakes as presents." He said with a faint smile and a nod.

Glancing over at Matthew and Aurelia, Kim inclined his head towards them. "Nice to meet you both. I'm Kim. One of Gryffindor's duelists at the moment." He introduced himself and looked at them expectantly, since it was only polite to give your own name in return. Kim was doing pretty well holding his own in a conversation like this. Despite his social anxiety, he had gotten a lot better over the years. Or, maybe it was all due to Val, giving him that extra push.
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๐š‚๐šƒ๐™ฐ 9 โ€Ž โ€โ€โ€Ž | โ€Ž โ€โ€โ€Ž ๐™ด๐š…๐™ฐ 13 โ€Ž โ€โ€โ€Ž | โ€Ž โ€โ€โ€Ž ๐š‚๐šƒ๐š 2 โ€Ž โ€โ€โ€Ž | โ€Ž โ€โ€โ€Ž ๐š†๐™ธ๐š‚ 8 โ€Ž โ€โ€โ€Ž | โ€Ž โ€โ€โ€Ž ๐™ฐ๐š๐™ฒ 5 โ€Ž โ€โ€โ€Ž | โ€Ž โ€โ€โ€Ž ๐™ฐ๐™ฒ๐™ฒ 15
PARSELTONGUE, PERFECTIONIST, PET SNAKE, STATISTICALLY RELEVANT
@Ruth Fairchild, @Pamela Graham, @Matthew Campbell, @Aurelia Valentine

kim sato
tone bakugo
sta โ€ข 10 | eva โ€ข 18 | str โ€ข 2 | wis โ€ข 10 | arc โ€ข 7 | acc โ€ข 20
sta โ€ข 10 | eva โ€ข 16 | str โ€ข 15 | wis โ€ข 7 | arc โ€ข 4 | acc โ€ข 18
PC ENCY
iNPC ENCY

Absolutely โ€œFantasticโ€ Open
๐“๐ก๐š๐ง๐ค ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ€, ๐ฌ๐ก๐ž ๐ฌ๐š๐ฒ๐ฌ.
๐“—er wish for a calm, peaceful birthday where she got time to spend by herself was shattered the moment that blasted Howler had been sent by Aaron. Honestly, she couldn't blame her brother. For all she knew, he was to be deemed innocent. After all, it had not been his fault of being so new to such an object. Yet, how could he not have noticed its drastic exterior, accompanied by the shopkeeper's explanation to the purpose of the howler? She shook her head, her appetite on the oat meal lost in a blink. Her hands fisted as she spend a few moments staring down at her shoes, desperately wanting to get rid of the red on her cheeks. Oh, I'm sending a bloody howler back to you Aaron, give you a lesson-- She deflated, then lifted her eyes to find @Aurelia Valentine looking gobsmacked at the sight of her eggs, which she had been eating, now decorated with colourful confetti. The girl had been sitting closest to her at the table and Ruth couldn't help but feel guilt as she began to stand and profusely apologise, reaching over to help retract the paper out, then decided against it. Probably not the best idea, actually. Aurelia would make do with another plate...right?

Before she had time to send another wave of apologies over, a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulder, sending Ruth a wave of shock from the sudden contact. The arms, though, were accompanied by curls of blonde that happened to curl down Ruth's neck in @Pamela Graham's surprise attack, and she relaxed, laughing despite herself. "Pamela, hi..." she faltered when Ruth caught the look on her best friend's face--it wasn't exactly pleasant, her eyes blurring between elation and murder. Ruth was about to question the sight when Pam pressed a box down onto the table, just beside Ruth's bowl of oats. "You...you made a cake for me?" Ruth blurted out, confused but touched, also furtively stepping back as Pamela whispered the next line. Oh oh. Wait a minute, "How had you known it was my birthday?" Ruth hadn't told anyone besides....besides Jan.

A muffled bang sounded over her shoulder and she heard the distinct familiar voice of @Matthew Campbell behind her. From where she sat it was intangible what he was saying, but as she swiveled to address the situation Ruth caught the sight of his face. Oh oh. Matthew didn't look very friendly when he was mad. Ruth found no reason to shy away from the idea that he held that intense expression because of her. She managed to muster a sheepish smile as he came sprinting over to where her and Pamela had been standing, then joined him in laughter when she saw what he had cupped in his hands. A cauldron cake! Ruth licked her lips as she reminisced her very first time even trying one. Delicious, though she had always been miffed by what the green substance coating the top was. "Aw, you didn't have to Matt," she teased, having seen him light the candles on the way. No matter how improvised it was, she appreciated it. Waving a hand at his offer to sing, Ruth feigned deep thinking as she gently tapped her chin with a finger, a wiry smile forming on her face. โ€œPerhaps we should have your singing accompanied by the piano later. For now, though,โ€ she dropped into a whisper, โ€œletโ€™s not risk embarrassing ourselves any further.โ€

โ€œHappy Birthday, Ruth,โ€ Ruth perked at the comment and found Aurelia, having recovered from her mild dismay, gift the Hufflepuff with a soft smile. Her grin grew wider at the sight. โ€œThanks, Aurelia. Hope your eggs didnโ€™t deal too much damage.โ€ She was joking now, which was a good sign. It meant, like Matthew had said, the calm after the storm had arrived. She made to take a seat as everyone (even Matthew, to her surprise. I guess heโ€™s okay with sitting with the Puffs for today,Ruth mused to herself) settled down, only for another to speak up. @Kim Sato? She blinked in surprise, only then spotting the tall senior of hers already having taken a seat next to her, as though he had been there to witness everything. She hadnโ€™t realised his presence, but she hoped Kim didnโ€™t notice. Instead, she gazed down at yet another box on the table, Pamelaโ€™s and Matthewโ€™s cauldron cake set aside to make room for the box. โ€œWow, I, thanks, Kim.โ€ She beamed up at the boy and back down, her embarrassment coming back. How had so many people known?

Brushing that thought off, she replied to Kimโ€™s statement with a light chuckle, โ€œThatโ€™s true. I did get more cake than I thought I would get today,โ€ she shot a look at Matthew and Pamela as she said so, before drawing her eyes back to the black box, bedazzled by a single red ribbon wrapping the box together. How cute. Thanking Kim once again, she gingerly pried the ribbon off, then took off the cover to reveal, goodness, rows of macarons in multicoloured flavours. Her eyes widened at the sight, then began to glimmer in exhilaration. โ€œKim, oh, Kim!โ€ She gushed, her fingers reaching forward to grasp an orange macaron, her breakfast long forgotten. โ€œThank you, thank you, thank you!โ€ Ruth would have reached for the boy and given him a hug should she not have been so distracted at staring into the box in amazement. If only he knew how long it had been since she had taken even a bite out of a macaron. Quickly, she held the box up and extended her arms such that the box was in everyoneโ€™s grasp, urging them all to share them with her. She herself had bitten into the orange macaron she had been holding onto, the sugariness of the treat reflecting the feeling in her heart.
OOC Note: Thank you to everyone of you guys for joining, it made me immeasurably happy. I hope we can all go for at least one more round (and hopefully feast upon Pamela and Matthewโ€™s cakes too :grin:)

ALMOST EVERYTHING
๐“he sun rises for everyone, not just those who chase it.

Absolutely โ€œFantasticโ€ Open
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Calming Presence Is In Affect
Date: 1st February 2025
There was something so divinely sweet about witnessing the love Ruth had cultivated in only half a year at Hogwarts. She had friends from many years coming together to celebrate her and it was positively delightful, even if a little bittersweet given Matt's own relative failure to do the same. However, today was a time for positivity and that kind of notion was not helping so he schooled his face and listened excitedly as the others presented their gifts and offered their well wishes.

Today would have enough problems with the S.N.O.G event later so it was more than a little relief to have a reprieve from his planning plus he rather thought that spending the morning with his partner in crime would inspire some desires of scheming. His plans were already set but the girl did incredibly to help his mind race with new adventures and mischievous ideas, not to mention that she had been one of the few people to really get him out of his head this last month. It was a gift he cherished most deeply and one he wished to repay and if he gained a little spark of wickedness in the process that would only be a further success.

Smiling as she found herself surrounded in cakes and confectionary the boy felt his entire self lighten under her wiry smile and gentle jest. If she wasn't careful he would stand up on the table any second and burst into song just to spite her. Though there had been rather enough theatrics already to start of the month. Settling on a hearty laugh instead, a staple principle of their time together, he watched as an older Gryffindor stepped up with a very delicately bow-tied box. It certainly looked far more elegant than the rushed cauldron cake he had procured but upon opening it to reveal macarons he didn't feel too outshone.

Smiling gently at the boy as he made his introduction Matthew replied, "Nice to meet you Kim, I'm Matt. Hope I don't see you on the piste this month I can only imagine how competitive the Slytherin/Gryffindor matches get." His voice was nothing but friendly charm to the extent he was capable of. While the size of the group was wonderful in showing how much meaningful friendship Ruth had managed to create it also set off his anxiety more than he cared to admit. One person was great, perfect if anything for him, but groups were always an issue. Matthew always felt he'd say the wrong this or act the wrong way and even if he was the picture of perfection his mind would find a way to corrupt it, a facial expression misinterpreted or curt response overanalysed.

Turning back to Ruth the tips of his ears beginning to redden slightly from the anxious energy building within he tried to access the well of calm within him but found no release from the shackles of worry. Likely it was more to do with the event tonight for all of her friends seemed lovely and knowing Ruth they had to be but such logic didn't ease his heart. Summoning as bright a smile as possible was easy when faced with Fairchild, "Well Ruthless I better head off to class but I hope this year brings you more happiness than any before. Mines has certainly been better with you in it!" With another surge of anxiety flaring deep in his stomach akin to butterflies that confused his mind he took off as quickly as he arrived, as uncontrollable as the chaos he incited.


Interacting with @Ruth Fairchild & @Kim Sato
Matthew Exits Thread

Nikolai Volka // "Light, light: do not go
I sing you this song and I will sing another as well." // Matthew Campbell