Closed Spin the bottle PV group

The kiss was nice, mostly because Stelle had been very nice and elegant about it. It was probably safe to say that the girl lacked much interest in her, but at least she hadn’t acted disgusted, or laughed at her. It felt good, despite feeling like a fool in her presence. Linnéa thought back to what Quentin had said, that she wouldn’t have any trouble finding people willing to kiss her… Now seeing the demographic at this party, she wasn’t too sure about that. It was fine. Whatever. It was just a game, after all.

When Stelle went up to spin the bottle on her turn, it landed on Quentin. After getting to know the boy and being pretty close friends for the last months, she would admit to herself that she had developed a bit of a crush on him. He was sweet, cute and funny. It was inevitable; how could she not crush on him when he had been nothing but a gentleman to her?

Despite her feelings that she hadn’t told anyone and definitely not the boy in question, Lin didn’t feel bad about him potentially being excited about kissing other girls in this game. It had been her idea. However, she hadn’t anticipated just how excited he would be about kissing Stelle. When she glanced at Quentin to give him an encouraging smile, her smile fell a bit at the completely dumbstruck, almost hypnotized look on his face. It didn’t seem like he even noticed that Linnéa was there in the room– that anyone was in the room, his eyes fixed on the other hufflepuff girl on her way over to them.

Trying to ignore the knot in her stomach, she swallowed and turned away to not have to see the way he was looking at the girl. Obviously she knew that Stelle was gorgeous. She was nervous around her as well, but to have front row seats to this… well, it kind of hurt. The other girl offered them both a smile when she crouched in front of Quentin, and despite herself, Linnéa managed to smile back. It wasn’t Stelle’s fault and wouldn’t try to claim otherwise, she’d done nothing wrong.

Too busy trying to compose herself, blinking away any signs of emotion on her face, Linnéa had barely even heard Sebastian’s cheeky comment, which would have been another punch to the gut, nor noticed that someone new had joined the group. Only when the new guy crossed the circle to quite roughly kiss one of the guys, Thaniel, did she pay enough attention to acknowledge what was going on. Though she still felt like she was floating in the room, outside of her body as merely an observer. Maybe because she was so hyper-aware of her own feelings regarding the kissing, she was looking closely at the other boy as it happened. Thaniel seemed rattled after the boy was done with him, licking blood off his lip. It didn’t seem to have been enjoyable at all for him, painful even, and Linnéa couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for him.

Still a bit zoned out, she watched Thaniel move out to spin. Linnéa blinked when she registered that it had stopped and pointed at her. Which was only when he’d already moved over to her. "Well.... I guess you're the lucky girl. Do you mind?" Glancing up at the boy, she was met by a cute, friendly face, if not a bit nervous. Well, she supposed it was understandable after the other kiss he’d endured, if so was the case. Linnéa shook her head, managing a soft smile. No, she didn’t mind.

He leaned in, placing his hands on her face, and Linnéa leaned forward just a bit, closing her eyes as their lips connected. She reached up and rested one of her hands softly on top of his during the seconds it lasted. It was nice, not forced or awkward at all. A proper kiss while not pushing any boundaries. It made her feel a bit better.

“I know. You said so when you arrived,” Linnéa giggled softly at his too-late introduction, however her words were spoken kindly. Well, he hadn’t said it to everyone during his arrival, but he had blurted it out to Stelle, which she and probably everyone else present at the circle must have heard. “I’m Linnéa,” she smiled reassuringly, it was nice.

As the game moved on with some other people and she figured there would be some time until her next turn, she stood up, ignoring Quentin and walked towards the snacks table. Noting that the girl, the bane of her night by proxy, was also there. However, she didn’t say anything as she poured some more juice in her glass. What was there even to say?

@Stelle Mims@Thaniel Finn@Quentin Harrington

Sebastian’s response was what she expected. Syrah already had an idea of his response before he even spoke a word. “Wow,” said Sebastian, lacking enthusiasm. Syrah could see it in his eyes. I see, he is offended. Not that she cared.

“Wow,” said Sebastian, lacking enthusiasm. Syrah could see it in his eyes. I see, he is offended. Not that she cared.

“Next time, kiss like you mean it,” he added, his voice oozing of false sweetness as if he had no frustration. What did he expect? That she would fall at his feet breathless and starry-eyed about kissing Sebastian? Please. If anything, he should be grateful she even bothered.

Syrah barely reacted. She simply blinked at him, utterly unbothered. And said in a dry, matter-of-fact tone, “Exactly. I don’t mean it.” There. Simple. Honest. Not her problem.

She let out a breath of pretended remorse. “But if you’re desperate for something more meaningful, I could always give you a firm handshake next time.” She offered him the most disingenuous, pursed smile possible.

Before he had an opportunity to have another over-the-top reaction. Her eyes strayed beyond him, landing on the next couple, some blonde girl and some guy who she seemed to realize for the first time. Shortly she directed her head downwards as they leaned in, watching with mild curiosity. Like she was monitoring some experiment even though she didn't have a horse in the race.

The kiss was very different from the one she just stuck out with Sebastian. More engaged. More purposeful. Maybe a bit even more desperate. She leaned back against her chair, allowing herself to stare for just a moment longer until she got bored.

@Sebastian Drake

Quentin’s wide eyes closed as her lips met his. Soft, sweet, and- she was already pulling away. His eyes sprang open again and he stumbled forward a bit, almost as though someone had pulled a rug out from under him, which it kind of felt like she had. She was still watching him though, her blue eyes on his. He nodded, still perhaps a little too eager, and started to lean in to kiss her again. Halfway there, he suddenly froze, his eyes widening again. Maybe she meant it was his turn to spin? Quentin’s cheeks reddened, a panicked look flooding his face. What was he supposed to do now? Eventually, Stelle pulled away calmly, and he watched her walk back towards her spot. He glanced over, his eyes settling on Lin. She was giving him a weird look and he blinked, putting a hand to his head, which was suddenly very fuzzy. What had he just done?

It was supposed to be his turn to spin and he stood, but before he could another boy sauntered over. Pale skin and dark, wild hair, this boy had a dangerous look in his eyes. The boy, who he didn’t know, didn’t say a word, but instead grabbed the bottle and gave it a spin, Quentin stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, before making his way back over to his seat. He glanced at Linnéa, giving her a quizzical look about the other boy, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes. The boy spun another boy, the one who had announced himself as ‘Thaniel’. Quentin actually grimaced at their kiss. That looked painful. And he even had some blood on his lip! Merlin! Quentin frowned, his eyes following Kostas as he sauntered back over to his seat. If he tried that again, especially with someone like Lin, then he would have no choice but to step in. He couldn’t stand bullies. Thaniel, despite everything, made his way up to spin and it landed on Lin. Quentin watched him approach, saying something about her being the ‘lucky girl’. Somehow, with Thaniel, that didn’t really come off as bad as it might have with someone else. Maybe because he mostly seemed like a sweet, helpless puppy. Now if Sebastian had said it, they would have all known that he actually thought that she was lucky to get to kiss him. Thaniel was not nearly as threatening as the pretty Gryffindor, but Quentin still felt uncomfortable watching the two of them kiss. Especially when Lin reached up to place her hand on top of his. That seemed… intimate. He knew he had no reason to be annoyed, they were just friends, but still.

The game continued on, with Sebastian and Syrah kissing. Amusing. Of all the girls in the room, she was one of the few that seemed immune to his so-called charms. Stelle had left the circle, moving over to the snack table, and despite the fact that he had watched her go, Quentin found that he could focus on the game a little easier now. At one point after her kiss with Thaniel, Linnéa moved to get up as well. Quentin started to ask her something but she completely ignored him. He watched her go with an obvious frown on his face. She’d never done that before… Eventually there was a lull in the action and he went up to finally take his turn, since Kostas (whose name he had learned since) had cut in front of him. He gave the bottle a quick spin, watching as it finally came to rest on another Hufflepuff. Lyanna. Quentin grinned, before quickly moving over towards her. He quickly dropped down to his knees in front of her, so they were of the same height. “Hey, Lyanna. I don’t know if you know who I am.” He reached a hand out, offering it to her. “Quentin.” He glanced down at the floor, feeling the heat running up his neck. His eyes flickered back up to hers. “So… Are you okay with a kiss?” That’s what they were here for, but he didn’t want to be like Kostas. So he waited for her to give him permission before he leaned in, focusing on her brown-green eyes.

_{@Stelle Mims@Kostas Woods@Linnéa Seacloud@Thaniel Finn@Sebastian Drake@Syrah Vintera@Lyanna Oak}

Syrah blinked slowly, taking her time to understand the words of Lyanna. She didn't need to look at her, didn't need to. The ground was really far more deserving of her attention.

After several moments of quiet, she said under her breath, "It was a dare."

Her voice was the kind that made you want to lean in, it was soothing, but people couldn't decide if it was closer to a flowing lake or a serpent's hissing.

She thrust her hands deeper into the pockets of her dress, fingers curling around the little forgotten charms she kept there: a crumpled leaf, a safety pin that had seen better days, a coin she liked to flip when she was bored, the key to a tin box that held her brother's old letters (a secret she'd rather die than explain), and a chipped marble that she didn't remember picking up but that she couldn't bring herself to throw away.

For a mere moment, she looked at Lyanna. "Don't act so surprised. I didn't come here for romance."

The giggles and movements in the room made Syrah look like a statue, sitting in stark contrast to the buzz of intimacy that filled the space. Bored was an understatement for how she felt.

"I told them I would show up, give the bottle a good spin, and plant a kiss or six on whoever was bold enough to be on the receiving end of one. I might as well be halfway there."

It was a dry tone that held nearly lazy sarcasm. Cruel, it was not. Distant, it seemed. Detached, it was.

She stared at the game. "Honestly, I’d rather be hexed."