The Masquerade Ball Event Closed

DOUBLE POST

first post: gem stuart | second post: donovan salinger / approved ilvermorny dNPC

POST ONE:
gem stuart.
mentions: @Catriona Staverly & @Brielle Gray

(this but w/ a leather jacket on over it.)

Gem could never seem to grasp the sincerity that came along with these kinds of events. He'd been to a million before thanks to his dad, but they never struck a chord in him well. He never dressed fancy, he'd never ever had to get used to suits or anything, he never had to talk prim and proper, and he never had to talk to very many people, only because his parents were there to do it for him.

This was not the case, at a school ball. He was on his own. A lone ranger. A renegade.
He'd come in something presentable, a red turtleneck with a leather jacket, black pants and a pair of boots-- all of these items had been given to him by Leland, likely for this exact reason. He hated his mask, it kept falling all over the place, he couldn't get it to just sit over his nose like a normal goddamn mask.

He was on a mission, for now, to find either his girlfriend, or his friends. That was proven difficult, worming around an abundance of Ilvermorny students and Hogwarts students, muttering apologies for pushing them out of the way, if he did. The first eye he caught was Brielle's-- thank God, and the second was... ? Oh, wow. Lucky him, he didn't even know who to approach first, though he opted for Brielle, just to make sure she knew he hadn't ditched her.

She looked stunning, to say the very least. Her dress was something else, but the nearer he got, the more he was able to focus on her face - Christ, she was beautiful. Her makeup and hair had been done up all pretty, and he felt his heart in his throat the more he inched forwards. He felt like a damn idiot compared to her, seeing as his outfit wasn't nearly as nice to match with hers. Whatever. Maybe she liked minimalism.

"Aye," He said, raising his voice a bit so she heard him over the chatter and music, "you look amazin'." He meant it too. He looked like it, his eyes all big behind his mask-- actually, he couldn't stand it anymore, so he took it off. Maybe that was for the better. "I-I think ya stole me breath, or the gaze of the entire bloody ballroom. Look at ya!" He stepped around her, observing her dress with a twinkle in his eye. She looked... stunning, so much so that his heart was doing flips in his chest. Wow. He'd have to write about that.

POST TWO:
donovan salinger
mentions: @Catriona Staverly

Reducio

(just imagine this but as a mask and on half of his face lmao)

Balls were not Donovan's thing (haha balls). I mean, he'd come in a huddle with all his friends, who very gracefully helped him pick an outfit in the mess of clothing items he'd had. They settled on a weird rose shirt he found at some fancy store, dark pants, and some sneakers-- mostly because he wouldn't accept anything else. Also, a black jacket, because he thought it was kickass. He did not run it by anyone, but they hadn't said anything, so he figured he looked sick as hell. He'd also gone through his artistic ability and made his own mask, a jester, though it only covered up half his face. He loved clowns.

He'd been going under the impression he'd dance with his girlfriend, so when Delia came up to him and asked, he crossed his arms, tilted his chin up, and pouted like a child.

"No. No you may not." He looked away from her, eyes shut. Though, in the case she might not know for sure he was kidding, he opened one eye up to look at her, grinning like an idiot. "Yes. Yes you can. I thought I was supposed to ask that, wait," He took her hand, dragging her out to the center of the ball room. Surprisingly, he knew how to dance, and do it well. His uncle and him always played games about attending the finest dances, and since Sam was a traditional man, he'd taught Donovan how to... well, dance. He had his hand locked around Delia's, the other settled comfortably on her hip. He grinned at her, though before he started, he leaned in real close and whispered, even if he didn't really have to.

"Do you know how to dance? Like- fancy-rich-person dance?"

Interacting with @Ruthie Greer

Ruthie? Its was unmistakably her, she had yet to don on her mask and Jorah knew those golden locks from anywhere, but she looked different. Jorah thought that Ruthie had always been more of a Tom-boy, not afraid to throw down with one of the guys, sometimes he even forgot she was a girl because of how natural it felt to be around her, but there was no mistaking that tonight. Jorah's heart skipped a beat. Ruthie wore a slim fitting gray-blue dress that complimented her natural form. Her shoulders were bare and on display, her neckline lower than what their Hogwarts' uniforms allowed but still conservative. Jorah was transfixed on these new parts of Ruthie that he was seeing for the first time.

"Hey. You look nice," she said breaking his trace. Jorah looked up to meet her face. She wasn't wearing much make-up, to be honest she didn't need it, her skin was naturally flawless, but Jorah picked up on a bit of eyeliner that made her eyes pop, the same stunning stormy grey eyes he first noticed at the sorting ceremony only two months ago, but its seemed much longer. "Is this okay?," she inquired. Jorah gave her a quick head to toe inspection, "You look...ahem...you look...britty, I mean pretty!, ah, you look pretty good, not bad." Smooth Jorah, smooth. "Um, you're not wearing your mask." He pointed to her obviously mask-less face then to the mask in her hand, then back to her face as if this was some big revelation. "Breaking the rules already I see, ha, its no wonder you haven't got detention yet, HA, you, you rascal, you," he gave her an awkward punch to one of her shoulders. What are you doing? You sound like an idiot! Why am I so nervous? It's just Ruthie. "Uhh, let me help you with that", he said, grabbing her mask and positioning himself behind her to tie it .

Jorah fiddled with the mask ties, the velvet slipping between his now perspiring fingers. He was all thumbs now and he was starting to worry that he was taking too long. "Uhh, sorry, it's a your hair", he lied. "I'm just trying not to get it all tied in with the knot. Almost...there!" Jorah's stomach was a flutter with butterflies, he felt flush. What is this magic?, he thought. While Ruthie was still turned around, Jorah quickly scanned the room. Was this some kind of joke? Did someone plant some kind of charm on me? Why do I feel this way? To Jorah's surprise, no one was staring at him. No one was snickering at some practical joke made at his expense. No one even had a wand visible, least pointed in his direction. What he was feeling, was all him.

Jorah took in a deep breathe and moved to face Ruthie again. "That's better", he said, remarking on her mask. "So, uh, would you like to go in?", offering her an elbow for her to grab unto to.

Interacting with; @Gem Stuart @Aphrodite Bloom

As Aphrodite and Brielle chatted, she was startled by a voice, causing her to practically jump ten feet above the ground. She turned quickly, ready to slap someone from scaring her like that, though her face immediately brightened as she was met with Gem's

God, how over dressed she had been.. Is all she could manage to think, raising a hand to her head in self-consciousness. Though her embarrassment was quickly replaced by his compliment, causing her to blush a little while giving a spin as he looked at the dress.

"You like it? I dunno- I made the colors portray me as a person, I don't know if that's either really dorky or really smart. I'm gonna go with the argument that I'm brilliant, though." She said with a grin, then turning back to Aphrodite.

"Aph, this is the guy I was telling you about. Y'know.. the guy I liked? His name is Gem. It's fitting, isn't it? Anyway- Gem, Aphrodite. Aphrodite, Gem." She rushed the words, practically dying for them to meet. Aphrodite had been begging Brielle nearly every day who she was dating, and Brielle swore to keep the secret 'till the big night. The night of the ball, that is.

Another reason she liked Aphrodite was because of her name. God, how she couldn't believe one of her friends had the name of her favorite goddess. It was crazy.

《 [font=comic sans] @Brielle Gray @Gem Stuart 》

A warm hand wrapping around hers was definitely something she wasn't expecting, though it didn't matter too much when realization came to it was Brielle's hand. She looked beautiful, stunning even. Her dress, reaching the floor in one long swoop, and the way it maintained shape was amazing. It almost caused Aphrodite to second guess herself, though she smiled when she complimented her.

Although Aphrodite didn't have a date of her own, she was so excited to meet Brielle's after she told her all the stories together. Sneaking out after curfew to go talk in the small hall? They had to be in love with each other to do that. Though, she wasn't with him. Aphrodite guessed he hadn't arrived yet, or was out getting them food.

As she adjusted her dress, she looked back up to see an unfamiliar face beside her friend. She hadn't noticed him yet, and for a second she thought he was going to hurt her something. Thankfully, she didn't throw her cup at him, though that would have been quite amusing dare she say. He then took off his mask and complimented how she looked.

So this is the lucky winner of Brielle's heart, huh? She thought to herself. If she were being completely honest, it wasn't at all who she thought it would be. She had it assumed it would be that second year she always hung out with. Grayson? His name was? Whatever, she just thought she recalled her having a crush on him once.

As she was introduced by Brielle to her knight in shining armor, she smiled and nodded, giving way to a small wave. "Nice to meet you. Brielle has said an awful lot about you, I'll have you know." She said with a grin, trying to playfully embarrass her.

Open to interaction!

Mentions @Dinara Lucey

Leah squinted at the girl in pyjamas, suspicious. It was a bit of stretch for Sleeping Beauty. And while the girl definitely wasn't even close to lacking beauty, she still looked like a bit of a mess.

In the end, she drifted off towards the food. Several masked people swung by her, twirling like ballerinas in music boxes. When did everyone get so good at dancing? How did they learn these moves? As she slowly chewed, she watched in fascination as one couple waltzed by in sync, their bodies close to each other and their faces barely separated by their masks. Another couple danced merrily past, and they were gone.

"What a party," she murmured. Her sister would love this. In fact, she bet her sister would be dancing among the others, a boy hanging from her like a starstruck accessory. She could almost imagine her bursting through the doors, drawing all attention to the dark locks framing her pretty face and whatever fashionable dress she had acquired for the occasion.

Leah almost took a sip of a drink, but stopped herself. What if it was spiked? She'd heard of the Veritaserum scandal. Then again, she didn't exactly have any secrets to divulge. With a small shrug, she tasted some and, seeing that others who had had some were still perfectly fine, finished the whole glass.

"It's so hot in here," she said to nobody in particular. "Who knew masks could be so warm?"

You would think that Xailah would stop going to these sorts of events, after causing the fire at the last party. If you thought she would stop, you were wrong. Fires were nothing compared to what people could do to each other. She was here for three reasons. One being to take things; kleptomania being her fatal flaw- she was a collector of other peoples objects. At parties she could snatch some of her favorite items; silverware. But to her disappointment, there was none to be taken at this party.

Second, was to do some people watching. There was some fresh blood amongst the other students. American kids. She wanted to see them. See how different they were from the other children. Based upon her recent observations, they appeared to be more annoying than the others- which was quite impressive to say the least. But to tell you she was just here for the American kids would be a lie. She was also here to watch out for certain people. Troublemakers. Troublemakers that could harm others. That would harm others for their gain. She was keeping an eye out for some tall students. One in particular. A half giant that she had cut during last years party. He would have a scar on the palm of his right hand by now. She never knew what had happened to him. She didn't think he would show up- but one could never be too sure around here. They had unfinished business that hopefully, would remain unfinished.

The third and last reason she was here, was because it was her beloved pets birthday. Schrödinger would be turning five today. And because really, he was the only thing that she could truly call a friend; she wanted to treat him to something nice. And while taking him to something that probably would end in fire, probably wasn't a good idea; she knew she could keep him safe. She couldn't protect Rosie Turner, but she could protect him.

She had spent quite a lot of time on her costume. Lots of sewing. And well, lets just say her sewing skills were average, so everything that needed to be sewn took a lot of time. There were so many thing that needed to be stitched back up; her gloves mostly, but she had taken apart some things to reattach somewhere else. She had plenty of clothes that she could have worn, but she was rather fond of the idea of making her own "Frankenstein's Monster"- if you will. So she took the ruined clothes from the last party, and made something beautiful. Tying the knot between insanity and elegance, in order to create a Avant Garde take on the Cheshire .

She had no intention of interacting with anyone, and her key to going unnoticed was dressing like she wanted to be noticed. She knew how to out-dress, and out-dress she did. This method had worked in the past, so why wouldn't it work now? She had her umbrella with her tonight. The thin sleek frame hung on her arm. She was walking around with it less and less, which was a good thing, but she wasn't yet ready to put it away for good. She had the thing since first year after all. She couldn't just let it go that easily.

The nice thing about Masquerades, was that nobody really knew who anyone was due to masks- well thats what she thought masks, were for; to hide identities. The people who wore lacy masks confused her, because one could clearly see through and identify said person. Alas it didn't really matter in the end, because she wasn't here for people, she was here to see people. That being said, there weren't very many interesting people here. Unfortunately. Not very many interesting conversations to eavesdrop on either. There was an armature thief, that got caught or something. Good thieves get caught, and learn from their mistakes. The best thieves don't get caught. The kid obviously fit into neither category. There was one child that she recognized mostly because of her frizzy hair, and that was Dinara Lucey. Poor thing. Perhaps Xailah would check up on her later.

Xailah made her way over to where the tables of food were. Her fat grey cat, hopped down from her shoulder and onto her lap. He wanted food, and he was going to get food. It was his birthday, and he knew he could get whatever he wanted on this day- or any day really. It appeared that he had wanted a cookie. So Xailah got one for him; a little vanilla one with pink frosting. He lapped at the frosting happily, while bundled up in Xailahs arms like a baby. If you give a cat a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk, and when you give him the milk- and well, the point is, no Hors d'oeuvre was safe from the gluttonous feline. -No, not today.

@Lark Flaer @Maggie Parker (Owen) @Elzabeth Gillan

Dale leaned back in his chair, he was quite tired, even the loud band was barley keeping the tired boy awake, he saw a lot more enter the ball after he sat down, the ballroom looked much more full now, he still didn’t spot anyone he knew, well not yet.

He wondered what was keeping Lark, maybe she got lost getting here, she was was first year, after all, Dale knew that the first time he went to the ballroom he got lost twice looking for it in this almost maze-like castle, maybe that was his fault for refusing to use a map, he kept insisting to himself he knew the layout, when in reality he only knew how to get to his classes from his dorm. Dale thought about all the times he got lost in Hogwarts and all the times that coulve been fixed with a map.

"What's up?" "You go here, right?"

Dale looked up to see a boy, his black mask basically covered his entire face so Dale couldn’t really know if he had met this boy before, but he couldn’t be sure, he would feel bad if he had forgotten his name. But from what he had asked Dale was pretty sure that the boy was from Illvermorny.

"Y-yeah, I go here, I'm a second year, my name is Dale, Dale Kurt. Are you from Illvermorny?"

Dale stood up, he didn’t want to seem rude, the boy seemed nice, and Dale did want to meet someone from Illvermorny. The boy seemed very muscular, well at least more muscular then Dale was. He wondered if how many people at the ball where from Illvermorny compared yo Hogwarts. Dale took a quick look at the ballroom entrance, trying to spot Lark, he was sure that he could spot Lark out from the rest of the people, but maybe they had missed each other, it was a masquerade ball, after all, half the idea was not knowing who someone is.

He saw a few more people arrive until he turned back around to again face the boy, he assumed Lark was just taking a bit to get ready, no problem. But what if Lark decided not to go, maybe Dale had been too pushy, after all, they had only known each other for a month at most. Maybe she had decided to with someone else. Anxiety started to bubble up inside of Dale, as he started to scratch the inside of his hand, trying to look like a nervous wreck in front of this new person.

"Hey stranger!"

Lark said to him with a smile. Dale grinned, Lark hadn't bailed on him, and she looked gorgeous, Dale assumed that's why she took a bit to arrive, her dress really complimented her braided back hair, and her mask looked amazing on her, Dale felt kind of bad since his outfit was very bland compared to Larks, "H-Hey Lark, y-you look great!" Nothing could ruin this great night.

"Hey, hope I'm not intruding."

Dale heard another voice, this person he didn’t recognize, but he assumed that it was one of Lark's friends. He left that question up to Lark and Owen.

Interacting with @Caradoc Browne

A Masquerade Ball... Zahid was not sure why someone thought this would be a good idea, given what he had heard about Hogwarts' more recent history, but a good idea it seemed to have been decreed – after all, here they were.

He never would have thought that he would ever voluntarily attend such an event (again) but now here he was, at the second Masquerade Ball in two years. At least he could just simply re-use the outfit he had worn to the ball he had been dragged to during his stay in Italy. (He hoped Antonio would never find out about it. He and Constanza would never let him forget it, if they did.) But he was a teacher, and he could not easily avoid such an event at the very school he taught at. Part of his job was keeping an eye on the students, after all.

He had little interest in attending and Caradoc had not seemed to keen on it either when they spoke of it, so they had agreed to meet up at the Ball and keep each other company in the madness. Hopefully this ball would end up less destructive than the last few events hosted at the school.

Entering the Ballroom, he noted that the decorations were surprisingly tasteful. Maybe he was cynical about it, but from what he had seen the decoration on events around dates like Halloween often tended to be tacky and trying a bit too hard to fit a certain theme to the point it just seemed amateurish. (He was still surprised that Samhain wasn't the main celebration in these parts of the world, especially in the Magical world, but he knew by now that not everyone was interested in history or honouring traditions when there was a pop-culture version of things. But he digressed.)

He was pleased to see that the event truly seemed to be (just) a Masquerade Ball and not a Halloween Ball – which did not change the fact that he did not particularly like such balls. Besides, it was hardly possible for the teachers to be incognito. There were to few of them and they were too different to be easily mistaken for another. He was not even sure if there would be much anonymity for the students, either. But he supposed it was all about the illusion?

Shrugging to himself, he tucked at his suit to check it fit correctly before properly walking into the room and looking around. There where quite a few people there already. (And yes, he was quite sure he had already spotted the Gryffindor and Slytherin Heads of Houses, and Headmaster Lear was no less recognizable.)

Casting a look around he would check for the Hufflepuff Head of House. If he could spot him inside the room, he would make his way over to greet his friend (he thought they were friendly enough now to call him such, but maybe he should consider asking to make sure?) if not he would wait near the entrance and try to observe the room a little to get a feel for the atmosphere.

Interacting with @Xailah Alptrauml

Leah leaned back against the back of her chair, scanning the room for anyone who wasn't currently dancing or flirting. Just as she wondered whether she should search for someone she actually knew, she saw a girl in an interesting cat costume heading over to the tables of food. And with her - an adorable fluffy grey cat! Well, she may as well try to make conversation.

She headed over to where the girl was now feeding her cat with a cookie - an act which doubled Leah's desire to talk to the girl. Alright, time to put on her cool face and beg to stroke the cute pet.

"Hey, I'm Leah," she introduced nervously. "I'm a first year, so this is all pretty new to me, but - basically, I love your costume and your cat is adorable," she gushed.

Oh no, she'd made a fool of herself, hadn't she? This girl in particular looked more in control of herself than anyone else she'd spoken to at this party so far, and something about her expression conveyed to Leah that she probably didn't want to talk to a tiny first year... But that adorable cat!