The Masquerade Ball Event Closed

§

Following and Mentioning @Olphie Bercegeay and @Kaegen Deathmote

[font=Abadi MT Condensed Light]Eris succeeded, Kaegen stopped trying to eat their astronomy professor. The flying professor was posing an obstacle though. Interfering, why did everyone insist on interfering. Although Elena herself was an interloper in this case it was because she knew what was going on, and god damn she was going to get detention for this but it'd be worth it.

Elena slid after the flying teacher, keeping her voice low and muttering under her breath to herself, "What do you think you're doing, Eris had it covered, this could make him upset again. Oh god what is she doing."

Elena tried to catch a glance at Kaegen, tried to see if he was okay, well clearly the kid wasn't okay, and was a highly unstable and quite frankly ridiculously dangerous person to be attempting to do any form of protection of, but this was the price you had to pay right? Kaegen'd pretty much spared her, twice now, the bathroom and the room of requirement. Four times if you included the hallway and a long, long time ago at a tree by the lake.

That created a certain sense of loyalty, if you could call it that. The bathroom she'd left early, there was no telling if he really would've attacked her if she'd stayed but he went after Aurelia first, and kept her safe. Then when given every chance in the room of requirement, where she was wandless and vulnerable, a book as her best weapon, he simply left after talking.

Now she just tried to catch one more glimpse, try one more time to find someone who could be a friend, given a chance.

But a chance may not be what either of them have, this time.[/font]

Interacting with @Saskia Nicholson. Open to interactions.

She hadn't originally planned to come here. She didn't really have any friends despite her outgoing personality. Attending the ball would mean going alone and standing by herself in the corner drinking butterbeer. Yet still, in the corner of the dorm room next to her trunk, there was a box containing a dress, a pair of boots and a mask. She laid on her bed burning holes through the box, before eventually putting on the outfit and making her way to the ball, albeit slowly. I've gotta make some friends anyways. Besides, mom would want me to do this.

And so, Adrian stood at the entrance of the ballroom, palms sweaty from nerves and the only thing that kept her here was the mask resting on her face as well as other people's. One might think it's weird that she was nervous due the ball, she usually was so outgoing. Truth is, she isn't really a fan of crowds, sure, she is comfortable around a few people, 20 at most. But a crowd as big as this? Nuh uh, no can do. Anything more than 20 makes her nervous, especially when she's alone. But maybe this ball will help her, she could make some new friends at least. Steeling herself, she decided to grab herself a glass of butterbeer.

Walking over, she saw alot of familiar faces passing by and getting swept into the crowd. She wasn't really sure, the moment was like a blur to her. Reaching the table, she grabbed a cup and poured herself some butterbeer. It's sweet. Sipping at the glass, she let her eyes wander. She just wanted someone to talk to. It was then she spotted her, a beautiful girl in a red dress speaking with some other boy. She felt her heart skip a beat, What is this feeling? She thought to herself. Shaking her head, she made her way to the girl.

Up close, she looked more breathtaking. The way her shining brown hair fluttered behind her with that golden smile on her face. It made Adrian even more nervous. Deciding to stop looking like an idiot standing there staring at a girl, she walked up to them, "Uh h-hi! I hope I'm not intruding or anything. I just wanted someone to talk to and you guys seemed nice. My n-names Adrian! Adrian Calhoun." She stammered awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck awaiting their reply. It seemed her personality decided to do a 360 and instead of the confident girl she once was, she's now just a shy girl asking for friends.

RPING AS Maggie Parker - text color #900000

interacting with @Dale Kurt
-
mentions @Grayson Ackley

"the masquerade ball"
-
in which maggie parker goes on a date with grayson ackley and leaves... well, you'll see

“Thanks for saving me back there, you really looked a true angel at that moment.” Dale joked, causing Maggie to give a small curtsy. “I hope y-you know your gonna have to teach me how to dance... Also… uhh, what's an OTP?"

"Don't worry, Dale, I'm a pro- Grayson made sure of that." she laughed, nodding her head towards her date, who was talking with Brielle. "It's a muggle thing, an OTP. It means, like, a power couple."

She couldn't help but subconsciously think of Carson and Charlotte, who seemed like they had the perfect, textbook relationship. She thought of her parents, and her brother Jason with his girlfriend Abby. She spotted Dan and some kid dancing together- that was an OTP, for sure. Her and Grayson?

She didn't know him well enough to be able to tell, honestly. It was just a mutual 'you're cute' at this point, and she was fine with that- it wasn't like last year, when she was practically obsessed with Oliver Lock. Sure, for good reason, but still.

"Like Ferris Bueller and Sloane." she added, thinking of, at least in her opinion, the otp-est otp ever. And this was saying something, because she'd had a huge crush on Ferris Bueller up to the age of ten.

interactions @Eris Fawley @Reid Kovacs @Dorothy Shafiq
mentions other ballgoers + The Disaster
~ open to more interaction! ~

Adam had forgotten how well-connected his best friend was throughout the school. While Eris talked and laughed with Dorothy and Reid, he found himself spacing out a little bit, letting his mind wander and further take in the room around him. The two Hufflepuffs seemed like great people, he was sure about that, but he just didn't know them nearly as well as Eris appeared to. It felt rude to force himself into the conversation when it was flowing so naturally. He laughed and nodded along from time to time, to avoid looking rude, and he was happy to hear that everyone was on the same page after he asked about their plans: just have fun.

It wouldn't be that hard to accomplish, either. There was loads to do across the ballroom, and he'd only seen a small part of it from his spot by the door. It was impossible to miss the band playing nearby, since their music drowned out almost everything else. Reid made a funny comment about it, making Adam wonder if they really would go deaf by the end of the night. The Hufflepuff boy was right -- it wasn't exactly "school dance" music, but it was certainly something.

Though he'd yet to lay eyes on it, Adam knew there had to be a food table nearby. He'd seen some hints of its contents in the hands of students passing by. In the past, Hogwarts had always had the best of treats at its dances. Had their first Blossom Ball burnt to a crisp? Perhaps. But the cupcakes and cookies and desserts that had been served before the catastrophe were amazing. He'd been unlucky enough to have a fish-flavored cupcake at the next one, but he was sure that some of the flavors were more pleasing. And even though the punch was drugged, it hadn't tasted bad. Adam chose to believe that this time around the professors had learned from both their successes and their mistakes. Fill the table with sweets, and watch them like a hawk.

He turned to suggest that he and Eris should start there before all the good stuff was gone, just in time to see her practically climbing up Reid to shout something in his ear. He laughed a little bit and moved forward to help the other boy out, but Eris stepped away before he could pull them apart. She was still mumbling something about Thor (who, for the record, was an incredible character, though it seemed dangerous to admit that now) as she looked around the ballroom, but something was slowing her down. He tried to follow her gaze to see what it was that had derailed her, peering through the crowd of students towards a frenzy of action not far away. Someone was getting into a fight already? That seemed incredibly excessive.

It couldn't be just someone, though. No, it was exactly the person Adam should've guessed. He saw a head of black hair dart between two tall figures (probably professors, hopefully professors) and felt his gut sink. Kaegen Deathmote. Fens-whatever-the-hell-it-was, a living horror story. In their first-year, he'd been an odd boy, and he'd sent Adam to the hospital wing at least once -- if not more than that. Adam had been sympathetic back then, knowing that something must be wrong with the boy, knowing that it probably wasn't his fault. Then they hadn't seen each other for nearly a year, and something had changed. The blond boy had started to wonder if it was his fault after all. Kaegen had never shown any signs of regret, restraint, unwillingness. All he'd ever done was hurt people.

That was the reason Adam could hardly stand to look at him now. The sight of his pale face incited a phantom pain in Adam's nose, where he'd been nailed with a slingshot not long enough ago. Eris wanted to help him, and Adam admired her for that, giving her a weak thumbs-up as she pushed through the crowd with her wand drawn. He couldn't help this time around though. He knew that he'd just make things worse inevitably. Anything that happened over there was up to her now, and he knew that she was capable of handling it one way or the other.

Left standing semi-awkwardly next to Reid and Dorothy, Adam nodded to them and pointed a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the general direction of the band. "Will you tell her I'll be over there when she gets back? Thanks." Half-smiling at the two Hufflepuffs, he waved goodbye and pressed through the crowd in the other direction, towards the epicenter of the noise.

He couldn't understand any of the lyrics as they were screamed at him, but Adam felt a genuine smile return to his face as he looked up at the painted musicians pounding at their instruments. The heavy bass vibrations echoed through his whole body, rattling his heart and his ribs. It was a strange feeling, but he liked it. It was a bit like that feeling you got on a roller coaster, when your heart soared up in your chest as you dropped. Not exactly the same, of course, but close. Why hadn't he ever heard music like this before? It was great! Trying to figure out how to dance to the sound surrounding him, Adam eventually gave up and just moved his head with the music, nodding it back and forth in time with the drums. Eris would be back soon, and then he'd go get food and they could spend the night together. She was with Kaegen now, though, and Adam still had the right to have a good time, Kaegen be damned.

He cheered as the band seemed to finish its current song and launched right into the next one in a relentless progression. This was totally worth going deaf over!

Actions: moved to the stage, getting lost in the music

✼ ✼ DOUBLE POST ✼ ✼
Both are OPEN to interactions
Mentions listed in each post below!
First Post for Lark Flaer ---- Lower Post for dNPC Genevieve Davis

Interacting with @Elzabeth Gillan and @Serena Davies
Mentions : @Dale Kurt @Koko Riddle @James McMurtrie@ Maggie Parker and Keagan Debacle

When Lark had reached the refreshments, she shakily grabbed one of the cups and downed it. Strange, it hadn't smelled sweet or looked to be bubbly but... a welcomed tingle of fizz against her lips as a crisp raspberry flavor lit up her tastebuds. Some type of punch her Gran made during the summer when she would go to stay with her... it reminded her of family gatherings, well before her Father had cut them off. The familiar drink quelled her nerves almost instantly as the image of her parent's smiles painted itself into her thoughts. Finishing the last bit of liquid in her cup, she took another cup and turned to see Dale back where she had left him. A small feeling of guilt rushed over her.. Facing the table of food, she gave a smile to other students who had also seemed to think this was a good place to congregate. Some were dancing.. slow dancing? To this music? She must really be out of touch socially.

By now it looked like even more students had shown up and the room was bustling, even some Professors joining the crowd. There seemed to be some type of commotion going on but Lark drew her attention back towards Elz.

"Yea..yeah, sorry. I just needed ta catch my breath I guess. Theres no many people." Lifting her mask to get air to her flushed face, she nodded her head in the direction of James and Charlotte. "Plus that..." It hadn't even been that they came together.. Her talk with Charlotte when things first happened had lead Lark to believe there was more of a friendship before boys type agreement. Yet... who knows. This was the first time she had, had any friends. Maybe this was typical. A weird jealous flare burned in the back of her mind and she had to physically stop herself from giving an eyeroll, something she never could've seen herself doing. She felt a strange territorial feeling about James since he had been her first real friend here, confiding in him for a great deal of things.

"Just.. Charlotte n' I had a talk an' well..." Lark didn't like this feeling that started to swell in her gut. "I guess it is what it is. I just dont want to lose friends over it.." She shrugged. Lark had said Charlotte could do as she wished, she wouldnt stand in the way as a friend nor otherwise. Perhaps it didnt always go both ways with girls? Still, Lark couldnt shake feeling a bit betrayed. Charlotte could have just been honest with her... Strange enough now boys seemed easier to understand in their friendships than girls did to her... Feeling her head spin again she decided to let go of any of those thoughts from now on. She wouldnt waste her time worrying anymore. A reddish color tinted the roots of her hair going unnoticed by Lark before fading as the girl calmed herself.

"Do we need to find a quiet space to talk?"

Sucking in a long breath Lark held it for a moment and shook her head, appreciating the thought and making note to take advantage of the escape if things came to that. "I'll be okay." She handed Elz a cup. "Thank you.." Thinking back to the meeting the group had held a smile crossed the girl's face. "Here you are saving me again." A quiet laugh escaped her as she looked over the food options. Her stomach didn't feel settled enough for any of it.. grabbing more to drink she looked around the room. "I wonder what's goin' on over there." Another Professor it appeared had entered the fray of students. Although...from the sounds of it.. things were getting a little chaotic.

Lark thought back to what Koko had said about setting Dale on fire. Worried she scanned the room for Dale and saw him with Maggie. Lark let out a sigh of relief. She really didnt want Dale to get hurt and especially not set ablaze. Taking the opportunity with her date being busy dancing, she set her golden eyes back to her friend.

"I feel like I haven't seen ya in awhile. How've things been?" The aftermath of the James debacle had left Lark less than interested in being around the others but Elz had been the only one she felt would welcome her presence. Still, she hadn't wanted to bother her as she worked through whatever feelings. Things were better now after James' birthday but she had missed seeing Elz around more often. "Transfiguration is sort of killin' me right now.. have you gotten grades back? Maybe I can steal you to study with me." She nudged her friend gently and gave a wink, the drink and space from everything making her feel much more herself. Trying to catch Dale's eye as he stood with Maggie someone she recognized from the movie party talking to her, Lark gave a wave hoping maybe once he was done he would join them.

As she made a move to grab a third refill, a bathroom trip seemingly in her bear future, Lark caught sight of a familiar black dress. "Serena! Hey!" She greeted the Hufflepuff from the night before. "Try one of the drinks."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

✧༺♡༻∞　　∞༺♡༻✧

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Post for dNPC Genevieve Davis

Interacting with : Hunter Reys @Elzabeth Gillan

Butterflies swirled willy nilly in Genevie's stomach as she stared at Hunter, his smirk stirring them up again. The touch of his hand sent a few flittering up into her throat almost making her laugh in reaction.

"Do you know how to dance?"

Vi hated to admit it but... Yes. She did. Her family had attended so many parties and events that they made sure she knew most formal dances by the time she was 8. Drilled into her brain all the proper movements and foot placement. She had hated every second of it and was reminded of the rude little boy they had partnered her with. How far she had come now. Standing in front of Hunter... in a crowd of magical people.. decked out in her outfit. A part of her wished that her parents had been in attendance to witness such a sight. Eat their own words about how lazy and improper she was.

Hunter tugged her towards him and the jolt set her mind back to reality.

"Oh but of course! Any proper Davis' lady knows how to." Vi swooned, feeling her mother's words slide ceaselessly from her lips.

"You wanna give it a shot? If you don't like my amazing moves then we don't have to do it again."

"Dazzle me Reys!" Vi laughed as she twirled herself under his arm closer onto the dancefloor.

@Lamik Fillestar

Emptiness. Like a black hole inside her, so strong she felt nothing. Darkness, as well. Her eyes were closed, and she tried to open them, but she couldn't. And then, she heard something. It was speaking to her, at least she was pretty sure. She strained her mind, trying to make out more of what was going on.

Her senses told her there was something going on nearby, a large mass of people, somebody was hurt of something. Nobody needed her there, and if they did, she'd just mess it up more, so why were they asking?

Another sob rose up to her chest, but then she heard it again. That little light, reaching out to her.
There was a voice, though it was muffled. A muffled voice that was barely heard over the music was asking if she was okay. Of course, the answer was no, no she was not. She had just wrecked everything, ran away from her only friend at Hogwarts, and was now apparently losing control of her body.

All in all, not a very good night.

Everything was coming back into blurry focus, good, her eyes were working again, then. She kept trying to put sentences together, but every time she tried she either couldn't, or they came out long and messed up, running on and on and on.

But yes, that voice. She raised her head and could faintly make out a humanoid form standing over her. It was accusing her, she needed to hide, wait, no, this was the thing that asked her if she was okay. Its voice was soft, as if talking to an injured animal, and the pounding of her heart eased a little, who was it, she couldn't tell.

It was wearing a white mask, one that was far too square. A sheet of paper? She squinted. Surely it couldn't be... Lamik? But that made no sense. If he was mad at her, why would he be asking if she was okay? "I-" Suddenly, arising in herself like a sea serpent raising its head up out of the water, came a pounding headache that seemed to rattle her skull. "Ow..." she muttered faintly. She needed help, at least she thought so, but she had done something wrong, perhaps nobody would want to help her.

Aideen's general philosophy was that it was safer to just not ask than to risk being turned away. She would have to help herself. Things were almost back to normal now, senses-wise, though a little dull due to the migraine. "I- I'm fine. Saskia n-needs to talk to you, I t-think," she stuttered, clutching her head.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down. The adrenaline was fading, she was so very, very tired. Wait, no, she couldn't afford to sink into the numbness again. She found a tiny spark of strength and eased herself onto unsteady legs. "I better go," she said in a hoarse voice over her shoulder to Lamik as she stumbled away, looking for a place to sit down that wasn't on the floor.

Arslan shot glances around the lavishly decorated room as he snuck in, dragging a very displeased looking Timothy Grey with him, hand tightly clutching his friend's sleeve so he could not run away. Arslan hardly knew anyone in here, aside from the people from his school of course, and he'd be damned if he had to suffer through this event alone. The heels of his shoes made annoying (and annoyingly loud) clicking noises on the floor but fortunately there was more than enough noise in the hall as to not draw unnecessary attention towards him.

Wearily, he watched the couples on the dance floor slowly spin and twirl. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone wearing bright pink and immediately felt a bit better. Chances were that he would go entirely unnoticed after all. Despite the glittery-ness of his robes, despite the stupid heels (really, what had his mother been thinking?) and despite the fact that his best friend still stood next to him with unlaced boots. Maybe Arslan shouldn't have dragged the poor boy up the entire path like this...

"I need a drink," Arslan said with a sigh, finally releasing his friend's arm from his death grip. "You want anything?"

Interacting with @Alaric Equinox & @Eris Fawley. Chasing after and mentioning @Olphie Bercegeay, @Elena Jones, & @Kaegen Deathmote

Piérre watched quietly as Deathmote seemed to slump into the arms of the redhead girl who had nearly tackled him in a hug. It was a girl he recognized now that the panic was slowly leaving his system. Eris Fawley, the Seeker of the Gryffindor team. Deathmote had seemed panicked before, sinking his fangs into Mister Equinox and trying to do the same to Eris, but upon seeing her, his face had immediately changed form that of the crazed beast to something Piérre could only imagine as something near fear and terror once again.

With a quiet sigh, Piérre lowered the cups, thankful to know that he hadn’t needed to run or fight after all. In the same moment, the shadows lifted as some darkness almost seemed to seep and ripple back towards Deathmote, resolving to return to their rightful shapes and become unaffected by the Dhampire.

The relief, however, didn’t last long, for the next second, Miss Olli took the Dhampire by the shoulder and turned him from the group, beginning to drive him from the group and towards the entrance of the Ballroom.

Piérre’s eyes widened. He knew that Miss Olli was a little more than clueless, a little overzealous, and a touch batty, but this was straight stupidity! Had she not seen what had transpired just a few seconds ago? The Dhampire was alright, for right now, after coming off of such an emotional rollercoaster, he was prone to react once again. He needed people who could calm him down and keep him calm. He needed support, and from what Piérre saw, it was in the form of the two girls who had first approached, Eris, the one who had hugged him, and the other girl with blue hair.

Piérre paced towards Mister Equinox and Eris, who had been left behind. The blue haired girl was now following after Deathmote and Miss Olli. Piérre too, wanted to make a point of following, if only so that he could understand more of how this could have happened and if there was a way he could help. After all, Deathmote had asked him to help, and Piérre knew that being pulled over by a teacher could promise nothing but trouble. He knew from personal experience.

Coming up to Eris, Piérre quietly tapped her on the shoulder with a finger, for his hands were still holding the unnamed potions.

”Eris, we should follow.” His words were a delicate whisper so that nobody but Eris could hear him, even if his masque wasn’t covering his entire face. ”You seem to know more about what’s going on than I do.”

Piérre looked down at the potions. ”These seem to be able to taste like whatever the drinker wants without adding negative effects. Maybe it could help him?” He offered one to Eris to take. ”You should go and follow him, your blue haired friend, and Olphie. I’ll follow in a second, so please don’t let him panic if I’m not wanted.”

Piérre would offer the cup to Eris to take before nodding and gingerly walking to Alaric, whose shirtsleeve was now vermilion with his drained blood. His aura was still evident, and a faint smoke from across the room wasn’t helping matters at all.

Gulping, Piérre offered the other cup of potion to the Astronomy Professor, who he knew to be a tolerant and patient individual, even if he was distinguished and composed on the outside. M-m-mister Equinox... I have a potion for you if you’re hun_ thirsty.” Piérre stammered as he felt his brow wet with beads of sweat and his ears slowly lowered as if he was a dog that had been kicked.

After Mister Equinox reacted accordingly, whether or not he took the potion, Piérre would leave it behind and go sprinting for the door after the blue haired girl, Miss Olli, and Deathmote.

He couldn’t fail this time. He had to help, even if it cost him another detention or potential expulsion.

And the third year girl had to pay for her actions.