The Spring Soirée Spring Ball 2025

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banner by Prat Pass

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__◇ IC Date: 11 April, 2025

Speech: #1d5758 ◇ __

__◇ Thoughts: Italic	Mentions: @Nyx Blackheart ◇__
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Elisa felt her heart beat accelerate as Nyx's eyes locked into her own. Her first instinct was to look away, slightly embarrassed. Would the girl approve of her dress? As for as Elisa knew, Nyx had a rather strong sense of fashion, and in choosing her attire for the night, the young second year had in fact considered her what Nyx would think of it. She had settled on the black dress, relying on the fact that Nyx seemed to wear black most often.

Temporarily lost in her thoughts, Elisa was rather surprised when the Gryffindor's smooth voice greeted her - how had she fought across the crowd that quickly?

"Oh- hi Nyx," Elisa let out, cheeks reddening a little. She dared a glance at her so-called date, and was happily surprised to see the latter also wearing a black lace dress - though hers was far fancier than Elisa's. Nyx was dressed in her usual choker necklaces and earrings, along with a few rings on those pale fingers. In fact, Elisa had found this underclassman rather unsettling at first. Though, with how the circumstances were now, she could hardly protest.

"Sh-shall we go in?", Elisa attempted, tearing her eyes away from Nyx and pointing at the entrance to the Great Hall.

I smiled at her shyness, which made her jump and stare at me in shock. ”Yes, let’s." I said in response to her earlier question. I bowed slightly, waving my arm forward and said, ”After you.” She blushed but walked in. I walked in after her, a small smile tugging at my lips-it was far too easy to make her blush. I was worried at first at how I would have to be around her, but I soon realized that she was just as shy as myself. I looked at her again. At her dress, which was as if chosen in a quiet homage to my own style. A quiet sort of satisfaction bloomed in me, leaving my chest pleasantly warm. The both of us looked around. I was not too surprised since back home there were many balls and parties since Mother was so fond of them. I stole a glance at my companion - in both the party and silence.
She looked slightly overwhelmed by the extravagance of the party. Or perhaps it was the fact that hundreds of students were there.
Chattering, laughing.
I gave her another look, and was surprised to find her looking at me too. I looked away first, a blush stealing its way up my own cheeks.
”Would you like to get a drink?” I asked her, making her jump again at the sound of my voice. I watched her with large, questioning eyes.

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banner by Prat Pass

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__◇ IC Date: 11 April, 2025

Speech: #1d5758 ◇ __

__◇ Thoughts: Italic	Mentions: @Nyx Blackheart ◇__
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Still her heart hammered, afraid of a negative reaction from her partner. Elisa's worries proved useless as her proposal was answered with a theatrical bow and wave from Nyx. The second year ventured inside, looking back every few seconds to check whether the Gryffindor was following.

A nervous chill crept over her body. Had she made the right decision to accept Nyx's invitation? Nyx, a girl she had not known even to exist before that awkward encounter a few weeks earlier. Nyx, a Gyrffindor first year - who somehow claimed she likes me? Elisa bit her lip, eyes dropping again to her black shoes as her mind whirled. How had Nyx even come to like her? Was this all... a trap?

Elisa shook off the haunting thoughts. Nyx had come alright, and as of now they were heading to into the midst of the ball together. Nyx was peculiar, not evil.

The hazel eyes wandered upwards again, and once again locked into those pale green irises. There they found a warm reassuring smile.

"Sure, why not?" Elisa nodded, and started off towards the closest table. There, she found plates of seemingly medieval-style dishes. She wasn't hungry, and Nyx had suggested drinks, not food. Her eyes found a few jugs of juice as well as a few containing some very questionable liquid.

Elisa reached towards a jug of what she hoped was orange juice, and took two cups from the table. "Orange juice?"

***

Karina exiting, her common room had never been so excited. She hadn't attended any of the other balls because she was flooded with homework. Today, Karina had managed to finish all of her assignments during lunch and was ready to enjoy the time of her life.

Just hours before, she had been getting prepared for the occasion. She pulled on her green dress to match her house color and wore black heels. She'd painted her nails red and curled her hair up into a bun. Her makeup consisted of light green eye shadow, black mascara and light pink lipstick.

Karina was excited to see who would show up to such an event. She hadn't told anyone that she was going. As she walked through the final corridor before the entrance to the ball, she was trying to fix up her mind on what the ball was going to look like. Oh, but how wrong she was. Once Karina entered the room, the image in her mind changed completely.

There were of course lots of people, but the decorations were just 'over-the-top' and well prepared. She didn't have the chance to spot any familiar faces as she just stood by the open doors of the Great Hall. Her eyes kept dashing around for anyone she knew, but there were just too many other things that caught her attention.

I smirked, saying that yes, I would like orange juice. She looked worried. I knew what she was thinking before she said a word.
"I know. I'm ... eccentric, but I hope that we can enjoy this without any strange feelings towards each other."
I said, trying to calm her feelings. She looked a bit less scared of me than before which was a plus at least. I wanted to ask her something, so I did.
"What do you think of all this?"
I asked, waving my hand around, trying to be a bit more flexible with my speech.
I'm an intimidating figure at best, but I didn't want to make her nervous with the silence. I saw that my question made her even more nervous. It didn't help that I was just as nervous and shy about this as her, but sometimes you have to make a choice, and I was in Gryffindor for a reason. If not for being brash, then at least for being bold. She looked to be thinking about her answer, which was another thing that I liked about her. While she was shy, she also thought about it before answering me, which I found a good trait. After all, what use was it to ask a question to someone if they weren't going to at least think before answering? She looked ready to answer, and I was ready to listen.

MODERATION ROUND SIX

_{Image created using Bing AI.}

This ball was beginning to get rather boring. After the storming spell, no one had dared to actually spice things up, allowing for some the opportunity to laugh and enjoy the evening, for others to dance happily with their partners and friends, and for chaotic children to mope about this ball being no fun.

It seems that universe, the fates, or the gods— whichever you believed in— had agreed, and surprisingly maintained the rather calm ball. A new couple was seen entering, all smiles, flushed cheeks, and low voices as they first made their way over to the refreshments table, with drinks galore arranged, ensuring that no single person would go thirsty, unless they decided not to drink. This couple had only just begun their selection of beverages, meaning that it had not yet been revealed if they had made the proper choice. (@Elisa Wagner, @Nyx Blackheart)

Another young duo had also decided to relieve their parched throats, selecting their drinks perfectly. There was no bad blood, or rather hate between the two as they took sips from their glasses. Both appeared to be in their first year, a Slytherin and Hufflepuff. These two houses often made for…interesting pairs, as shown in one of the latest Headliner Articles. According to it, a Slytherin is the most least likely match for a Hufflepuff, and a Hufflepuff the second most least probable match for a Slytherin. It could not yet be determined if they were soulmates, better off as friends, or simply young and in love, but you can never be too careful. (@Rafal Devereux, @Stelle Mims)

Rolls:
Owl or DM me about any mistakes you may find.

Reducio

Spring Soirée Ball Rolls, Round 6

50% chance of Rafal having a spiked drink, procs on 1
[d2 : 2] = 2 —> Rafal’s drink is not spiked

Ivan 50% spiked drink chance, procs on 1
[d2 : 1] = 1 —> Ivan’s drink is spiked!

Ivan’s resistance, DC 17
[d20 : 20] + 6 = 26 —> Success, Ivan is definitely resistant to the potion

Ivan noticing that his drink is spiked, WDC 14
[d20 : 10] + 8 = 18 —> Success, Ivan is all knowing when it comes to his drink. He realizes that it is spiked.

Stelle 50% spiked drink chance, procs on 1
[d2 : 2] = 2 —> Stelle’s drink isn’t spiked

Reducio

_{Image generated by Bing AI.}

Upon entrance into The Spring Soirée, each player will receive a "dance card", a RP opportunity for players to engage with. Within the dance card, names of whom your character dances with must be recorded, beware of prying eyes should their names not be found within the dance card and they are dancing with your player, as this would be the most scandalous thing to do.

NOTE: The inclusion of dance cards is solely for a RP opportunity, you are not obliged to comply with this, but should you mention it, please ensure the character your character dances with, was included in the dance card.

OOC Information
Welcome to the Spring Soirée!

1. To participate, you must be indexed. If you are not indexed yet, please apply here.
2. Moderation will occur every week, or about 168 hours.
3. Your character is allowed one moderated action per round. Please specify your moderated action somewhere OOC in your post.

Reducio

Moderated actions are actions that require rolls, like casting a spell on someone, physically fighting (like punching) with someone, surprising someone, etc. Rolls are not needed for pre-decided or consented actions, like asking someone for a dance.

4. Please include your abilities and stats in each post you make.
5. There are two other threads that are part of the Spring Ball, The Garden of Eden and The Twisted Tavern. You can directly enter the other threads if you have signed up for The Twisted Tavern or wish to participate in the main event, The Spring Soirée, but if you have already posted here, please specify that you are leaving this thread for either one of the other two, as your character cannot be in two places at once.
6. Please follow all usual H.io rules.
7. Enjoy the ball!

@Elena Clark as Viktoriya Petrovskaya

Viktoriya's boredom and frustration did nothing to deter Harvey from pressing on. Even if this encounter brought no meaningful connection he was still determined to let people like the Petrovskaya's know his name. These were the people he would know one day even if they swatted him away like a pest now. These were the people who would surround him as he gained his wealth and spun his web of influence and power. One day they would see.

Harvey's sly smile would only grow when she challenged him further. His dark, beady eyes only left hers for a moment as her hand dropped to the hilt of her sword. He was sure it was ceremonial, but the threat of it and the power of her presence still had his heart skipping a beat. Yet he still would not back down as he returned his gaze up to hers. Harvey's long index finger tapped against his leg, the only sign of his nervousness as Viktoriya confirmed her dhampirism. It was not a fear of her nature, but a twisted excitement to be standing next to someone with such innate power.

A wicked chuckle escaped Harvey's lips as she spat his surname out like a bite of spoil fruit. Did the Barrows have a problem? Barrows didn't mean a damned thing, who would care what people of such a lowly name thought of anything. The boy held his hands up to signal he meant no offense. "No, of course I don't have a problem with that fact. I only mentioned it because I find it fascinating. I've researched people of your nature and the innate power that you possess leaves me envious is all. One such as yourself and the powerful name you carry. I had to at least introduce myself." His words became more confident as he continued to speak. Even when the mention of his own mixed nature seemed to inspire nothing but an unimpressed gaze.

Harvey's attempt to gain some favor held no traction. It was true that the young boy was beginning to flirt with the idea that half-breeds and the magical races of their world might hold some natural superiority, but it was just a seedling of a belief structure. Now the idea that he would follow like some religious zealot was the idea of climbing the social ladder of their world. Viktoriya would not vocalize her beliefs that ones race or blood purity made no difference to people of her stature. Had she done so it would only have left Harvey more impressed for that is what he wanted for himself more than anything. One day he would look into someone eyes and see that spark of envy like he had now. One day the name Barrows would inspire awe just like Petrovskaya.

A childish prank would push the pair further outside of the crowd and Harvey only matched Viktoriya's energy as she leaned against a wall with arms crossed. He would stand before her, his own arms crossed and his chin held high. "You could have left anytime." The boy challenged back. "I approached you because you are someone that I want to know. You come from a meaningful family and one day I want that for myself." Harvey did nothing to hide his intentions. He wanted to know influential people, simple as that. The climb to the top would take riding powerful coattails. "In your country people like you might be able to hold such a position, but here people like me often do not. I wish to change that and you and your family are an inspiration. You can take that however you'd like." Harvey finished with a simple shrug.

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"Oh no, it would be totally brilliant!" Rafal nodded sagely, eager for Stelle to see the genius of his idea. "See, Hogwarts hosts these kinds of balls all the time - " - at least, that was what he had heard - " - and nobody knows how to dance nowadays except bored pure-bloods with too much time and money. You would make a killing!" Suddenly, he frowned, movements slowing down slightly. Oh wait. He really needed to start watching how he phrased these things!

As he watched, Stelle lowered her gaze, seemingly pondering. Had Rafal offended her by his brashness? Maybe she knew Veela, and was testing to see if he was a supremacist. If that was the case, he couldn’t mess this up! Regretting his earlier impetuousness, he tried to choose his words carefully.

"Well, I definitely don’t look down on them or anything. I mean," he paused. "Everyone knows all the half-breed hate is ridiculous, it’s all totally political. But I don’t think I’ve actually met any half-Veela in particular, so… I guess I can’t form a full opinion on them yet?"

Stelle was delightful. Perhaps it was shallow, but a common conception about overly attractive people, was that they would tend to be pretentious or dreary in personality. And it was a misconception that Rafal had prior engaged in, however unconsciously. But Stelle was both witty and awfully convivial, and the first year felt guilty for ever believing she would have been anything else.

At her jest, Rafal couldn’t help but chime in. "Fun fact!" He blurted out. "According to the Hogwarts Headliner, a Slytherin is the least likely match for a Hufflepuff, and a Hufflpuff is the second-least likely match for a Slytherin!" He cut himself off, looking away from Stelle slightly in embarrassment. Good job, Raf. Nothing girls liked more than random dingy statistics!

The drink was a good distraction from his desire to crawl into a hole in the ground. Taking a sip, Rafal noted assuredly that it tasted utterly normal and quite pleasant. He had heard things about the spiking of refreshments that took place at events like this, with less-than-agreeable effects.

He almost chocked on his punch at what Stelle said next. "What? No, no!" Swallowing the drink with difficulty, Rafal shook his head frantically. "That’s totally not what I meant! I mean, unless you want me to? But it’s totally fine if you don’t! Not that I wouldn’t want to ask you, on a date, with… date stuff!" He gestured wildly with his hands. "It's just that, it’s not, what I had in mind when I asked that question, though I totally -" He trailed off as Stelle suddenly started laughing.

"You…. You were messing with me." The Slytherin realized, and a reluctant smile slowly grew on his face. He sighed exaggeratedly. "Gotta say, well played, badger." He took the hand Stelle offered, still grinning. "I’ll get you back next time."

Action: Preparing to leave the ball

Interacting with @Stelle Mims

Dhampir I
STA: 5 | EVA: 5 | STR: 2 | WIS: 7 | ARC: 3 | ACC: 8

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banner by Prat Pass

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__◇ IC Date: 11 April, 2025

Speech: #1d5758 ◇ __

__◇ Thoughts: Italic	Mentions: @Nyx Blackheart ◇__
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Nyx seemed to have seen right through Elisa's thoughts. Was she a legilimens? Quite unlikely, seeing her young age. Or perhaps Elisa had just appeared - troubled, and Nyx had guessed.

Well, she guessed right. "I- I, of course not..." Elisa stammered, "I- no no, don't worry about that..." She felt her cheeks redden again, and fixed her eyes on the liquid in the jar. She really hoped it was orange juice, and nothing else.

The Slytherin poured some of the juice into a cup, filling it a little more than halfway, then handed it to her companion. "Here you are," she murmured softly. Elisa then proceeded to pour herself a cup, and brought the liquid to her lips.

Meanwhile, Nyx was asking how Elisa found the ball. "Well... the Great Hall is quite transformed, but that's how it is for all the balls," she replied, swallowing the juice, "But... is this your first Hogwarts ball, Nyx?" Elisa studied her partner quietly. Was Nyx a first year? She didn't look any younger than Elisa but the Gryffindor was obviously not a second year... unless she had some reason to appear only at the end of the second semester. A third year then? Elisa did not remember ever seeing Nyx around during her first year, but again Hogwarts was big and the young girl could not manage to remember every single name...

Post Summary: Elisa drinks what she thinks is orange juice, converses with her companion, Nyx.