The Masquerade Ball Event Closed

Well, this was awkward.

Hadn't Jack just told her he wasn't here with everyone? This girl kissing him didn't seem to agree, and Jack didn't exactly look totally comfortable with it. Leah winced from the sidelines. Then the purple-haired, admittedly beautiful girl turned on her and started insulting her, which... ok, that was uncalled for.

After that, things seemed to happen way too fast. First, this furious girl was glaring at her, and then a fist was flying at her face. She barely had time to try and move, and though someone was trying to protect her face, she felt the fist hit her from around the helpful hand.

She stumbled back, confused and shocked. What had she done to earn this? Why had the other girl accused her of doing something to Jack? All she had done was talk about food or something. She couldn't even remember what, probably potatoes knowing her track record.

Her head ringing, she looked back up. That punch had really hurt. This girl was strong, and Leah was in no mood to get into a fight.

What should she say? Maybe she should step away, or flee. Maybe she should spit something rude - an option she quickly discarded. Maybe she should reason with her.

"Ow," she ended up saying.

Interacting with @Nico Shymane  Open to interactions

Zorro? Who was he....? Jay thought in confusion, did she think their name is Zorro?? They were very confused..

”Oh thanks...”they said, there hasn’t been a single person today that has said happy birthday to them so that was nice. Earlier that day they spent their birthday morning in the dungeons, wasn’t that just great? At least it was a place where they could sit in peace, apart from everyone. Jay then remembered that they never went to the owlery, perhaps they’ll go there after the ball or when they have a mental break down halfway through the ball.

 “-It’s okay, she’s too pretty for me anyways,” Jay said when she said she felt sorry for them, no one needed to feel sorry for them. They were used to it. Rejection. Being torn apart. The girls red hair reminded them of the girl they liked, her voice was familiar, they probably talked to her before... but who could it be? Jay rarely talked to people.

She then mentioned that she felt tired, well that’s alright... “Oh- t-that’s okay! Well then, I figure it would be better to rest at a table? Instead of sitting on the floor here... Though if you like the quiet and darkness I understand, I myself, am like that too-” Jay then said, walking away in slight disappointment.

Interacting with @Jane Victoria . Open to Interactions.

Before the stranger could leave, Nico could sense a certain sadness in the way they spoke. A surge of panic energy made her reach out for their wrist before it was out of her read. Her grip was loose but tight enough to not slide off.

'S-Sorry! I-.. Well... If you'd like... Maybe a table would be nice. I..I'm abit hungry.' Her cheeks filled abit with red. It was nice to be noticed and it gets scary when that attention almost immediately slips away. This person had a rough time... and so did she. The least she could do was make their nights better. Who knows...

Carefully, Nico tried to get up. Her legs hurt. Has she really been sitting this long? Resting one hand as support on the wall, slowely she'd pull herself up. 'O-One second.'

It was embarassing. She wanted to look elegant and beautiful tonight. Times where she honestly thought she looked beautiful were more rare than you'd think. Even though her make-up was flawless, perfect... Her mood often wasn't.

Finally standing up, still abit wonky, Nico pulled her white fluffy sjawl higher over her shoulders. The floor and wall had made her feel cold and chilly.

'W-What kind of snack do you like?' She'd ask Zorro when she finally could stand beside them.

RPing as: Jeremiah Lucero

Mentions: The Kaegen Crew, Mari Haynes, George Henry, Jack Warren, Erin Ryan, Leah Isbell, Quinn Healy | Interactions: @Thea Knott

Maybe a masquerade ball wasn't exactly the best way to get to know the Hogwarts students better. In fact, if Jeremiah learned anything about them today, it was that they were weird. There was this creepy pale looking kid being taken away after having attacked one of the adults, or at least that was what he thought happened. He could have sworn he also saw a girl bite a guy on the shoulder, and some other girl sucker punching another girl before a tall looking guy blocked the attack. The worst part of it all was that no one else noticed them. Was it that hard for people to notice all the violence that was going on? He did see some people noticing the creepy boy situation and even intervening, but other than that, no one paid any mind to the rest of what was going on.

Jeremiah wasn't one to talk about weirdness, especially coming from a school where other stupid kids pulled off crazier crap than this. But this just showed him these Hogwarts kids had a few loose screws in their brains. Maybe it was unfair to say that all of them lost their minds, but it was fair to say that there were some very messed up people in here. But, really, should he have been surprised? He was in a school with kids who arguably didn't have the maturity to handle magic. It certainly was better than letting them run wild and letting them set things on fire willy-nilly, but it couldn't have hurt to set stricter rules. It was as if the adults in this place couldn't care less what happened to their students. But why was he thinking so much about this? This wasn't his problem, and it was really on the kids if they themselves get hurt from whatever chaos they were up to. That, and it was also the adults' problem, considering how many angry letters they would have gotten from parents if they let their kids get into danger. With a school like this, Jeremiah was sure the school would have gotten quite a few of those.

Sighing to himself, he turned away from the scene and turned around to see a girl standing next to him. Her mask was rather interesting, which was a change from most of the other boring masks he had seen on some other students. Although it made him wonder whether she had managed to get her antlers stuck on something by accident, or if she happened to poke someone with them. Still, he had to give some points to her for uniqueness.

Jeremiah had assumed she wanted to get away from all the noise like he did. He couldn't blame her for being a fellow social recluse, if that's even what she was going for. The problem was that she was standing pretty close to him. No, it wasn't close enough for him to really call her out, but it was close enough. The mask made it harder to tell, but he wasn't sure if he had seen her before, or if she was simply another student from Hogwarts. If it was the latter, he sincerely hoped she wasn't the same as those crazy people he had witnessed earlier. She didn't seem like it, but he couldn't have been too certain. But what could he have said? 'Hey, you're in my space?' No, that couldn't have been it, unless he was looking to start a fight. 'Hey, what's up?' No, that sounded pretty stupid. It was too casual, in fact. Something that wasn't fitting for such an awkward situation he cornered himself into. They did say that casually breaking the ice was the best thing to do in social situations, but did he ever listen to those people?

And so, he did the next best thing he could think of. Really, it was one of his brighter ideas he came up with today. He should have been applauding himself with something only a genius would come up with. Facing the girl with the most neutral expression he could manage, he uttered one single phrase.

"Hey."

Outfit: Suit | Mask | Shoes

Interacts with: @Zahid al-Benghazi ibn Masoud & @Elliot Price

"Well we could always use a little bit more of badger pride I reckon." The Head of House grinned from behind his mask as Zahid had complimented his attire. He was grateful for a friendly place such as his quiet friend and quite proud to have such an intellectual placed in the Hufflepuff team. Caradoc's only skillset involved healing however, which narrowed his fields of knowledge to certain specific aspects of magic. He imagined Zahid on the other hand would know quite a bit more on each subject, perhaps by even simply learning his history lessons. Must be a joy. Browne caught himself thinking.

As if he had been telling his thoughts out loud, his former colleague appeared out of nowhere. Well, from the entrance most likely, but the room had already become a true Hogwarts nest of chaos by now to not be able noticing anyone approcahing until they'd stand right in your face. He wasnt quite sure who was older. Price or Zahid. In any case, it seemed life had been a little less kind to Elliot than it had been to the Lybian professor. Any personal history aside of course. Caradoc hardly knew what life these men had lived. "Aha, Mister Elliot. Or should I say professor Price these days." He greeted the elder man with a firm handshake. "I have not seen you around the castle too often, so I assume you have been quite the busy bee." He nodded to himself as if he had already confirmed it. "Though in the near future I'm certainly hoping you- or you both actually- would like to join our smaller badgers on a little trip for a history lesson."

As Doc's eyes drifted across the crowd of children and professors his ears picked up a rather disturbing feature: High pitched ringing. From the corner of his eyes he silently glared towards the band. Who in the name of Mungo Bonham's left buttcheek had decided on this group? They had been at it the moment had entered the ball and while he had been stubbornly trying to ignore the background screeching, his willpower was slowly draining. Someone would have to fix that sooner rather than later. He eyed the few kids who actually seemed to enjoy this type of noise.

As his gaze drifted off to the two Heads of Houses standing away from his little band of Hufflemen, he cleared his throat. "So, gentlemen. Do any of you play any instruments?" A smile crept from under his mask. "I fear my ears may close themselves if this hideous screaming continues much longer." He sighed a bit under his breath. "You think that was Solomon's actual choice? An odd liking for the old man I have to say, would not have given it to him."

As Teiki Laurent | @Katrina Walker(Iris) | Open to interactions

Teiki quickly took a step back as the girl almost ran into her. Teiki had also awkwardly put her hands up, which she quickly dropped, blushing a bit.

"Oh cool! Wow, third year. Sure, I'll follow you." Teiki followed, carefully weaving around the mingling groups and the large confusion that had fogged up an area of the ballroom. She nodded in appreciation when Iris decided to find a place that was more peaceful. She had never personally been to a ball, so this was a new experience for her.

They passed costumes, masks, and emotions of all ranges before finding a place of calm. Teiki apologized, before quickly diving back into the crowds to find herself a drink. There didn't seem to be many options when it came to drinks, so Teiki grabbed one and took a sip. To her, it tasted of hot chocolate with a hint of peppermint. It was the hot cocoa mixes that one could find at a simple grocery store, but her mother had always crushed some peppermints, and sprinkled it within the hot chocolate, before placing one large marshmallow in the middle of the cup.

Coming back to the present, she quickly wove her way around before finding Iris again. She smiled, holding the drink which she had yet to finish. She had needed that small bit of comfort, most likely because of the whole situation in fog, and the fact that she wasn't used to parties. They were so loud... And seemingly uncontrolled.

"So, how do you like Hogwarts, including today, of course." Teiki glanced over to the fog. "And how's Ilvermorny? It sounds like a nice school, but I've only heard from a First Year. I'm assuming you would know more about the culture of the school." She took a sip of the drink again, noticing now that it tasted of strawberry lemonade.

dNPC Astrid Kovac | @Bridget Collins (Phyllis) @Thora Larkston (Karilyna) | Open to interactions

So, Astrid had lost them both in the smoke. Wonderful. She had heard Karilyna talking about following Phyllis, just as she, herself, had as well. Smoke was wonderful. And magic. Just great. So great. Of course, sarcasm wasn't going to get herself out of this. It was a great tool, sure, but it wasn't going to do anything against smoke. At least, she didn't think it would.

The good thing about talking to someone before smoke (or fog) covers your vision, is that at least you know they will be somewhat close. So when Phyllis called out, Astrid slowly followed the voice. Like all those spy movies and such.

"Hey, so, you know, when they said ball. I really thought they would mean like dancing. I mean, magic's great and all, but like right now I could use a dose of normal." She used her sarcasm as a way for the other two to find her. Realizing that even if they would be standing 2 feet away, she wouldn't be able to see them, she decided to call out again.

"So, I'm just going to leave the smoke, if that's okay. I mean I can stay, but I can't really see, so I doubt I'll be much use." While no one would have noticed, Astrid did shrug. Apparently sarcasm just wanted to keep coming. Oh well. She would let it. She quickly left the smoke (if no one complained or argued against it), peering around, trying to find where Phyllis and Karilyna might be.

Interacting as approved dNPC Iris Fields | @Teiki Laurent | Open for Interactions

Iris smiled--Ilvermorney, was a fun topic for her. "The school itself is nice. This building is cooler though. The teachers are just as bad as here. But the food is so much worse." Iris let out a strangled gag, just the thought of the food made her gag, ""The people are good enough. There are many more opportunities for mischief though." Iris' eyes lit up as she thought about the prank that had been sent on her only a few days before they left for Hogwarts. Memories of her past pranks created an evil glint in her eye. People may think she was innocent, but she had her own secrets.

"Life here is more fun though. I haven't had too many opportunities to meet people yet. I hope we do more activities though." Iris paused and let the other girl talk. When she didn't Iris filled the silence. "So, any cool memories here? How is it being here at Hogwarts? Anything I am missing out on?"

The Thunderbird stood in the warm room. Ugh, she should have worn a lighter dress. The room was much too loud for her liking and the band was not of her taste. Too bad nothing exciting was happening that she could participate in. The drama with the possible werewolf was much too intense for her liking.

LAMIK'S PERSPECTIVE
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Interacting with @Aideen Ryan
Mentioning @Saskia Nicholson @Ayden White

Lamik stared at Aideen for a few moments, wracking his brain in an attempt to figure out what had gone wrong. A few things were very clear: Firstly, Saskia most definitely did not need him. She was probably having fun with her date, who he would have to sulk about get to know some day. Second of all, Aydeen was definitely not fine. She seemed sick- or maybe scared? Lamik couldn't tell.

Needless to say, Lamik was going to do his best to help. He quickly followed the stumbling girl, taking his "mask" off and holding it at his side. Being able to see clearly would be important if Aideen needed help, and Aideen needing help was more important then keeping the masked ball masked. "Aideen." Lamik said, putting a hand on her shoulder."Are you ok? Do you need anything?"

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NOVUS'S PERSPECTIVE
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Intercting with @Hjørdis Jensen
Mentioning @Maya Galim

Slytherin. The green house with the snakes. Ambitious and cunning. If he had to pick, Novus would equate slytherin with the Thunderbird house, though there were some obvious differences. The professor who he had approached- Hjordis Jensen- seemed to be nice enough. After waiting for her to finish speaking to another Professor who she had called Maya, the spoke up. "I know that this is a ball and not a lesson or any other educational event, but I was wondering if I could ask you a bit about Hogwarts. Mainly I would be interested to know how muggle borns and half blooded wizards are treated."

Mentions: @Heather Ruby
Interactions: Open!

Wearing a Batman mask seemed fitting for this type of masquerade ball. Subtle enough not to raise eyebrows by those uncultured with Muggle references, but for those that did recognize the iconic superhero mask, it would be humorous to witness their reactions. At least, Andrew hoped it would. He certainly got a kick out of it, putting it on. And of course he had to wear an emerald green waistcoat to show off that House pride.

"Sorry girl, can't go this time." He looked down at his pet rat Penelope, who was giving him the begging face. As much as Andrew wanted to bring his beloved pet along, he knew it would only spell disaster to let a rat be seen in a ballroom full of people. Best that Penelope stayed in the dorm room. And just for good measure…

"Not gonna sneak out on a night like this," he told Penelope, placing the rat inside her carrier with a bowlful of treats and favorite toys to occupy her. Now there'd be no risk of her escaping and wreaking havoc in the Ballroom, should she try and follow him. Ignoring her pleading eyes, Andrew locked the hatch and made his way out of the Common Room, off to meet up with his Ravenclaw ball date, Heather Ruby. . .

It was tempting for him to commit to a deep, serious Batman voice while he had the mask on, but for the most part Andrew maintained his normal tone as he and Heather chatted and climbed their way up to the fourth floor of the Castle. Unlike other balls he had attended in the past, this time Andrew had actually tried his luck at practicing dance moves with Heather beforehand, something he was quite surprised to find out he wasn't half as bad as he thought he'd be, for a guy that claimed he had no sense of rhythm.

As usual, the dessert table was the first thing to lure Andrew's attention, which he made a beeline towards, as soon as he entered the grand Ballroom. Dancing and conversation could wait. For now, he had to help himself to a plateful of chocolate chip, peanut butter, sugar, and several other-flavored cookies he wasn't quite sure what the names or ingredients were, but tasted fine to him regardless. Taking a sip from his glass, much to his delight, it was the perfect cold cow's milk he needed to wash down the cookies with.

Remembering that he still had his date to attend to, he tried to behave like a proper gentleman and show that he was capable of chivalry. For him and Heather, who knew him well enough, it was an amusing act befitting the kind of etiquette they would expect at a formal ball.

"Milady," he emphasized with a silly note, pulling out the chair for Heather to sit down at one of the empty tables. From here they could dine and watch the festivities (and likely any other commotion that went down), Andrew getting up every so often to rush back to the buffet tables and retrieve some more food. He had purposely starved himself all day knowing that he'd pile it back on at the ball. Now was the time for feasting.