The Lost Pearl 2025 Fall Ball

mentioning: @Maisie Gemmell & @Mylo Atkins| date: 04-10-2025 | fit: x | action: trying to look cool

Avis tugged at her deep blue corset once again, trying her best to keep an uncomfortable grimace pasted to her face in case anyone saw through her "cool, sporty" facade and realized she unexpectedly ADORED her dress. The Ravenclaw had never been one to dress up and so she had balked at Maisie's stubborn determination to wrestle her into a fancy costume for the ball, but once she'd put the outfit on, any fear of looking too prissy faded away as fast as Mahoutokoro's hopes of victory during the mock Quidditch match over the summer. Avis had caught herself preening more than once.

She sighed, glancing at her companions. At least she was matching with Mylo a bit which made her feel like she was standing out a bit less.

That and the fact that steam was currently pouring out of poor Maisie's ears. Avis gave her concerned question a wan smile in response and patted her arm in comfort.

"You look like a very stylish version of the Hogwarts Express," the Ravenclaw said, realizing that might not have been the best response ever but she was also not one to lie. The steam was very...apparent but Maisie always had a way of looking put together despite adversity and this was no different.

As she strolled on deck with her friends, Avis felt her eyes wandering around the brilliant decor, taking in the ancient ship's obvious weathering and feeling the eery spookiness that accompanied the lore it supposedly held deep within its sea-faring planks.

But the atmosphere wasn't the only thing she was distracted by. The girl couldn't help furtively glancing about for a certain boy but stopped herself as quickly as she'd started. She was just making sure he wasn't in the area—in order to avoid him more efficiently of course.

Mylo's voice interrupted her thoughts as they suggested a plan of action. Avis nodded along fervently and couldn't help but chuckle at Maisie's desperate suggestion.

"Aye. I'm in the mood for some people watching anyways," the Ravenclaw said and started impulsively towards an open bench draped in old lace and pearls set up underneath the railing. "Looks like a good a spot as any," she mentioned behind her, stopping for a moment when she didn't get an immediate response from Maisie. She turned back to beckon her over but paused for a moment at her friend's less than joyous expression.

Following her gaze, Avis noticed a boy around their age milling about on the other end of the boat. Her eyes narrowed. Who exactly was he to her best friend? And why did she look embarrassed? Maisie was never embarrassed.

Interactions: Unavailable

Althea pondered at her small table in the corner. While it seemed less than polite to exit the venue and be the first to venture down into a different room before the meals were served, she could not truly forsee herself seated at this table for the rest of the ball dining alone like an idle loner. A younger her would endure it in stride and hoped to spot a friend, but strangely, the years have made her less tolerant of loneliness. Perhaps because much of her time during her hiatus was spent alone. Besides, whatever remained of her shredded pride probably would shrivel up like paper to a flame if she did not find at least some dignified way to spend the evening with some company.

Looking closely at the card given by the pirate earlier, Althea noticed a glimpse of something lingering beneath the messy handwriting. It was scribbled as the visible ink above it, and seemed to contain a message. Written in English or code, which was curious. As she twisted to fix her boot, she realised that this "something" on the card was strangely more visible towards the left tip of the card when she leaned forward. In this position, she was closer to the centre of the room. Perhaps it was reacting to something... They were on the lake on a night with a relatively clear skies. Was it the moonlight? The mystery of it sent her mind trailing to a memory from earlier this evening, when she was still at the castle. Excited whispers about a "fun game" at the ball were circulating in the Hufflepuff common room. A third-year had seen her lingering gaze on the gossiping crowd, and had helpfully suggested that it would be a sort of puzzle game. An escape room, was what the boy thought it would be?Allegedly, it was all speculation, but Althea would much rather spend her evening searching for something and have a chance at a fulfilling night out. Honestly, an evening solving random puzzles somewhere in her nice dress sounded quite improper, rather exciting...

Steeling her resolve to make the most out of the Autumn Ball, Althea quietly stood from her seat with the card in hand, exiting the ship deck and the comfort of her quaint seat into a night of unpredictable thrill.

Action: [Moderated] Notice the strange mystery behind the note while [Unmoderated] leaving the Lost Pearl in order to search for the Drowned Palace event venue

Even when she was actively looking around the room, perhaps hoping to recognize anyone, Milica didn't notice anyone she knew. She supposed it was logical, herself not being the type or person to make many connections. It seemed like the stream of people walking in was endless though, and the girl thoroughly enjoyed judging watching them.

Some people brought dates, some came in groups and some entered alone. The large amount of people attending this ball didn't surprise her. All she could hear the past few weeks was students chattering about the ball. What they were planning to wear, who they were going with. Even her roommate wouldn't shut up about it. It annoyed her to no end.

Though the large amount of people attending didn't surprise her, their ensembles did. Sure, she heard some describe their outfits in passing, but she could never care less about actually listening to them. Therefore, she only now noticed that most people were.. overdressed, to say the least. Did they think this was a charity gala? It's just a school ball for Pete's sake.

Another thing Milica noticed was that as always, she was one of the only people standing alone. She wasn't exactly close friends with anyone yet, and Cecilia - her roommate who she could tolerate - hasn't arrived yet. Thinking back on it, perhaps it would've been best to attend the ball together. In situations like this, even annoying company would be better than no company at all. She actually felt slightly embarrassed, being all by herself. This feeling however was unnoticeable, hidden by a cocky mask on her face.

Once appetizers started appearing on the tables, Milica started walking around again. She wasn't particularly hungry but she could definitely use a drink. As one could expect from her, she walked towards the least busy table she saw. To her surprise, she somehow hadn't noticed yet that the girl seated here was actually.. really big. Is this even humanly possible? Milica was not sure, but she did scan the girl, showing a slighty curious look on her face. She decided not to engage. Leaving without saying anything would be strange though, so she just looked at the girl skeptically, leaving a snide remark before walking away. "I'm just taking a drink, okay?"

She honestly meant no offense to the girl, but this action could be seen as offensive. It didn't really matter to her though, how she looked to others. She simply wanted to grab a drink and walk away. Which she did. In a quick pace.

Arriving once again at the edge of the boat, Milica decided to revise her action plan. Drink, check. She wasn't even sure what it was but at least she could blend in, take a sip when she got nervous. What was next, interactions? No, the thought of interactions actually scared her. Still, looking at people was starting to become rather boring. Finally, a light bulb turned on in her head as she remembered the card that was given to her earlier by the creepy pirate.

While holding her drink in her left hand, she skillfully opened her bag with the other one and managed to take out the card. She looked at it underneath the light and tried to read it, perhaps noticing something strange about it. All of a sudden, the alarming noise of creaking wood took her out of her concentration, making Milica look up. She accidentally locked eyes with a boy she wasn't sure she had seen before. Something about him looked familiar. Perhaps it's the red hair: one really couldn't miss it. It was unclear to her how she knew him exactly. Though, it wouldn't matter, since the chance of them speaking was slim to none. Reminding herself to pay closer attention to her surroundings, she put the card away again and continued looking around her, seeing even more young students make fools of themselves.

It turned out to that the chance she was thinking about earlier was closer to slim than it was to none, because the red-haired boy actually spoke up. The remark that rolled out of his mouth wasn't exactly a friendly one though. No, it was quite the opposite. If there hadn't been a disdainful mask on her face, she was sure her mouth would've fallen open right there and then. Hiding behind the mask, she finally gave the boy a proper look. He had a point. Where she was wearing a dark blue dress with a cream colored belt, he was wearing.. a dark blue suit with a cream colored long sleeve. This was a

D I S A S T E R.

"Excuse me?", Milica responded, clearly agitated. "If anything, you stole my color scheme." How dare this arrogant boy speak to her in that way. Luckily for him, she decided against throwing her drink in his face. Instead, she walked off in a brisk speed, pushing against his shoulder as she was doing so.

Hot and bothered, she walked towards the first escape she could find. She wasn't even sure where it would lead to, but she felt a strange pull towards it. Following the pull, the girl took the entrance and thereby left the scene of the crime.

Milica left the area
Action: Trying to read the card underneath the light

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Information Mentions: @Cecilia Merrick @Yazhera Pentros Interactions: @Blaize Valerian Stats: sta ◦ 4 | eva ◦ 7 | str ◦ 8 | wis ◦ 2 | arc ◦ 1 | acc ◦ 8 Abilities: Dhampir (year 1) Notes: none

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Dad

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Pa

Andrea

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Interacting with @Maisie Gemmell | @Avis Greymond @Draven Mirador | @Percival Rocier	Date - 04/10/25
WC 658/200	Color Legend - Mylo | BSL | Thoughts

As both of his friends agreed that finding a place to sit would be a good next course of action Mylo looked around, trying to spot somewhere they'd all be comfortable, mostly for Maisie though as the young witch seemed to be very conscious about the smoke pouring out of her ears. They had tried to tell her that she couldn't help it and that there was nothing to be ashamed of but he also knew that words often didn't help to get rid of those feelings, so their next best way of helping was to ignore it and act as if it wasn't there.

Having spotted a nice table in a corner, somewhere that Maisie would be able to conceal the aftermath of her sickness better, Mylo made their way over to it. "Oh, I think that table would work, looks like it's good for your people watching Avis as we're a bit more concealed." They mentioned, normally not caring about that but not wanting to bring attention to Maisie also wanting to be a bit more hidden.

Before they could get over to it though a familiar face popped into view, seemingly in conversation with another student Mylo didn't recognise.

Apparently he had talked Draven into coming after all, although Mylo hadn't been aware they had been trying to be that persuasive in their previous conversations. They had just talked about the fact that they thought it might be fun to go again, as they had had fun the previous times and that it would be nice to see more familiar faces around the place.

Seeing as the three of them would be passing Draven and the other student Mylo decided that they could afford a quick detour and starting making his way into Draven eye line, completely unaware of the fact that Maisie recognised the other boy.

Making sure that they weren't obscured by anything Mylo waved at Draven signalling to get his attention, knowing that he likely wouldn't have heard them approaching especially not with all of the visual and audible noise around, and having gotten within a respectable distance they started signing. "Hey! It's good to see you here, I'm glad you could make it!" Their signs a lot more fluent than they had been when Draven and Mylo first started talking, their meet ups in the forest had done wonders for Mylo's fluency as Draven had been very understanding and patient when Mylo made mistakes, correcting them and letting him go at their own pace.

As Mylo didn't want either Maisie, Avis or the mystery boy to feel left out of the conversation, as he wasn't sure if he also only spoke BSL or spoken English, they paired their signs with spoken English translating what they were signing as they were signing it. It did make their signing every so slightly slower but not that much that it made a huge difference.

"How are you enjoying the book by the way? I'm nearly done with the one you gave me, I've really enjoyed it so far!" They asked, curious what Draven had thought of the book Mylo had lent them in exchange for one of his, once again translating what they signed into spoken English for the benefit of the others there.

Realising that Maisie probably wanted to go and sit in a corner and hide, they knew the feeling, Mylo turned to her but made sure to keep most of their body within sight of Draven.

"Sorry for the detour, I thought that table over there" he pointed at the one they had been headed for "would work well for us? If you guys want to go and sit I'll come and join you, please don't feel pressured to stay here as I've started a conversation." He mentioned signing what they were saying as well, not wanting to drag the other two into a conversation with someone they likely didn't know.

ABILITIES | STATS | ACTIONS

Reducio

Abilities: Perfectionist | Wandmaker [Dragonheart, Elm wood] | Calming presence
Stats: sta • 8 | eva • 7 | str • 5 | wis • 10 | arc • 7 | acc • 8
Potions: Burn healing paste, Bruise healing paste
Actions:

OUTFIT

Reducio

Code by Ara Villa

Ah, another new school year and another Hogwarts Ball! Another chance to fight against some evil creature or dark wizard! Another chance to live for the excitement of chaos! And! With Emmi at his side!! He and Liam and Cursa had already had some good long talks at the Three Broomsticks, and they were off on a plan of their own today, leaving Colin eager for some kind of excitement!

Emily looked especially cute tonight! Not that she wasn't beautiful at any other time! Colin couldn't help but stare a bit as they walked down to the lake. He put his arm around her shoulder, which made his heart thump! "This is the best, Emmi! And! You really look beautiful tonight! I wonder what'll happen at this ball? Hopefully not fire like last time!"

"Yeugh," Colin said to Emily as they approached the Lake with bunches of other kids. "It smells old and manky!" Colin wrinkled his sensitive nose. "Perfume's bad enough on nights like this, but it really doesn't mix well half rotten and moldy wood!" Colin noted the enchanted candles and bluebell charm flames floating about. "Mind you, Em, I don't mind the smell of old wood or anything! It's the perfume that's really mank!"

As they waited their turn to board the ship, Colin had a good look around the deck. Bits and pieces of broken woodwork were lying strewn about. Tattered rigging and netting hung from the masts. There were also tables set for the guests! Colin stomped merrily over towards the glassy eyed man handing out welcome cards. Taking Emily's hand in his, he stomped along the deck towards the paintings. "Look at this one Emmi! A kraken! I hope we don't meet one of those tonight! Do ye know, lass? I think that fellow back there is actually dead! Did ye see his eyes? All cloudy like!"

Colin read the card. His eyes widened. He stopped stomping about. "Oo, look! It says there's a lost pearl! I reckon it's not any of the pearls hanging from the masts! Those aren't lost!" Colin crouched down at last, next to a basket of shells. "Do you think Fyre and Simon will show up soon? Or do ye reckon they'll be out kissing somewhere?" Colin asked Emily with a wink and a smile. He could hardly wait for Emily to start liking kissing!

He tapped the card against his lip absently, catching the faint wisp of citrus. "I wonder what all this means," he said wiggling the card back and forth. Colin fell silent, his keen eyes examining first and foremost the keeper of his heart, Emmi. She really was quite beautiful! He smiled at her as their eyes met. Sometimes he wished he had one of those time turner things. That way he could go back to third year and be in classes with Emily!

Casting his gaze over the other kids on the ship, he recognised quite a few. He saw Blaize, a blazing torch of red hair! He let his nose take over a bit. Colin smiled. "Wait! AngelFyre is here somewhere! Fresh air and herbs and courage --- like you Emmi! I- I'm really thankful ye're here with me Em! Even if there's no chaos tonight, it'll be worth it just to be with you! Because ---" Colin blushed deeply. "I mean. Out of everyone in the whole school, who else would I want to even be with!? I'd even accept Scout and the annoying twins if it meant I could be with you!"

@Emily Shephard| @Meyra Lancaster | @Jun Mayumi Mochizuki | @AngelFyre McCubbin | @Simon Kincaid

Action: Carefully examining Emily Shephard whilst sniffing at the citrusy card.

Abilities:
Heightened Sense of Smell | Evasive Manoeuvres | Werewolf Tracking | Perfectionist | Wolf's Grace

Stats:
Stamina: 7 | Evasion: 7 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 16 | Arcane Power: 7 | Accuracy: 13

+3 to all stats whilst flying

Colin's Enchanted Satchel

Colin has learned that it is very important to come prepared to a Hogwarts Ball! And the enchanted satchel is, in his experienced opinion, one of the best tools a young wizard has at his disposal. Apart from the usual assortment odds and ends, cheese snacks, and a bottle of water, Colin is carrying the following:

Colin's wand, Naur-an-Edraith, is secured within his sheath strapped to Colin's right arm, inside the sleeve of his loose fitting white shirt. 25,5 cm hawthorn wood and unicorn hair.

Colin's broom, Vailerama, confers +3 to all stats whilst flying.

Colin's shilelagh, Cernestaff, is made from Irish blackthorn and guarantees a solid drubbing when you get whacked!

Emily Shephard! Emily Shephard! She's the girl for me! Emily Shephard! No one else will do!

* Gillyweed * Antidote to Common Poisons * Burn Healing Paste * Murtlap Essence * Restorative Draught

* Set of Gobstones * Silver Arrow * Knife * Shilelagh * Key

Emily Shephard! Emily Shephard! Emily Shephard! Emily Shephard! Emily Shephard!

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