The Weeping Shore 2025 Fall Ball

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Date: 10/04/25| Outfit: Here | CC: #1f5cc6 | Words: 498 | Graphic by Damien Dragonclaw
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Landon hoped that he wasn't coming across as complaining about his family. They were all very loving people, even Harper, though Landon was definitely emotionally closer to his mom because she was the heart of the family. His dad was more logical, but not mean or anything. He was still very caring. Landon liked to think he was a proper mix of both of his parents, even though he was a Hufflepuff and neither of them were. He smiled as Zach said his mom liked to dress him up with fancy things. "I can see that," he said. "If Harper had her way, she'd also have me dressed up in something elaborate," he said with a laugh.

"How old are your siblings?" he asked Zach curiously. "Obviously Harper is my age, but Norah, my little sister, is six," he explained. "She's cute too," he agreed. "I'm sure she might grow up and not like me as much as she does now, but I still think she's great."

Landon laughed as Zach joked about them surviving the ball. "Seriously, it feels like every ball is a life or death situation," he joked with a grin. Though in his experience, he definitely felt like going to a ball was risky. "We will be very careful. At least as much as we can be," he observed. They could be perfectly careful, but something could still go wrong.

"I know the basics, but not the professional rules," he explained. He grinned as Zach seemed so excited to dance. It was endearing really, and Landon couldn't help but smile as he followed Zach to the dance floor. He gave Zach a little bit of a shy smile as Zach compared the waltz to a ship on the sea. "Thankfully I know how to swim," he joked. He moved to step toward Zach, moving his hand up to hold Zach's hand and hesitantly placing his other hand where it needed to go.

They were getting ready to start when the music stopped and the chanting could be heard. He felt himself drawn toward the water, but the music started again and he shook his head and blinked, regaining his focus. He looked at Zach and started to move closer to dance with him before his eyes widened as all of the lights went out and they were stuck in darkness. Thankfully, Landon wasn't scared of darkness, but this was odd. He turned around, away from Zach, but then the lights came back and they could hear the laughter-like sound coming from the water.

He turned back to Zach, his eyes a little concerned. "I don't... Things are getting weird already," he said, a little jumpy because of his experience at his first ball. He looked conflicted. He really wanted to dance with Zach, but he was feeling nervous. The scared faces of people around him also made him anxious. He reached for Zach's hand nervously, seeking a little bit of comfort from his friend.

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| Date: Autumn Ball, 10/04/25 | Word count: 618 | Outfit: Something like this |
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Everything had happened far too quickly, the music halting, the voices rising, the lights fading away. How strange it was, how the entire atmosphere of a place could change within mere seconds, depending on the light, the sounds, and the whispers around. In those brief fractions of time, Frederick could feel Lucille tense up once again.

The boy returned the pressure of her hand when she instinctively sought his. He, too, had been startled by the sudden events, of course he had, and there was something oddly comforting about that touch, something that made him feel anchored in reality, not drifting into some dream or hallucination. Frederick had heard stories like these before about the wizarding world, and though curiosity always got the better of him when hearing them, deep down he never truly wished to be part of one himself.

When the lights finally returned and he made his little comment, trying not to let on that his heart had leapt from fright, the boy confirmed what he had already suspected, Lucille had been scared again. He’d caught a glimpse of her eyes closed tight, and then watched as she crouched down to check the platform beneath them. Only then did he realize that, mere seconds ago, they had still been holding hands. Funny how suddenly he’d become so aware of it, of that brief, tangible connection, but Lucille’s following words quickly drew his attention elsewhere.

Frederick watched her rise to her feet again, trying to read what she truly felt behind the line, “I can’t believe I panicked so much over nothing.” He met her gaze, searching for some hint of what was going on inside her. As much as he loved making jokes, Fred wasn’t the type to mock someone’s fears, especially not when it made them feel insecure.

So, instead of teasing, he gave a short, nasal laugh and glanced around, taking in how the rest of the students were reacting to the night’s strange little incidents. “I’ve seen people panic in much more dramatic ways,” he joked lightly. And before his eyes could return to Lucille, he caught sight of one of the tables nearby, placed close to the decorated pillars. Tilting his head toward it and gesturing with his right hand, Fred continued, “What do you say we grab a couple of drinks?”

Hoping she’d agree, Frederick would wait so he could walk beside Lucille toward the nearest table. He glanced around several times on the way, half to make sure he didn’t stumble into anything, half because he was still a little unsettled by what had happened, but he was determined not to let it show. “What do you think is messing with the lights and the music? The ball can’t go on if this keeps happening every minute, don’t you think?” he asked, throwing a few glances in Lucille’s direction as they crossed the short distance to the drinks.

Once there, Fred reached for one of the crystal glasses filled with a bubbling, transparent liquid, thin slices of lemon floating lazily on its surface. He took a sip, his mouth feeling dry, and quickly another one, before turning to face Lucille again. Determined to bring back the lighthearted atmosphere they’d had before their dance was interrupted, Fred lifted his glass slightly in her direction, a small grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I was enjoying dancing with you, you know,” he said. “See? I told you I’m a great dancer.” His grin widened after the rhetorical question, his tone once again easy and deliberately playful, the familiar humor returning to his voice as if to reassure both of them that the night could still be a good one.

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| Interacting with: @Lucille Rosenhart |
| Action: None | Abilities and Stats: In my signature below |

"I have a younger brother and 2 younger sisters. We are all 2 years apart," The Ravenclaw grinned. "So I'm the first, then Joel, Sharon, and Joy. They're also cute but chaotic." He could imagine how rowdy the house now it's almost their time to sleep. "All of them are Muggles," Zach added. His voice contained a little bit of sadness. Being the only wizard in the house sometimes felt hard. No one in the house could understand his struggle. However, he was lucky enough to have a mother who always tried her best to understand him and to provide him with his needs.

"Wizarding community has a different threshold to determine what danger is," Zach chuckled. "And that's good!" The Ravenclaw made a playful grin towards the Hufflepuff. "If I'm drowned, I know that I will be saved," he added with a wink. Then they are going to the centre of the floor.

Then all of the things they are concerned about began. The music was stopped. "What happened?" Just after he asked the question, the light went out, making the Ravenclaw boy hold his breath in surprise. "I don't like this."

Once the light came back with the laughter from the water, Zach closed the distance with Landon. He still wondered what had happened. "Yeah," he nodded. He felt something touched his hand. It was Landon's. Zach held his hand in response and added, "Did we jinx it?" with a playful chuckle.

Zach thought it would be safer for them to stand still on the same spot. "We should look at different directions and see if there's anything weird, especially from the water," Zach suggested. "Oh, and prepare your wand." Even though he felt scared, the excitement of anticipating something unexpected hit his brain.

As the boy's feet carried him after the girl, well damn that sounded creepy didn't it? All he wanted to do was apologize. For what, he still was attempting to figure it out. Was it not cute to be matchy-matchy? Well, she wasn't his date to the ball so others could get the wrong idea. What if she came with someone and they took it the wrong way? Nah.. she was alone at the boat. Or.. she was waiting for someone until he came along and was kind of an ass.

Right. So many potentials for him to screw up and be painted the bad guy, as per usual. At least this area was emptier. Seemingly because there were no big meals and it was a side area away from the crowded entrance. Blaize noticed the refreshment table and debated to grab a drink for her. Or at the very least himself. Having his throat tighten as he stared blankly at her with his mouth agape like a fish would not help his case. Taking a drink in hand, the color wasn't out of the ordinary, but it was not water as he intended. Parties and their fancy punches. A small sip would be taken as he let his shoulders dip slightly, trying to relax himself.

Lifting his gaze from his newly acquired drink, he saw the small brush of dark hair that barely stood out in the dark sky, but it was plain, not high done up like every other girls'. With a slight curl, natural or not it suited her. She was modest, a thing of natural beauty. His nose scrunched up. Why was she headed out to the dance floor? A braver soul than he was that's for sure. So, he waited, a moment or two, noticing a faint line of deep thought on her face. Seemingly she hadn't noticed him yet. And then she turned, head lowered, defeat set in her posture. She was going to run straight into him if she wasn't careful. Instead, he slowly backed up, out of her line of sight or lack thereof and shoved the hand not holding the drink into a pocket.

"Hey uh, if you want to dance, I can lead you, and I won't say anything else about your dress. But uh, it's a nice color for the record." Blaize held his hands up in defense, eyes slightly wide like a distressed animal. Maybe if he made it abundantly clear this comment wasn't also an insult he would be in the clear? Or would she chew him out for potentially watching her like weirdo. This girl was unreadable.

Reducio

Action: Entering thread, taking a drink & sipping on it
Mentions: @Milica Vranekova & open to other interactions!
Color = Talking
Italics = Thoughts

date 04/10/25

word count 550

outfit ⁺₊ ☀︎ ⁺₊

speech #8C2626

mentions @Frederick Buckley

notes xxx

If Lucille didn't know better, she would've thought Fred had been as scared as she was. He put on a brave face, his jokes never stopping, but she paused and looked him right in the eye for a second, trying to decipher if he truly meant it. She sensed a slight bit of discomfort behind his brave facade, but she let it go. Sometimes, bravery meant you faked it until you made it and, after all, wasn't she doing the same thing?

She giggled a little at his joke. He was right and, unlike most things that involved Lucille, her fear had hardly been dramatic. In fact, she had heard a shattering of glass when the lights had gone out, and she was grateful her fear hadn't manifested itself in that way, causing her to drop something. That would certainly have made her panic properly, sure that she had ruined the night.

Before her thoughts could continue going down this unpleasant route, Fred's words broke through. He was suggesting getting a drink, and Lucille smiled brightly, a little too brightly in her feigned bravery, and followed him towards the refreshment table. As she picked up a glass, Fred posed a question. She paused for a second, raising the glass to her lips and taking a sip, trying to think of an answer.

"Truthfully, I think it might just be on purpose. Entertainment, I suppose. If I didn't detest water, I might have a better time playing along," she said, offering a little laugh. Whenever she felt true fear, Lucille would tell herself to stop and be realistic; this was Hogwarts, a school, and as long as the professors weren't showing up to whisk them away to safety, everything was alright. Of course, Hogwarts hadn't historically been the safest place to be, but it had certainly tried. If it wasn't trying, that meant everything was alright.

His next words were about their dance, and she raised an eyebrow, amused. "I'm not surprised. My skills would make anyone look good," she said pointedly, voice full of mock expertise. Fred hadn't been half bad, his grace on a broom seemingly extending itself to his skills with dancing, and it had been an enjoyable, lighthearted experience.

Lucille took another sip, a longer one now, letting the refreshing, bubbly liquid calm her down. The slightly sour taste was perfect, and she was beginning to feel much better. She guessed as long as she didn't go stomping around the dance floor anymore, she might feel better, more okay. But she certainly didn't want to ruin Fred's night by having him stuck in a corner the whole time. A thoughtful expression crossed her face as she swished her drink, watching the little piece of lemon swirl within it.

"I think I'd like to stay here a while. The dance floor seems a bit too exciting to return to on such short notice," she said finally, her voice a bit apologetic as she offered Fred a sheepish expression. She had practically dragged him there in the first place, but now she wanted to wait for things to settle down before she returned to it, perhaps with Rosaline, if she could ever find Rosaline in this crowd. It had been a wonder she'd found Fred in the first place.

𝓐 flicker of light.

Strange, how even the slightest touch of warmth could act as a wonderful contagion, caressing Ruth’s fingers and sending a shiver of comfort through her body. It was a small sign that meant they were alright, that even another possible plunge into darkness wouldn’t lead the two into the depths of danger (though the aspect did spark a tint of excitement). As her Lumos bloomed an amber bulb onto the tips of her wand, Ruth felt a smidge safer than before.

Where her purpose for lighting the wand was to investigate what was beneath the placid waters, the spell would work wonders in helping the two girls back onto the shore if the lights went out for another time. Ruth blinked, still slightly disoriented. Under the minute glow, Ruth could make out Pamela’s dress catching the light in golden sheens, and her best friend’s face, a mimicry of someone whose eyebrows were halfway through an escape attempt.

“I think I am,” she gingerly touched her temple. There were still things she could not explain to Pam, who was clearly shaken from Ruth’s spiral towards the water. Like how hauntingly entranced she had become, slipping into mindless bliss that would have transpired in her downfall. The thought brought a shiver down her spine. Who knew what might transpire beneath those silver spun waves? Best not find out. Not today, not ever.

Of course, she was a curious one.

"Are you sure you're alright?” Pam had asked again. Ruth clenched her wand tighter. “Yes, I am sure,” She reassured her once more. “And no, I would much rather stay and enjoy the event. Besides,” her lips curled up slightly. “The night has just started, though,” she tapped her chin. “I am hungry.” As the two had ventured across the main venue, the scent of appetisers had been appealing, though, at that point of interest, Ruth could do little but stare. Pamela Graham's insistence on dancing was...persuasive. Now that she had escaped her grasp indirectly due to commotion, hell, Palm Sugar herself was offering, the Hufflepuff's clear answer would be to seize the opportunity.

But food can wait, for she saw that Joseph was now free. That meant Astra was, too. “We should go pay Astra and Joseph a visit first,” she exclaimed. For a moment, the odd stutters of melody and fairy lights were shoved to a hidden nook in her mind as she tugged Pam along, wand still beaming bright. The girl who had once accompanied him was out of sight.

“Joseph! Astra!” She gave a wave with her wand hand, the light carving a citrine ribbon through the darkness. As he swivelled to face the girls, dipping into a dramatised bow, Ruth couldn’t help but curtsey back, giggling. “Hoping you two are enjoying the night,” she bending to coo at Astra, cuddled snuggly against Joseph's chest, and resisted the urge to snatch her away and cuddle her. “You did an excellent job with the wings, Jo–er, Captain Joseph, sir,” she corrected awkwardly at the sight of his expression. “Though you could have easily matched her tricorne with yours.” The wand light was glaring straight into Astra’s large eyes, so Ruth hastily attempted to extinguish the spell.

CAT'S GRACE EVASIVE MANEUVERS

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𝐒𝐭𝐚: 𝟔 |𝐄𝐯𝐚: 𝟏𝟎 | 𝐒𝐭𝐫: 𝟒 | 𝐖𝐢𝐬: 𝟗 | 𝐀𝐫𝐜: 𝟒 | 𝐀𝐜𝐜: 𝟖

Action: Casting Lumos Nox to avoid beaming into @Astra the Rock's eyes | Interations: @Joseph Sims, @Pamela Graham | OOC: Permission has been granted to godmod Joseph.

Her hand in his, rather dragging him along via the fingers instead of holding his hand, Aly led a willing Theo to the dance floor - well, it really wasn't a floor so much as a floating platform of water, but she didn't particularly care for semantics at the moment. On their way the music ahead stopped momentarily and then resumed, and the lights in the near distance flickered for a moment, but Aly didn't think much of it; after all, perhaps whoever was controlling it simply hadn't figured out what song would come next, and perhaps a gust of wind had come around to blow out the candles. Or someone had used Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder and then promptly been caught by the professors in attendance. Either way, it had nothing to do with her - just a teenage girl who was quite excited to dance with a tall, handsome friend.

Heeled feet stepped delicately along the water-like surface, giving her the impression that she was very much walking on the top of the rippling waves; the Ravenclaw gasped with shocked laughter, pointing down so that her Ilvermorny companion might notice. "Look! It's like the ceiling of the Great Hall, but... rather opposite, don't you think? Must be enchanted. It'll be like we're dancing right on the waves."

As she led Theo to the centre of the platform and set up a practiced position for a dance - she couldn't exactly put her hands around his neck, for even with a few inches of added height from her shoes Aly was still quite a bit shorter than him, so she had to make do with a hand in his and her other hand creeping up his arm at an angle, her forearm resting on his bicep with his hand on her waist - the next part to be noticed of the lovely atmosphere was the pearl-encrusted pillars at each corner of the floating platform. Aly chuckled - it seemed that she couldn't get away from pearls, the constant reminder that her family was always there just as the necklace weighed heavy around her neck - and craned her neck upwards to peer at her dance partner once more. That they were the eldest on the dance floor by far did not escape her, nor did it particularly bother her; Aly was used to being one of the older folks at Hogwarts events, which seemed to be filled with firsties more and more so each year. At the very least, the two adults could show these kiddos how it was done.

"Look, there are real pearls here you can nick, privateer," she teased, her fingers tapping a little dance on his bicep. Despite taking the female position in the dance, she was quite easily leading, having taken hours upon hours of dance lessons the summer before. The steps came to her as easily as they had done during the Mistletoe Spin the summer before her sixth year, though then it had been because of an enchanted floor rather than simply knowing how to dance. How much things could change in just one short year. "Just don't try to eat these ones, yeah? Or at least give me a dance first before you end up in St. Mungo's choking like an inefficacious oyster."

Action: Dancing with Theo, keeping an eye out

Closed to other interactions | October 4^th, 2025 | outfit in banner, | #C47DDB
lovely & charmer affect everyone | paragon allies: theo, peri | sta 10, eva 14, str 5, wis 19, arc 7, acc 16
inventory: knife, wand, hardanger's cosmetics, murtlap essence, welcome card | @Theodore Duncain
Theo gave perms to be moved to the Shore as he was unable to reply yet!

MOD POST FOUR

As the time for intrigue and fright slowly passed, the chaos smoothed out, the graceful and clumsy dancers alike wondering if they should leave or not. The water beneath smoothed out, getting clearer as it stilled, though the midnight blue water stayed the same frothing shade of the dark sky. Stars above twinkled on the Lakeshore, the moon's reflection warped on ripples traced by the breeze.

Debates on staying, braving the possibly dangerous waters, went back and forth, friends wondering over each other's wants alongside their own. Eventually, @Pamela Graham and @Ruth Fairchild decided the threat of perilous waters was enough to have them leave, though not without first saying a quick greeting to a friend.

@Joseph Sims was lucky enough to both have nice friends, and a lenient date, since that was about all he had in his favour. Between a shrill scream and a fair bout of tripping, the universe seemed to be out for the young Sims boy. That, or something with an odd sense of humour and a taste for embarrassment. And yet, @Lindsey Bliss left too, seeking a safer place to spend the evening, even if it did mean leaving the brightly dressed pirate... at least he had his rock parrot companion?

Most simply brushed off the sudden darkness and noise coming from the lake as mere coincidence or a badly timed joke. Some were more shaken than they seemed, but their masks of calm hardly slipped. Alas, others did not have such a temperament of nonchalance, as @Landon Matthews was furtively looking around with @Zach Zaphiere for the cause of any fear around the dance floor.

Nothing else came to dissect the carefully gathered calm again, though leaving most on edge and alert. A slight breeze came off the waves, sending a chill through the party goers, nothing more, nothing less. A theatrical display of natural phenomena, perhaps.

WELCOME TO THE WEEPING SHORE.

OOC INFORMATION ;
1. To participate, you must be indexed. If you are not indexed yet, please apply here.
2. Moderation will occur every week.
3. Your character is allowed one moderated action per round. Please specify your moderated action somewhere OOC in your post. Moderated actions are those actions that requires 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 your post.
5. There are two other threads in this event, The Lost Pearl (dining area) and The Drowned Palace (escape game). IC speaking, your character would enter through The Lost Pearl to reach The Weeping Shore. You are not required to post in The Lost Pearl to access The Weeping Shore. The location of The Drowned Palace, as well as an additional clue to the treasure hunt, are hidden in The Lost Pearl. Your character doesn't need either to access or play the game, these are options adding to the atmosphere.
6. You can enter directly either threads without needing to post in this thread, but if you already have, please specify that you are leaving this thread for either one of the other two.
6. Please follow all usual HIO rules.
7. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, beware of the bewitching siren's chant, but most importantly, enjoy !
{I'm only filling in or Lena this week, don't worry, you'll have her beautiful writing back next week!}

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Great Lake

Interacting with: @Ruth Fairchild @Joseph Sims

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Speech -- Thoughts

It seemed her prayers had been answered.

Ruth slowed to a stop halfway to the ship, her hand slipping from Pam’s sleeve as she hesitated. Pam blinked, watching her friend stare longingly at the banquet table. The buttery smell reached them again, warm and golden and so unfairly tempting. Pam felt her stomach tighten, a quiet plea rising in her chest like: Please, for the love of all things baked and sugary, go toward the food. I don't wanna dance anymore. Drag me with you. I’ll even pretend I wasn’t manipulating you into it.

But Ruth wasn’t even looking at the pastries anymore.

Her gaze flicked sharply toward the dancefloor, toward the shifting bodies, toward a familiar glimmer of purple between the crowd.

Pam let out a tiny sigh. Of course.
Food vs. friend: friend won. Story of every extrovert ever.

Before she could even mourn the loss of potential snacks, Ruth seized her again, dragging her straight back onto the dancefloor. Music pulsed around them, lights shifted in soft blues and greens, lanterns shimmered overhead. For a moment, Pam felt swept up by it — the colour, the movement, the buzz of excitement. She wasn't the type of person to normally like all the jazz, but she did have her best friend with her. And she wasn't being told to interact with random humans.

But right now, she was mostly just trying not to lose a shoe.

Ruth pulled her faster than her balance could handle, and Pam stumbled, arms windmilling uselessly. "Wait—! Feet, cooperate—" was all she managed before her shoe slipped and gravity decided to betray her.

One second she was vertical.
The next she was hurtling toward Joseph like a projectile launched by destiny’s worst aim.

Oh, brilliant, Pam thought, right as she nearly collided with him mid-curtsy. I’m going to kill him. I’m going to accidentally kill him, and then they’ll ban me from every school dance ever, and Father will say something ridiculous like, ‘PAMELA, I SAID NO FIGHTING,’ and then I’ll cry—

She wasn't sure where all the thoughts had come from, but thankfully, she skidded to a messy stop. Miraculously, Joseph survived. She did too. Mostly.

Her shin burned where she’d knocked it, sharp and hot. She rubbed it quickly, grimacing. "Ow—Sorry, Joseph, are you hurt? Please don’t be hurt. I can’t handle the moral responsibility tonight."

He wasn’t, and thank heavens, because Pam did not have the emotional bandwidth for accidental manslaughter.

But she didn’t have to worry for long anyway, because Astra was the main highlight for the evening.

Her brain did a dramatic little pivot the moment her eyes landed on the rock dressed as a parrot.

A parrot. With tiny red wings. And a pirate hat.

Pam felt something warm spark in her chest — that giddy, fizzy kind of joy that hit her whenever she saw something ridiculous and adorable at the same time. "Oh my god," she breathed, dropping to look closer wuth absolutely no hesitation. "Look at you."

She reached out gently, touching the little felt wing with her fingertip. It wobbled. Her heart melted.

Somewhere behind her, Joseph was probably feeling ignored, but honestly… could he blame her? This was Astra. In costume. A whole masterpiece. If Joseph had wanted attention, he shouldn't have brought her.

Pam found herself smiling, that soft kind of smile that slipped out when she wasn’t performing for anyone. The lights reflected off the water, casting warm ripples of gold onto Astra’s costume. It made the moment feel unreal. Sweet. Safe.

"Cutest thing I’ve seen all night," she murmured, and she meant it.

The lightening up of the evening had been granted after all. Even if it was in ridiculous, roundabout, Astra-shaped ways.

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Action: Going to meet Joseph

Stamina 6 | Evasion 7 | Strength 5 | Wisdom 9 | Arcane Power 7 | Accuracy 6

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