Mistletoe Mayhem - Jingle Bells
| [xx] |
21st December 2025 outfit [x] currently around 173 cm w/boots She wondered why Draven went quiet after that whole royal highness joke. He started it so why was he acting it's not funny? Did he take it seriously or something? Ara wouldn't be surprised if he would suddenly drop down on his knees if she had only sounded more serious about it. That's another thing, she said it so mockingly too so why did Draven look at her with that kind of look. Ara couldn't exactly describe it. His expression went blank in a way that isn’t empty but overloaded, like something in his head short-circuited. His eyes widened—not exaggerated, not cartoonish—just enough that she noticed the shift immediately. The sharpness drained out of them, replaced by something startled, pupils blown wider than they should be in the cold. His mouth parted like he was about to say something cutting, and yet, nothing comes out. Coward. There’s color creeping up his neck, not a blush exactly. Though even if it was, Ara would be in complete denial. His jaw tightened, then loosened, like he’s forgotten what it’s supposed to do. For someone who’s usually so quick with words, it’s almost unsettling how quiet he goes. All the thinking made Ara forget to let go of Draven as he just held her there. Her right arm was still holding on along his back (near his shoulder blade) while her left hand still tugged on his sweater. "I said had it,” she muttered, brushing imaginary snow from her sleeve. She swore her pulse was louder than the slight jingling of bells above her. Wait... bells? Then she saw it. The mistletoe hung just above them—crooked, uneven, clearly hung by someone who thought tradition was funny. A red ribbon drooped lazily between the leaves, swaying faintly with the wind as the bells on it were making the slightest sound of ringing. Ara stared at it, her eyes stopped so suddenly that you'd think she just died. Of course. Of course this would happen right now. Of course this happens when she's questioning the mental well-being of her conversation partner. Weirdly enough, she didn’t move right away. The air between them thickened, cold pressing in around them. Might be the smoke from just earlier. Totally. Her gaze dropped before she could stop it. To his mouth. 'Shit shit shit shit shit. Why am I thinking of it?" Intrusive thoughts, man. Why is she like this? Ara didn’t know why. It wasn’t a conscious decision—probably. The corners of his lips were chapped, the entirety was faintly pink from the cold but nearing the middle was more pigmented, breath fogging when he exhaled. She realized, distantly, that he was very still. Waiting. Five seconds passed. Five seconds too long. Her eyes flicked up to his. Her stomach did something uncomfortable. Not fear. Not excitement. Something else. She swallowed. It wasn't those butterflies people describe either. She should move. Step away. Make a joke. Call him an idiot. Smack his stupid head. Do something to break the moment. Do something, Ara. Do something you brat! “You're brilliant," Draven said. Man, did he even hear her? Was that whole princess comeback for nothing? Did this mean nothing to him? Though she couldn't complain, perfect timing to reel away from the situation above them. Words to reply to that came flooding into her head that she barely noticed his hands relocating to her waist from just her coat. "And you're weak as hell, princess. You stumbled literally upon catching me, noodle arms." Ara scoffed, tone obviously unserious while she was still holding onto him as if he didn't just lift her up slightly to steady her almost effortlessly a second ago. Yeah, "princess" was a good fit, just not for her Sta: 10 | Eva: 9 | Str: 7 | Wis: 9 | Arc: 9 | Acc: 10 Perfectionist II, Sixth Sense, Terrible Presence (active) Action: idk 600-ish words idek anymore. I enjoyed watching tatsu play favourites as Dennis the Menace tried to ruin the vibe @Dennis Tumberton @Draven Mirador |
[xx] |
| sta • 10 | eva • 9 | str • 7 SHOP wis • 9 | arc • 9 | acc • 10 |
Mistletoe Mayhem - Jingle Bells
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CRAWLING BACK TO YOU
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▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬body. Perhaps it was time to start paying attention. Or at least, give it a passing thought. The shadows under his ribs weren't attractive by any sense of the word. He looked...sick.
Draven took a step back absentmindedly, gray eyes turning skyward, toward the bundle of leaves hanging over their heads.
"Was that there before?" he asked, squinting. Mistletoe. Muggles liked to makeout under it. At least, that was the impression he'd gotten from the few Christmas movies he'd unwillingly sat through.
Did Ara know? Perhaps not. She wasn't a Muggleborn. Or at least, he didn't think so. Draven grimmaced, pulling out the packet of cigarettes with shaking hands. He was- unsteady. That was the word. Off balance. Something had happened, and he couldn't quite pinpoint what. The hairs on his neck were standing on end.
But the thought of returning to the stone confines of Hogwarts wasn't appealing. He'd spent so much time in the dungeons... any more, and he'd turn in the skeleton people sometimes mistook him for.
Warm light flickered between his fingers once more.
"Sorry," he said after a beat. "Next time, I'll let you eat shit." He took a drag, holding the pack out to her once more. It was only polite.
The glaze had returned to Draven's eyes, brief moments of lucidity sinking back underneath his skin.
He cocked his head, trying to see the mistletoe better. No, that definitely hadn't been there before. A plume of smoke curled up near it, ghosting between the leaves. Noxious and heavy, the scent of death hung in the air.
ACTION | pull away and light up
| @ara villa | (400) |
ITS STILL RAINING. WHY IS IT STILL RAINING? sta • 13 | eva • 8 | str • 1 | wis • 15 |arc • 7 | acc • 9 |
![[x]](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/e12e1c5bb8f7.jpg){kind=link}
Mistletoe Mayhem - Jingle Bells
THE ACTION
Romance was in the air! Or was that infectious spores? The latter possibility didn’t seem to matter as both Ara and Draven continued to be obnoxiously healthy despite the increasingly dire circumstances (Sta DC 17; Ara, 1d20+10=21, PASS; Draven, 1d20+13=23, PASS). However, Dennis couldn’t help but lean around the colonnade he was hiding as it looked as if romance would happen after all! Ara hesitated for what seemed like an eternity, would she romance or not? The young Slytherin proved to be impervious to whatever thoughts she was having pertaining to the luscious lips of one Draven Mirador (WDC 10; 1d20+9=14, PASS).
The moment Dennis had been waiting for evaporated and Draven lit up yet another cigarette while Ara gained her composure. Really, that guy should limit how much he smokes, it’s going to be a real problem. Frustrated, his hand clinched tight around the wand, shaking it and…the mistletoe!
Something finally stirred awake and came charging angrily toward the pair (Str DC 8; 1d20+1=19, Wake up)! One of the tiny assailants looked around as if waiting for its chance to strike (Billywig #1 acc v Ara wis; Billywig, 1d20+10=21; Ara, 1d20+12=31; NO AoO), while the other wasted no time in dive bombing Ara (Billywig #2 acc v Ara wis; Billywig, 1d20+10=20; Ara, 1d20+12=15; AoO GRANTED), stinger first. Thankfully for Ara, her knack for staying one step ahead of the action saved her, almost as if she was as nimble as a certain friendly neighborhood spiderman (Billywig #2 Acc v Ara Eva; Billywig, 1d20+10=16; Ara, 1d20+9=27)! Why, asleep in the mistletoe were two billywigs! Bulbs, blue, and ready to tango. Will our platonic partners fight back? Perhaps there is a Transfiguration spell that could make quick work of these interlopers!
THE ROLLS
1. Infection: WDC 17
Ara, 1d20+10=21, PASS
Draven, 1d20+13=23, PASS
2. Ara's intrusive thoughts: WDC 10
Ara, 1d20+9=14, PASS
3. Billywigs wake up: Str DC: 8
Dennis: 1d20+1=19, Wake up
4. Billywig Actions: AoO
Billywig #1, 1d20+10=21
Ara, 1d20+12=31; NO AoO
Billywig #2, 1d20+10=20
Ara, 1d20+12=15; AoO GRANTED
5. Billywig #2 attacks Ara: Billywig #2 Acc v Ara Eva
Billywig #2, 1d20+10=16
Ara, 1d20+9=27; MISS
OOC INFORMATION
1. Please submit modded actions by the end of your last posts or I will be more creative with the rolls next time...
2. Moderation will occur every week. The next round will be posted 21 January 2026
@Ara Villa@Draven Mirador
Billywig information:
HP - 200 (Sta 2)
Str - 0
Acc - 10
Eva - 15
Wis - 4
Adult: Makaio Kāne | iNPC: Maria Leung de Almeida
Mistletoe Mayhem - Jingle Bells
| [xx] |
21st December 2025 outfit [x] currently around 173 cm w/boots He mentioned fasting. Ara didn't notice it till now but looking back at it, she felt stupid. Mirador was the one most hurt during the duel. May have been their inability to dodge but perhaps he was that fragile of a princess. Or was it something else? She'd thought this was just what he looked like—sickly, malnourished, hollow, and all these other adjectives to describe a big turd. They haven't known eachother for long, only for one duel. Hell, they might even be in separate teams in the naxt stage too. Quite a shame really, they were a pleasant teammate and offered some good replies to her stabs unlike someone else she knew. Her foot stepped back when he let go of her as she did so too. Not being able to stand on her own two feet was pathetic enough for her, especially as a duelist. Can't help it now though, she's captain now—as unobvious as it may seem. She scoffed and rolled her eyes as she actually got one of those long paper tubes (a cigarette) from the pack with a quick bend of her wrist towards it. The smell was about to get worse, huh? The mere tube of paper and chemicals she got went closer to Draven's as she lit it with his already lit one. It was too awkward to ask for a lighter anyway. She took a hit. A slight cough escaped her a few mere seconds after, she recovered quickly. There was a buzz of lightheadedness that took her for a moment but what followed was different. It felt weirdly numbing... might she say relaxing, maybe that's why people liked it so much. Perhaps that's why Draven likes it. His voice snapped her out of thinking. Ara'd spotted that wretched green circle earlier while he held her like a limp rice sack. "Oh hell no." she said rather comedically (wasn't her intention). In a second, her hand was about to pull him and herself away from it until a swarm of little blue things started charging towards her and seemingly ONLY her. "What the fu—" Thankfully, their aim was... off. Ara dodged them rather easily, even as one thought it was intelligent enough to outsmart her. Not her. Definitely not her. "Yer aim is shit you little shits." she pointed to the green furry ring of death, almost ignoring the fact Draven was there until she turned to him. "Why did they only target me? Do they recognise your princess... ness too?" She said a jab towards him. Sta: 10 | Eva: 9 | Str: 7 | Wis: 9 | Arc: 9 | Acc: 10 Perfectionist II, Sixth Sense, Terrible Presence (active) Action: idk 400-y words i feel. late and mid ahh post but the end was funny enough i guess @Dennis Tumberton @Draven Mirador |
[xx] |
| sta • 10 | eva • 9 | str • 7 SHOP wis • 9 | arc • 9 | acc • 10 |
Mistletoe Mayhem - Jingle Bells
Draven sucked in a breath, fumbling as Ara closed the distance between them and lit her cigarette with the tip of his.
He didn't know what he was doing. Didn't know whether he should have stood still or simply passed away. Either option seemed appealing.
But he didn't exactly have time to decide, because Ara was flinching away from something with a curse. Draven's eyes snapped skyward, towards the mistletoe. From between the leaves, two bulbous insects with cyan bodies and beady eyes bobbed in the air. Sharp stingers were pointed toward the two students.
It wouldn't have been fair to say Draven slept through ALL of his COMC classes. Only most of them. But when it came to anything that could chase away the fog in his head, Draven Mirador paid attention. And he knew a billywig when he saw one.
"Oh that's brilliant," Draven said, wand slipping between his fingers. "Try not to kill them."
Either they got stung, and had a jolly time. Or they didn't get stung, and he got his hands on euphoria on demand. There really was no downside.
Whatever awkwardness or hesitation had been driving him before, it had vanished. A flick of his wand around himself and Ara - an attempt to summon a shield. "Protego," he said, eyes pinned to the unfortunate insects.
He'd have to figure out what they ate. If he could breed them. What did a female billywig even look like? How often could he harvest their stingers? The cages he'd seen in the apothecary couldn't have cost that much. And even if they did, what was he saving up for anyway?
Yeah, today was turning into a rather pleasant day.
"They're fast, but they're insects. Do you think we can choke them up with a fumos?" His aim wasn't nearly good enough to attempt a proper targeted spell. He wouldn't even try.
Did spiders eat billywigs?
ACTION: Cast Protego around himself and Ara
He didn't know what he was doing. Didn't know whether he should have stood still or simply passed away. Either option seemed appealing.
But he didn't exactly have time to decide, because Ara was flinching away from something with a curse. Draven's eyes snapped skyward, towards the mistletoe. From between the leaves, two bulbous insects with cyan bodies and beady eyes bobbed in the air. Sharp stingers were pointed toward the two students.
It wouldn't have been fair to say Draven slept through ALL of his COMC classes. Only most of them. But when it came to anything that could chase away the fog in his head, Draven Mirador paid attention. And he knew a billywig when he saw one.
"Oh that's brilliant," Draven said, wand slipping between his fingers. "Try not to kill them."
Either they got stung, and had a jolly time. Or they didn't get stung, and he got his hands on euphoria on demand. There really was no downside.
Whatever awkwardness or hesitation had been driving him before, it had vanished. A flick of his wand around himself and Ara - an attempt to summon a shield. "Protego," he said, eyes pinned to the unfortunate insects.
He'd have to figure out what they ate. If he could breed them. What did a female billywig even look like? How often could he harvest their stingers? The cages he'd seen in the apothecary couldn't have cost that much. And even if they did, what was he saving up for anyway?
Yeah, today was turning into a rather pleasant day.
"They're fast, but they're insects. Do you think we can choke them up with a fumos?" His aim wasn't nearly good enough to attempt a proper targeted spell. He wouldn't even try.
Did spiders eat billywigs?
ACTION: Cast Protego around himself and Ara
ITS STILL RAINING. WHY IS IT STILL RAINING? sta • 13 | eva • 8 | str • 1 | wis • 15 |arc • 7 | acc • 9 |