Hogwarts' Got Talent! Spectators

Mentioning @Flash Holmwood @Ruka Tân @Opeila Seilun @Alan Vanes

Since she signed up for the talent show, she had been buzzing with excitement as the day grew closer. She was very confident in her artwork, and hadn't been able to showcase it as much as she would like to. Often at home she had seen videos of people making artwork where up until the last point it didn't actually look like art. She had been practicing on a smaller scale to perfect what she was about to perform and now that the day had arrived, she was actually very nervous.

A few of her friends were signed up which helped ease her mind, and she couldn't wait to see how talented they were. While she was performing, she was here to support her friends first. Especially Flash, Opeila, and Ruka. Though, she was the most nervous about Ruka's performance. Her and fire weren't on the greatest of terms, but she determined that if it wasn't safe the school wouldn't allow it to happen so that helped calm her anxieties. She was also excited to see Alan, who would be attending to support as well.

She arrived at the rehearsal room with a canvas bag full of paint, and struggling to tote in an art easel and canvas. Maybe she shouldn't have done as big of a canvas as she went with, but she wanted to go all out for the talent show. She dropped all her stuff off next to the stage and went and took a seat front and center. Her hair was tied up in a tight bun on top of her head, with two strands on either side of her face hanging out that wouldn't stay in. A brown apron covered in paint was folded up in her lap, though truthfully she never wore an apron and actually painted it the night before to make it seem like she did because that was an artist thing to wear while performing. For once she kept her outfit simple with a pale green sweater and a nice pair of jeans with a pair of black boots that were actually covered in paint because she cherished her cute sock collection more than her shoes.

With nerves buzzing, she hoped her friends would arrive soon so she could talk and get her mind off of the growing level of performance anxiety.

Interacting with @Willow Anderson @Opeila Seilun
Mentioning @Jack Burnett @Alan Vanes

The third year was excited for this and had been looking forward to watch the Talent Show ever since Ruka, his friend, had told him about it. He could not wait and finally it would happen! It was a bit later than the usual events in Hogwarts, but the professors made an exception for such a special event and Alan was sure it deserved special treatment. He would see so many of his friends participate that he could not even be sure who to cheer for the most. Probably for all of them, because they all deserved it for the courage of going on a stage and performing. He had yet to find out about some of his friends talents, because they had been quite vague about them performing there, but he was looking forward to finding it out soon!

Alan entered the rehearsal room, a room he had not been in for a long time and scanned the room for the people he knew. He soon would spot Willow and Ruka both in the front row and even the girl from the tea party that he had met this morning was present! He walked to the front row, quick paced and greeted both Willow and Ruka, "H-Hi, a-are you two excited?"

A big smile found its way as he asked them, hoping they were not scared of the performance. Noticing that the seat next to Willow was still free, he pointed at it, "M-Mind if I sit down?", he wondered, cheerfully. He was wearing a white shirt, with deep red sleeves with his usual black fitted pants and a pair of sneakers. Nothing special and rather casual, as he was sure this event was supposed to be just that. He would wear his cloak that was part of his school uniform, in case it would be getting cold in the castle soon, as it was still late winter and it could get quite chilly in the late evening hours.

Reducio

Outfit

Interacting with @Alan Vanes @Ruka Tân @Opeila Seilun

Her eyes were focused on her hands as she went over her painting in her head, she had done it a hundred times over but she was still nervous. She was planning on doing a type of painting that she usually didn't do, and she hoped it would go over well. There was one person that seen what she had planned to do, and the point at which she saw it had been way before this event was even announced. She seemed to like it well enough, so hopefully others would too.

Eventually her gaze broke away from her own hands and saw Opeila approaching her, the last time she had seen her she was having a complete breakdown in the courtyard. She felt bad that they hadn't had a chance to talk between then and now, but it was too late. She decided to go the route of pretending it had never happened. A bright smile lit up her face as she greeted her, "Opeila! I'm so excited to see you perform, I honestly didn't even know you played the violin." She went to ask her something else when Ruka arrived.

She was honestly a little bit surprised that he walked right up to her, especially since the last time he saw her she was a gross sobbing trash goblin emptying our her soul to them. People continued to surprise her in sticking around, and she was still on the defensive. She gave the Gryffindor a small smile at the polite greeting, "Ruka, hey! It's been a second since I've been able to see you." She couldn't really hide her surprise even though she wanted to. It seemed like she still couldn't filter herself around him and she didn't know why, it scared her in a way. Her head slowly nodded when Ruka asked her if she was nervous, how couldn't she be? This was terrifying. She rolled her eyes at the fact that he expected her to do friendship bracelet making. "Believe it or not, I do have other hobbies. Painting actually is my first love rather than friendship bracelets, you have the privilege of having a front row seat to see it happen for the first time. So, you're welcome." Cocky. It felt weird coming out of her.

She nudged him back as her eyes glanced down at his giant matches- fire sticks. They were just fire sticks. She was here to support all of her friends, and she was so tired of having breakdowns she wouldn't let today be another day of that. "And for you fire dancing? I honestly wouldn't have expected that from you, but I guess you just continue to surprise me." She winked at him and then quickly turned her head away. What was wrong with her. She seriously needed to stop talking.

Thank goodness Alan showed up and she gladly took the distraction. She jumped up to pull him into a hug, she had received his owl back but still the nagging feeling of abandonment wouldn't fade and she was happy to see him. "I'm pretty nervous, but I think we'll be fine." She casted a nervous smile at both Opeila and Ruka before sitting back down and patting the seat next to her as an invitation for Alan to sit down.

She wondered where Flash was in all of this, if there was anyone she wanted to see her performance it was him. His performance was way before hers, so she supposed she would find out that way if he was actually there. She took a deep breath. There was too much nervous energy was floating around this room, and she was feeding off of it.

Interacting with: @Flash Holmwood, @Rafael D'Spacito, & @Ruka Tân
Mentioning & Proximity: @Opeila Seilun, @Alan Vanes, & @Willow Anderson

The perpetrator responsible for signing people up for the talent show without their prior knowledge was occupied backstage. He had been busy setting up a record player which he and Ruka had borrowed from Jack's favorite supply closet (The Room of Requirement) - not just for their own use, but for the use of anyone else who might have also required a musical accompaniment.

The particular record for their act, however, was kept aside so as not to be accidentally played before their own performance. A square box filled with plenty of other records, though, (again, courtesy of the Room of Requirement) sat right near the player itself for anyone to peruse through.

Once Jack was finally satisfied, he noticed a few familiar faces in the audience as he peeked behind the curtains from the wings of the stage. Ruka sat nervously among several other students who probably didn't hold Jack in the highest regard just then. Still, Jack needed to get to him before it was their turn up on stage. That meant he had to get his butt down there to fetch his fire-dancing partner pronto.

Before he decided to attempt sneaking his way into the audience at the risk of great peril, though, he heard a voice call Rafael's name. Turning, he saw his own dorm mate, Flash, hurry toward the aformentioned Gryffindor like a long lost lover seeking comfort in the arms of their soulmate. Hmm...to interfere, or not to interfere? One meant risking even more certain death than venturing into the audience, since backstage there were fewer people to bear witness to Jack's potential murder. The other, however, was just too dull to even consider. Passing up an opportunity like this when Flash was so clearly in such a vulnerable state of mind? And in front of Rafael, too?

No, when it came to the question of whether or not to interfere, Jack almost always only had one answer. Contrary to what Flash might have supposed (perhaps out of the failure to comprehend such a brilliant mind as Jack's own), however, the redheaded Slytherin had a reason for every single decision and choice he made - one other than garnering the largest reaction or inspiring the most chaos. As most tricksters, there was a method to his madness, even if most couldn't see it. He wouldn't have been able to back all his arguments up otherwise, and that was one of his favorite things to do.

Thus, when Jack decided to approach the pair of bird boys, he brought with him a pair of long, black strips of cloth and a huge, devious grin he couldn't seem to remove from his face. The cloth had been meant for Ruka or him to wrap their arms in in order to avoid burns (and serve the dual purpose of hiding scars) if they performed with sleeveless tops. However, since then, a new alternative had presented itself and they were no longer in need of said cloth strips.

"Here," he told Flash, holding the strips out to him while very careful to stay out of Rafa's reach."These are for you. And...your partner, there, if he thinks he can play the piano blindfolded," the other Slytherin added with a sneer. "You can ask thunder-butt to blindfold you before you go on stage if you like. If you can't see all the people watching and listening, it might be easier to imagine yourself alone and without the anxiety and stress you have now." Jack's gaze cut to Rafa and his grin broadened. "Well...almost alone."

Without waiting for either boy to understand the implications of what he'd said, Jack gave Flash a final, friendly pat on the shoulder, told him, "Break a leg!" and hurried off-stage on his next stop to flirt with danger.

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"Psst...Tân!"

Having squeezed into the row behind the first, Jack whispered near Ruka's ear and reached out to subtly tap him on the shoulder, attempting to remain as inconspicuous and unnoticed by everyone else as possible.

"Can you, uh...join me for a minute backstage? I need to show you something."

Mentioning @Rafael D'Spacito

Open to Interaction

The talent show was something that had drawn Evelynn's attention the moment its existence had been made aware to her. Music had always been a large part of her life. For as long as she could remember, her mother had insisted she take up some form of instrument. All complaints to practice, or that it would cut into the time she could spend riding and preparing for competition would — invariably — be met with, It's good for you. Music is a health outlet for emotion.

Thus, for as long as Evelynn could recall, she had dedicated a portion of every day to the bowing, plucking, and strumming of her violin. To her begrudging surprise, she found that her mother had been right. The more she advanced with the skill, the more she found herself gravitating towards it during times of stress. Particularly during those times where she was unable to instead spend it with her mare. Knowing that there would be months spent away from Cassie, the instrument had even been brought to Hogwarts, and there had been a small portion of her that had thought perhaps to sign up for the talent show, to share her passion with her peers. To do so, however, would be to leave herself vulnerable and to invite judgement. Moreover, it would mean inviting the whole of the student body into something she deemed quite personal. And so, she had eventually dismissed the notion in favour of self-preservation.

Of course, that didn't mean she would skirt the event in its entirety. Not at all. In fact, it was for the very same reason that she chose not to sign up that she would be attending: to bear witness to those skills and talents that others deemed their best qualities. To gain a measure of insight and further understanding of those with whom she attended school. When wielded with skill, knowledge could be as deadly a weapon as any wand. And based on her recent run-ins, she intended to arm herself to the best of her ability by any means.

It was the decor that immediately struck Evelynn as the Gryffindor entered the Rehearsal Room. While generally drab and uninteresting (for what few times she had ventured into the room), someone had clearly undergone great efforts to spruce it up. With chairs carefully aligned, stars of various House colors hanging from the ceiling, and swaths of fabric draping the seating and doorway, it had been absolutely transformed. There was even a red carpet, the red head noted as the rich fibres muffled her steps of entry into the impressive environment. Excitement and wonder swelled within her. If they had gone to these lengths simply for the atmosphere, she could only imagine the show they had in store.

Once seated, ankles crossed beneath her chair and the skirts of a casual dress smoothed out over leggings, Evelynn allowed her attention to dip to the program she had retrieved on the way in. Nico Shymane... chaser on the Slytherin Quidditch team. Breana Oliveire...Evelynn recognized the name, but couldn't quite put a face to it. Lavinia Cloven...no idea who that was. Serena Bowen...another first year. Hufflepuff, if she wasn't mistaken. Then a couple others she didn't know, and then...

She stopped, her stare fixing upon one name in particular. Without even realizing it, the corner of her eye twitched and her lips drew into a thin line. Rafael D'Spacito. Here. Of all places. In a talent show? Was this some sort of jest? An excellent Quidditch player, she would willingly admit, but to think that this dullard was capable of anything other than some plebeian display of arrogance and cruelty was completely beyond the lioness. She flicked her gaze, doing nothing to suppress her sneer of annoyance, to see what he could possibly be show-casing. Her brows rose. She couldn't help it. The sneer shifted to an expression of mixed amusement and disbelief. Piano, was it? Or perhaps singing if the names were order in accordance to the talent.

Either way, she was suddenly very pleased to have come, indeed. If the context of her own hesitation to participate could even fractionally be applied to her captain, her presence here would not be welcomed. She could envision only one of two things: either he would refuse to perform (if he noticed before beginning), or he would be forced to allow her to partake in a moment of his own vulnerability. Perhaps he might even stumble in his performance. She settled comfortably back into her chair, relishing that thought alone as she folded the program and placed it on her lap beneath politely folded hands. Regardless...this was going to be good.