April Fools' Pool Party Open Closed

Interacting with @Astrea Soleil Neptune
Abilities active: Calming Presence and Lovely Creature.

Dale felt outta place, most of these people seemed like they were close friends or knew each other. He had never seen most of these people, but the few people he had met greeted him. "Hello Kurt!" Opeila greeted him, he was relieved to see her, there was another person he knew. "Hey, Opeila." She seemed like she was having a good time, just like everyone else in the pool. Dale was happy to see Dan Palmar arrive too, not only was he was one of his dorm mates, but he was also the captain of their Quidditch team.

Dale felt a little more at ease now that he had seen quite a few people he knew. And on top of that Jack was doing a good job making people feel welcomed, he did some skit about gods before jumping into the pool, Dale smiled and walked over to the edge of the pool. He took off his shoes and socks and threw them near Jack's clothes. He dipped his feet into the warm water, and was surprised by just how warm the water was, he kinda wanted to jump in now, just to stay out of the cold.

Dale felt a chill run down the back, he assumed it was the cold, but looking around he saw the familiar face of Astrea. He hadn't seen her since the tea party, he waved at her "Hey Astrea, fancy seeing you here." He noticed her looking at the water, "Jack said the pool's open to everyone" Dale smirked, "If you know how to swim."

More and more people had started to swarm the area at the prospect of enjoying the weather outside... even if in her mind it was still pretty chilly to be wandering around in a bathing suit to swim in... not that she had anything to compare it to. Hogwarts was her first experience around people her own age. Maybe this was.. normal? Pressing her left arm close against her body and rubbing her right hand nervously over her forearm, Lark began to feel anxiety trickle into the base of her neck. A couple of familiar faces found their way over to the group and she gave small waves to acknowledge them but wasn't sure anyone had even noticed her. Dale even was in attendance but he seemed to be far too preoccupied. Instantly it made her feel a deep burn settle into her cheeks. He hadn't written to her over break.. she had wanted to but wasn't even sure where they stood after they had last met up. Things had seemed normal enough? 'Again.. my fault..' She let anxiety get the best of her as a small voice took jabs at her, teasing how she had once again misread interactions. The mental retreat inwards had started to turn bits of her hair a pinkish hue on the ends from their typical silvery look.

"Flaer! Long time no see!"

Opeila was calling out to her as Lark smiled and returned the greeting. "Y..yeah! Hey!" She felt as if she were stumbling over her own words. Why was she so nervous? Lark hadn't seen the Slytherin around since they had decorated for Valentine's. Jack's group speech grabbed her attention as she looked back towards the now rather large group of students. He had scars all over his body making Lark cast her eyes down, more so from seeing a shirtless boy than anything else. Another rush of anxiety surged through her... 'Maybe I should go.. This wasn't even the plan for today.' Trying to force a smile she pushed back feelings of doubt as far as she could manage. Jack had mentioned the tin cover to use as a place to store things... and... Again looking around everyone seemed to be pretty prepared for this Spring event. Lark glanced down at her outfit. This wasn't really "pool" ready. Gripping the strap to her leather bag tight Lark heard Jake start conversing with a couple of others she didn't recognize. Turning towards Dale she noticed him already heading towards the same girl he had left her to greet at the Tea Party. Well.. if she wasn't going to join in she might as well just enjoy watching everyone have fun? Nothing wrong with observing.. she could still get some drawing in.

Slipping away from anyone she was standing next to, if she had been still, Lark took a seat not far off under one of the other trees. It was a bit chillier in the shade but she would be out of reach of water in case anyone- “CHARGEEEEEEE” That sounded like a familiar... SPLASH! Lark winced as the girl she had met back in Cork came rushing to join everyone. Thankfully she was far enough away none of the water got on her or her bag. Or her-Lark clutched a hand to her bag fear streaking through her. JOURNAL. "Oh no.." Panic constricted her chest as her hands yanked the leather bag from her side, kneeling down on the ground to dig through the contents. Had she not picked it up earlier? She could've sworn she had..

Adohiro would continue to dip his feet in the cold water as he listened to everyone speak. He didn't know how he could pop in the conversation. "Should we play a game? Maybe chicken fight?" It would be just boring to sit and relax here. He was wanting some interaction with everyone and he was a bit worried if he would look weird. He didn't know if the others would get along at all and he was a tiny bit worried his game idea would spark a class war. But who knows, maybe they would like it? He was a tad bit worried and he continued to sit there unsure about all of this and he certainly didn't know these people one bit and didn't know their interests that much, bur a game might be a good way to get to know them. "So is anyone interested?" He asked everyone present, Hopefully, no one would get any bad injuries and it would be a fun ice breaker sort of game. Hopefully, he wouldn't be the one who had someone on top of his shoulders, he was way too light for that kind of activity.  "It's kind of boring to sit around here doing nothing."  He would state his opinion letting out a sigh. It was a bit boring and there were too many people here. 

Interacting With: @Opeila Seilun, @Jack Burnett
Mentioning: @Jack Warren

The Grounds began to swarm with fly-like students, the natural allure of water and gradually warming weather dragging typically secluded students out into the open. It could be appreciated, Burnett’s mendacious efforts to induce some kind of social interaction in a time so stressful and void of such, except all the benefits offered were merely attractive bait. Each person who had succumbed to his ravishing influence was impaled with a hook in their lip, waiting for the inevitable reeling, given so much slack they hardly felt captivated. Under his control, by means of manipulation. Such capability to pull off something so elaborate that even she attended reeked with the sort of qualities that Persephone valued in others, but only in those who weren’t from hell. As ‘Queen of the Underworld’, she would know.

Before Burnett responded to her accusations, Opeila managed to [oh, how common] include herself in a situation in which her existence was reduced to nothing more than an exploited victim. Just the mere thought of someone so overwhelmingly narcissistic receiving such an appropriate punishment pushed a grin upon her lips, their gazes meeting for no more than a precious moment. “Oh no, contrary to you more simple-minded sheep, I value my life. Pitiful that you can’t do the same.” Her grin formed into a smirk as she offered her interrogator a wink, a subtle message exchanged between the two. It may not reach her ally, but what did that matter? Reconnaissance work was only a mere stroke on a much larger painting.

At long last, the crybaby’s analytical gaze trailed over to the demon, who offered a quick statement of reassurance before more flies arrived for him to attend to, like a proper host. Her eyes shifted as soon as they laid upon the demon, blemished and branded with his markings from hell. Drawn across his body, like artwork so precise, were scars that told more to Persephone than he ever had. His skin was painted with their influence, large and conspicuous but created with a sense of trust. Their story was not her’s to comment on or inquire about, for Persy would never wish such upon herself, but they held her attention without mercy.

There’s more to you than an archetypal trickster, huh?

“You know I don’t believe that.” The suspicious snake remarked as he held the water in his hands, transparent and promising. There was a hint of self-contradiction present in her voice. “You also know I don’t care if they get hurt. But I’m not falling for your trickery. Go ahead and convince everyone else though, makes for a lovely show.” Her voice was once again low, though that apparently hadn’t worked the first time. A questioning smile, eyebrows raised in disbelief, was given to him before her gaze focused more on the surroundings once again.

What the hell is cannonball?

That was a short-lived question, for as soon as it was asked it was rewarded an undesirable answer as water flew above, a fountain of youth here to replenish the tragedy bestowed. Droplets of water rolling down the skeptic’s arms and fingers, hair lightly seasoned with its touch-- god this better not be hair dye --it seeped into her pores, memories flooding back in seemingly uncontrollable tides. Though the moon fought against it, they were pushed away, forever lost in a sea of endless water.

“God, does no one have any decency?” She mumbled to herself, watching the unfamiliar boy rise back to the surface, restoring his stolen air.

An urge overcame the joy of observing disorder, the desire to flee and lighten the day in the safety of isolation replacing such. It would very likely be disregarded with the other slew of emotions that constantly floated to the surface, as the appeal of such an event was immense. But with the thickening crowd, Persy’s purpose became obscured from vision while her mind dwelled on irrelevant matters, the water rising with its displacement and singing to her like nothing ever had. Melodic and beautiful, calling and begging.

For once, she was thankful when Jack spoke again, adressing his attendees this time with such a faulty voice, it brought nausea. That relief was torn away, however, when his subject changed with an almost flinch-worthy abruptness, first referring to her as the Goddess of Spring, then moving to point out a few others. Perhaps it was unrelated, but his sudden movement to another area regarded her as an attempt to escape.

A scowl spread across her lips as her fingers reached back for the comfort of water, hopeless beneath her. Against her recent wishes, the girl would have to stay now; if for nothing else than to drown him when it all ended.

Mentions: @Dale Kurt, @Jack Warren, @Jake Morris, @Jack Burnett & @Willow Anderson

Annie opened both of her eyes now taking in her surroundings as she saw more people start approaching the weirdly placed pool. She wasn't claustrophobic or anything but quite a few people were now joining in on the party. The girl let out another relaxed side before hearing a loud Cannonball! ring through her ears. She quickly whipped her head to see a troublesome Puff, Jack Warren launch himself into the water, splashing all nearby people, which one of them included her.

She couldn't avoid the splash of water in time and ended up getting more soaked then she already was. Annie sent a glare his way before a bubble of laughter erupted from her mouth. "Jack you suck, I hope a dragon breathes fire on you!" The Hufflepuff coughed to clear her airway and rolled her eyes at Jack before swimming over to Willow as the wave of water and moved her away from one of the only people she knew at the party. "Yeah we couldn't ask for a better day, it's pretty nice." Annie agreed with the first year.

She nodded her head to a Slytherin boy (Dale Kurt) whom she had seen a few times. His aura was rather odd. Not quite intimidating but rather calming and it was alluring. The Prefect shook her head to clear her mind and stole one last glance in the boy's direction before she turned her head to see Jake Morris, the baby badger that almost everyone knew, including those outside of their house. She waved to him as he was rather standoff-ish and gave him a small encouraging smile. The party man himself, Jack Burnett was quite amusing. He declared a few things which Annie payed little attention to and then jumped into the water with another splash. A few people were making a splash in the pool now it seemed and Annie wanted to stay out of their way if possible.

Calming Presence
interacts with @George Henry, @Jake Morris & @Breana Oliveire
mentions @Willow Anderson, @Jack Burnett & @Ruka Tân

Alan had been outside on the Grounds to practice a few spells without risking of destroying anything should he fail at them. But he began to hear chatter and when he walked towards the sound of the voices, the noise grew louder and soon he saw what was responsible for all this. It was what appeared to be a big tin form that was on the grounds, filled with students and hot water; a log floating on top of the water gently being pushed below the water's surface as students climbed on it. Some of the students in swim wear and some just watching on from the sides fully clothed like Alan was doing. The third year was wearing a short sleeved shirt in a deep red color and grey fitted jeans that reached down to the top of his ankles. His shoes were mostly black with white accents such as the laces and the pattern that adorned the sides of them. A necklace that was hidden beneath his shirt, left a small round indentation in the fabric, but it would not be too obvious for the occasional glance.

Apparently Alan arrived just in time to hear the person responsible for this admittedly quite fun looking activity stand up; Jack. He soon began to talk in a long monologue explaining what he had intended with all of this and Alan had to admit it seemed like something nice and fun to do. Seeing Jack there, Alan slowly scanned the area and soon caught sight of Ruka as well, who was looking a little lost. He wanted to go to him and greet him, but Jack seemed to share his thought of talking to the second year and occupied him for now. He also saw Willow who was busy with another student he had not met before, who looked quite tall and Alan wondered what year he was in; but maybe it was just the comparison to Willow's height who made him appear taller than he actually was.

Finally his eyes settled on George and Jake and a smile found its way onto Alan's face as he walked over to the two of them, who were standing there with a girl; another student he had not met before. He saw George offer some candy to the girl and tell her something, but he only caught the last few words of the sentence. However, Jake instantly reacted to the sentence and that however the third year did not miss.

"H-Hi Jake, George a-and....-?", he greeted his two friends from Hufflepuff before glancing at the girl in question. Being closer now and actually able to see her, he finally recognized her as the girl from the Talent Show and his eyes widened in recognition as he offered her a genuine smile, "Y-You were amazing a-at the Talent Sh-Show", he added, now that he realized that he did indeed see her before.

Reducio

Outfit

Interacting with @Jack Burnett @Jake Morris
Mentioning @Willow Anderson and @Astrea Soleil Neptune

With his eyes fixed on the water, Ruka barely noticed the approach of a boy who was just a tad smaller than himself, but as he heard the voice, he turned a bit to smile lightly at the familiar face. "Hi Jake," he said, offering the boy a little wave in greeting. He remembered him vividly from when they had helped that bunny on the Grounds, and the memory made him feel a little lighter than he had before.

"Oh, uh, I think I'll stay out here for now. But you should get in, the water is still nice and warm." He shrugged lightly, dipping his left hand back into the water as if to prove his point. It didn't much matter anyway, however, as just at that point Jake seemed to get sidetracked by someone else, and Ruka only shook his head lightly at the look the other boy gave him, to show that it was alright for him to go and see his friend.

As the small Hufflepuff shuffled off, Ruka returned his gaze to the water surface, emerald irises clouded with an emptiness he hadn't experienced in a while.

He flinched lightly when Jack resurfaced close by and then swam over. Earlier on he had lost the Slytherin in the crowd the second he'd jumped in the water, so his sudden reappearance caught the Fire Dancer slightly off guard.

"The Great God Pan himself," he greeted once he'd gathered his wits again, a small smirk curling his lips.

At least it calmed his nerves a bit to have someone to focus on again, his eyes latching onto Jack's face like it was the only thing keeping him sane amongst this mess of people. The tapping of his fingers ceased at the sound of his first name falling from the other boy's lips. It wasn't something he was used to from Jack who usually stuck to using his last name, which only made him more aware of the fact that he had to look terribly lost standing there by the side of the pool.

Jack had probably wanted to get him out of his own head by addressing him with his first name, and it had worked too.

"Yeah," he said slowly in response to Jack asking if there were too many people around. While the pool was quite large, the amount of people that had arrived made it feel uncomfortably crowded, and at this point the only reason Ruka didn't want to just leave, was to stick around Jack for a little longer before making his departure back into his welcomed loneliness. "You've drawn in quite a crowd." He chuckled weakly and offered the other boy a small smile, but he doubted it was enough to fool him.

Jack knew him too well for that.

As his eyes drifted from Jack across the pool again to watch Willow for a moment, his brain barely recognised that the Slytherin was talking to him again, so at first he merely responded with a vaguely confused "Huh?" before the words really sunk in, making him return his gaze to Jack's face with a passive expression and a head tilt.

A crush?

He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth as he slowly shook his head. He hadn't really thought of Willow like that at all so far; Of course, she was sweet and quite pretty, but she had also punched him in the face and he couldn't say he really knew all that much about her at all. "No," he just said, expression clouding a bit as he could feel an anxious shiver rolling down his spine. "I barely know her." He shrugged lightly, tapping his fingers against the edge of the pool once more, just a single One, two, three before he stopped himself again to instead offer Jack a reassuring smile.

"I'm not, I swear," he said genuinely. He wasn't upset, not really at least. It had merely been a while for him to be among this many people. If things went his way, he wouldn't get himself into any social situations that stretched over more than five or six people in total anymore, and when he'd approached the pool at first he hadn't exactly expected the large crowd it had drawn in in such a short moment.
He'd always found it funny how Hogwarts was able to make one feel so lonely despite never really being alone, but he'd never really been this excruciatingly aware of the fact that, within a group, everyone had someone that wanted to spend time with them over everyone else except for him.

Aside from Jack, maybe, but Ruka had a harrowing suspicion that he would mingle elsewhere himself if the Gryffindor didn't look like he was going to burst into tears any second.

"Just a bit overwhelmed," he added in explanation just as Jack had seemingly found interest in yet another newcomer. A girl who had approached the pool quietly as if to not draw attention. 

As Jack squeezed his hand, Ruka took the opportunity to cling to it as if he thought that was going to prevent Jack from leaving him alone with a stranger. As he squeezed the Slytherin's hand in return, Ruka listened to him talking to the girl he didn't think he'd ever really seen before, and Jack's words to her made him swallow heavily. "Jack," he said lowly, tugging lightly at the Slytherin's hands to get his attention. It made sense for everyone to try and get him to go into the water, considering he was standing next to a pool full of people, but didn't anybody get a hint when they were thrown one? "I'm not... getting in the water."

There were various reasons for him to not get himself into that pool, one of them the fact that the last time he had found himself in a large body of water he almost drowned - curtesy of the Giant Squid - and he wasn't happy to repeat that incident any time soon. With a small smile at the girl Jack had addressed, Ruka squeezed Jack's hand again as if to ground himself with the action. "In fact, I should probably get going." He shrugged lightly, finally letting go of Jack's hand as he took a step back. In what he hoped was a subtle gesture, he lifted his arm to rub the sleeve of his cloak across his stinging eyes, a wide smile stretching his face the same way he'd learned to put it on while doing one of his Performances. "But you guys enjoy the nice weather some more, yeah?"

Interaction with: @Annie Morgan & @Willow Anderson
mentions: most everyone who reacted to Jack Warren's dope cannonball

The warm water felt great against his skin as he cannonballed into the over enlarged tin. Jack W. slicked his hair back out of his eyes, before bursting out of the surface of the water. Not even a second had gone by, before arms wrapped around his neck and legs wrapped around his midsection—flashbacks of a busted nose and injured ego permeated through his head.

Who in the hell decided to call him string bean!? He was most definitely not a string bean! The boy glanced up at the firecracker that clung to his back. "I shoulda guessed it was you-" A laugh escaped him, as he gazed up to look at Willow. The scarred boy wrapped his arms around Willow's legs to support her. Why in the world was little miss firecracker trying to make him move towards the edge of the 'pool'? As he glided towards the side of the pool, Jack gave all now newly wet fellow students. Most of them were smiling and content with being splashed, but a select few were less than thrilled. Like poor ol' prefect Annie, who wished a rain of fire down upon him. To which Jack responded with sticking out his tongue. "Shoulda been quicker." Jack even decided a cheeky wink at Annie was worth it.

Suddenly fake Jack B. stood up to make an announcement, and the crazy girl on his back decided that she wanted to listen. That means Jack must listen too, seeing as he didn't have the right way to deny what she wanted. The other Jack went on about gods and goddesses. Jack had only a limited knowledge of Greek gods, but he knew for sure that Dionysus was god party animal for sure. Once the heavily scarred kid felt like his speech was over, Mr. Warren heard that nickname again. Oh god, please don't let that catch on. He absolutely hated it, not that he let on. "Agricultural wrath my butt, what are you gonna do? Grow killer corn?" With that, Jack let his feet drop out from underneath him. Thus dunking himself, and the 'Goddess of agriculture' under the water.

Interacting with @Jack Warren @Jack Burnett @Ruka Tân @Astrea Soleil Neptune

Willow was gazing around from her high vantage point of the string bean that she gained. How lovely it would be to be this tall. She found her eyes meeting with Ruka and Jack? They were both looking in her direction and she had no idea why. Ruka also looked a bit sad. Had she offended him in some way? She had barely said a word to him. Just as she was about to say something she felt Jack start to drop out underneath her. She clung to him harder and took a deep breath as he pushed them both underwater. Once within the safety net of being submerged she wriggled her way out of his grip and made her way back to the surface.

She laughed and sputtered for a moment at the unexpected drop, jokingly punching him lightly in the shoulder. "Just wait until my killer corn starts haunting your dreams!" For a moment she wondered if she should go talk to Ruka, see what was going on and why they had both been looking at her, maybe it was just because she was having fun? She was too paranoid about it. Especially after they saw her at her most vulnerable. Just then a brilliant Slytherin approached, and made everything else disappear for a moment. She quickly turned to Jack, "I'll be right back I'm going to say hi to some new arrivals. I'll be back to climb Mt Everest soon."

Her spaghetti noodle arms swam as fast as she could over to the side of the pool that Jack, Ruka, and Astrea had gathered. It seemed like Ruka was saying his goodbyes and a visible pout came over her face. "You're leaving already Ruka? You just got here! Even if you don't want to swim, you could just hang out. The nice weather would be more enjoyable if the person who harnesses the fire of the sun sticks around to continue to warm the day." While that wasn't Hepaestus' job, she saw him more as Helios, the God associated with the sun. A warm smile that emulated that same fire from the sun appeared on her face, and a blush came along with it as she turned to Astrea.

"Astrea, you cut your hair! You look just as lovely as ever. Do you plan on swimming at all?" She hadn't seen Astrea since their meeting back in February and obviously a lot had changed for her with such a drastic haircut. Willow continued to bounce on the side of the pool, taking a second to release her hair from it's scrunchie as it was already coming out and it was probably going to save her trouble to just let it down now. She dipped under the water's surface again to push her dirty blonde hair out of her face before resurfacing, looking eagerly at the people around her.

Nothing could break her good mood.

Interacting with: @Ruka Tân & @Willow Anderson
Wearing: Purple shorts with a pocket that has his wand in it
& various scars showing (Drawn by Selim; not me)

As Dale seemed to seek Astrea's attention shortly after he did, Jack left the two to converse with each other since they seemed to know each other better. Anyway, he found himself quite flustered by the title Ruka gave him, his face flushing in embarrassment.

"I wouldn't go so far as to claim that," he answered with an embarrassed chuckle. "But…how do you know about him?"

When the other boy confirmed that the number of people had to do with his lack of participation, Jack regarded him curiously, then looked back at the other students. He would have thought that the second-year would have been more used to crowds than he was, especially since he was used to performing in front of them. Sure, maybe that was still separate from them, but what about at the Valentine's Day Tea Party? Hadn't he been fine being social there without Jack around?

Well, he'd had Opeila to focus on, the Slytherin supposed. Maybe he just needed someone to involve him more?

"I didn't realize so many people would show up," he admitted to Ruka, scratching the back of his neck. The other boy's weak smile only caused Jack's brow to furrow in distress; more so when Ruka looked back at him with a 'huh' of confusion. In a minute, the Gryffindor seemed to realize what he was getting at, but it took too long for the Slytherin's words to reach him. His mind was definitely still far away.

When the second-year said he barely knew Willow, Jack responded with a wry smile and a shrug. "That doesn't stop some people." Hazel eyes were drawn to the rhythemic tapping against the side of the pool once more before Ruka caught himself and tried to smile again. Jack gave him a funny look.

The older student insisted he wasn't upset, but he certainly was something. Whatever it was, Jack didn't like it, but he disliked the fact that Ruka felt like keeping it from him more. Still, he had no right to try to force the other boy to say things he didn't feel like saying to him. That nagging feeling that he'd woken up with that morning grew in Jack's gut and he clenched his fist painfully.

Part of him wanted to hug Ruka, but he guessed that if Ruka was already so uncomfortable around so many people and feeling overwhelmed, to make such an action in public with everyone there to see would probably only serve to stress him out even more. So instead, he squeezed his hand again.

When Ruka tugged at him, Jack bestowed the shorter boy with his full attention, listening, but still not comprehending. Okay, he didn't want to get in the water...but would there be no explaination as to why? Ruka knew full well Jack always sought explainations behind things. Was it the thing he didn't want to talk to Jack about; the thing that had him so out of sorts?

"Heh...why not?" the Slytherin asked, trying another grin. "Too much of a fire god to appreciate a little water? I saw you playing with it some, though." Planting a fist against his hip, he smirked. "What's the worst that can happen? I mean, you went into a lake at night in pitch-black water with a giant squid almost ready to eat you. What's a few students in a tin pool in broad daylight?"

Ruka's initiated squeeze was responded to with another from Jack, but this time, he wasn't willing to let go, much less allow Ruka to take a step back from him.

"Why...why are you going?" he asked, suddenly finding it hard to talk around the hard, painful lump in his throat. It wasn't fair of him to keep clinging to the upperclassman if he didn't want to stay. Jack was being selfish again, but...today wasn't the day for that.

Just as he was contemplating releasing the hand he held prisoner, recognizing that look in his green eyes and feeling stabbed by it, the blonde Hufflepuff girl showed up and began to pout.

Jack said nothing as she spoke to Ruka, allowing her to do so, but subtly glanced back and forth between the copper-haired boy and the blonde. In a minute, however, said blonde had turned to Astrea and Jack took the opportunity to pick up Ruka by hoisting him onto his back.

As if attempting to make a clean getaway before Willow noticed, the Slytherin gave her another quick look to see if she was still preoccupied before climbing back into the pool with Ruka riding piggy-back style. He hoped the Gryffindor would be willing enough to stay on, but didn't have the time or courage to ask directly.