One Each Year - First Time Here Finished

Willing to Interact: Please Owl Me First! unless you have me in your DM's
Hexcode= #507091
Having just finished up the last of his wrapping, Sylvain looked proudly at his thrice folded gift for Dee. It wasn't that the two had some long history together, or an entrancing first meeting, but rather her patience with his chess instructions that caused him to be interested in her.

'It's a gamble, but if a general doesn't make a sacrifice he never gains new ground' he thought to himself as he picked up the Wizard Chess Set. He had only just scraped together his scholarship in time to buy the board game, and it arrived with enough time for him to spend three hours wrapping whiles he fussed with getting all the details of the wrappings *just* right.

He abruptly hid the wrapped gift behind himself as Dealla made her way to pick up her cake. 'Hmmm' he thought. 'Strawberry cake smells soooooo goooood,' as a bit of drool peaked out from the corner of his mouth, Dee walked right past him, and down the stairs. Sylvain followed her out to the courtyard where she seemed to be throwing a birthday party. Fitting, as he'd only learned it was her birthday earlier this morning.

He watched as she embraced Ileen, the two of them seemed pretty close, even from where he stood in the corridors waiting for the perfect moment to present her with his gift. He was having second thoughts on how thoughtful it might seen as. He had only just taught her the game after all.

Idly standing by, he recognized another student, while most of them were unknown to him which gave him trepidation to think of his awkwardness in front of new people, at least there was Aida. Aida was impossible not to have seen out of the corner of your vision at least once. Another couple of Gryffindors he didn't know were attending, sort of? He could tell they weren't all that interested in the cake. He decided it was time to make his presentation, and gathered his confidence.

The fret was visible upon his brow which was all scrunched up, and his bottom teeth held down his upper lip in anxiety. He didn't recognize one of the boys at all, but assumed that Slytherin was most certainly his house, as he seemed to lack a good sense of humor, and was reserved. After hearing the boy present himself as Gerald twice in just a few short moments, something that would have upset even Sylvain, the student walked past him towards the library.

Moving forward and into the courtyard, Sylvain motioned to wave towards Dee politely. "Hey, Dee! Happy Birthday! I saw you were having a birthday bash, and I sort of conveniently had a gift in mind for you so..." he let his voice trail off as he put the blue snowflake wrapped gift on the table nearest her. He'd only had some winter paper left over from wrapping a yule gift. He hoped she didn't mind the strange wrapping because he'd spent a great deal of effort making the folds and binding look pristine.

He smiled gently, raising only the corners of his mouth a slight amount while he worked up the courage to introduce himself to her friends. "Hi, I'm Sylvain, please, just Syl works for me. No need to make things too complicated." He extended a hand out to greet both Ileen and Aida, whoever gave in first, but clearly gave off the vibe of someone who could use a hug.

"Mind if I have some of your cake Dee?" He asked, with a clear desire to consume sugar. "Oh, and correct me if I'm wrong but, it appears as if nobody has sang happy birthday to you yet?"

Interacting with: @Dealla Prince @Ileen Knight @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood
Mentioning: @Zykeal Lane @Gerald Fawkes @Rosalina Flame

"Things are never so bad they can't be made worse." -Elim Garak
One Each Year - First Time Here Finished
Did you say strawberry cake?” Ileen herself had to laugh when her voice cracked with enthusiasm. “I love strawberry cake. I would kill for it.” She paused and gave her friend a bright smile. “It's not like I skipped lunch hoping for cake. Not at all!
While she looked at Dee, who was also smiling from one ear to the other, she was suddenly deeply touched. It was so nice to see her friend happy and being part of this made her very grateful. When Dee pointed at the boxes Ileen laughed. “Nope. Not for you. I just brought them so every other person passing by would feel too bad to ask for cake.” She grinned and held out the presents to her friend. “Of course they are for you. Come on, unwrap them! I hope you’ll like them.” She put on a playful outraged expression. "If not, I’ll just keep them!"

When another Slytherin approached them to congratulate Dee, using her wrong and full name, Ileen automatically looked around for a place to hide. Well, calling Dee that was a mistake you normally made only once. She sighed and rolled her eyes. She had seen the boy several times in the common room, but as always, she was mildly surprised that she didn't know his name. She gave the blond guy a polite smile – honestly, she was feeling a little bad because she didn’t pay much attention to her housemates. But only a little.
Relieved, she noticed how Dee handled the situation and smiled at both of them, answering the question she was asked. “Yes, it’s nice weather for celebrating outside, don’t you think, Garett?” She gave her voice a hopefully recognizable, funny tone, so that he noticed that she was only joking – a Slytherin with the honesty to admit a mistake – well, maybe not all of her House were doomed.

As expected, her little party attracted the attention of a few other students who were enjoying the sun outside. She was actually surprised that she knew one of them. May, a Hufflepuff she had met at the tea errand, came up to them, smiling and waving hello. In the meantime, Ileen had sat down on the blanket cross-leggedly and waited eagerly for her piece of cake. She was starving! From down there she watched the funny crowd growing. Even though some of them were leaving as soon as they arrived. Her eyes were fixed on the back of the Slytherin boy who was stomping away. She couldn’t help but shake her head. No to cake. Maybe he was doomed after all.

When the girl Aida, a friend of Dee's, joined the group, she bent over with interest. Dee had spoken about her several times, but they had never met before. With her light skin and white hair, she looked really fascinating and almost a bit unreal. Excited to finally meet her, Ileen made her way back up on her feet. It was nice to see that Dee had friends who cared about her in Ravenclaw as well. Not that she had had any doubts about that – for Dee, it always seemed easy to find new friends – but still, it was a good feeling. “Hi Aida! I’m happy to finally meet you!” She smiled at the girl, realizing it was the first time at Hogwarts she had ever said something like that. And she actually meant it!
She chuckled as Aida kneeled before Dee and shook her head in exaggerated indignation. “I see, you are forming an oath sworn knights guard, aren’t you?” With these two girls, she felt comfortable. Obviously, both of them shared her humor.
At that moment they were approached by two Gryffindors. Ileen took a step back to leave Dee the priority to welcome the new guests. The Slytherin was really happy for her friend that so many people were stopping by. Probably it was because of her shiny and warm character - or they were starving for cake as she was and still none of it has been handed out. Ileen chewed on her lower lip. Slowly she began to feel a little uncomfortable - there were just lots of people she didn't know. But especially today wasn't about her, it was about Dee. So she would pull herself together.

She was torn from her thoughts when another boy joined the group - with a gift. Ileen smiled, what painted little dimples on her cheeks. A friend then. With a short glance to Aida, she hesitated and took his hand he offered as he introduced himself. “Hi Syl. Nice to meet you. I’m Ileen.” She stared at him with curiosity. Wasn't that the boy who taught Dee magic chess?
Then she turned to her friend. “Yes cake! Pleaaaaasseeee!” She thoughtfully put a finger on her chin. “And Syl is right, we actually could sing something.
Interacting with: @Dealla Prince @Gerald Fawkes @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood @Sylvain Indarys
Mentions: everyone else actually xD

"Some people are in such utter darkness that they will burn you just to see a light."
One Each Year - First Time Here Finished
[quote]May saw that lots of people were coming. "Well then, Dee, was it? I think we've got you're birthday party set up!" May said, with a smile. As the Ravenclaw boy had said Sylvain they should sing Happy birthday. But she was so shy, she couldn't just tell them to sing that. Probably somebody was about to sing it first anyways. She shrugged, despite of herself, and and looked back at the delicious cake.

"Well, I barely know you since today" May said, smiling "But can I have the honor of eating a piece of that delicious cake? Also, I completely forgot! Happy Birthday!" May said to Dealla. She was trying to make her way out of that crowded place, but there seemed like there was nowhere to go. Now that the place was so crowded, May wanted to get out of there. But everyone was talking to the birthday girl, and she, May, couldn't say that she didn't want cake at the moment. Well, there would be probably a bit of something good at Supper, when the dessert came anyways.

At least she had made new aquintances, well, barely known aquintances. She smiled nervously and pushed herself out of the crowd, and runned back to the castle.

[quote]May leaves thread.[/b]

Martial Artist
STA●8
EVA●6
STR●9
WIS●4
ARC●4
ACC●9
One Each Year - First Time Here Finished
Interacting with: @Dealla Prince @Ileen Knight @Zykeal Lane @May Moonstar @Sylvain Indarys @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood @@Gerald Fawkes @Rosalina Flame
It was certainly a beautiful day, the sky was blessed with fluffy white clouds and the sun shone down blissfully on the Hogwarts grounds, showering the many students that kept residence in its grasp with warmth. Ariana was strolling across the lawn in search of Janet, green orbs flickering back and forth as she struggled to identify the girl within the crowd of students who had ventured outside to enjoy the satisfactory weather. She sported a casual outfit today, and it complimented the warm rays of sunlight that made their way down to her hair, the golden hints glinting in the rays of sunlight. Overall, shorts and a t-shirt seemed fitting for such a day, right?

Her gaze was doubled back as she stopped in her tracks reverting her eyes to what looked like a gathering, a party maybe? Was someone celebrating their birthday? The gryffindor was intrigued, although she didn't want to be nosy, but she at least felt inclined to go and wish the person a happy birthday right? She hesitated for a second before strolling over to the group, realizing upon meeting that the celebrant was a ravenclaw girl. She was wearing a crown shaped clip that was perched daintily within her hair and surrounded by people who also seemed to be wishing her well, while stuffing their faces with cake. Strawberry cake?

“Hello.” She started shortly, gazing at the participants of the ‘gathering’. She searched desperately for any familiar faces, “I don't know if you have met me before, but i'm Ariana. Ariana Walker.” A bright air accompanied the bubbly tones that cascaded from her lips and she paused before speaking again, “Happy birthday!” She directed this exclamation to the ravenclaw girl, a smile tugging at her lips as she nudged the grass with the toe of her sneakers. Maybe not all of them didn't recognize her? For the quidditch fans, she was surely known as one to habitually accompany her fellow gryffindor players in the sky during various games. If not, well only the more chance to meet new faces right?

Ariana Walker
‘It’s that heart of gold, & stardust soul that make you beautiful.’
Part-Veela || Hex code: #800000
One Each Year - First Time Here Finished
Dealla was thriving. She loved gatherings, always had, loved spending time with her friends as well as making new ones, and now, being at the centre things because it was her day, she was practically glowing. There was happiness and an infectious energy coming off her in waves, and maybe that was the reason why more and more people, known faces and new ones, came flocking over to her little group.

"Yes, strawberry cake!" Dee replied in response to Ileen's question. "The world's best strawberry cake, I should add. It's my mom's recipe, and it's amazing." When her friend pushed the boxes towards her, Dee took them, and then hugged Ileen again, fiercely, barely remembering to pay attention as to not crush her presents in between them. "Thank you! I'm sure I'll love them - no take-backs!"

Yet, before she could get to opening anything, one of the group was already leaving again. "Oh... okay?" Dealla was so confused she even forgot to be cold when Gerald walked off, leaving towards the castle. What a strange boy? What a strange appearance to make?
But she shook the thought off in favour of greeting the new girl who had approached them (@Rosalina Flame), gifting her with a brilliant smile. "Yes, it's my birthday! Would you like to sit with us? What's your name? There's cake if you want some!"

Dee grinned at Aida's response, and at Ileen's teasing comment.
"What, are you part of my knights guard, too?" she shot back, and moved to sit down herself - she wanted to open her presents, and finally eat her cake! - when they were approached by yet another boy, this one familiar. Zykeal.
The two of them hadn't really spoken since that... interesting... encounter in the study room, and Dee hadn't been keen on doing so. But she had also come to the conclusion that something had been off with the way he'd reacted, and well, Dee was nothing if not curious. And now that the opportunity presented itself to talk to him again...
So instead of sitting down, Dealla just set down the presents - both Ileen's and Aida's, very carefully - next to her cake, and straightened up again.

"Thank you," she replied rather coolly, watching him. That 'Princess' nickname again, huh? Maybe Dealla should come up with some stupid alias for him as well - but for the moment the only thing that came to her mind was calling him Kevin again, so she'd leave that thought for later.
However, her eyes widened when he took a step back, as if to immediately leave. What - was her little birthday party not good enough for him?

On a sudden, completely unreasonable impulse, Dee leaped forward and aimed for the top of his head with her flat hand. It wasn't a particularly hard strike, more of a forceful tap really, but it should get his attention.
"Are you just going to leave me standing there, huh?" she demanded disbelievingly. "Again? Where are your manners? If you come to my birthday party, have the decency to sit down and eat some cake!"

Dee pointed imperiously towards the blanket, then took a step back and flushed slightly, a light pink spreading over her cheeks. Maybe... that had been a little extreme. But the way Zykeal's attention had already seemed to be wandering away again, before he'd even finished talking, was just incredibly irritating.

Thankfully, her embarrassment didn't last long, because when her gaze wandered over Zyk's shoulder, she spotted another familiar face, and immediately brightened up again. Now, that was someone Dee was definitely happy to see - Sylvain was much more pleasant to spend time with than Zykeal was. Less infuriating, too.
"Syl! Thank you!" she replied, before her eyes widened as she saw the present. "Oh, you didn't have to!" Pushing past Zykeal, she moved to hug Sylvain with almost as much exuberance as Ileen had gotten from her, then giggled as she spotted the design of the wrapping paper. "It's pretty," she stated, her lips curled into a genuine smile and her eyes curved in amusement.
Picking the wrapped present off the table (It rattled slightly. What was that? Her curiosity grew) she took hold of Syl's arm to pull him over to where the blanket was spread out. "Come over, meet my friends! They won't bite, I promise."

For a moment, Dealla watched with a pleased smile as her friends greeted each other, then nodded vigorously in response to Syl's questions, and finally flopped down on the blanket next to Ileen. "Yes, of course! Everyone can have cake. We should hurry, too, or I think Ileen might actually faint because of hunger. And no, no one has sung to me yet." She shook her head in mock-disappointment. "What terrible friends I have!"

The cake had already been pre-cut, so Dealla made quick work of putting pieces of it onto napkins and handing them out to whoever wanted one.
"Here you go!" she replied to May, the blonde Hufflepuff girl. "Doesn't matter how long you've known me, cake's for everyone!"
Her face fell a little when May immediately took a step back and turned to leave, but she shrugged it off. Dee wouldn't hold it against the girl - the cake was amazing, and it was a valid reason to come over to try to get a piece.

And now - finally - it was time for her presents. Picking a strawberry off her piece of cake and popping it into her mouth with her left hand, Dee reached for one of Ileen's presents first, the bigger one, then carefully opened the midnight-blue wrapping paper. In it was a box, and upon opening it, she spied cookies - were those eagle shaped? Her eyes lit up. "Ileen, those look amazing! And they smell delicious, too. Did you make them yourself?" Quickly, she picked one of them out of the box and then snapped it shut, grinning at the rest of her guests. "Won't share those," she declared cheekily. "Those are mine."

Next came Aida's present, wrapped in what Dee now recognized as cloth from their Common Room, right along with the bronze rope used to hold it together. She snorted in amusement, but didn't comment on it. She would be sure to put those back later tonight.
What was revealed when she opened it, however, took her breath away. "Ooooh," she breathed quietly, admiring the absolutely lovely roses.
Hesitantly, Dealla touched the petals on one of them with the tips of her fingers. "Aida, those are gorgeous. I can't believe you made those! That's incredible!" Setting them to the side carefully, she flung her arms around her pale friend, squeezing her tightly. "Thank you," she whispered. "I love them."

Third, Dee reached for Sylvain's yule themed present, saving Ileen's smaller one for last. It was shaped like a flat block and seemed quite sturdy, with sharp edges and corners. And it still rattled when she moved it.
After taking another moment to admire the neat wrapping - the boy had both Ileen and Aida beat in that department, it wasn't even close - she undid it with quick fingers.
Her eyes widened as she looked down at the wizard's chess set she held in her hands, then she lifted her gaze to look at Sylvain. "Syl! Wasn't that expensive?" But not only that, it was also sweet, and thoughtful. Dee let her fingers trail over the smooth wood. Her eyes were shining and her smile wide and genuine. "Thank you, I love it!" She tapped her nose in thought. "We should have a rematch soon, yeah?"

After setting that to the side as well - carefully, as if it were just as breakable as the roses and vase, she took up Ileen's second present. It was smaller than the other one, and as she opened the paper, and she found another box in it, this one containing tea bags. Bird-shaped tea bags. "Ileen, these are adorable!" she exclaimed, raising the box to her face to smell them. "And the tea smells great, too! Did you make them in the errand? Thank you."

This present, too, joined the others, and Dealla took a few seconds to look at her small collection of treasures. She had expected nothing, and gotten everything, and right now her heart felt as if it might burst. She loved her friends, all of them, fiercely.
Dee's eyes were shimmering suspiciously as she finally picked up her piece of cake to start eating it, to silence her grumbling stomach. This, at least, was a familiar piece of home during her first birthday away. It tasted just as amazing as usual.

But this was a day for celebration, not for tears, and Dee was glad when a new girl approached them and distracted her from her thoughts of how lucky she was to have friends like this.
With Dee's complete lack of interest in Quidditch, it was no surprise that she didn't recognize the girl as anything more than one of her class mates who she hadn't talked to, but it made no difference for her reaction.
Her responding smile was brilliant, and the reply given without thinking twice about it. "Hi Ariana! Thank you!! I'm Dee. Do you want some cake? You're welcome to join us, if you want."
Interacting with: @Ileen Knight, @Gerald Fawkes, @Rosalina Flame, @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood, @Zykeal Lane, @Sylvain Indarys, @May Moonstar, @Ariana Walker
Oof sorry for the wait that took a while

"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
One Each Year - First Time Here Finished
Interacting with: @Sylvain Indarys @Ileen Knight @Dealla Prince
Mentioning: Anyone who has spoken to Aida
Aida greeted and introduced herself back to everyone who introduced themselves to her. In particular, a boy approached Aida and asked her almost immediately to call him by his informal name, Syl. Though he was extending his hand, Aida was quite good at reading people (so much so that it seemed on the verge of becoming a sixth sense), and she felt like Syl could actually do for a bit more than a handshake. Aida had grown up with very little affectionate physical contact but had only recently been learning that hugs were utterly amazing. So Aida decided she would try out this new behavior on Syl, virtually leaping on him with a hug while sneaking a hand into the handshake at the same time (like this guy on the left! )

Aida's enthusiasm beamed out like a sun. "Hi, Syl, I'm Aida. Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood, but no need to make things complicated, right?" said the young white witch, laughing joyfully.

Ileen soon also introduced herself, but Aida had already reserved a place for her in her mind after hearing about her from Dee. Immediately Aida gave Ileen a glowing reception. "It's nice to finally meet you, too. Dee has said nothing but the most inspiring things about you." It seemed that Ileen had gotten to her feet specifically to greet her, so Aida decided to take that as a sign that she would be receptive and moved to give Ileen a big hug, too.

When Ileen had said, “I see, you are forming an oath sworn knights guard, aren’t you?” Aida nodded with a solemn smile. Dee added, "What, are you part of my knights guard, too?" However, Aida had never actually been told Ileen's surname, so any related joke was lost on her.

At last, Dee seemed to be making herself comfortable and started opening presents. After opening Aida's, Dee gave her a big tight hug, causing the albino's cheeks to flush pink. Aida was still not used to physical affection but she was loving every minute of it. As she admired the various lovely gifts being given to Dealla, Aida smiled at seeing how much love Dee was receiving. It was truly heartwarming. Even people who seemed afraid of crowds and human interaction seemed to even be popping their heads in for as long as they could manage in order to send greetings. Aida chuckled with pride at Dealla's magnetic personality. It wasn't even that Dee didn't scare people off (specifically by being a blunt albino with freaky rumors attached to her). Dee had a genuinely more attractive personality than average.

As Dealla finally tucked into some cake, Aida took a slice for herself. She had been standing on tradition and letting the star of the show eat before she did. Where such a tradition came from, Aida could not have said, as she had never had a birthday cake before, nor had she actually seen a friend receive one before. However, she was grateful to be able to share the cake and it did taste absolutely amazing.
Last edited by Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood on 22 Jul 2020, 23:32, edited 1 time in total.

★ Valentin's Ency ☆ ☄ койрыклы йолдыз килә-ә ☄ ☽ Aida's Ency ☾
One Each Year - First Time Here Finished
interacting with @Dealla Prince | @Sylvain Indarys | @May Moonstar | @Zykeal Lane
mentioning basically everyone else
═ ∘◦❦◦∘ ═
Walking into the courtyard quickly, Lizzie did not expect to see a small crowd. She had been given the mission [by her own brain] to try and fine the boy she had recently talked to. It wasn't going to be that hard since he did have pretty distinguishable hair that set him out from most people anyway. They had decided to go along with her plan but it had not been put into full force yet.

It was really going to be such a fail if Graduation came around and she didn't even get to have a little fun with it. Imagine making a cake but then never eating it or getting out paper and pencils but then go and leave to make the cake that you aren't going to eat. That was exactly how Lizzie felt about this scheme/plan type thing. It was a very big predicament that the Ravenclaw was forcing herself to get out of.

Looking over at the crowd, she squinted her eyes seeing if she could notice anyone she knew. There were quite a few familiar faces. Syl, the boy who she had held hands with. It had gotten quite awkward. Dealla, who everyone seemed to be looking at and crowding around. May Moonstar, Blake's date to the Secret Blossom Ball even though they hadn't made a good impression then she was sure to be in her good books. Even Gerald, who she had actually tried and failed to experiment on their potions practical.

Around four other girls where there whom Lizzie could not put names to faces but she defiantly had seen them around the castle. It was taking the Raven a bit to figure out what was happening so she moved a bit closer. Thankfully, she had good hearing, all due to her not using glasses, which made her make out that it was someone's birthday.

Lizzie gasped slightly and moved closer. It was probably Dealla's birthday. It wasn't her fault that she didn't know about it though. Dee had never bothered to tell her when it was so obviously it wouldn't matter that much. The blonde stealthily moved even closer until she was standing right behind someone's back.

"Dee. I didn't know it was your birthday." She stated hoping it would make her understand the situation, "If I knew it was I would have gotten you a present." She smiled sweetly cocking her head a bit to the side. She then took another look around the group and stopped suddenly. She had found who she was looking for.

Lizzie brought her hand up to her mouth in a ball and coughed into it. Maybe it would draw his attention to her and indicate that needed to talk. "Syl. Hey. So, how have you been?" She asked quickly turning to Sylvain raising her eyebrows, "Uhh.. May was it?" She pointed towards the girl she knew was May but Lizzie wanted to just make sure.

Turning towards the ginger, she coughed yet again, "Oh hi…" She waved her hand ever so slightly. The acting game was starting but it wouldn't matter who really saw it there. The whole thing was about Dealla since it was her birthday after all. She grinned towards everyone there just wishing that everything would go right.

"Wait. I have got something." Lizzie went into one of her Robe pockets and pulled out some chocolate, "It may be a bit squished but it's something." She shrugged her shoulders slightly looking down at her shoes while holding out the chocolate bar in her hand towards Dealla.
═ ∘◦❦◦∘ ═
Reducio
Hope it's not to late to join in ; ). This was a bit rushed sorry : (.

|| Charmer || Statistically Relevant ||
|| Stamina - 5 || Evasion - 6 || Strength - 11 || Wisdom - 7 || Arcane Power - 6 || Accuracy - 7 ||
One Each Year - First Time Here Finished
[font=times new roman]
Apparently, Dee was still a little bit salty of their last interaction and it showed as when Zyk decided to turn and walk to where he could be quietly alone, he received quite the nice little bonk on the back of his head before he could settle himself down. Freezing for a moment, he couldn't help but a little grin pulls across his features as he slowly turned and looked towards the girl as she berated him for being such a poor guest at her party. Unfortunately, he couldn't find a good solution in the situation for him not to receive another thwap to his head. The smile he adorned was soon followed by a slight huff of inevitability, he must join the party properly it seemed, "Alrighty then," he offered.

Watching as she quickly shifted gears and went over to speak to more people, he was somewhat in awe, wondering how someone could be such a social butterfly and switching up her personality so quickly from one person to the next. It was no use though, he had to move forward and head over towards the gathering once more to where the cake was being dished out at the time being. Dee didn't say he had to interact with anyone else at least, so, he could try and scape by with just eating a piece of cake and relaxing to himself for the time being. Another voice had arrived at the party and he recognized it immediately, not being sure if this was the time for this sort of meeting, he ignored it for the time being. Stowing his wand, he'd look down towards the cake unsure if he'd like it.

Gathering himself a piece of cake that were upon the plates, he'd grab himself a utensil and turn to see another face he recognized at first. The girl who was in the mix of the classroom drama that he delved into recently was standing there and introducing herself to Dee. Golden irises widened in surprise for a moment and he shifted away so he could be at least be behind a few others so that the girl didn't notice him for the time being, he didn't know how she'd react to seeing him at the time. Hopefully, he'd only get thwapped once today.

There was a cough, an obvious one, and his eyes rolled a little as he put a piece of cake into his mouth. Finding the cake to be actually quite good and hitting a good spot in his stomach, he looked down at it to inspect it further, prodding it with his utensil, trying to figure out what kind of cake it was. Another cough came then, followed by the simple 'Oh hi...', and he figured there was no avoiding it at the time. Looking up towards Lizzie, he smiled as he finished his bite and moved over towards where she and the others were, "Heya' Lizzie," he said, letting his plate sit with one of his hands, he shifted to her side and let himself lean close to her, "Didn't know ya' knew Dee," he said as he helped himself to another bite of the cake.


Interacting with @Dealla Prince and @Lizzie Verdine

Sta: 7 | Eva: 2 | Str: 8 | Wis: 11 | Arc: 10 | Acc: 17
Prodigal Charms | Advanced Casting | Spell Spread
One Each Year - First Time Here Finished
Interacting with: @Ariana Walker @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood @Ileen Knight @Lizzie Verdine
Hexcode= #507091
Sylvain waved back at Ariana curiously, the forgetful child didn’t recognize the athlete from anyplace before now but figured the bubbly girl would remind him of this exact moment at the party if they ever needed to talk to him in the future. Miss Walker seemed like she was in the same boat as him. The pair found themselves adrift amid a sea of unfamiliar faces. The difference was that he was in uncharted territory, he'd never attended a party this big before.

Aida’s enthusiastic handshake was only rivaled by the comfort of her hug. The reserved lad couldn’t tell for a second if she was genuinely affectionate, or eliciting his reaction. Regardless, his face betrayed his heart as his eyes shocked wide and his mouth drew tight. Inevitably, his surprised expression relaxed. Twice this year a complete stranger had embraced him without much warning, but this time was different than the last. The handshake made things somehow more …. formal? It seemed like a very polite way to hug somebody, so he embraced back. “T-Thank you,” he said still a bit flushed but completely calm. “I think that was sorely needed.”

He was thankful for the quick polite handshake from Ileen that followed Aida’s hug. Her reservation was quite welcome in his book. "Hey, Ileen did you make those cookies?” He said pointing to the slightly misshapen eagle cookies. He wondered if he should try one of the charming baked goods when Dealla claimed them all for herself.

Interested in this silent friend of Dee’s, Sylvain leaned in to question her. “I think I’ve seen you around the library before as well?” he quizzed Ileen. He wasn’t ready to share his secret study spot in the Q section of the library with her yet. It seemed that for whatever reason, he’d spent most of the school year unperturbed there, and he didn’t want to go inviting someone who’d upset his peace. He needed to learn more about her interests first. “Do you like to research history?" He said raising an eyebrow before playfully letting the look fade from his face. His question was followed up with a warm hearted chuckle.

“For instance,” he said lowering his voice to a whisper so as not to talk over Dealla as she opened presents. “How much do you know about the second wizard war?” He was well aware that it was a very macabre subject to bring up at a Birthday party, but he had just been positively dying for an intellectual conversation over the ruthless tactics the Death Eaters had used and she seemed reserved which meant she probably paid attention.

Congenially, the slender lad turned to acknowledge Dee’s unwrapping of his gift. “It was expensive. I’d say you owe me a couple matches at the least.” He smirked at her. His smile curled his lips upward at the same time his eyebrows squinted down. Sylvain considered this to be one of the rare times where flaunting your efforts to impress someone was considerate and okay.

He smiled with all of his teeth when Lizzie asked him how he was. “Oh, I’m doing well thanks. Good to see you again Lizzie!” He very clearly blushed when he remembered that they held hands, but after that night neither had chosen to speak up about it yet, so he assumed she had forgotten him as he was far too nervous to ask what she thought. It was comforting to know that at least she didn’t want to forget him.

"Things are never so bad they can't be made worse." -Elim Garak
One Each Year - First Time Here Finished
Ileen gave her best friend a bright smile with a twinkle in the eye. “Most inspiring things?” A soft giggle escaped the young Slytherin and she put her head crooked. “Can’t be, you must be mistaken.” Her cheeks turned pink and a lump – but a positive one – formed in her throat. Dee was so sweet. It was so nice to know that there was someone with you who always wanted to see the best in you.
Before she could wonder what might be inspiring about herself, the new Ravenclaw pulled her into a hug. This took the brunette Slytherin by surprise and her eyes widened briefly while her face became even more red. This was the first time ever someone she didn’t know hugged her. A bit lost, she insecurely patted the other girl's back, not sure how to deal with this situation. “Oh, nice to meet you, too. Really. I was looking forward to that,” she stuttered before she was released again.
She smiled at Aida to make it clear that she had not done anything wrong. It was just... unusual. Her cheeks were glowing and she nervously brushed her hair from her dark brown eyes.

When Dee asked her if she was part of her knights guard, Ileen had regained her composure. She snorted, exaggeratedly insulted, before theatrically putting a hand on her heart. “How could you forget? Your oath is my oath? Our very first oath at the Hogwarts Express?” Playfully disbelieving she shook her head. "It's hard to believe how quickly you can be replaced." Then she grinned at Aida, drew an imaginary sword and nodded at her. "Then, O Knight, I challenge you to a duel!” She blinked and then laughed when she suddenly noticed something in her own words that had escaped her attention so far. “Oh – my last name is actually Knight. So, I’m truly a Knight, the one and only!
It was the first time ever, Ileen voluntarily told someone her last name – normally she avoided that.

She was so consumed by this funny little encounter she totally missed the arrival of the Gryffindor boy. She just turned around in surprise as she saw out of the corner of her eye how Dee hit him on the head. What the…? Well – probably, he also called her Dealle or something – most likely he deserved this treatment. Hadn't Dee told her about some rude Gryffindor? Ah, now she remembered. ‘Told’ was a very diplomatic description of Dees complaints.
Ileen's lips drew into a grin when she saw Dee planting herself threateningly in front of the guy. She seemed to handle the situation just fine.

When more and more people joined the group, Ileen was actually happy to meet Syl, another one of Dee’s friends from Ravenclaw. Also, she was kind of glad he didn’t hug her.
Well, we can sing you a song if you want, Dee?” She gave her a cheeky grin. “Are you sure you want us to sing?

When she finally received a piece of the delicious cake, she dropped back on the blanket. Concentrating on nothing else than the cake, she enthusiastically took her fork and started to eat. It was even better than delicious! “Oh my God, Dee! This cake is breathtakingly awesome!” Her eyes closed with relish, she shook her head. "You must give me the recipe!"

She concentrated on something other than eating again only when Dee unpacked her presents. She watched excitedly as Dee removed the wrapping paper from Ileen's first gift.
Little dimples appeared on her cheeks when Syl and Dee asked her about the cookies and she smiled. She was very happy Dee liked her presents. “Yes, homemade cookies,” she answered proudly and crossed her arms. “I mean – not all of them might look like birds, but I’m sure they are very good! And with these wings they can’t escape you if you want to eat them.

While Dee was unwrapping the present from Aida, Syl approached her. Her cheeks turned pink again, when he told her that he had seen her in the library a lot. In fact, she had been there more often lately - also in the department where the books for history and the second wizarding war were located.
She was impressed by his powers of observation and at the same time she felt a little uncomfortable because he had noticed that. She had always assumed she was inconspicuous. She really didn’t want anyone to know what she was looking for. Not yet...
But since he himself seemed to be rather silent and there was no attack in his tone, she smiled shyly at him. “Yeah, that could be.” She crocked her head and laughed softly. Her insecurity was probably audible. “I’m sorry, normally I don't pay attention to faces in the library since I’m caught up in my thoughts. Do you go there a lot?” If she were completely honest, she often double-checked over her shoulder, since she had a not that nice encounter in the library before. But well – that had been a long time ago. Still…
Curiously, she looked at the brown-haired boy and forced herself to look directly into his brown-green eyes. She wanted to see if there was a trick hidden behind his questions. “I’m quite interested in history.” She frowned and then smiled softly. “I guess it’s important to understand what led us here, right? We need to know our past to learn from our mistakes.
When he mentioned the second wizarding war, a shadow slid over her face. It was a strange situation to talk about such topics at a birthday party, but it was easier for her to focus on facts than on small talk. It was kind of likeable that he didn’t ask her any personal questions about her life, but about facts, secretly collecting information about her opinion in an indirect way. She looked at him to answer, but in that moment, Dee started to unwrap his present and Ileen stopped. She gave him a short smile to show that she was willing to continue this conversation as soon as Dee was occupied with her other guests again. But for now, she would focus on her best friend again.

The other presents also seemed to be very thoughtful and Ileens heart bursted with affection for her friend. She deserved this so much. In contrast to Ileen, Dee probably missed her family and like this, she got the appreciation she deserved.
She smiled brightly at her best friend when she seemed to be thrilled with her second gift. “Yes, I made them at the tea errand. I hope you’ll like them. It’s a flavoured green tea!
Spontaneously, she grabbed Dee by the elbow and pulled her into a tight hug. “Only the best for you! At least, I tried!” She cuddled the Ravenclaw and moved her very close. She was really lucky that they had met.

When a new girl joined the group, Ileen turned to Syl again. “You ask very interesting questions.” She smiled warmly and loosely crossed her arms. “But now, it’s time you tell me something about your thoughts, first, right? Information in exchange for information. What do you think?” Her eyes sparkled and she waited anxiously for his reply.

However, they were interrupted again by another Ravenclaw girl. Ileen had never seen her before, but she seemed to be very attentive to her outward appearance, which immediately made the Slytherin suspicious. She looked exactly like the kind of girl that had always teased her during her childhood. She seemed to know Syl, so Ileen politely smiled at her and then took a step back. Only her deep loyalty to Dee prevented her from just leaving. Too many new people. Too much judgment.
Uncomfortable, she bit her lower lip and rubbed her arm. When the Gryffindor was alerted to the new arrival and spoke to her, the young Slytherin already searched with her eyes for an excuse to escape. She smiled at Syl a little sadly. Maybe he would continue talking to her? Did she have to ask him to come along then? That would be a little weird, wouldn't it? Besides, he knew the girl who seemed to be called Lizzie and she didn't want to drag him out of a conversation.
Mentions: oof so many people :sweatingbullets: @Dealla Prince @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood @Sylvain Indarys @Zykeal Lane @Lizzie Verdine and I guess everyone else around

"Some people are in such utter darkness that they will burn you just to see a light."