Hogwarts Summer Camp Welcome BBQ

rping as iNPC Maksim Preobrazhensky [x]

interacting with @Frost Cira.

If dialogue is in italics, Maksim is speaking in Russian.

"Well, I can't say that I'm not glad to be going away from them. Big groups of people I don't know just aren't my 'thing', I guess."

Maksim nodded sympathetically with her statement, although he couldn't disagree more. Whereas Frost seemed to prefer the quiet over the crowd, he was the exact opposite. A true extrovert, he thrived off of large groups and the energy of other people. Sure, he liked his moments alone, but he truly felt alive when he was mingling with strangers. Besides, he was quite glad that she didn't like crowds- after all, that meant that he got to talk to her one-on-one!

He expressed as much aloud, saying thoughtfully, "Then I suppose it is a good thing! I save you from the crowd, and you save me from a lonely evening. What is it that you say...? Tit for tat?" Smiling sheepishly, he shrugged and said, "My English is not very good, so I am very sorry if you cannot understand something. I learn from strangers mostly, not teachers."

"I'm Frost."

Maksim nearly tripped in excitement, staring at the girl with wide eyes. "Frost!" he exclaimed, the word sounding new and foreign on his lips. "Frost, Frost, Frost," he repeated, clearly excited about... well, something. "It is such a pretty name! I like it a lot. I think it uh... it fits you!" Clearly, he had no idea what "frost" was, as he certainly wouldn't have correlated ice with Frost's shimmering red hair. But hey, it was the thought that counted, right? "Well, it is a very good pleasure to meet you, Frost."

"No, I've already eaten, but thank you. Though I think just sitting and chatting is starting to sound pretty nice."

Perfect! Maksim beamed at Frost, although he was beginning to wonder if his smiling was coming off as borderline psychotic. Hopefully not... he was just happy! And he liked to express his happiness through his facial expressions- really, all of his emotions were always on display through his body language and expressions, 24/7. Plus, he was relieved that he wouldn't have to have a one-sided conversation with the girl while she was feeding herself. That would've been awkward.

"You do?

Of course he did! When did he not have questions? But just as he opened his mouth to put his meager English skills on display, Frost jumped in with her own quip.

"I do too, like 'where did you learn to be so flirty?'"

His mouth dropping open in surprise, and his dark skin flushed red... not that it was very visible. "Uh-" he stuttered, scrambling for a reply. "I-" Clearing his throat, he immediately tried to play it off as he straightened his posture, shrugging slightly. "I do not understand what this 'flirty' is you say-" Lies. "But I must assume that I am very good at it, if you are pointing it out." And for good measure, he winked at her again, with the same amount as sauce as before. He was nothing if not consistent.

"Whatever you ask, I'll try my best to answer, promise."

Maksim stared at her extended pinky in confusion, before meeting her eyes with his eyebrows furrowed. "Is this a, uh... greeting?" he asked, bumping her pinky with his own. "You British folk are strange!" he exclaimed with a laugh, nudging her with his shoulder gently, clearing indicating that he was joking.

Finding a bench a bit aways from the main hubbub, Maksim gestured for Frost to sit, before sitting down next to her a respectful distance away. "So you seem... liked," Maksim said hesitantly, trying to find the right words. "No... not liked... loved? I do not know the word... you have a lot of friends!" Waving a hand back towards the general direction of Alexei (@Anastasia Beckett) and his fanclub (which he was still salty about), he added, "Petrov seemed to like you a lot, too. Not that he ever does not like girls, I think he may be the most, uh... desperate person I know."

Pausing slightly, he glanced at his hands before looking back at Frost. "How old are you?" he decided to start with, realizing that he might've been talking to a second year or a sixth year. He really couldn't tell with her; she was agelessly beautiful, and he figured that he might as well figure out just who she was talking to. "And uh... do you have... a boyfriend?"

Please say no, please say no, please say no...

{ Interacting with: @Howard White }

Serena nodded, the smile strengthening on her expression. It almost sounded simple. Just keep her eyes out for the snitch and catch it. The sooner she did that, the better it would be. Luckily for her, the conversation turned to something she was better at. Quidditch broomsticks. These were a point of fascination for her. A part of her was always curious about them. Of course, she was saving up for a firebolt because everyone said it was the best but... was it really? She was not one that just went with the 'popular' opinion.

Of course, she did not know everything about every broom but learning more about them was interesting. They all had differences, it seemed. From their materials to their shape. Twigger 90... It was not one she had personally tried but if she recalled correctly, it was a pretty decent broom, "I think that's popular with keepers, though I can't say I've flown one of them before. Wait, I think that might be the one with an alarm feature. It seems pretty decent, if it's the one that I am thinking of. I'm by no means an expert though. I mean... the first broom I ever bought was the Shooting Star because... I liked the name. Don't tell anyone that. That's probably a bad thing. But... you know, it was a few years ago, in my defence!" She justified her actions before Howard even had the chance to judge her for them. Admittedly, it would have been easier to just not tell him but hey, no one said she was smart. She had brought it in her first year, even though she was not allowed to take it to Hogwarts!

The Hufflepuff frowned as she watched Howard's expression change for the worse as the conversation progressed onto something far worse. Her fist closed into a ball by her side. It was heartbreaking seeing his entire persona change. She did not really know much about the attack that he spoke of. Nor did she know how he felt but none of that mattered, "I'm sorry, Howard," She replied, a frown on her face. What else was she meant to say? She could not pretend it would be alright because... well, she did not even know what was going on to say anything about it, "I... I don't know what happened but... I am sorry. This- this sucks," She added softly, hating seeing him so upset.

What got her though... was his last words. Look at me... how could they ever... She swallowed. She could not be sure how he was going to end that sentence but she could hazard a guess and none of her guesses were ok. She jumped a little, not quite expecting him to throw his food. Serena stared at him, putting her plate down to the side and then leaned towards him.

If he did not dodge out of the way, he would find her arms wrapped around him, as she hugged him as best as she could whilst sitting next to him. The position was bound to be a little awkward but she was acting on impulse and did not really stop to consider how best to hug him, "It will be alright... Give them time..." She whispered, not sure if she believed her own words but putting all of her hope in that. For his sake, she just hoped it would be alright. Her eyes watered a little. Seeing people upset around her upset her. Perhaps it was just because she was a crybaby, but she did not care about that.

♤♧ Say not that we age, but that our beauty develops with time ♧♤

@Lindsey Springhall and @Lucia Fox

Seeing the excitement in Lindsey’s brown eyes reminded Marshal of the way he felt with just about every new thing he learned about magic, and the seemingly separate world wherein it resided. It made sense that his “muggle” ways would be just as strange to her as her “witchy” ways were to him, though it was also true that she had already known of muggles, so he figured he had the right to a bit more confusion and disbelief. But in any case, he was pleased with the opportunity to teach the girl a few things about the life he had known, and seeing that genuine smile grace her delicate face was certainly reward enough for him.

His speech on modern technology would have to wait, however. Lindsey evidently knew the girl who had greeted the two of them, giving him a small nod before crossing over to sit beside the newcomer. Following suit, Marshal approached the bench, expertly placing himself between the two of them. He rather liked that spot, never being one to complain about having two girls on either side of him. Besides, it would be easier to shake the new girl’s hand that way.
Lindsey introduced them, revealing the stranger’s name as Lucia.
“My pleasure entirely,” he said with a grin. “I find myself liking Hufflepuff more and more by the moment.”

“Oh, you were talking about the quidditch match?” he exclaimed enthusiastically as Lucia mentioned her previous conversation. “I really can’t wait to see it! You’re not on the team, are you? That would be spectacular.” He had a strong to desire to talk to a quidditch player, to hear from first-hand experience what it was really like.
She then spoke specifically to him for the first time.
Shaking her hand firmly, he replied, “First year to be, more like. And I think they said they were inviting first-time students so that we could sort of get a feel for the school and staff, and maybe meet some people as well, which,” he gestured a hand toward each of the girls, “I have! Mission accomplished! I’m also glad I was able to come because I’m not sure how I would have reacted to seeing Hogwarts before learning what I’ve learned about magic. It’s been crazy enough; I might have just had a heart attack on the day I arrived.” He chuckled, glancing over at Lindsey to include her in the joke.

Lucia grabbed a soda can off of the ground, and Marshal watched awkwardly as she tried in vain to open it. In an effort not to embarrass her, he used just about all of the self constraint he had not to blab that she was doing it entirely wrong. It came as a sizable relief when she asked if he or Lindsey knew how to open it.
Were soda cans a muggle thing too? If they were, then why would they be at a magical school’s barbecue? Perhaps the staff had purposefully planted the cans so that they could stand back and have a laugh as they watched the frustration of their students grow. At the thought, Marshal’s mouth twitched into a small grin. If that were the case, then he liked the Hogwarts staff already.

“I can open it.” He offered to take the beverage from her. Upon receiving it, he would dig his short fingernail underneath the metal ring on the top and pull upward, hearing the satisfying popping sound that he knew so well. He had always loved soda.
He handed the drink back to Lucia. “There you are. Now, on a… completely unrelated note, do you happen to come from a family of wizards, like Lindsey?” Feeling a bit sheepish, he chose to explain his own situation before she responded. “I was raised by ‘muggles,’ I guess you would call them. We seem to know more about certain things that we've created over the years. In fact, I just told Lindsey all about Google.” He threw another smile in Lindsey’s direction.

When he had first arrived, the blond-haired boy had been quite distressed due to the large crowd of people, his claustrophobia putting him on edge, but at this point, he had all but forgotten his anxiety, getting lost in the joy of talking to Lindsey and meeting another Hufflepuff, whom he would certainly turn into a friend.

Interacting with Slava Preobrazhensky (@Ruby Cazares)

Margo gaped. The nerve of that boy! If she was going to trip, she'd do it on her own terms, thank you very much!

Reminding herself that she was perfectly capable of standing up by herself and that this was her rightful choice, Margo took Slava's hand. She grinned. "Flying a broom doesn't give you control over gravity, you know." She retorted. "I've enough decency to admit to my own clumsiness, thanks."

She could have said something about his big head weighing down his shoulders but, well, Margo felt that she ought to show a little gratitude towards his actions. He didn't have to help her up, not at all, but he had all the same. Slava wasn't a bad guy, and she wasn't totally obnoxious. They just liked to joke around. For Margo, at least, there was an amount of respect behind her supposed enmity.

Which was why she trusted him enough to prank with him. It was a truly sacred pastime, after all.

"So you'd be fine with subjecting an innocent bystander to a throbbing tongue for our amusement? I mean, it's fine by me." Nobody said Margo wasn't a Slytherin for a reason... which was why she'd feel pity for them afterwards. She'd hate for someone to do that to her, even if it would offer an interesting chance at revenge.

Margo thought back to Slava's previous comment. Fall for him indeed! Not that he wasn't attractive. She had no qualms admitting that.

"I certainly think we'd both have the confidence to pull off a prank." She smirked. "Tell me, enemy, are all Durmstrang students this forward or is it just you?"

She never said she didn't like his forwardness. In fact, she found it both familiar and endearing.

Enemy indeed.