closed So We Meet Again PV Reopened

── ❋ ──

@Ruby Cazares | @Cecily Quinn | @Ami Procoppio | @Adonis Thorn

𝓦hen Amadea had received the note, she had been wary. It was anonymous, for one thing, and it's requested to meet in the dungeons was yet another thing that triggered her defenses. However, it was easy to tell who this note was from. There were not many people at Hogwarts who had been wronged by Amadea; she wasn't the type of person to hold grudges and she wasn't the type of person to instigate arguments either. Yet somehow, she had gotten into a kerfuffle with the one and only Ruby Cazares. From crashing in the corridors to duelling on the grounds, Amadea's past history with the Slytherin was not good.

Originally, Amadea had not planned to do anything about this letter. Even though it seemed that Ruby had good intentions, she was still wary of the whole thing. Why did she request to meet Amadea so late at night and in the dungeons? Why couldn't she have just pulled Amadea aside sometime during the day so the two could talk things out? Something didn't quite add up to the Hufflepuff, which was why she had planned to ignore the letter and ask Ruby about it the next time she ran into the girl. Unfortunately, Amadea had been at lunch when she had received the letter and her fellow Hufflepuff and friend Ami Procoppio had spotted it. Now, Amadea was forced into this confrontation with Ruby. Despite the circumstances, Amadea was willing to give Ruby the benefit of the doubt. Even though she sensed something wasn't right with this whole situation, she also knew that it wasn't fair to immediately dismiss the letter simply because of their past. If Ruby really did want to amend their relationship and move past what had happened, Amadea was willing to put in the effort to do so. She hated being on bad terms with anyone, and having an "enemy" was something quite foreign to her.

But, of course, Amadea hadn't come alone. Ami had insisted she tag along, which Amadea didn't mind very much. If Ruby was setting a trap, she would have her best and strongest friend by her side to defend her. And then there was the third member of their fourth-year trio, Cecily Quinn. If Ami was the brawn, Cecily was the brains of the group. Perhaps she could find some nifty way out of the situation if things started to go wrong. Amadea took a deep breath, trying to steady her beating heart as she stepped down into the dungeons, glancing around to see if Ruby was there. "Ruby?" Amadea called softly, her voice echoing against the dungeon walls. Where was the Slytherin?

── ❋ ──

This was dumb. So dumb. Well, most things that Ami did were dumb, like when she tried to swallow an orange slice whole and started choking, or that time she begged Alexx to leave in an ink-print of her butt in a Headliner issue, but this was dumber than most things. But at the time, it had seemed like a good idea- Ami had spotted Ruby's note to Amadea (of course Ruby would leave a red rock, she was such a drama queen) and immediately, her instinct to punch something ignited. "I'm going to step on that slimy snake if it's the last thing I do," she had growled under her breath, and with that, her mind had been made up. They were going to this impromptu rendezvous.

Of course, they needed a third person, because even though the Three Musketeers were four people, it was the sentiment that counted. And so, Ami had strong-armed Cecily into accompanying them down to the dungeons, mostly because it was easy to get the Ravenclaw to agree to anything anytime she dangled Leo in front of her face. But between the three of them... well, they would be fine, right? It was just one puny little snake. She had nothing to be worried about!

Still wearing her rumpled school uniform, Ami glanced nervously at Amadea and Cecily, wondering if she should get her wand ready. She should, right...? If they encountered anything down here, it would be a good idea to- oh my god.

This dumbass.

Ami frantically patted her pockets and reached for her armband as she turned to Dea with her eyes wide in horror. "Dea," she whispered-shouted, before shooting a worried look towards Cecily. "Cec, I don't- I left my wand in the dorm..." Groaning slightly, Ami rubbed her sweating hands on her pants, swallowing anxiously. "It's fine, it'll be fine..." And as ready as she was for
(potentially) another fight, Ami couldn't help but feel that this was a very, very bad idea.

@Ruby Cazares @Amadea Campbell @Ami Procoppio @Adonis Thorn

As a generally sane person, the dungeons were not where Cecily had expected to find herself on a Monday night-- or any night, really. She much preferred the space of the Ravenclaw tower; or the fresh air of the grounds; or hell, even the Great Hall to the dank, echoing darkness that encroached upon the trio as they made their way into the depths of the castle. She still had reservations about this whole idea, mostly because she had no idea what was going on.

From what she had gathered, some Slytherin had send Amadea a note telling the Hufflepuff to meet her in the dungeons tonight. Ami had then, of course, taken charge of the situation, deciding the Amadea would be needing some backup for this rendezvous. And although Cecily had had prior plans involving a book and the wonderfully comfy chairs of the Ravenclaw common room, Ami had apparently found Cecily's vulnerability with the redhead's demon cat from hell. Thus, with a bit of strong-arming and a bit of Leo, Ami had convinced the wary Ravenclaw to accompany the two on their escapade.

Which was why Cecily found herself in what she, in the past five minutes, had officially dubbed her least favorite place in the castle, besides perhaps the ballroom. Her footsteps were light on the stone floor of the corridor as nerves began to take over. Keeping her voice low, wary of the echoes, Cecily leaned over. "This was the worst. idea. ever," she whispered to her companions. She was completely, entirely sure that this was the very worst thing that the three of them could have been getting up to tonight, because something felt very, very off. Of course, it was no romp in the Forbidden Forest with several murderous hag dolls and the entirety of Ravenclaw House-- but that did nothing to assuage her fears. In fact, the memory only served to make her more aware of the large amount of things that could happen to them on a cold, dark night. Their bodies could probably rot down here for months and no one would be the wiser. Yeah, Cecily was a little concerned.

Her hand went to the pocket which she knew contained her wand. Her fingers brushed the narrow length of wood, the presence of which was only reassuring her slightly. Cecily knew her history with spells not always going so well for her. Luckily, they were in the presence of a duellist. Unluckily, Ami was panicking as Cecily realised that wasn't the only one who would be of little use in the magical department tonight. The Ravenclaw looked over at the Hufflepuffs and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she tried to get a grip on the situation. It was already going downhill, and they hadn't even met the Slytherin yet. This was shaping up to be one hell of a night.

Ruby needed help. Said she needed someone to come throw hands with some fourth years, down in the dungeons. Or something like that. Those weren't her exact words- all Xailah really knew was that Ruby needed help. And not just with a fight. Ruby had been acting odd for awhile, but Xailah couldn't quite put her finger on how she had been acting odd. Until the most recent S.W.A.G game of course. During the game, the attentive child, had noticed that Ruby was... aggressive towards select players. Namely miss May Moonstar. Which at first, Xailah thought was understandable. May was just wonderful to poke fun at. But when Xailah replayed the game while getting ready for bed that night, she realized Ruby hadn't been poking fun at May. Like at all. Of course they had been playing a game- which made aggression an easy thing to overlook. For the most part

The lioness knew little about the beef, that the snakelet had started with some fellow fourth years. Had she known, would she have abstained from coming to the dungeons? No. Ruby was her ally, and Ruby asked for her help. Xailah wasn't Ruby's brawn, or brain. She was just a friend- which was all she had ever wanted to be. And it was what Ruby needed. Even if the snake was in the wrong- this time. The Gryffindor and Slytherin could talk about morals once the duel was over. Xailah would have done the same for any of her friends- fight with, or for them. Meenauh, Pericles- hell, her cat. She just liked being of use to those she held dear. Besides, defending Ruby in a fight was the least she could do- since the girl had once done the same for the metamorph. Course, the circumstances were different- they wouldn't be dealing with spineless, self-absorbed first years, this time around.

It would appear that Xailah would be the last to arrive in the dungeons. She stood with her back leaning against a mossy wall, as she watched a few girls creep down slimy stairs. Xailah didn't do the whole 'hiding in the shadows thing'. Nah. She stood away, but in view. And people either noticed her, or they did not. Most of the time it was the latter... which was why she was able to get away with a lot of things, that she really should not have been able to get away with. Like starting the 2019 Blossom Ball fire, having peers pursue her in the Forbidden Forrest, owning a hag doll... or committing petty theft. Animalistic eyes watched the three girls slip further into the nothingness at the bottom of the steps. Xailah quietly pattered after them like a lost puppy. A lost puppy with mildly malicious intentions- depending on how things went.

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

Was it a smart thing for the thirteen year old to be down here? No. A couple of years ago, she would have dismissed the notion of doing anything as impulsive as deliberately starting a fight and breaking numerous rules in the process. After all, she had once been the polite, collected girl who wanted to change the world for the better, the girl who received the position of prefect because she wanted to help people. Those desires were still there, somewhere, buried beneath a layer of bitterness that sparked an unstoppable rage.

That rage was what prompted her to send one Amadea Campbell a note asking for her presence in the dungeons after curfew. As suspicious as it looked, it was truly a good place for a Slytherin to have a secret meeting of whatever nature. The dungeons may have been slimy and cold, but the darkness provided a certain protection that could not be found in open, well-lit areas. It was hard to find someone and easy to escape, and the Slytherin common rooms were close enough that there was the potential for Ruby to sneak back inside if necessary.

The footsteps she had heard drew nearer and she could vaguely make out the silhouettes of multiple people, who seemed to be whispering to themselves too quietly for her to hear. A voice called her name and she recognised it as Amadea's. Who else would it be? “Campbell,” she responded neutrally, drawing nearer with slow, measured strides until she reckoned she could be seen. Light eyes flicked to the Hufflepuff's companions—Ami Procoppio, who she knew from the Headliner and a previous encounter after curfew, and Cecily Quinn, who she recognised as a Quidditch player and from being prefects at the same time. An accusing gaze returned to Campbell and she observed coldly, “You brought company. I thought we were to be alone.”

That was a lie. She had warned Xailah of what might happen, asked her friend for help, but the Slytherin couldn't see her right now and wondered if the Gryffindor had changed her mind. No, she was quite certain Xailah wouldn't do that. Maybe she just wasn't here yet. There was also a chance that she was already here, the dark concealing her presence. Either way, she was certain that when her friend was needed, she would be there. Ruby tilted her chin up slightly, her posture straight and indicative of confidence. She wouldn't—couldn't—show weakness, even when faced with three fourth years. She knew Procoppio wouldn't hesitate to strike if she was provoked—that girl seemed like a bit of a wildcard anyway, and Ruby was aware that if she was tackled or met with physical attacks like Pericles had been last year, she was far weaker than Procoppio.

What of Quinn? She had seemed capable and nice enough, but her friendship with Campbell and Procoppio made her an enemy by proxy rather than a potential ally. Ruby sighed audibly and gestured at Quinn and Procoppio. “I don't suppose the two of you would care to leave? I was rather hoping that Campbell and I could talk things through in peace.” She watched Procoppio idly, looking out for any movement that could be warning of an attack. “Please excuse me if I don't feel the safest around you after the last time we met, Procoppio. I fear that my attempt to make peace with your friend might be weakened by your potential hostility.” She still had no intention of making peace, but she wanted to see how this played out first.

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

── ❋ ──

@Ruby Cazares | @Xailah Alptraum | @Ami Procoppio | @Cecily Quinn

𝓐s she looked around the dark dungeons, she held her hand back toward her friends. Ami seemed to be in the mood for fighting tonight, which was exactly what Amadea did not want. While she still had a weird gut feeling that only something bad could come from this, she also wanted to give Ruby the benefit of the doubt...yet again. Perhaps she had finally come around and realized the error of her actions and would apologize. It was a new year, after all. They had the whole summer to sit and contemplate; maybe Ruby had changed. "Ami, don't worry," Amadea said to her friend. "I don't want there to be any damage tonight." Despite her words, Amadea felt her robes, discreetly making sure her wand was tucked into the pocket like it always was. It wasn't like she had specifically brought her wand for this occasion. No, she carried the wooden stick with her wherever she went, and this was just like any other occasion.

Amadea's head whipped around at the sound of the other girl's voice. Campbell, not even deigning to refer to Amadea by her first name. She wasn't surprised; she and 'Cazares' had a lot of bad history. Cecily voiced the thought she was sure they all had: This was the worst idea ever. Maybe it was, but there was nothing they could do about it now. If they left now, it would look bad. They would be the wimps, and Amadea was not about to prove her House's stereotype correct.

"Ruby," Amadea said, straightening at the words. "Forgive me for finding this whole situation a bit suspicious," she said. "Inviting me to the dungeons in the quiet cover of night." If she had wanted to meet so privately, maybe Ruby should have considered delivering it when Amadea was alone.

"Ami is no threat to you," Amadea added. "She is here as my friend. As much as you've wronged me, you've wronged her too. I'm sure she wouldn't mind hearing your apology." Amadea glanced over at Cecily, the poor third member of their trio that seemed to have been wrapped up into this even though she had no part in any of the previous drama. Amadea felt badly. Why had she roped her friends into this mess? Why was she in this mess to begin with? Amadea hated conflict, and she had been part of a fair amount of it in the past few months. She cleared her throat and raised her eyes to meet Ruby's gaze. "Ami and Cecily are my best friends," she said. "Anything you have to say to me you can say to them too."

── ❋ ──

Ugh. Ruby could honestly be such a drama queen sometimes. Ami didn't really process most of what the Slytherin was saying, not that she was paying that much attention in the first place, but she figured it was something along the lines of "Amadea, you suck because you brought your friends!!! Argh!!!" Something about how the Slytherin spoke, as if she were better than everyone else, seriously rubbed the Hufflepuff the wrong way, although she remained surprisingly silent for the time being as Ruby prattled on.

Amadea's strong and steady reply made Ami's ear perk up at the sound of her name, and she nodded in agreement with her words. Yeah, you know what? Ruby had wronged her! She wasn't quite sure exactly what Ruby had done to wrong her, but if Amadea was saying it, it must have been true. "You... you suck ass, Ruby," Ami whined, her normally quite attractive face twisting into a petulant scowl, like a toddler who wasn't getting their way with their parents. "You interrupted a funeral!"

Okay, so maybe that wasn't quite exactly what happened, and technically, the memorial service had been after curfew, but those were only technicalities. Crossing her arms across her chest, she glared fiercely at the Slytherin prefect, still nodding her head up and down like a bobblehead as Amadea continued to talk.

"Come on, snake. We just want an apology."

@Ruby Cazares @Amadea Campbell @Ami Procoppio @Xailah Alptraum

Although this happened to be the first time that Cecily had gotten the pleasure of meeting Ruby, the Slytherin's hypocrisy was certainly coming through loud and clear as Cecily looked over her shoulder almost by instinct. The younger student's bold, accusing words of bringing backup and violating their vague and technically unspecific agreement still hung in the air as Cecily caught a shape in the shadows, one that didn't quite fit into its surroundings: the silhouette of a student, likely lurking to back Ruby up in the case that this got ugly. Cecily nudged Amadea, gesturing with her head toward the student cloaked in darkness. Even with the unanticipated enemy, it was still three versus two, and surely the older students had the upper hand, even with Cecily's and Ami's lacking talent in the magical duelling department.

Ami's voice sawed through the tension, clashing with the formalities that Ruby and Amadea seemed to be engaging in. "You... you suck ass, Ruby." Cecily snorted. Eloquent as always, the redhead was, but her bark was worse than her bite. Sure, she could throw one hell of a punch, but Cecily was doubtful that her fights would ever meet the level of her skilled taunting.

"Oh, drop the act." Cecily scoffed at the Slytherin's pretense of peace. It hadn't taken a mastermind to foresee where this encounter would take the five students, alone in the dungeons in the dead of night. Even though Ruby had been the one to arrange this meeting, Cecily was sure she wasn't unintelligent enough to underestimate the fourth-years, particularly when a duel seemed in their near futures.

The whole thing was incredibly cliché. A gathering. Declaring sides. A "bad guy". And a dark dungeon with shadows to hide in- a perfect place for brooding, and plotting an ambush. Well, maybe not that last one. But the rest? Very cliché. At a distance, Xailah watched the unfolding of the supposed confrontation. She had pitter-pattered after the three girls, stopping once they came to a halt. It had been a game of red light green light. They moved. She moved. They stopped. She did the same. It was mostly to make sure she did not to run into any of the girls on accident. Because that would have been an awkward thing to explain. The curious Gryffindor would take to a nearby wall. She pressed an arm against the slightly damp surface, which gave her something to lean on.

She went unnoticed by the group for a long while. It seemed like a long while. Time was merely a silly concept when in the dungeons, or so it felt. The lone lioness would hear a number of interesting things, as she stood in the shadows breadth. Most of the interesting things came from Ruby, and some from the target- girl that the snake had invited. Campbell was the name that Ruby had addressed the girl by. What was she? A can of soup? Campbell would dub one of the two girls- that weren't supposed to be there, mind you- that stood by her, Ami. Ami clearly had beans for brains. Which meant that she was potentially dangerous. Ignorance was mankind's greatest weapon.

While the talk was certainly intriguing, Xailah was more or less lost in the conversation. At least it was an amusing kind of lost. The climb in tension, the suspense of the matter- it was all terribly exciting. It had hooked the catty child, to the point where she had almost forgotten why she was in the dungeons in the first place. That was until one of the girls who had accompanied Campbell- the one without bean brains- turned around. The same girl would lean towards the blonde badger, nudging her slightly- likely to notify her of the Gryffindors location. If the Hufflepuff turned, she would see part of a shapely silhouette, and a pair of eyes that seemed to shift with an iridescent sheen. Normally, this was the cue to either step into the light whilst preparing a monologue, or flee. Rather than take one of those two options; Xailah opted to stay where she was, and deliver a small wave.