Event The Fall Ball (Costume Party) Closed

As the party was becoming noisier and noisier, as people would come and go to meet their friends, Medea found herself lacking the courage to approach someone directly. Her plan to find someone alone like her went out of the window as soon as she started to look around.
Starting to feel a bit deflated by the situation and her lack of courage, she caved and focused on the sweets. No wonder she wasn’t a Gryffindor, she thought. At least, the cauldron cake she had grabbed was delicious, even better than she remembered from her old Halloweens at home, and the pumpkin juice was refreshing and sweet.

“Maybe I should just to carve a pumpkin to occupy my time” she thought between herself, especially as she knew it was easier to break the ice with someone when doing a similar activity. Looking around, feeling uncomfortable as she was, she was still incredibly glad she had chosen that room in place of the masquerade. Imagine being so out of place, in a room full of glamorous teens? No thank you.
But as she was almost stepping away from the buffet and toward the pumpkin carving station, she saw a boy getting close to her. He was dressed in a very fancy tuxedo, with a high hat, a white and funny looking mask, and a rose in his hands. She had no idea what the costume was supposed to be, but it looked definitely nice in her eyes. As the boy got closer, she could see that he had skin almost as pale as her, with brown hair and hazel eyes. She had never seen that boy, so he probably wasn’t a first-year like her, and he was definitely not one of her housemates.
She was pretty sure the boy was getting closer only to grab a drink, so she almost jumped when he approached her. It was so unexpected!

"Wuld ye like this madame? A charmin' rose fur a charmin' lady." Said the boy, raising his rose to give it to her. As he did so, Medea’s jaw almost dropped to the floor. Not only a boy was approaching her, but he was gifting her a rose? It looked like a scene straight up from those romance novels her aunt used to read. She was so surprised she had no idea what to say and her face became red with embarrassment.
“Oh... I… ahm… thank you so much, it’s beautiful!” she finally managed to say to the boy. “Your costume is very charming! Oh… I’m Medea by the way! What’s your name?” she asked him. She really wanted to keep the conversation going, because she wanted to prove to herself that she could do it, and also because she actually wanted to befriend the boy. “Did you came here alone?” she added, after a moment of silence.

Permission to slightly godmod Elisabeth granted by her player

Semi open to interactions - Owl first (:
Interacting with: @Jess Malters & Andrew Lycan (Played by @Rose Moon) @Elisabeth Erner & Gregorí Erkens (Played by @Ginevra Tsuchiya )
Mentioning: N/A
Outfit:

Reducio

The grin across Akari’s face was still very prominent as they all started conversing and the little addition to Jess’s sentence really touched her since she knew that she’d most definitely react the same way if ever Jess had a potential... friend.

Friends, right. Her and Drew were friends. She anyways discreetly gave him a small side glance to see what his expression was when he had said that they were indeed just friends. She was curious to know what he had exactly meant by that.
She felt a small tinge of uneasiness at the thought of him only thinking of her as just another girl and was almost bothered by that idea? It was true that she didn’t know Drew very well or for that long, so it did puzzle her slightly why just that one sentence had made her so... worried?

”Mhm, friends” She agreed but
did her upmost to not show even the smallest amount of a reaction but knew darn well that if either had been paying close attention to her expression there is a good chance that they would pick up on a subtle shift on her face, so she quickly looked away.

Lucky for her she had noticed something which would be able to distract the others from saying anything if they had seen her face, a couple nearby. Immediately she recognized the girl. It was Elisabeth! Her boat mate from when she first arrived to Hogwarts, and with her date, Drew’s best friend. Akari smiled and gave them both a small wave before she turned back to tell Drew who she spotted.
“Drew, look who’s here” She said somewhat quietly to him and gestured backwards to the two, trying to imply that they should invite them to join.

@Robyn Finley | @Lea Hirsch | @Martyna Romero | @Andrew Vance
@Sylvain Indarys | @Alan Vanes | @Quinn Smith | @Robert Toukmond
(Names are bold for your skimming convenience)

Though the second-year manned the door on his own, Pericles looked to be in his element. He happily handed candy off to anyone lingering long enough to recieve it, smiling and bobbing his head for many mute hellos. "Hullo Andrew," he'd answered, offering a caramel. "Please help yourself! I'd prefer visitors don't open more than one or two crackers, but there are plenty of treats to go around. Just mind we aren't allowing anyone to take the Tricky Treats from this room." We? "Anything else is quite alright, and it was excellent of you to ask." He sent the Slytherin on his way with an encouraging gesture, tickled to see students trusted the baked goods even though they were deliberately tampered with. While he didn't outright recognize Slyvain's costume, admiration flashed in his eyes as he examined his housemate's companion. "Sylvain, your date is stunning," Pericles enthused with a smile. When thanked for hosting, he dipped his head, quick to "counter" "Thank you for coming. You know, you're welcome to try a treat while watching over them."

As Alan entered with a wave, Peri returned it, calling above the mounting din between music and students, "Looking excellent, Alan! Is that a Welsh Green?" Some students were greeted silently, like Lea, whom the prefect did not yet recognize but was happy to host all the same. He answered her nod only to blink away when Martyna charged the door... from the inside? She was leaving already, looking stirred up by something. "No sweets!" she had declared, to which the door guard abruptly answered "We'll have to fix that, won't we?" If she didn't barrel by, he would reach to press a chocolate frog box into one of her raised empty hands, humming "Enjoy the masque."

Seeing Robert again was a little treat in and of itself. The boys had met when the first-year was shopping for school supplies, where he had been certain he'd be sorted to the House of the Wise, and Pericles had enthusiastically congratulated Robert once he joined their Great Hall table. They had joined the dueling team, and now, Robert was joining the costume party as a banana. This one was positively packed with potassium surprises. "Robert," the prefect greeted firmly, reaching out for a comradely forearm grasp, sounding "serious" as he stated "I am yellow with envy. Your costume may very well be among the best I've seen all evening." The façade cracked at that, a great grin growing beneath his beaked mask, then he patted the peel where a back ought to be once the other headed towards the treats.

‘Oh no, that’s okay, it’s pretty old now...’
Chatting with Quinn drew him in from passing hellos. With a calm shrug and amicable tune, Pericles brushed away the blunder, insisting "I like old books anyhow. I'll be sure to look for it later." He naturally invited a casual flow of conversation, though it wasn't often his monologues were called cool. He liked the sound of that. 'Did you know they’re also called Raptors like the dinosaurs?’ "I do!" This wasn't announced in a Of course I know sense, instead spoken with a surge of enthusiasm. "I submitted the name Ravenous Raptors for our dueling team, as a matter of fact, though we've yet to settle on something." Then- in a comment more his age- Pericles stated on the side "I've always found dinosaurs fascinating. I wish we could learn more about them here at Hogwarts, though I'm not sure there's anything in the curriculum which would afford us the chance." There was no way he would dare ask someone like Professor Zahid about the history of dinosaurs. His head was canted in intrigue to talk of vultures when they spied Miss Robyn and Professor Kateri . Quinn gushed over their beauty, and Pericles paid a compliment to that peculiar flower, answering the Librarian's nod with an innocent smile and bob. Nothing about his oblivious expression implied the observation was anything other than innocent, though he would come to realize it was a careless thing to shout about....

Regrettably, Pericles had yet to learn the magic of PSL, though he "Ahh!"ed all the same. "I don't drink coffee," he confessed, "but I imagine they taste along the lines of caffeinated pumpkin juice?" Robert returned, chocoball in hand, and it was in that moment the second-year realized: he'd gotten carried away again. He tended to delve deep into conversation without realizing he was supposed to start with names. "I don't think we've met either," the boy realized out loud with a hint of apology. He held out his hand in turn. "Pericles Dralt, but most call me 'Peri'."

Interactions at the door may have prevented him from noticing a strange squirming satchel being carried inside....

This is a personal post. The moderation will be posted in two days, featuring the effects of Tricky Treats/drinks consumed so far!

Open to Interactions

Serena had learned a smart lesson over the years. Events at Hogwarts rarely went well. It had been a while since she had attended one for fun - which was a shame, by all accounts - and ended up in a habit of attending to make sure she was there to help others. In particular, any of her friends. After all, if it had not been for her friends, she would not be here today. As she walked down the corridor of the fourth floor, she paused for a moment.

There had been two invites to today's school dance. One at the ballroom. The invite had been dark and mysterious, in a way. Another masquerade ball - though she had no idea why they would hold a second one of those after the disaster of the first. The second was at the Rehearsal Room. The invite had been so much more colourful and nicer. Was it a trap? She had no idea.

But disliking the dark, Serena opted for the one that looked nicer. Besides, there were plenty of people walking towards the masked party, donning their masks. She wanted to help her friends but... she was not necessarily brave enough to walk back into that room. Sighing to herself, she turned and walked towards the Rehearsal Room.

She was dressed in a pair of trousers, sneakers and a t-shirt. However, all of that was invisible to everyone else. Her invisibility cloak sat on her shoulders, tied together to stay secure around it. Only her head was visible. It gave the illusion that she was simply a 'floating head', which was her costume for the day. Under her cloak, she had a small bag. There was very little in the bag but she did have a couple of candles in it - because she never went anywhere without light, anymore.

Entering the room, she looked around. The decor was rather interesting, actually. Serena walked in, observing the huge tables of food. They were certainly creative. Food was always the best part of an event. Sneaking her hand out of the cloak, she helped herself to some hot masala chai, Serena turned to look around the room some more. She recognised a few faces but they seemed busy. Not wanting to disturb anyone, she hovered around the food table, eyeing up the snacks. She was now a floating head and arm, it would seem.

Outfit: Floating Head & Arm (rest of body is covered in invisibility cloak)

ACTION: Take Masala Chai to drink

"Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle!" - Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland.

Open to interactions.

On an evening not too unlike this one, the atmosphere had hung weary from the heavens in a thin spring fog, a night kindled from the lungs of resonant flames that drowned the simple starlight in its roars, and screams had ticked and tocked to keep time. Between these two fateful nights, void of fond remembrance from the scarred attendees, few, but nonetheless notable differences kept one from the other in an intertwining stem. A leap in age often doubled as a leap in maturity, though in which direction no one could know. One held outside, to set fire to the damp night air, and the other encased in the hollow walls of this unforgiving castle, where escape did not seem so painless. Additionally, and most importantly, it wasn’t born of secrecy, and there were choices, choices that their several-months-younger counterparts were so cruelly deprived of, all to be absorbed in the once light-hearted melody to twirl when the metal twisted, spin gracefully like the music box dancers they were.

With these choices came consequences, both diminutive and lethal, the type to provoke a twitch at the corner of your mouth years down the road, when your life was but an electric flow, and the type to bring that cord and steady count to you. Even the most careful consideration, hours by a crackling fireplace searching for the answer within its shadows and the crevices of one’s own mind, could not predict the future. Who was to say which would result in chaos, and which would be elementary? Who was to say that it was written in the imaginary fate of these parties, and not in the genes of a certain sinister socialite? Perhaps it was people to be wary of, not situations, but none of these thoughts did Persephone any good. There was a solution, dawdling somewhere nearby, to attend both events, and even perhaps be this evil-blooded person if the ebony clock made its rounds at the right time.

A dream slipped from the tips of her pale fingers when the choice was made, its residue still lingering even now as she edged toward the costume party, a dream of a show-stopping formless existence, a true reenactment of the masque of Red Death. Without her theatrics, it would inevitably end the same, as the Red Death was summoned by the mere mention of its name, the taunt of a place to thrive and spread from person to person, just as it had in May. Instead of personifying what they all feared, she was simplistic. Persy’s black shoes clicked against the floor of the corridor as she walked its melancholy length, a fairly short white and blue dress flowing gently behind her, crown atop her head, a rather foreign look and feel. A queen of sorts if you would, and of course you would. Over the top of her face, a blue mask, charms dangling from the right side.

And with each step, all of these thoughts swirled in her mind like a hurricane. Outside the Rehearsal Room, a room painted in Persephone’s mind without much vibrancy or still-frames of sweet echoes, she briefly froze with eyes locked on the dense wooden doors. Even from here, the ambience of the decorated room flowed outward like the endless streams of a waterfall. It was an innocent one, this aura, truly the work of youths meant to drench a room in the comfort of the color-changing season. Compared to how her creative mind drew the ballroom, a much more formal setting with gowns dragging along the floor and twelve year olds putting their thesaurus to use, this was nearly lovely. It was where the night was to begin, in whatever mood it wanted.

So, with a curt nod of acknowledgement to any greetings, Alice fell into the rabbit hole, never to return again.

Action | Arriving.

Dan was beaming. He was with Andy as his date for the Halloween Party! Sure, he was kinda dismayed when Andy insisted on going as his friend, and nothing else... And Dan realized what being 'friendzoned' meant now, but still! He was with Andy, his best friend and biggest crush!

He of course, was wearing the outfit he had before; The outfit worn by Persona 5's Joker, complete with mask. And incomplete with bare feet. Dan still refused to wear the shoes involved, as he always did. This time though, he was not accompanied by Loki. If the balls before (heheh) had taught him anything, its that they were dangerous. No place for a kitty mister.

Though, to be honest, Dan was having mixed feelings about going to the Masquerade Ball. That was the site of a lot of trauma. How he had his first kiss with He Who Shall Not Be Named; No, not THAT one. God no. The one from Hufflepuff. Who he met, immediately fell for, had his first dance and first kiss with, and who bailed on him afterward. Of course, there was also the trauma of the place being lit on fire, and when he had gouged a half-giant's eye out. Then some American Headmaster of Garbage Headmastering killed the giant and blamed it on him.
So, while he really wanted to have a romantic dance with Andy, even as a friend- hey, he could fantasize- He still was in no big hurry to go back to the site of his greatest heartbreak.

ANYWAY, he wasn't going to let that ruin his good time. Dan made a beeline for the treats with Andy. But he gave Andy a pointed look of annoyance when he reminded him of the love potion. He wasn't aware of what they'd do. He thought they'd just make Andy like him, not be his willing slave. Sure, having a barefooted walk with Andy all day was fun, and the kiss was magic. But Dan still felt bad about it. Giving him the candy that is, he didn't feel bad about what they did together in the slightest.

He too ate a chocoball, and a pumpkin pasty, since Andy didn't. Dan wanted to see what they did. After having one of each, he took a blood pop, two lick o risce spiders, and a handful of colorful beans, knowing exactly what they probably were. Finally, he took a wizard cracker, and popped it open, jumping slightly from the sound.
Then, he decided he'd had enough of the spiders' carrying on, and popped them both in his mouth, took a cup of butterbeer, and sat next to Andy at the pumpkin carving area.

"A'course I've carved a pumpkin before! The Irish invented pumpkin carvin' and Jack O' Lanterns! I grew up with these things, mate!"

With that, Dan stuck the blood pop in his mouth, and began to exert his Irish mastery of pumpkin carving upon his orange gourd canvas.

Then Andy mentioned a name. He hadn't thought of one yet. But, he would when it was finished. All the artist's energy must be focused on the art, not the name.

"No, not yet. I'm makin' the thing first, I'll have a name after."

But of course, the moment he said this, he thought of one. The name of a pagan goddess hat'd be PERFECT for Halloween.

"Maybe... Morrigan."

Actions:
Eating a Chocoball.
Eating a Pumpkin Pasty.
Getting vengeance on all spider kind.
Carving a pumpkin.
@Andrew Vance

OPEN TO INTERACTIONS!

Attempting Interaction with @Pericles Dralt and @Persephone Barret (Can be easily ignored)





As Jo entered the Costume Party, a boy dressed as a falcon greeted her with a voice she thought she recognized.

"Hullo, and welcome to the costume party. Help yourselves to the treats, but be warned: each drink and baked good comes with a trick."

Pericles Dralt! Now it came to mind. Perhaps there was some symbolic meaning behind his costume - Jo wasn't about to ask and make a fool of herself. Merlin knew she probably already had in some awful way or other - maybe she just didn't know it yet. The Gothic dress and over-elaborate mask (Lady Aithne's style more than the girl's own, though not many students knew this as Jo was bold enough to wear every look her guardian sent her way) probably gave her identity away if Pericles had caught a glimpse of her at the Blossom Ball, in which she had sported a similar albeit more uptight costume. No need to make things worse.

Jo quickly reached for a scrumptious chocoball, but she pulled her hand back as the cordial smile on her face faded into a blank expression against her mask. It was too soon - too soon to forget what had happened last time she had enjoyed such a treat. Who was to say the chocoballs weren't spiked with the same thing her housemate had accidentally given her at Valentine's Day? While Jo didn't remember any of the details, she knew she'd rather get locked in a room with a Venomous Tentacula than ever face such humiliation again. It all made so much sense - there were a few batches left over from Valentine's Day, and so whoever was in charge of the sweets simply decided to repurpose them into trick-or-treat joke candies. Whew! Jo had dodged a bullet there. It was best to leave the spiked chocoballs to the lovebirds that were spinning themselves silly in the Ballroom.

"I...er...think I've have one of these." As Jo selected a cauldron cake, her carefully constructed sense of apathy crumbled beneath a grimace. It was probably too late. Pericles must have seen the dreadful look on her face. How embarrassing! And THIS, mon ami, was precisely why Jo Morgan did not like to be in public around people she knew. Great. So much for adventure - Jo should have stayed in the Ballroom. If nothing of interest happened, she might actually return. But for now, the smaller number of people in the Rehearsal Room suited the anti-social second-year much better than the ruckus in the Ballroom. Besides, here she could examine the wonderful costumes of the other...

WHOA!

Jo yelped as a girl without a body passed by her. It was only @Serena Towers, a fourth-year Hufflepuff who was very much still alive, but the Gryffindor didn't know that. On close inspection, the girl didn't seem to be in much distress for a disembodied head. Yeesh. It would take Jo quite a while to get used to magical costumes. Next thing you know, some girl would show up with an axe in her head and Jo would rush to save her, only to get weird looks from everyone! Or worse, some girl would show up with an actual axe in her head, and Jo the perpetual clueless muggle idiot would laugh it off as an elaborate and realistic magical costume! How horrible would that be!

Somewhat shaken from this sudden and encounter, Jo grabbed a nearby Wizard Cracker from a table and snapped it open. Before she could examine the contents, however, a familiar face grabbed her attention.

Persephone Barret was wearing a costume that reminded the girl of Alice in Wonderland, but her disguise couldn't fool Jo's eyes. Jo knew a Queen of Hearts when she saw one...even a Jabberwocky. No, that honor went to @Jack Burnett. But cold and calculating evil seemed to follow Jo wherever she went, and she had gotten used to smelling the rancid odour of an evening that would soon turn sour. The Pericles grimace returned, but stronger this time. Jo never forgot an enemy. While she wouldn't make the same mistake she had with Jack during the Blossom Ball (maybe Persephone had acquired a doting, loving posse of her own, though it seemed unlikely), she watched the girl like a falcon eyeing its prey. Perhaps she would be noticed, perhaps not. Perhaps she would be spoken to, perhaps not. Wizard Cracker still in her hand, Jo watched and waited, dress melting into the shadows of the corner of the Rehearsal Room. Would Persephone make the first move? Would she wait for Jo to take the initiative? Or had she forgotten so quickly the repercussions Jack faced at the hands of an irate Rafa? Valentines Day once more. Jo may be unlucky in love, but she was lucky in hate. And one did not exactly bite the tail of a lioness and expect to slink away scot-free. The lioness would hide, biding her time, but always knowing how the game would end. Always waiting for the pounce.

As Jo bit into the Cauldron Cake with fury, she swore she tasted something other than chocolate.

Andrew nodded approvingly at Dan's pumpkin name, as well as Dan's carving skills, which were far more impressive than his own. While Andrew was tempted to cut out a tiny smiley face for a laugh and call it done, he decided to put in a little more effort, carving out a more classic face with a jagged smile and triangle-shaped eyes and nose.

He was having fun and immersing himself into the task of carving while passively listening to the background chatter… when his blade stopped, halting abruptly. Andrew's smile dissipated as he overhead a particular voice among the neighboring conversation, drawing a discreet glance towards the source that all the more flattened his lips in displeasure.

If Dan was astute to notice his best friend's change of demeanor, how stiff and tense Andrew had become, his hesitance, no longer carving his pumpkin with the same vigor and enthusiasm, but distracted in souring thought… Andrew would mutter a whisper:

"It's Jack." His glance would point to the boy in the Mad Hatter costume. Likely, Dan had already heard the story, if best friends confided everything to each other. . .

He never would've done it if Jack hadn't laid hands on him and socked him in the face. A perfect claim of self-defense, but one done out of vengeful rage he never knew he had within himself, unleashing the Diffindo that had planted the latest scar across Jack's face. There had been a room full of witnesses to the bloody act, though no Prefects or professors caught it, and no punishment followed…yet. The looming threat of repercussion still haunted Andrew, though he had to remind himself that Jack wouldn’t be able to escape either, if the truth leaked out. Whispers may have circulated, though none officially reported, since those guilty members involved in the fight had made unspoken agreement to keep hush-hush about it, neither party pursuing the other, since (un-admittingly) both had been in the wrong.

But there were no apologies either. Only to avoid Jack as much as he could, to forget about the whole traumatic experience. And now Jack was a Prefect. Him! A Prefect, of all people! Oh, if only they knew, they would've never given Jack the honor! Perhaps if Jack had his mask on, at least Andrew wouldn't have to gaze upon the reminder of his first human bloodshed. Festering anger and shame welled within him. He had lost his temper, knowing it was wrong but firmly believing he was justifiably right. Seeing his handiwork etched permanently into Jack's skin would tug a smirk of spite… and regretting it instantly. He wasn't even religious, and yet he wished for a confessional. Was this just the beginning of him becoming an 'evil' Slytherin? A Dark Lord?

"Let's go," Andrew would announce solemnly, after setting his crudely finished Pumpernickel aside. Only when he wasn't acting for once, did his grim mood resemble Batman most closely. "I don't wanna be here anymore." Jack's presence had tainted the whole party for him. He'd rather be twirling with Dan at that stuffy Masquerade than here.

He would attempt to tug Dan along and leave the room.

Interactions: @Dan Palmer, @Jack Warren (mentions). Open for more.