Event The Fall Ball (Masquerade)

[font=PT Serif]Interacting with @Carolyn Hunt, dancing. Minor observance. Semi-open to interact.
STA 5 | STR 3 | EVA 6 | WIS 10 | AP 9 | ACC 12
Fearless | Perfectionist | Charmer[/font]

As if presenting himself in a cordial fashion was not already hard enough, Thomas would have to urge his thoughts away from the unease a Gryffindor prefect provided. Not to say the boy was not prepared to answer for his actions. He was ready to defend his decisions, deny when necessary. The proof of his questionable relationships had no substance. Word of mouth only went so far, though it was discouraging to see his story has traveled to the ears of unknown peers.

Only four knew the truth of his story. Thomas did not know which of them has breached trust, but they would be dealt with accordingly. These gnawing rats, meddling in affairs they don’t belong, speaking of what they don’t understand. When the boy learns of this, it will contribute to his loss of trust in humanity. A gateway to despair. The catalyst that mutes the little voice in your head that says--no, you should not do that.

Transition to the theme for the year, escaping the comfort zone and performing actions inconsistent with his character. Exhibit A: Thomas opted to adhere to the customary formalities, at least for initial introductions. A warm smile, a friendly gesture, a positive comment about the other’s appearance---easy enough. “Maria.” If her look in his direction lacked familiarity, he would tilt his mask to the side, revealing the majority of his visage. “Nice to see you again.” He spoke calmly, yet unfeigned, he was not the type to embellish.

Her fashionably late arrival was noted. Perhaps left mulling over the decision to join the boy. It was hard to blame any reluctance she may have had, given her first impression was a shirtless swaggering and taunting boy. A boy who preceded to stand in a ring idly talking to Vlad himself. So yes, regardless of the time, her arrival was a win. “Blue suits you.” He motioned to the entry doors, casting one last glance at the Gryffindor prefect (@Meenauh Silmataurea) before leaving her presence for good. It was just the beginning.

Thomas would walk at Maria’s side, readily listening if she spoke. Though his gaze transitioned from one peer to another, in search of familiarity. Hard to find in a sea of masks, but one girl in particular caught his eye. Her silver eyes ( @Santario Martin ) stared directly at him, though the word she mouthed was an unmistakable indicator. Thomas' lips curled up slightly, offering a message of his own. Forgot the scythe. He would note her unique outfit, intermittently keeping an eye on her. Putting any stir of thoughts to rest that wondered why she was not the one at his side.

Though Santario knew as well as Thomas, these congregations, while fancy at the surface--quickly devolved to survival of the fittest. Separation was key, he knew where to call if a helping hand was needed, and so did she.

He turned to the one he intended to focus on, Maria Dee. Their status as a blind date warranted bypassing a spin on the dance floor, combined with Thomas’ inadequate skill set. Athleticism did not automatically translate to artistry. The boy would continue towards a set of tables on the periphery with a nicely assorted collection of drinks and snacks. If Maria had not already broken the silence, the boy would choose the time to do so. “You accepted.” He mentioned in between retrieving three drinking cups. He handed one to Maria, though if she declined he would simply return it to the set.

“I did not expect that.” He said bluntly, though perhaps his reputation was not as dastardly as perceived. Thomas would fill the pair of cups with pumpkin juice, one in each hand. Allowing Maria the time to choose her beverage of choice. Then the boy would find a spot amidst the crowd on the outskirts. His frame was centered to the dance floor, turning to Maria when words were shared. His blue eyes narrowed, actively scanning the crowd. Where is she.

Seeing Ethen jolt at her touch made the young girl smile as she knew he was probably feeling as high strung and nervous as she was. She couldn't see his face at all with the wolf mask covering its entirety; a move she presumed her father pulled so she wouldn't be able to steal her first kiss.

His warm and inviting eyes were vibrant and starstruck as the two shared a long moment of silence before Ethen attempted to break the tension. “You look...you are, you look are beautiful tonight,”he stammered out as Atlas gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"You look se--uh pretty gorgeous like -- I uhh the suit looks really good on you, the shoes are so shiny!" Puffing out her cheeks, Atlas could already tell they were vibrant red and unfortunately, her mask did nothing to shroud them. How was it that the two of them could talk for hours enjoying each other's company relentlessly but put them in dress clothes and immediately they became floundering fish?

Reminding Atlas that she had asked to dance, Ethen comically bowed and agreed to her request immediately bringing her nerves back to the forefront. I asked to dance?! I don't know how to dance...I've never danced...What the hell was I thinking?! Gulping, Atlas did a quick curtsy as Ethen took her hand and led her to the dance floor. Quickly turning her head, Atlas looked to see if anyone was staring at them as not many people had gone to the dance floor yet.

The music was dramatic and intense as Atlas couldn't even begin to figure out how to dance to it but all her thoughts, insecurities and nerves went fuzzy as Ethen pulled Atlas closer to him placing his hand on her hip. Pulling her other hand out to the side interlocked with his, Atlas met Ethen's eyes,

"My dear Atlas, I have no idea what I am doing."
"Me neither, my Tebo..."

Kiss him. Wait what?! No oh god Shhh mind! He's my best friend!

Following Ethen's lead, the two clumsily danced across the floor as Atlas could not pull her focus from his eyes except to casually and coyly look to the ground when she felt their nerves increasing. She had no idea how they looked to their peers but in that moment none of it mattered. Atlas felt like a princess and she had no idea if this evening would progress their relationship but something told her that they were no longer going to see each other as just best friends.

ACTION: Dancing or Attempting to Dance with Ethen!

Reducio

Any godmodding has been agreed upon by both parties i.e. Atlas and Ethen

STATS:
Stamina: 8
Evasion: 8
Strength: 4
Wisdom: 7
Arc. Power: 7
Accuracy: 8

ABILITIES:
Fearless
Effect: Fear effects such as a dhmpir's aura, the ability terrible presence, a lycanothrope's intimidation or certain charms, potions and jinxes that would normally cause a fear effect do not work on you as you are immune to them.

Atlas's Dress and New Hair:

Reducio

interaction status @Amara Dragamior as Lucas D.
mentions @Willow Anderson as Everett B., Rafa, NPCs

position dance floor, waltzing
previous posts 1 2

The weaving of the crowd- though this time in a three-piece suit deliberately avoiding ballgowns and dragging fabric- was a familiar thing to our dear Johann, though quite usually with the aid of his boys, a few skateboards and high buildings. His mind focused on getting from one side to another to greet his high society date of the night.

While just out of hearing range, it wasn't hard to guess what had been said. Biting back a sharp smirk of amusement and the snarky comment on the tip of his tongue, Johann paused to allow someone to cross by with their own dates in hand and turned his attention to the side to track exactly who or what Lucas was calling such a word. And suddenly his feet were rooted to the ground for just a second too long because the shock was blooming and he was experiencing what felt like all five stages of grief all at once because-

The familiar frame, the slicked dark hair- even with the side view it was very clear who caught his date's appreciative look. You know, he hadn't gotten a single word back from Rett after summer camp, though they had shared such a moment. Though his heart had been caught in some spark of- if not romance then in friendship-. Nothing for three months straight. No hide nor hair of the American and then isn't it just his luck that he manages to walk by and- God he felt like such a fool suddenly, god he felt like an idiot. In a matching suit of fine maroon- Johannes still remembered the way that the sun caught against those eyes and the London turf, the dazed rush of it- stood ever-pretty Everett 'babe' Brooks, caught in a chaste kiss with some other Johannes didn't have the heart to decipher.

A sharp jolt of choking dread ran through Johannes at the mere sight of it, suddenly reaching up from where it had laid festering to steal the breath away from his lungs as he averted his burning gaze- he had caught only a flash of them before panic overtook, his heartbeat kicking up even as he kept himself just as properly jaunty as all expected him to. Panic well concealed and yet running rampant at the same time. Goddamn it, he should have known. This was bound to happen, he knew it from the beginning. He should have known better than to share a part of himself with the American babe. His Hellhounds were right when they warned him against getting so attached to someone who lived so far away- with someone who could easily pass him up for a shinier plaything without a second thought, with someone who didn't care enough to make any form of further communication. Apparently, they were right.

It hurt. This maelstrom of conflicting emotions that bubbled and boiled with the heat of undeserved betrayal. He had been taken in with the Southern charm and honeyed words, but Rett could not unintentionally ruin his night just as his family attempted. Nay, Johannes was above that. He might be impulsive- a nuisance on the best of days and a right bastard on most- but he was at least mature enough to feel happy that Rett had found someone, even if his heart had been pulled to the seams. Maybe he had just been a practice? Perhaps that sun-golden afternoon had been a farce. Some selfish, selfless part of Johann hoped that the Ilvermorny's new beau wouldn't suffer the same fate as he did. He wouldn't even be mad if Rett deigned not to speak to him again, only disappointed. God. No, no, Johannes shan't dwell on it, he had no right to think this way. He had every right to feel this way. Rett had flown the nest, could find happiness with someone who could be as straight-laced and proper as he could not achieve. Johannes did not have to sulk over someone else's joy- he had his own bloom of interest at this very moment.

After all, our German had come with the promise of someone else, someone with sweet poetry and the commitment to show up. A someone else who had allowed him to grin even countries apart with nothing more than a sealed letter. A slowing of time- for merely a second but a powerful one nonetheless- as Johannes pulled his gaze up and morengo met the sky. Oh, but how dashing did his dear Lucas look in the warm candlelight, backdropped by gothic elegance and the sound of the storm outside- that pale mask a sharp contrast against the rich inky suit the Dragamior donned, a delicate string of chains looping from the peaked lapel to curl toward the pocket. With such silver-spun hair and brilliant blue eyes, there was a flash of half-forgotten memories- dust-covered recollections of fairytales that wove stories of handsome princes venturing to rescue the hand of their fair ladies. How devilish Johannes felt to dare approach with a hopeful spark, to dare steal away such an enchanting saint. Like the Ambrozys had snidely said to him in the past, he was going to taint all who held his acquaintance. Might as well enjoy it.

He could not push down the pull of a sweet fondness that tugged at him as his date greeted him, a playful little grin chasing at his expression. With such a gentlemanly manner Johann had long-estranged himself from himself, there was no denying that Lucas exuded the same brand of easy elegance as their letters of communication, over a month prior. He was no swooning weak-hearted maiden but he could allow himself to be wooed, even for a night, even out of his usual fare.

It was an easy thing, really, for Johannes to follow Lucas' gentle lead toward the already healthily occupied dance floor, to allow the blonde to take charge of the smooth waltz. The feeling of feeling out of place in such an environment soon overpowered by warm familiarity and intimacy as they swayed gracefully to the music. In the face of such a confident suitor of his heart, it was very difficult indeed to allow himself to sink into the darker parts of his mind. It was so much easier to delay the inevitable. [IN RUSSIAN] "Better now that I am with you. And you, love?" A combination of muscle memory and trust that surely would have baffled his instructors who had rightfully anticipated he be the drive of the dance many years ago.

A waltz. How romantic. How fitting.

Action: Angst, Internal Panic. C'mon just dance it off.

Abilities: Foul play, Charmer, Evasive Manoeuvres

Stats: Sta 7 | Eva 8 | Str 8 | Wis 6 | Arc 7 | Acc 9

Reducio

Mod Posts
First | Second

Time was passing, music was playing, and people were dancing. The theatre of human experience played out in the form of petty preteen squabbles, but for the most part, people were having a good time. Some were throwing caution to the wind, and their shoes to the floor, and some were becoming way too romantically entangled for their age. Still, the air of mystery and excitement hadn’t been lost on anyone who had entered. A good deal of people stuck to the sidelines, finding a kindred soul to chat with, and others reunited with cousins and romantic interests from overseas. Everywhere there was a buzz of heightened emotion, though thankfully nothing worse than an extremely inappropriate word for Muggles was threatening the harmony… for now.

@Meenauh Silmataurea was completely unconvinced of the safety of the ball, keeping a discerning eye on the entrance for any funny business. Too bad she was wasting her time instead of enjoying it. There were a few students and Professors alike scanning the dance floor for life-threatening danger, but they would see nothing but smiling, sweaty teenagers. Maybe their vigilant supervision would have been better put to use spotting the alcohol-loving Dhampir @Howard White, or the two, count ‘em, two knife wielding attendees. Not that they would have had much luck finding the concealed contraband.

Of course, no one would see the invisible teenager @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood hiding in the corner, but that was exactly what she wanted, so good for her. One frantic Gryffindor @Piérre Marchonné thought to bring his broom, but that frankly wasn’t very suspicious behavior coming from him. @Hanako Tone was hating on a completely innocent ghost cat that had never done anything wrong in its whole un-life. What is wrong with you, Hana?

Dark secrets revealed, bullies tearing down the weak, fretful nervousness for social gatherings, new acquaintances being made, and little kisses being exchanged. The evening moved on effortlessly, a sense of wanting the night to spread on into infinity still alight in the sugar-fueled delirium of activity.

No horrible dark creatures or wildly out of control fires. How nice~♡

@Quinn Healy, though having an exceptional vantage point and watchful eyes, didn’t happen to catch anything entering the ballroom and heading his way. In fact, every unnaturally observant person (Sixth Sense) in the room was far too preoccupied with all the amazing decorations and fun atmosphere to notice something so small and unimportant. Probably because everything is totally fine and there is nothing to worry about.

With that, it was a complete surprise when something tiny, a dropped cufflink, came sailing out of nowhere right at the distracted @Breana Oliveire's head.

Breana is a smart cookie, she's not just walking around completely unaware of her surroundings. Still, who expects stuff to be thrown at your head? Wind would tickle her ear as something tiny whistled by it without touching her. That was weird! Oh well.

As @Xailah Alptraum crept around in all black, she would be hard for the love of her life to find.

Too extravagantly beautiful to not be noticed, she would have the eyes of an admirer upon her. Not that she or anyone else would know this. She turned lots of heads with her impeccable style, so one more set of ‘eyes’ didn’t add any more discomfort than what was already on her. Those fiends! They didn’t deserve to look upon such beauty and grace!

The fervent pace was exhaustedly winding down for the moment. A good orchestra knew to include peaks and valleys-- it was time for a few slower songs. Not that the slower selection would lack any tantalizing suspense. The most tired of the dancers could take a break to rehydrate, while the flirtiest of the bunch finally had their chance to dance the easiest dance of all. Slow dancing is basically just moving around while hugging, let's be honest with ourselves.

Still, the change was a natural one, and wouldn't last forever. Those who came to the ball looking for romance were likely awaiting such a moment, while those who hated such occasions were likely about to see some disgusting age-appropriate PDA. Avert your eyes.

Actions this round
@Lily Cawthi moved from the Costume Party to the Masquerade.
@Martyna Romero moved from the Costume Party to the Masquerade.
@Jo Morgan moved from the Masquerade to the Costume Party.

[font=Monotype Corsiva]For your consideration[/font]

• There will be a mod post every Friday, meaning the next mod will be on October 30th.
• There are two parties going on simultaneously, the Masquerade in the Ballroom and the Costume Party in the Rehearsal Room. Both are on the fourth floor of Hogwarts, so travelling between the two does not take much time. For ease of moderation, please clearly denote when you are going from one to the other. During moderation, this takes a full action.
• Because changing parties is considered an action, this means you can switch once a week, though that also means you won't be able to take another action until the next mod.
• Actions besides changing parties are any attempt to do something to someone else such as attack, investigate, cast any spell, or generally anything that has a chance to fail depending on your stats. Minor interactions that are agreed upon between two players are free to take as much as you like. If you're unsure whether your intended plan involves an action, you can feel free to message me for clarification.

_{Banner Credited to the amazing @Amara Dragamior}

As Henry Knight: Main Character

Open to Interactions
interacting: @Miranda Everest _{no worries}
Mentioning @Hanako Tone | @Logan Baird
Action: Dancing and failing with Miranda
For Mods:

Reducio

Stats: Stamina: 5 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 5 | Wisdom: 10 | Arcane Power: 5 | Accuracy: 5 | Total: 35
Abilities+Race: Prodigal Charms Learner+Werewolf

Pendant

Henry smiled at Miranda as he waited for her answer, he watched as she looked around at the others in attendance. Henry to decided to look around and for the most part couldn't really recognized anyone because of their masks but he did see a boy who might have been familiar tormenting the ghost cat. Henry has always loved cats and felt rather bad for it but wasn't sure if he should say anything or not, Henry looked at the two for a few more minutes until Miranda awoke him from his thoughts by saying the word dance.

Henry looked at the ghost and boy for a few more minutes before tearing his eyes away to glance at Miranda who spoke about not being a good dancer. Henry smiled as he knew that he also wasn't a good dancer, his father forced his children to take lessons to better their intellect self so dancing was out of the question. He remembered how Logan was learning dance and was really good, he sort of wished that he asked her to teach him at each the basics so he wasn't a complete fool out there. Out of reflexes he looked around for her again his eyes settling on the ghost cat with his tormenting boy.

" That's alright I'm not the best dancer either," Henry looked over at the center of the room where everyone was dancing and smiled a bit shyly at Miranda as he spoke again " uh shall we then", Henry took a few steps to the area where he would wait for Miranda and when she joined him he would dance in the normal way but a bit awkwardly since he never technically danced before.

interacting with | Enzo Delcroix @Akari Kato and @Jane Victoria
open to interactions, owl first.

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Lana couldn't help but fight the urge to giggle when Enzo had asked her to dance, seeing that it just wasn't quite like him. Was he doing it for show? Perhaps, though she could play along just as well. It wasn't until he slipped his hand into hers that she recoiled, eyes glancing down to where they were intertwined. She supposed it wasn't.. too out of place. Plenty of people seemed to be holding hands here, though most of them were mutual. This, however, she just didn't know.

Her eyes flicked to Jay, listening to them tell the French Boy to leave her alone. Flattering, yes, though quite embarrassing at the same time. Did she deserve such humility? Perhaps, though in the moment it didn't seem too enjoyable. Lana instead stayed quiet, something she wasn't much used to. "He had asked me first." She finally spoke, eyes still not quite meeting her friend's. They didn't deserve to have shown up with a girl who had another date, though all the same really. They were here, and they could not change the present. It was what they did next that truly mattered.

Hands still intertwined with Enzo's, Lana's facial expression shifted to one of amusement. It was just now hitting her how childish they were acting, though being childish was normal, right? They were twelve, though most of the twelve-year-olds here seemed to be far more mature than they're led on to be. It didn't matter, really, though still- Amusing, simply amusing.

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@Eyre Reeves | @Anastasia Beckett

Rose had no idea what the rest of the French meant when it came out of Eyre. It was beautiful, but she had no clue. But the laugh and the smile that it produced was too worth it.

Her spine instinctively straightened when he put his hand on her back, in anticipation of the dance. She was comfortable with him touching her, but this felt so romantic. She put her hand on his shoulder, the other one taking his hand. The air seemed to buzz with excitement before they started.

When Rose was littler, she and her sisters would beg and beg and beg their brothers to pretend to be the princes at the ball. Sometimes, rare times, they would accept, and so would ensue two typical and whirlwind love stories that always was accompanied by their crude interpretation of how ballroom dancing worked, with the one sister left over to be the villain that would eventually go to jail or die. How simple it was back then.

If only her sisters could see her now. Of course, Faith probably could. But she would require some gushing from Rose.

"Ready?" Rose nodded, excitement evident in her features.

Nothing like this. Rose was usually not the most graceful person on the planet, and the heels certainly weren't helping, so she did low-key trip a couple times, but always laughed it off and quickly regained her composure. She did find it hard to not look at her feet while dancing, mostly because she was scared that she would step on his feet. But, thankfully, she didn't step on his feet, which she was extremely grateful for.

He helped her by counting out the beat at first. Then, once she got the hang of it, he surprised her and twirled her in a circle, the skirt of her dress fanning out as she did and her perfect auburn curls swinging around. When they were joined again, she was pulled closer than before, but maybe that was just her imagination. She tossed her head to push the little rebellious sprig out of her eyes, smiling bigger than she ever had. Just look at his eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes, with the soft firelight flickering in the surface.

Of course, in that moment, it all had to be ruined. By Anastasia Beckett. Rose's foot flew out from under her, making her slip out of Eyre's grip without any grace whatsoever. She landed on her behind, and her hands shot out under her to catch herself. And Anastasia jumped into apologies. In one long apology, she managed to call Rose uncultured, clumsy, and a disappointment and make her feel self conscious about her red hair.

Since when did the rumor start that redheads were clumsy? That was absolutely ridiculous and never existed. That wasn't even a thing.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay," she said. More than she was shocked that Anastasia had tripped her, she was shocked at how nice she was either pretending or trying to be. She pulled herself up to her feet, accepting help from Eyre if it was offered, but definitely not from Anastasia. She shifted her weight so that half of her body was in front of Eyre. Seeing Anastasia, she couldn't shake the images of Eyre's black eye or the bruise on his side. But maybe, just maybe, it was because she didn't want Eyre to retaliate and make this worse.

She gathered herself, mirroring the fake courtesy.

"Then again, some people manage to constantly set low expectations and fail to achieve them." That was way out of the blue and probably meant to be an insult, but Rose took advantage of it.

Rose nodded, in sympathy. Heavily hinting at the way Anastasia betrayed Eyre and then kept being a... brat to both of them, she said politely, "They do. They really, really do." Anastasia was very skilled at expectation limbo to go under the expectations Rose and Eyre kept having. And once they put the bar on the floor... Anastasia dug a hole.

Anastasia bounced away with her perfect dress and her perfectly normal hair. Rose shook away the pang of jealousy and suppressed a snarl. How could Eyre ever be best friends with somebody like Anastasia?

She turned back to Eyre bashfully. "Sorry about that... You did tell me not to look at my feet," she teased him. She didn't mean it, of course, but she was trying to lighten the mood.

Action: Being precious, dancing, and falling on her butt.

Stats:
Stamina- 6 | Evasion- 8 | Strength- 5 | Wisdom- 9 | ArcPower- 7 | Accuracy- 5
Abilities:
Keen Eye | Lovely Creature (in effect)