Event The Fall Ball (Costume Party) Closed

"Oi, ye wanna check it out?"

Interacting with: @Ruka Burnett-Tân, @Jo Morgan, @Pericles Dralt, & @Jake Morrison but open to more~
Action(s):
- Floating a few inches off the ground while eating Fizzing Whizzbees
- Placing the Tall Top Hat on Ruka's head for safekeeping
- Silently scheming something he's fairly certain Ruka pick up on

Though Pericles may not have known of the more recent Tinker Bell movies that Disney had made, little did he also seem to know that the role of Tinker Bell as a tinker from Disney's 'Disney Fairy' franchise was actually based off of the original story. Perhaps Pericles had not read the official published Peter Pan book or else did not remember, but the author, Sir J.M. Barrie himself, had described the pixie as 'a fairy who mended pots and kettles; an actual tinker of the fairy folk'. It was this Jack had been referencing, but regardless, he didn't seem to mind when it wasn't responded to. He was very much used to his references, teasings, and jokes flying over people's heads by now; even Ravenclaws'.

It was what was said that began to rankle him a bit.

"I apologize if I made you feel threatened," the falcon-headed prefect told Jack who raised a brow at him. The Slytherin did not understand the Ravenclaw's implication immediately. "I wanted to pay the costume a compliment, and my intentions were pure. Please enjoy the remainder of the Ball."

It seemed that neither Peri's nor Jack's ways of thinking were all that compatible with the other, so much was likely lost in communication between them. The green-clad boy frowned slightly, staring at the prefect with a quizzical look. Eventually, he came to understand that by 'threatened', Pericles had been referring to Ruka, which Jack would have found laughable if the implication hadn't also hurt his pride.

"'Threatened'? By what, your compliment of Ruka?" Smirking, he shook his head at his feet. "We're here as bothers, not dates. My family adopted him. Didn't you know?" He chuckled then. "I've no doubt your intentions were pure. They always seem to be." So much so that you don't seem to recognize when others' aren't - even when they're deliberately trying to hint it to you.

In fact, the whole reason Jack had made a reference to Pericles having a date and being popular last ball wasn't to ward him off, but to goad him on. He had hoped that the prefect might have been able to link his comment with the false letters that had been sent on his and Breana Oliveire's behalf to each other as invitations to the Blossom Ball; that or at least raise some suspicion toward Jack. Even if he hadn't been the perpetrator, exactly (though he had been), he could have known something about it, right?

Well, perhaps Pericles was beyond caring about that little prank played the previous year. Even when it hadn't been so long ago, maybe the upright Ravenclaw prefect hadn't ever really cared at all. Jack had only gotten a response from Bre, not Peri, so maybe she had been the only one to want to find out the perpetrator. For, if Bre knew, surely she would have told Peri, right...? At the very least, to confirm her suspicions that the letter hadn't really been from him, if not to let him know someone had been trying to impersonate him by owl.

If Peri didn't care or didn't notice that Jack had been alluding to past transgressions of his own, though, there was nothing to be done about it. A shame, really. He had thought that Ravenclaws were more interested in people and their surroundings than that; more about the world around them, such as how things worked and why they were what they were. For Pericles part, though, there were no questions asked; not like the inquisitive Jake Morris whose curious nature Jack had found himself warmed to immediately. Whether due to indifference or having more pressing matters on his mind, Peri didn't seem interested in engaging with Jack any further.

The redhead continued to watch him for a bit. Perhaps Ravenclaws already thought they knew it all and that was why they didn't ask questions like Jake did. But wasn't asking questions a sign of intelligence...? So much for the eagles' thirst for knowledge.

The reason why Jack had constantly worked to prod, poke at, and pester a boy he respected was because that was how he learned about people. It wasn't a conventional tactic to be sure, but the Welsh boy hadn't ever really been fond of the conventional. Annoying people and testing their limits told him so much about others. It was also how he showed his interest and sated his deep desire to connect to people; much like a boy would be said to constantly tug on the pigtails of a girl he was interested in and wanted the attention of. When it came to trying to garner notice, negative attention generally tended to be easier and faster to attract than the positive sort.

However, if Pericles was not going to rise to the bait or if he was simply too disinterested to investigate why Jack acted so obnoxiously toward him, perhaps the boy was merely too used to taking things at face-value like everyone else. Well, that was fine with Jack, as there were plenty of other, more interesting people he could use his indirect techniques to learn about. Hopefully they would be less boring, sensible, and...grown-up than Pericles. A child, after all, wouldn't have thought that someone might have joked about dates because they felt threatened that someone was encroaching on their own. That assumption may not exactly have been face-value, but nor had it been correct.

After all, when had Peter Pan ever felt threatened that someone would have taken Tinker Bell away from him? In all versions Jack had known, it had always been the other way around. Well, no matter.

Staring at the tall top hat in his hands - courtesy of the wizard cracker - Jack was reminded of a certain dream demon from a cartoon he knew and a broad smile came to his face.

"What's the point of a party if you can't even eat the food?" Jo was asking, causing Jack to look up again to sneer at her. She had pushed off against the ground to float toward him and he laughed, amused at her attempt. She seemed to be taking everything quite well considering all the effects of the things she had consumed. Perhaps - if her question was anything to go by - it was because she enjoyed consuming them regardless. Jack knew the question had been meant to be rhetorical but, as was so often the case with him, he couldn't help responding anyway.

"What's the point? For pulling pranks on people, of course," he answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, gesturing around at all the poor victims of the magic effects. "This is a Halloween party, isn't it? Why only settle for a trick or a treat when you can have both in one go?" It had been quite ingenious, really. Jack wondered if Pericles had thought it up.

Just when he had thought Jo had been engaged in conversation with someone else after they'd complimented her, he found her whirling on him again. This time, though, it was in defense of Jake, causing Jack to chuckle again.

"One?!" He repeated, as if it were the funniest notion he'd ever heard. "Oh, please. There can never just be one. But that aside, I'm paying him a compliment. How does that make him my victim?" The more he thought about it, though, the more the gears began to turn in his head, causing a new idea to form.

Almost immediately, though, Jo was on him again - about something different this time. This was shortly after she had emitted a sharp cry of disgust, drawing his gaze. She slapped at her leg and did a funny little dance, though of course Jack could not see the cause as the Chocolate Frog under her large ballroom gown until the Gryffindor retrieved it. The Slytherin promptly snorted and doubled over, shoulders shaking as he clutched his stomach in body-racking silent laughter. By the time he was able to recover enough to look up, she was chastising the remains of the frog she had condemned to death by warm tea.

"...At least...my victims...have a chance to defend themselves, you brute," he managed to tell her through the last of his gasping laughter fits.

As he already had his own hat, Jack placed the tall top hat from the wizard cracker on Ruka's temporarily blonde head for the time being so he didn't have to just carry it with him. One never knew when they would need their hands to be free, especially at a Hogwarts party like this.

<I wasn't aware you were so eager to embarrass yourself in front of the rest of the school that isn't here. You really are a glutton for punishment, aren't you?> the response sounded in Ruka's head and his head alone. When the broom prodded playfully at his ribs, he put an acknowledging hand on the handle end, but didn't look away from Jake as he spoke to him.

When Ruka had to comment on the declaration Jack had made, however, 'Peter' gave the costumed pixie a cheeky grin. "It's not like there are designated things for them to wear. Sure, most wear animal skins, but who's to say one of them didn't take a fancy to frogs in particular and decide to make an outfit out of a great many of them?" He waved a hand flippantly while watching Ruka sprinkle some of his fabled pixie dust onto Jake. "Besides, what does it really matter what they wear? Lost boys are lost boys because they're lost; not because of their clothing."

Jack had actually said this in reference to the fact that neither of Jake's usual companions - Geroge and Jackson Warren - were paying attention to their fellow Hufflepuff. At the moment, Jake truly did seem like he was at a loss. Wasn't that what made lost boys lost, though? Abandonment?

At least until Peter Pan and Tinker Bell scooped them up to whisk them away for adventures and fun elsewhere. A wicked gleam shone in Jack's eyes.

"Yes..." he agreed with Ruka softly, as if more to himself than Jake. "...make you fly..." The gears started to turn faster.

He heard Ruka's comment about pumpkin guts and followed the other boy's gaze to the food fight. His mischievous grin broadened.

When Jake first said, 'Hi, Jack', Jack hadn't flinched because he'd thought the Hufflepuff had been referring to his good friend Jack Warren. When he realized the smaller boy's eyes were on him, however, he pursed his lips while planting his hands over his chest.

"That's Peter Pan to you," he answered with feigned haughtiness before grinning again and winking to let Jake know he was just messing around. Jake didn't need to know how uncomfortable it made Jack for the Hufflepuff to call him by his first name. They weren't friends, after all; not like Jackson Warren and Jake supposedly were. And anyway, it would be less confusing for everyone if he simply referred to the Slytherin as something else than his intimate first name.

Jake tried to defend Jack from Jo's reproach, causing Jack to get a weirdly warm, fuzzy feeling at his core that made him uneasy. Nevertheless, he beamed at Jake and ruffled his hair, pleased his peer had considerately refrained from constraining their relationship with a single, particular, condemning word.

"Pretty sure it doesn't matter to her whether or not we know each other," he leaned down to whisper to Jake, a conspiratorial hand held next to his mouth to block others from reading his lips, though it was mostly meant for show. "In fact...sometimes, the better I know you, the more I'm likely to torment you."

He laughed again as he pulled away, wanting to assure the other second year that he didn't really mean it; not maliciously. If he tormented people he knew best, it was only because he felt comfortable knowing they wouldn't take offense from it. The Welsh boy watched Ruka and Jake interact, charmed by the latter's reaction to his fairy companion and the delight of thinking he might be able to fly. Pleased they had brought much-needed laughter to the cautious, worried little badger, Jack made his decision. They would make Jake their Lost Boy.

Well, at least just for this one night. He was likely to be claimed sooner or later, but with Jackson entertaining his date, Willow, and George nowhere Jack had seen, that probably wouldn't be for a while.

As if to indirectly encourage Jack to get on with his plan, Jake was telling the Burnett brothers he didn't think he could fly (after adorably attempting a small hop into the air) because he didn't think he had a lot of happy thoughts that day. He motioned to Ruka and told him something out of Jack's earshot, but the Slytherin didn't mind. He was still trying to work out if and how they would be able to pull off what he hoped to do.

The broom he'd given Ruka, after all, was not one that he himself had been all that familiar with. He'd just known it as the same model Erin Ryan had, and she was a Quidditch player. Not to mention he'd seen her carry Oliver Hart on it along with herself, so it stood to reason it was probably a good choice for the sort of things Ruka and he would have in mind.

"Alright, Tink!" Jack spoke up once Jake was looking at them both again, his breathing heavy. "If this boy has no happy thoughts of his own, we'll just have to help him along until he finds some. Won't we?"

Sneering at Ruka, Jack was pretty sure they didn't need telepathy for the Gryffindor to catch his drift. It was one of the nice things about being so close to his brother even if they weren't, absurdly, related by blood.

Everyone who knew Peter Pan knew that, with his trusted pixie, Tinker Bell, he had a penchant for kidnapping abandoned children and spiriting them away to have fun. Who was Jack to do differently?

Interacting with
@Jack Burnett @Jake Morris
Mentioning
Nobody in Particular
Closed to Interaction

While his brother seemed busy engaging other people in the most taunting ways he could probably think of, Ruka decided to mostly keep away, not out of reluctance to be approaching anybody but more so to be able to step in should Jack be taking any of his teasing far enough for someone to retaliate physically or with spell casting. It was much easier to protect someone if you were not actively involved in whatever trouble they were getting themselves into. So, instead of interacting with anybody, Ruka adjusted the ridiculously tall top hat Jack had placed on his blonde hair and hovered on the broom, close by, until his brother turned his attention on someone the Gryffindor also felt inclined to talk to.

The words echoing in his head made Ruka snort ungracefully, the top hat wobbling a little dangerously as he straightened his position again.

I just think it’d be a shame for some people to not get to see me in sparkly tights. Who am I to deny them the sight?

The thought would cross through Jack’s mind dripping with amusement and a small bit of sarcasm that was more playful than anything else. If one person saw him then practically the whole school did anyway; Absolutely everything spread like wildfire in Hogwarts.

With a small smile, Ruka watched from the corner of his eye as Jack placed a hand on the broom shaft, and he nodded to himself as if content with his brother having acknowledged the broom, before he turned his attention on the small Hufflepuff in front of them.

Approaching Jake was not something Ruka thought was going to earn him a bout of laughter, but the second the young Hufflepuff laid eyes on him the air was filled with the joyous sound. For a second Ruka had it in him to flush with something like embarrassment before he managed to shake it off in favour of beaming at Jake as if he had just given him the highest compliment. Making other people laugh had always been something that Ruka enjoyed, so if just looking at him made someone laugh that much, wasn't it a good thing?

At least that was how he was going to look at it for the remainder of the night.

Only humming quietly in response to Jack’s words and watching the short interaction between him and the brunette girl from earlier, Ruka decided not to let himself be distracted from Jake too much. The Hufflepuff did seem lost, like a kid having been separated from their mother at a mall, so Ruka thought it would be good for him to have someone’s constant attention on him for at least a little while.

Watching as Jake attempted flight by hopping on the spot for a moment, Ruka chuckled in delight before his expression fell when he noticed that there was something bothering the little badger. Enough so that he motioned Ruka to come closer, and the Gryffindor obliged, steering his broom close enough for Jake to be able to whisper close to his ear.

Features softening at the smaller boy's admission, Ruka reached up to ruffle the top of Jake's frog costume, and he smiled encouragingly, casting a quick glance at Jack before refocusing on the badger again. "You're very brave," he told Jake gently, hand still carefully resting on the top of his head. "Being here even though you think something bad is going to happen." Slowly Ruka slid himself off the invisible broom, making sure it stayed in place so he would find it again once he was ready to get back up in the air. Despite having grown a bit over the summer, Ruka still wasn't much taller than Jake, and he thought that maybe that realisation would be comforting to the other boy.

Looking back at Jack when he spoke up, Ruka raised his eyebrows in his direction. He was quite sure he knew what his brother was thinking, could see it in his eyes; hazel orbs mirroring all his ridiculous impulses. Sometimes Ruka thought if he wanted to he could pluck all of them out like the pages of a book, could read Jack as if he’d already been told the story he would find in a different lifetime. There was no need to confirm the idea that had been forming in Jack’s head via telepathy, not when Ruka could see vivid flashes of what he was thinking about in his own mind.

Still, a part of him doubted that Jake was going to just let himself be dragged off by them willingly, without any warning, so Ruka offered his brother a subtle nod and a warm smile before turning his attention back on their Lost Boy.

"It's alright to be scared, you know?" he continued, the smile still tugging at his lips. "It keeps you alert. There'll be no stinky pirates sneaking up on you because you'll be smelling them from miles away." He playfully poked his fingers against Jake's ribs in an attempted tickle, then pulled them away again in case the gesture was in any way unwanted. "Wanna know what happens when you're scared?" he asked, eyes bright and voice playful as he leaned closer to keep talking as if he was telling Jake a big secret. "It gets so much blood and oxygen pumping through your brain, keeps your adrenaline up too. It fills you with so much energy you could run faster and jump higher than ever. You're a Superhero, Jake, and Fear is your power. Makes you fast and strong and smart. So don't let it weigh down on you." Gently moving his hand to take Jake's into his own, Ruka led the boy towards where the broom was still hovering midair, and as he hopped onto it himself, he carefully pulled the little frog up with him, settling him safely on the invisible broom shaft. "Use it."

With that he lifted Jake and himself off the ground, a brilliant smile lighting up his own face.

Staying on the broom with Jake seated in front of him, Ruka cast another look at Jack, tilting his head in the direction of the exit. As much as there was probably still left to explore at the Costume Party, he had wanted to check out the Masquerade as well.

"Tell you what," he said to Jake, still smiling brightly. “We can all take a spin around to make sure everything is going well, yeah? Peter here and I are excellent at fighting off danger." With a nod of affirmation, he nudged his elbow against Jack's arm teasingly. "You'll join us on the hunt for Pirates, won’t you, Peter?" he asked his brother with a playful wink before slowly steering his way towards the exit to give Jack the chance to hop on as well if he wanted to and was bored of just floating a few inches off the ground next to them the whole time.

Whether Jack was going to take advantage of the ride he was offered, or Jake was going to jump off before they could get to the exit, Ruka thought it was about time to see what else was going on in the Ballroom.

|Action|
- Hovering on an invisible broom
- Accepting Jack’s Tall Top Hat
- Reassuring Jake and attempting to kidnap him Permission sort of given… Sorry Jake =P
- Looking stunning in a dress with wings and sparkly tights
- Leaving for the Masquerade

Stats
~ Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 9 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 12 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 7 ~

Abilities
~ Muggle Condiotion ~ Advanced Casting ~ Perfectionist ~

Moderation Post

As some Tricky Treat effects fizzled out, others crackled to life. Fresh on the list of daring dabblers was Lea Hirsch, who took a chance with cauldron cake. The Wizard Cracker she snapped open rewarded her with a set of socks, cheery yellow with brewing cauldrons all over. If one watched the print carefully, they may notice them bubble in enchanted animation. But before Lea had much time to examine her surprise, she would succumb to a terrible fit of laughter, the Tricky Treat influencing her with its Laugh-Inducing Potion.

A cool breeze stirred partygoers from the lighthearted atmosphere. Students walked in the wake of a phantasmal feline, the buzz of chatter drifting with them. The pursuers whispered of a happening, of doom and tragedy. Then they passed on, leaving the costume party as the (more or less) tame affair it was meant to be, hinting at the implication of excitement elsewhere.

-This is a moderated event, please do not roll for yourself!

-If transitioning to The Hunt, hurry to it before the 9th.

-Your character can pick up the Chocolate Frogs which Remi and Sylvain set loose

-If your character tries a tricky treat, please note it as an action. I will be rolling to let you know how it effects them next mod post. The same goes for wizard crackers, which give gifts (one time- opening additional crackers will yield only candy).

-Tricky Treats contain small amounts of potion and will last for 3 moderation rounds (except Manegro) unless removed. You can move to the Hunt or Masquerade with these effects if you're into that sort of thing, or feel free to say "Pericles' third-year helper" (NPC) cast Reparifors on them to have it removed (just tag me).

-The Ballroom Masquerade and the Rehearsal Room Costume Party (you are here) are on the fourth floor of Hogwarts, so going between the two doesn't take much time, but if leaving/arriving mention it as an action.

-Mod posts are returning to the once per week pace. The next will come on the 12^th. Too fast? Owl me feedback!

| @Lea Hirsch |

Reducio

Opened Crackers
Jack Burnett (2- Top Hat [silly]), Andrew Vance (6- Feathered Tricorn [light]), Evelynn Decipio (7-Jack-O'-Lantern Ring [cute]), Solomon Lear (8- Jack-O'-Lantern Ring [creepy]), Norina Evans (9- Bat Ring [cute]) Jo Morgan (11- Ring [cute]), Dan Palmer (13- Socks [skulls]), Lea Hirsch (17- Socks [cauldrons])


Babbling Beverage
Andrew Lycan (Rose Moon) (2 rounds)
Aemdall Zarcovich (2 rounds)

Hair-Raising Potion
Norina Evans (1 more round)

Pompion Potion
Norina Evans (1 more round)

Laughing Potion
Jess Malters (2 rounds)
Lea Hirsch (3 rounds)

Manegro Potion
Sylvain Indarys, Andrew Vance, Solomon Lear, Valentin Schnell (Aida), Jo Morgan, Akari Kato

Quinn has always been plain like the colour brown--if you were to close your eyes and imagine them maybe you too would see that soft sepia brown. When you're wind-coloured like feathers and dust, it'll not be the first time you go unnoticed, but heart is still a terrible thing for an eleven-year-old to lose.

But at least it's lost graciously. Drawn inward with a confused and girlish flutter, Quinn's owlish face rests on bewildered laurels, their Disney doe-eyes left wide and blank. The expression echoes in a searching look shared with both Callista and Robert.

They’re all too young to be this solemn and concerned at a party, though thankfully it’s soon lost in the equally odd encore; a sight at which, Quinn's bewilderment can only blink, jaw inclining inquisitively as the Headmaster scoops up a chocolate frog and batter-up’s with some serious Henry Chadwick intent.

There are proverbial fireworks all over this room--starburst ball-to-the-bat moments of food fights, chocolate frogs, even a lucent cat gliding contently through the room followed closely by a gaggle of students, but Quinn glides quietly as a water insect: careful not to cause any ripples as they leave the peculiar Headmaster to his peculiar devices.

Are all adults like this? They wondered. From their Chocolate Frog card, Lear had struck the student as a leonine and proud figure; one built on wisdom, one who paved his way with personal arete and crowned himself with gold filament like a Centurion--or perhaps even an Emperor.

They, uh, feel a bit silly now; a feeling they share with a dismissive, if not politely bemused, shake of their head and the feigned suggestion of a smile. 'Oh, I don't think that wasn't very nice at all,' they confide in their new friends cautiously. 'Peri's back is turned and he's wearing white...'

"Are you going to join them?"

Being a third-wheel didn't seem all that enticing an invitation--and if you asked them, it seemed a bad idea to leave the party without a few people behind. What if the danger came here next? The die is cast, the clock chimes and Quinn's reticle falls on it's fated setting: overthinking things.

'They're talking about the danger in the castle, but if we all follow, won't that leave the parties helpless?'

Interacting with (Open to interactions) @Pericles Dralt @Callista Lovis @Robert Toukmond Mentioning @Solomon Lear ___________________

Actions Hoping Peri has persil _____________________________

|| Closed to further Interaction ||

interacting with @Pericles Dralt

Reducio

The fourth year was feeling the effect almost instantly as he began to talk when Pericles asked him whether he was representing a common welsh green. The tricky treat made him open up and somewhat more talkative than he usually was. "Yes, yes," he mentioned proudly, "It is a Common Welsh indeed; technically a Common Welsh Green because of its color. It is not the most exciting dragon name, kinda long and difficult to say in a hurry. Well it is a dragon native to Wales, mostly and all dragons are named after their native place. You know, like the Chinese fireball which is a red one but there are others... Hungarian Horntail, Norwegian Ridgeback, Peruvian Vipertooth and Swedish Shortsnout among others. So don't you think the Common Welsh deserves a more unique name than its color? After all he isn't the only green dragon as there is the Romanian Longhorn for example..." And there it was, you did it Peri; the young Gryffindor wouldn't shut up talking about dragons with you and it was not even the boys fault. Something compelled him to keep talking.

"They could have named it Welsh Singroar or anything like that you know? It is also the only dragon named 'Common' but isn't that because well Wales is so close and therefore it is most likely to see such a dragon here? But maybe the Norwegian Ridgeback is called Common Norwegian Ridgeback in Norway that could be right? But I still believe that the Common Welsh deserves a nicer name but the green is really pretty right? Almost like an emerald or so... and did you know they get up to 18 feet in size? Imagine just standing in front of one, but you possibly wouldn't want to because they can spit fire in narrow jets. Then again they usually avoid humans so you probably wouldn't meet one anyway..." Alan would ramble on with the facts about the dragons until the effects would slowly wear off, telling the prefect all there was about the Common Welsh dragon such as how cool their eggs looked as well as telling him about that Ilfracombe incident he had read about. As he finally snapped out of it however he would flush which was luckily obscured mostly by that dragon mask of his. "S-sorry sorry, must have been something I ate!", the Gryffindor rushed to apologize holding up his clawed hands in reassurance.

The Gryffindor would then notice that Tiger had long jumped from his shoulders and after glancing around he would catch the feline trying to engage what looked like a ghost cat into playing with him as he chased around it and would sometimes attempt to tackle it which only led to him being shocked and confused by the transparency of the feline. Alan shook his head and gave Pericles yet another apologetic glance, "I should really step in there, it was nice chatting with you," he mentioned before chasing after the bengal cat.

Action
Leaving to follow Tiger trying to chase the ghost cat

Outfit | Hair | Shoes | Mask

As Charles Alluring: INPC

Russian in Red
French in blue
Spanish in green
German in orange
English in brown

Open to interactions
Interacting: Cassie Heather _{@Lucia Fox} | @Robert Toukmond | @Quinn Smith | @Callista Lovis | @Pericles Dralt
Mentioning: @Alina Rosier | @Alexa Mackenzie
Action: Picking up a chocolate frog, telling Cassie personal stuff, trying to chat
For Mods:

Reducio

tats: Stamina: 6| Evasion: 5| Strength: 10| Wisdom: 4| Arcpower: 5| Accuracy: 10| Total: 40
Abilities: Evasion Maneuver, Lovely Creature

When Cassie agree but asked for him to he fast, Charles pull her off to the side and out if eat shot from others spoke rather quickly and quietly "Cass, I'm sorry. Really sorry, I never mean to ditch you and I really did want to join you, I did want to come to the costume party and have fun with you because with you I can be myself, I can feel free to be myself and know that I won't be ignored or forgotten. I'm so sorry that I left you and even the moment I left I regretted it because I didn't want to leave you Cass. I was frighten and worried, worried that when we got here and you saw how much of a idiot or failure I am you wouldn't want to be my friend or you would leave me."

Charles paused for a minute or so before continuing in his low whisper " I grew up in a home where I was forced to wear a mask, a mask that prevented me from being me and if I stepped out of line then... then stuff happened-" not bringing himself to say anything about his family Charles continued but this time taking his own mask off before whispering again, " but with you Cass I can be me and I'm not afraid of being me, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, I just hope that we can still be friends after tonight? Because Cass,I love you.... - not in a romantic way, more in a friend way or sister way if that makes sense not that your not beautiful because you are and brave and honest and an amazing person," Charles smiled at Cassie before saying and seeing that the other two left already, " I won't keep you any longer Cass, I'll see you later?"


Charles then parted with Cassie again but this time with a smile and properly as he looked around, again finding himself alone. He didn't have many friends in Dumstrang and even outside, he never had many friends so he was left alone as he looked for something to do. Charles bended down and tried to picked up a chocolate frog again before spotting a small group, one he recognized as the boy at the entrance trying to have him take something to eat or drink. The other three were nameless to him but he approached.

Charles gave a small head bow to the group of four as he spoke, mostly to throw them off, with a perfect english accent, " hello, mind if I join you? I'm Charles," looking at the boy dressed as a oversized banana Charles couldn't help a chuckled as he spoke again with his perfect english accent again, " nice costume mate, could I ask why you chose it?" Charles would usually never use the word 'mate' but in the situation of fooling them it was a added bonus. He held his mask in his right hand as he looked around before glancing back to the group and saying in his perfect
English accent " are you all from Hogwarts?"

Interacting with @Quinn Smith, @Callista Lovis, and Charles Alluring @Henry Knight

Costume Reference

Reducio

Thankfully, the potion's effects finally started to wear off, allowing him to straighten up again and wipe the tears from his eyes. After a couple deep breaths, the pain in his sides also began to go down, but he knew if something made him laugh again, hopefully in a non-magical way, it would come back. Finally being able to participate in civil conversation, he started walking with a bit more purpose to join Quinn in checking on the Headmaster, only to be distracted by the quite odd sight of a ghostly-looking cat pad into the room followed by a gaggle of curious students.

Apparently, both of his companions also noticed it, and had very differing views on how to respond. On one hand, Quinn was more cautious about leaving the party, while Callista seemed more open to the idea of an adventure. Robert was torn. The burning sense of curiosity inside him was urging the young Ravenclaw to get to the bottom of this mystery, but he also didn't want to leave either of the other first-years. Even though he hadn't known Quinn for very long, Robert had already developed a strong liking for the other Eagle, and of course, Callista had been one of his first friends in the castle.

After a bit of deliberation, Robert decided the best course of action would be to try and convince Quinn it would be a good idea to join the Hunt. First, to convince them their fears were unfounded. "It can't be that dangerous, this is a school, after all. It's probably just some sort of planned spooky Halloween event, like those tricky treats." The young boy grimaced, remembering what those tricky treats had done to him. However, all things considered, a bit of laughing can't seriously hurt someone. "Anyway, even if it was an actual threat to the parties, we're only first-years! There are lots of older students and adults who are much better equipped to handle a situation like that than us." Next, to appeal to Quinn's sense of curiosity Robert knew matched his own, if for no other reason than the fact that they'd been sorted into Ravenclaw. "Come on, aren't you dying to learn what the fuss is about?" And finally, to guilt the wix into going. It was a dirty ploy for sure, and yet almost always effective. With a sigh just large enough to be barely noticeable, Robert conceded to Quinn. "Alright, if you really don't want to go, I'll stay at the Costume Party with you." All that was left was to hope it didn't actually come to that.

As he was waiting for Quinn's response, the Ravenclaw saw another boy join their group. "Nice to meet you Charles, I'm Robert," he smiled, extending a hand to shake. "Erm, this is Quinn and Callista," he added, gesturing to the other first-years. At Charles' comment on his costume, the boy laughed and replied, "Thanks a bunch!" No, the puns were not over. "I'm not really sure what apealled to me the most about this costume, it just felt ripe." Robert had almost forgotten that there were other school present, especially since he wasn't really planning on going to the broom racing event later. Sitting around for an hour just to get thirty seconds of watching kids fly by on a broom didn't really appeal to him. Yes, I know I used the same pun twice. And no, I do not care. "Yeah, we're all from Hogwarts. What about you?"

Action: Following Quinn, but hoping they decide to split and join the Hunt

Action: grabbing two chocolate frogs on her way past the table while following the ghost cat, to join The Hunt.