Jacob, Evelynn, Galton, Calanthe, Gia Valentines closed

Of course, open to interaction

Galton had been informed that the game of hide-and-seek he signed up for was, in fact, not a game of hide-and-seek. While that sounded preposterous to the young lad, upon seeing the various hearts floating in the air around the staircase, he began to relent in the idea that this was only a game of hide-and-seek. Maybe it was hide-and-seek with a theme? Hogwarts did always have some fun games, he would be surprised if they didn’t have a way to spice up such a classic.

Whether or not Galton Lansdale realized it, it was almost exactly a year since his last dip into candy land. Spurred by some magic of the last year’s season, he’d once again reclaimed the title of Candy King. The memories were faded in his mind, held behind a thick curtain of mental trauma fog, but still present, now more than ever. And so Galton had found himself more full of energy, hungry, and desiring of company than normal. How the boy still had room to feel an increased sense of hunger was a mystery to even himself. But it was what it was, and it needed sating. So here he was.

When presented with the labeled items, he took both of the snacks (surprised?). He had not caught the numbering of the cupcake box before it was torn open, and so wandered around looking at the various decorations while he consumed the treat. He did though, notice the numbering on the candy package. “Must be my team?”

By the time he made his way over to the picnic, both of the snacks were gone. He still had the wrappers, but the contents were devoured. Galton the Glorious was being replaced with Galton the Gluttonous. He tossed them mindlessly onto the blanket, and fell onto a cushion. This was really a do-up for a game of hide-and-seek, wasn’t it? Maybe the others were right. Or maybe they weren’t. Galton wasn't normally wrong.

His stomach gurgled, calling to be fed. “More. I want more.” it whispered.

”Aren’t we active today? Looks like you’re in luck.” He answered back. He eyed the hamper, picking through the contents without lifting a finger. He needed to choose the optimal meal plan to ensure he got both: the best before it was gone, and as many different things as possible.

His small hands picked a sandwich, placed it in his mouth for storage, and then picked up a piece of cake and chocolate. Once seated back on his cushion he set the cake and chocolate onto the blanket. They would wait there for him, the dragon’s hoard. Treasure not to be shared with others.

And so he ate.

@Galton Landsdale | Mentioning @Simon Kincaid

14 February, 2021

Gia had almost decided not to go to the Valentines Day Dinner. She had been very, very shocked to find out that it was Simon of all people that had signed her up for this particular errand. Simon Kincaid! To be honest, she still wasn't sure what to think of it. One thing she did know: it was a great prank on the Hufflepuff's part even if he hadn't meant for it to be something of that sort. It was only minutes before seven p.m. that she finally thought to herself, Oh, why not? and left the Gryffindor Common Room to head towards the Astronomy Tower.

Maybe coming wasn't such a good idea. . . the first year thought the minute she entered the circular staircase. There were so many paper hearts floating in the air that she could barely see the top of the stairs, and when she got there she found that the doorway into the room was outlined in roses every shade of pink imaginable. Sure, it wasn't that she didn't like the color pink, it just seemed like. . . way too much of it. Of course, it was Valentines Day after all, but still.

Stopping right in front of the entryway, Gia bit her lip nervously. She definitely didn't have to go, right? No, no she didn't. But her curiosity was too strong, and the eleven year old told herself that she'd just take a small peek at what was inside and leave. So that's what she did. Walking quickly into the room, the young Gryffindor student couldn't help herself and gasped at the almost unfamiliar room in front of her. It didn't look like the Astronomy Tower at all.

Alright, you've seen it, time to go, the brunette told herself. But even now that she had seen what was inside the room, she felt like there was more. So. . . instead of turning around right there and then and leaving it all behind, Gia took another step forward. And another. And another, and another, and another. Soon, she spotted the roses, cupcakes, and bags of sweets that had been laid out and decided to take one, because why not? Picking up one of the bags, she took a chocolate out and bit into it as she walked further into the Astronomy Tower.

Something caught her eye, and Gia looked down to see that the blank label on her bag had transformed into one with something on it. A number: seven. "Okay. . ." the eleven year ld murmured to herself, a little bit confused. Then, when she saw the balloons, everything started to come together. Hesitating only for a moment, the girl was soon in front of a picnic blanket. And. . . there was already a boy sitting on it, eating - what seemed to her - almost everything in the hamper beside him.

"Um. . ." she paused, and then gave a small wave once she thought he looked up. "Hi? I'm Gia, first year, Gryffindor." This night was going to be very. . . different, that was for sure.

503 words
Stamina 8 ⋆ Evasion 6 ⋆ Strength 3 ⋆ Wisdom 7 ⋆ Arcane Power 5 ⋆ Accuracy 6
Evasive Maneuvers

"Oneeeee." He let the word trail as he counted. His count would stop there, but hopefully it would continue later as the crowd grew. He was staring at a small girl - had to be a first year (not like she informed him of that) - who seemed very uncertain of her greeting and introduction. Given the circumstances, she had to be an opponent for the game, she was probably nervous. She shouldn't have been, the small ones can always get themselves in the best spots. But that was a thought for later as they didn't have nearly enough to play yet. Time for pre-game pleasantries.

"Galton, 3rd, also Gryffindor." He returned the introduction. Always a lot of introductions at Hogwarts. "Sit, eat, we have time. You want some cake?" He pointed the the basket for a moment before moving towards it. He planted a hand down on what he thought was the blanket to gain some leverage for such a move, only to find his piece of cake crushed between his greedy little fingers.

"Aw man..." He took a sec to look at his hand, covered in moist cake bits. "Well, we have more!" He took a lick of his hand to get a few choice bits off and into his mouth. There was no need to waste all of it. With his clean hand he plucked another piece of cake and took a bite. He settled back into his cushion and looked back at the girl.

"I think there is also tea?" He pointed to the tea pot with the dirty hand. A small chunk of cake mixed with saliva dropped to the blanket as he pointed. Oops. "I guess it's already dirty..." He muttered quietly to himself.

He'd wipe his hand clean on the blanket. Smearing it in and off his hand. Then he'd look back to Gia, awaiting an answer.

Some sort of Valentine's event, they had said. Climb the stairs to the top of the Astronomy tower at sundown, they had instructed. A special day with the opportunity for a little bit of fun, they had indicated. How on earth Evelynn had managed to get goaded into actually complying and making her way up to the tower as directed, even she didn't know. There were quite a few things that she was finding herself doing this year in the name of making a good impression that she otherwise might not have done—like build a snowman or babysit a worm for a day, for instance.

Climbing the stairs to find it decorated with a trail of gently floating hearts leading to an arch of paper roses, however, Evelynn couldn't help but second guess herself. She hadn't even entered into the main of the event—whatever it was—and already she was feeling that familiar tug in her gut to flee. It was like a scene out of one of her mother's gross romance films, all gooey and fluttery and far too emotional for anything she was likely to be prepared for. Hesitation gripped her at the entrance, toes teetering on a line of no return. A scan around the room revealed a number of numbered spots that seemed set up for picnics. Spots for two, if the cushions were any indication. Lips setting themselves into a thin line while lines of concern etched themselves upon her brow.

Seconds stretched on with her indecision. Several students passed her by, and she watched as they plucked up candy or a cupcake or a bouquet of flowers. Some were all too eager to traipse over and plunk themselves down on to their blanket, heart-filled eyes set on their partners. Curiously, however, some of the blankets seemed to attract more participants than there were cushions. Concern gave way to curiosity, expression softening with the arch of a brow. Perhaps this might be interesting afterall. Plus, realistically, it wasn't as though this were entirely different from her experiences in HHAWT…

With a steadying breath, shoulders rising and falling with her attempt to bolster her motivation, she resolved to take that step. If nothing else, this could prove an opportunity to get to know whoever it was with whom she would be sitting. It wasn't like this was Spin the Bottle. She wouldn't have to kiss anyone. Or be kissed by anyone. Thus, at the table nearby, Evelynn elected to pluck two things. The bag of candy, she slipped into her satchel. The cupcake, on the other hand, she examined with a mix of hunger and admiration. They were really quite lovely, the iced roses; and tasty, too, she soon realized when a fingertip dipped in to collect a dab of sugary goodness slipped quickly between her lips. But it was the number that eventually caught her attention and without further delay, she meandered to find her place.

A place that was already occupied by two. Brows raised and the corners of her mouth curled in barely contained amusement to find that at least one of them seemed to have already started. It was Lansdale, the Chocolate Frog Over-Indulging Potion-Poisoned Candy Chaos King. Not exactly anyone whom she would wish to be within ten meters of when he had anything sugary within his grasp. Naturally, her gaze dipped south to take stock of what it was that he was eating, no small part of her churning with disapproval at the obvious smears of smooshed cake, chocolate that she hoped wasn't melting into the blanket, and what looked to have been a spot used to clean off grubby fingers. Honestly… Did this boy have no sense of propriety? And as a spot of saliva-cake (not to be mistaken for delicious lava cake) dripped to the picnic proper, Evelynn had to hold back a visible cringe.

"You've got… You've got some cake.." She uttered out to Lansdale, trying her best not to look absolutely horrified at his gluttunous presentation and lifting a finger to indicate a spot on her cheek. "Just… there.." Really… it was everywhere, but nevermind. She was trying to be polite. "It's good to see you doing…" Last time she'd seen him properly was this time last year when he had stuffed no fewer than three of those laced candies Athanatos had been selling into his mouth and was promptly ushered away by the Auror VanCleaf. She was already having a hard time envisioning how this could possibly turn out to be a pleasant evening. If the boy didn't attempt to eat them, they'd have to make sure they were on guard to avoid him spewing on them instead. "Are you well?"

BUT! There was always a silver lining, no? "Good evening," Evelynn chipped after Lansdale had been given a moment to reply, turning immediately to the other girl and offering a hand. A very clean and pristine, not covered in cake or saliva hand, "I have seen you about the Commons, but I don't think I've yet had the pleasure. I'm Decipio, second year. Gryffindor, of course. You are?"

[font=century gothic]INTERACTING WITH @Galton Lansdale, @Gia Adelard

@Galton Landsdale | @Evelynn Decipio

14 February, 2021

The first year could help raising an eyebrow as she watched the older boy in front of her crush a piece of cake beneath his hand. "Er - nice to meet you. . . ?" The end of her sentence turned into a bit of a question, but the girl did as she was told. Part of it, at least. She wasn't going to be eating a piece of that cake anytime soon, that was for sure. "I'm good, thanks." Sitting down on the side of the blanket on the opposite side that he was, Gia shook her head once more when he offered tea. "No, it's fine, I'm not really. . . hungry." She couldn't help the slightly disgusted look at appeared on her face after Galton rubbed his hand on the blanket to get cake bits and chocolate off. He wasn't looking at her when she did so, however, which was lucky.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Gia turned to see another girl standing there. Oh, good, it's not just the two of us, she thought to herself. Upon closer inspection of the new student, the Gryffindor started to feel like she looked a little bit familiar. Perhaps they'd passed each other in the halls one day or something else of the sort? These thoughts were hurriedly pushed out of her mind, however, when the other girl started talking to Galton, attempting to tell him about the small chunk of cake that had probably fallen out of the boy's mouth while he was chewing. The eleven year old could tell that the newcomer was just as revolted by the third year as she was herself, from the way she hesitated between her words.

When the girl in front of her offered a hand and introduced herself as Decipio, the brunette quickly took it, glad for the distraction from whatever it was that was going on behind her. "Gia," she said, as way of introducing herself. Then, deciding to say more, she added, "Gia Adelard, first year." Ah, that was where she recognized the older girl from! Yes, that was it. She remembered seeing her around the Common Room at some point. If she recalled correctly, Decipio was also a Prefect. . . but she wasn't completely sure about that, so she didn't say anything on that topic. After gesturing for the other Gryffindor to sit down on the part of the blanket that was not already occupied, Gia said, "I'm not quite sure what we're supposed to be doing, but there's three of us now, so surely we can come up with something."

Keeping her attention on Decipio, the first year decided to start a small conversation. They were going to be there for a while, she knew that much, so why let the time go by in silence? A conversation was definitely much better than that. "So," Gia started. "They really went all out with the decorations, huh?" After leaving some time for the others to say something, she added, "Did you guys sign up for this on your own?" It seemed a decent question to ask, since she herself hadn't, and plus, it was a pretty good prank. Plenty of people could have thought of doing that, so she couldn't be quite sure if the others had signed up themselves or not. "I was signed up by a friend. I'm not really sure yet why he did it, but. . . oh well." The girl gave a halfhearted shrug, hoping the others would say something so she wasn't the only one talking. She was pretty sure Galton was still stuffing as much food as he could into his mouth, though, so she looked to the older girl for help instead. Awkward silences were one of Gia's least favorite things.

622 words
Stamina 8 ⋆ Evasion 6 ⋆ Strength 3 ⋆ Wisdom 7 ⋆ Arcane Power 5 ⋆ Accuracy 6
Evasive Maneuvers

Interacting with: @Gia Adelard and @Evelynn Decipio

"TWO!" Galton called out as the redheaded lass approached the duo. Two was still too few, but they were coming in at a good rate now. They'd have people enough for a respectable game.

"You've got… You've got some cake.." She was addressing him "Just… there.." She pointed to her own cheek. He used (or tied to use) his tongue to find the spot she'd indicated and reclaim the whatever cake remains he had missed from earlier. Wouldn't want it going to waste, this cake really was delicious.

He knew the girl speaking, even if it seemed that some of his memory of her was faded. If he was able to crack the code to the locked portion of his memory, he would find that she had almost saved him from delirium a year ago. Too bad she had been stingy with her trades.

"It's good to see you doing…" She hesitated to finish her thought, why would she? Did Galton not look as if he was in immaculate condition. "Are you well?" Was she questioning him? People are weird. How could anyone see him and not know that he was having an amazing time. Maybe she was worried he'd get stomach sick from all the food. Impossible for Galton (it was very much possible), but a kind gesture.

"Yes! I am more than well, honestly. Look at all this." he gestured to the picnic. By the time his mouth was clear of food and ready to return the question, she had moved on to his fellow picnicker.

So he used the time to get some tea going. He perused the selection of brewables, intent of finding a flavor that fit the mix of food best. After a few moment he had chosen some sort of strawberry tea, he was sure it would compliment both the cake and sandwiches well. With his legs folded beneath him he poured hot water into his cup and watched the magic happen. All lost in his own world, forgetting to tune in to the other two for a short moment.

"... but there's three of us now, so surely we can come up with something." The words entered his ears and left, Lansdale still too caught up in the steeping tea to fully comprehend her words yet. From clear to pink to a deeper red, the water and herbs mixed in front of him. It was its own sort of magic, not something they would learn about here, a muggle sort of magic. And then the words would come back to hit him. "so surely we can come up with something"

Did she not know the something they were gathered here for? The game of all games on their minds. Did she not know the slaughter she was walking into. To be sought out and found by the great hide-and-seeker Galton? Fools. "Don't act coy, you two know why we are here. Are you scared to be paired with an experienced player like myself?"

@Galton Lansdale @Gia Adelard @Evelynn Decipio

If anyone asked Calanthe if she signed herself up for this event, she would vehemently deny it. My friends did it. As a prank. What friends? Oh, piss off. Truthfully, the girl was tired of being alone. The event provided an excuse to make a new friend, without having to strike up a conversation randomly in the halls. Calanthe was not curious about the romance of it all. She was simply intent on being more social. What if her partner introduced her to his friends? And they became her friends? What if the delight of speaking to someone new could spur her to become closer with her classmates? All good thoughts that persisted until the night of the affair. She stayed under her covers until most of her dormmates had left, contemplating if she should actually show up. Whoever had the misfortune of being her partner would be bored with her, anyways. She hardly found herself interesting. Yet, she eventually escaped her confines and left for the hap, grumbling all the way.

The Astronomy Tower held a special meaning for Calanthe. It was the place she came to be alone, sitting on the winding steps, but never venturing into the top floor. The sight of her place defiled for some couples shindig like this? How ridiculous. She was definitely not into this. At all. Who told you that her heart fluttered as she climbed the steps, eager to see the person she had been paired with? They lied to you. Calanthe was unconditionally indifferent to the sight of hearts and potential lovers. Or … groups … of lovers? Whatever. She was totally uninterested in all this shite.

Still, the young witch was quite bemused at the sight of trios and more. Wasn’t this a Valentine’s thing? For couples? Was she expected to talk to more than one person? I didn’t prepare enough for this! The sight mortified her, speeding up her already racing heart. A look of sheer terror made its way onto her face, and she quickly looked to the side where party favors were provided. A distraction. Without a single thought for her mystery partner, Calanthe plucked a rose from the vase, its mild musk more inviting than the cupcakes and chocolates. A number appeared on the label attached to the rose and her eyes scanned the room, resting upon the same number on a balloon. Without giving herself any time to back out, she beelined for the number, stopping just short of the blanket to observe the participants already present.

Two girls. Thank the gods. Calanthe felt discomfort among both boys and girls, and even though she had filled out her sheet in search of a male partner for the evening, the girl regretted mere minutes after handing the sheet in. Perhaps it was the elementary idea of boys harboring cooties, or the desire for a strong female friendship that she had been lacking all her life. Whatever the hidden reason, Calanthe felt some of the stress on her heart subside, allowing her to take a steady breath, the first since her ascent to the top of the tower began. Both girls were familiar. One she had seen in all of her classes and had sat across from during spin the bottle, and the other was a face that passed through the lion’s den on occasion. However, on looking past them, Calanthe’s face of discomfort morphed into one of confused disgust.

What in Pelor’s good graces is that? Her thoughts referred to the boy sitting on the blanket. The seating area was marred by stains of crushed cake, undoubtedly caused by the boy who’s own hands and face sported the evidence. This night was going to be unlike anything Calanthe was expecting, it seemed. He was also familiar, probably from the commons as well. And … was he a duelliest too?

She approached the girls, but her eyes were still trained on the odd boy. “Uhm,” and a brief silence followed. A downside to avoiding any human interaction: Calanthe’s social graces left much to be desired. Was this the part where she introduced herself? But that seems too forced? Shouldn’t it come up naturally? Should I wait for someone to ask? No, that’s too self-absorbed, right? “Uh … hi. My name is, uhm … I’m Calanthe. This is my group, I think. Is he … okay?”

Whether Evelynn was comforted by Lansdale's affirmation that he was well, she certainly didn't show it. Nor had she needed him to gesture to the all that for her to have taken notice. She had definitely taken notice of the picnic. Or what she assumed was supposed to be a picnic but was beginning to look more and more like the scene after a toddler had been left to his own devices in a cake shop. And, honestly… she still wasn't sure she trusted anything sweet in his hands. There was a part of her that expected him to jump up and start attempting to eat them all any second.

Rather than express that particular thought, however, she simply crimped her lips and answered, "…right. Very good."

Thankfully, her awkward and borderline insensitive reaction was quickly redirected, transforming into one of relieved warmth as Adelard accepted her hand and greeting. Evelynn gave it a firm and succinct shake before releasing it with a, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Adelard. You're in Gryffindor as well, are you not? I think I've seen you around the common room before." Pleasantries aside, however, Adelard had voiced a critical point. What were they supposed to be doing? Begrudgingly, Evelynn glanced back to Lansdale, and then the setting of the picnic.

"Well.." Evelynn moved to ease herself down upon a safe and clean part of the blanket, resting the majority of her weight on one hip supported by a hand on the same side while her legs bent and crossed at the ankles to the other side. She had been about to suggest that they could just talk, but Adelard continued without prompting, carrying the conversation to a new direction. "Sign up?" A note of confusion flecked Evelynn's tone. "Was this something to sign up for? I never signed my name for anything at all. I was simply given direction to be here at this time.."

Had someone signed her up for this? Her gaze dipped from the rest of her companions to pan out to the others gathered around at other picnic locations, wondering if one of them had been the culprit. Who would even bother to sign her up? Unless someone had hoped to be paired with her, perhaps? Now that was an unsettling thought…

"Er…" Reeling in her gaze and attention, Evelynn fixed her focus back on the others present. "No, I did not sign myself up. I suppose someone else must have done that for me as well, like they did you…But yes, I suppose we could figure out something to do."

A point that Lansdale sought to comment on. A fresh new wave of uncertainty coloured Evelynn's expression as she tuned it to the boy. "Do we? Please do enlighten us, then." Because she, for one, hadn't the faintest idea as to why they were there. Or why his tone seemed to suggest that it was quite obvious and more than just to talk and enjoy mushed cake. "Ehm.. Should we be scared?" Evelynn asked uncertainly. Clearly, there was something afoot that she wasn't privy to. Perhaps the details had been in the sign up and since she hadn't been one to sign herself up, she'd missed the memo. But evidently, according to him, he was an experienced player. Thank goodness for her complete ignorance in everything remotely romantically related, otherwise she might have held more than a little reservation about his self-appointed title of "player". "What game is it that we're to be playing?" she wondered, making the clear assumption that to be a player meant there was a game to be played.

The arrival of another voice drew Evelyn's attention away temporarily. The familiar face of Choi wandered into view. "Ah, good evening, Choi." Another fellow second year and one of Evelynn's dormmates. The two hadn't really conversed much, if at all really, but the face and presence was a familiarity at least. "Come, join us. Yes, he seems to be quite alright. In fact, I think Lansdale was just about to enlighten us as to what we're supposed to be doing tonight. It seems the activity is a game of some sort."

[font=century gothic]INTERACTING WITH @Galton Lansdale, @Gia Adelard, @Calanthe Choi

@Galton Lansdale | @Evelynn Decipio | @Calanthe Choi

14 February, 2021

Gia nodded. "Yes, I am." she said in response to Decipio's question. There was something about the older girl that made her want to act very polite and proper, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what that was. Perhaps it was the fact that other Gryffindor was a prefect? Yes, that could definitely be it, she thought to herself. Although, the first year had run into other prefects at times and she'd acted the same as usual then. . . Well, maybe it was the fact that the second year was the prefect of her own house. That made more sense, and seemed to work with the other situations as well, didn't it? Gia shook her head slightly to clear the random thoughts away and turned her full attention back to what was happening before her.

Decipio seemed slightly confused about the fact that they had to sign up for the dinner. "Oh, I thought everyone knew. . ." Gia paused, and then added, "I learned that I'd been signed up just this morning, actually, so I suppose if that hadn't happened I wouldn't have known that this was something people signed up for, either." She shrugged. It hadn't occurred to her that someone might sign another up without ever telling them they'd done so, but clearly that was the case for Decipio. Possibly Galton as well, but Gia wasn't completely sure about that. He could just as easily come for the food and the food only, she thought silently, smiling a little bit at how silly it was. They had food everyday, it wasn't like the boy was starving or anything, was it?

Speaking of the third year, he'd finally begun talking again, taking a short break from stuffing his face with everything within reach. Gia turned to see what he was going to say, wondering if maybe he had an idea for something the three of them could do. What he said next was not very informative, however, and the brunette didn't have any idea of what he was talking about. The older girl also seemed quite confused, and she spoke up first, asking what he was talking about. "Er, I honestly don't," Gia admitted. "Yes, what game are you an. . . 'experienced player' in?" The eleven year old waited impatiently for his answer, beginning to feel a little nervous. She clearly hadn't been informed that they were going to be playing some sort of game that night.

Before Galton could answer the two girls' questions, however, a new voice broke through the short silence that had slipped into their conversation and Gia turned once again to see who it was. Another face slightly familiar. . . another lion? She seemed quite nervous. Decipio recognized her almost immediately and addressed the girl by last name like she did everyone else. The first year gave a small wave. "Hi, Calanthe!" she said with a smile. "I'm Gia, first year. You're in Gryffindor too, correct?" Decipio had already answered the newcomer's question about Galton, who was most likely eating once more, so Gia didn't say anything about that - not that she had wanted to in the first place, of course. "Yes, Galton just told us that he's an experienced player in whatever game it is we're here to participate in." she said, adding onto the explanation of what they'd been doing before Calanthe had arrived.

"So?" she prompted, turning to the third year.

565 words
Stamina 8 ⋆ Evasion 6 ⋆ Strength 3 ⋆ Wisdom 7 ⋆ Arcane Power 5 ⋆ Accuracy 6
Evasive Maneuvers