Event Blossom Ball - Trial of Apollo

[ @Scarlett Aden • @Henry Knight as Charles • @Rose Moon as Drew • everyone present ]

introducing herself • being overly confident • demonstrating the macarena with lyrics as below

English #26687E • French #72267E

Apollo! The last trial - it was themed on Apollo! "Oh. My. Gosh. Scarlett!" Cassie said excitedly to her friend. "Apollo! It's Apollo!" She grinned. Obviously Scarlett would absolutely crush the opposition (namely Charlie and Drew) during this Trial - after all, she was dressed as Apollo himself. Cassie would have an advantage too, seeing as she was Artemis, Apollo's twin sister. No-one was really supposed to show favouritism when judging something such as a trial, but Cassie was confident that whoever was supposed to be dressed as Apollo right now would just have to give her and Scarlett all the points, even if just for their outfits.

Okay, so they had to perform something. Cassie could totally perform. She had no idea what she'd do yet, but, before she could decide, the stage was free and she found her legs practically carrying her there of their own accord. "Hi!" Cassie paused, then carried on. She wasn't sure if anyone else had introduced themselves (she couldn't really remember) but ah well. That didn't matter. "I'm Cassie. I'm from Beauxbatons, and I basically know zilch about Greek mythology, but it's ok, 'cos my mum's really into them and I can just get her to explain everything over the summer." She paused again, squinting into the crowd. Only one thing popped into her head. She had been planning to teach it to Charles anyway, so why not now? "Righto, this is a group performance, anyone can join in if you want, I won't judge. We're all gonna do the Macarena." She gave a big, over-the-top grin to the assembled students, most of whom were now looking extremely uncomfortable. She gave a huge thumb-up to Charles and gestured that he should get on his feet (if he didn't, she'd stick his tongue out at him). Then, she began.

[ sixth sense • fearless • sta 9 • eva 6 • str 8 • wis 7 • arc 4 • acc 7 ]

Hades | Hecate |Orpheus | Hermes | Persephone| Apollo(here)

Dee had been spending some time sitting next to Kazuo, drinking juice and watching the students going through the trial with different levels of entertainment. Admittedly, most of them seemed to know what they were doing. There had been some singing, some dancing, some poems recited, although honestly, the most interesting one had been Xailah, leaving with no performance at all. She supposed she could respect the decision, to not sing and dance for someone else's entertainment.

But the longer the performances had dragged on, the more bored Dee was becoming. Sitting still, watching other people, really wasn't her thing, so after the next performer left, she decided it was as good a time as any to take centre stage herself. Standing up, golden apple in hand, she walked a few paces, then turned around to Kazuo, a somewhat amused expression on her face.

"Sadly," she started, not sounding sorry at all, "I don't have much talent for singing, or dancing." She shifted her weight to the other leg in a casual movement, tapping her nose in pretend-thought. "I was considering conjuring some fireworks for you, but then I thought, since you value knowledge," honestly, why wasn't he in Ravenclaw, "I could play to some of my other strengths." More specifically, the extensive number of random potion recipes stuck in her brain. It was likely at least partially due to the other trials that potions were so far on the front of her thoughts at the moment, between questions about ingredients and potion recipes.

She took a step to the side, spreading her arm to the side, the gesture slightly reminiscent of a dance, then turned around slowly, started pacing in thought. "If I had spring water, Alihotsy leaves, Billywig wings, Knarl quills, Puffskein hair, and horseradish powder, I could at least make you sound like you're enjoying my performance." She grinned. "I have laughter enough, you could maybe use some more."

"Provided with pearl dust, Ashwinder eggs, moonstone, peppermint, and perhaps rose petals, you'd maybe let me pass because you thought you were in love with me." She rolled her eyes slightly, but the amusement was still dancing in them, bright and clear. "But then, we already established we're not here for that."

Dee tilted her head to one side, a third potion already in mind. "And if I could correctly brew Ashwinder eggs, Squill bulbs, Murtlap tentacle, thyme tincture, Occamy egshells and common rue, I might pass this trial with pure luck." She stopped, turning back to face Kazuo, grinning. "Although it would take half a year, and I should probably steal this potion from an experienced potioneer instead, don't want to poison myself."

Performance finished, she sank into a more or less graceful, slightly mocking curtsy, then raised the apple in her hand, turning it over once. "And if, despite this absolutely incredible performance, you are not yet convinced, just remember what Aphrodite's favour could be worth." She looked at the apple, thoughtful. "Although I guess it tends to be a double-edged sword."

1 2 3 4 H H O H P A

Action | It's Trial Time

Sta 5 | Eva 9 | Str 3 | Wis 10 | Arc 6 | Acc 8
Evasive Maneuvers | Charmer

Reducio

Charmer Allies: All Hogwarts students/staff except Ileen Knight, Percival Rainwood, Thomas Lestrange, Henry Knight, [Isaac W. Pincus ,] Vladimir Athanatos.

[ @Carolyn Hunt ]

not looking at the crowd • dancing with Carolyn

Carolyn warned Lucia not to trust the punch she was drinking, and Lucia frowned. Too late, she remembered a few whispers she'd heard about the punch at the last blossomball, but this one seemed to be fine. "I think it's okay," she reassured the Ravenclaw. "It's actually quite nice. I'll be fine."

The strange term disco was explained, and Lucia nodded seriously. "Oh. Okay." Was this something she should have known? "I, um, I've never really talked to a Muggle my age for that long." She flushed. "I don't think I'd ever talked to a muggleborn before I came here." Oh, no. In her haste to explain her lack of knowledge, she has made it sound like she'd had a lonely childhood. "It was fine though!" she blurted quickly. "Um, I had my sisters. They're cool." Okay, now she was just digging herself a hole. Lucia decided to shut her mouth before she did any more damage to Carolyn's opinion of her.

Carolyns suggested that the girls head to the Apollo trial first (ooh! Trial of Apollo! Lucia needed to start reading that series) and the Hufflepuff nodded in agreement, heading away from the courtyard towards where the trial was taking place. "I think this is supposed to be the last one," she mused as the Trial was explained. "Ah well. Should we just do them backwards?"

The Apollo trial seemed pretty straightforward - just do some sort of performance. And Merlin, were there a wide range of performances already. There were recitals, songs, dances... one girl even tried for some audience participation, which Lucia didn't join in on. Lucia herself could sing, probably. She had no idea what song, and it was nerve-wracking to even think of, but... she glanced at Carolyn. Her dance partner. Her dance partner. Why didn't they do a dance? "Do you want to do a dance?" Lucia asked her friend. "Oh! We could do the one to Apollo!"

This was a dance which they had been practising together for quite a while now - maybe it was time to show it to someone. Lucia couldn't help feeling a little nervous. She hadn't ever properly performed a dance before; right now, she was just grateful that she had Carolyn, who was probably used to this kind of thing, next to her. And it wasn't too complicated a dance, after all.

When their time came to perform, Lucia busied herself setting up the music, back to the spectators, while Carolyn introduced them if she wanted to. When she'd finished, she hopped up onto the stage and took Carolyn's hands to start the dance. Lucia gave her a nervous smile, and then they began.

It was only as the dance ended that Lucia realised that she has been singling the lyrics to Apollo under her breath, using them to help her keep in time. Lucia had always had a natural sense of the beat in music, which was useful in dancing. Apparently, she had inherited her love of music from her father - although her mother, as a part-Veela herself, had a beautiful singing voice, she lacked the passion which truly made songs performance-worthy. Lucia had seen Ebony sing a few times, but though her voice was angelic, her eyes practically oozed boredom. As Lucia suddenly remembered the spectators and took a quick but graceful curtsey, staring at the floor, her mind flew to her father. Antony Fox. The man who had helped raise her until she was six years old and then disappeared, leaving Ebony to care for her three daughters all by herself. The man who had, according to Irina, helped cut his older brother out of his family and never spoken of him again... Lucia blinked hard to stop herself from thinking about it and slid off the stage in a surprisingly childlike motion. This trial was over, but there were more to come.

the dance

[ for stats/abilities, see signature ]

speech #bf0040
action HEYY MACARENA
abilities prodigal charms leaner, fearless
stats stamina 7 | evasion 6 | accuracy 8 | strength 6 | wisdom 6 | arcane power 9

────── ☆ ───────

[font=times new roman]T[/font]his was Scarlett's worst nightmare.

Singing. And dancing. In front of someone dressed as the same god as her.

But of course, she couldn't let that show. She grinned at Cassie. "We've so got this." Cassie went on first, announcing herself and her performance that anyone could join. Wait - what?

Salvation!

No need to come up with a random song to horrifically belt out - she could just join in Cassie's performance! They were best friends after all. Scarlett was sure Cassie wouldn't mind. She had no clue what a macarena was but it couldn't be that hard. Hopefully Cassie wasn't hiding some god-tier (get it?) dance skills Scarlett didn't know about.

Scarlett ran on stage, bursting into the brightness. The blond Charles guy was also onstage with Cassie. She caught sight of the Apollo guy with some juice in his hand and suddenly felt rather thirsty. Maybe she should just walk back out. To get some juice. And not actually perform. But - unfortunately - it was too late and she was already caught up in the dance.

"Hi, I'm Scarlett but whatever - hamburger, cheese - lettuce - tomato -" stumbled Scarlett, trying to get into the rhythm. The lyrics were hard enough already but the dance?

Cassie put her hands on her head. Scarlett misjudged and put her hands on her hips.

Cassie put her hands in front of her, palms facing down. Scarlett put them palms facing up. After around two goes, Scarlett got the hang of it.

"Hamburger, cheese, lettuce and tomato, hamburger, cheese, lettuce and tomato, hamburger, cheese, lettuce and tomato, heyy macarena!"

They all jumped to face the right, and Cassie's hands went on her head. Scarlett's hands went on her head.

"Hamburger, cheese, lettuce and tomato, hamburger, cheese, lettuce and tomato, hamburger, cheese, lettuce and tomato, heyy macarena!"

They jumped to face the back. Cassie's palms faced down, Scarlett's palms faced down. This wasn't too bad.

Eventually the music finished, and Scarlett jerked her head forward at Apollo-guy and - Dealla, was it? - to mimic a bow. She then ran offstage. "Well," she muttered, mostly to herself and only slightly sarcastically. "That was fun."

────── ☆ ───────

Graphic by Leonard Oaksworth

Interacting with: @Evelynn Decipio

Stats:
Stamina 6 | Evasion 5 | Strength 8 | Wisdom 5 | Arcane Power 5 | Accuracy 6

Abilities:
Fearless

Apparel

Through the entire span of his memories, Marshal could be seen watching various performers, enthralled by the adroit movement of their limbs, or the masterful way with which their vocal cords navigated a tune. In every such instance, he could vividly picture himself in their place, experiencing what it was like to leap across a stage, or hear that voice of silk emerge from his own mouth.
Even now, as he and Eve awaited their chance to impress this god - this boy who posed as someone fit to judge a performance - he heard the cry of a crowd, saw their hands come together in a universal expression of appreciation. Standing on the stage of his imagination, the pressure of a spotlight pushed him into a bow as pleas for an encore met his willing ears. He was unstoppable, unopposed and unmatched.
But even as another song began, and he moved to step with the beat, one toe fell victim to the heel of his other foot, the blunder closely followed by an introduction of his face to the cold ground. Glancing up from his pitiful place in the dirt, the great performer found the spotlight's glare replaced by sunshine; his admiring fans were gone, with laughing friends in their place as fantasy faded to visions of the past.

Despite how the boy tried, and no matter how hard he wished, reality was inescapable. He danced with all the grace of a moose on a lake of ice, and sang with a voice resembling the same creature's panicked bellow.
His mother insisted that his father's genes were to blame, and his father wholeheartedly agreed, occasionally offering a performance that even a bellowing moose on ice could mock. Yet, somehow, knowing who was at fault didn't seem to help much.
It was rather odd, to be honest, that such an athletically inclined child couldn't do the can-can without being rudely reminded that he can't-can't. Apparently one could run with two left feet.

Presently, those two left feet were planted beside Evelynn, memories and imagination alike dissolving as the pair looked on. The stage before them was quite different from what he had envisioned moments earlier, with no true spotlight - only pinpoints of luminescence where candles graced the air - and no audience but a fickle god and the goddess who had awarded him her presence. It was almost underwhelming, yet somehow more intimidating, as subtle nuances played with his mind, from the expectant silence that followed each contestant, to the supercilious glint in Apollo's eye.

He had briefly considered some form of duet, performed with his lovely companion, but the thought had been put to bed when she spoke of her desire to play the mournful strings of a violin.
"A fair plan," he'd responded with a lauding grin. "Your radiance shouldn't be eclipsed by the jester fixed to your side."
Now, as the final note of the prior contestant's song dwindled and died, he turned to Eve once more. "Allow me to go first. The hilarity of my appearance will wake them up just in time to see the musical performance of a lifetime." He gave her a wink, which appeared rather absurd as his beard drooped slightly to one side.

Striding swiftly to the makeshift stage, he pondered what he should do. Well, at least he knew very well what he shouldn't do, and that was a start.
Turning to face the judges, he caught a full glimpse of their faces for the first time, confirming that he had never met either of them in his life, which meant he had no insight as to what they may enjoy. Excellent.
He glanced back to where Evelynn stood, and was rewarded by a rush of nervous energy. At that moment, it was clear; this performance was not for the eyes of two strangers. What did it really matter if they gave him a standing ovation, or dropped to the ground in a fit of laughter? Why should their opinions be relevant to him?
No, there was another purpose behind his actions, as there had been throughout all the Trials on this night. Every movement seemed to count for something more, every spoken word carrying weight, as he attempted to show a certain individual that there was something to him, other than a hopeless wizard who needed tutoring, or a helpless victim who needed saving.

With that line of thought came the poem that he would recite. It almost seemed to float from the depths of his mind, like driftwood to the water's surface, words from a book of poetry he had been forced to read so long ago.
"Fancy meeting you here, Apollo," he greeted, honoring the judges with a nod. "Big fan." Clasping his hands behind his back, he went on as if conducting a business meeting. "Now, I know that two of my options are to dance, or to sing. But seeing as your eyes and ears have done nothing to offend me, I won't make them suffer so terribly. Instead, I'll recite a poem, entitled 'Good and Bad Weather,' by the Greek poet, Constantine P. Cavafy."
Standing tall, he cleared his throat and allowed every reason he had chosen this particular piece to sink in. The theme of springtime, coupled with the fact that the creator was a Greek poet, certainly had influence. But there was so much more.

"It does not bother me if outside
winter spreads fog, clouds, and cold.
Spring is within me, true joy.
Laughter is a sun ray, all pure gold,
there is no other garden like love,
the warmth of song melts all the snows."

The verse spoke to the way he had always lived, how he tried to see the silver lining on every cloud, and laughed away all the sorrow. It represented his belief that, no matter how dark the situation, and despite all the cold, there was always something to spread light, someone to breathe warmth back into your heart.
As he paused to take a breath, his gaze found Eve once more, the expression on his face indiscernible.

"What good is it that outside spring
sends up flowers and sows greenness!
I have winter within me when the heart hurts.
The sigh blots out the most brilliant sun;
if you have sorrow May resembles December,
tears are colder than the cold snow."

The poem was finished, the hazel of his eyes clouded as his thoughts wandered to a different place.
The last verse seemed to reflect the path his life had taken in past months. Memories of pain and fear drifted by, finally giving way to his very recent experience in the Trial of Orpheus. Suddenly, the warmth of the spring night faded as a chill from within made him shiver.

A few moments crawled on before the boy realized where he was. A hand passed through the white wig on his head, his gaze finding the judges once more.
"That's- I hope you enjoyed it," he stumbled before rushing off the stage, discreetly wiping the tear that crept - unbidden - down his cheek, and stopping near the exit to await Eve's performance.

Trial Tracker:
Orpheus | Apollo | Hecate | Hades | Persephone | Hermes

Interacting with: @Lucia Fox

“Don’t worry about it. That was my mistake. I tend to forget not everybody got to be part of both worlds while growing up.” Carolyn apologised to her friend as they were walking towards their first trial. She should really keep better track of other people’s backgrounds. It was still somewhat surprising that some wizards didn’t get to interact with muggles at all but she supposed it was not uncommon among those that were born to generations of pureblood families. “Backwards?” The girl opted to avoid any more awkwardness by latching onto the next suggestion. “Sure, Why not? I don’t think it matters too much.” She agreed with a smile.

The Apollo trial did sound interesting and once both girls entered the room, Carolyn’s excitement grew even more. Seeing so many talented people in one place was truly a feast for the eyes. Sure not everybody was equally artistic but those who weren’t seemed to balance it out with their wits. "Do you want to do a dance?" A familiar voice brought her back to reality. “Yes…I would love to.” She replied, her eyes sparkling with delight. On the outside, she looked as calm as ever yet it was also apparent how thrilled she was. It has been some time since she last performed ballet on stage and although this was not necessarily one, it would be as close as she could get to it until summer. But what should we do? Her brain started coming up with ideas almost immediately. " We should definitely do the Apollo dance!" Carolyn suggested at the very same time as her partner did. She couldn’t help but chuckle. “Perfect, we are already in sync.” Wow…It feels like I haven’t laughed in forever. She noted absentmindedly. The sound felt foreign to her ears. Then again, there hasn’t been much joy in her life recently so why would she? Dancing though…dancing was a joy to her.

“All right, you can set up the music while I make a short introduction,” the Ravenclaw provided her friend with a task since she seemed a bit nervous in front of the crowd. “And don’t worry, you know the dance by heart. Just have fun; I’ll be here the whole time.” She added couple encouraging words…well at least she hoped they were encouraging. It was curious…as much as she usually hated crowds and avoided being center of attention, everything changed once she was on stage. She was a performer, doing something she loved and no amount of people could ruin that feeling for her.

“Hello, my name is Carolyn and this is my lovely partner Lucia,” she pointed towards the girl and took off her cape so it wouldn't get in the way. “We would like to play a song for Apollo and share our love for art of dance.” That should be enough, she decided. There were more people waiting and she didn’t want to hold the line. Reaching out a hand for her friend, she listened to the familiar music and began to dance. They did the routine several times already while practising for the ball. Knowing the theme of the event, the song seemed just perfect and she didn’t want to limit their practice to the typical versions of ballroom dancing. They were both talented and creative so instead of just focusing on leading and following, it made sense to work together as equals. By now, the girls were in perfect sync and Carolyn truly enjoyed their short dance, smiling thorough the whole ordeal. Lucia, despite being nervous at first, even managed to sing along with the song. All in all, it was a really nice experience. At the end, Carolyn made a small curtsy and thanked the jury and anyone who would be watching. “Good job,” she praised the Hufflepuff as they both cleared the stage, leaving it to the next performer.

For Moderation :
Stamina: 6 | Evasion: 6 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 10 | ArcPower: 7 | Accuracy: 7
Abilities : Perfectionist, Healing Sage
Action :Doing the trials with Lucia.

Closed to Interactions
Bolded Text: French | Regular Text: English | Color: #BF4040
Trial Tracker: HADES | HECATE | ORPHEUS | HERMES | PERSEPHONE | APOLLO

Apollo. This was it. The last trial standing in the way of Florian and his Crown. One he felt he rightly deserved, of course. But this task was one he wasn't expecting. A performance for Apollo? Florian rushed off, knowing exactly what he would do.

He returned, holding a 5' pole as well as a fedora. Certainly not within the Greek theme, but he wasn't expecting to do a performance this evening. The pole was also not his typical tool for this, usually he used his broomstick, but, with that being at home he had to make do. He gracefully slid the fedora onto his head and said, "Are you ready for the show of a lifetime?" He tipped his hat to the pair watching him. "Now... typically I have a broom for this, but this will have to do. Music please!"

And with that, he bowed, and began to toss the pole around in the air like an acrobatics show to the song. It swirled around his neck, around his legs, as he let himself go. He even added the complication of throwing his hat into the mix. Not many people knew that the young Florian would practice broom tricks in his free time. While he certainly aspired to be a top broom racer, he had a side passion for broom acrobatics. He would also perform these acrobatic tricks while riding his broom, but of course, without a broom with him, he substituted for the more muggle form of the performance, which should certainly still be impressive to Apollo.

As he finished, he bowed, again tipping his hat to the pair, and left.

Action: Attempting 'Broom' Tricks
Stats: Stamina: 5 - Evasion: 7 - Strength: 4 - Wisdom: 9 - Arcane: 4 - Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Foulplay

INTERACTING WITH: @Marshal Mozor

MENTIONING: @Jayden Holt, @Jackson Valentine

The last of the trials. What dark fate would befit the pair as they returned to descend properly back into the Underworld itself? Only time would tell. Evelynn had to wonder in some respects why they had done them in the order that they had. With the use of the bridge, they could have completed the Orpheus trial to bridge (pun intended) them over to the Spring festival area of the ball and done a circuit with the Trial of Hermes to have them conclude in that area to bask in the bright glow of more vibrantly welcoming light, lively music and succulent dishes. Instead, they had doubled back. Perhaps it was for the best. Whatever brief stint they'd almost had there had revealed faces that might be better left a wide berth.

There had been quite the variety of trials. Some to test stamina, others courage. Some sampled wit, or knowledge to perform under pressure. Evelynn was expecting much of the same. As they approach the final testing grounds, however, it was an air of revelry that met her. Music. Singing. Even the odd glimpse of dance. _Performances_. Nowhere in the invitations did she recall mention of a talent show; and as she and Marshal pulled up to observe a few, these did not look like hired hands, but rather impromptu displays for an audience of two. Seated front and centre was what could only be described as radiant like the sun. Apollo. Of course. Such was the trial. And beside him his bride.

"Oh… I do wish I'd known…" Evelynn lamented as one performer retreated from the "stage" after a moving performance of her violin. "Perhaps I could borrow that one…"

The notion of performing in front of a crowd, however large or small, did not sit particularly well with Evelynn. There had been good reason that she'd withheld from participating in last year's talent show, instead opting for a more comfortable position among the audience. While not novice, she wasn't accustomed to an audience. Now and then, she had attended a recital in order to progress through the grades, but those were planned in advance. Surgical in the way that they prepared and executed them. This was nothing of the sort. She would have to pull from her memory something to perform, and even then, she hadn't had much practice recently. Something very familiar, then.

A fair plan.

Drawn by troubled musings on just how exactly to navigate this particular trial, Evelynn shifted her attention over to Marshal and subsequently stifled a roll of her eyes. "Rather the jester, indeed," she murmured, more than familiar with his witty antics and tricks to get out of the tasks she would assign him for practice. A breathy scoff through her nose was enough to show just what she thought of his self-depreciation and just how ridiculous he looked with a beard half askew. But she wasn't about to turn down the offer for him to go ahead of her. It would at least offer her a moment to inquire with that girl about use of her violin.

And without much further ado, he was off. Credit where credit was due. Evelynn had to admit that the sorting had had placed him well among the house of the lions. Bold and fearless—often problematically so—Marshal really didn't seem to mind carving a path to pave the way for those that would follow. Bold and clever. She had to suppress a smirk, but shrugged a brow nonetheless to concede the amusing greeting he cast towards the "gods"; and then settled back.

What followed left her speechless and slightly slack jawed, mouth just slightly parted. By his introduction, she'd thought perhaps he'd take a stab at stand up, or muggle magic, or something equally preposterous. Instead, he'd presented the poem. Lips pulled in over her teeth to be discreetly wetted by her tongue before relaxing. It was painful to listen. While it began so promisingly, with visions of an inner joy's warmth radiating to cast away winter's frost and spread smiles like a pandemic despite a chilly oppression, that was only the beginning. The transition shifted that vision drastically, casting the speaker into a darkness deeper than any of the Underworld's shadows. Gooseflesh erupted over Evelynn's skin despite the warm late spring weather. It was as though Valentine stood there on the stage in Marshal's place. But how could she blame him? With everything he had endured this year? Of course he'd feel the darkness within..

She couldn't even bring herself to perform immediately, needing instead a moment to collect herself. Plus, others had been far more keen on the uptake and so she took the time to request of the girl her violin. And as she went for the stage, the song that she would play came to her. This whole time, she'd been wracking her brain for some way to praise Apollo and play to his glory. But this was the Underworld, and their domain, darkness. The sun was the ruler of day; but it was the moon that ruled the night and shed soft rays of silver to guide the wayward and the lost. Apollo may have been in the audience, but it was his twin sister, Artemis—goddess of the moon, the hunt, of nature and fertility—who ruled the night. And it was Artemis, guardian and protector of the Ceryneian Hind, who she would praise and solicit to shed a guiding light into Marshal's depth of despair with a violin piece she had learned last summer.

[font=century gothic]ACTION: Quietly takes her turn, titles the violin piece ("Artemis"—Lindsey Stirling), plays (with a few errors here and there), takes a bow, and silently retreats[/font]