Summer Ball PV Guests Closed

How had his mother roped him into this? Felix had somehow escaped every other formal event Linnéa Kolbeck had tried to drag him to since he was a young child, but now he stood at a rather grand looking entrance wearing a pair of ridiculous looking dress robes and half glaring at the woman who had brought him into the world.

"... Nevermind, I’ve changed my mind, let’s go." Felix said to his mother in their native tongue, least anyone overhear their conversation. He stepped down and went to turn his body, only to have her hand halt him in place.

"I don’t think so." Linnéa voice was so laced with venom it sent a shiver up her son’s back. "We didn’t just come all the way from Sweden so you could run off to your little muggle school summer camp, Felix. You and I had a deal; your July agenda will be controlled by me and then you can spend August at the Pigwarts school, and that means you will be attending this ball with me."

"I know I agreed to it." Felix hissed back at her, "but I didn’t realize I would have to wear... Whatever the hell this is!" He gestured wildly towards his outfit. As per usual, he was being overdramatic. They were a pair of black robes lined on the inside with silk, dark red in hue. Underneath the robes, he wore a dark fitted suit, complete with a silky dark red tie, a golden floral lapel pin, and a pair of black leather wingtip shoes. His mother had somehow combed his platinum blonde hair back into an acceptable style. Yes, Felix looked like a proper gentleman and it was a far cry from his usual wardrobe of leather jackets, chains, and ripped jeans.

The smile that Felix’s mother gave him told him she was delighted by his ensemble, and why wouldn’t she be? She had bought it for him. "It’s called proper clothing, dear. If only you would wear the clothing I bought you more often. I’ll never understand why you choose to dress like a homeless man." Linnéa released an exaggerated sigh after her comments earned her another glare from her son. “Do you want to go to that summer camp or not?” She questioned with a quirk of her thinly plucked brow. She had plastered makeup on her face, more than she needed, in Felix’s opinion. Her white locks were twisted into a half bun that was pinned at the base of her neck. She wore an off-shoulder sweetheart neckline navy blue gown that tapered at the waist and fell gracefully to the grown. It was embellished with a variety of silver gems and was likely created with a younger woman in mind. But Linnéa was always chasing the illusion of youth, and somehow it suited her.

"Fine." Was Felix’s blunt response. He knew it was useless to argue. It had been difficult enough to get his parents to agree to send him to summer camp, but a compromise had been made, and apparently, that compromise included attending a ball. With a roll of his eyes, he straightened his shoulders and stepped towards the building.

The interior of the building was beautiful. Even the grumpy Swedish boy could admit as much. He knew his mother would fawn over that sparkling marble floor for many nights to come. A frown pulled on his lips as a man announced their names, and his mother swiftly elbowed him as a warning. With a grumble, he plastered a very obviously fake smile onto his face and followed his mother around. He promptly introduced her son to several of her contacts, and he was left to ensure their parade of questions. How old was he? Did he have a girlfriend? What activities did he do at school? What did he want to do when he graduated? Goodness, was that his natural hair colour?

Swallowing a scream, the boy would promptly excuse himself after his mother became engrossed in a conversation with another woman. His new target was the spread of food that seemed almost proudly displayed across several tables. Food was the best part of any party. It seemed like these Beckett people spared no expense. He had no idea, nor did he care, if he was supposed to wait for others, he was already piling the food onto a plate.

Action: Entering the ball.
Sta: 6 | Eva: 6 | Str: 5 | Wis: 9 | Arc: 6 | Acc: 8

Interacting| Felix (@Winnie Harper) Mentioning| @Anastasia Beckett

Outfit/Hair Reducio

Open to Interactions

@Santario Martin @Winnie Harper as Felix Kolbeck

Opeila felt strange. For around an hour she had not looked down and instead tried to ignore the dress, the shoes, the fancy styling that made her feel almost as if her body didn't belong to her anymore. Never in her life had Opeila worn such a beautiful dress and honestly, the young girl had been terrified to come here. Wearing this for the first time in Virtanen Manor, she had felt unprotected. As if she had handed herself over to a society she was no part of and as Opeila entered Beckett Manor, for a moment she had the irrational fear that the other guests were going to see right through her.

"Relax your shoulders, Opeila." The Slytherin exhaled and followed her step-brother's command. She was grateful that he seemed to have an eye on her the whole time and something told her that he wouldn't stop when they were actually in the ballroom. Lysander knew how nervous she had been the last days, only yesterday night she had brought up some final concerns. The Slytherin admired how calmly he could look at them. He really got her to believe that in the end, this night would go just fine.

"Lysander, come on now. Opeila.", Lady Virtanen called the two of them, beckoning them to enter the ballroom with the Lord and her.
"Introducing Lord Jarno Virtanen, his wife Lady Hilja Virtanen, their son and heir Lysander Virtanen and their ward Opeila Winters."
Opeila swallowed, doing her best trying not to turn red as she walked down the stairs with the three Virtanens. Lord and Lady Virtanen were soon wrapped up in conversations, leaving her and Lysander behind. He was already making eye contact with a few young men who Opeila supposed were his friends, so she would probably be left alone as well. "Go.", she told him, "I will be fine, you don't have to watch me."

Lysander chuckled. "Yes, I do. Not because of you, but because my parents would strangle me if I allowed you to get into inconvenient situations." Opeila rolled her eyes. Now they were suddenly so caring, how nice. "So how about I get you something to drink and before you ask, I am not getting you alcohol." Opeila stared at him, indignant. "I wasn't going to ask!" She shook her head. "Now go to your friends, I'll help myself over there, alright?", she asked him.

Lysander sighed and sent a quick look to his parents. "Well- fine.", he agreed finally, "Promise you won't trip and throw over a table or something." And with that he walked away. "I'll do my best...", Opeila murmured to herself, making her way over to a table filled with food. There were others standing at that table and Opeila only recognized one of them, a ravenhaired girl, when she stood next to them. That was her duelling co-captain, Santario, speaking with a white-haired boy that the Slytherin had never seen before. Opeila was tense again in an instant. Calmly she picked up a plate and filled it with some food, sent the two teens a smile if they looked at her. The Slytherin didn't know what to say, what to do. A fancy dress only helped her so far to fit in and it most certainly did not make up for the anxiety that had to be visible in her face.

her suit!!
speech #bf0040

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@Anastasia Beckett @Opeila Winters

[font=times new roman]O[/font]ne more chance, her parents had told her. One more chance to get the elite job right, or 'bad things' would happen. Scarlett wasn't too worried though - last time at the New Year's Gala, she had been angry and emotional at the new world she had been forced to join. However, she had cooled down considerably these past few months. She still hated the aristocracy of course, but politeness was an act, and Scarlett was nothing but an actress. She would rebel in her own ways, that didn't include furious bursts of profanities or 'embarrassing and immature' gestures.

This time, her mother was determined to be early, and yelled at Scarlett to get down to the hallway right now. Scarlett swore from her position at the fireplace and quickly lit another match, throwing it into the fire where lengths of silk and tulle were now burning. She wriggled on her blazer and slid down the banister where her parents were waiting, Evelyn looking like an angel in white and Levius donning a rather boring and traditional black suit.

The two of them took one look at her outfit and exploded.

"You can't wear that to the ball!" said her father.

Scarlett quirked her eyebrows. "Why not?"

"It's preposterous!" spluttered her mother.

"It's a suit," said Scarlett. "Father is wearing one."

"But you're a girl-"

"Who has decided not to conform to aristocratic society norms-"

"We are going to a Beckett Ball!"

"A Beckett Ball is no excuse to be sexist!"

It's not being sexist, it's just - where on earth is your old dress anyway Scarlett?" Her mother pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I burnt it," said Scarlett cheerily. "Now, mother, you didn't want to be late, so we really should get going-"

"Burnt-?" bellowed Levius. "That was good tulle!"

But Scarlett had already stepped into the Floo.

The three of them arrived at the ball, Evelyn and Levius incredibly irate but trying not to show it. Scarlett wasn't one to appreciate grand shows of splendour, but even she had to admit that the ballroom was magnificent. Scarlett could see that they were indeed early, much to Evelyn's pleasure. She could also see the tables stacked with food and immediately gravitated towards it. However, they had to first go through the monotonous routine of being announced and greeting others and acting like proper purebloods. Scarlett detested it and kept her eyes on the food the entire time, as the butler announced their family.

"Introducing Lord Aden, Lady Fulton and their daughter, Miss Scarlett Aden."

Ew. Scarlett was glad she didn't get a fancy title like her parents, and even gladder the butler hadn't read out her full name, which was ridiculously long - two middles names! Anyway, the trio descended the ballroom and Levius and Evelyn left with a, "Don't do anything stupid." Apparently, they couldn't be bothered to deal with Scarlett's bullshit this time, and abandoned her in favour of their rich friends. Scarlett rolled her eyes. She could only hope they wouldn't come back to drag her to 'Lady Beckett' so she could 'thank her for hosting this wondrous event'. Thankfully, 'Lady Beckett' seemed to be very busy at the moment, rushing around the room in masses of fabric to ensure the ball was running smoothly.

As she walked over to the food table, she spotted a familiar face. "Opeila! Hello there! I didn't realise you were posh." Scarlett grinned. None of her friends who had rich parents had arrived yet, so it was nice to see someone she knew at least a little. She still remembered her and Opeila's exploration of that magical room that gave you almost anything you wished for. "You look quite uncomfortable. First time here? It's horrid, isn't it?" A bit too daring, especially in close proximity to the supremely wealthy, but Scarlett would take her chances. She started to fill her plate with some food. "Is this food any good?" she asked Opeila, eyeing the caviar warily.

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It would seem Felix's date for the evening was the lovely pile of food he had already carefully stacked onto his plate. If his mother had been paying attention, she would have likely already glared across the room at him, but he could care less. He was here, he was in attendance, he was wearing the damn dress robes. He was going to stuff his face now. Of course it was as he was shoving a huge bite of food into his mouth that someone decided to talk to him. His blue eyes gazed over his shoulder to stare at the girl. She was lovely vision in her light lavender dress with her dark locks so carefully pinned back. It was just a vision that Felix was immune to. No, what interested him more was what she had to say.

He swallowed his food and shrugged his shoulders. "Apparently dolls aren't supposed to eat." He commented, his voice lightly accented. He paused before a small grin played on his features. "Thankfully she can't tug on my puppet strings forever. Too many pointless conversations to have." His gaze flickered over towards his mother, who was still engrossed in a conversation with a few other ladies. He grunted, reaching his free hand up to run through his hair, causing the gelled locks to fall across his forehead again. There, that was better. "I'm Felix Kolbeck. They imported me here from Sweden." He joked, offering the girl his hand. His surname might have meant something back in his country, but who knew what other purebloods thought of his family.

Another girl appeared before too long, wearing a powdered blue gown. She would offer him a smile and Felix would raise his brow teasingly. He wanted to make a snide remark of sorts, but he had to remind himself to swallow it and at least try to socialize. He wouldn't put it past his mother to complain he hadn't 'mingled enough' while here. "... Hi. Are we in your way?" Merlin, he was bad at this.

Action: Entering the ball.
Sta: 6 | Eva: 6 | Str: 5 | Wis: 9 | Arc: 6 | Acc: 8

Astoria Swann ~ 10^th July
Astoria ~ Elizabeth ~ Peter ~ Kukka

My parents and I decided to spend the July months at our second home in London. This makes sense as I'm going to Hogwarts Summer Camp with Eloise on the first of August and the Becketts have invited us to their annual ball.
- Are you done with it? I said to Kukka in an imperious tone.
She is adjusting the bottom of my dress. A beautiful long dark green ball gown. Green, my second favourite colour after purple. But I'm a Slytherin. And purple prom dresses are... How can I put this... Much less beautiful than the green ones. And green is a very Swann-like colour as we are all Slytherins.
- Yes, Miss Astoria. I cut this wire and... Done! What do you think, Miss? Did I miss something?
- Mmm... I replied in the same haughty tone. That's good. Go and prepare my bag. Handkerchief, fan and lipstick. Then bring it to me.
Kukka bows and leaves the room. I take advantage of his absence to twirl my dress. Kukka's work is not good. It is excellent! But I couldn't tell him. It would be contrary to what my parents have always told me. Sitting in front of my dressing table, I observe my hair. Kukka has coifed it in such a way that it looks styled but unstyled. It looks beautiful. But again, I can't tell her.
- Here is your bag, Miss. And your parents tell you to go to the hall.
I smile and go downstairs. My mother looks beautiful in her black dress and emerald jewellery. My father is also well dressed. I finish walking down the stairs and smile at my parents.
- Astoria, says my mother with a little admiration. You look beautiful.
- Not as much as you, Mother.
- Elizabeth is absolutely right, Astoria. You are lovely! And on that note, let's go.
We sit in one of those Muggle cars. I still don't understand their purpose - to muggles as much as to cars. The short drive over, we get out of the car and enter Beckett Manor. I'm hardly blown away by the vastness of the hall. The one in Swann Manor is much more elegant.

Interacting| Felix (@Winnie Harper) | @Opeila Winters | @Scarlett Aden Mentioning| -

Outfit/Hair Reducio

Open to Interactions

INTERACTION: @Santario Martin, Felix @Winnie Harper & @Scarlett Aden

| Tiger | Outfit

Alan would hold his jacket folded over his arm, like a gentleman though someone with a keen eye would be able to see something move from beneath the coat that was placed over his arm and Alan who exactly knew where the movement was coming from had difficulities to keeping a straight face. After all his parents said that he should leave Tiger at home, but really, how could he? This would be the cat's first Breckett ball and for such an even it would have to be present. Alan even had gotten the cat a collar which appeared to be a black tie, so the feline was actually following the dress code! Alan was wearing a deep red suit, which had been form fitted to make for a good posture as he entered through the halls.

He had gone to these when he was a kid, because his parents had brought him when he was old enough to not throw any tantrums but ever since he had been busy with school and Hogwarts, he had actually disliked to come here, simply because the noble air felt restricting. As he entered he saw a few familiar faces, some of which's presence was a pleasant surprise and as such he would quickly excuse himself from his parents; of course after having properly greeted the hosts of this event, who he believed were Ana's family members. He would head over to Santario who was in a conversation with a boy he hadn't seen before, as well as two girls that he actually knew from school. "Santario," he exclaimed as soon as he was in earshot, so that he wouldn't have to disrupt the event by speaking loudly, and he would go and greet the girl with their usual hug. Though this time he would have to maneuver his arm out of the way so that neither of them would accidentally squish the feline hiding beneath the light coat that was draped over his arm.

He would also go ahead and greet the other kids with a nod before eyeing the light haired boy curiously. "Hello, my name is Alan, who are you if I may ask?" he would give a light smile, hoping for this to be a normal conversation, as he offered his unoccupied hand for a handshake. From past experience, ballrooms made him slightly nervous.

Action
arrive and grab a drink from a banquet server

@Scarlett Aden @Santario Martin @Winnie Harper as Felix Kolbeck

Opeila had rarely ever felt so... not belonging. She quickly started to regret smiling at people, when a boy with light blond hair reacted by raising his eyebrow, looking like he was about to make a comment. Instead he asked her if he was in her way. "I- No, no, it's alright." No stuttering, stop that right now.

It was hearing her own name being called by a familiar voice that saved her from her uncomfortable situation. Opeila turned around to a red haired girl walking towards them, wearing a suit. The girl's eyes widened a bit. Would that have been an option for her too? She would have picked the suit in a heartbeat. "Scarlett!", Opeila responded, allowing herself to relax a little. Scarlett didn't look like the sort of person who cared what others were thinking and it comforted the Slytherin quite a bit.

"First time, yeah. My guardians dragged me along and it's... quite different from other festivities I have been to.", she told the Gryffindor and took a glass of lemonade, "I like your suit. I didn't know that was allowed, or I would have made a different choice." Scarlett asked her about the food and Opeila followed her look to something she believed was called caviar. "Erm. I don't know to be honest. Haven't tried yet, but it looks good."

Lifting her head again, she met the gaze of Santario and the smile vanished from her face. Santario knew Opeila's blood status. The new third year didn't know what would happen if that secret happened to be exposed, but it would not be positive. But then her housemate smiled a little and nodded, making Opeila blink surprised. So far she had thought that Santario did not like her very much, in fact she was pretty sure of that and yet... Opeila knew only few people who would help people they didn't like. Suddenly she thought a lot higher of the duelling co-captain.

Santario introduced them to the blond boy, whose name was apparently Felix Kolbeck and who was coming from Sweden. Well, it seemed like the two of them were coming from the same direction then. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Felix."

...Were first names appropriate?