Event Blossom Ball - Spring Festival

Hesitation is costly. While she was trying to hold off Xailah from participating in the brawl, she was hesitating whether she should bring her dancing plan into action. The brawl died almost as soon as escalated, so the small effort of blocking Xailah was successful, as the violent embroglio had successfully left the ball. But Xailah was still stolen.

Meenauh didn't quite know how long it took her to prepare and how much time has actually passed since the ball started. It seemed that Xailah and Pericles had spent quite a lot of time, participating in a different sort of Trials, and quite successfully — enough to be crowned to King and Queen of the night. She gasped and her mouth was hanging open while the announcer was crowning them (she didn't notice Pericles enter, only receiving the crown). She clapped to them and smiled. And she lost both Flash and Thomas in the crowd now. The pair that they had previously approached seemed to be alone for the night, and Meenauh didn't feel like disturbing anyone anymore that night.

She just closed her eyes and started to meditate inside her own mind palace, trying to cherry-pick certain motives and notes from the awful music. The notes would be forming their own melody inside her head — a steady and rhythmic sequence to support her airy dance as she was stepping around slowly in her dress, enjoying herself.

She would not quite remember how she left, and this time she was okay with that.

Action: dancing with herself and eventually leaving the ball.

When the conflict- or whatever one wanted to call it- seemed to resolve, Opeila exhaled, relieved. The last thing they needed was another ball going down in flames. Actually, she wasn't even sure if a different part of the ball was on fire already, but at least this could be more or less solved without greater violence... more or less. Yeah, well, that was not that surprising, if she thought about it. When did things at Hogwarts ever go normal, especially when it came to events. Opeila had not attended one peaceful event since she entered the castle for the first time, her own included.

The Slytherin looked around once more- yeah, everyone seemed alright, she could back to enjoying the ball. On her own now, apparently, her date was nowhere in sight. Was he mad that she had disappeared? Opeila decided not to care too much. They had been separated in a crowd, that happened. So what would she do now? Getting another drink from that fountain was absolutely no option, Opeila was not risking to actually get aggressive tonight- the last drink had brought her close enough to that line.

She could go... er... over there maybe? Still deciding, an unexpected voice caught her attention. The young girl turned her head to face her housemate, who told her that he had not expected anything from her and then thanked her for helping. Opeila sent him a little smile. "That's a very safe expectation. Hard to get disappointed." He was right not to expect things from her. They were too distant to expect things from one another and their first meeting had not gone too well either.

"Glad to be of help. I feel like we all could use a break from violence and should at least try to enjoy one ball in peace. It's so weird that this feels like an unrealistic scenario at Hogwarts." Opeila glanced down at the suit he had taken off, glad that she at least hadn't ruined that with her spell. She got better at not letting things backfire. Didn't make her feel as useless now as she did since Santario had told her that she was.

What was that? An admission? A compliment? Her eyes narrowed. What did he mean by "having trouble keeping up"? Damn his mixed messages. She didn't know what to do with some of them- the ones with encoded flattery mainly. They caught her off guard, and most of the time she disregarded them out of discomfort. This one, halted her irritation- an effective, and clever tactic on Pericles part. With Xailahs train of though effectively derailed, she moved focus onto the strange new body that was present, to prevent any long, far-off staring. Blinking back into the present, she would comment, almost offhandedly: "Well she's shorter than the both of us-" She spared a keek at the curly haired lass. "Therefore she is little." Pericles revealed that the girl had found him nodding off in the underworld. Of all the places to take a nap- Xailahs eyes rounded in surprise. "'Not one of your soundest ideas'- no kidding." She mocked, then scoffed; eyes lolling to the side haughtily. "And you've been dragging her around ever since?" She quickly interjected. Arms crossed; an elbow propped against a folded forearm, allowed a wrist to curve and point. She clicked her tongue, tutting, while shaking her head. "Aly, you poor thing." A brief look was shot to the girl in tow.

"Better to take a nap in the Underworld, than here." Xailah later admitted; leaning towards her friend, and the child he brought along. Uneasily, her eyes shifted from them, to a nearby gaggle of ball-goers. "They've been getting, um..." Her teeth clamped gently around her lower lip. She peered around sheepishly. Cleared her throat. Ahem. Grimaced. "Touchy." She said, in a wary whisper; opting to keep things vague. Very touchy. Lots of punching. Too much mouth-to-mouth action. Oodles of a mix of the two. It was incredibly concerning. Hogwarts really needed to look into investing in some Hannibal Lecter masks. Despite the omission of details, both birds present could likely understand what the cub meant. Xailah waved her hands dismissively, as if trying to shoo the topic away. "In any case," her focus settled on the curly-haired girl, "it is a good thing you woke him. I was ssstarting to grow-" Concerned. She was concerned. But she couldn't admit that. Showing feeling in public was so unfashionable. So weak. She exhaled. Looked down at her hands; folded them together; and then looked back up, to meet the other girls light green eyes. "Impatient." A believable substitute for the other word she had in mind. She put forth a thankful smile. "I sssuppose I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, miss Salinger."

Pericles took the liberty of introducing Xailah to the younger girl; which was something the catty fourth year would have eventually done herself, had she the chance... Likely after a second or third meeting. For some reason unbeknownst to anyone, Xailah was not big on first time introductions. Most of the time, they slipped her mind. She placed both hands on her hips in vexation, her lips pursed and opened, but before a fuss could be made; an announcement was given. False frustration dissolved almost immediately. Surprise was shared (as were a few words, in different languages); the trial winners, and tagalongs, went up to collect their prizes. The crowning was a sweet moment. Unanticipated, but nice nonetheless. It made Xailah feel like what she was- a teenage girl. She kind of liked it. She would not allow Kazuo to crown her, instead, she took her prize into her hands, and crowned herself. She turned to the other two winners, and gave them a demure smile. Xailah looked between them, her eyes eventually landing on Dealla when the girl gave her congratulations. Her smile extended. Now, Xailah was indifferent at best towards Dealla. That was the honest truth. Lets face it, the young eagle had a mouth on her. She was damn chatty. Hearing her when on the piste with Pericles was like listening to a pair of siblings bicker. The blue-eyed girl spoke far too much for the metamorphs liking, but she was surprisingly among the handful of people around the school, that Xailah could consider respectable. "Congratulations to you, Prince," Something on Dealla would draw in the metamorphs attention. A laurel- not the one given to her by Kazuo- the one she had been wearing prior to the crowning. The girl held the floral ring with such care. "I like your chaplet."

Someone caught Xailahs eye, before more could be said. Dan Palmer- Slytherin Quidditch captain, notorious for running around without footwear; appeared (what seemed to be) out of nowhere. The boy said a few things- nothing that Xailah could easily decipher right then and there- before sending his hand upwards. Dans fingers sought Pericles' nose. Xailah saw the young mans hand leave his side and rise to touch the other boys face. There was a reason why that boy was not only the Slytherin Quidditch captain, but the teams seeker as well. The snake was speedy. His speed might have saved him from, what would have been, an equally fast thrashing. He tugged the white-haired lads sloping, Grecian nose. What? Thats it? The metamorph blinked bewilderedly. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but one thing was certain; she hadn't been expecting whatever that was. After the things she had witnessed throughout the night, it was reasonable to get defensive. That was what she would be telling herself. Pericles was lucky that was all Dan had done to him. Rather than react bitterly, or try to retrieve his nose- or return the nose groping- Pericles chose to place his crown atop the serpents head. The crown that he had earned. It was clear, material things mattered not to the pale raven. Xailahs mouth teetered to the side as she watched the Slytherin Quidditch captain bound away with a shiny new accessory, and an unnatural spark in his step. She could only assume the boy had consumed one of the spiked drinks. It was not humanly possible for anyone- let alone a Hogwarts student- to be that giddy.

Hearing Deallas comment on Pericles giving away his laurel; Xailah let out a lofty snort. "A crown does not make royalty," she said in a humored voice, while gradually sliding her attention to Dealla, "you can put a crown crown on a Pygmy Puff, but that won't make it royal. That just makes it a pink thing with I crown. Which I sssuppose is no different than Pericles with a crown." She then chanced a looked towards the young man, a wily glint shot across her golden hues. She tipped her head at him; a subtle curl of a smile captured one rosy cheek, drawing the soft skin up in a impishly girlish way. "If it means anything to you, you're a far more tolerable 'pink thing', Dralt. Though I must say, I think you were a margin more dashing with the little extra shine." How very charming. She batted her dark lashes mockingly, when done teasing, before diverting her gaze elsewhere. In the distance she spied the small form of the little Irish lad from before, skipping farther into the colorful fray. "Peppy is not a good color on that boy." Her brows drew together. She shook her head as she watched him disappear into the crowd, in all his barefooted glory. Uncrimping her brows; she turned to Pericles with a question. "Is there time for a dance with Meenauh?" It was her way of indirectly asking if he wanted to get down and boogie. Though, he seemed tired, so she expected a "no". People were already starting to file out, and she suspected that they would be doing the same soon- but she didn't care. She'd dance later regardless of his reply. "You can tell me about your trials," she offered, "I'll pretend to listen."

Regular Text - English | Bolded Text - French | Bolded Black Text - Japanese
Interacting: Cassanora Browne (@Hugh Lowe), @Serena Towers

As Serena introduced herself further - as Serena Towers of Hufflepuff - Maddie smiled and nodded. She seemed to mainly be meeting Hufflepuffs at Hogwarts, and she was beginning to wonder if Cassanora had a Hufflepuff magnet on her because of her father. It was a silly thought, of course, with no merit to it. But all the Hufflepuffs they had met so far had been kind, so Maddie had no complaints. The French girl grinned when Serena mentioned the whole "not being normal" thing. And she nodded in agreement when she heard the girl murmur about a ball where they could actually dance. Seemed like a rarity around here.

With the chaotic students having left back to the Underworld portion of the ball, the crowning of the trial winners seemed to restore the calm and order of the Spring Festival. It once again felt almost pleasant and inviting, despite the broken table in the corner from the blonde girl attacking that boy earlier. In particular, Maddie thought the dance floor still looked rather inviting, considering the music was still playing nice tunes. She knew in her mind it was probably time to go, though, considering she saw some other students filing back towards the castle. Still, there were a few people lingering around the tables and even a couple on the dance floor itself.

The twelve-year-old turned her eyes back on Cassanora and Serena. A small smile graced her lips as she was about to suggest a departure, knowing that's probably what the situation called for. However, Maddie's eyes lit up as she recognized the first few seconds of the next song from the playlist provided in the first post of this thread. Her widened brown eyes turned pleading as she caught Cassanora's eye. "We have to, your father wouldn't forgive us if we didn't dance to this," she said, already hooking her arm around the blonde's and leading the way to the dance floor. Her eyes caught Serena's just as she started to walk. "Join us for a dance! Please? You did mention you wanted one." A genuine smile on her lips as she invited the Hogwarts girl with her outstretched free hand. But even if the smaller girl declined the hand hold, it would not stop Maddie from dragging Cassanora to the center of the dance floor and turning to her.

"Just one dance, then we can head back to our cabins and talk about how ridiculous tonight was. But at least we'll have this!" With that said, Maddie began to groove to the sound of ABBA. It was a song that she and Cassanora had dredged up during one of their sleepover's at Mr Browne's house and giggled about endlessly. She couldn't help smiling as they silly danced to the lyrics of "Dancing Queen." She even recalled a tiny bit of the dance that Mr Browne had done when he overheard them listening to it. And if Serena was with them on the dance floor, Maddie would try to teach her the hip hold and pointing that went along to the chorus. The chorus part was all she remembered really, so the rest of the song was just hip shaking and singing along through laughter.

TL;DR: dragging Cassanora (and inviting Serena) onto the dance floor for one dance
Stats: Stamina: 5 | Evasion: 10 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 7 | Arcane Power: 7 | Accuracy: 7
Ability: Charmer (opponent defined as anyone who is not Casssanora Browne, Maria Dee, Cosmo Keith, or Vladimir Athanatos)

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Reducio

Interacting with @Scarlett Aden, @Vivian Fletcher and @Aldor Humbleglow
Premission to godmod both Scarlett and Vivian

Hair ~ Shoes ~ Flower Crown ~ Dress

She was pissed of, how did this girl not remember what she just did? Scarlett looked angry, for a reason Samantha did not understand. Scarlett had no right to be angry, according to Samantha.

Scarlett started talking about a potion that had been in her drink, a love potion. At first Samantha didn't believe the other girl, but the more she thought about it the more it made sense. Other students had also been acting strange, they had been in love.

The older girl seemed to pissed of, she looked really angry. Samantha could understand why, she would also be angry if she had acted like that. Samantha didn't say anything, she was shocked. Maybe Scarlett had told Sam she would go away or maybe not, the brunette hadn't been paying attention as she was processing what she had just learned. All the young girl saw was Scarlett's red hair walk away.

Confused by what she had just learned she walked back towards her friend and Aldor. "I- I am just going to the bathroom, so no need to search for me," she told Vivian and Aldor. The brunette had no idea how much the two had seen of the scene that just took place, but what she did know was that she needed some time alone to think.

When she was calmed down, she walked back to Vivian. Samantha was sad to hear that her best friend would leave the party early. "I will see you tomorrow then, I am going to stick around here for a while." She gave her friend a sad little smile. "Talk to some people, maybe even dance, hopefully nothing strange happens again. If there does happen something I will tell you!" She gave her friend a hug and walked with her to the exit and waved her goodbye.

After that she made her way back to the party. The rest of the night she talked with some classmates and some students she had never talked to. She at something, dance a bit and cheered with the crowed when the crowing took place. Samantha left at the same time as most, she was tired, but happy. She had enjoyed this strange thing and she would love to join an other ball.

Reducio

Actions: Talking and leaving the ball
Stats: Sta 6 | Eva 7 | Str 2 | Wis 7 | Arc 7 | Acc 6

Π ε ρ ι κ λ ῆ ς
Outfit

@Dealla Prince | @Xailah Alptraum | @Aly Salinger | @Meenauh Silmataurea

Exhaustion aside, Pericles was immensely content. The trials had granted him occupation and stimulation, letting him test his mind and body, introducing intrigue and mystery to tantalize his hungry mind. Now in his sleepy state, he was happy to have missed most of the ball's social dramas. A little socializing before a timely exit was just the thing he needed. It would come as no surprise to him when Xailah mentioned how "touchy" the ballgoers had been, between the majority either snogging or socking one another. Everyone knew balls weren't an opportunity to socialize, but instead a place to showcase one's strength or attraction, or to settle old grudges. Obviously. "The fate of any Hogwarts function, it seems," he sighed with a theatrical air, as though they were not young teens, but instead two old biddies exhausted by the antics of younger folk. With a hint of cheek he speculated, "Maybe they don't have much interesting things to talk about."

They wouldn't have time to stand about speculating on basic teenage instincts for very long. The two were called to the front, meeting with Dealla as trial winners, exchanging their congratulations and receiving shiny new laurels. His cheeks took on a warm, happy hue when Dee mentioned representing Ravenclaw, though it wouldn't excuse Xailah comparing him to a pygmy puff (or calling him by his surname), which earned one of those trademark rueful frowns. It lessened with a forgiving hum as she assured he was, at least, her favorite "pink thing". Dan had supposedly scampered off with the memento, hopefully pacified, and Pericles brushed back his hair before readjusting the laurel he had worn through the night. He gave a sheepish shrug to his fellow champions, admitting through an airy laugh, "Being 'dashing royalty' wasn't quite what I had in mind for tonight. Though, I wasn't expecting the trials either, and those were a great deal of fun." His smile turned wry as Xailah invited him to dance, saying she would pretend to listen about said trials, to which the Ravenclaw replied "Well, I wouldn't want to bore you," yet simultaneously stood at her side, making it apparent he was willing to follow along. Final farewells and well-wishes were made to Aly and Dee, and as they moved towards the dancefloor, he excitedly pointed out Meena. The trio reunited once again, as was their habit, to spend some time sharing their night's adventures and swaying to the beat, mindful to leave before things caught on fire.

Exiting the thread
Dancing with Meena and Xai
Permission to involve Meena granted OOC

Arrival | Hades | Hecate | Orpheus | Hermes | Persephone | Apollo
I | II | III | IV | V

"I do." Cassanora replied with a gentle smile. "I have been learning for a few years now." She continued explaining. "Sociology of magical coexistence is one of my main interests, you see..." Cass avoided any form of eye contact as she spoke. She weirdly felt embarrassed to admit her interests to a complete stranger. Maddie came to the rescue with a tug on her arm.

Cassanora's face lit up as she recognized the song playing in the room. [You're right.] She agreed with a wide grin. [Do you remember the moves, though?] The last part being more of a tease, as they both knew Maddie to be the better dancer. Still, Cass would know her way around this number. After all, she still was her father's daughter. There was a name to live up to when it came to songs like this.

Almost hopping onto the dancing floor, her legs fell in sync with the music. The girl would twirl around and let her arms and hands glide with the music. Her plaited hair bopping from one shoulder to the other. If Maddie would actually do some steps her father had shown them, then she would not hesitate to follow her movements precisely. Synchronizing with her friend with the snap of her fingers. And if Serena showed any interest in dancing with them, she'd take the time to show her what to do. Cass let out a cackle as she felt herself starting to enjoy the night.

Interacting with: Cassanora (@Hugh Lowe's iNPC) and Maddie (@Aaron Jones' iNPC)

Serena did not know who the mentioned father was but she knew that her Head of House would want people to dance. It sounded like the sort of song he would like, that was for sure. "Of course! My head of house would probably love this," She responded with a grin as she took Maddie's offered hand and joined the pair.

The two of them seemed to know what they were doing though! They had moves and everything! She felt a little out of place but if there was one thing she knew from being a hufflepuff, it was that you should just dance like no one was watching - or at least, not care what others thought about your dancing. With that in mind, Serena started to dance with the two girls. She flicked her head a bit, whipping her hair back and forth - because why not. If they ended up doing synchronised moves then Serena would try and follow along.

After a few moments, she looked over her shoulder, looking around to see if she could spot her date, Milo (@Delilah Stewart). Serena was not sure where he was but now that she thought about it, they were all from the same school, right? Perhaps the two girls knew him. That would be cool. If she saw him anywhere, she would wave him to come over and join them. She started to hum the song a little as she got more familiar with it.

Post Tracker: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

Outfit of the day: [1][2][3][4]

Cassanora briefly stopped in her own tracks as she caught Serena's comment about her Head of House. She knew her father liked this sort of music? There first was a smile that curled up from her lips, but after a few more seconds she felt something else entirely. A sting of jealousy gutted her as she watched the Hufflepuff dance amongst the crowd. He was sharing these experiences with so many others. Not that they had ever been exclusive to her. But she couldn't shake the initial feeling of being rejected. Pushed aside, like he already had done once by sending her to Beauxbatons. In that brief moment, Serena almost became the image of what she could have been.

Cass's jaw clenched whilst she tried to stay in the rhythm of the music. Trying to not show her feelings. "He's my father." She almost shouted at Serena, caught by surprise with the volume in which she spoke. "I- I'm sorry. Carad- I mean, professor Browne, right? He's my father." She said with a genuine smile. It felt a little easier acknowledging that in the open. She would not be forgotten or pushed back by another of her parents. Her mother's mistake had been one too many. And if her stupid dad didn't register her feelings, then she would damn well make sure she was heard screaming them out at him.

None of this was Serena's fault, of course. She just incidentally became the avatar of Cassanora's pain. Luckily, she felt prepared for this. With a physical wave of her hand, she almost wished she had kept fictional, the young miss Browne would return to the fold and dance with her head tiled a little higher. She became glad Serena got to witness her father the way she loved him so very much. It was a good thing that all that light was shared, instead of reserved for her own attention seeking self. Cassanora had him to herself more than most, perhaps even Nora. She had Maddie as well and there were her grandparents, uncles and aunt. Even Chikara and Chiyo.

"I hope he hasn't been too much trouble to you." She half-joked. Whoe knew, maybe Serena actually had answers for her. A thought that hadn't yet occurred to her. Suddenly, her gaze would lock onto the Hufflepuff with a fiercer interest.

[ Person • Person ]

English #26687E • French #72267E

Cassie Heather watched. She watched as Scarlett took a sip from her goblet. She watched as Scarlett finished the cup and turned. She watched as Scarlett locked onto someone in the crowd, and she watched in disgust as Scarlett pushed through everyone else towards the new apple of her eye. It wasn't disgust at Scar, of course. This wasn't her fault. This was disgust at Mr Ball Organiser and all his fellows, who had decided that spiking the drinks (with love potion of all things) was a good idea. Why hadn't any adults taken a look at their plans for the ball before they'd just let them go ahead with it?! And come to think of it, why weren't there any staff present?! Such a thing would never have been allowed to happen at Beauxbatons, Cassie was sure of that. Maybe Hogwarts had made the mistake of trusting their students more than the staff at Beauxbatons did. Cassie's mum would be furious.

Cassie sighed and followed her friend through the crowd. She'd been told to slap her if need be, but by the time she got there Scarlett was already- Cassie's eyes nearly popped out of her head. Was that- "Shakespeare?!"

The Beauxbatons girl glanced behind her to see if Charles was also hearing this, but he seemed to be being interrogated by Drew, who had finally appeared just in time for the chaos to really begin. Well, more than it had already.

"I promise she's not usually like this," Cassie faux-whispered to the brunette whom Scarlett was attempting to woo. "Look, Scar, get your arm off her, she looks terrified, poor kiddo."

Said 'poor kiddo' thought she knew what was going on. It was almost funny. "No dares," Cassie managed to get in before Scarlett started up again. And then- then she stopped. Cassie sighed. "Love potion. Half the flippin' ball's under the effects of flippin' love potion. I blame him." Cassie swung her arm around, trying to find the ball organiser, but she couldn't figure out where he'd gotten to. "Ugh, I dunno where he's gone. Either way, this isn't Scar's fault, very sorry (well I'm not really sorry; he's the one who should be sorry), we're gonna leave now, okay, bye!"

And with that, Cassie practically pushed Scarlett back through the crowd towards where Charles and Drew were standing. "Let's go," she growled. "Whole party's been ruined by that stupid punch." She gave an empty goblet which someone had dropped on the ground a wholehearted kick and took off the laurel wreath from aroun her neck, dropping it on the ground next to the goblet. "Let's just go." And she left, making sure to trample the laurel wreath on her way out.

storming out