Fall Ball 2021 Fall Ball

Regular Text - English | Bolded Text - Korean
Interacting: @Eun-ji Lee Hunt
Mentioning: others on the dance floor

TL;DR: waltzing and talking with Eun-ji
Action: None at the moment
Stats: STA: 9 | EVA: 9 | STR: 9 | WIS: 4 | ARCP: 3 | ACC: 13
Abilities: Martial Artist | Muggle Condition | Calming Presence (allies when in range: Eun-ji Lee Hunt, Jack Warren, Dealla Prince, Lydia Cooper)

Outfit: Pink Plaid Suit

Inventory: Wand, small lockpicking knife, wizard tight, corsage (for Winnie).

Action: Talk...Talk... Talk...

Interacts with: @Winnie Harper

Mentions: @Flash Holmwood, @Erin Ryan & @Vladimir Athanatos

#274782 Blue in English, #a62b2b Red in Korean

"That would work too." Eun-ji smiled and made a mental note of his interest. It was nice and though he didn’t say anything, judging from his expression he also seemed to understand some of her concerns. She supposed it made sense, considering his passion for Quidditch. She still remembered the sparkle in his eyes as he held his new broom back at the summer camp. It was a shame he decided not to play anymore but Eun-ji was sure such decision wasn’t made haphazardly. She also believed that he could still rejoin the team once he sorted everything out. If he wanted to of course. All this however was a thought for another time, now was a time to dance.

The pair reached the dancefloor within seconds and despite some other students already occupying it, it wasn’t all that hard to find space for themselves either. For someone, who was self-conscious about his dancing skills when he asked her, Aaron looked fairly confident now as he took her hand in his and placed the other one on her shoulder blade. "I'll try to lead, but sorry in advance for any mistakes." The witch nodded and rewarded him with a reassuring smile. "And I will let you...it never ends well when both parties try to lead." She knew that from experience and she also knew what it was like to dance with someone that was still learning so she wasn’t too worried. The Ravenclaw was not here to show off, just to have fun.

As expected, for a first few moments the Hufflepuff remained fully focused on the steps. Foot forward. Back. Chasing her own but careful not to step on it. Eun-ji thought he did rather well. She didn’t try to lead but merely adjusted her movement to make it easier for her partner while also monitoring their surroundings. Aaron was clearly trying to do the same but it would be difficult to do so when he was still getting familiar with the dance. Eventually however he managed to find his rhythm and looked up to meet her eyes. Once he did, he would find the witch smiling. After all, she was in her element. "You are joking but I’m pretty sure there are some. Also...you are doing well." She praised his efforts sincerely. The fact that he managed to avoid stepping on her feet was bigger achievement than he probably thought and she would tell him as much. "I can’t even count the amount of times my feet got stepped on during the club activities so don't feel sorry even if you do. They are already plenty ruined thanks to my own efforts so I don’t take it too seriously...AND you have to remember I had to learn dancing at some point too. You should have seen me then." She chuckled, remembering her father’s suffering. He was proud of her now but he most likely regretted offering to teach her at the very beginning. Those were some tough times for the man.

ACTION: N/A (waltzing and talking with Aaron)
Stats: STA: 7 | EVA: 8 | STR: 4 | WIS: 10 | ARCP: 8 | ACC: 8
Abilities: *Healing Sage *Perfectionist *Death Defiance
Inventory: Wand, tissues, plasters

Hex code:#A0A9B8
Open for interactions
Interacting with: @Hanako Tone | Enzo@Akari Kato | Valentin@Scarlet Salvatore
Mentions: Clifton Troublefield, Wyatt Starkey

Outfit || Pin 1 || Pin 2|| Nail Polish

As a normal person would do, Alec was reflecting to the actions, and conversation that was the eventual lead to a situation in which he was finding he would rather have not been apart of. Or had been until he got stuck on one thing in particular. If this was what it was like for the fake dates, Alec find it unimaginable to know what it was like for any real ones. Did Hana find it best to be constants will people like Enzo? Real dates would have taken it more grimly, maybe expected something more from Hana out of the interaction. Like shooing the other away. Then again, if Hana's real dates were types like this, they probably lived for it. Not that Hana didn't... He seemed... Well, Alec didn't know how to describe it. Alec was fine with drama, he just preferred it to stay in fictional books, and fake celebrity gossip. It peaked his interest, sure, but it seemed like a miserable situation to be in, no matter who you were.

Why did he even care about Hana's private life? It wasn't his business, but it was frustrating to be involved in a fake sense of it. Which is maybe why he had too? That wasn't reasonable, but he didn't have anything reasonable. It became less reasonable, and more frustrating for him when he tried to think of it instead of rationalizing it. Alec had taken notice of Hana's silence in the situation. It elicited mixed feelings out of Alec. It was extremely hard to tell what he was thinking. He wanted Hana to say something, maybe dismiss the situation entirely, he didn't. Alec's thoughts were stopped in his tracks, and maybe Enzo's next words, had been what had fueled something in Alec. Leaving an even more fowl taste in his mouth.

Maybe Alec was just finding things to get upset with. He doesn't have to speak if he doesn't want too. Alec's expression shifted, though he carried on asking the obvious. He was looking for something from Hana, he didn't think he was going to get much though. Considering the silence both Enzo and Alec had been faced with. Then the insults came from Alec. He expected the sort of reaction he was given afterwards.

There was a part of Alec that too had a tendency too act that way. He knew what to expect. It didn't matter to Alec though, it meant the other was weak, just not there. Which was obvious, Alec just felt like insulting his appearance because it was of better means then getting physical with someone. Alec did the dramatic routine of juice dumping, because at that point, why not? He was surprised he missed, but it didn't show. His face slipped into a smirk as even the slightest bit hit Enzo's shoes.

With that over with, it seemed time to go, and he was insistent on it too Hana. Even going as far as to grab his hand, anything. Alec let go of Hana's hand and turned as he felt the presence of Enzo next to him. Why hello there darling, how lovely of you to get all up in my face. Personal boundaries were a thing, be normal and throw a drink. Alec looked Enzo in the eyes, unimpressed, bored. He was wondering how long the shorter one could go, looking him straight in the eyes, without saying a word. Staring contests were a serious thing. The second Alec saw Enzo's mouth open, which was the second he was close enough to Alec, Alec was disappointed. It was a shame. Oh well. . .

Alec decided he was going to listen. If Enzo was an example of anything, maybe this was a good reminder for later that when he was choosing to be mean, he needed to look less arrogant. Alec's mouth fell open rather dramatically at Enzo's choice of words. He wouldn't have cared, except, Enzo had chosen to hit a rough spot, and Alec could feel his mind edging out. It was hard to think clearly, but he had enough sense not to start throwing hands right then and there. His eyes eyes flicked from Enzo who was in front of him, to Hana, he didn't know what he was doing he thought a change of his field of vision would help him, keep him grounded.

He was trying to play Troublefield's words on repeat, in his mind, like a solo track. It had been comforting, Troublefield didn't know the situation. He didn't know how to help, but with his words, at the time, he did the best he could. A really good sign your not a psychopath, was the fact that he was worrying about being one, that's what he'd been told. Real psychopaths don't think about that... Right? He thought it would help, it was better to look for ways of management before he went too far. He did his best to gain control of the situation by closing his mouth, his jaw tightening.

Before he could stop it, it happened. The memories flashed to his eyes as if they were happening. Alec should have been careful, but really what could have been expected out of him? He was too young then and without the proper supervision was going to find himself getting into trouble. He was ignorant, he hadn't understood, he hadn't heeded warnings. He had found himself in a very dangerous situation because of it, and the memories though he tried to push them away. They stuck like glue, waiting for the moment they could be called back and start all over again, messing up the healing wound. Heavy breathing from Alec, merlin! Why now?!

It was always hard to deal with because the flash of things was enough to make him feel it was happening again. It would have been enough to have just one thing, but life seemed to like to betray expectations. I wasn't just that incident anymore. It was Alec and Wyatt, the words from Wyatt's lips, even in however right they may have been, and Alec now felt sick. Ensued from Alec shoving the other after the dreaded word, had been an amount of physical brutality out of Wyatt that Alec was extremely unfamiliar with now. The anger in the attack felt so much more horrifying to Alec now then it ever had then. It was personal, but not towards him.

The mental images weren't pretty, Alec's fists were balled up but they were at his sides. He thought maybe doing that would ground him, he was getting desperate with 1/4 of a second. It worked, his eyes finally able to catch the person in front of him. He never thought he'd think it but he was happy to have the child's punch-able face there that second so Alec could recognize, he was okay. He was fine. It happened, but everything that had ever happened was all in the past, and who wanted to live in that? It didn't feel like the end of it though. A quiet whisper came from Alec's lips, anybody who spotted him could tell he was clearly dazed. “You're too close.” Alec needed space, more than he was being given anyway. He needed to be able to breath. The other stepped back, but Alec wasn't even sure if it was because he had been heard.

Voices sounded underwater almost. It was clear Alec wasn't alright, the fast breathing, which showed of the fast in and out of his chest. The balled up firsts, which could have been taken as a threat. But his panicked look was enough to send other signals. He felt sure they weren't the right ones. He needed too look away and focus on something, he let his eyes follow absently watching the ground. Staring at a pair of shoes he hadn't seen before. He wanted to look up to see who else had now appeared, only his mind was taken again.

It was his fault. Choosing to lock Wyatt out of the house. Remembering the way Wyatt looked when Alec had to go out and find him, he was hurt and that had been Alec's fault. He should have dealt with the situation more gently. As time had gone on, he had felt he was letting go of the guilt. He dealt with it alone because he knew the only thing he was going to hear out of Wyatt was reassurances otherwise. Saying he made the choice. But still, Alec had caused the trickling patterns of events. Seeing it again, his face him talking about what had happened. Alec remembered how he felt in that moment as well, it all seemed like too much. He didn't know if he was going to be able to get himself to slow his fast breaths. The fact that he aware of his breathing now. It meant- Alec's eyes caught onto the stranger's shoes once more. Alec needed to focus on his breathing, his heart was racing too fast. He stood there, quiet, for no longer the maybe three or four seconds before his breathing had returned to normal again.

He looked up. Now that he'd settled, he looked less panicky, and more passive judging, if passively judging someone was even possible that was. His first thoughts were oh look, another person with exactly no personality has come to join the party! Really, he was interested in staying passive. The trip down memory lane, left a sick feeling with it, he needed to sit down.


"-both of you feel the need to attack someone to gain another's attention"

Alec's question to that was who's attention was he trying to gain? Besides, throwing juice wasn't attacking someone. Certain juices could sting if you went for the eyes, but that hadn't been what Alec was doing. His eyes went over to Enzo, the quickly back to the stranger who felt the oh sudden need to speak. Alec was surprised he'd bee able to make out clear-cut words even though the worst of it was over. Somehow feeling that maybe it had been mercy he didn't have to listen to anything said, he was sick of... Valentin's voice already.

Were either of them not even the slightest bit self-aware? It pained Alec that humans had the ability to act this way. Especially since from the smirk Valentin thought he was coming off as tough and mighty, or at least as if him and Enzo had some sort of upper-hand.

Alec couldn't help the fact that one small laugh came because of it, then another, laugh and another. The laughter was genuine because it had gotten to the point where his mind wouldn't let him react anyway else. Not only did he laugh at the irony of the situation. Him and Hanako were surrounded by two dense, and delusional people. They wanted a reaction, lives so boring that to make it worth anything they had too stir up a trouble. It was just generally very cringe-worthy. Alec stood there, laughing at them for all the reasons given above and as a way to cope with his internal feelings since he had to deal with the mess of revisiting things. Laughter was the best medicine. He was pretty sure he'd heard it once.

Alec had to wonder however if it only laughing could cause for cringing as well. He wasn't in the market to embarrass Hana now, he just needed to deal with it somehow. Once Alec had sobered up from all the laughing he smiled. “No, we're friends, this is bonding. Enzo is a pleasure, I was just saving him the repercussions of having to wear those shoes.” It was the irony that it just so happened to miss Enzo's head, and hit the ground, getting his shoes in the process. Alec had thought he was done, but apparently this was too much for him, and he broke out into laughter once more. This time trying to muffle it by covering his mouth. Feeling that the loud laughter would take away any sort of professionalism his words had. “You know, I'm a reasonable person mate, that obviously wasn't where I meant it to go. If I wanted to help out I had to start with the hair. Perhaps the universe intended in to be the shoes first, who I am to object to it's wishes?” Alec wasn't sure if it was clear that he could care or less about what Enzo wore. He was coming up with it out of nowhere, he almost felt pleased about it too.

“You two are dolls,” that was how Alec was going to conclude it, he'd seen the nickname used in some books. Of course it was hilarious to him so he was going to call them that and have his internal fits of laughter. “It's been lovely, however, me and Hana have to get going.” Alec would hold back his laughter this time as it tried to escape his lips. Waving bye as if he knew the two well. Alec would grab Hana's hand for the second time speaking with Enzo, trying to lead him out away from the situation for the second time.

(If Hana seemed to agree on wanting to leave, and nobody tried to stop them. Then the part after this applies, otherwise, just ignore it's existence) Alec would walk away with Hana, letting go once they were far enough away. “I hate them, I absolutely hate them.” Alec would state, he shook his head, then ran his hand trough his curly hair, it looked a mess. Alec felt it reflected his internal state at the moment. At least he wasn't narrow-minded by his hate to the point where he couldn't laugh at them. “The comment about you deserving better still stands. Their like pieces of art, sure, nice to look at maybe. But dense, 2d.” Alec said simply, “I mean, you could date go on date from one of the frogs from the frog choir, and you'd be doing so much better. Frogs have more personality then them, frogs.”

For moderation purposes

Reducio

Action:
Nothing at the momenttt
Stats
Stamina: 9 || Evasion: 7 || Strength: 7
Wisdom: 7 || Arcane Power: 7 || Accuracy: 9
Abilities
Evasive Maneuvers || Advanced Casting || Perfectionist

In Alec's messenger bag: Wand, Rock Friend, random assortment of art supplies, mask

we do not ask questions about why he brought what he did XD

_{1 | 2 | 3 | 4}

───────────────

───────────────

The evening was merry. After the Frog Choir completed their spectacular performance, the music continued on, playing a cheerful waltz that encouraged many of the happy participants to take part in a friendly dance with their partners. Acquaintances were getting to know each other better. Friends were demonstrating much-practiced waltzing steps. Couples were discussing the mismatched-colored eyes of their classmates and hags, among other cheerful topics.

Aurora Ranvier would approach Professor Lécuyer with a middle finger -- an injured one, of course. Kelsey Brumby, ever the responsible and diligent school nurse, would successfully heal the injury with a well-cast Ferula.

Alec Mason would hurl a drink in the direction of Enzo Delcroix, which the French boy would neatly sidestep. The drink sprayed uselessly on the ground. The conversation was heated in its undertones, but would it continue, or will two of the boys slip away?

In the distance, the dark clouds that had gathered began to approach. If one were to look at the skies, the lightning would seem to be approaching, the thunder in the distance a low rumble, but still evident. However, it was a night of festivities, and not many would care to take a peek at the skies outside the beautifully decorated tent. Surely, nothing could ruin such a night.

interacts @Rose Moon mentions André | Sylvie | Elise

as Maximilien de Fostoncy French | English | #586d9d

And there he was, admiring the beautiful decorations of the fall ball on the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch. Swirling couples, dancing partners, and singing choir - all these made a great influence on the young French boy. He’d been to plenty of fancy balls since a young age, but this one - oh, it was gorgeous. Almost like a fantasy. He eagerly glanced around, trying to catch every scene he could - they were much lovelier than what he had seen at the entrance. And so, Maxi secretly promised to himself that he would compose one or two poems later on, which he might ask an interested adult to read according to André’s advice.

For a moment, he was lost in his own thoughts. When he first landed on the Hogwarts grounds in the grand carriage, he was anxious to meet Mademoiselle Sylvie Everett, his so-called fiancée of high birth. Alright, he knew it was weird, though at that time he had zero interest in such a beautiful young lady like Mademoiselle Sylvie. It was truly a delight when he found her uninterested in the dumb arranged marriage as well, and was fairly glad to make an alliance with her. (Also, the marriage wasn’t mentioned very often after that, so Maxi presumed that the two families had a fallen out.) He had chosen the charming yet fiery Mademoiselle Elise as his ball date, and the night they spent together would definitely be remembered forever. He did not have many interactions with that lovely blonde later on, and Maxi deeply regretted it. The second time, he had his second cousin Limited as his date thanks to the arrangements by his grandfather, and even though the experience wasn’t exactly a great one - they had been on rocky terms at that time - Maxi stilled valued it. It seemed that his ball experience was not that bad until now, and as a result, Maxi hoped that it could be as great this time.

He glanced around, wishing to find a corner to better observe the whole scene, when he caught a glimpse of bright ginger hair. Following the curls, expectedly, his calm dark grey eyes fell on a lovely young girl. She was among one of the singers earlier, huh? And, to his surprise, such a beautiful lady was standing alone, apparently dateless like him. It was very intriguing indeed - if people were interested in securing themselves a date, than they had a high chance of success, especially when you were rather good looking. He himself wouldn’t mind joining the event dateless - even though it’s far better with one - but, but possibly, every single teenage girl loved the idea of being admired by a boy, right? At least, they wished sort of a company. Maxi sighed a bit, and stepped forward.

Suddenly realizing what he was doing, Maxi stopped. There were rarely times when him taking the initiative, and, being a timid person, he was never acquainted with the art of starting a proper conversation. He’d break in, stammering things out, and - and ruin everything. But today - today he was just acting weird. His feet continued to carry him towards the redhead, despite how unwilling he was.

Standing right near the girl, there was no way of turning back now. He knew Quietly and courteously, he bowed slightly to the girl. “I’m sorry, but, Mademoiselle -” he stammered out, trying to make himself at least understandable. “I - Bonjour…hopefully I’m not disturbing…” realizing that there was a chance that she wasn’t French like him, Maxi smiled a little to the girl, rather apologetically. Then, adjusting his tie a bit (he was in a very formal outfit, in other words, a dark blue suit and a nice matching tie), he started again in perfect English, obviously more confident than what he had been just now - “My apologies, Mademoiselle. Hopefully, I’m not disturbing your peace.” he said, as polite as what he had been taught.

Finding himself unable to think of more to say, Maxi’s dark grey eyes gazed towards the ground. It had been a funny scene, really, for the starter of this conversation suddenly became silent. Knowing that this was out of etiquettes, Maxi gathered his left courage and turned his eyes to the girl again. Oh, she was just charming.

“It’s - it’s quite lovely out here, I suppose…” his uncertain voice faded in the air. Very well, Maximilien, very well. What an amazing start.

OUTFIT: ▪ ✿ ▪

INTERACTIONS: ▪ @Mathias Pride ▪

MENTIONING: ▪ @Aurora Ranvier ▪

✿✿✿

Right, proof existed, as well as a world that was controlled through regulated laws and a justice system. Despite what some of the students that attended Hogwarts seemed to believe, you couldn't just go around killing people, and, unfortunately, hags were known as beings. They were part of the reason merpeople and centaurs refused to accept the status from the ministry, after all. Even if they could prove Erin was a hag, what could the ministry do about it? Hopefully, at least escort the girl away from Hogwarts. She was a danger to herself, to all of the students, and more importantly, to Matt.

"It's a waiting game at this point..." The realization dawned on her with knitted brows. It didn't seem right when they knew what she was, knew what she was capable of, but Winnie Harper wasn't about to murder a girl, not that she would even be capable of committing such an act even if she wanted to; Erin was likely much stronger than she was, judging from her Quidditch performance the week prior. Matt was correct, however; someone was going to get hurt. It was just a matter of who and when.

"Who do we tell? The professors?" She nodded in the direction of the flock of professors, it had put her at ease to see Aurora away from the festival's mess. She had no way of knowing what the group was talking about, nor that Aurora had broken her finger. "They must know or remember something about the hags... They can't be that oblivious, can they?"

"Wait, you have another cousin at Hogwarts?" She was going to have to add that to her journal. She had only written down Hess as Matt's cousin. "Who?" Probably not the time or place, but she had to know! For reasons.

She tensed when Mathias noticed Flash, her teeth gritting together as she glanced in his direction. Guard dog mode activated. If the Slytherin were to get too close to Matt, she would have to do something to protect him. She would play, be a good girl nice until/if the time came. "For proof, wouldn't reparifarge do the trick? If there is a hag disguised as Flash..." Her hand edged towards her strawberry bag as she peered up at Matt, as if to ask for permission to shoot a spell in his dorm mate's direction. "If a hag has used magic to transform themselves, that is."

"Oh, Matt... It's beautiful." She sighed, embracing the small moment of happiness that accompanied the blush-coloured flowers. Her fingers brushed over the petals as she slid the corsage onto her wrist. She suddenly felt a tug of anxiety as she reached into her bag to withdraw the small gift box that she had wrapped in pink polka dotted paper and tied shut with a thin piece of twine. "I made your gift myself. That much would be obvious if Mathias were to open the gift. It was an autumn-themed boutonniere, crafted with the wildflowers that still grew on the outskirts of Hogwarts' grounds as well as a single, crimson coloured maple leaf (yes she was gifting him a leaf). The items were tied together with the same twine she had used to wrap the gift.

Next to the boutonniere was a rolled-up piece of parchment, if unfolded the Slytherin would find a poem Winnie had written him. What else was to be expected from a girl who romanticized fairytales and every interaction between her and Mathias?

The world never seems to grow dim
As the wind hums a gentle hymn,
Night looms over the inky sea.
When you are right here beside me,
Despite the dark and longing hours,
I do not fear the night's glowers.
For you shine brighter than a star,
I'd give all just to be where you are.

She would try to push the gift into the Slytherin's hands if he accepted it, if not, the gift would plummet to the ground as the Ravenclaw suddenly jolted forward to try and grab a hold of the lapels of Mathias' suit (feel free to dodge this or just step aside). The reaction was due to the sudden rumble of thunder from the sky above. With wide blue eyes, Winnie would survey her surroundings, akin to a hunted animal. The storm was still far away, she had time. The Quidditch goalposts, large metal objects that would attract the lightning away from the other areas of the Quidditch Pitch. It offered little comfort to Winnie, however, who was getting ready to dive beneath one of the lovely tables the crew in charge of the ball had set up.

"I... I don't like thunder and lightning..." She managed to squeak at Matt so the boy didn't assume they were under immediate attack. Aurora and her roommates likely knew about her fear, considering she had spent a few nights hiding beneath her bed. There were two and a half hags attending the balls, but she was ready to flee at the sound of thunder.

It was a weird feeling, seeing them together. Wyatt felt like Hanako was making a personal jab at him. It made sense right? That confrontation didn’t happen so long ago; Hanako knew that they were friends. It was only a normal friendship, of course, but it still mattered!

It was wrong, right? To go out with your enemy’s friend? It’s not like Wyatt was jealous or anything, no, he was just confused. Why the hell did Hanako go out with Alec!? Was it to retrieve the information Wyatt said Alec had on him? They couldn’t have just liked each other- enjoyed each others’ company. There must’ve been some alterior motive on Hanako’s part. Alec wouldn’t like Hanako Tone!

There were a million ramblings going through Wyatt’s head, and he realized he hadn’t been this disoriented since the… chamber incident with Opeila. He swallowed anxiously just thinking about it, standing frozen on the dewy grass, only his head turned to face the crowd.

This was a shock though, and he didn’t have the comforting air of the chamber to console him. And he was additionally disoriented by wanting consolation. He’d just walked by a large group of people that contained a couple familiar faces within it. Nothing to freak out about. Even if one of those faces is stupid and dumb and idiotic and stupid and dumb and the other is… Alec’s.

He wasn’t there for long. Just a moment, passing by during a walk. He wasn’t looking for anything; neither trouble nor a good time. In fact, he’d forgotten that the Fall Ball was this evening. He was only taking a detour from finding his way back to the castle after hearing all the noise. But here he was, making two people hanging out into a whole situation in his head in the chilly, fall air, where he stood with a goofy stillness in place of his usual cold one. Sick to his stomach, he stood there for 5 seconds before turning and continuing on.

On the way back to his dorm, he tried not to think at all. He failed.

Mentioning: @Hanako Tone, @Alec Mason, Opeila Winters

Action: Literally just walking by lol