14 Feb 2022, 21:30
TABLE 3 | Sweethearts Tea Party
14th of February, 2022
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Valentine's Day had finally arrived, a holiday that celebrated both the longing the heart felt for that special someone and the sweet offerings that accompanied the bittersweet experience that was romantic love. Though in recent years, the holiday had expanded its demographic and was now more inclusive of all different types of love. It was a wonderful excuse to remind those you love, no matter what kind of love that may be, just how important they are. It was also a great excuse to eat sweets and enjoy oneself, which was what three of Hogwart’s professors had in mind when they had hosted a Valentine’s tea party, and what better room to host it in than the arguably most romantic room in the castle?
Hogwarts' ballroom had always been grand, with its beautiful arched ceilings that were the home to several intricately designed chandeliers that dangled a family of beautiful crystals that almost seemed gilded in the way they reflected amber hues across the room. The professors had decorated the ornate carved stone walls and floors with an array of red, pink, and white roses. The theme carried throughout the ballroom, as an endless flow of flower petals seemed to dance and twirl through the air, only to land on the stone tiled floor and vanish.
Along the walls of the ballroom, dozens of white-clothed round tables had been set up for the students. The center of the table served as a home to a large of roses, varying in hues of red, and a pastry stand that held the sweets the students hard put their heart and souls into creating. Each table held between four to six place settings, complete with the occupants’ names. If the student had received any letters from their admirers, they would be piled next to the floral pattern plates.
The morning before the Tea Party, each student had received a letter requesting their presence. The letters were quite generic so aside from the student's name and table number, they each said the same thing:
Dear [Student's Name],
Your presence is requested at this year's Valentine's Tea Party. We will be serving a wide array of sweets that have been specially hand-crafted by a special someone, either romantic or platonic. The tea party will take place on February the 14th, at 18:00. The evening is certain to be full of fun and laughter.
A seat for you at TABLE THREE has been reserved. We hope to see you there.
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| Ebbing toward the central back of the ballroom was Table Three, cast in soft muted light that danced between the delicate petals of its center bouquet. Six place cards were situated evenly around its circumference alongside elegant plates, a sweet aroma radiating from the pastry rack which was overflowing with various baked goods prepared by their peers. To be seated here, @Simon Kincaid and his harem many friends, all of which seemed to be of the gender he was attracted to; this was clearly a mere magical coincidence and certainly implied no tense attraction between the various members. Among these, his girlfriend @Haley Rose, a joyful freckle-faced lioness. On his opposite side, a very close friend @AngelFyre McCubbin, a fellow badger with a natural allure about her—you didn’t have to be a seer to see where this was going. Broom racer @Emily R. Brewer was the table’s only eagle, seated across from opposing racer and writer @Della Barfield, a striking parselmouth. The last of the six seats would go to @Scarlett Noel, adding to the table’s Hufflepuff-dominant make-up. | ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ |
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RULES AND NOTES: ♡1. This is an official event, but threads will not be moderated unless necessary. Meaning that if students start to cast spells or physically attack someone, one of the professors participating will step in. If this is the case, the thread will be moderated as needed.
2. There will be additional surprises. Every few weeks a moderator will post in your thread to describe said 'surprise'. Surprises for each table may vary.
3. The site rules still apply. We understand things can get a little hectic, but please try to keep the site's rules and rating in mind. It is also important to keep in mind that there is a table full of professors at the event, so be mindful of IC rules.
4. The letters have been mixed up. As stated in the original sign-up form for this event, the letters that have been sent have been mixed up due to a mishap. There were also letters that the professors had to rewrite. A few can even be from faceless NPCs even. We are not trying to godmod players, the main point is to stir up some drama.
MOD NOTE: This is a reminder to please not meta-game. There is some information your character would have no way of knowing. It is fine to say your character knows X didn't write this letter to Y because your character has received a note/owl from them before and recognizes their handwriting, but your student has no way of knowing how exactly the letters were mixed up or who is to blame. They also would not know what is written in a letter without opening it. This is considered meta-gaming and we ask that you do not do this as it ruins the fun for others involved.
WHAT IS META-GAMING?
This is a term we use when writers use their real-life knowledge of a subject/situation and somehow allow their character to know without their character properly gaining the information. For example, you may know that a character is a werewolf because you read their biography/ency and somehow, despite never meeting said character, your character knows they are a werewolf.
Please note that this is just a general statement and we are not pointing fingers at any one individual.
"I am free and that is why I am lost."
STA 16 | EVA 12 | STR 15 | WIS 9 | AP 7 | ACC 11
STA 16 | EVA 12 | STR 15 | WIS 9 | AP 7 | ACC 11
15 Feb 2022, 03:33
TABLE 3 | Sweethearts Tea Party
AngelFyre was pleased to have received the Invitation to the Sweethearts' Tea Party, but she was nervous as well. Last night's birthday party for Simon, while lovely, had not quite done the trick in ripping the proverbial band-aid off, but AngelFyre was pretty certain that what had not been accomplished last night would definitely be accomplished during the course of this evening. In fact, this just may reaffirm her original thoughts and feelings about Valentine's Day altogether, which really would not be a bad thing she supposed. And bonus -- her father could breathe a whole lot easier with one Mr. Simon Kincaid out of the picture. Sigh.and
AngelFyre made her way up to the Ballroom, and as she drew closer, she could hear a few voices, but not nearly as many as she had anticipated hearing. She looked down at her Invitation. 18:00 hrs. Table Three. She was here at 18:15 approximately. Entering the Ballroom and giving a quick glance around, another fear was yet confirmed. There were actually very few people here. She hated to be late to anything, but being too early was just as awkward, if not moreso. It seemed Table Three was towards the back of the room, and of course, she was the only one who be seated there for the time being. Then an absolutely horrifying thought crossed her mind. What if no one else showed up and she was just pathetically sitting there all by her lonesome for the whole evening? No, no, no. That would be mortifying. She stopped momentarily and thought about leaving the premises for a bit, just until a little more time had passed and more people showed up.
Where could she go? The Rehearsal Room was on this floor. Maybe she could go wait in there for a bit. As unbelievably tempting as that sounded... which it did not... she decided the Suck it up Buttercup approach would be the best course for tonight and with a renewed sense of purpose, AngelFyre made a beeline for the table.
As she approached it and passed other tables, she could see there was assigned seating with place cards. Nice. One less decision to have to make. Finally reaching her table, she scanned the table quickly for her name. Well, she was certainly going to get a front row seat to the band-aid ripping. Technically, she was going to get a left-handed seat to the spectacle as she was seated to Simon's left and Haley would be to his right. As a south paw, she could appreciate the placement.
As she was walking around to her seat, she could not help but notice the two cupcakes she had made for Simon, except they were to the right of Haley's plate and not anywhere near Simon's plate. Uhhhhmm.... that is odd. She had placed a blood-flavoured pop for Simon in the satin sash of her dress before leaving the dorm, so she quickly palmed it and and placed it on his plate. At least he would have that from her since the cupcakes were apparently misdelivered. Then sitting down at her designated place, she saw that she had what looked like a partially ripped note and a chocolate cupcake. The cupcake looked delicious, but she could not help but wonder why the letter would be partially ripped. This was already turning into a very odd, but interesting evening. Reaching over to the note, she opened it up and began to read, her brows furrowing almost immediately.
Yes. An odd evening indeed.
Mentions @Simon Kincaid and @Haley Rose
Last edited by AngelFyre McCubbin on 17 Feb 2022, 09:15, edited 3 times in total.
The magic is real.
AngelFyre McCubbin (PC) ● Stephen Schwartz (iNPC) ● Nimue White (Transfig. Professor)
15 Feb 2022, 20:56
TABLE 3 | Sweethearts Tea Party
Surprised, Haley opened the letter she had received on the morning of 14 February and as she read the short note, the penny dropped. Of course, it was Valentine's Day, how could she forget? With all the preparations for Simon's birthday, the party and the fact that today was his actual birthday, she had totally forgotten that today was Valentine's Day. And of course, for this day made for all the lovebirds, couples in love and secret admirers, a little event was prepared by the professors. Haley remembered the most important information - 6 pm, table three. By then she had plenty of time to prepare for the evening and what the young Gryffindor didn't know was that no amount of time could prepare her for this evening.
Haley pulled one of her most beautiful dresses out of her wardrobe, of course it was from none other than her grandmother and after the most dresses were a dark emerald green, her grandmother had refused to send her another green dress and so now she held in her hand, appropriately for Valentine's Day, a pink and nude coloured dress. The top was studded with lots of little details that spread to the transition to the skirt and slowly faded. The dress ended a little above her knees, had thin straps and was cut a little lower at the back. Carefully she put it on, matching shoes and fixed her long red curly hair. She wore it loose, tucked one side behind her ear and took one last look in the mirror to make sure everything was in place.
Ready for the evening, she made her way to the ballroom and once there, she marvelled for a moment. Normally it should not surprise her anymore, but every time she was overwhelmed by what the professors made out of this already magical place. The room was decorated with many red, pink and white roses. On the walls were some round tables, suitably wrapped in white and decorated with more red roses. Once again, it was as if Haley's grandmother knew exactly what was waiting for her and it seemed as if Haley's outfit fitted the room.
After admiring the room for a few minutes, her eyes fell back towards the tables. Her eyes searched for one in particular and quickly she found it - table three. She immediately noticed that this was not going to be an event for couples only, because there were several seats at all the tables and while she was on her way to her table, she wondered who else would be there. Even though it was currently difficult between her and Simon, to say the least, she still assumed that one of the seats was for him, but so far she hadn't spotted him in the room.
A few steps away from the table, she noticed that one of the seats was already taken. And what she saw there was not an unfamiliar face. Only yesterday she had made the brief acquaintance of AngelyFyre. And not only had she made the acquaintance, the two had exchanged a few nice words and strange looks on the part of Simon were also noticed. For a millisecond Haley frowned, but quickly put on a smile as she approached the table. "Hey AngelFyre." Haley greeted the girl and glanced at the place cards on the table. Della and Scarlett would be seated to AF's left, Haley didn't know either of them. Emily followed, the two had met during the last ball but the encounter didn't linger long as she suddenly disappeared. Then came Haley's place, then Simon and the circle was complete. Pure coincidence or was there perhaps something more behind it?
Haley took a seat in her chair and turned her attention back to AngelFyre. She was wearing a red dress, heart earrings and necklace and straight hair. "You look beautiful." the redhead complimented to her left counterpart before taking a closer look at the cupcakes and letters in front of her. Carefully taking the first one, she slid her index finger under the paper and opened the letter. After the first few sentences, a broad smile was already forming on her lips. She had expected anything but this heartfelt letter, but this little attention from her friend Elena made her all the happier. She briefly glanced around the room in search of her, but to no avail. She would definitely get another Valentine's Day hug from Haley at the next opportunity.
While she still sat smiling and opened the next letter, her look slowly changed with each sentence. The smile got smaller and smaller until it was gone. Her eyebrows drew together and her eyes jumped back up from the end to read the lines again. Dear Simon - first mistake. She was not Simon. Heart and Soul - second mistake, because the letter was not written by her. A perfect duet - third mistake, because currently Simon and Haley were still a duet. AngelyFyre - fourth mistake. Haley couldn't believe what she was reading. She forced herself to keep her eyes on the letter and remain calm. There was no way she was going to look at AF now, she wasn't going to play that card openly. At least not now.
But was it really bad? Haley tried to convince herself that it wasn't all that bad, but the lines were clear. On top of that, their relationship had already suffered, they weren't on the level they used to be, things were just getting weird between them and Simon had also been behaving more and more strangely lately. Everything pointed to the fact that this was not just a harmless Valentine's greeting between two friends. Everything inside her wanted to explode. But she forced herself not to do it, who knows how long she could stand it, because she would never have thought of Simon like that.
Last edited by Haley Rose on 16 Feb 2022, 04:35, edited 2 times in total.
The only one who fear death are those with regrets
15 Feb 2022, 23:45
TABLE 3 | Sweethearts Tea Party
@Haley Rose @Simon KincaidAngelFyre folded the ripped letter back to its original form, and set it back down on the table. Whatever was going on here was suddenly feeling like it was going to be explosive, because while she had no clue who wrote her note, she was certain it was not Simon. Why would anyone do this? It was a Valentine's Day, not April Fool's Day. Then she looked over at Haley's place setting and her heart sank. There, peeking out from beneath another parchment on top of it, was the note she had written to Simon on the dark red parchment to go along with the two piano cupcakes, which were also sitting in front of Haley's place setting.
AngelFyre did not panic. But the heaviness brought on from the realization of the pain that was about to be inflicted grieved her deeply. She momentarily actually considered putting things to right by moving the note into Simon's pile, or just tearing it up, but that easy avenue of escape was denied her, and by extension, Haley and Simon, as she looked up to see Haley approaching the table. This was not going to be a mere ripping off of a band-aid. It was going to be a stab to two hearts, and it was all her fault.
Haley smiled and greeted her, and AngelFyre smiled back. ""Thank you. You look beautiful as always." AngelFyre watched Haley get settled and reached for her own glass of water when she saw Haley begin to read her first note. Haley smiled widely, so that was nice, but it would be short-lived. Then she reached for and read the second one. The smile very quickly disappeared. AngelFyre watched as Haley just played an expert game of statues while holding the note, but the maelstrom building within her could be felt across the table.... maybe throughout the whole Ballroom.
While it was still just the two of them, AngelFyre spoke up. "I am sorry, Haley. Truly sorry. If it makes a difference to you, and I hope it will, all the feelings are completely one sided. Simon has no idea what a lovesick puppy I am when it comes to him. The only reason I showed up to the birthday party last night was because I had hoped that by seeing you two together, it would somehow put different pictures in my head and allow me the freedom to just move on from my feelings. That did not happen because there were too many people there, but please believe me when I tell you I never wished for any of this. Not for me, not for Simon, and most definitely not for you. I was the only one who was supposed to leave this table tonight heartbroken." And her voice cracked with emotion at the last statement, and hard as it was, she kept looking at Haley. Whatever the redhead may need to say to her, if anything at all, AngelFyre was prepared to take her medicine.
Happy fricking Valentine's Day.
Last edited by AngelFyre McCubbin on 17 Feb 2022, 09:07, edited 2 times in total.
The magic is real.
AngelFyre McCubbin (PC) ● Stephen Schwartz (iNPC) ● Nimue White (Transfig. Professor)
16 Feb 2022, 04:14
TABLE 3 | Sweethearts Tea Party
Arriving and walking towards @Haley Rose and @AngelFyre McCubbin
Poor Simon. If he were a fictional character developed by another that full well knew what atrocity he was about to walk into, perhaps it would be both easier and logical to create some sort of predicament or excuse as to why he could not attend the 'festivities of the night." However, what would be the fun in that?
No, he would be there, as the now thirteen year old friendly dhampir Hufflepuff that he was, about to embark on quite the evening. The last time he participated in a Valentine's Day event hosted by the school they had set up a sort of indoor picnic for each sweethearted couple and then some. Last year it had been he and his girlfriend Haley Rose and as he got ready in his private dormitory room, he expected this year to be the same. Although this Valentine's Day was rather tricky. He was still currently the boyfriend of Haley Rose and he cared about her very much, but there was another fellow Hufflepuff by the name of AngelFyre McCubbin that was quickly capturing his attention.
He received an invitation that morning telling him that he would be seated at Table 3 and he envisioned Table 3 to be a small Table for 2 in the Ballroom, under the large sparkling chandelier as school elves served up an elegant meal. In reality, he was walking into a situation in which it would seem his friendliness would be interpreted as making him out to be quite the Casanova - more so than one could ever imagine.
And here he was, walking in, oblivious to what was about to go down. It was probably a good thing that his friends celebrated his Birthday the day prior because tonight was not the makings of a happy evening - no, it was a disaster in the making.
As he made his way towards the back of the Ballroom, all dressed up in it's Valentine's Day theme, he saw AngelFyre talking to Haley as they were seated at the same table. His tensions began to rise as they did when the two spoke to one another the day before and somehow he just knew that the empty seat that separated the two was probably for him as he caught the sight of name place cards at the tables he passed.
This was not going to end well.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
17 Feb 2022, 22:54
TABLE 3 | Sweethearts Tea Party
It was finally here—the tea party had been the talk of the school all month. Yesterday gossip had reached a fervor as everyone prepared their Valentines in the Great Hall.Interacting: @Simon Kincaid | @AngelFyre McCubbin | @Haley Rose | @Avery Chen
Mentioning: @Hui Ming | @Maggie Hawkins | @Liana Kerr
Yet Della expected her night to be uneventful. She had written a brash Valentine to Hui Ming, but she didn’t see his name on the list of table assignments. Della learned that the Slytherin boy was trying to keep up with both magical and muggle homework—she suspected he was skipping the tea party for time management reasons. Though there was a small part of her that worried that he was trying to avoid her. But that was silly! Right? He seemed to enjoy writing her notes, and there had been the brief moment where they were about to dance at the ball, and maybe she would find another note from him here tonight. Regardless, she had made her Valentine to him anonymous. If he hated it, she didn’t have to come clean. If he loved it, she could announce herself. It was a perfect failsafe.
She passed a few tables with familiar faces. However, she wasn’t seated with any of them. Her table was all the way at the front: Table 3. When she got there, she recognized her friend Simon—she had written him a platonic note, so it made sense that they would be sitting at the same table. Two other girls were also there: one Della recognized as Haley, Simon’s girlfriend and the other was unknown Hufflepuff. Well, maybe she would make some new friends tonight.
Della couldn’t quite place why, but as she approached the table, there seemed to be some tension in the air. She took her seat, smiled at Simon, “Hi Simon!” And to the girls, “Hi, I’m Della.”
The Hufflepuff girl, whose name read AngelFyre, and Haley had already read their letters. Della had three at her place. The first one had a fairy cupcake. She opened that one: it was from Maggie! Good, they had felt the same way about their fairy house creation, and they hopefully had a friendship brewing.
The second was from Liana. She asked to be Della’s sparring partner. Della considered that that could be a trap, especially with how their previous duels had gone. But she also sensed that the redhead prodigy had a lot of integrity, especially outside of a team-up with the conniving yet jovial Avery Chen. She decided she would write back tomorrow, taking the Slytherin girl up on her offer. Della was excited at thought of a possible second, albeit more intimidating, friendship brewing.
The third . . . was not from Ming. It was from Simon. That made sense. The Gryffindor girl and Hufflepuff boy had spent a lot of time together this year studying their favorite magical creatures. However, as Della began to actually read the letter, her cheeks turned fire-engine red and her stomach began doing somersaults worthy of Olympic gold.
Simon was professing his love. LOVE with a capital L. Not the platonic love. The other one.
Della kept her eyes on the letter. She couldn’t look at the handsome Hufflepuff or his equally beautiful girlfriend. She wouldn’t.
How had she read the situation so wrong? Sure, at her muggle elementary school, it might have been strange for a girl to have such a friendship with a boy. But she hardly had any friends of her own there; she borrowed most of hers from her cousin. Della thought the magical world, at least Hogwarts, might have a more progressive stance on friendship. She saw plenty of differently gendered friendships all around school—so she had never once considered that the Hufflepuff she met in the library, who had the same penchant for giant squids, would think anything more of her. Especially since he had a girlfriend!
She thought back to their first study session: she had given him a lemon tart. Did it start then? Had she planted the idea in his head as she planted the tart in his hand?
She had to admit. Simon was good-looking. And part of her was flattered to be subject of his adoration on this special holiday. She briefly considered acting on the letter, returning his feelings—no, no, no that was insane. His girlfriend was right there.
What was Simon’s plan? Break up with Haley right now, and profess his love publicly?!
Della had to get out of here. Her mind began to work through the possible escape routes:
1) She could sink in her seat and slither under the table. She just wanted to melt and disappear. Though, her table mates would probably notice.
2) She could run. She could just run all the way back to the Gryffindor common room and never come out again. That would probably draw a lot of attention—and oh god, what if Simon ran after her? He would definitely catch her.
3) She looked at the other tables, desperately hoping to find a friendly face. She spotted Avery. They hadn’t spoken a lot this year, but he was close friends with Ming. Della looked right at the Slytherin, hoping to catch his eye. If she succeeded, she could wave at him, and he would wave back, which would be a perfect excuse to go to his table. She could hide there, maybe even let her fellow Slytherin first-years know what happened, and they could all keep an eye out for her in case the love-thirsty Hufflepuff came her way.
sta 8 - eva 16 - str 5 - wis 11 - arc 5 - accuracy 13 |||| Parselmouth - Evasive Maneuvers - Beast Master
also Ruckus Weems | Quentin Gagné
21 Feb 2022, 14:05
TABLE 3 | Sweethearts Tea Party
Currently interacting with @Haley Rose, @AngelFyre McCubbin, and @Della Barfield. Open to other interactions.
Against his better judgement since both girls were sitting there and seemed engaged in a conversation - or rather, AngelFyre seemed a little distraught. Conversation seemed to come to a hault as he approached and he sat down where his placemarker stood. It was directly between both girls, just as he thought it would. "Hey, girls," he tried to keep it cool and looked over to Haley and then over his other shoulder to AngelFyre.
Back to Haley. He smiled.
Over his shoulder to AngelFyre. He smiled.
Simon looked across the table where Della had joined them and was relieved that he wasn't alone there with his drama. Oh, little did he know that his drama was just getting thicker and thicker to muddle through. "Great to see you, Della," he said and also gave her a smile but at least this one could be more relaxed.
He didn't necessarily mean to put more focus on her, but she was the safest place to direct his attention right now and he watched as she began to read her letters - one note in particular being of much interest because she kept her eyes fixated upon it. "You uh, you get any interesting valentines, Miss Barfield?" he asked. He didn't know what her note had said (or apparently who it was from!) so he didn't realize that by asking and directing his attention to her, he was sort of hinting that he was quite curious as to what her thoughts were on this apparent profession of love.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
21 Feb 2022, 17:02
TABLE 3 | Sweethearts Tea Party
There was no need for anything to be explained. It was as if an imaginary wall was breaking. The wall keeping the truth from Haley, but it was broken now. Shock was written all over her face and her gaze wandered incredulously back and forth between AngelFyre and the letter. She listened to her, perceiving the words and at the same time not. She felt like she was in a bad movie, this couldn't be true, could it? Was this an early April Fool's joke? No, it wasn't and that broke the young Gryffindor's heart. Never would she have expected that she could ever have such a heartbreak on Valentine's Day. It took her some time to process AngelFyre's words and really understand them. Lovesick puppy, I never wished for any of this, heartbroken. Haley just looked at her, not managing to say anything. All concentration was on not letting her heartbreak surface, because what AneglFyre didn't know, didn't want to know, or maybe was just lying, was that it wasn't one-sided. It all made sense, Simon's behaviour, the distance, the worried looks during the birthday the day before. It was so obvious and now Haley had solved the mystery.
She didn't know which of what AngelFyre said was the truth. She was sure that some of it had to be the truth, but the girl sitting there on the other side of the table was one of the last people Haley would trust. As much as she might have thought she was a nice girl yesterday, that image had been completely shattered. Haley was actually the last person to want to use the following term as a negative label, but that's exactly what came into her head now - snake. Yes, they didn't really know each other. Yes, they weren't friends but still, didn't AngelFyre know about her? Haley couldn't keep an objective view, she felt betrayed, hurt and cheated.
Haley was at a loss for words and at the same time she didn't even want to say anything. She had no words for this and especially no kind words. But what were the options? To stay silent all evening? Get up and leave? Put on a big show and let everyone know what was going on? There were many options, but none seemed really good. Besides, she found it hard to think, the anger, disappointment and sadness bubbling up inside her, but she didn't want to give anyone the satisfaction of exploding here and now.
Time passed in slow motion and at the same time everything was sped up and as if it couldn't have come any other way, it was Simon who came to the table. HEY GIRLS? Is he serious? For a moment there was fire in Haley's eyes, she clenched her hands into fists and tried to calm down again. She just looked at Simon, didn't greet him back or smile. She wouldn't do that to herself, because it was already a pure disaster. Her gaze wandered briefly to AngelFyre and then to a new guest at this table who was probably going to be the most awkward one tonight.
"Hey there! Nice to meet you, I'm Haley." She tried to be as friendly as possible, smiling at Della and hoping that she would somehow save the atmosphere at this table. But what Haley didn't know was that this would only intensify it, because she had also received an interesting letter from Mister Casanova.
The only one who fear death are those with regrets
21 Feb 2022, 19:20
TABLE 3 | Sweethearts Tea Party
SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED!
@Simon Kincaid | @Haley Rose | @AngelFyre McCubbin
| @Emily R. Brewer | @Della Barfield | @Scarlett Noel
As the students settled into their seats and confusion began to take over as they scanned the contents of their 'letters', some might notice several pale pink roses start to seemingly descend from the ceiling. The same hue as the petals floating through the air, these roses would gracefully glide downwards and land in front of someone at eight different tables; 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 13, and 15.
Tables 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14 and 16 would not receive any roses (yet), but they would not go without entertainment. It was from his position at the teacher's table that Orion would stand up and clear his throat, "Welcome students, thank you for attending our tea party! I have hopes to make this an annual event." If only the French man was aware of the chaos he had rained down upon the crowd of youngsters. He had not slept the night before after scrambling to try and correct his errors. The dark circles under his eyes might have been noticeable to anyone sitting close enough to him. "I'm sure you've noticed the roses by now. If you've received a rose that means you are now a bachelor or bachelorette, which means you get to help spread a little love around." His face broke into a smile as if this were a simply sublime idea. With the romantic heart Orion possessed, he likely believed it.
"If you did not receive a rose, do not worry mes amies (my friends), you will get an opportunity soon. Until then we are going to offer you an opportunity to show your love. This means that you can ask us to dedicate a song to a special someone in the crowd, or make an announcement to your peers. The choice is, of course, yours to make." The students received a playful wink before Orion sat back down at the table. (PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOUR TABLE HAS RECEIVED A ROSE YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REQUEST A SONG OR SPOTLIGHT THIS ROUND)
@Simon Kincaid and @Della Barfield would discover that they were one of the individuals selected. If they were to pick up the rose, they would discover a small note attached that read the following:
The students might notice the soothing sounds of the harp starting to play from the back corner of the ballroom. There was a shutter that blocked the view of who or how many people were playing. Whilst they would not see her, they could hear the Slytherin head of house, Hjørdis Jensen, had started to strum a harp to help set the mood.YOU'VE BEEN SELECTED AS ONE OF OUR BACHELORS / BACHELORETTES. THE MUSIC IS ABOUT TO START SO GO FIND AND KISS YOUR VALENTINE! DON'T FORGET TO GIVE THEM THE ROSE!
P.S. For those too shy I will gladly pick for you
-O.L.
Until people started to request songs, she would simply play random songs that she was pretty sure that the children would enjoy on the harp. Honestly, what did children listen to these days? She had no idea. But she was evidently trying in the fact that she had bothered to learn how to play all of these, specifically for this occasion.
It just so happened that occasionally, another instrument - such as a fiddle or guitar - could be heard in the background too, randomly chipping in. The sound of notes hit the air. It was not too loud but it could easily be heard throughout the ballroom if one stopped to listen for it. It almost complemented the chatter. [Click the music note for the actual playlist]
Simon and Della had a choice to make or risk the chance of a certain French man making the choice for them.
You've received a rose!
Your character has the ability to select one person to give the rose to. This person will be considered their 'valentine'. The OOC purpose for this is to A.) Add even more drama or B.) give characters an opportunity to move tables.
To move tables you must message a mod which table you wish to move to before it is confirmed. Please tell the mod your in character reason for wanting to move to this table. Why? This is to prevent tables from becoming too populated, as this is not the only round we will be doing this.
Keep in mind that once you move tables, you will be unable to return to your original table unless you are given permission to do so!
If you do not pick a 'valentine' by the next mod post, Orion will pick one for you. Trust me, you'll want to pick your own!
"I am free and that is why I am lost."
STA 16 | EVA 12 | STR 15 | WIS 9 | AP 7 | ACC 11
STA 16 | EVA 12 | STR 15 | WIS 9 | AP 7 | ACC 11
22 Feb 2022, 02:05
TABLE 3 | Sweethearts Tea Party
@Simon Kincaid @Haley Rose @Della Barfield
AngelFyre had to give credit where credit was due. Haley was maintaining remarkable composure in light of what she had just learned. She herself was also working desperately below the surface to do the same. Her Grandma Ruth's words came rushing at her just when she needed them the most. " A lady maintains her dignity and composure when all is falling away around her. Unless the situation calls for you to physically remove yourself, remain calm and survey the situation and then act upon your best assessment on what is required next. Help where you can, if you can, and if you can't, then make certain you do no harm." Easier said than done, Grandma.
She had no way of knowing if what she had confessed to Haley had made any difference, but she felt it was better to have said something than to have just let the misunderstanding fester all evening. That was AngelFyre's fervent hope anyway. Haley did not know her, but she knew Simon, so she had to know deep in her heart that what AngelFyre had told her was the truth. The feelings were one-sided. Simon had never made any declaration to her in any way, nor had she to him. Then AngelFyre stopped to really think about the note Haley now held in her possession. Was that completely innocent, AF? Was it?
AngelFyre thought back to the day she had first learned about Haley. It was shortly after the Hufflepuff Slumber Party, and learning about the existence of a girlfriend took the wind out of AngelFyre's sails every day thereafter. She had been stunned, and yes, heartbroken too, sitting there in the crowd at Simon's broom race and suddenly dealing with the realization that her ability to read situations had so sorely let her down when she had been flying on air for a brief, but ecstatic time. She had also been embarrassed that it had even crossed her mind that a Second Year as wonderful and popular and handsome as Simon would even think once, let alone twice, about her. Of course he would have a girlfriend. And what a beautiful one at that. Yes, AngelFyre had reminded herself of that salient fact again and again and again. So, the question then becomes, why Why WHY had she not stayed away from the boy? That had been the plan. Honest to God, it had.
How many hours had she spent holed up in the Library or the Study Room each night after the evening meal so that she would not cross his path in the Common Room? Answer: weeks and weeks. She recognized physical separation was only half the answer though. She had been unable to turn off her brain or close off her heart. So many thoughts and pictures of their few brief encounters replayed themselves in her most vulnerable times, especially late at night when she was lying awake and so homesick she felt as if the life were being choked out of her. It was in those times that Simon would so easily appear in, and too often consume, her thoughts. She could see him, hear him, smell him, feel him and yes, even love him on her own. And honestly, where had the harm in that been exactly? He was the flickering candle in an all too dark and lonely world for her here at Hogwarts. She had spent a month feeling only half herself. Her whole self never seemed to spark unless she happened to catch a passing glimpse of him in the Corridors, or in the Great Hall for meals. She had been avoiding the Common Room altogether so she would not run the risk of seeing him or hearing him as he played his guitar.
And what had she gotten for her efforts? The hard truth of the matter, and all the proof that Haley should need, was that Simon's life had gone on pretty well and nicely with her absence from it. There seemed to be no evidence that he was even aware some silly First Year named AngelFyre had had her world turned upside down because of him, and that was how it should be. It was how it had to be. The great romance of her life was nothing but a rich dream life she had created for herself. And all had been going as planned until he came across her in the Library that fateful night not so long ago.
So much changed, but did not change, with that encounter. He opened up to her in a way that frankly surprised her, but every interaction she had with the boy was colored by her affections for him, so she was not a reliable judge on what any of it really meant. And she was worn down and too sad from her self-imposed separation from him, even if he had not noticed it, to continue on with it. It then became a matter of trying to be happy just being around him. Friendship was better than the black hole she had been existing in without him.
And of course, all of this Haley would have no way of knowing. Neither would Simon for that matter. And why should they? But then she received the invitation to his birthday party, and it suddenly got real for her again. Then AngelFyre decided that she just could not continue on as she had been. She was miserable. It was true that she had only accepted the invitation to rip the band-aid off. It was a necessary survival instinct, and it tore her up, but she braved it and meant full well to face seeing Simon, her heart, in the loving company of Haley, his heart. But there were too many people there, so it did not quite happen the way she had envisioned it would.
Which brings her to where she sits right now. What cruel twist of fate had placed her note to Simon at Haley's place setting? Such carelessness and such devastation would result in some kind of reckoning she was certain, and she suspected quite strongly she would be on the receiving end of that reckoning. Sigh She had written that note yesterday when she was on the friendship train. It expressed her feelings, yes, but they were just that…. her feelings. Not his. Even as she wrote the note, AngelFyre remembered thinking this was so one sided but could easily be brushed aside as yet another schoolgirl crush he had to deal with, poor boy. She could be brushed aside. She fully anticipated Simon would have spent no more than a nano second’s worth of thought on it and taken it in the most innocent way possible, so no harm would have been done there. In Haley's hands, however, it had become a ticking time bomb.
AngelFyre had done her survey of the landscape while Simon approached and had determined that she was not in friendly territory. It was never her intent to entice Simon away from his girlfriend. She just wanted the company of her friend, but had to admit if she were Haley, she would probably be reading it all in the exact same light.... the light of a thousand, white hot suns ready to torch anyone who tried to interfere with her relationship. Unfortunately, as far as Haley was concerned, AngelFyre was the one orbiting too closely to her world, so AngelFyre expected to be served with polite fury and scalding dismissiveness... if she were lucky.
Preparing herself for whatever may come, as best as she could anyway, she looked up at Simon as he reached the table. He greeted them, somewhat cautiously she noted, and deciding there was no need to spoil his evening with his girl, she smiled up at him and tried to hold onto some small hope that maybe what had been said to Haley had made some kind of difference for the two lovebirds and that the evening before all of them would not turn into an apocalyptic firestorm.
"Hello, Simon. Good to see you. Then, waiting for Haley to finish her greeting of the blonde who also was seating herself at the table, AngelFyre simply smiled at her and offered a nod of acknowledgement for the time being.
It was going to be a long evening.
Last edited by AngelFyre McCubbin on 1 Mar 2022, 10:43, edited 4 times in total.
The magic is real.
AngelFyre McCubbin (PC) ● Stephen Schwartz (iNPC) ● Nimue White (Transfig. Professor)