TABLE 13 | Sweethearts Tea Party V-Day Event

14th of February, 2022

Image posted by the member
‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿

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 THIRTEEN has been reserved. We hope to see you there.
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Table Thirteen was one of the tables in the middle of the ballroom, allowing the beautiful lights from the chandelier above to dance among the pastries and white table cloth. It was one of the larger tables, holding the place cards for six different students, including a certain sneaky fox named @Jack Burnett, @Hanako Tone, a snake-speaking mischievous joker wrapped into one tiny body, @Alec Mason, who had hopefully upped his stone-wall kissing game for this event, @Juniper Kelly, a fiery redhead Ravenclaw who's screech could rival Winnie Harper and Aurora Ranvier's own, @Draven Mirador, a snazzy dresser and boy after Juniper's heart, and @Ari Gwild, Ravenclaw's resident pretty boy. The six would hopefully spend their evening caught up in pleasant conversation. When the students arrived and found their place card they would perhaps notice a surprise waiting for them.
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While all the letters had a few burn marks here and there as if someone had fished it out of a fireplace (which did not happen because the professors had taken great care of the letters and would never allow anything horrible to happen to them), some of them had more obvious additions.
JACK:
Reducio
Burnett had never been fond of the idea of friends, the word seemed to make the poor lad sick. So how was he to handle such a romantic atmosphere? With his clever sense of humour and fondness for causing chaos, his table had the potential of being quite interesting indeed.

With that being said, Burnett tended to attract some... Interesting people. Not exactly the stable sort either considering his track record, though Erin's interest in him had definitely been his fault, and in some twist of luck Mathias Pride had so kindly helped the resident Ravenclaw pterodactyl, Winnie, forget about her obsession with him.

Regardless of managing to avoid his death at the girls' hands, if Burnett were to attend the event he would discovered he had still received some notes of affection as well as sweets. The first box held half a dozen vanilla cupcakes, topping with vanilla icing and a slice of freshly cut strawberries. The second was full of white chocolate bark which had been sprinkled with heart-shaped toppings and edible glitter.
Dear Burnett,

My love, it burns for you like a thousand million trillion suns. Your eyes, deep, like an ocean, if I were to try to swim I would find myself lost in them. You are an unfathomable rose. This I would know, for, I am entirely eloquent and yet I am writing to someone before me who is utterly ineffable.

Love, love, love,
;)
Deaw uwu,

(„• ᴥ •„) oh my god oh my god oh my god. I can’t bewieve I found the couwage tuwu wwite thiws tuwu uwu. Uwu pwobabwy don’t know me. But i know uwu!

Oh, wait pwease. I don’t wawnt tuwu sound cweepy tuwu uwu. In fact, it’s the wast thing i wawnt! *+:(◍•ᴗ•◍):+* But i duwu admiwe uwu a wot wot wot! You’we so enchanting, so wovewy, so cwute! Uwu saying something as simpwe as “good mowning” makes me wawnt tuwu wun intwo youw awms awnd make uwu say iwt ovew awnd ovew awnd ovew awnd ovew awnd ovew and…. Oh, i guess uwu get the idwea awweady. ·⸜(-ᴗ•͈)⸝

You’we juwst such an amwazing pewson, awnd i wish i was bwavew tuwu teww uwu thiws tu youw face. I don’t have a wot of confwidence in mysewf. In fact, even thiws wettew cawn be considewed pwetty cowawd-wike, don’t uwu think?

i awsk mysewf evewyday, why can’t i be mowe bwave? (´。_ 。`) why iws iwt so hawd tuwu come up tuwu uwu awnd teww uwu thiws mysewf? instead of imagining ouw futuwe togethew in siwence? iwt pains me so much thawt i wawnt tuwu scweam scweam scweam!!!

but i’m nowt woud. But i am honest with my affections fow uwu. I wish uwu be the owne thawt pats youw head whewn you’we sad. I wish tuwu be the owne who uwu say good mowning tuwu fiwst evewyday. I wish tuwu be the owne who wowks whiwe uwu cawn wive in comfowt with ouw 3 kids, awnd Enchantia, ouw cat.

wook! i even picked out wondewfuw names fow thewm. The fiwst chiwd wiww be Alex, the second wiww be Taylor, awnd the wast wiww be……. Weww, i decided aftew howding mysewf bawck, thawt i wawnt uwu tuwu nawme thewm. Because i love you.

*gaspppp* (ꏿ ᴥ ꏿ)

oh my god oh my god oh my god.

I said the L wowd! i said love! (♥。♥)

uwu see whawt uwu duwu tuwu me? Even juwst by wwiting a wettew, i feew mowe confident tuwu expwess my twue feewings towawds uwu. Nowt enough tuwu teww uwu my nawme, but pwease know i wiww continue tuwu wowk own mysewf befowe appwoaching uwu.

(〃◕▽◕〃) Whiwe we wait, I hope thiws wettew convinces uwu juwst how sewious i am abouwt thiws. Uwu awnd me. Awnd Taylor awnd Alex, awnd ouw youngest chiwd, awnd Enchantia, ouw cat. I’ve thought abouwt aww the detaiws of ouw futuwe, so uwu don’t have tuwu wowwy abouwt anything!

Aww uwu need tuwu duwu iws be youw chawming sewf, untiw i’m weady tuwu face uwu mysewf. (੭・ω・)੭ Don’t wowwy abouwt me fowgetting abouwt uwu. After all, there isn’t a day that goes by where you are not in my sight.

with the twue-est love,
youw admiwew
(っ◔◡◔)っ ❤ Hanako
HANAKO:
Reducio
To say Hanako was a pot-stirrer would have been an understatement. A magnet for chaos, he seemed to walk the halls of the castle leaving a trail of enemies in his wake. It seemed the cat-hating Slytherin had managed to find love, or affection of some sort, in Alec.

It seemed being hated still had it's perks, because if Hanako were to attend the event, he would find a few boxes of sweets waiting for him. The first contained chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting, with chocolate chips and almonds on top as a finishing touch. The second held what seemed to be diabetes served in one bite. With a mountain of candies sticking out of the white chocolate bark was quite a site to look at. It was unknown what the sender had meant when they lined up a large row of M&Ms, reading as 'mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm'.
Image posted by the member
My Dearest Hanako,

Sorry about the ball. I was a bit of a mess. I still stand by the fact that when the cursed drinks didn't cause crazy events it was a lot of fun. I hear sweet things win people over so it's good there's something else with this. How are you? I know your head is doing better. How was the whole section above? I'm not great at writing love mushy stuff. Or mushy stuff in general. I think half of that is pulled out of books. It makes me want to cringe, if someone is going to write like that at least write it good. We should hang out, I hear their planning an event after this whole thing, there's also tea!

Warm Regards,
Alec
ALEC:
Reducio
Like the rest of his table mates, the Gryffindor would find a box waiting for him with a letter of affection. Inside the box was white chocolate bark which had been sprinkled with heart-shaped toppings and edible glitter.
Deaw uwu,

(„• ᴥ •„) oh my god oh my god oh my god. I can’t bewieve I found the couwage tuwu wwite thiws tuwu uwu. Uwu pwobabwy don’t know me. But i know uwu!

Oh, wait pwease. I don’t wawnt tuwu sound cweepy tuwu uwu. In fact, it’s the wast thing i wawnt! *+:(◍•ᴗ•◍):+* But i duwu admiwe uwu a wot wot wot! You’we so enchanting, so wovewy, so cwute! Uwu saying something as simpwe as “good mowning” makes me wawnt tuwu wun intwo youw awms awnd make uwu say iwt ovew awnd ovew awnd ovew awnd ovew awnd ovew and…. Oh, i guess uwu get the idwea awweady. ·⸜(-ᴗ•͈)⸝

You’we juwst such an amwazing pewson, awnd i wish i was bwavew tuwu teww uwu thiws tu youw face. I don’t have a wot of confwidence in mysewf. In fact, even thiws wettew cawn be considewed pwetty cowawd-wike, don’t uwu think?

i awsk mysewf evewyday, why can’t i be mowe bwave? (´。_ 。`) why iws iwt so hawd tuwu come up tuwu uwu awnd teww uwu thiws mysewf? instead of imagining ouw futuwe togethew in siwence? iwt pains me so much thawt i wawnt tuwu scweam scweam scweam!!!

but i’m nowt woud. But i am honest with my affections fow uwu. I wish uwu be the owne thawt pats youw head whewn you’we sad. I wish tuwu be the owne who uwu say good mowning tuwu fiwst evewyday. I wish tuwu be the owne who wowks whiwe uwu cawn wive in comfowt with ouw 3 kids, awnd Enchantia, ouw cat.

wook! i even picked out wondewfuw names fow thewm. The fiwst chiwd wiww be Alex, the second wiww be Taylor, awnd the wast wiww be……. Weww, i decided aftew howding mysewf bawck, thawt i wawnt uwu tuwu nawme thewm. Because i love you.

*gaspppp* (ꏿ ᴥ ꏿ)

oh my god oh my god oh my god.

I said the L wowd! i said love! (♥。♥)

uwu see whawt uwu duwu tuwu me? Even juwst by wwiting a wettew, i feew mowe confident tuwu expwess my twue feewings towawds uwu. Nowt enough tuwu teww uwu my nawme, but pwease know i wiww continue tuwu wowk own mysewf befowe appwoaching uwu.

(〃◕▽◕〃) Whiwe we wait, I hope thiws wettew convinces uwu juwst how sewious i am abouwt thiws. Uwu awnd me. Awnd Taylor awnd Alex, awnd ouw youngest chiwd, awnd Enchantia, ouw cat. I’ve thought abouwt aww the detaiws of ouw futuwe, so uwu don’t have tuwu wowwy abouwt anything!

Aww uwu need tuwu duwu iws be youw chawming sewf, untiw i’m weady tuwu face uwu mysewf. (੭・ω・)੭ Don’t wowwy abouwt me fowgetting abouwt uwu. After all, there isn’t a day that goes by where you are not in my sight.

with the twue-est love,
youw admiwew
(っ◔◡◔)っ ❤
DRAVEN:
Reducio
The Gothic gentleman had captured the heart of a certain Ravenclaw harpie. Whether or not the boy would manage to tame her was yet to be determined. Regardless, his lady had sent him a box of chocolate cupcakes, topped off with chocolate icing and freshly cut strawberries.

My darling,

I lay awake at night thinking of you and how I long for us to be together, but every time I gaze into your ashen eyes I am truck with awe. Unmoving and entranced by your exquisite beauty. When I close my tired eyes your countenance is ever present to me. I am awe of the sheer power you hold over me. I could never find the words to adequately convey the intense love I feel for you.

Forever yours,
Juniper.
JUNIPER:
Reducio
Juniper had been sent a box of cupcakes from her new crush, one Draven Mirador. Although it was not quite certain what kind of cupcakes he had sent her (I did not see it written in his errand post), it was presumably her favourite kind. Perhaps strawberry flavoured considering she kept stealing Winnie's strawberry scented beauty products.
Dearest and most rare flower,

The stars in the sky cannot compare to your eyes. So deep and reflective of your immense heart and beauty. The light of my sun. I have always desired your embrace and the sweet and intoxicating touch of your lips. My destiny, my one and only. My sweet angel, I adore you.

Like the sweetest breath of fresh air, I long for you. Your eyes like a soft and gentle summer's sun; your smile like the purest crystal. I am in love with your soul and your heavenly face. You have stolen my heart and mind, and have forever changed my life. I never imagined that you would be mine.

I offer my still beating heart to you,
Draven.
ARI:
Reducio
As Ravenclaw's resident pretty boy, it only made sense that Ari would receive not one, but two different boxes of cupcakes. The first was full of chocolate cupcakes, topped off with chocolate icing and freshly cut strawberries, while the second cased several red velvet flavoured cupcakes with a cream cheese topping.
You are my friend. You are smart and quick thinking. Intelligence is a great trait to have, very little have it. You do. I admire you're brains, my friend.

-Juniper Kelly
Dear Ari,

I may be a secret admirer, and I have been with you for quite a bit. While you might not know who it is sending it to you, let me just say this. I have always admired you. Your bravery. Nerdiness. Yet Courageousness, is why I found my interest in you. Please enjoy the cupcake I sent to you. I made it in deep consideration with you.

Love,
Your Secret Admirer
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.



STA: 10 • EVA: 15 • STR: 5
WIS: 20 • ARC: 10 • ACC: 20

• Calming Presence • Perfectionist • Evasive Maneuvers I & II •
• Nonverbal Magic • Wandless Magic • Occlumency • Legilimency •

WINNIE:
FELIX:

TABLE 13 | Sweethearts Tea Party V-Day Event
outfit reference (except the suit is in shades of blue, AND she's wearing doc martens) [x]
This was it. Valentine's day. FINALLY. If draven wasn't going to ask her out, Juni was going to take matters into her own hands and admit her feelings without throwing up. Because, ew, admitting feelings for another was just- not her idea of fun. And the letter! She had written Draven a letter. Looking back at it, she couldn't believe herself. What if he didn't make her one, and she had just sent him an awkward letter talking about his pretty eyes? No, no no. She was overthinking this way too much. This day was going to be fun. She walked into the ball room and headed for the table she was assigned to, and sat down where her name was. She was pleased to see her seat right next to Draven's. She placed her hands in front of her and let her eyes wander around the room before leaning slightly in towards draven. "Happy Valentine's day. D'you reckon people will actually be receiving cringe ushy gushy cards?" She didn't consider her letter cringe nor ushy gushy, and she suddenly wondered if Dravens was anything like that. "i mean, not that it would be bad or anything,, I just wouldn't want to receive anything ushy gushy and bla bla bla, poems and love... I mean- good is love- no, love is good! Just,,, not a long letter..." She trailed off, having the sense to shut up and suddenly become very interested in her fingernails.

Her eyes set on the cupcakes and letters before her, she reached out to read the card for her. The letter was long. She grimaced at the words she had just said earlier about not wanting
Long ushy gushy letter. And the choice of words. It sounded like a helpless romantic poet had written it, not Draven. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, a bitter taste in her mouth. Everything about this letter was exactly what she didn't want. Things like this made her feel like she was obliged to act like she head over heels for that someone. It wasn't even a serious romance... right? They were just first years!

I have always desired your embrace and the sweet and intoxicating touch of your lips. Seriously? Three words came to her head. "Oh hell nah." A mixture of throw up and panic swelled in her throat. All these words... was he seriously only into her because of her eyes and her lips? This didn't sound like Draven. Or at least, not the Draven she liked. " the sweet and intoxicating touch of my lips?! My eyes, my face... er- is there anything about my personality that you like?" the disappointment and disapproval was in her voice, and she quickly tried to recover. "Dont get me wrong, I appreciate the thought and- and the cupcake looks pretty! And yummy! I just wasn't expecting... what you wrote." She pushed the letter slightly away from her as if trying to forget that embarrassing thing even happened.

She pointed to Draven s letter, which she had wrote, and nervously spoke. "I didn't really know what to write..."
@Draven Mirador
Last edited by Juniper Kelly on 15 Feb 2022, 22:33, edited 2 times in total.

OOC Juni
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Knocked down, round for round
You're feeling like you're shot down on the ground
When will the fantasy end?

Sta: 5 | Eva: 4 | Str: 6 | Acc: 6 | Arc: 4 | Wis: 5
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TABLE 13 | Sweethearts Tea Party V-Day Event
──sleep deprived draven go brrrrrr
outfit • #bold • wordcount • song──
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Draven had driven Cain and Andrew insane the night before, tossing and turning for eight very painful hours. Not physically painful, one might note - either his pillow had given him a headache, or his sheets have been too warm, or the bed too uncomfortable. Usually, he was able to put these thoughts aside, exhaustion knocking him out before they started to swarm. That, or he snuck a sleeping draft from whoever had potions class that afternoon.

Nothing had worked, much to his dismay. He'd run out of potion, and the 'deep breathing' exercises Iris had taught him were....well....ineffective.

The next morning, when he'd dragged himself out from underneath the covers (bleary eyed and sporting the worst case of bed hair he'd ever seen), Draven was looking very much like a crumpled tissue. A grumpy crumpled tissue. One whose head was pounding, and who nearly tripped on his way to the closet.

Somehow, between the sleep deprived mess he'd been, the boy had pulled himself together in time for the party. He was hallucinating just the tiniest bit, seeing as he was fairly certain there was a shark drinking tea in the corner. Still he'd walked into a nearly empty ball room, and taken a seat in the spot with his name. People were just starting to gather round, giving him enough time to dump enough sugar in his tea to create liquid diabetes.

It wasn't long before Juni walked in, and Draven cracked a smile in her direction, resisting the urge to rub at his eyes. "Good morning, Ms. Kelly." he said instead, standing up and helping her in the seat by habit. "It's wonderful to see you."

Their table mates would no doubt follow, each of their appreaneces marked with a polite greeting and handshake from Draven. In each of their spots, a letter had been placed - one that the young noble had yet to open, chosing to drain his tea instead. Trepidation of what lay inside made it hard to look at the envelope, let alone pick it up.

Juni had no such anxiety. "I don't know," he said simply, taking another sip from the emblezoned cup. "I only sent one letter, and it was...well rather simple." He hoped she would forgive his awkwardness. They had exchanged plenty of letters before, Draven didn't know why that one had been so hard to write.

For whatever reason, the letter Juni was holding was...much longer than what he'd sent her. His heart gave a painful squeeze as he pretended not to study it, pinning his gaze to the plate where sweets had been stacked high. There was no one else in this school who fancied him - at least he didn't think so. Clearly, the same wasn't true for Juni.

"Who's it from?" he asked sagely, wincing as he took a sip from his tea and proceeded to burn himself. "I do hope they know the difference between 'your' and 'you're'." Bitter? Maybe a little. No amount of sugar he ingested would be able to sweeten the bad taste in his mouth from seeing the letter Juni was holding. Maybe he was out of depth here. Maybe the other guy was a quidditch player, like her. Maybe he was as wild and strong as she was. Maybe he didn't care if his clothes got ripped, and had no problem with getting dirty. Maybe he always knew just what to say. The guy certanly had a lot to say....judging from the wall of text Juni was struggling through.

Maybe Juni loved long letters, and would scoff at the meger sentence he'd managed to string together.

Draven felt ill.

"Oh hell naw" Juni grumbled. Draven no longer felt ill. Until he realized the rage was directed at...him. "Sorry?!?" he demanded, leaning backwards slightly, eyes growing a fraction wider. "I like you all around?? I think you're pretty great? But why are you mad at m-"

Draven turned white when he spotted his name penned in at the bottom of the letter. Fishing it from the side of Juniper's plate, he spread it out across the table gingerly, allowing light to spill on the surface. And consequently going through the five stages of grief.

The letter was written on cheap, school provided parchment paper - Mirador house crest notably absent from the bottom. What was more, Draven's looping elegant handwriting looked nothing like the impostor's sloppy, wide penstrokes. His calligraphy teacher would have died where he stood, had he wittnessed Draven write anything so....messy. Let alone crass, from what Draven could discipher.

"Me. Kelly."
he sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I would have hoped after two months of sending owls back and forth, you would have been able to recognize my handwriting."
──
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@person here
Last edited by Draven Mirador on 22 Feb 2022, 16:33, edited 2 times in total.

MISC LINKS
glass code | tools
ITS STILL RAINING. WHY IS IT STILL RAINING?
sta • 13 | eva • 8 | str • 1 | wis • 15 |arc • 7 | acc • 9
MAIN STORY
draven | jokia
TABLE 13 | Sweethearts Tea Party V-Day Event
Ari felt sick. Very, very sick. His could barely tie his shoes due to his shaking hands. He felt like he was being squeezed by an elephant's trunk, and he could barely breathe.
He was awful when it came to romance. That was probably his fault, though, because he wasn't very social. Yes, he enjoyed company, but he didn't really take the initiative to obtain companions. He would rather be a friend magnet than ask someone to be friends.

He finally stood up and sighed, ready to go to the tea party he signed up for. He did this to himself, so the only right thing to do would be follow through with what he did to himself.

The ballroom was just as he suspected it to be...a pink nightmare. There was SO. MUCH. PINK. EVERYWHERE. It made Ari want to crawl under the tables. Pink was a nice color, but this was overkill.
His eyes looked around for the table he was assigned. Good ol' lucky number 13. If that meant anything, then Ari was in for a treat. After a minute, he saw the numbers and approached the table.

Ari stopped dead in his tracks.

Not only was Juniper Kelly, his biggest female crush, sitting at his table, but so was her brand new boyfriend he had heard about. The guy's name was Draven Mirador, and he was Ari's biggest male crush. He'd only seen Draven in class and sometimes in other spots around campus, but he was drop dead GORGEOUS.

Was Ari a little bitter that Draven had beaten him to asking Juni out? A tad. But he wouldn't hold it against the other. They were perfect together. It would be childish not to approach him out of spite. He wasn't that type. Besides, the guy was beautiful, and Ari liked his style. He seemed like a nice friend to have.

Ari forced his feet to move forward, the echo of his footfalls drowned out by the aggressive pounding of his heart. He was going to die of anxiety before he even spoke to them, guaranteed. But surely enough, he pulled himself together and took his assigned seat at Table 13 next to Draven.

In front of him were two boxes of cupcakes. Two? Interesting. He picked up the first note. It was short and complimentary, not romantic at all. He looked at the signature, and saw it was from Juni. That basically confirmed his suspicions that she didn't have a crush on him, and that hurt a little bit, but he still gave her a bright smile from across Draven. Her cupcakes meant a lot to him.
The second letter, however, was incredibly obvious as to who wrote it. It had to have been the one and only Cody Stevenson, the short Hufflepuff boy Ari had met back in October. That poor child got into so much trouble, and Ari could find himself easily annoyed by his personality despite how he'd wanted to at least be friends so he wouldn't be alone here. And the cupcakes were red velvet. How Cody knew that red velvet was Ari's favorite was a terrifying thought to ponder, so he pushed it aside.

Time to stop being a hermit and acknowledge people.

"Good evening, Juni. Suprised to see you at the same table as I," Ari started off with a nervous smile. He was clearly panicking inside. "Ah, and Draven, the lover of the phoenix. Shame we haven't spoken to each other before, so why not start now? The name's Ari, and it's a pleasure to properly meet your acquaintance instead of seeing you on the other side of the Charms classroom and keeping to ourselves."

Was he babbling? No doubt. Did he know what he was doing? Absolutely not. But what Ari did know was that the two people in next to him were the definition of perfection, and Ari was determined to keep his heart from breaking out of his chest in fear.

But that was easier said than done.
Interacting: @Juniper Kelly and @Draven Mirador
Mentioning: @Cody Stevenson

Inveniam viam aut faciam Sta: 12 | Eva: 12 | Str: 7 | Wis: 14 | Arc: 10 | Acc: 13
TABLE 13 | Sweethearts Tea Party V-Day Event
Outfit: Slytherin vest over a white, button-up shirt, black slacks, and black loafers.
As a widely known avoider of friendship, Jack's brain didn't even like contemplating the possibility of anything more. Unfortunately, he feared it was already too late for him. He had been fearing it a long time now, but he dared not dwell on it. No, for this party he intended to dwell on the misfortunes of others - those poor souls who had somehow found themselves enraptured by another in what could only be called a crush. Concentrating on others made it all the easier to deny his own. And after all, who knew? Perhaps, somehow, such big and inconvenient feelings might eventually disintegrate into nothingness if ignored for long enough. Hopefully.

The last Valentine's Day party Jack had attended had been enough of a mess for him that he was much more cautious this time around. Fortunately, as he approached the ominous table number thirteen, he noticed there was no Opeila nor Flash present. This...this was a good thing. How could there be the same drama as the previous year if the two people he had had it with weren't at his table this time?

Feeling slightly less uneasy, he watched the rose petals wafting softly around the room and was reminded of a certain Japanese animated series that was renowned for its atmosphere of flying rose petals. When he finally took the time to find his seat at the table and regard the other students placed there, he found to his pleasant surprise that he wasn't familiar with most of them.

Well...all except for one. That one, however, he could pretend didn't exist for the time being.

Instead, he turned and observed the other students with a calm, collected smile and his fingers interlaced loosely atop the table. He listened to their conversations as he absently peered at the letters and sweets marked for him, refraining from making a face. He didn't trust the edibles, especially knowing they were made by other students. The letters, on the other hand...

Nope. Nope! He would deal with those later. As someone who had himself faked letters from others on more than one occasion in the past, he knew better than to trust the written words and who they pretended to be from. A red-headed girl at the table, however, hadn't yet seemed to be privy to this, because she was accusing a boy seated next to her of writing things he evidently - by the sound of his response - had not.

Jack laughed aloud at their exchange. "Yeeeeah...don't trust anything at this school on Valentine's Day," he told the younger students, leaning in with a conspiratorial hand hiding one side of his mouth. "One year, there were sweets being passed around with some wonky love potion that was making people go crazy in all kinds of ways. And plenty of people write letters pretending to be other people. I wouldn't even put it past the staff at this point to be that childish," he added cynically, casting a suspicious glance over at the adults' table.

The third year Slytherin sat back in his seat, re-appraising his tablemates. "Jack Burnett," he introduced himself to save time and trouble. "So let me get this straight...are you two boyfriend and girlfriend or something?" he asked, looking between Juniper and Draven with a slight smirk. Mischief glinted in his hazel eyes - eyes that suddenly darted over in Ari's direction.

"Ah...so you, Ari, are a mutual acquaintance with...'Juni', is it?" Jack's gaze flickered back to Juniper. So, these kids were all in the same year, likely. This could be fun.
@Juniper Kelly, @Draven Mirador, @Ari Gwild, @Hanako Tone
TABLE 13 | Sweethearts Tea Party V-Day Event
Description: Alec is wearing a blue sweater, worn jeans, and white sneakers. His nails are painted a metallic black. He's carrying his messenger bag with him, the front of the bag has pins covering the area from top to bottom. One of the pins is shaped like a wolf, the others are pinback buttons with painted designs on them.
Valentines Day and Alec had a tricky relationship. It wasn't shocking to find Alec wasn't a fan of it. He thought it was odd... He was fine with people being odd if it was only one day a year. Yet he usually never fund himself invested in such a thing. An errand to fill Alec's time ended up in choosing to attend an event for Valentines. He'd heard whispers about it, and the one from last year, the professors seemed to love pulling stunts like this. Alec could never understand the encouragement or the intentions behind such a thing, but often times he had found it was better not to question the logic. Alec knew he would only end up with an answer he didn't want to hear.

However, no matter the way Alec saw it he found that coming to this was better than his other options. Besides, Alec could see if the talk of Alec's duel had died down yet. He'd noticed the looks people had been giving him at his most recent duel. Disapproval for his last. He thought it was a rather coy fact that anybody ended up caring at all. That was the one people chose to care about. Alec had done worse. Give the credit where it's due!
---
Alec was humming a song absent-mindedly as he entered the ballroom. There had been enough time before he had to arrive to squeeze in some instrument practice. Alec looked about the room in a quick motion, his eyes searching for the right table. Ten, four- Eight- Nope, that wasn't it- Thirteen- Finally! Alec's humming went quiet as he walked over, he was able to get a good look at the room now that he wasn't so focused on a song. His gaze latched onto the flowers that covered the room, and he smiled. The flowers made it slightly more bearable.

Walking to the table, he wasn't too far away when he could see people at the table. Alec's mind wanted to wander and get stuck on the possibility of accidentally being late, but before he could he recognized someone. It was crazy girl. Great. Alec was oh so lucky to be sitting at a table with her. A small scowl reached his lips and he let out an inaudible sigh. Was it too late to turn back? Was he really going to resign himself to such a fate? Then the thought of hearing a roommate complain about tripping over their own clothes hit him. He hadn't been ready for the crazy girl to be at the same table as him, but, it was either that or spending more time in a place that was steadily making him lose brain cells. Fine, apparently he was just going to resign himself to it. Alec took a deep breath and managed a sickly sweet smile. Grin and bear it, the alternatives are worse.

The smile was obviously put on, Alec soon found it wouldn't need to be as he got close enough to hear her speak.

"the sweet and intoxicating touch of my lips?! My eyes, my face... er- is there anything-"

She was freaking out. Alec didn't care about the context, the tone of her voice was enough to know all he needed. Then the boy next to her, curly black hair and vibrant yet tired-looking eyes. Though the tone of his words left Alec at a loss, he cited them as internal panic. It had to be, right? Alec knew a lot of it, he couldn't be wrong. Alec's gaze set on the place cards, and Alec decided to make his way to his seat. Of course, as always curiosity got the better of Alec, and before he went to his seat. Alec took a not-so-subtle glance at what the two were freaking out over.

Was that sappy poetry? Alec promised himself he'd sit, but instead, he did a double-take. After such the third year was only able to take two more steps towards his seat before he burst out in laughter. It was sappy poetry, it was better than Alec's attempt, one that made him want to cringe more than his own, and the two were freaking out over it, he couldn't help it. Alec was starting to get sick of the fact that he always ended up laughing at something and every time he went somewhere, that was how he made his presence known. Once Alec sobered up from the impromptu laughter, he looked apologetic and would speak to anyone who had decided to look over. “Sorry, I'm not trying to be mean, I swear.” Alec tried to bite back the smile forming, which he felt only made him look more guilty of trying to be mean. It was best to not anger the crazy girl too early on. He was trying to bet on the fact that him being civil would keep her civil. She could also not remember him, it was a while ago.

Alec's good mood restored, he moved to take a seat where his place card was. Looking at the floral pattern plates Alec was starting to think the flower theme was being overdone. Then Alec noticed just like the letter two of the table members had been losing their heads over, Alec had one of his own. Before he could inspect any of it more, he shoved it away from him. (Toward Hana's area) No no no no no no no no no no no no no no. None of that was happening. He knew for a fact that nobody was actually going to send him things, and if they had he didn't want to know about it or that person. He was okay with believing the letter got mixed up whether that was the truth or not.

Mini crises averted, Alec looked over at the kid next to him. The place card said, Ari. Did he look a little pale or was it just Alec. Alec was probably using this to get over the fact that he must have looked a little pale, but he didn't care. This kid looked more internally panicked than the other boy! If Alec was right to begin with. It was internal... Not the sort of thing you can see. “Are you alright?” Alec asked in a hushed whisper, he was extremely confused by Ari looking panicked, what did this kid have to panic about?

After dealing with Ari, Alec turned his attention to the ongoing conversation. Alec raised an eyebrow at hearing a red-headed boy asking if the two from the whole letter debacle were going out. Then asking about Ari. Alec was silent as he listened, still puzzled by the fact that any person ever would want to go out with another person. Alec folded his arms across his chest in a small huff and squinted his eyes at the pair, even with squinting it wasn't helping him figure it out. It seemed as if there would be some things Alec would never understand. . .

“What does everyone bet someone in this room decides to flip a table tonight? People always get too into this kind of stuff.” Alec's arms fell back to his sides. Table flipping, something Alec could understand for over the top dramatic moments, not that he would do it of course. He glanced around the room. “Someone always flips a table.” Alec grinned sheepishly. “At least in the books,” and the books had to be true, drinking throwing was an obvious reality, the next thing was table flipping. Simple. After he surveyed the room Alec's gaze fell back on his pace card. Oh right, introductions. The place card wasn't going to speak for him.

“Alec, third year, Gryffindor” It was a summary, he wasn't going to just say 'Alec' that felt like too little. With his house and his year it was enough information for a person to find him and hunt him down after this, therefore is was what an introduction was supposed to be. Introduction over, Alec saved his usual handshake for another time, he wasn't keen on shaking that many hands at once, no need to overdo it.
@Ari Gwild @Draven Mirador @Jack Burnett @Juniper Kelly

Trunk || Encyclopedia || “Rules and models destroy genius and art.” – William Hazlitt
TABLE 13 | Sweethearts Tea Party V-Day Event
Her face turned red as Draven sighed and pointed out the handwriting. "Oh- oh of course- I was just- I guess I thought-" She didn't know what she thought, actually. She shook her head and leaned her head back. How embarassing. What kind of person didn't know the handwriting of their own crush? In that moment, she had just forgotten everything obvious and looked at what was right in front of her. She sat back up to smile to Ari, but it was a fake smile. She was dying on the inside. "I'm just stupid sometimes, ha" She joked and tried to brush it away like it was nothing. Then another boy walked over and leaned toward them.

Don't trust anything on Valentine's day, he said. Juniper looked at him with interest and wondered what else the school would do if they would try and ruin kid's romance. "Seriously? Come to Hogwarts they say, it's the safest place on Earth, they say. A bunch of bull poop if you ask me." She grumbled, setting her head on her hand. So that meant Draven didn't get her awkward letter, then. She eyed the boy from the corner of her eye as he introduced himself, then asked if the two were dating. She was tempted to say 'yes, we are, don't be jealous' but that was just... wrong. The glint in the boy's eyes told her to say no anyways, so Juni just said "I don't see why it's any of your business, actually." She sat back in her chair again and spoke up once more. "Juniper Kelly. My friends usually call me Juni, but you can call me June, Juniper, or just Kelly. " She didn't know why she was saying this, she usually didn't care when people called her Juni. She just... didn't get innocent vibes from this dude. "Wonderful to meet you." She said, adding a cherry to her sarcasm.

A laugh behind her turned her attention, and she frowned at the boy. "Good because then I'd wack you with my boot." She said, not unkindly. Just a friendly warning to not be mean. She bite her tongue, holding back a remark at the smile on the boy's face. She took her eyes off him only after he sat down, she turned her attention back to Draven. "So, let's see what garbage "your" letter says, "from me" She doubted it was what she wrote.

I wouldn't be surprised, actually. Maybe I'll try it sometime!" Table flipping, always the fun things she wanted to try. The boy introduced himself and Juniper finally recognized him. "I remember you. " In case he didn't understand, she continued. "You're dresscode boy" This probably didn't make any sense to the rest of the people at the table. "I can't remember if I hate you or just dislike you. I just remember that you're annoying."Seemingly satisfied with her words, she looked at the treats. "Do you think they did something with the treats, because they look edible."

OOC Juni
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Knocked down, round for round
You're feeling like you're shot down on the ground
When will the fantasy end?

Sta: 5 | Eva: 4 | Str: 6 | Acc: 6 | Arc: 4 | Wis: 5
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TABLE 13 | Sweethearts Tea Party V-Day Event
Image posted by the member
SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED!
@Jack Burnett | @Hanako Tone | @Alec Mason
@Juniper Kelly | @Draven Mirador | @Ari Gwild
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)

Jack Burnett and Ari Gwild 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:
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!
:rose: :lips: :heart:
P.S. For those too shy I will gladly pick for you ;)
-O.L.
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.

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]

The students 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!



STA: 10 • EVA: 15 • STR: 5
WIS: 20 • ARC: 10 • ACC: 20

• Calming Presence • Perfectionist • Evasive Maneuvers I & II •
• Nonverbal Magic • Wandless Magic • Occlumency • Legilimency •

WINNIE:
FELIX:

TABLE 13 | Sweethearts Tea Party V-Day Event
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outfit • #bold • wordcount • song──
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"You're not stupid" Draven said seriously, catching her gaze as he stole a sip of his tea. She was beet red, embarrassment having creeped up and ghosted over her cheeks, leaving behind a flustered Ms. Kelly. Draven shifted in the seat, trying to calm his racing heart. Yelling. He'd never been a fan of it, and Juni did seem to be rather fond of the act. Every time, Draven thanked the lords it wasn't directed at him. Except this time, it had been.

Something in his chest had wound tight.

He took another sip of his tea, ignoring the letter placed before him, stealing occasional peaks at the room's occupants, looking for friendly faces. Five things you can see.

The tablecloth before him. The flowers placed in ornate bunches around the room. The jade cufflinks. His hands. The dark pink tea in his cup, with petals of,,,something floating in it.

Four things you can hear.

The clamoring of people. Giggles on the other side of the room. Clinking of spoons stirring sugar in cups. Someone saying his name.

Draven's head snapped up just in time to hear the tail end of an introduction, a polite smile falling in place across his features. Easy on the eyes, slender, and tall, Ari Gwild seemed a little ill. "Mr. Gwild," he said warmly, inclining his head in the other's direction. "It's good to finally speak with you."

Ari wasn't dressed for a party, sporting a simple black shirt and jeans which had clearly seen better days. Draven ignored the rips around Ari's knees, and the urge to cast a mending charm on them. It was clearly a fashion choice, even if it was a questionable one. He didn't have to like Ari's clothes, just like Ari didn't have to like his.

Reaching across the table, Draven clasped Ari's hand in a firm shake, gray eyes meeting blue. "We should partner up for the next project," Draven said, "You're quite skilled." Truth be told, he enjoyed watching the other boy casting spells. Ari had a certain elegance, a flow to his incantations, a grace that not many people possessed.

Draven leaned back in his seat once more, not making a move towards his letter. "I'd rather not," he told Juni, holding her look evenly. "I want to read your words. Not anyone else's." It was true. Because what if he opened the letter, and it said what he wanted to hear? What if his heart beat faster, and he felt warm, and happy, and...and what if Juni simply didn't feel that way.

Draven laughed in his cup of tea. Yeah. No. She could look if she wanted, but he wouldn't. Thankfully, he was spared the justification. By an older student. A certain Jack Burnett. Draven gave him a somewhat grateful smile during the obligatory handshake. A smile that froze on his face at the boy's question.

"I don't th-"

Well, he was a terrible judge of character. Jack had a dangerous glint in his eye, one Draven couldn't place. One that he didn't like the look off. Sitting back down, Dray pushed down the sense of mortification which had welled in his throat. Absolutely nothing was about to go right today, was it? Were they dating?? What were they? She hadn't read the actual letter he'd sent her. The one where he asked her out. The one where he'd barely been able to string two words together.

The somewhat sardonic reply which was sitting on his tongue didn't have time to take flight. For a burst of laughter interrupted their peace once more. Alec Mason. Draven could have recognized him from anywhere, for Youssuf hadn't been able to shut up about his dip in the lake.

Funny. He'd expected him to be...a lot taller.

"Mr. Mason," Draven smiled. "It's an honor. Your reputation precedes you." His gaze flickered towards the boy's seat, and the letters which had been shoved aside hastily. He couldn't say he blamed him.
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@juniper kelly | @jack burnett | @ari gwild | @alec mason | @hanako tone
Last edited by Draven Mirador on 22 Feb 2022, 16:32, edited 2 times in total.

MISC LINKS
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ITS STILL RAINING. WHY IS IT STILL RAINING?
sta • 13 | eva • 8 | str • 1 | wis • 15 |arc • 7 | acc • 9
MAIN STORY
draven | jokia
TABLE 13 | Sweethearts Tea Party V-Day Event
What. Was. Happening?

Ari wasn't sure he wanted to know. All he knew was that people were talking to him now.
Now it was time for him to pull the "fake-it-until-you-make-it" card. He was good at feigning casuality and confidence, and eventually, it would become real. He turned his attention to Jack first. Right off the bat, he seemed like a character Ari wouldn't like, but he would still treat him with respect because he was a superior.

"Yes. Juniper and I met at the Samhain Festival. I watched her frog choir performance. It was quite a treat," He said, leaning back in his chair. Then, he turned to the boy on his other side, whose name appeared to be Alec. Another student that was older.
"Absolutely not," He whispered back to him. "I may faint if God has mercy on me."

Ari let his gaze wander back to Draven and Juni. She was certainly a wildflower, and he seemed more reserved. What did they see in each other that had attracted them? Love was strange in that sort of way. But he was truly happy for them.

But at the same time, oh God, both of them were so pretty.

And then Draven was shaking his hand? Wow, he had really nice hands. Ari almost had no doubt that Draven could feel his pulse through his fingers as they wrapped around his hand. It was a violent hammering that drowned out the room.

"I would be more than honored to work with you, Draven. You're a force to be reckoned with intelligently," He said, feigning his confidence once again for fear that he would collapse on the spot.

Was he really this much of a hermit? Was he really this afraid around people? He shouldn't have been. Ari knew he was smart. He was overly confident in his smarts, actually. He was a perfectionist, unwilling to yield to the thought of second place. He knew he was talented, more than many others he knew. He knew he was handsome, but he never took any of the offers made to him previously out of fear.

Fear. It was an animal that ruined him. He had to push it down, lock it away.

He couldn't help but notice the look Draven was giving him. It read like an open book to Ari. Draven saw his appearance as a thorn among the roses. It hurt, but there was nothing he could do about it now. "You disapprove of my clothes? Quite sorry. You look very dashing yourself. I, on the other hand, did not come prepared for such a formality. My apologies, Draven."

He was ruining his chance of anything close to friendship with this boy. How could someone as golden as Draven find something worth even glancing at in a piece of coal such as he?

Ari was lonely. So, so lonely.

And then Ari remembered. He remembered another girl, probably alone at her table, looking for someone she knew. He remembered the girl with the brown hair and the dazzling blue eyes that were so easy to get lost in. He remembered her smile, the way she would tilt her head when she was confused.
Her name was Clair Fernandez, and Ari really liked her. So, just tonight, he would have her.

But how? He had to stay at this table. He certainly had no hope of winning either Juni or Draven's hearts, as they were stolen by each other.

Just then, roses began to rain from above, and Ari held his breath. What was this? It was beautiful, probably for aesthetic. One fell right in front of him, and he picked it up. It smelled lovely, it smelled like home.
And there was a note on it? Interesting. He looked closer at the note and read it, and his heart stopped.
He could get out of here. He could get out of this terrifying awkward situation. He could get to Clair.

And that's what he was going to do.

Ari stood up, cupcakes and rose bud in hand, and turned to face his table. He took a deep breath and centered himself, then spoke.
"I wish you all the best of Valentine's Days, and I hope we meet again, although for some that is inevitable. Please excuse me, but I would like to grant this rose to a very special someone. Mind you, this is in no offense to any of you. In fact, you would probably enjoy yourselves without my company, and this might be my only chance of not feeling alone though surrounded by others of good heart and mind. Again, apologies, and if you desire my company later, I'll return at your request. Have fun, everyone." He gave a short wave, a very subtle wink at Juni and Draven, then went off to find Clair.
Interacting: @Juniper Kelly @Draven Mirador @Jack Burnett and @Alec Mason
Mentioning: @Clair Fernandez

Inveniam viam aut faciam Sta: 12 | Eva: 12 | Str: 7 | Wis: 14 | Arc: 10 | Acc: 13