TABLE 12 | Sweethearts Tea Party V-Day Event

♡

MAGGIE HAWKINS

♡

interacting with: @Edme Achillian | @Liana Kerr | @Aurelius Leeds mentioning: @Autumn Agapov

February 14, 2022

XXXX"Oh, hush up, Li. You know you're jealous," Maggie grinned and turned from side to side, showing off each and every angle of the garrish sweater she had on. In all honesty, her mother had made it for her. Quite the talented seamstress, if Maggie did say so herself. Plus, the mysterious Aurelius Leeds liked her sweater, and that had to count for something, didn't it? "Well, thank you, Aurelius. You're very," Maggie paused to take in his disposition, "dapper." Honestly, nobody at this table was quite dressed for the occasion like Maggie. And yeah, sure, she dressed to the nines for almost every single holiday function such as this and often dressed up just for the heck of it, but maybe she had just expected for her classmates to be a little bit more excited about a school-sponsored event centered around Valentine's Day. Certainly, Maggie fit in with the decor of the room. Like another rose in the bouquet, tied up with a pretty red ribbon and set in a glass jar to live, to thrive among other students. Or not, considering that nobody else was dressed up in the pinks and reds characteristic of the holiday. "Funny that we keep running into each other like this, isn't it?" She addressed Edme with a grin and turned to the mountain of sweets and letters that had been piled high at her place setting. "It's fate. We're certainly just meant to be." There were other matters to tend to, though, such as the letters piled high. Maggie glanced at Liana with a cocked brow. "I bet those are all love confessions, Li, how about you?" She dove in. First selecting the cheesecake cupcake, Maggie couldn't help but stick a greedy finger into the whipped icing that decorated the top, licking it off her fingertip and using her free hand to tear open the first letter. Cheesecake cannot possibly be as cheesy as this Valentine's Day you so adore, but I still hope you will enjoy both. Liana Kerr "Awe, gee, Li, how sweet! I knew you liked me," the cheery disposition Maggie had taken on slid away as quick as frosting melted off a cake when she saw the looks on her classmate's faces. Aurelius looked confused, Liana looked concerned, and Edme looked surprised. Plus, there was ballroom music emanating from all corners of the room, which really just made Maggie feel as if she'd missed something. "What'd I miss?"

SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED!

@Autumn Agapov | @Aurelius Leeds | @Liana Kerr
| @Maggie Hawkins | @Edme Achillian

It seemed that Orion was not finished with his parade of roses just yet, because as the next song started a batch of fresh roses started to descend from the ceiling. This time the roses were white, blending in with the decor but still different enough for the first batch. The roses would glide downwards land only at the tables that had not received any of the first batches; 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14, and 16. Having already received their roses, tables 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 13, and 15 were now perhaps a bit less confused and could submit their requests to the harpist. (PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOUR TABLE HAS RECEIVED A ROSE YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REQUEST A SONG OR SPOTLIGHT THIS ROUND).

@Edme Achillian would discover that she was one of the individuals selected. If she were to pick up the rose, she 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!

P.S. For those too shy I will gladly pick for you
-O.L.

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!

CONFESSION AND SONG REQUESTS

Several students decided to take the opportunity to confess their feelings. Just not in the... Erm, traditional way. The spotlight would bob its way over to Erin Ryan, who was just announcing how Nicholas McCowan made her feel... Or something?

"Can't remember saying this but it is probably true," not that she actually believed it but where is the potential fun in that? "As I like my boys a bit plump and you ████ need a bit of meat on your bones I AM JUST WORRIED ABOUT YOU, please accept this gift. Also, know I will suck the █████████████ MEANNESS out of anyone that tries to steal you from me." The areas where there were blocked words, well she used her imagination...

The song requests also started to come in...

Anonymous would like to dedicate Space Age Love Song to all the Bachelors and Bachelorettes, go forth and love, you silly kids!

Annie would like to dedicate a song to Serena Towers, Wannabe by the Spice Girls. She adds in, "long time no chat, hope things are going well my friend."

HOW YOU LIKE THESE CUPCAKES?

Although the children had decorated the cupcakes (for the most part) the night prior, Orion had made the cupcakes himself on the night of the 12th. He had put a lot of work into the dozens upon dozens of sweets. Thankfully he was a competent baker after years of crafting late-night pastries. Unfortunately, he was also sleep-deprived, which seemed to be a common problem throughout the night. If anything were to help Orion realize he needed help with his restlessness, it was the Tea Party.

That being said, there was something... Special about a few batches of cupcakes. As the night of the 12th wore on, Orion had become tired and had accidentally used a different ingredient. Amortentia. He had realized his mistake and had gone to toss the batches out, but unfortunately, his sweet tooth got the best of him and he took a quick snack break to munch on some of the sweets the house-elves themselves had made. A common ingredient in their food being a forgetfulness potion. Oh dear, it seemed the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had forgotten all about the cupcakes' secret ingredient.

As @Maggie Hawkins snacked on a cupcake and its frosting, she might notice it smelled quite possibly like her favourite thing. She just may find the next person who met her gaze to be rather appealing...

Amortentia Rules
1. Consent is important. Please ask your character's victim new sweetheart if it is okay to have your character become obsessed with them.
2. Seeing your own reflection in a teacup is a valid option.
3. For this round only, the length of the effects of the Amortentia is up to you. Taking a bite after this round means accepting the chance that your character might have received an Amortentia cupcake, and your character will be affected for the entire round.
4. If I have missed your character biting into a cupcake, please let me know. From this point on we are asking that if you eat a cupcake, you place the information on the bottom of your post to make it easier for mods.

☆

Edme Achillian

☆

The tension in the air was already bad as it was, with each of the students at table 12 looking to each other in either discomfort, confusion, or shock. The joy of the ballroom seemed so far away as the group sat there.

Through the discomfort and awkwardness of the moment, another surprised fell to them, quite literally. A rose fluttered down right before the Ravenclaw, a white flower with a small note attached to it. Looking to the others to see if they got any, they were surprised to find she was the only one. Pulling the note before her, she read the words written in pink.

"Oh, that's..." they hesitated, looking around the room. A bachelorette? She didn't fancy anyone quite yet, but didn't exactly wish for the professor to choose for them. Holding the rose tightly, she struggled to come up with a solution to the situation. Either give it to someone and imply emotions beyond platonic, or let the teacher do it for them.

The untouched letters still sat beside her, now seeming even more intimidating. They pondered whether to ask the others for help with deciding or just keeping quiet and hoping for the best. Would it be impolite for her to break the rose and pretend they never received it?

WC: 229

• ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ, ᴘɪɴᴋʏ ꜰɪɴɢᴇʀ ᴜᴘ •
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The Ballroom - 14th February 2022

"Oh. I see." Aurelius replied to D--Edme. It seemed there had been other reasons for her clarification, such as others not understanding the letters spoken. That was a shame. "I understand."

Then there was the sweater-wearing table member: Maggie seemed nice, as she replied in kind, calling him dapper. Her arrival and personality helped to ease some of the awkwardness at the table, at least, which was something Aurelius could be thankful for. Not only was Maggie talkative, but she took attention, and was engaged in conversation with Liana - of whom Aurelius was still unsure of how to speak to, given their estranged friendship.

That was until the letter.

Aurelius held the paper in hand, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and couldn't help but glance toward Liana. The other, in turn, looked to the Irish boy and seemed perplexed at his expression or reaction of surprise. Did that imply Liana had been expecting a different reaction? Was she expecting a reciprocation of feelings, of which Aurelius wasn't even sure he could feel - at least not without mimicking what he thought that meant? And when Liana asked if everything was all right, Aurelius took a few moments to think.

Was it the wedding? Did I do something then, to make her feel like this now? Aurelius wracked his brain, as he tried to pinpoint a specific moment or action. All I did was bring her a cup of juice... was that... was that it? Did I unintentionally display some kind of interest of love?

Aurelius was able to keep himself under control, at least externally. He maintained a well-practiced passive expression, as his eyebrows lowered and he re-read the letter, just to make sure. Yes, it indeed said what he thought, and the Irish boy felt like sinking back into his chair, to disappear into nothingness to avoid the need to deal with whatever this was. And Aurelius couldn't deny that Liana was a great person; smart, cunning, fun to talk and plan with... but love?

I... I don't know?

The eleven year old suddenly felt every year of his age. Even with his smarts and maturity, he could understand there were some things he still had no idea about; he couldn't even say he had thought about girls beyond friends, but on the other hand Aurelius could admit that Liana was... pretty? He wasn't sure if that was what was needed for love. Was it more than that? What even constituted love and romance? For Aurelius, it suddenly dawned on him:

I have no understanding about any of this. Valentine's day. Love. Romance. Not any of it. What it is, what it means, how I think or feel about it... am I even meant to think about this kind of stuff now? Am I expected to be feeling feelings for girls now?

Aurelius looked to Liana.

"I..." He began, unsure of what to do. This was beyond his capacity to process, he simply didn't have the cognitive understanding to know how to proceed. When it came to magic, learning from books, or being taught how to act in situations - yes, he could do that exceptionally well. But when faced with emotions he hadn't developed naturally, for an event arguably beyond his age to comprehend? Not so much. "I... I think you're a close friend, ay. And I haven't liked not seeing you, too, but... I don't... I don't think I have romantic feeli-- uh... I don't know? I'm confused right now..."

That's when Aurelius felt eyes on him.

What?

Aurelius turned and looked, to see Edme just... staring, confused. She held a letter, also.

What have I done? What did she read?

All Aurelius had done, was write a single letter, and sent it anonymously. Had something happened to the letter? Had it been sent to Edme? But how did she know he sent it, when Aurelius hadn't put his name on it? The Irish boy could recognize the baked good he had made, the chocolate, so it stood to reasoning that his letter had been delivered to...

"Edme? I-is something... wrong?"

Aurelius didn't just want to sink into the chair. He wanted to curl up and just cease existing for an hour or two. He looked back to the letter from Liana in his hand and put it onto the table, as he pulled away from it, and just wondered what - exactly - had happened. And that's when Edme had a rose land in front of her, and attention was brought to the table...

Leprechaun's buttcrack... droch áird chúgat lá gaoithe... what now?

@Liana Kerr | @Edme Achillian | @Maggie Hawkins

For some unfathomable reason, Maggie was hoping to have received love confessions. She was probably equipped to deal with the awkwardness of it, given her social skills; maybe she would actually find it pleasant. Liana, on the other hand, was expecting that all notes sent to her were just courteous messages from friends. "I wouldn't be surprised if most of your letters were from secret admirers," she shrugged. It was not exactly true - she would still be confused if it turned out that her peers already had such interest in romance and wooing one another. "Hopefully mine aren't, though. I'm not really ready for these, um- delicate matters." How could anyone be, at the age of twelve?

It was looking like some people weren't prepared to handle even something way less delicate, such as a request to be friends again. The more she watched Aurelius, the less she liked his body language. A conclusion was forming in her head that the boy had felt insulted after she ceased seeking out his company, and was now just searching for a polite way to tell her so. But why wasn't he simply ignoring the letter, then? Folding it up, putting it aside, pretending Liana wasn't there? They may have lost the connection they had, but she was still able to get clear messages like that. And Aurelius Leeds, of all people, should not struggle finding a way to smoothly reject her attempt at reviving their friendship. He was never one to overreact quite so grandly.

When he finally began speaking, Liana had already reconciled herself with the imminent public embarrassment and had an answer ready. In fact, she was bracing for the verbal blow so tensely that she failed to fully register the words that came. "I understand. It's all on me, I shouldn't have shut myself away-" Her lagging mind finally comprehended the boy's response and the girl stopped mid-sentence, baffled. "I am a close friend?" his stuttering statement didn't make much sense. What was the problem, then, if he still saw her as a friend? Did he misinterpret her letter because she had sent it on Valentine's Day? In hindsight, it was a poor decision to dispatch it on such an occasion. She couldn't blame him for his error. As the boy put down her letter, she glanced down at it, trying to think of a way to explain her intentions without making it even more awkward.

"I didn't mean it in a romantic way, sorry for the confusion. I understand this day is meant chiefly for couples but I thought friendly notes can also be sent." The redhead's frown deepened when her eyes caught something strange about the letter. "May I?" she asked, already plucking the piece of parchment off the table to get a better look. The opened but unread note from Avery was pushed aside towards Maggie in her haste to unravel this mystery.

The first half of the letter was as she remembered writing it. The second one, though... Her cheeks lit up in bright pink, an understanding of what had perplexed Aurelius settling in along with the sudden realization of what he must be thinking of her right now.

"This has to be a prank, I didn't write this- I mean, I wrote some of it- The last two sentences aren't mine, I had written something else there." She quickly raised her eyes and scanned the ballroom, as if hoping to see the trickster watching her and giggling. Alas, nobody was even looking her way. Clenching her jaw in sudden frustration, she lowered her gaze to the parchment again. There seemed to be some strange markings in places, oddly resembling... bite marks? And while the handwriting looked like hers for the most part, once properly concentrated she could note some minor differences in a few of the letters in the closing statements. She eagerly pointed out the most evident one. "That's not how I write 'f', there's more of a flourish in mine; the tails are longer, and the bar crossing the letter is more curved. See how the word 'for' appears before the sentence that starts with 'except', and compare it to how it looks after it." She handed the letter to Aurelius, outraged. "Someone is playing games with us. My last sentence was asking if we can go back to how we were back in September."

Fully focused on clarifying the situation, she almost missed Edme receiving a rose. At the back of Liana's mind, there was immense relief that she wasn't the one to get the flower, because she had no idea what the Ravenclaw girl was supposed to do with it. Edme appeared to be just as confused; the redhead felt somewhat sorry for her. There was no way she could help, though. Usually Liana was the one with answers when her peers were uncertain of something; sadly, today she failed to take in the information provided to them.

♡

MAGGIE HAWKINS

♡

interacting with: @Edme Achillian | @Liana Kerr | @Aurelius Leeds mentioning: @Autumn Agapov | @Avery Chen

February 14, 2022

XXXXWell, for once, it seemed as if Maggie Hawkins was not the center of drama, nor was she in any way aware of what was going on. All around her, the tablemates that she had been stuck with were clarifying misunderstandings and looking very much confused, worried, or otherwise embarrassed. Honestly, Maggie had really started to wonder how much it was possible to miss in the few seconds she had taken to read the letters at her fingertips. As Liana observed the note that she had supposedly written, pointing out the inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the wording and handwriting, Maggie couldn't help but lean over in an attempt to see what was causing all this trouble. It made more sense the more she read. A love letter from Liana Kerr to Aurelius Leeds. At first, Maggie was shocked. Liana hadn't mentioned a crush! Wasn't that, like, a total violation of the best friend code? Wasn't it considered betrayal? Of course, as Liana began to explain that she hadn't written the lovey-dovey bits of the letter, it made more sense. "Thank god, though. I really thought that you had some big crush and didn't bother telling me!" Edme, to her left, had received a rose. Maggie couldn't seem to remember if they'd had one prior to this, nor where it had been plucked from, but figured that it was Valentine's Day. There were strange happenings all around the table by now (see Liana's atomic love letter), so a rose wasn't so far out of left field. "Where'd you get that from, Parker?" Maggie reached for a second letter to read--one from Avery Chen. As she ripped open the letter, the cheesecake cupcake she was munching on had begun to smell strangely of artificial strawberry shortcake candles and autumn leaves. An odd combination, but one that Maggie had no issue with, as those were some of her favorite smells. She took another bite as she skimmed the letter. Huh. Something felt funny. Name your game and I'll beat you at it, whatever it is! Anyways, always appreciating your spunk! It makes me want to get better at whatever it is we're competing at. But, remember I'll always beat you in the end! - Avery. The contents of the letter fresh in her mind, having read through it post-taking a bite of her cupcake, Maggie looked up to table 9, at which Avery was seated. Suddenly, it felt as if her heart was hammering inside her chest, thunking around like a steel drum. Was this normal? Had she always felt this way? And had Avery Chen always been so handsome? With newfound vigor and a fervent sense of urgency, Maggie's wandering gaze landed on the letter that Liana had received from Avery. An ugly green monster called jealousy began clawing up her throat as she ripped the letter from the envelope, very nearly tearing it in her race to see the contents. Hoping this cute chocolate bark will help you loosen up a bit! You've been so down in the dumps lately, that I feel like I need to try extra hard to make you smile for once. Chin up! Rudolph has a red nose and you have red hair so you guys match! Enjoy. - Avery. Maggie felt her eyes welling up with hot, salty tears. "Seriously?" She sobbed, dropping the letter to the tabletop. "Liana, you know how bad I like him!" Of course, that was untrue. How could poor, poor Liana Kerr have known that Maggie would take a bite of an amortentia-laced cupcake and become so enamored with Avery Chen?

ACTION | taking a bite of amortentia cupcake

PERMISSION HAS BEEN GIVEN BY @Avery Chen TO BE THE OBJECT OF MAGGIE'S AFFECTIONS

☆

Edme Achillian

☆

It seemed conflicts were bubbling up left and right, accusations and realizations everywhere. Edme felt she was quite innocent amidst most of this having sent but one letter to a person who hadn't even attended the tea party@Mercy Tolman.

Of course there had to be something said regarding that letter sent her way, one that had either been horribly misplaced or horribly intentional. Not that it was horrible of course, he seemed like a nice guy, but Edme had only ever really seen him dotted around the hallways and occasionally noticed him in the great hall. Not a lot. "Aurelius, I think there's uh... something to be said about the word 'Valentine'. I mean- you're great, probably, but I don't really... know you that well? And I mean, this is really sweet, I guess, but... there's kind of a level consent when calling someone a Valentine? I'm... I'll stop, sorry."

After spewing whatever gibberish that was, the little bits of anxiety and nerves bubbling up in her stomach seemed about ready to pop. They dug their nails into the fine tablecloth, leaving arched prints.

The white rose in hand felt pretty heavy as they also decided what do with it. "It fell from the... sky." she motioned around a bit to emphasize, not really sure if the contents of the letter were important. Maybe they could tear the letter off and give it to one of them calling it a "Friendship Rose" or something. Though that seemed a bit impolite.

One unopened letter still sat next to her, taunting them. Shaking it off, their attention turned to the now sobbing girl that sat near her, none other than the cool Quidditch player Maggie Hawkins yelling at the girl she had been quite familiar with before. Liked him? When did that happen?

WC: 317

• ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ, ᴘɪɴᴋʏ ꜰɪɴɢᴇʀ ᴜᴘ •
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The Ballroom - 14th February 2022

There was a lot going on, a literal cacophony of interactions, displays, theatrics and other reactions - had that been an Incendio flame at another table? The ballroom seemed to have become a source of confusion, primarily, especially for those at table twelve. Between the situation regarding Liana's letter, and Aurelius' own letter being delivered to Edme - with his name mentioned, no less - and Maggie's misunderstanding of the connection between the pair of first years... it was a right mess, compounded by further confusion, embarrassment and seemingly no Professor intervention to correct matters.

Aurelius composed himself.

Enough. Lead with logic, put everything else aside.

The Slytherin focused on Liana first. The redhead had taken the letter, read over it, and noted that she had indeed written a portion of it, save the last two lines. Those had been the cause of the misunderstanding, at least for Aurelius, so it came as some level of relief to know that Liana hadn't necessarily declared feelings for him. It still remained for the Irish boy to consider - at a later time - how he felt about that, if at all, though undoubtedly Aurelius did ponder if he was a little... disappointed that Liana was so determined and quick to clarify.

"I'm not familiar with your writing, so I'll have to take your word for it," Aurelius said as he leaned over to look at the points of interest Liana indicated. Apparently she noticed differences, though minute, in the hand written note. "I guess I can see those differences. I have no reason to doubt your word, however, so I accept that this letter may have been handled poorly... as to why, who can say, but it looks to have been damaged?"

Aurelius exhaled pointedly, as he glanced to Liana.

"That misunderstanding aside, perhaps we should talk once free of this façade of a gathering? I think we have a few things to discuss, some catching up as it were, and some explanation, ay..."

Meanwhile, Maggie seemed occupied with someone else across the way. At least she had stopped discussing that awkward letter from Liana, attention diverted elsewhere for the moment. Still, some of what Maggie said, caused the Irish boy to furrow his eyebrows and wonder if things might get worse... at which point, Maggie seemed to notice something near Liana, and proceeded to accuse her friend of something involving liking a 'him'.

I don't think I'll ever understand any of this, Aurelius thought to himself, as he looked back to his own placing and stared a metaphorical hole into his plate. I believe that awkward situation between Liana and I has passed, but we still need to talk about other things, which could be equally as--

And that's when Edme spoke up, addressing Aurelius. Initially, the Slytherin looked to the girl who spoke with a passive but understanding expression; after all, it seemed a lot had been misunderstood, so Aurelius didn't want to immediately jump to any conclusions and was content to listen to what Edme had to say.

What?

Yet, the more Edme spoke, the lower Aurelius' eyebrows became. By the time the girl across the way had finished speaking, the Irish boy's face had become a passive mask that showed some contempt through his stare. And stare he did, unblinking, his blue-grey eyes intense as he studied Edme's face and processed her words. Finally he spoke, his voice low:

"I'm sorry... I seem to have misheard you, Edme," Aurelius said simply, as he leaned forward and inclined his head. "Did you just accuse me of being nonconsensual, for taking part in a tradition aimed at surprising others with grand displays and declarations of affection? Often without forewarned knowledge or expectation, on behalf of the recipient?"

Aurelius wasn't angry, he wasn't shouting. He was quiet, almost whispering, as he continued:

"I'll have you know, I refuse to be smeared by that accusation, to be compared to acting without consent, while taking part in exactly the same way as literally every other individual in this ballroom has, for this absurd pretense of a celebratory charade intended to create a false and petty display of feigned affection for others."

To openly imply that about someone - anyone - to have that accusation tarnish a reputation by uttering such nonsense, especially while at a Professor facilitated and encouraged event... it was enough to bring out Aurelius' less than charming side, if only to abundantly make it crystal clear as to what he thought about Edme's words.

"That letter? It wasn't to you. It wasn't to anyone. It was me, taking part in card writing and chocolate making, solely for the purpose of earning my House some points," Aurelius shook his head, as he gave a tsk. "I labeled it for a Valentine because that's the occasion... but I also sent it anonymously, with no regard for whomever received it.

"But had I of sent it to someone? It wouldn't have been you. Briseadh agus brú ort."

Aurelius had had enough of this. How dare someone he had just met accuse him of nonconsensual advances? Especially when it was clear some kind of mistake had taken place, based on evidence of other incorrectly given or written letters? That could literally ruin a person, especially if one of the numerous gossips around the ballroom heard it, and presumed it correct just from Edme's say-so. The Irish boy stood up - his chair skidded somewhat behind him - and looked to the others at the table.

"Please excuse me. My inclination for this event has ended, and I find myself in need of putting this entire situation - and such implications - well behind me. Good evening."

Without another word, Aurelius turned and started to walk away; he was determined to never attend another event such as this, but especially not Valentine's Day...

@Liana Kerr | @Edme Achillian | @Maggie Hawkins

Gaeilge translation: (Strife and stress upon you)

Aurelius exits, unless stopped.

☆

Edme Achillian

☆

Words were so much easier scrawled onto the pages of a book. The author had so much time to consider what they might say, minutes to hours to even days later. But Edme couldn't do confrontation, much less words. Knowing she messed up was when Aurelius had to practically tell it to her straight on. And that wasn't exactly the greatest time for Edme to realize.

Listening to what he said, Edme felt that shock of what was either empathy or anxiety. "Oh, no I didn't- I'm sorry, I assumed-" they were practically tripping over herself. "It wasn't-"

Aurelius had a right to be angry, she knew that. It was a harmless note. Maybe it was the bubbling up of other romances or rise of other accusations that made Edme so quick to throw around them herself. The letter was perfectly fine. They didn't need an excuse for the words she had said, they were a mistake the moment they left her tongue.

As Aurelius began to stand and leave, Edme mustered up the words, "Wait. Aurelius please. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to use... those words. I don't do a lot of Valentine's stuff, so I guess I didn't really understand if people meant for others to read into the cards. I was careless with words, and for that I deeply apologize." Wherever the words had come from, Edme didn't know, but hope of them working was still flickering. "The note was harmless. I didn't... I should have realized that."

They hadn't meant to ruin any great occasion or any fun, but still she had and still she sat knowing she messed up and knowing that it had affected others. The note was a bit nice thinking back to the words, mysterious and creative.

WC: 310

Sensing Maggie's curiosity about the misunderstanding regarding Liana's letter to Aurelius was mildly irritating. She wasn't normally secretive around her closest friend, and could tolerate a certain amount of nosiness from her, but this situation was already far too convoluted. The last thing she wanted was for someone to start spreading fictitious rumours about a love letter. And for all her redeeming qualities, Maggie was still very much a gossip. The redhead felt the temperature of her cheeks increasing at the mention of 'some big crush'. She shot her friend a look. Later there would have to be a conversation about never mentioning the contents of this forged note to anyone, ever.

Aurelius himself was difficult to read; all she could tell was that he definitely wasn't pleased about any aspect of this situation, for which she couldn't blame him. Was he even convinced that she did not write that last part of the letter? He didn't seem to focus on the differences in handwriting that she pointed out. She swallowed, her mouth uncomfortably dry. Did she inadvertently insult him by so rashly debunking the 'love letter' absurdity? Should she have focused more on how she valued him as a friend, instead of hurrying to assure him - and everyone else who was listening - that she had naught to do with the romance-seeking inquiry which distorted her original message? Liana couldn't think of a way to remedy the situation, opting instead for keeping her mouth shut - at least no more harm could come that way.

Who could have thought that sending a friendly letter on Valentine's Day could cause so many misunderstandings? Anyone with a brain, surely.

Only when the Irish boy suggested conversing later did a glimmer of hope awaken in her. Did that mean he was willing to resume their friendship? She perked up, more than willing to accept the idea. Even if the last words were somewhat sharp, implying that Liana was not off the hook just yet. "Yes, certainly. This isn't really the best place or time. We could meet up after classes tomorrow, if you like, and-"

Her proposal was interrupted by Maggie's wail. Taken aback by the sheer emotion in her words, the redhead needed a moment or two to understand what was going on. In her friend's hands was the letter that Liana had been trying to read unsuccessfully. She was still unsure of its contents - the only thing she had registered was that it came from Avery Chen.

"Are you quite alright, Maggie? What's the matter, what did I do?" she inquired, her own ordeal now seeming far less important. Her cheerful, tough housemate had now broken down crying, a sight she had never observed before. Did Maggie really just admit to liking Avery, badly? And somehow she was now angry at Liana? The redhead was unsure how to react. She was still struggling to wrap her brain around the fact that her best friend apparently fancied Avery Chen in more than a friendly way. To give herself some time, she plucked up the offending piece of correspondence and scanned it with her eyes.

The very first question that came to mind was Who's Rudolph?, followed shortly by How did this upset Maggie? There was absolutely nothing in his note that would indicate romantic feelings for Liana. Unless... unless 'Rudolph' and 'red nose' was some sort of weird Muggle code for romantic feelings? Having heard a multitude of odd sayings and references from her Muggleborn friends, Liana wouldn't have been surprised to find that there was some hidden meaning in Avery's words that she had completely failed to register.

"I'm sure he only sent the letter as a friend, I really don't see him as anything more than that," she assured. "And since when do you like him so? I thought you two were just Quidditch buddies?"

She glanced helplessly towards Professor Rion, as if he could resolve the conflicts bursting open around their table. However, the man was currently occupied with a troublemaking bunch elsewhere, quite literally putting out flames. Two of her peers seemed to have gotten into trouble because of the fiery incident.

In the meanwhile, Aurelius was showing Edme why it was best never to step on a snake. Trying to subdue Maggie's jealousy in order to preserve their bond was important, of course, but Liana couldn't help letting some of her attention slip towards the boy's speech. She had not witnessed him being this frustrated before, and was glad that she was not the target of his indignation. Still, a nagging suspicion at the back of her head claimed that the outburst was at least partially provoked by her letter and the way she handled it. Edme merely had the misfortune of tipping Aurelius' anger over the edge.

She could sympathize with his displeasure only too well. Apparently, Aurelius was now in the same situation that she had been in mere moments ago - being accused of sending a letter with a romantic intention. Had it not been him charging Liana with such indiscretion, but some near-stranger instead, she may have similarly snapped. Now, having chosen a more peaceful path of resolving the confusion, she was still agreeing with his outrage - at the shallowness of the occasion, at the disastrous execution of the event, at the potential harm to one's name. If only she could also rise and leave, like he was doing now- but there were still unresolved matters holding her here, i.e. Maggie's newfound passion for Avery. Therefore, she remained seated, watching - with a sense of dejection - as the boy walked away from the table, leaving behind the chocolate bark she had sent him. Edme was trying to stop him, which Liana would have advised against - Aurelius clearly wanted to be done with the nonsense of this gathering, and keeping him here was not going to make him feel any better. Maybe the Ravenclaw girl could pry some forgiveness out of him, although that would mostly serve as a relief to her and as an added burden of courtesy to him.

The redhead made herself look away from that drama and refocus on the other one. She glanced over at Avery, who was sitting with Vale and Hildegard, of all people. Someone horribly messed up the seating plan there. It seemed that at the moment he was wolfing down a cupcake so fast it was making him sick. Was this really what Maggie liked in boys?

"So, um, did you let Avery know how you feel, in your letter?" she asked.