Event Midspring Celebration

Tiffany scooped some food in her mouth while watching the Ashley-like girl, who seemed to calm down by the other girl's presence. So far, it seemed like she was safe enough, and Tiffany decided that her and Jacques should probably back off.
However, just as she did, she heard someone speak- in another language that she couldn't understand, and she heard a whooshing sound behind her.
Tiffany shrieked and instinctively swatted the spaghetti away- using poor Jacques as a shield.
The spaghetti fell, hitting her shoes and dress as it went. Her poor Jacques would be covered in sauce, and Tiffany would hold him out away from her chest.
"Oh, I am so sorry, mon petit poète! That was all his fault!" Tiffany screeched, pointing at the offending boy. "Auuuuugh!"
She wanted to hit him- poor Jacques! He was all dirty! And Jacques HATED getting dirty- it made washing very much hard on the poor rabbit. And even worse, it went on her dress- the one her mother owned. The mother she never met.

"Damn, boy. He's sure going to regret this," she imagined heard Jacques say as she dropped him absentmindedly.
Tiffany stepped carefully towards the boy, dragging Jacques behind her as not to get him dirty. She tried to put a polite smile on her face, hoping that he wouldn't get scared of her like people so often did.
"This was my mom's dress." Tiffany said politely, a small smile on her face. "My tante would slap anyone who did that. A bit like this."
And Tiffany dd the thing she would not imagine doing on a normal day. She slapped the boy across the face, using her full force to try and leave a mark on his face.
Whether or not the slap landed, she would promptly walk away after and go to the tables and try to clean her dress, putting Jacques next to her, who mumbled "Tough." in her head.

Outfit

Stamina 8

Evasion 13

Strength 15

Wisdom 3

ArcPower 3

Accuracy 11

She was at it again, sewing discontent and dismay amongst her peers in spite of the fact that this one time she was not trying. Not in her case at the very least. As chaos would unfold, a food fight ruining pretty dresses resulting in a string of screeches and likely obscenities. Not that she cared too deeply for her white dress, she was making an effort to conform. To join the lie.

She moved on from the deeper conversation she was having with Serena as a third joined them. She could feel the discontent roll off her in waves, Erin did not need to be particularly intelligent to understand where and when she was disliked. It did not inhabit her consciousness, it was better to be reviled than forgotten. "Hi Bloom," she quickly announced the girl's name. She knew the basics of exchange, the masquerade of normalcy and she was playing her role just like she did when she donned this dress and brushed her hair. When she did all of the things that others took for granted as their 'routine' but she seemed to force herself to fall in line.

If Howard accepted the force feeding or swatted her away, she had no intention of staying. Serena was sputtering over herself, so Erin had gotten it right. It was rather obvious, from the awkward meetings between the two of them and the lingering glances. The cringe-worthy clumsiness and the softer expressions that White affords Towers made the sentiment obvious. As for the adolescent hormones and the shrivel-worthy revelation that Erin had a set of legs, that moment would be lost to her. There is a difference between thinking with little Howard and thinking with the heart, there was no heart for her and she was not seeking it. "Save me the effort of pissing you both off and dance or something," she announced.

Bloom Silverton's presence during this awkward moment was also lost to Erin. She had no way of knowing about their date, about the Ravenclaw's ongoing interest or possible affections. She never noted the lingering glances from Howard in her direction and while Howard was fine to look at she was not thinking with anything below the belt or even her heart... you don't take your eyes off rivals for long. Rivals in what? In truth, she was not entirely certain. She wanted him but not in the way Serena did, the boy would not survive but might die happy if she did. Howard was important to her in a manner she could not reasonably quantify.

Of course Erin did not want to stay there and gawk at the two love birds like some strange third wheel. She was not entirely sure what to do with Bloom or what she had set off in front of her. She also did not care. Perhaps she should but she did not. Caring meant that there was a modicum of sentiment and there was none. She was trying to emulate emotional attachment and the reciprocal relationship of people and interactions. She understood people but she did not live as one.

She would scan the Great Hall in search of a plaything for her. There was a perfectly good food fight, if she was not wearing white she would be where the good time was. Well, there was always Nicholas, he was a snack. Not the sort of snack Howard saw in Serena, either of the options. No, she consumed something else entirely. "I need to play with something," she would declare leaving the awkward trio she had a hand in creating -- Howard, Bloom and Serena to their devices. There was likely going to be explosive drama and probably tears but that was really a Howard problem.

Erin would beeline it for Nicholas McCowan. The click of heels more like Satan's hooves likely for the boy as she made her approach. "Where is the yelling girl?" Aurora Ranvier that is. "Are you going to make up with her or play with me?"

Mentioning and interacting with @James Owens

When James mentioned that he had made something earlier, she was flabbergasted. [i]I do not really see James as the cooking type… maybe baking him something is not the best idea….[/i] Deciding to think of that later, Bailey smiled as James grabbed her hand to lead her over to the food. He showed her the dish that he had made. She instantly recognized it as Cullen skink which was a thick soup that was made up of smoked haddock, potatoes, and onions. James had made a large batch of it, probably so multiple people could eat it. When James gave her a bowl of the soup, Bailey unfolded a napkin on her lap and put a spoonful of the thick soup in her mouth. With the soup still in her mouth, Bailey’s eyes widened. The soup was so good!!! [color=#00009d] “That is soooo good!!! [/color] she exclaimed, spooning more in to her mouth. When she had finished her bowl, she looked up to see James again, reassuring herself that he was still there. He was, and she said, [color=#00009d] “Thank you so much for that! It was so good. Now, is there more food or would you like to dance or check out the craft table? I think they are making flower crowns at the craft table.”[/color] Leaving up the decision to James, Bailey looked around. There were a few kids who appeared to be throwing food? [i]who knows. And it is none of my business. [/i] Deciding not to say anything, Bailey served herself another bowl full of the soup. [quote]Word count: 280 ish

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My outfit:	Here!

Permission to God mode Bailey eating or dancing.

[font=times new roman]wearing | nails

[font=times new roman]hex: #3a5948

[font=times new roman]With his right hand on the handle and his head resting on the door, Wyatt let out a sigh. There was too much feeling happening, in his opinion, to be remotely healthy. He was anxious about going to the ball with Opeila but not because of her. Well, maybe because of her. Was Flash going to gut him? Would Cash poison his drink? What would Hanako think? Before that whole thing last year, he was not a big fan of Opeila’s. Of course, that was just an assumption based on Wyatt’s observations of their previous encounters, but fans usually didn’t throw water on their idol’s shirt and call them names.

So, while their relationship didn’t seem so friendly before the incident, Wyatt wasn’t really sure of Tone and Winters’s ideas of each other post-Chamber kerfuffle. Not like Wyatt cared of what Tone thought anyway. He was just some short brat who liked to corrupt innocent, wavy-haired Gryffindors. Speaking of… Wyatt caught a glimpse of his nails, each a different shade of purple. Wyatt smiled slightly. He thought it was going to be a disaster when he let Alec paint his nails, but he did a good job of them.

Wyatt thought they looked okay. He was just a bit worried if people would say something and what they would say if they did. His smile faded into half of a frown and he closed his eyes, sighing again. It was almost time to meet Opeila in the common room and walk to the Great Hall with her, he reminded himself. But it was so hard to move from the pathetic position he was in, trapped in the moment before he decided to be brave and open his door, burdening the old wood with almost his entire body weight. Wyatt took a step back. Inhaled.

The Slytherin straightened his posture and exhaled. He felt his hands fall limply to his sides, no longer gripping the once-cool doorhandle—now warm where his hand had rested—for dear life. As he had been all week, Wyatt questioned himself. He knew he wasn’t as charming or handsome as anyone else Opeila could’ve chosen to attend the ball with and wondered, with great dread, if she had ultimately decided to go with him out of pity. This feeling was familiar, he knew. The same he felt before the Fall Ball of 2020. A stronger frown.

But now was not a time to question himself. Now was time to take a step, turn the door handle, open the door, walk through the open door, close it, check all the locks, walk through the dorm common room, open the door, walk through the open door, close it, walk through the common room, meet Opeila, and walk to the Great Hall. Jesus, why did Wyatt’s brain have to break it up into so many steps? Oh, great, a question. So much for it not being a time for Wyatt to question himself. Could this frown get any stronger? Yes.

With a small groan, Wyatt put his face in his hands, but when he looked back up, he’d rid his face of any frown. A fan of the classics, Wyatt bore a stoic expression, not giving away how awful he felt. Awful. But in a strange way? It was nervous? But it didn’t feel like fight or flight nervous. Or at least, not in the same way your fight or flight would kick in when seeing a bear. Different. Not horrible. Happy dread? What does that even mean? Wyatt rolled his eyes at himself. It was impossible to not question himself, apparently.

In an attempt to surprise himself which mysteriously worked, Wyatt suddenly lunged toward the door and soon enough he was following the steps and then there she was. Opeila stared at him for a moment and Wyatt wondered if he’d done something wrong already. But that was impossible, he just got here?

"H-hi. Erm, you look great!"

“Thank you,” Wyatt replied, his lips parting in a small smile as he looked down at himself for a moment, hands in his pockets, then back at Winters. She was gorgeous. Her dress was not outrageously extravagant, no. It suited her. Vibrant flowers in inky darkness. Wyatt met her shocking green eyes with a lopsided smile. “You look beautiful,” he complimented, tone soft and genuine. He recognized the gentleness of his tone a bit late.

With a "Shall we?" they were off. Then they were at the Great Hall, and Wyatt noticed that it was rather crowded already. He also noticed how little it affected him, and he suspected it had something to do with his company. Opeila knew this environment, he shouldn’t worry so much. Wyatt immediately furrowed his brows in confusion. Did he trust Opeila? Or did he just trust her knowledge in social environments such as this more than he did his own, and for good reason? He pondered this as the two made their way further into the Hall.

After making the mistake of looking into the corner of the Great Hall, Wyatt found Henry sitting in some sort of healer table. Immediately, Wyatt averted his eyes to the floor and felt the blood in his veins turn to ice. For a moment, Wyatt felt dizzy. All it would take for Henry to ruin Wyatt’s night and probably his entire relationship with Opeila would be for him to abandon his post for a minute and say a few words. Wyatt didn’t think he would, it didn’t seem like it was in his nature. But that was exactly it.

Henry was well-liked. Maybe Opeila thought him to be a good person, like everyone else did. And then Henry told her how Wyatt really is. She knows him as someone who owes her, but god, would she hate him if she knew him. Yes, Wyatt was a monster. Many people saw that. Those who deserved to be subjected to Wyatt the least never did see it, though, and it killed him. They truly didn’t deserve it, but they wouldn’t go away, either.

No, no. Tonight was not going to be that kind of night, Wyatt resolved. He would raise his head again; he didn’t actually need to be confident to look it. And maybe it’d be half convincing. As long as he avoided that damned corner. Suddenly, Opeila took a step closer to Wyatt, who raised a questioning brow.

"Tone is watching. Will you play along, just for a moment?"

Wyatt thought he wanted to say something along the lines of, “like, Tone Tone?” But even more suddenly than Opeila had taken a step closer to Wyatt before, she grabbed his arm. For a moment, Wyatt considered how this made him feel, and it wasn’t uncomfortable. He didn’t flinch, either, he noticed. Now, he had to figure out what it meant to play along because of course he would play along. Anything to freak Tone out.

Pulling his arm and Opeila slightly closer, Wyatt affectionately tilted his head to rest lightly against the top of Opeila’s for a moment before looking down at her with the softest smile he could offer. She was looking at Hanako, he knew, but Wyatt didn’t dare get his own look in. He was worried it would make the whole thing too obvious. Justifying to Hanako that he was only acting this way to get under his skin was something he’d have to think about later. Right now, he was a bit busy thinking about how little he hated pretending to be all soft.

Or maybe that, too, was a thought he’d hold onto for later. They ought to have fun for the sole purpose of having fun, not to make Hanako Tone flip his shit. Though that was a very nice bonus that Wyatt would appreciate if it were to happen. Wyatt’s soft smile turned into a more mischievous smirk as he turned away from wherever Hanako must’ve been in relation to where Opeila was looking.

“Want to grab something to drink, eat?”

[font=times new roman]Interacting: @Opeila Winters
Mentioning: @Henry Knight @Hanako Tone

Dakota worried about being late to the dance, but worried more about her and Elsi's safety. One wrong move with the armored dress and Dakota could've ended up impaled, and then Elsian would have no one to tag along with him, what fun would be had then? Though every time the spikes came out loud squeaks and squeals come from Dakota mixed with hurried apologies as she attempted to be more careful afterwards. Though upon finishing with the lace and examining her handiwork, Dakota mumbled a soft "good enough," before finally stepping back from her friend. As much as she cared for his comfort the young girl didn't wanna lose an eye tonight.

She had tried not to laugh at the sight of her friend leaned over the sink while she slid into the stall, dress draped over her arm and messenger bag sitting on the floor. Lately Virginia had been refusing to leave her side, and yowled whenever she couldn't find Dakota or wanted food. Either way she doubted anyone in the Hufflepuff dorms would want to listen to a mewling kitten throughout the night, and as such Virginia sat calmly in the bag, awaiting for her owner to return as her pink nose twitched.

With her bag on her shoulder and the kitten securely inside, Dakota rolled her eyes as she stepped out with her friend. She had rolled her eyes at the question and given a little "you always look like a princess, Elsi," with a soft snort. Though she happily dropped her things off in her dorm when the time came before walking to the ball with Elsi, Virginia still tucked in the messenger bag and sitting calmly, Dakota checking on her every once in awhile as she left the bag ajar for the kitten to breath. Though Dakota jokingly attempted to snag the crown from his head every once and awhile before simply huffing and resorting to bothering him the whole way there. She really could be a pest when she so pleased.

However this certainly didn't stop when the two arrived at the door. "It may be your tiara but I wanna wear it!" Squeaking this out as she reached up to attempt to snag it from atop his head, Dakota made an offended noise at the threat. "How dare you, you wouldn't dare." Jokingly glaring at him with a huff escaping her yet again, though as he made an attempt to get to the food tables Dakota was sure to be on his tracks. "But I want it! You don't need it either, Elsi." Whining like her friend normally did, Dakota made her lip stick out as she gazed towards Elsi.

Inventory: Leather messenger bag | Wand | Black boots | Butterfly dress | Virginia (cat)

Interacting: @Elsian Cox Mentioning: N/a Interactions: Closed (temporarily)

Howard's eyes would flit around the room as he attempted to avoid any unpleasantries, but in a room full of people he shared a long history with that was easier said than done. For a brief moment they would connect with @Aurelia Notresvace before he tore them away. What an awkward relationship they had. He could never quite tell if there was anything positive about it as their time together had almost always been defined by violence, but there was some sort of draw there. No matter how many times they tried to best each other they always found their way back to each other in one way or another. Howard shrugged it off for now. Complicated feelings for another time.

However, the fates were determined to have him face his past as @Erin Ryan marched his way with @Serena Towers and @Bloom Silverton in tow. "Merlin..." Howard swore again under his breath as the three lovely ladies approached. Well, Erin may look lovely, but the memories of her right hooks were anything but nice. "Uh, hey Erin." The only words that would escape his lips before she plunged some sort of pastry into them. It would have been quite nice if it wasn't done so forcefully. He did his best to quickly chew and clean up his mouth at the same time. Apparently the treats were a gift from Serena.

Erin would run off just a quickly as she came. For a brief moment Howard considered calling out for her to stay. There was almost an urge to check up on her or something like that. For so long the two had battled against each other. At one point he would have even claimed to hate the girl, but when she stood before him so close to death he had an undeniable need to protect her life. The meaning of this could simply be that underneath all the undead appearances Howard was still half human and just wanted to see life preserved. The other possibility was that Erin meant something to him. Not the way Serena or Bloom did, but in a way her could not put into words. More complicated feelings for another time.

After a big swallow, Howard would finally clear his mouth enough to offer greeting. "Serena! Bloom! Hi! You two look great!" He had an urge to give them both a hug and he should have. Tonight was cause for celebration as they joined the other schools to welcome in another spring. Not to mention they were all alive to do so, but again those complicated feelings struck again. Howard cared for both of these girls deeply, much more than just friends, but what that meant was still puzzling to him. On one hand he was attracted to both of them yet there was something within each one that felt familial. Like sisters he never had, but he kinda wanted to kiss them both. Yikes! Howard blinked those awkward ass thoughts away and turned to Gary for distraction.

"Say hi buddy!" Howard scooped the Pygmy Puff off his shoulder and presented him to his friends. He would offer an excited sniff or even jump between their shoulders if they allowed it. Serena would quickly descend into one of her flustered mumbles though. "Well, Erin didn't leave me much choice, but whatever it was you made was great. No, seriously it was really good." He tried to push through her protests and concerns. "Did you try one, Bloom?" Howard was doing his best to include them all in the conversation, but Serena would of course try and excuse herself. Perhaps he should just let her go. Things were alway so easy between Bloom and he, but it just didn't feel right to let almost every encounter with Serena end in awkwardness. Surely they could find a way to just relax and enjoy the company? "Oh, ok. If you want." He offered her the out if she insisted. "We could join though if you wanna catch up a bit?" Howard eyed Bloom to get a read on what she may want to do.

James waited patiently as Bailey unfolded a napkin and placed it over her lap being careful not to get anything on her dress. However his face dropped as Bailey's eyes widened at the first bite of the dish. Did she not like it?James let out a relieved sigh as Bailey exclaimed at how good the dish was.

For a second there he was worried that she might spit it back out. But she didn't. He was quite alleviated. He watched as she spooned more of it into her mouth. She finished the bowl quite quickly. James laughed as he reach over with another napkin, gently wiping some of the soup from the corner of her lips. He folded the napkin placing it in his pocket. Bailey asked if he wanted to dance or go to the craft table to make flower crowns. James thought for a second. Let's go to the craft table and do the flower crowns and then dance after? How does that sound? James asked as he watched her spoon some more of the dish into her bowl.

She must really like it if she's going for seconds. She might even go for thirds. Maybe I should cook for her more often. I really don't do it as much I used to. James thought to himself as he waited for Bailey to finish eating. It was at this time that he truly got a good look at her. She was quite gorgeous. The matching shades of peach from her dress and his shirt. Her earings that had birds and flowers among them, her bracelet upon her wrist was quite pretty as well. Her hair which was pinned with a gorgeous pin.

He sighed in awe taking in the gorgeousness of her features. What was this feeling he got around her? Was it true love? He would never know. Or maybe he would find out at the end of the night when he asked her a serious question?

Word count: 330
Interacting: @Bailey Glade
Mentioning: None
Open to interactions
Please owl for permission to god mod

@Serena Towers, @Erin Ryan & @Howard White

Something was definitely going to happen tonight and Bloom was unsure what it will be: guilt or pleasure? And who would feel what? Erin had dashed off like a blink of an eye. This was her idea to bring all four of them together, and yet, she left because she wanted to play with something. Whatever that meant. Granted, Bloom did not want to think hard on what that could be for a fifteen or sixteen year old girl. She did look over and saw that Erin had made herself available to a young student. Bloom had never met them, but she hoped the best for whoever it was.

Howard's ask about Serena's food brought her attention back to the group. Bloom smiled and shook her head no as her answer. Though she was interested in finding some food to eat. Only to remind herself that she had brought nothing to the celebration. Perhaps it would be wrong for her to take if she has not given. "It looks delicious though!" she said with a small laugh.

Bloom's heart was pounding uncontrollably. What were they to do now? Bloom's hormones were rushing through her body fast. She wanted to stand next to Howard and be at his side, but with Serena in the room, she couldn't do that. As much as Bloom wanted Howard, she could not handle breaking her friend's heart. Serena had told her that she really liked, maybe even loved, Howard. How could she do that to her? In turn, Bloom had no idea if Howard even knew of this. So she couldn't even tell him what was going on.

For a moment, there was going to just be enough alone time between Howard and Bloom with Serena wanting to leave and get food for their pets. But Howard had gestured to have them go with her to keep continuing their conversation. She was so close to just having those couple of seconds alone.

On a realistic note, she felt like a third wheel knowing how much Serena is probably wanting to be with Howard alone. Bloom cleared her throat and grabbed her elbow with her hand, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"Actually, why don't you guys go ahead," she said, smiling at them both. However, she gave more eye contact to Howard than she did to Serena. "I'm going to go over... There," she said, awkwardly, pointing past Howard. Bloom could feel her hand digging into her arm from the amount of pain she was probably going to regret by leaving his side. She hoped that her eye contact with him made him feel her want for him. If it wasn't enough, Bloom would walk towards Howards direction and slyly caress against him while she left the two alone. Maybe that will get him to remember her during the Midspring Celebration.

ACTION: Taking one for the team by being a great friend... Sort of.

Selim Text Color: #4d0f25
Aku Text Color: #614f6d

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"So weary with disasters, tugg’d with fortune,
That I would set my life on any chance. To mend, or be rid on’t."
- William Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'

Outfit:

Reducio

Another Blossom Ball, another possible ticking timebomb waiting to happen.

Selim had run a tad late, getting his outfit ready and mentally preparing himself for the likely-exhausting experience, he wasn't concerned though, like always, other than in his first year, he had no date. He never bothered finding one and likely no one even considered him as their add-on. This was hardly surprising, personality-wise he was hardly appealing, and thanks to always wearing his mask alongside his constant exhaustion, he was lacking in the appearance department.

Honestly, he'd be baffled if someone bothered trying to drag him along behind them to the annual festivities.

Well, he was hardly complaining, he had no interest in relationships such as that or anything that may be included in them. He got more than enough of his fill of high school romance by just observing his hormonal peers, in fact, it was mildly nauseating to observe. He knew, statistically, that any relationships that started this early in someone's life usually either fell apart or became toxic.

Take, for example, his long-lost dormmate that once saved his life; Mathias Pride, and his lovely victim; Winnie Harper. That's the only example anyone needs, really.

So, hence, he has no interest in dealing with that stress on top of his still-fragile mental health.

As for the ball though... with the trio of students that everyone seemed to have some drama with now... gone, at least there was some hope for more normal festivities. Erin was, admittedly, alive still. This was still surprising given that he suspected that if it weren't for magic and its law-defying nature, she should be very much dead, medically.

From what he observed, though, the girl did not leave her nightmarish experience unscathed. For one, she seemed to most defiantly be lacking in the feeling & empathy department. He wasn't actually was bothered by it, seeing as how most of his life up until this summer he'd been living under the roof of two unfeeling parental figures and many more unfeeling clan members prodding him about like a pawn on a chessboard. Hell, some could say that even he almost fell into that charming emotionless void multiple times in his life.

Even now, though, Selim found that the more he adjusted to his new reality, the more apathetic he seemed to become. There were a few bursts of emotion here and there- mostly fear and anxiety with a dash of amusement here and there and maybe a dabble of annoyance- but throughout his day those moments aren't high in number, in the slightest.

Even his newfound urge to heal was less out of empathy for his reckless peers and more out of just pure interest in the medical field, seeing what he could fix and what he couldn't was simply fascinating to him.

Speaking of...

The boy shifted over to his messy desk, grabbing a basic first-aid kit from the unstable pile that sat between it and his small bookshelf. Lifting his medical jacket, [now on top of a suit vest, dress pants, and a dress shirt/tie combo!!] he hitched it to his belt, watching the coat fall over it and semi-effectively hide it. Then he snatched the last of his weapons-of-choice; His chopsticks, and a small bag of lollipops.

With that, he blinked at his exhausted reflection in the small mirror he had recently sat on his desk. Grimacing at the sight, he huffed, grabbing his freshly-cleaned rabbit mask and placing it over his face, latching the thick leather strap behind his head.

Much better.

Rolling his shoulders, he grabbed his tophat from his trunk, placing it securely on his head, and then grabbed his decorative cane... well, admittedly, it wasn't entirely decorative. His weariness sometimes made him stumble, and he very much would like to avoid falling on his face.

Checking Kioshi's food bowl, and nodding as he saw it was stocked, he waved to the feline that sat atop his bed's canopy in his little cat bed. The feline meowed faintly, before stretching and shifting his sleeping position.

With that, the boy set off to the ball fashionably late. He expected, like almost every festival before, that he'd get through the night without having to unwillingly interact with anyone unless disaster struck. Upon stepping through the doors of the Great Hall, he blinked. As per usual, his a handful of his peers were making right fools of themselves and making their school look like a joke.

He then caught sight of someone who seemed to have been assaulted by someone else's meal... was that a food fight? Really? Troublesome...

Oh, and speak of the devil, Pride was off by the bring-your-own-food buffet table, emotionally screwing with Winnie, it seemed. He was hardly surprised, the boy was great at making purebloods seem exactly like their stereotypes, that was for sure.

The older boy clicked his tongue in disapproval. How this was the boy that dragged him out of that gas chamber he'd never know. The manipulative preteen seemed like the type that would leave someone to die.

Well, it just went to show just how far off the deep end he was at the time.

Apathetic, he looked away, scanning the rest of the crowd. Luckily it seemed like a good chunk of students were actually acting decently, idle pockets of conversation, dancing. With practiced ease, a good majority of his peers were completely ignoring the scenes the other preteens were causing. Good on them.

His eyes roamed over to the healing station he heard was being set up. He would've assisted, but he had fallen unconscious for the latter half of the day thanks to his charming sleep deprivation. At least he had been at his desk during the time... though he had ended up with an ink stain on one of his jackets.

He caught sight of a few more familiar faces, Erin, the other dhampir he had met personally talking with Miss Towers. Passively, he wondered if the boy still had that mask he had given him...

He didn't remember why he had given the boy a mask. Only snippets of that experience were coming through his constant brain fog. Which was largely the same for any event that had happened during his year-long, semi-consistent break from reality.

A frown tilted down his mouth as he tried to dig up more of the memory, but all it earned him was a mild headache. With a sigh, he stepped further into the scene, wandering like a ghost through the crowd with his dress shoes and cane clicking against the floor, his masked visage just as out-of-place as usual.

With nothing better to do, the boy headed to the buffet table, noting some very familiar Japanese cuisine, likely from the group of students that had arrived from Hogwarts' newest 'allies' or some such. A faint smile appeared on his sunken face, hidden by the indifferent rabbit mask. Pulling out his clean silver chopsticks, he gingerly reached out to a particularly charming platter of sushi after lifting his mask up slightly. Grabbing the food expertly with the metal sticks, he cupped his hand below it, rising it to his mouth and eating it cleanly.

It was perfect. Nothing beat homemade sushi.

After eating a few more pieces, he lost his appetite. Cleaning off his utensils with a sanitary wipe, he stowed them away and lowered his mask once more. He hadn't had the time to make any food, nor had he considered it... or maybe he had and he just didn't remember it?

That was just as likely, with his terrible memory.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a lollipop, placing it on the table as he attempted to ignore the excessive loudness of Pride and the distressed Ravenclaw he seemed to enjoy tormenting. Idly, he mused on the fact that his Aniki likely would've turned the redheaded boy into a chipmunk or something by now, he despised unnecessary cruelness...

He wasn't here though.

After a long pause of just holding the candy against the table, Selim blinked, realizing he must've zoned out again. Letting out a quiet sigh, the third year released it, straightening as he settled his hands on the cane again. What a troublesome day,

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[ @Samantha Salwis • @Eun-ji Lee Hunt as herself and Ye-jun Lee ] DATE 02/04/22 OUTFIT [x] talking to Eun-ji, Ye-jun, and Samantha

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Eun-ji and Ye-jun arrived at the same time, carrying between them a number of lunch boxes. Lucia assumed that they were for the pot luck table, and wondered what they'd brought. Had they cooked it? Lucia didn't know Eun-ji - or Ye-jun, to that matter - could cook! There wasn't much chance to do cooking or baking at Hogwarts really, though. Lucia herself used to like baking but since coming to Hogwarts, where there was only one kitchen which the Hufflepuff was pretty sure was out of bounds for students, she'd fallen out of practising. This meant that, just like with any skill, Lucia had found herself with almost no idea what she was doing when she went back to it at home after about a year of not touching a packet of flour.

As she drew closer to the cousins, who seemed to have decided that pushing their way through the crowd wasn't the best option, especially since they presumably didn't want to drop the food they'd brought, Lucia could see the food more clearly through the clear lunch boxes. The star of the show appeared to be some fancy rice things in little circles. Lucia immediately wanted to try one. "Thank you!" The third-year beamed at Eun-ji and Ye-jun's compliments. "You do too - Eun-ji, your dress is so pretty." Although Lucia didn't recognise the gown's inspiration, she did like the skirt. "Oh! Your shoes!" Lucia's eyes fell down to Eun-ji's transparentheels, which were decorated with a single rose on each foot. "If Briar Rose and Cinderella became one person, she would wear those shoes." By 'Briar Rose', Lucia meant the heroine of Sleeping Beauty. "And your suit's really nice." These words were directed to Ye-jun, dressed in a red suit which was also adorned with a rose. The three of them didn't match in any way whatsoever, but that didn't matter. Matching outfits was for couples, really, not three friends. "Oh!" Lucia suddenly remembered Henry's request. "Eun-ji, Henry said hi and enjoy the night."

Ye-jun was the first one to bring attention to the food. "Oh! Yes!" None of them could do anything while they were carrying around a stack of lunch boxes. "Do you want me to carry any of them?" If either of the cousins handed her a lunch box, or even multiple, Lucia would take it/them from them. Then she'd start walking towards the tables, if the others followed her. "What did you bring?" she asked curiously. "The rice things look really-." Before Lucia could finish her sentence, however, she caught sight of a brunette girl heading towards the trio. Samantha. Lucia still didn't know her surname, which confused her for a moment. Surely she should know Samantha's surname by now? Apparently not. After all, despite the fact that she'd witnessed several of Samantha's interactions with Cash and even attempted to confront Cash about their behaviour towards her once, she'd never had a full conversation with the younger girl as far as Lucia could remember.

"This is Samantha," Lucia said to Ye-jun, leaving him to introduce himself to the younger girl. Then, as the two Ravenclaws talked, Lucia tried to figure out where they could know each other from. Of course, there was the fact that they were both in the same house, but Lucia didn't know every Hufflepuff out there, especially not those in second year. She knew the duellists, of course, but- oh yeah. Lucia had forgotten for a moment that Eun-ji and Samantha were both on the Ravenclaw duelling team. That must be it.

Lucia smiled at Samantha's words. "Thank you!" If she'd been given a lunchbox, Lucia would put it down on the pot luck table. And then Samantha asked a question. "I was... going to." Lucia could have done the braid if she'd tried! She just ran out of time - but she could have done! "But I ran out of time." There was no way Lucia was saying 'Comb of Vanity'. She wasn't vain! "I have this magical comb that did it instead."

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Part-Veela • Alluring • Perfectionist • Scream• Sta 8 • Eva 8 • Stre 4 • Wis 9 • Arc 6 • Acc 7 inventory: wand

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