Event Midspring Celebration

wearing | nails

hex: #3a5948

"Hm, that worked!"

“Perfect,” Wyatt replied, a smile in his voice. He looked down at Opeila, suddenly feeling drawn to, and noticed a slight flush coloring her skin. Not to mention how she had sounded sort of breathless, though their walk from the common room was quite short and she hadn’t sounded like that until that moment. Thinking over what he had said until then, there wasn’t anything he could have done to worry her. The only risk he had taken so far was to play along with Opeila’s request, which shouldn’t have been an issue if she had asked? “Are you feeling alright?”

Since noticing Opeila’s seeming weariness, his smirk had dropped and he adopted a more serious expression. This one was sincere, his concern for Winters’s condition genuine. If only, for a moment, Wyatt let his eyes wander to the rest of the Hall, wondering if it was someone’s presence that had caused such a shift. And, to be fair, it was a small shift, but one would be quite foolish to see signs of uncomfortableness and ignore them. Looking out into the ballgoers, there wasn’t anyone Wyatt recognized as an “enemy” of Opeila’s.

Besides Hanako Tone, of course. And maybe Percival Rainwood, her ex? But certainly, for many, a breakup didn’t mean a bitter end to an incomparably horrible relationship. Judging by the lack of lasting drama surrounding their relationship, Wyatt imagined Percival and Opeila reached an agreement–unspoken or otherwise–to remain externally cordial. He wondered if this meant Opeila wouldn’t want to hear about the time Percival was practicing how he’d ask her to the Secret Blossom Ball. Ah, yes. The first sign that their dorm would not be a quiet one.

When Wyatt asked if Opeila wanted anything to eat or drink, he wondered if that would be some sort of solution and her condition as simple as not having enough food in her system. Wyatt was glad that she immediately assented to this, requesting they visit the French table first, as she’d been and remembered the food being good. Wyatt assumed he was French; on his mother’s side, at least. He remembered her saying a few words in French around the house or an expletive here and there. Though he picked up on a bit of it, he could in no way speak the language fluently.

As his mother’s side of the family didn’t dare to speak to him, however, this was as far as his knowledge of his heritage went. As for his dad, it didn’t really matter to Wyatt. Coming back into his environment, he noticed how Opeila’s flush had relaxed and she sounded less breathless. Perhaps it was just the walk? But Opeila had mentioned jogging, he recalled, in the Three Broomsticks. So a short walk shouldn’t be such a foreign thing to her? Odd.

“Yes, let’s,” Wyatt agreed. He would begin to walk toward the table with Opeila by his side, should she start to move. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your relationship with Tone? You seem to not like him very much, which is understandable. But I remember a certain incident regarding his inability to keep his water in his water bottle back in our first year, and I don’t even think that was the start of it.”

Action: Talking to Pei, going to get food

Interacting: @Opeila Winters
Mentioning: Hanako Tone

@Howard White & Kamila Yaklinksky (@Marina Oriel)

What luck that the both of them started their dancing with a song that was at a slower tempo. It allowed for them to speak to one another easily. His hands rested on her waist, and automatically, Bloom wrapped her arms around his neck the best she could. He was taller than her by a few inches.

Bloom was beyond static at how excited he was for her being a Broom Racer. Granted, it did not mean she was any good. It just meant that she tried out and got in. Probably because she was the only fifth year to try out. Everyone else on her team were first years. Bloom was an automatic advantage for knowing more (at least they thought so) and was given the position on the spot. Who knows how well she would actually do.

"I don't think I'll out best you. You are such a good player, Howard. Buuuuut...," she paused and smiled, "I'll definitely look prettier than you on the field." She couldn't help but the giggle at her joke. It wasn't meant to fish for compliments but rather to playfully jab him as he was really good at Quidditch. Bloom left Quidditch knowing that she was not great in that sport. Who knew what Broom Racing would be like for her. She had to really think on her toes for every obstacle that came her way. "I better see you at the stands," she said, pretending to be serious by squinting her eyes and taking one hand and playfully poking at his chest.

The song finally changed and it was of a faster tempo. She dropped her arms and watched Howard starting to dance. Bloom couldn't help but to smile at his moves. It was not "cool" moves, but it was enough to get her wanting to dance. Bloom raised her arms to her mid-waist and began to move her hips back and forth. She moved her feet left to right to the rhythm of the fast-paced song. They were definitely dancing differently, but she was definitely in the zone.

Little did they know, however, that they were being watched. Bloom felt like something was off, but wasn't that always at a ball event at Hogwarts? She kept her eyes on Howard's but occasionally looked around to ensure that everything was safe. So far, there seemed to be a food fight near the food that Bloom wanted no part to be in. So far, so good, she thought to herself. However, she still had a strange feeling in her core. Was something going to happen?

ACTION: Would like a perception check for Bloom to see if she can see Kamila Yavlinksky (Marina Oriel's iNPC) staring intently at them.

Outfit | Nails | Closed to interactions, feel free to mention Alec but if you want to stir up some drama, run your idea through me in an owl first
Surprise etched itself into the third year's features at the world 'adoptive'. He wasn't sure what not very gently trampling upon the conversation topic meant. Selim mentioned adjusting well, a positive experience. Alec nodded, as one usually would to that sort of comment. Selim feeling the need to state he was doing well and it was working out was odd to Alec. People were odd, Alec may as well let it go. Besides, Selim speaking of it was seemed just as good, if not better than Alec doing it. Alec didn't have to ask anything that way. He didn't know how to ask... Or what to ask. Naturally, his first instinct was to change the topic. He would have felt bad about glazing it over, but Selim seemed to already want to put in the work of glazing over it for him. Good. Who goes to a ball to have to talk about family anyway? Clearly the least Alec could do was change up the subject. Something interesting, fun, exciting- Oh or talk about Hogwarts Ball's, that works too. It did, it worked quite well, this was a more comfortable subject.

Alec had gone to every ball since his second-year. Attending had been one of his firsts attempts to be social. Not that it had gone well. When he went alone it never did. Alec was creating doom for himself, or had been. A cycle changed, he started a conversation with someone he knew nothing of. It hadn't gone terribly yet.If he ignored his entrance to the ball. He could pretend everything was normal. Okay. Right. A pleasure Alec had not yet partaken in. It was about time he did. Selim mentioned he'd been in attendance to each and every one. He seemed self-aware of how he fit into the background.

Selim was an enigma. He was opposites that repelled one another. His ease in blending made Alec want to think of him as mundane. Selim's ability to play a role as the mundane could have allowed him to pull off world domination and make the easy seem easy, mundane. The work up a simple person. Dare Alec say boring? He knew he would have almost believed it. But Selim was here, Alec noticed him. There was many a person more clever than himself, those who were observant. No doubt a watchful person would have noticed Selim. Had they noticed something Alec had not? Something that would keep them away. It didn't matter though. Selim was average despite the odd mask here and there, a cane and a cough.
---
"No, you were hardly in the way, seeing as how there is more then enough room to just go around us."

There were many things Alec did not expect to happen, like Selim pulling book villain twist and it turning out Selim was friends with the strange and it was a very strange planned and coordinated uh... bullying session? Attack? Luckily Alec didn't have to think up words because he expected it not to happen and it did just that, stayed out of the realm of possibilities. However something unexpected did happen, and Alec understood none of it. Selim had taken it upon himself to become an active participant in whatever this odd 1v1 exchange had been.

“Oh,” 'oh' ? What? Was that really all he could manage to say? Alec glanced towards the side, and towards where he had assumed the other wanted to go. There was indeed enough space for him to be able to have gotten through. “Okay,” So... What did he want? Suddenly Alec didn't have a very good feeling about this. It reminded him of- Alec made himself envision the mental image of the annoying frogs at the fall ball instead. He didn't want to think about the other answer he preferred this one. The gaggle of boys who had bothered him and Hanako. That was not a fun experience. It was so not fun he had to take a few days to himself because he had suddenly forgotten how to function, and it was still the preferred one! Of course that wasn't their fault, their attempts were nothing but utterly pathetic. Alec just had easily triggerable issues...

Rose, she made her entrance into the room. Time would slow to a screeching halt, and Alec's head turned to look her way. Her very presence deserved to command attention from an entire room. Dressed up to the nines, and she looked utterly breathtaking. He had never assumed Rose would be the type to want to go to a ball. Alec still remembered his surprise when he'd found out. So much for any duelling practice that day. It was worth it, Rose looked excited, and it was nice to see her smile. She deserved happiness. To be taken out by someone that would treat her right. Rose made him want to believe of hope that there were good relationships out there, even if it was impossible to find. Out of all the people he's met he couldn't think of two people more deserving of such a thing if not Rose and Wyatt.

The universe would make it's payouts in kind, a date for Wyatt and a date for Rose. Another surprising thing may have been the fact Rose hadn't entered with her date. He would have assumed they would meet up before and walk in together. She seemed to be distracted by the flowers, but Alec really hoped her date wouldn't keep her waiting long.

When Alec's attention fell back onto the situation at hand, it seemed Selim was handling it just fine. He better put together than Alec, it was presumably for the best. Besides, Alec could keep watch that way, like the white-haired kid coming up behind the first stranger. There was a lurking anxiety in Alec as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on. White-haired kid was playing a role in this too? At least he looked as if he wanted too. Did he know the other kid?“ey snow hair, you know him? Can you collect him or tell him to take his business elsewhere?” Alec spoke, he straightened his posture, daring snow hair to do the opposite and see what happens, it was in the best interest of ever mostly sane person that trouble wasn't started yet.

Alec chest would rise and fall, his breathing at a more normal rate now. There was nothing the two had on him and Selim if they did try to go at it. Alec was a duellist, he knew more than the bare minimum of self-defense. Or at least enough to knock some sense into two knuckleheads if need be. Alec was impatient and while everything felt as if it was going slow here, just beyond their little circle it seemed to be speed up. The waiting game was not something he enjoyed playing. Alec watched Hanako Tone leaving. Maybe it was for the best Alec was caught up in a situation. Would have been weird to follow him out like a creep. Alec had good intentions! It just came with some morally questionable actions.

Alec watched Nicholas's confession blankly. The amount of drama a person could cause at a ball sheeshnic was so slow. Even alec could do better and he was just starting with the whole drink throwing thing last ball. and Alec had to room with that kid. He was switching dorms next year, clearly a mistake had been made in first options. He was sure a majority of his dormmates didn't like him anyway, it made the situation easier for everyone.

And Rose... She was waiting still. He wasn't coming. Rose seemed to realize the same thing. Alec couldn't understand it. Who would let Rose be stood up like that? Who did this bentley, maybe benjamin, uh braun, hmm bridget kid think he was anyway? Bridget wasn't right either... Alec wasn't able to remember his name. The unimportant rat was trickier than an imp. He had no excuses. Alec didn't care if he was dying, he should have shown up at the ball. “And I have a thing to deal with-” Alec spoke finally, he ignored the other two and shot Selim an apologetic look. Selim could handle himself and get them to back off if he needed. Alec had no doubts. Not the best first impressions to make on a person with abandoning them and all, but Rose... She needed him, or at least Alec was going to convince himself of that. “Damn it Bryan.” Alec muttered under his breath. Hah! Got it right! Oh no... Who names their kid Bryan? They were setting up Bryan for failure from the beginning. Alec shook his head and wasted no time making his way towards Rose.
---
Alec weaved through the crowd with ease and would find himself nearing Rose in an instant. Alec pace slowed as he approached her, and he waved to her trying to hide the growing frown on his lips. “Hey,” he spoke and his voice came out more gentle than anticipated, disheartened for her. “I don't... I don't think he's going to show up.” His eyebrows furrowed, trying to get a better read of the girl in front of him. It was terrible he flaked. Rose should have been the one to leave people to get stood up, not the other way around, how could a person- ugh! Alec was frustrated and confused, and weirdly angry, also jealous? Was that strange? If he had been the one to ask out Rose he wouldn't have stood her up. Bryan didn't deserve Rose agreeing. “sorry,” Alec looked sympathetic, he attempted to make best out of the situation. “At least he got to step one? Usually you don't expect a Bryan to get that far.” Alec rubbed the back of his neck, even he seemed embarrassed about that one. “Cheap shot, I know.” Alec wanted to make her feel better. Maybe insulting her supposed-to-have been date was not the brightest idea but he was more than a bit cross about it.

“In all seriousness, are you okay?”

Alec had never heard of the Bryan guy since he had found out Rose was going to the ball with him. Alec didn't know how close he was with her. Even then, the feeling of being stood up had to sting. He wanted to be careful about how he approached the subject. Rose deserved better than Bryan. She also deserved to not let him ruin her night.

Interacting with: @Selim Faust | Mikael Halldorson@Percival Rainwood | Valentin Schnell@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood | @Rose Moon
For Moderation:

Reducio

Action: None
Stamina > 9 || Evasion > 7 || Strength > 7
Wisdom > 7 || Arcane Power > 8 || Accuracy > 9
Abilities: Evasive Maneuvers, Advanced Casting, Perfectionist
Inventory: Wand

Her hair is dark brown with pink highlights

Banner made by Winnie Harper

Mentioning nono

Interacting with @Nicholas McCowan @Erin Ryan

"Seriously, that?"

So many emotions in just a singular moment in time. But that moment where an attractive person pointed out that Aurora was below their league was just ripping her inexistent confidence apart. Her mother said she was pretty, so she believed it. Until she didn’t anymore. It was true, who would want to be with someone with a unicorn onesie and bloodshot eyes? Among the pretty dresses and suits, she was just a speck in the dust. She knew it now.

There are different types of scream. One could speak to the heart, you could feel their pain as it bypassed your ear. Some could just rip your eardrums straight away. This was the latter. The frequency was beyond human, it almost seemed like Erin was holding a microphone with a maxed volume speaker right on Aurora’s ears. She didn’t know which one was more surprising, the sudden screech or what the older girl said.

[redacted]

They [redacted] in the room of requirement.

It would take quite some time to process everything. One second the scary beater was shrieking, then she was talking about Aurora’s weird ass dancing around Nicholas’ mind. Perhaps Aurora was having a hearing problem, the tinnitus was probably messing up with the words. So she just freezed there as her mind cycled through despairs she didn’t know existed. It was funny, really. Thinking how she could be this dumb and place herself in a situation where it was both exhausting to mind and body. It came in waves of papercuts, thinly sliced, sometimes you couldn’t even see the scars, but they were there. But as in that time, she just felt… hollow.

It was rare to see the girl not throwing more comebacks whether it’s relevant or not. One of the unusual moments was right here, not a single word could be found to say. Instead she would just sigh, then turn around to walk back into the tower. Until a hand reached out to her.

Ro. Like fish roe. She looked up at Nicholas in surprise once that name was mentioned. It felt familiar, too close to the heart. Though she secretly wanted to hear that again, those who knew what happened did not even dare to call her by that name, fearing that she would enter the limbo state. It was exactly a couple months after her second birthday, she remembered faintly the image of her drawing what could be the ugliest art in the history on a piece of paper. A cat with four heads with wings, shooting rainbows from their eyes. But he said that someday she would be a great artist. Maybe it was just a father being proud of his daughter, or maybe he truly meant it. You’re doing great, roe, he said. Little did she know that would be the last time she heard it from him. Because when the sun rose the next day, all of them became a figment of her memories.

Same gesture, different timing. This was the moment where her fear came back. She anticipated it this time, so when it happens, it won't break her like it used to. “Are you going to kiss me then storm out again after saying you like me? Like before?” She looked at him, unamused with the ‘i’m not buying it’ look, crossed arm, and tried to look as intimidating as she could, yes, whilst in a unicorn onesie.

Sta - 5 | Eva - 10 | Str - 5 Wis - 8 | Arc - 4 | Acc - 10 Terrible Presence Evasive Maneuvers

Action talkinnnng Outfit Reducio I'm lazy to redraw this, but it's like that, the difference is that her hair is now short with pink highlights

He couldn’t meet her eyes, not after what she’d said, not after she’d reopened that wound. Nicholas knew, on some level, that his actions had been inappropriate. Confessing his love for the girl, kissing her, and then abandoning her in the middle of the ballroom, surrounded by onlookers and spectators. At the time, however, it had seemed the most logical thing in the world. He’d been hurt, he’d felt utterly and completely betrayed, the robbery of his feelings, the perverse corruption of his crush on Aurora twisted into a dark facsimile of attraction. It had seemed so clear that she had acted to bring about that state of mind, it had seemed the only reasonable conclusion.

Of course, as it would turn out, she hadn’t baked the cupcakes after all, and he’d not been the only one to fall prey to their effects. The benefit of hindsight, over a month of brooding, and her own steadfast assertions of innocence had seen fit to dispel the notion that she’d poisoned him. No, instead, he’d unfairly blamed her for the action and then turned her into a sideshow for the school to gawk at.

“No,” He answered drily, his eyes intent upon her hair, taking in every last strand of her shortened bangs, “I won’t. I mean I-” He blushed furiously as the full brunt of what she’d said made itself clear.

Did she want another kiss? To make up for the last one? He didn’t even know if he could bring himself to, even the thought of doing so sent shivers of fear running up and down his spine, worriment and nervousness intermingling in the world’s most pathetic tango. He stammered as he tried to speak, before clearing his throat, and looking directly at her.

“I- uh- I-’” Why were the words so difficult? “I won’t storm off if we kiss again, I mean.”

Scarlet became him, the blush turning his cheeks into an all too familiar ruby red, “I, look, sorry, Ro, I’ve- I’ve been a prat. I’m, yeah, look I like you, ok. Sorry. Yeah.”

Gift of the gab, Nicholas McCowan possessed not.

Outfit: Black slacks, white button-down shirt (sleeves rolled up, loosely buttoned)
Stats: STA: 12 | EVA: 6 | STR: 9 | WIS: 6 | ARC: 4 | ACC: 6
Abilities: Foulplay | Statistically Relevant
Tags: @Aurora Ranvier
Action:

Her hair is dark brown with pink highlights

Banner made by Winnie Harper

Mentioning nono

Interacting with @Nicholas McCowan

Nicholas McCowan, a boy with bajillion tricks under his sleeve. For all she knew, he could be bluffing like last time. This could be the second season of humiliation and there would be another and another since he probably had this secret hatred over her. He was unpredictable. Either that or Aurora was just a bit too dense to comprehend what was going on. These past couple of weeks felt like a fever dream. He had painted her town blue, what are the odds that he was speaking the truth?

Still, no matter how sweet his confession was, there were too many doubts in her to begin with. Growing up made her see the reality of life. She wanted to fit in, she wanted to be liked, she wanted to be called pretty. And the others were really good at finding things that needed changes. That moment where Violet called her an idiot, or when Nicholas said she had a few screws loose, a real piece of work or when that Swedish boy insulted her hair. Sometimes things just build up until you can't contain it anymore. Little things that people pointed out somehow accumulated just because one person decided it was the best timing to say something derogatory. Erin didn’t say it per se, but the previous exaggerated hand movement and referred her as ‘this’ felt a little too much, especially in her current mental state. Then it started to spill. “B-but I’m just-“ She looked down, both hands intertwined awkwardly as if not knowing what to do, “-you know” The urge to mention all of her insecurities, but it would take hours or even days to do, the time they had wouldn’t be sufficient to accommodate such vulnerability. Don’t forget the tears that would wipe humanity. She could last very long once she starts her crying session.

“At this point It seems too good to be true for anyone to like me, or even tolerate me.” It was the truth. Everytime she opened her mouth, more people scattered away. The ones who stayed, she could easily count with one hand. Winnie was one of them, bless her. Aurora was no life of the party, nor did she have the charm to be loved. For whatever reason, after everything they had been through together, the bitter sweet of silly banters and fights, made up afterwards then the cycle continued, he liked her. “And you’re here-“ She made a small gesture at the boy, still couldn’t look him in the eye, “-a captain, an athlete, a good one. And you’re really cute too.” Her cheek should have grown tired from turning red way too much. “And then there’s me. My sport skill is average at best. I was terrible as a beater, I didn’t even catch a single snitch as a seeker, not a good duelist either, I’ve tried” Most sports in Hogwarts, she tried it. Talk about dedication. It was quite unfortunate that she wasn’t particularly good at any of them despite her captaincy status.

Last but not least, her appearance. True she was never the graceful elegant type, but now she noticed it more and more as if it was a bad thing. Her flaws were the ones that peaked through, overpowered the goods in her. “And I am also not even pretty to look at compared to these people–-I mean look at me.” Constant approval from others was what she needed. Her eyes were blinded. She liked the idea of being praised, it made her feel like she had a purpose. So she asked the question she had been meaning to ask since forever. “Am i really enough?”

Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe one day, she will know that how people perceive her is never her responsibility.

Sta - 5 | Eva - 10 | Str - 5 Wis - 8 | Arc - 4 | Acc - 10 Terrible Presence Evasive Maneuvers

Action talkinnnng Outfit Reducio I'm lazy to redraw this, but it's like that, the difference is that her hair is now short with pink highlights

Interacting with: @Jürgen Hess, @Erin Ryan@Serena Towers, @Hugh Lowe, @Santario Martin, and @Percival Gray

Galton almost began to blush when the younger boy next to Santario started to talk to him. He had so much... energy in his voice - passion. What others would perceive as anger, Galton took as concern. He was concerned Galton wasn't eating the normal amount of sweets. How darling of him. He was mistaken of course, this was just the introduction into tonight's delights, but the thought was almost too much for Galton to take! Not to mention the fact that the lad knew who Galton was enough to know his eating habits. He must have been a fan!

Galton knew that his following was increasing, but he didn't think he'd meet a fan of his in such a situation. Friends with another dueling captain, and an open fan of the person that had beat her in the last duel? How scandalous. What a compliment. Or maybe he was a fan of Santario's too, and she just let him follow her around. If Santario had been sick the last duel, she was worthy of some fans - things may not have gone as they did with her at 100%.

Whatever the situation, Galton did his best to compose himself and reply to the duo. "Duels are tense, I am sure no feelings were hurt with the commotion. I look forward to the possible duel." He smiled at Santario and then looked at her fan, or date, or friend. "Oh don't you worry, there is plenty of time for this plate to fill up with sweets!" He'd turn his smile to his potential fan as well. As he turned away to grab some food he'd give him a little wink. What a fan base he had.

Galton quickly added a choice dish to his plate as the group around him went on talking. And just so his fan would rest easy, he added a flaky looking honey dessert to his plate with the other more savory foods. Turning his head back to the group he'd notice a few changes. Hugh was here! It wouldn't be a ball if all the ball buddies weren't there. They had yet another addition to the night's date. Perfect.

Galton heard talk of dancing. Which reminded him that they needed to get their planned activities under way. "Yes! We will see you two on the dance floor in a bit." Galton would point to the pair of shoes that hung around his neck and chuckle. "I'm ready to tear it up out there!" He would laugh and wave Santario and the dueling fan goodbye as he wandered off. Though, before he fully left he would make sure to point at the sign up sheets for Hugh and Serena to see.

The ball buddies needed a little challenge at the ball. After such a chaotic ball in the fall, the group needed something a bit calmer. Or at least organized and managed by the school. A lot safer that way. So Galton would place his name onto the Firewalking Obstacle Course sign up sheet while he balanced the food plate in his left hand.

When his eyes returned to focus on the room he would lock onto an unmissable profile. He would be remiss if he hadn't been able to pick him out of the crowd. It was one Jürgen Hess, Galton's complicated best friend (besides Hugh of course). He had not seen Jürgen around since the boy tried to murder Erin. Galton was not sure were the two stood at this point. He felt a mix of rage and sadness that his sweet, girl-mad friend would even try to do something so terrible. Not to mention that he had actually stabbed Galton.

"HESS!" He would yell out at the boy and begin to speed walk over to him. The fact that he was currently entangled with Erin was concerning as well. "Jürgen! DUDE!" He would yell again as he closed in. He was not going to dodge away from Galton this time. He wanted an explanation - how could a friend stand against his friend so coldly like that. Completely devoid of reason or compassion that Galton knew was in his head and heart.

When he finally next to Jürgen, Galton would begin. "Jürgen... Wha - why? How? Where have you even been? How could you stand against me like that?! I thought we were friends. You didn't even listen to me! I had to cast at you." He would catch his breathe and glace at Erin. "Hi Erin. Nice dress." Then he would continue at with Hess. "I... I just want to know why, Jürgen."

Free action: Signing up for the fire walking course
Action: Following Hess and Erin if they leave

Elena Jangleton for the very first time in her life was considerably late to the famed themed dances and balls that Hogwarts put on. This one had been the talk of the school for some time now and not because it was yet another excuse to find dates, dance, eat and all the other things people did. It was because of the tournament and the lingering suspense in the air of the champions and what trials they would be put through. It would be an almost terrible outcome, Elena thought to herself as she flew down the stairs to the Great Hall if the Goblet of Fire had burst out her name and she hadn't even been in the room to recieve it. A sudden feeling of fear ran through her, what if the big moment had already happened? Still, she had faith if the big news had dropped, there would be quite the uproar and as she looked around, she saw nothing of the sort, people calmly mingling, chatting and whatnot. She was alone in this endeavor as she joined the throng of students.

Her little rose pin sat snugly into her hair which was pulled up into a bun complete with her sparkly blue dress and a pearl necklace which sat at her neck and her footwear consisted of some black heels, simple yet elegant and formal. It wasn't too flashy which worked out in her favor as she maneverued the crowd in search of some familar faces. There were hundred upon hundreds of kids here and not just from Hogwarts, the foreign faces and accents indicated to her Hogwarts had welcomed the other schools with open arms and it suddenly shook her to know that the prospective champions would be going up against these individuals. Suddenly, the weight of it all dropped on her shoulders as she realized what putting that slip of that paper in the Goblet meant, was it too late perhaps to withdraw but then again, it didn't seem likely this close to the annoucements that such a thing was possible if at all.

There were some other areas of interest accepting particpation in some games and while she veered away from the firewalking as that just sounded plain sucidial if you asked her, who in their right mind would willingly want to walk across hot coals? Bragging rights, perhaps but even that had a limit. There was an alternative Quidditch version however and that sounded much safer as she scribbled down the essential information before dropping her name in for Flying Torch Tag, she reckoned she would be more comfortable off in that though the brunette rather hoped they wouldn't be flying around in dresses and suits that she saw here, flying could be rather rough and she would rather do it comforable than having to worry about if one of the beads on her necklace had popped off while high up in the air and especially in heels.

╔═══━━━──────────────────────── • ────────────────────────━━━═══╗
Emma smiled at the confidence that Mandy, who she had just been introduced to, had. She wished she was that confident. Smiling at them, Emma took their hand, shaking it gently before releasing it. ”It’s nice to meet you! I’m sure you are! How are you enjoying things?” Emma hoped that even though they hadn’t been long, the two people were enjoying their time. That would be a good gauge of how well the ball was going, although there was still more to come. And Emma couldn’t wait.

She looked at the plate of food she had piled on and debated if she should take more, especially with the nerves she was experiencing. But shrugging, she grabbed a small bowl and ladled some of Trix’s stew into it, grinning at her friend. “It looks delicious. I’ll have to try it first! I probably grabbed too much food.”

Emma laughed, deciding she’d stop while she was ahead, and make sure that she would nibble on everything before truly digging in. Following Trix and Mandy, she took a seat, grabbing the nearby utensils, and making sure to grab the spoon first. Grabbing some of the stew out of the bowl, Emma said to Trix “Delicious! Mandy, you really should try some of this. Trix did an amazing job.” Pointing with her spoon at the stew, she paused before taking another bite before moving onto some of the other food she wanted to try on her plate.

Jumping slightly at the slight sound that Mandy made, Emma looked down to ensure she hadn’t made a mess of her dress. She had a change of clothes for later but would prefer to avoid using them until the activities. Looking back up, her face glowed and her smile widened, letting out an awwww of delight. ”Oh how cute! She is the most adorable little kitty ever! Where did you get her?” Feeling not a bit guilty, she leaned down and did her best to lure Mei to her, hoping to get some of the kitty loving that was going around.

Taking a pause in her attempts, Emma answered Trix’s question without hesitation, “Your stew was delicious but I have to say the crêpes were phenomenal! Was the sushi good? Or did you prefer something else?”
╚═══━━━──────────────────────── • ────────────────────────━━━═══╝

Interacting with too many people, like @Galton Lansdale, @Howard White, @Hugh Lowe, @Santario Martin, @Percival Gray, @Erin Ryan and @Jürgen Hess

Serena stared after Howard as he looked at her in a way that she did not really expect before quickly excusing himself. Did she do something wrong? She followed him as he approached Bloom. She had encouraged him to go there... so what did she do wrong? Ugh, was it getting hot in this room or was that just her? Her chest ached a little and it was getting kind of harder to breathe a little, almost as though the air was stuffy or the room was suffocating. Whatever was happening between the trio in front of her was not something she paid much heed to as her mind and heart were both distracted.

Until she heard her name, of course. "Oh, yea-" Serena started, about to introduce herself properly - so that she was not "Towers". But her words were caught in her mouth as she heard the remainder of his words, "What?" She asked, blinking as she stared at him. Galton's words were not... the nicest but why was she being dragged into this? She barely knew the guy!

"I don't have a boyfriend," She stated matter of fact, irritated by the whole thing. Feelings sucked enough for her without throwing a fake boyfriend into the mix, "And if I did, I'd respect him enough to not treat him like some damsel in distress and I'd allow him at least the chance to fight his own battles," Serena stated, narrowing her eyes a little at the boy, disliking the fact that he immediately decided to drag her into it and speak for his own date when she was perfectly capable of doing so herself.

Glancing over to Santario, "I am sorry to hear you were unwell though. I hope you feel better now? You look stunning," Serena complimented, really liking her outfit. The girl was very pretty and though she did not know her well, she recognised her as both a prefect and a duelling captain. Shaking her head with a smile, "Oh, thank you but it's nothing like that. I just do what's fun," She replied to the quidditch compliment, thinking she was not quite worthy.

"Oh- he's off- excuse me," She excused herself as she noticed Galton running off again but not to the dance floor. She gave Hugh a look, wondering how he managed to keep up with his friend on a daily basis.

Nonetheless, she would follow the shorter Gryffindor to some pieces of parchment. Activity sign-ups, it would seem. She quirked her eyebrow, glancing over the two activities that were available. The flying torch tag made sense - she loved flying, after all. Galton, however, signed the other sign up sheet. For... a fire walking course? They were to walk on fire?! For a few moments, she stared at them as thoughts flooded her mind.

There had been rumours and jokes about Hufflepuffs with their affiliation for fire and Serena knew that well, having been on the receiving end of it for the past five years. Her hair had been burnt that day, back in her first year and everyone thought she must fear the fire... But she did not. Fire had been the one thing that saved her that night, it had saved her countless times. With an exhalation and a nod of her head, she scribbled her name down onto the sign-up sheet. Serena J. Towers.

She had no idea how long she had been staring at the sheet for and contemplating the thought but she heard Galton's yell, which grabbed her attention. Hess? Who was- Jurgen? Her eyes widened as she noticed who was in front of Galton and, more importantly, next to Erin Ryan. "Shi-" She cursed as she turned quickly, almost knocking Pizza Rat off her shoulder and onto the ground with the speed and unexpected.

Quickly, she followed suit. Not for Galton's sake, not for the other boy - who she could only assume was Jurgen - but rather for Erin. She did not know the boy or his name very well but his actions at the ball last time had been something she would not forget easily.

Approaching, she intentionally planted herself nearer to Erin. She said nothing to the boy, there was nothing for her to say. Besides, Galton seemed like he had questions. Instead, she turned to Erin, "Is everything okay, Erin?" She asked her, swallowing as her gaze flickered to her wand and back to Erin. Serena was not here to fight, nor was she dressed for such a thing. But if Erin was in trouble...

ACTION: Will follow Erin if she leaves
[Free Action] Signing up for the Fire Walking Course

Stamina: 10 | Evasion: 13 | Strength: 2 | Wisdom: 15 | Arcane Power: 5 | Accuracy: 10
Abilities: Part-Goblin, Evasive Maneuvers, Beastmaster
Fifth-Year Armour: +10% auto-dodge on attacks [=20% auto-dodge overall]

Outfit of the Ball