Event Midspring Festival

At Flash's initial verbal response to Jack's question, the look in Jack's eyes hardened. "Wrong answer," he answered shortly. "Try again." He watched Flash's expression change as he asked if Jack had talked to Marion.

"She came and found me," the redhead said with a quieter voice as he noticed a few other students, including Evelynn Decipio, draw closer to them where they stood. He then followed Flash's gaze to Willow, who was looking and sounding very confused. Had he chosen the wrong place and time for this? Perhaps, but he had already started. That, and if what Marion had said was true, did Flash really deserve to keep this secret from everyone?

"Victor Moore was an older Slytherin who lived in our dorm. He meant a lot to me, brief though our interactions with each other were," Jack informed Willow, still watching Flash. "Most of our house knew it, too, after the way the Fight Club event ended the summer before last. We thought Victor had died, but he came back. At least...he had come back. Up until he disappeared again."

Flash reached up to his eye - the different eye Marion had replaced his own with. Jack wondered what he was thinking, but other than that it was likely about Marion and maybe Victor, he couldn't guess. Flash just stood like that for a while. At last, the other boy answered his question about Victor, vague though the reply was. It gave Jack no satisfaction to hear an affirmative.

He wanted to ask more - if what Marion had said about Flash having butchered and set Victor ablaze was true; if Victor was conscious while he burned alive and Flash had watched him - but he didn't dare. Not only because there were other people around to hear, but because he wasn't all that sure he wanted to know the details of the truth anymore. Marion had probably given details to hurt not only Jack, but Flash, who clearly had trouble even admitting to the most basic of truths regarding the subject. Still, he had admitted it nonetheless and thus Jack could only assume everything else Marion had said had been right as well.

The hazel-eyed boy's face crumpled briefly, betraying his despair and sorrow over Victor's demise and the pain he must have undergone both physically and mentally before ultimately perishing. He ducked his head, trying to get himself back under control before anyone else could notice. Then he took deep breaths, schooled his expression back into a mask of stone, and looked up again.

"Thank you for your honesty," he said quietly with a hard swallow. Then he drew back his fist and attempted to punch Flash in the face.

"You were the one who got upset because I kept you in the dark," he snapped, stepping back after his first and only attempt at a blow. "'What ever happened to being honest with each other?' you said. Weren't you the one who told me that's what friends do? That they talk to each other? What a joke!" He shook his head in disappointment, fury, and anguish. "Seems like I'm not the only one who bottles things up after all. Huh, Flash?"

Interacting with: @Willow Anderson & @Flash Holmwood
Mentioning: @Evelynn Decipio, Marion Davenport, & Victor Moore
Action: Confronting Flash about Victor, informing Willow, and punching Flash in the face.
Post Tracker: [1] [2] [3] [4]

Hex Colour:#38b6ff
Relevant Abilities: Charmer
Open to interactions
|| Interacting with @Aaron Jones ♥ ||
Post Tracker: x | x | x | x | x

Aly, upon noticing fire that definitely wasn't supposed to be there flickering to life on the bushy statuette similitude of one of the newly announced Hexwizard Champions, had darted over to put out the flames. Such were the responsibilities of one of the festival-planners, after all. Her wand in her hand, Aly had lunged forward, the incantation for the Extinguishing Charm halfway out of her mouth - but someone else got there first, another girl stepping forward to successfully snuff out the inferno.

Ha! Well, I wasn't needed after all. Seems like that's fate telling me I ought to pay more attention to my own date instead of everything else...

Aly turned to head back to Aaron, only to find him right beside her, chatting on about things going wrong at balls and people being jealous - her date had so dutifully followed her across the courtyard, a fact that brought an even stronger pink blush to her face. Even though she'd promised she would be right back to him, he hadn't wanted to leave her side now that he'd found her. Well, it was either that or he just didn't want to awkwardly stand alone in the courtyard, but given how absolutely and charmingly sweet Aaron had been throughout this whole process, Aly was more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Don't tell me that - the last thing I need today is for any more things to go wrong," she mildly groaned with a chuckle, only half-joking. "D'ya know, this is my first real springtime ball? That one our first year was cancelled, of course, and I attended last year, but didn't really do anything other than stand round in the entrance courtyard." Then she realised where she was and another little awkward giggle escaped her lips. "Er, rather like we're doing now."

Aaron was waving to people - friends of his, most likely, though Aly didn't really recognise any of them - and with every passing moment that realisation that all they were doing was standing in the courtyard dawned heavier and heavier upon the Ravenclaw's slender shoulders. Aaron would certainly be getting bored of standing here and doing nothing soon, if he wasn't already, and being with his friends would almost definitely be more interesting than simply taking up space in the courtyard. Desperate to figure out something to do, Aly cast her green gaze about the courtyard whilst Aaron's attention was taken by his distant mates. The effigy was burning, her big idea to write wishes with Aaron marred by how long it had taken them to find each other. I s'pose we could write effigy wishes and throw them into the flame, but... I don't think that's how it's supposed to go... so what else is there?

They already both had plenty of flowers, and though Aaron didn't have a mask, they weren't required for the festival - plus, now that she'd left and found her date, Aly wasn't sure she had much of a desire anymore to return to her job of standing at the craft corner offering assistance that nobody needed anyway. There was food, of course, but having snacked before the festival, Aly wasn't particularly hungry yet. No, in order to hear her stomach growl in annoyance, she would definitely need to expend a lot of energy... perhaps work up a good sweat...

Her eyes alighted upon the grassy area that was substituting for a dance floor, right in front of a stage where musicians plucked and coaxed beautifully discordant - and yet somehow harmonious - notes from their instruments. What with the rapidly darkening sky, the light from the bonfire just outside of the courtyard was spilling into the stony space, coating these magical masters of music with flickering orange light from head to toe; watching the flamelight flicker on their instruments, it was if someone had cast Lumos inside of Aly's head.

She turned to Aaron, pure courage flooding her veins like firewhisky. Her heart skipped a beat. Or maybe two. Or ten.

Aly extended her hand.

"Do you, er... fancy a dance?"

Blue in English, Red in Korean

Just as she thought, there was no need to help Aida with the extinguishing spell. The bush was no longer on fire and Eun-ji allowed herself to relax. It seemed that she was not the only one that rushed to help either. Aaron’s date was now standing nearby and the boy joined her soon after. The Ravenclaw smiled at him and waved back. The smile didn’t quite reach her eyes but she was genuinely happy to see him. This was not the time to bother him however. She should just leave the pair alone. Not to mention, the witch came here to say hello to Flash in the first place. Lucia and Ye-jun would no doubt soon make their way to meet her so there was no time to loose.

Oh...Just a few more steps and Eun-ji stopped in her tracks once again. The number of students accompanying Flash grew considerably during her short distraction. It was not just Willow now but there was Evelynn and Jack, whom she didn’t really know personally. That alone was enough for her to reconsider joining in but on top of that it also seemed like their conversation wasn’t exactly pleasant. Perhaps it was better if she didn’t bother them? It was not an easy decision and the ginger boy made it considerably harder as he swung his fist towards her friend. The Ravenclaw didn’t like to intervene in other people’s conflicts but she also didn’t like to stand by and watch people get hurt. Especially if it was someone, she cared about so much. The fist collided with Flash face and Eun-ji saw red. Once again clutching her wand inside her pocket, the witch started marching towards the group in front of her. For the first time ever, she was honestly tempted to attack a fellow student with a spell. It was a bad idea though and her brain reminded her quickly. Did she even have a right to defend Flash like that? Was the punch deserved or not? There was very little she knew about the situation but for once, she didn’t care. She may have stopped herself from hurting Jack but that didn’t mean she had to let it slide altogether. Eun-ji wanted Flash safe.

Stepping into the chaos wasn’t easy for her. Had this happened two years ago, she might have even walked away. The Ravenclaw used to be a coward like that. Ever since Hunts barged into her life however, she found herself much more resilient and protective when it came to the few people she was actually close with. She already failed her loved ones once. “How about you use your words next time?” She said to Jack in cold yet remarkably collected manner. Her heart was hammering in her chest but on the outside, she could have almost passed for a confident individual. Practice makes perfect I suppose. She did not intend to stay and listen to Jack’s reply. Eun-ji was not interested and he was angry so any words coming from his mouth probably wouldn’t be very nice anyway. Her tone grew considerably softer when she spoke to Flash. “Come on…you are not staying here.” She took his hand in a firm yet gentle grasp. She could only hope he would let himself be dragged away. Perhaps he would not appreciate the gesture but she had to at least try. Eun-ji could think of couple of times when she wished someone did the same for her.

“You coming?” She called out to Willow. The girl was important to Flash and she didn’t want to leave her here. The Slytherin was her main priority now but she doubted he would want to walk away from his friend without giving her a chance to follow. Whether Willow did join them or not, Eun-ji kept pulling Flash away preferably somewhere far from all the people, where they could just take a deep breath and she could ask him if he was okay. What a wonderful evening… The girl thought bitterly. Nothing seemed to be going well for her tonight.

*Healing Sage *Perfectionist * Death Defiance • Sta 7 • Eva 8 • Stre 4 • Wis 10 • Arc 8 • Acc 9
Inventory: wand, tissues, band aids

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[ @Eun-ji Lee Hunt as herself and Lee Ye-jun • @Flash Holmwood • @Jack Burnett • @Willow Anderson ] DATE 02/04/22 OUTFIT [x] if anyone attacks her, Eun-ji, Ye-jun, Willow, or Flash [listed in order of priority], cast Knockback Jinx at them

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Lucia caught sight of Eun-ji Lee Hunt just before the punch. Someone stepped in front of her before the redhead's fist landed on another boy, so she couldn't see if it had hit or not, but the intendee victim was obviously a friend of Eun-ji's because the dark-haired Ravenclaw stepped right between him and his attacker. Lucia cursed. "Ye-jun, we have to go help!" Last ball, Lucia had stood there like an idiot while everything quite literally fell down around her. This time, she was going to do something useful, she promised herself. A friend of Eun-ji's was a friend of hers.

So, the Hufflepuff rushed towards her friend, yanking her wand out of her overly complicated bun and almost tripping over a first year who got in the way. "Eun-ji!" As she drew closer, Lucia could see more of what was going on, although she still knew next to none. The two boys she didn't recognise, but she did know Willow, her duelling co-captain. The blonde girl was dressed in a a beautiful green dress decorated with flowers and vines that Lucia immediately coveted. "Willow?" Eun-ji was attempting to drag one of the boys - the victim - away, and Lucia followed her, brandishing her wand like it would make any difference if the punching boy made for any of her friends. She had to at least try.

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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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Violet in English, Red in Korean and Blue in French

“Sure, I think she went to the Effigy. We can meet her there.” Ye-jun agreed with Lucia's plan. He wondered what kind of friend he was that Eun-ji wanted to greet him so badly. I should ask her later. A bit lost in his thought he didn't immediately notice the situation at hand but if nothing else the panic in Lucia's voice sure got his attention. “For fuck's sake...I leave her for few minutes and she is in trouble again. What is up with her luck today?” The boy cursed in Korean. Were they ever going to just have fun at a ball? Nevertheless, he didn't need to be told twice. If his cousin needed help. He would be there one hundred percent.

“Easy now. How about we all just...walk away.” There was no hint of hesitation or fear in Ye-jun's face. His confidence was like a shield to him during such times and unlike Lucia, he didn't draw his wand either. He was strong but not violent. The only way someone would really piss him off would be if they hurt one of his friends. He was however ready to block any physical attacks with his own human strength. Should the red haired boy want to keep throwing punches ...or any other form of the physical violence really, the Beauxbatons student would be there to stop them. That being said, Eun-ji seemed to choose the non-violent way of solving the situation and so he too was ready to let it go if the other boy decided to settle down. Speaking of Eun-ji...

Ye-jun was quite surprised to see her this determined to jump into a conflict. Sure, she used to protect him from his bullies but those were just little children back then. Now, Eun-ji had grown to be more cautious and approached similar situations with cool head or let the involved parties resolve it by themselves. She must have cared about the cardigan boy quite a bit. He would not comment on any of that but made a mental note to ask later as they were backing out of the situation. For now, he just kept vigil, only turning around once/if they got out of danger.

If sthey succeeded in doing so, he would follow the pair with considerable distance. “I think it’s best we give them some space,” he would whisper to Lucia as well. This looked like a rather unpleasant interaction and he wasn’t sure whether it was a good time to introduce himself. He didn’t know what happened and it felt awkward to try and inquire about the details since he didn’t know most of the students involved.

OPEN TO INTERACTION

───Interactions─── Reducio @Marshal Mozor @Ivy Bellamy

OUTFIT Reducio Elie Saab Spring 2022 Collection

────Mentions──── Reducio @Willow Anderson @Flash Holmwood @Jack Burnett @Eun-ji Lee Hunt as both herself and Lee Ye-jun @Lucia Fox

What a shame. As innocuous as Evelynn had meant to be, simply arriving at the bonfire for the outwardly apparent reason to enjoy the effigy, it seemed her presence alone would induce caution. Despite her attention being directed in conversation to her two compatriots, she could hear the tone of Burnett's voice lowering. A couple of words slipped through as he offered some sort of explanation to Willow, but not enough to really make heads or tails. Given Willow's unfettered inquiry, however, she at least knew they were talking about Marion and Victor. Suspicion of their involvement in this gathering was what had prompted Evelynn to venture closer in the first place. She hadn't been disappointed.

Gaze fixed forward to the flames, she fell into something akin to a hypnotic state. To any onlooker, she may have looked transfixed by the fire. And she would nod and smile along with anything that Ivy and Marshal might have had to say to give the appearance that she was listening—she really was trying to listen... But the conversation nearby grabbed for her. And the softer they spoke, the more she would have to try to train her ear to pick up on what they said. Unfortunately largely to no avail. A glance in their direction revealed the three quarter profile of a solemn looking Burnett, right before he reared his arm back.

Any pretense of paying them no mind vanished in that instant of assault, eyes widening with surprise. For his effort of trying to avoid attention and being overheard, she was not expecting an outwardly obvious confrontation. In fact, that notion alone challenge her half-baked theory that they both may have been working on the wrong side together. A sleuth of new questions began forming and Evelynn watched in relative silence as the scene played out. In part, she was too slow on the draw to really intervene anyway.

Already she could see Hunt, Fox, and a few others rushing over to insert themselves where they probably ought not to meddle. But the greater reason for her hesitation was founded in the desire to collect information. Get involved, and the scope of one's lens narrowed, limiting the observation and understanding. Stand back, and the full picture was more readily available. Silent and still, she would rein herself back to watch and observe. Identities of those who had rushed to Flash's side were noted, as were their facial expressions and apparent levels of understanding or ignorance of the situation.. And their words.

It was Burnett's that struck her most interestingly. Perhaps she'd been wrong about Burnett. Whatever his involvement in all of it, it reminded her of Lestrange and the anguish she'd detected lurking below his bristling exterior. Perhaps a reunion of sorts would soon be in order. Maybe even a cashing in of one of those two favours.

But for now, the questions that lingered were whether Flash would go with Miss Hunt; and whether Burnett would back down and let him...

ACTION: Watching the nearby conflict unfold

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april 2, 2022. interacting with @evelynn decipio and @marshal mozor.

Evelynn's stumbling explanation for her momentary lapse in concentration was met with nothing more than a nod from Ivy. She tried to catch Evelynn's eye as they turned to listen to the announcement; the explanation had hardly fooled her, but she knew better than to push right now. She made a mental note to ask Evelynn about it later, in private and away from the excitement of the festival. If Marshal attempted to push Evelynn for an explanation, Ivy would give a quick shake of her head at him, a signal for him to shut up. Whether he listened... well, that was another thing entirely.

The announcement did not have as big of an impact on her as it did on Evelynn. Ivy cocked her head to one side at her friend's exclaimation of surprise, trying to remember who exactly Howard White was and where she'd heard his name. She had grown unfamiliar with the names of Hogwarts since she'd moved away to France almost two years ago, and while she'd listened to gossip when such topics were brought up, it wasn't something she actively sought out. (To be completely truthful, she had been far more excited to hear who was the Beauxbatons champion.) Ivy turned to Evelynn and Marshal, eyebrows raised. "Remind me, which one is Howard White?"

Her question would be answered by the leafy statue that sprung up in the courtyard. Surprise flashed across her face. "Him?" She might not have recognised the name straight away, but his face enshrined in leaves was enough to jog her memory. Yes, Ivy had heard whispers here and there - she didn't know any details, but she knew enough to know that his reputation was far from positive or honourable. Certainly not the kind of person who she'd have expected to be named the Hogwarts champion. Ivy glanced over at Evelynn, whose stony countenance gave away her opinion on the name drawn from the Goblet, before looking over at Marshal for his thoughts. "This will be interesting, at the very least," she commented quietly, before lapsing into silence for the rest of the announcement.

Ivy would follow when Evelynn moved forward to take a closer look at the burning effigy, glad for the distraction from the melancholy mood that had settled over them in the last few minutes. Her lips parted slightly at the sight of the dragon going up in flames, unable to tear her eyes away. Yes, it was beautiful, she thought to herself, tilting her head to one side to watch the fire devour the dragon... but it was dangerous too. She didn't have the best memories of fire, either, and the images of the 2020 Blossom Ball that flashed through her mind was enough to make her halt in her path and turn around, refusing to look at the fire any longer. "Let's go back. Please." There was a note of tense desperation that was hard to miss, and Ivy hated herself for letting it show. She swallowed and pressed a hand to her neck, dully noting that her heartbeat had quickened before taking a deep breath, trying to bring herself back down before Marshal and Evelynn noticed anything.

The nearby alteraction was a welcome distraction. Standing next to Evelynn and Marshal, Ivy appeared to be watching the scene play out, but if one looked closely enough, her eyes unfocused and glazed over, her thoughts clearly elsewhere. She vaguely noted that the people involved all seemed to be among those in her own year level, but her thoughts were too scrambled to put together any kind of theory on why this was happening. Ivy tore her gaze away and spoke once again to Marshal and Evelynn, having pulled herself together. "Any idea on what's happening over there?"

action:

Color code: English | Japanese Interacting with: @Gemima Sable

Outfit: ✕ (with hair + shoes shown on banner) Mentions: @Felix Jeong, @Kim Sato

This had become harder than Akemi had expected.

For example, she didn't think she would be walking around the whole castle (in a dress) to find her ball date.

Entering the courtyard, the growing worry that Felix had ditched her started to come into effect. Akemi seemed more panicky, which wasn't a usual word that described her, and her palms seemed sweaty, which was odd, and just plain gross. No one likes sweaty palms.

The general feeling of worry didn't feel good. At all. And that was why Akemi would try to flush it down and forget it; cover it up with her sarcastic, bubbly charisma. Wear her usual playful smile and try to help other people out, not herself. If she didn't do that, she would become a wreck of panic and doubt. She was about to become that wreck, and it was not high on her to-do list.

Akemi walked around the courtyard, weaving through students and trying to see if she saw the guy she was looking for, or maybe anyone else that was familiar to her. Possibly her sister Kira, a teacher, maybe even the colored-haired dude that Felix strongly didn't like her bringing up. She could ask any of them. Oh, and Gemima, too. Though she was probably in the great hall. Would she have to go all the way back...?

It was then she saw her familiar friend in blue.

Akemi rushed through the groups of people (again breaking her record of saying "excuse me's" and "sorry's"), and hopped to Gemima Sable, grabbing onto her hand.

"Gem!" She looked at her friend for a few seconds before letting go of her hand, standing up straight and putting on a sheepish smile. "You look nice! Uhm..." She cleared her throat, "Have you seen Felix, by chance?"

Action: Looking for Felix in the courtyard, then asking Gemima if she's seen him.

WC: 342 Hex: #433867

Date: April 2, 2022 Outfit: Gown, Necklace

Stamina: 6 ✧ Evasion: 6 ✧ Strength: 5 ✧ Wisdom: 7 ✧ Arcane Power: 5 ✧ Accuracy: 6

center]【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】[/center]

"Gem!"

The Ravenclaw turned round. Her face fell as she saw Akemi Yamamoto hurrying towards her.
The stress she had felt back in the Great Hall returned, and nibbled on the edges of her senses. She had been secretly hoping to avoid both Akemi and the "Stalker" tonight, what with the whole hallway debacle. She didn't want to risk getting caught up in any more drama.

But as Akemi neared her, Gem noticed that the Hufflepuff boy was absent from her side. Had they decided not to go as each other's dates after all? She sighed quietly and smiled at her friend as she approached.

"You look nice!" Akemi chirped.
Gemima grinned and curtsied slightly. "You as well! I love your gown. Pink is a lovely color on you." She chuckled. "Mine's far too fluffy for my taste, though. I've tripped on it a hundred times tonight."
Akemi cleared her throat. "Have you seen Felix, by chance?"

Gem's grin wavered. Ah. So it turned out Stalker was at the ball, then. (That was his name? It seemed far too nice for such an insolent person.)
She shook away her growing discomfort, and managed to maintain a pleasant expression.

"No, I haven't. Sorry." Where was he then? Come to think of it, where was Kim? Gemima made a mental note to find one or the other as soon as possible. Good things never came from them interacting, and the night had been tumultuous enough already.

"Oh, have you met Sage?" Gem blurted. Akemi was one of her friends, despite her rather...questionable taste in boys. Maybe they all could do something together!
"I was just asking her where she got her flower crown," She continued, "Would you like to go make some with me? Sage, you can come if you'd like, or go search for Kim and Sophia."

Gem looked back at Akemi. Hopefully the night wouldn't end in shambles! She took a deep breath and waited for the other girl to reply. They could still have some fun, couldn't they?

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

Interacting: @Akemi Yamamoto | @Sage Lilly
Mentioning: @Felix Jeong | @Kim Sato | @Sophia Nelson

Burnett punches Flash
Accuracy: [d20:2] + 7
Evasion: [d20:2] + 5
-> hit
Damage: 25 * 3 = 75

Outfit Reducio

★

Interacting with @Jack Burnett @Eun-ji Lee Hunt @Willow Anderson Closed to Interactions Mentioning Lucia, Lee Ye-jun, and Evelynn minorly Action Leave the ball (via the Great Hall) Allies for Calming Presence are Willow