There's a Leak in the Pipes pv A.S.P.

@Wyatt Starkey, @Cassandra Ironwoods, @Hanako Tone, @Flash Holmwood, @Opelia Winters

Adlai was dumbfounded. She was always, ALWAYS, the one to call for A.S.P meetings. This wasn’t just because she was a founder but also because she was the clubs archivist. She arranged the meetings, the events, the induction of new members, almost everything and she always, ALWAYS, made to sure to write everything down most in vivid detail. Which is why she now entered the Great Hall, letter in hand, furious.

Oh yes, she had read the paper. She reads every paper and every column so it wouldn’t have been very hard for her to miss the mention of the A.S.P in its newest addition. She feared there could be a mole, someone purposefully leaking information about their club out to the public. She knew all of the founders very well, she only had one true idea as to who it could be. Hanako Tone. He never once seemed keen on anyone in the club, nor the idea of being in the club. He was responsible for several fights breaking out during meetings between founding members.

However, she wasn’t going to walk in fists blazing. No, she wouldn’t do that. Nonetheless, she was going to get an answer. If it wasn’t Hanako it was bound to be one of the Hamsters. She had only interacted with them a few times, except for Flash Holmwood, since he was her hamster.
Every Parselmouth was responsible for their hamster if they had one.

Approaching the table she saw familiar faces hurtled around she held the letter up for all to see. “I hope someone brought a box for the wands, because I’m not sure I can trust myself today.” She said, then placing the letter in front of her before she sat down.

Interacting with @Cassandra Ironwoods
Mentioning: @Wyatt Starkey & @Adlai Rod

Starlee loved reading the Hogwarts Headliner. She was one of the earliest people to grab it when it came out, and it wasn't just because her BFF Cash was a writer. She simply loved to see and hear what her classmates were up to, any new school news, sporting updates, and of course, the Gossip column.

Starlee had snatched it up the moment it had been released, and quickly made her way down to the common room to take a look through it. She lay on her dorm bed, sprawled on her stomach, flipping the pages casually with Cash sitting next to her, clearly focused on something else. They usually spend time together simply in each other's presence, and it wasn't odd for Starlee to comment on articles to Cash. Starlee giggled lightly as she read through the article on the Switch, a gaming system she was certainly familiar with due to her families interests in technology, but just two pages later Starlee's smile turned quite quickly into a frown. The gossip column was one of her favorite things, but this time, there was what seemed to be quite the strange rumor on the page. "There is a cave below the castle that is used by a group of students to hide kidnapped students." Starlee reread the passage a few more times, just to be sure. A cave... that sounded way too much like the Chamber of Secrets. Starlee's only real hesitation was about a kidnapped student. Had someone been... kidnapped? By who? It would have had to be someone from ASP, they were the only ones able to open the chamber. But then, who leaked it? Starlee was silent for a few moments as she contemplated this, then nudged Cash.

"Hey, er... Cash?" She paused a moment, her face holding blatant concern, waiting for Cash to react before continuing. "I... I think you need to read this..." She quickly pushed the issue towards Cash, pointing to the passage, waiting for them to read. Clearly this wasn't something Cash had been expecting to see published so blatantly in the Hogwarts Headliner. Cash quickly stormed out of the dorm room, mentioning something about calling another meeting.

It wasn't long after that Starlee received a letter, saying she was to meet in the Great Hall. This was only a day later, and Starlee was nervous about what the meeting would entail. I mean sure, she knew already it would be about the paper, but someone had told them, and Starlee hadn't the faintest idea who. All she knew is that is wasn't her, and it wasn't Cash. She didn't really know any of the other members well at all, so she would certainly be deferring to Cash when it came to figuring out who did it.

She walked into the Great Hall, noticing that a few of the members had gathered already. She adjusted the sleeve of her fuzzy cardigan, which had slid down her shoulder, and she walked towards the few that had arrived, trying not to look concerned but failing quite miserably. She took a seat directly next to Cash and said nothing, simply looking between the few that were there. Starlee had no words, she didn't feel like a true member anyway (I mean she's called a Hamster for pete's sake), since she could only understand yet not speak the snake language, but she had no clue who had done it, so in her mind, there was nothing to say. She would simply wait for the rest of the club to arrive.

Reducio

The Outfit

Banner made by the talented Winnie Harper

𝐻𝑒𝓍 𝒞𝑜𝒹𝑒 #8B4513 English #C71585 French #006400 Latin #000080 Spanish	𝐼𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉 𝒲𝒾𝓉𝒽 @Adlai Rod @Starlee Kennedy @Wyatt Starkey	𝑀𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃(𝓈) The other members of A.S.P	𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒪𝓊𝓉𝒻𝒾𝓉𝓈 Reducio	𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓁𝓎 𝒟𝑒𝒸𝑒𝓂𝒷𝑒𝓇 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟣

Since the winter break will be coming up soon, Headliner had one last issue for the year which is the the Holiday issues. Cash had been ecstatic when two of their debut articles were published in the said school news. Writing both articles and waiting for both of them to be published on the Headliner, gave a bit anxious to the green eyes.

And so when the paper was published for the public, Cash snatched one out. They skimmed it. Only some of the columns they read and then they left them on their study desk back at their dorm. But it was yesterday. Now, the third year is hanging out in Starlee's dorm. Their back against the headboard of the second-year's bedframe.

In half lean-back and half seating position, their lap is full with their guitar. It is not a rare sight to see the former purple-haired hanging out by the blonde Viridian Viper's bed. The second-year lay on her dorm bed, sprawled on her stomach. Cash can hear an occasional giggle coming out from Starlee.

But then Starlee's giggle stopped. Cash did not pay too much mind to it. The Beater assumed that Starlee is reading some columns and needed to be serious for one bit. So, Cash just continue plucking the strings of their guitar while singing some Spanish song softly until they felt a nudge. "Hey, er... Cash?"The blonde called out for their attention.

The third year stopped what they were doing and looked at Starlee that still sprawled on her stomach. The girl paused for a moment and her face holding blatant concern. "Qué pasa? what's up?"The green eyes said to the other girl. It is also not a rare occurrence that Cash spoke Spanish here and there to Starlee.

Hoping Starlee will pick up basic phrases when the said language is being spoken to her. "I... I think you need to read this..."The blonde continued and then pushed the issues toward the Writer. "Qué es? what is it?"Cash continued. At first, Cash thought Starlee wanted to show a ridiculous gossip that was it. A ridiculous one.

But then their eyes fell into what Starlee pointed to them. The Cuban descent set aside their guitar and leaned forward to take a better and closer look at the article. When they read the article, they are furious. Cash never read a gossip column before until now. And now when they read it, it had to be the one that make them angry.

"There is a cave below the castle that is used by a group of students to hide kidnapped students." is what is written so blatantly in one of those gossip columns. "What the actual fuck?!"Expressed the young socialite still in a rage. In a haste, they left Starlee's bedroom and quickly marched towards their own dorm. Their guitar lay forgotten on Starlee's bed.

They grabbed one of the longest parchment they had and ripped it into 9 pieces. Those who did not share the same house as them will get a black envelope that was sealed with the Ironwoods family crest wax stamp with a note in their handwriting.

But for those who share the same house as them, they will receive only the parchment sans the black envelope that is sealed with the Ironwoods family crest wax stamp. In the note it was said, '𝐿𝑒𝓉'𝓈 𝓂𝑒𝑒𝓉 𝒶𝓉 𝒶 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝒸𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓋𝑜𝒾𝒸𝑒𝓈 𝒸𝓇𝑒𝓈𝒸𝑒𝓃𝒹𝑜 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒶 𝓌𝒶𝓋𝑒'.

Cash hoping all of the A.S.P members (the legit Parselmouth and the Hamsters) know which location they talking about. The next day after all the letters had been owled out, Cash grabbed the first ensemble of outfits they laid their eyes on. Once they deemed it appropriate enough, they get out of their dorm and marched toward the Great Hall.

Every step they took, the oversize cardigan that they wore flowed like a flag that was blown by a soft lull of wind. They took the farthest end of the Slytherin table. The green eyes know it is very risky to have a meeting in such a public setting but they need sunlight and if the meeting took place down in the Chamber, the somber ambiance of the room will affect all the participants' moods.

Cash waited for a while until they saw Wyatt walk up to the table. The pale boy is paler than his usual appearance. His eyes were sunken and had bags on them. “What is this about? Should all the founders not be fully aware of the topic of discussion before a meeting?”The boy inquired. His voice was hoarse but his words were clear.

Cash looked up to the boy that stood before them. "Hello to you too, Starkey, thank you for being here,"They said in a sarcastic manner then Adlai show up. “I hope someone brought a box for the wands because I’m not sure I can trust myself today.” She said, then placing the letter in front of her before she sat down.

It seems the Hijabi Hufflepuff shares the same furious state as the young Ironwoods. Cash was about to open their mouth but their eyes fall on the newest addition of the group that just entered the room. One Starlee Kennedy. The girl did not say much as she took a seat directly next to the Beater.

Three out of five of the founders had presented. The ones that are still missing were Hanako Tone and Mars T'ien - the other founders - in the meeting and some bunch of other members but the pressing issues could not hold much longer. They or the others will be explained to the ones that come late if they needed to be.

Cash then pulled out the Headliner's holiday issues that they had rolled up beforehand from the inside pocket of the oversized cardigan that they wore. They slapped the school paper onto the table hard. Cash furiously opened the pages looking for that outrageous section. It is a miracle the paper did not rip apart with how furious Cash flipping the pages.

Once they found it, they stood from where they were seated and pointed, no, more likely jabbed that tiny column with anger. "Who in their right mind is idiotic enough to say this?!."Cash said with rage laced in their word. It did not cross their mind that Opeila could be the one that leaked the info to the Headliner with how furious Cash is.

"Outing oneself as a Parselmouth to the other is bad enough,"When they said this, they looked at Wyatt. The other boy, if their memory served them correctly, never said he is a Parsel to the other except the Parsels kids but that is beside the point. For Adlai, Cash knew the sweet Adlai does not mind if others knew she is one.

"But this,"Cash is now seething. "This is outrageous!"They stated. The anger inside them bubbled. And Cash was very close to bursting out but Cash tried to reign it in as long as they could. "Who the hell outed us like this?!"Cash jabbed the article still with anger. They wanted to start pointing fingers but they gave the others to come clean about it first before all hell breaks loose and someone or two will be decked in the face courtesy of one hot-headed Latinx.

His bad habit of turning away from anything that involved reading and minimal brain power will continue to haunt him. And they will do so even worse than usual on this particular day. Thankfully, it was not so bad that he ignored the ominous letter he received. Even with his attention span, he was well aware enough to understand the crest molded in wax. Ironwoods. Not, there’s three reasons as to why he would ever receive a letter from someone who pretty much despised his gutts.

1. Ironwoods fancied an enemy to lovers trope and wished to confess their love through omnious letters
2. There was a problem with the Parselmouth Club
3. They gave a friendly heads up on the next time they wished to punch his jaw

The first one was very out of the blue, so Hanako ruled that our really easily. That leaved two very plausible answers. Those that were revealed it’s contents. Though abstract, Hanako knew exactly what the letter meant.

“Yea. This is certain. They’re definitely going to beat me up”

What an upsetting letter to receive on such a fine day. He assumed they had become closer since their heart-to-heart chat. Some people never change. Best to appease the roaring firebird before they burn everything in its path.

But when he arrived at the location the letter mentioned, it seemed least likely that he was going to get a beating from just Ironwoods. Even from the opening to the great hall, he immediately noticed a group of familiar faces. His steps became more wary and uncertain the closer he got. The options as to why he was called have now updated:

1. There was a problem with the Parselmouth Club
2. They gave a heads up on the next time Ironwoods everyone wished to punch his jaw

It was a no-brainer that none of the people in his group were…unaffected by his past schemes. Even Wyatt, who had been the most tolerable towards Hanako ( usually with little to no choice ) would have a few reasons to punch him. Adlai too, considering he had been deceiving her with his paper bag persona. Had she found out about it and wished to plummet him to the ground in front of everyone? Hanako wasn’t sure if he was ready to face such wrath. A K.O from Wyatt or Ironwoods would be less emotionally damaging than what Rod was capable of inflicting. Knowing this he had the tiny urge to pretend not to see them and turn his hell to casually walk away. Alas, he was unfortunately close enough to hear Ironwood’s words.

"This is outrageous!"They stated "Who the hell outed us like this?!”

Outed? Sooooooooo… he’s not getting punched today? Oh, okay great. Hanako walked closer to the group less nervous than before.

He was an idiot, no doubt. But he was smart enough to know when Ironwoods looked angry, it was usually the worst time for his playful quips. “A bit louder please, Ironwoods. I don’t think the whole school heard you yet~”. The worst timing is the best timing. Playful quips for the win!

He arrived without greeting any of them, apart from quick glances. The air seemed a bit too tense to say good morning. But oddly enough for his usual greeting. Most of them didn’t look to be in a good mood. If he had not noticed the newspaper that seemed to be the center of attention, he would’ve assumed they really were going to punch him.

All jokes aside, from what he heard from Ironwoods earlier- and them very obviously pointing towards the certain portion of the newspaper that was the culprit of their outrage, he furrowed his eyebrows with unease. “Give me that” he attempted to grab the poor newspaper and save it from Ironwoods, who frankly looked 1 minute away from tearing the paper themselves.

His eyes scanned over the area where Ironwoods pointed earlier and his stomach dropped. “Wh-whats..” he re-read the gossip column once again, hoping the letters would arrange themselves or something to create a new meaning. To nonavail, he now understood the reason for this group’s long faces earlier. “God…I rather be beaten up” he muttered the last part mainly to himself. And he wasn’t lying either.

He didn’t like to appear panicked in the slightest. But news like this is like worst-case scenarios came to life. Who would do this?

A certain brunette Slytherin popped up in his mind so suddenly that he needed to drop the newspaper back on the table. This had to be her doing, right? She was not like the other hamsters. The circumstances of her joining the club were…special and very one-sided. Being led to the chamber and trapped overnight wouldn’t really want to make you eager to sign up for the club responsible for it. Or should he say the one responsible for it?

There was no reason for them to want to expose their own club from his own doozy funsies. Hamster Holmwood was the closest to finding out who did it, considering he was a witness in the aftermath of it all. But he had ample time to expose them, and he didn’t. What could he possibly gain from doing it now? And why to Adlai? He was her hamster after all. From what Hanako understood, the two had a… close relationship. Uncomfortably close. Hamster Holmwood wouldn’t do anything to hurt Rod, wouldn’t he? .

Hamster Starlee was here already and she was most likely (in Hanako’s personal bias) the most trustworthy Hamster among the Hamsters. Weren’t they best friends with Ironwoods or something? It would be a cruel twist of fate to do this now. From his minimal interaction with er, she wouldn’t have any reason to do this. She was benefiting from the club as well, wasn’t she? A learner interested in the language of snakes.

That only left one suspect.

Hanako’s shoulders visibly tensed. Without warning, his brown eyes flickered towards Wyatt Starkey. While he said nothing and made no hand gestures, Wyatt should be capable of understanding what look Hanako was sending him.

‘Okay, you tell them. Go on. You can do it’

Wyatt was there with Hanako after they ‘rescued’ Opeila from the chamber. He should know full well which certain Hamster Hanako was thinking off. He could also understand just how much Hana doesn’t want to say anything to Ironwoods. Starkey had less chances of being beaten if he said anything Ironwoods doesn’t want to hear after all.

‘I think..’ Hanako pondered to himself.

Interacting:
@Wyatt Starkey,@Adlai Rod,@Cassandra Ironwoods,@Starlee Kennedy

Mentioning:
@Opeila Winters,@Flash Holmwood

wearing | hex: #3a5948

"Outing oneself as a Parselmouth to the other is bad enough," Ironwoods started, staring daggers at Wyatt with that line. He glared right back, as strong as he could. He’d flinched back when they slammed the paper on the table. How he managed not to now, under their accusatory stare, he had absolutely no clue. He chose to take it as another medical miracle. "But this… This is outrageous!"

It was never Wyatt’s intention to have anyone know about his ability. It was the last thing he had that was his and his alone. Wyatt had never even wanted other parselmouths to know about his ability, really. He’d helped Ironwoods when he felt they needed it, but aside from that, he kept it close to his chest. If Hanako hadn’t tricked him into coming down into the chamber that day, he likely would have died with only a few people knowing about his secret. That was what he wished for now, too.

Being one of the main advocates for total secrecy in the ASP, Wyatt found it insulting that Ironwoods would tell the few currently in attendance that he had let anyone in on his ability, regardless of whether or not they share it. It did cause him to reflect on the number of people he had shared his identity with. He willingly shared it with Ironwoods, funnily enough, but his head wasn’t right that summer. Of course, the whole of the ASP knew, but that wasn’t really his doing. And Hanako back in his first year.

“A bit louder please, Ironwoods. I don’t think the whole school heard you yet~.”

The turn of his neck in recognition of Hanako’s presence was delayed, but it happened. Somehow, Hanako’s presence was a reminder to uncross his arms and fix the uncharacteristic hunch his back had acquired. Better late than never, Wyatt reasoned. Only Opeila knew what happened that night, but they were the next best thing, and Wyatt didn’t want to do this alone. Wyatt dramatically put a hand above his eyes, as if to shield the sun before dropping his hands and letting them rest in his pockets.

“Is it really you, Tone? Kind of you to join us. This is only secrecy-threatening stuff, but maybe you’re just not understanding the importance of this whole thing ‘cause someone forgot to tell the founders why the meeting is happening in the first place,” he drawled, looking at Tone and Ironwoods as they were mentioned. If there was anything to dampen the harder verbal blows, it would be the monotony of his tone. Still, his words were enough that Tired Wyatt would be making some enemies today.

Tone made himself busy by snatching the headliner and reading the thing for himself. By the looks of him, it seemed like he understood the magnitude of this issue now, if he didn’t before. Horrifically, Hanako looked to be thinking. Wyatt thought nothing could be scarier than that, but that theory would prove to be quite wrong when Hanako focused his attention on Wyatt. Reflexively, like one often does when they’re caught staring, Wyatt looked away, but something brought him to look again.

The look on Hanako’s face was asking something of him and his shoulders were tense, his posture stiff. Wyatt was not a fan of the image. He tried to read his features, and collected that the look was a mix of “you know” and “you say it.” Both of these were conclusions Wyatt was afraid of making, so he didn’t like the implications. But he didn’t yet know what they were, either.

Again, he could rule out himself, Hanako, and Ironwoods as the snitch. Judging by Hanako’s waltz in here, he was not expecting something this serious. If Ironwoods called the meeting to get ahead of the story, Wyatt wasn’t picking up that energy. Then again, he wasn’t so observant these days. Still, he didn’t feel like anyone present was responsible for leaking the information on last year’s event to the headliner. But if Hanako was giving him that look, it would be someone they both knew.

Someone Hanako didn’t like. Though Wyatt's expression had remained lazily blank throughout the meeting so far, it changed in an instant. His eyes widened and his brows furrowed for a brief moment as he glanced in Hanako’s direction with a faint nod before abandoning the look altogether with great effort. He knew the Hamster that Hanako believed was to blame here. He also knew why he was tasked with sharing this information. That didn’t make him any less nervous, however.

Hanako was the one who got hoisted up by his shirt last time he and Ironwoods went head to head, not Wyatt. It seemed Hanako was using his brain today and thought that if Wyatt shared the news, he would be less likely to get kicked in the jaw. Or maybe that was silly. Wyatt had a way with words, but he had a better grasp on the talent a month ago. His confidence in that ability was long gone.

“Do you think it was,” Wyatt paused, taking a breath and bracing himself. “Winters?”

Hogwarts had always been good about keeping the temperature of any room indoors nice and warm during the winter, but it felt like someone cracked open a window and threw Wyatt right out of it. It was freezing and his stomach felt odd, like it did earlier. He told himself not to throw up, as it would be beyond counterproductive. Challenging Ironwoods right now felt like a suicide mission, but Hanako Tone wasn’t going to talk beyond quips any time soon, so he might as well continue.

“She’s the only person who really knows what happened that night and one of the first people not present right now, besides Adlai’s Hamster, to know of the… the thing at all. And it wouldn’t be so insane to think she might have enough resentment to blab on to the Headliner, would it?” Wyatt looked around at everyone as he spoke, trying to gauge each of their reactions to his (and Tone's) theory.

Interacting: @Hanako Tone @Cassandra Ironwoods
Mentioning: @Adlai Rod @Starlee Kennedy @Opeila Winters @Flash Holmwood

@Wyatt Starkey, @Cassandra Ironwoods, @Hanako Tone, @Flash Holmwood, @Opelia Winters

Adlai watched as familiar faces came and joined the group that was already seated as she simultaneously nodded along with the statements that Cash was making. They had every right to be outraged in Adlai's mind and when she saw Hanako enter the room she felt her face begin to heat up. Not out of embarrassment or being flustered but out of anger. She bit her tongue though before she could say anything.

Instead she choose the smart move, which was to simply sit, watch and listen for the time being. Which she did... until Wyatt brought up something she didn't understand. "Thing? What thing?" she asked, cutting into his remarks about Opelia Winters.
She was the archivist, she was supposed to know everything. If there was something she didn't know she had to suspect something wasn't right. Even then Flash apparently knew what had happened due to what Wyatt was saying. To think that Flash was not only her hamster but also her friend and didn't tell her something that could have to do with the club possibly being exposed. It was all too much.

She was angry, now she was confused and borderline hurt. To even think clearly about the lack of communication between the people at the table with her made her want to enroll them all in family therapy.

@ Cassandra Ironwoods @Hanako Tone @Adlai Rod and the rest

Haley was just lying on her bed, poring over one of her essays. There was a book open on her stomach and her blank stare hung on the ceiling. It was a welcome opportunity when one of her roommates called out to her as she was leaving "Haley, there was a letter for you. It's on the table." With those words she had already disappeared through the door. Haley looked at the wooden door for a moment, the sound of it swinging shut still floating in her ears. She pushed the book off her stomach and jumped off the bed. She immediately spotted the black envelope and with her eyebrows drawn together, she examined it. "What the...?" before puzzling further she opened it and her eyes widened.

Haley immediately put the letter in her pocket, put on her shoes and stormed out of the room. She didn't know why she was suddenly so panicked, maybe because it read so seriously, maybe because she was excited because it was her first meeting, or maybe because she knew she was late. Either way, the excited redhead ran through the common room out onto the stairs and set a new record. She had made it from Gryffindor Tower to the Great Hall in no time, but before entering she took a few minutes to catch her breath. If she wasn't too late, she didn't want to let on that she had just sprinted and was about to fall over.

Haley entered the room and kept a lookout, but actually she didn't know who to look for. Her only thread to hang on to was Hana. Yes, good idea - where is Hana? It wasn't long before she spotted a group of students with their heads together, discussing something. Haley didn't have to look to see if Hana was part of the group, she knew this was the place she was looking for.

Carefully and excitedly she approached the table, she noticed how sweaty her palms were and tried to calm herself quietly. She recognised Hana, a few unfamiliar faces and then she saw Cash. A big smile was suddenly on Haley's lips and she was happy to see them. Then there was Adlai, through her Haley had discovered her talent and this memory also made her grin. By the time she had finally arrived at the table, the young Gryffindor had calmed down a little and snatched up the last few sentences of the conversation.

And it wouldn't be so insane to think she might have enough resentment to blab on to the Headliner, would it? - Haley immediately understood what it was about, she too had read it and wondered what it was all about. She could not assess how serious the situation was. How many students had read it? How many really took it seriously and could it be any threat to ASP?

Haley slowly took her seat and cleared her throat. "Hey guys." She looked lost at the many faces, "Um, sorry I'm a little late." Embarrassed, she looked down at her lap. She didn't know how these meetings went, she didn't know what to say, let alone know who had spread the rumour let alone have a guess.

“Do you think it was,” Wyatt paused, taking a breath and bracing himself. “Winters?”

He feigned a surprised look as if he had nothing to do with Wyatt's suspicion towards the illegal hamster, Opeila Winters. Good job, Wyatt! Hanako held back a satisfied grin. Now that the suggestion was shared, it was only a matter of time before the doubt began to spread. Everything was going smoothly… until Wyatt opened his mouth again.

“She’s the only person who really knows what happened that night and one of the first people not present right now, besides Adlai’s Hamster, to know of the… the thing at all. And it wouldn’t be so insane to think she might have enough resentment to blab on to the Headliner, would it?”

NO! NO WYATT WHY!? Hanako was half tempted to bring the newspaper back and hide his invisible tears at the extra information given. He wasn’t the best actor at concealing it either.

Didn’t Starkey do the same after the aftermath of Opeila’s not-much-kidnapping-but-kinda-still-considered-kidnapping kidnapping? He was one of the very few who knew Hana well enough to understand what he wanted without needing Hana to say anything. But somehow always manages to make the situation worst by talking more. Why must you talk more, Starkey?! With the serious wave of deva-ju, there also was a familiar urge to throw Wyatt under the bus.

"Thing? What thing?"

Here Hana was hoping no one would catch whatever Wyatt said. He grimaced and glanced towards Adlai whose aura- by the way- not the vibe. Hana was wondering if the day she plummets him to the ground would be closer than he thought. With an unusual tinge of unease in his tone, he said “ Oohhhhh hahaah I meannnn- what Starkey was trying to explain is the ummm. The personal project we- or uh- I suppose ‘I’ was in?” Yea. Good, save. Personal Project that involved trapping a student under the chamber of secrets. Very ambitious. “ It wasn’t really muchhh just uhhh.. Someone - err-” if anyone were to stare at him, he’d avoid eye contact immediately. Only on rare occasions did Hana suddenly run out of things to say. This time was one of them.

While contemplating on what choice words to use when you're explaining how this personal project involved someone unwillingly spending the night in a dark chamber, the light of his day graced them with her presence and it took every acting skill he has to not melt into a puddle of relief. “Drooopppyyyyy~” he sent her a very grateful grin and made his way towards her (and hopefully further away from Ironwoods and Rod) “ Glad you made it. We were talking about the newest gossip in the Hogwarts Headliner. You’ve heard of it, have you? Oh, we can squeeze in a bit of short introduction”

It was perhaps the fear that encouraged Hana to change the subject. It was clear this sort of thing would not suddenly be brushed off. But hey here was a good meat shield (Haley Rose) so why not use her for a bit? Hanako had a soft spot for her, that's true. But he also looked out for himself more. And he would show it by suddenly cowering hiding standing behind Haley’s back. All hail taller people!

“ That one’s Wyatt Starkey “ he continued pointing to Wyatt, and he did so with the others. Adlai and Cassandra only very briefly since the more he acknowledged their existence, the more he thought the end was near. “Starlee Kennedy…Adlai Rod, Cassandra Ironwoods” he looked about for more people to introduce, only realizing there are none. “Urmmmm, anyway go on” he nudged Haley’s back with utmost gentleness. “Introduce yourself”

Interacting:
@Wyatt Starkey,@Adlai Rod,@Cassandra Ironwoods,@Starlee Kennedy@Haley Rose

Mentioning:
@Opeila Winters,@Flash Holmwood

Banner made by the talented Winnie Harper

𝐻𝑒𝓍 𝒞𝑜𝒹𝑒 #8B4513 English #C71585 French #006400 Latin #000080 Spanish	𝐼𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉 𝒲𝒾𝓉𝒽 A.S.P kids that are presence	𝑀𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃(𝓈) Opeila Winters	𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒪𝓊𝓉𝒻𝒾𝓉𝓈 Reducio	𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓁𝓎 𝒟𝑒𝒸𝑒𝓂𝒷𝑒𝓇 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟣

Cash was fuming inside and they still waiting for either one of them to opened up their mouth. Their green eyes bounced from one person to the others. The expression on the other faces was either lost or they feel guilty but did not have the bravery to speak up. The more the silence engulfed the group, the more Cash feels like they were about to blow up anytime soon.

"Well?"They said still trying to control their anger then they heard the shrill annoying voice that come out from one Hanako Tone. “A bit louder please, Ironwoods. I don’t think the whole school heard you yet~”The Hobbit expressed. Cash turned their head so fast it almost give them whiplash. The green eyes were this close to decked Tone in his face but they need to get to the bottom of this.

And losing their temper will not get them to the destination they wanted to be. "Laugh all you want, dwarf,"Cash bites back. "It seems all is a joke to you just like your life which is a joke,"The Beater said with anger lace behind their word.

“Is it really you, Tone? Kind of you to join us. This is only secrecy-threatening stuff, but maybe you’re just not understanding the importance of this whole thing ‘cause someone forgot to tell the founders why the meeting is happening in the first place,”The pale boy uttered. And when Starkey said that, he looked directly at Cash and Tone.

"Well, excuse you, your royal highness, if whatever the situation I think is dire from my point of view about this club, it is not good enough for you,"The Cuban descent sassed out. The whole situation about someone having leaked the location of the Chamber, stressed them out. Then someone new joined the meeting. The redhead said she was sorry that she was late.

"Thank you for gracing your presence here with us, Hales"Cash said to the second-year Gryffindor's Chaser a bit ruder than they intended. When Cash realized the tone they were using when addressing the redhead, Cash let out a sigh. "Sorry, that was a shitty one"They said. "I did not mean it to come out as rude as that sound,"They continued and ran their hand into their hair.

"As you can see this whole thing stressing me out,"Cash added. They never feel like this. Feel like things are out of their control and the damage is beyond repair. Call it instinct or just waiting for another shoe to drop, Cash picked up the vibe that was between Tone and Starkey but the green eyes let either one of them explain to the group.

“Do you think it was,” Wyatt paused, taking a breath and bracing himself. “Winters?”Starkey said to the group. Cash took a sharp breath and look at Starkey with dagger in their eyes. "What has Pei has got to do with this?"They enquired the other boy.

“She’s the only person who really knows what happened that night and one of the first people not present right now, besides Adlai’s Hamster, to know of the… the thing at all. And it wouldn’t be so insane to think she might have enough resentment to blab on to the Headliner, would it?”The other boy theorized.

"Thing? What thing?"The Hufflepuff asks the group. While Tone makes a non-sense blab about a personal project and tries to change the subject at hand by introducing one to the other like the one that present did not know each other is laughable. Cash knitted their forehead trying to gauze their memory about the thing that Starkey mentioned earlier.

Then their eyes widened like they remembered the occurrence that happened a year ago. About how Starkey and Tone found Pei 'accidentally' that morning and the state Opeila was in. "Hold that thought, Hales"Cash ordered Haley not to say anything just because Tone said so. "Do you mean how you two found Pei down in the chamber by 'accident'?"Cash makes air quotes with their fingers while saying the accident part.

"I know you are a liar, Tone but the one you pulled earlier was weak and I feel sorry for you"They calmly said. But then it was like the calm before the storm. The young Ironwoods then bang their hand hard onto the table. Perhaps the onlookers that were not far from them will hear the commotion but Cash did not give two hoots about it.

"Damn it, Tone!"They cursed out. "I know you are an idiot but I never thought you are this daft and shallow,"They added. "What drives and possessed you to make such an idiotic move?"Cash said and then they tightened their fist. The knuckle on their left hand is white as snow and ready to pounce but Cash still trying to control their anger at the fucked up situation they and the rest of the A.S.P kids are in.

"And look at the consequences of your idiotic plan put us in,"They continued. "You happy now, dumbass?"They asked sarcastically at Tone. The young socialite then looked at the Hobbit's eyes with so much hatred. "When I am done with you, sorry is the last thing that will come out from your mouth, you hear mean, Tone?"They spoke so coldly and lowly.

Cash wished they bring their wand with them to put Tone in his place but it is not up to them since the Headliner's gossip affects not just them but the whole A.S.P kids too.