Closed Chaos Tent The Mutineers!

Mentions: @Santario Martin | @Serena Towers
Interactions: @Bloom Silverton | @Falentra Black | @Percival Gray | @Dealla Prince

Although Howard's grin remained, his eyes would shoot Fal a knowing look of his own as he read right through her expression. A testament really to how well they knew each other even though they had spent so much time apart, but now was not the time to be poking the bear. "Ain't she though." He shot back at her and pushed no further.

"Nah. No rice crispys. All out of the good Muggle stuff. We'll have to make another run." Howard turned a genuine smile in Bloom's direction. He couldn't wait for an opportunity for them to get away for another trip into London. The memories of their last outing were still near and dear to him as it had been one of the pivotal moments where their relationship had turned from friendship into something more serious. Hopefully trips into the Muggle world would turn into something of a tradition for the pair. "The blood pops taste good. Like a nice rare steak. Almost as good as the real thing." He answered her question with a wink, but the arrival of other people would draw his attention away.

"Yo! Percival! What's up my dude?!" Howard would offer a fist bump as the younger Slytherin as he made his way towards San and Serena. He remembered that it was a bit of a funny interaction offering such a Muggle gesture to a wizard, but Howard hoped the other would find the fun in it. "Eat some of this if ya want." An offer for treats went out to Percival. The two of them didn't really know each other all that well, but he hoped to get to know him better. A bond had definitely formed when they tackled the hag slugs that threatened to kill Santario, however hopefully the summer would provide a chance for brighter memories.

"Dee!" Howard greeted the next person to enter. Another that he didn't know all too well, but their interactions had all been positive. There was just this natural flow to their conversations and they bounced ideas off each other well without one overwhelming the other. He couldn't wait to pick her brain some more. "Damn right we got the best team!" Howard returned the enthusiasm. The shock and awe of being picked as the Hogwarts champion still weighed on him, but now it was starting to get exciting as well. "Food here, help yourself!" He pointed to his sweet stash of goodies.

Falentra's approach to the table would draw him back from greeting his other friends. Again she would poke by throwing out her old nickname for him, sparkles. It would actually bring a bit of a grin to his face as it had always been a bit ridiculous. Remembering those awful books and movies was enough to make him puke, but it was kind of funny. Howard's comeback would be to flick a small piece of wrapped chocolate at her, but Fal wasn't done yet. He knew right away what she was getting at when she brought up the cupcakes. "Cupcakes? Nah. I'm more into the savory these days. Fal used to bake us some good ones though, Bloom." His red eyes shifted back to his girlfriend. "Even used to put a little blood in them sometimes too." Howard beat Fal to the punch. Bloom and he kept no secrets from each other and they would face this fact head on. No bullshit games included, thank you very much!

Interacting with @Falentra Black, @Howard White, @Dealla Prince, @Serena Towers, @Santario Martin & @Percival Gray

Bloom grabbed a milk chocolate sweet and opened it. She took a small bite and smiled at Falentra who said how sweet she was. Bloom, unaware of Falentra's motives, felt good that they seemed to be getting along.

Looking over, two people entered the room and both Howard seemed to know well with how he greeted them. Bloom saw a younger male walk in, who she had never met and the other person was Dealla Prince. Bloom remembered her from the Great Hall so many weeks or months ago. There was a debate about the S.C.A.R.A.B. terrorist group that they were not on the same page with. Bloom smiled at the Ravenclaw as a hello. She hoped that whatever happened in the past, did not reflect their stay together in the tent.

Bloom's focus went back at Falentra who called Howard, "Sparkles." Curious, Bloom looked over at Howard who seemed to be grinning from ear to ear, looking at Falentra. Seeing him smile made Bloom smile, but deep down, he was wondering what the name really meant to him. It began to make her feel queasy. Should she be calling him a nickname? She never thought about doing that all this time. He's only been, "Howard" this entire time.

Cupcakes. Did she mean during the Valentine's Day event? Was she supposed to make him food on a daily basis... Bloom looked at Howard for validation. At her age, she had many 'crushes' but never really a boyfriend. Was there a hidden handbook of how to handle boys when in a relationship? His response was a story about how Falentra used to make him cupcakes that included blood. Bloom often forgot his need for blood and did not think that food needed to have blood for him to enjoy. Was that going to be a thing from now on? Did she need to surprise him with bloody food and gifts?

There was a part of her that was feeling uneasy with the conversation. If he would allow it, Bloom would grab Howard's arm lovingly and look at Falentra. Without too much thought, Bloom said, "Though a distant memory now, isn't it?"

"Sorry, excuse me," she said with a small smile, letting go of Howard and getting herself out of the conversation. It sounded like memory lane and it rubbed Bloom the wrong way for some reason. It was better to excuse herself from the conversation than the stay and feel off. Bloom grabbed a few of the chocolates and headed over to Serena. Her heart was racing knowing that it wasn't going to go the way she wanted, but she needed to try.

"Hey," she said softly to Serena. "Do you want one?" she asked, smiling, trying to keep things normal. Though, deep down, nothing was normal between them. Bloom ruined her friendship with Serena and they hadn't talked in a very long time. Bloom hoped that time between them would have fixed everything. Bloom looked at Santario and Percival and kept her smile, "both of you, too!!" she offered.

Mentioning the Team

If there was one thing this ragtag team of magical kids had in common, it was that their lives would undoubtedly be changed by this insane, extraordinary opportunity.

When Pericles had dared to drop his name into the Goblet of Fire, the mere act had been the first step in changing the course of his life. He hadn't done it to impress his parents, like most other tasks he took on. Not like when he had chosen to become a prefect, or a team captain, or host to a number of other extracurriculars. If anything, his horrific boggart encounter had, at the very least, forced him to face his deepest insecurity. Pericles' eccentricity, compared to the pureblood lifestyle he was expected to lead, led him to fear he was inadequate. Unworthy of his family name, one who would never live up to the fantastical feats of his ancestors. Something he had buried deep down. Feelings he had denied to his family, his friends, even himself. He went out of his way to make them proud, as a means to make up for his... well... weirdness. No, this time, he was doing something for himself. He wanted change, growth, a chance to prove himself- not to bring pride to his familial or school Houses. It was a leap he could be content with, even though his name wasn't chosen from the batch. That is... until Howard extended the invitation to take part in a Hogwarts Hexwizard team.

For once, Pericles' propensity for thinking things through hadn't exactly shone. He'd helped plan summer camp, including the theme of piracy, but didn't really realize what that would mean for him until he stepped into the tent. Nautical. Of course. For the son of a commodore, the senior captain of a shipping company, it was like living in a reminder of his father's legacy. Save for squinting resentfully at the animated ship painting, however, he managed to put up a neutral front. He wasn't about to let a bunch of boat stuff get under his skin. Instead, ignorant of the tension boiling between a couple of the occupants, Peri put on a trademark tranquil smile and called from the entrance: "Hello again, everyone."

"Again" applied to most of them. Howard had been interviewed for a Headliner article, the intention of which was to defend the dhampires of Hogwarts from unfair accusations. His plight, in particular, had squeezed the writer's heart. Falentra wasn't an especially familiar face, but he keenly remembered her hunt for a missing tarantula, a pet they had in common. Serena and Bloom were the types near everyone knew, if they weren't living under a rock, and both had weighty reputations. Alan was easily classified as one of the sweetest people Peri knew, and should they come to know one another a little more outside of school, he liked to believe they could be close friends. Percival was essentially a stranger; Pericles had no memory of meeting him, but this team was one heck of an icebreaker. Santario: talented, reliable, it was hard not to hold her in high regard, though he had sort of, avoided her since she witnessed his boggart. Dealla had, too, and even bothered to come checking in on him after Pericles epically failed to face it. He adored Dee, dearly, but that wasn't something he had been ready to talk about. The heir lied to her the same way he had lied to himself for all those years: It's fine. I'm fine. It's better left alone. He'd be perfectly satisfied never mentioning the monstrously mutilated rendition of his vampiric father again, thank you. And speaking of ken, there was Opeila. A distant cousin, though the Dralts never much minded how far out on the branches someone was in their family tree. Blood was blood. He would have her back.

In drifted the Ravenclaw. Dressed somewhere between "Crisp" and "Camp", he had opted for a deep cobalt polo, tucked into black pants with boots fir for horseback riding. His trunk levitated in ahead of him, held aloft by a Leviosa from the pale, thin wand balanced between his fingers. His regular drifting dream-like self, save the jarring addition of a Black Webber perched on his shoulder. The tarantula's beady eyes glistened as it crouched close to its keeper's neck. The moment Peri picked a bed, he scooped the arachnid up and gently placed it on the canopy, allowing it to scuttle up into the safety of the bed curtains.

Saying hello, settling in with his tarantula.