BlossomFest Blossom Ball 2018

Thank god I did not wear make up. She thought as she wiped away the remaining tears on her face. Marissa had finally started to calm down, meaning the episode was finally coming to an end. She hated them. She had not had them in months, Mari thought it was over and she was finally going to come out of her shell. But it all came crashing down. She nodded in response to James, "Y-yeah. F-f-fine." She muttered, but tried to sound convincing anyway. James was actually a nice friend, probably the only friend Marissa had. Claryssa had been off with her own friends, too busy hanging out with them or doing homework to talk to her twin sister.

Marissa was shocked when James still wanted to dance, she could not help but laugh a tiny bit by the thought. She sat up normally and let go of the hug, looking towards James. She nodded again, wondering where they would go. "A-astronomy t-tower? I-It might b-be t-too c-c-cold t-though." She tried to put on a confident face, just for him. Her eyes were probably red from crying, which made her feel a tiny bit more worse.Marissa glanced down at James' yellow and smiled lightly, yellow must have been his favourite colour. Mari looked back up to James and rubbed her eyes a finally time before smiling again.

Interacts with Paracelsus Adger Myth

Ami heard Parcel murmur his excuses, somehow on his feet already. Well, she listened to the sound coming out of his mouth, but she didn't register his words fully until she saw him moving towards the door. Oh, so he was leaving? Made sense, after all that had happened at the ball. She didn't move, didn't say anything to stop him as the boy shuffled away, but instead, she simply lay there on the floor, unmoving, contemplating life, like the glorious possum-playing-dead that she was.

What had even happened that night? Well, a lot. Lorelai, for starters, hadn't shown up, so Ami was more than slightly worried about where her friend was. Had she simply forgotten? Had Ami been stood up? Well, chances were, Lorelai had poked her head in, seen Ami talking to Parcel, then left. Then, of course, there was Parcel himself. Beater extraordinaire, awkward child, damsel-saving Gryffindor whose clothes were too big for him.

The Gryffindor who seemed to be intent on teaching her about Quidditch, who wanted her to love it as much as he did. He had shoved her out of the way of a potentially deadly spell, then took off to presumably help more people. Such a hero, so courteous.

Rolling over onto her stomach, Ami sighed heavily as she hoisted herself up off the ground, dusting her clothes off. Glancing around the room, she noticed not many students were left, and with that thought in mind, she decided it was time to head off as well. Slipping out of the room as inconspicuously as possible, Ami ran back to her common room as quickly as humanly possible. She definitely had a lot to think over.

Ami exits the Ballroom, and thus the  thread.

Marissa pulled out of the hug, and replied with the option Astronomy Tower.
James allowed himself to relax, seeing that Marissa was too.
"Yeah, it might be cold. Well, not might, but probably most likely." James agreed. "I had actually been thinking about that!" he added, letting himself laugh.
"If you want to go to the Astronomy Tower, I have no problem with it!" James insisted. He really didn't  have a problem with it, seeing as that was on his own mental list of places they could go to dance. "After we're done, we always have the common room to go back to, with the fire and warm blankets if it's too cold." James assured her and himself.
James let a little shrug slip over himself as he thought about the trip up to the top of the Astronomy Tower. It wasn't too far, he knew, and he really didn't know why he was debating and dwelling on it so much.
"So, you wanna go?" he asked again, standing up and holding his hand out for her, smiling. The thought of having an actual dance with Marissa that night really made him excited to get going. Perhaps he was too eager...

She shivered slightly, remembering what the Owlery was like when she met up with Claryssa. But then again, that was more earlier on in the year and it was basically summer now. Marissa smiled towards James as he explained it may be a bit cold, but she did not mind. The coldness would probably wake her up and make sure she did not accidentally fall asleep at some point. James seemed excited about dancing, which was very sweet of him. Mari realised that he was probably just putting on a brave face, after all that had happened only minutes ago. She smiled up to him as he stood up, offering her a hand to go.

Marissa gladly took James' hand, squeezing it lightly. She stood up and checked if her dress and shoes were not ruined from her crying or the fire. It seemed fine so James and Marissa slowly made their way to the door of the ballroom. Mari gave one final look towards the aftermath of the fire, wondering why someone would purposely set tables on fire. What provoked him? Why to that sort of length? She guessed she would never know. Marissa smiled to James one more time before they both walked out of the ballroom.

Marissa exits thread.

Lorelei Walked in late through the large arch that led into the ballroom. Her hair was Done into a messy bun , several strands hanging delicately from her head. She made her way down the room clutching at her arm. Her green dress complimenting her fiery red hair. Its unique design matching her complexion and build. She had made quite a few enemies here at Hogwarts thanks to her shooting off at the mouth. She had no Idea what the effects would be. She Hung in the background of the ball Her blue eyes scouring the terrain almost like a battle field. What could she possibly do? It wasn't like She was the schools favorite girl. She let out a sigh and made her way around the ballroom hoping to find something to quench her nervous hunger. She noticed a few people all around the ballroom but She wasn't sure what to say. Socializing wasn't exactly her strong suit. She was almost positive she would make a fool of herself by the end of the night. It was only a matter of time. Why had she even bothered to come here in the first place. She hated dresses, and parties. It was something she found stupid and uncomfortable in general

Serena entered the Blossom Ball, a little later than she had intended too. Beside her stood the Hufflepuff boy that she was closest too. The pair had met in the Common Room not too long ago but got completely distracted and lost in conversation. It had, after all, been a while since they met up. Serena had been so busy with her head in books that she did not actually have time to even hang out with her friends. Today was an exception. She had specifically made sure to make some time for today's ball, after Reid had asked her to accompany him. It would be a good break, she figured and a very good chance to catch up with her friend and see how he was. They ended up a little late to the ball but they made it.

Glancing around the room, she noticed a few familiar faces. Everyone was wearing such beautiful outfits. They all looked so lovely. Serena herself was wearing a yellow, or perhaps gold, dress. It was a gift from Orion, which was completely unexpected. But it was still perfect in her mind. Definitely the sort of dress she would have picked herself. It had a detailed gold lacing on the off shoulder top half and on the full sleeves. There was a floral design in the lacing that she adored. The bottom half was a simple skirt, with a belt full of gems in middle. Of course the whole thing was one piece but there were three noticeable sections to describe it in.

The long gold dress flowed as she walked. It was simple enough for her to be happy with it but extra enough to please her parents. Her pureblooded mother was very much about family reputation and what people thought. Serena would never hear the end of it if she had not worn something suitable. Her family knew too many people here. And the problem with the pureblood families was that they liked to gossip amongst each other. It was such a pain.

She had a few accessories on, to go with her outfit. A small necklace with a gold heart, some gold heart studs in her earlobes and a few gold rings on her fingers. She had not worn any bracelets because the long sleeves covered her arms fully. There was no point in wearing anything on her wrists. The accessories were about as much effort as she was willing to make. 

She had her long hair down. Serena had trimmed off the burnt tips of her hair with a pair of scissors. It had taken her ages but she did not have the courage to go the hairdressers by herself right now. In fact, she wanted to avoid being alone at all times. It was not the nicest haircut but she had tried her best to make it less noticeable. Serena did not do anything fancy with her hair. She could not think of how to style it. So instead, she just swept it to one side and let it flow over her shoulder.

Serena admired the beautiful hairstyles that other girls had done. If she had the time, energy or effort than perhaps she would have. But Serena did not really want to be here. In all honesty, she was only here because she felt like she had to be. As a Prefect, it was her duty to help oversee the event run smoothly. Plus, she had not actually seen a lot of her friends outside of class recently so it was a good chance to show her face to people without having too many intense conversations.

She actually did not want anyone to talk to her. She would happily pass the time just standing in the corner, eating food and chilling with Reid. Unfortunately, she was pretty sure people would come over and talk to them. At least, talk to Reid. He seemed to be friends with everyone, in her eyes. All would want to come speak to him. He was well known throughout the school, since his Head Boy role. Serena sighed as she looked over to Reid. He had recently stepped down from his role. It hurt her more than he knew. It made her question if she should be a Prefect. Her failure made her question if she was good enough to be a Prefect. For now, she had not stepped down but it was something that was playing heavily on her mind and on her heart.

"Shall we get some foo-" As she glanced around the room, her eyes suddenly noticed the subtle signs of panic. Her eyes stared at the food tables... She noticed some very damp but burnt tablecloths on them. She spotted some people looking tensed, worried and scared. Her eyes widened as she realised a few people were leaving the ballroom quickly. What the heck had happened here? It took her a good few minutes of looking gobsmacked to start to put the pieces of the puzzle together. They had not been that late, surely. "Fire?" She questioned, more to herself as she knew Reid wouldn't be able to answer it. They had arrived together, he probably knew as little as she did, "What the-" Serena started as she quickly looked around the room. Something had gone horribly wrong. She did not know what or why, but she recognised the burnt material well. 

Her stomach churned as she instantly felt a bit sick. No one looked too badly injured but the ballroom was eerily quiet, now that she thought about it. Perhaps everyone got hurt and left? The panic started to surge through her body. As she looked around, she spotted the Gryffindor boy she knew far too well. He looked innocent, far too innocent. It was almost suspicious how he was avoiding the scene of the crime entirely. Her eyebrows furrowed, almost angrily. In a snap second of panic, Serena made a harsh judgement. It was very unlike her but perhaps the fear and nervousness was kicking in. This wasn't her but rather her panic talking - well, acting. She marched right up to Siege, hiking her long dress up a little so she could walk quickly, "You." She started, staring at him intensely, "Tell me you didn't have something to do with the burnt tables." Her voice was calm and quiet but it was firm. It held a sternness in it that Siege would recognise - because he was on the receiving end of it often. She asked him to tell her but it was more of an order, rather than a question. She really hoped he had nothing to do with it but her snap judgement was telling her otherwise. She knew of his affiliation to fire all too well. "I swear to God, Siege- if you had something to do with this, I will kill you," She continued, frowning at him and threatening the poor and actually innocent for once boy. 

The Hufflepuff's eyes started to water, "What the hell happened here?" She questioned, under her breathe to herself, "Ugh, I- I just can't-" She continued, muttering to herself. Her facial expression showed how distraught she was feeling in this moment in time as she looked around the room, trying to make sure everyone was okay. If anyone had gotten hurt, it looked like they had left, "I- You- You better not have done this, Siege..." She repeated to Siege, a little louder than previously but her voice was still shaky and broken. Spotting Delilah standing near Siege, she realised that she was crying in front of the Ravenclaw again and accusing Siege of doing something bad again. This seemed to be a pattern or a habit now, "Sorry-". Wiping her face with her long sleeves, she shook her head angrily, "I can't do this- not again-" She muttered more, still shaking her head before suddenly turning on her feet and walking back towards the door that she had come in from.

There was absolutely no reason that would justify starting a fire in the Ball. Absolutely none. It disgusted her to even think that something had happened. She had no idea what had happened but it did look more like a student playing a prank or starting a fire somehow, rather than an accidental fire. Most of the Professors were still here so it did not look like it was a world class emergency. Perhaps a prank that went horribly wrong. Perhaps Siege getting into a fight. Who knew at this point in time? He looked guilty in her eyes, based on the sheer fact that he was the only person she could think of that would do something like this. Though she really really really did hope that it wasn't him. She would hate it if it was. But right now, she was not in the mood to even question him about it. She couldn't even be angry. Serena was just worried and scared. 

This was not the first fire to have graced the school and it probably would not be the last. It hadn't happened that long ago, Serena's burnt tips had only just been removed. If she had arrived on time, who knows what would have happened. She hated this whole thing. This was the one time she prayed nothing would go wrong. All she wanted was one peaceful day. Just one day without drama and it looked like that was not going to happen. "Can we go please? I- I just can't stay here-" Serena said softly to Reid, her voice broken and hesitant as the tears started to flow down her face again. Her mind was picturing the one thing it had tried to forget about - the sight of burn marks on her housemates and friends. She could have sworn she could smell the soot in the air, the smell of burnt hair and flesh... Of course, she could not. This fire was not that bad but that smell had been so integrated into her mind that she thought she could smell it now. There was just something so uncomfortable about the whole area.  

"That's a good idea. Are you okay, though?" Reid's voice piped up. He had been silent the whole time, observing everything that had been going on and following Serena to make sure she was okay. The tension he felt was briefly evident in his posture. His shoulders squared, his finger twitching a little, his jaw firmly shut as he stood next to her and listened to her accuse Siege for causing the fire. The pair of them wanted to avoid more drama and trouble but, it appeared that they could not avoid that today. He knew what the fire meant for her, what it meant for him too. He was there, in the middle of the flames that lit the forest ablaze. He was the one that rescued her from it. Reid was lucky enough to walk out without any physical evidence of the fire, other than perhaps some soot on his attire. But he carried with him the mental and emotional burden. He was there when it happened. He recognised the scotch marks well. He was just a lot better at hiding his emotions than Serena was. He appeared to be okay. Deep down, only he truly knew what the fire meant to him. The memory would, no doubt, stay with him for a long time. It was hard to forget a sight like the orange flickering flames and the gray smoke in your face. 

"Ye-" Serena automatically started to say she was fine. But she was not. If there was anyone she would open up to right now, it was Reid. Softly, in a voice not much louder than a whisper that only he and perhaps Siege could hear, "No. Not really, no..." Serena admitted. She really was not okay. She did not want to be here. Her body language and tears were probably a visual representation of the way Reid felt but had kept very well hidden from sight.   

With that, Serena rushed out of the ballroom far quicker than she had even arrived, with Reid beside her. At the moment in time, she was a girl on a mission. She had to get back to the hospital wing. This time, not for herself but rather to make sure anyone who did happen to get hurt would be fine. She did not know if anyone was hurt or not but honestly, she really did not want to even be in the same room as something that had been burnt right now. She had enough of fire, that much she could say for certain. Right now, she had no intention of attempting to deal with the culprit, whoever that was. There were professors there, they would manage.

[TOPIC ENTERED + LEFT WITH REID]

Effect follows reason was the meaning, one that was rather easy to guess just from looking at the words, but Celynne could not understand why someone would cast the ballroom into chaos with a Fire-Making Spell such as this-- multiple times, too. Fire was a strange thing, wasn't it? But she had seen, seen enough to suspect that he had taken his wand before he had left-- what did he intend to do with it, and how would he take such a risk? She herself would never... but then she would never do this, either.

She was fortunate; she was fine. And she had tattled to Professor Yornikovych, even if tattled was not such a good word for the situation. Now... now she wanted to get out of the Ballroom before anything further happened. The formerly cold press of the floor against her thinly supported feet-- which hurt at this point from standing with a high arch-- had turned warm as the heat of the fire filled the room and was currently in the process of cooling down. The entire room's initial heat by the press of bodies moving around had increased as well and had also cooled as people began to surge out of the room... which, of course, she was about to do as well.

Perhaps Cel could return to her Common Room, read, go to bed soon, maybe write today's peculiar prevention of flashbacks down... um, not in that particular order, of course. The girl shifted her clutch on her book, feeling it slide out of her fingers, and she cast a scanning glance around the room, trying to find out how she might be able to slip away, into the crowd, and run. Once, she was good at this-- disappearing into the shadows from unwanted company. Now, though, with the long skirts and terribly painful shoes, it would be more challenging... or would it?

After all, there were quite a lot of people still in the ballroom, just around her, though most were already making their way out or already out. Cel spotted an opening in the crowd-- just there-- and then she glanced back at her own Head of House to take a step backward, then another, slightly to the right. She closed her eyes as she disappeared into the shadows between baffled students rushing for the door and blended in, making for the crowded exit in the mass. In favor of not attracting unwanted attention, she ducked her head, as usual, hiding the teal highlights-- which she slightly regretted bowing to Parker's wishes to obtain.

The crowd did move slowly, didn't it? "Excuse me," she murmured, not knowing if it was audible at all and to no one in particular, as she pushed through whatever spaces she could find. I do wish I'd brought a bag or something, she thought to herself in exasperation as she struggled to hold on to her belongings, again moving her grip so her book wouldn't fall on the ground. Sadly, the effort was wasted, for as she took her ring finger from the spine of the heavy volume, it fell to the ground, and she sighed.

Bending down to retrieve it, the girl narrowly avoided being kicked in the head by a pair of frantic shoes. She looked up with a glare, but the student was already gone; she couldn't tell who it was at all in the crowd. With practiced efficiency, she tossed the book up into the air and caught it in the crook of her elbow-- oh well, the page was lost, but at least the book wasn't and she remembered exactly where she had been. Again she resumed motion, darting through the little spaces her small body could weave through as quickly as she could without dropping anything again.

At last, she reached the doors, and with a slew of worriedly chattering Gryffindors, she slipped out and turned herself to the side of the door where the curve of those going down the hallway would likely not bump into. For a moment Cel gathered her belongings into a more manageable pile and caught her breath as she knelt on the ground-- then she stood, a cascade of her ever-messy hair falling into her face. Too lazy to bother brushing it away, the girl tossed her head back to clear it of her sight line, and then she was off, running down the hallway toward the West Tower.