Valentine's Day Party

Opeila watched happily, as the bowl slowly filled itself with names, more and more, of all houses and years. Great!
Eventually she decided that it was enough. "Right, so- everyone who signed up for the speed dating, I'm gonna draw names now!" And that she did, reading them out loud.

Reducio

These are the Speed Dating pairs:
@Damion White & @Kim Sato
@Percival Gray & @Samantha Salwis
@Dorion Anderson & @Lea Hirsch
@Bailey Glade & @Maggie Hawkins
@Beatrice Dupont & @Erin Gallagher
@Reena Delgado & @Rita Su
@Guinevere Russetwood & @Emma Wynn
@Jay Divus & @Cassie Jiang
@Larino Arveli & @Daphne Sapphirus
@Ashley Dinero Montez & @Edward Foxe
@Aurora Griffith & @Meris Barovar
@Charlie Jacobsen & @Marietta Griffis

I will owl all of the pairs a question they can chat about if they want to This is optional though, talk about whatever you want.

"If you need some inspiration, you can come here and get one of these questions to talk about." Opeila would point at a smaller bowl next to her, filled with small folded notes.

But oh, what would a Valentine's Day Party be, if there wasn't some love in the air! There certainly was now, a few of the students had decided to try some of the snacks and beverages, @Aurora Griffith, @Rita Su, @Beatrice Dupont and @Charlie Jacobsen to be exact. These three would soon notice that something changed. They would feel warm and inexplicably drawn to some of their classmates. For Charlie, this would be a certain blonde girl from a few years higher ( @Bailey Glade), Aurora would suddenly get butterflies looking at @Jay Divus, Beatrice would see @Ashley Dinero Montez in a different light and Rita... Oh, what bad luck, Rita would feel a certainly unrequited attraction to @Aurora Griffith. Best of luck to the more or less fortunate lovebirds...

✦ Interacting ✦
@Lea Hirsch

To say that they were running late was an understatement. They practically sprinted from the Hufflepuff Common Room to the Small Hall, hoping they hadn't run too late for the speed dating event. Dori wasn't exactly sure what they wanted from it, there was still a part of them that thought about Astrea and how they ended frequently. There was a part of them that loved Astrea, but maybe not the way that was expected in a relationship. Especially in a relationship with two teenagers. At least one thing was known, they felt a lot better about their self-identity and their confidence in themselves.

It was funny, looking back on their first few years and even just the beginning of 4th year. The dropping and picking up of responsibilities, the stress and crises that happened in various bathrooms alone and with others. They felt ok. That was more than they had been able to say for awhile now. Was dating a priority? No, not even a little. But the opportunity was here and love was in the air or whatever. After going through a heap of clothes that was left on their bed they ended up with something rather simple. A pair of overalls over a brown and white sweater. Last Valentine's they went all out and ended up almost kissing Percival Gray and getting slugged, so hopefully this was anything better than that.

They quickly greeted Opeila and dropped their name in the speed dating bowl and sat themselves in a corner with a cup of the provided tea and waited until it had begun. Their date surprised them, Lea Hirsch. A fellow Hufflepuff in 3rd year that had a brief stint on the duelling team. They were at the very least familiar with each other and this made Dori sign in relief. "Hey Lea!" They walked over to the bowl and grabbed a question slip, hopefully to help ease their nerves even more as was intended. "If you met a lion in the desert, what would you do to scare him more than he scares you?" They gently placed the paper down as if it could explode and wrapped their hands back around their teacup.

"Um- I mean through wizard ways I'd probably just do like a firework spell or something, fire..." They waved their hand in the air to imitate fire. "But in a non-magic wizard way, I'm not really sure what I could do to scare it?" They shrugged, taking a sip of their tea and looking at Lea, hopefully giving her space to talk.

✦ Outfit Reference ✦

Reducio

Right, since my owls are being spammed with these at the moment- everyone please stop owling me the answers to the questions I gave you! These are roleplay prompts, optional questions that my character gave to yours to chat about with their speed dating partner or not, if they don't want to. I have answered five of these owls tonight, I will delete all that come after this post unanswered.

Well... Damion was happy that he was here in this small Hall. Not only because it was something that related to Valentine's Day but also because things seemed well between him and the younger Gryffindor boy that he was crushing on- oh wait who was his boyfriend. What more could he expect now?

A part of him was really hoping that they would get paired together... and well something that seemed right. It was not long till he heard Kim speaking to him. A smile draped across his face as he turned his attention to his boyfriend. He was really happy- was that a crime? Nope. Then zip it. He shook his head gently hopefully Kim didn't notice that. It was not a response to what Kim had said.

"Thank you Kim" Damion said looking at him as he heard Kim compliment what he was wearing. He was glad that Kim liked it. Of course he would like when his boyfriend said something about the attire that he had worn. Not that he was trying to impress the younger boy- Kim was his now. His Boyfriend.

"Yes I am doing the speed dating thing" He said looking at him. "What about you?" he asked looking at him. He was hoping that Kim was also doing that. But well before Kim could reply back to him he heard Opeila talk again. He looked at her surprised at the names of the first pair. Great! He was paired with his boyfriend now wasn't he. It was really good.

He looked at Kim as he heard him speak. He nodded his head as he heard what Kim was saying. "Sure Kim" He said smiling. The worst haircut he ever had. Oh boy! Which was it. He thought. He listened to what Kim was saying and nodded his head. "I bet you would look good in any haircut and hairstyle." He said looking at him. He thought really hard and said after a pause. "Well mine would be when I thought it was a good idea to cut my own hair and I got a pair of scissors and cut my own hair. I cut them short." He explained. He was not embarrassed by it back then but speaking about it loud made him feel a little shy.



He looked at Kim and smiled with a slight blush on his face. He was a little embarrassed about how his hair had turned out. But it was okay. He was telling someone he really cared about, his boyfriend so there was nothing to be afraid of. "Oh before I forget, Happy Valentine's Day Kim." He said looking at Kim. He was not sure if they would get switched again. He was not going to wait till they were switched to remember to say that to his boyfriend.

Rita did not know what was going on with her mind. The Second Year Hufflepuff beater with short straight black hair was totally confused when she found out she was suddenly attracted to her younger friend from the same house, Aurora Griffith. "I always think I am only attracted to boys, but why am I attracted to girls as well? That is so confusing, so maybe I am not as straight as I think?" The confused black-haired Hufflepuff beater took some time to think.

Then Rita went to find her partner for the first round of the speed dating activity, Reena Delgado. Rita remembered Reena from the chaotic fall ball preparation last October, but the Second Year Hufflepuff beater had barely interacted with Reena after that brief introduction. Actually, the black-haired Second Year Hufflepuff beater was expecting a boy for the activity, but anyway, maybe that was a way to get to know Reena better and maybe they could become friends.

After finally finding Reena within the crowd, Rita waved slightly to the Second Year Gryffindor girl and begin her speech with a friendly smile, "Hi, Reena! Remembering me from the fall ball preparation last October? Cannot believe we have been assigned to be partners! I am very sorry, I am suddenly attracted to Roro just now and I don`t know what is going on with my mind. Anyway, wanna have a little dance with me?"

Rita has also grabbed a question slip, hopefully it would make the conversation more interesting. Actually, the question the Second Year Hufflepuff first-string beater got was an OK question, and the black-haired Hufflepuff beater actually wanna know what the other Gryffindor girl think. "By the way, a quick question, if you can choose your house, which would you choose? I think I will actually stick the Hufflepuff, since I think that is the house that fits me best, with my kind heart and love for magical creatures and plants! What do you think? Would you stick with Gryffindor as well?" The Second Year Hufflepuff beater asked the question gently while still feel like she was attracted to Roro, and waited for the other Gryffindor girl to respond and hoping the Gryffindor girl would not mind her sudden attraction to her young friend of the same house.
Interacting with: @Aurora Griffith @Reena Delgado

Word count: 206/200 not including letter
Mentions:
Interactions:
@Kim Sato • @Damion White • @Maggie Hawkins

Bailey smiled with @Rita Su greeted her and her fellow Ravenclaw and dorm mate @ Charlie Jacobsen.
“hiiii Rita!!! It’s nice to see you here!!”
Kim entered next, looking more depressed than he had the last time she had seen him.
WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THIS BOY baileys mind screamed. All of her instincts were yelling that something DRASTIC was wrong with Kim, but he would not admit to anything. Bailey was going to go over to Kim when Damion entered, smiling at her and Rita. She said cheerfully “Hiiii Damion!! I am so ready!! Are you excited about the party?”
Bailey got a plate with some food, and was about to go over to Kim and Damion when the groups for the first round of the speed dating event were announced.
Bailey was paired with another girl, a second year from Slytherin. Bailey found her partner, and asked “Shall I draw us a slip?”
Either her or Maggie would get the slip, which read

Reducio

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Speed Dating Question
Date: 25 Feb 2023, 10:19
From: Opeila Winters
To: Bailey Glade, Maggie Hawkins

Opeila Winters wrote:

Hi there!

This is your Speed Dating Question:

If you were the captain of a pirate ship, what would be the name of your ship?

Enjoy!

Kindest Regards,

Index Team Lead | Prefect of Slytherin

“If I was the captain of a pirate ship… what would I name it…. That’s a good question! I think I would name my pirate ship something fun like “the Secret Dagger” or “the Tainted Rose“!
What about you?”

date: 2/14/23 | place: Small Hall | #ba9826= Aurora(English) | Thoughts= Italics

Once I ate the food being served(and it was very delicious, mind me)I got a very curious sensation as I looked over all my peers in the Small Hall. Then my eyes stopped on a particularly cute boy with nice hair and eyes. I felt my cheeks turning as mahogany as my hair, and a fluttery feeling in my chest, like a swarm of butterflies had taken shelter in it. What are you even thinking? said a voice in my head crossly. You certainly do not have feelings for any boy, no matter how cute! I tried to make myself believe it, as I started to feel sweaty and my heart beating faster. I felt so lightheaded, I nearly fainted. I was sure that my cheeks were so red-brown by this point that they could've looked like a rash. But I'm not sure that somebody who felt like they were about to faint would be speaking clearly either. So, a little embarrassed, I stumbled off as I went to find my partner for the first round. I was regaining my composure little by little. Apparently, it was a girl named Meris. I walked over to her and said, "Hi Meris! Nice to meet you, I'm Aurora. Um..." Out of my pocket, I took out the slip of paper that I had gotten as an icebreaker and peered down at it. "Ok...it says, 'If you were trapped in a hole, what food would you dream about?' Personally, I'd dream about caramel, because it tastes so good, it's one of my favorite sweets. What about you?" I said to Meris, hoping that I was making good conversation by trying to break the ice.

interacting with: @Meris Barovar
mentions: @

Larino Speaking (English) Larino Speaking (Japanese) Others Speaking Thoughts =

DATE: February 14th, 2023 TIME: Afternoon/Evening PLACE: Small Hall, Valentine's Party INTERACTING WITH: @Daphne Sapphirus SUBTLE MENTIONING: @Opelia Winters and @Irina Sousa

Larino headed back to his dorm after having lessons all day on February 14th: Valentine’s Day, also known as his birthday. To avoid fuss and or making a scene, he had decided to go to a Valentine’s Party in the Small Hall. He normally wouldn’t have gone to events like this, but at least it made sure that he wasn’t around in case anyone tried throwing him a surprise party. How he hated surprises.

He had been sent an outfit from his mother and aunt, who had put together a white kimono shirt and red harem trousers, along with a white haori with cherry blossoms printed across it. The party he was going to that day had no dress code, but the ball on the Friday did, so he just thought it was best to stick with the one outfit for both. He had laid them out on his bed that morning just before breakfast (and after that morning’s shenanigans), and quickly slipped them on, leaving his school robes in a small pile on the floor. He slipped his rock into the pocket on his haori, and stepped out into the corridors.

Larino headed over to the small hall, and stepped inside. He signed up for the speed dating, not necessarily for the actual dating part of it, but more to try and get to know some of the other students. Well, some of the girls, to be specific. He had spoken to a fair few, but was really hoping he’d get the chance to interact with a few others, assuming his social anxiety and stubbornness wouldn’t get in the way of making another friend or two. Though they probably would, as always.

He was drawn with another first year, named Daphne. He sat down with the question that was drawn for the two of them, and read it aloud: "Is cereal a soup?". The first year waited patiently for her to reply to him, while quietly pulling his rock out from under the table and clutching it, to try and calm him down. He thought he should probably start talking to make things more interesting, so decided to give his opinion first: "Not really, it's more of a stew, since it has chunks of... uh... stuff. Floating around in it. I guess." He shrugged, not making eye contact with her at all.

He had no idea why he had even signed up for this. What was he even doing here?

============

======• S U M M A R Y•====== Reducio Larino put on his outfit which he had laid out that morning after what had happened in the common room (involved yelling, other events still to happen), due to February 14th also being his birthday. He slipped his rock into the pocket on his haori, and walked up to the Small Hall, where he signed up for the speed dating. Not necessarily for the dating, but more to get to know some of the girls his age. He was paired with Daphne, another first year, and read out the question, then providing his own view on the topic at hand. Avoiding eye contact and clutching his rock, Larino then proceeded to regret ever stepping back outside his dorm that day at all.

============

Post layout and graphics by Larino Arveli

Banner created by the wonderful charlie jacobsen

The dating had begun. Opeila drew names from the big bowl, and paired everyone with some one. I ended up with a girl named Marietta Griffis. I wasn’t attracted to girls, so I shrugged, but still went over to talk to her. We had been given prompts, so I decided to use mine, because I didn’t really know what else to say. “Hello. I’m Charlie. First year, Ravenclaw. What's the dumbest joke you've ever heard?” I asked them.

I looked around the room, wanting to know who else was here. There were a few other Ravenclaws. But who caught my eyes? Bailey. I had met her before, but when I looked at her this time… she gave me butterflies in my stomach. But that just confused me. I liked guys. Then, a little voice in my head scolded me. You like guys! Plus, Bailey likes Kim! And she’s a third year. Way to old for you. It told me. But I still couldn’t stop staring at her. She was so pretty.

I turned back to Marietta, slightly embarrassed that I had spent a while staring at another girl. “I think this is the one I find the most dumb, my sister tells it to me constantly. It goes like this:

Knock Knock.

Who’s there?

Interrupting cow.

Interrupting c–

MOO!”

Closed for interaction (except for dating partner)- sorry.