The Enchanted Maze Spring Ball '23

DATE ┊ April 21st, 2023 -----RESPONSES DURING EVENT ┊ 1, 2-----MENTIONS ┊ @Harlan Montgomery
-----WC ┊ -/200-----ENGLISH ┊ "words"-----FRENCH ┊ "words"-----ARABIC ┊ "words"

-----Caoimhe would look at Harlan differently now that she knew his mother had been a member of Slytherin in her day, despite the fact that having a Montgomery family relic was a wonderful honor. Caoimhe began to worry that the young Gryffindor would imitate the bad habits of the House of the Viper and become an invisible danger. Caoimhe would likely disagree and put the idea in a mental file anyhow. The fact that there was more to Harlan than met the eye was by no means a bad thing, but Caoimhe would proceed with caution moving forward.

"Tell her I appreciate it," the young vipress said with a smile before her eyes began to investigate the complex labyrinth. She would frequently rotate her arm to view the intricate snake sculpture that served as the cuff below her wrist with astonishment and fascination. The girl couldn't help but wonder what all Harlan had said about her that pegged his mother to give her such a gift; not that Caoimhe would complain, she'd wear the cuff with pride and honor and got giddy at the idea of showing it off to her friends.

Caoimhe cast an amused smile in his direction and asked, "Well, what would you like to know?" as they continued to walk side by side.
Caoimhe smiled as she shook her head while responding to the boy's inquiry about her birthplace. "No, I was born in England, but the majority of my family lives in Africa, France, and the Caribbean. We live in Ireland now though,"

Caoimhe tightened her hold on the lion's arm as she became aware of the sounds of incantations being cast in the area and further afield. She had questioned who, what, and why it sounded like a small warzone in between the hedges, but the smell of food and the sounds of laughter would attract her attention.

She spoke with self-assurance, stating, "We must be near now," before once more assessing herself to ensure that her gown was without a single flaw. Her eyes would dart to the knight standing next to her, and with a sly grin, she would act as if she were brushing the dust off of his regalia uniform while enquiring, "Are you ready?"

Caoimhe was prepared for the stares and the questions from her friends outside of those who already knew of her date. Caoimhe didn't really address it with anyone else further apart from other boys who had asked her to be their date. 

"Alright Gryffindor, let's see what you're made of," the viper hissed playfully taking his hand and leading him out of the maze with a giggle.

Note: Feel free to respond to this on the banquet topic
Action: Harlan and Caoimhe exit the maze and enter the Banquet
Stats: sta 5 • eva 9 • str 0 • wis 8+1 • arc 5 • acc 8+1
Abilities: Statistically Relevant
Inventory: Wand, shawl, golden snake bracelet, and small pocket mirror

English | French Word Count: 993

Interacting with: @Fang Hui-Ying Mentioning: @Lucian Mornstern | @Hannah Blossom closed to interactions inside the maze

The evening of the ball had come so quickly, Beatrice had barely had time to mentally prepare herself after she had returned to Hogwarts. The spring break had been quite nice in the most parts, yet Beatrice had felt something in her mood change when she had come back to Hogwarts. It was subtle but it was there. Like a shadow, hanging over her head, threatening to drop a knife in her head. It had nothing to do with Hogwarts, more with the fact that Beatrice had yet to make some friends. Not that her mood had been much better during the break but at least then she had been surrounded by her siblings. Of course she had met some people but no one that she saw particularly often or was super close with, like she had been with Irina. Of course there was Lucian who has become somewhat of a friend but her feelings towards him were mostly mixed. She liked him, of course, but Beatrice had yet to figure out if they were truly friends. Then there was Hannah, who Beatrice had made friends with in January but she hadn't seen her since then either. All of that had resulted into her coming to the ball alone. Well and the fact that Beatrice hadn't asked anyone to go with her but no one had asked her either. She wasn't mad about it but now that she saw the big green hedges, she wished that she had either choosen to not wear these shoes or have someone that would grab her arm if she was to fall, but there was no one.

Puffing out a breath from her lips, Beatrice stood before the maze, stopping the random thoughts of being here alone. There were lots of people gathered around and she could already hear voices from inside the maze. Beatrice thought for a second, wondering if she could just walk around the maze but then she picked up her dress and walked in. She didn't care for the beautiful scenery or the pretty flowers and plants that seemed to grow inside the maze, she just walked. With every step the dress in her hands hot heavier and after about 5 minutes, she just dropped it, not caring if the bottom would get dirty. The dress her mother had picked out was certainly over the top. It was almost as large as a wedding dress and looked very princess-y. The white of her shoes matched the dress itself, as it was also white. Golden and Silver details spread across the upper part of the skirt as well as the "shirt" of the dress and some details were even on the see through sleeves. Her hair was open with a simple half up half down style and a expensive looking tiara sat on her head. It was made out of glass, gold and jewels. Her Parents really never let her just wear a simple dress for these balls. For Jewelry, Beatrice had a gold ring with a blue jem on her finger and a perl necklace around her neck. The dress had an extra pocket for her wand, that sat tightly in there, ready for her to grab it. Her "make up" consisted of a little mascara and some colored lip balm, anything else would have failed miserably if it was done by Beatrice.

Her Steps carried her fastly through the maze, left, right, then left again. She went from several dead ends to other paths. »Can't believe I'm still in this bloody thing.« she muttered to herself as she continued her walk, taking a quick look at her pocket watch.

Reducio

Not much time had gone by since she had entered the maze but it felt like hours had passed between these tall hedges. At one point, Beatrice just stopped in the middle of the maze and groaned, hoping that no one was around her. »It shouldn't be so hard to escape this maze, what is even taking me this long.« Beatrice asked herself, the words barely audible. She looked around herself to see if anyone was close but there was no one. Looking up at the hedges, she asked herself it she would be tall enough to jump and see above the hedges but that was a silly thought, she was certainly not tall enough. The she wondered if she could just squeeze through a couple hedges but she shut that thought down immediately. Beatrice had to remember who she was and that she was certainly smart enough for simple maze. Turning around on her heel, she started walking again. Soon, she got into a particularly dark corner of the maze and her heart picked up it's pace a little. Biting her lip, she rounded the corner and was immediately met by a creature, a thread, something she didn't see immediately. A little yelp escaped her lips and her hand was so fast at her wand, it didn't even take a second until it's tip was pressed to the threat's throat. However, the very same thing pressed to her throat in a matter of a heartbeat and Beatrice found herself staring into the eyes of a girl she hadn't met yet. For a few seconds, they just stared at each other and Beatrice felt her heart racing in her chest. Then she took a step back, calming herself and letting her wand sink. »Sorry, I honestly thought you were something else. Who knows what kind of traps and threats they have put in this maze.« she laughed awkwardly, taking a closer look at the girl. She was pretty and so was her outfit. Beatrice didn't exactly know what the name of this type of clothing was but she had to distract herself from her heart beating so fast. »I really like your outfit.« she told the girl with a small smile, wondering what her name might be. Had she seen her before?

Bea's trunk
Stats&Abilities: | Stamina 6 | Evasion 5 | Strength 6 | Wisdom 7 | Arc Power 5 | Accuracy 6 | Lovely Creature|
Inventory: Wand, Pocket watch.
Free Actions: Entering Maze, walking through and talking to herself, running into Ying and pointing wand at her throat, putting it down after realizing it's not a potential thread but a person.
Moderated Actions: /

OOC Note: Permission to lightly god-mod Ying was granted by Author (as well as mentioning Irina).

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Date: 4/21/23| Language: Russian / English | iNPC: Nikolai Ryzhkov
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To say the weight of some obscure form of dread followed each step would be an understatement. Nikolai couldn't help but second guess this whole 'master plan' he'd devised for the night. While there might be a scrap of satisfaction awaiting the night's end, actually having to make it through the whole event was a battle all its own. The hope that the night would go off without a hitch wasn't even entertained. A visit to Hogwarts did little to inspire much hope of anything going smoothly after all.

It's far too late to back out now though. Not without admitting defeat of some sort or another. With both his hands shoved into his pockets to avoid visibly fidgeting in front of his 'date' for the night, Kolya steals a sidelong glance at Annika. This entire plan had sounded much better before they actually arrived in Scotland. Now, mounting anxiety with the 2nd task looming battled with the nerves of actually putting this plan into action. The only upside was that this was Hogwarts, a thought that almost coalesced into a visible shudder. At least it shouldn't be hard to make the night as miserable as it needed to be.

The boy huffs out an apathetic sigh as he looks up at the maze rising above them. "Well that's certainly...a choice," he mutters under his breath. Alright. Time to put this thing into motion. Pivoting on the spot to face Annika, he adopts a cavalier smirk. The movement shifts the faint remnant of a scar on his jaw left as an unfortunate reminder of the first task. He extends an arm towards the entrance. "Well, we best get on with it, huh? Lots to do, lots to see, I guess. Ladies first and all." This was going to be a long night.

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𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Alma Stoll as Annika Novikov | 𝑴𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈: -

Action: Arriving at the entrance.

Reducio

Stats: STA ⌯ 8 EVA ⌯ 9 STR ⌯ 4 WIS ⌯ 6 ARC ⌯ 4 ACC ⌯ 6

Items: Wand Abilities: Evasive Manuevers: 10% auto-dodge chance Banner by Alma Stoll

Bea scrunched her nose at Hunter. They were at a Ball for goodness sake. As they conitnued through the green walls, Bea could sense him becoming more and more paranoid. She could see her predecessor @Bubba McGarry and his date, @Samantha Salwis. She knew of Sam through the duelling team more than prefect duties, and was more than curious to talk to the girl outside of official events. Bea smirked to herself. Perhaps Hunter and her should see if the other two wanted to join them to walk through the green laberynth?

It wasn't a particurly easy sort of maze, and as her footsteps echoed on the gravel below, Bea spotted numerous magical plants intermingled with muggle ones. Flowers upon flowers intersected the bottom of the hedges. Bright pods hung from some of them and Bea could only assume they were puffapods. Something to remember for Hunter on the way back out... If the night was kind to her that was. As Hunter went tripping over a hedge root, Bea snickered. "Watch yourself Prisoner E8. You might just find yourself eating dirt." She eyed Hunter's pocketwatch as it came out again before disappearing like it had never been there to begin with. "Do you have somewhere else you need to be Argentum? Am I getting in the way of your evil plans?" She sniffed, her tone one of dripping disdain that indicated what she thought of that. She was here to enjoy herself tonight, just as she had promised her Ma.

At Hunter's questions, she pursed her lips thinking. Sliding her fingers over the white fur along the edge of the cape, she smiled slightly as a blush reddened her cheeks. "Queen will suit. The jewels were me Nans. She...passed away over the break. They're mine now. Crown included, although gods knew where she got it from..." She paused, the recent memories of the last few weeks coming to hit her. Gone was the cheekiness from before. Although she wanted to be rude she couldn't do it with her Nans memory hanging over her. Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes, before she blinked them away. She did not want to cry in front of Hunter. Just more ammunition for him to use. "My Ma bought the rest from some shop in London when she went to buy funeral clothes. How funny right, buying clothes for a party, a ball at the same time as a funeral?" Except it wasn't funny. Not one bit. Bea's heart was breaking just recounting it all, dark anguish dripping from the broken pieces. This was worse than Thanatos. So much worse. She turned her head as she trailed off, wiping her eyes discreetly to make sure there was no wetness. This wasn't supposed to be a night for sadness. One of trust and distrust sure, but not sadness. She turned back to Hunter after a moment. "You know, you're not really a prisoner. You agreed of your own free will to come with me." She smirked as a thought came to her, "But I'm not calling you a King. A Fool perhaps? This isn't a date."

Interacting with: @Hunter Argentum
Open to Interactions
Action: Continuing through the maze to the Banquet
Inventory: Wand

Perfectionist

Date 04/21/23 | Location Grounds | Actions Walks into the maze

Wis: 6 Acc: 7 Sta: 5 Eva: 7 Arc: 5 Str: 5
@Ava Winchect, @Nico Cirillo

"Shall we go in? Or are we just going to stand here, looking undecided? It's up to you, Duvessa." Duvessa smiled at him, thinking just how lucky she was. This was her first ball she attended, and although some seemed negative towards them (she certainly was, it just changed after she because slightly more social) she rather felt that she was enjoying this one.
"Let's go." She said, nodding her head daintily. Softly, she linked her arm through Nico's, hoping he wouldn't resist. "Well then, let us embark on the journey to another area crowded with people. And we shall only hope that we make it out alive," He added, and the black haired Slytherin let out a soft chuckle at his Shakespeare accent.
"Humans, could be worse than a squid." She mock mused, but in truth she was tired of people sometimes. Their expressions, their reactions; nothing you could control or understand deeply. And then there always was the sadness, buried inside anyones personality. So much as she liked spending time with friends, she would leave scowls and glares to the rest. They didn't deserve it; especially from Duvessa.

Duvessa began walking into the maze. The flowers smelt strongly, and reminded the Slytherin painfully of home. The place where she wasn't judged; she could just be herself. Dark humored, very sarcastic and perhaps argumentive. But free. Hogwarts was home to her; true. But she wasn't there long enough to really make it feel like home to her.

Role-Playing as Angelique Selemine

Date: 21-04-23 ❖ French Speech: Color ❖ Russian Speech: Color ❖ English Speech: Color ❖ Thoughts: Color ❖ Mentions: @Bailey Glade Open for interactions!
Action: Entering the maze with Lloyd

⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹

-

Angelique looked at Mathis, as he gave Charlie a soft kiss on her hand. She looked at him, and knew that he was not going to take an interest in her any longer; not with this pretty sight in front of him. It was over before it had begun. Her heart sank but she managed to look natural. "Angelique, we could go through the maze together - i am slightly hesitant to go alone, and would be honored if you would accompany me!" Lloyd suddenly said in French, and Angelique nearly jumped in delight. "Would be an honor." She replied, and gestured towards the maze. "Should we proceed then? It does look most enchanting." She replied in French, the native language to her tongue. She said it softly, and her azure eyes rested on his. She began walking towards the mystic entrance to the maze, it's hedges looking taller and more intimidating than ever. "Reckon we shall pass through?" Angelique said, slightly nervous at the prospect of entering such a huge space. Her own dress didn't touch the floor, but trailed down to her ankles. It was the color of periwinkle blue, the one that would make you feel like the sun was shining down and sky radiated from her. She took pride in the way she dressed, but it truth it didn't matter to the young Duelist.

-

⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹ ⎸❖⎹

STA: 5 ❖ EVA: 8 ❖ WIS: 9 ❖ STR: 2 ❖ AP: 3 ❖ ACC: 8

Coding done by Erin Gallagher

┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

Selena was in the middle of examining a specifically interesting leaf when an unrecognized voice called out to her. (Was it really glowing or was it the lighting?) She flinched in surprise before whirling around to face the speaker. Why did she have to approach her from behind? To be fair, she was facing one of the hedges.

She probably looked weird to the other girl. She was standing alone at a social event. She was standing in the entrance. The other girl probably saw her as a coward who couldn't even enter the main ball because she was too afraid.

Well, she was not too afraid. Not at all. Selena assured herself of that. She could enter the ball any time she wanted to— she just didn't want to. It was the truth, too. She had simply been caught up in examining the plants and exploring the maze so that she completely forgot about the existence of the ball.

Selena straightened her posture and smoothed her dress. Oh right. She still had to respond to Linda. What should she say? This shouldn't be as hard as it is. Just say something, anything, Selena.

"No worries. My name is Selena Barlowe. It is a pleasure to meet you. How has your evening been going so far?" The phrases she memorized in her etiquette class came spilling out. Why did she always sound like a robot? Couldn't she think of something more interesting to say rather than stupid small talk?

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

WC: 438 • Outfit: See banner • @Linda Ramirez

Action: Talk to Linda
Stats: STR 7 | EVA 8 | STR 5 | WIS 7 | ARC 5 | ACC 3
Abilities: None yet
Race: Human

Writing as Achille Lévesque-Auclair
see banner for outfit, abilities, and stats

Achille was hesitant as he approached the enchanted maze, which was, apparently, the entrance for the Spring Court. This was something he'd been vaguely unaware of while he had made preparations and owled his mothers regarding an outfit for the ball, and when he had actually been told about it, had assumed that the people informing him of it had been joking. A magical, plant labyrinth serving as entry for an event that called for formal wear and dancing? Surely these students weren't serious.

But, no. As Achille arrived to the maze, it did, in fact, appear that Hogwarts really intended for its students and various exchange guests to enter this ball via a giant, expansive hedge maze. And, upon glancing around, he failed to spot anyone he knew that he could enter with. So, naturally, he decided to enter alone. Which, if the tales about the enchanted maze were to be believed, was a very dangerous risk to take. A bad idea. But Achille had no other options, unless he were to strike up a sudden conversation with any of the students that currently milled about outside of the maze. Not only was he inclined towards being an introvert, he didn't know (or recognize) any of them. He would enter alone.

Achille tried not to look as out of his depth as he felt, making his way towards the entrance of the maze. He carried only his wand in the inside pocket of his blue suit jacket, since he hadn't officially asked anyone to attend with him and wasn't sure what, exactly, he would have been permitted to bring. There was the usual photo of his moms at their wedding day that he carried with him always, but that was hidden near his heart and much less likely to be taken out of its place as it was very much a personal belonging. No one else's business.

But Achille seemed to get lost almost immediately after entering the maze, as it seemed to shift around him. Every turn he took, he would only look back to see that it had changed. As he moved deeper into the maze, it seemed that it wasn't helping him towards entering the spring court, and only directed him away from the final destination. If his perception of said destination was even correct, as the maze seemed intent on confusing the hell out of him.

Follow the maze...

If only it would stop shifting.

Action: getting lost in the maze
tags: @Nora De Carie
Open for Interactions