Closed Royal Banquet Spring Court Ball

Fri. April 21st, 23

┊--------------------SPRING BALL '23--------------┊

Grounds, Great Lake

Caoimhe felt comfortable and at ease in Harlan's company, and it appeared that he shared her upbeat attitude during the event. The mood between them was cool and collected, yet lively. Even though this would be only her second dance at Hogwarts, it was already clear that it would be her favorite. Was it the allure of her lion friend, the intrigue of the maze they evaded, or the splendor of the lakeside feast that did it? The Persian gown-clad princess did not know the answer, but she was fine with that.

It appeared that the majority of the attendees of the ball remained lost in the labyrinth, yet Harlan would lead their escape of it rather quickly. Was chance in their favor on this night? Perhaps the little lion cub was smarter than Caoimhe originally presumed. The Vipress would give a smile to those who were present at the banquet if she knew them well, but there was not many recognizable faces she'd know. She would begin classifying the remaining attendees in the same manner as always. Caoimhe was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she was reading them like novels, assigning values to people based on their looks and the popularity of the company they kept. Friends, adversaries, and nobodys who were unworthy of a mere second of her time. It wasn't until Harlan ushered her to the diverse trays of food free for the taking, and would inquire of her being allergic to anything.

"No, I don't think so," Caoimhe responded with a smile, staring at the dishes for what looked most appealing, "What about you, King of the Jungle?"

WC ┊ 274/200

┊ PERSIAN DRESS ┊ HAIRSTYLE ┊ TAGS @Harlan Montgomery ┊ ENGLISH #9b83a1 ┊ FRENCH #5c8890 ┊ ARABIC #5b8f89 ┊

Notes - I'm sorry about the delay!
Action: With Harlan, looking at the food
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

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Reducio

Mentioning @Nora De Carrie, whilst worrying about @Rhys Read and hoping @Azrael Faire gets lost.

The gardens of the main ball were an odd mix of carefully groomed and left to freely grow.
The walls of the maze had opened up to spit Qrow out into the wide, open gardens of the main ball, with pockets of trees and shrubbery surrounding the space. Beyond the trees and plants were tall shrub walls of an exact likeness to those of the labyrinth, with smooth stones carefully placed along the edges.
They Slytherin could spot colourful tents and festive banners that scattered the grounds, decorated by the natural beauty of spring.

Tents of warm yellow, enchanting pink, and simple but calm creams and tans filled with seating, food, or sometimes both; each one decorated with colourful flags, ribbons, flowers, and in some cases bells, like those of a jester.
Others offered fun games and activities left to do at the leisure of court attendees like themself, such as flower crown making, crown toss, and whack-a-mosp, and, though there were seemingly no prizes to be found, the excitement or enjoyable time one may have beating their friends or showing off to a particular someone seemed to be enough for most.

There was a hearty banquet of garden herb flatbreads, leek and potato stews, herb-roasted ribs, honey-glazed vegetables, drink dispensers, hanging platters of fruits and berries, and pastries such as blackberry tarts, glazed honey cakes, and fresh breads and jams.
Concealed amongst the flower bushes and deep green moss rested brightly coloured, assorted vials, each with a handwritten tag strung along the neck—treats to satisfy the jesters amongst their peers—and travellers could take them at their leisure, whether to have fun and games with friends or foes.

A path of clear river stones and wildflowers led to a dance floor surrounded by nature and water. It was made of the finest briar wood, with ivy and yellow-pink wisteria clinging to the railings, and lilies floating along the clear waters. The grand pergola sat atop the dance floor, towering over its dancers in a canopy.
Hanging from the scattering of trees and placed along the pergola's canopy of branches, dancers would be awash in a glow of colourful light just bright enough to dance the night away in. It seemed that not even darkness could stop Springs dancers tonight, as the glow of candles and firelight tucked away within glass lanterns would chase away the worst of the night as sunset came.

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Qrow had felt Azrael put something in their pocket...

At the time the Slytherin had been too focussed on clearing their head and putting distance between the two of them to turn and tell them to get lost, but, looking now, at the note, they wished they had.

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Dear Qrow,


I hope you can forgive me for my insolence. I never meant to call you that. I just wanted us to try and get along.

It pains me that you and Rhys both have to suffer because of my actions, so I atoned by backing out for the rest of the evening.

You have Rhys to yourself tonight.

I hope my apology finds you well, and please inform my date that I have fallen ill and cannot attend the rest of the event with them.

Sincere apologies and regrets,

Azrael Faire.

PS: As a way of getting back, my dead name is Rose. Call me that, if you wish.

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Something about it made Qrows skin crawl with hatred.

'I just wanted us to try and get along.' What BULLSHIT!

No matter the redheads' distaste for Azrael, they would never resort to using their deadname, and the knowledge that the Gryffindor thought that they would sink to that level left a bad taste in their mouth.

They glared at the letter for a few moments.

The Beithir family were many things, but they were certainly not liars. The moment Rhys entered the ball, the first-year resolved to hand them the piece of paper and allow them to do what they wished with the information; at the end of the day, it was Azrael's own doing, and Rhys deserved to know why they weren’t here.

For the meantime, Qrow had to see if their own date, Nora, had arrived.
They didn’t know their fellow Slytherin very well, but she was rather good looking, and Qrow had opened up their mouth and asked her to be their date without thinking; it had been quite the surprise when she had agreed
Of course, they were only going as friends; the young metamorphmagus’ mind was far too occupied by their school work as well as their friendship with a certain Gryffindor to even think about the possibility of dating.
Besides, love was messy anyways.

Speaking of Gryffindor, they hoped Rhys didn’t get too lost…

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Interacting with @Qrow Beithir

Reducio

Nora couldn't help but slightly gasp as she took in her new surroundings. Rows upon rows of candles led her across a stone path, towards the bright hues of an overwhelming amount of flowers. They were in the colours of spring, fading from purple and pink to blue, and yellow. Beyond this, were groups of tents, each barring flags, or colourful ribbons. A cool breeze washed over Nora, smelling of flowers and spring, and her look of awe transformed into one of pure joy. The place was spectacular, and more beautiful than she could have ever imagined.

Picking up the hem of her skirt, she approached carefully, scanning her surroundings. What she looked for was Qrow, her date. They were just going as friends, and when Qrow asked, Nora quickly agreed. Her fellow Slytherin seemed nice enough, and Nora dreaded being alone in social events like these. Call her dependant, but it made her uncomfortable to be off to the sides, alone and nervous to confront anyone, even familiar faces.

But where was the mysterious persona that Nora was supposed to meet? She couldn't see Qrow anywhere, despite her seeing them entering the maze first. Nora tucked her hair behind her ears, and fiddled with her necklace. She was terrible at keeping still. That was something her parents often berated her for, but she couldn't help it. Her foot would tap, or her knee would bounce, or her hands would wiggle, whether she wanted them to or not. It was almost subconscious at times, and she had given up trying to prevent it.

In a jolt, Nora was broken out of her wave of thoughts when she spotted a redhead not far off. Qrow! Upon closer inspection, they seemed to be reading something from a piece of paper. A note? After a second, they looked up from it, seemingly upset. Nora wanted to go over and ask, but she didn't like to impose herself on people like that. After all, it was probably something personal, and Nora would rather get Qrow's mind off of whatever was making them unhappy, not back onto it.

Decided, Nora headed over, a soft smile on her face, and tapped the redhead on the shoulder. "Hey!"

360 words. #420c55.

Actions: Entering the banquet and greeting Qrow.

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Reducio

Interacting with @Nora De Carie

A tap on their shoulder snapped them out of their thoughts—they did not jump from the surprise, no matter what anybody else saw—and Qrow turned to face the voice that had said,
“Hey.”

Nora, who was normally much shorter than the redhead, was now almost at eye level with them. She was dressed elegantly in a blue dress that was decorated with marble-like patterns and a harsh black fabric that peaked out from the top near her chest and from a slit in the side; she had also adorned herself with a lovely vintage necklace of silver and black. Her entire outfit went rather well with her wavy purple hair.

They shoved the note back into their pocket to deal with later.

“Nora,” they said brightly,
“you look amazing. I do hope you didn’t have too much trouble in the maze.”

The Slytherin, ever the upper-class gentleman they were, resolved that tonight was about Nora De Carie. She was seemingly a shy girl, awful at keeping still, and obviously not at home in large social events, and, being quite the opposite, Qrow Beithir was keen on helping her see the enjoyment in the spring ball.

Despite not knowing the girl very well, she was a fellow Slytherin and a rather kind one at that, and Qrow would be damned if they ruined her night because some irritating Gryffindor had ruined theirs.

Of course, because of said irritating Gryffindor, their friend Rhys was now without a date; no matter, they could invite their friend to join them when they arrived.

Qrow smiled at the girl in front of them before offering her their arm.
“So, what would you like to do first?”

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Outfit

Reducio

If anyone tried getting Rhys's attention while they were moving out of the maze and into the banquet, it went right over the Gryffindor's head as they hurried into the banquet hall. The decorations and detailing of the hall also went unnoticed, for they were once again stuck in their head. Rhun knew. Rhys wasn't sure how much, but he definitely knew. Or thought he knew. It didn't matter how much, because he knew enough. Enough to corner them and scare the living daylights out of them with his words. As they walked, they continuously glanced over their shoulder, fearful that he wasn't far behind. Hopefully the maze would keep him lost for a long time, if not all night.

Rhys didn't relax until they were officially inside, and took a moment to clear their head before they looked around. Azzy was nowhere to be found, but... aha! Qrow stood a bit away from where Rhys stood, talking with another Slytherin. One that Rhys didn't recognize, but appeared to be there with Qrow as their date? Ugh, Rhys didn't have time to overthink that, or feel jealous despite going with Azzy..

Only they weren't there with Azzy, and neither was Qrow. Azzy wasn't anywhere, that Rhys knew of. Walking up to Qrow, Rhys awkwardly held their arms out in a 'ta-da' gesture.

"Hey! I made it!" They realized that there was a twig caught in their hair and took it out, huffing. "More or less." Rhys looked around the banquet hall again. "Do you know where Azzy is?" They were almost scared to ask, but they did wish to know what, if anything, had gone on while they'd been stuck in the maze.

Reducio

notes for myself
Azzy | #e20aff Rhys | #550c00 ]Qrow | #064107]

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Reducio

Interacting with @Rhys Read and @Nora De Carie

Qrow was glad to see that Rhys had gotten out of the maze in one piece, but their question threw them through a loop and caused them to grimace.

"Do you know where Azzy is?"

They had stopped mid conversation with Nora; and the bitter distaste that lingered on the redhead's tongue was back in full force now. They were angry. Angry at Azrael for ditching Rhys, angry at them for calling them that awful word and angry at themself for having to be the bearer of bad news, but most of all they were angry that they would think, even for a second, that Qrow would ever purposefully misgender somebody simply due to a confrontation.

Taking the folded up note from their pocket , they handed it to Rhys.

“They called me Inbred. I’m sure you remember the conversation we had back in the Three Broomsticks last month? I hate to be the one to have to tell you the truth, but I won’t lie and tell you that they left because they were ill.”
They peered at their friend with guilty eyes before continuing.
“Just because you are without a date doesn’t mean you have to go. You are more than welcome to join me and my friend Nora - Though, we are yet to decide where to head first.”

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Interacting with @Qrow Beithir

Nora noticed that Qrow shoved the paper back into their pocket after Nora spoke, but she tried to look as if she didn't notice. Instead, she took a better stock of what her date was wearing. They wore a kind of suit, Victorian if she had to guess, with a ruffled button down, a green waistcoat, dress pants, loafers, a large cross pendant, and a few gold serpent-themed accessories. It was an ensemble Nora liked very much, and had pieces she could see herself wearing. Especially the earring.

“Nora,” Qrow said, “you look amazing. I do hope you didn’t have too much trouble in the maze.” Nora blushed at the compliment.

"You look great, too, Qrow! Love the suit," she responded, fiddling with her necklace. She noticed another detail-- a pocket watch hanging from Qrow's waistcoat. Nora envied their wardrobe if it had more things like this.

“So, what would you like to do first?” asked Qrow, offering their arm. Nora took it, smiling back at her date. But before she could answer, she heard a voice from behind.

"Hey! I made it!" said the new comer, pulling a twig from their hair. "More or less." Nora didn't recognise them, but it was clear that Qrow did. Perhaps they were another first year at Hogwarts? They were short and stocky, with blue-ish green-ish hazel eyes and a messie pixie cut. After a second, they looked around, as if in search of somone. "Do you know where Azzy is?" Who was that? Confused and quiet, Nora took a bit of a step back. She would let Qrow and whoever this was talk, and through listening, maybe she would figure out what was going on.

Taking the note that Nora had seen earlier from their pocket, Qrow passed it to the other student. “They called me Inbred. I’m sure you remember the conversation we had back in the Three Broomsticks last month? I hate to be the one to have to tell you the truth, but I won’t lie and tell you that they left because they were ill.” Qrow said, and Nora's eyes widened. 'Azzy' called Qrow what? An inbred? She wasn't sure actually what that meant, but she knew it wasn't a compliment. Again, she stayed quiet, and watched attentively as Qrow continued.

“Just because you are without a date doesn’t mean you have to go. You are more than welcome to join me and my friend Nora - Though, we are yet to decide where to head first.” At that, Nora stepped forward again, smiling warmly at Qrow's friend.

"Yes, you should join us!" she reassured, "I'm fine with going anywhere, but can I ask, what's your name?"

449 words. #420c55.

Actions: Talking with Qrow and Rhys.

Outfit

Reducio

Talking to @Rhys Read and @Qrow Beithir while I guess meeting@Nora De Carie
Madeline dragged Azzy in with them protesting. "Hey guys!" Madeline said, walking up to Rhys, Qrow, and another Slytherin they didn't quite recognize. "Sorry about my little cousin shooting off at the mouth earlier, they don't exactly know quite yet how to contain their temper when it comes to stress. Qrow sorry ya ended up on the receiving end of that. However. Rhys your date it fully ready to enjoy the night now after a snuck in emergency Monster Energy drink and a couple of Blood Pops. Have fun!" Madeline waved and walked away, leaving Azzy alone with the four. "Hiiiii." Azzy said awkwardly. They looked at Qrow and took a breath. "She is right... I do shoot off at the mouth when it comes to stress... And it wasn't right for me to go off on you, Qrow. I hope we can move past this." Azzy said softly, looking away. They felt ashamed, Lucille and Parker had raised them better than that. They knew it must have been the original genes in Azzy. They had heard that their biological father had been a drunk. They looked at Rhys next. "And I hope you can forgive me for bailing so early in the night. That was a very stupid decision on my part." They said, they had already messed up this night and they wanted to make it right.

Outfit

Reducio

Qrow handed Rhys a slip of paper, and the Gryffindor took it, confused. They did their best to skim the contents of it whilst still paying attention to Qrow as they explained. “They called me Inbred. I’m sure you remember the conversation we had back in the Three Broomsticks last month? I hate to be the one to have to tell you the truth, but I won’t lie and tell you that they left because they were ill.” Qrow gave Rhys a slightly guilty look, but the Gryffindor had never wanted to hug someone any more than they did in that moment. Something Rhys hated was being lied to in order to spare their feelings. It just never made sense to them. As the saying went, the truth will (eventually) out, and it won't matter if feelings were spared in the moment, because the feelings would be the same, if not worse. They hated being blindsided, and they appreciated how up-front and honest Qrow was. It was one of the things they liked about them.

Qrow paused, and Rhys took a moment to read the note's contents more thoroughly

Dear Qrow,
I hope you can forgive me for my insolence.
I never meant to call you that...
I just wanted us to try and get along.
It pains me that you and Rhys both have to suffer because of my actions.
So I atone by backing out of the rest of the evening. You have Rhys to yourself tonight.
I hope my apology finds you well.
Tell my date that I have fallen ill and could not attend the rest of the event with them.
Sincerest apologies and regrets.
-Azrael Faire
Ps. As a way of getting back... my deadname is Rose.. Call me that if you wish...

Sorry, but what the fuck?! Like, what the actual fucking fuck? Rhys may not know what, exactly, had gone down between Azzy and Qrow, but they were still livid as they processed what Azzy had wrote. If they had just "wanted to get along", then why did Azzy go and call Qrow an inbred? And why the shit would Qrow call them by their deadname, even as a way of 'getting back'?

It was a good thing that Azzy had dipped out so early in the night, because Rhys was seeing red. And it wasn't the reflection of their dress. They did their best to steady their breathing as Qrow continued.

“Just because you are without a date doesn’t mean you have to go. You are more than welcome to join me and my friend Nora - Though, we are yet to decide where to head first.” Qrow's companion-- Nora, stepped forward with a smile.

"Yes, you should join us!" she reassured, "I'm fine with going anywhere, but can I ask, what's your name?" Rhys tried to return the smile, and opened their mouth to reply, but they stiffened as an older girl suddenly approached, dragging Azzy in behind her.

"Hey guys!" She said, far too happily, in Rhys's opinion. "Sorry about my little cousin shooting off at the mouth earlier, they don't exactly know quite yet how to contain their temper when it comes to stress. Qrow sorry ya ended up on the receiving end of that. However. Rhys your date it fully ready to enjoy the night now after a snuck in emergency Monster Energy drink and a couple of Blood Pops. Have fun!" And with that, she was gone, and Azzy opened their mouth to speak, first to Qrow, then to Rhys.

"She is right... I do shoot off at the mouth when it comes to stress... And it wasn't right for me to go off on you, Qrow. I hope we can move past this." They then looked to Rhys, who did their best not to openly roll their eyes. "And I hope you can forgive me for bailing so early in the night. That was a very stupid decision on my part."

Rhys closed their eyes, slowly taking a deep breath before opening them and looking at Azzy. They gave a shrug, acting more peppy than they really felt as they ticked off a list on their fingers.

"Well, I mean, all you did was call Qrow an inbred without any right, then proceed to write a note trying to get them to lie to me about why you did what you did next, which was leave the maze and apparently give up on finding me. Which, I- I'm fine, and I don't mind that I had to find my own way, but that isn't the point. I-" Rhys was getting worked up, and they had to stop to look down at their hands, which had subconsciously clenched into fists and were shaking. On second thought, all of Rhys had started to shake. This was bad. How was this night going so badly?

Let's try going to the Spring Ball together, we said. It'll be fun, we said.

The ironic thing was that Rhys hadn't even wanted to go to another ball after the Valentine's ball fiasco. Azzy had invited them to go to this one, and, because it was Azzy, Rhys had accepted.

Too bad they'd gone and fucked it all up. Rhys took a deep breath, steadying themself before they again leveled with Azzy.

"You know what? No, I can't forgive this." Not for the moment, at least. "You were severely out of line, and while I care-" They swallowed as their voice threatened to crack. "About you, that doesn't excuse how you've treated Qrow. I'm sorry, Azzy, but this isn't okay." Rhys didn't think they could even stand being around Azzy for the rest of the night. "I don't know what we are-- or, really, what you think we are or want us to be, but I can't anymore. I already established my hesitations, but I was trying for your sake. Because-" They shook their head, sighing and starting over. "I tried for your sake, but this was a mistake."

They turned to Qrow and Nora, offering a weak smile.

"Anyways, you two said I could join you tonight? I think I just might take you up on that offer."

Reducio

notes for myself
Azzy | #e20aff Rhys | #550c00 ]Qrow | #064107]

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Reducio

Interacting with @Rhys Read, @Nora De Carie and @Azrael Faire

Rhys closed their eyes, slowly taking a deep breath before opening them and looking at Azzy. They gave a shrug, acting more peppy than Qrow was sure they felt as they ticked off a list on their fingers.

"Well, I mean, all you did was call Qrow an inbred without any right, then proceed to write a note trying to get them to lie to me about why you did what you did next, which was leave the maze and apparently give up on finding me. Which, I- I'm fine, and I don't mind that I had to find my own way, but that isn't the point. I-" Rhys was clearly getting worked up, and their hands had clenched into fists and were shaking. On second thought, all of Rhys had started to shake.

The Gryffindor took a deep breath, steadying themself before they again levelled with Azzy.

"You know what? No, I can't forgive this. You were severely out of line, and while I care—" They swallowed as their voice threatened to crack. "About you, that doesn't excuse how you've treated Qrow. I'm sorry, Azzy, but this isn't okay. I don't know what we are—or, really, what you think we are or want us to be—but I can't anymore. I already established my hesitations, but I was trying for your sake. Because-" They shook their head, sighing, and started over. "I tried for your sake, but this was a mistake."

They turned to Qrow and Nora, offering a weak smile and Qrows heart ached.

"Anyways, you two said I could join you tonight? I think I just might take you up on that offer."

There was something in the way Rhys had gotten so worked up over all of this that made Qrow’s guilt melt away and had their heart threatening to burst out of their chest.

It was one thing to believe that somebody cared about them, but it was a totally different thing to have somebody be so utterly livid at something someone had said to you; though, it wasn’t as if Qrow was the only person Azrael had upset tonight.

Was it selfish of them to be so honoured by their friends' anger when the anger they felt wasn’t just for them?

Their guilt returned tenfold upon looking at Nora. The girl had no idea what was going on, nor did she have any idea what had occurred in the maze. Some good date they were.

Okay. Breathe

For now, they needed a game plan. Qrow needed to get Rhys away from Azreal before the Gryffindor decided to punch the other student; however much they wanted to witness that, they needed to introduce Nora to Rhys, and the redhead reckoned that the two of them would probably get along rather well, and finally, they needed to uplift everyone's moods. The events of tonight had been rather dramatic; honestly, if the Slytherin squinted, it was almost as if they were at one of the Beithir families annual parties, observing as old rich people argued over anything and everything.

"Flower crown-making." The Slytherin spoke suddenly, letting go of Nora's arm and moving to stand in between Azrael and Rhys. They had surprised themself at the suggestion, but they had mostly been focused on de-escalating the situation before Rhys started swinging.
"I think we could do with doing something relaxing."
Gently, they grabbed Rhys' and Noras shoulders and manoeuvred them both away towards the tents. Tonight was not a night for any if this.

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