The Enchanted Maze Spring Ball '23

Reducio

Blue wasn't Nora's favourite colour, but she didn't hate it. It was a common colour in nature, from the pale colour of the sky, to the deep navy of the ocean. Of course, it wasn't as common as green, but Nora never really liked green anyway, unless it was in celebration of her house.

Besides, the dress she was wearing was beautiful, despite its colour. With a marble like pattern across the dress, a harsh black peaked out from the top, near her chest, and from a slit in the side. To top it off, she'd worn one of her favourite necklaces, a black gem with a silver rim that she'd gotten from a vintage shop a few years back. At that time, she'd just gotten it for fun, but now it was the perfect last piece for her outfit. Or, at least, she hoped.

Nora had never been to anything like this, and it was an understatement to say that she was nervous. She'd gotten ready early, and had lingered near the edge of the maze for quite some time before plunging into the green. As she walked, she passed by fallen students, arguing teens and many more who were running into trouble. She noticed her friend, Jaime, talking to a Slytherin in Nora's year, but didn't want to get distracted. The maze seemed to have a mind of its own, tricking and playing with its inhabitants, and she didn't want to fall victim to its ploys.

Thankfully, though, the maze seemed to like her, and she passed through untouched. Before she exited, she paused and murmured, "Thanks, maze." Maybe it would spare her on her way back, too. Nora could only hope. After one last glance backward, she ran her hands through her hair and entered the banquet.

287 words. #420c55.

Actions: Travelling through the maze and entering the banquet.

Fashionably late, as usual. Well, a bit past fashionably, he felt. He liked to arrive on time for these sorts of events, before everything flew off of the rails. Nonetheless, he could accept late and fashionable. Especially when he could show up clinging onto the arm of none other than Hexwizard superstar Felix Kolbeck (@Winnie Harper). It was almost their 6-month anniversary - if you counted them as officially dating from the time they met rather than the time George actually asked for exclusivity. George, as a believer in love at first sight, had retroactively decided that that was when their relationship began. Since then, things had been a bit up and down. There were some days Felix was all love and charm, and others when it felt like he could hardly string together two words for him.

The plan for the night was simple. Show up, look pretty, have his first kiss in front of several witnesses, and then quietly abscond to some other corner of the castle where they could complain about how performative and fake that these sorts of parties were. Step one of the plan was going fine - he was here and so was Felix - but he had some doubt about the other parts. He was hoping that seeing his beau in person would be enough to reignite the fire of love... but Felix wasn't really throwing any sparks today. He must have been worried about the tournament, because he was acting like a zombie.

"You look so handsome," cooed George, pressing a warm hand to the cheek of his pale-faced prince. He looked sort of like a vampire in this light, which was thematic, if not quite flattering. Even as handsome as he was, there was something off. Felix had at least been enough of a gentleman to ask George to attend the ball with him, And provide several pricey accessories to wear.

The mousy Hufflepuff let a moment pass, staring up at his boyfriend, before wrinkling his nose slightly. "...Felix?" he said, glancing forward at the entrance to the maze and gently tugging on the other boy's arm. "...Going to lead us in?" What was the matter? Was Felix as nervous about this as he was? No... Felix was never shy about this kind of thing. So why the hesitation? Maybe it was something George had done? He could feel his heartbeat picking up as he took the first steps forward...

Banner made by the sweet Beatrice Langstreth

Dialogue: English | Mandarin Thoughts: X

April 21st 2023, Late afternoon, early evening

Open to Interactions

The sun was setting slowly covering the world with its golden mantle giving the landscape different tone of warm colors. Some flowers that had been gracing the maze with its beauty started to close, preparing for the long starry night. With the sun disappearing on the horizon, there were some parts of the maze that were already shrouded in dark corners, giving the labyrinth of greens and blues a more frightening ambiance, as if it were a scene from a movie transfigured from a fairy tale to a thriller.

Ying felt it in her instincts and on his skin, a chill in the wind that brought a slight shiver down her spine. While still holding her wand on her right hand, not let it go, like a safe insurance in the middle of those tricky paths and voices casting random spells inside those walls. Every corner seemed to go nowhere and the young Gryffindor started to feel frustrated. All her steps led her to empty and end corridors, there was no way to keep guidance of where she was and where she had been.

Was when she started to hear steps approaching from behind her that she jolted on her steps and turned around, pointing her wand to however or whatever was entering her safe space. A girl with long dark hair in a bright and stunning outfit was also aiming her wand towards her and Ying felt its pointed tip at her throat. Her heart was pounding wildly with the adrenaline of the moment, and she felt her hand grow sweaty around the wooden wand. In the next few moments they just looked into each other's eyes like if both were having a mental debate trying to understand their real intentions. Were those ocean eyes a friend or a threat?

But then the other, realizing that the young lion was no real threat, lowered her wand immediately retreating, and Ying, imitating her gesture also lowered hers, "Sorry, I honestly thought you were something else. Who knows what kind of traps and threats they have put in this maze." the girl in a princess gown said in with an awkward laugh. "No...it's okay!" Ying replied feeling a little embarrassed with the whole situation, "Maybe I'm overreacting around here!" She admitted with a small chuckle. "Thank you, your outfit is beautiful! You really look one of those fairy tale's princesses!" Ying replied to the girl with a warm smile. "I'm Fang Hui-Ying, by the way, nice to meet you!" the young girl introduced herself to the other dark-haired one.

The gentle wind blew icy cold again, caressing her ivory skin giving her cheeks a delicate shade of pink. But this time the wind also carried a whisper: "Thissss wayyyyy.", the sound came as if it passed her and directed her to one of the paths on her right, Ying followed it with her eyes first and then she turned to the other girl, "I think I know the way out!" She stated in a aired and enthusiastic voice, "Follow me if you want!" She offered to the other girl, reaching her left hand towards her, so if she wanted they could walk together through the mischievous maze.

Even if the girl with the beautiful glass tiara wouldn't want to go with her, Ying started walking in the direction the wind had so gently told him to go. And indeed after some more turns, Ying had finally reached the end of those mysterious and beautiful walls, to enter a more open space, full of tents, music, food and happy students chatting and enjoying their time in that magical world.

Action: Leaving the maze

Although Theo loved adventure and tended to find humor in even unexpected attacks- as long as no one got seriously hurt of course- he was no idiot. He had certainly recognized that there was a pattern of events going terribly wrong at Hogwarts, so naturally he did consider the possibility that this maze was not entirely safe. And he was no one to dive into danger on his own head first. That was it what made him stop at the entrance- next to the fact that the maze was simply set up beautifully and he did take a moment or two to marvel at it because why not- but it seemed that it immediately drew someone else in.

The girl who addressed him- what was her name again? He had a feeling that he had seen her before- didn't only come to greet him however, it seemed she meant to tease him or maybe even challenge him. Theo turned to her and leaned in with a secretive smirk. "I've heard a rumour or two that there may be a few dark monsters in there, released to feed on poor souls that lost their way.", he whispered. He of course hadn't heard anything of the likes, but why not play along?

Straightening himself again, he offered the girl his arm. "Are you awaiting a different knight or shall we try and hunt a few monsters together?", he asked with a wink. Not like he had any plans, in fact he had deliberately not made any, to take the chance to make some new acquaintances. "I am Theo by the way. I came with the Ilvermorny students."

IIJ.

"OWOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Colin's heart soared as he and Clair charged through the maze! To say that Colin had any kind of plan for navigating the maze would be a gargantuan misunderstanding of the boy. Clair let him take the lead, and in this moment, that meant charging pell mell into the fray! That being said, just because Colin had no plan does not mean that he had no idea where he was going or how to get there.

He decided not to use his brain. That was too full of Clair to be any good tonight anyway. "Whoa! Let's go this way!" In stead, he relied on his heart. And, to a not small extent, his nose! If Colin had learned anything at Hogwarts, it was that any gathering of students involved copious quantities of food! And while Colin preferred savoury over sweet, his nose could certainly sniff out the direction where the banquet was set and his heart, he was certain, would lead him and Clair the right way!

As the pair dashed along one long stretch he caught sight of a very strange thing indeed. A boy in a suit of armour? Colin shrugged and laughed. This was Hoggys after all --- why should lads wandering around a maze be at all surprising? As they approached, Colin got a very strong whiff of Slytherin about the good sir knight, so he decided to pause. Standing in front of the boy of steel, he knocked thrice on the helm's angled beak.

"Knock knock!

Who's there?

Knight in Armour!

Catch me if you dare!"

And with a gay laugh Colin tore off around the corner with Clair! As the light of day began to fade, Colin noticed that the plants that made up the walls of the maze began to shiver. "Did you see that Clair? Even the maze itself is all excited! See how it's all dancing?" Perhaps the plants could sense the excitement in the air too! The couple tore around another corner and down another long stretch.

Dashing through the maze,
with my lassie at my side,
rushing through the ways,
laughing we collide!

There were a lot of kids in this bit, mostly older, but that didn't stop Colin and Clair from running between and around the individuals and couples that the came their way. And it also didn't stop Colin from singing a bit of undoubtedly bad doggerel! "Ayo! Watch yerself, Jack the Jester!" He recognised the older Snek from a chance meeting earlier in the year.

Bells on jester ring,
making wolf delight,
oh what sport to run and sing
a slaying song tonight!

Colin laughed as he led Clair along! He felt terribly exuberant this evening, as if it was absolutely the most wonderful night of his entire life! "YEEEP!! YEEEEP!!" he squealed with delight. Colin was sure they'd reach their destination soon enough. But for now, singing and running with Clair's hand in his was the entire universe for Colin. He was going to make the most of it!

Jingle bells!
Burnett yells!
Luci went away!
Oh what joy it is to run
with Claa-iir at my side!

Colin took Clair's other hand and made a couple turns with her, before suddenly dashing around another corner at full speed!

Interactions: @Clair Fernandez || Mentions: @Avery Leveret | @Jack Burnett

Action: Dashing through the maze and leaving it with Clair! @Clark Baird | @Ashley Montez

Inventory: Wand (hawthorn wood with unicorn hair core); miscellaneous bits of this and that in his pockets (a key, a couple hag stones, a bit of cord, his pocket knife, some choco and sweets, the usual boy stuff.
Stamina: 6 | Evasion: 6 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 7 | Arcane Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6

Posts
Colin: {I / 847} ❦ {IJ/220} ❦ {IIJ / 545} ❦ {IIIJ/397} ❦ {V / 1008} ❦ {VI / 446}

Clair: {Post I} | {Post IJ} | {Post IIJ} | Post IIIJ | {Post V}

Interacting with @Rhys Read, as Zendra Blanchet

Achille accepted Zendra's hand, and for a second, she just appreciated the moment. She liked doing that, savouring every good moment like a fine beverage, before the cup ran dry. It was a way to capture how she felt, to cherish what she saw. She captured the way her heart thudded, and the warmth of Achille's hand. She cherished the wild hedges, and the cool evening sky. She savoured everything she saw, she heard, she felt...

Zendra broke from her thoughts, greeted by the welcome voice of Achille. "Which way do you think we should try going?" He asked, his gaze returning briefly to Zendra.
For a second, she wrestled with the choice between the two possible directions to go, but before she could choose, the maze made up her mind for her. It shifted, closing up one of their options."Huh. Guess there's only one way to go." Achilles noted, and they began to (hopefully) make their way to the exit.

After a minute, Achille spoke again. "I'd be more than happy to re-introduce you to Greek mythology," The freckled boy said, his eyes directed ahead. "As I said earlier, I have a pretty extensive knowledge of it. Probably as a result of being named after one of the more well-known heroes." Butterflies fluttered in Zendra's stomach as he glanced at her with a sheepish smile. "I'll have to warn you, though. Once I get going on a topic I know a lot about, it's difficult to get me to stop."

At this, Zendra had to let out a laugh. "No worries," she responded, squeezing his hand, "You have a very nice voice to listen to." Surprisingly, this open compliment didn't make her flinch, and she carried on happily. Rounding a corner, Zendra noticed that the maze had finally stopped leading them astray, and it looked like they actually might arrive sooner than later. After a moment, she spotted something at the end of a longer path. Was it the exit?

"Oh, look!" she exclaimed, pointing it out to Achille with her free hand.

344 words. #44505f

Actions: Walking with Achille

Violet in English, Red in Korean and Blue in French

“Very well, then! Your wish is my command, Your Majesty. In fact, I would be honoured.” Ye-jun chuckled along with the boy and his antics. It was a rare proper smile that only few got to witness. Somehow though the Beauxbatons student simply couldn’t help it. At that very moment, he was just genuinely happy that Jack accepted his proposal. He also hoped his presence would make the boy a little bit happier in case he was still mourning a loss of his friend like Eun-ji did. Ye-jun wasn’t quite sure what their relationship was, considering the awkwardness that hang in the air during the previous ball but he assumed it wasn’t something to be taken lightly. “Yeah…I hope so too.” He agreed immediately when Jack expressed his concern for Eun-ji. It was somewhat reassuring to know somebody from her classmates knew what was going on. Even if they weren’t necessarily friends.

But of course things never went smoothly at Hogwarts and so inevitably, the peaceful moments between the two boys came to an end. Ye-jun decided to ignore the nuisance at first but he would properly look at him once his date introduced the newcomer. “I see…how convenient.” He assessed dryly but there was no malice in his words. It was clear to him that the two Hogwarts students were friends to at least some degree. A very special friends perhaps but still… Hanako seemed a bit annoying but his roguish nature most likely resonated with Jack. Although personally, Ye-jun thought Jack’s mischief was rather cute, which did not apply to the other boy. At least not from the first impression he got. He was also talking too much and the flirting didn’t help. The kick was definitely deserved. “Well…I guess…nice to meet you, Hana.” The Beauxbatons student relented eventually. He was raised to be polite after all.

“And yes, actually, Tone, you were interrupting something. Ye-jun and I were just about to head into the maze together.” Ye-jun found himself strangely pleased by the statement. He smiled back to let the redhead know that he was fine. There was no reason for him to feel apologetic. He had no control over the other's actions and technically speaking, Hana didn’t know any better either. Ye-jun wasn’t going to be bitter about it. “Yes, together.” He confirmed resolutely. If his date felt that they were indeed interrupted, then he didn’t see the need to hold back either. “Not gonna lie, I’m damn glad I did” Ye-jun raised his eyebrows once again. “Well…that makes one of us.”

It took another seemingly innocent question for Hana to slow down a little. It was obvious Jack touched a topic that wasn’t to be discussed. The boy did a good job recovering however and Ye-jun ignored the little pause with grace. Mainly because he really wasn’t interested and never pried into strangers' personal issues. He also proceeded to ignore the wink that followed, instead turning to listen to the other Hogwarts student that just joined him by his side. He grinned, recognizing the suggestion as a joke that it was. “So we are starting the evening with a good deed?” He joked right back. Unfortunately, the Japanese boy indeed couldn’t take a hint. “Didn’t you just say you can take care of yourself? Why join us then?” He challenged the intruder almost immediately. Still, he was not planning to be mean to Jack's acquaintance and it didn’t feel like his place to decide either.

“He’s not going to leave, is he?” The Beauxbatons student student whispered to his date. It was not quiet enough for Tone not to hear so it was quite obvious that he was teasing the person in question. “Well…if you dare, you follow and we’ll see what happens, hm?” After that, he once again turned to his date. “Shall we go?...Don’t get lost on me, all right?” With those words, Ye-jun casually offered his arm to Jack, clearly not caring about the third wheel’s feelings. He would however immediately retract his arm should Jack show any sign of discomfort at the gesture.

@Opeila Winters aka Theodore Duncain

If she was completely honest, Dee hadn't expected much to come of addressing a lost lamb by the side of the maze. That didn't mean that she wasn't open to being pleasantly surprised, though.

The suggestion of monsters lurking in the shadows between the hedges received a short pause, followed by a delighted burst of laughter. "Weirdly enough, I wouldn't even be that surprised if that were true," she admitted brightly before making a show of squinting at the darkness behind the entrance. "Dark monsters, eh? I do hope they're more interesting than Hinkypunks."

A wide smile on her face, she turned back towards her new acquaintance, giving him a closer look now that he had proven himself worthy of her attention. Tall and lean, she was more certain than before that the two had met at some point. He had decidedly not dressed for the occasion, but she could respect that. Kinda cute, honestly. And was that a familiar spark of mischief in his eyes?

One eyebrow quirked up as she was offered an arm to hold onto, and she snorted even as she stepped closer to accept the gesture. "And what makes you think I need a knight at all?" she asked, slipping her hand to hook around Theo's biceps. If Jack had decided to come, she probably would have put some effort into convincing him that she should be wearing a suit of armour and he should be the princess to match. Alas. "Lucky for you, it sounds like you know how to have a good time, so I can hardly refuse the offer." Another cheeky grin before she'd start pulling him towards the maze. "I'm Dee, one of Hogwarts' finest," if she did say so herself. "And I bet I can catch more monsters than you, Sir Theo of Ilvermorny."

Action | Nothing relevant yet!

Sta 7 | Eva 13 | Str 3 | Wis 12 | Arc 8 | Acc 12
Evasive Maneuvers | Charmer | Perfectionist | Spell Spread

Theo laughed at Dee's claim that she wouldn't be surprised if there were actually monsters. "You know what- me neither, after everything I've seen around here. Does it ever get boring around here?" He really doubted it. A younger, more reckless version of him would have probably attempted to hunt monsters and gotten himself in trouble all the time, but there were probably some strict rules in place to prevent just that from happening.

"Ugh, hinkypunks." He shook his head. "I'm sure you can do better than that. What about..." Lacking a cloak to grab he would just raise his arms in a monstrous motion, trying to give the idea of something large and threatening. "A lost cloak, innocently resting on a bench, but when you touch it, it rises and tries to eat you!" Grinning, he would drop the act. "I heard there are actually monsters that disguise themselves as cloaks, I just forgot their name." He shrugged.

"Good choice, I assure you, we'll have a great time." He would follow her to the maze. "Besides, did I say that you need a knight? Maybe I thought that a knight needed you." Theo was used to all kinds of discussions with his younger siblings who knew all to well how to twist each other's and his words around- he could very well play this game with Dee as well.

"You're on!", he accepted the bet, delighted at the promise of an exciting evening. "So what do you think will beat these monsters...", he would continue the game, "Oh! I got it. Garlic against anything vampire-like! Uhhh..." Of course he had no garlic on him, nor was there any lying around, but... "Aha!" He would let go of Dee for a moment to approach a bush and pick two flowers off of it. One he attached to a buttonhole of his shirt, the other to Dee's hair. "No garlic but flowers to uhhh... conjure our protective bee army."
Yes, he was more than aware that he was talking total nonsense, but what did it matter? He enjoyed it just too much.

Action: Picking two flowers from a bush and attaching them to Dee and himself
Sta 10 | Eva 8 | Str 9 | Wis 8 | Arc 9 | Acc 12
Calming Presence | Blindvision | Muggle Condition | Catch