Closed Summer Camp '23 Unofficial Spin the Bottle Beans! - Group 1

Outfit | Inspiration

Mikael blinked slowly as he crouched low to the ground his face void of emotion. His breath was slightly labored from booking it across the campgrounds. The boy swallowed thickly as he tried to calm the rough beating that hit against his ear drums. He wasn't usually one to dive into something without at least a bit of thought, but his decision to figure out what was wrong with Valentin had been quick. The boy looked around from the back of a nearby tent staring at the tent flap with intense eyes. He wasn't too sure why he cared about this at all. The boy held his breath as he noticed the tent flap move as someone maneuvered their way free from its hands. Why did he care if Valentin was acting weird? He hardly gave pause to the other boy's feelings before. So why now? The boy's brows furrowed slightly as he tapped his fingers against his leg. Valentin had always been a little jumpy. Something he had noticed after their less-than-ideal past. Mikael frowned deeply as the burn scar beneath his eyes lit up with phantom pain.

Valentin always felt too deeply, something he could never understand, he always wore his heart on his sleeve. A bleeding heart that was far too sensitive. Maybe that was why he had noticed the other boy acting strange. The boy treating him strangely was nothing new, like a glass ornament, but he was beginning to act weirdly to the other members of their sodden crew. Well really one other person. Maybe he was a bit jealous, in truth, but it seemed far too out of the question. He didn't feel like he was jealous. Mikael chewed on his lip before standing up to his full height. Even from his distance, the boy he followed was clearly taller than him. "Tall.." his brain supplied dumbly with a frown.

He wasn't too sure what he was trying to accomplish by following the boy. How was following him going to explain why Valentin was acting so strange. A part of him could not help but want to understand the other boy. Watching had always been his strong suit, watching from the back at the interactions considered normal between others. They had classified him as weird, even from a young age, but it fascinated him. The way people danced around like puppets to please those around them. Like they were putting on a puppet show, just for him. As Mikael followed after the boy through the crowds he could not help but cringe away from the loud and excited things that ran around him. Mikael's gaze swiveled as he noticed a girl starting him up and down. The disgust in her face stuck in his mind like a thumbtack. How many eyes were seeing him right now? His skin lit on fire as sweat rolled down his back.

Mikael's throat felt thick, and he desperately swallowed as he watched the brown-haired boy walk up to a blond-haired boy. The boy's confusion was clear across his face as he noticed circles that appeared to be holding a bottle in the middle. Mikael would aimlessly follow after Romeo, ignoring the blond-haired boy as if he was not there. The dark-haired boy sat down slowly a few seats away from the brown-haired boy he had been following. A frown placed deeply on his face as he listened to the blond-haired boy announce some sort of game. Watching the other people begin to play, it began to slowly dawn on him what appeared to be going on. His gaze catching two students kissing from afar made him keenly aware he had gotten himself into something....strange. Mikael turned his gaze back towards his group, slowly realizing it was now his turn. The boy grabbed the bottle and spun it. He wasn't too sure why he was mutely surprised when it landed on a small dark-haired boy. As if it could have possibly continued to spin forever. Mikael would look at the boy with a blank gaze, making no move to kiss the boy, long after another student grabbed the bottle to continue the game. It didn't dawn on him that he had metaphorically and physically blanked until the first round appeared to have ended.

Interacting with: Romeo @Piérre Marchonné, @Hanako Tone
Mentions: Valentin @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood

Valentin paced the length of the path leading from the visitor cabins to the edge of the main Hogwarts compound, and then back again. It was all he could do to not return to the rim of the Great Lake despite knowing that Mikael was probably still in his cabin. Probably. Yet, Valentin couldn’t shake it. What if he wasn’t, like some schism had fractured Valentin’s perception just long enough for Mik to re-enter the dark waters? It was for this reason Valentin had chosen this path – it would be strange indeed for Mik to make it to the lake without walking it. Yet, Mik did all kinds of unpredictable things just when the captain was beginning to think he understood the dark-haired boy’s patterns. It was one of the things Val loved about Mik, especially lately with the way Mikael no longer seemed to see much use for his old precious mask.

If the real face Mik showed was distorted and void, Valentin would not deny the dark beauty of its truthfulness. Yet, Mikael had a life to live, and the pale seeker refused to try to control him when not absolutely critical… such as when drowning. It would have been a sin against the very nature they shared. Thus, instead of clinging to Mikael’s side today, Valentin opted to pace the trail as if to gouge a path through the planet itself. It was not just the champion’s worry for the Norwegian himself, however. Fretting over Mikael was not only important, but also provided a “useful” way for the captain to bury his own problems deeper and deeper down. As quiet as Val remained about the lake incident, he had still begun to stick to Mikael’s side again as much as he had when Val’s mother died. Back then, the simple presence of Yefim and Mikael close by was what held the stitches of his reality together – thinly. Now, without Yefim, Valentin wondered what would become of them if they didn’t keep each other close. It wasn’t as if Romeo… let alone Ginyami…

Then, around the tree-obscured corner – Val saw it. Romeo’s russet hair. Valentin had always been mercurial, but with as downright jumpy as he was now, he leapt behind a tree to hide. The difference now was that he held no shiny, no thieved object, no matter how much the niffler still wished to be caught. Barely breathing from behind the elm, Valentin watched Romeo walk up to a group. The seeker couldn’t help but be curious, of course, but he would not follow. Surely it was none of the niffler’s business. Yet, someone followed not far behind the tall beater, as if trailing him, and Valya’s keen eye immediately knew the silhouette of a familiar garment belonging to Mikael. Mik, Misha, Mishenka. What the two were doing, Valentin could not surmise, but he didn’t want to find out what Mikael was getting into when it was already too late. Besides, Valya had no intention of leaving Mikael, not for long. Never for long. It was already nerve-wracking enough justifying why he wasn’t as permanently attached to the boy as his iconic sweater. Hadn’t they promised over Yefim’s golden rings? Pressing his pink lips together until they turned pale, Valentin resolved to follow them. It would be difficult with Romeo so close, but if Mik had followed the other out of some kind of need, Valentin wanted to be there to provide.

By the time Valentin came to understand the nature of the game he had walked into, it was already too late. Not only had Mikael made himself "comfortable" in what Valentin considered one of the most dangerous environments on Earth, but Hiro was insisting that he stay. Somehow even Ginyami was there. It was like a fever dream. It couldn’t be real. Sinking his hands into his snowy hair, Valentin began to wonder if he had been drugged again. This could not possibly be real. Yet, he couldn’t get himself to wake up, and even if it were all an illusion… he still couldn’t leave Mikael alone… even if he had to confront his second greatest fear in life: being in the same vicinity as a spin-the-bottle game. Wasn’t he the fearless champion of Durmstrang? How could he abandon his people just because of the most insane ludicrous horrifying sadistic game ever invented in the history of history? Right?

Just when his turn was announced, however, something overtook Valentin. Mortal terror. Animal instinct. For all the years of embracing the pain of quidditch and studying, of daredevil stunts and combat arts, Valentin’s feet decided it was finally time to run away. These usually exceptionally nimble feet, though, stumbled as the captain’s will resisted. Staggering his way past the bottle laying primed on the ground, Valentin's foot accidentally kicked it, and the bottle spun. With the doom-laden clink of glass as it moved, Val knew his fate was sealed. Hiro’s expectation, the eyes of those around him who were staring, and… Romeo. Mikael. Ginyami. The quidditch star could not have asked for a more important audience to perform for. Yet, this was not the flex he had in mind. As intensively as he had been training evasion lately, even, running away was also not what he wanted to show people.

Violet eyes glancing up at the bottle’s target, Valentin recognized the fair-haired Slytherin from the captain's encyclopedic knowledge of quidditch players. Certainly he was not a bad looking guy, and something about the way he spoke reminded Val of one of his mother's recordings, and there was, of course, much to be said deconstructing his style in quidditch… so, with a massive and horrified gulp, Valentin realized he was actually considering Tristan. One amethyst eye twitched, and then again, as Valentin yearned to escape.

Still, deep inside, the champion knew that running away physically would not allow him to run away from himself, nor his problems.

“Y-you want me to kiss him? Ahh?” Red poured over the cheeks of the white seeker of Durmstrang. “Ah...hh...” It was perhaps Valentin’s most prominent trait, as blindingly clear as his pearl-white skin, that he was a limit-pusher, a thrill-seeker, a hell-chaser. He had never turned down a dare in his entire life, and one unspoken dare he held himself to was to always consider everything. Why not give the Hogwarts snake a chance, even if it was terrifyingly fast to be kissing? They could have more in common than Valentin could even predict.

A shiver crawled down the champion’s back. He could say yes and try it. He really could. Staring his amethyst eyes down onto the ground, Valentin told himself not to lock eyes. If their eyes met, the buried dragon inside might take control. Yet, not even looking at the ground was safe for Valya. There, across the blood-red splash of a rug flew two exquisite cranes. But damn, why did it have to be cranes, the literal icons of fidelity across countless cultures? Looking up in panic at Romeo, then Ginyami, and then at Mikael, Valentin didn’t know what to do. The sheer presence of the blonde Slytherin seemed to be seeping out towards him, as if to pull him into pursuit of “what-ifs” and “why nots?”

“Stribog’s breath, I must be dreaming. What is… Why is… What am I…”

Even if the situation were not real, despite being unable himself to wake up, then, even if he had been drugged again… were the choices not still real? Viable? Why shouldn’t Valentin try to achieve his heart’s truest desire with any of them?

Swallowing again and grasping his biceps with each of his spindly musician hands, Valentin accepted that this nightmare was really just a reflection of his broader dilemma, just as Mikael’s struggle in the lake was not really any different from his daily life. If there was any way out of his problems, he would have to make decisions here, in this place, real or not.

Valentin’s eyes flicked from one crane to the other on the rug. He wanted to be devoted. He didn’t want to be a player, and yet, here he still was, making his way through life alongside others but still deeply alone. Perhaps it was exactly because he was not a player, not playing the game, that he was stuck after so long. Looking up into Romeo’s cerulean eyes, then at Ginyami’s, Valentin remembered that painful night at the spring ball when Ginyami had also worn crane-adorned attire. It was only moments after leaving the ball that Valentin had found Mikael in the water, too. Spinning a golden ring around his finger, the seeker understood that he was taking forever to choose and presumably people were waiting on him. Valya had always longed to please a watching audience, and he had never hesitated to do so before… With a deep breath before looking over at Tristan, the seeker tried to make eye contact to read what the Slytherin was thinking about this turn of events.

What Valentin saw, however, sent him backpedalling two steps, and reflexively the seeker dove for a seat next to Mikael, his oldest surviving lifeline. Mik had sustained the seeker during his darkest days and continued to, simply by existing, by being the shadow to Valya’s light. The champion knew he could no longer run from the situation, since he had to resolve his problems one way or another – even once and for all – but he had no will to take on such a battle feeling alone.

“Misha, why are you here?” Of course he had to know. That was why Val had come in the first place, right? Although changing the subject could not abolish the fact that it was Valentin’s turn, he needed something stable. Valya needed the dark void that was Mikael, to shelter him from his torrent of intense emotions long enough that he could clear his mind. Long white fingers reaching out for the knit of Mikael’s shoulder, Valentin focused on the emptiness he perceived as Mikael as he tried to just say something, anything.

“Tristan… maybe we can play some quidditch sometime. I’m famous for being fast, but… I’m not ready to meet you like that yet.”

Rocking back and forth momentarily, Valentin then tried to bury his face in Mikael’s arm to keep himself from looking anyone else in the eye.

Mention of Hiro’s insistence expressed OOC via consent
Abilities: Keen Eye / Charmer / Evasive Maneuvers / Fearless / Comprehend Parseltongue
Stats: STA 8 - EVA 20 - STR 3 - WIS 15 [17] - ARC 1 - ACC 15
@Piérre Marchonné @Kim Sato @Jack Burnett @Tristan Theramin @Percival Rainwood
Action: Retreats, preferably into a woolen sweater at Mik's side.

¤ | Ω | ¤

Nec Temere, Nec Timide. Durmstrang Institute's

Romeo Giovanni Marchonné [6'6.5" | 199lbs]

"English." "Italiano. Italian." "Russian."

| Faint Scar on Left Eye & Mangled Right Ear | \ Fingerless Glove on Right Hand, Bite Scar on Forearm / | Lichtenberg Figure on Right Arm and Down Back |

Valentin Schnell, Mikael Halldorson, Cyrus Darsel & Ginyami Midorimori
@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood, @Percival Rainwood, @Koko Riddle & @Jack Burnett

“It’s going to be so great, Romeo!” Piérre promised to me as he led me through the campgrounds after collecting me from the nightmare that was the Unicorn cabin. The bobbing individual with a cat about his shoulders was quite easy to see, especially from my advantaged height. “It’s just a hangout. You like hangouts. You get to be the best wallflower!” My twin teased at my expense as he pulled me by my shirt’s stomach through the crowds towards a certain cabin that was obviously supposed to be our destination of choice.

Still, I wasn’t entirely sure about all of this. I had been more than once taken in by the trickeries of Piérre, and I wasn’t totally sure that this wasn’t yet another of his tricks. Perhaps I should simply be expecting this to be a trick indeed, that I would regret everything that would come of this little venture out of the hellscape of the crushing interior of the Unicorn cabin… but the wins far outweighed what I was going to lose. That was the hope, anyways.

And yet the moment that I stepped into the vicinity to which I was led, I immediately wanted to spin around and walk right away again. There were a plethora of students, there were bottles with each group. I knew this situation, and I knew it well. This was the notorious kissing game that I wanted nothing to do with if I could help it. My shirt twisted as Piérre continued his pinch on my clothing, and I found myself getting rebuffed by other individuals approaching in turn. One of them was dark-haired, quiet Mikael; a Horntail that I knew far less than most of the others, but still remembered remedially both from Quidditch and from Valentin’s friendship with him. With a tug, I let myself get carried over by Piérre, but not without a complaint. “Piérre, non voglio stare qui. Piérre, I don’t want to be here.” I hissed to him in our mother tongue as I shirked to the sidelines again and watched the beginnings of the games with apprehension in my throat and a crease in by brows that rivaled stormy skies. “Non restero ' qui. Me ne vado. Ora. I’m not staying here. I’m leaving. Now.”

So saying, I was about to turn away and make for the comfort of the other cabins when a white blur rushed past me into the area. Wh- Valentin?!

Piérre elbowed me with a smug grin. “Mmmmm! Credo che resterai qui, fratello maggiore. Methinks you’re going to stick around now, big brother.”

With a harsh glare that I couldn’t help but give as my brother’s hand lightly trailed off, I was left abandoned as I beheld the fact that the group of interest to me was indeed a strange and yet familiar one. There was Ginyami, there was Valentin, there was Mikael.

Ginyami and I seemed to keep crossing paths, it seemed, and perhaps it was only because of that that I stepped into the circle as Valentin’s foot struck the bottle by accident. I watched the mouth of the vessel spin and spin, round and around, for some reason gripping my biceps whenever the bottle rolled past me as I crossed my arms and waited for it to come to a complete stop. When it did, I glared at the one that it had fallen on, raising an eyebrow. Though no words were spoken, the air of mild menace was clear; ’Act out of line, and there will be a price to pay.’

Valentin looked around himself in a panic, and my cool gaze met his softly as his gaze flicked to me. It would not be difficult to notice that my poise was rigid and tense, but I was neither aggressive nor relaxed. With a sense of resignation, I slowly edge my way closer to the group with crossed arms, a decidedly unbecoming scowl, and still-furrowed brows. I shoot my brother one more venomous look before he vanishes to another group, leaving me to attempt finding a spot within the circle that had formed. Of course I felt the eyes of Mik on me, but that didn’t really register in my mind much more than the other eyes that were likely going to be falling on me when it came to be my turn to attempt the ill-fated spin.

Eventually, Valentin drew away from the center with an apology to the boy that he had spun the bottle on and went to Mikael’s side. Good. Good, at least he knows that he didn’t have to be forced into doing anything he didn’t want to do. God help anyone who was going to try to force Valentin’s hand against his will. It most certainly would not fly by me, that was for sure.

Before I knew what was happening, the bottle was being forced into my hands. Though I tried to hand it off, nobody else was taking it… and my worst nightmare was about to be confirmed. I was going to be officially dragged into this kissing game whether I liked it or not. With a scoff, I pressed the bottle to the ground, feeling the sturdy glass beneath my fingertips. Press hard enough, and I was more than certain that I could break it. Then again, it would be much easier to break if I happened to have a hard head on demand; you know, a head like the chestnut-haired one that had green eyes that was peering over at me over the shoulder of another student in his own group. Shooting him with a venomous glare one last time, I wobbled the bottle back and forth in preparation to spin. Unable to delay much longer, I muttered to myself under my breath as I spun the object as hard as I could: anger being taken out on the poor empty bottle as my words would likely fall on ears unable to interpret my mother tongue; “Le cose che faccio per mio fratello… The things I do for my brother…”

After multiple spins, the lip of the bottle came to face a student slightly older than myself with blonde-ish hair and blue eyes similar to my own. My gaze flicks to his with almost warning and certainly a good amount of apprehension before I sigh and then get to my feet. Nope. I was having none of this. “The best thing you’re getting from me is Il bacetto.” I avow to him in a flat voice dripping with a remnant Italian accent thanks to my previous foreign phrases and my aggravated tone. “Try anything else and it won’t be my fault if you end up crumpled against the tree over there, capiche?” It wouldn’t be difficult to tell that I was built like an athlete. Whether he wanted to try his hand on betting on my martial prowess or not was his choice alone, but I was there to clear up any confusions that he may have had if he did choose to test that theory at his earliest convenience.

So saying, I found myself having to get back down on his level thanks to my towering height. I raised an eyebrow one last time, as if reminding this kid of the promise that I had made aloud for everyone else in the ring to hear, and then very quickly swooped in on both sides of his cheeks and offered a peck just barely in the air over each–left, and then right. Drawing back again, I nodded once and then got to my feet and returned back to my seat on the other side of Mikael. I wanted to stay with fellow Durmstrang students regardless of how well I knew them, and I wanted to ensure that Valentin felt safest of all. The moment that I felt that he was threatened, by my ‘allies’ or by anyone else, was the moment that the cordialities of this little social experiment were going to come to a very sudden and unpleasant end.

Reducio

Stats:

Ω Stamina 9 | Evasion 8 | Strength 17 Ω
Ω Accuracy 18 | Wisdom 10 | ArcPower 0 Ω

Abilities:

Ω Obnoxiously Strong | Perfectionist I | Martial Artist | Healing Sage I Ω
Ω Muggle Condition Ω

English & Parseltongue

ᴏᴏᴄ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: ʜɪ! ɪ'ᴍ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ꜰᴏʟʟᴏᴡɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇQᴜᴇɴᴄᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴘɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴛɪᴄɪᴘᴀɴᴛꜱ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀʀᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴅ ᴘᴏꜱᴛ. ᴛᴏᴘ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ɢᴏ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ, ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴏ ꜰᴏʀᴛʜ.

Come on now, Spin the Bottle was his ultimate game. In hogwarts, he was a big flirt and would never say no to a little bit of fun such as harmless kisses without making it a huge deal. During the summer of his younger years, he attended a game like this once and had the worst time of his life. Back then he was avoidant of anything like this, encouraging people not to kiss him in his own little way with the help of mockery and stupid teasing. Now though, he was different. 16 years old and equipped with skills known simply in the muggle world as ‘rizz’. Plus, he had yet hear anyone complain about his kissing skills. So this would be fun indeed.

That was until he saw Opeila Winters and Akari Kato in the same group as him. Akari Kato was memorable in his mind as the girl who ambushed him alongside another student and made him wear a traditional japanese attire he never wanted. The days of his aversion towards anything related to his culture were gone, but well- he holds grudges. Big ones. And by the scoff he sent in her way whenever their eye met would tell her just as much.

Opeila Winters on the other hand, well… how could he describe their relationship in short? For they have a rather intensive history back since they were merely 12. Unlike Akari though, Winters had never done anything like ambush him or something that warranted his grudge. She did date his crush and he trapped her in the chamber of secrets overnight, and still haven’t admitted it to this day, that was one. There was when he became a nuisance in her day whenever he could while she dated his friend. There was when she got him in trouble by not keeping her mouth shut about his little chamber prank. Okay, yea maybe he did have a grudge on her.

In short, he knew who he wouldn’t be kissing with tonight, that’s for sure.

The moderator, whom Hana heard his name was Tone (much to his dismay), explained the rules of the game and Hanako’s interest was clearly piqued. He wasn’t one to be so competitive, unless it was clear he would win. Sadly, his determination not to kiss 2 people already didn’t really make his chances of getting prizes look good. No intense passion to win today. Just some harmless fun, then.

He awaited for the bottle to be spun, eyeing it with a curious look. Rather amused that the people he didn’t want to kiss were now paired up together. This was going to be fun to react to~ ( will react later in another post if anything happens).

Finally, what seemed like forever, the bottle finally landed on him and he looked up to see who he was going to lock lips with. Lets just say Hanako’s earlier confident demeanor wavered momentarily as he drank in the sight of the terrifyingly handsome stranger. Anyone could see it on his face, really. He was not very subtle about this. Curse this weakness towards attractive individuals! However at that moment, far from being cursed, Hanako felt like he was blessed to see such a sight. His heart raced a little quicker, his eyes tracing the details of the strangers face as if he were an art to be appraised.

Much to his initial delight, it seemed like he caught the strangers attention too. However, it wouldn’t take long to notice something was..off. Like he wasn’t looking at Hana, but more like…through him? It sent a slight shiver down his spine, and he hadn’t decided yet if that meant a good thing or not. He took a deep breath, ignoring the chill in the rather void-like emptiness in his eyes and instead focused on that nice jawline of his.

“ Hey there “ he greeted, a casual smile plastered on his face. Smooth and simple. Just a regular guy who had enough confidence to be unfettered by the other boy’s freeze up, and clearly has enough playfulness in him to play the game for the fun it’s meant to be. “ I understand being shy. First game, is it?” He didn't wait for an answer. “ Fate has its plans, and from the looks of it, it seems I’m a part of yours~” he added as he gestured to the bottle for a fleeting moment, though his gaze never left the strangers. “ So, how about a fun little show, you and me? Once in a lifetime thing.” Hanako said with a teasing tone, up for anything, really. Clearly more interested in actually doing something.

He did have to somewhat address the elephant in the room. The other pretty boy (there were a lot of pretty boys here), getting awfully close to the handsome stranger. Did they know one another? Why was he .. hiding? Well, it seems like the game had interesting characters involved at the very least. “ Or not “ Hanako shrugged with a smile, showing he was alright with a freeze up. “ I gotta warn you though, you’ll miss out on the fun~” he lightly jested, a hint of a smirk. Come on, now. He was a good kisser. At least uh, no one had complained to his face just yet. But if pretty boy #1 there isn’t intrigue then alas, it’s his loss.

Perhaps Hana’s loss too, because damn, he was fine. Well, at least nothing’s stopping Hana from sparing a glance or two in his direction.

ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴀᴄᴄᴏʀᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀɴᴀ ( ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ʜᴇ ɪꜱ ɢɪᴠᴇɴ ɴᴀᴍᴇꜱ )

Reducio

Mikael Halldorson = Pretty Boy #1
Valentin Schnell = Pretty Boy #2

Action : Attempting a futile attempt to convince Mik to kiss Hana ( given permission by Mik to do it )

Interacting :
@Mikael Halldorson@Percival Rainwood

Mentioning:
@Valentin Schnell@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood, @Akari Kato(kinda interacting) , & @Opeila Winters(kinda interacting)

Outfit/Physical Characteristics Reducio Red Turtleneck, with fashionable black pants as seen in photo above. Blonde Hair Hazel/Blue Eyes 164 cm	Languages English Parseltongue French Hebrew Spanish German Russian Thoughts	Age 15
Mentioning @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood as Valentin @Kim Sato as Tone	Location Summer Camp	IC Date July 17th

Spin the Bottle

Tristan acknowledged the wonderful morning with a brief nod, standing in the sun peacefully. It was shortly before lunchtime and he arrived in the location assigned for the Spin the Bottle Game. Although, this game was not the type of entertainment that fit his personality, he made the strange decision to join, and thus he found himself here. There were five large circles, which Tristan deduced was to divide the people into groups. He was assigned to the first group and thus he stood at the red mat with two white cranes, an elegant mat with beauty apparent. Bakugo Tone, the person who had organised the game, had pink hair, and was from what he could tell from Asian descent. He was not familiar with the person, however he supposed he could learn more about him through the camp. As Tone explained the rules of the game and the addition of turning in beans that were good for prizes, Tristan nodded in appreciation of the twist, as he was not a fanatic of boredom, and enjoyed new and innovative ways to do anything. Tristan walked over to grab some cheese off the platter that Tone had set up, and walked back after eating, as the game was about to start. Tristan smirked as Tone announced the start of the game with a Verdimillous spell, and saw a young man with platinum blonde hair, who seemed to be panicking, accidentally kick the bottle into a spin. Tristan empathised with the other boy and gave a gentle smile in order to comfort him. This was not something Tristan would have expressed years prior when he was attempting to be cold in order to protect himself but his heart had thawed slightly after a second death in his life of his close friend. The young man seemed quite nervous, and had striking features that reminded him of snow and structure that was displaying his panic. He pondered upon the origin of the young man, perhaps from Durmstrang, perhaps from another place. The bottle in a moment of suspense landed upon Tristan himself. Tristan was glad that he was the target as he hoped to calm the other young man down. His beautiful amethyst eyes seemed to consider a kiss but then he hid behind another person’s arm. Tristan gently answered the boy’s comment and said, “Are you alright? You don’t have to be afraid. Of course we can just play quidditch. A kiss is not necessary for friendship. Would you be alright with a hug? You seem to be shaking and I’d like to comfort you? You’re from Durmstrang correct? What language do you speak? I like trying to speak in other languages and have learned many. Would it be more comfortable in your mother tongue? German, or Russian?”

Roleplaying as approved Ilvermorny iNPC Cyrus Darsel.
Spin the Bottle.
July 2023.

Cyrus wasn't entirely sure why he had decided to play Spin the Bottle. He had heard of the game before, of course, so he knew it was a kissing game. He wasn't romantically involved with anyone, and after having one crush in the past, Cyrus wasn't sure if he wanted to have another crush. However, he was able to talk himself into joining the game by reminding himself that kissing did not necessarily imply romance. He kissed his aunt, after all ─ on the cheek. Friends kissed each other sometimes. This could be a way to meet new people, even if it wasn't Cyrus's first idea.

So he found himself here, seated on the ground, surrounded by other students who were vaguely his age. He sat with his legs crossed in a style he'd always called 'criss-cross applesauce', and he rested his hands on his ankles. He wore a simple white T-shirt and jeans, something far less noticeable than his usual outfits. His blond hair was askew, but his hair never stayed nicely put even when he took the time to comb it and even put gel in it.

He glanced around at the other kids. He recognised one girl who was in his cabin, but other than that, he didn't think he'd seen any of them before aside from in passing. A few of the kids didn't look too happy to be here. That was understandable, Cyrus thought, and he tried to seem somewhat approachable.

Eventually, students began to take turns spinning the bottle. Cyrus's heart caught in his throat multiple times. Maybe he really wasn't cut out for this after all. His blood pounded in his veins, and he wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans before scooting back a little. He hadn't expected to feel so anxious. He was usually confident and boisterous, and now, he wanted nothing more than to fade into the ground.

The bottle spun wildly. Cyrus tried not to look at the people who were spinning, just keeping his eyes on the bottle. Why, oh why, had he come here? Even he wasn't usually this dumb. He wiped his hands on his jeans again and glanced at the sky to try and slow his breathing.

When he looked at the bottle again, he noticed that the tip of it was facing him. 'Fiddlesticks,' he whispered, and he looked up at the boy who had spun. He gulped. The boy had to be something like half a foot taller than him, and Cyrus had thought he was tall. The boy had dark hair and light eyes, and while Cyrus thought he might have been friendly in some other scenario, he certainly seemed intimidating now.

Il... bacetto? Cyrus wasn't sure what language that was. It didn't sound quite like Spanish or French, which were the only other languages Cyrus had ever heard. He would stand, eyes wide and confused, as he tried to puzzle out the phrase while not making the other kid angry. He stuck his hands in his pockets and nodded, trying his best not to make eye contact.

The taller boy walked up to Cyrus ─ corn nuts, he was tall! ─ and gave two kisses in the air before stalking away. Cyrus sat down again. It was very ungraceful, and he muttered, 'Ow,' as he hit the ground. But even slight pain was better than being intimidated again. He shuddered. He wasn't scared of many people, but in this... situation... and in front of a group? Cyrus couldn't help but take a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

He should not have come here, but now that he was here, he had to save face somehow. So he sat and tried to look as unassuming as possible. Maybe he would blend in with his surroundings. He sure hoped so.

Interacting with Romeo Marchonné @Piérre Marchonné

@Akari Kato

It was not the first time that Opeila was participating in a game of spin the bottle with some people from her own and other schools, but usually there were a lot more younger students. And... mainly girls. This time this wasn't the case. Besides herself, there was one other girl and... it seemed like there was no one younger than maybe a year younger than her.

Not that she minded, it was that what had made her hesitate to sign up actually. Colin McCoire wanting to kiss her was still a clear memory in her mind, along with the kind of shock she had felt at the younger child's confidence when he asked her for it.
Opeila had gained some experience when it came to kissing, but she was on the more hesitant side, even in a game. So far, she had only kissed Alec Mason in a Spin the Bottle game, usually hugged people instead. She had never really been able to relate to those who felt comfortable kissing people left and right.

As little as the odds were, when Opeila spun the bottle, it stopped, pointing right on the other girl in the group. The new fifth year would send her a smile and offer her a hand. "Hi, I'm Opeila. Um- Would you mind?"

Action: Offering to kiss hand.

Outfit:

Reducio

Couldnt find a decent picture after 3 minutes of looking, but Dan is wearing black shorts.

Action: Waiting for an action so Dan can react.

Roleplaying as Ginyami Midorimori from Mahoutokoro
"English | Japanese"

As much as Ginyami liked Tone, there were plenty of times he wanted to kill him. This was one of those times. It wasn't just because he had managed to persuade his upperclassman to play a silly, childish game, but he was almost certain Tone had intentionally picked the members of his group for said game despite claiming the members had been random. However, it was too much of a coincidence. Valentin, Romeo, and Mikael all in the same group? What were the chances? And put into the same group as Ginyami, no less? Of what he knew of any of them, particularly Valentin, none of the Durmstrang students would have willingly signed up for this. They must have been tricked into it somehow. It was one thing for Tone to trick Yami, but those other three? Unacceptable.

Despite his calm, pleasant smile, the Japanese fifth year was seething inside. He would get Tone for this if it was the last thing he did. Mentally calculating all the ways he was going to make his underclassman pay, he was distracted by the fact that it was his turn to spin the bottle. So he did, deciding that if something disastrous were to happen, he would deal with it when it occurred. Poor Valentin in particular looked so stressed with his hands in his hair that Ginyami didn't realize he was making the Hogwarts student his bottle had landed on wait on him for a few painful minutes. Eventually, however, he tore his eyes away from the white seeker and fixed his polite smile on the Hogwarts student (Dan). He had to focus on the other boy, not what Val or Romeo or Mikael would think of him. This might have been a silly game, but it was a game he intended to win. Besides, it didn't mean he had to be intensely intimate about it. A simple kiss on the hand would do.

"Please pardon my delay; I was caught off-guard and stunned by your magnificence," Ginyami told him, approaching the other teen. He gingerly reached out his hand to take the barefoot boy's and lifted it to his lips. If his target would allow it, of course. He maintained eye-contact with those green eyes the whole time, trying to gauge what their owner was feeling and what he would do based on those feelings before he actually acted.

Hiro "Tone" Bakugo (@Kim Sato), Valentin Schnell (@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood), Mikael Halldorson (@Percival Rainwood), Romeo Marchonné (@Piérre Marchonné), @Dan Palmer

Action: Attempt to kiss on the hand
Good Beans: 0