Blossom Ball Dancefloor Event Closed

[font=Monotype Corsiva]Our Dearest Xailah,

Your father and I have received word about a "Blossom Ball" being held at your school, so we have sent you some nice outfits to choose from. We hope that you have a wonderful time at the ball. Do not forget your manners, and remember to write back to us!
~Love,

Mother and Father

P.S. Meadie says hello.[/font]

This was Xailahs tenth time reading this letter today. She had received the letter, and a package during breakfast, and it had been bothering her since then. She never planned to inform her parents about the upcoming ball, and yet here they were writing to her about it. And it troubled her. Xailah was never one for social gatherings; seeing that her family held many dinner parties, and over the years they seemed to grow...well...quite boring. Year after year the same pale faces, dressed in their black tails, and white ties came and went. But despite her declining lack of interest in these events, she decided to give this ball a chance. Besides, she would hate to disappoint her parents.

So there she sat, criss-cross on her bed in the Gryffindor dorm room. The neatly written letter trembling in a gloved hand. She was the only one there; all the other girls left gibbering excitedly about who was going with who, and who wasn't going with who. Xailah wasn't going with anyone, and for a brief second she felt a bit lonely. She didn't understand why, and eventually came to the conclusion that she was just being plain silly. The package that was sent was rather big. Tucking the letter into her trunk; she began to untie the strings that were holding the package together. Three outfits were produced from the box: A suit with tails, a rather extravagant ballgown, and a lovely blouse that came with a nice pair of slacks. All were old fashioned, and black and white. She didn't want to wear a dress, and feared that the suit would be a bit heavy. So she took the frilly black blouse, and paired it with a long, striped, Victorian bustle skirt. She managed to find a pair of nice black boots with spats, so she wore them as well.

She stared for a long time in the mirror, still torn between whether she wanted to go or not. Its not too late to just crawl into bed and go to sleep. Oh but it was. It was too late. She already took the effort to get ready, and she wasn't about to just forget about the whole event. Go big or go home is the muggle saying right? Glistening golden eyes met with the ones of her reflection. Well, I can't go home now. She rose a eyebrow, examining her face. Damn. You're so freaking pale. And when was the last time you slept? You're freaky looking. It was true, she was freaky looking, but she tried to think nothing of it. Ding! Ding! What was that? An alarm? No. A clock. Hurriedly, she grabbed her little pocket watch, and her umbrella off her trunk at the end of her bed. I'm forgetting something. She stopped for a brief second. My bag. Mustn't forget my bag. She grabbed her little black drawstring bag and tied it to her side. Taking one last look in the mirror, she turned; trotting out of the dorm room, her umbrella and the little drawstring bag jingling at her side.

The area where the ball was being held was not hard to find. The crisp breeze led the way mostly, and one could find the rest of the way once the breeze left. Xailah took note of who was there, who was leaving, and who was engaging in conversation. Most of the children were with partners that they dragged along. She wondered if she should have forced, or bribed some unfortunate soul to accompany her. A bit late to do that now. She soon found her way to the buffet tables. They were littered with all sorts of sugary goodies. But she did not go to the tables because of the food. She went because of the silverware. Yes, silverware. The quick glisten of metal had caught her eye, and she knew she must have them. Our dear Xailah was a kleptomaniac. But only for gadgets, and things that sparkled when you held them up to the sun. She especially liked silverware, for no particular reason. Slender gloved fingers reached for a finely crafted fork. The bit of metal found its way to Xailahs little black bag, careful not to break any glass jars containing beetles. She was stealing the utensils- no not stealing, taking. She never stole, but she did take. To steal meant that she was taking something that was owned, and to her knowledge the silverware was not owned. Stealing was frowned upon.

The sky was getting darker, the sun was setting and the stars started to peer down at the students from the sky. Solomon was watching from his vantage point which was basically wherever he stood. For the most part the students seemed to avoid the good Professor. His armor, disarming. His rank, intimidating. His status, lonesome. Solomon would wash down the terrible taste of beef casserole, if the elves were going to make something like that -- make sure all of the flavors are actually good.

@Elena Jones was among the first to arrive at the Blossomfest Ball. The girl lingered about the periphery of the event, unwilling to partake in the bounty and unsettled perhaps by unsubstantiated and unfounded rumors that threats still lurked in Hogwarts. While alone as one of the first to arrive less a scattering of upper classmen that had gathered near the punch bowl, Elena would not be alone for long. Soon her like-named counterpart @Elena Jangleton would arrive. 

Elena Jangleton was a Gryffindor Prefect and the girl had come dressed for the occasion. Elena had chosen a yellow and white short (perhaps a bit too short for Solomon's liking) dress. Solomon shot the Gryffindor a mildly disapproving look and then a sterner look towards any of the young men that might have stared. "I should have brought a spray bottle of water," Solomon muttered to himself out loud after he took a swig of punch from the bowl. He was a bit surprised that he had said what he had, but he meant every last word.


@Elena Jangleton popped an eclair flavored cupcake into her mouth. Not bad... not bad at all. At least compared to some of the other choices, some were simply sadistic. Elena Jones tried a cupcake as well, luck also on her side as she bit into a vanilla ice cream flavored cupcake. 

Soon other students would of course filter in. There were a few upper classmen in the back near the tables that were making out. With a sigh Solomon would grab a pair of cupcakes from the table and walk, well stride with a stern purpose across the room. 

@River Dewlight came strolling in. For a girl that did not like fancy things, she fit in at this ball. In fact the mixture of casual footwear with a flirty, summery dress was apparently all the rage. There was an air of awkwardness that would dissipate with the years. She did not seem to have a clique to be a part of so she just stood there awkwardly. She would hear the chatter of the other students, mostly people in classes above her own. 

"Where is Karl and Molly?"

One of the young men near the punch bowl complained.

"Dunno, but I got a heaping glass for the both of them." 

Another male voice stated. without context it was almost impossible to know what they were talking about but they sounded like they were up to no good. 

The scent of a one @Donnovan Perrywinkle heralded his arrival before his physical presence was made known. It smelled highly alcoholic but the boy did not seem drunk, just young and perhaps out of place. Girls were attracted to strong smells, right? They loved to smell like they had woken up in a bed of watermelon, showered in coconuts and donned a dress that reminded one of strawberries. They smelled as if they were some sort of bizarre fruit salad. Men at the very least smelled like "Lasting Legend," "Pure Sport Plus," "Stronger Swagger," "Tougher Timber," "Fresher Fiji," "Extra Fresh" and "Steel Courage" (yes, I did just list Old Spice scents). Donnovan tried to make himself appear to belong, concentrating on the confectionery table he devoured one of the every flavor cupcakes. Alas, the school is full of deviants, mostly harmless practical jokers. One of their tamer jokes on Donnovan as he bit into an onion-flavored cupcake that was 'erroneously' labeled "coconut shavings." The texture soft and it gave way easily as he bit onto the cupcake, however once his tongue partook of the flavor it was as if he bit into an onion as if it was a very soft, spongy apple.

Donovan would chug a cup of punch, the punch had a pleasant if not slightly odd taste. It was distinctly coconut, unlike the cupcake he had suffered nearly ingesting. Coconut water was all the rage in the muggle world, perhaps it would not be here as well. One of the teens standing near the punch bowl looked as if he wanted to stop the boy but then thought better of it and simply smirked. Nothing of immediate obvious effect would happen to the first year. While there were a few cute girls at the Blossom Ball, Donnovan could not muster to courage to approach them. 

@Mari Haynes entered the ball almost as awkwardly as she left. Having only grabbed a glass of fruit punch flavored punch she would have found herself near @River Dewlight for that brief period of time and hear the trail end of a conversation between a small group of about 5 boys who looked like they were a few years older than Mari. 

"I know that they were lying about that weekend. I am gonna--"

One of the taller blonde young men in a dark blue suit with a silver tie was acting like some sort of scorned lover. 

"Dude, chill... I don't think Karl is like that."

There was an unfortunate uncertainty in the other boy's voice as he said that and they did not seem to sooth the blonde who was pacing in front of the fountain.

"Hey-hey, I think that is them!"

One of the boys exclaimed as he pointed towards a grassy area just beyond the dance floor. A pretty brunette who looked more like a model than a student was approaching the ball. Her gown sparkled but she really did not need any sparkle, it was obvious that she had some Veela blood in there somewhere. Well, at least now it was obvious what got the boy so riled. 

Entering separately, several feet away but the timing suspect that they were together before arrival was a young, well-dress boy with long just past shoulder-length black hair that was pulled back from his face and left to hang in a ponytail. His suit was black, his dress shirt and tie, both red.

The pacing resumed with a fervor. One of the young men would call out to them.

"Molly, Karl... over here!"

Without another word as soon as they arrived a drink would be trust into their hands. 

Enter @Miko Limof. The boy looked like a regular prince charming with a black eye and bedhead. A bit of a scrapper it would seem. Much like short skirts and pretty little frocks got the attention of the boys, a few rough edges seemed to attract the girls. Of course the girls were, for the most part not nearly as out-going as the boys in terms of asking one to dance but more often the girls were the ones interested in dancing. He was the stereotype a lot of girls fell for: the I did not really care to show up so rolled out of bed wearing this incredibly dapper, fitted suit. 

@Miko Limof kept his hands busy with a cup of punch, it tasted a lot like Mountain Dew: Code Red, extra fizz. Delicious. The punch bowl seemed to be a dense gathering area for a class above Miko's year. 

"Have a drink"

A voice demanded, not of Miko but of two students Miko had no association with. In fact, the boy caught the attention of @Elena Jones, how could he not... Elena called out to Miko and waved at him from across the dance floor. The romance novel protagonist's love interest was just getting everyone's attention. Some guy in a pink and black suit who went by the name @Donnovan Perrywinkle tried to get Miko's attention. It was like a poor attempt at a pick-up line. It failed. Had Miko lingered long enough for the boy to share his name, identities might have been exchanged. The unfortunately overlooked first year was promptly brushed off. Miko was more interested in rushing off to meet with @Elena Jones. This effectively left a rejected and overlooked Donnovan by his lonesome, the pre-teen angst. 

@Miko Limof almost tripped over himself getting over to @Elena Jones although the Hufflepuff slowed his pace to something a bit more casual and less desperate-seeming as he closed in. Solomon let out a low chuckle from his vantage point. "People watching was certainly interesting," he commented. Did Miko really slow down to save his suit or was it more so he did not look too eager to meet up with Elena? From Solomon's perspective it looked more like the later. Poor Doonovan was left alone, likely an embarrassing outcome, but the social outcast would not give up so easily. He was going to wait this thing out. 

Meanwhile, @Anatole Evans would meekly enter the gala, uncertainty mingled with memories of the errors he made might make it hard to face his peers but even worse... what if they did not remember him at all? There was Rosie, that poor Hufflepuff that Anatole had burned to death that night in the dungeons. @Howard White seemed stricken and little did Anatole know, nobody could account for young Rosie's state or present condition. After that night she seemed to have faded into obscurity, in fact Anatole might be one of the few that even knew the name @Rosie Turner. Was it the fire, a life circumstance or a break-up with Howard White that resulted in her absence? Hard to say.

Meanwhile, @Anatole Evans would not escape Headmaster Solomon Lear's gaze as the Professor's cold eyes locked onto the troubled, potentially traumatized boy. And that was before he made a scene and ripped the table cloth off a table. It was nothing like the trick where the waiter pulled the tablecloth from under a table and the articles upon the table remained in place undisturbed. No, this was a clatter and a racket. The magically lit candles that lit the table were knocked onto their side and the floral arrangement caught fire as it too was knocked over. The water in the vase would spill out, self-extinguishing the small flame almost as quickly as it was set. A frenzied House Elf would scream 
"My hydrangias!" 

Quickly the House Elf would pour the remnants of the vase onto the hardly singed table to ensure that no fire-based disasters happened today.

Once @Miko Limof arrived it became a bit of a Elena Jangle-who? @Elena Jones had come up with a plan that she had shared with Miko Limof: let's get away from this party for totally savory reasons that do not involve a boy and a girl sneaking off. Well, that was what it probably was intended to be but Elena got a bit weird on the way out, she grabbed the hand of a... ghost? She had intended to tug the young man covered in a tablecloth with her but @Anatole Evans simply slipped from her hand (Anatole stayed behind and has engaged additional players per his roleplay). Poor @Elena Jangleton was forgotten, left behind but she could hear the entire conversation because she was standing right there. Elena would run off in pursuit of... well, the other Elena.

Solomon would have seen the two girls run off. He was not going to intervene with whatever shenanigans the kids had planned, the most dangerous things on these grounds only came out when the moon was full.

Elena Jangleton & Elena Jones have left the topic - stated destination: The Cabins.

One could identify the pure-bloods often by their attire. Most took pride in their appearance, they considered themselves to be of worth... of value. Such was true of a one @Rowan Bane. His wheelchair an oddity at Hogwarts, the boy stood out even in the absence of his ostentatious suit. His gaze set on @Miko Limof, he greeted the fellow first year.

This is where @Miko Limof had to stop. Perhaps it was because @Elena Jones consorted with ghosts. Perhaps it was because of the pure-blood Slytherin, @Rowen Bane that addressed him while wearing such finery that displayed his pedigree and standing in wizarding society that Miko was distracted. Almost as if he was glamoured. Solomon could not get a read on the boys. They were acting friendly. Real friendly. The concept confused him. Perhaps they were friends. Long term friends that were more interesting than sneaking off with some girl. Some girl that did try to add a ghost to the mix before ultimately running off on her own forgetting her other friend @Elena Jangleton who would end up scampering off a short time later likely after realizing that she had been abandoned by her friend. 

@Rowen Banes was also a stunning young man in a strange wheeled chair. Solomon recognized it because it was the only one in Hogwarts. It was apparently some strange muggle device that one pushed to create momentum. The moving stairs were a bit troublesome admittedly, Solomon wondered how the boy made it from one place to another or if he simply arrived quite shaken. Rowen was wearing a fabulous suit and unlike @Miko Limof, owned a comb.

The exchange between then from afar started to look... romantic?

Were they?

Was he?

O-oh...

"Thank goodness," Solomon started out loud. His eyes widened as he looked around. Did he just say that? Yes, yes he did. Perhaps not the response everyone gave regarding this revelation. He was not going to have to worry about teen pregnancies and explaining them to parents. Especially. ESPECIALLY pure blood parents with a mixed heritage next generation. Yes, he was absolutely OK with this. What he was not particularly OK with was all of the kids slipping off, less than stealthfully. 

"Was that what those two girls were running off for as well?" Solomon would ask nobody in particular. Of course Solomon seemed to be thinking half out-loud, it must have been the gin and tonic flavored punch he enjoyed a few minutes earlier making him a bit tipsy. He did not feel off-balance, it was just one drink and he had the liver of... well the liver of a middle-aged man that knew his hard liquors. Of course the Slytherin deviant @Erin Ryan was in ear-shot for that comment. If the girl pried he would have ignored her, his lips were too loose at this given time.

@Miko Limof would retrieve a drink for @Rowen Banes. While closer to the fountain he would hear a bit of a debate between youths. 

"Are you and Karl seeing each other on the side?"

Juicy gossip that was none of Miko's business.

"Yes of course." 

The girl announced, her hands cupped over her own mouth. 

@Alexx Helm, the second-year Slytherin Prefect would make her appearance. She was pretty when she tried. Her long golden hair framed her pleasant features and she wore a floral frock that celebrated the season. She would receive a few appreciative glances from the boys, most of them having no idea that she was in fact the studious and hard-working Prefect Alexx Helm. There were whispers among a small group of boys, one of them was going to try to muster the courage to ask Alexx to dance. It did not matter to what song really, the Headmaster had terrible taste in music. This was something their grandparents listened to. Something or someone called The Doors? 

Alexx would not be approached by any of the boys but rather a Hufflepuff girl that would have almost escaped Solomon's notice. When @Finley McGill entered, she ducked behind a table and indeed escaped the Headmaster's peripheral awareness as he scanned the party from the place he stood. She would have remained unnoticed if Finnley just remained hidden. Rather than remain hidden, Finnley exposed herself when she came into close proximity to Alexx's floofball. 

Hogwarts had only recently made accommodations for pets once again, in the past it was indeed possible to board with a single chosen companion but after the Wizarding War for a number of years security had gotten tight. The risk of having a wizard transform into a non-suspect cat or even rodent was an ever-present threat that the Professors had to consider. However, things had changed these past few months -- with the recent recovery of the mask and the boy that was forced to wear it and the absence of suspect events beyond the mischief of children, has resulted in a change in policy. Slytherin was the first House to get pets, their House Cup victory resulted in a trip to Diagon Alley on the Hogwarts Express. Among the traveling youths, those interested purchased a new companion. There were only a few new pets thus far, purchasing a pet was an expensive endeavor for the average youth and for every last one of them it entailed a lot of responsibility. Pets needed more than food and water, they needed love and attention and care. Understanding these expectations, several of the students elected to come home with a companion, Alexx being no exception.

@Finley McGill consumed a cupcake, the sunny baked good tasted pretty good (89- "sugared violet" whatever that is). She was also enamored with @Alexx Helm Pygmy Puffskein Rosalie, perhaps more so than the Puff's human carrier. It did not matter, something or rather someone had also caught Alexx's eye. It was a boy. Of course it was a boy. His name was @Anatole Evans. While normally there would be a quip about the boy being quite lovely, that was not the case here. The boy was a walking disaster.

@Donnovan Perrywinkle was left on his own. When you are alone and by yourself you have plenty of time to think and to watch and to envy others who are not watching. He might notice something strange, someone walking the grounds just past the lights. Too big to be a house elf. Too human to be a beast of some sort roaming. Perhaps a teacher patrolling the grounds making sure everyone was safe. Certainly that had to be it. Donnovan remained alone until someone actually interested in Donnovan arrived at the party. The kid did not look like much, lacked the carefree possible bad-boy look @Miko Limof seemed to inspire and he was not some intimidating girl either. Instead of wearing a sharp, expensive suit @Ruka Tân wore clothes that were many sizes too big. It was as if the boy shrunk in the drier and the clothes remained their original size.  Donnovan Perrywinkle was no longer alone, Ruka Tân was not only excited to see Donnovan but had actually sought him out.

It only took one friend to draw in others. There was perhaps something about the duo, a comfort or a sense of safeness that drew @Jade Murphy to them. Yet, there was this strange invisible barrier between the boys and the girls for the most part. Each seemed to hesitate to speak to the other. As if there was some sort of social suicide or cooties contagion that was airborne and spread by relative proximity to the opposite gender. If so, Solomon wished to weaponize it. He needed it for the upper classmen. She just found a seat nearby and waited to be addressed, she could not go to a group (because two is technically a 'group') of boys and make the first move. Instead she too had a bit of the punch.

This almost seemed like a slice of life moment, not the prelude to disaster. The gathering of first years was starting to grow. @Donnovan Perrywinkle called @Jade Murphy over with a smile and a wave. Perhaps Jade did not count as a girl. At least not as one of the intimidating ones. @Ruka Tân enjoyed a glassful of punch. A tête-à-tête among would be or already friends. 

@Miko Limof offered a drink to the Slytherin, the punch. From that offered glass @Rowen Bane  partook. By now it might be apparent, the punch had been spiked with a potent potion known as "Veritaserum". A potion had Professor Nagal been aware of as being on the grounds likely would have expressed dire concern. Veritaserum is a powerful truth serum that effectively forces the drinker to answer any questions put to them truthfully, though there are certain methods of resistance. Use of this potion is strictly controlled by the Ministry of Magic.

The students were still filtering in. @Nico Shymane had gotten herself all dolled up for... well, a complete dolt but Solomon did not know that. She actually barely even remembered the kid that Solomon had locked in the stables a year earlier. All Solomon saw was an adorable little girl munching on a cupcake and finding a place to sit all alone. She was not noticed or addressed by anyone. Solomon's heart ached for the young girl but any attempt at comfort from an old Headmaster like him would scare of any potential friends she might make.

The Ravenclaw Prefect, @Adam Harrington was a relative unknown to many of the students here as well as to Professor Lear. A number of the other Professors were likely more familiar with the young man. Adam was not particularly outstanding nor was he a trouble maker, for the most part Professor Lear and Adam's paths had never crossed. Even now the boy seemed to blend into the crowd. Like many of the other students, Adam grabbed a confection and popped it into his mouth. Much to his dismay, the cake had a fishy taste that would seem to linger. Washed down with a glass of punch

@Eris Fawley had found Adam at the dance, she made the first move. Memories of gone but not forgotten friends such as @Dorian Grey and @Max Avery haunted her, they left without a word or a reason. They were likely safe and sound but in this time of protracted absence that might as well have been dead, the only think keeping them alive and relevant was the memories others had for them. Perhaps one day they would again spring back to life. until then, they can only be missed.

Eris would remember forgetting to pick up Max when she was considering Adam. Was this some sort of date? Was Adam aware?

Eris was prepared for... well something. Rather than a small purse she had a satchel slung over her shoulder. There was no means by which one could visually identify. While prepared she had also asked Adam to dance. Yes, definitely a date.

Eris tried a cupcake. The flavor was distinctly that of... spinach. The ultimate betrayal. It also put a damper on the romance that might have otherwise blossomed between the midget and the Prefect. A glassful of punch down the gullet, that actually tasted like liquid cupcake somehow. Shame it did not remove the taste of the actual cupcake from her tongue.

Nico was apparently there to meet a corpse. There is no way this narrator can try to make this logic sound any worse so he will not even try. Enter a paranoid, ill-dressed, unbathed teen, [/mention]Kaegen Deathmote[/mention], every father's nightmare. Their daughter was dating a vagrant and a corpse. The blushy pre-teen and the pallid boy made quite a pair -- strawberries and cream. All Solomon would so is stand back and watch the awkward romance bloom or wilt although he had to wonder about the attraction. When he was young, the world might have been a bit flatter, girls went for guys with muscle and a tan, a bit of height. This kid... well, to be honest, the little girl was way out of Kaegen's league.

It was the sight of @Kaegen Deathmote, a late-comer to the party, in the flesh that prompted the flight or flight response of a one @Donnovan Perrywinkle. His band of first years @Jade Murphy and @Ruka Tân  were beckoned to depart, attempting to store some snacks in paper dinnerware they would pretty obviously start to flee the celebration. Towards the lake it would seem.

Donnovan Perrywinkle, Jade Murphy & Ruka Tân have left the topic - stated destination: The Lake.

The former head-boy @Anatole Evans caught @Alexx Helm's eye. The boy was a stand out, more more reasons than one at the moment. It was upon Alexx's recommendation that the duo, Alexx and Finnley approach the boy. They had questions for him and if only they knew about the Kool-Aide they probably would have gotten some answers. Gosh, what a shame!

@Nico Shymane and @Kaegen Deathmote seemed to be hitting it off. For once, Kaegen was likely the most prepared for the disasters that were about to come. Sadly, Kaegen was also a survivor first. He would cut Nico down to distract a threat so he could escape if he had to. Come to think of it, Kaegen was likely in the best situation of anyone here at this party.

The Gryffindor Prefect @Aurelia Bezuidenhout had an incredibly sparkly dress on, not that anyone was going to notice. It seemed to coordinate with @Rowan Bane's suit. The clickity clack of her heels when she hit stone rather than pliable earth was a somewhat uncommon sound, a lot of the girls had elected more comfortable footwear. Not that anyone was going to hear it. She had arrived late to the ball and she was going to turn around as quickly as she entered. Some of the students were already sneaking off, some towards the lake and others towards the cabins. A bounty of poorly concealed food with them.

Then there was @Xailah Alptraum, an unusual example of a witch to be. She dressed different, but to be fair some mixed converse shoes with flirty gowns and some carried pocket knives to gatherings so who where they to judge. The girl kept to herself, avoiding the punch but not the silverware. Ignoring the food entirely the odd young woman would start to steal take the silver that was used by those few strange and freaky people that eat their pizza with a fork and knife. 



Yet there was this strange sense that they were being watched and not by Solomon Lear.

Drank the Kool-Aide
Donnovan Perrywinkle
Miko Limof
Jade Murphy
Mari Haynes
Adam Harrington
Ruka Tân

Left Party
Mai Haynes (intended, did 1 of 2 posts)
Elena Jones (completed)
Anatole Evans (intended, presently interacting with Alexx Helm)
Alexx Helm (stated intent, presently interacting with Anatole Evans)
Aurelia Bezuidenhout (intended, did 1 of 2 posts}
Miko Lumof (intended but changed his mind about to where - lake)
Ruka Tân (completed)
Donnovan Perrywinkle (left)
Jade Murphy (left)

“Your step father needs a better taste in style. It’s not the colour for your complexion nor the right cut.” 

Rowan grumbled under his breath. Besides, sequins? Really? He wanted to smack him upside the head. Whatever. He still looked amazing. But with the right suit... 

“You would look even hotter really with a good maroon suit. Black dress shirt and some good gold embroidery...”

He smirked a little. His head felt funny. He looked at the drink he had taken from Miko, smelling it. He hadn’t gotten champagne or something had he? They wouldn’t serve alcohol to students?

Rowan shook his head a little. He didn’t smell anything. Didn’t mean there wasn’t something there but... eh... Miko just looked so pretty. His posture had become a little more relaxed, and he giggled slightly. 

“I’d like to see you like that. Not to say you’re not already hot in that suit. Because you definitely are.”

Rowan’s brain interpreted things in odd ways. Miko’s voice cut through his thoughts and he snapped to attention again.

“Oh! Yeah! The lake! That would be fun. I’ll go with you.”

The male followed him, smiling wide. His mind had wandered away from it’s usual standpoint of ‘hiding his emotions’ for some reason. And Rowan didn’t even notice it. 

And so Rowan followed Miko, grabbing some tasty snack as he left the area.

Rowan has left the thread with Miko. (To lake)

A ball had... well, it had certainly seemed interesting. The child had heard about it before, but she wasn't really interested until she overheard a few people talking about it. Now she only had a few qualms about going: her injuries.

She had recently been in a fight with Kaegen Deathmote, and... she at least hoped that he had sustained a few injuries. Her jaw was still sore, but her leg and ribs were healing up excellently. However, she still had to wear a bandage over her thigh.

Rummaging through her trunk in the Slytherin Common Room, she found a dress that was quite fitting for the occasion. Koko felt a smile spread across her lips as she pulled it out, unfolded it, and found a secluded place to change into it. Its purple hues helped bring out the ever-changing colours in her kaleidoscope eyes.

Koko tied her hair back in a way that wasn't too confusing, but it still looked nice. She seemed well put together, and as she pulled on her black flats she made sure that her dress fell below the knees, as she didn't want anyone to see the bandage and ask any questions. I should tell @Sapphire Riddle to meet at the ball, she mused internally.

Koko slowly stepped out of the Slytherin dungeons, finding her way outside of the castle. More than half a year into the school year, and she still got turned around. She arrived outside, her feet transferring from tough stone to soft, dewy grass. It was beginning to green up. The natural scene surrounding her told her exactly why a spring themed ball would seem fun.

The Blossom Ball was in the Campgrounds, Koko had been told. She skipped her way there, obviously optimistic about what she might find. Her cheeks, which she had put rogue on, were reddened from the makeup as well as the slight colour she'd gotten from spending time outdoors. She found the Campgrounds and strode her way into the area where the Blossom Ball was set up. A laugh spilled from her lips as she saw kids making fools of themselves, drinking the Kool-Aide, and leaving the place. Koko found a chair and sat down, not wanting to say much yet.

Interactions: Chair

Open to interactions!

Reducio

Koko^

INTERACTIONS: ADAM HARRINGTOM.

Eris’ dress had a bit of dirt on it, but the blue dress had seen worse. Her family had gotten rather used to Eris’ lack of manners, and had enchanted most of her clothing with cleaning spells. Almost in front of Adam’s eyes, the dress cleaned itself of grass stains and dirt alike, impervious to Eris’ aversion to anything clean or of the such. Even at balls and dances, the fact that she was outside made it hard to pretend to be poised and proper. There was space to run, to talk, to do everything besides have polite conversation and force yourself to handle tight dresses and dull people sipping gross drinks.

Eris shifted her attention away from her dress and back to Adam, curling strands of red hair nearly bouncing at her shoulders, as she leapt upwards again. She looked at him seriously, hoisting her bag and slinging it over her shoulder with the expression of a youth trying to seem older. She then patted the bag with her left arm and shrugged. “You know how school is. I have my wand and…” Her voice lowered, and she looked embarrassed, rubbing at her neck, “one of the knives Kaegen gave me. And, uh, water. For you know, fires.” Her scars were hardly visible, but there was an air of awkwardness in her expression, as she bit down on her lip and held her chin up high, vainly trying to pretend as if fire was not a sore subject for her.

She looked even more awkward, thinking about how she never would have thought about using the knife Kaegen had given her. Her chin tilted downwards again, as she pursed her lips and made a face, tongue rolling over her teeth as she thought about the knife. She had left it at the bottom of her trunk for months, remembering the no weapons allowed at school rule. But eventually, she had come to realise that wands were weapons in their own right. And wasn’t anything a weapon, really? If one was insane enough, or crafty enough to attempt to use it, that was. The garden shears in Herbology, the needles in Transfiguration, the forks in the Great Hall. Every single thing in this school was a weapon if one stopped to think upon it.

After being burnt to a crisp, Eris had stopped to think upon that simple fact. And, with that in mind, she had begun to carry Keagan's knife around with her. Not that she had talked to Kaegen in a while. He had gone off the radar, more insane than usual. Hanging out with all the wrong people, all the first years she could hardly understand, what with their strange fights for no reason. Eris understood fighting, and the peace it offered, but she did not understand the need to snog at every corner, and then fight at every other corner! It was very confusing to her, and she found herself thinking it better not to focus upon such things.

Maybe, just maybe, Adam had been right in not trusting Kaegen last year. Something about how close she was to Adam and the fact she had just asked him on a “friend-date” made Eris blurt out another thing. “Not like I uh, you know, talk to Kaegen. After last year and all the stuff, he did to you. Yeah.” She puffed out her chest, before realising how pathetically small and short she was and releasing the breath of air, lungs and chest deflated in one small motion.

She stopped attempting anything and just looked up at him in shock. His face was bright red. Cupcake completely forgotten, Eris looked completely and utterly shocked at the look upon Adam’s face. Why did he look so embarrassed? Why had he responded so enthusiastically? Taste of spinach forgotten, Eris looked at Adam in worried apprehension.

Was something about to happen? Was this what being a teenager was like? She blinked rather rapidly, face flushing with the same vigour as Adam, as Eris merrily rubbed at her ear before letting out a frenzied sort of giggle. “Hot out here, isn’t it?” She commented, rubbing at her blistering cheeks with a bit of a pointed jerk of the head towards his own heated face. Shoot.

A soft sigh of relief escaping her lips at the sudden change in conversation topics, Eris was just as flustered and awkward as her best friend. When he went off, punch in hand, to go address the music, she took the moment to dart over and get her own punch. Taking a small amount of the liquid, just enough to drown out the taste of the cupcake, she looked at it in worry. Her thoughts drifted away from drink, though. She found herself worrying and musing over Adam’s words, really.

It was a strange conversation topic to breach, an eventual date perhaps. Eris closed her eyes and imagined dating Adam for a second, and was extremely grateful for the drink in front of her. There was nothing but normal friendship going on. Nothing strange. Nope, completely normal. Dancing was normal!

She nodded her head, giving him a smile, as she took the punch from his hands and took a drink of it. The small sip she took was pleasant enough, and she promptly took another sip, relishing the taste of cupcakes. What even was in this punch?! She sat there, against the refreshments table, drinking the punch, for a while longer, before eventually setting the cup down and hurrying after Adam.

“Hey.” She greeted Adam awkwardly, looking around. “So, what kind of dancing are we doing?” She managed to get out, awkwardly rubbing at the side of her head and looking down at her feet.

[font=times new Roman]Interactions: @Koko Riddle

Cricket was ready to go. She sat at the edge of her bed, arms crossed and her eyebrows raised. Her dorm room was full of noise, girls were either getting ready for the dance, were just coming from the dance, or doing something other than the last two, like studying. And she was here waiting to go.

She had agreed to join a group of dateless girls, primarily first-years, to go to the dance with and maybe-probably dance with a few guys there. Cricket was not new to parties but since it was a her first year at Hogwarts and nearly everyone there was a stranger, she wanted to do better than average at getting ready.

She had no makeup on. Really it was because most products contained stuff she was allergic to but the other reason was because she didn't want to go there looking older than she was. She wanted everyone to know she was young and a first year. Spring was a time to feel happy and free and she really didn't want to be bothered by living up to standards she didn't set for herself, liking good for someone else.

She wore a spring-themed green dress, her hair braided in two and pulled into a little ponytail, and brown sandals. Both of her ears were double pieeced but they each had one earring, a tiny Daisy flower. Her nails were all colored black, just because she felt like doing black, and she let some excited girl paint a pink-blue-yellow flower on her left cheek.

Someone announced that they were about to head to the Blossom Ball. She hesitated. At the last minute she grabbed a lipgloss and applied some to her previously chapped lips before grabbing her black purse.

She followed the girls down, chatting with them and giggling about weird dresses other girls were wearing and other gossip. She felt excited; she thought Hogwarts would be boring but this year so far had actually been a little fun, and the school year was few months from ending. She could already start thinking about her second year while she felt like she'd just started her first.

When they got to the campgrounds, and within view of the festival arrangements, Cricket was indeed dazzled. Her eyes sparkled in the low-hung lights and she felt the enchantment of the theme. She felt like she was walking admist a fairy gathering, though she'd never seen a fairy before. She wondered what she should do first.

Cricket grabbed three of the cupcakes from the table, two pinks and one orange one. She bit into one and grabbed a blue one, then sat down at table. The orange one she just ate was actually good, it tasted like mustard, her favorite condiment. She licked her lips and grinned, finishing the first cupcake before biting into the blue one. Immediately she spat it out.

Dirty sock, yuck! Cricket threw the cupcake into the bushes, wiping her hands on the seat. Whoever made it was plain rude, in her opinion. How did they even know the flavor of a dirty sock, anyways? She got a napkin and continued to wipe the frosting off her tongue, oblivious to any onlookers.

Now she had two left but her appetite for food had gone away, at least for now. Cricket sighed, looking around for something to do. It was then that she noticed the table hadn't been unoccupied. There was a girl sitting in a seat not too far away. Cricket liked her kaleidoscope dress, she wondered where she'd gotten it. Maybe she'd asked.

Nodding her way, Cricket raised one of the two pink cupcakes she had left. “Hey, have you tried these? They're pretty bad.” She was joking, mostly.

- open to interaction - 

Tarde venientibus ossa.

To the late are left the bones, that was what it meant. "Tarde venientibus ossa!" Svana would call to Cel as she raced out the door to class. "Tarde venientibus ossa!" she would scold as the young Ravenclaw scrambled into her seat for dinner. "Tarde venientibus ossa!" her stepmother's voice rang out disapprovingly in her mind as she dashed toward the Blossomball, reprimanding herself for just one more chapter and just one more paragraph. We all know where that ended up.

Well, at least she'd gotten dressed and taken the effort to brush her hair for once. The girl actually looked nice, for once, in a different way than the usual messy wide-eyed casualness that she often exhibited around the castle. Her dress she had actually deigned to smooth down and a white silk bow was rested in a plait down the back of her head with a tiny braided strand of hair woven in with the large ponytail. Her flats, they were quaint and pretty enough, but with added arch support—really, her feet would kill her without the extra padding. And quite honestly, it was mostly just to make her stepmother happy. The moment she stopped walking, out went the bow, away went the huge braid as she shook her now-wavy hair out, although the little braid could stay. It was very well-secured, and not causing her much trouble anyway.

She would linger here a little longer, she told herself. Long enough to count as going to the Blossomball. Svana's eyes were truth detectors; she'd have her neck if she lied about going. It was a formality, Svana had told her. It was the polite thing to do. And she needed to get out more, apparently. Well, there she was. Out of the library. And pretty soon she would be out of this crowd of people, too, down to the lake, where she could relax a little.

But not before she snatched some sugar, of course. If she had to be here, well, then, she would take advantage of it! The unbalanced green and brown in her eyes flicked left and right, scanning the room—and there they were. Cupcakes! Scrumptious. Sheer fabric near flowing behind her, by some stroke of luck not getting caught between anyone else, Cel approached the table with less than a lot of hesitance, plucked a cupcake from the masses, and bit into with such a small bite that only she might be able to accomplish.

Flavor flooded her tastebuds—mm. Cream puff. Perhaps not as desirable as the chocolate cake cupcake she could see over there, but absolutely delicious nonetheless, and quite a bit more delectable than the poorly chosen ones by other poor, unfortunate souls choking on spinach and beef. Definitely a bit of a surprise, actually, seeing as her wrapper said marshmallow, but whoever tried to prank her had failed. Cream puff was much more tasty than marshmallow. Actually, what would a marshmallow cupcake even taste like?

This she mused over as she retreated to her customary station near the edge of the area, hoping beyond hope that she would not be approached. If not, then she could slip away soon, unnoticed except by few, and make her way over to the Great Lake. With her cupcake. ...and maybe a couple more.

Sapphire had heard snippets of conversation about the Blossom Ball, but she wasn't sure what was so amazing about it. It was just a dance filled with a bunch of idiots who would make a fool of themselves. She hummed quietly under her breath as she twiddled the black stone on the necklace she'd gotten as an early birthday gift from her parents.

The only reason she was even going was to observe what "normal people" did. She wore a dress that went to just above her knees, fading from white to black and combat boots that would pack a punch, not that she would need to.

Her bright blue eyes glinted with a dark light as she laced up the right boot, which always came untied. There was a gash in her leg from a piece of glass that had lodged itself there, but it wasn't bleeding. It would probably scar, but it didn't really matter. She was used to it.

She stepped out of the Slytherin dungeons and tugged her jacket on, the material still slightly crimson at the cuffs. After this, she would probably not wear a dress ever again. It wasn't something that she did.

She twirled a strand of white hair around her finger and breathed, before walking to the Campgrounds with a dangerous air. She wasn't in the mood for talking. She mainly wanted to see how idiotic things got and then laugh under her breath when they made complete fools of themselves.

Her boots clicked aginst the linoleum floors, and kept a rythm until she reached the grass, where her boots sunk into the damp grass with a horrible feeling, for a second, of sinking.

When she reached the location in which the ball was taking place, she almost audibly groaned. "What have I gotten myself into?" she asked herself. Yes, there were definitely people making fools of themselves. I knew it. This generation is a bunch of ignoramuses.

It had been a smart move to station himself near the middle. He could hear most of what was going on, and could plainly see students being poisoned, left and right. Someone had put some kind of foul toxin in the cupcakes, clearly, but he wasn't sure yet if that extended to all the food. Regardless, he resolved to not eat any of it. Just look at them. That one girl had even exclaimed in despair, although instead of cursing the usual way she had said "spinach". To each their own, he supposed.

But only a second later did he realize exactly who had exclaimed loudly and thrown out her cupcake. It was near where Nee... something had been sitting. It was Eris, talking to Appy. He knew both of them, rather well, in fact. Eris had been his friend for all of first year, until he had failed to keep up, gotten too weak. That was why he was recording in the book, that was why he was doing most of the things he did. He wanted to prove himself powerful, strong. Prove that he was worthy to talk and laugh and share good memories with the little Gryffindor.

Or at least, that had been the plan. That had been the plan until he heard enough of what the little girl had said, just one of her sentences was enough. She wasn't talking to him, not because of his weakness, but because of what he had done to appy? His mind spiraled back as far as it would go, to last year, to that fateful day when the first death witch he had ever seen struck him down with a spell. They had been in a hospital, then. All three of them. She had tried to choose between the two ravenclaws, and decided she didn't want to choose.

But he had always been bad with judging people. Maybe, back then, he had misread the situation. Maybe she had indeed chosen her friend, and didn't think Kaegen worthy of the breath it would take to tell him so. A little voice in his head wanted to say that maybe it was because she was afraid of what he could do. He had struck down four other students and escaped with three slightly tender fingers. They didn't even really bother him any more.

However, a stronger voice told him that was ridiculous. He had seen Eris, she was strong. Perhaps the strongest he had ever known. He thought about the page in his black book, the one where he had plans to go to Hogsmeade and find her a good present, a bushel of chocolate frogs. That plan would have to be terminated. That was a waste of a good afternoon of planning.

His goal, too, would have to change. He wasn't sure what it would have to change into, but it would have to be something. But that was as far as his brain got, it didn't want to think about it any more. Something had cracked, deep inside the little boy, but he refused to notice it, to pay attention to what had happened. He wasn't even sure he knew what had happened, but he did know that when something died, it was gone. There was no trying to bring it back.

That was a fact he was very familiar with, it was part of his worldview, as firm a pillar of his belief system as the fact that he had a name. His face didn't register any change when he heard those few words, but he did freeze, pause, and then continue with what he was telling the little girl. With the conversation he was having at that moment.

"They're creatures. Creatures aren't friendly, some are just small enough that it's too hard for them to eat you. Although, I suppose the creatures in the fens were a lot more aggressive than the little birds in the grounds here."

She offered him the power to draw, to ensnare his enemies in paper and watch them suffer for an eternity as their once white prison slowly yellowed, slowly faded until there was nothing but the faded lines depicting a forgotten scream, trapped on the silent lips of those who dared wrong him. It was power, she was offering him power. Right there, right in front of him.

But he didn't really feel like it. Didn't feel the little glimpse of joy that always came with receiving something key, something that could give him the edge. He didn't feel the joy that came with a heightened chance of survival. The boy didn't really register this, he didn't notice that something was different. He just accepted that he wasn't really sure, and responded accordingly.

Really, even if he had drunk some of the punch, and gotten the effects of the veritaserum, his answers would hardly have differed. When he wanted to know something, more often than not, he would always opt for the simple tactic of asking the question. He didn't really have much experience lying at all.

"I don't know. But thank you."

Maybe he was hungry. He hadn't eaten in a while, after all. And although the food was certainly poisoned, it sure did look good. To be honest, the punch might be fine. If it was fine, then he could at least drink, right? But his paranoia won out in the end, and he decided to shuffle about in front of the girl, contemplating his current level of hunger and if it was actually quite as bad as he assumed it must be.

What was even more interesting, was that he hadn't seen a single ball yet, at least nothing that looked like it was worthy of dancing to honor it. He felt like he was, perhaps, at the wrong event.

@Cricket Cassowary @Celynne Gray @Sapphire Riddle

There were so many people. At least, that was what it seemed like to the introverted little Slytherin, who had never seen this many people except sometimes out her window. She spotted multiple second years, as well as many in her own year. Most of these students were dressed up for the occasion. @Sapphire Riddle, someone who Koko had never imagined in a dress, was wearing one that complimented her hair nicely. Koko waved at the other child, pleased that she knew someone.

And yet there were still so many more. Out of the other first years, a girl (@Cricket Cassoway) sat next to Koko and asked her a question. At first Koko gave her a seriously confused expression, but it slowly changed to a blank stare. "Ah," she said, finding her tongue once more, "I haven't tried any of the condiments." Koko's English accent brushed lightly over the indifferent words. She had no means to put any emotion into them, they were just a fact, and she was not hungry. However, Koko did admire the other girl's dress, and she absolutely wasn't afraid to speak her mind:

"Your dress is beautiful! My name's Koko, by the way."

She put warmth into the sugarcoated words, trying to cover up her awkwardness from before. What many people didn't know about our dear Koko was that she could be very socially awkward if she didn't know someone. She was definitely not a social butterfly.

Koko saw another person who seemed to be a little less talkative over at the edge of the party. That was obviously a good place for an introvert, and the girl (@Celynne Gray) had found it. Koko wanted to go over there, perhaps say hello, and maybe she could also ask for another opinion about the sweets. Forcing a smile on her tired face, she beckoned the Slytherin who stood next to her to follow. "Sapphi! Want to come over here?" Koko yelled towards her sister (@Sapphire Riddle) over the crowd. Without waiting for a reply from either Slytherin, Koko found her way to the edge of attention.

"Why hello, fellow student! I see that you are enjoying the cupcakes. Would you mind telling me how they taste?" Koko held out a spoon that she had snagged, sort of like a microphone, a wonderful device that she had discovered in the Rehearsal Room. She would have to talk to her father about that... Koko's fake smile had become something of genuine joy, likely surfacing because of her significantly odd sense of humor. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind one ear, knowing that the wind would let part of her hair get in her face because it wasn't tied back. She didn't care, though. This was supposed to be a place where one could just let go and enjoy themselves.