Magical Masquerade: the actual ball Closed

banner made by ernest baird

a series of unfortunate shenanigans
@Raizel Voltrouz • @Zach Zaphiere

Alyssea chuckled. "Yeah, really bad. To think I've duelled Zach so much that I can recognise his wand from a mile away, too. Maybe I need a different opponent to freshen my strategies."

She had stepped down from the Hufflepuff Duelling team a while ago, courtesy of Zach and Nurse Sabo's intervention. It still upset her to give it up; she had so much fun and she liked her first partners! They worked together so well. Then again, continuing to duel with the same guy that drugged you... would not have been the best move. Right?

Alyssea put herself onto the racing waitlist not long after. She was fifth, right at the bottom, which was going to be a long wait. Not that she minded. It was going to be a good time for resting and recuperating, re-orienting and rediscovering what brightened her flame. Alyssea stopped going to the Duelling Club and only went to the Outdoor Club Area before race days. Her grades slightly improved now that she had nothing to focus on but academics. Maybe it was time to go to the Rehearsal Room, again? Like the old days.

Having picked up a bland glass of gillywater, Alyssea looked towards the drinks table and back to her friends. "I'm gonna get a different drink and some food. You guys wanna come or do you want me to bring something up for you?"

Once she had an answer, she set off and studied each of the rows of glasses. Most of them were shades of pink and purple, likely the berries that were blended. There was, of course, the pumpkin juice, gillywater, and some cucumber drink that Alyssea immediately passed up on. Instead, she settled for one of the pink drinks and picked up a cupcake.

outfit of the ball Reducio

action: picking up a strawberry yakult tea refresher stats: sta 6 | eva 7 | str 6 | wis 8 | arc 6 | acc 8 abilities: prod. transfiguration | evasive maneuvers (10% auto-dodge)

Dress
Hair
Old mask
New Mask
Shoes

She felt so free and feather-like as she soared through the air. While she was thinking like this, 'I guess this is what flying feels like', she came back to reality with Ale's words. She looked down to see Vick remaining at the dining table. A mouse wouldn't eat that much, but it could be bad to see broken pieces in the food. Maybe they would be uncomfortable. Or Vick could disappear. Thinking about it made her uncomfortable. She was thinking of so many possibilities. Her hair was starting to get tangled.

“I need to get to the ground now. It doesn't do anything, but it might bother some people. So, when someone comes to the table to eat, it can be disgusting to see that the food has been cut into small pieces. Or it may fall off the table and disappear. Or worse. I think if I take off the mask, I will land on the ground or I may fall directly on the ground. But I'll try anyway."

She immediately removed her mask from his face. She thought he would fall to the ground immediately, but she landed slowly. She picked up Vick from the table and put his on her shoulder. Since she was no longer uncomfortable, her hair returned to normal white. She took a few pieces of bread and some chocolate and gave them to her mouse on her shoulder. When she looked at the table, she realized that she was not hungry. When he put her mask back on, she took off again.

“I didn't ask if you wanted anything other than the table. Sorry. I was a little scared so I didn't remember to buy anything or ask you."

She looked at the ground. I think she was going to tell my parents about a beautiful prom day. She looked at Ale. She wanted to get to know his a little more.

“What do you like doing? I don't know exactly what is done at balls like this. I'm even going to prom for the first time."

@Alejandro Garcia

Post Tracker
[X] [X] [X]

To word it gently, festivities weren’t generally his preferred method of passing time these days. Overly saturated with things like people and social interaction, school balls had become something of a plague to the Gryffindor, who may well be called a scrooge for all he cared. It was an apt description, one which he wouldn’t try to deny. Once upon a time, he’d have been the first to point out a flier on a wall, preserving the date for someone special with whom he thought it should to be shared. But no one special remained. All he had left was a face in the mirror, and even that he did his best to avoid.
Where the bright lights of parties had once drawn an awestruck gaze, he now found they only stung his eyes.

So why, then, had he found his feet padding rhythmically across the school grounds on this night? Angled toward the quidditch pitch, his steady gait carried him toward those accursed lights. Voices echoed on the night, drifting to his ears with a promise of fun to be had, or friends to be made — a promise of gain. Yet all he felt was loss, as each voice morphed in his mind to those which had once colored his life.
He was struck with an urge simply to skirt the pitch’s fringes, allowing the merriment to wash over him while he reminisced; or rather, while he wallowed. There was some kind of twisted comfort in the misery — as though it was how he was meant to be. Not to fight it, or attempt to fool himself into a sense of joy, but to sink deeper without resistance, and accept the embrace of his pain.

How enticing that call was, yet he denied its languid invitation. And even still, as the pad of his soles spoke to his passage through an ivy-laden arch, and his eyes beheld the pastel hues of spring foliage lining the pitch, he could not answer the question as to why he was there.
A cadenced note greeted him, indicating in turn a group of fauna-themed masks, levitating just within arm’s reach. Bereft of hesitation, the boy snatched a wolf from their midst before mounting the mask across his face.
The masqueraded nature of the ball had been the first tempting factor for his consideration, in that the very definition of the word had catered to his interests. If relief were to come, perhaps it could be found in a facade; when he could think, act and even appear as someone other than that face tainting his mirror. Oblivion toward his peers was merely the cherry atop the icing. They wanted nothing to do with him, and those sentiments were reciprocated. So tonight they could each play a persona that would be forgotten by lunch the following day, and consequences be forsaken.

Just a night. One night where he didn’t have to be… him.

His new identity donned, the Wolf stalked into the gathering proper, where rabbits, gazelles and bears called for his attention. Prey mixed with predator, announcing their defiance of nature and its laws to the ebony sky, much like his kind might howl to the moon. The great white pupil presided watchfully in the heavens, taking into account their rebellion, though it seemed it would entertain the reckless dalliances of those it observed for this select eve. The grace of those omniscient would be taken, and it would be utilized for so long as it lasted.
Still wary of the implications, the Wolf stepped through twirling tigers, then swiveled past sauntering snakes, until the true bounty of the convention lay directly before him. The sweet fragrance of spring’s treasure filled his nostrils, his cravings tending toward the natural sugar of the fruit instead of the meat he generally preferred. Disregard for the order of creation could change even the taste of a carnivore, evidently.
Taking hold of an apple on display, he would bite into its flesh, its flavor dancing on his tongue as he observed his fellows of the animal kingdom doing the same upon the earth’s grassy face.

Action: Entering the ball

@Dealla Prince

Japanese / English

At her easy agreement to let him help, he let out a barely audible sigh. Relief flooding in his tense shoulders. It wouldn’t do well to his self-esteem if she had continued profusely apologising to him. “Please…hold on to my shoulder if you need to..” he said, his gruff voice clashing with the evident politeness he tried to insert in his tone. It did not come easy for him to say things that soothe other people. But regardless he was thankful for her cooperation.

He bent down a bit further, his hands trying his best to inspect the shoe first. Moving it slightly. He frowned deeply seeing the slight injury on her ankle. That was the only thing that stopped him from touching her shoes too much. He was debating on how to get her foot and shoe out of the stone without harming her further.

'Should I just break the rock instead?' the quidditch player with 15 strength considered casually in his head.

Before he seriously decided to do it, she interrupted his thoughts again. With a sudden, almost excited proclamation about his mask. As if it was the greatest discovery of the night. How could she stay so cheerful with him so near? Not to mention her being stuck. Still, it wasn’t something he particularly complained about.

“Oh…” he blushed a bit under his mask from embarrassment, his lips twitching just ever so slightly. As if his instinct was to smile but he learned to force it down. His smile was not the most appealing to look at. “It is…unusual..?” He asked, his gruff tone oddly soft with each word. There was a growing happiness he got from their simplest interaction, despite the bumpy start. Literally. Smooth interactions were not something he often experienced with new people. Usually, they’d be trembling too much to even say anything. If they haven’t decided to run the other direction first, that is.

However, just as the wave of calm soothed through him, there was a prickling unease gnawing at the bottom of his stomach. A hidden hope that he was competent enough to continue such a smooth conversation. “S-should I take it off?” he suddenly spoke, his tone growing back to its stiff gruff nature, temporarily taking his hands off her shoe to focus on her.. “ Is it…odd to look at? I would take it off but…people told me my eyes look scary…” he stated, as if it was a common warning he was used to saying.

Abilities

|| Terrible Presence || Lovely Creature || Fearless || Evasive Meneuvers I || Rebound | |

Stats

Stamina: 5 || Evasion: 16 || Strength: 15 || Wisdom: 3 || Arcane Power: 10 || Accuracy: 10

Action: Interacting with Emmalee
Mentioning: @EmmaLee LeDames

Roleplaying as iNPC Quentin Gagné of Beauxbatons
English | Français
interacting: @Linda Ramirez
outfit:

Reducio

Linda waved away the thought of getting involved with the student digging up who-knows-what. Yes, of course, the adults would help him. Nothing for two tweens to worry about. She pulled him through the open doors, past the aromatic, now-trampled flowers, below the floating masks, and away from the darkening night into the lights of the ball.

Both he and his new companion were already wearing masks, but it looked as if students could pluck one of the air if they were in a pinch. Quentin realized he had not even seen Linda without her mask, nor had she him. That was probably the plot of a movie—well it would be if they hadn't declared their names and allegiances at the beginning. No mistaken identity here, just two identities that wanted to know each other more.

What was the next move? Quentin's hand still with Linda's, an electrifying feeling clawing up his arm. They could dance—the same images as before swam through his mind, but now they were more nervous and shaky. Maybe he wasn't quite ready for that.

A few students were gathered around a refreshment table. Perfect! He turned to Linda, trying his best to sound suave, older—maybe even laying on the Parisian parts of his accent a little thick, pushing away any of the American/Cajun influences. "Would you like something to drink? Or maybe a snack? I can grab something for you." He smiled, "And then you must tell me more about this house system. Which one would you pick for me so far?" Was this flirting? Quentin was full of surprises tonight.

Action: eyeing the snack table
stamina 14 | evasion 5 | strength 15 | wisdom 3 | arcane power 6 | accuracy 10
Calming Presence, Muggle Condition & Fearless
[Calming Presence affecting all students]

OUTFIT Reducio

MASK Reducio

The most grandiose and exciting events that took place during the Hogwarts school year were parties. There were typically multiple during the year, and Ari had attended a few of these, all in his first year. First, the Samhain festival in the fall, then the Sweethearts Tea Party for Valentine's Day (where he had put on a rather interesting profession of admiration for a fellow broom racer), and lastly the Blossom Ball to welcome in spring. One thing was for sure, and that was Hogwarts knew how to throw a party.

Approximately 15 minutes ago, he had found himself standing in front of a mirror, head to toe in black, applying eyeliner to wear under a raven masquerade mask. He thought it was fitting given his house of residence, even more given the charming blue gem set in the middle of it crowned with silver. There was no surprise there as he was well known for consistently wearing black when not in his Ravenclaw uniform, but this outfit was more formal than his typical attire. A long black coat hiding a blue and black vest, pants, and tall black boots that fit his go-to sense of style well. As much as he wasn't too keen on socializing, he knew it was a core part of surviving magic school, much like what he knew of muggle school. Community was essential, and this was no different. Besides, who could turn down some delicious free food?

Now, here he was, walking to this magical masquerade. Would he see anyone he knew? Probably. Would he talk to anyone? That would depend. Would he fling any spells at other students? Not unless he was in danger. But he would definitely be finding something to eat if not anything else. It really did feel good to get out and go to these sorts of things instead of staying cooped up inside studying or watching his beloved goldfish do laps around his bowl as he replayed broom racing matches in his head.

The trees adorned with fruit and flowers presented many colors. a beautiful sight after the dreary snow of winter. Even without much color in his attire, Ari always appreciated the colors of spring, the warmth of the sun, and the flowers that reached toward the sky. These things never failed to make him feel a little lighter in his chest. He was happy to get to see this with his own eyes and be a part of this party. Perhaps something exciting would happen, but he wouldn't know until he stepped inside.

So he did.

ACTION:
Entering the Magical Masquerade Ball

STATS:
Sta: 9 - Eva: 8 - Str: 5 - Wis: 9 - Arc: 6 - Acc: 10

ABILITIES:
Perfectionist - reduced critical failure chance range by 1. In addition, can counter up to 1 point of additional critical failure chances caused by abilities or spells.

OUTFIT Reducio This cool mask is made by Alyssea Brown

INVENTORY Reducio Bottle of Water Chocolate Bar HVS Papers Omniculars Potions: Reducio Antidote to Common Poisons Bruise Removal Paste Burn Healing Paste Murtlap Essennce Tyty (typewriter) Wizards Camera

The Fox was still munching his sandwich. Shaking head and complementing the sandwiches, he was that hungry that made him this fond of the foods. It was delightful for his grumbling stomach since it finally had something to process. “Don’t you want to take something, Raizel?” he asked The Wolf. “You can also have this if you want,” he offered the other sandwich that he had taken before. Zach planned to take another food to try too.

Then The Fox heard The Wolf talking to someone who also found his wand. Zach turned his head and saw her. It was The Bobcat! “You’re finally here!” he said with excitement. Now the “Series of Unfortunate Shenanigans” was complete. “Oh, my wand!” He took it from The Bobcat and said, “Thanks.” The Fox waved around his wand before he put it inside his suit. His dear heart was finally returned to its owner. He also chuckled when he heard The Bobcat say she had duelled The Fox too much. His first sandwich was not over yet. He continued to munch it quicker until he gulped the last piece of the sandwich and drank the pumpkin juice until the last drip.

Was he already full? The answer was not yet. The Bobcat asked them if they wanted to join her to get something on the delicacies tables. He winced his eyes on the table, and remembered that he saw something fresh in green. “You haven’t taken anything, Raizel. Let’s go back to the beverages table. I have something that I wanted to try,” he grinned widely. “I’ll go with you,” he said to The Bobcat and followed her to get something. His eyes lingered on a glass of freshly green thing. Perhaps it was the right choice for him to take the light thing after having a thick-textured beverage to freshen him up.

Series of Unfortunate Shenanigans Interacting with @Alyssea Brown, @Raizel Voltrouz Action: Taking the sparkling cucumber limeade. Statistics: STA: 7 | EVA: 7 | STR: 3 | WIS: 9 | ARC: 7 | ACC: 10 Abilities: Prodigal Charms Learner | Blindvision

Mask design by the lovely Alyssea Brown

❂ ⌜ Series of Unfortunate Shenanigans ⌟ ❂ ❂ April 13, 2024 ▎ 4:00 PM ❂

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Ah, yes, now that the Hufflepuff mentioned it, the two of them had duelled a lot against each other which kind of reminds her how Raizel met Alyssea when Zach asked for her to watch over the duel. That was also when she felt her friendship grow with the Ravenclaw boy. Look where they are now. Funny how most of her important encounters always start at the duelling club.

It was saddening that she couldn't keep up with it, prompting her to just leave the team, afraid of becoming more of a burden due to her misfortunes and constant blunders on that piste. With her losing streak, it was hard to remember the last time she had actually won a duel against someone. She didn't want to drop it but it's her only choice before the guilt of dragging people down with her eats her up some more. Her train of thoughts was soon interrupted by the voices around her, snapping her back to reality. Right, she must stop thinking about that for now. Isn't that one of the reasons why she's still attending these balls? To distract herself?

“Yeah, I'll come with you.” Everything looks enticing, that's for sure. The food, the beverages, yet all she could do was stare with suspicion. Alyssea was fine when took a drink earlier and Zach… well, he's still normal after eating all that food. Does that mean nothing is in these? They actually have normal food and beverages? She frowned, hand under her chin as she thought about this some more to properly make a decision that she knows she won't regret. “I don't trust these…” She answered Zach's question after a while. “Last time I ate and drank something from a Hogwarts event, things began to get weird.”

Her eyes kept on scanning the table. “You think these foods would come alive?” It was a strange question for sure but who could blame her when she faced off against a gingerbread man who suddenly sprung to life and, as much as she didn't want to admit it, got beaten by it which was embarrassing. Perhaps if she didn't pick a fight against that older student that time, she would've had a better chance against that gingerbread man. Really, what was she thinking at that time?

A sigh escaped her, scratching the back of her head as she couldn't quite decide whether to drop her guard and enjoy the meal and drinks or just bear the hunger and thirst. Decisions decisions decisions… Why are they so hard to make? She reaches out for a drink but quickly reels her hand back, biting her lip. “Ugh! Fine! If anything happens, I have an antidote in my satchel.” She told her two companions.

In the end, she picked up a random one and chugged it down. This is a decision she will surely regret at some point.

▪ ▫ ◙ 483/200 ◙ ▫ ▪
▪ ▫ ◙ Dialogue | #800000 ◙ ▫ ▪

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◘ ◘ ❂ Interactions: @Zach Zaphiere | @Alyssea Brown | @ ◘ ◘ ❂ Mentions: @ | @ | @

Outfit Reducio

Items Reducio Wand Enchanted Satchel Potions: Antidote to Uncommon Poisons x 2, Bruise Removal Paste x 4, Muffling Draught x 2

STATS AND ABILITIES STA: 6 | EVA: 7 | STR: 3 | WIS: 8 | ARC: 8 | ACC: 8 Prod. Charms | Perfectionist

Action Drinking a random beverage. (Praying OOC)

norwegian ❅ russian ❅ english

april 13th, 2024 outfit

@Evelyn Decipio @Anthony Kingsmage

i always wondered why they all came back for more

❅ ❅ ❅

Astrid was still skeptical about why she had decided to come. She had arrived a little late and the whole thing was already turning really bad. And she was wearing a white dress! Sipping on her strawberry faux-jito she had picked up, she thought about it for a few moments. Why did she come? She came to the conclusion that it was for the entertainment. As much as the whole chaos-bloodshed situation really annoyed the girl, she still found it fun. She didn't understand it, she was already done with it, but it was so stupid that she found it funny. Last year, she had almost been attacked and burned by a weird animated doll. If there was one thing that Astrid wanted to know, it was who the hell was in charge. Because no adult in his right mind would let all this mess happen to teenagers. Glass in hand, the girl wondered around the buffet, mindlessly avoiding bumping into people. Then she heard a voice. A voice she knew, kinda. She focused her gaze toward the voice and she saw Greta, wearing a floral blue dress, her blond hair braided. Greta was a sixth year in Durmstrang, she was also a member of the Quidditch team, and she was Norwegian. She was talking with a younger student, probably a Hogwarts' first year. He was wearing a blue suit and a matching blue coat. Astrid decided to go and meet them. — Hey guys! Hi Greta! I heard you were talking about Durmstrang? I'm Astrid, by the way.

❅ ❅ ❅

Action drinking a strawberry faux-jito & talking
sta ● 9 | eva ● 8 | str ● 5 | wis ● 10 | arc ● 7 | acc ● 8
Post 1 - 2

Ah. So he was fluent in English, just short spoken. That would make their interaction much easier without a language barrier. Maybe it was time for EmmaLee to learn the languages of the other schools anyway. Japanese, Chinese, and Russian would probably be very interesting to learn on top of the Spanish, English, and French she already knew. Anyway.

EmmaLee nodded as the boy offered his shoulder for support and she did place her hand lightly on his upper arm, less because she needed help sitting up and more because the boy seemed like he needed emotional support far more than she needed physical support. His nervousness was like an elephant being afraid of a mouse. Though she couldn't imagine why he was so. He was so kind and careful in trying to help her situation.

EmmaLee had gotten herself into far worse situations completely alone, including almost getting swept away in a creek to save her cat and being stuck in a hole in a cave system for three hours exploring back in France, so she wasn't really bothered that she had found herself in this particular stuck situation. It wasn't so much that she was not careful in her adventures, more that she was willing to go further than people thought reasonably safe and sometimes that meant unforeseen rock slides and downpours. Getting out of situations alone tended to end in actual injury, rather than just surface wounds, so it was always better to have someone's assistance rather than not. Furthermore, alone or not, it didn't really do to panic about it any way. You can only get out of trouble with a clear head.

The boy's unease became more prominent at her outburst about his mask. EmmaLee's mouth turned in a curious way that was both a smile and a frown at the same time as he stammered his concerns about it.

"Oh no! It's great!" She assured him, instinctively reaching out and gently taking his wrists in her hands to prevent him from messing with his mask as he moved them from her shoe. "I mean, you can take it off if you want, but you don't have to if you don't want to. Crows are lovely, intelligent animals and it fits your face well." She said in a rush and then chuckled at herself. "I just couldn't see it well because you're so tall, so I was a bit surprised when I saw it fully and realized what it was."

As the boy continued his concerns about his mask, EmmaLee's quirky smile turned into a real frown when he explained others opinion about his eyes. "Well that is rude for someone to say." She said simply, pouting in a way that puffed out her pale cheeks and releasing his wrists. "If eyes are a mirror to the soul, I can only imagine yours are lovely." She continued, looking as much into his eyes as she could while they were still obscured in the shadow of his mask. She took a deep breath to prevent herself from a whole tirade, but remained grumpy. How rude to call someone scary to their face? Especially someone so kind.

"I think if you can help me stand up, please, we can pull my foot out by pulling up. It seems like right now, the angle is all wrong." She said, moving one hand to the ground and the other to his lower arm in an attempt to use to as leverage to stand.

ACTION:
Working with Sara Kohana to release my foot from being stuck.

STAMINA: 7 | EVASION: 7 | STRENGTH: 3 | WISDOM: 8 | ARCPOWER: 8 | ACCURACY: 9
ABILITIES: Fearless | Calming Presence
INVENTORY: Wand, Lavender Honey Candies, Blue butterfly embroidered handkerchief, first aid kit.

Calming Presence is in Effect
Allies:
AngelFyre McCubbin as Stephen Schwartz, Hanako Tone as Sara Kohana
Giving them +10% chance to auto-hit.

@AngelFyre McCubbin as Stephen Schwartz