Magical Masquerade: The entrance

Sereia's Calming Presence is in effect
Allies are Dusana Sabo and Mateo Sáez

As Ava's breath steadied, Sereia waited to see if she'd start hysterically laughing. She'd concentrated enough for it to materialise but there was a chance she overdid it. Thankfully, Ava calmed and came to her senses. When Sereia was asked about her cards yesterday, she blinked with some confusion. What had she drawn for Ava, again? Sereia vaguely remembered The Wheel of Fortune as one of the first cards she'd drawn last night. Had it been reversed or upright?

Sereia shrugged. "The cards never talk about a specific moment unless you ask them to. Perhaps The Wheel of Fortune looked after your odds today, or it could be another day. Either way, at least you're okay."

Ava decided she was going to finally head into the ball. Sereia nodded. "You go. I'll follow behind. Just want to get everyone else in as well."

Looking around, the dust had somewhat settled. People came and went and it looked as if Mateo and Dusana had the injured boy under control. There was no more screaming or yelling, just the tense atmosphere of everyone trying to make sense of what had happened. There were so many young kids around, though, who'd come with the thought of enjoying the afternoon.

Sereia walked up to each and every one of them, telling them, "Hey, why don't we go inside? You haven't eaten for the afternoon yet, right? I'm sure there's some good food inside the Quidditch pitch." It was a deflection tactic, yes, but it would be wrong to ignore the festivities that had been prepared. Sereia could understand if they wanted to return to the castle, however, after everything that had happened.

@Reyna Evergreen | @Willow Byrne | @Scout Fu-Hai | @Elisa Shakestra | @Charlie Jacobsen/Botan Miura | @Ernest Baird | @Mahlioz Evethisawe/Zophyr Qethnis | @Ava Winchect | @Dusana Sabo | @Mateo Sáez

ACTION trying to get everyone into the ball and clear the place out (nothing to moderate)
STATS sta 7 | eva 15 | str 10 | wis 15 | arc 10 | acc 13
ABILITIES sixth sense | keen eye | wandmaker (white river monster spine core) | calming presence | cat's grace | blindvision | legilimency

Full Moderation Details Below:

Reducio

Sixth Sense | +2 to awareness rolls. If a player attempts to enter a thread that Sereia is already in, there is a 25% chance that she will automatically detect them on entry. She is immune to Charmers and will not suffer their -1 to ACC.

Keen Eye | There is a 25% chance of automatically finding something (if there is anything that can be found) not someone. A search attempt can only be used once in a moderated event.

Wandmaker (White River Monster Spine core) | +1 accuracy with charms, -2 wisdom DC (WDC) requirement for all wisdom checks when casting a charm.

Calming Presence | An aura of calm. Allies (Dusana Sabo and Mateo Sáez) gain a 10% chance to auto-hit their chosen target. This does not stack.

's Grace | Sereia has a 25% chance to enter threads successfully hidden from other users. This can be countered by those with Sixth Sense. On any stealth checks, Sereia has a +2 to stealth (average of wisdom and evasion).

Blindvision | Sereia can see in magical and in non-magical darkness. Immune to various blinding spells such as Fumos, Obscuro, Nebulus, etc.

Legilimency | Sereia has learned the spell Legilimens and can delve into a person's mind so long as she is casting the spell.

april 13th, 2024		saturday, afternoon
wc: 300ish		dhampir | sensitive to sunlight
interacting with: Zophyr Qethnis | @Mahlioz Evethisawe		mentioning: prof clairmont + astra (kinda)

Okay, well, that was not how Scout had planned for that to go. Ugh, that slithery snake! First he stabs a guy and then he disappears right under her nose- if only she were faster, she definitely would've been able to catch him! She was so irked, how could he just leave like that! But there was no use in chasing him, he was clearly faster than she was. (Maybe she should get into track over the summer, if she decides to stay at home.)

Walking back to where Zophyr and the red girl were, Scout was still kind of bummed. Most of the chaos had worn its way out now, and it seemed like one of the adults was trying to urge everyone to go into the main ball. But the feeling of 'something being wrong' danced around the back of Scout's neck. Was that just paranoia? Probably.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm a Gryffindor. How could you tell?" Jeez, Scout, how could she tell? "I'm fine, by the way. We should probably go to the actual event now, right? I mean... there's nothing left for us to do here." She wanted to add, 'but if you want to linger around and see if there's anything, we can!' but... that was probably a dumb decision. Very Scout-like, that was for sure.

As Zophyr and Scout left the area, Scout turned back to give the surroundings one last look. Now that there were only a few people left, it was easier to see the mess that had been left behind. A little bit of blood and torn fabric from what had happened had littered the area- yikes, at least Scout's mask was still on. Didn't you need that to even get into the ball?

action: heading into the main ball with zophyr
(just wanted to add that mahlioz gave me perms for this)
stamina: 9 | evasion: 4 | strength: 6 | wisdom: 4 | arcpower: 2 | accuracy: 5
dhampir

RPing as Zophyr Qethnis from Uagadou

Genderfluid, pronouns at the moment: she/her

☽ Kirundi | French | English | Swahili | Arabic | Tswana | Xhosa ☾

Date: April 13 2024 Time: evening

Interacting with: @Scout Fu-Hai Mentioning: @Sereia Clairmont, Gideon

Scout was helped up and back to where the two had been earlier. She confirmed that she was indeed a Gryffindor, unsurprisingly, and that she was fine, which was a relief. Though with everything going on there was a good chance it wouldn't last.

Except...

There actually wasn't much going on at all. Somehow in the span of a few minutes, the fog was gone, the threats were either gone or turned into a weird animal with horns, and things had actually calmed down. Zophyr almost wanted to scream again, at the insanity of it all. How some students were brushing it off and acting like this amount of chaos was a normal Hogwarts occurence was flabbergasting. A professor even came up and suggested they continue to the ball, for the food and festivities.

As much as Zophyr wanted to yell out WHAT??? at the top of her lungs, what else was there for her to do? People were taking care of the animagus stabber, and they were clearly more competent than she. What was she going to do, run back to the castle in fear, where it was probably even more dangerous? No, that was not at all her type. And if she was going to stay here she might as well go to the place where the most people were - partly because they probably would need protecting at some point, and partly because they were all pretty and Zophyr wouldn't mind a little eye candy now.

One last thing to do, though. She turned to the professor. "Alright, but please promise me you'll go after that boy. He's probably a student, maybe a first year? He ran away but I know for a fact-" (well, maybe not, but she was pretty dang confident) "-that he stabbed the second boy. Please, you're a professor, right? You can't just let that slide."

Once that was done, she nodded to Scout. "Alright, I'm following you. Let's hope we don't witness any more blood this evening."

Actions: making sure Gideon will have consequences and then entering the actual ball with Scout Stamina: 7 | Evasion: 9 | Strength: 8 | Wisdom: 5 | Arcane power: 5 | Accuracy: 6 's Grace | Broken Broomshaft

Posts | 1 2 3 4 5

A skull. A skull?! Dee blinked, surprised, even as Vladimir tossed the skull right into Piérre's hands... of all people. But that was something to worry about later.

More worrying was that the elk - Jack - had freed his legs from the earth he'd been trapped in, which made the lack of safety distance between the two of them seem... even less safe than it had just a minute ago. And yet, Dee didn't move, refusing to back down, and even more, refusing to be afraid of him. Not that she was likely to outrun him, if it came to it, especially not in these shoes, so might as well stand her ground. Stare down the humongous animal that was her ex-boyfriend, apparently.

Meenauh was an unexpected variable in the equation, stepping closer where anyone with more sense than Dee had been backing away. "You don't say," Dee replied dryly, her tone more biting than what she would usually have used towards Meenauh. Really though, talk about stating the obvious. "I'm protecting him because he owes an explanation." For so many things. "And he can't explain himself if people accidentally murder him." She paused, considering, then gave Jack another hard glare. "If the explanation isn't good enough, I might just murder him myself after. On purpose."

The next things that Meenauh added, however, were of more interest, and Dee's gaze flickered from Jack to the Gryffindor and back, a hint of surprise flashing across her face. "Digging?" she repeated, confused; this was not something she'd witnessed herself, with Jack's field trips being limited to the night when they'd still been dating. "Why..." The sudden violence sounded more familiar, although it had never taken on extremes like this when Dee had been around. Aggression, yes; sudden, unexplained mood changes, mercurial. But this? "So his mood swings got worse rather than better," Dee added, the bite of sarcasm hiding her discomfiture. "He wasn't prone to spontaneous stabbing when we were dating, at least." Then, more quietly, "But he did seem... not like himself at times." Not Jack. That was, after all, why they'd broken up, at its core.

Which brought them back to the situation at hand. Dee planted her feet, crossed her arms, and narrowed her eyes at Jack, blazing with impatience and annoyance, her earlier vulnerability well-hidden. "I did." Although asking was putting it kindly, demand or threaten more accurate. She paused for just a second. "Jack?" The name tasted bitter on her tongue, bringing back too many memories.

Action | None, just chit-chatting with @Meenauh Silmataurea and @Jack Warren

@Winnie Harper

Attire: Clothing and Mask

As soon as Winnie had turned and ran Percival didn't hesitate to get back up and run after her. If things were what they said they were Gray wouldn't have made the effort to chase her down, nor make the effort to be respectful to a girl who was upset. He didn't think Winnie was a ticking time bomb of emotion, both of them had been caught up in the moment where their emotions were all over the place.

Seeing her slowing down in the distance Percival slowly skidded to a stop "Winnie! stop! This is not what you think it is" he shouted over to her in the hopes she'd stop and listen "You need to understand that I didn't think anything of that. If I wanted to trick you I wouldn't have wasted that much time being nice, let alone come chase you down like this." the Slytherin said sincerely as he tried to catch his breath still.

For once in his time at Hogwarts he didn't want a ball to end on a low note. Percy couldn't count how many times he had walked away from a ball injured or mentally drained, all he wanted was a night where the fates aligned and left him happy. Talking with Winnie was a huge part of that, and he could owe her much from that alone.

"I wanted a good night as much as you do, why ruin that now?"

‿︵‿୨✿୧‿︵‿

Interacting: @Percival Gray

Outfit: ✿ | ✿ | ✿

Mentioning: @

English | Irish

'Walk forward, do not look back,' was what Winnie's brain practically screamed at her as she exited the ball's location in a panic. Oh Merlin, out of everyone who attended Hogwarts and all the other damn wizarding schools present at the ball, she just had to dance with PERCIVAL GRAY. Curse this Masquerade theme. Curse his ridiculously attractive glow-up that made him unrecognizable. It was incredibly rude of puberty to have transformed his features so dramatically-- and the heels of her shoes were getting caught in the mud again, slowing her speed and hindering her escape. Just who invented these hell shoes anyways?

'Breath, do not cry, shit, not here--,' The tears welling in her eyes finally begin to streak down her cheeks, caused by a mixture of frustration and embarrassment. What would Percival do after tonight? Write another dumb question to the Headliner that basically implied she was some kind of... Woman of ill repute?

Her heart started to race when she heard Percival's voice behind her, and she bent down to try and pull her cursed heel out of the ground. Her frustration boiled over as she hiked up the skirt of her gown and slid her feet out of the foot wear. She quickly raised a hand to try and wipe away her tears before she turned to face her dance partner.

"Well..." He had a point, the Percival she knew might have let her drag him to the dance floor, but only to make snide remarks about the state of her relationship with Mathias, or something equally irritating. She wanted to scream at him, demand to know why he hadn't revealed himself sooner, but his words made her feel more confused than ever, especially considering how earnest and out of breathe the Slytherin appeared to me.

"A-And do what, Percival? Go back and dance some more? Do you want to pretend that I'm not Winnie Harper and you're not Percival Gray?" She asked the Slytherin, her voice trembling.

"Are we going to pretend that I'm not dating Matt or that you don't hate me?" She was blabbering, and she knew it, speaking of whatever came to mind as her mind spiraled. Just where the hell was Matt anyways? Had he ran off with that girl from earlier?

Usually, there wasn't as much as a jumping sheep going through the boy's thick skull; however, now it was so much different. Spells whizzing past and bouncing around like an over-caffeinated golden snitch. The chaos surrounding the boy was so intense that it made the audience feel the overwhelming situation. If there was one thing to be sure, being an elk did not make the boy any smarter. Those who knew him would probably agree that the average deer was cleverer and had better survival instincts. As a fly flew through one ear and out the other, the boy was overwhelmed by the chaos surrounding him.

Like a bolt of lightning had fried the already frayed single circuit his brain had left, the elk boy just sat there, overwhelmed. There was nothing left for him to do. Jack wasn't even himself anymore, not his body nor his brain. His form was purposeful, but the mind is much easier to shatter.

Bones bent and cracked, slowly forming back into his usual visage of a teenage boy. He looked exhausted, with deep dark circles around his eyes. Yet it was just a facade, a facsimile of what the boy once was. Arms hanging limply against his sides, the boy glanced around, nothing behind his dark eyes. That was the face of resignation.

Action: Turn back into a human. Do nothing
@Dealla Prince@Meenauh Silmataurea

@Winnie Harper

Attire: Clothing and Mask

Winnie stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him with fierce emotion in her expression and tone. They both couldn't go back and dance like nothing happened, that was impossible let alone awkward. Percival didn't care for that now anyway, he just wanted to know that she was alright. She had every right to be upset for not revealing himself straight away, but weren't his initial thoughts correct?

Seeing his face was only going to make her even more upset, and it did just that.

"Winnie, the reason why I didn't just reveal myself was for this exact reason. You were going to be upset with me either way" he replied calmly with a slight shrug "I didn't want any of this tonight. No drama, angst, or fighting. I just wanted peace, that's why I didn't do anything at that moment" Percival continued to explain, trying his best to at least calm her down slightly "And please, when have I ever said I've hated you? Sure you can be annoying and talk forever but you've done nothing to gain such hatred from me. The only thing I have a problem with is your boyfriend choice, I wouldn't trust him if my life depended on it."

Towards the end he had to be honest, Matty was a problem not only for everyone but for her. It wouldn't have been a surprise if he was making her this emotional all the time. After all, kissing other people in front of the girl you're meant to love is not what a true lover would do.

"Please, at least let me walk you back to the castle. It's the least I can do after all this mess considering your "boyfriend" is nowhere to be found..."

‿︵‿୨✿୧‿︵‿

Interacting: @Percival Gray

Outfit: ✿ | ✿ | ✿

Mentioning: @

English | Irish

Winnie's expression wavered as she absorbed the Slytherin's words, her teeth biting at her lower lip. It had been a nervous habit of her since childhood. "I... I'm not upset at you, I'm... Embarrassed and confused because it was... It was nice, okay?!" Her brows were knit when she glanced up at him, searching his expression for answers. "You were easy to talk to, and that just-- it doesn't make sense--..."

"You can pretend you don't hate me, if just for tonight, but I know it's not true. You've hated me since the moment we met in the entrance of that maze when I gave you a strawberry badge." She assumed he wouldn't even remember the googly eyed monstrosity a giggly 12-year-old Winnie had made the night before and then slapped on his shirt.

"Matt was there for me when no one else was." It was the same line she had used to defend her relationship over and over again when friends started to question her 'choice'. "I thought he would always be here, but here I am and, only Merlin knows why, you seem to be the only one who cares."

"So... I won't make a scene. I won't embarrass you in front of..." Who did he hang around? A pang in her heart reminded her that Santario was gone. She missed her, and didn't have to ask to know that Percival did as well. "Your friends, and everyone else."

The comment about her boyfriend hit her harder than she expected, tears welled in her eyes again and she fought not to spill them. "If you want to play the chivalrous card, I have... Her voice broke, but she forced herself to smile and offer Percival her hand, "I have no fight left in me tonight. I just want to go back to the dorm."

@Winnie Harper

Attire: Clothing and Mask

Percival looked down to her and sighed when she mentioned that he was easy to talk to for once "Probably because you don't know who I am Winnie. If anything, have I said anything truly hateful to make you upset?" the boy questioned as he slowly nodded to the strawberry badge. Gray did remember the goofy badge she gave him, and she'd be even more surprised as to what he had done with it since they had departed that maze "How can I not remember that silly thing?" Percy said sarcastically, his eyes looking into hers "Winnie, it takes a lot for me to hate someone. Putting a stupid badge on my chest and being annoying around a maze nowhere near qualifies..."

Slowly, he'd extend his hand out and smile faintly when she decided to take up his offer. Gently locking fingers, he felt something he hadn't felt since his unforgettable times with San. He couldn't tell if it was warmth or peace relaxing his constantly stressed body. Either way, something about being with Winnie reminded him of those peaceful days with the girl he once loved.

"Thank you for trusting me Winnie" he said softly as they began to walk hand in hand up the path away from the ball "I know you're upset about Matt, but at least you're not alone. I'll stay with you until you're back safe in your dorm. At least that will give me a good peace of mind..."