Jacob, Evelynn, Galton, Calanthe, Gia Valentines closed

The unexpected fourth wheel returns yet again.

This time, however, he wasn’t squaring off against an upperclassman with his wand out.

Valentine had been on the verge of leaving, neither in tears nor with fury. To the contrary, he appeared quite pleased with whatever decision he had made that would ultimately lead him here. At this point, his day could only get better.

On his way out of the Astronomy Tower, he observed the other groups and the progression of their respective relations. Some had entered the next phase of the date before others had even begun, while the rest seemed to be taking their time and the moment with it. Many of the tables contained more than two individuals, which would give those seated at them a clue as to who was interested, who was oblivious, and who was a rival. Awkward. As he looked, his casually flitting gaze locked onto one @Galton Lansdale, peppered with not one, not two, but three girls beneath his year. They stared - among them, Valentine noted the familiar appearance of his dear friend, @Evelynn Decipio - as he proceeded to lay claim to his territory, the gustatory delights fit for a whole family were insufficient to satisfy the appetite of the King. Many would have assumed that this was far too many women for one boy to handle, but such was a childish assumption. Galton was a chad¹.

A smirk of amusement crept across Valentine’s lips, not only because of his friend’s glorious antics but the visible discomfort that it was causing Evelynn and the other two. Not that he took pleasure in the plight of others; Evelynn just looked funny when she was uncomfortable (this was an entirely different story when her dissatisfaction was directed at him). Alas, this was supposed to be a night of romance and personal connection, wasn’t it? It seemed, however, that there was rigidity among this group that fed a rising tension. Now that just wouldn’t do. With a knowing smile, Jackson Valentine stepped forward to remedy the situation.

“I think this is my group (?)” he appeared from behind the King with a reassuring smile, pressing the palm of his hand against Galton’s shoulder and squeezing it lightly. “Sup, Big G.”

The fourth (fifth) wheel had clicked into place. Now it was time to change gears and get the show on the road.

“Decipio,” he nodded both formally and casually in one instance, observing her dressing as if appraising the worth of a marble statue; yet the knowing smile he wore would tell her that he knew the lady beneath it, regardless of the shell without. “You look lovely this evening, as do the rest of you.”

He offered this same gesture to @Calanthe Choi and then @Gia Adelard. The former he knew by name from the Gryffindor dueling team. Perhaps they’d be better acquainted at a later point down the road. The latter was someone from his year. She was cute and she wreaked of innocence. It occurred to him then that this was a table of Gryffindors. Hah. Easy enough, he seemed to relax a bit at the assumption that he was among family. Wordlessly, he passed his argent Venetian mask into the hands of Galton to try on. He had wanted to show him this prop of his for a while now.

“Happy Valentine’s Day to you all. Why are you all looking at the Big G? Did he say something witty?”

As of this moment, he still had no idea that Galton was preparing to coerce the group into playing hide and seek with him.

Jackson Valentine has crashed someone else's date!

OOC Note: My partners have already been informed that I will be leaving my original thread, as we concluded that too many cooks would simply spoil a very good broth. Besides, @Rafael D'spacito generates tension enough . I have also gained permission from all members of this group except for @Jacob Harman who isn't responding to my dms. As such, I've gained the go-ahead to make this entry.

Footnotes
1: A slang term across the internet and among adolescents in general to refer to particularly courageous or competent males.

Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_(slang)

Interaction with: @Evelynn Decipio @Calanthe Choi @Gia Adelard @Jackson Valentine

"THREE!" Galton yelled out the moment the other girl joined the group. They were growing. Shaping up to have a real group on their hands, quick too. And it seemed to be a flock of girls as well. The love theme of this match must really bring out the romantics. Would they think he was a romantic as well? No... They would never. They must know he just can't let an opportunity for seeking to go to waste. Putting those rotten heart filled thoughts from his head, he was immediately met with some, complications.

It seemed that both the two original girls were being coy. Feigning ignorance to get a rise out of the prodigal hide-and-seek boy. But he would not play into their dastardly plans. And they were trying to pit this on him, like he was the crazy one for showing up to the valentines day themed hide-and-seek picnic. Galton. Crazy. Yeah right. He would have to show them how sane he was. As the girls began discussing the events he took a bite of some chocolate and went for a sip of his newly brewed tea.

As he went for the sip, bringing the hot cup up to his lips he recalled the final question of his fellow duelist. "Is he okay?" FOR THE SECOND TIME TONIGHT. The tea met his tongue as a large gulp of liquid met his fleshy interior. Hot, it was burning hot. WHY WOULD HE NOT BE OKAY? The liquid shot out of his mouth, some falling into the cup, some cascading down his chin and neck. It was really hot. The burning flavored water made him wince, tipping the cup to spew more of its content's onto the small hand holding it. HE WAS FINE. He was not fine. The cup dropped out of his hand as he recoiled in pain. Letting it fall to the blanket and crack, tea further staining the once pristine textile. His face was painted with pain as the girl sent a barrage of questions his way. Pleading their innocents to the slaughter they knowingly signed up for.

Or maybe, just maybe, the others were right. The burned boy would ponder the thought as his body took to auto-pilot and jerked around, trying to cool what ever burning liquid still singed him. Maybe they had come here because they wanted to date him. Gross... Even if they said they hadn't signed up for this, they came, knowing the fate that laid waiting for them. Galton the Glorious... And three of them too? Man, he really must have been hot stuff. Not because of the burning tea all over him... but the, the girls thing.

The distain that had taken hold of his face slowly faded to a mischievous smile with the previous thoughts running through his head. Or, it was, until he heard his number one fan approaching. Valentine. The poor fool couldn't see that his role-model was not in a situation that called for groupies... Or no, it did, it just made him seem even cooler! Whether they had gathered to date Galton, or do be sought by him, a fan would show off just how good he really was.

" FOU-" Galton got out before winging in pain. He needed to keep a count of the growing group. And the arrival of his first year fan made for a sizable group.

He would accept the mask from little Valentine, was it a gift of admiration? Or was he just to put this one? He took a look at it, definitely possibly smearing it with chocolate before setting it down on a spotless somewhat tidy portion of the blanket. It was neat looking, but he had other things to worry about. Like the gaggle of girls, and one boy, peering into him. Searching for the answers to their dumb questions.

Would he feed their supposed ignorance, or tease it? IF he wanted a get to the action, he would need to cut through any of their games. "I was just saying that they should be scared." He would shoot a glare to the three girls. "And so should you." He looked up at Valentine. "I would have hoped whoever signed you up told you about the point of tonight. It's just so obvious." He directed the comment to Gia and Evelynn. "Or maybe they lied to you. But that's not my problem!"

He shot up to his feet. Crumbs and chunks of cake or candy cascading down to fill the empty cushion he left. "You guys want to play then? I'll seek you out like you were a golden snitch! You won't be able to hide from me. Players like myself will make quick work of you lot!" Galton's tirade died down. He could feel the excitement starting to well inside his small body. And so he stared at the group, waiting for some sort of answer to begin.

@Galton Lansdale @Gia Adelard @Evelynn Decipio @Jackson Valentine

Quite taken aback by her peer’s use of the name Choi, Calanthe blinked silently with raised brows. It was rare that someone called her by her name, other than a professor or a student she’d managed to piss off. Though, she supposed it came with the event and quickly rid herself of the startled expression. She did not remember ever offering the Quidditch Captain either of her names but their status as dormmates was probably the effector in this case. Am I supposed to know her name, though … ? Ev … Evergreen? Ev … angelion? It was probably announced many times, seeing as the captain was also a prefect. Whatever. I won’t need it, right?

“A game, now?” her brows came together in a confused stare. Tonight was supposed to be a date night thing, was it not? Were there games involved? The first year affirmed the captain’s response, but not before introducing herself. “Gia …” Fix your face, idiot. And a blank stare morphed into a, hopefully, presentable smile. “Nice to meet you, Gia.” Noting the name of the boy, Calanthe reluctantly turned her gaze back to him and the chaos soiling the blanket. It was a miracle that Evangelion found a safe spot to take a seat. “So that’s why we’re here then? A game? From all the decorations … I thought it would be more of a, uhm, speed dating … type of shindig.” The girl understood exactly what she had signed up for, but the others did not need to know that.

All three new acquaintances behaved like they enjoyed companionship. That could be a bad thing for Calanthe, being the odd one out by favoring running for the hills, or a brilliant thing, if all of them continued to chatter away or play whatever game they wanted, and she could just blend in with the background.

Taking her that affirmation a bit too seriously, Calanthe descended to the blanket wordlessly, almost like an extra in a movie scene, as the duellist-sized toddler spat his drink out. Though, not without a guise of repugnance coating her features. She was too late. The material cracked on contact with the blanket. “Fuck -”. The boy convulsed a little too aggressively for Calanthe’s liking. “Dude, what -”. Another person had approached before she could finish - a boy just as familiar as Gia.

“Ah! We’re all Gryffindors. Is that how the teams are set up? For the game?” she inquired, perhaps a little too quickly. “... And er … Happy Valentine’s Day,” the last bit was mumbled, as if Calanthe was embarrassed to say it. She was not, though. It would be embarrassing to be embarrassed of that … Whatever. Blend in. Just shut up and blend in.

It seemed like the first three had no idea about the dinner date scenario that had been set up. This made her plan of faking ignorance much easier. Though, many of the blankets surrounding the group were taken up by people who clearly knew what they were in for. Calanthe was not sure why she wanted to hide her interest in the event when others obviously did not mind. Yet, coming clean - especially with the new dynamic faced - sounded spectacularly cringy.

She turned back to see if Galton had overcome his distress, and he promptly launched into another speech. It gave Calanthe time to note that she had come straight down onto the blanket, and her pant legs and behind were positively stained with smushed cake. Galton sprung up, and she pulled back to avoid his waterfall of party favors. “Hide … and seek? That’s the game … we signed up for?” At this point, that date thing would be much better.

I'm so sorry for the delay in responding to this thread.

Evidently Evelynn wasn't the only one familiar with the newly arrived girl. Evelynn and the girl shared a dorm. That alone should—in theory—have been enough to have known her name. Or so others might have assumed. In reality, Evelynn couldn't actually recall a time where the timid raven-haired girl had really interacted with any of their fellow dorm-mates. Whenever Evelynn was there, anyway, she always seemed to have kept to herself.

Even last year at the end of year slumber party, Evelynn could recall that Choi had made an appearance, but beyond that, there'd been nothing particularly memorable about her presence. She'd just...existed there, flitting among the rest of the party goers like some sort of wraith. Never-the-less, as a fellow second year, Evelynn had known Choi from class. That was how she knew the names of most of the people in her year, and partly also why she had the tendency to refer to everyone by their surnames. Generally, she only ever heard them called by the professors as Mister This or Miss That. So This or That it was.

It was curious, then, to hear the first year refer to Evelynn's dorm mate by her first name. It was always curious to Evelynn. Where she'd come from, that wasn't the norm. In fact, it was backwards. The teachers would refer to students by their given names, but students would refer to each other by their surnames. It was as though there was something "cool" about it, or something. A habit picked up from many of the film dramas those in her area tended to watch. But for her, it was a sign of respect not to presume to use someone's first name without their permission. Or their insistence, really. Even with permission, Evelynn had developed something bordering on disquiet to use anything other than a surname. It was too familiar. Too intimate.

Attention soon turned to a new arrival, however.

"You too?" As Valentine approached and rested his hand onto Lansdale's shoulders, Evelynn lofted a brow. Were they really meant to be so many together like this? A sweep of her gaze around to nearby 'picnics' showed so many others that had been privately paired up, whose couples seemed to be enjoying a rather private and cupid-inspired meal. Not that Evelynn was really complaining. The larger the group, the more she'd be able to think of this as simply a celebratory gathering for the occasion and nothing grotesquely mushy. Still, it was odd to say the least that their group should be so different.

"Er..." His appraisal of her person left her blushing uncomfortably. While the two had shared some profound moments together and she felt like she was beginning to see a side of him that likely few others were privy to, she had considered him little more than a little brother. And here he was roaming his eyes over her like she was some sort of prize. And then Adelard. And then Choi. In swift recovery, Evelynn pursed her lips and pinched her brows. "I realize you are aptly named for the occasion, Mister Valentine," she began, emphasizing the coincidence of his name, "but do behave." It was a shame she didn't have a tennis ball...

But when the boy pulled out a mask to Lansdale, Evelynn's chiding expression faltered. Her gaze flitted uncertainly between the two boys, roaming the first year's face for any sign of foul play before coming to rest on Lansdale's in any search of...something. Masks were...a source of suspicion to say the least, and Evelynn couldn't help but dip her gaze to Valentine's hands in search of a glove. Regardless of what she observed, she would hold her tongue and file it away for later.

Besides, the King of Confection himself had finally elected to share his little secret. Brows shot up to coincide with the incredulous upturn of her lips. "Obvious?" Evelynn echoed, gaze dipping around to the others to see if it really was all that obvious or if they were just as clueless as she was. The latter seemed to be the running trend and so she returned her attention to the Candy Lord for explanation. After taking a not-so-subtle-but-meant-to-be-subtle step back when he had shot up and sprayed crumbs and only God knew what uncomfortably close (not at all close, really) to her person.

Ah. The soundless understanding expressed itself in the parting of her lips. Hide and seek. Well, she supposed that did make some sense. Well, no, not at all really in relation to the event, particularly as others nearby seemed to be doing nothing close to the sort. But it did explain some of his earlier ravings. And, admittedly, hide and seek was far preferable to her than having to share any sort of romantic meal with anyone. As long as he didn't seek to touch them with the grubby hands she eyed so warily.

"It does seem that way, doesn't it?" she reflected amicably when it had been pointed out they were all Gryffindors. Perhaps there actually was something to this unorthodox notion of hide-and-seek at a Valentine's event. "Well, I wouldn't be opposed to playing, then." This wouldn't be the first game of the like in which she had participated. "Did they say if there were prizes for the winners? And are we meant to play...here?" She inquired. A scope of the area revealed that there were truly very few places for hiding.

[font=century gothic]INTERACTING WITH @Galton Lansdale, @Gia Adelard, @Calanthe Choi, @Jackson Valentine

────────────────────────── ♫ ──────────────────────────

Evasive Maneuvers
Stamina 8 ⋆ Evasion 6 ⋆ Strength 3 ⋆ Wisdom 7 ⋆ Arcane Power 5 ⋆ Accuracy 6

14 February, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
@Galton Lansdale @Evelynn Decipio @Calanthe Choi @Jackson Valentine

────────────────────────── ♫ ──────────────────────────

Speed dating? Gia glanced around the room once more. Yes, she could see that. . . her brow furrowed, the eleven year old tilted her head. "I guess it could be something like that, but. . ." Her eyes flitted to Galton for a split second before resting back on Calanthe. "He seems pretty certain about what we're doing, so maybe we should just find out what type of game he thinks we're supposed to be playing?" The girl shrugged, unsure. Speed dating would make a lot more sense than a game, she thought to herself, looking around the room for the third or fourth time. She didn't really feel like doing something like that, though, so she kept her mind open to whatever it was Galton thought they were doing there.

Before Gia even noticed that yet another person was approaching their steadily-growing-larger group, Galton had started to yell out the number "four." He was covered in tea now as well, so the first year did her best not to look directly in his direction if she could help it. Her gaze quickly swung upwards and landed on a boy with some sort of silver mask. Giving him a welcoming smile, Gia watched with an amused expression on her face as the boy walked over to Galton and greeted him first. He even touched the third year's shoulder, which was covered in crumbs and. . . and who knew what else. Then, the student turned to the three girls in front of him to greet them.

"Thank you," the first year said, her expression still one of amusement. The boy was acting much older than he seemed - she was pretty certain that he was someone in her year, and a Gryffindor too. He also wished them a happy Valentines Day, and she nodded. He still hadn't introduced himself. . . But Evelynn spoke up then, and told the rest of them what seemed to be his last name: Valentine, just like that particular holiday.

Calanthe seemed to have realized that they were all Gryffindors as well, and wondered aloud whether that was how the teams had been set up. With another shrug, Gia glanced back at Galton for some sort of confirmation. He didn't give one, however - he was busy taking the mask Valentine offered and getting chocolate and crumbs all over it's shiny surface. Not able to help herself, a smirk appeared on Gia's lips when she heard the other first year call Galton "the Big G." In response to his question, she shook her head. "Not exactly. He was just about to explain the. . . game that we're supposed to be playing." With a gesture towards Decipio, Calanthe, and herself, Gia added, "None of us know what he's talking about - do you?" Maybe he would, and then they wouldn't have to have someone with their mouth seemingly never empty explain it to them.

After a couple of seconds, however, it became clear to Gia that he most likely didn't know anything about this game they were playing either, and Galton finally started to explain. Or, well, he started to speak. He didn't actually explain until after he'd told Valentine that he'd better be scared for what was coming. And after he'd told them all that the point of the night was very obvious - with a direct look in her and the Quidditch Captain's direction. And after he decided to shoot to his feet and drop even more crubs all over the blanket they were sitting on. Rolling her eyes, Gia waited rather impatiently for him to actually say what was going on. . . something that took much longer than it should've, in her opinion.

Hide and seek? It made no sense for that to be the Valentines Day game. . . but Galton really did seem quite sure about what he was saying, as she had pointed out to Calanthe earlier. With a raised brow, Gia got to her feet as Decipio asked a few more questions. Honestly, the speed dating thing Calanthe had pointed out a while ago made more sense, but. . . "I'm fine with playing too," said the first year, once the other girl had finished speaking. "And ooh, I'll definitely play if there are prizes!" An excited grin appeared on her face as she began searching the area for a good place to hide. If there was anything Gia loved, it was playing some sort of competitive game with prizes. Especially if there were prizes.

────────────────────────── ♫ ──────────────────────────
739 words
I'm very sorry if parts of this don't make any sense. . . I just wanted to get a post up so that we could continue this thread as soon as possible.