closed Atlantis Valentine's Day Cabin

Interacting: @Mathias Pride | @Aamon Athanatos | @Gideon Athanatos @Avis Marlong | @Matthew Campbell | @Bubba McGarry

Outfit: ✿| ✿

Mentioning: @

English | Irish

Winnie had been drinking it all in, allowing herself to lower her guard and stare in awe at the elegant French castle, and then watched as the fish swam smoothly through the water. She was only pulled back to reality by Mathias' touch.

His fingers felt warm against her own, and she allowed their fingers to interlock. She felt her cheeks burn as his lips brushed against her knuckles.

"Oh Mattie..." She sighed, her blue eyes softening affectionately as she gazed up at him. How could she say no to him? He had said something in French and was kissing her hand like a Prince in a fairytale book. Her heart was already melting. "I'll try anything for you."

Suddenly, the romantic moment would end. The air in the cabin seemed to shift as two of their roommates entered, and as Winnie turned to look over at them, she stiffened. The first of the two boys seemed familiar, but a name did not come to mind.

The second, however, was a different story. That face. She recognized that face. It was a specter that had haunted her every waking nightmare during her weeks spent at the psych ward. She somehow knew who he was, without the confirmation from Mathias.

Gideon.

For a split second, fear gripped her throat, threatening to take control and suffocate her.

Then, just as quickly, she smothered it. She could fall apart later, under the cover of darkness after she crawled into Mathias' bed to cling onto him.

Fear was a weakness she could not afford. She could not falter, could not shrink away in fear, she couldn't afford to. Winnie would shut that part of herself out, would stifle it so it did not scream and give her away.

After all, heroes always fought for what was right, regardless of fear. And what she felt was right was that Gideon should suffer every moment of the remainder of his hopefully short, miserable life for what he had done to her.

Was that so much to ask?

Her memory loss was an advantage; still recent enough to make her complete lack of knowledge towards the blonde seem plausible, especially since her sweet fiancé had offered to shape them himself, take away any unpleasantness.

Before she could approach Gideon, she had to turn her horror into something else she could be authentically horrified over, or else he would suspect something was up. She rolled her eyes and released a sigh, her tone bumping up to a whine, "Mattie... Why are they rooming us with such young kids? I thought this was supposed to be a romantic trip." The last sentence was lowered to a more hushed tone, although still loud enough for any of their cabinmates to 'overhear'.

She put a strained looking smile on her face as she approached the brunette and the monster haunting her nightmares, "Hey... I'm Winnie, it's nice to meet you both."

"I am relieved you have made such a swift recovery." She furrowed her brows at his comment, the tilt of her head making her resemble more of a confused dog than a girl barely holding herself together. "Uh... I'm sorry... Do I know you?" She asked, her voice sounding more puzzled than concerned. "Crap, I do know you, don't I? I'm really sorry... I lost my memory after the fall and I'm still waiting for it all to come back to me."

She knew she had to find a way to keep up the act, to shift her attention to make her lack of memory seem legitimate.

As a tiny brunette entered their cabin, she would quickly shift her focus to her. She seemed familiar with the other younger boy and had offered Winnie a smile. The older Ravenclaw would return the gesture, "Hi, I'm Winnie; I love your hair." Should she get a pink streak in hers? She considered it as she walked back over to Mathias to snuggle into his arm.

Her brows raised in amusement as she saw another newcomer stumbling into the cabin, but silently felt bad for him. Gideon would destroy him if given an opportunity. The poor kid in the Canadian tuxedo didn't stand a chance.

She'd offer him a smile regardless, "Hi, Matthew Master of Awkward Introductions, I'm Winnie. Can I call you Mmai for short?" Her eyes flickered down to get a closer look at his footwear; she had noticed the flash of colour when he arrived. "I like your frog jibbitz, they're so cute!"

The Ravenclaw was relieved to see another familiar face as Bubba entered their cabin, her lips curving into a smile. His confusion was amusing; how did he manage to enter an entirely new country without noticing?

"Well, hello to you too, Bubba. I'm doing great, thanks." She joked, poking fun at his lack of an introduction. "Have you been trying to eat quills again? No, that's not normal. Hey, at least you get a free trip to France. You're here for a Valentine's Day event, surprise!"

Gripping Mathias' arm, she'd pull him towards the younger Ravenclaw, "This is Mathias, by the way. He is my fiancé. Mattie, meet Bubba," she smiled widely as she introduced the two, obviously proud of her partner. "We met when he came to visit me in the hospital."

_{Banner by Miss Haven Bohannon}

| Note: Thoughts, Speech, Mother|

This boy is daft.

Nabi walked calmly, she watched Matthew run to the cabin's door like a madman. How can some flimsy-looking ankle bracelets aid mobility? She shook her head and let out a small sigh, listening to him laugh as he ran; she looked out to the area around her until she heard a loud bang. He must have run into the door... Looking at the direction he had run off to, she saw him looking up at another young man. He looks familiar... A small hum escaped her as she tilted her head, unsure of where she must have seen him.

The young boy had a hint of similarity to someone she had met, though he had blonde hair and blue eyes. Without a word, she stepped inside the cabin, glancing around, her gaze scanned the area within the cabin. The place was well decorated, the windows gave way to a lovely view of the coral reefs; the living room had a soft color palette, which she deemed tolerable enough for a week's stay. Not bad, I suppose.

She noticed a boy with red hair standing beside a girl who was entirely adorned in pink, another boy who seemed to have been shaken from his slumber and knew the pink girl, another girl who appeared to be her age was talking to Matthew, the young blonde from earlier stood there to the side as if he were almost sizing Matthew up. At least I know Mr. Campbell...

Then she noticed someone sitting on the couch. Out of all the people in Hogwarts, Aamon shared the same cabin as her. She felt a strange ache as she recalled the events of snog.

Was it...pain?

Nabi's face warmed up slightly as the corners of her mouth turned slightly down, with a deep breath, her stoic expression returned— once again masking the secrets she held deep inside. Her mother's words echoed in her head, as she remained by a corner, she observed the rest greet each other.

Emotions are a sickness— a liability, you do not have.

Mathias had almost convinced him that this trip could be something light, something untouched by the rot creeping into their lives. That the passion they once had when she was truly oblivious could return.

"Mattie... Why are they rooming us with such young kids? I thought this was supposed to be a romantic trip."

Her concern was for what, his kid brother and the weird girl-like thing he was talking to? He frowned a bit. Aamon was going to dampen his fun, but locked doors could result in hours of undisturbed time alone. He could hear Aamon complaining to the little girl. They were after all just kids. I'm sure it will be f-" he started to say when the delusion shattered.

It started with a familiar voice that grated against his soul like nails on a chalkboard.

"I am relieved you have made such a swift recovery."

The words alone might have sounded polite—gracious, even. But Mathias knew better. The voice that spoke them was poison, thick with mockery and the cruel amusement of someone who had watched her break and had done nothing to stop it. No, that was the story Gideon gave the rest of the world. Of the broken girl who broke herself in a moment of desperation. The girl who could not fly but tried anyways. Winnie never jumped, there was no nagging shadow of doubt in him that she had or even considered trying.

Mathias was driving Winnie mad for the very purpose of Gideon's mad claim. Mathias knew she would not make that final step, take the desperate leap. The point was never to drive her to suicide, just to make the world believe it was possible. Another layer of control to ensure if she ever did step out of line, a flock of orderlies would be waiting for her, to subdue and suppress her until she was pliable and complaint.

Winnie was not Gideon's to control, she was his.

The low rumble in his throat could not be helped as Mathias turned sharply, already knowing what he would see.

Gideon Athanatos, not the youngest in their clan but some might have believed otherwise a few months earlier. The Hufflepuff stood just inside the threshold of their shared quarters, his presence curdling the air like spoiled meat. This sourness that spoke of death and neglect. Dressed impeccably, like a foppish royal, his posture relaxed, he could have passed for just another guest with eccentric yet expensive taste. Yet "Giddy" as he often liked to be called might be hard to recognize standing at his full height, no longer slouched. There was over a half-foot of difference from posture alone. Gideon had for years belied his physical maturity in favor of a more diminutive stature and child-like appearance. They really did not resemble one another, it was amazing that they both shared the same pedigree. Even now, Gideon's words were higher-pitched and softer, as if puberty had no hold over him. But Mathias saw the monster beneath the skin, the cracks where something unnatural slithered just beneath the surface.

Winnie stiffened beside him, her fingers curling against her sleeves. She had endured weeks of sterile white walls and quiet, crawling nightmares because of him. She had endured the pains of physical recovery also. And now his younger brother had the audacity to stand there, acting as if he had played no part in it. Damn Gideon, the undeserving bearer of the family name. The mad-dog of the Athanatos clan. Giddy was a beast that needed to be put down, not restrained with a leash or a muzzle.

Mathias was on Giddy in an instant.

“You have some fucking nerve,” Pride snarled, stepping between Gideon and Winnie, his body wound tight, he pulled himself free of any nervous grip Winnie might have maintained. His pale hands flexing at his sides as if he was prepared to use his fists. He wanted to hit Giddy—God, he wanted to break something, just to watch Gideon break and bleed like Winnie had. “You dare stand here and talk about relief? You did this to her.” He accused, caring now who heard or if he sounded mad. What were they going to do, think he was as batty as his girlfriend?

Before Mathias could lunge, before Gideon could continue his mockery, a small figure stumbled back into him.

A younger student, almost thirteen, had apparently misjudged his step, colliding straight into Gideon’s back. Mathias did not know Matthew Campbell, although he might have vaguely recognized the face being that the second year came from the same house, Slytherin. Mathias had really no other reason to know him. He was not a duelling fan, any insufferable wizard could cast spells. The impact of the pre-teen in 'sport mode' was light, insignificant—but for Mathias, it was opportunity.

The second Gideon’s attention and balance wavered, Mathias struck. He wasn’t above taking a cheap shot if it meant something—anything—to wipe that insufferable expression off Gideon’s face. His cane shot out, just subtle enough, catching Gideon’s ankle and sending him further off-balance.

"Uh... I'm sorry... Do I know you?" Winnie's voice uncertain. Without turning his head, Mathias' hazel gaze flickered towards her. Huh? "Crap, I do know you, don't I? I'm really sorry... I lost my memory after the fall and I'm still waiting for it all to come back to me." Liar. He fought to prevent his eyes from widening as she lied to Giddy with such seemingly practiced ease. Does she? Would she? Has she...? He wondered.

Mathias could have almost believed her. After all, there were gaps in her memory—things lost in the haze of trauma and time. But then she greeted another student he did not know who had apparently slept all the way from (assumedly) Hogwarts to France. "Well, hello to you too, Bubba. I'm doing great, thanks." She had called this Bubba fellow by name. Her lie was going to be particularly short-lived, he was slightly relieved by the fact that she was an idiot. "Have you been trying to eat quills again? No, that's not normal. Hey, at least you get a free trip to France. You're here for a Valentine's Day event, surprise!"

Mathias did not want to break away from the swelling altercation. Mathias was pulled towards the younger Ravenclaw, ]"This is Mathias, by the way. He is my fiancé. Mattie, meet Bubba," Mathias did not share her enthusiasm. He looked at the sleepy Ravenclaw with suspicion. "We met when he came to visit me in the hospital."

Silence.

Mathias swore under his breath. What was this 'stranger' doing visiting her in the hospital? He had just watched her bold-faced lie once.

This was going to be a very, very long week.

Mathias was quick but his attempt was expected. His cane even hit the mark but Gideon did not fall.

Oh, he wavered, the sudden force of Mathias’ cane knocking against the back of his knee with just enough weight make his knee buckle and to send him off-balance. But Gideon was able to compensate, the attack was just enough to force his frame to shift, his body to pitch—

But not fall.

Instead, Gideon let the momentum carry him, his weight tilting just so. Seamlessly adjusting.

Gideon had expected some ill-considered impulse. The more others reacted, the easier it was for him to counter their hastily made plans.

His recovery was too smooth, too graceful, like a dancer performing a move they had rehearsed a thousand times. He turned his head slightly, as if only now noticing the Slytherin boy who had stumbled into him, the one whose misstep had gifted Mathias his opening. Matthew Campbell, a second-year Slytherin that he had not acquainted himself with yet. He liked the young ones, impressionable, foolish and unjustifiably arrogant.

He could feel Mathias’ frustration in the air, heavy and pulsing, like the heat of an open flame licking at his skin. He liked it.

Gideon turned back to him, and then—

He laughed.

Soft, melodic, mocking.

"Oh, Mattie," he took on Winnie's little pet name for him. Giddy's voice was honeyed with amusement, as if Mathias’ outburst had been nothing more than a childish tantrum. "It’s been mere moments, and you’re already losing your temper? I must say, you’re setting a rather tone for our trip." He scolded with a cheeky grin with his lips parted just enough to show some of his teeth.

He tilted his head, his blue eyes gleaming like the edge of a knife.

"And here I was, trying to be civil."

Mathias bristled, his knuckles white at his sides, and Gideon could taste the anger radiating from him. The way it curled inside his ribs, wrapped around his heart. Everything in him was coiled so tight, ready to snap.

Delicious.

But then—Winnie Harper, Mathias Pride's mentally ill bride-to-be. It was a pauper to princess tale intended to end tragically. A cautionary tale of what happens when someone reaches out of the caste.

"Uh… I’m sorry… do I know you?"

Her voice was hesitant, uncertain.

And for a moment—a single, piercing moment—Gideon’s smile did not falter, but something in his expression shifted.

The way she held herself, the way she curled her fingers into her sleeves, the way she spoke—hesitation, distance, a careful, calculated attempt to sever ties before he could tighten them again.

Had she truly forgotten or was she was lying.

She was lying and Gideon was uncertain for the briefest of moments. No, there was no way he internally debated. Mathias harbored enough resentment for his entire bloodline to speak up. But Winnie was no scholar even in her brightest of states, despite being placed in Ravenclaw of all houses and before Mathias casually dosed her with forgetfulness potion for years. The mental debate raged on as he countered yet again, even if Winnie had forgotten him, Mathias would have given her a lesson. He would have warned her, right? He was not that stupid was he? Again. his mind whirred with further compromises. He was dumb enough as to pull at the threads, not once but twice... or was it thrice? To what, lorde over some small minded common wizard? The pettiness of it all. The impulsiveness. The selfishness of it. Sounded like Mattie, he silently concluded.

She was lying however, and Mathias knew it.

Gideon suspected.

And yet, she dared.

She dared.

Gideon would glance over at Mathias. Watch for those subtle changes that nobody notices. Most know to not say anything. To control their expression, that furrowed brow or the curve of their mouth. But few bothered to cover their eyes, Pride should have invested in sunglasses to shade his trepidation and shock. He should have hid his hands in his pocket for when they twitched and his hands that were no longer fists grew distracted by her audacious lie. Because it was oh so amusing to watch his dear older brother struggle with the realization that his fair bride to be was more like him than he wished.

To watch Mathias wrestle with the seed of doubt now planted in his mind, to wonder if she was lying to all of them. If the girl he had been so desperate to hold onto was already slipping away from him. If she had been for years. Now that he was disarmed of his favorite weapon, all that remained was psychological warfare and perhaps his psychic cannon was far less useful than he had come to believe.

So Gideon turned slightly, catching the way Mathias’ fury curled into something else, something sharper, something distrustful.

And he tucked that observation away. For later.

For now, Gideon let his gaze settle back on Winnie Harper, the alleged victim in all of this. As one might expect of the girl, she was dressed in pink like a caricature of some romantic fairytale. She really did try too hard. Was this was people without personality or means do to pretend to be unique? He wondered. Not that he cared enough for it to matter because regardless of the intentions, this ruse had tethered Mathias' affections towards her. Because Mathias' stupidity had undermined his family's grip on power over this alleged persona. Because father wanted to ensure that all things were in order so that she could not interfere again.

Gideon's smile widened ever so slightly. He did not mind cleaning up his big brother's messes. He liked to play stupid games like this because he always won. "You don’t remember me?" He echoed, his voice soft, almost wounded, like a boy whose beloved childhood pet had forgotten him. He took a step forward, slow, deliberate. At his actual height, Winnie looked terribly small, fragile even. He glanced at her slender arm. It would not take much to... He let that intrusive thought linger a moment. "Now that’s truly tragic. I had such… fond memories of our last conversation. And the many we had before." They had only spoken a few times in truth, Mathias had always been careful to keep her from him and him from her. Eventually their paths would cross and they did, but she did not need to know that. Let her wonder how much her dear fiance has withheld from her.

Winnie did not ask his name. How they knew one another. Rather, she would immediately turn her attention to the other cabinmates. She was seeking a distraction, an escape without completing her conversation with him. He wondered how practiced a liar she actually was. The "oh look a niffler" tactic does not work on neurotypicals. Winnie's attention was now on the frog jibbitz belonging to Matthew Campbell. She sure did like frogs. Then to Bubba, who she greeted by name. Well, she did not forget everyone it seems.

"But no matter," Gideon continued smoothly while she engaged anyone and everyone else in the room in a desperate bid for distraction. While the alleged amnesiac failed to inquire who Giddy was, or how they knew one another. Far from desperate to recover those 'lost' memories now, he mentally noted with quiet sarcasm. Still, he would not linger on the moment, he would break her again later just for fun.

He too moved on as if her lie hadn’t been worth more than a passing remark, peering over at Mathias who was still seething. She made a quick 'save' introducing Mathias to Bubba, the apparent stranger has 'met' her in the hospital and was now sharing their cabin. What a coincidence. "Memories are such fragile little things, aren’t they? Here one moment, gone the next. How fortunate dear Winnie has you, her dear boyfriend... of how many years is it again? To remind her of everything she has lost. You would never take advantage of such vulnerability now would you." Did he even remember how long they had been together? Probably not, it was a sham of a relationship from its inception but they both seemed pretty dedicated to the shallow farce so many years later.

Just a heartbeat, his smile sharpened into something else.

Something taunting.

Mathias' hobbies were an open secret in the Athanatos household. Something Pride was proud of in fact. How he had manipulated a young, noticeable muggle-like girl into not just loving him, but adoring him. His brags would quickly become somewhat perverse as one might imagine when a young man gets a girl so wrapped around his finger. Even if she had not forgotten, he wondered how much she actually knew.

The smile hinted at something dangerous.

Mathias wanted to rip him apart and Gideon knew it. He thrived on it.

But this wasn’t his move to make. Not yet.

For now, Giddy had planted enough seeds.

Mathias had tried to knock him down, to strip him of power, but all he had done was reveal his own weaknesses.

Winnie was lying.

Mathias knew it.

And Gideon had every intention of watching exactly how that would unravel.

"Well," he hummed, stepping back, brushing invisible dust from the cuff of his coat. "This has been positively riveting. But I suppose I should leave you two to your—" he glanced at Bubba with mild amusement, "—newfound company."

Then, a pause.

And, as an afterthought, almost too casual—

"Oh, Winnie, dear?"

His voice dipped, silk-soft, pleasant, but loaded.

"Do be careful. The mind is a delicate thing. One moment, you’re forgetting names…" He smiled, "what's next?"

A beat.

"You start losing yourself entirely."

And with that, he turned, stepping lightly toward the door, his hands tucked neatly behind his back. He had already won this round. Now, he simply had to wait. Because nothing unraveled faster than a lie between lovers.

"You there," he was speaking to Matthew Campbell. "Let's check out the rest of this place and take dibs on the best beds," he suggested with a young innocence that belied his true intentions. In truth, the preteen was an unknown face and he was more interested in what tie he had to the rest of the cabin. While some might claim that cabin groups were truly random, the Hufflepuff knew better. There was always something tying everyone to the party and Gideon did not like being left out in the cold.

Gideon would grab his trunk, it was of considerable size and heft for a single week but the pureblood was not one to travel light. "My father refuses to let us buy crocs," he admitted as he glanced downward at Matthew's sinful footwear. "They look 'cool'" he claimed.

Aamon slumped further into the couch, watching the extravagant underwater view outside the window with the same level of enthusiasm as one might watch a slow-motion train wreck. This was it. This was his fate. A tropical prison of love and family dysfunction.

Aamon knew that this trip would not be the smooth snogging session that Colin thought it might be. He even knew he was bunking with his brothers and what that could mean: disaster. But his mind ignored it. Ignored the warning signs and fed himself this delusion that Beauxbatons would be a distraction, a reprieve from the mess back home. The mess he had in part made himself, drunk, poisoned and stupid irregardless of the substances he had imbibed in.

He was stuck in this enchanted fishbowl of suffering with both of his brothers, and now he was questioning everything. At least there were a couple of girls in here, he silently self-soothed. It wont be that bad.

Avis’ words reached him, but they barely registered. Ignore Valentine’s Day? Ignore it? That was like saying, Oh, just ignore the fact that you’re in the middle of an active battlefield, Aamon. Just pretend the cannons aren’t firing. They even held a snogging class in the dungeons!

It was easy for her to say. She did not know that she had just walked into a family landmine.

“It’s like this place looking like some sort of page from a fairytale and-and this room that looks like something out of a kid's book was all made so that we would be lured into a false sense of security, only to be ambushed at the last second,” he used the word 'we' when he said it. Avis understood the weirdness of his situation better than most. That while he was twitchy, he was not mad. He rubbed his temples as if the motion might somehow physically remove him from the situation.

"Should I be worried?" he muttered, half to himself, half to Avis, who at least pretended to care about his survival.

Avis was at least trying to comfort him, but she didn’t exactly sound convinced. “I… I don’t know.”

Great. Just great.

Aamon groaned dramatically and let his head fall back against the couch, staring at the ornate ceiling of their shared cabin. “This is going to be the worst trip of our life,” he declared. Because of course it would be. Because the universe clearly had a personal grudge against him. And Avis was in this too somehow. She had this uncanny knack for getting wrapped up in whatever disaster Aamon had stumbled into.

And then—boom.

A human tornado blasted through the door, colliding with Gideon. Aamon flinched, halfway prepared to throw himself behind a couch for cover before realizing it was just some random Crocs-wearing menace.

A blur of chaos shot backwards into Gideon. His Gideon.

Was this what Beauxbatons was like? Just French and chaos? Actually... that kind of checked out.

He barely processed the comment about sports mode (what even was that?), too busy second-guessing his entire existence.

Aamon blinked as the Croc-Wearer stumbled through his introduction, bringing a new and completely unpredictable kind of mayhem into the room. He knew Matthew from a single exchange in the boys dorms. Matthew Campbell was the host of the Slytherin Night of Guys, or S.N.O.G. as they called it. The evening went... well, it went. (As it is ongoing I wont go into detail.) Aamon was drunk and poisoned, hallucinating and ended up kissing and probably puking. Matthew was not a good influence he reminded himself. This was going to go real bad this week wasn't it.

And then Avis spoke up again, laser-focused on the Crocs.

"Sports mode? Do you really walk around all day in sports mode?"

Aamon turned his head slowly to look at her.

He squinted.

“Wait. There’s different modes?”

But before he could even begin to process whatever that meant, his attention was yanked elsewhere—by a new arrival.

Nabi.

Nabi, who was here.

Nabi, who was in his cabin.

Nabi, who he had definitely kissed not that long ago.

…Oh.

Oh no.

Aamon sat up straighter, suddenly feeling like he’d just been caught doing something bad, even though he wasn’t sure what he’d done wrong. He instinctively went to straighten his robe, only to realize he wasn’t wearing one. Instead, he settled for smoothing his hands down his shirt.

He had not seen Nabi since—since the kiss.

Their kiss.

Which had been a perfectly normal, innocent, fun, game-related kiss that did not mean anything deeper, no sir, definitely not. He did not immediately ask another girl in the game is she wanted a kiss as well. No, no sir he definitely did not.

And now she was standing there, all composed and and tall. Why was she so tall? And—oh no, she was looking at him.

Oh no, oh no, oh no, was she mad?

His heart did a weird little lurch in his chest. She looks really pretty today. That was a thought he had. Avis ws pretty too. He was a teenage boy; he couldn’t not have that thought.

Her expression was perfectly neutral, but Aamon knew. He felt it. He had awakened something in that game of Spin the Bottle that he was wholly unprepared to deal with.

And yet, despite all the warning bells in his head, his first thought was still:

"Wait, does this mean I can get another kiss?"

Because, at the end of the day, Aamon Athanatos was not a smart man.

His brain was screaming at him to read the room, to say something intelligent, to not be an idiot—

He should say something. He should say hi.

"Oh, uh—hey, Nabi!"

Idiot.

But then her face changed.

For a fraction of a second, her expression wavered.

And then—it was gone.

Back to that perfectly calm, unreadable mask.

And then, because his mouth had already betrayed him, he made it worse.

"You look—uh—not mad!"

What does that even mean, Aamon?

It was probably fine.

It was probably fine.

Right?

…Right?

He suddenly wasn’t so sure.

Nabi stayed near the corner, saying nothing, just watching.

Aamon found himself fidgeting. He rubbed at the back of his neck, then ran a hand through his hair. He could feel the energy in the room shifting—like something was building, like something was about to happen.

His family was here.

Nabi was here.

Matthew Campbell was here.

And Winnie Harper, her previous suicide attempt or murder attempt had failed. That was good at least

The last time he’d seen her, she had been a crumpled heap at the base of the Owlery.

Now she was… standing. Whole. Moving. Right next to Mathias who was still walking with that silly cane, his leg was never going to fully heal the healer claimed.

Still, for a moment, he felt genuine relief when he added Avis to the mix. She was a calming presence. She thought critically. Would probably not get him killed.

Then—the implications hit him like a bludger to the gut. The niffler tactic temporarily worked on him. he was briefly distracted, overstimulated perhaps by the advent of the other familiar arrivals.

Oh, Merlin.

If Winnie was here, and Mathias was here, and Gideon was here—

Aamon swallowed hard.

He knew what had happened.

And worse—Mathias knew what had happened.

Their father had been livid. The tension back home had been palpable after New Year’s. And now all three of them were crammed together in one shared space?

He had never been so sure that something was going to go horribly wrong.

Aamon exhaled, running both hands down his face.

This trip was going to kill them.

Date: February 12th 2025

Matthew didn't know whether to be terrified or impressed that the blonde boy didn't even take a second to coordinate himself with all the elegance of a ballet master, the grace he showed speaking to his poise and speed. The feeling only worsened as the boy's attention immediately ignored him clearly dismissing his presence as nothing of importance, not even an annoyance simply irrelevant. Whatever, Matthew was beyond used to it by now but as the boy replied to the pink girl who didn't seem to recognise him, he couldn't help but feel a certain shiver of uncomfortable chill break through his calming presence. Oblivious to their history Matthew shrugged it off but something about the wounded way the boy spoke seemed almost treacherous. God when had Matthew become so conspiratorial he knew virtually nothing about this boy and was already forming outlandish judgements, he was becoming no better than the purists and he was sick of it.

Fortunately the caged prison of his mind wouldn't hold him for too long as a young voice called out to him stealing his attention and dismissing the spiral he was beginning to find him on. The boy desperately needed to get his emotions back in check. Spinning to find the small form of a girl with vibrant blue streaks in her hair, "Sports mode? Do you really walk around all day in sports mode?" The comment took him completely by surprise, usually he had to explain what a croc was let alone their functions. Clearly the girl had a least some muggle parentage and he was all the more happier for it particularly when he caught sight of the boy next to her. Aamon Athanatos sat there observing Matthew with a less than pleased expression that brought a well of shame to his stomach drowning his spirits where he stood. For a second during S.N.O.G it really felt like the pair could have become friends but as soon as the spiking had come to light the betrayal etched so deeply into his skin. (assumed reaction from SNOG) There wasn't a doubt in Matthew's mind that the young snake likely felt betrayed by him and he couldn't do anything to prove his innocence.

Sending over an awkwardly formal hello to Aamon that he received in response he returned his gaze to the blue haired girl desperate for an escape. "Hey you know crocs! I don't keep them all the time just when I'm running to stop me falling and as you just witnessed it worked!" Turning slightly towards the door as he spoke to remove Aamon from his peripheral allowing his pulse to slowly stabilise. Only as he did so he caught eyes with Nabi who had just entered the room flitting his eyes towards where he sat in a silent warning of the boys presence. Matthew wasn't sure what had happened with Nabi at the event having lost control of the event but when they had spoken about it the following week she clearly harboured great resentment towards it. When her eyes finally fell on the boy there seemed to be a flash of pain or hurt that he couldn't quite place before it was masked behind the harsh exterior she wore like armour.

Sneak attacked once again he heard a gentle melodic voice introduce herself to him breaking his mental concentration again, it seemed his mind was eager to remain untethered to the physical world today. So slipping his mother's ring off his finger he held it tight in his hand squeezing it just intensely enough into his palm to keep him anchored. The girls introduction made him forget about the complexities going on in the room for a second as unlike the rest of the room she seemed warm and caring, "Hi, Matthew Master of Awkward Introductions, I'm Winnie. Can I call you Mmai for short? I like your frog jibbitz, they're so cute!" It was futile to resist the grin that played on his face as the older girl complimented his jibbitz, his face turning a soft rosy with the soft embarrassment like when your grandma complimented your wardrobe. Given that his preferred style was a grandpa jumper he rather thought a grandmother would love his wardrobe but he had never had one to ask. Matthew also loved frogs more than people most days so he found himself ecstatically replying breaking the tension in the room with his momentary positivity, "Hi Winnie, it's nice to meet you Matt would do but Mmai rather suits me I think. Thanks, you know crocs too! Frogs are one of my favourite animals." There was a high possibility that the girl didn't really care and was simply being polite but Matthew was urgently trying to commit to the non-judgmental lifestyle so he chose to trust her bright disposition as truth.

Just then another entered the room looking very sleepy and clearly disoriented as to what was going on but Matthew's ears were pricked by a different conversation as Aamon began to speak to Nabi an awkwardness to his voice. The emotion didn't betray much however as almost every sentence Aamon had spoken to the boy during S.N.O.G had been wracked with similar nerves. Having to physically resist face palming as he told her that she didn't look mad Matthew resolved that the poisoning was not his fault, not that that was ever of question to himself, for Aamon clearly had a death wish from the beginning. Making his way to Nabi's side as the blonde boy's voice broke out once more dipped in smooth sweetness to revive his conversation with Winnie. Whatever was happening between the older group was clearly complicated and weird but what was new at Hogwarts really, average Wednesday if you asked him. When he met the girl's side he offered a small shoulder nudge whispering "You ok?" in a reaffirming way letting the wave of calm flow around him in attempt to release some of the weight she was holding. Matthew was beginning to get rather good at conjuring the aura to his friends aid and he always felt a lightness in himself as he did.

Vision moving back towards Aamon he watched as the boy exhaled deeply as if every burden of life was collapsed upon him and ran his hands through his face. Thus came a moral quandary. Matthew could easily extend his gift towards the boy and ease his suffering ever so slightly that was never a question but one still did remain, did he deserve it? Aamon had been a purist bigot, then a friend and then someone who refused to trust Matthew when he promised it hadn't been his fault. Now he was simply one of the masses of Slytherin who viewed him as some kind of sadistic poisoner. If Aamon had actually ever been a friend he would have believed his word so clearly they never had been and yet when someone was suffering did he not have a duty to help, that's what she would have done. It was unjust to bastardise her gift in this way so he stepped closer welcoming him into the calming presence he presented and was just about to ask if the boy was ok when he found a commanding hand pointed his way.

"You there, let's check out the rest of this place and take dibs on the best beds," The blonde boy's voice was so soft and filled with youth that Matthew was taken aback once more. Assuming the boy had decided him unworthy for interaction it was a whiplash change of pace that made the boys heart leap in confusion, but the suggestion left no room for objection so with a pained guilt he turned away from Aamon and strode towards the boy who was now hauling an unnecessarily large trunk that could've housed a small horse. It contrasted so blatantly from the small camping backpack he had brought but perhaps the pretty boy was simply a fashion enthusiast or maybe he had brought some kind of specific homework that required his attention while away. Matthew was resolved to reserve judgement even if his internal monologue didn't get the notice. "My father refuses to let us buy crocs, they look 'cool'" Despite the somewhat unnerving presence of the boy Matthew was utterly enchanted by the compliment particularly given Nabi's reaction had left him with the expectation he was going to be bullied all week.

"Thanks man! That's a shame my dad bought mine for me for Christmas, we have matching ones though his are black, maybe your dad would be convinced if he saw how great they are. Also sorry I never actually caught your name." The boys face was a picture of hopeful pleasance, longing more than anything for this trip to provide him with some new friendships. Any progress he had made with Slytherin had instantly been abolished except for the strange few who were proud of him for his gumption to poison an event to which he informed them every time that he had not. This holiday was supposed to be a relief from all of that but all it would take was one word from Aamon and everyone would be straying clear like he had the plague. With that in mind he might as well enjoy it for now. Entering the bedrooms he was awe struck by the underwater features and the large boat hull ceilings, it seemed that Beauxbatons was really going all out. Unsure his judgement on what constituted as the best would be up to par he deferred to the well mannered blonde as he surveyed each space and finally settled on his judgement. Matt's heart fluttered a little with the notion that he had been chosen first by the boy, that fluttery feeling in his stomach running through ever fibre of his body with the approval.

When they finally settled on the best room that had a large adornment of seashells and fossilised ammonites dangling from the ceiling with white chords he slung his backpack onto the bed and unable to leave a silence for so long began to ramble, "So what made you want to come to the valentine's event, the free trip to France or do you have someone in particular you're hear for?" He felt himself blush a little harder at the prying question, it was a little more intrusive than he had meant to but his mind just asked the first thing it thought of. It had been a problem he had his entire life and had never served him well once. At this rate he was destined to remain friendless for life, dreams of the perfect getaway dying before they even managed to gain traction.

Interacting with @Nabi Park, @Gideon Athanatos, @Winnie Harper, @Avis Marlong
Mentioning @Nabi Park

_{Banner by Miss Haven Bohannon}

| Note: Thoughts, Speech, Aamon, Matthew |

Father always said, "If looks could kill, we would already be six feet under".

Nabi mostly heard the saying whenever he spoke about her mother's ability to see any person's flaws under her sustained gaze; a trait her mother had passed on to her. The sharpness in her gray eyes was a beautiful trait— yes— but it was also as if looking into a blurred reflection.

A mist that held its secrets— secrets she held close.

"You look—uh—not mad!" Perhaps Aamon would be the first to have an early grave.

Nabi's eyes flickered to him momentarily, her eyes narrowed slightly, How dull can he be? Suddenly, she felt a nudge on her shoulder followed by a whisper from Mattew, "You ok?"

Was she ok? No. Hidden in the fog, emotions were hiding— stirring. Monsters are said to be frightening, but what is more dangerous than losing control over one's emotions? A faint flutter of the heart should not have such an impact on her.

Aamon was a liability to her.

A bane to her ever-so-perfect demeanor. An exception to her usual expressionless mask.

Yet she gave Matthew a slight nod in response, her voice low as if she were whispering back to him, "Yes. I am fine, Mr. Campbell...thank you"

Nabi's expression was blank, watching Matthew make his way towards Aamon, only to be called over by the boy he had bumped into when they had first arrived, not too long ago. Finally, she stepped out from the corner where she had stood; I need to get out of here...

Her eyes landed on the girl she had assumed was her age, the blue streak of hair caught Nabi's attention. Her steps were calm and deliberate— silenced by the carpet beneath, she walked past Aamon and stood in front of the girl. With a slight head tilt, she said blankly, "If I may ask miss... what is it that you have done to your hair?"

What an unusual hair color...

This was quite the motley crew that Bubba was going to be stuck with for the next week. He wished he knew what asshole had stuck his name in whatever hat, pot, whatever had spat him out into this fresh hell. A weekend of romance, well whoop dee doo, with who? Winnie was nice but he'd already known she had a fiance after she accused her of being his when he saw her in the hospital. Isn't fifteen young for a fiance? It was just weird to him and regardless of his opinion, no romance there. The only other girls there were far too young for romance - he was not interested in that sort of ick. There was the boy who was bad at introductions but Bubba wasn't interested in boys. Then there were... the other three boys. Bubba had seen them around Hogwarts but didn't know them. He couldn't be certain but they looked to be related. They also had - and even in his head, he was trying to come up with something nicer but couldn't - a certain Hitler youth-type quality to them. Winnie and her fiance appeared to be a prime example of what his mother called cute girl with a loser syndrome. Bubba just couldn't see them being friends.

The three boys were definitely the source of the weird vibes in the room. The one with Winnie looked like he was on the verge of beating the leather out of the blonde one, and Winnie looked absolutely terrified of him for a second before it left her face. He privately agreed with her about the lack of enthusiasm about being around a bunch of children all weekend. Romantic indeed.

And then Winnie decided to exchange some barbs with him. He forced a chuckle at the mention of the quill incident from their last meeting, but it was more polite than anything, "Well, my doctor told me they were just empty calories so I've given them up," he replied as he silently wished for a topic change. He didn't need to be embarrassed in front of a bunch of people he'd never met.

His desired topic change came around immediately and he was just - so thrilled - to learn of this impending ordeal. He hadn't done anything romantic since he and Sam had split and he would've liked to have been able to choose to get back into it as opposed to this. "So what you're saying," he began sarcastically and pretending to check his notepad, "Is that I won a romantic trip to France with you and six of my closest perfect strangers. Excellent."

And then she introduced her fiance - Mattie - who Bubba just knew he wasn't going to like but would try to for his friend. "Oh, it was nothing," he said of the hospital visit, "The least I could do for a friend," before turning to Matthias and offering his hand, "Nice to meet you."

Interacting: @Winnie Harper | @Mathias Pride | @Aamon Athanatos | @Nabi Park | @Avis Marlong | @Matthew Campbell | @Gideon Athanatos
Mentioning: @N/A

Interacting: @Mathias Pride | @Bubba McGarry | @Gideon Athanatos |

Outfit: ✿| ✿

Mentioning: @

English | Irish

Winnie's time spent in the hospital had killed part of her, but Mathias had helped dig the grave; his constant stripping of her memories had left fractures too deep for her brain to properly mend. He might have seen some old part of her start to resurface, echoes of who she was before, when she had still been whole. The emotion driven obsessive nature that tended to consume her every thought. Like how her confused and angry feelings towards him had caused her to pen several hate poems during their first year, how she had still went to meet him by the waterside for a 'date', despite everything. Any self-preservation Winnie possessed was clouded by that relentless need to fixate.

Her final memory loss had been her brain's last desperate act of self-defense, a way to protect her from the trauma of her fall. The issue was that her repeated lapses in memory had already created shards of her former self, and as she sat trapped behind the sterile walls of the mental ward her brain tried to fit those pieces together and found that it could not.

So it had forced them to fit instead, but the cracks—those damn cracks—didn’t always stay hidden.

The way Mathias charged at his brother almost made the Ravenclaw drop the act there and then, and for the briefest of moments there was a flicker of fear that crossed her features as her heart jumped in her throat.

"Mattie!" This was a strange role reversal, not that Winnie would remember but it was usually her charging head first in a fit of emotions. She reached out to grab her fiancé's wrist after he'd tried to side swipe the boy with his cane like an angry Grandpa chasing kids off his lawn.

As she stared up at him, her eyes softened, her fingers giving his hand a soft squeeze in an attempt to calm him down. They couldn't lose control, not here. Percival had warned her Mathias was dangerous, but right now she needed that part of him to fight for her, to calculate, make decisions and guide her.

She wanted to go home. The thought flared up, but she pushed it aside, told herself she could do it.

She shifted gears, trying not to let the moment linger. "No, I'm sorry to say, though I guess you and Mathias know each other." It was an obvious observation, one that anyone in the room could make. "If we were close why didn't you come visit me in the hospital? I was only visited by Mathias, Percival, Bubba, and Taylor."

She didn't stay long because she could not stifle her fear of the blonde monster forever. If Gideon believed her that would be great, but she wasn't a practiced liar and knew it was unlikely. It was fine if he suspected her; she only really needed to plant a seed of doubt in his mind to give her enough time to talk with Mathias and figure out their next move. It had been Mathias who had given her the idea to act clueless after he had told her about Gideon hiding behind a facade of innocence.

'Mmai' was a rather adorable kid. It was too bad he was stuck in a cabin with them. "I think I'll stick to Matthew. This guy here is already 'Matt' so that might get confusing." She nudged her fiancé.

Bubba was a welcome distraction, even if Mathias didn't bother to offer a hand or say... Really anything. It was just another moment that Gideon had ruined. She gave his hand a squeeze as if it would wring a reaction out of him. Don't let them see.

Never one to pick up on a social cue, the Ravenclaw giggled at his comment, "Bubba, I had no idea you were watching your boyish figure." She leaned closer, her voice lowering as she tried to play her part, "Um, you mean you won a romantic trip with me and your new best friends." Not Gideon.

Her heart hammered against her chest, her mind unwilling to let the focus on the monster go. The cracks would show if her body betrayed her. They couldn't see, couldn't see how incomplete she was, how the palms of her hands were coated with a nervous sweat. If they knew they would send her back, she could not go back. She couldn't go—.

No. She was spiraling. She had to cover the cracks; she smiled up at the younger Ravenclaw. "If you're not enjoying yourself I'm sure I can find a nice quiet corner for you to set up your phonograph and brood for a while—"

"Oh, Winnie, dear?" A chill ran up her spine upon hearing Gideon's voice again, those fake honeyed words would haunt her later. She had foolishly believed she'd lost him in the heat of conversation, but he was lingering like a bad odour.

She wanted to go home. Not now. Not in front of him.

"Do be careful. The mind is a delicate thing. One moment, you’re forgetting names… what's next?" She didn't know. Car keys? Your own name?

"You start losing yourself entirely." Oh. Was that it? Winnie probably should have found the blonde's words unsettling or should have given him a dismissive response, but a smile curved onto her lips instead, much to her own horror, "You say that like its a bad thing—like a butterfly would ever wish to to crawl back into its chrysalis."

Her smile fell as soon as Gideon exited the room with the boy named Matthew, as if someone had flicked a light switch. The smile left behind a hollow expression in its wake. Instinctively, she reached out to draw Mathias closer, her legs feeling shaky as she pressed her face against his arm, "I want to go home." She finally whispered out loud.

Avis felt a small surge of enjoyment as Winnie complimented her hair. Avis adored the blue streak in her hair—bold, defiant, hers. It matched her simple tunic and black leggings, sure, but more importantly, it was the one touch of rebellion she allowed herself. It was a simple touch, the only hint of fashion that Avis really ever had, and yet it whispered commitment and self-reliance. That was one choice in her life that Avis had never regretted, and she loved it when others noticed. She grinned brightly, "Thanks!"

"I lost my memory after the fall and I'm still waiting for it all to come back to me." Winnie had fallen? Had Mathias as well? Was that why he still had a cane? Avis took an educated guess that he wasn't just using it for an accessory, that would be much too much of a weakness for him to use without absolutely needing it. She looked questioningly at Winnie, her mouth paused in an unasked question.

Mathias snarled, clearly a bit annoyed with his brother. “You dare stand here and talk about relief? You did this to her.” Did what now? Avis returned her gaze to Winnie. She seemed fine. As pink as usual, if not more. She thought back to what Winnie had said moments earlier, it seemed Mathias was blaming his brother for the fall. Avis pursed her lips momentarily. That seemed...a bit of a stretch. Mathias, however, clearly disagreed, striking his brother with his cane. Oh. Well. That was another reason to have the cane. His brother didn’t even flinch, just shifted his weight as if it were nothing more than a nudge. That wasn't normal. Nothing here was.

She played along with Matthew’s game of pretending this was just a normal cabin, ignoring the fact that Mathias looked one wrong word away from breaking his brother in two. Matthew, who seemed to be looking at her as sideways as possible, to keep Aamon out of his view. That was odd, but Avis' was already overloaded with connections wand wasn't ready to figure out that relationship. "I don't keep them all the time just when I'm running to stop me falling and as you just witnessed it worked!" Avis smirked, tilting her head slightly—just enough to show she was teasing. "I would say it was the fact that you ran into a person that kept you up, not the strip of plastic across the crocs."

He probably wouldn't have fallen even if he hadn't run into the Athanatos. Gideon absolutely towered over Matthew. Avis wasn't a great judge of height, but she was pretty sure he had been shorter the last time she had seen him. But it had been dark then, and she was...not at her sharpest.

Into the cabin slipped another young student, one with the same dark formal fashion as the Athanatos'. She thankfully didn't seem to be an Athanatos, unless she were another cousin or half-sibling, but the way she held herself, slipping to the corner stoically, didn't seem to fit the pattern.

Avis opened her mouth to confront the quiet arrival when, "Oh, uh—hey, Nabi!" Aamon was stuttering over his words. Aamon was stuttering over his words. Aamon, who could speak normally when talking about how the entire world was trying to kill him, was stuttering over a girl. She must either really scare him or...oh. Did Aamon...? Did Aamon, who was absolutely terrified of Valentine's Day, have a crush? Avis barely suppressed a grin she looked between the two, and if she weren't as mature as she was, would have started ohhing.

"You look—uh—not mad!" Avis had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing, her shoulders shaking as she watched the show. It was fun to see Aamon act like a normal kid, no matter how embarrassed, and if he were normal, he would soon have endless teasing coming his way. As it was, though, Aamon was not a normal kid, and Avis had a feeling he would snap like brittle at the first tease. Best not to go there. Even teasing had its limits. From the look that the formally dressed girl gave him, it seemed that she had the same-ish idea. Not to venture there.

But then the girl made her way over to Avis, "If I may ask miss... what is it that you have done to your hair?" Was this girl such a pureblood that she had never seen someone dye their hair before? "Um, I dyed it...blue. She cast an exasperated glance at Matthew, a "we muggle-borns have to stick together" look. Whether he was muggle-born was irrelevant, his Crocs made him an honorary member.

Honorary, as if muggle-born was a thing to be proud of and not a source of scorn among purebloods.

This room was a powder keg, and Avis wasn’t sure which fuse would burn out first—or if all three boys would make it out in one piece. The whole family was a little bit...extreme. One wrong move, one wrong word, and this place was going to explode. And Avis didn't even know about the murder attempt. Her stomach twisted she cast a concerned glance at Aamon. He - and by sheer empathy her as well - needed to be on high alert for the whole room's safety and sanity this week.

But, glancing back towards the room, she followed the temptation, pretending it was just a light field trip, pretending there was no depressing weight pulling down the room. Thankfully, Matthew and Gideon seemed to leaving the conversation for their own, which would hopefully calm Mathias, who was still standing tense as a high wire.

Interacting: @Winnie Harper, @Matthew Cambell, @Nabi Park,