Oktoberfest Butterbeer Tasting Finished

The Tasting Tent

Amanda entered the fairgrounds, eyes bright. She was extremely excited for the Oktoberfest and there was no better way to kick off the festivities with butterbeer. She glanced around, looking for a familiar face, but none of her friends were present. Amanda spotted El coasting through on a pumpkin and waved, grinning at the Charms professor’s antics. She absolutely adored El and viewed her as a role model.

She approached the tent. Her eyes widened when she noticed all of the kinds of butterbeer. Wow, I had no idea that there were this many different kinds of butterbeer! She browsed her options and turned to the professor who was running the tent. “Hello, Professor. May I try the, um, sarsaparilla one please?” Amanda asked politely, stumbling slightly over the name of the butterbeer.

Amanda then noticed that El was also at the butterbeer tent. “Hey El! How are you doing?” Amanda grinned and twirled a strand of hair around her finger. It was becoming her new habit to do that. It wasn’t necessarily a bad habit; it was just maybe one that could grow annoying later on. But she had decided that she could deal with it then if it ever came to that.

The Mixing Tent

Now that the summer was well and truly ended, warm evenings finally gave way to the briskness of fall, sunglasses into scarves, and T-shirt into woolly jumpers. Several months in, and Arthur still wasn't used to wearing their robes all the time. As soon as it wasn't required for class, he was back in normal home clothes as fast as possible. Heading over to the fairgrounds, he caught sight of the Butterbeer Tasting tent immediately, but it was the one beside it that really caught his attention.

Though he was curious to try the different types, the mad scientist in him was immediately drawn to the idea of mixing up his own creation. Waving at the girl who already inside, he sat down and took a look at the ingredients. What a weird selection... He thought. Everything from Onion to Anise to Chocolate. With no real recipe in mind, he started grabbing ingredients he thought would taste good together. Ultimately going for a kind of bacon salted caramel kind of feel, like you could get at a chocolate shop.

Adding a handful of caramel and bacon, he put in a spoonful of toffee and maple to smooth out the sweet flavor, then just a dash of African sea salt, to bring the whole thing together.

Moderator Effects and Roll Results
Eveny Selakova: Mixed in honey/cinnamon/vanilla/mint/bacon(exceeded ingredient limit)
Rolled for positive/negative effect 1d100 DC: 36/Result: 18. Failed roll for negative effect
Rolled for intensity of effect: 1d12 Result: 5/moderate effect
Description of effects: The concoction would taste quite terrible, as many of the ingredients would attempt to compete with each other. Upon drinking it, Eveny would be hit with a bout of nausea/stomach ache as well as a burning feeling rising in her chest.

Anastasia Beckett: Mixed marshmallow and cinnamon(kept within ingredient limits)
Rolled for positive/negative effect 1d100 DC: 2/Result: 14. Roll Success, positive effect.
Description of effect: The Butterbeer melds well with the cinnamon and marshmallow. A delicious smell wafts up from the drink, and the two flavors blend into a tasty treat.

Arthur Morgan: Mixed Caramel/Bacon/Toffee/Maple/African Sea Salt(exceeded ingredient limit)
Rolled for positive/negative effect 1d100 DC: 62/Result: 47. Failed Roll for negative effect
Rolled for intensity of effect:1d12 Result: 4/minor effect.
Description of effect: The drink would come out excessively sweet. The savory tones would be totally lost under all the sweetness. The drink was cause a small amount of nausea. It would also cause a slight bit of hyperactivity in the boy should he drink the entire cup.

Elena Jones: Mixed in pumpkin/caramel/sea salt/coconut(exceeded limit)
Rolled for positive/negative effect 1d100 DC: [24]/Result: [35]. [Success]
Description of effects: The flavors all meld together in a delicious medley. Each one compliments the other. The taste would be quite enjoyable to the girl.

The Mixing Tent Open To Interaction

Elena had always liked Autumn. It may have meant the coming of Winter, but she has always delighted in how the leaves changed the world into a kaleidoscope of colour. So when she heard about the Oktoberfest celebrations she knew she had to see it for herself. Elena had first tried butterbeer when she had sat in the Leaky Cauldron, she wasn't scared, she couldn't have been scared, but something about the butterbeer had made her feel better and let her walk into the world of magic.

A mixing tent? Interesting, Elena had always liked cooking. It was one of the best parts of the day, they would go and buy ingredients for small batches of food. Elena and Maria would cook side by side, and on days where something had gone right. They would sing. Elena decided that was her first port of call.

So many ingredients, somebody obviously knew what a mixing tent needed, everything from laughing potion to chilli peppers. Neither of which would be chosen, Butterbeer needed to be sweet.

Elena grinned happily at the ingredients, she picked out some and stood next to the cauldron she had chosen. Hmm, Elena would need to be smart about the ingredients.

A spoonful of pumpkin, stir in a spoonful of caramel, a pinch of sea salt, and a pinch of coconut. Elena brewed the butterbeer and drank a sip.

It was a horrible, horrible day. The sunny sky seemed gloomy to the man, the ground was too hard, or too soft. Everything sucked. Those kids sucked, the tents sucked. That admittedly beautiful professor by the tasting tent sucked. Well, she wasn’t good, anyway. But as soon as he began to think that he stopped himself. No, she sucked. Everything did. The world did. Everything should just go away.

Why was this man in such a miserable mood? And what had caused him to leave the stone confines of the stables? There were several answers to those few questions, but he didn’t want to think about any of them. He was on his way to drink his weight in butterbeer and then fall asleep somewhere. Maybe one of the dragons was lonely and he could sleep in the stall with them. Their body heat acted like a very pleasant radiator heater.

As he approached the stand, he noticed other members of the illustrious staff. There was that Dhampir that kept trying to hide it for one reason or another. He had been around enough inhumans to be aware when one was standing directly in front of him. Besides, that creepy feeling you got? That feeling of being prey? That was natural. Even if you eyes didn’t know, your gut knew. Still, he had met an alright enough Dhampir before. He wasn’t going to judge her for it.

There was that other, far too cheerful professor. The one that taught wand flicking or something. She was a child that had found an aging potion and then snuck into hogwarts as a professor. Trying to hard to get the children to like her, as young professors always did. They didn’t get hired to be friendly, they got hired to teach. Still, it was her method. He supposed that could be respected, in a way.

And then the other girl. The Head of House for slytherin. She was smiling and talking with a little girl, and looking so very happy. She was too something, anyway. And he didn’t like it. Annoying, maybe. Annoying could work. As he internally attempted to pin some blame on the new HoH, the man strode into the booth with long strides. He was tall, wearing a loose long leather jacket that he self consciously closed as he approached the professors.

Of course, it didn’t look self conscious. It looked like a sullen move made by a dangerous, unstable man. There were obvious blood splatters here and there on the jacket, and his eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Angry. He spoke with a soft voice that oddly contrasted the rest of him.

“Professor Ayer, Professor Seaborne, Professor Jensen.

My name is Morfran Griffith. You may call me Professor Griffith. A necessity to meet you all.

Ah, the sugar and booze convention. How I missed it. The smells, the hyperactive children, the drama. Wonderful of you to put all this together, you have no idea how thrilled I am. Oh, and hello Mrs...”

That last questioning tone was directed at the last professor, who he knew practically nothing about. It may have been insulting to some to be the only one in a group not recognized, and mentioned last. It was also insulting how much sarcasm he had crammed into a few sentences. But he wasn’t there to make friends. He was there to drink butterbeer.

Taking a closer look at professor jensen, he made a decision. She looked nice, and he was going to stay as far away from her as possible. The last thing he needed was a potential friend. Students completely disregarded, he waited for the professors to respond, and dismiss him, already annoyed with his attitude. Then he would go drink his fill. He was gryffindor, after all. And Gryffindor were chivalrous.

[AOI RISA]
Hjørdis took a small sip of her butterbeer, letting the piping hot liquid fill her throat and warm it up. The spicy flavour of the African chilli peppers hit her tongue, causing her to smile a little as she thought of her paternal grandparents and home. As she was enjoying her drink, her colleague suddenly appeared with a bright smile on her face. "Ohayou gozaimasu," Hjørdis repeated back to Professor Risa, trying to pronounce it correctly. Although she was nowhere near fluent, she had picked up a few key words from various languages around the world during her travels - or more likely, through watching too much TV in her childhood. "I must ask you to teach me some more Japanese, one day," She continued with a nod as she looked around before answering her question, "I think we're ready for everyone and I'm sure it will be a positive day."

Compared to her colleague, she severely lacked the outward display of energy. However, it was clear that she cared about the work that she did by the amount of effort she would silently put into something. She frowned a little as she followed Aoi's gaze, "Yes, I did notice them too... Did we perhaps kill some whilst setting up?" She asked as she looked at the ants and noticed some not moving. She hoped not but it may have happened again...

[DYMPHNA TEAGUE]
She was about to offer her colleague some butterbeer when she heard her name being bellowed in far too much excitement. Her actual name. Not the name that people often called her because they could not say her real name. Looking away from the ants, she spotted a very excited young girl dashing towards her and hugging her. If it were anyone else, she probably would have cast a freezing spell on them before they could approach her but this was Dymphna - and Dymphna was most definitely allowed. A genuine smile appeared on her face, larger than any smile she had had since arriving, "I've missed you too," She replied, hugging the younger girl, "Woah woah woah, too many questions." She continued with a laugh at the girl's excitement, not being able to keep up with all of her questions. "I'm very well, thank you. The Ministry will survive, I'm sure."

Whilst she tried to act very calm and less excited than her second cousin, Hjørdis could not help but feel a sense of warmth in her chest as she was given a present from her grandmother's sister. Her maternal side was one that she had never really connected with whilst growing up. The love from that side had been missing for a while. But it was different now, everything was different. Although she did not see them often, they were always full of love for her. She took the scarf in her hands and admired it for a moment. It warmed her heart more than her words would ever care to admit. Her eyes spoke for them though as they watered a little out of pure joy. "Thank you, Dymphna," She simply said with a nod as she held it delicately in her hands before putting it on and around her neck. It did not go with her outfit at all - but despite her vanity, Hjørdis simply did not care. She loved the scarf and she would wear it now, that was that.

She gave the Ravenclaw another hug, to show her gratitude before nodding, "Of course, go ahead. You should try some of the unusual flavours too - or perhaps make your own over there," She nodded towards the Mixing Tent so that Dymphna would know where to go if she fancied making her own.

[EVANY SELAKOVA]
A Slytherin student that Hjørdis did not know the name of yet walked in and greeted her, "Good morning," She greeted with her a nod as the girl headed in to drink some samples, before deciding she did not like them and quickly heading to the mixing tent. Hjørdis could not help but chuckle a little. It was not for everyone but perhaps her own combination would be more suitable to her.

[ADELAIDE AYERS]
Another Professor appeared, one that had actually mentioned Oktoberfest to Hjørdis in the first place. Although they did not know each other that well, Hjørdis recognised her from the short conversation she had with her about the festival. The overjoyed lady addressed her by 'Nora' as though they were friends. It was a little bit of a shock but she got over it. It seemed most people here were very friendly and excitable, she would simply have to get used to it. She just had to imagine they were all like Dymphna and it would probably be okay. "I thank you kindly, Professor Ayers," She said with a small smile on her face and a graceful nod of her head, thanking the compliment, "I do hope it will serve its purpose," She continued, agreeing with Adelaide that this festival could be a great way to meet students, particularly those in Slytherin. Looking over at the samples, she nodded, "If you can handle your spice, I would recommend the 'Sweet and Spicy', which is what I'm drinking now," She explained, holding up her own cup to show her, "I quite like the cinnamon, nutmeg and sarsaparilla too." She continued.

[ELAINE SEABORNE]
As if there were not enough bubbly people around today, another arrived. The Charms Professor. She rode in on a floating pumpkin, which caused Hjørdis to blink a little and question what was wrong with people here. Everyone was so... happy. It was strange. "Thank you, Professor Seaborne," She replied, again accepting the compliment, "Are there any flavours you'd like to try today?" She asked her.

[AMANDA SPARROW]
A little child came along, greeting Hjørdis and then... El? Did she really just call the Charms Professor 'El'? Hjørdis mentally sighed, kids these days... as she nodded, "The sarsaparilla is a fine choice, indeed," She agreed with a nod, permitting her to have a sample of it. Though she was beginning to question if she should be giving these kids and professors sugar... They were already so excited, she did not want to see what they would be like with a sugar high.

[MORFRAN GRIFFITH]
Luckily, the march of excited people finally ended. In fact, it went in the complete other direction. An incredible grumpy man appeared. The more he spoke, the more she questioned why he was even here. He introduced himself as Morfran Griffith, saying that she could call him 'Professor Griffith'... Yeah, no. She would call him Griffith. Just Griffith. Oddly, his tone of voice was soft - unlike his bloodshot and angry appearance. She cast her eyes over him for a moment, observing him. They did not match. His words sounded sarcastic but his tone did not. It was baffling, to be quite honest. He did not sound thrilled, to say the least, however. "The necessity is all mine," She replied with a polite nod of her head in a greeting, using his own words against him, "Perhaps I can offer you some of the finest butterbeer," She said motioning towards the table. He looked beat up. A part of her disliked the words that he said but if she were judging a book by its cover, it looked like he could use a drink - or ten. Perhaps something stronger than butterbeer, too. His appearance was in stark contrast to the bubbling personality of everyone else around...

{ Outfit, with a emerald green and silver striped handknit scarf gifted from Dymphna }
{ OOC: For ease, I've broken up the post by person but it also flows one after around, if you want to read it all }

The head of house completely missed the sarcasm, apparently. Which perturbed him. It would suit his mood a lot more if she would hit him, challenge him to a duel or maybe spit in his face. Insults would do just fine, though. He wanted to wallow, and wallowing was hard to do when the people around you were offering you fine butterbeer. Plus, that bit about the necessity had been rather witty. No, not witty. It had been rude. Yes, rude. And annoying, and all around awful. She was horrible, and so was the stupid ground.

But a little voice in the back of his mind reminded him that those were his words, not necessarily his, ending his pleasantly unpleasant train of thought. Now what was he supposed to do? At the very least, she had dismissed him. So that was something. He moved to the table when she motioned, effectively cutting off the other professors. He hadn’t really wanted to strike up a conversation, anyway. He had wanted to feel miserable. It was hard work, being miserable on a day like this.

But he did find something, anyway. Professor Jensen’s muggle clothing. She was supposed to be an example at hogwarts and there she was wearing muggle clothes. His brain almost reprimanded him for hypocrisy but he stopped it with a dismissive reminder that she was a Head of House, and he was a professor. Standards that applied to her did not apply to him. And besides, he was working. This was just a break. It looked like she was on vacation. Not a good example. A bad example, even.

He took a uncommonly large swig at a butterbeer mug before trying again to bring someone else down into the mire of discomfort. What was the german word? Oh yes, ‘Shadenfreude’

“Do I want to know why you’re out here dressed like a muggle?”

He finished draining the mug and reached for another, starting on that one as well before continuing.

“Just because you look nice doesn’t mean that you should disregard the children. Wizard society isn’t as strongly woven as it once was.”

Draining the second mug, and feeling a whole lot worse than he had a moment ago, not perhaps realizing that the butterbeer was more sugar than alcohol, he attempted to finish on a properly sour note.

“It’s just… you’re just… right.”

The man broke off, not entirely sure on how to insult a woman wearing nice clothes on the basis that they weren’t a robe, and decided instead to give himself a stomach ache with some more sugary butterbeer.

Interactions: Fellow Professors. Students at the mixing tent.

There was so much going on. Aoi was alive and thriving in it all. Students had been slowly coming down to the tents, ready to enjoy the festivities. Not only would Aoi get to meet large portions of the student body, but she'd also get to meet a few fellow Professors in a less formal setting than dinner in the Great Hall. Aoi seemed to gain energy off the people surrounding her. The woman was getting more pumped as time went on.

At least that's what she looked like on the outside. On the inside, she was keeping a slow scan on the students and surroundings. Ever vigilant of anyone or anything that may threaten the ducklings. She was a prepared person. Her wand was placed in a special sleeve on the inside of her coat sleeve, able to be withdrawn in a moment's notice. She also carried bezoars in case students poisoned themselves. It was bound to happen, they were children, and they still had so many lessons the world needed to teach them.

Professor Jensen

Aoi was pleased that Professor Jensen had greeted her back in Aoi's native language. It was rare to encounter anyone even attempt it. And to get it so correct so quickly was quite impressive. Aoi's respect only grew for the Head of the House of Snakes. "I'd be happy to teach you. Though I should probably acclimate to my role here first. As for the ants, we probably did, but still, to see so many. I hope there isn't a pest problem. I'll consult with the House-Elves and Janitor later to see if they've been having issues." Aoi stopped lending too much thought to the ants though. There were more important things to pay attention. "What do you think about the events that occurred here last year? Concerning at the very least."

Dymphna Teague

A young girl bounded past Aoi, briefly giving a smile, before hugging Professor Jensen. The Head of House seemed genuinely overjoyed to see the girl. Aoi beamed at the sight, always excited to see joyful reunions. Aoi decided to let them interact, focusing on other matters.

Eveny Selakova

Aoi watched the young Slytherin enter the tasting tent. She wasn't in it long before emerging and entering the mixing tent. The History Professor was fascinated to see what the girl would create. A smirk spread on her face as the girl added quite the amount of ingredients into her drink. It was likely to end poorly for the blond-haired child. Aoi prepared a bezoar just in case.

Anastasia Beckett

Not long after Eveny had arrived, a young member of the House of Lions arrived. So far both students hadn't even acknowledged Aoi's presence. How disappointing. Despite this, Aoi watched on for whatever creation would arrive this time. The Gryffindor Prefect was more measured in her use of ingredients. It seemed to be a good choice as the wonderful smell wafted over toward the History Professor. She inhaled deeply. The day was off to a good start so far.

Elaine Seaborne

As Aoi had watched the incoming crowd, she noticed quite the odd site. A full-grown adult on an enchanted pumpkin. Aoi let out a laugh at the sight. What a woman. Some might say she had no shame. Aoi would say the eccentric professor was in touch with her true self, no bearing of society upon it. It was an enviable way to live. Aoi grew up in a much stricter household, and habits learned from childhood weren't so easily broken. She could never be as free as Professor Seaborne. But that was ok. Everyone played their role.

"Greetings Professor Seaborne. お元気ですか？Is your day going well? That's quite the pumpkin you have there. Thank you for your gracious compliment." Aoi reflexively gave a small subtle bow, her hands folded over her lap as she did so. Yet another habit from childhood. She returned to her straight posture, a smile on her face.

Arthur Morgan

This time a young boy appeared. A Hufflepuff. Aoi had heard of the terrible tragedies surrounding the house. However, this boy didn't seem old enough to have lived through them. Aoi wondered how long that innocence would last. She watched as he went straight to mixing. Aoi was beginning to wonder if she was invisible to most of the kids today. Did she not seem like a Professor to them? Regardless, it let the woman observe the boy's selections unnoticed. He seemed to have quite the sweet tooth. She hoped he hadn't overdone it.

Elena Jones

The next student to appear was a member of Aoi's house as well. The ambitious and industrious snakes of the school. The trend of not noticing the young Japanese woman continued. What was up with that? So far only adults had spoken to her, and one child had looked at her. But that was it. The Slytherin girl had nerve though, adding quite a few ingredients to her choice. She seemed to get it right though, and Aoi could see the ingredients blending together well. How fortunate.

Professor Griffith

The man carried himself as if he was intimidating. He wasn't. He was far more than he appeared. Aoi wasn't sure how, but her past job instincts told her as much. Profiling skills told her he was upset. She had no idea what had him in a depressed mood, but it was obvious. The man showed either little self-control or care as he let his bad mood seethe out into a sarcastic remark to Professor Jensen as he introduced himself. How disconcerting. Aoi maintained her respect aura for now. Perhaps it was simply a bad day for the man.

"Risa. Mrs. Aoi Risa. It is a pleasure to meet you, Professor Griffith. Do you need any assistance? A seat?

Ogenkidesuka?= How are you?

The tasting tent

Reducio

All god modding regarding Ami Procoppio has been consented to.

That his friend had only had one cup of butterbeer in her life, was to Scott unacceptable. To him, the drink embodied autumn more than anything else in the world: holding the cup with two hands when you were little, cold air biting your cheeks when you were older and sat outside with the adults, and yellow light from a fireplace warming your back the very same night after you realised the kids' table was still better.

Of course, he couldn't actually articulate all that.

"It's good!"

That he could articulate.

So, because it was good, he was at the moment dragging Ami with him down to the school grounds- and to the two tents that had excited students all day.

They hurried down under the greying sky and through the chill air, and passed numbers of yellow, red and orange trees framing the greensward like a fiery enclosure. If anything, the colours reminded him of his friend's hair, and he wondered if that was applicable to say.. he decided it wasn't.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

Right outside the tasting tent, which was the one he was going for, stood Professor Jensen- and other teachers were scattered about, as well. Scott tried to smile at all of them as he passed, though only actually greeting Jensen, as it would be very impolite to pass right by her and say nothing.

"Professor Jensen! Morning. I could sense the smell of this place from the castle, amazing, must be!"

And so smiling as he walked on, trying not to appear rude as he liked the professors very much, Scott drove Ami forward to enter as he realised he must focus on the task at hand:

"Now," He said, stepping inside with Ami before him and looking around the tent in awe, "I say you start with a classic one, the mandatory.. and then I'll see what I'll have. Oh won't you look at this place!"