A Meeting Post Blossom Ball PV Closed

Xailah got up, brushing herself off quickly. She leaned against the tree that she had fallen from, and mumbled something, "I have very ssssensitive earsss." She frowned; one hand still pressed to the left side of her head. She forgot about the group, and for a moment, she got lost in her own thoughts. Eyes that reflected the eerie, silver light of the moon; scanned the area. She was in a rush to get here, and never really took the time to get a good look of her surroundings. And despite the ugly twisted trees, and the strange fog; she felt comforted in some strange way.

The forest was the only thing that wasn't hiding the fact that it was evil. Thats why it was comforting; because she could look at it and tell that something was wrong with this place. Holding onto that thought, she turned her attention back to the group.

"...Flare? What is this... Flare that you're talking about?"

Xailah pointed up towards the direction that the flare had come from. "There was a bright red light that sssshot up from that direction...It was only there for a sssecond." She grimaced "Could be nothing, but its a little too closssse for comfort- well for me at leasssst." She almost had not seen the flare, and what she did see was only enough to assume that there were other people- or things, in the vicinity. "So if you're going to sssstick around, sssspeak quietly, and tread lightly." She looked past the group and continued to observe the surroundings, looking for movement, glistening eyes, and a quick way out in case she, and the group needed to flee.

@Xailah Alptraum | @Dinara Lucey | @Illowy Magnard

Isaac looked towards the Gryffindor's pale pointed finger, searching out the place where the flare once was with his eyes. It appeared to be somewhere over the trees, far beyond where they were standing. In the shadows and the moonlight, the black trees looked like claw-like fingers touching the dark sky. The smell of rot lay thick in the air.

His heart pounded in his chest as he saw the cat-eyed girl begin to look wary, golden eyes sliding from side to side. Turning to the thicket of trees, far beyond his head, he finally understood why exactly this was a Forbidden Forest. All around him were soft whispers and rustles, peeking at the edge of his vision. But the moment he shifted to face them, they were gone, swallowed up by the dark branches and underbrush. Millipedes scurried along the trees, spiderwebs hung over their heads like morbid decorations, and the pale moon was invisible among the dark canopy.

Seeing the strange Gryffindor's words as an invitation to explore, he said softly to the group, "I think we should check out who exactly made the flare."

Giving them little room to disagree, he began to stealthily set off into the depths of the woods, keeping track of the direction in which the flare had once appeared.

Pale, tired eyes flicked amongst the other three, following the gazes up into the sky where the supposed flare had once shone, not that she could find a trace of it now through the darkness. Her eyes then fell to Isaac, who seemed, for a moment at least, unsure about the decision to have come out here in the first place.

The forest was such an unsettling place to be, especially after hearing stories about it and then stupidly deciding to come out anyway in the dark, without at teacher or least an older student that might've stood a chance at defending the lot of them; and while Illowy liked to think of herself as someone who didn't scare easily, that might be able to handle herself if she absolutely had to... even she had to admit that whatever might be awaiting them here, the group would be easy pray.

Fog was rolling in, shadows were playing tricks, and there was a growing intuition in her gut that said they ought to leave before they get hurt. However, the one person she didn't have a choice but to trust had already made the decision to find the source of the flare. Much to her own dismay. Count on a Gryffindor to risk the party without considering if they would be able to maintain self preservation.

Illowy took one last glance at the other two girls before gingerly easing herself from the rock she'd perched herself on and started towards the boy. Being back on her feet again, it made her head swim a little, her body still trying to demand of her to turn back and rest. She'd made a decision though, and if there was one thing true about the brunette, it was that she was stubborn.

Shaking the light feeling away, Illowy reached out to gently grab the boy's shirt in an attempt to slow him down so she might stand a chance of keeping up, "Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked softly, doing her best to choke down and suppress a coughing fit building in her chest from trying to rush and catch up with him, "You do know what kind of things are in this place right? Acromantula, centaurs..." she swallowed hard, lowering her voice further into a whisper, "I heard a fifth year once say that his brother thought he saw a dementor in the forest here once. A dementor. We're a bunch of first years and a psychopath, what are we suppose to do if we find something?"

@Illowy Magnard

At the tugging sensation on his shirt, the Gryffindor turned around to face Illowy's tired gaze. For the first time, he noticed how she looked ragged, eyes hollow in the dim light rimmed with shadows, hair tangled with briars, voice cracking and rasping. Looking at her again as if he were seeing her for the first time, guilt welled up inside of him.

Why didn't I notice it? Illowy's hurt. Much much more hurt than the stubborn Slytherin had let on. Much more than he had ever thought. How could he be so stupid? She had been in a fire already, risking her life for far longer than he ever did. The smoke she breathed in was probably already hurting her, not to mention the toxic ash.

"I heard a fifth year once say that his brother thought he saw a dementor in the forest here once. A dementor. We're a bunch of first years and a psychopath, what are we suppose to do if we find something?"

In truth, he didn't know anything about the Forbidden Forest. He didn't know what a centaur was, or an acromantula, or even a dementor. But the way her voice shook when she said the words made dread curl inside of him, finally stopping his thoughts in their tracks. He peered down at his wand, slipping it out of his pocket. Casting a rueful glance at the stick, he wished that he knew magic. Real magic. Magic strong enough to fight monsters. But he slipped it back into his pocket, knowing that it was foolish, and that a first-year could never hold their own against a full-grown beast. Illowy was right.

The wet and misty fog thickened around them, and somewhere far off, an animal's cry chilled his blood. The shadows seemed to hang deeper and heavier, crowding around them. Who knew what was out there?

But at the same time, what if they lost their only lead? What if whatever or whoever had set the flare was gone the moment a teacher arrived? If they didn't head out now, it could be too late to discover who had truly caused the chaos.

Conflict whirled inside his mind. One thing was for certain.

Gazing into Illowy's pale eyes, he was reluctant. But he told her, "You can't come with us, or you'll get even worse then you are now." A note of steel crept into his tone; he didn't want her to pretend to be strong when the truth was painted on her face.

"If he's still there, go back and try to look for Professor Griffith. He'll be able to catch up with us. And if we see whoever made the flare, we won't attack them until a teacher gets there."

He couldn't make promises for Xailah or Dinara, but he would try.

The Slytherin was ragged, she knew. Burns and blisters stung her arms and hands, her breaths were short and wheezy as though she'd just run a marathon, face flushed and pale, not to mention the ruined state of her dress; but that was all mute to her. It had been the last thing on her mind when she'd been making sure Elizabeth was okay, and it was the last thing she was concerned about now. If there was one thing she knew she was good at, it was keeping her true feelings, be it physical or mental, hidden to the best of her ability, even from herself at times. How many times had someone said something to her about who she was because of her house that had cut into her, and retorted back as though it were a joke? Or been injured before without shedding a single tear, even when she was small?

That being said, when a strange animal sounded off in the tree somewhere, the girl still couldn't help but flinch and look around them before hesitantly bringing a steady gaze to the boy. She'd firmly decided by this point that she hated this forest, and never wanted to come back if she could help it. The feeling of eyes on them was incessant and foreboding.

The girl's shaky fingers fell away from the cloth of his shirt as he tried to order her to turn back. For a moment, she opened her mouth, as though to say something, but closed it once more, opting to simply study him for a moment and think. The hard tone in his voice, one she was sure most likely came from a place of truly wanting her to be safe, was odd to hear in her own ears.

Ever true to Slytherin form, the first year put her hands on her hips, "Me?" she questioned with a raise of her eyebrow, "Figure my way all the way back to Hogwarts, through a forest I've never been in before, at night, alone? Just to leave you out here, practically unarmed, after I followed you all the way out here?" Illowy gave a slight tilt and a faint shake of her head, "No." perhaps had she felt stronger, the inflection of the word might've struck harder, "We came in together, we leave together. Besides, Professor Griffith is probably half way to the Hospital Wing."

"I think we should check out who exactly made the flare."

She began to subconsciously trot towards the curly-haired boy and girl, motioning for the banshee-child to follow as well, but Xailah stopped short. She would not hear the words exchanged between the two curly-haired children."No. Bad idea. Other people most likely ssssaw that flare too, and if the person who sent that flare needssss help, then help will come. That flare could also be meant as a way of luring people into that area." It had suddenly occurred to her that the half-giants back at the party were probably lackeys; they had to be lackeys of some sort. The boy that she had hurt had said something about someone called 'Buzz' owing him. That implied that he, and other boy were possibly working for someone- no wait, there weren't just two boys. There was a female with them too. Oh, oh no. She had completely forgotten about the large female that was there as well. And for all she knew that flare could have been sent by the female.

"There is a more pressing matter on our handsss- my handssss. There is a girl by the name of Rosie Turner," She paused, still fixated on the thought that she had let the female giant out of her sight, "-Ssshe, and other younger sssstudents are being targeted by a group of older sssstudents. I have the opportunity to help her. So thats what I'm going to do. Try to help her, and hopefully get to the bottom of thissss." She turned away from the group, and added, "I'm not going to ssstop you though if you want to look for the sssource of the flare."

"Figure my way all the way back to Hogwarts, through a forest I've never been in before, at night, alone? Just to leave you out here, practically unarmed, after I followed you all the way out here? No. We came in together, we leave together. Besides, Professor Griffith is probably half way to the Hospital Wing."

She took a glance back at the three other students. "Ssshe's right you know," she looked at the boy "Ssshe sssshould sssstay with you guys. In the ssstate that ssshe is in, sshe would be easy to sssnatch up-" She then looked to the dark haired girl, " Though I would find sssomething to clean up with, in order to prevent an infection." The last thing they needed to do was split up. Especially where they were now. Besides, she might have already made a mistake when she separated from the previous group she was with. Hopefully they were still at the party- or rather what was left of it. If not she hoped they had at least heard her drop the location in the forest, so they could reunite.

"Well, if we are supposed to work with each other I guess we should at least have a round of self-introduction. I'm Dinara Lucey, First Year Hufflepuff."

She flinched ever so slightly, when the girl now known as Dinara Lucey placed her hand on Xailahs shoulder. Should they really though? She didn't want to give these kids her name, and then have them rat her out. To be fair, none of them really looked like the type that would do a thing like that.

She decided that she really didn't have a reputation to protect, but still answered hesitantly. Figuring that it was okay to be a little cautious. "Xailah Alptraum. Sssecond year Gryffindor." She watched Dinara go over to the injured girl; looking her over. The girl took a handkerchief from her pocket, and tended to the other girls wounds. Leave it to a Hufflepuff. Xailah couldn't help but notice the girl hesitate before taking care of the other child; she assumed that the little square of cloth held some sentimental value.

"So, where is this Rosie person? I just have to make a quick disclaimer, you guys. I don't really know many spells, sooo..."

"Ssshe is back at the party- well that is where ssshe was the last time I sssaw her. Ssshe isn't completley alone, there are two other sssstudents back there keeping an eye on her, and sssome of the older ssstudents-" A sick feeling started growing inside her. What if they couldn't get the giant away from Rosie? What if he hurt Arc, and Raine in order to take Rosie? Need to get back to the party. She stopped feeling the need to give the group a description of the girl Rosie "-Uh, Rosie has really frizzy red hair, and ssshe was wearing a deep blue dress with little beadsss...and ssshe was about this tall..." Get to the point. "Did any of you see her? Was ssshe ssstill there when you guys left?" She gave them a concerned look. Her irises were just little slivers of yellow, just barley visible. "-also you needn't worry about your lack of ssspells. If you have a brain, and you're living; you're dangeroussss. Though I can teach you a nifty little spell- if you want. Its practically harmless, but useful for a quick escape." She hoped that they wouldn't have to use any spells, but she knew that the situation would eventually call for them.

@Xailah Alptraum | mention: @Illowy Magnard | @Dinara Lucey

"I might've seen a flash of Rosie," Isaac offered, scratching his head and wracking his weary mind for memories. It was harder now that his energy was slowly leaving him. After a pause and a sigh, it slowly came to him, like a picture zooming into focus.

"She's a small girl with curly red hair, about this high," he said with a brief gesture as if measuring, "standing right by this super tall giant guy. Right? If that's her, then the last time I saw her she was kind of close to the woods, but not there yet. There were these other kids near her too, a boy and a girl."

He knew it was terribly vague. But it was the best he had, considering that he didn't know many people at Hogwarts yet.

Although it really wasn't too important considering the terrible mess looming, he decided to introduce himself as well for the sake of it - just so they were all on the same page.

"By the way, the name's Isaac, Isaac Ambrose. First year and a Gryffindor." Looking at Xailah somewhat anxiously, he told her, "if worst comes to worst, I think we should know the spell for escaping. It could be the difference between.."

Life or death, he thought, but didn't say. It was improbable that the professors would just let them die, but the possibility of death hung over them more than ever.

Cold, pale blue hues flickered to the Gryffindor girl when she commented on Illowy's condition as she pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes slightly, "I am not in a state." she spoke in a low, firm voice. One could question why she bothered putting up a fight about it, from her burns to her wheezy words, there would be no fooling anyone, "I'm fine enough."

She was hating this feeling of weakness, knowing she was the weakest link in the group, and knowing everyone else knew she was the weakest. The girl swallowed hard and tucked some hair back behind her ear as she let her eyes fall away from the group for a moment. Her attention only came back when the odd little Hufflepuff approached her, a hankie in her hands. The brunette gave her a wary look as the other child seemed to hesitate. It wasn't often people came to her aid, she was a Slytherin after all, and most students aside from the few friends she did have seemed to prefer to pretend she wasn't there most of the time.

Gingerly, the redhead bent and tended to one of her worser wounds on her forearm, introducing herself as the other went on in turn. All the while Illowy tried and failed to hide her pain induced grimace as the makeshift bandage was tied around thin her thin arm, "Thanks..." she finally muttered after a while, "I'm Illowy Magnard, first year Slytherin..." she spoke softly, carefully taking her arm back when the Puffball was finished, examining the floral print of the soft fabric that would surely be ruined before this strange adventure was finished.

She lifted her gaze back up to the circle as Xailah spoke. At least the girl knew something more then the rest of them did, though she wasn't sure how reassured she felt about about her statement.

...you needn't worry about your lack of ssspells. If you have a brain, and you're living; you're dangeroussss...

Illowy, for one, certainly didn't feel dangerous. Not right now. Though she did try to wrack her mind for some memory of the girl she was talking about, but no bells were ringing. There had been so much chaos, and she'd been too preoccupied.

Flitting hues to the boy, she was all too quick to finish his sentence for him, "Life or death." her tone was possibly a bit too cold and blunt, but she couldn't see a way to dance around the fact of it, "We don't know what's in here. And I don't know about you guys, but there's a lot of stories and rumors about this forest and they certainly aren't about happy bunnies eating carrots in the woods." she pointed out, absentmindedly thumbing the cloth of the handkerchief, "Students have completely vanished here before... we need to know how to protect ourselves and each other if it comes to it."