Closed TABLE 15 | Sweethearts Tea Party V-Day Event

@Jake Morris | @Jack Warren

Jake hadn't protested when she had called him her valentine, which was clearly a sign he agreed. The decision what to do next was an obvious one, of course, and she wasn't really listening anymore when Jack read the letters - had entirely forgotten about the one she had sent him. Or the way writing it had made her smile. Or the odd fluttering in her stomach she usually got when talking to him. All that - and anything else - was suddenly very hard to remember when she hopped up from her chair to march over to Jake instead.

This was all going perfectly. Dee barely noticed Peri's startled exclamation, or the way she narrowly slipped through before Jack's hands could stop her, her entire attention focused on Jake. If she had, she would likely have ascribed it to fate, the same way that what happened next was obviously fate. Just as she bent down, Jake turned towards her, positioned perfectly for a (quite literally) magical kiss. Clearly this was what the universe wanted... although frankly, it was kind of awkward, bending down like that, her hand on Jake's shoulder because she didn't know what to do with it. And over quickly, when Jake began sputtering.

Straightening up, Dee bit her lip thoughtfully. Maybe she could have done that better. Not that it hadn't been nice. Jake's lips had been warm and her heart was beating faster and all that. She had half a mind to just try again.

But Jake was bright red and still fumbling for words - cute - so maybe he needed a moment to catch up to the universe. When he did finally get out what he had apparently been struggling to say, Dealla blinked, then tilted her head to the side, sending her ponytail swinging. "That came with instructions," she replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and pointed at the rose. "You're now my valentine, right? So I kissed you." It made perfect sense to her. Really, what a silly question. Maybe it had been a joke? She hadn't known Jake was funny, too.

Her smile was a little confused but bright, nonetheless, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. Not a turn she had expected this tea party to take, but she wasn't complaining. Yet.

Action ✮ Conversing ⬩──────────────────⬩ Voice ✮ Calm and echoey

Tense ✮ Feeling ⬩──────────────────⬩ Open ✮ Interaction

@Dealla Prince, @Jack Warren, @Jake Morris, @Pericles Dralt

Why wouldn't I? It came as a drifting question. Acute, but fair. Xailah looked at Pericles with a side expression. She had an answer for him, albeit a flimsy one. Gifts weren't usually something given out at tea parties. Mmm. None of the ones Xailah had been to anyways. "Now," she began pointedly, "I will have you know, I have attended many tea parties in my lifetime." She was something of a tea party veteran. Self-proclaimed of course. Ignore the fact that those "tea parties" were all hosted by her sister Meadow, and the guests were almost always stuffies of the most ridiculous sizes; and the tea was always some strange, unappetizing flavor such as: Orange Blossom Chamomile With Funny Leaves I Found In Mummy's Garden, or Earl Grey Rose and a Fuzzy Flower I Thought Was Pretty. Mmm, scrummy. But that bit of information wasn't particularly important, and was best left unmentioned. "And not once did anyone bring gifts. I don't think it's a conventional practice, especially on Valentines." Like she was one to talk about what was and wasn't conventional. A melodic laugh slipped from her lips, chased by a thoughtful hum. "I haven't anything for you in return." Xailah's gentle trill died on an airy note, her sprightly state curled inwards on itself.

His box-bound treat was not well received, for reasons that had little to do with the young man specifically. He had influence, yes, but having nothing to give him was the main issue. It was the stem which bloomed poisonous buds. Pericles' gesture, while it had been nice at first, now made her feel like a bit of an afterthought. While she didn't know the entirety of her worth yet, she knew she deserved better than being an afterthought. Especially if she was his best friend like he claimed her to be. Was it wrong- her having such thoughts? Was she overreacting? Maybe, maybe.

Xailah never liked to take gifts from people when they were handed out freely, because she knew they wouldn't have as much meaning as a gift given privately. Save for holidays where gift-giving was openly encouraged. A strange claim for a kleptomaniac, and girl of material comforts. Her idea of importance was to be blamed on her upbringing. Perhaps she was being needlessly ridiculous. There had been a reason why Xailah had refused, and blatantly rejected, the box Pericles had offered her at his twelfth birthday party (other than the fact that it was his party, and he was the one supposed to be receiving gifts); but had graciously accepted the flaccid quill from Halloween. He had been thinking about her during Halloween. The gesture had been wholesomely genuine. At his birthday, everyone present had been given something, so that there was a collective sense of inclusion.

In addition, Xailah never asked for anything from Pericles. She never would. She wanted nothing from him. If the eaglet was insistent on making sure his cub took his humble offering, he was going to have to do so on his own time.

With those thoughts released in her head, there had been a noticeable shift in her disposition. It was now distant, almost, but not in the usual way- it was stiff rather than drifting. Her stance was more like some posh adult at a dinner party than a child at a tea party. She watched her company like a cat observing gerbils on a running wheel. Partitions were going up. Xailah noticed her friend frown slightly. Oh dear. It wasn't at all fair to him, was it?

Not at all.

Seeing him disappointed in such a way would spoil the evening. In an attempt to salvage any remnants of a smile he might have had hidden beneath his downturned lips; Xailah decided that the least she could do was provide some sort of false-assurance- let the eaglet know that she wasn't entirely put off. She reached across the narrow space between them, tapping his arm gently. She leaned a little and spoke to him. Despite her statuesque and refined state, the tone she carried was slightly apologetic. "Maybe you can try to give it to me later." She suggested with a nod. She tried to offer him the wispy fragments of a smile, to show that what he did (the thought) was still appreciated. Even if it hadn't been hastily accepted. Her feline eyes lingered, scanning the Ravenclaw's face for some sort of acknowledgment- a solemn nod, or cheeky curl of the lips- perhaps even something verbal.

Things would move on regardless of his response. The company they were with, were a very social bunch and therefore fast-paced. The cupcakes laid out on the table for all of them to enjoy, briefly became the stars of the show (that was soon going to turn into an absolute circus). Everyone had been excited about them. Xailah had come to the event for them. Everyone dug in- everyone meaning Dealla- but before Xailah could get a bite of hers, she was hit with a disappointing discovery. Her cupcakes smelt odd- to the point of putting her off of them completely. The scents should have been familiar enough, for her to know what the cakes had been poisoned with. She had gotten a whiff of the same smells in sweets before- only when she had consumed them that time she had tried to kill and cannibalize an ex-roommate of hers. This suppressed knowledge refused to resurface, however, leaving her in a state of the most blissful obliviousness. Not that she needed to make the connection, she wasn't going to eat the cupcakes now anyway.

Xailahs expressed disgust drew Pericles interest. The curious boy questioned the cub; to which she was unsure of how to respond at first. Should she tell him what they smelled like? No, it was probably best to let him sniff for himself. The lioness eventually answered, with some hesitance. "I think mine has gone bad," She muttered, her nose crinkling. It was the only explanation that made enough sense. She handed her cupcake off for Pericles to smell, her haste implying she was glad to get rid of the thing. "You can keep that one too-" She frowned slightly. It was more of a grimace though. "But I wouldn't try eating it if I were you." Not that she thought he would. He was a logical boy (sometimes), if he smelt the things she had, he'd likely find the desserts unappetizing as well. "Or you could, but I'm not exactly in the mood to cart you off to the hospital wing." Pericles inhaled the cake, taking in it's odor. Xailah was surprised by his reaction- or rather lack thereof. He did not reel back in disgust. In fact he seemed to find the aroma pleasant. It elicited a bright spark to shine through his silver eyes. The twinkle was not lost on Xailah. The raven boy knew something. Well that's odd, the metamorph thought. Surely they had smelt the same thing?

Even with her cupcake gone- well, no longer within close smelling vicinity- some of the odd scents lingered in her nostrils. There was one prominently strong one that refused to evacuate: the musky and candle-like odor of some sort of mens cosmetic product. She had never smelt it before, and therefore could not place where it was coming from. She wiggled her nose as if to will the odor away; but somehow found herself with the need to inform Pericles that he reeked, instead (even though the smell was not associated with him). As any thoughtful companion would. Just because Pericles was a prepubescent boy, didn't mean he had to apply his parfume like one. Xailah leaned, and to the snowy eaglet she whispered, so that the others wouldn't hear: "You may have put on a smidge too much cologne, I can smell you from here." She didn't know. Honest. Or maybe she simply refused to draw the connection, that it wasn't his cologne she was smelling- nor was it wafting from his person. It was a somewhat bizarre comment, that made little sense- even to her- but thought little of it. As for the smell itself, it had very little relevance and meant virtually nothing- it was more of a warning to not eat the cupcake if anything. Really, Xailah only thought she was being helpful, and looking out for a friend. She wouldn't waste time reflecting on the statement.

Things shortly took a turn for the worse; for an assault was executed on poor Jake Morris. It was hard enough to witness as a bystander, and Xailah could only imagine how the feeble little badger felt in that moment. A sound from her left side made broke her attention on the three across the table. Pericles had called out to Dealla, presumably to distract or even reprimand the girl, but he was a few seconds too late. It was an acceptable effort though. Jack shot up in an attempt to intervene. He grabbed at Dealla, but she slipped from his fingers like an eel. Dealla knew what she wanted and no one was going to stop her. Prince's mouth locked into Jakes soft baby skin. She affixed herself to him like a hungry little facehugger. Jake, almost as expected, stood there like a deer in headlights. To be fair, what was he supposed to do? There was an audible, yet dry, "Oh. Gross." From Xailah, completely spoken without intention. Everything happened so unexpectedly fast, there was hardly any time for anyone to react appropriately.

Utterly stunned, Xailah looked to Pericles. "Ah-" She started quietly, as if afraid to draw attention to herself. Her brows crimped, forming what one might call "WTF" wrinkles. "Should we..." Stop it? Her voice began trailing off before she could even finish. She looked away from the Ravenclaw, her attention sliding towards the three in the limelight. Xailah touched her fingers to her chin in thought. Should she intervene...? What was the absolute worst that could happen by doing so? The Gryffindor spared a good minute or two to think about it, eventually deducing that the absolute worst outcome would be Dealla trying to kiss her. Seeing that the blue-eyed girl was drooling all over Jake however... she likely had nothing to worry about. She cleared her throat, and heaved Schrödinger onto the table with a dense thwump. "Miss Prince, I'm going to have to ask you to step away from Mr. Morris." She looked to each of them, not just Judas. Her gaze frequently slipped over to Jack, who was clearly upset. As a human, Xailah could identify anger, for she had experienced the emotion several times for herself. But there was something off about this ire- it wasn't the sort that built up over time, and erupted at one minor convinced. This one was sudden, forceful, spun from envious green. The expression Jack wore, was of an anger completely foreign to the Gryffindor. She did not experience jealousy over people. Never had. Never would. The pieces did not click entirely. Eyes flittered to Jake, and a thought came to mind. Was it more than anger? An misplaced bloodlust?

If there was one thing Xailah knew for fact, it was that she was beyond confused. She was far-out, completely disconnected, and jiving to the surrounding static only she could hear. It would have been a pleasant state to be in, had her company behaved themselves. But now Jakes life was not only ruined, but possibly on the line- Jack certainly looked like he wanted to choke him. So, she had that to worry about. Neat. Was it too late to abandon ship yet?

There wasn't much point in it now, but Xailah continued to try and reason with Dealla. At least she could say she tried after this was all over. "I'm afraid you may put him into a cardiac event- look at him, he is clearly distressed." No really, she thought the poor kid was going to combust on the spot with all that painful stuttering and sputtering. It was like watching a pitiful wind-up toy malfunction. Jake was beyond salvageable. The sanity of her company was beyond repair. She wasn't sure if there was anything that could be done to diffuse the icky web of tension that had been woven. Grabbing Schrödinger, it would be made clear Xailah had no intention of staying for much longer. Hopefully she could make a break for the exit soon.

Staying if hands are thrown, or spoken to. Otherwise possibly making an attempt to leave, feel free to stop her.

Outfit ✮ Black evening gown ⬩───────────────────⬩ Perception ✮ Alert

Cat's Grace, Blindvision ✮ Abilities ⬩───────────────────⬩ Metamorphmagus ✮ Race

@Jake Morris | @Dealla Prince | @Jack Warren | @Xailah Alptraum | @Ally Salinger

"I will have you know, I have attended many tea parties in my lifetime. And not once did anyone bring gifts. I don't think it's a conventional practice, especially on Valentines."
Pericles drew a short, boyish snort. "You just haven't had a generous host, then," he mused with a gleam of laughter in his eye. "Besides, it's my understanding that exchanging sweets is one of the primary traditions of Valentines." One of the only Valentines traditions he was keen on participating in, at least. In that same spirit, he managed to flawlessly float the homemade strawberry sweet over to Aly, lowering it to her table and meeting any glances his way with an accomplished wink. He brightened when Jack asked if he'd made the chocolate bark himself. "I did! There was a nice station set up by staff and everything. I crafted some cupcakes, as well...." A cheekily pointed glance at Xailah with that. He had hand-crafted her gift and designed it specifically with her aesthetic in mind, something genuine, heartfelt. He failed to understand why she wanted to be given it alone, instead of as a part of the group, or as a tradition. The comment on his fragrance was equally confusing, prompting him to echo distantly "My cologne...? He wasn't wearing any today. What was that, and the cupcake ordeal, all about? Answers wouldn't click until later on. Chaos had blossomed at their table, placing a much more immediate problem before himself and Xailah. He met her concerned expression with an unsettled grimace.

Pericles looked to Jake with immense pity. In that moment, he couldn't decide who he felt worse for: him, or Dee. Seeing the flare of outrage in Jack's eyes (and unsettling, abnormal lovey-doveyness in Dee's), the prefect instinctively rose from his seat and surged forward, adopting an unusual air of stern, authoritative pacification. He stationed himself at the small Hufflepuff's side. When he spoke, his voice was calm, clear, and matter-of-fact. " Cupcakes aren't meant to smell of rain on rocks, old books, and rosewater. It's Amortentia. Jack, Jake-" he looked purposefully between them, resolution in his problem-solving tone, "-I think it would be best if you took Dee to see the school nurse." Jack because he was clearly concerned, and Jake because, well... Dee was more likely to follow him around in her present state, as much as Peri loathed to use anyone as a carrot on a stick.

Action: Trying to diffuse the tension and convince Dee to go to the hospital wing