Blossomfest The Lake Event

Rowan's cheeks were noticeably red, noticeably because his skin was pale and nearly any other color on him makes it stick out rather than him. All Miko did in reply to seeing the blush was give Rowan a charming grin before lowering the other male's arm.

"I wanna be cool and rebellious so Imma eat before we get in the pool, eh? Also..I'm hungry but don't tell anyone, lord knows I don't need anymore fat." 

Miko smacked his ab-area-thing but instead of making a high pitched noise that sounds like you slammed raw dough on tiled floor it sounded like a duller slap. There he is again, body issues, in all it's glory. 

The Hufflepuff boy opened one of the cupcakes labeled VANILLA ICE CREAM and took a large bite from it. It tasted eerily like the real thing which was surprising to Miko because he was used to cupcakes tasting a bit more sugary than whatever flavor they were supposed to be. The cupcake was moist but firm so it didn't fall apart when he bit into it, all around a cook cupcake the house elves should be rewarded for this.

Again the shadow appeared under the surface of the water and again it disappeared when Miko saw it, how fun.
Shadow.
Under the water.
Potential danger?
Yes.

Of course danger is, well, dangerous and most people would be pretty afraid of danger and no doubt this was the case for Miko. Though he was frightened many of the times fear fueled his strange nerve and bravery that helped him continue adventure and the sports he did. Most people think absence of fear is bravery but in fact the proper use of fear is bravery. Boom. Life lesson.

Soon enough the rest of the cupcake was devoured and Miko sighed heavily. Who knew elf cooking could be so satisfying? Well...every witch and wizard who's ever gone to a magical school, really. Even though you get used to the fact of the food being so could it surprises this particular child that one creature as small and humble as a house elf could have such spectacular cooking and still be treated like a maid, literally. He knew the house elves didn't mind most of the time since they were kind of like Hufflepuffs in the sense that the sheer joy of a finished job and helping others was enough reward for the small creatures especially since they never got payed.

Some mutter were heard behind Miko from the people in the water and they were visibly staring at him, not visible to Miko of course because one, he is pretty oblivious and two, his back was turned to them. Being the child he was the Limof boy thought they were saying how unattractive he was but to any person listening in or any person who was not Miko, it was clear they were in fact talking about the opposite. It is quite true that girls lie a few rough edges on a male, very true in fact, because it seems they like the danger of it or maybe it's just plain attractive but one thing's for sure, scars and scratches were highly wanted through the female community. Nearly any male is oblivious as to why but it is still well known.

Rowan grumbled softly. He was many things, but patient was not one of them. 

"You're not fat. And even if you were I still love you in all your fluffy glory. Now are you going to carry to me to the water or not?"

He didn't even notice the slip up until a few seconds later, where he gasped softly and covered his mouth with one hand. Gods above did he really just say that? What had been in his drink..? Usually he would have been much more careful with his words, and a slip up like that wouldn't even have a chance to occur. 

All he could really do though was try to move past it. 

"Whatever. If you're not going to do that at least give me a cupcake." 

A blush was still building on his cheeks as he spoke, giving away the fact that he had noticed his word choice, and latched onto it. Gods abOOOOVE he was stupid. Why did he say that? He shouldn't have said that. Miko wasn't interested. He had moved on. He fiddled with the rings on his fingers before he remembered to remove them, lest he wanted to risk rust. Which he didn't. The earrings had to go too.

Miko froze.
Did he just-
Did-
Did he really just-
I must be dreaming!



If moving on is keeping a gift you gave someone even after they left then Miko moved on waay before Rowan! But it isn't, so that was where the Gryffindor was completely and utterly WRONG. In fact, Miko thought Rowan had moved on and if he hadn't he was really good at hiding it because he was surely not! It would be difficult to be oblivious to the fact the Hufflepuff had not moved on because his actions wave it around like a homosexual wave around their rainbow pride flag! 

Rowan probably broke Miko because he just stood there, his face steadily growing redder and redder. Red was not a good shade with his messy black hair, definitely not. Quickly, he shook his head and the boy's face went back to the usual tan it was. The mutters behind Miko grew slightly louder and one of the people pointed to Rowan before lowering their hand.

"Y-Ye sound like ye drank Veritaserum! Oh wait." Truth serum wasn't allowed in Hogwarts right? It was highly controlled by the Ministry of Magic right? It could never get into the beverages, right??? Not right apparently. Miko knew for a fact if Rowan had drunk normal punch he wouldn't have been this truthful, Rowan was never like that! Then again it was announced so..

He sped over to the disabled boy, grabbed the back of his head and pecked him straight on the lips. Whistles were heard from the people behind them as well as a few groans. Miko turned on his heel with a charming grin, facing the people and promptly raising 'the finger'. You guys know what finger. You know I know you know what finger.

Suspirium.

Heartbeat, sigh, deep breath. All of those were good ways to describe that one word, suspirium, the feeling it represented, the same feeling that floated lightly up from her chest as she seated herself by the side of the lake, the surface of the water rising only to tickle at her ankles. Her feet dangled bare, shoes stowed neatly away from the shore. Really, in most lakes she wouldn't be able to do this, dip her feet in the water as if she was sitting by a pool, but the shape of the Great Lake was perfect for relaxation—mostly because she didn't want to get her hair wet.

Dorian had coaxed her out of hiding first. Her first rule-break, he had christened it—a false name, but it might as well have been the truth. Besides, tonight, she honestly didn't care—still a little ticked at her stepmother, actually, enough to do this out of spite. Hopefully she wouldn't get caught. The lake itself was nice enough, and the way that the moonlight gleamed over rippling water like lace was a sight to behold, but curious green-brown eyes wandered over to the other students in the water. So many people... but a much calmer, more peaceful air than the muffling, suffocating energy pulsing out from the dance floor a little ways away.

She did have time to slip away and change before she had arrived, though. None of her swimsuit could really be seen underneath the opaque fabric of her cover-up; although she wasn't intending to enter the water, well, when one has a brother who pulls pranks every five second, she comes prepared. Her hair was let down, cascading in its trademark waves over her shoulder, tiny braid from the dance floor still intact. This was tranquil. She didn't really recognize anyone there—but that was absolutely okay, and she could just enjoy the rare peace. Her eyes slipped shut contentedly.

They snapped open again almost instantaneously, blinking a couple of times. The young Ravenclaw twisted to the side, head craning over her shoulder—was that a familiar voice? Two familiar voices, actually, one recognized because, well, it was that voice, and the other mostly for its distinguished accent? Yep, there they were, the Scottish boy—Miko, judging from the not-awfully-irritating things he was saying—and the singer, Rowan, with the wheelchair. It pleased her to know that she was capable of noticing the person before the chair, then admonished her for feeling pleased about such a thing.

But not only that, no, definitely not only that. Cel raised an eyebrow, not in accusation but in interest, and a smirk found its way onto her face. Tumblr born and raised, she was, regardless of her new Pureblood identity—and she murmured something, then chuckled to herself a little. What did she whisper, pray tell? What did she say? Could someone guess? Probably only the fangirls would, for what she whispered was not an exclamation, or a word of contempt. It was three simple words that any Muggle should know: "I ship it." And then she giggled a little, and grinned.

Perhaps, though, they didn't like the company pretty much catcalling behind them, especially judging from Miko's response. Cel pulled her feet delicately out of the water, slipped into her sandals, and began to make her way over. Maybe she would come across as annoying, or intruding, but to her understanding, the kiss itself might be wondrous, but the aftermath could be a bit awkward or uncomfortable—there she went again, overanalyzing this too—and one more person was always a good way out. She'd extend the invitation to one; whether they took it or not was up to them. Hopefully she wouldn't be hated. That would suck.

"Hey, lovebirds, want a cupcake?" Cel asked, still grinning, sweet offered in hand. Hopefully the others would get the message and screw off, because she'd seen firsthand how some of the over-orthodox Purebloods could act in response to something completely normal, because people were jerks and that rarely changed through the years, especially when confronted by younger years.

OC Note: Since it was IC announced with an exclamation, the conclusion of the punch being laced with truth serum (allegedly) is IC known by those in the thread.

Alan was not one to party, the music was too calm and people dancing was just reminding him of all the pure-blood events he had to partake in with his parents and even as a tag along with his cousins; as long as he had the right age for the balls and meetings. Often this is what made him wish there were other options. This time there apparently seemed to be the option of hanging around at the Lake and he might just choose that option.

It sounded more fun than the Ball and he heard the headmaster was there so he would keep miles away from that place at the moment as he did not want to be anywhere near him and candles. Alan was wearing knee-long black pants and a red hoodie that kept him warm as he stepped out of the castle. Hidden beneath his left sleeve hid his wand in its holster that was bound around his wrist, as he headed to the Lake that already seemed to have a few people lounging around.

People he was mostly unfamiliar with were around and something seemed to be going on. Alan did not enter the ballroom and had no idea of the punch or what was wrong with it, he just went to the Lake because he thought being there instead of in the castle would be more fun. Therefore he had no clue what was going on. Seeing a familiar face, Rowan, he walked over to the boy and tilted his head when he noticed he was already interacting with someone, o a second thought crossed Alan's mind and he decided to keep his distance.

Who could he ask what was going on though? He saw a girl, if he remembered she had been Headgirl at one point, which made his eyes widen. She would probably know what is going on right? She was in a group and another girl he knew was with them; Alan knew her from a bookstore so Alan nodded and went to them.

”Does any of you know what is going on here?”, he asked curiously.

Oh boy. He noticed. And Rowan may have short circuited him. 

Thankfully, the fact that he drank Veritaserum was apparent to someone. Though he was barely able to process the words before Miko... well Miko. His thoughts were shoved to the side as Miko pulled him close and pressed his lips against his own. The blush only increased tenfold, working it's way up his ears and down his neck. 

Rowan didn't care for once about the cat calls. He was too star struck. As Miko pulled back he sucked in a breath, eyes wide. As soon as he got over his shock though, annoyance set in. The bloody prick had the audacity to simply peck him on the lips then pull back? Rowan pulled Miko back, pressing his lips to the other's for a second time, this time holding the kiss for a few long moments. However they were interrupted by a girl.

Rowan released him finally with a satisfied smirk, turning to the female voice. Oh, Celynne. Good. And she bore gifts of cupcakes! Rowan reached out and plucked the cake from her hand.

"Thank you. You're already more thoughtful then Miko here, who refused to give me a cupcake a minute ago."

Obviously sarcasm, as the grin still shone bright on his face. As he unwrapped the cupcake, he thought to the Veritaserum. That was a predicament. Though it would wear off eventually, and it already had caused some good. So he didn't appreciate it, but it wasn't the worst option. 

"So how is the water? Cold? It is only spring after all. And did anyone think to bring towels? Because I forgot about those."

The kiss still lingered in his mind, but he wasn't going to talk about it with Celynne here. And he eventually wanted to get into the water to try to swim. Which wouldn't happen if they kept talking. They could talk more once they were in the water. 

Rowan popped the sweet treat into his mouth, biting into the squishy cake as flavor exploding across his tongue. 

Veritas.

Cel's grin settled into a comfortable smirk as she allowed the sweet to leave her grip, still holding out the other one to Miko. Alarm bells tingled at the sound of rising catcalls, but  she pushed them aside for now—whatever it was, she could deal with it later. "Veritaserum, was it?" the girl asked idly, jerking her head toward the lake. Away from the ruder company they had on the shore. "Depending on the dosage, I think... from what I remember, the effects should wear off about an hour after you drank it." Lucky that she herself hadn't consumed any of the punch; she should be safe as long as the cupcakes weren't spiked as well.

Looked to her as if, although Miko hadn't deigned offer a cupcake, he'd offered something else instead—and, as a bonus, a shipping opportunity for her! Priceless, really. "The water's not too frigid, actually, but still might give you a bit of a shock. I do have towels, if you want them, but only two—I'll just stay on the shore; you two go on." The girl gestured toward the folded fabric, well, not very neatly folded, by the water, near where she'd placed her shoes a few moments before. This would be a perfect outlet for staying dry without needing to admit that she couldn't swim, as long as nobody asked—again, how fortunate it was that she'd stayed well away from the punch.

She went a little rigid at something, something a little more than impolite, a certain Fourth Year muttered, but brushed it off with an eye roll—not worth it. Yet. Just... going down to the Lake would be enough to escape some idiots, right? As long as they didn't say anything more stupid? God, this was like flame wars but in real life. Wait... those would be arguments.

Ahem.

And so she began her way toward the lake slowly, beckoning with a hand behind her in hopes that they'd follow. If not, well, that would be a bit awkward, but she'd probably just go sit on the shore some more. Today was probably the most she'd come out of her shell since, she didn't know, last summer or something? Certainly she was capable, but she simply... preferred not to. Oh well. She'd been given a reason today; several, actually, one just more prominent than the rest. Now... she could just watch how all this played out.

Interacting with Ruka Tan and Jade Murphy, the trio!

Donny was listening as Ruka complimented the punch... the punch. The punch seemed to have some effect on him. Like... he was feeling he should need to tell Ruka and Jade something. Something about him and his rough life that they had't quite found out yet. "Er...Ruka?" Donny said, looking to Ruka with a face full of emotion. "I...I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" he said randomly, taking himself by surprise. "I-I never meant-to put you in danger-ever, honest!" he continued, warm tears rolling down his cheeks, fogging up his glasses that were newly repaired. The way he felt was just-odd. Like he needed to come out and apologize for whatever he'd done to to his friends. 

"Jade-Jade I'm sorry too!" he said, his face curled up in his lap, his sweaty palms hot on his cheeks. He knew he'd never intended for his friends to ever get hurt, but there was something, deep inside him that made him feel the need to apologize, tell some sort of truth. "I-I never meant for Jade to almost die trying to save me- and Ruka- you- I never meant to nearly kill you with the giant squid... I-I'm so, so sorry!" He continued, crippled in tears and awful emotions and thoughts. "Oh...and I-uh, stole that bag of Bon-bon's by the way Ruka." he added, the impulse getting even weirder. 

Thank the gods. Someone actually interested in swimming here. The blush was slowly starting to fade from his cheeks as well. All was well. Rowan followed Celynne to the edge of the water, hoping Miko would follow as well. 

"You seem afraid of the water almost. If you had no interest in swimming, then why come here, and bring towels as well? Were you expecting to meet someone?"

Rowan winced harshly and slapped a hand over his mouth. 

"I'm sorry. That was rude of me. You don't have to answer any of those questions, I won't mind too much."

Owch. That wasn't what he wanted to say. He wanted to say he wouldn't be offended. But apparently the veritaserum didn't appreciate the white lie. He looked back at Miko, wincing a little more. 

"C'mon slow poke. I at least want to try to swim today. Even if it ends in me nearly drowning."

Yay for distractions. At least the potion allowed him to do that, even if it wasn't the most seamless transition. He still needed Miko to carry him into the water either way, that was honest. He wouldn't be able to do quite a few things without assistance from now on. He kinda hated that he had to ask for help. To depend on someone. Ew.