Great Gates of Hogwarts: Ilvermorny Arrival Open

@Lark Flaer, @Gem Stuart, & @Maggie Parker

Delia couldn't help but laugh at Don's teasing. "The children don't have anything to worry about," she said. She contemplated elaborating, but decided against it. It was probably better not to... And if Don wasn't going to react to her flirting, well, she'd just have to amp it up a notch. Or twelve. She would get him to react at some point, she was determined to.

"Gene, huh... Nice nickname. And I'm with Owen here. Being murdered sounds great, but I don't think we should deprive the world of our collective good looks just yet. We're too young and beautiful to die." Delia grinned at the rest of them, letting her eyes flick to Don once before looking back at the group. There was a good chance he wouldn't notice, but hey, at least she tried.

Merlin, what was she saying? Delia Finch didn't try, she did. And she was succeeding no matter what.

She zoned out of the conversation a little after that, only looking up after Owen's mention of the ball. "Yes!" she said, pausing to look at Don with her eyebrows raised slightly. "I meant to ask, since Owen will be busy charming the pants off some girl, and Gene will be... doing something equally charming, only with more pizzaz, would you do me the honor of attending with me?" Ok, so maybe she was laying it on a bit thick, but it wasn't her fault she had to beat the message over Don's head with a rock. Besides, her voice was laced with sarcasm (as it usually was) so if he asked she could just say it was a joke or something.

"And I was thinking maybe fireworks?" she said, nudging Vi with her shoulder. "Or something different..." She turned to peer at Don. "You're the resident mastermind, any ideas?"

Played as Simon Belanger

Mentions @Maggie Parker | Interacts with @Meenauh Silmataurea

Despite the fact that he was puking his guts out in front of the gate, Simon instinctively felt like someone might be up to mischief and he paused in the midst of everything to shoot a quick glance around. Ah, there he was - Owen Morrison, popular boy extraordinaire already surrounded by a lively group of friends. Simon might've been jealous had he cared about what other people thought, but as it was all he felt was proud that his friend was likely dragging more people into some sort of nefarious prank.

Straightening and wiping a quick hand across his mouth, Simon dug into his hoodie pockets (which always seemed to mysteriously carry more than they should, as if they were enchanted) to pull out a tin of breath mints. He popped a couple into his mouth, sighing at the fact that they were stale, then began to trot over, apologizing profusely as he had to cut through a swath of Hogwarts students to get there.

He was nearly through the crowd when he stumbled over a chronically untied shoelace, nearly doing a faceplant and only managing to save himself through grasping the shoulder of a random student. "Jesus Murphy," he cursed, flailing for a moment before catching his balance and quickly releasing the girl's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, completely my bad, didn't mean to." It was innately drilled into him to apologize, and he did so with his hands waving wildly to accentuate his point, his face sincere despite the fact that he was usually a mischief-maker.

Of course, just because he felt bad about having to grab her, didn't mean he couldn't get up to some mischief with this Hogwarts girl he didn't know from a hole in the ground. Wasn't that what they were here for? Okay, so it might've had something to do with school-to-school relations, but he was just a teenager and really didn't care what the purpose was.

"Oh, sorry again, but while I have you here... Are you interested in preserving the rights of Canadians?" He dug into his pockets yet again and pulled out two pieces of paper, one badly mangled and full of what appeared to be mustard and ketchup stains, while the other was slightly less mangled but crumpled all the same. He offered her the one that wasn't as worse-for-the-wear, which - if she opened - would have a crudely drawn picture of an igloo and say in blocky letters 'PRESERVE CANADAS NATIONAL IGLOO.' "I have a, uh, just a second - " His nose wrinkled as he smoothed out the stained paper he had left, revealing two sad signatures, one of them his own. "A petition. Please don't let our igloo melt."

@Catriona Staverly & @Lark Flaer @Maggie Parker

"Beautiful? Man, I look like a fridge." He whipped his hair around, purposefully smacking Delia in the face with it. "Just kidding. I'm basically a hair model, because my beautiful golden locks are like, superior and stuff." He popped his lips a few times, thinking of something else to say. They really were just sitting ducks, quacking every once in a while. What a weird analogy.

It wasn't until Delia (very sarcastically) asked Donovan if he'd like to go with her to the ball, turning his head to stare at the side of her face like she'd gone crazy.
"Me? You want me to go to the ball with you? That's just too much of an honor, Lady Finch! I-I couldn't do it, no... I'm not even worthy of looking at you! Oh-!" He turned his head away violently, covering his face with his hand like he was going to start crying. Suddenly, he dropped to his knee and reached into his pocket, pulling a rubber band out, holding it in the palm of his hand.

"Well, if you want to go to the ball with me, you might as well want to marry me, right? Miss Delia Finch, would you do me the great honor of taking my hand in marriage? I couldn't imagine life without you!" He gasped, clutching at his chest, getting a fistful of his shirt.

Fireworks? Now they were talking. Still, he stood up straight and tapped his chin, 'tsk'ing left and right, silently weighing out the options and judging their ideas from one to ten scales.
"Mmm, no. No, we do fireworks too too much. Unless we put fireworks in the toilets, I think that's just too easy." He bit his lip, racking his brain for any legal ideas, not ones that would get them kicked out, but enough for them to get in enough trouble. "Well, we could do stinkbombs... or, just casually taunt the Hogwarts students, steal potions and drink them to see what happens. Maybe I'll grow an ecosystem in my stomach. I'll be pregnant! And the potions teacher will have been the father... how romantic." He did some more thinking, attempting to look around and fuel the motivation to do something drastic. Nothing, yet.

Played as Alexx Séverin | Interacting with @Max Avery (Simon Belanger) | Open to Other Interactions

Was it true that Alexx was chasing yet another story? Well, yes. As the Editor-in-Chief, even if this story never made it onto paper, she needed to be here to see it happen. Ilvermorny students, seeing Hogwarts for their first time! Not to mention to legendary Professor Plott, who she was dying to interview. But she would wait, instead, for a more convenient time. Right now her primary focus was making her school look good. Showing off that they had an array of things that students could be involved with, that they could easily go toe-to-toe with whatever was offered at Ilvermorny (and she would bet her life that the Hogwarts Headliner was superior to whatever they had over there). No one had asked her to do this, it was simply that the young French girl had school pride.

Her eyes landed on a boy. She had briefly overheard talk of a petition, which is what made her turn his way. "Une pétition?" She asked the boy with the paper, her head cocked to one side. She got closer to him, eyes peering down at the paper, and then up to him. Something sparkled in her eyes. "Ah, le Canada! Vous devez savoir le français, non?" That's right! She had totally forgotten that Canadian students also attended Ilvermorny.

She was interrupted by a sound coming from her beloved Rosalie- a squeak of discomfort, to which the little fur ball fell straight from her shoulder and onto the ground. Rosalie wasn't accustomed to her owner's new haircut, and was used to being able to bury herself in the once long, golden locks. Every so often, she would forget that the hair had been cut off, and would fall to the ground after attempting to burrow her way upwards.

Alexx made a disgruntled noise, bending over to pick up her pet. "Prudente!" She warned the pink thing, glaring as she scooped her up into her palms. Her eyes shot back to the mystery boy. Juggling Rosalie into one palm, much to the pink ball's surprise (as confirmed by the squeak), Alexx shook out one hand for him to shake. All this time, she had completely ignored the presence of Meenauh. "Alexx Séverin, Editor-in-Chief, Quidditch player, former Prefect... The list goes on. And who are you, boy with the petition?"

He was fairly attractive- there was no denying that. He had this sort of rugged look to him, one that she saw a lot in the western male species, but she had quickly decided that he made it work. Nothing was disappointing about the first Ilvermorny student that she had met so far. In fact, without even knowing anything about him aside from his nationality, she had decided that she was quite interested in this total stranger. It could be said that Alexx was very quick to make alliances. While she believed, wholeheartedly, that it was better to be feared than to be loved, she also knew that there were strength in numbers. While she may never see this strange boy again, he would remember her name and her friendliness. That mattered above all else.

She did, however, shoot a small smile to Meenauh, so that she wouldn't seem rude. After all, Meenauh was one of her very own writers. The interaction, at least on Alexx's part, would not go much further than that unless prompted otherwise. She wasn't going to fixate herself on someone who she would see everyday for the next few years when she was being confronted with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here. While she knew in her heart that foreign exchange students, or something similar to that in this case, were off limits, she simply couldn't help herself.

Oh, and if he didn't know any French, she would be severely disappointed.

Mentions @Max Avery, @Alexx Séverin, @Meenauh Silmataurea, @Gem Stuart, @Catriona Staverly, @Lark Flaer

Owen found himself laughing once more as his friends talked, but he quieted when Delia asked Don to the dance. A satisfied smile covered his face— what? They were a little cute together. He mulled over Delia’s comment about him “charming the pants off of some Hogwarts girl”, and decided that it wouldn’t be too far off.

“Jesus Christ!” he exclaimed, as his foot bumped against Don’s leg. He wildly flailed his arms, trying to regain his balance as he tripped over his friend’s outstretched leg as he “proposed” to Delia.

“Next time you declare your undying love for someone,” Owen huffed, after quickly regaining his balance, “watch where you’re going!”

Don got up, and the four retreated back to the line they’d been walking in. Owen smiled as Don mentioned caually taunting the Hogwarts students— that definitely had some opportunity for some creative pranks.

“Slow your roll, Don— you married Delia like, five seconds ago.” he patted his friend on his shoulder, laughing. “Hey, there’s Simon!”

He nodded over to his friend, who was currently talking to two Hogwarts girls. Simon and Owen were actually really good friends— not as good of friends as Owen was with Don, Gene, and Delia, but still close friends.

“SIMON!” he yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth and waving to his friend. “You guys want to head over?”

Roleplaying as Meenauh Silmataurea

Interacting with @Max Avery (Simon)

Interacting with @Alexx Séverin

@Koko Riddle

Role-playing as Thea since I don't have a dNPC

Life at Hogwarts, at least after curfew came and everyone was sleeping, was fairly peaceful.

The grounds would swarm with students, and the common rooms would be filled with witches and wizards who needed to catch up on homework or just hang out with their housemates. The corridors were less crowded and instead the library was filled with students reading or drawing in the peace and quiet.

Of course, the common room, library, and the grounds would quickly empty out as soon as curfew came. People would head back to their dorms and say good night to their roommates before slipping into pajamas and going to sleep in the comfortable beds.

One of the students who was planning on doing just that and quickly fall asleep was Thea. The young Hufflepuff witch had her routine which, frankly, was very easy to follow - wake up, classes, homework, free time, sleep, repeat - not counting any meals of course.

She was always able to fall asleep quickly and she was definitely what you'd consider a heavy sleeper - having to deal with a younger sister taught her how to withstand when someone was jumping on her bed or trying to pull her covers off of her. But well, even younger siblings have their limits, and Anna definitely was not setting off fireworks in Thea's room.

So when Thea woke up only an hour about falling asleep to the sound of fireworks shooting up into the sky, she was both annoyed and intrigued. Looking out the window, the Hufflepuff distinctively saw indigo sparkling smoke filling the Hogwarts grounds as well as some people and carriages. Still half asleep, she hurried to put on her robes over her pajamas and some sneakers.

She snuck out of the common room onto the Hogwarts entrance, her pale face and ginger hair well lit in the moon light. Thea yawned as she stood there, watching the people wander around Hogwarts' grounds slowly, taking in the view of the castle, some talking. She saw some Hogwarts student, mainly a third year she saw around the halls who was now talk to the people, but except for her no one she could recognize.

Finally, after a solid minute of staring everyone down with her pretty green eyes, the still half asleep girl realized what was going on - these people were the Ilvermorny students set to arrive in October. Even with that revelation in mind, the girl still was far from understanding why they'd choose sparkling smoke and fireworks to announce their appearance.

The Hufflepuff straightened her hastily put on robes to make them look presentable and stepped a bit closer to the Americans. She looked at them all with a sleepy stare, wizards and witches of all kind. She took another step closer and yawned yet again.

Roleplaying As: Serenity Arellano

Interactions: @Maggie Parker  | @Saskia Nicholson

Hogwarts was... stunning, to say the least. It was a giant castle with plains of grass and fields surrounding it. It was like something you'd find in Alaska, but less cold. Not that Serenity could say much, she hadn't visited Alaska before. Or Canada, for that matter. This was the first time she was visiting another country, not even Jay or Penelope could take her to somewhere else, even with their jobs.

Serenity brushed back her long, curly black hair and smiled. The Sun felt warm on her cheeks, and the loud crazy plots of her headmaster didn't even bother her at this point. She had been owling a boy named "Oliver Hart" and was excited to meet him. And more than that, she was excited to meet everyone at Hogwarts. Despite that the majority of her peers were into teasing them, Serenity knew better. She knew way better than them, and just smiled. Pearl-white teeth flashing against darker skin, and even darker hair. Everything was okay.

Serenity hopped out of the carriages and stretched her long legs. The white, fluffy sweater she was wearing didn't feel hot in the sunlight, and she was thankful for that. However, as she looked around at all the Hogwarts students, she felt extremely underdressed with all of them wearing robes, and her wearing a pair of black skinny jeans. But her white converse high-tops and hand-made ankle socks from Penelope made her confidence grow back just a little bit.

She looked over to one of her friends, and bounded over to him, and the group he was with. "Hey guys," She said. She waited a moment, before realizing- was Owen talking about some big prank? Again? Serenity punched his shoulder, laughing lightly. "Owen we've been here for less than an hour and you're already scheming?" 

She walked away, still taking in the warmth from the sun, and walked over to another one of her friends, Jeremiah. The sun was just so bright for her, it felt so wonderful in the heat. "Hey, J," She said, smiling even brighter. It was almost like her smiles were powered by the bright sun. "So what do you think so far?"

Her black hair was just so messy, but she was just excited. Excited to explore this new castle of possibilities. Somehow, just being here, with her friends, with endless possibilities, was something perfect for her, something she genuinely needed. Serenity Arellano was excited for Hogwarts, and there was nothing nobody could do to make her feel any sense different. Nothing, nobody.

@Thea Knott
RPing as Cyrus Darsel

When Cyrus set foot out of the carriage, lo and behold was a wonderful sight. A British girl, full red hair and all, who made Cy immediately starstruck. He gave an obnoxious whistle before striding over. "Hey," he said, kneeling on the ground. Sure, the knees of his jeans would get dirty, but he could always buy new ones. "My queen, you are now all I will ever think of. Please, please save me." He collapsed, rolling over onto his side. Oh, yes. He, like his headmaster, loved theatrics.

Cy was quite aware of all the new people surrounding him, but he paid no mind. No, he was only here for this girl. His ocean-blue eyes were closed; every so often his eyelids would flutter or his finger would twitch. If she were looking close enough, she could see that his lips were slightly open in a smile. "Helppppp," he drawled through his barely-opened mouth. "I'm dyiiiiinggg."

If he were his old self, he would have been rolling around and laughing by now. But Cy had grown up into a very mature thirteen-year-old boy. He knew how to get a girl's attention. Apparently, drama would do just the trick.

RPing as: Jeremiah Lucero

Interactions: @Euphrasia Millie

Wonderful. More people were coming over to see what the big deal was outside. Headmaster Plott really outdid himself this time, didn't he? He could already see a few students already walking out of the entrance and making conversation with his schoolmates. It was only a matter of time before someone did the same with him. It wasn't that he was a complete misanthrope and hated the mere thought of interacting with a fellow human, but what could he say to these people that wouldn't automatically make himself an embarrassment in front of them? It wasn't like him to care about how he acted in front of everyone else, but he really didn't want to leave a bad impression on these strangers. Sure, he might never see them again after this, but he was still going to spend a month living here. God, the culture clash was real- and he hadn't even talked to these people yet.

Fortunately for him, he was met with a familiar face- Serenity Arellano. She was another student in his year, and she also happened to be one of the few people Jeremiah was actually comfortable talking with. There was just something about her that made it easier for him to relax. Maybe it was the fact that she was always so sweet, or that smile of hers that radiated brighter than the sun itself. He always appreciated talking with her, even if it wasn't something he would readily admit. And now she managed to save him from having to deal with the awkwardness of whatever this situation was. For that, he was grateful.

"Hey, Ren," he greeted, giving her a smile in return. If this were someone else, maybe he'd put in more of an effort to act indifferent, but she was his friend, and that smile of hers was just too infectious. "I think it looks pretty good. Kind of like our school, actually. I'll probably be able to find some decent sceneries for drawing, assuming things don't go terribly wrong here. But here's to hoping this can be a nice, simple get-together and not some catastrophic war between us and the British people," he mused, shrugging to himself.

"What do you think?" he asked back, facing the girl more properly.