The Mistletoe Spin Group #7 Summer Camp 2024

English | Parseltongue
interacting: Valentin Schnell @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood & Enzo Delcroix Akari Kato

At first, it seemed Della's attempt to communicate with Valentin in Parseltongue was in vain. His response was in the same accented English—but wait! He had understood her! He apologized profusely for not being able to speak it. Della, on the other hand, was speechless. He was a stranger, from another country, asking her about her heritage and ability. She also realized that he was warmly squeezing her hands—the first thing she could bring herself to do was squeeze them back. Before she could think of a response—there were so many! would Valentin link her to her father's heritage? did he know anything about the Parseltongue community? had he lost a parent also?—he spoke in a strange tongue. It was not Parseltongue, but it also did not sound like any foreign language Della had ever heard at these inter-school gatherings.

"I'm sorry, I didn't understand that last bit. But I'm honored to meet someone that can understand me. I think we have a lot to discuss. I never knew my father, but I'm starting to suspect he would have been—or is—as a Parselmouth as well. I am sorry about your parents, but I would like to hear more about them—" It was all pouring out of her. Della didn't even know to notice the ensuing chaos around them; people casting and giving grand speeches could not penetrate the bubble she mentally formed around her and Valentin. However, what could burst that bubble was the dance floor, and of course, it chose now to do so. As she was whisked away, she heard Valentin yell that she knew where to find him. Was that an invitation to seek him out during the camp? She yelled back to him, "I'll come to the match tomorrow!"

She twirled to another mistletoe and another partner, but her mind was still on the last interaction. Della hadn't fully taken in the stranger or their position on the dance until he was reaching for her hand, which she allowed him to kiss. He was French. And they were under the mistletoe. Ooh-la-la. Two feelings battled for her attention—a need to speak more to Valentin and find answers to her largest questions, and the need to French kiss. It was difficult, but she let the latter destroy the former—it's always best to take on the challenge at hand.

"Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm Della, and I see we're under the mistletoe." She eyed her new partner expectantly.

Action: accepting Enzo's hand kiss, and would accept a kiss kiss if Enzo makes a move

Stamina: 12 | Evasion: 10 | Strength: 5 | Wisdom: 5 | Arcane Power: 8 | Accuracy: 10

Interacting with Tone and the other Tone (Hana)

Wax dripped from the candles like rain, and was impossible to avoid, resulting in her letting out an "ow" as wax landed on her. Just as Haven contemplated getting out a band aid for herself, Tone had sprung into action, trying to cast ferula, the less exciting but more magical version of a band aid. She could appreciate the irony and the action.

"Thank you," she said to him, regardless of the outcome.

Unfortunately for their conversation, it seemed that the candle was set on extinguishing any flames. Stupid things floating in the air. She verbally accosted the candle, set to get her revenge, before being sure to clarify that she was indeed crazy and talking to a candle, not trying to make enemies.

"Thanks," she found herself saying again, unable to help the redness that spread across her face, even though she didn't know who this "Red" person was. Should she know them? Did she know them? What was going on?

But before she could clarify, Haven quickly had to jump out of the way of some dripping wax. She was quite tired of this candle, so she decided to do something about it. Since she did not have freakishly long arms to jump and grab the candle out of the air, she settled on trying to turn the candle into a bird.

...well, Haven was never the most accomplished witch.

She frowned as her spell came short. No bird candles today, unfortunately. But, lucky for them, it seemed Tone was much more skilled in the magical sense, turning their candle to a block of ice, which was much more pleasant than a dripping wax candle.

Before they could get back to their conversation, though, the magical floor started up again, sending them spinning in two different directions. Maybe they'd meet again, but hopefully it would not involve a dripping candle. Or mistletoe. She wasn't quite prepared for that yet.

Just her luck, as her legs came to a screeching halt, she had the misfortune to look up and be greeted by a sprig of mistletoe. She blinked a few times, making sure she was seeing it right. No, it wasn't just lettuce in the air, it was definitely mistletoe.

A lump formed in her throat, and she was suddenly very aware of her every slight movement. She was woefully unprepared to kiss someone. Now, she wasn't great at academics, but usually you got the chance to study before a test, and this time, she did not. Haven was going to fail kissing. Oh, bother.

Relax, Haven, she tried telling herself. There's not necessarily going to be any kissing involved. You never know, he might think you're ugly or something. Just relax. She took a deep breath, but still didn't quite feel so calm, regardless of the energy she might give off.

It took her a moment before she remembered that there was a person in front of her, not just mistletoe above her. She fumbled a little before shaking his hand.

"Hana," she repeated with a nod. "I'm Haven. Bohannon. Hufflepuff, I... I think I'm the one that's the two little lines, which is that? Gemini? I think that sounds right. And, um... I have no outstanding grudges on anyone." She copied his introduction format, though with much more fumbling to it.

But when he asked for help with something, she perked up a little. Lucky for her, it seemed his mind was not on kissing. "Yeah, sure! What do you need help with?" Remembering her previous two interactions, Haven paused for a moment, before asking "do you need a band aid?"

Action
Being socially awkward to Hana

Banner by Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood

Roleplaying as Ginyami Midorimori from Mahoutokoro
"English | Japanese"

"Ah..I see," Ginyami answered with an amicable smile, nodding his head. "Understandable. Although...those who would know you by your family's reputation would still know you regardless if they saw you at the balls, parties, and other events your family hosts, would they not? Such as myself, in example." His smile dimmed and he tilted his head curiously at Kim's comment that nothing mattered anymore. "...Is that so?" he asked quietly. "And why might that be?"

It was then, however, that Valentin came to speak to Ginyami, so the older student excused himself as discreetly and politely as he could from Kim's presence. But his peer's new demeanor left him stunned momentarily.

"..."

The unsettling way with which Valentin spoke his surname caused an involuntary shiver to run down Ginyami's spine. He wondered if his speaking in that manner had something to so with his having spoken that eerie hissing language with Della earlier. He also wondered what he really wanted from Valentin when the seeker told him he would respect his space if he was not welcome to meddle in his affairs. No, that wasn't right. He knew what he wanted. The question was how much to let the quidditch captain know and at what point in time.

"Whatever your assumptions regarding your equality, even equals use surnames and honorifics with each other if they are strangers," Ginyami told him, no longer smiling. "First names, particularly without honorifics, are reserved for especially intimate relationships as determined by the one whose name is being used. Therefore it is not your place to decide if you are close enough to call him by his first name." A smirk slightly turned up one corner of his mouth. "Between us, however...you can drop that silly facade. Just 'Yami' is fine."

The black-haired teen sighed. "The mistletoe has not been enchanted," he assured his albino peer. "However, even if this Greta of yours may have understood the event better than you did, she clearly didn't understand how you would feel about it, nor thought to bother explaining it to you, which causes me to call into question the validity of her friendship itself." He raised his chin at Valentin, peering at him through dark lashes. "Then again, you did deem just about everyone to be your friend. And what's that other English saying...? 'A friend to all is a friend to none'...?"

It wasn't that Ginyami had expected Valentin to lash out at all; in fact, he would have had a hard time picturing that if he'd tried. If anyone lashed out, it was usually Romeo from the sounds of everything. But what Valentin was doing instead was quite rapidly alarming Ginyami and making him reconsider his tactics. He was goading him. Like he wanted him to be angry; to feed into that anger. Like he wanted Ginyami to lash out at him. The Japanese pureblood knew that the Tatar enjoyed attention and was a masochist, but this was beyond any level of masochism he'd known before. Was Valentin truly so far gone? Was he more unhinged than Ginyami had suspected from the start?

He listened to the seeker's explanation about his clothing, the white-haired youth claiming that he was manipulated to do things he wouldn't have normally done. Valentin also stated he had been weak enough to be used by others in the past, but that he was trying to get better at learning when to figure out when people were being used by others.

It wasn't until Valentin mentioned the words, 'before you gave me my first kiss' that Ginyami stropped and stared. No, no - that couldn't have been right. How could they have -

The flash of a white throat and the movement of an open mouth jogged his memory. Wait - yes. Yes, Ginyami had been feeding Valentin grapes from Kim's Halloween party! Somehow they had gotten to talking about love and lovers before Valentin had mentioned that although he had met his mouth with another's before, he hadn't really considered it to be kissing. So Ginyami had tried to feed him the last grape through a kiss. And while it may have been Valentin's first kiss, it was Ginyami's, too.

The sudden realization caused him to stagger back, clasping a hand over his mouth. He had almost completely forgotten. He had blocked it out. It almost felt to Ginyami like he himself had been the one who'd been manipulated or hypnotized instead of Valentin or Romeo, but this had been blocked out by his own mind. He could hardly comprehend the rest of what Valentin was telling him regarding 'acts II and III', Valentin being ready to give everything he was to helping Ginyami live out his dreams, the supposed accomplishment of making the seeker into a trophy, and that Ginyami had 'given up on them'. The kimono-wearing pureblood hardly managed to understand it all, but he did manage to understand, so he tried to gather his reeling thoughts so he could answer as best he could.

"Hahahaa...I wasn't aware you were ever ashamed of your body," he murmured with a giddy chuckle, shaking his head as he dropped his hand from his mouth and eventually straightened his posture. "But as for telling you what to be...you're wrong. Because despite whatever newfound freedom you claim to have, you're still aiming to be something to someone else according to their own wishes instead of your own. Aren't you?" He turned to look directly at the quidditch captain. "What good is having your supposed freedom if you need someone else to figure out what to do with it?" He shook his head pityingly. "In that sense, at least, you're just like Sara."

Valentin's half-lidded eyes combined with his fond smile turned upon Sara yet again and Ginyami scowled involuntarily yet again. "...What possible help could you provide us when you can't even help yourself? If you don't know what true love looks like, how can you claim that I don't seem 'overly attached'? Perhaps I may not be overly attached, but perhaps I'm attached just the right amount. Focus on your own dream before you attempt to help others achieve theirs. And don't give me that nonsense about your dream being nothing more about helping others achieve theirs to begin with."

As he listened to the musician prattle on, he watched as the young man pinned the sprig of mistletoe to the inside of one of his open shirt clasps for some reason. What a strange thing to do.

Ginyami sighed when Valentin claimed he was 'denigrating the power of subtle things'. In his opinion, that was far too vague and broad a term for what he was doing."I'm not belittling the 'power of subtle things'. I'm not denying that it could change lives, either. What I am saying is that this event was not meant to be taken so seriously. It was not created to change people's lives in such a manner, so whether it does or doesn't, you can hardly blame it on the event, the event components, or the event coordinator."

He eyed the alabaster-complexioned young man, not bothering to comment on the notion of his so-called 'power'. It was difficult to snap a delusional person out of their delusions if they were determined to remain in them and he didn't feel like trying very hard just then. It seemed like far too big a problem to tackle in the space of one event round, so he wasn't motivated to attempt it any more than he had already. Something else did bother him about what Valentin was saying though - enough for him to want to give voice to it.

"You keep talking of wanting to grant others' wishes. But isn't that just to avoid focusing on granting your own?" he accused. "If you want a single person to devote yourself to, then pick one. It seemed very much to me that you had already done so and then proceeded to give up on him. And now you have the gall to tell me that I'm giving up on you? Or that I might on Sara? I don't think so." He smirked then. "'Humility'? And what good would that do me? I have all the evidence I need. It's you who's jumping to conclusions without evidence, seeker."

He waved a hand loftily. "You talk pretty words about 'transcending self-imposed limits'. But me? I have no such limits. So what need would I have to transcend what is non-existent?" His amusement promptly disappeared at the mention of the muggle quote and muggle contributions in general. "...No," he agreed irritably. "I didn't."

Ginyami actually rolled his eyes soon after. If he had to hear about 'the power of Valentin's ancestors' one more time without any proof that whatever he was talking about actually existed, he didn't know what he might do.

"...I gave you up for your own sake, love-chaser," he told him quietly, staring absently at the sprig of mistletoe pinned to Valentin's open shirt. Whatever anger toward the albino student that he might have held before seemed to have been completely drained out of him to be replaced by pity. "Yours and the sake of he whom you originally sought. Nevermind my wish. Focus on pursuing your own. Because in the state you're currently in, you're in no shape to help others, whether you realize it or not."

Turning away from Valentin once more, he returned his attention to Kim. The underclassman apologized for being rusty on the social scene. Ginyami smiled and shook his head.

"No need for apologies. I'm sorry to hear you seem to have been having such a rough time as of late. As for not being fun, I hardly base my decision to interact with others based on how 'fun' they are." His brow furrowed slightly. "If you ever wish to talk further...you're welcome to find me in camp or send me an owl at any time. My tent is carnival-themed and filled with other Mahoutokoro students. I doubt it should be difficult for someone as resourceful as yourself to find should you choose to do so." Sensing the music was about to start again from the timing, he quickly added, "Best of luck, Aoki-san. I do hope things get better for you." And then the magical dance once more caught them up in its thrall.

...And as luck would have it, who should he have ended up with other than the silver-haired obsessor himself. Ginyami's mouth suddenly split into a very broad grin as he dedicated his entire attention first to his intended victim - and then to the mistletoe above. He recalled immediately how Gellert had attempted to incinerate the last bunch he had found himself under and it only became more conspicuous how wicked Ginyami's features suddenly seemed. He wouldn't bother wasting logic, reasoning, or even any words at all on the speck of dirt this time. After all, it was said that one should never argue with a wise man or a fool, and Ginyami was well aware which he believed Gellert was.

With a brief glance Valentin's way, the grinning, spiteful Mahoutokoro pureblood turned back to the intense gaze of his targent and wasted no more time. He reached out a hand to tenderly cradle the side of Gellert's face so as to steady it as he closed his eyes and leaned forward to press his lips to the Durmstrang student's. Ginyami would show Valentin how this game was really meant to be played - and how little kisses actually meant. How little he needed Valentin to believe his and Ginyami's shared first kiss had meant to him.

The Japanese student could practically taste the mutual, passionate hatred that Gellert and he had for each other on those lips. He could also taste the lingering hurt they shared from not having been chosen by Valentin as well as the hurt that was to come - both the pain that they were knowingly and intentionally attempting to inflict on those they cared about by committing that single act of symbolic betrayal, and then the pain of guilt that would inevitably follow from that betrayal. Still...it was a show of power to one another that they were each willing to endure such pain to come and Ginyami found himself...unexpectedly impressed with Gellert for the first time. He had entirely expected the other student to resist him or pull away, but accepting the kiss in stride and responding in kind with just as much fervor and intensity...that took guts and grace he had not imagined that Gellert had possessed. Particularly while knowing of the difficult consequences that were sure to follow.

If Ginyami truly did have any part of Valentin's heart still, even whatever part he might have managed to obtain in order to have been able to exchange first kisses with him, then it was time to completely and utterly crush it. To have allowed such a part to stay in tact would have only caused it to get in Valentin's way and blinded him against what he should have truly been focusing on and seeking out. It might have hurt Ginyami, too, to attempt to destroy such a precious thing he hadn't even remembered he'd possessed all that time up until a few minutes before...but it was for the best.

He would endure whatever cuts or wounds the shards of that broken piece of heart gave him as he closed his metaphorical fist around it, willing it to shatter as irrepairably as possible. Because everything came with a price. And he had already become resolute in his goals when he had returned to Hogwarts that summer. He couldn't have afforded to change all his plans just then simply because he'd recovered something he'd thought he'd lost long ago. Better to get rid of it and pretend it had never belonged to him to begin with.

After a long, slow lip-lock, Ginyami finally broke away, opening his eyes again to appraise his hate-kissing partner. "You kiss well...for a gaijin, foreigner," he told Gellert, smirking as he wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his kimono. The way he said it, though, suggested he was complimenting more than just his kissing technique. Odd how while the silver-haired youth had been sarcastic with his bow before and addressed him by his first name, he had suddenly become much more respectful - not only by calling him by his last name and an honorific, but also by bowing to him properly. How interesting.

Ginyami had been so busy talking to Kim, Valentin, and then kissing Gellert, he didn't notice the blonde French student's behavior, especially as the Beauxbatons student hadn't spoken a spell aloud. The Mahoutokoro student hadn't expected such a late response to his own attempt at an attack. It seemed he hadn't even expected a retaliation at all.

Suddenly, a flurry of movement distracted the Japanese pureblood and he whipped his head around to locate the source of the commotion. A red-haired young man was standing protectively in front of Sara, who had come to stand protectively in front of Ginyami. Ginyami stared, wide-eyed. Amid all the chaos, he'd all but forgotten that Sara had even accompanied him to the event at all. Had Sara seen him kissing Gellert? He had to have. And yet...what was happening there between Sara and the blonde Beauxbatons boy? Or, between Sara and the red-haired Hogwarts student, for that matter?

"...Sara?" The fox-eyed young man rushed to his classmate's side. "Sara, what happened? Are you hurt?" He looked him over for injuries, but thankfully didn't find any. At least...not physical ones. It was only when he'd looked the rest of him over that he'd finally settled on his terribly beautiful face and gazed into those fathomlessly dark eyes, afraid of what he would find there. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so afraid. Perhaps...perhaps it had been when they were children.

Surely Sara knew, though, right? Sara knew how little such shallow displays and activities like this meant. He knew their bond was stronger than a silly kiss. They had spent literal years together. They knew each other...didn't they? But if that was the case, Ginyami couldn't figure out why he had such an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach.

HP: 1100/1100
Stats: STA 11 / EVA 12 / STR 5 / WIS 8 / ARC 6 / ACC 19
Abilities: Charmer / Fearless / Foulplay / Evasive Maneuvers / Evasive Maneuvers II / Impartial
Action: Attempting to kiss Gellert on the lips under the mistletoe.
Interacting with: Sara Kohana (@Hanako Tone), Valentine Schnell (@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood), @Kim Sato, Enzo Delcroix (@Akari Kato), & Gellert Schroeder (@Tristan Theramin)

The Welsh teenager had watched Hanako and the unfamiliar student from the French school exchange whispers extraordinarily close to each other as he'd crossed his arms over his chest. He'd kept a pretty impassive expression about it and said nothing. But the muscles of his jaw tightened ever so slightly and his eyes narrowed briefly when he observed the blonde boy kissing a stunned-looking Hanako. But the worst of it was that Hanako looked like he was getting into it. Not that Jack knew enough about kissing to be certain. He looked away immediately, feeling disgusted just watching.

Awkwardly enough, it was Hanako who Jack next ended up with. The redhead had been able to play off his feelings by greeting his dormmate casually enough and teasing him with a single question, but inside, he still wasn't feeling all that great.

“Taunting, you mean.” Hanako had said. “ As if I’d genuinely flirt with that french douche”

He chuckled softly at Hanako's comeback, but his heart wasn't in it. "Yeah...'as if'. But from here, it looked more like he was the one taunting you - which I know you love. You really have some weird love-hate connection with blondes, don't you?"

Fortunately, Jack had been distracted enough by Gellert and his antics soon after to avoid seeming too out-of-sorts when Hanako's attention was directed elsewhere. They were both soon laughing at the same thing, anyway - and attempting to fire spells upon the same person. Too bad neither hit. Though he'd appeared distracted by his fit of laughter, he'd been watching Hanako more closely than he'd let on and noticed the reason his dormmate had missed.

“ I often cast way more damaging and powerful spells than that anyway.” He shrugged nonchalantly, but the redhead could guess even without looking that the prideful duelist must have been at least a little irked. “What's your excuse?”

"My excuse?! Like I said, I was literally dying!" Jack answered, grinning like he'd never quite stopped finding the Durmstrang boy's words funny. "I could barely breathe! Besides, you didn't even give an excuse of your own, so what right do you have demanding mine?" Wearing a rigor mortis grin, he glanced back at Enzo and Sara out the corner of his eye. Oh...Hana did always have a thing for conventionally good-looking people. "Wait a second - him?" Jack started up, looking back at Hanako as his grin turned incredulous. "He's the reason you missed? Some tall, dark, and handsome foreigner? Weren't you just kissing the blonde one just now? Just how fickle are you, Tone?!"

Though Jack wasn't attracted by appearances, he couldn't have denied that the tall, Japanese youth before the French one was almost unearthly in his socially-defined beauty. It was combined with a foreboding a bout him that, unfortunately, Jack knew would have only increased Hana's interest in him rather than reduced it. He fought the urge to groan or sigh. On the positive side, since they were all just foreign students, the sooner they went home, the sooner Jack could stop worrying Hana would try to make a move on any of them.

Doing his best to keep at least his outward appearances genial, he retained his grin as the dance swept them into new pairs. Once the music stopped, he laughed aloud to find himself standing before none other than the very ethereal being that Hanako had been gawking at. As the tall teen released a sigh that might have sent a schoolful of people swooning, Jack thought the guy sounded and looked as tired as he felt. And he knew why, too. He'd been paying attention to the conversations that had been going on among their group between dancing. It was only just then that he'd had the time to pause and put the pieces together, however, since Hana had mostly been absorbing his attention prior, along with a few others like Gellert and Enzo.

Sara Kohana, as it seemed this young man's name was, seemed to be in a very similar situation to the one Jack had found himself in a while back. Actually, the situation was even comparable to the one he'd found himself in now, now that he thought of it. And because of that, though the Welsh boy would have felt sorry for the Japanese one anyway, he was feeling a very particular sort of empathy toward the quiet student.

"Sara Kohana" he said, grin still present. "What an honor." Jack gave a theatrical brow, gesturing grandly with an arm as he bent deeply at the waist. "Jack Burnett, at your service. But you can call me Burnett. I think your culture uses last names usually anyway, don't they?" he asked cheerfully as he straightened back up with a wink.

Upon hearing Sara's apology, Jack's grin mellowed into a mere smile, but remained. "No need to apologize," he told his peer. "I understand if you'd want to leave. I would too in your position." His hazel gaze flickered to Ginyami and he jabbed a thumb toward him. "That one really hasn't been doing much to earn his title as your boyfriend since he got here. Has he?"

But when his eyes returned to Sara, he noticed the Mahoutokoro student wasn't looking at Ginyami. He was looking at the Beauxbatons boy. Why? Did he have an interest in him, too? That one seemed almost as much an ass as the one called Ginyami, albeit in a completely different way. But as he watched the blonde, he realized that wasn't why Sara's attention had been caught by him. The blonde had brought his wand out and was aiming it at someone. Ginyami, as it turned out.

Jack had begun to grin again, eager to see how a fight between the two might go. However, Sara didn't seem to hold the same enthusiasm. In fact, the look on his face immediately sparked a flame of worry in Jack. He knew that look. He might not have known Sara, but he knew that look because it spoke of the same emotions he felt every time he thought someone he cared about was threatened.

Thing was, from what Jack had gathered, Ginyami deserved to get hit by whatever spell that French kid had used far more than Sara did. Heck, Ginyami had been the kid's target. He didn't deserve Sara's loyalty, much less his affection or a relationship with him. Why did people have to care about other people?!

"Kohana! STOP!" He dashed forward to get between the oncoming spell and Sara, hoping it wasn't too late.

Eventually...the boyfriend noticed. By the time he did, Jack might have chewed him out...but given Sara's disposition and taciturn manner, Jack had a feeling that Sara's response to Ginyami, whatever form it took, was likely to be a far more deserving, painful punishment for the Japanese jerk than anything Jack could have dished out to him instead.

HP: 600/600
Stats: STA 6 / EVA 9 / STR 3 / WIS 20 / ARC 9 / ACC 9
Abilities: Prodigal Charms / Binding Mark / Perfectionist / Perfectionist II / Animagus
Action: Attempting to shield Sara with his own body by coming between him and Enzo's spell.
Interacting with: @Hanako Tone, Sara Kohana (@Hanako Tone), & Enzo Delcroix (@Akari Kato)

Date: 2 August 2024 Mentioning/Interaction: @Kim Sato as Tone Bakugo @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood as Valentin Schnell @Jack Burnett as Ginyami Midorimori Location: London Quidditch Stadium Outfit/Appearance: Black turtleneck/Leather pants and jacket; Silver hair, blue eyes, and sharp cheekbones Languages: German English Russian French Age: 15

xxxxx

As it is written, so it shall be

𝕸𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖑𝖊𝖙𝖔𝖊 Spin

xxxxxThere was a moment of respite when the two spells that were cast at him from somewhat strangers safely passed by and were not successful at hitting him, although losing his hair would not have had much effect on his confidence and ability the Langlock spell would cause him to have to rely on nonverbal spells. Although of course, he was capable of such things it would make casting more difficult for him, and it seemed to him that he would need his magic in this game with all this casting going around. There was no use in wasting time returning those attacks, so he stayed still and began to listen to the conversations around him. There he heard the words of Valentin reply to the young woman, “Why, yes, I am on the Quidditch Team” Gellert had never seen Valentin on the Quidditch field, in the seeker’s element. With a family relative having done incredibly well at Quidditch, Gellert should have been showing his interest in the sport which he did have, but he truly had not had the time to watch his beloved’s games. He interjected in the conversation showing his intense desire, “I would love to see you on the quidditch pitch Len. You would be in your element, and I do love imagining you strong and confident.” He raked his eyes over the other, making sure the other person knew exactly what he was implying. He winked with a smirk, his naturally flirty nature flowing back into the conversation. He had been entirely different in the presence of Len on that winter day, not at all how he acted with other people. He usually acted with this strange light mask but in front of Valentin, he had been a stranger to himself, so genuine, so emotional. The experience had been beyond reality to him, something ephemeral, something that Gellert had never felt beforehand. It felt like a hallucination to him, now. He felt like the entire six months was a dream-like hallucination in which he had convinced himself Len was the One, but now he was strangely swinging back on the pendulum swing of his chaotic mind, convincing himself that it was an illusion of ephemerality, that he would rather build a true bond, through experience and time, rather than the instant bond that had occurred on that strange January day. His eyes strangely glowed on the summer day and he commented quietly, to himself “I would love to build a bond over time, not just the instant connection we felt in January. That connection is ephemeral but I would like a bond of time that lasts.” He allowed the music to carry him away, but he continued to pay attention to the conversation that continued. It was intriguing to hear that Valentin considered his blood as thin regarding the ability to speak Parseltongue and the shame that seemed to radiate from that admittance. Parseltongue was a great gift but it was not the only gift in the world. Perhaps Len’s desire to honour his ancestors was the culprit to the shame. There was no doubt that the lack of ability to speak Parseltongue did not lessen the beauty of Len and his strength, yet the ability to connect to one’s family through a shared ability was often yearned for. It was different to Gellert’s secret yearning for Quidditch, to honour his great uncle’s success in the German National team, but perhaps it could be analogy to what Len might be feeling. He heard the beautiful language that he recognised to be Veela when Len seemed to ask a question “Ha'll oafaa'au a'll, oa iya'au aucomsoac rlo?”
Gellert did not understand the words that exited out of the other’s mouth, but he listened carefully anyway. As the music led Valentin to another young man’s Gellert’s heart pounded as he saw the wax starting to drip upon them as it had in the first round of dancing. He could do nothing but allow Val to do as he desired. Although he did not desire Len to be hurt, he had his free will. Len desired to protect the other person and be hurt instead, Gellert would allow it, for it demonstrated the clear beauty of Len’s soul and desire to love others. However, he would be quite nervous the entire time, waiting to see if that wax would drip down with great searing pain. He would not want anyone to experience that pain. Gellert supposed the pain was worth it for Len, who desired to care for those around him. Gellert felt the pain within him, the ants of wanting to not see Len hurt but also wanting to let him do what he desired to do, he felt helpless in his inaction, but he was determined to allow Valentin to make his choices and for Gellert to make his own. He was unable to continue his vigil in seeing what would happen with the candle, as he began to realise that the music had indeed placed him in front Ginyami Midorimori and under the mistletoe. Gellert had calmed down from the previous searing heat and was calm enough to be polite. “Midorimori-san,” he said with a slight intensity in his eyes, bowing forward in apparent respect. He had a sharp glint in his eyes and he had a secret plan in mind. Perhaps, by kissing this other young man, who seemed to be a previous suitor, he would either incite jealousy or show his willingness to allow Len to choose Gellert back and so with the other kissing him, he poured his passion for Len into the Asian student, pushing towards him, with anger and emotion, pouring all feelings into the kiss, as if the superficial attraction to the young man with a fox-like face, was something more, was something akin to love. It originated out of true feelings for Len and it showed in the passion with which he kissed. This was an action of begging, purposefully poured out onto a stranger, perhaps in spite, perhaps in desire.

Note

Stamina: 10 Evasion: 10 Strength: 10 Wisdom: 10 ArcPower:10 Accuracy:10
Evasive Maneuvers Advanced Casting Cat's Grace Charmer Nonverbal Casting

Action
Kissing Ginyami back with great force and anger

Will be editing this to add more stuff, but running out of time

Group 7

MODERATION POST

Mods are short but sweet this week. Sorry!

Jack jumps in front of Enzo's wand successfully, blocking Sara and Ginyami, and though Enzo's spell is successful his accuracy is not. Tongues remain untied for now. Tone, however, is successful in his cast of Ferula on Haven. No further moderated actions.

The music starts back up again, and the spell whisks everyone away to find a new partner... and by the time the violins fade out once more, each skilled dancer is paired with someone very new, in a situation that is either also new or vaguely familiar...

THE DANCE FLOOR HAS SPOKEN:
@Della Barfield ends up #dancingonherown under the mistletoe!
@Kim Sato and @Hanako Tone end up under a candle.
Tone Bakugo (@Kim Sato) and @Jack Burnett end up under a candle.
Enzo Delcroix (@Akari Kato) and Gellert Schroeder (@Tristan Theramin) end up under a candle... that is dripping wax on them!
Valentin Schnell (@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood) and Sara Kohana (@Hanako Tone) end up under the mistletoe!
Ginyami Midorimori (@Jack Burnett) and @Haven Bohannon end up under the mistletoe!

For any questions or concerns, please owl the moderator of this event, @Aly Salinger.

Also and very importantly, please make sure your action is clearly visible and separated from the rest of your post. Preferably put it in a quote at the bottom but as long as it's separate that's fine. I would also appreciate an inclusion of any stats and abilities you may have in your posts. Makes it much easier to mod!

Removed from the Spin:
@Jacob Harman
If you have not posted yet in the Spin, you have been temporarily removed from the event (e.g. you will no longer be matched with partners). This is to make it fair to those who are being consistently active. If you come back later and wish to be active, you may rejoin at any time, but note that you'll be #dancingonyourown until the next mod post.

Click HERE for Ency

Appearance when white shawl is off:

Reducio

Responding to Ginyami’s post edit from the previous round;
I respond to other recent posts next

Ginyami staggered back in shock when Valentin brought up the topic of their first kiss, and it seemed very much like the boy had totally forgotten about it and only remembered such a theoretically important moment when provoked. Valentin’s eyes narrowed, as he had always harbored potent sentiments over their relationship… even after it dwindled to dust.

“There is some wisdom to the saying – 'a friend to all is a friend to none,' as I know there is only so much I can do, and not everyone has need of me either. I am no great god that loves all equally, with no favorite angel… Yet, right now there’s enough of me to go around, showing love to everyone in different ways, at least until I can finally date someone. You act as if I haven’t been trying to focus on one person, but I’ve never found a partner who would commit to me. Gellert is the first to offer this, and so I'm considering him and whether such a pairing would actually make his wish come true. Either way, because I’m limited in what I can do, I have to be strategic with my giving, but I should still try to offer everything I am to others… Whenever possible, that should be regardless of how close we are, too. I have to try, even if it will fall short of perfect. I must not have been perfect enough for you, so I’m sorry. I wish you would have told me what I did wrong so that I could at least learn from my mistakes. I didn’t want to let you go, but I had to respect your freedom to do what you wanted. Just so, I didn’t give up on anyone because apparently the reciprocation was never there from the start. One can’t give up on something that never existed to begin with. I see now I was wrong, thinking you might love me, but I guess all I'm good for is entertainment.”

Valentin’s eyes dewed up from long buried sentiments that had no previous outlet. That he had been so torn up about a relationship so easily forgotten by Ginyami was as much as the seeker could handle.

“Furthermore, I’m not aiming to be someone else for other people. This is me, Ginyami. I, Valentin, want to grant wishes. I’m free not to, but I do it because that is my will. I love seeing others succeed when helping them reach their goals. I feel healthy when others around me are. Our combined strength makes me feel powerful. It makes me feel alive. I experience the feelings of others acutely, as if they were my own, so their bliss intoxicates me. I’m addicted to such intense feelings in others, and more people means more emotion. This is why quidditch, why music, why love moves me so much. I can’t keep myself away from peoples’ wishes without hurting myself. If being driven by my need to empower others is a lack of freedom, then to be any other way would feel as dull as death. I don’t have to come first, before others, either. People can be helped whenever the opportunity presents itself, and that includes making my own wish come true. I can also be patient when waiting will create something greater for everyone, just by putting off my needs for a while. Their feelings will then become mine, and I can still work on my main wish thereafter. I don’t know if I can really help you and Kohana-san, nor anyone else, but I have to try – so long as I am welcome. I admit that I don’t know every shape that love takes nor what is ideal for everyone, but I am trying to learn. Help me do better. I can’t grant your wish – all I can do is help you do it, yourself. It’s also true that my greatest wish is not simply to help others, but that is still one of my other many wishes, and I’ll take what I can get for now. We live in the real world and all I can do is make the most of this until I can find a way to do better. I’m not avoiding making my great wish come true. I have been trying, and failing, for years. I’m sorry if my failure ended up to your detriment in the end. If you gave me up for my ‘own sake’ then I’m sorry to inform you that this did me no favors. I was ready to give you everything and was discarded, not good enough, just like I wasn't good enough for boy I liked before you. I won’t force my will on others; that wouldn’t win me the true love I seek anyway. It’s all moot, ruined if I have to manipulate others in my attempts… and no, I don’t accept your ‘nevermind my wish.’ So long as you want it, I will hold you accountable. If you gave up on your wish then you also gave up on my help, but I feel you still wanting it. It’s written all over you. If you want Kohana-san, too, that’s something else, but I never forgot what you shared with me.”

After their conversation, the dance floor shifted again and moved Valentin and Ginyami apart. The distance, though, did not keep Valentin’s keen eyes away… especially when Gellert and Ginyami melded in a passionate kiss. Whether this gesture was a game meant to affect Sara, himself, or both, Valentin couldn’t know for certain… but one thing was clear: Gellert was not Ginyami’s true target. They were willingly using each other for their own respective ends. But damn, why did it have to be so enjoyable to watch? How much of his new swirl of emotions was for Ginyami, and how much was about Gellert?

Staring, transfixed, Valentin leaned forward into a stagger with one foot as he felt a wave of urgency, of heat, waft through his head. The rush… the dominant emotion he got from the boys’ passion was hate. Yet, whether loathing or love, it overwhelmed with intoxication even from a distance. What was their message supposed to be, Valentin wondered. Ginyami had said something about ‘a friend to all is a friend to none,’ but had Valentin’s response had an effect? Was Ginyami trying to help Gellert win Val over? Was he trying to show Val some reason why he had to ‘pick someone’? It was all so confusing. All Valentin could feel was love, passion, hatred, swirling like a hurricane that would crush everything in its path. Whatever the intended effect, now Val just wanted to kiss the both of them to figure out what it all meant, falling into the heart of the raging storm. Blinking, stunned at his own strange desire, Valentin could only continue to stare with longing.

Maybe… Kisses mean far more than I thought before, pondered the seeker. This event, this kiss, the way Ginyami has been trying to get me to appreciate cultures that differ from my own… Maybe I’ve been the selfish one, trying to keep kisses limited to my narrow vision of them being some exclusive treasure. Maybe Ginyami is trying to help me even now. I have to open my mind, at least long enough to see another perspective… Feeling pain in the kiss between Ginyami and Gellert, Valentin’s other foot fell forward, but he still didn’t know what to do. All he knew was that he wanted to be there and he felt like that pain was meant for him. Its allure was undeniable like raw theobroma. The way they were hurting each other with their kiss felt like a gift to the pain-eater, and however bizarre, gratitude welled up in Valentin’s increasingly furious heart. The act was too beautiful. Valentin hardly deserved it, if it were truly intended for his monstrous amethyst eyes.

I don’t think Yami’s doing this in order to improve his relationship with Kohana-san… considered Val’s voice of reason. I don’t think those feelings are for his boyfriend, nor for Gellert, so that means… he is communicating to me through this game, through his mask instead of just telling me. He hasn’t achieved his wish. Sara isn’t doing it for him. Maybe I still can. Ginyami, you bastard. You hypocrite. You told me to work on my own wish first and here you are sacrificing yours while mine is on the line.

Basic Stats:
STA 8 - EVA 20 - STR 3 - WIS 20 [24] - ARC 1 - ACC 17
Keen Eye / Charmer / Evasive Maneuvers / Fearless / Comprehend Languages: Parseltongue & Veela
Inventory: A golden locket, a silver earring, a golden ring on his middle finger, a wand, and an Oakshaft 79.
Broom bonus stats (when flying): +4 ACC, +4 ARC
Charmer recipients: literally everyone

No Action: Just talking / thinking in response to Ginyami’s previous post edit from during the previous round

Another post will follow responding to more recent posts

Interacting especially with: Sara Kohana (@Hanako Tone), Ginyami Midorimori (@Jack Burnett), Gellert Schroeder (@Tristan Theramin)

Click HERE for Ency

Appearance when white shawl is off:

Reducio

A mimblewimble spell missed Ginyami but didn’t escape Valentin’s notice. What was that guy’s [Enzo’s] problem?? The more impressive action was actually Sara’s leap into the spell’s path. It didn’t matter that it hadn’t been necessary after all, as it helped improve Val’s opinion of the relationship between Sara and Ginyami. Maybe their connection was far more functional than it appeared at first glance, if Sara was so eager to defend his counterpart. What Val didn’t understand was the relationship the red-haired boy had with those involved, as he further contested Enzo’s spell with an additional bodyblock of Sara. It was like a veritable line dance forming in here.

Noticing also that Val’s friends Kim and Tone had ended up under mistletoe and exchanged a hand kiss that lacked an abundance of passion or clear love, Valentin further concluded that kissing didn’t carry much in the way of consequence in Britain – at least, not at events such as these. That one looked like little more than a greeting. The exchange between Haven and the aggressive boy [Enzo] also seemed to be passing without much romantic fanfare despite the presence of what Val had previously assumed to be a mind-manipulating plant. The girl was so sweet, even offering a band-aid amid a series of fumbling, adorable remarks. She really did deserve his coin, decided the captain, liking her more with every passing round.

Although having parted ways with Della in a previous dance segment, Valentin’s eyes still followed the light-haired girl. He hoped she really would attend his quidditch match tomorrow. They both seemed to want to learn more about their heritage. If the girl went out of her way to attend the match, he would offer Della his address and a free ticket to the quidditch museum the (ludicrously wealthy) quidditch captain happened to run on his property. Because that museum also happened to be adjacent to his own greater residence, it would be simple for her to be invited in for tea and further discussion thereafter. A trip out to Russia would not be simple of course, so if she really did make the trip eventually, Valentin would be sure to make her feel like a truly distinguished guest with luxurious accommodations on offer.

Luckily the apparently motionless Jacob did not seem to be in the path of the dripping hot wax above, and there was no need for Valentin to defend him once he observed this. Instead, Valentin raised his right hand up like a half-molten cup to catch the substance. He was curious about the true nature of this ball – if the organizers had really enchanted the plants, as well as if there was anything particularly special about the melting wax. A flare of pain engulfed Val’s seeking hand as the first drip of molten wax exploded across its previously scarred surface. It was hot, like normal candle wax. Valentin couldn’t determine anything unusual about it. Smiling, it didn’t matter if there was no deeper mystery to be uncovered – not so long as Valentin found the truth of the matter. Maintaining his pose, the candle continued to drip directly into Val’s hand, pooling in a painful mass of squishy white beeswax until it overflowed, cascading down the inside of his arm in a trail alongside the curious silver scar that branched over his arm from its nexus centered in his wax-coated palm. With each difficult-to-predict drop’s timing falling with some amount of physiological shock, Valentin’s smile widened. He could almost imagine that day he’d grasped lighting with this very hand. He wanted that feeling back. He wanted to feel that thrill, that rumbling power, all over again. When had a force ever so utterly overcome him as in that instant? Closing his eyes, Valentin exhaled. Soon his red-inflamed arm became covered in so much wax that any more droplets would simply patter uselessly atop the shield created by its predecessors, and so the seeker lowered his arm. His moment was over, but he’d gotten to enjoy it, as well as his reminiscing, to the fullest… without interference.

A deep sense of peace exuded from Valentin as he turned away. Indeed, genuine contentment radiated from every feature of the pearl-skinned boy, and with some time to spare before the dancefloor would start up again, he found Gellert talking to him.

“I would love to see you on the quidditch pitch Len. You would be in your element, and I do love imagining you strong and confident.” Valentin accepted Gellert’s decision to ignore the attacks launched against the latter, deciding that it was wise on the blonde’s part to pick his battles. The ball was chaotic enough when missions were already at stake.

“Then come. I personally invite you to watch.”

The captain found Gellert’s sea green eyes raking over him hungrily, followed by a smirk and a wink. Valentin stared back, basking in the pleasure of such attentions. Gellert had always felt authentic in the way he’d handled Valentin, which was an essential part of maintaining the seeker’s interest. The more one tended to mask themselves the quicker Valentin tended to get bored, unable to trust that his efforts would be meaningful if he couldn’t get a clear bead on what the other person wanted. Gellert, on the other hand, exuded passion. Longing. Focus… at least, until he opted to kiss Ginyami.

Valentin was beginning to have high hopes for Gellert, enjoying his comment about building a lasting bond instead of enjoying a mere ephemeral flash of infatuation. If Val was going to make any great dream come true, perseverance was sure to be key. Just so, if Val really was supposed to be his One, why was Gellert now pouring such incredible quantities of passion into… Ginyami, of all people? Had they ever even met before?

Then again, Val thought. He seemed ready to do the same with me when we first met. Maybe he is just a seductive snow nymph who would gobble up anyone with his sultry wiles. Still, maybe his comment is a declaration that what he’d attempted with me was temporary, but now he prefers to build a lasting bond with Yami…? Valentin stared, watching the scene play out in slow motion. Under duress he could be compelled to admit that their kiss was hot to watch, but he couldn't figure out if it was because he found Gellert attractive or if his remaining feelings for Ginyami triggered sympathetic desire inside him. The strong empathy that marked Val's character immersed him deeply within the fervor of this moment, and he couldn't break away for even a split second despite the turning wheels of his mind. Gellert had seemed so genuine before – surely he wouldn’t just kiss someone else as part of a manipulative game to make him jealous… would he? Val’s eyes widened as it dawned on him. Either way, it’s clear Gell is no longer pursuing me as the One with earnest, straight-forward intentions. If he’s using Yami to get at me now… well, he did warn that his jealousy is dangerous and his crazed love even more so. I can’t take that as anything other than risky, and Ginyami is right there… Sara… Sara tried to defend Ginyami. I have to believe in them. I don’t have much information, but I believe in love.

Before he could act, however, the whirl of the dancefloor sent everyone apart into new respective squares. Ironically, Val ended up in front of the exact person he’d been hoping to see… and with mistletoe above them to boot.

“Kohana-san, I want you to come with me.” There was no time. Everything was happening too quickly to be showy anymore. “Accio!” invoked Val, making the appropriate gesture and aiming at the mistletoe above his and Sara’s heads. If he acquired the mistletoe, Val would carry it in his left hand. Either way, he would attempt to grab Sara with his right hand and drag him along, storming over towards where Ginyami now stood in front of Haven.

When they [presumably] arrived, Valentin tried to grab Sara’s hands and shove the mistletoe he’d just obtained into them. [If Val failed the spell he would give Sara the mistletoe he had hanging on his shirt instead.] Staring with intense, fearless amethyst eyes directly into Sara’s, Valentin’s lips coiled with the hint of a loaded grin.

“Kohana-san, I want you to kiss someone – anyone. Now. Please. I insist.” Valentin’s voice was firm, evoking the strong and confident visage one would expect from Durmstrang’s champion. His tone was neither bossy nor sharp, but only smooth and insistent that this was the right thing to do. After all, the demon plant in Sara’s hands commanded it.

Valentin turned, and stalling for a long gut-wrenching second as his violet eyes burned into Ginyami’s deeply buried black wells of eyes, Valentin looked betrayed. Hungry. Passionate. Angry, even. Spinning away, Valentin did the only thing he could to not hate himself. He dashed towards where Gellert stood with the nasty boy [Enzo] beneath a dripping candle.

Attempting to insert himself between the pair, Valentin tried to move directly under the path of the burning wax with the hope that people would make way for him willingly. [Free action; movement only] Ideally the hot wax would only encourage others not to stand where Val was trying to stand and he could use this to his strategic advantage.

Valentin’s mouth rippled with a tremor of rage as his eyes bore down into the alleged Durmstrang boy, hard like icy daggers, demanding that Gellert obey. The chill to this gaze might be felt down to the bone as Valentin’s voice rang out, dead serious.

“Gellert Schroeder, is this your idea of unifying with ‘the One,’ or was everything you told me of your supposed dream just manipulative demagoguing meant to seduce? You just said you wanted to build an enduring bond, but how do you expect that to happen by subjecting my dear Ginyami to such nonsense? Do you take me for a fool?” Eyeing the turtlenecked boy up and down, Valentin’s tone bit like the fangs of a steppe viper. “Tell me now that Ginyami is your One and that you were mistaken about me if you want. Either way, I sincerely doubt such a game or capricious bender would ever suffice to make Ginyami’s dream come true, so I would be forced to stand against you.” If Sara was not already well on his way to making out with Ginyami by now, Valentin would glare so fiercely into the two Japanese boys it seemed pyroclastic beams might shoot out at any second from his incandescent purple eyes. Turning back sharply to Gellert, a ‘V’ shape sharpened Val’s Turkic brows into a point.

“If your crazed love is really so dangerous, then for Stribog’s sake, be consistent and point it at me. Or what, are you not going to make good on your words of ‘choosing me as yours’ either? Prove to me that you give a damn about your dream, Gellert, or there’s nothing more I can do for you. If your aim is to simply abduct me, then stop screwing around!”

Basic Stats:
STA 8 - EVA 20 - STR 3 - WIS 20 [24] - ARC 1 - ACC 17
Keen Eye / Charmer / Evasive Maneuvers / Fearless / Comprehend Languages: Parseltongue & Veela
Inventory: A golden locket, a silver earring, a golden ring on his middle finger, a wand, and an Oakshaft 79.
Broom bonus stats (when flying): +4 ACC, +4 ARC
Charmer recipients: literally everyone


Action: Attempting a cast of Accio at the mistletoe above himself and Sara. If the spell requires specifying “mistletoe” aloud then Val does that.

Free Actions: Val attempts to [consensually] drag Sara towards Ginyami and goes to have a chat with Gellert [both intended as free actions].

Interacting especially with: Sara Kohana (@Hanako Tone), @Della Barfield, Ginyami Midorimori (@Jack Burnett), Gellert Schroeder (@Tristan Theramin), Hiro Bakugo (@Kim Sato), @Haven Bohannon

[Continued here: viewtopic.php?t=33387&start=40#p1040868]

𝕯𝖊𝖘𝖈𝖗𝖎𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓

Rosewood wand wood Hana’s natural charm

Reducio

shoulder length wavy black hair. Dark honey brown eyes. Feminine japanese descent features. Looks approachable and sweet from afar. Will make you think twice about it when he opens his mouth.

* OOC NOTE: feel free to base your characters description of Sara Kohana off this.

Red ®: 112
Green (G): 95
Blue (B): 165.

—-
“Taunting, you mean.” Hanako had said. “ As if I’d genuinely flirt with that french douche”

He chuckled softly at Hanako's comeback, but his heart wasn't in it. "Yeah...'as if'. But from here, it looked more like he was the one taunting you - which I know you love. You really have some weird love-hate connection with blondes, don't you?"

Jack’s little snippet about his love hate connections with blondes caused Hanako to grimace. Hating to be reminded of the fact. Even more so that he couldn’t particularly deny it. “ Shuddup” he grumbled, displeased at even the idea that what he felt for Enzo was anything but disdain.

"My excuse?! Like I said, I was literally dying!" Jack answered, grinning like he'd never quite stopped finding the Durmstrang boy's words funny. "I could barely breathe! Besides, you didn't even give an excuse of your own, so what right do you have demanding mine? Wait a second - him?" Jack started up, looking back at Hanako as his grin turned incredulous. "He's the reason you missed? Some tall, dark, and handsome foreigner? Weren't you just kissing the blonde one just now? Just how fickle are you, Tone?!"

“Pshh” he waved off, as if his words were nothing but nonsense. “ Well see if even you admit he’s tall, dark and handsome, I don’t really need to say any more now, do I?” Hanako shrugged, deciding to ignore Jack’s evident disapprovement. It was always a similar reaction whenever the topic of Hanako’s .. immediate intrigue of attractive people. While that might have not been the full truth of Hanako’s diversion of attention, it was the truth he wanted to believe. He could let Jack have a piece of his mind later on. Knowing how much he hated the constant half truths that seem to slip out of Hanako so easily. But sometimes Hanako almost wanted him to get mad. It was the tiny bit of revenge he could have against Burnett for being too perceptive.

But that was it, he supposed. Because the music changed again and they were both in front of new partners. Hanako couldn’t help but glare at the annoyingly handsome foreigner who was now standing in front of Jack. Urgh. A dramatic bow of all things? Was he rubbing in the fact that he got such a handsome guy in front of him? Hanako supposed that wasn’t really something Burnett would do. But still, it took effort to refocus his gaze on the girl in front of him.

“Haven, lovely name” he grinned, trying not to be too amused by her introduction. “ How nice it is to not have grudges on anyone. They’re heavy shackles, really. Pesky things. But I seem to attract trouble wherever I go. But among all that trouble, I sometimes lucky enough to meet someone like you”. He said somewhat genuinely, a sweet smile stil on his face. He wasn’t lying. He certainly was glad to meet her. Perfect little hufflepuff to use. She won’t even know it.

His good mood was evident when she offered a band aid. His eyes glanced briefly towards Enzo. “Nope. But you’re sweet. I just need to kiss you, is all”. Hanako said innocently as if it was the more normal thing in the world. He moved fast in the next millisecond. Not giving Haven an opportunity to process his words properly. Instead he placed a gentle hand on the side of her waist. Pulling her closer to him while his other hand traced the side of her jaw and adjusted her chin. As if he had done it a million times before.

Haven would feel her lips be brushed against. It lingered before Hanako tilted his head and pressed his lips against hers. Nothing too harsh. Despite the quick movement, it was gentle. But definitely far from awkward. If Haven had kissed anyone before, perhaps she could tell this definitely wasn’t Hanako’s first. Whether Hanako intended the kiss to be just that -soft and quick- would be up to Haven to decide. Because before he could do anything further, he pulled away. His attention grabbed by the flurry of red hair that moved to the middle of the dance. He loosened his grip on her waist, and retracted his hand for her cheek. His eyes instead widened at Burnett that was standing right in front of Enzo…with his wand pulled out.

Previously Hanako’s mind was only filled with one thing. Even when he was kissing some poor hufflepuff girl, he only had Enzo in mind. Where his pride refused to make Enzo think their kiss was anything special. Or better yet, anything at all. But leave it to Jack to have Hanako forget what he was previously doing. Leave it to Jack to make him forget about his annoyance and replacing it with a new one that was more Burnett related. Before Hanako could even do anything, it was too late. He barely managed to hold him back from taking a step further when Enzo’s aim- for once- left little to be desired.

“ That.. that fucking fox..”, It was only Haven that could hear the venomous hiss of parseltongue that spilled past his lips, even when he had completely stopped looking at her. If the hot guy wanted to take a spell, just let him do it! It’s crazy. How one infuriating moment that spur into another, even bigger one like it’s nothing. Hanako didn’t even look at anyone else but Burnett, a conflicted look at his face accompanied by a glare Jack was all too familiar with by now. But of fucking course, before Hanako could even decide to do anything, the dance started once again and he was found in front of another person.

Action: [NON YET. havent moved to Kim yet. Sorry Kim. Im on a time limit. Feel free to start first. >_>]

Interacting with : @Haven Bohannon
mentioning : @Akari Kato’s inpc , @Jack Burnettand Sara Kohana

Stamina: 12 | Evasion: 10 | Strength: 5 | Wisdom: 5 | Arcane Power: 8 | Accuracy: 10

Interacting with Hana, Ginyami, and Valentin

Haven returned the cordial, sweet smile Hana gave her. The poor girl had no clue what was to occur next, completely distracted under the premise that she was to help, her mind immediately turning to tying shoes or perhaps fetching a drink, any of which she would have preferred to kissing, of all things. But Hana caught her perfectly off guard.

"I- what?" she managed to stumble out when Hana said that he needed to kiss her. Did she hear that right? Surely she didn't hear that right. No way he wanted to kiss her. No way she was ready to kiss him. Oh no, Haven had about as much confidence as a flobberworm on stilts. She was so utterly unprepared for this.

But Hana drew her close, butterflies spreading over her skin. She could feel the goosebumps traveling from his touch. Her head was filled with a confused gibberish of words and sounds, each clamoring for attention, racing around as her heart beat faster.

For a moment, her thoughts were silent.

Haven had never been kissed before. Sure, it hadn't been the romantic, picture-perfect moment she had exactly imagined, but she couldn't necessarily say it was bad. It was gentle, almost considerate. A blush spread across her face as he pulled away.

She couldn't believe it. She had just had her first kiss! She hadn't even needed to study up beforehand, it seemed she passed with flying colors. Haven was on cloud nine. They had kissed! Surely this meant that he liked her or something. Maybe he had secretly developed a crush on her during one of their classes, and now was just the perfect opportunity. Her imagination could simply run wild.

But as she looked back to Hana with a smile dancing across her lips, he wasn't looking to her. She followed his gaze to a boy on the other side of the room. She could put two and two together. He had been looking at the other boy their entire conversation. Hana definitely didn't want to kiss her. The blush on her face turned to one of embarrassment. How could she be so stupid? She had let her thoughts run wild and think she was in some sort of fairy tale story, when it was far from that. Haven pushed his hands away, trying to blink away the watering in her eyes.

She stammered in disbelief, trying to find words that had flown so easily earlier, but now she struggled to pick out.

"I can't believe it! And you- I didn't- how could you- and I wasn't even- you could've- and you were just-!" She took a deep breath, trying to calm her flaming face. "You're mean," she settled on, though it didn't nearly portray the level of hurt she felt. She just had her first kiss wasted, and for what? Was it just a dare? Had Hana and the other boy teamed up to make a fool out of her? She had half a mind to hex him right there!

But her mother had always told her to be nice, even if she didn't always think they deserved it. And she wasn't about to stoop to his level.

Oh, but then he had the audacity to hiss at her! Haven could hardly believe her own ears. He didn't deserve her niceties anymore. She was going to put dirt in his afternoon tea... or turn his grandmother into a duck... or, or something, she wasn't quite sure yet! But he had really boiled her biscuits.

It was probably a good thing that their feet magically started moving, giving Haven a chance to regroup herself. She took a shaky breath, wiping a tear out of her eye as she came to a halt.

"Sorry," she apologized to the poor sap she had landed in front of. Once again, she wished she had brought Marcus with her. He couldn't really talk, but the pygmy puff would know just what to do in this situation and could cheer her up easily. She had been having fun, spinning around and meeting new people, but now, she wasn't too sure. If things got any worse, she'd definitely be returning to her tent to curl up with Marcus and pretend she had dreamed the entire night.

"Haven Bohannon," she introduced herself to the new person she stood across from, holding out the non-bandaged arm hand for him to shake. However horribly the previous interaction had gone, this new guy didn't deserve to suffer because of it. But when she happened to glance up and see a terrible plant above them, she felt her heart sink in her chest. She nervously shifted her feet from side to side. What was she going to do?

Panicked, she tried to think of something. "It's just a leaf," she told him, in reference to the mistletoe. "Glorified lettuce, really. Hardly a berry. Can't even eat it. Poisonous."

At this point, Haven thought she'd rather eat the mistletoe. This whole night was going about as well as a yeti ballet.

Lucky for her and her compounding nerves, Valentin had decided to be her Knight in Big Bird Band Aid, dragging some poor soul along to meet their little group. He was like the Lorax, but instead of speaking for the trees, he was speaking for the love lives of other people, judging by the way he told the person to kiss someone. And he had better not have been referring to her, because Haven definitely had enough kissing for the night, perhaps the whole year, if not her entire lifetime. Okay, well maybe it hadn't been that bad, but still! She was not ready for a repeat scenario. Haven tried to tell herself to breathe, but even that was becoming increasingly harder.

It's just like your first interaction. Play it cool, Haven. Don't make an idiot of yourself. No one's going to kiss you. You'll be fine. She refocused herself, directing her attention to the invader she was familiar with.

"Do you want to take this mistletoe too, Mr. Hopping Pot?" The most confusing event of the night, trailed only by the kiss, was the way Valentin had, in all the spirit of a bowtruckle that had somehow figured out to fly, jumped up and snatched the mistletoe right out of the air. Now, he was back, doing something almost as strange. "I don't want it. No offense," she directed towards that round's partner, before pausing for a moment. "Oh, I hope that wasn't mean. Not that I don't want to kiss you, I'm not very good at kissing, I mean I just had my first kiss, and it wasn't very good, well the kiss itself was fine, but it wasn't very good, and definitely not what I was expecting and I just- I'll shut up now." She took a step back, giving Ginyami some space, before remembering that she had packed candy in her bag. But not just any candy, Hershey's kisses. She dug one out of her bag and handed it to the boy as a peace offering. Gosh, where was that when she needed it earlier? She could've avoided that disaster of a situation earlier.

After handing him the candy, she stood there awkwardly for a moment, not knowing quite what to do.

"My pygmy puff is my best friend," she blurted out after a moment, filling the silence.

Where did that come from? Why did she say that? Why was she like this?

Action
Just Haven being Atrociously Haven.