Interacting: @Aaron Jones

Outfit: ✿

Mentioning: @

English | Irish

"I don't know if it helps, but when my mom dripped candlewax on the kitchen table she used to freeze the tablecloth and then just pick the wax off." Apparently Aaron didn't mind discarding his jacket. Kind of cool of him. There was a more wizard-way of cleaning the thing anyways.

"Thank you!" Winnie took the opportunity to twirl as if she were in a fashion show, "It's based off of the regency era!" She was starting to think she was the only one in their group who had kept on theme, but Aly mixed the best of both worlds to create her outfit.

"That... Doesn't bother you in the slightest?" Her brows furrowed when the older boy tried to tell her that it might not be a big deal. "I... I don't know if I can do that." Winnie said after a moment of thought, "I think cheek kisses are okay, but... Shouldn't lip kisses be reserved for someone you truly care about?"

Then again, if lip kisses were 'no big deal'... She wouldn't have anything to be mad at Mathias for, right? She could force herself to see it from his view and then... Then what? Could things ever go back to normal between them?

Her entire face darkened into a shade of red. Another person wanted to kiss her?! Why was she suddenly so popular? Maybe this was a trick. "You'd better not be lying to try and trick me, Aaron. Though... you're very handsome, you don't have to trick girls into kissing you." She spoke her internal monologue out loud, Aaron becoming the victim of it once more.

Given that she had no idea he meant the cheek (which would have been perfectly fine with Winnie had his statement not been so ambiguous), Winnie pushed herself onto her tip toes to seal their lips together for a few seconds.

english | russian

Amina was totally confused when she felt her lips and nose meet the boy’s throat.
For a second, she stayed like this, blinking once or twice, frozen in place. Then she bursted out in snorting laughter and rocked back on her heels, at the same moment he gently pushed her back to reestablish a distance between them.
“Pfffhahaha!” The laugh was short and the Durmstrang covered her grinning mouth with her free hand, as she gazed up at the slender handsome boy who had rejected her. Then, she saw the look on his face and the laughter in her stopped bubbling up. He looked like she had tried to do something unspeakable, something that might have killed him. And yet, she could see him swallow hard and looking…guilty? Amina didn’t really know what to make of this, but one thing was clear: he didn’t seem to be okay.
Although she was still recovering from her laugh attack, she tried to explain her reaction which must have seemed extremely insensitive to him. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny! Hihi. Really. I- okay. Plot twist. Interesting. Hey, are you okay?”
Although she was still smiling, she couldn't quite hide her concern for his well being and selfishly also her disappointment. She thought she had felt a spark of attraction between them. She hadn’t anticipated such a harsh reaction. Did she scare him? What did she do wrong?
While briefly reviewing their interaction in her head, she couldn't help but stare at his lips and imagine what it would feel like to kiss them.
Her gaze trailed off to the kiss mark on his cheek. Maybe he was in a serious relationship that didn't approve of kissing as a game? Or maybe he was not into girls? Yes, it had to be one of those things, she decided. She couldn't think of any other reason why he wouldn't want to kiss her. She was just playing the game and having fun. Maybe, his kind of fun was reserved for other people. Too bad. He didn’t even know what he was missing out on.

When he tried to put her bow back in place, still clearly flustered and upset, Amina would reach for his hand and take it with the bow in both of hers, closing his fingers around it once more. “Oh no, you keep it. It was a token of good luck. Seems like you might need it.” Then she took a step back, letting her hands slide off of his Man, she almost felt the sparks of electricity on her bare skin, still, even after he had rejected her like this (which clearly wasn’t about her, so no big deal).
His stammered apology was met with a genuine, warm smile. “Shut up. Apologizing is stepping on my pride.” She tossed her hair back and stuck her nose up in the air in a playful manner, completely ignoring his justification for now that he just didn’t know her (To her, that was hard to relate and sounded more like an excuse). Humor was her way of trying to ease weird situations and cheer other people up - an approach that didn’t go well for everyone. “I should apologize to you. You clearly weren’t ready. Although - your loss.” With a teasing wink, she spun round on her own axis, ready to be taken by the music once more. “Bye, Pericles. Maybe we get a chance to get to know each other some other time!” There was something clearly daring in her voice, and she chuckled, as she glanced back over her shoulder. She liked people that didn’t make it too easy. Although - given how he reacted he either would get a heart attack if she pursued this or a very jealous partner would kill one or both of them. Too bad.

Interacting | @Pericles Dralt
Mentions | Val (@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood)

Action: Giving Pericles her hair bow
Stats: STA: 9 | EVA: 17 | STR: 8 | WIS: 6 | ARCP: 2 | ACC: 17
Inventory: Wand, Broom (Silver Arrow)
Abilities: Muggle Condition | Fearless | Foulplay | Lovely Creature (Allies: None, all may admire her) | Evasive Maneuvers

"Oh, I'm sure we'll find an opportunity", Opeila returned with a half smile before the spell ripped them away from each other again. Dammit. Dammitdammitdammit. She could already imagine what her conversation with Aaron would look like this evening. What was she even thinking?

The spell kept her steady as Opeila lost track of her steps, and sent her stumbling again when its grip loosened. This time she found herself facing Evelynn, thankfully under a candle. Still occupied by her own thoughts, she found herself so overwhelmed by the Gryffindor's questions, that the only thing that stuck in the first moment was that Evelynn had called her Winters and not Seilun.

"Uhh- No, no, I haven't seen anything.", she finally got out after a few seconds. The topic hit her unexpected and switching from her feelings for Aaron, what she did and how it might affect him to shadows, attacks and other things felt like swimming against a stream for a few moments.

She hadn't paid much attention to the Spring Ball. Opeila had been there and she had noticed something off, but she had picked up her pace and run past it, not able to deal with any of it so soon after the events at the forest. This was nothing she would admit to Evelynn. Her struggles after that event were between her and Alec.

Group 8

MODERATION POST

Mods are short but sweet this week. Sorry!

Aly successfully casts the Umbrella Charm. 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:
@Akari Kato and @Cassius Eden end up under the mistletoe!
@Winnie Harper and @Dorion Anderson end up under a candle.
@Aaron Jones and @Evelynn Decipio end up under a candle.
@Percival Gray and @Pericles Dralt end up under a candle... that is dripping wax on them!
@Aly Salinger and @Opeila Winters end up under the mistletoe!
Amina Petrovic (@Ileen Knight) and @Elsian Cox 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!

One final note: if you have missed the last 2 rounds in the Spin, you must post within the next week or risk being removed from the event temporarily (e.g. you will no longer be matched with partners) next Saturday. 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.

Winters' delay would go unnoticed. No sooner had Evelynn delivered her small torrent of concerns and line of questioning regarding matters entirely unrelated to the Mistletoe Spin or pleasant conversation than did she find herself looking not at her Slytherin peer...

Reducio

Per the direction of @Ileen Knight, the following is a string of thought picked up from Amina as she imagines, after being rebuffed by Pericles, what it would have been like to kiss him

...but a certain pale-haired boy. Up at him, as though she were standing just in front of him. Quite close in front of him. The thrill of excitement coursed through her alongside a sort of amused curiosity. She could see slim arms—her arms?—clad in pale pink and raised to wrap around the boy's neck, though only for a moment. The warmth of his breath caressing her skin was all the warning she would have of the impending movement. His face neared at a rate she was not prepared for—or that she was hoping for? Conflicting emotions clashed at the same moment as lips: abhorrence and enjoyment, a desire to withdraw and that to continue, a writhing of the stomach and a flutter in the chest. Soft, yet firm in their hunger and pliable to advances, a hint of lemon on the tongue. Mint. Orange? The flavours seemed to change as readily as they rose...

And then it cut off abruptly.

Evelynn was left internally staggered, eyes fixed through Opeila to a spot somewhere behind her. Her cheeks burned red, the entire dancefloor suddenly feeling several degrees too warm. Although, they had just paused in the midst of a lively dance. Perhaps that, and the elevated breathing could be explained away as a byproduct of the activity. Before she could stop herself, her gaze snapped around, darting from one pair to the next until she spotted Pericles with some redhead in a pale pink leotard and fuschia tutu. She was gazing up at him, and he appeared to be fixing something in her hair.

"Uhh- No, no, I haven't seen anything." Opeila finally managed to overcome the occupation of her own thoughts and Evelynn's overwhelming forwardness to offer a meager reply.

Loathe to pull her attention from the distant pair, Evelynn had to force her gaze back to the Seer, though it slipped back to the unfolding ballet with a distracted, "Unfortunate.."

Overcome suddenly by pronounced agitation, Evelynn desired nothing more for the foot of space between ballerina and tin soldier to become twenty. The girl was unfamiliar though near their age, meaning she was an unknown entity and likely foreign. For all the Gryffindor knew, that girl could be a host. Or perhaps something else entirely. She had no business being so friendly with Pericles. There weren't exactly daggers being thrown in her direction by Evelynn's stare, but certainly darts, and the lioness would not balk if Durmstrang's aerial assassin happened to catch her eyes. Eyes that narrowed slightly as the other redhead interrupted Pericles' progress and pulled the object from her hair to place back into his hands. Why was she so insistent on him having it. Maybe it was cursed.

A small voice in the back of her mind reminded her that she was being rude. "Apologies.." Evelynn remarked to Winters, pulling her gaze back again with some difficulty. "My thoughts seem to be... elsewhere... tonight..." Her attention continued to flicker now and then, though came back more readily. "Perhaps we might speak again sometime?" The music was starting up again. "There are some things I would like to discuss with you. When I am more attentive. If you are willing."

Soon enough, they would be separated, the dancefloor working its magic to instill a sense of continuity to the night despite anyone's best efforts to thwart the entire affair into chaos. Hands would pass into and out of hers, faces would swim in and out of focus, but all of it would be a blur as Evelynn tried to keep tabs on both Pericles and the scarlet headed stranger who could not be trusted. Her distraction would be sufficient enough that she wouldn't even realize immediately that the music had ceased.

"Oh Merlin." Overbalanced by the unexpected conclusion of the spell, she reached out reflexively to the individual with whom she'd been paired, gloved hands grasping (if he allowed) at his—very developed—arms for balance. "My apologies," she began, quickly straightening herself, hands smoothing out her gown while attempting to regain some level of dignified comportment. "Jones." Mild surprise flecked the sparse greeting, recognition of her new partner delayed by the wonders of puberty. "You have..." She blinked up at him before webbing her gaze across his immediately visible form before looking back up. "..grown."

When had that happened? Why was it that all the boys suddenly seemed to be a foot taller and two stone heavier in muscle than they were only a couple years previous? She hadn't changed any, unless the addition of fur and claws and fangs counted, but that was entirely different. Her gaze continued to roam his face, as though seeing it for the first time. "How is it that you are not on the Hufflepuff quidditch team?" she wondered quite seriously, tilting her head with confusion. He was certainly built like a beater. Sizing him up, she was quite certain he could rival White at his prime. "..or are you?" She couldn't recall having seen him in the last game of the year, but she hadn't exactly been keeping track of that sort of thing for quite some time prior to that. Her gaze swept briefly over his lips in their wandering, drawing forth the recent vision.

"Or perhaps you are in broom racing?" she inquired forwardly, attempting to shoulder that particular thought to the far back realms of her mind. "Out of curiosity, do you take after your mother or your father?" she continued, boldly and rather bluntly remarking whatever came to mind to keep herself distracted. "You are quite pleasing to look upon. They must be absolutely stunning."

Action: no moderated action

Interacting with Amina (@Ileen Knight)

┏		┓
	Pericles had to swallow a scowl as Amina erupted into laughter. The young warlock was strapped in to the tumultuous rollercoaster of feeling magnetized, mortified, then mocked in a succession so fast that the feelings knotted into momentary overwhelm. She seemed to catch on, graciously apologizing while mercifully sparing him from her actual assumptions. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny! Hihi. Really. I- okay. Plot twist. Interesting. Hey, are you okay?” "It's- I'm fine, you don't have to...." Peri's words faded as he tried to save face, failing at a stab at nonchalance as he downplayed "It's not like you bit me" before tacking on flatly, "Don't get any ideas." An eyebrow arch at the end implied this was his own take on diffusing with humor, flustered as it was. He'd feared his rejection being taken as an insult, though not only was the stranger seemingly unbothered, she was having fun with it. Maybe that was what made Amina so captivating: her ability to go with the flow, no worries in the world, forging her own good time and making it look easy. The little voice of teenage peer-pressure in his head gave him a final kick for not just dropping ingrained decorum and sharing a kiss with her. It insinuated that somehow, not snogging the intriguing international girl made him less of a man. As he muttered the combo of compliment and excuse, Pericles tried to tie the bow back into her hair, almost as if the token indebted him otherwise. The warmth from both of her hands closing over his ironically froze him. “Oh no, you keep it. It was a token of good luck. Seems like you might need it.” The dark cloud of potential confrontation dispersed, leaving him relieved, but tired. A hornet's nest of repressed worries had been kicked. His parents made it look easy, too, and he'd wondered for awhile if affection came easy to everyone except himself. "You have no idea." Pericles pocketed the bow with a wry smile, smoothing the ribbons so they wouldn't wrinkle. His last apology was cut off with a toss of her hair. Not ready, she'd said. It was certainly one way to put it. Your loss, she echoed that suppressed little voice, to which he simply shrugged. More worrying was the mention of getting to know one another, which sounded less like an invitation than it did a threat, conjuring images of Amina looming outside of the Circinus tent summer slasher style. Peri blinked owlishly at her before the music picked up again. As they were pulled apart, he returned "Bye, ballerina. Thanks for the story." Although the enchanted dancefloor could be broken away from, Pericles wasn't about to stroll through its cycle and crash into the choreography. He tried to steer his position in the Swing towards the sidelines, looping arms and pulling himself further from the center, only to stop face-to-face with Percival. "S'cuse me Gray," he dismissed himself, "was just about to find a drink." Pear utilized the pause to escape the enchantment, nimbly weaving through the coupled dancers until he was free. He nearly paused to scan for his friends but quickly thought better of it. Instead he beelined for the table. The refreshments looked good, but the empty campgrounds beyond them looked great. Peri started to stroll towards the tents with hands in his pockets, a pensive expression etched into his freckled face.
┗		┛

Parting with Amina, excusing self to Percival as he exits scene, thanks all~

Reducio

Perfectionist I & II, Keen Eye, Spell Spread, Animagus, Blindvision
Stamina - 10 | Evasion - 15 | Strength - 4 | Wisdom - 14 | ArcPower - 10 | Accuracy - 14

@Winnie Harper @Dorion Anderson
@Evelynn Decipio @Akari Kato
@Pericles Dralt

The quiet girl and Gray didn't stay together too long, probably long enough for a brief conversation and the answer to her name if she chose to say it. His mouth briefly released a sigh as he was suddenly pulled away into the busy dancefloor, the spell quickly guiding him to a partner who Percival had only briefly met in the past. Guilt was a kid he knew little about, and that would remain the same when he gave Percival the break he needed.

"No worries... it's probably best to get out while you can."

For the first time in this dance, Percival could finally breathe. The girls had been annoying and talking nonstop ever since he decided to step foot on the dancefloor. Only Winnie and Opeila gave him respite, Dorion wasn't so forgiving. Evelynn on the other was a strange one, even though she clearly hated him she still talked down an enraged Dorion when they tried to punch him. At this point, he could only stand one more partner before leaving the event.

If anything, Percival deserved to have a bit of happiness after suffering through all that commotion.

It seemed that her classmate was also somewhat distracted, which didn't bother Opeila much. If it meant that she would have to tie her brain in a knot about attacks and shadows and... Vladimir right now, she was more than happy about that. "Yes, for sure, we can talk some other time", she answered. Surely it was only a matter of seconds before the spell kicked in again now.

Opeila gave up trying to take control over her own feet, when it finally did, and just tried to keep her balance somehow. So this time, she actually managed to not stumble when the spell let go of her again, this time in front of another classmate. She hadn't spoken with this one particularly often, but she saw her in class regularly... and there was a very faint memory of babysitting flobberworms in the abandoned bathroom...

"Hi", Opeila greeted her, a little out of breath, followed by "...Oh not again.", when she realized that it was not a candle the two of them stood under. Automatically she looked for Aaron, she hadn't been able to catch his reaction to her kissing Percival under the previous mistletoe. Would it be awkward later over this... and would it make any difference if she kissed Aly too?

Opeila turned back to Aly. "Sooo... what do we do?"

english | russian

Amina’s mind was still stuck with the soldier as she was torn away by the music again. The lingering expectation of the kiss that never happened wasn’t so easy to break away from and while she was reaching out for the hands of other people she couldn’t help but imagine what it could have been like. She didn’t know that the pictures and feelings in her head were picked up by another redhead spinning past her (alias @Evelynn Decipio).
But then, the moment passed and Amina found herself enjoying the dancing and fun again rather quickly. After all, it was really nice and she already made two new friends.

When the music stopped again, the Durmstrang girl found herself in front of another boy. For a second, she was hoping that it really was Aaron this time, but again, no luck. But all in all, it seemed like fortune meant it well with her today - or Hogwarts just had a huge group of very good-looking people. The redhead beamed at the dark haired boy who replaced the last blonde one. Under the mistletoe. Again.
Tilting her head, she scanned his appearance. He didn’t put on a themed outfit like Winnie and Pericles. With a soft chuckle, she did her ballerina move, spinning around and posing in a presentation figure at the end, arms outstretched and a cheeky curtsey indicated.
Gracefully, she rose back to standing upright and smiled at the boy through her eyelashes. But this time there was no story waiting for him, just a friendly, teasing remark.
“Hey, didn’t you hear that you are supposed to wear pink?!” She put her hands on her hips in mock indignation and shook her head disparagingly, as if disappointed beyond measure.

Then her smile deepend and grew a little softer. Coming off from her last experience, Amina wanted to try a different approach. Maybe this person would not be pleased with a kiss either? Furthermore - she was a lady after all and the gentleman could take the first step for once. Gesturing up to the plant floating above her head, she decided to get right down to business. “I am not from here and kissing seems to be a big deal in this country. Merlin knows why. So I’ll leave it up to you, but I am ready when you are.” She didn't even bother to introduce herself.
With a wink she took a tiny step closer to underline her words.

Interacting | @Elsian Cox
Mentions | @Pericles Dralt | @Aaron Jones | @Winnie Harper

Action: declaring that she is ready to be kissed
Stats: STA: 9 | EVA: 17 | STR: 8 | WIS: 6 | ARCP: 2 | ACC: 17
Inventory: Wand, Broom (Silver Arrow)
Abilities: Muggle Condition | Fearless | Foulplay | Lovely Creature (Allies: None, all may admire her) | Evasive Maneuvers

Aaron tried not to let Winnie's words get to him as she spoke of cheek kisses versus lip kisses. He didn't want to think too much more about it. When he mentioned the mistletoe and fulfilling tradition, Winnie blushed pretty deeply. He hesitated for a minute, unsure if that was a positive or negative sign, but the witch soon cleared up that it was a positive. That he had better not be tricking her. That comment and the following about him not needing to trick people made him chuckle, relieved that he wasn't misinterpreting the situation. So he proceeded to lean down and aim for her cheek. At the same time, she got onto her tiptoes faster than he could process, the angle of her head locking their lips together.

The Hufflepuff didn't have much time to process. Her lips were soft and his eyes closed out of instinct as he leaned into the kiss. A couple of seconds was all it took, then they parted and Aaron blinked back into reality.

"Oh, I-" Aaron stumbled over his words. "I didn't-" he stopped himself, realizing there would be no positive to admitting he'd been going for her cheek. As he heard the music start to swell again, signaling their impending separation, Aaron wiped away the momentary confusion on his face and offered a parting smile instead. "It was nice meeting you, Winnie."

As he was thrown back into the dancing, his eyes searched for Opeila, wondering if she had seen his kiss with Winnie. Or had she been busy kissing someone else? No, he needed to stop thinking that way. Loosen back up. Have some fun. Enjoy meeting new people, like Winnie. The witch had been good company, even though their encounter was brief and unexpected. Who would he be paired with next? His answer came soon enough as the music stopped, and he instinctively reached out to steady the witch who stumbled into him next.

"Hey, Evelynn," Aaron greeted, offering a smile to the pretty auburnette. "Don't worry, no harm done," he chuckled, brushing off her apology as his brown eyes took in her outfit and vibe. The two of them hadn't properly interacted in years - back in first year they'd both been in the Martial Arts club, and then in second year they were both on Quidditch teams. Even then, their interactions hadn't gone past much more than brief chats or flybys. In the three years since, their interactions were even further limited to occasional class time interactions or hellos in the halls if they made eye contact.

The Hufflepuff tilted his head slightly as he realized she was checking him out (not like he hadn't been doing the same). But in her case it was a bit more obvious because of the fact that she said it out loud. And not in a way he would've expected - her word choice was intriguing. "Yeah, uh, you too," Aaron said, returning the sentiment that she had also "grown." That was a compliment, right? Or had he misinterpreted her checking him out? He maintained a sheepish grin through this.

As she went on to ask if he was in one of the flying sports, he shook his head. "I stopped Quidditch at the end of second year, and no broom racing for me. I've found that team sports aren't really my thing," Aaron shared with a shrug. The reasoning was deeper than that, but it was the simplest way he could explain it. "I'm still flying daily, though - I've actually been experimenting with trick riding on brooms. Stunts and dives and showy moves," he explained, trying not to go on a whole monologue about it. He really could go on and on about his trick riding endeavors if given the chance, but he was very cognizant of that fact. Unless someone expressed a keen interest, he kept his explanation short and sweet.

Before he could inquire about Evelynn's sports endeavors, she commented very bluntly on how "pleasing" he was to look at. Aaron couldn't keep a suddenly bemused look off of his face, once again surprised by her word choice. "Thanks," he said instinctively, knowing it was a compliment - even if it was strange. "I definitely take after my mum more, but yeah, I guess they both make a good-looking couple," Aaron answered after a moment. He'd never had to vocalize such a sentiment before, but he did know that his parents received compliments for being "such a lovely couple." Evelynn's manner of speaking was making Aaron think of something otherwordly, almost. But maybe that was just pureblood mannerisms? Was Evelynn a pureblood? Aaron found himself increasingly intrigued by the redhead in front of him.

"For the record, you look quite wonderful yourself," Aaron added, evening out the playing field of compliments. As his eyes locked on hers, the color surprised him. "And your eyes are beautiful," he added, the compliment leaving his lips instinctively. Some would describe Aaron Jones as a natural flirt. He viewed these sorts of things as just being friendly and observant, though, given he was happily in a relationship at the moment. "I hope you've been having a nice camp experience so far?" his smile and intonation inviting her to share if she wanted.

Action: n/a