21 Nov 2023, 21:43
What a Miserable Night
6th October 2023
Night of the Fall Ball
It was a beautiful night. The sun had set a while ago, darkness had descended like a thick blanket. Illumination was provided by the moon, hanging above, and the multitudes of lanterns scattered near the lakeshore below. Boats were drifting out on the lake. There was some commotion, likely some stupid kid had managed to topple overboard and, as things tended to, the situation had escalated while people were trying to pull them out. Dee was too far away to see the details, and did not care to be any closer. It was a beautiful scene from above and far away, that was enough. The ball committee had done a wonderful job. It was almost a shame she wasn't closer to admire the decoration.
With a sigh, Dee leaned against the Owlery railing, her breath puffing out in a barely visible cloud, and let her gaze wander from the busily scurrying figures below to the far end of the lake, where the only light was the reflection of the moon. She'd meant to attend the ball. She'd even been excited to go, to spend time with her friends, and a little nervous at the thought of maybe meeting Theo. Good nervous even, a thrill in her stomach, a tingling in her chest that had made her smile. So she'd gotten all dressed up, with Xailah's help; her dress was beautiful and she should be down there, showing it off. She raised a hand, touching her carefully pinned up hair, she would have never managed anything like this on her own. Or had the patience to. There were delicate chains across her collarbone, glinting golden to match the designs on her dress, and cuffs on her wrists and ankles. It was the most perfect dress she'd ever owned, black and gold and green, reminding her of the sea near Whitehaven at dusk.
Yet instead of being down there, flaunting her dress, drawing attention and outshining everyone else the way she'd meant to be, she was up here, on her own, watching the distant ant-sized students running around far below. Moping, some might say, although Dee would never admit it. Because once she'd been all done, on her way down to the lake to craft lanterns, to eat and dance and laugh, she'd suddenly felt unable to make herself go. To show up alone, because she'd missed the opportunity to ask anyone, hadn't thought how much it would bother her to not have a date, because she'd never cared before. Usually wouldn't care, except for the chance that Jack might be there, and even after months, she shied away from the thought of appearing vulnerable before him.
She'd seen him about, of course, in the corridors and the Great Hall, brown eyes and cocky smile, flirting with girls that were not her. The memory had her gritting her teeth, eyes narrowing until she caught herself. Dee, of course, petty thing that she was, had retaliated in kind; smiling and laughing and flirting with others when she was sure Jack would see. Of course, none of that had meant anything to her, they'd just been things to throw into Jack's face. She wasn't even sure what the purpose had been. Had she hoped he'd be jealous? Was she jealous? Or was she just unwilling to lose in this unspoken unwritten contest, whose purpose and rules she didn't understand herself?
Groaning in frustration, Dealla buried her face in her hands - only for a second before she remembered that Xailah had done her makeup, and she was likely to ruin it if she continued like this. Not that there was anyone here to see it. With a sigh, she dropped her hands, shifting her weight; the shoes were more comfortable than she'd expected, but they were also bloody hard to walk in. She should never have let Xailah talk her into these shoes, but she'd also thought there might be arms for her to cling to if she needed the support.
One arm in particular, she thought, a small smile tugging at her lips. There was no use denying it, she'd hoped to see Theo, although she'd never asked if he was planning to attend. The one person she'd flirted with not for the public spectacle, but... because she'd wanted to. Because she'd wanted a reaction out of him, perhaps. Not that it had worked out like she'd wanted, or expected.
Making a face that no one would see in direction of the merrily glowing lanterns below, Dee shivered slightly. What a miserable night, this was.
Mentioning @Xailah Alptraum and her lovely dress, @Jack Warren, Theo Duncain (@Opeila Winters)
This is mostly a solo because life got busy and I got sick and missed actually entering the ball. It is open if anyone that Dee already knows wants to join, she's not in the mood to meet new people. Please shoot me a quick message if you want to hop in. Otherwise I'll close it in a couple weeks.
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
21 Nov 2023, 23:09
What a Miserable Night
@Dealla Prince
This evening had not really gone the way he thought. What that meant? Well... Quite simply, Theo had fallen asleep. He still wasn't really sure how it happened, one moment he was excitedly getting ready for the ball, only laid down for a minute and closed his eyes- and when he opened them again, it had been dark. He wasn't entirely sure how much of the ball he missed, but it was enough to make him feel bummed and a little angry at himself.
Unsure of what to do, he'd walked up and down his room a few times until he eventually ended up grabbing his broom. Instead of going to the ball, he'd push off the ground and watch from above. As he thought, the ball was already in full action and he didn't feel that much like joining anymore. So what would he do? Slowly he started flying around one of the higher towers of Hogwarts in an upward spiral, not even knowing what he would do when reaching the top.
He ended up landing on it and sitting down on the cold stone. It was a pretty clear night and for a few minutes he just looked at the sky, trying to find some images. It was only when he rolled onto his stomach to look down that he noticed the silhouette of a girl under the roof he was on, staring at the festivities in the distance. She was dressed up and everything, why didn't she go? It took him a few seconds to realize who this girl was.
Silently he crawled back to his broom and tried to take a pose on it that wouldn't have him fall off in two seconds. Somehow he managed to kind of lie on his side, propping himself up on one elbow. Slowly he descended from above. "Sooo. How- oh gosh dammit." He didn't manage to stop his flying downward in the position he was in. "Wait, I... got it." Quickly he sat normal on his broom again, returning to her level. "Right, as I was saying-" He cleared his throat and now rested his arm on the railing of the owlery instead of his broom. "How come that this knight finds a lady all by herself in a lone tower?"
He straightened his back a little. "Could I interest you in joining me for a ride on my... horse?", he asked, looking down at his broom for a moment.
21 Nov 2023, 23:44
What a Miserable Night
One minute, Dee was gloomily staring out into the beautiful starry night, envisioning all that the night could have been - or more accurately, what she would have wanted it to be - the next, a dark, Theo-like shape was descending from above into her field of view like a vision conjured by her subconscious. She stared blankly for a moment, unresponsive and uncomprehending, for all that she'd expected to happen in that particular moment, this wasn't just far down, it had not even made the list.
Except, if she had been as far gone as to hallucinate him because she was feeling a little lonely, her subconscious probably wouldn't have him precariously posing on a broomstick that was teetering downwards and slightly to the right past the Owlery railing. Or at least she hoped she hadn't sunk that low yet. It would be rather pathetic, honestly. Shouldn't the mirage be something more like... coming up the steps behind her, telling her he'd been looking for her at the ball, asking for a dance up here? Or perhaps her conscious had seen too many Disney movies, and she was better off with the weird broomstick fantasy her subconscious had produced.
Which then started talking, and proved not to be a fantasy at all, because this was definitely Theo-silliness and not something she was likely to come up with on her own. With a startled jerk, Dee straightened up, then raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Theo? What..." Her eyes narrowed, struggling to make out his face when he almost went past the owlery and she leaned forward just in time to see him sit properly, guiding his broom back up towards her. Her lips twitched. "Was that pose for my sake?" she asked, arching one eyebrow at him, amusement glinting in her eyes. "You know, you shouldn't really be surprised to find princesses in towers. From what I've heard, that's their normal hang-out, isn't it?"
But she was smiling, which was more than she'd expected from this night just a few moments ago. A bit of tension left her shoulders, her face softening - she'd missed Theo, even if she'd never say it out loud. Not enough, however, to override her common sense. "Oh, hell no," was her blunt reply to the invitation which some might have found romantic. Dee wasn't one of them. "No bloody way. I'm not planning to fall to my death tonight, thank you."
@Opeila Winters
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
9 Dec 2023, 16:18
What a Miserable Night
@Dealla Prince
"For your sake? No no, I always fly around like that. Very comfortable.", Theo would respond, giving a wink that was probably invisible in the dark and smirked. This little failure didn't bother him at all really, maybe he would manage to make her smile- she didn't seem to be in the best mood.
She seemed happy to play along with his little game though, so he would continue. "Of course, my bad, Miss Rapunzel. But I believe the tower may be too high for you to climb down on your own hair, what do you think?" Theo looked down the tower, to the ground that was weakly illuminated by a few torches. "Sooo were you going to stay up here or cheat and use the door?"
Dee smiled. He had done it. But she refused to get onto his broom. With a gasp he'd grasp his chest. "Well, I have to say I am personally wounded. Do you have so little trust in my skill?" He grinned. "Come on, I promise I won't let you fall.", he would add a little more seriously. Indeed he had no plans to explain the deadly fall of any student to anyone tonight.
1 Jan 2024, 14:41
What a Miserable Night
Dee snorted in response to his claim about his preferred flying position, but her smile, only slightly illuminated by the moon's light, betrayed her amusement. "I'd pay you actual money to do this during your next Quidditch match," she quipped back. It would probably also lose Ilvermorny the match, but that was hardly her problem, was it? "I might even attend that game, just to see you fall off." Which apparently happened to Quidditch players all the time, anyway. Ridiculous sport.
There was just the hint of temptation to give in and climb out into the open air, held up by nothing but a stick of wood that had no business carrying one person, let alone two. Unbidden came the thought that it would give her an excuse to hold onto him - she'd have to, if she didn't want to fall. "Honestly, I'd really rather climb," she replied dryly, eyeing the broomstick with five years worth of distrust. Which, for all the reasons that were not wrapping her arms around Theo and finding out if his muscles were as solid as they looked, was true. "Hair or not, and I say that wearing these." She flicked up her left foot to show off the shoes she was wearing, light glinting off the heels and metal spikes that could likely double as a weapon.
The next response, to the renewed invitation to join Theo on his broom, took a few heartbeats longer. The request had been delivered complete with teasing and a challenge, usually an easy way to bait a response from Dee. Instead, her smile faded as she returned Theo's gaze, the silence stretching between them.
Frankly, Dee didn't any longer know what to think. When she'd made an effort to flirt with him, perhaps nudge them into a romantic direction, Theo had basically run off like she was chasing him with pitchforks. And yet, at times like this, he showed up, comparing her to a princess in a manner that didn't entirely feel like a pun on her last name, smiling and charming and what was she supposed to think? Part of her wanted to just pitch him off his silly little broomstick and demand he make up his mind. Which, of course, she didn't, because she likely wouldn't get away with a claim of involuntary manslaughter if she'd pushed him off the owlery tower.
So instead she leaned forward against the railing, expression thoughtful. "No," she replied, shrugging. "You'll have to offer me something better than that to get onto that thing with you."
@Opeila Winters
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
29 Jul 2024, 22:47
What a Miserable Night
@Dealla Prince
"Is that a challenge? Don't think that I won't." Theo grinned at her claim that she would pay him... until she followed up, saying that she would watch just to see him fall. "Wow, you really, don't have any trust in my flying skills, do you? I've done this stuff since first year." The Thunderbird shook his head.
He looked down again, to the ground he could only make out due to torches hanging on the castle walls and back to Dee. "Climb, all the way down there? I think- wow." Theo's eyes widened at the shoe- that weapon- she held up now. "You know, I would pay good money to see that, but I happen to not want to see you fall off this tower." The grin returned and he pulled one leg up, placing his foot on the broomstick and rested his elbow on his knee.
Except that her own smile disappeared at his joking. Immediately he felt a pang of guilt, although he found it was misplaced. Theo had always been social, he had never found it hard to bond with people and he joked around all the damn time- was he taking things too far without noticing? He didn't intend to flirt with her.
To be safe, he decided to drop the joking. She seemed down enough as it was, he didn't need to add to it. "So- are you planning to stay up here all night then? All dressed up like that? How come that you are up here in the first place?"