Closed Dancing Detours PV | M. Nakamura

Regular Text - English | Bolded Text - French | Bolded Black Text - Japanese
Roleplaying as iNPC Madeleine Nakamura

This was a nightmare. Madeleine had been staring at herself in the mirror on and off for the past hour as she got ready, but something was still missing. Her makeup had to be perfect - that meant no smudged mascara and perfectly winged eyeliner. A bit of concealer for that pesky forming pimple and some eyeshadow. And what about her hair? She'd used her Comb of Vanity a dozen times now to change her hairstyle, repeating a few of them once or twice. And Cassanora @Hugh Lowe was absolutely no help, offering encouragement with every style she chose, showing no preference whatsoever. It was frustrating how supportive her best friend was being. (Frustrating in the moment, but appreciated nonetheless.) Finally she decided on her hair being curled in a half-up, half-down style.

Then there was the dress. Maddie and Koko had agreed to coordinate by going with floral themes, but not much beyond that. Part of the fun was being surprised by each other's outfits, after all. So Madeleine had chosen a light blue dress that cinched at the waist and flowed out down to her ankles, with decorative flowers all over. Thin straps over her shoulders held up the neckline. The French witch was wearing one of her favorite pairs of heels - they were white and flower-adorned, making them perfectly on theme.

As she stood there in her completed look, she tried not to fiddle too much with her hair, but the thought of meeting up with Koko like this had her tucking a hair behind her ear. The last item was her masquerade mask, with which she carefully tied a ribbon through and then around the back of her head, her hands carefully avoiding messing up her hair. The attention to her hand made her look more carefully, eyes focused on her recently manicured light blue nails. She had put on a butterfly ring and a thin silver bracelet to match, but it was reminding her of something... Ah! How could she almost forget? She grabbed the present for Koko, slipped it into the same dress pocket as her wand, said farewell to Cass, then headed out to meet her date for the evening. Ahhh, her date!

"Oh, wow," Madeleine couldn't help those words falling from her glossed lips when she saw Koko standing at the school exit. If she had been blinded by the girl's beauty before, it was surely permanent now. The pale green dress complimented the blonde so well, and the smile that appeared on her lips was radiant. "You look stunning."

Maddie immediately blushed at how forward she sounded, averting her brown eyes to the ground momentarily. But as she looked back up, her heart swelled because Koko had lifted her arms - for a hug? The French girl felt like she was floating as she closed the distance between them and hugged the other girl. Could she feel how fast her heart was beating? This hug was different than the hugs they'd had before, right? Maddie felt warmth wherever their skin was touching, and the blonde smelled so nice. Maddie hoped she liked the floral perfume she'd put on earlier, too.

"I'm so excited for tonight," she said, only minimally stumbling over her words as she pulled back and away from the hug. That was a win, a good start to the evening, but Maddie definitely couldn't help the big stupid grin on her face. "And you really do look amazing, Koko. I love your dress, and your mask, it's all wonderful." They had stopped any contact now, and Maddie agonizingly wondered if she should've held Koko's hand after the hug, but she'd missed her chance - so maybe later?

@Koko Riddle

Madeleine is a Charmer.

You are just distracting. Distracting to look at perhaps. Maybe it is your wit or your charm, your grace or something else about you that is intangible but absolutely present.

Madeleine is a Lovely Creature.

You are so incredibly beautiful, it is hard to take ones eyes off of you.

Date: Saturday, 13 April 2024
Time: evening
Location: Grounds

· · ─────── · 𖢨 · ─────── · ·

Koko hadn't had to stand in the pleasantly-cool spring air for too long before she saw Maddie, and the smile that split her lips was one of exuberance. She hadn't had a friend she could actually spend time with in a long time, and to actually see Maddie, and to have the knowledge that they were going to the dance together... it was simply jubilant.

She gazed at Maddie, noting how the girl's nails matched her dress, and she couldn't help but echo the sentiment that Maddie had put to words only seconds earlier. 'You look so wonderful!' she exclaimed, her amber eyes shining with excitement.

They hugged, and after catching a whiff of floral perfume, Koko hoped she smelled alright. Generally, she took extensive care of her appearance and smell, especially with being an athlete, but tonight, she wasn't just being presentable for herself. She embraced Maddie, genuinely surprised by the contact despite somehow expecting it – she rarely hugged people who weren't her family, and even then, it was rare that she even had people who cared enough to hug her.

They separated, and Koko eyes met Maddie's warm brown gaze as the French girl expressed her excitement – so it wasn't just Koko. Koko mirrored her enthusiasm, bouncing lightly on her toes, all earlier apprehension completely gone from her visage as she responded, 'Aah, me too!' She paused, breaking eye contact and glancing up to formulate a better, more articulate sentence: 'I'm feeling really optimistic about this evening.'

Her smile would only widen when Maddie complimented how she looked. She had agonised about making everything perfect, as always, so the compliment really meant a lot, especially coming from one of the people who Koko truly cared about the thoughts of. 'Thank you so much! You look lovely, too; I really think it's neat how your nails are the same colour as your dress! And your heels!'

Later, she would have to ask where Maddie had acquired those shoes. Koko was truly in awe of Maddie's fashion sense; she would have to take notes sometime. For now, though, they had places to go and things to do.

Almost giddy with excitement, Koko turned slightly and gestured towards the direction of the ball. 'Do you think we should head to the ball now? We can take our time walking there if you'd like.'

· · ─────── · 𖢨 · ─────── · ·

@Madeleine Nakamura @Aaron Jones

calming presence is in effect

stats & abilities & inventory

Reducio

stats (accurate to 13 April):
stamina: 20 - evasion: 10 - strength: 3 - wisdom: 7 - arc power: 5 - accuracy: 18

part-veela alluring - evasive maneuvers - part-veela scream - calming presence - part-veela charm - keeper’s catch

inventory: wand, dress, mask, adjustable high heel shoes (nothing in the vials)

Regular Text - English | Bolded Text - French | Bolded Black Text - Japanese
Roleplaying as iNPC Madeleine Nakamura

Despite how nervous she felt in this moment, embarking on her date with Koko, Madeleine also felt so at ease. The blonde made her heart skip a beat, but at the same time, her heart felt steady and safe. Like she could forget all her other worries. That's the effect Koko had on her.

"Me, too. That's a good way to put it," Maddie said, agreeing on the feeling of optimism with a small nod. Then after complimenting Koko even further, Koko returned the favor. The brunette couldn't help the growing smile on her face, her blush spreading. "Thank you. I really enjoy the little details like these," she said, feeling quite happy about the compliments. Koko noticing her nail color and the flowers on her heels? It was great to have all her efforts acknowledged.

"Yeah, let's go."

As they walked, they fell into a comfortable silence. It was nice not feeling a pressure to fill the air with something, but Madeleine started to overthink it. Should she take Koko's hand? Now would probably be a good time for it, on the way to the ball. She was hyperaware of the fact that they were walking side-by-side, arms swinging at their sides, hands just inches apart from brushing against each other. But as soon as she thought that, Maddie's arms suddenly stopped their natural swing. They glued themselves in place, unable to resume their natural state. Shit. What did she do now? Her gaze stayed straight ahead, towards the lights of the ball in the distance. Once they got there, she could hold Koko's hand anyway when they danced together.

"So, would you want-" Madeleine squinted at something she saw in the distance, her attempt at starting conversation interrupted. "Oh - wait - do you see that girl just there?"

Madeleine pointed towards the entrance of the ball, where there was a feminine silhouette running against the grass. That silhouette tripped and fell, crying out for help. Madeleine and Koko rushed over to discover a younger girl (faceless NPC), who had hurt her foot. But it seemed like the tears had started long before she tripped. With some gentle prodding from the older girls, the younger one shared that the ball itself was degrading into chaos. And to top it off, her boyfriend had been dancing with another girl! Madeleine and Koko helped the girl get her foot fixed up, then sent her on her way with directions to the Hospital Wing.

"Well... that was unexpected," Maddie said, a sigh escaping her lips as they watched the younger girl head towards the castle. She looked over her shoulder at the ball, then her brown gaze turned to Koko. There was disappointment in the Beauxbatons' student's expression. "It sounds like the ball might not be going so well... do you still want to go?" There was a part of Madeleine that really hoped Koko said yes. She didn't want their date to end here. Maybe they could still make the best of the situation. But at the same time, she didn't want their first date to be a disappointment.

@Koko Riddle

Date: Saturday, 13 April 2024
Time: evening
Location: Grounds

· · ─────── · 𖢨 · ─────── · ·

When Maddie noted that she had coordinated the colour of her nails with that of her dress on purpose, Koko's eyebrows rose. She would not hide how impressed she was with such meticulousness. Koko strived to have herself be consciously detail-oriented, but often, she failed to so do, so seeing Madeleine do so was more than impressive – and, for just a hang out with a friend, even if it was a ball? Koko couldn't help but feel honoured.

As they began to walk, Koko's usually-tense shoulders rested a bit lower than usual, and her hands swung by her sides instead of being folded in front of her like normal. She gazed around at their surroundings, amber eyes taking in the relaxing evening, all the usual stressors gone. Here, with her friend, her responsibilities were practically gone. With Maddie and nature to accompany her, she was just a girl.

Maddie's voice lightly pulled her out of her reverie, and Koko slowly turned her head so that she could make eye contact with her friend. The smile she had hardly noticed she was wearing faltered when Maddie said, 'that girl just there'. Koko had not, in fact, seen anyone else; she would blame her tendency to simply absorb her environment rather than observe or analyse it. She narrowed her eyes and forced her brain to take account of the more minute details of the area surrounding them, and she bit back a sigh. 'Oh. She doesn't quite look so good. I hope everything–'

When the girl tripped, Koko stopped speaking. There wasn't really any more to be said.

The two girls opted to assist the girl with her injury, but judging from her commentary, this year's ball was no different than any others'. Although she and Maddie eventually got the girl to the Hospital Wing, Koko couldn't help but feel apprehension gnawing at her from the inside at the idea of going to the ball. She'd wanted to hang out with Maddie in a place that wasn't dangerous or chaotic...

Koko's expression would largely match Maddie's, disappointment evident in her gaze but tinged slightly with worry, as the two made eye contact. Very unexpected, indeed. 'At this point, I don't really trust the ball to be a good idea,' Koko admitted. 'However... that doesn't mean we can't still have a good time on our own. We can always just walk around, observe nature, watch the sunset... The possibilities are pretty much endless, if you're up for that.'

· · ─────── · 𖢨 · ─────── · ·

@Madeleine Nakamura @Aaron Jones

calming presence is in effect

stats & abilities & inventory

Reducio

stats (accurate to 13 April):
stamina: 20 - evasion: 10 - strength: 3 - wisdom: 7 - arc power: 5 - accuracy: 18

part-veela alluring - evasive maneuvers - part-veela scream - calming presence - part-veela charm - keeper’s catch

inventory: wand, dress, mask, adjustable high heel shoes (nothing in the vials)