August 24th | Virtanen Manor, Taika, Finland

The Virtanen's runaway child was back- certainly cause for celebration, wasn't it? Not that it was common knowledge that Opeila Winters ran away a year ago, nor were were the Virtanens particularly keen on sharing this piece of information with the world, but to them, this summer fest was a celebration of their family reunion. The grounds of Virtanen manor had been bustling with house elves setting up decorations, hanging up fairy lights and preparing food for days, until the garden looked like a Bridgerton scene- a comparison neither the guests nor the hosts would be able to understand.

Flowery arches and bushes filled the air with a sweet scent and lined gravel paths that allowed any guest who wanted to explore the grounds right down to the stables. The six horses of the Virtanens were outside, wandering around in their paddock, grazing and would certainly allow any passing visitor to pet them if they wished.
Spread over the lawn- that clearly had been cut recently- were picnic blankets with a multitude of snacks and beverages (feel free to just decide yourself what you are finding).
Closer to the house, tables and chairs were set up and a gramophone played classical music- not too loud to talk, but loud enough to create the desired atmosphere.

Oh yes, she was back. Opeila had not intended to go back to Finland this summer but here she was, still mainly relieved that the short confrontation between Vianne and Lysander had not resulted in any authorities getting involved. If she had to bet, her money would have been on Vianne getting in trouble for assisting her in running away last summer.

Honestly, she was surprised that she didn't get in trouble herself when Lysander and her arrived at the manor. Instead, Lord and Lady Virtanen had given her space, only after a few hours, Lady Virtanen had sat down to talk to her, a surprisingly pleasant exchange actually. And only a few days later, Opeila had found herself agreeing to... this. This fest that felt like it was filled to the brim with everything summer-y that summer camp had lacked.

She didn't mind. Actually she had been excited when getting ready, putting on her dress and getting ready, by herself.
For a few minutes Opeila had considered knocking on Aly's door, who clearly wasn't her biggest fan at all. Aly. The Virtanens had taken in her classmate as a longterm guest to learn the ways of pureblood- Opeila was fairly certain that the Virtanens had only agreed to this for her, although she was quite unsure why anyone would deem her a suitable teacher for pureblood ways. She still felt like she hadn't grasped most of it herself.

Opeila made her way to the grounds alone- well, maybe the first staircase before Lysander joined her. The relationship between the two of them was strained, which was probably the thing that bothered Opeila the most. Lysander used to be her friend, her ally in this house and this strange world she had been thrown in four years ago. And now? It felt like they were becoming more like strangers with every passing year.

August 24, 2024 Virtanen Manor, Taika, Finland

Interactions: n/a Mentions: n/a

Group PV Speech Hex Color: #0E1A40

𝕿hough it felt like a relic of the past, Cassius was grateful his mother had opted to travel to Finland via the family’s flying carriage. They could have procured passage via the floo network or perhaps even through portkey however neither of those options allowed the type of sightseeing that the future sixth year boy had come to adore about flying. The carriage itself was opulently appointed but not particularly large nor roomy. Inside it fit two comfortably and up to four uncomfortably on upholstered seats which faced one another. On the exterior, a coachman directed the carriage which was drawn by two of the family’s Granian horses, Arion and Xanthos. While the family typically traveled with a footman or valet, the coachman in this instance would fulfill both roles. Save for two large chests secured to the rear of the carriage, they were traveling lightly although what someone might reasonably consider 'light' was relative.

While undoubtedly a slower form of transportation, this method allowed the occupants of the carriage, Cassius and his mother Livinia, to make brief stops in Oslo and Stockholm for shopping and brief sightseeing. Now they were nearly at their destination and descending slowly over the Finnish countryside. Three knocks on the roof alerted the passengers to their imminent arrival.

“Mother, we are arriving,” Cassius said, gaze still focused out the window as the rolling hills came into clearer focus. On the opposite bench his mother stirred, waking from a brief nap. She was dressed comfortably for travel in attire that was not so formal as to cause discomfort on the ride. Her more formal attire was packed securely in one of their chests.

“Finally,” she replied in a soft tone, covering a yawn with a gloved hand. She turned her head side to side and rubbed the back of her neck. “How long was I asleep?”

“Two, maybe three hours,” her son said in reply. Unlike his mother, Cassius found it difficult to sleep while sitting upright and had remained awake the entirety of the flight from Sweden.

“Mmm. Longer than I thought but not long enough to feel rested. I will speak to the coachman about adding more cushioning to the walls. You realize this carriage has not been updated since…”

“... since father crashed it into a ditch in his youth.” Cassius interjected, finishing his mother’s sentence with a hint of amusement. “Father and a friend ‘commandeered’ the carriage during a dinner party after a few too many snifters of brandy. They broke an axle near a muggle interchange a kilometer from the estate and nearly caused an incident with the Ministry of Magic. Father was fond of telling the story during parties.”

“That and a great many more tales of dubious veracity,” his mother said, hands folded in her lap as she gazed thoughtfully out the small carriage window. “I do miss him.”

The boy frowned, leaning his head against the window. “As do I, mother.”

The carriage touched down with a slight jolt. Cassius fixed the angle of the flat cap on his head and neatened his tie which had both shifted with the landing. He wore comfortable clothes, a dark blue quarter-zip sweatshirt that covered a white buttoned shirt and blue-white tie. His slacks were off white and paired with polished brown leather shoes. A perfect combination for the cooler Finnish summers.

A few minutes later the carriage stopped and the coachman opened the door. He offered a hand to Livinia as she stepped down from the carriage and onto the Virtanen Manor grounds. Cassius followed soon after, hopping instead of stepping down from the carriage. The act earned him a brief look of disapproval from his mother but it felt good to stretch his legs.

Formal introductions were made and a short time later Cassius found himself alone and wandering through the estate grounds. The decorations had reminded him of a Regency era ball for which he was currently quite underdressed for. Attire could be changed later. For now he was content to explore the grounds, eventually following a gravel path that led to the stables. There he found a number of horses grazing in their paddock. One approached him and he pet the animal along its neck.

As far as Cassius could tell his party was one of the first to arrive. That or the guest list was much smaller than one might have expected. Regardless, he was content to pet the horses and speak with any of the hosts or attendees that might find themselves passing by.

Action: Petting the horses. Open to interactions!

Parselmouth is in bold black.

This would be Kiana's first "big event." Well, not quite. She'd attended many parties and galas and extravagant feasts hosted by her parents in the past, but none sounded quite as grand and important as this one. And admittedly, she was nervous. She wanted desperately to make a good impression on everyone here and she prayed that nothing embarrassing would happen. That was also why she left her snake, Jade, at home with the house elves. Knowing Jade, she'd probably sneak off and steal food or scare someone in the bathroom - Kiana didn't want to have to fish her snake out of the toilet under the watchful eye of a terrified guest. Before she and her father left, she made Jade promise that she'd behave and wouldn't give the house elves Claire, Kana, and Jameson a hard time. The snake had agreed under the condition that Kiana left her a pack of candied sardines to enjoy. Now, as the two were arriving at the grand gates of Virtanen Manor, Kiana straightened her posture and smoothed out her dress (that her mother had carefully chosen for her - "subtlety is key, Kiana. You don't want to appear like you are trying too hard to impress, but you also don't want to look like you just came back from a rough jog up a steep hill."). Her father held a tall, glossy bottle labeled with Japanese and English characters. Just under a week ago it had been flown in from Japan, straight from her grandfather's vineyard. Her father seemed to share the same mindset as Kiana - they had to be gracious and appreciative towards the hosts in order to leave a sweet impression. What better way to do that than with a bottle of fine sake?

Kiana looked around, trying to see if she recognized anyone. Then again, this was a purebloods-only party so it was unlikely that any of her friends would have showed up. Not that she had a lot of friends to begin with. She tried to brush aside the lingering feeling of nervousness in her gut. The Virtanens had spared no expense for this celebration - the lawn was already decked out in beautiful decor and there were house elves scrambling about, making sure every detail was perfect to the core. The sound of soft music floated through the air and into her ears and it was soothing, having an almost narcotic effect on her. As they arrived at the steps, her father handed the bottle to her. It felt heavy, just like the weight of responsibility it carried. The large red ribbon she'd helped tie delicately to the neck of the bottle felt cool and smooth on her skin. As she approached Lady and Lord Virtanen, she fell into a small bow and with a courteous smile handed the bottle to them.

"Thank you so much for having us at this opulent celebration - it's an honor to be here."

Outfit:

Reducio

Action:

Handing the sake to Lord and Lady Virtanen. Possibly open to interactions after. @Opeila Winters

Interacting with @Cassius Eden | Mentioning @Kiana Nakamura

The first guests were arriving and Opeila followed Lysander to help his parents welcome them, get their luggage brought to the right rooms by the house elves and finally lead them to the grounds. The polite smile and formal behavior came surprisingly natural to Opeila, it was almost as if she had never left. She felt Hilja's eyes on her- at least she wouldn't have anything to reprimand her about later. That had been the deal, right?

"We are very happy that you could make it. Please make yourself comfortable and help yourselves to food and beverages.", she heard Hilja say to a man and a young girl- hadn't Opeila seen her at Hogwarts before?- before someone else drew her attention to him. A boy who didn't bother with greetings for too long and instead wandered towards the stables.
Lysander had to have followed her gaze, as he nudged her now. "You go, I am fine here."

With a nod, Opeila stepped away and wandered down the grounds as well, towards the stables, where the boy was now petting one of the horses. Lysander's pinto mare, Kallio, who was probably the friendliest of the six, seemed perfectly happy about the attention.
Upon coming closer, Opeila recognized her classmate and slowed her steps. Out of all people. Storing the memory of the dream in the orb had really been the best decision. She had no idea, how awkward she would act towards him if she could remember more than the facts.

"Hi." Opeila stepped next to him, her mind suddenly empty. What did she want to say to him? Why had she come down here again? Her own white horse now trotted over and nudged her arm. "Hello Dímon." Carefully she scratched his nose. Maybe being back was not all bad. Him she had missed in France.
"How- How was the rest of camp?", she finally asked.

𝙾𝚄𝚃𝙵𝙸𝚃: Reducio

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▪ 𝙴𝙽𝙲𝚈 ▪ ▪ FELIX ▪ KOLBECK ▪ ▪ DURMSTRANG iNPC ▪ SIXTH YEAR ▪

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𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂: Reducio @

"You can't make me go, not when I look like this." Ever the drama queen, the young Swedish boy waved towards the outfit his mother had selected for him. A sapphire blue cotton suit with enough breath to allow him to remain cool under the hot August sun. His brown waist coat matched the pair of leather oxford shoes. It heavily contrasted his usual style, as did the mop of dirty-blonde hair that lay on top of his head. Usually selecting to sport a stark white bleach blonde style, his mother had made him charm it back to it's natural colour.

"Because we are going to present ourselves as a family, and I cannot have you looking like you just woke up in a back alley after electrocuting yourself." Linnéa, never the one to hold back, remarked. She reached up to fix the flared sleeve of her dark blue floral print garden dress. Her platinum blonde hair had been woven into a half-up hairstyle, secured by silver clips that had a line of tiny sapphires. Her necklace matched, a double tiered necklace boasting several sapphires, dangling sapphire earrings completed the look. If Felix didn't know any better, he would have sworn his mother was trying to impress someone, wearing one of her more expensive sets.

With his natural hair colour back, Felix looked almost like a younger twin to his father, Åke, who stood silently behind his wife. He wore a similar suit to Felix's, though his was darker in colour. The right side of his face was lined with wispy scars, his wrinkles deep for a man of his age. "Listen to your mother." The man ordered in their native tongue. The hand that reached over to grip his shoulder and guide him into the garden suggested that this was not up for debate.

Felix had to refrain from remarking on his father's parenting skills, which mostly seemed to be mimicking whatever Felix's mother wanted so he didn't have to listen to her longer than necessary. "I thought the point of having siblings was that your attention would be divided. Why the hell do the twins get to skip this party?" The Swede complained under his breath as he tried not to draw attention to himself.

"Your sisters don't have a habit of running off with muggleborns." Was his mother's response. The woman must have had the hearing of a bat. "Maybe being surrounded by civilized families will help you realize what you need." She stated before sliding a compact out of her purse to start applying a darker shade of red lipstick to her puckered lips.

Felix rolled his eyes, "I highly doubt it."

"You should be more concerned, Pyret little creature, because if you don't start walking the right path, your father and I will have to make a choice for you." She dropped this information on her son as she snapped her compact shut and tossed it back into her mini handbag.

Felix could only balk over at his mother in disbelief, "You can't be fucking serious, I'm only sixteen years old--"

"Don't speak to your mother like that," His father interrupted, cold blue eyes narrowing at his son. "We're quite serious; your mother and I have had enough of you embarrassing our family. We thought you had gotten over your little... Phase after you joined the Hexwizard team, but then you started dating... Another one. You have a duty--"

"FINE." Felix said abruptly, half shielding his face with one hand. The family had been speaking quite freely, assuming no one in attendance knew Sweden to understand their argument. "I'll TALK to people if you'll just-- Drop it." He had been listening to his mother complain about the same song and dance for years, but this was the first time the Swede had been warned by his father.

Luckily for them, Felix had no intentions of dating a muggleborn ever again. Actually, he had no intentions of dating anyone again, so he was more than happy to fade into the background of the party and pretend to converse with whatever type of person his parents wanted him to hang.

There were horses. He liked horses. There were a girl and boy already there, but Felix could forgive their presence for now. He was pretty sure he recognized one of them as the girl named Opeila, who he had met many summers before. Was she having a romantic moment with the swirly haired boy she was standing next to? Felix didn’t know, and he didn’t care. He would only offer the two a nod before trying to lure another horse over to him.

English ▪ Swedish ▪ Russian ▪ Norwegian ▪ Linnéa English | Linnéa Swedish | Åke English | Åke Swedish

August 24, 2024 Virtanen Manor, Taika, Finland

Interactions: @Opeila Winters @Winnie Harper Mentions: @Finnegan Connor

Group PV Dialogue Color: #0E1A40

𝕱ocused on the pinto mare that had indulged his attention, Cassius did not notice his classmate approach beside him. His eyes widened with a start as he immediately recognized the newcomer. Was she supposed to be here? Did he forget she was going to be here? His mother had been oddly vague about the details of the invitation.

“O-Opeila? Hi.” He managed to say, unable to hide his surprise. The last he had seen his duelling counterpart from Slytherin was on the dance floor at summer camp under a particularly large sprig of mistletoe. He had been respectful with the knowledge that her boyfriend was just a few steps away; still, the thought of an unrealized kiss lingered in his imagination. She really had looked stunning that evening, much as she did now. Christ. When had he become so susceptible to feminine charms?

The pinto mare seemed to have sensed that surprise and shook its head playfully with a whinny. The other, a white horse, seemed to recognize her and trotted towards them. Indeed, when Opeila addressed the horse by name, it had mostly confirmed his suspicions that she was not simply a guest like himself. That or she rode all the way from the British Isles to Finland. Unlikely but not the oddest thing he had heard someone do.

“Oh, summer camp was interesting. My tentmates were… quirky. It felt an informal menagerie coupled with an exhibition of all things pink. One of the younger students, a Gryffindor, was describing how they are training to become a radio broadcaster by practicing with some muggle technology called ‘streaming’. He attempted to explain it to me but I think he was having me on. They were a kindly bunch though. I appreciated them welcoming me in.”

Summer camp had indeed been an experience, mistletoe dance aside. The great multitude of personalities in such a confined space made for excellent people watching.

“Is this your home?” The boy asked, trying to recover some of his wits. “My apologies, you caught me a bit unawares. I did not expect to see many people I recognized here. I thought I would be mostly amongst strangers of the Scandinavian variety,” he added with a subtle yet arresting smile. “You look lovely.”

Cassius’ cheeks immediately took on a shade of scarlet as he realized what he had said. He glanced away, raising his hand again to scratch the horse’s mane. A newcomer to the stable periphery caught his attention, a convenient means to pivot from his verbal admission. “Ah, an opportunity to showcase some English charm,” he said before turning towards Felix, grateful for the distraction.

“Ho! You there! Skulk over here in this direction. I would offer you greeting.”

He glanced back towards Opeila, a cheeky grin on his face. "Too much?"

Action: Conversing.

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─•~❉✾↟✾❉~•─

interacting/mentioning @Opeila Winters, @Cassius Eden @Felix Kolbeck@Winnie Harper	key thoughts •english •welsh	location virtanen manor, taika, finland/ august 24, 2024
outfit Reducio + +	action

Brookline hurried to her closet. “Damnit! Get out my way, Tigeress!” She just about tripped over the small tabby. The kitten had scampered out of the room, her hind legs almost scamping up dust.

She wriggled into a lightweight lilac party dress with soft satin ribbon curling its long curvy tail from the hips. Her eyes sailed to her mirror. Too fancy for just a pure-blood gathering. Brookline changed her mind a few more times before she settled on a blue satin dress that had long blue-almost transparent sleeves and the neck was adorned in a blue satin ribbon guided into a bow. Shoes matching the dress, a block high heels with the matching color, light blue, and glittery bows at the toes. Her hair was a thick brunette fishtail, with a pretty flower crown, adorning her forehead.

“Brookline! Your brothers, and I are ready to go!” Brookline’s mother yelled up the stairs in her native tongue, Welsh. In Welsh, Brookline bellowed back, “Coming, mother!” The pure-blood girl swiped some lip gloss on and headed out of her room, switching off the bright white light, leaving the room and open closet dark and lightless. She knew where she was going. To Finland. There was a pure-blood gathering, and the Quinn family had been invited. Having not been to a pure-blood gathering since around Chase Jr. was born, Amy wanted to go. But Chase Sr. hadn’t wanted to go, so Amy decided she couldn't bring on her kids, and Brookline volunteered to go, along with Cash and Chase.

When Brookline entered the entrance parlor, Amy called, “Hey, love, we’re leaving! See you later?” Brookline’s father, Chase, replied with a grunt, and eventually, a loud croak of words with a Welsh accent, “Alright. See you later. ” Amy looked bruised but it disappeared on her face, as the boys, Brookline, and Amy walked down the steps. Brookline could of swore she saw that look on her mother’s face, but more she thought about, she realized she must had imagined it.


Then they walked to the nearest alley in Ferndale and started looking for a portkey. “Oh! There!” Brookline pointed at a old leather book lying on its side. “Yss! Good eye, Brooke! Now Cash and Chase, when I say go, touch the book, alright?” The boys nodded and Brookline crouched to the ground, waiting for her mother to say the command. “And go! Virtanen Manor, Takia, Finland, here we come!” Amy yelled as a wrench went through Brookline ’s body, and she quite almost barfed. How dare she recommend portkey? Brooms would of done just fine.

Then safety landing in Takia, Finland at the Virtanens’ Manor, Brookline found herself wobbling to her knees. A yelp escaped Cash. Yep, we should have taken brooms. Brookline raced over to her brothers, gently pried their tiny sticky fingers off of the portkey. She picked up Cash, set him propped up on her hip, while she slipped her small hand in Little Chase’s even smaller sticky hand. Amy had went on ahead to thank the owners for inviting her family, and Brookline trotted slowly with her small brothers over to the main lawns.

This manor was beautiful, even more beautiful than Brookline’s home. By the stables, where gorgeous horses stood, and a tall girl with short dark hair, was petting them, whom was speaking with a brown-haired boy. As she traveled by, she realized that the boy was a fellow Ravenclaw, and was a perfect. A another older boy was near them, but wasn’t conversing with them. To not be rude, Brookline would offer a small wave with only free arm she had, then she’d scurry over to her mother.

614.200 words

Reducio

mentioning

Interactions: @Opeila Winters Mentions: @Cassius Eden | @Kiana Nakamura | Felix Kolbeck @Winnie Harper | @Brookline Quinn

Date: August 24th Location: Virtanen Manor, Taika, Finland

Outfit: x

- The Virtanen Summer Fest -

Dressed up nice in a simple black and gold suit, Cass shifted from one foot to another. This was probably one of their least favourite parts of the holidays. All these parties should be fun, but one had to remain proper and a dutiful child for at least the first five minutes. If anyone knew anything about Cass though, it was that they could barely go five seconds without running off to cause some kind of chaos somewhere. This kid with the (almost) artistically messy hair standing besides their father and stepmother was a far cry from Cass's usual birds nest look around Hogwarts. Still, all these parties and acts had to be done. Family was important.

Speaking of family, it was probably time to head in. Their stepmother and father were also tastefully dressed, though not over the top for an occasion like this. The Virtanen manor was certainly impressive, but Cass was far more interested in the horses. Maybe once they had gone through the whole greet-the-hosts routine then they could sneak off and attempt to give one of them a pat. It was pretty unlikely though. Animals had never particularly liked Cass. Despite their attempts to appear as small and unthreatening as a living ball of chaos could possibly be, smaller ones tended to run off and larger ones kept their distance. The only exception was their step-mothers owls, though even they had taken a while to come around. And the obvious of course. But they never talked about that, so it didn't really count.

They walked like a normal person up the drive for once, no more bouncing around and running off to look at things. When they reached the main party area, they joined their parents in greeting the hosts. Echoing a polite "Thank you for having us" as their father talked, their eyes wandered over the grounds. Surely there would be some other people close to their age to bother chat to. They would accept anyone who wasn't ancient. For now though, they just smiled and nodded. Exploring could come soon. Soon couldn't come soon enough. Maybe they would recognise someone from Hogwarts or previous boring parties here.

Open for interactions!

Parselmouth is in bold black.

Kiana nodded graciously at the host and hostess, easing her way out as she found a nice quiet place to sit while her father socialized with the other guests. She'd decided that she wouldn't approach or speak to anyone unless she was approached or spoken to. Such is the way of being antisocial. Perhaps she should find some food, but she didn't dare eat until the host and hostess had had a bite themselves. So she waited, watching guests begin to flood in as the once quiet and still environment slowly became bustling and lively.

In a way, it was quite nice.

She fidgeted silently, absorbing the scenery and exhaling, tilting her head upward and smiling. Kiana noticed in the distance a well-dressed kid about her age, if not slightly younger. They seemed lost too, or perhaps not, just wandering. She recalled seeing this kid briefly in the halls before - she tended to remember faces well. It was an innate talent of hers, to be observant. Besides, their hair was pretty hard to miss. (floof-) Though she had only noticed them once in the hallways for a fleeting moment - as she had with countless others - she nevertheless remembered their face. Would it be so bad to approach them? There goes that rule.

She stood up, flattening out her dress and making sure she still looked presentable before approaching the boy.

"Hey. I don't think we've met before...enjoying the party?" she asked warmly, extending a hand to the boy.

@Cass Ito