Dance with me? on Cascade Hall

Headmistress Kijewski-Jareau

May 03, 2013 11:19 PM

Midsummer's Ball by Headmistress Kijewski-Jareau

The ball was finally upon them and the end of another school year. For some of the students, this would be their last hurrah with their friends before they officially graduated and moved on to another stage of their life. For others, this was the first real ball that they may have attended in their young life. For Kiva, she had been through so many of these that even if only every four years, it felt routine. At least this year had been different. Instead of the competitive sport of Quidditch, they had the challenges, equally competitive but in very different ways. Everyone could play and it wasn’t house specific. She felt this had been a good bonding experience for the students as it allowed them to mingle with those they may not have otherwise. She was certain that there were team disputes dealt with quietly between the members, but any experience, good or bad, made a person’s spirit stronger. Or so she was told. It was a learning experience at any rate.

Because of the amount of work the students put into the challenges and how well they had done, Kiva had put into the budget the ability to give everyone a small plaque. It was a token for them to have for a job well done and that the school appreciated their efforts. The team list would also be placed into the trophy room. The top five teams, however, would be getting something in addition to their plaques. But those announcements would come in a moment. For now, she wanted to enjoy the reaction to the students’ faces.

The hall was set much like that of a reception hall. Where the staff table usually was placed, was a stage instead with a band. They were only a cover band, but from their resume and references, they were worth it and since they did popular cover songs, she thought the students would enjoy them as well. A large dance floor was open in front of the stage for students (and staff if they so choose) to use. Surrounding the dance floor were medium sized round tables, large enough for small groups of friends and their dates to have easy conversations without having to shout across the tables, but small enough not to feel the need to fill each seat. The tables were decorated in Pecari colors, as were the other party decorations including the banner that hung above the stage declaring Pecari the House Cup winner, and flowers were the center pieces. It was all eloquently done by the Prairie Elves. They always did enjoy throwing a good bash for the students and making sure it was something they remembered.

Kiva waited patiently for the students to settle in with their friends or dates before standing and requesting for their attention. When she had them, Kiva gave them a smile. “Good Evening, everyone! It’s the end of the school year. The challenges are over, the examinations are over, and summer is right around the corner. What better way to end this exciting year than with a ball?” Well, she thought it was exciting, who knew what they felt. “As always, we have end of year announcements. First, I want us all to say farewell to our wonderful Librarian, Miss. Diaz. I know some of you have become rather fond of her and I hope she does know how much she will be missed. She’s done a lot for this school, including implementing the Library Monitor and Assistant program. Miss Diaz, I wish you luck in your next adventure.” Kiva commented, looking at DiAnna and giving her an applause. It would be difficult to find another Librarian who had the same initiative as DiAnna.

Kiva waited a moment for any applause or comments from the students to die down before she began her next announcement. “I would like for Mr. Derwent Pierce the Fourth and Miss. Regina Parker to come to the front.” It was obvious what this announcement was for. It was strange that during the choosing of the names for the ballot, it was the boys who had given the staff a hard time picking and one was left off because his vote was one less than another boy. This time, when their peers voted, it had been the girls who were neck and neck for votes. In the end, Regina had one by only one or two votes over Josephine. Kiva thought either girl would have been suitable for the title of head girl. “Everyone, please meet your new Head Boy and Girl.” Kiva stated once the two of them were up by her. She clapped for them before indicating they could sit down once more.

“Because this year had been a challenging year for everyone involved, we as a staff wanted to reward all of you for your hard work. Each of you will receive a plaque along with your yearbook. I hope you all know how proud we are of everything you were able to overcome and accomplish together as a team.” Kiva complimented them and genuinely meaning her words. Even those who hadn’t wanted to participate, still had and hadn’t let their team down. Much like meal times, a plaque and yearbook appeared on the table in front of each student. “But with every challenge, there is a winner. The top five teams will each earn a trophy, but the number one team will have their names engraved onto a trophy in the trophy room.” She wasn’t sure if anyone would understand the honor of that, but if they were ever to stumble upon the room and read the trophies of honored students of the past, they may then understand the significance. The size of the trophies given to the students varied based on the placement of their team, the winning team with the largest of them all.

“When I call your team, please come up to take your trophies and stand to the right of me. Please hold your applause until all the teams are announced.” Kiva advised them. “The team in fifth place is Team Fifteen! The team in fourth place is Team is Team Fourteen! Breaking into the top three is Team One in third place. Our second place winning team is Team Five. And our Challenge winning team that cleared each challenge with the highest of points is….” Kiva did a dramatic pause for the fun of it before continuing, “Team Four!” She applauded, “Let’s hear it for these teams and your classmates for a job well done!” Kiva waited for it to die down once again and for the winning teams to get their trophies before saying anything more. “The Team ranking list will be placed in the hall by the end of the evening in case you were curious to know how your team did during the challenge.” Once they had all received their trophies, they were free to return to their seats.

“That’s all the announcements that I have. We will have the Prefects and Head students lead off the night with a dance followed by dinner. Prefects and Heads, if you’ll please come to the dance floor.” Kiva nodded to the band and with that, the night began.

OOC: Here is a link to the here. I apologize for the different graphics and such. Also, be sure you are viewing it at 100% otherwise things won’t line up correctly.

Subthreads:

Not fitting in by Jade Owen with Amira Thornton, Jade

I'm ready for a ball! by Wendy Canterbury with Carter Browning, Wendy

And the truth is spoken through pictures. by Aria Yale with Rupert Princeton, Aria

Dance with me? by Adam Spencer with Gemma Bennett

Being a 'princess' of sorts for an evening. by Brianna Japos with Linus Macaulay, Brianna

Is one really the loneliest number? by Alexandra D'Alesandro

Something achieved by Francesca Wolseithcrafte

Odd one out by Henny B-F-R with Waverly Canterbury, Waverly

Awaiting my date. (Kate) by Marcus Williams with Kate Bauer

And so the night begins. by Cepheus Princeton

Here we go by Theresa Carey

A blast from the past by Clara Abernathy with Lucian D'Alesandro

Ending an Era with Eliza by James Owen with Eliza Bennett

I could have danced all night... by Josephine Owen with Addison Thornton, Josephine

Counting down the minutes till I can leave. by Maximilian Joshua McLachlan

Making an offer to anyone age-appropriate. by David Wilkes with Arista Thornton

Not on a date with Julian by Charlie B-F-R with Julian Umland

Trying to fit in by Keme RunningBear with Willow Collins

I'm a disappointment... (Angel/Jude) by Solomon Bensalem

A Belle for the Ball by Regina Parker with Derry Four

The End? by Ryan O'Malley with Sophie Jamison

Seeing Alicia by Thad Pierce with Alicia Bauer

One Last Dance by Fae Sinclair

0 Headmistress Kijewski-Jareau Midsummer's Ball 0 Headmistress Kijewski-Jareau 1 5

Jade Owen

May 04, 2013 4:50 PM

Not fitting in by Jade Owen

In the end, Jade had compromised. There was no magic on earth that would convince her to dress up prim and proper like a princess, but she had grudgingly allowed Josephine, Waverly and T Carey to talk her into wearing something marginally more appropriate than her usual day wear. This would probably be the only ball she would ever attend in her lifetime (thank Merlin), a fact that she had frequently repeated to herself in order to stay sane as she looked at her tiara-wearing reflection. It was kind of cute, and totally plastic, not like the real gem-encrusted bands that might be decorating the heads of some of the wealthier students. The shimmering silver-coloured crown sat atop her lose, brunette curls, and hopefully drew the attention away from her wayward eyebrows.

Below the tiara, Jade looked considerably less formal. Her crimson-coloured blouse beneath a dark green sweater vest had been cleaned and pressed by the prairie elves, and the dark grey shorts just about matched her dark-grey ankle boots, revealing an expanse of bruised and scarred legs between them. It was neater than the fourth year Pecari looked on an average school day, though maybe not as neat as she was forced to look on the Opening feasts, by dint of being scrutinised by her mother on those specific occasions.

Abandoning the girls’ bathrooms, into which she had darted en route to Cascade Hall to reaffirm that she looked neither spectacularly refined nor spectacularly stupid, Jade continued her progress to the venue. Upon entering the Hall, she actually raised her eyebrows at the current lavishness of a generally familiar environment. “Diamonds are a girl’s something-something,” she muttered as she made her way through frocks and dress robes to an unoccupied seat.

On the plus side, the Hall was screaming Pecari's House victory this year, which was the barest minimum that could make up for no Quidditch Cup to fight for. On the other hand, it looked like Headmistress K-J was all set to make a speech, as if attending a ball wasn't punishment enough. "Come on, bring out the food, already," Jade moaned audibly as the Head called for quiet. She caught the eye of a neighbour and offered no apology beyond a mischievous wink.

0 Jade Owen Not fitting in 221 Jade Owen 0 5

Wendy Canterbury

May 04, 2013 5:13 PM

I'm ready for a ball! by Wendy Canterbury

The moment Wendy had received the package containing her dress from her mom, she had been looking forward to wearing it. She had done some dancing lessons with Carter which had been a lot of fun and she couldn't wait to show him the dress and how well she could dance. She had been practicing a little bit on her own and now she thought she had mastered it pretty well. Her favorite was definitely the Cha Cha because it was so much fun to do. Hopefully they could dance the Cha Cha, music permitting.

The dress she was wearing was the best dress she had ever owned in her life. It was a peach color, a little lighter than her skin, and had white flowers complete with their leaves sewn into it. The flowers were fake, of course, but she loved how the organza on the lower part of the dress fluffed out and lifted gracefully when she twirled. She had twirled around in her dorm room for a good two minutes just watching her dress twirl around with her.

Now it was time to meet Carter and actually go to this ball. Wendy hadn't put on any makeup; she thought it was silly that women had to put that on their faces thinking they looked prettier that way. Her older sister did it sometimes and Wendy wondered if Waverly's boyfriend even noticed. Well, Wendy wasn't about to put any on. Her blonde hair was too short to do anything with, so she just brushed it a lot, making sure it was straight and parted correctly, put on her pink flats, and made her way down. She had told Carter she wanted to meet him at the entrance of Cascade Hall. She wanted to surprise him.

And she hoped she did so. When she had entered the castle, she saw Carter waiting and she rushed over, making sure to lift her dress so she didn't trip over it. When she reached him, her cheeks were pink and her hazel eyes were bright. "What do you think?" she asked breathlessly, twirling once for him. "Isn't it pretty? My mom got it for me just for this ball." She didn't even care if he didn't care about dresses like the usual boys. She didn't either unless she found a dress she was absolutely in love with. "You look really nice," she said, positively beaming at him. "Let's go in!"

Once they made their way inside, Wendy beamed even brighter at the Pecari colors everywhere. They had won the House Cup! That was another reason to celebrate and Wendy was ready to start dancing. But the Headmistress started her speech and Wendy took Carter's arm, letting him lead her to a table or, if he didn't, leading him to the table herself. She wasn't exactly sure who did the leading, but someone got them to one of the tables. The Headmistress announced the winners of the challenge and Wendy found she didn't mind all that much that her team hadn't won. It had been fun enough being on that team and she was glad she had been a part of it. That was all. She was really glad her older sister had won fifth place and clapped extra hard once they all had received their trophies. She hoped Waverly was happy with at least placing high enough for it to be announced.

Finally the Headmistress stopped talking, but the Prefects and Heads were supposed to lead off the dancing. She sighed and leaned her elbow against the table facing the dancers. "When can we dance? I'm itching to do those dances you taught me." It was true. That and she wanted to show Carter what a good student she had been.

19 Wendy Canterbury I'm ready for a ball! 245 Wendy Canterbury 0 5

Aria Yale

May 04, 2013 6:47 PM

And the truth is spoken through pictures. by Aria Yale

The start of the school year had been fun for Aria. She had thought that this year would be the best year because she had a friend now, maybe one or two more, but as the year progressed, Aria’s hopes had fallen. Although Liam had been on her challenge team, he had seemed to isolate himself from her. She didn’t really know what she had done wrong or why he didn’t want to hang out with her anymore, but it made for a lonely time for her. She felt like she had in first year again. Alone and confused. By now, everyone had their groups of friends. Sometimes, a person could flitter through multiple ones, but those people were rare. Liam seemed to be the only person who didn’t mind that she was, by other standards, weird.

The challenges had kept her preoccupied for some of the time, but when she wasn’t busy working on those or trying to figure out her homework, Aria sat in her room or wander the gardens by herself. Most of the time, lost in her own thoughts and trying not to think about home. If this was what it was going to be like for her, she didn’t see the point in staying any more. Having a fair-whether friend was not much of one at all. She didn’t know if Liam was still dealing with his mother’s new relationship and wanted time to himself for a while, that was one thing, but he had shut her right out. And now Aria was alone again.

She came to the ball not really knowing what to wear. She tried to catch some idea from her roommates, but they had money that they could buy pretty things with. Her parents, she knew, would have reached into their saving and bought her something like they had with the costume, but she didn’t want that. She had only asked that her mother make her a pretty dress. Aria had received her package about a week before the ball and she thought it was the most beautiful garment that she had ever worn. It didn’t compare to her roommates, she was sure, but it fit her perfectly. A black knee length silk dress with a cream lace top that covered her without covering the dress. She paired it with her barely there ankle sandals. Her hair…well, there wasn’t much she could do with it. She was trying to learn a straightening charm, but it only worked half the time, so it left the bulk of her hair straight but the roots all frizzy and a mess. So, instead of attempting it, she simply left it alone. She wasn’t the prettiest girl or a princess, but she felt like one.

At least until the yearbook appeared before her. Last year, Jay had explained the awards that she had been listed under to her because the wording was not what she understood to be positive things. She had clapped and applauded during the announcements and cheered for the winning teams even though hers’ was not one of them. When the Prefects went up for the first dance and the evening began, Aria turned to her yearbook to keep her busy for the time being. But the first award she saw her face under had her crestfallen once more.

People saw her as a clown. Someone to laugh at. Someone whom they found funny when she wasn’t particularly so. Aria felt self-conscious in her dress now. No longer feeling pretty, she just felt silly and stupid for believing she could be like the rest of them. Or, accepted by them. Her parents would feel so let down seeing her this way. They had only wanted her to have the best experience, but she only seemed to have the worst. They told her to just try and be open minded, but even she ran out of spirit.

Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, Aria stood up from her table and turned to leave. She wiped away a hot tear that burned down her cheek as she made her way quietly to the door. She wasn’t hungry anymore anyway.

6 Aria Yale And the truth is spoken through pictures. 228 Aria Yale 0 5

Rupert Princeton

May 04, 2013 7:51 PM

Can words make it better? by Rupert Princeton

It was absolutely terrible how wonderful Rupert looked. His hair was combed, his dress robes pressed, his shoes shined. His parents had been strict about him wearing nothing but black standard dress robes, but, before walking out the door, he had taken the liberty, with a simple charm, to change his robes from black to bright green. His parents couldn't stop him across the ocean and there was no way Rup was going to let Cepheus tattle on him when he was expecting Rup to distract his date.

Rup was still a bit angry at his older brother for not allowing him to ask anyone to the ball. There was one witch in particular that Rupert had been trying to get up the courage to ask. It wasn't that he fancied her like that; he just wanted the opportunity to get to know her better. And what better way than at a ball where he could have fun without any relatives keeping an eye on him?

Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be and so Rupert walked down to the ball alone, grumbling to himself. At least the colour of his robes sufficed as a passive rebellion. He would act like his normal self and not care what anyone else thought and there was nothing Cepheus could do to stop him. Anyway, not having a date didn't mean he couldn't dance with anyone.

He had purposefully walked in 'fashionably late' as his mum would call it and nearly ran into the witch he would have been looking for. It was obvious she was upset by something and he was immediately concerned. Aria was merely an acquaintance, a witch he had met once at a party, but he didn't think she was the sort of witch to be upset because she hadn't come with a date. They at least knew each other enough that asking her what was wrong wasn't all that awkward. Rupert just hoped she would feel comfortable enough telling him the truth.

"Aria?" he said, standing in front of her. He bent down a bit to look at her face. "Are you all right? What's wrong?" Cepheus and Megan and all their drama could wait for all Rup cared. He had someone he was hoping to be friends with to watch out for.

40 Rupert Princeton Can words make it better? 248 Rupert Princeton 0 5

Adam Spencer

May 04, 2013 8:18 PM

Dance with me? by Adam Spencer

There were rules to balls like these. There was proper etiquette during the dinner, the right shoes to wear to the dance, the napkin placement on one's lap, the way one held their glass; the list went on for ages. And Adam, at his young age of twelve, had memorised them all.

He had been groomed for social events such as these since he was an infant and now, at his first ball, was his time to show everyone was a respectable wizard he was. He had the dancing skills, the social skills, the manners and the cleaned up look. He knew which fork to use for a salad and which spoon to use for his soup and he knew how to hold his glass the proper way. His father especially had been adamant to show his sons what a real gentleman was like in dealing with others and Adam had adopted many of those traits. He was prepared and he looked clean and sharp in his black dress robes. The only thing he was missing was a date on his arm.

But Adam wasn't all that concerned. He had fellow classmates to ask to dance if they didn't have dates either. As nervous as he was about being at his first real ball, he was confident that he wouldn't muck it up for himself or for others. At the very least, he hoped. When he walked into Cascade Hall, he saw Pecari colours scattered on the tables and he felt pride in his house. Though his challenge team hadn't done so well, his house certainly had and Adam was much more invested in his house than in his team. He highly doubted Pecari's win had anything to do with him, really, but he was glad his house was so competent in these sorts of competitions. Pleased, Adam sat at a table, eyeing a girl he could dance with for the first dance, hoping there was someone without a partner. In his search, he nearly missed the yearbook coming around, but he was distracted the moment he opened it.

The best bits were the awards and Adam, as any other witch or wizard would, searched for his name first. He was pleased with the award he had earned, though it was the only one. Class Gentleman of the first years; his parents would be proud to hear that. The Class Princess for their year was Ginny and Adam smiled. It was fitting they would be paired together. Maybe he should ask her to dance if she didn't have a date.

The new Head students were announced and Adam found he didn't have an opinion on either of them. As long as they didn't muck up the school he wouldn't care much. He looked through the rest of the yearbook as the Heads and Prefects danced, noting where his cousins had fallen in the categories and grinning a bit to himself, but the moment the other students were invited to join, Adam shut the book and made his decision on whom to ask to the floor.

He swept his hand over his brown hair briefly, making sure it was still in place before approaching a witch around his age who didn't look like she had come with anyone and bowed. "May I have this dance?" he asked politely, his hand held out in an offering.

40 Adam Spencer Dance with me? 257 Adam Spencer 0 5

Carter Browning

May 04, 2013 9:24 PM

I'm glad to hear that! by Carter Browning

Carter got the package from his parents a day before the ball. When he unwrapped the box he found a note from his mother tucked inside.

“Carter,
I was delighted when your father told me about your little school function. I took the liberty of getting you a new set of dress robes for the occasion and rest assured I didn’t get you anything that either of us would be embarrassed about. Enjoy yourself and if possible we would like to see pictures. Best Wishes, Mom”

Carter put aside the note and opened the wrapping that held his new robes. He had to admit his mother was true to her word and he let go a sigh of relief. His new robes were all black, made of a slightly shiny material which you could only see when they caught the light and had very slight ruffling around the cuffs. The buttons at the cuffs were made of black onyx and were rimmed in gold. There was a new pair of shiny dress shoes in the box with the new robes. His mother had also taken the liberty of having a corsage made for Carter’s date. It was a band of ribbon and lace that held three carnations in the center, one of them peach colored and the other two white. The flowers were surrounded by white pearls. It was designed to be worn on the wrist. Carter sighed again when he saw it and silently wished his mother hadn’t gone to soo much trouble. At the same time he was glad his mother had thought of something he hadn’t…especially for Wendy.

************************************************************************

It was the day of the ball and Carter was extremely nervous. He had just finished packing up his trunk for home since it was now the end of term and they would be going home soon. He laid out his ball robes and Wendy’s corsage on his bed while he went into the bathroom to shower. He wanted to make sure that he was extra clean for his date today. He was really pleased with the progress he and Wendy had made during their dancing lessons. She was really good at it. He just wasn’t sure if they would be playing that kind of music during the ball though. He finished his shower and went to get dressed. He combed out his hair and added a little bit of hair gel. He combed it back and then shook his head a little to loosen it up. Once he had his hair looking the way he wanted, he gathered up Wendy’s corsage and went to wait for her outside the hall as they had discussed. He arrived outside and only had to wait a few minutes before Wendy arrived.

She rushed up to him and his eyes about popped out of his head. She looked really pretty in her dress. He opened his mouth to say something, but didn’t trust his own voice. He mutely nodded when she asked if he liked her dress, but he was soo stunned by how nice she looked he forgot about the corsage in his pocket. When he did get his voice back he heard himself mumble “Yes pretty…for you.” He couldn’t believe he just said those words. He tried to recover himself and opened the hall door for her. He followed her inside and was a little bummed to see Pecari colors around the room. He was glad for Wendy that her house won the cup, but it still stunk that Teppenpaw missed it this year. Oh well. He walked closely beside her as she made her way inside and was a little surprised when she took his arm. He froze for a split second before recovering and leading her to one of the tables. He felt like a prince with a princess on his arm. He still couldn’t believe he had muttered such nonsense at the door so he kept silent for the time being. He didn’t trust himself not to say something incredibly stupid. He pulled out a chair for her and sat down next to her. He found a small plaque and a yearbook for both of them sitting on the table. The staff were giving them to all the students for their participation in the challenges. His team hadn’t come close to winning, but at least they tried.

He vaguely listened to the Headmistress’ speech and clapped politely for the winners. He heard Wendy ask when they were going to get the chance to dance and Carter had to shrug. “I don’t really know,” he told her. He didn’t want to mess up her excitement. “I’m guessing it will probably start after dinner. Lets just enjoy our last meal together and I’m sure you will get the chance to show off the cool dance moves I taught you,” he assured her, patting her on the hand. He pulled the corsage from inside his robe pocket and placed it on the table in front of her. “This is for you,” he told her trying not to be nervous. “I hope you like it. By the way…you look amazing,” he was finally able to say it without sounding like a babbling idiot. He just hoped she liked it.

0 Carter Browning I'm glad to hear that! 236 Carter Browning 0 5

Brianna Japos

May 05, 2013 12:04 AM

Being a 'princess' of sorts for an evening. by Brianna Japos

Brianna was nervous about the ball and going with Linus. She had hung around Linus all year, so making conversation wouldn’t be terribly difficult. Or so she hoped. Dancing was still a little bit of an uncertainty, but she felt that Linus wouldn’t hate her if she messed up and stepped on his toes and that gave her a bit of confidence in that field. If she did happen to mess up, she hoped he’d just laugh it off or pretend it never happened. Her worry was about how she looked. Linus seemed so put together and from what she gathered, he came from money. When they had gone together as first years, those sorts of things didn’t matter quite as much to her as they did now. She didn’t want to embarrass him at all.

She took her time getting ready that day. The dress was a beautiful deep purple that went well with her olive complexion and dark features and a silk material. The strapless top portion folded around her slim torso and fit snuggly for her not to worry about malfunctions, while the bottom half had a nice flowy feel to it and ended just above her knees. Her mother had refused to buy a floor length dress out of fear that her crutches would snag and trip her. There was a metallic gold belt that separated the two sections. Brianna matched her shoes to her belt. The only problem with her shoes was that they weren’t heeled shoes. She was too worried about trying to walk in those as much as she was about wearing a long dress.

She had curled her long brown hair for the first time in her life and wasn’t sure if she liked it. It gave her hair volume, but she felt maybe it was too much. She had brushed it out a bit and it had left her hair in waves, which she felt a little better about. Brianna didn’t wear much make up on a normal day. Mostly, just a little eye liner, but for the affair, she dressed up her eyes for a smokey look, a look she obtained in a magazine, and gave her cheeks a little color. She only put gloss on her lips out of fear that color would draw too much attention to them. All in all, she thought she looked nice, maybe even a little grown up. She wished she didn’t have to have her crutches. She might have been able to get away with one, but didn’t know if Linus would enjoy her hanging on him for the entire evening.

Hoping that she would at least not embarrass him for her looks, Brianna gave herself on last look over and made last minute adjustments before taking her crutches and heading down to the common room. At least they could get the awkward moment of seeing each other dressed up out of the way before they were in the crowded hall full of their peers. So, if he was let down by what he saw, she would be embarrassed in front of everyone, just their house mates.

Spotting him after a moment, Brianna smiled nervously and gave a small wave to him. If he saw her and kept right on walking because he was embarrassed, Brianna wouldn’t really blame him. If that happened, she’d just go on her own and keep Josh company. She hoped that it wouldn’t happen, but she always prepared herself for the worst.

6 Brianna Japos Being a 'princess' of sorts for an evening. 203 Brianna Japos 0 5

Gemma Bennett

May 05, 2013 12:12 AM

I'd love to! by Gemma Bennett

Gemma managed to stay in her seat as the Headmistress spoke to them before the ball, but couldn’t completely contain her excitement, even though she knew bouncing her foot up and down under the table was very rude and that either her mother or her sister, if they had been at the same table she was, would have corrected her for it. Just the thought was enough to stop her for thirty seconds or so at a time – Mother had assured her that, one way or another, she would hear how Gemma had conducted herself at this, her first ball ever, and so that she had better behave if she wanted to be allowed out in public during summers or winters again until she was practically an old maid – but she wanted so much for the dancing to start that it was hard to remember for very long.

She glanced toward Eliza, who was, as she seemed to like to do at social events when Mother would let her, looking a little alarming in her favorite shade of red. Maybe her sister wouldn’t tell on her, if she made a mistake. Eliza had been so nice earlier, meeting her in one of the girls’ bathrooms to help her decide what to do with her hair and then actually do it. They had giggled over Gemma’s coloring being lighter than Eliza’s, though Gemma didn’t think she had fully followed what was funny. Maybe Eliza would be nice when Mother asked her how things had gone.

At the very least, she thought she looked pretty. Maybe not really pretty enough for her name – Mother had named her hoping she would be as pretty as her sister but less assertive, a pretty gem the family could be proud of, but Gemma had never thought she quite as pretty as Nicole Bennett had hoped – but pretty just the same. Eliza had worked a minor miracle with Gemma’s curly, fine hair and had lent her just a touch of her makeup, too, and she had the nicest dress robes. They were fuchsia, which was what she thought Eliza had combined with her hair to talk about when it came to lighter coloring, and had shoes to match with a bit of a heel on them, and she felt much more grown up than she ever had before even just sitting at a table and knowing she might not even get to dance at all.

She applauded for the leaving librarian and the new Head Boy and Girl and the team winners, though she didn’t really know any of them that well, and was momentarily distracted by the appearance of the yearbook. That, though, didn’t keep her focus long; as soon as the music started, her eyes were on the dancing prefects, keeping an eye out especially for Eliza’s red dress and smooth, tightly done dark brown hair. Her sister was, without question, the best dancer in the family, which made it a pleasure to watch her, but Paul was there, too, and better than, well, what Gemma guessed she would have very uncharitably expected if he hadn’t been her brother and she’d just had his appearance to go on. Not all of it was his fault, but her brother just wasn’t the tall, fit, handsome kind, and she hoped Miss Brockert didn’t mind too much. She was very pretty, but it wasn’t like Paul was that awful – he had just had the bad luck to get their father’s big bones with their mother’s height and everything else, that was all – and besides, he was smart, when he wanted to be, and nice enough, she guessed.

Other people began to join the floor, and Gemma was sure she was wrong at first when she thought one of the Pecari boys in her year – Adam – was heading her way, but then, no, he was definitely talking to her. Gemma felt herself blush, but smiled broadly even as she curtsied, the reflex one of those she had been drilled to for as long as she could remember. She thought that if she ever went sleepwalking and ran into someone, she would still curtsy at proper moments, it was that much of a habit.

“You may,” she said, and accepted his hand.

She wondered if he knew who she was or if he’d just felt like dancing. She didn’t guess it really mattered. She listened to what the band was playing as they stepped onto the floor, but it wasn’t something she recognized. “Do you know this song?” she asked, tilting her head toward the stage and wondering which style of dancing he would favor. Of course he would lead; she was pretty sure she didn’t even know how, so she really hoped that Adam did know how, because otherwise they might look really silly in a few minutes.

0 Gemma Bennett I'd love to! 251 Gemma Bennett 0 5

Aria Yale

May 05, 2013 1:57 AM

Depends on the words. by Aria Yale

Aria had expected a clean break from the ball. Everyone was now focused on the dance floor or with their friends to celebrate the end of a challenging year while eating their supper. None of them would have paid her any attention. Well, not enough attention to really care anyway. Any thoughts on her would have already been had when she had first entered the hall rather than now, so she was of no significance to them. Which is why Aria was surprised to find her way to the door blocked.

She had figured that her way had been blocked accidentally and went to move around him only to give pause when she heard her name. Her hazel-blue eyes widened and she looked up to see a familiar face. It took her a moment to realize that it was Rupert the Lion who was addressing her. Her cheeks heated from embarrassment, which was an abnormal feeling for her since Aria couldn’t really remember a time where she was embarrassed. But, Aria also never really became upset enough to feel the threat of tears either. Becoming heated was one thing, but upset was another. Rupert was now in the position to see her in a vulnerable state and it embarrassed her.

“Oh, uh, good evening, Rupert.” Aria greeted with a feigned smile and a polite bow of her head. “I’m all right. Thank you for asking. I just, um.” Aria wasn’t sure what to say and bite down on her lower lip in thought. “I just needed air.” Her plague and yearbook were still I her hands and Aria clutched them closely to her chest. “We received party favors; you’ll have fun looking them over with your friends. I’m sure they’re waiting for you.” Aria advised, looking at him but not looking at him. She wanted to leave because everyone thought of her as a clown. She was sad that this evening was ruined for her and that she wouldn’t be able to give her mother a wonderful story about how everyone liked the dress she had made, but it was what it was and Aria didn’t want to stay knowing how others felt. Try as she might not to care, it still hurt to know.

6 Aria Yale Depends on the words. 228 Aria Yale 0 5

Alexandra D'Alesandro

May 05, 2013 2:21 AM

Is one really the loneliest number? by Alexandra D'Alesandro

Alex was excited about the ball, not because she had a date or was looking forward to dancing with a boy who would most likely have sweaty hands, but because she got to dress up like the princess that she knew she was. Her mother rushed her a ridiculously expensive custom gown appropriate for a ball. It was a deep maroon-purple in color, and was accented with silver vine-like embroidery going up her right side. She accessorized with a quaint tiara and a very detailed necklace that her mother loaned her for the night. She also had silver diamond earrings and gloves that matched her dress’s color, as well as deep maroon-purple velvet flats.

She had no idea who she was going to converse with or grace with her company at the ball, but that didn’t bring down her mood one bit. Alex didn’t acquire many friends so far at Sonora, but she had made a few acquaintances. It wasn’t that she hated people or was shy; she just spent a lot of time observing people. She wanted to carefully select those people with whom she shared a friendship. She was picky and selective about whom she gave her time to, and she found that she didn’t mind being alone. She didn’t need people to be happy.

Alex considered Honey Baird to be a friend, but she didn’t acknowledge their friendship when other people were around. She actually liked Honey a lot, but she knew many of the other Pureblood girls viewed her friend as strange and peculiar. She didn’t want her mother to be as displeased with her as she was with Lucian. He chose Clara Abernathy as his company despite Alex’s warnings. Though she was a Pureblood, she did not conduct herself in a manner that correctly portrayed their elite status. Alas, Lucian’s actions left the great burden of upholding the family’s status on Alex’s shoulders.

She elegantly walked into the Hall, and rolled her eyes at the Pecari themed decorations. She didn’t understand what the big deal was. Her house was clearly still the best. Alex stood towards the back of the room and half-listened as the Headmistress rambled on about a bunch of boring things she didn’t really care about. She did not enjoy the challenges or working with other people. If she had been able to have her own team that consisted only of herself, she would have won. She sighed with relief when the speech was finally over and scanned the room. She was clearly the best dressed.

Alex turned to wander around the room, but accidently bumped into someone. “Oh, pardon me,” she said politely, “I didn’t see you standing behind me.”

0 Alexandra D'Alesandro Is one really the loneliest number? 240 Alexandra D'Alesandro 0 5

Linus Macaulay

May 05, 2013 6:48 AM

Ever get a sense of deja vu? by Linus Macaulay

Attending the ball with Brianna was not something about which Linus felt nervous. It had little to do with having taken her in their first year, because, aside from the venue, Linus didn't feel that this occasion was in any way similar. They were both older, more mature, and more physically dissimilar than before. There were a great deal better acquainted nowadays, which had prompted yet another difference in the fact that Linus had asked Brianna specifically this time around, rather than a group of Crotalus girls in general. They were both fifth years, revelling in the euphoria of having completed their first encounter with external wizarding examinations; this ball was in no way the same as the one that had occurred four years ago. The lack of nerves, therefore, was due only to Linus’ comfort in the presence of Brianna, and his increasing self-assurance that he could hold his own in this world that, four years ago, had been relatively alien to him.

The couple had agreed to meet in the Crotalus commons, the most logical location, as they would both be passing through that way, anyway, and Linus could offer assistance to Brianna as they made their way to the Hall together. As he waited there, Linus contemplated that perhaps there was an aspect of the evening about which he might feel a little apprehensive. Dancing was not a concern – if they did dance at all, it would be necessarily uncomplicated to cater for Brianna’s limited mobility – and he cared little for any of the end of year announcements; he doubted their team had excelled in the challenges, and he hadn’t amassed sufficient respect for any of the potential student headship candidates that he hadn’t even summoned enthusiasm to vote for them, submitting a blank slip, instead. Unusually for Linus, the aspect of the evening that presented some minor anxiety was, in fact, his relationship with his date.

In hindsight, he realised he ought to have been more explicit with his invitation, stipulating either that they were going as friends, or as a couple with more exclusive implications. He had not, however, made any distinction of the kind, and was not a hundred per cent sure he and Brianna would be attending with the same agenda. It was something he might have to clarify, for his own peace of mind and for her humility, but the fifth year had never claimed that tact one of his strengths. If he could get through the evening without embarrassing or upsetting either one of them, he would consider it a success. Having a good time was a great deal more likely; he rarely found himself wishing to be elsewhere when Brianna was present.

As if that very thought had summoned her, Linus lifted his gaze to see his date for the evening approaching. She gave a small wave to show that she had seen him, too, to which Linus responded with a nod of acknowledgment. He took the seconds she required to close the distance between them to check that his blond hair remained neat and presentable, and the same applied to his classic black dress robes. In the Muggle world he’d be wearing tuxedo; his dress robes were almost the same thing, but with a considerably longer jacket. Brianna’s dress would similarly not look out of place on a Muggle counterpart, but that was the last thing going through Linus’ mind as he did his utmost to meet her eyes.

“You look incredible,” he told her. He began a movement to hold out his arm for her to take, but aborted the motion when he realised her crutches would make that difficult, if not impossible. He didn’t mind the crutches as such, but it frustrated him that Brianna couldn’t enjoy the same ball experience as everyone else. It was lucky he’d never encounter the cretins that had done this too her; he’d hex them beyond recognition. As it was, the very least Linus could do was help Brianna to make the most of her condition. “Here,” he took out his wand and charmed her crutches to glisten gold, like her shoes. He replaced his wand and gestured with his other arm towards the exit. “Ladies first.”

0 Linus Macaulay Ever get a sense of deja vu? 205 Linus Macaulay 0 5

Adam Spencer

May 05, 2013 6:50 AM

Lovely! Shall we begin? by Adam Spencer

Adam thought it was rather bold of him to ask a witch he didn't know to dance, but she didn't seem to mind. He knew her face and name from classes, but he didn't know much else. This would be a good way to get to know people, by dancing. And if everything failed, at least Adam still had his gentlemanly charm. Another thing he had to take his father for. He led her out to the floor, glad he hadn't been rejected and had asked a witch who knew her manners too. Balls were not nearly as much fun without a suitable companion.

He had been lucky that, during his dance lessons, Adam had a sister only a year younger than him that he was able to practise with. She had been of the right maturity and height and had picked up dancing much quicker than he. He hoped Gemma would be a competent dance partner, but if she wasn't he hoped he was proficient enough to pick up the slack.

They stepped onto the floor, narrowly avoiding a couple dancing already, and Adam took up the position as she asked him a question. As he listened briefly to the tune, he was at a momentary loss. He was used to dancing to classical music, a waltz or a tango; something he knew. This was much faster paced and Adam had to wrack his brain for a moment to think of a dance. "No, I don't," he began, but as a light went off in his head he smiled. "But I do hope you know how to do the quickstep." It would be really difficult if she didn't, but it was loads of fun to do if they did it right. He was hesitant to break away from these traditional dances because he didn't know how to dance any other way. There was silly free-form dancing, but that wasn't suitable for a ball.

His mum would be proud to see him taking the lead in something like this. Adam, as the eldest, was expected to initiate everything and so he was used to leading. He wondered briefly how his sister would fare during an event like this. She was very pretty and could get anyone to ask her to the ball if she simply tried, but it was difficult to get her to try. He was glad the Midsummer Ball was this year instead of the next. As much as he loved his sister, he wouldn't have liked her hanging off his arm all night.

"Ready?" he asked, hoping Gemma wouldn't trip or fall. He didn't think he could carry her around the dance floor if she didn't know how to dance.

40 Adam Spencer Lovely! Shall we begin? 257 Adam Spencer 0 5

Francesca Wolseithcrafte

May 05, 2013 11:16 AM

Something achieved by Francesca Wolseithcrafte

Francesca was not a fan of a great many colours. She had strong favourites, which were navy and green, and was hard to persuade to venture very far away from those. She had worn navy to the Princeton ball, and it really was more of a winter colour anyway. Green was perilous in that it was also the school uniform colour but her robes for the evening were sufficiently different to those that she did not think her outfit risked disapproval by this association. The fabric was considerably lighter and floatier for one thing. The shades of green were also different. The robes started in a vibrant grass green at the top, graduating through the shades of the colour until they ended in near black at the bottom. A wide sash of pale yellow around her waist cut across, separating the lighter tones from the darker ones. As she had at the Princeton ball, she had left her hair loose – something she was utterly not in the habit of doing in class, or even in her free time as so much of that was spent leaning over a book, whereupon loose hair would become bothersome – though this time it was decorated with a thin gold circlet. There was something of the wood nymph about her, or possibly something elven, for her eyes still scanned intently around, looking like they were analysing all that fell in their paths (and, after all, elves are much better known for their acuity than are the flighty, silly little wood nymphs).

She swept into the hall, a little disappointed by the decorations but tingling with the prospect of a personal prize being announced. It was hard to know how the final challenge had gone. She knew she had not disgraced herself but whether their collective efforts were enough to keep them ahead of team five.... They had been throughout... How cruel it would be now to have it snatched away. She tried not to fidget impatiently as the headmistress dealt with other matters, politely applauding at the necessary junctures. As the headmistress moved onto the challenge rankings, it took all of her will not to cave into silly superstitions such as crossing her fingers. As they progressed through the fifth, forth and third teams her nerves both increased and decreased... Surely they could not have slipped so far as to no longer be top five.... But what if they had? And, if they hadn't, was it first or second? She held her breath as team five were announced in second place. It had to be... surely it had to be... YES! Francesca knew that no one liked a gloating winner. She knew that she should look majestic and modest. But she could not help the smile that broke across her face as she walked up to the front with the rest of her team. However she did not look smug – she looked ecstatic. They had done it!

Once the presentation was over, she made her way back down, managing to tone her smile down a little but still feeling light and bubbly inside. She knew it would count for very little with everyone else - people were as likely to vilify her as commend her for winning – but she was pleased nonetheless. They had worked hard and had been rewarded. And they and team five had been so close going into the last challenge, one which required a demonstration of skill from everyone. No one could assume she had merely been dead weight on her team. She resumed her seat as the prefects led the first dance. She suspected that would be the high point of her evening – she had no great hopes of being asked to dance, or of her classmates selflessly raining congratulations upon her – but, as something to show for her first year of school, it was beyond good enough for her.

13 Francesca Wolseithcrafte Something achieved 250 Francesca Wolseithcrafte 0 5

Henny B-F-R

May 05, 2013 11:43 AM

Odd one out by Henny B-F-R

Henny was not feeling overly optimistic about the ball. At least, not in terms of her taking any greater role than that of a piece of furniture. Thad and Alicia had come together. It wasn't exactly a surprise. Thad was sweet and kind and smart and handsome. And Alicia was the kind of girl who got guys like Thad. Henny had always been the third wheel to some extent, even when her two friends weren't dating, by dint of being the odd one out. But it still hurt to see them as a couple. And, much as her social circle had improved over the last couple of years, it seemed that all her other friends would be busy with their dates, leaving her on the sidelines. Cepheus was with Meghan (although she was sure he dated Theresa Carey but she'd never been great at keeping up with that sort of thing). Josh would undoubtedly be with Brianna. She considered hanging out with Waverly but she seemed to be with friends already, ones Henny didn't know very well. It didn't really matter... Not just for the one night. But she couldn't help but wonder whether this would be the pattern her friends wanted more and more as they got older.

She listened to the headmistress' speech, clapping enthusiastically for Miss Diaz and politely for everyone else. She knew her team had been doing reasonably well at the challenges but still found herself surprised when they were called out. To her it had just been a bit of fun (and, occasionally, a bit of nerve-shredding terror). Still, it was nice to do well, and she hoped Alicia would see it as some kind of repayment on all the hours she'd put into working on the challenges, rather than unfair that she herself had missed out after so much work. She walked up, her skirts swishing gently as she moved. She had selected a very summery robe in a light fabric with small butterfly sleeves. It was cream and printed with large blue flowers which increased in density as they went down the garment.

Once the ball had got under way, she amused herself for a while with the yearbook (as with romance, she seemed to have largely lost out to her room mate) and with people watching. She smiled, seeing her brother with his little friend, glad to see that the girl did not have some kind of rhinestone monstrosity on her wrist. Charlie had been initially very keen on everything over the top but Henny had managed to talk him out of it. She was a good big sister like that – able to talk Charlie around and out of his worst ideas in such a way that he thought he'd figured these things out for himself, and was thus far keener on the ideas. She blinked and did a double take as she spotted Brianna with Linus, not Josh. She definitely wasn't very good at keeping up with these things. Perhaps Josh and Brianna never had been a thing... She scanned the room for him, hoping that their feelings were merely that of friends and thus his weren't hurt. She had failed to locate him when someone beside her spoke, drawing her attention away from the rest of the room...

13 Henny B-F-R Odd one out 211 Henny B-F-R 0 5

Marcus Williams

May 05, 2013 12:07 PM

Awaiting my date. (Kate) by Marcus Williams

Marcus probably could have asked Eliza to the ball as they had gone together on the last one or he could have asked Valentina or Jordan to go with him. He was pretty sure any one of them would have agreed to go with him. That thought wasn’t meant to be a smug one or anything like that, it was only that they had a history together and there weren’t very many available males. But, Eliza made him nervous because he never knew what she was doing or why she was doing it. And Jordan was cool and all, but he always spent time with her. With Valentina… he was pretty sure he could claim her as his first love. Young love, but still love. He didn’t want to mix with that right before they graduated.

However, those were not the reasons why he had asked Kate instead. He actually liked Kate and was sorry he never really obtained the chance to get to know her better. She, out of everyone in their class, seemed normal. She was down to Earth and, from what he could tell, non-judgmental. It was hard to find people in this school who didn’t judge someone else for not being like everyone else. Not only was Marcus a Muggleborn in a school full of Purebloods, but he was also a black minority. It took him a long time to become accustomed to this way of life. He wished that in the beginning, he had made a better effort to get to know some of his other classmates, like Kate or David, it might have been a better transition for him.

Dressed in black dress robes (he had bought them over the holidays as his mother didn’t understand the magical system at all), Marcus waited for his date to arrive in front of the hall. He had only just realized when he thought about her house that she was Valentina’s roommate. He hoped asking her wouldn’t be weird for Kate at all because of that. But she seemed alright with it, so he wouldn’t ask about it in case it brought anything out.

Easily spotting her since he tended to tower over most of the student body, Marcus lifted a hand for her to see him. Approaching her, Marcus grinned and gave an exaggerated bow because that’s what these people always seemed to do. “You look fantastic!” Marcus complimented, looking her over. At least balls had the girls dressing up and looking fine. “In my world, I would normally have given you a corsage to match your dress, but I don’t trust the owl system to have gotten to me before it withered since my mom can’t do magic. I don’t even know if you all do things like that, but I apologize for my lack of corsage anyway.” Marcus commented and then held out his arm for her. “Ready?”

Leading her to a table, not sure if she wanted to sit with anyone in particular but would move if she felt the need for it, Marcus pulled out the chair for her and tucked her back in. Being raised by a single mother, manners were never an issue for him. He’d get a licking if he didn’t. “I hope you like to dance because I’ve got moves.”

6 Marcus Williams Awaiting my date. (Kate) 180 Marcus Williams 0 5

Rupert Princeton

May 05, 2013 12:14 PM

I've been known to be rather charming. by Rupert Princeton

Rup had seen enough forced smiles in his house to know what one looked like. Though he hadn't come into contact with Aria very much, he didn't think she looked happy at all. Her excuse didn't seem very believable, although Rup wasn't sure how late he was exactly. Maybe she was sick or something, but she didn't look it. She was holding party favours, she called it, and Rup wondered briefly if it was because her team didn't win or that something had happened in the yearbook. Either way, he'd rather not receive his share now.

The way she delivered her last comment, however, Rup realised what she might be feeling. Either she hadn't come with a date and it made her unhappy to see all these couples or her friends had ditched her. Those were the only things he could think of and Rup decided gallantly to take on the challenge to make her feel better. It was the least he could do and he had wanted to ask her to the ball anyway despite the fact they didn't know each other well enough. And if he was destined to fail, at least he could try to make her time here worthwhile while he still could.

Rup tried to keep himself from frowning when she mentioned his friends. He had a few of them, yes, but they had their dates as well. He had come alone and was most likely going to mingle a bit before responding to Cepheus's beckoning. He shrugged instead and looked away slightly. "I didn't come with any of my mates," he told her. "They've all got dates. Your dress looks lovely, by the way." He gave her a little grin. "I know we don't know each other all that well, but do you want to hang out? I promise I'm not a bad dancer."

It was always a bit awkward asking an acquaintance to 'hang out' as he had put it, but he hoped she'd say yes and not run away. He was inexplicably glad she didn't have a date. It made it easier for Rup to swoop in and spend time with her without having that title that could have made things awkward between them. He hoped she didn't think he was pitying her or anything. That was absolutely the last thing on his mind. He genuinely wanted to spend time with her and he hoped she got that.

40 Rupert Princeton I've been known to be rather charming. 248 Rupert Princeton 0 5

Cepheus Princeton

May 05, 2013 12:50 PM

And so the night begins. by Cepheus Princeton

During the entire night, Cepheus was planning on keeping an eye on three people: Megan, Rupert and Theresa. He was hoping desperately that Theresa hadn't come with anyone, but he didn't want Megan to see where he disappeared to when he excused himself to go to the loo or something. He could certainly play off his relationship to Theresa as friendship from the outside. After all, he was planning on asking Alicia, Alex and even Henny just to see how those girls danced. But his main goal was to spend a good amount of time with Theresa and even kiss her if she'd let him.

He was getting ahead of himself. The least he could expect was to ask her to dance once. After metaphorically dancing around her, he wanted to make his feelings clear despite his current situation. If she was all right with a secret relationship, he wanted to pursue it. If nothing came of it, then it was grand for the both of them. If they were serious enough, then maybe he could convince his father to break off his betrothal. He bet Megan would appreciate that even if she never caught heed of him and Theresa.

Ceph was getting ahead of himself again. He was waiting for Megan at the entrance to Cascade Hall, feeling antsy in his navy blue dress robes. His blond hair was combed to the side nicely, though he mourned the non-existent stubble. He rubbed his chin wondering when exactly a boy was expected to have any hair on his chin. He had been looking in the mirror more than once looking for hair somewhere around his mouth. It was still yet to come, but at least Ceph had hope. His father had to have something to shave every other morning.

Megan finally arrived and Cepheus was slightly taken aback by how pretty she looked. "Miss Brownbriar," he said, bowing slightly. "You look lovely." And it was actually the truth. He hadn't been too impressed by her looks before, but she cleaned up well. He indicated she walk in ahead of him with his hand. "After you." He didn't offer her his elbow; if he arrived in the hall with her on his arm, it could send the wrong message to the one who held his affections. This was complicated business, really. Cepheus would have to keep a Seeker's eye out for his brother. It was convenient the Princetons had such bright blonde hair.

When they had made their way into Cascade Hall, Cepheus led her to a table and pulled a chair out for her to sit in before taking a seat himself. He would be the perfect gentleman for his date. It wouldn't do to be completely rude even if he hadn't asked her by choice.

The Head Boy and Girl were announced and Cepheus found it a bit predictable that Derwent Pierce and Regina Parker were the new heads. They seemed to be the favourite of their class and were certainly the most involved, at least from what Cepheus could see. He was still crossing his fingers for Prefect for next year, but he would be kept busy this summer with little time to brood on it.

The challenge team awards were handed out next and Cepheus was pleasantly surprised that his team had even placed. He had to remind himself that this competition wasn't a big deal, that fourth was better than not placing at all, but he couldn't help but compare their trophy to that of Team Four. It was predictable that Thad's team would win. They had great people on it. Still, Cepheus couldn't complain. He and his team-mates had worked hard to place and he was proud of them. Well, as proud as he could be being in fourth place. After they were applauded off the stage, Cepheus holding his trophy a bit proudly, he sat back down next to Megan and watched as the rest of the ball commenced. The yearbooks were handed out again as they had been the year before and he flipped through them eagerly. He almost didn't mind that Pecari had won House Cup, though it was a bit obnoxious how decorated the hall was in Pecari colours. He was sure Rup and Adam were delighted with it.

Cepheus counted the awards he had won this time around: Most Talkative, Most Quidditch Obsessed, Class Flirt and Best Looking. The last one made him smile. He certainly hoped he was living up to his award tonight. As he continued down the list, his heart jumped at the Worst Enemies category. Theresa Carey and Megan Brownbriar. Were they enemies? How would anyone know they were enemies? There was nothing obvious to Cepheus's eye and he had never made a bold move towards Theresa that could have been caught on by anyone else, even Megan. He hadn't even spent all that much time with either of them. He couldn't be that obvious with his affections, could he? He and Theresa did talk more often now, but he was friends with loads of witches.

He decided to ignore it though his heart was pounding at the thought that everyone in the school knew about him. This would make his temporary escape with Theresa even more awkward, but he was determined to do it. His thoughts made him look surreptitiously for Rupert. After the dinner, Cepheus would do his duty by asking Megan to dance a couple times. Then he would do his duty to his heart for the precious minutes his younger brother would give him. It worked in his favour that Megan and Rup had hit it off so well. Though Rup was sometimes out of hand, he was trustworthy and Cepheus appreciated that. At least one of the three brothers had to be trustworthy.

40 Cepheus Princeton And so the night begins. 216 Cepheus Princeton 0 5

Wendy

May 05, 2013 1:44 PM

And I have the best date ever by Wendy

Carter's first words to her in front of the hall had surprised Wendy a little, but she shook it off. He was probably just tongue-tied by how gorgeous her dress was. She would probably be all tongue-tied too if he was wearing this dress, although probably for different reasons. Still, "pretty for you" didn't seem like a real compliment. She'd wait for him to compliment her properly, but if he didn't she wouldn't care either way. She knew she looked pretty and she was happy with it.

Her date seemed kind of quiet and for a moment Wendy didn't realize it. It was only when they sat down that she noticed he hadn't spoken a word since. She was about to ask him if he was okay after asking about the dance, but he replied without sounding like a mute and patted her hand in comfort. That was enough to satisfy her that he was actually okay so she went back to pretending to sulk about not being able to dance right away. In truth, she was actually pretty hungry and it would be good to eat something before spending all her energy on dancing like a pro.

Carter put something beautiful on the table and Wendy's eyes widened. She forgot all about her sulking role as she picked up the beautiful set of flowers. "Wow," she breathed. "These are so...wow." She looked around it for a minute before pressing her nose against the carnations. "It even smells pretty and it matches my dress! Thank you Carter!" Wendy leaned over and gave him a quick hug before putting it around her wrist. "This is how you wear it, right?" She looked at him. "Do you have one too? Then we could match!" Belatedly she remembered that he had complimented her and she smiled. "Thanks! I did try for the ball."

The dinner appeared and Wendy smiled. "Mm, pasta." She really liked Sonora's food. Though it wasn't the same as homecooked meals that Mom made, it was still really good. She took the flowers off her wrist and put it to the side so it wouldn't get dirty just in case the alfredo sauce got onto her wrists. "For protection," she told Carter as a matter of fact with a little nod. "I like how fancy we look. We're like grown-ups." She grinned at him before eating her food. "Also, thank you for teaching me how to ballroom dance. I really learned a lot. And I promise I'll try my best not to step all over your feet." She smiled at him again.

0 Wendy And I have the best date ever 0 Wendy 0 5

Waverly Canterbury

May 05, 2013 2:05 PM

Come join us! [tag Bri and Clara] by Waverly Canterbury

Waverly was so excited for the ball it was kind of ridiculous. She, along with Wendy, had received her dress in the mail from their mom. Hers was a lot more grown-up than Wendy’s, but that was because Waverly had picked hers out specifically. Hers was a light purple strapless dress that fell down in waves to the floor. A black sash separated the top from the long dressy bottom. The top was a bunch of sequined violet silk flowers sewed together. She was wearing her silver unicorn necklace, a sign of keeping Brandon close and in thought while she was having fun with her friends, and the long dangly series of silver stars she had received for her fifteenth birthday on her earlobes. She had her dark brown hair pinned up and out of her face and was wearing makeup that made her green eyes pop with the black mascara. A silver bracelet adorned her wrist along with black heels that she would probably want to take off sometime during the night.

All in all, she was very pleased with how she looked and couldn’t wait until she saw her friends. As fun as it would have been to be with Brandon, at least she could spend a wonderful night celebrating the end of term at her first real ball with her close friends.

Waverly went down to Cascade Hall and went inside to save a table for them. She sat down at a random table as soon as the Headmistress began her speech, not wanting to attract attention to herself. Hopefully it would be over soon and she could find an emptier table and meet up with her friends. The first announcement made Waverly really sad, however. Miss Diaz was leaving! Waverly had been volunteering in the library with Miss Diaz since she was a first-year. It would be really different in the library with her gone now. And who was the new librarian going to be? She frowned. Well, that was a sad way to start an evening like this.

Derry and Reggie ended up as the Head Boy and Head Girl for next year and Waverly clapped extra loudly for them. Though Waverly had probably ended up on Reggie’s bad side thanks to the challenges, Waverly totally thought Reggie would be a great Head Girl. The challenges didn’t interest her as much, though she was glad to have a plaque. However, she was really surprised when her team was called as fifth place. They had placed?

It surprised Waverly so much she almost didn’t go up, but she did when she saw the rest of her teammates get up and go to the front to receive their trophy. She was positively beaming now. Pecari had won the house cup, one reason to celebrate, and she had gotten fifth place with her challenge team. Bonus! She smiled proudly at everyone and nodded her congratulations at the other teams, making sure to clap loudly for them, and then it was all over. She went back to her seat, her blood pumping with delight and sheer joy at everything that had happened so far. There was a yearbook to look at too, but she kept herself from pouring through it when the Heads and prefects went off to dance and officially open the ball.

While they did that, Waverly got up, clutching her yearbook and plaque, and continued her search for an empty table. As she walked through, she spotted Henny off on her own. It was odd for Waverly to see Henny on her own. She had always seen Henny as part of that Aladren clique plus Cepheus and Gareth, but apparently they all had dates and she didn’t. Waverly decided to stop by and say hi and, if it was okay, to join her. Then there would be an even number in their group and Waverly was sure Brielle and Clara wouldn’t mind. She saw Henny a lot in their respective clubs since they were members in each others’, but she didn’t talk to her a whole lot outside of those clubs and whatever classes they were partners for.

Maybe that could change. Waverly would be delighted to have a new friend in Henny. “Hey!” she said with a smile. “I love your dress! It’s so pretty.” Waverly loved seeing everyone so dressed up, especially the dapper young wizards. It was especially really cute seeing all the first-years looking a little out of place and small in their dress robes. “I love seeing how dressed up everyone is,” she said, smiling at her classmates. “How are you? How’s your term been?” she asked, smiling. She hoped Brielle and Clara would find her easily enough.

19 Waverly Canterbury Come join us! [tag Bri and Clara] 218 Waverly Canterbury 0 5

Henny B-F-R

May 05, 2013 2:21 PM

We can all be odd together? by Henny B-F-R

“Oh, hi Waverly,” Henny smiled. “Thanks – you look lovely too,” she said, meaning it. On her own, Henny wasn't really confident with make-up or hair. Luckily, her personal stylist was now in his first year at Sonora and had been more than happy when his sister had broken her usually apathy on all things fashionista to ask his advice. She had had to use the words 'simple' and 'subtle' with very heavy emphasis before they'd reached a solution she was happy with (for one thing, she wouldn't have him on hand to actually execute the looks and for another, in spite of all his assurances that eye-balling eye-shadows were 'so in this season' she still didn't like them). She had gone for a grey-blue eye-shadow in the centre, deepening to a darker grey on the edges of her lids, plus mascara and lipgloss. Her curls had been pulled up into a bun with a little comb pushed in at front of it. It bore little silver flowers, which tied in nicely with those on her dress. “We seem to both be rocking the flower-power look,” she grinned.

“It's been good – though I missed the baking club,” she said, smiling at Waverly and hoping that she didn't take that as a criticism. She had meant it as a nice thing. “Charlie's really keen to join too, if it'll be back next year?” she asked. “The challenges were pretty fun for the most part. I wasn't really expecting anything to come of them so that was a nice surprise. Congrats to you too on that,” she smiled at Waverly. “But I'm really glad it didn't happen in our exam year. We'll have the fair next, right?” she said, “Hopefully that won't require too much from us, and it can just be something fun to look forward to. How's yours been?” she asked.

Henny was really genuinely pleased to see Waverly, and the idea of spending the evening hanging out with her sounded like a lot of fun. However, as she chatted, she still hadn't forgotten about her previous, unfinished observations. She tried to take quick scans of the hall, still hoping to somehow verify that Josh was alright. Although she was trying to meet Waverly's eyes enough to seem natural, and although she herself didn't realise it, her distraction from the subjects at hand was quite apparent.

“Are you doing anything nice over summer?” she asked, whilst quickly glancing to the space behind Waverly's shoulder before her eyes settled back on her.

13 Henny B-F-R We can all be odd together? 211 Henny B-F-R 0 5

Theresa Carey

May 05, 2013 4:14 PM

Here we go by Theresa Carey

Under most circumstances, Theresa thought she might have fought a lot harder to get Jade into something more appropriate than what she had decided to wear to the Ball, but these weren’t most circumstances. For the past few weeks, Theresa had been too focused on her own preparations for the event to really notice, much less care, what anyone else was doing. It had taken a lot of letter-writing, deal-striking, arguing, and outright begging, but tonight, she thought that in the end, it had all been worth it.

She stood an inch and a half taller than usual in her shoes, an exquisite-looking pair of heels specially charmed to allow her to walk or dance without discomfort in them. Her dress was mostly a pale, shimmering gold, with a fitted top which emphasized her small waist. The skirt was two-layered, the golden fabric ending asymmetrically to show the white skirt beneath it. No amount of pleading had secured her one of the good tiaras the family had stolen from somewhere shortly before leaving Europe three hundred years ago, but she had gotten a nice newer one, a small, delicate thing of crystals and good-quality fake gold in floral patterns, to wear, and the necklace of imitation diamonds she’d borrowed from Aunt Catherine was so old that it was probably worth more than some of the real diamonds she could have gotten her hands on instead. She had spent hours curling and styling her black hair and working on her face, enduring discomfort and boredom and irritation all in the pursuit of two closely related goals. Her family thought it was so she could make a good impression, but the name of the game, for her, was in making something else: making Cepheus Princeton realize exactly what he had passed up when he had decided to ask someone else to the Ball and making him regret that decision with every fiber of his miserable, two-faced being by the end of the evening.

Jay, dressed in dark blue and managing to look almost handsome, sighed as he offered her his arm. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just shoot them, Terry?” he asked. “Or ask the twins to go beat him up?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, feigning surprise. “Besides,” she added, “you know the twins and I would never even think about doing anything violent to anyone.” She pulled him along to the line before he had to answer that.

She looked neither left nor right as she entered the room with her brother, refusing to give him the satisfaction, a show only slightly spoiled by Jay abandoning her the second she was seated. She decided to look at that situation as one which would make her stand out all the more for being, for the moment, alone. Harder to deal with were the decorations; she wished one of the other Houses had won the House Cup this year, even if that meant Aladren winning it again, because she was afraid she blended in a little with Pecari’s colors. Blending in was the absolute last thing she wanted to do, she wanted to shine, like a star, all the brighter alongside the British snob who was evidently so much better and more worthy of parental approval than her. That was harder to do when she matched some of the tablecloths.

Still, she didn’t plan to sit long. The plan she had come up with was simple, because Theresa had never found complicated ones easy to come up with and didn’t see how complications could really help with this one anyway: phase one, coming to the ball looking like a queen, had been completed, and phase two, dancing with every even vaguely eligible young man in the room and maybe a few more besides, would begin as soon as the headmistress quit talking and got out of the way.

She did, though, manage to get her mind off her love life long enough to applaud when her little brother’s team was recognized as the absolute winner of the challenges. When Henry had been thrown onto a team full of Aladrens, including Thaddeus Pierce, she had been really worried for him, afraid they would make his life miserable for holding them back, but instead, she thought the whole thing had been good for him. Right now, he looked a little stiff and uncomfortable, which was normal for him when he was that close to that many other people who weren’t his siblings and cousins and not strange even if someone came upon him alone, but also grimly pleased and proud of himself in a way she recognized but couldn’t really remember the last time she had seen. It was good to see it again.

Then the excitement was over, the prefects began the dancing, and Theresa watched politely, not opening her yearbook. Later, she would look at it, and maybe, if she was in the right mood, carefully deface each picture of Cepheus and Meghan which appeared in it. Maybe she would even let her roommates help; she was sure Jade, anyway, would enjoy the exercise. For now, though, she put a shrinking charm on first the plaque and then the book which had appeared in front of her and put them in her gold-beaded bag, out of the way, so her full attention was obviously on the dance floor for anyone who needed a hint. She would give the boys two dances to come to her, then she was going to become proactive and not care if it was ladylike enough for anyone’s tastes. She was here to make a point, and she was going to make it, whether it occurred to people on their own to help her out with that or not.

OOC: Here is a reference picture for Theresa’s tiara, and here’s one for her dress, though hers has less lace and does have small sleeves. Also, Theresa would like to emphasize: she isn’t really against any whole countries or likely to tell her cousins to go beat people up or do anything to them herself, just frustrated and jealous and sharing a not actually funny semi-joke about the family reputation with her brother.

0 Theresa Carey Here we go 219 Theresa Carey 0 5

Brianna Japos

May 05, 2013 4:25 PM

I've had those moments. by Brianna Japos

At his compliment, Brianna gave an uncomfortable small laugh and felt the heat in her cheeks. She wasn’t used to compliments, most especially on her looks. She was pleased though to hear it and that showed in her smile. “Thank you. You look very handsome in your dress robes.” He normally looked handsome because he had one of those faces and was always dressed nicely, but there was something to say about a person who wore formal dress wear to an event. Brianna didn’t understand why there weren’t more girls trying to get to Linus. He seemed as though he would have been a wonderful catch to have. Of course, she wasn’t sure how well people really knew her classmate as he tended to seem standoffish and possibly arrogant, so that might have been an issue.

“Oh!” Brianna breathed when he had charmed her crutches to match her accessories. She hadn’t thought to do that herself and now felt silly for it. She was half tempted again to only go with one cane and gain the extra assistance by using Linus for support, but she immediately dismissed the thought. She might tire herself out and then she’d be useless as a date for Linus or a companion for anyone else. Plus, who was to say he wouldn’t abandon her to go hang around someone else during the ball? If that happened, she would have no way of getting back to the common room. Not to say that he would do that too her, but she wasn’t silly enough to believe she would hold his attention for the entire evening.

“Thank you.” She said both to the charm on her crutches and for him allowing her to go first. It was a long walk to the hall and it made Brianna nervous for some reason. This was quite possibly her first actual ball. She didn’t know if the one in her first year really counted. It had seemed more like a theme party than a ball and she was too young to really understand the importance of it. Now that she was sixteen and this ball actually seemed like a story tail sort of ball where everyone dressed up in their finest and the boys asked the girls to dance, etc., she realized that this one had more meaning.

When Linus had asked her, she had automatically assumed that it was as friends as she did when Josh had asked her too. But, others may have thought otherwise, including Josh who had suggested that Linus may end up jealous if she asked for a dance from Josh. She had dismissed the idea completely because she couldn’t see Linus as being jealous over anything, but now she wondered if it was rude for her to dance with someone other than her date and was this considered a date? She was too nervous to ask because she didn’t know what the implications meant if it were a date and didn’t want to think about it. That was too much pressure for herself to deal with at the moment.

Once at the ball, Brianna tried to find Valerie and Josh. She had wanted them to come together so that they wouldn’t be sitting around alone, but Valerie’s betrothal had something to do with forcing her to go alone and Josh was stubborn. She didn’t see them though, so she found an open table for them to join when they came. “Congratulations to Pecari, I suppose.” Brianna commented to Linus, looking around at the decorations. She’d have to say that to Mellie and Sully if she saw them. The announcements began and Brianna listened with care. She didn’t really know the Librarian other than by face and name, but she was still familiar and it would be sad to see a new face replace her come the new term. She was not terribly surprised by the announcement of Head Boy and Girl since both Teppenpaws were popular and well known around the school, but she was slightly surprised that an Aladren boy hadn’t won.

When the teams were announced, she couldn’t say that she was surprised her team wasn’t the top five, but she was still a little saddened by it. They had tried so hard. She felt partially to blame on that. If she hadn’t been such a weak link, they might have done better. She clapped for those who had won though and was happy to be able to have a plaque to reflect that she had succeeded at completing these challenges. “We have another yearbook.” Brianna commented, opening it out of curiosity. Neither she nor Linus were Prefects, so they didn’t have to worry about the dance and she was more hungry than anything as it was. So, she waited for the food to arrive and entertained herself at the awards.

“You've won quite a few.” She mentioned to Linus, smiling at him. “I only received ‘Most Bashful’. Which, I think is fair.” She was not a talker, but she had been doing better lately about talking to people. It was a step in the right direction. When she reached the last of the last of the awards, she was grateful she hadn’t been eating anything because she was sure she would have choked. “We… we made ‘Best Couple’.” The surprise clear in her voice. “I’m sorry. That’s probably embarrassing for you.”

6 Brianna Japos I've had those moments. 203 Brianna Japos 0 5

Linus Macaulay

May 05, 2013 5:10 PM

Re-writing the script by Linus Macaulay

Arriving at the Hall was the first disappointment of the evening; anyone with eyes could ascertain that pecari had won the House Cup. It was somehow tolerable when Aladren managed to beat CRotalus to the punch, but losing to Teppenpaw or Pecari was just embarrassing. Still, Linus soldiered on, following Brianna's lead to an empty table (which he thought was a brave move, as anyone could join them there), and merely nodded in a resigned sort of way to her comment about the House championship. It almost seemed like rubbing salt into an open wound that the head Boy and Girl would both be in Teppenpaw next year, but beyond that Linus didn't mind their election; he liked and respected them as equally as any of the other options he had rejected in the voting process.He applauded in good humour, and again when it was revealled that thier team hadn't won the challenge competition. linus couldn't say he was surprised; whislt they had made valilant efforts, nothing they had done seemed exceptional, and with twenty teams competing, the winners inevitably needed an edge over the average.

"We have another yearbook," Brianna announced as the prefects began to lead the dance, which was a suitable distraction from reminding Linus that he held no such title. He, too, began thumbing through the pages, enjoying it more than he thought he would - he even responded with a smile to a couple of the awards he found particularly amusing. He only looked up at Brianna when she made a peculiar sound and directed his attention to the final page. "we made ‘Best Couple’," she said, evidently surprised. Linus would admit to a similar emotion, probably identifiable by his raised eyebrows. "I’m sorry. That’s probably embarrassing for you."

Linus struggled for a split second to find the right way to respond to that, and in the end he leant back in his seat and claimed, "Only because everyone else evidently has a better idea of what's going on than I do." That was indeed cause for embarrassment; he had apparently been so obvious in his particular regard for Brianna that people had even nomintaed them in such a category. He wasn't clear why Brianna thought he might feel embarrassed by the revelation that he had not been so discreet as he would have liked, but at least this presented an opening for the conversation he had been meaning to have at some point during the festivities.

"I really hope I'm not going to ruin the night by saying this," he began, preferring to look at the photogrpah of Brianna printed in the yearbook rather than at the flawless original, "but I should have asked you here on a date, rather than as a date. If I had," Linus paused, uncertain he really wanted to know the answer to the question he had begun, "would you still have said yes?" The worst that could happen, he supposed, was that she woul reject him and leave to spend the evening with someone else, and that was probably tolerable. Linus held his breath, keen to have Brianna put his mind at rest.

0 Linus Macaulay Re-writing the script 205 Linus Macaulay 0 5

Waverly

May 05, 2013 6:00 PM

Four odd ones makes an even number by Waverly

Accidentally Waverly and Henny were kind of matching with their flower-schemed dresses and she laughed. "It was fate," she said with a smile. It was really nice to hear that the Baking Club had been missed. Waverly had worked really hard to keep it up and running and popular and she was always really thankful for everyone who went to meetings. "It's definitely going to be up next year," she said, "even with exams and all." Exams were kind of a scary thing to think about, but Waverly knew it was just another thing to work on overcoming. She would just need to do a whole lot of studying. And stress-baking.

Henny congratulated her on her team's win and Waverly grinned. "Thanks! I totally didn't expect it and I'm sure we barely made it. Yeah, I'm glad the fair is next year. Easier on us. I thought the challenges were fun too, but this term was a lot harder than I expected. Maybe it's to prep us for next year's exams, but I had a lot more time to study without Quidditch practices and Baking Club."

The conversation would have been more engaging if Henny's eyes weren't glancing behind Waverly's shoulder every so often. She looked bemusedly at Henny. "Are you waiting for someone?" she asked, almost apologetically. "I hope I'm not intruding or anything." Waverly didn't like getting in peoples' ways and she hoped Henny wasn't waiting for a date to come ask her to dance or something.

"Um, my summer's going to be pretty relaxed. I'm just going back home, working at the bakery with my mom, catching up with my friends and my boyfriend; all that normal stuff." It would be so nice to have her cell phone back. It was crazy how much she depended on that one source of communication. If she didn't have her friends here to distract her, she would have gone a little crazy with the lack of communication she currently had with Brandon. "Did you look at the yearbook yet?" she asked, placing hers on the table now. "Anything good in it?"

0 Waverly Four odd ones makes an even number 0 Waverly 0 5

Aria

May 05, 2013 9:39 PM

Most boys seem to be. by Aria

Somehow, Aria couldn’t imagine that a person like Rupert couldn’t find himself a decent date to the ball. He had come to the costume party in a lion’s suit and happily prattled about it in. Someone with that amount of confidence certainly didn’t get deterred by a few rejections or worried about said rejections. He just didn’t seem the type to go to a function like this without someone on his arm or a group of friends surrounding him. It just didn’t seem like it was in his nature. Besides, why did it matter if they had dates? It was a social event. If Liam had brought a date, Aria would have been fine. At least it would have meant that they were still talking.

His compliment about her dress warmed a little bit. She didn’t know if it was genuine or not, but it was still something nice to hear. She was sure others wouldn’t feel the same. Looking at all of their dresses, she knew hers never compared and never would. This normally wouldn’t have bothered her since she knew hers had been made from the love and sweat of her dear mother, but it was too hard for her right now to still have that same confidence as she usually did.

She didn’t know how to answer his question. She was really in a bad moment and wanted to be alone to deal with everything. But it was rude to say no to a person and Rupert did seem genuine about not minding spending time with her. Spending time with someone she hardly knew didn’t matter much to her. As long as she got on well with the person that was all that mattered. That was pretty much how she had come to be friends with Liam and Jay. Oh…Jay… she should have check in on him.

Smiling a little warmer now, Aria eased a little. Although she was still upset, she didn’t want to leave Rupert after he had been kind enough to ask about her. “Thank you. My mother made it for me.” She told him. She looked at the door for a moment before looking back at him. “How do you know that I am not a terrible dancer?” She asked him curiously. She didn’t find herself as one, but the songs and music that played in her community were spiritual and thus, didn’t really need any specific move. As long as you found your own rhythm that was all that mattered. “I might step all over your toes. I’ve never really danced with another person before. Well, not in the traditional sense anyway.”

6 Aria Most boys seem to be. 0 Aria 0 5

Gemma Bennett

May 05, 2013 9:42 PM

I think that's the only thing to do by Gemma Bennett

Adam didn’t know the song, either, but adapted quickly. Gemma smiled, appreciating that. She liked to think she was quick-thinking and could have handled the situation as well as if it had occurred to her, but she didn’t really know, not least because situations so seldom occurred to her in time. She hadn’t thought far enough ahead to notice that the band wasn’t really playing the kind of music she had been taught to dance to, she had just been trying to make conversation.

“I do,” she assured him when he questioned whether she could keep up with what he had in mind. It had been, evidently, a little different in her mother’s day, but these days, girls started attending balls at eleven or twelve all the time, so while she wasn’t as good as Eliza – for one thing, she just wasn’t as controlled, she thought, by nature as her older sister, and for another thing, Eliza had had years and years more practice than her at this point – she had been taught as much about dancing as her instructor had been able to cram into the past three years.

“Ready,” she confirmed when he asked about that, and straightened her posture a hair further, to put herself in the right frame of mind. Frame of mind was very important; it was why she always drank chamomile tea before she had to take a test in one of her classes.

As they began to dance, she remembered a rule of polite conversation, one which had been drilled into her as repeatedly as dance steps: find something about the other person to compliment. She didn’t know much about Adam personally, not yet anyway, so she went with the next best thing. “Congratulations on your House winning the, um, House Cup, by the way,” she said, a little breathlessly. "Have you liked our year?"

0 Gemma Bennett I think that's the only thing to do 251 Gemma Bennett 0 5

Clara Abernathy

May 05, 2013 10:05 PM

A blast from the past by Clara Abernathy

Clara went through a set of pictures her aunt Charlotte had sent her so she could pick hers and Lucian’s outfits for the ball. She found one that she really liked and marked the back of the picture. She had also included sizes for herself and Lucian (at least a decent guess at them)and sent the picture back to her aunt with a note of thanks and went back to what she had been doing. She had written her aunt after her and Lucian’s picnic so she figured she had given her aunt plenty of time to finish the clothing and send them. She had asked that his outfit be sent to him instead of to her. She wasn’t sure if she would have had the time to give it to him herself. She had also sent a note home to her dad letting him know the outcome of her invitation. She felt a little self-conscious writing it down on paper, but she had agreed to tell him. A day or two before the ball the package arrived from her Aunt Charlotte’s shop, “A Blast from the Past”. She was soo excited when she saw it that she immediately tore the brown paper and opened the box. Wrapped carefully in tissue paper was the dress she had chosen.

The dress had a high collar that had a detachable ruffle at the base. The bodice portion of the dress was made of a satiny hunter green with gold pinstripes to the base of the bodice. The bodice made a v-shape at the top of the skirting. The sleeves were long and fitted with gold buttons at the cuffs. The cuffs of the dress had white lace ruffling. From the shoulders of the bodice sat an outer sleeve that sat open exposing the under sleeves. The material for the outer sleeves was the same as the material for the bodice. The under portion of the skirt was the same hunter green satiny material with the gold pinstripes. The outer skirting sat open from the top of the skirt to the floor. It was a solid hunter green satin material with a wide lining in gold satin material. The dress had a puffy under skirt that acted as a slip and made the skirt puff out a bit. Her aunt had also sent a matching pair of shoes to go with it. They were made out of the same gold satin that was on the dress and had small one inch heels on the bottom. A large green sating bow adorned the front of them.

************************************************************************

Clara had spent the day before the ball getting all of her things ready for the trip home. Her ball gown spent that time hanging up in her dress cabinet with shoes sitting on the shelf above it. She couldn’t wait to put the dress on and meet Lucian for the ball. They had agreed to meet just out the hall doors and go inside together. She had even asked her aunt for a special hair ribbon that she could use for her hair. She just hoped that Lucian had gotten the pantaloons like she had requested and not the leggings. She wouldn’t know until she saw him later at the ball. She had taken special care to put her hair up in curlers the day before so she got the right kind of curl out of it that she wanted. She took a quick shower making certain she didn’t get the curls wet and while wearing her bathrobe pinned her hair up so she had pile of ringlet curls set at the back of her head. She left a couple of them loose so that they framed her face and tied the green satin hair ribbon around the curls to keep them in place. Once she had her hair perfect she sprayed it with hairspray to keep it in place.

She carefully slipped into the puffed underskirt first and then into the dress, making certain to not mess up her hair and fastened the buttons that held it on. The dress fit her perfectly and looked very flattering on her if she said so herself. She left the ruffled collar off of the dress knowing it would drive her insane if she left it on. She slipped her feet into the shoes and tied them shut with the green ribbon. The heels felt a little strange, but she adjusted to them quickly. The dress she completed with her mother’s gold oval locket that she always wore and never took off. She laid it against the high collar on the outside. It was the perfect accent. The skirt of her dress puffed out slightly thanks to the under slip and it made it slightly easier to walk in. The end of the skirt sat just above the tip of her shoes so she had to pick it up slightly to keep from stepping on it. She walked from the Pecari dormitory towards Cascade Hall as confidently as possible with her head held high. The 16th century courtesan dress was definitely going to cause a stir at the ball, but she didn’t care. She was going to have a good time with Lucian and her friends regardless of what anyone else at the school thought. She just hoped Lucian liked her gown.

Clara made it to the hall and found Lucian waiting for her outside as they planned. He hadn’t seemed to notice her yet. She smiled wide and marched up to him. She tapped him on the shoulder and stepped back a bit. “Well…don’t you look handsome?” she complimented him. “I knew the pantaloons would look better on you than the leggings.” She did a small turn to show him the dress. ’What do you think? Shall we go inside and show off now?” she asked him cheerfully, still smiling. She couldn’t wait for her friends to see them dressed up together.

OOC: Clara’s author was unable to link a picture of the dress to the posting, however, if anyone wants to see the outfits they can be found at the following: French court fashion of the 16th century www.allposters.co.uk

0 Clara Abernathy A blast from the past 232 Clara Abernathy 0 5

Brianna

May 05, 2013 10:54 PM

I'm not sure if it's better than the first one. by Brianna

Brianna furrowed her brows at his response, confusion clear on her face. Her full lips formed a frown at him as she tried to understand what it was exactly that everyone else knew and she (and apparently he) didn’t. She returned her gaze to the yearbook. Other than Ryan and Sophie, who Brianna didn’t know but thought were only friends, everyone else listed actually were couples. Were she and Linus listed because she spent time together? If that were the case, she and Josh should have been on it more so than she and Linus. Or was it that everyone knew she and Josh were only just friends and so thought differently about her and Linus? Linus seemed to be taking this well. Apparently being linked romantically to her didn’t make him ill. That was a plus.

Her attention returned to him when he started to speak, but his first sentence began to worry her. If that was how he was going to start the conversation, she knew it wasn’t going to be a good thing. Of course, what he had said was not at all what she was expecting. Actually, it was the exact opposite of what she was expecting. She stared blankly at him for a moment as his words sank in. Did he like her? Did he like her? Did he like her? The various ways in which a person could ask the question repeated itself within her head. She had done to Linus what Michael had done to her the year prior. However, even thinking back through their interactions, she couldn’t recall a moment where Linus acted differently around her. He had always just been cool and collected Linus. She was sure she would have noticed… right?

“Er…” She didn’t know how to answer that. She didn’t. She liked him, but what wasn’t there to like? Okay, probably a lot, but Linus wasn’t the same Linus from their first year. He had grown up quite a bit and Brianna did enjoy spending time with him. It wasn’t the same sort of crush she had had with Michael. That one had been a deep and overwhelming crush that had ended in such bitterness for her that it had taken her a long time to get over him. Actually, thinking upon it now, she couldn’t even recall the moment when she had, but she was over him. It was strange to think that after that rejection, Brianna had hated him. She had wanted the world to swallow her up. She had never thought she would be okay ever again. The incident had a lot to do with that too, so really, it was poor timing, but even so, she had moved on.

It was just… she didn’t know what she moved on to. In order for her to heal, she closed off a lot of the pain. Never enough though, to stop her from remembering and crying at night. But even those nights had started to fade. It was a slow process. Everyone kept telling her that. But she was still broken because of it. That’s what her mother said about it. Brianna was broken in many ways and she didn’t want to put that onto anyone else. They didn’t deserve that.

“I don’t know how to answer that.” She told him truthfully. “I don’t know if it’s okay to like you.” She knew that probably didn’t make sense but it was difficult for her to explain her reasoning for things. Brianna gave a frustrated sigh. She really didn’t know how to answer that. “I’m sorry, Linus, I know that’s not what you want to hear.” Brianna said quietly. “It’s just…I get scared when I think about liking someone. It doesn’t matter how it comes about, but it never ends well for me. I don’t want to get hurt anymore. So I don’t think about it because then nothing can happen.” Admitting things was very difficult to do, but she didn’t want Linus to think that she wouldn’t have still come with him to the ball. She had closed herself off to believing in love or even dating. It was easier that way.

“If you had asked me on a date instead of as a date, what would have happened?” Brianna asked him. “I do like you, if that means anything. I’m happy around you. And I feel safe.”

6 Brianna I'm not sure if it's better than the first one. 0 Brianna 0 5

Carter Browning

May 06, 2013 12:18 AM

No, I do by Carter Browning

Carter had felt like an idiot not having said anything to her until they sat down, but apparently he made up for it with the compliment and the flowers. Thank you mother he thought to himself as she smiled at Wendy’s reply to them. It was when she asked if he had one that could match hers that he realized his mother had sent one for him as well, but he forgot to put it on. Instead of saying that he merely shook his head. “Nope…sorry. My mother only sent the one for you,” he fibbed slightly to her. When she asked if she was wearing it properly he nodded. “As far as I understand it…yes you are,” he assured her. He knew that she really wanted to dance, but he hoped they wouldn’t have to on an empty stomach. The last thing he needed was for everyone there to hear his stomach growl from across the room.

He wasn’t the least bit offended when she took the corsage off and placed it away from her dinner plate. He chuckled when she commented it was for protection. He nodded in agreement. “Not a bad idea,” he told her, grinning while she piled her plate with pasta. He actually laughed a little when she commented about how fancy they looked and how they looked like grownups. He had to admit she was right. They did look pretty snazzy. He piled some of the alfredo pasta on his plate as well and grabbed a couple of bread sticks. He kept one for himself and set one down by her plate. “Wasn’t sure if you could reach them so I took the liberty of grabbing one for you as well,” he told her, shaking a little salt and pepper on his own. He took a forkful of pasta and put it in his mouth. He had just started chewing when she mentioned them dancing again and promised not to step on his toes again, he almost choked on the bite he had in his mouth. He had tried to stifle a laugh at the same time he was trying to chew.

He managed to finally swallow the bite and wiped his mouth. “Don’t worry about stepping on my feet,” he assured her. ’You just worry about having fun dancing.” He finished up with his plate of pasta and when he was pretty sure she was about done with hers as well, he stood up from his seat and offered her his hand. “I’m sure it will be okay if we danced now,” he told her teasingly. “Would you care to join me?” he asked her cordially. His mother would applaud his manners this evening. He was pretty proud of himself. Now he just had to make sure he didn’t booger it up.

0 Carter Browning No, I do 236 Carter Browning 0 5

Rupert

May 06, 2013 12:23 PM

I'd better up my charm then by Rupert

It almost looked to Rupert that Aria was going to reject him and he tapped his fingers against his thigh in anticipation. But she physically relaxed and Rup's hopes went up again. She liked that he had noticed her dress. He hadn't expected something like that on her; he had been hoping for something with more colour on her, but she still looked pretty. Tonight he would be the more eccentrically dressed one, but he didn't mind at all.

The traditional sort of dance Aria was expected them to do made Rup smile. His smile quickly fell into feigned surprised. "Traditional? Oh, I'm rubbish at ballroom dancing. I just meant, you know..." He finished his statement with a ridiculous dance moves; his attempt at free-form dancing. He grinned at her when he'd done his bit, feeling silly in a liberated sort of way. "That sort of thing. We don't have to do any ballroom dancing if you don't want to. That way you won't have to worry about my toes and I won't have to worry about yours." If she agreed, this would be the best ball Rup had attended yet.

His act was only partially a lie. He was decent at ballroom dancing. He had taken lessons as every respectable pure-blood was expected to and had learnt nearly every ballroom dance move invented. He hadn't taken kindly to it, of course, and he had hardly paid attention except when necessary. But he had learned. That was one of the only ways he had survived the Arbons' ball last year. But he did enjoy free-form dance much more and, coincidentally, he was rubbish at it. But he put it to practise and, since he only practised in his room alone, it would be nice to dance like a normal, relaxed person without a stiff position to keep up, toes to watch out for and a number of steps to remember.

"Now, Miss Yale," he said, bowing low, "would you care to dance despite the promising fact that you may be embarrassed by me on the dance floor?" He grinned up at her from his position, hand extended.

0 Rupert I'd better up my charm then 0 Rupert 0 5

Adam Spencer

May 06, 2013 12:38 PM

Keeping time and conversation by Adam Spencer

The quickstep was not an easy dance, but Adam was pleased Gemma knew it. There were people already dancing on the floor, but Adam didn't think he and Gemma would start bumping into people during their twirls and skips around the floor. It was an upbeat song anyway; people ought to be doing more than simple waltzes and the like.

The time to dance was now and Adam took Gemma into his arms and began to lead. It was difficult at first, but as soon as Adam had the rhythm in his ear he was able to copy it down with his steps. He had practised this dance enough to not step on his partner's toes without looking constantly at his feet. When he had achieved this feat, he had been quite proud of himself even if Charlotte had achieved it before him. Witches, in Adam's opinion, were quicker at picking these sorts of things up than wizards.

However, conversation was going to be the next challenge. He wasn't so good as to keep the time in his head. He would just have to say words and hope for the best. "Thank you," he replied equally as breathless. “Yes, it’s been great. A bit mental, but great. The challenges were—” He paused at particularly complicated footwork, his mind focusing on his feet. “—fun,” he finished once he had worked through it. “I think I'm going to like Sonora quite a lot over the next few years.” He dipped her gracefully, though it was shallow and quick before lifting her once more and twirling her around with him again. “You’re quite good at this,” he said with a smile. “It’s difficult to find witches our age who can keep up with this sort of dance. Have you enjoyed this year as well?”

Adam was keeping up rather well and he was glad. He just needed to learn how to focus on both the conversation and his feet at the same time. Doing things like this most definitely meant he needed to practise more over the summer. If Sonora had a ball next year, which his cousin had warned him would most likely not be the case, he and Charlotte needed to be prepared.

40 Adam Spencer Keeping time and conversation 257 Adam Spencer 0 5

Linus Macaulay

May 06, 2013 3:38 PM

I agree it needs work by Linus Macaulay

Of the things he thought Brianna might say, Linus had not anticipated the response she offered. He didn't actually feel especially despondent by her lack of enthusiasm in his vague revelation. It wasn't as if he was madly in love with Brianna. She was beautiful, and smart, and a decent person, as well as interesting to talk to. Plus she needed looking after, and, as a package, Linus found the whole deal attractive; he wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't the only person who found Brianna appealing, hence his eagerness in asking her to the ball early on in the year before anybody else got the chance. He liked to think that he would be able to tolerate a continuation of their friendship if she were to rebuff any further advances.

It would, he thought, have been fairly disagreeable if she'd told him that she had feelings for someone else, instead - Josh McLachlan, perhaps - and he might have felt wounded if she'd have told him that she just didn't like him in that capacity. Although it wasn't as if Brianna was rejecting him, specifically - she just seemed against the idea of dating anyone at all. Linus wasn't sure whether or not this was an improvement on personal rejection.

No, wait. She hadn't actually rejected him, as such. She had told him that she didn't know how to answer the question, and while he had missed the details in her explanation, focussed as he was on maintaining a characteristically neutral expression, he was fairly certain there had been no outright refusal or denial in her reply. She more or less repeated the question she had asked him, and Linus wasn't sure whether or not she was asking rhetorically, so he concentrated on her last utterance; the only undeniably positive comment she had offered.

"Well that's a start," he conceded aloud to himself. He knew she was more or less comfortable around him, considering they had spent a great deal of time together that term already, with him helping her to and from classes and the commons, and them being on the same challenge team. He didn't really know what to make of her being unsure of whether it was okay to like him. What did that even mean? Truthfully, Linus didn't know how to respond to most of what she had said. there was, however, one point he needed to make clear. "I'm not sure what it is you're saying," he said slowly, hoping not to offend her, "but whatever you decide, how ever you do or don't feel, I will never hurt you, Brianna."

0 Linus Macaulay I agree it needs work 205 Linus Macaulay 0 5

James Owen

May 06, 2013 4:02 PM

Ending an Era with Eliza by James Owen

As a prefect, it was required of James to join the party of students performing the opening dance at the Midsummer Ball. As such, he needed a partner. Kate Bauer had been his first choice, as she had been one of the few of his yearmates whose company James could tolerate with equinamity. However, he heard that she already had a date before he got round to asking her, for which he blamed the RATS exams. So it happened he turned to his second choice, instead, though of course he would never tell her she was such. That just wasn't done, and neither was it logical to divulge this information to a dance partner at a widely attended event. James had been vague in his request to Eliza, requesting that she at least dance the first dance with him, but had offered no certainty on how they would spend the remainder of the evening. At a similar event held four years ago, James had satyed for some food and some dry conversation, and then retired to his dormitory early in the evening. As a seventh year, this might be one of the last social events James would be attending for a while, so he thought he might hang around a little longer this time.

Entering the Cascade Hall, tastelessly adorned in Pecari tributes, James himself was adorned in the most expensive dress robes his parents had been able to afford. They were technically for work and college interviews after he had graduated, but James decided the occasion warranted a little formality. Besides, he was aware that Eliza reveled in exhibitionism, so he could hardly wear his other set of dress robes, which were cheap, faded and too small. With his hair parted neatly, James wore robes of navy blue with delicate silver pinstripes. They had one previous, careful owner, and were accidentally in current fashion, presenting the Aladren in the most respectable clothing he had ever worn at Sonora.

Eliza was immediately identifiable in her signature red, to which James had become accustomed over several years of attending events at which she was also present, a fact which in itself seemed unlikely, but showed promise that the eldest owen might succeed in climbing the societal ladder following his graduation. "Good evening," he greeted Eliza pleasantly, before sitting and listening half-heartedly to the Headmistress' announcements.

Traitorously, James was pleased that Josephine wouldn't be the next Head Girl. She had already beaten him by getting her name on the ballot in the first place; he'd never forgive her if she'd claimed the title. She had already achieved higher CATS scores without putting in as much effort, although her advacned class grades were slipping a little. He knew it was wrong of him to feel so smug in his superiority over a younger sibling, but he knew she would understand, as they had always been unnecessarily competetive with each other.

All too soon, Professor Kijewski-Jareau ceased speaking, and it was time for the anticipated dance to begin. James was confident that he could make it through on his limited and rusty knowledge of dances, but he certainly wouldn't be attempting anything frivolous. He wordlessly held his hand out to Kate to lead her to the floor, felt self-conscious as he bowed to her, and a little relived when they began to move. "I had imagined this would be worse than it actually is," he commented as his feet thankfully remembered what they were supposed to be doing.

0 James Owen Ending an Era with Eliza 168 James Owen 0 5

Josephine Owen

May 06, 2013 4:37 PM

I could have danced all night... by Josephine Owen

Josephine had grudgingly accepted that all the available funds for formalwear had been spent on James in his graduating year. Unfortunately, this meant that, as usual, there was no money left for Josephine's ball gown. Luckily, the sixth year was well accustomed to savvy-shopping, and had found a bargain of a full-length green dress that she could adapt and improve to suit her needs. It hung loosely down to her ankles from her shoulders, so Josephine wore a wide silver belt tied tightly around her waist to emphasize her hourglass figure. She had used a sticking charm to attach some star-shaped, silver flowers around the flowing skirt and one on her right shoulder. In addition to her usual splash of black eyeliner, Josephine adorned her face with silver glitter mascara, and fastened her chestnut hair into a long ponytail, decorated with yet another fake flower. Pleased with her relfection, Josephine slipped on some low-heeled silver sandals and headed down to the ball.

Whilst she and Sullivan were in the same house, and so could have met in the common room, Josephine had wanted to see Addi before the evening got underway, and so had arranged to meet her date in the Hall. Spying her closest friend, Josephine headed over with a smile. She was proud of how well she and Addi had progressed over the past year. While the Pecari had put on a couple of pounds over the school year, she was still considerably lighter and fitter than she had been at the close of the previous term. She had more confidence, and knew she couldn't have done it without Addi for encouragement and support. "What do you think?" she asked Addi about her home-made dress.

The Hall was decorated in Pecari colours, which Josephine took as a sign that her House had won the championship that year. That was just the first of a series of exciting announcements, which would include the winning team, and the next Head Girl. While Josephine didn't really expect to win, she was still hopeful. By the time all these notices had been given, she was sure that dancing the opening dance with Sully would be a piece of cake in comparison to the nerve-wracking anticipation.

0 Josephine Owen I could have danced all night... 196 Josephine Owen 0 5

Wendy

May 06, 2013 5:59 PM

I <i>do</i> have the pretty dress... by Wendy

Wendy would have liked for them to match, but she was delighted with her little flower bracelet. The food appearing right after made it even better. Carter grabbed her a bread stick and she smiled at him. "Thanks! It helps that your arm is longer than mine even if it's by just a little." She didn't like to think she was small even in comparison to a boy. Her older sister was taller, but that was just because she was older. She didn't think height was a huge thing, but she still didn't like being short.

She had made Carter laugh while chewing his food and she giggled as she watched him try and work that out. Stepping on his feet didn't worry her all that much as it had before, but she was still determined to be a good dancer. She kept up the conversation as she downed her plate, realizing how hungry she had been.

Food was a really important thing in her family mostly because her mom was a baker. It was a lot of fun growing up with a mom who could bake fresh bread all the time and cook decently too. Wendy was used to home cooked meals all the time and fresh baked goods every morning. Her mom didn't believe in throwing away loaves either after the day was done so certain neighbors had looked forward to baked goods every evening. The bakery had been around for longer than Wendy had been born and she loved it. She did miss it now, but what she would miss dearly when she went back home would be Sonora's food. Her mom was an amazing baker. Her mom was not the best cook in the entire world. And she would miss her magic. And her friends. Especially her friends. Her pasta was depleting, but the more she ate, the more time passed until she could dance. The food, no matter how good it was, could not distract her for long.

Wendy had finished eating after Carter and she smiled when he stood. She could already anticipate his question, but she allowed him to ask it out loud. "I would love to," she said, taking his hand. She couldn't wait to show everyone what she, Wendy Canterbury, could do. She bet Waverly would be surprised. "If I had said no, would you have gone and danced by yourself?" she asked bemusedly as they made their way to the dance floor.

0 Wendy I <i>do</i> have the pretty dress... 0 Wendy 0 5

Carter Browning

May 06, 2013 7:28 PM

Yes you do by Carter Browning

Carter smirked at Wendy’s question. “It’s entirely possible. I have been known to dance by myself on occasion,” he told her only being half serious. “However, If I were to do it now it would be a little more pathetic than normal since I actually have a dance partner.” He thought back to all the dance lessons where he had to dance alone. He didn’t mind that part too much, but he did feel kind-of awkward about it. I mean, there he was prancing around the dance floor with somebody who wasn’t there. The only times he didn’t feel soo awkward was when he had an actual person to dance with. His only choices at the time were his cousin and his mother. Given those weren’t his choices for dance partners this time, he was actually looking forward to dancing.

The band began playing a slow-ish song that wasn’t a waltz or cha cha. He sort-of worried that since it wasn’t one of the songs he taught her to dance to that he was going to have to fake it slightly. That or he was going to have to adjust the dance steps a bit. Once they reached the dance floor he placed his hand on her waist, took her other hand and began dancing. It took him a second to find his rhythm, but once he found it he did just fine. The flowers on her dress sort-of tickled his palm, but he really didn’t mind. He was having such a good time he didn’t notice the tickling. When the slow song ended the band began to play something faster. He actually kind-of liked the beat and began moving to it. Granted, they might not have been conventional dance moves, but he was still having fun with it. He just hoped Wendy didn’t think he was trying to embarrass her. “Hey, check it out…we’ve managed to dance without stepping on each other,” he teased, smiling at her as he continued to “dance”.

0 Carter Browning Yes you do 236 Carter Browning 0 5

Brianna

May 06, 2013 10:28 PM

Is this the rough draft? by Brianna

She was not expecting him to take anything she had said in a positive light. She knew that she had issues. She had quite a few issues. Brianna was pretty certain that Linus didn’t know everything that had happened to her or really, understand the reasoning why Brianna tended to close herself off to people and this venue was not the right place to say anything about it either. She knew that the basic story of what happen had gotten around, most especially because Aaron and Harley were considered adults in the Magical World and although her name was never mentioned in the news due to being a minor, she was certain that anyone with half a brain had put it together. Josh, Valerie, and (unfortunately), Michael all knew the truth. She trusted Josh and Valerie to know they wouldn’t have said anything on purpose. She did not trust Michael though. Her issue with believing in people also stemmed from Michael. Her first crush that had ended with her hating herself more than she had thought possible.

Those were things that she couldn’t outright say to Linus. She didn’t want to say them. She didn’t want him to know how angry and hurt she was. Linus liked her. Someone liking her was like a dream. Someone like Linus, who seemed to breeze through life and could date anyone, liked her. She didn’t understand why. There was absolutely nothing special about her. She was too much of a lot of nothing. But if she said any of that, Linus would regret having said anything at all.

Her eyes lifted from the yearbook in front of her to Linus. As much as she wanted to believe him when he said that, she was too cynical for it. But it was still nice to hear. She knew she couldn’t explain how she was feeling for anyone, including herself, to fully understand so she didn’t get upset when he was honest about not following. “Thank you.” She said quietly. “It’s not that I don’t want to date you, I just need time. Maybe we can go slow?” She had no idea what that meant, but she heard people say it and it was supposed to be helpful. “One day at a time?” She looked hopeful at that. If she slowly became adjusted to the idea of dating someone, she might be okay. But jumping right into it and not knowing what was happening was something she knew she wouldn’t be able to handle.

6 Brianna Is this the rough draft? 0 Brianna 0 5

Maximilian Joshua McLachlan

May 07, 2013 12:37 PM

Counting down the minutes till I can leave. by Maximilian Joshua McLachlan

It was clear Josh was not happy being forced to attend a social event he had no interest in. Balls were frivolous guises for purebloods to gossip about each other and make connections. School functions weren’t any different and Josh would have liked to be in the Aladren commons making use of the empty room to start research on a new experiment. Instead he was here, dressed in his only set of black dress robes and black leather shoes. His usual mess of brown hair was combed down and he had washed up for once and didn’t smell of indescribable potion mixtures. Josh didn’t pay much attention to his appearance, but his dead parents had blessed him with six feet of naturally good looks.

He had expected to go to the ball with Brianna and it had surprised him when he found out she was already going with Linus Macaulay. Linus had been hanging around Brianna quite a lot since her accident and while Josh didn’t think highly of the boy because he had waited until Brianna went through a tragic experience to pay attention to her, he did appreciate Linus’s seemingly genuine interest in her well-being. Still, Josh selfishly wanted to keep Brianna to himself as his friend alone, but he was a realist; people came and left and the only person Josh could truly depend on was himself.

When Josh arrived at the ball, he sat down at a table set in the corner where few people would venture. He hoped his infamous reputation here would keep people away from him. From the corner he had a great view of the whole room and he could keep an eye on Brianna from here just to make sure Linus was treating her right. The Headmistress began her announcements and Josh crossed his arms and sat back in his chair, his gray eyes flitting around the room as she announced the Librarian’s departure. That just proved his point again; people came and went and life moved on. The Head Boy and Girl for next year were announced next and Josh looked at the two carefully. That last he had heard, Derwent and Regina were dating now. Good for her. He would never forget his first encounter with Regina who had tried to be nice. Josh had been fresh out of hell then and he hadn’t known how to react to kindness. Though Josh didn’t normally believe in luck, he did think it was lucky he had been given another chance to make a real friend here.

The challenge teams were announced next and Josh watched the team members take their trophies before going back down. He had no opinion on the challenges; they were just something he had to do in order to get through school like all the others. The yearbook was out as well and Josh took his time looking through it as the Prefects and Head students began the night off with a dance. He was always surprised to find himself voted in any categories, and this time around he found himself in three. Apparently this year his classmates didn’t think he was of criminal status. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. Josh was amused to find Preston had been voted to be worst enemies with, generally, his roommates and Josh could most likely find that to be true. He generally stayed out of the drama surrounding Head Boy in his dorm as he knew from the beginning he wasn’t going to get the vote. He had been right, but it had been quite entertaining to see how the tension rose every time Preston was in the same dorm room as his roommates.

Dinner began so Josh closed the yearbook and began eating. He started people-watching, one of his favorite hobbies, and noticed Henny off talking to the muggle-born student in her year. It looked like she had just come with her friends and Josh was glad for her. She didn’t seem to really fit in with any of the boys in her year anyway with all their drama going on. Anyone who didn’t see that was blind. Henny was a nice girl and she did seem to care about his well-being and his potion experiments. He appreciated her, but there was much he could not, and would not, tell her about his life.

Thinking about this upcoming summer was a little painful. He had recently received an owl from his uncle Allister in Scotland, the current McLachlan patriarch, who told him in no uncertain terms that he was going to be moving to Pennsylvania at the end of June and to begin packing as soon as he got back to Australia. Josh was not looking forward to it; it meant he was going to be living with his only known aunt whom he hadn’t been in contact with before. He highly doubted she would even consider contacting him now as most of what had been said was from Allister. She was the only close relative he couldn’t remember living with besides his parents who had been killed when he was an infant. It would be interesting and Allister had promised more information to come about this move in the next week or so.

There was much to think about and Josh couldn’t wait to duck out early and go over the things he needed to for this summer. It would be the last time he would have to relax for awhile. And then it would be his last year, his RATS exams, and his last chance to do what he wanted before he was sucked into a pool of chaos – a true test of his quick-thinking and survival skills. Josh sighed through his nose as he continued eating, counting down the hours until he could escape. He looked briefly at Brianna again before observing to see what other sort of drama was going on. As much as he knew Brianna would want him to join her, he wasn’t about to and he thought he was far away enough that she wouldn’t even notice him, at least for quite awhile.

19 Maximilian Joshua McLachlan Counting down the minutes till I can leave. 184 Maximilian Joshua McLachlan 0 5

Wendy

May 07, 2013 1:12 PM

Thanks for agreeing with me by Wendy

Wendy laughed at Carter's reply, trying to imagine him dancing all by himself. "That's true," she said. "Good thing I said yes then!" Having had no previous experience with ballroom dancing, she was really happy that Carter had offered to teach her without her even asking him. He was definitely a friend she was going to be keeping around.

They made it to the floor and Wendy was disappointed they weren't going to do the cha cha yet. She did have the whole night, though, but she was a little put out that she wouldn't be able to dance to this song. She didn't even really know how to dance to this song. Wendy sighed, but Carter took her into his arms anyway and swept her off.

It turned out to be a lot more fun than she had expected and she smiled delightedly when she started to catch on. It was slow enough that she wasn't in danger of accidentally stepping on Carter's foot or something, not that it would hurt too bad with her flat slip-ons on hopefully. Their dancing was definitely different, but fun too. She wondered if this was an actual dance or if Carter was just making it up as he went. Either way, she was following him and she thought he was pretty great at leading her around.

"Don't speak too soon," she teased and spontaneously twirled him. It made her giggle. This was a lot of fun even if she didn't get to do the cha cha or anything structured like that. The song soon ended and she released him to get ready for the next song and to smooth down her hair. Because it was cut at her chin and free from any hair ties or clips it was more liable to stick up. The next song was faster and she was at a loss with which dance to do. "Lead the away, kind sir," she said, smiling. So far this ball was so much fun. It was dominantly because she had such a great friend to spend the night with and partially because Pecari had won the House Cup. She would have so much to tell her parents when she got back!

0 Wendy Thanks for agreeing with me 0 Wendy 0 5

Carter Browning

May 07, 2013 3:31 PM

You are very welcome by Carter Browning

Carter could see that Wendy was a little disappointed that they weren't doing the Cha Cha or Waltz for their first dance, but she seemed to cheer up a bit when he swept her onto the dance floor anyhow. She was a lot more graceful than he was and they seemed to float across the floor. He was actually pretty happy with the fact that they hadn't stepped on each other and said as much. She replied by teasing him and then turned the tables on him. Where traditionally the guy would twirl the girl in a dance, she did it to him instead. He was soo unprepared for the move that he almost smashed his face into her arm and about tripped on his own feet. He stared at her shocked for a second before recovering himself and laughing at the whole thing. She really had a way of surprising him and he liked it. This dance is more fun than any I've ever been to he thought to himself as the song ended. Well almost every one...Effie's had been a fun one as well he reminded himself as he watched Wendy try to smooth out her hair.

"Why do girls always play with their hair?" he couldn't help asking aloud as the next song began to play. "Lead the way kind sir" he heard her say over the music and he was glad to oblige. He took her hand and began dancing around the floor with her. He wasn't sure what steps he would use for it so he basically faked it. He threw in a couple of Cha Cha steps and a few swing dancing steps...anything he thought would look good at the time. He just hoped she didn't notice too much that he was faking it with this one. Besides he figured they were having too much fun for her to notice it anyways. He twirled her around in a neat little circle and took her back to dancing. He was actually enjoying the fact that he had no idea what he was doing.

0 Carter Browning You are very welcome 236 Carter Browning 0 5

David Wilkes

May 07, 2013 8:09 PM

Making an offer to anyone age-appropriate. by David Wilkes

All year, David had known, in an abstract way, that the Ball was coming, but the thought wasn’t one it had occurred to him to try to translate into actions after he picked up some dress robes during his school shopping back in the summer. There had been the challenges, he guessed, and there had definitely been RATS, and he hadn’t found the thought of the school dance comfortable whenever it did occur to him for a few seconds, so he had chosen to dwell on more pleasant topics when he had to dwell on things. That he had to not only attend the dance but, as Head Boy, actually dance at it hardly occurred to him at all, even though he had been told, before the day before the ball.

Now, on the evening itself, he knew he was in trouble. He had to ask a girl, but he knew there was a very good chance he’d get slapped for his trouble, just asking on the night of the event itself. He should have dealt with this ages ago, but he hadn’t, and now he was in trouble. He was just going to have to make the best of it and try to find a girl very very quickly after the headmistress' speech.

He applauded for the librarian and for the new Heads, feeling, to his surprise, a glimmer of nostalgia instead of pure relief as he looked upon his own successor. He thought Derry and Reggie would do pretty well together, probably better, or at least more comfortably, than he and Sara had; they had simply come from social groups and backgrounds far too diverse to really speak the same language. He could get along with pureblood guys well enough, if they weren’t holding his background against him – pureblood high society and what he had grown up with were really not that different, once some of the material comforts were subtracted and the labels were stripped off the underlying currents of bigotry – but the girls hardly seemed real to him, half the time. Fran was all right, mostly, and he was sure plenty of the others were perfectly lovely people once you got to know them, too, but he couldn’t shake the thought that most of them had escaped from the pens of Edith Wharton or Henry James and were trying very, very hard to blend in so no one captured them and sent them back.

He made a mental note to congratulate Derry and Reggie both later, using kind of knowing the latter as an excuse, just as the concert was reached on the list of things Kijewski had to talk about. It was a long list tonight, and he was kind of feeling sorry for her, but he couldn’t help sitting up a little straighter and paying attention to what was going on now. He thought they had done really well, but….

He applauded for the fifth, fourth, third, and second-place teams, feeling more tense with each moment, since each one meant that either something very weird had happened or else that the odds were rising that his team had actually won. And then, they did. Up front, he gave into the impulse to wave to the crowd and take a bow, figuring he’d never get the opportunity for that kind of thing again, congratulated the others quickly, and then took his trophy back to where his plaque and yearbook already were.

David felt a sort of warm pride he had almost forgotten about over the years. He was leaving school with awards. He would be able to hang them on his wall, just like in the old days. Maybe not right away, since Muggles might see them and be confused, but he had stuff now, and it wasn’t in an athletic context. His credentials were reestablished in terms his world understood. He had a trophy. It was all his. He liked it better than any of the Quidditch victories, to which he had really supplied very little. Parts of himself he hadn’t quite realized he missed seemed to have clicked back into place.

He decided it was a good thing he was leaving and didn’t have long to think about this even in the context of the moment, because otherwise, he thought he might be at risk of becoming quite sentimental. Unfortunately, the thing that distracted him was the thing that meant he was in trouble, but he guessed no man could have everything. They would try until the cows came home – the quest for immortality here, genetic engineering at home, capitalism on all sides, he guessed – but no one could have everything. So he went over to the first girl he saw who was age-appropriate and not occupied and said, “Hi, want to dance this one with me?”

He could only hope this sounded like an appealing offer and not a plea. And also not like a total jerk’s offer, under the circumstances. It was the kind of thing that worked well in the movies and stuff, but he was very much aware of the difference between those and the real world. A guy who acted like a guy in the movies was, he thought, more likely to get kicked very hard than to be danced with.

16 David Wilkes Making an offer to anyone age-appropriate. 169 David Wilkes 0 5

Linus

May 08, 2013 12:10 PM

Constructive criticism is appreciated by Linus

The longer this conversation continued on, the more Linus wished he hadn't started it. Then again, at least he had a clearer idea now of how things stood between the two of them. he only wished it hadn't left him feeling quite so vulnerable. "It’s not that I don’t want to date you," Brianna had said, "I just need time. Maybe we can go slow?" Linus hated that expression, and he had a feeling he might have frowned for a fraction of a second whilst he processed her reply.

The fifth year hadn't considered there was a middle ground in whether or not you wanted to date a person; he'd thought it was a black or white kind of scenario. Yet Brianna was sending conflicting messages, so Linus would have to concede the gray area. Unfortunately, that didn't make it any more palatable. Whilst the notion that she might not want to date him at all was acceptable, the idea of dating him practically against her will was abhorent. Linus was nobody's pity case, especially not someone like Brianna. "Don't worry about it," he said, forcing a smile.

Yet he needn't be too rash. There was no point in breaking bridges when she sounded as though she could be talked round. There was the vast separation of the summer break just around the corner, which might present both of them with the opportunity to consider in which direction to proceed. "Take a bit more time over the summer, and let me know how you feel when we come back next term." Maybe it would be better that way, anyway, rather than beginning a relationship right before an inevitable, extended absence of the other person. "How does that sound?"

If he were being entirely honest, Linus had, at some point beteen wake and sleep, allowed himself to visualise a turning of events wherein he had danced with Brianna at the ball, whisked her back to the commons and kissed her goodnight before they parted, but that was becoming increasingly less likely with every word he spoke. He would be content with an alternative that was anything but discomfort and awkwardness that could have been avoided by delaying this conversation.

0 Linus Constructive criticism is appreciated 0 Linus 0 5

Henny B-F-R

May 08, 2013 12:12 PM

Well, we'd better stick together then by Henny B-F-R

“I'm glad I've never fancied playing Quidditch - I really don't think I could fit it in,” Henny commented. Alicia's Challenge Training Programme had given her a taste of what being on a sports team might be like, and she would definitely be glad to relinquish the tough schedule next year. Though she thought she might take the occasional run or climb to relax. That surprised her (she had always been very much an indoor with her nose in a book kind of girl) but it felt good to feel healthy, and she didn't want to lose everything she'd gained in the fitness stakes this year.

“Oh, no! No – not at all!” she exclaimed, when Waverly asked whether she was expecting someone, feeling dreadful that her distraction had been so noticeable. “I'm so sorry - I didn't mean to be rude, I was just... um...” she hesitated, feeling that she owed Waverly an explanation but not knowing quite what to say. “... just looking for someone.” Feeling that that didn't actually make it any better and possibly gave Waverly the wrong impression, she expanded. “I mean, I thought someone I know might have been upset by... um, how certain things have worked out tonight. I was trying to see whether they seemed like they're ok. But there probably isn't really anything I can do about it anyway...” she added. She wasn't sure why she was really looking for Josh, other than the vague sense that there was a wrong that needed righting. But if she thought about it practically for even a second, it seemed rather foolish; he usually hid things pretty well – even if she could pick him out of the crowd, he was hardly going to have a glowing neon sign over his head that said 'everything is a-ok' or, alternately, 'Please comfort me, Henny.' She would be unlikely to know whether he was alright or not and, even if she suspected the latter, she would be unable to do anything about it. Really, if she went over, all she'd be doing would be giving people something to gossip about.

She tried to tell herself that these reasons were genuine or good enough excuses for giving up. And, in all honesty, they were. However, there was part of her that knew that spending the evening chatting and laughing with Waverly was a much more pleasant idea than the blood-from-a-stone prospect of talking to Josh about his feelings. Silly as it was, the fact that she would be having a pleasant evening if she stayed here made her feel guilty about it, and made her question her motives for not looking harder for Josh. But the reasons not too were all true and valid...

“Sorry – you have my full attention,” she promised Waverly, still feeling like she was somehow letting Josh down, and wondering whether she'd be able to find him in the common room later that evening. “That sounds really nice,” she said, of her summer plans. “Oh, um, I had a quick flick though. It seemed to be the usual. Charlie won pretty much everything that involves being loud and outgoing for his year group,” she grinned. “Um...” she hesitated, before asking her next question. But it was something she wanted to know about, for all that her options were limited to the point of not existing at Sonora... And something that maybe Waverly would be better to talk to about than Alicia. Alicia was not a girl friend kind of friend. And if she was going to be dating Thad, Henny wasn't sure she really wanted to hear that much about it. “What's it like?” she asked, “Having a boyfriend, I mean.”

13 Henny B-F-R Well, we'd better stick together then 211 Henny B-F-R 0 5

Lucian D'Alesandro

May 08, 2013 1:33 PM

The party has arrived. by Lucian D'Alesandro

Lucian gave himself the once-over in the mirror. He sighed as he pushed his now overgrown brown hair back with his hand. He was suddenly aware of all of his faults and shortcomings. Wanting to look perfect for Clara, he tried to smooth out his stray hairs and made sure nothing gross was stuck between his teeth. Lucian wasn’t sure why, but all of a sudden he felt extremely self-conscious. He was usually a bit shy when it came to these kinds of events, but his date was his close friend Clara. Surely she would not be judging him, and she probably didn’t even like him as more than a friend. Clara was probably on her way to meet him, and he was leaning against his dresser contemplating if he should do what he intended to do.

After their picnic on the Pitch, Lucian found himself debating whether or not he did have a crush on his friend, or if the feelings he had were just out of friendship. He never had a friend who he was this close to before, and that fact that this friend was a girl made it complicated. He even made a chart of pros and cons of liking her in his notebook one day when he was daydreaming. It was hard for him to concentrate on anything else. Then there was the whole matter of his future betrothal to a girl who most likely would not be Clara. He kept the small hope that perhaps his mother did consider and select her, but his doubts remained greater than that hope.

Lucian sighed once more and walked over to his bed to retrieve the box containing his outfit for the evening. He took it out and began getting dressed. Clara’s aunt had done a good job on the outfits, for they looked pretty authentic. She was also able to send him the pantaloons that Clara preferred, which he was glad to have instead of the leggings. After fastening his doublet, Lucian placed the matching stiffened hat upon his head. Clara’s aunt had included it as a small surprise in the package she sent, along with a waist-length cape. He looked at himself in the mirror, and thought he resembled a handsome 16th century gentleman. The hunter green outfit with gold trim was definitely a good choice, for it made his green eyes stand out vibrantly.

He glanced quickly at another package that sat upon his bed before leaving. His mother had caught wind of his going to the ball with a date, thanks to his sister, and had taken it upon herself to send his dress robes. Lucian didn’t care necessarily what people thought about him, but dressing in this fashion did concern him a little. He just didn’t want anyone to give them a hard time, and he had to try to dodge his little sister as much as possible. Their outfits were already going to cause a scene, and he didn’t want Alex to create any more drama.

Finally, Lucian left the Aladren dormitory and headed towards the hall to meet Clara. He thought he was running late, but was surprised that she was not already there waiting for him. He waited for her a little off to the side, as to not attract too much attention, and let his mind wander. Lucian had been trying to work up the courage to ask Clara how she felt about him. He was rather curious, and thought it might help him understand how he was feeling as well. All he needed was the nerve and a few private moments alone with her.

A tap on his shoulder brought him back to reality and he turned to see Clara smiling at him in her 16th century gown. It took him a moment to answer as she turned for him to get a good look at her dress. “Um,” he began, stuttering a little, “You look...really pretty.” And he thought she really did, from the curls in her hair to the way she looked in the dress. Apparently the hunter green was a good color for both of them. Lucian took off his hat and bowed slightly, and with a “Milady” he offered Clara his arm and began walking towards the entrance of the hall.

0 Lucian D'Alesandro The party has arrived. 223 Lucian D'Alesandro 0 5

Clara Abernathy

May 08, 2013 5:25 PM

It most certainly has :) by Clara Abernathy

Clara giggled nervously at Lucian’s reply to her outfit. She’d never really been called pretty before by a boy and it felt pretty good. It also felt a little weird, mostly because despite Lucian being her closest friend she really did have a small crush on him. For as brave as she was she wasn’t certain she could tell him that in person. She knew that she would tell him the truth if he asked about it, but she wasn’t certain she would offer the information. She had been right about him looking handsome in the outfit and she was very glad that he got the pantaloons. Somehow she was pretty sure he wouldn’t have liked the leggings too much. She also liked his suggestion on the colors. The green and gold looked really good on both of them and really brought out his eyes. She really liked the hat that her aunt must have sent with the outfit. It looked really good with it. She tried not giggle when he removed the hat and gave her a small bow, which was followed by a formal Milady. She curtsied back and took his offered arm. He led them both to the doors of the hall and she followed him inside.

Walking inside on Lucian’s arm made Clara’s stomach flutter. She was soo excited she didn’t know what to do with herself and by how nervous Lucian appeared to be when she saw him, she figured he must feel the same way. She looked around in awe as she saw her house colors displayed everywhere. She had been ecstatic to hear that Pecari, her house, had won the house cup this year. She was a little surprised, but incredibly delighted. It felt really good to win it this time instead of Aladren. She would have been happy for them if they had won it as well, but it felt just a smidge better that her house had won it instead. She knew the Lucian was in Aladren and she really didn’t know how he felt about the whole thing. She made a mental note to ask him about it. She spotted Waverly at one of the tables with another girl she was a little familiar with and cheerfully waved hello to the pair. She wasn’t certain if either of them saw her since they seemed to be having fun talking with one another. She left them to their fun and walked with Lucian to a nearby table. At that point she wasn’t sure if he was leading her or she was leading him. She found an empty table and suggested they sit over there. “This looks good,” she stated taking a seat in one of the chairs.

She glanced down at the table and was delighted when a yearbook and plaque appeared on the table in front of them. She picked up the yearbook and flipped through it while the Headmistress made her announcements. Clara laid the book in her lap long enough to clap for the new Head Boy/Girl and the winning team for the challenges. She told herself at some point she would look for the list to see where her team actually placed. She went back to flipping through the yearbook as Derry and Regina started off the ball with the first dance and the food appeared on the table. She giggled and rolled her eyes when she discovered that she had once again been chosen for Most Talkative. She tried to stifle her laughter and surprise when she found her dates name under Biggest Flirt and Most Likely to become a Criminal. She glanced at him surprised and held out the book with the page already open. “What in the world could you possibly have done to be voted a Criminal?” she asked teasingly. “Biggest Flirt I can see, but Criminal?” She placed the open book on the table by him and shook her head. “That is just hysterical,” she commented laughing somewhat. “And soo untrue. The Most Serious vote makes sense because you definitely are that a lot of the time, but I can’t see how people could vote you for the Criminal thing. My cousin, yeah that I can see, but not you,” she told him. She closed the yearbook and placed it back over by the plaques they had gotten for participating in the challenges.

“I don’t know about you, but I am starving!” she half groaned trying to sound funny. She reached for one of the trays of ham and put a couple of slices on her plate. She followed that with mashed potatoes, gravy and peas. She sprinkled a little salt and pepper over it all and laid her napkin across her lap so she wouldn’t ruin her dress. Despite doing so she had a bad feeling she was gonna slop all over herself anyway. Sometimes she hated being soo klutzy. She picked up a couple of rolls from the tray near her and handed one to Lucian. “I thought you might like one,” she told him, as she waited for him to either take or not take the roll from her. She would have liked to say she didn’t know why she was being soo nervous around him, but the fact of the matter was she did know. She just wasn’t entirely sure whether or not he felt the same way.

0 Clara Abernathy It most certainly has :) 232 Clara Abernathy 0 5

Kate Bauer

May 08, 2013 5:41 PM

On to the party! by Kate Bauer

Even given the requirement for a good number of people from her age group, Kate had expected to have some trouble getting a date for the dance. Frankly, she had sort of expected to end up stealing someone else’s date for the mandatory first round and then stepping back to spend the rest of the evening…doing something, hanging out with people, she guessed. When Marcus had actually, apparently of his own free will, asked her to the Ball, then, it had been a surprise, if a welcome one. She had accepted at once.

Now, on the night itself, she was a little nervous. Not because she expected anything particularly romantic – she could hardly imagine ending up crazily in love and eloping like her mother over one evening – but because she was unsure of herself in the formal garb. She had been able to successfully argue that being nearly five-eight in her bare feet was a good reason for wearing pretty flat shoes, but she had quickly discovered that flat didn’t necessarily equal comfortable. She liked her dress – which was a fairly subdued, calf-length tribute to the twenties in aqua, more identifiable by the strands of glass beads she had wound around her neck than by her hair, since she could not get it curly enough to pass for bobbed and had so, unwilling to actually chop all her hair off, just put it up in a simple updo – and had reasoned that this was the last time she was going to be involved in anything remotely like this ever, but she still felt a little uncomfortable in the girly picture she presented.

Contrary to some appearances, Kate had actually no problems with conventional femininity in and of itself. Pink and kittens were both things she had a high level of appreciation for. She had spent as much time giggling and being silly with her older sister as any other girl when it had come to shopping for a gown over the spring holiday. For political reasons, though, mainly associated with mocking her stepfather and mother for being social climbers who actually thought what they were climbing to was a good thing, she had usually presented herself a little differently throughout school. It was why her sisters had always been a little distant with her at school and some people, no doubt, thought she and Sam were siblings instead of her, Rachel, and Alicia being sisters at all. Now, at the very end, she looked like Rachel Bauer’s sister, and she wasn’t completely sure how she felt about that.

That, though, wasn’t Marcus’ problem, so she smiled at his exaggerated bow and sort of gripped the sides of her skirt and bent her knees at the same time in place of a real curtsy. “Thanks,” she said. “So do you.” She especially appreciated that he was also tall, so at least proportionally, they should be able to dance together pretty well. She was pretty sure she was taller than Arnold Carey, which she thought might explain a few things, anyway.

“I am,” she said after he finished talking about corsages and offered her his arm. “And I don’t know if you were supposed to have one, either, but I forgive you your lack of corsage,” she added.

She let him pull out her chair and grinned when Marcus said he hoped she liked to dance. “Fortunately, the one decent thing I think my stepfather ever did was hire the dancing teacher for us that he did,” she said. “We occasionally got breaks from the stupid waltzes and stuff.” She glanced around the room, taking in the Pecari décor and the other people’s outfits and dates and stuff. “Depending on how many moves you’ve got, we also all had to take gymnastics, but I should warn you that I was, uh, always more enthusiastic than skilled at that.” Alicia had been better and Rachel the best at that particular skill, but Kate had liked it even though she spent more time falling off stuff than flying through the air.

The headmistress began her speech, Kate applauding along in appropriate places. “I think everybody my little sister knows except for me and her was on a winning team,” Kate commented after the challenge team winners were announced. “Hope she’s not taking it too hard. Are you pretty okay with how things worked out for your team?” Kate guessed she was fine with how things had gone for team three – at least they hadn’t violently imploded or anything, or gotten, as a random page-opening when it first appeared had lead her to believe had happened to her sister, into any conflicts that led to her being declared Worst Enemies with one of her teammates – but she didn’t know, maybe Marcus was super-competitive, or had thought his group had had a really good shot at doing better.

16 Kate Bauer On to the party! 170 Kate Bauer 0 5

Charlie B-F-R

May 08, 2013 5:53 PM

Not on a date with Julian by Charlie B-F-R

Fashion was everything, as far as Charlie was concerned. It was life. He lived it, breathed it, slept it. Clothes were the most important thing on the planet. Second only to people wearing them. Thus as Julian stood before him in robes which were undeniably, a bold shade of blue (and he had recommended bold colours) but which were decidedly last season, he beamed at her.

“Totally gorgeous,” he grinned, “And you'll be even better when I'm done with you. I'm so glad you agreed to let me help!” he beamed as they sat in the common room. He was entirely ready for the ball and was now preparing to help her with her hair and make-up.

Once he'd found out she was wearing royal blue, he had ordered his robes in bright purple. Matching was a bit cheesy, even if you were on a date – he far preferred complimenting colours. Purple suited this season's trend for bright colours and was a nice summery choice. His robes had a broad collar and cuffs in a slightly darker tone. In the run up to the ball, Charlie had attempted various things with his floppy blond hair. He had settled on (and thoroughly practised) charming it up into a little quiff. He hadn't been totally sure to start with but he felt he had to do something different for the ball. The quiff definitely worked better than anything else but he wasn't going to be adopting it as his every day style.

“Ok, just one more thing and you're ready to go,” he smiled, once her hair was done. “I-I made you this,” he said, holding out the corsage he'd been working on. It had made sense, after how they'd discussed their outfits together, that he should get her one – after all, he knew exactly what she'd be wearing. But he was suddenly aware how date-like it made the situation seem. He didn't think Julian would take it the wrong way though. After all, it was him. He doubted any girl would ever take anything as coming the wrong way from him.

“I charmed it,” he explained, “See what happens when you move your wrist...” The corsage would leave a little trail of sparkles through the air whenever it moved. Charlie hoped she liked it. He had initially wanted to bling it up with a lot of rhinestones as well but when he'd talked to Henny about his ideas he had ended up realising that might not really be Julian's taste. His conversations with her regarding hair and make up had led him to think she liked to keep things toned-down so he hoped she wouldn't find it too much.

“Décor-wise, Pecari really is the worst house to win,” he sighed, as they entered the hall and he took in the abundance of brown, “Unless it was announced in autumn. I mean, it's all very nicely done it's just such a dark colour.” He settled down at a table, studying the centre pieces more closely.

“That's my sister!” he commented, probably unnecessarily, as Henny went up on stage to collect her award for coming third. He was a little sorry that their team hadn't placed because he thought they had been rather good, and that Marcus deserved it, but he had had fun and that was good enough for him. He just hoped it was true of the rest of his team.

“It's cool that we all get one,” Charlie smiled, holding up his plaque. “Oooh, look – we're creative!” he grinned, having flicked through the yearbook on the hunt for appearances by himself and Julian.

OOC – the parts about Julian were written having consulted her author. Hopefully I got them right but I am happy to be corrected if not.

13 Charlie B-F-R Not on a date with Julian 252 Charlie B-F-R 0 5

Keme RunningBear

May 08, 2013 10:12 PM

Trying to fit in by Keme RunningBear

Keme had done what his mother had asked of him and had obtained a date for the ball. He really didn’t know Willow at all, so he was not sure how this evening would pan out for the two of them. If nothing else, he hoped that they could have a quiet evening together without any drama. He knew that she had friends, so he might have to endure chitter chatter between them in they all sit together, but he figured that was acceptable. After sharing room with Rajid, who was equally quiet, sometimes Keme found himself wishing for noise.

At least he knew how to dance. Probably not in the traditional way of ballroom dancing that he was sure Willow would know how to do, but he could get by. He was a fast learner. He missed the tribe community dances that they would have. Not the tribal ceremonies as those were a spiritual celebration between his people. But they had normal dances too. He wasn’t the best, but he could manage and he thought that it could even be fun. Unless Willow didn’t want to dance and then Keme would have to do his best to make polite conversation with her for the entire evening… he wasn’t sure if that was possible.

Keme waited at the entrance to the hall for his date to appear. He hoped she wasn’t expecting too much from him. He asked her to join him this evening, but beyond casual conversation and some dances, Keme wasn’t offering more. He wasn’t suggesting that she thought they were actually on a date date, but Keme knew the girls from his home and they tended to exaggerate things when it came to the boys. It was weird and it made Keme uncomfortable.

But he really shouldn’t be thinking about that. It wasn’t nice to think negatively about an evening that hasn’t even started yet.

He stood with his shaggy black slicked back and his equally black dress robes pressed neatly. He felt silly for wearing the robes as robes were not really something that he needed to wear back home, but at least he looked like he fit in with everyone else. It was a little surreal to see everyone dressed up in their best and wandering around together. It almost made it seem like it was out of a story book.

Keme noticed Willow and moved around the people to reach her side. “Good Evening.” Keme greet with a small, but polite bow and offering her his arm. “You look pretty.” It was probably a compliment that she expected because, well, it was expected, but it didn’t make it any less true or appropriate. “Are you ready for the evening’s affair?” He asked her, still rather awkward about the idea of small talk.

6 Keme RunningBear Trying to fit in 249 Keme RunningBear 0 5

Eliza Bennett

May 08, 2013 11:29 PM

Amazing Alliterations Awes the Amiable by Eliza Bennett

Eliza preferred to wear red to all of her really important occasions, but she thought she was doing an especially good job of it tonight. The thing she had been going for was simplicity. Her dress robes had a fairly modest neckline, but, combined with her very tightly done hairstyle, still managed to show off a bit of shoulder and her neck to good effect, and the single, mid-size ruby she wore on a silver chain around her neck was the only gemstone she wore. Her earrings were just a small, if elegantly detailed, pair of white gold hoops. Her shoes were strappy and silver, with high heels. Her face was immaculately made up, the focus going to her eyes and lips. It had taken forever to do, and she had had to start over three times when she got her face makeup too pale, but finally, at last, she had been satisfied with the effect.

She just hoped that all these preparations didn’t make her look utterly mismatched with her date. One day, Eliza was quite sure they would all be hearing from James Owen – he was, she thought, the type like her great-grandfather, the kind who didn’t really grasp the concept of a ‘hierarchical society’ and was maybe smart enough to get away with it, Aladrens tended toward the type – and would cheerfully do business with him on that day, and planned to maintain at least civil relations to the extent James would until then, but the fact was that he wasn’t good-looking or usually well-dressed. He couldn’t help either of those things, but they were still true nevertheless. They might end up looking like a joke, and she, at least, would not be amused by any comments others saw fit to make on the subject. She didn’t really think James would, either.

She was more than a little relieved, then, when she took in what he was wearing, even though it was a little more businesslike than ball-like. He was presentable, that was thing, so they wouldn’t have the problem of looking like a joke.

“Good evening,” she replied, and listened too to the headmistress’ speech, putting her hands together a few times when it was necessary to be polite. All of it seemed a little distant now, honestly, with the end of her time here, with most of the people, so near at hand.

She raised one eyebrow a very small amount when James didn’t actually ask her to dance with him, but knew better than to be surprised and curtsied very properly before they began the dance. She smiled a little, though, at his remark. “I’m glad to hear my dancing skills are up to par,” she said lightly. “Does that mean I might be able to convince you out onto the floor again before the night’s over?” She had always enjoyed dancing and so hoped to get in more than just the first turn around the floor with the other prefects.

0 Eliza Bennett Amazing Alliterations Awes the Amiable 174 Eliza Bennett 0 5

Addison Thornton

May 09, 2013 1:35 PM

And still have begged for more... by Addison Thornton

Addison knew the ball was getting closer and closer, but she also knew that because of the number of siblings she had it was silly to try to ask her Mother for something to wear to the ball. There was much more important things to use their money for and she knew it. Instead of begging her Mom to send her a dress, the resourceful 6th year fixed her dress robes to be something she could wear to the ball. After all, she didn’t have a date, so what did it really matter to dress up like a princes. She’d changed a pair of her older school robes from last year into a medium shade of green by the bottom, lightening as it went up, bordering on a mint color towards the top. Then she made the size of it just slightly smaller. The last time she’d needed dress robes she’d been a much bigger size. Sure, she wouldn’t consider herself skinny, but she wouldn’t say she was all sorts of fat either. Her robes weren’t anything special, but she’d worked hard on them and she was actually sort of proud of her artistic ability at that point. Now… To try something else? Or not to try something else, that is the question… she thought as she brushed out her long red hair. Wait… I don’t need to add anything to the dress robes… I can add to my hair! she thought as she twisted her hair into a really pretty updo and added the nice shiny golden star clip into the mix to hold her hair together. She finished it off with bobby pins and when she looked in the mirror, she smiled at herself. I actually look good… I’m pretty, I really am… she thought to herself, grinning from ear to ear.

Arista had bought her a little bit of makeup for her birthday, so Addison looked at it nervously. She wasn’t so good at makeup, never had been, but she was going to try. “Blush…” she said, opening it up, and getting a little bit of the powder onto the brush before wiping it across her cheeks like Bri had shown her. “Lipstick…” she said as she pursed her lips together to apply the brownish shade atop her lips before looking at the last thing in the pile. “Eyeliner…” At this, Addison sighed. As much as Bri had shown her eyeliner, she was worried trying to put anything near her eyes, so she just put that away and told herself she was ready.

Everyone else had left before her from their room, which she was glad for. Addi didn’t want everyone looking at her while she got ready. As much exercising as she’d been doing and the bit of weight she’d lost so far on her journey still didn’t help her self esteem and she still wasn’t a fan of people watching her change and all that. But, as ready as she’d ever be, the Teppenpaw left her room and went down to the Hall. When she opened the main doors to the room, she saw that the room was very different than normal with the setup, the band in place of the staff table and a large dance floor. The tables were decked out in Pecari colors, which told her that Pecari had won the house cup this year and she smiled for her sister and cousin. She was glad that they won, but she wished it had been Teppenpaw, for Arista’s sake. At least Sophie won, right? she thought to herself as she saw Josephine walk over to her. She wanted to hug her best friend and tell her how pretty she looked when she asked what she thought, but Professor Kijewski-Jareau started to talk to them so she kept her mouth shut for the moment.

Miss Diaz was leaving, and as sad as it was for some students, her leaving wasn’t nearly as upsetting as Professor Crosby’s! Addison missed her favorite professor and made a mental note to send her a letter asking about her and the baby. Joining in the applause for their librarian, Addi turned when their headmistress continued on about Derry and Reggie. Addi paused when she realized what had just happened. Not only did her best friend not get Head Girl, her roommate did who seemed to not like her. Addi sighed though, making a note to congratulate the new Head Boy and Girl anyway. She clapped, mostly for Derry, as she glanced at Josephine to show her that she’d voted for her, no doubt she knew, but it was worth it to try anyway in case her friend was upset about it…

Headmistress Kijewski-Jareau went on about the Challenges and that they’d each be getting a plaque along with the year’s yearbook (which showed up on the tables in front of them). When she went on about the winners having a trophy in the trophy room, Addison sighed, knowing full well that her team wouldn’t be the winners and that it had probably been her fault that Arista hadn’t won anything in her final year.

Team One, Analea’s team had gotten third place overall and Addi cheered for Ana, though Ana ducked down beside her plate and hid her head next to who she assumed was her best friend, Rory. Addi had heard her sister mention Rory, but she’d never met the girl. Addi cheered softly for the five winning teams and watched as they all went up for their trophies. When it was mentioned that the team ranking list would be posted by the end of the night, Addi moaned gently, guessing that her team was somewhere towards the bottom…

When the announcements were over and Prefects and Head Students were asked to lead off the night, she quickly whispered to Josephine, “I think you look really pretty! I really like your dress. Is that the one you did yourself?” she asked, waiting for the answer before she spoke again, but also whispered, “I know you have to go and start the dancing, but if you want, you can come back after… I would really like to talk to you and all, but I understand if you can’t… You’re here with Sully…”

0 Addison Thornton And still have begged for more... 190 Addison Thornton 0 5

Julian Umland

May 09, 2013 1:43 PM

Just here with Charlie. by Julian Umland

In the end, Julian couldn’t help feeling a little self-conscious about her secondhand dress, but overall, she thought she was going to do as well as she possibly could at an occasion which involved dancing. This was mostly due to Charlie, and she was grateful enough to only spare a single thought for how funny life was. One of the things she had been worried about when she arrived at Sonora had been how she would get along with other girls and whether she would be any good at talking about clothes and doing hair and stuff after growing up with nothing but brothers, and instead, she had ended up doing all those things with a boy.

“Thank you so much,” she said, almost feeling a little giddy over everything.

She blushed a little, though, when he gave her the corsage; after he’d already gone to the trouble of doing something with her hair and was apparently planning to risk life and limb dancing with her, she sort of felt like accepting anything else was pushing against a limit. “You didn’t have to do that,” she said as she took the fabric flowers a little awkwardly. She slipped it onto her wrist and did a small double take at the sparkles as he explained he had charmed it. “I’m sure Professor Olivers will love it,” she joked and smiled. “And I do, too. Thank you.”

In the Hall, she had to agree about brown being awfully dark for a midsummer color. Though….”All the Houses really have sort of dark colors,” she mused. “Even we have maroon, too. I guess they weren’t thinking about coordinating Houses with seasons when they assigned the colors or anything.” She had no idea what she was talking about, but thought it sort of made sense. Anyway, she guessed Charlie would know and tell her if she was wrong and maroon or navy or deep red really were summer colors.

There were a lot of announcements, and Julian grinned and applauded a little more enthusiastically when Charlie pointed out his sister on the third-place team. She, too, was interested in the yearbook, and it kept her from looking at the prefects dancing with enviable competence, so she flipped through that as well. “We are?” she said, looking over Most Creative and, sure enough, finding herself there. She thought about that title for a moment and decided she liked that, though she wasn't sure what she, at least, had done to earn it. Maybe it was just by association? "You're definitely an artist," she said, looking again at the corsage. "I'm just glad I didn't get - I don't know - Most Dazed and Confused," she said. "Or the criminal one," she added with a giggle. "It's all for fun, but still, I'd love trying to explain that one to my mom."

16 Julian Umland Just here with Charlie. 254 Julian Umland 0 5

Solomon Bensalem

May 09, 2013 3:11 PM

I'm a disappointment... (Angel/Jude) by Solomon Bensalem

Solomon knew that he had disappointed his village while there at Sonora. His grades steadily got worse and worse until he was barely passing anything at all. When he had written home to Grandfather about needing a dress robe for the ball, not only did grandfather not send one, but in its place there was a howler. That was how he knew. It didn't scream, but the sadness in his grandfather's tone told volumes.

Solomon, you have disgraced your village and your family with your grades at school. Not only am I not sending you dress robes, or anything for the occasion, but when you return home for Summer, you will not be leaving us again. Clearly I cannot trust you to send you out into the world without making mistake after mistake, so my trust you have lost as well as your freedoms. You will do just as the Elders say. I wash my hands of it.

The letter was not signed, but Solomon recognized the swirly letters of his grandfather and sighed deeply. The third year Crotalus boy knew that not only was he the laughing-stock of his village, but he was about to be of his school as well. More-so even than the time when he'd screamed like a girl when he thought the bubbles would hurt him. Now he was going to have to go to the ball in his school robes. Maybe I can get out of going? he thought to himself before sighing again, knowing that he had a better chance of being bit by the Angel Island Rattlesnake, (that he feared more than anything else) right there at school than being told he could skip the Midsummer Event.

Solomon crawled into his bed and even covered his head with his blanket as he wondered if he'd go to sleep and wake up when the Ball was over. That way he would not have to face the laughter of mean and rude people like Carrie O'Malley.

"If it wasn't for people like Angel, I would think the whole world was rotten, like Carrie..." he said into the darkness, just before he fell into a deep sleep.

**********************************

Solomon woke up the day of the Ball and uncovered his face from his blanket to reveal the light slightly making it into his room. I didn't miss today... he thought. Merlin, I had hoped I would... he added to himself. He knew he had to get up and do something in the hopes that he wouldn't be laughed at for being in his school robes instead of dress ones. But his grades were failing in all facets and he was 99.9 percent sure that any attempt at fixing the robes to look like dress robes would ruin them as a whole.

The tall and skinny caramel colored Crotalus hung up his robes, pulled out his wand and said, "Diffindo!" thinking that was the spell to change its color. He watched in horror as holes appeared all over his robes. His face fell.

Oh no! I really have ruined it... Just like I thought I would! He thought, panic rising, turning his cheeks an even brighter shade of pink.

"Now what?!" he said, aloud into the open room.

He wasn't surprised when the air around him didn't answer, but moaned and put his holey robes back on and combed his caramel brown mess down as best as he could. All I need to do is find Angel, he can fix me... he thought, pulling himself together enough to walk out of his room, Crotalus Commons and out into the rest of the school heading to Cascade Hall.

He saw the stares and heard the laughter at his mess of a robe and searched quickly for his friend (and probably his only one, at that) so Angel could fix him. Almost running to the albino, Solomon looked at him, a pleading look in his eyes. "Help!" he begged his friend, not realizing that Angel was actually not alone right away.

His caramel cheeks turned a warm shade of pink. "I am SO sorry! I didn't realize that you were here with a young lady!" Solomon added, a small bow towards the girl with him. "You've chosen a wonderful date." He added to her, nodding his head before looking back down at the holes in his robes. Can I just melt into the floor? he added to himself.

Solomon moaned lightly and waited to see what happened next. He really hoped Angel and his friend wouldn't mind that he had been rude and interrupted them. The last thing he needed was another reason for the Elders to be disappointed in him!

0 Solomon Bensalem I'm a disappointment... (Angel/Jude) 0 Solomon Bensalem 0 5

Aria

May 09, 2013 10:00 PM

I think you're doing fine by Aria

Aria watched him for a moment, her head tilting slightly to the side like a small animal would if they were trying to understand something, and watched him with her large blue eyes. When he started to dancing, Aria broke out in laughter. She was not judging his dancing technique because, quite frankly, she didn’t know what was good and what was bad, she was laughing over the fact that he didn’t seem to have any issue with dancing in the middle of the isle between tables for all to see instead of on the dance floor. Rupert would be the sort who would fit right in back home.

Home…. She had missed it. The thought of it returned her to her original thoughts about leaving. Although, this time, it was only a vague thought as she was still amused by the boy in front of her, who seemed to be trying to keep her inside the hall. She still didn’t quite understand why he was choosing to stay with her instead of with his friends, or with a date of his own, but she couldn’t really deny the fact that she was intrigued and really did want to experience something positive about this evening.

She returned to watching him for a moment as she thought over his proposal. In all honesty, being embarrassed was still a new emotion for her. She did not enjoy it. But she didn’t think she would be embarrassed because of someone else. Really, the feeling come when someone was making fun of her directly. That brought on shame and Aria never wanted to feel that. Her parents always taught her to hold her head high and be proud of who she was and who she would become. It was just difficult when it was so obvious that no one else agreed.

“I do not think that you would be embarrassing me.” She commented slowly. Taking his hand, Aria gave him a smile. “But I would enjoy a dance or two.” Turning, she put her yearbook and plaque down at a nearby table and headed towards the dance floor.

6 Aria I think you're doing fine 0 Aria 0 5

Brianna

May 09, 2013 10:33 PM

I think I need another re-write. by Brianna

Brianna wished she could run away or take back everything she had just said. She didn’t understand why she had to be so weird about everything! She knew that she liked Linus. It wasn’t the same sort of crush she had with Michael, but she felt it was better that way. Michael had been an unknown, a mystery. She had these ideas of him that ended up being false. Linus was someone she knew and someone she trusted. He may not have always been the nicest (whether aware of it or not), but she felt he always had good intentions.

She knew as soon as she requested some time that he was not happy. She had disappointed him like everyone else. Why did she have to make things so difficult on herself? Why couldn’t she just say what she wanted to and be happy? She wanted to go out with him. The idea of him wanting it was surprising, but she wanted to jump for joy and squeal about it to Valerie like girls were supposed to. She wanted to do that. But for some reason that Brianna couldn’t explain, but had to resist the urge to bang her head against a wall for, she was terrified of doing that. As though, by embracing it, would rip it all away from her. And now, because of her fear, Linus was probably angry with her.

She had meant it when she said she just needed time to adjust. The only kind of physical touch or attention she had ever received from the opposite sex had been through violence. Sometimes, when she closed her eyes, she could still feel them pressed against her, their lips forced onto her mouth. In those moments, she couldn’t breathe, paralyzed by her own fear even knowing it wasn’t real. That was her issue. She didn’t know how to transition away from that and into something warm. She didn’t know how to accept Linus’s advances without fear.

“Okay. We can do that.” She agreed, if only because that was the only option he seemed to want to give her now. She had ruined it. On impulse, Brianna reached out and touched his hand, but removed it after a slight hesitation. “I’m sorry I’m so complicated.” Complicated was a nice way of putting it. “I’m really trying to fix myself. If I can do that, I’ll be better for you and, you know, be able to go on a date with you or however it works. “

She felt foolish for saying anything at all. Talking about one’s shortcomings probably wasn’t the best thing to do, especially since she doubted Linus wanted to still go out with her. She just thought she needed to explain herself a little. She was the problem. Not him. She was the broken one who flinched at the idea of touching or was scared that a kiss from someone would hurt her again. She didn’t have the right to pull Linus into all that when she wasn’t ready. She needed to fix herself so that she could be a good person to him.

“Do you want to dance?” She asked, hoping to change the subject and maybe forget this conversation for a little while. “I mean, if you don’t mind helping me.”

0 Brianna I think I need another re-write. 0 Brianna 0 5

Amira Thornton

May 10, 2013 11:39 AM

You'll fit here... I hope. by Amira Thornton

Amira had spoken to Sophie and her current Captain agreed with the Coach on who should be appointed her assistant for next year. The current fifth year was surprised, she wouldn’t lie to herself, that both of them had so much respect for Jade to put her in the position to run the team when she left. But if they see it, maybe I’m just missing it. I’m going to listen to them. she thought as she walked downstairs in her dress robes she’d changed to be the Pecari Colors. She had House Pride, that was for sure. She only hoped that Jade wouldn’t ruin it when she left.

Opening the large doors into the room, her smile widened when she saw the room had looked like it had thrown up Pecari House. “YES! That must mean we won the House Cup!” she said, to nobody in particular as she walked in and spotted her target. Jade was wearing a blouse and sweater vest with shorts, ankle boots and a tiara. Mir did a double take and wondered why in the world she would leave her team to someone who would wear that to a ball. Jade sat down in an empty seat and Amira followed her, just in time to hear Jade moan and complain to bring the food out already. Jade sent her a mischievous wink and she sat down next to her rival seeker.

The new Pecari Captain listened to their Headmistress give all the end of year announcements, clapped for their leaving Librarian and then for their new Head Boy and Girl. Then the Challenges were mentioned and their plaques and yearbooks appeared in front of them and the top five teams were called up for trophies. When Team One was called up for third place and they were allowed to cheer, she cheered loudly for her sister who she noticed hid beside her roommate and she hoped that Rory would push her to go up. Mira knew Analea hated everyone looking at her and was very self conscious about her lisp, but she also wanted her to grow to realize that not everyone was mean like the kids at their old school were to her. The Prefects and Head students were called up to lead off the night and Amira took this time to look at Jade and speak.

“Jade. I know we’ve never really gotten along, and I’m not saying that is any one of our faults more than the other, by any means. But, as Pecari’s new Captain I’d like to give you a chance for something. You have been suggested to be my Assistant Captain next year and as much as I know we don’t get along, I want to give you a chance to do such.” Amira watched Jade’s reaction and waited to see what would happen next.

OOC: Sophie’s author and I have discussed this, and she has given the okay for this, so this is not godmodding. She has said she will reply to the thread in Pecari as soon as she could with this information as well.

0 Amira Thornton You'll fit here... I hope. 208 Amira Thornton 0 5

Wendy

May 10, 2013 11:44 AM

Time for a break? by Wendy

Carter’s reaction to the spontaneous twirl was so funny Wendy almost doubled over laughing. She made it through the dance with only spurts of laughter before laughing until there were tears in her eyes. “Sorry, that was just really funny,” she said, still giggling and trying not to accidentally snort. She did anyway and it started up another fit of laughter. A couple minutes later, she was easing herself back down, her face flushed and her eyes bright. “Sorry Carter, I wasn’t just laughing at you. It was just so funny.” She wiped her eyes and shook her head at him, still smiling. “This isn’t playing, this is smoothing down. Girls have longer hair that goes everywhere.” She pulled down the tips of her blonde hair with her fingers and it came down to her chin. It wasn’t really that long, but it was long enough that it got messed up easily. “And anyway, girls have nicer hair than boys so we always want to touch it.” She smiled. “Lead the way, kind sir.”

The next dance was also spontaneous, as was the next and the one after that. By their fourth dance, Wendy was getting tired. She wasn’t used to so much dancing in one shot. When the fourth song ended, she sighed. “Can we take a break?” she asked. “I’m dying for some water.” One thing her parents had been strict on was the amount of water the girls were supposed to drink to stay hydrated. It was easy to suffer from a heatstroke in Arizona, especially in the summer and especially when camping or hiking, so from the very beginning Wendy had always drunk a lot of water. It was time to refill.

There was water at their table and she gulped it down in one go. She had been thirstier than she’d realized. “I don’t think we’ve actually danced the dances you’ve taught me yet,” she said with a smile. “But I don’t even care. It’s been a lot of fun. Are all balls usually this fun?” She knew Carter was the sort of boy who was from a richer family and who went to balls like these. If he didn’t go, then maybe he knew about it from his family. Either way, Wendy had decided that if all balls were this fun, then she wanted to have a ball one day for her birthday or something. It was just convenient here that so many of the students knew how to ballroom dance. It was impressive, actually. None of her friends at home knew how to ballroom dance. She wasn’t even sure if her parents knew how.

0 Wendy Time for a break? 0 Wendy 0 5

Charlie B-F-R

May 10, 2013 11:53 AM

Just?! You wound me! by Charlie B-F-R

“I enjoyed doing it,” Charlie smiled, when Julian told him he needn't have charmed her the corsage. And it was the truth. Whilst working on that and helping her with hair and make-up were, in some ways, favours he was doing her, they were also the things he really enjoyed doing with his time, so he didn't feel at all hard done by. Quite the opposite, in fact. Before they'd even got down to the ball, he'd already been having a whale of a time.

“Hmm, are you suggesting that the founders of this school did not have suitably fashionable seasonal rotations on their minds when setting things up?” he asked, when she noted that most of the houses had dark colours, “Tut tut. What could they have been thinking of?” he joked. “Although we could have had some nice sunshine yellow about if we'd won.

“I know what you mean,” he nodded, when she mentioned how glad she was that the yearbook hadn't turned up anything awkward for her. “I'm not sure my Father's going to be best pleased about me being class clown,” he noted, reviewing his own awards. “He used to be librarian here,” he added, unsure whether he had mentioned this to Julian before (although he was fairly sure he had), “And he's quite serious. I don't think he'll be pleased if I thinks I've been rude to staff. But I haven't been – like you say, it's just silly – so maybe he won't really take any notice.” He could only hope. And, whilst Father could be serious and was usually the one who told them when enough was enough, he wasn't really strict, and Charlie was perfectly certain he'd never seen him get cross. He brushed the worry aside as quickly as it had occurred. Dwelling on things didn't make you a divinator, so he'd just have to see when he got home. In the meantime, there was dinner and a dance to enjoy.

He watched the prefects and head students leading the dance, some looking more enthused, some looking like they had forgotten about this duty until the last minute. He surveyed the sea of swirling robes. Many of those dancing might have been glad to know he was too busy appraising these to take much note of their footwork.

“I can't wait until it's our turn!” he grinned at Julian. Although, having just watched the prefects gliding (to a greater or lesser degree) through a formal, couply dance, he didn't want to give Julian the wrong impression, and so hastened to add “I mean, I don't really know how to do fancy proper dances like all the society types who take classes. I just hope they play something lively enough for us to have a bit of a boogie, and maybe do a shade or two better than our dolls did in Charms,” he laughed, helping himself to some salmon and salad which had appeared as the senior students made their way back to their seats.

“So, do you have much planned for the summer?” he asked her.

13 Charlie B-F-R Just?! You wound me! 252 Charlie B-F-R 0 5

Arista Thornton

May 10, 2013 1:52 PM

Accepting the offer by Arista Thornton

Arista was in shock. The RATs were over and she was almost positive that she’d done pretty well on them and now it was time for the ball. Her last hoorah, this was it. Oh… My…Goodness… she thought. Merlin’s Beard… This is it… she looked at herself in the mirror in the Graduation present that Aunt Charlotte had sent for her. It was a flowy gown in a pretty shade of royal purple with gold trimmings. Along with the dress, Aunt Charlotte had sent her a note in an envelope which also held a small gold locket shaped like a heart. There were not pictures inside it, not just yet, but the note said she should use it for a picture of herself and the person she marries. Then Aunt Charlotte went on to tell her that the locket actually belonged to her great-great grandmother originally and never before had the locket held pictures. Why is Aunt Charlotte giving this to me? Not to her own daughter? she thought, vowing to ask her when they all got to London.

Ris felt very pretty in her ball gown and locket and actually felt like a princess for the first time ever. Sure, she was the oldest and everything she ended up with was new to begin with, but with this many younger siblings she’d never had anything this pretty before in her life! Her makeup and hair was done, and she had a smile on her face that could have lit up a whole third world country.

She walked into the Hall, and looked at it all decked out in Pecari colors. Rista sighed, knowing full well that meant that she hadn’t won a blast ended thing this year. I look pretty. I look pretty. she repeated to herself over and over again. Headmistress Kijewski-Jareau smiled at them and told them all the announcements including their leaving Librarian and the entering Head Boy and Girl. When applause was appropriate, she did so and when the Challenges were spoke about, Ris sighed, knowing Team 12 hadn’t won anything. The yearbook and their plaques appeared in front of them and as the rest of the announcements were spoken, she wondered where she’d be at in there this year…

When Analea’s team, Team One was called for third place and cheering would happen, she cheered for her sister who she knew was uncomfortable. When Prefects and Head students were called to lead off the night, she was fully expecting just to watch all of them dance, sitting in her seat, and was pleasantly surprised to hear someone ask her to dance this one with him.

Slightly shocked, she looked up to see David Wilkes asking her to dance. “Oh… Sure.” she said with a grin on her face. Does he like me? Does he think I’m pretty? Or did he just need a dance partner? she wondered, but didn’t really care. I HAVE A DANCE PARTNER! she finished with a grin as she stood up. “Shall we?” she asked him.

0 Arista Thornton Accepting the offer 0 Arista Thornton 0 5

David Wilkes

May 10, 2013 2:58 PM

I am most obliged. by David Wilkes

In a class as small as his, David was sure adults expected that everyone already knew everyone else extremely well. Logically, this made sense. Practically, however, it didn’t really work out like that, and he knew it wasn’t just that he had somewhat less than stellar social skills, because his sister Annabeth had confirmed for him that even in her AP group of nine, there had been definite factions and people who spent virtually no one-on-one time together, despite the united front presented to the rest of their high school. Sub-groups were a fact of life.

Because of this, David tried not to feel vaguely bad about not really knowing Arista Thornton as anything other than “someone with a lot of siblings” and “one of the more persistent Teppenpaw Quidditch players.” Given his religion and the team he played for, he could even construct those observations as compliments. It was a little artificial, given that he had never thought of either thing in those terms before, so it didn’t work as far as making him feel a bit less like a jerk, but it was a valid point, he thought.

“Absolutely,” he replied to her inquiry, grinning in relief himself. Then, “Is this a bad time to mention I basically have no idea how to dance?”

He was not sure how she would take that. Obviously, Arista was from some kind of magical family, but she played Quidditch, so on the basis of what he knew, she probably wasn’t from the particularly uptight kind of family. This did not, however, mean that she would not expect him to know waltzing and stuff, though these were not skills which were generally expected of someone in his position back home. His sisters had both taken dance lessons, Annabeth a frankly ridiculous amount and eventually to the point of competitive clogging, but his parents had tried in vain to get him to play baseball at the same time before giving up and letting him spend his summers at science camps instead, building robots and electric cars and making chemical mixtures turn weird colors and mastering the beginning of the more advanced parts of using a computer and, last summer, looking down at half-frozen specimens of drosophila melanogaster like a sadistic minor deity through microscopes to learn to tell the males from the females. Dancing had just never entered his mind, and if it had entered his parents' minds, it had almost certainly been connected with the devout hope that it never entered his.

Now, though, was not then, and the music was starting, so he was going to do what he did not really do best but certainly had plenty of practice with: he was going to make it up and hope for the best.

16 David Wilkes I am most obliged. 169 David Wilkes 0 5

Carter Browning

May 10, 2013 3:38 PM

Your wish is my command by Carter Browning

Carter really wasn’t offended by Wendy’s laughter. His reaction to the twirl really had been quite funny. He really couldn’t blame her for laughing. “Its alright,” he assured her laughing with her. “I did almost faceplant back there didn’t I?” He shook his head at his own fancy foot work. He still wasn’t offended when she continued to laugh. Even if it was somewhat at his expense. He was just glad she was having a good time. He shook his head patiently when she explained that she wasn’t “playing” with her hair, per say, she was merely smoothing it out. “Girls have more hair than boys” she kindly explained. “It gets messed up more easily.” He merely nodded at her explanation. ‘If you say so. I yield to your expertise,” he told her, raising his hands momentarily in mock surrender before going back to dancing with her. By the fourth song he could tell she was getting pretty tired. By the time she was asking for a break he was ready for one himself.

“Sounds like a great plan,” he agreed, leading them back to their table. He pulled out her seat and waited for her to sit before returning to his seat next to her. He poured her a glass of water before pouring some for himself. His mother would have been proud to know that her son had at least some manners. While he drank his water Wendy had asked if all balls were this much fun. Carter brought the glass up to his parched lips and took a long drink before replying. “It depends on what or whom the ball is for,” he replied diplomatically. “Some of them are frightfully dull while others are half way decent. I’ve been to very few that were as fun as this one,” he told her grinning. “Of-course that was probably because I hadn’t had as fun of a companion for those as I have for this one,” he told her. He actually meant that too. He had never had as much fun at the other balls (Effie’s not included) as he was having at this one with Wendy. He would be having a party over the summer for his birthday that he really would like her to attend. Since he wasn’t sure if he would be able to write her over the summer (he was terrible at writing letters) he figured he would ask her now while they were in the same room together.

“Hey Wendy,” he began still holding onto his water glass. “My parents are throwing a party for me over the summer for my birthday. I would really like it if you could come,” he finished simi-nervously. He wasn’t sure if she would be busy for the summer and be able to come or not, but he at least had to ask. It really wouldn’t be much of a party without her there.

0 Carter Browning Your wish is my command 236 Carter Browning 0 5

Regina Parker

May 11, 2013 4:52 PM

A Belle for the Ball by Regina Parker

Reggie was so excited for the ball. The first time she had gone, it had been with her friends. Derry had been with whatever her name was back then. If Demetra had stayed around Sonora, Reggie half believed that the two of them would have dated, maybe even done one of those social Pureblood things and become betrothed like Fae and Arnold were. Those were weird thoughts to have. He couldn’t imagine Derry ever being betrothed or living a normal Pureblood life. But there was and always had been a real possibility of that occurring. Of course, a year ago, she hadn’t thought that this is where she’d end up being. She wasn’t complaining though. The transition from best friends to a couple had been infinitely smoother than Reggie would have realized it to be.

Now that her sixth year was coming to a close, Reggie was happy that such a great year was ending with a fancy ball. Reggie had picked out three dressed and bought them all because she hadn’t figured out which one she wanted to wear. One of the dresses was a cream colored strapless dress. It had a wrap top and a flow skirt that only went down to her mid-thigh. She didn’t think it was entirely appropriate for this affair. The second one was a vibrant blue with a black lacy net thing that went over it, giving it a bit of a rocker feel to it. This one also ended a couple of inches above her knee. She really liked this dress, but it seemed too rocker for the evening. The third and final dress was like a mix of the first two. It had elegance with a bit of edge in it. Plus, it was floor length. The base of the dress was white. It had a swoop neck line and was made of a light material. Then, it was as though a black sequin was oozing from the center of her core. Others may not get the dress, but she loved it. It mixed her crazy horror loving wild side with her girlish side.

She had a deep red lip stain with matching nail polish and dramatic eyes. Rarely did she wear so much makeup, but it was a night for playing dress up and she didn’t really see the harm in it. As for her hair, she had done it up in a elaborate up-do full of braids. She saw it in a magazine and had spent many nights perfecting it. Unfortunately, this meant she couldn’t wear Derry’s hat. So, that night, when she met him in the commons, she held out the hat for him. “Only for tonight. It won’t fit over the hair.” She advised, kissing him on the cheek. “I get this right back after the evening is over.” Taking in his look, Reggie smiled. His style was completely different from hers, but she thought they fit each other nicely. “You are extravagant, Derwent Pierce the Fourth.”

From the look of the hall, it was abundantly clear the Pecari had won the house cup. Good for them. Since Reggie could remember, it had usually been a battle between Crotalus and Aladren. She’d have to say congratulations to Josephine when she saw her. When she used to go to her Muggle school way back when, Reggie always liked the idea of school dances and prom. She started going to Sonora prior to ever being able to attend those sorts of functions, so she was happy that they offered something similar to that… except that it only happened every 4 years. At least this time, Reggie had a fabulous date.

She sat at a table and listened as the Headmistress began her speech. It was inevitable that another staff member would leave, that was never much of a surprise for her, but it was still a downer for the ball. But then Reggie heard her name and Derry’s name being called up to the front and she what that had meant. They were the new Head Boy and Girl. She tried not to look too excited for it, but she was happy that she had won the votes. Derry wasn’t the surprise winner in her opinion. Everyone loved him. She thanked the Headmistress and returned to her seat when told.

The plagues were a nice surprise and Reggie was sure her dad would stick it on a self somewhere on display. She was not athletic or in sports where such things happened often. But she was interested to know where everyone had placed. Her team was probably thought of as one of the weaker teams since they had all girls, but she felt that they had come out strong. When the team numbers began to be called, Reggie was completely flabbergasted that her team had been the first named, the team in fifth place. She thought they had done well, but to actually make it into the top five was amazing!

She stood with the rest of the group, clapping for the other teams as they were named off. “Congrats you guys, we totally did it!” She was right, they had done a great job together. Some hiccups along the way, but nothing major that had caused them to not work well together. She felt a little terrible that Derry’s team hadn’t won, but she highly doubted he grump around about it.

And now onto the yearbooks. Last year, Reggie had a tiff with it because it made a mockery out of her crush with Phoenix. As she had expected, most talkative, clown, and creative. But she had managed to make Best Looking too, that was a surprise. There were so many pretty girls at the school. She wouldn’t complain though. She and Derry made Best Friends and Best Couple. “Score two for us.” She commented, grinning.

Closing the book, Reggie stood, it was time for the Prefect dance. “It’s time to show me up on the dance floor, Derry.” Reggie teased. Derry was raised learning to waltz. Reggie would be lucky if she managed to not step on his toes too much.

6 Regina Parker A Belle for the Ball 187 Regina Parker 0 5

Rup

May 11, 2013 5:15 PM

Just what I was hoping for. by Rup

Rup felt satisfaction in successfully making Aria laugh. She looked less depressed that way and he hoped he was helping her out of it. He wanted to know where her friends had gone and if they had really ditched her. Maybe she’d had a row with them. That would explain why he hadn’t seen Liam hanging around her much. He couldn’t understand why anyone would not want to be her friend, but then again Rup was a bit on the odd side on the pure-blood spectrum. That didn’t mean Aria was odd at all. It just meant that Rup got along with most everyone except for the stereotypical pure-bloods.

It took a little longer than Rupert expected for Aria to accept and he almost felt like a fool for the first time that year. He didn’t enjoy feeling embarrassed or foolish; who did? He dealt with it much better than others as he had learnt to laugh it off, but there were some things he was a little more sensitive to than others. There were times he’d had to hide his true emotions behind a smiling façade, but on every other occasion he believed in showing his true feelings and not being embarrassed about it.

His parents had always wondered how Rupert had ever come about with Cepheus as stoic as he was and Leo as manipulative. Cepheus had been born into inevitable responsibilities. Leo was the baby and therefore got away with more than any of them. Rupert, being the middle child, had seen the flaws of pure-blood life without needing to succumb to it for the family’s sake as Ceph had. He remembered, before Cepheus had gone to school, making fun of pure-blood balls and their stuck-up relatives during family reunions with him. Cepheus had been quite the mischief-maker himself, like Leo, until he went to Sonora and before he found out he was betrothed. Now everything was about facades and hiding secrets, all of which Rup wished he could stay away from. But being a part of a pure-blood family came with unfortunate and inevitable responsibilities.

Aria finally responded and Rup felt relieved as she took his hand. He stood straight and smiled. “Brilliant. You won’t regret it, I hope.” Gallantly he waited till she put her things down before leading her to the dance floor. It was a fast song and Rup did his best mashed potato combined with pumping arms. It was ridiculous, but it was fun. This was the most fun he’d had at any ball. He almost forgotten about Cepheus’s dilemma and Rup’s eyes glanced at his brother. Ceph didn’t seem to be signalling him, so Rup set out to enjoy himself while he still had time. When the time came for him to leave, he’d have to think quickly on his feet now that he had a dance partner of his own.

0 Rup Just what I was hoping for. 0 Rup 0 5

Lucian D'Alesandro

May 11, 2013 11:57 PM

To dance to not to dance? by Lucian D'Alesandro

Lucian walked proudly into the ball with Clara on his arm. However, he was a bit nervous about how the night would go and whether or not he would work up the courage to ask her about how she felt about him. The Pecari themed decorations surrounded them as they walked in a bit further, and he shrugged a bit to himself. Though it would have been nice for Aladren to win, he was glad that the winner was the house his date belonged to. Lucian was a bit competitive at times, but he didn’t let losses bring down his mood. There was always next year.

After Clara waved to a few of her friends, they approached a table and sat down for the announcements. Lucian looked around cautiously, hoping his sister decided to back out at the last minute. His hopes were dashed as he spotted her standing near the back, rolling her eyes at something as usual. “Great,” he muttered low enough for only him to hear. He didn’t really pay much attention to the announcements, for he had many other things on his mind. Eventually, Clara brought his attention back to the ball by talking about what awards he had been nominated for this year. Lucian leaned over and looked at the page that stated he was most likely to become a criminal. “I haven’t done anything yet,” he stated, “but who knows what the future will hold. Maybe it is better we probably won’t be betrothed. You wouldn’t want to be married to a criminal.” He winked at her and laughed. “Biggest flirt?” he continued, “I don’t really see myself as a flirt…unless I happen to be talking to someone I like.” With that statement, he began moving his leg up and down under the table nervously.

Luckily, Clara probably didn’t notice, for she began filling her plate up with food. Lucian chuckled a bit as she kept adding more items. She was very different from the girls he saw at typical Pureblood dances and functions. Even eating was prim and proper. “Thanks,” he said, taking a roll from the tray she offered him. She was acting a bit different than how she usually acted, which made Lucian curious. “Is everything alright?” he asked with concern. Then, before losing his nerve, he quickly added: “Um…I was thinking that maybe we could go get some air and talk a bit after we are done eating…unless you wanted to dance first.” He knew how to dance so he wasn’t worried about her wanting to, but he was growing more anxious to talk to her about his feelings.

0 Lucian D'Alesandro To dance to not to dance? 223 Lucian D'Alesandro 0 5

Clara Abernathy

May 12, 2013 2:18 PM

To talk or not to talk by Clara Abernathy

Clara giggled at Lucian’s comments on being a criminal. She was glad that she hadn’t had any food in her mouth when she laughed or they both might have been covered in her dinner. Nothing could have been more embarrassing than that. “I don’t know…I might not mind being married to a criminal depending on what you became a criminal for,” she teased him back. She ate as much as her fluttery stomach would allow her to, which apparently was quite a bit. She knew that she was being a bit odd, even for her standards, and she would need to say something to him soon about what was on her mind. What if I say this and he doesn’t feel the same way? she pondered to herself as she wiped her mouth with her napkin and placed it across her plate. She had heard his question about going outside to talk after dinner and she was both curious and nervous about what he might have to say.

She had also heard him ask if she was alright, if something was wrong. She smiled at his question and shook her head. “No, nothing’s wrong. I’m just really curious about something,” she found herself saying. She figured it was now or never. “I think talking outside before we dance is a really good idea,” she agreed finally. She somehow felt like she should be more nervous now that she agreed to talk to him away from everyone, but the fact of the matter was that she wasn’t. Yeah she was still kinda nervous, but no more so than when she first arrived. She actually felt a little relieved that she had decided to do the talking part first. Regardless of the outcome, she was determined that it would not ruin their night or their friendship. She pushed her dinner plate away from her and slowly got up from the table. She gestured for him to follow her and made her way quietly outside the hall. She picked a spot a little ways from the doors so they might have some privacy and stopped. She let out a couple of deep breaths before turning to face him.

She searched for the right words and when she couldn’t find those, she just started talking. “This is probably gonna sound crazy and I don’t really care if it does. And I know that its probably going to make things a little weird between us, but I really hope that it doesn’t,” she began, pacing slightly back and forth in front of him. She was pretty sure that if he wasn’t concerned about her before, he definitely would be now. “Because we were having a really good time already and I don’t want to ruin it.” She stopped pacing as badly as she worked up the courage to say what came out of her mouth next. “But I really, really like you and I know that you’re my best friend and all, but its more than that. I mean, I REALLY like you Lucian and I’m afraid right now that I may have just messed all of that up by rambling on right now and I have no idea how you feel about any of it.”

She finally stopped pacing and turned to look at him. She knew that her cheeks were probably burning from the embarrassment of spilling her guts to him, but she couldn’t hold any of it in anymore. “I’ll understand completely if I made things too weird between us just now with all of that and you don’t want to hang out with me anymore, but I really needed to say it.” She let out a relieved breath and gazed at him curiously. “How do you feel about all of this Lucian?” she asked him quizzically. She suddenly felt a knot in the pit of her stomach as she waited for his reply. She just hoped that she hadn’t just ruined the best friendship she ever had.

0 Clara Abernathy To talk or not to talk 232 Clara Abernathy 0 5

Josephine

May 12, 2013 4:24 PM

I'm just never content with what I have by Josephine

(OOC: I had intended for our girls to meet early to have time for a proper discussion before the ball started and Josephine left to be with Sully, but maybe I didn't put that across very well in my starting post.)

The girls didn't have a great deal of time to converse before the Headmistress began speaking, which was a shame, because Josephine had been looking forward to a good chat with Addi, but maybe they could catch up again later, if Sully didn't mind too much. While Josephine was there as his date, she didn't think the fifth year would require her undivided attention for the entire duration of the evening. For now, she told Addison that she looked lovely, and settled down to hear the greatly-anticipated messages form the Headmistress.

The first announcement about the librarian hadn't been one Josephine was expecting, as such, but she had already heard about it, anyway. She quite liked Miss Diaz, but she didn't think she would mind a new librarian, and as there were far more interesting notices to be heard, Josephine quickly dimissed the news. The Pecari had most trepidation concerning the announcement of the Head Boy and Girl, though it transpired as an anticlimax; once Regiie and Derry's names had been called, Josephine figured out the reasoning before the Headmistress had explained. She smiled; she was kind of relieved. For one, she wasn't entirely convinced she'd have made a good Head Girl (especially not if her poor leadership skills in the team challeneges had been any indication), and for another, she had felt terribly guilty about not voting for Derry or Reggie, even though she loved and admired both of them. She applauded loudly, grinning at Addi to show that she wasn't upset in the slightest.

Now that was out of the way, Josephine relaxed a little, and didn't worry at all that her team hadn't been listed as one of the winners. She applauded for Reggie again when her team was up, and tried not to be too jealous that her friend was already having a wonderful evening, in one of threedresses that Josephine knew had been purchased for the occasion. For a moment, she felt horribly self-conscious and pathetic in her home-made dress, not having her name called out that evening, but she did her best to get over it.

"I think you look really pretty! I really like your dress. Is that the one you did yourself?" Addi asked, providing a much-needed distraction.

"Yes," Josephine replied with a smile. "Are you sure it looks okay? I was so nervous about it!" Although she did have to lead the dance, Josephine spared a quick couple of seconds to flick through the yearbook. She just wanted to check that she hadn't been voted as Most Likely to become a Criminal this time around - she breathed a sigh of relief until she saw that Addi had been voted in her place. She looked at the other names, and regretted it upon spying James and Jade listed there again. She sighed; what was it about her family that people thought so lawless? Josephine also checked the Best Friends page to see her picture there next to Addi's, right alongside Derry and Reggie. That made her smile.

"Check it out," she said to Addi, pointing at her yearbook which she left open on that page even as she stood up. The sixth year cast a look over her shoulder to find Sully as the music started up for the first dance. "I'll try to catch up with you later, okay?" she told Addi. "Have a good evening!"

0 Josephine I'm just never content with what I have 0 Josephine 0 5

Linus

May 12, 2013 5:01 PM

I concur. by Linus

She agreed to think about his proposition over the break. She touched his hand, and Linus looked towards the point of contact, a little surprised by it. Brianna moved her hand away again almost instantly. Linus was prepared to leave it at that, and to not discuss the matter any further during the ball, but then Brianna started babbling apologies about being complicated. It was a little surreal; Linus had known that Brianna didn't have a lot of self-confidence, but he'd never experienced her being this... he wasn't even sure what the word was. Whatever, he found it unsettling, and tried not to be annoyed that she had taken him off guard in so many ways in such a short period of time. He had thought they had become much better acquainted over the past term, but evidently there was still much progress to be made in that arena.

"It's okay," he told her calmly, very keen not to upset Brianna, to ruin their evening, or to cause any sort of scene at such a broadly attended event. Hoping that would put her at ease, rather than cause any further anxiety, Linus returned her gesture, touching her hand for only a moment before releasing it again. It was brief contact, but, bizarrely, he found it peculiarly comforting. His lips twitched into a hint of a smile. He inwardly mused that perhaps they could manage holding hands before they graduated.

"Do you want to dance?" Brianna asked, and Linus thought her tone had changed, as if she wanted to move on from their current topic. He didn't blame her, and her distraction technique was one of which he approved. "I mean, if you don’t mind helping me."

It would be an honor," Linus replied easily, standing promptly. He held his hand out to Brianna, feeling, for the second time that evening, like he was at a prom with a beautiful date. "How would you like to..." he hesitated, unsure of how best to phrase his question regarding her support. "I mean, if I support you, could you manage without your crutches?" He hadn't meant to indicate that he would prefer to dance without them, but he would admit to being uncertain of the logistics of dancing with a walking stick.

0 Linus I concur. 0 Linus 0 5

Ryan O'Malley

May 13, 2013 5:24 AM

The End? by Ryan O'Malley

This was it. This was pretty much the end of Ryan's time at Sonora and he really wasn't sure how he felt about it. He supposed he could call it a success, he'd made two friends-two more than he'd thought he'd make-no real enemies and only really failed one major thing. He'd even survived Carrie being sorted into the same house as him. That was probably really coming out ahead, now that he thought about it.

The seventh year could walk away now, really. He could leave, never have to live with her ever again. The thing was, he didn't really want to stop living with the rest of his family, not just yet. Plus, Ryan quite frankly didn't know what to do with himself now. He was considering becoming an animagus, but that was about it. Probably, he would go to work with his dad, but Ryan didn't really want to do the same thing in the business his dad did. Even though his dad didn't go away as often now that he was married to Jamie. He wondered if his dad had purposely volunteered to go away more often when he was married to Ryan's mother because he didn't want to be there. Ryan hated to think that, because it meant his father had abandoned him alone with her . Even if he had ended up at his grandparents' those times.

He, however, did not want to be away from the people he cared about for long periods of time. Ryan also really did not think he'd be good at sales. He had to be about the least persuasive person there was. The idea of him talking anyone into anything was ridiculous and he didn't even really like the thought of it anyway, it felt too much like he was forcing them and he had no right to do that. He didn't want to come across like he did, or like he was trying to exert some sort of imagined power.

If he did work in the distillery, Ryan supposed he'd be better off brewing, coming up with new concoctions. He wasn't that horrible at Potions, he'd passed it and all. Sophie would be better at it though. In fact, if she wanted, his father would probably happily give her a job. Though, Ryan didn't know if she'd want that and he wasn't going to suggest it in case anyone thought it was a bad idea and got mad at him. He didn't want his best friend to think he was stupid. It was bad enough he felt that way himself most of the time.

Truthfully, he didn't have much more self esteem than he did when he'd started school when he was eleven, though he really didn't think he had less either. Ryan really didn't think he'd ever feel good about himself. Still, he really did think his life was better now than it had been then. She wasn't in it. She never would be again. Just her minion, and if he could cut the younger Crotalus out of it right now, he would. Unfortunately, Ryan couldn't do that without staying away from the rest of his family, who was stuck with Carrie for the time being-and, despite how little he thought of himself, he had a feeling they'd rather have him around than her. Especially Peyton, who was too little to realize how terrible their sister was. Which was confusing. That someone who didn't realize how horrible Carrie was would prefer Ryan.

As he sat, he noticed his plaque and yearbook, but before he could look at the latter-or eat-the Headmistress had a few announcements. He listened politely, he would have been sorry to see Miss Diaz go, he liked her fairly well, but he was going himself so truthfully her departure wouldn't affect him much. Ryan also clapped for the two new Head Students, neither of whom he knew well.

Then Headmistress Kijewski-Jareau mentioned the challenges. He knew they'd been doing well to start with, the first challenge, but he didn't know after that. The Crotalus seriously doubted they'd stayed there. The athletics required for the second one had not been their forte and Ryan didn't really think it was possible to overcome that to make it back up to second. He'd be happy if it had gotten them back up in the top ten. He applauded for the third, fourth and fifth place teams.

"Our second place winning team is Team Five."

Ryan blinked. He had not possibly heard that right. That was his team. There was no way. Nothing lead by him could have done that well, but Sally and the rest were going up and he quickly got out of his chair and followed, got his trophy and sat back down, still sort of too in shock to notice who'd actually won. Second? Really? Them? Him ? How was that even possible? Ryan wasn't...better than anyone at anything other than possibly Transfiguration. Ever. It must have been because of everyone else on his team.

He picked up his yearbook and opened it, flipping through while the Heads and Prefects danced. Ryan had picked up Most Bashful and Well Behaved. Unlike getting second place, neither of those things were that surprising. Nor did not making the Best Looking page, though he really thought Sophie was prettier than any of the girls who had. The two of them had picked up Best Friends though. He smiled over at her. Carrie had gotten Worst Enemies with Everyone again, but Arabella specifically and he laughed a little, certain his cousin would be very proud of that.

Ryan's eyes grew round and he went pale as he noticed Best Couples. Himself and Sophie? Did people think...? Certainly, he wouldn't have minded if it were true. He really did like Sophie and had for a long time. It was just...hard to think about it because he didn't want to end up inevitably disappointed when she wasn't interested. Which she almost certainly couldn't be. It was, after all, Ryan and given Sophie didn't seem to care about getting the Important Pureblood Boy at all-which was one reason why he liked her rather than someone like Eliza or Sara who, had they wanted him, would have for all the wrong reasons-it was doubtful she liked him, that way, at all. He wasn't remotely impressive for anything beyond that. That Ryan had even been second in anything was surprising. He felt Sophie deserved better than him.

He looked down at his plate. "Sophie, I-I'm sorry. That people are making fun of you and think you'd...well, with me ." The Crotalus felt truly awful about this. He hadn't voted for them, but it was his fault for dragging his best friend down.

11 Ryan O'Malley The End? 176 Ryan O'Malley 0 5

Thad Pierce

May 13, 2013 1:13 PM

Seeing Alicia by Thad Pierce

OOC: I'm flying through everything I want to remark upon by Thaddeus regarding the ball, the challenges, and the yearbook since I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post and wanted to get it all in. Assume he left sufficient opportunity for Alicia to respond to him at each juncture. BIC:

Thaddeus Pierce had dressed for the ball in his best dress robes. They had been tailored over midterm and a very useful charm made any minor adjustments necessary to account for any growth he'd had since then. The fabric was a blue a few shades brighter and lighter than the Aladren hue, so he didn't think he was being obsessively or obnoxiously House-proud. Still, it was close enough that if the Staff hadn't chosen next year's prefects yet, they'd see he enjoyed representing his House even in his personal time. Plus, well, blue was his favorite color.

He met Alicia in the Common Room, greeted her formally, complimented her appearance (which, really, didn't even need her to be so nicely dressed up to earn his vote naming her Best Looking, though formal-wear was always pleasing to his eye), and escorted her down to the Hall. Once there, he took in the color scheme of the room and sighed softly. "Looks like Pecari won the Cup this year," he observed, keeping his tone to only mild disappointment. To be truthful, that wasn't really the competition he was most anxious to hear the results for anyway. It would have been better, of course, if Aladren won, but at least Professor Fawcett would probably get to keep the Quidditch Cup in his office again this year by default.

They found seats and settled in for the Headmistress's speech. Being a Library Monitor, he had heard rumors about Ms. Diaz leaving at the end of the year, but it was still upsetting to hear it confirmed officially. He clapped in support of her future success, but kind of wished she wasn't striking out for brighter pastures. Hopefully next year's librarian continued the monitor program, because he really rather enjoyed it. If there weren't bigger things on his own horizon, he would have seriously considered becoming a librarian himself. Maybe he would try it out after he retired.

Up next came the Head Boy and Girl announcement, and Thad startled a little bit when he heard Derry's full name being called out. He really wasn't sure what to make of that election. On the one hand, Derry was Thad's first cousin, so having a Head in the family was surely good publicity for his own campaign in a few years. On the other hand, he had won out over the other Sixth Year Aladrens, all of whom were perfectly acceptable Head material and more closely resembled Thad's qualifications than Derry did. Still, Derry might be little more than a friendly idiot, but he was Thad's friendly idiot, so he hesitated only a moment before clapping enthusiastically for his cousin.

"He might not be an Aladren," Thad confided quietly to Alicia as the applause began to die down and the two new Teppenpaw Heads returned to their seats, "But at least he listens to me."

Then, finally, the Headmistress got to the part Thad most wanted to know. The plaque was nice, as was the implication that the yearbook had been continued this year, but Thad wasn't really interested in participation awards. He wanted to know who won. He held his breath through the fifth place team, only barely bringing his hands together to applaud in his anticipation for who would be named higher in the list. Team Fourteen in fourth received a bit more vigorous applause from him, as that team contained not only his twin cousins, but three of his friends as well. He sort of would have liked them to have done better than fourth, but top five was still good and they'd get trophies, so that was something.

In third was Henny's team, so that was good, too, and he kept applauding loudly. In second . . . Thad held his breath, both hoping for and not hoping for his own team to be called next. If they took second that was nothing to be ashamed of, and it meant he'd get a trophy, too. He really wanted a trophy. But first place would be better and if he was in second then he wasn't in first . . .

Team five took second place.

Thad bit his lip and gripped his hands together until his knuckles turned white. This was it. One team left to get trophies. One team to win it all. It had to be Four. It had to be. They had done so well. They'd been well placed going into the third challenge and with a team made up of mostly Aladrens, they had to have done at least as well as anybody else in such an academically focused third challenge. It had to be Four.

For just one moment, Thaddeus Pierce the Second truly hated Headmistress Kijewski-Jareau for drawing out that pause before announcing the winner. "Team Four!" she finally declared.

For a second, Thad wasn't sure if he'd heard her actually say it, or just wishfully hoped himself into hearing what he wanted to hear. But then David and the rest of his team were getting up, so Thad bounded up to his feet as well, trying so very hard not to whoop and jump. Walking sedately up to the front to get his trophy was just about the hardest thing he had ever done, and the delighted grin of triumph plastered across his face simply could not have been helped.

And his name would go in the Trophy Room. He had read about the Trophy Room. Team Four was awesome. Challenges were awesome. Way better than Quidditch, though he wasn't going to say that aloud anywhere in Aladren. Today was awesome.

Returning to his seat, he felt a little bad for Alicia who didn't have a trophy, either in hand or in the Trophy Room, and so he made an attempt to make her feel better. "Well, three of our training group's teams made top five," he offered the only consolation he could think of. "So your training success rate is pretty good." He put his trophy down on the table where he could see it easily even as he pulled his yearbook closer to him and opened it up. Neither of them were old enough to have been prefect this year, so they were not permitted yet on the dance floor. He'd rather look over the year book than watch other people dance, and he wasn't sure when else he'd get the chance tonight.

As he had last year, he skimmed through each of the year groups, picking out friends and family, checked to make sure his name was listed under the relevant clubs and teams, then went through the awards a bit more carefully. "We're together as the serious ones again," he remarked to Alicia, unsurprised by that repeat win. "You look really nice in that picture," he added, pausing a moment to look at their images placed next to each other on the page. His own, he thought, was not as good as it could have been, but also was not as bad as it could have been either. It was a remarkably mediocre depiction of his appearance.

On the next page, he raised an eyebrow as he saw who won class clown. Derry, of course, was somewhat expected, but he wasn't quite sure how Annette had earned the title. "How do people even tell them apart well enough to decide one is a class clown?" he asked rhetorically, tapping a fingertip on Annette's picture. Turning the page, he found the same two Pierces had also won Talkative. Again, he wasn't surprised by Derry's win, but he just shook his head at Annette's. He'd have given it to Belle first, but at least it was a little more accurate in his opinion than Clown. Cepheus there, too, which he wasn't sure he agreed with, either, but he wasn't sure anyone else in their year had particularly earned it more, so he left that unremarked upon.

Bashful had no one of note to him, but he paused on the Quidditch page. He pretended not to notice Annabelle's appearance there, but felt another image was worth comment. "Cepheus stole my Quidditch Obsessed award," he stated, feeling more relief for that than disappointment. Maybe people were finally forgetting his leap off his broom in that first flying lesson. Or, perhaps less appealingly, his poor performance as Beater last year was being remembered unfavorably. He would have to do better next year to make up for it.

Again, no Pierces in Gentleman or Princess. He was mildly disappointed by that, but accepted it readily and didn't even begrudge Gareth much for claiming it in Thad's place.

"Ha!" he exclaimed happily, turning the page to Biggest Brain. "We're here together, too!" That was the important one anyway, the pinnacle of being viewed as a proper Aladren, and far more critical than being seen as a proper gentleman. He nodded in approval upon noticing Francesca had also made the page. As it should be.

Dazed and Confused had no one of note either, and he was vaguely impressed Derry had avoided the award. He frowned a bit upon finding he had been upstaged by Jorge Garcia as Most Logical somehow, but tried not to appear too upset over it. Alicia hadn't made the page either, so he quickly turned it over to the next one.

That one had correctly identified Evan as Creative, and the next after it had apparently decided the twins wouldn't become criminals after all. Gareth had claimed well-behaved, which Thaddeus would agree with, and Cepheus had gotten flirt, which was entirely fair after all that confusion over whether or not he was dating Theresa Carey or not. Henny had appropriately earned Bookworm, and he had tagged along with her, which pleased him.

He skipped over the seventh year awards as the only graduating student he knew at all well was David Wilkes, who hadn't won any of them, though the last one did catch his eye. "So, is Kate likely to save an Endangered Species?" he asked Alicia curiously.

On the next page, he frowned over Alicia's continued absence from Best Looking. "I voted for you," he told her, so she would know she hadn't been entirely overlooked. Looking at the row of guys, he raised one eyebrow and remarked, "Looks like girls think Princetons are photogenic."

He looked for himself and Alicia together under Best Friends as well, but apparently the pair of identical twins and the tri-corner hat wearing Teppenpaws were more obvious friendships to the general population than the two of them were. As they had this one date tonight to their names, he wasn't overly surprised by their absence from Best Couples as well. Grandmother would be pleased by that, though Thad found himself disappointed.

By the time he closed the yearbook, the Prefect dance was winding down. He stood and held out a hand to his date. They might not be best couple, but they were here together tonight. "Would you care to dance, Miss Alicia?" he asked gallantly.

1 Thad Pierce Seeing Alicia 213 Thad Pierce 0 5

Marcus

May 13, 2013 8:56 PM

A celebration of our years here. by Marcus

It was after the talk of corsages that Marcus realized he had a simple solution to the problem regarding flowers and rolled his eyes at himself for having not thought about it before. “Gymnastics? What sort of dancing do you lot do that requires being so flexible?” Marcus asked her out of curiosity. He could break dance, and pop and lock pretty well, but that was about as far as he went when it came to being flexible about his dancing. “If you can keep up with some jerkin’ and krumping, you’re my new favorite person.” Looking up at the band selected for the evening’s entertainment, Marcus gave a little chuckle, “But, I’m going to guess that this band doesn’t play hip hop, so you might be off the hook on that.”

After working out in his head the need for back flips during dance routines, Marcus flourished his wand and a bouquet of flowers popped out at the end of it. “Sometimes I forget I’m a Wizard.” He joked, handing the flowers to her as he took his own seat beside her. “You know, Muggle Magicians used that as a trick of theirs. Creating fake flowers with their fake wands. Makes me wonder now if perhaps the first ‘Muggle’ Magician wasn’t really a ‘Muggle’ at all.” Marcus speculated. He was pretty sure Kate was Pureblood, but couldn’t say for certain, so it was likely that she may have no idea what he was saying. That was okay though, he was certain no other girl in his year would have had any better of an idea anyway.

“Oh, that has to be odd for her.” Marcus commented. He wasn’t really concerned about the challenges. They were fun and aside from maybe straining some of his studying time for the RATS, were something to do when he was bored. The school was so full of competitive students out on the pitch that he was pretty nice that he had been able to be involved. Marcus was an athletic person. He loved his sports, basketball, baseball, and football. He played them in the sports room and during the summers on a league with the friends who had remained clean. But Quidditch was not a sport he could ever get into. Mainly because it was on a broom. But also, no matter how rough it was on a football field, there was never a sense of death.

“Yeah, I’m pretty okay with it. I’m not all that competitive when it comes to this sort of thing, so I went in it just to have fun and I wanted my team members to have fun too.” Marcus advised. “If everyone was too hyper and aggressive, we never would have made it through one challenge let alone three. On the plus side, it was fun getting to know the younger years. We’re so segregated by house or year here that I never really even noticed them before. How was your team?” Marcus asked, curious to see how some of the other seventh years handled leading teams of misfits.

Marcus skimmed through the yearbook, merely out of curiosity, but laughed when he saw his name under Class Gentlemen. “Classic joke.” He commented, thinking that his year-mates felt no one fit into that category, so stuck him there as a place holder. “Oh hey, we’re apparently dazed and confused together. It was totally fate that I asked you to the ball with them then!” He was grinning. These things were so amusing. He didn’t look for long though because the speech was over and it was time for the Prefects to dance. Standing, Marcus offered her his hand, “My Lady, you must fulfill your duty for the evening, let us, as they say in the good old day, ‘boogie’ with the best of them.”

6 Marcus A celebration of our years here. 180 Marcus 0 5

Lucian D'Alesandro

May 14, 2013 2:39 PM

We always seem to choose talking. by Lucian D'Alesandro

Clara had agreed to talk with Lucian outside, and led him out into the hallway where they met earlier. He had followed her with anxious anticipation, wondering why it was she seemed so nervous about talking with him. He was the one that should be nervous. Then again, he realized that when someone says they need to talk to you after acting a bit peculiar all night, you are likely to assume the worst possible scenarios in order to brace yourself for what is coming next. Maybe she was nervous because she thought he was going to tell her something bad.

He tried to build up his courage by mentally telling himself over and over that everything would be fine. Lucian did not want to lose his best friend or destroy what they had with his feelings. He was willing to keep them to himself as he had since their picnic, but he also realized that it was driving him a little crazy. What’s the worst that could happen? he thought to himself. She could laugh at him, which didn’t seem all too likely since she never laughed at him when he was being serious before. She may not have the same feelings, which could make things a little awkward, but they would probably return to being best friends after awhile. He then thought about what could happen if she did have the same feelings as him. What if they ended up together in the end? He would have a long battle with his family in the future, especially with his mother, if things progressed.

Clara’s words and pacing in front of Lucian made him return to reality. She was prolonging what he wanted to say by talking first, which made him even more nervous. As she talked he found himself slightly confused, for what she was saying to him sounded like the lines he rehearsed in his head over the past few days. Clara continued on, saying that she REALLY liked him and how she didn’t want to make their friendship weird. Lucian was sure that his mouth was hanging open slightly in shock. She did like him, and she had just said everything that he wanted to say to her.

She had turned to him after she was done speaking, waiting for him to reply with some kind of answer. Her cheeks were red, and her face filled with uncertainty. His mouth did not seem capable of formulating words. Instead, he crossed the space between them and kissed her on the cheek, surprising even himself. “You always have to beat me to the punch don’t you?” he said, teasing her a bit. “You know this is all kind of crazy right?”

0 Lucian D'Alesandro We always seem to choose talking. 223 Lucian D'Alesandro 0 5

Brianna

May 14, 2013 9:40 PM

Let's start again. by Brianna

Brianna was relieved that Linus didn’t seem to upset with her for not being able to give him an answer and surprised herself by not jumping at the contact he had made. She knew it was strange… if she didn’t have the crutches, she would have easily locked arms with him to walk down to the ball and had no problem with the idea of dancing with him. To her, those were not meaningful touches. They were ones that anyone could do without any sort of deeper meaning, even if those two people had feelings for each other. But hugging, holding hands, those sorts of touching made her nervous and she tried to avoid them whenever she could. It was probably fitting that Josh and Valerie were her closest friends. Josh was equally awkward with affection and Valerie was often too sick to really be around people (although that was a little different now that she was feeling better).

She smiled brightly when Linus agreed to dance with her. She was fairly certain that the last time she had danced had been at the previous ball and with him. It was a little bit of déjà vu about the whole thing except they were both taller and she had crutches. It was a shame, really, that this would be her last ball while she attended Sonora. She didn’t think she would ever be invited to another formal event in her life. Unless, by some miracle, she was allowed to attend Valerie’s wedding, but Brianna wasn’t senseless enough to believe that it was a possibility. And the idea of a marriage for herself never entered the picture for her.

“Yes, I should be fine.” Brianna said as she took his hand. “My right side is strong, but my left side is weaker, so as long as you allow me to use you for support on that side when I need it, we’ll be able to manage a couple of dances.” She told him. She had been getting better about supporting herself for a long period of time without the use of crutches, but walking without them was still a struggle. Her right managed just fine, but her left… well, she just couldn’t seem to get it to work or support her like it ought to. It was harder though for her on both legs if she was tired or straining them after a period of time, but she figured, if he was helping her with some of that strain, she could make it through most of the ball without ruining their evening too soon by needing to go back to the commons early.

6 Brianna Let's start again. 0 Brianna 0 5

Fae Sinclair

May 15, 2013 8:26 PM

One Last Dance by Fae Sinclair

Fae was excited for the ball. That was probably an obvious thing for most girls going. Balls for girls like her were meant to bring on anxiety and ‘what if’ moments. But Fae didn’t’ have any of that. She was just excited. This had been a really great year and she was really proud for making it through and not having a breakdown like she might have had a couple of years prior. She had even been able to tell Arnold that she had crossed a mud pit without flinching, made it over the wall, was in a room with a boggart, faced a Sphinx, and had to shove her hand in a tub of goo. Not to mention, show off her charms skills for points. Now, she never wanted to do any of that again, of course, but to say that she accomplished it at all was amazing to her. She hoped Sara felt the same way having been on the same team together.

Fae looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She really hoped that Arnold like the dress robes that she was wearing. It wasn’t something she normally would have worn or really, felt all that comfortable in, but Shelby had insisted upon it. She said that the best way to keep someone’s attention was by doing the unexpected. Since Fae was naturally a shy person who hated to be the center of attention, Shelby convinced her to pick this one for being so different. It was a black dress, black never was a color Fae wore very often, that had a wrap around knot design in the center and flowed downward to reveal her legs hidden beneath the small train. There were sections where the wrap did not cover her, like small parts of her sides, the chest area, and most of her back. It the place of the missing fabric was a floral design lace. There was nothing revealing at all about the dress, but it gave the illusion that there could have been.

It was dramatic and she thought eye-catching, but she hoped no one thought it ridiculous or thought poorly on her. To make up for the dress, Fae kept her makeup simple with softer shades of grey for her eyes, a little blush, and colored gloss and her hair she pulled up into a loose bun with soft curls framing her face. All in all, she thought she looked pretty okay. Maybe a little older than she should look, but still okay. Taking a breath, Fae left her house to find her date.

“You look very handsome.” Fae complimented when she was finally by Arnold’s side. She always thought of him to be adorably attractive, the sort where when she hugged him, she never wanted to let go, but when he dressed in his best, he seemed older and more distinguished. It was probably the clothes. It was hard for her to see Arnold as anything but her Arnold as he was now. He never seemed to change and that’s what she enjoyed about him.

At the table, Fae listened to the announcements only half-heartedly. She knew that she wasn’t going to make Head Girl and she was quite happy about it, but she felt a little sad on behalf of Arnold (and, to some extent, Arthur) as she clapped for the two Teppenpaws who had gotten those honors. When the announcements had moved on to the challenges, Fae jumped in surprise when she heard Team One had managed to land a spot as Third Place winners. Blushing out of embarrassment, Fae stood and made her way to where her team stood. They were a group of weak looking (mostly) Pureblood females and they had managed to win a spot in the top three. Fae was delighted, but flabbergasted. After receiving her trophy, she returned to the table and took her seat. “I’m sorry.” She mouthed to Arnold, feeling guilty that she had one and he didn’t. It was the males in a relationship who were supposed to receive things like this.

Once everything was said and over, the Prefects had to go dance, so Fae turned to her yearbook while the food began to appear on the table. “I think I won this by association.” Fae commented, with a laugh, pointing at the award for Most Quidditch Obsessed where her face was beside Arnold’s. “If only they knew how much I disliked watching you play, then it would change to Most Anti-Quidditch Obsessed.” She found them again under Best Looking as well as Best Couple and she was under Best Friends with Sara. It was starting to sink in that Sara would not be returning with them again next year. Fae knew by summer she’d likely have a panic attack over it and cry because she had no idea what she’ll do for a whole year without her best friend to keep her sane. “Has Preston caused any problems with you guys?” Fae asked, seeing his face and a picture indicating the Aladren boys under enemies.

6 Fae Sinclair One Last Dance 194 Fae Sinclair 0 5

Willow Collins

May 16, 2013 5:27 AM

Trying to forget by Willow Collins

Willow was excited about the ball. She still couldn't believe anyone had asked her especially given she didn't know Keme well or why he'd selected her out of all the girls in their class. He was quiet and so was she, so maybe he felt she was easier to deal with than some of the more boisterous girls. The Teppenpaw could appreciate that. She doubted he was interested in more than being friends, because boys her age were not interested in girls yet and they barely knew each other. She couldn't imagine she'd done anything to impress him when she'd kept to herself all year.

And it had really been a rough year. Autumn had been in the hospital a really long time. She had eventually became a day patient rather than a residential one, but that just meant she'd been staying at the house nearby the hospital with their parents. They were still there. Willow had tried, hard, to focus on other things, but it was really difficult. She knew her sister's illness was very serious, especially given the length of her hospital stay but the first year never really knew what was going on and that made things worse. Her parents kept saying Autumn was fine, but if that were true the entire time, she wouldn't have been in the hospital quite so long. Willow wasn't stupid.

She didn't know when her family would actually be home either. The first year would be going home to an empty house this summer. Someone was going to come stay with her, but she wanted her parents and sister there, not some other relative. She had no idea who it would even be. She would have preferred Lily, but Lily had a demanding career so that was probably not a possibility. Willow probably could have gone to stay with relatives but she wanted to be in her own house.

The Teppenpaw tried to push these thoughts away again. She'd been attempting that all year and it didn't seem to work very well or for very long. She did not want to be one of those mopey depressing people that others wanted to stay away from or the sort that let on to the whole world that something was wrong and look like she was seeking attention and sympathy, which also seemed to be a sort people wanted to avoid. Willow didn't want to be avoided, so she put up a front that everything was fine and never ever let it crumble, while trying to distract herself.

Still she was having a really hard time not worrying about her sister. She knew in her heart that Autumn was very very sick, and probably not going to get better any time soon, if ever. Truthfully, some time over her first year at Sonora, she had realized this, possibly because her sister had been in treatment so much longer this time than before. Or maybe because Willow had actually seen how bad Autumn had been last summer with her own eyes and it been a terrifying image of someone who looked like she was dying.

However, she did not want to spoil Keme's evening. She put on a smile as her date approached and took his offered arm. "Thank you." The Teppenpaw replied at his compliment. "Oh, absolutely." She needed this, a night to get her mind off things that were more prevalent now that she was about to leave Sonora for the summer and go back to her homelife, such as it was now.

11 Willow Collins Trying to forget 253 Willow Collins 0 5

Clara Abernathy

May 16, 2013 2:26 PM

Is that bad? by Clara Abernathy

Clara waited semi-patiently for Lucian to say something regarding her rantings about liking him. She had found that once she started talking everything just started to pour out. It actually felt good to have gotten it all out. She was just afraid now that by doing so she had single-handedly messed everything up between them. She knew that he liked her as a friend. That part was kind-of obvious given the amount of time they’ve spent together and by how much they made each other laugh. He was an easy person to laugh with and he teased her shamelessly which she kind-of enjoyed. She was used to being teased by her cousins, that made sense since they were family. With Lucian it was a little different. Every time he teased her it made her blush and want to tease him back just to hear him laugh. He seemed like he was soo serious all the time and needed to laugh. She was glad she could be the one to make him do it. She had been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn’t noticed right away that he had yet to answer her question.

She worried that his silence meant he really didn’t like her back and that she had just messed everything up between them. She was about to apologize when she realized that the look on his face wasn’t one of dislike, it was one of pure shock. She tried to stifle a giggle when she noticed that his mouth was hanging open slightly at her admission. Maybe he does actually like me she thought to herself as she studied his open-mouthed expression. She was about to ask him again what he thought of the whole thing when he did something that stunned her into silence. Instead of answering her question with words, Lucian walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek. She absently reached her hand up to her face and cover the spot where he kissed her with her fingertips. It was now Clara’s turn to stare at him slightly open-mouthed.

When she finally returned to planet earth as it were, she giggled when he asked if she always had to beat him to the punch. “I don’t know about that,” she told him playfully, closing part of the gap between them. “You definitely beat me to that punch,” she teased him lightly. “I guess there was a reason I was voted Most Talkative again, huh?” she joked. She wasn’t sure if he had seen that part in the yearbook, but knowing her it shouldn’t really surprise him. She found herself agreeing wholeheartedly with the fact that this was all sorts of crazy. She also found that she wouldn’t have it any other way, especially if it meant that she might get to keep him. It surprised her somewhat how appealing that thought was. She thought briefly about her possible betrothal and realized that like Lucian, she wouldn’t let that stop her from marrying exactly who She wanted. Yes, her family might be cross with her for defying them, but if it meant she would be truly happy she hoped that they would eventually understand. Besides, it wasn’t like they had to worry about any of that right this minute. At this particular moment the only thing they had to worry about was enjoying the ball together.

“I know this is all sorts of crazy,” she agreed with him. “But in case you haven’t noticed I’m already all sorts of crazy, so it seems to work pretty well for me, don‘t you think?” she winked at him and smiled. She gave him a thoughtful look. “The only real question now is, will it work for you?” She had no idea if it would work as well for him, but she was willing to find out if he was. She took him by the hand and gave it a light tug as she turned to head back towards the hall. She stopped just shy of the door to the hall and drew in her courage. She turned around to face him and before she lost her nerve she leaned forward and kissed him back on the cheek. “Should we go back inside now and finish enjoying the ball or do you want to hang out here and talk some more?” she asked, still holding onto his hand.

0 Clara Abernathy Is that bad? 232 Clara Abernathy 0 5

Sophie Jamison

May 16, 2013 10:12 PM

I hope not. by Sophie Jamison

Her time was up. Wizards and witches were allotted seven years, and Sophie’s were ending. She had never been good at adjusting to change unless it was in her favor. This new life approaching her more quickly every day… it was not exactly bad, but it was not quite good, either. She was conflicted. At eighteen years old, the blonde felt adequately prepared to enter the adult world, but at the same time, she was just Sophie.

She was slightly disappointed to see that in her diminishing days of essential childhood, no sudden transformation had occurred. She was still only Sophie, a tomboy with a trust fund, a pureblood without properness. The Pecari had hoped, obviously in vain, to become someone new as she became an adult. Perhaps that wish, she mused silently, was simply proof that she was nothing more than a child.

Still, she had undeniably changed since her arrival seven years ago. As she examined her reflection, she noted that her eleven-year-old self would hardly recognize her now. Puberty had been kind to her figure; she was not particularly voluptuous, but she was proportionate. On her toes she reached five feet, so she amused herself with the notion that was her actual height. There were probably third years who dwarfed her, but at least she had grown some.

Beside the natural changes, her current appearance reflected the occasion. The fanciest thing she knew how to do with her hair was a braid, but after a few attempts, it turned out rather nicely. She even tucked a light green flower into her hair, one that she had transfigured from a piece of parchment on her desk. Despite her lack of talent in that area, she was decent enough for inanimate to inanimate. After all, a first year could probably do it.) Her attire matched the flower almost perfectly, and she was content if not unnerved by her appearance. Sliding small feet into silver shoes, the seventh year was off.

Unsurprisingly, the sight of her totally-not-a-date date stole her breath away. Ryan was always dashing, but he looked additionally great dressed up. Thoughts “just friends” never thought swam through her mind, inspiring insecurity, fear of not measuring up. It was odd to feel so unsure and yet find no option but to smile, for with the anxiety came an indescribable, illogical joy. His presence was uplifting but also nerve-wracking. Sophie could not allow him to see through her, to her weaker side, the emotions and feelings she hid. There was no way he would reciprocate them.

The headmistress was speaking now, but the eighteen year old was not listening. Her blue eyes were set most firmly on Ryan’s hand, her innermost self wondering how preposterous it would be to grab hold. The answer was very. Sophie heard enough to know Ryan’s team had done quite well in the challenges, and as he rose to receive his trophy, she applauded with a huge grin, exceedingly proud. The challenges had been worthless to her until this exact moment. “Congratulations!” she offered upon his return, patting his knee affectionately. She realized the danger involved, the strain on her self-control, thereafter retracting her hand before she could cause any damage to herself.

As Ryan scanned through the yearbook, she did the same. Unsurprisingly, she was Most Quidditch Obsessed, though she had not really expected Class Clown. She supposed that was because she was one of the least stuffy. She found it almost laughable to see Sara Raines as Most Likely to Marry right above her Most Likely to be a Pro-Quidditch Player award; it certainly highlighted the contrast between the Pecari girls. In an odd way, she would miss Sara after they graduated, but at the same time, she would see her in many forms, in the other pureblood ladies out there.

Sophie was glad to see herself and Ryan as Best Friends, and she was also pleased with Carrie O’Malley vs. Everyone for Worst Enemy. Before she had turned to the next page, Ryan was speaking, apologizing for something. Confused, she examined the final student award, and instantly, she knew what he was saying.

The pit of her stomach fell. How could she respond? Was this going to be the conversation she had long been avoiding, the one where everything spilled out and fell apart? The idea terrified her. “No, Ryan, I-…” she fumbled, searching for the right words. There were none. “People probably think… I mean, we’re together a lot. I guess it’s only natural to assume…”

Oh, Merlin. She felt like she was drowning. For a split second, she felt angry at Hope, her friend in whom she had confided her private feelings, and at Arabella, Ryan’s cousin who seemed to have deduced them; one of them had to have told people. That was what this was, some hackneyed ploy to force her into the open, to destroy her. Perhaps rejecting her would make Ryan bolder, or at least that was the plan.

Sophie struggled to maintain eye-contact. All she had left was the truth, though perhaps if she emitted it bit by bit, phrase by phrase, she could avoid completely falling apart. “I could never be that lucky,” she stated bluntly. “I know you won’t believe it, but you’re just… wonderful. And completely out of my league. I suppose some people are just too optimistic.” Maybe that was too much. She was petrified of his response, but this was real life, and she could do no more to stop it than to stop a hurricane already formed and on its course. She wished she had a rain jacket.

12 Sophie Jamison I hope not. 34 Sophie Jamison 0 5

Derry Four

May 17, 2013 6:05 PM

An Escort to the Event by Derry Four

Derry wasn't quite sure how much he should be looking forward to the Midsummer ball. He had never really enjoyed the formal balls he had largely managed to avoid by his parents' divorce, which had occurred just as he became old enough to be expected at more of them. On the other hand, this one was being hosted by Sonora rather than a family that cared more about formality than fun. Plus, well, he was going with Reggie, which made it a thousand times better than all those other stuffy balls right there. And the first Midsummer Dance he'd attended four years ago hadn't been awful, either. So, overall, he was hopeful for a good and fun evening, even if they were calling it a ball this year.

Since it wasn't a costume party, Derry hadn't really put a lot of thought into his evening wear. He had merely reminded his mother over midterm that school was having a fancy party that he had to dress up for and she had taken care of packing him something appropriate to wear. As his mother was single-handedly responsible for his ordinary clothes being centuries out of date, he wasn't too surprised to find his dress clothes involved sleeve ruffles, a fancily embroidered silk satin waistcoat, and a knee length yellow silk overcoat with more embroidery on it. She also included a white powdered wig to wear with it, but Derry left that in his trunk. He preferred his own dark brown for his hair color, thank you very much, and it was just a matter of a simple styling charm to tie it back into a period appropriate tail.

Meeting Reggie in the Commonroom, Derry's eyes widened a little as he took in her dress and hair style. "Ni-ice," he remarked, impressed and grinning in approval at her. Girls did not wear dresses like that at the pureblood balls. That was a real pity and a definite upswing for this one. "I like the sequins. And the hair," he added as she brought attention to it, though that truly had not been the first thing his eye had been drawn to when he saw her.

It did mean she couldn't wear the tricorn, though, which was her loss, but made him appreciate the braids way more. He readily snatched their hat from her at the first sign of weakness and put it on his own head. He honestly wasn't sure whether his broad grin was more from Reggie's kiss or the repossession of his hat, so attributed it equally to both. "I'll give it back," he promised, even as he adjusted it so it perched just right atop his own hair. Hat was way better than tail, no matter how good the styling charm. "Do you believe Mom tried to give me a wig to wear?" he asked incredulously while they were on the subject of headgear and hair. "Those powdered white ones?"

At her compliment of his own duds, he gave a spin as his mother had well trained him to do in such moments so she could inspect him, and the coat tails flew out a little bit. That was cool. He made a mental note to do some quick turns on the dance floor tonight for the dramatic flair of it. With Reggie's long dress, she'd look good making sweeping turns, too.

He offered her his arm as they readied to head on down to the ball then escorted his date down to the Cascade Hall all proper-like. The decorations were all done up in browns and gold, which he didn't really register, as he was looking more at the other guests than the room. He smiled and complimented and said hi to the people he knew - well, to pretty much anybody who made eye contact with him - which was his norm rather than an indication of higher than normal good cheer, though there was that, too. Now actually at the event, Derry drew excitement from the high spirits of the other attendees, and this was definitely better than the other balls he'd been to.

Sitting down at a table with Reggie as Headmistress K started talking, he was more than a little surprised when she called the both of them up to the front. For just one moment, the Head Boy and Girl elections were the last thing on his mind and he worried that maybe they were getting called out for sharing hats and risking the spread of head lice or something in the school. That he was being called by his full name was surely a bad sign. Then she introduced them to the rest of the student body as next year's Head Boy and Girl and Derry felt mostly relief wash through him - not because he won, but because he wasn't in trouble. The fact that he had won over all the Aladren boys would take a little longer to get used to.

Reggie's election was much easier to accept and he grinned at his girlfriend, date, and co-Head for next year. "Awesome! Congrats!" he cheered for her, feeling oddly grateful that he had won too, just so that he was at hand to give her a high-five as the rest of the school clapped for her. Well, and him, too, he supposed.

They returned to their seats and Headmistress K went through the challenge winners. He held his breath at each team called, hoping to hear team eighteen announced, but cheering readily as both of his cousins' teams as well as Reggie's were all named. He made a note to check the ranking list later to find out how narrowly they had missed top five. They must surely have been close, but there was nothing to be done for it now. They had all done their best, and sixth or seventh or eighth or whatever it was they did get was still respectable, and not everyone could win. They did get plaques for their effort anyway so they weren't walking away completely empty handed.

Thad was going to be impossible to ride with on the wagon home, though, Derry was fairly sure.

Reggie returned and there were yearbooks. Skipping right to awards because the Prefect dance was coming up quickly and they'd have to show their stuff as Reggie was Teppenpaw's sixth year prefect, he grinned and offered a double high five as she did the same and discovered they'd been paired not once but twice, as both friends and a couple. "Score three," he corrected, grinning at her. "We've got matching badges next year, too!"

Then they were out of time to browse the yearbook as the music started. "Hope you like twirling," he responded to her teasing with a bright smile, and held out a hand to escort her onto the dance floor.

1 Derry Four An Escort to the Event 189 Derry Four 0 5

Alicia Bauer

May 17, 2013 7:22 PM

Watch closely. by Alicia Bauer

In the end, Alicia had talked herself out of wearing either black or Tyrian purple, instead going for a brighter and less implication-ridden variation on the second color she thought was more seasonally appropriate and suited her a little better anyway. Her coloring, anyway. She was convinced, after the days she had spent trying out different things with her make-up and hair, that nothing would ever redeem her looks. She was left taking pride instead in the Transfiguration and charmwork which had gone into turning the ends of the ornamental pins in her updo into apparently real miniature roses and jasmine flowers.

Compliments were exchanged with Thad, but the Hall got none from her. “I suppose they did,” she said, looking around at all the brown and gold and trying to fight off a sense of personal failure. Objectively, she knew the real reason they had lost was the staff – they had effectively, when they removed the Quidditch games, turned the guy who was usually one of the House’s greatest sources of points into an otherwise useless pretty face, leaving the rest of them with a massive points burden to overcome – but she felt that all that meant was that she should have tried harder, just to spite them. She should have taken it on herself personally to win the competition. She could have made it work.

Instead of going any further down that route, though, she took a breath and stepped back from the frustration of the situation. She had failed in that, yes, but she had done some things. She had improved her résumé, worked on establishing more personal connections with the staff, kept her grades up, and, most importantly, successfully, she thought, defended her castle when The Enemy tried to knock it down. She had kept her friends together. That was good enough that she could live with it. “I guess we can let them have one year, though,” she ruled graciously.

She applauded with the rest for Miss Diaz, quelling too the anxiety about who the new librarian would be. Not something she could control, and not relevant anyway. Not relevant until September, which was all too far away, though at least she had things to occupy herself with in the meantime this year.

It was, she thought, ironic that she had avoided doing such things in the past because she was so worried about being considered a lady, only to find that apparently, the more she was enjoying herself, the more everyone she liked seemed to like her. It was also confirmation that she was with the right kind of people now. Her parents, she was sure, would despise her if she were ever herself in front of them for a single moment. She couldn’t win either way in that situation; her mother, an ambitious woman, would see another ambitious woman as a direct threat, and her father, an unambitious man, would by default resent anyone who had an ounce of ambition. The same dynamic would play out with her sisters. Plus, the whole family thought she was stupid and would probably not enjoy having it pointed out to them that they were really the none-too-bright ones for having fallen for it for so long. She was better off trying to sell them on the idea that she was a poor tortured dim soul trying desperately to keep up with her much brighter classmates.

The next announcement surprised her so much that she forgot to clap for a moment, though she quickly picked it up when she saw that Thad was pleased for his cousin. For a moment, that, too, was a little disconcerting, until he got to why that was and she smiled, glad when things made sense. “Definitely a plus,” she agreed, and watched for the next set of announcements.

Upon realizing it was the team winners, she turned her nails back into her hand, her eyes fixed on the headmistress, waiting. She was not going to be called up there. She knew that. She accepted that. She had accepted that a long time ago. She wished, now, that she hadn’t really tried very hard – that she could at least have lost on her own terms, rather than just losing – but she knew it was coming. The important part now was what was going to happen to her friends. Had it worked, in the end? Had they made it to the finish?

Team Fourteen did. Team One did. She bit down hard on her lip, her face paling beneath the make-up, as second place was called, then –

“Congratulations!” she said to Thad, smiling so widely her face hurt as she clapped. She couldn’t help but laugh when, upon returning victorious, the first thing Thad thought of was trying to make her feel better about Team Seven’s abysmal failure.

“It is,” she agreed, her eyes still bright. This wasn’t exactly what she had wanted – she had wanted their four teams as one, two, three, and four, maybe with someone one of the others cared about as fifth – but it was as close as she knew had been even remotely reasonable to expect. It would do, it would do really well. “I told you this was how it was going to work out, didn’t I?” She shook her head, mock-resigned. “Someday you’ll learn that I’m always right and to listen to me.”

She looked on with Thad’s yearbook as the prefects began to dance, flushing when he complimented this year’s picture. “Thanks,” she said, even though she thought she looked really fat in it. Nice, which was good, but fat.

She shrugged in response to the question about Annette; she certainly couldn’t tell one of them from the other, but since she thought he couldn’t do so very well either and actually knew them, she assumed this was not a sign of a major deficiency in her, though she would have to learn if she ever did have to interact with them. They could easily cause all kinds of problems for someone who couldn’t tell who they were talking to; it was why she almost wouldn’t have minded being a twin, provided she could have gotten away with keeping her sister twenty-four-seven under the Imperius Curse. “They probably just picked a name,” she suggested.

“I’d think of it as them realizing you have more, um, dimensions,” she tried over the Quidditch Obsessed award, though she felt a little guilty because of the implications about Cepheus’ dimensions. Most Apparently Complicated Love Life wasn’t an award and he wasn’t as serious about academics as she should have liked, so it would have to do, anyway.

She made a sharp, excited sound in the back of her throat and clapped her hands together at the sight of her next picture. “We did!” she agreed, feeling warm and contented with the recognition, at last, of everything. That definitely meant more than the challenges in general, if not more than the Trophy Room would have. She had tried hard enough, it seemed, in one thing at least.

Her response to her sister’s superlative was less enthusiastic. “I really doubt it,” she said. Kate wasn’t that ambitious. She was planning to be a mediwitch – not even a Healer, which at least had some honor in it, but just an assistant, planning to live out a thoroughly mediocre life, only noticed by anyone when it was in connection with Alicia, dragged out of obscurity along with some of their other relatives by those who wanted to demean or blackmail her. Alicia wished she could hate her more than she did, but frankly, Kate was just too boring. The true mark of being a failure as a woman was, she was quite sure, being so unimportant that your younger sister couldn’t be bothered to properly despise you.

She blushed again when Thad said he had tried to get her into Best Looking. “Flatterer,” she said lightly, then shrugged when he said the Princetons were photogenic. This was true, but… “I don’t know,” she said, looking over the pictures with a critical eye. “They’re not really my type.” This was kind of fun.

She found the relationship pages a little disappointing, too, but as she looked at Derry and Reggie’s pictures, she understood it. They were the perfect couple – affected, attention-grabbing, bubblier than champagne, so sweet it made her want to gag to think about it, or at least their public image. People would think of them as some of the best friends in the school, one of the best couples in the school. They were what people thought of as good. She and Thad were the imperfect couple – serious, ambitious, not so good looking, intellectual. They were better than other people and weren’t ashamed about it, which ruled out any chance of them being considered good by those who couldn’t keep up. Other people couldn’t relate to them and so assumed they couldn’t be as good a friends as people with no goals of their own were.

Well, to hell with them. After they were finished with the lot of them, anyway. It would be good to have them acknowledge that she and her friends were the ones who really mattered, the ones who had ended up controlling everything about what passed for their lives, before that. She would hold her tongue, take her time, wait her turn, and then enjoy every second of it.

It was always strange, unsettling, to actually touch most of her friends, knowing what she knew and they didn’t, it bothered her to think that there was a very good chance at least one of them might secretly want a pair of gloves to do so if they knew, but she had gotten used enough to it to take Thad’s hand without flinching as the first dance ended. Maybe someday, she would have to have that conversation with him – she had thought about it a thousand times, and had more than one nightmare on the subject – but it wasn’t what she was going to think about tonight. Tonight, she was as good as any girl in here. “I’d love to,” she said, smiling and making a slight bow, and then the music of the second song began.

16 Alicia Bauer Watch closely. 210 Alicia Bauer 0 5

Jade

May 24, 2013 9:13 AM

Like a hand in a glove by Jade

The announcements were largely yawn-worthy - although Jade did make time for a side-long glance towards Josephine to check her sister would be okay to discover that Reggie had been named Head Girl, instead, all seemed well, so Jade quickly returned to ignoring her siblings - and Jade was thrilled when at last Professor K stopped talking and she could be distracted by thumbing through the new yearbook. that is, until she was distracted by a voice addressing her.

Of all the people who might talk to her, Jade probably would have placed Amira right at the bottom of the list. Despite being in the same House and on the same team, the two girls have never meshed together very well, to say the least. In fact, Amira began her address by acknowledging that very fact. Jade refrained from snorting at the truth in her statement. She was pleased to have kept that particular reaction to herself as the reason for Amira's contact became clear. Jade raised her wayward eyebrows.

"You're asking me to be Assistant Captain?" she repeated, with laughter in her voice. Then she laughed for real. The mischievous side of her really wanted to tell Amira that there was no way they would ever get along, so she might as well shove the badge where the sun wouldn't shine, but the fourth year knew there was no way any of the other school badges would be handed her way, so why not give Quidditch a go? "You're on," she declared, still grinning, and extending her hand for Amira to shake. "You never know, maybe two wrongs will make a right, and we'll knock that smug smile off every Aladren's face.

0 Jade Like a hand in a glove 0 Jade 0 5

Ryan

May 30, 2013 5:53 PM

A new beginning? by Ryan

His heart was pounding in his chest and he sort of felt like he couldn't breathe. Usually this was a reaction provoked by boggarts. Ryan had liked Sophie...well, probably always, but he'd realized he did when they'd kissed. The idea that anyone would like him was ridiculous but especially the person he actually liked.

He barely heard Sophie's comments about them always being together making people assume. Her voice sounded far away but he could sense her tone. She sounded awkward and uncomfortable. This was going to be the moment that she said there was no chance and any small hope of them ever being together that Ryan had held was going to be crushed. Rejection was inevitable. Who would ever want him? He could even practically hear his mother's voice telling him that nobody would. That Sophie had ever wanted him as a friend was extremely surprising and he was sure that now that she was going to say that was all she ever wanted to be.

Ryan genuinely felt kind of sick at the moment. He was sweating, probably really pale and sincerely hoping that nobody else was paying any attention to them. The whole room seemed to be...frozen. What if Sophie didn't even want to be friends anymore? What if she was too humiliated and wanted to cut him of her life completely, especially as they were graduating? She was probably relieved that they were because she wouldn't have to put up with everyone thinking so awfully about her.

Then the Crotalus heard what Sophie said next and blinked, feeling for the second time that night that he most definitely heard wrong. Except that his team really had gotten second place, but what were the odds of two good things happening to him in one night? Quite honestly, Ryan would have rather had Sophie as a girlfriend than do well in the challenges if he had to pick just one. Except he already knew the challenge results, at least the top five so he likely had heard her wrong.

"Did...you just say you couldn't be that lucky? To be with me ?" Okay, so yeah, it wasn't actually true at the moment but that she would want it to be was exceedingly confusing to Ryan and he had felt like there was cotton stuffed in both of his ears the last few moments. And she said he was wonderful? Okay, he had to be hallucinating or something. Or dreaming. Except his dreams were not usually this good. Quickly, Ryan scanned the room. Yup, Carrie still existed, this was not some unusally amazing dream. "You...like me? Why? "He wanted to make sure he had heard her correctly before telling her how he felt.

11 Ryan A new beginning? 176 Ryan 0 5