So much for which to be thankful on Labyrinth Gardens

Regina Parker

October 07, 2012 10:20 PM

Bust out your moves! Party Time! by Regina Parker

Reggie had decided about a month ago to have a party. It was too close to Halloween to actually have it on Halloween, so it ended up being much closer to Thanksgiving. She felt this would give people enough time to procure costumes from back home or allow them to send out requests to shops and buy them from catalogues. She felt that was the nice thing for her to do. Besides, she wanted an awesome costume and needed the time to actually get it. Her father wasn’t much help, but her Grandmother knew exactly what she wanted and had gotten it in the right size. Thank Merlin for awesome Grandmothers.

Her costume was that of a Woodland Fairy. Reggie loved fairies. Not the actual magical fairies because some of them were rather creepy to look at; but rather, the Muggle version of fairies. They were always so beautiful and everyone wanted to have them. Reggie wasn’t really sure where her love of fairies came from, but it was one of those girly-girl things that she sometimes would fall for. Like the skirts and dresses that she had been sporting for the last couple of terms as well as the makeup. Her outfit was a satin green with a tutu purple skirt beneath it. Across the waist was a purple flower for the woodland look and small wings were attached in the back. The dress was extremely short and, although it did not normally come with leggings, her grandmother included black legging shorts that came to her calves. She put her hair in soft waves and had a matching flower wreath around her head to finish off the woodland fairy look. She tried to make her makeup fun by using glitter and fun purple, but who knew how others would see it. Oh well, it was a night of pure fun and she didn’t care if they didn’t agree with her costume choice.

Meeting with her friends, she had set up the gardens with the help of the Prairie Elves (they were so accommodating!) with fresh snacks and drinks all over the area. Seating had also been provided. The party was at the center the gardens where the fountain was and Reggie had charmed it to look like blood was flowing from it. The gardens were decorated in various holidays. Some were creepy and scary covered in webs or with skeletons/ghouls/ghosts popping out to startle you for Halloween, some were fall colors and pilgrim style, while others were red and green with fake snow, empty presents, and, of course, Mistletoe. Reggie had spent all morning setting it up with the Elves. They were so good at this sort of thing! And the kitchen Elves were awesome about the food. As much work as it had been to get everything set up and ready, Reggie was proud of how it all came together.

The time had arrived for the party to start. Reggie turned on the music which was charmed to flip through each holiday. “Okay, let’s get this party started!” Reggie declared, happy that people were interested but even more happy that the Fifth year Teppenpaws weren’t horrifically angry with her for throwing them into this with her.

OOC: Reggie will be taking lots of pictures throughout the evening, so feel free to say in that you posed or were suddenly bombarded by flashes!

Subthreads:

Do I have moves? by Aria Yale with Clara Abernathy, Liam Ammon, Aria, Rupert Princeton

Let's hope I'm not stood up! by Brianna Japos with Maximilian Joshua McLachlan, Brianna, Michael Grosvenor and Eris Ackart, Josh McLachlan

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree... by Henny B-F-R with Andrina Thornton, Andri

Going all out! [tag Brielle/Abi] by Waverly & Wendy Canterbury with Brielle and Abi Thornton

Trying to remain cool and collective by Fae Sinclair and Alice Adair with Arnold and Arthur Carey, Fae

Would someone like some nuts? by Marcus Williams with Jordan Adair, Josephine Owen, Clarissa Clark, Jordan

Waiting for Friends. by Cepheus Princeton with Valentina Bentancourt, Cepheus, Theresa Carey

I'd rather people watch than dance by Jorge Garcia with Jade Owen, Jorge

I am only here for the food by James Owen with Derry Four

So much for which to be thankful by Linus Macaulay with Ephanie Lucore, Linus

Looking for Reggie. by Phoenix Lucore with Reggie, Phoenix

Making an entrance (wotw) by Annabelle and Annette Pierce

I do not know why I let Eliza talk me into these things by Nic Sawyer

6 Regina Parker Bust out your moves! Party Time! 187 Regina Parker 1 5

Aria Yale

October 08, 2012 1:54 AM

Do I have moves? by Aria Yale

Aria had never been to a party before. Well, not a costume party anyway. The community threw celebrations quite often, but never one where they dressed up in strange get ups. Aria had sent a letter home to her parents when she had first seen the poster and explained to them that she had to dress up in one of the themes. Normally, her parents did not spend money on frivolous things, but they had wanted Aria to be able to participate in this because they wanted her to be a part of something instead of just outside of it. And, since Aria was actively interested in it, they didn’t see the harm in putting some money down on a costume.

And boy, what a costume!

It was perfect! Her mother had seen it in the store and immediately thought of Aria. This was Aria’s personality back home at the community. She was vibrant and fun and so very colorful. People understood her there and she shined. People at Sonora never really saw that part of her because she felt like such an outsider with them. No one seemed to understand and no one really ever asked. She was subdued here. But the costume… she fell in love with it when she opened the box.

Brightly colored in purples, pinks, orange, and yellow, Aria could only think from the hat, that she was supposed to be a monster. The hat was a purple furry face who, when she wore it, looked like he was eating her head. The body of the outfit was layered in the bright colors, with yellow on top and a purple tutu beneath. She had purple fishnet stockings and furry purple booties. Although it came with a pink wig, Aria decided to charm her hair the hot pink color instead. It would already be hot with the hat on, she didn’t want to be itchy too with the wig. Wearing it, Aria felt so cute. It was the first time in a long time where she enjoyed what she saw and maybe would fit in with everyone else.

She didn’t really have anyone to go with and she wasn’t really sure if her roommates wanted to go with her either, so she went by herself. She hadn’t really explored too much of the gardens (that ought to really change), she only went to her meditation spot and no where else, so it took her some time before she finally made it to the center and found the place decorated rather strangely. She had come through the section that looked like fall, but once she stepped into the area, she saw there were other entrances that were decorated differently. How neat.

A flash caught her eye and stunned her for a moment, but blinking it away, she saw a camera in her face. Only having a second to smile, she did so and was blinded by another flash before being left alone again. Oh, she sort of wanted a picture of herself in the costume… she wondered if she could ask for a copy…

“Er… excuse me.” Aria tapped another party goer’s shoulder. “Do you think they’ll have copies of the pictures? I’d really like one to show my parents.”

6 Aria Yale Do I have moves? 228 Aria Yale 0 5

Clara Abernathy

October 08, 2012 6:56 PM

I certainly hope so :) by Clara Abernathy

Clara absolutely LOVED parties! She loved the music, the dancing, the food and all of the awesome company. She especially loved costume parties. She loved being able to see everyone in their funny, scary, flashy or just plain weird costumes. She loved the glitter and glitz, she loved the hairy and the feathery, she even loved the gruesome. Clara had mulled over her costume for a week before she found the perfect one. She had always been facinated by Harlequins and while she and her cousin and her father were travleing through London over the summer she had found the most awesome one yet in a shop window. She had pointed it out to her dad at the time who had agreed that it was very interesting. They hadn't bought it at the time, but she was hoping to be able to get it later. As it turned out, when Clara found out about the party she immediately owled her dad to say she wanted to get the costume. His reply came a few days before the party in the form of gift box.

Clara nearly shrieked when she opened the box and saw the outfit complete with mask. It was a vibrant green and purple diamond pattern outlined in black that sparkled in gold flecks. The pointed shoes that came with it reminded Clara of her ballet slippers only with bells on the ends that jingled as she walked. She especially liked the jingling. The jester hat that came with it sparkled with the same gold flecks as the rest of the outfit. The only part of the outfit that might be a little uncomfortable was the ruffled collar around the neck. It was a dazzling white that sparkled with the same gold flecks and was trimmed in gold lining. The mask was painted in green, purple and black glitter paint, it only covered Clara's eyes leaving her mouth and nose completely exposed. She outlined her lips in black and painted them in with a deep red lipstick.

Clara made her way down to the gardens and wound her way through the maze. She remembered how easy it was to lose your way in these gardens because she and her cousin had managed to get partially lost last year. She found her way to the center this time with no problems. She absolutely loved the decorations and music wavering through the air. She really liked the blood fountain in the center. She thought that was an awesome touch. She purrused around the party grabbing herself a glass of punch as she did so. She saw Reggie weaving her way through the crowd, taking pictures of people as she passed through. Clara caught sight of her camera flashing as she practically ambushed people. Clara waited until Reggie was upon her with the camera before she blew the camera a kiss and then posed for another goofy picture. She was throughly enjoying herself and jumped just a little bit when she felt the tap on her shoulder.

“Er… excuse me. Do you think they’ll have copies of the pictures? I’d really like one to show my parents.” she heard the voice behind her ask. Clara smiled cheerfully at the girl behind her and nodded her head. "I would imagine so," she replied cheerfully. "I'm sure if we asked, Reggie would be happy to make copies for us. I would love for my dad to see me dressed like this," she assured the girl dressed in what looked like a colorful, fuzzy monster in a tutu. "I absolutely love your costume!" she gushed happily. "I'm Clara by-the-way," she introduced herself, holding out her sparkly black gloved hand.

0 Clara Abernathy I certainly hope so :) 232 Clara Abernathy 0 5

Brianna Japos

October 09, 2012 10:39 PM

Let's hope I'm not stood up! by Brianna Japos

Brianna was happy that Josh had agreed to go with her to the party, even if he did it out of pity or because he felt sorry for her. Brianna was very well aware of how secluded she was at Sonora. As much as she tried to branch out and meet new people, she couldn’t quite let go of the idea that they were going to hurt her. For some reason, Josh was a safe bet. He didn’t want to get attached to people. He wanted to stay secluded and on his own. Brianna didn’t have to worry about him hurting her because there would be no relationship for him to hurt.

This wasn’t an actual date, despite the use of the word when she had spoken to him back in the hall a couple of weeks ago. He was just the person who would be standing next to her so that she didn’t feel like an idiot being there alone. She could have asked Linus or Michael (maybe) or Attoria or even Valerie, but she wasn’t sure what to expect from them. Brianna hadn’t been hanging around Attoria so much anymore, so Brianna thought that would be a strained evening. She never could tell when Valerie was going to get sick, so she didn’t want to rely on her if there was the possibility of her ending up on bed rest. Michael had a bunch of girls who were his friends, so there was a likelihood that he was with one of them and likely to go. Brianna did not want to interfere with that and feel like a fool. As for Linus… she actually did enjoy hanging out with him and she felt that he would probably be fine with having gone with her. But, just in case he had plans of not going or going with someone else, Brianna didn’t want to make him feel anymore obligated to go with her than she had with Josh.

Brianna hadn’t been too sure as to where she was supposed to meet him, so she waited just outside the party area in what she could only assume to be the Halloween part of the decorations. Wearing an elf costume that her mother had spent money on for her. Of course, this meant no Christmas gift, but Brianna was okay with it. Christmas was her favorite time of year. She and her parents took an evening to decorate the Christmas tree and it was the only time of year that she actually received gifts. As stressful and awful as life in the Condominium was, Christmas was always pleasant. Both of her parents took the day off, save for any emergencies. She felt normal.

That was why she came as an elf. The dress was red and came to her mid-thigh and had a weird corset top with a green bow. Over the red dress was a velvet green coat that was lined with white fur, red stitching, and a black belt much like what Santa would wear. She wore a matching green hat with a bell at the tip, red and white striped stockings and flat boots to match the belt. Her parents had spent a fair few dollars on this getup. Hopefully, she’ll get to stay at the party long enough to make it worth it. She even wore some makeup. Rare, but still true. Green shadow went well with her brown eyes, liner, mascara and a slight rose colored gloss. She felt a little bit pretty.

Standing there in the semi darkness, Brianna looked around for Josh. There were moments like this where she missed David. He had never disappointed her. She was worried that Josh wouldn’t show and even though she wasn’t attached to him, she would be a little hurt by being stood up, even for a non-date.

Catching a couple of eyes, Brianna smiled and waved politely. There was no mask to hide her. Everyone would know she was there and alone. Please hurry, Josh. Please come. Were the only thoughts going through her head. Until she felt a presence next to her and almost jumped out of her skin. Standing in the scary section wasn’t the best idea. “So sorry.” She said, trying to stop her heart from racing.

6 Brianna Japos Let's hope I'm not stood up! 203 Brianna Japos 0 5

Liam Ammon

October 09, 2012 11:09 PM

Smooth moves by Liam Ammon

So maybe Liam hadn’t been entirely successful in making friends thus far. He at least had casual acquaintances though, which was a vast improvement from last year. He still hadn’t managed to venture outside of his dormitory unless it was for class, so he was over the moon when he saw that the 5th year Teppenpaws were having a holiday party. He loved the holidays, particularly Halloween, so the costume aspect was particularly appealing.

The problematic aspect was the money. Liam had four other siblings, and only one parent to provide for all of them, so money was a little tight. He felt like he’d be asking too much if asked his mom for a costume, on top of footing the bill for Wizard school. Instead, he decided to get creative. He considered the items of clothing he had at home, and what kind of costume he could make. He had some old costumes, but he was afraid they weren’t going to fit properly, as he was continuously growing these days. His older brothers had old costumes that might be a closer fit, but they preferred gruesome, scary costumes—those weren’t really his style.

His oldest brother, Jake, had a suit that he had worn to their father’s funeral , and Liam guessed that it’d be close to a perfect fit. Now if only there was something he could be with a suit that wasn’t a business man, a mobster or worse—a waiter. He thought about being a news reporter or a spy…but those were all borderline boring. News…like the Daily Planet. That’s perfect. Liam would go as Clark Kent, all he needed was his brother’s suit, a tie, his old Super Man T-shirt, some gel, and glasses.

It took a little convincing, but his mom sent him everything—including his father’s old glasses.

Excited to spend one night in the shoes of Clark Kent, Liam painstakingly gelled his hair; making sure he had the perfect Superman curl on his forehead. He wore a dark grey suit, with white button down shirt that he opened just enough to reveal the Superman ‘S’ on his chest. He wasn’t keen on wearing a tie, but it was part of Clark’s attire, so he had mom send one of dad’s old ones—it was light blue and grey striped, and not that Liam cared, but it complimented his icy blue eyes nicely. He popped the lenses out of Dad’s glasses, and wore them proudly—completing his costume.

He headed to the gardens with more confidence as usual, reveling in the décor as he made his way to the center of the party. He’d chosen the Halloween entrance, and was even more creeped out by the bleeding fountain, until of course he realized it wasn’t real blood. Then it was just plain awesome.

Liam was stopped by an older girl to pose for a picture, and held his shirt as if ripping it open, and stared off into the distance—only puffing his chest out a little. Once his eyes recovered from the flash, he noticed a girl with bright pink hair, with a monster gnawing on her head talking to a harlequin. He immediately thought of Harley Quinn from Batman, but the colors were off…so maybe she wasn’t going for that. The monster girl, however, had an awesome costume.

Blooming with confidence, Liam decided he’d go compliment the girls on their attire. As he drew closer, he recognized the pink haired girl. Somehow, he expected to see Aria in bellbottoms with flowers in her crazy blonde hair—but this was something else. At least now he would be able to compliment her without seeming weird! They had been potions partners, after all. Liam guessed that that made a quick hello outside of class acceptable. He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose, and approached them.

“Evening, Ladies. Excellent costumes.” He said with a smile.

5 Liam Ammon Smooth moves 37 Liam Ammon 0 5

Henny B-F-R

October 10, 2012 10:01 AM

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree... by Henny B-F-R

Henny was really excited about the idea of a party and about dressing up, although creative things were not her forté. When they had gone to costume parties at home, they had always made their costumes and so this had been the route she had gone down. She had spent a happy afternoon in MARS cutting out two large green cardboard Christmas trees, which she had fixed with small tabs at the top to hang over her shoulders. It had then simply been a case of going crazy with glitter. Her tree had glitter tinsel and glitter baubles and had been charmed with small, twinkling lights. She would have loved an elaborate three-dimensional headpiece with a star and swirling wire but she knew her limitations and had saturated a two dimensional star with glitter and stuck it to an Alice band. The glitter was already shedding and had made its way throughout most of her brown curls. She had excitedly written home to tell her parents and Charlie all about the party and the costume that she had made. She felt a little bad, as she knew that if she had written home and asked, Charlie would have loved to have come up with ideas for her. He had usually been Artistic Director of their homemade Hallowe'en projects. However, he might have somewhat over-estimated his sister's skill, or underestimated the difficulty of executing his ideas. She didn't want to let him down by not doing what he suggested so it was safer not to ask him to suggest. Hopefully there would be more costume parties once he was at the school next year.

She was a little taken aback when she arrived to find most people wearing shop bought costumes. She had, she was ashamed to admit as it was most un-Aladren-like, simply assumed that other people would be going down the same path as her. She supposed those things one grows up with were harder to shift and to think outside the box on. She decided that she did not mind. She had had fun making her costume and people at Sonora had so far not laughed at her for being a geek who started a book club nor cast her out for having gay adoptive parents and so she expected the wearing of a cardboard Christmas tree outfit was not going to make her a social pariah.

She scanned the party for people she knew. Between running the book club and joining the baking club, there was now rather a large number of people who fell into that category. It had made this probably the best year so far. She had never had trouble being in Aladren and it fit her personality well. She was glad to be there and to be able to read undisturbed all she liked, safe in the knowledge that this was an approved of way to spend the evening. But there were many ways in which she did not fit in. Most people in her house were civil to her. Some were even nice. Thad, in particular, was someone whom she found well-mannered and with whom she could have an enjoyable conversation. However, she understood that their almost-friendship most certainly did not extend to social gatherings. A discussion over homework, yes. Partnering in class, yes. School party... not so much.

“Great party – great idea,” she grinned at Reggie, as she moved past the older girl, towards someone she recognised from one of her clubs.

“Hey, how's it going?” she smiled.

13 Henny B-F-R Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree... 211 Henny B-F-R 0 5

Maximilian Joshua McLachlan

October 10, 2012 4:24 PM

Fear not...or maybe just a little. by Maximilian Joshua McLachlan

Josh had been a little confused as to why Brianna had asked him of all people to go with her to the holiday party. Technically he had offered, but that didn't change the fact that she had brought it up to him. After thinking about it for a few days afterward, he had decided that it was either because she felt sorry for him and wanted to be his friend, or she really didn't have anyone else to go with. For some reason, the latter brought him comfort.

All in all, he didn't know what to expect from this. Josh hadn't made plans to hang out with anyone for quite a long time and so the feeling of knowing that someone was waiting for him somewhere out in the gardens was both foreign and familiar. As he dressed in his room in what he decided were close to Christmas colors, he was reminded of study dates and meals with Cecilia. Cecilia. Josh was beginning to feel slightly distant from her memory nowadays now that he genuinely did have to keep himself busy with studies for CATs coming up. As he looked at his worn black shoes and his black slacks, he remembered dressing up to impress her and smiled a little. His shirt was scarlet and he was wearing green robes over it. That would be the extent of effort Josh would spare for this event.

After combing his brown hair, he made his way out to the gardens, selfishly hoping Brianna hadn't found anyone else to hang out with yet. He realized then, as he approached the gardens, that they should have set a meeting place, but it was too late for that. Josh looked around, sparing little appreciation for the decor as he looked for his companion. After taking a slight walk around, he finally spotted her near the spooky part of the labyrinth dressed as what he assumed was supposed to be an elf. Or something like that.

He walked over to her, wondering what the correct way to address her would be and trying to remember how he had greeted Cecilia when they had met up. It turned out, instead, that his silent presence made Brianna jump and Josh soured slightly. Of course she would jump in fright now that he was here. Maybe a little of that could be because of their environment.

Josh cleared his throat and nodded at her. "You look nice. Nice costume." They matched a little at least by color. He was glad he had actively chosen these clothes. Now was the time to wonder awkwardly what one did at a party like this besides mingle and talk aimlessly. A sudden flash startled him and he blinked, his grey eyes needing to refocus for a minute. "Wow, that was bright," he stated numbly as he tried to blink the black dots out of his eyesight. Then he sighed. "Which holiday is your favorite? I would guess either Christmas or Halloween from your costume," he said. It was funny seeing how holidays were interpreted here. In Australia, where the seasons were different, they would be having a sunny Christmas instead of a wintry one. The seasons in Australia was what he was used to because he had lived there since he was eight, though he had been raised for a little while in Scotland.

He was leaning towards going to the autumn-like atmosphere where it looked like there were some seasonal fruits, cookies, and apple cider. He didn't really want to have to go through the scary Halloween side and have a jumping Brianna clinging onto his arm, if she was that kind of girl. He hated being taken off-guard too, so hopefully she wouldn't drag him down that way. With Christmas, there was always the danger of mistletoe, and Josh didn't really want that to happen either. Thanksgiving seemed the safest, but Josh, feeling rather courteous right now, would give Brianna the choice. If they ever decided to move from this spot, of course.

19 Maximilian Joshua McLachlan Fear not...or maybe just a little. 184 Maximilian Joshua McLachlan 0 5

Waverly & Wendy Canterbury

October 11, 2012 12:40 AM

Going all out! [tag Brielle/Abi] by Waverly & Wendy Canterbury

Waverly was so excited to show off her costume she was ready to burst. Halloween was Waverly and Wendy's second favorite holiday mostly because she got to dress up, even if Christmas was definitely the first. Waverly had begged and pleaded for her mom to order it and send it to her, and her mom hadn't relented. But her rich maternal grandparents who lived in North Carolina had somehow caught heed of Waverly's desperation and had bought it and sent it to her mother who had sent it to Waverly, perhaps a little begrudgingly. It was beautiful, and she couldn't wait to wear it at the party. Knowing her mom, however, she would be Galinda for the next several Halloweens to come.

It was so worth it though. A few weeks back, after Waverly had seen the flyer advertising the party, she and Brielle had decided to do something together and their elaborate costume plan had turned out to be Galinda and Elphaba. Although Waverly's dress was going to be way more expensive than Brielle's, at least she thought it would be, she kind of liked being in the glitzy outfit that she would never have worn before. She flushed before the mirror just thinking about what Brandon, her muggle crush, might say, and Wendy, who was already dressed as Alice from Alice in Wonderland and waiting on her older sister's bed, smirked knowingly. "Be quiet," Waverly replied, making sure that her brown hair that she had curled just for this occasion looked okay.

"Don't you wish Brandon was going to the party?" Wendy teased, and Waverly shot her a look through the mirror.

"Don't mention him at all at the party, Wendy, or I'll never forgive you." Waverly was shy about sharing her first crush with anyone. Wendy had kind of picked up on it during the lunch they'd all had together during the summer, and she hadn't shut up about it since. It was annoying, having a younger sister around all the time now, even if it was really nice at the same time. "Okay, let's go," Waverly finally sighed. "I told Brielle we'd meet her and Abi in a few minutes."

Wendy jumped off the bed and smoothed down her dress. "Okay." The two girls walked out of the Pecari dorm and sped down the stairs in their uncomfortable shoes to Labyrinth Gardens. As Waverly walked over, she decided to go wait for her friends by the Halloween side since they were dressed up in costumes. Waverly's dress swished as she walked, and she even had her wand in her hand. It would be her accessory for the night along with the tiara on her head. Her grandparents were awesome.

When she saw Brielle and Abi walking over to them, Waverly smiled and waved. "Hey guys!" she called, and looked over at Wendy. "You look adorable," she said, "even though your hair is kind of short for Alice." Wendy just smiled.

"I know. I'm the new and improved 'Alice.'" Wendy loved dressing up, and her older sister knew that. Waverly just rolled her eyes playfully as the other two sisters approached.

"Hey guys!" Waverly said again now that they were closer. "You girls look awesome."

0 Waverly & Wendy Canterbury Going all out! [tag Brielle/Abi] 0 Waverly & Wendy Canterbury 0 5

Aria

October 11, 2012 4:29 PM

Chaotic Grooves? by Aria

She wasn’t really sure what she was looking at. Aria had the idea that the other girl was a clown, but not quite a clown. She almost looked like a mixture of a clown and a mime. With the make up on her face, Aria had no idea who it was that she was talking to. She thought costumes would be fun, but now she realized that if she can’t recognize anyone, how was she supposed to talk to them? Sure she had on bright colors and had pink hair, but her face was not changed.

Aria was surprised to find that the girl was on speaking terms with one of the Hosts (presumably anyway, if Reggie has any say in the photographs being taken). “Yes, I will find ‘Reggie’ and ask him for a copy of my photograph.” Aria commented, wondering how in the world she was supposed to know who ‘Reggie’ was and how to speak to him. She would figure it out though. Her parents would be so pleased to see her wearing it and mixing in with others her own age.

“Oh, thank you!” Aria exclaimed, feeling pleased by the compliment. She had never been quite sure if the way she looked would get noticed in a good way. People could have found her outfit to be over the top or outlandish or even silly and not appreciate it at all. And then the girl gave her her name and Aria felt silly for not have knowing it. Clara was in her year and in all of her classes. Aria was observant and listened to roll call. She knew Clara. She knew Clara was somehow close her roommate, Brielle. Apparently Clara was not as attuned to her classmates as Aria was. “I’m Aria.” She said with a smile even though she was slightly disappointed that the girl didn’t know who she was. Even being different wasn’t enough to get attention. “I’m sorry, I do not quite place your costume. Are you a mime?”

There was another person to join their conversation and Aria found herself looking at Liam in a suit. Aria’s grin widened and she pressed her hands together almost like a prayer and gave a small bow. This was a form of greeting to those with whom they respected and considered friends. “Thank you, Liam.” Aria stated, having a moment of swinging her hips so that the skirt of her dress swayed happily. “My mother said that it suited me wonderfully. I have to agree with her.” Aria commented lightly, smiling again as the camera flashed by. “I like your suit, Liam, are you someone important?” She thought Liam would forgive her for not knowing exactly what he was since he knew where she lived outside of Sonora.

0 Aria Chaotic Grooves? 0 Aria 0 5

Andrina Thornton

October 11, 2012 6:51 PM

Chanukah, oh Chanukah, come light the Menorah... by Andrina Thornton

When Andrina Thornton had seen the posters up for the Holiday Party she was excited. She wasn’t usually the creative one of the Thornton bunch, that was Brielle or Analea, definitely not her. The third year was the sporty one who read anything and everything in front of her. There wasn’t a creative bone in her body most of the time. Andri, while still staring at the posters, a thought attacked her brain like germs attack a body to make the person sick.It’s PERFECT! she thought to herself, knowing what her sisters and herself were going to wear for the party. She assumed that Addison would want nothing to do with it, Arista may think she’s too old, Amira may also refuse, however, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try anyway!

She was going to have Arista go as a Snowman, er… Snow Woman, all dressed in white with a big white round head to symbolize Winter. A grin escaped her mouth as she decided on the fact that Addison would be a nice Thanksgiving Turkey (it was perfect for her size, anyway!). Amira, she could dress up to be a Pilgrim or an Indian to follow after the Turkey. This is awesome! she thought as she quickly wrote all this down on a bit of scrap paper she had in her pocket. Brielle could have her chance to be Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West as Halloween. Abi would be a perfect Teddy Bear or Kitty Cat stuffie as like a Christmas Present. She herself, was going to be a Chanukah Menorah. It was PERFECT! And she was almost sure that nobody would be doing any of those costumes! Well, she hoped they weren’t anyway…

When she’d found Bri to tell her the idea she had Brielle was thrilled! Arista, Addison and Mira weren’t thrilled in the least. Abi agreed to go, but only because Brielle said Waverly and Wendy were going, and Wendy wanted her to go. Addison was reluctant, but when Andri brought up the fact that it was Addi’s own year and House putting on the party and that she just couldn’t not go, she relented.

I’m the woman… she thought to herself when she’d finally gotten her older sister to relent and come to the party (not to mention go dressed as a TURKEY!). She spent countless hours in the MARS rooms and in her own putting hers and Addi’s together with cardboard, felt and tissue paper. Brielle already had hers, and so when Abi came to her saying that she and Wendy had decided in one of their classes to be characters from Alice in Wonderland, Andri was partly glad for it, but partly sad too. That way the theme she’d thought up went out the window, but at least she didn’t really need to put anything together for her sister…

***

When the day came for the party, all the costumes she was working on were finished and she’d even helped Abi get hers from the catalogues. In the end, Andri was very happy with Abi’s choice of costumes, it looked really cute on her little sister. Addi’s Turkey looked just perfect and Bri was her own special Wicked Witch that looked just as good as when she had pretended to be Elphaba for many years running. Bri had even painted herself green. However, the one costume she was very proud of was her own. The Thorntons were not Jewish, but she’d met someone home in Oregon who was, and she (from the time she was younger) was fascinated by the Chanukah Holiday. The menorah was the best part. The way the candles flickered on it was just mesmerizing. There was something about the flames that made the Aladren girl calm as a cucumber. She had eight arms out of her gold colored costume and one more on the hat she’d made. Each arm had a white candle on it and she’d charmed the tips of the candles so that they looked like they were on fire, even though there was really no fire there. She LOVED her idea and she hoped everyone else would too.

Walking over to the Gardens just before the party was slated to start, she kinda had to walk sideways through the corridors and the maze (but she’d expected that completely). When she got there though and saw Reggie, she smiled at the girl in her green satin costume. It really showed the older girl off, and Andri made a mental note to tell her so when she had a minute.

She spotted Addi, dressed in her Turkey, off to the side setting up something, she wasn’t sure what yet, but she wasn’t too close to her to know just yet. Andri looked over towards the fountain and saw that it looked like it was filled with blood! “Cool!” she said to anyone who was listening around her.

Seconds later, the party started. Reggie turned on the music and Andri smiled as each of the songs were from different holidays. “Okay, let’s get this party started!” Reggie declared and Andri nodded in agreement.

Andri walked over towards the drink and poured herself a punch (mind, it was super complicated as her arms were attached to the arms of the menorah) and turned to hear, “Hey, how’s it going?”

Seeing Henny beside her, she grinned at her hopeful friend. It wasn’t often that you found someone with the guts to start a group for something, but she LOVED Book Club and Henny started that. Therefore, she hoped Henny was her friend. “What a pair! You’re a Christmas Tree and I’m a Chanukah Menorah!” she said happily, grinning. “This is just perfect! I can’t believe how perfect it is! You’d think we planned this!” she added, looking for her friend’s response to that.

0 Andrina Thornton Chanukah, oh Chanukah, come light the Menorah... 214 Andrina Thornton 0 5

Clara

October 11, 2012 7:10 PM

I don't see how they could be chaotic by Clara

Clara smiled when Aria said her name. She had heard it during roll-call for classes, but she had not yet had the pleasure of placing a face with the name. She and Aria hadn't had the chance to work together yet in classes. She had to admit she really liked the name. "So you're Aria," she stated friendly. "I've heard your name said before in class, but I don't think we've ever offically met. I'm really glad we got to. I've always thought your name sounded pretty." SHe frowned slightly when she realized that she had said Reggie and not Regina. She felt extremely silly for making such a simple mistake. "Unless Reggie is a girl I doubt he'll have the photos from the party," she told Aria sheepishly. "I think I may have goofed when I said Reggie. I meant to say we could ask Regina for them," she clarified. "Sorry about that."

“I’m sorry, I do not quite place your costume. Are you a mime?” Aria had asked causing Clara to look down at her outfit for a second. She smiled, shaking her head. "Nope...I'm a harliquin," she told Aria. "They were kind of Medievil jesters," she explained. She giggled slightly. "A little too colorful to be a mime, don't you think?" she smiled asking her question. She heard a male voice behind them greet them both and turned around to see what she figured had to be the best Clark Kent outfit she had ever seen. Liam, huh? Clara hadn't met him yet although that didn't faze her really since there were still plenty of people at Sonora she hadn't met yet. She heard names in passing, but didn't know everyones faces yet. The redhead beamed at his compliment and watched in facination as Aria pressed her hands together and bowed to him in a form of greeting. She was a little confused since this was the first time she had ever seen that done before. She debated on whether or not to mimic what she saw Aria do or just be Clara and say Hi her own way. She stuck out her hand like her daddy had taught her and said hello.

"Thank you," Clara beamed at him, holding her hand out to shake his should he choose to do so. "I'm Clara." She introduced herself. “I like your suit, Liam, are you someone important?” she heard Aria ask him and nodded in agreement. "He's somebody very important to the city of Metropolis...aren't you Clark Kent?" she asked him smiling brightly. "I especially like the curl on the hair," she told him cheerfully.

0 Clara I don't see how they could be chaotic 232 Clara 0 5

Brianna

October 11, 2012 7:12 PM

I think I'll remain apprehensive for now by Brianna

Brianna was extremely embarrassed by having been startled by Josh’s presence. She should have just stayed in the center near the fountain until Josh found her instead of standing in the shadows within the Halloween section of the decorations. Now she made this whole thing that was already starting off in an awkward fake date scenario even more awkward for having been scared accidentally by her pseudo date.

Thankfully the sky was already that lovely shade of dusk, so her blush wouldn’t be as visible had it been in the light of day. She hated blushing as easily as she often did, but it wasn’t really something she could control. Thankfully, there were things in this world, like the darkening sky, that could hide her flaw and she wouldn’t feel quite as stupid.

“Oh, thank you!” Brianna commented, feeling relieved that he didn’t find her get-up embarrassing. She was stick thin and only just starting to fill out, so the outfit may not look as nicely on her as it might have on some of the other girls here, plus she was wearing a hat with a bell on it. She knew that boys sometimes didn’t like to be seen with people who they felt was embarrassing. He had said that he hadn’t wanted to wear a costume, so she was nervous about having worn one herself. So many thoughts had run through her head when she had first put on. Did it look right on her? Could she pull this off? She looked like an idiot. People would laugh at her. Would Josh laugh at her? Would he even show up? Would he want to be seen with her? Etcetera. So far, he hadn’t laughed at her or look disgusted by what she was wearing and he complimented her. These were all positives.

The bright light blinded Brianna for a moment, but she was more concerned about whether or not she had been making an awful face. How terrible would that be? If those photos were posted somewhere where everyone could see and she was sitting there looking, well, like a duckface? She did not want that to go around the school. That would be humiliating. Hopefully, the Teppenpaws wouldn’t be so cruel.

“Oh, Christmas is definitely my favorite.” Brianna said excitedly. “It’s the only day of the year where my parents actually stay with me. And I get a gift. I mean, it’s fine if I don’t get one, it’s still a great day.” She probably shouldn’t have said that and really wasn’t sure why she had, but it was the truth. “My costume was my gift this year. It’s a little early, but it’s what I wanted. I’m glad you like it. I know you didn’t want to dress up, so I was hoping that you wouldn’t be mad that I did.”

Brianna was still becoming weirded out by being in the Halloween area and began to move away from it, heading towards the fountain where she had originally wished she had stood. “I’ve never been to a party, what are we supposed to do?”

0 Brianna I think I'll remain apprehensive for now 0 Brianna 0 5

Liam

October 12, 2012 10:12 AM

Obviously you've never seen me dance... by Liam

Liam had seen people bow like Aria had in ninja movies, and in said movies, people always did it back. Usually there was a word they said to each other, but it was Japanese, maybe, and Aria hadn’t said it, so Liam wasn’t going to either. He bowed in return, as that was what he felt was proper and then turned to the girl called Clara and shook her hand.

“Good to meet you, Clara.” He said politely. Aria never failed to surprise him, and the girl’s comment about her mother threw him for a loop. He liked Aria, she was the most interesting person he knew—not that he knew her well by any means, but he was drawn to her somehow. She always seemed happy, but he’d never seen her this happy. He also wouldn’t have thought that a neon monster costume would be so fitting—but somehow it was. He knew wizard school had a weird way of celebrating and stifling differences at the same time. Liam had been a prime example; in muggle school, he was loud and goofy but here he’d become more of an observer and avid learner. He wondered if the same could have been said for his classmate. Whichever it was, he liked this Aria a little better.

“Thanks.” He replied as Aria commented on his suit. It wasn’t the fanciest by any means, but his grandparents had spent good money on it when it was initially purchased. He nodded in confirmation as Clara had nailed who he was supposed to be. He was glad that one person at least recognized him—and appreciated his hair.

“You wouldn’t believe the amount of gel I had to use to get it to stay like this.” He grinned. “Clark Kent is the secret identity of Superman—a character from muggle comic books. Superman is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! He uses his powers to save Metropolis from the clutches of evil.” Liam added for Aria’s sake, puffing his chest out and adopting a heroic stance.

“Clark, however, is reporter for the Daily Planet and tries to blend in as much as he can.” He explained, straightening his glasses and regaining his normal posture.

“Are you in our year, Clara? Second.” Liam clarified, unsure of who the girl actually was. He never really paid much attention in class, and first year had been all about learning the basics of the Wizarding world. He hadn’t stopped to learn individual names, which he often regretted. For all he knew, Clara could have been in his same house, and Liam would have been none the wiser.

5 Liam Obviously you've never seen me dance... 37 Liam 0 5

Henny B-F-R

October 12, 2012 1:28 PM

Not literally... by Henny B-F-R

Henny was very pleased to see another homemade costume making its slightly awkward way through the party. Being attractive seemed to have been top priority on the lists of most of the girls. It hadn't really even crossed her mind. She had wanted to look like she'd tried with her costume. She had wanted to look Christmassy. Underneath her cardboard Christmas tree, she was wearing a short-sleeved red sweater and a black skirt that came down to just above knee-height. Her outfits were nice and always well chosen by default, as her Dad loved shopping for her, so she had very many clothes which suited her nicely and which went well together. She therefore never spent agonising hours in front of the mirror, painstakingly choosing her clothes and, although her outfit was pretty enough, she hadn't put any active thought into whether she would look attractive. But then, there wasn't anyone whom she particularly wanted to attract. Maybe there was for the other girls. Maybe female, shop bought Hallowe'en outfits just assumed by default that one wished to show off one's legs. That was possibly depressingly nearer the mark and Henny found herself even more glad that she had made her own.

The home-made Menorah turned out to be her room-mate and member of her bookclub, Andri. Henny was quite relieved to discover, as the girl got closer, that it was simply a magical effect and that she was not genuinely on fire. Although it would only have been on the candles, a person wobbling even ever so slightly on fire would have not have struck her as the safest idea. Images came to mind of hot wax dribbling down Andri's forehead, or the accidental lighting of a crêpe-paper snowman.

“Hooray for diversity,” she grinned, as Andri joined her and exclaimed over them being a funny pair. Andri seemed very amused by the whole thing, somewhat more than Henny was. Her room-mate was practically bouncing at the idea and seemed a little more excitable than usual. But then it was a party; people were allowed to be excited and excitable. Henny found it an amusing idea, a Christmas tree and a Menorah having a conversation. It kind of sounded like the start of a joke and she shared this thought with Andri, followed by “A Christmas tree and a Menorah walk into a party... I don't know how it would end though.

“I'm really glad someone else went down the home-made route,” she smiled, casting an eye over the rest of the Thorntons who were milling about the party and who seemed to have a mixture of home-made and shop-bought costumes. “You and your sisters all look fantastic,” she smiled. “I hope they'll do this again. My brother would love it.”

13 Henny B-F-R Not literally... 211 Henny B-F-R 0 5

Michael Grosvenor and Eris Ackart

October 12, 2012 7:16 PM

It might be wise. by Michael Grosvenor and Eris Ackart

Michael had settled on dressing as a pirate. It was simple to do and it was a truth universally acknowledged that pirates were fricking cool. No one was going to laugh at him for being dressed as one. He had written home to request his mother's help and her permission to cut up one of his pairs of jeans – they were getting too small anyway, he swore to her and, if she didn't believe him, she would see when he came home. The fact that he had always been a truthful child who hated shopping had persuaded her that this was genuine, and so she had written back with her permission, a striped t-shirt, a waistcoat, a bandana and an eye patch. It was a shame that he couldn't wear a big captain's hat but things with large brims tended to cause feedback in his hearing aids. The bandana, which sat behind his ears, would be fine. On the day of the party, in his jeans – which were now straggly and ripped, looking like they had served many years on the high seas – and the rest of his attire, he went down to the common room to meet Eris.

Eris enlisted the aid of her mother in preparing her costume for the event. Mrs. Ackart was all too excited that her daughter was embracing her Greek roots and gladly sent her daughter everything she'd need to be a convincing goddess of chaos. Eris had started getting ready several hours prior to the event--she wanted to look perfect. Her costume was an asymmetrically cut red dress that crossed one shoulder and had a short, sheer sleeve. It was cut slightly higher than Eris was comfortable with on the sides, and showed her toned, athletic legs when she walked. The upper part of the dress fit nicely, and didn't reveal anything the girl wouldn't show off in a swimsuit--not that she had much at thirteen to show off. It was trimmed in golden sequins, and had a matching golden belt. Althea, her mother, had enchanted it so that when worn, it would give off an ethereal glow. Eris wore matching gold sandals that laced up her calves as well as golden wrist bands. She'd used both lengthening and curling charms on her hair, and it cascaded down her back, while two plaits formed a headband across her tresses, keeping it back from her face. Eris' mum also included a necklace , a golden apple that read 'to the fairest' on it. Considering it was a fancy dress party, Eris was allowed to wear makeup, but only applied a little to her eyes, lips and cheeks to giver her a more goddess like appearance without looking like a clown.

After a lot of primping and preparation, Eris decided it was probably time she got to the common room to meet her date. Or not date. To meet Michael. She felt beautiful, and loved her costume--she only hoped he was as pleased with it as she was. With her heart beating rapidly against her ribcage, Eris made her way to the common room.

"Hi..." She said with a smile, as her eyes fell on Pirate Michael. "You look brilliant!"

When Eris had mentioned going as a Greek Goddess, Michael had envisaged something floor-length and vaguely sheet-like. He was therefore quite taken aback when Eris appeared in a cute little red dress, one which showed off her legs. He wasn't quite sure what was so fascinating about legs. They were just the things you walked with. But somehow, they were interesting to look at...

"You look lovely," he smiled, dragging his attention back to Eris' face and giving her a quick hug. "Wait, are you glowing?" he asked, as he noticed the slight light that seemed to emanate from her. He knew he shouldn't be surprised - of course wizards and witches would embellish their costumes in that way. It was just he never would have thought of it. He wondered whether there was a spell he could use to make himself extra piratical but nothing came to mind.

Sure, her costume was glowing, but Eris was positively beaming in response to Michael's reaction to her costume. She couldn't recall ever being told she looked lovely by a boy before, aside from her father anyway, and most certainly never by a boy she fancied.

"Thank you!" She replied happily after an unexpected, but very welcomed hug. "It's not too much, is it? The glowing, I mean. It was mum's idea."

Eris couldn't help but wonder about the eye patch. Had he charmed it so that he could see properly through it? Did it effect the vision in his other eye at all? She'd have plenty of time to ask him about it later, but for now, they had a party to get to.

"No, I think it's a great idea!" Michael enthused when Eris asked about the glowing. "Maybe it's cos I'm Muggleborn but I never think to use magic other than what I've been taught - even then, I can't always think of loads of things I could do with a spell." It might also have been a reflection on Michael's thought processes in general. There was a reason that he wasn't in Aladren. Thinking outside the box on things wasn't really where Michael shone.

"To be honest, I probably wouldn't have either. This was one of Mum's better ideas," Eris replied with a smile.

"Ah, mine just provided the clothes and the permission to attack my jeans with scissors," Michael smiled, "Shall we go?" he asked, offering Eris his arm on his non-patch side. "Best be this side of me. I'm now half blind as well as hearing impaired. Good job I didn't go for the hook hand too!" he laughed. Eris smiled, taking Michael's arm. She hadn't thought about it, until he mentioned being half blind with the patch, but she hoped he'd be able to understand her well enough at the party. Eris would make a point to stay on that side of him. She laughed at his comment about the hook hand, finally finding the irony in his costume.

"Or the wooden leg. Though I think that would have required a bit of magic." She added. "Let's set sail, my scurvy mate." She tried in her best pirate voice.

"I don't think that comes under my remit of 'not a lot of effort,'" Michael commented, when Eris suggested he could have... done something to his leg. Transfigured he guessed. He also grimaced a little at thought of doing that to himself. He knew his problem would be most likely to be that he couldn't get it right in the first place but what if he couldn't get it back? His and Eris' conversation about missing limbs and regrowing bones had been enough to put him off any magical body modification for life.

"That accent is weird to hear coming from a Greek Goddess," he laughed, as they started to make their way downstairs.

"True." Eris was pleased with the effort that Michael had put in to his costume, even with all of his limbs present. She was confident that they weren't going to be the oddest looking couple at the party. In fact, she couldn't remember seeing a cuter pirate than the one she was attending with. She wouldn't mention that to Michael though, as she was sure his intent was to look manly and rugged. She laughed at his comment about her pirate accent and resigned to using her own for the rest of the night.

* * *

Michael's immediate impression of the party was that it looked like several holidays had thrown up all over the Labyrinth Gardens. In kind of a good way. It was jolly and there were clearly different sections but it certainly took a lot of looking to take it all in. And there were lots of people. And music.

"I'll give it a go but we may have to resort to activities that don't require talking," he informed Eris. He tried to think what options that might leave them with. The one that sprung to mind was not very appealing but he wanted Eris to have fun, and if he couldn't make conversation, there might be nothing else for it. "I will, to make up for my shortcomings, dance, if that is the only option left to us, although I cannot promise that you will escape without injury," he half-joked.

The gardens were a little overwhelming as they were, especially considering their recent Defence lesson, but all of the different decorations made them feel even more so in Eris' eyes. There was so much to see and take in, she couldn't imagine doing so with only one eye.

The other thing Eris noticed was the noise level. She'd been a little more conscious of things like that since meeting Michael, and she hoped he wouldn't be bothered too much. If only she'd taken the time to learn some muffling spells or something.

She nodded in understanding, more concerned for his comfort than anything. Eris grinned when he offered to dance with her if they couldn't talk. She wasn't much of a dancer, but she was willing to give it a shot as long as Michael was her partner.

"I'm willing to take that risk." She said before her attention was drawn to a girl in a turkey costume.

Michael was scanning the party, taking it all in when something caught his attention. Brianna. With Maxamillian. He didn't like that. It was true that Maxamillian had never been off with Michael but, even with impaired hearing, you heard certain things. Michael tried to judge people on what he thought of them not what other people said, as he knew that wasn't always accurate. But, whilst trying to reserve judgement, it made him exercise a certain degree of caution around the older boy. Brianna was sweet, but not the most confident person. Someone who was rumoured to have a pretty bad mean streak was not who Michael would have chosen as his friend's party date. He would have chosen someone gentle and kind. Someone like... he mentally ran through every boy in the school and found that he could find fault with all of them, for Brianna. If he had had to rank them though, Maxamillian would have been fairly far down the list. The scenario worried him. At least, it should have worried him. Instead he felt... something else. It was like a combination of angry and upset that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Can we go say hi to my friends?" he asked Eris, nodding in the direction of Brianna and her date. It was stretching things a little to say that Maxamillian was his friend but he needed to get over there to... At this point, he realised that he had no real idea of what he was striding over there to do but it was now a bit late to change direction. He wanted to do the thing that big brothers did in films, where they warned people that if they didn't treat their sister right they would have them to answer to. Except, instead of doing that, he just wanted to do something to make Maxamillian leave Brianna alone altogether. And, in reality, there was no way that he could say anything like that because people just didn't in real life and because Maxamillian was perfectly capable of hexing him to pieces.

"Hi," he greeted Brianna and Maxamillian. "Good to see you," he smiled at them, though really more meaning Brianna. If he was smart he would come up with some subtle coded way for Maxamillian to get his meaning. If he was tough, he would give him a long, manly stare-down (albeit one that currently lacked depth perception) that silently conveyed his message. He wasn't really either of these things though. He couldn't win a stare out with an ADHD-afflicted goldfish, much less someone like Maxamillian. He managed to just about make eye contact with the older boy as he said hello.

"Have you met Eris?" he asked, turning slightly towards the Greek Goddess on his arm, lest they were unsure who he was talking about. "She just transferred in this year. Eris, this is my friend Brianna and-" he realised after he had said it that he had used 'friend' in the singular which meant he had to come up with a different epithet for Maxamillian. That was fair enough as he and Maxamillian weren't really friends. But was he Brianna's date? It was definitely not clear enough that that was the case for Michael to introduce him as such. Besides which, in his world, it damn well wasn't true, "Maxamillian," he added. "Maxamillian and Brianna, Eris."

13 Michael Grosvenor and Eris Ackart It might be wise. 199 Michael Grosvenor and Eris Ackart 0 5

Aria

October 12, 2012 11:28 PM

I'm sure mine aren't any better by Aria

Aria was somewhat surprised by Clara’s response to her name and wondered what people were saying about her to elicit that… But then Clara clarified by saying that she simply liked the sound of her name. That made Aria feel better. “Oh, thank you.” She said with a genuine smile. Her parents would be quite happy to know that people loved the name that they felt was her spiritual blessing. “My parents felt that air was the appropriate element for my soul.” She commented in all seriousness. Her parents had had Earth bound names when they had entered the community, but both ended up changing them to names that they felt suited them far better. Her mother became Ember and her father, Kai. They felt these names were their elemental partners.

Aria still did not know who ‘Regina’ was, but since she did not know anyone above Year 3, she wasn’t all that surprised by it. Clearly Clara knew more people than her, but that also didn’t surprise her. Last term, Aria was very quiet and struggling to find the desire to stay at Sonora. Because of her sadness and lack of balance she had in her spirit, Aria hadn’t ventured out to really meet anyone. Her roommates had been nice, but none of them had really reached out to her. Lucy and Melanie were from the proper families that looked down on her. They were nice, but she felt they kept their distance. Brielle was all over the place and hard for Aria to handle. She needed peace and balance, but Brielle was so enthusiastic about things that it was rather overwhelming. Even so, she had her large family and seemed to spend it with them or Waverly, a third year in Pecari. She had not gotten any closer to her than she had with the others.

“Oh.” Aria stated quietly when Clara explained her costume. She wasn’t sure if the added part about the color was a poke at her lack of knowledge or not. Aria had never seen a Mime in person, only read about them in stories. She was not aware of how they looked, just a general idea. Maybe if she had said clown it would have been more accurate. “I have no idea.” Aria answered truthfully. “I have never seen a Mime or a Harliquin. I only guessed based on stories. I’m sorry.” She wasn’t sure how to handle Clara. She reminded her somewhat of all the other girls whom she had met who were nice to her at face value but didn’t really care to get to understand her. Of course, this was just the first meeting and Aria can always admit to being wrong.

Aria, who was happy to see Liam( one of the few people she felt comfortable with) bow back to her, turned her blue eyes onto Clara when the other girl spoke. Apparently, whoever Liam had dressed up as was someone with whom Clara knew well. But, she only confused Aria more. Who was Clark Kent and why was he important? And where was Metropolis?

At the mention of Liam’s hair, Aria’s eyes went to it and she felt the urge to touch it. She refrained, but she couldn’t keep herself from looking at it. She listened, though, when Liam began to explain his costume and although she still had no real understanding of the person he was portraying, she thought it seemed like he was supposed to be the good guy. Or ‘Hero’ as they were often referred to in books. “Why does he have to be two different people?” Aria asked, curious to know the reasoning behind it. If he was a hero, wouldn’t it be okay for him to always be ‘Superman’?

The conversation turned to Clara and while the two of them spoke, Aria could no longer deny her internal wish. She reached out and touched his hair. Not the curl, of course, she wouldn’t want to ruin that, but his head of hair. It was quite stiff from all the gel, but glossy and sort of fun to touch. “Oooh.” She commented with a pleased look. No one used product in her community. It clogged up their essence. Or so her mother said often. “Maybe I should use this gel to help my curls.”

0 Aria I'm sure mine aren't any better 0 Aria 0 5

Josh McLachlan

October 13, 2012 1:38 PM

I'm not that scary, am I? by Josh McLachlan

It was getting darker and Josh didn't like the idea of sticking around next to the Halloween section of the party much longer. Then it would be completely dark and he wouldn't be able to see anything, much less anything that might pop out at them from the labyrinth. He was glad when Brianna accepted his compliment graciously. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually complimented someone even if it was just out of politeness. This all felt strangely familiar, except it had been at a different place during a different time with a different girl.

When Brianna said that Christmas was her favorite, Josh was relieved. He was glad she hadn't said Halloween, or he would have been doomed. He was curious when she said that her parents only stayed with her during Christmas, and he wondered if she was one of those girls who was from a poor, working family. He didn't meet too many purebloods who could say that they were from that sort. She would, in fact, be the first, and Josh realized that he could probably relate better to her than to any of the other purebloods he did know. It was comforting, though he couldn't fully relate to the happy environment she seemed to experience every Christmas. He wanted to ask her about it, but he didn't want to bring down the mood. He was sensitive about those things even when people assumed he didn't seem to care about anything.

"I wouldn't have been mad," Josh said, looking at her costume again. "If one of us was going to, I'm glad it was you. You look much better dressed up than I would have." Besides the fact that Josh hated dressing up in costumes. "If you like dressing up, I'm glad you did." He gave her a little smile, and then turned away to look over at the Christmas section, wanting to go over there. Brianna seemed to get the idea, or at least she felt the same way, because she began moving. Josh quickly caught on and walked on next to her, his hands in his pockets. It was funny that she had never been to a party before, and he was about to say that he was definitely the wrong person to ask when Michael and another girl approached them.

When Michael greeted them, Josh felt a little strange with the way he barely looked at him. Josh had only interacted with Michael through class, and it was true that Josh didn't observe him as much as he observed his other classmates, but he knew that Michael was much friendlier. There was something odd about him, and Josh had guessed, after partnering with him in class, that he had to be at least a little hard of hearing, or that he practiced selective hearing. It wasn't going to be something Josh called him out on or would question him about to confirm his hypothesis, but it did make Josh a little more curious about him when he remembered.

It was clear that Michael was here for Brianna, so Josh thought he'd better not say anything, but be the good, silent companion while she socialized. He wondered once again why Brianna hadn't asked someone else, like Michael, who seemed more friendly. There wasn't anything special about Josh that warranted Brianna's attention, but he enjoyed her company. The more he learned about her, the more he realized that they had more things in common than other students here.

It was strange to think that just three years ago, Josh would have been the one greeting people at parties, before the giant fiasco back at his old school had happened. He and his roommates had been good friends before the roommates became backstabbers along with the other friends Josh had had then. He had been a different person then too. Happier, more relaxed. The old Josh was absolutely foreign to the new Josh now, and being in an environment that reminded him of his old life made him feel strange. He did not want to fall back into that trap of vulnerability, however, and focused on pushing that feeling away as Michael introduced them to Eris. He noted how Michael referred to Brianna as his friend and Josh as simply, "Maximilian." If that wasn't a clear indication of the way Michael felt about both Josh and his companion, he didn't know what was.

"It's 'Josh,' actually," he said quietly, nodding a greeting at Eris. "I'm a transfer student too, but I transferred here last year." He had always wondered if the first-year international students lost their accent, or if their accents changed over the course of seven years. His Scottish-Australian accent hadn't been influenced by the American one yet, and he was in his fifth year now. It was probably because he was older and past the age where his manner of speech was still malleable.

He knew that Eris existed at this school because he had seen her before in their classes. He hadn't really met another transfer student before, but he had assumed, since he had not seen her before this year, that she was one. Maybe it was somewhere they could relate, but Josh was at a loss of words on how to approach the topic without alienating the others. He looked to Brianna, hoping that she would be less awkward since Michael was her friend and all.

0 Josh McLachlan I'm not that scary, am I? 0 Josh McLachlan 0 5

Brianna

October 13, 2012 3:23 PM

I don't think so by Brianna

Brianna was genuinely happy that Josh seemed to appreciate her costume. When her mother had originally sent it, she had questioned whether or not it was a good idea. She didn’t know Josh on a personal level yet and wasn’t sure if she ever really would, so she wasn’t sure if this whole situation was something he would really want to be a part of. There were days when Brianna wished that David were still at Sonora because she knew that he would have come with her without hesitation. He had been her first real friend and the only person who seemed to have known how awful things were at home for her without ever needing her to say it. She still felt like she had to tiptoe around everyone else.

For some reason, though, she seemed to just tell Josh things. Maybe it was because he was so quiet and he let her talk that she just needed to ramble away to fill the void. Or maybe it was just that she needed to say it and since Josh wasn’t close to anyone that she felt safe saying it. She had no idea, but she hoped that she didn’t regret it.

She was pleased that he was not angry with her and seemed to really enjoy her outfit. Well, maybe not enjoy, but at least appreciated it just a little bit. “Oh, I don’t know, I think you might have made a really nice looking Elf.” Brianna commented, trying to be complimentary but not sure if she was pulling it off. “At least we match. Does that mean that Christmas is your favorite too?”

When they began to move, they were intercepted by Michael and the new transfer that Brianna had seen in classes. Brianna, having no confidence and little self-esteem, looked at the girl in hesitation and now was second-guessing her choice of outfit for the hundredth time that evening. The girl was rather pretty and had on a short dress that glowed. Brianna looked like a too thin idiot dressed like a stupid elf. “Hi Michael.” Brianna greeted with a pleasant smile. She has happy to see him, even though seeing him with the girl only solidified her original thought that it had been best that she hadn’t asked him. He wouldn’t have wanted to go with someone like her anyway. He wanted girls who could pull of looks like what his date was wearing.

Her brown eyes turned to Eris after the introduction, but Josh was already correcting the use of his name and admitting that he and Eris shared something in common by being transfers. “It’s nice to meet you, Eris.” Brianna greeted, still with a smile though not quite meeting her in the eye. Brianna had a hard time with girls. They judged her and if Attoria was anything to go by, they also talked poorly about you to others. “You have a lovely costume. You both do.” Brianna complimented. “I like your pirate look.” She said to Michael. If Eris was a Goddess, she wondered if she shouldn’t have come with Cepheus, who had been named for a Greek God or something like that. That might have been fun to see.

“Josh was kind enough to keep me company tonight. I wasn’t sure who would be coming, but I really wanted to.” Brianna explained, though she wasn’t really sure why she felt the need to. It wasn’t like anyone else had asked her or anything, so there was no reason for her to feel guilty. “I’ve never been to a costume party, so we were just figuring out what to do.”

0 Brianna I don't think so 0 Brianna 0 5

Fae Sinclair and Alice Adair

October 13, 2012 4:00 PM

Trying to remain cool and collective by Fae Sinclair and Alice Adair

(OOC: Co-written by the authors of Alice Adair and Fae Sinclair)

Fae wasn’t really sure if she should be going to the party or not. Was it socially accpetable? Probably not since it was hosted by people that included a Halfblood and a Muggleborn. If it had been just Derry and Hope, it would probably have been deemed appropriate. But Fae wanted some normalcy in her life of chaos and Alice gave her that excuse. Alice’s sister, Jordan, was forcing Alice to go and Fae, being a good roommate and friend, was going to go with her. She probably should have figured out if Arnold was going and if they were going to go as a couple, but considering the last time she actually voiced any opinion of the two of them and their unknown relationship status ended in tears, she wasn’t sure if she could have that sort of talk and go as a couple just right now. She was going to talk to him though. She needed to.

Fae’s costume was different for her. She was going as Little Red Riding Hood, but with a slightly different take on the looks. The deep red dress only came down mid-thigh, which was not a comfortable length for Fae. She was not tall and she had hips, she felt that a dress this short would not work well for her body. Thankfully, the hooded cloak went to her knees and made her feel a bit more covered up. The color was a crimson red and both the dress and the cloak had lacy trim throughout it. She actually thought it look rather neat and she was happy her mother sent it to her. Plus, it came with black stockings that ended at her calves.

Having done her hair and makeup and dressed, Fae stood in her dorm room waiting for Alice. “Are you sure you don’t mind going?” She asked her friend for the millionth time.

Alice sat uncomfortably on the edge of her bed. She fingered the green material of her dress. “No, I don’t mind.” Well, she minded a little. She could have been working on any number of things that didn’t revolve going to a costume party. She had no idea why she had allowed Jordan to talk her into such a thing, but her sister had insisted that she get out more, because there was more to life than just academics. She had even gone as far as to pick out a costume for her. Jordan thought that playing off Alice’s namesake would be a cute idea, but rather than go as Alice from Alice in Wonderland, she thought it much more amusing for her to go as the Mad Hatter, a counterpart of sorts.

Admittedly, she did like the outfit quite a bit. Her dress was satin green with a darker green vest over top. Paired with it was a tartan jacket with ruffled sleeves and pulled together with black ribbon across the ribcage. Tied around her neck was a light blue scarf. The outfit included a matching hat with the traditional 10/6 card. White thigh highs and black Mary Janes completed the look. It felt very much like her. The makeup, though, not so much. She had allowed Fae to do as she wished figuring that she knew quite a bit more than Alice did on that subject. Her eyes were now very intense. Three different sparkling greens had been applied. The base was a jade, which was then lined with an emerald on top. Along the edge was a lighter, nearly glowing green. Finishing it off, her eyes had been outlined thickly with black pencil.

She honestly didn’t know what to think other than she couldn’t stop staring in the mirror across from her. Would people laugh at her? She hoped not. She wasn’t anywhere near as beautiful as Fae was. Yet, the makeup gave her an appeal that she didn’t even know she had and was afraid to even admit. “Are you sure the makeup looks all right?” She was sure glad it was for a costume party, where it was at least somewhat expected. She knew she would never be able to wear anything like this on a normal day.

Fae knew better than to believe her when she said she was okay with going, but there wasn’t really an option not to go. “Yes, they look fantastic.” Fae meant it and she wasn’t being biased in her opinion since she was the one who did them up for her. It was a costume party and people were meant to play things up. Although Fae had kept her own makeup toned down like her normal look, Alice was the Mad Hatter! There was so much that a person could do to really make the costume that much better. Fae kept it to her eyes though because she was aware of how uncomfortable Alice would have really been if there had been more done.

“Come on, it’s already started, we should go before your sister hunts us down.” Fae commented with a smile. The truth was, she was nervous. She was always nervous at social events. Did she look stupid? Would someone else be wearing the same costume? Would Arnold be there? Would he not appreciate the look? Maybe he was looking for something more showy or even sexy - not that Fae knew how to do sexy - and this would just too childish for him? Maybe he wouldn’t go at all. But if he did go and Fae talked to him... what if he told her he didn’t want to date her? What if he only ever wanted to remain friends with something of a forced extra? Fae kept telling herself she would be okay with that, but she knew that it would hurt...

Feeling herself started to get depressed at the thoughts, Fae shook herself internally and lifted her hood over her blonde curls. “Ok, Alice, er, Mad Hatter, let’s get going.”

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

Fae walked down to the Gardens with Alice and hesitated briefly at one of the openings. Fae never came into the gardens. Bad things happened whenever she did. The first time was to see the Moon Calves and one of them had tried to eat her. The second time she had come alone trying to build herself up and be brave, but she had been chased by an unknown and smashed head on into a statue. She had scratched herself up pretty badly. She had never entered again unless it was for a class and she was surrounded by more than 20 people. Taking a breath, she ventured into the ever darkening Gardens with the Mad Hatter.

Upon entering the actual area of the party, Fae was surprised to see how much the Teppenpaws had actually done for the party. It was decorated into sections, each section representing a Holiday. Looking around, she spotted Reggie heading towards them with a camera. “Smile Alice.” Fae said quickly, donning a smile of her own and tilting her head slightly towards Alice just before the flash went off. Blinking away the spots, Fae tried to see who had come. “Is your sister here yet?” Fae asked although she wasn’t really looking for Jordan but rather, for Arnold.

“Um...” Alice hesitated, waiting for her vision to clear. Normally, she was on the other side of the camera, not the one being photographed. She was sure that the picture had come out horribly even though her family always insisted her smile was one of her best features. Finally, when she was able to see, she spotted her sister further away, not more than to give a nod. “There she is,” she said, pointing. She still couldn’t believe Jordan was willing to wear something so incredibly revealing. Even for a costume party, she would never have been so confident. But then, they were two very different people. “I don’t think she’s waiting for us though.” She knew the look her sister had. Leaning closer to Fae, she locked arms with her and whispered, “She’s wearing her boy look.”

Fae giggled. She couldn’t imagine purposely setting out to find a boy... until she realized she was doing exactly that. Well, at least she wasn’t in ...that outfit. Good for her though for having the confidence to do so in school. “Any boy in particular or does it not matter for your sister?” Fae didn’t really pay any attention to the older years, so as far as she knew, Alice’s sister had a boyfriend. It was then that Fae thought she saw Arnold. It was hard to tell with the costumes, but she was almost certain that it was him. She blushed when she realized that her heart was racing and that she was honestly excited to see him. This would not help her if he didn’t like her in any way.

0 Fae Sinclair and Alice Adair Trying to remain cool and collective 0 Fae Sinclair and Alice Adair 0 5

Michael Grosvenor

October 13, 2012 6:23 PM

These people strike just when you let your guard down! by Michael Grosvenor

Maxamillian was pretty quietly spoken and was pretty much drowned out by the background noise. But he seemed to be looking towards Eris, so Michael just guessed he was making introductions. Eris wasn't bursting into tears so he trusted the older boy was being pleasant. He tried to recall whether he had mentioned his hearing impairment to Maxamillian when they had worked together. He usually ended up mentioning it when working with someone. Either up front to make things easier or when they did something, as they invariably did, like look away as they spoke.

Michael had a better eyeline on Brianna and she spoke at a more normal volume than Maxamillian. The comment about pirates came across fairly clearly and was well supported by context and being easy to lip-read.

“You make a nice elf,” he smiled.

The rest of what Brianna was saying was a bit harder to follow. He was sure he was staring at her pretty intently but also that she had adjusted to this habit of his. They had got to the party pretty early and there weren't that many other people there yet. If he focussed very hard on Brianna's voice, he could get most of the words.

“Who's..?” he began before putting two and two together. The other guy was definitely Maxamillian on the register. The register was done in silence and it wasn't like Michael could have misheard one name for the other. He guessed it was must be a middle name. He wondered whether Maxa- Josh had told him that before, maybe in Potions. He'd look pretty silly for having forgotten that. “Sorry if you've told me that before,” he said to Ma-Josh, “I don't always hear very well...” his voice trailed off a little towards the end of his sentence. It might not have been new information, as it may well have come up when they worked together. Even if it was, people at Sonora hadn't given him grief. And, for all the bad things he'd heard about M- Josh, Michael didn't get the impression that the problem was him actively bullying people. Just being up himself or bossy or something. He managed to keep his eyes on the older boy as he addressed him, mostly because he needed to monitor him for his reaction, but the hand that was resting on Eris' arm tightened its grip just a little bit.

The rest of what Brianna said was mostly just things about parties and coming to parties being nice or... It seemed like it was small talk. Nothing he really needed to give a reaction to. Well, he might have liked to have given a reaction to the fact that she was here was Josh but he still hadn't really figured out what to do about that. He thought about reassuring her that he hadn't really known what to expect either and not wanting to look stupid in his costume but, whilst he didn't mind sharing his feelings with his friends, he minded sharing them with Josh.

13 Michael Grosvenor These people strike just when you let your guard down! 199 Michael Grosvenor 0 5

Arnold and Arthur Carey

October 13, 2012 7:51 PM

Stammering in front of the cool kids by Arnold and Arthur Carey

According to their younger brother, there was another, more conventional gathering going on somewhere, but Arnold had elected to follow Arthur to the other option. For one thing, he did not enjoy that kind of thing even when there were a lot of people there who weren’t first year girls, and for another, if anyone besides first year girls did show up, it would be proper girls, and he couldn’t imagine many things that sounded less appealing than sitting across from Fae and trying to make formal conversation while surrounded by the beginners’ class. He was sure he would end up with far too clear of an answer to his increasingly frequent thoughts about what it was going to be like to be an adult. It was hard to deal with her in regular surroundings – hard, but doable. At a formal tea….

Arnold shuddered at the very thought.

Why Arthur – and Jane, of course; sometimes, this semester, he thought only a very little bit bitterly, it might have been easy for an outsider to assume that Jane was Arthur’s twin, they spent so much time whispering together, and Arthur brushed him off so easily whenever he tried to ask what they were whispering about – thought coming to this party was a good idea, he had no idea, and hadn’t asked. Half the time he didn’t know what his brother was talking about when he did answer that kind of question, or else what he said sounded so weird to Arnold that he assumed he must be misunderstanding it somehow, and over the past year, he had learned just not to ask more often than not. It upset him, once he had thought that he and Arthur knew almost everything about each other, if not all of the same things in general, but…well, he was getting good at avoiding subjects this year in general, wasn’t he? It made sense that everyone else would, too.

He tried to dispel gloomy thoughts as he stepped into the wildly decorated party area, much more comfortable in his King Arthur costume than he had expected to be. He assumed that it was mostly his brother’s sense of humor which had led – over many protests from Theresa – to their theme, especially since he, rather than the one with the proper name for it was the king, but didn’t care much since his costume was, though further from normal dress than Arthur’s, easier to manage than the long fake white hair and beard his brother was sporting, along with an elaborate, old-fashioned set of dress robes, as Merlin. He waved good-naturedly as specks floated in front of his eyes after they were photographed, then wandered around, taking in the sights and wondering what the section with all the people in black and white was…And then he turned and there was Fae.

Look on the bright side, he thought. At least it’s not a tea party. He wished his heart wouldn’t do that unpleasant jolting thing every time he saw her, though.

Beside him, he thought Arthur was frowning, though the beard made it hard to tell. “Why does she have an improper fraction on her head?” he asked.

Arnold looked at Fae again, but saw only…red. A lot of it. No improper fractions, but a very intimidating amount of red. And black. He thought it was the black lace that sealed the deal, really. That made it intimidating. That, and Fae wearing it. And having legs, which the short part in front showed off…particularly well. He found himself wishing he had a fake beard – a thought he’d never had before, but which he realized expressed a feeling he’d had a lot this term. “What?” he asked.

“Alice,” Arthur said. “I don’t object to what she’s wearing in general, but why does she has an improper fraction on her head?”

“No idea,” Arnold said, only loosely following what Arthur had said. “Come on, let’s…”

“No good,” his brother said. Arnold decided to imagine he was imagining a certain note of glee in Arthur’s voice as he said that. “I think she’s seen you, too.” He looked at Arnold with what he was pretty sure was a half-admonishing and half-amused expression, even given how little of his twin’s face he could see. “Come now, Arthur, you are the ideal of chivalry. You can hardly ignore your own future wife.” Arnold offered a suggestion about what Arthur could do with his ideal of chivalry, which made Arthur shake his head. “I’m afraid that’s most likely anatomically impossible,” he said. “Now go say hello.”

Arnold might have argued further, but found himself being steered along, and couldn’t do much about it without making a scene. Soon, then, he found himself in front of Fae.

He couldn’t think what to do, so he started acting without thought, bowing low to her. “Good evening to thee, Milady,” he said, then resisted the urge to kick himself very hard on his way back up. “You, er, you look nice,” he said. “Very…colorful.” Yes. Colorful. That was safe. She was very colorful. Arnold suddenly wished very much that he wasn’t wearing a crown on his head. Not only did it look stupid, but it was sure to slip and fall off at the very worst moment possible. He would make a joke when it did, but he didn’t know if that would really make the situation better. Unless there was an awkward moment, and he knocked it off just to break the silence....

0 Arnold and Arthur Carey Stammering in front of the cool kids 181 Arnold and Arthur Carey 0 5

Marcus Williams

October 13, 2012 8:42 PM

Would someone like some nuts? by Marcus Williams

Marcus was actually pretty excited for the costume party. He was missing out on things like this back home. He always saw the pictures his friends had about all the parties they had attended and Marcus could not do the same. They had fun things going on every year at Sonora, but he couldn’t very well take pictures of it and show them off to his Muggle friends. The concert was something of proof of that. Marcus had been a part of a Zombie movie! A Zombie Movie. That was just the coolest ever. His friends would totally be jealous of that and probably all the neat tricks some of the other people did. He could have taken photos of the wild west town they were in a couple of terms ago, or of the ball and his date back when he was a third year. He could have taken photos of these things, but he wasn’t exactly sure how he would have explained everything to them. He didn’t like having to hide this part of himself. He was proud to have Magical abilities and he felt that there could be so much done with it, but not being able to share it he felt somewhat swindled by it all. He friends were able to continue on with their lives and have fun and talk all about it, but Marcus was only allowed to share bits and pieces of it.

When the news of the costume party came about, Marcus thought that there was finally something normal for him to appreciate. He could even take pictures if he wanted because even Muggle Halloweens had crazy costumes. It was something that he could actually share with people back home. Sometimes they would poke fun of him for the things he could tell them about life at Sonora (they assume he got a scholarship to a preppy boarding school), but pictures usually stopped them. Like the ones he had of Valentina and him together. They didn’t believe him when he said he had been dating the hottest girl but the pictures shut their doubts up.

Marcus ordered himself one of the funniest costumes he could find and it was a squirrel with detachable nuts. He thought that if he wore this at home with all his friends, they would find it a complete riot. He wasn’t so sure that the people here would really understand the humor of it, but at the moment, he didn’t really care.

Walking into the party via the Fall décor, wearing his Squirrel costume, Marcus took a moment to look around. He knew the Teppenpaws having worked on the movie with them, so he wasn’t really surprised that they had gone all out for it. He had his camera on him and took a couple of shots, but then was bombarded by a flash from another camera. Blinking, he saw Reggie. Smiling at her and posing, Marcus had a couple of shots taken of him before Reggie ran off to take more photos. Now that he was here though, Marcus had to decide on what to do with himself.

Shrugging, he mingled around the food table, munching on some cookies and sipping on some cider. He was enjoying the various costumes though.

6 Marcus Williams Would someone like some nuts? 180 Marcus Williams 0 5

Cepheus Princeton

October 13, 2012 10:45 PM

Waiting for Friends. by Cepheus Princeton

Being a Princeton, it was only reasonable that he go to one of the two parties that were being advertised. The first had been advertised by a flyer tacked onto the Crotalus bulletin board. The second had been passed through word-of-mouth for purebloods only. Cepheus could only imagine what sort of party that would be. Stifling. Cepheus didn’t agree with his younger brother much on anything anymore, but he and Rupert did share a dislike for those pureblood gatherings. Those were the sorts of parties the adults had while the children went upstairs and played. Cepheus was too old to go upstairs and play now, and he knew he would need to integrate himself into that culture once he was older, but for now he was going to enjoy the party Reggie was throwing.

Cepheus’s birthday had been in October, just a few days before Halloween. He had been too busy to throw a respectable party for himself, but now, though a month had passed, he could celebrate it properly. It was never too late to celebrate a party.

His parents had sent both his costume and Rupert’s. Cepheus had asked them specifically for something that would make him look like a Greek god. Though his name came from a constellation, he had done some research and found that the constellation was named after a king. It would only be fitting to be one step above that. Cepheus very well looked like one with his white robe and a purple sash over one shoulder going across his chest. He had an olive wreath on his head to finish the look and gold sandals on his feet. He pulled the part off well with his pale skin, blonde hair and blue eyes. Quite Aryan, if he said so himself.

When he arrived at the party, he immediately looked for Theresa, wishing that he had asked her to go with him. He saw so many pairs around. Even McLachlan had a date! That was a sight to see. But Cepheus had bigger things on his mind. He wandered through, looking at the ridiculous costumes of some other people. There was another girl dressed as something similar to him, which he appreciated. She was conversing with McLachlan, another thing he found odd, but he let it slip his mind as he went to the seemingly bloody fountain.

Cepheus then looked around for Megan, wondering if she would show her face to something like this. He picked up a cookie and a cup of juice, glad that he wasn’t sipping tea and having stilted conversations in Cascade Hall. This party was much livelier with much more to look at, and Ceph appreciated that. He spotted one of his friends and waved at them with a smile, sure that he looked regal both in his costume and in his demeanor. He had recently turned fourteen; only three more years and he would be legal, at least in the United Kingdom.

As he bit into his cookie, he thought again of what his father would say if he had asked Theresa to be his Cassiopeia instead of Megan. That train of thought was loaded, and he blushed at the implications it brought with it. As if to stopper his thoughts, he stuffed the rest of his cookie in his mouth, so was unable to immediately give a proper greeting when someone approached him.

40 Cepheus Princeton Waiting for Friends. 216 Cepheus Princeton 0 5

Rupert Princeton

October 13, 2012 11:10 PM

Rawr! by Rupert Princeton

Rupert was a lion. It wasn’t even an arguable point. He had a lion suit on complete with the lion head. Rup’s head was visible through the lion’s mouth, and he thought he looked absolutely smashing. Rupert had specifically asked his parents to buy him a full lion costume, having decided a month in advance of what he wanted to be. Rupert loved to dress up, and he wished that he could have a chance to act as well, but there was no way his parents would have allowed that.

His first costume choice had actually been a Muggle, but Rupert wasn’t exactly sure what that looked like. He had seen muggle-borns walking around in their Muggle clothing, but he didn’t know if that’s what they wore every day at their home or not. Rup had seen and interacted with Muggles before, but that had been ages ago and he couldn’t remember exactly what they had been wearing. All he remembered was that it had been strikingly different from his own familiar robes.

Of course, if he had told his parents that, they really would have taken him away from school and locked him in a tower somewhere never to see people again, so Rup had taken the safe route. And now he had an amazing lion costume. The lion head’s blond mane was an extension of Rupert’s bright blond hair, and his dark eyes matched the dark eyes on the lion head. Rupert was extremely proud of it, and he couldn’t wait to show it off.

He was also excited to be going to a party. His first year and already he was going to attend an actual non-pure-blood party for the first time in his life. Rupert was hardly ever nervous about anything, so he had no fear going to a party by himself dressed up from head to toe as a golden lion. He walked to the gardens holding his tail so it wouldn’t drag on the ground, and looked around in awe at the decorations and the transformation of the hedge. The girl who was throwing this party had done a fantastic job. Rupert couldn’t help his smiles.

His classmates really had great costume choices, and Rupert felt even more proud of his lion suit. He spotted his brother at the refreshment table, and made sure to avoid the fountain. As he wandered, he passed the spooky section of the labyrinth and a ghost popped out at him, barring its fierce teeth and shrieking. Rup jumped back, his heart pumping, but didn’t let out a sound. He watched as the ghost disappeared again, and Rupert almost laughed. This was great. Rupert was rarely frightened of anything, but he enjoyed the adrenaline rush he got when things jumped out at him. It was masochistic and so addicting.

Rupert was still smiling as he continued to wander, and then overheard a familiar name. “Are you in our year, Clara? Second?” The only Clara he knew he had met during his COMC class and she had been a fantastic partner. He turned immediately and walked over to them, grinning from ear-to-ear. The company Clara was with looked absolutely fantastic in their costumes, though Rupert had trouble placing all of them, Clara included. A step away from them, he leant in. “Mind if I join you?” he asked, before coming closer. “Merlin, I love your costume and your hair colour,” he gushed to the monster-girl. Pink hair was so interesting and Rupert absolutely adored interesting people. While her hat sat on her head, his head piece encompassed him. “It’s brilliant.” He turned to Clara and the other boy then. “I’m Rupert Princeton,” he introduced himself. “I know you’re Clara, but what are your names?” he asked, indicating the monster-girl and the boy in the suit. “And I apologise, but what are you two,” he looked at the boy and Clara, “supposed to be? I'm guessing you're supposed to be a monster," he said, gesturing to monster-girl, "but I’m rubbish at guessing specific costumes, and I’ve been especially bad here with the Muggle ones.”

40 Rupert Princeton Rawr! 248 Rupert Princeton 0 5

Fae

October 14, 2012 12:49 AM

Are we intimidating? by Fae

Fae tried very hard to not keep looking at who she thought to be Arnold. But every so often she found her blue eyes catching site of him. When he finally looked in this direction, she knew it really was him and the man in the beard had to be Arthur. She knew who Arthur was, he was Merlin. That costume was timeless and anyone in the Magical world would place it. If Arthur was Merlin, did that make Arnold, Arthur? One of the Knights of the Round Table and King of Camelot? She was pretty sure she had that right, but literature wasn’t necessarily her strong suit. Not that anything was really her strong suit.

She felt silly though, having dressed like a sinister Red Riding Hood instead of something more feminine or girly like a princess. Maybe she should have tried for something more, er, appealing? All the other girls seemed to be wearing outfits that showed off quite a bit more than her’s did. Yes, she was uncomfortable with showing off more leg than she normally did (which was funny considering this was the length of dress Shelby wanted her to start wearing), but if it meant maybe pleasing Arnold a little bit, she didn’t necessarily see the harm in having done it for one evening.

Fae contemplated running back to the dorm room and recreating her costume to something more pleasant to look at, but before she had a chance to make her getaway, she found that both Arthur and Arnold were heading in her direction. “Uh oh.” She mumbled under her breath. She heard what seemed to be a rush of wind in her ears, but realized it was the blood rushing through her from the adrenaline that she often had when she saw him. The racing heart and anxious feeling she always seemed to have lately that occurred whenever she saw him was getting old. It was Arnold. Arnold. She had known him since she was eleven. Why did everything suddenly have to be so different?

Fae almost panicked when they drew near, but knew that this was what she wanted and so she willed herself to stay still. She smiled when they came upon them and opened her mouth to greet them, only to be taken by surprise when Arnold suddenly bowed. The giggle came quickly and Fae put a hand to her mouth to keep it from turning into a full on laugh. Following Arnold’s lead, Fae did a curtsy (which was strange to do in her get-up), “Tis most splended, kind Sir.” She had no idea if she used to correct phrasing, but she figured either Arnold wouldn’t know or wouldn’t care or quite possibly, would be grateful that she had even tried.

“Thank you.” Fae commented when he complimented her outfit. “It’s a more ‘sinister’ version of Little Red Riding Hood. It seemed like a good idea when I picked it out.” Fae explained. “It’s different and I didn’t think anyone would wear it, but now I am thinking maybe I should have gone with something…” Fae looked around at the other girls who were there at the party and searched for an appropriate word, “Prettier.” She finally said having no other word she could use. “You’re costumes are really nice. I know he’s Merlin.” Fae said, indicating Arthur, “So, I’m guessing you’re King Arthur?” She actually really did like their costumes. “Where are your valiant Knights? Still at the round table?”

0 Fae Are we intimidating? 0 Fae 0 5

Eris Ackart

October 14, 2012 1:52 AM

Wait...what? by Eris Ackart

Eris nodded, and let Michael lead the way toward his friends. She saw Waverly, but wasn’t exactly sure what she was supposed to be, and she thought she spotted Henny talking to a candelabra. The other two boys she’d spoken to were nowhere to be seen, unless of course they were dressed up and Eris simply didn’t recognize them. For the first time that night, her thoughts drifted home, and she couldn’t help but wonder what Irvin and Abigal were up to. They would have had fun together at something like this, and she reckoned they both would have got on well with Michael. She hoped so, anyway.

Eris thought it slightly strange that Michael referred to Josh as Maximillian. He’d gotten her name a little wrong when they first met, but she couldn’t quite put together how the two fit together. They were friends, weren’t they? Josh seemed nice enough, and though Eris couldn’t quite figure out if he was supposed to be dressed as something or not, his accent was interesting. She wondered where he was from, it sounded a bit like Scottish, but it had an outside influence.

“Nice to meet you, Josh.” She said with a smile. “Where did you transfer from? I can’t place your accent.” She added before turning her attention to Brianna. Eris hadn’t considered coming to the party dressed as something from any of the other upcoming holidays, but she loved Brianna’s costume. She knew her enthusiasm had a tendency to overwhelm those closest to her, so Eris tried to dial it down before responding to the girl’s comment on her goddess getup.

“Thanks, Brianna. It’s lovely to meet you as well, and your costume is fantastic. I hadn’t thought about going as anything Christmas, but you look great!” She gushed. She nodded in understanding as Brianna explained about not wanted to be here alone, and having had Josh come with her thought she felt as though that was for Michael’s benefit more than anything else.

“I felt the same way, but it worked out.” Eris said with a smile. “I think mostly you mingle with other people, dance if you’re feeling brave, and they mentioned free food…” She added before turning to see exactly where the food was. No one really seemed to be eating yet, though everything looked amazing. The Teppenpaw girl’s stomach grumbled slightly, having missed lunch in order to get her hair just right.

She turned back to them as Michael seemed to be apologizing to Josh, and his grip changed. She wasn’t sure exactly what is meant; maybe he was having a hard time hearing? She wasn’t entirely sure of what to do, and couldn’t help but noticed that Michael’s attention was very much fixed on Josh, even though he wasn’t really saying much. What had she missed, exactly? Eris placed her free hand on top of Michael’s and patted it reassuringly as she tried to read between the lines.

0 Eris Ackart Wait...what? 0 Eris Ackart 0 5

Josh McLachlan

October 14, 2012 2:51 PM

Let's not jump to conclusions by Josh McLachlan

It was clear that Brianna was pleased with Josh's statement, and he was glad for it. He wouldn't want to alienate yet another person here, especially one that seemed interested in pursuing his friendship. He wasn't exactly sure, but it sounded like she was teasing him about being a nice-looking elf. Understanding teasing was a little hard for him, but thankfully he didn't have to respond to it. It was true; they did match, and Josh was glad again that he had made an effort to fit into at least one of the holidays. "If I had to choose between Halloween and Christmas, then yes, Christmas is my favorite. There's no real particular reason why, though." Christmas was just like any other day, except maybe his uncle was out of the house more and brought friends over. His little cousin still screamed and threw tantrums, but she was a little quieter with her new toys and such.

Eris seemed pleasant enough now that he was talking to her. "I'm originally from Scotland, but I've lived in Australia since I was eight." That was the simple explanation. Josh didn't mention that he had been born in Colorado, had moved to Pennsylvania at a year old, moved to Scotland at a year and a half, then moved to England when he was seven, before moving to Australia a year later. It was a complicated explanation, and Josh didn't think anyone would care enough to hear about all that. "I transferred from the New Zealand Academy of Magic," he told her, and that was that. The reason for his transfer was a whole other story that he was unwilling to share with acquaintances.

When it Michael didn't seem to have a clue who "Josh" was, Josh knew that his assumption had been correct. Michael did have a legitimate hearing problem, and he made a note to speak up when he spoke to him next time. His face was blank, and he looked over at Michael who was looking over at him expectantly. "It's alright," he said slightly louder, shaking his head slightly. He didn't want to make Michael feel entirely uncomfortable or embarrassed. "I'll make sure to articulate better next time." Josh was soft-spoken, though his voice was like ice most of the time.

Eris seemed to have a good idea of what people did at parties, and Josh didn't really care for eating the free food yet. Maybe getting a cup of cider would be good, though. There would absolutely be no dancing on Josh's part, and he wasn't sure too many people would want to mingle with him. He was going to be such a horrible companion. Poor Brianna. "Would you all like to go over to the refreshments, then?" he asked, looking at each of them to goad their reactions. "It doesn't seem like too many people are feeling very brave at the moment, and mingling with food is, I'm sure, a necessity." At least it would give their hands and mouths something to do.

0 Josh McLachlan Let's not jump to conclusions 0 Josh McLachlan 0 5

Jorge Garcia

October 14, 2012 4:35 PM

I'd rather people watch than dance by Jorge Garcia

Jorge was really sure about going to the costume party. He didn’t think he would have a whole lot of fun if he went because he didn’t have necessarily have friends to hang out with at the party, so really, there wasn’t really a point for him to go. Except, whenever he thought about it, he thought about his sisters. Adelita would tell him that he really needed to get out and make friends. She had apparently been known by most of her year and had escaped from Sonora with a couple of friends and a boyfriend. Dulce was the opposite. People may have known at least who she was, but she had maybe one friend and that may have been stretching things. Dulce never cared about other people and Jorge was finding himself slipping into her way of thinking and he didn’t like it.

It was with those thoughts that Jorge decided to go to the party. Even if he didn’t have a group of friends to go with, he could at least see what everyone was wearing so that he could blackmail them about it later (not really blackmail, but at least poke fun from time to time over it). Jorge needed to get out more anyway. He didn’t really care to put too much effort into a costume because he didn’t know how long he would stay for. He had a red and white striped shirt and a beanie hat that he never wore (he charmed it red, not skilled yet enough to make it striped) and an old pair of sunglasses where he popped out the lenses for. Wearing the getup with blue jeans, Jorge felt he did a good job at creating a Waldo look. He used to have the books and tried hard to find everything required to win, but he sometimes lost interest in it. He wasn’t sure if everyone would get the costume, but at least he tried.

He had somehow managed to take the Halloween entrance and found himself laughing the entire way through. It was a good effort, but Jorge didn’t scare easily. It was fun though and not at all what he had been expecting. Walking into the center of the gardens where the party was in full swing, he discovered that there were entrances decorated in various holidays. A girl with a camera (it took him a moment to realize it was Reggie, who he only knew through this year’s classes) came up for a picture and he posed in the ‘Where’s Waldo’ stance.

Deciding that the best spot to watch people and see all the costumes would be at one of the food tables, Jorge discreetly positioned himself near it, took some cookies from the table, and watched those who were already here. He saw Eris, whom he had met during Potions, it looked like she already had a boyfriend. She was a quick one. At least Michael seemed nice, although Jorge only knew him from roll call. He saw Waverly too. He was a little disappointed in her though because he discovered she had somehow got pulled into the Thornton Mass of Chaos as he so dubbed them. They were everywhere and had no concern for others, at least that was his interpretation of them. He had hopes for her but those have since been dashed, in a completely dramatic way, of course. He saw Henny dressed up in a homemade Christmas tree. He thought about talking to her and complimenting her on her costume, but she was talking to another Thornton and he thought it best to keep his distance.

6 Jorge Garcia I'd rather people watch than dance 220 Jorge Garcia 0 5

James Owen

October 14, 2012 4:58 PM

I am only here for the food by James Owen

Anyone with even a remote interest in the matter must by now have established that James was not an especially sociable person. That wasn't to say that he didn't like people. On the contrary, he found some people fascinating and scintilating. Some people, on the other hand, he found dull, immature, and ignorant. He was therefore prone to avoiding larger crowds because the likelikhood of this second sort of person being around was high, and that was unlikely to provide the sixth year with any great pleasure. From time to time, however, he would not object to a gathering for a particular occasion. The occasion, of course, being free food.

His original plan had been to stroll into the fifth years' party unnoticed, help himself to some food, glare disapprovingly at some silly younger girls, and then leave again before people's enjoyment translated into something loud and obnoxious. As always, however, Jospehine had apprehended his best laid plans and instructed him to do otherwise. She pointed out that only a person not in costume would stand out, and that he could steal eat food and leave early if he actually attended the party as a real guest. He finally conceeded, because if some other sixth years were there, too - and Josephine had assured him they would be - then he might actually have a good time. He had enjoyed some decent conversations at parties with his own yeargroup in the past, so it could easily happen again.

He had dressed up as wizarding historian Montgomery Spode, with the giveaway props of a monocle and a large green leather-bound notebook, with which the wizard in question had always been pictured. He had also used gel to hold back his hair - a look that was completely uncharactersitic for the Aladren - and was dressed in a fairly ugly, navy blue, pin-striped suit. He hadn't selected it because it was of the right era; that was just a coincidence. he had selected it because it was already amongst his possessions; his faimly couldn't afford to purchase a decent suit for their son who was not likely to ever use it at this stage in his life. The attire was in fact a hand-me-down from his father's school days, but James didn't mind - it suited this purpose well.

Having arrived without pomp or circumstance, James greeted a few people calmly as he made his way to one of the tables holding refreshments. He filled a cup with punch - non-alcoholic, he presumed - and turned abruptly to survey the rest of the spoils, only to bump into another body with such force that he emptied his punch on them, tunring himself instantly into one of those idiots he had been hoping to avoid. He sighed at his own misdeed, and looked up to see whose night he had ruined, apology already on his lips.

0 James Owen I am only here for the food 168 James Owen 0 5

Brianna

October 14, 2012 5:29 PM

Haven't we all already? by Brianna

“Oh.” Brianna said quietly, slightly disappointed that he wasn’t going to elaborate as to why he either really hated Halloween or he enjoyed the Christmas cheer just a little bit better. She wasn’t really sure if she had the right to ask him for clarification. They weren’t friends. Not really. He did her a favor by allowing her to eat with him so that she wouldn’t have to eat alone. He was doing her a favor by coming to the party with her, but he had made it clear that he wasn’t into it. “Are you just not a fan of holidays?” She asked him. Everyone had a different story, so if he wasn’t that was for him alone. She didn’t really care for the other holidays and nothing special happened on her birthday for her to really find it to be a celebration (of course, since she was at school during her birthday, that was probably why there was no celebrating). Christmas was just the one day of the year where she felt like she was worth anything. Her parents faked being happy for her, they gave her something nice, they had a pleasant meal together; the whole shebang. She always believed that how everything fell into place for her on Christmas was how most people ended their day every day.

After seeing Eris and listening to her talk to Josh about their common situation, Brianna didn’t really believe either of them when they complimented her look. And now that she was thinking about it, she felt that Josh probably just said she looked nice to make her feel better. She looked stupid. This whole thing had been a ridiculous idea. She was never going to be a princess. She was never going to be pretty. Her mouth was too big, her eyes too narrow, her freckles were annoying, and she was too skinny. She hadn’t even thought to do anything with her hair. Brianna smiled though because that was the polite thing to do and thanked them both for the compliments.

Brianna looked at Michael and Eris’s linked arms and had to wonder if they were dating. The two of them seemed so at ease with everything and it was clear that Eris was at least happy about being with him. Brianna lowered her eyes to the ground and kept them there while everyone seemed to figure out what to do next. She wanted to slip away and pretend that this didn’t happen. She was just fooling herself. People wanted to be around someone like Eris, who was happy and pleasant and pretty, not her. Even Josh seemed to want to stay with Eris as he suggested that they all move to the refreshments together. Josh never seemed to like to be around people but he wanted to stay with them.

She didn’t know what to do. She could make an excuse and say that she wasn’t feeling very well and just leave and the boys could have their fun with Eris, she was sure that’s what they wanted anyway. But she just found herself nodding to the suggestion. Why? Why couldn’t she just make an excuse and leave? She knew why though, she didn’t want to miss out like she always did and would rather make herself miserable instead of escape to her dorm room. Before she moved though, she reached out to touch Michael’s free arm to get his attention. “Is that safe?” She asked, pointing to the eye patch. “Can you see out of it?”

0 Brianna Haven't we all already? 0 Brianna 0 5

Michael Grosvenor

October 14, 2012 6:20 PM

I am collecting evidence. That is all. by Michael Grosvenor

Josh kept a poker face and was shaking his head. These weren't the easiest signals to interpret but he'd raised his voice enough that Michael could make out what he'd said. He gave him a little smile and a nod to acknowledge and/or thank him. He took his eyes mostly off the older boy but kept him in his peripheral vision in case he started talking again. This was hard work. He felt Eris' hand rest on his and give it a little squeeze. It made it so much better. Just a little reassurance, with no words. It was perfect. He wanted to give her a squeeze and thank her. He'd just have to remember to tell her later.

With Josh's next remarks, he seemed to be looking to everyone for a response. Michael couldn't really see Eris' response unless she twisted round to face him directly. He watched Brianna instead. She seemed not to really be with them... Brianna was often a bit unsure around other people. Michael wasn't sure why. She was pretty and what she said usually made a lot of sense. He knew she'd had trouble at home but not, as far as he knew, at Sonora. He'd been in the same boat as her when he started but he was starting to feel better about things. Aside from occasional Pureblood confidence collapses. He always tried to buoy Brianna's spirits when they talked, to point out the things she was good at, or to just generally be nice. He guessed it wasn't really working though. He wondered what else he could do. He glanced back to the others, in case they were looking at him for a response, and then felt Brianna tap on his arm. He turned his attention back to her, getting that the gist of her questioning was about his eye patch.

“Nope, half blind, can't hear... hopeless case,” he smiled at her. He glanced over. Eris and Josh seemed to be chatting about something. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I hope I'm not rubbish company for Eris.” Eris and Brianna had both asked about whether he could see through his eye patch. It seemed obvious to him. It was black plastic. Black plastic was not see through. Maybe there was some magic wizard plastic you could see through. Or a Charm. “Could you make it see through?” he asked Brianna.

Eris and Josh seemed to be looking to them for some kind of response and Brianna had nodded, so he nodded too, hoping that was the response he was meant to be giving too.

13 Michael Grosvenor I am collecting evidence. That is all. 199 Michael Grosvenor 0 5

Valentina Bentancourt

October 14, 2012 9:30 PM

I am not your friend, but I am friendly by Valentina Bentancourt

Valentina had been focused on dancing and studies since she had gotten back from the summer holidays. Her CATS results had been abysmal, only scraping the necessary grade to continue on some classes. Her mother hadn’t been very impressed about her academic history and had instructed her to study. The Spaniard had to ace her RATS otherwise she was sure something awful was going to happen to her. On top of that her dance teacher had been particularly hard on her when she returned for the summer lessons. The Teppenpaw understood the point of it, but it hadn’t been too fun listening to Madame Trudeau berating her in front of the other girls. After that she had spent hours practicing at home. She didn’t want to be humiliated again.

On another weird note, her mother had a boyfriend, and she didn’t know how to react to that. As far as she remembered she had never dated anyone and it was weird seeing it. Her brother was happy for their mother, but a part of Valentina had always thought that her mother would always be faithful to her father. The sixth-year knew it was a ridiculous notion since her father wasn’t around.

The last couple of months had passed as a blur for her. She had just delved into school work and dancing. If she was honest with herself she missed Marcus, but he had become the center of her world disregarding her responsibilities in order to be with him. Valentina now realized it hadn’t been very healthy for her.

Since she had spent so much time doing Responsible Things, Valentina had decided to attend the party that his fellow Teppenpaws were organizing. It sounded like a pretty good time and some time off would benefit her lingering attention. She couldn’t really become a Teppenpaw Hermit. Fun was also part of life!

With that in mind she owled her mother for an appropriate Halloween costume. Halloween had always been one of her favorite holidays when she was younger, and she had to admit she actually missed it.

Two days before the party the long awaited package arrived bearing the awesome pirate costume her mother had picked out for her. The Spaniard was happy with it, since it was pretty, but not slutty or showed too much. A girl always had to keep her secrets. Valentina happily put the box under bed to wait for the day it would be needed.

Finally the day of the party came and the Teppenpaw excitedly started getting ready for it. Her hair was left lose in waves around her shoulders and back, her make-up was dramatic, and the costume fit her perfectly. Valentina donned her hat and almost skipped to the gardens in search of a good time.

The younger Teppenpaws had done a great job. The garden looked amazing, the blood fountain was creepy and it seemed everyone was having a rather good time. Reggie was taking pictures all around her, but the Pureblood continued her walk towards the refreshment table. She saw a boy, younger than her, eating a cookie

“Hello,” she greeted him in her heavily accented English. She loved how her accent made her sound so exotic. “Are the cookies any good?” she asked eyeing them greedily. The Teppenpaw rarely ate anything so indulging, but today was an exception.

0 Valentina Bentancourt I am not your friend, but I am friendly 171 Valentina Bentancourt 0 5

Eris Ackart

October 14, 2012 10:34 PM

I'd make a horrible gumshoe by Eris Ackart

“Australia via Scotland, eh?” Eris said, curious about what made Josh move that far from home. “I’m from Yorkshire England. Not too far from Scotland.” She added with a smile. She also found it interesting that he ended up at Sonora. Didn’t they have schools in Australia? Why had he gone to school in New Zealand? The girl wasn’t sure that the party was the best time to ask though—she’d gotten lucky with Michael receiving her onslaught of questions as well as he had, she wasn’t going to try to press her luck. Besides, Brianna was surprisingly quiet, and Eris didn’t want to step on toes by monopolizing her date’s attention in order to sate her curiosity.

She noticed that the girl’s attention shifted to Michael, and Brianna didn’t really say anything else to Eris. Maybe she hadn’t been talking to her at all? Was she wrong for talking to Josh, or was something else bothering Brianna? Eris couldn’t understand where she’d gone wrong, and while it bothered her a little, she didn’t know the girl well enough to be overly concerned with it.

Everyone seemed to agree that it was time to visit the refreshments, and Eris was glad for it. She was always happier when she’d eaten, and maybe it’d help take the edge off of her nerves. She caught Michael whispering something to Brianna, followed by him asking her to help him with his eye patch. Eris honestly hoped that she could, knowing he’d be better off being able to use both of his eyes since his ears were having a bit of trouble coping with all the noise.

“Refreshments would be lovely.” She said, since no one else was really speaking up. She looked in the direction of the snack table again and noticed someone who kind of looked like Jorge. She wondered if it would be improper of her to go over and say hello. Eris didn’t want to leave Michael’s side, particularly since it was harder to communicate what she was doing and that she’d be right back. Maybe, she thought, they’d be able to go say hello to her friends as well. Though she wasn’t entirely sure Jorge was a friend, exactly.

“Shall we?”

0 Eris Ackart I'd make a horrible gumshoe 0 Eris Ackart 0 5

Josh McLachlan

October 14, 2012 11:01 PM

...gumshoe? by Josh McLachlan

Josh hesitated for a slight second before answering Brianna’s question. He trusted her enough to at least reveal that much about himself. “I’ve never seen holidays as anything special,” he confessed. “It’s never been a noteworthy day for me, Christmas. Christmas or Halloween.” He wondered if he should tell her a little more, but that was when Michael and Eris joined them.

Eris’s accent made it obvious that she was from England. He wasn’t too familiar with the cities in England, just Birmingham. There wasn’t a magical school in Australia; everyone who was magical in that area went to school in New Zealand, but the Academy wasn’t exactly reputable. It had a fancy, professional name, but the courses weren’t as difficult as they were at Sonora, nor were the students all that academic. They were more focused on the social aspect of boarding school life. Josh had found the purebloods there really conservative, maybe even a little extreme, so he had been good friends with a lot of half-bloods and muggle-borns, which had gotten him into trouble, hence his transfer.

Josh felt a little territorial as he watched Brianna touch Michael’s arm and ask him about his eye patch, but then he told himself that Brianna was allowed to have friends. Just because Josh didn’t have any real close friends here didn’t mean others couldn’t. He erased the jealous thoughts in his mind, or at least tucked them away so it wouldn’t bother him.

Brianna’s cheery mood did seem to fade a little with Eris and Michael here, and Josh wondered why that was. She couldn’t feel insecure, could she? Or maybe she had a crush on Michael and was disappointed to find that he had brought someone else. In that case, Josh really did feel like a last-minute resort. The feelings that it evoked within him, knowing that she had really wanted to ask Michael but might’ve asked him just to make the other boy jealous, threatened to crush his mood, but he buried it. He should have known that Brianna had an ulterior motive. Everyone always did, though, as he had learned last year, nobody liked to be confronted about it.

Eris spoke up, then, agreeing to go to the refreshment table. Josh looked over at Brianna, who seemed to be slightly preoccupied with Michael, and said in a voice louder than his normal one for Michael’s benefit, “Let’s go to the refreshments.” He almost touched Brianna’s elbow to get her attention, but thought better of it before his arm moved from his side. He wasn’t sure if he and Brianna were even at the stage of friendship where he could touch her arm without seeming too forward or something, even if it was platonic. Maybe she wanted to be left alone with Michael, but Josh had always been selfish. He wasn’t going to let her leave him alone at this party after she had asked him to go with her.

0 Josh McLachlan ...gumshoe? 0 Josh McLachlan 0 5

Arnold and a bit of Arthur

October 14, 2012 11:18 PM

One of us certainly thinks so by Arnold and a bit of Arthur

Arnold was relieved when Fae went along with his moment of idiocy, rather than informing him that it had been such. He didn’t worry about her calling him out on that kind of thing in front of people too often, considering that she didn’t even really do so in semi-private, but now that everything was different, he did think of it sometimes, and was sure he would have no idea what to do if it happened. It was all very well for Grandfather to talk about natural places and all, but he was him and Arnold was Arnold, Fae was definitely not Grandmother, and the circumstances were completely different anyway – they weren’t even in the same century they had been in when his grandparents got married, and he and Fae had known each other for years, instead of meeting shortly after the betrothal was announced and then not really seeing each other again for three years, or even communicating during that time. The comments just didn’t seem as applicable to his situation as his grandfather had most likely meant them to be.

“Ex – er, most excellent, milady,” he said.

He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do when she started doubting her costume right after he had complimented it. “You look pretty,” he said, since continuing to be reassuring was the best, safest-seeming, thing he could think of. Why, after all, would she be offended? He was supposed to tell her she was pretty, wasn’t he? Of course, before the party, with her on his arm, was more traditional, but he guessed the spirit of the law could matter more than the letter sometimes….Or something like that.

“Lovely,” Arthur said, making his own bow. “As do you, Alice,” he added politely, bowing to her as well. Arnold followed suit, muttering an agreement. He was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to notice, but she did look better than usual, he thought.

He wondered when Arthur had started using her first name. Fae he could understand, Arthur seemed to have decided she was as good as an in-law already and that he could treat her almost accordingly, but Alice? Not unless there was something Arthur wasn’t telling him, and while he was pretty sure there were many things Arthur wasn’t telling him, the news that he was going to marry Fae’s roommate, who was also one of her best friends, seemed to him like a pretty big omission. Probably just Arthur being Arthur, and for once more normal in being Arthur than Arnold was in being Arnold.

“I think they’re back in Camelot,” he said with a grin when Fae asked about the rest of the knights. He didn’t know if Henry and Jay and Anthony, who’d been slated to fill those roles, were at this party or the one with their class. “I’m not sure. But I’m pretty sure Nimue and Morgana – “ normally known as Jane and Theresa, respectively – “are around here somewhere.”

Arthur looked at Alice, then glanced at Arnold, giving him about a second’s notice that he was going to be mercilessly betrayed. “Is there a story behind your hat, Alice?” he asked, gesturing slightly to the relevant headgear. Arnold smiled, unsure where to go from here with Fae, who no doubt knew all she wanted to about her roommate’s costume – and who, it occurred to him, might feel left out.

“No Guinevere, though," he added. "Since, er, maybe, that might not be the right idea - and you look pretty like that,” he finished a little lamely, not noticing at first that he'd mentioned the fact that she was the most logical Guinevere. “Dressing up was Arthur’s idea – that Arthur’s – “ he added, jerking his head toward his brother – “he thought me being, er, the other Arthur was funny. Theresa wanted Greek gods, I don’t know how that would have worked....” Except maybe better than Theresa being dressed as a historically dark witch who shared part of a skill set and nearly a name with a matriarch. He stopped for a second to collect his thoughts, get them into something remotely conversational. "There's a lot of good costumes here, aren't there?"

0 Arnold and a bit of Arthur One of us certainly thinks so 181 Arnold and a bit of Arthur 0 5

Brianna

October 15, 2012 1:57 AM

Like a Detective by Brianna

Brianna was curious to know more about the holiday issue with Josh and when she felt comfortable (and when they were alone) she would ask him more about it. It was his choice whether or not he wanted to tell her, of course, and she would never push the issue if he didn’t want to talk about it. Brianna didn’t like to be forced into a corner any more than the next person and she didn’t want to become that person. Besides, Josh might resent her for even asking to begin with.

The more that Eris and Josh spoke to each other, even if it was about something so simple as the fact that they were both transfers, just made Brianna more aware of how much everyone preferred others over her. She was never going to be a good conversationalist because she never knew what to say or if she would offend someone. She was never going to be overly cheery and full of laughter because her life’s situation didn’t really allow for those delightful moments no matter how hard she tried for it. She just didn’t know how to operate and it was becoming increasingly clear the longer she stood with the three of them. She thought she was on equal ground with Josh, but it seemed that he was only feeling sorry for her and clearly did not want to spend the evening with her.

It was Michael’s comment, though, that felt like a punch to her stomach and she didn’t know why. She figured they were dating because they came together, but hearing him show his concern over Eris’ evening made it all the more real. Brianna didn’t know how to respond to this. It seemed like he was looking for advice but she had none to give. For some reason, Brianna had thought Michael was different. He was bullied, he would understand her, and everything else that came with it. She thought he hadn’t minded working with her in class or talking to her in general. Brianna didn’t know how she felt about him, but it was clear how he felt about her. She was a nobody. She wasn’t someone to ever consider for anything. She was invisible.

She tried to keep her face even though, but she was aware that she wasn’t the best at remaining stoic. She whispered back and kept as clear as possible so that he could read her lips, “If she thinks that, she doesn’t deserve you.” That was as good as she could do really in that situation. She felt like throwing up after the sucker punch. She wished that Josh had just said no to her so that she was laying in bed wondering what was going on instead of being in the middle of it. “Sorry, I didn’t bring my wand and I don’t know the charm.” Brianna said, feeling rather dumb. “I know that there is a charm though, if Josh doesn’t know it, you could always just flip the patch up and only wear it for the pictures?” Brianna suggested with a slight shrug.

Josh and Eris were readily agreeing to go to the refreshments table and even though Brianna agreed, she hesitated. “Josh…” She called out, reaching for him to stop him, but quickly snatched her hands back and winced as though she had done something wrong. It was something she did out of habit. “You two go on ahead, we’ll be right over.” Brianna said to Michael and Eris before stepping away from them to talk to Josh. When they were alone, she wasn’t sure what to say at first. She felt silly but she wanted to be away from the other two. “I’m sorry.” She began, not looking up into his face, “This was a mistake. I don’t belong here with everyone and I look really stupid. You should have come with someone better.” She was being honest with him. She felt horrible for having guilted him into going with her when he hadn’t wanted to. She didn’t know how she went from feeling pretty and so normal to feeling so at a loss and hopeless. She was starting to panic because she was ruining his night too and she hadn’t meant to. “I don’t…know how… to do this.” She was having a hard time trying to convey what she needed to. “It’s really overwhelming and I want you to have fun, but I don’t know how to. So, if you want to back out, it’s okay.”

0 Brianna Like a Detective 0 Brianna 0 5

Jade Owen

October 15, 2012 6:25 AM

Participation is mandatory by Jade Owen

Jade loved costume parties. As a rule she didn't tend to dance, not because of a lack of desire, but because she genuinely didn't know how. If jumping up and down could count as dancing then sure, she could dance, so it largely depended on the music and atmosphere. At parties where dancing was not necessarily mandatory, such as the one being thrown by the fifth year Teppenpaws, then Jade would be perfectly content. She was also drawn by the promise of refreshments (true, Sonora always had plenty of food available, but old habits die hard) and the opportunity to dress up. For someone who cared so very little about her day to day attire, Jade realy threw herself into costumes. Traditonally she would aim to represent some domestic animal, typically a dog or cat, crup or kneazle. She had always enlisted her Mom's help for those costumes, though, and being away at school meant that she had to sort this one out on her own. Money was, as always, an issue, and so Jade had drawn on her creative streak to create something original.

Already tatty jeans had been further torn, and coupled with a cotton t-shirt with wide horizontal green stripes. She had removed completely the arms of an ugly brown cardigan to form a makeshift waistcoat, and her pillowcase was playing the part of a bandana, from beneath which her brown hair hung in its loose curls. A shoelace and black card came together to form a very believable eye patch, and the stuffed toy bird (it was actually an owl but Jade had charmed it bright green so hopefully nobody would notice) atop her shoulder completed the look.

Arriving at the party in high spirits, Jade at first thought she didn't recognise many people, and thought that maybe they were all older students, until she realised it was just the costumes throwing her off. The eye patch didn't help in that respect. With a chuckle to herself, the tall third year headed towards some cookies, and noticed Jorge lurking nearby. She took up a couple of treats before sidling next to her yearmate and greeting him with a hearty, "Ahoy, matey!" She even added a growl and everything.

Wasting no time in reaping the rewards of attendance, Jade instantly began eating a cookie - it was white chocolate chip - and looked critically at Jorge in his costume. "What are you supposed to be?" she asked in between mouthfulls. If he had been aiming for a Christmas elf then it was a very poor effort.

0 Jade Owen Participation is mandatory 221 Jade Owen 0 5

Michael Grosvenor

October 15, 2012 8:01 AM

At least you're not down to 3.5 senses... by Michael Grosvenor

It must be nice, Michael thought, to be normal. The three people around him were able to get on and simply enjoy the party. They didn't have a worry or a care. For him, enjoying the party was something he had to try to actively work towards. He wasn't going to gripe that it wasn't fair or that he was unhappy with his lot as he was used to it. But it would be nice to be one of the others, and for the whole thing to just be a pleasant, stress-free experience by default.

“I'm not really sure what you just said,” Michael smiled at Brianna. He only really used lip reading to reinforce what he was hearing, it wasn't something he could really do on its own. It was nice feeling comfortable enough around someone that he could be frank with them when he wasn't following what they said. “But knowing you,” he added, “it was just the right thing to make me feel better. So thank you.”

She brought her voice back up to a speaking level as she advised him on the patch, so he got the gist. He wasn't really sure he wanted to ask Josh. He'd already embarrassed himself somewhat in front of the older boy. Not that anyone had made a big deal out of it, there had been no embarrassing of him over it. But he didn't want to need the older boy's help. It felt like a further loss of face.

“Mmm, maybe later,” he nodded.

He noticed Josh turn towards them out of his peripheral vision and turned to face the boy. The raised voice plus the fact that most of the word 'refreshments' took place on the lips clued him in to what had been proposed. A teenage boy was never going to refuse free food and it also meant Josh had finished making chit-chat with Eris for now. He hadn't actively minded, as he had had Brianna to talk to, and he wanted Eris to be able to chat to people but he found he was glad to get her back. Part of the reason he wanted her to have conversations with other people was because he wasn't sure how much he would be able to provide in that area. He didn't want her to be bored or miss out, and the party was a good chance for her to make more friends. But equally, he didn't want to be overshadowed by other people. Being able to chat with someone was such a simple thing. If she could contrast the effort it took to get her message across to him against how easy normal conversation was, she might get fed up of trying. Plus Josh, in spite of having a reputation as a bully – something which he thought would make Brianna avoid him at all costs – had managed to ensnare his friend. He clearly had some kind of Way with girls.

“Oh, ok. Hopefully see you in a bit,” he said, as Brianna hung back. What private business could she have with Josh, he wondered. He tried not to stare but he couldn't help a glance over his shoulder. Brianna was talking to Josh and looking mighty upset. All the ground Josh had gained by not being a jerk for the last ten minutes was instantly lost. What had the older boy done to her? Michael wasn't sure how but he would get to the bottom of it. He would defend Brianna against him, even if it meant a trip to the hospital wing.

“By the way,” he said to Eris, as they headed towards the refreshment tables. Mercifully, these were at the opposite end of the party to the music. Although, at the rate people were coming in, it was going to be a lost cause soon enough. “I'm happy for you to decide for me or reply for me if there are group decisions. I... It's not impossible to pick up on what someone's saying,” he continued. It was a little odd giving detailed explanations about how he was or was not managing but he knew Eris would want to know, “But I figure I should save my energy for when they're talking specifically to me. You okay to be my ears for when they're talking to all of us?

“Oh, and if there's anyone you want to go and talk to, feel free. I'm quite happy to have a break while you do,” he knew Eris would know he meant from the party and not from her, “Or come with you,” he added, realising that she had gone along with his initial choice of people to talk to. “I mean, I'm happy to mingle with your friends cos I made you mingle with mine, so I'd be happy to come with you too and to try. But equally I don't mind if you want to just go and catch up without me. You just have to promise to come back,” he was only half teasing. He knew it was a little bit selfish but he didn't want to set Eris entirely free.

13 Michael Grosvenor At least you're not down to 3.5 senses... 199 Michael Grosvenor 0 5

Eris Ackart

October 15, 2012 10:04 AM

I'm definitely lacking a 6th sense by Eris Ackart

Eris was confused. There seemed to be a lot going on within the group, but no one was saying anything she could pick up on. This didn’t bode well for the girl, since getting to the bottom of things was more her style. There was an unspoken tension that she couldn’t shake, and it was starting to become an irritating itch that she couldn’t scratch. She wasn’t going to risk embarrassing anyone by asking questions, plus she barely knew Josh or Brianna, so their business really wasn’t hers. While this normally wouldn’t have phased the third year, she had Michael’s feelings to take into consideration as well. She had promised not to let him look ridiculous, after all, and sometimes even she was embarrassed by the things that came out of her mouth.

She felt slightly relieved when Brianna asked Josh to hang back with her. Sure, Eris thought it was a little strange, and couldn’t help but wonder what they were talking about, but again—it wasn’t her business. She didn’t mind sharing Michael with his friends, and it definitely wasn’t her place to feel otherwise, but she couldn’t deny that she liked having his full attention.

Eris nodded in understanding as Michael gave her permission to be his ears. She was kind of surprised he trusted her with that, but it made sense.

“I’ll try not to agree to anything you might find off putting.” She said with a smile as she briefly turned her attention to the snacks. She slowly freed her arm so she could pour herself a glass of cider, and got one for Michael too. She considered her options as Michael spoke about letting her go and mingle with her friends and mentioning that he’d be happy with a break. Eris took a cookie from the table and took a bite out of it to buy herself some more time.

She had wanted to say hi to a few people, but now that he was offering to let her, she wasn’t sure she wanted to. If she could have slipped away when he was talking to Brianna, that would have been one thing, but Eris wasn’t about to leave her date…err…companion alone. She could bring him with her, but if Michael didn’t know the people she was familiar with, they would be faced with the explanation of his hearing all over again. While he never seemed to mind, Eris didn’t think he’d want to continuously be drawing attention to his impairment—this was supposed to be fun, not a hearing awareness luncheon.

She’d thought about leaving altogether, but it was early yet, and she found herself holding out hope for a dance. The hedges were high, and probably dense enough that they’d block out some of the noise, but Eris wasn’t sure she wanted to lurk just outside the party either. Her dark eyes scanned the gardens for a moment before spotting a bench in a sparsely populated corner of the Christmas section. It was perfect.

“I’m not leaving you.” Eris said decisively. “Let's grab some food, and go sit down.” She added, pointing in the direction of the bench she spotted. From there they could see the entire party, so if Brianna and Josh came looking for them, they’d be easily found. “We can people watch, and if you need to switch off, I won’t mind-- as long as you laugh at people’s costumes and equally terrible dancing with me.”

0 Eris Ackart I'm definitely lacking a 6th sense 0 Eris Ackart 0 5

Linus Macaulay

October 15, 2012 11:50 AM

So much for which to be thankful by Linus Macaulay

While he appreciated his new life, his new peers and his incredible new abilities, there was still the odd occasion when Linus missed being back home with his family. He and Johan were the only ones old enough to remember Thanksgiving with their father (and Johan had even admitted he couldn't remember all that much), but they had since enjoyed a proper celebration with what remained of the family. Linus missed the turkey, yams, and little chocolate desserts his Mom made. He even missed his brothers fighting and Daphne doing everything she could to remain the centre of attention. Of course he got to see them all again at midterm and for Christmas, so he'd adjusted to missing one of the two main family meals of the year, but his memories were suitably pleasant to cause nostalgia when he read that the fifth year Teppenpaws were throwing a multi-holiday event.

Linus had observed that school social events were few and far between, so even someone not usually disposed to attending large parties, such as himself, could happily engage in all the activities on offer throughout his school career. In this instance, Linus took it upon himself to embrace the spirit of Thanksgiving and was thankful for the opportunity to relax with his peers in a social environment. He would not, however, come dressed as a holiday, as the invitation had suggested (was he supposed to don a turkey costume?), but compromised with khakis and a russet-soloured sweater to create an outfit that undeniably represented Fall.

Until arriving at the party, it had not occured to Linus that students might be attending in couples. Unlike the ball, where couples had been implied from the beginning, this party had seemed more of an independent arrangement. Indeed, there were several individual guests, and some small groups, but there also seemed to Linus to be a large number of identifiable couples. He frowned momentarily, flustered by his lack of acknowledgement of this eventuality, and even as he resolved to not let it bother him, his frown deepened when he noticed that Brianna seemed to be in one of these pre-existing pairs. He could not explain, even to himself, why this bothered him. Perhaps it was simply because she had been his date to the only other paired event he had attended thus far at Sonora, or perhaps it spoke of a negligence in his sense of duty to look out for those less fortunate than himself - although Brianna had not actually demonstrated a great deal of ineptitude in classwork, she was indisputably in greater need, being female, of foreign heritage, and with parents in the service industry. Perhaps it was simply that she looked cute in her elf outfit.

Resolutely dropping his gaze, Linus meandered around the other guests, trying not to huff too obviously, until he found someone tolerable with whom to converse. He was beginning to think it was an impossible task in the random mix of wildlife, historical figures and ficticious beings, so it was perhaps fortunate for his peace of mind that somebody else initiated conversation.

0 Linus Macaulay So much for which to be thankful 205 Linus Macaulay 0 5

Jorge

October 15, 2012 1:58 PM

I don't see you dancing by Jorge

Jorge, being ever so observant, did not miss a beat when he saw a Pirate coming his way. It took him only a moment to realize who it was (the eye patch threw him for a moment) and didn’t know whether he should be happy to see that it was Jade or not. Over all, he didn’t really mind Jade. She was different and more at ease than most other girls at the school. Plus she was cute to look at. Honestly, he was sure that they could joke around and probably have an all around good time; he was very aware of this fact. But, he couldn’t get past how she ate. Even now, she was stuffing a cookie in her mouth with disregard to her manners. Jorge wasn’t an uptight person by any means, but he could not help but feel somewhat revolted by her manners when it came to food. If she never ate around him ever, he’d have a better time with her.

Clearly tonight would not be the night for that though since he had to stand there and endure watching her eat those cookies. “Ahoy.” Jorge greeted. “I see you’re a Lady O’ Fortune tonight.” Meaning her pirate costume. He thought the term ‘Gentlemen O’ Fortune’ might offend her (although he wasn’t sure if Jade was a girl who could be offended). It was clear that she had made the costume herself much like he had, but she had put in much better effort on her part than he had to really do on his. Most of the people here seemed to have spent the money on nicer costumes, but Jorge kind of preferred the ones that were clearly made by the students. Henny’s was definitely one of his favorites though. He didn’t know much about her, but he never would have though artistic or crafty. It was probably unfair of him to think that too. Considering how he wasn’t really sure what he liked or cared for, he shouldn’t make assumptions about others. “Nice – er - parrot.” Jorge commented, looking at the bright green owl that perched on her shoulder. Who had stuffed owls at hand? That was weird. Unless Jade had a bunch of stuffed toys laying around. That was kind of cute and girly.

“I am Waldo, from Where’s Waldo.” Jorge advised her. He wondered if it was a Muggle book. His parents never really concerned themselves for keeping Muggle life out of their lives. Books, whether they be Magical authored or Muggle authored didn’t matter so long as their kids enjoyed them. “They were puzzle books. You had to find Waldo in different scenarios.” He explained, figuring if she couldn’t really tell who he was by the striped shirt, blue jeans, and glasses, she probably had no idea who the character was.

0 Jorge I don't see you dancing 0 Jorge 0 5

Michael Grosvenor

October 15, 2012 5:42 PM

It's Hallowe'en. Everyone can see dead people. by Michael Grosvenor

“Thank you,” Michael smiled, accepting the glass of cider from Eris. He waited whilst she nibbled on a cookie, presumably thinking over what he'd said. He grinned widely when she rejected his offer, and even came up with something else for her to do.

“Could we be so cruel, given that we might meet with the same fate?” he asked with a grin that clearly answered his own question. He took a plate and passed one to Eris too, they seemed to have been charmed – in the Christmas section at least – with a rim of multi-coloured sparkles. He was a bit surprised to find they had china out in the gardens. Perhaps someone should write to the elves and explain about paper plates if they did this again...

“This is cool... I don't tend to see magical Christmas stuff much,” he mused. He cast his eyes over the food. “Though I think that cookie just winked at me. I don't know whether I can eat something that is making faces at me...” he pondered.

Once he and Eris had loaded their plates with snacks, they ambled over to the bench. There was a large stack of presents – or, presumably, empty boxes wrapped up as presents – at one end of the bench which shielded some of the noise from that direction, and it was fairly far from the music or any obvious congregation points, such as the snack tables or dance floor.

“Good choice,” he smiled at Eris, enjoying the relative calm of the spot. “Hey, I found Waldo,” he nodded over to one of the snack tables. “The guy in a bobble hat and glasses... There's this Muggle book series with these big scene pictures full of people and you have to try to find him. They're all about this big,” he indicated with his fingers, “And wearing very similar outfits, so it's somewhat harder than it is here,” he grinned, “I haven't done one of those in ages. I was pretty good at them.”

13 Michael Grosvenor It's Hallowe'en. Everyone can see dead people. 199 Michael Grosvenor 0 5

Josh McLachlan

October 15, 2012 6:19 PM

I'm detecting an awkward moment approaching by Josh McLachlan

Josh heard Brianna use his name, and he looked over at her and Michael. He hoped she wasn’t volunteering him for something, but Michael didn’t seem to agree because the subject was dropped. He turned when Brianna called him over as he prepared to walk over to the refreshments table, watching as she retracted her hands. Was it really that horrible to touch him? She had touched Michael’s arm just a moment before, but Josh reminded himself that Michael was deaf. Josh had two perfectly good, working ears. After Michael and Eris had left them, his entire focus was on her, waiting for her to say what she wanted to say.

When Brianna uttered the words, “This was a mistake,” Josh’s heart squeezed. He knew it. She was feeling hurt seeing Michael was someone else, and Josh had to bury more of his feelings to emotionally brace himself for what she was going to say next. Her next statement, however, confused him a little, and his eyebrows furrowed.

“Brianna, you are the only person who would have asked me to something like this. If you don’t belong here with everyone, it’s because you belong in another scene. I know I don’t fit into places like these, but I came here because I came with you. You are the absolute best person I could have come with. Honestly.” That was what Josh believed. He could relate to Brianna on a more personal level, even if Josh hadn’t gotten very personal with her yet. But knowing what he did about her, he could relate.

It really was funny how similar he and Brianna were, and he couldn’t help but smile a little, letting his guard down just a tad. “I don’t know how to have fun at these things either. I’m not exactly much fun, as you probably know by now. But I’m fine with that, and I don’t want you to feel pressured to entertain me. It is absolutely impossible for me to have fun at these things.” He thought of saying something else, but hesitated. Then he went for the plunge. “If you want to go somewhere else, or if you want me to walk you back to your dorm, I would go with you.” His grey eyes watched her carefully, wondering if she would think him too forward again. “You asked me to come here and I’m not going to ‘back out’ on you.” Josh, in his very blood that was very unlike his relatives, was loyal to the core. When he attached himself to someone, he had a very hard time letting go. Whether it was with a companion to a party, a study buddy, or a friend, he put his loyalty to them above everything else, even his studies.

However, Brianna’s insecurities could stem from something more. Josh’s empathy with her faded into something else. Something a little more bitter, but he tried to think of what a good friend would say. If she wanted to use him as a wingman of sorts, he would try to do something that would benefit her. This was another sacrifice that Cecilia would have been proud of him for. He cleared his throat, trying not to look awkward. “Look, if you just wanted to come here for Michael, I understand. I know how it feels seeing someone you like with someone else.” At least, he remembered constantly vying for his first love’s attention while trying not to look like a needy idiot.

0 Josh McLachlan I'm detecting an awkward moment approaching 0 Josh McLachlan 0 5

Fae

October 15, 2012 9:18 PM

I wonder what you think now by Fae

Fae giggled again at his theater tactics, forgetting for a moment that they hadn’t been the same since before the betrothal had been announced to them. They had talked it out once during the wedding, but it seemed like that conversation had been lost and they had fallen back to square one when school had started once again. If only they were better at pretending. This was nice though, Arnold being Arnold again. She really had missed him. She hadn’t realized how much she relied on him until he wasn’t around as much.

It was hard for her to know if Arnold and Arthur, respectfully, were being honest with her when they complimented her appearance, but she took it with a smile and thanks. She knew that her costume probably was not something that most people would have thought of for her to wear, but she had liked it. Although, she wasn’t really sure if red was her color. It might have been too bold for her to wear, but it was only for one night.

Fae couldn’t allow herself into her thoughts though because Arnold started answering her question about the knights. She was somewhat surprised that Arnold knew some of the character names from the stories and wondered if that was something he enjoyed during his free time. Something other than Quidditch. “Having to stay at home to watch the land?” She joked, not sure why she felt the need to say it though but wanting to play a long a little while longer.

Fae watched Arthur with Alice in interest. They were two of the most intelligent people that she knew and she was often curious to know whether or not they went back and forth in debates and useless (well, useless to her, it may actually have been important) information to try and one up the other on knowledge basics. Although she doubted that she would actually be able to follow their conversation or remain all that interested in it after a while. If she couldn’t follow the conversation enough to know who was winning, she couldn’t fathom watching them for the fun of it.

Her attention was brought back to Arnold when he continued on with the Camelot theme they had somehow managed to keep going. It took her a moment to realize that Arnold meant that she would have been Guinevere and even though he said again that she was pretty, she wondered if he had been hoping she would ask them what they were doing for the party and decide to join them in the theme. Had she messed up already? This is why they needed to talk. She had no idea what was expected from her. Everyone was probably wondering why it was that she wasn’t Guinevere.

Fae had a mental picture of Arnold in a Greek God costume (which meant a toga to her) and nearly started to giggle again. She managed to hold it back through. Still, the theme bothered her. Were they dating and if they were, should she have talked this over with him first? She wouldn’t have minded going as Guinevere. It would have solidified their relationship and betrothal to everyone who attended the party. Now they just looked silly. “Yes, there are.” She said, though not really looking.

Now seemed like as good a time as any to get this done and over with. Fae’s hands twisted into knots as she spoke up, “Arnold, can we go talk?” She asked him. Without really waiting for his answer, Fae whispered to Alice that she’ll be back and then took Arnold’s hand to lead him away. She found a vacant hedge path and turned to face him. Of course, now that she had him alone, she had no idea on what to do.

She took a long breath before finally spilling it out, “Arnold, what are we?” Okay, not the best start, but it was a start. “Are we friends? More than friends? Are we dating? Do you want to date me?” And the fountain of words seemed to flood from her and she had to take another breath to keep herself from going on. More slowly this time, Fae started again, “I like you Arnold, but I need to know what you want for …us.”

(OOC: Had permission from the author to allow a little liberty with Arnold)

0 Fae I wonder what you think now 0 Fae 0 5

Brianna

October 15, 2012 10:09 PM

A true Sherlock moment! by Brianna

There was a part of Brianna that was relieved that he hadn’t heard her because that meant she wouldn’t have to explain what she meant. She hadn’t known what she meant really, so there would have been no way in which she could have responded. But there was a much larger part of her that was hurt by the fact that he hadn’t. Not that she blamed him. He was deaf after all and could only do so much in this environment. But her comment had been the most open she had given to anyone in a long while and even though she didn’t know what it had meant or why she felt it, she at least knew that it had been a real and honest answer.

And it had been missed by him completely.

It was better this way though. She wasn’t planning on spending the rest of her evening with them because it was far too much for her to handle. She hadn’t expected to feel so… ashamed of being her or upset in knowing exactly that about herself and about everyone else. These things were not new to her. She knew her place in the world. She knew people would not want to have a ‘duck-face’ like her around when they could have Goddesses like Eris instead. She had accepted that a while ago. So, she did not understand why she was so very upset or how to move on from it. All she wanted to do was run away from it.

She had expected Josh to take her opening to escape and flee from the party without hesitation. But that was not what happened. She stood in a stunned silence when Josh told her that he came for her and that she was the best person for him to have come with him. He might have been right about the party though. Maybe this sort of thing just wasn’t for her. She had got on fine at the ball back in her first year with Linus and at every other social event the school threw up until this point. She wasn’t sure what had made this one so different or how to prevent it from happening again, but she was glad that Josh hadn’t been so horrified by her behavior that he was greedily waiting for the moment of escape.

She was thinking over what it was that she wanted to do. As much as she wanted to stay just to say that she had really been here, she knew the party was ruined for her. She couldn’t stomach anymore Michael and Eris and she wasn’t sure if she could handle seeing Linus with anyone either. He had been her past companion to these things and if he had a new one, she wasn’t sure how she’d feel about it. It was selfish and unfair of her to think that way considering she was currently with Josh, but the only reason she hadn’t asked him was because she figured he’d want to go with someone else. Like Michael. And it was that train of thought that had led to her feeling rather revolted with herself.

She couldn’t wait for the day where she could run away from it all. As soon as she graduated she would just run away and never look back. No one could hurt her then. Intentionally or not. She would be free to do as she pleased. She hoped by then that she wouldn’t hate herself or the things that she saw when she looked into the mirror, but unless she wanted to go through the painful process of restructuring her face permanently, that wasn’t likely to happen.

Her eyes widened and shot up to look at Josh with his last remark, “What? No!” She said quickly. “No.” She said again. “I came here because I thought it would be fun. I wanted to know what they were like since they never let me go back home.” That was the honest answer. “I didn’t even expect to see him here.” Brianna frowned. If Josh thought she had feelings for him, maybe she did? She didn’t know. “It just hurts. I don’t know why. I’m usually okay about things. I guess I just…” She ran out of words. She didn’t know it was all that she could say. She shrugged.

“Can we go somewhere? Walk around the gardens? Something? I just don’t want to be here any more and I don’t want to go back to my dorm room.” She sort of sounded like she was pleading with him and she didn’t want to again make him feel guilty. “I do appreciate you staying with me. I’m sorry I made it weird.” It was only after she said this did she remember him saying that he knew what it felt like. She opened her mouth to ask, but thought the better of it. It wasn't her business anyway.

0 Brianna A true Sherlock moment! 0 Brianna 0 5

Alice

October 15, 2012 10:19 PM

Is not at all intimidating. by Alice

Alice wondered why Fae was questioning her outfit. Didn’t she like her outfit? If not, then why was she wearing it? She had seemed rather thrilled with it earlier when they were getting ready. Was it because of Arnold? Was this what happened when people became betrothed? Was validation required from the other person? Did it mean that the person had to change so completely? While Fae’s outfit had been rather different from what she normally wore, Alice had thought it was also rather interesting. There were so many versions of the character. Wasn’t it okay to be a different version of Fae?

Otherwise, she stood next to Fae politely while she conversed since she didn’t really have anything to add to the conversation. She would have been more comfortable with discussing the history of Merlin and Arthur much more than attempt to flirt on the subject. Though, she did find the switch of Arnold to Arthur mildly amusing. It would have been more so if there had been a counterpart to where Arthur could have become an Arnold, but there was only so much that one could do.

Relief washed through her when Arthur asked about her hat. She had been beginning to feel like a fourth wheel of a tricycle. Her hand touched the hat lightly. “Oh, the card. Yes, there is,” she began. Since Jordan had decided on the costume for her, Alice had done her research on the Mad Hatter. “10/6 refers to the cost of the hat in terms of British muggle money. 10 being ten shillings and 6 being six pence. It is old money though. So, I suppose that if we convert it, we would have about half a pound, accounting for the ten shillings, and six pence is half a shilling or a tanner, which would be .06 pounds.” Her fingers moved as she worked to figure out the currencies. “So, for us, it would be about eight sickles and twenty-one knuts.”

“Of course, this speaks nothing of inflation.” She smiled happily over her math. “A much simpler explanation would be that it refers to the trade of a hatter since my costume is supposed to be the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. Jordan picked it out. She said I should do something based off of my name and thought this was perfect. Though, I’m not sure if I would agree, but I liked the costume,” she explained since she doubted that she was actually mad like the hatter was supposed to be.

0 Alice Is not at all intimidating. 0 Alice 0 5

Phoenix Lucore

October 15, 2012 11:18 PM

Looking for Reggie. by Phoenix Lucore

Phoenix had been unsure of whether to go to the party or not. He didn’t really talk to very many people beyond the other three that were within his House. However, he liked Reggie. She was beyond cute and a lot of fun, but he wasn’t sure about trying to hang out with her. With Fae and Alice it was a little easier, because he had talked to them since they were eleven, before everything. He knew that neither was attracted to him despite any of the little odd moments that occurred due to his position in life. Yet, he really wanted to see her and in the end, he had decided that it would be okay since he would be in costume.

He had picked Robin Hood, because he liked the idea of stealing from the rich to help the less fortunate. It was the epitome of what he hoped to do with his life. He wanted to help people. Of course, he wasn’t about to actually go out and steal since that would land him in jail, but he figured there was probably some way he could do his part. He just didn’t know what yet. Plus, there was the whole getting to carry a bow. He would never harm another creature, but the feel of the weapon in his hand gave a feeling of being the old time type hero, the one fighting for justice, as well as feeling free and that’s all he ever wanted. Perhaps, he would ask his parents if he could take archery.

Aside from the bow, he liked the earthy feel of the costume. It had black pants and boots along with a moss green hooded shirt, brown vest, and brown guards. The original costume didn’t have a mask, but he added a brown one that fitted over his eyes and nose. He figured that the mask actually might allow him to get closer to Reggie without the veela getting in the way or at least he hoped so. It had been a strange experience in DADA, because he had encouraged her to flirt with him. He knew that he was capable of such. He knew that he could charm others with his appearance, but to actually encourage it? He had never done that before and it worried him a bit, but she was intriguing. He wondered if she had a veela relative somewhere in her line.

Entering the party, he was a little stunned to see such a display. He had been expecting something more along the lines of a few balloons and a few treats, but it was quite elaborate. He had to hand it to the Teppenpaws for creativity. He was just about to try and find Reggie when a camera popped into his face. A half grin presented itself for the picture, but a full one spread when he saw who was behind the camera. “Hey, Reggie. Great par-tume,” he finished when he got a look at her costume. “Uh, sorry. I went to say party and…wow, you look great!” Completely lame, but the fairy costume suited her rather well. “I’m guessing forest fairy?” Yup, he definitely wasn’t sure which of them was the veela right now.

0 Phoenix Lucore Looking for Reggie. 0 Phoenix Lucore 0 5

Ephanie Lucore

October 16, 2012 12:21 AM

I'm thankful for everything. :) by Ephanie Lucore

Ephanie had been absolutely thrilled when she had heard that there was going to be a party. She was even more excited when she found out that it combined Halloween and Christmas, two of her favorite holidays. How could they not be? Christmas was awesome, because she loved getting and giving gifts, especially ones that had special sentiment to them. As for Halloween, well, that could be spoken about in volumes. There was the excitement of being scared time and again. There was the candy and other treats. But the best part was being able to dress up. More than anything, she wanted to be an actress in the theater and being able to pretend to be a character, bringing the character to life, was the absolute best part of the holiday.

For the party, she had decided to be a gypsy princess. The costume was a blue dress with gold stars. The sides were purple with gold ribbon. Underneath, she wore a ruffled white blouse and under the skirt a black tutu skirt. She had wrapped an aquamarine scarf with gold coins over her hips and a purple scarf around her head. Her strawberry blonde hair framed her face from underneath. She had paired the look with black boots, lots of gold bracelets along her arm, and dangling gold earrings. Her makeup was simple aside from the use of dark eyeliner. She thought she looked pretty cute.

Arriving at the party, she gazed around in awe. It was the coolest! She wasn’t sure what to do first! Should she go and get something to drink or should she look for someone to talk to? She toyed around with the cards that she had brought along with her, as she decided what she wanted to do. Seeing a boy that didn’t have a costume on at all, which was unusual among the crowd that had seeming embraced Halloween more than anything else, attracted her interest simply for that fact. Wandering up to him, she fanned her cards out, “Tell your fortune?” She grinned, hoping that her veela heritage kicked in, and he would be unable to say no. It would be rather sad if he did.

0 Ephanie Lucore I'm thankful for everything. :) 0 Ephanie Lucore 0 5

Eris Ackart

October 16, 2012 9:29 AM

Good point... by Eris Ackart

“You’re welcome! Thanks for the plate.” Eris said with a smile as she tended to the spread of snacks in the way she usually approached a buffet table—loading a bit of everything on to her plate. She considered Michael’s comment, and hoped he didn’t think she was coming off as rude. She couldn’t remember if they’d discussed it or not, but she loved people watching. Some of the best she’d ever done had been in London where there was a ton of diversity, and even more people, so sitting on a bench and watching the little quirks and crazy outfits was amusing to her.

Parties like these were good for people watching as well. She meant what she said when they were somewhat freeing. People often felt more courageous in costume, and some even aimed to make people laugh—Giant Squirrel guy, for example, couldn’t have selected his costume without a sense of humor about it.

“Don’t they decorate the school for Christmas?” Eris asked, as she finished making up her plate and grabbed a few napkins. Her former school went all out for the holiday, with giant decorated Christmas trees, loads of twinkling fairy lights, garlands on ever banister, and Eris’ favorite—enchanted snow. Christmas was a big deal at the Ackart home as well, particularly in more recent years since the boys were out on their own.

“It’s just a spell. They will run off on you if you don’t eat them quickly enough though. At least that’s how Mum makes them.” She said with a smile as they made their way over to the bench. Eris set her drink down so she could straighten her skirt before sitting, and immediately crossed her ankles. Her smiled only widened when Michael commented on the spot she’d chosen, and she was glad that he could finally relax a little away from the chaotic center of the party.

Eris reclaimed her glass and took a drink as Michael explained to her about Waldo.

“Another perk of your super keen vision. I wonder how much harder it would be in a moving picture book, I’m guessing the one you grew up with was stationary, yeah?”

0 Eris Ackart Good point... 0 Eris Ackart 0 5

Andri

October 16, 2012 11:48 AM

Oh... Why not? It could be fun! by Andri

Andri was glad to see her roommate. She liked Henny, there was something about a person who loves to learn like she does (and it didn’t hurt that she’d made her own costume too) being there that helped the party look like it would be even more fun that she’d thought. She wasn’t normally the excitable one, that was Brielle, but for some reason the ideas she had for their costumes had really made her excitement soar!

Andri’s handmade Menorah costume fit wonderfully into Henny’s homemade Christmas Tree. The effect the pair had together was probably some sight… The third year grinned at her roommate and flickered the ‘candles’ on her Menorah so they sparkled and actually looked lit up again. She loved her idea, and was completely impressed with herself in coming up with it.

“Hooray for diversity,”

“I know, right?! That was what I thought too. That’s why Addi’s a Thanksgiving Turkey, Brielle’s Elphaba the Wicked Witch for Halloween, and Abi’s a Cheshire Cat like a Christmas Present!” she said, happily, amused by the idea even more then than ever before.

“A Christmas tree and a Menorah walk into a party... I don't know how it would end though.”

“Uhm… A Christmas tree and a Menorah walk into a party and the Menorah says…” she started, pausing for a moment to think of what Bri would say to that and then she got the idea in her mind. A smile crept up into her cheeks and she finished, “the Menorah says, will you light my candle?” Well, that’s a strange cross between Chanukah and RENT, but oh well… Maybe she’ll like it? Maybe she just won’t even understand it. Either way, I’m about to find out… she added to herself as Henny responded.

That part ended, she wasn’t sure if it was funny or just plain out horrible, but what did it matter? They were still young, still kids at heart, right?

“I'm really glad someone else went down the home-made route,”

“Me too, it not only was fun to do it that way, but it was also important to me to do it that way. I’m usually not the one to coordinate something like this, that’s usually Bri, but I just got the ideas and thought it would be awesome… Ya know?” she said to her roommate, smiling again, still not too sure if her little joke was a good one, or if it was just plain bad…

Henny smiled and glanced around the room. Andri followed her gaze towards her sisters, stopping lastly at Bri and Abi over by Waverly and she smiled too as Henny spoke again. “You and your sisters all look fantastic,”

“Thanks! I thought it’d be cute… I’m usually not the kind of person to do that kinda thing, but the idea came and it was like… WHAM! Ya know?” she asked her, a grin on her face bigger than ever. The Aladren was very proud of herself.

“I hope they'll do this again. My brother would love it.”

“Me too! I think that’ll be cool if they do it again too. Maybe we can all come up with something… I mean, our year and house. Something really cool, ya know?”

0 Andri Oh... Why not? It could be fun! 0 Andri 0 5

Arthur

October 16, 2012 8:15 PM

But you do look nice in green by Arthur

Arthur knew Arnold was not happy with him for speaking to Alice, thus leaving him alone with Fae, but since he very much doubted that either his brother or his future sister-in-law would want him to mediate between them at their wedding and doubted nearly as much that he would be sane if he had to listen to Arnold fretting about the subject until then, he thought it was better to let them get used to talking to each other again as soon as possible.

He was relieved to hear that there was, indeed, a story behind the hat. Somehow, he had trouble picturing Alice do anything without a reason, and he was not sure what he would have thought if she had. Following the conversions of Muggle money was a bit difficult for him, since the subject was one he had only read a bit about in passing in his occasional, secretive forays into the Muggle Studies section of the library and which had never come up in conversation with Katrina, but he smiled, too, as she finished by converting the figure into their own money. “Of course not,” he agreed, concluding from this that wherever the hat came from, it was in the past, before inflation – or possibly even a few cycles of inflation and deflation.

The other story behind the hat meant less to him, and he made a mental note: hatters. Alice in Wonderland. These were things he could, in a spare moment, look up in the library, he was sure. Sonora’s collection was extensive, and didn’t involve any particular politics, that he could see. This was a great advantage, in his mind; when he had access to what everyone thought, Arthur thought he could pull apart the common and differing threads and eventually get an idea of what the actual truth was, since no single group was ever going to tell it. All goodness knew the Careys were not, and he did not think his family was really worse than other people in general, just worse at hiding it.

“I agree with you,” he said when she had explained. “I believe you are quite sane, but the costume suits you very well.”

It did. Arthur had always liked her primarily for her intellect, but he had noticed before that she was at least moderately attractive, or at least that he found her so, and what she was wearing, in general and with her eyes, it…emphasized that. Green suited her, or at least he thought it did. This, though, wasn’t something he thought it wise to dwell on; since Arnold and Fae’s situation had arisen, he had, of course, thought idly a few times of how tidily it might work out for everyone if he were to have something with Alice as well, especially since he found her company much more pleasant than most people's, but…

Well, he knew of no plans to marry him off, which would leave anything that happened up to him and the girl in question, and he knew that was most likely going to end up as a teacher of some kind, perhaps in a school or maybe for the family. Arthur could imagine worse fates than spending his evenings correcting his future second cousins’ prose compositions while Alice minded the children, but he thought they both had more potential than that. Whether or not they could reach that potential and still have anything else was left as an interesting question, though an irrelevant one if Alice was not as subject to these irritatingly conventional and biologically-influenced thoughts as he was. If she managed to rise above them - or if her thoughts tended in other directions, even - there was no point in thinking even half a step past the fact that she looked nice in green.

Whether she did or not, though, it was not something he thought was very important right now. They had always maintained a perfectly amicable relationship based on mutual respect and academic achievement and interest, and he saw no reason why that shouldn’t continue indefinitely. “Did your sisters also base their costumes around their names?” he asked. “We – my family, I mean – we wondered if any other families would coordinate what they wore tonight.” He had bet himself a galleon that the Thorntons would, but since he couldn’t exactly lose or gain the money, he wasn’t in a hurry to figure out if he had been right. Conversing with Alice had the potential and likelihood to be far more interesting than settling that matter, and the night was still young.

0 Arthur But you do look nice in green 0 Arthur 0 5

Arnold

October 16, 2012 8:22 PM

I...uh..you know...er...um...yeah, that's really... by Arnold

“Plotting to steal it, more likely,” Arnold said lightly, still torn between enjoying the banter and being sure he sounded foolish and – the horrifying possibility just now dawning on him – maybe being made fun of. That didn’t seem like something Fae would do, but then, people weren’t one of the things he claimed to really understand, especially not girl people. He didn’t really claim to understand anything except Quidditch, and even then, he didn’t get why some of his classmates, both on his team and on the other three, got so vicious about it. “I think they were planning to dress m’cousin Henry up as Mordred.”

Which, he was sure, had pleased Hen immensely, even if he was the only one of the younger three with hair and eyes dark enough to come anywhere near passing, if the ages were ignored, as Theresa’s son. Arnold was pretty sure that had been the entire reason, anyway. He really did not see any of them turning to the Dark Arts and then trying to kill him, and honestly, from what he’d heard, Henry was having trouble just with the regular, harmless magic they taught everyone in the first year classes, so it was really unlikely that he could do all of that even if he wanted to.

He noticed, as he talked about Camelot and Arthur and Alice talked about…something, probably how very much fun it was to stab your brother in the back and leave him one-on-one in a conversation you knew could turn horribly awkward at any moment, that Fae had started to twist her hands together, and when she asked if they could talk, it almost felt like it had when his father had told him about the betrothal in the first place – like he’d sort of known it was coming for a minute in advance, which made it almost a relief to hear it out loud. He nodded, doing his best to ignore how his stomach was twisting itself into knots as he did. “Okay,” he said.

A little more than half the time, any thought of their future made him want to hide under the nearest rock and stay there until the end of the world, but more and more often, he was starting to view the pictures he came up with as inevitable, which was in a way comforting. Arnold thought he could make a stand, if he had to – he had spent the weeks between finding out and that wedding thinking through different plans to end the arrangement and deflect all the reputation damage onto himself if he got the slightest impression that she had gone past just not planning to marry him and actually had a real problem with the idea – but he preferred not to; it was easier to see that something was inevitable and approach it on those terms. Walking through the party hand in hand with her was sort of like that, an echo of something he thought it was pretty inevitable that they’d have to do a thousand times in their lives from here, so he tried to focus on that and not on wondering what it was she wanted to talk about.

“I…” he started to say when he noticed she seemed to intend to leave the party altogether, rather than just getting away from the two people at the party most likely to listen in on them specifically, since they didn’t have a chaperone along, but then decided that it probably wasn’t in his best interests to do any talking until he figured out what, exactly, she wanted to talk about, so he had the greatest chance of ending up with both feet still outside of his mouth.

He bit down on the inside of his mouth as Fae started asking questions faster than he could have answered them if they’d been about things as mundane as the weather, to keep himself from stammering pointlessly. That couldn’t help the situation. Finally, though, she seemed to finish, which meant he no longer had that excuse for not saying something.

“I don’t know,” he finally said.

“I mean – “ he hurried to add, not too pleased with his initial response, however true, in the essentials if not the details, it was. “I want to do what’s right – “ he could tell he was turning very red. That sounded completely stupid and delusionally would-be noble, even if it was hitting closer to the truth. “And for everything to work out, and I thought we were – all right, anyway, and we could figure it out from there, but then - " he stopped for a second, but the words just kept coming. "Then we came back here, Fae, and you wouldn’t even look at me for ages, so I’ve got no idea what you want, or what I’m supposed to do anyway…” He trailed off, realizing he had been talking far too fast, saying far too much. He was definitely seeing the advantages of hiding under a rock right this second.

All of this – somehow, it was too much for him, talking about what people wanted, about relationships, all that. He never had to discuss how he was related to his brothers, or his cousins, or his parents, or even his roommates, or Fae before all of this; they just were, and they all just got along very well without ever talking about it. He had hoped this could be the same way, that they could just carry on without defining things too much until they had to or until, by mutual but probably unspoken agreement, they got comfortable enough with the situation to do that. He’d expected to just start copying Preston and Sara – whatever it was they did; he had never really understood dating in a boarding school and had never really paid that much attention to his roommate’s relationship, something he now regretted – and it being understood that he’d ask her to things like this, when they happened, and that they’d go to parties over the holidays together, and then they’d just be used to it by the time they got married, a time which to him still felt comfortable light-years away. But while things, to him, had seemed all right over the summer, both at her brother’s wedding and even when she met Mother, which he’d been worried about, they had become so tense and awkward when they were back at school that it had just been easier not to try more than was necessary to keep things from being even worse….

“I’m sorry,” he said. “You didn’t want to hear all that. I’m sorry.” But since they were already here, and he’d already decided to accept the invitation to honesty this far…Well, he didn’t guess it could get much worse. “What do you want?” he asked. “Honestly. Proper or not.” He had half-assumed that she had said she had no complaints, to use her phrase, over the summer because it was expected of her. Certainly, the way she had started out by apologizing that admitting they were friends had caused the whole thing didn't, the more he thought of it, seem like she had really thought it was that great of a situation. Whatever the case was, though, he guessed it was better, now that the subject had come up, to get it all on the table now.

0 Arnold I...uh..you know...er...um...yeah, that's really... 181 Arnold 0 5

Reggie

October 16, 2012 10:07 PM

You found me! by Reggie

Reggie had been taking photographs since the start of the party. This she was extremely happy about because then she was able to get up close and personal with the guests. She enjoyed this because she could not only figure out what they were, but also figure out who they were. Unless, of course, their entire face was covered. So, even though she hadn’t really joined in any conversations or hung out too much with her friends, she was enjoying being a part of the party in a different way. Besides, she was going to have so much fun sorting through all of these photos… after her grandmother had them developed for her, of course.

There were so many amazing costumes, both bought and made! She was so happy that the turnout had been pretty big. She had heard through whispered rumors that the younger years might have a party of their own, but Reggie wasn’t at all bothered by this. Sometimes older students could put-off the younger ones just because of age and experience. Looking around though, there were quite a diverse group of years that had attended. Maybe her year group had better reputations than she had realized.

Or people just wanted an excuse to dress up.

She had just taken a picture of Robin Hood and had planned on moving on to the next one when Robin Hood spoke to her. She instantly knew the voice. She had been thinking about that Defense lesson for a while now. She had openly flirted with him. It had been a rush. The flirting was new to her and she had no idea if she had even done it right or if he had even really noticed. She half thought that he had just played along with it to make her feel better. But the feelings that it had brought out had been so exhilarating. She had flirted with him in class! She felt like it had been a little dangerous.

His greeting had her laughing, but in a delicate way. She felt like she should remain as girly as possible around him for some reason and didn’t want to offend him (too much) with his flub. His reaction and compliment, though, told her that her choice in costume had been well worth it. “I think the correct term is Woodland Fairy.” She said lightly with a smile. “And thank you. My Gram’s has fantastic taste, doesn’t she?” And posed for the effect of it. She realized after the fact that it might have sounded strange. “She knows that I like fairies and she knows my size, so she found one that she thought was pretty and would fit me nicely.” Reggie explained with a little shrug.

“And I agree, this is a great par-tume.” She commented, looking around. “Great turnout. I’m glad you were able to make it, Robin Hood.” Reggie commented, giving him a look over. Even with a mask, he was still hot. But he seemed really fun too, which she never would have pegged him for. Maybe bad boy or loner or something along those lines, but not fun. The things she learns when she partners with people who aren’t her best friends.

“Here, get a picture with me!” Reggie exclaimed, stepping close to him and wrapping one arm around his torso on her tip toes to be closer to his face, smiled, and snapped a picture. It was the first one of her tonight. “You are officially in the only photo shot of me tonight. Lucky you.” Reggie joked. “Want a copy?” Did boys dig pictures? She hoped so.

“So, have you had a chance to look around or anything?” She asked. She really was curious as to what people thought about it all. “Anything you’re looking forward to?”

6 Reggie You found me! 187 Reggie 0 5

Jordan Adair

October 16, 2012 10:28 PM

Are they acorns? by Jordan Adair

There were definitely times when Jordan wished she went to another school. She wished that Sonora had more of a social life. She thought that going away to school was going to be fun. Unfortunately, there was a strong emphasis on academics, which was great for Alice, and Quidditch, which would have been awesome if there was actually a male population. It wasn’t that she was against girls playing Quidditch. They just weren’t as nice to watch or smelled just that certain way after playing or any number of things.

On the subject of the male to female ratio, it was way out of proportion and it wasn’t in her favor. She wanted to date, but there wasn’t really anyone. First, anyone that wasn’t around her age was automatically ruled out cause that would just be gross. Second, there was the question of how well she got along with the person. Oh, and there was always the question of whether or not they were betrothed. She found everything overly serious for being young. Didn’t anyone else just want to feel alive?

But there was hope. The amazing fifth year Teppenpaws had taken it upon themselves to throw a party. An actual party! It was such a miracle that Jordan had not only decided to go, but insisted that her sister, Alice, go as well. They all needed a little fun. For her sister, she had picked something based off her name, but for herself, she had opted for something a little sexier. Her costume was that of a belly dancer. The black top came to her ribcage and was adorned with silver tassels. The skirt was solid black at the top with more silver and then flowed to her ankles in a mix of sheer and solid patterning.

She adorned a multitude of silver bangles on her arms along with a silver arm cuff. She had picked simple silver sandals. She would have preferred to go barefoot, but didn’t think it wise. To take attention from the sandals, she wore more bangles over her ankles. She charmed her hair into waves, the only tie back was a black headband with silver coins on it. All in all, she thought she looked pretty good, but the real question was whether or not she attracted any interest.

Entering the party, her blue eyes glanced around at the various costumes. Well, this was certainly going to be interesting. Should she stand and wait to see if anyone approached her? She supposed that would be a good idea, but decided on a more practical location and positioned herself around the food table. A cup in her hand, she felt she looked fairly approachable, when she heard someone nearby. Turning, she saw a familiar face. He might not have been coming to see her, but it would be rude not to say anything. “Marcus! Are you a giant squirrel?” Jordan couldn’t help giggling a bit. She had never thought anyone would come as a giant animal.

0 Jordan Adair Are they acorns? 173 Jordan Adair 0 5

Josephine Owen

October 17, 2012 6:06 AM

Or coconuts, maybe? by Josephine Owen

For someone who consistantly thought of herself as a nobody - being short and overweight with crooked teeth was sufficient in itself to lower anyone's self esteem without added burdens of second-hand belongings and no family connections - Josephine had been delighted to receive invitations to a number of social events in her time thus far at Sonora. She never expected them, and always felt somewhat out of place when she inevitably attended such gatherings, but these facts didn't stop the Pecari from thoroughly enjoying her good fortune. At Reggie's party she would at least feel as though she belonged there as much as the next person, and her previous experiences in socialising with her peers helped to soothe any pre-party jitters she might otherwise expected to have experienced.

Josephine loved costume parties. Ideally she would have dressed as a Snow Queen, or Fairy Princess, or some other such character that enabled her to wear a glamourous gown combined with all the glitter and glitz she could lay her hands upon. Of course the fifth year didn't possess any such attire, so she had been limited in her costume selection by her existing warbrobe. All in all, she was quite pleased by the outcome. She had taken her sister's lead in adopting apirate theme, only Josephine's look was distinctly more feminine. She had in her possession a black corset dress that was far too small for her, consequently being indecently short, but she rectified this by adding a long green underskirt and fishnet stockings, the combined effectof which miraculously camouflaged the excessive roundness of her thighs. The bodice of the dress, being too tight, drew in Josephine's waist to an unusually small size, and had the bewildering effect of making her already ample bosom all the more prominent. Not altogether confident in showing so much skin, Josephine added a green neckscarf before popping in gold (not genuine, obviously) hoop earrings and tugging on her boots, the ones so scuffed that she'd had to color them in with ink. Her long, chestunut hair was left loose to wave its way down her back, and she completed the look with some black eyeliner, which, she was surprised to discover, made her look quite pretty, in her own humble opinion.

Having arrived at the party, Josephine greeted Reggie and posed self-consiously for a photograph, and then resisted the urge to spend all evening tugging the corset bodice up higher. It was too late to change her mind now, so she took a deep breath and joined the small crowd milling around the refreshments. So many people looked so fabulous in their costumes, and most of them looked better than Josephine, squashed into her too small dress. What had she been thinking? She recognised Marcus, hidden largely by his squirrel costume, with whom she's worked on Reggie's zombie movie, and she approached him, ready with what she was sure was a witty and amusing comment about a squirrel and his nuts. She seemed to have missed her moment though, as Jordan, wearing something that Josephine could never get away with, not in a million years, beat her to it. The fifth year just smiled, instead, and turned back to the food table, trying to not feel too embarrassed. Never mind, there were plenty more people to talk to.

0 Josephine Owen Or coconuts, maybe? 196 Josephine Owen 0 5

Michael Grosvenor

October 18, 2012 9:45 AM

I spy pirates off the starboard bow! by Michael Grosvenor

Michael tried to work out whether Eris was joking when she warned him that the cookies might run away. If she was, she was doing a very, very good job of being deadpan. He definitely thought he'd give those a miss. Chasing his food down just didn't really appeal.

“They do,” he said, when she asked whether they decorated for Christmas, “But the stuff only goes up on the first day of the holidays. I always go home, so I only have until my wagon leaves to enjoy it. I think it even snows, or pretend snows too but that doesn't happen until after the wagons are gone. I guess it's so it doesn't get in the way. And there's different food and stuff,” he nodded to the snack table, “so I miss that part.” Having seen the winking cookies, which could purportedly run for it if dithered over, he was no longer assuming that was a bad thing... “You can tell me more about your Christmases some time. I feel like I might miss some of the details if you told me now,” he added.

“Yes,” he nodded for clarity, although he assumed she was asking somewhat rhetorically whether the pictures in his book had stayed still. “Moving ones would be... a challenge.” He was very keen to try them now the idea had been put in his head. He quite fancied testing his Super Spotting Skills.

“Another pirate!” he exclaimed, nodding towards the girl who had joined Waldo. Michael didn't really mind that someone else had had the same idea as him, as it proved it was a good idea to have had. And it wasn't like the other pirate was a threat – he would have felt inferior if they had had a big captain's hat. “Two more pirates,” the second pirate did have a Captain's hat and they were also both girls, which he thought was a bit weird. He thought pirates were tough enough to weather this storm though, and that it would not be thought that he had worn a girly costume. Rather, that both those girls were a bit tomboyish. “I guess it proves pirates are cool, at least,” he smiled at Eris, in case she thought he minded. “And I think the guy she's talking to is meant to be a Roman. A Roman human, so you win that one,” he added.

13 Michael Grosvenor I spy pirates off the starboard bow! 199 Michael Grosvenor 0 5

Eris Ackart

October 18, 2012 11:14 AM

A plethora of pirates by Eris Ackart

“That’s too bad.” Eris said, frowning a little at the idea that Michael had never experienced a proper magical Christmas. Then again, his family likely had their own traditions and the spirit of Christmas was pretty universal—he was really only missing out on the cool décor. “We’re going back to England for Christmas, or else I’d invite you to visit! We have a flat in Phoenix for the time being.” She would definitely take him up on the offer to discuss Christmas outside of the party, particularly since she was interested in his as well.

Speaking of the spirit of Christmas—Eris couldn’t help but wonder if they had a magical equivalent to Michael’s Waldo book. There would be plenty of opportunities for shopping over the upcoming break, and if there wasn’t, maybe someone could help her with the charm.

“Three more pirates…” Eris said, pointing in the direction of the Giant Squirrel at the snack table as she took a bite of another cookie. “They are rather cool though, so I can’t blame anyone. Now all we need is a parrot and you’d have a complete crew.” She said with a smile as her gaze drifted over to the Romanesque boy. “Is he Roman, or Greek?” She asked, tilting her head slightly. She recognized him from class but couldn’t remember her name—she was kind of horrible at remembering names.

“I like that girl’s gypsy costume, though I wouldn’t dare show that much leg.” She said with a smile, before noticing the belly dancer (who Eris also mistakenly assumed was a gypsy) and her bare midriff.

“Also not brave enough to pull that one off…” The Teppenpaw shook her head a little before redirecting her attention back to Michael. She suddenly felt the tiniest bit self-conscious and tugged at the hem of her dress to make sure it was covering most of her leg. She wasn’t the kind to be envious of other girls, but she wouldn’t have even thought to wear that kind of costume—particularly at a school event. She didn’t think her costume was too revealing, but she guessed it was all a matter of perspective.

0 Eris Ackart A plethora of pirates 0 Eris Ackart 0 5

Henny B-F-R

October 18, 2012 1:31 PM

Good times do not end in a trip to the Hospital Wing by Henny B-F-R

Henny smiled politely, forcing a little 'ha,' at Andri's joke. Either it was a little bit of lame one or she didn't really get it. It just seemed a bit literal to her in that that seemed a perfectly logical thing for a Menorah to say to a Christmas tree, were they able to talk. Although Andri had been able to come up with something on the spot which was more than Henny had done, so she had to give her credit for that.

“I had fun making mine too,” she nodded, when her roommate responded about their costumes. “I don't really use the MARS rooms very much – they're mostly not my sort of thing – so it was quite nice to have a reason to do that. Maybe I should try to do it more often.” It was a tad on the early side for New Year's resolutions but the theme of the party was all the holidays until they came back to school. That would be just after New Year, so she guessed it counted. In reality, she probably would not really use the MARS rooms any more than she had previously. Between counselling and classes, running the book club and joining in the baking club, her timetable was pretty crowded. If she found herself with free time, there were probably things she would enjoy doing with it more than being fairly mediocre at arts and crafts. It was a nice idea but... “Or maybe I should stick to baking as my creative outlet.” After all, she didn't have a lot of creativity to let out. She was more interested in taking knowledge in.

“You're welcome,” she smiled, when Andri thanked her for the compliment. She nodded, sending further little showers of glitter through her hair and onto the ground, as her roommate chattered excitedly about the ideas. She had been pleased when she had come up with an idea that was within her limited craft skills and that feeling had grown as she had seen the idea come to fruition. She might not have expressed it quite the way Andri did though, if at all. Perhaps it was just her nature, perhaps it was a side-effect of spending too much time in the library, but Henny was fairly quietly and carefully spoken. Not that she minded Andri's enthusiasm. It was sweet and somewhat infectious, although the latter likely didn't show much. Being around someone who was cheery and effusive about the party buoyed one's own spirit. Although it did not result in shrieking or bouncing on Henny's part, it had that effect upon her feelings, and a wide smile barely left her face.

“Gosh! It would be quite something if that could be achieved. I can't imagine being able to make so many people agree on idea though. Not without some seriously frowned upon persuasion techniques,” she smiled. “And I doubt Charlie will be in our house anyway,” she didn't mean to imply that that was what Andri had implied by 'all of us,' it was just where her mind had roamed next. “We get on well and I love him very much but we are very different to each other. I've got him pegged for Pecari. Dad was a Pecari.” She wasn't sure whether Andri was familiar with her way of referring to her parents (Dad and Father, Mummy and Daddy) or whether she simply assumed that the three male terms were used interchangeably. She explained if asked, and Andri might have seen the photographs on her bedside table and been given the full history. She couldn't remember. Either way, it was not an especially important distinction for the purposes of this conversation, unless one wished to explore the nature/nurture aspect of her brother possibly following in the footsteps of one of their adoptive parents.

13 Henny B-F-R Good times do not end in a trip to the Hospital Wing 211 Henny B-F-R 0 5

Michael Grosvenor

October 18, 2012 6:26 PM

Is that the correct collective noun? by Michael Grosvenor

“Oh good,” Michael smiled when Eris said she was going back to England for the break, “I mean... I don't mean it's good that you're going away and that I can't see you. But I'm glad for you that you get to go back,” he didn't go quite as far as reminding Eris of how homesick she had seemed when he first met her but it had come to his mind. He smiled at the idea of being able to go visit her. Sometimes that was just a thing people said but he felt like she genuinely meant it. “Maybe we can visit over summer, if you don't go back for all of that too. And you could come to Oregon. We can do an exchange visit,” he grinned.

“I don't think he's either, in real life,” Michael asked, when she queried what the boy's name was and whether he was Greek or Roman, “So even if he's pretending to be Greek, you have much more of a claim to it.” The boy's name was, he thought, something weird. He therefore didn't trust himself to have heard and stored it correctly.

“You look lovely as you are,” Michael reassured her, “Not that you wouldn't like nice if you were wearing something else. I-” Michael cut himself off before he started to ramble dangerously. He had learnt from his experience in Potions with Valerie that the more he tried to correct a remark he was concerned about the worse he seemed to make it. He tried to calmly think whether there was anything wrong with what he had said, anything which could be misinterpreted. He thought he was ok which probably meant he should leave it there. Except he'd left a dangling 'I...' that needed something adding to it lest it be thought that he was going to say... goodness knew what. Although the pause would probably give that impression anyway. He hadn't changed tack. He just hadn't really known what he was going to say when he started that sentence. “I don't know what else I thought I was going to say there...” he admitted with a slight laugh. He had never been good improvising so honesty was probably usually the best policy.

13 Michael Grosvenor Is that the correct collective noun? 199 Michael Grosvenor 0 5

Clara

October 18, 2012 8:37 PM

Why are you growling at us? LOL by Clara

Clara smiled as Liam explained his costume to Aria. She sometimes took for granted that not everyone grew up around Muggles and their stuff. The only reason why she knew anything at all about Superman was because he was her father's little muggle obsession. He had just about every comic book ever made featuring the character. Clara even had a few herself. She frowned a little confused when Aria apologized for not knowing what her costume was supposed to look like. “Why would you be sorry?” she asked Aria, genuinely confused. “You have no reason to be. If it makes you feel any better, I had no idea what they were either until we saw some in Paris over the summer,” she told Aria. “My dad and I saw a few performing by the Louvre. He was the one who told me what they were.” She giggled. “I found the costume at a shop in London and fell in love with it.” She told them both.

“Are you in our year?” she heard Liam ask and nodded cheerfully. “Sure am. Although how I managed to make it through the first year without any major accidents is beyond me,” she joked. “I could almost be considered a walking disaster. Ask anyone from flying class,” she laughed at her own bad joke. “How are you both liking Sonora?” she asked them, looking from Aria to Liam. She was about to say something else when she watched Aria reach out and touch Liam’s hair. She giggled at Liam’s hair gel question and nodded. “Must have taken quite a bit,” she guessed. She nodded at Liam’s description of Clark Kent and Superman and found herself looking thoughtfully at Aria’s question. “Why does he have to be two people? Why wouldn’t he always want to be Superman?” Clara had always wondered about that herself. “To be honest I’m not entirely sure,” she commented. “I’ve always wondered that myself. Do you have any idea Liam?” she asked him. She went to ask him another question when a familiar voice piped in. She turned to see Rupert joining them and had to fight the urge to hug him hello. She was a hugger, but refrained herself because not everyone liked being hugged.

“I’m Rupert Princeton,” he introduced himself. “I know you’re Clara, but what are your names?” he asked, indicating the monster-girl and the boy in the suit. “And I apologize, but what are you two,” he looked at the boy and Clara, “supposed to be? I'm guessing you're supposed to be a monster," he said, gesturing to monster-girl, "but I’m rubbish at guessing specific costumes, and I’ve been especially bad here with the Muggle ones.” Clara giggled at Rupert’s admission. “That’s okay Rup,” she assured him. “I’m not always great at guessing costumes myself. This is Aria and Liam,” she introduced her two companions to him. “He’s dressed as Clark Kent who is the alter-ego of Superman,” she explained to him. “Superman is a superhero. I’m dressed as a Harlequin. They’re kind-of like medieval jesters,” she explained further. She nodded at Rupert’s comment about Aria’s costume and hair. “I know. Isn’t Aria’s costume awesome?” she gushed. “I love the lion suit too, by the way,” she told him cheerfully. She leaned a little closer to Liam. “I hope I didn’t step on any toes when I told him your names,” she whispered to him.

0 Clara Why are you growling at us? LOL 232 Clara 0 5

Fae

October 18, 2012 10:10 PM

Yeah, I figured as much. by Fae

Fae really wished that she had paid better attention during her studies. She didn’t really remember much about Camelot, King Arthur, or the Knights other than vague details, which, in reality, could have actually been a part of some other fairytale story that she had read. So, when Arnold discussed how Henry was to be dressed up as Mordred, she had no idea who that was or what significance there was to it. “Is that something that is good?” She asked him, uncertainly. “I really am afraid I do not remember much of the story.” She admitted, knowing that Arnold wasn’t likely to hold her lack of knowledge against her.

Arnold’s family was rather vast and Fae was still trying to sort them all out. Fae did not know her great grandfather’s siblings extended families and only knew her branch’s members due to the various family celebrations or holiday gatherings that they had. Although, she would not claim to know them very well. Her cousins, aside from Briar, were much younger than her. Her father, being the eldest of the family in his generation who was the son of the eldest of his generation, was married and starting a family long before the youngest was even prepared to enter school. So, she was still sometimes surprised by how many of Arnold’s cousins were around his age and how well he seemed to know them. Even so, she felt as though she was never really going to know which of his cousins were siblings and of what branch they were from.

Fae wasn’t sure what she had been expecting him to say. Sure she could imagine certain scenarios (in fact, prior to having made up her mind to talk to him, she had, in fact, thought up many scenarios) of the various ways in which Arnold could answer her, but she wasn’t sure that his response of ‘I don’t know’ had been one of them. She had thought of him rejecting her outright. That one had been her worst scenario. Others involved him equally liking her as well as him only wanting her as a friend. But him not knowing had never factored in.

She had opened her mouth to argue about her behavior, but realized that there really was no argument to make and closed it. She had denied herself eye contact with him because she had been too nervous to look at him. She really didn’t know if that had to do with the whole betrothal thing or if it was because she had feelings for him and just seeing him caused such a strange and overwhelming sensation that locking eyes probably would have sent her into cardiac arrest. In the end, though, he turned the question back on her. He hadn’t even answered her. Not really. She was no closer to knowing if he liked her now than she was when she pulled him out of the party.

She really wasn’t sure if she could answer his question any better than how he had answered her own. She was just so tired of not knowing. “You didn’t really answer me.” Fae said stubbornly with a pout. She needed to know. The last time she sat down with someone and really discussed what she was feeling had been in the library with Sara and she had ended up crying. She did not want that happening again tonight, but she felt that if she didn’t get a straight answer from him, she might end up doing just that.

Fae let out a sigh and her whole body seemed to collapse inward as she gave up for a moment. He wanted honesty though, “I’m just so exhausted of not knowing anything.” She admitted. “I know we talked at the wedding that we would be okay and I think we will be when the time comes, but that doesn’t help me now.” Fae declared, wishing there was a bench to sit at so that they were more equal in height. She felt small beside him. “I couldn’t look at you when we came back to school because I thought maybe you had changed your mind about me and I was afraid you wouldn’t want to be my friend anymore.” Of course, that had only ended up straining their friendship, but she wasn’t about to acknowledge her wrongdoing in that.

Now was the hard part… “I like you, Arnold.” She said, emphasizing the word ‘like’ since he seemed to pass by it the first time she said it. “What I want is to know if you like me too. I want to know if you want to see each other officially because of how we feel and not because we’re betrothed. Or if you aren’t interested and just want to stay friends.” There, she had said it. It was out in the open and either she would die of humiliation if he didn’t like her in that way or have a happy evening after all.

0 Fae Yeah, I figured as much. 0 Fae 0 5

Eris Ackart

October 19, 2012 12:58 AM

I can't find a definitive answer... by Eris Ackart

“I’m looking forward to it, it’ll be nice to see my brothers and my fr—other friends.” Eris corrected herself. She may not have many friends at Sonora, but she had a friend in Michael, and that was more than she could ask for. “I’m glad that you go home over the holiday, I’d be sad if you were one of those students who had to stay here. Not that it’s a bad place, of course, but Christmas morning in your own house is the best.” The third year lit up when Michael mentioned possibly visiting each other over the summer. Sure it was a way off yet, but that would give her plenty of time to convince her parents, more specifically her father.

“We can go hiking!” Eris said excitedly, nearly spilling her drink. “Michael Grosvenor, you are brilliant…I’m going to start bringing it up the moment I get off the wagon.”

She accepted his explanation of the not-really-Roman-or-Greek boys costume origin, and laughed a little when he declared her more Greek.

“My mum would be so proud.” She said with a smile before finishing off the rest of her cider to prevent any future accidents.

Had she not been glowing, Michael would have been able to see that he had, once again, made Eris blush. That was twice in one night that he’d told her she looked lovely. He could have said ‘Oi, Eris, you look nice,’ or ‘Oh, great costume’, but he used the word ‘lovely’. She tried to imagine the shade of red her face would turn if he’d said ‘beautiful’, but ‘lovely’ was good. Her mind threatened to take her down the road of trying to piece together whether or not it was a date after all, but she pushed that aside quickly when Michael finally finished his sentence.

“Thank you,” She started with a smile, as put her hand on his knee. “For a rugged and supremely manly pirate—you’re awfully sweet.”

0 Eris Ackart I can't find a definitive answer... 0 Eris Ackart 0 5

Cepheus

October 19, 2012 10:58 AM

I can be friendly too. by Cepheus

Cepheus was glad he didn't choke on his biscuit when an older girl approached. She was gorgeous and most definitely Spanish. She looked and sounded like one. He nodded as he swallowed the bits of biscuit down. "They're quite good," he said, although he hadn't really tasted it as it had gone down. He picked up a glass of butterbeer, pale face unusually flushed after shoving that biscuit into his mouth. He washed down the rest of the bits that might've been stuck in his throat before attempting to make any conversation.

Once his throat was cleared, he smiled apologetically. "I'm Cepheus Princeton, of the Surrey Princetons," he said, giving a little bow with his head. "You have a brilliant costume. I could never really imagine a female pirate wearing a white dress at sea, though. Might get stained too quickly." He smiled, hoping his conversation wasn't too boring. Cepheus had never been nervous to talk to anyone before, but he was finding himself slightly tongue-tied in front of this girl.

He cleared his throat again. "Did you come with anyone to the party?" he asked, wanting very badly to fall into his nervous hand-fiddling. Cepheus did not like this feeling of uncertainty. He had certainly not noticed her before, and he wondered how he could have missed this Spanish beauty. Cepheus's eyes briefly scoured for Theresa over her shoulder, wishing that she would save him from making a complete fool of himself. He felt insignificant and terribly young in comparison to this older girl. He hoped he didn't look like a fool.

After searching very briefly for Theresa, his eyes were drawn back to the older girl's eyes. Her make-up was done very well and he couldn't tear his eyes away from hers. He liked the natural look on girls, but for some reason make-up on this girl seemed almost, well, not natural, but it enhanced her beauty. Cepheus tried to gather his thoughts, but was failing a little. He cleared his throat again with a lack of things to say and drank from his bottle of butterbeer, hoping that some liquid would clear his throat and, hopefully, his mind. Why was he feeling so bloody silly, anyway?

0 Cepheus I can be friendly too. 0 Cepheus 0 5

Arnold

October 19, 2012 11:28 AM

I'm sort of predictable that way by Arnold

“Not really,” Arnold admitted when Fae asked about Mordred. “He was a Dark wizard – Morgana’s son, usually, though – “ he assumed a fussy, stuffy tone – “according to my least favorite tutor ever – “ he dropped the tone – “there’s some debate about whether he really was – and he tried, like, I don’t remember exactly – three or four times to take over the kingdom, marry the queen, kill the king…you know, the usual. We used to joke that Mordred was the distant ancestor of the Georgia branch when we were little.”

Only joke, because technically, they and the Georgia branch were of the same descent, with their branches being founded by two grandsons of Anthony II. His great-great-grandfather and Edmond’s great-grandfather had been first cousins…

It occurred to him that if he ever needed something to make conversation about in the awkward early days of marriage, offering Fae lessons on their family tree might well do. Unless they got married in a Reunion year, a thought he found horrific enough to try not to dwell on, she was likely, if not bound, to spend a lot of the first year being invited to small parties which were really thin excuses for the important people to check out the new girl, and he doubted that most people had to commit the entire extended Carey family tree to memory as part of their pre-school education. He hadn’t even, really, now that he thought of it, and he had been required to; he’d have to get Arthur to help him out with stuff like how many patriarchs there had been in North Carolina and the subordinate lines and later generations of Virginia and who anyone at all was in Louisiana….

Just thinking about it made Arnold think his head might want to hurt, and he was glad for both of their sakes that he wasn’t an heir and that neither of them had, therefore, to know everything about everybody, just about the people they were dealing with in the present. He had one of the increasingly frequent moments in his life when he felt sorry for his little brother. He had no idea why Grandfather’s suggestions that he should have been the heir instead had ever sounded remotely appealing to him.

“I…I know,” Arnold admitted when Fae called him on not really answering her. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.” He tried for a grin, but it didn’t work that well. “Guess Father’s better at that than I am.” Though, in retrospect, that was usually only something that made Mother angry, so maybe it was good that she had seen through it….

He was tempted to say he knew the feeling when she admitted to being exhausted by the just not knowing, but realized in time that this would probably not go well for him and didn’t. The next part, though, made him shake his head. "I don't know why you'd think that," he said. "Seriously, you're the catch in all this, not me."

He wished to vanish again when she finally got the meaning of like through his head without spelling it out, something he had managed to avoid understanding up to this point. He felt himself turning redder by the second as he realized what she was saying and had to bite his tongue hard to keep from asking an incredulous ‘why?’ He was pretty sure that was…just something that wasn’t done.

“Well,” he said, once he was pretty sure he could say anything without stammering himself to death, “I mean, I’d like to, but – well, I see you every day already. Believe me, I’ve noticed. What do people do when they’re, er, seeing each other – literally, you know?” He had moved out of the language of feelings and long-scale desires and into actual event details, a field he felt much more comfortable in, and hoped he had conveyed that. It was ridiculous how he could think of how to say and do things, in his head, sometimes even when he needed to say them instead of hours later, but then it never came out right. He got too embarrassed and stumbled through an edited edition in his usual way. “That’s what I mean about doing things right, well, part of it, anyway, I don’t know what’s appropriate.” The last thing, short of as really inappropriate, he wanted was to be seen as was stumbling around after a girl like a puppy, even if she wouldn’t find that horribly annoying after a while, which he was guessing she would. "There's things like this, but not that often...sorry for not asking, by the way, it's, you know, back to all the not knowing."

0 Arnold I'm sort of predictable that way 181 Arnold 0 5

Clarissa Clark

October 19, 2012 12:59 PM

Some chestnuts would be seasonal.... by Clarissa Clark

When Clarissa had first seen the notice in the Aladren Common Room about the upcoming holiday party, she had felt an odd mixture of excitement and apprehension. Her fellow house mates seemed perfectly nice, but as many of them seemed like quiet, natural loners like herself she felt that it had a slightly chillier atmosphere than some of the other houses. But then again, you could only tell so much from gossip. The timid girl thought it might be fun to try and get some of her fellow students better without any lessons in the way, but was worried that without at least a vague prescribed framework of interaction she would not know what to do.

Consequently Clarissa had decided that she would go, even if only as an observer, and written to her family to request help with a costume; it would give her something to hide behind. Clarissa loved all the holidays, and decided not to choose one, but let one be chosen for her. That would mean that her Dad or Tracey could get whatever was most convenient. However, she had requested that it not stand out “too much”, as she knew that Tracey’s tastes could be much wilder than her own. Except in her choice of Clarissa’s Dad, Tracey never made the sensible or easy choice…not that her new husband could always be considered easy. She also knew that if she requested anything specific that her family might go to considerable lengths to get it for her, and this made her feel guilty. A surprise would surely be best.

Just over a week later, Clarissa received a rather large package marked “Clarissa Clark – witch’s costume” with a note. “You should blend right in! Lots of love, Tracey. P.S. Make sure you take plenty of pictures for us!” For a moment the confused young girl thought that Tracey had somehow managed to get an enchanted costume for her like some of the other students were talking about, but then she realised that she was the witch! Any costume of hers would be a witch’s costume. It was quite amusing. She gingerly opened the box and pulled at the mess of orange, red and black fabric that appeared.

Some small pieces of plastic and a lot of glittery ribbons fell to the floor, and on bending down to examine them, Clarissa found that one of the largest pieces seemed to be a nose. A long bendy nose with warts and a point end. It looked like…she though glumly…a witch’s nose. A quick rummage through the rest of the costume pieces confirmed Clarissa’s suspicions as she pulled out a hat, not unlike her own actually, and a small fake broomstick. The costume Tracey had chosen was that of an evil witch from a children’s storybook. She certainly had a sense of humour, although perhaps a little too much appreciation for irony, as her step daughter was now realising. ‘What on earth would people make of this?’ She wondered. If she abandoned all the bright accoutrements and went with robes and broom, it might be a while before anyone noticed her grotesque facial features. ‘Same old same old’ thought Clarissa. Some people like Wendy might even laugh and enjoy the costume. She couldn’t imagine how some of the purebloods would react though – those with hundreds, even thousands of years of magical heritage. Not that any of them looked like this, of course. They might be offended, might appreciate the humour in this oh-so-foreign characterisation, or maybe they would just laugh at her bizarre muggle ways.

Clarissa racked her brain for other ideas. Sticking with the Halloween theme should be fairly easy. There was “scary” makeup with her “witch’s costume” that she could use to highlight her odd coloured eyes and make her face look like a sight to make eyes sore, like a singer on a poster she had once seen in London. She had been so terribly excited when she told her Dad about it; she had been so disappointed when she found out that that man’s odd eyes were fake. He wanted to look monstrous.

On second thought, Clarissa realised that she would very much stand out…people staring at you and people talking to you comfortably really wasn’t the same thing. She looked at the rest of the costume pieces, searching for an idea, but when she picked up the broom again she realised that it was broken – twigs were falling off all over the place and mixing with the sparkling ribbons on the floor. It was an odd slight, certainly. And it reminded her of something. Finally, an idea for a costume.

When the night of the party came around, the glue Clarissa had used was almost dry. ‘Dry enough’, she thought. She entered the party a little apprehensively, keeping her arms down by her sides but close enough to become literally glued –she hoped. Her costume was now a normal navy dress made of cotton, with a skirt underneath it made from the orange and red fabric that was once part of a witch. At the bottom of the skirt were the twigs from the broom. She wore navy brown tights and boots in different shades, and had knotted the silvery ribbons together and draped them over her shoulders and even put some in her hair using grips. When she turned, they showed different bright colours amongst the silver. It was likely that most people would not recognise the festival that she had come as, but at least Clarissa was unlikely to offend anyone, even though what was now an innocent family holiday had started out as something much more gruesome. People would definitely recognise that she was in costume, and in this disguise she would most inconspicuous.

She saw people all around, and didn’t recognise any of them straight away. She considered walking closer to try and get a view of someone she recognised; if she stayed still it would be harder to blend it. Then, however, something caught her eye – a table full of food! Great, something to do with her hands. Clarissa suddenly realised that she hadn’t eaten for ages as she’d been too busy getting ready for the party.

0 Clarissa Clark Some chestnuts would be seasonal.... 1486 Clarissa Clark 0 5

Josh McLachlan

October 19, 2012 4:49 PM

Yes, I am brilliant. by Josh McLachlan

It was a little strange to Josh how adamantly Brianna had defended her reason for coming. But she clearly seemed to believe what she was saying, so Josh thought maybe she hadn't sorted out her feelings for Michael. Well, Josh wasn't going to try and help her with that. That was beyond him. It still surprised Josh that she hadn't been to a party before, but if she was anything like him, he also could understand it. He let go of the comment about Michael. Maybe in time she would come to terms with her feelings.

Brianna clearly wanted to escape, and Josh was more than fine with that. "Of course," he said, starting their little journey with a few steps away from the gardens. He tried to think of somewhere they could go, but he was a little uncomfortable with being completely alone with a girl. Maybe they could walk around the gardens. She said that she made it weird, and he shook his head, but didn't say anything. What was there to say? She had made it a little weird, but Josh wasn't complaining.

He led the walk at a slow pace so Brianna could start talking whenever she wanted to. He wasn't sure why she seemed to be so uncomfortable. Josh knew why he didn't like the party scene, but he wasn't sure if he knew Brianna well enough to know why she didn't. Maybe in time she would explain it to him, but for now he would just wait for her to speak. He hoped she started talking soon.

Josh put his hands in his pockets again, glad he hadn't dressed up. The air was starting to get a little chilly and he wondered briefly if Brianna was cold. If she was, she'd probably say so. Or maybe not, knowing her. Josh still didn't say anything, but brooded in his own world for a little, one ear open to respond to whatever Brianna wanted to say. Maybe she just wanted to take a little walk; a breather, or something.

0 Josh McLachlan Yes, I am brilliant. 0 Josh McLachlan 0 5

Annabelle and Annette Pierce

October 19, 2012 9:22 PM

Making an entrance (wotw) by Annabelle and Annette Pierce

They had debated about what to wear to the Teppenpaw party. It had taken the form of several arguments over the course of most a week. When they heard about Effie's party, that discussion took a backseat to the debate about which event to attend, as that had to be decided first since there was little point in choosing a costume for a party they might not even go to.

That proved the easier decision to reach. Both girls thought the Teppenpaw party sounded more fun. The other one sounded like the sort of thing they ought to go to, that their mother would be upset with them for not attending, but that was what made Sonora so wonderful. Mother wasn't here and they could decide to do the fun thing every once in a while. And a costume party that celebrated not one but three different holidays, plus invited everyone in the school and not just the proper people sounded like something that should not be missed.

Plus, well, Derry was one of the hosts and, disinherited or not, he was still their cousin and ranked higher in their personal loyalties than Effie Arbon. She was a nice enough girl, but they'd only known her for a couple of months.

Which brought them back to the original discussion. The problem was not so much that they disagreed with one another as that there were so many options that they both liked and couldn't narrow it down to just one final choice. As the time remaining to decide grew short, they finally came to a conclusion.

They would be a matched pair of Santa's Elves. They wore festive outfits in bright red and green. Hats with bells adorned their heads and equally belled slippers with up-curled toes covered their feet, so that when they walked, a jingly tintinnabulation followed them around, announcing their presence. Their ears were made pointy with modeling clay and make-up made their cheeks rosy. Cheerful smiles lit their faces as they arrived at the party.

For a long moment, they just looked around, enjoying all of the other costumes, and feeling pleased with their own choice. As Thanskgiving was the nearest holiday to the date of the event, and Halloween was the easiest to dress up for since you could be anything for that, they had guessed Christmas might get the fewest costumes. From what they could see immediately, they appeared to have been correct.

Once their initial overview was finished, they jingle-belled their way over to the food table and began putting together small plates of snacks. Once they had each collected what they wanted, they moved to find seating among the fake snow of a Christmas area. Smiling at a passer-by, Annette called out cheerfully, "Have you told Santa what you want for Christmas yet?"

1 Annabelle and Annette Pierce Making an entrance (wotw) 246 Annabelle and Annette Pierce 0 5

Nic Sawyer

October 20, 2012 3:22 PM

I do not know why I let Eliza talk me into these things by Nic Sawyer

He had not planned to come to the party. As a rule, Nic did not like parties, or the crowds of people that frequented them, so he saw little point in attending when he could just stay in his room or even the commonroom (which had lost some of its appeal since Rachel did not walk through it anymore, but he still sat there out of habit most days and Eliza was still good company while he did so).

It was, in fact, entirely Eliza's fault that he was here at all. He still wasn't entirely sure why he had allowed her to convince him otherwise. The only thing worse than a regular party, after all, was a costume party. He had briefly considered not wearing one at all but the only thing lamer than going to a costume party was going to a costume party without a costume. People were likely to assume he was either going as something dumb like 'a Sonora Student' or was too uncreative to come up with something clever.

Therefore, on the day of the party, he put on grey knickers like the ones that weird kid in fifth year always wore, white knee high socks that showcased calves that were narrow and looked like they went on for too long, a coat with tails, buckle shoes (also like that weird kid in fifth year, but much bigger because Nic's feet were rather long), and a tri-corner hat that was too small for his head. His hair was pulled back into a tail that was tied low.

He had no intention of telling anyone he was going as the cartoon version of Ichabod Crane, one of the first ridiculously skinny and tall people he could remember seeing on TV, so what people did not know would not hurt him. He was clearly in costume and that was what mattered, right? Nic couldn't entirely remember the plot of the movie, but sort of remembered the guy being kind of wimpy. Crane might have ultimately defeated the Headless Horseman, though - it was a Disney movie, he was pretty sure, and the good guy always wins in those - so there was that. And it was largely regarded as a Halloween movie, so he was even in theme with the party.

Go him.

He made no attempt to draw attention to his arrival (rather the opposite, in fact) and found a shadowed hedge to stand beside and lurk. He scowled at the new Teppenpaw prefect as she flashed a camera in his direction and sourly hoped the pictorial evidence of his presence came out blurry for her.

Why had he agreed to come again?

1 Nic Sawyer I do not know why I let Eliza talk me into these things 165 Nic Sawyer 0 5

Derry Four

October 20, 2012 4:27 PM

As host, I am here to provide it by Derry Four

Derry mingled among the guests greeting people and complimenting costumes, as befitted a proper host. When Reggie put up the invitation, he had not expected it any more than anybody else had, but he had quickly gotten over seeing his year group named as the hosts and gotten on-board with the planning and organization with Reggie. While she and the elves did a fantastic job with the decorating, he'd taken up a spot near one of the garden entrances and helped direct guests to the right place.

Now that it was mostly underway, and latecomers could follow their ears to where everyone else was, he rejoined the main crowds. After socializing for a while, the wonderful smells emanating from the snack tables finally got to him and he moved over in that direction. Just as he got within range, and his eyes were drawn inextricably to the delicious looking morsels on offer, he collided with someone moving away as he was moving in.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed, even though it was his own costume that he could feel soaking through with something wet. He looked down at his white unlaced pirate shirt, now stained bright red from the punch. Some had gotten on the black vest, too, but that was harder to see. More had spilled down onto the brown leather cowboy pants, but had fortunately avoided both the six gun tied to his right leg and the sword sheathed at the left side of his waist. His ten gallon hat was also unharmed and his gold tooth was obviously impervious even if it had been hit. Like his vest, the few drops that made it down to his black swashbuckler boots were hardly noticeable.

For the first moment, he was dismayed by the damage to his pirate-cowboy get-up (he'd had trouble deciding between pirate and cowboy and had eventually decided he would be both). Then he realized the red stains might easily be mistaken for blood. "Awesome! Now I'm a wounded pirate cowboy!" he exclaimed. "Thanks," he looked up to see who he had run into and saw a stuffy person with a monacle, "er, Professor?" he guessed, not quite sure what Mr. Owen was going for but a stodgy academic professor seemed a good guess to him.

"Having a good party, sir?" he added after a moment, remembering his fine hostly manners.

1 Derry Four As host, I am here to provide it 189 Derry Four 0 5

Fae

October 21, 2012 9:54 PM

It's okay to be Predictable. by Fae

The more Arnold explained to her the characters of the legend/tale, she was more and more impressed by his knowledge of it (and feeling rather self-conscious about how inadequate she was in her own knowledge). “Oh.” She mumbled when he finished. “You must really enjoy this story. You know so much about it.” She complimented.

She shook her head, unsure if Arnold was actually complimenting her or throwing an insult to himself. “Arnold, you’re a Quidditch Pro at this school, you’re good looking, you’re from well-known family, and everyone loves you. I do not stand up to that no matter how you spin it.” Fae commented matter-of-factly to him. Fae may come from a good family, but they were not well-known in America just yet. They were prominent in Europe, but only just beginning to take root in American. She didn’t have any badges to stake claim with (not that she was all that terribly upset over it) and she was certain that there were people in their classes who disliked her even though she had no idea why.

Fae had no idea if he had just admitted to liking her and wanting to date her or not. She wanted to believe that it sounded like it, but everything he said after it seemed to suggest otherwise. She could understand the not really knowing what to do about it, but she had simply figured that if they really wanted to see each other in a more than friends sort of way, that everything just fell together. Maybe it had been naïve of her to think such a thing, but her best friend seemed to be managing her relationship with Preston just fine and they saw each other every day. Well, maybe not so much now with Sara in different classes, but the point was that they made things work. If Arnold wanted to date her, as he seemed to suggest, what did it matter how things were done?

“It’s fine.” Fae said when he apologized. If he had wanted to go with her, he would have asked. Since he hadn’t asked, she assumed he didn’t want to go with her or hadn’t planned on going to begin with. It hurt her, a little, but he was right for chosing who he wanted to go to a party with. “I… don’t understand.” Fae said after a moment of working through what he had said. “You don’t want to date me because we have the same classes together?” She asked him, feeling dubious about all of this. She honestly couldn’t understand his logic in it. They had many classmates with whom she saw regularly, but she didn’t necessarily want to spent time with them outside of class.

“I’m not asking you to take me to the Opera or anything, Arnold.” She told him. “We don’t have to do crazy things to be a couple. I just… I don’t know. I just think that if we like each other, we shouldn’t have to be so… whatever this is.” She said, waving a hand between them, hoping he caught on with what she was trying to convey. She had no idea on how to label what they were. “I know we see each other in classes, but that’s not really dating. Do you not want to spend time with me outside of classes? Or hold my hand without me having to do so to drag you off somewhere? Or, if the feeling compelled you to do so, kiss me?” She knew that was a little forward of her, but she couldn’t deny that she was hopeful that such an action was something that he wanted to do.

“I want to feel comfortable around you. I want it to be okay that I get excited seeing you and not really have to hide it.” Fae admitted. “I mean, if you don’t want that kind of stuff, I’ll leave you alone, but I just need to know what you’re looking for.” Why wouldn’t he just say what he wanted? She felt like just giving up and walking away instead of talking in circles. Maybe he just didn’t want to hurt her feelings so he was dragging this out even more. “Please just tell me. You asked me to be honest with you and I have been; now it’s your turn.”

0 Fae It's okay to be Predictable. 0 Fae 0 5

Liam

October 22, 2012 12:22 AM

He's the king of the jungle. by Liam

“They both entertain people. Mimes are just quieter about it.” Liam said with a shrug as Aria apologized to Clara. He knew Aria came from a different place than he did, and from their conversation, it was likely that Clara didn’t come from a community like Aria’s either. He admired that about her; she’d helped him in potions when he didn’t know things but she didn’t make him feel dumb about it either. He only hoped her could return the favor. Sonora was different from anything he’d ever experienced, and had to learn from the ground up that it wasn’t Squid-itch, and that portraits could move and talk, he knew what it felt like to not know some of the things that came naturally to his peers.

“Sounds like you had quite the summer.” Liam added, as Clara explained her run in with harlequins in France. It must have been nice, he thought, to have the means to travel the world and purchase costume clothes on a whim. He smiled though, glad that someone he knew (even if it had been for a few minutes) got to experience those kinds of things. He knew he never would. He was glad when the conversation turned to Superman. Rather, Clark and the reason behind the alter ego. While Liam couldn’t give the girls a definitive answer, he had an idea.

“It’s a long story, really, so bear with me. When he was born on planet Krypton, he was called Kal-El, and his planet was about to be destroyed, so his father sent him to Earth. He was adopted and raised by the Kent family, and then slowly began to develop superhuman powers. As an adult, he decided to use his powers to save humanity. So, why be Clark when you can be Superman? I figure it’s because a) being a good guy and saving the day all the time is exhausting, and he needs a break from time to time. and b) at the core, we all just want to fit in. As Clark, he can be an average guy, even though beneath the tie and glasses he’s a lot more.” Liam paused for air before elaborating further. “The funniest part is that somehow his glasses magically make his face unrecognizable. Superman is all over the place, and no one ever guesses it’s him.” Satisfied with his explanation, he turned his attention back to Clara for a moment.

So she had been in his year. Liam felt a little silly, but with her face covered, she could have been anyone. He thought back to their first term opening feast as best as he could, and thought he recalled a Clara maybe being in Pecari. Great, now he really looked like a jerk.

“I missed flying lessons.” Liam stated, before noticing the irony between his costume and his next comment. “I’m afraid of heights.” He shrugged it off, and turned his attention to Clara’s question. “Sonora is…interesting.” That seemed fitting, it was interesting. Liam learned something new almost every day and it was a crapshoot as to who was going to be nice to you, and who would rather lick a toad than work with a muggleborn. He missed his family and had, he hoped, a whole two friends, but overall—he was happy.

Before he could really figure out what was going on, they were being pounced upon by a lion, and Aria was touching his hair. It seemed that Clara had the lion entertained and was handling both introductions and his questions about their costumes. He laughed a little at Aria’s reaction to all the gel, and wasn’t overly fussed by the fact that she was touching it, she had, after all, avoided the curl. He’d never worried much about his hair—in fact it was something that he hadn’t worried about at all until tonight. If she couldn’t appreciate that it was a Christopher Reeves grade replica, at least she could enjoy the unusual texture.

“It could help, I guess, but I wouldn’t use this much unless you want to look like Medusa. Not that I’m a hair product expert or anything.” He said with a grin before turning his attention to the lion, or Rupert as he’d overheard.

“I think Clara about covered it, nice to meet you Rupert…Your costume is Grrrreat!” Liam said with a smile. Had any other muggleborn’s been around; he suspected he would have been called out on comment. Tony, the cereal box cartoon who coined the phrase ‘grrrrreat’ was, in fact, a tiger. But unless anyone in the group watched TV, which he assumed they didn’t, they wouldn’t know that.

Liam definitely wasn’t used to girls taking charge of things like Clara had, and while he didn’t quite know what to make of it, he wasn’t bothered enough to do anything about it. He’d experienced that a lot here; girls not acting quite the way he was used to. A lot of things weren’t the way he was used to though, and he figured he was going to be surprised by things for the rest of his life—if not the rest of his time at Sonora.

“My toes are just fine, no worries.” He said to Clara with a smile.

5 Liam He's the king of the jungle. 37 Liam 0 5

Brianna

October 22, 2012 1:22 AM

So it seems. I am not. by Brianna

Josh agreed to go on a walk with her and Brianna found herself both surprised and relieved by his response. She couldn’t help but be a little disappointed that she wasn’t able to stay at the party for a little while longer or even just have had a good time at it at all. She had so much for expectations about this party and she knew it wasn’t the party, itself, that had ruined her night, but her own thoughts and having seen Michael with the other girl. Brianna had really hoped that her first ever costume party (thrown by peers, not the school) would be a success. She had hoped that she would have so much fun she’d be talking about it when she was an old woman. She may end up talking about this when she is an old woman, but not for the success that it could have been.

She should have stayed in the corner and not made eye-contact with anyone. Or, better yet, not have bothered Josh with all of this and just stayed home. No one asked her for a reason. No one wanted her around. She understood this now. Josh was just being nice, no matter what he said to her. Brianna knew of the rumors of him and about how he hated people. How fitting it was that the person who apparently hated people was taking the time to hang out with the person that everyone else hated.

Brianna contemplated saying good bye to Michael and Eris and let them know that they were leaving since she had told them she would be right over, but she couldn’t see them at the snack table. She felt that for her own sake, it would be better not to seek them out. She didn’t want to think about what they were doing and she certainly didn’t want to be a witness to it. Besides, she highly doubted they would even notice that she had left.

She walked beside Josh, making sure she matched his steps and not fall behind. She was not a short girl by any means, at fourteen, she was already at five feet, five inches and still growing, so she could keep up with him easily enough. For a few minutes, she just walked with her arms across her chest, lost in her thoughts and wondering why he was still willing to spend time with her after she had made a mess of their evening. She really didn’t know what she felt about Michael, she was sure it was nothing more than friendship, but she knew that seeing him with someone she would never be had hurt her. It was like they were telling her she would never belong. And that just hurt.

“Josh… can I tell you something?” She asked him, taking a breath. “I-er-I’m not from a well off family.” She finally stated. It was the first time she had ever told anyone that. “My mother and father work for quite a few families who happen to have quite a bit of money. I haven’t told anyone about my parents, I’ve never lied about them, of course, but just… avoided the topic.” She wasn’t sure why she was telling him this other than to maybe fill the silence. “For awhile, it was easy to do, but I felt like I was just lying to everyone. I didn’t want people to pick on me here for being poor.”

Brianna stopped talking for a moment. It felt good to admit things about her parents, but she still hoped that Josh would keep it to himself. “The other kids back home are awful. For as long as I can remember, they have always just did whatever they wanted to me. Their parents blame me for everything and my parents can’t really do anything about it because they’ll lose their jobs.” She loved her parents, she really did, but sometimes she felt that they always came first and she was a second thought. “The kids…people… they made sure to tell me that I was ugly and unwanted. They would throw parties and purposely tell me that I wasn’t invited because no one would want someone like me there. I’d just ruin it. I think they were right.”

0 Brianna So it seems. I am not. 0 Brianna 0 5

Jade

October 22, 2012 3:40 PM

Touché by Jade

Being complemented on her parrot brought a beaming smile to Jade's lips. "Thanks," she grinned unabashedly. ""I figured people would understand that Snowy here was also in costume, as a parrot, but if not then maybe a sick-sea owl wouldn't look out of place on a pirate's shoulder, either." Stuffed animals toys she owned in abundance, but alas no parrots.

Jorge explained his character and costume, and his words rang a vague and distant bell in Jade's memory. James had liked puzzle books when he was younger, so maybe Waldo had featured amongst his collection. "Oh right," she said, acknowledging that she understood his explanation, but she didn't want to delve much farther into that particular conversation because she hadn't really experienced it for herself. Either way, it hadn't really helped her to establish whether or not Jorge had done a good job with his costume, which prevented her from being able to tease him about it, whether he'd put in no effort at all, or far too much. He was a Pecari, so that probably meant he had put in just the right amount of work, as she had. She might admit to being disappointed ot have lost a potential opportunity to make fun of a peer, but no matter; she was sure she'd find something else to laugh at in time.

"Did your family do anything to celebrate Halloween when you were at home?" she asked, jumping into what seemed like the natural conversation to be having at a time such as this. She presumed that Jorge would understand she meant 'before Sonora' rather than interpreting her question to enquire about the summer months. That would just be absurd.

As he answered, Jade finished up her cookies and briefly turned her eyes back to the table before deciding against more sustinance for the moment. She wasn't actually hungry, and there seemed to be plenty of food for the duration of the evening. She would keep an eye on it, just to be sure that her favorite items weren't depleting to concerning levels, but generally she thought she might enjoy herself by other methods before more consumption. Another brief visual scan, this time of the surroundings further than the buffet tables, presented some inspiration as to how that time might be spent.

"Pirates seem to be popular this evening," she commented idly. She had known that Jospehine would be coming as something loosely pirate-themed, but they were far from the only two sea dogs present in the gardens at that time. "I can't spot another Waldo, though," she said, before letting out a sudden loud chuckle. "Hey, maybe you could ask Reggie" - she knew that particular fifth year's name because Josephine talked about her a lot - "to take a photograph of you in with a bunch of other people and then get people to find you, like in the books," she suggested gleefully.

0 Jade Touché 0 Jade 0 5

Aria

October 22, 2012 5:06 PM

And the King of all Beasts! by Aria

Aria did not understand Clara. She had seemed to suggest that it was wrong for Aria to not understand the difference between the mime and the harlequin, but then brushed off Aria’s apology and advised that she too, had not known the difference until only recently. Was she only trying to make Aria feel better? If that was the case, why make any comment at all? Or, why dismiss her apology?

Not one to get upset or angry with such small things, Aria dismissed Clara’s peculiar-ness and focused on the story that Liam was going to tell them. She was slightly baffled by the fact that this ‘man’ had three different names, but figured he was only trying to find himself. “I understand.” She said after a moment. Thinking about it, if he were Superman all the time, people would expect him to solve issues all the time. He wouldn’t want to be super anymore if he never had a chance to be normal. But more so than that, she could relate to wanting to fit in. “I don’t think glasses will help me to fit in though.” She commented with a slight smile.

“I am still learning Sonora.” Aria said after some thought. “I did not enjoy it last term and had planned on not coming back, but the community felt that I had not really given Sonora enough time, so I returned. I like it better this term.” Perhaps she should have only giving them a small answer as Liam had done. She doubted they cared for details. She was just honest though.

Aria was surprised to find another person joining them. People at Sonora were more outgoing than she had remembered. She understood Liam coming to talk to her since they have a rapport already, but Clara and now this boy, Rupert, had eagerly began a conversation with them. Aria was comfortable enough at home to do that, but definitely not at Sonora. Not that she was going to complain. She loved his costume.

Aria removed her hand from Liam’s head when the lion joined them, but she was happy to find that Liam was unperturbed by her touch. “Oh, Medusa! I know that one. She is the evil woman with snakes from her head, correct?” She asked Liam, feeling pleased with knowing the reference. “No, I would not want to have that for hair. People already find me strange.” That was also the truth, or, at least, what she thought was the truth. She did not plan on using hair products any time soon though. Her mother told her to embrace the curls and accept that this is what the Spirit of Earth intended for her. Aria half agreed. She also knew that her curls would lengthen out at some point much like her mother’s did. She could be patient for now.

She waited until Clara had her fill of Rupert, smiling as she was introduced and gave her hips another sway so that the skirt of her outfit swayed. She enjoyed her costume immensely and she was equally happy that others seem to enjoy it as well. “I am a party monster.” She commented when she had the chance, but didn’t have much else to say about it. She would have to write home to her mother to tell her how much everyone loved the costume. She knew the community did not like to spend money, but she was grateful for this gift.

Liam seemed rather excited about the lion suit as well from his reaction and she wondered if lions were his favorite animal. “I enjoy your costume, Rupert.” Aria said in her usual quiet but pleasant voice. “Aria means lion in Hebrew. So, I approve very much of your choice in animal.” When her parents had original named her, they had named her for the element of ‘air’, which Aria meant in Italian. But when they discovered as she grew older and her hair curled and became a messy mane of blond, they found that she also fell nicely into the meaning of ‘lion’ both because she was strong-willed and confident and because her hair reminded them of a lion’s mane. It became a joke amongst the three of them.

0 Aria And the King of all Beasts! 0 Aria 0 5

Alice

October 22, 2012 9:09 PM

blushes by Alice

A pink tinge crept along Alice’s cheeks. She wasn’t used to receiving compliments flattering her appearance. Of course, Arthur could have merely meant that the costume was appropriate for her rather than anything to do with the way it looked, but for the moment, she wanted to think that it made her look at least a little bit pretty. She would never be a raving beauty like Fae or some of the other girls, but it was nice to pretend for a moment that she was something other than her, which was just Alice – plain and a little awkward.

“In fairness, I have had very little contact with Mercury,” Alice explained, somewhat jokingly. “It is thought that the term ‘mad as a hatter’ came about due to how the felt used to be cured with mercury. Since the hatters were unable to avoid breathing in the fumes, the exposure poisoned them causing the hatters to seem, well, a little mad.” She was babbling just a bit. She knew she was, but she just couldn’t seem to help herself. Her fingers intertwined together in nervousness.

Arthur always made her a little nervousness. She wasn’t really sure why except that maybe it was because he was incredibly intelligent. It was rather intimidating, but in a good way. She rather admired how smart he was. And if she were honest with herself, which she wasn’t, she would admit that the reason that his intelligence made her nervous didn’t really have anything to do with it being intimidating, but something a little more.

Blushing a little more, she looked down at her skirt. Her face lifted when Arthur said about familial costumes. “Oh, no. Jordan came as a dancer,” Alice stated. She felt a little bit uncomfortable saying that her sister’s costume was a belly dancer. It seemed a little inappropriate, but then when Jordan wanted to attract attention, she certainly wasn’t shy about it. Alice envied that. She wished she could possess confidence the way Jordan did or elegance the way Fae did, but she was just Alice – plain and a little awkward. It was something she was coming to accept.

“Dani didn’t even come. I’m not surprised though,” she said about her eldest sister. “She isn’t very social at all.” For her to say this was saying a lot since she wasn’t exactly known as a social butterfly. She had a couple of close friends, which was really plenty. “It would have been nice to come as a group. It was very creative of your family to come as a theme. Too bad there weren’t more to fill spots. It would have been amusing to see all of the Knights of the Round Table.”

0 Alice *blushes* 0 Alice 0 5

Arnold

October 22, 2012 9:29 PM

It does make some things easier, I guess by Arnold

“Mother’s a fan,” Arnold said when Fae complimented him for his knowledge of the stories. “I don’t think she named Arthur after it – “ that other Arthur was, after all, at best a half-blood, and possibly a Muggle; the family would never have permitted her to do that openly – “but she used to tell us about it all the time. Arthur liked that.”

Hearing a list of his good points sent him to stammering again, beginning with a vague “well, I’m all right,” and then gradually trailing off, unable to come out with a complete sentence or even really words before finally making himself overcome his embarrassment to say – “but you – you’re the prettiest girl in the year – plus you’re always, you know, proper, you don’t mess things up all the time like I do…” He was still flushed over being called good-looking and a star. Those were not things he had thought of himself as before, and he wasn’t sure what to think of it just yet.

“No,” Arnold said when Fae asked if he didn’t want to date her because they were in the same classes. “No, that’s not what I’m saying – I’m just not sure where we’d go on dates to, since we can’t, er, really leave this place…”

He would have felt more sure of what he was supposed to do, even what he wanted to do, if there had been an opera, as little as he normally enjoyed formal events, but he bit his tongue around that thought and let her keep going. The only way he was going to figure out, he had figured out, what she wanted, and therefore what he was supposed to do, was to listen to this, and then force himself to believe it, however improbable the idea of himself as the object of anyone’s romantic desires seemed to him.

In the end, he was still a little red in the face and his hands were shaking, but he felt strangely calm. So. There it was. Now it was out. He knew how she felt, or at least how she was doing a very convincing job of saying that she felt, and that put the Quaffle back with his team, so to speak. For once, he wouldn’t really mind Crotalus having a momentary advantage, but sooner or later, the ball always changed hands. No one had it all the time. That was the most basic reality of Quidditch, the thing he thought he almost understood. So he took a deep breath and tried to say something coherent.

“I guess it is,” he said slowly. “I…I’ve thought…all that stuff you were talking about…” He stopped to try to get himself together again. “Sorry – I’m not, uh, used to this, usually when I think about all this, that’s when I go practice seventy-foot dives or something, I don’t…talk about it. But all that you were talking about – I’ve, I’ve thought about that, doing all of that, but…then things were so weird when we got here that I thought you’d just said all that at the wedding because you thought you were supposed to or something, and…well, that none of that would be welcome.”

He ran a hand through his hair, sort of wanting to kick the hedge, just to get out some of his feelings, but knowing that it was unlikely to be received well if he did. “I mean…all that you said about, uh, me, that was nice of you, but…I’m okay at Quidditch. You know what my brothers do for fun? They compete to see who can learn more dead languages.” It was kind of an exaggeration, but not as much as he might have liked. “And my family? Sure, people, know who we are, but even I know it’s not all for charitable work.” A few years ago, he might have, but even he had eventually noticed things, heard things….”I didn’t know what you thought, or what you wanted, and I didn’t want to do anything you didn’t want to do. But now you’re saying that you do, so….” He felt awkward again, but made himself put his hand out toward hers, then looked at her questioningly one more time, still not completely sure of himself.

0 Arnold It does make some things easier, I guess 181 Arnold 0 5

Arthur

October 22, 2012 11:09 PM

Clears throat by Arthur

Arthur laughed, careful to stop before it began to sound like a wheeze, as sometimes happened. He didn’t quite keep a note of nervousness out as well, but he thought he came closer to pulling it off than he didn’t. “Well, I’m very glad that you haven’t had that problem,” he said. “Poison is…very bad, I’d hate, ah, it would be terrible for anything like that to happen to you.”

He supposed she looked down out of embarrassment for him, for saying something so ridiculously phrased, even if the sentiment there was true. Alice Adair losing her sanity to poison or anything else would be a loss to wizard-kind, he thought; not only was she so very intelligent, she was also a very skilled witch, she had surpassed him at times, and that meant she could do things someday, go beyond what the ordinary people going about their lives without a thought for more than Summoning their slippers ever could imagine.

That he, personally, would miss one of the people he could consistently count on to provide intelligent conversation whenever they met was, of course, completely incidental.

He nodded when she described her sisters’ reactions to the party, torn between saying there was nothing wrong with one of her sisters not being very social and saying that it was unfortunate, not sure which answer was appropriate. He was glad when she saved him by commenting further on his family’s theme. “Oh, yes,” he said, his dark eyes alight with amusement above his thick white beard, which seemed more regrettable than he had expected here in front of Alice. “Perhaps we can save these,” he gestured toward his own costume, then waved vaguely toward Jane, who he saw in her Nimue costume out of the corner of his eye, “and put on a play the next time the Concert comes around.”

He smiled a little ruefully, remembering their musical number. He had half-expected the Sinclairs to break the betrothal after Arnold’s directing debut, but his brother had done better than he expected. “Though of course, distinguishing fact from fiction about figures like Merlin is always difficult,” he said, comfortable in the language of history. “And settling which of us was to be the central character would be even harder,” he added dryly. “My family is…Well, I shouldn’t say that, I suppose I would try for it as much as any of them. Perhaps we would have to have more than one skit.” Not Merlin and Nimue, though, he hoped. As fond as he was of Jane, Arthur did not like the thought of her putting him in an enchanted sleep or locking him in a tower for centuries. Living Death was hardly better than death, particularly if it was quite possible to die without ever waking up, if the spell or potion were too strong, be it on purpose or not. “It’s the Bonfire this year, though, isn’t it? Merlin only knows what they will do with that. Are you looking forward to it?”

0 Arthur *Clears throat* 0 Arthur 0 5

Valentina Bentancourt

October 23, 2012 4:31 AM

That is the spirit by Valentina Bentancourt

Valentina heartly laughed at the attention she was getting from the younger boy. The Teppenpaw was used to being a shadow to everyone in her life. The Spaniard was used to some invisibility that came from her father not really caring about her or her life. Valentina was the illegitimate daughter of a powerful British Pureblood man and from a woman that belonged to a shamed Spanish Pureblood family. It was a lot of baggage for a lowly Sonora sixth-year. She knew she had to work for what she wanted because her father wouldn’t help her out anymore and her mother couldn’t really do anything for her, which was why Valentina worked hard on her ballet. It was the only thing she was good at. Academics weren’t her thing.

Following his example, Valentina curtsied like she was supposed to. Personally she didn’t see the need to follow formalities when she was not an important person in the Pureblood world. “Pleasure, Mr. Princeton. I am Valentina Bentancourt,” she responded with a warm smile dancing on her lips. Her introduction wasn’t up to par, but she really didn’t see the need add a branch since her family wasn’t really important. Besides, he might recognize the name thanks to the old financial scandal of her grandfather. She hoped he didn’t.

The cookies were doing a seduction dance that was impossible to ignore. The chocolate chip cookie was whispering her name, and Valetina couldn’t take it anymore. She grabbed the nearest one and took a bite. It tasted like heaven mixed with unicorn tears. Merlin, how she missed junk food.

After she swallowed the greatness that had been in her mouth a few seconds ago, she let out a satisfaction sigh and smiled at Cepheus, “Thank you! My mother sent it. I am happy with it, but I have to agree with you, white is very difficult to keep clean.” Her blue-eyes followed his.

Cepheus was looking for someone, probably waiting for that person, and she was interrupting. “I came here alone, just wanting to have a nice time,” she answered. She briefly glimpsed around the party and saw Marcus with Jordan Adair. The Green Monster began clawing her entrails, but she decided to ignore it. She had broken up with him in the first place.

“How about you? You seem to be looking for someone,” she said teasingly. Valentina was worried she was interrupting a date or something. Cepheus looked like a nice young man and he was proving to be entertaining. He was adorable.

0 Valentina Bentancourt That is the spirit 171 Valentina Bentancourt 0 5

Josh McLachlan

October 23, 2012 12:45 PM

You'll learn in time by Josh McLachlan

When Josh thought that he and Brianna were alike, he had never imagined she would tell him outright. He was used to gleaning what he could about the lives of other people from their words, actions, or any idiosyncrasies.

For most of his life, Josh had struggled with his self-image. As most children, he had grown up trying to find a person to be shaped like. With his harsh grandmother condemning him and saying he would never amount to his namesake, Josh, as a child, had tried to be more like his respectable grandfather. But even then, Josh knew that he wanted to be nothing like his grandfather who was known for the blood on his hands. His grandfather had killed his older brother in a duel for the patriarchy and, to the McLachlans, the best man won. It had sickened the little six-year-old who still couldn’t completely understand why that was so acceptable.

And then Josh had gone to live with his uncle in Australia at eight years, and he had wanted nothing more than to become like him. Though no one would tell Josh how his parents had died, uncle Inigo had told him more than his grandmother would have thought necessary, though he didn’t fully embellish either. Josh respected him for that and grew to love him, and then Inigo got married and everything changed. Josh’s dreams were dashed and he had to rebuild his image again. Going to a boarding school had helped with that, and Josh soon realized that it wasn’t people that made him, but he who made himself. Having a family name that was regarded with both fear and disdain had hurt him at first, but he began to realize, as he began making friends, that it was his own person that people cared more about, the non-purebloods, anyway, and not his family. And so he became less concerned with the opinions of other people. After the fiasco, he had taken that to the extreme where he didn’t care if he was closed off. No one could touch him and he wouldn’t allow himself to be hurt again.

Coming to Sonora had changed that just a little, after another, shorter fiasco with Reggie. Though he still didn’t want to be vulnerable again, he didn’t want to make enemies here or anywhere. Josh still didn’t listen to the opinions of others or care for their thoughts regarding him, but he did want to quell the mean rumors about him so he wouldn't have to face any opposition from the nastier purebloods in his future career.

There was so much he could say to Brianna, but he didn’t know how to form it into words. They walked in silence for a moment as he tried to think of how to articulate his ideas, and then finally said, “People are idiots. You can’t believe what they tell you about yourself or else you’ll just have a head full of lies. It’s your own opinion of yourself that matters.” He firmly believed that notion and it was evident in his tone. Josh valued his intelligence above all because it was something that was all his. He didn’t know what else to say beyond that and it wasn’t the time that he should share, if he even wanted to. This was Brianna’s time and Josh had always been a very good listener.

0 Josh McLachlan You'll learn in time 0 Josh McLachlan 0 5

Brianna

October 23, 2012 10:26 PM

I doubt that. by Brianna

Brianna probably shouldn’t have said anything at all. She really didn’t know why she had. Sure it felt good to say it all out loud. Just to tell someone all the horrors that she had to deal with on a daily basis. Well, maybe not all the horrors, but it was at least the basics of it. These were things that she had kept hidden from people at Sonora for so long that sometimes she thought they would swallow her whole. She knew that there were some people who may have assumed things about her. David had guessed it pretty quickly and she felt that Michael might have figured it out, although he had never said anything to her about it.

Living in the condominium was always going to be hell for her so long as she was there. She knew that she would not go back there once she graduated. Her parents could divorce and find better lives for themselves once she was gone. She certainly would keep them in her life, of course, but she would not visit them while they remained in that building. Brianna would never survive there. The only reason she was surviving now was because she lived at Sonora most of the time and, thankfully, only Attoria was here.

She could have been more thorough with what she told him. How when she was little, the kids would do everything they could to hurt her. They would pull her in with promises of games and then turn on her until she cried. Sometimes it was just by laughing at her. Sometimes it was by physically pushing her around. When she grew a little older, they let her ride on a toy broom and then hexed it to go fast, causing her to crash into a wall and shatter her collar bone. The bone had been healed by a shady Healer and the bone growth was too much, causing a lump to form. Shortly after, ‘DuckFace’ had been formed and most of her youth was having to deal with that nickname. The kids had grown violent as they got older. After watching her crash into the wall, it seemed to have a change in them for the worse. They liked to use their fists. Girls were sometimes worse because they slapped, bit, scratched, and pulled. This past summer seemed to have gone okay, but that was because she spent most of her time in Central Park.

But she did not go into detail. She was too embarrassed by it to tell someone she didn’t know all that well. He might think she was a coward or baby or something worse than that. He might even tell other people and she didn’t want that. Of course, then he started talking and she didn’t know what to think. She didn’t really believe him, but it was nice of him to try. “I only know what I’m told.” That was the truth. Nothing at Sonora has told her otherwise. She didn’t have friends. She wasn’t pretty. People didn’t seem to like her too much. And boys preferred pretty girls over her. The only thing that was going for her was the fact that she did okay in classes.

“Are you a bad person, Josh?” Brianna asked him. She knew that it might have not been the most appropriate way of asking him, but she thought she ought to know. They were walking around in the dark alone together after all and though she didn’t think he would hurt her at all, she wanted to know what she should be aware of. “I’ve heard things about you and they do not all seem to be good.” She told him. “I don’t really mind. Everyone has their secrets or whatever, I get it. You haven’t done anything to me to make me think you are so I wasn’t sure why there would be rumors at all.”

0 Brianna I doubt that. 0 Brianna 0 5

Josh McLachlan

October 23, 2012 11:51 PM

You'll see...magic happens! by Josh McLachlan

It didn't seem like Josh's words had much of an effect on Brianna, so he didn't bother elaborating on it or trying to convince her of anything. He didn't wonder too much about why she had such a low opinion of herself. Josh grew frustrated easily with people like that only because he wanted to make them realize that there was so much more to them than what people saw. He had once been in those shoes, and now that he was out of it, he wished everyone could be enlightened and stop feeling pathetic about themselves. It was only very recently that Josh had stopped feeling pathetic about his situation, but the weeks of self-reflection after his argument with Reggie had cleared that up.

So he didn't care to continue because it would just frustrate him and he highly doubted Brianna would believe him anyway. Her next question was totally out of the blue and he blinked in surprise, the only indication he had been taken off-guard by the question at all. He had to think about it for a moment. He had only seen bad examples of people most of his life and so he knew what a bad person looked like. He just didn't know if, in his expedition to become the opposite of that, he had become a bad person of another kind. Finally, he sighed. "Is there such a thing as a truly good person?"

It was obvious Brianna listened to the gossip about people. Josh listened too, mostly to get a feeling of how people saw him, but he never really believed it the way she seemed to. She didn't trust him, alone as they were, and he couldn't bring himself to blame her.

Besides his completely ambiguous statement, Josh really didn't know how to answer her question. "I've never physically hurt anyone, if that's what you're asking." His uncle had paid some of his classmates to frame him back at his old school, but he didn't want to think about it. "There are always rumors," he said, sighing again. "I don't care what people say to me. Everyone's a critical gossip." He paused, wondering if he should tell Brianna where the rumors had started. "Though I don't think I've been the friendliest I could have been, here," he said slowly, picking his words carefully. There wasn't much more he could think to say except for that. He finally looked over at Brianna, wondering what she was thinking.

0 Josh McLachlan You'll see...magic happens! 0 Josh McLachlan 0 5

Phoenix

October 23, 2012 11:51 PM

Good, I was beginning to worry. by Phoenix

“That’s really great,” Phoenix said, genuinely meaning it. He thought it was fantastic that her grandmother played an integral part in Reggie’s life. His paternal grandparents were okay, a little cold, but okay. While they were a bit more progressive in accepting his parents’ marriage, they still held some of the old world propriety, as such he never really felt fully comfortable around them. This is not to say they don’t love him, because he knows that they do. Unfortunately, it comes out in the only way they know how, which is in the form of lavish material gifts that usually end up buried in his closet.

While his maternal grandmother is absolutely wonderful, visits with her tend to be infrequent due to the disapproval from her husband and other family members. One couldn’t really blame him though since his mother had been the result of an affair with a wizard. Add this on to a general disapproval for anyone not veela since they felt it was important to the survival of the race not to go outside the bloodlines and it just wasn’t very pleasant. As a result, they usually only saw her for required holidays, which was really quite a shame since he was very fond of her. He was sure that if she had known about this party, she would have helped him with the costume.

“Your costume really suits you. I found mine in a catalogue, but I figured it works for me. I really like the entire idea of helping others,” he admitted. “Plus, you know, the bow looks pretty cool.” He moved it around a bit to let her look at it. “I was thinking of asking my parents if I can take archery over the summer. It reminds me of the olden days that are read about in stories,” he ended with a slight shrug. He didn’t really want to say the rest of what he was thinking. It reminded him of the days when chivalry was at its peak and there were things like knights and archers, who defended their land and people. Sometimes, he wondered if he wasn’t born into the wrong era.

“What kind of fairies do you like?” He had guessed Forest Fairy, based on her costume since it looked woodsy and he had been close since she had stated it was a Woodland Fairy. He wondered if there were lots of different types. Of course, it had been thought that the one side of his family were fairies at one time and some still thought that with their enchantments, but they weren’t at all. In fact, some were rather insulted if you even considered such a thing. Though, the idea of fairies had to come from somewhere and from studies, some did exist, but just how many were there?

When Reggie wrapped an arm around him, it surprised him a bit, but he quickly relaxed and put an arm around her. It was all for the picture, of course. Sure, he would keep telling himself that, but she felt nice against him for a moment. He smiled and all too quickly it was over. “Sure, I can hang it up in my room. Make my roommate jealous.” He smirked a little at the comment. He hadn’t outright said it and knew he probably shouldn’t say it at all, but it was clear that he thought she was gorgeous. He would definitely be knee-deep in something if he kept this up, but something about her just brought out his other side.

“Oh, not too much. I just arrived a little bit ago,” Phoenix told Reggie. “From what I can see though it looks pretty cool. I would never have thought to combine three holidays together into one party. That was pretty creative. Do you think that the Teppenpaws will do something like that again? Like combine New Year’s, Valentine’s, and Easter? Someone could come dressed as a baby bunny with hearts,” he joked. Actually, even if they didn’t do all the holidays, it would be neat just to do something for them. He didn’t dare suggest anything along the lines, because it seemed too girly of a concept, but doing secret valentines would be a great idea, especially for the Teppenpaws to rig up.

0 Phoenix Good, I was beginning to worry. 0 Phoenix 0 5

Rupert

October 24, 2012 1:21 PM

In the jungle, the mighty jungle... by Rupert

Rup was so glad that the people here were so nice. A lot of them weren't as outgoing as he was, but that was understandable. Not all of them had been locked up for four years of their life. Monster-girl seemed quite interested in the other boy's hair, and Rupert looked at the boy's curl curiously. It was very difficult for Rupert to care too much about his own hair, so it stuck up a lot of the time. And when it was pressed down flat, he purposely ran his fingers through his own mane to get it sticking up again. His father called it his 'rebellious stage,' while his mum called it, "cute." Rupert didn't really want to believe either of them.

But that was all irrelevant since his hair was currently covered up by the costume head. Clara took charge in introducing everyone, and since he had already introduced himself, he smiled at them all. "Nice to meet you," he said, shaking his head so the lion's mane would move around a little. Their costumes were also explained by Clara, who seemed to be the expert on costumes. Rupert didn't really understand what a super hero was, and thought of all the Greek mythology he was familiar with. There were heroes in books, but none of them could really be called 'super.' He'd have to think about it for a bit, but now was not the time.

Rupert swelled with the compliments on his costume. He grinned at Liam's comment. That was rather clever. Rupert would have to start using that for as long as he was dressed up as a lion. Maybe even after. Then he could be in character, or at least claim that much.

Aria, whom he was currently calling 'monster-girl' in his head, was apparently a party monster, and he had no idea what a party monster was. Perhaps more of an idea than what a super hero was. She was quiet and reminded Rupert of his favourite cousin, Beatrice, who was also quiet and soft-spoken. He and Beatrice got along mostly because he talked a lot and she listened, though they didn't see much of each other because she lived in France. However, there was no way Beatrice would ever wear what monster-girl was wearing. She, along with most of the other Princeton witches, were quite conservative in their behaviour.

"Thank you, thank you," he said, pretending to be the bashful lion. "You're too kind." He turned to Aria, dropping the act and grinning. "That's really cool! I wish my name meant something like that. I don't actually know what it means...anyway, my favourite animal's a lion. I think a hot pink lion would be brilliant. My parents would kill me if I had pink hair like that." He was a little jealous, but he didn't really mind his own hair colour too much. It was just so boring sometimes and he wanted more colour in his life.

0 Rupert In the jungle, the mighty jungle... 0 Rupert 0 5

Cepheus Princeton

October 24, 2012 1:35 PM

I've got loads of that too. by Cepheus Princeton

Merely watching her eat entranced Cepheus, though perhaps not quite as dramatically. He almost felt like he was intruding, she seemed to be enjoying that biscuit. He almost swelled with pride to think that his opinion of the snack had influenced her to take one. He could have some influence even if she was older than he. He was rather surprised that she was a Bentancourt. He knew of her, or at least of her paternal family, and he soured a little knowing that she did not have a very respectable background. Still, that didn't deter him much in conversing with her. It didn't exactly take away from her beauty, either.

It was difficult for the young lad to believe that Miss Bentancourt had come alone. How could anyone have passed this lady on by? Why wouldn't anyone want to ask her to the party? Cepheus tried to stand a little taller, look a little less enthusiastic about being in her company. He couldn't possibly understand how she could expect a nice time coming here alone. She was a witch; witches always stuck together when it came to parties. But perhaps that was something older secondary school adolescents did.

Cepheus shook his head quickly. "I'm not with anyone, no." He was betrothed, but he didn't consider himself attached in any way. Tied down, perhaps, but not attached. Besides, he wouldn't be legally tied down until he was married. At least, from what he understood. "I came here alone as well." Did he seem mature enough yet? That had to sound mature at least a little. "I can't imagine you not coming here with someone." Was that insulting? Oh Merlin, he meant that it was hard to imagine her not coming here with a date. Was she offended? He hoped she wasn't a feminist. He hoped she didn't think that he thought she wasn't able to take care of herself. Cepheus wished he could take back those words, but it was too late.

Words usually came easily to the poor lad, but that didn't seem to be the case here. Cepheus felt even stupider and more self-conscious than usual. What would his father say? He didn't even want to think what his mum would say. She would just laugh at him. Oh, Merlin. Cepheus tried not to panic as he lost a sense of his footing, hoping that Miss Bentancourt would stable him again with a kind comment that told him she hadn't misinterpreted his stupid remark.

40 Cepheus Princeton I've got loads of that too. 216 Cepheus Princeton 0 5

Linus

October 24, 2012 4:41 PM

Well aren't you chipper by Linus

It was a younger girl who had approached, in the year below, if Linus wasn't very much mistaken. He couldn't recall her name on sight, which annoyed him, but he had the letters. E-something, L-something... and she had an older sibling. He had noticed her in classes when their yeargroups were placed together, but he rarely had an interest in engaing in conversation with the younger students unless instructed to do so by a professor, and in which case he would inevitably opt for someone he thought might have a sporting chance of keeping up with him academically.

Anyway, E-something's costume was common, but querky in a pleasant sort of way, so Linus could momentarily set aside his usualy objections at being addressed by someone with whom he had little desire to connect. The unlikely scenario continued, as Linus felt himself drawn to accepting her offer to tell his fortune. He had already dismissed divinations as an incredibly imprecise branch of magic, and that was when it was conducted correctly by an informed proficient, which, as admirable as her efforts might be, E-something surely was not. He would therefore usually scoff at such a suggestion and send the impudent imp on her way; he couldn't fathom why, instead of doing this, he unfolded his arms, and said even with a hint of enthusiasm, and an uncharacteristic friendly smile, "Okay, then. Let me have it."

He wasn't sure what had caused this peculiar effect, but he hoped it would wear off soon, otherwise he'd never be able to fend of the throngs of young females who might be seeking his company. He was already at a party, which was unusual behaviour for the fourth year simply in and of itself; he didn't want his peers to start developing an impression of him as some sort of frivolous socialite.

0 Linus Well aren't you chipper 0 Linus 0 5

Marcus

October 24, 2012 9:12 PM

Call them what you want, I have them. by Marcus

The first person with whom Marcus made contact with was Jordan and boy did she know how to get a guy’s attention. Marcus would have never considered Jordan to be a shy girl in any way shape or form from all the times he had gotten to know her. She was enthusiastic about a lot of things and that had always been something he appreciated in her, but he realized there was something else he could appreciate about her … her bare stomach. Marcus knew that she was pretty fit since she did gymnastics in the MARS room, sometimes while he was playing basketball, but he supposed he never noticed how fit she really was. And he really appreciated it. Really. She was trouble for any guy, but since he was the closest, he was willing to accept this trouble.

Before he could answer her question, Marcus noticed Josephine over Jordan’s shoulder. It had looked like she had been approaching them when she had stopped. He didn’t really know what to think of it, but he didn’t really mind Josephine. She and the rest of the fifth years had been fun to work with during the movie. Marcus grinned, “Yes, I am a squirrel.” He commented to Jordan, returning his attention to her. “I saw it in a catalogue and thought it would be fun.” He shrugged. “You are very confident in yourself to be wearing that, Jordan. It looks good on you.” Marcus complimented. He thought by teasing her, she’d be more at his with his appreciation of her… assets.

“Hey Josephine, what do you think?” He asked, indicating his costume. “Think you’d like to have my nuts?” He held out his walnuts or whatever sort of nut was detachable from his costume. He thought it was funny, but maybe she would be offended. Near them, he noticed a little girl (and yes, little, since he was now over 6 feet tall and since he did not recognize the girl, he figured she was a Beginner and thus, a youngin’). He had no idea what her costume was and was somewhat tempted to ask, but he already had his hands full of a scantily clad Jordan, and a cute looking pirate, Josephine. “Decided to go for the treasure? It’s a cute costume.” He added. He never really noticed Josephine before, but she did have nice features. It’s too bad she didn’t seem as confident about them as she should have been.

6 Marcus Call them what you want, I have them. 180 Marcus 0 5

Theresa Carey

October 24, 2012 10:23 PM

That's not the only thing you've got loads of, it seems by Theresa Carey

In the end, Theresa had lost the family argument about what theme they should adopt for the costume party in the Gardens, and had considered not coming at all until she realized that her dear, loving relatives would tease her about her sulk all winter if she sat it out. She restrained herself, then, to just giving Arthur a dirty look as, resplendent in her flowing blue robes and admittedly convincing fake gold and sapphire and diamond crown as Morgana, the Careys made their entrance as the court of King Arnold-Arthur and promptly all went their separate ways.

They wouldn’t, after all, want anyone to think they were unapproachable and eccentric and altogether too close. That would never do for the Carey family at all.

Unsure of what to do with herself now that she was here, at a party for so many different kinds of people, some of whom weren’t immediately easy to recognize because of the costumes, she played with the end of one black curl and privately admitted (as she really didn’t look for one specific person at all) that it was most likely for the best that she hadn’t gotten her way. Dressing up as Cassiopeia had seemed terribly clever when she thought of it, but now, surrounded by what looked like half the school, she couldn’t help but think that people would have known immediately what the point was and thought she was silly, and worse – completely desperate. That was the absolute last thing she wanted to contemplate being seen as.

Besides, she thought when she did spot the one person she really hadn’t been specifically looking for, Cassiopeia hadn’t ended too well, all things considered, at least in some versions. She had been set in the stars, sure, so she was nearly immortal, but she was also chained to her chair, so she spent half the time upside-down and wasn’t really able to do anything about it when Cepheus started talking to….

She pulled on her hair hard, then wondered briefly if they’d had pretty Spanish girls in ancient Greece or wherever that had been. And if Morgana had ever practiced the Dark Arts on one.

It was one thing, after all, for a husband to have or pay attention to another woman. That was to be expected, and anyway, it kept the husband from being around so much that he got annoying. If she were to marry Cepheus, he could flirt with all the pretty Spanish girls he wanted. When he was just the boy she liked, though, that was when it became a problem. She headed for the food table they were chatting by, determined to see what was going on, even though a tiny voice in the back of her mind was assuring her that it was a horrible idea.

“Cepheus,” she said brightly, as though surprised and delighted to find him there when she arrived. As though she hadn’t known he was there at all when she headed in this direction. She didn’t acknowledge his companion, as though she hadn’t seen them talking and just thought they happened to be at the same cookie stand. “What a wonderful surprise. How are you this evening?”

She hoped that she was convincing, anyway, as she reached for a cookie and tried for her best, most demure ladylike smile. Why did boys who weren’t family have to be such a more complicated problem to deal with than the ones who were? She had always thought that having so many brothers and cousins was going to turn out to be good for something someday.

0 Theresa Carey That's not the only thing you've got loads of, it seems 219 Theresa Carey 0 5

Brielle and Abi Thornton

October 25, 2012 12:57 PM

Up North and Out West! by Brielle and Abi Thornton

Andri had decided that the Thorntons would all dress up for the party. Amira flat out refused to be any part of the hullabaloo. She had said that she had more important things to be doing, like working on her Quidditch Skills and things like that. Arista had shook her head kindly, but refused as well. Brielle and Abi knew it was partly because she felt like she was too old to dress up, so they promised to bring her a treat or two from the party and she nodded, telling them “Thank you.” Bri knew that the other reason she didn’t want to go was because she was still really down on the game. Their house had lost, AGAIN, and though Bri didn’t play in it, she knew that Ris had been injured. Rista didn’t want her sisters to know it, but she was still hurting from it too; both because of being injured and from the loss. B could tell by how she’d been favoring her left leg as she’d dismounted for the time out. Her oldest sisters broom had been broken too, she’d had to swap back for her old broom, which made the oldest Thornton sad that Uncle Bryan’s birthday present was wrecked.

Bri and Abi decided they would write to Uncle Bryan to tell him about what happened and the girls hoped for a response before the party. Maybe his reply would help Arista feel better about herself and everything else. They hoped so!

Waverly and Brielle had introduced their sisters at the start of the school year and Abi and Wendy had hit it off so well that it had been decided that (when the party was announced) the four of them would go together. Waverly and Brielle had decided on a theme of WICKED. Bri would be Elphaba and Waverly would be the witch-ly counterpart of the North, Galinda. Abi and Wendy on the other hand, decided to be characters from Alice in Wonderland. Andri was a little upset that Abi had decided to not go along with her holiday theme, but Brielle convinced Andri that the Cheshire Cat could be a Christmas Present under the tree and suddenly all was well and right again.

The three of them, mostly Andri though, had convinced Addison that since it was her year and house putting on the party to begin with that she really should be there. She’d finally (after much begging) relented and Andri had made her into a large Thanksgiving Turkey. Addison felt ridiculous, but she’d promised to go. She only hoped nobody noticed her! Addi left before the others to help set up, so the younger two walked to the party, following behind their Chanukah Menorah for a sister.

“It’s going to be really cool!” Brielle said, ebullience overflowing at the chance to spend time at a party, with her friends, dressed as Elphaba!

“I know! I’m really excited about hanging out with Wendy too, she’s really neat! I think she may even be someone who could be my best friend!” Abi said, happily, turning back and forth to sway her striped tail. “I love these boot covers! They’re so cool!”

“You do look good little sister.” Bri said, smiling at her as they followed Andri (turned sideways) down the hallway. “Just wait till you see Addi! Its unbelievable what Andri put together!” she added. “She really looks like a turkey! Like in the Addams Family Movie with the Thanksgiving Play!”

“No way! Really?” Abi said, incredulously. Brielle nodded to her younger sister just as they walked up to the rest of the party. It was decorated wonderfully, there were plates of food and the fountain even had what looked like blood in it!

“WOW!” Bri said, looking around, happiness growing even more as the seconds ticked by. They spotted Reggie, dressed as a Woodland Fairy, camera in hand. Bri noticed that she was about to take a picture and she reached for her younger sister and posed with her, grinning. “CHEESE!” she said as the flash of the camera shined in her eyes. “Look! There’s Waverly and Wendy! Come on!” she added, pulling Abi behind her.

Waverly smiled and waved. "Hey guys!" they heard softly as they walked over to them. Getting over to the other pair, Waverly spoke again.

"Hey guys! You girls look awesome."

“So do both of you! Look at that dress, Waverly! It’s like it was made for you!” Bri said, thrilled that their idea had worked so well. Her green hand was put out to shake Wendy’s hand, before hugging her friend.

“It is very pretty…” Abi added as she grinned at Wendy. We’re the perfect double pair! she thought as the Thorntons looked at the Canterburys.

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http://www.partycity.com/product/gobble+turkey+costume+adult.do?sortby=ourPicks&siz ADDI
http://www.partycity.com/product/teen+wick%27d+witch+costume.do?sortby=ourPicks&pp=60&size=all&navSet=170436%u201D BRI
http://www.partycity.com/product/tween+cheshire+cat+costume.do?sortby=ourPicks&pp=60&size=all&navSet=170396%u201D ABI

0 Brielle and Abi Thornton Up North and Out West! 0 Brielle and Abi Thornton 0 5

Michael Grosvenor

October 26, 2012 12:55 PM

I quite like 'scourge' (wotw) by Michael Grosvenor

“I can't imagine staying here for the holidays,” Michael told Eris. She had already said she was going home so he knew he wouldn't be putting his foot in it by saying so. “I don't know who does, really. I guess one or two people must but...” he trailed off, not really wanting to deliberate about why someone might prefer to spend Christmas virtually alone at school than at home with their families. He couldn't think of any reason that wasn't utterly horrible. “I mean, at least the school's nice and stuff,” he finished lamely.

His smile returned as Eris talked about going hiking. He was glad she liked the idea as there wasn't really a lot else to do at home. He guessed she might like shopping but, fond as he was of her, he couldn't imagine traipsing around the shops after her being a whole bundle of fun. Plus he tended to avoid places where he might run into people from his old school, if at all possible. Places like the cinema might be novel and interesting to Eris though. Or bowling. He grinned at the thought.

“And I can show you all our crazy Muggle ways of trying to have fun. I think you will be particularly.... I don't know what. Confused. Amused. Perhaps even amazed by this thing we have called Laser Tag...” He didn't know why but that, above all the other Muggle ways of having fun, seemed like it would be the strangest to try to explain and thus the mental image of Eris in that situation amused him. He knew he would have to anyway... “You have..... erm. Geez.... Ok, so sort of like a wand, only obviously not but it can fire light. And other people are wearing targets which register when the light hits them. So you have to try to do that. And there's a room with like... with kind of other rooms in it, or doorways and stuff at least for you to hide behind so you can be sneaky.”

Michael, who did not have the advantage of a magical glow shielding his emotional tells, blushed furiously when Eris called him manly, rugged and sweet in the same sentence. Ok, she was probably joking a little bit about the first two but it was definitely the highest number of positive adjectives that ever been thrown at him in a single sentence before. He had trouble taking even mild complements that came one at a time. He liked being told nice things about himself, he liked it very much but it was something that hadn't happened a huge amount before. He was so used to it not happening, or to getting the opposite, that he somehow felt that it must be a mistake. He did not feel particularly entitled to compliments and thus he did not know how to react. Not being terribly adept at self-analysis, he did not register it in these terms, just as a vague sense of surprise and not being quite sure what to do.

“I... you... but...” he spluttered, completely oblivious to Eris' hand on his knee as he tried desperately to work out how one gracefully accepted three compliments at once, with the possibility that two were a bit of a joke anyway. He probably wouldn't have thought much about her hand even if he had noticed. Not that he was especially touchy-feely outside of his family, just that he was oblivious enough that a girl would probably have had to jump into his lap for it to register with him.

“Shall we dance?” The words were so unexpected that Michael didn't even really know anything about them until they had left his mouth. In the panic to escape the ebullient mess induced by the compliments, his brain seemed to have done a quick scan for words which would get him out of having to come up with a more adequate response and had landed upon that. Sensing rescue from the alarming situation in which it had found itself, it had blurted them out without questioning whether they might lead to a worse fate. But they had been said now, so there was no way out of it. Although he was still concerned that he looked like an idiot and had not made an adequate response, it relieved just enough pressure that his brain managed to come up with.

“And, uh, thank you, by the way...” There. That was what one was supposed to say when complimented. Why could he not have just done that in the first place?

13 Michael Grosvenor I quite like 'scourge' (wotw) 199 Michael Grosvenor 0 5

Jordan

October 26, 2012 8:06 PM

Are you sharing? by Jordan

A flirtatious smile crossed Jordan’s lips at Marcus’ compliment. “Thank you,” she replied, turning so he could enjoy the entire view. Hours of physical activity were definitely paying off for the attention she was receiving. She brushed her dark hair back from her shoulder so her outfit could fully be appreciated.

Unfortunately, hers was not the only outfit to be admired, as Marcus turned towards Josephine Owen, a girl that she recognized, but had never spoken to. Her blue eyes appraised the other girl slowly. She certainly wasn’t what one would call a natural beauty, but she certainly wasn’t lacking in attractive assets. She glanced down at her own chest. Jordan wasn’t as small as she could have been given the affect gymnastics had in that area, but even so, she would not have had anything on this girl.

Oh, well, it was a good thing that she didn’t mind sharing. Giving a friendly smile to Josephine, she offered up a compliment, “It is a very nice costume and the treasure is certainly bountiful. I doubt I could ever do a pirate costume,” she pouted a bit. “Well, maybe I could, but not as a pirate wench. I would have to come as a guy.” She wasn’t curvy, like Josephine, to pull off the more feminine version. “Could you imagine me with a beard?” She giggled at the very thought.

Off to the side, she noticed a younger girl with an interesting costume, but wasn’t sure what to make of it. She didn’t think she had ever seen anything like it unless she was missing some connection in her brain. She would have asked Alice since she would surely know, but that would have required leaving a quite entertaining conversation. Besides, when she spotted her sister, she was talking to a boy! Jordan crossed her fingers hoping her sister would take an interest and they would finally have something to talk about.

0 Jordan Are you sharing? 0 Jordan 0 5

Eris Ackart

October 27, 2012 10:18 PM

I hope you brought your dancing peg leg by Eris Ackart

Eris was glad when Michael decided not to delve deeper into the subject of why people would elect to stay at school over the holiday. All of the scenarios she could think of weren’t happy ones, and this was supposed to be a happy time. Her own family could be a little chaotic at times, and even though she often wished she could escape them from time to time, she wouldn’t trade it for anything. Particularly not a largely empty school. Offhand, she couldn’t think of anyone who was staying—then again, the list of people she knew reasonably well was a short one.

She wasn’t sure whether or not Michael meant that Muggles literally had crazy ways of having fun, or if he was saying it that way because those things might seem a little odd to wizards who didn’t know better. As long as they weren’t too dangerous or involve swimming in open bodies of water, Eris was more than willing to give it a shot. Eris had no idea what a laser was, or why you would want to tag one; but she was definitely curious about it. Her brow furrowed slightly as Michael gave her a general overview of what it was—sneaking around a room of rooms shooting light from not wands at targets worn by others. Ok. That didn’t sound TOO crazy. This was, of course assuming the lights didn’t do any harm.

“So, is it like dueling then? And these wand like things…the light from them doesn’t hurt, right? What’s the laser bit? Is that a person or something?” She asked, her head cocked slightly to the side as she tried to picture it in her head. She’d never really been in to dueling, but her friend Irvin back home had been and on occasion he’d try to challenge her. She felt like she had decent aim, and could have a light shooting advantage having had experience aiming spells from the tip of a wand, but for all she knew this non-wand-light shooting thing could be completely different. If it was like dueling, Eris wondered if it was a one on one situation, or if there were teams. She liked the idea of having Michael on her team better than being opponents, so she hoped that was the case.

By now, Eris should have known that any positive comment about her friend turned him a particularly adorable shade of red. She felt a little guilty for making him blush, but it was true—she did think he was sweet. She drew her hand back from his knee and brushed a few stray strands of hair back from her face. That was one of the downfalls of her personality. She said what was on her mind, good or otherwise, and she couldn’t always control the outcome.

Eris only had good thoughts and feelings about Michael, and on occasion they would slip out. She considered apologizing for making him blush, but she wasn’t really sorry for what she said. Instead, she let him work through it, trying not to smile too much since he appeared to be struggling with it.

It was what Michael came up with next that really surprised her. He’d made it pretty clear that dancing was kind of a last resort, if they had to find something else to do that required less talking. She wasn’t sure why she was hoping for a dance, considering that from the bench, they seemed to be doing ok conversationally—until she went and complimented him. Eris guessed she must have really rattled him to make him offer that up, but she decided she needed to jump on it before he changed his mind.

“I’d love to.” She said with a smile, trying hard not to come off as overly excited about it. “And you’re welcome.”

0 Eris Ackart I hope you brought your dancing peg leg 0 Eris Ackart 0 5

Reggie

October 28, 2012 7:46 PM

Didn't mean to make you worry by Reggie

Well, he didn’t seem to put off by the idea that her grandmother knew so much about her. Reggie was aware that her family was probably different from most. She was definitely different from her Muggle friends. Most of them had both parents actively in their lives, whether married or not, some had siblings, others not, but most of them didn’t really have relationships with their grandparents. At Sonora, Maddie’s family life was strange even with both parents, but not necessarily uncommon and Derry’s was just strange. Maddie’s life was probably the ‘ideal’ family life though.

Reggie was not upset by her life in any way. Her father was good to her and they had a great relationship. He taught her so much in life and she was grateful for it. Sure they had their hiccups, but she was certain many families had those. Her mother, she knew, tried her best. She tried to be around more and taught Reggie the differences between good and bad. Right and Wrong. Good and Evil. The fact that her mother wasn’t around very often had, at one point, effected Reggie in a negative way. Especially when she hit that point in every teenage girl’s life when a mother was necessary. However, she had her grandmother to help her. Her father’s parents helped raise her. When her father worked, Reggie spent her afternoons and weekends at her grandparents. Her grandmother taught her how to bake and her grandfather taught her the skill of crosswords.

She had only recently really begun to get to know her maternal grandmother. It was taking time establishing a relationship with her, but she was still too wary of them to really remove that wall just yet. Not that she wanted to think about that now.

“Oh, so you aren’t the bad boy that mother told me to stay away from?” Reggie asked, teasing him about their Defense conversation. She had sort of liked the idea of him actually being slightly bad, but she knew it was because of all those girl movies she sometimes watching when she was home. “The bow and arrow does suit you. Gives you quite the hero look.” Reggie wasn’t sure why flirting with him happened so easily. Maybe it was because he let her do it and seemed genuinely to like it. Or maybe it just entertained him. She wasn’t anyone special, after all, so for all she knew, he was just amused by it.

“Oh, all kinds.” Reggie commented. “I grew up on Disney films…er-that is, Muggle stories. They made fairies out to be beautiful creatures, very graceful and very intelligent. I know that actual fairies are different than that, but I still find them beautiful and probably will always find them that way.” She knew it was a little girl thing of her to admit to, but it was the truth. Of all the stories that she had read, it was never the princess with whom she loved, but the fairies that made their dreams come true.

Reggie was happy that Phoenix wanted the picture of the two of them. It could be that he just wanted a picture of the costumes or that he was really nice, but his compliment towards a jealous roommate made her think it was more than that. “Oh, I doubt Topher would be jealous, but as long as you can appreciate it, that’s all that matters.”

She was amused that Phoenix seemed to want the Teppenpaws to put together another party. “Well, considering my roommates were pretty cool with me declaring that we were doing this one, I can’t imagine them being upset about having to do another one. Although, I’m not sure another holiday costume party will be as well done if Halloween isn’t involved.” Reggie commented, giving it some thought. “Maybe a Valentine’s Day or Sweetheart Lover’s party or something like that. Although… I don’t know many couples where that would actually work well. And the couples that I know seem slightly dull.

6 Reggie Didn't mean to make you worry 187 Reggie 0 5

Brianna

October 29, 2012 2:20 AM

Magic isn't real! by Brianna

“I’d like to think so.” Brianna answered him with a shrug. Believing that there are good people was something that Brianna clung too. Not everyone could be as horrid as the ones from back home. She had to believe that there was a way of escaping evilness and just being safe. If Josh’s comment implied that everyone had a reason to be awful, there was no safe haven for her. No one for her to trust or believe in. She didn’t want a world like that. She needed to believe that there were people who were really and honestly good people.

His response to her question wasn’t really one she was thinking of receiving. She was glad for it, really. She had been on the receiving end of a fist far too often and she did not want to be on one again; certainly not while at Sonora. She never really thought much of the rumors because Josh had never done anything to her to suggest he wasn’t a good person. Even in Charms he had been fairly gentle with her during the spell casting so that she wasn’t too embarrassed by having to laugh so hard in front of everyone. If he didn’t care at all for people, he would never have gone so easy on her. Probably not Cepheus either. But she couldn’t ignore the rumors either. They had to stem from something.

“I don’t think everyone’s a gossip.” Brianna mumbled. She didn’t think she was, but that was mainly because she didn’t have any friends to gossip with. Plus, she hated it. She had been part of the gossip for so long, it was exhausting. Gossip was just a different form of bullying. Brianna only asked him if it was true so that she knew what was just a bully gossip and what was real.

“You’ve been nice enough to me.” Brianna said after a moment. “Most people ignore me. It’s usually okay because being ignored is always better than something worse. But…” She paused for a moment. She had already told him so much. Far more than she had ever wanted to tell anyone before. It wasn’t that she found him as a confidant or anything. She just… needed someone to listen. “There are times when sometimes I want them to see me. And, you were kind enough to do that.”

She walked in silence for a while, wishing that she wasn’t wearing this stupid hat and costume anymore. She felt so silly for having bothered at all. She hardly stayed more than a half an hour there. She really had loved the costume and her parents had spent so much on it, but what a waste it had been.

“I cannot wait until I’m of age.” She said suddenly. She was tired of dealing with all of this stress and ache. “I can just go somewhere and never look back.”

0 Brianna Magic isn't real! 0 Brianna 0 5