Entrance Courtyard On the lake, a ghostly ship can be seen, sinking into the lake as an the Giant Squid attacks the illusion. From here though, visitors are safe. The Entrance Courtyard is decorated with translucent coral-structures. Thestral-drawn carriages will drop off outsider guests for a second security check (the first being at the Gates). It’s a perfect place to meet any guests, grab a mask, or get some wardrobe help.
A Help Bubble station is staffed by prefects throughout the event. Brightly lit by a friendly coral-shaped light, students can pick up masks here or get their glasses transfigured by an upperclassman (guaranteed to not change the lenses, just add some fancy matching flair for the evening.)
There is also a Charity Clam to collect donations. Non-student attendees are recommended to make a donation! 50% of proceeds will go towards magical environmental conservation efforts to clean up the ocean. Other funds will go towards Hogwarts School supplies, including support for muggleborn students, better Quidditch equipment, and updated muggle studies textbooks.
❀✿WESLYNREMARKAKNOLLE seventh year || Hufflepuff Head Girl || halfblood Art Club marine artist|| Cooking Club head chef Herbology Club co-captain || Quidditch manager _______________
Weslyn had spent what felt like a good portion of the last month just working on Masquerade prep. She had doodled the idea over the summer, but it was the prefect team that had really brought it all together. Wes was a little nervous still: She’d planned events for the Cooking Club or Herbology Club field trips before, but this was a school-wide event. The logistics alone had taken the entire month, and the last few weeks had been a flurry of making decorations, designing the maze, recruiting merpeople, and organizing donations.
Finally, it was the day of! At the booth across from her, Sparrow had taken the first shift at the Charity Clam, insisting she wanted to be there to greet arriving donors. She wondered if Cenek had ended up asking Sparrow successfully….
At barely 4:30, the sun was setting. Wes pointed her wand at her heart and murmured the now-familiar ”Amato Animo Animato Animagus” phrase. She could feel a light double-heartbeat--strange, but also comforting. With luck, it wouldn’t be long before a storm came.
But not tonight! Wes tucked her wand away and stared at the sky. Storm soon, but not tonight please! I want tonight to go off perfectly!.
That done, she stood at attention nervously, wondering when the first outsiders would arrive or when a student or prefect might approach her with questions or-- what if she had forgotten something?!
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settingEntrance Courtyard, Help Bubble station. || with prefects, students, awaiting other dance-goers appearance 5'2", petite || wearingtransfigured glasses squid-mask + dress with layers and flowy sleeves status I hope tonight goes perfectly.. _______________ //OOC: Open to Interaction!~ Quoting Kung in case Kenny of Skip want to poke her
Tides will turn Rest assured ‘Cause seasons pass A new day dawns And through the clouds the sun will shine To guide you home into the light Let us follow where rivers flow Let’s see how far we can go When it feels like you’re out on your own Hear the voice that’s calling you home ✿❀ ~"Anew" by Hollow Coves.
xx⇴ Wʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀᴍ I?Hogwarts Entrance Courtyard xxx⇴ Wʜᴏ ɪs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ?Sparrow, for a bit, then Chadwick xxxx⇴ Wʜᴀᴛ's ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏɴ?Deep Sea Masquerade xxxxx⇴ Wʜᴀᴛ'ʀᴇ ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs?He looks so good though
As soon as Finley heard about the big dance at the school, he knew he wanted to be there. Not only would it be a great way to spend time with his friends that hadn't yet graduated, but he'd get to see his boyfriend all dressed up and fancy. Of course, in only a couple months they'd be getting all dressed up again to go to Zoe and Kylian's wedding. Straightening his tie, Finley sighed and apparated to Hogsmeade. From there, he walked over to where the carriages were set up, going through a security checkpoint. He climbed in one of the carriages, awkwardly sitting away from a couple who were also headed to the school. After an awkward couple minutes, he climbed out, going through security a second time before walking back onto the grounds of Hogwarts.
Once on the grounds, he walked over to the donation station. There hadn't been a listed cost, but he figured he'd donate what he didn't need for rent. After all, donations went to wildlife and Hogwarts, which were two pretty good causes. He looked up, noticing it was Sparrow running the donations. He cleared his throat, feeling no end of awkwardness. "Hey, Sparrow. Um. I have... three galleons. I... would donate more, but rent, y'know?" He felt his cheeks heat up a bit. He missed their easygoing friendship, but things had just... changed. And probably forever. "You look really nice tonight. Pink always has been your color. I... better get going, but it was nice to see you. Hopefully we can chat later?" He knew his question would go unheeded. Sparrow probably still hated him, and probably would forever. He offered an awkward wave, then stepped away for whomever was next in line.
After he'd donated, he checked his watch, then glanced around. He and Chadwick had agreed to meet here, given that he determined he'd probably feel awkward wandering through the castle in search of Chadwick. Luckily, Finley helped pick out his outfit, so he'd be able to spot him pretty easily... probably. He looked around, using his height to his advantage. With a little luck, he spotted his boyfriend walking outside. Moving swiftly, he dodged the various people to get over to the blonde. "Chadwick! Look at you! You look so handsome in that outfit. I greatly approve." He gently kissed the shorter male, offering a happy smile.
Trying hard to fight these tears. I'm crazy worried Messing with my head this fear I'm so sorry You know you gotta get it out I can't take it That's what being friends about. I want to cry I can't deny Tonight I wanna up and hide and get inside It isn't right I gotta live in my life Gotta turn the world into your dance floor Push until you can't and then demand more You and me together, we can make it better
Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 3:18 am
♥♡SPARROWKIYAWINCHESTER seventh year || Gryffindor prefect || pureblood Drama club director|| Music club || Order of the Stick || Quidditch announcer _______________
As a prefect, Sparrow herself had gladly appointed herself to help with coordinating donations from wealthy families, donating half their ticket proceeds and donations to magical environmental conservation efforts. She’d gotten super into looking up aquatic environmental efforts the last few weeks actually, and had started wearing a “Help our aquatic magical creatures! Clean up our oceans!” pin. Well, that was all very Sparrow. She’d probably forget about it all in favor of whatever caught her attention next week, and then wouldn’t remember until she had a character that could use that information.
She had insisted on being the first shift at the Charity Clam as it was most likely when outside guests would be arriving and would be the best place for her to be to greet old family friends, old friends, or just anyone! ”Thank you! Would you be needing proof of receipt tonight?” she waved at a young blonde girl she’d not met before. A squib, possibly? She looked about Wren’s age or younger, but Sparrow had never met her.
The other girl considered it a moment. ”Yes, if it's no trouble. From Mx. Nova Saylor.”
”No problem. Saylor…oh! You’d be related to Wally and Galen Saylor then?” She marked the donation amount down, tore off the top section and handed the slip to the guest.
”Yes. I’m their sister. But um...I was invited by my friend Harmony tonight?”
”Harmony! I adore her. She should be somewhere near…. Well, thank you and your parents very much for your generous donation! Have a spooky evening~” Sparrow tucked the donation away before turning to the next guest arriving.”One moment...Hello and--Good evening Mr. Archer.” her peppy tone cooling but still professional. He offered a few galleons, which she accepted with a smile. ”Of course! Thank you for your donation--Every knut counts!” she assured.
Finley commented that she looked nice today and pink was always her color. Sparrow paused for a moment. ”Thank you. And...yeah, we should chat. Cenek and I will be done after the first shift, so we can meet up then?” She didn’t know. It would be nice to see how Finley was doing and she knew Cenek would want to say hi at least. But she didn’t want to have to make nice with Finley’s date. Well. Maybe there was a way to just hang out with Finley. And she could avoid mentioning his terrible taste in men for one evening.
Well, that aside, Sparrow waved goodbye to Finley to welcome whoever was next. ”Hello and welcome!”
_______________
settingCharity Clam station, Halloween 2054 || with various guests appearance 5'7", soft and squishy || hair colorAquamarine hair with starfish accents || wearingAsymmetrical pink and yellow dress + charmed lights cape + shells mask + Rose gold heels status Donor--Oh Finley. _______________ //OOC: ~Open to Interaction~ I got a little carried away here XD //goes on a rant about how hopefully the rich can't use donations as tax write-offs in the wizarding world but donation receipts are still useful for accounting purposes.
Cinnabun Gryffie
_______________
It'll be totally strange But wow! Am I so ready for this change 'Cause for the first time in forever There'll be music, there'll be light! ♡♥ ~"For the First Time in Forever" by Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel from Frozen, cover by Caleb Hyles.
Lee was both incredibly excited and terribly nervous for this whole day. For some reason, the kids at Hogwarts decided to do a masquerade ball. Not only that, but it was underwater themed and they were allowing non-students entry. He had been debating asking Kendall to go with him, but given his whole clumsy self, he was hesitant. Though fate had a way of pushing them together anyway, since Kendall also got the news and asked Lee to go. Perfect. He agreed, then immediately tried to figure an outfit that he wouldn't look super dumb in. He also didn't want to stand out, though he supposed if he did something dumb, he could always say he was Cici... After all, those were the perks of having a brother that looked super similar... probably.
On the day of the dance (which had been in no less than 3 calendars and two phone alarms), Lee got dressed, trying to make sure he didn't look super dumb. Just as he was making the final adjustments, Kendall showed up, looking spiffy as heck. "Y-you... you look ******** nice. I-I like it." Even as an adult he still had the propensity to sprinkle in swear words. Hopefully he didn't traumatize a child or anything... He probably wouldn't get kicked out, especially since he'd done the same the entire time he was at Hogwarts, and at worst just got asked to try and be more mindful (which he promptly forgot).
After they met up, the duo apparated to Hogsmeade, then walked to the carriages where there was a security checkpoint (probably wise, there were gonna be a buttload of people). Once they cleared, the two rode toward the Hogwarts gates. "I-It's b-been a l-long time since I-I've been here... b-but there's n-no one el-else I'd r-rather be with...." He felt his cheeks heat up, and luckily had a moment of reprieve by a second security checkpoint (was it overkill to have two?), before they joined back up to enter officially. Lee stepped over to the donation area and set out two neatly done stacks of ten galleons. "Th-the in-invite said th-the dona-na-nations would be split two ways. S-so I did." He nodded awkwardly, then accepted a receipt (because he'd certainly forget otherwise).
He then stepped back over to Kendall, his date (this was a date, right? Or did Kendall just not wanna go alone to such a fancy party?) for the evening. "O-okay. The bo-boring stuff is over. Wh-what do y-you wanna do? W-we can go on-on the boats? O-or to the Gr-Great Hall for music and... um.. dan-dancing and stuff." He shuffled a bit, feeling ever awkward. There were a ton of people around, and he was on a possibly-date with his crush of many years. Not to mention, Lee wasn't actually sure he knew how to dance. It'd sure be cool if he could remember that.
{{Wearing x - - Also, quoted Adda 'cause Lee talked to Sparrow}}
❤ Cathaline Acacia League ❤ a.k.a.Cathy ❤xxxxx ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- xxxx< Hufflepuff Alumna > < Captain and Chaser for Puddlemere United > < Gifted Linguist > < Single Mother >
Wearing: Silver Corals and Pearls ------------------------------------------------------------------------xx
When Cathy discovered she could see her precious daughter Aria at Hogwarts, all while dressed to the nines (potentially) and rub elbows with the whos who and provide a donation in person and gain popularity, she could not be happier. She had sent a dress for her daughter in silver and pearl accents and custom jewelry by the newer designer Margaux Lévesque in Diagon Alley (even if she usually dealt with costume jewelry) for the event. Her daughters of dress naturally would serve as an equal complement and statement to her dress as hers would be for Artemisia. Cathy sported a large grin as she leaned against the window of the carriage pulled by thestrals. Aria had promised to meet with her mother in her courtyard. Oh, how she could not wait for tonight! She was determined to find out all about how proud Aria was making her in language club, her academics, and of course quidditch. Any child of hers was bound to be a star on the pitch.
Unknown to Cathy League, Captain and Chaser for Puddlemere United, Aria stood in the courtyard in a short silver tulle dress embroidered with real pearls, her red hair piled like a fiery crown behind her silver mask that curled to her chin on the right side of her face dreaded seeing her mother at her school for many of the reasons Cathy looked forward to seeing her. Aria had thought about trying to convince the whole school to go along with "Aria is a Reserve Chaser on the quidditch team" lie but there were white lies and then just a lie that went too far. At least Cathy wouldn't react poorly until the Holidays. At the event was too public and a howler wouldn't be 'classy'. She had never disappointed or upset her mum, she even wore her mother's choices (though they did fit with her tastes, so Cathy deserved credit on that-or their stylist did), so Aria was not sure about what would come of the night.
Aria wanted to blame Ron for anything that happened. He had teased her about her mum finding out. Well, it would be a miracle if Cathy did not leave Hogwarts that night and still thought Aria was a member of the quidditch team or even tried out. Now, would be the game of holding her breath at each conversation to decide on who would let the cat out of the bag.
Ronald David Quinn-Smith Hufflepuff │ Second Year │ Twelve Years Old │ Single
Ron hadn't been sure whether he was even interested in attending the big school shindig until not long before it was to be held. While it was likely to be the biggest event at the school that year, and definitely a break from the usual routine at Hogwarts, Ron hadn't been sure he really wanted to go, mainly because he wasn't sure he wanted the attention which came with being all dressed up, the good and the bad. What finally nudged him in the direction of going was the post he got from home, and Mom telling him about the Valentines Day dance she'd almost ducked out of in her Seventh Year, as she was 'between relationships' at the time and felt she would have been out of place. She reminded him everyone would be wearing masks, which eased his misgivings, and told him he'd kick himself if avoided it.
The slim young man had his hair neatly brushed back, and was dressed in a black suitcoat, with matching trousers, vest along with a charcoal gray dress shirt with a black tie. A pair of black leather dress shoes finished out his ensemble, which he accessorized with a simple identity-obscuring black mask. Dad taught him to dress like a gentleman for these occasions, and Ron had to admit he kinda did like the image he was presenting; if nothing else, he felt like an adult.
Venturing out to the Courtyard, Ron had hoped to find to find familiar folk to hang out with, the Quidditch team would have been his first choice, but then members of any of the clubs he'd connected with would also be cool. He dropped those thoughts the instant he caught sight of Aria, as there was no mistaking her red hair. With her hair worn up like it was, and seeing her in that silver dress, Ron couldn't help but be floored; though he'd never had thought of her in such terms previously, she was beautiful. Right then, he decided he would be perfectly content to be her escourt for the night, assuming she hadn't someone else handling those duties already. If nothing else, they could have fun just hanging out and checking out the sights at the party.
Ron walked over to Aria, gave her a smile and a slight wave, and was about to greet and compliment her, when he also caught sight of ...Aunt Cathy, leaning against the window of one of the self-propelled carriages (ooc: no he cannot see the threstrals pulling it). What might have been a pleasant surprise was leavened with the thought that certain truths might be coming out, and that could be bad. In a low voice, he said to Aria, "Oh, boy. If you need for me to take a Bludger for you, jus' say so."
OOC:
mc2
Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 3:39 am
♡ Aria ♡ Artemisia Rosalie League ♡ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- xxxxxx
Aria was standing waiting for the carriages, waiting for her mother with a sense of dread. She wished it was the holidays already so she could face her mother's disappointment then. When you had never done something - and Aria never really disappointed her mother - it was always scary. Her fear was broken up by her company, likely in or around her year judging by his height. When she heard him speak she had to smile, of course Ron would recognize her. Even if red hair was more common at Hogwarts than many other magical schools, there was still less redheads than anything else.
She smiled at Ron and then made a small shake of her head. "I cannot exactly convince the whole school to lie for me. It hardly seems fair,"Aria said, clasping her hands together. She glanced back at the carriage Cathy League looked out of before back to Ron and half teased him before growing serious,"Why am I not surprised you found me? Anyways, you have about a minute before Mum gets out and recognize you. I bet you a couple Sickles our parents will spend most of Christmas gossiping about us."
She paused as she waited for Ron's decision and tilting her head briefly she said,"You clean up well. Mum will definitely gossip to your mum if you hang around." It wasn't that she didn't want Ron's company, it was more she was trying to save him from her mother's company. Sure Cathy was charming and friendly and gregarious, but she also could be a bit much in long doses if you weren't used to it. And, Cathy and Aunt Dani would get together and gossip no doubt about how cute they looked together, even though they were not together beyond the same company as anyone else at the ball. Maybe a bit more. Ron was one of Aria's closest friends, closer than many of her biological cousins to be honest.
At that moment, Cathy was gathering up her skirts to step out of the carriage looking much like the fairytale princess she imagined she was even though she had a daughter soon to leave her preteen years.
The Professor set the hat down carefully on the student's head. For a moment the hat was silent before speaking.... Not your mother, indeed Looking for bigger, better things, are you? Well, I'm sure you'll find them in Gryffindor!
Ronald David Quinn-Smith Hufflepuff │ Second Year │ Twelve Years Old │ Single
Just standing next to Aria made Ron feel like he was ten feet tall, and her smile made him feel as brave as a lion, er, badger, at the prospect of what he guessed was soon to come. "No, not really," he said in response to her realization that she couldn't get the school to lie for her. He didn't bother adding how the older students would be completely unsympathetic to her cause, and tell her so in a less than kindly manner.
He smiled when she asked him about finding her. "Well, I kinda had this feeling you needed me, here and now. An' that's a sucker bet, our folks'll be talking about us as soon as Aunt Cathy gets home from this shindig. Don't suppose she's brought a camera along for the occasion, do you?"
Ron felt a wash of warmth rise to his face when Aria told him how nice he looked, and how Aunt Cathy would gossip. " Thank you, an' I'm standing with the prettiest girl at the ball, an' I'm not abandoning you, not even to save myself. I have a feeling Aunt Cathy will be having a discussion with my mother anyway, especially if a certain subject comes up. Don't worry, Mom doesn't know anything about it, I told her nothing." He also figured they'd talk about what cute couple they made, and why not? Aria was his closest friend; he couldn't imagine not being able to confide in her anything and everything.
The young man drew a deep breath, and said in soft voice, as he awaited Aunt Cathy's imminent arrival, "She walks in beauty, like the night, of cloudless climes and starry skies..."
spaceKendall thought he was doing a very, very good job of not fidgeting. He was dressed in clothes that had sounded like a great idea at the time, but were turning out to be a pain in the arse, had a mask on his bloody face, and was still trying to figure out if he'd been clear enough when asking Lee to accompany him to this dance that he meant it as a date. He was pretty sure he had. He hadn't used the word date, but this wasn't exactly the normal sort of fun friend hangout, right? Surely "Will you go to this extremely fancy charity ball with me" implied romantic intentions. Right?
spaceSometimes he thought that Mr. Holt was onto him, and that he was about to hex him if he didn't just get the bloody hell on with properly dating his son. Kendall would think that was weird, if he hadn't known Mr. Holt as long as he had. Knowing him didn't make him less terrifying, though. Kendall still wasn't sure if the man had or hadn't murdered someone before. He'd bet money he had.
spaceAll this to say, he wasn't exactly sure where he stood at the moment, and it was making him anxious. He tended to get snappish when he was anxious, so he was trying very hard to do some sort of calming exercise to keep himself from snapping. It got close, though, at the second check-in. The poor sod doing the actual checking was only barely saved by him blushing furiously at Lee's comment just beforehand.
spaceOnce they were through the check-in (and he'd gotten his own breathing back to normal levels), he squared his shoulders."Yeah,"he said, trying to figure out how best to convey what he was feeling at the moment."Uh, that is. I'm really glad you agreed to come with me. Uh, I know this isn't... It's not the sort of thing you normally do, or that we normally do, or necessarily something you're into..."He trailed off slightly, then forced himself to push through."But, yeah. I'm just... Really glad I'm here with you."There. That was... transparent? Right?
spaceKendall handed over his own donation just behind Lee, accepting the receipt and stuffing it into one of his many pockets (that was the one upside of this costume; he had so. many. pockets. His younger self would be screeching at the sheer number of pockets). Once that was done, he moved out of the way for the next group of people, and considered Lee's question. Dancing seemed like the romantic thing, right? Except he didn't think Lee would really want to. The boats seemed romantic, too, but this was supposed to be creepy so maybe it was less romantic-romantic and more 'taking a pretty girl to a horror movie so she hides her face in your neck' romantic. Which wasn't... quite the vibe he was going for. Although, the idea of Lee cussing out some lake dweller for shocking him was pretty hilarious.
spaceEventually, the obvious answer came to him. The safest one, anyway."Food first,"he said decisively."Never turn down free food. Also, I haven't eaten since lunch, on account of anticipating the free food. Then... Uh, the boats? Maybe? Unless something stands out to you."Kendall would admit, they would like to dance a little, eventually. But maybe later in the night when the dance floor was a bit crowded and they'd be less noticeable, to prevent Lee feeling anxious.
xCathaline Acacia League (Cathy) and Artemisia Rosalie League (Aria) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- xxxxxx
Aria narrowed her eyes at Ron from behind her silver mask. "I can take care of myself," Aria said bluntly before smiling politely, "I may not need you but help is always appreciated."When Ron asked about her mother having a camera, Aria let out a boisterous laugh, "Mum with a camera? Why? She has the paparazzi and hired photographers when it comes to me. Have you ever seen her with a camera? I'm sure she'll get us to pose for some camera but she won't be the one behind the lens."
Aria raised her brows and blinked in surprise at the hint of pink on his cheeks mostly obscured by a mask. She was caught off guard when he called her the prettiest girl and answered by rolling her eyes, "You obviously haven't looked around. There are plenty of pretty girls. Any prettiness I might have mostly comes from Mum who half the boys here have seen in a bikini blowing kisses."The last thing she wanted to think of is people accrediting her Mum's traits to what Aria had or would have, though she wouldn't put it past at least even one person. It was weird to Aria considering she had barely started puberty. She still felt like a kid so often and the idea of being considered anything else at that moment just felt odd.
"Are you talking about my alleged quidditch participation for the Gryffindor team? I mean I am taking Advanced Flying. I do like flying even if I don't like the obsession people have over the game. There's more important things out there," Aria said seriously to her childhood friend.
As Aria stood next to Ron she heard his breath and glanced to the carriages where her mother landed on the ground from the carriage. Aria could see the interest in her mother. She was stylish, naturally pretty, had curves that interested a lot of people, and had a natural grace even off the quidditch pitch. All that effort to be good in a game, Aria still felt her mother could do so much more with her talents. She could use all that charm in diplomacy or serving the Ministry. Aria glanced at Ron and grabbed his wrist and said quickly, "I want you to let the cat out of the bag... about quidditch, Okay? You do it. Promise me!"
Before Aria could get an answer her mother arrived and hugged her daughter before kissing her on each cheek. "You look absolutely lovely," Cathy declared with a grin. She looked over to Ron and paused for a moment placing a finger on her chin as she considered his true identity. "Ronald? Oh, you definitely are Dani's little Ron, aren't you? You look so dashing. Thank you for joining my welcoming party with Aria." Cathy glanced to Aria, "How have you been?"
Aria smiled as she looked to Ron, hoping he would do as she asked, better to be able to control how her Mum finds out about her avoiding quidditch beyond being in the stands for games than someone blurting it out at random or Aria being on edge for the whole event fearing the how and when her secret would come out. More importantly, she didn't want Ron caught up in her lie and in line of her mother's future wrath. "It is going well. I'm getting pretty good marks in everything but Astronomy... I wish we could do it in a normal classroom. And my lack of green thumb hurts. Language Club and Music Club are going well and Ron and I have fun in Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor matches playing against each other as chaser vs. chaser."
Chadwick was thrilled to see Finley again, of course they had just met up in the past few days, but it was strange not being able to see him every day. He walked out to the entrance courtyard and saw his boyfriend, having an awkward conversation with Sparrow. Chadwick frowned, he hated that Sparrow was still so upset about the whole thing, but Chadwick had been a jerk...he mentally smacked himself and made a mental note, he never apologized to Sparrow for his behavior, maybe if he apologized tension between Sparrow and Finley wouldn't be as bad... With that though, Chadwick realized Finley was approaching him, they kissed and Chadwick threw his arm over his shoulder, "You don't look too bad yourself. As for my outfit though, you'll have to thank my favorite designer for picking it out." He threw up one leg and hopped, pulling the pants leg up a little, "I mean just look at these socks. Aren't they the cutest?!"
He fixed his clothes, then took Finley's hand. "I've missed you. Anything exciting happen in the past week?" He began walking closer to the door, but not inside yet, he wasn't sure he was that ready to share his boyfriend yet.
▬▬"TherealquestionIguessis-doIdeserveyou?" ▬▬
╔══════════════╗ Where: Entrance courtyard With Whom: Finley <3 Thinking about: He's so cute Description: 5'8" blond teen with blue eyes wearing Suit ╚══════════════╝
Ronald David Quinn-Smith Hufflepuff │ Second Year │ Twelve Years Old │ Single
"Of course, you can take care of yourself. You're Aria League, first of her name. I know better than to think otherwise," Ron replied to Aria, with all sincerity, while making a reference to the 'Games of Thrones' stuff he'd tell her about, when she told him she could handle herself. "an' I'm happy to be your wing-person in this." He then laughed aloud along with Aria at the suddenly absurd notion of her mother taking snaps of them herself. Right then the equally bizarre notion of a crew of photographers being stacked like cordwood inside the carriage with her insinuated itself in his mind. "Of course, what was I thinking?"
"Hmmmm, maybe so," admitted Ron, conceding in his own mind that his attempt to channel his 'inner Lord Byron' had fallen flat, and seemingly annoyed Aria, which wasn't what he wanted to do. He'd wanted to tell her that any of her beauty came from within her, and had little to do with Aunt Cathy, considering she was as much the product of her paternal genetic donor as she was her mom, at least she was according to some of the books he'd read in Dad's library on the subject of gene-sequencing (a good bit of which he really didn't understand). Feeling the heat rise in his cheeks once more, Ron fumbled about for what to say, before coming up with, "I guess I was trying to be cooler than telling you how your dress and your hair makes you look like you could have stepped out of the Court of the Red Keep in King's Landing." It was clunky and clumsy, but at least it was honest.
"Yup, and, yeah, I know, I'm taking Advanced Flying too, and yeah, I know there's more important things than just playing Quidditch," he said in response to her serious question. "I didn't want Mom spilling anything before you were ready."
"Okay, Aria, I'll do it," he told her quietly, before saw his aunt in all but blood looking at him. Immediately straightening up when she spoke, and mentioned his mother. "Hi, Aunt Cathy, thank you. How have you been?"
Ron stood there beside his childhood friend, and listened to her telling her mom about how the term had been going for her. He nodded along with her assessment of the Astronomy class, and her trials in the greenhouse. "Hmmm, having the class during the day would be nice too ...which is why we team up for our Herbology classes," he chimed in at the appropriate times, hoping to assure Aunt Cathy all was in hand.
When the subject of Quidditch came up, he gave Aria a sidelong look, and asked her, "What are you talking about, Aria? Unless something's going on you haven't told me about, you're not even on Gryffindor's reserve squad."
OOC: Apologies for multiple edits
mc2
Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2021 3:24 pm
xx⇴ Wʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀᴍ I?Hogwarts Entrance Courtyard xxx⇴ Wʜᴏ ɪs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ?Sparrow, for a bit, then Chadwick xxxx⇴ Wʜᴀᴛ's ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏɴ?Deep Sea Masquerade xxxxx⇴ Wʜᴀᴛ'ʀᴇ ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs?Good News!
Finley felt the chill on Sparrow's words when she transitioned into speaking with him. It was weird talking to her, but especially when she agreed to chat, perhaps after her shift??? Holy cow! How had that worked? He was pretty sure she still hated him! "Yea, of course. That sounds like a plan! See you in a while, then." He sent an awkward grin as he walked off, letting her get back to work. Standing in the way of her tasks would probably send him back to enemy territory, and he certainly didn't want that!
When he met up with Chadwick, Finley had complimented his outfit, then Chadwick did the same, before saying his favorite designer had picked it out, including the socks. "I hate to burst your bubble, but I didn't pick out most of the outfit. I did, however, choose your socks. Because they've gotta be fun. But I'm glad you like it anyway." Finley tried to imagine himself choosing such a fancy outfit, thinking it would be near disaster if he had. Plus, he'd be wearing the same pair of sneakers he wore every other day, as opposed to the nice shoes he had on now.
Chadwick asked if anything exciting had happened that past week, and Finley offered a nod, a bright grin forming. "Yes, actually! I signed contract on a flat. It's on the outskirts of London proper, so it's back to the big city, but it's really quite a lovely place. I'll start moving our stuff over in the next few days, then by winter hols, we should be all set up. Or... at least, most of the way, I suppose." He was excited, and he quite hoped Chadwick would be too. At the very worst, it would mean they'd get some privacy! It was lovely and all, until a certain six year old just interrupted every soft moment. But now, they'd have their own place. Of course, Finley still had to buy all the furniture for the place, but he didn't need much for now. Perhaps they'd get more over winter, or even over summer after he saved up a bit more...
Trying hard to fight these tears. I'm crazy worried Messing with my head this fear I'm so sorry You know you gotta get it out I can't take it That's what being friends about. I want to cry I can't deny Tonight I wanna up and hide and get inside It isn't right I gotta live in my life Gotta turn the world into your dance floor Push until you can't and then demand more You and me together, we can make it better
xCathaline Acacia League (Cathy) and Artemisia Rosalie League (Aria) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- xxxxxx
Aria had to chuckle a bit about his Games of Thrones reference. She was not a particularly big fan of fiction, but she read the first book over two weeks so that was something. As for the TV series, even though the CGI was a bit dated it was remarkable to the point that Aria couldn't get past the gore or the nudity. Aria felt she was more a politician than a warrior by nature. At least she knew enough of the series she could understand Ron's references usually. That's what friends do they learned a little about their friend's interests too. "Don't worry about it," Aria assured him about forgetting about her mother's fans and hired staff, "It's not exactly normal what Mum does to get photos."
Aria felt guilty at Ron's response to her brushing off his compliments. She just wanted to be seen as something more than pretty. She was not her mum. Though, even Cathy wanted to be seen as something more than her looks given she worked so hard at quidditch and still studied languages actively. "No, I should have thanked you for the compliment. It's not your fault I can be a bit touchy on the subject," Aria said bowing her head to him. Straightening she said, "And my hair is from my donor so I guess it isn't all Mum though she did pick the donor." Aria chuckled and said growing more serious, "Being pretty isn't a bad thing. It's good even. Thank you for the compliment."
Soon enough it was not the two of them but her famous mother gushing over her and then Ron and then asked how she was. Aria answered casually before laying the obvious lie about her being on the quidditch team. She knew Ron was smart enough to see the invitation for him to do as she asked but she didn't entirely trust Ron would have the heart to call her out on the lie. He knew how Cathy was about quidditch and having Aria be just like her. He knew Aria hated lying. But Aria had asked him to do it for a reason. If Ron called her out on The Lie then he could deny helping Aria create and keep The Lie. He would be innocent.
Ron started with a reply about classes and his support he gave in Herbology (which was true! Aria's herbology grade would have been closer to her Astronomy grade of a P instead of her mostly Os and a couple Es). Aria composed herself when Ron gave her a look and asked what she was talking about when she mentioned quidditch and them playing against each other.
Cathy narrowed her brown eyes behind her mask first at Ron before she turned to Aria, "Why aren't you on the team? I know you signed up for Advance Flying and I've seen you fly plenty. You have even tossed the quaffle around with my team. You are an excellent flyer for your age. How is it you didn't even make it on the reserve squad? Is it favoritism? Is it nepotism? I will be more than happy to file a complaint with the school."
Aria looked horrified at her mother's response. She could continue The Lie by saying she was too embarrassed by some sort of favoritism against her, but that was wrong. She wasn't going to get others in trouble to appease her mother's obsession in sculpting Aria in her image. She shook her head quickly,"It isn't that. Or not in my case. I never went to try outs to find out if any of that existed."
"You never went to tryouts?"
"Right. I wanted to focus on my other clubs and my classwork,"Aria said before taking a deep breath, "Besides, why would I want to risk taking a spot on the team from someone who wanted to be there?"
"You didn't want to join the quidditch team? Why?" Cathy asked before raising a hand, "We'll discuss this later where there are less ears." She glanced to Ron, "My apologies for that. It appears Aria has been playing a bit of a prank on me for the last year and a half. Regardless, I'm glad she has you to help her in herbology. How about you, Ron? What has been keeping you busy?"
