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Post by Reece Briarwood on May 16, 2023 8:30:55 GMT -8
Reece is thrilled by Cordelia's apparent shock and appreciation. Well, played, Anneli. It actually did feel good to do something nice for someone, especially when they don't expect it. Everyone should give it a try. He shakes his head ever so subtly as the thought crosses through his mind. Not very Slytherin-forward thinking. He would never voice it.
And then Anneli said she was impressed by him and he can't stop himself from grinning playfully. "Awesome. " He nods, accepting the compliment. He leans forward and lifts his hand for a high-five from her.
He turns back to Cordelia, "You are very welcome." He says with a flirtatious gleam in his eye. Cordelia slices up the cake and offers a plate with a piece on it for him. "Here's to hoping it tastes as good as it looks." He chuckles, but really, he is filled with unexpected anticipation. What if it was trash? No, he worked too hard on it.
He takes an eager spoonful and the flavors of the inspired cookie and rich chocolate cake melt across his tongue. It was better than he could have imagined. Reece observes the dynamic between Fergus and Cordelia, and obviously between Fergus and... well, everyone. Did anyone like the guy? His entrance seemed to dour the mood noticeably. Reece had never realized how unwelcome Fergus was among other his own quidditch team. The stint with the spiders and wardrobe change only emphasize it, and of course the biter exchange.
Wonder what the hell happened there, between them all.
He glances at Cordelia from the side, maybe he'd ask her about it. When Bellamy Saffron takes the open seat beside Fergus it only makes him wonder even more what the deal was with Fergus.
It must strictly be a disagreement among the quidditch team members then, or that's how it seemed. Reece remembered the first game. He'd happily been sharing a flask with some other sixth-years, cheering on the house, when Anneli had been violently thrown from her broom. That must be it. He was on thin ice with his team.
Reece takes another bite as he ponders it. He eyes the 'young' vampire who joins the group, a bit wearily.
"Alright, Loce. Cool idea." He grabs up a parchment piece and after a quick thought of home, of his father, he writes down a wish to rid himself of seclusion to gain approval. He wishes for his father's recognition.
He is careful to shield it from prying eyes and folds it up neatly, ready to be burned away into the night.
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Post by Professor Dragomir Ghica on May 17, 2023 6:17:20 GMT -8
Drake watched the students around the hall, his attention drawn by a gasp and some commotion from the group of Slytherins. He watched Fergus ward off a bunch of spiders, his jacket transforming to represent Hufflepuff. He chuckled to himself. His attention was drawn to several conversations throughout the hall where their names were spoken in the same sentence. He leaned closer to Isadora. “I believe the students are a bit more observant than we gave them credit for. It seem the rumors have begun.” He said frowning slightly. He honestly could not care what any of the students said or believed. He was the happiest he had been in over two centuries and would not let the notions of a few students, or the whole school for that matter, change what they had between them. But it was not up to him alone. She needed to be comfortable as well. “Perhaps it would be best if I spent the remainder of the evening circling the Hall?” He hoped she would tell him to stay, but completely understood if she didn’t. Their relationship put her in an awkward position, she was his boss and therefore technically should not be entertaining the thought let alone acting on it. It was the same for him, although with less potential consequences. “The other option is we could dispel all rumors and I could just kiss you here and now?” he said, hoping to lighten the situation. It was a very tempting thought. But he knew he never would act on it. There was too much at risk for her to even really joke about it. His eyes flicked to the new student and he sighed. He would need to manage his comments while in the same room. Even though he most likely was not paying attention to professors’ conversation when there was so much other activity going on. He only picked up on those few conversations because their names were spoken and spoken together. He had learned long ago to keep an ear open for his name, and monitoring for hers came just as natural to him. He would have to make sure to talk with Mr. De Vos sooner rather than later. A vampire taking on a role as a student was odd, no matter the age. But as he looked around, he could see the interest a younger vampire might have in being part of a group. And he seemed to be settling into the All-house group Mr. Vaisey and Ms. Oden seemed to be the center of. He eyed the table curiously, wondering briefly what prompted the couple to surround themselves with this group. Not that he thought it wasn't a good group, but given their unique circumstances, there could be additional motives at play.
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Post by Wesley Thorsen on May 17, 2023 11:02:34 GMT -8
Wesley's face contorts into an expression of confusion, but focus. He listens intently to Heather's line of thinking-out-loud...
"I like that idea, that seas could be referring to letters." He nods. It's a clever way to word the riddle, but does it fit with the rest of the clues in context? Wesley really wants to impress Heather, he is a Ravenclaw after all; this is the sort of thing he should excel at, right? But he just feels kind of lost.
Wesley rakes his the finger of his left hand through his hair and adjusts his red jacket, "Shit. I guess we're stuck here, huh." He chuckles, an attempt to keep the vibe easy and friendly. He stares at Heather, how beautiful she looked even in the dim eerie lighting of this cabin. Wesley wants to close the gap between their faces again but an ghostly howl outside forces him to work the riddle, not her.
He closes his eyes to clear his mind as he replays the words in his mind again: I have seas without water, coasts without sand, towns without people, and mountains without land....
Wesley recalls logistical information, like how the Aral Sea, which had been in Central Asia, began shrinking in the 1960s and has since largely dried up. That could be a sea without water. But that didn’t make sense for a riddle. He was thinking too hard.
He tries to take a figurative step back from the words and view them at a ‘distance’. “Seas? Towns? Mountains?” He repeats the words that stick out the most to him. “It’s mostly things that are geographical….” He muses.
There is a sudden loud bang at the front door that they’d entered through. A continuous banging. Something out there was trying to get in here.
“Wow. They, uh, really went all out in making this thing scary, I guess.” He chuckles feeling a little trepidatious. He wondered what kind of illusion was on the otherside of the door… but was not curious enough to go anywhere near that door.
“A map!” Wesley suddenly yells out, louder than he meant to, but the moment the concept entered his mind he blurted it out. He chuckles a little embarrassed and leans closer to Heather, speaking low, “A map, right? Seas without water? Towns without people, Mountains? Land?”
He didn’t want to give an actual answer unless it was a unified between them.
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Post by Theo Cole on May 17, 2023 20:56:40 GMT -8
Theo has been holed up in his dorm room catching up on an overdue reading assignment. He is distracted when his family owl swoops in through an open window to deliver a letter. Theo groans and the owl makes an offended huffing sound. "Sorry Iris, not your fault." He gives her a gentle, affectionate pat, which she accepts contentedly.
As expected, Willow writes to him from home, and her letters have a tendency to carry bad news. Their mother hasn't been doing well since their father died. Willow hated when Theo left for school at the beginning of the term, she hated being left alone with their mother.
When Willow wrote him it was always 80% complaints, and 20% how much she missed him... And there was nothing he could do about it from school, which only made him feel bad.
He reads and re-reads the letter, his face dropped in a frustrated frown. He shoves the letter into the book he'd been reading and uses it as a place marker for now. He stretches, tired, and his stomach growls loudly. He realizes his dormmates have not yet come up from dinner and he thinks it's odd that they'd still be in the great hall... when realization comes crashing down over him.
"Shit. The Halloween feast!"
Theo jumps up, practically knocking his chair over in the process, and practically runs the entire way down to the hall. He wasn't sure if Isla would be looking for him, but on the off chance she was, he did not want to disappoint her. He thinks of his sister; I'm already disappointing enough people.
Theo's heart pounded in his chest as he made his way down to the Halloween feast. The letter from Willow weighed on his mind, but he pushed aside worries for the moment. He couldn't let it ruin the rare opportunity to spend time with Isla and their friends.
Theo was greeted by a spectacular sight. The room was transformed into a mesmerizing scene with eerie decorations and a lively atmosphere. Ghosts floated gracefully among the students, adding an enchanting touch to the ambiance. His eyes darted across the crowd, scanning for Isla's vibrant red hair.
And there she was. She looked as stunning as ever. He looks at his simple street clothes, zero a black shirt and jeans. Boring. Isla looked amazing in her black dress.
As Theo approaches the group, he notices Isla furtively send a folded bit of paper to land in front of Wolf. What was that about? He wonders. He tries to maintain an air of casualness as he smoothly draps an arm around Isla's shoulders and offers a warm smile. "Evenin' all," he greets.
Theo takes a moment to glance around; it was a larger group than he had anticipated. Curiosity piqued his interest in the new faces. An interesting group. "I Can't believe I almost missed this." He says.
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Post by Loce Vaisey on May 18, 2023 3:22:22 GMT -8
Loce nodded to Reece. It was a good tradition. Maybe one to keep going. He smiled as Theo joined the group. “Hey Theo, glad you could make it. Grab a seat and some parchment. We’re writing out stuff we want to get rid of to burn, and stuff we want to say to others. Bits of encouragement, friendship, anything else you need or want to say to someone else here." He folded up the last of the pieces of parchment he’d been writing on and glanced around the table. He kissed Anneli’s hand then stood and went to retrieve a nearby pumpkin with a candle in it. He also grabbed an empty metal serving tray from the refreshment table. Best to not set the room on fire, he thought to himself and returned setting the pumpkin and the platter in the middle of the table. “For all those with negative things to send away…” He picked up one piece of parchment and stuck the end into the pumpkin, catching it on fire. He held it for a few seconds, then dropped it onto the serving tray to watch it burn. “Whose next?”He sat, watching the others burn their negative thoughts or wishes for the future and pass out any notes they wanted to. “Now, everyone pass out their positive notes to whoever. I'll go last in that." He said, squeezing Anneli's hand. When they were done, he picked up the rest of the pieces of parchment, handing one to everyone at the table in turn. Everyone except Fergus that is. Fergus already knew what Loce thought of him, there was no need to write it out. Besides, these were supposed to be well wishes, and he had none for Fergus. When he came back to his seat he reached a hand to Anneli. “On that note friends, and Fergus, we will be taking our leave. Sorry to ritual and run, but we are going to see what the stars have in store for us tonight I think.” He winked at Anneli and slipped his arm around her waist, leading her away from the group towards the entrance to the Hall.
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Post by Heather Nicholson on May 21, 2023 16:34:02 GMT -8
She took a step away from the door as whatever it was outside banged open. The lightbulb went off as Wesley said the answer. She went through the riddle in her mind again. It was the only thing that made sense to her. "I think you're right!" she said to him. "Of course!" Everything from the riddle fit. She turned to the sphinx and said, "A map!" The sphinx gave them a grin and then stepped aside, letting them through the next doorway. This one was long and dark, with torches on the walls that sputtered in and out with light. She could only imagine what was at the other end of it. But she was glad that whatever was outside wasn't going to get them now.
"I think you deserve 50 extra points for that answer," she told him.
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Post by Wesley Thorsen on May 22, 2023 15:42:42 GMT -8
"Thanks," Wesley laughs, "I'll take all the bonus points I can where you're concerned." He winks at her as the sphinx lets them through the secret doorway. They found themselves standing at the entrance of a long, dimly lit corridor. Torches flickering unreliably along the walls, casting dancing shadows.
Wesley reaches out and gently interlaces his fingers with Heather's, offering her a reassuring squeeze. The contact between their hands conveys a sense of comfort and solidarity, a silent understanding that they are in this together. "We got this."
They stepped forward into the ominous corridor, their footsteps echoing softly. Approaching the end of the corridor, they discover a door, seemingly blending into the wall. Wesley lifts a hand and pushes through the door.
To their surprise, on the other side is a maze of glass and mirrors, stretching out in all different directions.
The reflection of their own bewildered expressions multiplied in the myriad of mirrored surfaces.
The ceiling is glass but beyond that seems to be an enchantment that replicates the nighttime sky. It seemed like the same enchantment that decorates the ceiling in the Great Hall. It's dimly lit, by random hanging lights here and there, making it all the more difficult to get your bearings.
"Wow..." Wesley looks at Heather, "Care to lead the way?" He offers. He wasn't sure how his Ravenclaw wits would assist them this time.
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Post by Heather Nicholson on May 22, 2023 21:15:01 GMT -8
"Oh Merlin..." she breathed. Okay this was better than being outside with possible werewolves, but damn... She was glad for Wesley's hand in hers. He was a comforting presence. She reached a hand out to feel what was a mirror and what wasn't. She ran her fingers against the mirrors until they slipped against open air. "This way," she said and stepped forward, pulling him along with her.
She navigated that way along two winding corridors. Then as she ran her fingers over another mirror, a ghost popped out. This one covered in blood with his head held in his hands. No doubt one of the ones from the headless hunt that Nearly Headless Nick always wanted to join. He gave a wail. She screamed in response, recoiling back from it. The ghost gave a hearty laugh.
"Got you good!" he laughed and then swooped up into the air, disappearing from sight.
"Fucking hell," she said as she calmed down. Her heart still racing.
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Post by Wesley Thorsen on May 23, 2023 14:29:23 GMT -8
Wesley follows happily a step behind Heather as she navigates the mirrored maze. He watched her hands touch each pane of glass searching for opening for them to pass through. She was determined and focused and he enjoyed letting her take over so he could just watch.
He swiveled his head around and realized he could see their reflections at every angle. He chuckles, "You know what, I think I like this part of the haunted house." He says, checking her out with a wink.
When Heather reaches out and touches glass and a ghost pops out for an effective jump scare. Wesley can't help but laugh loudly, his hands folding around his stomach after seeing Heather's pure shock and the scream she let out. He hadn't even had the time to be startled, he was too focused on her reaction.
He wraps his arms around her shoulders from behind and pulls her close to whisper in her ear, "Boo." He can't help himself and plants a kiss or two on the side of her neck. "Fucking Hell is right." He chuckles again.
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