Post by Trevor Williams on May 13, 2012 21:25:26 GMT -8
Me = Casey Winslow, Jennifer Herado
Layni = Madeline Jamison
Joe = Charles Alexander
Summer = Evie Winslow, Lydia Winslow
Past Member = Chris
October 31, 2008
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All around the Great Hall, there was an eerie air. Halloween being such a major event in the wizarding world, the professors and students involved with preparing the dance had gone all out on the decorations, holding nothing back. Jack-o-lanterns were suspended in mid air above the heads of any who walked in, the flickering light of their candles practically the only source of light in the room. Shadows danced on the walls from the light cast through the triangular eyes, jagged mouths, cut-out witches on brooms, and other holes in the large pumpkins. The flickering effect in and of itself would perhaps have been enough, but there was also fog beneath, and as usual the room was much too cold.
Round tables with scattered black and orange tablecloths sat along the far wall, and just a little ways away was a rectangular table clothed in black that contained things like candy corn, chocolate spiders, 'blood-flavored' lollipops, etc. as well as a nice-sized bowl of pumpkin juice with a ladle within it and several stacks of short, wide-mouthed plastic cups. In the corner of the table sat a small (in comparison to the ones floating above) pumpkin with a carved-out witch, candle set inside it illuminating it.
At the far end of the Great Hall, the band was setting up and preparing, at this point just warming up quietly on electric guitars, drums, etc., the whole sound discombobulated and the two guitarists clashing as they played different parts of the song at the same time. The organization team had managed to get The Goulish Guys band to sing. Quite new to the scene, but they had been an immediate hit, though that seemed to range only amongst the students, as most of the professors weren't particularly looking forward to the band's playing.
The fairly young team of professors would have preferred something like the Weird Sisters, as would a few of the older students who were old enough to know who they were, seeing as the band had for the most part withdrawn from the scene of the musical arena a few years back. Strange how a relatively small amount of time could change things, but most didn't dwell on it. Instead, it was on with the festivities tonight that would be starting as the clock struck the witching hour....
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Casey really did not want to be here. His face and rigid way of walking made that obvious to anyone who knew anything about him, yet he was there even if he was off in a corner by himself in a chair he'd pulled over from a table. Getting him here had been quite the task for his wife, but she'd managed it. He'd refused to dress in more than a green track jacket he never recalled wearing before and some black jeans. Say he was a modern-day hobo or a quidditch player on his off time or something if someone asked, which he really hoped wouldn't happen tonight.
He really didn't care what Evie said he was just so long as he was left alone. He didn't need to deal with much more right now. He was edgier than ever before, and he had been trying to avoid his six-year-old daughter for that purpose. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did something out of anger, frustration, or annoyance especially when he already knew he was more easily irritable of late. Life just wasn't cutting it for him right now, which felt altogether unnatural.
He let out a sigh as he sat forward, resting his face in his hands to try to block out the sight of anyone walking by or hanging near him. People really were ants. That's all they were anymore, and he hated it. It didn't matter if they were in a completely different room from him within the same place or house or not. So long as he knew they were near, he felt crowded out. Teaching was altogether trying, but at least tonight was a Friday, so he had the weekend off after this.
After a few moments of sitting like that, he sat up, looking around at the few students and professors that were in the room at that point in time. He'd come fairly early just to avoid the immediate onset of that being crowded out feeling. Maybe tonight would be fun, but Casey just doubted it. If Evie managed to get him up to dance, it'd be a miracle. If he managed to find any sort of enjoyment period, it'd be a miracle after the past few weeks of hell.
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Tonight would be oh-so-much fun. With little first through third years also going to be at this event (even with an hour or so earlier curfew) it was sure to be full of little pranks to pull to scare the younger years. First years, especially, were so gullible, it wasn't even funny, but hey, it certainly would be wonderfully amusing to see them scare over the next few weeks following the ball from the slightest tale if told in the right manner or watch them freak. She had the perfect little joke, too, for some of them in the morning. Might would ask her first year cousin the question later that evening when they were back in the dorm. Surely Nikki would want to be filled in on the hour she'd miss. Jennifer Herado had no doubt.
She waited at the foot of the girl's dormitories for her second cousin from the dispicable Headmistress to come down. Nikki was so much like her mum when she was young, it seemed. It was always a bit of a rush to train the kid in things her mum wouldn't approve of behind her back. To Jamie, Jennifer was pretty sure Nikki was still the sweet, innocent little kid she'd always been, but hey, sometimes looks can be decieving and things certainly weren't as they seemed with that little first year.
Jenn glanced over at some boy who came down from his dorm in a cool-looking vampire costume, giving him a once over. Hot in that, he was, but she didn't have time to flirt right now, though she did make eye contact and brush some of her crimped hair back over her shoulders and give a small smirk and wave. The boy seemed to approve of her costume. Even if it wasn't anything special, it was still something. She was going as one of the Weird Sisters.
Her black shirt came up over her hipster jeans to reveal her belly and the tattoo of a rose she'd got over the summer without her dad's knowledge, which of course, he really didn't need to know, seeing as she was of age in all technicality. It fit fairly loosely (for her) but seemed to feature her every curve. For once the top wasn't low-cut, which she was certain would be a relief to the teachers, but part of the reason the shirt came so high up was to reveal the word on her belt clip, which she knew the professors wouldn't like, especially with their own kids wandering around the place. But since when did what the professors thought become of any concern to Jennifer? Never.
Her pants and belt were black, studded with silver things, and she had boots on, as well in, you guessed it, black. She even held a microphone in her hand. Even if there really was no need for one in the wizarding world, it was Jennifer's way of getting the point across of the fact she was being some sort of singer without having to use the Sonorus charm all night. That would be quite disturbing hearing your voice echo off the walls and to know everyone could hear every single word you were saying quite clearly. No one needed to know what she talked about or how she talked. None of their business.
With a sigh, she leaned her back against the wall of the common room near the entrance to the stairwell that led to the girl's dorm and crossed a foot over the other and her arms against her body, leaning her head back as she closed her eyes. Any minute now, she knew her cousin would be down. Why did first years seem to take so bloody long?
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Madeline ran in the minute the bells chimed. It was her first year! She wasn't going to miss a minute of the party. She had heard from all the upper classman that parties here were to die for, and the halloween one was the best. She smiled brightly looking around the hall wide eyed in wonder at the various decorations. Very rarely was Madeline stunned, but the jack-o-lanterns, the colors and the fog just managed to lock her mouth shut for more than a few minutes.
She laughed brightly and spun creating a swirl in the fog. "WOW!!! THIS IS AWESOME!" She smiled and shrugged at her friends, older than she was as they shook their heads with endearing smiles at her suprise. Now she just had to find someone she knew to hang out with as the music was starting and it seemed everyone was splitting off.
She shrugged and started prowling around the room, fitting considering she was wearing long black pants and a long sleeved black shirt along with a tail and ears. She even went as far as to have one of the older kids color the tip of her nose black and give her fake whiskers, the perfect black cat costume.
Charlie came down the steps. He wasn't in costume, nor did he intend to be. At this point all he wanted was a bit of time alone. He pulled his robes tightly around him and exited through the front door. He wandered out into the darkness until he found a tree. He sat down with a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair, leaning back on the tree and watching the cool vapor escape from his mouth when he exhaled.
Jennifer had waited for Nikki for as long as she could stand waiting for her. There was nothing funny about taking so long to come down, so she figured she'd either already left, decided not to come, or was going to come down later with friends. She really didn't give a care right now. It was every woman for herself at this point in time, and she really wanted to get down to the party and actually dance and have an overall good time. Nothing wrong with that so far as she could see, and if there was, then so be it. Then every student in the school who attended the dance was in the wrong.
Letting out a sigh, she made her way out of the Slytherin Common Room and through the dungeons to the staircase that led up to the ground floor where she promptly made a left and headed towards the Great Hall. People seemed to be all around, which was no real surprise. The band was set up and was playing a fairly upbeat song, which was a definite plus. Even if she didn't have a date or anyone to dance with didn't mean she was just going to stand there at the doorway and wait around for some guy to decide to ask her to dance with him. She'd just stand there and dance a little on her own. Didn't matter to her if she looked foolish doing so. She at least could dance.
Lydia pulled at her wings that were part of her ladybug costume. A cute little red dress with a long sleeved black shirt and tights underneath, little bug antennas and wings on her back. Evie thought her daughter looked cute, her little ‘love bug’ that she ended up calling her as the two were getting ready alone in the room. Casey had left early and from what she saw while, he wasn’t in much of a costume. It looked like something he found in the back of the closet and had decided it was good enough. Honestly, she didn’t know what she was going to do with him. Casey had become so reclusive since she caught him in the bathroom. Was he going through that much of a withdraw that it was making him like this? Well, he wasn’t going to ruin the night for her or for Lydia either, it was Halloween and they were going to enjoy it.
Once Evie was ready the two walked down to the Great Hall, Evie getting stopped by a few of her older Gryffindor students, (mostly those on the Quidditch team) about her costume. A little tradition she started a few years back (mostly as a joke) as the ‘Queen of Gryffindor’ she even told her Quidditch team that if they made it to the cup finals she would wear the costume as part of a bet, so some of her players were getting a good laugh at her and reminding her of the bet she made.
Lydia ran into the hall once saw it, leaving her mum to keep on talking while Lydia started looking around for Julian or Casey, making sure to stay clear of any of the girls that tried to make her into a living doll. After a few minutes of looking and walking around she spotted her dad sitting off by himself in a corner, looking sort of upset. But she went over there anyways, he didn’t get to see her costume before he left and she wanted to show him. look what mum got me Lydia said happily, pointing to the wings on her back that fluttered a little bit for the added effect (Evie having placed a charm on them before they left the common room)
Chris scooted his way around the many groups of older students that seemed to have taken a liking to just standing in the middle of the hall entrance blocking everyone’s way. Maybe if you were 3rd year and above you might be lucky enough to get them to move, but 1st and 2nd year? Forget it. So he was forced to sneak his way past them which he was surprised because his costume did sort of stand out among all the dark colors in here. A golden yellow Quidditch uniform from his favorite team (---will figure out later) and a model broom. But all well, they were just to busy chatting to notice anything that was going on around them. Chris looked around at the hall, this was really impressive compared to what he had seen done in the muggle world. As he was looking up at the stormy ceiling he took a step back and tripped over a chair that was behind him, falling on his backside and his model broom sliding off somewhere. The kids that were around him all laughed and Chris just sort of sat there on the ground for a moment and gave a very small nervous chuckle, averting his eyes to the ground. What a way to make an entrance.
Casey's eyes came to his daughter as he heard her voice start talking to him and noticed she was pointing to the wings. He forced a smile and said with as much cheer as he could manage, "Yeah, look at that!" and brought up a hand to ruffle her hair, keeping that smile for a few moments before he looked over at Evie for a few moments as she was stopped by some students. Well, maybe if he took Lydia out to the dance floor to let her have some fun, maybe then he wouldn't have to talk to Evie for a little while, right? Maybe she'd even think that he was finally lightening up a little. Ever since she had caught him cutting, things had been pretty hostile between the two of them.
He brought his blue eyes back to his daughter and put the smile back on again. "What do you say to dancing with your old man?" he asked, beginning to stand. If he knew Lydia, she wouldn't say no unless Evie had told her otherwise. The band was starting up, after all, seeing as people were here. They wouldn't stand out as the only two dancing or anything like that, even if they would be the only father-daughter 'couple' out there. He didn't know how he'd handle or for how long, but he'd at least try to give Lydia a good time tonight even if he didn't think it was possible for it to be a good night for him.
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