nora m. peakes (melindicate) wrote in valesco,
@ 2013-10-27 23:23:00

Entry tags:

adian rosenberg, arista sykes, caradoc dearborn, charles spinnet, charlotte sweeting, delilah spinnet, derek dobbs, galvin gudgeon, giada dorny, glenda prewett, graeme dorny, greta catchlove, group, howell williams, jake bexley, kalista borgin, larkin whitby, louis bonaccord, matthew summerby, nona pepper, nora peakes, octavius pepper, oliver comstock, penelope fawcett, rose knightley, rupert brookstanton, saoirse mullet, seth wadcock

Halloween Haunted Castle Event! Open to Everyone!
While she wasn't particularly keen on parties, she was set on saving wildlife. Everyone else seemed to rake in the galleons by throwing large events, no matter the scandals that erupted from them, so why couldn't they? Nora had conservatory's committee for quite some time now, and being the youngest by a good forty years, had devised this plan as a new and fresh way of funding. It helped greatly that she had friends that had access to some of the best party planners (or that she could twist Charlie Spinnet's ear until he helped her out), and things seemed to have turned out well. So far.

For the brave at heart, there was a grand maze that made its way throughout the haunted castle. Guests would be offered clues to get themselves to the ballroom, and if they were truly lost (as Nora was sure was to occur), for just a small donation (it's for charity), any money dropped into a clue box would light up a blue path down the correct route to lead the way out. With all the Gryffindors that Nora had put on the guest list, she was sure they were going to triple their goal.

There was a simpler route than the maze, which was simply to walk through the double doors to the dance floor. Nora was currently wavering between the two, having run out of pamphlets to give out at the front entrance therefore giving her no excuse to join the festivities. She felt rather exposed, as Delilah had stolen her cloak, and when someone tapped her shoulder she jumped nearly a foot in the air.

"Bloody hell!" she let out, spinning around. "You scared the life out of me!"

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

Louis!

hath_no_fury
2013-10-28 01:08 am UTC (link)

Kalista had gotten used to the idea that the only opportunities she had to get out of the house came in the form of a charity event, or some other social gathering where she was responsible for representing her household. Augustus accompanied her from time to time, but for the most part she went off by herself because her husband had work, or simply did not want to join her. Ever since she was a little girl, she had been trained to make conversation with all the right people in order to remain in their good graces. She knew which pure blood witches and wizards enjoyed having their egos stroked, so all she really had to do was shower the right people with compliments and talk up Augustus - make mention of how successful he was, and what a great father he was to Astrid.

It wasn't like she was lying, but the smile she spoke through was never sincere. Kalista had always daydreamed about getting married since she was a little girl, and while she knew an arranged marriage was a possibility, she thought things would be different. She thought she would be happier, for starters. She would even settle for content, but between Augustus treating her like her only purpose in life was to produce an heir, and her best friend turning into someone she didn't want to know anymore, she only ever felt happy when she was with her daughter.

Making her way to the other side of the room, Kalista was careful to make sure no one stepped on her dress as she approached the fountain of spiked punch. Holding out her goblet, she filled it and took a sip, peering over the rim through her mask in order to survey the crowd. The crowd was thinning out, seeing how a lot of people had work in the morning and had left at a reasonable time. Glancing over at the clock, she saw that it was only 12:30, and let out a sigh at the realization.

She wasn't ready to go back home yet, just to take off her costume and crawl into bed with her husband who would surely be asleep. She would likely stare at the ceiling for hours until she was tired enough to doze off for a bit. She tried not to think about it as she took another sip of her punch, hoping to at least get a nice buzz so that falling asleep wasn't so much of a chore when she finally did decide to leave.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

superbad
2013-10-30 01:18 am UTC (link)

If you could sip your drink angrily, Louis Bonaccord was doing it. He scowled behind his half-piece mask, a last minute costume because his sister's stupid dog (it must take after the idiot man that gave it to her) had decided to relieve itself on his Kestrels jersey. It had been perfect! Adian was to be Drystan Fawcett, and he Charlie Spinnet, and they were going to break into random and loud fights throughout the evening. It would have been beautiful.

But, no. The smell of dog piss would not leave his jersey, no matter how hard he or his sister tried. Alphonse was now banished from the room whenever Louis entered it.

For some reason, though, Therese had a mask that he could borrow so he did not have to be the only person without a costume. A quick change into one of his more formal set of robes and a rather intense billowing cloak, he was now the phantom of some opera. Which opera, he had not known, but at least he looked dashing. Dashing. He always looked dashing! He had wanted to be a Kestrel. Pah.

His glowering over the night had caused him to have a little more liquor than he usually might. Louis was adept at holding his own when it came to drinks, so he was merely feeling bolder, instead of dizzy and silly. His liquid courage was what had caused him to approach the ravishing woman he had been eyeing for some time. She had not danced with anyone all evening, and any man that had approached her did not seem of the significant kind. He came up to the punch table beside her, putting his glass to the fountain and watching it fill up once more.

"Your dress is going to waste," he said, lifting his drink for a slight, polite cheers before putting it to his lips. "You cannot show it off in the shadows."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

hath_no_fury
2013-10-31 01:02 am UTC (link)

She had noticed someone approaching, though she hadn’t been expecting him to acknowledge her. When she heard his voice, she had glanced over, though it took her a moment to realize he was talking about her dress. She had gone so far as to look over her shoulder to make sure there wasn’t someone standing behind her. It wasn’t that she wasn’t used to compliments, but it just took her by surprise. She noticed right away that he had an accent – French, if she wasn’t mistaken – so she quickly tried to think of whom she might know from the region.

“Perhaps lurking in the shadows is my way of staying in character.” The corner of her mouth twitched upwards into a devious smirk as she spoke, lifting her own goblet to take another sip of the sweet punch. It really was quite dangerous, how good it was. It went down easily, though she knew from her years of partying with Cecilia that the sweetest of drinks always hurt the most the next morning. Nowadays, she sipped on glasses of wine at night in order to help her sleep; it also helped make things more bearable.

“And what are you supposed to be?” She questioned with a raise of her brow, placing her free hand on her hip. Her gaze traveled down to take in his wardrobe before making their way back up to meet his eyes, awaiting his response. Even with his face half concealed, she could tell he was handsome in a boyish sort of way. It didn’t help her in her mission to try and figure out who it was she might be speaking to. If anyone of import saw her talking to the wrong kind of person, it was sure to be thrown in her face as the next social event she attended.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

superbad
2013-11-02 02:24 am UTC (link)

He smirked with a shake of his head, "That is not the dress of a lurker."

Louis swirled the drink in his hand, contemplating whether or not he needed the beverage to give himself more courage. He had not had the gall to approach a woman in this manner in some time, and if he were to be honest, the aches of Dianna's departure still struck him in moments when he least expected them. Dianna hadn't been his in a long time, but knowing that she'd never be had taken some time to accept.

But this woman in red was not turning him away, and her ability to toss his words back at him intrigued Louis. It could not hurt if he let the conversation, and the evening, take a natural course. Louis tapped the side of his mask, as if he had forgotten it was there.

"I'm the phantom of the opera, of course," he said, deciding that there could only be one phantom of one opera, and he was going to play that role accordingly. "I cause all sorts of trouble behind the scenes."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

hath_no_fury
2013-11-02 06:50 pm UTC (link)

His retort made her cant her head a bit. She was intrigued, and wasn't hating the attention, but she still didn't know who she was speaking to. She was now beginning to wonder if he knew who she was. Was this man just messing with her? She wasn't used to people being genuine, so she was a little bit wary. "Are you an expert on the subject, or do you just like making your opinion known?"

It had been quite some time since anyone had ever commented on her appearance unless they felt obligated. In her circle of so called 'friends', the women were all catty and gave fake smiles and told each other how lovely they looked - of course once they walked away they would talk about flaws that didn't exist, just to have something to talk about. The men were always huddled together in another area of the room, talking business. It was how social events had been her entire life, so she had been prepared for it when her marriage had been arranged.

She always thought she would at least have Cecilia and Evan around to share in her misery. Now one of them was dead, and the other one might as well be. She never thought her best friend would be so...hypocritical. She made Kalista feel like a monster for not accepting the fact that her best friend had run off with a mudblood. Why was it okay for the both of them to think they were the scum of the earth, but when it was just Kalista, she was a terrible person? It was all just so infuriating.

"The opera?" She questioned, never having heard of this phantom. "That's incredibly vague." Another sip of her drink was taken, though she smirked again when he explained what this phantom was known for. "Is that what you're doing now? Causing trouble?"

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

superbad
2013-11-03 08:53 pm UTC (link)

Louis had unconsciously stepped closer to her, to hear the woman's words with the loud party going on around them. If he were to be honest, he had no real or true desire to find out who it was under the mask. These sort of encounters were made for anonymity, and he was finding himself glad that he didn't venture much into the magical world outside of his job. It made it easier to be bolder and feel braver, when you didn't have to think about the other person's preconceived notions.

That gave him a thought. Louis was usually quite charming and a gentleman in the fullest, but where had that gotten him? A few dates that led to nowhere but a tab to pick up, or having his school sweetheart using him as a door opener to a whole new life on the other side of the world with barely a thank you. He'd watched his sister go through the hardest year of her life because she tried to be a good person and be honest and caring, so what was the point of all that? Perhaps he should start embracing his Slytherin side, like so many chided him for subduing.

His hand reached out, glass having been left on the counter, and took a lock of the woman's hair. Louis twisted it around his fingers, smirking as he leaned forward to whisper. Her perfume was nearly as intoxicating as the drink he'd downed.

"Is that what it feels like? Do I feel like trouble?"

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

hath_no_fury
2013-11-08 09:30 am UTC (link)

Kalista prided herself on being a woman who could handle herself under extreme circumstances; she wasn't the kind of person who crumbled under pressure, and she was hardly ever at a loss for words, yet as this man reached out to curl a strand of her currently jet black hair around his finger, she froze. Her fingers curled a little tighter around her goblet as he leaned in closer, feeling a chill run down her spine as he felt his breath against her ear. Kalista cleared her throat, feeling her face get a bit hot as she thought about his question. When she answered, her voice was low and a bit breathy.

"...more trouble than you know."

And she wasn't exaggerating. She was a married woman, which meant she should have been pushing him away instead of allowing him to get so close. The problem was that she really wouldn't mind if he got even closer, and that was the real battle she was having with herself. It had been such a long time since a man had given her this much attention. She took another sip of her drink before placing the goblet down on the table.

"I need some air."

She looked over at him after she made her announcement, though she turned from him in order to make her way towards the door, pushing it open so she could stand outside. The autumn air felt cool against her skin, which was exactly what she needed. She moved forward towards the ledge of the balcony. She closed her eyes as she took in a breath, trying to get her bearings.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

superbad
2013-11-11 02:00 am UTC (link)

Louis dropped his head back for a moment, wondering if he should make the effort to follow her. He tried not to mull over her words, as tonight was meant for disguises and putting aside your real world worries. He did not feel anything but excitement at the idea of pursuing things with this woman, this secretive, gorgeous woman, so was there really a reason for her to walk away, or was she simply playing hard to get?

He straightened his shoulders, deciding then that he did in fact want to see where this could lead. It was the most invigorating thing that had happened to him in months; the least he could do was see it out until the end.

Louis gave her a few moments to herself, attempting to not appear too eager. He didn't think he was, as he could easily accept another empty night as that was what he had been planning on from the moment he arrived. Also---maybe she did need the breath. Louis himself did not find it easy to talk to a woman when there was only one thing on his mind, so who knew if she was battling those thoughts as well? It was times like these where he wished his one-sixteenth Veela blood actually was of some use to him, in ways other than pickup-lines.

"It is too cold to be out here," he said as he came up to her. Louis tried to determine her expression, but behind her mask and her seemingly determination to keep away from him, it was hard. Feeling bold, he stepped to her side and put his hand on the small of her back. "You don't have to be."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

hath_no_fury
2013-11-16 06:47 am UTC (link)

The sound of his voice made her open her eyes, one of her hands lifting to be pressed against her stomach, almost as though she were trying to stop herself from feeling what she was feeling. There was a warmth in her belly that made it hard to notice just how cold it actually was, and him placing his hand on the small of her back did nothing but make that feeling spread through the rest of her body. It was such a simple gesture, and yet there was something so intimate about it...

This masked stranger was impairing her judgment, and fighting against her instincts was becoming a challenge.

She turned her head in order to look at him. While the outside temperature might have been low, his certainly was not - with his hand on her back, and their proximity so close, he was radiating heat, making her cheeks turn pink as she once again flushed. It wasn't because she was embarrassed, and she certainly wasn't shy; it was because he was making it very difficult for her to not be tempted.

"I barely noticed." She managed, though she seemed distracted. She was more focused on the feeling of his hand on her back and the smell of his cologne than she was the cold. "I may not have to be out here, but you probably shouldn't be. I'm beginning to think you may enjoy causing trouble, much like the phantom you're trying to emulate."

(Reply to this)(Parent)

(Read comments) -

scribbld is part of the horse.13 network
Design by Jimmy B.
Logo created by hitsuzen.
Scribbld System Status