Throwdown of the Century

Padril smirked to himself as Darcy jeered at him. Not for the first time, he wondered if Deas suspected his inclinations. Their rapport had always had a comfortable, playful undertone of two people who could trust each other not to take one another seriously. He'd never tried to hide himself from her, never pretended to like girls like he had for other friends. She had just never questioned it. He poured himself a drink, and then made the contents vanish in a single gulp. As he poured himself another, he allowed himself to feel a moment of sadness. Darcy was only ever around for a couple of months ever year, and when she graduated, he would probably see less and less of her. It was distressing how easy it was to build up great friendships, and how it was such a simple matter to lose them.

Padril took a sip of his new glass, still not quite feeling the influence of the drink, and spotted Hallie lounged on a bean bag, looking melancholic. He hadn't started this party wanting to comfort people; he would've quite alright with himself and Darcy, and maybe Della if he could find her, just having a few laughs. But if he hadn't developed his friendship with those girls, what might've he missed out on? And once they were out of his life, what would he do? He needed to capitalise on good people and make good friends. And a good friend did not let their friend look so sad and so lonely.

He meandered over to Hallie, gently sitting opposite her so he wouldn't crinkle his new (and expensive) jacket. "Hi Hallie," he greeted her, taking another sip. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Hallie fluttered her eyelashes giving her time to come back to earth after being deep in thought. Of course it was Brian plaguing her thoughts. A growing dislike towards him. She felt used and seeing Brian flirting with other girls simply proved that. 

Staring ahead at Brian, a mix of despair and confusion on her face clearly showing her feelings. 'Just. People.' 

Hallie had never spoken to Padril about her kiss with Brian, in fact they hadn't spoke much other than their rendezvous in the dungeons where they engaged in conversation about Muggle movies. In a way she wanted to expel her thoughts, after all Padril had been talking to Brian - perhaps he had mentioned her? Right now however, she simply didn't know what to do with the situation.

Mavis continued to booty shake in the middle of the group, her fat rippling up and down as she did so. 'I'm Mavis!' The girl gasped, grasping Darcey by the hand and shaking it upon her introduction. 'I'm in Gry-' 

However before Mavis could continue her eyes had caught a table of neatly laid foods. There were custard creams, liquorice snaps, chocolate frogs and cheese and union pasties, the later an unusual food to be present seeing as they give one terribly bad breath. 

'FOOD!' Look everyone!' She screamed at the top of her voice as though nobody else were aware. If the booty popping and the spaghetti stain down her front didn't put people off her surely her odd attraction to the food was. Mavis didn't see that her bounding over to the table waving her arms like mad wasn't the norm, she was only trying to be helpful telling everyone there was food after all?

'Ooo. Look at all these goodies!' Mavis cried in excitement to a nearby Hufflepuff who simply stared at her then walked away. Poor Mavis. The sugar in her drink had turned her eyes a slight shade of blue, not that this was affect her behaviour. Oddball Oakes was her nickname after all. 

Without a care in the world she filled her arms with custard creams and pasties - the contents of which spurted on her white polo top having a party of it's own the spaghetti stain. 

Vivianna Varnes wrote:Vivianna watched, leaning back against the door of the tiny room, as Henri downed the shot. The Slytherin wasn't sure what was going through the mind of the younger girl. If anything, the OWL student figured that Henri should be pleased right then. She'd destroyed Erika's reputation, and from the slump of the other girl's shoulders, Henri might have destroyed Erika too. Hopefully not though, Erika was interesting, and probably stronger than most might expect.

There were so many things she wanted to say to Henri right then, but the redhead knew that at least half of them would result in the conversation ending badly. Watching Henri silently for a few moments, Vivianna knew that she needed to say something.

"Look," the teenager said finally, "you don't have to talk, we both know that. If you want, I suppose I can be your supply of alcohol and drugs until you decide you can leave here. But really Henri, what was that?" Vivianna carefully kept her tone non-judgmental, she wasn't really one to talk, after all.

Henri brooded over the sink. Her spirit burned with indignation. She had never, ever had trouble getting what she wanted. Life was a game of her pointing at what she wanted, and then everyone tripping over themselves to grab it, put it on a platter, and humbly present it to her. She got to the point where she didn't even try. People just gave to her. Because she commanded sacrifice from her inferiors.

Hadn't Erika done that? Hadn't she presented her fate to her on a platter? UGH! Henri was so incredibly frustrated. Part of her wanted to release this anger. Slam Vivianna's head into the porcelain sink. Storm out and cause a scene. Take out a lighter, go to the greenhouses and... and...

Yes.

She looked up at Vivianna, her eyes again dead to sincere emotion. She stubbed her cigarette out on the sink, dropping it inside the bowl. "That was my cue." She smiled, opened the door, and flounced out. She ignored those who called to her, pushed her bouncer aside, and left the party completely.

Padril followed Hallie's longful stare to Brian, then looked back at her again, sighing. That made at least three girls tonight that Brian must have flirted with, and two had come to the party hoping to spend some time with him. Padril generally had a free love philosophy, where unless commitment is explicitly stated, one has no right to be upset. But it seemed like Brian might just be a heartbreaker. He took a sip of his drink and shifted in his seat so he could be closer to Hallie, just to make sure he could speak in a low enough voice they wouldn't be overheard. If Henri's girl spread some gossip, Cooper's night could get worse.

How to approach the conversation though? He wasn't going to just straight up ask it; he always inquired and took information from people without offering something first. Maybe a mutual exchange of trust was in order. Padril took a breath, carefully planning how he was going phrase his story. He didn't want to lie, but likewise he didn't want to betray too much information. In any case, it was more than most people got, but he felt like being reckless for the sake of, not necessarily a friend, but the concept of friendship.

"I had a problem with a person once," he confided. "They were a Muggle, studying at the University in Oxford. My brother and I always used to go out to the colleges at nights, you see, despite the fact that we were much younger, we were pretty smart and I guess we impressed them. We also knew the town better than most, so showed them around. Anyway, I was at this party when a person asked for a tour of the town. I gave it to them, and we became friends. It became that these tours transitioned into a regular occurrence, and I thought there might be something...more. Then I surprise them at a college party, and they were giving someone else entirely a tour." He took another drink, surprised by how much he had told the girl, and also how he had successfully navigated the tricky business of gender-neutral pronouns.

"It hit me right here, Hallie," Padril told her, putting a hand over his chest. "Felt terrible. Like an arrow was stuck in my gut and I couldn't cut it out. And it worse, right, because I never told this person that I liked them, or never even tried to make them...mine. And then I thought about it more, and I realised the primary cause of my melancholy was not losing them, it was how I viewed myself. Was I not attractive, or funny, or intelligent enough for them? For anyone? Strange how our perceptions of our self-worth are so strongly tied up into other peoples." He took another drink.

"So," he continued. "I realise you might not want to talk about it, and it's okay if you do, but I think this might give us a starting point to discuss in the abstract, don't you think?" It was perhaps the longest and most personal speech, nay soliloquy, he had ever uttered, but it was the first thing that had come to mind. Padril glanced at his drink suspiciously. He was not this open, not even when he was feeling drunk and sentimental. He looked back up at Hallie, smiling with pleasant concern.

Rika guessed that she probably would've spent the entire party, floating in a trance if Finch had not just stomped by.

She wasn't dreaming,not really. This was her way of dealing with things, by classifying all her emotions in neat little compartments, and shoving all the annoying ones to the back of their head, where they belong. She pushed all the self-pity, the cold, the whispers the murmurs....and stared at the ceiling, irrelevant of people talking to her. She would have been there too, till the house-elves came to carry her off, until Finch brushed past her and exited the party altogether.

Rika blinked, several times. She turned her head slowly, gaze fixed on the back of the girl who looked.....troubled. For a split-second, Rika thought of apologising.

What for? You didn't do anything wrong.

Brenda was right. Rika had done nothing, except been brutally honest with a girl who had deserved everything that hit her. She didn't need to feel guilty. She didn't need to leave the party like Finch, even though she had not wanted to reach there in the first place.

Rika got up to her feet unsteadily, only for vertigo to flatten her like a speeding train. Ow.......Rika clutched her head desperately. Not good. Not, not good. Her head was feeling curiously light, like a floating feather buffeted along by the wind....Rika feared she would leave the ground entirely.

A drunken giggle forced its way past her lips. Leave the ground.....away from all these stupid people...how nice. But no no, she was going to have fun......her eyes flitted to a couple of people in front, including the blonde Gryffindor who had tried to approach her earlier. Rika half-mused tapping her on the shoulder...but no, she wasn't that inebriated yet, to resort to touching people. She cleared her throat very, very loudly and put on a bright, wide smile, fake enough that even an idiot could look through it. But Rika was an expert on deluding herself, who cared if she was mocked and lonely and- "Hi guys!" She was still going to be happy. Or give a decent half-try at least.

Hallie gazed into Padril's eyes as he recounted his life experience with love, Oblivious to the fact that he kept using the words 'them' and 'their'. It was somewhat soothing to her and, in a way, inspiring. The girl would never guess Padril had once loved or even had feelings for someone, he hadn't come across that he was the kind to once have been broken by a girl.

Padril's words allowed Hallie to think about her situation. Was Brian's ignorance of her making her feel like a lady who can't be loved? Partly. The main thought was that she was ashamed. Hallie had practically begged for their sexual encounter. She felt ashamed and used. He hadn't wanted to give in to her but he had, perhaps because of pressure rather than pure passion for her.

'I'm an idiot.' She muttered, shaking her head and tilting her head in shame. 'I really thought he must have liked me.' Now returning her stare to Padril. 'Am I really that unlikable? To kiss someone then never even acknowledge them again. Ever!' However before Padril could reply their conversation was interrupted by Erika.

Erika who had ignored Hallie had come over, an act of cheerfulness forced into her body. Maybe she had needed the time to think without Hallie speaking to her. Turning her attention to Erika Hallie realised her problems were nothing compared to the public humiliation Erika had received. Then again, love stings sharper than a few words said in a party where most people were so drunk they'd forget it tomorrow.

Hallie's response confirmed Padril's suspiciouns, and then some. She and Brian had shared a moment- a kiss, as it turned out- and the girl felt neglected now. Padril had opened his mouth to reply to Hallie when Erika approached them. She was an odd girl, to be sure, and normally Padril would have attempted to avoid her just to dodge the social quagmire that seemed to surround her. But he was feeling nice and shameful of his previous behaviour, so instead he gestured to one of the bean bags.

"Hey," he greeted her. "I'm Padril. Have a seat, we're talking about love." He had a feeling that at this present moment, the girl might just want to feel included in a conversation that didn't revolve around her rather obvious illness or her issues with other girls. He looked back at Hallie, still cradling his cup between his two hands.

"I can't speak for why he's acting like this," Padril began with a shrug. "But does it matter? He liked you enough to kiss but not enough to talk to you? Sounds like he's just a jerk to me." He took another sip of his drink, which was looking noticeably blurrier now. Hmm. "You're a strong, beautiful woman whose happiness is not contingent on the opinion of some guy!" he declared, raising his glass. "Who needs jerks, right?"

Hallie blinked as Padril asked why it mattered? Why did it matter? Hallie wasn't entirely sure, maybe because she had fell for him. A jerk. She was a classy girl, not the kind to beg someone to kiss them. She hated herself for it, he had caused this emotion pain and he hadn't done anything to sooth it. Perhaps if he had spoken to her, gave her some attention she'd be able to realise he is the one with the problem not her and then get over him.

'It just... matters.' She muttered as Padril took another sip. This next sentence of his appeared to one of those corny flattery ones. Was Padril making a move, or was it the alcohol making him sound slightly daft. It came across to her like he was speaking his own thoughts about someone. Another infectious jerk. A smirk crept from the corners of her lips. 'Who was she?' Her eyes fixed playfully on his. 'The girl?'

"I'm Padril. Have a seat, we're talking about love."

Rika blinked several times at that. She would have to note that effect down later, under one of the many side-effects of drunkenness: an inordinate amount of blinking. Not the stupid fluttery eyelashes thing the flirty girls did either. It was the stupid, I'm-a-gormless-idiot blinking. But even for a conversation held under the influence of alcohol, that sentence was rather odd.

"Love? Why so?" Rika flopped down on the empty bean bag next to Pad-something. "Humans are selfish by nature, with the rare exception of mothers. They only care about appearances, and manipulation, and pulling you down, and taking advantage.......so why bother?"

Rika then winced at her own sentence. Wow. She was never much of a cynic. Throw in a few 'wanker's and 'f*cker's and 'bastard's to that sentence, and she would sound exactly like her beloved brother Reid. Brenda's voice sounded oddly clouded in her head: Looks like drinking after public annihilation makes you all gloomy. And liberal with your opinions.

But she wasn't her brother. So she turned to Pad-something then, and half-apologised. He seemed like the kind who would believe in romantic love. "I mean...no offense or anything. Love the idea of romantic love in novels and all." Then to the Gryffindor girl. "He's right. Even if you do...uh, 'get him', it will only boost his ego that you're still after him, sacrificing your own. Pride matters too, right?"