Re: [OPEN/MASS THREAD] Valentine's Day Party

[Apollo Zabini]

Apollo turned sharply at Hit's voice, unsure at all how she had gotten all the way there and back in time to hear them, given how far it seemed Julian and Violet had gone. This. This was why he didn't spend time around other people. Perhaps if he hadn't been feeling so trapped and yet somehow isolated, he would have talked to someone besides Violet about it. And perhaps she wouldn't have made the suggestion in the first place. As far as the crying went, though? Apollo genuinely had no idea what to make of that. She had never seemed the vindictive type, and he seriously doubted she'd been doing all this just for him. He nearly looked back towards the Room of Requirement, where his brother apparently still was, but thought better of it.

"You act like you're surprised," he returned blandly, looking between her and Julian. It came across just as cooly as he'd wanted, though a weird, almost inappropriate look of betrayal flashed across his face for just a moment. As though she had been the one to hurt him.

And, in a way, she had done. He just didn't know why it bothered him so much.

Until he knew what the hell Violet was doing, and if she was playing some part or had truly been offended, he supposed it would just be easier for everyone if he took the blame. It was like he'd told Lily before their big break-up incident. People expected him to be the bad one, these days. Despite how little Julian had actually changed after being given the potion, people had immediately jumped on board to suspect something, and had all turned to him as the culprit despite the fact that Apollo had gone nowhere near him before it happened.

But sure. Let's all zero in on him anyway. Because that makes sense. Just like it somehow made sense that everyone believed he'd had a thing with Lily when nobody had proof.

Merlin, Apollo hated Hogwarts.

"It'll wear off soon enough, don't you worry," he put in, rolling his eyes for show. Let them think he was a terrible sod. What did he care? To Clair, he added, "Margo's been looking for you. Some bloody awful game they're playing. I didn't stop to find out."

He needed to find Violet and figure out what she was actually up to. So he mentally blocked out whatever else they had to say to him and made his way back to the staircase as he tried to guess where she would've gone.

--

Christian blanched at the idea that they all had to agree on something. It would've been much easier to just stay quiet and hope everyone ignored him. But then, this was Margo. And she wasn't going to let any of them get off easy. But at least the first suggestion was not that they all take a dare. So he nodded at Cronis and Evander, hoping the others would stick to that theme as well.

"An easy start," he added by way of explanation, thinking maybe it would lead to a quick decision.

[Clair Sauvage]

Apollo was such a hypocritical shit. Julian wasn't supposed to make Violet cry? Violet was the one practising her charms work on him. If anyone was to blame here, it was her. Or Apollo. He had pretty much admitted to having a part in all this, even if it was a more innocent part than Clair had originally assumed.

He didn't say that aloud though, because he barely had a chance. Apollo's rant didn't give anyone a chance to get a word in, except for Anabelle.

"You should definitely go to the hospital wing," Clair said. "He probably only doesn't want you to go because his precious Violet might get in trouble."

"You take him, Hit. I have to get back inside. I think I owe Margo something by now."

[Cassiopeia Cheshire]

Cassie wasn't sure what was going on around her. She had missed that part and she was sure something wasn't right here but she didn't say anything about it.

"Okay fine, let's go," she said. Cassie wasn't that much into the truth and dare game but it's will be more fun than just drinking. She had no idea what will happen now. She walked over the place where the game was now played.

Ezra decided not to drink anything since boy couldn't find anything that he wanted there. He walked over everyone too where was played truth and dare game. He had decided to play too.

[Cronis Yaxley]

Drama had to be a thing that only kids experienced. That wasn't true, though, it was just something people liked to believe. It was the same with gossip.

And with games, like the one they were playing.

Cronis sometimes wondered how he got involved in things like this, but if he asked, he probably wouldn't like the answer. Mostly because the person who would tell him was Evander and his brother had a way with words when it came to him. The other Zabini seemed to agree with his and Evander's suggestion of answering a truth question first rather than taking a dare.

He kind of doubted Margo would be all that happy if that was the general consensus. Oh well.

**

Hit wasn't sure what she was supposed to feel about the entire thing, anymore. But if there was one word she could use to describe what she felt even a little bit, it would be disappointment. She was disappointed. Not just in Apollo, in herself too. (No, she isn't trying to make it about herself.) For someone who was determined to always be there for her friends, to always help them, she did a damn terrible job at it. Maybe she was just too naive.

So, she blamed herself, and the hurt was evident in her eyes as they slipped from Apollo to Clair.

Clair's words were just barely getting to her, Apollo's having been completely shut out. She managed a nod to the Ravenclaw, though. He was right, whether she wanted to believe Apollo had nothing to do with whatever happened or not, she could figure out later. Julian was priority right now.

[Charlotte Waldorf]

Charlotte looked at other Ravenclaw with big smile on her face. She couldn't but thing about herself like of smartest person ever, she succeeded to outsmart person who is in Ravenclaw for good reason for sure.

She saw Christian when he decided to stand next to her and her smile became even bigger. She didn't want that, she wanted to play it cool but it was something like reflex, t was stronger that her.

"Hi" she said and looked for him for a few second.
"How it's going? To you have fun?" She said trying to stay calm and uninterested.

Charlotte decided that she really need to be drunk to survive this game. That is the reason why she grabed another cup of drink and drunk everything from the cup in only one sip.

Her gaze went to Margo who seemed to be really into this game, like it was great opportuniti for all of them to have fun together. Charlotte wondered would Margo started jumping in the one place if she was just a little bit without control. But she probably wanted to be cool.

[Margo P. Richards]

((Hey Nadia, Margo actually already post the question to the boys xP Think it might have gotten lost though)

Margo glanced up to see Molly approaching with the Slytherin girl and Cassie, causing a grin to unfold on Margo's face. It wasn't often that she got to run the show, but today was one of those days.

The boys had come to a consensus, a boring one of course, with Ezra Belby joining them. Margo was racking her brains, trying to find something that could open the group up to some more provocative dares, and something that could potentially rouse some interest in her targets.

She lifted her gaze as Clair entered the room and a catlike grin unfurled on her plump lips as she waved Clair over. "Alright, boys. Here's the deal. You don't answer the question by the end of my countdown, one after the other, and you have to take not one, not two, but three shots. Don't be a buzzkill, play the game. Now..." she said, scanning the faces of her victims. "Who was the last person at Hogwarts that you... thought about. I think you know what I mean," she added, quirking an eyebrow, challenging them to feign innocence. "Three. Two...

"One."

[Julian Kapur]

Julian blinked rapidly, the harsh words exchanged between Clair and Apollo pounding in his skull but making little to no sense. He vaguely heard Clair tell Hitame to take him somewhere. But he had just thrown a party! Why wasn't he at the party?

He reached out and his had found Hitame's shoulder, leaning as he tried to gather his wits. "I want to go back to the party," he said, his eyes boring holes into the ground, keeping them trained on a specific crack in the floor, hoping to right his confused sense of self. "But I don't... I don't feel right. We should... We can go to the hospital wing really quick. Just say I've felt sick since dinner... Or something. I don't want anyone to get in trouble."

[Clair Sauvage]

Normally Clair would have jumped on this opportunity. On this entire game. He was brazen and there was nothing he was ashamed of. He wasn't even ashamed of thinking about Julian, it was just that... He knew they were all going to make assumptions.

The things he thought about Jules weren't even that interesting. His brain had an inconvenient habit of cutting out right before the really hot bits. Now that he thought about it, that was maybe why he was so obsessed with the other boy.

He shrugged, like this was the most boring question in the world.

"Kapur," he said, and then reached for a drink anyway.

"This isn't fair, you already knew what I was gonna say."

[Christian Zabini]

Christian looked to his left when Charlotte greeted him, and though something seemed a bit off, he just presumed it was something to do with the fact that both of them had been drinking. Or he imagined she had, given the cup in her hand and the fact that she'd been spending time with Margo.

"I usually despise these parties," he confided, leaning in a bit so she could hear him over the chatter, without everyone assuming he was talking to the group as a whole. "But so far I've been pleasantly surprised. Guess we'll see how much this game changes things," he added, the smile on his face implying that he felt much more comfortable than he really ever could.

But they'd come to a decision, it seemed, and so he drew in a breath, already presuming that Margo's question would be one he didn't really want to answer. But surely it was better than whatever dare she could've come up with? What did he know, anyway?

Clearly, not much. Nearly choking on the drink he'd taken just before she spoke, he fought to clear his throat before she finished giving them her instructions.

The problem, perhaps, was that thinking about people like that didn't really happen very often as far as Christian was concerned. He had a tendency to believe he cared quite genuinely for people he felt he could help in some way. He liked being helpful, and didn't really understand that he wanted to be needed in some way.

Clair answered first, unembarrassed and rightfully so. Christian wouldn't have been embarrassed to say it if he thought people already knew. Or, perhaps, if he knew himself. So he went for the person he'd been curious about lately.

Even though he knew he would regret it, given the phrasing of Margo's request. And even though he knew it would get back to Ace, leading to endless mockery and prodding from his best mate.

Frowning at the blonde for a moment, Christian cleared his expression and looked across the circle of students. Anywhere but at the people next to him. Then he tossed in at the last second: "Charlotte."

Merlin, why hadn't he stood literally anywhere else?

[Clytemnestra Lux]

"Excuse me?" Clytemnestra turned to Christian.  "Are you sure you understood the question?"

How could he possibly have been thinking about Charlotte, of all people?  Charlotte was a walking icicle, and he even admitted she couldn't handle him.  Not that Clytemnestra intended to "handle" anyone, but that was not the point.  The point was that everyone here should have wanted her.  

It was only logical.  She was way out of their league.  She had beauty, she had brains and she was socially adept which frankly, was something these particular boys were sadly lacking.  So why the hell were they not lusting after her?  

Maybe they were just to stupid to realise that they should.