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Post by Nessa Erugenel on Jul 1, 2006 1:43:05 GMT -5
The Great Hall is decorated into complete splendor! The tables have been moved to the sides to make way for a dance floor. Food is everywhere of every sort. Any good thing you can think of and it is there.
The place looks like a winter wonderland with crystals and metallic white and light blue and purple sheers hanging about. Pretty flowers both big and small ranging from a deep blue to light blue, and also purple, and white. There is a band playing already, and later it will be another group.
Some people have already arrived in their gowns and with their dates. Others are still taking their time to get here; it’s still early so you have plenty of time.
Welcome to the Ball
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Neisa Málbrindal
Pretty Cool
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. [H:3]
Posts: 146
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Post by Neisa Málbrindal on Jul 1, 2006 2:11:29 GMT -5
Pippa Thropp had been waiting for this ball for ages upon ages. She and the rest of her room mates had spent almost the entire day getting ready, and their efforts had certainly paid off. All the girls had looked stunning, but Pippa had chose a different costume than the rest of her dorm mates.
She had chosen to be the legendary Lady of the Lake from Arthurian Myth. She had twirled her hair up into a gold net, and had worn a beautiful medieval style gown colored a pale, sea foam green. As she descended the stairs to the Entry Hall, she decided not to enter just yet, but wait for Gemma.
She had promised to wait for her best friend, and she had every intention of fulfilling her promise. As she waited for her dear friend, she tapped her toes to the music of the piano....
Which Liam was playing.
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Míriel Málbrindal
Pretty Cool
I know when you lie, because your face smiles but your eyes do not...
Posts: 262
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Post by Míriel Málbrindal on Jul 1, 2006 2:41:36 GMT -5
Gemma sighed nervously as she looked at herself in the mirror once more of the bathroom. It was a sight, wasn't it? The dress was a peice of work-an off the shoulder ensemble that had cuffs on the upper arms, creating small poofs, and from there the sleeves went daringly low, nearly touching the floor. The sweet heart neckline was breathtaking, hugging her curvy figure over her hips and swirling into layers of thick black velvet. Her hair was curled for the occasion, glossy curls that fell over her porcelain shoulders. She had it half taken up in a black diamond brooch her Grandmother Cecilia had left her. What topped it off was the small pair of black wings she and Pippa had expertly made. She smiled, the dewy kohl making her deep topaz blue eyes glitter brightly like glacier ice. She was going as 'The Raven' from Edgar Allen Poe's famous poem...that went on forever.
When she tip toed out of the bathroom, the 'clink! clink!' of her glass slippers reminded her that she must be the only person not in the Great Hall. When she rounded the corner, she smiled down the stairs to see her friend, Pippa.
The beautiful sea foam green gown flowed and made Pippa out ot be an angel. The gold of the hair net brought out the mahogany in her hair, and it was just gorgeous how a curly peice of hair framed her face just right.
They were contrary of each other, really. She dark, Pippa light.
Pippa looked up and smiled at her friend.
"You look so beautiful, Pip." Gemma cooed when she came to the bottom of the stairs.
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Neisa Málbrindal
Pretty Cool
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. [H:3]
Posts: 146
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Post by Neisa Málbrindal on Jul 1, 2006 3:11:02 GMT -5
"You look beautiful too, Gem!" She said, taking her best friend's hand. "Gem, I'm nervous,"
"Nervous?" Gemma said, bringing Pippa about to face her. "Why are you nervous?"
"I don't know," She said, shuffling around, but trying not to put too much pressure on her slippers. "It's my first ball in a very long time, you know?" She smiled. "Dumbledore doesn't put on as many as he used to."
"Well, don't worry. You'll dance with plenty of guys." Gemma said, correctly interpreting Pippa's nervousness. "They wouldn't resist a sweet thing like you."
"Thank you. And thank you for letting me borrow your slippers." She said, blushing again, and looking down at the ground sheepishly. A tendril of mahogany curly hair fell into her face and she brushed it aside quickly.
"Well, shall we go in then?" Pip suggested, seeing many couples already dancing.
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Míriel Málbrindal
Pretty Cool
I know when you lie, because your face smiles but your eyes do not...
Posts: 262
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Post by Míriel Málbrindal on Jul 1, 2006 3:20:29 GMT -5
"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Gemma replied happily in her sing song lofty soprano voice. The two strode in with purpose, the Angel and the Raven, looking just as breathtaking as the beauiful Hall.
When they walked into the crowded Hall, Gemma let out a mirth filled laugh. "Is that who I think it is playing the piano?"
Pippa joined her in laughing. "Oh my goodness-I haven't heard him play in forever!" she said in a ringingly beautiful voice.
"Isn't it great?" a voice said from behind them. They turned around to see Garron, looking as regal as a lion in his dark dress coats. He looked positively handsome.
"Oh Garron!" Gemma hugged her brother laughing. "You look so nice!"
When she stepped back Garron looked at Pippa and let out a breaht of air. "Pip, you look...enchanting!"
Pippa blushed a pretty shade of pink. "Tha-thank you Garron."
Gemma gave a wry smile. "I'll just...be over there." she said, winking at her brother.
She swayed in her step, saying hi to people as she moved about the room. She glanced at the piano, seeing Liam. He was chatting with Dumbledore as he played something very majestic sounding.
She smiled secretly and took a sip of her drink as she went back to paying attention to a Ravenclaw girl on the Quidditch team.
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Neisa Málbrindal
Pretty Cool
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. [H:3]
Posts: 146
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Post by Neisa Málbrindal on Jul 1, 2006 3:51:25 GMT -5
Garron was STARING at her. She felt his eyes upon her, and frankly, it was making it rather uncomfortable.
Liam started a strain of a waltz, and suddenly it seemed like all the couples were headed to the floor.
Pippa looked up at Garron intently, and he got the hint.
"Care to dance?" He asked, holding out his elbow.
"I'd love to." ------
Liam secretly watched Garron and Pippa whirl around the dance floor.
It was a sort of blessed curse to play at a ball, he thought.
You couldn't dance with anyone, just had to play your pieces, and watch as the free gentlemen played the sophisticated game of balls that had been going on since the regency era.
He watched Gemma dance through partner after partner. Her face remained the same ecstatic smile the whole time through, but it seemed like a smile that wasn't exactly completely genuine.
Was she really enjoying her partners wit and good taste, or was she just pretending to be kind?
He would take a break the next song and let the violinist preform his solo song, and then he would claim Gemma's next dance as his own, and prove to all the other clueless guys what Gemma Darling REALLY wanted in a man.
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Míriel Málbrindal
Pretty Cool
I know when you lie, because your face smiles but your eyes do not...
Posts: 262
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Post by Míriel Málbrindal on Jul 1, 2006 4:33:46 GMT -5
"Did you see?" Garron asked as he stepped into the dance with Pippa, placing a hand on her waist and taking her hand gently in his other. "They have outside lit up with all sorts of lights. It looks great."
"No, I didn't," Pippa answered in a misty voice. "I'll have to see it."
"I'll take you when you've had your fill of dancing." said Garron, eyes soft.
Pippa blushed. "You don't have to do that-there's plenty of girls in here you could dance with..."
Garron rolled it around in his head. "Yes, but there's only ONE girl I'd like to dance with, you see," he smiled at her shocked expression. "And it doesn't make much sense for me to be in here dancing with girls I don't like while that one girl is outside enjoying the lights."
"You mean that?" She asked breathless.
He twirled her, and whispered, "With all my heart, Pippa Thropp."
She might as well have been dancing on air at that point. "Liam plays well, doesn't he?" she asked, for lack of better conversation.
"He knows how to do everything," Garron said, throwing a wink at his best friend who gave a wolfish grin. Garron turned back to Pippa. "You said you like the stars, Pippa?"
She nodded. "Oh, yes. Very much."
"Good," he said, smiling. "I have a surprise with you." Taking her hand out of the dance, Garron lead Pippa out of the Great Hall and outside onto the grounds. Before he went outside, he held a hand over her eyes, and held her hand with his other. He lead her for a little while and stopped.
"Look down," he said.
Pippa opened her eyes to see hereself staring at the Lake...but it hardly looked like a lake. Motionless and serene, the lake reflected the night sky that was smeared with a beautiful array of stars. It was literally Heaven on earth.
Garron's arms slipped around Pippa and held her from behind. "Little peice of Heaven came down tonight," he whispered. "Just for an angel."
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Neisa Málbrindal
Pretty Cool
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. [H:3]
Posts: 146
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Post by Neisa Málbrindal on Jul 2, 2006 0:49:35 GMT -5
"Here, Tony, take over the next song, alright?" Liam said to the violin player next to him.
Tony nodded, and Liam was finally free to roam. He lumbered his way around the ball, trying to keep Gemma in his range of vision. Slowly, she was creeping to the garden, and then he'd never get to dance with her.
Before Liam knew it, Fiona was upon him. She had somehow snaked her hands around his chest and up around his neck like she was slow dancing with him.
"Hello Liam," She said, sweetly, batting her baby-blues...hazels... at him flirtatiously.
"Fiona," He said in greeting, not even bothering to look at her and carefully removing her arms from his neck.
"Listen, Liam, I have something I want to tell you, sweetheart," She began.
"Fiona, I can't talk right now." He said, moving past her, now inches away from Gemma.
"She's following you," Gemma remarked when Liam was finally in earshot.
"No kidding," Liam said, sarcastically. "Gem, dance with me." He said, making it sound more like a plea then a command or a question.
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Míriel Málbrindal
Pretty Cool
I know when you lie, because your face smiles but your eyes do not...
Posts: 262
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Post by Míriel Málbrindal on Jul 2, 2006 1:07:03 GMT -5
Gemma smiled coyly. "Liam, are you really going to pass up such a..." she covered her mouth as she cracked up into giggles. "...lovely lady?"
Liam looked like he might go crazy as Fiona finally spotted them. "Please?" he asked.
Gemma set down her drink and then said, "Liam O'Hara, ask me like a gentleman."
Liam's lips curved into that roguish smile. "May I have this dance, Lady?"
Gemma laughed and replied, "Yes, you may."
Liam took her porcelain hand and led her out to the dance floor just as Fiona reached where they'd been formerly standing. Gemma nodded. "Looks like we had good timing."
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Neisa Málbrindal
Pretty Cool
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. [H:3]
Posts: 146
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Post by Neisa Málbrindal on Jul 2, 2006 2:17:03 GMT -5
Liam directed them around the dance floor effortlessly.
"You're a good dancer," Gemma observed. She had thought that he might have stepped on her feet, or ran them into another couple as they twirled around in the waltz.
But no, Liam remained calm and cool as a cucumber as they danced.
"You're not so bad yourself there, Sunshine." He said, smiling down at her. Their eyes locked together in a sort of embrace, inseparable.
Who knows how long they stayed like that; twirling around and around with not a wavering glance between them?
It felt like only a few seconds, but it could have been minutes, even hours.
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Míriel Málbrindal
Pretty Cool
I know when you lie, because your face smiles but your eyes do not...
Posts: 262
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Post by Míriel Málbrindal on Jul 2, 2006 2:30:37 GMT -5
"You play the piano very well," Gemma commented. "I didn't know you knew music."
Liam grinned. "I'm sure there's quite a bit you don't know about me."
Gemma laughed again as he twirled her. "I don't doubt it, at this point."
---
Pippa and Garron walked back into the ball room, Garron having said something to make Pippa laugh. She spotted someone when they came back in, and Garron saw too, raising an eyebrow.
"Hmm..." Garron hummed.
Aiden peered around the students, looking for someone. Pippa spotted Nessa talking to Draco and Telery over across the room.
"I wish she'd just admit it to herself," Pippa said.
"Admit what?" Garron asked.
"That they like each other." Pippa supplied.
"I agree." But he was looking at Pippa when he said it. Taking her hand, Garron led her back to the dance floor and smiled when her eyes lit up. Nothing was as bright and beautiful as her eyes.
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Neisa Málbrindal
Pretty Cool
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. [H:3]
Posts: 146
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Post by Neisa Málbrindal on Jul 2, 2006 4:25:22 GMT -5
'I agree. I admit defeat." Garron said, whirling Pippa around the floor once again. "They Like. each other. But is it just like, or infatuation?" "Oh, Garron, you're absolutely impossible." Pippa fumed, yet she laid her head on his shoulders. "Excuse me, may I cut in?" said a greasy-looking fourth year boy, moving along with them. "GET LOST!" Garron growled, and the boy ran in sheer terror. ----- The song ended abruptly. "I promised Tony I'd be back after one song," Liam said. It was three songs later, and he still hadn't returned to his post. "You have to go back?" Gemma said softly, looking up at him in... dare he dreampt... disappointment? "Yeah," Liam said, leaning in to her. Suddenly they stopped moving, stopped dancing and just looked at each other. "I'll be back after a few more songs though," He was staring at her lips. He couldn't take it anymore. Slowly, he craned down and kissed her. The kiss was soft at first, but then grew more passionate. He broke away first, still not believing what he had done. ---- He was singing this song for her. He could see her there by the punch, looking at him with an unreadable expression. "My gift is my song And this one's for you And you can tell everybody That this is your song It maybe quite simple But now that it's done Hope you don't mind I hope you don't mind That I put down in words How wonderful life is now you're in the world"
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Míriel Málbrindal
Pretty Cool
I know when you lie, because your face smiles but your eyes do not...
Posts: 262
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Post by Míriel Málbrindal on Jul 2, 2006 21:31:27 GMT -5
"Agressive much?" Pippa asked, giggling. Garron smirked playfully, dark brown eyes shining in the candlelight.
"Only when it comes to someone spoiling my time with you." Garron said matter-of-factly. "And that might happen a lot."
"Oh really?" Pippa asked as they danced faster, the song speeding up into a merry sound. "Why's that?"
"Because no one can resist the prettiest girl in the room," Garron said. "You should know that by now." He winked.
Pippa blushed, and looked off to see Liam resuming his post as piano player. She smiled sincerely his way, and when he looked up, he winked, a boyish grin on his handsome face.
"He's a nutter." Garron said, grinning too.
"Oh, but that's what makes him Liam." Pippa said endearingly.
Garron dipped her, "Like your sweetness makes you Pippa?"
When she came back up, she was flushed and bright eyed.
---
Did what I think just happened...really happen? Gemma said silently floored and starry eyed. She'd heard him sing as well-he'd been singing for her? He had looked her way once or twice...and although his song was beauitful, it was not what she was focused on.
He'd kissed her. Liam O'Hara.
It had been so tender, the way his hand had cupped her cheek, so gentle that it could give reason enough for Gemma to cry-and then it had deepened. His hand lowered to her neck, his other arm wrapping gently around her waist. She could remember her fingers seeping up his chest softly. It had made her whirl in a passionate ecstasy she'd never felt before-and just like that.
It had ended.
She touched her manicured finger to her lips. They were still warm from his kiss, and she could imagine it all over again. She took in a deep breath, and when the song ended, she decided.
She picked up the hem of her gown and made her way beside the dance floor and toward the piano where she knew he'd be. She had to talk to him-had to see him again. For all the strength in the world she couldn't recount why she had detested that man so...
And her thoughts were suddenly haulted when she found someone blocking her path. She looked up and saw hot pink, diamonds sparkling within the folds of every layer of glittering satin. Fiona Assen looked troubled but determined with her shining blond curls framing her face and her sparkling silver eye shadow lighting up her hazel eyes.
"Gemma," she greeted in a neutral tone. "Where are you heading off to?"
Damn all the things I've ever said to her, Gemma cursed.
"I have to talk with Liam," she said. "Please excuse me."
Fiona didn't move. "I can't let you talk to him-I'm about to dance with him."
Gemma raised a dark arched eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yes. He said he'd dance once with me before the night was over-at least. I like the next song, so I want to dance this with him."
"All right," Gemma said simply. "But that doesn't alter the fact that I have to talk to him."
Fiona crossed her arms. "I'm guessing you don't understand-but I can't let you talk to him. He's-He can't be distracted right now, and if he is, it could hurt him." Gemma's eyes opened.
"Hurt him?"
"Yes," Fiona sighed. "And I like him...a lot. And I think he likes me too, although I'm not sure how much. I'm going to find out though in this dance, and I don't want him to be looking or talking with someone else during our conversation. You see, I don't want someone I like to get hurt."
Gemma's face firmed a bit. "I don't either." She said, and brushed by Fiona without a second glance.
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Neisa Málbrindal
Pretty Cool
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. [H:3]
Posts: 146
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Post by Neisa Málbrindal on Jul 2, 2006 22:38:16 GMT -5
"Maybe you didn't hear me," Fiona said, grabbing Gemma's arm.
"Assen, get off!" Gemma said, trying to shake Fiona off of her.
"I AM going to talk to Liam. And there is nothing you can do to stop me." Fiona glared at her. "I will curse you if I have to."
Shocked and somewhat hurt by Fiona Assen's suprisingly strong grip, Gemma stayed back... for now.
----
"Liam, I need to talk to you," Fiona tried again.
"Listen, Fiona, I don't have much time right now. I have to talk to Gemma."
"You have the whole night to talk to Gemma Darling. One little dance can't hurt you." Fiona said, pulling Liam on to the floor.
"Fiona," Liam started. Fiona positioned his arms about her and SHE led them about the floor. It was a completely awkward situation.
"Listen, please." Fiona said, placing a finger on his lips. Liam felt violated. "Liam I've liked you for a very long time now. I think... I think I love you."
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Míriel Málbrindal
Pretty Cool
I know when you lie, because your face smiles but your eyes do not...
Posts: 262
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Post by Míriel Málbrindal on Jul 2, 2006 23:13:27 GMT -5
Gemma sat at a table toward a fireplace with several other people who needed a breath of air from dancing-including Pippa and Garron.
"Tony's the violinist right?" Pippa asked. "He's quite good. Is he a Hufflepuff?"
"I think so." Harry said.
"Hey, where did Liam go?" Garron asked suspiciously.
"He's dancing with Fiona." Gemma commented strangely quiet. "They had to 'talk'."
"Hm, that's strange," Garron said. "They don't seem to be talking...or she is."
Gemma's eyes flickered toward the dancing couple.
---
"You-what?" Liam shook his head. Surly I heard wrong.
"I said I love you." Fiona repeated softly.
...guess not. Liam swallowed, trying to make his mind work. He and Fiona had known each other their entire time here at Hogwarts but never had he gotten that impression from her-or not really. Not enough to think she'd actually adress him like this. He liked her, but-for some reason, she didn't strike him as that match he was waiting for. Yes she was gorgeous, blond, sweet, and smart. But-there was still something that wasn't clicking with him when it came to her.
Again, he swallowed. This isn't going to be easy...
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